“We had a very good horse sale today,” said Fasig-Tipton CEO Boyd Browning, Jr. “Our gross was up significantly, the median was up, the RNA rate was down. The average had a small decrease, probably as a result of the RNA rate decreasing last year, but we were coming off of a dramatic increase in the average from 2024 to 2025.”

A colt from the first crop of Classic winner Dornoch (Good Magic) which was bred and consigned by Elaine Peck's Rhapsody Farm LLC proved the session's dearest offering when selling to East Lake Racing for $260,000. That price matched the 2025 sales-topper, the mare Showmethemagic (Power Broker). Last year's top weanling was a $240,000 son of Yaupon secured by Mahmud Mouni.

Fully 25 horses were knocked down for six-figure pricetags Monday afternoon, up from the 21 such horses marked as sold last fall. Stallions holding court at Spendthrift Farm accounted for six of the day's nine top-selling weanlings, including three by the in-form Yaupon.

“Tremendous competition for the horses that were perceived to be the high-quality foals,” added Browning. “It's the same story that we see time after time–there is a tremendous appetite for quality offerings, but you have to have some combination of conformation and pedigree and/or vetting.

“As we've said for years in this sale, people do have alternatives. They can bring them back for a yearling sale, they can go to the races with them. People covet a nice New York-bred. We are very, very pleased.”

Rhapsody Farm 'Noch'-ing On the Door

A colt from the first crop of 2024 GI Belmont Stakes hero Dornoch (Good Magic) topped a memorable day of selling for Rhapsody Farm, achieving the sales-topping price of $260,000.

The Jan. 25 foal (hip 134) is out of the 11-year-old stakes-winning mare Broadway Run (Prospective), whose three foals to race to date includes Scatify (Justify), a debut winner and  third to Nysos (Nyquist) in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes in early 2024. Rhapsody Farm purchased Broadway Run for $50,000 with the colt in utero at last year's Keeneland November Sale.

Not 30 minutes into Monday's trade, Rhapsody celebrated its first success of the day when selling hip 13, a colt by freshman weanling sire National Treasure (Quality Road) for $200,000 to Alpine.

Foaled on Mar. 16, the chestnut is out of Riding Point (Speightstown), the dam of SW Acting Out (Blame) and the Canadian stakes-placed Warp Ride (Astern {Aus}). Riding Point is a half-sister to Grade III-winning turf distaffer Onus (Blame), to MSP Silvology (Blame) and to the dam of Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy), a good runner-up in the GIII Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland last week. The is also the Stuart Janney family of GISW Ironicus (Distorted Humor).

Both Broadway Run and Riding Point were bred back to Solomini this year.

Kingsbarns Filly Something of a No-Brainer for McCrocklin

When Fasig-Tipton staged its final Florida Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training in 2022, Tom McCrocklin sold a colt by Uncle Mo out of Lady Tapit (Tapit) to Spendthrift Farm for $800,000. Trained by Todd Pletcher for the operation, Kingsbarns won six times from nine trips to the races, including a victory in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes, before retiring to cover his first book of mares at Spendthrift in 2025.

It was a full-circle moment for McCrocklin during Monday's Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale, as the noted reseller was extended to $175,000 for a first-crop filly by the son of the late Uncle Mo out of SW & GSP Strategic Dreams (Archarcharch). The Feb. 8 foal was consigned by Vinery Sales on behalf of her breeder Rockridge Stud.

“I had her appraised at less than what she cost,” said McCrocklin, who bought Kingsbarns for $250,000 on behalf of Michael Sucher's Champion Equine at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. “I thought I could potentially buy her for $125,000, but Brian Graves was another interested buyer and Brian is a superior judge of a weanling. I wound up with the filly, but any time I am outbidding Brian Graves for a weanling, I am a little bit flattered. I feel like I'm on the right horse.”

McCrocklin hasn't yet made a final decision on the disposition of the filly.

“I sell 2-year-olds and I'm not saying that selling her as a yearling is not a possibility, but I'll get her to Ocala and watch her grow up and evaluate,” he said. “But I would have no problem keeping her until the 2-year-olds in training sales. She's always going to be a member of Kingsbarns's first crop.”

McCrocklin thought she was very typical of what Kingsbarns might throw.

“He's a beautifully conformed horse and she is as well,” he said. “I thought he put a lot of his qualities into her. I am excited to have her.”

Opera Star Tops Mares Returns

Consigned by The New Hill Farm as agent, hip 289, the 8-year-old mare Opera Star (Tamarkuz) fetched $240,000 to top the broodmare offerings during the Fall Mixed Sale.

A half-sister to multiple Canadian stakes winner Dene Court (City Zip), ther dam of SW & MGSP Artemus Citylimits (Temple City); MSW Jacally (Bold Executive); and GSP Theregoesjojo (English Channel), Opera Star is responsible for three foals of racing age, including SW & GSP Bravaro (Upstart) and was offered carrying a full-sister to that colt, runner-up in this year's GIII Holy Bull Stakes.

The post ‘People Covet A Nice New York-Bred’: Dornoch Colt Tops Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Sent off here at 7-2 odds, she was content to watch Cortina Gold (Medaglia d'Oro) set the pace through an opening fraction in :20.80 but was never far away from that rival as they swung through the bend. Launching a bid at the half-mile pole, they locked horns at the top of the stretch and the race was on. Dueling until the latter stages, where Falling Creek finally got the better of the longtime leader, the victress inched clear to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

The famous colors that sailed home here were also on the back of 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Libby Lloyd (Into Mischief) in her Saratoga unveiling as well as 'Rising Star' High Speed Reed (Upstart) in her Sept. 14 debut. Falling Creek's sire Upstart claims GIII Pocahontas Stakes victress Manuka Honey; GI Test Stakes runner-up Percy's Bar (bred by Jones); and unbeaten Seaside Startup (also bred by Jones) in a rapidly growing 2026 tally of talented fillies.

This latest victress is a half-sister to a small army of stakes fillies and mothers of accomplished runners. Of the talented racehorses, they include the likes of Speaktomeofsummer (Summer Front), GSW, $266,185; More Fun Again (Arch), GSP, $192,343; Ever Summer (Summer Front), GSP, $144,670; and Proud Reunion (Proud Citizen), SW, $177,880. From that group, More Fun Again went on to produce SP Tahini (American Pharoah) while two others are winner producers.

Winning half-sisters include Vicennalia (More Than Ready), the mother of Australian Listed winner Left the Building (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), and Lifetime Memory (Istan). The latter is most famous for her son, GISW Antiquarian (Presevationist)–a recent addition to the Japanese breeding program. She also produced GSW Fondly (Upstart). Falling Creek is the most recent to the races for Silver Reunion, who claims a yearling filly by Divisidero in the wings. She went to Mage for 2027.

5th-Horseshoe Indianapolis, $32,000, Msw, 10-12, 2yo, f, 5fT, :56.17, fm, 1 3/4 lengths.
FALLING CREEK (f, 2, Upstart–Silver Reunion {GSW, $254,403}, by Harlan's Holiday) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $19,200.
Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O/B-Estate of Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Jonathan Thomas.

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A 215,000gns foal purchase alongside Johnny McKeever here in December, the Blue Point colt represented an outstanding piece of pinhooking profit. However, it all seemed to be in the balance last week, when the half-brother to the Group 1-placed Flotus (Starspangledbanner) missed his initial engagement in Book 1 due to travel sickness. Monday's sale provided a timely reminder that there is always another day. 

Jack Hanly, son of the Ballyhimikin maestro James, said, “It has all worked out in the end and was perhaps for luck. He was not right after travelling and we felt there's a big market there to sell them this week in Book 2 so we just took a chance by doing so. Tattersalls has been very good in advertising the horse – it was an exceptional job that they did. He is a beautiful horse and deserved to make what he has.”

Hanly continued, “The team has done an absolutely super job with him. We bought him as a foal [from Norelands] and we loved him then and he has just done super on the farm. The team at home is the reason why we're able to get these horses here and get them to this position.”

This pedigree has a history of big-money transactions at Tattersalls as it was here in 2021, during the December Mares Sale, where Flotus sold to Katsumi Yoshida for 1 million gns. Sadly, the dam, Floriade (Invincible Spirit), is reported to have died this year. 

Brown commented, “He is a beautiful colt and I think he would have stood out last week – he certainly stood out today. I am a big fan of the stallion and the mare's obviously already produced a good one in Flotus. I am delighted to get him. I think that is his value – I do think that whatever sale a horse is in, they tend to make their value. We're the lucky ones as I do think he is a really smashing colt to get our hands on.”

The agent added, “He showed brilliantly right from the start, but it shows how much we ask the horses to do and how small the margins can be. It was just a great plan by all parties that this sale could be accommodated this week rather than waiting through to December.”

Stroud Lands Lope De Vega Filly For “Complete Legend” Peter Harris

Anthony Stroud labelled owner and former trainer Peter Harris “a complete legend” after signing for a 550,000gns Lope De Vega filly from Hillwood Stud deep into the session. Harris, the owner of Mill Stream along with a string of other high-class runners, is reported to have bought four horses during Book 1.

Stroud said, “Lovely filly. We all loved her – it was a little bit more than I thought she was going to cost. She will be owned by Peter Harris, and I am very grateful for his involvement, enthusiasm and direction. He bought four last week. He's fantastic. I mean, he's just an amazing man.”

The agent added, “He'd hate me saying this but he's just a complete legend. I've been buying horses for him since I was 22 – I used to buy his jumpers. We bought a lot of good jumpers and it's fantastic that it [the relationship] goes on.”

The Lope De Vega filly put the icing, cherry and sprinkles on top of a memorable day for Hillwood Stud. The operation's Charlie Vigors sourced the dam of the filly, Listed scorer My Eyes Adore You (Profitable), for 380,000gns at the December Mares Sale in 2023. 

All told, Hillwood Stud ended Monday as the leading vendor with seven horses selling for a grand total of 1,557,000gns. 

Vigors commented, “She's a lovely filly and she's just shown beautifully the whole time she's been up here. We are absolutely delighted. She's a very good first foal. She is incredibly well-balanced, she's always been very athletic, and is just a lovely filly.” 

Amo Racing And Emmet Mullins Strengthen Partnership With 475k Frankel Colt

Amo Racing pledged its support to Emmet Mullins in pretty emphatic fashion by signing for one of the most expensive horses on the day, a 475,000gns Frankel colt from Hillwood Stud. 

Highly-rated Flat handicapper Dallas Star (Cloth Of Stars) provided the new owner-trainer partnership with the best possible start when making a successful hurdling debut at Navan last month. That victory has paved the way for Kia Joorabchian to back Mullins with more ammunition on the level ahead of his move to Jim Bolger's historic Glebe House base in County Kilkenny, which he bought for an undisclosed figure recently. 

Joorabchian said, “I told Emmet that I am the most successful jumps owner in his yard! We have had one runner and one winner – a 100 per cent strike-rate! Joking aside, they have spent a lot of money and have taken over Jim Bolger's place. He's got unbelievable facilities. It's going to be his first year there, so he's going to have to be patient, but we have a few jumps horses there and now a few Flat horses, so we'll see. I came to know Emmet through Paul Byrne and another friend of mine, Peter Trainor. It's another partnership so, fingers crossed.”

All told, Amo Racing spent 1,120,000 gns on six yearlings. 

On the Frankel colt, Joorabchian added, “Very happy. I actually thought he looked like a Book 1 horse. He has a lot of the right Frankel attributes but he is a fast-looking Frankel, so fingers crossed. He's going to be ready early. He's going to Emmet Mullins so hopefully he will get him out and win the first maiden of the year at the Curragh. I think he is a well-bought horse.”

That result, along with the Lope De Vega filly that came a little later in the day, contributed to the memorable day of trade for Hillwood Stud.

Vigors commented on the Frankel colt, “He was bred by Fortescue Bloodstock, long time supporters, and he has always been a nice colt. He is probably slightly more precocious-looking than a lot of Frankels and we wanted to hold him for this book because we felt he'd be a better fit. Last week, he would also have been up against the Frankel out of Get Ahead [which Hillwood sold to Godolphin for 1.8 million gns] in our own draft.”

Vigors added, “He's got plenty of presence and the two-year-old full-sister [Probing] was a very encouraging second first time out on Saturday in a maiden at Newmarket. She is with Ralph Beckett, looks very promising and that performance has been very timely to help the page. Kurious had a Lope De Vega filly this year and was covered by Mehmas.”

Cheveley Park Brings Entire Spend To Over 3 Million Gns

Following on from a 2.15 million spend during Book 1, Cheveley Park Stud added two well-bred fillies by Night Of Thunder and Havana Grey to the team for a combined sum of 825,000gns. 

That spend was headed by the 450,000gns Night Of Thunder filly from Carisbrooke Stud. She is out of the Listed-placed Impulsion (Footstepsinthesand), who was purchased by Cathy Grassick on behalf of her owner-breeder Yvonne Jacques as a yearling for €40,000 almost a decade back. 

“I'm delighted to see who has bought her,” Jacques said. “She has gone to a great home, will end up going to a top trainer, is staying in England and will hopefully be a broodmare for Cheveley.”

She added, “Cathy selected her and we paid just €40,000 for her as a yearling. She went into training with Roger [Varian]. We always try to do the best we can with our mares stallion-wise, and I was dead lucky to get Night Of Thunder when I did. I love my horses deeply, so does the staff at home, and for us it is always difficult to sell, but we do run a commercial operation. I also have a Night Of Thunder filly in training. Impulsion has had a lot of fillies, too, and so it made sense to sell this filly. The Carisbrooke Stud team has done a great job and I can't thank them enough.”

Cheveley Park Stud also spent 375,000gns on a full-sister to Shouldvebeenaring from Whitsbury Manor Stud. 

Speaking after signing for the Night Of Thunder filly, Richardson joked, “It was a bit of an Impulsion really! She's a lovely, athletic filly with a wonderful mind, and Night Of Thunder is a sire who's had a phenomenal year. For us, she ticked all the boxes and we're prepared to give her a bit of time. Obviously Carisbrooke, Yvonne Jacques, is a breeder we know well and she breeds good horses, so we're happy to buy this filly from her.”

He added, “Mrs T will be discussing training plans at lunchtime, but nothing has been decided as of yet. Several trainers have approached us already asking if there's a chance. We bought four fillies last week and Mrs Thompson is enjoying the sales and getting some new blood in. Night Of Thunder is doing really well and we're fans. We're looking forward to a few homebreds that we'll be putting into training. He looks like he's probably going to fill the shoes of Dubawi and I'm sure the nomination price will go up again, so I think this was a good time to invest.”

Emmet Mullins: partnered up with Amo Racing on the 475,000 gns Frankel colt | Tattersalls

Subplots

A good, solid opening: The mood on the ground was that Book 2 got off to a very respectable start. There were plenty of horses bought back by vendors throughout the day, but a lot of business was done privately to ensure a solid look to the figures. The 25,278,000gns turnover represented a marginal gain [1%] on last year while the 85,000gns median dropped by 6% and the average fell by 2%. The clearance rate dropped only by 3% to 88%.

Turbo touches: When you look back at some of the turbo touches – Baroda Stud's 1.1 million gns Kingman colt or Yeomanstown Stud's 1.3 million gns Ghaiyyath colt, for example – that were landed throughout Book 1, they were achieved with six-figure foals. From talking to a number of big-hitters over the past few days, that seems to be the way forward. There are a couple of reasons why pinhookers are no longer excited about turning, say, 20 grand into 50 grand. The rising costs is one. But the fact that so many pinhookers are jumping in together to form syndicates, even when they double or even treble their money, suggests it's not proving a worthwhile exercise after the necessary deductions are made. If the conversation over the past few days is anything to go by, you can expect more and more pinhookers to be lining up for the punchier foals to try and shoot the lights out next year. 

Mullins making waves: Speaking of shooting the lights out, Emmet Mullins has wasted no time in stocking up on yearlings ahead of his move to Jim Bolger's old base at Coolcullen in County Kilkenny. Mullins expects to be up and running at his new yard in time for the new season and, if his recent spend is anything to go by, he has assembled an exciting cast – alongside some major partners – to go to war with. His name was dotted beside four yearlings that cost a grand total of 1,105,000gns during Book 1, while Mullins was also involved in the purchasing of three yearlings for 665,000gns on Monday. That spend comes off the back of a €1,380,000 outlay on eight yearlings at the Goffs Orby Sale. Safe to say, the young trainer, best associated with National Hunt heroics, plans on hitting the ground running on the Flat in the new year. 

Godolphin finding value: A lot is said and written about Godolphin's spend at this sale every year and, while nearly 27 million gns splashed on 25 yearlings during Book 1 will doubtless grab headlines, the powerhouse operation is clearly still open to sniffing out value when the opportunity presents itself. There were a couple of well-bought individuals within that mammoth Book 1 spend and the recruitment drive continued into this week where a 400,000gns Starspangledbanner colt from Glenvale Stud finished top of the pile. Interestingly, Godolphin also played at 85,000gns on a Mehmas colt from Mountarmstrong Stud midway during the session that saw a further 1,455,000gns invested into the market on five yearlings. Another talking point is the wide variety to their shopping list – with the progeny of Little Big Bear, Paddington and even Equinox featuring among the Book 1 and 2 haul.

A great game best played slow: Breeze-up handlers were rendered bit-part players during Book 1 with very little business being done by that corner of the market last week. However, plenty of the bigger players got in on the action on Monday, with at least 17 horses down to chart that path judging by the buyers' sheet. 

Buy of the day

Blow it up ref. It might be time to discontinue this segment because there may never be a better buy than the 5,000gns that Anthony Bromley went to on a Lope De Vega colt from Fittocks Stud. Four legs? Check. A tail? Indeed. Two eyes and a head you might ask? Yep. Okay, in all seriousness, we obviously aren't privy to how the horse vetted, but he was bought by one of the best judges in the game and, physically at least, there was very little to crib about the colt apart from the fact he looked like he could do with a bit of time. At just 5,000 gns, which is around €190,000 less than the stud fee, lot 652 has to be deemed seriously good value. Frankly, it left an awful amount of people dumbfounded on the day.

Thought for the day

Is there really a need for the outside podium at Tattersalls this week? We all know it serves a pretty obvious purpose during Book 1. But surely Book 2, and most definitely Books 3 and 4, needs as much atmosphere and momentum it can get in the ring in order to keep the tempo up throughout days that are traditionally prone to lulls. Something to think about, perhaps, although buyers might disagree.

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Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) became the latest Classic winner bred by the operation when he claimed the GI Preakness Stakes in May. Over the ensuing three months, the Gunthers' success stretched across the Atlantic: Nola Soul, a son of Glennwood's other Classic winner Justify, landed the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot; Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never) claimed the G2 Lennox Stakes; and Zavateri (Ire) (Without Parole {GB}) scored in Goodwood's G2 Celebration Mile in August. Meanwhile in Kentucky, the farm was represented by three yearlings that brought $1.9 million or more.

“It's been an incredible year,” reflected Tanya Gunther. “You just can't expect to have another horse compete and win in the Triple Crown races, so to have one after Justify won the Triple Crown back in 2018 has sort of been a dream come true. It was a great feeling and we're really proud of the farm. Everybody works so hard at it, so it's very exciting for the whole team.”

The Gunthers are looking forward to adding another compelling–albeit emotional–chapter to their season come November when they offer two Grade I producers at Fasig-Tipton. Atomic Blonde (Scat Daddy), dam of Napoleon Solo, and Wildwood Rose (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), dam of 2024 GI Ashland Stakes victress Leslie's Rose (Into Mischief), are slated to go through the ring on the Night of the Stars.

“This is a departure for us,” Gunther explained. “We don't normally sell Group 1 producers. For me, taking those mares up to the sale, I'm not going to make it through without crying. The Night of the Stars is an amazing sale. We've never sold there before, so we thought bringing a couple of our best mares would be interesting. At the moment we have about 35 mares, which is a lot for us. We try to have around 20 to 25, so this is part of a natural reduction that we need to do.”

“We are truly honored that John and Tanya have entrusted us with two mares of the quality of Wildwood Rose and Atomic Blonde,” said Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “The Glennwood name is really synonymous with producing some of the finest racehorses in North America. They obviously do a great job of raising horses and producing runners. They have a great reputation where people are very comfortable buying horses from them, knowing that they're going to have the opportunity to achieve success on the racetrack.”

Both homebred mares showcase the reach and impact of the Gunthers' breeding vision.

Atomic Blonde at Glennwood Farm | Sara Gordon

Atomic Blonde's dam Volver (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was purchased in 2011. Raced by John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services, Atomic Blonde was a stakes winner herself before retiring to Glennwood and producing Napoleon Solo two years later.

A debut winner in Saratoga for Chad Summers, Napoleon Solo claimed last year's GI Champagne Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths. This year as a 3-year-old, he was fifth in two graded starts before stepping up to win the Preakness and put in two Grade I runner-up performances in the Haskell and Travers. Since then, the colt has been putting in works from Belmont in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

“Napoleon Solo was a strong character as a foal,” Gunther recalled. “Then as a weanling he developed into more of a gentleman. To watch him win the Grade I as a 2-year-old, he did it phenomenally well and very fast. He's really accomplished a lot. It's been fantastic to watch and cheer him on.”

Campaigned by Espoir USA, Napoleon Solo is on target to race next year as a 4-year-old and he will retire to Lane's End Farm at the conclusion of his career.

With a yearling Authentic colt also in the pipeline, Atomic Blonde is now in foal to Flightline. Gunther said she is excited about the mating.

Napoleon Solo wins the GI Preakness Stakes | Sarah Andrew

“Atomic Blonde is a nice, medium-sized mare and a good mover,” she noted. “Physically, I think Flightline will really suit her and there are some interesting breeding patterns in there. Flightline is an up-and-coming stallion. So far he's proven he can get dirt and turf. He's got both influences in his pedigree, which is something I love in a stallion, to be able to have that versatility.”

Wildwood Rose's family has been curated by the Gunthers for decades. A second-generation homebred, the unraced daughter of Galileo is a half-sister to GI Florida Derby winner Materiality (Afleet Alex) and GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up My Miss Sophia (Unbridled's Song), the dam of Grade I winner and young sire Annapolis (War Front).

“We have quite a bit of that family, which was another reason behind the thinking to sell her,” explained Gunther. “My dad has really developed the family and it's exciting to see so many names on the page that have been bred at Glennwood.”

Wildwood Rose is in foal to a full-sibling to Leslie's Rose | Sara Gordon

Recalling the mating that produced Wildwood Rose, Gunther said, “We sent Wildwood Flower over to Europe, which is an unusual thing for a small operation to do, but my dad loved the turf breeding over there so we brought her to Galileo. Wildwood Rose is an absolute beauty. She has a beautiful walk on her, is a scopey mare and is a dream to be around. She's all class.”

The Gunthers' faith in the pedigree was rewarded when Wildwood Rose's first foal brought $900,000 as a yearling and her second, Leslie's Rose, brought $1.15 million when she sold to Whisper Hill Farm.

“She throws a bit of herself,” noted Gunther. “Leslie's Rose looked like her–a big, strong filly and a good mover.”

Leslie's Rose wins the 2024 GI Ashland Stakes | Coady Media

A winner on debut as a 2-year-old, Leslie's Rose went on to claim the 2024 GI Ashland Stakes, defeating Breeders' Cup champion Just FYI (Justify) by three lengths. She earned four more graded placings, including a runner-up effort behind champion Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in the GI Acorn Stakes and a win in the GII Shuvee Stakes at four.

Wildwood Rose has a 2-year-old Not This Time filly that sold as a yearling for $550,000 and she is now carrying a foal by Into Mischief.

“Into Mischief has been the leading sire for years now and he continues to produce top horses, so whoever purchases the mare will have the opportunity to have the full-sibling to Leslie's Rose,” Gunther noted.

As the sole two offerings in Glennwood Farm's Fasig-Tipton November draft, Wildwood Rose will sell as Hip 163 and Atomic Blonde will go through the ring as Hip 168.

“Anybody that knows me knows I like to drink wine,” said Browning. “These are two vines that have been carefully cultivated and nurtured by Glennwood. Both mares are 10 years old. It's a very unusual opportunity to buy mares of this quality from breeders that traditionally don't sell mares like this. It is a great honor, a great opportunity and we take that responsibility very seriously.”

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Also seeing an increase in stud fee next year is Honor A.P., whose daughter Counting Stars is at the top of the 3-year-old filly division this year. He will stand for $10,000, up from $7,500 in 2026.

“2026 has been a productive year for the Lane's End roster, with Liam's Map having three Grade I winners for a second year in a row–including a Classic winner,” said Lane's End's Bill Farish.

“In addition, City of Light and Honor A. P. added new Grade I winners to their resumes, and Flightline got off to a great start with his first-crop of runners. With four-time Grade I winner Deterministic joining the roster in 2027, we are looking forward to more exciting results for the Lane's End Stallions.”

Lane's End's 2027 roster–with all fees live foal, stands and nurses:

Quality Road – $100,000

Liam's Map – $80,000

Twirling Candy – $75,000

Candy Ride (Arg) – $60,000

City of Light – $35,000

Arcangelo – $30,000

Up to the Mark – $25,000

Raging Torrent – $15,000

Carl Spackler – $12,500

Honor A.P. – $10,000

More Than Looks – $5,000

Senor Buscador – $5,000

The Factor – $5,000

Tonalist – $5,000

Union Rags – $5,000

Deterministic – TBD

Flightline – TBD

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A very quick reply to the letter by Patrick Cooper (TDN 12/10/26).

If you open more prestigious races to geldings, it follows that more horses will be gelded. In many hands other than the gentle and patient ones of Sir Henry Cecil, the very exuberant Frankel may well have been gelded, just to save trouble, with the loss of an exceptional stallion. As a gelding, he could still have won the races, excepting the 2,000 Guineas.

And, of course, if more horses are gelded to render them easier to race, while still earning the big prize-money, stallion diversity will shrink.

Also in his letter, in a slightly unrelated attack, Mr Cooper has again 'talked down' the quality of the Irish Derby. If he'd like to be consistent, would he please comment on the almost equally diminishing Epsom Derby? Specifically on the numerous fairly anonymous winners since about 2013? Most vanished into obscurity in National Hunt studs or were gelded overseas, the former probably the future fate of subsequent floppers Lambourn and Christmas Day.

Why just target the Irish Derby? And what do you suggest is done, other than reducing the distance? My reply to this proposal was published in the TDN of January 12, 2024.

Be very careful what you wish for, and remember the adage: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. While Mr Cooper is of the opinion that the Irish Derby is broke, the Arc certainly ain't.

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Aidan O'Brien's colt achieved a rating of 119p for his success at Newmarket where he narrowly prevailed from Godolphin's Desert Castle (Frankel), who has seen his rating increase to 118p.

That performance propelled the son of Camelot to the top of the tree so far as this season's two-year-old colts are concerned. He is now rated just 1lb inferior to his stablemate Sun Goddess (Sioux Nation) and heads the ante-post betting for the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger.

Talk in the immediate aftermath switched to his claims of being the first horse since Nijinsky in 1970 to complete the Triple Crown. It would be fitting if he was able to achieve that historic feat, given that he's a son of Camelot, who went very close to Triple Crown glory in 2012 when denied only by Encke in the St Leger.

Darkness Falls remains open to improvement, indicated by a Timeform small 'p' next to his rating. His 119p win in the Dewhurst rates similar to the 119 achieved by last year's ill-fated winner Gewan (Night Of Thunder), while it is 8lb below the 127 achieved by 2023 winner City Of Troy, who remains the highest-rated Dewhurst winner this century.

Timeform's lead Flat analyst David Johnson said, “Having come so close to a Triple Crown with Camelot in 2012, a few pretenders have come and gone since.

“At this stage, Darkness Falls looks a perfectly viable contender to become the first horse to emulate Nijinsky and become only the second horse in almost 100 years to achieve the Triple Crown of Guineas, Derby and St Leger, as he heads into the winter rightfully at the head of the market for the first two.”

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“We probably need to have a bad day and they [Saturday's rivals] need to have a very good day to beat him,” said Hayes after watching the world's highest-rated racehorse breeze through his final piece of work on Monday.

“He's a generational horse, a freak of nature. Five times he's broken the track record [over 1,200 metres at Sha Tin] – I've never seen that before, especially eased down. I never thought I would see a sprinter as good as Black Caviar until this horse came along. So, he's in rare air at the moment. You can have your opinion who's better, that's not the point, but he's as good as her [Black Caviar], anyway, I think.”

The Peter Moody-trained Black Caviar memorably won 25 consecutive races during her illustrious career, while Ka Ying Rising heads to Randwick on Saturday bidding for a 22nd straight victory when he lines up in the A$20 million feature against the likes of Tempted (Street Boss), Joliestar (Zoustar), Jimmysstar (Per Incanto) and Giga Kick (Scissor Kick).

On Monday, the six-year-old was partnered by regular track rider Roy Ip when going 1,000 metres at Canterbury Racecourse, delighting Hayes with the way he'd come forward from his barrier trial at Randwick last week.

“He had a nice, long, steady canter to warm up and then he quickened from the 600m and was rolling down the straight,” Hayes continued. “I'm not sure if the times are right, but we got him at 36.5s [for the last 600m]. The riding boy was very happy and what I was particularly happy with was the recovery.

“He had an easier gallop going into the trial, but what the trial has done has got him back into game-day mode and that was his strongest piece.”

Australian-born Zac Purton, a nine-time champion jockey in Hong Kong, has expressed doubts about Ka Ying Rising's ability to cope with soft ground should it materialise at Randwick this weekend. Hayes, however, has no such concerns.

He added, “The Hong Kong wet track is a bit different to the Australian wet track. The grass is a bit tighter and he has a daisy-cutting action.

“Zac has a query on an Aussie wet – I don't. I'm not worried. I think, the other day, Zac thought he laboured a little bit in the trial. I think that was fitness and having a good look around. It was his first hit-out in five weeks.

“Zac has given himself a bit of wiggle room but, when I bought him, I saw him win a trial on heavy ground. It was only a trial, but he looked pretty good, so I bought him.”

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Davies joins as the RCA's Member Nominated Director (MND) on an interim basis, replacing Wilf Walsh, who has been one of the RCA's two MNDs on the BHA Board since October 2021.

Davies joined the RCA Board earlier this year after serving as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Shipley from 2005 to 2024. He held several roles within Parliament during his tenure as an MP, including joint chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Betting and Gaming and vice chair of the APPG for Racing and Bloodstock.

Davies is currently chairman of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and of the National Horseracing College in Doncaster. He is also a former Board member of the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA).

Simon Cox, chair of the BHA, said, “I am pleased to welcome Sir Philip to the BHA Board. Throughout his time in Parliament he was a strong advocate for racing and betting, helping to ensure the interests of our sport were understood by his fellow politicians, and I look forward to working with him.

“I would also like to thank Wilf Walsh for his significant contribution to the Board over the past five years.”

Sir Philip Davies said, “I am delighted to be joining the BHA Board to represent the interests of racecourses.

“Racing is a sport and industry for which I have long held a strong interest and I look forward to working with Board members and stakeholders across the sport to support its long-term success.”

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Thursday, Oct. 15 at 11:59pm ET is the final deadline to nominate foals born in 2026 to the Breeders' Cup program at the one-time nomination fee of $400 USD, the organization announced Monday.

The $400 weanling nomination entitles each foal with lifetime eligibility to the Breeders' Cup World Championships and the Breeders' Cup racing programs. All foals sired by a fully nominated North American Breeders' Cup stallion are eligible for nomination to the Breeders' Cup program in their year of birth at the weanling rate. From Oct. 16, 2026 to Feb. 28, 2027, the nomination cost rises to $1,500.

Breeders' Cup foal nominators will earn $10,000 for every victory in the worldwide Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, and every horse that starts in a Breeders' Cup World Championship race will earn a nominator award. The individual nominating the foal receives these nominator awards even though the horse may change hands throughout its racing career.

To nominate online, and for more information, please visit the members portal.

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Ryan's progress–after sustaining a type of knee fracture during training at Thistledown that can commonly lead to euthanization–was made possible by many helping hands over the past half-year.

It all started with HERF, which is a one full-time employee, nonprofit operation launched in early 2026 by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). HERF provides critical assistance for Thoroughbreds who sustain injuries that are career-ending but have a positive recovery prognosis by ensuring immediate access to either free or discounted quality veterinary treatment.

HERF then places recovering horses with caretakers for the rehab phase via initiatives like the Empty Stall Challenge, which matches equine patients with farms willing to donate stabling, boarding, and the assistance of qualified staffers experienced in providing months of stall rest.

In Ryan's case, he was hosted by Denali Stud. The 16.1-hands, long-legged bay was vanned there free of charge by Brook Ledge Horse Transportation after Dr. Alex Curtiss performed his no-cost surgery at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital.

After nearly four months at Denali, the gelding is now at New Vocations, the nation's largest rehabilitation and placement program for retired racehorses.

Claire Bandoroff, Denali's marketing and hospitality director, vividly recalled the day Ryan stepped off the van.

“He got off the trailer and I remember just thinking, like, 'Welcome! Nice to meet you. You're safe here. I think you're gonna like it,'” Bandoroff said.

“When he arrived at the farm Apr. 23, he was fresh off of his surgery for his slab fracture,” Bandoroff said. “His plan was 30 days of stall rest, 30 days of hand-walking, and then progressing to round pen turnout, and then from there progressing to paddock turnout. And he did it all just exactly according to the book. He had no setbacks here. Donnie Snellings, our yearling manager, kind of oversaw his program.

“I think anyone who's been around him could probably say the same thing: He just has the best demeanor. He's so sweet, very gentle, playful. He's very smart, and really smart about handling himself. I think that's why he did so well in his rehab, because he really just took care of himself, and I think all smart horses do that,” Bandoroff said.

Anna Ford, the executive director of New Vocations, picked up Ryan's story from there.

“He came to us Aug. 13. We had him settle in and get re-evaluated by our vets to be sure that he could go on to training. He got cleared Aug. 28 and they started riding him Sept. 21, and he's doing well, so we're going to keep riding him,” Ford said.

“Everything looks like it's healed well. Time will tell if there are going to be any further changes to that joint. Mid-level impact would be my guess [for near-future activity level]. He's just started doing stuff, so it's hard to know right now what they're going to clear him to do long-term,” Ford said.

“He seems pretty straightforward and laid back. I know his first ride was pretty uneventful, so that's always good. He seems like he has a good mind, because I think he's going to end up being more suitable for like a lower-level career, and those types of [adoptive owners] tend to need a horse that's a little bit more laid back and secure with themselves,” Ford said.

'Just scratching the surface'

HERF is just in its infancy and is still fine-tuning some of its procedures and protocols. But one thing is becoming clear to those who either run the program or have participated in it as volunteers: If it flourishes and expands, it is poised to have a meaningful effect on reducing the Thoroughbred fatality rate from catastrophic injuries, simply because it is going to save, rehab and adopt out horses whose fates might otherwise have been decided by adverse economic factors.

Joe DeFrancis, who was previously the majority owner and chief executive of the Maryland Jockey Club, now chairs the HERF board. He said the key to the initiative is that HERF provides options for lower-level owners and trainers on smaller racing circuits who want to do the right thing for their horses but simply cannot afford to.

“These are marginal players in the sport, most of them, and they're faced with really difficult economic decisions,” DeFrancis said. “They're struggling to get by and they don't have the money to pay the medical bills at retail that it would take to provide a surgery, provide the aftercare from the surgery, and rehabilitate a horse that, by and large, is going to have no further economic value to them. And people shouldn't be criticized for that, or made to feel in any way uncomfortable, or at fault.

“Think of HERF as a pipeline,” DeFrancis said. “So from the moment that the horse gets injured and the owner basically says, 'I can't really deal with this injury,' HERF steps in and takes ownership and complete responsibility for the health, safety, well-being, and treatment of the horse.”

HERF will have a $1.4 million budget for fiscal year 2027 to build upon its first year of operations.

“We are funded solely by donations, and so we are solely dependent upon the charitable goodwill of individuals and organizations that care about horses,” DeFrancis said.

“One of the major economic pillars that supports our existence is 'in-kind' contributions from members of the industry. Whether that's people that have farms providing a stall to help a horse do that short-term rehabilitation middle phase, or whether it's equine hospitals like Rood & Riddle or New Bolton doing surgeries that are deeply discounted or completely gratis, or transport companies providing free vanning services, based upon our 2026 experience to date, in-kind contributions covered roughly one-third of our expenses, and we're hoping that continues on a go-forward basis into 2027,” DeFrancis said.

“But the rest, roughly a million dollars of cash need, we're hoping to raise in contributions from individuals and organizations,” DeFrancis said. “That's our goal.”

As part of the analysis for that budget, DeFrancis said HERF examined equine fatality data based on HISA's four most recently published quarterly reports.

“There were a total of 177 racing fatalities over that period for the HISA racetracks that we had data for,” DeFrancis said. “That's not nationwide. There are a number of racetracks that are not in the HISA database, so we didn't have access to their data. But for racetracks that are in the HISA database, there were 177 racing fatalities. That translated into a fatality rate per thousand starts of 1.07.

“And our chief veterinary liaison, Karen Hassan, looked at all of those 177 cases, and concluded that had HERF been in existence over those four quarters–we didn't begin doing business until Q2 of 2026–she estimates that we would have been able to save 37 of those horses, which was 21% of the total fatalities,” DeFrancis said.

“That would have resulted in the fatalities per [thousand starts] number going down from 1.07 to 0.84. That's a 21% reduction, which is pretty significant,” DeFrancis said.

“And that's just scratching the surface. We're just kind of getting going. We think in the fullness of time, when we're operational in every state, and hopefully HISA's constitutionality has been finally resolved by the United States Supreme Court, and all states that have pari-mutuel horse racing are under HISA jurisdiction, that we'll be able to get that number down even lower,” DeFrancis said.

You'd think that would be a statistic HERF might be touting loudly. But DeFrancis emphasized he didn't want the HERF story to come across as being numbers-driven, because it detracts from the organization's mission.

“I want to be crystal-clear about this: HERF doesn't exist to improve or polish or make better any particular statistic,” DeFrancis said. “It exists to fill a gap in the overall equine welfare infrastructure as it relates to taking care of horses at the middle and lower end of the sport. [So if] they suffer a catastrophic injury that causes them to have no further value as a racehorse, economics [don't dictate whether a horse gets] euthanized rather than receiving life-saving medical treatment. And that is the challenge and the problem that HERF was created to address.

“But one of the byproducts of HERF is that in fulfilling our mission, it is addressing that challenge [of reducing equine fatalities]. We are, and we will, significantly improve that catastrophic breakdown statistic that everybody pays attention to,” DeFrancis said.

The Bandoroffs with 'Ryan' at Denali Stud | Courtesy of Denali Stud

'Ryan' revealed

Horses like Ryan have a chance at second careers, but HERF realizes not all of their intakes will.

In cases where a horse is pain-free and pasture-sound but can't go back under saddle, it will be matched with a new owner who will see that the horse “lives out its life in peace and comfort in the field, basically,” DeFrancis said.

Ford said at New Vocations, “We have five from HERF here in Lexington. The majority of them are all progressing well. We have one 'question mark' horse that might need more of a sanctuary home than an adopted home.”

But, Ford added, “I definitely think it'll help with the fatality numbers. Most of the surgeries are pretty straightforward. We're getting horses with these types of surgeries fairly regularly, so it's great that they're able to provide the surgeries for the people who aren't able to do that.”

Mandy Minger, who is HERF's executive director (and lone full-time employee), said that, “The Empty Stall Challenge is still ongoing, and we have more people who have donated stalls than we've had horses to put in them at this point, so that's the best part. We've had six horses go through the Empty Stall Challenge, and we have about six farms that are already on deck.”

One of the policies that HERF has had to adjust since Ryan was profiled in TDN half a year ago has to do with the disclosure of registered names.

Minger explained that initially, HERF chose not to disclose a horse's Jockey Club name for fear that owners who could not afford the surgery might feel shamed or subjected to stigmatization, and thus unwilling to give HERF horses.

But now, DeFrancis said, HERF has realized that asking people to adopt rehabbed Thoroughbreds without telling them everything that is known about the horse simply isn't practical or transparent.

Plus, Minger said, rehabbed Thoroughbreds that compete in various aftercare competitions have to be identified to enter.

“These horses are going to be eligible for fabulous programs like the Retired Racehorse Project, and people are very interested in their racing careers,” Minger said.

“So after consulting with many people in racing, [we realized] trying to keep the horse anonymous forever was a nonstarter. And obviously, they're all [micro] chipped, and it would take anybody a minute to figure out who they were. So for rehoming them publicly, they will be under their racing names,” Minger said.

DeFrancis said he hopes that decision ends up being a reasonable compromise, noting that in most cases, the better part of a year will have passed after a horse comes into HERF and the disclosure of the name occurs.

“When we take a horse into the program at the beginning of the pipeline, we give him a barn name. And then when he comes out of the pipeline and is adopted out to a permanent new home, he reverts back to his Jockey Club name,” DeFrancis said.

“The reason behind the confidentiality is we want to really encourage participation in the program by horsemen, by owners and trainers. We don't want there to be any possible stigma attached to participating in the program or have any owner or trainer be subject to criticism. Because–and this is really important–the overwhelming majority of them are not doing anything wrong.”

Bandoroff said that at Denali, “When we saw those videos of him entering early training at New Vocations, there was just not a dry eye. He looked so excited. His ears were pricked the whole time.

“All of us are really looking forward to following him in his new career. Hopefully he'll have a successful career, and he's going to be a great horse for whoever ends up with him,” Bandoroff said.

“Ryan just has that 'honest eye' about him,” Bandoroff said. “That's the window into a horse's soul. It's how you can tell if they're healthy or not. And I feel like whenever we would look at him, there was just this, like, thankfulness about it.

“But I also think we can probably thank him as well,” Bandoroff said. “I think having him at the farm, he brought a lot of hope to everyone that worked with him.”

To donate to HERF, click this link.

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Fury, registered with The Jockey Club as Junglist, has been named the Thoroughbred of the Year. The 8-year-old gelding retired from the racetrack in 2021 before being responsibly retired to Turning For Home, who matched him with Special Equestrians. The equine team at Special Equestrians spent the next two years training and desensitizing Fury until he was ready to become an active therapy horse, serving both mounted and unmounted participants.

“We're grateful that Fury was named The Jockey Club T.I.P. Thoroughbred of the Year,” said Janice Witt, executive director of Special Equestrians. “We're proud to include off-track Thoroughbreds in our therapeutic riding programming. Fury follows in the footsteps of Kat (Kat's Hope), who received the award in 2023 and is our top-performing therapy horse.”

“The responsiveness of retired racehorses is especially valuable for the people that we serve, especially individuals with autism and mental health conditions. OTTBs have phenomenal focus and work ethic when given the care, time and attention they deserve, making them great candidates for healing work.”

The Young Rider of the Year award, which recognizes riders 18 or younger who own or lease of Thoroughbred for 4-H, pony club, or other activities, has been awarded to Addyson Machese. Machese, who turns 16 in November, owns Feta, Mind Ya Bizness, registered name Russian Ekati (Tale of Ekati–Russian Bride), an unraced 5-year-old Thoroughbred bred in Ohio by Raimonde Farms LTD. Machese and Feta finished third in the Open Crossrails Division of the 2026 T.I.P. Championships, earning the Junior High Point Award for the division.

The Jockey Club also chose three Honorees for the T.I.P. Young Rider of the Year award–Molly Gettings, Mia Martin, and Sophie Thom. The 2026 Thoroughbred of the Year Honoree award has been given to All That Jazz. Registered with The Jockey Club as Northern Jazz, the 18-year-old was bred in Pennsylvania by Jeffrey L. Haller.

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Eight of the horses currently in the top 20 of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings are confirmed in the shape of Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), Almaqam (Lope De Vega), Bay City Roller (New Bay), Gstaad (Starspangledbanner), Scandinavia (Justify), Calandagan (Gleneagles), Constitution River (Wootton Bassett) and Kalpana (Study Of Man).

The £1.3m G1 Qatar Racing Champion Stakes was officially the joint-best race in the world last year and will highlight a stellar card, with 11 confirmations headlined by the 1-2-3 from last year – Calandagan, Ombudsman and Almaqam – plus Bay City Roller, Constitution River, Gstaad and Hotazhell (Too Darn Hot). Between them they have won 11 Group 1s this season across five different countries.

George Scott, trainer of Bay City Roller, said, “He's come out of the race in Paris [when second in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe] really well. He's a very easy horse to get a read on and seems to thrive on his racing. Arguably his two career-best performances have come off the back of a two-week break, so he's bright and well and all set for the weekend.

“He's been a model of consistency throughout his career, especially this year, and he's in fantastic shape. His optimum trip is probably a mile and a half, but ten furlongs is no concern. Ascot is a stiff ten furlongs and that wouldn't worry me at all.

“If they all turn up, Ombudsman is the king around Ascot, Calandagan was the world's best horse last year and Almaqam won the Tattersalls Gold Cup. You've also got Gstaad stepping up in trip. It's a fantastic race to be part of and I'm really looking forward to it. It's about competing at the highest level against the top operations. Bay City Roller has trained so well since the Arc and it's very exciting to be going there with him.”

Legendary Irish trainer Jessica Harrington is hoping to pull off a historic Champion Stakes double as Hotazhell bids to follow up his dramatic victory in the G1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last month.

“Hotazhell winning the Irish Champion Stakes was an amazing lift for everybody here in Commonstown,” said the trainer. “Winning a big race, a Group 1 race like that, which features all over the world, it's fantastic for the owners. The yard really gets an unbelievable kick out of it and everyone came in on the Monday morning with a large grin on their face.

“He came out of the race really well and he lost very little weight. He's done a bit of work at the Curragh since and we were very happy with him. So, all systems go for Ascot. I'm hoping for the best, it's going to be a very competitive race. They're all very high-class horses but, if you're not in, you can't win. Knowing it's his last race, we really want him to do well, especially for his future owners.”

Constitution River has also been supplemented for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Sponsored by Qatar Racing), with trainer Aidan O'Brien yet to confirm where he will run between the two races.

Other confirmations for the £1.1m Queen Elizabeth II Stakes include the G1 Queen Anne Stakes winner Ten Bob Tony (Night Of Thunder), Irish Guineas winner Gstaad and Rayif (Sea The Moon), a dual Group 1 winner in France.

Talk Of New York (Wootton Bassett) has also supplemented for Charlie Appleby, taking the total number of entries to 13.

The first of five Group 1s on the day is the Qatar Racing British Champions Long Distance Cup, which could see Scandinavia and Caballo De Mar (Phoenix Of Spain) renew their rivalry as they head 12 confirmations.

Scott plans to run Caballo De Mar after he got the better of Gold Cup winner Scandinavia in the G1 Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp, adding, “He's come out of Paris very well. He's given us all the right signs and we've been delighted with him.

“The key with him is keeping him fresh and happy. We've changed the way we ride him and train him a little bit, and he's a horse that seems to be evolving all the time.

“I won't lie, I was hoping to run into Jan Brueghel rather than Scandinavia again! We won the race fair and square in Paris, but Scandinavia is a top, top-class horse. I think the ground was a bit softer in Paris than it was given, and I expect him to bounce back to his best at a track where he's been devastating before. Although we just about beat him in Paris, I think it will be very tight.”

Joseph O'Brien has supplemented the St Leger winner, Highwayman (Persian King), while his number one rider Dylan Browne McMonagle returns to the saddle on Monday ahead of the weekend.

“Highwayman has been supplemented for the staying race,” O'Brien confirmed on Monday. “He's had a good preparation. I'm happy with him and he's trained well since Doncaster. It's a step up to go against the older horses and up further in distance. Hopefully, he can cope with it.

“Dylan's back riding today, so hopefully everything goes smoothly this week and he'll be back riding this weekend. He's been off for a while now, so it's great for him and for us to have him back.”

Almeraq (Dark Angel), the leading sprinter in Europe, is among 17 speedsters confirmed for the G1 Qatar Racing British Champions Sprint Stakes, with Soul Love (Starman) supplemented for Karl Burke.

The race is set to have a distinctly European feel to it with G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Samangan (Blue Point) in line to represent France, G2 Minstrel Stakes winner Power Blue (Space Blues) coming over from Ireland and Great Wish (Night Of Thunder), a Group 3 winner at Deauville this year, flying the flag for Denmark.

Two-time winner and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes heroine Kalpana heads 15 entries for the G1 Qatar Racing British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, alongside G1 Irish Oaks winner Johanna Walsh (Sea The Stars) and fellow three-year-olds Lilt (Lope De Vega) and Sparan Nua (Dawn Approach).

Francis-Henri Graffard's Tajlina (Kingman) and the Andrew Balding-trained See The Fire (Sea The Stars) have been supplemented.

The day is set to open with the second running of the Qatar Racing British Champions Day Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes, with the G2 Gimcrack Stakes hero Arapaho Gold (Bayside Boy) and the profilic Night In Vegas (Lucky Vega) featuring among 18 confirmations, along with Inner City Blues (Blue Point) and Nabati (Night Of Thunder), both Group 2 winners for the Charlie Appleby stable.

The Balmoral Stakes (Sponsored by Qatar Racing) will conclude the day and 54 horses have been confirmed, including last year's winner Crown Of Oaks (Wootton Bassett).

The going at Ascot is currently 'Good' with GoingStick readings taken at 10am on Monday, October 12.

Chris Stickels, clerk of the course and head of racing at Ascot Racecourse, said, “We're in really good shape ahead of Saturday and can confirm that we will be on the normal Flat track.

“There could be the odd shower early in the week and then some rain is forecast for Thursday night into Friday, but only between 2-5mm is expected. Unless the forecast changes drastically – and I don't think it's going to – I would expect us to be similar ground to where we are now, which is Good all over on both the Round and Straight Course.”

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   As attention turns to the Breeders' Cup, McDonald discussed how his organization markets the championship.

Q: This is the 43rd Breeders' Cup since its inception in 1984. How has it evolved since you joined the organization in 2012?
The racing product has always been extraordinary from day one, so what we try to do is invest more significantly in the experience around it – from enhanced hospitality, elevated food and beverage offerings, and just the overall fan and participant experience. We want to make sure everything surrounding the racing feels just as amazing as the product on the track and be worthy of a world championship.

We've also become a little more sophisticated in the way we build and engage an audience. When I started, marketing was much more concentrated around the two-day championship event. Social and digital have changed a lot in that same period, so it's really given us the tools to cover Challenge Series races more deeply and connect them to the championships by telling some of those stories.

And we've become a much more global property. This year, [Challenge Series] races were held in 14 countries. We're attracting much more international participation. That allows us to distribute our content to more audiences globally.

Q: Forever Young's victory in the Classic last year was a win for the Japan market. How much of a priority is international to your strategy?
It's near the top. Our marketing efforts start with the horse. If we can get the best horses from around the world to participate, everything else can build from there.

Forever Young, just look at his journey last year and even this year: Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup both years, and Jockey Club Gold Cup this year. All Challenge Races leading to Breeders' Cup Classic. Then he went to the Dubai World Cup. He didn't win them all, but he's still establishing his pathway to the Breeders' Cup. So that allows us to wrap our arms around it on social, start telling the stories. And then that gets international markets like Japan more interested in broadcasting it, making it accessible locally, and then giving those fans a genuine rooting interest in the World Championship.

Q: Your annual report boasts that you're reaching more people through social media. What content has the most appeal for people who don't follow racing regularly?
I think this is probably true for a lot of sports, but it's personality, it's emotion, it's access. Obviously, the competition.

Take [viewers] inside the paddock, or back to the barn to introduce them to the equine athletes that are our stars, and also the jockeys who have great stories behind that we want to try to tell. Giving people a connection and a rooting interest through personality and emotion.

We're also increasingly working with creators, because they introduce us to a whole new audience that might not come across us through our own channels or through traditional racing media. And the key there is authenticity. We're not trying to make the creator suddenly be a racing expert. We're allowing them to take what we have, which we believe is something special, and then tell that story in their own voice across their channels. And then, hopefully, once we get someone interested, we have the opportunity to take them down the marketing funnel from there.

Q: What international championship events do you look to as aspirational models or benchmarks?
There's not one property we're trying to copy. We take different lessons from different sports. Formula 1, they've done an extraordinary job creating year-round global storytelling and cultural relevancy.

Then you have the Masters and Wimbledon, who demonstrate that an event can be incredibly premium and scarce on site but still reach massive audiences off-site. And then, the Ryder Cup and somewhat the Olympics. They show the power of international rooting interests.

We as a sport and particularly at the Breeders' Cup have all those elements. Our opportunity is to build on what's unique about us, rather than trying to copy somebody else.

Q: Regarding your premium ticketing strategy, in 2024, you cut general admission ticketing in half to create a less-crowded experience for patrons. Last year's event at Del Mar was the least attended in 20 years (excluding Covid years). Did the exclusivity go too far?
I don't think so. I mean, look, we have the best horses in the world, and we want to match that with the experience. We could pack in the small tracks fairly easily, but we don't believe it's going to provide the experience that our fans want.

I think there's a fine balance in there, to your point. We've got to find the right mix of what is scarce and what is premium, and what's still going to allow people to have access to the Breeders' Cup. Ultimately, we want the experience to work for everybody: the serious racing fan, the bettor, the owner, and the participant, or someone attending the Breeders' Cup for the first time.

Q: What marketing considerations go into host track selection, like raising the sport's profile in host markets?
First and foremost, it has to be a world-class racing venue capable of hosting the World Championships, from the racing surfaces to stabling capacity, safety and operations. They all have to meet that standard.

Then we look at the fan experience, the hospitality, the ticketing capacity, local market hotel inventory, transportation, what's the experience going to be like getting in and out.

And then the ability of the host community to support an event of our scale. We also want to make sure the venue can contribute to the growth of our brand and the Breeders' Cup to feel special wherever it goes.

Q: How does your partnership with NBC work? Your annual report says your marketing spending on television was cut last year to save on costs.
I can't talk about the specifics of our contract, but NBC is a valuable partner to us. And that partnership is much more than just a t.v. rights relationship. NBC broadcasted the first Breeders' Cup in 1984. They've been our home for 36 of our 42 events, and they've been great partners.

This year, we'll have ten-and-a-half hours of coverage, with all 14 races shown live, across NBC or USA. And then we'll have our continuous streaming coverage on Peacock.

Then there's the promotional support that they provide, which is incredibly invaluable. In the week leading up to the Breeders' Cup, they're promoting us across some of the biggest sports properties in the country, including Football Night in America, Big Ten Saturday Night, the NBA, and the Premier League. So that's millions of dollars of national promotional value and puts us in front of sports fans who might not be considering watching the Breeders' Cup.

We've changed our broadcast strategy to be more of a distribution strategy. We're able to stream our live races across social media, and that really allows us to meet the fans where they're consuming content. And NBC has been incredibly supportive of that broader multi-platform strategy.

Q: How do you leverage the Challenge Series to develop storylines that build interest for the main event?
We now have 95 races around the world that lead to the Breeders' Cup. That gives us more of an opportunity to tell stories and engage fans throughout the year.

We work with NBC and our friends at NYRA and FOX to see what available windows we have each year to put Challenge Series races on TV. It's an ever-changing scheduling discussion.

The tracks are helping us promote their Challenge Series races and connect them to the World Championships, but then we're promoting their races. It's a two-way partnership.

Our social team is at pretty much every major Challenge race throughout the year. They're getting behind-the-scenes content in the barns in the days leading up, whether it's to be on FOX or NBC or FanDuel, making sure people know where to watch that weekend, to tell those stories of these horses and the journey that they're on to the World Championships.

Q: This year's event falls on Halloween. Last year's event competed with Game 7 of the World Series. Will you alter your future schedule?
I don't think we've found a material issue with running the event on Halloween. All major sports are running on that day. You have college football, you have NHL, you have the NBA, potentially Game 7 of the World Series will be on Halloween this year.

From a national sports landscape and consumption standpoint, it's certainly something we think about, but there are a lot of other factors that come into play when our dates are set.

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At the break, Lamirada burst out of her outside stall, but From Time to Time (Not This Time) was a bit quicker to the early lead from the inside. Lamirada, a Mark Dodson homebred, joined her rival, toying with her briefly as she pulled alongside to stick her head in front at the :22.29 first quarter. With regular rider Fraser Aebly keeping a tight hold, Lamirada had two lengths on Madeleine Swann (Girvin) and From Time to Time at the :44.87 half, and then pulled away effortlessly to cross the wire 8 1/4 lengths the best while geared down. Epic Affair (Epicenter) followed in second. Lamirada's 1:21.29 time for the seven furlongs was a full second faster than the boys went in the Display Stakes one race earlier.

A half to MSW & GSP Notorious Gangster (Classic Empire) from the same family as GISW Evita Argentina (Candy Ride {Arg}) and GSW Money Supply (Practical Joke), Lamirada has a yearling half-sister by Complexity who sold to CJ Thoroughbreds at Keeneland September for $200,000. Her dam produced a Life Is Good filly this year and was bred back to Flightline.

Lamirada with a glorious win in the Glorious Song Stakes! The Ontario bred is now 2/2 on the main track. https://t.co/rme9WSLrte

— Woodbine Racetrack (@WoodbineTB) October 11, 2026

GLORIOUS SONG S., C$143,000, Woodbine, 10-11, 2yo, f, 7f (AWT), 1:21.29, ft.
1–LAMIRADA, 120, f, 2, by Army Mule
              1st Dam: Sister Nova, by Verrazano
              2nd Dam: Evita's Sister, by Candy Ride (Arg)
              3rd Dam: Jealous Wildcat, by Forest Wildcat
($200,000 RNA Ylg '25 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN.
O/B-Mark Dodson (ON); T-Josie Carroll; J-Fraser Aebly.
C$90,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $109,974. *1/2 to
Notorious Gangster (Classic Empire), MSW & GSP, $387,772.
2–Epic Affair, 120, f, 2, Epicenter–Reluctant Bride, by
Speightstown. ($95,000 Ylg '25 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-John Menary and Gail Cox; B-Delia Nash & Jun Park (KY);
T-Gail Cox. C$25,000.
3–Cattrall, 120, f, 2, Corniche–Decor, by Declaration of War.
($70,000 Ylg '25 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-X-Men Racing
VI, LLC, Canuck Racing Club and Madaket Stables, LLC;
B-Josham Farms Limited & Yvonne Schwabe Thoroughbreds
(ON); T-Kevin Attard. C$16,500.
Margins: 8 1/4, HD, 4. Odds: 0.60, 4.85, 5.65.
Also Ran: From Time to Time, Madeleine Swann, Traction Park, Hope Is a Breeze.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel Racing. 

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“We welcome the Irish Presidency's decision,” said Dr Paull Khan, CEO of the EMHF. “Horse racing is financed by legal betting and an additional tax would have pushed customers towards illegal operators, reducing revenue for governments and racing alike and leaving consumers with less protection.

“But this threat has not gone away completely. We will continue to urge policymakers to carry out a product-specific assessment of the effects of any extra taxation on legitimate horserace betting on Member State tax receipts, racing funding, consumer protection and financial crime.”

It is now very unlikely that online gambling will be reinstated in this round of the EU's 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) negotiations. However, the principle still has considerable support in the European Parliament which, although it does not have the final say, remains an influential voice.

Dr Peter Truzla, president of the UET, added, “Trotting and gallop racing depend on regulated betting. It is important our organisations keep raising awareness of the long-term implications of such a policy and the disastrous effect it could have on horserace funding.”

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The average total daily handle during the 50-day Monmouth meet fell by 22 percent, a direct reflection of field size and how the quality of racing has slipped. There were only 800 horses stabled at Monmouth this year, down from 950 the year before, and the population is expected to continue to decline due to the foal shortage and the fact that more and more trainers are opting for the longer meets and the richer purses offered elsewhere.

The hope is that Monmouth will eventually get a casino, but that won't come easily. Legislation that would allow for gaming at Monmouth (and the Meadowlands) must pass by a 60 percent margin in the legislature and all that would do is get the question on the ballot. Getting casino gaming at New Jersey's racetracks has proved to be all but impossible because of the stranglehold the Atlantic City casinos have on so many legislators based in the southern half of the state. There was a referendum on the ballot in 2016 to allow for casinos outside of Atlantic City and it went down in a landslide, by a 77-23 margin.

With just one more day of racing–Friday night at the Meadowlands–left on the 2026 Jersey racing calendar, the TDN reached out to Dennis Drazin, who heads the management team that runs Monmouth, to get his views on the track's future. Here are the topics that the 74-year-old veteran executive Drazin covered:

(*) On whether or not voters, if given a chance, will approve a casino at the Monmouth: Drazin said the landscape has changed since 2016. He noted that New Jersey will soon be losing even more customers to a neighboring state once three casinos in New York City are all up and running. He also said that it will be essential for Monmouth, the Meadowlands and their political allies to push for measures that will benefit Atlantic City, as well as all New Jerseyans.

“Money will be constitutionally dedicated to go to Atlantic City,” Drazin said. “(Meadowlands owner) Jeff Gural is the driving force behind that. He feels the license fee is a good place to start. He projects $50 million a year going to Atlantic City to support the debt service on whatever money they need to create the fixes that are necessary.”

Money from the proposed new casinos, he said, must also be earmarked for such things as property tax relief.

“I hate to say this, but the public is not concerned about saving racing or saving the Atlantic City casinos,” Drazin said. “What they are concerned about is property tax relief, affordability, savings when it comes to energy costs, and having money going toward children with disabilities.”

(*) Legislation has already been introduced that, if passed, would put the casino question on the ballot, but Drazin believes the best strategy is to wait for 2028 before starting a major push to get it passed:

“2028 is not our first preference, but we have to be realistic,” he said. “In 2027, all the legislators are up for re-election. Things can change, but right now leadership is not looking to put this question on the ballot next year.”

(*) He is optimistic that if the casino question does get on the ballot that it will pass:

“We're convinced, from our polling, that it will pass,” he said.  “Our polling shows that 65-66 percent will be for it. But I know that there will be a lot of money spent, both for and against this.”

(*) Among the few bright spots for Monmouth of late has been the GI Haskell Stakes, which continues to draw top 3-year-olds and is a major event on the Jersey Shore: But even that is now in jeopardy thanks to the creation of the NYRA-Churchill Downs Thoroughbred Championship Series, which does not include the Haskell. Drazin said he will work toward maintaining the Haskell's status as marquee race.

“The new six-race series put together by NYRA and Churchill obviously hurts the Haskell,” he said. “We weren't thrilled to see that, and neither was Maryland or Pennsylvania. But we'll figure it out. Maybe I will put together some sort of big bonus that will include races like the Travers, the Breeders' Cup and (Monmouth's) the Pegasus. The Haskell is an event and will continue to be an event.”

(*) With no help on the way for 2027, Monmouth will face many of the same issues that hampered its meet this year: Drazin believes that a shorter meet might help with field size and also holds out hope that some of the Mid-Atlantic tracks might work in conjunction with Monmouth to form a circuit. He said that the 2027 Monmouth meet will be cut from 50 days to 44. There will also be nine days of all-turf racing at the Meadowlands. Convincing horsemen to approve a shorter meet is a tough ask.

“There are horsemen who are happy with smaller purses and more days. We have this battle all the time,” he said.

(*) Then there's the doomsday question: what if the effort to get a casino fails? Can Monmouth survive?

“If we don't get a casino and we don't transition to and get historical racing, we will continue to offer somewhere in the range of the days we're currently doing for less purse money. I mean, that's the only answer I have for you,” Drazin said.

(*) Will that work? Drazin said that it will have to, that he will never allow Monmouth to close:

“I've constantly said, 'I'm not going to let Monmouth die on my watch.' So I keep losing money. I keep injecting my own money into the operation in order to keep it going. At this point in time, I'm committed to continuing to do that. Not to be grim, but if I die, I don't know what happens because someone else isn't going to pick up and do this. But as long as I'm alive, I'm committed to making this work. I've tried a number of things over the years, like exchange wagering and fixed odds wagering. What is going on here, it's not for a lack of trying. Getting a casino, that's really the solution. When people ask what the future plan is, we'll continue to make it a go the best we can if we don't get casino revenue. But getting a casino, that's the overall answer.”

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Key speakers will include Dr Emma Adam, Dr David Freeman, Dr Pete Ramzan and Dr Patrick Sells, all leading experts in their respective fields. For 2026, a series of industry panel discussions have also been incorporated into the programme.

IEVA'26 is also set to play host to its largest set of exhibitors to date, with participation by leading industry stakeholders. For more information and to register for IEVA'26, click here.

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Unable to find the winner's circle since this race one year ago, the Mark Casse runner was coming into form at the right time, entered Sunday off a pair of back to back runner-up efforts in both the GIII Hendrie Stakes on the Tapeta at Woodbine July 25 and most recently in the GI Ladies Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs Aug. 29, an effort which netted her her best Beyer Speed Figure (93) since her Franklin win in 2025.

Racing over a course labeled as yielding for the first time in her career, Time to Dazzle broke with the leaders but was quickly taken in hand by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and dropped to the back, outrunning only Movin' On Up (Accelerate) as longshot Itzel (Mo Town) opened up a clear advantage up front through the first quarter in :22.47.

Racing sixth of the seven onto the far turn, the 2-1 favorite still had plenty to do with Itzel hitting the quarter pole still alone on the lead and only Kehoe Beach (Omaha Beach) moving on the wet course to make a run.

Still sixth inside the furlong marker, Time to Dazzle was absolutely motoring home, running up into third with less than a sixteenth to go while Kehoe Beach and Itzel both desperately sought the wire. Able to get up in time, the favorite got there when it mattered, denying Kehoe Beach by a bob of the head as Itzel settled for third in a final time of 1:04.52.

“The ground was a little soft, so I just wanted to give her a chance and try to make a run at the end; hopefully, they'd come back to me,” Ortiz said. “She broke so good. I just waited (for) my time, trying to relax. On the turn I had to wait a little longer, but she got there. She did a great job. When I tipped her out, she gave me a good kick turning for home. Especially on this ground–a little soft, it's hard to have that kind of turn of foot, but she did and I knew we had every chance to get there.”

“(One reason she likes Keeneland so much is that) she's about five miles from home, so she's wanting to go home, I think, but she loves it here and this is her weather,” added winning owner Tracy Farmer. “It's wonderful to win a race at Keeneland. She does it that way (from well off the pace) all the time, but it makes you nervous. She's a wonderful filly.”

Pedigree Note:
One of 79 stakes winners for leading general sire Not This Time, Time to Dazzle was purchased by Tracy Farmer for $310,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2022. She is a half-sister to a pair of Louisiana-breds in Sir Genghis (Tale of the Cat), who banked north of a half-million and several stakes wins across the state, along with stakes-placed Holiday Song (Harlan's Holiday). First dam Staria, who has four winners from six to the track, has one graded-stakes winning half-sibling in Patience Game (Woodman).

Time to Dazzle is Staria's last reported foal.

What a finish!! makes a fashionably late run and gets up to win the G2 Franklin S. at Keeneland!

The 5y/o mare dazzles home under jockey @iradortiz for trainer @markecasse. https://t.co/1kRp7rsTxS

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) October 11, 2026

Sunday, Keeneland
FRANKLIN S.-GII, $387,325, Keeneland, 10-11, 3yo/up, f/m, 5 1/2fT, 1:04.52, yl.
1–TIME TO DAZZLE, 121, m, 5, by Not This Time
              1st Dam: Staria, by Unbridled's Song
              2nd Dam: Starboard Tack, by Seattle Slew
              3rd Dam: Hangin On a Star, by Vice Regent
($310,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Tracy Farmer; B-Rodney Orr
(KY); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $241,800. Lifetime
Record: GISP, 21-5-4-1, $1,421,521. *1/2 to Sir Genghis
(Tale of the Cat), MSW, $523,052. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free
Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Kehoe Beach, 121, m, 5, Omaha Beach–Sweet Awakening,
by Street Cry (Ire). ($180,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $450,000 Ylg
'22 KEESEP). O-Thomas W. Bachman; B-John Bates, Ron Kirk
& Michael Riordan (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. $78,000.
3–Itzel, 121, m, 6, Mo Town–Catch That Song, by Unbridled's
Song. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($19,000 RNA Wlg '20
KEENOV; $42,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-BSF Equine Athlete
LLC; B-Eric Moreau-Sipiere & Randi Moreau-Sipiere (TX);
T-John Ennis. $29,250.
Margins: NO, 1 1/4, 1. Odds: 2.05, 3.63, 35.26.
Also Ran: Movin' On Up, Usha, Pondering, Ag Bullet. Scratched: Shoot It True.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel Racing.

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Odenkirk's only previous start resulted in a 1 3/4-length Woodbine maiden special weight win Sept. 26 going six furlongs on the turf.

Odenkirk's dam is a half to GISW Hard Aces (Hard Spun) and to 2026 GIII Prioress Stakes winner and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Mashallah (Maxfield). She has a yearling filly by Midshipman and was covered by Sergei Prokofiev for next term.

#2 ODENKIRK ran away to win the $125,000 Display Stakes at @WoodbineTB. Rafael Hernandez up on the son of @DarleyAmerica Nyquist for trainer @markecasse. https://t.co/4E0DAEoIU9

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 11, 2026

DISPLAY S., C$142,750, Woodbine, 10-11, 2yo, 7f (AWT), 1:22.30, ft.
1–ODENKIRK, 120, c, 2, by Nyquist
              1st Dam: Astrollinthepark (MSW & GSP, $283,782),
              by Divine Park
              2nd Dam: All in With Aces, by Quiet American
              3rd Dam: Aces, by Housebuster
($130,000 Ylg '25 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-D. J.
Stable LLC; B-Anderson Farms (Ontario) Inc. (ON); T-Mark E.
Casse; J-Rafael Manuel Hernandez. C$93,750. Lifetime
Record: 2-2-0-0, $107,674.
2–Uncle Dodo, 122, c, 2, Uncle Mo–Dream It Is, by
Shackleford. O/B-Hoolie Racing Stable, LLC (KY); T-Barbara J.
Minshall. C$25,000.
3–Verge, 120, g, 2, Vino Rosso–Fleeting Sensation, by
Zensational. (C$31,000 Ylg '25 CANSEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O/T-Barbara J. Minshall; B-Devonleigh Farm (ON). C$16,500.
Margins: 5 3/4, HD, 12HF. Odds: 1.35, 1.45, 4.40.
Also Ran: Unbridled Freedom. Scratched: Quipster.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel Racing. 

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First, there was the knockout result achieved by one member of the seven-strong draft at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with the Night Of Thunder colt consigned as lot 189 being knocked down to Godolphin for 1.5 million gns.

Then, just two days later, it was the turn of homebred Night Of Thunder filly Song Of The Clouds to impress, this time on the racecourse as she showcased her Group 1 potential for next year in winning the G3 Pride Stakes.

Now, all eyes are on Park Paddocks for Book 2, the sale where another son of Night Of Thunder found his way into the Godolphin fold after being purchased for 340,000gns in 2022. Consigned by James Hanly's Ballyhimikin Stud, said colt is better known today as Ombudsman, arguably Night Of Thunder's best son, with a fifth Group 1 victory in his sights when he lines up in Saturday's Qatar Racing Champion Stakes at Ascot.

In the meantime, 809 lots are catalogued to go through the ring at Park Paddocks during the latest edition of Book 2, including three in a small but select team from Hascombe and Valiant, bidding to keep the hot streak going.

“Book 1 can be tough at times,” stud secretary Fiona McGlone says of last week's three-day extravaganza. “We were lucky and, in fairness to Sheikh Mohammed, he's a great supporter of Book 1. Without him, we'd be lost. We brought two home [from Book 1], but we were happy to bring them home and the Night Of Thunder was obviously fantastic. Fingers crossed for this week – we're hopeful that we'll have another good week.”

Both McGlone and stud groom James Frank single out lot 789 as their best hope of hitting the heights again over the next three days. The Mostahdaf colt is a half-brother to the G3 Oh So Sharp Stakes heroine Calendar Girl (Advertise), who narrowly missed out on Group 1 black type when last seen finishing fourth in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.

Calendar Girl, of course, is herself a previous Book 2 graduate, having sold to Lillingston Bloodstock for 45,000gns in 2024 when part of a five-strong draft from Hascombe and Valiant. Remarkably, also among that number was this year's GI Belmont Derby winner Title Role (Too Darn Hot), bought by Blandford Bloodstock for 90,000gns, and the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes heroine Earth Shot (Time Test), who was purchased by Jill Lamb Bloodstock for the same sum.

“Not a bad batch, is it?” says McGlone with a smile, with Frank adding, “I remember when we brought Calendar Girl here, people were looking at her and thinking, 'Will she be a racehorse?' I kept on telling people that she lunged very well. It was quite nice for Luke [Lillingston] to buy her and she's doing wonders for the owners. It's a young family and I think the dam is doing very well.

“The Mostahdaf half-brother [to Calendar Girl] is a lovely colt. We think he's our main horse for Book 2, really. The Cracksman that we've got is a very nice looking horse and we've got a nice Blue Point filly. She's big and strong with a nice long stride. Hopefully, we can have another week like last week.”

In truth, the three yearlings from Hascombe and Valiant catalogued to sell at Book 2 have what would seem an impossible act to follow in the shape of the Night Of Thunder colt out of Purple Ribbon (Gleneagles), one of 17 millionaires sold at Book 1.

“We thought we had a special one but, if you asked us two weeks ago, we probably didn't expect to get that much,” Frank says of that result. “But he was a nice horse and, every time we pulled him out, people would just look at him and go, 'Wow, you've got a good one there.' It was really nice for the farm and everybody concerned.”

“Mr Oppenheimer is still as enthusiastic as ever,” adds McGlone. “He puts a lot in, is very invested in it and loves his mares.”

Certainly, Oppenheimer and his team are entitled to have an extra spring in their step following the Pride display of Song Of The Clouds, who is now the winner of three of her four career starts. Friday's black-type breakthrough at Newmarket was particularly poignant for all concerned following the loss of her dam, Token Of Love (Cape Cross), earlier this year.

“We always had high hopes for her,” Frank says of the William Haggas trainee. “We thought at one stage that we were going to bring her to the sales. But, if we did, we might not have had her winning for us yesterday. She's a lovely filly, a big Night Of Thunder.

“The mare [Token Of Love], I adored her. She was probably one of my favourite mares because, when I started at Hascombe, she was a two- or three-year-old. She came back into our yard from William Haggas for a rest and I just adored her. She was my mare. Seeing her die, when she coliced and it went from there, it was quite painful. So, it's nice to see something out of her doing very well.”

McGlone adds of Song Of The Clouds, “She's a beautiful filly. I think the plan is that she stays in training next year, so there's hopefully more to come from her.”

Earlier on Friday's Newmarket card, there was another winner who offered plenty to work on for the future in the two-year-old Mussab, who completed a hat-trick when landing the G3 Cornwallis Stakes for Richard and Peter Fahey and owner Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah.

In victory, Mussab became the first Group winner bought by former jockey Sebastian Woods, who last year purchased the son of Ten Sovereigns for just 5,000gns at Book 3. He later changed hands for 52,000gns when offered through EMW Equine at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up Sale.

That Mussab has gone on to prove such a talented performer for the Faheys has a nice symmetry to it, with Woods having been apprenticed to the Malton stable before hanging up his riding boots in 2021, having ridden 47 winners on the Flat in Britain.

“I'm still pinching myself now,” Woods says of Friday's result. “I always knew that he was quite nice and I was just glad to see him get his head in front for the Faheys and for the owners as well. It means the world because they were so good to me and they gave me a hell of a lot of very good opportunities. It's nice for them to buy one of my horses that has gone on to do big things – and I don't think we've really seen the best of him, either. He had a sidewind to deal with at Newmarket and he was drawn 1, so he got the worst of it.”

Explaining what first drew him to Mussab when the colt appeared at Book 3, Woods continues, “He was very raw, so he slipped through the cracks, I think, for most people's lists. But, even with that rawness, he still ticked a lot of the boxes. He had a nice length of rein and he walked well. He had a good mind, with a strong hip and shoulder – everything that you look for in a nice breezer.

“Ellie [Whitaker of EMW Equine] breaks in some of the yearlings for Sean [Woods, trainer and uncle of Sebastian]. I'd seen her breezers every year and she does a very good job. I knew that, if anybody could get the best out of him, in the small amount of time that they had, it would be her. There was just a question of whether he'd get in to the sale because of how cheap he was, but I was really pleased [with the result].”

He adds, “I was very happy that Pete bought him and for such a good price for him as well. Because of my time there, I knew that the horse would flourish with them. I'm over the moon for the owner and I wish them all the best in the future. He's my first Group winner and for him to go to the Breeders' Cup would be fantastic.”

As well as being the nephew of Newmarket trainer Sean Woods, Sebastian is the son of Wendyll, who owns Brook Stud just outside Newmarket alongside his other brother, Dwayne.

According to Sebastian, it was always clear to him that his future would be in bloodstock once his career as a jockey came to an end, with the 27-year-old hoping to be busy over the next few days in his search for the next Mussab.

“I love it – it's nice to be able to eat and drink a little bit!” he says of his new role. “It's very different, but I always knew that it was going to be the future. Obviously, with Brook Stud and my family, it kind of fits in really nicely, being able to do this and at a young age. I also do a bit with Richard Ryan during the sales. He's brilliant and being able to learn from him is fantastic.”

He adds of the yearling sale season so far, “Sean has bought a few, but we've not got any breezers just yet. We'll be looking to strike in Book 2 and Book 3.

“I think it's a good Book 2 – there's a bit of everything for everyone. We're definitely looking for some smart types, for breezing and to go into training. Hopefully, we pick the right ones like we were lucky to do with him [Mussab].”

Book 2 gets underway at 10am on Monday, with two further sessions beginning at the same time on Tuesday and Wednesday. Book 3, meanwhile, has 507 yearlings catalogued and will take place on Thursday and Friday, beginning at 9.30am both days. Book 4 is made up of 61 yearlings and will commence immediately after Book 3 concludes on Friday.

The post ‘Not a Bad Batch, Is It?’ – Hascombe and Valiant Enjoying Banner Year for Book 2 Graduates appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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