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The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby returns with the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Racecourse Dec. 17 with none of the runners who contested the first leg in November.View the full article

The Remington Springboard Mile has yet to be won by the eventual Kentucky Derby (G1) winner, but perhaps this year's race snaps that streak. No trainer is better positioned to come away victorious than Steve Asmussen. View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of Dec. 8-14View the full article

Geez, it is just so frustrating for us to see just how poorly managed harness racing is at the moment! If things arent working he will step in and change things? Seriously, does he really not realise the consequences of poor financial decisions? At the end of the day the free money is going to stop and then what? Read the article on the thoroughbred site of BOAY and anyone with half a brain will be able to see what is going on with Entain, and it is not going to be pretty for harness racing in two years time! Its ok though we can afford to pay out $60k for a 4 horse race that is going to generate nothing. Crazy stuff, but its all good, Brad Steele says things are positive for harness 😂

I'll get you the stakes funding for the meeting, because it is basically called an industry day we are funded accordingly. As to having a large amount of money invested the club is using the return on that investment to bring the facilities up to date like the stable block the next stage of that is being bought forward thanks to the wind and a partial insurance payout. As to sitting on a large amount with aging facilities like the grandstand which currently reaches earth quake ratings but may not in the future we as a club want to make sure in the future we could rebuild something and if you don't think that could happen just ask Nelson. Financing stakes is solely the responsibility of hrnz if we start subsidizing them do you not think they would just pay us less. The club is about to reach it's 100year anniversary in that time the former committee's have been very prudent with their finances to put it in the position that it's in and the current committee are no different.

A hearing officer assigned by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has cleared the way for that regulatory body to provisionally suspend New York-based trainer Rudy Rodriguez while a final adjudication plays out stemming from a series of alleged rule violations related to “cruelty, mistreatment, neglect or abuse” of Thoroughbreds. The decision, dated Monday, Dec. 15, and made public Tuesday, Dec. 16, was written up following a Friday, Dec. 12, hearing at which Rodriguez testified that “all [of his] horses were well cared for.” His legal team also presented testimony and affidavits from seven other people involved with his stable who vouched on Rodriguez's behalf, including two veterinarians. Armand Leone, the hearing officer, didn't agree. He wrote in his report that Rodriguez “failed to follow the standard of care required for a Trainer and endangered the welfare of his horses.” Leone's decision continued: “Accordingly, upon review of all the exhibits and testimony and considering the arguments of counsel, the Authority has demonstrated good cause to the comfortable satisfaction of the Hearing Officer that the Request for Provisional Suspension of the Respondent pending a final adjudication should be GRANTED.” TDN is attempting to reach either Rodriguez or his attorney to get a reaction on the decision and to determine what next steps might be pursued. Back on Nov. 21, HISA served Rodriguez, who has between 50 and 60 horses in training on the New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit, with a “notice of violation and show cause” that could result in serious penalties for the 53-year-old former jockey who has consistently ranked near the top of the New York trainer standings for the past 15 years. Citing examples of 16 different Thoroughbreds, the HISA notice stated that “since Nov. 22, 2024, you have been the Responsible Person for at least 15 Covered Horses that have been placed on the Veterinarians' List. Based on entries to the HISA Portal, none of these horses have had a lameness evaluation or diagnostic work performed since being placed on the Veterinarians' List. “Moreover, you have been the Responsible Person of at least 4 Covered Horses that have suffered catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries since Dec. 13, 2024,” the notice stated. “Taken together, the Authority has reasonable grounds to believe that your actions or inactions present an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of Covered Horses of Riders arising from specific violations of the Authority's Racetrack safety or accreditation rules,” the notice stated. According to the hearing officer's summary of the Dec. 12, 2025, hearing, Rodriguez's legal team attempted to show that “all 16 horses were routinely evaluated and cared for, and all horses were given an opportunity to rest after being placed on the Vet List. The four breakdowns occurred in horses that were all determined after veterinarian evaluation to be fit for racing… “Breakdowns are not exclusively attributable to pre-existing injury,” Rodriguez's legal team summarized at the hearing. “No amount of care can protect a horse against a hole or rock on the track. The Authority has not articulated a cognizable theory of imminent danger as to any of the identified horses. “There are no allegations of non-compliance with procedures by Respondent, the Attending Veterinarian or Regulatory Veterinarians,” the hearing officer continued in his written report, summarizing Rodriguez's response. “There is no allegation that Respondent circumvented these procedures with the intent to work or race unsound horses. The only complaint is that such evaluations must have been uploaded to the Portal, but the rules only require the Attending Veterinarian to submit proof of examination to the Regulatory Veterinarian. The Authority fails to explain how compliance with its own rules presents a danger to horses.” “The Authority is alleging that the mere failure to record a 'diagnostic or lameness evaluation' in the HISA Portal warrants a Provisional Suspension without alleging any violations of record-keeping,” the hearing officer's summary of Rodriguez's response continued. “Instead the Authority tries to argue that omissions in record-keeping constitute a 'deprivation' of 'necessary' care… “All of Respondent's 16 horses were continuously assessed and evaluated, as shown by the Racing Activities sheets, the HISA Portal entries, [and] the Permission to Work forms” that were presented as evidence exhibits, the hearing officer wrote, summarizing Rodriguez's response. “Respondent's horses underwent over 100 diagnostic or lameness evaluations, in addition to day-to-day assessment by the Attending Veterinarian, Respondent and his staff…” Rodriguez is alleged to have violated HISA Rule 2215(a), which states: “No Covered Person acting alone or in concert with another person shall compromise the welfare of a Covered Horse for competitive or commercial reasons or subject or permit any Covered Horse under their control, custody or supervision to be subjected to or incur the following: (1) any form of cruelty, mistreatment, neglect, or abuse; (2) abandonment, injury, maiming, or killing (except for euthanasia for humane reasons and in a manner consistent with the current version of the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals); (3) administration of any noxious substance; or (4) deprivation of necessary care, sustenance, shelter, or veterinary care.” The notice of violation explained that, “One of the reasons behind HISA's Veterinarians' List rules is to provide a safety net for horses flagged by regulatory veterinarians in the course of their duties who require further veterinary evaluation. Such evaluation is meant to be provided by the trainer's attending veterinarian as outlined in [rules] 2242(b) and (d). As demonstrated [in the notice of violation], such evaluations were not always performed.” Rodriguez could be facing additional penalization as his case moves through the HISA administrative process and possibly the legal system. Beyond the provisional suspension, the Nov. 21 notice of violation stated that, “If it is agreed or determined that one or more Rule 2215(a) violations have occurred, HISA may, in addition to the provisional suspension, seek to impose one or more of the sanctions outlined in Rule 8200 as deemed appropriate by HISA in keeping with the seriousness of the violation and the facts of the case, and that is consistent with the safety, welfare, and integrity of Covered Horses, Covered Persons, and Covered Horseraces.” The hearing officer wrote that, “Mr. Rodriguez states he is not entirely sure what the allegations against him are, but believes he does his best, including instructing his doctors to file all necessary paperwork for HISA records.” The hearing officer then explained his rationale for allowing the provisional suspension to go into effect. “The Authority's basis for suspension is that there is an absence of veterinarian treatment records for multiple covered horses concerning lameness evaluations or diagnostic treatments after being placed on the Vet List in the HISA Portal or produced to the Authority request…” Leone wrote. “The Authority chose to bring its Request for Provisional Suspension solely based on a violation of Rule 2215(a)(4), which prohibits deprivation of necessary care, sustenance, shelter or veterinarian care,” the hearing officer wrote. “Although the conduct in this case could potentially have violated other aspects of the Rule, the Authority limited its charge to this subsection. Accordingly, the decision shall depend only upon an analysis of 2215(a)(4),” the hearing officer wrote. “Rule 2215(a) is a two-part rule. The first sentence is a general prohibition against compromising the welfare of a Covered Horse for competitive or commercial reasons. It establishes a broad duty of care to not engage in any action (or inaction) that endangers the horse's physical, mental, or overall health and safety. This part of the rule does not enumerate the specific acts or omissions required but just requires a showing of facts that the conduct endangered horse welfare for competitive or commercial advantage,” the hearing officer wrote. “Rule 2215(a)(1-4) enumerates specific categories of abuse and endangerment. Intent to endanger horse welfare for competitive or commercial reasons is not required, as this part of the rule rests on strict liability for the enumerated actions,” the hearing officer wrote. “For example, Rule 2215(a)(1) prohibits any form of cruelty, mistreatment, neglect of abuse. Proper fitness conditioning is important to prevent catastrophic injury in Covered Horses. The fatality investigations raised questions about the sufficiency of care exercised in the conditioning programs for Respondent's Covered Horses prior to workouts or races,” the hearing officer wrote. The hearing officer then focused on two of the 16 horses identified in the notice of violation: One was the Rodriguez-trained Jemography, who, according to HISA's notice of violation, “was the subject of a void claim on Mar. 24, 2024, and, as a result, was placed on the Veterinarians' List as unsound. Jemography failed a Veterinarians' List workout for unsoundness on Apr. 29, 2024, and again on Aug. 2, 2024. On Dec. 13, 2024, roughly four months after the last failed workout, Jemography died during or following the eighth race at Aqueduct. There are no diagnostic or lameness evaluations recorded in the HISA Portal for Jemography for 2024.” The other was Secret Rules, who, according to HISA's notice of violation, was “placed on the Veterinarians' List as unsound on Dec. 14, 2024. Secret Rules failed a Veterinarians' List workout for unsoundness on Jan. 11, 2025. The Regulatory Veterinarian required diagnostic imaging following the failed workout. Eight days after failing the workout, Secret Rules died during or following a workout at Belmont Racetrack. There are no diagnostic or lameness evaluations recorded in the HISA Portal for Secret Rules since the horse was placed on the Veterinarians' List on Dec. 14, 2024.” The hearing officer wrote that “Jemography had a pattern of very light training in order to get the horse sound enough to pass the vet. After removal from the Vet List, the horse's training significantly intensified in the time leading up to its catastrophic injury.” Secret Rules “galloped immediately after a 7-day stand down,” the hearing officer wrote. The hearing officer wrote that “Rule 2251 is clear that a veterinary examination is a required reporting event and applies to all veterinarians, both Attending and Regulatory Veterinarians. “However, it appears that Regulatory Veterinarians do not file Pre-Race Inspections for Assessment of Racing Soundness in the HISA Portal as set forth under Rule 2142 but file them in Encompass. Trainer Communication Records are not filed in the HISA Portal. While there may be deficiencies in the reporting system as to where different reports are filed, it is irrelevant to the decision in this case. No timely lameness evaluations were made to be filed. Respondent and his veterinarian were unable to produce any such report,” the hearing officer wrote. “Under Rule 2215(a)(4), the Authority has demonstrated a pattern of failure to have Covered Horses placed on the Vet List timely examined by Attending Veterinarians to assess lameness and prevent further injury. The lack of records in the Portal reflects lack of necessary veterinarian care,” the hearing officer wrote. “Rule 2251(b) is clear that every veterinarian who examines or treats a Covered Horse shall, within 24 hours, submit a report to the Authority,” the hearing officer wrote. The hearing officer then noted that Reyn Andrews, an attending veterinarian for Rodriguez, “acknowledged this requirement and stated that he creates records for examinations and treatments as contemporaneously as possible throughout the day.” The hearing officer continued, drawing upon Andrews's testimony: “If a trainer informs [Andrews] a horse is on the vet's list, he typically examines the horse right away. A delay of a week between a horse being placed on the vet's list and his performing an examination would be because the trainer waited a week to inform him. “There are no timely lameness examinations documented by Dr. Andrews of these horses while on the Vet List,” the hearing officer wrote. “The only reports are soundness evaluations on Veterinarian Work Request forms. There was not one diagnostic evaluation for unsoundness for even one of these Covered Horses while on the Vet List. There was no demonstration that Dr. Andrews examined any Covered Horse while still lame.” That's because, the hearing officer wrote, Rodriguez “never requested” those types of exams. The hearing officer's decision continued: “Respondent's habit was to let the horse rest. If after rest, the horse appeared healthy and sound, nothing further was done and the horse would not be examined until he needed an veterinarian evaluation for a work request. “This failure to have horses on the Vet List assessed by the Attending Veterinarian to identify the lameness while still lame creates an unacceptable risk of serious injury or death to Covered Horses,” the hearing officer wrote. “The events surrounding the fatality of Secret Rules are illustrative of this pervasive problem. Dr. Andrews was never told that Secret Rules was placed on the Vet List on Dec. 14. When Respondent asked Dr. Andrews to evaluate Secret Rules on Dec. 30 for the request to work, the horse was sound from rest and light work,” the hearing officer wrote. “Dr. Andrews was completely unaware that it was the right front limb for which the horse was found grade 2/5 unsound on Dec. 14. His examination was blind and simply documented that the horse 'walks good and jogs good.' There was no focused examination of the right front limb. Dr. Andrews testified that, if the Respondent told him a horse was on the list, he would examine the horse right away. That did not happen for Secret Rules in December 2024.” The hearing officer continued: “[Rodriguez] is an experienced horseman and, as he testified, 90% of lameness goes away with rest without the need for veterinarian treatment. It appears that with rest and time, Secret Rules's symptoms of the acute lameness in the right front subsided by Dec. 30. However, seemingly mild lameness can be a symptom of a more serious underlying soft tissue or bony injury. “Hairline fractures are known to exhibit lameness that can subside with rest in days. Although the lameness may subside, the underlying fracture still exists and is susceptible to complete fracture if stressed prior to healing,” the hearing officer wrote. “The lack of an Attending Veterinarian examination of Secret Rules within 48-72 hours of being placed on the Vet List on Dec. 14 prevented targeted examination of Secret Rules['s] right leg. Dr. Andrews has a mobile practice and can take radiographs and ultrasounds at the barn. The only reason a vet examination of Secret Rules did not occur at that time was that the Respondent didn't request one. “Respondent is not a veterinarian, yet he chooses to self-diagnose and self-treat his Covered Horses, such as occurred with Secret Rules,” the hearing officer wrote. “If Dr. Andrews had assessed Secret Rules or participated in his treatment for the Dec. 14 lameness, a record would have been generated, and a correct diagnosis could have been made,” the hearing officer wrote. “[Rodriguez] created an unacceptable risk that an underlying injury would be masked by rest and minimal work, which would then go undetected during the Attending Veterinarian examination for a Veterinarian Work Request…” the hearing officer wrote. “The unacceptable risks of serious injury or death from [Rodriguez's] failures to have his horses examined by an Attending Veterinarian after being placed on the Vet list caused Secret Rules' catastrophic injury,” the hearing officer wrote. The post Hearing Officer Rules That HISA Can Provisionally Suspend Trainer Rodriguez While ‘Cruelty’ Case Plays Out appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Arapahoe Park, along with the Colorado Division of Racing, successfully concluded its ten-week fall 2025 meet with zero catastrophic track injuries. View the full article

By Jonny Turner Bob Butt doesn’t have to do any second guessing ahead of The Lazarus Effect’s Group 1 Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup quest. The rising star comes into the Southland feature at Ascot Park on Friday with all kinds of ticks next to his name. He’s in great form, has been beginning brilliantly in recent standing starts and has proven himself at Group 1 level. It is the latter of those which means Butt will head into the Invercargill Cup with the utmost confidence in his pacer. A brilliant effort in the recent The Christian Cullen confirmed everything Butt already suspected about The Lazarus Effect. “He did plenty of work and went great, he proved he can tough it out at that level,” Butt said. “I always knew he had plenty of speed, but coming through the grades he was always a hot favourite and he didn’t have to be as tough.” “To run second to Kingman like he did, it showed he is going to be pretty versatile in that top grade.” The way The Lazarus Effect has been beginning, he looks a serious chance of being the first of the big chances to find the front in the Invercargill Cup. Though Butt knows you can’t make too many plans ahead of the tapes releasing in a Group 1 event. “He has been beginning brilliantly but it will come down to what happens on the day.” “He has got the trip down there and it’s a new track and it is a Group 1, anything could ping away fast.” “We have got to hope he does begin as well as he has been because staying in front of the backmarkers is going to be important.” From the front line, The Lazarus Effect gets a 10m buffer on Alta Meteor and a 20m head-start on the favourite and defending champion Republican Party. If the four-year-old can get away quickly and get near the pace, a repeat of Butt’s tactics in his brilliant win at Kaikoura in November could be in order. “We let him roll along at Kaikoura and he was good, it is a similar track and it would be good if he could do something like that.” With just 12 starts, The Lazarus Effect is the baby of the Invercargill Cup field. Wag Star, with 33 starts, is the second least experienced pacer in the Group 1 event. To see the Invercargill Cup field click here View the full article

Both Charles Town Races (165 dates) and Mountaineer Park (125 dates) got approval Dec. 16 from the West Virginia Racing Commission (WVRC) to finalize live racing schedules for 2026. The awarding of race dates in West Virginia is annually an outdated, several step process. A state statute requires Charles Town to apply for 220 programs every year, and Mountaineer is required to apply for 210 dates. But those quotas haven't been reached for quite some time. So what has ended up happening in recent seasons is that after the initial approvals of those mandated 220 and 210 dates every November by the WVRC, both venues have subsequently come back before the commission to ask for reductions that reflect what each track and its respective Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association chapters think is a workable schedule. The post ’26 Dates Set For Charles Town And Mountaineer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Pinhooker Fearghal Hogan completed his shopping for the year at the Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale when going to €60,000 to secure a Make Believe colt that was offered by the Irish National Stud. Out of black-type Sea The Stars mare The Sky Is Blazing, the Make Believe colt was the most expensive horse sold at the one-day sale on Tuesday. The Sky Is Blazing has already produced two individual winners, including the 91-rated Blazing Skies (Dark Angel). “I love the foal,” Hogan said. “I saw him when the videos came up on the website a few weeks ago. I like the sire and I just thought he was the best foal on the day – it was plenty of money for him.” Hogan added, “He's out of a black-type Sea The Stars mare who has bred two good horses. She is still a young mare. I knew he was going to cost….but not that much! “When you see a horse that you like, you just want to buy it. I have bought between 12 and 14 this year.” The turnover for the Sapphire Sale almost doubled [up 93%] to €609,200 for 62 lots sold at a clearance rate of just 60%. The average was up by 50% to €9,826 while the median was up 127% to €6,250. The post Hogan Completes Haul For 2025 With Make Believe Colt At Tattersalls Ireland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Writers Edward L. Bowen and Ray Kerrison and photographer Charles Christian “C. C.” Cook have been selected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor. Edward L. Bowen (1942-2025), who was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this year as a Pillar of the Turf, enjoyed a prolific career as a racing journalist and historian for more than 60 years. An editor-in-chief of The BloodHorse magazine and the author of 22 books on horse racing, Bowen also served 24 years as president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, traditionally the leading source of funding for veterinary research specifically to promote horse health and soundness. He was the chair of numerous committees at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, including the contemporary Nominating Committee for 38 years, beginning in 1987. “Ed contributed to the betterment of racing in so many ways and the historical record of his outstanding writing will live on forever,” said Brien Bouyea, the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame and Communications Director. “Ed built a reputation on integral reporting and captivating storytelling. He loved horses and horse racing and that passion shined through in his vivid work.” Charles Christian “C. C.” Cook (1873-1954) was one of American racing's first and most influential photographers. A native of Carmi, Illinois, Cook worked as a photojournalist for newspapers in Chicago before becoming a freelancer around 1900. His images of animals in the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and the Barnum and Bailey Circus attracted wide attention. Cook began his association with racing photography at Washington Park in Chicago in the late 1890s. Cook was one of the first photographers in the United States to specialize in horse racing photography, as well as portraits and scenic images at various racetracks. “Cook was a prolific photographer who established trends in U.S. racing photography as both an artist and as a pioneer of track photography equipment that evolved heavily in the early decades of the 20th century,” said Keeneland Library Director Roda Ferraro. “The Cook Collection remains a pillar of Keeneland Library's vast photography collections, and Cook's seminal body of work is alive and influential as we connect people daily to his captured race day moments for use in international articles, books, films, exhibits, social media, and track and farm marketing campaigns.” Ray Kerrison (1930-2022) was one of racing's most respected writers and had few peers as an investigative reporter. A native of Australia, Kerrison wrote for the New York Post from 1977 through 2013, serving the paper as both a news and horse racing columnist. He covered 32 editions of the Kentucky Derby and numerous other major races, including Breeders' Cup events. “Ray was smart, kind, dryly witty, and as committed to his craft as any journalist I've ever known,” Bob McManus, The Post's retired editorial page editor, said after Kerrison's death in 2022. “He was a man of unshakable principle, which was obvious in his writing, but also a fellow who respected his readers' intelligence. His goal was to persuade, not to lecture, and while his work could be controversial, it always was honest.” “I used to refer to him as the Fred Astaire of thoroughbred racing because he was the best,” former Post sports editor Greg Gallo said. “He was the classiest guy who ever worked that beat. No one was better as a journalist.” For more information on the newest Joe Hirsch Media Roll honorees, click here. The post Bowen, Cook, Kerrison Selected to Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Australian Turf Club has secured a temporary injunction from the Supreme Court of New South Wales halting Racing NSW's move to place the club under administration, with the matter set to be heard on Thursday, December 18. Racing NSW announced on Monday it intended to appoint an administrator, citing concerns over the ATC's financial position and corporate governance, claiming the club failed to present a credible remediation plan during a protracted show-cause process. ATC chairman Tim Hale rejected those claims, saying the club is “financially strong and operationally stable”. “As of today, the club holds approximately $29 million in cash and continues to meet all financial obligations as they fall due,” Hale said. “Our balance sheet is supported by more than $400 million in land and property assets, including strategically significant holdings at Canterbury and Camellia.” Hale also said Racing NSW currently owes the ATC $1.2 million in outstanding payments, with almost $800,000 more than 120 days overdue. Racing NSW responded on Tuesday afternoon with a statement. Chairman Dr Saranne Cooke said the decision followed what she described as a misrepresentation of the situation by the ATC in a notice to members. “Racing NSW will continue to act in the best interests of the NSW Thoroughbred Racing industry, and we believe the facts in the attached letter speak for themselves,” Cooke said. A sizable part of the letter called into question the conduct of Hale around the proposed sale of Rosehill Gardens and his communications at the time with the Hon Mark Latham. The letter stated that Hale did not inform the rest of the Board that he was communicating with Latham at that time. Racing NSW expressed concern for the “changing nature” of Hale's correspondence with Latham, and that “the conduct of the ATC Board gives rise to serious and systemic corporate governance concerns”. The matter returns to the Supreme Court on Thursday. The post ATC, Racing NSW Head to Court appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" returns with the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Racecourse Dec. 17 with none of the runners who contested the first leg in November.View the full article

It may not have rivalled the headline acts Romantic Warrior, Ka Ying Rising or even Sosie, but for Justin Timmons, the success of his graduate Helene Supafeeling (City Light) in Hong Kong on Saturday provided the popular breeze-up consignor with reason to celebrate. And why wouldn't it? Helene Supafeeling, formerly known as Port Light in Europe, landed a £107,160 cheque when making his debut at Sha Tin a winning one on what is one of the most important fixtures of the year in that jurisdiction. Not only that, but the 24,000gns yearling purchase, who was then sold to Tom Biggs of Blandford Bloodstock for €41,000 at last year's Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale, is yet another highly-rated horse to have been sold by Timmons under the banner of Dolmen Bloodstock. “It might have been a race on the undercard, but the biggest thing that I took from it was that he managed to win first-time up in Hong Kong,” Timmons said. “A lot of people tell me that it usually takes horses a couple of runs to acclimatise and adapt to the style of racing in Hong Kong so, to win on his debut, that was quite impressive.” Timmons added, “He was rated 100 in Britain and won off a Hong Kong rating of 72 so he could be well ahead of that rating. Who knows, he could be running in one of the bigger races on that card in 12 months' time! He's definitely quite useful.” Helene Supafeeling was winning for trainer David Eustace, but it was Archie Watson who managed the horse's career in between the breeze-ups and that valuable Hong Kong victory. A dual winner for Watson, Helene Supafeeling finished fifth behind Cosmic Year in a Listed contest at Newmarket before being sold to continue his career in Hong Kong. They say one swallow doesn't make a summer, though, and, luckily for Timmons, he has come up with a good horse from small numbers every year for the past number of years. He explained, “I have sold a horse rated 90 or 100 every year but they never seem to blitz in their breeze. Orderofthephoenix (Phoenix Of Spain), for example, was 70th or 80th on the clock at Tattersalls Ireland, yet she won over six furlongs at Woodbine earlier this year. She's obviously very quick for a Phoenix Of Spain, who seems to be getting mile-plus horses, but, for whatever reason, she didn't clock. “Lost Signal (Lucky Vega) looks a nice horse as well. He was only beaten a few lengths by Gewan on debut at Newbury but he won his next two starts and is now rated 89. He's another who didn't rock the clock in his breeze but he looks an exciting horse for next year.” Timmons added, “I only breeze on average five or six every year and I don't even have the hunger to go up in numbers anymore because it is just very hard to get riders these days. The way I work it is, I go to all of the sales and I try to buy something I really like. There are plenty of days I come home with nothing as a result. I don't need to fill a stable for the sake of it because I'm trying to keep numbers tight. That way, I can do a lot of the hands-on work myself. I have a good rider, Niall O'Connor, who is a big help to me. People say breezing is a numbers game but there's no point in having horses for the sake of it. It's hard to say what's right and what's wrong but, for me, I know that keeping the numbers tight is working so we'd rather keep it as a boutique operation.” Along with producing nice horses, the one constant to Dolmen Bloodstock over the past number of years is that the horses sold under that banner rarely feature in the top third of the time sheets at the breeze-up sales. It doesn't seem to hinder them on the racetrack, however, and Timmons believes that his consignment highlights the value on offer to buyers willing to look beyond the clock at the breeze-up sales. He said, “I would like to think by now that there are one or two buyers out there that are savvy enough to know my horses don't blitz the clock. Tom Biggs, for example, bought the City Light off me last year and, off the back of him, he asked me what I liked this year. I told him that the Lucky Vega was my pick and he followed him into the ring. Fair enough, he didn't get him but he bid on him. He trusted me and I didn't set him wrong so there is definitely value to be gotten at the breeze-ups if you look beyond the clock and analyse the breeze as a whole. People build up a profile on consignors and they know what to expect from different vendors.” Timmons added, “I started out in this game in a racing yard and have also dabbled in the breeding and stud farm side of the business as well. Every time I get a horse in, I train them like they're racehorses. Maybe from a trading perspective, I should be training more for the clock but this is what I know and I am set in my ways. The breeze-ups were fundamentally about getting a yearling in, breaking them and letting them go up the track in a good style. Buyers had the advantage of being able to see them gallop up the track without blitzing and I think that's what breeze-ups should always be about. There's a part of me that would love them to be able to go quicker in the breeze but, I'm 35 now so maybe I'm too old to change my ways!” The post Early Christmas Present For Timmons With Success Of “Value” Breezer In Hong Kong appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It might be over-egging the pudding a bit to describe this year's Prix Morny as a familiar tale of woe for the home team. However, in order to understand why the 2024 winner, Whistlejacket, is such a welcome addition to the Normandy stallion ranks for next season, it's important to acknowledge the gaping void that necessitated his purchase in the first place. Increasingly, France seems to be falling behind its British and Irish counterparts when it comes to producing top-class, sprinting juveniles. This struggle was depicted in no uncertain terms by what we witnessed at Deauville in August, when only one of the six runners for the Morny was actually trained in France. The colt in question, Imperial Me Cen (Mehmas), proceeded to trail home at the rear of the field, eight lengths adrift of the winner, Venetian Sun (Starman). Andre Fabre's Earthlight stemmed the tide somewhat when hitting the target in 2019, but it remains only four times this century that the Morny has been won by a French-trained horse, with the consecutive victories of Whipper (2003) and Divine Proportions (2004) being followed at much longer intervals by first Dabirsim (2011) and then Earthlight. A familiar tale of woe, indeed. This year, however, there has at least been an encouraging epilogue to the story for French breeders, with Whistlejacket – the first Morny winner to retire to stud in France since Shalaa – possessing many of the attributes that they've been crying out for. A battle-hardened colt who ran eight times in his juvenile campaign alone, the son of No Nay Never filled the runner-up spot at the top level on two other occasions, in the Phoenix Stakes and Middle Park Stakes, as well as winning the G2 July Stakes and dishing out a near-four-length beating Arizona Blaze in the Listed First Flier Stakes. “We were really impressed by his two-year-old career and we were thinking that this is the type of profile we don't have here in France at the moment,” says Jean-Daniel Manceau of Capucines Bloodstock, the man tasked with managing Whistlejacket's stallion career at Haras de Grandcamp. “We'd been looking for a stallion for a couple of years. We were looking for a speedy, early type, from a nice family and with a fashionable sire. He was ticking all of these boxes so, when he came up for sale, I was more than interested. I worked on making a nice partnership with some French breeders to purchase the horse and to give him a place at stud here in France.” Whistlejacket is joined on the Haras de Grandcamp roster for 2026 by the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero Big Rock and Grosser Preis von Baden scorer Zagrey, with Jean-Philippe Dubois leading the group of breeders who have committed to supporting the former Aidan O'Brien trainee in his second career. Manceau adds, “I think he will fit plenty of mares and [appeal to] plenty of breeders. We made a little syndicate with a few shares to sell. In only 48 hours that was done, so it was showing already a few good signs. “We will support him a lot as well. We're trying to buy around 15 mares and fillies with a speedy profile to support him during the year and to give him the best start possible at stud.” Whistlejacket's arrival at Haras de Grandcamp sees him become the fourth son of No Nay Never to find a place at stud, with the others including this colt's full-brother, Little Big Bear, who demolished his Phoenix rivals by seven lengths in 2022, and Blackbeard, who won the same year's Morny and Middle Park. No Nay Never, of course, won the Morny himself in 2013. “He comes from a very good sire-line,” Manceau continues. “His father No Nay Never was a Group 1 winner. He actually won the Morny, like Whistlejacket, and his grandfather, Johannesburg, won the Morny as well. Scat Daddy was a two-year-old winner [at Grade I level], Johannesburg was one and Hennessy was one, so that's five sires in his sire-line who were Group 1 winners at two, like him. “He's an outcross to the Sadler's Wells line and the Danehill line. He has this nice Scat Daddy blood, so I think he can be crossed with all of the Kodiac, Dark Angel and Galileo mares. All of these lines could fit him well, I think.” Bred by Camas Park, Lynch Bages and Summerhill, Whistlejacket was a knockout yearling when sold to MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 500,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1. Within seven months he was debuting at the Curragh, becoming one of the first Ballydoyle two-year-olds to be unleashed that season. Clearly, the ambition is that Whistlejacket will produce high-class horses built in his own image, ready to go early in their juvenile campaigns, although Manceau is quick to point out that there is more staying power on the distaff side of the pedigree. “He came from a family that I love, a Wertheimer family from the good mare All Along, who was a five-time Group 1 winner,” he explains. “He's out of a Bering mare called Adventure Seeker and, obviously, he's a full-brother to Little Big Bear. He comes from that good French family which we all like here. I think that can help him to have horses who can be [talented] three-year-olds, stay a bit more and go over all type of distances. “He's standing at 16 hands. He has a lot of scope and a good walk. He's a very nice, well-made horse – that's why he made that [amount of money] at the sale.” Already, Whistlejacket is drawing admiring glances from breeders in his new surroundings at Haras de Grandcamp, little over an hour from where he enjoyed his finest hour in the Morny, beating the G2 Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar (Holy Roman Emperor) by three-quarters-of-a-length. Named after the chestnut racehorse famously depicted in George Stubbs's 18th century painting, Whistlejacket will command a fee of €14,000 in his debut season, with Manceau eager to get the ball rolling. “He was a Group 1-winning two-year-old and we need this type of profile here,” Manceau sums up. “I think, at this price point, he will be good value for breeders here in France. “He just came a week ago to the farm and I was delighted to see him in the flesh. He's such a nice-looking and calm horse. He's already had a few good shows and a few good visits. All of the breeders were pleased with him. I'm really excited to work on it and to support him at the sales, buying mares and trying to do really something great.” The post Haras de Grandcamp Welcomes Prix Morny Hero Whistlejacket appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The OBSOnline January 2026 Sale, offering horses of racing age and 2-year-olds in training, will run in conjunction with the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's January Winter Mixed Sale, which will be held Jan. 27 in Ocala, Florida. The Winter Mixed Sale, featuring newly turned yearlings, broodmares, and broodmare prospects, has 282 head catalogued. The single-session auction will begin at 11 a.m. ET. OBSOnline January 2026 Sale Dates Entry deadline – Jan. 19 Optional Under Tack – Jan. 22, 10 a.m. ET Bidding Begins – Jan. 26, noon ET Bidding Closes – Jan. 30, noon ET Among the stallions represented with yearlings in the Winter Mixed catalogue are OBS graduates Bucchero, Colonel Liam, champion Corniche, Goldencents, Kantharos, Mitole, and Yaupon as well as offerings by first-crop sires Arcangelo, Annapolis, OBS grad Country Grammer, Dr. Schivel, Doppelganger, Endorsed, Fulsome, Gunite, Pappacap, Proxy, Simplification, Taiba, and Zandon. The catalogue also features yearlings by such notable stallions as Authentic, Charlatan, Early Voting, Essential Quality, Girvin, Golden Pal, Hard Spun, Jackie's Warrior, Independence Hall, Maclean's Music, Mandaloun, Maximus Mischief, Omaha Beach, Roadster, Speaker's Corner, Tiz the Law, Twirling Candy, and Win Win Win. The 2026 OBS January Winter Mixed Sale includes a daughter of six-time leading sire and OBS grad Into Mischief as well as mares in foal to young sires Dornoch, Maxfield, and Verifying and proven stallions Khozan, Leinster, and Midshipman. Supplemental entries are being accepted until Jan. 16, 2026. For complete information on registration and internet bidding, click here. The post OBSOnline January Sale to Run Alongside OBS Winter Mixed Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

You're a luar @Comic Dog - you frequently copy posts from here. Farknuckle aka @Joe Bloggs you accusatuon of trolling id also a lie bit then you appear not to understand the meaning of the words troll naf stalk. Which is not surprising given who you pretend to associate with.

What will racing look like in 10 years? We asked some of racing's best and brightest to give us their predictions. Want to submit an answer? Email suefinley@thetdn.com Louisiana Downs Racing Secretary Stuart Slagle: My 2036 Racing Travelogue DATE: Jan 25, 2036 10:00 PM EST CITY: HAVANA Wow, what a year! I kicked things off in Havana, where the legendary Oriental Park made its comeback with Hong Kong Jockey Club's assistance following the successful launch of Chongua Racecourse. The Gran Premio Laz Barrera Internacional was a huge draw, even luring recent Florida Derby champs. The Friday night post of 10 o'clock allowed for simulcasting at Sha Tin. The Friday night races were wild, and winning jockey Zac Purton partied so hard at the Havana Jazz Festival that he missed his flight the next morning. DATE: Jan 26, 2036 6:00?PM EST CITY: Hallandale Beach FanDuel Sportsbook was relieved of its liability because Purton-Purton's jockey prop parlay wasn't going to bankrupt them. The Computer Assisted Wagering teams successfully crushed the winning payoff on Derek Ortiz's first stakes win, as Purton's pickup mount. His dad, Jose, was the favorite until the gates opened, but the real surprise was a China Horse Club runner from Royal St. Lucia that paid $3.80. DATE: Feb 23, 2036 6:00 PM MST CITY: PHOENIX Phoenix was buzzing for the GI Luke Kruytbosch Derby. The city's grown huge (now the 3rd largest in the country), and the Rocky Mountain Breeders Cooperative has made Turf Paradise the place to be. Both purses and field sizes skyrocketed with the early adoption of the Equibase Ratings Handicaps. A full gate is now the norm for the Kruytbosch with the $1-million bonus for Rocky Mt.-breds that start in the Kentucky Derby. Trainers like Bob Baffert, Todd Fincher, and Steve Asmussen dominated, and Steve even posed with the WY-bred winner. DATE: Mar 15, 2036 6:00 PM EDT CITY: NEW KENT Once the decade-old Delmarva Racing Consortium negotiated a Preakness entry of the best-finishing DE-, MD-, or VA-bred in the race, the Virginia Derby was on every sophomore's dance card. Capitalizing on the stakes' popularity among horse people in the entry box, CDI increased starters to 20 in Colonial Downs' premier dirt race five years ago, DATE: Apr 6, 2036 6:00 PM EDT CITY: OCALA In its partnership's third year, the FTBOA and World Equestrian Center presented the Ocala Derby Spectacular, during which eventing, showjumping, and racing are interspersed throughout the day. The story of the week was Karl Cook winning a show jumping medal on the same day as scoring a surprise upset in The Ocala Oaks on a Michael Matz trainee. DATE: May 3, 2036 9:45 PM EDT CITY: LOUISVILLE After a decade of negotiating with the UFL, Churchill agreed to have the Kentucky Derby's post time during halftime of the championship game (Louisville Kings vs. Ocala Storm). A long post-time drag was necessitated following a controversial defensive pass interference call. Peacock7 boasted the largest Derby viewership ever. A $450-million Derby Day handle was reached despite bettors crashing ADWs, transferring funds between gaming wallets. DATE: May 26, 2036 9:00 PM EDT CITY: BALTIMORE Under enormous pressure for another Triple Crown, last seen with Justify, The Maryland Jockey Club moved the Preakness Stakes to Memorial Day so that more Derby runners would run in the Preakness. To maximize the television audience, Pimlico paid the Baltimore Orioles to play a day game so the second leg of the Triple Crown would own the Monday prime time slot. The Cygames-sponsored Umamusume: Pretty Preakness was a battle of the ages between granddaughters of Swiss Skydiver and Rachel Alexandra. DATE: Jun 21, 2036 9:00 PM EDT CITY: ELMONT After 95% of the 2035 Belmont Stakes wagers arrived in the last seconds, NYRA booked all fixed odds win, double, and exacta wagers to address CAWs. On this Belmont Day alone, those wagers handled $300 million. Sponsored by the World Pool, several jockeys, including Belmont winner Katie Davis, traveled on the 'New Concorde' for same-day riding engagements at Royal Ascot and Belmont Park. DATE: Jul 1, 2036 8:30 PM PDT CITY: TORFINO In cooperation with the Laytown Races, the British Columbia Teletheatre brings beach racing to the surfing and whale watching community of Torfino on Vancouver Island. Despite difficulty in obtaining Pacific Rim National Park accommodation, organizer Dawn Lupal expects that the Salish Stakes will be on everyone's bucket list. Donnacha O'Brien trained the winner and is pointing to Laytown to become the first condition to pull off the Torfino-Laytown Double. Late post time was to accommodate low tides. DATE: Jul 16, 2036 8:30 PM EDT CITY: NEW KENT Using event planning Artificial Intelligence, Colonial Downs created the Cavalier Invitational the evening after MLB's All-Star Game. Wednesday's two-mile test was with the middle turf rails down for a field of twenty-four. Barring the FIFA World Cup, no Wednesday sporting event had as much wagering. DATE: Aug 2, 2036 8:30 PM MDT CITY: JACKSON HOLE While the August standards of Saratoga and Del Mar are still popular, the Wyoming circuit is now the summer place to be. As a condition of Taylor Sheridan filming a documentary, the biggest fan of the Yellowstone series, Ben Huffman, was hired. Jackson Hole is now the summer hotspot, with Hollywood stars flocking to The Grand Teton Stakes. The purse hit $2 million, and the racing scene is booming. DATE: Aug 18, 2036 84:30 PM MDT CITY: LEHI California's population shift to Utah led to the demand for Sundance Downs, built near the American Fork train station in Lehi. The track's signature race, The Sting, is a period piece dress occasion for patrons on what would have been Robert Redford's 100th birthday. DATE: Sep 7, 2036 5:30 PM CDT CITY: BOSSIER CITY The Super Derby thrives at Louisiana Downs, which is now the most popular stop on Amtrak's recently completed Atlanta- Dallas high-speed rail link. They thank Woodbine for the inspiration for the track adjacent depot. Winning owner/breeder of the Bullet Train (GB) descendant, Sean Feld, used the purse to fund the rebirth of the 'Kids To The Cup.' DATE: Sep 10, 2036 5:30 PM EDT CITY: FRANKLIN Kentucky Downs got a makeover, with new barns and a backstretch grandstand over the old Interstate-65 rest stop, which was funded by the state. Historical Horse Racing keeps the excitement going. DATE: Oct 24-25, 2036 CITY: HOUSTON The Breeders' Cup at Sam Houston Race Park was a trophy bonanza for Michael Maker, who won all seven turf championships. Thanks to Penn Entertainment and Tilman Fertitta for championing HHR and sports betting. DATE: Nov 13, 2036 1:30 PM EDT CITY: CHEROKEE On Harrah's Cherokee Casino's 39th anniversary, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians expands with the addition of parimutuel racing to North Carolina. The fans from Knoxville, Chattanooga, Charlotte, and Atlanta packed the grandstand for a lively nine-day meet. DATE: Dec 11, 2036 5:30 PM HST CITY: HONOLULU Honolulu hosted a pop-up racing festival at Kapi'olani Park, and ESPN revived the Diamond Head Classic. A Yoshito Yahagi-led investor group funded the King Kamehameha birthday celebration. It was a treat to see Coaches Calipari and Pitino at the races before their big game. I am grateful to TQ for getting me tickets for both. There are now rumors that Hawai'i is a future Breeders' Cup host site. DATE: Dec 26, 2036 12:30 PM PST CITY: ARCADIA Finally, I wrapped up the year in Arcadia at Clocker's Corner, celebrating the Great RIP's 102nd birthday. The two-week holiday break between Honolulu and Arcadia was the perfect way to end the season with friends and family. The post Racing in 2036: Stu Slagle appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In terms of upcoming centenaries, the good news is that we should be favored with plenty of Marilyn Monroe movies. True, her most enduring contribution to equine sport was to exclaim, in Some Like It Hot: “Water polo! Isn't that terribly dangerous?” “I'll say,” replies Tony Curtis as the fake millionaire. “I had two ponies drowned under me.” In the Thoroughbred world, therefore, we will instead be honoring another immortal female born in 1926. Through the next year, in fact, it might be fun to make a specific note of every graded stakes winner tracing to La Troienne (Fr), just as a snapshot of her legacy. Because we had a pretty instructive sample last weekend, when horses as remote in origin as South American champion Obataye (Brz) (Courtier) and the Louisiana A.T.M., Touchuponastar (Star Guitar), could ultimately be entwined by the great matriarch. La Troienne's influence can hardly be condensed in a few paragraphs here; nor have we scope to reprise the encouragement she offers anyone who recently invested in a cull from a major program at the breeding stock sales. In short, the daughter of Teddy (Fr) never won a race (albeit highly tried, and placed a couple of times) and was discarded by Marcel Boussac for 1,250 guineas in December 1930. Though her dam was a steeplechaser, it was a Classic family overall and her purchase by Colonel E.R. Bradley duly consolidated his status as one of the principal architects of the modern American Thoroughbred. By now, of course, the direct genetic impact of La Troienne will be fairly infinitesimal. She's the 10th dam of Obataye, the ninth of Touchuponastar. But these two horses do legitimately measure the sheer range by which their ancestor has become such an icon. Each traces to a different daughter of La Troienne, among several to have established lasting lines; these latter having in turn proliferated to allow widespread access. Sure enough, both extend branches identified with relatively modern names-respectively those of The Garden Club (Herbager {Fr}) and La Mesa (Round Table)-but have since been diluted sufficiently to become perfectly affordable. Touchuponastar is out of a mare who cost $25,000 as a yearling and, while Star Guitar is a deserving legend in Louisiana, was conceived at no more than $7,500. But this tapering of values is pretty steep. The dam is out of a Deputy Minister mare who was in utero when Harbor View Farm decided that $450,000 was not enough for a half-sister (by Farma Way) to Bernstein and Sky Mesa's dam Caress (both by Storm Cat). Their dam was out of La Mesa, who was herself out of Buckpasser's half-sister-whose granddam was La Troienne's daughter Businesslike (Blue Larkspur). The line that leads to Obataye, meanwhile, was cultivated by Ogden Phipps, who acquired La Troienne's daughter Baby League (Bubbling Over) after Bradley's death in 1946. Her value had just been giddily elevated by her daughter Busher (War Admiral), Horse of the Year in 1945, but she was carrying a full sister who would repay Phipps every cent, in Striking. Striking's daughter by Nasrullah, So Chic, has become one of the principal thoroughfares to La Troienne, notably through her granddaughter The Garden Club. The latter's acquisition by William S. Farish III was pivotal to the development of Lane's End, with her daughter Up the Flagpole (Hoist the Flag) becoming dam of seven stakes winners and, eventually, granddam of Mineshaft (A.P. Indy). Obataye's profile on Pedigrees360 By that stage the farm had sold a Storm Cat filly out of The Garden Club's final foal, Hidden Garden (Mr. Prospector), for $360,000 as a yearling in 1998. The filly, named Hidden Storm, never made the starting gate but her latest owners were able to cash her out for $700,000 after Mineshaft refreshed the page in 2003. She redeemed that investment when the Danehill filly she was carrying was sold to Coolmore as a yearling for $1.45 million. But a single placing for that filly at Listed level proved the highlight of her dam's production record-albeit from only half-a-dozen named foals-and a later daughter by Unbridled's Song was discarded to Brazil, for just $28,000, as an unraced 2-year-old at the 2009 Keeneland November Sale. That has proved a moment of tremendous renewal for this strand of the La Troienne dynasty-even though neither this filly, Paris Commune, nor her daughter Surfi'n Usa (Crimson Tide {Sadler's Wells}) ever made the racetrack. For her son Gargalo's Hill (Brz) meanwhile won a couple of local Group races; and now Surfi'n Usa has become the dam of the Continent's outstanding racehorse. Obviously some credit is owed to Obataye's sire, Courtier, whose own maternal line extends to Almahmoud-a name that stands comparison with that of La Troienne herself-via the Coup De Folie (Halo) branch to Natalma. Courtier was a Juddmonte homebred, a half-brother by Pioneerof the Nile to multiple Grade I winner Emollient (Empire Maker), and was found a place at stud in Brazil after being beaten by a length in the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes in 2015. Not many of us will remember him, on the racetrack, but he has sired three previous Group 1 winners in Brazil. Obataye may be a big fish in a relatively small pond. But nobody can belittle his genes as when a prize swordfish is described, in Some Like It Hot, as a member of the herring family. “Isn't it amazing how they get those big fish into those little glass jars?” remarks Marilyn. Curtis replies: “They shrink when they're marinated.” Warrior a Folk Legend Spreading our wings a little, this week, with the build-up to the holiday rather quiet on the domestic front. From South America we proceed to Asia, to acclaim a truly outlandish animal in Romantic Warrior (Ire), now winner of a fourth G1 Hong Kong Cup. And “acclaim” is the word. It was a year ago this month that Rathbarry Stud mourned the loss of Romantic Warrior's remarkable sire Acclamation (GB), whose very first crop included a future champion sire in Dark Angel (Ire). Though sire of seven elite winners, Acclamation never stood at a higher fee than €40,000. Admittedly he could work with some quite some interesting material in Romantic Warrior's dam Folk Melody (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}). She had been culled in 2016 by Godolphin for €82,000 after a regressive track career (impressed on debut) contributed to the rather disappointing production record of her dam, GI E.P. Taylor Stakes winner Folk Opera (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}), herself discarded that same fall as a 12-year-old, for no more than 240,000gns. Of the various good opportunities granted to Folk Opera, however, it has turned out that her first two foals-both daughters of Street Cry-would draw most of her ability. The unraced Opera Lily is dam of Argentinian Group 1 winner Mr Bailetti (Arg) (Exchange Rate); and then came Folk Melody. Folk Opera had herself been the first foal of her dam Skiphall (GB) (Halling), who similarly faded thereafter. That was a disappointment, given that Skiphall had been bred by Juddmonte from Minskip (The Minstrel), who can be found over some pretty smart horses-which would have been no less than would have been hoped, when her dam Fabulous Native (Le Fabuleux {Fr}) was expensively recruited halfway through her breeding career. Fabulous Native's dam, by Raise A Native, was a granddaughter of Exclusive (Shut Out)-whose own date with Raise A Native had produced Exclusive Native. Nyquist Passing the Test While the success of Litmus Test (Nyquist) in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity plainly consolidated the credentials of the crop champion, he is certainly coming along admirably in his own right and will stretch out next year with a nice, old-fashioned base of experience. Meanwhile he has completed a fine year for his sire, whose incoming juveniles will still only have been conceived-like Litmus Test-at $55,000. Now that he is trading at $175,000, the expectation will be that his upgraded mares will cycle through and keep up the momentum. As it is, his 10 Grade I performers this year represent 3.6 percent of starters, a match even for Not This Time, Gun Runner and his pensioned neighbor Medaglia d'Oro, the only others (among meaningful opposition) to bat three percent in 2025. It is certainly to Nyquist's credit that he was able to convert a relatively reachable fee into a $875,000 payday at Saratoga last year, much the best yet for Litmus Test's dam Study Hard (Malibu Moon). The latter was found by Machmer Hall as a yearling for $100,000 at the 2016 September Sale. Though she showed nothing in a light career, she was always going to be able to fall back on her genes, as full sister to triple graded stakes winner Sweet August Moon. The latter had an unusual distinction, by the way, in both starting and finishing her career in Grade I races! (Seventh when taking the Del Mar Debutante literally, and bowed out with third in the Santa Monica Stakes.) Study Hard duly contributes to the expanding distaff legacy of Malibu Moon, whose daughters have so far given us one excellent stallion in Girvin and now launch a couple of young “Guns” in Locked and Sierra Leone. The post Bloodstock Digest: La Troienne Jubilee Starts Early appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Australian Turf Club has launched Supreme Court action against Racing NSW's move to appoint an administrator to take over the club's affairs, claiming its board does not accept the regulator has the power to do so.View the full article

Jay Rooney LOVE TOGETHER - R8 (6) Improved second up to run a close second and can go one better tonight Owen Goulding MIGHTY STEED - R9 (12) Will get a soft lead and can be away and gone when the closers loom Trackwork Spy THUNDER PRINCE - R5 (6) Bursting to break through and gets a great chance from gate one Phillip Woo TOP TIME - R4 (1) Has been racing well and deserves a win with Purton hopping on Shannon (Vincent Wong) SKY SONG - R2 (2) Stormed home for second last start and looks a...View the full article

so what your saying seems to be methven will pay bigger stakes on the bigger days and underpay stakes on days like thursday. so how come clubs like timaru and oamaru pay good stakes all year around,yet don't have the assets ,cash in bank,investments within cooee of methven.. they too being run by volunteers. Just pionting that out. You seem to be saying 2 things. 1)because methven can create greater returns to the industry, it in some way justifies the paying of poor stakes on some racedays. 2)that there is no relevance to how much cash and investments a club may have just sitting around,in methvens case millions,its all about what you are funded by hrnz. Well fair enough,at least your up front about why the club desn't pay owners more, its just ,isn't it reasonable to ask,aren't other clubs who are also run by volunteers, trying harder to help out owners by returning more in stakes to the run of the mill horse owners,than methven. Just saying that appears to be the case as those clubs won't be getting anymore funding than the methven club for their low key meetings.. This post is nothing about personalities or how well a club is run on race day,its about the focus some clubs put on helping owners out through stakes compared to other clubs.

comparing the atc and the methven club is not a good example. Methven had investments of close to 3.5 million in shares and over $400,000 just sitting in the bank. their land and bulidings are also worth over $9m

its well and good to say they will learn from it and change,but when many of the issues seemed obvious in the first place wouldn't you have to ask,how much poor decision making does there have to be, before people realise there is a pattern. as to mr steele saying if things aren't working he will step in and change it. Does anyone take that seriously.What about the ATC?

I am surprised they didn't try to program Ashburton and Invercargill on the same day. Wouldn't be the first time.