Forums

Arena Racing Company (ARC) have launched a new all-weather series called Friday Night Live. The initiative has been created in partnership with Invades, the company behind many student racedays, and comprises five Friday evening fixtures worth over £200,000 per meeting, with the aim of attracting 18 to 25-year-old racegoers. The 35 races will be broadcast live across both Sky Sports Racing and ITV Racing from January to March next year at Wolverhampton, Newcastle and Southwell – with the two first-named tracks hosting a pair of meetings each. ARC group director of commercial strategy, David Leyden Dunbar, said, “The Friday Night Live concept is unapologetically aimed at a new audience who may not have previously engaged with horseracing, and we plan to work with a roster of partners who share a common goal in reaching this audience. “Together with the likes of Guinness, Carlsberg and our broadcast partners, the aim is to bring some of our Friday Night Live event activations to life. These are brands who understand the importance of engaging with the next generation of horseracing fans and what it takes to achieve this.” The launch of the new series coincides with confirmation that ARC will no longer host Racing League fixtures, which are a Championship Horseracing initiative, at its racecourses. The post New Friday Night Racing Series Launched by ARC appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Starman's meteoric rise through the first-season sire rankings led to the Tally-Ho Stud resident dominating proceedings on a red-hot opening day of the November Foal Sale when, as well as accounting for the €125,000 top lot, the young stallion was responsible for four of the top 10 most expensive horses sold on Monday. The top lot [55], a colt consigned by Oghill House Stud, went the way of Brendan Holland, who also landed a Starman filly just three lots [52] previously from Summerhill Stables for €85,000.  “He is a nicely-balanced colt, a good mover but still immature,” the Grove Stud boss said of the top lot. “He seems to have a good outlook, is correct, and will come back for sale as a yearling. It is the family of Havana Gold; he is out of that horse's third dam, the speedy Jessica's Dream, and I have been lucky with this family in the past.” Group 3 scorer and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf third North Coast, along with Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes runner-up Into The Sky, are just a couple of high-class colts to have represented Starman in his breakout year.  It was a brilliant day on the whole for Starman, whose fee has been set at €40,000 next year. Seven foals by the stallion sold for €535,000 and an average of €76,429, which was the most impressive figure posted by any stallion on Monday.  As for the top lot, it represented yet another memorable day for Oghill House Stud at the foal sales at Goffs and Johnny Hyland said, “We thought we had him in on the right day but no way did we think he'd make €125,000. All the top judges were on him and he came out a great-walking horse. I'm delighted for the owner, David McGuinness. He's a good client of ours and a long-time supporter. He only has two mares; we foal them down, he takes them home, gets them back in foal and then the youngsters come to us for weaning and prepping. I'm absolutely thrilled for him because he's a local man, a neighbour to us, and this is a great result.” Hyland added, “He's a really nice foal and what more can you say about Starman that hasn't been said before? I haven't actually had much experience with his progeny, although I wish I had; God I wish I had! Whenever you walk through a sales complex and pick out a horse, nine times out of 10 it's a Starman. He stamps his stock, they get out and just do their work. They're brilliant horses.” Holland's business on the day did not extend beyond the colt and the filly foals by Starman. On the filly, who is out of an unraced Iffraaj mare from the family of Group 3 winner Mrs Danvers (Hellvelyn), he said, “It's a lovely, fast family she is by a super young stallion. You can add a proven cross into the mix [Venetian Sun, who is also out of an Iffraaj mare]. He is a very exciting sire. She is for resale. I had a good filly that I pre-trained with James Tate [Time To Take Off], so I have had experience with a few of his stock. I thought she would make that – it is the yearling median for the stallion.” At close of play on Monday, the clearance rate stood at 80%. The €4,492,500 turnover represented a 16% rise while the average was up by 7% to €24,025 and the median also climbed by 11% to €20,000. A super start. 'We Had To Have Him' – Lyons Pushes Boat Out For Ghaiyyath Colt When you know, you know. Shane Lyons didn't need to drool over lot 210, a Ghaiyyath colt he labelled as the pick of the entire foal selection at Goffs, for too long before realising he was one he simply couldn't leave behind. The Ghaiyyath colt is from a family Lyons knows well given his dam, Split Passion, won and reached a decent rating [82] for his brother and trainer, Ger.  So convinced was Lyons on the second foal out of the daughter of Fascinating Rock, he resisted the temptation to keep going back to Knocktartan House Stud in Barn J to view him. That first show left a big enough impression on the buyer, who went to €92,000 to secure him. Lyons explained, “We spotted him on Saturday and he was the pick of the whole day [Monday]. We're after looking at Tuesday's and Wednesday's foals and he's still our pick. We didn't think we were going to get him. We don't normally pay that much for them but we had to get him. He had everything – he had the wow factor from the moment we first saw him. We didn't look at him too much for obvious reasons. You don't have to look at horses like him too many times because you don't want to show your hand.” He added, “Everyone was on him – a proper horse with a proper mind. He went around there with his ears pricked and Padhraic [Doran] does his horses brilliantly. Obviously, we trained the dam, but he has exceeded her [in looks] and hopefully he'll do it again [on the track]. We'll go home and take stock. We have both avenues available and there is a man in Meath who would be well able to train him for us!” Part-Time Breeder Bourke Receives Massive 'Boost' With Starman Filly An accountant by trade, David Bourke knows a thing or two about balancing the books. So, when his Baroda Stud-consigned Starman filly out of a mare he raced himself sold for €120,000 to Monday Ventures, it represented just the sort of touch every small breeder dreams of.  Bourke, who keeps only five mares and sold his first six-figure lot here at Goffs a decade back, commented, “She's out of a mare, Evie Be Kool (Jeremy), that I raced myself. She was a bit unlucky with setbacks throughout her career so we've been waiting a while to enjoy a good day like this with her. My daughter, also Evie, was born around the same time as we bought the mare. The foal has always been very straightforward and easy to do. You need to land on sires like Starman because it gives you such a boost when you go to the sales. What he has done this year is incredible and I was just very lucky to have one by him. Thankfully, she was a very nice filly and went down very well with buyers.” He added, “I am an accountant by trade and only have four or five mares. That is my first good sale in about five years so it's brilliant. I actually sold a Dark Angel filly at Goffs about 10 years ago for €145,000. That was my first major sale and she actually went on and made 700,000gns as a yearling at Tattersalls. I have always sold my foals at Goffs and have had some great days there. The Dark Angel was a great day and this is another. It is important to have results like that as they help balance the books so we'll savour it.” Baroda Stud's Padraic Gahan revealed that the Starman filly received an “unprecedented” 234 shows and described footfall at Goffs to be particularly strong since showing started late last week.  “It's very rare for any foal to have 234 shows and over 10 vets, particularly a Monday foal, and we are delighted for her breeder David Bourke,” Gahan said. “She is a very good-moving filly by a sire who has proved himself to be very effective. It's incredible the volume of people who look at foals. You will have everyone from first-time buyers to seasoned pinnhookers and you will always have so many more people looking at foals compared to yearlings and even breezers thereafter. Whether it is here or at Newmarket, we always expect to be extremely busy at the foal sales and today has been very strong.”  Subplots The high-profile sale of Sands Of Mali has been one of the most fascinating talking points on the bloodstock circuit in recent weeks and the stallion's buyer Yeomanstown Stud continued the support of the emerging force by going to €85,000 to secure a colt by the stallion. The Sands Of Mali colt was consigned by Pa Doyle's Galbertstown Stables. “The appeal was obvious,” said Robert O'Callaghan of Yeomanstown Stud. “We wanted to go down and see all his stock. We are delighted with all we have seen. There are a couple of very nice ones here today, and more again tomorrow. There has been a great reaction to him and lots of people are coming up to congratulate us on getting him. It is really exciting and he is a great young sire. He is a proper proven horse and gets nice stock.” It was not just the Irish pinhookers who made their presence felt on the opening day of the sale as Charlie Vigors of Hillwood Stud signed for one of the more expensive lots on the day when paying €60,000 for a Sioux Nation colt that was consigned by Altenbach Bloodstock.  “He'll be for resale next year, though I am not sure where,” Vigors said. “He is out of a black-type mare, and by a proven sire who is going well, and it's nice to get one by him. He is a good individual, a good walker and loose-moving. I hope it's a fair price for him – we will know that next year. Sioux Nation has been lucky for us before.” Top producers Middlelane Farm enjoyed an excellent result when a Sioux Nation colt out of a mare they purchased only last November at Goffs for €44,000 was knocked down to Eoghan Grogan of Killorney Mor Farm for €88,000. “We are absolutely delighted with the price he fetched,” Middlelane's Jennifer Cullen said. “He was never in the box since we started showing on Saturday morning. We bought the mare from Goffs November last year, carrying this guy, for €44,000 and to get double our investment back is brilliant. Newtown Stud had the foresight to put the mare in foal to Sioux Nation so we are just taking the credit. Thankfully we had a nice foal by the right sire so we got paid.” She added, “He's been bought by a judge and to be fair we had a lot of shrewd judges rate him which is hugely rewarding for us. When you raise a nice horse and have it recognised, it is a great feeling. We are very grateful to Eoghan for buying him.” Thought for the day Online bidding is a relatively new aspect to this whole sales business and it sparked debate at Goffs on Monday involving one of the pricier lots. People often bid online to preserve their identity but the modus operandi at Goffs in recent times has been to read out whoever strikes the winning bid, unlike some other sales houses. There are cases to be made for and against such buyers having the right to withhold their anonymity, but it is interesting that sales houses adopt a different philosophy to the online bidding process. It's hard to know who is right and who is wrong. The post Strong Start At Goffs November Foal Sale As Buyers Continue To Row In Behind Starman appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The horses, of course, remain just as reticent about discussing their health as 150 years ago. But their beauty and courage are also unchanged, which has always kept veterinarians willing to persevere in a one-sided consultation. Until recently, anyway. People do change, however-and the fact is that an increasingly urbanized society is no longer producing as many young people with a natural affinity for horses. That's a problem for our whole industry, but a quietly developing crisis for its veterinary sector. And, having lasted as long as it has, the oldest practice in the Bluegrass has resolved to do something about that. In 1875 Dr. E.T. Hagyard traveled from Ontario to Kentucky to treat a shorthorn bull named “Eighth Duke of Geneva.” Doctor and clients evidently found the experience mutually satisfactory, because Hagyard returned to Lexington the following year to open a large animal practice. It has evolved in many ways since, in size and ownership, but there are continuities too: not least the presence among the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute partners of Dr. Luke Hagyard Fallon, DVM, extending the involvement of the founder's family into a fifth generation. Transylvania University and the Valley View Ferry are among the very few continuous institutions that locally exceed that longevity, both duly dignified with a stakes race at Keeneland. But it feels safe to say that neither has changed as much in the course of their entire history as does veterinary science from one generation to the next. And how to enthuse that next generation is the challenge now animating the Hagyard leadership, who aim to mark the 150th anniversary of their firm's foundation next year by raising $1.5 million to fund a perpetual scholarship. “Each year, just one percent of the graduating class from North American vet schools matriculate into equine practice,” Fallon explains. “And, of those, upwards of 50 percent will have left equine practice within five years. So we want to utilize our 150th anniversary as an opportunity to raise awareness-not just of the practice's legacy of mentorship and training, but also of the deficit of young folks coming into equine practice. In Lexington, we have an embarrassment of riches: a concentration of horses, farms, owners, an incredible tradition, great land. But if we are to care for that patient load, our ability to recruit and train veterinarians is critical.” There is an element of chicken-and-egg to the alarming statistics, a poor retention rate likely a factor in keeping equine specialization so low in the first place. Fallon says that its anecdotal reputation among educators, and therefore students, magnifies perceived challenges in work-life balance. “The narrative put forth in the schools is to find a place in the profession that satisfies the demands that life may throw at you,” he says. “You may have chosen the career because you love animals, and want to go wherever they take you. But a lot of students nowadays are getting out of school with upwards of $300,000 in debt. And equine practitioners traditionally start out at the lowest end of the earning spectrum. Oftentimes they will wind up at the higher end, but it takes at least a decade to get there. So if you throw in the danger of burnout, you will get disillusionment.” And, as already noted, there is also that growing disconnect between young people and livestock. Certainly it is a very different professional environment from the one into which Fallon's father, Ed, graduated in 1956. Back then, small animal practice was barely nascent: you might treat the farm dog while making a visit to deal with cattle. Ed and Luke Fallon | Courtesy Hagyard “Hagyard survived two world wars and the Great Depression,” Fallon reflects. “But among all those other global challenges, we have had to deal with the replacement of the horse by the automobile. People are no longer as in touch with the land, with horses, and that creates a barrier to entry. But these are incredible animals, and it's a multi-millennial bond we have with them. I mean, we are part of a tradition that goes back 5,000 years. You look at the acupuncture charts that the Chinese developed, the points the warriors would touch to relieve pain in a certain area or where the saddle was sitting. We have lost that broader societal connection.” The firm has a proud tradition of bringing through young professionals, not least in welcoming as many as 150 externs every year, dozens of interns, plus fellows and residents at the clinic. Already three years ago Hagyard began a modest scholarship, lodging an annual $5,000 award with the AAEP for a third-year student. Now the intention is to turbo-charge that incentive, to $25,000 annually for three students. Fallon admits that even such munificence may not suffice, unless accompanied by a shift in perceptions. “With our size and scope, our presence within the industry, we are able to recruit,” he observes. “But how do we retain? By we're trying to get more creative, to offer a more flexible work environment. What does that mean? It used to be that the veterinarian was expected to show up seven days a week. But now we have racetrack practitioners that are doing a five-day week and making it work. We're seeing those people coming back fresher, which means they'll do better for their clientele and also extend their own longevity. And if we can figure it out on the backstretch, with its daily grind, then we can do the same in multiple facets of equine practice.” Fallon acknowledges that such a culture change has to be led by those senior practitioners, such as himself, who may have been raised on different expectations. “During foaling season I was trained to show up seven days a week, five months in a row, without a day off,” he reflects. “It was just what you did. And they knew that Doc was fairly tired by mid-April! But you were just kind of suffering along with your clients. And, actually, if you have to endure the lows that way, you also get to really enjoy the big highs. But I accept that there has to be another way, if we're going to involve young people in this profession. “We have to say that it's okay if I don't show up every day, the world's not going to come to an end. These younger doctors that I've helped to mentor, helped to train, they have my full endorsement. Your horse is in expert care. In fact, sometimes they will be more current than I am. So let's allow them to flourish.” Doing so might alleviate the kind of negativity that pervades vet schools, where the kids are evidently told that the easiest way to clear their debts is with small animals: signing-on bonus, higher starting salary, regular hours. “And your patients come to you,” Fallon concedes. “You're not out there at 2 a.m., trying to pull a foal out, and you turn your phone off when you leave work. That's appealing to a lot of people. Will we ever get to that point in equine practice? I don't think so. But I think we can change the narrative, so that young people know there are options for more flexible work, and a better work-life balance.” That said, if your work is also your passion, then it doesn't always feel like work at all. Here, after all, we are talking to a man who exudes passion for his vocation; who considers it a daily privilege to be so intimately involved with these glorious animals. But we are also talking to a realist. What would Fallon tell a young student, toying with equine practice? Photo courtesy Hagyard “I would be honest with them,” he replies. “It truly is more a lifestyle than just a profession. You have to love it for what it is, with all its challenges. There are so many wonderful people that you meet. And you get to work on these incredible athletes. “My son's applying to vet school now, and my niece just started at UCD, and I tell them: 'The horse will take you anywhere in the world you want to go. When I was a student, it took me to Newmarket, Dubai, Ireland, all over the U.S. I had seen how hard my father worked. I started riding with him when I was five or six, and I'm sure I was more a hindrance than a help, but it was just a great adventure. Dad loved his profession, and clients loved him, and if he brought his work home it was always in such a positive way. I'm not saying every day was roses. This is a profession that doesn't always have a start and stop. In a way, that can be a nice demand to have placed upon you. But we do need young people to see that there are ways they can turn it off.” Obviously there are few walks of veterinary life where your patients are quite so valuable. On the other hand, who can put a price on a cherished dog? “Our clients here in Central Kentucky expect the highest level of service,” Fallon acknowledges. “And the stakes involved can be demanding on the practitioner. But I think even those high-level players increasingly understand and appreciate our profession. When they're coming to see us at the clinic, it's their worst day-and we understand that. But I think they appreciate the resources that are there, the technicians and the clinics.” We're talking on a recent sales day at Keeneland, and Fallon hails a passing client. “We've been working with that farm for over 100 years,” he marvels. “I think they were given the land for service in the French and Indian War. And I'd be the third generation tending their horses. From the time I rode with my father, as a boy, I loved the people he worked with-and loved following their horses. We lived vicariously through them. And it's the same today. When I see a horse excel that I foaled out, or treated, I'm so excited for my clients. It just makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. And that's why sometimes there's no question of saying: 'Oh, it's Sunday, I don't want to go out.'” And, if a young veterinarian does happen to share that love for the game, he or she will nowadays serve as its front line: making sure that our community can face Main Street with a clear conscience in everything we ask of these animals. A Hagyard colleague, sitting with us, overrules Fallon's modesty to relate how the trainer of a Grade I winner at Saratoga this summer declared that his horse was only still in business thanks to his care. “For a young person coming in, it's got to be exciting to see the technology and the multiple aspects of medicine available even in a hyper-focused area like this,” Fallon says. “I remember making one of those naive teen statements to my dad one time. I said, 'Well, Pops, you've kind of lived the golden age.' Because he was a pioneer in many things: reproduction, vaccine research, herd health. And he said, 'Every time you push back the frontiers of science, you feel like you're falling over the edge. You really don't know where you're going with it.' “We, as a profession, are evolving. And, as a clinic, we're trying to do what we can to mentor and collaborate and continue to grow the art and science of veterinary medicine. There are so many exciting things happening, and we want a new generation of vets to enjoy them as well.” The post Hagyard Heirs Celebrate Past by Investing in Future appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tickets are on sale for the 55th Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards, which will be Thursday, Jan. 22 at The Breakers Palm Beach. View the full article

This goes back several decades,  Chief.  Its not recent. Look back at renovation of Greymouth.  Canterbury grass sown under advice from the CJC track manager, Max Skelton ( for one) sustained severe injuries when his horse slipped over.  Gore redone, horses fell over, Terry Moseley slipped twice at the same place on the same day! Rangiora renovated.  That disaster has been discussed at great length, hasn't raced since. Riccarton itself,  remodelled, although it is still operational the surface has been criticized ever since.   It gets away with less than perfect because it is a large circuit with sweeping turns.  You'll sneer and say I'm dredging up ancient history.  But the facts are there, NZ racing has a history of botching renovation. The only saviour has been the variety of tracks still left to take up dates.  Now that the brains trust has seen fit to mothball so many, the flaws inherent in the 'preferred ' tracks are there for all to see. Liam O'Keefe seems to be a very valuable adviser.   We are lucky to be able to call on his expertise.   But whether he has the time - or inclination - to continue in that capacity may be dubious. 

The 2025 International Conference for the Health, Safety, and Welfare of Jockeys Dec. 11-12 in Hong Kong is themed Performance Medicine in Racing—Developing and Protecting the Jockey. View the full article

The 55th Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards will be held Thursday, Jan. 22 at The Breakers Palm Beach and tickets are now on sale for the black-tie event. The link to purchase is found here. The event is scheduled to begin at 6:00p.m. EDT with the cocktail party and red carpet show, followed by the dinner and awards ceremony at 7:00p.m. EDT. The after-party will follow at the conclusion of the Eclipse Awards at 10:45p.m. EDT. All evening events will be held in the Ponce de Leon Foyer and Ballroom. Britney Eurton and Lindsay Czarniak return as co-hosts while Caton Bredar reprises her role as ceremony announcer. A charity golf tournament to benefit the PDJF at The Breakers Ocean Course will kick off at 10:00a.m. the same day and registration for that is also open. “We are very excited to have Britney Eurton, Lindsay Czarniak, and Caton Bredar back at the Eclipse Awards,” said NTRA president and CEO Tom Rooney. “These three women are incredible representatives of our magnificent sport, and we look forward to them once again headlining an event where we honor the human and equine stars from 2025.” The post Tickets for Eclipse Awards Now on Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of 20 stakes worth $3.977-million will highlight Turfway's Winter/Spring meeting and is anchored by the 55th running of the GIII Jeff Ruby Stakes–with Kentucky Derby points on the line–Saturday, Mar. 21, the track announced Monday morning. Racing at the Northern Kentucky institution will be kicked off by the Holiday Meet Dec. 3-27 and will feature seven stakes led by Synthetic Championships Night Saturday, Dec. 13–which offers $1-million across four of those black-type contests. All stakes purses at both meets include contributions from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. Combined, the Holiday and Winter/Spring meets will offer $5.352-million in stakes purses. Including the aforementioned race in the Championship Series on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, Jeff Ruby Steaks Day Mar. 21 will showcase six stakes contests, including the GIII TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic and the Listed Bourbonette Oaks, a Championship Series race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. The undercard action includes the Listed Latonia, Animal Kingdom and Rushaway Stakes. The Winter/Spring Meet will also run the Listed John Battaglia Memorial Saturday, Feb. 21–a prep season race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby–and the Cincinnati Trophy, one night earlier, on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Daily first post times, aside from Jeff Ruby Steaks Day, will be 5:55 p.m. EDT. Jeff Ruby Steaks Day will get underway at 12:45 p.m. EDT. A list with the full stakes schedule may be found here. The post Jeff Ruby Anchors Stakes Schedule for Winter/Spring Meet at Turfway Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A record 30 World Pool Moment of the Day prizes were awarded in 2025, with the stable staff of the winning horse receiving a cheque for HK$40,000, but now only four finalists remain in the running to be crowned the World Pool Moment of the Year. This year's shortlist for the World Pool Moment of the Year competition features winners from Japan and Australia. Voting is now open here and will close on Monday, December 1. The winner will be announced during LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) week (December 8-14). The four finalists are: Yasuhiro Shibuta, groom of Forever Young, winner of the G1 Saudi Cup on February 22, 2025 at King Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia Chenelle Ellis, groom of Asfoora, winner of the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes on August 22, 2025 at York, United Kingdom Kevin Daffy, trainer and groom of Oh Too Good, winner of the G3 Catanach's Jewellers (Ladies Day) Vase on October 11, 2025 at Caulfield, Australia Candice Persijn, groom of Via Sistina, winner of the G1 Cox Plate on October 25, 2025 at Moonee Valley, Australia The winning stable team will receive four premium economy return flights, a five-night stay at a 4-star hotel and exclusive hospitality at the Happy Valley and Sha Tin race meetings during either Hong Kong's Champions Day or Hong Kong International Races. World Pool, the globe's largest commingled horse racing pools created and powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, have awarded HK$1.2 million to grooms and stable staff in 2025. The post World Pool Moment of the Year Finalists Announced appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article