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Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Observations features the return a 'TDN Rising Star'. 6.30 Kempton, Novice, 2yo, 8f (AWT) NATION'S HOPE (IRE) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) was an instant hit here last month, earning TDN Rising Star status with a dazzling debut display and Charlie Appleby has opted to return for further education at the track he used for Notable Speech's initial forays. The half-brother to the stable's multiple Grade I-winning Nations Pride (Teofilo) has a seven-pound penalty meeting four maidens and this should be as straightforward as it gets for Godolphin's exciting prospect. 4.25 Kempton, Novice, 2yo, f, 7f (AWT) ASMERALDA (IRE) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) debuts over a year on from causing a stir at the Goffs Orby Book 1 when she sold for €640,000 to Blue Diamond Stud. John and Thady Gosden introduces Imad Al Sagar's half-sister to California Chrome's GII Jessamine Stakes winner California Angel against Godolphin's penalised winner Pierchic (GB) (Palace Pier {GB}), a Charlie Appleby-trained half-sister to three Stakes performers headed by the Oaks runner-up Dance Sequence (Dubawi). The post Back To Kempton For Nation’s Hope appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced Dec. 9 that one lucky fan and a guest will win a chance to attend the 55th annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards as part of the Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards Sweepstakes.View the full article

Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), the 2024 Horse of the Year, will be bred during the upcoming season to sire Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), it was announced by the superstar filly's majority owner, John Sikura, the owner of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. Sikura and the others in the Thorpedo Anna ownership have already chosen who she will be bred to in 2027, and that is Curlin (Smart Strike). Curlin stands at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, while Gun Runner stands at Three Chimneys Farm. “We usually take this one year at a time, but to breed to the two over the next two years was the consensus among the owners, so that's what we are going to do,” Sikura said. “With every partnership we have we are always respectful of all the owners, regardless of the fact that I might own the majority of the horse. Both are outstanding sires. Let's hope Curlin is breeding strong, two, three, four, five years from now. But for now, Gun Runner will be the choice the first time around, and that's what we are doing. Both on the racetrack and in the sales ring, he is, among the younger sires, clearly a uniquely successful North American dirt sire. That was her aptitude and that's what we are trying to breed for the marketplace. This will be great on great and we will hope for the best.” In choosing Gun Runner now and Curlin later, Sikura believes he can tap into both sires' best attributes. “It wasn't either/or with the sires,” he said. “We are trying to capitalize a little bit on the immediacy of Gun Runner's success and also the legend and legacy of Curlin. Let's hope that Journalism (Curlin) has a great year and emerges as a very top class horse in 2026. If so, we can capitalize on both sires at the exact right times.” Sikura said he normally tries to keep his breeding plans quiet, but realized that with Thorpedo Anna that wasn't an option. “She has a great following and was such a uniquely accomplished race mare,” he said. “I try to keep most of my decisions quiet until I'm ready to reveal them. To a large degree, she is in the public domain, so I don't have a problem sharing that information.” No plans have been made as of yet as to whether or not the Thorpedo Anna babies will be sold or raced by the current partners, but Sikura is best known as a commercial breeder and not as an owner. “To make that sort of decision now would be really premature,” he said. “I'm a commercial breeder. In some form or fashion we can monetize these foals, recognizing the enormous investment we made in the mare. We would be open to some kind of partnership, in which we would sell an interest. All avenues are open.  Let's have a live foal first and then we can go over the options. People ask what are you going to name the foal? Let it be born first and then a name will be selected.” In August, 2025, Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa acquired a half-interest in Thorpedo Anna. The price was never publicly disclosed.  In October, 2025, Sikura acquired another 20 percent fractional ownership interest in the mare for $1 million at the Keeneland Championship Sale. Sikura said that Thorpedo Anna has taken to her new life on his farm well. “She has settled in well,” he said. “She has been turned out in our paddock and she dropped her head and acclimatized to this part of her career. She's been here with us for weeks.” Thorpedo Anna will go down as one of the greatest fillies of her generation. A winner of 12 of 16 career starts, she won eight Grade I stakes, including the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and the GI Kentucky Oaks. Trained by Kenny McPeek, who picked her out at the sales for just $40,000, she was named Horse of the Year and 3-Year-Old Champion Filly in 2024. Gun Runner has quickly established himself as one of the top sires in the world. To date, he has had 51 stakes winners, 34 graded stakes winners and 12 Grade I stakes winners. He has seven sons at stud and, thus far this year, he is the third leading sire in earnings behind Into Mischief and Not This Time. His stud fee for the 2026 breeding season will be $250,000. The post Thorpedo Anna Will Be Bred To Gun Runner In 2026, Curlin In ’27 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Come the start of January next year, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) will limit Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) play one minute to post in all pools, according to NYRA president and CEO David O'Rourke during Tuesday's Global Symposium on Racing in Tuscon, Arizona. By far the most aggressive step taken yet to manage CAW play by any track operator in the country, this will mean that all CAW players will be limited to six bets per second when they bet into the NYRA product within one minute to post, putting them on the same footing as retail players. The steps that NYRA has already taken to manage these high-volume players–limiting their access to the win pool and the Late Pick 5 and Pick 6 pools–will remain unchanged. O'Rourke was part of a panel titled, “The Sustainability Algorithm: Balancing CAW Growth with Racing's Long-Term Health,” arguably the most eagerly awaited of the whole symposium given the sharp focus on these high-volume players and their impacts on the sport's coffers. O'Rourke also floated another new idea soon to be made available through NYRA, which is a centralized hub of raw data accessible for every player, large and small. This story will be updated…. The post NYRA Taking Aggressive Steps To Curb CAW Play In All Pools appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland's January Horses of All Ages Sale, which produced 2025 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Shisospicy, has cataloged 1,046 horses for the 70th edition of the auction, which will cover two sessions on Jan. 12-13, 2026, that each begin at 10 a.m. ET. Click here for the catalog, which offers broodmares and broodmare prospects, newly turned yearlings, horses of racing age and stallion prospects. “The January Sale is where breeders and owners are able to launch the new year with confidence,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “The auction, which is scheduled just before the start of breeding season, is an ideal platform to showcase broodmares, broodmare prospects, 'short' yearlings and racehorses to a global audience of buyers.” Print catalogs for the January Sale are scheduled to be mailed around Dec. 17. Premier offerings in the January Sale catalog who already have been announced are: Simply in Front, a Grade I winner and $2.8 million earner who is a 4-year-old daughter of Summer Front. She is consigned by Richard G. Hogan, agent for Colebrook Farms, and cataloged as a broodmare prospect. Tiffany Case, dam of top-ranked 3-year-old filly Nitrogen who is in foal to Not This Time. Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigns the 12-year-old mare, a winning stakes-placed daughter of Uncle Mo whose two foals to race are both stakes winners. Broodmares in the January Sale catalog are in foal to such successful sires and emerging young stallions as American Pharoah, Candy Ride (Arg), Charlatan, City of Light, Cody's Wish, Cogburn, Constitution, Curlin, Domestic Product, Dornoch, Epicenter, Essential Quality, Flightline, Forte, Girvin, Golden Pal, Good Magic, Gunite, Hard Spun, Jackie's Warrior, Justify, Kingsbarns, Liam's Map, Maclean's Music, Maxfield, McKinzie, Munnings, Muth, Newgate, Not This Time, Nyquist, Omaha Beach, Practical Joke, Prince of Monaco, Seize the Grey, Tapit, Timberlake, Tiz the Law, Twirling Candy, Up to the Mark, Upstart, Vekoma, War Front and Yaupon. Yearlings in the catalog are by such stallions as American Pharoah, Annapolis, Candy Ride (ARG), Charlatan, City of Light, Cody's Wish, Complexity, Constitution, Corniche, Cyberknife, Drain The Clock, Elite Power, Forte, Girvin, Gun Runner, Gunite, Jackie's Warrior, Justify, Knicks Go, Liam's Map, Life Is Good, Maclean's Music, Mage, Maxfield, McKinzie, Munnings, Not This Time, Nyquist, Olympiad, Omaha Beach, Pappacap, Quality Road, Tapit, Twirling Candy, Uncle Mo, Upstart, Vekoma, War Front, Wootton Bassett (GB) and Yaupon. The first round of supplements to the January Sale are to be announced Thursday, Dec. 11. The January Sale will be livestreamed at Keeneland.com. The post Keeneland Catalogs 1,046 Horses for 2026 January Horses of All Ages Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Here's to the hardy souls still grafting away at the Goffs December National Hunt Sale. For the mostly Flat brigade, however, we can now hang up bobble hats and waterproofs, put the final catalogue on the shelf (sorry, iPad users, not quite caught up with you yet) and wonder what to do with ourselves until the February Sale comes around. Oh yes, Christmas, that will distract us for a few days. During the long and frenetic sales season there is little time for reflection, but as the dust settles on the largest breeding stock sale of the year in Europe at Tattersalls, another vibrant round of foal trade at Goffs, and the final whirl of the ring in Deauville, we have the chance to consider some of the themes of the last month. Rowing against tide of fashion reaps rewards   Despite the seemingly never-ending rounds of sales, plenty of top horses racing in this part of the world do so for their breeders. At the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, seven of the 11 seven-figure lots were either homebreds or had been sold privately in training. Among the others, the top lot, Barnavara (Calyx), who was sold for 4.8m gns, was a notably good yearling purchase by Patrick Cooper at €70,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale. It's not the first time that Cooper has pulled off something like this either, as only last year Village Voice (Zarak), who was picked up at the Tattersall Guineas Breeze-up Sale for 38,000gns, was bought for 1.3m gns by Resolute Bloodstock. Tamfana (Soldier Hollow), too, was a tremendous purchase by Jeremy Brummitt for the Quantum Leap Racing syndicate at €20,000 from the BBAG Yearling Sale. She returned to Tattersalls as a Group 1 winner and sold for 2.6m gns. Azure Blue (El Kabeir) had originally been bought as a foal at Goffs for €19,000 by Harry Dutfield, who sold her on to the Appleton family and trainer Michael Dods for 47,000gns at Book 3 of the October Yearling Sale before she made 1.1m gns last Tuesday. Roger and Hanako Varian also deserve credit for buying Lady Of Spain (Phoenix Spain) for 40,000gns at Book 2 from Whatton Manor Stud, who had pinhooked her at €16,000. The Group 3 winner was just outside millionaires' row but sold for a substantial 900,000gns to Katsumi Yoshida.  None of these fillies mentioned above are by what might be considered top-tier stallions but their success on the track is not just a superb reflection on their trainers' abilities but also on their original buyers who were prepared to look past supposed sire power to the individual. Alongside an established broodmare sire in Oasis Dream, and the fashionable names of Night Of Thunder and Kingman, it was refreshing to note that the sires of the top ten most expensive fillies and mares of the year at Tattersalls included Calyx, Caravaggio, Soldier Hollow, Churchill and El Kabeir. It was a similar story at Arqana, where the Ten Sovereigns filly Half Sovereign, a 12,000gns yearling purchase by Karl and Elaine Burke, topped the sale at €2.6m. Nyra, a well-bred daughter of the Deutsches Derby winner Isfahan who was herself third in the G1 Preis der Diana, is on her way to America after being bought by Scott Heider for €875,000, while fillies by Soldier Hollow and Chachnak made €810,000 and €800,000 respectively. Syndicates hit the big time A whopping 11.9m gns was spent on the top three lots in the Tattersalls December Mares Sale – 14.5% of the total turnover from 580 fillies and mares sold – and while those three top race fillies went to just two powerful owner-breeder entities, there was plenty of shared upside to be had on the vendor side of the transaction. All three horses were owned by syndicates: Barnavara by Alpha Racing, Porta Fortuna by Medallion Racing 2020, Steve Weston, Reeves Thoroughbreds and Barry Fowler, and Tamfana by Quantum Leap Racing. Christmas sure did come early for the members of those respective ownership groups. One major buyer that was absent this time around was Amo Racing. Kia Joorabchian had spent 8,375,000gns at last year's December Mares Sale, including the purchase of top lot You Got To Me for 4.8m gns, but after another busy yearling season the Amo team kept away from the breeding stock sales. Class of 2024 looks strong There is nobody braver than pinhookers – except of course breeders – and there were plenty of enthusiastic young pinhookers to be found at Goffs in particular once again. Whether breeding or pinhooking, luck needs to go your way – for the foals to be born healthy, strong and correct, and for them to remain so. If you're breeding to race, the stallion doesn't matter as long as he suits your mare. Commercially, stallion selection has become ever more tricky, and getting into a decent sale can be difficult if you're not on the 'right' sire, whose popularity can wax and wane in a heartbeat.  Despite contracting foal crop numbers, demand for sales places remains strong. First-season sires appear to be more popular than ever, having yet to blot their copybook, but woe betide those who don't get a bunch of winners early in the season that their first runners hit the track.  At the foal sales, Chaldean, Shaquille, Dragon Symbol, Native Trail, Triple Time, Vadeni, Erevann, Ace Impact, Paddington and Mostahdaf have been well supported from what is looking a strong intake of 2024. This flocking to new sires and then largely ignoring them in their third and fourth seasons is dangerous for the whole business, however. Plenty of stallion farms will be dealing on price this coming season – particularly for horses in those tricky years – but perhaps more incentives to loyalty should be considered and made public to keep things on a more even keel for a young stallion's covering numbers. That in turn may encourage breeders to be a little broader in their choice of stallions and allow pinhookers to follow suit when it comes to foal selection. Three days of mares in Newmarket This worked better than to have what had ended up as an abridged Thursday session which felt a bit after the show. That said, one larger consignor did suggest that having fewer horses spread across four days would be an improvement from the point of view of staff and potential buyers not having to be at the sales so late. We appreciate that starting the Sceptre Sessions around 7pm is to make them something of an evening feature, but it's pretty dark from 4pm onwards in winter and bringing them forward a little in each day would help rather than hinder, especially for those folk trying to sell a mare in the small batch that appears after the Sceptre Sessions. This can feel like an afterthought in a near-deserted ring. No mincing of words from Mahony There is generally a touch of marketing speak to a closing statement from a chairman of a sales company, which is what made Edmond Mahony's address at the conclusion of the Tattersalls December Sale so startling. While acknowledging another strong renewal for Tattersalls – and it was – he pulled no punches when referring to the challenges facing the industry.  Mahony is clearly no fan of this Labour government. While we can't blame them for all of racing's woes, it is also easy to feel that, as much as Lady Starmer clearly loves a day at the races, her husband and his colleagues in power have so far been no friend to the sector despite the tax on racing betting having been left unchanged in the recent budget. This was of course some small relief, but the tax hikes in other gambling sectors look likely to have a knock-on effect for British racing's finances. “While government has accepted the racing industry's case with respect to betting duty, the wider industry dynamics remain perilously uncertain,” he said. “We are fortunate that the lure of Newmarket as the Headquarters of European racing continues to resonate globally, but we must also work to ensure that government does not allow the status of a globally admired industry to be eroded through neglect.” Strong words from Mahony, who is all too aware that headlines regarding record turnover at the sales can be out of kilter with the more troubling state of the racing industry as a whole.  The post Sales Reflection: Pinhookers Wade In While Syndicates Cash In appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

One lucky fan and a guest can win a chance to attend the 55th Annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards presented by John Deere, The Jockey Club, and the NTRA as part of the Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards Sweepstakes, it was announced Tuesday. The grand prize winner and their guest will also accompany Resolute Racing at the Pegasus World Cup. The grand prize includes airfare, hotel, and two tickets to the Eclipse Awards to be held Jan. 22, 2026, at The Breakers Palm Beach, as well as tickets to the Pegasus World Cup held at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24, 2026. There is no purchase necessary to participate in the promotion and entries may be made on the Resolute Racing website, or its accompanying social media channels, or the NTRA website, or its accompanying social media channels. “We are excited to again host two lucky fans at the most glamorous night in racing at the 55th Annual Eclipse Awards,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “In partnership with Resolute Racing, two fans will have a fantastic weekend we hope they remember forever.” “Racing fans are the backbone of the sport, and Resolute Racing is delighted to team with the NTRA to provide an avenue for two lucky people to attend the Eclipse Awards, which is Thoroughbred racing's version of the Academy Awards,” said John Stewart, founder and owner of Resolute Racing. “We also look forward to hosting the winners at the Pegasus World Cup.” The post NTRA and Resolute Racing Offering Sweepstakes to Attend Eclipse Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The shortlists for the 2026 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), sponsored by Godolphin, were announced on Tuesday. The shortlisted nominees for each category are: Newcomer Award Carly Rumsey – Jeremy Scott Emily Lucas – James Moffatt Emma Skerritt – Richenda Ford Faye Levick – Jedd O'Keeffe Freddie Wilks – Charlie Johnston Lizzy Skidmore – Nick Gifford Macey Ford – Jim Boyle Poppy Hatton – Folland-Bowen Bloodstock Sienna Anderson – Charlie Fellowes Verity Haigh – Jo Foster Leadership Award Aideen Marshall – Kevin Philippart De Foy Annelie Hollstenius – Stuart Williams Carrie Sanderson – Karl Burke Claire Freeman – Dan Skelton Jaimie Duff – Lucinda Russell Jennifer Burns – Jim Goldie Louisa Allen – Jim Boyle Michael Mavin – Tim Easterby Ryan King – James Owen Sarah Peacock – Hugo Palmer Rider / Racing Groom Award Bekah Duffy – Susan Corbett Danielle Mooney – Karl Burke Ellie Jefferson – Christian Williams Erin Shannon – Roger Varian Evie Gleason – Marcus Tregoning Jessica Jubb – Nick Alexander Kerry Bennett – Roger Varian Kieran Kourdache – Karl Burke Michelle Kramer – Paul Nicholls Tom Busfield – Jedd O'Keeffe Stud Award Dayna Walsh – Tweenhills Farhat Iqbal – Stetchworth and Middle Park Studs Graham Rylance – Charlock Stud Hannelore Gossage – Park Wood Stud Isabel Byford – Shadwell Estate James Goddard – Chasemore Farm Laura Wright – Hazelwood Bloodstock Oleh Ihnatenko – Whitsbury Manor Stud Scott Marshall – Tweenhills Zoe Andrews – Elms Bloodstock Dedication Award Christopher Pattenden – Diana Grissell Derek Snaith – Charlie Fellowes Emma Batten – Charlie Longsdon Dean Angell – Amanda Perrett Gemma Edwards – David Pipe Helen Halliwell – James Fanshawe Kate Ford – Goldford Stud Kenny Williams – Michael Dods Robert Storton – Jack Channon Tina Jacobs – William Haggas Community Award Anna Collins – Chester Racecourse Bobby Beevers – Autism in Racing Geraldine Jones – Godolphin Hayley Clements – Micky Hammond Karen Davies – Racing Welfare Liz Prowting – Thoroughbred aftercare Louise Robson – Thoroughbred Dressage Lucy Gurney – Women in Racing Simon Bailey – Sports Chaplaincy UK Susan Corbett – Charity work and mentoring Brant Dunshea, acting chief executive of the BHA, said, “Congratulations to everyone who has been shortlisted for an award. This is a very impressive accomplishment, particularly given the high standard of competition again this year, and you should be immensely proud. “The judges had a tough job in whittling down more than 160 nominations to a shortlist of just 60, and I hope that everyone who was nominated for an award will feel pleased that your hard work has been recognised by the people around you. “My sincere thanks to our judging panel, to our generous and longstanding sponsors Godolphin, and our partners at the Racing Post, Racing TV and Ascot Racecourse. “We are also grateful to everyone who helped support the nominations period. These are the industry's awards and it's wonderful to see racing and breeding embrace their significance and the importance to the people they exist to honour.” The post Shortlists For 2026 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Revealed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of Dec. 1-6View the full article