Motor Sport

A total of 44 lots have been catalogued for the GoffsGo Online Foal, Yearling & Breeding Stock Sale. Bidding will open at noon on Thursday, December 4 and close beginning at 2:20 p.m. local time on Friday, December 5. Comprising both Flat and NH stock, the sale features six foals, 25 yearlings and 13 fillies and mares. The foal and yearling entries feature progeny of leading sires including Ardad, Dandy Man, Footstepsinthesand, Gleneagles, Golden Horn, Iffraaj, Massaat, New Bay, Phoenix of Spain, Postponed, Sands of Mali, Without Parole Some highlights include Reel Her In (Highland Reel) (lot 33) out of dual Grade 1 winner Jer's Girl (Jeremy); lot 35, Veronica Falls (Medicean), the dam of three winners and the stakes-placed Chicas Amigas (Dragon Pulse); and lot 40, a Teofilo juvenile half-sister to the stakes-placed Springbank (Galileo) and Expressionism (Galileo), out of the Group 3-winning mare Lady Springbank (Choisir). Goffs Group chief executive, Henry Beeby said, “This first GoffsGo scheduled sale has attracted a strong line up and we will build on its popularity alongside continuing to provide instant sales opportunities as and when required. GoffsGo is the complete online service with the lowest entry fee and vendor commission of any platform combined with a hands on service from Ruari and the Goffs team.” The post Over 40 Entries For The First Edition Of The GoffsGo Online Foal, Yearling And Breeding Stock Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nicky Henderson has been awarded the Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy, which commemorates the person or person whom the Goffs UK Board feel have made the biggest contribution to the success of the company during that year. The award was presented at Newbury this past Saturday. Training out of Seven Barrows Stables, the multiple champion trainer has had many talented horses pass through his care, not least Goffs UK alumni Constitution Hill (Blue Bresil) and Jonbon (Walk In The Park), who have won 18 Grade 1 races between them. Said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby, “Nicky has been a huge supporter and friend of DBS and Goffs for many years and we are eternally grateful for all he has done to support our sales at Doncaster. Nicky was first awarded the Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy in 2013 following Spring Sale graduate Bob's Worth winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup and we all felt it was fitting he received it again following the exploits of two amazing horses: Constitution Hill and Jonbon. “Jonbon has been a very special horse for all involved. Realising a record price for a pointer when bought by Nicky and J.P. McManus from us, he has been a household name in NH racing and last year saw him claim his 10th Grade 1 victory, a huge milestone. Constitution Hill has also been a pin up horse for NH racing, and our Spring Sale, with eight Grade 1 victories since his explosion onto the scene in 2022. “These are just two horses who have done so much for the prowess of our Goffs UK National Hunt sales and in recognition, we are delighted to see Nicky's name return to the list of very worthy and diverse recipients of this award. We hope to see both horses and many other graduates of our sales add more success to their amazing records in the coming months and wish Nicky all the very best for the season.” The post Henderson Awarded The Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A helping hand. A kind smile. A word of encouragement. A piece of advice. When in the company of Harry Rice III, an instrumental member of the jockeys' room on the New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit for 49 years, you're guaranteed to receive either one or all of the above. And it's that warmth and color Rice carries with him that has been notably absent from New York race days since the veteran valet officially retired this past spring after working his final day, April 19, at Aqueduct. The momentous occasion was celebrated with a retirement ceremony this summer at Saratoga Race Course. Surrounded by his family, those blood-related and the friends-turned-family members, Rice bid a final farewell to a career that may have begun simply as a job but quickly became his life's purpose. “I had family, friends, co-workers, jockeys, trainers, the press people there and it was overwhelming. I really appreciated them all showing up,” said Rice. “I try to tell people that the racetrack is not only our livelihood, it's our lives. The horses, they're in the DNA. These guys work in the morning, either walking hots or galloping horses, then they come and work in the jocks' room in the afternoon. They love the horses, and the sport, and I've had a lot of great times with them.” A native of Queens, Ny., Rice developed his own love for the sport as a teenager while taking trips to Saratoga where his father, Harry Rice II, worked as a security guard. After spending a handful of weekends and summers working as a 'white cap,' also known as an usher, the younger Rice stood at a crossroads after high school graduation. “I was stuck between going to [work at] the newspaper, because my father had worked as a pressman for the New York Times, or going to the track. I ended up at the track,” said Rice. “Horses are in my blood. My great grandfather, on my father's side, was one of the last guys to drive the fire trucks with the horses in New York City. My mother's father was a blacksmith for the police department. “I just fell in love with the sport and the people. I've enjoyed every day of it.” January 6, 1976 marked his first official day working in the jockeys' room. Rice began as the assistant to Louie Olah, known fondly as the legendary 'Colors Man,' before moving on to a position that involved taking care of equipment in the paddock. In 1998, he stepped up to the role of valet, a position he remained in for the next 35 years. “When I decided that I wanted to become a valet, I went out and walked horses in the mornings. A fella, Joe Murphy, took me out and showed me how to saddle horses. All of the other valets helped me, too. Everybody helps everybody in the [jockeys'] room,” said Rice. “I was never afraid of the horses. I always loved being around them. I'd go out in the mornings in Saratoga and watch them work, just to hang around the barn a little bit.” Rice has been the right-hand man for some of the sport's best riders, including the likes of Jean Cruguet, who guided Seattle Slew to Triple Crown glory in 1977; Hall of Famers Chris McCarron, Corey Nakatani and Mike Smith; champion Frankie Dettori; Eclipse Award winner Mike Luzzi; and Breeders' Cup-winning jockey Rajiv Maragh…just to name a few. Rice family including Joan, Harry III, Harry IV and Meghan | Courtesy of Harry Rice IV “Mike Smith and I were together for 35 years. We had a lot of great memories. [I remember] in 1998, when he won the [GI] Travers Stakes with Coronado's Quest, he dedicated the win to my father who died days before,” recalled Rice. Along with the notable jockeys, Rice also had the privilege of saddling some of the best racehorses to grace the New York circuit, including Hall of Famer and two-time Eclipse Award-winning champion Go For Wand (Deputy Minister). “I saddled Go For Wand in all of her races. I was very close with [jockey] Randy Romero. We were very good friends. Herb McCauley, when he won the [1992] Travers [aboard Thunder Rumble], that was a great time. I also remember when Chris McCarron won the [1997] Travers on Deputy Commander, just days after his mother died,” said Rice. However, amongst all of the greats he's spent time in the presence of, nothing has been more fulfilling for Rice than getting to share the racing world with his family. Though his wife, Joan, and his daughter, Meghan, never worked in the industry, his son, Harry Rice IV, followed in his father's footsteps while simultaneously paving his own path into the industry. “I tried to chase him away. He worked at ESPN a while, and actually won an Emmy for being on the SportsCenter team, but like I said, horse racing is in the blood. Somebody gave him a call and he was right back in. He's done a lot. He worked for Tom Morley for a while, along with the NYRA [broadcast team] and MyRacehorse. Now, he's working for Sallee Horse Vans and living in Kentucky,” said Rice. “The best memory is Justify. We were on the finish line, Harry and I, when he won the Triple Crown [in 2018]. The best part about that was when Maggie [Morley] interviewed me after the race, I welled up, and she did too. That made me feel a little better.” Harry Rice retirement ceremony | Coglianese Like any sport, the nature of horse racing ebbs and flows along the waves of reward and risk. One day, a jockey is celebrating an elite-level victory in the winner's circle, and by the next, he could be fighting for his life after suffering serious injuries from a horrific fall on the track. For Rice, whose jockeys have become extended members of his family, the worry that comes with that risk was always at the top of his mind. “You take the good with the bad. I know six or seven riders that I was very friendly with that were killed over the years. It's just a shame, you know? That's why they say it's the only sport where they follow you in an ambulance. You get these jockeys that get hurt and they retire, because it's not if you fall again, it's when you fall again. You're guaranteed to fall,” said Rice. “I was around too long. I worked for Lane Luzzi, Mike Luzzi's son. I worked for Romero Maragh, that's Rajiv's cousin. I worked for his other brother, Shamir, and I was almost going to work for his younger brother, Christian. It just goes generation to generation.” Though the passion for his work never dimmed, Rice admitted the job had taken a toll on his body. At the age of 67, he chose to bow out gracefully, taking advantage of a choice that many of the riders he'd worked with hadn't had the chance to. “Once you get to the track, it's nonstop until after the last race. You probably saddle seven or eight horses a day. Especially at Saratoga, it's a lot of walking. Just last year, my daughter looked on my phone and said I was walking around 22,000 steps a day,” said Rice. “I was originally thinking about [retiring at] the end of the [2025] Saratoga meet. I was the shop steward for 35 years, maybe a little more, and I decided it was time to go [in the spring]. “In a stall with a horse, I could handle it. No problem. I've had some big-time injuries I guess and being outside running around with a bad horse, it was getting to the point that it was time.” Life is a little quieter for Rice these days. Instead of making that familiar trek from the jockeys' room to the paddock and onto the track itself, Rice watches the race day coverage on tv at his home in Staten Island. Two days a week, on Mondays and Tuesdays, he tends the bar at the famed Lee's Tavern. With a surplus of free time ahead, Rice is taking full advantage as he makes up for lost time with his wife, family and friends. “The one person who deserves all the credit is my wife. Back when I started, it was six days a week, and she took care of the family. I missed a lot of games and school functions and all of that. Joan did a tremendous job raising our two kids and I owe her the world for that,” said Rice. “I'm going to start traveling a little bit. I want to go see different racetracks, different places, and just enjoy myself. My wife and I are going to take a couple of trips that I owe her. We're going to enjoy it.” Even through the phone, the emotion is palpable as Rice reflects on his time spent working in the jockeys' room for 49 years. For nearly half a century, he laid out silks and saddle cloths, shined boots, cleaned goggles, inspected tack, saddled and unsaddled countless horses, moved and inserted weights, all the while doing everything in his power to make the life of his jockeys easier. Like a hard-knocking racehorse whose tenacity shines through in every start, from the first to the last, the longtime valet has left an unforgettable impression on every man, woman and horse he's lent a hand to. “You know what the most rewarding thing is? The friendships you make throughout the years. You get to meet so many people that really love horse racing and you just appreciate it. I've had such wonderful relationships with people. I still keep in touch with the riders and the old-time valets,” said Rice. “We might retire, but we never go away. We always show up somewhere.” The jockeys' rooms in New York may be a little quieter these days, but the legacy Rice built fills the void left in his absence. “It didn't matter if you were a Hall of Fame jockey or trainer, or just a guy trying to make a living, I treated them all the same. That's what you have to do. There's that old saying, 'If you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life.' I've always said that what people do on their days off, I did for a living. I went to racetracks. So, I guess I never really had a job.” The post ‘It’s Our Lives’: Harry Rice III, A Stalwart Member of the New York Jocks’ Room, Reflects on his Half a Century at the Track appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Guy Petit has been appointed as bloodstock director at AKTEM, the new auction house in France which is scheduled to hold its first sales in February next year. A bloodstock agent for more than 30 years, Petit has sourced top-class National Hunt performers such as Min, Royale Pagaille and Thousand Stars, as well as the Grand National winner Mon Mome. On the Flat, his high-profile purchases include the Group 1 winners Rougir and Tribhuvan. “I am delighted by this new challenge, which allows me to move to the other side of the fence,” said Petit. “Supporting a young and ambitious person like Sofiane Benaroussi – who is determined to implement new initiatives for the benefit of the industry – really appealed to me, and I am thrilled to invest myself alongside him.” He added, “My extensive address book of both buyers and vendors allows me to confidently embrace this new adventure and bring my expertise, particularly in the National Hunt sphere, by offering new opportunities to breeders and owners with a service that complements the existing market.” Mégane Martins has also joined the AKTEM team as head of communication and development. After a full-year internship with Arqana Racing Club, Martins gained hands-on experience at Écurie des Monceaux, before returning to the Deauville sales company within the communication and marketing department. In recent years, she has applied her expertise to the charity Au-Delà Des Pistes, among other roles. “I am honoured to join the AKTEM team and lead the communication department,” said Martins. “I return to an environment I know well and appreciate, and I am delighted to put my skills to work once again in this sector. We are committed to offering a new, high-quality service with a truly convivial, modern and professional atmosphere to conduct sales in the best possible conditions.” AKTEM president Sofiane Benaroussi added, “It is a real pleasure to welcome Guy Petit to the AKTEM team. His expertise and network, both in France and internationally, represent a major asset for a young auction house like ours. “Highly active in the National Hunt sector, he brings strong skills to this segment of the market and will provide clients with the best possible support in enhancing the value of their horses. “We are also delighted to welcome Mégane Martins to lead the agency's communication and support its growth. She brings extensive experience in this field, a broad range of skills acquired within the industry, and a young, innovative, dynamic profile.” The post Guy Petit Named Bloodstock Director at AKTEM appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The G2 Richmond Stakes winner and G1 Dewhurst Stakes runner-up Royal Scotsman will take up stallion duties at Michael Swinburn's Genesis Green Stud in 2026. He will stand for a fee of £6,000, in partnership with owners Jim and Fitri Hay. Bred by Rabbah Bloodstock, Royal Scotsman is out of the 100-rated Cheveley Park Stud-bred mare Enrol (Pivotal) and was consigned by Genesis Green Stud when fetching 125,000gns at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. He won the Richmond after finishing a close-up third behind Bradsell in the G2 Coventry Stakes. Having been beaten a head by Chaldean in the Dewhurst, the pair met again in the 2,000 Guineas, in which Royal Scotsman finished third. He also won last year's G3 Diomed Stakes at Epsom. Co-trainer Paul Cole said of the son of Gleneagles, “He was incredibly talented and it is very unfortunate that we did not always get to see him at his best with a variety of factors not going his way.” It had previously been reported that Royal Scotsman would stand at Haras du Taillis in France for the 2026 breeding season. Alex Cole, on behalf of the Hay family, said “Royal Scotsman has given us enormous pride on the racecourse and it was important to them [the Hay family] that his stallion career was here in Britain. Supporting British racing and the British breeding industry has always mattered to them, and we are delighted to partner with Genesis Green Stud and the Swinburns for his next chapter.” Michael Swinburn added, “Royal Scotsman was as good-looking and athletic a colt as I have ever sold. Naturally, we followed him closely on the track and had many conversations about how much we would love to breed to him when the time came. “We had never considered venturing into standing a stallion, but when this opportunity presented itself, we simply couldn't let it pass by. To welcome him back now as a stallion is enormously exciting and we believe, when breeders come to see him, they will be every bit as impressed by him as we are.” The post Multiple Group Winner Royal Scotsman to Stand at Genesis Green Stud in 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article