That's pure gold @TAB For Ever - did your trainer not get the memo?

I don't have a problem with awards for outstanding contributions to racing however the random plethora of such rewards are diminishing their effect. As well some of the nominees tend to make a mockery of some awards.  For example how does a Club that doesn't own a racecourse and has 3 meetings abandoned in 5 years make the finalists ahead of many worthy Clubs?

I'll "indirectly" reprimand @Special Agent 

Not only is that incorrect but you seem very adept at doing what you describe except you seem to spray tags at random and in volume whenever the facts are put in front of you.

Grade 2-winning filly Non Compliant suffered a catastrophic breakdown during training April 17 at Los Alamitos Race Course according to California Horse Racing Board records.View the full article

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority released an Equine Health Advisory after their findings suggest horses in early stages of training or those returning from an extended layoff may be at higher risk for fatal proximal forelimb fractures.View the full article

In the TDN's new Breeders' Cup Breakthrough series, we catch up with the six trainers who celebrated their first win at the Breeders' Cup in 2024. We discuss the road to securing that victory, what the breakout win meant to them personally and what they hope to accomplish from here. We start with Kenny McPeek, who secured a long-awaited Breeders' Cup victory with a filly that is known to her fans as 'The Grizzly.'     It wasn't that he never had a shot. It's just that the shots weren't quite landing. Kenny McPeek had lost at the Breeders' Cup in just about every way imaginable. Beautician was nailed at the wire in the 2009 Juvenile Fillies. Rosalind missed the break in the 2013 Juvenile Fillies but came flying late to hit the board. Tiz the Bomb ran second to a purse-money-only entrant in the 2021 Juvenile Turf. It all added up to a 0-for-37 Breeders' Cup record for McPeek, though it wasn't because his horses weren't performing. With seven seconds and 10 thirds, his runners were finishing in the money nearly half the time. “It was frustrating,” McPeek conceded as he reflected on the road to reaching his first Breeders' Cup win. “We had a list of fourths, too. Someone said one time that I'm the best worst Breeders' Cup trainer ever. Every time I took a horse over there I was pleased with the way they ran, but I had zero wins. I couldn't explain it other than you just keep trying.” Keep trying and find a horse like 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). After 40 years in the business, McPeek entered last year's Breeders' Cup with what looked like his best shot yet. The filly had cruised through a nearly undefeated 3-year-old season, highlighted by a definitive GI Kentucky Oaks victory and a gutsy runner-up effort in the GI Travers Stakes. “There were a lot of people that really wanted me to run her in the Classic against colts,” McPeek admitted with a smile. “But honestly I wanted to get the Breeders' Cup win.” The Distaff field changed shape in the days leading up to the big event when reigning older dirt female Idiomatic (Curlin) retired and Japan's promising filly Awesome Result (Justify) scratched the morning of the race. McPeek and the rest of the Thorpedo Anna camp, including jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. and the ownership group of Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, Magdalena Racing and co-owner and breeder Judy Hicks, were feeling confident about their chances, but of course there are no sure bets in horse racing. McPeek and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. after Thorpedo Anna's score in the 2024 GI Acorn Stakes | Sarah Andrew “We worked hard to enjoy that week,” recalled McPeek. “We didn't overcomplicate it. I felt like on paper she had a real chance and you just hope that Brian didn't have any trouble. When she got away clean and Brian was able to put himself up on the pace with her, Thorpedo Anna did the rest of the work.” Exactly 30 years after making his Breeders' Cup debut, McPeek finally hit the mark. And perhaps the fact that his first win came with a future Horse of the Year made the victory that much sweeter. “I had actually analyzed some other trainers who struggled at the Breeders' Cup,” said McPeek “Bobby Frankel had almost 40 starters before he won a Breeders' Cup and then he ran off six or seven after that. There is a long list of very talented horsemen who have never won. So it's no disgrace to have not won, but to finally win one was nice. I think the event all together epitomizes the sport and how difficult it is. To hit that high level at the Breeders' Cup means everything.” McPeek's first trip to the Breeders' Cup was in 1994, when the international festival of racing was held at Churchill Downs. Tejano Run (Tejano), a colt he had purchased for owner Roy Monroe for just $20,000, finished third in the Juvenile. McPeek said that Tejano Run's Breeders' Cup run and subsequent 3-year-old season highlighted by a runner-up performance in the GI Kentucky Derby helped put his career on the map. Before that, he was working hard to make a name for himself. “I was just trying to make payroll,” he explained. “I did a lot of the work myself, didn't really have an assistant. Mostly I had claiming horses and, in some cases, other people's rejects. I learned how to do a good job with those.” “I went through years where I won most of my races at Ellis Park and Turfway Park and even in the early years, Latonia and River Downs,” he continued. “Once Tejano Run came into my career, I realized that this was the kind of horse that I wanted, but they're really hard to acquire. So I put a lot of focus on yearling sales and analyzing horse's talent level.” As a child, McPeek enjoyed pony rides in the Keeneland paddock | photo courtesy Kenny McPeek Over the decades, McPeek's focus has paid off. The horseman has built a reputation as one of the sharpest eyes on the sales grounds, known for spotting talent that others might overlook. But well before he ever saddled his first winner, his path to success was more accidental–or perhaps fated–than planned. McPeek was originally considering a career on Wall Street, but his plan changed the day after graduating with a finance degree when, late that night, he received some sage advice from his college roommate, who told him to do something that would make him happy. A few hours later, he showed up at Keeneland and took a job as a hot walker. The next year in 1985, he obtained his trainer's license. “My mother was furious,” recounted McPeek. “She said, 'You've got a degree and you're going to do what?' I thought maybe it was just going to be something that was short term–and it almost was. Financially, I really struggled for a long time, but then I started hitting my stride and people started hiring me.” In the early days, McPeek's stable was a fraction of what it is now, with strings in multiples states and year-round bases at Magdalena Farm in Kentucky and Silverleaf Hills Training Center in Florida. As a young trainer, he started off going to the sales to buy one yearling. When his client list started to grow, he would shop for eight or nine. Today, he comes home with around 80 yearlings every sales season. Even with a bigger budget these days, McPeek still attributes much of his success to the long hours he puts in at the sales, sticking around until the final horses go through the ring. As he sees it, anyone can spot a million-dollar horse. It's more difficult to find that diamond in the rough. “I'm mostly proud of buying horses for modest prices and somewhat beating the market to the punch on a pedigree or seeing a horse that nobody else saw,” he said. “I think professionally, it's harder to do that than it is if someone gives you a huge amount of money. Actually, there's less pressure when you've got modest-priced young horses as opposed to the million-dollar yearlings because everybody isn't looking over your shoulder with expectations.” Among some of his top Breeders' Cup performers, McPeek bought 2008 Juvenile Fillies runner-up Dream Empress (Bernstein) for $60,000, 2015 Juvenile Fillies third-place finisher Dothraki Queen (Pure Prize) for $35,000 and 2018 Juvenile third-place runner Signalman (General Quarters) for $32,000. And while he did not train the superstar himself, he famously purchased 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Curlin for $57,000. 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna | Sarah Andrew In 2018, McPeek found another bargain buy that was going to be hard to top when he spent $35,000 on future GI Preakness Stakes victress and six-time graded stakes winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil). Four years later, he outdid himself once again when he purchased Thorpedo Anna for just $40,000. The five-figure purchase is now his all-time leading earner. “Thorpedo Anna has got this aura about her,” McPeek explained.  “When you're in her presence, she really knows she's good. She's ultra-intelligent and obviously ultra-talented. These kinds of horses are really rare. I'm really proud to have found her at auction and to be able to have handled her and seen all the things she has accomplished. Hopefully there's a lot more to accomplish.” Thorpedo Anna is already well on her way to another iconic campaign this year. She has posted a pair of tour-de-force romps in the GII Azeri Stakes and GI Apple Blossom Handicap, with a new target set on the upcoming GI La Troienne at Churchill Downs. Already, there is a buzz about whether this star filly could be pointed toward the main event this November at Del Mar, where only Hall of Famer Zenyatta has defeated males in the Classic. “I'm thinking about it already,” McPeek said with a reluctant-yet-excited grin. “Let's see. She needs to get through this next start. If she does that, we will contemplate all our options. If she runs the table this year, the Classic will be for sure.” McPeek waited 30 years for one Breeders' Cup win. This time, he could be setting his sights on making history. The post Breeders’ Cup Breakthrough: McPeek’s Three Decades of Determination Pay Off appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Horses in early stages of training or those returning from an extended layoff may be at higher risk for fatal proximal forelimb fractures than previously recognized, according to an Equine Health Advisory released by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Monday. The advisory, which is based on data drawn from the HISA Portal, provides practical guidance for trainers and veterinarians on how to help prevent these catastrophic injuries. The advisory's key findings include: Fatal proximal forelimb (humeral and scapular) fractures accounted for 15% of training fatalities reported to HISA by Regulatory Veterinarians in 2024. More than 40% of horses that experienced fatal proximal forelimb fractures that were reported to HISA had no recorded high-speed furlongs within the 60 days prior to the fracture occurring. On average, horses with these fractures logged only 12.3 high-speed furlongs in the 60 days prior to injury. Horses with humeral fractures averaged only 5.9 high-speed furlongs in that same timeframe. “It is HISA's goal to substantially reduce the number of these fatalities beginning in 2025,” said Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, HISA Director of Equine Safety and Welfare. “Building awareness is the first step. This advisory reflects our commitment to data-driven safety and highlights the collective responsibility we have as an industry to intercede for at-risk horses before injuries occur. Our goal is to translate this growing body of information in our Portal into actionable guidance that can make our sport safer.” The full advisory is available here. It has been distributed to all trainers and veterinarians registered in the HISA Portal and is also available on www.hisaus.org under the Resources section. The post HISA Study Identifies Risk Factors for Fatal Proximal Forelimb Fractures appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It is nearly 20 years since Speciosa (Ire) became the first Classic winner to emanate from the breeze-up sales. The man who sold her, Willie Browne, had been plying his trade in that sector since 1978, and, as the breeze-ups close in on their 50th anniversary, it is good to see that the Mocklershill maestro is still very much at the top of his game.  In fact, last week's Craven Sale at Tattersalls was a good one for the founding fathers of the breeze-up game. There was Browne turning €70,000 into 1.4 million gns like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat. This set a new record for the sale just 12 lots after Con Marnane had been given 650,000gns for a Havana Grey (GB) colt who had been unsold at 50,000gns in the same ring the previous September.  The showbiz of the sale ring is not something that would appeal much to Malcolm Bastard, who prefers salmon fishing and sheepdog trials and once opened an interview with this hack by saying “I'm pretty quiet and boring”. That may be true, but it is also true that Bastard is a skilled horseman whose pre-training services are sought by some of the biggest owner-breeders in the land. By the second night of the Craven he had outshone his old muckers Willie and Con when breaking the newly-set record when selling yet another Havana Grey juvenile for 1.75 million gns to Amo Racing. The colt had been sold by his breeder Max Weston at the foal sales for 55,000gns. If you were chiselling these men's faces into granite, Mount Rushmore-style, you'd add Brendan 'Blarney' Holland to complete the quartet. Plenty are attempting to follow in their wake, and many are doing so successfully, but the newer consignors owe plenty of their success to these pioneers. Browne, Marnane and Holland have all consigned subsequent Classic winners at the breeze-up sales, and even one of Browne's slowest, and thus cheapest, breezers won the Gold Cup: in fact, the 20,000-guinea Trip To Paris (Ire) earned more than £800,000 in a 27-race career. Bastard sold a 'slow one', too, in Libertarian (GB), who won the G2 Dante Stakes and was second in the Derby, some eight years after the Mocklershill breezer Walk In The Park (Ire) had filled the same place at Epsom behind Motivator (GB). By now, close observers of the scene will know many of the names on the long list of black-type graduates from the breeze-ups. Obviously plenty of those selected for these sales don't end up putting in the slick breeze which seems to be essential for a six- or seven-figure sale, and some of those who do won't go on to become stars on the racecourse. Just as it is throughout the bloodstock world, it is a case of many are called and few are chosen.  Be that as it may, it is undeniable that the breeze-ups have changed the face of the sales scene, both in their bolstering of the yearling market and by their luring of a certain sector of devout and international buyers. Since the turn of the century, the Craven Sale alone has expanded from turnover of around 3.8 million gns to last week's whopping trade of 18.8 million gns. Younger operators may be snapping at their heels for a stake in what is now a lucrative sector of the market, but those such as Browne, who was in from the start and was followed not long after by Bastard and Marnane, are still setting a fierce pace up front.  Look beyond the mile marker  While we are on the subject of breeze-ups, it is worth noting that among the top 20 stallions by average prices at the Craven Sale, only five of those had ever won a race beyond a mile: St Mark's Basilica (Fr), New Bay (GB), Knicks Go, Street Sense, and Union Rags. For this Thursday's Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale, only six of the 206 juveniles catalogued are by stallions who won beyond a mile. In Europe, most of the leading consignors say they are against official breeze timings, yet unofficial timings are widely available and those horses who have clocked the fastest, even by infinitesimal margins, command a premium. Despite some success by breeze-up graduates in middle-distance and staying races, the offspring of this type of stallion still doesn't get much of a look-in, even though the numbers improve a little for the later sales at Tattersalls and Arqana.  One of the reasons for this is likely because so many of the progeny of the top middle-distance stallions are in the hands of owner-breeders. However, in order to help those 10- or 12-furlong stallions emerging from the pack, it would be a great initiative for one of the sales companies to host a middle-distance showcase auction in order to promote the type of horse that Europe still breeds better than elsewhere. There's no point moaning about prize-money if the stallions capable of providing horses suitable for winning the most valuable sector of races continue to be largely overlooked.  Powerhouses gearing up for Classics So far this season it has been hard to see beyond the Classics being dominated by the major owner-breeder operations. With Jonquil (GB), Cosmic Year (GB) and the foal purchase Field Of Gold (Ire), Juddmonte is well stocked with colts, and there's also Windlord (GB) and Detain (Ire) to consider. Among the outfit's possible Classic fillies are Swelter (GB), Red Letter (GB), Babouche (GB), Better Together (GB), Flaming Stone (GB) and Tabiti (GB). The Aga Khan Studs, too, have had plenty of success so far on the turf, with Zarigana (Fr) and Ridari (Ire) each winning their Classic trials, along with Princess Zahra Aga Khan's Mandanaba (Fr).   Mandanaba, left, is the final foal of treble Group 1 winner Mandesha | Scoop Dyga   In a year in which those associated with the operation are mourning the death of HH Aga Khan IV, it is perhaps heartening to see the fillies Mandanaba and Zarigana in particular come to the fore. They are each eleventh-generation descendants of Mumtaz Mahal (GB) (The Tetrarch {Ire}), the filly who really was the cornerstone of the Aga Khan Studs as one of the very early yearling purchases, bought in 1922.  The passing of a figurehead of a major breeding operation always brings with it a degree of uncertainty as to what the future holds. In the cases of Juddmonte and Shadwell, which lost Prince Khalid Abdullah and Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum respectively in early 2021, there has been some restructuring and trimming, but there has also been renewed success. Baaeed (GB), Hukum (Ire), Mostahdaf (Ire), Anmaat (Ire), Al Husn (Ire), Eshaada (GB) and Minzaal (Ire) have kept the Group 1 flag flying for Shadwell, while Juddmonte's top-level winners in Europe in the last four years include Westover (GB), Chaldean (GB), Babouche (GB), Kalpana (GB) and Bluestocking (GB), while they also owned the co-top-rated horse in the world last year, Laurel River. There is every reason to believe that the Aga Khan Studs will continue to thrive, particularly when looking at the results through the early stages of 2025. As ever, Coolmore and Godolphin will be unleashing any number of smart three-year-olds in the coming weeks, and they account for two of the most exciting fillies in training in Lake Victoria (Ire) and Desert Flower (GB). A stable whose fortunes it will be particularly interesting to follow over the next month or so is that of Ralph Beckett. Along with nine Oaks entries, the trainer currently has 12 colts in the Derby, and that could become a baker's dozen if Prince Of The Seas (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) prevails in Tuesday's Blue Riband Trial at Epsom, which carries with it automatic entry to the Derby for the winner.  A sad parting It had looked like being a nice piece of symmetry: Hugo Palmer represented in the 2,000 Guineas by Seagulls Eleven (Ire), a son of his 2016 winner Galileo Gold (GB), and Andrew Balding by New Century (GB), a son of his 2020 winner Kameko. While it appears to be all systems go for Palmer and his merry band of footballing owners, Balding has now lost New Century, who has already played a significant part in boosting the profile of his young sire by winning the GI Summer Stakes at Woodbine last year. He was among a group of five Qatar Racing-owned horses to leave his stable last week.  This came hard on the heels of New Century running fifth in the Craven. By the following day the colt had been assigned to James Ferguson with a view to racing in America in the coming weeks.  While it is surely not easy to wave farewell to a Grade I winner, the bigger loser in this fallout may be Qatar Racing. Balding has given Sheikh Fahad Al Thani plenty of high days – including with the aforementioned father and son, and also with the Group 1 winners Elm Park (GB) and Side Glance (GB), both of whom were bred by the trainer's mother, Emma. His Kingsclere stable is in ripping form at present, with Balding riding high in the trainers' table on a strike-rate of 21 per cent and prize-money earnings of £920,509 already banked at the time of writing. Owners moving their horses around is nothing new – and it of course every owner's prerogative to do so, particularly in this case when Sheikh Fahad is reportedly now spending the majority of his time in the US. But it is an unfortunate time to move a colt with such potential, particularly one who could be key to the success of the same owner's stallion.  Such was the significance at Kingsclere of Kameko, the first of two 2,000 Guineas winners for Balding, that there is a new barn there named in his honour. Even more significantly, Kameko's three-year-old full-sister was named Kingsclere, but she too is no longer trained there.  Balding still has the Greenham Stakes winner Jonquil to aim at the 2,000 Guineas, some 14 years after Frankel (GB), a half-brother to the colt's Listed-winning granddam Joyeuse (GB), blazed an unforgettable trail down the Rowley Mile.  The post Seven Days: The Old Guard appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article