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I'm intrigued by your reference to Des's jackpot. Memory not that good. Could that be Des Coppins? As for Des Coppins I think even though he is getting on racing can still benefit from his expertise say in linking racing to tourism sponsorship. Des organized the Melbourne Cup expeditions. I note someone on the new NZTR regime has been in Tourism therefore a scheme whereby syndication overseas encourages tourists into NZ visiting the trainer and local enterprises and thus making links. Otherwise the tourist would only pass through the location perhaps only getting to know the barmaid.

Highlanders fan most probably. Knew Gary when we were teens. Great Guy.

Who on earth would close their shop to the wealth of racing knowledge and innovation that is @Chief Stipe !

Gulfstream Park's Sunshine Meet concluded Nov. 23 with Saffie Joseph Jr. earning his 14th consecutive track title as leading trainer while Edgard Zayas secured his 10th riding title.View the full article

Flavien Prat swept both stakes on the day when he guided favored Fast Market to victory in the rescheduled $175,000 Pebbles Stakes (G3T) Nov. 23 at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

Shaun and Emma Clotworthy are looking forward to heading to Ellerslie on Boxing Day with a pair of their runners following their winning double at Pukekohe on Saturday. Progressive mare Sista Sugar opened the stable’s account on Saturday when taking out the Stella Artois Championship Qualifier (1400m) in the hands of jockey Masa Hashizume, improving on her first-up runner-up effort over 1200m at Ellerslie last month. “She got a beautiful trip. She is only small but she tries hard,” Shaun Clotworthy said. “She has matured a bit more as a four-year-old and she seems to be coming along nicely and racing with better manners.” The victory sealed her berth into the $110,000 Stella Artois 1500 Championship Final (1500m) on Boxing Day, and Clotworthy is keen to pursue the riches on offer. “She will probably head towards that Stella Artois Final on Boxing Day,” he said. “She may have one run in-between, we are just working it out.” Stablemate Billy Blinx is also destined to head to the same meeting to contest the $125,000 Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers’ Championship Final (2400m) following his victory in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers’ Championship Qualifier (1600m) on Saturday. “He looks like quite a progressive horse. He has always shown us a lot, but he just hasn’t been mature enough,” Clotworthy said. The Byerley Park trainer rated the son of Shocking alongside his subsequent Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Willydoit in their formative years, and he is pleased the now four-year-old is starting to show that ability on raceday. “He was alongside Willydoit as a younger horse and I rated him with that horse in his work, so it’s nice to see him do it on the track,” he said. “We think that (Stayers’ Final) is where we will head with him. We will just see how he comes through the next couple of days and then make a plan.” Clotworthy was also pleased with Aftermath’s placing in the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m) on Saturday behind Final Return, which continued his solid run of form. The six-year-old gelding ran fourth in both the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) and Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m) prior to Saturday’s run, and Clotworthy was rapt to finally attain black-type with the son of Rock ‘N’ Pop. “It was a good run,” he said. “He didn’t get the most economical trip, he jumped and got caught wide a bit but still hit the line nicely, so I was pleased with him.” Further Group targets await Aftermath over summer and Clotworthy is weighing up between a couple of options in the coming weeks. “We might look at the Waikato Cup (Gr.3, 2400m), we will decide on what to do in the next couple of days,” he said. “He might even have a bit of a freshen-up and look at something like the Rich Hill Mile (Gr.2, 1600m). We will play it by ear.” View the full article

“Champions Day” was a fitting moniker for a day that celebrated everything great about New Zealand racing – and the first meeting of New Zealand’s richest-ever raceday takes the spotlight in the 2025 New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual. Headlined by New Zealand’s richest-ever race, the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), Champions Day featured a line-up of New Zealand’s most iconic races, the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m), the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), the Gr.1. Sistema Stakes (1200m) and the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m). Like every major carnival through the racing calendar, Champions Day gets an in-depth review in the 2025 Racing Annual, the 52nd installment of this beloved almanac. Champions in every field are honoured along with fallen heroes from past days, among those a moving tribute to New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame trainer Michael Moroney, written by Dennis Ryan. A thoughtful, comprehensive commentary of the state of New Zealand racing and the changes that took place through the season leads into celebrating New Zealand’s latest Racing Hall of Fame inductees, reviews of the sales and breeding seasons, the jumps racing season and a broad statistical overview of the Group races. Edited for the fifth straight year by respected turf writer Aidan Rodley for Gold Plated Publishing, the 2025 Racing Annual features stunning photography, chiefly from Peter Rubery’s team at Race Images, superbly brought to life through the skill of design expert Ken Emery of Eye Design Creative Solutions. The 2025 Annual owes much to the support of Te Akau Racing, Cambridge Stud, New Zealand Bloodstock, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing and to the journalistic work of the team at LOVERACING.NZ News Desk. “We’re delighted with the way the 2025 Annual has come together,” Rodley said. “Champions Day was such a colourful, vibrant occasion, an amazing success story for New Zealand racing, so it’s fabulous to celebrate that as a focal point of this year’s Annual. “The beauty of the Annual is we’re able to honour racing’s highest achievers as a reference for future years – and this year we’re able to honour champion trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, champion jockey Craig Grylls, celebrate the life of Michael Moroney among other notable identities who died through the season, as well as lauding some of the greats of our sport with the Hall of Fame inductions of the likes of David Ellis, Imperatriz and Savabeel.” The 2025 New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual retails for $50 and is available for purchase at supporting bookstores or online at racingannual.co.nz. View the full article

Opting for Cambridge apprentice Sienna Brown as Spencer’s rider at Wanganui on Saturday wasn’t a difficult decision for the talented gelding’s connections. Brown was already familiar with Spencer from his time with Waverley trainer Erin Hocquard, having ridden him twice for a win and a third placing earlier in the season. Topweight of 62kg for the Manawatu ITM 1340m meant an apprentice claim was again called for the Derryn gelding in his first start for new trainers Peter and Shaun McKay. Brown’s four-kilo claim reduced Spencer’s impost to a still clear topweight, but it was sufficient for him to race to the lead at the top of the straight and win with his ears pricked by three-quarters of a length over the favourite Bedtime Story. Brown’s employer Chris Wood also trains for Spencer’s Taranaki owner-breeders Aidan and Kieran Schumacher, their best horse currently with him being last-start Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) placegetter Canheroc. Brown’s parents Tony and Nikki owned her career-first winner, the Hanna Orting-trained Hadid, who she rode to an all-the-way win at Tauranga in March. Adding further depth to her racing background, her late grandfather Barry Brown was a part-owner of the renowned iron horse Sir Slick, the winner of six Group One races amongst 22 wins during the mid to late-2000s. “I’m too young to remember Sir Slick when he was racing, but I’ve heard lots of stories about him and there’s heaps of photos of him at home winning all those races,” 19-year-old Brown said. “Mum and Dad also have a video when they put the camera on me after one of his wins and I was crying – I would have been two or three and with all the excitement it must have been too much for me. “Slick must have been such a good horse – imagine riding one like him?” Brown, who has now ridden seven winners from limited opportunities, including five of her 59 raceday mounts this season, is more than happy to settle for the likes of Spencer, who she understandably rates the best she has been associated with. “He’s such a cool horse, he literally knows his job,” she said. “He chills when he jumps out of the gates and then when you get to the 800 he just goes and does his own thing. “I went across to Matamata to ride him on Thursday morning and the way he felt I knew he was going to be hard to beat. “I’m really happy with how my career has been going; my new boss Chris Wood has been a big help. I just need to get braver ringing up for rides, but I’m sure that will come.” Meanwhile, plans for Spencer may include the Gr. 1 TAB Mufhasa Mile (1600m) at Trentham on December 7, the same day as his originally intended target, the Gr. 3 Spring Sprint (1400m). “It was good to see him perform so well on top of the ground after all his earlier wins had been on soft or heavy tracks,” Peter McKay said. “We’re still leaning towards the Spring Sprint, which he won when it was at Te Rapa last season, but we’d also be keen to see how strong the Group One mile might be. “He was rated 100 before winning on Saturday and I’ll have to talk to the handicapper about where he might have ended up, but he’s pushed himself up there and we might just have to look at weight-for-age racing.” View the full article

New Zealand-bred sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising continued his dominance on Sunday when defending his crown in the Gr.2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin. Fresh off returning back to Hong Kong following his heroics in last month’s A$20 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick, he wowed his local fans once again when running out an effortless 2-3/4 length victor and extended his unbeaten streak to 15. Jockey Zac Purton was pleased with his charge’s effort and said it was another confidence-boosting victory heading into next month’s Gr.1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m). “He just looks better all the time. He’s mentally getting better. It’s hard to say that he’s improving or that he’s going to get better, but he’s certainly enjoying what he’s doing and handling it really well,” Purton said. “It was good to see him win like that today without having to go to the bottom of him, so it’s a nice confidence-boosting win as he comes back. I’ve never seen him look so good. We were hoping he was going to do that, and it’s good for him to back up what we were thinking. “Mid-race, Beauty Waves was probably just half a step too slow, I know we’ve run nearly a track record time, but he (Ka Ying Rising) was on his tippy toes behind him wanting to go quicker. That’s the beauty with this horse, the faster they go, the better he is. “I got to the stage where I had to let him roll into it because otherwise it was going to be detrimental to him.” Trainer David Hayes continues to be amazed by Ka Ying Rising and said Sunday’s effort was one of the best he has seen from the son of Shamexpress. “To the eye, I thought it was probably one of his best wins,” he said. “That was as easy as I’ve seen him do it – maybe in this race last year, but I thought it was probably better than this one last year when he (Purton) did the kiss cam. “Zac agreed with me. He thought he gave him probably the best feel in the last 15 (races), so that’s a great sign. He just showed us that he’s right on song. He raced at the heaviest Hong Kong weight (525kg) he’s ever been today, which suggests he’s getting bigger, stronger, better. “It’s just a dream come true to have a horse like this, and I really want to thank my team that travelled him overseas and didn’t miss a beat with him and brought him back in better condition than he left. “He’ll be set for The Everest now again and, of course, we’ve got the big international race in three weeks which is his short-term grand final, so it’s all very exciting.” Bred by Marton trainer Fraser Auret, and his wife Erin, under their Grandmoral Lodge banner, Ka Ying Rising was initially trained by the well-respected horseman for whom he won a jumpout at Levin. Following that performance, he was purchased by Linday Park and won a trial in Australia before joining David Hayes’ Hong Kong barn where he has won 16 of his 18 starts, including five at elite-level. View the full article

10th-Churchill Downs, $123,035, Msw, 11-23, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:17.34, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. MOB (c, 2, Gun Runner–Onslaught, by Street Sense), a $560,000 Keeneland September purchase for Flying Dutchmen last year, signaled his race readiness with 10 straight works since September at Churchill for trainer Brian Lynch. Facing a well-bred field which included a full-brother to MGISW Patch Adams (Into Mischief), Mob proved best on the day with a frontrunning score. Second choice at 5-1, the bay colt rushed to the front with Mumdoggie (Tiz the Law) glued to his flank. He threw down fractions of :22.16 and :45.30 as Mumdoggie continued to pressure from the outside. Mob put that one away in the stretch, drove clear, and held sway by 1 1/2 lengths as Boss Dylan (Liam's Map), who had completely missed the break and was last early, passed everyone else with an Arazi-like move on the turn and came flying late only to run out of room. Mob's dam is a full-sister to 2015 GI Las Virgenes Stakes winner Callback (Street Sense), while his third dam–a half to GISW Girolamo (A.P. Indy)–produced three graded winners, including 2010 GI Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver (Maria's Mon). Onslaught, Mob's unraced dam, has a yearling Not This Time filly who was a $325,000 RNA at Keeneland September. The mare's weanling is a colt by Munnings, while she was bred back to Constitution. Sales History: $560,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,300. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing LLC; B-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch. Mob is a debut winner is in the @churchilldowns finale for trainer @blynchracing with @luissaezpty aboard! #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/rdrXDHuaSm — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) November 23, 2025 The post Gun Runner’s Mob Wins First Out at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

I disagree entirely with you. He had a fantastic hard working life and all of from his own efforts. From being brought up as child in Otago and educated at Otago Uni to Bermuda to Nelson to Auckland and Christchurch may have been in there somewhere. Clearly coming back from the USA he picked up those two MacDonalds franchises and made good money from them. He had a very dry at times provocative sense of humour and if you didn't get cotton on you'd wind yourself up. Contrary to what you might think he was very loyal to the South and I'm sure at times he would test us mainlanders for our own loyalty. I doubt he would have ever fully converted to the Blues and would have been a Crusaders fan!

Saffie Joseph, Jr. earned his 14th consecutive trainer's title at Gulfstream Park when the track's Sunshine Meet concluded Sunday. Joseph recorded 30 wins at the meet. Jose D'Angelo was second in the trainer standings with 26 wins. “It never gets old,” Joseph said of the title. “Actually, like a month ago, we were down six or seven. I looked at it and said, 'We'll give it a go and see if it can work out.' The horses got in form, and it worked out. All the credit goes to the horses. All praise to God and the workers and the owners who give me the horses. I'm a small part of it.” Edgard Zayas was the meet's leading rider with 44 victories, earning his third Sunshine Meet title in five years and his 10th title overall at the Florida track. Miguel Vasquez was two behind Zayas. “It feels great. It's been a great year,” Zayas said. “We've been getting a lot of support from all the trainers, owners, my agent and family. It's nice to get it done again, especially right before the Championship Meet. It's a really important meet and it's nice to have that momentum.” Arindel was leading owner in money won while JC Racing Stable led all owners with eight wins. Gulfstream resumes racing Thursday with the opening day card of its Championship Meet. The meet will be highlighted by Pegasus World Cup Day Jan. 24 and the 75th running of the GI Curlin Florida Derby Mar. 28. The post Joseph, Zayas Earn Gulfstream Titles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Didn't mention his strange perception of people in the South, especially having lived there once he should have been a bit smarter on that one, didn't understand that my attitude of Auckland which many agree with as in the way it's changing in demagraph is correct, I think living there you will develop a distorted perception of the rest of the country, he certainly did on that one, was still good giving him a hard time on anything Auckland, one thing he did teach us is, you can be here today gone tomorrow which puts most things in perspective that many of the things we really worry about don't matter that much in the final reality.

This is the most comprehensive obituary I have seen for Gary Williams (aka @TAB For Ever) Vale Gary Williams 14 November 2025 , Obituary By Garrick Knight Northern harness racing has lost of one its biggest supporters with the sudden and unexpected passing of Gary Williams. The 72-year-old father of three died while swimming at his local Kohimarama Beach in Central Auckland last Saturday morning. It came as shock to many in the racing industry, including the dozens of people who had their weekly conversation with him at Alexandra Park the night before. Williams was ever present at the Auckland track on Friday nights in his role as a Race Night Steward, one that the genial and personable gentleman was so well suited to. “Gary joined the Auckland Trotting Club in 2013 and was a valuable, engaged and proactive member of the club,” said Club President, Jamie MacKinnon. “More recently, he joined the Race Night Steward team, which looks after the sponsors, winning owners and trainers of each race. “Gary was very good at this with his friendly and interested manner. “Each race night he wandered the course and always had a time for a hello and chat with everyone who crossed his path. “He will be sorely missed by the ATC and all the industry.” Williams was also a member of the Caduceus Club and a former committee member with that group. His biggest contribution to ‘the game’ was no doubt as an owner where he enjoyed considerable success as a syndicate member in both equine codes. In October 2023, he celebrated his 500th winner as an owner and was on course to see his charge, High Step win in Melbourne. At the time, 374 of those winners were in harness racing and many more have been added to that tally in the ensuing two years. Many of those came with involvement in lots of syndications; firstly the now-defunct Auckland Trotting Club Syndicates and more recently, as part of the annual syndicates put together by Breckon Farms to race their retained fillies. “Gary was a member of ten of the ATC Syndicates and had a total of 166 wins, including the Group 1 winners, Changeover, Tintin In America, Matai Mackenzie and Ideal Belle,” said Rob Carr, manager for both syndication groups. “He was also member of 10 Breckon Farms Syndicates and had a total of 130 wins, including the Group 1 winners, Luby Lou, Partyon, Tickle Me Pink, Bettor Twist, A Bettor You and High Energy. “Gary enthusiastically shared his thoughts on his horses’ performances and attended most of their race meetings, travelling throughout New Zealand and Australia. “He will be sadly missed, for his very positive and enthusiastic attitude, his kindness and friendship to all and his contribution to the racing industry.” Changeover gave Williams a cherished win in the biggest race on the calendar – the 2008 New Zealand Cup. “Changeover was one of four horses in a 50-person syndicate, but it was the most profitable of any that I’ve been in,” said Williams in a 2023 story in RaceForm. “He won over $2 Million on the track and when he retired to stud, we collected another $2.5 Million!” Williams’ gallops successes were highlighted by the prodigiously talented Xcellent, whose four Group 1 wins included the New Zealand Derby and Kelt Capital Stakes. But he is best remembered for his 2005 Melbourne Cup placing. Williams also won an Easter Handicap and City of Auckland Cup with Pasta Post and, just this year, a Grand National Steeplechase in Australia with the Mark Walker-trained Leaderboard, who also won a Wellington Cup. Away from horses, Williams lead an interesting and varied life, that started out in Mosgiel, near Dunedin, where he grew up. Many Saturdays were spent at nearby Wingatui racecourse or any other racetracks in the wider region that were running meetings. He was drawn to the industry and was soon helping out at the stables of local trainer Gordon Thomson, who prepared the mighty mare, Show Gait. Eventually, his career took priority and Williams studied accountancy at Otago University. He was a talented sportsman, captaining Otago Boys High School’s First XV Rugby side and he played first class cricket as a wicketkeeper for Otago eight times in the mid-to-late 1970s. Once graduating, he spent seven years in Bermuda, where he met his wife, Canadian-born Roseanne. He even represented Bermuda at the World Table Tennis Championships. After returning to New Zealand in the late 1980s, he and Roseanne settled in Nelson, where they purchased two McDonald’s fast-food franchises and raised three children – Guy, Maria and Paul. “It was 20 years of hard work, but it enabled me to retire earlier than most people,” said Williams in that same RaceForm story. One of the first horses he bought in to was the appropriately named galloper Mac ‘N’ Fries but soon to follow was Xcellent and champion pacer Changeover, among many others. “I only had four percent of Xcellent, but what a time we all had! He won the Derby at just his third start, and the following spring he finished third in the Melbourne Cup. “That day at Flemington, there I was looking for a seat in the stand, and I ended up sitting next to Bart Cummings – you could never buy those sorts of experiences!” Williams spent his retirement in Nelson playing and coaching basketball and table tennis, as well as managing the Nelson Giants basketball team. The Nelson Giants and Table Tennis New Zealand were among the many to post tributes to Williams this week, as well as trainers of both equine codes, too many to mention. The messages bore a common theme – that Williams was a kind, genuine man that had a real affinity for people. Eldest son, well-known comedian Guy, posted a tribute to his father on Thursday and re-enforced what those in the racing industry had come to learn over the past few decades. “Dad was a beautiful man, incredibly kind and friendly. “I reckon his main goal in life was just having a laugh with anyone and everyone. “He was an incredibly patient and gentle father who gave everything his all, he was kind and generous to everyone around him.” Gary and Roseanne moved to Kohimarama just over a decade ago and those lucky enough to have him on Facebook saw regular postings of his regular exploits around his community, including swims, bike rides and walks. It was on one of those daily jaunts, and amongst his good friends - a swimming group known as the High Tide Club - that he met his sudden end. If there is such a thing as divine intervention, two of Williams horses may well salute the judge this weekend. Firstly, at Cambridge on Friday night, Rubble On The Double will shoot for a second straight win for trainers, Dylan and Jo Ferguson. And then on Saturday, at Riccarton, Court Of Appeal will contest the Gr.3 $450,000 New Zealand Cup for trainers, Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson. Williams had plans in place to attend Cup Week in Christchurch. The colours of both horses will bear black armbands in his memory. “Gary loved the industry, and he was everyone’s biggest supporter,” said Jo Ferguson, who would see him every Friday night at Alexandra Park. “He was such a lovely man, and his loss will be widely felt across the industry up here.”

Fast Market (f, 3, Volatile–Betty Draper, by Street Cry {Ire}) came flying late to win the GIII Pebbles Stakes at Aqueduct Sunday. The bay filly took nine tries to break her maiden over the Aqueduct lawn in September, but came right back to just miss in graded company when runner-up in the Oct. 18 GII Sands Points Stakes. Sent off at 3-2 in the Pebbles, Fast Market settled near the back of a tightly bunched pack as Love You Anyway (Tapit) took the field through moderate fractions. Fast Market bullied her way between rivals while four wide at the top of the lane and was forced to pause briefly as the pacesetter drifted out at midstretch, but once she saw daylight, the favorite closed powerfully to win going away by two lengths. The time for the 1 1/16 miles over the lawn was 1:43.22. Lifetime Record: 11-2-3-1. O-Hit the Bid Racing Stable. B-Breed First LLC (Ky). T-John Terranova. Flavien Prat gets his fourth win today as FAST MARKET gets her first stakes win in the Grade 3 Pebbles Stakes for @JohnTerranova1. That concludes turf racing for 2025! pic.twitter.com/t1DLOej1z8 — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) November 23, 2025 The post Volatile’s Fast Market Makes the Grade in Pebbles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Can racing withstand the addition of yet another existential threat to the ever-expanding list of practices deemed harmful to our sport's health? Dennis Drazin, the chairman and chief executive officer of Darby Development LLC, which operates Monmouth Park, warned last week that the rising wave of prediction markets should be met with a greater sense of urgency and should be getting more scrutiny from racetrack operators and regulators. “I'm growing more and more concerned about the prediction market companies, such as Kalshi, Polymarket, and others that are now offering bets on sports and, I believe, their intention is to do it on horse racing in the future,” Drazin said during the Nov. 19 New Jersey Racing Commission meeting. Prediction markets are similar to betting exchanges–even though those who operate them tend go to great lengths to get people to believe that users aren't technically “gambling” when they choose a side, stake money, have their proposition matched by an opposing, anonymous user, and then see their accounts either credited or debited based on the outcome of that event. Users trade contracts like they might on a commodities exchange, winning or losing money on the outcomes of games, races, sports league championships, elections and other yes/no types of propositions that they strike directly with other users instead of wagering against the house (like with sportsbooks) or against other bettors (like in a pari-mutuel market). The appeal for prediction market users is lower takeout or vigorish (instead, a small “trading fee” that might be as low as .5 to 2% gets extracted), and, as part of that equation, the prospect of more generous odds and being able to bet against an entity by backing it to lose. But at the same time, under current models, prediction markets aren't operating with explicit permission or broad licensing deals from any United States racing entities, meaning they aren't regulated at the state level (like racing and sports betting) and don't feed back revenue to the Thoroughbred industry to pay for purses. The Betfair exchange has for years accepted trades on American horse racing, and a quick Google search over the weekend for “horse racing prediction markets” turned up a London-based site called Smarkets that was offering buying and selling on every U.S. track running Nov. 22. Both Betfair and Smarkets prohibit U.S.-based users from opening accounts, but both sites (as well as a number of other offshore exchanges) are seeking ways to legally operate in America. “New Jersey has laws on sports betting and on racing,” said Drazin, an attorney who in 2018 successfully represented co-plaintiff New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association in a longshot legal odyssey to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, paving the way for legalized sports betting. “And these companies are operating under the [federal] Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). They're not paying any taxes. There's no integrity regulation. And it's invading sports betting revenue that we currently receive.” As CFTC-licensed entities, sites like Kalshi and Polymarket can offer event contracts in all 50 states. Although Kalshi has yet to put up markets for horse racing, Polymarket had a volume of $1.2 million on its market for the 2025 GI Kentucky Derby. “One of these companies had a meeting with me,” Drazin said. “And the first slide they showed me was [the 2026 GI] Haskell [Stakes] coming up. And they want to offer a wager, 'Will the favorite win, yes or no?' And they don't believe they have to pay a host fee. They don't believe they have to compensate the tracks at all. “I believe, to the contrary, that this is controlled by the Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA). And I certainly will be in court if they try and offer a [Haskell] wager,” Drazin said. Earlier this year, the NBA, NFL and MLB (which each have official partnerships with sportsbooks) expressed written concerns to the CFTC about potential integrity issues regarding prediction markets. But not every sports league is intent on fighting the newcomers. On Oct. 22, the NHL announced multi-year licensing deals with Kalshi and Polymarket that will allow the companies to use the league's data and logos, similar to the league's contracts with its partnering sportsbooks. According to ESPN, the American Gaming Association (AGA), a casino trade group, characterized the NHL's actions as “deeply concerning” and described Kalshi and Polymarket as “backdoor gambling schemes masquerading as 'financial products.'” Drazin continued: “Without getting political, I think there are certain individuals, like Donald Trump Jr., that's on salary with Kalshi and an investor in Polymarket. And [President Trump] is making an appointment to the CFTC which will support this agenda… “But most of the action so far has been by the sports betting regulators,” Drazin said. “The New Jersey [Division of Gaming Enforcement] tried to stop them and they were unsuccessful. That's on appeal to the Third Circuit. Nevada tried to stop them. There was an injunction issued, and [on Nov. 16] Nevada's judge, hearing this issue, said he may reverse that injunction… “The California tribes filed an action. The Massachusetts attorney general filed a state court action. Maryland filed an action, [and] although they were successful in getting an injunction, then they made a deal, [that until] the Supreme Court decides it, they're going to let this continue… “The companies are getting very, very aggressive,” Drazin said. “There's been more and more going on as the days unroll. So now FanDuel and DraftKings have entered [the prediction] market. As a result of that, the AGA has asked them to leave, because they won't tolerate someone who's offering these wagers. “Nevada took away [FanDuel's] license. There are some states that are saying, 'If you enter the [prediction] market, you're not suitable to hold a license [for regulated sports betting] in our state,” Drazin said. “Some suggest that you need state laws that prevent [prediction market companies] from operating in your state [and] to give regulators the ability to criminalize it,” Drazin said. “But I'm not going to venture to say what New Jersey should do on that. I'll evaluate the issue. I think our attorney general is front-and-center in handling this. “But on the racing front, no one seems to sense the danger yet, because they say, 'We'll wait until it happens, and then we'll deal with it.'” Drazin said. “I think you have to be proactive with these things. I don't think you can wait until it happens, and then run to court,” Drazin said. “Ultimately, I think this is going to the United States Supreme Court. So it will [likely be decided] three or four years from now,” Drazin said. “But I'm firing a warning to everybody, not only in New Jersey, but in all the other states, that this is an issue that we're going to have to deal with or we're going to lose revenue,” Drazin said. The post The Week in Review: Drazin on Prediction Markets as Threat to Racing: ‘No One Seems to Sense the Danger Yet’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jantar Mantar confirmed his place atop the ranks of Japanese milers with a facile win in the Mile Championship (G1) Nov. 23 at Kyoto Racecourse.View the full article

Watch Me Rock led a Grant and Alana Williams-trained exacta with his victory in the Railway Stakes (G1) at Ascot Racecourse Nov. 22.View the full article

Hi, the person that I was asking for has made contact with him CY last seen with a camera on Winters Cup Day, 2025

Will you certainly care you put up an incorrect equation re Darly's Joy purchase price, working on pounds so that it converted to a higher amount in today's terms.

Jantar Mantar confirmed his place atop the ranks of Japanese milers with a facile win in the Mile Championship (G1) Nov. 23 at Tokyo Racecourse.View the full article

Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising, Hong Kong's international superstars, posted decisive victories Nov. 23 in their preps for the Dec. 14 Hong Kong International Races.View the full article

Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) maintained a relentless pursuit of racing history and stretched his unbeaten sequence to 15 races with a devastating display of power and speed to land the HK$5.35 million Gr.2 Jockey Club Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. Unvanquished since January 2024, Ka Ying Rising (128lb) obliterated nine rivals in clocking the second-fastest time in history over 1200m at Sha Tin – 1m 07.33s, marginally outside his own track record of 1m 07.20s – despite being eased down over the last 100m by jockey Zac Purton. Conceding five pounds to the rest of the field, the world’s highest-rated sprinter jumped cleanly to lead from barrier 10 before settling in second place behind Beauty Waves and, such was his superiority, Purton said the tempo was still not fast enough – despite a blistering sectional of 21.93s from the 800m to the 400m. Purton quickly put the issue beyond doubt on straightening as Ka Ying Rising surged clear inside the last 200m before being allowed to saunter to the line. The winning margin of two-and-three-quarter lengths flattered runner-up Fast Network with Helios Express third, a further length-and-three-quarters away. Ka Ying Rising’s 15th consecutive win leaves him third overall for the most wins in a row by a Hong Kong trained horse behind Silent Witness (17) and Golden Sixty (16). With the HK$28 million Gr.1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin on 14 December seemingly at his mercy, the Shamexpress gelding continues to impress Purton with his maturity, having successfully travelled back to Sha Tin after landing the Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) in Sydney on 18 October. “He just looks better all the time. He’s mentally getting better. It’s hard to say that he’s improving or that he’s going to get better, but he’s certainly enjoying what he’s doing and handling it really well,” Purton said. “It was good to see him win like that today without having to go to the bottom of him, so it’s a nice confidence-boosting win as he comes back. I’ve never seen him look so good. We were hoping he was going to do that, and it’s good for him to back up what we were thinking. “Mid-race, Beauty Waves was probably just half a step too slow – I know we’ve run nearly a track record time – but he (Ka Ying Rising) was on his tippy toes behind him wanting to go quicker. That’s the beauty with this horse, the faster they go, the better he is. “I got to the stage where I had to let him roll into it because otherwise it was going to be detrimental to him.” Trainer David Hayes said: “To the eye, I thought it was probably one of his best wins. That was as easy as I’ve seen him do it – maybe in this race last year, but I thought it was probably better than this one last year when he (Purton) did the kiss cam. “Zac agreed with me. He thought he gave him probably the best feel in the last 15 (races), so that’s a great sign. He just showed us that he’s right on song. He raced at the heaviest Hong Kong weight (1,158lb) he’s ever been today, which suggests he’s getting bigger, stronger, better. “It’s just a dream come true to have a horse like this, and I really want to thank my team that travelled him overseas and didn’t miss a beat with him and brought him back in better condition than he left. “He’ll be set for (2026) The Everest now again and, of course, we’ve got the big international race in three weeks which is his short-term grand final, so it’s all very exciting.” View the full article

The Tomokazu Takano-trained Jantar Mantar cemented his status as Japan's outstanding performer over 1,600 metres with victory in the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto on Sunday, beating old rival Gaia Force (Kitasan Black) by a length and three-quarters in a near carbon copy of the result from June's G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo. Becoming just the ninth horse to win both the Yasuda Kinen and Mile Championship in the same year, Jantar Mantar raced in third behind tearaway leader Toshin Macau (Big Arthur) through the first half of the race. Moving up to challenge early in the straight, the son of Palace Malice was in front with 150 metres to run and from there he quickly stamped his authority on the contest, proving himself much the best as Gaia Force ran on from the chasing pack to edge out longshot Water Licht (Drefong) for the runner-up spot. Off Trail (Farhh), Elton Barows (Deep Brillante) and defending champion Soul Rush (Rulership) also finished close up in a closely-fought battle for the minor placings, while British raider Docklands (Massaat), the winner of the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, ran an honourable race, passing the post five lengths behind the winner in ninth. “I'm glad we were able to prove that the colt is a true champion,” said the successful jockey, Yuga Kawada. “Although we lost our recent race, it was a good prep for today and enabled the colt to run in good rhythm with a good feeling. He responded smoothly and, in the home stretch, with the sun setting behind us, I was able to check by the shadows that no one was sneaking up on us. Owing to his outstanding talent and to the hard work of everyone involved, the colt has won all Group 1 mile events open for colts/horses, which I think is absolutely incredible.” Gaia Force and Jantar Mantar were both returning from over four months on the sidelines when the first-named horse enjoyed his day in the sun in last month's G2 Fuji Stakes at Tokyo. Previously, Jantar Mantar had dished out a comprehensive beating of that rival in the Yasuda Kinen and Sunday's victory was the fourth of his career at the top level. Crowned Japan's champion two-year-old colt in 2023 after winning the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, he also won last year's G1 NHK Mile Cup against his own age group. Jantar Mantar (#ジャンタルマンタル​​) asserted his dominance in Grade 1 Mile Championship (#マイルチャンピオンシップ) at Kyoto Racecourse (#京都競馬場)! European challenger Docklands was back in ninth…#競馬 @netkeiba pic.twitter.com/WQpWLdMuss — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 23, 2025 Pedigree Notes India Mantuana, the dam of Jantar Mantar, produced the best effort of her career when winning the GIII Red Carpet Handicap at Del Mar in 2018. She was led out unsold on a bid of $145,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, before being bought by Shadai for $100,000, pregnant to Accelerate, at Keeneland January in 2020. She unfortunately aborted that foal and was bred to Palace Malice prior to her export to Japan, where she slipped her Kizuna foal in 2022. Her two-year-old by Pyro, Unnatamsa, filled the runner-up spot on her second start at Kyoto last month, while she also has a yearling filly by Isla Bonita. Sunday, Kyoto, Japan MILE CHAMPIONSHIP-G1, ¥347,520,000, Kyoto, 11-23, 3yo/up, 1600mT, 1:31.30, fm. 1–JANTAR MANTAR (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Palace Malice 1st Dam: India Mantuana (GSW-US, SP-Can, $223,100), by Wilburn 2nd Dam: Speed Wagon, by Tomorrows Cat 3rd Dam: Rajica, by El Baba O-Shadai Race Horse; B-Shadai Farm; T-Tomokazu Takano; J-Yuga Kawada; ¥183,864,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt-Jpn, 10-6-2-1, ¥712,498,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Gaia Force (Jpn), 128, h, 6, Kitasan Black (Jpn)–Natale (Jpn), by Kurofune. (¥30,000,000 Wlg '19 JRHJUL). O-KR Japan; B-Oiwake Farm; ¥73,104,000. 3–Water Licht (Jpn), 128, c, 4, Drefong–Water Peony (Jpn), by Victoire Pisa (Jpn). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Masato Yamaoka; B-Fushikida Farm; ¥45,552,000. Margins: 1 3/4, NS, NK. Odds: 0.80, 7.60, 129.20. Also Ran: Off Trail (GB), Elton Barows (Jpn), Soul Rush (Jpn), Ascoli Piceno (Jpn), Magic Sands (Jpn), Docklands (GB), Cervinia (Jpn), Toshin Macau (Jpn), Lebensstil (Jpn), Kangchenjunga (Jpn), Champagne Color (Jpn), Long Run (Jpn), Lavanda (Jpn), Wide Latour (Jpn), Win Marvel (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video. The post Jantar Mantar Much the Best in Mile Championship appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Following some pretty roasting foal trade at Goffs last week, action returns to Park Paddocks for the Tattersalls December Sale, which, after a Monday yearling session, features four days of weanlings. Four years ago at Tattersalls, Deborah O'Brien brought a neat and strong Tasleet yearling colt to the market through Bearstone Stud, where the breeder boards her mares, and sold him for 12,000gns. The result, after a further appearance at the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale, was Bradsell, winner of the G1 Flying Five, G1 Nunthorpe, G1 King's Stand and G2 Coventry Stakes. Many people would settle for just one Royal Ascot winner but Bradsell took his owner Victorious Racing to the winner's circle there twice before his deserved retirement to the stallion yard at the National Stud. And for O'Brien, Bradsell's career was a sustained high point after decades of breeding. “To breed a stallion is the absolute ambition any breeder would have,” she says. “And I'm sure, at the highest level, they're used to doing it, but for someone like me, it's absolutely fantastic.” O'Brien admits to “a faint sense of dread” in anticipation of selling three foals at Tattersalls on Tuesday and Wednesday, despite the fact that one of them, lot 609, is the three-quarter-brother to Bradsell, by Soldier's Call. “I've picked three out of the six foals I've got this year. The ones I think are forward and that I think people might like,” she says of her decision to sell as weanlings. “I've got a Ubettabelieveit, that's the first one through, from Bradsell's family. He's out of Sparkling Perry, who is a winning Fountain of Youth mare. He is an absolute belter, and a nice-natured one with it. And I'm selling an El Caballo colt out of a Sir Percy mare. They're both on Tuesday.” O'Brien could well then be responsible for one of the highlights of Wednesday's session. She continues, “The Soldier's Call close relative to Bradsell sells later on Wednesday. They haven't put him in on the Friday and that's probably because he's by Soldier's Call. He's been no trouble at all, just like Bradsell. “I was disappointed to see that he was on the Wednesday at first, but then I thought, well, actually, if you're fighting the Frankels and the whatever on the Friday, maybe he could get lost in that but stand out a bit on the Wednesday.” Having bred and raced Bradsell's first three dams, O'Brien is understandably keen to keep the line going and has retained the yearling half-sister by Oasis Dream, who has been named Ruby Punch and is currently in pre-training with Claire and Chris Bonner. “She's going to Andrew Balding,” O'Brien says of the filly. “We've been friends with the Baldings for almost 40 years and we just thought if we ever had one that had the pedigree to be able to go, we'd send them one.” She will doubtless be hoping that some of Bradsell's talent rubs off on him, though their dam Russian Punch (Archipenko) was no slouch either, as the winner of the Listed Radley Stakes among her three victories for James Given. “The word that always sprung to mind with Bradsell was uncomplicated,” she says. “And the foal is exactly the same. He was one of the nicest foals bred on the stud, physically, in attitude and everything, I don't know about the talent – you don't ever know until they start racing.” We have heard much, from the TBA in Britain in particular, about the plight of small breeders and their reduction in number, along with the drop in foal crop. The Yorkshire-based O'Brien says that she aims to keep going while gradually reducing her numbers. “I'm going to have to recognise that nobody else in the family wants to take it on,” she says. “It's a bit of a financial drain as well, except on occasional moments. So at some point I'm going to have to figure out how to contract it. I'm trying to prove the young mares in order to maybe sell them on with some credentials. “You can feel like you're constantly beating your head against the system, never mind everything else. I can see why the foal crop is dropping, and now the TBA has put this compulsory extra levy on the foal registrations. They have a much better system in Ireland where the contribution is geared to the cost of the stallion nominations you've used, so small breeders don't pay anywhere near as much as somebody registering a foal by an expensive stallion.” She adds of the new £60 compulsory foal levy in Britain, “That's a massive hit on the registration fees. And how they think that that is going to encourage the breeder to cover their mares, I really don't know.” O'Brien is not alone in having aired this concern, but despite this, there will be one foal she will be particularly eager to register next year, and that will be one of the earliest born by Bradsell. She says, “I have Tequila Royale in foal to him, and I sent her first because she always foals around the 20th, 23rd of January. She's always covered 18th or 19th of February, and she gets in foal straightaway. So, obviously, that's the most exciting thing of next year.” O'Brien continues, “I've got two mares to send to him next year as I bought one of the breeding rights. I do think he's got what it might take to be a good stallion. He's got the temperament and he's got the physique. So you've got to just hope that the right mares produce the right foals.” And, in a nutshell, this small breeder who has enjoyed some notable highs while accepting the lows that undoubtedly go hand in hand with the lifestyle, sums up exactly why so many of her ilk keep dreaming the dream. “I don't really wish the years away but there's always something to look forward to,” she says, with just over a month to go until Bradsell's first foals start to appear. “As difficult as it is, I've noticed that breeders live quite a long time. I think it's because they've got something to hang in there for.” Yearlings Provide the Opening Show There are around 170 last chances to buy a yearling at public auction in Britain this year, and Monday's December Yearling Sale at Tattersalls can often provide a back-up option for a horse who has had to miss an earlier sale with a small setback. It has had its fair share of success over the years, and there is no finer example of this than Via Sistina. The daughter of Fastnet Rock had initially been engaged in the October Book 3 sale of 2019 but, having been withdrawn, arrived at Tattersalls instead six weeks later. It is fair to say that her debut appearance at the December Sale was much lower key than her second. Via Sistina was plucked from the yearling sale for just 5,000gns by Stephen Hillen. Four years later she returned a Group 1 winner to be sold to Yulong for 2.7 million gns. That may have seemed steep at the time, but the seven-year-old was rated the top mare in the world last year and has now added a scarcely believable 11 more Group 1 wins to her tally in Australia, including back-to-back victories in the Cox Plate and Champion Stakes. Among this year's offerings are a full-brother to Group 3 and Listed winner Anthelia (Supremacy), who sells as lot 5 from Abbeyleix Stud just five days after his weanling half-brother by Starman sold for €225,000 at Goffs. The Castlebridge Consignment later offers a double-whammy of enticing colts by Sea The Stars in the full-brothers to Group 1 winners Emily Upjohn and Sea Of Class, catalogued as lots 75 and 76. In keeping with the rest of the Tattersalls yearling sales in 2024, the December Yearling session took a major leap forward 12 months ago when turnover exceeded 7 million gns, with an average in excess of 50,000gns for the first time. Admittedly, this boost in trade was aided somewhat by a record top lot, when the Dark Angel half-sister to subsequent Classic winner Camille Pissarro (Wootton Bassett) sold for 900,000gns, but with plenty of decent pedigrees on offer this time around, it will be no surprise to see the December Sale commence in similarly ebullient fashion. The first yearling will be in the ring on Monday at 10am. It is also worth noting that there is now no blank day between the yearlings and foals. The December Foal Sale begins at 11am on Tuesday, and Thursday is now the 'dark day' before weanling trade resumes on Friday and Saturday, at 10am both days. The post ‘There’s Always Something To Look Forward To’: Deborah O’Brien Brings Bradsell’s Brother to December Foal Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article