Wandering Eyes

Holding on to a one-win lead over David Hayes in the trainers’ championship, Mark Newnham is confident he can add to his advantage when the in-form Max Que and Power Koepp spearhead his team of six at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. Newnham’s stellar campaign has seen him head the standings for most of the first half of the season, trading blows with Fownes for the lead several times while Hayes’ recent surge has also put him right into contention. After striking with impressive three-year-old...View the full article

Doctor Askar (NZ) (Derryn) is having a few days of R and R in the paddock following a float incident on Saturday that resulted in his late scratching from the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa. The Waverley gelding looked a strong contender in the $700,000 feature following his last start heroics in the Gr.2 Thorndon Mile (1600m), and trainer Joanne Moss was excited to head north to give her charge his first tilt at elite-level. However, it wasn’t to be, with Doctor Askar becoming fractious in the float enroute to Hamilton and following a veterinary inspection oncourse he was withdrawn from the contest. “There were all those road works and we came around a corner, and he has scrambled. When he got off (the float) he was sore and that is why I got him vetted,” Moss said. “We got him home and I will give him a couple of days and see how it all goes. I will let him chill out because he has had 10 hours on the truck. “At the moment he is wandering around the paddock, is eating and he is happy as. He is just a little bit stiff and a little bit sore.” Moss felt it was the opportune time to step her charge up over ground and in Group One company, and while disappointed to be denied that chance over the weekend, she is choosing to take a positive outlook, believing there are plenty of opportunities ahead for the five-year-old. “It was just the right time to do it but never mind, you have just got to take the good with the bad,” she said. “You have got to look on the bright side, we have still got a horse. “He is still learning, I don’t think he still really knows what he is doing. He just gives me that impression, he is still playing around a bit too much.” All going to plan, and Doctor Askar makes pleasing progress, he may get another opportunity at elite-level in next month’s Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day. “If he looks good to go, I would look at the Bonecrusher, but I am not going to push him,” Moss said. Doctor Askar, a homebred son of Derryn, has won seven of his 21 starts to date, including the Thorndon Mile, Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) and Listed Flying Handicap (1400m), and he has earned $586,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

After returning to her best form with a fourth Group One win in Saturday’s Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa, Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) is likely to have just one more start before being going to auction as a broodmare. The six-year-old daughter of Proisir had gone winless for almost a year when she repeated her 2024 Herbie Dyke Stakes win with a dogged victory over Victorian raider Kingswood (Roaring Lion), crediting her jockey Opie Bosson with his 100th elite win and trainers Ken and Bev Kelso with their 15th. That took her record from 23 starts to 11 wins and stakes of almost $2.6 million, with earlier highlights being the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) as a three-year-old. She was also placed second, third or fourth in another six Group One races, three of those in races immediately leading up to Saturday’s win. Ken Kelso reported that Legarto came through her weekend exertions in excellent order, setting her up for the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day. “We put her out in the paddock after getting home from the races, but it took a while to catch her when I went out to put her cover on later on,” Kelso said. “That tells me she’s taken no harm from the race, so the Bonecrusher is the obvious next target for her. “Beyond that we’ll have to talk things through. She’s rising seven and we’ve already decided this is her final preparation, but if she was to go well at Ellerslie we could perhaps look at a race like the Australian Cup (Gr.1, 2000m).” Philip Brown, speaking on behalf of the 12-strong ownership group that includes the Kelsos, confirmed that Legarto will go to auction at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast in May. “We’ve already arranged for her to go to Brian Nutt at Attunga Stud to be prepared for the sale,” Brown said. “Being a partnership, public auction is the proper way to realise her true worth. As a multiple Group One winner including one in Australia, she’s obviously a valuable mare, so it’s going to be an interesting exercise. “That was probably the most emotional win of all on Saturday – to see her bounce back after some had begun to doubt her, Opie getting his 100 and another big win for Ken and Bev – it was special.” Brown and his wife Catherine, as well as fellow Matamata identities Tony and Mary Enting, were in the partnership that raced another four-time Group One-winning racemare in Levante (NZ) (Proisir), who likewise was by Proisir and was trained by the Kelsos. The Browns retained Levante after she was retired and are now breeding from her on a foal-share arrangement with Arrowfield Stud. Her only foal to date, a yearling filly by Snitzel, sold for A$600,000 at last month’s Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale and will be trained by Chris Waller. Levante is now in-foal to the rising star on the Arrowfield roster, The Autumn Sun, and is scheduled to be covered by him again next spring before returning to the Browns’ Ancroft Stud. View the full article

Late bloomer Autumn Glory (NZ) (Ocean Park) has shown the benefit of careful handling with her emergence as a serious Classic contender. Bred and raced by the Smithies family under their Monovale Holdings banner, the Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained daughter of Ocean Park rounded off powerfully at Te Rapa on Saturday to claim the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m). Autumn Glory started at nearly 50 to one and her upset victory has resulted in her promoted to a $4 second favourite for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m). The filly has now won two of her three starts following a debut success at Ruakaka a month ago, and in between times was unplaced on a heavy track in the Listed Oaks Prelude (1800m) at New Plymouth. “We were very, very patient with her and sometimes you can get a bit stressed when you see all the spring three-year-olds coming out and performing, but if you give every horse the time needed, they can certainly do the job,” Max Smithies said. Autumn Glory is the last foal of Venus’s Dream (Viscount), who was purchased by Monovale out of Sledmere Stud’s draft for A$15,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. The late Viscount mare was a half-sister to the two-time Group Three winner and dual Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) placegetter Spring Heat (More Than Ready). “She was an older girl and is unfortunately no longer with us, but she did a great job,” Smithies said. “Chris Waller bought a couple of her Ocean Parks and Loveplanet (three wins) was quite a handy horse in Sydney.” Loveplanet was a $140,000 yearling at Karaka while her brother Existential Bob (NZ) realised A$60,000 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale and has won twice for the champion trainer. “We always thought she nicked well with Ocean Park and left a great type, so we were pretty pleased to get a filly,” Smithies said. “We always try to keep a few of the fillies and liked Autumn Glory from a young age, so we were happy to keep her to race for ourselves.” Monovale is currently breeding from a broodmare band of around 20. “We try to be quite critical of what we breed and really chasing the quality over quantity,” Smithies said. They enjoyed a 100 percent clearance rate at last month’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale with five in Riversley Park’s draft and two in Landsdowne Park’s consignment. “We were very pleased with the sale, and it works very well for (brother) Joe and I, in terms of having to get in extra staff for yearling preps,” Smithies said. Their top-priced youngster was offered by Riversley, with a son of Satono Aladdin selling for $400,000 to trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Champion Thoroughbreds and Kestrel Thoroughbreds. The colt is out of the unraced Snitzel mare Sayyzel and the family of the multiple Group One winners and sires Ocean Park and Grunt. A Savabeel filly, also in the Riversley draft, was knocked down to the Sunlight Trust and Phil Cataldo for $250,000. Her dam is the O’Reilly mare Miss Opulence (NZ), a half-sister to Sir Slick (NZ) (Volksraad) and the Monovale bred and raced Puccini (NZ) (Encosta de Lago), who between them won eight top-flight titles. View the full article

After finishing behind Super Corredora and Explora in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), the lightly-raced Meaning turned the tables in the $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes Feb. 8 at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Roll On Big Joe is doing just that—rolling on—as he conquered the $150,000 King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn Park Feb. 8, and with it, notched his first three-stakes win streak.View the full article

Numbers (NZ) (Tivaci) firmly advanced his credentials for the remainder of the Hong Kong Four-Year-Old Classic Series with a commanding victory in Sunday’s Gr.3 Centenary Vase Handicap (1800m) at Sha Tin. The Frankie Lor-trained galloper dominated his six rivals, each with a Group-level winning profile, as he led from start-to-finish on his way to a two-length victory in the HK$4.2 million contest. The Tivaci gelding went off a strong $1.7 favourite on the strength of an eye-catching front-running victory in December, his first in Hong Kong. The handicapper gave him eight points for that, but Numbers (117lb) still went off from the foot of the weights against a more experienced field. From barrier two, he was worked to the head of the field by Derek Leung and enjoyed a rail-hugging passage half a length in front of Andrea Atzeni on Ensued (125lb) to the bend. As they entered the straight, a group headed by Chancheng Glory under Zac Purton moved to his shoulder to briefly offer resistance, before Leung shook up the four-year-old and opened a gap on his pursuers. Speed Dragon (126lb), ridden by Lyle Hewitson, improved to take second, with Karis Teetan and Encountered (126lb) finishing third. “He was still a bit nervous in the gates, but he did a good job,” Leung said. “He handled himself pretty good. After he relaxed, I started to pick up at the 800m. He listened to me, and he made my job pretty easy.” Leung said his tactical versatility makes Numbers a major threat for the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March. “He can lead, or if someone’s going faster than him, he can be second or third – just whatever he wants to be,” Leung said. “He loves to chase a horse. So, it doesn’t matter … he loves the challenge.” The second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series is the Hong Kong Classic Cup on 1 March, and on this evidence, Numbers will take some beating as the Series extends to 1800 metres and beyond. His last act in Australia pre-import was a spirited second in the Gr.1 Queensland Derby over 2400m. Trainer Lor said he was confident. “I have a lot of hope. You can see in Australia he already has form over 2400m, so I don’t think there will be any problems and we’ll just go for it,” he said. Mark Newnham’s Lucky Ranger (NZ) (Vanbrugh) maintained his upward trajectory with a fine win in the first section of the Class 4 On Ting Handicap (1400m). In both of his first two starts, the three-year-old was forced to overcome the widest draw, but did so comfortably, delivering a 22nd win of the season for Luke Ferraris, and maintaining a one-win lead (35) for Newnham in the trainers’ standings. Atzeni’s treble was completed when he piloted John Size’s four-year-old Flow Water Flow (NZ) (Proisir) to victory in his first Class 3 run in the Yau Oi Handicap (1800m). The Proisir gelding has now recorded two wins after three seconds in his debut campaign. Cody Mo secured a win courtesy of the Riversley Park Ready To Run graduate Emblazon (Zoustar). The Hong Kong Derby-nominated son of Zoustar made it three wins in a row and four for the season – all under two pound-claiming Jerry Chau – when he took out the Class 3 Yan Tin Handicap (1400m). View the full article

A daughter of Gun Runner won the $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita going one mile on the dirt Sunday, but it wasn't the one everyone expected. Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners maiden winner Meaning (f, 3, Gun Runner–Figure of Speech, by Into Mischief), fourth behind Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly Super Corredora (Gun Runner) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, bested not only Super Corredora, but also GII Oak Leaf Stakes winner and Juvenile Fillies runner-up Explora (Blame), the lone 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' in the field, Sunday. “This is a filly we thought highly of from day one,” said Eclipse Thoroughbred's Aron Wellman after the Las Virgenes. When the gates flew, Super Corredora was ridden hard from the outside to secure the front as Explora found herself in tight along the rail. Both wanted the lead, but it was Explora who got her neck in front at the :22.57 first split while Meaning bided her time serving as caboose of the four-horse field. Meaning joined the top two on the outside after the :45.98 half, with Super Corredora the first to throw in the towel as the trio exited the turn. Meaning and Explora laid it down in the lane in a heated battle, but it was Meaning, despite slow to swap to her proper lead, who got up in the final strides to win by a length. She got the mile in 1:39.39. Explora held for second, while maiden winner Bank Shot (Game Winner) finished third. O-Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Stonehaven Steadings (Ky.); T-Micahel McCarthy; J-Flavien Prat. “In Flavien was trust.” Aron Wellman of @EclipseTBP talked to @ChristinaFDTV after MEANING won the $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at @SantaAnitaPark. pic.twitter.com/AmZ0zrfc4S — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 8, 2026 The post Gun Runner’s Meaning Upsets Super Corredora and Explora in Las Virgenes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Rolling like an express train late, Yellow Card (Lost Treasure {Ire}) gave his connections an emotional victory to kick off his 2026 campaign in the Clocker's Corner Stakes. A runner-up in the GII Eddie D Stakes three back Sept. 27 at this venue, the Michael McCarthy trainee missed the board in his last two jumps for that season–namely, the Stormy Liberal Stakes at Del Mar where he ran fifth and last out Dec. 29 when he finished sixth in the GII Joe Hernandez Stakes. Sent off here at 3-1 odds, he caboosed the field as the frontrunners posted an opening split in :21.71 and four furlongs in :44.03 under constant pressure. Yellow Card, who had been crowded to the back earlier, took the overland route coming into the bend and was asked to close from widest of all as they swung into the lane. In front of him, Virat (Bayern) was trying to fend off challengers, but the pack overtook him by midstretch with Yellow Card and Sorrento Sky (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}) coming best of all. Inhaling that competition, the eventual winner cleared off from the runner-up to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Virat managed to hold on to third. YELLOW CARD ($8.40) goes last-to-first in the blink of an eye in the $100,000 Clocker's Corner Stakes at @santaanitapark. @JaramilloJockey was in the irons for trainer @mwmracing and owner Jim Daniell. Oaks Prep is next: https://t.co/5VcRa4VxbO pic.twitter.com/qVb7pOXu86 — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 8, 2026 CLOCKER'S CORNER S., $101,000, Santa Anita, 2-8, (C), 4yo/up, 6fT, 1:08.05, fm. 1–YELLOW CARD, 122, h, 5, Lost Treasure (Ire)–Paris Girl, by Pulpit. ($19,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $87,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-James M. Daniell; B-Tiffiney K. Veloudis (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy; J-Emisael Jaramillo. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 12-4-3-1, $671,745. 2–Sorrento Sky (Ire), 122, h, 5, Prince of Lir (Ire)–Briarfield Lady (Ire), by Battle of Marengo (Ire). O-Benowitz Family Trust, CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Gevertz, Saul, Lantzman, Marc and Nentwig, Michael; B-Miss Colleen Dwyer (IRE); T-Philip D'Amato. $20,000. 3–Virat, 122, g, 7, Bayern–Nice Meidel, by Bernstein. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Sareen Family Trust (KY); T-Dan Blacker. $12,000. Margins: 1HF, 1 1/4, NO. Odds: 3.20, 7.10, 22.70. Also Ran: Sumter, Flyover, Speed Boat Beach, Irish Royalty. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post No Slowing Down Here: Yellow Card Rolls Home to Take Clocker’s Corner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Silent Tactic will be pointed to the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) March 1 at Oaklawn Park following his victory in the Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 6, Mark Casse, the colt's dual Hall of Fame trainer, said Feb. 8.View the full article

The 2026 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale opens for a single-day session in a frigid Lexington, Kentucky, Monday at Newtown Paddocks with bidding set to begin at 10 a.m. on 411 catalogued entries. And while temperatures have failed to eclipse the freezing mark for days and wind chills below zero have left buyers and consignors alike with the shivers, there was an overwhelming sense of optimism headed into Monday's action. “We've got a very good catalogue,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There's literally something for everybody in here. There's some really nice top offerings with mares like Icreamuscream and Elle Sueno (in foal to Curlin) at Hill 'n' Dale. There's some really high-end stuff. And there are a lot of nice short yearlings on the grounds too. It's a very interesting catalogue full of attractive racing or broodmare prospects. The market's been good and we're optimistic. It's going to continue to be an emphasis on quality that we've seen in recent years and I expect that to continue throughout all of 2026.” Hill 'n' Dale consigns not one but two mares in foal to their top stallion, with GI La Troienne Stakes third Ava's Grace (Laoban) (hip 126) joining a Grade I-placed producer in Elle Sueno (Street Cry {Ire}) (hip 193). Consignors have also been busy with the short yearling market, with Paramount Sales's Lesley Campion saying activity had been extremely high despite the conditions. “The weather has been brutal,” said Campion. “But traffic the last few days has been great, very healthy. I think the average showing on our [short yearlings] was around 57. I feel as though the folks that are coming out to see them are here in earnest because [the weather] weeds out less-serious buyers.” Paramount Sales consigns nine short yearlings by young sires with upcoming first crops such as Arcangelo, Elite Power, Jackie's Warrior, Mage and Pappacap along with more established sires like Authentic and Practical Joke. “We have a ton of new stallions here in the Bluegrass,” Campion said. “And folks have seasons they need filled. There's always a market for a good foal. If a buyer wanted to grab something to go to [Fasig-Tipton] Saratoga, or something to represent them in the first couple of books at [Keeneland] September, this is the last chance to do so. There should certainly be a lovely, buoyant market for those types. The market has been very encouraging these last couple of sales. It's been very strong. I don't see any reason that it wouldn't be just as strong Monday.” There was plenty of action Saturday despite the cold in Kentucky | Fasig-Tipton Vinery Sales also brings in a strong consignment, with Derek MacKenzie also noting that the cold had failed to keep anyone away. “Traffic's been great,” said MacKenzie. “Even though the weather's been bad, it doesn't look like it's stopping anybody from coming out. We're feeling good about it. I think it'll be another strong sale. Both November and January, pretty much all of the mixed sales, have been strong. This one should be too.” Fasig-Tipton has struck a delicate balance now between their in-person and digital sales, with Browning viewing them as complimentary to one another instead of competitive. “There's certain times and places where one makes more sense than the other,” Browning said. “We're very comfortable with our schedule. There are always opportunities to add a horse, whether it be to a live sale or to a digital sale. For instance, a mare like Iscreamuscream, who was added into the supplement catalogue. It's a great opportunity for people to come and see her in person with a sale coming up. And then, if next week or two weeks from now, a top filly or mare becomes available, then we've got a great digital platform for that like we did last year with Soul of an Angel. There's something [for everyone] when the need arises.” During the 2025 rendition of the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, a colt by Curlin out of GISW Unbridled Mo, now a 2-year-old named National Champion, brought the day's top price of $775,000. At the session's conclusion, a total of 260 head sold for $11,495,500. The average was $44,213 and the median was $17,000. The post Cold No Deterrent Ahead Of Monday’s Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

FIRST CALL BOB (c, 4, Uncle Mo–Walk Close {GSW, $294,458}, by Tapit) was late to the races, but he was first home on this unveiling. Giving the gate crew some trouble before the start, they finally managed to convince him to load and he broke well to push the leading pair until about the half-mile marker. Taking over at the three-eighths as Mainstream (Speightstown) tried to mount a response, the 9-2 shot kicked away from his would-be challengers and won by 3 1/4 lengths over Love'em Or Liam (Liam's Map) as that one closed from the back. First Call Bob is a half-brother to Grade I-placed Anneau d'Or (Medaglia d'Oro), $459,491, who elite placing came in his juvenile year when he ran second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2019. Said brother was Walk Close's first to the races, but she has produced four other winners since Anneau d'Or, including First Call Bob and his 3-year-old half-brother McCready (Practical Joke). The mare's juvenile Jackie's Warrior colt went through Keeneland September last year, and was purchased by BTR Racing Venture for $235,000. She also tallies a yearling filly by Girvin and is due to Omaha Beach for 2026. 7th-Gulfstream, $68,000, Msw, 2-8, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:38.20, ft, 3 1/4 lengths. FIRST CALL BOB (c, 4, Uncle Mo–Walk Close {GSW, $294,458}, by Tapit) Sales history: $525,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $40,800. O-Flanagan Racing; B-Lochlow Farm & Ashford Stud (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. *1/2 to Anneau d'Or (Medaglia d'Oro), GISP, $459,491. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. A Hat Trick today for @Tyler_Gaff! First Call Bob in front in the 7th race for Chad Brown. #GulfstreamPark #ChampionshipMeet pic.twitter.com/qUZeKxyJfS — Gulfstream Park (@GulfstreamPark) February 8, 2026 The post Uncle Mo’s First Call Bob Sharp in Victory at First Asking appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

John Oxley's Silent Tactic (Tacitus) will likely make his next start in the Mar. 1 GII Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park following his upset victory in the GIII Southwest Stakes Friday in Arkansas, trainer Mark Casse confirmed. The Southwest was Casse's third consecutive victory in a Kentucky Derby qualifying race at Oaklawn, following last season's GI Arkansas Derby with Sandman (Tapit) and the Jan. 3 Smarty Jones Stakes with Strategic Risk (Noble Bird). Silent Tactic closed to finish second in the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones. “The thing, too, it wasn't like when Sandman won the Arkansas Derby,” Casse said. “There was a pace meltdown. There wasn't a pace meltdown [Friday]. I think the impressive thing about Silent Tactic is he ran down an average pace.” Casse said he also plans to run Strategic Risk in the 1 1/16-mile Rebel. A sparkling 4 1/2-length winner of the Smarty Jones, Strategic Risk spun his wheels late in the Southwest and finished 10th, beaten 10 1/2 lengths. Casse said Strategic Risk's performance may have been impacted by a winter storm late last month that delayed the Southwest six days and closed the track for training for nine days. “I really don't know what happened with him,” Casse said. “If you're watching, he looks like he's struggling. Maybe that little time off bothered him more than the others. I'm going to run back in the Rebel as long as he's fine.” Casse reported Eclipse champion Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) came out of her victory in the GIII Bayakoa Stakes Saturday in fine shape and is on target for the Mar. 7 GII Azeri Stakes. “I almost think yesterday was the best race she's ever run,” Casse said Sunday morning. “When I flew out here, I was 50-50 whether we were going to run her or not. When we came out, I'd always said we were going to run in the Azeri. I told the Greens she's doing so well that if everything goes right, we'll run in the Bayakoa. Well, nothing went right there.” After arriving Jan. 11 from Florida, Nitrogen posted a five-furlong bullet work (1:00) Jan. 17. But a winter storm subsequently closed the track for training for nine days (Jan. 24-Feb. 1). “We got the one good work in her and then we sat in the barn for 10 days,” Casse said. “I struggled with that, big time, because you've got a champion. She's my girl and I don't want to do anything to tarnish her record. So, I did a lot of talking to myself. But when I saw her and I saw her fitness, I was good.” Casse said he also plans to start multiple Grade I winner La Cara (Street Sense) in the Azeri. The post On to Rebel for Southwest Winner Silent Tactic appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures's Intrepido (Maximus Mischief), a game second in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes Saturday at Santa Anita, could make his next start in the Mar. 7 GII San Felipe Stakes or could wait for the Apr. 4 GI Santa Anita Derby if he looks to have earned enough points to make the field for the GI Kentucky Derby without the extra start. “If we could have won [the Robert Lewis], then we could have coasted and wait for the Santa Anita Derby,” trainer Jeff Mullins said. “The question is, are you going to dance every dance before you really get down to business [in the Triple Crown]? You don't want to chase, chase chase, those points. Then you get to the Derby and you're done.” Intrepido earned 10 Derby points with his win in last year's GI American Pharoah Stakes and three points for his fifth-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He added an additional 10 points with his runner-up effort Saturday. Ridden by Hector Berrios, Intrepido dueled Plutarch (Into Mischief) for most of the one-mile Robert Lewis and came up just 3/4 lengths short of that rival after a stirring stretch duel. “Hector said if he was on the outside, he probably could have gone by him,” Mullins said. Trainer Bob Baffert reported both Plutarch and Splendora (Audible), winner of Saturday's GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes, were “doing great” Sunday morning. Also possible for the San Felipe is Harris Farms' homebred Start the Ride (Upstart), who broke his maiden second-time out in the Jan. 17 California Cup Derby. “We're looking at the San Felipe,” trainer Dan Blacker said of Start the Ride. “He's still eligible for a non-winners of one, but we could try something a little more ambitious.” So Happy (Runhappy) tuned up for a possible start in the San Felipe with a four-furlong work in :47.80 (2/55) at Santa Anita Sunday. The Mark Glatt-trained colt, two-for-two in his career so far, was most recently a two-length winner of the Jan. 10 GII San Vicente Stakes. The post Lewis Runner-Up Intrepido Possible for San Felipe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Talk about a dream start. Louis Blanchet and Ruben Elbase, the latest duo to strike up a training partnership in France, couldn't have wished for a better beginning to their venture when sending out Nargiz to win a maiden at Pornichet racecourse last Thursday. The daughter of Lope De Vega carried the distinguished colours of Gerard Augustin-Normand to victory and now the training duo of Blanchet, who up until this point had been working as an assistant to his brother and trainer Xavier, along with Elbase, a former owner, are eyeing an audacious tilt at Royal Ascot with their breakthrough winner. Blanchet said, “Fantastic. It was the target for us to have a winner quickly with the quality of horses that we have. So yes, we had a fantastic start with Nargiz and she won really easily as well so we could look for a Listed race with her now. We also had a very good third with Canneza (Siyouni) in a Class 3 at Deauville on Friday. She is a filly we bought with Johnny McKeever for €180,000 at the sales and looks a lovely prospect. She finished extremely fast so I think we have two very nice mares at home. We will target a race at Royal Ascot with one – if not both of them – so it is a very exciting start for us.” The Chantilly-based Blanchet, 28, is perhaps best known in his native France for his role in supporting his brother Xavier, himself an up-and-coming trainer. The former amateur jockey has also spent time working for the sales company Osarus as well as spending three years with Mark Johnston in Britain before enjoying a six-month stint with Francis Graffard. In short, he has crammed a lot in and is mature beyond his years in realising that the landscape of training is changing. He explained, “Being a trainer is not what it was 20 years ago so, from my point of view, I had been watching some of the other training partnerships in France and the one that inspired me the most was Amanda Zetterholm and Noel George. I was thinking about training for the past two years. I had been working as an assistant trainer with my brother during that time but always wanted to set up my own business. When you have a partner in business, you can split the tasks and grow faster. If you are going to progress as a trainer, you need somebody who is very skillful with horses and another person who finds new clients and looks after the marketing and the communication as well as all of the other responsibilities a trainer has to deal with away from the hands-on work with the horses. So, I wanted to find someone who could deal with the clients and let me deal with the horses. When I met Ruben, I thought he was probably the perfect person to do the partnership with.” He added, “It works really well with Ruben being based in Paris. There are many occasions when, because I am so busy with the horses, I miss out on meeting clients, going to dinner, functions or whatever. Now, with Ruben a partner in the business, he can go and represent our stable and potentially attract new people to our stable, which is extremely important. This is the plan.” Elbase, 36, is not your typical trainer. In fact, he is the first to admit that he brings very little to the table when it comes to buying, training or even placing the horses within the stable. Instead, his role revolves around entertaining clients and attracting prospective owners to the yard. Something Blanchet could not fit into his busy schedule but equally important to any thriving racing stable. Elbase said, “Launching this partnership is the dream of my life. This is a big thing for us and we are really excited. We have worked really hard for this and are looking forward to the future. This is an innovative concept to training partnerships in that we both have clearly defined roles. It's not unoriginal to see training partnerships in France but usually they are with two trainers. I was a long-time owner and I had the majority of my horses with Louis in recent years. We have enjoyed a very good relationship together and I can remember him telling me one year ago that he wanted to branch out and launch his own training stable in Chantilly. He asked me if I was interested in being his partner. It's very different because I am not a trainer so I was not sure if we could have a partnership or not if I did not have a training licence.” He added, “However, we discovered that if the main owner of the company is the trainer, then it is not a problem and we can do that. I am based in Paris, where I will concentrate on meeting and attracting owners, while Louis will look after all of the training and the horses in Chantilly. I think this could open up the possibility for new racing fans and owners who want to be involved in this side of the business.” After enjoying a dream start with their first runners last week, Blanchet admitted to being quietly optimistic to what the summer might bring. He expects the stable's numbers to rise to around 20 horses in its pomp. He said, “We have eight horses in training at the moment and three of those are two-year-olds. We have five more two-year-olds on their way to us from Ireland, the UK and France. We have a few other three-year-olds in pre-training so we should have around 20 horses here in the next couple of months. I love working with the younger horses and we bought five yearlings at the sales last year. We also bought some fillies at the breeding stock sales and, if we can add a bit of value to them this season, that would be great. We have a nice Stud Of Man filly called Lady Tedsmore, who we are aiming at a Listed race next, and she came from the breeze-ups so we could return to that market again this year.” Elbase concluded, “The sales are pretty new to me so I am learning about all of the chaos involved in finding the new horses. It is really important to be at the sales in Arqana, Tattersalls or Goffs. The sales provide a good opportunity for trainers to meet people and attract owners. Louis is usually very busy at the sales so it can be hard to keep owners in the loop with what is going on. But when I am there, we can strike a good balance between working the sales hard and entertaining clients, so hopefully it can work well in the future. We can share the job together.” The post France’s Newest Training Duo Eye Tilt At Royal Ascot With Breakthrough Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article