by Renee Geelen/TTR AusNZ Australia's best-credentialled yearlings have been catalogued for the 2026 edition of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, with 472 lots heading through the ring on March 29 and 30. With 11 yearlings by Extreme Choice and the Snitzel colt from champion mare Winx as headline acts, Inglis is equally thrilled about the depth of the catalogue. Across the catalogue, 259 lots (55%) are the progeny of or siblings to stakes winners, with 80 of those being a half-sibling to or out of a Group 1 winner. For the first time in recent years, the catalogue is filly-heavy with 245 fillies and 227 colts, and there are 64 individual stallions with yearlings representing them across the whole 472 lots. Extreme Choice's Sensational Statistics Extreme Choice had only 44 live foals in 2024 and one quarter of them will be available to purchase at the 2026 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. The sire of 17 stakes winners, six at Group 1 level, from just 146 runners will be represented by 11 Easter yearlings. “Something that particularly excites me about the catalogue is that this will be the best group of yearlings ever assembled at a sale by a generational stallion in Extreme Choice,” said Inglis CEO Sebastian Hutch. “He's got 11 yearlings in the sale, all of whom are the progeny of or siblings to black type horses, as far as I know. He's a horse we are particularly proud of as he's a Classic Yearling Sale graduate. In itself, this is one of a number of incredible opportunities at the sale, and it's a particularly pertinent one given his capacity to deliver so frequently what it would appear the market really wants. “He's had three Group 1 winning 2-year-olds from a little over 100 runners. His sons are destined to go to stud. His statistics are just incredible.” Extreme Choice has sired G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Stay Inside, whose oldest runners are currently 2-year-olds, G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Devil Night, and G1 Champagne Stakes winner She's Extreme who also won the G1 Victoria Oaks at three. “Obviously the domestic market is very aware of his merit, but from the point of view of the catalogue appealing to a series of international investors, I think he's a very important feature of the sale.” All of the 11 are out of black type mares, with ten winning stakes races. The filly, Lot 117 is out of Group 1 winner Speak Fondly (Northern Meteor) who is the dam of Listed winner Compelling Truth (I Am Invincible). Of the six colts, Lot 71 is a half-brother to Group 3 winner English Riveria (Deep Field) out of juvenile stakes winner Second Time Lucky (Any Suggestion), while lot 436 is from the family of Jonker and Danewin, out of Group 3 winner Exfactor (Your Song). Born to Be a Stallion Prospect Two years ago, the Inglis sale ring at Riverside was lit up with the mind-blowing sale of Quinceanera (Pierro), the first foal of Champion racemare Winx (Street Cry), who sold for A$10 million. In 2026, Coolmore Stud, who sold both Winx and Quinceanera, will offer Winx's second foal, a colt by Champion Sire Snitzel. “It's an honour to have the opportunity to offer a horse like him. I saw him two weeks ago at Coolmore. He looks really well. He's obviously a 24th of November foal, but he's developing nicely. I know they're happy with them. “He's a very uniquely credentialled horse and we look forward to people seeing him at the sale and hopefully his preparation goes well. Everything's gone to plan with him so far, and hopefully everything goes well with the balance of preparation and people enjoy seeing them at the sale. “He's a horse with the profile to captivate the market.” Winx, who won 37 races including 25 at Group 1 level and was crowned Australian Horse Of The Year on four occasions, is out of juvenile stakes winner Vegas Showgirl (Al Akbar) who has also produced two other stakes winners and the dam of G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint winner Enriched (I Am Invincible). Easter Is about More than One Horse “More generally, the quality of the catalogue is really incredible,” added Hutch. The progeny of 64 different stallions are represented in the sale, with Snitzel leading the crowd with 43 lots, while I Am Invincible has 41 and Zoustar has 35. The breadth of commercially successful stallions with yearlings at Easter also includes stallions like Extreme Choice, Too Darn Hot, Ole Kirk, Wootton Bassett, Home Affairs, Stay Inside, Super Seth, The Autumn Sun, Harry Angel, Per Incanto, Street Boss, Written Tycoon, Toronado, Exceed And Excel, Dundeel, Maurice, Justify, Alabama Express, Castelvecchio, Hellbent, Savabeel, Proisir, Pinatubo, Starspangledbanner, and Satono Aladdin. Internationally recognised stallions like Frankel, Baaeed, Gun Runner, Kingman, Lope de Vega, New Bay and Siyouni all have representatives in the sale. “That's an incredible concentration and quality, and that's before you go into the depth of pedigrees,” he said. “It might be granddaughters of great racemares or half-siblings to great racemares that produced yearlings in the catalogue. “You just have to skim through the catalogue, turning the pages is pretty cool for a bloodstock enthusiast. We all wait to see what's going to be in the green book.” The post Extreme Choice Brings Global Appeal To Inglis Easter appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) seeks public comment on proposed modifications to the Rule Series 5000 (Equine Testing and Investigation Standards) and 7000 (Arbitration Procedures) of its Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program by Monday, Feb. 23, the regulator said via a press release on Thursday. The proposed modifications build on HISA's ongoing review of the ADMC Program. In November, HISA distributed for public comment proposed modifications to other Rule Series comprising the ADMC Program (1000, 3000 and 4000). Comments received in response to that request are under review by the ADMC Committee. The proposed updates to Rule Series 5000 and 7000 of the ADMC Program include: Clarification regarding the sample collection process; Introduction of voluntary, non-binding mediation in proceedings before the Arbitral Body; Expanded access for Owners to intervene in cases before the Internal Adjudication Panel. A memorandum summarizing the proposed modifications is available here. A full draft of the proposed revisions in PDF redline format is available here. The redline reflects proposed updates compared to the version currently in effect and approved by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Comments should be sent to HISA Assistant General Counsel Sam Reinhardt at Samuel.Reinhardt@hisaus.org with the subject line “Proposed Rule Modifications–Rule Series 5000 and 7000.” Alternatively, comments may be mailed to HISA at 201 East Main Street, Suite 340, Lexington, KY 40507. Following the expiration of the public comment period, the ADMC Committee, in consultation with the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, will review and consider all relevant feedback before recommending proposed modifications to the HISA Board. If approved by the HISA Board, the proposed modifications would then be submitted to the FTC. The post HISA Seeks Public Comment On Proposed ADMC Rule Modifications appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

John Connaughton, the hotel owner who bred Group 1 winner Bay City Roller as well as the Group 3 scorer Dunboyne Express, has died almost exactly a year after he was crowned small breeder of the year at the ITBA Awards. He was 93. Connaughton enjoyed a lifetime of success in business and bloodstock. Dunboyne Express was one of the first big names that shot to prominence for the County Westmeath man while Bay City Roller provided Connaughton with a breakthrough Group 1 success as a breeder when landing a top-level triumph for George Scott in Germany last November. Tom Whelan consigned the majority of Connaughton's stock at the sales, including Bay City Roller, who sold for €320,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale in 2023.  “He was an absolute gentleman,” Whelan said. “John was a very good breeder and was able to take the rough with the smooth. He was a pleasure to deal with down through the years and enjoyed a lot of success. Most importantly, he was just a gentleman and it was a pleasure to have known him.” Connaughton owned the Bloomfield House Hotel in Mullingar. He was also one of the first people to import the Simmental cattle breed into Ireland over 60 years ago. But it was his achievements in bloodstock that rightly grabbed the headlines when Connaughton was honoured at the ITBA Awards 12 months ago. “It [the award] meant a great lot to me,” Connaughton told TDN Europe in a follow-up interview after the awards. “Any time we bred a good one, it meant a lot to me, but it's not that easy to breed a good one.” A statement released by the Bloomfield House Hotel last week read, “It is with deep sadness that we share the news of John Connaughton's passing, proprietor of Bloomfield House Hotel, Leisure Club and Spa, and beloved father of our colleagues Liz [director] and Julie. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to all the Connaughton family during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn the loss of a much-loved husband, father, grandfather, and friend. May John rest in peace.” The post “Absolute Gentleman” Breeder John Connaughton Dies Aged 93 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Turfway Park Racing & Gaming has canceled its Friday and Saturday live racing programs due to severe winter weather expected in the Florence, Kentucky area, according to a Thursday press release from operator Churchill Downs Inc. Officials from the National Weather Service are calling for wind chill values to dip into the single digits early Friday morning and persist through Saturday, along with the potential for significant snow accumulation. The canceled races from Friday and Saturday will be offered as extras on subsequent race days, including the Wishing Well Stakes. Live racing will continue as scheduled Thursday, with first post set for 5:55 p.m. ET. The post Winter Blast Freezes Weekend Turfway Cards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In the latest installment of 2026 Mating Plans, Anne Archer Hinkle, the co-owner and Director of Operations at Hinkle Farms, discusses the 2026 mating plans for their Paris, Kentucky-based operation. SEEKING GABRIELLE, 19, Forestry – Seeking Regina, by Seeking the Gold. Booked to Twirling Candy Seeking Gabrielle has been a very special mare for us and is the dam of Nyquist. Being 19, we know the number of foals she will have are few. Our hope is to get as many fillies as we can. Twirling Candy with Forestry mares is a proven cross and we believe this mating can result in a great physical, too. Hopefully, we will get a filly and a future broodmare. If we get a colt, Twirling Candy is certainly well received in the marketplace and they run on all surfaces.   LADIES' PRIVILEGE, 12, Harlan's Holiday – Vanquished, by Empire Maker. Booked to Justify Ladies' Privilege is the dam of More Than Looks, winner of the 2024 Breeders' Cup Mile. She is booked to Justify, one of the top stallions in the world. Being the dam of a Breeders' Cup winner, this mare deserves to be bred to top stallions. A foal by Justify should be interesting to perspective buyers from all racing jurisdictions. Ladies' Privilege produces beautiful foals and one by Justify should be no exception.   NEW BOSS, 8, Street Boss – Denali Dreamscape, by Corinthian. Booked to Gun Runner New Boss is a stakes-winning mare and she won on both dirt and grass. She comes from a deep family. Her dam, Denali Dreamscape, died prematurely, but her three foals to race all exhibited a lot of ability. New Boss has a yearling colt by Constitution and is pregnant to Not This Time for 2026. We want to give her every chance to produce a good horse, and she will be bred to Gun Runner in 2026.   INDIAN BAY, 15, Indian Charlie – Buy the Barrel, by E Dubai. Booked to Practical Joke Indian Bay has been a wonderful mare for us, having produced three graded stakes horses and her yearlings have sold exceptionally well. Indian Charlie mares have worked well with both Into Mischief and Practical Joke. Practical Joke sires one quality horse after another. Indian Bay will be bred to him in 2026.   WHITE SANDS, 4, Into Mischief – Unicorn Girl, by A.P. Five Hundred. Booked to Not This Time We purchased White Sands in November 2025, pregnant to Not This Time. White Sands was a fast filly, winning her first two starts at two followed by a third in the GIII Best Pal Stakes against colts. We are breeding White Sands back to Not This Time. Although the numbers of foals bred on this cross are limited, to date the cross has produced 25% stakes winners. We think duplicating the mating gives this young mare a great start in her career as a broodmare.   BURNING ARCH, 15, Arch – Chili Cat, by Storm Cat. Booked to Tiz The Law Burning Arch is a stakes-producing Arch mare. Arch mares have been wonderful broodmares. Tiz the Law's first two crops have seen excellent performers and we expect this to continue. Tiz the Law offers exceptional value. Burning Arch produces really attractive foals and we are excited about the prospects from this mating.   SURFS EDGE, 11, Malibu Moon – Essential Edge, by Storm Cat. Booked to Nyquist Surfs Edge is the dam of the very solid stakes-performing filly Ramsey Pond (Divisidero). Every time you look up, Nyquist produces another stakes horse from an A.P. Indy-line mare. Being by Malibu Moon, Surfs Edge fits the criteria. We are really excited about this mating. We think Nyquist is perfect for this mare.   STAVE, 11, Ghostzapper – Buy the Barrel, by E Dubai. Booked to Flightline Filly out of Stave sells for $2 million at the 2025 Keeneland September Sale | Keeneland We raced Stave and we raced her dam, Buy the Barrel. We purchased the third dam, Affordable Price (Drouilly {FR}), in 1995. The family continues to produce runner after runner. Stave's foal of 2024 was a $2 million Not This Time filly, Maranello, purchased by Scott and Cindy Heider. We all have great hopes for her. Stave will be bred to Flightline in 2026. The market loved the Flightlines and there is tremendous anticipation to see them perform in 2026. Stave produces beautiful foals, and if the Flightlines run like the look, the resultant foal could be really special.   SOUGHT, 4, Uncle Mo – Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry. Booked to Vekoma Sought is an unraced daughter of Seeking Gabrielle and is a full-sister to Nyquist. She was injured as a yearling and, therefore, did not race. She is currently carrying her first foal by Constitution and is booked to Vekoma for 2026. Vekoma has given every indication of being a top stallion in the making and was the number one first and second-crop stallion. He has already shown an affinity for Indian Charlie mares. It is certainly reasonable to think he will cross well with Uncle Mo mares, too.   NU PI LAMBDA, 9, City Zip – Giulio's Jewel, by Speightstown. Booked to Constitution Nu Pi Lambda is a half-sister to Deterministic (Liam's Map), a horse we bred, and she was a winner in Southern California of over $174,000. She is pregnant to Liam's Map, the sire of Deterministic, and is carrying her first foal. Nu Pi Lambda is booked to Constitution, a top-class stallion, and similar matings have resulted in numerous stakes winners. The 2026 mating and the expected 2026 foal should help Nu Pi Lambda get off to a great start as a broodmare.   TIZ AN EDVENTURE, 8, Tiznow – Triune, by E Dubai. Booked to Mindframe We are breeding Tiz an Edventure to Mindframe, an extremely good-looking son of Constitution who has been well received with his first book of mares. Constitution works exceptionally well with Tiznow mares, and we hope to replicate that with this mating. Tiz an Edventure is an extremely good-looking mare and we think a mating to Mindframe should produce a beautiful foal.   WIN THE WAR, 11, War Front – City Sister, by Carson City. Booked to Mindframe Tapit and his sons have shown an affinity for War Front mares. We are trying to repeat this and also really like the physical associated with this mating. We expect Mindframe to sire leggy foals with scope, and believe he has a great chance to be a top stallion.   WHOA NESSIE, 11, Square Eddie – Electric Daze, by Gilded Time. Booked by Omaha Beach This mare is booked to Omaha Beach, who is certainly proving himself to be a top-class sire. This is a similar cross as Desert Gate, by Omaha Beach, who is on the Derby trail. Whoa Nessie has produced exceptionally nice foals for us, and we believe she has the potential to be a stakes-producing mare. All the Omaha Beach horses we have bred have been outstanding physically and we expect this to be the case with the resultant foal. The post 2026 Mating Plans: Hinkle Farms appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Magnitude (Not This Time), a game winner over older horses in his sophomore finale in the GII Clark S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 28, will make his next start in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will also be well-represented by 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Obliteration (Violence) in the $1.5-million G3 Saudi Derby on the undercard. Both races will be held at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh Feb. 14. “We're very excited to have both of them go,” Asmussen said. “The Saudi Cup and the Saudi Derby–definitely something we want to be a part of. Feel great about the two horses.” Asmussen added, “Jose (Ortiz)'s riding Magnitude and Joel (Rosario)'s riding Obliteration. Fortunate to keep the same riders who they've won with recently.” Forced to miss the Triple Crown series after exiting his sensational GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star S. victory with an ankle chip, Magnitude resumed his sophomore campaign with a blowout win in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows July 5. A well-beaten third behind soon-to-be-crowned Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the GI DraftKings Travers S. at Saratoga Aug. 23, he showed a new dimension with a very good closing second in the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Sept. 20. Magnitude defeated G1 Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) by a half length as the 2-1 favorite in the Clark. He earned a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure in his aforementioned front-running tour-de-force victory at 43-1 in the Risen Star. The Winchell Thoroughbreds colorbearer, a $310,000 Keeneland November weanling turned $450,000 Keeneland September yearling, has breezed five times for Asmussen at Fair Grounds this winter, most recently firing a five-furlong bullet in 1:00.20 (1/17) Jan. 19. “We're full of hope,” Asmussen said. “The horse has run some extremely good times and put it all together in the Clark. He is training exceptionally well, as is expected of him right now.” The versatile Obliteration, a runaway winner of Saratoga's GIII Sanford S. at second asking July 5 and a respectable fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar Oct. 31, began the New Year in style with a 7 1/2-length win despite stumbling at the break in the six-furlong Renaissance S. at Oaklawn Park Jan. 3. He also finished second in last term's GII Saratoga Special S. Aug. 2, Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint S. Aug. 31 and Indian Summer S. at Keeneland Oct. 5. The latter two were run on grass. Campaigned in partnership by Leland Ackerley Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe and John Cilia, the $200,000 OBS March breezer worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 (6/23) at Fair Grounds Jan. 18. The 1600-meter (about one mile) Saudi Derby will be Obliteration's first attempt beyond 6 1/2 furlongs. “He's got a tremendous amount of talent,” Asmussen said. “Just really appreciate his personality. He's run in the Breeders' Cup (at Del Mar), at Kentucky Downs, at Saratoga, etc. He's got quite a bit of travel and experience at a very good level. He's capable of running very fast. It is a great opportunity.” Following the arrest of disgraced former trainer Jason Servis and subsequent demotion of Maximum Security, the Asmussen-trained Midnight Bisou was placed first via disqualification in the 2020 Saudi Cup. Asmussen also saddled the ill-fated Midnight Bourbon to a third-place finish in the 2022 renewal and Cowan to a second-place finish in the 2021 Saudi Derby. “International racing and being able to compete at this level is what I dreamed about from having a brother that won the Arc,” said Asmussen, who won the 2008 G1 Dubai World Cup with the legendary Curlin. “I love being a part of it.” Asmussen added that the Middle East-bound duo of Magnitude and Obliteration will fly out of Miami on Feb. 2. The post Asmussen Has Magnitude, Obliteration Booked for Saudi appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A big week for Ka Ying Rising is poised to get even bigger as the world’s best sprinter chases a record-equalling 17th straight win in Sunday’s Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) at Sha Tin. Fresh from being crowned Timeform’s Horse of the Year and the joint second-best horse in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, the David Hayes-trained superstar will bid to equal Silent Witness’ Hong Kong record of consecutive victories on the weekend. Hayes said Ka Ying Rising remains in peak...View the full article

I keen to try and beat them with one!

I was just marking his card!