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Justify claims triple crown with Belmont Stakes win; becomes 13th champion to claim treble
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Brett Prebble and Olivier Doleuze walk away as Hong Kong jockey exodus reaches unprecedented levels
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Brian Toomey's promising career as a National Hunt jockey was cruelly short in July 2013 when the County Limerick native suffered a life-threatening head injury in a fall at Perth. Remarkably, he briefly returned to race-riding in the summer of 2015, before stepping back the following year to dedicate himself to his next big goal of becoming a trainer. That dream came to fruition in November 2023 when Toomey saddled his first runner at Lingfield, with the horse in question, Wake Up Harry, going on to become his trainer's first winner when striking at Kempton the following month. Wake Up Harry is owned by the former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp who, as Toomey reveals in our latest Hot Seat, has been a huge supporter of the young trainer and his burgeoning yard in Buckinghamshire. How did you first become involved in racing? I didn't come from a racing or equine background, but I was lucky that my father bought me a pony at a young age and my interest kind of progressed from there. I rode in a few point-to-points in Ireland and then I came to work for Brendan Powell when he was based in Lambourn. What was your defining memory of 2025? I trained a two-year-old winner at Newbury [Electrical] for Jeff Smith which was something special. I also trained a two-year-old winner for Harry Redknapp. That was a horse I purchased myself and Harry named him Burdett Estate where he spent the first 20 years of his life, I think. Harry is an unbelievable guy and he treats him like his son, to be honest. He rang me on Christmas Day and he's just a fantastic person. What is your favourite thing about being a trainer? I love being able to give the horses individual care. What is your least favourite thing about being a trainer? The uncertainty. What motivates you? Results and trying to get the best out of the string of horses that I have. I've got 12 horses in and I've been lucky that I've trained 15 winners now. I've got two horses for Harry Redknapp, two for Tony Bloom, two for Jeff Smith and one that runs in Queen Camilla's colours. I've been very fortunate. What keeps you awake at night? Trying to figure out where my next winner is going to come from. Either that or harrowing the gallop through the night during the winter! What is your proudest moment to date? To start off this business on my own. It was a goal that I'd been chasing for such a long time and I was able to do it without any backing whatsoever. Nothing was handed to me. Give us an underrated sire to keep the right side of in 2026… Bungle Inthejungle or Ten Sovereigns. Ten Sovereigns was a proper horse and the champion three-year-old sprinter in Europe. I think they might have made a bit of a mistake sending him to Turkey. I don't have any of his progeny in the yard, but I really rated him. And a horse to follow on the racecourse in 2026… The Reverend for Tony Bloom. He showed a high level of form on the Flat and I think he could develop into a leading novice hurdler for Willie Mullins. Tell us something people don't know about you… That I once died! People know that I had a head injury, but not everybody knows that I lost consciousness and was practically dead for seven seconds. What's your go-to karaoke song? Rockstar by Nickelback. Who is your inspiration? My late father, God rest him. He had a dairy farm and was a real grafter. The post In The Hot Seat: Brian Toomey appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
“Doing matings with my clients is very much a team thing,” says Headley Bell, whose Nicoma Bloodstock has been helping clients mate their mares since 1979. “My role is to try to assist in fulfilling dreams.” Nicoma got off to a quick start with mating success, and the hits just keep on coming: in late December, George Strawbridge was first and third in the GI American Oaks with Ambaya (Ghostzapper), who was closely followed by Will Then (War Of Will) in third. Previous successes include two Arc de Triomphe winners (Suave Dancer and Trempolino), a Kentucky Oaks winner (Keeper Hill), back-to-back Derby winners (Street Sense and Barbaro), Horses of the Year Bricks and Mortar and Havre de Grace, the now-Mill Ridge stallion Oscar Performance, and the 2024 Preakness winner Seize the Grey. In the 2025 edition of this column, Bell described the painstaking work that goes into every year's matings. “My first objective is to understand what the goals of the client are,” he told the TDN last year. “Are they a commercial breeder? Are they breeding to race? Or are they both? And then, if they have a portfolio of mares or are trying to build one, I like to grade them out into A, B, and C categories because it helps you to decide. I value them, appraise them and generally stick to a 20% value of the mare for the stud fee. I also use various tools such as your TDN sire statistics, Mare Produce Records and a computer program that lets me study stakes winners and their five-cross pedigrees. My goal is always to breed a racehorse. I understand the commercial side, but by breeding a racehorse, you'll satisfy the commercial side as well.” He continued, “The first thing I try to do in the process is inspect the mare if possible, because that helps define, by looking at her, what her pedigree is. Through her color, her size, her racing talent, I'm trying to identify who she is and not just that she's a Bernardini mare because she's by Bernardini. I try to understand the entire pedigree, and strongly consider the dam's side. I also apply this practice with stallions. Truly in the mating process I am blending pedigrees and trying to position ourselves to get lucky. I am a 'value player' and closely follow trends on stallions and often go against the herd, such as 12 mares to Arrogate in his last year.” It's clear that it's not just the equine families that matter to Bell, but the human ones, too, and as his client roster and matings below attest, like the generations of Thoroughbreds he has bred, his client relationships are generational as well. With that in mind, some of his 2026 matings, grouped by client. Larry Johnson I first want to feature and celebrate the family of R. Larry Johnson–daughters Tracy Mulroy and Kelly Caraballo and their families– for the passion and success of their father and his Legacy Farm through four generations of his breeding stemming from his foundation mare of 1976, Ran's Chick. While Mr. Johnson was able to embrace the potential of Mindframe, he did not witness his crowning achievements with two Grade I wins at Churchill Downs in 2025, for he passed away suddenly February 4, 2025. With the assistance of Andrew Motion, the family turned to me this year to help guide them with their matings for a continuation of their father's passion and legacy in the Thoroughbred business. They, too, are passionate and want to carry on with their father in mind for this and future generations. Future Is Now | Sarah Andrew FUTURE IS NOW, 6, Great Notion–Past as Prelude, by Berardini. Will be bred to Constitution. A multiple Grade II winner of nearly $1 million, she, too, stems from a Legacy Farm foundation family and a stallion Mr. Johnson thought so highly of that he became a shareholder in him–Constitution, the sire of Mindframe. Constitution will be her choice for '26. HOLLYWOOD WALK, 7, Animal Kingdom–Walk of Stars, by Street Sense. Will be bred to Twirling Candy. A stakes winner of over $500,000 and a half-sister to the GI-winning Mindframe, she will go to the over-achieving stallion Twirling Candy for '26. Jerry and John Amerman The Amermans had another remarkable year of racing in 2025, with their homebred Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) winning the GI Belmont Derby as well as two other graded stakes, and homebred Stark Contrast (Caravaggio) finishing second, beaten just three-quarters of a length, in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf; this from a band of only eight or so broodmares. Our mother had a wonderful relationship with so many passionate and gifted women like Jerry Amerman. It is a joy each day to continue these relationships over the years. CATCH THE EYE, 10, Quality Road–Turns My Head (Ire) by Montjeu (Ire). Will be bred to Liam's Map. This mare, currently in foal to Oscar Performance, is the dam of first foal and promising three-year-old, the Grade III-winning and Grade I-placed Stark Contrast, by Caravaggio. He recently won the Eddie Logan impressively to start the year. She will visit Liam's Map for '26. JOY OF LEARNING, 10, Kitten's Joy–Miss Chapin, by Royal Academy. Will be bred to Constitution. Joy of Learning is currently in foal to Not This Time. She is a daughter of the foundation mare (and a favorite of the Amermans) Miss Chapin whose second foal is Joy of Learning. Test Score (Looking At Lucky), the GI Belmont Derby winner, is Joy Of Learning's second foal. Joy of Learning will be bred to Constitution for '26. Clover Hill Farm/Maggie Gieseke (daughter of Lynn Schiff, another extraordinary lady who left us too soon) Sierra Leone | Sarah Andrew WILD SILK, 13, Street Sense–Spun Silk, by A.P. Indy. Will be bred to Sierra Leone. The dam of Grade II winner Red Carpet Ready and the promising three-year-old stakes winner Time to Dream, is currently in foal to Oscar Performance, and will be bred to Sierra Leone for 2026. Sierra Thoroughbreds/Michael Salley (introduced to us after falling in love with Mill Ridge on a Horse Country tour) SPOOL, 4, Hard Spun–Forever Smart, by Smart Strike. Will be bred to Upstart. In his second year in the Thoroughbred business, Michael bought a maiden mare named Spool at Keeneland November. She was raced by Eclipse Thoroughbreds, showed real potential on the track and will go to the value stallion Upstart in '26. Nancy Dillman Nancy is a friend and client for 40 years who was introduced to us when she bred Diminuendo in Diesis's first crop, in 1985. Nancy continued breeding champions from a broodmare band of no more than three mares, including a Horse of Year in Havre De Grace. NEON ICON, 5, Arrogate–Mademoiselle Coco, by Medaglia d'Oro. Will be bred to Cody's Wish. From a half-sister to Havre De Grace and a daughter of Arrogate whom she raised and sold as yearling to Bo Bromagen, Nancy could not resist buying Neon Icon back at Keeneland November after she showed so much promise on the track, earning nearly $300,000. She will go to Cody's Wish in '26. Jamm Ltd/Audie Otto GOIABA, 12, Speightstown–Christies Treasure, by Belong to Me. Will be bred to Oscar Performance. Audie Otto and her mom Tolie, a dear friend of 40-plus years who is now gone, fulfilled dreams when they bought their foundation mare, Shop Again, in 2007. They raced a daughter of hers by Smart Strike named Smart Shopping, and, from the last crop of Arrogate, bred Seize The Grey. Needing to add to their broodmare band as Shop Again aged, Audie bought Goiaba last year at Keeneland November. She is a daughter of Speightstown from the foundation Christie's Treasure family at the Bonne Chance dispersal. She had a beautiful Uncle Mo weanling that accompanied her, and we believe she needs some turf with her mating. We will be breeding her to Oscar Performance for '26. Frank Garrison and Mill Ridge, et al PROXIMITY BIAS, 10, Flatter–Sidle, by Seeking the Gold. Will be bred to Liam's Map. My dear friend from my college days, Frank Garrison from Nashville, hand-walked Nicosia, the daughter of Nicoma–the horse who, in 1976, made Mom the first woman to train, breed, and race a $100,000 stakes winner. He has been breeding a few mares with us ever since. We fulfilled every imaginable dream in September when a homebred we retained to race named Plensa (Caravaggio), won the $2 million Gun Runner Stakes at Kentucky Downs. Trained by Rusty Arnold and his team and ridden by Florent Geroux, Plensa's win was a thrill of a lifetime–and I have had my share. His dam, Proximity Bias, in foal to Life Is Good, will return to Liam's Map for '26 and try and replicate her outstanding '25 Liam's Map foal. The post 2026 Mating Plans: Nicoma Bloodstock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Matt Rogan has been appointed non-executive director of Racecourse Media Group (RMG), the global media rights organisation for 37 British racecourse shareholders. Rogan is the co-founder of Two Circles, an agency which specialises in sports marketing and analytics. Having later served as CEO and then executive chair in over a decade at Two Circles, he now spends much of his time focused on Board advisory work, including roles with production company Whisper, sports equipment brand Built for Athletes and performance data specialists Twenty First Group. He also sits on the Major Events Panel for UK Sport, which makes recommendations on National Lottery awards and advises on the hosting of major sporting events in the UK. “I'm delighted to be joining Racecourse Media Group at a fascinating time for horse racing,” said Rogan. “Shifts in media consumption are creating ripples across all sports, and my early exposure has shown me that the team at RMG are very well placed to seize the opportunities these create on behalf of their shareholders, customers and racing fans.” Conor Grant, chair of RMG, added, “Matt is highly regarded within the sports industry, and his expertise spans digital strategy, data-driven decision-making, and commercial innovation. A significant part of RMG's strategy is around content innovation and next-generation fan engagement – we will greatly benefit from Matt's expertise, especially in these areas. I am delighted Matt is joining the Board.” The post Matt Rogan Named Non-Executive Director at RMG appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Craig Williams will ride progressive mare Knobelas (NZ) (Belardo) for Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr in New Zealand this Saturday. The star jockey is already booked to ride Alabama Lass in the Group 1 Sistema Railway (1200 metres) at Ellerslie. The Price-Kent stable will be hoping for a bit more luck with the daughter of Belardo after a horror watch at Flemington last start. But that luckless run certainly hasn’t discouraged punters, with Knobelas backed into favouritism at the weekend for the Aotearoa Classic (1600 metres) at the Karaka Millions meeting. At the time of writing, Knobelas was rated a $4.50 chance with Ladbrokes. “I see she is favourite, at the moment,” Kent Jnr told The Verdict podcast on Monday. “She is very progressive. “She’s still looking for an out from last weekend – that was a tragedy.” Kent Jnr said the OTI galloper had arrived safe and sound across the Tasman. They’re now hoping for a bit more luck at the barrier draw. “She’s drawn barrier one, her last two starts, which is less than ideal,” “She just wants a bit of room. “Hopefully, we draw well. “She has arrived, I can confirm her bloods are great and she’s lovely and sound, bright and eating.” View the full article
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