The Rest

The Pegasus World Cup card, to be held Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park, continued to take shape in Florida as several contenders turned in works Friday, including GII Red Smith Stakes winner Cugino (Twirling Candy), who is pointing to the $1-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf. The West Point Thoroughbreds and Jimmy Kahig Racing colorbearer breezed a half-mile in :49.11 (5/18) on Gulfstream's main track. He was last seen finishing second to Wolfie's Dynaghost (Ghostzapper) in the GIII Fort Lauderdale Stakes Dec. 20, the local Pegasus Turf prep. “No shame in losing to that horse,” West Point senior vice president Tom Bellhouse said. “We're all systems go. [Cugino] is just so honest and fun. He tries every time. He was a little unlucky early in his career, but I think we fit with the big boys. [Hopefully] we can get maybe a little more pace in this race than where was last time.” West Point has had a number of Pegasus Day entrants, beginning with the inaugural edition in 2017. “It's exciting,” Bellhouse said. “We've been very, very blessed to run on Pegasus Day ever since the first Pegasus with Breaking Lucky, and almost every year have some type of participant whether it's on the turf or in the big dance. It's always a thrill for us.” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher also sent out a pair of Pegasus contenders at Palm Beach Downs Friday. St. Elias Stable's Captain Cook (Practical Joke), a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', went five furlongs in 1:01.65 for five furlongs in company. The Withers Stakes winner and GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes runner-up is pointing to the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup. Spendthrift Farm's four-time graded winner Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro) breezed four furlongs in :50.48 seconds. He's targeting the Pegasus Turf. Juddmonte homebred Disco Time (Not This Time), recently featured in these pages, will put his perfect record on the line in the Pegasus World Cup. He worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 in company for Brad Cox. In addition, fan favorite and 10-time graded stakes-winning multimillionaire Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), readying for a fourth straight run in the Pegasus, breezed five furlongs in 1:02.65 over the main track at Palm Meadows for Saffie Joseph, Jr. The post Pegasus World Cup Works Friday Feature Cugino and Disco Time appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Zac Purton is hoping Little Paradise can give him another thing to think about when it comes to the four-year-old series when he runs in the Class Two Racing Club Cup (1,400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. Always in demand, the champion jockey has been slated for a number of horses ahead of the Classic Mile on February 1, including the likes of Invincible Ibis, Beauty Bolt and the Jimmy Ting Koon-ho-trained Little Paradise. The Toronado galloper has won four of his seven career starts, with two of those...View the full article

Edited Press Release Apprentice jockey Xarel Forde has begun to make his presence felt at Turfway Park this winter, continuing his transition to the Kentucky circuit after building skills both in his native Barbados and last year at Woodbine. Forde, 21, learned his trade riding at Garrison Savannah, a small track that he said helped shape his race awareness and decision-making before his move to larger circuits. “Coming from a small track with tight turns teaches you to be sharp,” Forde said. “You have to think quickly and stay aware. When you move to a bigger track, that actually becomes an advantage.” After leaving Barbados, Forde advanced to the Canadian circuit, riding primarily at Woodbine, where he gained experience on both turf and synthetic surfaces. The transition, he said, came with its own challenges. “The biggest adjustment was the weather,” Forde said. “That was the only thing that really gave me a fight at first, but I pushed through it and got comfortable.” Now riding at Turfway Park, Forde has teamed with leading jockey agent Jose Santos, Jr. as he continues to establish himself in Kentucky. Forde has won 56 races overall in his career and has already picked up three victories since arriving at Turfway on Dec. 17. “Trainers keep telling me I'm not really riding like a bug boy,” Forde said. “I just focus on executing my rides and being confident, whether I'm on a longshot or a favorite.” Santos said Forde's background and approach have translated well to Turfway's Tapeta surface. “Xarel has been a pleasure to work with,” Santos said. “He's quickly gotten noticed by the way he carries himself in the mornings and during the races. The way he rides races, you'd think he's been a professional for years.” Forde is named on nine horses for seven different trainers across the next four live racing days at Turfway Park. The post Apprentice Xarel Forde Settles into Turfway Jockey Colony appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Edited Press Release Prior to riding his first race on the Thanksgiving Day opener of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet, Mario Gutierrez hadn't been part of the action at Gulfstream Park since he rode Nyquist to a popular victory in the $1-million GI Florida Derby April 2, 2016. “I was going to stay in Kentucky, but I got a great opportunity from Mr. Brian Lynch to come here for the winter,” Gutierrez said. “I'm extremely happy with the support I'm getting from the local trainers. I'm very, very happy. I'm relatively new to the circuit in Miami, and I'm getting a lot of support from the trainers.” Heading into Friday's program, Gutierrez had won seven races from 39 mounts for an 18% strike rate. The 39-year-old veteran guided Lynch-trained Sister Troienne (Munnings) to stakes victories in the Jan. 3 Ginger Brew and Nov. 27 Wait a While. The son of a jockey, Gutierrez started riding quarter horses in his native Mexico at the age of 14 before emigrating to Canada in 2006 and venturing to Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, where he won titles in 2007 and 2008. After relocating to Santa Anita in 2011, he caught the attention of prominent owner J. Paul Reddam, a Canadian businessman who had become aware of his riding prowess at Hastings. Gutierrez won the mount on Reddam's I'll Have Another, whom he guided to victories in the 2012 GII Robert Lewis Stakes, GI Santa Anita Derby, GI Kentucky Derby, and GI Preakness Stakes. “That was one of the happiest times of my life. I was very new to the United States circuit and to be able to go to Kentucky and get my first Kentucky Derby win was very amazing for me,” Gutierrez said. Four years later, Gutierrez, Reddam, and trainer Chief Stipe O'Neill would team for a second Kentucky Derby victory with an undefeated Nyquist, who prepped for the first jewel of the Triple Crown with a 3 1/4-length win in the Florida Derby with Gutierrez aboard. Gutierrez readily recalls Nyquist's Florida Derby score that prepared the son of Uncle Mo for his 1 1/2-length victory in the Kentucky Derby. “It was a very good course. He was undefeated at the time. We wanted to see how he stacked up against the best of the best at the time,” Gutierrez said. “We came for the victory and from there we went on to win the Kentucky Derby. Again, it was a part of my life I'll be forever grateful for.” The post Gutierrez Getting Reacquainted with Gulfstream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

the tote win pool on the open class pace at cambridge last night was $4500 and of course they had no place pool. the thing about turnovers is hrnz can cherry pick whatever they like from them, to sell the narrative they want to sell. like the auckalnd cup meeting. They no doubt can say turnover was up,because they had 2 more races. And lets not forget they are comparing turnovers,to nz  turnovers in 2024. since the geo blocking,turnovers  have to have gone up because punters can't bet with overseas agents. You have to remember hrnz was receiving a % from each $ those overseas betting providers turned over from their nz customer base.So geo blocking will allow hrnz to say,turnovers are up but hrnz aren't also saying how much income has been reduced from the overseas betting providers.they should if they wanted to provide context. the whole turnover/profit generated thing sounds complicated but it could easily be simplified. turnovers are obviously a very important indication of punter participation,but of just as,if not of greater importance are the revenue generated(profit) from each race and each race meeting. like what the fella cmn refers to on the other channel. Like we've said before,ff betting can be good turnover wise,but at the same time bad income(profit) wise and vice versa.It all depends how well the bookies did with their ff on each race. to accurately gauge the importance of each sector,region and grade of racing, hrnz should be providing profit loss data in relation to the aforementioned. Also they should factor in  dates structure so as to not unfairly use data to paint an unfair picture. they don't. They deliberately cherry pick,crow from the roof tops if they have any story that fits their narrative of how they prioritise industry funding,then they are silent when the facts don't. only when hrnz are transparent,which they cleary aren't,only then can people accurately gauge the importance of each sector,region,grade of horse,track type, to the overall industry. Hrnz are prioritising the loss making parts of the industry over the profit making parts,whether it be regions or grade of horses. And everyone knows that makes no sense and must undermine the future abilty of the industry to pay reasonable stakemoney,effectively undermining the overall future viabilty of the industry.