Wandering Eyes

Rachael Blackmore, who retired from a glittering career in the saddle in May, received the Contribution to the Industry Award at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards 2025 in Dublin this evening. The most recent three recipients of the prestigious title have been the late owner-breeder HH the Aga Khan, trainer Jessica Harrington and multiple champion owner-breeder JP McManus. “It is hard to think of someone who made such a profound impact on the sport so quickly,” said Suzanne Eade, HRI's Chief Executive Officer, before handing the Tipperary-born former rider Blackmore her trophy. “A total of 33 Grade 1s throughout her stellar career and 18 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, including the pinnacle, the Gold Cup, along with Champion Hurdles and a Champion Chase. Most famous of them all, the Grand National at Aintree. Many of those moments arrived during Covid and helped brighten the mood of the nation. They also caught the imagination as Rachael remains a role model, a true trailblazer.” The Horse of the Year Award resulted in a tie between reigning champion Galopin Des Champs and Ethical Diamond who won the Breeders' Cup Turf as an outsider in California last month. Both horses are stabled with Willie Mullins, capping another extraordinary year for the County Carlow trainer who also triumphed in the National Hunt category. This was the second time that Horse of the Year went to dual winners following the 2015 tie between Faugheen and Don Cossack. On a remarkable night for the Mullins family, Willie's son Patrick, the perennial champion amateur rider, accepted the National Hunt Achievement Award in recognition of his Aintree Grand National victory on Nick Rockett. Ireland's newest champion jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle from Donegal swept the Flat Award, while trainer Joe Murphy, based in Tipperary, was a popular recipient of the Flat Achievement Award in the wake of Cercene's stirring Group 1 Coronation Stakes victory at Royal Ascot. The Emerging Talent Award went the way of 17-year-old Nicola Burns from County Westmeath who has ridden over 30 winners since first breaking onto the scene just over a year ago. Tipperary trainer Sam Curling scooped the Point-to-Point Award in acknowledgement of Wonderwall's success in the St James's Place Festival Hunter Chase at Cheltenham, along with his biggest win tally yet at home. In the Racecourse of the Year Award it was Punchestown that lifted the title after a public vote, votes from each of Ireland's 26 racecourses and a select Horse Racing Ireland committee with a focus on sustainability. Finally, on an occasion when his late brother Michael was honoured, amateur jockey Alan O'Sullivan from County Cork picked up the prestigious Ride of the Year Award for they way he partnered Filey Bay to a memorable victory in the Connacht Hotel (QR) Handicap at Galway. A public vote determined this category. The post Rachael Blackmore Honoured At The HRI Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

He’d hoped to be back in Hong Kong a little sooner but Joao Moreira is ready to make an impact when he heads to Happy Valley for the first time in over three years on Wednesday night. Denied a position on Hong Kong’s packed riding roster after hoping to return as Caspar Fownes’ stable jockey earlier this season, Moreira will ride in the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) for the first time since 2021. Victorious in the competition in 2012, Moreira admitted he wasn’t sure if he...View the full article

Getting consistent invites to the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) has left Hollie Doyle “pinching herself” and Britain’s top female rider has her sights firmly set on going one better than 12 months ago. Doyle is a fan favourite in Hong Kong after multiple appearances at the IJC and it would be fair to say a win – and taking home the lion’s share of the HK$1 million bonus – would not be coming out of turn. The 10-time Group One-winning jockey made her first appearance at the...View the full article

Docklands is “very happy” to be back in Hong Kong as he looks to cause a stir in Sunday’s Group One Hong Kong Mile for British trainer Harry Eustace. The globetrotter has raced in five different countries, including Hong Kong last year when he finished down the field in the Hong Kong Mile. This year has seen him hit some career-best form, however, including a win by the barest of margins in the Group One Queen Anne Stakes (1,600m) at Royal Ascot under Mark Zahra. Most recently, he made the trip...View the full article

Zac Purton believes Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) has taken another crucial step forward on Tuesday in his preparation for Sunday’s HK$28 million Gr.1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin. Successful in his past 15 races, Ka Ying Rising is aiming to join Golden Sixty by securing a 16th consecutive win, one shy of Silent Witness’ all-time Hong Kong record of 17. Emerging at sunrise, Ka Ying Rising – under the hands of Purton – trotted a few laps in the sand ring before making his way to the main dirt course. In front of a scrum of local and international media huddled at the trainers’ stand, Ka Ying Rising was his usual unproblematic self, untested by Purton; he coasted along in a manner that highlighted the 2024/25 Hong Kong Horse of the Year’s readiness. “He was a lot more relaxed this morning. He came out into the trotting ring and, for once in a long time, he actually did trot around there. Normally, you can’t get him to trot, he wants to hack around and play up a little bit, but he went around there nicely and did the same thing on the track,” Purton said. “He was a little bit aggressive in his grass gallop the other week, but now that he’s had the blow-out, he’s chilled and he’s a different horse this week, which is good.” The Shamexpress gelding, who also captured last season’s three-race HK$5 million Hong Kong Speed Series bonus as part of his undefeated campaign, clocked 23.2s for 400m. Australian Racing Hall of Famer Purton has the most wins for a jockey in Hong Kong racing history (1,923), and the 42-year-old has been associated with some of its greatest champions before Ka Ying Rising, including juggernaut miler Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock). “I’ve been very lucky and to think that the best one (Ka Ying Rising) of the lot has come along now. I certainly appreciate it, and he’s such a lovely horse to work with as well, which makes it even more enjoyable. You’ve got to pinch yourself, really,” Purton said. “Beauty Generation was hard to handle. He knew he was big; he knew he was strong, and he was aggressive. He injured his mafoos, I think that tells you what type of horse he was, but he put that aggression into his racing, which is what I liked about him.” The bull-headed Beauty Generation regularly took swipes at his mafoo and work rider, who were on guard at all times, as opposed to Ka Ying Rising, who has sometimes been nervous pre-race, but generally holds his composure until it’s time for competition. Purton said: “He’s just a gem, this guy. It’s just another race and we’re trying to win it, whatever happens beyond that happens. He’s built up a good record and hopefully we can keep it that way.” Ka Ying Rising broke from barrier 11 in last year’s Longines Hong Kong Sprint, while recently he stepped from gate 10 when winning the HK$5.35 million Gr.2 Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m) on 23 November by close to three lengths. “It depends what the other speed horses around me draw. I’d like to draw lower than higher. He hasn’t had the best run with barriers in some of these races, so he’s due to get a nice good one,” Purton said. View the full article

Cranbourne trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young have swooped on a pair of progressive three-year-olds from their native New Zealand. Two-win filly Rising Star and last-start Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) third-placegetter Shoma are welcome additions to the stable. The Tim and Margaret Carter-trained Rising Star (NZ) (Complacent) was an impressive winner at Tauranga in mid-November and will sport the colours of Seymour Bloodstock, with the filly’s original trainers also remaining in the ownership. “I thought she had a really nice turn of foot,” Busuttin said. Morgan Carter alluded to the fact she could possibly be bought. I know Tim and Margaret from when we trained out of Cambridge. “She was very impressive at Tauranga and she put them away very quickly in that race.” Rising Star defeated Yamato Satona, who was a solid sixth in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) last weekend and looks a Classic prospect. “Rising Star is a three-year-old, so there are plenty of options for her,” Busutiin said of the daughter of Complacent. “She is in the stable now so we will spend a couple of weeks getting to know her. We might even give her a little freshen up and look towards a nice Adelaide three-year-old fillies race. “As a two-win horse, she can go through the grades and obviously when you buy a filly you are hoping she turns into a black-type horse. “She has been bought for Seymour Bloodstock and Darren Thomas and Mark Pilkington have been big supporters of us since we arrived in Melbourne. They buy a lot of horses out of New Zealand and they have had a lot of success, so hopefully this can be another one.” Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas placegetter Shoma Photo: Trish Dunell Also en route is Shoma (NZ) (Complacent), a son of Contributer, who filled the minor placing behind Romanoff and Affirmative Action in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas, which was run on a Heavy track after a freak hail storm on the day. Despite being a ten-start maiden, Shoma had previously caught the eye when placed behind impressive winner Quantum Legend at Te Rapa, with that horse subsequently exported to Hong Kong. “He’s run third in a Group One and while he is still a maiden, he’s got reasonable form and any Group One form is good form,” Busuttin said. “He raced on a very wet track and we certainly have plenty of wet tracks in Melbourne over the winter and he wasn’t a super expensive horse. “He’s a horse that could progress through the grades and if there are some wet tracks in some of the three-year-old races later in autumn or winter that could suit him. “Obviously the New Zealand bred horses continue to bat well above their average percentage wise, so it made sense, he was a nice horse on the market.” New Zealand bred horses have won seven of the 33 Group One races run in Australia this season, or 21 percent, yet account for just 7.9 percent of runners. View the full article

It’s part two of Michael’s chat with Zac Purton. They chat racing in Hong Kong, Zac’s thoughts and approach to the craft, the planning that goes into each week, his future, and his bests. Plus, Michael has some news for punters and pays tribute to the retiring Orchestral. Guerin Report – S2 Ep.14 Ft. Zac Purton Pt.2 View the full article

Set to be crowned the Longines World’s Best Jockey for the third time in four years, James McDonald is keen to add a breakthrough success in the International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) to his glittering CV at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The Kiwi superstar will receive the World’s Best Jockey award at Friday night’s Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) gala dinner after claiming 12 of the world’s top 100 Group Ones in 2025. But first his focus is on the IJC, which has so far proven...View the full article

The Group One Longines Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) is down to just eight runners after Japanese raider Lord Del Rey was withdrawn from the race on Tuesday. A $31 outsider for the HK$40 million contest, Lord Del Rey was found to be lame in his right foreleg and he joins Calandagan and Shanwah as withdrawals from the race. Supposed to be ridden by Australian Damian Lane, Lord Del Rey’s scratching reduces Japan’s Cup presence to two runners – Bellagio Opera and Rousham Park. Local hero Romantic Warrior...View the full article

Former French champion jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot, who was indicted on a rape charge in the spring of 2021 has been referred to a criminal court, according to Jour De Galop. The jockey's lawyers are appealing that decision. After the requisitions of the Senlis public prosecutor's office approximately five months earlier, the presiding judges issued an order to dismiss the first complaint related to alleged events in Deauville in 2015. The dismissal comes due to insufficient evidence to justify a referral to a criminal court. In Boudot's second case, the jockey has been referred to a criminal court regarding allegations made in 2017 in Cagnes-sur-Mer. The decision was made by one of the two investigating judges. Boudot's lawyers said in a statement, “Pierre-Charles Boudot is very satisfied with the dismissal of the case in which he has maintained his innocence for several years. However, he will appeal the committal to trial before the criminal court, ordered by only one of the two investigating judges. This committal decision clearly reflects the doubts surrounding his guilt and does not comply with the requirement to establish the elements of threat, coercion, or surprise stipulated by law.” The case will now be moved to an appeals court, which will rule on the committal's validity no sooner than four months from now. Since his licence was withdrawn indefinitely in France in November of 2022, Boudot has ridden elsewhere, including with success at Doha, Qatar earlier this year. The post Pierre-Charles Boudot Referred To Criminal Court, Will Appeal Decision appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ricky Ludwig has never been out of Australia – not even for a holiday. But this week, the 72-year-old from Far North Queensland will venture to Hong Kong to witness first-hand if another chapter will be added to the remarkable story of his former galloper, Tomodachi Kokoroe. “I watch him on TV when he’s racing,” Ludwig said. “The horse has come a long way.” Ludwig will complete the same journey as Tomodachi Kokoroe – from the small rural town of Tolga to Sha Tin racecourse, where the David...View the full article

A son of Walk In The Park sold for a session-topping €100,000 during the first day of the Goffs December NH Sale on Monday. Sold as lot 37, the bay son of Annie G (Getaway) was purchased by Gerry Aherne from Ballincurrig House Stud. His listed hurdle-winning dam is a half-sister to multiple graded-winning chaser Westerner Point (Westerner). Yorton picked up a son of Doctor Dino and Daring Rose (Al Namix) for €90,000 later in the day. Consigned by Yeo Barton Bloodstock, lot 181 is related to stakes winners Guerrier Rose (Rail Link) and Histoire Rose (Saddex). The highest-priced filly was a daughter of Jukebox Jury at €52,000 who went the way of Gerry Hogan Bloodstock from the Mountain View Stud draft. Lot 196 is out of Dinaria Des Obeaux (Saddler Maker), who is a multiple graded winner in the NH sphere and also third in the G1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle. During Monday's session, 202 lots sold from 259 offered (78%) for a gross of €3,263,750 (+49%). The average rose 3% to €16,158 and the median dropped 8% to €11,000. The post Walk In The Park Leads The Way At Goffs December appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Jacob Dunn looks like the one to follow at Manawatu today. The Auckland-based junior driver has seven drives on the eight-race programme. All look set to be well supported, headlined by hot favourite Twista in the Osborne Group Chartered Accountant Wairarapa Cup (6.47pm). “It’s a great book of drives … I’d say Twista is the best of mine.” His last start was a 10th in the Thames Country Cup at Cambridge nearly a month ago. “This is a big drop back and he had no favours last start when he was three wide the trip.” A six-race winner, Twista is currently at $1.90. Four of his runners, including Twista, are for the premiership leaders Stonewall Stud and co-trainers Steve and Amanda Telfer. Still in his first year of driving Dunn has 16 wins in 2025, half of which have come with Telfer-trained horses. “They have been a big help and been so great to me.” The Telfers have 164 wins for the year, just four shy of Roy and Barry Purdon’s record haul of 168 set in 1993-94. “We have talked about it a bit and hopefully we can get closer to the tally today.” Among his better chances in the blue and white checkers is SS Guppy ($3.50) in Race 1. “He’s a wee bit funny in his gait but he found the line well last start and as long as he gets the track looks a great chance.” Then there’s the likes of Cyamate in Race 5 – “He’s been racing good and comes up with a nice draw.” His first experience of driving at Manawatu was the two-day meeting there during NZ Cup week on November 10 and 13. “It’s good I’m going in there with a bit of experience because it’s a lot different from driving at Cambridge and Auckland.” “At Palmy you want to be on speed and we should be handy enough.” His other two drives are Lincoln Downs ($5.50) in Race 3 for Ray Green and Nathan Delany and Matai Harry for Michael House ($2.40) in the last. Both have second row draws. “This a drop back for her (Lincoln Downs), she’s been racing some nice 2YOs … with luck she looks a top three chance.” “He (Matai Harry) drops out of Addington racing … just another chance in a great book of drives.” Jacob Dunn’s Drives : R1 SS Guppy ($2.05) R3 Lincoln Downs ($5.50) R4 Princess Lisa ($2.20) R5 Cyamate ($3) R6 Elizabeth Hill ($6.50) R7 Twista ($1.90) R8 Matai Harry ($2.35) Racing starts at 4.17pm View the full article

Sam Sangster's gathering of smart mares with which to launch the new National Stud stallion Diego Velazquez continued on the third day of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville, where he bought the session-topper, Invaluable (Invincible Spirit), in foal to first-season sire Vandeek for €121,000 from the Fairway Consignment. The unraced Invaluable (lot 774), now nine, is a sister to the Listed winner Emmaus, while their dam Prima Luce (Galileo) won the G3 Athasi Stakes. Recent G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern winner Bay City Roller (New Bay) features under the second dam Ramona as a son of Prima Luce's half-sister Bloomfield (Teofilo), while Ramona is herself a Desert King half-sister to the influential broodmare and top sprinter Cassandra Go (Indian Ridge). Another smartly-bred member of the same family, Joie De Vivre, who is also by Invincible Spirit, joined the leader board when sold in foal to sought-after young stallion Study Of Man for €105,000 to Blandford Bloodstock. The nine-year-old (lot 697) was unraced herself but is out of Just Gorgeous (Galileo), a winning sister to Magical and Rhododendron, the latter being the dam of six-time Group 1 winner Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact). Joie De Vivre's second dam is the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Sun Chariot winner Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal), while the aforementioned Cassandra Go features as her third dam. Joie De Vivre, who was sold by Haras d'Etreham, is already responsible for the winners Spycraft (Siyouni) and Winding Stream (Almanzor) and has a yearling colt by Saxon Warrior plus a filly foal by Mishriff on the way through. The latter was sold in the same session for €57,000 to Riviera Equine and Haras d'Etreham. Also making €105,000 was the Wootton Bassett mare Siylheta (lot 824). Consigned by Aga Khan Studs, the three-year-old filly counts stakes winner and multiple group-placed Siyenica (Azamour) as her second dam. Oliver St Lawrence Bloodstock purchased the relative of multiple French champion sire Siyouni. The leading weanling of the session was a filly by Mehmas (lot 751), who was sold by Haras de Castillon for €90,000 to JRSA. Out of the winning Olympic Glory mare Nouvelle Voie, she is a half-sister to the five-time winner New Way Baby (Wooded). During Monday's session, 187 lots sold from 261 offered (72%), down 9% from last year's clearance rate. However, there were 36 more horses sent through the ring for this year's session, resulting in an 12% increase in gross to €3,300,500. The average edged up 9% to €17,650 and the median was static at €12,000. The sale's final session takes place beginning at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The post Invaluable Proves Invaluable At Arqana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Group One winner La Dorada (NZ) (Super Seth) will make her New Zealand return at Te Rapa this weekend following a frustrating spring in Melbourne. The daughter of Super Seth was a standout juvenile last term for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, winning four of her five starts, including the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and was runner-up in the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m), on her way to being crowned New Zealand Champion Two-Year-Old. Her handlers elected to test her talent across the Tasman over spring, but she disappointed in her two starts out of Te Akau’s Cranbourne barn, finishing unplaced in the Gr.1 Moir Stakes (1000m) and Gr.3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m). “Her first-up run was against the older horses, and it was a pretty tough field, but second-up it was a set weights three-year-old fillies race and she disappointed in that, so we just pulled the plug,” Walker said. “Some fillies don’t come up in the spring, so hopefully in the summer and autumn she regains her form.” La Dorada returned to New Zealand and has been pleasing in her work at Matamata and was given the tick of approval following her exhibition gallop at Te Aroha on Sunday. “We are happy with her,” Walker said. “She resumes on Saturday at Te Rapa.” La Dorada is set to line-up in the three-year-old 1200m handicap where she will be ridden by stable apprentice Hayley Hassman. “She will carry a bit of weight so we will claim off her with Hayley, who is going very well,” Walker said. All going to plan over the next few weeks, Walker is hopeful of earning a spot in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) with his filly. “The Karaka Millions is the aim at this stage, and we will be guided by what she does on Saturday and another run before the Karaka Millions,” he said. Walker is also excited about the prospects of her two-year-old half-brother Golden Pulse (NZ) (Tivaci), who won on debut for the stable over 1147m at Geelong last week in the colours of his owner Yulong Investments. “He was pretty professional,” Walker said. “He can get a bit colty but he was certainly good.” La Dorada will be joined at Te Rapa on Saturday by several stablemates, including Group One winner Captured By Love and Group One performer Qali Al Farrasha. Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) was set to contest the Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham last Saturday but was scratched in favour of heading to Te Rapa seven days later. “She was a bit off in the feed bin and we thought we would wait a week and go to Te Rapa on Saturday to either the J Swap Sprint (Gr.3, 1400m) or Cal Isuzu (Gr.2, 1600m),” Walker said. “She was better over the weekend and seems back to her old self.” If she heads to the latter, she will be joined by Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor), who was impressive when winning the Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe last start. “Qali Al Farahsa is in the Cal Isuzu and she should run well,” Walker said. “It was a really nice win in the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’.” View the full article