All Activity

It never ceases to amaze me how some industry participants have no idea what the costs of racing a horse are. Nor the fact that they will pick their most expensive bill for the year and promote it as the average cost. I've seen a number of syndication contracts from a number of syndicators and the majority of them make it quite clear what the expected cost will be. No surprises. Some even make it clear that the odds are heavily in favour of your investment being a loss making one. Particullarly if you buy into a stallion making syndicate where the odds are that your investment is going to lose its prime money making parts. Fillies are a little different because they will have some residual value if well bred and they perform even moderately on the track. So if you buy into a syndicate you know what you are buying into. Especially those that buy again! Essentially you are rolling the dice that you are going to get a good horse and when you do get lucky for a time you have a fantastic experience albeit with often extreme highs and sometimes lows. Horses are like that. The point is it is all transparent and you bought into it. Why complain afterwards? I've had a number of people ask me about buying a share in a horse. My advice has been don't spend your life savings and kiss the money goodbye from the get go. Don't get envious of successful owners or Syndicators, Trainers and Jockeys who are making money. The latter it is their livelihood. BUT if you are lucky to get a good one enjoy every aspect of the ride because the odds of getting another as good are very very small. Which brings me back to that most expensive bill of the year. It could include a vet bill - horses are live animals and sometimes they do stupid things or they have issues that require attention. It could include an insurance bill or a large nomination fee for a big race. If the bill includes these last two costs then you are in an elite group. One your horse is worth insuring and two you are good enough to be in a Black Type race. So for example if your horse is in full training and in the top drawer of horses then in that month you have $6k in training and other costs, a $1,500 big race nomination fee and an insurance cost. The latter will be the biggest expense as the insurance fee is worked out at 3.5% of the horses valuation. So lets say the filly was valued at $400k then your total bill will be $22k for the month ($14,500 for insurance). But the smart owner has spread their risk and bought into a number of horses at 2.5%. So for this filly they are paying $550 for the month. The odds are that in this scenario you are in credit anyway given the big race nomination and the insurance valuation. . @nomates @Joe Bloggs @Comic Dog .

The Maryland Thoroughbred Industry Renaissance Awards will be presented during a March 22 luncheon at Laurel Park.View the full article

you gentlemen don't realize the costs involved in maintaining a racing industry these days . The ATC has done well to keep trading while in debt with the failure to raise capital from the disastrous Apartments project that failed due to the building company declaring Bankrupcy. Instead of feeling compassion for your 'fellow' Harness racing supporters that make up the ATC , it's sink the boot in and scoff at their predicament all the time. Victoria (HRV) managed to bail out of their losses for the moment. The Australian Turf Club , in the much more popular Thoroughbred industry has debts of $145,000,000 and are unable to pay back the bank loan of $30 mill due this year. They even tried to sell Rosehill Gardens track for $5 Billion to the state Government, to support themselves well into the future . Members voted against the sale in the end. I think an administrator is going to be appointed In a nut-shell , you can see that running a racing/harness club is Not a Prosperous Enterprise these days. Why pick on someone and people TRYING TO KEEP Your sport going in Difficult times ?? Jump in and help with some ideas. Brodie says get young people involved, Galah says create a training/racing establishment with barns and stables and training facilities to lease to the young trainers who don't Have property of their own. 2 top ideas that can be expanded on and implemented . and probably will be in the future too as no choice really , Example = like what Menangle did 2010 (shifting out of Harold Park in the city and funding themselves and setting up well) ATC may have to do this too?. ( *and help the young participants simultaneously with training facility)

The Saffie Joseph Jr-trained White Abarrio (Race Day) will ship to Oaklawn to target the GII Oaklawn Handicap April 18, his trainer said Wednesday. Detailing next starts for his stable stars, Joseph said, “White Abarrio is going to come for the Oaklawn Handicap. That's the plan. Dubai is still in play for Skippy, but we haven't come up with a plan yet.” Last seen finishing runner-up to stablemate Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) in the GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park last month, White Abarrio also owns a win in the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. While the race is still two months away, last year's Champion 3-year-old and Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) is also possible for the Oaklawn Handicap. The post White Abarrio To Target Oaklawn Handicap appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

my take is,no one in power at the atc or hrnz or the media want to talk about the atc anymore.They would rather ignore it. Everyone knows its a joke. everyone knows hrnz policy towards the atc will hurt nz harness racing everywhwere in years to come,especially auckland. I think mr steele,when last asked about the atc,put his fingers in his ears and starting cheerfully singing.

Really pleased to see 2 good blokes with small teams have a day out at Riccarton yesterday. Jamie Bullard, who i would say had his whole team in yesterday and ended up with 3 wins and a placing and Danny Crozier has 1 in for a win. They were both top riders and are doing an excellent job with their small teams. I watched Danny getting a post-race interview with Brittany, and you would have believed he was back in Ballarat with his Aussie accent, and I am not sure why he was licking his lips throughout the interview. Interesting that Murray Hamilton has shares in 2 of Jamie's winners. He was the person that 2 RIU investigators, when hiding in trees, observed him either putting a saddle or a rug on a horse, when he was disqualified. Good to see him having some luck and long may it continue

Does anyone know whether there is any interest in the sale of Franklin track? If not what is going to happen with the ATC, as without that sale then ATC will end up in liquidation you would think? Not sure of exact figures of amount of their debt but was it approx $80million? If so then the debt will be increasing by approx 5 million per year from interest costs which is crippling. How is going to be able to continue like this as costs escalating with interest on interest?

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has called a March 11 board panel hearing to address what it says is Churchill Downs Incorporated's refusal to pay millions of dollars of required assessments from four of its tracks.View the full article

Samuel Marin's total of 13 wins for the week included a stakes race victory.View the full article

Good to see some big selling lots to the normal big spenders! A lot of yearlings passed in, seemed like more than normal? Was advised by a trainer that there was next to no young ones at the sales, unless they were employed in the preparations? We do need to have younger owners buying but are they able to afford to buy and race horses with the costs and also the cost of living?

Recent winner Dante Nonantais will continue his career Down Under after the leading Australian ownership group OTI Racing went to €180,000 to secure the Florian Bellemere-trained son of Hunter's Light on the second and final day of the Arqana Mixed February Sale on Wednesday. The three-year-old gelding was the most expensive of the 170 horses sold at a clearance rate of 78% on the day. Meanwhile, the clearance rate for the entire sale stood at 70%, for an average price of €13,709 and total turnover of €3,299,750. A wide diversity of buyers attended, coming from Germany, Australia, Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey. Dante Nonantais, the overall sale-topper, was added to the sale as a wildcard following his debut victory on the all-weather at Deauville. He will now head to the yard of Tony McEvoy, winner of the 2025 Melbourne Cup. “I've bought him for OTI and he will head to Australia,” said the winning bidder Thibault de Seyssel. “He is a superb horse that made a very promising debut and has real potential. His profile should suit Australian racing perfectly.” Just minutes later, the hammer fell at €120,000 in favour of Amy Murphy for Recollect, from the stable of Gavin Hernon. The three-year-old son of Recoletos won on his second start at Chantilly. “I've bought him for Henry Dwyer, with whom we have worked for a long time,” Murphy said. “He caught his attention and was strongly recommended by his trainer, Gavin Hernon. We are confident he has the potential to succeed in Australia and we look forward to following his progress.” Another wildcard, the Louisa Carberry-trained Highbourne Karisma, sold for €120,000 to JH Bloodstock on behalf of National Hunt trainer Tom Symonds. In the breeding section, a yearling filly by Earthlight (Lot 239), presented by Haras des Capucines, generated strong interest around the ring before being knocked down at €125,000 to Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International Agency. The filly is a half-sister to the top-class Sajir, winner of the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest last season. “She is a filly who attracted interest from many buyers,” said Nicolas de Watrigant. “She is well put together physically and comes from a very strong family.” The post Recent Winner Dante Nonantais Headlines Arqana February Sale To OTI Racing At 180k appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Halters worn by Storm Cat, Sovereignty, Good Cheer and Gun Runner will feature as part of the Bourbon & Bayou silent auction held by the nonprofit child advocacy organization CASA of Lexington. Each halter comes with a certificate of authenticity and is valued at $1,000. Bidding is available here opened Wednesday and continues until 9:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27. Also included with Gun Runner's halter is an exclusive VIP tour for up to 10 people of Three Chimneys Stallion Complex. The silent auction is part of CASA of Lexington's annual fundraiser, Bourbon & the Bayou which raises funds that provide advocacy for abused and neglected children in central Kentucky each year. The post Four Racing Halters Part Of CASA Charity Auction appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Among this week's rulings, the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority has issued to Churchill Downs Incorporated four notices for non-payment of its 2025 fees related to federal regulatory oversight of its Churchill Downs, Turfway Park, Ellis Park and Presque Isle Downs racetracks. The matter will go before a panel of three HISA board members–Joe De Francis, Bill Thomason, and Terri Mazur–on March 11. This is separate from pending litigation between the two parties for Churchill Downs's refusal to pay HISA's assessed fees for 2023 and 2024. These are the years HISA's assessment model was calculated through a formula based on racing starts and purses. Last year, HISA started using a new assessment formula based on projected number of starts only. In its litigation with HISA, Churchill Downs challenges the legality of the original assessment formula, and instead contends it owes the federal body an amount based solely on starts. Churchill Downs submitted payments to HISA for 2023 and 2024 using their own formula, leaving an alleged unpaid deficit of around $1.7 million. The corporation has so far paid nothing for 2025, according to the notices the HISA Authority issued to Churchill Downs on Feb. 18. The amounts that HISA seeks from Churchill Downs for its unpaid 2025 assessments are based on the original formula (calculated using starts and purses) for Turfway Park, Elis Park and Presque Isle Downs. For Churchill Downs, the HISA Authority has used a number based purely on starts. The amounts (including accrued interest) HISA requests for each track are as follows: Churchill Downs, $2.5 million; Turfway Park, $1.49 million; Presque Isle Downs, $761k; and Ellis Park, $465k. According to the notices, the HISA Authority asks the board panel to require Churchill Downs to pay these amounts within ten days of the board's order. If not, Churchill Downs would be prohibited from conducting horseracing under HISA's federal regulatory oversight, meaning it wouldn't be allowed to simulcast its races outside of the state (if indeed it carried on with its operations). Resolved ADMC Violations Dates: 02/17/2026 Licensee: Bruno Tessore, trainer Penalty: 15-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 18, 2026; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Tom S, who finished second at Laurel Park on 10/19/25. Dates: 02/16/2026 Licensee: Anna Meah, trainer Penalty:7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 17, 2026; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Gabapentin–a class B controlled substance–in a sample taken from Showers, who won at Churchill Downs on 11/6/25. Dates: 02/11/2026 Licensee: Darien Rodriguez, trainer Penalty: A written Reprimand (per 9/26/23 HISA Guidance). Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole (Gastrogard)–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Jimmy's Kid on 1/3/26. Pending ADMC Violations 02/16/2026, Eric Reed, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Flunixin–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Sexarito on 1/17/26. 02/16/2026, Dallas Stewart, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Tramadol–a class B controlled substance–in a sample taken from Have Faith on 11/20/25. 2/16/2026, Linda Rice, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methylprednisolone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Sweet Rhythm, who is reported by Equibase to have been euthanized after sustaining a severe injury to her left front leg mid-race in the fifth at Aqueduct on 11/8/25. 02/13/2026, Jose Puentes, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Whisky My God on 1/14/26. 02/13/2026, William E. Merch, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Protest, who won at Tampa Bay on 1/14/26. 02/13/2026, Angela Maria Aquinano, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a class C controlled substance–in a sample taken from Golf Drama, who won at Los Alamitos on 1/11/26. 02/13/2026, Benjamin Feliciano Jr., trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Gabapentin–a class B controlled substance–in a sample taken from Plenty on Tap, who finished second at Laurel Park on 1/10/26. Crop Violations Aqueduct Sahin Civaci – violation date February 16; $250 fine, one-day suspension Mahoning Valley Rocco Bowen – violation date February 14; $500 fine, two-day suspension Oaklawn Park Francisco Arrieta – violation date February 15; $250 fine, one-day suspension David Cabrera – violation date February 14; $250 fine, one-day suspension Emmanuel Esquivel – violation date February 14; $250 fine, one-day suspension Rafael Bejerano – violation date February 13; $250 fine, one-day suspension Santa Anita Kyle Frey – violation date February 14; $500 fine, one-day suspension Turf Paradise Cerapio Figueroa – violation date February 12; $250 fine, one-day suspension Turfway Park Jose Ramos Gutierrez – violation date February 13; $500 fine, two-day suspension The post Weekly Rulings: Feb. 12-18; Churchill Faces HISA Panel Hearing For Non-Payment Of 2025 Fees appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The change moves Friday racing from its previous 4 p.m. PT start to 2 p.m. PT, creating a consistent post time throughout the week and providing fans, horsemen and women, and industry partners with a streamlined schedule.View the full article

The King's Plate Stakes is North America's oldest continuously run stakes race and is contested for a purse of CA$1 million.View the full article

Stayer Northwest Passage topped the Tattersalls Online February Sale at 31,000gns to Ivan Furtado. Sold as lot 29, the grey son of Ulysses was offered by Crimbourne Bloodstock and sports one win from seven starts. From the family of multiple Group 1-winning sire Tamayuz, the four-year-old gelding has competed on turf, all-weather and hurdles. Crimbourne Bloodstock's Charlie Parker said, “We were very happy with today. We have been very lucky with Tattersalls Online, much luckier than we have been in the ring! I just thought he might stand out on there and he did. We are really pleased and this platform is a really good way of doing it.” Changing hands for 30,000gns was Galia Des Liteaux (Saddler Maker) (lot 65), who sold to Mountain View Stud post sale. The Lodge Hill Stables-consigned horse-out-of-training has a win each in a point-to-point and a hurdle race, as well as three chasing wins. Her best win was in the G2 Hampton Novices' Chase at Warwick. Also selling for 30,000gns was Arclight (Champs Elysees) (lot 55) from the draft of Seven Barrows. Simon Cox picked up the seven-year-old mare. Listed-placed over hurdles and a multiple listed winner over fences, she is a full-sister to seven-time winner Cote d'Azur (Champs Elysees). Overall, 62 lots sold (61%) from 102 offered for a gross of 496,300gns. The average was 8,005gns and the median was 4,900gns. The post Northwest Passage Tops Tattersalls Online February Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was a big weekend for trainer Brendan Walsh, whose Bella Ballerina (Street Sense) was a game winner of the GII Rachel Alexandra Stakes. A half-sister to Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), the 2023 GI Kentucky Oaks winner, who was also trained by Walsh, the trainer is hoping to pull off what would be a unique daily double–winning the Oaks twice within four years with half-siblings. To discuss the Rachel Alexandra win, his take on Bella Ballerina and what he has planned on the way to the Oaks, Walsh joined this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. He was the Gainesway Guest of the Week. It was not an easy victory for Bella Ballerina, who was passed in the stretch by Luv Your Neighbor (Constitution), but battled back in deep stretch to win by a half-length under Tyler Gaffalione. “I thought it was a very game performance,” Walsh said. “When she was coming down the stretch, it looked like she was beaten. I thought to myself, 'You know, she's run well. We've got what we needed to get out of it. She'll improve a ton the next time she starts back up again.' I thought, 'Well, OK, we'll take that.' But yes, it was just a game performance on her part. It's the first time she's ever been headed.” The similarities between Pretty Mischievous and Bella Ballerina go beyond the fact that they are half-sisters, as both won the Rachel Alexandra. Bella Ballerina will start next in the March 21 GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Pretty Mischievous was second in that race before going on to win the Kentucky Oaks. “(Bella Ballerina) was a little trickier when she was a baby,” Walsh said. “She had her own ideas about certain things. But all credit goes to the team. They got her straightened out. We worked on her last year. She was just a little bit of a play girl at the time. She'd try and get up to a few little tricks, but nothing horrible.” Walsh liked what he saw Saturday. “Tyler came in and he worked her a bunch of times last year and more this year,” he said. “He got to know her. She behaved very well on Saturday. She behaved very well before the race. She behaved very well in the race, and I think that had a lot to do with Tyler. There are a lot of similarities between the two horses. (Bella Ballerina) is getting stronger and, physically, she looks more like Pretty Mischievous did at this point. The good ones, they all have that class, and she seems to have an abundance of it. She's got a very good mind, and I think that's going to be super important going forward.” Walsh has come a long way from the young man who began his career with the powerful Godolphin team galloping horses. “It's unbelievable,” he said. “It's like the stuff you dream of. I spent years in Dubai and around all those good horses that they had at Al Quoz. Did I ever think I was going to actually be in a position where I would be training for them? Absolutely not. It is a dream come true. It's unbelievable to have access to that standard of a horse every year and to get to work with these horses and these people. They're just the most fantastic people to work with. You wake up in the morning and you pinch yourself. Believe me, I'm under no illusions. It's a privileged position and it's great to be there.” Walsh also spoke of his mentor in the U.S., trainer Eddie Kenneally. Walsh served as his assistant before going out on his own in 2012. “Learning to train in the U.S., it was a huge adjustment,” he said. “It's a completely different ball game. You're dealing with a different type of horse. Dubai was very turf-orientated. That was one thing with Eddie. I really got to learn how to get down to the nitty gritty of it with him. Even when riding horses, dirt horses are different than grass horses. Turf horses have this turn of foot, and when you work them you see that they have a serious turn of foot. Dirt horses tend to be more constant. They cruise along, cruise along, cruise along. It's just completely different, and that's just to name a couple of things. There are thousands of other different angles when you start training over here. Eddie taught me so much. He's a fantastic trainer.” The “Fastest Horse of the Week” was Grande (Curlin), who earned a 105 Beyer figure when winning a Feb. 14 allowance race at Gulfstream. It was his first start since he finished second in the GII Wood Memorial Stakes. The Fastest Horse of the Week segment is sponsored by WinStar, which stands the fast sire Nashville. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV, and West Point Thoroughbreds, Randy Moss, Bill Finley, and Zoe Cadman discussed the solid performance from Forever Young (Jpn) (Reel Steel {Jpn}) in the $20 million Saudi Cup and the terrific rail-skimming ride he got from jockey Ryusei Sakai. The team also discussed the wins in Saudi Arabia by the American-based sprinters Imagination (Into Mischief) and Reef Runner (The Big Beast). Recapping the rest of the weekend's action, the win by Paladin (Gun Runner) in the Risen Star Stakes was given high marks by the panel. Click here to listen to the podcast or click here to watch. The post Brendan Walsh Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast Presented By Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Logan Hollis is upbeat about finishing an already good week on a high. On Monday Hollis and partner Shane Robertson (Hollis and Robertson Equine Services) were the leading vendor by average at the NZB Standardbred National Yearling sales at Karaka. They sold six yearlings, worth a combined $617,000 including the $220,000 sales topper, a Walner – Destinee Jenilou filly on behalf of Australian breeders Yabby Dam Farms. “Three or four more of our yearlings were close to their reserve too so hopefully NZB will sell them too,” said Hollis. “We were really happy with the sale.” A day after the Auckland sale finished Hollis was busy qualifying a two-year-old Vincent filly This And That at the Pukekohe trials and today he will be driving Rhinestone in Race 3, the Night of Champions Tickets on Sale Now Pace at Cambridge (6.53pm). The four-year-old gelding, who he trains with Robertson, has placed twice in nine career starts and Hollis reckons he is not far away from a breakthrough win. “I took him to the trials (January 13) and he ran second to Lincoln Wave.” Lincoln Wave has subsequently won two races at Alexandra Park. “Last campaign we thought he wasn’t really putting in so he’s had a break and his work has been really good.” That he has drawn the ace over the 2200 metres has also buoyed Hollis’ confidence. “I think he’s a real chance.” Midfrew Lando, after an unlucky eighth on debut, and the David Butcher trained and driven King Tide look his biggest threats. Midfrew Lando opened at $2.15 with Rhinestone at $8.50. For Hollis, a win would put quite the exclamation mark on a busy week on and off the track. Cambridge’s six race meeting gets underway at 5.55pm. View the full article

Friday, Meydan, UAE, post time: 18:50, UAE OAKS SPONSORED BY DEEPAL-G3, AED800,000, 3yo, f, 1900m Field: Labwah (Charlatan), Tjareed (Yaupon), Dozalla (Upstart), Yuno (Rock Your World), Pretty And Famous (Known Agenda), Auntie Fair (Uncle Chuck), Dialed To Dubai (Dialed In). Friday, Meydan, UAE, post time: 20:35, BALANCHINE SPONSORED BY AL TAYER MOTORS-G2, AED850,000, 4yo/up, SH 3yo, f/m, 1800mT Field: Dubai Beach (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Dubai Treasure (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), Fairy Glen (Fr) (Farhh {GB}), Capitana Bling (Ire) (Invincible Army {Ire}), Riyabovka (Fr) (Caullery), Blue Nazare (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Miss Of Change (Fr) (King Of Change {GB}). Friday, Meydan, UAE, post time: 18:50, NAD AL SHEBA TROPHY SPONSORED BY DEEPAL-G3, AED700,000, 4yo/up, 2810mT Field: Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), Al Nayyir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), By The Book (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Crystal Black (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Kihavah (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), Aeronautic (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Nightwalker (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Surabad (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}). Friday, Meydan, UAE, post time: 21:10, DUBAI ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SPONSORED BY AL TAYER MOTORS-Listed, AED800,000, 3yo, 1900m Field: Salloom (Authentic), Lino Padrino (Uncle Lino), Brotherly Love (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), Raajehh (Complexity), Al Khawaneej (Honest Mischief), Omaha Front (Omaha Beach), Watch Collector (Medaglia d'Oro), Duke Of Immatin (Gun Runner), Knight Of Glory (Knicks Go), Senator Of State (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), Awesome Fleet (Ire) (US Navy Flag), Sary Shayan (Constitution), Fire d'Oro (Bold d'Oro). Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Salloom Aims For Kentucky Derby Pointer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Can you see her still, in your mind's eye, that dark bay filly with a gait so ungainly as to almost belie her brilliance? Almost. But make no mistake, Attraction was brilliant, with a steeliness to match. The Irn Bru of racehorses: made in Scotland from girders. “People label horses as tough and talk about horses like Double Trigger being tough. Well, he wasn't particularly tough. I've encountered three horses in my career, I would say, that were exceptionally tough and they were all mares.” So says Mark Johnston, the man who knows Attraction better than most, and as the great mare turns 25 on February 19, it is an apposite moment to cast our minds back to the early years of this century, when she was in her pomp. “I had the two best horses of my career in the yard at the same time in 2004, that's her and Shamardal,” Johnston recalls. “And the thing they had in common was that they were both explosive out of the stalls, but a child could lead them up at the races. “She was completely laidback and quiet, never got on her toes, stood like a lamb to be saddled, cantered easily to the start. And the minute the stalls opened, boom, she was out and gone. So in that sense, she was really a joy to train. She didn't give us any difficulties at the race track whatsoever.” He continues, “I always say that she was the ultimate racehorse, because if you went to look at her in her box, she was either lying down or eating. They always say the good ones just eat, sleep and gallop. But I suppose it's possible that she was always lying down because the knees hurt. I don't know.” Ah yes, those famously offset knees. How many agents and trainers would have crossed her off their lists at the sales the moment she walked out of her box? As it was, the Duke of Roxburghe's yearling daughter of Efisio and the Pursuit Of Love mare Flirtation wasn't even granted a sales berth. “Guy Roxburghe, the late Duke, asked me to go and look at this filly in the autumn of her yearling year. He kept saying she was from a great family, but she was from a pretty cold family, and she's by Efisio, who I was a great fan of, but he was a cheap, run-of-the-mill stallion,” Johnston says of the first time he laid eyes on Attraction. “She was very, very offset in front. He tried to put her in the sales and neither Doncaster nor Tatts would take her. And so he asked if I would train her for half of her? And I said, 'No.' He asked if I could find somebody to lease her but generally, to this day, I've never advised people to lease horses. “As I understand it, he made the same offer to Tim Easterby, who also rejected it. And he then made the same offer to John Hills, who said that not only could he find somebody to lease her, he could find somebody to lease three fillies. So three fillies went to John Hills in the autumn of 2002. And by the spring, John had only found somebody to lease one of them, so Guy said he could train one of the other two for him but one was to come to Mark Johnston, and John sent us Attraction.” Still unnamed, she arrived in Middleham in February 2003 and was already cantering. She didn't hang about. “Bobby Elliott galloped her and came back and said to me, 'This isn't half bad, you'd better get it named'. I phoned the Duke and said, 'I think this is ready to run and it goes very well',” Johnston recalls. “Guy Roxburghe was a wee bit of a punter at times and I remember him phoning me when she was going to run and saying, 'Will this win? Because Roger Charlton's got one in the race that he thinks is very useful.'” Attraction, though, was a little bit more useful, and anyone who had tuned in for the Harby Novice Median Auction Stakes at Nottingham on April 29, 2003 would have had the privilege of the first public sighting of a superstar in the making. She beat Charlton's Avid Spell by five lengths and bounced out less than three weeks later to win again, at Thirsk. They were the only two occasions she was not in black-type company. Johnston picks up the story. “Following that Thirsk run, she was already entered for the Hilary Needler, and the late Sheikh Rashid, Sheikh Mohammed's eldest son, tried to buy her. The Duke was going to sell her but they wanted to vet her before the race and he said, 'No, she's entered and we're going to run in this race. You can buy her as she stands or you don't buy her'. So she ran and she won.” Easy victories in the Queen Mary and the Cherry Hinton followed but as she was being prepared for her first Group 1 mission in the Cheveley Park, Attraction brought about her own temporary downfall by kicking the manger in her stable and fracturing her pedal bone. “Interestingly, somebody just found me the x-rays of Attraction yesterday,” Johnston notes. “We've been clearing out years of x-rays and I said, 'Don't throw out Attraction's.' There's loads of her pedal bone and, obviously, of her knees. And then there's loads of her hind leg, which was at the end of her career when she went lame behind and we retired her. But after she fractured her pedal bone, we had a meeting of myself, the Duke of Roxburghe, [vets] Nick Wingfield Digby and David Ellis, and John Warren in Newmarket, and the consensus was that the pedal bone wasn't an issue, that it would definitely heal. The question was, would we be able to bring her back from a long layoff and, having been let down, get her fit again? “Obviously, we had won the 2,000 Guineas first time up with Mister Baileys but in Attraction's case it was about the fact that at that stage, we didn't know how many races there were in her. So we decided to go for the jackpot first time out because we were never certain how long she would last.” He continues, “We had a yard man, called Richard Heslop, he used to go and fetch her first thing when he arrived at work in the morning and she would spend first lot on the walker because she had to be loosened up before she could be ridden out. And that was throughout her career – she'd come out shuffling and scraping along. “And I think it's an interesting thing now with all this interference from the BHA veterinary department and so on. The attitude with Attraction was that she was no more likely than any other horse to have a life-threatening fracture in a race. But we all imagined that one day she would hobble off the track very lame and that would be the end of that, because she had so many changes in her knees.” The Duke of Roxburghe (trilby) walks in with Attraction and Kevin Darley after her win in the 1,000 Guineas | Racingfotos The plan worked, and then some. Attraction, partnered by Kevin Darley, became the first filly to win the 1,000 Guineas, Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes, those wonky knees propelling her swiftly down many a course and into many hearts. Her first defeat came at the hands of another top-class mare, the year-older Soviet Song (Marju) in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, and the pair finished in the same top two spots later that year in the Matron Stakes. Attraction's one lacklustre run came in soft ground in the Prix Jacques Le Marois and she was never asked to run in those conditions again. “She really struggled with soft ground, presumably because of the knees and the very scratchy action. She couldn't lift her feet out of it,” says Johnston, who opted not to declare her for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes when he learned that the clerk of the course had been watering. One final hurrah in her three-year-old season came on the same straight mile over which she had first become a Classic heroine. Her victory in the Sun Chariot Stakes ensured that Attraction stood alone in Europe in 2004 as the winner of four Group 1 races. Mark Johnston has long been renowned at the sales for valuing pedigree and mares' ratings over conformation. Was it perhaps his success with Attraction that emboldened this approach? “No,” he says emphatically. “She won a Cartier Award and the Duke made a speech and he said it was poetic justice that she'd gone to the only trainer that might have bought her if she'd gone through a sale. And that was very flattering but it wasn't really true. I wouldn't have bought her, but some of that would have been because the pedigree wasn't good enough to outweigh the conformation. But what it did teach me – something I always knew and something that sort of led to me having that reputation – I always say conformation doesn't stop at the elbow. Attraction was a really magnificent specimen apart from her front legs. She was a very powerful, strong horse.” Of course conformation is carefully considered by buyers when it comes to broodmares, too. Attraction had reignited her pedigree but would her front legs be replicated in her offspring? According to Johnston, who has inspected them all and has trained five of them, including the two top-rated, Elarqam (Frankel) and Maydanny (Dubawi), this was largely not an issue. “Huntlaw (Oasis Dream) was gelded before he came to us and that was because of front limb conformation. Not anything as bad as his mother's, but offset knees the same. But he was a very good horse. The Duke sold him in the end. He left us sound with his top rating, 95. I think he'd have gone on to be a black-type performer as well.” Attraction has four black-type performers and nine winners from her 15 foals of racing age, with two-year-old and yearling colts by Too Darn Hot to come. Elarqam, a treble group winner, including the G2 York Stakes, tops the list and he is at stud in Turkey having started his stallion career in France. Her Group 3-winning sprinter Fountain Of Youth (Oasis Dream) stood at Bearstone Stud until 2020. Attraction at Fittocks Stud with Elarqam as a foal | Emma Berry Of her four daughters, the Grade 3-placed Cushion (Galileo), who raced for the Duke of Roxburghe and Sue Magnier and died two years ago, produced Hafit (Dubawi), who was placed in the G2 Queen's Vase. Another, Motion (Invincible Spirit), is the dam of last year's Listed Star Stakes winner Hope Queen (Night Of Thunder), a potential Classic prospect this season for Karl Burke and Jaber Abdullah. “Attraction is not really an influence on the breed, but not far off it,” Johnston says. “She produced a couple of stallions. They haven't gone on to do anything great, but she is a bit of an out-cross. “Every year we see the first-season sires and everybody gets really excited if they have one Group 1 winner, and then a Group 1-winning mare, if she doesn't have a Group 1 winner in the first four foals, they start writing her off. But it's actually amazing how consistently these top race mares do perform in the paddocks.” Johnston is plainly not a sentimental man and he trained more than 5,000 winners during his record-breaking career. That said, it is easy to detect in the way he speaks of Attraction that she holds a special place in his heart. “People say to me, 'Who's the best horse you've ever trained?' I say, it was Shamardal. He's the best horse I trained, but I only trained him as a two-year-old and won one Group 1 with him. The best horse for us was Attraction. By a long way, the horse I am most proud of training is Attraction, because, and you can never say for sure, but I feel that probably nobody else would have done the same with her or achieved the same with her, because there's so many opportunities to retire a horse.” Retirement for Attraction came at the end of her four-year-old season, which started with a trip to Hong Kong for the G1 Champions Mile in May, during which she injured a suspensory ligament. Another period of recovery was required before a return in the G3 Hungerford Stakes three months later. “The Duke was a fantastic owner to train for,” Johnston says. “From the Queen Mary onwards, if he was at the races, he would say to the jockey in the paddock, 'She owes us nothing. Just go out and enjoy yourself. Nothing else matters.' “When she had that penultimate start at Newbury, she finished fourth of nine. I was a little bit disappointed and I expected the Duke to be very disappointed, but not at all. He said, 'That's a great comeback after what she's been through.' Sure enough, she went and won a Group 1 on her next start. He was a dream to train for.” Guy Innes-Ker, the 10th Duke of Roxburghe and owner of Floors Stud, also served a stint as chairman of the National Stud, where the stallion yard is named in his memory. It is fitting, therefore, that Attraction is now living out her retirement in the paddocks there. We paid homage to her at the National Stud on the eve of her 25th birthday. Still frisking visitors for Polos, she's as special now as she ever was: a true flower of Scotland. Thanks for the memories, old girl. The post ‘I Always Say That She Was The Ultimate Racehorse’: Mark Johnston On Attraction As The Great Mare Turns 25 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Maryland Thoroughbred Industry Renaissance Awards will be presented during a March 22 luncheon at Laurel Park.View the full article

Racing from Aqueduct and Oaklawn Park will be shown on "America's Day at the Races", while the John Battaglia Stakes will be shown on FanDuel TV. View the full article

First post time on Fridays at Del Mar this summer will be 2 p.m. PT, two hours earlier than the day's 4 p.m. start time in recent years, and in line with first post times the rest of the week. In announcing the change Wednesday, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club said it was made to provide fans, horsemen and women, and industry partners with a streamlined schedule. Del Mar's 2026 summer meet begins July 17 and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 7. Closing weekend–Sept. 5 through 7–will be the only deviation from the 2 p.m. post time, with races kicking off at 1:30 p.m. each day. The post Earlier Friday Post Times at Del Mar this Summer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 167th running of the King's Plate will be held Aug. 15 at Woodbine Racetrack, Woodbine Entertainment announced Wednesday. The first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the King's Plate is North America's oldest continuously run stakes race and will carry a purse of $1 million this year. Tickets for the King's Plate will go on sale Mar. 6. More event information, including ticket types, will be available at KingsPlate.com the week tickets go on sale. The post King’s Plate Set for August 15 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Following their eye-catching wins Feb. 14, Saudi Cup (G1) winner Forever Young and Risen Star Stakes (G2) winner Paladin moved up the leaderboard in their respective National Thoroughbred Racing Association rankings.View the full article