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Darby Dan Farm's Shirl's Speight (Speightstown–Perfect Shirl, by Perfect Soul {Ire}), sired his first reported foal when a filly out of the multiple stakes-placed Ultimate Class (Durling) was born at Crupper Bloodstock in Paris, Kentucky, on Feb. 9. The filly's dam amassed earnings of $283,253 during her racing career and she has also produced multiple graded stakes-placed Bad Beat Brian who has banked $865,158. “I was very pleased with this filly from the moment she stood,” said Megan Morrison, Crupper Bloodstock, of the first arrival by Shirl's Speight. “Even in a newborn, it was obvious she had a great angle to her shoulder and a deep heart girth.” A homebred for Charles Fipke, the bay registered his biggest victory in the 2022 GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland, earning a career-high 104 Beyer Speed Figure. He ranked among the top milers that season when also second by less than a length to champion Modern Games (GB) in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. All told in an outstanding racing career, Shirl's Speight hit the board in 10-of-25 appearances competing against top-level horses around the world, banking $1,497,245. Shirl's Speight is by the late Speightstown, a champion sprinter, winner of the 2004 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Shirl's Speight is a member of a dynamic and highly achieving family cultivated by Fipke through the decades. Fipke purchased Shirl's Speight's second dam, Grade I winner Lady Shirl, for $485,000 at the 2005 Keeneland November sale. He bred Lady Shirl to his homebred Sadler's Wells stallion Perfect Soul  to get Perfect Shirl, winner of the 2011 GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Perfect Shirl earned more than $1.3 million during her accomplished racing career. For more information on Shirl's Speight, who stands for $5,000 S&N, contact Stuart Fitzgibbon at (859) 621-6763, or by email at Stuart@darbydan.com, or visit www.darbydan.com. The post First Foal for Darby Dan Farm’s Grade I Winner Shirl’s Speight appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Afleet Alex (Northern Afleet–Maggy Hawk, by Hawkster), the 2005 Champion 3-Year-Old Male and winner of both the GI Preakness and GI Belmont Stakes, was euthanized on Feb. 6 due to the infirmities of old age. He was 24. Afleet Alex will be buried at Gainesway. Retired to stud at Gainesway in 2006, he remained as a resident pensioner since 2022. Bred in Florida by John Martin Silvertand, Afleet Alex won by 11 1/4 lengths at Delaware Park before being purchased by Cash is King LLC and moved into the barn of trainer Timothy Ritchey. An impressive 5 1/4-length winner of the GII Sanford Stakes, he then took the GI Hopeful Stakes before closing his season with a runner-up finish in the GI Breeders' Cup' Juvenile. Afleet Alex punched his ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby with an eight-length victory in the GII Arkansas Derby, then he finished third on the First Saturday in May. Afleet Alex took the GI Preakness Stakes, delivering one of the most iconic performances in Triple Crown history. In the stretch, Afleet Alex clipped heels with rival Scrappy T causing him to stumble badly. Despite nearly falling to his knees, Afleet Alex recovered and powered down the Pimlico stretch to win by 4 3/4 lengths. Afleet Alex then confirmed his status as the top 3-year-old of his class in the GI Belmont Stakes, scoring by seven lengths. That effort secured him the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male of 2005. “Afleet Alex's Preakness Stakes remains one of the most incredible displays of athleticism and heart I have ever seen. He passed that same determination and talent down to his offspring,” said Gainesway owner Antony Beck. “A true champion in every sense and his presence at the farm will be deeply missed.” Afleet Alex retired to Gainesway in 2006, where he proved to be a versatile sire over 15 seasons. He sired over 50 stakes winners with progeny earnings surpassing $54.8 million. His stallion career was highlighted by the 2010 GI Travers Stakes, where three runners from his debut crop ran in the 'Midsummer Classic', including winner Afleet Express. He also sired Breeders' Cup winners Texas Red (Juvenile) and Afleet Again (Marathon), as well as Canadian Champion Skywire (Canada). Other top-level performers included Grade I winners Iotapa, Materiality, Sharla Rae, and Dublin. As a broodmare sire, his daughters have produced Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston, along with Grade I winners Practical Move, Dream Tree, and Goal Oriented. Beyond the racetrack and his stallion career, Afleet Alex's most significant legacy is his partnership with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. His success on the track helped raise millions of dollars and national awareness for childhood cancer research in honor of Alex Scott. Years later he remains synonymous with the cause and continues to provide hope for children and their families. “Afleet Alex was truly a horse of a lifetime. From his first race at Delaware Park to his triumph in the Belmont Stakes, he defined class and pure athleticism,” recalled his owner, Charles Zacney. “Off the track, his affiliation with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation was transformative; Liz Scott credits much of their success to him. It was a special era, and we'll forever cherish the ride and the memories. He will be deeply missed.”     The post Champion and Dual Classic Winner Afleet Alex Dies at 24 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Looking to be named the belle of the ball in a Gulfstream maiden, Prom Queen (Quality Road–Miss Bling Bling, by Tapit) ran on nicely to wear a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', crown on Thursday afternoon. A runner-up on debut in Hallandale last month, the 3-year-old was ready for her two turn dance as the heavy favorite. In the mix from the bell, at one point up the backstretch though she was shuffled back to last. Prom Queen got into action around the far turn and navigated through traffic. At the top of the lane the homebred took control and never looked back. Squander (Quality Road) checked in second. The final running time was 1:45.77. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0. O/B-Gary & Mary West (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. The post Quality Road’s Prom Queen Voted ‘TDN Rising Star’ After Gulfstream Maiden Dance appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

While the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) and the $1.5 million Saudi Derby (G3) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse feature American-trained runners or owned interests, other races on the Saudi Cup undercard also include notable U.S. representatives. View the full article

Repole Stable's Grande returns to racing action Feb. 14 at Gulfstream Park after being scratched from the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

A pair of runners trained by Todd Pletcher are being targeted for Gulfstream Park's marquee races for 3-year-olds this winter. WinStar Farm LLC, CHC Inc. and First Go Racing LLC's undefeated Jackson Hole (Nyquist) is on track for a start in the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Feb. 28, while Centennial Farms' Nearly (Not This Time) will make his next start in the GI Curlin Florida Derby on Mar. 28. “He's doing very well. He's scheduled to breeze [Friday], and we're pointing for the Fountain of Youth,” Pletcher said of the former. Jackson Hole, a $1.3 million purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September sale, debuted at Gulfstream Dec. 13 with a rallying one-length victory in a seven-furlong maiden special weight. The colt became a TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard when taking his two-turn debut by 5 1/2 lengths at Fair Grounds on Jan. 17 in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance. “I thought he ran very well. He made a comfortable lead and it seemed like he had plenty left at the end,” Pletcher said. “It was a good performance in his second start for shipping out of town and making his first start around two turns.” According to Pletcher, the timing is still right for Holy Bull hero Nearly to race next in the $1-million Florida Derby. “We felt like we'd give him a little time. He had four races fairly close together. We thought we'd give him the chance to get a little breather,” Pletcher said. “We like the spacing of that.” Nearly, who was a disappointing sixth in his Oct. 26 debut at Aqueduct, has won three races in a row at Gulfstream. The colt scored by 9 1/4 lengths in a six-furlong maiden special weight Nov. 22 and came right back to draw off to a five-length victory in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance Jan. 2. Negotiating two turns for the first time proved to be no problem for Nearly, who pressed the pace before drawing off to a 5 3/4-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull Jan. 31. “Hopefully, if he were to run well in the Florida Derby, it would be five weeks back to the [Kentucky] Derby,” Pletcher said. The post Pletcher’s Jackson Hole Returns in Fountain of Youth, Nearly Heads Straight to Florida Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Florida House of Representatives on Feb. 11 passed the controversial decoupling bill backed by Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs that would allow either track to cease live racing while retaining their respective casino and card-room privileges. The 77-34 decoupling vote was largely split along party lines, with Republicans mostly in favor of it and Democrats mostly against it. The roll call came at the very end of a four-hour legislative session on Wednesday, and the eight minutes of discussion preceding its passage consisted of only one representative speaking out against decoupling and only the bill's sponsor advocating in favor of it. By that point in Wednesday's session, House members seemed to have little appetite to enter into extended debate on the initiative, despite the fact that decoupling has the capability to dismantle Florida's entire Thoroughbred ecosystem. In fact, when two representatives who had asked for time to speak on the House floor said they were instead going to “yield back” their time and not weigh in at all on decoupling, the politicians in the chamber cheered in anticipation that the session would soon be ending. “There's a lot I can say today, in closing, about how this bill will keep Florida in the winner's circle,” said the bill's Republican sponsor, Rep. Adam Anderson, who, in what must seem like a stunning paradox to Thoroughbred stakeholders, keeps portraying himself as an advocate for the racing industry despite crafting the very legislation that could kill off the state's breeding and racing. But, Anderson added, “I know we all want to get home tonight, so I'm not going to do that.” In closing, Anderson said, “Let's quit horsing around. Help me gallop this bill across the finish line, and turn that [vote tally] board green.” Rep. Yvonne Hinson, a Democrat whose district includes part of Marion County, the heart of Florida's Thoroughbred breeding and horse-raising territory, spoke up in opposition to House Bill 881, just like she did last year when a similar decoupling bill sponsored by Anderson passed the House but not the Senate. Hinson had also vociferously advocated against the current bill's passage at a Jan. 14 committee hearing. “At first glance, this may seem like a technical regulatory change, just a tweak in how we classify permits. But in reality, it is a fundamental shift in policy that threatens a legacy of generations in industry, thousands of jobs, and an entire community's economy,” Hinson said. “This is not hypothetical. When similar decoupling measures have passed, other forms of pari-mutuel gaming, such as greyhound and harness racing, the result was the end of live racing in those sectors,” Hinson said. “Thoroughbred racing has been the one remaining exception, and for god reason. Proponents argue that safeguards in the bill, like delaying any notice of ending live racing until July 1, 2027, with a three-year operations requirement, will protect the sport. But let's be clear: Those are paper guarantees that depend entirely on future business decisions, and not on this legislature's firm commitment to the industry,” Hinson said. Anderson countered Hinson's narrative by suggesting that despite both Gulfstream and Tampa strongly backing the decoupling bill, neither track would actually utilize the legislation they are lobbying for to exit the business of live racing. “This upcoming weekend, Tampa Bay Downs is celebrating 100 years of Thoroughbred racing in the state of Florida, and they just signed a three-year contract with their horsemen,” Anderson said. “Gulfstream Park also just signed a new three-year agreement with their horsemen. These are not the kinds of actions that we are going to see from businesses that don't intend to continue to operate. This legislation simply eliminates unnecessary government regulations on the last two pari-mutuel permit-holders in the entire state.” As per custom in the Florida House (and unlike at the two previous House committee hearings that reported the decoupling bill favorably this year), only representatives were allowed to debate the bill, meaning no public testimony on Wednesday was taken before the full House voted on the measure. Earlier this week, Tom Cannell, the president of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, told TDN's Bill Finley that even though passage in the House seemed to be a foregone conclusion, getting a companion bill passed in the Senate and signed into law might be difficult for pro-decoupling forces. “Our hope is that when this bill gets to the Senate, there will be no real appetite for the senators to deal with this,” Cannell said Feb. 8. “It has got to go through the two branches of the legislature and then it has to go to the governor [Ron DeSantis], who, last year, appeared at OBS and made it very clear he didn't have an appetite to wipe out an industry. I'd call it a long shot from the standpoint of the bill going through and completing its run through the Senate. Maybe that's too bold of a comment, but that's my gut feeling. My gut tells me it's not going to get through the Senate.” The nearly identical companion bill in the Florida Senate has been referred to three committees, but has yet to be scheduled for any committee debate in that chamber.   The post Florida House Advances Decoupling, but Senate Has Yet to Schedule Hearings on Companion Bill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Returning to a track he has had much success over, the Phil D'Amato trainee enters the race off a game fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Del Mar, after being compromised at the break.View the full article

The Saudi Derby (G3) is a new addition to the Churchill Downs competitions seeking to lure foreigners to the Kentucky Derby (G1) but also has attracted some American 3-year-olds looking for an optional route to Louisville, Ky.View the full article