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    • Trainer Kenny McPeek doesn't know what happened to Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in Sunday's GI Juddmonte Spinster Stakes at Keeneland, where she was a non-threatening fourth in one of the worst races of her career. He's checked her from head to toe and has not found anything wrong with her. Other than ruling out a start in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, McPeek isn't sure what is next for the 2024 Horse of the Year, but admitted that retirement is a possibility. “You have to consider retiring her,” he said. “She has done more than anyone ever could have expected from a $40,000 yearling. She's been amazing for two full years. I've used the analogy many times. Training horses is like trying to catch a big wave and you want to stay on top of it and surf as long as you can, but they all eventually come to shore. If there is a silver lining to the cloud, it's that if she's going to be retired and be a broodmare, this will give her plenty of time to rest and be bred in the spring.” In the Spinster, Thorpedo Anna was in a stalking position for most of the race and looked like a possible winner. But she ran out of gas in the stretch and lost by 8 1/2 lengths. “We don't have any obvious excuses,” McPeek said. “She scoped clean and she was sound coming out of the race. We are probably going to send her over to Dr. [Larry] Bramlage and let him do a full exam of her. There was a notion that she had a brief case of the thumps after the race, which would have had to do with dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance. Any really good horses that you handle, and I've had several, they don't go forever. She's been amazing up to this point. Sunday just wasn't her day. Is she tailing off? That's something that we have to consider. Someone asked if she was in heat. She wasn't. We did bloodwork this morning  to figure out if there was some sort of dehydration factor.” Thorpedo Anna was the latest example of McPeek spending only a modest amount of money on a yearling only to have them turn into a star. “I think we set the bar so high with her,” he said. “I thought Take Charge Lady's bar was high. Then I thought Swiss Skydiver's bar was high. What I'm most proud of is that we bought them all as yearlings.” McPeek said that if Thorpedo Anna is retired, he would like to parade her at Keeneland before that meet is over. “There are a lot of people who really care about her. She has a huge fan base,” he said. He also said fans would be welcome to come to his Magdalena Farm to visit the star filly after she arrives there. Thorpedo Anna has won 12 of 16 starts, including 10 stakes races, and has earned $5,440,913. She has won seven Grade Is, including last year's GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. Her best ever performance may have come in the GI Travers Stakes, where she faced males and finished second, just a head behind Fierceness (City of Light). The post McPeek Says Thorpedo Anna May Be Retired appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • The first two from last month's G1 National Stakes at the Curragh, Zavateri (Without Parole) and Gstaad (Starspangledbanner), feature among 14 confirmations for Saturday's G1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes, along with Distant Storm, one of three potential runners for Charlie Appleby as he seeks a fourth win in the race since 2019. Last seen winning the G3 Tattersalls Stakes over Saturday's course and distance, Distant Storm heads the betting for the Dewhurst at a general 2/1, although his trainer will be keeping an eye on the weather in the coming days, with conditions set to dictate whether the son of Night Of Thunder takes his chance at Newmarket. “It will all depend on Mother Nature,” said Appleby. “He's in good order and has come out of his last race well. We'll keep an eye on it until closer to the race. A race like he had the other week could leave a mark if you're asking a serious question but, to be fair, William [Buick, jockey] didn't really have to pick him up. He's come out of it well and I'm very happy.” Zavateri possesses leading form claims, having gained his fourth success from as many starts when making the breakthrough at the top level at the Curragh, ultimately getting the verdict by a head to become just a second Group 1 winner for Eve Johnson Houghton. Runner-up Gstaad, who had previously filled the same position in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville, is one of six possible runners for Aidan O'Brien, with the others including the G1 Middle Park Stakes runner-up Brussels (Wootton Bassett), G2 Beresford Stakes hero Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett) and National Stakes third Italy (Wootton Bassett). They could be joined on the Ballydoyle team by Dorset (Wootton Bassett) and Frescobaldi (No Nay Never), the winners of the Goffs Million and Convivial Maiden, respectively. G2 Superlative Stakes scorer Saba Desert (Dubawi) and Pacific Avenue (Dubawi) complete the trio of entries from Appleby's Moulton Paddocks, while other notable contenders include two runners from what is proving a red-hot edition of the G2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, namely runner-up Oxagon (Frankel) and Gewan (Night Of Thunder), who could manage only fourth on Town Moor, having previously beaten Italy and Distant Storm in the G3 Acomb Stakes at York. Champagne winner Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett) advertised the strength of that form when following up in Sunday's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, while Cape Orator (Mohaather), who finished third at Doncaster, was also in winning action at ParisLongchamp when winning a valuable sales race on Saturday's card. Karl Burke's unbeaten Alparslan (Dandy Man) and Roger Varian trainee Wechaad (Oasis Dream), the wide-margin winner of a nursery at Doncaster's St Leger Festival, make up the list of 14 entries. The post Distant Storm, Zavateri and Gstaad Among 14 in Contention for Dewhurst Cracker appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Wagering on U.S. races declined 5.93% in September, according to year-to-year comparison figures released Monday by Equibase. For the month of September, $737,296,717 was wagered on U.S. races–including worldwide commingled wagering on races in the country–down from $783,788,708 for the same month in 2024. With 36 fewer race days and 210 fewer races in September this year, average wagering per race day increased 3.63% to $2,082,759. Similarly, while total available purses for the month decreased 6.98% to $128,545,895, average available purses per race day increased 2.48% to $363,124. In year-to-date comparisons, wagering dipped 2.11%, with $8,866,367,013 wagered through September in 2024 compared to $8,679,660,193 through the first nine months of 2025. With 142 fewer race days–and 1,044 fewer races–through September this year, wagering per race day is up 2.79% to $3,059,450 from $2,976,290 in 2024. Available year-to-date purses fell 2.42%, from $999,708,464 at this point a year ago to $975,527,036 this year, while average purses increased 2.47% to $343,859. The post U.S. Wagering Declines in September appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • NEWMARKET, UK — After a weekend of brutally cold winds and rain at Park Paddocks, summer decided to reappear to bless the final yearling viewing day at Tattersalls with warm sunshine. An omen of bright days ahead, perhaps? Or if you're not a fan of symbolism, a more concrete guide to what could be in store over the next three days of Book 1 of the October Sale may have been gleaned from a car park full to the brim by early morning on Monday as the crowd rolled in from a weekend in Paris. Some people are yet to recover from the shock of last year's Book 1, when more than 129 million gns was spent on 345 fledgling racehorses in the space of three heady sessions. It's a hard act to follow, for sure, but unlike last year, this season's yearling sales have been far more ebullient up to this stage already, with gains posted at pretty much all levels of the market and that robust top end seemingly as impervious to outside events as ever.  Last year, it was the Frankel filly out of Aljazzi who ensured that Newsells Park Stud was once again in pole position on the vendors' list, and this time around the same team will present a full-brother to the sale-topper early in the proceedings as lot 15, just two lots after a first-crop daughter of Blackbeard from the same draft who was delivered the best possible update on Sunday when her half-sister Barnavara (Calyx) won the G1 Prix de l'Opera.  Newsells Park again has strength and depth in its draft, as do the likes of the established names of the Castlebridge Consignment, Watership Down Stud and Highclere Stud among others. But for every behemoth there's a boutique draft, and this year's Book 1 includes a few first-time entrants. One of those is Rigsdale Stud, run by Barry Kennedy and Anna Murphy, who started the year well when winning the Next Generation Award at the prestigious ITBA Awards, and have a good end in store with the arrival of their first baby next month. While Murphy concentrates on that important job for the meantime, Kennedy is at Tattersalls demonstrating the hands-on approach which has already stood the couple in good stead. Rigsdale Stud's first Book 1 offering is lot 342, a Starspangledbanner half-sister to the Listed winner and G2 Queen Mary Stakes-placed Maria Branwell (James Garfield). “We bought the mare here at the July Sale some years ago for 6,000gns,” said Kennedy of the filly's unraced dam Princess Pearl (Teofilo) in between showing the yearling to a stream of viewers. “We always said to ourselves that the dream would be one day to sell a yearling at Book 1 so it is great to be here.” Kennedy and Murphy work full-time for Coolmore's Castlehyde Stud and Kennedy said that he is grateful for the support and encouragement of his colleagues. Last year, they sold a Footstepsinthesand colt out of Princess Pearl for 68,000gns at the Tattersalls Somerville Sale and, now named Ballybunion, he has already finished runner-up on just his second start for Michael Bell.    Starspangledbanner -filly-300x218.jpg" alt="" width="578" height="420" /> Barry Kennedy with his Starspangledbanner filly | Emma Berry   Rigsdale Stud's other select one-horse drafts at the sales this year have included selling a Sioux Nation colt at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale for £100,000 and a Harry Angel colt at the Goffs Orby Sale for €55,000. Another Book 1 debutant is Peter Nolan Bloodstock, the consigning name of husband-and-wife team Peter and Katy Nolan, who had a top-three finish at the recent Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale when selling a €165,000 Blackbeard colt to Ted Durcan. Blackbeard features among the Nolans' draft of three for Book 1, this time with a filly, along with a sleek, dark brown son of Ghaiyyath and a daughter of leading first-season sire Starman. “We've been involved more with Flat horses in the last four or five years,” said Peter Nolan, who also has a solid National Hunt background, while his wife Katy was well known in Britain as a point-to-point rider.  “Katy was mad for doing more of this and I always liked the Flat and have bought horses for Noel Meade, but since herself came on board, we've concentrated a lot more on this. National Hunt is grand, but you have to keep them for longer, and you only have these boys for ten months. “We try to keep the numbers small. Two of these are pinhooks and one belongs to a client. The Ghaiyyath colt [lot 12] we bought as a foal from Dermot Weld, who also bred the stallion, and he's an absolute beauty.” Nolan added, “Katy used to work for Jenny Norris [of Norris Bloodstock] at the sales over the years and she always dreamt of having her own draft, so I'm delighted for her that she's here now.” Many of the world's leading owners and breeders have already gathered in Newmarket, with more big names expected for the start of the sale on Tuesday at 11am. If the pattern of trade follows that already witnessed in Saratoga, Deauville, Lexington, Ireland and elsewhere in Britain so far this year – and there is no reason to suppose that it won't – then vendors and buyers alike, and even bloodstock journalists, will be in for a frenetic week.   The post Book 1 Debutants Living The Dream as Tattersalls October Gets Ready to Roll  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • What has been a competitive yearling sales season makes a two-day stop in Central Florida with the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's October Yearlings Sale to be held Tuesday and Wednesday in Ocala. A total of 507 horses, including 48 supplemental entries, have been catalogued for the sale, with Tuesday's opening session featuring hips one through 258 and Wednesday's session offering hips 301 through 551. Each session begins at noon. “We're all anticipating a good sale, and it looks like a lot of people are coming into town,” said consignor Francis Vanlangendonck of Summerfield Sales. “A lot of people did not get horses bought and I've had a lot of phone calls from people wondering what I had.” With a hurricane bearing down on the region a year ago, sales officials were forced to make a last-minute scheduling change and moved the October sale up a day. A total of 297 yearlings sold at the reshuffled auction for a gross of $5,724,600. The average was $19,275 and the median was $10,000. A filly by Complexity brought the 2024 auction's top price of $150,000 when purchased by the Gladwells' Top Line Sales. Reoffered at this year's OBS March sale, the filly sold for $385,000. An Independence Hall half-sister to last year's sale topper will be offered Wednesday through Thoroughstock as hip 320. Vanlangendonck expects the pinhooking bench to be active again at this year's auction. “[The pinhookers] will be here looking and picking out the better ones,” he said. “It's going to be a good market for the horses that vet well and have good conformation.” The post OBS October Yearlings Sale Opens Tuesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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