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Multiple group winner Sevenna's Knight (Camelot) topped the inaugural AKTEM February Online Sale when selling for €305,000 to the Sevenna's Knight Syndicate. Consigned by trainer Andre Fabre as lot 3B, the six-year-old entire won the G2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier as well as two other group stakes. He also placed in the 2024/2025 editions of the Prix Royal-Oak and was runner-up in last year's Vicomtesse Vigier after it was promoted to Group 1 level. Guy Petit struck for Grade 2-winning jumper Amour Du Mathan (Saint Des Saints) (lot 9), shelling out €212,000. Consigned by Haras des Marronniers, the mare is in foal to Walk In The Park. Gabriel Leenders consigned Lyssenko (Cokoriko) (lot 5) to the sale, and he went to Andy Bell for €210,000. A three-time winner over obstacles, the five-year-old is from the family of AQPS Grade 2 winner Vaniteux (Voic Du Nord). Also breaking the six-figure mark was a stallion share in undefeated G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Ace Impact which sold to Barry Lynch for €155,000. Haras de la Croix Sonnet picked up Dolcita Du Berlais (Poliglote) (lot 13B) in foal to Goliath Du Berlais, for €150,000. Overall, 22 horses sold from 35 offered (63%) for a gross of €1,381,000. The average was €69,050 and the median was €29,500. For the full results, please visit the AKTEM website. The post Sevenna’s Knight Tops AKTEM’s February Online Sale At €305k appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Oh dear. They've done great work there and seemingly well on budget, but are they rushing back yet again?

According to a post on FanDuel TV's X account, FanDuel has “parted ways” with long-time on-air host Todd Schrupp. “We're grateful for Todd's contributions to the network,” the tweet read. “He played an important role in helping grow our on-air presence and connecting with viewers. We thank him for his work and dedication and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.” FanDuel did not provide a reason why Schrupp would no longer be working for the network, Schrupp was there at the beginning, starting with what was then TVG when it was launched in 1999 and, for the next 26 years, was among the most visible talents on the network that would later be renamed FanDuel TV. He was often used to anchor coverage of some of the sport's major events, like the GI Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup. “It's the end of an era. I grew up watching Todd on TVG; it won't be the same without him.,” one X account holder tweeted. Before joining TVG, Schrupp worked in the marketing and customer relations departments at Canterbury Park and served as an in-house handicapper at Calder Race Course. FanDuel TV and Todd Schrupp have parted ways. We're grateful for Todd's contributions to the network. He played an important role in helping grow our on-air presence and connecting with viewers. We thank him for his work and dedication and wish him all the best in his future… — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 13, 2026 The post Todd Schrupp Out at FanDuel TV appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The day after his death at age 80, John Shirreffs is remembered by horsemen and owner Lee Searing. View the full article

Fans turn out during Tampa Bay Downs' Feb. 13 card to get autographs and interact with legendary riders during a Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund event at the track.View the full article

New owners Bradley and Sharon Kleven are hoping to take another big step down the Road to the Kentucky Derby with Express Kid, who they bought for $800,000 in January.View the full article

Racing expected back on the Hastings course this season: John Jenkinshttps://bitofayarn.com Opinion by Hawkes Bay Today 14 Feb, 2026 06:00 AM9 mins to read Hastings-trained Gohugo stretches his neck out to score a brave win in a Rating 75 race over 1300m at Tauherenikau on Friday last week. John Jenkins is a longtime racing journalist based in Hawke’s Bayhttps://bitofayarn.com Racing is likely to resume on the Hastings racecourse before winter, providing protocols set down by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, the Racing Integrity Board and the New Zealand Jockeys Association are met. The re-cambering work on the course proper has been completed. Initially it was planned that two bends would be re-cambered, the one going out of the home straight and the one at the 1400m mark. But, with that work completed under schedule and under budget, it was also decided to improve the camber of the home bend entering the straight. The re-cambering work involved using a special machine that cut out slices of turf on the course proper at a depth of 50 millimetres.https://bitofayarn.com The machine rolled up these slices and they were then stored on wooden pallets. Where the sections of turf were removed the underneath soil was sloped and additional soil added to establish a camber that measured as much as 1.5 metres on the outside of the track. The strips of grass were then re-laid on top of the soil and the ground has been extensively watered so that the grass beads in well and to encourage root growth. The whole process has gone smoothly up to this point, with a lush sole of grass presently covering the course proper. With the original plastic running rail at the Hastings racecourse now being used by the Waipukurau Jockey Club, two new rails have had to be purchased for the Hastings track.https://bitofayarn.com There is a necessity to have two rails erected, one on the inside and one on the outside, as there is now a significant drop down in certain outside areas due to the extra height caused by the re-cambering. Darin Balcombe, the interim chief executive of Hawke’s Bay Racing, said this week that the two running rails are Australian-made and have been on order for some time. “They will be shipped to New Zealand and should arrive either by the end of this month or early next month,” Balcombe said. Once the running rails are erected, horses should be able to gallop on the course proper by early April and then jumpouts or trials will be conducted after that. Providing there are no problems, an official race meeting will then be planned before the winter sets in. There will then be no racing on the Hastings track in June and July but it is hoped that another race meeting will be held in late August ahead of the traditional three-day spring carnival in September and October.

Ask @nomates to sort it. He seems to be NZ's leading Lazyboy trainer.

Louisiana native Shane Wilson netted the 1,000th win of his training career Friday in Race 4 at Fair Grounds when Eleven One Racing's Gypsan (Khozan) won by a half-length under Issac Castillo in the one mile and 70 yards claimer. Wilson, who got his start in racing walking hots as a teenager at Louisiana Downs for Hall of Famer Jack Van Berg and eventually served as assistant to trainer Sam David, Jr., hung out his own shingle in 1998. He won the Fair Grounds training title during the 2023-24 meet with 50 victories, finished third in the standings last season, and is currently in second for this season. Among Wilson's top earners have been graded winners Mocito Rojo (Mutadda) and Ova Charged (Star Guitar). “It's big,” said Wilson of making his 1,000th trip to the winner's circle. “We had a few lean years along the way but my career has progressed to where we are today. We're very proud. I've had a lot of owners that stuck with me when times were tough and now, we've been doing well. I couldn't have done it without them.” The post Trainer Shane Wilson Gets Career Victory 1,000 at Fair Grounds Friday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Certainly wont be many if there's no races for them.

Didn't stop it winning. PS: I put the following game in the post for you.

Maybe there wasn't enough of them. Or even a committment from enough trainers.

Good on James McDonald for appealing and getting a reduced suspension and only a doubling of the fine to 40K The stipes pointed out it was a 2yo and shouldn't be overly punished Oh cmon, talk about woke, any horse can take 20 strikes including 2yo's cant they?

Yes indeed but it's hard to get the same response for a ratings horse going round for 2 months with no suitable races.

i think even if they come anywhere near break even its a winner for betcha. i assume the people that invest in the pools gat paid out back into their betcha accounts(i assume) and then keep playing away through the week ,on the punt themselves, with what they got back,even if its not much .And a lot of those people would probably never put money in as regular as they do with the out the gate crew.The people who invest in the out the gate concept don't appear to be your knowledgable harness racing fans,so getting that type of customer engaged is a plus. Now,i've always said the biggest problem for harness racing is the harness product served up on thursday nights. cambridge is at the low end of a lot of things. Its not as competitive as anywhere else and i often think even some of the favorites ,if drawn bad ,simply go around for a quiet run. Theres also too many negative drives on horses with cahnces and the oversight by the stipes there self perpetuates what i've just said. And of course the over saturation of north island racing contributes significantly to watering down the quality of theat product. then the manawatu product,i think it a more competitive product,but the form can be quite inconsistent i guess because horses who travel and who back up within a couple of days away from home,often don't perform as consistently. Its the same as the likes of the west coast racing. and because of that,you have the out the gate crew betting on harness racing because thats what they are suppoosed to do,but its a common theme for them that you don't often get a fair run for their money. so,even though harness racing is being showcased to a different customer from the previous thursday night follwers,its the quality of tyhe harness product provided on those nights which can paint the industry in a negative way. Thats not the out the gate peoples fault. also,obviously many regulart trackside harness followers seem to dislike the concept. On one hand they accept that less and less people were watching,evenn professing to not watch themseleves ,then they complain they don't like something new,even though they weren't really watching it anyway. people can be hard to please sometimes.

I imagine the some of the top stables informed them. Might be a KiwiB candidate looking for a last chance.

It was worth a try by Trackside to attract new punters, but from most peoples comments it probably hasnt? The only wins they have had has been mainly on the greyhounds and they are being finished shortly! Personally do not think they have the right people presenting, except Blake who wasnt originally on the panel to pick winners? They have been treated very well by the TAB by gifting them bonus cash etc. and sllowing them to wager what they want, and yet some other punters are severely restricted to pathetic amounts ! The other hypocritical action is the way they advertise Bet Responsibly! Punting large on dogs, gallops, trots, sports etc all over the place is not betting responsibly at all! At the end of the day hope the show works and they will do what they will until the funds run out!

At Barn 47 on the Santa Anita backstretch Friday morning, stable staff was going about its business a day after the passing of trainer John Shirreffs. Among those at the barn was Shirreffs's top client, owner Lee Searing of C R K Stable. “He was a great man. It was an honor to have him in our lives,” Searing said. Shirreffs died in his sleep in the overnight hours of Wednesday into Thursday morning at the age of 80. According to Searing, he was found passed away on the couch by his wife, Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs. “John was in good shape. He got hit hard with something that took him down,” Searing said. In a training career that began in the 1970s, Shirreffs won 596 races and more than $58.5 million in purse money. Born in Kansas, Shirreffs was a U.S. Marine and served in Vietnam before embarking on his training career. Most notably as a trainer, Shirreffs won the 2009 GI Breeders' Cup Classic with the Hall of Fame mare Zenyatta, and the 2005 GI Kentucky Derby with Giacomo. Searing said he and Shirreffs had spent last weekend in Florida looking at 2-year-olds. “He was so excited when we were in Florida,” Searing said. “We were looking at our 2-year-olds that are ready to come to the track in April and May. He was excited because this is probably the best group I've ever had–and there are 28 of them. He had a great time. He was healthy, had a great dinner. “Then on Monday, he didn't sound really good. Tuesday was worse. I told him 'John, get to the doctor, go now.' “On Wednesday he was back here at Santa Anita. That's when he told me he couldn't work. I told him again to get to the doctor. He did. I don't know anything after that, but it was that night he fell asleep on the couch and Dottie found him. John was a healthy guy. It seems to me he may have caught some kind of a virus, like a flu or something.” Searing had 12 horses with Shirreffs at the time of his death, which include Grade I winner Baeza (McKinzie) and Westwood (Authentic). On Jan. 31 at Santa Anita, Westwood won the GII San Pasqual S. as Shirreffs's final starter. Searing said Baeza, Westwood and the rest of his horses are, at least for now, being moved to the Santa Antia barn of Peter Eurton, who has also been another longtime trainer for C R K Stable. Further moves could be forthcoming. Most notably with Baeza, who Searing said will likely be moved out of state for his 4-year-old campaign. As for the rest of the Shirreffs barn, the plan is for operations to shut down immediately, Searing said. “I'm with his family now and they have some decisions to make on what to do to close down the stable, but they want it done immediately,” he said. “I think everyone's going to cooperate.” Santa Anita will host a moment of silence for Shirreffs after Friday's first race. Horsemen Pay Tribute to Shirreffs… Victor Espinoza, Hall of Fame jockey: “A lot of memories with John. John and I go way back to when I first moved here. It was Hollywood Park. He helped me a lot. He put me on some nice horses. From that point on until his final day, he was always good to me. Great trainer. There was a time when I rode pretty much all of his horses. It was so fun to be around him. You could learn so much. He had a different technique. He was just a unique guy.” Jonathan Thomas, trainer: “I'm a newbie, this is our second winter here. But when I first came, there were a handful of people that were extra hospitable to me coming out here. One of them was John. The first time I met him, he stopped me. He had an idea who I was but wanted to know my story and where I was from. It was very welcoming. “Then after that, anytime I saw him I needed to make sure I had a free 20 minutes because it would be a nice opportunity to further get to know him, hear stories and pick his brain a little bit about horses and training. He was an extremely welcoming guy. Almost like I knew him for 20 years. He went out of his way to do that. As somewhat of a younger guy, there are a few here like (Neil) Drysdale, (Richard) Mandella, John, and Bob (Baffert) of course, that are on the Mt. Rushmore of training.” Phil D'Amato, trainer: “I thought of him as a gentleman trainer. Always with a smile on his face. I had the utmost respect for him. Just an all-around good guy and an excellent horsemen.” Craig Lewis, trainer: “I talked to him for a half hour the day before. He walked by my barn almost every day. A really nice guy who was great for the game. It's a shame. Sad to see him die.” Jack Carava, former trainer and jockey agent: “He was just a good all-around guy and a good horsemen. I didn't know him really well, but I remember the times when we were training together at Hollywood Park. He was always a gentleman.” The post Lee Searing Pays Tribute to the Late John Shirreffs: ‘It Was an Honor to Have Him in Our Lives’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Adam Hamilton History says Kiwi fans should be glued to tonight’s Great Southern Star at Melton in Victoria. In the two runnings of the $600,000 Trot Slot at Cambridge, the Great Southern Star has proven the defining form line. And this year looks no different. In 2024 the great Just Believe beat Callmethebreeze, Queen Elida and Arcee Phoenix. Just a couple of months earlier in the Great Southern Star, it was Callmethebreeze beating Just Believe with Arcee Phoenix fifth and Queen Elida seventh. Last year, it was another Aussie, Arcee Phoenix, who led throughout to win the TAB Trot from The Locomotive and Queen Elida. All three came through the Great Southern Star. Arcee Phoenix only ran fifth in a heat and was ruled out of the final by vets, but The Locomotive (second) and Queen Elida (fourth) chased home upset winner Watts Up Partytime in the final. The Aussies will be back in force again for this year’s Trot Slot on Cambridge’s Night of Champions on April 10. And at least three of the key hopefuls – Keayang Zahara, Jilliby Ballerini and Arcee Phoenix – are lining-up in tonight’s Great Southern Star. The two outliers are Queenslander Gus, who has stayed home, and buzz French import Kristal Josselyn, who wasn’t quite ready in time for the Great Southern Star. Gus, who landed the big Group 1 double at NZ Cup Week, returned for his first run since when he overcame a 40m handicap to win at Albion Park last Saturday night. The powerful Team Lee are expected to take two slots in the Trot Slot with Keayang Zahara and Jilliby Ballerini the logical runners. But they also have the emerging Jilliby Dreamlover, who is vying for favouritism with Arcee Phoenix in the second of tonight’s Great Southern Star heats (9.01pm). “She’s a great chance of leading that heat and if she does, she’ll be hard to run down,” co-trainer Paddy Lee said. But Keayang Zahara is the headline act with 23 wins from 24 starts, including 12 at Group 1 level. Victory in the Great Southern Star final (11.33pm) will land her a new $500,000 bonus and make her equal with the great Kiwi Take A Moment on 13 Group 1 wins, the second most by a trotter in Australasia. Given Keayng Zahara has just turned five, if she stays sound she will sail past Lyell Creek’s record of 15 Group 1 wins. With all the great trotting options in Auckland like the Anzac and Rowe Cups, Keayang Zahara may well break that record in NZ. And at 10.35pm it’s the Hunter Cup with big Kiwi hope Republic Party going up against Aussies’ big three, Leap To Fame, Swayzee and Kingman. To see the field for the Hunter Cup click here View the full article

This is just another example of the total mess that the programming is. How on earth could they only just 'identify' the issue?

No new scratchings yet though.

Trainer Kevin Bond, whose Facebook page sported an antisemitic comment regarding Rob Reiner, has been charged with conduct detrimental to the best interests of racing and to the New York Racing Association's Business Operations, as well as a breach of his stall application, NYRA revealed Friday. NYRA has issued a notice of hearing and Statement of Charges to Bond. The hearing has been set for Friday, March 6. Bond, who has made 75 starts in his career, but just one in 2026, will be allowed to continue training pending final adjudication of the matter. In December, it was announced that Bond, the son of longtime New York-based trainer H. James Bond and Tina Bond, who is the president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, was being investigated over allegations that he made the antisemitic comments. Specifically, the remarks allegedly attributed to Bond were in response to a Facebook post regarding the alleged murder of Hollywood producer, director, screenwriter, and actor Rob Reiner and his wife. At the time, Bond said that his Facebook page had been hacked and that the comments were not made by him. He released the following statement: “The contents of the post on Facebook that were attributed to me were shocking and unacceptable, and they most certainly did not come from me. The comments were in response to an account I do not follow; it would appear that my account was hacked, or someone created a false account that looks like mine. In any case, I immediately put on my social media story that my account was hacked and have deactivated my account and now will do everything in my power to prevent anything like this from happening again, and to repair the damage done to myself and to everyone who was hurt and offended by the post.” Seeking an updated comment, The TDN contacted Bond via text Friday, but did not receive a reply as of the deadline for this story. NYRA released the Statement of Charges Friday regarding the Bond matter. It included a provision requiring that any trainer who turns in a stall application “provide his or her staff with anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training…” The provision continues: “Trainer will regularly train its staff on anti-harassment and anti-discrimination. NYRA may impose penalties or revoke the License if Trainer or its employees engages in unlawful, discriminatory, or harassing practices.” In addition, it states that “the stall application provides that NYRA may revoke a trainer's license to use its facilities and/or deny him or her access to its facilities, with or without cause at NYRA's sole discretion…” The Statement of Charges then delved into the specifics regarding the allegations that Bond was behind the antisemitic comments. “On or about December 16, 2025, the following comment was posted in response to an unsympathetic Facebook post about the Reiners' murder: “F*ck Rob Reiner that cocky POS Jew” (hereinafter, the “Facebook Comment”). The Facebook Comment was posted from Respondent's Facebook account.” It continued: “On or about December 16, 2025, NYRA's President and Chief Executive Officer, David O'Rourke, issued the following statement to the media: 'NYRA condemns in the strongest possible terms the vile, antisemitic comments posted today on New York-based trainer Kevin Bond's Facebook account. NYRA has zero tolerance for this kind of hateful speech and will begin an investigation into the matter immediately.' On Dec. 19, NYRA Steward Victor Escobar contacted Bond by email and requested further information, and, in particular anything that could shed light on Bond's claims that his account had been hacked. “At your earliest convenience, but in any event prior to the resumption of racing, please provide any documentation or correspondence you have received from Facebook concerning the reported security breach,” Escobar wrote to Bond. “This should include screenshots of your Facebook account login history for the period around the incident.” The email continued: “NYRA's objective is to resolve this matter promptly and efficiently. The sooner we are able to confirm that a security breach occurred, the sooner this issue can be concluded and all parties can move forward.” According to NYRA, Bond told Escobar, via return email, that he would not be complying with his requests. Bond wrote: “I want to reiterate that I did not author or post the statement attributed to my Facebook account. As previously communicated, my account was compromised, and the content in question was published without my knowledge or authorization. At this time, I will not be re-opening or re-activating my Facebook account. Based on professional cybersecurity guidance, re-enabling an account that is believed to have been compromised presents a risk of further unauthorized activity and potential misuse. My decision is intended to prevent any additional incidents or confusion while this matter is under review.” Bond provided NYRA with a letter from Sam Turetsky, whom he referred to as an independent information technology professional, in which Turetsky maintained that it was in Bond's best interests to keep the account in a disabled state. The email chain continued with a Dec. 23, 2025 message from NYRA Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Joi Garner, which stated, “This letter serves as formal notice that NYRA finds you are not cooperating with its investigation. Despite clear and reasonable requests, you have failed and refused to produce basic, readily accessible information that is uniquely within your possession, custody, or control and that would directly corroborate—or refute—your claim that your Facebook account was compromised. This information includes, without limitation, account-security data, login history, and related records for the relevant time-period. This information could tend to exculpate you. However, your continued refusal to produce this information permits the reasonable inference that it does not support your assertion that your Facebook account was compromised, and the content in question was published without [your] Fullstop or comma. knowledge or authorization. “Your conduct is inconsistent with that of an individual who is acting in good faith to demonstrate that they experienced a genuine cybersecurity incident.” Garner then received an email from Bond's attorney, Clark Brewster, who also maintained that Bond's Facebook account had been hacked. NYRA also alleged that the Facebook comment was not the only time that Bond posted antisemitic statements on line. “A review of Respondent's social media activity reveals a history of antisemitic or otherwise hateful commentary across multiple social media platforms, with tone and language similar to the Facebook Comment,” NYRA charged. The Statement of Charges also brought up incidents in which Bond allegedly engaged in “Ontrack Conduct Demonstrating a Threat to the Safety, Integrity, and Orderly conduct of Racing.” NYRA alleged that one such incident occurred on or about July 8, 2024 when a “licensed hot walker reported to NYRA security that Respondent struck him with a closed fist in the face while he was operating a golf cart on the main track horse path.” Three charges have been levied against Bond: Breach of Stall Application; Conduct Detrimental to the Best Interests of Racing; and Conduct Detrimental to NYRA's Business Operations. “As a result, the Statement of Charges reads, “NYRA seeks to exercise its reasonable business judgment to revoke Respondent's credentials and exclude him from the grounds NYRA operates or any portion thereof.” It is signed by Stuart Subotnick, Racing Committee Chairman, The New York Racing Association, Inc. The post Kevin Bond Charged with Conduct Detrimental in Wake of Facebook Incident appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 7am rating was a Soft 7. 8am - Heavy 8. 8:40am - Heavy 9. 16 mm of rain in an hour and a half. Still raining. Washout? None of the horses going around today need a bottomless 10 in their prep.

Faustyna (Kodi Bear) (lot 105), who won a Dundalk maiden on Wednesday, is one of 10 wildcards added to the Tattersalls Online February Sale set for February 17-18 next week. A half-sister to four winners, Faustyna is joined by fellow Dundalk winner Friendly Invoice (Invincible Army) (lot 104). From the family of The Grey Gatsby and already the dam of four winners is M'as Tu Vu (Falco) (lot 107). A half-sister to two stakes winners is Blueaway (Blue Point) (lot 106), who is also a half to the dam of multiple group winner Twilight Jet (Twilight Son). All-weather winner Suzuka (Bated Breath) (lot 99) has been entered, and there is also a yearling filly by Kameko (lot 100) among others. For the full catalogue, please visit the Tattersalls Online website. The post Dundalk Winners Highlight Tattersalls Online Wildcards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Racing fans can bid to own a piece of Thoroughbred history in an online silent auction benefiting abused and neglected children. Halters for Sovereignty, Good Cheer, and Gun Runner are available in the Bourbon & the Bayou silent auction, run by the nonprofit child advocacy organization CASA of Lexington. Bidding opened today and continues until 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 27. The silent auction is part of CASA of Lexington's annual fundraiser, Bourbon & the Bayou. The event raises funds that provide advocacy for hundreds of abused and neglected children in central Kentucky each year. Any items won in the silent auction can be picked up at the CASA of Lexington office, 3245 Loch Ness Dr. in Lexington, Ky., beginning 10 a.m. on Monday, Mar. 2. Winners can also pay to ship their items. The post Halters for Gun Runner, Sovereignty and Good Cheer Featured in Online Charity Auction appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article