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What will horse racing look like in 2036 from a horseplayer. I see TDN has had some of the major power brokers respond, most of whom didn't mention anything about the gamblers. Last I checked the racetrack ecosystem, maintenance/upkeep, improvements, purses, etc. are paid by takeout (which is a percent of handle bet, for the owners out there that I shockingly have found out a vast majority of don't know) and subsidies. I responded on my X account about the lack of horseplayer representation in this hypothetical racing question of the year 2036 and was pleasantly surprised when TDN responded asking me to send my prediction. Well, here I am to respond for good or bad. About me: Horse gambler since a young age, horse owner in the last 10 years, and I won't mention my ownership accolades (you wouldn't believe me and they are driven by people smarter than me when it comes to picking out equine talent). The gambling side, however, I will comment on. I won't sit here and tell you how much I lost as a kid (good thing my bankroll was much smaller then), but I will say I have evolved into a sharp player (both in contests and live bankroll). It took time, hard lessons, being a sponge of reading and constantly educating myself and changing how, and more importantly when, I play. I have taken down the two largest Pick 6s ever paid at the Spa in the last few years for a combined $1.3 million and 90% of my wagering takes place in California. The other 10% goes to Pick 5 and Pick 6 carryovers wherever they are. While my handle hasn't decreased, my selectivity has. I bet more on certain days and nothing on the other 24 or so days each month–and the large players I speak to are doing the same or leaving. So here is my prediction for 2036– two actually: one from the Grinch (my brain) and one from Santa (my heart, as I have met too many friends that are employed by the greatest gambling game on the planet): 1. Nothing changes for the next 10 years, all participants remain greedy (except the retail gamblers) and take the slow kill. Nobody (states/tracks) talks to anyone because the bottom line and the next quarter is all that matters. Zero forward thinking. Retail gamblers on racing go away in the U.S. as they are completely ignored and priced out from large takeouts and other things to make wagers on. The large retail bettors that probably make up 50% of the retail wagering start telling the smaller ones, “If I can't survive on rebates of being a 'high roller,' you have no shot.” These large retail players ($10M annually) move their handle to Europe/Hong Kong/Japan as the World Pool sees the weakness in the U.S. market and the opportunity to capture market share. Large retail players want a challenge –and a fair game–and they learn the nuances of international racing. The CAWs will not eat each other but rather move on to the next money making advantage game. They were well ahead of us retail players but the word got out about them (I'd say to the racetracks' demise), but if CAWs can't see last-second action (they are looking for ineffiencies in pools and churn millions with large rebates), they lose their edge and leave. Handle goes down 40% (sorry, I am just guessing because no track shows CAW handle. Maybe it is 80%. Why is it that no track breaks out retail vs CAW play? Perhaps it would scare the industry to death is why?). So handle plummets–remember what handle drives right? The industry gets weaker. Jobs are lost. Tracks close. People wish the foal crop was what it was in 2026. Government ends slot subsidies. It goes to things deemed more 'worthy' like education/seniors. HHR (Historical Horse Racing (slots based on prior races run) is no longer. There are new games like HNFL (Historical NFL slots that revenue goes to the NFL that pay out better). Parx has slot welfare, but whoops, when they signed that deal it didn't include revenue from mobile phone wagering which has grown significantly over the years. Tech changes. Prediction markets are next and they are not going to violate the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978 (I'm serious, the Act is from 1978). There are 20 trainers and six tracks. Finally, racing continues to ignore their core customer–the retail gambler. (Fans are great, but they don't all bet and they show up a few times a year to spend some money on tickets, food and beverage, and some mementos.) If you can't exist without subsidies you won't exist. Socialism, that is what that is, and socialism is 0 for pick a number. – The Grinch 2. It is 2036. Horses, aftercare, and racing's overall product have never been better. Ten years ago, industry stakeholders realized they were slowly ruining a great game and they all agreed to take a financial hit to better the product and ensure its survival. They formed an allegiance in 2026 as they knew if they went after each other instead of working together, the end of U.S. racing was imminent. Tracks that were owned by people or entities not interested in racing, but for casinos/condos/etc. were forced to sell to those that were, by government mandate, as it would cripple jobs and the 'agriculture industry.' Those that refused learned what Eminent Domain means. The government comes in and takes your property. They earmark it a state park that can never be built on except for racing's best interest. The tracks are not just for racing. It is space for other forms of non-gambling entertainment. The industry understood the threats to the parimutuel pool established in 1867. They brought in new customers through the World Pool. Anywhere in the world a person could bet a U.S. track –in return U.S. citizens could bet into other countries' tracks but it would all be commingled (large pool, higher liquidity). Fixed odds are everywhere and there is no max bet. If you want to be in this game to take bets, you don't get to take off risk. Learn to hedge. Tracks/ADWs worked with prediction markets in 2026 and signed deals. Retail gamblers have multiple options now. Handle thrives and with that purses, foal crops and field sizes as well. You can cross-bet every sport (including racing) with parlays. When a race is over, the results are immediate, as are the photos pending it official. Jockeys are required to give 15 second interviews of their race. Races are never run on top of each other. There are stall limits. The cost of betting a race (takeout) has decreased significantly as the game grew the prior 10 years. And all of us retail gamblers laugh about when tracks would advertise 'retail- friendly wagers' a decade ago. – Santa The post Racing in 2036: Horseplayer Mark Stanton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A rundown of the adjusted post-Christmas weekend of horse racing coverage on TV, streaming, and radio.View the full article

The first decoupling salvo of Florida's 2026 legislative session that could lead to Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs being able to cease live racing while retaining their gaming rights was fired Tuesday morning when Rep. Adam Anderson submitted a bill that shares similarities to a controversial initiative he backed in 2025 that cleared the House and one committee in the Senate. Like the 2025 attempt, the bill that will be in play when the new legislative session begins Jan. 13 would allow either of Florida's two Thoroughbred tracks to give notice of racing suspension as of July 1, 2027, and racing would be required to continue for at least three years after that notice of intent got filed. “Nothing like right before Christmas to drop a bill,” Lonny Powell, the chief executive officer of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA), told TDN Dec. 23 about 90 minutes after the bill got filed. “A little bit of Scrooge showing up in the Christmas sleigh, but the Scrooge hasn't made it crash or go off course yet.” New to the changes proposed in HB 881 is language that would amend an existing pari-mutuel licensure law regarding to the leasing of facilities so it includes the ability “to lease any and all of the facilities of any other holder of a valid pari-mutuel permit or a Thoroughbred training center holding a valid license issued by the commission, when located within a 50-mile radius of each other; and such lessee is entitled to a permit and license to conduct intertrack wagering and operate its race meet or jai alai games at the leased premises.” Decoupling has been a major concern in Florida for the better part of two decades. But it wasn't until this past January when the issue of Gulfstream seeking legislation to potentially allow it to end Thoroughbred racing became a red-alert threat on the national level. On the day that 2025 bill came up for its first hearing, Tampa management lobbied for an amendment that got that track added to the legislation. This past spring, three decoupling-related bills ended up being active, but none got passed into law to remove the live racing stipulations for Gulfstream and Tampa to operate their respective casino and card room. Additionally, Gov. Ron DeSantis told horsemen this past spring that he would be against decoupling at Gulfstream and Tampa if such legislation cleared both chambers of the legislature, although he stopped short of actually saying he would veto it. “You can count on me as one that is not going to look favorably on legislation that is going to decimate any of our signature industries,” DeSantis told horsemen during a surprise Apr. 17 visit to the OBS 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale. Yet DeSantis was the governor responsible for signing the 2021 legislation that decoupled every other form of pari-mutuel betting from gaming in Florida, which is part of the reason why Gulfstream and Tampa continue to seek the same decoupling permissions that the Standardbred, greyhound and jai alai licensees got. Powell, who in his position with the FTBOA has spearheaded efforts over the past decade and a half to keep Thoroughbred decoupling from becoming a reality, gave TDN his take on the just-introduced bill. “We've known all along the way that there was an expectation that something like [the 2025 decoupling efforts] could definitely be dropped [for the 2026] session in the House, and we were prepared for that, to double down on that. Now we know for sure what's going to be in the bill. It's got multi tentacles to it. These bills can get amended. They can get withdrawn, as we've seen. They can have anything else happen to them. But we certainly didn't rule out something like that [bill] appearing in the House. “Also, looking at the landscape, none of the key players have changed from one session to the next. It's kind of a mirror-image session. We would work hard to dissipate the same type of results before it's all said and done, and we still have to look at it a little more closely. “There are so many nuances in Florida law and regulation that I can't give out a whole evaluation on it. But in terms of the overall theme of a decoupling bill, we're ready for it. And one thing about the horse side of it is we're all jelled on it not being a good thing,” Powell said. Asked what stood out as new to him in this bill, Powell said that, “It looks like it could have some impact on what is a 'permit' and what is not a 'permit.' Also, just in general, the amount of notice that a racetrack needs to give to decouple, on initial review, seems extremely, frighteningly short, which would prevent anybody from really meaningfully getting ready for a transition. “Again, it needs more review. Just on cursory review, I'm sure it's going to have some quirks in it that just generally aren't good for the Thoroughbred industry. But nor was last year's version,” Powell said. Asked about the new language involving a racing license transfer to a training facility, Powell said he doesn't see at first reading how that could be beneficial to Thoroughbred interests. “If you think about it, whatever training center that would be, it would be a training center without any revenue for purses,” Powell said. “Because if you wanted to get gaming, you would have to go to the vote of the people, because the no-casinos law, you can't just get rid of laws of the people from a ballot initiative. I can't visualize how that plays as we now speak. “So if it was something like the Palm Meadows facility, you have all of the local constraints, including a long-term agreement that was signed that it wouldn't be a [pari-mutuel] track when it was established,” Powell said. “I don't see the easy links there, but again, I'd have to study it.” The post Florida Decoupling Bill Filed For 2026 Legislative Session appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Silver Prince (Cairo Prince), a late-charging runner-up behind 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' D'Code (Speightstown) in his six-furlong debut at Oaklawn Park Dec. 14, is being offered in a Fasig-Tipton Digital Flash Sale. The auction opened Tuesday and will close at 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 29. Silver Prince, consigned by trainer Ron Moquett, earned a 80 Beyer for his debut effort for Randy Finegan and James Walderns. Finegan purchased the 2-year-old colt for $30,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. Bred by Brereton Jones, the gray is from a top Airdrie family, being out of the graded stakes-winning Harlan's Holiday mare Silver Reunion, already the dam of eight winners, including four stakes runners, led by GII Lake Placid Stakes winner Speaktomeofsummer (Summer Front). Silver Reunion also produced the dam of current Grade I winning millionaire Antiquarian (Preservationist) and current graded stakes winner Fondly (Upstart). “There have been a lot of rumblings from the 'wise guys' about Silver Prince after his debut,” said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales. “This is a very interesting horse going forward and we are happy to be able to offer him for the connections.” Click here to create an account or register to bid for the Silver Prince Flash Sale. D'CODE wins easy in R4 at Oaklawn Park, giving @cristiantorr64 another win on today's card! Ray Ashford Jr. trains. #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/LEeugpIDoE — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) December 14, 2025 The post Silver Prince Offered In Fasig-Tipton Digital Flash Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association has entered into an exclusive partnership with Florida Coast Equipment which will make Kubota the exclusive tractor, mower, utility vehicle and construction equipment sponsor of the Florida Thoroughbred industry, starting in 2026. The Florida Coast Equipment name will now be prominently displayed throughout the FTBOA headquarters, events and communications, including an advertising package on FTBOA.com, Wire to Wire, and the The Florida Horse Farm and Services Directory. The post FTBOA, Florida Coast Equipment Enter Partnership appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The UK Government proposals to tax inherited farmland thresholds have been increased from £1 million to £2.5 million, the BBC reported on Tuesday. Concerned farmers have pushed back on the initial proposal since it was announced over a year ago. Originally, UK ministers indicated they would begin imposing a 20% tax on inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1 million. Formerly, there had been 100% tax relief in place since the 1980s. Environment secretary Emma Reynolds said, “We have listened closely to farmers across the country and we are making changes today to protect more ordinary family farms. “It's only right that larger estates contribute more, while we back the farms and trading businesses that are the backbone of Britain's rural communities.” The post UK Government Increases Inheritance Tax Threshold Proposals To £2.5 Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Conrad Bandoroff, Dr. Kristina Eisaman, Carly Schuerger, Sophie Shore and Whitney Verbal have been added to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Next Generation Advisory Group. Formed in 2024, the group provides HISA's executive team and Standing Committees with formal feedback on the evolution of its Racetrack Safety Program and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The new members succeed outgoing Next Generation Advisory Group members Waqas Ahmed, Marc Broady, Jeff Matty, Katie Miranda, and Tyler Peeples. A complete list of the group's 20 members–representing a wide variety of viewpoints from across the racing industry–can be viewed here. The post New Members Added to HISA Next Generation Advisory Group appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

This raft of stallions at the lowest range of the price scale is every bit as important as those at the top. For a start, if we look at Royal Ascot alone in 2025, we find the names Massaat and Washington DC alongside those of two of the week's Group 1 winners. Then there was Rajasinghe, whose offspring made their presence felt in two of the season's most prestigious sprint handicaps. Breeders with mares rated 70 or above could have used Rajasinghe for free this year, such was the desire for owner Phil Cunningham to give one last push for his Coventry Stakes winner to prove himself. Rajasinghe is back at £3,000 this year and he should have more bookings after the exploits of Stewards' Cup winner Two Tribes and Ayr Gold Cup winner Run Boy Run. Together, they have netted Cunningham more than £550,000 in prize-money. Massaat has never stood for more than £5,000 at Mickley Stud, where he is advertised at £3,500 again for 2026. The globetrotter Docklands put his names in lights this year, while American Affair did the same for Massaat's Shropshire neighbour Washington DC at Bearstone Stud, who stands for the same sum. This final part of the Value Sires series deals with the stallions standing for below £7,500 (approximately €8,500), a group which includes some notable names with their own ardent followers. Dealing with a couple of venerable veterans first, Holy Roman Emperor will be 22 in 2026, while Bated Breath turns 19. At €5,000 for Holy Roman Emperor, a stallion with proven Group 1 credentials, and £5,000 for Bated Breath, about whom similar comments apply, they both seem like steadfast options for smaller breeders either side of the Irish Sea, especially for young, unproven mares. The same goes for Washington DC's stud-mate Dream Ahead, who is rising 18 and has four Group 1 winners to his credit. He too is at his lowest-ever fee of £5,500. Rathasker's Bungle Inthejungle has already sired a Group 1 winner in Nunthorpe Stakes heroine Winter Power and her two-year-old full-sister Revival Power sprinted her way into the notebook this autumn as the winner of the G2 Flying Childers Stakes. She was one of two standouts for Bungle Inthejungle this season along with JM Jungle, who had some good horses behind him when winning the G2 King George Stakes at Goodwood, including Cartier Sprinter of the Year, Asfoora. 'Bungle' started off at €5,000, went up to €12,000 for a couple of seasons, and has now settled somewhere in the middle at €7,500. The race is now on to find a son of Wootton Bassett who can live up to his father's impressive achievements. Another five have joined the ranks this year but one with a Group 1 winner already next to his name is Haras de Bouquetot's Wooded, sire of the Prix Jean Prat winner Woodshauna from his first crop. Wooded, who won the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye in 2020, also had the runner-up in that same race this year in the Czech-trained Jawwal. At €7,000, Wooded is now standing for just less than half his opening fee of €15,000. There were four second-crop sires to be represented by four black-type winners in 2025 and, along with Ghaiyyath, Persian King and Pinatubo sits King Of Change, who is comfortably in this bracket at €5,000 at Starfield Stud. If you like the idea of Farhh – and who doesn't? – then we should all be hoping that the subfertile Darley stallion, whose private fee we estimate to be around £20,000 at Dalham Hall Stud, will have a son good enough to make amends. King Of Change has made an encouraging start, and here's hoping for a Group winner next year to add to his Listed quartet. His foals on the ground this year represent his biggest crop from 131 coverings in 2024, but he dropped back to around just over 50 mares this year. Smaller numbers haven't stopped him so far. He is not the only Group 1-winning miler by Farhh to be at stud in Europe as Tribalist joins the newly launched Haras de Castillon stallion operation and will doubtless receive some decent backing from French breeders as he was a classy and durable runner from an excellent family. He is starting out at €6,000, a price which seems immensely fair for a horse who won six Group and two Listed races in addition to his G1 Prix du Moulin victory over Charyn, Henry Longfellow and Notable Speech. For breeders either in Germany or keen to send a mare there, it is worth keeping Isfahan on your list. For a start he was a Classic winner himself, and he produced his own Deutsches Derby winner, Sisfahan, in his first crop. Plus, in these days of dwindling genetic options, it is good still to find the odd stallion tracing back to Mill Reef now that Sir Percy has retired and Reliable Man has remained in New Zealand. The imposing Isfahan, who remains at €7,500 at Gestut Ohlerweiherhof, was represented this year by the Group 3 winner Nyra, who was also third in the G1 Preis der Diana, and was sold earlier this month at Arqana for €875,000 to the US-based Scott Heider. First runners in 2026 Among those in this tier with debutants on the track next year are Overbury Stud's Caturra, who covered 102 mares in his debut season at £6,500 and has stood at £5,000 since then. Forty-three of those first-crop yearlings were sold, from 53 offered, for an average of 20,860gns. There has been a similar shift in price for Space Traveller, who stood his first year at Ballyhane Stud for €6,500 and covered 170 mares. He subsequently moved to Starfield Stud, where he is now at his lowest fee of €5,000. For 64 yearlings sold from 92 offered he returned an average of €21,219. Thunder Moon, a son of the late Zoffany and winner of the G1 National Stakes in 2020, has shuffled from Haras de Bouquetot, where he started off with a book of 88 mares, to Haras de Castillon, where he is now €5,000. First yearlings to come Owners of the 167 mares who visited Erevann in 2024 will be hoping that this son of Dubawi out of Siyouni's first Classic winner Ervedya, can follow the impressive example of fellow Dubawi sire Zarak at the Aga Khan Studs. He's a horse with a lot of quality who appears to be throwing youngsters in his mould, judging by the positive reception given to his foals in recent months. Placed at Group 1 level when finishing only half a length behind Inspiral in the Prix Jacques Le Marois, Erevann won the G2 Prix Wildenstein after that and has remained a reasonable and well supported €8,000 at Haras de Bonneval. We have an unapologetically French feel to this particular section as we flag up Bay Bridge, from the same sire-line as Erevann as a son of New Bay. Another powerful and good-looking horse, he won the G1 Champion Stakes in the colours of his breeder James Wigan, who raced him in partnership with Ballylinch Stud. With the latter already standing New Bay and his son Bayside Boy, the decision was taken to stand Bay Bridge at Haras du Mesnil, a base which gives him an excellent chance of success. Not only does the Devin family strongly support their home stallions with their own decent broodmare band but they have a loyal following of French breeders who have helped the likes of Doctor Dino and Turgeon to thrive over the years. Bay Bridge covered 102 mares in his first season, and doubtless some of them will have been of the National Hunt persuasion. HIs sole representative at Arqana earlier this month, a colt from the family of top sprinter Sole Power, was sold for €92,000 to Mandore International Agency. Bay Bridge is down slightly to €5,000 in 2026 (from €6,000). Sumbe's homebred Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Belbek is also at €5,000, having started out at €7,000 in 2024. By Showcasing, he is out of the Makfi mare Bee Queen, herself a granddaughter of the brilliant Banks Hill. He has covered 64 and 47 mares in his first two seasons, but we've seen stallions prosper from less auspicious starts from that and it will be no surprise to see him popping up with some earlyish juvenile winners in France. This could also be true of Angel Bleu, who stands alongside him at €6,000 in 2026, down from €9,000 two years ago. By Dark Angel out of a full-sister to Highland Reel, he was a smart two-year-old himself, winning the G2 Vintage Stakes, G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Criterium International back to back, along with the G2 Celebration Mile at four. Culworth Grounds Farm will be hoping that lightning can strike twice when it comes to sons of Havana Gold. After the success of Whitsbury Manor Stud's Havana Grey, Sophie Buckley recruited the Whitsbury Manor-bred El Caballo to stand as her first stallion. The winner of the G2 Sandy Lane Stakes, he has had a decent level of support, covering 90 then 102 mares, from €6,000 in his first year, then €5,000, with a drop to €4,000 planned for 2026. Second covering season There is only one son of champion sire Night Of Thunder at stud so far. That will surely change, but Isaac Shelby was the first, retiring to Newsells Park Stud in 2025 at £7,000, and there he remains for the new year after covering 96 mares. The hardy Go Bears Go, who won the G2 Railway Stakes and is a member of the same family as Benbatl, who has made a positive start with his first runners in Japan, joined Oak Lodge Stud in 2025. From €8,000, the son of Kodi Bear is now at €6,000 for 2026 having covered 87 mares in his first book. Sakheer was a new arrival at Ballyhane Stud in 2025, and he has now been joined there by the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Magnum Force. The G2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Sakheer, by Zoffany, who covered 120 mares this year, is down slightly to €5,500 (from €6,500) while Magnum Force, who is one of nine top-level winners by Mehmas, is being launched at €7,500. New for 2026 What we do know about stallions in their first year at stud is that they are invariably more popular than they will be in the ensuing three years at least. Assessing which of these offer value to breeders is nigh on impossible until we start to see how well their offspring are received at the sales and, far more importantly, how well they race. We've already mentioned Tribalist and Magnum Force above, and they are joined by a numerically strong intake for 2026. That pair, along with these names below, are standing at an accessible level for smaller breeders and one of them could even end up being the next Wootton Bassett or Havana Grey. The question is: which one will it be? Jaber Abdullah's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi led to a relocation for his sire Muhaarar, who had left Shadwell to join Haras des Faunes in the south-west of France but was then brought to Normandy, first to Haras de Petit Tellier, and now Haras de Montaigu. Marhaba Ya Sanafi is himself one of six stallions at Haras de Castillon, where he is advertised at €6,000. He has never quite recaptured the signature success of his Classic win, but he's a hardy so-and-so, who has reaped further wins at Group 3 and Listed level and has been placed umpteen times in his 25 starts. Also new to France is Beauvatier, by Lope De Vega, whose six wins include the G2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket, while he has multiple placings at Group 1 level. He joins the Etreham roster at €7,000. Topgear is the fifth son of Wootton Bassett to retire to stud in Europe this year, and his race record bears marked similarity to that of Beauvatier as he also won the Challenge Stakes along with three Group 3s in France. He has been introduced at Capital Stud at a fee of €7,500. In Britain, the newcomers at this level include Royal Scotsman, who marks a new chapter in the history of Genesis Green Stud. The G1 Richmond Stakes winner and G1 Dewhurst runner-up is, as his name suggests, by Gleneagles, and starts off at £6,000. The G2 Flying Childers Stakes winner Aesterius, by Mehmas, joins the aforementioned Washington DC and Dream Ahead on the roster at Bearstone Stud for an introductory £6,500. Value Sires Podium GOLD Rajasinghe, National Stud, £3,000 You could have used him for free last year but this is still great value for a stallion who, from limited means, has proved he can get a hard-knocking racehorse. SILVER King Of Change, Starfield Stud, €5,000 Yes, we'd like to see some Group winners filtering through next year but 40 per cent winners to runners and 13.33 per cent black-type winners to runners in 2025 is not to be sniffed at for a stallion at this price. BRONZE Erevann, Haras de Bonneval, €8,000 It is risky to back a stallion before he has had runners but Erevann has plenty going for him and this may well look a good deal in the years to come. The post Value Sires 2026 Part IV: Bargains To Be Found appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Caspar Fownes snatched the lead back in the trainers’ championship with a double at Happy Valley as Maxime Guyon and Me Tsui Yu-sak continued their hot form with braces of their own on Tuesday night. Tied on 25 wins with Mark Newnham but trailing the Australian on seconds before Tuesday night, Fownes took the outright lead when he teamed up with stable apprentice Ellis Wong Chi-wang to strike with Sugar Sugar and Kaholo Angel. The latter sealed Fownes’ brace in dramatic style, sharing the...View the full article

The Thoroughbred Racing Initiative, in conjunction with the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, has released results of a feasibility study seeking to identify lasting solutions for Florida racing. “No successful project's planning begins without a feasibility study,” said TRI Vice President Jon Green, the study's point person. “We appreciate that people want to hear, 'This is what we're going to do to.' But we can't get there without starting here with clear-eyed research by independent experts identifying locations for discussion and various economic models with cost analysis and pros and cons based on a myriad of factors. That's what we're excited to announce today, the framework that allows us to concentrate our focus as we start meeting with industry stakeholders, lawmakers, civic leaders and, obviously, the current property ownership of potential sites. We promised the Florida legislature we didn't want to just defeat decoupling, but that we'd bring viable solutions to enable the industry and its role as an economic and tourism engine to thrive in the decades to come for the benefit of all Floridians.” The study, produced by Crossroads Consulting Services of St. Petersburg, Florida, in conjunction with the architectural design firm Populous, reviewed possible long-term racing sites in the state, as well as ownership and operating models. Among the sites studied were Gulfstream Park, Hialeah Park–both as a year-round site and as a winter ship-in option, Tampa Bay Downs, as well as a hypothetical new racing operation. The study provided preliminary budgets to upgrade each facility with a baseline requirement of a one-mile dirt track, seven-furlong turf course with movable rail, 3,000-capacity grandstand and apron, large infield board, receiving and test barns, veterinary and claiming facilities, about 1,400 stalls and necessary backstretch support and parking. Gulfstream Park was found to meet or exceed those criteria, while upgrading Hialeah for year-round racing had a preliminary budget of $89.95 million and for a winter ship-in option of $50.65 million. Upgrades at Tampa Bay Downs had a preliminary budget of $44.40 million, while a new site had an estimated budget of $194.80 million, not including land acquisition costs. The ownership and operating models studied included non-profit racing association, such as Keeneland and Del Mar, which would be governed by industry stakeholders and independent directors, with all net revenues reinvested into purses, incentives and facilities; public benefit corporation or state-charted quasi-public authority, such as the New York Racing Association, that would manage racing as a public good, balancing accountability and transparency with direct access to appropriations and potential bonding authority; horsemen's cooperative or FHBPA/Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA)-led entity with ownership and governance resting with horsemen and breeders through a cooperative framework; and strategic partnership with a major racing or gaming operator under a management or joint-venture agreement, leveraging national expertise, capital and customer reach while retaining local representation in governance. “The stakes are too high not to do our due diligence,” said TRI Senior Advisor Damon Thayer. “We now have analysis to best evaluate strategic options and opportunities to strengthen the Thoroughbred industry's economic base.” The post TRI, Florida HBPA Feasibility Study First Step to Long-Term Florida Racing Solutions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It's been more than 40 years since jockey-turned-trainer Jose Corrales left his native Panama to try to build a career for himself in the U.S. But he still stays in touch with the Panamanian racing community and when he heard that there was a teenager who was receiving rave reviews at the Laffit Pincay Jr. Technical Jockey Training Academy in Panama, he couldn't wait to bring him to his base in Maryland. And Corrales told anyone who would listen that the young rider, Yedsit Hazlewood, wasn't just going to do well at Laurel and Pimlico, but would prove to everyone that he had the skills to eventually become one of the top riders in the sport. So far, everything he has predicted has come true. Just 17, Hazlewood is dominating the current meet at Laurel. He leads all riders with 64 wins, 30 more than runner-up Jevian Toledo, who rides for the powerful Brittany Russell stable. He is winning at a 23% clip and, during his brief career, has already won four stakes races. Then there's the streak. For 23 straight race days during which he rode at Laurel between Oct. 31 and Dec. 20, he earned at least one victory on each card. “I told him you can come to me,” said Corrales, who is not only his mentor but also his legal guardian. “I will teach you everything and we will get you ready to ride. I told everybody this kid is going to make it. I told him that the only thing that can keep you from making it is you. But if you want it, don't stop because I will get you to where you want to go.” Hazlewood, who still struggles with his English, actually came to Corrales when he was 16. It was decided that before he accepted his first mount he would gallop horses at the training center in Fair Hill, Maryland. Corrales watched closely, offered some tips and helped to put on the finishing touches. When Hazlewood turned 17, Corrales had him take out his jockey's license, and he made his debut on Mar. 21 at Laurel. He lost with his first 12 mounts, but then scored victories with three of his next four riding assignments. He appeared to be well on his way to the stardom that Corrales was so sure he would achieve. But he almost tossed it all away one night in June. Hazlewood gathered some friends, and they decided to take a road trip to New York. It wasn't to go to Belmont Park to gallop horses, but to enjoy the Big Apple. Corrales warned his protege that it was a bad idea. “I told him, no, don't go,” he said. “This is a business–you have to stay here and work.” On the way back to Maryland, the car that Hazlewood was riding in got into an accident and the young jockey broke his wrist and had to undergo surgery. He did not ride between June 8 and Aug. 14. “He was almost done,” Corrales said. “He had to have surgery on his wrist, but he's a young kid and he healed fast. I told him that this could have been a lot worse. I said to him, 'I hope you understand that God has given you another opportunity in your life because you could have died in that car accident.'” While Corrales has done his best to put Hazlewood on winners, his main client has become Gary Capuano. The two have forged a remarkable record together, as Hazlewood has won with 33 of the 74 mounts he has accepted for Capuano, good for a winning rate of 45%. “He showed a lot of talent right from the start,” Capuano said. “I have a lot of confidence in him. He rides with a lot of confidence, he rides hard, and he's a pretty smart kid. He keeps the horses out of trouble and gets good trips. He's just a really good up-and-coming apprentice rider. I pinch myself every day because this year has been amazing. I have a lot of really nice 2-year-olds in the barn and Yedsit has ridden most of them. Every time we go out there it seems like the combination is really working. It's hard to explain. Things are just clicking. I've had a fantastic year and he's been a big part of it.” Corrales predicted from the very start that Hazlewood would win the Eclipse Award as the outstanding apprentice of the year. While he is in the running, that might be hard to pull off. Canadian apprentice sensation Pietro Moran has earned about $2.3 million more than Hazlewood and also won his country's Kentucky Derby, the King's Plate. But Hazlewood, his agent John DiNatale, and Corrales have their eyes set on bigger goals. Hazlewood, who is now also riding regularly at Parx, won his first race in New York on Nov. 8. Corrales said New York trainers have reached out to him and asked that Hazlewood come to Aqueduct more often. When will he make the full-time jump to New York or, perhaps, Kentucky? “It's getting closer,” Corrales said. “I don't know how long it's going to be, but it's getting closer. He's getting a lot of offers already. We just have to wait for the right time to say go.” Corrales realizes it won't be easy to conquer a bigger circuit, but when it comes to his rider, there is no shortage of confidence. He believes it's only a matter of time until he is one of the top riders in the sport. “He's going to make it,” Corrales said. “He's going right to the top. The Maryland circuit has produced a number of young riders who went on to have Hall-of-Fame careers, a list that includes Chris McCarron, Kent Desormeaux, Edgar Prado, and Ramon Dominguez. “He is on the same path as those guys,” Capuano said. “It may even be that he started out stronger than some of them. Maryland has always had a lot of apprentice riders who have done extremely well and have gone on to do big things in their careers. If he keeps improving the way he has, it's easy to believe that he's going to be someone who is really, really good.” Corrales has mentored other young jockeys. He said that he was the one who discovered Walter Rodriguez, a native of El Salvador, who is currently the leading rider at Turfway Park. He is proud of all of his pupils. “I always liked the movie the Karate Kid, and they said that Mr. Miyagi was a good teacher,” Corrales said. “But Mr. Miyagi said that in order to be a good teacher, you have to have good students. Yedsit is a good student.” The post Apprentice Hazlewood Dominating Maryland Circuit , Has Bright Future appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dollars & Sense with Frank AngstView the full article

Dont imagine to much, talked a few horses.

well that has got my imagination going!!!

I got close to him once, was about 1989 the Friday night before the Kumara races, think from memory was stood down after a couple of rides, the memories and the good old days, things quite different these days, what a top rider, always got the best out of a horse in a tight finish, his other national was on Kid Columbus, a very good jumper that we never seen the best of, was heading to Australia was the Last i ever heard of him, injured maybe, his trainer M Hamilton who also had harness horses from memory, must have retired, had a number of horses, remember my uncle backing Kid when he won a flat race paying over 100 to win.

Chris Wood acknowledges his emerging three-year-old That’s Gold (Lucky Vega) will have a fight on his hands in the Gr. 2 Jimmy Schick Shaw’s Auckland Guineas (1400m), but he’s still taking a positive approach to the Boxing Day challenge. The Ellerslie feature is dominated by unbeaten filly Well Written, who heads the TAB final field market at $1.35 with course specialist Affirmative Action at $4.20, while That’s Gold, chasing a hat-trick after his last-start win in the Gr. 3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m), is the $16 fourth favourite. “This is pretty much a benchmark race up against horses like Well Written and Affirmative Action, but I’m happy to see him there,” Wood said on Tuesday. “I’ve always liked him, he’s one of those horses you hang your hat on and I expected him to win a race at two, but he had a good break and came out and won his maiden then stepped up and won the Bonecrusher. “I always knew he had something under the bonnet and it’s very satisfying when a horse that you rate delivers.” While Wood is realistic about the winning chances of That’s Gold, the $270,000 stake on offer in the Auckland Guineas is still very attractive. “Even allowing for the two standouts, I’m surprised it’s only an eight-horse field with such a good stake that pays decent money past the main placings. “Mind you, you could say the same about some of the other races on the card. Take the Pearl Series race with just seven starters for 90 grand – I know if I had a mare I thought was good enough she’d be there.” Beyond this assignment, Wood will have to explore his options with That’s Gold, who being Australian-bred and purchased, is ineligible for the Karaka Millions 3YO and NZB Kiwi. “I got Paul Moroney to find me a nice yearling in Melbourne and he came up with this guy at a typical P Moroney bargain price, around $57,000 from memory. “Once again Paul has proven what a good judge of a horse he is.” That’s Gold has yet to win past 1400m, but his trainer is keeping an open mind as to his future over longer distances, with the long-term option the Gr. 1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) on the same Ellerslie programme as the NZB Kiwi in March. “He’s got a sprinter’s pedigree, but the way he relaxes and finishes his races off, I can’t see why he wouldn’t run a trip, so the idea heading into the New Year will be to press on as far as I can with him.” Interestingly from a pedigree perspective, Boxing Day will mark the 39th anniversary of the New Zealand Derby win by Tidal Light, who features as That’s Gold’s fifth dam. From unraced maiden as a spring three-year-old, the Jim Gibbs and Roger James-trained filly swept all before her – bar second place in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas – capped by victory in the Ellerslie classic, which back in 1986 was contested on Boxing Day. In the autumn she downed the country’s best weight-for-age horses in the Gr. 1 Air New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie and added the Gr. 1 Canterbury Guineas (2000m) in Sydney, after which she claimed the New Zealand Horse of the Year title. “I was aware that Tidal Light figured in my horse’s pedigree and it’s interesting that she performed well at shorter distances before stepping up over ground, so that’s further food for thought,” Wood said. The Cambridge trainer, who transitioned from successful jumps jockey to training in the late 1980s, has a notable milestone beckoning, with his tally of New Zealand wins standing at 498. “I also trained close to 80 winners when I had a stable in Australia but it would be special to get to 500 in New Zealand, especially when I’ve never had a big team” he said. As well as That’s Gold, other Wood-trained prospects with the potential to aid the cause over the holiday racing period include Emmy Dazzler and What A Yarn in support races on Boxing Day, along with You Say D’Orsay and Watch Me Go at Taupo on Sunday. New Zealand Cup placegetter Canheroc is also penciled in for the Gr. 3 Queen Elizabeth ll Cup (2400m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day. View the full article

Promising two-year-old Ka Ron (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) was unfortunate not to have made the perfect start to his career and will have the opportunity on Boxing Day to make amends. The Allan Sharrock-trained youngster was narrowly beaten on debut and will bid to go one better in the SkyCity 2YO (1100m) at Ellerslie and in the process book a return for a far more lucrative prize at northern headquarters. Ka Ron currently sits in 15th spot in order of entry to the Karaka Millions (1200m) to be run for $1 million purse on January 24. “He should probably have won first-up at Otaki, he was green and only just got beaten,” Sharrock said. “He’s one of those sleepers and just keeps getting better and better, other than Johno Benner’s horse (De Armas) there’s no stand-out for the Millions I don’t think. “He’s quite a dude, very laid back and we snipped him out of Book One and his half-brother by Grunt (The All Out) won his first two starts in Hong Kong.” By Hello Youmzain, Ka Ron was purchased from Cambridge Stud’s draft at Karaka for $40,000 and is out of the Savabeel mare Sistabeel who won four times up to 1200m. Ka Ron will be accompanied north by quality mare Loch In Ora (NZ) (Pierro), who returns from injury in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1400m). “She is a good horse and it’s a nice kick-off point for her,” Sharrock said. “She got black type last prep and then cracked a canon bone and that’s why she’s had such a break between races.” The Pierro six-year-old has won five of her 10 starts and finished third in the Gr.3 Taranaki Cup (1800m) and hasn’t run since fifth in the Listed Kaimai Stakes (2000m) in February. “She’s done plenty of work and I expect her race really, really well up there,” Sharrock said. He will also have three strong chances at Otaki on Friday with Bridal Train (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) in the Otaki Tyre Repairs Handicap (1600m), Belle Tribute (NZ) (Contributer) resumes in the Cavallo Farms & Chris Rutten Bloodstock Handicap (1400m) and Tullamore Dew (NZ) (Darci Brahma) in the fastinternet.nz Handicap (1200m). “I think Bridal Train will give them all they want off the minimum (54kg) in the Open, its not normally something I do but I think it’s the right race for her,” Sharrock said. “She’ll end up in the Taranaki Cup or the Wairarapa Breeders’ Stakes (Listed, 1600m). “Bella Tribute is kicking off, and she has had enough jump-outs to be competitive, she’s got a bit of quality.” Successful in three of her nine starts she is a half-sister by Contributor to Sharrock’s multiple Group winners Tavi Mac and Darci La Bella. Tullamore Dew will be back on track following a break after the Darci Brahma mare was a smart debut winner at Hawera in the autumn. “It’s my favourite scotch, I wouldn’t waste the name on a slow horse. She’s a good mare and no surprise she won first time out,” Sharrock said. View the full article

Trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson are hoping a return to the right-handed way of going will help Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor) bounce back to winning form at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. The homebred mare was eye-catching when winning the Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) in that direction at Pukekohe fresh-up last month, but failed to flatter when a beaten favourite in the Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa earlier this month. Bergerson admitted to being perplexed by her subpar showing but has been pleased with her subsequent work and is hopeful of a bold showing against a strong line-up in Friday’s Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m). “She was a bit of a headscratcher last time, beaten a short-priced favourite,” Bergerson said. “We think she may be a bit better suited to right-handed, that is the only thing we could put it down to. Opie (Bosson, jockey) gave her a lovely run and she was just a bit flat there up the straight. “We freshened her post the first two legs of the triple crown and maybe Pukekohe, with the turnaround, took the edge off her a little bit heading into Te Rapa. “Her work has been really good since and she gets back to Ellerslie where she normally runs really well. We think up to 2000m suits with a reasonably nice barrier (4), and we are hoping she can bounce back to a bit of form in what has come up as a pretty strong field.” Stablemate He Who Dares (NZ) (Snitzel) also faces a stiff task against a small but select field in the Gr.2 Jimmy Schick Shaw’s Auckland Guineas (1400m), where he will be met by unbeaten Group One-winning filly Well Written and Group One performer Affirmative Action. “It is light on numbers, but with Affirmative Action and Well Written there it is certainly not easy,” Bergerson said. The son of Snitzel was fifth last start in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton last month and following a freshen-up he finished fourth behind Group One-winning sprinter Crocetti in a 1100m trial at Matamata last Friday. “He trialled really well at Matamata, he has really bounced back from his trip to Riccarton, he has come back from a freshen-up in really good order,” Bergerson said. “I thought his trial was really good, he has come through it really well. It is a little bit of a sticky gate (7), which I think we will roll forward from.” Impressive last start maiden winner Stella Ma Bella (NZ) (Contributer) will step-up to stakes company on Friday in the Gr.2 Hallmark Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m), where she will carry the colours of owner-breeder Simms Davison of Mapperley Stud. “She is thrown in the deep end a little bit and has got to take that step up now, but she has gone the right way since (her last start win),” Bergerson said. “Richie’s (trainer Graham Richardson) filly (Lollapalooza) on paper looks the one to beat, but there are a couple of handy ones in there, so we will certainly know where we are at post-Friday. “We think she is up to it and I am looking forward to a really good opportunity at black-type for Simms and the team, and hopefully she can run really well.” On the undercard, juvenile gelding Out Of The Blue (NZ) (Tivaci) will put his unbeaten record on the line when he makes his North Island debut in the SkyCity 1100. The son of Tivaci won both of his starts out of Te Akau’s Riccarton barn, and readied for Friday’s assignment with an 800m trial at Avondale last week. “We gave him a trial last week just to tick him over, he was quite fierce in behind them,” Bergerson said. “The barrier (10) makes it really hard. He should roll forward from there and he should give a good sight for a long way. “He has got to step up to the North Island grade now. There are some really interesting runners in that race, it is hard to line it all up, but he is in really good form here at home and I am looking forward to Friday with him.” Meanwhile, Group Two performer Dream Of The Moon (All Too Hard) will resume in the Barfoot & Thompson 1200. She had a pleasing three-year-old season last term, winning two and runner-up in two of her six starts, including victory in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) and placings in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) and Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m). She has had a slow build-up this season, having four trials prior to her season debut, and Bergerson his hopeful of a bold showing first-up. “I am excited to see her back at the races,” he said. “1200m might be a bit sharp in that field, but she has drawn barrier one and she is mapped to get a good run. “She had a quiet, tick over trial here (Matamata) on Friday and she was good through the line. “She is a very talented mare on her day and she should run a really cheeky race.” View the full article

Nicci posted that fact up recently, hence in the public domain... As you know (?)I set up CWJ's Fanpage, hence over the last few years I get asked rather a lot, "how is Chris doing.." I had a decent catch up with CWJ earlier this year, where he shared, how things were going! Well! "other' than a serious nagging injury, one that has stubbily not heal well enough to ride the likes of fast work! Back then he didn't feel the need to go public, Nicci did that recently.

Hardly minor - important tool for Trainers and punters alike.

On the Dec. 22 episode of BloodHorse Monday: Cary Simon on how special Mink's Palace is to her family's Summerhill Farm, Erin Halliwell on Thoroughbred Charities of America's mission, and we select Santa's team of racehorses to pull his sleigh.View the full article

Chris's business Mr Fish. Not yours or mine.

Quoi moi?? non non non tres populaire!! Alors...methinks part of the problem at NZTR/RIB is a general MALAISE has crept in over the years from long time employees like Tim Aldridge/John Oatham For example simple punter 'requirements' such as "where was the last freaken rail position at your last meeting ffs" or...what Australian punters ask for and receive "change of tactics...we're going forward today" Just general table manners sadly lacking at NZTR's tableau One can only hope these 3 new employees make a difference on even minor things...like posting stipe videos

He should retire, if he is medically unfit he will still receive ACC. He is 61, gosh i thought he was about 70 now,

...and you wonder why people like you less than they like me which really is saying something. As for Specsavers well I've had countless people I know who made similar observations as myself so it must be something in the fluoride in the water that we are drinking or a bad run of Speights brews. Although there is some irony in you recommending Specsavers - perhaps that's the source of your whip counting problem. Regardless I thought you would be all over the tardiness of getting the videos online.