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Stokes Everest dreaming with Climbing Star
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Johnson relishing training role
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Belardo Boy primed for Cup quest
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Stablemates in good form for Hastings
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Group 1 winner Warning retired
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Jamie Kah set for Flemington return
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Port Guillaume to tackle Flemington Cup
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Japan continued its dominance of lucrative Middle Eastern races with a one-length score by Strauss in the inaugural $1-million Listed Abu Dhabi Gold Cup over a mile on Saturday. Brazilian Joao “Magic Man” Moreira gave the son of Maurice a textbook perfect ride, and the five-year-old entire responded, becoming the first Japanese horse to win in Abu Dhabi. Nestled in midfield just off the pace set by Crown Board (Lope De Vega), the Carrot Farm runner bided his time through the early stages. Still trapped behind a wall of horses with 400 metres left, Strauss willingly charged through a gap shortly thereafter and pounced on the leader. Overhauling Crown Board by midstretch, the winner fended off the furiously closing Dark Trooper (Dark Angel) and closer to the inside, Comanche Brave (Wootton Bassett). At the line, the margin was a length, with a similar margin separating Wathnan Racing's Dark Trooper in second and the Coolmore partners' Comanche Brave in third. Quddwah (Kingman {GB}) was another 1 1/2 lengths back in fourth for Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In his native land, Strauss won the G2 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes at two. At three, he was second in the Listed Oro Cup, and in 2025 he won the Listed Shirafuji Stakes in February. After an unplaced run, he added a third in the G3 CBC Sho in August and was a last-out sixth in the Russell Balding Stakes (Cond.) at Randwick in November. Shadai Stallion Station's Maurice has 34 stakes winners–23 group scorers–to his name. Known by the nickname, “the Beast from the East”, the son of Screen Hero was the Japanese Horse of the Year in 2025 and earned seven Group 1 victories in Japan and Hong Kong. His seven Group 1 winners are split three (Australia) to four (Japan) anchored by Australian Derby, Victoria Derby and Australian Guineas hero Hitotsu. A half-brother to Japanese listed winner Voller Blute (Epiphaneia), Strauss is out of the G1 Mile Championship heroine Blumenblatt (Admire Vega). Of her 12 foals, 11 have made the races, and Strauss is one of 10 winners for the relative of multiple graded winner Laramie Trail (Swaps). ABU DHABI GOLD CUP-LISTED, $1,000,000, 2-7, 4yo/up & SH 3yo, 1600mT, 1:33.98, gd. 1–STRAUSS (JPN), 125, h, 5, Maurice (Jpn)–Blumenblatt (Jpn) (G1SW-Jpn, $3,314,835), by Admire Vega (Jpn). O-Carrot Farm Co., Ltd. B-Northern Farm (Jpn). T-Ryo Takei. J-Joao Moreira. $600,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-Jpn, 13-4-1-2, $1,313,021. *1/2 to Voller Blute (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), SW- Jpn, $266,000. 2–Dark Trooper (Ire), 125, g, 6, Dark Angel (Ire)–Warshah (Ire), by Shamardal. (60,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT; 500,000gns HRA '23 TATOCT). O-Wathnan Racing. B-Yeomanstown Stud (Ire). $200,000. 3–Comanche Brave (Ire), 125, c, 4, Wootton Bassett (GB)– Ishvana (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). O-Mrs John Magnier & Mrs A M O'Brien. B-Whisperview Trading, Ltd. (Ire). $100,000. Margins: 1, 1, 1 1/2. Also Ran: Quddwah (GB), Andreas Vesalius (Ire), Chicago Critic (GB), Jonquil (GB), Crown Board (Ire), Tumbler (Fr), Vafortino (Ire), Maljoom (Ire), Aomori City (Fr), Folk Festival (Ire), Dioptase (Ire), Western Writer (Ire). Scratched: Witness Stand (GB). Click for the ERA chart and video. The post Maurice’s Strauss Victorious For Japan In Abu Dhabi Gold Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Whether you're a trainer, an owner or a punter, you simply cannot underestimate the value of identifying an apprentice jockey who is good value for their claim, that extra edge in a sport of fine margins. Make no mistake, those few pounds can make all of the difference in those valuable, big-field handicaps which are often decided by a whisker come the winning post. And, whilst the start of the turf season is still a few weeks away yet, now is a good time to be keeping a close eye on the all-weather action to familiarise yourself with the apprentices starting to make a name for themselves, just as a certain Billy Loughnane did three winters ago. On the other hand, some young riders prefer to stay away from the all-weather during the winter in order to preserve their claim for the long turf campaign ahead. In Britain, an apprentice jockey is entitled to a weight allowance of 7lb until they have ridden 20 winners; 5lb until they have ridden 50 winners; and 3lb until they have ridden 95 winners. In Ireland, the scale is only slightly different, with jockeys claiming 7lb until they have reached 30 winners and 5lb until they have reached 65 winners, before they too lose their claim altogether when they reach the milestone of 95 winners. Here, we've profiled six apprentices – three in Britain and three in Ireland – who could be worth keeping in mind for when the Flat action starts to go up a gear this spring. To avoid some of the more obvious names, we've limited our shortlist to riders who are yet to reach 50 winners, meaning that each of them should still have their 5-lb claim intact, at the very least. Mason Paetel Total winners under Rules: 36 The 17-year-old Mason Paetel has wasted no time getting back among the winners since returning from a brief spell in America, where he was based in Florida with Pegasus World Cup-winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. Following a double at Southwell on January 30, Paetel's tally for the calendar year is now up to four winners from only 21 rides, with the promise of plenty more to come in the weeks and months ahead. Paetel, who hails from Bridgend in South Wales and is a graduate of the pony racing circuit, first opened his account under Rules when partnering the Mark Loughnane-trained Crafter to victory at Lingfield back in November 2024. In 2025, he added another 31 winners to his tally, notably winning a pair of £50,000 handicaps in July when competing for 'Scotland' as part of the Racing League. Shortly afterwards, however, he was sidelined for the best part of a month through suspension due to repeated breaches of the whip rules, but for which he might have ranked higher than his final finishing position of joint-eighth in the apprentice jockeys' championship. Based in Newmarket with James Owen, Paetel seems sure to figure among the most prolific apprentices once again in 2026, with Mick Appleby and Ed Dunlop featuring among the other leading trainers who have utilised his services on a regular basis. Still 14 winners shy of losing his 5-lb claim, Paetel will likely be a man in demand in some of the more valuable handicaps when the turf season gets underway. Ashley Lewis Total winners under Rules: 26 Like Paetel, Ashley Lewis headed stateside during the winter months in order to preserve his claim for the Flat season proper, having made an instant impact in his first year with a licence in 2025. It was as recently as January 8 last year that Lewis had his first ride under Rules at Kempton, having reportedly been riding out twice a week for Gary and Josh Moore since the age of 13. The Moores duly provided Lewis with his breakthrough winner under Rules, on just his sixth ride, when Donald Llewellyn won an apprentice handicap at Lingfield on March 5, with further winners coming in both April and May before the floodgates really opened in June. The highlight of Lewis' burgeoning career to date came on Derby day at Epsom when he partnered Small Fry to a decisive success in the Northern Dancer Handicap, an experience which the young rider described as “surreal” in a post-race interview. Having also ridden a winner at Goodwood the previous afternoon, he then returned to the West Sussex venue on the Sunday to fire in another one, making it three in as many days to cap a memorable weekend. Lewis ended 2025 with 26 winners, half of which were horses trained by the Moores, including both winners when the then-17-year-old celebrated his first double at Lingfield in early-August. Since riding leading fancy Atherstone Warrior to finish third in the November Handicap at Doncaster, Lewis has taken only seven mounts on the all-weather in Britain, but his patience is likely to be rewarded with some more exciting opportunities on the turf this summer. Lauren Young Total winners under Rules: 26 Lauren Young's career to date has spanned 180 rides under Rules and, remarkably, all but seven of them have come on horses trained by Jim Goldie. However, if the talent that Young showed in the saddle last year is anything to go by, then she is surely due some more rides from outside yards. Young might not have been an overnight success à la Ashley Lewis, with her maiden win – courtesy of Annandale in an apprentice handicap at Southwell around this time last year – coming over seven months after her first ride under Rules. There was no stopping the Kilmarnock native once she hit her straps, though, and she went on to establish fruitful relationships with several members of the Goldie string during the latest season. Midnight Lion, for example, provided Young with her second and third victories when winning twice at Newcastle in the space of 10 days last March, and he wasn't finished there. In total, Midnight Lion and Young teamed up for five wins last year, before the partnership also kicked off 2026 in the best possible fashion when going in again at Gosforth Park on New Year's Day. Young, who joined the Goldie stable at the age of 17 but waited a few years before taking out her licence, ended 2025 with 24 winners from 143 rides at a highly respectable 17% strike rate, with Eternal Sunshine proving another trusty ally. The combination made it three consecutive wins together when plundering the £100,000 Portland at Doncaster's St Leger Festival, a fine advert for Young's ability on the big stage. Sam Coen Total winners under Rules: 30 Sam Coen, whose cousin is the Classic-winning jockey Ben Coen, registered around 40 winners in four years on the pony racing circuit, before taking out his licence as a 16-year-old under the tutelage of trainer Andy Slattery. Slattery's County Tipperary base, formerly home to Rock Etoile, Coen's breakthrough winner at Gowran Park in September 2024, remains a happy stamping ground for the Fethard-born rider, but it was the ammunition provided by Ado McGuinness which really helped to take his career to the next level during the latest season. Indeed, McGuinness supplied Coen with more winners (eight) and more rides (85) than any other trainer in 2025, with the three-time winner Clonmacash proving himself a particularly good servant to both men. For good measure, the son of Charming Thought was also the horse to get Coen off the mark for 2026 when winning at Dundalk recently. In total, Coen accumulated 24 winners in his first full season with a licence, as well as filling the runner-up spot in the €600,000 Irish Cesarewitch aboard 66/1 shot Chally Chute for Ross O'Sullivan. Seven days later, he returned to the Curragh to notch the first double of his career. As for the upcoming turf season, it would take a brave soul to bet against Coen playing a more prominent role in the race to be crowned champion apprentice in Ireland, after he finished joint-sixth behind Wayne Hassett in 2025. He certainly has plenty of the right faces in his corner, with legendary trainers such as Dermot Weld and Noel Meade also featuring among those who gave him the odd opportunity last year. Patrick McGettigan Total winners under Rules: 28 The man who tied with Sam Coen for sixth in last year's apprentice jockeys' championship was Letterkenny's Patrick McGettigan, who had previously introduced himself in style when opening his account under Rules back in August 2024. The horse in question was King Thistle, the winner of a seven-furlong nursery at the Curragh, of all places, on a showpiece card featuring three Group races. McGettigan, who is apprenticed to the stable of King Thistle's trainer, Johnny Murtagh, ended 2024 with four winners, before making more headlines last spring following a quiet start to the year. It took him until April to add to his tally, but then along came Hezahunk and Albion Princess, both winners at Dundalk at combined odds of 4,130/1. Hezahunk was the first to hit the target at 50/1, before McGettigan produced an enterprising ride aboard 80/1 shot Albion Princess to cause another upset just seven days later. You would have pocketed a handsome profit of €57.38 if placing a €1 bet on every one of McGettigan's Irish mounts during the latest season, with another 20 winners coming his way before the end of the calendar year. Returning to the Curragh for the Irish Derby meeting, he proceeded to give Paul Sweeney's Pillar Of Hope a peach of a ride to win the Apprentice Derby Handicap, while the success of the Ciaran Murphy-trained Steps In The Sand at the Galway Festival was another highlight as it saw the partnership complete a hat-trick following earlier wins at Bellewstown and Ballinrobe. Under the watchful eye of Murtagh, who enjoyed his best ever season as a trainer in 2025, McGettigan could hardly be in better hands as he tries to kick on from this most promising start to his career in 2026. Reese Holohan Total winners under Rules: 5 Reese Holohan might be one of the newest faces in the weighing room in Ireland, but he's arguably as exciting a prospect as any other name on this list if his recent exploits on the all-weather at Dundalk are anything to go by. Holohan, who hails from Mountrath in County Laois, was still enjoying his pony racing as recently as May last year when a five-timer at Carndonagh gave an early indication of the talent he possesses. Within four months the 16-year-old was having his first ride under Rules, teaming up with the Mark Fahey-trained Elza Diva in a nursery at Naas, with his first taste of success then coming in December when he delivered Denis Hogan's Benavente to win a Dundalk handicap. Clearly, Hogan was impressed by what he saw there if his support of Holohan since the turn of the year is anything to go by. In January alone, the young jockey was given more opportunities than he was in all of 2025, with 13 of his 21 rides at Dundalk last month coming on horses trained by Hogan. Holohan duly delivered the goods with victories aboard Venetian and Dontspoilasale, with another triumph courtesy of the Paul Flynn-trained Dawn Flame, at 18/1, sandwiched in between. It's still very early days, of course, but few would dispute that Holohan is excellent value at this stage for his 7-lb claim, as he again showed when registering his latest success aboard Natalia Lupini's Summer Island at Dundalk on Friday. He's apprenticed to the Fahey stable in County Kildare, but his agent's phone is sure to be red hot in the coming weeks as more shrewd operators like Hogan cotton on to what the young man is capable of. The post Six Apprentice Jockeys to Follow in 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Victorious Racing's €1-million Arqana August graduate Warriors Whisper (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) repaid some of that investment with a narrow debut victory in Saturday's Prix du Nice Havrais at Deauville. Under wraps off the tempo in eighth through halfway, the 9-10 favourite made smooth headway into contention with 350 metres remaining and was ridden out in the closing stages to deny Shelzawa (Zelzal) by a short-neck. Warriors Whisper is the third of five foals and second scorer produced by G3 Park Express Stakes victrix Normandel (Le Havre), who is a half-sister to G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero Mont Ormel (Air Chief Marshal). Descendants of her second dam Lidana (King's Best), herself a half-sister to dual Group 1-winning sire Linngari (Indian Ridge), also include G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and G1 Coronation Cup victor Pyledriver (Harbour Watch). The February-foaled bay is kin to a two-year-old filly by Mehmas and a yearling filly by New Bay. 2nd-Deauville, €24,700, Mdn, 2-7, 3yo, f, 9 1/2f (AWT), 1:57.95, st. WARRIORS WHISPER (IRE) (f, 3, Lope De Vega {Ire}–Normandel {Fr} {GSW-Ire, SW & GSP-Fr, $135,994}, by Le Havre {Ire}) Sales history: 1,000,000 Ylg '24 ARQAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €12,350. O-Victorious Racing SC; B-Ballylinch Stud; T-Carlos & Yann Lerner. The post Victorious Racing’s Warriors Whisper Prevails in Deauville Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Jay Rooney CONRAD PATCH - R6 (2) Chased a smart one home on debut and can go one better here Owen Goulding BLAZING WIND - R9 (4) Cosy C&D win latest and drawn one here with a claim well utilised Trackwork Spy NUMBERS - R8 (7) Should get a cheap lead and prove extremely hard to catch Phillip Woo NUMBERS - R8 (7) Has made a big impression in his two local runs and may never be headed Shannon (Vincent Wong) MR COOL - R2 (3) In-form galloper continues to race well and looks hard to beat...View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The Asian Racing Conference (ARC) will meet in Riyadh from February 9-14 in conjunction with the Saudi Cup meeting. The theme is “Honouring Tradition, Shaping the Future” and consists of a three-day business programme designed to provoke meaningful dialogue, strategic insights and key learnings to address the challenges and opportunities facing the horseracing industry. A gathering of the International Forum for the After Care of Racehorses (IFAR) will take place on Monday, where HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCoSA), will open proceedings. Prince Bandar and Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and chairman of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) will welcome delegates to the opening ceremony of ARC that evening. Three days of discussion covering topics from the role of equestrianism and sport in Saudi's Vision 2030 ambitions, the impact and role of the Gulf Horseracing Council, as well as AI impacts on the future of sport in terms of integrity and attracting new audiences will take palce at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Convention Centre. The seventh edition of the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdlulaziz Racecourse on Valentine's Day closes the conference. For more information on the upcoming Asian Racing Conference, please visit their website. The post Asian Racing Conference To Meet In Riyadh Ahead Of Saudi Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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