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    Early scratching May 25

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    Horses' test results May 18

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    • 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
    • For decades now, Japanese buyers have frequented American bloodstock sales, eagerly snapping up racing and breeding stock of the highest quality to help grow the domestic Thoroughbred industry. By any metric, the undertaking has been a smashing success, given not only the performance of Japanese-based runners on foreign soil, particularly over the last six to eight years, but also the strength of the Japanese bloodstock markets. The Japanese Racing Horse Association (JRHA)'s annual Select Sale is a mostly insular affair, but American owner Mike Repole is always ready to think a bit outside the box, and with a bit of a 'what's good for the goose, is good for the gander' mindset, the successful businessman and owner/breeder shipped out a team to the island of Hokkaido to shop last year's sale. They did not leave there empty-handed, signing for five yearlings and a pair of foals, some with recognizable pedigrees and others less so. The most forward of their grab, Bento Express (Jpn)–a son of the expatriated Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Drefong–becomes the first to face the starter when he goes postward in the Saturday opener at Saratoga. Bento Express is set to become the sixth starter out of Tammy the Torpedo (More Than Ready), a dual Grade III winner on the turf for trainer Chad Brown, who was knocked down to Dr. Masatake Iida for $1.65 million in foal to War Front at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale. Repole dispatched Alex Solis II and Pat Cummings to Hokkaido last summer, and the experience left a real impression on Solis, who was making his first visit to the JRHA auction and embraced the challenge of finding Japanese-breds that might excel in this country. All totaled, Solis signed for five yearlings on the first day of the sale–a second colt by Drefong out of a half-sister to MG1SW Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (¥41m/$255k); a colt by Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) and half-brother to MGSW & G1SP Sound Chiara (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) (¥50m/$311k); a Kizuna (Jpn) filly out of champion Ginger Punch (¥68m/$423k); and a filly by leading freshman sire Nadal (¥78m/$485k) whose dam Lelievre (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) is a half-sister to champion Lucky Lilac (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) and is the pick of the lot, if you ask Solis. The majority of the yearlings arrived in the States early last September, just two months after the sale, flying to Chicago via Alaska and spending a little time in Kentucky before being sent on to be broken. The Ginger Punch filly was broken in Japan and arrived in mid-February. “When you start looking at the horses over there, you have some crossovers that look like American horses, dirt horses, turf horses, firm ground stuff,” he explained. “And then you also have the crossover of all the European mares that have very European attributes. So I just knew those probably wouldn't work in this country. “So I really had to be careful, thinking, 'Okay, does this look like a horse that would fit the U.S.?' And so yeah, I think we bought things that looked more American-like, so that definitely pulled us towards probably a Nadal, the Drefongs. Bento Express, purchased for ¥50 million ($310,962) from the draft of Dr. Iida's Chiyoda Farm Shizunai, has drawn the widest gate in a field of six for Saturday's debut, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. at the controls aboard the 5-2 second favorite. Solis and the Repole braintrust have been impressed with what they've seen thus far. “He's a very good-looking colt, he looks very quick,” said Solis. “I was just trying to buy a nice physical, and he kind of fit the bill. He's an Apr. 13th foal. I wondered how early he would be. The Japanese, they really don't focus on 2-year-old racing. So I guess that's probably where this is coming from, just that it's truly an American type, and I think that's why he's probably jumping on the bit so early.” Bento Express back at the barn | Sarah Andrew Bento Express's worktab is highlighted by a bullet half-mile from the gate in :47 flat (1/114) over the Belmont training track June 22 and went the same distance in :47 3/5 (3/144) on June 28, also from the machine. “He's trained well,” Solis said. “My question always has been is he a grass or a dirt horse? Just for the fact that Tammy the Torpedo and a lot of that family is grass. And Drefong still is Gio Ponti, he's out of a Trempolino mare at the bottom. Ghostzapper and then Trempolino. So I always wondered, Drefong's had a lot of grass in Japan, so I always wondered that. But he's trained well enough on the dirt that give it a shot. It's a positive sign.” For the record, among the five group and 11 black-type winners sired by Drefong is G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) hero Geoglyph (Jpn)–also a close fourth in the 2023 G1 Saudi Cup–and this year's G2 UAE Derby victor and GI Kentucky Derby participant Admire Daytona (Jpn). Bento Express would not be the first high-profile graduate of the JRHA Select Sales to post a victory at Saratoga. Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) fetched just over $765,000 at the 2015 yearling sale and the 'TDN Rising Star' annexed the 2018 GI Woodward Stakes in his first try on the dirt, having won the GI Turf Classic some four months prior. Solis indicated that they have a return visit to Hokkaido penciled in somewhere down the road in the back of their minds once assessing the success of their first raid on the Select Sale. This year's renewal of the auction begins with the yearling section on Monday, July 14, followed by the foal section on Tuesday, July 15. That session will feature 25 foals from the first crop by two-time Horse of the Year Equinox (Jpn). The post From Hokkaido To the Spa: Repole Set To Unveil Drefong Colt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • The 2025 Bloodstock South Africa KZN Yearling Sale broke all previous benchmarks for the auction including an aggregate that surged past the prior year's standard by over R5.6-million, the group announced Friday. A total of 195 yearlings changed hands from the 209 catalogued (seven lots did not sell in the ring or privately later). The aggregate was R44.725-million, over R5.6-million higher than the figure for 2024, while the average rose to a sale record of R229,359; the median improved to R180,000; and the top price came in at R1.3-million late in the day. The aforementioned sales topper was Lot 202–named V Squared, a Vercingetorix (SAf) filly out of Victoriana (SAf) (Jet Master {SAf}). The dam is a half-sister to multiple Listed winners Hammie's Hooker (SAf) (Trippi) and Gem King (SAf) (Master Of My Fate {SAf}). V Squared is a full-sister to Quickstepgal (SAf), who is considered one of South Africa's leading 2-year-old performers. Lot 202 went the way of Jonathan Snaith, who was also the top buyer at the auction. Snaith was quoted as saying that the filly was a standout in pedigree and conformation. “One of our core objectives is to create auction platforms that reach the broadest possible base of buyers and to ensure that all vendors get their fair share of opportunities,” said Bloodstock SA CEO Michael Holmes. “We're pleased to have played our part in delivering that again this year, and we wish all our clients the best with their purchases.” The post 2025 Bloodstock South Africa KZN Yearling Sale Shatters Own Records appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Sam Agars SZERYNG - R7 (2) Broke through in fine style last start and looks far from finished   Jay Rooney MAGNIFIQUE - R9 (6) Trialled brilliantly ahead of his return and is drawn to get a dream run   Trackwork Spy MAGNIFIQUE - R9 (6) Looks ready to make an impact on his return from a freshen up   Phillip Woo SZERYNG - R7 (2) Eye-catching winner last start and can repeat from a good draw   Shannon (Vincent Wong) TOURBILLON GOLFER - R7 (3) Ran well for second on debut and can win   Racing Post...View the full article
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