Wandering Eyes

Graded winner Tale of Silence (Tale of the Cat–Silence Beauty {Jpn}, by Sunday Silence), whose first 2-year-olds will race this year, is standing the 2026 season at Colebrook Stallion Station in Ontario. He previously stood at Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky. A homebred for Charles Fipke, Tale of Silence won the 2018 GIII Westchester Stakes at Belmont Park and placed in five other graded events. A full-brother to MGISW and sire Tale of Ekati and a grandson of MGISW Maplejinsky (Nijinsky II), he hails from a deep female family. Tale of Silence is standing for a fee of C$2,500, live foal guarantee. Another Fipke stallion previously announced as moved this year is Title Ready (More Than Ready–Title Seeker, by Monarchos), who also spent his first years at Darby Dan and is now standing for $2,000 at Breakway Farm in Indiana. The 2021 GIII Louisiana Stakes winner will also be represented by his first foals this year. The post First-Crop Stallion Tale of Silence Moved to Colebrook in Ontario appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After finishing fifth and seventh, respectively, in Saturday's GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park, Tracy Farmer's La Cara (Street Sense–Cara Caterina, by Bernardini) and Shortleaf Stable's Quietside (Malibu Moon–Benner Island, by Speightstown) have each been retired. La Cara, a homebred for Farmer conditioned by Mark Casse, won both the GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes and GI DK Horse Acorn Stakes in 2025, in addition to the 2024 GIII Pocahontas Stakes and last year's Suncoast Stakes. The now-4-year-old bay made two starts in 2026, finishing off the board each time. She retires with a record of 15-5-2-0 and earnings of $1,254,903. According to Robert Yates on X, La Cara will be bred to Not This Time. Quietside, named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' on debut, raced as a homebred for Shortleaf. She won the 2025 GII Fantasy Stakes and GIII Honeybee Stakes after placing in both the GI Spinaway Stakes and GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes at two. The John Ortiz trainee, whose other 2026 start resulted in a third in the GIII Bayakoa Stakes, retires at age four with a record of 12-3-4-2 and earnings of $1,051,575. A post on X from Shortleaf states Quietside will be sent to Nyquist for her first mating. The post La Cara, Quietside Both Retired After Disappointing in Azeri Saturday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After breakdowns during the 2024 racing season forced the closure of the Clinton E. Phipps Sr. Racetrack on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands in February 2025, yet another accident took place during Sunday's opening day Spring Stakes feature Mar. 8 that saw a Thoroughbred euthanized and a jockey taken to a local hospital. The story covering the incident was first reported by Bill Kiser of The Virgin Islands Daily News Mar. 9. The breakdown last Sunday is part of a larger story at the Phipps track, which reopened for racing in 2024 after two hurricanes hit the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2017. In a report by the TDN Jan. 30, 2025 seven horses had to be euthanized from May 3, 2024 to December 22, 2024. Also, unregistered Thoroughbreds were also allowed to compete and two horses who were banned by Gulfstream Park appeared in a race. A little over a week after the filing of that story, the U.S. Virgin Islands government closed the racetrack so that an investigation could take place. Before the 2025 closure, the St. Thomas/St. John Horse Racing Commission (STT/STJ HRC) was regulating cards without anti-doping laws in effect and the local surface had not undergone professional testing. Kiser reported in a piece in the Daily News Apr. 17, 2025 that after a four-month shutdown at Phipps that the STT/STJ HRC commissioned an inspection of the local surface by John Hubbs of the Phoenix-based Stabilizer Solutions Inc., who found the track up to code and not responsible for the breakdowns that occurred in 2024. Kiser quoted STT/STJ HRC chairman Hugo Hodge Jr. who said, “It wasn't deemed that the surface was the root cause for the issues; it was more the condition of the horses.” The report by Kiser also says that the Virgin Islands's Sports, Parks and Recreation Department and the STT/STJ HRC made changes to the course. They increased the height of the rails, and brought in 5,000 tons of new racing surface and underfill. In that same Apr. 17 article, Kiser goes on to state that rule changes were made as well. For instance, the STT/STJ HRC's Dr. Laura Palminteri increased her efforts to conduct pre-race checks and alterations were made to the entry qualifications for the Governor's Cup. Racing at the St. Thomas track resumed over the course of the summer and into the fall, but it is unclear if any breakdowns took place during this time period. According to the Daily News article Mar. 9, the Phipps incident occurred during the fourth of six scheduled races on the card, which included a three-race field for Class A older females going a mile and 40-yards. The piece cites an unnamed eyewitness who said that the trio was racing through the far turn when both 5-year-old Unrelentless (The Big Beast), ridden by jockey Joshua Navarro, and 7-year-old Raw Honey (Bal A Bali), with Jean Alvelo aboard, fell ahead of 7-year-old Family Band (Constitution), who had Sebastian Ortiz in the irons. Unrelentless and Navarro went down first, according to the source, but the reason, Kiser said, is still undetermined by race officials. Raw Honey and Alvelo tried to avoid Unrelentless, but went down themselves. The article says that the St. Croix's Truville Racing-owned Family Band went on to win the feature, which was the New York-bred's third victory in her last four starts. The piece did not state if the race was declared a no-contest. The Daily News reported that Navarro suffered injuries that required he be transported to Schneider Hospital, while Alvelo was examined and treated at the track. The paper said that the injured rider's status at the medical facility was unknown. However, it was reported that while Unrelentless–owned by Just For Fun Racing and a winner in her last four starts at Phipps–suffered just scrapes and bruises, the injuries to Raw Honey, who is owned by Boysie Tuff Racing Stables, were considered severe enough that the mare had to be euthanized. According to Equibase, the majority of the horses that were entered last Sunday on the card were former claiming runners whose last recorded races outside of St. Thomas's track took place at Hipódromo Camarero in Puerto Rico during 2024 and 2025. Before appearing in St. Thomas, Florida-bred Unrelentless finished sixth in a starter optional claimer at Gulfstream Park Jan. 31 of last year. TDN reached out to the St. Thomas/St. John Horse Racing Commission for comment, but did not receive a response by the time this story was posted. The post Safety Concerns Mount Once Again At U.S. Virgin Islands Track As Horse Suffers Breakdown On Opening Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Last week, Republican Representatives Matthew Koch and Michael Meredith introduced into the Kentucky state legislature a sweeping gambling bill with several key components, including legalized fixed-odds wagering in Kentucky along with efforts to essentially expand and modernize its gambling infrastructure. Unlike the fluctuating odds that make up pari-mutuel betting, fixed odds is a form of betting in which the payout odds are set and agreed upon at the time the wager is placed. Crucially, they do not change. Among other aspects of the bill, it requires tracks and tote companies to adopt new modern technologies to streamline and expedite betting cycle times. Right now, tote machines across the country update at varying times, and typically anywhere between 10- and 30-second cycles. The bill also attempts to essentially decouple wagering providers from the prediction market, which is the ability for bettors to make speculative bets on the outcomes of future events. On Tuesday, the TDN spoke with Koch about the bill, which goes before the standing committee on licensing and occupations Wednesday morning. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity. TDN: What are you seeing in this industry that prompted you to write and introduce this bill? MK: We've been talking about this for 10 years or more. [KY lawmakers] Damon Thayer and Adam Koenig were talking about this many years ago. Although it's new to Kentucky, it's nothing new to the world of horse racing. We do it in other countries. Monmouth is doing this. West Virginia and Colorado. So, we would actually be the fourth state in the U.S. to do this if we're able to get it there. A big part of this, I think the bettors love it. Nothing gets somebody frustrated more than when they place a bet on a horse, it's 4-1. And, you know, at some point in the race they realize, 'Hey, we're going to win, we're going to do it.' And then they look down, the odds have dropped to 2-1 or whatever they've dropped to. Fixed odds is a way to give the bettors just another avenue to place the wagers. We put it completely on the tracks to make the format on how they're going do it. Talking with the tracks, there's some fear about what's going to happen with the purse account. And so, we've created an account [the “purse stabilization fund”], for tax dollars to come off and into there. That way, we can look at it every few months and make sure that we keep the purse account whole, which is obviously very important to me and everybody else in the entire horse industry. TDN: As a farm owner yourself of Shawhan Place, how do you see what's happening broadly in the industry trickling down and impacting your business? MK: When I first ran for office, I thought I was running for my district on jobs, roads, schools, right? I never realized that I was going to get up here and be in the fight for the industry, with everything that's going on. Since I've been up here, we had the HHR [Historic Horse Racing] fight a few years ago, and that has just greenlit so much for this industry. Kentucky is absolutely thriving because of the work we've done, not just with the HHR. We followed that up with the banning of gray machines. We followed the banning of gray machines with the creation of the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation. We're now in charge of all the gambling in the state of Kentucky. That's like the ultimate protection for the horse industry. With this bill, I view it as just a continuation of those things. We need to keep improving. As the markets have evolved, you have predictive markets that are coming on board. Predictive markets, by the way, are absolutely cannibalizing other forms of gambling that are out there. Fantasy sports is the other piece of this bill, regulating them. They've been out there for a while, but we've never regulated, never taxed them. So, we've got to make sure that we're doing all that while keeping these things operating on as fair a level as we possibly can. TDN: From an industry standpoint, the fixed-odds component of the bill is obviously the key one. If the bill passes, that doesn't mean wagering companies will have to offer fixed odds. Do you think there's much appetite among tracks and wagering companies in Kentucky to offer fixed odds to their customers? MK: I think it's fair to say there's hesitation. I don't really want to speak for them, but I feel like there's just a little nervousness that comes with something new. How are you going to implement it? How are you going to make it work? And how are you going to keep the purse account whole? So, I think they come with a lot of good questions on how to properly do this. And it's our job to make sure that we do it right. TDN: Under this legislation, a new “purse stabilization fund” would be supported by a 15% tax on fixed-odds betting conducted on-track, online or via mobile apps. How much do you think this could funnel to the newly established fund? MK: It's just a matter of how they set it up, when they set it up, etcetera. So, I don't have anything on that yet. TDN: What have you seen and learned from how other states have rolled out fixed-odds wagering? MK: That's the advantage. You can always pick and choose what works and what doesn't work. And I think the beauty here is we're giving it to the tracks and we say they 'may'–not shall, it's not a 'shall'–it's a 'may' [to implement fixed odds]. We're putting it in the hands of the tracks to make the decision on what can work for them to implement this. TDN: In the parts of the bill requiring tote companies to adopt modern technologies to streamline and expedite betting cycle times, how much of that was driven by concerns over the impact of CAW teams? MK: All of it. There have been several bills filed in the legislature across the spectrum–people wanting to get rid of the rebates, etcetera. There's a whole line of thought out there about what to do. But as you know, the CAW [wagering] feeds a lot into the purse account. So, you don't really want to do anything that's going to harm that, right? But at the same time, you have to have the perception for the bettors that they're getting a fair deal–that their odds aren't changing. That kicked off the first part of it, which was fixed odds. The second part of that is, we learned that there is technology out there that our totes can operate and update faster than every 30 seconds. Right now, that seems to be the average speed these totes are operating. But we've learned that there is technology out there for these things to operate at a much faster speed than that and give the bettors quicker information. Look, there's Horseshoe Indianapolis, which has had the Daily Racing Form to project odds. There are things like that. And while that's not any part of this bill, it's kind of the conversation we've had with the tracks. We need to give the bettors the most information that we can, in the fastest way we can. TDN: You've targeted prediction markets in the bill. How and why do you see the prediction markets as a threat to the horse racing industry? MK: They're a threat to all gaming, right? Not just racing. Just look at the Super Bowl. If you go back and look at the numbers, prediction markets ran 10 times the amount of wagering on the Super Bowl than Las Vegas did. TDN: Tells you everything you need to know right there… MK: I can't sum it up any clearer than that. TDN: What other components of this sweeping bill are you keen to highlight? MK: Another member came to us. If you're in arrears on child support, he didn't think you should be able to [engage in] online gaming. We're working on some of that language to put that in there, so, if you owe child support and it's in arrears, you're not out here blowing that money on gambling. I don't disagree with it. We thought it was a good idea. Another part, we've increased [the age limit] on sports wagering from 18 to 21. And then, I guess the other big thing we need to highlight is no more proposition bets on Kentucky college athletes. The reason for that, I was reading one article that said almost 30% of college athletes have already been impacted by this in some negative way, form or fashion. I don't want to see a young college kid get in trouble because somebody approached them, trying to get them to miss a free throw or whatever because of prop betting. I think it's a way of protecting our young kids that are out there playing NCAA sports right now. Look, it's not going to happen at your big schools. It's going to happen at a little school. It's going to be a kid that knows he's not going pro[fessional], and something like $10,000 or $20,000 looks like a lot of money to him. We have to have some consumer protections on this. TDN: Will the standing committee on licensing and occupations be discussing this bill in tomorrow's (Wednesday's) scheduled meeting? MK: Yes sir, 9:00 a.m. TDN: And what do you see as the likely path of this bill? Are you going to try to pass it this session? MK: Well, I hope so, but you never know. We're at that time of session, it's just like a horse race. That's why you run the race, to see how it's going to turn out. But I'd like to think we have a shot. The post Koch Q&A on KY Fixed-Odds Bill: Predictive Markets ‘Absolutely Cannibalizing’ Other Gambling appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL – With brisk activity at the top of the market, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training opened Tuesday with a lively day of trade topped by a $1.35-million son of Corniche. The colt was one of three to bring seven figures during the session. The entire 2025 March sale produced seven million-dollar juveniles. “Certainly an excellent day,” said OBS president Tom Ventura. “We had a lot of activity in the barns during the week and expected that to translate in the auction ring, and it did. Hopefully, we can keep that going for the next two days. Everybody here is working hard trying to find a good horse and the sales results have shown that. You don't want to predict too much moving forward, we've got one day down and two to go. But very happy so far.” During the session, 142 juveniles sold for $22,969,500. The average of $161,757 was up 19.0% from last year's opening session, while the median was up 5.8% to $90,000. Both the average and the median were up from the cumulative 2025 figures of $152,351 and $70,000, respectively. With 62 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 30.4%. “The market is very strong,” Legion Bloodstock's Kristian Vilante said after signing for the session topper, who was consigned by Pick View. “This is not the first horse we've tried to buy [Tuesday], but was the first horse we actually got to buy. The market is very strong and there is high demand for quality horses.” The OBS March sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning each day at 11 a.m. Legion Extends to $1.35M for Corniche Colt With Tuesday's opening session of the OBS March Sale in Ocala already in full swing, hip 95, a colt by Corniche, drew a $1.35-million final bid from Legion Bloodstock. It was the sole purchase by the operation on Day 1. During last Wednesday's breeze session, the top-priced juvenile of Tuesday's session breezed a quarter mile in :21 flat. “We were trying to not leave here without him, we were hoping he wouldn't cost quite that much but that's what you have to pay for horses like that,” said Legion's Kristian Vilante, who signed the ticket. Consigned by Pick View LLC, the May 8 foal is out of Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Leigh Court (Grand Slam), who was purchased by Speedway Stables for $1.1 million in 2014. Kristian Villante | OBS/Photos by Z “He's a beautiful colt, his dad was a champion,” said Vilante. “We've been following him since January. We saw him in January at Joe Pickerell's farm. He's been a standout all year.” The Speedway-bred colt was secured by Pick View for $275,000 at last season's Keeneland's September Sale. “Joe had to pay a lot for him as a yearling and we are fortunate that we have some clients that are willing to step up and try and buy a horse that might be a [Kentucky] Derby kind of colt.” According to Vilante, the colt will head to Travis Durr Training Center in South Carolina for his early preparation. “He'll eventually go to Whit Beckman,” added Vilante. “We'll let Travis play around and determine when it's time to move him on to Whit.” Vilante explained that the colt's future trainer was equally high on the colt prior to the purchase. “Whit actually came down here last month and he fell in love with this colt just like we all have,” he said. “He was here again [Tuesday] morning to see him.” Hip 95 | OBS/VidHorse Represented by his first crop of juveniles, 2021 champion 2-year-old colt Corniche stands at Ashford Stud. “We bought a couple Corniches as yearlings and they're on Travis's farm and he loves them so far,” said Vilante. “We tried to buy a filly earlier in the day by Corniche. I think he stamps them, he's just putting out a beautiful horse. He should make it.” Pick View sold three juveniles for a total of $1,390,000 on Tuesday. “I have two [Corniches] and they're both awesome,” said Pickerell. “They love to train, they're sound and they seem to thrive off the work. That's something that separates good horses from great horses and he seems to thrive. Everything we've thrown at him, he's taken it in stride and loves to work. Loves to perform. I feel like he's a horse who is going to have some big things coming.” —@CBossTDN Marquee, Morplay Team for Nyquist Colt Ramiro Restrepo of Marquee Bloodstock and Cam Dulgar of Morplay Racing partnered up to acquire a colt by Nyquist (hip 88) for $1.2 million during the first session of the OBS March sale Tuesday. “We are working together to find ourselves a big horse,” Restrepo said after signing the ticket on the juvenile, who was consigned by Wavertree Stables. Both of the new partners have experience on the Kentucky Derby trail. Marquee graduate Mage (Good Magic) wore the roses in 2023 and The Puma (Essential Quality) is on the road to Louisville after his win in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby Saturday. Morplay's No More Time (Not This Time) was second in the 2024 Tampa Bay Derby. Cam Dulgar | OBS/VidHorse “No More Time made it to the Derby. He unfortunately ended up getting injured, but we got hooked,” Dulgar said. “The success we've seen with [2025 Eclipse champion female sprinter] Shisospicy (Mitole) has us extremely excited to pick up this colt and hopefully experience something similar. Right now, we are Derby Dreaming and just happy to hopefully have gotten a good horse.” Hip 88, purchased by Ange Bloodstock for $170,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale, worked a furlong in :9 4/5 during last week's under-tack preview. He is out of La Extrana Dama (Arg) (Catcher in the Rye {Ire}), a champion older mare in Argentina. “He stood out on paper,” Restrepo said. “I love the Argentinian sturdiness. Obviously there are a couple champions in there. And Nyquist, what a season he had last year and the year before that. He stands above a lot of horses in this catalogue with that sire power. That's what we were chasing.” Hip 88 | OBS/VidHorse Just a few hips after acquiring the seven-figure juvenile, Morplay was back in action as sellers offering their homebred colt by Yaupon (hip 92). The bay, out of La Urbana (Into Mischief), sold for $100,000 to Sean S. Perl Bloodstock. “This is our second crop of homebreds,” Dulgar said. “We sold a McKinzie out of the mare last year and this is her second foal. We have only two broodmares, so we are light on the broodmare side. We have run both of our mares and because of their physicals, it just made sense to keep them.” Asked if Morplay would be looking to increase its broodmare band, Dulgar said, “We'll leave it up to the boss man [Rich Mendez].” —@JessMartiniTDN Drain the Clock Colt Delivers Juveniles from the first crop of Drain the Clock made plenty of noise on the OBS track during last week's under-tack preview and the Gainesway stallion was equally quick out of the blocks in the sales ring at OBS Tuesday when bloodstock agent Pedro Lanz went to $1.1 million to acquire a colt (hip 132) from the de Meric Sales consignment. Lanz, who was bidding on behalf of the Saudi-based KAS Stable, said the juvenile would stay in the U.S. and would be trained by Brad Cox. Hip 132 | OBS/VidHorse “His horses are fast and can sustain speed, they gallop out very fast,” Lanz said of the juveniles by Drain the Clock he saw work last week. “They are athletes. Incredible athletes. When you see them, they are sharp. And I think they can go the distance. I think this horse's stride is very long and they sustained their speed. So I think they can go long.” Hip 132 is out of the unraced Making a Point (Freud) and worked a furlong last week in :9 4/5. Lanz admitted he was prepared for the colt's seven-figure price tag. “In the morning before the sale, I didn't think he would bring that much, but after what I saw–I tried to buy a filly by Nashville and I couldn't, I told Prince Abdullah we have to go very strong to get him,” Lanz said. “I told him, 'If you want this horse we have to fight.'” Pedro Lanz | OBS/Photos by Z The de Merics purchased the colt for $145,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearlings Sale. “He's been a nice horse all year,” Tristan de Meric said. “We've always liked him a lot. He's done everything right.” Drain the Clock, winner of the 2021 GI Woody Stephens Stakes, had bullet workers on three of the four days of the under-tack preview for the March sale. “I've been high on Drain the Clock,” de Meric said. “The two we have are both here. They can both run. They both look like they should be early. And looking at the stallion on paper himself, it makes sense for him to have early, fast 2-year-olds. “I knew this was a nice horse and I am happy all the stars aligned for him. He's a beautiful horse, he vetted clean and did everything right.” —@JessMartiniTDN One and Done for Loya with $750K Army Mule Colt Heading into the opening session of the OBS March Sale, many eyes were sure to be on hip 139, a colt by Army Mule that recorded the fastest eighth of the March breezers when producing a blistering :9 3/5 move at OBS last Wednesday. Hip 139 | OBS/VidHorse On Tuesday, Cesar Loya had only that one to lead up, but what the pinhooking operation lacked in numbers at the sale, it more than made up for in quality as the Arkansas-bred colt brought $750,000 from Katsumi Yoshida. “Time doesn't lie. We knew we were sitting on a very fast horse,” admitted Loya, who was sitting in front of his shedrow shortly after the colt's sale. Bred by Mark Burdette, the March foal sold for a bargain $57,000 at last year's Texas Summer Yearling Sale. “God bless Texas,” he said with a laugh when asked what his initial thoughts were after the colt's sale. “We were sitting high high high on this horse leading up to the final work here. The work didn't surprise me as much as the sale price.” In regard to the final price, he added, “It more than exceeded my expectations. Any time you can double or triple your money you are making a good living in any business. But when it's that many times over what you paid, then that really exceeds expectations.” The colt is out of minor winner Marching Fire (Midnight Lute), who sold for $30,000 at Keeneland November in 2023. Cesar Loya | OBS/Photos by Z Loya, who launched his pinhooking operation in 2023, has two more juveniles lined up for the March sale, a filly by American Pharoah (hip 496) who breezed in :10 flat on Friday and colt by Win Win Win (hip 403). The latter worked an eighth in :10 1/5 during last Thursday's breeze session. “We are a small operation. Me and my wife [Danielle] usually pinhook seven to 10 horses of our own per season,” he said when asked if expansion was in his operation's future. “I'd like to maintain more of a boutique type of consignment. Maybe we'll grow a little bit more but not much. I'd rather remain selective.” —@CBossTDN Nashville Filly Gets RM Stables Off to a Flyer at OBS Tuesday Ramon Minguet has been training at Gulfstream Park for the better part of a decade, but decided to make the move to Ocala two years ago. The move paid dividends Tuesday when his RM Stables sold a filly from the first crop of Nashville (hip 71) for $550,000 to William Werner. Minguet had picked up the filly for $45,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. “I liked her physical,” Minguet, with his son Gabriel interpreting, said. “She was a very big horse. And I liked her sire.” Gabriel and Ramon Minguet | Jessica Martini Of the filly's price last fall, Minguet admitted, “I was very surprised. But she came out very early in the day and there weren't that many people in the sales ring yet.” The chestnut, out of Kencho (Fusaichi Pegasus), worked a furlong during last week's under-tack show in :9 4/5. “She has grown exponentially,” Minguet said. “She is very intelligent and does everything very professionally.” Minguet admitted the sale result Tuesday exceeded his expectations. “I thought maybe $300,000 or $400,000. So she very much exceeded expectations,” he said. Hip 71 | OBS/VidHorse RM Stables had more success with Nashville later in the session when selling a colt (hip 234) for $260,000 to CHC, Inc. and Maverick Racing. The 2-year-old had been purchased by Deivy Ordonez, Abreu Sales, and D&D for $24,000 at Keeneland last September. RM Stables still has three juveniles to send through the ring at the OBS March sale, but Minguet said his first-out success has him feeling confident. “I am more at peace and settled now,” he said with a smile. —@JessMartiniTDN The post Strength at the Top as $1.35-Million Corniche Colt Leads OBS March Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A variety of seating and hospitality options for the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships were unveiled March 10 on BreedersCup.com as Thoroughbred racing's iconic international festival returns Oct. 30-31 to Keeneland Race Course.View the full article

According to the track, strong gains in on-track attendance and on-track handle have continued at Santa Anita Park as the Southern California track heads into the final four weeks of its Classic Meet.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. Wednesday's Observations features a Godolphin blueblood. 18.15 Southwell, £12,000, Nov, 3yo, 12f 14y (AWT) Godolphin homebred INTO THE LIGHT (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was thrown by a stakes-winning full-sister to G1 1000 Guineas fourth Fireglow (Teofilo {Ire}) and bids to extend Charlie Appleby's red-hot run. Coming back off a 10-furlong debut win at Lingfield last month, his five rivals include Kirsten Rausing's Sinocentric (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), a David Simcock-conditioned homebred son of G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares heroine Madame Chiang (GB) (Archipenko); and Ravenspire (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), whose dam is G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Imperial Charm (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), from the Karl Burke stable. The post Godolphin Colt Faces Bluebloods At Southwell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Indigo Woods at Fair Grounds. Blue Is the Colour Larry Rodgers and Coast Racing's Indigo Woods (Blue Point) prevailed by a half-length and maintained her perfect record in the Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds on March 7 (video). A winner of a Churchill maiden in October, the Brendan Walsh trainee was bred by Tinnakill House. The 10th foal out of stakes winner Brushed Gold by GI Belmont Stakes hero Touch Gold, the three-year-old filly was a €35,000 Goffs November weanling turned €90,000 Goffs Orby yearling when sold to Brendan Heeney on behalf of Jamie Lamonica's operation. A half-sister to the stakes-placed Tumbaga (E Dubai), Indigo Woods also has GI Coaching Club American Oaks heroine Wet Paint (Blame) and multiple Grade I winner Nastique (Naskra) in her extended family. Darley stallion Blue Point has 10 winners from 19 runners (53%) in the U.S. and Canada. Indigo Woods is his third stakes winner there, and she joins GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint victor and stallion Big Evs and GIII Goldikova Stakes victress Raqiya. Winning Tampa Debut For Instability Klaravich Stables' Instability graduated at first asking at Tampa Bay Downs for Chad Brown on March 6 (video). The Lope De Vega colt was bred by Bill Crager. Mike Ryan snapped up the son of stakes winner and G3 Anglesey Stakes second Miss Katie Mae (Dark Angel) for 440,000gns out of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1. A half-brother to Listed Violet Stakes runner-up Miss Carol Ann (Kingman), Instability's latest half-sibling is a Blackbeard filly born in 2024. Miss Katie Mae is a half-sister to group winners Summerghand (Lope De Vega) and Eastern Impact (Bahamian Bounty), with the latter also placed in the G1 July Cup. Ballylinch sire Lope De Vega counts 53 winners from 101 to race (52%) in the U.S. His baker's dozen of stakes winners include four at the highest level, with Newspaperofrecord and Aunt Pearl both successful in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Mehmas Filly Leads The Way In Florida Blue Bird Stables' East Jabip (Mehmas) led from pillar to post in her debut and win at Gulfstream on February 26 (video). Bred by Jim Bolger, the daughter of Bandiuc Eile (New Approach) is trained by Brian Lynch. Blue Bird Stables shelled out €36,000 for the chestnut at the Goffs Orby Sale in 2024. The first winner from three to race for her dam who was second in the G2 Debutante Stakes, East Jabip is followed by a Space Blues juvenile filly and a Mehmas full-sister, born last year. Her dam is a half-sister to G1 Melbourne Cup hero Twilight Payment (Teofilo). Tally-Ho's Mehmas has 25 winners from 42 to race (60%) for him in the U.S. His seven stakes winners feature a trio of Grade I winners, with the GI Del Mar Oaks winner Going Global top of the heap. No Doubt At Turfway Wesley Ward sent out No Doubt About It to land a Turfway Park maiden by five lengths when unveiled on March 6 (video). Representing Smart Choice Stable, Brook Smith and Lindy Farms, the three-year-old No Nay Never gelding cost $185,000 as a Keeneland September yearling when purchased by Louis Dubois on behalf of Ward. Bred by Lynch Bages and Lindy Farms, the bay is the sixth winner from six to race for Last Jewel (Invincible Spirit). She has a colt by Little Big Bear born in 2025. The full-brother to Big Cyril (No Nay Never) is kin to G1 Irish Oaks third Princess Highway (Street Cry) and G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner Mad Cool (Dark Angel). Coolmore's No Nay Never has 11 stakes winners, four graded in the U.S., anchored by Meditate, the winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. He has 74 winners from 125 runners (59%) in that jurisdiction. Repeat Winners Off the mark at Gulfstream Park in January, Vasy (Space Blues) returned with a win there for trainer Brendan Walsh on the last day of February (video). The Listed Colonel Liam Stakes was the first black-type victory for the JDT Racing colourbearer. Later on that Gulfstream card, Lion Lake (Dark Angel) scampered home a narrow winner of her stakes debut in the GIII Herecomesthebride Stakes for Emcee Stable and Walsh (video). Bringing up a Walsh hat trick was GI Queen Elizabeth II Stakes heroine Lush Lips (Ten Sovereigns). Owned by Dixiana Farms after her $3.7-million sale at last year's Keeneland November Sale, the four-year-old delivered in the GIII Honey Fox Stakes at Gulfstream (video). The post Making Waves: Blue Point Filly Crowned At Fair Grounds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trust Account breaks her maiden at Gulfstream Park, while Blue Flame Six scores at Turfway Park.View the full article

The $500,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs March 14 offers several runners a chance at redemption on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail, while others seek what could be their final opportunity to announce themselves as contenders.View the full article

After another big week of Kentucky Derby preps and with the Dubai World Cup on the horizon, there was plenty to unpack in this week's TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland. The trio of Zoe Cadman, Randy Moss, and T.D. Thornton broke down the weekend's biggest performances. Cadman made sure to school her American colleagues on the correct pronunciation of The Puma (Essential Quality), the winner of the GIII Tampa Bay Derby. “He is named for Gustavo Delgado Sr., because apparently that's what they call him and I can kind of see why,” she shared. “He broke his maiden here and congrats to Ramiro Restrepo, the team that bought Mage, for purchasing him off Hidden Brook for just $150,000.” The team also looked at Potente (Into Mischief)'s win in the GII San Felipe Stakes and Majestic Oops (Majestic Harbor)'s upset of champion Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GII Azeri Stakes. Alex Lieblong was this week's Gainesway Guest of the Week. The Arkansas native and veteran horse owner joined the show to discuss his homebred Reef Runner (The Big Beast), who is currently in Dubai training up for a bid in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint Stakes on March 28 following his win in last month's G2 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia. Despite regional tensions, Lieblong confirmed he and his wife, JoAnn, are ready for the trip. “Somebody said that they can hear missiles going over and this and that, but it hasn't bothered [Reef Runner],” Lieblong said. “They say he's actually training a tick better than he was in Saudi Arabia. We're planning on going if they open up the airspaces.” “Seventy-five is the time to take chances,” he added. “At 75 years old, you don't want to leave things on the table.” Reef Runner, who won last year's GII Eddie D. Stakes and was fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, is out of a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Paradise Woods (Union Rags). The 5-year-old gelding trained by David Fawkes is a son of Lieblong's Grade I-winning stallion The Big Beast (Yes It's True), who stands at McDowell Farm in Arkansas for $2,000. Lieblong is understandably proud of his latest stable star. “It's fantastic,” said Lieblong. “What's so great about it is that I've got so many of my trainers who have all got something to do with this. [Steve] Hobby was the first trainer of The Big Beast, but I remember Hobby coming to me when he was a 2-year-old and he said, 'Hey, he's too fast. If we go in now, you're not going to have a horse.' Not a lot of trainers will tell you that anymore. We ran him I think in March of his 3-year-old year. And then as Oaklawn wound down, we thought, 'Okay, he'd fit better up in New York.' So Tony [Dutrow] took him up there and did a great job in the GI King's Bishop. [Richard] Mandella is actually the one that picked out the mare. Of course he was close to the family. And then Steve Asmussen ended up training the mare.” As the chairman of the Arkansas Racing and Gaming Commission, Lieblong offered his take on the role of gaming in modern racing. “There was an old guy that used to tell me when I was kid, 'I believe every tub ought to sit on its own bottom,'” he shared. “In a way, racing is not sitting on its own bottom. It's taking contributions from other areas. I'd like to be able to see it stand up on its own, but I think still at this stage, it's got to have some help. We're lucky at Oaklawn. We have been very fortunate with the purses and we're very fortunate because the ownership at Oaklawn truly likes racing. That's hard to find at this stage of the game.” Also on this week's show, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV, the KTOB, and West Point Thoroughbreds, Moss shared that the Fastest Horse of the Week, presented by WinStar, was Joe Sheisty (Air Force Blue), who earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure in the Big Daddy Stakes. The team took a look at the GI Santa Anita Handicap, won by British Isles (Justify). After several scratches, the Big Cap only garnered five entries. “Clearly, the race is struggling for whatever reason,” said Moss. “It used to be a million dollars. 2016 was the last time Santa Anita gave away a purse of a million dollars. Now it's $300,000 and I know this is a little bit of a one-off because of Skippylongstocking scratching and all that. It's not usually this weak, but it's in grave danger of losing it's Grade I status after a field like this.” “There are no easy answers,” said Thornton. “You can zero in and try to drill down what to do, to complain about or hopefully fix the Big Cap, but it's endemic for other Grade I races and it's accentuated in Southern California because the circuit essentially functions as an island right now.” Turning to international waters, the crew debated the potential American contingent for the Dubai World Cup and reflected on the career of trainer John Kimmel following his recently announced retirement. Watch or listen to this week's show below: https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/WR324_Audio_v1.mp3 The post Alex Lieblong Joins TDN Writers’ Room Ahead of Reef Runner’s Dubai Bid appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A variety of seating and hospitality options for the 2026 Breeders' Cup are available as the World Championships are set to return to Keeneland Race Course Oct. 30-31, the Breeders' Cup said via a Tuesday release. While tickets for the general public go on sale on Tuesday, Apr. 21 at Noon ET, fans may browse ticket options and specific pricing for general admission, box seating, reserved seating, dining options and corporate & group sales. A $100+ million capital construction project, the largest in the track's 89-year history, will be on full display as Keeneland hosts the World Championships for a fourth time. In addition, the Breeders' Cup and Keeneland are investing $3 million to add three luxury chalets and loge box seats to provide additional premium hospitality options. As part of a continuing multi-year partnership with SeatGeek, the Breeders' Cup will leverage cutting-edge technology to enhance ticketing for attendees. In order to purchase tickets to the Breeders' Cup World Championships, fans must have a SeatGeek account, which is free by clicking here. The post Breeders’ Cup Releases Ticket Options, Hospitality Packages For Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The track announcer at Parx Racing outside of Philadelphia, Jessica Paquette, has a new equestrian podcast she has launched named “Amateur Hour with Jessica Paquette,” the voice of Parx said via a Monday afternoon tweet on X. The first pair of episodes have been released on Apple Music and on Spotify. Episode 1: Client/Trainer Relationships; Guests: Cellar Door Farm's Kelly Jennings, circuit trainer Archie Cox of Brookway Stables and Kentucky-based eventer Natasia Linnd. Episode 2: Social License to Operate in Horse Sports; Guests: David O'Connor, the Head of the USEF and HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. The “Amateur Hour with Jessica Paquette” will drop fresh episodes every Monday. The post Track Announcer And Horsewoman Paquette Unveils New Equestrian Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

CHELTENHAM, UK — Four times a Cheltenham Festival winner and still only seven years old. From the Triumph to two Mares' Hurdles and now the Sky Bet Champion Hurdle itself, Lossiemouth's love affair with Prestbury Park, the most hallowed ground in National Hunt racing, continued unbroken on Tuesday as the mare landed her 14th win in a career spanning 18 starts – and counting. The roars of more than 57,000 racegoers carried her home, but in the end it was easy, as Lossiemouth's main danger Brighterdaysahead capitulated between the final two flights to leave her unchallenged to the line, giving trainer Willie Mullins his sixth Champion Hurdle victory. Notably, since Mullins and owners Rich and Susannah Ricci won this race ten years ago with Annie Power, another five runnings of the Champion Hurdle have gone to mares. For those who have campaigned so vigorously for the expansion of the National Hunt mares' programme to encourage more owners to get behind them, the sight of three mares approaching the second-last flight of the Champion Hurdle at the head of the pack must have been a sight to behold. Ultimately, it was a one-two for the females, thanks to the two dominant mares of the pack in Lossiemouth (Great Pretender), who relished the quicker ground to finish six and a half lengths clear of Brighterdaysahead (Kapgarde), who had run freely in the early stages. Last year's winner Golden Ace (Golden Horn) was not disgraced when battling home for fifth after finding herself short of room when The New Lion (Kayf Tara) and Alexei (Tai Chi) moved up to make their challenge heading towards the final flight. “She's a star mare,” Mullins said of the grey Lossiemouth, and he knows a thing or two about those, having trained Quevega to win the Mares' Hurdle a record six times in a row. “Just to come back four years on the trot, never mind win, puts her in a league of her own, I think. She's nearly getting into Quevega territory. It was an open race and when I put cheekpieces on her the other morning I thought, 'Wow, that's the old Lossiemouth'.” Winning jockey Paul Townend agreed that the application of cheekpieces in her work had helped them to make the decision to go for the Champion Hurdle over a third crack at the Mares' Hurdle. He said, “When we worked her in cheekpieces, she just came alive. I was on the fence about the Champion Hurdle, but I thought she needed to find that little bit of spark that we thought she had before, but Willie has trained her differently as well, and he's forgotten more about training racehorses than I've ever known. I thought I was happy and when I saw him smiling, that was it.” “You probably couldn't ride her to go any better than it did. She was much more like herself today than the last day [when beaten by Brighterdaysahead in the Irish Champion Hurdle]. “I think she's so honest and genuine, that on her back you know whether it is happening or not. I don't think it is the make-up of the race, I think it's physically, mentally or emotionally – whatever it is that she's got in her head – that matters, but she was on song today. “I was just happy to land running at the back of the last hurdle this year – not like last year – and she's got us on the board again. She's brilliant.” On a day for the mares, the Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy also went the way of Mullins when Kargese (Jeu St Eloi), running in the colours made famous on this turf by the great Honeysuckle (Sulamani), prevailed over stable-mate Kopek Des Bordes (No Risk At All) and Lulamba (Nirvana Du Berlais). Kenny Alexander's mare is another whose Cheltenham form bears close scrutiny. Second on her debut here to the classy Majborough in the JCB Triumph Hurdle, she won last year's County Hurdle and was last seen running just a neck behind the similarly smart Romeo Coolio in the Goffs Irish Arkle at the Dublin Racing Festival. “She's a proper one,” said Alexander, whose breeding operation is based at New Hall Stud in his native Scotland. “That was a tremendous performance. She got the job done, and those two behind her are very special horses. She's beaten them fair and square I think, so an amazing training performance by Willie and a great ride by Danny [Mullins]. He added, “I sell the geldings now and just race the fillies and mares. I've been very, very fortunate, and they've all been fantastically trained.” Nicky Henderson, who bookended the card with victory in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle for Old Park Star (Well Chosen), trained the third triumphant mare of the day when the Victor Connolly-bred Holloway Queen (Jukebox Jury) brought the curtain down in the National Hunt Challenge Cup. Williamson back in front at Cheltenham It has been 23 years since 'Stormin' Norman' Williamson charged up the hill at Cheltenham to win the Supreme Novices' Hurdle aboard Back In Front for the late Edward O'Grady. It was the jockey's sole win in the traditional Festival opener, in what would transpire to be his final appearance at Cheltenham in 2003 before retirement, and never has the word retirement been such a misnomer. In the intervening decades, Williamson, whose finest hours at Prestbury Park came in 1995 when securing a Champion Hurdle-Gold Cup double aboard Alderbrook and Master Oats, has reinvented himself with just as much success as a pinhooker and producer of some repute. From the Classics to his old stomping ground at Cheltenham, his fingerprints are all over major winners of the moment, with the most recent addition to his CV being this year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Old Park Star. Williamson, who can still recall the horse walking out of his box as a weanling at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, gave €50,000 for the young son of the unheralded stallion Well Chosen, but he had several good reasons to do so. Earlier that year, Old Park Star's full-brother Chosen Mate had won the G3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup for trainer Gordon Elliott, putting Matthew Fogarty into elite company as a multiple Cheltenham Festival-winning breeder. “I had some good times here,” Williamson admitted in the parade ring as Old Park Star's connections collected their prize. “I remember him as a foal and I loved him when I first saw him. But I've often thought that about a lot of horses, and they've ended up useless. But this fellow, I did. And I rang Tim Hyde Jr, and I said, I found a beautiful horse by Well Chosen, and he said, 'Norm, I'm not so sure.” And I said, 'He's a full-brother to a good horse. I'm going to buy him no matter what.' And that was him.” He added, “And I know that they all say it, but he is going to make some chaser. You know, he's bred to be a chaser. He's gorgeous. All is well, and I'm delighted for Tom Malone.” It was Malone who signed the docket for Old Park Star when he pitched up as a three-year-old in Williamson's Oak Tree Farm draft at the Goffs Arkle Sale of 2023. After changing hands for €120,000, the youngster initially went to Paul Nicholls but owners Gordon and Su Hall transferred him to the stable of Nicky Henderson at the start of this National Hunt season. Williamson is of course also responsible for having sold last year's 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court (Justify) and the 2022 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Native Trail (Oasis Dream) through the Flat side of his business, and it wasn't long before Anthony Stroud, the buyer of both of those colts for Godolphin, came bowling over to congratulate him on his latest achievement. Of his batch of horses heading for this year's breeze-up sales, Williamson said, “They're all well so far. We're going home tomorrow night just to mind them.” It was on this equivalent day four years ago that Constitution Hill first lit up the National Hunt scene with his electrifying win in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle before going on to glory in the Champion Hurdle 12 months later. He returned to Cheltenham for what is likely to be the final time to parade before his fans on Tuesday. A door has closed for sure, but he has already pushed another wide open with his wide-margin novice win on the Flat at Southwell. It is an unusual career change for this unusually gifted horse, but don't be surprised to see him reinventing himself every bit as successfully as Norman Williamson has done. And in the meantime, Henderson has another young jumping star on his hands. Saratoga special Bred to win the Derby, Saratoga looked the class act that he is throughout the McCoy Contractors Juvenile Hurdle. The grey son of Camelot brought up a notable double for his dam Dialafara (Anabaa), breeders Lynch Bages Ltd and Camas Park Stud, and trainer Padraig Roche by winning the race better known as the Fred Winter four years after his half-brother Brazil (Galileo) pulled off that same feat. Brazil, too, ran in the colours of Cheltenham's winningmost owner JP McManus, who now has 86 Festival victories to his name, and was also ridden by Mark Walsh. A day for the greys: Mark Walsh salutes aboard Saratoga | Racingfotos For Flat fans, Saratoga's most notable half-sibling is the St Leger winner Capri (Galileo), who now stands in England at Willow Wood Farm and will be represented at Cheltenham on Wednesday by Boycetown in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper. McManus, who later celebrated a double on his 75th birthday when Johnnywho (Califet) won the Ultima Handicap Chase for Jonjo O'Neill, said, “I met Michael O'Leary today, he wished me a happy birthday and said, 'Only the good die young!' “Every winner at Cheltenham is very, very special. With that one [Saratoga] I go back a long way with Padraig's father Christy. They were praying that the ground would be fast, as he bounces off it. “We've had a lot of fun. We've had some great days here. Everybody leans towards coming to Cheltenham and it means so much to so many. I'm delighted that one has won for Padraig.” The post ‘In a League of Her Own’: Lossiemouth Claims Champion Hurdle in Fourth Festival Success appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article