Wandering Eyes

Like many young athletes, Holy Bull Stakes (G3) winner Nearly's introduction to sports was playing soccer in his field at Wind Hill Farm, adding to the agility and athleticism that has placed him on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail.View the full article

Frankie Dettori notched an emotional winner on his final day as a jockey in Rio de Janeiro Feb. 1—and then made a great day even better by claiming the first leg of Brazil's Triple Crown.View the full article

Jockey Junior Alvarado, regular rider for 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty, is expected to return to action Feb. 5 at Gulfstream Park after being shaken up late on Saturday's Holy Bull (G3) program.View the full article

As we crest the three-month mark to the GI Kentucky Derby, the breakthrough performance by Nearly (Not This Time) in the Jan. 31 GIII Holy Bull Stakes raises several questions related to timing, taking into account both macro and micro perspectives. The first relates to the timing of Nearly's 5 3/4-length score over five rivals barely 48 hours after the news that juvenile champ and TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) had been diagnosed with bone bruising and was declared off the Kentucky Derby trail. Both Ted Noffey (owned by Spendthrift Farm) and Nearly (owned by Centennial Farms) are stablemates in Todd Pletcher's barn, and both colts have been regularly ridden by John Velazquez. Considering the lack of dominant, standout contenders in the sophomore ranks at this stage of the season, is it reasonable to install Nearly as the new No. 1, with his three-race win streak and best-in-2026 divisional Beyer Speed Figure of 98 good enough to leapfrog other highly heralded horses, several of whom are still awaiting their first starts as 3-year-olds? A second timing question projects forwardly: With Nearly tasked with only one more Kentucky Derby prep between now and May 2 (and with Pletcher indicating that single prep is likely to be the Mar. 28 GI Curlin Florida Derby), will a five-race base (with just two starts around two turns) be enough to establish this colt's credentials in a chaotic 20-horse race over 10 furlongs? Yet another timing question relates to the in-race clocking of Nearly's victory in the Holy Bull, which was the product of an exaggerated fast early/slow late pace. Nearly and 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' Cannoneer (Into Mischief), respectively, broke inward and outward leaving the gate, coming together for a mild “Ya wanna go?” bump before tearing off together into a sprint for the first turn of the 1 1/16-miles stakes. With both Velazquez and Irad Ortiz Jr. avoiding the rail like it was strung with barbed wire, the outermost Nearly (the 1.7-1 second choice) and inside-running Cannoneer (the 3-2 fave) dueled four paths off the fence through a first quarter in :22.82 before fanning out to lane six on the backstretch. After a high-octane second-quarter split in :23.14, the two dropped down closer to the fence for the far-turn run. Nearly began to edge away from Cannoneer at the 3 1/2- furlong marker, which under Gulfstream's short-stretch configuration for 1 1/16 miles (finish line at the sixteenth pole) means just three furlongs to the wire. By the 2 1/2 furlong pole, Nearly was pulling away in hand with Cannoneer being asked but not responding. By the quarter pole, Nearly was clearly in front and again shifting back out while bracing for the anticipated late move by the 5.9-1 Bravaro (Upstart). Bravaro had enjoyed a primo stalking trip, and as the torrid tempo slackened (third-quarter split of :24.36), the 2-for-2 New York-bred looked primed to pounce, with Tyler Gaffalione taking aim on what appeared to be a softened-up speedster who had survived a demanding duel. But Nearly would have none of that scenario. He required only mild urging from Velazquez to dig in for the drive, and although it helped that Bravaro's stretch bid never truly materialized, Nearly cracked the race wide open under his own power, padding a 1 1/2-length mid-stretch lead (fourth-quarter split of :27.10) into a 5 3/4-length winning margin, cruising home through a last sixteenth in a leisurely :7.10 for a final clocking of 1:44.52. The loss by Cannoneer, who faded to fourth behind Bravaro and the 40-1 Project Ace (War of Will), extended a decade-long rough go for favorites in the Holy Bull, who have now gone down in defeat in nine of the last 10 runnings. “We rode like a match race,” Ortiz conceded after getting off Cannoneer. Velazquez added that he didn't expect Nearly “to be that aggressive.” But, the Hall-of-Famer rationalized, “that's what good horses do.” Visually, Nearly scored style points and credibility for being directly involved in an intemperate pace and having enough oomph left late to seal the deal. But from a raw numbers perspective, you do have to wonder whether Nearly could get away with enduring such a fast clip at longer distances when faced with more robust competition and larger fields. Consider that the fractions for the first six furlongs of the of the two-turn, 1 1/16-miles Holy Bull (:22.82, :45.96, 1:10.32) eclipsed those set in the one-turn, seven-furlong Swale Stakes (:23.30, :46.52, 1:10.92) earlier on Saturday's card. You don't often encounter a same-day route stakes whose internal pace is that much faster than a sprint stakes for horses of the same age and sex. It's also interesting to note that in the Swale, the riders' roles were tactically reversed from what would occur two hours later in the Holy Bull: In the sprint stakes for sophomores, it was Velazquez who got pinned down on the rail by Ortiz, losing both the internal duel and the overall race. Recent history of 1 1/16-miles Derby prep races also suggests the Holy Bull pace was aberrational. Since 2022, there have been 65 points-awarding Kentucky Derby qualifying stakes at that distance. In only three of them was a first quarter-mile contested faster than the :22.82 in the Holy Bull. In none of them was the fourth quarter-mile split slower than the :27.10 in the Holy Bull. And in only one out of those 65 most recent 1 1/16-miles Derby prep races was the final sixteenth slower than Nearly's last half-furlong in :7.10. The Beyer team's assessment of 98 for Nearly's win in the Holy Bull means this colt now owns the top two speed figures for any 3-year-old so far in 2026. Nearly had earned a 97 Beyer when winning a scratch-depleted allowance/optional claimer over seven furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 2. One caveat is that number-assigning in dirt routes can be tricky at Gulfstream-for the Beyer team or any other entity that produces figures-because there are often so few main-track races there for comparison, with turf and Tapeta now comprising the bulk of cards. Besides the Holy Bull, on Jan. 31 there were only three other dirt races at Gulfstream, and none of them were routes. Nearly's 97 Beyer from Jan. 2 had been earned on a day when there was only one other Gulfstream dirt race. It had been preliminarily been reported as a 96, but subsequently got revised upward one tick prior to Saturday's Holy Bull. For comparison, the best Beyers put up by any Derby contender in the 2-year-old portion of the 2025-26 campaign were the run of 98-97-97 earned by Ted Noffey when he swept the Grade I trio of the Hopeful Stakes, Breeders' Futurity Stakes and Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The post For Nearly, Timing Is Everything, In More Ways Than One appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Multiple graded stakes winner Magnitude will not travel to Saudi Arabia to participate in the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) Feb. 14 after developing an illness.View the full article

The Jimmy Ting-trained Little Paradise ran out an impressive winner of Sunday's HK$13-million Hong Kong Classic Mile at Sha Tin, emphatically defying stamina doubts as he forged clear in the final furlong to land the spoils by two lengths. Infinite Resolve (Snitzel) finished second, with another half a length back to the former Joseph O'Brien trainee, Beauty Bolt (Night Of Thunder), in third. “Today, he relaxed very well,” said winning rider Vincent Ho. “Once I pressed the button, he just kicked it. He finished off very well, so he can definitely handle a mile without a problem. I told Jimmy, even for 1,800 metres, he will also produce that sort of kick as long as we relax him early. So, I'm looking forward to the [Hong Kong] Classic Cup and the [BMW Hong Kong] Derby. I'm very grateful for the support I've had in coming back from injury and to win the [Hong Kong] Classic Mile is encouraging. I'm always grateful for everything.” The second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, the HK$13-million Hong Kong Classic Cup, which takes place over 1,800 metres on March 1, is next on the cards for the son of Toronado. That contest is followed by the HK$26-million BMW Hong Kong Derby, which takes place over 2,000 metres on March 22. Ting, who won this race as a jockey on Industrialist in 2000 when it was known as the Hong Kong Classic Trial, added, “This is my dream and it's come true. I'm so happy for the owner [Ko Kam Piu] – he's a very lucky owner. What a perfect win. I didn't think before the race he would win so easily. In the last 300 metres, I was thinking, 'Oh no, can he get a run?' But when he got clear it was all over.” Pedigree Notes Little Paradise was offered at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale by Wayne and Pauline Alchin's Carramar Park on behalf of their son Tim, who bred him. He was purchased by the combination of Chris McAnulty (Dullingham) and Bond Li (Legends Bloodstock) for A$270,000. It was a dream result for Tim Alchin, who had bought his dam, Devil In Her Heart (Star Witness), when she was carrying Little Paradise for just A$27,500 on Inglis Digital in February 2021. The unraced Devil In Her Heart is herself a half-sister to eight winners, including the G2 Emancipation Stakes scorer Olentia (Zoustar), G3 Newcastle Newmarket Handicap heroine Wandabaa (Wandjina) and multiple Listed winner Malkovich (Choisir). The post Little Paradise Much the Best in Hong Kong Classic Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

FORCED ENTRY (f, 3, Charlatan–Violent Times {SW, $228,701}, by Violence) contested the pace before fading to last in her six-furlong debut over the lawn Jan. 11. Moving to the main track and stretching out to a mile in this second start, the 7-2 shot sprinted out to the early lead and was shadowed by favored Wolf Hill (Upstart) down the backstretch through a quarter in :23.05 and a half in :47.07. She skipped clear nearing the stretch and sailed home unchallenged to graduate by 7 1/4 lengths. Wolf Hill trailed her home in second. Forced Entry was a $375,000 KEESEP yearling purchase. Violent Times produced a colt by American Pharoah last year and was bred back to Constitution. “Eight lengths with the breaks on.” #2 FORCED ENTRY an impressive maiden winner in Race 2 at @santaanitapark. A riding double for @JJHernandezS19 on the daughter of Charlatan out of stakes winner Violent Times. pic.twitter.com/XZ3YdqYH0s — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 1, 2026 2nd-Santa Anita, $70,000, Msw, 2-1, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:38.28, ft, 7 1/4 lengths. FORCED ENTRY (f, 3, Charlatan–Violent Times {SW, $228,701}, by Violence) Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $42,500. O-Michael Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul Weitman; B-Stoneriggs Farm (KY); T-Bob Baffert. The post Charlatan’s Forced Entry Romps to Maiden Score at Santa Anita appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Junior Alvarado, regular rider for 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty, is expected to return to action Thursday at Gulfstream Park after being shaken up late on Saturday's GIII Holy Bull Stakes program. The 39-year-old, replaced on his three scheduled mounts Sunday, took off his final two mounts Saturday, both in stakes, after being thrown to the turf by Multiverse (Practical Joke), who clipped heels on the first turn in an optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up. Multiverse was not injured. Agent Mike Sellitto said Sunday that Alvarado, who was transported to the hospital following the spill, received stitches on his knee but was otherwise unharmed. He was cleared to ride Sunday but took the afternoon off to further his recovery. Alvarado won earlier on Saturday's program aboard 5-year-old Roar Ready (Do the Roar) for trainer Victor Barboza Jr. and was second on Patrick Biancone-trained Redland Rebels (Uncle Chuck) in the Kitten's Joy Stakes. Entering Sunday, Alvarado ranked fourth with 26 wins and third with more than $1.7 million in purse earnings from 145 mounts at the Championship Meet, which began Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27. Among his victories are Destino D'Oro (Bolt d'Oro) in the GII Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf, Grand Job (Justify) in the GII Inside Information, Knightsbridge (Nyquist) in the GIII Mr. Prospector and GIII Fred Hooper and Layabout (Laoban) in the Tropical Park Derby. Alvarado is named in four of 10 races Thursday including Godolphin homebred Spirit of Hope (Street Sense), a 4-year-old half-sister to 2023 Horse of the Year Cody's Wish making her career debut, in a Race 6 maiden special weight going one mile on the main track. The post Junior Alvarado Slated to Return at Gulfstream Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When a flight carrying several American-based Saudi Cup contenders departs Florida Monday, Magnitude (Not This Time) will not be on it, trainer Steve Asmussen told DRF on Sunday. The 4-year-old Winchell Thoroughbreds runner, who won the GII Clark Stakes last November, spiked a fever Sunday and would not ship out of his Fair Grounds base as planned. Magnitude registered his most recent work at Fair Grounds, covering five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.40 (1/18) on Jan. 29. Winner of last season's GII Risen Star, the colt also annexed the Iowa Derby, finished third in the GI Travers Stakes and was runner-up in the GI Pennsylvania Derby in September. In his Clark victory, Magnitude most notably bested last season's G1 Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show (Candy Ride {Ire}). The post Magnitude to Miss Saudi Cup Due to Illness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Centennial Farms' Nearly was feeling his oats at Palm Beach Downs the morning of Feb. 1 in the aftermath of his eye-catching 5 3/4-length triumph in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 31.View the full article

Freshly anointed champion juvenile filly Super Corredora (Gun Runner), GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies fourth-place finisher Meaning (Gun Runner) and GSP Nimah (Gun Runner) were among a sextet of 3-year-old fillies nominated to next weekend's Las Virgenes Stakes who recorded timed workouts Sunday at Santa Anita. Super Corredora worked four furlongs in :48.0 (13/84) for trainer John Sadler. The bay was last seen winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Oct. 31 at Del Mar. Working five furlongs on Sunday, Meaning completed the task in 1:01.60 (30/71). Nimah, who was third in the GII Starlet Stakes in December, worked five furlongs in 1:00.6 (5/71) for Baffert. The $550,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select yearling purchase is campaigned by Zedan Racing Stables. Sunday's workers also heading to the Las Virgenes includes SW Cee Drew (Cistron) (4f :50.20 70/84) and Fortunate Truth (Authentic) (4f :50.20, 70/84), both trained by Dan Blacker; and Wild Like the West (Into Mischief) (4f :49.40, 26/33) for trainer Richard Baltas. Baffert also worked 3-year-old colts GISP Plutarch (Into Mischief) and GI Hopeful runner-up and TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard Buetane (Tiz the Law), who are both nominated to Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Buetane, a $1.15-million OBS Spring Sale juvenile purchase, is also entered in this Friday's GIII Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn. Buetane worked four furlongs in :47.80 (8/84), while Plutarch, who broke his maiden last out on turf Nov. 30 at Del Mar, worked six furlongs in 1:12.2 (1/6). The post Las Virgenes Noms Super Corredora, Meaning Head Santa Anita Worktab appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Centennial Farms' Nearly (Not This Time) was no worse for wear at Palm Beach Downs Sunday morning after an impressive victory in Saturday's GIII Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream. “He came back well,” Todd Pletcher said. “He was feeling frisky [Sunday] morning.” Making his two-turn and stakes debuts in the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds, Nearly stamped himself as a leading prospect for this year's GI Kentucky Derby. It was his third straight victory at the Hallandale Beach oval. “We thought it was a really strong performance. He put himself in a good spot. They were going pretty quickly early on, but it seemed like he was in a good cruising speed,” Pletcher said. “We liked the two-turn stretch-out. It was pretty much what we were hoping for.” The dark bay debuted with a sixth-place finish in his Oct. 26 debut at Aqueduct before posting a pair of overpowering victories at Gulfstream, including the most recent in a seven-furlong allowance optional claimer on Jan. 2. “I haven't had a chance to sit down with anybody to talk about what we're doing for sure. I don't like making any decisions immediately after a race. One of the things we talked about was [Saturday's] race was his third race in a relatively short period, but we wanted to give him some two-turn experience and he handled that,” Pletcher said. “Now that he handled that, we're probably in a position where we can give him a little extra time for the next one.” Among most likely scenarios, Nearly is more likely to train up to the GI Curlin Florida Derby on Mar. 28 at Gulfstream rather than return in the 8 1/2-furlong GII Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 28. “Since he's 3-for-3 at Gulfstream, I think the Florida Derby would be a logical target, but we'll see how he does and how he bounces back, which will kind of dictate what we do,” said Pletcher. “I would say once we have that discussion, that's probably the most likely scenario.” Pletcher-trained Audible, winner of the 2018 Holy Bull before going on to win the Florida Derby in his next start, finished third in that season's Kentucky Derby. Pletcher has saddled eight winners of the Florida Derby. Conversely, Albert Ciuffetelli, Steffani Brennan, Shining Stables LLC, BAG Racing Stables and Paul Braverman's Bravaro (Upstart), who finished second in the Holy Bull, is likely to return in the Fountain of Youth, according to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. The New York-bred was closest in pursuit of the dueling pacesetters and held well in the stretch to finish second. Bravaro, undefeated in two starts in New York-bred company at Aqueduct, last raced when winning the Oct. 25 Sleepy Hollow Stakes. “We wanted him to show up around two turns off the layoff, and he did,” Joseph said. “He's a very nice horse and should move forward off that race.” Bravaro's sire Upstart captured the 2015 Holy Bull before finishing second in the Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby. Joseph raised the possibility that Chris Fountoukis' Solitude Dude (Yaupon), whom he saddled for a 3 3/4-length victory in the seven-furlong Swale Stakes could join Bravaro in the Fountain of Youth. “Nothing yet as far as we're we'll go. If he did stretch out it would be the Fountain of Youth,” Joseph said. Undefeated Solitude Dude, a debut winner at Gulfstream last November, won Tampa's six-furlong Inaugural Stakes on Dec. 6. “I think he's an upper-level talent. Two turns is a question mark, but I think he's an upper-level talent,” Joseph said. The post “Feeling Frisky”: Nearly Feeling Good After Holy Bull Win, Likely to Train Up to Florida Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Florent Geroux, based at Fair Grounds this winter, is expected to shift his tack to Santa Anita this week, according to the DRF on Sunday. According to DRF, the rider is set to arrive in California on Thursday and is scheduled to ride on Friday. Representing Geroux during his California sojourn, Matt Nakatani is also the agent for Umberto Rispoli, recently sidelined after falling during a race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24. “I went to visit [Rispoli] in the hospital,” Geroux told DRF Sunday morning. “We talked it over. I decided to jump on the opportunity.” Explaining the decision for the move, Geroux added, “Business has been a bit slow at the Fair Grounds. I'm winning, but I'm not riding a lot.” Geroux, who out of limited occasions has won four Grade I races at the venue, will be riding full-time for the first time at The Great RIP. The post Florent Geroux Shifts Tack to Santa Anita appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Winter Watch returns from a brief hiatus to recap some of the key action that you might have missed during what always feels like the longest month of the year. In truth, if there was ever a good time for this column to take a break, then January was probably it, with several of the biggest trainers in the sport having essentially shut up shop during the first few weeks of the new year. John and Thady Gosden, for example, followed a hugely successful December (10 winners from 24 runners) by sending out only two runners in all of January, while Charlie Appleby has continued to fill his boots at Meydan whilst more or less turning a blind eye to the domestic action – albeit with one very significant exception. Here, we've skipped to the good bits from a seemingly never-ending January, highlighting five performances, ranked in reverse order, that you really should go back and revisit if you missed them whilst polishing off the last of the Quality Street. 5. Martagny – Cagnes-sur-Mer, January 24 Martagny, the winner of two of his three starts to date, is the first of two entries into the top five for Marseille-based trainer Jerome Reynier, with his latest victory being achieved in impressive fashion on the turf at Cagnes-sur-Mer. After getting off the mark at the second attempt, when winning a maiden at Salon-de-Provence on November 27, Martagny then faced six other previous winners when returning from eight weeks off for the Prix Sky Lawyer. Racing in a clear second for much of that 2,150-metre contest, the son of Zarak moved up to challenge the long-time leader, Muhaaria (Muhaarar), early in the straight, before forging clear to beat the running-on Saint Martin (Time Test) by two and a half lengths. Gerard Augustin-Normand's homebred Martagny is the second winner from three runners out of the G3 Prix des Reservoirs runner-up Montviette (Le Havre), a full-sister to the G3 Prix Messidor second Longvillers. Montviette's first foal was the high-class sprinter Monteille (Cable Bay), who can count last year's Prix du Gros-Chene and Prix du Petit Couvert among his three Group 3 victories. Whilst Monteille has shown his best form at up to six furlongs, Martagny clearly takes more after his sire, having already proved that he stays beyond a mile-and-a-quarter. He will be well worth trying in a higher grade, with one of the early trials for the Prix du Jockey Club appealing as a suitable target. Prix Sky Lawyer @hippocotdazur Cagnes Sur Mer – Classe 1 – 3 ans – 2150m -7 Pts – Tres Souple (4.1) – 27 400 € Martagny (m3) Antonio Orani (Zarak?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Zarak (Fr) @AgaKhanStuds – Montviette (Fr) par Le Havre (Ire)) Jerome Reynier @EcurieReynier… pic.twitter.com/tB2Y93FThd — French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) January 24, 2026 4. Blanc De Blanc – Dundalk, January 9 We go next from Cagnes-sur-Mer to County Louth where Blanc De Blanc, a $575,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, made a successful debut in a Dundalk maiden for Amo Racing and rookie trainer Robson Aguiar. Admittedly, the performance itself wasn't as smooth as connections would have liked. Blanc De Blanc hung right when shaken up early in the straight and hampered the favourite, Astronomically (No Nay Never), to the extent that she had to survive a stewards' enquiry before eventually being declared the winner. The first two, separated by just a neck at the line, pulled a further two and a half lengths clear of the remainder. Astronomically came into the race as a two-race maiden – and has since filled the runner-up spot again in a similar event at the same venue – so it's hard to get too excited about the form, but it was a promising debut nonetheless from Blanc De Blanc, who certainly has plenty to recommend her on pedigree. By the stateside sensation Not This Time, she is one of five winners out of the winning Galileo mare Wonderful, a full-sister to the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Breeders' Cup Turf hero Magician. Only time will tell whether Blanc De Blanc is worthy of her own lofty entries in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Irish Oaks. Either way, she seems sure to progress and win more races for the excellent operator that is Aguiar, who has made a fine start to his first full season as a licence holder with four winners from 11 runners in January. $575k purchase finishes in front! Blanc De Blanc (Not This Time) beats Astronomically at the line on debut @DundalkStadium but a stewards' enquiry is called pic.twitter.com/Xspu61aHcA — Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 9, 2026 3. Eostre – Cagnes-sur-Mer, January 20 A few days before the success of Martagny, Reynier was also on the money at Cagnes-sur-Mer with Eostre, who looked another exciting prospect from the first crop of St Mark's Basilica when winning on debut by four and a half lengths. Facing nine rivals over one-mile of the Cagnes all-weather track, Eostre travelled smoothly with only three ahead of her through the first half of the race. Easing into a challenging position on the home turn, she proceeded to move through the gears in the style of a filly potentially out of the very top drawer, certainly in a different league to this class of opposition as she hit the line having appeared to barely break sweat. Eostre's Swedish owner-breeder Erika Gilliar purchased her dam, the five-race maiden Tanita (Frankel), for 105,000gns out of the Juddmonte draft at the 2020 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Tanita, in turn, is out of Shoal (Oasis Dream), a winning full-sister to the multiple top-level heroine Midday and a half to the Group 3 winners Hot Snap (Pivotal) and Sun Maiden (Frankel). Eostre is the first foal out of Tanita, who has a two-year-old filly by Dark Angel still to come. This filly is bred to stay beyond a mile, but the turn of foot she showed on debut suggests her connections don't need to be in any rush to step her up in distance. She's very much one to follow for Reynier, whose team of fillies to go to war with in 2026 includes Eostre's fellow Cagnes winners in January, Al Rateel (Violence) and Nay (Zelzal). A potentially smart type! St Mark's Basilica filly Eostre storms to a debut success at Cagnes-sur-Mer… pic.twitter.com/vLB8looGqF — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) January 20, 2026 2. Frankish – Cagnes-sur-Mer, January 15 Not to be outdone by Reynier, Yann Barberot unleashed a potential top-notcher of his own at Cagnes-sur-Mer last month when Frankish made a successful debut in the Prix Ace Impact, a race named after its brilliant 2023 winner. This year, Jean-Claude Rouget saddled Ace Impact's half-brother, Armano (Waldgeist), in his quest for a fourth straight win in the contest, having also struck in 2024 with Arrow Eagle (Gleneagles) – another of Ace Impact's siblings – and last year with Leffard (Le Havre). Incidentally, Arrow Eagle and Leffard both ended the latest campaign as Group 1 winners for the Rouget stable, having plundered the Prix Royal-Oak and Grand Prix de Paris, respectively. In the event, Armano could finish only fifth under a considerate ride from Cristian Demuro, but once again the race threw up a winner who looks destined for bigger and better things. Ideally positioned throughout, slipstreaming the leader in a steadily-run affair, Frankish was ultimately well on top at the finish after moving to the lead a furlong out, striding clear from there to beat Cosmic Boy (De Treville) by two lengths. Jockey Hugo Journiac resorted to the whip just once aboard the blue-blooded Frankish, a son of Lope De Vega and the 1,000 Guineas winner Miss France (Dansili), who is open to any amount of improvement with this experience under his belt. Sporting the familiar blue and white silks of Wertheimer et Frere, he must be considered a very smart middle-distance prospect in the making, certainly no forlorn hope to follow in the footsteps of Ace Impact, Arrow Eagle and Leffard in the months and years ahead. Prix Ace Impact @hippocotdazur Cagnes Sur Mer – Inédits – Males – 3 ans – 2000m – 13 Pts – 21 000 € Frankish (m3) (Ire) Hugo Journiac @HugoJourniac (Lope De Vega (Ire) @BallylinchStud – Miss France (Ire) par Dansili 'Gb)) Yann Barberot @BarberotYann… pic.twitter.com/wYHN4eH75P — French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) January 15, 2026 1. Palladas – Kempton, January 28 Godolphin's Palladas completes a clean sweep of the first two places for his sire, Lope De Vega, having been named a 'TDN Rising Star', presented by Hagyard when kicking off his career in style at Kempton last week. Palladas was the only British runner saddled by that man Charlie Appleby in all of January, but the Moulton Paddocks boss always saves a good one for the one-mile maiden run on Wednesday's card, and so it proved once again as this colt emulated the likes of Notable Speech (2024) and Opera Ballo (2025) with a sparkling display on the Kempton all-weather. Sent off the 6/5 favourite in a field of 12, he travelled fluently into contention and was never stronger than at the finish, really motoring through the final furlong as he registered an emphatic success to the tune of two and three-quarter lengths. A 750,000gns purchase at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Palladas was bred by Jeffrey and Phoebe Hobby at Brightwalton Stud. He is one of three winners from as many runners out of the Listed River Eden Stakes third Isabella (Galileo), with the others including the GIII La Jolla Handicap winner and GII Del Mar Derby second Maltese Falcon (Caravaggio). Both Notable Speech and Opera Ballo went from this maiden to the”European Road To The Kentucky Derby” Conditions Stakes, run over the same course and distance in late-February. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, so surely Palladas is a safe bet to appear there for the next step in his education, before being given the opportunity to test himself in Group company when the turf season gets underway. 2026 2025 2024 2203 2022 2021 Palladas, a 750,000gns son of Lope De Vega, continues stunning run of Charlie Appleby in this Kempton maiden.@godolphin pic.twitter.com/GCB2Je2ybz — Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 28, 2026 The post Winter Watch: Five Names for the Notebook from the Last Month of Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Little Paradise overcame traffic and distance questions Feb. 1 at Sha Tin Racecourse to win the Hong Kong Classic Mile, first leg of the Hong Kong Derby series.View the full article