Wandering Eyes

Bellatrix Star (Star Witness) has defied early predictions and is set to be back at the races as early as Saturday at Caulfield after a stunning recovery from a fractured neck. The spring’s best jockey, Mark Zahra, has been confirmed as taking his first ride aboard the now four-year-old as she races for the first time in more than a year in the A$175,000 Listed Doveton Stakes (1100m). Such a comeback was something her connections dared not to even dream of at the start of the year when she broke her neck in a training accident at Cranbourne. In early January, after a spring where she had run second in the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington, Bellatrix Star reared and fell when exiting the pool, with the early prognosis indicating her racing days were done. Trainer Mark Walker’s assistant Ben Gleeson explained that her future looked certain to lie in the breeding barn until connections took another x-ray of her neck and, to their surprise, found the injury had healed. “It was just in a tricky enough position that all sorts of things could come about from it,” Gleeson said. “We weren’t sure if she was ever going to be able to be ridden again let alone get back to doing everything she is doing currently. “We were going to retire her when she was out cantering in the paddock and we just thought we’d take a precautionary x-ray and it basically showed it had all healed, much to our surprise. “We’ve been pretty level-headed the whole way through about where we are going to get to so, provided she has a smooth week at home, this weekend is exciting, although we’re just trying to keep a lid on it at the moment. “We’ve still got no idea whether she is going to come back the same horse, but she ran through the line last Thursday in her trial and that gave us enough inclination that she’s got plenty of zest for racing. It’s going to be a tough ask on Saturday. She carries a big weight first-up for over 12 months. “It won’t be easy but we’re hopeful of seeing her resume to a good enough standard to push onto the autumn. She’s had a few riders but I’m sure Mark Zahra will suit. He’s obviously a man in form and he’s got great hands. She’s renowned for being a bit keen and a bit fierce in her races.” Bellatrix Star has raced just 11 times for five wins, including a Stakes hat-trick last spring of the Listed Cap d’Antibes Stakes (1100m), the Gr.3 Champagne Stakes (1200m) and the Gr.2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m), before her Coolmore Stud Stakes placing. View the full article

Progressive staying prospect Skippers Canyon (NZ) (Belardo) will take another step towards a planned Pakenham Cup tilt when he runs over 1800m at Caulfield on Saturday. Stokes has a number of horses nominated to compete at the Zipping Classic Day meeting, with Skippers Canyon scheduled to run in a Benchmark 74 after making an impression first-up at the same track earlier this month with a last-to-first victory over 1700m in the same grade. That was Skippers Canyon’s second win from three starts for the Stokes stable since joining the team after doing his earlier racing in New Zealand. “It was huge,” Stokes said of the four-year-old’s first-up win at Caulfield on November 15. “He’s just got a bit of a habit of stepping slow and Lachy (Neindorf) went to Plan B and he couldn’t have been any more impressive the way he let down. “He’s trained on good, no problems. It was probably a bit better than expected first-up so I’m hoping that we’re not going to get the second-up blues but his work this morning was nice and sharp so I feel he’s in good order.” Stokes is focused on getting Skippers Canyon to next month’s $300,000 Listed Pakenham Cup (2500m) on his home track, with Saturday’s race pinpointed as the right stepping stone. Skippers Canyon has been nominated in both the Eclipse Stakes and the Benchmark race, with Stokes indicating on Tuesday that the latter is the preference, with apprentice Logan Bates booked to take the ride to utilise a claim and help offset the 61.5kg impost. “When we tipped him out (last campaign) we thought we’d aim him up for the Pakenham Cup and then we’ll give him another little break and then we’ll work out where we go after that,” Stokes said. “We really like the horse. “He’s still not there, I still think he’s a preparation away, but he couldn’t have done much more than what he’s done. He won first-up (last preparation) at Sandown on a Heavy track and I think he’s going to make a nice 2400-metre horse.” The Belardo gelding was imported by OTI Racing after 10 starts in New Zealand, including a maiden win over 2100m at Otaki in January. He also recorded three seconds and a third, along with a fourth in the $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m) and a fifth in the Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1600m). View the full article

Farag (NZ) (Sacred Falls) will be given the chance to enter a new chapter in the Jericho Cup story at Warrnambool this Sunday when he strives to become the first back-to-back winner of the 4600-metre marathon. ‘’No horse has done it before so it would be great for him to achieve that,’’ trainer Aaron Purcell said on Tuesday. ‘’It’s obviously very hard to win the race once, let alone twice, but he’s in the right shape to give it a real shot.’’ To become the first defending champion of the longest flat race in Australia, Farag must match the feats of previous winners Wil John (2021) and Ablaze (2019) by carrying topweight of 70 kilograms over the 4600-metre journey. ‘’The 70kgs is obviously a task over that trip and against the others he’s carrying more weight as the second topweight has 67kgs and he was second topweight last year with 69kgs,’’ Purcell said. ‘’But he knows the track and distance and he’s carried weight before so we’re confident he’ll go well. ‘’Of course, Will Gordon riding is a major plus as well. ‘’He was obviously good at Geelong last week with the weight (70kgs) and bounced out of that race well. ‘’He went over the hill yesterday (Monday), even though he’s been over the hill before, it’s been a while, so everything suggests that he’s well and should be running well on Sunday.’’ Purcell may have two runners in the race as he waits on news as to whether new stable acquisition The Claimant gains a run in the Jericho Cup or is in the $60,000 consolation race over 3450 metres. View the full article

Group Two winner Tuxedo (NZ) (Tivaci) is gearing up for a busy summer, with the son of Tivaci given a quiet trial over 1100m at Taupo on Tuesday to help ready him for his looming targets. He had a pleasing three-year-old term for trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray, winning three of his six starts, including the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) and Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1600m), and was runner-up behind Damask Rose in the $1.5 million Karaka Million 3YO (1600m). He returned this season with a first-up victory over 1400m at Ruakaka in August before running seventh and sixth respectively in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) and Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m). He has subsequently been freshened, and reflecting on Tuxedo’s first two weight-for-age runs, Ritchie said he certainly wasn’t out of his depth. “He had three weeks off after his two unlucky weight-for-age runs, and he certainly didn’t get the rub of the green in either race,” he said. “In his first one he got a bit of a wide run and didn’t get a lot of luck, he was knocked around a little bit and wasn’t far off them, and in the second one Waitak beat him to the gap and won the race. He perhaps could have run a place had he had clear running in that one. “I don’t believe he underperformed, but it was time to back off. I think it will strengthen him up and make him a lot tougher for the summer and autumn racing he has got ahead of him.” Ritchie was pleased with Tuxedo’s trial, where he was untested at the rear of the field, alongside multiple Group One winner Waitak, and he expects him to fire on all cylinders fresh-up in the Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on December 13. “That was a lovely quiet trial,” he said. “A lot of Lance (O’Sullivan) and Scotty’s (Andrew Scott) horses have been having what I would call handbrake trials, like they do in Sydney, and you find when they have trials like that, they usually come out full of beans and perform well first-up. “He will almost certainly take his place at Te Rapa in the J Swap and then more than likely the Rich Hill Mile (Gr.2, 1600m). He is in a good place in the Handicap now, so he doesn’t need to run at that weight-for-age level anymore, so we will work our way through the handicap and hopefully hit our peak in the Aotearoa Classic ($1 million, 1600m) in front of the big crowd at Ellerslie (on Karaka Millions night).” Ritchie was also happy with the trial of stablemate Crowd Pleaser (NZ) (Derryn), who finished runner-up in his 1100m heat. The three-year-old son of Derryn won his first trial over 800m at Ellerslie in June and Ritchie expects him to perform on raceday at short notice. “He is a lovely three-year-old,” Ritchie said. “I think he was purchased initially by people who turn horses over, a good couple of clients of ours. “He won his first trial at Ellerslie very well. We probably didn’t quite have him ready for the 1100m today, so he might be better at 1000m, but I think he will end up running a mile later on. “He is a very nice horse and if they decide to race him in New Zealand, and they may well do that now, I am sure he will show some form very quickly in the three-year-old ranks through the summer.” View the full article

Chris Wood’s team has been in good recent form and he’s hoping for more of the same this week. At Ellerslie on Saturday, the Cambridge trainer will have You Say D’Orsay in the Gr.3 Bayleys Great Northern Challenge Stakes (1600m), promising stayer Boxmoss in the Cure Kids Handicap (2400m) and sentimental favourite Lyin’ Eyes in the Mondiale VGL Maiden (1300m). Wood will also have runners at Te Aroha on Wednesday where Watch Me Go (Property Brokers Maiden, 1150m) and That’s Gold (Travel Advocates Maiden, 1400m) look two of his better chances. “I quite like them, they should definitely be strong each way chances,” he said. You Say D’Orsay (Under The Louvre) is the highest rated horse in the stable, with four wins to his credit, and has performed well in stakes company, finishing a close fifth earlier this year in the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) and fourth in the $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m). “He’s in the big mile and he’s racing well, he’s a very, very consistent horse and I’d expect him to go well again,” Wood said. You Say D’Orsay has run consecutive thirds at Tauranga in his two starts back after a break, while Boxmoss (NZ) (Vadamos) has won three of his last five appearances, including a course and distance victory last time out. “He’s a progressive staying horse and will be a really nice chance on Saturday,” Wood said. “I’m really happy with him and everything going right, he’ll go to the Dunstan Stayers’ Final (2400m) on Boxing Day.” Shocking mare Lyin’ Eyes (NZ) (Shocking) will resume on Saturday after finishing a debut spring third behind last Saturday’s Wanganui winner Passiflora. Wood has a lengthy and successful association with the four-year-old’s family. “She’s a great granddaughter of a mare I trained to win on Cox Plate Day and Melbourne Cup Day in 1989,” he said. A six-time winner up to Group Three level and Group One-placed, Echo Lass was ridden in her Moonee Valley and Flemington victories by former champion jockey and successful trainer Lance O’Sullivan. View the full article

Proven stars from Wexford Stables were out in force at Tuesday’s Taupo trials as they limbered up for important assignments on the horizon. First cab off the rank in the open 1100m heats was Waitak (NZ) (Proisir), already the winner of the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) and Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) this season and on target for a Group One hat-trick in the TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham on December 6. The big Proisir gelding was kept under a tight hold by Craig Grylls throughout his Taupo hit-out and crossed in fourth place with plenty in reserve. “They were all there for a day out just to bring them on,” said Lance O’Sullivan, who trains in partnership with Andrew Scott. “Waitak has pleased us since we stepped up his training again and he did all that we wanted today. “Craig said he felt great and that will set him up nicely for the 1600m down at Trentham.” Waitak shares favouritism for the TAB Classic at $4.50 with La Crique and Legarto, while stablemate Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino), equal favourite with Crocetti for the Gr. 1 Telegraph (1200m) on January 4, also underlined her progress with a bold trial. The free-going mare, who finished third in her sole start of the spring, the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m), was allowed to slide forward by rider Joe Doyle and was untroubled to score by a neck from the lightly-tried Scolera. “That’s Tomodachi, she likes to run, and it probably didn’t help that they weren’t going that quick,” O’Sullivan said. “She’ll trial again next month and go into the Telegraph fresh. She’s right where we want her at this stage.” The same approach is planned for stablemate and defending Telegraph title-holder Grail Seeker (NZ) (Iffraaj), who finished a well-held third in her Taupo trial. She is currently third favourite at $8 for the big sprint. “She’s on target for Trentham and one more trial should set her up nicely,” O’Sullivan said. “She’s going really well and it’s good to see that she’s starting to carry more condition, which is a positive sign.” The remainder of the Wexford trial contingent also shaped pleasingly. Miss Bo Peep, the winner of three of her seven starts, finished one place ahead of Waitak, setting her up to resume in Rating 75 grade at Te Rapa on December 13. Checkmate, a close-up fourth of four in his trial, did all that was expected as he also builds towards a raceday return on Waikato Cup day. “He’s starting to furnish and I’m picking he’ll be a big improver, which is also the case with Monday Melody who had a quiet time of it today,” O’Sullivan said. “He’ll have another trial and then go racing.” Rounding out the Wexford team, stable newcomer Up The Anti finished one place ahead of Grail Seeker. The three-race winner, previously trained by Holly Wynyard, is likely to have his first start from new quarters next month. View the full article

Hugh Bowman is confident Hakka Radiance will extend his winning streak at Happy Valley on Wednesday night and deliver the Australian ace a crucial victory in his pursuit of a berth for the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship. The final two positions in the coveted contest on December 10 will be decided on Wednesday night, with Bowman (14 wins) bidding to leapfrog Luke Ferraris (15) for second place behind Zac Purton in this season’s championship. Holding a 19-7 advantage over Ferraris...View the full article

Michael sits down for a rare chat with the boss of Entain Australia/New Zealand, Andrew Vouris, to discuss the business & future in Aotearoa, racing & sport wagering, & AUSTRAC. And a trip to Cambridge means a check in with Little Mickey G, who’s heading to the sales in January. Guerin Report – S2 Ep.12 Ft. Andrew Vouris View the full article

Cambridge Stud mare Jaarffi (NZ) (Iffraaj) posted yet another stakes placing over the weekend, and trainer Lance Noble is hoping she can be rewarded for her consistency with an elusive black-type victory over summer. The six-year-old daughter of Iffraaj finished third behind Qali Al Farrasha in the Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe last Saturday, with Noble believing her wide alley played a significant factor. “She went super, but the barrier draw (11) beat her,” Noble said. “From that barrier draw we had to go back with her and it was pretty hard for the horses to make up a lot of ground on Saturday. The track was perfect, but when it is a perfect track, the ones in front keep running and it makes it a little bit harder for the back markers. I think she ran the fastest last 400m and 200m, so you have got to be happy.” It was Jaarffi’s fourth black-type placing, having also finished runner-up in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m), and Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m), and Noble is hoping she can strike in her next start in the Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) at Te Rapa next month. “She is just so honest, it would be nice to crack one, but she is running well,” he said. “We have been patient with her the whole way through, so hopefully being patient might pay off.” On the undercard at Pukekohe, stablemate Mollify (NZ) (So You Think) continued her good run of form when winning the Franklin Long Roofing 2100. It was her second win from four starts since returning to New Zealand earlier this year, and now Noble is setting his sights on some loftier targets. “It was very pleasing, she looks promising,” he said. It was her first time over ground and once they can stay it opens up a few more doors. I am very pleased with the way she is going. “She has come back and has just matured with an extra year on her. She is finding her forte, which is getting up over staying trips. Hopefully we can get her towards something like the Dunstan Stayers’ Final ($125,000, 2400m) on Boxing Day.” Noble has quickly turned his attention to racing this week, where he will have a two-pronged attack at Te Aroha on Wednesday, courtesy of Kitten Heels in the Diprose Miller Maiden 1150 and Hot Card in the Diprose Miller Chartered Accountants 1150, while Group Two winner Habana and Frostfair will head to Ellerslie on Saturday. “Kitten Heels has only had the one start for a nice third. She is going the right way and should run well again,” he said. “I thought Hot Card’s last start was good against some pretty strong company at Ellerslie. I am hopeful with those two and Te Aroha is a nice track.” Noble is also upbeat about the chances of his Ellerslie contenders, particularly Habana (Zoustar) in the Gr.3 Great Northern Challenge Stakes (1600m). “It is set weights and penalties, so he drops quite a lot of weight with the conditions of the race,” he said. “I think he gets 55 kilos, which he hasn’t carried since he was probably a maiden. “I am really happy with him. Things just haven’t gone quite to plan, but he hasn’t been too far away.” View the full article

The top three finishers of last month's Fayette Stakes (G3) at Keeneland—Hit Show, Rattle N Roll, and Gosger—rematch Nov. 28 in the $600,000 Clark Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, a race Rattle N Roll won last year.View the full article

More than 17 years after Thoroughbred racing shut down in Kansas, the sport will be revived in the Sunflower state in October 2026. It was all made possible when the Kansas legislature and Governor Laura Kelly passed a statute that will allow for 1,000 Historical Horse Racing machines in the state. Three-percent of the gross revenue from the machines will be devoted to racing. It is estimated that the state's race horse development fund, which will allocate money to purses, will receive about $15 million from the machines. The state's breeding fund will pull in $3 million. The racing will be conducted at Eureka Downs, which is in Eureka, Kansas, and has not held Thoroughbred racing since 2008. That was the same year that the Woodlands Racetrack, which was in Kansas City, Kansas, shut down. Initially, there will be 44 annual days of racing in the state. “We are ecstatic about this development, but this has been hard,” said Peach Madl, the executive director of the Kansas Thoroughbred Association. “We have been fighting to have racing again for so many years. We know we will have to find more owners and breeders and lay the foundation so that they will raise Kansas foals again. We only have a short time to start.” According to The Jockey Club, only four mares were bred in the state in 2023. The machines will not be at Eureka Downs but at a gaming facility named Gilley's in Park City, Kansas. Gilley's is on the site of the old Wichita Greyhound Park and was purchased by Phil Ruffin and his family. Ruffin is well-known for his extensive business ventures in the state, including pioneering self-serve gas stations and developing hotels and gaming facilities. “How did we get approval for the HHR machines? It has to be the persistence of the Ruffin family and that we were aiming to get HRR machines this time,” Madl said. “The HHR machines made it where Kansas, which is a total ag state, could have horse racing again. It's ridiculous that we've gone this long without horse racing. This is a state with a lot of horse people and farmers. This took persistence and a lot of money to get the HHR machines approved.” Madl said there is the potential for more dates to be added in the future. “Since the track is being renovated now, Eureka Downs didn't want to ask for any more dates than that for now,” she said. While, on the surface, it might seem that a track in a state where so few horses have been bred in recent years, Eureka Downs might struggle to fill fields. Madl predicted that Eureka will not have a major problem putting together racing cards. “We are fortunate to be smack in the middle of a circuit that most of the trainers run at,” she said. “That's Remington, Prairie Meadows and the tracks in Nebraska. We plan not to interfere with their races. There will be a pocket for us. We can be that place that fits in with what is currently going on.” Madl said that when it comes to racing, Kansas has a lot going for it. “We have nothing but open pasture ground here,” she said. “We have the room, we have the agriculture needs. We think there is room for racing to grow in the Midwest.” Though there is not a rich history of racing in Kansas, the state's Thoroughbred industry does have a claim to fame. Kansas-bred Lawrin won the 1938 Kentucky Derby and was the first ever Derby winner for Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Arcaro and Hall of Fame trainer Ben Jones. The post Racing To Return To Kansas In 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

On the Nov. 24 episode of BloodHorse Monday: Scott Clarke discusses the legacy of his father, Harvey, ahead of Gosger's run in the Nov. 28 Clark Stakes (G2); Brian Hernandez Jr. talks about his return to riding after a September spill.View the full article

Four stakes written for juveniles–two each for males and females–will be featured during the upcoming six-day winter meeting at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, California. Live racing will take place Friday through Sunday on consecutive weekends between Dec. 5 and 7 and Dec. 12 and 14. The first of the added-money events is the $200,000 GII Starlet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and a mile and a sixteenth to be run Saturday, Dec. 6. Its male counterpart, the $200,000 GII Los Alamitos Futurity will be contested on Saturday, Dec. 13 also at 8 1/2 furlongs. A pair of Cal-bred restricted races are also planned–the $100,000 Soviet Problem Stakes for the fillies runs Sunday, Dec. 7, while the closing-day feature is the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes on Dec. 14. Each race is run over a mile. The wagering menu includes a pair of $1 Pick 4's on races 2-5 and the final four races along with a $2 Pick Six as well as the Players' Pick 5–a 50-cent minimum bet with a reduced takeout rate of 14% rate–on the first five races. The Pick Six will have the standard 70-30 split with 70% of the pool going to those tickets with six winners with the remaining 30% going to tickets with five of six winners. There will also be a handicapping contest Saturday, Dec. 13 and the Los Alamitos Racing Association will offer a cash prize and a pair of berths in the 2026 National Thoroughbred Racing Association Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. Cost to enter is $500. Of that amount, $100 will be placed in the contest prize pool with the remaining $400 going towards a live money wagering card. The post Juvenile Stakes Highlight Los Alamitos Winter Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saudi Arabia has been granted a number of Riyadh season race upgrades, including the country's first top-tier race on turf, with the $2 million Neom Turf Cup (G1T) being granted group 1 status ahead of its 2026 running on Saudi Cup (G1) day Feb. 14.View the full article

On the Nov. 24 episode of BloodHorse Monday: Scott Clarke discusses the legacy of his father, Harvey, ahead of Gosger's run in the Nov. 28 Clark Stakes (G2); Brian Hernandez Jr. discusses his return to riding after a September spill.View the full article