Wandering Eyes

Still basking in the glory of his Classic Cup victory, Harry Bentley is keen to continue his momentum at Sha Tin on Sunday with six rides, including Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) aspirant Fortune Boy and Group Two winner Tomodachi Kokoroe. Bentley bagged one of the most significant successes of his Hong Kong career when he guided Stormy Grove to an upset triumph in last Sunday’s second leg of the four-year-old series, the Classic Cup (1,800m). “Obviously delighted with how that all went – very...View the full article

Australian trainer Henry Dwyer crossed the Tasman with two horses earlier this week and he nearly went home with the perfect result at Ellerslie on Saturday. Stable sprinter Cote Atlantique (Kodiac) was runner-up behind Sweynesday in the Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m), but stablemate Paradise Storm (Masked Marvel) wasn’t to be denied in the Gr.2 Trackside Auckland Cup (3200m), storming home to a dominant 6-1/4 length victory. Racing three-wide with cover, Joe Doyle wasn’t content with the sedate pace in the race, sending his charge forward down the back straight to sit outside leader Just Charlie. Paradise Storm loomed ominously at the turn and shot away from the pack when asked the question by Doyle and carried OTI Racing’s silks to a commanding win. “Fair play to Henry, he was spot on about this horse,” Doyle said. “He said if he gets a bit chewy, he would rather I see him going with him, and to be honest I couldn’t hold him any longer. He was bang fit for today. “They attacked early at the 800m, and I thought ‘we have got going a bit here’, when I heard George (Simon, commentator) I looked at the big screen and he was obviously just too good.” Dwyer, who is accumulating an envious international record, having tasted success in the Northern Hemisphere with Group One winner Asfoora (Flying Artie), was rapt to get another international success, having initially intended on tackling Monday’s Gr.2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) with Paradise Storm. “It is just terrific. Winning a cup overseas somewhere just takes it to another level,” he said. “There is so much more that goes into it and so much more that can go wrong. On a risk to reward scenario, it is just a massive thrill. “The intention was always to go to the Adelaide Cup. I don’t even remember nominating the horse for this race and then Craig (Baker, Auckland Thoroughbred Racing) rang me up and I asked what it was worth and he said $600,00, so I said we better go there then.” Dwyer was full of praise for Doyle’s ride and he was pleased that he rode to instructions. “He has always been a horse that when they back the tempo off he is going to get keen,” he said. “Joe was cognisant of that and we spoke about it before the race that if the tempo does come out of it, get going a bit and get rolling into the race because you are just pulling against him and using his energy when you don’t need to. “I loved how he did it though, he waited until they got to the top of the hill and then he got going downhill. He got outside the leader and they got rolling, he kept his cool and then he ran away from them. “It was the first time at two miles for us, and he saw it out beautifully.” Having now won the Auckland Cup, Dwyer is now eyeing some Group One two-mile races on home soil with the French-bred gelding. “We thought the Sydney Cup might be the go on the way through, but if he is qualified for a Melbourne Cup, it’s an aspirational game, so why wouldn’t you?” View the full article

In what could be her swansong in New Zealand, class mare Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) put in her best performance at Ellerslie when she stormed home to collar a game Waitak (NZ) (Proisir) and claim the Gr. 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) on Saturday. It made for a welcome change of luck for trainers Ken and Bev Kelso who had to endure the nightmare scenario of their sprinter Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) crashing through the running rail when set for victory in the Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m) two races earlier. Bidding for successive weight-for-age triumphs after taking out the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) a month earlier, punters were prepared to disregard Legarto’s seemingly average race record of just one win from six starts at Ellerslie by installing her the $2.30 favourite in the contest. Rider Opie Bosson was content to sit back on the daughter of Proisir, allowing Aussie raider Kingswood (Roaring Lion) to set a steady pace in front before moving into contention from the 600m. Kingswood went for gold on the corner but was quickly headed by Waitak, who looked set for victory at the 150m before Bosson and Legarto appeared out wide and charged after him. Bosson timed his run nicely as the mare hit the line a head to the good of Waitak as Tuxedo (NZ) (Tivaci) stormed home late to take third ahead of Jaarffi (NZ) (Iffraaj). Kelso was grateful his day had turned around, reporting that Alabama Lass had come through her mishap with no major injuries while praising his middle-distance champion, Legarto. “It is really what they call the ups and downs of racing after what happened in the sprint,” Kelso said. “I’m very proud of this mare as she is one out of the box and a horse you only get once in a lifetime. “Bev and I have been very fortunate to have had her. “It’s quite an emotional win as it is probably the last time you will see her on a New Zealand race track. “Alabama Lass is fine, just a bit stiff and sore obviously and with a wound high up on her back, but she can go out for a spell now.” Kelso admitted he didn’t have any real concerns during the race, even when he felt Legarto may have a been positioned a little far back at one point. “I thought she was a fair way from them and had a bit of work to do, but she was always going to show her turn of foot,” he said. “We are going to talk to Phillip Brown (part-owner) and the connections as the Australian Cup (Gr.1, 2000m) is an option for her. “I think people may have forgotten how good she is, but she now has five Group One wins.” Legarto was bred by Warwick Jeffries and was offered by Highline Thoroughbreds during Book 2 of Karaka 2021, where part-owner Phillip Brown purchased her under his Ancroft Stud banner for $90,000. During her 24-start career, Legarto has recorded 12 wins and five placings with five of those wins at Group One level including the 2023 Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m). Saturday’s victory took her career earnings past $3.16 million. View the full article

Lara Antipova’s (Russian Revolution) star continues to rise, with the exciting filly extending her unbeaten streak to four when taking out Saturday’s Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie. Visiting hoop Mick Dee gave her the perfect trip throughout in the one-one position, and while she was awkward rounding the final bend with Liguria (NZ) (Snitzel) trying to advance inside her, she showed her talent once balancing up and made light work of her opposition, running out a 1-3/4 length victor over Liguria, with fellow Cambridge Stud representative State Of Valour (NZ) (Sword of State) a further long head back in third. “She made my job easy, she is certainly well educated,” Dee said. “She jumped clean and the speed was on. We were able to land in the one-one position and she did the rest. “I had the eventual second horse try to come in underneath us on the turn and she just didn’t get around the corner 100 percent. She won the race once she quickened up. She had a good look around, I feel there is plenty left in the tank.” With a record of four wins from four starts in New Zealand, including the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) and Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson are now keen on testing Lara Antipova’s talent across the Tasman and said she will join their Cranbourne barn in the coming weeks. “We think she is up to Australian class and we look forward to getting her to Melbourne,” Walker said. “There’s a race down the straight (Gr.3 Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, 1200m, at Flemington), it will either be that at the end of this month or maybe the Percy Sykes (Gr.2, 1200m) in Sydney. It will be good to give her a look at the Melbourne stable with a view to the Coolmore (Gr.1, 1200m) in the spring.” The stable was runner-up in the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) two years ago with fellow Fortuna Racing filly Bellatrix Star (Star Witness), and Walker said Lara Antipova shares similar qualities to her stable predecessor. “Her form stacks up with Bellatrix Star, who John and Jessica (Galvin, Fortuna Racing) raced,” Walker said. “She is every bit as good as she was.” The daughter of Russian Revolution was purchased by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis, in conjunction with Fortuna Racing, for A$100,000 out of Vinery Stud’s 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. Her prominence extends the great run of success the two entities have shared over the last few years, which includes the likes of 14-time Group One winner Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) and Group One performer Bellatrix Star. “She is exciting and it is great for John Galvin and his team,” Walker said. “Well done to David Ellis, that’s the seventh winner of the race that he has bought, that’s an incredible record.” View the full article

Last season’s Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (3200m) winner Campaldino (NZ) (Ghinellines) has another big two-mile feature on his radar and took a big step in that direction in Saturday’s A$200,000 Listed Randwick City Stakes (2000m) at Randwick. Trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are working backwards from the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) on April 11 with the Ghibellines gelding, who had resumed with an eye-catching fifth in the Gr.3 Parramatta Cup (1900m) at Rosehill on February 21. Campaldino was even better second-up on Saturday, hitting top gear in the straight and powering out of the pack to beat Athabascan (Almanzor) and Juja Kibo (Belardo) by a length and a quarter. “Great to see him bounce back in such good shape second-up,” Bott said. “I thought he was in for a nice campaign, and he is only going to keep improving as they get over ground. He showed that last preparation. He’s got those true staying capabilities and I’m looking forward to the campaign ahead. “At this stage he will push on to the Manion Cup (Gr.3, 2400m, March 21), through the Chairman’s Handicap (Gr.2, 2600m, April 4) and on to the Sydney Cup. It’s a programme we’ve used before and used it well.” Campaldino was ridden to victory on Saturday by Tim Clark. “I had to wait and let him build through when he was ready, and when he finally got into gear and had his revs up, he was always going to win,” Clark said. “The good thing about him is he relaxes so well. He goes to sleep.” From 16 starts, Campaldino has now recorded seven wins and four placings. He has banked A$615,697 for a Darby Racing syndicate. Campaldino was bred by the Ricky & Anna Rhodes Partnership and is by former White Robe Lodge stallion Ghibellines out of the Shocking mare Zuzana (NZ). Campaldino began his career in the Matamata stable of Cody Cole, for whom he had four starts. He finished seventh and eighth in his first two appearances, then put together back-to-back wins in a 1750m highweight at Taupo and a 2200m Rating 65 at Pukekohe. His performances caught the eye of Rob Waterhouse, and he was purchased privately. View the full article

Promising sprinter Sweynesday (NZ) (Sweyness) claimed victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m) at Ellerslie in sensational circumstances after race favourite Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) crashed into the inside running rail when looking set for victory at the 100m mark. The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained son of Novara Park stallion Sweynesse jumped nicely from an outside barrier draw and went forward to sit outside Alabama Lass as she set up a steady speed in front. Rider Masa Hashizume took Sweynesday up to challenge Alabama Lass for the front at the 300m as the pair set down to fight out the finish. Alabama Lass had more up her sleeve and edged clear of her challenger, however, just as she looked set for victory, she ducked in sharply and crashed into the rail, in the process dislodging rider Sam Collett, who was thankfully uninjured in the melee. Gifted the front, Sweynesday held out the late run of Aussie raider Cote Atlantique (Kodiac), with Platinum Attack (Santos) finishing on well for third. James was philosophical about the victory with his first thoughts going to the owners of Alabama Lass and her trainers Ken and Bev Kelso. “It’s not the way you want to win a race as I was standing next to one of the owners of Alabama Lass, who I know very well, while I used to show jump many years ago with Ken and Bev (Kelso),” James said. “I feel for them but we will take it (the win). “He is a very good horse and wasn’t that well weighted today as he was giving weight to Alabama Lass, while he also started from the outside barrier. “He is a very good horse and we do have a race called the Stradbroke (Gr.1, 1400m) in the back of our minds, which may now become a reality that he has a few more dollars in the bank.” James was referring to the A$3million Gr.1 Stradbroke (1400m) which will be run at Eagle Farm on 13 June. Hashizume was thankful for the win, acknowledging the race favourite may have had his measure before she faltered. “We had a wide barrier and had no choice but to go forward,” he said. “He (Sweynesday) responded well and relaxed well outside the pace. “We were travelling well outside the favourite, and he was coming after her, but he had the luck today.” Sweynesday was purchased out of Pertab Racing’s 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale draft by Eric Koh, King Power and Bevan Smith Bloodstock for $80,000, and races in the colours of Koh’s Falcon Racing for whom he has earned $398,800 from his six wins and four minor placings from 10 starts. Thankfully Alabama Lass returned unharmed from the incident although she will undergo a thorough veterinary examination in the aftermath of the race. View the full article

Cambridge mare Moxie (Strasbourg) lived up to her name when defying the odds to take out the opening feature race at Ellerslie on Champions Day – the Gr.2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Classic (1400m). While jumping a $17.50 outsider, the daughter of Strasbourg took a solid form line into the race, having placed in the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) at Ellerslie in January, a week after running sixth in the Gr.3 Aotearoa Classic (1600m). Trainer and part-owner Ken Harrison elected to freshen the four-year-old mare and aim her towards the mares feature on Champions Day where she was the lowest rated horse in the race. Moxie jumped away well and settled midfield for jockey Lynsey Satherley, who sat quietly on her mare while a hot pace was set up front. Entering the home straight, Satherley looked for an inside passage, but the gap closed. She didn’t panic, opting instead to steer her charge into a gap three wide and once Moxie balanced up she showed a terrific turn of foot and bounded to the lead at the 200m mark, and saw off the challenge of Sydney raider Chica Mojito (NZ) (Zacinto) on her inside to win by a length, with a further head back to Quintessa (NZ) (Shamus Award) in third. Satherley, who rode Moxie to her last start placing, was rapt to get the result for both the horse and her trainer. “She deserves that,” Satherley said. “She has got amazing sectionals and she can really reel it off. I was lucky enough to get a nice enough run in transit, and they ticked along at a really good speed. It was a really good effort by her. “I have only gotten to sit on her twice and she has given me great runs both times. Hats off to the trainer, it is a massive effort from them. Good on them, they deserve it.” Harrison was composed after the victory, but said he was pleased that his plan came off. “It’s pretty unreal,” he said. “We just thought we would freshen her up and bring her back to 1400m, which might be her go, and it worked out. “I am happy as.” Bred by Hormac Bloodstock, Moxie is out of winning Pentire mare Pearly Kate (NZ), a full-sister to Group Three performer Calm Customer (NZ) (Pentire) and half-sister to stakes performer Southern Courage (NZ) (Bahhare). Moxie was offered through Lyndhurst Farm’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft where she was purchased by Harrison for $10,000. She has gone on to win five of her 11 starts to date and has earned just shy of $500,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), who acted up badly on the plane that was meant to transport him to California for Saturday's GI Santa Anita Handicap and was subsequently scratched, is possible for one of two races over the coming weeks. “I always look at it as everything happens for a reason. No regrets,” said trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., who saddles three horses in Saturday's Barbados Gold Cup in his native country. “He'll probably run at Oaklawn in the Essex, or he'll run at Gulfstream in the Ghostzapper. I'm going to work him when I get back.” The 1 1/8-mile GIII Essex Handicap will be run Mar. 21 at Oaklawn Park, while the 1 1/16-mile GIII Ghostzapper Stakes will be renewed a week later on the undercard of the $1-million GI Curlin Florida Derby Mar. 28. Skippylongstocking was last seen defeating stablemate White Abarrio (Race Day) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Jan. 24. Trainer Ian Wilkes reports that both Just Basking (Arrogate) and Burnham Square (Liam's Map) have emerged from their efforts Feb. 28 in good shape and laid out plans for the near future. Winner of the 2024 Iowa Oaks and third in that year's GI Alabama Stakes, Just Basking was third to 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Senza Parole (Gun Runner) in a one-mile dirt allowance Jan. 15 and came with a late charge beneath Javier Castellano to take out the GIII The Very One Stakes by a half-length. She could make her next appearance in the GIII Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland on Apr. 24. “It's a little later in the meet, but she's a light filly,” Wilkes said. “She ran hard, and I just don't want to reel her back here too quick because it's a long year. She's run twice here now, so we'll look ahead to Keeneland.” Burnham Square was having his first run since a cracking runner-up effort in the GIII Nashville Derby last Aug. 30 and got home well over an insufficient trip to round out the exacta in allowance company. Wilkes has the Whitham homebred pointed for the GIII Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland on Apr. 18. “Burham Square ran a real good race. Was I ready to run him? Probably not, but there was nothing in the next book for him and I wanted to get a race into him here,” Wilkes said. “He came out of it good, which was the main object. He came out good and his gallop-out was tremendous. He'll go to the Elkhorn now. “It's always a relief when you get them back, but the way he trained I had confidence,” Wilkes said. “He's trained very well. He didn't miss a beat and hasn't missed a beat and has just trained better this year than last year, and he trained good last year. It's exciting. I hope I don't jinx him. We'll just keep going forward. Distance is going to be his friend. He'll get stronger as they go [longer].” The post Gulfstream Notebook: ‘Skippy’ Possible For Ghostzapper appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Fixed-odds wagering has already made it to states like New Jersey and Colorado. It could also be a fixture in Kentucky thanks to a bill just introduced into the state legislature by Republican Representatives Matthew Koch and Michael Meredith. HB 904 is a sweeping piece of legislation with several key components designed to essentially expand and modernize the gambling infrastructure in the state. The contextual background of this bill appears to be an attempt to seriously grapple with the impacts from Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) on the betting pools. Unlike the fluctuating odds that make up pari-mutuel betting, fixed-odds wagering 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. Under this legislation, a new “purse stabilization fund” (to supplement existing purses at live meets) would be supported by a 15% tax on fixed-odds betting conducted on-track, online or via mobile apps. Among other aspects, the bill requires tracks and tote companies to adopt new modern technologies to streamline and expedite betting cycles times. Right now, tote machines across the country update at varying times–typically anywhere between 10- and 30-second cycles. More specifically, the bill requires them “to include commercially reasonable access to the betting odds for retail bettors by Apr. 1, 2027.” 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. “A track or association that holds a license to conduct horse racing, sports wagering, or a licensee offering fantasy sports contests under this chapter or its affiliate shall not participate in or contract with platforms that offer events contracts through a prediction market or have a beneficial interest in the proceeds of prediction markets,” the bill states. Last year, fixed-odds wagering was also legalized in West Virginia. It followed New Jersey, where it debuted at Monmouth Park in 2022. “I remember us having discussions [on fixed odds] in committee going back 10 years,” said Damon Thayer, a veteran lawmaker with 22 years serving the Kentucky State Senate. “As a fan, I like it. I know when I go to England and Ireland for racing, which I do annually, I prefer to go to the bookmakers so I can shop and get the best price,” he added. “It may be a reaction to the CAWs,” speculated Thayer, about some of the motivation behind HB 904. “There's a lot of justifiable angst out there amongst horse players about the CAWs and their effect on late-changing odds.” Earlier this year, HB 39 was introduced into the state legislature that sought to put CAW players on as even a playing field as possible with average retail players in Kentucky's pari-mutuel wagering pools. It hasn't advanced through the legislature. The current legislature adjourns on Apr. 15, making it a tight timeframe to pass such a sweeping bill during the current session. Lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene in early June for an interim session that will run through December. “That's when the joint committees of House and Senate can meet monthly… They have the purview to discuss bills that have been filed, as well as those for the future,” explained Thayer, about the interim session. “I don't know if they're going to try to push House Bill 904 through right now, or if they're just trying to get it out there for discussion heading into that interim period,” he said. “Representative Koch and Representative Meredith are two of the best minds in the general assembly on all issues related to gaming. I worked with them on HHR and sports betting and pari-mutuel tax reform. They're really thoughtful guys, and I don't think they would do anything to harm horse racing.” The post Fixed-Odds Bill Introduced Into Kentucky State Legislature appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Serafin Carmoma remained hospitalized at CHI-St. Vincent in Hot Springs following a spill in Thursday's ninth race at Oaklawn Park. Carmoma, riding for the first time at Oaklawn this season and with five wins to his credit, was aboard 84-1 Balandeen Storm (Balandeen) in a state-bred maiden $50,000 claimer and was making a move on the far turn when he was shut off and clipped heels, throwing Carmoma to the ground. The horse got up and jogged away before being caught by the outrider and was vanned off the track. Carmoma was transported to the hospital via ambulance and has been diagnosed with head and neck injuries and was on a ventilator as of Friday afternoon. The post Jockey Carmoma Hospitalized Following Thursday Spill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Serafin Carmona is hospitalized at CHI-St. Vincent in Hot Spring, Ark., after being unseated when his mount clipped heels during the running of the ninth race March 5 at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

So-called prediction markets have become all the rage across a wide swath of topics, from election results to gas prices to the amount of snowfall might occur in a given place. The Kentucky Derby and horse racing at large? That topic was the subject of a panel entitled 'Prediction Markets and Wagering: An Emerging Threat To Horse Racing and Interstate Horseracing Act Revenue' during Thursday's session of the National HBPA Conference at Oaklawn Park. Speakers agreed that prediction markets have the ability to dwarf even sports betting in America. The prediction-market platform Kalshi reportedly took in more than $500 million in trading volume on the Super Bowl. Bloomberg has reported that Polymarket took in $529 million on the timing of U.S. strikes in Iran. And Polymarket reportedly took in $1.2 million overseas on the 2025 Derby. Prediction markets, which are not subjected to state gaming taxes and do not have the consumer protections built into state regulation, say that they offer something akin to futures contracts. They insist this does not constitute a wager and the danger to horse racing is real, experts agree. “I think that the prediction market is a real threat to the horse-racing industry unless we handle it correctly,” said Dennis Drazin, the chairman and CEO of Darby Developments, which operates Monmouth Park. So pervasive are the prediction markets that FanDuel and DraftKings have jumped in. But Churchill Downs has suggested court involvement should prediction markets try to offer contracts on the Derby. Horse racing's cause is aided by the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, which gives horsemen the right of approval or refusal to have their betting signal sent across state lines. According to panelists, there are better than 60 lawsuits pending and the consensus is that the issue will advance all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, a final decision years down the road. “I think we have a very strong case, because we have federal laws that control this,” said Drazin, joining the panel via Zoom. “It's not something that's trying to create state law. And I think as things go on, this has been a very important week. “There were two very important decisions by the federal court saying that, basically, the prediction market does not preempt state law, and they dismissed those cases and sent them back to the state court. So I think certainly there's a lot to be said and a lot to be litigated.” Drazin said a class-action suit would be the optimal means of pursuing a remedy. “We need to be prepared to decide how we're going to deal with this,” said Drazin. “My recommendation is that those of us who want to participate, we head to the federal court and assert our rights under the Interstate Horseracing Act. But the industry is going to have to make some decisions.” But Jason Johnston, the sportsbook manager for WarHorse Gaming in Nebraska, is of the opinion that peacefully coexisting might be the way forward for the racing industry. “If there's not a hard block, they [prediction markets]'re going to swing for the fences, and it's going to escalate fast,” Johnston said. “Just look at how much Kalshi has changed over the last nine months from a consumer experience. “The other backup plan would be get ahead of it, try to find a partnership with it and get a piece of the pie. Because I think Kalshi and Polymarket are just going to try to run through everybody and just get what they can get, just like they've done in other sports and states, and deal with the lawsuits later.” Dave Basler, the executive director of the Ohio HBPA, agrees with Drazin that litigation might be the ultimate answer, but Michele Fischer, a wagering consultant and vice president of SIS Content Services, believes that prediction markets could be beneficial to horse racing. “We missed the mark with sports betting for the horse-racing industry,” she said. “It's a highly regulated form of gambling, and that's something that's still on the table for horse racing. I think that the conversation needs to be a little wider. We sit here and look at all the threats, which they all can be. But where are those opportunities for this new market we've been talking about for 20 years? Where are all the eyeballs that we wanted on horse racing? What are they watching?” The post Are Prediction Markets A Threat To Horse Racing? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

MAD HOUSE (g, 4, Vekoma–Stifled Heiress, by Munnings) was last seen fading to the back in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar last November, but before that he'd strung together a respectable tally of four consecutive victories which culminated with him taking home the hardware in the Sept. 20 GII Gallant Bob Stakes at Parx. Made the 3-5 heavy favorite here for his seasonal bow, Mad House went right to the front and never looked back after :21.94 and :44.42 sectionals, rolling home by 3 3/4 lengths in a crisp 1:08.85–only .18 off the 14-year-old track record. Dreaming of Kona (Fast Anna) was a well-beaten second. The victor is the most accomplished of his siblings as the second to the races and the only black-type earner, but his eldest half-sister is a winner. Stifled Heiress has a juvenile colt named Gaelic Legacy (Leinster) to her credit as well as a yearling full-brother to that one. She is due back to that stallion for a third time in 2026. 6th-Tampa Bay Downs, $51,900, Alw (C)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 3-6, 4yo/up, 6f, 1:08.85, ft, 3 3/4 lengths. MAD HOUSE (g, 4, Vekoma–Stifled Heiress, by Munnings) Sales history: $47,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 11-5-1-1, $318,015. O-James Thares; B-Jean White, Wavertree Farm & SGV Thoroughbreds,LLC (FL); T-David VanWinkle. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Mad House Flirts with Track Record on Seasonal Bow at Tampa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Just as the attachment between human and equine has been a driving force in Thoroughbred racing, people working and advocating for off-track Thoroughbreds are focused on building that bond.View the full article

A pair of juveniles from the Top Line Sales consignment led the penultimate OBS March under-tack show session Friday with a Drain the Clock filly (hip 508) and a Golden Pal colt (hip 598) sharing the co-fastest furlong breeze in :9 3/5. Setting the mark first of the two, the day's fastest-working colt was one that Top Line's Jimbo Gladwell admitted they stretched on to acquire for $275,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale last August. “He had size and a beautiful walk [at Saratoga],” Gladwell said. “Everything you'd want in a horse. A big, pretty neck. All the balance and angles. We had to really reach for him.” From the first crop of Golden Pal, the colt is out of a mare with a perfect seven-for-seven produce record led by GSW Island Commish (Commissioner) who earned over $269,000 on the track. “He's been a really good training horse all year,” Gladwell continued. “We knew he was fast. But you never think they're going to work in :9 3/5. This morning, when we let him out there, we knew if we had one that might do it, he was the one. He's just a push button horse, anybody can get him to go fast. He's just pretty much, you let him go do his job and get out of his way.” That confidence continued into the session's fastest filly who matched the number set by her male stablemate earlier in the morning. “Once the Golden Pal did it, we thought the Drain the Clock might do it because she's been right there head and head with him all year,” Gladwell said of hip 508. “The Drain the Clock's have been big, beautiful horses. She's been on everyone's radar that's come out to our farm. She's a beautiful filly and a great example of what [the stallion] can get you. We've had two of them and they're both big and beautiful. And good minded, good training horses too. So we're pretty high on the stallion and she's been a queen all year. [The Drain the Clock foals] seem like they have some class too. They're not just one-dimensional.” Purchased by Exclusive Bloodstock as a yearling at Keeneland for $200,000, the filly is a half to no fewer than three stakes horses including stakes winner Windy Lu Who (Justin Phillip). “They're both big horses who have a lot of balance and a lot of muscle to them and both of them have a good way of moving with really big strides. The way OBS has the track set up safe and fast for us, the bigger-strided horses get across it easily and they come back home safe and happy,” Gladwell said. Candy Illusion | OBS Putting up the fastest quarter-mile mark of the day, Candy Illusion (Twirling Candy) (hip 453) breezed the distance in :20 2/5 for consignor Tom McCrocklin in the morning's opening group. Out of a stakes-placed Tizway first dam, the filly was a $75,000 RNA at Keeneland last September. “I though she was very nice at Keeneland as a yearling, and she's still owned by her breeders, Steve and Denise Smith from Lexington (Mesingw Farm),” McCrocklin said of the RNA. “Like a lot of these things, there's a soft spot and she just got overlooked but she's always seemed like a very nice horse.” McCrocklin stayed high on the filly through her 2-year-old prep. “Very high expectations for her,” McCrocklin said. “She's always been nice, a very fast filly, very classy. Big stride and she prepped really well here. I had set myself up for disappointment because I was expecting a big breeze when she came through. I'm a big believer in let the horse do the talking. She has a lot of length and scope, a lot of reach. Just a big, big stride on her. She's deceptive because she's not moving her legs fast but she's covering a lot of ground and to me is always a good sign. She's a very exciting filly.” With new restrictions placed upon on the riders beginning this sale, with riders no longer able to use the crop with their hands off the reins at any point before, during, or after a breeze, McCrocklin acknowledged they may have a small difference in the times. “Where it's affected me more is breaking off at the pole,” McCrocklin said. “We've never used much stick in our breezes but a lot of horses in the past are used to being tapped once or twice breaking off. So we've lost that, which I have no problem with, and we've just had to adjust a little bit with our break.” The post Top Line Goes 1-2 In Penultimate OBS March Under-Tack Show appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article