Wandering Eyes

Alpine Princess put away 27-1 longshot Corningstone in deep stretch to win the 110th running of the $385,000 Falls City Stakes (G3) by two lengths in the traditional Thanksgiving Day fixture at Churchill Downs.View the full article

The Lindsay Park team of Ben, Will and J D Hayes have their eyes on a second win in a Victorian slot race with one of their stable favourites Here To Shock (NZ) (Shocking). But first, Here To Shock heads to the Listed Testa Rossa Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday which the stable sees as the ideal pipe-opener for the A$1 million The Supernova (1400m) at Pakenham on December 13. Here To Shock led home a one-two finish in the inaugural running of the Supernova last year and Ben Hayes said The Supernova in two weeks’ time was certainly in the stable’s planning this year. Lindsay Park Racing owns a slot in the Supernova. Here To Shock has not raced since finishing sixth in the Gr.3 Moonga Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in October but had a jump-out over 800m at Flemington on November 21, finishing third. “This should be a nice prep run,” Hayes said. “We purposely freshened him to target this with the Supernova in mind, and then we might consider going over and trying to go back-to-back in the Group One over in New Zealand. “It’s the kind of race he can be very competitive in.” After his win in the Supernova last year, Here To Shock was freshened before travelling to New Zealand where he won the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa in February. The Lindsay Park team has had success on previous hit-and-run missions to New Zealand, claiming the Karaka Millions 3YO Classic with Long Leaf (Fastnet Rock) in 2017 while Conqueror (Fastnet Rock) ran second to Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) in the corresponding race 12 months later. The Hayes brothers are planning on sending Torture (NZ) (Sword Of State), winner of the Listed Debutant Stakes at Caulfield in October, to New Zealand for the Karaka Millions 2YO Classic at Ellerslie in January. Joining Here To Shock in the Testa Rossa Stakes on Saturday will be Run Harry Run (Written Tycoon) who is coming off a first-up win in the Ararat Bowl (1300m) on November 9. Hayes said Run Harry Run had been freshened for a late tilt at the spring carnival. “But when we got the heavy track, we decided to be patient and he came out and won the Ararat Bowl, so it was good to get him back in the winner’s stall,” Hayes said. “He actually has pretty good form behind Globe, and he’s been racing very consistently. “It’s obviously a big step up in class to what he’s been running in, but he’ll run a nice competitive race again and he’s in great order.” View the full article

Andrea Atzeni will once again team up with his old boss Marco Botti after securing the plum ride on Giavellotto for next month’s Group One Longines Hong Kong Vase (2,400m). The Mastercraftsman galloper enjoyed his brightest day in the sun when spearing between horses to land the race under Oisin Murphy 12 months ago, despite being hampered 400m out and having to weave his way through. Botti’s six-year-old has continued to age like fine wine in 2025, winning in Group Three company at Kempton...View the full article

Dealt With stamped himself as one of the most exciting three-year-old prospects last season, earning himself a slot in the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), but he was withdrawn at the 11th hour through injury. It was a bitter pill to swallow for his connections, with the son of Ace High looking a strong contender after previously winning his first two starts before placing in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m). Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood have taken a patient approach with his return and they are looking forward to him resuming his career at Otaki on Sunday in the Levin Truck Services Levin Stakes (1200m). “He had multiple soundness issues and it has been a long, slow process but hopefully we are back for the long haul,” James said. “He is certainly in nice order, albeit he is a big, burly fellow and he will derive considerable improvement out of the run on Sunday.” Dealt With finished runner-up in his resuming trial over 1000m at Avondale last month, and James expects him to race kindlier from barrier two this weekend. “It was typical him, he was bull-headed, bullish and hard going, but I think with that trial under his belt he will be more amiable on Sunday,” James said. “He has drawn well enough to help him a little bit in that regard.” Dealt With was replaced in the NZB Kiwi by stablemate Zormella, who returned to form when runner-up over a mile at Pukekohe this month, and James is hoping she can go one better in the Treadwell Gordon 1600 at Wanganui on Saturday. “It was one of those races where she got there very easily and then floated around a little bit and got run down late,” James said. “It was still a good run and she has trained on very well since.” Zormella will have plenty of supporters this weekend courtesy of her Frac Club micro-share syndicate, and James is looking forward to another micro-share horse in Incandescent making his debut in the Independent Traffic Control 1100 at Ellerslie on Saturday for MyRacehorse. The son of Per Incanto was purchased by TAB Racing Club out of Little Avondale Stud’s Book 1 Yearling Sale draft at Karaka earlier this year for $200,000 and was quickly snapped up by MyRacehorse when the TAB Racing Club began its dispersal. He was runner-up in his 900m trial at Taupo last month and has opened an equal $3.70 favourite for his debut alongside the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Dashing Dixie. While James wasn’t expecting his juvenile gelding to be dominating the early market, he does have plenty of time for him and is hopeful of tackling some lofty targets later this season. “He has opened up favourite, which does surprise me,” he said. “I hope he is a Karaka Millions (1200m) prospect, but I see him more as a 1400 to 1600m horse.” James is also looking forward to heading to Ellerslie on Saturday with Sweynesday, who will resume in the Harrisons 1100. The five-year-old gelding has been a model of consistency so far in his career, winning three and placing in three of his six starts to date. He hasn’t been sighted on raceday since his runner-up effort over 1200m at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, with his trainers taking a cautious approach with his return after battling soundness issues. Their patience looks to have paid off, with the son of Sweynesse winning his resuming trial over 1000m at Avondale earlier this month. Sweynesday is nominated for the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham in January, and his connections are hoping he continues his upward trajectory towards that elite-level target. “He has always been a talented galloper,” James said. “I thought his trial was very good and his work since has been very good as well. “He has got 61kg on his back, but we have chosen to claim three (courtesy of apprentice jockey Sam McNab), and that should level it out a little bit. He goes into the race in great order. “His form line is very good and he has done nothing wrong in his career other than the fact that he had an unusual soundness issue last season, hence the long time between runs. We are very happy that he is back to the form that he was when he went out.” He will be joined on Saturday by stablemate Osteria, who was victorious over 1300m at Tauranga earlier this month. “Osteria probably hasn’t got the same talent as Sweynesday, but is weighted (56.5kg) accordingly,” James said. “There is no reason why he can’t pop up and be competitive in a field like this. “He is an interesting horse. We tried him once over 1400m when he was perhaps a bit of a weaker horse and it could be a road that we take with him as we get deeper into the season.” Meanwhile, James said the stable’s star mare Orchestral suffered an atrial fibrillation when 10th in last Saturday’s Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), and they are currently working through her next steps. “She fibrillated on Saturday and she hasn’t gone quite in the direction we had hoped since,” he said. “We are right in the midst of addressing what we do from here, but hopefully by the middle of next week we have got more positive news on that.” View the full article

A dominant last-start victory confirmed travel plans for Tellum to head south for a first crack at a black-type feature. The promising filly will bid to continue her hot run of form in the Listed O’Leary’s Fillies’ Stakes (1340m) on Saturday, with Lynsey Satherley booked for the ride by trainer Debbie Sweeney. Tellum has won her last two on the bounce at the expense of older opposition, but it was her most recent victory romp at Te Aroha that ensured her place in the Wanganui contest. “She’s been super and it’s hard to beat the older horses, which she’s done,” Sweeney said. “Wanganui was always the plan, and we said we would head that way if she won her last one.” A daughter of Ocean Park, Tellum had broken her maiden over 1400m at Te Aroha in October and repeated her course and distance heroics on a return visit earlier this month. “She keeps taking the next step up and has improved again,” Sweeney said. Tellum has been patiently handled and finished in behind the major players in both of her two-year-old outings before she was sent for a break. “We didn’t do too much with her last season, and she’s always showed she had ability but was a bit weak,” Sweeney said. “She needed a bit more time and she’ll be even better with another six months.” Sweeney will see how Tellum fares at the weekend before confirming future plans for the filly. “There’s quite a bit of form in the race on Saturday, it’s quite a strong three-year-old fillies’ race so it will be interesting to see her against her own age and sex and how she measures up,” she said. “She’s certainly done nothing wrong to date and was pretty impressive last start.” Meanwhile, Sweeney is also upbeat about the summer prospects of Tellum’s older stablemate Gillian. The Wentwood Grange-bred and raced daughter of Darci Brahma produced a strong staying performance to win last time out at Te Aroha over 2200m, with all three of her career victories posted over middle distances. “She’s only lightly raced and will head to Tauranga in a fortnight for a Rating 75 over 2100m race,” Sweeney said. “We’ll keep her in her own grade at this stage and, hopefully, we’ll look at some of those nice Cups’ races over the Christmas period. “She has always showed a lot of promise and has bounced back to form.” Gillian is also likely to tackle the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers’ Championship Final (2400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. “She obviously stays well so she’ll target that as well,” Sweeney said. View the full article

Wingatui trainers Brian and Shane Anderton will head to Cromwell on Sunday with a strong hand, led by Mayor Of Norwood who will attempt to seal his berth north to contest January’s Gr.3 NZ Campus Of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham. The six-win gelding finished fifth first-up over 1400m at his home track earlier this month and his handlers have been pleased with his progression heading into Sunday’s Happy hire Cromwell Cup (2030m). He has been lumbered with top weight of 61kg but will get some weight relief courtesy of apprentice jockey Triston Moodley’s 1kg claim. “He has come through his race well,” Brian Anderton said. “We have got to be a bit careful with him, he is getting to a dangerous place in the weights. “Our ambition is to have a go at the Wellington Cup, so hopefully he comes through everything alright.” Stablemate Capo Dell Impero is also set to carry 60kg in the KB Contractors Open 1400, 5kg more than is closest rival. Lugging big weights is nothing new to the eight-year-old gelding, who carried the same impost when runner-up first-up over 1400m at Wingatui earlier this month, and his trainers are hoping he can go one better on Sunday. “He has come through it well and hopefully the 1400m won’t be too short for him,” Anderton said. All going to plan after Sunday, the son of Ghibellines will be targeted towards a pre-Christmas assignment on his home track. “He is getting at the stage where he is hard to place but there is a mile here in the December meeting, so we will probably look at that with him,” Anderton said. The stable will have a three-pronged attack in the Otago Engineering (1400m) courtesy of the in-form No Party, Move On and Afire. Proisir gelding No Party has won both of his starts this preparation, while Move On has finished runner-up in her last two outings and Afire was victorious at her last start, and Anderton is hoping for more of the same from the trio. “No Party has continued to do well,” he said. “He has had a nice time between each start and we are looking for a good run from him. “I am just worried the track might be a bit tight for Move On. “She is (rating) 75 and is going to be in with the big boys if she wins that, but we have got to give it a go. “Afire is aiming to go further, we think that she is a staying type of filly.” The stable will also be represented by Elusive in the Magpie Scaffolding Maiden (1400m) and the in-foal Helldancer in the Positive Signs + Print (1220m). “Elusive is not far away,” Anderton said. “Helldancer was very disappointing at Riccarton first-up and she is scanned in-foal to Alflaila.” View the full article

By Michael Guerin A remarkable stat for one of harness racing’s most surprising careers could get another boost in the national junior driver’s champs at Addington tonight. The series brings together 12 of our best young drivers for six heats, two at Cambridge last night, two at Addington tonight and the final two at Methven on Sunday. The series was for years casually referred to as “the boys’ champs” because until about 20 years ago most of those competing in it were male. That name clearly doesn’t suit any more as the last seven championships have been won by female drivers, Sarah O’Reilly with a remarkable four as well as Kerryn Tomlinson, Alicia Harrison and last year, Crystal Hackett. One of the six females competing this season is northerner Monika Ranger, who admits she only got into driving “because I had nothing to lose” and has earned the respect of leading northern drivers for the way horses respond to her. After Cambridge last night she has a two point lead heading into tonight’s third and fourth heats at Addington after a win with Melton Mogul and a second placing with Patrick Mahomes. She has 29 points, with closest rival Carter Dalgety on 27. Horses are assigned to drivers by random draw and Ranger has two decent chances in Major Happy (R6, No.5) and Donna’s Boy (R7, No.5) at Addington tonight, the latter a smart trotter for trainer Bob Butt. While Ranger is having a career-best season with 20 wins, she has really excelled partnering trotters, which account for 11 of those victories, which can only be a confidence boost for those considering backing Donna’s Boy tonight. “I love driving trotters, even more than pacers,” says Ranger, whose previous personal best was 16 last term. “It has been a really good season and I am lucky to have a loyal bunch of trainers who put me on so often. “When I started driving I didn’t think it would get to the level it has now, it was more or less because I had nothing to lose. “So I am looking forward to being part of the series again but I might be the boring one. I am 30 now so I might be the Nana of the group,” she laughs. While junior drivers love being part of the series Ranger admits it comes with a little more work. “When I drive up here I tend to know the horses quite well but for something like this series, and this is my third time competing, I will do a bit more video work on the website. “I liked the look of Major Happy, she looks really nice and consistent and Donna’s Boy was really good on Cup Day when he showed good gate speed.” It took a wonderful performance from a race rival tonight in He Aint Fakin (Emily Johnson) to beat Donna’s Boy on Cup Day and the two northern female juniors look set for good points in at least that heat as they try to make it eight straight years that a female wins the series. The series has set up beautifully, completely by fluke, with the random draw of drives seeing a very even spread of talent, with many of those participating being Friday night regulars at one of our two biggest tracks. Both tonight’s heats failed to attract the capacity 12 runners so the drivers who miss out on a drive in any heat get seven points added to their overall tally. While the best version of former pacer He Aint Fakin may well win tonight’s second heat (and fourth overall) for Johnson the pacing heat looks more open, with Ellie Barron on favourite Classie Linc while Wilson House gets his chance to continue a massive season with a good chance drawn the pole in Sandy Shore. Sam Thornley, no stranger to winning Drivers Series, partners last start Addington winner Brandi Snapp. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Todd Mitchell is looking forward to getting back on two speedy trotting stablemates at Alexandra Park even though he knows he might just be keeping the seat warm on one of them. The four-time New Zealand Cup- winning driver partners two winning chances from the Wallis/Hackett stable including one of the big movers of the northern trotting spring in Belle Neige (R6, No.10). Belle Neige won three races in a month in August-September and while Mitchell has driven her before he gets on tonight as regular driver Crystal Hackett will be at Addington for the New Zealand Junior Drivers Champs. “She is a really nice mare so it will be good to get back on her but it isn’t an easy assignment,” admits Mitchell. “She is off a decent handicap and it is a good field for this grade. “I am sure she is being aimed at the mares Group 1 trot in a few weeks so she should improve with the run and I actually thought her stablemate Hillbilly Blues would be hard to beat off the front.” The latter has always looked an open class trotter in waiting as he can peel off 57-second last 800m sectionals and is developing the strength to compliment that speed. It is a deep field though and a rarity being an 11-horse race at Alexandra Park in which any one of them could win without surprising. Earlier in the night Mitchell partners Shesgold (R4, No.4) in a far easier race and she is back doing what she loves best. Shesgold has had five career wins and all have been in 2200m standing starts, four at The Park and two with Mitchell in the sulky. “You can forgive her last run because she got parked out on a strong speed which doesn’t suit her but this looks more her race,” says Mitchell. “And I think she is best with two weeks between her runs so she gets her chance on Friday.” Shesgold meets a progressive trotter in Stone Cold and a horse showing talent in Hill Billie Bundy as well as the once-promising Levi in a tricky little field. While other trotters like Look To Da Stars (R2, No.10) will attract plenty of punter attention tonight the class race of the meeting is the handicap pace in which Captain Sampson (R7, No.4) takes on smart old pacers in the $30,000 Thames Goldfields Cup. Captain Sampson is a lovely three-year-old on his way to the top but was nutted on the line last start by a race rival tonight in Little Spike at Cambridge. They start off the same 20m handicaps tonight as they did last start so Little Spike is an obvious danger for trainer Arna Donnelly, who also has The Surfer and Jolimont (30m) in the standing start 2200m. View the full article

A breeding right to Mehmas topped Thursday's Arqana November Online Sale when going the way of Hugo Merry Bloodstock for €180,000. The sire of nine individual Group winners and 48 stakes winners from his first five crops, the Tally-Ho Stud stallion's leading performers in 2025 include the top-level winners Believing and Wise Approach. A share in the unbeaten Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Ace Impact was another highlight of the sale when knocked down to Horse France for €152,000. Based at Haras de Beaumont, Ace Impact's first foals have sold for up to €220,000. The National Hunt stallions Goliath du Berlais and Nirvana du Berlais also proved popular, with a breeding right to the first-named horse selling to Christophe Bridault of Espace Trot for €84,000. Meanwhile, a share in Nirvana du Berlais, the sire of the Grade 1-winning hurdler Lulamba, was bought by Highflyer Bloodstock for €80,000. Of the 24 lots offered, 18 sold for a total of €871,500. The post Breeding Right to Mehmas Tops Arqana November Online Sale at €180,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After a lightning strike threatened his life, Thanksgiving would not only recover; he would thrive.View the full article

Representatives from Europe's breeding nations gathered to discuss the key challenges and potential threats facing the European Bloodstock Industry at the EFTBA 2025 autumn meeting in Newmarket. New members included Cathy Grassick, representing Ireland, and Naomi Mellor, who is the CEO of the TBA. Dr. Des Leadon led the report from the EFTBA Veterinary Advisors Committee Animal welfare in transportation was widely discussed and the EU discussions are now at a trilogue stage (EU Commission, DG Sante and MEPs). EFTBA Chairman Joe Hernon felt that a good case had been made and a fact sheet was presented. A new threat to animal health is in the form of a mosquito born virus called Western Nile Virus. France Galop are taking precautions as they could threaten the racing and sales during the summer months. Chairman of the TBA Philip Newton also commented on the global reduction of the thoroughbred breeding numbers, especially in the UK. If this continues, it will and has already impacted in field sizes, which will have a major impact on betting turnover and this will impact the Levy. The bloodstock sales revealed startling statistics, such as the gross spend in the UK, £85M, of which 40% of total gross sales was spent on 5% of yearlings offered and 25 buyers were responsible for 60% of total purchases, with three-quarters of the yearlings sold failing to recover costs. There is notable concern that an increasing number of geldings are winning major Group 1 Races, denying many colts their opportunity to stand as stallions. This compounds further the tightening of the gene pool. The TBA reported that it is working towards a solution to this. The post European Federation Of Thoroughbred Breeders Meet In Newmarket appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As updates go, being a half-sister to the Cartier Horse of the Year is not a bad one, especially when the mare in question is carrying to Calandagan's sire, Gleneagles. Caliyza has plenty more in her favour to boot. She's a dual winner by the late Le Havre and, only five, she is in foal for the first time. Offered as lot 1452 by Overbury Stud on Monday during the first of two Sceptre Sessions, the Aga Khan Studs-bred mare is returning to Tattersalls just 12 months after being bought in the same ring for 155,000gns by Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock. Since then, her year-younger half-brother has won three consecutive Group 1s and could even deliver yet another update on Sunday in the Japan Cup. “I would stress that anything that looks clever that happens at Overbury Stud has been organised by Richard Brown,” says Overbury's Simon Sweeting modestly. “There's no point in saying otherwise. We're incredibly lucky that he can be bothered because he's got far more important things to do than to be buying horses for Charlie and me. So it's not me that's being clever.” The Charlie in question is Charlie Wyatt of Dukes Stud, with whom Sweeting has had a 25-year business partnership and a friendship that stretches back even farther to his days working in Newmarket for Luca Cumani and Henry Cecil. Traditionally, Overbury Stud and Dukes Stud combine forces to sell as foals, and this year is no exception, aside from the fact that this year they are selling a half-brother to this year's G1 Dewhurst Stakes winner Gewan (Night Of Thunder), which does make the Overbury draft a little exceptional. The colt (lot 747) is from the first crop of another Dewhurst winner in Native Trail, whose 35 foals sold last week at Goffs returned an average of €40,772, including a top price of €150,000. It has been quite the year for the Overbury Stud and Dukes Stud partnership, as not only did the Yuesheng Zhang-owned Gewan win the Dewhurst and G3 Acomb Stakes among his three victories for Andrew Balding but Havana Anna (Havana Grey) – a Tattersalls December Foal Sale graduate at 42,000gns – won twice, including the Listed Marwell Stakes, as well as finishing runner-up to True Love in the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes. “We've got some nice foals,” Sweeting says. “A half-sister to the second in the Cheveley Park and a half-brother to the winner of the Dewhurst. So I'm excited – well, nervous, but excited. “Havana Anna's sister we've actually put in on Saturday. She's a lovely foal. She's by Caturra and she'll just stand out there,” he adds of the daughter of the Danehill Dancer mare Miss Villefranche. “I would definitely rather sell on a lesser day. I always feel that a horse might make a bit more than it deserves. If it was going to make below the average of Friday, it'd sell better on Wednesday. “The Miss Villefranche foal should be a Friday horse, but she'll still make her money on the Saturday, I'm sure. There'll be some people who haven't bought what they want, and we might get lucky. I spend a lot of time trying to work out what days to put them on, and I always try and undersell them a little bit rather than over.” He continues, “We've been lucky selling on Saturday, and that's where we sell most of our stock. We've been at it for 25-odd years together now. We were both getting started in our respective farms at the same time, and we thought if we combined our forces, we could get a slightly better mare. And it's gone on from there. “And, yes, we've produced something decent this year. I mean, there have been some lovely horses along the way, as well as some bad luck, and it just seems to have come together this time, which is wonderful. But, as Charlie said, we've chucked an awful lot of money against the wall.” Some of it has clearly stuck, however, and this is not the first twirl in the spotlight for Sweeting, a successful dual-purpose breeder who is in an elite group to have produced top-level winners on the Flat and over jumps. On the National Hunt side he has bred the Grade 1-winning hurdlers Thyme Hill and Cornerstone Lad, by the late Overbury stallions Kayf Tara and Delegator. So does having the Dewhurst winner and a live Classic prospect top that? “Of course. It's wonderful. And you just have to pinch yourself to believe it really has happened, ” he says. “And, of course, we've got the winter now to dream about it all again. The great thing is [Gewan] is in the best place. There might be trainers as good as Andrew, but there's none better. He's trained the Guineas winner twice in the last few years, so the horse has got the best possible chance to go on and do that. “The whole thing is really exciting. But we've had 25 years of knowing what the flip side is, so it helps keep you very grounded.” Simon Sweeting and Charlie Wyatt | Tattersalls There was indeed a time when it looked as though events were conspiring against Sweeting and Wyatt when it came to Gewan's dam Grey Mystere (Lethal Force), another Blandford purchase, this time from Arqana four years ago. “We thought we'd had terrible luck with the mare in that she lost her foal last year. That was dreadful but it happens. And last year we were kicking ourselves because we got 100,000gns for Gewan. It might sound like a lot of money, but actually it was a slap in the face for a Night Of Thunder colt but it was because his x-rays weren't great. “Rob Dallas, who's our vet, said he was absolutely fine for racing. And we sold him to Mick [Murphy, Longways Stables], who is one of Rob's clients, so he was able to reassure him. But if he had had good x-rays, that horse would have been bought by Mick Kinane and he'd be in Hong Kong now and we wouldn't have had the Dewhurst winner. So it can work out. When it seems like a bad result at the time, it can actually work out in your favour, and it has done in this case.” The eight-year-old Grey Mystere is now booked in for a return visit to the soon-to-be-crowned champion sire Night Of Thunder. Sweeting of course has his own team of stallions to manage at Overbury in Gloucestershire, where the roster is led by Jayne McGivern's popular dual-purpose stallion Golden Horn, whose son Trawlerman was last week named Cartier Stayer of the Year. “Jayne limits the number he can cover. We could sell 250 nominations but we're restricted to 175 or thereabouts,” says Sweeting, who added that Golden Horn's 2026 book will contain more Flat mares than in his three previous seasons at Overbury. “It's straightforward for him to get through a book like that. He's very fertile and he's a pretty straightforward animal to work with. “And he rewards us. He's had an absolute marquee year. Everything that you thought could come together for him has done all at the same time. To have Cheltenham winners and Royal Ascot winners is beyond dreams.” “We've booked a lot of really nice Flat mares for next year – ones that I'd be excited about.” With his mix of six Flat and National Hunt stallions, Sweeting is well in tune with the changing fortunes of the bloodstock sector as breeders exercise more caution and foal crop numbers reduce. “As long as you get the [stallion fees] right and you're sensible about it, then we are in a position with these stallions to get the mares. But the problem is that there isn't the breadth anymore,” he says. “At Overbury, we're very lucky with the horses we've got. They do seem to be popular. Yes, a horse in his fourth year, like Caturra last year, is always going to be a little bit more difficult. But when you've got Golden Horn, when you've got Ardad, who this year has had 37 two-year-old winners, more than any other UK-based stallion, he's absolutely bang up there. But there aren't enough stallions about to give a chance to some of those to pop up that nobody would have expected necessarily to be the successful ones. There has always been some of those around, and we're going to start missing those now because only the commercial, attractive-looking horses are the ones that are actually going to be given the chance in the first place. Thank goodness there are some fairly attractive horses coming to stud for the first time this year.” The covering season can be a concern for another day, however. In Sweeting's immediate future, he has some select foals to sell, along with potentially one of the jewels of the Sceptre Sessions in Caliyza. “Everything that could have fallen into place has fallen into place for her,” he says. “Calandagan has done what we hoped that he might. His half-sister Calamandra is Group 3-placed now. Their dam is in foal to Siyouni. “Caliyza is a great outcross. She's very easy to mate. There's no Northern Dancer blood in there, and it's Clodovil's family.” Sweeting adds, “I hope people will appreciate the mating. When we sat down and we were thinking about it, we weren't sure that we were going to sell at that stage and we wanted to breed a racehorse rather than something that would draw attention at the sales, and I think Gleneagles has had a good year. He's popular. And I hope what is inside can go on and be a great racehorse.” The post A Big December Sale in Store for Overbury with Siblings to Calandagan and Gewan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The first edition of the Emirates Racing Authority Online Sale, hosted by Tattersalls Online, was topped by the lightly-raced three-year-old Daayyem at AED58,000 [roughly £12,000] to Khalifa Alneyadi. Leading vendor of the day was Jebel Ali-based trainer Michael Costa. who consigned a draft of four lots on behalf of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which all sold for an aggregate of AED138,500 [£28,500]. The draft was highlighted by lightly-raced three-year-old Daayyem (Bolt D'Oro), who holds a ERA rating of 67. As the first online auction to be held by the Emirates Racing Authority, the sale marked a milestone for the region's racing industry and represents a significant evolution in the world of digital bloodstock trading. At the conclusion of the sale, Tattersalls Online Sales Manager Katherine Sheridan commented, “Today's sale marks an important advance in the global thoroughbred online market. We were honoured to have been entrusted with staging the inaugural Emirates Racing Authority Online Sale. “The initial support from vendors together with the international depth of bidders underlined the potential of this initiative. Our thanks go to the Emirates Racing Authority for their confidence in the Tattersalls Online platform and to our consignors and purchasers for their enthusiastic participation. We look forward to building on this concept in the future, broadening its reach and continuing to set the standard for innovation in our industry.” Unsold lots remain available and offers can be made through the Make An Offer facility on the Tattersalls Online website. Enquiries are also welcome by phone or via email to the Tattersalls Online team to tattersallsonline@tattersalls.com. The final sale of the year to take place on the Tattersalls Online platform will be the Online December Sale on 10th – 11th December with entries closing on Friday 28th November. All entries can be submitted through the Tattersalls Online website at www.tattersallsonline.com. The post Daayyem Tops Inaugural Tattersalls Online Emirates Racing Authority Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sunday’s Sha Tin race meeting will be held behind closed doors as a mark of respect for the victims of this week’s tragic Tai Po fire. All gross income from the meeting, which the Jockey Club estimates to be around HK$70 million, will be donated to support those affected by the tragedy, while Saturday’s Mark Six draw has been postponed to next Tuesday. “The Hong Kong Jockey Club is deeply saddened by the loss of so many lives during the tragic fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, as well as the...View the full article

St Jean (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), sire of G1 Caulfield Cup and G1 Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours, died in a paddock accident at Brackley Park on Nov. 25. Stud manager Grant Dwyer said the 15-year-old had covered the mare Memory Lane on Nov. 24 and was returned to his usual paddock. “For reasons unknown, St Jean ran into a fence post overnight, breaking it off at ground level and shattering his near-side front leg,” Dwyer said. “His death was very untimely, just as breeders were beginning to appreciate his pedigree.” A Group 3 winner by Teofilo (Ire), St Jean sired 35 named foals, 22 runners and 12 winners, with Half Yours his lone stakes winner. The post St Jean, Sire of Melbourne Cup Hero Half Yours, Dies at 15 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article