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Of 13 horses expected to fly into Southern California this week, only one didn't make the trip, according to Del Mar. Flights were grounded due to the FAA grounding MD-11 freighter aircraft for inspections and repairs.View the full article

Runaway GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes winner and GI Pennsylvania Derby runner-up Magnitude (c, 3, Not This Time–Rockadelic, by Bernardini) put it all together in his first start against older horses, capturing the 151st running of the GII Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs Friday. Off from the outside as the 2-1 favorite, he pressured early pacesetter and GIII West Virginia Derby winner Chunk of Gold (Preservationist) through the :23.21 first quarter, then backed off a bit to track behind Chunk of Gold's :47.07 half. Magnitude began moving up on the turn at the same time G1 Dubai World Cup hero Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) advanced from midpack, then took command despite Chunk of Gold not relenting easily. The ultra-game latter sophomore fought back and the two appeared to brush, with Chunk of Gold only giving way grudgingly in the last strides as Magnitude swapped to his wrong lead and Hit Show joined the fray late. Magnitude held his advantage, winning by about a half-length over Hit Show, with Chunk of Gold another head back. The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:48.69. “In the second turn, I started moving forward and he did the rest,” said winning jockey Jose Ortiz. Last seen finishing second to Baeza (McKinzie) in the Sept. 20 Pennsylvania Derby, Magnitude was also third in the GI Travers Stakes behind dual Classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief). He captured the Iowa Derby July 5 at Prairie Meadows after nearly five months on the sidelines after coming out of a 108 Beyer tour-de-force in the Risen Star Feb. 15 with a bone chip. Friday, Churchill Downs CLARK S. PRESENTED BY NORTON HEALTHCARE-GII, $595,000, Churchill Downs, 11-28, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:48.69, ft. 1–MAGNITUDE, 118, c, 3, by Not This Time             1st Dam: Rockadelic, by Bernardini             2nd Dam: Octave, by Unbridled's Song             3rd Dam: Belle Nuit, by Dr. Carter ($310,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV; $450,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Ron Stolich (KY); T-Steven Asmussen; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $360,700. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 11-5-2-1, $1,291,865. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Hit Show, 125, h, 5, Candy Ride (Arg)–Actress, by Tapit. O-Wathnan Racing; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $117,000. 3–Chunk of Gold, 120, c, 3, Preservationist–Play for Gold, by Cairo Prince. ($2,500 Ylg '23 FTKOCT). O-Terry L. Stephens; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Ethan W. West. $58,500. Margins: HF, HD, 4 3/4. Odds: 2.18, 5.21, 13.51. Also Ran: Who Dey, Rattle N Roll, Gosger, First Mission, Cooke Creek. Scratched: Willy D's. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Not This Time’s Magnitude Causes Good Vibrations in the Clark appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Well, I think Reefton - for one - provides its own maintenance and has a positive balance sheet.  I can't imagine Mr Molloy tolerating debt. Hokitika was another that had plenty in kitty, enough to undertake any works determined to be necessary.  Not given the chance.  Gone. 

In dramatic fashion, Glorious Boy awarded his freshman sire Independence Hall (by Constitution) his first stakes winner in Friday's Pulpit Stakes. He didn't have much luck earlier in the summer on the main track at Saratoga, though he was meant for the turf initially on debut before getting rained onto the dirt upstate. But, once switched to the grass at Aqueduct Sept. 28, he found a nice improvement to his form, breaking his maiden in an optional claimer and running second most recently in the six-furlong Awad Stakes Nov. 9. Shipping into Gulfstream for the first time, the 8-1 shot faced both a weather-necessitated surface switch to Tapeta and a stretch in distance out to the one mile and 70 yards Friday. Bumped at the break, he found himself off the pace in fifth just behind Bronze Bullet while able to save ground from his outside draw just off the rail on the short run into the clubhouse turn. That pair stayed in tight quarters for much of the backstretch run with Glorious Boy swinging out wide for running room outside of his rival. In a joint move with just over a quarter mile to run, the two came for home together with Bronze Bullet hitting the front. As they raced down to the wire, they came together several times late in a head-bobbing dead-heat finish. The stewards immediately hung the inquiry sign as Rajiv Maragh aboard Glorious Boy also lodged an objection against Emisael Jaramillo on Bronze Bullet. After review, Bronze Bullet was disqualified from the dead heat win and placed second with Glorious Boy elevated to solo first. “I objected because there was some contact that I felt impeded my horse,” said Maragh. “In the moment, it was so close I wasn't sure if I won, so I made sure I claimed foul.” Winning trainer Carlos Martin added: “I wasn't sure about the DQ because it seemed like there was some incidental contact both ways. But Stacy Prior, trainer Joe Orseno's assistant who helped us with the horse–Joe and her have been great the whole time we've been here, about 10 days–she said to watch it again because the second time our horse's [behind] kind of went out from underneath him, maybe just enough. A tie is great, but it's better to have the win.” Of Bronze Bullet's DQ, trainer Jose D'Angelo said:  “It was a tough call. I think he was tired. They are babies going two turns for the first time.” Freshman sire Independence Hall has 16 winners from his first crop. First dam Love Co, herself a stakes winner in New York, has eight winners from 10 to race including now three stakes performers. Glorious Boy is her last reported foal.   PULPIT S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 11-28, 2yo, 1m 70y (AWT) (off turf), 1:40.74, ft. 1–GLORIOUS BOY, 119, g, 2, by Independence Hall             1st Dam: Love Co (SW, $121,881), by Not For Love             2nd Dam: Cozzekiki, by Cozzene             3rd Dam: Raffinierte (Ire), by Surumu (Ger) ($19,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $90,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Centurion Thoroughbred Club; B-Vossfeld Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Carlos F. Martin; J-Rajiv Maragh. $60,760. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $136,260. *1/2 to Portofino (Speightster), SP, $230,793 and Veaisha (Wando), SW, $290,078. 2–Bronze Bullet, 118, c, 2, Leinster–Renovation, by Alternation. ($7,000 Ylg '24 OBSWIN; $37,000 Ylg '24 OBSOCT; $180,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Three Diamonds Farm; B-Charles Weston & Robert Vickers (FL); T-Jose Francisco D'Angelo. $19,600. 3–A Million Dreams, 118, c, 2, By My Standards–So Beautiful, by Arch. ($27,000 Ylg '24 FTKFEB). O-Bella Mia Stables, LLC; B-University of Kentucky (KY); T-Kevin Rice. $9,800. Margins: 3HF, 3HF, HF. Odds: 8.70, 2.10, 7.90. Also Ran: Shipmate, Behold the King, Sunrise, Chalky White. Scratched: Skipping Stars, Uncle Aldo. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Independence Hall Gets First Stakes Winner In Dramatic Rendition Of Pulpit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Really?  If Slot Holder Coolmore has the three best sprinters racing what are the odds are that other Slot holders that own horses will choose one of the two that Coolmore don't?  The final starters are the result of a closed auction rather and deals rather than on talent.

A few weeks removed from having topped this year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale on a bid of $3.7 million from Bill Shiveley's Dixiana Farms, LUSH LIPS (GB) (f, 3, Ten Sovereigns {Ire}–Lamyaa {GB}, by Arcano {Ire}) pounced on long-time leader Classic Q (Classic Empire) with less than a furlong to race in Friday's GII Mrs. Revere Stakes and held off a late dive from East Coast raider Pretty Picture (Munnings) by a long neck as the heavy 1-2 favorite. Exiting a victory in Keeneland's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup about 70 miles east on Interstate 64, Lush Lips hit the ground running from the inside gate, but she was outfooted and was content to lay second, as Classic Q–who ran on from behind to fill the runner-up spot in the GIII Valley View Stakes–reverted to the front-running tactics that saw her annex Saratoga's Wild Applause Stakes and just miss in the GII Lake George Stakes. Taken off the fence approaching the half-mile marker by Tyler Gaffalione, Lush Lips looked to have the front-runner where she wanted her on the turn and into the lane. The Gary Barber runner proved a stubborn rival, in large part owing to a fairly sedate time of things on the engine, but Lush Lips called upon her class to push past for the victory. Pretty Picture flashed home for second, while Classic Q was a very game third. The final time for the 8 1/2 furlongs on fast ground was 1:41.75. Sales history: £82,000 Ylg '23 GOFAUG; $3,700,000 HIT '25 KEENOV. O-Dixiana Farms LLC; B-The Pocock Family; T-Brendan Walsh   The post Keeneland November Topper Lush Lips Brave In Mrs. Revere appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Correct me if I'm wrong but does Ellerslie have raceday protocol exemptions: They seem to be able to irrigate closer to raceday than any other Club; They don't use a penetrometer or any other measurement device to derive a track rating; They don't gallop horses on raceday mornings to confirm the rating or a safety test as well.  Yet they do at Pukekohe - "because we have horses available there"; The "Soft 5" rating seems standard rather than measured and is achieved by verti-draining late in the week leading up to raceday.  What does this do to the stability of the surface?  Is this why some horses find it shifty particularly on the bends?; They rely on what the Jockeys say to determine when the rating should be upgraded during the day.  If that is the case why don't they gallop horses prior to Race 1? If they don't use a standard rating measurement device how do punters compare the arbitrary "Soft 5" with other NZ tracks?

In her second trip to post, PASHMINA (f, 2, Constitution–Panthera Onca {MSP}, by Super Saver) graduated from the maiden condition in a big way. The daughter of Constitution was elevated to fifth on debut Oct.18 at Keeneland after a disqualification occurred in front of her after the mile turf maiden concluded. Running with first-time Lasix here, and sent off as the 9-5 favorite for the swap over to the main track, she opted to watch the race unfold from third as the frontrunner posted a pressured pace of :23.29 and a half in :47.44. The looming danger after six panels in 1:13.64 and with the field spinning into the lane, she overhauled Lit Up (City of Light) to stroll home much the best. The victress is the first surviving foal for her dam, and first winner. Panthera Onca, herself a half-sister to Grazie Mille (Bernardini)–mother of GISW Mo Town (Uncle Mo), has since produced a yearling filly named Giclee (Munnings) and was bred to Gun Runner for 2026. The aforementioned sister also claims 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' SW & MGSP Justique (Justify), who recently sold for $2-million to Whisper Hill Farm during the 2025 Fasig-Tipton November sale. This is the extended female family of SW West Memorial (Caracaro). 7th-Fair Grounds, $54,000, Msw, 11-28, 2yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:46.12, ft, 10 3/4 lengths. PASHMINA (f, 2, Constitution–Panthera Onca {MSP}, by Super Saver) Sales history: $350,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $35,411. O-Red White and Blue Racing LLC; B-Narola, LLC (KY); T-Rob Atras. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Constitution’s Pashmina Graduates at Second-Asking Against Fair Grounds Maidens appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

No it's not is it? The guidelines are that it a G1 must not be restricted. And I'd say entry depends on whether or not you have a good enough horse, not how much money you have.