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Standout New Zealand stallion sold to Australia in shock move www.nzherald.co.nz https://bitofayarn.com 20 Feb, 2026 06:00 AM3 mins to read Australian Guineas winner Feroce is one of four Group 1 winners already for stallion Super Seth. The New Zealand thoroughbred breeding industry is set to be stunned by news one of our elite stallions, Super Seth, has been sold to Australian breeding giant Coolmore. Majority owner Waikato Stud confirmed the deal on Thursday night which will see Super Seth move to the Hunter Valley in New South Wales to stand at Coolmore’s main farm there. https://bitofayarn.com The sale will come as a major shock to industry insiders as Super Seth is only a nine-year-old and was seen as one of the best young stallions in Australasia and Waikato Stud’s heir apparent to champion stallion Savabeel, who probably has only one more season at stud. Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick says the decision to sell Super Seth was a business one and he will retain a share in the Caulfield Guineas winner. “It is a business decision and obviously not one taken lightly,” he told the Herald. “He is a wonderful young stallion and we are very proud of what he has achieved in such a short time at stud. “Coolmore approached us looking for a stallion right at the top of the tree after they sadly lost Wootton Bassett last year and they have been on our farm all week looking at Super Seth and some of his stock. https://bitofayarn.com “They made us and the other owners a very generous offer and we have decided to take it to secure the next phase of the future of the farm and our family. “We were the majority owners and will retain a share while some of the other owners will take this opportunity to sell while others will stay in him. “But to have Coolmore recognise his value and want to work with us makes me very proud.” One thing for sure is Super Seth’s price tag must have been enormous to pry him away from Waikato Stud. The son of Dundeel stood at $75,000 at Waikato Stud this breeding season but that fee can expect to double, or more if you take the exchange rate into account, when he crosses the Tasman. Super Seth is already the sire of Australian Group 1 winners Feroce, Linebacker and Maison Louis while his daughter, La Dorada, won the Karaka Millions and Sires’ Produce in New Zealand last season. While losing Super Seth, Waikato Stud announced last week it will be standing unbeaten Group 1 two-year-old winner Return To Conquer from next season, with Coolmore also likely to be buying into him to further strengthen the ties between the two giant breeding operations. “Super Seth has been on our radar for a while now and he strikes us as a stallion that can make a significant impact on the Australian breeding industry,” says Coolmore’s Tom Magnier. “For a young horse, the trajectory that he is on is something that is very rarely seen. He is going to be ideal for so many Australian mares, both physically and on pedigree.” Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.

Agentes 305 will serve as the official Spanish channel for Parx Racing with daily commentary and handicapping, Spanish-language race calls and exclusive behind-the-scenes content featuring interviews with jockeys and trainers. View the full article

Rigsdale Stud knocked it out of the park last year and Barry Kennedy, who runs the operation alongside his partner Anna Murphy, speaks about his ambitions for the farm Few breeders navigated their way through last year's yearling sale season with such sniper-like precision as Barry Kennedy and Anna Murphy of Rigsdale Stud. A homebred Sioux Nation colt kick-started a memorable autumn for the couple when selling to Billy Jackson-Stops on behalf of George Scott for £100,000 at the Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster. Better still was to come for the pair in their early 30s, who marked their debut consigning at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale at Tattersalls by selling another homebred, this time a Starspangledbanner filly, for a cool 325,000gns to Sam Haggas on behalf of Dash Grange Stud. Further profits were recorded with pinhooks by Minzaal and Harry Angel at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale and the Goffs Orby Sale respectively to compound a memorable 2025. Yet there was one result that towers above all of the others and it wasn't achieved in a sales ring. “Anna gave birth to our little boy, Sonny, just before Christmas so talk around the kitchen is more about bottles and bed time rather than mating plans lately,” Kennedy says proudly before following up with, “ah, he's a dream.” The pair, who first met in Australia and are currently based at Castlehyde Stud in County Cork, have been living out their own fairytale in recent times. Maria Branwell was the first horse to cast the spotlight on the young couple by following up a Listed success with an excellent third in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot back in 2022. The daughter of James Garfield represented an important first foray into the breeding game for Barry and Anna and her successes on the racecourse paved the way for the pair to be honoured at the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Awards later that year. While Kennedy is quick to attribute the success the Rigsdale team enjoyed with Maria Branwell as nothing short of beginner's luck, there's no fluke about what has followed. “We keep the mares at Anna's home place and we also rent a couple of places nearby,” Kennedy shares. “The dream is to buy our own farm in time. We've kept the numbers tight and, while it's not straightforward, we've made it work. Maria Branwell was great. Princess Pearl (Teofilo) was the first mare we bought and, when we sent her to James Garfield, that was also our first ever mating. “Maria Branwell was the result of it all and so much of this game is just luck because she wasn't accepted for any of the main sales so we went to the Autumn Yearling Sale at Goffs. Joe Foley spotted her there and she ended up going to David O'Meara, where she won her Listed race and finished third in the Queen Mary. It could have easily gone differently for us. We were just lucky.” He added, “Lexington Belle was the following year and that is a similar story. She was an inexpensive yearling [also sold at the Autumn Yearling sale, this time for €6,000 to BBA Ireland] and she won a barrier trial before selling to Middleham Park Racing. We still have the dams of those fillies at home. Princess Pearl's Starspangledbanner filly made 325,000gns at Book 1 and she's in foal to Sioux Nation while Lexington Belle's dam [Albemarle (King's Best)] is in foal to Henry Longfellow.” Barry and Anna are a good advertisement for shopping locally. Many of their successes in the sales ring and on the racecourse have been achieved with Castlehyde-based stallions, notably Sioux Nation and Starspangledbanner. Being associated with the Coolmore entity, which Kennedy says has assembled its strongest-ever roster, has served as a distinct advantage but there's no such thing as blind faith either. “Look, being based down in Castlehyde is obviously a huge advantage because they're a great help,” Kennedy explained. “To be able to get mares into some of those stallions, especially at the start, there's no doubt that they've been very good to us. We try to go elsewhere as well because you can't just have a draft full of the same stallions and we like to spread the business between Ballyhane Stud and a few other places if we can.” He added, “But to have a Classic-winning miler like Henri Matisse joining the roster at Castlehyde was a big one. Like, there are a few breeders who will send plenty of mares to Castlehyde this year and they may not even have to venture up to Coolmore because the stallion roster here is so good. It's a serious roster – to have Starspangledbanner, Sioux Nation and Gleneagles, who has the highest-rated horse in the world in Calandagan, it has to be the best roster in Castlehyde's history. Blackbeard has his first two-year-olds this year as well and, while I know it's pretty early in the year, the word seems to be very positive anyway. A few shrewd people have booked mares into him so that's interesting. It's an exciting time for everyone at the stud.” Rigsdale is one of the few smaller commercial breeding operations that prioritises the yearling sales over the foal market. Such is the enjoyment that the pair are said to derive from overseeing the process from birth to yearling sale prep, they are happy to turn a blind eye to what has been arguably one of the strongest sectors of the entire bloodstock market in recent years. That decision to sidestep the foal sales paid off in spades with their homebred yearlings at Doncaster and Book 1 last year, and Kennedy revealed that the farm will be adopting a, 'if it's not broken, don't fix it,' philosophy with regards to consigning horses in the future. He explained, “We changed tack a little last year, purely because we both spent time working at Newsells Park Stud and loved working with the yearlings. It was a conscious decision to run all of our own horses on as yearlings and thankfully it worked out. Prior to last year, we only ever ran one homebred on as a yearling. We enjoyed the whole prepping process so we just said we'd give it a go. We had two homebreds and two pinhooks so there were four in total. Now, it was probably bad management on our behalf because we ended up at four different yearling sales, but I suppose you have to go where you think your horses will perform best. But I can remember when we worked for Newsells, we said that, if we ever had a horse good enough to go to Book 1, we'd give it a go. That was a pretty cool thing to do.” He added on the success at last year's yearling sale season on the whole, “It means a lot. A lot of work goes into producing a horse for the sales and, when you are working full-time, there are a lot of mornings, lunch times and evenings devoted to it. If anything, it provides you with even more respect for the people who can do this job full-time and have gone on and purchased farms on the strength of their breeding or pinhooking, because it's a seriously difficult business.” For all that success in the sales ring is imperative to running a business, Kennedy revealed that nothing compares to a homebred winning on the track. Lucky then, because the team has a lot to look forward to on the racecourse this year. He said, “To have the winners on the track is the main thing. Going to Royal Ascot for Maria Branwell was amazing and, even last year, we were on holidays when Antipodes (Starspangledbanner), who we bred out of Albemarle, won his maiden nicely for Highclere Racing. They are the kind of moments that you put in all of the long hours for. “We have four two-year-old homebreds to cheer on this year. There's another Starspangledbanner colt out of Albemarle, who we sold as a foal, and he is in training with Fozzy Stack – he gets a good tune out of Starspangledbanner so hopefully this one will be lucky as well. Karl Burke has the Space Traveller out of What Is Life (Iffraaj), William Haggas has the Starspangledbanner out of Princess Pearl and then George Scott has the Sioux Nation out of Elegant Queen, so we have some brilliant trainers working for us.” The performances that Rigsdale put in at the yearling sales last year did not go unnoticed for the simple fact they simply did not miss. Off the back of such a bountiful year, you would be forgiven for thinking this ambitious young couple have grand ideas for the future. Not one bit of it. The goal here is a simple one; keep on producing nice horses. “We love the game – sure it's very enjoyable,” Kennedy said. “This time of year is very busy with the breeding season in full swing so we won't come up for air until around Royal Ascot time. Even after that, we still have a lot of National Hunt clients, so they will keep us busy into June also. We've got Santiago and Maxios – they'd probably be the big ones – but then Los Angeles is also new to the Castlehyde roster and he could be quite exciting. It's funny, Anna and I are contemplating sending him a Flat mare because he was a Group 1-winning two-year-old who went on and won Group 1s at three and four so he could be very exciting.” He concluded, “We're happy with how things are going and, no matter what was to happen, I think we'd always like to keep numbers tight. Our dream is to find our own farm – at the moment we have a lot of help from Anna's family – but I couldn't ever see us going down the consigning route or anything like that. If we're selling under Rigsdale, we want to be selling our own horses. When you have your own homebreds and pinhooks, you know what you have and you do right by the buyers. If you're going to be in the game long-term, it's nice to get to know the trainers and the agents. We'd like to think that Maria Branwell was lucky for David O'Meara so, if we think we've a nice filly at the yearling sales in the future, it's good to be able to say, 'David, would you mind having a look.' And that's really what it's all about. We want to be around long-term and I'd like to think that, in say 10 years' time, we'll still be breeding nice horses and aiming for the premier yearling sales. That's all you can hope for.” The post ‘The Winners Are The Main Thing – It’s What You Put The Long Hours In For’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Yeah lets ban the school fair chocolate spinning wheel. My first introduction to race betting around age 7. Dad's annual family holiday was the Nelson/Blenheim trots circuit in January. I always missed the first week of school. I then graduated to running the primary school sweeps on various events. I remember well the Thriller in Manila and the Rumble in the Jungle. Our teachers (Irish nuns) let us go home early to watch on TV.

Humble Pie? Tu Tangata won because Paul actually drove it better and the race panned out for it! That was exactly my point, that it should have been winning or placing previously rather than just running 5th!! It was long overdue Paleface!

In a car not a horse float that has to pick up other horses on the way. Nor does Google consider the prevailng weather and road conditions. I'll concede closer to 6 than 7 but still the horse would spend half a day in a float in deteriorating extreme weather - wind and rain. I guess some people are more interested in money than the welfare of their horse.

Super Seth, the sire of four Group 1 winners from his first two crops, has been purchased by Coolmore from Waikato Stud to stand at its Hunter Valley base. Super Seth was bought by Dean Hawthorne, acting on behalf of leading owner-breeder Jonathan Munz, for A$280,000 at the 2018 Inglis Australasian Easter Yearling Sale. Sent into training with Anthony Freedman, the son of Dundeel thrived on his racing during a career which spanned 12 starts in the space of just 13 months, before he retired as the winner of over A$1.6 million in prize-money. The highlight among his five career successes was a nose defeat of Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) in the 2019 G1 Caulfield Guineas. Following six seasons at Waikato Stud in New Zealand, Super Seth relocates to Coolmore Australia having firmly established himself among the most exciting young stallions in Australasia. He is responsible for eight individual black-type winners, headlined by the top-level scorers Feroce (Australian Guineas), Linebacker (Randwick Guineas), La Dorada (MNWT Sires Produce Stakes) and Maison Louis (Queensland Derby). “Super Seth has been on our radar for a while now and he strikes us as a stallion that can make a significant impact on the Australian breeding industry,” said Coolmore's Tom Magnier. “For a young horse, the trajectory that he is on is something that is very rarely seen. “To produce three Group 1 winners in Australia from his first crop including two Guineas winners and follow it up with a Champion Two-Year-Old in his second, is an amazing achievement. Justin Carey and I went over to see him and his young stock at Waikato this week and we are very impressed by what we saw. He is going to be ideal for so many Australian mares, both physically and on pedigree.” Super Seth and his connections at Waikato Stud with Tom Magnier (far left) He continued, “It is a tremendous privilege to be given the opportunity to purchase Super Seth from Mark, Pippa and the Chittick family. Waikato Stud and the New Zealand industry have done all the hard work to get him to the position that he is in now and we look forward to getting him back to Australia and sending our very best mares to him. When it comes to making elite stallions, the Chittick family have got it right time and time again by producing multiple Champion Sires and we have a firm belief that Super Seth is the next one. “Super Seth will not be completely lost to New Zealand however, as a number of his existing New Zealand-based shareholders are staying in with us and Waikato will also continue to support him. Coolmore sell at Karaka each year, and we look forward to sending Super Seth yearlings with the 'C' brand over in 2029 and beyond. Furthermore, two exciting young Coolmore stallions, Auguste Rodin and Paddington, will return to Windsor Park for 2026.” Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick added, “This is a massive achievement for the New Zealand industry, our fellow breeders and Super Seth's shareholders who went all-in to help Waikato develop this world-class stallion. But also, for the Waikato team and our stallion manager, Ryan Figgins. It's very hard to make a stallion, let alone to do it during the COVID-19 pandemic where there was so much uncertainty; it's a very big achievement for New Zealand. It makes the early mornings and long nights a little easier knowing what we're doing is working. “On behalf of the Chittick family, thank you very much to the Magnier family and Coolmore team, whose enthusiasm to support New Zealand will continue through joining us in Return To Conquer. And to our breeders, very well done – it's a privilege to be part of this industry with you all.” The post Coolmore Purchase Super Seth, Rising Star of the Australasian Stallion Ranks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 260 offerings for its February Digital Sale and bidding is now open and will close Tuesday, Feb. 24, beginning at 2 p.m. ET., the online auction said in a press release on Thursday. “The February Digital Sale catalogue features 260 horses, led by especially strong contingents of racing and breeding stock,” said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron said. “Offerings include stakes winners and producers, more than 70 horses of racing age, over 140 broodmares and broodmare prospects–including mares with foals at foot–and 34 'short' yearlings. We started the year off with a bang in January and we're looking forward to helping our customers achieve continued success in February.” Featured offerings include: Neom Beach (hip 1): Multiple stakes winning daughter of Omaha Beach with earnings of more than $745,000 to date. Offered as a racing/broodmare prospect by Jeffrey Bloom, agent; Paynterbynumbers (Paynter) (hip 3): Dam of multiple stakes winning 3-year-old filly Counting Stars (Honor A.P.). Offered by Mill Ridge Sales, agent (Dispersal of Repossessed Horses); Sharons Beach (hip 7): 3-year-old son of Omaha Beach ran an 89 Beyer at Santa Anita Jan. 23. He is entered in a maiden/optional claimer at Santa Anita on Friday, Feb. 20. Offered as a horse of racing age by ELiTE, agent; Take Charge Macy (Take Charge Indy) (hip 10): 3-year-old filly broke maiden at Oaklawn Park Feb. 8 in her second start. Consigned as a racing/broodmare prospect by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent; Gun Party (hip 31): Son of Curlin out of Grade I winner Carina Mia (Malibu Moon) has run multiple 90+ Beyers. Offered as a horse of racing age by Steve Asmussen, agent; Miss Tapirado (hip 37): Daughter of Tapit and Grade I winning My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller) was a $775,000 weanling turned $1,300,000 2-year-old in-training. She is a full-sister to GSP Bourbon War as well as two stakes performers in Australia. Offered as a broodmare by Mill Ridge Sales, agent (Dispersal of Repossessed Horses). Also on offer is stock from the California and New Mexico operations of Kirk and Judy Robison, which is consigned by Arroyo Vista Farm and A & A Thoroughbreds. Reductions continue for Starship Stables with Taylor Made Sales Agency as agent as do dispersals of repossessed horses with Mill Ridge Sales and Margaux Farm as agents. Mill Ridge will host an open house at their farm in Lexington, Kentucky for their offerings on Monday, Feb. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 pm. ET. Click here to create an account or register to bid for the February Digital Sale. The post Bidding Open For Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale With 260 Catalogued appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Hanshin and Tokyo Racecourses: Saturday, February 21, 2026 4th-HSN, ¥12,330,000 ($80k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m WE MOVE (c, 3, Curlin–Shamrock Rose, by First Dude) is the second foal to the races for his dam, named the Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter of 2018 when besting her elders in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Also victorious in that year's GII Lexus Raven Run Stakes, the Pennsylvania-bred mare was purchased by K I Farm for $3 million with this colt in utero at the 2022 Keeneland November Sale. Shamrock Rose was subsequently covered by Flightline and exported to Japan in 2023 and her latest foal is a colt named Mic Story (Jpn). She was covered last year by Equinox (Jpn), having not produced to the same stallion in 2025. O-Yuko Nakamura; B-K I Farm Corporation (KY); T-Hiroyuki Uemura RASCAL KID (c, 3, American Pharoah–Treasure Trail, by Pulpit), a $70,000 Keeneland September yearling, is a half-brother to Irish Group 3 winner and GI Secretariat Stakes runner-up Long Island Sound (War Front) and to the dam of Paradise Like (Uncle Mo), recent winner of the GIII Robert J. Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita. Dam Treasure Trail is a daughter of Vertigineux (Kris S.), whose six winners include the once-beaten, 11-times Grade I winner and Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) and treble elite-level scorer Balance (Thunder Gulch), herself the dam of SW Zverev (Oscar Performance). O-Makoto Kato; B-Mr Joseph Allen LLC (KY); T-Kazuya Nakatake 4th-TOK, ¥12,330,000 ($80k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1600m COLORER (f, 3, Quality Road–Rachel's Valentina, by Bernardini), a $1.05-million Keeneland September purchase, is one of two American-bred and -sourced 3-year-olds debuting here in the colors of owner Yoko Maeda. Rachel's Valentina was the second and final foal out of Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) and was named a debut 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the latter's success in the 2009 GI Haskell Stakes. Subsquently victorious in the GI Spinaway Stakes, Rachel's Valentina is the dam of two winners, including GSP Valentinian (Into Mischief). O-Yoko Maeda; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Yuichi Fukunaga The legacy continues ? Homebred G1W RACHEL'S VALENTINA, daughter of champion RACHEL ALEXANDRA, delivered a beautiful filly by leading sire QUALITY ROAD! #Storkstreet #BredandRaised #foalsof2023 @LanesEndFarms pic.twitter.com/yKJImPU2jX — Stonestreet (@StonestreetFarm) March 16, 2023 LUPO (c, 3, Not This Time–Spring Storm, by Unbridled's Song) was bought back on a bid of $90,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Sale and validated that decision when changing hands for $230,000 at last year's OBS March Sale. The Feb. 10 foal is the seventh starter out of a half-sister to SW Beautiful Daniele (A.P. Indy), the dam of Bodenheimer (Atta Boy Roy) and King of Speed (Jimmy Creed), each a dual stakes winner at two. This is the extended female family of champion Countess Diana (Deerhound). Christophe Lemaire sees fit to ride. O-Yoko Maeda; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Ken Kozaki The post Seven-Figure Daughter of Rachel’s Valentina Debuts at Tokyo appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Cheltenham hopeful Glance At Midnight sold for £245,000 to top the GoffsGo February Sale when selling to Ryan Mahon on behalf of Dan Skelton on Thursday. The son of Passing Glance (lot 3) holds entries in both the G1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the G1 Turners Novices' Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival. A winner of a bumper and a maiden hurdle, Glance At Midnight was last seen running second in the Listed Sidney Banks Hurdle at Huntingdon. Said Mahon of his purchse, “He's a nice horse with a nice pedigree. We've done well with Passing Glance in the past. He'll go back to Dan's and we'll have a think about the best route with him. He's got a nice profile and hopefully he'll be a nice horse over fences.” Local trainer Andrew Martin, who bought the gelding as a foal and has owned and trained him throughout, said, “It's been five years in the making, as we bought him as a foal. We always bought him with a view that we might sell him. “I didn't sell him as a store as he didn't meet his reserve and we decided to press on. He's shown plenty of ability, he's got a great temperament and a great way of going. The Skeltons have got a very nice horse. He's a perfect specimen and just absolutely lovely to deal with.” Second on the buyers' sheet was Therhythmofthenite (Goliath Du Berlais) (lot 8), who sold to Michael Gates/Comfort Park Stud for £21,000. He was consigned by Martin Brassil Racing. Of the 21 horses offered, nine sold (43%) for a gross of £302,800. The average was £33,645 and the median was £6,500. Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby said, “It was only a matter of time before GoffsGo demonstrated what it's capable of. To sell a live Cheltenham prospect of this quality in just our second monthly sale says a great deal about the confidence people have in the platform. “What makes it work is its simplicity and value, which is proving attractive to both vendors and buyers. With an entry fee of just £49 and the lowest available vendor commission of 1.5% which is only charged for lots that sell on the platform, GoffsGo is unmatched by any other European online platform. What's more, there's a very hands-on team behind it led by Ruairi Breen and Tadhg Dooley. “Other notable results from today's GoffsGo sale included Therhythmofthenite (Lot 8), a Goliath De Berlais gelding from the family of Fastorslow who was consigned by Martin Brassil Racing and sold to Michael Gates' Comfort Park Stud for £21,000, and Our 'Enery (Lot 15), a winning son of Sea The Stars from Jackdaws Castle and bought by Aidan O'Ryan and Goffs' Eastern European agent Kishore Mirpuri for £15,000.” The post Glance At Midnight Makes £245k At GoffsGo February Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

by Joel Politi I have been around horses since I was young and grew up with a 12-horse barn in our backyard. My Dad bred and raised almost all of the horses that he ran and I've been paying attention to breeding my whole life. I love this aspect of horse racing, have owned horses myself for more than 20 years and I bred our first mare in 2017. Currently have 12 broodmares, and Mark Taylor and Travis White with Taylor Made help me with all of my matings. We banter back and forth until we reach a solid plan. We look at what breeding patterns have worked, but also try to pick matings based on the physical of the mare. Here is a look at some of the matings we have planned for 2026. SERENGETI EMPRESS, 10, Alternation–Havisham, by Bernardini. Will be bred to Gun Runner. She is the 'Queen' and will always be the star of our stable. She has three foals currently (all colts), including a 2-year-old by Curlin and a yearling by Not This Time. She is barren this year. We debated sending her back to Curlin, but her P360 reports with Gun Runner were so good, that we are sending her that way. She is such the perfect physical that I think she could pair well with lots of stallions. I don't plan on breeding her every year, so we will make the most of her opportunities and root for a filly. LI'L TOOTSIE, 8, Tapiture–Informative Style, by Dayjur. Will be bred to Into Mischief. Little Tootsie is exactly the kind of mare that I like to develop and own. Tom Amoss and I bought her at the sale and she went on to win a pair of stakes and she's multiple graded stakes placed. She is a big racey looking mare and put up really fast numbers on the sheets. Her first two foals are by Not This Time, she has an Vekoma in her belly and she is going to visit Into Mischief this year. Her P360 report with him was really good and she is a good match for him physically. We are giving her every chance to succeed. LITTLESTITIOUS, 8, Ghostzapper–Broadway Play, by Quality Road. Will be bred to Girvin. Littlestitious is another mare that Tom and I bought and raced. She won multiple stakes and had lots of ability. She is a very well-built Ghostzapper mare that has lots of his physical attributes. She's had a couple of Not This Time foals, including a very nice 2-year-old. Unfortunately, she had a beautiful Curlin colt who got sick and passed away as a weanling. She is currently in foal to Liam's Map and is booked to Girvin this year. I love Girvin as a sire. We sent two mares to him last year and are sending two back again this year. I think this is a really good physical mating. Girvin will give her a little more size, since she's a little more compact. DEL MAR MAY, 10, Jimmy Creed–Big Lou, by Malibu Moon. Will be bred to Sierra Leone. Del Mar May is a graded stakes-placed Jimmy Creed sprinter that had lots of ability on the racetrack. This will be her sixth foal. She is currently in foal to Twirling Candy. She is a stake producer now, as her 4-year-old Boutwell Time (Not This Time) won a stake in December. She's booked to Sierra Leone. I don't love going with freshman sires as a rule. But he is such a good physical, a strong pedigree and race record, that I like sending this well-established mare to him. He will help her with her size too. EVERLOVING, 4, Violence–Marwa (GB), by Exceed And Excel (Aus). Will be bred to Vekoma. Everloving is another yearling that Tom and I bought at Keeneland. She is an absolutely gorgeous physical. She's by Violence and is a half-sister to World Record (Gun Runner). Her extended family is very deep and loaded with real runners. She is recently retired from the track and there aren't many sires hotter than Vekoma to help her get off to a good start. There is lots to like about this cross including Speightstown over Medaglia d'Oro. New sire Goal Oriented during his racing days | Horsephotos MALIBU COVE, 13, Malibu Moon–Spirited Away, by Awesome Again. Will be bred to Goal Oriented. Malibu Cove is a Grade I-producing mare by that I bought during Keeneland November who is in foal to Taiba. She is a beautiful mare and has two Into Mischiefs in the pipeline–a yearling and 2-year-old. When Goal Oriented became available, it was an easy decision. I am a big fan. I think he is a beautiful physical with lots of ability and the Giant's Causeway cross with her has already worked well. CANDY STRIPER, 12,Twirling Candy–Grant Marty a Wish, by Beautiful Crown. Will be bred to Girvin. Candy Striper was my first broodmare. She is by Twirling Candy. We claimed her at Churchill Downs back in 2016. I sent her to Maryland since I had some shares in Holy Boss and she had five foals with him. They have all proven to have lots of ability. Two of them turned into stakes performers, and one was Maryland champion 3-year-old filly, Bosserati. She has a really beautiful yearling by Maclean's Music and is in foal to Maxfield. I chose Girvin for her because I love him, but also he will help her with a little bit of size in her foals. She has been a really great mare for us. BOSSERATI, 6, Holy Boss–Candy Striper, by Twirling Candy. Will be bred to Post Time. This is a total sentimental breeding. Bosserati was the first stakes winner that I bred and as I said she was the Maryland champion 3-year-old filly. She was a really fast turf sprinter and we think that she will cross very well with Frosted's line. I mostly picked this mating between Post Time and Bosserati so that two Maryland-bred champions trained by Brittany Russell can have a foal. This is the only mare that I will have in Maryland, so hopefully it's a good foal. TULANIAN, 9, Twirling Candy–Silent Circle, by Indian Charlie. Will be bred to Munnings. Tulanian is a very nice Twirling Candy mare we purchased. She is a half to two graded stakes horses. She has four foals and is in foal to Girvin. Her 3-year-old filly by Maclean's Music broke her maiden at Churchill and ran second in an allowance there. Her yearling by Munnings was so good-looking, that we decided to go back to him. Munnings is such a value sire at this point. He can get any kind of runner and their cross worked very well the first time. MICROBIOME, 7, Twirling Candy–Sonja's Angel, by Smoke Glacken. Will be bred to Maclean's Music. Microbiome is a big beautiful Twirling Candy mare that we bought during Keeneland September. She won very impressively as a juvenile at Saratoga first-time out and had a soft tissue injury that fall. She has a very nice Not This Time 2-year-old and a yearling by Munnings. The Maclean's Music-Twirling Candy cross has worked very well for us and physically he will help her. Maclean's Music tends to add muscle and stockiness to their frame. The post 2026 Mating Plans: Joel Politi appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Widden Stud announced on Thursday the death of Bel Esprit, the retired sire of the global phenomenon that was Black Caviar. He was 26. “Bel Esprit has left a real legacy that will extend well beyond his passing and it has been a privilege to have him in our care,” said Widden Stud's Adam Henry. The son of Royal Academy won his first five starts, culminating with victory in the 2002 G1 Blue Diamond. He followed that up with a sixth-place finish in the G1 Golden Slipper, before returning as a three-year-old with two further stakes victories. He added three Group 1 placings in the spring, then placed in the G1 Newmarket Handicap before winning the G1 Stradbroke Handicap at the end of his three-year-old campaign. Retired to stud in 2003, Bel Esprit sired 28 stakes winners, led by the unbeaten champion mare Black Caviar, as well as her fellow top-level winners Bel Mer and Bel Sprinter. As a damsire, he has 24 stakes winners, led by champion first-season sire Ole Kirk, Hong Kong Group 1 winner Beauty Generation (Road To Rock) and Group 1 winner Costa Viva (Encosta De Lago). He retired from stud duties in 2022. The post Bel Esprit, Sire of Black Caviar, Dies at 26 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Caspar Fownes looks to have another smart prospect on his hands after Papaya Brose made a stylish debut in the third section of the Class Four Fat Choi Handicap (1,200m) to propel the trainer to the top of the championship. Fownes was not in attendance, but his son Ronan enjoyed some easy viewing at Sha Tin as the Zousain galloper travelled kindly towards the back of the pack under Hugh Bowman. The pair made rapid headway when unleashed in the straight, powering down the centre of the track to...View the full article

Francis Lui Kin-wai was left drawing comparisons to the mighty Golden Sixty after Hot Delight maintained his unbeaten record in sparkling fashion at Sha Tin’s Lunar New Year meeting on Thursday. A dominant winner on debut over course and distance last month, Lui was very upbeat about the Too Darn Hot galloper on the day and it seems that glowing report was more than warranted as he dazzled again in the first section of the Class Three Yue Yee Handicap (1,200m). The in-form 67-year-old is no...View the full article

By Jonny Turner They’ve made their mark again on the national yearling sales, and now Stonewall Stud will be out to conquer Cromwell. Trainers Steve and Amanda Telfer bring three horses south just a couple of days after their team set a new Australasian record for purchasing a trotting yearling. A filly by star North American stallion Walner from Egee Money was purchased by the powerful stable for $290,000. The blueblood squaregaiter is among 12 yearlings Stonewall Stud bought out of the Christchurch sales ring on Wednesday, following their purchase of four in Auckland on Monday. It will be back to the business of racing when the Stonewall team head to Cromwell’s meeting on Friday, following a winning double at Addington on Thursday night with Sonofamistery and Get Seaside Lucky, both driven by Tim Williams. Their three-strong squad includes Stumpy Blackler, who heads south after only going down narrowly in his last two starts. “I think he would be the best winning chance of the three,” Amanda Telfer said. “His last two runs have been good and they have been in handy enough maiden fields at Nelson and Addington.” “He’s had a wee bit of a freshen up and I have been happy with his work.” The Telfer stable will bring Premier Arden south for her first start on the Cromwell grass. The filly will start from barrier 1 for driver Nikita Burton, who handles all three of the Stonewall runners. While Premier Arden has the trial form and the talent to justify the short odds she will start at, there is a slight query over her ringcraft. “I do expect her to hold her position out of the gate early.” “Her trials have been quite good, she is a progressive filly who has improved quite a bit this time in.” “Her ringcraft isn’t quite there yet, that might be against her.” “It is her first start, but if she can handle everything she’d be a nice chance.” Mystic Magic rates the outsider of the Stonewall team, largely because she will have to start from the unruly. Regan Todd also made his mark at the national yearling sales on Friday. The trainer purchased several yearlings with leading owners Philip and Glenys Kennard. He will also turn his attention back to racing at Cromwell on Friday when Now Watch Me will attempt to continue the strong start he’s made to his career. The pacer will start at short odds after winning and running second in his first two starts at Nelson last month. “He’s has been ticking over since Nelson, he had a trial and I was quite happy with it.” “They ran along at a solid clip and he wasn’t knocked around.” “First time on the grass is an unknown, but he is forward enough to go a nice race. Now Watch Me will link up with Wilson House in a heat of the Revell Douglas Memorial Series for junior drivers. View the full article

Tony Cruz unveiled ambitious plans for Stunning Peach after the high-profile import snapped a 621-day winning drought in Thursday’s Class Two Year Of The Horse Cup (1,600m) at Sha Tin. Winless since his lone Hong Kong success in June 2024, the dual Group One placegetter produced a tough performance to outlast Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) hopeful Top Dragon and provide jockey Angus Chung Yik-lai with a much-needed boost. Sent off a $5.9 chance, Stunning Peach relished his light weight of 116lb to...View the full article

So,in the last fortnight hrnz have programmed and run 2 2year old races at addington. So they cut the stake of the race 2 weeks ago due to such a small field. . well,tonights race,had even less,only 3 starters and they left the stake the same.. essentially,the winner of the 3 horse race earned $2750 more than the winner of the 4 horse race. why,because thats the way hrnz progrmmed it to be.they said the stake is based on the number of acceptors,not the number of starters. and you see,that of course means any trainer could essentially accept with a horse that they have no intention of starting, to make sure HRNZ pay out the higher stake.you can't blame any trainer for simply being too clever for hrnz.Mind you that doesn't seem too hard the way they programmed it. So what was going on with the stipes not giving the dalgety trained Roger That any stand down. surely,for the sake of tranparency the stipes should have told people what the exceptional circumstances were which meant he got off with no penalty . Don't they know that Dalgety,after roger that won 2 weeks ago,had reported on his website that roger that was not going to run tonight and was going out for a short break. So whats going on there.Can't the stipes work out that people may ask questions why they decided roger that wasn't to get a scratching penalty?We can giess why,but maybe thats why they are saying. Hrnz really don't seem too clever sometimes.

Eating humble pie cobber

By chance when we did a trip to the deep south for a Riverton and then a meeting at Ascot Park last year, in a 6 way chat, all Life Member types!!! His name came up! heads dropped, what happen, or perhaps the way it all played out was not the Southern way..

won a nice mile race at Trentham, D Browne on? then backed up for a place in the G1? a nice grey did he get to 20 wins! I have some nice shots of him winning at Riccarton!

Not sure what the final balance was tonight as they are very quiet when they get a hiding! started with over $18k but with no greyhound racing they were always going to struggle on past experience! They were all over the place with their betting with Brendan Popplewell putting nearly $5k on the nose of a galloper in Hong Kong ffs? They encourage this bet responsibly but that obviously doesnt mean the presenters on out the gate have to abide by this? With respect they clearly have not been chosen by the TAB to bet responsibly and pick winners! When you can not make money on NZ racing and they choose to wager overseas rather than supporting our local product, it is telling you something! Seems odd that people continue to put money into the OTG betting pool rather than wanting to pick themselves? Anyway, each to their own and good luck to them, but seriously it is not painting a great picture with this carefree, it isnt my money, so blow it attitude!

Remember colfix, may have won the nuggets, out of red mit from memory, she was a coast specialist, trained a few more handy ones, but names escape me, been a few good gallopers grace the coast tracks over the years, remember the mighty scapolo winning at omoto, Royal adder, blue sage, miles better, placido, cappiemore, Modena,to name a few, some of these horse won 10 or 15 races, you just don't that these day, nice little roll call of very good performers, fell free to add a few more.

The 2 year old race at Addington for 17k had the massive tote turnover of $2k so with the TAB take out of that would mean they would be losing just about the full stake amount, minus any of the exotics absolute stupidity unless you are the owners of the 3 horses.

About time! Was the best horse in that field as has raced far better horses and perfirmed well against them Had been driving it as if he he had no intention of being placed.

Trained a handy black mare ... Colfix?