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Britain and Ireland are on course to benefit from additional World Pool meetings this year as part of an expanded fixture list, pending Hong Kong government approval.View the full article

The New York Racing Association reports multiple grade 1 winner Leo O'Brien—trainer of New York-bred millionaires Fourstardave, Fourstars Allstar, and Irish Linnet—died Jan. 8 at the age of 85 following a lengthy illness.View the full article

I think if you made races of 6 starters or less penalty free it woudnt make that much difference, 4 in the main race at Cambridge, nothing will change for the winner but the maiden trot in Nelson, would anyone of those win at Methven, Motukarara against 14 others, probably not, no one can manipulate the field size, itsI just one of those things that happens now and then, i don't know if there is a ratings rule but fillies and mares should only get half points for winning too if they are restricted to one sex, probably in reality you could also reduce the rating penalty to 3 points if there are 7 8 or 9 starters, even reduce the top rating to 80 and exempt any horse from a ratings drop for 4 starts after a penalty bearing win. Once upon a time there were 10 classes, no drop back, was it right that's subjective.

Trainer Leo O'Brien, a long-time New York fixture as well as father-in-law of rider John Velazquez, has passed away, according to a release from the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA). He was 85. Officials at NYRA penned a tribute to O'Brien. It appears here in its entirety: NYRA mourns the loss of the legendary Leo O'Brien–trainer of New York-bred millionaires Fourstardave, Fourstars Allstar and Irish Linnet–who passed away Thursday morning following a lengthy battle with Lewy Body Dementia, at the age of 85. O'Brien and his late wife, Joan, raised two children together, including their son, Keith, a longtime horseman, who worked with his father from 1997 until the elder O'Brien's retirement in 2022; and their daughter, Leona, who grew up in the sport, worked in the NYRA press box from 1992-95 and is married to Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. The Irish-born O'Brien, a native of Newcastle in County Dublin, rose to prominence in the United States as a steeplechase jockey from 1964-76. When his riding career was cut short due to injury, he returned to Ireland to begin training steeplechase horses with his brother Michael, also a former steeplechase jockey who became a trainer following a riding accident, earning Championship honors in 1980. “He came here from Ireland in 1964 to ride over jumps and fell in love with New York racing–he fell in love with New York, and, in time, he made it his home,” said Keith O'Brien. “He was a quiet man; a dignified man and he always gave his best. He gave everything he had to the game, and he got a lot back out of it. He loved horse racing, and he loved racing in New York. It was always very special to him.” Leo O'Brien returned to the U.S. in 1981 with a solitary horse, Sports Reporter, who captured the International Gold Cup Steeplechase Handicap that September at Ligonier and one month later finished sixth in the Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Handicap, at Belmont Park. “Sports Reporter was a hurdle horse in Ireland and not only did he win over jumps, but he also broke his maiden over the flat at Belmont Park one day,” O'Brien said. “I remember Allen Jerkens was furious, saying, 'the horse had won eight races over the jumps, how can he be a maiden!'” O'Brien would make his name on the flat with the illustrious multiple graded stakes-winner Fourstardave, who won at least one race at Saratoga Race Course each year from 1987 to 1994, earning him the nickname, 'The Sultan of Saratoga.' Richard Migliore was the regular rider for Fourstardave's last two seasons of racing and was aboard for his final score at Saratoga on July 24, 1994. “My last win on Fourstardave was my favorite. It was the last hurrah, the last go-around, and there was so much pressure that day to keep the streak alive and go out a winner at Saratoga,” Migliore said. “The horse ended up being much the best that day and I just had to keep him out of trouble. He was a special horse–how many horses will even race up there eight years in a row, let alone win eight years in a row.” Migliore credited O'Brien for giving him–and many other riders–not only a leg up, but for setting an example on the importance of family. “Leo was very good with everybody. If you were willing to work in the morning and get on horses, he was going to give you an opportunity,” Migliore said. “He had a real old-school way about him, but he rewarded hard work. “Family was everything to him and, to me, the measure of a man is his family,” Migliore added. “Leo and his wife, Joan, who passed before he did, were inseparable and their children are everything I would hope for in my children. They raised really good people.” Upon his passing, Fourstardave was laid to rest at Clare Court on the Saratoga backstretch and each summer NYRA runs the GI Fourstardave Stakes in his honor. “Dad was immensely proud of his New York-bred millionaires,” O'Brien said. “Fourstardave was extremely special because he came along at a time when he really needed him and he only had a small amount of horses. “Fourstardave was kind of obscure breeding, by Compliance and out of an unraced dam,” O'Brien added. “What he became was a source of immense pride to Dad. Just the fact that he came back year-after-year to win in Saratoga, he loved the horse and that he was able to do that for him. Presenting the Fourstardave trophy was always a high point of dad's summer. It was a huge thing for him.” While Fourstardave enjoys legend status in Saratoga, his full-brother Fourstars Allstar, would make history for O'Brien, becoming the first American-trained horse to win a European Classic by taking the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas in 1991 with future Hall of Famer Mike Smith at the helm. Keith O'Brien recalled that an overseas trip was no small task, made that much more special by the fact that Fourstars Allstar won a race at Belmont Park just one week before strutting his stuff at The Curragh. “Dad was telling me about this idea when Fourstars Allstar was a 2-year-old and had finished second to a very good horse [River Traffic] at Laurel,” recalled O'Brien. “He told me he was going to take the horse over to Ireland for the 2000 Guineas. I said, 'What are you talking about dad, are you crazy?' But he said to me, 'I think this horse is special, he might be able to do it.' I laughed, like a lot of people did, but he had a plan, and he trained him over the winter for it. “Fourstars Allstar ran a week before he was to go to Ireland and won a really good allowance race on the turf at Belmont and dad said, 'Now, I know he's ready,'” O'Brien continued. “Seven days later, he won the Irish 2000 Guineas.” Fourstars Allstar banked in excess of $1.5 million in a 14-win career that included scores on the New York circuit in the GII Bernard Baruch Handicap [1992, 1995], GIII Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap [1993], and GIII Fort Marcy Handicap [1995]. O'Brien and his son-in-law John Velazquez teamed up with a number of the venerable trainer's top horses, including the multiple graded stakes-winner Irish Linnet, who won 19-of-62 starts for purse earnings in excess of $1.2 million; and the supremely talented four-time Grade I winner Yanks Music, who captured 7-of-9 career starts topped by wins over future Hall of Famer Serena's Song in the GI Ruffian Handicap and GI Beldame in 1996. Yanks Music sustained an ankle injury training up to that year's Breeders' Cup Classic and was retired in January 1997. “Yanks Music was a spectacular horse,” O'Brien said. “She came from nowhere–her breeding didn't suggest she was going to be that kind of filly, and you wouldn't have looked twice at her being a little on the small side, but boy did she have an engine. She could run.” O'Brien said his father had a special gift that allowed him to connect to the equine athletes that he trained, a trait that carried him through a lengthy career in the sport he loved so well. “He was always very patient and liked to listen to the horses. He let them tell him when they were ready and what they were ready to do,” O'Brien said. “He wasn't afraid to run them. If they were sound and happy, he would run them. He loved going to the races and he loved running horses.” According to Equibase statistics, O'Brien posted a record of 6,477-568-677-691 for purse earnings in excess of $27 million over his storied career. In addition to his children Keith and Leona, he is survived by his grandchildren Lerina, Michael, Darby, Liam, Jacinta, Muireann and Jonjo. Funeral details are pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his name to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and/or the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy. The post Leo O’Brien, Trainer of Fourstardave, Dies at 85 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Shisospicy is set to begin her 2026 season in Saudi Arabia, competing in the 1351 Turf Sprint (G2T) on Saudi Cup (G1) night Feb. 14.View the full article

Fresh off a successful 2025 season, The Maryland Jockey Club rings in the New Year Jan. 9, the opening day of the Laurel Park winter meet. In 2025, there were 1,109 races over 119 live racing days at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course. View the full article

The Maryland Jockey Club (TMJC) kicks off its 2026 season with the opening of the Laurel Park Winter Meet on Friday following a successful 2025 ledger. Between Laurel and Pimlico Race Course, the TMJC staged 119 days of live racing comprising 1,109 races. Average per-race handle was $365,637, an increase of 14.29% over 2024. Average daily handle at Laurel and Pimlico was $3,407,493, representing a 13.49% gain over the previous 12 months. Field size was ahead marginally from 7.48 in 2024 to 7.65 last year. The handle for 'Preakness Preview Day on Apr. 19 was $5,537,002, nearly double the amount from 2024. The afternoon featured 'Win Today, See You In May' events, with the winners of the Federico Tesio Stakes and Weber City Miss Stakes earning automatic entry into the GI Preakness Stakes and GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, respectively. Jim McKay Maryland Million Day generated $5,707,200 in handle, up from $4,660,001 the prior year. The Winter Meet will take place on Fridays and Saturdays in January before adding a Sunday program in February and March. The highlight of the meet comes Saturday, Feb. 14, with a four-stakes program topped by the $200,000 General George Stakes and Barbara Fritchie Stakes. The post Laurel Park Winter Meet Opens On The Back of 2025 Handle Increase appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a sought-after Not This Time filly. 5.05 Dundalk, Mdn, 3yo, f, 8f (AWT) BLANC DE BLANC (Not This Time) makes her keenly-anticipated debut for Amo Racing and Robson De Aguiar, having cost $575,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Sale. The dam Wonderful (Galileo), who raced for Ballydoyle, is a full-sister to their Irish 2,000 Guineas and Breeders' Cup Turf hero Magician, from the excellent family of the star Sadler's Wells fillies Listen and Sequoyah. The post Amo Unveil Not This Time’s Blueblood Blanc De Blanc appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

FOX Sports led all entrants with two Media Eclipse wins–their first live television programming win ever–when the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form (DRF), and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) announced the winners of the 2025 Media Eclipse Awards in six categories on Jan. 8. Every entry must have been primarily published or aired for the first time between Nov. 16, 2024, and Nov. 14, 2025. Honorable mention in the multimedia category went to TDN's Katie Petrunyak for 'Breeders' Cup Breakthrough: For Kevin Attard, Moira's Win More Than A Milestone' and to Christina Bossinakis for 'Tenacious Emma-Jayne Wilson Poised For Next Comeback'. The 2025 Media Eclipse Award winners are as follows: Live Television Programming–FOX Sports, “The Belmont Stakes,” Michael Mulvihill, President–Insight & Analytics, June 7, 2025. This is a first Eclipse for FOX for its live broadcast of the 157th running of the GI Belmont Stakes from Saratoga. Feature Television–FOX Sports, “The Healing Ride,” Michael Mulvihill President–Insight & Analytics, June 7, 2025. The second TV Feature Award for FOX, following on from a Rachel Alexandra profile in 2019, “The Healing Ride” profiled the Mott racing family and the devastating loss of Margot Mott, daughter of trainer Riley Mott and his wife, Megan, and granddaughter to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Margot lost her battle to a form of brain cancer at age two in 2024. Writing–News/Enterprise–Natalie Voss, Paulick Report– “Doom Scroll: Thoroughbreds, Bail Pens, And Horse Traders,” December 2024. In her four-part series, “Doom Scroll: Thoroughbreds, Bail Pens, And Horse Traders,” which was published in the Paulick Report in December 2024, Natalie Voss provided an in-depth analysis on the methods, reactions and ramifications of bail pens, a new and growing economy in which horses, including many Thoroughbreds, are offered for sale to the public under the threat that they will be exported and rendered for meat if a steep “bail price” isn't paid. Writing–Feature/Commentary–Jay Privman, DRF.com and Daily Racing Form, “Lukas Morphed from Caustic to Avuncular,” June 29, 2025. The retired columnist recalled the dynamic career of the late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and his personal evolution during more than four decades as a vital force in Thoroughbred racing. The article first appeared on the Daily Racing Form's website DRF.com on June 29, the day following Lukas's passing. Photography–Skip Dickstein, “Unseated,” The Albany Times-Union and BloodHorse, Aug. 31, 2025. Dickstein his second Eclipse Award for Outstanding Photography for his image of an unseated Irad Ortiz Jr. taken after the start of the Aug. 31, 2025, Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Multimedia–Augusta Chapman and Stephen Dubner, Freakonomics Radio “The Horse is Us: Inside the Horse-Industrial Complex,” Oct. 31, 2025. examined the wide-ranging world of horse racing, and discussed the various facets of the industry through from the life of the jockey, to breeding, auction sales, and issues from artificial insemination to recent changes in U.S. immigration policy. The program, the second of the three-part series “The Horse is Us,” was produced by Augusta Chapman and hosted by Stephen Dubner. The program first aired last year on Oct. 31. Media Eclipse Award winners will be presented their trophies at the 55th Annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards Ceremony and Dinner at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 22. The post Fox Takes Home Pair of Media Eclipses; TDN Garners Two Honorable Mentions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Fourteen countries on five continents will host races from the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In as the international qualifier for the Breeders' Cup World Championships enters its 20th year in 2026. View the full article

Morplay Racing LLC's 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Shisospicy (Mitole), who beat the boys in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and is a finalist in no fewer than three Eclipse Award categories, will begin her 4-year-old campaign in the Middle East before following a similar course to the Breeders' Cup as in 2025. The news was revealed by Morplay's Rich Mendez and trainer Jose D'Angelo on FanDuel TV midday Thursday. D'Angelo is set to be represented for the second straight season in the G2 1351 Turf Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 14. Howard Wolowitz contested the same event in 2025, finishing 10th. All things equal, Shisospicy would press on to Dubai for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint over the straight 1200 meters at Meydan Racecourse Mar. 28. The Al Quoz is one of five elite-level events on the Dubai World Cup program and the D'Angelo stable could also be represented by GI Breeders' Cup Sprint hero and fellow Eclipse finalist Bentornato (Valiant Minister) in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. The back end of 2026 could look similar to 2025, according to connections. Mendez and D'Angelo indicated the filly could make a return to Kentucky Downs, where last year she took out the GII Music City Stakes en route to the Turf Sprint. As that is an age-restricted affair, Shisospicy has the GII Kentucky Turf Sprint Stakes against the boys over six furlongs or the GII Ladies' Turf Sprint at 6 1/2 panels as options. The 2026 Breeders' Cup will be held at Keeneland. “She had a huge year last year, beat the boys as a 3-year-old,” D'Angelo said on FanDuel TV. “The way she's training, I feel she can compete at this level.” Shisospicy is five-for-six on the grass, her only defeat coming when down the field in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last June. Following her victory at Del Mar, achieved in partnership with Qatar Racing, Shisospicy went through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, where Morplay bought out their partners on a bid of $5.2 million. The gray returned to the worktab in late December, most recently going three-eighths of a mile in a bullet :36.30 (1/11) at Palm Meadows on Dec. 31. Though clearly biased, Mendez is confident his filly could lock horns with the horse most consider the world's best turf sprinter, Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}). “The money makes a difference. For the competition, the better opportunity for her is out there, show the world,” Mendez said. “Some people say she wasn't fast, but I'd love to see a match race between her and Ka Ying Rising.” Shisospicy would depart for Riyadh on a direct flight departing Feb. 2. The post Morplay Reveals Shisospicy Plans For 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The first foal by the high-class sprinter Mill Stream was born at Yeomanstown Stud on Wednesday when the Dark Angel mare Silver Rose delivered a bay filly. Silver Rose, a full-sister to the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 hero Golden Goal, has already produced the Listed winner and Group 3 runner-up Eternal Elixir (Shaman). Stud manager David O'Callaghan said, “Delighted to have Mill Stream's first foal on the ground. She's a belter, a big, strong, bay filly, with good limbs.” Mill Stream, a Group 1 winner when landing the 2024 July Cup at Newmarket, covered 170 mares in his first season at Yeomanstown in 2025. He will stand the upcoming season at a fee of €10,000. The post First Foal by July Cup Winner Mill Stream Born at Yeomanstown Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Shisospicy is set to begin her 2026 season in Saudi Arabia, competing in the 1351 Turf Sprint (G2T) on Saudi Cup (G1) night Feb. 14.View the full article

The air is getting thinner now, as we explore those stallions standing between $30,000 and $59,999, but this penultimate instalment of our series does open access to genuine elite quality. Several in this range have a proven ability to sire horses who go on, in turn, to take a lucrative place at stud; and a number, within that group, have reached a stage in their careers where their fees have been cut temptingly within reach. Take MACLEAN'S MUSIC. Doubling his fee to $50,000 for 2022–after two sons contested the finish of the GI Woody Stephens the previous summer–looked reasonable enough when the resulting yearlings averaged $135,739 (median $100,000) in 2024. Things did not play out so well for his clients in the next cycle, however, with his latest crop sliding back to $97,264 and a particularly unhelpful median, throwing in keep and prep costs, of $65,000. But Maclean's Music has now taken his second cut since, to just $30,000, and that brings him right back into the realm of value as sire of four popular young sons at stud in Kentucky. Conserving a male line for Distorted Humor makes him eligible for somewhat historic stature, hardly reflected in a fee like this, and he has maintained numbers well with another 130 mares last spring. The reality is that GII Pat Day Mile winner Macho Music remains his solitary graded stakes scorer over the past two years, but hopefully his upgraded mares will be stopping that rot pretty soon. MUNNINGS has also put himself under a bit of pressure, owing his one graded stakes success in 2025 to a 6-year-old in a Grade III sprint at Aqueduct. But plenty of people will forgive a flat spot in one that spent the preceding five years as a fixture in the top 10 of the general sires' list. It did feel as though his reputation had been a little over-egged when exalted as a six-figure cover in 2023, but a third consecutive cut brings him steeply down to $45,000–a number that stacks up most agreeably against a $159,470 average ($120,000 median) for the 56 yearlings he has just sold, of 79 offered, from that crop conceived at $100,000. Sure, he has a lot of volume behind his 88 stakes winners, but they represent a rock-solid 6.5% percent clip of named foals and include Jack Christopher among half a dozen Grade I winners. Munnings | Coolmore VIOLENCE is another with heirs at stud, but could have done with more than three stakes winners in 2025, at a time when his book needs careful management. Those did at least include a 10-length winner of the GIII Sanford Stakes and one of the best juvenile prospects in the west, in Boyd, and he's still supplying the same genes that have so far produced 43 black-type scorers (5% of named foals) including five at Grade I level. Moreover the Medaglia d'Oro glamor of his stock remained evident at the sales, where 21 of 30 yearlings averaged $169,000 (albeit not even half that sum, by median). Having briefly touched $60,000 only a couple of years ago, he represents excellent value at half that fee, whether your agenda is oriented to the sales or the racetrack. It makes ample allowance for such fertility issues as have impeded the rise of Violence, and ensures that the breeder who adapts patiently to his needs can profit from a limited supply of goods that should remain reliably in demand. When he's good, Violence can be very good indeed, and few sires at this kind of money have so high a ceiling. His champion son FORTE renews a challenge we have repeatedly set during this series. If he was genuinely worth $50,000 as a blank page in 2024, he's presumably worth $35,000 as sire of 24 weanlings sold (of 28 offered) at an average $166,875 (median $157,500). ELITE POWER has made an identical slide despite faring better yet on his sales debut, processing 17 of 20 weanlings as $182,352/$170,000. But since they will presumably depreciate again this time next year, you can pounce just as they are about to show their wares on the racetrack. On the same basis, we'll certainly be leaving last year's rookies to stew in their commercial juice for the time being. Forte | Sarah Andrew The dividends available from sticking with a bubble sire can be sampled in MAXFIELD, who was trimmed to $35,000 for his third season, in 2024, but will stand at $50,000 this spring after his first juveniles put him behind only Yaupon on the freshman table. Though an emphatic Grade I winner at two himself, he won his other elite prize in the November of his third campaign, so his stock should continue to thrive. Just as well, mind, as this class is guilty of historic underachievement and Maxfield mustered a solitary stakes winner from his 60 starters. Whether he has done enough to merit a higher fee than his own sire is a question reserved for our Value Podium! In the preceding intake, TIZ THE LAW has by now put together a rather more substantial resume–crowned by his first Grade I winner only a few days ago–but we must raise an eyebrow that he should have been the busiest stallion in the land with 274 mares last spring. His latest yearlings cashed in on his strong start, 34 sold of 41 at $134,321 (median $90,000), but a fee returned to $40,000 (from $30,000) may give some pause to those who know that catalogues must soon be fairly inundated. In the meantime, as we keep saying, true believers will have got to him at $20,000 on the bubble and will have a coveted commodity to take to the upcoming yearling sales. Be all that as it may, there's no denying that seven graded stakes winners from 165 starters to date is a really auspicious foundation. Two Grade I winners for CITY OF LIGHT in 2025 consolidated rather than refreshed a reputation that has at times depended heavily on one of them, Fierceness, to sustain a fee that has now stabilized at $35,000 (having been cut from $60,000 for 2024). But his other elite scorer has at least shown that his stock will continue to flourish much as he did himself. Having become City of Light's second Grade I breakthrough late in his sophomore career, turf star Formidable Man was better than ever at four and saw off all but one of the Europeans at the Breeders' Cup. While there may yet be plenty of slow burners out there, for now City of Light must settle for less extravagant market expectations than when rewarded with a fee hike simply for selling his first yearlings so well. His latest crop retailed at $129,704/median $80,000. With our customary apologies to those overlooked in what is necessarily a highly subjective survey, we now turn to three stallions, at very different stages of his career, who should appeal strongly if happening to meet other, more fundamental criteria for your mare. VALUE PODIUM Bronze: LIAM'S MAP Unbridled's Song–Miss Macy Sue (Trippi) $50,000, Lane's End Here's a stallion in his absolute prime, now 15 and celebrating Grade I winners in 2025 from each of his last three crops onto the track, taking him up to seven overall. His security of tenure at this level is reflected by a hike from $40,000, but even that looks worth embracing when you consider how consistently he rewards his clients at the sales. The gray's latest crop of yearlings not only averaged $178,515 for 63 sold (of 84 offered) but also maintained a much narrower gap to the median, at $150,000, than many others we have reviewed in this category. Remarkably, the purchasers of Napoleon Solo had to give just $40,000 to an outstanding nursery for the runaway GI Champagne Stakes winner; whereas GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes scorer Burnham Square had been retained by his breeders; and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Deterministic, winner of consecutive Grade Is on the turf at Saratoga, was a $625,000 yearling. And that spread shows what you get with Liam's Map: a racehorse sire, whether for trainers or breed-to-race programs, but also a sire that can achieve dividends at the sales. With his son Beau Liam making a flying start, moreover, and juvenile star Brant suggesting that his daughters may also contribute to his legacy, Liam's Map is achieving a stature that makes look quite a center of gravity for the entire market. Of course, you also get half the genetic package being expensively purveyed by Not This Time! If overall his 31 stakes winners have come at a rather pedestrian 4.1% of named foals, his reliability at the sales means that Liam's Map–fully subscribed as usual last spring–is going to keep looking after an awful lot of breeders. Silver: GIRVIN Tale of Ekati–Catch the Moon (Malibu Moon) $30,000, Airdrie Bit of a no-brainer, this one. Having introduced himself with a series of startling talents, bred for no money in Florida, Girvin earned a passage to Kentucky in 2023. His first Bluegrass-breds will duly enter the starting gate only this year, and with unusual volume by the restrained standards of his exemplary farm: he covered 181 mares for 139 live foals, up from 53 in his final Ocala crop. Even those were sired at no more than $20,000, and paid their way impressively at the yearling sales: 82 sold of 93 offered at $120,719. If the mixed quality of his mares told in a median of $60,000, some supporters were celebrating home runs of $700,000, $535,000 and $500,000. Girvin -Airdrie-PRINT-EquiSport.jpg" alt="" width="1155" height="840" /> Girvin | Equi-Photo Meanwhile Dorth Vader is still thriving, last summer becoming the second Grade I winner from Girvin's debut crop; and likewise Damon's Mound, who won his latest graded stakes at the age of five. His final Florida crop, meanwhile, has put onto the Classic trail Dazzling Dame, who last week won the Busanda Stakes–already her third black-type prize–by a dozen lengths. Even as things stand, Girvin has 15 stakes winners from no more than 197 lifetime starters conceived at $7,500 and $6,000. A mild increase, from $25,000 to $30,000, acknowledges that this horse potentially stands on the brink of a giant leap forward. It feels like an imperative moment to jump into the slipstream. Gold: STREET SENSE Street Cry (Ire)–Bedazzle (Dixieland Band) $40,000, Darley Like a few others in this category, this is a stallion of proven prowess now seriously undervalued by a fee that must respond to somewhat porous commercial performance of late. Certainly a median of $80,000 for his latest yearlings was not a helpful dividend to those who had paid a $75,000 conception fee, albeit the shinier ones took his average to double that: $164,565 for 38 sold of 44 offered. But Street Sense has now taken a third consecutive cut to what would appear an absurdly generous level–if it weren't for the fact that his neighbor Hard Spun is offering pretty much the same resume at half as much again! Street Sense has actually accumulated his 96 stakes winners at an even better ratio of 6.8% of named foals, with his ninth Grade I scorer La Cara confirming a continued ability to get performers of elite caliber. In turning 22, along with Hard Spun, Street Sense must face the self-fulfilling prejudice against ageing sires. Medaglia d'Oro certainly had a good laugh at that, during his final season before retirement. But there's no question that anyone who can reach Street Sense's diminishing fee will be grateful to tap into a legacy that can produce the kind of dividends generally way beyond this kind of budget. Remember, we're talking about the sire of McKinzie, Maxfield, Speaker's Corner and First Mission. With time, moreover, it appears increasingly evident that he has inherited something of his father's exceptional influence as a broodmare sire: daughters of Street Sense produced 23 stakes winners in 2025, 11 at graded level including Mindframe (Constitution) and Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro). In other words, you certainly wouldn't mind retaining a filly. More commercial rivals may have to go about things in a different way. But one way or another, this farm's strategy for keeping older stallions in the game results in some tremendously sporting fees. We saw that with Medaglia d'Oro, some of whose former partners will doubtless now be dividing their favors between Street Sense and Hard Spun. Don't be surprised if they both enjoy an Indian summer of their own. The post Kentucky Value Sires For 2026: Part 5–Approaching the Snow-Line appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

On Wednesday's TDN Writers' Room podcast, Hill 'n' Dale Farm at Xalapa owner John Sikura challenged the Breeders' Cup to use some of their estimated $98.5 million endowment to shore up California racing and help to ensure its future. “I've always been a huge critic of the fact that the Breeders' Cup keeps $100 million of nominators' awards for a rainy day fund,” Sikura told hosts Bill Finley, Randy Moss, and Zoe Cadman. “In order to have a rainy day fund that needs a hundred million dollars, there will have to be a torrential flood of epic proportions. I might be a loner in the minority so far as my critique goes, but I don't believe the founders of the Breeders' Cup, in their original statement and in their original mission, believed it was necessary to put away $100 million. When you have current crippling issues in our business that are affecting the validity of breeding programs in states and, maybe even the existence of some markets, that money, in my strong opinion, should be put into use to help the Thoroughbred industry. And if there's a cause more important than the survival of California racing, I don't know what it is.” The Breeders' Cup responded that the endowment was managed by an investment committee, and that all decisions regarding the endowment were evaluated and approved by the board of directors. They said that as a non-profit whose mission is to conduct the Breeders' Cup World Championships with the highest levels of quality, safety and integrity and to promote the growth of Thoroughbred breeding, racing, and sales, they must exercise prudent fiscal stewardship while leveraging the endowment and related income to enhance the World Championships and advance their mission. On Thursday, Sikura responded as follows: “The Breeders' Cup's response to my critique only defended their management of the $98.5 million endowment,” he wrote. “That's typical of a non-responsive self-congratulatory group. The concerns raised and possible solutioins to the crisis (in California) were ignored and received no reply. John Gaines, the founder of the Breeders' Cup, often warned of `self-appointed guardians of the turf.' An apt descipton of the current state of affairs–a continuum of non-action and self-praise.” To watch the entire podcast featuring Sikura, click here. The post Sikura Responds to Breeders’ Cup Regarding Endowment appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Champion trainer Barry Purdon is adamant Meant To Be (pictured above) has the motor of a good open class trotter. But tonight’s $40,000 Trotters Flying Stakes (7.01pm) at Cambridge could be a little too soon to see that motor pay dividends. Meant To Be is a trotting rarity having looked like an open class horse even when winning as a two-year-old, an age when most young trotters are still trying to work out where their legs are supposed to go. After a luckless back end to his three-year-old season he has just turned four and Barry, who trains him with Scott Phelan, knows there is nowhere to hide. “He has to step up to open class at some stage and I have no doubt he is good enough,” Purdon says. “Whether he can win this week, first time against race fit, hardened open class trotters I am not sure but he will get there for sure.” Tonight Meant To Be is a victim of his own impressive record of nine wins from 16 starts as he comes into open class as a Rating 84 horse, so under tonight’s preferential draw conditions he starts from the outside of the front line. He will probably enjoy having some room to move early in his first start off the unruly but it is incredible to think the youngster is rated 14 points higher than Hillbilly Blues, who has won just one less race but the Group 1 National Trot at Alexandra Park last week. While Hillbilly Blues has raced only sparingly left-handed he has shown good gate speed and if he rolls to the front from barrier 3 tonight it is hard to see how Meant To Be, or any of his rivals, will catch him. Belle Neige, who has been a consistent improver and was huge in the National Trot, and the wonderful old statesman of New Zealand trotting Oscar Bonavena are the obvious dangers. Oscar Bonavena has won this race twice but has been beaten, usually with merit, in his last seven starts as he is finding it harder to give away the starts he often does with his usual sit-and-swoop racing style. If they burn early tonight Oscar could win and look stunning doing it but the days of him being sub $3 in most open class races, even one of as mixed quality as tonight, must surely be coming to an end. The early burn for positions could also determine tonight’s Pacers Flying Stakes (7.37pm) which only has four starters but may not be as straight forward as it looks. Akuta has barrier 3 and Merlin barrier 4 and the market suggests Akuta will use that advantage to lead, which would make it extremely hard for Merlin to beat him. But the two pacers drawn inside the favourites, Little Spike (1) and Jolimont (2) are Arna Donnelly stablemates and the Cambridge trainer is rarely scared to give her horses their chance in front, especially with aggressive reinsmen Andre Poutama and David Butcher aboard. If Akuta leads he should win but if the Donnelly stablemates fancy the lead-trail scenario that makes Akuta the horse who will have to come sit parked at some stage with Merlin almost certainly on his back, the latter then becoming the horse to beat. “It is going to be very interesting,” says Purdon, who also trains Merlin. “He can obviously win but so much is going to depend on what they all do early.” View the full article

Breeders' Cup has announced that 14 countries on five continents will host 'Win and You're In' qualifiers in 2026 as the Challenge Series enters its 20th year. A selection of the premier contests in Argentina, Canada, Chile, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Uruguay feature as part of the 2026 Challenge Series. The 45-race international schedule is available to view here, with the North American portion of the Challenge Series, including races in Canada, set to be announced in the spring when racing schedules have been finalised. In addition, Breeders' Cup has allocated a record $6.5 million in free entry fees to this year's 'Win and You're In' qualifiers, with all winners guaranteed a starting position in a corresponding race at the 43rd Breeders' Cup World Championships, which take place at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky on October 30-31. “Global participation is a cornerstone of the Breeders' Cup, and the Challenge Series remains the premier pathway for horsemen worldwide to secure automatic qualification for the World Championships,” said Dora Delgado, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Officer of Breeders' Cup Limited. “We are grateful to the racing authorities and partner organizations spanning five continents for their continued commitment, which is essential to the strength of the Challenge Series, and we anticipate another outstanding edition of the World Championships at Keeneland this fall.” Last year, 46 Challenge Series winners competed at the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar and three won their respective divisional races: Forever Young in the $7 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic; Notable Speech in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile; and Ted Noffey in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The 2026 Challenge Series launched in December last year, with Obataye winning an entry to the $5 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf through the G1 Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini Stakes in Argentina. On January 6, the international action continued with Herr Kitten securing a berth in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile via the G3 Gran Premio Pedro Pineyrua in Uruguay. Obataye and Herr Kitten, along with every other Challenge Series winner based outside of North America, will be offered a $40,000 travel allowance by Breeders' Cup. In order to receive the reward, each winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup programme by the pre-entry deadline of Monday, October 19. The post Fourteen Countries to Host ‘Win and You’re In’ Qualifiers for 2026 Breeders’ Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The already struggling racing and breeding industries in New Jersey were hit by potentially devastating news on Wednesday when it was reported that there are bills afloat in the state capital in Trenton that could eventually allow Monmouth Park to reduce its meet to 25 days a year. Is this the beginning of the end for one of the sport's most iconic and picturesque tracks? Not necessarily. (I'll get to that later). But it's hard not to be pessimistic about Monmouth's future. As with so many things that have become the real wheels that now make this sport churn, this is all about alternative sources of revenue from gaming. Monmouth is to the East Coast what Santa Anita is to the West Coast. The first casino opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey way back in 1978. Over the next 48 years, Monmouth, along with the Meadowlands, has fought the good fight. Those in charge have done everything imaginable to try to get casinos or at least slot machines to call their own or to get the Atlantic City casinos to do something to help the horse racing game. But the casinos have immense political power, particularly in the southern half of the state, and their many cronies won't budge. They have protected Atlantic City at all costs. Horse racing be damned. A band-aid was offered in 2019 when then-Governor Phil Murphy approved a $20 million package from the state to supplement purses. Half went to Monmouth and half went to the Standardbred industry. With that money, Monmouth was able to hold a 50-day meet, which didn't include nine extra days of all-turf Thoroughbred racing at the Meadowlands. By today's standards, the purses weren't anything special and the meet was way shorter than it needed to be. But, with the $10 million, Monmouth Park got by. But there have been strings attached. The purse subsidies were often guaranteed for only one year at a time and that left the Monmouth team to return each year to Trenton to all but beg for more help. The other problem is that on Jan. 20, Murphy will no longer be the governor. This is the day that new governor, Mikie Sherrill, will be sworn in. She seems like a reasonable person and, as a fellow Democrat, has never seemed to have issues with Murphy or anything that he has done. She has given no indication that she will be an Atlantic City sycophant. But no one has any idea how Sherrill feels about horse racing and its place in the future of her state. If Sherrill does continue with the purse subsidies, then Monmouth's future will be safe, at least in the short term. The other hope is that, finally, some form of casino gaming will come to the state's racetracks. Legislation that approved casinos in the New York City metropolitan area is now in effect and three casinos are set to open within the five boroughs. The timeline is anywhere from this spring to 2030. One will be at the site of Aqueduct, which will cease being a racetrack later this year and will become a full-fledged casino rather than a “racino” with limited gaming options. Jeff Gural, the owner of the Meadowlands, is as perceptive as they come and has a lot of friends in political circles. He has expressed optimism that, with the new New York casinos just a short drive from the New York-New Jersey borders, politicians in the Garden State will finally wake up and put a stop to the exodus of New Jersey casino gamblers heading to New York and Pennsylvania, contributing nothing to the state they live in. Picnics at Monmouth Park | Sarah Andrew Barring the unforeseen, Monmouth is not going to get a casino. It is too far away from New York City and too close to Atlantic City. But should the Meadowlands get a casino, the conventional wisdom is that it will be required to split the revenue with the Thoroughbred game. The Meadowlands sits in the middle of one of the most densely populated areas in the country, and a casino there would surely be among the most successful on the planet. There's that, but there's also the harsh reality of a possibly dire situation. Dennis Drazin, who heads the management team that runs the racetrack, has said that he does not want to cut dates but has to keep that option open if the purse subsidy goes away. “We have no intention of ever cutting days unless we're forced do so because we don't have revenue,” Drazin told the TDN. “If we don't have revenue, then our choice is do we close down the operation or do we go to the horsemen and ask them to reduce days?” The problem with his logic is that a 25-day meet will never work. The first blow would be to the state's breeding industry, which is already hanging on by a thread. With a guarantee of only 25 days of racing, no one is going to breed a horse in the state. The larger issue is that finding horsemen to stable and race at Monmouth with only 25 days of racing available to them will prove to be an impossibility. What trainer is going to come to Monmouth when there will be so many better options in the Mid-Atlantic region? All they have to do is look some 70 miles to the west at Parx, where there is year-round racing, fat purses and the state's breeding program is thriving. For someone who has lived most of his life within a short distance of Monmouth Park, I find this highly upsetting. It is where my father used to take me to the track almost every Saturday and taught me to love the sport. (You still had to wear a jacket and a tie to get into the clubhouse in those days). It was where I had my first “real job” as a horse racing journalist, covering what was then a robust Garden State-Monmouth- Meadowlands circuit for the Daily Racing Form. It is a beautiful place with an atmosphere not unlike that at Del Mar. It is nestled next to the Atlantic Ocean and an afternoon spent there on a beautiful summer day at the Jersey Shore is an afternoon spent in heaven. If you've ever been there, you know exactly what I mean. But times have dramatically changed, and the sport has lost way too many racetracks in recent years, and there are legitimate fears about the future of racing in California and Florida. Will Monmouth Park be the next to be given its last rites? I hope not. But I fear that it will. The post A Sobering Day For Monmouth Park: An Analysis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Unbeaten in five career starts, Juddmonte homebred Disco Time (Not This Time) will put his perfect record on the line in the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park Jan. 24. “At the moment, he's got a lot of unknown about him,” Juddmonte USA General Manager Garrett O'Rourke said. “He's coming off two impressive performances, he's unbeaten and he's by the hottest stallion out there. Those are all the positives. I suppose the negatives are, well, what has he beaten yet? He's out of a sprinter, does he want to go 1 1/8 miles? We're gonna find out if he's up to that level, we hope he is. At some stage or another, you've got to step up.” O'Rourke continued, “If we didn't have to give him so much time off, you'd like to have answered those questions last year, but that's just the way it happened.” After beginning his career with a pair of victories in the fall of his 2-year-old season at Churchill Downs, Disco Time aced his two-turn debut with a visually impressive, come-from-behind win in the GIII Lecomte S. going 1 1/16 miles in the slop at Fair Grounds last January. Bone bruising, however, subsequently knocked Disco Time off the 2025 Triple Crown trail. “He had a rough race when he won the Lecomte, but we were still moving forward,” O'Rourke said. “You get out a few weeks and you're planning on taking the next step and wondering, 'Which one do we go for?' But then he's not quite the same. Nothing major, but he's got bone bruising. At that stage, you've lost all hopes for the Triple Crown. It's just a bad time of the year for it to happen. He took a little bit longer and we had to give him extra time. When the horse came right, all of sudden (trainer) Brad (Cox) was like, 'Ok, he's turned the corner.'” Disco Time resurfaced with a dominating wire-to-wire tally in the St. Louis Derby at Fairmount Park Sept. 19, then put on a show versus three overmatched rivals in the Dwyer S. at Aqueduct Nov. 8, good for a career-high 107 Beyer Speed Figure. Disco Time has won his last two starts by a combined 15 1/4 lengths. He has been favored in all five of his career starts. Others pointing for the Pegasus include: Disco Time's stablemate and GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Tappan Street (Into Mischief); Pegasus defending winner White Abarrio (Race Day); GI Malibu S. winner Goal Oriented (Not This Time); 2024 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast); and Louisiana sensation Touchuponastar (Star Guitar). “He's got a lot of questions to answer, but we're sure looking forward to it,” O'Rourke said. Disco Time is one of 33 graded winners for leading young sire Not This Time. He was produced by the Jump Start mare Disco Chick, a four-time stakes winner of $735,250. She brought just $35,000 from RPM Thoroughbreds at the 2022 Keeneland November sale. The 15-year-old had a filly by Yaupon last year and was bred back to Justify. The post Pegasus World Cup Up Next for Unbeaten Disco Time appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Saturday and Sunday running at Kyoto Racecourse: Saturday, January 10, 2026 4th-KYO, ¥15,620,000 ($100k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m JUSTIN DALLAS (JPN) (c, 3, Gun Runner–Pink Sands, by Tapit) shaped with much promise on debut over this course and distance Oct. 5, finishing second to Pyromancer (Jpn) (Pyro), who would return to add the Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun to take the lead on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. The bay, who graduated by 1 1/4 lengths at odds of 1-10 Nov. 22, is out of a dual graded-stakes winning daughter of GISW Her Smile (Include) who fetched $2.3 million in foal to Into Mischief at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale. O-Masahiro Miki; B-EM Planning LLC; T-Haruki Sugiyama Sunday, January 11, 2026 2nd-KYO, ¥12,330,000 ($79k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m PETRICHOR (JPN) (f, 3, Justify–Nicest {Ire}, by American Pharoah) is the first foal to the races for her dam, third in the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes and G1 Irish Oaks for Coolmore and Donnacha O'Brien in 2021 before closing that season with a runner-up effort in the GI American Oaks when carrying the silks of Katsumi Yoshida. Irish Oaks victress Chiquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) is this filly's second dam, and her three winners also includes MGSW & G1SP Emily Dickinson (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Third dam Prudenzia (Ire) (Danehill) produced the globetrotting Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Petrichor debuts in the Sunday Racing colors on Sunday. O-Sunday Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Racing; T-Hiroyuki Uemura The post Gun Runner Colt Justin Dallas Goes For Two Straight at Kyoto appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It feels like just yesterday that the bloodstock world was lauding the record-breaking achievement of Mehmas in 2024, the year that he sired no fewer than 70 individual two-year-old winners in Europe, smashing the previous record tally of 61 which belonged to his neighbour at Tally-Ho Stud, Kodiac. Time waits for no one in this game, however, and so it is that we now head into the 2026 breeding season with three of those 70 having already found themselves a place at stud. They include Ballyhane's new recruit Magnum Force, winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, and G1 National Stakes scorer Scorthy Champ, whose arrival at Barton Stud marks its return as a stallion operation after two decades. Completing the trio of newcomers for Mehmas is Aesterius at Terry and Margaret Holdcroft's Bearstone Stud, an ever-present name in the business of standing stallions since the G3 Greenlands Stakes hero Puissance arrived at the Market Drayton farm back in 1991. He went on to be crowned the leading first-season sire in Britain in 1994, a feat which the Bearstone team later repeated with his son, Mind Games, in 2000, Firebreak in 2009 and Indesatchel in 2010. Certainly, if Aesterius is to emulate his sire and prove himself as a reliable producer of precocious juveniles, then he could hardly be in a better place to launch that career than 'the source of speed', as the Bearstone slogan goes. “All of our stallions have been sort of speed horses,” stud manager Mark Pennell says of a modus operandi which sees Aesterius joined at Bearstone by the former champion sprinter Dream Ahead and the Royal Ascot-winning juvenile Washington DC. “That is what we base our results on and every year we have around 60 winners off the stud, which proves that we're breeding good two-year-olds and fast two-year-olds. Hopefully, he [Aesterius] will do the same for us.” Aesterius himself compiled a race record at two that immediately marked him out as a high achiever, even among his sire's eight stakes-winning juveniles in Europe that year. In a seven-race campaign for Archie Watson and Wathnan Racing, Aesterius won four times over the minimum trip, as well as chasing home the subsequent Group 1 winner Big Mojo (Mohaather) in the G3 Molecomb Stakes. He followed that near miss at Goodwood with a first Group success in the G3 Prix d'Arenberg at Deauville, before turning the tables on Big Mojo, with Magnum Force back in third, when enjoying his career highlight in the G2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster. His first career triumph, meanwhile, by nearly three lengths in a Bath novice, came less than five weeks after his blockbuster performance at the Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze-up Sale, the first opportunity for him to showcase the raw talent that he will be tasked with trying to pass on to his progeny. “He went to the breeze-up sales and he was one of the top lots that year at £380,000, which was a good price,” Pennell recalls. “He'd obviously breezed well and had potential – and he proved that once he hit the track. “He was a great two-year-old. He won the Flying Childers, he was second in the Molecomb and he won the Group 3 in France, so he was very precocious and proved his worth.” He adds, “It [the Flying Childers] has produced some very good stallions over the years, the likes of Ardad and A'Ali, very speedy horses who turned out to be decent sires. There's a good chance that they're going to put that speed into their stock so, fingers crossed, that will work out once again.” Of course, in any mating the characteristics of the mare being covered are just as important, if not more, when it comes to what you might expect of the resulting foal. In this regard, you can rest assured that the Bearstone broodmare band will be doing their own bit to steer things in the desired direction. “He'll be getting some of our top-class, speedy mares,” Pennell reveals. “He'll be getting around 25 of our mares, all very speedy mares and some of our best mares. We'll be promoting him ourselves and hoping to get him off to a good start.” For any stallion that good start is essential, especially in the current climate where so many are written off before they've had the chance to prove themselves. Nor is there the luxury of resting on your laurels with an established sire such as Dream Ahead, who is responsible for four top-level winners in Europe, including Bearstone's homebred champion Glass Slippers, but has struggled to sustain the support he received in his first season at the farm in 2022. Washington DC, meanwhile, made the breakthrough as a Group 1 sire in 2025 when his American Affair won the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot, but he too has found himself lacking in outside support in recent years. “It's become very difficult and it's getting harder and harder,” Pennell says of the challenge of standing stallions as a small independent stud. “When I came into the industry, first-season sires were limited to 40 or 60 mares. Now, they're covering over 200. So, on a stud based in the Midlands like us, it's always been difficult, and it's getting harder and harder. You've got the proven sires who are going to soak up the majority of the mares, so you're just hoping that the smaller commercial breeders will push on and use the stallion [Aesterius] and get good results from him.” Compared to last year, when only three specifically Flat stallions – Bradsell, Isaac Shelby and Vandeek – joined the ranks in Britain, stallion masters can perhaps count themselves unlucky to be launching a sire in 2026 given the apparent abundance of fresh new options. Similarly spoilt for choice are the small breeders who rowed in behind Mehmas in the early days, even if his fee of €70,000 is no longer within their budget. Instead, they can get their fix from one of his eight stallion sons at stud in Europe, with the aforementioned trio being joined by Supremacy at Yeomanstown, Caturra at Overbury, Minzaal at Derrinstown, Persian Force at Tally-Ho and Lusail at Haras de Bouqetot. Too much of a good thing or the beginning of a dynasty for a stallion whose own first crop yielded 55 individual juvenile winners back in 2020? Only time will tell but, at £6,500, Pennell is confident that Aesterius offers exceptional value, whilst possessing all of the attributes required to follow in the footsteps of some of his predecessors at the stud as an immediate hit. “It certainly played a big part,” Pennell says of Mehmas' impressive record and the way in which that influenced the decision to bring Aesterius to Bearstone. “We were at the sales and [Wathnan's racing adviser] Richard Brown approached us and asked us if we'd be interested. We went over to see him and, as soon as we saw him, we knew he was the right article. He's a very classy-looking horse and a great walker. “Obviously, Mehmas has done amazing things and produced some really top-class horses. Aesterius is one of the most exciting of his produce, so it's nice to have some of that blood in England and we've set a competitive price with him for commercial breeders. “We feel that he's very good value for money. He's by the sire of the moment, and he's going to get some perfect mares for him from us, so he should have every chance of being a good first-season sire.” The post Bearstone Stud, ‘The Source Of Speed’, Bolstered by Arrival of Aesterius appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The studs participating in the 2026 edition of La Route des Etalons have been confirmed, with 21 farms set to open their doors on Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24. “These two days are both professional and one of the social events of the year,” read a press release issued by La Fédération des Eleveurs (French TBA). “We look forward to meeting you there on January 23-24. Thank you in advance to the studs, the visitors and our sponsors and partners.” The full list of studs welcoming visitors and stallions on parade is as follows: Haras d'Annebault (AFFAIRE SOLITAIRE – KUROSHIO – LACCARIO) Haras de Beaumont (ACE IMPACT – INTELLO – PUCHKINE – SEALIWAY) Haras du Biot (DALYAKAN – KNIGHT TO BEHOLD) Haras de Bonneval (EREVANN – SIYOUNI – VADENI – ZARAK) Haras de Bouquetot (AL HAKEEM – ARMOR – LUSAIL – WOODED – ZELZAL) Haras de Castillon (MARHABA YA SANAFI – ROMANISED – TEXAS – THUNDER MOON – TRIBALIST) Haras de Colleville (GALIWAY – GOKEN – KENDARGENT) Haras des Etincelles (GUENDALE'S STAR – INVINCIBLE ARMY) Haras d'Etreham (BEAUVATIER – CITY LIGHT – HELLO YOUMZAIN – METROPOLITAN – ONESTO – PERSIAN KING – VICTOR LUDORUM) Haras de Grandcamp (BIG ROCK – WHISTLEJACKET – ZAGREY) Haras de la Haie Neuve (ANODIN – BANDE – DESTINO – EBRO RIVER – LUCKY TEAM – MONTMARTRE – MOTAMARRIS – RUBIS VENDOME) Haras de la Hêtraie (BATHYRHON – FEED THE FLAME – GREAT PRETENDER – HEADMAN – INTERNAUTE – LEON DU BERLAIS – MARE AUSTRALIS – NIRVANA DU BERLAIS – RIOCORVO) Haras du Hoguenet (JIGME – MOISES HAS – MOTIVATOR) Haras de la Huderie (MYTHICO – RIVER TIBER) Karwin Farm (GOD BLESSING – GREY MAN – KEIAI NAUTIQUE – NERIUM – VAN BEETHOVEN) Haras du Mesnil (BAY BRIDGE – DOCTOR DINO – TELECASTER) Haras de Montaigu (BEAUMEC DE HOUELLE – FLINTSHIRE – NIETZSCHE HAS – NO RISK AT ALL – MUHAARAR) Haras de Montfort et Préaux – SUMBE (ANGEL BLEU – BELBEK – CHARYN – GOLDEN HORDE – MISHRIFF) Haras du Petit Tellier (THE GREY GATSBY) Haras du Taillis (CARLTON DU BERLAIS – DICAPRIO – GAMESTOP – MILITARY STYLE – SEABHAC) Haras de la Tuilerie (GOLIATH DU BERLAIS – LATROBE – MASKED MARVEL – PARADISO – WONDERFUL MOON – ZARAKEM) For more information, including the opening times of each farm, click here. The post Twenty-One Studs Sign Up for La Route des Etalons appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Irish Equine Reproduction Symposium takes place at Tinakilly Country House in Co. Wicklow later this month, featuring a dedicated programme for breeders on the morning of Wednesday, January 28. Held in association with ISER (International Symposium on Equine Reproduction) and the IEVA (Irish Equine Veterinary Association), the Breeder Programme will bring together leading international experts to deliver guidance on topics such as maximising first-cycle conception rates; foaling management and getting mares back in foal; using behaviour to support breeding success; innovations in parasite control; inbreeding, pregnancy loss and maternal effects on foal development; and placentitis in Ireland and current treatment strategies. The Breeder Programme also features a panel Q&A and a networking lunch with speakers and fellow breeders. It will be followed by the Veterinary Programme, which gets underway on the afternoon of Wednesday, January 28 and continues with a full day of presentations and panel discussions on Thursday, January 29. For full programme details and to get your tickets, visit the IEVA website. Tickets will be available to purchase until Tuesday, January 20. The post Programme Confirmed for the Irish Equine Reproduction Symposium appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lindsay Park is rarely without a cult horse in the stable and the gelding who has put up his hand as potentially the Hayes family’s next crowd favourite will chase a fourth-straight win this Saturday at Flemington. Touchdown (NZ) (Almanzor) is set to start odds-on favourite in the $130,000 Honouring Our Jockeys Plate, which is the second race on the card. It will be the first start at 2000m for the four-year-old, who has put together a hat-trick of wins on the Caulfield Heath track, and Will Hayes can understand the affection for the son of Almanzor. “A good name and a picket fence often gets you a cult following,” Hayes, who trains in partnership with brother Ben and JD, said. “He’s very well-liked by the punters and he’s an incredibly consistent galloper. “This preparation, you could mount a case that he should be unbeaten, so he’s very consistent and looks to be quite progressive.” Like Lindsay Park’s biggest cult horse of all, Mr Brightside, Touchdown started life in New Zealand, which is where he returned after failing to reach his $100,000 reserve when offered at the Sydney Easter Yearling Sale in 2023. A soft win in a 1000m trial at Taupo in November 2024 for Matamata trainer Glenn Old prompted a flurry of offers and it was clients of Lindsay Park who won out, with Touchdown taking up residence at its Euroa property early last year. Second in a 1400m Cranbourne maiden at the only start of his initial campaign, Touchdown broke his maiden first-up on September 14 before a luckless second placing at Ballarat, which preceded his past three wins. Although Touchdown has been in work since midway through last year, Hayes said he was holding together well and signs were positive ahead of this weekend’s benchmark 78 contest, in which he will carry 60kg. “He thrives at the property at Euroa, he’s a country boy, and he just gets out in the water walker and the day paddock,” he said. “He’s maintained a very long preparation and he’s still bucking his brands off.” Luke Currie, who was aboard for the first two Caulfield wins but surrendered the seat to claiming apprentice Jackson Radley last start, returns to the saddle this weekend with the pair to jump from barrier six in the field of 10. View the full article

The decision to bench Luke Ferraris from My Wish ahead of his tilt at the Group One Stewards’ Cup (1,600m) later this month is one that I cannot wrap my head around, but once again highlights the brutal reality riders can face in Hong Kong. Ferraris has been on board My Wish for 13 of his 15 starts, winning on him five times, including a poignant success in the Classic Mile to give himself and trainer Mark Newnham their first feature wins in the city. The pair teamed up for Group Three glory on...View the full article