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Really? In the hands of MPI? FFS they are too busy responding to nut case complaints about cows being too hot or too wet!

well NZTR told me 'have patience..help is coming" translate.."the RIB ore too busy/understaffed to be caring much about whip welfare The proof of Matt Bellesty's stated commitment to welfare will be in the next round of whip iterations Will they totally ban the forehand use forward of the saddle and any use between the shoulder/hindquarter.(.just like first world jurisdictions)...which RIB are basically ignoring... What should be done DQ's for obvious cheating...every whip violation counts in a 6 month period...the entire whip length padded...et el

"marking cards' saying something falsely? I sent 17 communications to various 'stakeholders'...2 ignored them..including you (remarkably you couldn't see the whip wrapped under an ear proceeding on to hugging the eye socket while contacting the corner of the eye..the last 4 you ignored) 2 trainers, whose horses had their ears flattened said they'd "leave it to the RIB to sort" The rest more or less said it's "obviously against the rules and horse's shouldn't be subjected to head contact" end of...so 'mark your cards" right back at ya

Hong Kong's trio of superstars - Romantic Warrior, Voyage Bubble, and Ka Ying Rising, all winners on December's Internationals Day - return to action Jan. 25 at Sha Tin Racecourse.View the full article

Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's OBSOnline January 2026 Sale, which will overlap the in-person OBS Winter Mixed Sale, has 16 horses catalogued. The online auction is scheduled for Jan. 26-30, while the Winter Mixed Sale will take place Jan. 27. Among the horses catalogued for the digital auction is a 2-year-old Collected filly out of MGISW Tough Tiz's Sis (Tiznow). The half-sister to GSW Tiz Midnight (Midnight Lute) is consigned by McKathan Bros. and will be hip 403. Seven of the offerings breezed or galloped during the optional under-tack show held at OBS Jan. 22, including an unnamed 3-year-old Good Magic colt out of Mrs. Appeal (Successful Appeal), who is a full-sister to GSW Closing Argument. Consigned by Champions of the Future, the colt breezed three-eighths in :35 2/5 and will appear as hip 406 when the catalogue is released Friday, Jan. 23. The OBSOnline sale will feature 2-year-olds and horses of racing age, with bidding kicking off Jan. 26 at noon ET and closing Jan. 30 at noon ET. Visit obsonline.com for more information. The post 16 Horses Catalogued for OBSOnline January Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sounding unusually positive, has someone hacked you. I think the aim is to get some topliners come and race in NZ. The stakes for the 3 KM races and the Kiwi are comparable with what is available in Aus and the KM's and to a lesser extent the Kiwi, fall at a time when there is not a lot going on in Melbourne and Sydney. Top horses coming from Aus adds legitimacy to what they doing here. The 2nd and 3rd tier horses coming helps but seen by most as second rate Aussie horses picking off our best races

Friday Morning Weather: Fine Track: Soft 5 Moisture Meter: 35.7% Rail: True Rain: No Rain Last 24 Hours | 171mm Rain Last 7 Days Irrigation: N/A Weather and Track updated at 8.40am Friday 23 January

Fair call , perhaps she could.

Im not sure why you'd expect it to be given what they race for and the opportunities available to them. I reckon we have done well getting these horses over here.

HISA is seeking public comment on proposed modifications to the Rule Series 5000 (Equine Testing and Investigation Standards) and 7000 (Arbitration Procedures) of its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.View the full article

The $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) has joined the roster of prestigious North American races for the 2026 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, Breeders' Cup Limited and Oaklawn Park announced Jan. 22.View the full article

Showers, with possible thunderstorms and hail from afternoon. Westerlies, rising to gale for a time in the morning and afternoon. Issued: 8:43pm Thu 22 Jan

A mistake made by the organisers of the Racing League was to underestimate just how much certain racing colours resonate with those watching the action. All of us who have followed racing over the years will have owners and trainers we like to get behind. Even when scanning down a race card in the paper each morning, certain sets of silks act as an automatic signpost as to the potential quality of the races to come. It is very clear the regard in which Robert Sangster was held during his glorious run as an owner-breeder from the 1970s until his death in 2004. Such fondness for the man himself extended to those green and blue silks and the tremendous horses who carried them to glory: Sadler's Wells, The Minstrel, Golden Fleece, Alleged, El Gran Senor, Beldale Ball, Las Meninas – the list goes on. The colours have continued to be in circulation in the intervening decades on horses connected to various Sangster family members, but it is Robert's son Sam who has really helped to restore them in the public eye, first through his Manton Thoroughbreds syndicate and recently in his shrewd purchase of Diego Velazquez from Coolmore. No sooner had the deal been announced, with the ultimate intention of standing the son of Frankel at the National Stud upon retirement, than the colt galloped his way to Group 1 glory in the Prix Jacques Le Marois on one of the most prestigious days of Deauville's summer calendar. “The timing of the announcement was literally when we were arriving to start looking at yearlings [at Arqana], so for me it was a really good gauge as to whether or not it was the right or wrong decision,” Sangster recalls. “The lead up to [the race] was very nerve-wracking, that's for sure. Trying to concentrate on the job of the yearling sales with Brian [Meehan], and also the fact that we had a chance in one of the biggest Group 1s in France on the Sunday. “Could I have imagined what happened on the day was going to happen before that? No. I'd written it in my head many a time and I'd had a conversation with a few of the team at Coolmore, including MV [Magnier], and they said he'd been working very well. And the stars aligned: Christophe [Soumillon] gave him a hell of a ride, kept it very straightforward, and we didn't even see [runner-up] Notable Speech, because he wasn't on the screen when they hit the line. “It was quite something and a moment that will live with me for the rest of my life, that's for sure.” Sangster had been approached by National Stud chairman Teddy Grimthorpe to join the board three years ago, and this too now looks to have been a shrewd decision to enhance what was already a young and vibrant team in place at the Jockey Club-owned stud in Newmarket. “I was really quite blown away, and honoured,” he says of his appointment to the board. “Everybody tells me I'm not young anymore, but I still think I'm quite young in terms of this industry and I'm learning every day. I don't do things in half measures and what I really felt that I could bring to the table was my experience in syndication. What I really wanted to try and do is identify a horse that with the team here we could try and syndicate and still have a bit of racing upside. “We weren't reinventing the wheel here – it's been done for many a year, but what I wanted to build was the excitement around a horse like that and hopefully attract some new people into the industry as well. And working with Joe [Bradley], Anna [Kerr], Teddy, Nancy [Sexton], and everybody else on the board, they've got a really exciting team here, and a really exciting team of stallions. What we really want to do is keep adding to that. We've set a benchmark, we've got a champion in Stradivarius and we've got lovely horses on the roster already. We've added a stunning horse in Diego and we're hopefully going to keep going.” Diego Velazquez at the National Stud | Emma Berry Not since Mill Reef's achievements in 1978 and 1987 has the National Stud stood a champion sire. There is a mountain to climb to repeat that feat when in competition with the likes of Godolphin, Juddmonte, and indeed Coolmore, who had bought Diego Velazquez as a yearling from his breeder Denis Brosnan of Croom House Stud for 2.4 million gns at Tattersalls. That price alone points to a young horse who was not only a looker but well related: his half-brothers Broome and Point Lonsdale, by another son of Galileo in the Derby winner Australia, have amassed 12 Group wins between them, including Broome's victory in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and runner-up finish in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf. Diego Velazquez plainly has much going for him, and has already fulfilled phase one of Sangster's ambitious plan by becoming a Group 1 winner himself. Phase two begins next month when the covering season starts, and much groundwork has already been laid in preparation. “There's been a really good response,” says Sangster of the support pledged by breeders. “First and foremost, I want to thank the shareholders because, gosh, they got behind him at the sales. I wasn't expecting them to do what they did. A few of them have gone from having a couple of horses in training to now owning four or five mares. I think that really just shows from the outset to everybody what the shareholders are going to do for the horse. The quality alone, I think there were 22 mares bought across all the partners – mares like Miss Justice, a couple of stakes-winning mares that Joe and I have just gone through with really fantastic pedigrees. They're providing the bolster of quality just to start with, and the mares that have been booked in are very exciting. I'm very grateful to all of those who have shown support for him so far.” Just ahead of the season kicking off, Diego Velazquez will join the stallion parade at Tattersalls on February 5. “We're just incredibly excited about the whole project,” Sangster adds. “I didn't think he was going to be a hard sell, and it's proving that he's not a hard sell. What I'm really blown away by is that high bar of quality that is going to give him every chance with his first crop.” What was particularly noteworthy on the day of Diego Velazquez's triumph in Deauville was the genuine sense of joy from many in the industry on Sangster's behalf, not least from the Coolmore gang, from whom he had effectively just pinched a Group 1 winner. Of course, they are not short of stallion prospects and indeed the ties between the Sangster and the Magnier families run deep, right the way back to the formation of Coolmore half a century ago. “I've known MV my whole life and the whole family, they're incredibly special friends to me,” says Sangster. “John has been an amazing supporter of mine. When I first joined the board here at the National Stud, I spoke with John and he gave me some really sound advice of what I should try and bring to the table. And I suppose when [Diego Velzaquez] won the Minstrel Stakes he became top of our target list, and I approached MV with what I would like to do and the proposal that I wanted to bring to them. They were very straightforward to deal with – all the partners were great – and they were only delighted when he won on the day. I saw John at the sales afterwards and he was delighted as well.” MV Magnier and Sam Sangster in Deauville | Emma Berry Even five months on, the raw emotion of that sunny afternoon in Normandy still resurfaces as Sangster remembers the response to that victory in those famous colours. “It was incredible. The connection I have with them, the horse winning in Dad's colours, a race like the Marois – even the fact he's by Frankel and that you can go back to Sadler's Wells and Northern Dancer. It's why there were so many pockets of emotion that all bubbled up when he hit the line, and they still bubble up now when I think about it.” He continues, “I've always known the weight that those colours carry. I was 16 when my father passed away, and I wasn't even alive when the glory days were around, with the horses that were trained out of Ballydoyle by Vincent O'Brien, and what the team achieved then. But since doing the Manton Thoroughbreds partnership with Brian, the first horse really that came out of that was a horse called Barraquero, and he won the Richmond. I got a really lovely vibe when he came into the the winner's enclosure there and a lot of people came to me and said how wonderful it was to see the colours back in the enclosure for a race like that. “Then the race that blew me away was when Rashabar won [the Coventry] at Royal Ascot. The amount of support and messages and love from within the industry, but also from outside of the industry, was just incredible.” It is worth noting at this stage that, despite Sangster's obvious connections to some of the most celebrated names in the business, he has earned his popular standing in the bloodstock world in his own right. The aforementioned Barraquero and Rashabar were selected by him as yearlings for £30,000 and €120,000 respectively, and there have been others, too. The filly Kathmandu, who was beaten a head when second to Rouhiya in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in 2024, was bought for 50,000gns and followed on 12 months after another agonising near miss in a French Classic for Isaac Shelby, a £92,000 yearling. Together, Meehan and Sangster have formed a successful partnership in syndicating and racing horses which did not cost a fortune to recruit. And you know what they say, success tends to breed success. “We're so lucky in this industry, in that the people within, they really do want you to do well. I know it's incredibly competitive, but everybody wants everybody to do well, and I really felt that with Rashabar. Then when Diego won in France, the fact that it was during the sales and everybody was there, even the night before in the Drakkar, there was so much love, and I'm so incredibly grateful to all those people because I felt two inches taller walking around the sales the next day. To have Diego in those colours and to win a Group 1, and for me to be attached to achieving that, it was a very proud moment.” The post ‘A Moment That Will Live With Me For The Rest Of My Life’: Sam Sangster on Diego Velazquez appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The $1.25 million GI Apple Blossom Handicap has joined the roster of prestigious North American races for the 2026 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, Breeders' Cup Limited and Oaklawn Park said in a joint release on Thursday. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of stakes races, the winners of which receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Offering an automatic berth into the $2 million GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, the 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom Handicap for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up will be the first Breeders' Cup Challenge race in the Distaff division this year. “The Apple Blossom Handicap has a long-standing reputation as one of the premier races for fillies and mares in North America,” Chief Racing Officer for Breeders' Cup Limited Dora Delgado said. “Its inclusion in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series underscores the race's championship quality and strengthens the pathway to the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. We are proud to welcome Oaklawn Park and the Apple Blossom into the 'Win and You're In' program as part of our continued commitment to showcasing elite racing on the road to the Breeders' Cup World Championships.” “This is a tremendous milestone for Oaklawn and for one of the most prestigious races in American racing,” said President of Oaklawn Louis A. Cella. “The Apple Blossom Handicap has long been a championship-caliber event, and earning Breeders' Cup 'Win & You're In' status reflects the quality of our racing product and the elite horses that continue to compete here. This designation further solidifies Oaklawn's place on the world stage as a premier destination for top-level Thoroughbred racing.” As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the pre-entry and entry fees to the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff for the winner of the Apple Blossom Handicap (a $60,000 value). The nominator of the winning horse will receive a $10,000 award, provided the horse is nominated before the Challenge race. All Breeders' Cup Challenge winners also receive travel benefits to the World Championships: $10,000 for starters based outside of Kentucky in North America and $40,000 for international starters based outside of North America. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 19, 2026, to receive the rewards. The post GI Apple Blossom Joins 2026 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Slate appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Online auction house Auctav and French auction house Osarus are set to merge, Jour de Galop reported on Thursday. The merger is set for next February, with the two companies working together in a series of joint sales beginning in March. The aim is to strengthen their market position and offer their expertise, innovation and accessibility to more customers. Auctav will specialise in sales of trotters and art, while Osarus will be devoted to Flat and jumps racing, as well as Arabian sales. Said Auctav president Louis Baudron, “This merger marks a major step for our sector. Together, we will be able to offer a richer and more accessible range of services, while preserving the excellence and trust that have built the reputation of both companies.” Added Osarus manager Emmanuel Viaud, “We share with Auctav a common vision of auctions, combining tradition and modernity. This partnership is a unique opportunity to better serve our clients and boost the market.” The post Auctav And Osarus Set To Merge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Correct, Moir Stakes, by Baraqiel, a little bit more than a nose. It is hard to know how a horse might go in Aus. Roch 'N' Horse ran 2nd in a Telegraph, then went over and won the Newmarket and Champions Sprint (both G1) beating Nature Sprint

Friday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, post time: 20:25, AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE-G1, AED3,680,000, 4yo/up & SH 3yo, 1900m Field: Walk Of Stars (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Imperial Emperor (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Heart of Honor (GB) (Honor A. P.), Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance), Artorious (Arrogate), Remorse (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Kabirkhan (Calilfornia Chrome), Killer Collect (Collected), Masmak (Vino Rosso). TDN Analysis: Walk Of Stars held Imperial Emperor to second in last year's edition for trainer Bhupat Seemar who saddles six here. Those two both step forward again, while Seemar stablemate Kabirkhan exploded to a 4 3/4-length victory here in 2024, and is another gunning to reclaim his title. Imperial Emperor warmed up for Friday's challenge with an easy victory in the G2 Al Maktoum Mile on Festive Friday. Heart Of Honor is best known for the Meydan races he didn't win, but the multiple group-placed gelding rattled home a winner in the Listed The Entisar over Artorius in December and the four-year-old could be coming into his own. Tumbarumba, a Grade III hero in the U.S. is making his second start at Meydan. Friday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, post time: 21:00, JEBEL HATTA-G1, AED1,850,000, 4yo/up & SH 3yo, 1800mT Field: Opera Ballo (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Holloway Boy (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), Silawi (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Midak (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), Vafortino (Ire) (New Bay {GB}). TDN Analysis: It is difficult to see beyond Opera Ballo and Nations Pride in the Jebel Hatta, as that duo ran one-two for Godolphin in the G2 Al Rashidiya in December and it was over eight lengths back to third-place finisher First Conquest (Teofilo) in third. Holloway Boy, third in this to Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) in 2025, won a listed race at Kempton in December, but was only fifth to Quddwah (Kingman) in the G2 Zabeel Mile the day after New Year's Day. The GI Canadian International Stakes was Silawi's in October, and, although he ran unplaced in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, the six-year-old gelding could cause the upset on Friday. Friday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, post time: 19:50, BLUE POINT SPRINT-G2, AED850,000, 3yo/up, 1000mT Field: West Acre (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Cover Up (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), Democracy Dilemma (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), Spartan Arrow (Ire) (Sioux Nation), Tawalla (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Logo Hunter (Ire) (Brazen Beau {Aus}), Ponntos (Ire) (Power {GB}), Echo Point (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Swift Asset (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), The Man (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Hilitany (GB) (Ubettabelieveit {Ire}). TDN Analysis: West Acre romped in the 2025 edition of this race, with Ponntos second and Cover Up third. However, he hasn't found the winner's circle since. Friday is his 2026 UAE bow. Cover Up triumphed in the Listed Ertijaal Dubai Dash prepping for this contest. Spartan Arrow bested West Acre going 1000 metres at Dundalk in October. Friday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, post time: 18:40, AL FAHIDI FORT-G2, AED850,000, 4yo/up & SH 3yo, 1400mT Field: Witness Stand (GB) (Expert Eye {GB}), Marbaan (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Lethal Levi (GB) (Lethal Force {Ire}), Shootout (Ire) (Areion {Ger}), Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), Chicago Critic (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Apollo One (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), Tumbler (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), Yaroogh (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Elnajmm (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Khanjar (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Andreas Vesalius (Ire) (Caravaggio), Hougquetot (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Mountbatten (Ire) (Dabirsim {Fr}). TDN Analysis: Mysterious Night, a winner of the GI Summer Stakes back in 2022, captured the 2024 edition of this contest and was second last year to the re-opposing Marbaan. Khanjar split that duo in the Listed Business Bay Challenge on Festive Friday last month. Group 1 winner Audience came home third in the G2 Zabeel Mile earlier this month and the shorter trip could do the trick for the seven-year-old. Successful in the G3 Sprint Trophy over this distance at Cologne in September, Shootout brings German form to the table on Friday. Friday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, post time: 22:10, AL KHAIL TROPHY-G3, AED700,000, 2810mT Field: Meydaan (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Epic Poet (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), Goya Senora (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Real Ream (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Kihavah (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), Nightwalker (GB) (Frankel {GB}). TDN Analysis: Meydaan prevailed in good style trying this course and distance on January 2 with the re-opposing third Nightwalker set to test him once again. A multiple group winner in France and placed at Group 1 level in Europe and Australia, West Wind Blows turns his sights to Meydan. Second in a Kempton listed race after almost two years away from the races in November, he proved he still held his old spark when taking the Listed Prix Arcangues at Deauville by 1 1/2 lengths on December 23. 2025 G2 Dubai Gold Cup third Epic Poet returns to Meydan, with his most recent effort a second-place run in rallying fashion in the G3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes in August. Friday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, post time: 18:05, FIREBREAK STAKES-G3, AED700,000, 4yo/up & SH 3yo, 1600m Field: Fort Payne (Fr) (Rio De La Plata), Commissioner King (Commissioner), Mendelssohn Bay (Mendelssohn), Meshtri (Medaglia d'Oro), Crown Board (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Hypnus (Into Mischief), Made In Dubai (More Than Ready). TDN Analysis: Second to Al Maktoum Challenge entry Imperial Emperor (Dubawi) in the G2 Al Maktoum Mile in December, Commissioner King is hoping to find the competition more to his liking in this class drop. Listed hero Mendelssohn Bay, third that day, returns as well. Hypnus makes his Meydan debut after running second in a 1000-metre trial over this surface earlier this month. Also making his first start in the desert is Crown Board, who exits a Chelmsford handicap with a win over this trip in December. Friday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, post time: 21:35, UAE 2000 GUINEAS-G3, AED700,000, 3yo, 1600m Field: Legalaized (Arg) (Dabster), Namaguederaz (Uru) (Algorithms), Don Pelicano (Uru) (Midshipman), Six Speed (Not This Time), Devon Island (Practical Joke), Union Security (Maximum Security), Brotherly Love (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), Lino Padrino (Uncle Lino), Raajehh (Complexity), Rammaas (Speightstown), Duke Of Immatin (Gun Runner), Yasup (Yaupon), Awesome Fleet (US Navy Flag), Senator Of State (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), Al Khawaneej (Honest Mischief), Yamdeek (Yaupon). TDN Analysis: Two-for-three after claiming conditions races over 1200m and 1400m over the winter, Six Speed looks tough for his 15 rivals on Friday. Trying 1600 metres for the first time, he clashes with Brotherly Love, a half-brother to Heart Of Honor (Honor A. P.). Devon Island holds the same record as Six Speed and defeated Brotherly Love in November and December over the 2000 Guineas distance. Raajehh scampered home an easy winner of a 1200-metre conditions race here in December. Senator Of State already sports a tally over this trip at Dundalk, but will be making his Meydan debut. Friday, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, post time: 19:15, AL SHINDAGHA SPRINT-G3, AED700,000, 3yo/up, 1200m Field: Dark Saffron (Flameaway), El Nasseeb (GB) (Profitable {Ire}), Mufasa (Chi) (Practical Joke), Drew's Gold (Violence), Morning (Munnings), Colour Up (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). TDN Analysis: El Nasseeb is riding a three-race UAE winning streak, with his latest success a victory over Mufasa and Colour Up in the G3 Dubawi Stakes over track and trip on January 2. Drew's Gold defeated Echo Point in a 1200-metre handicap here in mid-December. A winner of the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen last April, Dark Saffron is searching for redemption. The four-year-old gelding won a conditions affair here in November, but has been soundly beaten by El Nasseeb in his last two appearances. Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong, post time: 15:00, CENTENARY SPRINT CUP-G1, HK$13,000,000, 3yo/up, 1200mT Field: Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}), Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}), Fast Network (NZ) (Wrote {Ire}), Raging Blizzard (NZ) (Per Incanto), Tomodachi Kokoroe (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}), Beauty Waves (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Lucky With You (Aus) (Artie Schiller). TDN Analysis: Ka Ying Rising will attempt to make history and equal Hong Kong legend Silent Witness's record of 17 wins in a row by a Hong Kong-trained horse. A surprise here is not impossible, but Helios Express needs to find 12 pounds via international ratings. Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong, post time: 16:05, STEWARDS' CUP-G1, HK$13,000,000, 3yo/up, 1600mT Field: Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Voyage Bubble (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}), Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse {Aus}), Beauty Joy (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}), Red Lion (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}), Galaxy Patch (Aus) (Wandjina {Aus}), Straight Arron (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), My Wish (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}), Sunlight Power (Aus) (Capitalist {Aus}). TDN Analysis: It is difficult to look beyond Hong Kong heavyweights Romantic Warrior and Voyage Bubble in Sunday's Stewards' Cup. The former holds top-level form in four countries and is running in his first 1600-metre race since claiming Japan's G1 Yasuda Kinen in 2024. The latter has won two editions of the Stewards' Cup in 2024/2025. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Can Heart Of Honor Go All The Way? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The International Conference for the Health, Safety, and Welfare of Jockeys was hosted in Hong Kong Dec. 11-12. The conference featured presentations and panel discussions with leading experts in the field. A replay is now available.View the full article

Trainer James Cassidy died Wednesday at his home in Monrovia, California after suffering from heart disease. He was 80. Born Aug. 21, 1945 in New York City, Cassidy got his start working with show horses at the age of 12. He would later transition to racehorses and in 1975, Cassidy took out his trainer's license. He then spent more than a decade working as an assistant for such top Eastern-based trainers as Joe Canty, Frank Whitely and Charles Sanborne before striking out on his own. Cassidy's first starter as a trainer came Oct. 2, 1989 at Belmont Park, according to Equibase statistics. In late 1993, after only a handful of runners in New York, Cassidy moved his training operation to Southern California. He won his first-ever race at Hollywood Park Dec. 12, 1993, with the claiming horse Royal Torrent (His Majesty). Cassidy continued to operate a small stable at Santa Anita up until his death. His final starter who he also owned was Pure Chaos (Sir Prancealot {Ire}). The filly ran Jan. 11 at Santa Anita and finished third in a maiden special weight. Cassidy won 442 races in his career while compiling $30,715,582 in purse earnings. His final win came Apr. 25, 2025 at Santa Anita with Princess Snow (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) for owner-breeder DP Racing. Notable horses from the Cassidy barn were Grade I-winning millionaires Evening Jewel (Northern Afleet), The Usual Q.T (Unusual Heat) and Ticker Tape (GB) (Royal Appluase {GB}); and millionaire Grade II winner Moscow Burning (Moscow Ballet). Cassidy also served multiple terms as president of California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT), an organization that represents the interests of Thoroughbred trainers in the state. “Jim just loved horses. Period,” said Alan Balch, executive director of California Thoroughbred Trainers. “From the first time I met him, that's what stood out to me. He had his early experience on Long Island with show horses, and we had that in common when I first met him in connection with CTT. And he loved the Yankees, he always wore that cap proudly.” Cassidy served as president of the CTT in 2009 and again from 2012 through June 2019. “Jim had a special knack with fillies and mares, and the records prove it,” Balch said. “He served the backstretch community as a whole tirelessly, through both the Gregson Foundation and his CTT leadership.” Details on services will be announced at a later date. The post California-Based Trainer James Cassidy Dies At 80 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

HALLANDALE, FLORIDA–One year ago, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. couldn't have been flying higher after White Abarrio (Race Day) ran away to a sparkling 6 1/4-length victory in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. The victory had capped a roller coaster ride for Joseph after the grey had previously won the GI Whitney and GI Breeders' Cup Classic for trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., but things seemed to go off course after that. Back under the supervision of Joseph at Gulfstream in the fall of 2024, the grey appeared to have finally turned things around, winning three out of four starts for the Florida-based trainer, however, a trio of off-the-board finishes in Grade I company at Saratoga signaled another cooling off period. And then, the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar. Entered in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, White Abarrio was unceremoniously scratched by the track veterinarian mere moments before the race, prompting the horses' connections–C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable–to launch an investigation into the matter. While failing to achieve any sort of official action from the ensuing litigation, Joseph remains steadfast that the scratch was unwarranted. Unraced since finishing fifth in last summer's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, the 7-year-old faces the daunting task of trying to win another Pegasus World Cup on Saturday. Accompanied by Irad Ortiz Jr., White Abarrio posted his latest workout on Jan. 18, going four furlongs in :51.4 (83/86). “Last year we went in full of confidence,” said Joseph Jr. said. “This year, it's a different set of circumstances.” Asked how the long stint away from the races might affect his title defense, Joseph explained, “I don't think it's going to be fitness, because he's never had any down time. He would always gallop, gallop, gallop. When you have down time that's when you run into fitness issues.” Given a 4-1 chance on the morning line, White Abarrio will have to contend with the less-than-ideal post 11. “Nothing you can do about that. It is what it is,” Joseph said. “Irad is the best at working out bad posts. The break's the most important thing from any draw.” Hoping to turn the page on 2025 with White Abarrio, Joseph also returns to the Pegasus program with another World Cup prospect. Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) enters the fray off of last-out victory in Gulfstream's GIII Harlan's Holiday Stakes on Dec. 20. Last season's GII Hollywood Gold Cup winner will be making his fourth start in the race, having finished achieved his best finish when third behind his stablemate last year. “There's confidence that he can win it,” Joseph said. “He's had the right preparation.” The 7-year-old finished seventh in the 2023 renewal of the race and after breaking from post 12, he was pulled up and walked off in 2024. In 2025, the bay broke from post 9. “Skippy is a hard-trying horse,” Joseph said. “The draw didn't treat White Abarrio good, but I think he can overcome it. Skippy drew better. The last couple years, [Skippylongstocking has] drawn bad. He's doing well and he goes over there with a very good chance.” In other Pegasus World Cup action, Joseph is also well represented in the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf, sending out In Our Time (Not This Time) and Movin' On Up (Accelerate). Joseph won last year's renewal of the race with Be Your Best, with In Our Time finishing third. Campaigned by Resolute Racing and Miller Racing, stakes winner In Our Time was last seen finishing second in the GI Matriarch at Del Mar in November. “In Our Time's goal was this race after finishing third last year,” he said. “She's coming off a big run.” Movin' On Up, two for three over the course, enters off a second-place finish in Gulftsream's Suwannee River Stakes over a mile on Dec. 20. “Movin' On Up is also doing well,” he said. “Obviously, she loves the course and has the course record on the track. She ran well last time. Hopefully, she'll run big again this time.” Of his World Cup chances this weekend, Joseph was pragmatic. “There's a lot of horses with chances,” he said. “Hopefully, we'll win back-to-back.” Additionally, Joseph's other chances on the stakes undercard include GSW Indy Bay (Take Charge Indy), who heads a trio of runners for the trainer in the GII Inside Information Stakes. Victorious in the GII Charles Town Oaks last August, the 4-year-old was last seen being eased in the GI Cotillion Stakes at Parx in September. Joseph also saddles Claret Beret (Not This Time) and last season's GIII Royal Delta winner and GI Ogden Phipps runner-up Dazzling Move (Not This Time). He also saddles Venencia (Recoletos {Fr}) and Ramsey Pond (Divisdero) in the renamed GIII Christophe Clement Stakes. The post Joseph Jr. Looking for Redemption in Pegasus World Cup? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Meaning the stake money while improved in NZ, along with the travel incentive, is still not enough to attract top tier Aussie horses

Alabama Lass, wasn't she beaten a nose in a G1 over there?

Meaning what? They still improve those fields , especially the Railway, any kiwi horses in the Railway you think could win an Aus G2 sprint?

The post Future of Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen intends to run Soldier N Diplomat in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) Jan. 31 at Oaklawn, with stablemate Obliteration headed to the $1.5 million Saudi Derby (G3) Feb. 14 in Saudi Arabia. View the full article