Wandering Eyes

There will be plenty of music at Gulfstream Park Jan. 24 on a typically festive Pegasus World Cup day. The DJs in the hospitality areas will probably be playing lots of pop and hip-hop. But on the racetrack, it could be Disco Time. View the full article

Prominent owner David Archer’s silks have been carried to victory in some of New Zealand’s most prestigious races, and in March, he is hoping he can tick off another – the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m). Archer has teamed up with NZB Kiwi Slot Holder The King’s Men to contest the southern hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race with his Group One-performed filly Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel), and he is excited about the joint venture. “Cameron George (The King’s Men member) came to us initially,” Archer said. “We have had five others (Slot Holders) talk with us subsequently, but Cameron was always consistent, so we are very happy to be with him and the team.” Archer is particularly looking forward to sharing the experience with his partner, Diane, and children Simon and Natalie. “It’s a thrill, there is a bit of excitement about it,” he said. “My two kids that are in the ownership with Diane and I, live in Australia and these sort of things to them, even a country away, are massively exciting. I think they will be there for the Kiwi.” Trained by Te Akau Racing’s Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Belle Cheval has won one and placed in two of her three starts to date, including running third behind fellow NZB Kiwi contenders Well Written (AUS) (Written Tycoon) and Lollapalooza (NZ) (El Roca) in the $600,000 Group One Barneswood Farm 53rd New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). She has subsequently been freshened and The King’s Men Slot Manager Andrew Forsman is pleased they have locked in their NZB Kiwi representative ahead of her next target in the $250,000 Group Three Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. “Obviously everyone wanted Well Written and when she was off the table you have got to look for a horse that you feel has scope to improve and train on,” Forsman said. “We went through what was around and what was finishing in behind Well Written and thought given her pedigree, she looked the right sort of horse. “We are hopeful and confident in her and I feel that she has been trained for it (NZB Kiwi). I like the fact that they have freshened her up and she will race over 1200m (on Saturday) and I think that is a nice stepping-stone to then go to the 1500m.” Belle Cheval hails from a rich pedigree, with several of Archer’s topline gallopers featuring close-up in her family. She is out of broodmare gem Keepa Cheval (NZ) (Keeper), who is a half-sister to Archer’s most successful horse – 10-time Group One winner Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire) – and a half-sister to the dam of Group One performer Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin). While she only won one race on the track herself, Keepa Cheval has left her mark as a broodmare, being the dam of three-time Group One winner Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux), Group Three winner Cheval D’Or (NZ) (Almanzor) and Vitesse (NZ) (Makfi), the dam of Group One winner Kovalica (NZ) (Ocean Park). Belle Cheval has inherited the family’s talent and Archer said that was evident from an early age. “Thanks to Opie Bosson (jockey) and the Te Akau team, they have all been very hot on Belle Cheval from the early days,” he said. “We have taken our time with her, which was the big thing with her. She has always shown a lot of promise.” With the NZB Kiwi deal locked in, Archer is now looking forward to heading to Ellerslie to watch Belle Cheval compete this weekend, and if victorious, she becomes eligible for the $1 million in bonuses up for grabs in the NZB Kiwi. “It’s nice to see her back on the track,” he said. “Like all owners, we have got our fingers crossed that she is going to run well on Saturday. If she is lucky enough to win, she will get the bonus in the Kiwi, and we are on track. “They (trainers) said she is spot on. She looks magnificent and is in good condition.” With Bosson unable to make the 55kg allotted weight, Archer is utilising the services of visiting Australian hoop Craig Williams. “Opie always wanted to ride her from day one, but he can’t ride the filly’s weight and Mark (Walker) said they could get Craig Williams, and you don’t turn your back on him very often on a light weight,” Archer said. NZB Kiwi hot favourite Well Written ($2.20) will also head to Ellerslie on Saturday where she will contest the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), and while Archer has plenty of respect for the Stephen Marsh-trained filly, he is hopeful his filly can show enough progression over the next six weeks to usurp her. “Well Written is clearly an out-and-out top horse and she is certainly the benchmark, we just hope our girl gets the breaks and gives it a shot,” he said. View the full article

The nominees for the 2026 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award include Tyler Baze, Alex Birzer, Julien Leparoux, Jareth Loveberry, and Tim Thornton. View the full article

Santa Anita has nominated five of the nation's top riders, Tyler Baze, Alex Birzer, Julien Leparoux, Jareth Loveberry and Tim Thornton, for the 77th George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award at Santa Anita Park, the track announced Friday. Since 1950, The Woolf Award honors riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. One of the most prestigious awards in sports, the Woolf Award is voted on by their peers nationwide and can only be won once. The 2025 Woolf Award was won by Kendrick Carmouche. The 2026 winner will be announced in March. The post Santa Anita Nominates Five Jockeys For George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It seems like just yesterday the announcement was made that Gulfstream Park would host the inaugural Pegasus World Cup Invitational. However, a lot has happened over the course of the past 10 years. While the present-day Pegasus format doesn't look much like it did when it was first launched in 2017, the primary directive of getting the best older horses in the country to come to Southern Florida for the third week in January has remained constant. And the history of past winners certainly reflects that. Beginning with its first two winners, Arrogate and Gun Runner in 2017 and 2018, the 9-furlong test instantly established itself not only a stomping ground of champions but also a venue for forging the next generation of top sires. Starting from the very first edition, Arrogate, Champion 3-year-old Male of the 2016 season, won for a pair of Hall of Famers–Bob Baffert and Mike Smith. Baffert would win two more renewals with Mucho Gusto in 2020 and four years later with National Treasure, who also earned the Champion Older Dirt Male title in 2024. Gun Runner was already a Horse of the Year when he annexed the 2018 renewal of the race for Steve Asmussen and Florent Geroux. However, it was after his racing days were over that he truly began to shine, with a dozen Grade I winners and two champions–Sierra Leone (3yo Male) and Echo Zulu (2yo Filly)–already to his credit. Knicks Go, winner of the 2021 Pegasus for trainer Brad Cox and Joel Rosario, concluded the season with the Horse of the Year title, and finished second behind victorious Life Is Good when returning to Gulfstream for the 2022 renewal. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Life Is Good was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., who previously won with Mucho Gusto. Ortiz Jr. holds the distinction of the most Pegasus wins after collecting his third Pegasus in 2025 with the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained White Abarrio. City of Light, who currently stands at Lane's End, concluded his sparkling career on the track, highlighted by a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with a victory in the 2019 Pegasus, the first victory for Michael McCarthy and Javier Castellano. At stud, he's also achieved success, most notably with 2023 Champion 2-year-old Male Fierceness. Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who just garnered his fifth Eclipse Award as the leading trainer of the 2025 season, won Gufstream's marquee race in 2023 with the ill-fated Art Collector, piloted by Junior Alvarado. The duo teamed up to win last season's Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes with the 2025 Champion 3-year-old Colt and Horse of the Year, Sovereignty (Into Mischief). Juddmonte Hoping to Book-End Pegasus Wins with Disco Time It was a sparkling homebred grey son of Unbridled's Song that stole the show for Juddmonte in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup 10 years ago. For its anniversary edition, the operation brings forth another homebred, Disco Time (Not This Time), who may not possess the towering credentials of his predecessor, but certainly has the class. Sparingly raced, the colt marked his career debut at Churchill Downs in the fall of his juvenile season, winning by 3 3/4 lengths and made it two straight with another win at that venue, this time going a mile in optional claiming company, one month later. In his sophomore bow, he closed from well off the pace to take the Lecomte Stakes in the Fair Grounds slop last January but didn't reappear until romping in the St Louis Derby at Fairmount Park in September. Favored for the fifth-straight time in his career, the colt blasted home a 9 3/4-length winner over Crudo (Justify) in the one-mile Dwyer Stakes on Nov. 8. Trained by Brad Cox, the colt clearly has talent. But how much? “We'll know more Saturday,” Cox said, “but he's been very good…He always trained like a talented horse before he ever ran. He was able to start his career off a nice three-for-three.” Of the long gap between races last season, Cox explained, “We hit a little bump in the road last winter with him. He got some time off and came back a bigger, stronger version of himself. We think he has a really big future.” Disco Time, who will break from post 1, will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, who earned his second Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey Thursday evening. “I'm OK with it, as long as he breaks well and gets good position and is comfortable,” Cox said of the colt's inside draw. “I don't think he necessarily needs to be on the lead. He can lay off it. That'll be up to Flavien and how he breaks.” Cox will also saddle WinStar Farm's, CHC Inc., Cold Press Racing and Qatar Racing's Tappan Street (Into Mischief), winner of the GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream last season. In that race, he quite notably defeated Sovereignty. Sidelined for much of his sophomore year because of a condylar fracture, the $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase returned off a nine-month layoff to score in a one-mile optional claimer at Gulfstream last month. Preparing for the Pegasus World Cup at Payson Park Training Center, the bay most recently worked five furlongs in a bullet 1:01 3/5 (1/16) on Jan. 17. “His work on Saturday morning was one of the best works we've seen from him…period,” said Cox. Stacked Pegasus Turf Saturday's Pegasus races also features a pair of oversubscribed turf events–the nine-furlong GI Pegasus World Cup Turf and the 8 1/2-furlong GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf. A trio of Grade I winners highlight the Turf, including Program Trading (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), a three-time winner at the highest level earlier in his career although winless in three starts in 2025. Runner-up in the Bernard Baruch and GI Turf Mile at Keeneland last season, the Klaravich Stable runner finished 10th in his 5-year-old finale in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar. Bagging his second Eclipse Award on Thursday, Flavien Prat returns on the 6-year-old. Last summer's GI Arlington Million winner Fort Washington (War Front) tries to improve on a fifth-place finish in this race last year, while GI Belmont Derby hero Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) will line up for Amerman Racing and Graham Motion. The 4-year-old most recently won the GII Twilight Derby before finishing a close-up third in the Nov. 29 GI Hollywood Derby. “He was really unlucky last time out. He had a brutal trip. I think you could definitely make the case to say he was the best horse,” trainer Graham Motion said. “I said to Mr. Amerman, if things went well, we would point him for this race, but if he needed more time we would give it to him. He seems to have handled everything very well. He's such a classy horse and if he was doing well, I wanted to take a shot in this race.” He continued, “After this I'll probably freshen him up for the spring, but he's here and I thought this was a good opportunity for him. He was always a classy horse. I think he really hasn't done much wrong, to be honest, but this is going to be a big step up against older horses for the first time.” Looking like the sole major source of bonafide speed in Saturday's Turf, Cabo Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) enters the fray off a win in Santa Anita's GIII San Gabriel on Dec. 28. Several horses with Canadian connections are worth a look in filly and mare division earlier on the card, including King's Plate heroine Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach), winner of the GIII Ontario Matron on the synthetic in September before finishing runner-up in the GII Dance Smartly and GIII Bessarabian later in the fall. Victorious in Turfway's My Charmer Stakes on Dec. 1, the Kevin Attard trainee receives the services of Hall of Famer Johnny Velazquez for her 5-year-old debut. “There was a possibility after the last race that would be the end,” Attard said. “We've elected to give this race a stab, and she's been in good form and I'm happy with the way she's settled in.” Caitlinghergrtness, a model of consistency in her last six starts, uncharacteristically finished fifth in last fall's 1 1/4-mile GI E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine. “She's been very honest,” Attard said. “The E.P. Taylor–10 furlongs–is beyond what she wants. The one turn mile, she's not fond of [either]. Two turns is what she likes.” Mark Casse offers up a pair of runners with GI Natalma winner And One More Time (Omaha Beach) and Classic Q (Classic Empire), a last out third in Keeneland's GII Mrs Revere. Also representing team Canada, GII Canadian scorer Ready for Shirl (More Than Ready) tries to improve on a pair of thirds, including last time out behind Breath Away (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) in the Dance Smartly. Likely to garner the lion's share at the windows, Alpha Delta's Whiskey Decision (Into Mischief) won Aqueduct's Athenia Stakes last September, however, the $1.5 million Keeneland November purchase hasn't lined since. Trained by Chad Brown, she will be piloted by Prat, who was aboard for her latest win. Saffie Joseph Jr. also saddles a pair with GI Matriarch second In Our Time (Not This Time) and SW Movin' On Up (Accelerate). Last summer's front-running GII Yellow Ribbon winner Heredia (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was sixth while getting beat less than two lengths in the GI First Lady at Keeneland in October. She most recently finished fifth in the Matriarch. “This will definitely be her last race,” confirmed Graham Motion. “I kind of talked the team into running her here a little bit after her last start. I don't think she had any excuses in the Grade I last time, but I think on her best performance she can be competitive on Saturday.” The post Pegasus World Cup Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Calumet Farm homebred SHE BE SMOOTH (f, 3, Lexitonian–Seattle Smooth, by Quiet American) went to favored fellow firster Prom Queen (Quality Road) entering the final furlong of their respective one-mile debuts Friday afternoon at Gulfstream Park and kicked home smartly to open her account at first asking in very promising fashion. Fairly well-backed at odds of 9-2, the chestnut filly broke a bit to her inside, but it didn't cost her momentum or position, as she steadily made ground at the inside to enjoy the run of the race from close up in third. Given the hurry-up at the five-sixteenths, She Be Smooth was pulled to the outside to deliver her challenge, dueled with and eventually collared the chalk with about 100 yards to travel and was going away late. The winner's dam celebrated her finest moment when taking out the 2009 GI Ogden Phipps Handicap for Mercedes Stable and Tony Dutrow and was purchased by Brad Kelley's operation for $300,000 in foal to Malibu Moon at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale. The mare's six previous winners includes 2020 GIII Remington Park Oaks third Seattle Slang (Tapit). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Todd Pletcher SHE BE SMOOTH ($11.20) overtakes Prom Queen to break her maiden at @GulfstreamPark under @iradortiz. This 3YO daughter of Lexitonian is trained by @PletcherRacing and owned/bred by @CalumetFarm. pic.twitter.com/UHzPSrR9Qx — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) January 23, 2026 The post Lexitonian Filly She Be Smooth Professional on Gulfstream Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

German legend Andrasch Starke has retired from the saddle, Galopp Online reported on Friday morning. The most successful German jockey of all time, Starke has at least 2,853 victories to his credit on record during his time in Europe and several more in Asia. Although he won eight Deutsches Derbys and was crowned a champion in Germany 10 times, Starke is best remembered as the partner of the indomitable German Horse of the Year Danedream. The daughter of Lomitas won the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2011 and added the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes a year later. “This is the end of my career,” Starke told the Turf-Times on Thursday. The post German Legend Andrasch Starke Retires appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

According to a story by David Grening in the Daily Racing Form, according to trainer Bill Mott, the main goal in 2026 for the newly minted Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) will be the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Mott said that while he has not yet mapped out a schedule for Sovereignty, he has already ruled out a start in the March 28 GI Dubai World Cup. That news came as somewhat of a surprise considering that Sovereignty's owner, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and often targets the $12 million race run in his home country. Sheik Mohammed's Godolphin Racing has won the race nine times. Mott told the DRF that Sovereignty, who is stabled at his winter base at Payson Park in Florida is “a couple of weeks away” from his first workout on the year and that he is not sure where or when his champion colt will make his 4-year-old debut. “I'd like to make the Breeders' Cup Classic at the end of the year and whatever makes any kind of sense in between,” Mott said. Sovereignty was on target to make the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic but missed the race after spiking a temperature three days before the big event. Mott acknowledged that missing the Breeders' Cup may have led to the decision to race Sovereignty as a 4-year-old as the Godolphin teams knows that a Breeders' Cup Classic win would only enhance his value as a stallion,. “If he would have won the Breeders' Cup it would have been more difficult to bring him back for a lot of different reasons,” said Mott. Grening also reported that Mott was contacted by NYRA racing officials about the idea of moving the date of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. The idea that was floated was to return the race to Belmont Park and run when the track re-opens in mid-September. That would mean it would be held about six weeks prior to the Breeders' Cup. “Funny enough, I gave them my opinion without even thinking I had a horse for it,” Mott told the DRF. “I mean, he was asking about the placement of races and I said it makes perfect sense.” Mott also mentioned the GI Whitney as a possible target for Sovereignty. He also acknowledged the challenges that come with bringing a Horse of the Year back to the races. Mott won back-to-back Horse of the Year titles with Cigar in 1995 and 1996. “It means you don't want to make any mistakes,” Mott said. “That they've made the decision and they're taking the gamble of putting him back into training, there's a little more pressure, a responsibility, a feeling that you want to come back and be able to perform well. I just don't want to mess anything up.” The post Report: Sovereignty Will Not Be Ready For The Dubai World Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Imperial Emperor booked a spot in the Dubai World Cup (G1) and Opera Ballo earned a start in the Dubai Turf (G1T) with victories on Fashion Friday at Meydan Racecourse Jan. 23.View the full article

Blackout Time, scratched by regulatory veterinarians from the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar, posted his first published workout since his withdrawal from that race in breezing 3 furlongs in :37 1/5 Jan. 23 at Fair Grounds.View the full article

By Jonny Turner It would be a tall order to ask Brett Gray to repeat his recent success at Riverton on Sunday. The Ryal Bush trainer had his best season when notching 40 wins in 2025 and just two weeks into 2026 he produced his first trifecta when Anita Mary, Blaze Lightning and Jaccka Evan filled the first three at Ascot Park last week. “It certainly was a thrill, all three horses went well and it was good to see Anita Mary win for Paul Hailes at the Northern Southland meeting,” Gray said. “He’s a stalwart up that way.” “She’s a nice mare and we are going to give her a crack at the mares races coming up down here.” Gray’s team of seven for the Riverton meeting is spear-headed by his Riverton Cup hope in The Big Lebowski. The giant pacer charged back into form with his second in the Cromwell Cup earlier this month. Gray is hopeful the nine-year-old can now hold his form after putting a few frustrations behind him. “He was coming up nice last year and then he had a few foot issues and things like that.” “We feel like we are on top of things now and he seems pretty well.” “We have given him a bit of work on the grass this week and I’m quite happy with him.” “I think the only question mark would be the weather, I don’t think he would want the track to get too deep with the rain that is meant to be around.” There are plenty of solid chances among the remainder of the Gray team, including Jaccka Jim. The trotter was an impressive debut winner at Omakau before getting it wrong early in his next start at Cromwell. “He’s got the motor there to be winning but it will depend on his manners.” “He is getting better all the time with his ringcraft, but he is still pretty raw with just having the two starts.” Another Jaccka trotter in Jaccka Ace is in a similar spot to Jaccka Jim. Jaccka Ace missed away in his last start, but he also has the ability to win with manners. Daisymerollin is among the trio of trotters Gray starts on the Riverton grass. The four-year-old has trialled well ahead of her return to racing. Last-start winner Our Twinkle will step out at Riverton for Gray after finally breaking his maiden at Ascot Park, following a string of placings. “I don’t think the next grade up will worry him, he keeps going.” “He went well on the grass at Cromwell and he should be a pretty good chance.” Arma Forrest will return to racing in what looks like a suitable field. Havtimefordiamonds lines up in fillies and mares company, the three-year-old hasn’t had much luck in her recent starts. To see the Riverton fields click here View the full article

While Grade I victories and a 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' nod make for a potent double, Spendthrift Farm's Stallion Sales Manager Mark Toothaker suggests that the defining narrative for Spendthrift's new stallion duo is the surging commercial power of their sires. This year Goal Oriented becomes the fourth son of Not This Time to go to stud in Kentucky and the first to retire to Spendthrift, while Chancer McPatrick is the first son of McKinzie to join the stallion ranks. “With these stallions being by hot sires in McKinzie and Not This Time, it certainly gets breeders out here on the farm to take a look,” said Toothaker. Goal Oriented, whose retirement was announced after his decisive in last month's GI Malibu Stakes, will stand for $30,000 in 2026. Dual Grade I winner Chancer McPatrick enters stud at $25,000. GOAL ORIENTED (Not This Time — Bizzy Caroline, by Afleet Alex) Goal Oriented has only been available for breeders' inspections for two weeks, but Toothaker reported the response has already been enormous. “We've had so many inquiries about the horse that I have just told everybody to submit the best mare they can,” he shared. “At this point, we're so overwhelmed that we are just going through these things one at a time.” Goal Oriented takes in his new surroundings at Spendthrift | Sara Gordon To what does Toothaker attribute such strong demand? “Not This Time is the reason he's being received this way,” Toothaker concluded. “He is a really fast dirt horse by Not This Time.” Not This Time wrapped up 2025 as the runner-up to Into Mischief on the General Sires' list. Among the Taylor Made stallion's first sons at stud, Goal Oriented joins GI Travers Stakes hero Epicenter, whose first juveniles debut this year, as well as the turf Grade I-winning duo of Up to the Mark and Cogburn, who have their first yearlings and foals, respectively, this year. “The one thing missing on our roster was a Not This Time,” said Toothaker. “Goal Oriented was a horse that we had wanted all year long, but we were looking for him to win that Grade I. For him to round out his career running a 108 Beyer and a 4 on the Sheets, he ran the race we had been waiting for him to run. He's a very fast dirt horse, but he has a grass pedigree woven inside his female family, so I think it gives breeders great options. Bred by Runnymede Farm and CWC Investment 2, Goal Oriented is out of the Afleet Alex mare Bizzy Caroline, a dual Grade III winner on turf and a half-sister to champion turf female Lady Eli (Divine Park). Purchased as a yearling for $425,000 by Donato Lanni for a partnership led by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables, the Bob Baffert trainee earned 'Rising Star' status in his Santa Anita debut last April and then added a victory at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby weekend. He was fourth in a rough-run GI Preakness Stakes before adding a pair of third-place finishes in the GI Haskell Stakes and GI Pennsylvania Derby. “He's a horse that went to battle with some of the best of his generation,” said Toothaker. “He ran an extremely game race in the Haskell and was beaten three quarters of a length by Journalism (Curlin), who needs no introduction.” In his career finale in the Malibu, Goal Oriented stopped the clock in 1:20.97, marking the fastest winning time in the Malibu since 2016 and the fastest seven furlongs run in a Grade I in 2025. Toothaker noted that Goal Oriented's imposing physical makes him a natural choice for breeders looking to add size to their mares. The dark bay stands at 16.3 “He's got plenty of stretch to him and he has a beautiful shoulder,” he said. “He's got a really good hip and he's outstanding up front, very correct. There are a lot of mares that could use a little leg around town, whether they are for commercial breeders looking to add some height for that resulting yearling they may be taking to the sale or people going to the track that need to upgrade their mare a little bit.” CHANCER MCPATRICK (McKinzie — Bernadreamy, by Bernardini) Chancer McPatrick wins the GI Champagne Stakes | Sarah Andrew The Spendthrift scouting team had their eye on Chancer McPatrick from the time he was an unraced juvenile. Bred by Rigney Racing, the bay was a $260,000 yearling before he breezed in :21 flat at the 2024 OBS April Sale. “We fell in love with this horse down at the sale and got permission to take a swing,” recalled Toothaker, “We went to $700,000 and wound up the underbidder on him.” Flanagan Racing landed the winning bid of $725,000. Trained by Chad Brown, Chancer McPatrick put in a dramatic come-from-behind debut win at Saratoga before reeling off back-to-back scores in the GI Hopeful Stakes and GI Champagne Stakes. “It's extremely difficult for a two-year-old to be able to put those two top races together,” said Toothaker. “Jackie's Warrior, another one of our stallions here, was able to do that.” Practical Joke is the third horse to have completed the prestigious double since 2013. At three, Chancer McPatrick's highlights included a runner-up effort in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby, a win in the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga, and a third-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. “He ran a great race to close out his career, finishing behind Nysos (Nyquist) and Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) on a track that was impossible to close against,” Toothaker said. “He was able to make up ground to finish third that day, running a 5 1/2 on the Sheets. He was a horse that showed toughness and grit.” Chancer McPatrick is out of the winning Bernardini mare Bernadreamy, a daughter of GI Alcibiades Stakes victress and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Dream Empress (Bernstein). While Chancer McPatrick was McKinzie's first 'Rising Star' and his first Grade I winner, the Gainesway sire has since added two more Grade I winners in Baeza and Scottish Lassie and his fee has increased to $75,000 from the $30,000 price point Chancer McPatrick was bred on in his first year at stud. Toothaker said that breeders have responded to Chancer McPatrick's $25,0000 debut fee paired with his striking build. “I'd put him up against anybody physically,” he shared. “He's a touch below 16.1 and has got an unbelievable hip. He's not an overly huge horse, so I think he fits a lot of mares. His book filled up extremely fast.” The post A Pair of Grade I-Winning Rising Stars New at Spendthrift appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Six Speed, racing for new American owners, won the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3), surprising his jockey and trainer and moving one step closer to returning to the Bluegrass for the Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

The New York Racing Association is preparing to pass the torch to a newly reconstructed Belmont Park and goodbye to Aqueduct, ending more than a century of racing in Ozone Park.View the full article

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sent a letter to stakeholders at the Eclipse Awards asking them to bar jockeys Irad Ortiz Jr. and his brother, Jose, from future consideration for the awards after the discovery of a social media video that appears to show the brothers collecting cash in a ring at a cockfight in Puerto Rico. It is unclear when the event took place. The 18-second video was posted on X in November, 2025 on the account of @Josmaestre131, with a caption in Spanish reading, “the horseracing cockfighters.” Two roosters appear in the center of the ring in glass cages. In a follow-up letter to the TDN, the organization writes, “PETA points out that Ortiz Jr.—who led North American jockeys in both wins and earnings in 2025—and his brother José, who ranked third in both categories, should face investigation and potential prosecution for working the ring in the bloody spectacles, where people gamble on a bloodsport in which terrified roosters have razor-sharp blades strapped to their feet and are forced to fight to the death.” Cockfighting is illegal in the U.S. and all of its territories, including Puerto Rico. It was officially criminalized with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, and remains illegal despite local efforts by some in Puerto Rico to preserve it as a cultural tradition, prompting legal battles between the island and the U.S. federal government. The Supreme Court has since upheld the ban. While Puerto Rico formerly had local laws on the books allowing it under certain conditions, such as no interstate transport, the federal ban made all aspects of cockfighting–including training and attending–a federal crime. It is unclear if the video was taken before or after the law was passed. Steve Rushing, the agent for the brothers, responded to the TDN via text to say that he would have no comment on the matter at this time. When asked, Rushing did not confirm or deny that the video shows Ortiz and his brother participating in the event. PETA did not respond to a query as to what they had done to verify the authenticity of the video or that it, in fact, depicted the brothers. The Eclipse Awards are governed by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), the National Turfwriters and Broadcasters Association (NTWAB), and the Daily Racing Form. The NTRA said that they had received the letter and had forwarded it to the Eclipse Steering Committee, but that they would have further immediate comment. The NTWAB said that they did not receive the letter directly from PETA, but that they had received a copy from the NTRA midday on Friday. Asked if the Horse Racing Safety and Integrity Authority had any jurisdiction in the matter, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said that because Puerto Rico does not send out its simulcast signal, it is outside of HISA's authority. “HISA regulations only cover jockey conduct on a covered racetrack or in relation to a covered horse,” Lazarus said via text. “Neither of those scenarios are at play here.” The PETA letter reads: Board Members: We are writing to urge you to make Irad Ortiz, Jr., and José Ortiz ineligible for future Eclipse award nominations. While Irad Ortiz, Jr., may lead North American jockeys in both wins and earnings, with José close behind, they are trailing as representatives of the racing industry. Video posted on X in November 2025 shows the brothers at a cockfight in Puerto Rico. The video reveals that they aren't simply observers of this vicious spectacle—they are in the ring taking cash from the betting crowd. As Irad Ortiz and José Ortiz surely know, cockfighting is illegal in all U.S. states and territories, including Puerto Rico. They could be investigated and possibly prosecuted for their involvement. In addition to the legal ramifications, it's stunning that past Eclipse Award winners participated in any way in the bloody, fight-to-the-death obscenity that is cockfighting. Their actions are without question detrimental to racing. The public already sees whipping, illegal drug use, breakdowns, and the slaughter of Thoroughbreds as abusive. In addition to dealing with these life and death issues, the racing industry must not tolerate cruelty to any species by racing licensees. Thank you. Respectfully, Kathy Guillermo Senior Vice President Equine Matters PETA” This story will be updated as further information becomes available. The post PETA Urges Eclipse Awards To Ban Ortiz Brothers In Wake of Cockfighting Video appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article