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Like many young athletes, Holy Bull Stakes (G3) winner Nearly's introduction to sports was playing soccer in his field at Wind Hill Farm, adding to the agility and athleticism that has placed him on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail.View the full article

And the reality is, the money they race for ain't bad but why Cambridge Wednesday, Auckland Friday, ?

You are wasting your time commenting Galah! It just falls on deaf ears and they have got plenty of $ to splash around when it isnt their own! At the end of the day Gamma is probably correct, that the owners and trainers take it while it is being offered! I still believe that many think that it is going to continue like it currently is, but I can see it going into statutory management in the future due to mismanagement. With respect anyone with any semblance of business acumen, csn see the writing on the wall but anyway punters need to make hay while they can lol

Not that bad, not one nomination for the 2year old male pace for $17k! HRNZ really need to pull their head out of the sand and stop denying the actual reality of what is happening? If they dont then things are going to get very dire! We need A spokesman for HRNZ to start conversing with the public as to how they think they can continue when the cash is all gooooone!

Frankie Dettori notched an emotional winner on his final day as a jockey in Rio de Janeiro Feb. 1—and then made a great day even better by claiming the first leg of Brazil's Triple Crown.View the full article

i wonder how many they will get niminated for the southland 2 year old race. My guess is 0. we will see soon.

i see hrnz will take some comfort that numbers being nominated have increased for this weeks 3 x 2 year old races. this week they have a total of 10 nominations for the 3 races. 6 in the fillies race at auckland,0 in the colts and geldings race at auckland and 4 for the combined,colts,geldings and fillies race at addington. things are definitely on the up.

Just a normal open handicap.

Jockey Junior Alvarado, regular rider for 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty, is expected to return to action Feb. 5 at Gulfstream Park after being shaken up late on Saturday's Holy Bull (G3) program.View the full article

Maybe they will boost stakes for Wyndham and no new date, but Wingatui must have dropped something to have Gore Cup, not much they can do about it. Sometimes Gore must come under some scrutiny. Best track they had in Southland probably was Winton, 18 or so harness meetings so what's the sense of the gallopers moving, not like the course is shutdown.

2 nominations, then..........13 noms for 3 pacing races at Auckland, Wairio rating 50 to 70, how many ? But then also Sunday Horarata 46 to 70, programming all over the place, anything over rating 55 struggling.......strangely fields for Cambridge Wednesday generally good, I seriously wonder if going to Alexandra Park just don't appeal to many, prefer Cambridge.

Seems to be. So Wyndham will be as normal.

As we crest the three-month mark to the GI Kentucky Derby, the breakthrough performance by Nearly (Not This Time) in the Jan. 31 GIII Holy Bull Stakes raises several questions related to timing, taking into account both macro and micro perspectives. The first relates to the timing of Nearly's 5 3/4-length score over five rivals barely 48 hours after the news that juvenile champ and TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) had been diagnosed with bone bruising and was declared off the Kentucky Derby trail. Both Ted Noffey (owned by Spendthrift Farm) and Nearly (owned by Centennial Farms) are stablemates in Todd Pletcher's barn, and both colts have been regularly ridden by John Velazquez. Considering the lack of dominant, standout contenders in the sophomore ranks at this stage of the season, is it reasonable to install Nearly as the new No. 1, with his three-race win streak and best-in-2026 divisional Beyer Speed Figure of 98 good enough to leapfrog other highly heralded horses, several of whom are still awaiting their first starts as 3-year-olds? A second timing question projects forwardly: With Nearly tasked with only one more Kentucky Derby prep between now and May 2 (and with Pletcher indicating that single prep is likely to be the Mar. 28 GI Curlin Florida Derby), will a five-race base (with just two starts around two turns) be enough to establish this colt's credentials in a chaotic 20-horse race over 10 furlongs? Yet another timing question relates to the in-race clocking of Nearly's victory in the Holy Bull, which was the product of an exaggerated fast early/slow late pace. Nearly and 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' Cannoneer (Into Mischief), respectively, broke inward and outward leaving the gate, coming together for a mild “Ya wanna go?” bump before tearing off together into a sprint for the first turn of the 1 1/16-miles stakes. With both Velazquez and Irad Ortiz Jr. avoiding the rail like it was strung with barbed wire, the outermost Nearly (the 1.7-1 second choice) and inside-running Cannoneer (the 3-2 fave) dueled four paths off the fence through a first quarter in :22.82 before fanning out to lane six on the backstretch. After a high-octane second-quarter split in :23.14, the two dropped down closer to the fence for the far-turn run. Nearly began to edge away from Cannoneer at the 3 1/2- furlong marker, which under Gulfstream's short-stretch configuration for 1 1/16 miles (finish line at the sixteenth pole) means just three furlongs to the wire. By the 2 1/2 furlong pole, Nearly was pulling away in hand with Cannoneer being asked but not responding. By the quarter pole, Nearly was clearly in front and again shifting back out while bracing for the anticipated late move by the 5.9-1 Bravaro (Upstart). Bravaro had enjoyed a primo stalking trip, and as the torrid tempo slackened (third-quarter split of :24.36), the 2-for-2 New York-bred looked primed to pounce, with Tyler Gaffalione taking aim on what appeared to be a softened-up speedster who had survived a demanding duel. But Nearly would have none of that scenario. He required only mild urging from Velazquez to dig in for the drive, and although it helped that Bravaro's stretch bid never truly materialized, Nearly cracked the race wide open under his own power, padding a 1 1/2-length mid-stretch lead (fourth-quarter split of :27.10) into a 5 3/4-length winning margin, cruising home through a last sixteenth in a leisurely :7.10 for a final clocking of 1:44.52. The loss by Cannoneer, who faded to fourth behind Bravaro and the 40-1 Project Ace (War of Will), extended a decade-long rough go for favorites in the Holy Bull, who have now gone down in defeat in nine of the last 10 runnings. “We rode like a match race,” Ortiz conceded after getting off Cannoneer. Velazquez added that he didn't expect Nearly “to be that aggressive.” But, the Hall-of-Famer rationalized, “that's what good horses do.” Visually, Nearly scored style points and credibility for being directly involved in an intemperate pace and having enough oomph left late to seal the deal. But from a raw numbers perspective, you do have to wonder whether Nearly could get away with enduring such a fast clip at longer distances when faced with more robust competition and larger fields. Consider that the fractions for the first six furlongs of the of the two-turn, 1 1/16-miles Holy Bull (:22.82, :45.96, 1:10.32) eclipsed those set in the one-turn, seven-furlong Swale Stakes (:23.30, :46.52, 1:10.92) earlier on Saturday's card. You don't often encounter a same-day route stakes whose internal pace is that much faster than a sprint stakes for horses of the same age and sex. It's also interesting to note that in the Swale, the riders' roles were tactically reversed from what would occur two hours later in the Holy Bull: In the sprint stakes for sophomores, it was Velazquez who got pinned down on the rail by Ortiz, losing both the internal duel and the overall race. Recent history of 1 1/16-miles Derby prep races also suggests the Holy Bull pace was aberrational. Since 2022, there have been 65 points-awarding Kentucky Derby qualifying stakes at that distance. In only three of them was a first quarter-mile contested faster than the :22.82 in the Holy Bull. In none of them was the fourth quarter-mile split slower than the :27.10 in the Holy Bull. And in only one out of those 65 most recent 1 1/16-miles Derby prep races was the final sixteenth slower than Nearly's last half-furlong in :7.10. The Beyer team's assessment of 98 for Nearly's win in the Holy Bull means this colt now owns the top two speed figures for any 3-year-old so far in 2026. Nearly had earned a 97 Beyer when winning a scratch-depleted allowance/optional claimer over seven furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 2. One caveat is that number-assigning in dirt routes can be tricky at Gulfstream-for the Beyer team or any other entity that produces figures-because there are often so few main-track races there for comparison, with turf and Tapeta now comprising the bulk of cards. Besides the Holy Bull, on Jan. 31 there were only three other dirt races at Gulfstream, and none of them were routes. Nearly's 97 Beyer from Jan. 2 had been earned on a day when there was only one other Gulfstream dirt race. It had been preliminarily been reported as a 96, but subsequently got revised upward one tick prior to Saturday's Holy Bull. For comparison, the best Beyers put up by any Derby contender in the 2-year-old portion of the 2025-26 campaign were the run of 98-97-97 earned by Ted Noffey when he swept the Grade I trio of the Hopeful Stakes, Breeders' Futurity Stakes and Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The post For Nearly, Timing Is Everything, In More Ways Than One appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Gore Cup is now programmed for Wingatui Saturday isn't it?

Leap to fame is good, but is he the best ever, aussie have had some good ones but those debates will always go on, as to who's the greatest.

Multiple graded stakes winner Magnitude will not travel to Saudi Arabia to participate in the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) Feb. 14 after developing an illness.View the full article

The Jimmy Ting-trained Little Paradise ran out an impressive winner of Sunday's HK$13-million Hong Kong Classic Mile at Sha Tin, emphatically defying stamina doubts as he forged clear in the final furlong to land the spoils by two lengths. Infinite Resolve (Snitzel) finished second, with another half a length back to the former Joseph O'Brien trainee, Beauty Bolt (Night Of Thunder), in third. “Today, he relaxed very well,” said winning rider Vincent Ho. “Once I pressed the button, he just kicked it. He finished off very well, so he can definitely handle a mile without a problem. I told Jimmy, even for 1,800 metres, he will also produce that sort of kick as long as we relax him early. So, I'm looking forward to the [Hong Kong] Classic Cup and the [BMW Hong Kong] Derby. I'm very grateful for the support I've had in coming back from injury and to win the [Hong Kong] Classic Mile is encouraging. I'm always grateful for everything.” The second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, the HK$13-million Hong Kong Classic Cup, which takes place over 1,800 metres on March 1, is next on the cards for the son of Toronado. That contest is followed by the HK$26-million BMW Hong Kong Derby, which takes place over 2,000 metres on March 22. Ting, who won this race as a jockey on Industrialist in 2000 when it was known as the Hong Kong Classic Trial, added, “This is my dream and it's come true. I'm so happy for the owner [Ko Kam Piu] – he's a very lucky owner. What a perfect win. I didn't think before the race he would win so easily. In the last 300 metres, I was thinking, 'Oh no, can he get a run?' But when he got clear it was all over.” Pedigree Notes Little Paradise was offered at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale by Wayne and Pauline Alchin's Carramar Park on behalf of their son Tim, who bred him. He was purchased by the combination of Chris McAnulty (Dullingham) and Bond Li (Legends Bloodstock) for A$270,000. It was a dream result for Tim Alchin, who had bought his dam, Devil In Her Heart (Star Witness), when she was carrying Little Paradise for just A$27,500 on Inglis Digital in February 2021. The unraced Devil In Her Heart is herself a half-sister to eight winners, including the G2 Emancipation Stakes scorer Olentia (Zoustar), G3 Newcastle Newmarket Handicap heroine Wandabaa (Wandjina) and multiple Listed winner Malkovich (Choisir). The post Little Paradise Much the Best in Hong Kong Classic Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Question is will March 8 be Wyndham or Gore, Gore Cup or Wyndham Cup, some compromise will be needed, one wonders if 2 day meeting, maybe Sunday, Wednesday/Thursday, maybe one day goes to Ascot Park, Wyndham itself would have been mostly Southern runners but the real issue is the track, and the day lost which when you don't have too many days in the South need all they can get.

FORCED ENTRY (f, 3, Charlatan–Violent Times {SW, $228,701}, by Violence) contested the pace before fading to last in her six-furlong debut over the lawn Jan. 11. Moving to the main track and stretching out to a mile in this second start, the 7-2 shot sprinted out to the early lead and was shadowed by favored Wolf Hill (Upstart) down the backstretch through a quarter in :23.05 and a half in :47.07. She skipped clear nearing the stretch and sailed home unchallenged to graduate by 7 1/4 lengths. Wolf Hill trailed her home in second. Forced Entry was a $375,000 KEESEP yearling purchase. Violent Times produced a colt by American Pharoah last year and was bred back to Constitution. “Eight lengths with the breaks on.” #2 FORCED ENTRY an impressive maiden winner in Race 2 at @santaanitapark. A riding double for @JJHernandezS19 on the daughter of Charlatan out of stakes winner Violent Times. pic.twitter.com/XZ3YdqYH0s — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 1, 2026 2nd-Santa Anita, $70,000, Msw, 2-1, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:38.28, ft, 7 1/4 lengths. FORCED ENTRY (f, 3, Charlatan–Violent Times {SW, $228,701}, by Violence) Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $42,500. O-Michael Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul Weitman; B-Stoneriggs Farm (KY); T-Bob Baffert. The post Charlatan’s Forced Entry Romps to Maiden Score at Santa Anita appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Junior Alvarado, regular rider for 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty, is expected to return to action Thursday at Gulfstream Park after being shaken up late on Saturday's GIII Holy Bull Stakes program. The 39-year-old, replaced on his three scheduled mounts Sunday, took off his final two mounts Saturday, both in stakes, after being thrown to the turf by Multiverse (Practical Joke), who clipped heels on the first turn in an optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up. Multiverse was not injured. Agent Mike Sellitto said Sunday that Alvarado, who was transported to the hospital following the spill, received stitches on his knee but was otherwise unharmed. He was cleared to ride Sunday but took the afternoon off to further his recovery. Alvarado won earlier on Saturday's program aboard 5-year-old Roar Ready (Do the Roar) for trainer Victor Barboza Jr. and was second on Patrick Biancone-trained Redland Rebels (Uncle Chuck) in the Kitten's Joy Stakes. Entering Sunday, Alvarado ranked fourth with 26 wins and third with more than $1.7 million in purse earnings from 145 mounts at the Championship Meet, which began Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27. Among his victories are Destino D'Oro (Bolt d'Oro) in the GII Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf, Grand Job (Justify) in the GII Inside Information, Knightsbridge (Nyquist) in the GIII Mr. Prospector and GIII Fred Hooper and Layabout (Laoban) in the Tropical Park Derby. Alvarado is named in four of 10 races Thursday including Godolphin homebred Spirit of Hope (Street Sense), a 4-year-old half-sister to 2023 Horse of the Year Cody's Wish making her career debut, in a Race 6 maiden special weight going one mile on the main track. The post Junior Alvarado Slated to Return at Gulfstream Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Let me guess - could a particular Trainer have been on the phone?

When a flight carrying several American-based Saudi Cup contenders departs Florida Monday, Magnitude (Not This Time) will not be on it, trainer Steve Asmussen told DRF on Sunday. The 4-year-old Winchell Thoroughbreds runner, who won the GII Clark Stakes last November, spiked a fever Sunday and would not ship out of his Fair Grounds base as planned. Magnitude registered his most recent work at Fair Grounds, covering five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.40 (1/18) on Jan. 29. Winner of last season's GII Risen Star, the colt also annexed the Iowa Derby, finished third in the GI Travers Stakes and was runner-up in the GI Pennsylvania Derby in September. In his Clark victory, Magnitude most notably bested last season's G1 Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show (Candy Ride {Ire}). The post Magnitude to Miss Saudi Cup Due to Illness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Centennial Farms' Nearly was feeling his oats at Palm Beach Downs the morning of Feb. 1 in the aftermath of his eye-catching 5 3/4-length triumph in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 31.View the full article

Freshly anointed champion juvenile filly Super Corredora (Gun Runner), GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies fourth-place finisher Meaning (Gun Runner) and GSP Nimah (Gun Runner) were among a sextet of 3-year-old fillies nominated to next weekend's Las Virgenes Stakes who recorded timed workouts Sunday at Santa Anita. Super Corredora worked four furlongs in :48.0 (13/84) for trainer John Sadler. The bay was last seen winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Oct. 31 at Del Mar. Working five furlongs on Sunday, Meaning completed the task in 1:01.60 (30/71). Nimah, who was third in the GII Starlet Stakes in December, worked five furlongs in 1:00.6 (5/71) for Baffert. The $550,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select yearling purchase is campaigned by Zedan Racing Stables. Sunday's workers also heading to the Las Virgenes includes SW Cee Drew (Cistron) (4f :50.20 70/84) and Fortunate Truth (Authentic) (4f :50.20, 70/84), both trained by Dan Blacker; and Wild Like the West (Into Mischief) (4f :49.40, 26/33) for trainer Richard Baltas. Baffert also worked 3-year-old colts GISP Plutarch (Into Mischief) and GI Hopeful runner-up and TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard Buetane (Tiz the Law), who are both nominated to Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Buetane, a $1.15-million OBS Spring Sale juvenile purchase, is also entered in this Friday's GIII Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn. Buetane worked four furlongs in :47.80 (8/84), while Plutarch, who broke his maiden last out on turf Nov. 30 at Del Mar, worked six furlongs in 1:12.2 (1/6). The post Las Virgenes Noms Super Corredora, Meaning Head Santa Anita Worktab appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Or later. Who knows? Doesn't make much sense to me. Sounds like they might change the distance as well? That would require further approval from the Pattern Committee.