Gallops

Owner Michael Buckley is dreaming big regarding Flat targets for Constitution Hill (Blue Bresil), after the nine-year-old trotted up an imperious winner at Southwell on Friday. Although Buckley and trainer Nicky Henderson have yet to make a decision on the gelding's Champion Hurdle participation, several big Flat targets are being discussed at the moment. The two-mile G1 Melbourne Cop is under consideration. Buckley told Nick Luck on Racing TV's Luck On Sunday programme, “I did say to Nicky 'can we agree on one thing, whatever we decide about Cheltenham, let's for the rest of this year concentrate on a Flat campaign'. “For me, if he doesn't run [in the Champion Hurdle], I don't see him running over hurdles again this year – that's 2026. “But if he ran and let's say he fell – and God forbid he does that – he would never run over hurdles again ever. If he ran and won it would be a hell of a swansong [over obstacles] and it would put a few demons to bed for me, I've got to say. “I think the horse should be running around about the end of August or beginning of September, either in the Ebor [at York], or there's a race at Goodwood, or in the Irish St Leger, with a view to going to Melbourne. “If you were asking me what I'd like to do, that is what I'd like to aim at.” Henderson said on Saturday that Constitution Hill would be schooled again in the coming days under the guidance of jumping guru Yogi Breisner. A final call on whether Constitution Hill will head to the Cheltenham Festival will be made in a fortnight's time. “The horse is going to do this schooling this week. I said to Nicky on Saturday, and it's the third weekend in a row that I've done so, if you could make a decision now, by yourself, what would you do – and you go round and round in circles and you never get an answer to anything, bless him. “I know how he feels We are both decent people I think and we certainly care like hell about our horses. We don't want to see the horse fall or do something that threatens his very existence and we certainly [don't] want to do something that hurts Nico [de Boinville]. “We don't want to do something that disappoints everybody, most of all ourselves, but on the other hand you can see how much the horse is loved and people would like to see him run.” The post Buckley Dreaming Of Melbourne Cup For Constitution Hill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

David Hayes believes Ka Ying Rising’s (NZ) (Shamexpress) extraordinary dominance can continue indefinitely after the world’s premier sprinter demolished quality opposition to post a Hong Kong record 18th successive victory in course record time in the HK$13 million Gr.1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.   Stretching his unbeaten sequence beyond Silent Witness’ longstanding mark of 17 wins, slotted between 2002 and 2005, Ka Ying Rising imperiously steamrolled his opposition in 1m 19.36s to smash the previous course record of 1m 19.92s, jointly held by Encouraging and Packing Hermod.   Jockey Zac Purton confirmed Hayes had told him pre-race “to break the track record” after he had ridden Ka Ying Rising hands-and-heels to the finish, three-and-half-lengths clear of Helios Express with Lucky Sweynesse one-and-a-quarter lengths further astern.   Improving his overall record to 19 wins from 21 starts – after two narrow seconds as a three-year-old – Ka Ying Rising jumped quickly from barrier three to sit second behind Copartner Prance and clocked 21.93s from the 1200m to the 800m before putting his rivals to the sword over the final 800m in a blistering 43.96s, with respective 200m splits of 11.26s, 11.07s, 10.52s and 11.11s to create history.   Unbeaten since February 2024, Ka Ying Rising’s unbeaten streak includes eight Group Ones – two Longines Hong Kong Sprint victories (2024 & 2025), two Centenary Sprint Cup titles (2025 & 2026), The Everest (2025), the Chairman’s Sprint Prize (2025) and now a pair of Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup trophies (2025 & 2026).   The stunning nature of Ka Ying Rising’s latest victory prompted Hayes to declare that the five-year-old could sustain his current level of excellence for the next 18 months, fitness permitting.    “If we can place him conservatively, we hope to have him for another couple of seasons, that’s really exciting,” Hayes said. “He loves a month between runs, so we’ll probably go for the (Gr.2) Sprint Cup (1200m) next (on 6 April) and then we don’t have to train him too hard and babysit him into the Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m on 26 April).   “Hopefully we can get another clean sweep of the season again with The Everest in the middle.   “He’s more composed than ever, he’s changing legs and you can’t ask for much more than he’s doing. He’s breaking track records and his last three runs, he’d have broken the track record if Zac had let him go.   “He jumped so well (today) and cruised through the bend beautifully – at the 300m, I could really enjoy it. I could tell he had the race in command. Zac went for him a bit more than he normally does and rode to instructions, which was good.   “I’ve trained a lot of horses that have gone 742 days without winning, so to continuously win for 742 days is mind-numbing. It’s two and a half years and the thing people don’t realise is that he was the (equal) youngest horse in the race today. They always think he’s the big boy bashing them up, but he’s actually the baby.   “It’s a huge relief. I didn’t think the team could have had him better for today and I was confident that if the track was riding fast, he could break the (track) record. I didn’t want Zac sitting up in the last 100m, I said to him ‘let him run through the post and we’ll see how strong he is at 1400m’. He’s just a star.   “I just thought for his worldwide ratings, I wanted Zac to let him go today and hopefully he can keep climbing up that incredible ladder that he’s going up. When you’ve got a horse as good as him, he’s the one everyone will be comparing the next big horse too.” Zac Purton and David Hayes celebrate with Leung Shek Kong of the Ka Ying Syndicate. Photo: Hong Kong Jockey Club   Purton notched his fifth victory in the race following wins on Ambitious Dragon (2013) and Beauty Generation (2018, 2019 & 2020) and believes Ka Ying Rising has reached his peak.   “I think he’s reached his level and it’s just a matter of managing him now and try to preserve that for as long as we can,” Purton said. “He’s the horse of a lifetime. I just shake my head every time with the performances he puts up and the ease with which he does.   “I’ve just got to pinch myself, I’m so lucky.  He’s just different – he’s in a league of his own. They’re very good horses that he’s racing against, and he just does it like he’s having a barrier trial and let’s hope he can stay in this form for another 12 or 18 months.   “It was pretty straightforward. He jumped well, he was in a lovely rhythm behind Copartner Prance. Patch Of Theta went to move around me about the 1200m and I just made sure I was going to give my horse plenty of room. And then he just did his job – he did what he does.   “To be etched in history now forever is part of my legacy, part of David’s and a part of Ka Ying Rising and hopefully he can continue on doing what he’s doing. We’re all enjoying being associated with him and I think everyone is enjoying watching him being successful as well.   “The horse deserves all the credit. He’s the one with the ability and he continues to step out, race after race, and blow good quality horses away and it’s very unique to see that.”   Currently the second-highest rated horse in the world, Ka Ying Rising also holds the 1200m turf course record (1m 07.20s). View the full article

Another dreary February day, another G1 February Stakes victory for Costa Nova (Lord Kanaloa). One of the rare Japanese Group 1 dirt races, the 1600-metre contest has now been won  twice in consecutive years by three horses, with Copano Rickey (Gold Allure) saluting in 2014/2015 and Café Pharoah (American Pharoah) equaling that feat in 2021/2022. The race is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in the autumn. The 12-5 chance raced in midfield as Sixpence (Kizuna) cut out the running. Trapped three wide with five furlongs remaining, the six-year-old entire continued to punch the breeze over the deep dirt surface. Slingshotting off the fence and fanning out into the centre of the ocurse, Costa Nova closed in determined fashion and ground past all comers to win a shade comfortably. Multiple stakes winner and five-time Group 1 runner-up Wilson Tesoro (Kitasan Black) was a half-length back in second. The only mare in the field, 2025 G1 Champions Cup heroine W Heart Bond (Kizuna) was another half-length behind in third. Nine of the 16 horses in the field finished within a second of each other. “I am happy to have won the first Group 1 of this season with Costa Nova with whom I've partnered for some time. He broke nicely and we were able to relax during the trip behind Wilson Tesoro. I had great response from the horse as soon as I shifted him to the outside for the stretch drive and, from then on, he was extremely strong up to the wire,” said Christophe Lemaire. Since his 2025 February Stakes tally, the entire ran third in the Kashiwa Kinen in May, and was second in the G3 Musashino Stakes in November. Pedigree Notes Shadai Stallion Station's Lord Kanaloa counts 65 stakes winners among his runners. Of his 46 graded/group winners, 12 have been successful at the top level, with Costa Nova his sixth progeny to win at least two such titles. The dual February Stakes hero is one of five winners from six to race alongside multiple group-placed Feiern Kranz (Duramente). Colorful Blossom (Heart's Cry)'s latest foal is a yearling by Drefong. She was bred to Equinox last spring. Granddam Tropical Blossom (Thunder Gulch) won a stakes at the now defunct Golden Gate and was third in the GI Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap. Sunday, Tokyo, Japan FEBRUARY STAKES-G1, ¥290,980,000, Tokyo, 2-22, 4yo/up, 1600m, 1:35.40, fs. 1–COSTA NOVA (JPN), 128, h, 6, by Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)             1st Dam: Colorful Blossom (Jpn), by Heart's Cry (Jpn)             2nd Dam: Tropical Blossom, by Thunder Gulch             3rd Dam: Barbara Sue, by Barbara Sue O-Katsumi Yoshida; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); T-Tetsuya Kimura; J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥153,486,000. Lifetime Record: 14-8-2- 1, ¥426,545,001. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click    for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the    free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Wilson Tesoro (Jpn), 128, h, 7, Kitasan Black (Jpn)–Chesutoke Rose, by Uncle Mo. O-Kenji Ryotokuji Holdings; B-Ryoken Farm (Jpn); ¥60,996,000. 3–W Heart Bond (Jpn), 123, m, 5, Kizuna (Jpn)–Persistently, by Smoke Glacken. O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm (Jpn); ¥38,498,000. Margins: HF, HF, 3/4. Odds: 2.40, 4.40, 2.00. Also Ran: Brian Sense (Jpn), Omega Guiness (Jpn), Peptide Nile (Jpn), Natural Rise (Jpn), Ramjet (Jpn), Sixpence (Jpn), Perriere (Jpn), Lord Couronne (Jpn), Sunrise Hawk (Jpn), Sakura Toujours (Jpn), Long Run (Jpn), Saimon Xanadu (Jpn), Happy Man (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video.   The post Costa Nova Doubles Up In February Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

NYRA has canceled its eight-race card Feb. 22 at Aqueduct Racetrack due to a powerful winter storm forecast to bring heavy snowfall and extremely high winds to the regionView the full article

Springing a mild upset in Saturday's John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway, Great White (Volatile) came from just off the pace to earn his first stakes win over 2-1 chance Fulleffort (Liam's Map). With the victory, Great White earned 20 points toward the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby, while the runner-up collected 10 points. The race also serves as the local prep for the Mar. 21 G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. Dual stakes winner Street Beast (Street Sense), sent off as the 9-5 favorite, broke sharply and went to the lead and was soon joined by SW and GSP Attfield (Vekoma) while Great White tracked in third. Street Beast carved out an opening quarter-mile in :23.88 with Attfield continuing to hound him through a half-mile in :48.84. Around the far turn, Great White made a three-wide move and hit the front but had to hold off a late charge of Fulleffort, who was beginning to find his best stride in the center of the track. Inside the final sixteenth, however, Great White had enough left in reserve to fend off Fulleffort by a neck. “He was traveling great the entire race,” winning rider Alex Achard said. “I was a little worried when I hit the front because I didn't want to move too soon on him, but he really stretched out nicely.” A first-out winner sprinting at Turfway last December, the grey finished fifth after a problematic trip in the one-mile Leonatus Stakes Jan. 17. “He was in a great spot throughout the race,” said winning trainer John Ennis. “Last time out, he didn't get away from there well, but Alex [Achard] was able to get him away from the gate better tonight and got a good position. Alex thought he might have moved a little too soon, but the horse kept finding more for him. You can see how big he is, and I think the greater the distance, the better for him. With his size, you have to wait and see how he comes out of this before deciding the next option. We'll talk it over with the owner and make a plan. He's a very exciting prospect moving forward.” Dam Kelly Bay failed to produce a live foal in the last two seasons, however, was bred to Gun Pilot last term.   JOHN BATTAGLIA MEMORIAL S., $174,835, Turfway, 2-21, 3yo, 1 1/16m (AWT), 1:46.83, ft. 1–GREAT WHITE, 122, g, 3, by Volatile 1st Dam: Kelly Bag, by Uncle Mo 2nd Dam: Birkin Bag (Brz), by Elusive Quality 3rd Dam: Princesa Rafaela, by Woodman ($55,000 Ylg '24 FTDDE). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Three Chimneys Farm and Ennis, John; B-Stud TNT, LLC (KY); T-John Ennis; J-Alex Achard. $103,780. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $165,932. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or  free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Fulleffort, 122, c, 3, Liam's Map–Callmethesqueeze, by Awesome Again. ($425,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG). O-St. Elias Stable and Starlight Racing; B-Athens Woods LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $33,800. 3–Maximus Prime, 122, c, 3, Maximus Mischief– Sweet Alternative, by Alternation. ($50,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT). O-Gary and Tiffany Bizzack; B-Brandywine Farm (Jim & Pam Robinson) (KY); T-Anthony Mitchell. $16,900. Margins: NK, 1 1/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 15.16, 2.08, 88.50. Also Ran: Baytown Dreamer, Steel Imperium, Kilo Tango, Attfield, Aces Honor, Two Out Hero, Time for Money, Street Beast. Scratched: Small Town, Stop the Car. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Great White Snaps Up Kentucky Derby Points in John Battaglia appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article