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    Sharrock seeks Cup redemption

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    Asif gets second win at Kranji

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    So Naive heads stable quinella

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    Selections | Kaikoura – Today

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    • Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has formed a new strategic plan for the organization, broadening the scope of its activities, enhancing its sustainability, and developing new partnerships toward encouraging use of Thoroughbreds beyond their racing and breeding years, Walter S. Robertson, Jr., president of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance announced Wendesday. “Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance was formed a little more than 15 years ago, and it quickly achieved its primary mission of becoming the centerpiece of Thoroughbred aftercare support across North America,” said Robertson. “After extensive research and analysis and with input from stakeholders across all areas of the Thoroughbred industry, we are pleased to announce an expanded strategic plan, which will further protect Thoroughbreds and provide a firm foundation for their care and retraining for years to come.” The expanded strategy for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance includes five pillars: Financial stability maintained through centralized industry-provided funding conduits. Gold-standard accreditation and certifications, including developing and expanding strategic alliances with placement programs with racetracks. Data analytics to better monitor and analyze aftercare outcomes. Comprehensive resource allocation and support via increased grants, alliances and sponsorships of Thoroughbred events, and customer service resources and support. Industry-wide advocacy and education, including public relations success stories with Thoroughbreds in second careers. “The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is deeply grateful for The Jockey Club's help with the plan and their financial support and steadfast leadership,” Robertson said. “As a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance co-founder, our largest financial backer, and a valued long-term partner, The Jockey Club continues to play a defining role in expanding and strengthening aftercare for Thoroughbreds.” Everett Dobson, Chair of The Jockey Club, added: “For 2026, The Jockey Club is contributing $2.5 million to aftercare–funding driven in part by registry transactions and proceeds from our commercial companies–with the bulk of that supporting Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Aftercare is a shared responsibility. We're confident Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance's plan will keep raising the bar for aftercare, and we encourage other organizations, companies, and individuals to join us with reliable, ongoing funding–year after year.” The post Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Announces New Strategic Plan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • As an unrelenting stretch of icy winter cold hangs over the Bluegrass, the thought of a sunny spring day of racing at Keeneland with the dogwood trees in bloom sure feels like a welcome reprieve. At the upcoming Spring Meet, Keeneland will celebrate the grand opening of the interior hospitality spaces in the new three-story Paddock Building. To help chase away the winter cold, Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin sat down with TDN to share more details on Keeneland's five new venues before tickets go on sale on Tuesday, Feb. 17. “All the rooms are furnished and we're just finalizing, going through a punch list with our contractor and getting everything wrapped up,” Arvin shared. During the 2025 Fall Meet, Keeneland debuted its renovated Saddling Paddock and Stakes Winner's Circle. The new venues within the Paddock Building will offer views of both locations. Lexington-based designer Matthew Carter, who has had a hand in existing venues at Keeneland like the fifth floor Keeneland Room, led the interior design process for the new building. Arvin said that maintaining Keeneland's time-honored atmosphere while enhancing the fan experience was a top priority throughout the project. “We spent a lot of time looking at the history of design at Keeneland, which goes back to the days of Mrs. [Alma] Haggin, who really was in charge of it at the beginning,” she explained. “One of the reasons that it was so important to us that Matt Carter be involved was because I feel like he has really looked at the history and understands what the feel of Keeneland should be, but at the same time can focus on modernizing it and adding in some fun touches.” For the upcoming meet, access to the Paddock Building will be exclusive to guests with tickets to one of its five spaces. The venues will offer over 1,000 new public dining tickets each race day. “Part of the reason that we built the Paddock Building was because we didn't have enough supply for the demand, which is an incredible problem to have and we do not take it for granted,” said Arvin. “So we want to be sure that we can fulfill as many requests as we can. We expect that it will be very well received and we're still going to run out of inventory pretty quickly, honestly, but that's 1,000 more people per day we can seat, which is great.” Ticket pricing for the new spaces range from $100 to $200 based on location, race day and dining package. Beyond the racing season, Keeneland plans to leverage the Paddock Building during sales to offer more hospitality options to auction attendees.   1936 ROOM 1936 Room | Keeneland photo Location: North end of first floor with access to Paddock Lawn Seating: Lounge seating and high-top tables Food and Beverage: All-inclusive passed and stationed hors d'oeuvres, full-service premium open bar Inside Look: “The 1936 Room is probably the newest concept for Keeneland, because there's not another room like it at the track. It is the first time we've done an all-inclusive ticket. There will be passed food, as well as food stationed throughout the room, so it's not a sit-down experience. We may pass some cocktails too.” “The jockeys walk through the room from the Jockeys' Quarters downstairs, which is fun and interactive. Also if you have access to that room, you have access to the north side of the paddock, so you have a spot to go outside.” “People like to enjoy the races in different ways. Some people like to sit at a table all day while other people like a little more action. They want to be able to mingle and walk around and this definitely gives them the chance to do that.” Favorite Detail: “I love the look and feel of all of the rooms, but I do really love this one. The woodwork is beautiful and the lighting is really special.”   SYCAMORE ROOM Sycamore Room | Keeneland photo Location: South end of first floor adjacent to the Stakes Winner's Circle Seating: Reserved table service Food and Beverage: A la carte high-end dining and cocktail service with classic American cuisine Inside Look: “This is probably our most upscale room of the five new rooms. There are some private rooms off to the side in the space, which I think people will really enjoy. This room is also on the first floor so you can walk right out to the area outside the walking ring.” “The menu is à la carte. I laugh because I've actually heard more rumors about the Sycamore Room than I imagined possible. The menu is close to finalized but it's not actually finalized, and for a while people were saying it was going to be a steakhouse. While there will probably be a steak on the menu, it is not a steakhouse. But I do think the food will be delicious and special in there.” Favorite Detail: “I love the bar in the Sycamore Room. It might be my favorite bar of the new ones.”   DOGWOOD AND IVY ROOMS: Dogwood Room | Keeneland photo Location: Second floor overlooking the Paddock Seating: Reserved table service Food and Beverage: Buffet-style dining. A la carte snacks and cocktails available for purchase. Inside Look: “The Dogwood and Ivy Rooms are similar spaces and are on the second floor. They are both going to have an elevated buffet. You've got the arched windows, which I think are so in keeping with what you think of when you think of Keeneland. The views outside these rooms overlooking the paddock are really special.” “The Dogwood is bigger than the Ivy Room. The Ivy Room seats 110 people, so it could be a private space or not. It just depends on what the demand is for that day. It was kind of a missing link for us because the Lexington/Kentucky Room is so large and then you go down to the Stakes Lounge at the Lafayette Room, which maybe wasn't large enough sometimes. So the Ivy Room hopefully will fit that need.” Favorite Detail: “I actually love the wallpaper in those rooms. You walk in and it's just very striking and I love the way it's hung around the windows.”   Rooftop Bar | Keeneland photo ROOFTOP BAR AND ROOFTOP DINING: Location: Third floor overlooking the Paddock Seating: Reserved table service. Rooftop Dining in enclosed premium indoor space. Rooftop Bar in covered outdoor area. Food and Beverage: A la carte lunch and cocktail service Inside Look: “Obviously the best part of the rooftop is the view. I've spent a lot of time staring at the Sycamore tree, but until I saw it from the rooftop, I hadn't seen it quite like you can from that vantage point. It's pretty spectacular.” “It is an a la carte menu up there too. For the outdoor space, you've got a big bar area–kind of a round bar, which I think people will enjoy–with covered high-top tables surrounding the bar. Inside, you've got a smaller dining room with seating.” Favorite Detail: “The view of the paddock is amazing, but it is also pretty neat to see the rest of the campus when you're turned away from the paddock and looking over at the sales pavilion and all the barns.”   The Keeneland Spring Meet runs April 3-24, with no racing on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Easter Sunday, April 5. Purchase tickets at Tickets.Keeneland.com. The post Shannon Arvin Shares Inside Look at Keeneland’s New Paddock Building appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • When you spend 3,200gns at the horses-in training sales on a 42-rated handicapper, the barometer of expectation cannot be set very high. Win a little race somewhere? Great. Win a couple? You're a genius. Win seven in a row and bid for a modern day record-equaling eighth success on the trot? You must be having a laugh.  Well, the ownership group of Barry And The Chuckles are the only ones laughing here. It was through bloodstock agent Dan Astbury that the syndicate picked up Aisling Oscar for that paltry sum from a Tattersalls Online Sale in September. The group of owners, of which Astbury is a part of, have scarcely been able to wipe the smiles off their faces ever since.  The grin could be about to widen further as the Adrian Keatley-trained five-year-old will be bidding for that record-equaling eighth win on the trot at Southwell on Thursday. However, if Aisling Oscar is to be successful, he will need to prove himself away from Newcastle, where all seven of his wins for current connections have been recorded.  Astbury said, “The preference would have been for this race to be at Newcastle because he has such a big stride but unfortunately the races did not suit. Southwell is probably the second-best track for him as it is the longest all-weather straight there is away from Newcastle so we're hoping for the best. “Aisling Oscar is unbelievable – he takes his runs so well and comes out bouncing from every race. Adrian and all of his team have done an amazing job and, touch wood, he seems to be taking it all in his stride. But, he looks to have a favourite's chance on form on Thursday. I know he is up in the weights but it is a pretty similar race to the one he won cosily last time at Newcastle. Hopefully he can go very close again.” So, how did we end up here, with Aisling Oscar hoping to replicate the achievements of the Reg Akehurst-trained Ballynakelly, who won eight times between 1995 and 1996? Astbury, who is perhaps best known for sourcing classy horses for the National Hunt sphere, is the first person to admit that Aisling Oscar has exceeded all expectations by climbing a whopping 25lbs in the space of just four months.  He explained, “We only bought Aisling Oscar for a little bit of fun. We bought him to target him at the all-weather bonus, but for it to have gone as well as it has, it's been brilliant. He had good all-weather form given he won twice when trained by Craig O'Neill in Ireland. Racing at Dundalk is a lot more competitive than the all-weather racing over here and the other angle we had is that he has a massive stride length. We bought him to run at Newcastle but we couldn't get him in any races at the start because he was rated so low. That's why he ran on debut for us at Wolverhampton.” Aisling Oscar has cashed a little over £25,000 in winning prize-money for current connections. Far more lucrative than that, however, is the all-weather bonuses he has netted over the winter months. A much bigger carrot awaits if the winning machine can maintain his status as the most successful performer in Britain this winter given a lucrative bonus of £100,000 will be on offer for the all-weather horse of the year at the end of the season. Astbury concluded, “The all-weather bonus system played a big factor in us buying Aisling Oscar. If it wasn't in place, we probably wouldn't have bought him. It's a huge incentive and, to be fair, they are getting a lot more runners on the all-weather in England now because of the bonus so it's working well. The race values can be thin but, with the bonuses, it gives people a reason to get involved. I obviously didn't think we were going to win seven races with him but I thought we could win a few and that's why we bought him. I can't say enough about what a brilliant job that Adrian has done with him. The horse looks an absolute beast at the minute so fingers crossed he can go in again.” The post “Unbelievable” Aisling Oscar Bids For Record-Equalling Eighth Win On The Bounce At Southwell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Schedule for racing on radio, television, streaming, as compiled by America's Best Racing.View the full article
    • In late December, trainer Butch Reid had a tough decision to make. Should he run his promising now 3-year-old Mailata in the Jerome Stakes on Jan. 2 at Aqueduct Racetrack or the Dec. 30 Future Stars Stakes at his home base of Parx Racing? View the full article
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