2nd-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, 5f, post time: 1:14 p.m. ET Winchell Thoroughbreds' SPICE RUNNER (Gun Runner) drew outside in a field of eight and is the 5-2 morning line second favorite to try to snap an unusually cool beginning to the local meeting for the Steve Asmussen barn. A March foal, the homebred is the latest to make the races out of Simple Surprise (Cowboy Cal), who won her maiden at first asking over a sloppy Churchill main track for coming up on 10 years ago for these same connections. Unsurprisingly covered by the Horse of the Year in her first year at stud in 2018, Simple Surprise produced Gunite, who needed three tries to break his maiden and celebrated his best season as a 4-year-old, defeating future champion Elite Power (Curlin) in the GI Forego Stakes before finishing runner-up to that foe in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Gunite put together a record of 4-2-1 from seven appearances beneath the Twin Spires, with three of those scores in stakes company. TJCIS PPs The post Friday Insights: Gunite Full-Brother Unveiled at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tattersalls Ireland, RATOATH – Oh what a feeling it is to be playing with the house's money. Eoin McDonagh, one of the most upwardly mobile handlers on the circuit, finds himself in that very position after a bonanza of a breeze-up season and he bids to end the year with a bang at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale – the sale that got him going.  And he has a strong chance, too. His eight-strong Shanaville Stables draft features juveniles by Hello Youmzain, Starspangledbanner, Lope De Vega, Sioux Nation and more. And McDonagh admits to having saved some of his best bullets until last. “I have a good, solid bunch of horses and I am not afraid to support this sale,” the 35-year-old said. “This sale got me going a few years ago and it continues to go from strength to strength every year since. The footfall here last year was phenomenal and it seems to be strong already here this week again. And not just at the top end, which seemed to be strong at every breeze-up sale this year, but the market from the bottom right up to the top has historically been extremely strong at this sale. That's why we love coming back and hopefully this week will be the same.” Things have been humming along pretty sweetly for McDonagh ever since the Craven Breeze-Up Sale where his 30,000gns yearling purchase by Starspangledbanner rocked into 200,000gns. Jackpot. But the cards have kept on falling his way all year and, following another good week at Arqana, there is optimism in the air ahead of what has traditionally been known as the final big sale on the European breeze-up circuit.  He said, “I've had a great year – turned simple pinhooks into good money and I'm ahead for the year. Things are good and I'm fortunate I had a few nice horses. We'd a very good sale at Arqana selling a Palace Pier filly with a nice page for €165,000 and a Blue Point that we sold for €75,000. They both made a profit. I think the best result of the year so far was the Starspangledbanner colt we sold at the Craven – he sold for 200,000gns after we bought him for just 30,000gn as a yearling but I really do hold him in high regard. He was actually named Golden Conquer this week and I think there will be big things to come from him. He's based with Roger Varian and the vibes seem to be good.” He added, “I had 15 breeze-up horses last year and we upped it to 18 this year, which is the most we have ever had. I think we bought a lot more quality last year – did a lot of shopping at Book 1 and 2. We actually bought three of the cheapest horses in Book 1 last year and they all blossomed into lovely horses so it worked out well. I took a chance on horses by sexy sires who might have been falling between the cracks.” To that extent, McDonagh has come into the breeze-up game from a different angle. Having cut his teeth in National Hunt racing, a sphere in which he knows, loves and continues to operate well in, McDonagh revealed that it did take some time to refine his eye to what the market wants and appreciates on the level.  He explained, “I love National Hunt racing, I always have done, but as far as running a business goes, this works well. I spent a couple of years with Con Marnane when I was younger and that just opened my eyes to what scale there is on the Flat. We've been relatively successful at the breeze-up game throughout a short period of time but every year you are learning something new and adapting. I try to give myself a good chance with sire-power and pedigree. If you have that, you can get buyers to the door and, if they have done a nice breeze, it's an easy sell. I'm not afraid to think outside the box either.” He added, “I have always been sucked into those big-walking horses at the sales but I have learned that you don't need that big exaggerated walk for the Flat. Those horses tend to be slow so, when you come to this game from a National Hunt background, you need to adapt and change your eye to a certain degree. I'd often look at a yearling and be quite forgiving because I'd imagine what they would look like when they are trained up at the breeze-up sale. That forgiving mindset has worked in my favour. Take the Starspangledbanner for example. He was quite a heavy yearling but he came back a much better two-year-old and just transformed into a lovely horse with a bit of training. So I'm not afraid of taking a chance and trying to turn these yearlings into nice, athletic horses.” While a number of the Shanaville horses found themselves in the top 50 on the unofficial times sheets following Thursday's breeze, you won't usually find many of McDonagh's horses breaking the clock as a rule. Instead, the young handler remains committed to the later-maturing types, a modus operandi that has served him well thus far. He concluded, “I was never really tempted to get sucked into those fast, early types, because if they don't clock well, you've a long way to fall. On top of that, they are not worth much after Royal Ascot. Concentrating on the mile/mile-plus horses has served me well and I think it's the area of the market that suits us best. With those sharper, quicker horses, you have a shorter shelf life. If you have a horse with size, scope and movement, people will look at them with a view towards them being three-year-old types and some buyers might even be thinking of a horse that would go dual-purpose. I prefer to think long-term and the international market for those horses is very strong when you have a good one.” The Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale, which produced classy performers Diego Ventura and Coto De Caza last year, gets underway at 10am on Friday. The post ‘The Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale Got Me Going And I’m Not Afraid To Support It’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The deadline to nominate yearlings to the European Breeders' Fund (EBF) by a stallion not registered to the EBF is Saturday, May 31. This nomination stage largely relates to yearlings by stallions standing in the US and requires a registration fee to be paid of $600. “Owners and breeders looking to either campaign a horse in Europe or sell, should check that it is EBF nominated as over 80% of two-year-old maiden races are confined to EBF-qualified horses,” said the EBF's Kerry Murphy. “The EBF is contributing over €6 million in added prize-money throughout Europe every year.” The post EBF Registration Deadline Approaching appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Gun Barrel City during the Belmont at the Big A meeting on May 18. Frankel Gelding Hits His Target Bass Stables homebred Gun Barrel City (Frankel) graduated at second asking during the Belmont at the Big A meeting on Sunday (video). Trained by Todd Pletcher, he was gelded after his debut last September. Out of GII Lake George Stakes and GIII Nobel Damsel Stakes heroine Mrs McDougal (Medaglia d'Oro), the 4-year-old is a half-brother to War Front's graded stakes winner Seal Team, as well as the 3-year-old gelding Ben Milam (Curlin), a juvenile colt named Fast Connection (Connect) and a yearling colt by Charlatan. Mrs McDougal's latest progeny is a colt foal by Annapolis, which arrived on April 28. His granddam, Distorted Passion (Distorted Humor), was a multiple stakes winner and placed in a pair of graded stakes. Juddmonte's Frankel sports a strike rate of 51% in the U.S., with 35 winners from 68 runners. Of his winners there, he has sired 13 stakes winners anchored by Grade I winners McKulick, Measured Time, Inspiral and Lake Victoria.     Repeat Winners Dan Blacker trainee Lunar Impact (Zoustar) earned the first black-type win of her career in Santa Anita's Mizdirection Stakes on May 17 (video). Owned by D K Racing, Qatar Racing, Radley Equin, Rick Gold and Dave Odmark, the 5-year-old mare was making her 11th start. The post Making Waves: Gun Barrel City Strikes In The Big Apple appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Bouncing back from a disappointing effort when fifth in last month's G3 Prix Noailles, the Starspangledbanner colt Rafale Design returned to ParisLongchamp to stamp his class on Thursday's G3 Prix Hocquart, Sent off at 12-1 for the 11-furlong contest, Laurent Dassault's colour-bearer was restrained by Christophe Soumillon following a smart break to track the moderate pace. Full of running at every stage, the Yann Barberot-trained descendant of the GI Matron Stakes heroine Sense Of Style took control approaching the furlong pole before asserting for a smooth 1 1/4-length verdict over Sottsass's Asmarani. “I am not surprised to see him win, because he is a good horse and my best three-year-old,” Barberot said. “He is a good-ground specialist and the rain-softened ground was a real concern for me but obviously he is getting stronger. He has improved with time and stays well, so the [G1] Grand Prix de Paris will now be the target.” The post Starspangledbanner’s Rafale Design Bounces Back In The Hocquart appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Group 1 winner Tunnes, a half-brother to Arc hero and sire Torquator Tasso, has joined the BBAG Spring Sale as a wildcard. Set for May 30, the catalogue now features 59 lots. The son of Guiliani was sold for €38,000 during the BBAG September Yearling Sale in 2020. Racing for Holger Renz, the chestnut showed group form at two with a win at Group 3 level, and progressed at three to take the G3 Deutsches St. Leger and the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern. He is out of the Toylsome (GB) mare Tijuana. The post Group 1 Winner Tunnes Added To BBAG Spring Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There were a few likely types in Yarmouth's six-furlong novice on Thursday and one clear-cut winner in Too Darn Hot's newcomer Postmodern who surged to TDN Rising Star status. Contained initially by Jamie Spencer, Wathnan's 270,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase tanked his way to the front before getting past the first two furlongs. Asked to extend with every rival covered a furlong from home, the Hamad Al Jehani-trained 18-5 second favourite powered clear for an emphatic five-length success. Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's 500,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 buy Amorim by Havana Grey was the closest at the line, but treading water behind the half-brother to Muhaarar's GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes winner Be Your Best. “He left the gates smarter than I wanted, but he pricked his ears in front and I was still taking him back at the furlong pole,” Spencer said, while the trainer added, “He's a nice horse and we were educating him today. He has a nice turn of foot and hopefully we'll see him in a big race next.” The post Too Darn Hot’s Postmodern A New TDN Rising Star For Wathnan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A schedule, compiled by America's Best Racing, of racing programs on radio and television.View the full article

Godolphin's recent £720,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up acquisition Maximized (Mehmas) yielded a swift return on investment with a performance worthy of TDN Rising Stardom in Thursday's Betfred “Follow Us On X” EBF Novice Stakes over six furlongs at Haydock. The Cheveley Park Stud-bred went postward as an 11-2 chance and broke well to stalk the pace in second from the outset of this debut. Looming large before inching ahead passing the quarter-mile marker, he quickened impressively to settle the contest in a matter of strides approaching the final furlong and kept on powerfully in the closing stages to easily account for stablemate Time To Turn (Dark Angel) by 1 1/4 lengths. The runner-up finished 2 3/4 lengths clear of the remainder.   Maximized is the latest of five foals and second scorer produced by a daughter of G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Hooray (Invincible Spirit), herself a out of Listed Star Stakes winner Hypnotize (Machiavellian). Hypnotize, who is a half-sister to Group 2-winning G1 1000 Guineas third Dazzle (Gone West), also threw Listed Criterium de l'Ouest victor Hypnotic (Lomitas) and Listed Two-Year-Old Trophy third Mazyoun (Mayson). The April-foaled bay is a half-brother to Listed Cathedral Stakes victrix and G3 Ballyogan Stakes runner-up Benefit (Acclamation). 2nd-Haydock, £11,000, Mdn, 5-22, 2yo, 6fT, 1:14.97, g/f. MAXIMIZED (GB), c, 2, by Mehmas (Ire) 1st Dam: Boost (GB), by Pivotal (GB) 2nd Dam: Hooray (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire) 3rd Dam: Hypnotize (GB), by Machiavellian Sales history: 95,000gns RNA Ylg '24 TATOCT; £720,000 2yo '25 GOUKBR. *1/2 to Benefit (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), SW-Eng & GSP-Ire. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, £5,940. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. O-Godolphin; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-David Probert. The post Expensive Godolphin Breezer Maximized Impresses with TDN Rising Star Display at Haydock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article