Wandering Eyes

The Jockey Club has donated HK$70.2 million to the victims of the Tai Po fire after a subdued afternoon of racing at Sha Tin on Sunday. A minute’s silence was observed before Sunday’s closed-door meeting, which was restricted to owners, stewards, voting members and their invited guests, and there was none of the colour and buzz of a normal Sha Tin meeting. “I want to express my deep condolences to all of those who have been affected by this tragic fire,” said Jockey Club chief executive Winfried...View the full article

Dazzling Fit enhanced his Classic Series claims with a herculean performance and Colourful King came from the clouds in a sensational display as David Eustace celebrated a double at Sha Tin on Sunday. Despite facing tough draws in their respective races, Colourful King exploded from last to smash his rivals in the Class Two 1,000m Turf Handicap before Dazzling Fit sealed Eustace’s brace with a gutsy victory in the Class Three 1,600m Turf Handicap. “You’re hopeful when you go to the races with a...View the full article

The world's top-rated horse, Calandagan, was all out to defeat Japan's best, Masquerade Ball, by a head at the end of the 1 1/2 miles of the Japan Cup (G1) Nov. 30 at Tokyo Racecourse.View the full article

Libertad produced the biggest performance of his career and one of the most dramatic finishes of The Pinnacles when the 5-year-old entire lunged late to deny Overpass the Winterbottom Stakes.View the full article

Hong Lok Golf could be heading for Group One targets after getting back on track with a game performance to win the Class Two 1,600m Turf Handicap at Sha Tin on Sunday. Chris So Wai-yin’s galloper won six of his seven starts in a breakout first campaign, but had kicked off this season with a pair of defeats, most recently by two and a half lengths in disappointing fashion. Sent off the $4.6 joint favourite under Harry Bentley, there were some anxious moments for his backers when he turned into...View the full article

TOKYO, JAPAN — It turns out that it takes the world's best horse to win what what will surely be judged for the second time in three years to have been the world's best race. For 20 years the Europeans have come and failed to conquer but Calandagan (Gleneagles), already at the summit of the world rankings for 2025 and with Mount Fuji as the backdrop for his most towering challenge to date, lowered the record of the great Almond Eye when outbattling race favourite Masquerade Ball (Duramente) to win the 45th running of the Japan Cup. They say that two out of three ain't bad and, in a pinch-me year for trainer Francis Graffard and the team at the Aga Khan Studs, they have combined to have two of the top three horses in the world rankings. This week the name of the Arc winner Daryz (Sea The Stars) has been mentioned more than once in press conferences by racing manager Nemone Routh and then by Princess Zahra Aga Khan after Sunday's victory, but this particular day was owned by Calandagan, a reformed character from his juvenile season whose only tearaway characteristics now are in streaking home to glory. Mickael Barzalona, too, was a flamboyant youngster, notably when standing in his irons to salute the crowd at Epsom before he was even over the line in the Derby, but the jockey's transition into a calm and collected professional is now complete, along with that of his horse. In a dramatic start to the race which saw Yuga Kawada ejected from the stumbling Admire Terra on leaving the stalls, Barzalona had Calandagan switched off towards the rear of the remaining 16 runners, travelling smoothly, eyes presumably fixed on the imaginary target on Christophe Lemaire's back aboard Masquerade Ball. Moving up on the outside of the favourite mid-stretch, Barzalona temporarily had Lemaire pinned for room as Shin Emperor weakened in his run, but the looming pair shifted out just enough for both to pass last year's runner-up with ease. From there the battle commenced, with Calandagan and Masquerade Ball locked together to the line. Only the grey Admire Terra could pass them, and he was unencumbered by the weight of a rider. “We were a little bit caught for speed in the early part of the race but Mickael caught a good lead behind Christophe Lemaire,” said Graffard. “He travelled the whole way behind the right horse in the race so that gave me a lot of confidence, and then we then never had any trouble in running especially into the last bend, and the horse after that has been really brave.” The trainer still has some important work to be done in Hong Kong in a fortnight's time, but with the year he's had already – winning Classics, a Breeders' Cup and three Group 1 races with Calandagan alone prior to today – it could have been imagined that the pressure may be off a little when it came to this challenge at the end of a long season for the four-year-old. One look at Graffard's face before the race told another story, however, especially with a recently earned title to uphold. “I was really stressed today. I knew I was bringing the best horse in the world and I was re-exposing him in a race that is almost impossible to win,” he said. Almost, but not quite. And in achieving the near-impossible Calandagan collected the equivalent of $3.3m in prize-money, with a further $3m bonus as the winner of a selection of Group 1 races in Europe this year. Just one would have done but he had three to choose from. “I said to myself it wasn't really fair on the horse to ask that of him and I really felt that pressure today. I thought to myself it would be awful to have take him back home to his box where there would be a plaque saying best horse in the world and for his year to end in disappointment,” he continued. “We were asking him to do something quite incredible after he had already proved he was the best, so I felt an enormous weight on my shoulders. I love taking on the big challenges but this morning I was really wondering why were putting ourselves through it.” For Princess Zahra, there must also be pressure in striving to uphold the standards which have been set down over the last century by three generations of her forebears. The Aga Khan Studs, founded by her great grandfather Aga Khan III, have become a byword for excellence in Thoroughbred breeding. Her father's long tenure ended only with his passing in February. Racing in Japan has existed for almost the same amount of time that the Aga Khan Studs have been in existence, and the leaders in this nation have steadily amassed a national broodmare band whose offspring have become the envy of the old world order. This emergence of Japan as one of the global leaders in bloodstock has of course not been lost on Princess Zahra, who on Saturday inspected the impressive line-up of sires at Hokkaido's Shadai Stallion Station. It surely won't be long before one or two of them are visited by mares from the Aga Khan Studs. “It has been a very good year thanks to the people sitting next to me and to the rest of the team,” she said, positioned between Graffard and Barzalona after a lengthy presentation ceremony during which she looked almost embarrassed to receive gift after prize after medal and then, best of all, the Japan Cup itself. “It's the best year we've had in a very long time. Of course I miss my father very much. He was very involved, but in terms of the operation, I think we continue to do what we do and with our new training policies, thanks to Francis and the collaboration with Mickael, we've had a very good year.” She continued, “Calandagan has shown himself to be an improving horse throughout the year and I think both Francis and Mickael have learned how to read the horse and to bring him to the best place on the right day at the right time. “Calandagan, as Francis said from the beginning of the year, was the horse for this race and he had planned this for a very long time. I wasn't sure in March that we were going to get here.” Of her visit to Shadai with her team of Pat Downes, Nemone Routh and Pierre Gasnier, she added, “As a breeding operation it is fascinating to see the bloodlines that exist in this country that are actually remote from the European bloodlines that we have today. It is very interesting to me to see what Japan has produced in terms of stallions, in terms of bloodlines, and I think it is going to be fascinating to see what those bloodlines produce in the future.” The development of those bloodlines has indeed been seen to increasingly devastating effect around the world. At home, the development of the sport of racing is equally impressive. Under a spotless blue sky 77,029 fans crammed into the vast Tokyo grandstand, lining the parade ring ten deep at least and creating a wall of sound as the race reached its climax that is surely unmatched at any racecourse. It was clear that for many professionals involved in the Japan Cup that there was a sense of pride that the race had this year attracted the top-rated Calandagan. The local racing fans may have preferred their favoured Tenno Sho winner Masquerade Ball to prevail – and he only went down by a head at the line, with the last two Derby winners Danon Decile (Epiphaneia) and Croix Du Nord (Kitasan Black) filling the minor places – but they know a good horse when they see one. Calandagan was duly afforded the hero's welcome that he deserved as he was brought back out to the track for the presentation ceremony. “He's a real champion, as everybody saw today,” Graffard said. “Mickael has so much faith in this horse and he's never let him down.” Calandagan, only the second French-trained horse to win the Japan Cup since Le Glorieux in 1987, was serenaded after his triumph by the on-course band playing Land of Hope and Glory. At first it seemed an incongruous anthem but, for his own Last Night of the Proms, a quest that began in hope and some trepidation for Calandagan's connections had indeed ended in unforgettable glory. The post ‘A Real Champion’: Calandagan Wows Japan With Record-Breaking Cup Victory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

TOKYO, JAPAN — In a special ceremony at Tokyo racecourse prior to the 45th running of the Japan Cup, history was made when brothers Teruya and Katsumi Yoshida became the first Japanese members of the Jockey Club. The major owner-breeders and owners respectively of Shadai Farm and Northern Farm, Teruya, 78, and Katsumi, 77, were presented with lapel badges by senior steward Baroness Dido Harding to mark their honorary membership. Baroness Harding was joined in Tokyo by Jockey Club CEO Jim Mullen, assistant racing and international director Matthew Woolston, and the Jockey Club's international ambassador Brian Finch. In his introduction to the ceremony, Woolston said, “It is an absolute pleasure to welcome Mr Teruya Yoshida and Mr Katsumi Yoshida as honorary members of the Jockey Club. “We thank you for your contribution to horseracing and for the cooperation between the Japanese and British horseracing industries.” Addressing the Yoshida brothers, Baroness Harding said, “The English Jockey Club is 275 years old and we began to bring rules and order to British racing and were the governing body and the operator for 250 years. Twenty-five years ago we handed that over to an independent organisation but our purpose is the same, which is to preserve the long-term sustainability of horseracing in Britain and around the world.” Of the 180 members of the Jockey Club, 23 honorary members are based outside Britain. They include Princess Zahra Aga Khan, owner-breeder of Japan Cup runner Calandagan, Sheikh Mohammed, John Magnier, Bill Farish and Gaynor Rupert. She continued, “I am so honoured and delighted that the two of you have agreed to become the first Asian members of the Jockey Club. You have done amazing things, not just for Japanese racing, but for the world. “Horseracing in Britain benefits from a strong racing community in Japan, in France, in Ireland and in America. The sport is stronger when we are all strong, so the global impact that the Yoshidas have had is something that we wanted to recognise.” Katsumi and Teruya Yoshida with Baroness Harding | Emma Berry Teruya Yoshida, owner-breeder of the Japan Cup favourite Masquerade Ball, said, “This is a great honour to receive this, not only for us, but for Japanese racing. Racing started 100 years ago in Japan and we have put a lot of effort into improving our horse quality.” That last statement has been backed up by the increasingly impressive results of Japanese runners internationally over a number of years, and 2025 alone has witnessed victories for Forever Young in the Saudi Cup and Breeders' Cup Classic, and for Danon Decile in the Dubai Sheema Classic, while Satono Reve was a close second in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. The post ‘Great Honour’ as Teruya and Katsumi Yoshida Become Jockey Club Members appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A dawdling pace in the $301,500 Hollywood Derby (G1T) Nov. 29 at Del Mar turned the race into a test of late acceleration, and Salamis passed with flying colors.View the full article

A dawdling pace in the $300,000 Hollywood Derby (G1T) Nov. 29 at Del Mar turned the race into a test of late acceleration, and Salamis passed with flying colors.View the full article

Bella Ballerina, a half sister to 2023 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Pretty Mischievous, is on the Oaks trail herself after a win in the $397,375 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Nov. 29.View the full article

Cannoneer (c, 2, Into Mischief–Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon) became the 58th 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' for his all-conquering sire with a tour-de-force victory at second asking for trainer Brad Cox in the nightcap of the Stars of Tomorrow II card at Churchill Downs. Off as the 8-5 favorite, the $1.75-million Keeneland September graduate was sent to the front from his outside draw, but had to deal with the riderless Circle Me (Kantharos), who lost jockey Samuel Camacho, Jr. at the start. Completely undeterred beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr., Cannoneer led through fractions of :22.44 and :45.34. He took off impressively off the far turn and rolled home with powerful strides to win for fun by 7 1/4 lengths while stopping the timer for seven furlongs in a razor sharp 1:21.63. Cannoneer, a half-brother to Girvin (Tale of Ekati), GISW, $1,624,392; Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), GSW & MGISP-USA, G1SP-KSA, $3,647,970; Pirate's Punch (Shanghai Bobby), GSW, $395,650; and Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John), GSW, $497,660, tired to third behind SW & GSP Comport (Collected) as the heavy favorite after setting the pace in his unveiling going 5 1/2 furlongs beneath the Twin Spires June 1. Cannoneer's bluehen dam Catch the Moon, a $240,000 purchase by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings at the 2015 Keeneland November sale, was bred to Not This Time for 2026. 12th-Churchill Downs, $120,450, Msw, 11-29, 2yo, 7f, 1:21.63, ft, 7 1/4 lengths. CANNONEER, c, 2, by Into Mischief 1st Dam: Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon 2nd Dam: Catch My Fancy, by Yes It's True 3rd Dam: Walk Away Rene, by Gold Alert Sales history: $1,750,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $81,300. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-St. Elias Stable & Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Cannoneer, hijo de Into Mischief, nieto de Malibu Moon, ejemplar que costó 1.750.000$ en subasta, reaparece ganando luego de 182 días sin correr, de nuevo en Churchill Downs. Montó Irad Ortiz Jr. para Brad Cox, sociedad de St. Elias Stable y @StonestreetFarm pic.twitter.com/vO3mpGe8Xd — Carlitos Solorzano (@carlosimbatible) November 29, 2025 The post Stars of Tomorrow II Card Concludes with ‘Rising Star’ Performance from Cannoneer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Seabiscuit is considered one of horse racing's greatest longshot stories, so fittingly the $200,000 Seabiscuit Handicap (G2T) at Del Mar Nov. 29 was won by the race's longest shot: Call Sign Seven at 68-1.View the full article

The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association Florida Sire Stakes series wrapped up Nov. 29 at Gulfstream Park with a pair of homebreds taking top honors in the two $300,000 stakes for Florida-bred 2-year-olds.View the full article

Joining Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Ted Noffey, Further Ado gives Spendthrift Farm two aces heading toward the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1). Further Ado captured the Nov. 29 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill DownsView the full article

Juddmonte homebred SALAMIS (c, 4, Speightstown–Antonoe, by First Defence) largely avoided traffic issues in what ended up a sit-sprint renewal of the GI Hollywood Derby, and, with clear sailing through the final furlong, was along in the final strides to give his late sire his second new graded winner on the program. The half-brother to GI Matriarch Stakes hopeful Segesta (Ghostzapper) was taken back to the latter third of the field by Umberto Rispoli, with odds-on Test Score (Oscar Performance) riding the rails to his inside and Salamis had cover on the back of Tom's Magic behind a dawdling half-mile in :49.92. With no traffic to his outside, Salamis continued to follow the move of Tom's Magic around the turn, while Test Score was ridden more for luck, sweating on an inside run beneath Juan Hernandez. Rispoli steered Salamis off Tom's Magic's heels with three-sixteenths of a mile to race and accelerated sharply to be along in the nick of time. Test Score was blocked for a run entering the final furlong and kicked hard once clear, but all too late. Salamis is the 71st graded winner and 27th top-level scorer for Speightstown. #4 SALAMIS ($8.20) prevailed in the $300,000 Hollywood Derby (G1) at @DelMarRacing! The @JuddmonteFarms homebred by Speightstown had @umbyrispoli aboard for Chad Brown! pic.twitter.com/n4cogvSVhj — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) November 29, 2025 Saturday, Del Mar HOLLYWOOD DERBY-GI, $301,500, Del Mar, 11-29, 3yo, 1 1/8mT, 1:50.74, fm. 1–SALAMIS, 122, c, 3, by Speightstown 1st Dam: Antonoe (GISW-USA, GSW-Fr, $565,377), by First Defence 2nd Dam: Ixora, by Dynaformer 3rd Dam: Imroz, by Nureyev 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Juddmonte (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Umberto Rispoli. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 7-3-0-2, $353,363. *1/2 to Segesta (Ghostzapper), MGSW & MGISP, $1,010,275. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Tom's Magic, 122, c, 3, Justify–Dixie Chicken, by Rahy. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing; B-Sean & Dorothy Fitzhenry (ON); T-Michael Stidham. $60,000. 3–Test Score, 122, c, 3, Lookin At Lucky–Joy of Learning, by Kitten's Joy. O-Amerman Racing LLC; B-Jerry Amerman (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $36,000. Margins: NK, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.10, 4.80, 0.80. Also Ran: Tempus Volat, Kokosan, Friendly Confines, Maaz (Fr), Copp. Scratched: Noble Confessor. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Salamis A Second Fresh Graded Winner For Speightstown In Hollywood Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article