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    • 2nd-ELP, 100K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6 1/2f, 1:19 p.m. BELLS OF MARANELLO (Nyquist), a daughter of GI Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can (Proud Citizen), was a $750,000 KEESEP grad back in 2023 for Cindy Heider. The mare, who RNA'd for $4.9m at FTKNOV in 2014 following her racing career, produced SW/GSP Believe In Royalty (Tapit) for her first foal and, more recently, MGSW Conclude (Collected). Steve Asmussen trains for Heider Family Stables with son Keith Asmussen aboard for the debut. Breaking mid-gate, Angelic Sense (Street Sense) is the full-sister to GI Starlet Stakes winner Street Fancy, both out of stakes-winning first dam Bold Angel who sold to Hunter Valley Farm for just $65,000 at KEENOV in 2012. This is the family of GI Kentucky Derby winner and sire Fusaichi Pegasus. Walking L Thoroughbreds picked up this Ken McPeek trainee for $325,000 at KEESEP. TJCIS PPS 1st-SAR, 100K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 12:35 p.m. In New York, Ewing (Knicks Go) brought $585,000 at OBS April from D.J. Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds after breezing in :10.1. First dam Sassy Ali Joy has four winners from five to race including stakes-placed Tuscan Queen (Street Boss). TJCIS PPS 7th-SAR, 100K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6 1/2f, 3:54 p.m. Later in the card, Gin's Beach Road (Quality Road) is a China Horse Club-bred daughter of GISW Yellow Agate, making her a full-sister to GSW Agate Road and a half to GSP Gasoline (Curlin). Live Oak Plantation purchased her for $650,000 as a yearling at Saratoga in 2023. Second-time starter Trango Tower (Curlin) ran a well-beaten fifth in her Saratoga debut last summer behind the likes of MGISW La Cara (Street Sense) and MGISP Quickick (McKinzie). Away since last August, this Alpha Delta homebred daughter of MGSW/MGISP Lewis Bay gets Lasix for trainer Chad Brown. TJCIS PPS The post Saturday Insights: Nyquist Daughter Of An Oaks Winner Unveiled At Ellis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • NEWMARKET, UK — Kemi Badenoch MP has spoken of the importance of British racing remaining an “international beacon” during a briefing with industry stakeholders at Tattersalls on Friday. The Leader of the Opposition, Badenoch, along with Shadow Ministers from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Stuart Andrew MP and Louie French MP, joined a Newmarket horseracing policy conference organised by the Jockey Club and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). “The most important thing is that horseracing stays here and continues to thrive here – that we are an international beacon,” Badenoch said after listening to John Gosden speak about the growth of the racing and breeding industry since the early 1980s following a fallow time in Newmarket. “The breeding industry is the whole bedrock of the racing industry, and what happened from 1980 onwards, there came massive investment here, particularly from the Middle East – from the United Arab Emirates and from Saudi Arabia – and they set up stud farms here. And when you had a good horse, a stallion prospect, they stayed here,” Gosden explained.  “And when you do that, all the best broodmares then come to those stallions, and that has made the breeding industry here, in Britain and Ireland, the best in the world for turf racing. “Consequently, where we are standing has become a great clearing house. There are only two great clearing houses in the northern hemisphere, one in Keeneland, in America, and the other one is right here. So if you are here during the sales you will see people of every nationality – from Australasia, the Far East, Hong Kong, America, South America – they are all here trading.” The most imminent threat to British racing comes from a government proposal to harmonise betting duties so that tax on sports betting, including racing, would be raised to the same level of tax imposed on online casinos and slot machines – from 15 per cent to 21 per cent. On the Monday of Royal Ascot week the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Racing and Breeding delivered a report which will be submitted to government ahead of the end of the consultation period on July 21. Entitled Securing Racing's Future: The Threat to British Horseracing, the report highlights the potential damage to racing's financial structure from the harmonisation proposal as well as affordability checks on punters, which it claims has already led to a £1.6bn fall in betting turnover on racing. It also points to the need for Levy reform to include bets placed domestically on overseas racing, as is the norm in other major racing jurisdictions. The delegation of politicians agreed to meet members of the racing community to listen to the issues affecting the sport as part of the Conservative Party's policy renewal as it seeks to rebuild after losing last year's general election to Labour.  Gosden was joined by fellow trainers Stuart Williams, Simon Crisford, James Fanshawe, Alice Haynes, James Ferguson, Roger Varian and William Haggas. Leaders of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, Racehorse Owners Association, and National Association of Stable Staff were also present, along with Jim Mullen, the new CEO of the Jockey Club, and representatives from various major stud farms, racecourses and Weatherbys.  Welcoming Badenoch and her colleagues, the Jockey Club's Senior Steward Dido Harding said, “Racing clearly matters here in Newmarket but it matters for the country as well. Firstly, we are a hugely popular sport – the second-most attended sport in the country with 4 million people a year going racing.   “There is also huge economic impact – 85,000 people work in the racing industry across the country. The economists would call Newmarket an economic cluster. You have every element of the racing and breeding industry represented in this town and that drives economic growth. It's in the order of £260 million that comes into this part of the east of England courtesy of the racing and breeding industry. That's a huge economic impact in a rural area and that is replicated across the country in other parts of the racing industry.” The BHA is urging all industry participants to get behind its 'Axe the Tax' campaign to persuade government to consider betting on horseracing independently amid fears that the sport could be hit by the loss of £66m in income. Speaking at Friday's conference, trainer Stuart Williams told Badenoch, “The British racing industry is a world leader in that we export horses all over the world. There are only two forms of funding – one is through the owners, and breeders are mostly owners as well, and the other one is through the punters. We are the only country in the world which runs a system where most of the profits go to the bookmakers and not back to the participants in racing.” He added, “The Levy deal is hugely important to us and we are in a stage now where the major betting operators are American-based casinos and they are not interested in British racing. They are using it as a gateway to get people in to bet on these addictive casinos. This upcoming tax will be the absolute death of all of this, the whole lot will crumble if we get lumped in with the casinos.  “You can see the direction of travel and the agenda is that betting is the new smoking, and the government is going after it with a passion. And if we can't distinguish ourselves as a game of skill, against the addictive casino-based games of chance where the house always wins, we are in dire trouble. It's imminent and it needs to be addressed right now.” Closing the conference, Newmarket's MP Nick Timothy said after the leader of his party had departed, “It is really conspicuous that Kemi Badenoch chose to come here today. She hasn't done that with any other sport.”   The post Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch Hears Racing’s Fears of ‘Dire Trouble’ from Betting Tax Rises appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • When it comes to Sandown's G1 Coral-Eclipse, there has been a shift of power to the Classic generation in recent times with seven of the last ten going their way. Saturday's renewal will either see a fifth consecutive success for the 3-year-olds or a break in the sequence and the onus is on Ombudsman to reestablish the reputation of the older horses. Godolphin's son of Night Of Thunder is the key protagonist on his emphatic Prince of Wales's Stakes success last month and to date has no blemish on his record. Carefully nurtured by John and Thady Gosden last term, the progressive colt dealt with Anmaat and co without mercy as he finally showed his hand at Royal Ascot but now needs to back up on quick ground in a different test. In a select renewal, the Wertheimers' Sosie (Sea The Stars) is the other 4-year-old and he bids to provide Andre Fabre with a first Eclipse and while his narrow defeat of Map Of Stars in the G1 Prix Ganay means he has something to find withe favourite, he did beat the speedier Sardinian Warrior in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan last time and it will be fascinating to see how his reinvention from mile-and-a-half supremo develops. Racing Manager Pierre-Yves Bureau is relishing the prospect. “We felt it was the time we travel with him, it's the first time and I hope everything will be okay,” he said.  “When he won the Grand Prix de Paris last year it was on good ground and I don't think there will be a problem with this. His dam was a miler, so we tried and he performed nicely in the Ganay. We have been very lucky with all this family. They are good fighters and I'd say that's what we'll need tomorrow.” Turning to the 3-year-olds, there is no doubt that Aidan O'Brien will have a say in matters with Ryan Moore picking Delacroix (Dubawi) over Camille Pissaro (Wootton Bassett) in a surprise twist. Take out his Derby flop and the former, a son of Dubawi who beat Lambourn convincingly over this trip in Leopardstown's G3 Ballysax Stakes, remains one of the yard's kingpins and the fact that he is favoured over a Prix du Jockey Club winner speaks volumes. “The only horse who is yet to win at the top level is mine and we're hoping he can bounce back from the Derby, where everything went wrong for him,” Moore said. “I'd say the track probably didn't suit and the mile and a half was just too far. There's nothing between Camille Pissarro and Delacroix, just a pound on official ratings.” Surprisingly, the 2,000 Guineas hero Ruling Court (Justify) is considered an outsider here despite running like a 10-furlong performer in the St James's Palace. Maybe it is because William Buick is on Ombudsman, but it is not a choice he would have relished with the 10 pounds weight-for-age differential levelling things up. “The tempo of the St James's Palace Stakes was completely different to what Ruling Court encountered in the 2,000 Guineas. They went an end-to-end gallop and he never really looked comfortable throughout the race,” Charlie Appleby explained. “We have always wanted to step him up in trip and a mile and a quarter is probably the ideal distance to aim for as a first try over middle distances.” “Conditions at Sandown look there to suit. He has won around the course before and has a significant weight pull against the older horses, which can often come into play in an Eclipse. It's a small but very strong field and he's a Classic-winning colt who doesn't look out of place.” Lofty Ambitions On The Line For Estrange… Saturday's other high-profile action is at Haydock, where Cheveley Park's exciting filly Estrange (Night Of Thunder) is the heavy favourite for the G2 Lancashire Oaks. David O'Meara was talking about the Arc after her course-and-distance romp in the G3 Lester Piggott Stakes and she will need to deal with three rivals with a degree of ease to remain in that conversation. “The ease with which she won did take me a bit by surprise, but we did expect her to put up a good show,” her trainer said. “Amazing Maria was brilliant for us, then we also had G Force, while Mondialiste gave me great satisfaction when we took him to Canada and he won the Woodbine Mile. Far more of those good horses end up in other yards, so we are very aware that we are very fortunate to have Estrange in the yard and Cheveley Park Stud have always been very supportive to us.” Shadow Of Light | Emma Berry Shadow Of Light Bids For Redemption… Sunday's G1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville affords Godolphin's G1 Middle Park Stakes and G1 Dewhurst Stakes winner Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega) the opportunity to atone for his reversal in last month's G1 Commonwealth Cup. Probably in need of this seven-furlong trip now, he faces Bond Thoroughbred's recent acquisition Maranoa Charlie (Wootton Bassett) who is back over the same course and distance of his G3 Prix Djebel success. In a fascinating contest, Juddmonte's Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up Cosmic Year (Kingman), Ballydoyle's G3 Acomb Stakes winner The Lion In Winter (Sea The Stars) and Resolute Bloodstock's G3 Prix Texanita winner Woodshauna (Wooded) provide an exotic mix. Charlie Appleby is looking for Shadow Of Light to bounce back from his Royal Ascot disappointment. “The drop back in trip and quick ground caught out Shadow Of Light in the Commonwealth Cup, but he came out of the race in great nick,” he said. “Stepping back up to seven furlongs is a positive and hopefully the ground at Deauville will be a bit more forgiving. We will be on weather watch and a decision will be made on the day after we have had a look at the ground. I can't fault his preparation going into this and feel he is the horse to beat if he can run up to anywhere near the form of his Guineas third.” In Sunday's 156th G1 Deutsches Derby at Hamburg, the 18 protagonists are headed by Rennstall Gestut Hachtsee's G2 Union-Rennen winner Zuckerhut (Almanzor), Gestut Park Wiedingen's G3 Bavarian Classic winner Path Of Soldier (Soldier Hollow) and Westminster Stud's G3 Diana-Trial scorer Lady Charlotte (Golden Horn). Also in the mix are Hajro Jusufovic's G3 Baden-Baden Derby-Trial winner Juwelier (Wootton Bassett) and Newtown Anner Stud Farm's Convergent (Fascinating Rock), not seen since finishing third behind Lambourn and Lazy Griff in the G3 Chester Vase. The post Will Ombudsman Rule in the Clash of the Generations? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Saturday at Saratoga and Ellis Park. Saturday, July 5, 2025 Saratoga 1, $100k, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 12:35 p.m. ET Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($) Empires King (Classic Empire), OBSAPR, 60,000 C-Global Thoroughbreds, agent; B-Martin Weis   Ewing (Knicks Go), OBSAPR, 585,000 C-Hidden Brook, agent; B-D J Stable & West Point TBs   Sar 3, Sanford S.-GIII, $175k, 2yo, 6f, 1:40 p.m. ET Imagine John (Maclean's Music), OBSMAR, 50,000 C-On Point Training & Sales; B-Pure Bred Funding & Jason Lorenz   Obliteration (Violence), OBSMAR, 200,000 C-Ocala Stud; B-Leland Ackerley   Saratoga 6, $100k, 2yo, f, 1mT, 3:20 p.m. ET Stylish Gem (Practical Joke), OBSAPR, 85,000 C-S G V Thoroughbreds (S Venosa), agt; B-Fergus Galvin, agent   Ellis 7, $100k, 2yo, f, 1mT, 3:42 p.m. ET Diablo Shiraz (Daredevil), OBSAPR, 20,000 C-Wavertree Stables Inc (C Dunne), agt; B-John Ennis   Hollybygolly (Yaupon), OBSMAR, 210,000 C-Kings Equine, agent; B-RB Bloodstock, agt. Storyteller Racing   The post Summer Breezes: Saturday, July 5. 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Dr Paolo Romanelli, the founder of Ital-Cal Horse Management, might live roughly 5,000 miles from Milan in Florida nowadays, but a small piece of his heart will always remain in the vicinity of the San Siro Racetrack which, on Saturday, will host races run in memory of Romanelli's grandfather and mother. Romanelli himself was a native of Pisa, before his move Stateside, but his mother, Maria Luisa Regoli, once lived across the street from the San Siro Racetrack in the surrounds of what was then a thriving training operation. The facility, described by Romanelli as a “masterpiece of Italian architecture”, was a passion project for powerful owner Giuseppe de Montel, who made his fortune first as a silk entrepreneur and then as a banker. At a time when the great Federico Tesio was an all-conquering force in Italian racing, de Montel soon brought in Romanelli's grandfather, Luigi Regoli, to oversee his burgeoning operation with terrific results. “De Montel was a visionary owner-breeder,” says Romanelli. “Because of his passion for horse racing, he asked Paolo Vietti-Violo, one of the most famous architects at the time, to build this beautiful stable. In 1937, he hired my grandfather as a private trainer and he had between 100-120 horses in the stable. Together they won some big races, including the Derby [Italiano] with Orsenigo and the Gran Premio di Milano with Macherio. A lot of people think that, if it wasn't for the war, Orsenigo could have won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. “Unfortunately, because of his Jewish origin, de Montel left Italy at the beginning of the war. He donated the stable to a charity managed by a congregation of nuns but, because of the maintenance expenses, the charity was unable to keep the stable. It was left unkept and run down. Every time I went to the races [at San Siro], I went to look at the place, because my mum grew up there when she was going to high school in Milan. I was very emotionally attached.” Thankfully, there has been a happy outcome for this site which holds such a special place in Romanelli's heart. Last April, it was inaugurated as a spa, De Montel Terme Milano, with many of the original features being kept intact. Fittingly, the spa will sponsor one of the feature races on Saturday's card, the Listed Premio Giuseppe de Montel, run over seven furlongs for two-year-olds. “The spa spent €52 million and completely revamped the stable,” says Romanelli, before explaining how two more of Saturday's contests–the Premio Luigi Regoli and Premio Maria Luisa Regoli–came to be named after his dear family members. “I have a brother in Italy who is a professor and chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pisa. He is also the director of multiple thermal spas in Italy, so he was able to introduce me to the directors of the De Montel Terme Milano. And I grew up in Pisa with the now-director of the San Siro Racetrack, Lorenzo Stoppini, who is a very good friend. “I put together a commercial relationship between the track and the spa with already wonderful outcomes, with horse owners going to the spa with discounts and spa clients invited to the Turf Club at San Siro. “After this I called Lorenzo and I said, 'Lorenzo, I put together a nice agreement between the spa and the racetrack, could I have two races named after my grandfather and my mum, the same day of the [Premio Giuseppe] de Montel?'. He agreed and now we have a colts' race for my grandfather and a fillies' race for my mum.” He continues, “I am offering two trophies to the owners of the winners. One of them was made by my good friend Nina Kaiser, an equine artist who did the life-size statues of John Henry and Zenyatta for Santa Anita. And, together with some friends, I also own a stallion in France called Keiai Nautique. He is by Deep Impact and was a Group 1 winner in Japan. So, for the winner of the fillies' race [the Premio Maria Luisa Regoli], I'm going to offer a free nomination in 2026 to Keiai Nautique.” Romanelli himself will be represented in the Premio Luigi Regoli by Biscayne Blaze (Yoshida), who will sport the colours–red body with blue sleeves–which were once those of Regoli himself. Like the site of de Montel's former stables, the silks too have had a facelift, after Romanelli commissioned a special set by the famous fashion designer, Renato Balestra. Sadly, Romanelli is unable to make it to Milan on Saturday, but he'll be watching on fondly from afar as he does his own bit to uphold the legacy started by his great-grandfather, Luigi Regoli Sr. A former training partner of Tesio, Luigi Sr had two other sons, Federico and Antonio, both of whom were also hugely successful trainers. Previously, Federico won the Derby Italiano eight times in his spell as first jockey to the man he was named after, Tesio, before providing the Regoli dynasty with arguably its most significant victory when he trained the 1933 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, Crapom. The post Regoli Dynasty Remembered with Pair of Races at San Siro 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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