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  • Blog Entries

         15 comments
      Today we have seen the only remaining truly independent racing industry publication "hang the bridle on the wall."  The Informant has ceased to publish.
      Why?
      In my opinion the blame lies firmly at the feet of the NZRB.  Over the next few days BOAY will be asking some very pertinent questions to those in charge.
      For example:
      How much is the NZRB funded Best Bets costing the industry?  Does it make a profit?  What is its circulation?  800?  Or more?  Does the Best Bets pay for its form feeds?  Was The Informant given the same deal?
      How much does the industry fund the NZ Racing Desk for its banal follow the corporate line journalism?
      Why were the "manager's at the door" when Dennis Ryan was talking to Peter Early?
      Where are the NZ TAB turnover figures?
      The Informant may be gone for the moment but the industry must continue to ask the hard questions.
       
         0 comments
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  • Posts

    • You continue to be unable to back up your claims.  Bargains why?
    • Al and Bill Ulwelling's Mansetti (Collected), upset winner of this year's C$1-million King's Plate at Woodbine, is one of 42 horses that have been added to the upcoming Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale in Lexington Jan. 12 and 13, 2026, the auction house said in a release Thursday. Consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, as a racing or stallion prospect, the Ontario-bred colt–a $40,000 OBS April grad–also took out this year's GIII Marine Stakes and showed his versatility when just run down in the Sept. 9 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, just his second start on a conventional dirt track. Runner-up in the GIII Ontario Derby back on the Woodbine synthetic, Mansetti has posted a record of 5-2-0 from 11 starts with earnings to date of $776,003. Also supplemented to the January Sale and selling with Taylor Made is In a Jif (Saintly Look), the dam of the record-setting turf sprinter Cogburn (Not This Time) and offered in foal to Yaupon. Taylor Made also consigns the mare's foal of 2025, a colt by Into Mischief. Being offered as broodmares or racing/broodmare prospects are Life's an Audible (Audible), winner of the GIII Sweetest Chant Stakes at three; SW & GSP St. Benedicts Prep (Flatter); and Grade III winner True Royalty (Yes It's True), selling in foal to Practical Joke. Additional supplements include mares in foal to Maxfield, Taiba, Tiz the Law and Twirling Candy; racing or broodmare prospects including stakes winner Brocknardini (Bernardini); and soon-to-be yearlings by such stallions as Elite Power, Jackie's Warrior, McKinzie, Street Sense, Vekoma, Yaupon and Zandon. With the supplements announced today, the total number of horses cataloged to the January Sale is 1,088. Click here for the Keeneland January catalog. The post King’s Plate Winner Among 42 Supplemented To Keeneland January appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kentucky Derby Museum during its 'Derby in December' celebration held Thursday, Dec. 11. Following the ceremonies, the many guests that were on hand enjoyed a meet-and-greet with the 1992 Kentucky Derby-winning rider and explored a new exhibit in Day's honor. The exhibit at the museum features decades of his accomplishments. The collection ranges from his high school photo to awards celebrating milestone victories as a jockey, including the silks he wore during his final race before retiring after the 2005 Delaware Handicap. The new exhibit was unveiled following the presentation of Day's Lifetime Achievement Award. “I'm deeply humbled by this award,” said Day. “The Kentucky Derby has given me so much throughout my life–from the incredible horses I've had the privilege to ride, to the fans and community who make this sport so special. To be recognized here at the Kentucky Derby Museum, in the place that keeps Derby history alive, means more to me than words can say.” The post Hall of Famer Day Honored By Derby Museum appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Cathal Beale reflects on a momentous run of sales results for the Irish National Stud as well offering his thoughts on new addition to the stallion roster Arizona Blaze Credit where credit is due, the Irish National Stud knocked it out of the park at this year's breeding stock sales. The stud netted just shy of €2 million at the Goffs November Foal Sale. That haul placed the Irish National Stud second only to the Castlebridge Consignment by €46,500, despite selling 33 fewer foals than that outfit. What was most impressive about the performance the Irish National Stud put in at Goffs this year was that the majority of the foals sold by the stud were out of mares that CEO Cathal Beale and his team went out and sourced at sensible digits. The team's Night Of Thunder filly, who sold to Ed Sackville on behalf of TBT Racing For €500,000, is out of Oceanie (Dansili), a mare that was sourced for just €75,000 at Arqana in 2023. Then there was the €340,000 Wootton Bassett filly out of €80,000 mare Loyale (Turtle Bowl), also sourced at Arqana, as well as the €220,000 Palace Pier filly out of Big Break (Dansili), who looks exceedingly good value now at only 30,000gns.  The Irish National Stud's performance at Goffs provided one of the fascinating subplots to what was a memorable sale and, despite labelling that achievement as one of his finest moments in the business at the time, Beale is keen to deflect any praise now that the dust has settled. “I've been selling foals in various different guises for the past 25 years so I know how hard it is,” he explained. “Many things can go wrong and I have walked out of the sales ring with my tail between my legs before. It wasn't lost on us how hard it is to enjoy a day like that.  “I said it at the time, but I had never been at a sale like this year's Goffs November Foal Sale before. The footfall and the raw enthusiasm for foals was unbelievable. The Sunday and the Monday at Goffs is unique. The amount of enthusiastic young pinhookers who come through the gates is brilliant. Goffs and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing do a brilliant job getting so many people through the door and that's why we go to that sale. It's because we know we're going to have hundreds and hundreds of shows. Like, we had foals that had upwards of 250 shows, which is unheard of for any sale. So huge credit must go to Goffs.” Explaining the years of investment in the broodmare band that led to that “moment in time” performance at Goffs, Beale continued, “It started with John Osborne [former CEO], really,” he says. Off the back of Invincible Spirit, we had a little bit of money to invest in broodmares. If you can remember, it was a different world back in 2010 with the whole country coming out of the recession. It was very much touch and go with regards to what the stud could do. But, as Invincible Spirit started to get better and better, there was a little bit of money to invest in broodmares. John invested in a few broodmares that left a lot of money behind – Propaganda, Lethal Quality and more. We also had a couple of mares who were left over, the likes of Nebrass, whose daughter Aimhirgin Lass is still in the broodmare band.  “So there have always been a couple of nice mares there but, definitely, we needed to be a bit more strategic and start investing properly in broodmares. I suppose, through investing in mare syndicates and the board allowing us some capital, we have been able to buy some nicer mares. It doesn't just happen overnight. It can take five, six or even seven years to find out if a mare is good, bad or indifferent. The foal sales at Goffs was just like a moment in time where three or four happened to bounce into the back of the net on the same day. At the same time, there has been a steady stream of investment over the past number of years that allowed us to get to a day like that.” With more money comes more choice, and there has definitely been a change in philosophy as to how the stud recruits its mares. That is not the only shift in modus operandi, though, with the support of the foal sales a relatively new phenomenon. Beale said, “Obviously, if you've got more money you can do more. You can't do it without money. But we definitely made a conscious decision to focus more on the foal sales because, when you see end-users turning up to Goffs, you just can't ignore how strong that market has become over the past few years. On top of that, it shortens our window in being able to turn a profit on the stock that we are raising. We had dipped our toe into the foal market in the past four or five years but, in the last couple of years in particular, we have sent out best foals to Goffs. If it doesn't happen on the day, you always have a second chance at the yearling sales.” Elaborating on the recruitment policy for mares, he added, “I suppose people are kind enough not to mention the mares who didn't work out but you're going in there and you're really trying to find value. I could have 100 mares I'd like to take home from a sale but it's just a matter of taking them home at a price that will give you a chance of having a commercial turnaround in the next three to four years. That's really all we try to do. It just so happened that, over the past couple of years, some of those mares have bounced but, over the past five or six years, there are some who haven't worked out the same way at all.” The big-ticket sales were not confined to the foal section at Goffs, either, as the Irish National Stud enjoyed a quicker-than-expected commercial lift with La Gloire (Churchill), who sold in foal to Sioux Nation to Michael O'Leary's Plantation Stud for €250,000. Out of Date With Destiny (George Washington), La Gloire's sky-rocketing value from a 40,000gns purchase at last year's December Mares Sale at Tattersalls is in no small part down to the emergence on the page of her half-brother Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder), who finished third in the Dewhurst and holds genuine 2,000 Guineas claims next year.  Arizona Blaze: new to the Irish National Stud for 2026 | Racingfotos.com Beale commented, “We put her in the sale as an insurance policy as much as anything. We had a pretty average yearling sale season this year so we knew the foals had to go well. And then, if the foals didn't go well, we had a few mares in the sale there just to try and make ends meet as an insurance policy. Thankfully, the foals did sell well but, when we were there, we said we'd put a sensible price on her and if she sells, she sells. I would have been more than delighted to bring her home but she made a fair price and I'm delighted she went to a big farm so she'll have a chance.” You will be hard pressed to find a man more allergic to self praise than Beale. Instead, he prefers to shine a light on the countless people behind the scenes – the likes of Gary Swift, Helen Boyce and Conor Hyland – who have played an important role in the changing fortunes for the stud. “I always say the place is a teaching hospital,” he says. “We're used to people coming through the place and hopefully they're adding a little bit of value by spending five or six months by doing the breeding course or by coming back and working with us after the course is finished. The vast majority of the people working at the stud, myself included, are graduates from the Irish National Stud course that went away and did something else before coming back. So, they understand it, they get it and they have an awful lot of pride in it. Above all else, they are very capable. I pride myself on the fact that, when a person comes down to view our stock, the horses are presented well number one but, also, the people are met with a warm welcome. From top to bottom and everyone in between, they are met with a smile. For the Irish National Stud, I think that is extremely important.” Warm welcomes at the ready then for breeders and general racing fans who will be hoping to catch a glimpse of the Irish National Stud's newest addition to the stallion roster, Arizona Blaze, whose opening fee has been set at €12,500.  Campaigned by Amo Racing , Arizona Blaze proved himself one of the toughest horses in training over five and six furlongs, culminating with a brilliant top-level triumph in the Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh at the Irish Champions Festival. Beale is confident that he will complement Phoenix Of Spain, Lucky Vega, Nando Parrado and Shouldvebeenaring on the roster.  The post Cathal Beale: ‘It Was A Moment In Time For Us At The Irish National Stud’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Zelzal has been deemed fully fit to cover mares in 2026 following an examination. The Haras de Bouquetot resident's 2025 season was disrupted due to health reasons. Amelie Lemercier, sales manager at Haras de Bouquetot, said, “Leader among sires of two-year-olds in France and responsible for 10 black-type performers in 2025, Zelzal confirms his position as one of the most dependable stallions in France thanks to the quality and consistency of his progeny, both on the track and in the sales ring. There are very few proven stallions, in France or in Europe, offered at such an accessible fee.” The son of Sea The Stars will stand for roster-topping €10,000 next year. The post Zelzal Fully Fit To Cover Mares In 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • Bob Baffert, who has won 14 renditions of the Los Alamitos Futurity, has entered Litmus Test, Provenance, and Blacksmith this year.View the full article
    • Local Horses, led by Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising, look like solid bets in at least three of the four races comprising the Longines Hong Kong Internatiional Races Dec. 14 at Sha Tin Racecourse.View the full article
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