Wandering Eyes

After World Pool made its first appearance in New Zealand last year, the TAB Karaka Millions meeting on Saturday took betting on the meeting to another level. Powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, World Pool accepts bets from the HKJC’s overseas partners, creating the deepest and most liquid pari-mutuel pools for international top races. With customers from at least 25 participating countries and regions around the world wagering into a single pool, World Pool hosted betting on all six races at Saturday’s meeting, ensuring a 71% uplift in turnover on the meeting. The TAB Karaka Millions 2YO was the stand-out performer, with an 11% increase on last year’s edition. It was a big weekend for World Pool fixtures, with the Al Maktoum Challenge Day at Meydan and the Centenary Sprint Cup & Stewards Cup’ meeting at Sha Tin also covered. World Pool returns to Ellerslie for New Zealand Derby Day aka Champions Day on Saturday, 7 March. On a broader level, Entain NZ reported a seven per cent growth in racing turnover on NZ thoroughbreds in November/December of 2025 as compared to the previous year. It has grown to $121.6 million. Total racing turnover across all codes across those two months, both locally and overseas, was $416.8 million, while active racing customers grew from 142,097 in Nov/Dec 2024 to 157,158 in the same two months in 2025. View the full article

Flemington trainer Glen Thompson is keen to build up his stable numbers and was pleased to come away with a pair of colts by Sword of State at Tuesday’s Book 2 session of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales. Thompson, who trained in partnership with Mike Moroney until the legendary horseman’s death in February last year, lost several of his higher-rated horses, with Ballymore Stables absorbed by Lindsay Park. But Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) winner Benagil has been a headline act for Thompson’s small stable alongside Flemington Group Three winner Whisky On The Hill. “The stable is starting to build now. It has taken a little bit of time, but I’ve just had to be patient,” Thompson said. Flemington trainer Glen Thompson. Photo: Angelique Bridson “I’ve got a fair few yearlings and two-year-olds there at the moment, so the next 12 months it should really start to pick up. “I’ve got 18 boxes, 12 in work at the moment, so it’s nice to get a few more. “We have got the good mare Benagil, she has a jump out on Friday and will run in a fortnight at Flemington and we will head towards the Australian Cup (Gr.1, 2000m). “She has come back really well. It’s just a shame she struck that really heavy track last run at Flemington (Gr.1 Champions Stakes, 2000m). I think that really pulled her up.” Thompson went to $150,000 to purchase a Sword of State colt out of the Snippetson mare Palace Whispers from the draft of Woburn Farm. “He’s a good strong colt,” Thompson said. “He’s a pretty hot stallion at the moment. That was what I came here looking for, something a bit earlier. “He definitely looks like he should be up and going early, but I guess time will tell. “I couldn’t get near them in Book 1, so it was good to be able to get him in the second session.” Thompson said he had found the new format of a two-day Book 1 Sale and one-day Book 2 Sale as a positive, with the 848 horses catalogued across the two sessions all on the Karaka Sales complex at once. “It’s been good. You get to see them all and compare them close together. It’s been a good couple of days,” he said. “There are still definitely shares available, but there would be a good chunk of him sold already.” Thompson also secured a value colt by Sword of State out of Rose’s Girl from the draft of Curraghmore for $30,000. View the full article

David Hayes is applying blinkers to Public Attention (NZ) (Written Tycoon) for Sunday’s (1 February) HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m), a move the trainer believes will help the quality grey colt reach another gear when the Four-Year-Old Classic Series begins. Public Attention placed fifth at Group 1 level in Australia pre-import, and has made three starts in Hong Kong – finishing in the top four each time. This weekend’s contest sees him rise to a mile at Sha Tin with the addition of blinkers, which he wore to victory in the 2025 G3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick in Sydney. The Written Tycoon galloper is owned by Karen Lo, who also races Cap Ferrat, winner of the 2025 HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m). She also owns two-time Group 2-winner Straight Arron. Hayes said: “I think he’s been crying out for blinkers. I think he’s primed to run well in what is a really, really competitive race – probably the best this season. He has very good form in Australia. It’ll be first-time blinkers. We’ve resisted putting them on, but we’ve saved it for this race. He raced in them in Australia.” One of the 83-rated Public Attention’s peaks saw him finish fifth to Private Life in the 2024 G1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield in Melbourne. He also finished midfield in New Zealand’s lucrative slot race at Ellerslie in Auckland, The NZB Kiwi (1500m), last March. Public Attention wore cheek pieces when second and third, respectively, in his first two appearances for Hayes, who also saddles Akashvani in Sunday’s Hong Kong Classic Mile. Luke Ferraris rides Akashvani, while Brenton Avdulla is aboard Public Attention. Hayes has previously won the Hong Kong Classic Mile (formerly known as the Hong Kong Classic Trial) twice with Resfa (1999) and Charming City (2001), while last Sunday (25 January), the world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising matched Silent Witness’ 17-race unbeaten streak in Hong Kong for Hayes with another jaw-dropping success in the HK$13 million G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m). “Ka Ying Rising has pulled up really well. He’s eaten all of his food. It’s full steam ahead to the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (G1, 1400m). We’ll be building him up quietly with one trial beforehand, and he won’t go to Conghua. I’ll keep him here with me,” Hayes said. The Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup is worth HK$13 million and is run on 22 February as the middle leg of the three-race Hong Kong Speed Series, which finishes with the HK$24 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) on FWD Champions Day (26 April). Sagacious Life, Little Paradise, Invincible Ibis, Beauty Bolt, Crimson Flash, Infinite Resolve, Patch Of Cosmo, Winfield, Top Dragon, Circuit Grand Slam, Shanwah and Windlord are also entered for Sunday’s Hong Kong Classic Mile. Reserves for the race are Pope Cody, Daryl Flash, Aerodynamics, Natural Numbers, Uranus Star, California Waves, Fivefortwo and The Golden Knight. View the full article

A week after the pick of the eligible crop did battle in the Listed Karaka Millions (1200m), a second wave of quality juveniles are set to line up at Ellerslie in Saturday’s Gr.3 Colin Jillings Classic (1200m). The field is headed by Harvey Wallbanger (NZ) (Home Affairs), whose two starts at Ellerslie have produced a debut win in October and second place in the Gr. 2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) on New Year’s Day. In between those two races the Tony Pike-trained gelding finished second in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes at Pukekohe in late November. Pike admitted to some relief when Saturday’s Ellerslie fields were released and Harvey Wallbanger came up with barrier two. After jumping from an outside draw in the Eclipse Stakes he was ridden from the rear and in his previous start he also had to make his run wide from last. “Thankfully he’s got a draw that will allow him to be ridden where we want,” Pike said. “His last two runs have been a hard watch coming wide from the back like he did and getting beaten by horses that had cosy runs. “He had a week off after the Eclipse and he’s come back well, so with a bit of luck from gate two we should see him put in the race. “Rory (Hutchings) came over to gallop him on Tuesday morning and he worked well, so he’s ready.” Another good effort from the Wentwood Grange homebred son of Home Affairs will confirm plans to return to Ellerslie on Champions Day for the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m). He has also been entered for the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham in late March. Pike has a busy couple of days ahead with sizeable representation at Ellerslie as well at Te Rapa on Friday and a single runner on the Wellington Cup card. “Harvey Wallbanger looks like our best at Ellerslie, but the two in the Rating 75 1600 are good chances too,” he said. “Awatere was impressive winning a Rating 65 last time and I’m confident he can make the step up, and Delz Abeel should enjoy the step up in distance after racing well in sprints. “We’ve got a group of in-form maidens running at Te Rapa and any one of them can put up their hand. Frozen Fortune is good sort of Proisir filly retained by her breeders and has shown enough to say she can be an early winner.” Pike’s solitary starter at Trentham on Saturday will be course specialist Slipper Island, who lines up in the Mode Technology Sprint (1200m) after being unplaced in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) a month ago. The winner of four consecutive races down the Trentham chute last season, he never figured in the Telegraph after being squeezed back to the rear when the field jumped. “His chances were more or less settled at the start and then he got stopped again trying to find a way through them at the top of the straight,” Pike said. “We’ve put a line through that, so with the drop in class and hopefully a clean run he can get a decent crack at them this time.” View the full article

A yearling filly from the first crop of multiple Grade I winner Taiba (hip 80) attracted the highest price of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's January Winter Mixed Sale Tuesday when selling for $150,000 to Marc Gunderson. The filly was one of three on the day–and two from Beth Bayer's consignment–to sell for six figures during an auction which produced increases over its 2025 renewal. By the close of business Tuesday, 183 horses sold at the Winter Mixed sale for a gross of $3,476,100. The average of $18,995 rose 30.2% from the 2025 auction, while the median was up 60.0% to $12,000. Of the 307 catalogued lots, 257 head went through the ring and, with 74 reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 28.8%. “The market is strong. It's very strong,” Bayer said. In addition to competitive bidding at the top, Bayer observed, “there were end-users across the board to get the other ones sold.” During last year's Winter Mixed sale, 212 horses sold through the ring for a gross of $3,098,700, an average of $14,617, and a median of $7,500. The buy-back rate was 21.5%. The sale-topping filly, both bred and consigned by Bayer, is out of Tranquil Song (Unbridled's Song) and is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and multiple graded-placed Isolate (Mark Valeski). Bayer purchased Tranquil Song as an 11-year-old for $2,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. The mare's now 2-year-old colt by Cyberknife sold for $125,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. In addition to her six-figure yearlings, Tranquil Song has also had a pair of foals sell for $90,000 at the OBS October sale in 2022 and 2024. “She's been a really good mare for me,” Bayer said of Tranquil Song, who was bred and campaigned by John Sykes of Woodford Thoroughbreds. “I was working for Woodford–the first year I worked for them–and Mr. Sykes was selling some mares. Isolate was a foal at that time and he went through the ring a book or two ahead and sold for $70,000 and his momma came through empty and I bought her through the ring because I had seen him and he was so pretty. And of course, he's gone on and done all of the wonderful things he has done for the catalogue page and became such a great racehorse. And she's an Unbridled's Song mare, so I felt like I couldn't go wrong doing that.” Of Tuesday's sale topper, Bayer said, “I have loved this filly since she was born. She was all class and a sweet, level-headed filly. She's done everything right the last four days at the sale. I kind of thought she would fall [in that price range]. I knew she had some value to her. You never know what's going to happen until it does, but I was very pleased when it did.” Gunderson, a prolific buyer during the 2025 yearling sales season, continued to be active at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale two weeks ago where his purchases included an $800,000 short yearling colt by Gun Runner (hip 114) and the broodmare Way to be Marie (Not This Time) (hip 502), acquired for $750,000. Bayer also consigned the auction's second-highest offering, a yearling colt by Nashville (hip 22) who sold for $140,000 to Always Dreaming. Out of Rapid Racer (Forest Wildcat), the colt had been purchased by Racing Point for $37,000 at the Keeneland November sale two months ago. “He was a client's horse,” Bayer said of the colt. “I was very pleased when I saw him when he came to the sales grounds. He was very well-received. He was just a big, strong colt and was very eye-appealing.” Rounding out the trio of six-figure yearlings at the one-session auction was a colt by Simplification (hip 191) who sold for $100,000 to Rising Dividends Racing from the consignment of Danielle Loya's Silver Oaks Farm. The post Taiba Filly Tops ‘Strong’ OBS January Winter Mixed Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dual Grade 1-winning Maryland-bred Mindframe has been named the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred/The Racing Biz Top Midlantic-bred in a year that saw four Midlantic-breds win Grade 1 races.View the full article

The Illinois Racing Board suspended on Monday the license of Suburban Downs, Inc, which manages Hawthorne Race Course's Harness meet, for “failure to provide documentation demonstrating its financial integrity, and proof that they can meet the minimum standards” as outlined in certain state laws, according to a press release by the board. Monday's action to suspend Suburban Downs's authorization to operate in Illinois follows Board action to cancel January 3-4 races for failure to submit required surety bonds, the press release states. Suburban Downs had been awarded 34 Harness race dates in 2026. All licenses granted by the Illinois Racing Board are subject to the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975 and all applicable administrative rules outlined in Title 11 of the Illinois Administrative Code. “Today the Illinois Racing Board made a very difficult decision to suspend the operating license of Suburban Downs,” wrote IRB executive director Domenic DiCera in the press release. “On Jan. 15th, IRB requested bank statements that reflect the operating fund, and any fund related to racing operations at Suburban Downs. Unfortunately, their financial difficulties, including failure to provide financial documents showing their ability to operate assigned 2026 race dates, have led us to suspend their license.” According to the press release, the racing board sent on Jan. 26 a letter to Tim Carey, Owner/CEO of Suburban Downs, outlining the sorts of financial records it's privy to under state law. “The Board may require that the records, including financial or other statements of any licensee or any person affiliated with the licensee who is involved directly or indirectly in the activities of any licensee as regulated under this Act to the extent that those financial or other statements relate to such activities be kept in such manner as prescribed by the Board, and that Board employees shall have access to those records during reasonable business hours,” The letter also outlines violations of 11 Ill. Admin Code 1314.120 which states “If track pays any purse by check, which upon presentation is dishonored, the matter shall immediately be referred to the Board for disposition”. The Board will consider reinstating the licenses of Suburban Downs, Inc. should they cure the violations and provide documentation demonstrating they meet the minimum standards, including but not limited to its financial integrity, under the Act and rules contained in Title 11 of the Illinois Administrative Code, according to the press release. The next Illinois Racing Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 28. The post Illinois Racing Board Suspends Suburban Downs Organization Licenses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Since 2023, Mike Repole has waged a campaign of inflammatory social posts and public statements targeting The Jockey Club and other leading Thoroughbred organizations. His rhetoric relies on selective facts and false narratives–fueling division, eroding trust, and distracting from the real work our industry needs to move forward. His campaign offers no solutions or concrete plans and appears instead to be part of an effort by Mr. Repole to anoint himself the “Commissioner” of the sport. As Stewards of The Jockey Club, we work to improve racing and breeding in ways that protect the horse, support workers, grow the industry, and build public trust. Our priority has been to focus on the work and avoid giving oxygen to Mr. Repole's baseless charges. But faced with escalating threats and a torrent of misinformation, it is time to set the record straight–with facts, not rhetoric. Starting today, we will train a lens on Mr. Repole's attacks to show why these accusations are based on incomplete facts and falsehoods and are harmful to our sport. We will also highlight the ways in which The Jockey Club supports Thoroughbred racing and breeding throughout the Thoroughbred's entire life cycle. Our responses follow: Claim: Mr. Repole alleges that the Board of Stewards is rife with conflicts of interest and engages in personal self-dealing for implied financial benefit.https://bitofayarn.com Reality: Mr. Repole's allegations about the Board of Stewards are baseless and represent the worst kind of attack, the sort that attempts to damage reputations through insinuation rather than facts. Mr. Repole has even admitted that he has no facts to rely upon and that filing a lawsuit is his only way to try to find anything relevant. These reckless accusations are irresponsible, unfounded, and deeply unfair to the individuals who volunteer their time and act in good faith to support the activities of The Jockey Club, a New York Not-for-Profit that operates in compliance with the conflict-of-interest requirements of the New York Not-for-Profit laws. Claim: The Jockey Club misuses its cash reserves. Reality: Over the past 15 years, The Jockey Club has contributed $112 million to support a wide range of racing, breeding, and aftercare-related matters outside of our companies' operations. For 2026, The Jockey Club has committed an additional $7 million to support those causes. This nearly $120 million investment is instrumental in driving growth and innovation, and in supporting multiple efforts to increase support for aftercare organizations, equine safety, increased national television coverage, and marketing, all of which are essential to the industry's vitality and public appeal. Claim: The Jockey Club has failed to address aftercare.https://bitofayarn.com Reality: Aftercare is a shared industry responsibility. The Jockey Club has performed its role dutifully, and it is wrong to assert that it has ignored aftercare or that “nothing has changed.” The Jockey Club is the single largest funder of aftercare–contributing $2.5 million this year and $23 million over the past 15 years–and is a founding member of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Further, Mr. Repole recently posted an aftercare “plan” on X and criticized The Jockey Club for not implementing it. But what he shared was a bare-bones “Funding Model Projection” that largely mirrors Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance's funding approach and, as was clearly communicated to him by The Jockey Club, lacked key components of a complete and actionable plan, i.e., how donors would be incentivized, how the additional funds would be spent, and how success would be measured. The Jockey Club is increasing its support for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance in 2026 and continues to work with sales companies and other stakeholders to support Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and broader initiatives such as retraining and traceability. Claim: All industry data should be distributed for free. Reality: Mr. Repole argues that racing-related data compiled by Equibase (a joint venture of The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America racetracks, including Churchill Downs, NYRA, and Stronach racetracks) “should be [distributed] free just like every other sport.” He ignores that the gathering, compilation, quality control, and distribution of racing data is not costless–it requires continuing expenditures to support significant human resources and technological infrastructures to deliver vital and reliable data. At the same time, the premise that other major sports “give away” all of their commercially usable data is flat-out incorrect as they regularly monetize their data. (See for instance, Data Ain't Dead: Protecting the numbers as the sports data industry matures.)https://bitofayarn.com Claim: Mr. Repole continually blames the declining Thoroughbred foal crop on The Jockey Club, such as in an X post last August: “[U]nder the Jockey Club's watch, supply has been gutted. For over 20 years, while claiming to act for the 'betterment' of the sport, they've mismanaged it into the ground. The foal crop has dropped from 50,000 to less than 20,000.” Reality: The decline in the foal crop is the result of a complex mix of forces–economic cycles, industry consolidation, and competition from other forms of gaming and sports wagering. As a key example, tax policy has been a major driver of breeding economics for decades, and the Tax Reform Act of 1986 removed incentives that previously helped fuel breeding investment. In 2025, The Jockey Club worked with other industry organizations to help make 100% bonus depreciation for horse purchases permanent. For an in-depth examination of the foal crop decline, see The Jockey Club's Chair Everett Dobson's Nov. 6, 2025, Thoroughbred Daily News essay, Open Letter: The Declining Foal Crop and The Road Ahead. Claim: Mr. Repole has stated that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has done nothing to improve equine safety and criticizes The Jockey Club for supporting HISA. In fact, one of his lawyers sent The Jockey Club a letter on October 2, 2025, stating categorically: “Any suggestion that the sport is safer, or in any way better due to HISA, is demonstrably false.” Reality: Racing under HISA is safer. As reported to the Equine Injury Database: In 2021–the year preceding the HISA safety program–the fatality rate was 1.39 per 1,000 starts. In 2024 the rate at HISA-regulated tracks declined to 0.9 per 1,000 starts. In contrast, in 2024 the fatality rate at U.S. tracks not overseen by HISA was 1.76 per 1,000 starts. (Please see Equine Injury Fatality Rate 2009-2024. Figures for 2025 are still being compiled as tracks are still submitting their reports.)https://bitofayarn.com In summary, Mr. Repole disagrees with The Jockey Club and most of the industry on these and other issues. Members of the Board of Stewards have met with Mr. Repole on multiple occasions to try to address his comments in a productive manner. Unfortunately, those meetings devolved into a one-way stream of heated accusations and demands from Mr. Repole. Diatribes and disagreement do not give him special authority to dictate the industry's direction and appoint himself as the “Commissioner” of our sport–especially when his positions are not based in fact or reality and he has yet to articulate any concrete or viable plans for progress. We hope that sharing facts will provide clear insights into Mr. Repole's baseless accusations and illustrate the concerted efforts by The Jockey Club and others to help sustain and grow the sport. We will continue to work with members of the Thoroughbred industry to maintain a constructive and collaborative path forward. Board of Stewards of The Jockey Club:https://bitofayarn.com Everett R. Dobson (Chair) Louis A. Cella William S. Farish Jr. (Vice Chair) Gary Fenton Terry Finley Ian D. Highet (Treasurer) Marc Holliday Stuart S. Janney III Bret Jones William M. Lear Jr. (Secretary) David O'Farrell Vincent Viola The post An Open Letter To The Thoroughbred Industry From The Board Of Stewards Of The Jockey Club appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Oaklawn Park announced Jan. 27 the cancellation of its Jan. 30 - Feb. 1 racing programs. The Southwest Stakes (G3) and its full supporting card, as originally drawn, will now be contested on Friday, Feb. 6.View the full article

The board of the Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation has announced Niamh Carr and Bobby Ring as the two recipients of its 2026 Irish National Stud scholarships. Both will receive full tuition as they embark on the Thoroughbred Breeding Management Course at the famed Kildare stud farm, which has been educating young people in bloodstock since 1971. County Kildare native Carr studied Animal and Equine Science at University College Dublin and has obtained on hand experience at Owenstown Stud in Maynooth. She also worked at Coolmore Stud and gained a college placement at Ballydoyle. “I'm so excited to have been accepted into the Irish National Stud course and for the doors it will open in my career,” said Carr. “I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can and building lasting friendships along the way, which is all made possible by the generosity of the Gerry Dilger Foundation. I couldn't be more grateful.” Ring, who hails from County Limerick, studied Engineering at the Technological University of the Shannon, as well as finding the time from an early age to indulge in his passion for horses. He has worked with sport horses at the local Coolballyshan Stud, as well as spending time at Paul and Marie McCartan's renowned Ballyphilip Stud in County Limerick. Ring said, “I'm very excited about this opportunity and I'm keen to continue developing my skills, learning from leading professionals and building valuable connections within the industry.” The post Gerry Dilger Scholarship Foundation Announces 2026 Recipients in Ireland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ted Noffey and Sovereignty, honored as 2025 champions at the Eclipse Awards ceremony last week in Florida, remain popular choices in early-season media voting this year.View the full article

New York Racing Association cancels live racing Jan. 28-30 at Aqueduct Racetrack due to arctic temperatures and extremely low wind chill values forecast to impact the New York metropolitan area. Turfway Park cancels racing Jan. 28-29.View the full article

Due to inclement weather with projected temperatures ranging between 14 and 30 degrees, and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of both equine and human athletes, Oaklawn Park has canceled live racing scheduled for this weekend, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, which includes the GIII Southwest Stakes on Saturday, the Arkansas track said via a Tuesday release. All affected race days and associated events will be rescheduled for the following weekend, Feb. 5-8. The rescheduled weekend will offer the richest purse structure in North American racing, highlighted by championship-caliber fields. The Southwest card, as originally drawn, will now be contested on Friday, Feb. 6. The American Beauty Stakes will move to Saturday, Feb. 7, joining the GIII Bayakoa Stakes, which will also feature the highly anticipated 2026 debut of Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), the reigning Eclipse Award-winning 3-year-old filly. The originally scheduled Friday, Jan. 30 card, will move to Thursday, Feb. 2. Races originally planned for Sunday, Feb. 1, will be moved and run on Sunday, Feb. 8, an added race day. Oaklawn's horseplayer events will also shift with the new schedule. The Southwest Showdown contest will move to Friday, Feb. 6, while the Oaklawn Horseplayer Championship will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7. “We never take the decision to cancel racing lightly,” said President of Oaklawn Louis A. Cella. “However, the safety of our horses, jockeys, and all participants is always our top priority. We appreciate the understanding and flexibility of our fans and horsemen as we work to deliver an outstanding weekend of championship racing and host the richest road to the Kentucky Derby.” The track also said that training was canceled for Wednesday, Jan. 28 and limited hours will be offered on Thursday between noon and 3:30 p.m. CT with a renovation break scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT. Additional information regarding promotions, on-track events, and adjusted schedules will be shared soon across Oaklawn's website and social media platforms. The post Old Man Winter Forces Oaklawn To Push Back Weekend Southwest Card appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

So much that is good about the French breeding industry was showcased over the course of two days last week, not least the resilience of its practitioners, an oft-heralded quality when speaking to those at the coalface during the 2026 edition of La Route des Etalons. Like so many other leading racing jurisdictions, France is currently facing headwinds that make the pursuit of breeding racehorses, and/or owning them, a less attractive option than in years gone by. Then, in May last year, France Galop announced a €20.3 million reduction in prize-money for 2026 as part of a “major recovery plan” which, first and foremost, is designed to give the Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) a much-needed facelift following years of falling turnover. It is hoped that this significant investment in the betting operator – which is owned jointly by France Galop and Le Trot – will be to the long-term benefit of the sport. Crucially, the French industry is able to act from a position of strength. Prize-money in France, almost all of which comes from the PMU, has for many years been the gold standard by which European countries are measured, albeit this is no longer true of black-type races where, more recently, there has been heavy investment made in both Britain and Ireland. Whatever the context, there is always the concern that any decrease in prize-money provides even less of an incentive for prospective owners to part with their hard-earned cash at the sales. Should they decide to cut back in any sort of meaningful numbers, then it will be the breeders who bear the brunt of it. Only time will tell whether that eventuality comes to pass, but La Route des Etalons provided an excellent opportunity to get a feel for the general mood among some leading figures in French racing and bloodstock, including Nicolas de Chambure, who is uniquely placed in wearing many hats when it comes to assessing the implications of these prize-money cuts. As well as being the man at the helm of Haras d'Etreham, one of the preeminent stud farms in France, de Chambure sits on the Board of Directors at France Galop and on the Committee of La Federation des Eleveurs du Galop (the French TBA). As part of the latter role, he also represents French interests on the Co-Ordinating Committee of the European Breeders' Fund (EBF). “A drop in prize-money is always bad news, because we know the impact it can have on the market,” said de Chambure shortly after opening the doors at Haras d'Etreham on Friday morning. “The value of foals, yearlings and breeding stock depends on prize-money, so it is a bit of a worry. “But the positive is that it was done to be able to reinvest that money into the PMU and into the whole system. We also have a new CEO at the PMU [Cyrille Giraudat], who has just started, and a new president will be announced soon. So, there is a new team there, and I think we need to give them a bit of time and a bit of money to almost relaunch the whole thing. “It's going to take a little bit of time, but things are being done and I think we can be positive about the future. In the short-term, we might just have to get through a couple of tough years.” The main challenge for the new team at the PMU will be to try and reverse a worrying trend since online betting markets were liberalised in 2010, allowing private licensed operators to take bets on horse racing and ending the monopoly on this sector once held by the PMU. Since 2010, the number of people betting on the PMU has reportedly dropped by 50%, from six million to three million. Should that number continue on its current trajectory, then the team at France Galop will likely be forced into making some more difficult decisions in the years to come. With that in mind, this so-called relaunch of the PMU is viewed by Benoit Jeffroy, along with many others in the bloodstock community, as a “pivotal moment” for the sport. “I think the French industry is at a pivotal moment where we need to get people back investing into our product, whether it's the gamblers, the owners or the breeders,” said Jeffroy as he welcomed visitors to his family's newly-launched stallion base at Haras de Castillon, having previously spent over a decade at Al Shaqab's Haras de Bouqetot. He also sits on the Committee of La Federation des Eleveurs du Galop. He continued, “It's very important for the PMU not to miss its new chance to get more clients and to get the betting turnover going back in the right direction. Prize-money is driving the production of horses and the number of owners having horses in training. It's what gives the owners confidence to reinvest and it's so important. “We need to be united in this now, between the people who are involved in gambling and the people who are involved in breeding and bloodstock. I think there's a bit of a disconnect between them both sometimes. The PMU maybe only thinks about gambling and there are people who also only think about breeding. I think it's time to have a good plan for the next five years and to get everybody united behind it.” That call for unity was repeated by Mathieu Alex of Haras de Beaumont, who also cited that all-important resilience of French breeders as being key when it comes to navigating the choppy waters that could lie in wait. “I think the new team in charge of the governance of the PMU will do a good job, because the French do like betting,” said Alex. “We've got beautiful racetracks, we've got a nice industry and a very good sport. All of us just need to move together towards one direction. It's down to all of us to make a big effort to make sure that the public is going racing. And when they are racing, most of them are betting.” He added, “The great thing about the breeders is that they always live in hope. Okay, they might reduce the number of mares they have or be slightly more selective. But, here at Haras de Beaumont, we're ahead of the same stage last year in terms of the number of nominations. So, yes, there is a concern, but at the same time I think people in France feel quite safe. We've still got fantastic prize-money, as well as the breeders' premiums and owners' premiums. It's a very healthy environment.” Certainly, the generous premiums which are available to the owners and breeders of horses raised in France remain the envy of many other racing nations. The scheme is open to the progeny of stallions based in France and abroad, and it applies throughout a horse's career on the racecourse. “France has a great system for breeders,” Jeffroy added. “The fact that we have the French breeders' premiums is a big help. Even if you don't make a lot of money when selling your yearlings, if you're a good breeder, at least you get a reward for breeding good horses. This is so important to support the breeders. If you do a good job, you deserve to be rewarded. That helps a lot of breeders to keep going. Otherwise, I think it would be like England where you are losing a lot of the smaller breeders.” That loss to the industry in Britain was highlighted by a 5% decline in the 2025 foal crop, while the same figure in Ireland dropped by fully 12%, according to the Return of Mares, published by Weatherbys. In France, meanwhile, the number of registered live foals in 2025 was not immune to this trend. Records show that there was an 11% decrease in the number of thoroughbreds born compared to 2024, from 5,367 to 4,762, while the number of thoroughbreds and AQPS-bred horses combined also dropped by 11%, from 6,371 to 5,663. “There was a drop in the foal crop last year,” de Chambure said of these figures. “Our job at France Galop is also to maintain the confidence in the market and to maintain the investment of breeders to avoid too much of a drop in the foal crop. Otherwise, it means fewer horses in training, fewer runners and less gambling on those races. So, we need to maintain the numbers to fill those races and to prepare for the future. It is a challenging time, we have to be honest about that, but there are still positive signs and positive things about the industry in France to give us hope for the future.” Echoing that message of positivity was Pierre Gasnier at Haras de Bonneval, where he chatted happily to visitors on Friday in his role as manager of the French studs for the Aga Khan family. Whilst acknowledging that the reduction in prize-money, allied to the dwindling foal crop, was a cause for concern, he was resolute in his view that things will come good again in time. “Obviously, it's a concern because prize-money means everything when you own horses and you want to be able to keep doing it,” said Gasnier. “We have to be very careful because we need new owners and we need to mind our existing owners, especially the owner-breeders who are becoming more and more rare. It costs money to employ people and it costs money to breed horses. “It's a generational thing when you think about it. There are people that have been breeding horses in France, and I'm not only speaking about the thoroughbreds, for the last 40 years, and we're in a bit of a transition. We need to make sure that the younger generation are coming into the game, and they are. It's only for a certain time, I think and I hope, that the foal crop is decreasing.” One thing that stallion masters can do to support breeders when times are tough is to set fees that offer a bit of wiggle room, so that breeders don't end up merely covering their costs, or worse, when taking a foal or yearling to the sales. In this regard, it was noticeable that the team at Haras de Beaumont has reduced the fees for all four of its stallion in 2026, while the same is true of Siyouni and Vadeni at Haras de Bonneval. Siyouni, always one of the star attractions for those participating in La Route des Etalons, remains the most expensive stallion standing in France at a fee of €150,000, having stood for €200,000 in both 2024 and 2025. “The Aga Khan family is one of the biggest owner-breeders out there, so we know what it is to purchase nominations and the cost of it,” said Gasnier. “We respect very much the breeders and the resources that they have, so we treat our stallion fees in a very conservative way. “That was the approach we had with Siyouni in 2026. We reduced his fee to make sure that he was still attracting enough mares. Zarak remained at the same price and our two young stallions, Erevann and Vadeni, were priced at a very affordable level. They are going to be well supported again and we are very grateful for the support they continue to receive from breeders.” Those who got behind Vadeni when he commanded a fee of €18,000 in his first season at Haras de Bonneval in 2024 were certainly well rewarded at last year's foal sales, with eight of his progeny selling for an average of €72,519. It was a similar story with Erevann who, from an opening fee of €8,000, had 18 first-crop foals sold for an average of €37,368. Meanwhile, over at Haras d'Etreham, Onesto has had his 2026 fee reduced to €10,000 (from €12,500), despite the notable performance of his first foals at the sales last year. Of 10 offered, seven sold for an average of €46,228. “It was a really good group,” de Chambure said of that contingent. “He had a top price of €110,000 in Deauville and he seems to be producing horses with plenty of substance and athleticism. He's exciting, a son of Frankel with that turn of foot, so we'll be looking forward to the yearling season with him.” On the subject of stallion fees, he added, “I feel that sometimes people standing stallions tend to use that [reducing fees] almost as a marketing tool. I feel that we have to work with breeders all of the time, in a good climate and also when it's a little bit more complicated, because if they do well, we do well. We're always trying to adapt to the budgets of breeders and the reality of the market.” In the spirit of adapting budgets for breeders, Ace Impact, the headline retiree to France in 2024, having had Onesto back in third when signing off his unbeaten career with victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, will stand for a fee of €30,000 in his third season at Haras de Beaumont in 2026. Last year, Ace Impact had 17 first-crop foals go through the ring last year, with 15 selling at an average of €71,226, having been conceived at his opening fee of €40,000. Guests of Beaumont on Friday were also treated to an audience with some striking homebreds that will be retained to race, in the hope that they can help to establish their sire as the next big thing on the French stallion scene. As for the future of last year's Arc winner, Daryz (Sea The Stars), who sits alongside Ace Impact as the only French-trained three-year-old colts to win Europe's richest race since 2006, you'll have to tune in later this week to find out from Gasnier what his stud career might look like. In the second batch of nuggets from last week's Normandy expedition, we'll also be reflecting on a banner year for French-trained runners in 2025, headlined by Daryz's outstanding stablemate, Calandagan (Gleneagles), as well as looking forward to examine what the industry should be doing to bring more young people into the sport. The post ‘Breeders Always Live in Hope’ – Resilience the Key in Response to French Prize-Money Cuts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Less than 24 hours after trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. ran 1-2 in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), he was represented by the topic of this week's Maiden Watch, Code Review. View the full article