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Sunday Racing's Mitilini (Jpn) (f, 3, Tapit–Midnight Bisou, by Midnight Lute) came with a sustained run from from far back to graduate in her first try going two turns on the dirt in Saturday's opening race over 1700 meters at Kokura Racecourse. Once second from two tries going 1400 meters on turf to begin her career, the Feb. 24 foal never landed a blow when trying the dirt for the first time going that same distance Nov. 16. Despite being ridden for a bit of early speed from a double-digit gate, Mitilini was no better than third-last to make the first turn and trailed by a good 12 to 15 lengths down the backstretch. Asked to improve with better than 600 meters to travel, Mitilini responded nicely when asked in upper stretch, came running three off the fence with time ticking away and was along in the waning strides to graduate by a neck as the 7-1 fourth choice. A five-time Grade I winner and the Eclipse Award-winning older dirt female in 2019, Midnight Bisou was the adjudicated winner of the inaugural Saudi Cup in 2020 and Chuck Allen paid $5 million for her at that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale. After producing the Curlin colt Bisou in 2022, she was bred to this sire and offered at Keeneland November later that fall, where she topped the auction on a bid of $5.5 million from Katsumi Yoshida. Also the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Kitasan Black (Jpn), Midnight Bisou produced a colt by Equinox (Jpn) last season that fetched a sales-best ¥580 million ($4,318,488) during the foal section of the JRHA Select Sale. She is due to Equinox once again for 2026. 1st-Kokura, ¥11,280,000 ($72,418), Maiden, 3yo, f, 1700m, 1:48.3, ft. MITILINI (JPN) (f, 3, Tapit–Midnight Bisou {Ch. Older Dirt Female & MGISW-US, $13,971,520}, by Midnight Lute)  Sales history: $5,500,000 in utero '22 KEENOV. Lifetime Record:4-1-1-0, $63,878. VIDEO (SC 12) O-Sunday Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Racing; T-Tomokazu Takano.   The post Mitilini, Daughter of Tapit and Midnight Bisou, Graduates In Japan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tattersalls Online will join forces with Inglis Digital for a dedicated Southern Hemisphere Session to be held on Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th February. The catalogue, which is available to view on the Tattersalls Online website at www.tattersallsonline.com, marks the third collaboration between Tattersalls Online and Inglis Digital and aims to continue to strengthen the connection between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere markets. The upcoming Southern Hemisphere Session will feature a select draft from The Castlebridge Consignment, headlined by Southern Hemisphere-bred progeny by Too Darn Hot.  Tattersalls Online Sales Manager Katherine Sheridan commented, “This Southern Hemisphere Session offers a genuinely unique opportunity. Too Darn Hot's 2024 Southern Hemisphere foals are exceptionally limited in number and when combined with pedigrees of this quality, the appeal is clear. We are delighted to once again collaborate with Inglis Digital and to present a session that we expect will attract strong international interest.” Among the highlights of the session is a three-in-one package featuring the young mare Moraless, offered together with her Southern Hemisphere-bred weanling colt by Too Darn Hot and in foal on a Southern Hemisphere cover to Champion First-Season Sire Starman.  Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch concluded, “The collaborations with Tattersalls Online are a product of conversations that we have been having with the team at Tattersalls for a number of years and in the instances that we have executed them, they have generated good engagement and a number of excellent results.” “Katherine raised the possibility of this opportunity last month and we were very keen for Inglis Digital to be involved as we feel we can add significant value to the process.” “Access to Too Darn Hot was particularly limited in his fifth season because he was domiciled in England, and as such, there is a real scarcity value to these foals, particularly when analysis of who holds the balance of the crop shows that it is very unlikely that many of his offspring will be available at public auction in Australia either as weanlings in 2026 or as yearlings in 2027.” He added, “Very simply, as an owner or a trader, if you want part of the action with the fifth southern hemisphere crop of Too Darn Hot, you have to look very carefully at these offerings.” The draft will be available for inspection prior to the sale and appointments can be made by contacting Bill Dwan or Paddy Diamond of The Castlebridge Consignment, whose details are available on the Tattersalls Online website. For further information, please contact Katherine Sheridan (katherine.sheridan@tattersalls.com) or Inglis Bloodstock Sales Manager Harry Bailey (harry.bailey@inglis.com.au). Full catalogue details can be viewed online at www.tattersallsonline.com. The post Tattersalls Online And Inglis Digital Join Forces To Offer SH-Bred Too Darn Hot Progeny appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Like London buses, James Keane will have not one but two runners this week in quick succession, marking his first two appearances on the racecourse as trainer. The 32-year-old Irishman now claims Newmarket as his home, rather extraordinarily falling in love with the place during a winter which included the fierce 'Beast from the East' cold snap of eight years ago. If you can withstand winters in Newmarket, then the other seasons will be a doddle. “You have to be a bit of a glutton for punishment to be a trainer, don't you? Something possesses us,” he says. Indeed, horses, if not racehorses, have been in his blood for years. Keane cut his teeth riding ponies and sport horses and represented Ireland at junior and young rider level, becoming the junior national eventing champion of 2008. Modestly, though, he says, “I was a show jumper by trade and quickly discovered I wasn't a good enough rider to make a living out of that, so I tried my hand on the breeding side of things but didn't really enjoy that. I did a year at Barouche Stud and then took a job as a marketing manager at Wolverhampton Racecourse. I didn't really know the first thing about marketing but I managed to talk my way into the job.” While at Wolverhampton, Keane started riding out for James Unett and says his progression towards wanting to be a trainer “just kind of snowballed”. A year as pupil assistant to Ed Dunlop was followed by three years with fellow Newmarket trainer Lucy Wadham before he joined the Godolphin Flying Start programme, from which he graduated in 2023. “I very quickly decided when I was a couple of months in at Ed's that I quite liked the training game. It's been a long road to get here, a bit of a winding one,” Keane says.  “I get my kicks from performance horses, and obviously show jumping is a performance industry, and that didn't work for me, but I love getting a raw horse, and making it into something, helping it to perform.” Further stints as assistant to Roger Varian and Charlie Hills followed, but while in Lambourn with the latter Keane decided that it was time to return to Newmarket and take the leap into branching out on his own. “Lambourn wasn't for me, so I just decided I'd go for it,” he says. “So I went out and bought four horses on spec at Tattersalls between the HIT Sale and the November Online Sale, and just flogged them as I went. I was lucky, I got a bit of help off various bloodstock agents, they sold bits and pieces for me, which was great, and everything's sold in the yard now, all from nothing in the past six months. Ten grand and a dream I sat down with last May, that's what I had in the bank, and I sat down to write a business plan, and here we are now.” A native of Collon, County Louth, Keane admits that he has looked across the water to the business model of some of his compatriots when it comes to formulating his own plans. “There's no profit in training horses,” he says. “You've got to trade horses, and I think there's a gap in this country for a trading trainer. And that's not to say that every horse I have will be a trading horse, but I think, if you look at the Irish model, they all own bits and pieces of horses, and they all sell them out to America or whatever. It's almost taboo in this country. “So I think if you can get a reputation for being a source of proven horses to be sold out to the export markets, why not? If you own 25, 50% of them yourself, that's where your profit margin is.” Keane is training from Albert House Stables, “a beautiful yard at the foot of Warren Hill”, which has previously been the base for Charlie Clover, Alice Haynes and Chris Dwyer among others.  “This is the nerve centre of horse racing in the UK. If you want to meet people, this is where you want to meet them, because they're all here for a couple of months of the year between sales and racing. Also, it's where I've spent the bulk of my professional career,” he says.  “I know the gallops inside out. I feel that I can train on the gallops, and I know them well enough that I can say that with confidence. And the facilities are second to none, and that's not to knock the Jockey Club facilities at Lambourn, but even my yard, for example, I don't know if I would have got it elsewhere – 23 boxes, an apartment for me, staff accommodation, an office. It's a proper, compact, professional outfit, which is exactly the kind of brand I'm trying to put across.” As the countdown ticks on to his first runner at Kempton on Wednesday, Keane admits that the pressure is mounting a little. He does however follow some notable graduates of the Flying Start course to have successfully made the crossover to the training ranks, including France's current champion Francis Graffard, Breeders' Cup-winning trainer Dan Blacker, and Jerome Reynier, who is doubly represented at this Saturday's prestigious Saudi Cup meeting. “It wouldn't mean anything if I wasn't, but it's pressure I put on myself,” he says. “My owners are fantastic. There's no pressure from them. I haven't had one phone call. Actually, I don't think any of them have ever rung me at any time. I do all the ringing, which isn't a bad thing. They've very much left me to my own devices and said, do what you like, which is fantastic.” The Time Test three-year-old Time To Sparkle, who will line up for the mile handicap at 5.05pm on Wednesday, will be the first runner from the Keane stable. Bought for 5,000gns from Eve Johnson Houghton's stable at the Horses-in-Training Sale, she is making her handicap debut for The Adventurers.  “She needed the winter on her back and has improved dramatically as a physical,” the trainer says. “That's not necessarily going to make her any faster, but she's been working nicely. I'd be hoping that she's going to run into the frame and give a good account of herself.” The following day Keane is planning to run five-year-old Miletus, a Magna Grecia half-brother to Emmaus (Invincible Spirit) at Lingfield.  “I'd be disappointed if he's not there or thereabouts. I think he's well-treated. I'd hope he's the horse I can win two or three on the spin with, and all of a sudden, your name is out there.” The post ‘Ten Grand And A Dream’: New Trainer James Keane Hoping It’s His Time To Sparkle appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for inclusion in its Legend Category. The category was established to honor people and horses whose accomplishments and feats occurred during the foundational years of horse racing in Canada. To be considered in the Legend Category, the nominee's primary career and impact on racing must have taken place a minimum of 50 years prior to nomination. The deadline for submission for the Legend Category is Mar. 9 at 5 p.m. Nominations can be made here. The post Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Seeks ‘Legend’ Nominations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Twinspires.com's Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge (KDBC), a live-money handicapping tournament, will feature an increased, guaranteed $300,000 prize pool May 2, while the $25,000 Kentucky Oaks Betting Challenge will debut May 1. The KDBC returns this year with the same $5,000 buy-in structure and the newly added KOBC will have a seeded cash prize pool of $25,000 and will award one KDBC seat for every 10 entries. “Championship Series” races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks will anchor weekly TwinSpires tournaments, which offer qualifying opportunities for the KDBC. The contest includes cash prizes, seats to the 2026 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, 2027 National Horseplayers Championship and 2027 KDBC. For a complete schedule of tournaments, visit twinspires.com/tournaments. The post Twinspires Boosts Derby Betting Challenge Prize Pool, Adds Oaks Challenge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Like any responsible stakeholder in the Thoroughbred racing industry, I have followed with keen interest Mike Repole's now 2 1/2-year crusade to reform, disrupt, rejuvenate and revitalize horse racing, breeding and aftercare. Mike's mission surely predates that timeline, but it was in October 2023 that he formalized his intentions with the formation of the National Thoroughbred Alliance and the appointment of Pat Cummings as Executive Director. I am not privy to any private meetings or correspondence between Mike and Pat and the industry's power brokers. What we all do have access to are Mike's many public statements across social media, print interviews, podcasts and television appearances. Over time, Mike has been relentlessly critical of several prominent industry organizations and their representatives, most notably The Jockey Club, the Breeders' Cup, TOBA and the NTRA. His tactics are often brash, offensive, vulgar, uncouth and harsh. Choose your own adjective. Some people like how he posts on X, some people cringe. Mike is disruptive, an undeniable product of his business success. You can call him whatever you want, but no one is calling him wrong. Across dozens of conversations totaling hundreds of hours with industry stakeholders since the NTA was formed, not one person has told me that Mike is wrong about the issues driving the decline of our key indicators, or threatening the long-term viability of our industry. Not one. Not a single soul. In the interest of transparency, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners has partnered with Repole on several horses over time, including our champion Nest. We are not currently partnered on any racehorses, broodmares or stallions. Eclipse is partnered with several members of The Jockey Club, TOBA and Breeders' Cup, all of whom I consider friends and wonderful racing partners. I am also a Member of Breeders' Cup, in addition to other Boards with individuals who are Members of The Jockey Club and TOBA. For 2 1/2 years, Mike has been throwing punches at The Jockey Club. Until Jan. 27, The Jockey Club refused to engage publicly. If they believed their rebuttal was a haymaker, some decisive blow, they missed completely. Not only did it fail to land, it left them exposed. Whatever residual public support The Jockey Club enjoyed evaporated as stakeholders read a statement that was ill-advised, weak, non-substantive and overtly gaslighting. Any lingering belief that Repole was misguided or irrational vanished just as quickly. The defensive, excuse-laden response achieved the opposite of its intent. And whatever confidence remained in The Jockey Club's leadership has now given way to doubt and a sobering realization that Mike is onto something. And that something is really big and potentially industry shifting. In the wake of some serious soul searching, and after absorbing The Jockey Club's Jan. 27 rebuttal directed at Mike's demands for accountability, I can no longer concern myself with the risk of offending individuals who wear titles which should warrant respect, nor friends or business partners. Mine and Mike Repole's styles could not be more opposite. But, this mission is not about personalities. This mission is not personal. This mission is about principle. On what side of racing history do we all want to be on? For too long, I have been a complacent and complicit member of the silent majority. The stakes are too high to remain silent. They are too high right now and far too high for the generations that will follow us. I genuinely hope that breaking my own silence will inspire others to support Mike's mission for the betterment of our industry. It's time. Aron Wellman is the Founder & President of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners The post Letter to the Editor: Mike Repole’s Mission 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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Pinseeker already popped into Menangle for one race old mate. A win last June. only in 1.52 though. Another NZer ran 2n actually with Bob Butt driving . 'Better than Cash'. still NZ owned I think. BetterThanCash has won 3 races since then,  with Cam Hart and Will Rixon driving from his 8 Menangle starts.  2 x 1.50 wins included. But was 'Shredded ' like wheat trying to take on our BIG guns at Albion Park . 0 placings from 6 attempts.   the last 2 runs for BetterThanCash At the Beginning of Summer (early Dec)  he was 10 lengths behind Hi MaNameisJeff and The Janitor in the 'Sunshine Sprint' mile in 1.49 and a week later 7 lengths behind Don Hugo, Leap To Fame and The Janitor. who were all in the photo finish for first. the 'Cash' horse NOT sighted since. probably blew a gasket or something ? 🤣🤣😋 Pinseeker likely to get the same treatment (of a flogging) from our locals too lol 😉💪 we go faster and Bigger at Brisbane than Menangle does these days days Mr Galah. it's just scary how quick. we had a 1.50 winning 2 yearold recently even. 🙄   Captains Mistress going super fast now. Has a Mortgage on the Big Group 1 Mares races on very soon . some are worth over $200k.  But in fairness to Nathan Williamson in NZ , the previous trainer. He had her going super too and was going to win the Group 1 at Auckland , before the sulky' fell to bits and he got hurt. So he's no amateur . 

Most of the vile abusive remarks online would stem from losing punters IMO.