Wandering Eyes

Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) would most likely still have launched his campaign in the Gr.1 William Reid Stakes (2000m) had it been at its home track, Moonee Valley, but the Ciaron Maher stable are not complaining about its home for this year. The A$1 million sprint will be run at Caulfield this Saturday with The Valley out of action while under renovation. Jimmysstar has had six starts at Caulfield for five wins, including the Gr.1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) and Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m). The six-year-old has won two trials in preparation for his return and Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull is excited about unleashing him this weekend. “The William Reid is here at Caulfield, which is his favourite track,” Turnbull said. “He’s had a faultless prep and his trials are obviously there to be seen. “It would be nice to think he’s come back better – he doesn’t need to – but he tries, he’s very competitive and he’s clearly a very good horse.” The William Reid Stakes will be Jimmysstar’s first start since banking a third career Group One win in the Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) and while he has claims on recognition as Australia’s premier 1400m horse, Turnbull said 1200m at weight-for-age was the perfect fresh set-up. “He won the Oakleigh Plate here, but that was as a younger horse and he had no weight,” he said. “Now as a mature horse, effectively he is a ‘seven furlong’ (1400m) horse, but he’s so brilliant and fresh over six (furlongs) he can really rip.” Jimmysstar is one of 15 entries for the William Reid Stakes and two for Maher, who will also be represented by Benedetta (Hellbent). The Maher pair are among 10 Group One winners entered for the William Reid Stakes. -RAS NewsWire View the full article

Brad Widdup has two riders on standby to partner Jedibeel (NZ) (Savabeel) in this Saturday’s Gr.1 The Galaxy (1100m) depending on what weight the sprinter is allotted. Handicaps for the 1100 metre feature at Rosehill will be released on Tuesday and once Widdup knows what impost Jedibeel will carry, he will lock in a jockey. “Depending on the weight, we’ve got Tommy (Berry) booked, or Alysha (Collett), so we’ve got two bites at the cherry there with jockeys,” Widdup said. “Hopefully he can draw a gate, and we’ll go from there.” Jedibeel is among 25 entries for the A$1 million The Galaxy with star grey Briasa (Smart Missile), Gr.2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) winner Generosity (Divine Prophet), Beadman (Snitzel) and Grafterburners (Graff) among his potential rivals. Jedibeel tackles The Galaxy second-up after finishing fourth from a wide draw in the Gr.1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on February 21. He was also among nominations for Saturday’s Gr.3 Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill, but Widdup opted to keep his powder dry and steer towards the major. “I ‘ummed and ahhed’ about running (in the Maurice McCarten), but I thought, we’re going to get into the Galaxy with an OK weight,” he said. “I had a good think about it, and we don’t have to run him all the time. We just have to pick the right races.” Jedibeel finished ninth to Private Harry (Harry Angel) in The Galaxy 12 months ago when he drew an outside gate and got back in a leader dominated race. His best result since then has been a photo finish second behind Libertad (Russian Revolution) in the Gr.2 Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm in May, but he is an eight-time winner and is proven over the Rosehill 1100-metre circuit. Jedibeel was bred by Waikato Stud and is out of their unraced O’Reilly mare Starry, they offered Jedibeel during the National Weanling Sale on Gavelhouse Plus in 2020, where he was bought for $35,000 by Dengaroka Lodge in New South Wales. Jedibeel was later purchased by Widdup as a yearling for $190,000 at the Sydney Classic Sale after fielding a phone call from Sydney businessman Mike Gregg. Gregg races Jedibeel in the bumble bee colours of his Sydney University of NSW cricket club, along with his grandson Locky Sheridan. -RAS Newswire View the full article

James McDonald once again takes Australian racing’s centre stage at Rosehill on Saturday with the world’s No. 1 rider seemingly destined to establishing a new record for career Group One winners. If McDonald can claim two Group One wins from the five on the Rosehill program this Saturday, he will not only overtake Damien Oliver as the most successful Group One rider in Australian racing history, he will also register his 100th Group One win in Australia. Currently, McDonald has 98 Australian Group One wins, 16 in Hong Kong, 11 in New Zealand and one each in Japan, the UK and the UAE. Group One wins are hard to come by (certainly for most jockeys) but McDonald looks set for at least one such victory this Saturday as he rides the unbeaten Gr.1 George Ryder Stakes’ (1500m) $1.24 favourite Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun). Also destined to start at a short quote is his Gr.1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) mount Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio), who is currently rated a $1.80 chance of scoring her first G1 weight-for-age win. J-MAC’S GROUP ONE RIDES AT ROSEHILL THIS SATURDAY Gr.1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) – AUTUMN GLOW ($1.24 fav) Gr.1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) – AELIANA ($1.80 fav) Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) – AUTUMN BOY (The Autumn Sun) ($3) Gr.1 Galaxy (1100m) – GENEROSITY (Divine Prophet) ($7) Gr.1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) – No firm booking. Likely to be one of Chris Waller’s trio of Campione D’Italia (Snitzel), Fireball (Snitzel) or Hidrix (Extreme Choice). McDonald moved to 126 wins earlier this month with a Group One double of Autumn Glow in the Gr.1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) before 24 hours later claiming another Hong Kong feature aboard Romantic Warrior (Gr.1 Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m)). He then won the Gr.1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) aboard Joliestar (Zoustar) before claiming yet another Group One aboard Lazzura (Snitzel) in last Saturday’s Gr.1 Coolmore Classic (1500m). Over the past two Saturdays, he has ridden an extraordinary 10 winners in Sydney. Following his win on Lazurra, McDonald told Channel 7 that the prospect of the record was not weighing on his mind. “It hasn’t really come into my calculations,” he said. “If I get there, I get there. “It’s a funny feeling as Ollie (Oliver) is so great and I don’t feel like I should be in that echelon just yet.” Oliver, however, told Racing.com’s The Verdict program on Sunday that the speed at which McDonald has chased down his record underlines his greatness. “To get that record at 34 – I was 51 I think when I did it – so it just shows you how quickly he’s done it,” Oliver said. “I am sure it’s in the back of his mind but if you start thinking about that you are not actually thinking about what is in front of you and that is winning these big races. “When I was doing it, it was not something I was setting out after either. You just want to be competing in those big races and winning those big races and that’s more what you are concentrating on what’s right ahead of you rather than what’s going to be the end result.” “He is just a champion that people are going to talk about for generations.” J-Mac is closing in on the G1 record, and Chris Waller couldn’t be prouder. @SENGiddyUp live from 8am weekdays Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app pic.twitter.com/DjBBaz6zIv — Racing.com (@Racing) March 15, 2026 View the full article

Racehorses competing into their double-digit years are common in jumping ranks, but those in the mould of weekend winner Butterfield (NZ) (Niagara) are by far the exception. At Tauranga on Saturday, 10-year-old Butterfield belied his age when he outsprinted his rivals in the Rating 75 1400m, working to the lead from a wide gate for regular rider Tayla Mitchell to establish a clear lead and clinging to victory by a short half-head from Oppenheimer (NZ) (Belardo). That took the Niagara gelding’s record from 52 starts to six wins, six seconds and five thirds for stakes a touch short of $230,000. “He’s been such a genuine horse for me, he always tries so hard and he showed that again on Saturday when he fought them off like that,” said trainer and part-owner Pat McCarten, who races Butterfield with Hong Kong resident Edmund Yue. “The thing is even though he’s 10, this season he’s felt the best and looked the best he ever has. When you look at his record, he’s never raced so well with the most stakes ($73,300) he’s ever earned in a season.” McCarten is perfectly positioned to assess his solitary racehorse’s well-being, as not only does he train him but despite his own advancing years, he also rides him in all his work. “It just got harder and harder to depend on work riders, so that gets back to me, otherwise I’d have to give up. I mix his training between my own property at Oropi, which is quite hilly, and at the (Tauranga) track, so I guess you could say it works. “I’m a bit of a one-man band, I do everything myself, even shoeing him.” Going only so far as describing his own age in terms of “old enough to know better”, Taranaki-born and raised McCarten has a deep racing background. Most famously, his great uncle is the late Maurice McCarten, a member of both the Australian and New Zealand Racing Halls of Fame recognising an outstanding career as both a jockey and trainer. Born in 1902 and initially a dual premiership-winning jockey in his homeland, McCarten took that success further after relocating to Sydney with another premiership and wins in many of Australia’s major races. When he transitioned to training he prepared the winners of the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups, multiple Cox Plates, Epsom Handicaps and Golden Slippers, including the inaugural edition of Australia’s premier two-year-old race with the champion colt Todman (Star Kingdom). He won the 1939 Sydney trainers’ premiership and finished second no less than 10 times to the trainer who was to dominate Sydney ranks, T J Smith. “I’m not old enough to remember his career, but I do recall him from the times he would come home for visits,” says McCarten’s great nephew. Pat McCarten’s own time in racing has included ownership with his parents of the quality 1980s galloper Passakiss (NZ) (Blarney Kiss). She was prepared by the late Dick Bothwell to win the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m) and two editions of the Listed Clifford Plate (2000m), the premier weight-for-age race at the original Christmas-New Year Auckland Cup carnival. McCarten became a pioneer in the video filming of National Sale yearlings before they went to auction, as well as combining that content with his work as a bloodstock agent. “I did my first yearling videos back in 1990 and I’m still involved in that kind of work,” McCarten said. “We have our own website (www.equivision.co.nz) which covers the whole equine range.” As for Butterfield, McCarten has “thrown in a nom” for Pukekohe on Friday, keen to make the most of autumn tracks while they last. “I was quite surprised he coped with that (Heavy8) track on Saturday, I almost scratched him on the morning, but I think it helped that Tayla got him across to the fence and stayed down on the inside. “I’ll keep him going while he’s enjoying it, so I don’t know how long that will mean and whether he comes back next season. “All I know is he hasn’t put his hand up at this stage.” View the full article

Girl Talk’s (NZ) (Zed) hot run of form has earned her an early crack at a black-type feature at the scene of her latest triumph. She was successful on Saturday in Rating 75 company at Wanganui and a return to the River City for the Gr.3 Windsor Park Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2000m) on April 6 is now firmly in the sights of the four-year-old. Younger stablemate Iffigive (NZ) (Contributer) will also remain on target for a return to stakes racing if she performs up to expectations at Waverley on Wednesday. Part-owner and trainer Stephen Nickalls has played the waiting game with Girl Talk, and the daughter of Zed is now repaying his patience. “She is a good mare, a very cool little girl so we’re very lucky,” he said. “She will most likely go for the Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.3, 2000m) back at Wanganui, she was still a maiden in October so she’s come a very long way in a reasonably short period of time.” Girl Talk opened her account at Waverley in the spring and subsequently won two on the bounce at Trentham and prior to her latest success had placed in the Douro Cup (1600m) and finished sixth in the Karapiro Classic (1600m). “She was third behind Anderson Bridge (NZ) (Savabeel) and Afternoon Siesta (Shamus Award) and was just over two lengths behind That’s Gold (Lucky Vega), who was second favourite for the Derby (Gr.1, 2400m), at Te Rapa,” Nickalls said. “She’s doing an exceptional job for us, all things being equal she’ll got to Wanganui on Easter Monday.” Girl Talk has been taken along quietly and has now won four of her 14 appearances. “She’s a temperamental little darling and we never rushed her as a young horse,” Nickalls said. “We got her up and going and gave her a jump-out before we turned her out and she came back to win a trial. We spaced her races as a three-year-old and didn’t overtax her. “She paraded well on Saturday and didn’t have to go out early like she normally does, she’s maturing nicely but she still can be a bit difficult at times. Meanwhile, Iffigive has done well since her luckless run for seventh in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m). She had previously finished sixth in the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) and fourth in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m). “She has been very unlucky and should have won a maiden race by now, she got skittled on the corner in the Oaks and was still hitting the line hard,” Nickalls said. “The Manawatu Classic (Gr.3, 2100m) at Trentham on March 28 is her target if she does everything right (in the Property Brokers, 1650m) at Waverley on Wednesday. “She’s come through the Oaks really well and she’ll be dropping back to a mile, but it was either run there or go back to the trials as it would have been six weeks between races. “It will tidy her up nicely, she’s bouncing around in the paddock and I can’t fault her.” View the full article

Mark Newnham will look to bounce back in the trainers’ championship with a strong hand at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, headlined by Crimson Flash in the Class Two Daisy Handicap (1,200m). Newnham has hit a quiet patch with just one winner from the past 10 meetings, but still sits third in the championship standings with 36 wins. Crimson Flash last stepped out in the Classic Mile (1,600m) at Sha Tin when he struggled at the trip, but he will be back to his ideal track and distance where he...View the full article

Seven weeks in advance of the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1), Paladin and Chief Wallabee closed as 8-1 co-favorites in Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.View the full article

Gary Biszantz, founder of Cobra Farm, died March 14 at age 91, according to Mike Owens, longtime manager at Cobra Farm, which Biszantz sold last year.View the full article

The connections of Take A Breath could do just that after the 4-year-old filly won a photo finish in the $102,500 Santa Ana Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park March 15.View the full article

Paladin (Gun Runner), most recently winner of the GII Risen Star Stakes, and GII Fountain of Youth Stakes runner-up Chief Wallabee (Constitution) were 8-1 co-favorites when the Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 5 closed Sunday evening. The Chad Brown-trained Paladin, who runs next in the Apr. 4 GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, had $25,772 in Win bets, while the Bill Mott-trained Chief Wallabee, scheduled to make his next start in the Feb. 28 GI Curlin Florida Derby, handled $24,790–a difference of just $982. Next in the wagering was Nearly (Not This Time) and Commandment (Into Mischief) at 12-1, Renegade (Into Mischief) at 13-1 and all other 3-year-olds at 14-1. In the lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which was conducted concurrently with the KDFW Pool 5, unbeaten GII Demoiselle Stakes and Suncoast Stakes winner Zany (American Pharoah) closed as the clear 4-1 favorite. Bella Ballerina (Street Sense) was the second choice at 7-1, and Explora (Blame) was third choice at 8-1. Total handle for the KDFW pool–the fifth of six scheduled wagering pools in advance of the Kentucky Derby–was $310,430 ($209,189 in the Win pool and $101,241 in Exactas), compared to last year's $430,006 ($328,063 in the Win pool and $102,003 in Exactas). Betting on the Oaks Future Wager totaled $76,059 ($55,444 in the Win pool and $20,615 in Exactas) versus 2025's $79,974 ($58,629 in the Win pool and $21,345 in Exactas). To view the complete fields, click here. The post Paladin, Chief Wallabee Co-Favorites in Derby Future Wager appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Danny Eubanks–who has been managing his mother Annette's barn for the past year and a half–earned his first official win with his first starter at Laurel Park Sunday when Mugatu (Blofeld) surged from last under jockey Carlos Lopez to win the day's opener, a $20,000 starter allowance. “I think I stopped breathing at the quarter pole until he crossed the line,” Eubanks said in the winner's circle. “This isn't as big as the emotions when my mom won her 500th because that took a lot more effort. This feels pretty easy, but this was a work in progress all along. Right now, to have my mom's 500th, dad's 90th on Friday, and this first start for me, it's awesome.” Annette Eubanks earned her 500th victory eight days ago, while the Eubanks family celebrated Guy's 90th birthday at Laurel Park a few days later. Mugatu competed in the GI Preakness Stakes two years ago for trainer Jeff Engler. The chestnut gelding also finished in the top three in two stakes races that year, including third-place finish in the Maryland Million Classic. After moving through various barns, Mugatu was bought by Eubanks's Rising Sun Racing Stables in a $30,000 claim last summer. “My good friend and trainer, Greg Sacco, called me and asked if I wanted to claim something for the [2025 Maryland Million] Classic,” Eubanks explained. “I felt like I paid a little too much for him, especially when entries came out for the Classic. He didn't belong, but that's why I claimed him, and I stuck with the game plan. I knew I had this three-life condition that he's eligible for to protect him for $20,000. It took me a little longer than I expected. This is what I've been expecting for three or four races.” Although Eubanks has gone solo, Annette isn't retiring just yet. “The ones that are in our name, she wants to stay on as trainer,” Eubanks said. “Anything that's Rising Sun or some other partners I'm bringing along will be in my name.” The post Trainer Danny Eubanks Earns First Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

New Jersey racing has not had it easy, and has not had it easy for a long time. Monmouth was in such dire straits that, after the end of the 2025 meet, there was so little money in its coffers that the track wasn't able to pay horsemen money that was owed to them for months. That problem arose despite the fact Monmouth was receiving an annual $10-million subsidy from the state to supplement purses. Worried that the subsidy, never a sure thing, might go away under the newly elected Governor Mikie Sherrill, Dennis Drazin, who heads Darby Development, the company that manages the track's operations, has advanced the idea that the meet should be reduced to 25 days if the subsidy is no longer available. New Jersey racing was once as great as it gets. It had a circuit of Garden State, Atlantic City and Monmouth, one of the most beautiful tracks in the sport. Then the Meadowlands came along, and it was a behemoth in its day. But it all started to fall apart on May 26, 1978 when the first Atlantic City casino opened. Backed by powerful politicians from the southern half of the state, the Atlantic City casinos have successfully kept gaming out of the New Jersey tracks for 48 years. That damage has been immense. It became so difficult to compete with states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware and New York, where purses were fattened by one form or another of casino gaming, that New Jersey racing was always fighting a losing battle. Monmouth is all that is left on the Thoroughbred side, and the track runs for only 50 days each year. Yet, and finally, help may be on its way. That was apparent last week when the New York Times published an in-depth story under the headline “New Jersey Is Reconsidering Legalizing Casinos Outside Atlantic City.” Legislation has been introduced by two pro-racing Democratic State Senators in Vin Gopal and Paul Sarlo, that would allow for casinos to be constructed at Monmouth and the Meadowlands. The New York Times story hardly predicted a victory for the racing industry, but neither did it imply that the effort was doomed to fail. “We're already doing sports betting on site, we're already betting on horse racing on site,” Gopal told the Times. “Gambling is already happening. How is this any different?” Getting this done is not as easy as it may seem. The New Jersey Constitution specifically restricts casino gambling in the state to Atlantic City, so a simple legislative bill is not enough. The first step will require a constitutional amendment. The only way that can happen is if both chambers of government pass the resolution with a three-fifths (60%) supermajority in a single year. If that happens, and happens quickly, the referendum will appear on the 2026 ballot in November. When it comes to the vote, the Public Question will pass if a simple majority of the voters approve of it. Those pushing for casinos at Monmouth and the Meadowlands believe they have a new and important talking point. Three new casinos are being built in the New York metropolitan area. Once they open, they will give New Jersey gamblers yet one more convenient out-of-state option to spend their gambling dollars, gambling dollars, they believe, that should be staying home. New Jersey gamblers are already flocking to casinos in Pennsylvania. Parx, the racetrack and casino just north of the Philadelphia border, has purchased several billboards on the New Jersey Turnpike inviting Jersey gamblers to visit what is one of the most successful casinos in the nation. “The time has come to expand casinos outside of Atlantic City,” Drazin said. “In reality, when they started online gaming with servers in Atlantic City, that meant that you could bet from any place in the state. But the real game changer was the awarding of three downstate casinos in New York, which will certainly hurt New Jersey casinos in Atlantic City. New Jersey has to do something to protect the state revenues that we should be gaining from gaming. So the picture has changed a little bit. At this point, there's no longer as big a stranglehold on Atlantic City as there was in the past.” Atlantic City has fallen on hard times and is down to just nine casinos. Yet, it still has legions of supporters in the state legislature, who have successfully warded off every effort to allow casinos to operate in the state outside of Atlantic City. Michael Suleiman, the chairman of the Atlantic County Democratic Committee, told the Times, “We will have to defeat it,” referencing the bill to allow casinos at the state's two remaining racetracks. In order to appease the Atlantic City casino owners and their political allies, both Drazin and Meadowlands owner Jeff Gural have said that Atlantic City must be cut in on the action. Drazin has already lined up an important Atlantic City ally in Morris Bailey, the owner of the Resorts Casino Hotel. Bailey is partnering with Monmouth on an ambitious plan to develop the property to include housing, a hotel, an indoor community center, and, hopefully a casino. “Before, Morris was part of the opposition,” Drazin said. “Now Morris is our partner and part of the push. Morris is committed to do everything possible to get this passed. I think that between Jeff Gural and Morris and the others that support this, we will be able to put together a war chest to address the opposition.” Another factor in favor of the racetracks is that Steve Sweeney, the former Senate President–a powerful figure in New Jersey politics and a staunch supporter of Atlantic City–suffered a stunning defeat in 2021, losing his seat to a truck driver named Edward Durr. It was considered one of the greatest upsets in the history of New Jersey politics. This time around, the opposition will come not just from the Atlantic City casinos, but the new casinos being built in New York and the Pennsylvania casinos. That was part of the problem in 2016 when the question of expanding casinos outside of Atlantic City was put to the voters, none of whom could have ignored the deluge of anti-casinos ads that received funding from those who stood to see their casino profits slip if New Jersey moved ahead and moved out of Atlantic City. It was a rout, with 77.2% of the voters voting against casino expansion. But many believe that the referendum was flawed because it was vague and didn't specify what the locations would be for the two new casinos that would be allowed. Its opponents claimed it amounted to a “blank check” for wealthy developers. That the then very unpopular governor Chris Christie was behind casino expansion didn't help either. Why would it be different this time? “I may not give you a popular answer, so people may not be thrilled,” Drazin said. “But I always tell the truth. The last time around in 2016, it was set up to fail. There was no enabling legislation that the public could look at and see where the casinos were going to go, what the tax rate would be, and who would benefit from it. It was all destined to fail, and they didn't put it at Monmouth. They concocted this rule that you have to be 71 miles away from Atlantic City and we are 70. I'm not criticizing Gural, but the casinos outspent him. The casinos probably spent $30 million opposing it. They questioned, 'Where's the money going?' and they were able to paint a very negative picture. “I expect opposition from parts of New York. I expect opposition from Pennsylvania. I do expect some opposition from Atlantic City, but you're going to have to put things in the bill to work that out. You're going to have to probably start with the requirement that you have to partner with an Atlantic City casino in order to be eligible for a license.” The legislation specifies that at least 10% of tax revenue from any new casinos be “dedicated to provide funding for the support of Atlantic City tourism.” Drazin also expressed his concern that the bill does not specify whether the tracks would be allowed to have a full-fledged casino or just slot machines. But even slots would make a tremendous difference. “It would mean more days and higher purses,” Drazin said. “We would be a world-class destination that would do very well. Morris believes, and I agree, that here in Monmouth County, there's a lot of wealth. We have the ocean right here, just a couple of miles down the road. There's a lot of development going on. We have Netflix coming here and the home prices are going up. Monmouth County has always been affluent, but it's getting more and more affluent. We think a casino at Monmouth Park in its location would be a wonderful thing for horse racing and for breeding in the state. And my goal has always been, and Morris shares that vision, to have higher purses and more days at Monmouth Park.” This needs to happen. While there is no additional revenue coming in from gaming, the Meadowlands and Monmouth are both struggling mightily. Some feel that if they do not get casinos, it is imminent that both tracks will eventually close, particularly if they stop receiving the $20-million purse supplement that is divided between the breeds. That is why everyone in the racing industry sees getting the casino bill over the finish line as nothing less than something that will save New Jersey racing. Jaramillo Tearing It Up at Santa Anita Emisael Jaramillo, who picked up another three winners on Friday at Santa Anita, went into Sunday's card tied for the leading rider spot with Juan Hernandez. Both had 34 winners at the meet. That Jaramillo is doing so well has to come as a surprise. He did well in Florida, but had to take a back seat to riders like John Velazquez, Irad Ortiz Jr. and Tyler Gaffalione when they came in for the Championship Meet. One of the reasons he has taken off is that Chief Stipe O'Neill is riding him on just about everything. Sixteen of his winners have come on O'Neill-trained horses. “He's always been a successful rider,” O'Neill said. “I think he won every big race you can think of in Venezuela and he really thrived in Florida, as well. He's just a very talented rider. One of his greatest assets is his ability to stay off a horse's mouth leaving the gate and put him in a good spot without the horse expending a lot of energy. He reminds me so much of Joel Rosario. “We have a lot of good riders here, but he came at a time when it was a good idea to bring in a new face. We were itching for some new blood to come in. Then Antonio Fresu got hurt and that opened up some opportunities for him. His work ethic is as good as I've ever seen. He's here every morning working horses. If you give him a horse with a chance he will help. He's a tremendous rider.” Speaking of Hot Riders, It Was a Huge Week for Pietro Moran After taking most of the winter off, 2025 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice Pietro Moran showed up at Gulfstream last week and won with five of his first eight mounts. He was second on the other three. Moran will go from Gulfstream to Keeneland, where he'll hope to continue to show off his abilities to U.S.-based trainers. He was planning to return to Woodbine this year after his Keeneland stint, but says he's keeping his options open. “The plan was to go from Keeneland to Woodbine, but things might change, especially if I keep getting good opportunities,” he said. “So, I'm not sure what is happening yet.” Moran no longer has his apprentice allowance. The post The Week in Review: Is Casino Gaming Finally on its Way to Save Monmouth? It’s a Definite Maybe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tom Ryan of co-owner SF Racing confirmed March 15 that the undefeated colt Taj Mahal will make his next start in the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack April 4.View the full article

Monday, Chantilly, France, post time: 15:05, PRIX RONDE DE NUIT-Listed, €50,300, 3yo, 5 1/2fT Field: Ulymine (Fr) (Penny's Picnic {Ire}), Aurorian Clouds (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}), Afjan (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}), Exclamation (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Trinquette (Fr) (City Light {Fr}), Street Show (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}), Baker Blue (GB) (Ardad {Ire}), Kailani (Fr) (Goken {Fr}), Michael The Great (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), Inju (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), Birdcall (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Kimi Rey (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Jeudixx (Fr) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}). TDN Analysis: Unravelling interweaving black-type form is the task here with G3 Prix d'Arenberg victor Afjan once again crossing swords with Jeudixx and Kimi Rey. Jeudixx finished behind Afjan in the Arenberg and August's G3 Prix de Cabourg, while Kimi Rey was too good for both in July's Listed Prix Yacowlef. Magne Jordanger and Finn Blichfeldt's G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte runner-up Street Show is the only other contender with black-type form and should not be discounted. Of the remainder, Aurorian Clouds, dual winner Michael The Great and unbeaten former Ollie Sangster trainee Birdcall make most appeal. [Sean Cronin]. The post Black-Type Analysis: Afjan Back in Listed Action at Chantilly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's Observations features a newcomer to follow at Chantilly. 3.40 Chantilly, Debutantes, 3yo, c/g, 8f (AWT) MR LOPE CEN (IRE) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) starts out for Yeguada Centurion and the Henri Devin stable in this intriguing affair and as a half-brother to Justify's Prix de la Foret heroine Ramatuelle is the race's key eyecatcher. Among his peers is Haras de Saint Julien's Watch The King (Fr) (Persian King {Ire}), a Fabrice Chappet-trained son of the Coronation Stakes heroine Watch Me (Olympic Glory). The post Ramatuelle’s Half-Brother Mr Lope Cen Debuts at Chantilly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article