Wandering Eyes

A survey done by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association in January found that 81% of its members expected to race fewer times if a ban on race-day Lasix is extended to all overnight races.View the full article

by Christina Bossinakis & Patrycja Szpyra Cherokee Nation (Not This Time) took six starts to break his maiden, but he'd been facing quality rivals in the lead up to his graduation party last Friday. Now, his connections report that elite contests are in the colt's future with their eyes specifically turned toward the GI Santa Anita Derby. “When the kids go to school, they have fancy Friday and [last] Friday was a fancy Friday for us,” said co-owner Tom Ryan. “We're typically looking at Saturday afternoon, but we were very happy to see what Cherokee put together out there. We have high expectations. All going well, he will likely start next in the Santa Anita Derby.” “I don't think that we've had a 3-year-old on the first of March produce a performance like that. And he came back out of the race great. This horse has given us all the indications that this is him putting his hand up [and saying] 'put me in, coach.'” Ryan continued, “For one thing, the timing is great and he's telling us that he's up to the challenge. In regard to the race this weekend, the bar was 100 and he ran 110. The Ragozin came back a four on the sheets, which is a really elite racehorse right there.” Unveiled last September for trainer Bob Baffert, Cherokee Nation was a troubled fourth in his debut at Del Mar and came back Oct. 13 to miss breaking his maiden by a nose to Grade I-placed Mr. A.P. (American Pharoah). “He's been promising all along. He finished behind very high quality horses in his first two starts. We felt he had put together two exiting races.” Sent on a road trip to Kentucky, Cherokee Nation faced salty competition in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club and again after his return to California in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes, the former won by Further Ado (Gun Runner) and the latter by 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' GSW & GISP Plutarch (Into Mischief). He ran fifth on both occasions and squeezed another runner-up effort against maidens in between them. “Shipping him to Churchill, it probably was a little bit too much too soon,” said Ryan. “Since coming back to California, we ran him in another graded stakes race because unfortunately we didn't have enough maidens to run out there. If we would have had more opportunities to run in a maiden, I'm sure we would have. So we ended up with a horse that was fit and we felt that we needed to give him chances, and to keep building that foundation. To some degree, maybe it's all been to our benefit that it worked out this way.” Last Friday, it was sixth-time lucky for the $1.15-million Keeneland September yearling purchased by Donato Lanni for the partnership that eventually comprised of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan. He never let Winston Ave (Quality Road) out of his sights and the race was more or less over when he took command on the far turn. It was 10 lengths back to the closest competition. “I really feel that performance the other day was just spectacular. That was a performance that you ask yourself, 'wow, did that really happen?' He traveled into the far turn and it just looked like he was in command of the race at every call. When [jockey Emisael Jaramillo] let him go and asked him, the horse turned into a monster.” “He looked comfortable the whole way and as Bob says, 'We find out more and more about these horses as we run them.' This horse put his hand up as in the trip is not going to be a problem. Whether it's a mile and an eighth or a mile and a quarter, you would have the confidence that this horse would see those trips out.” Ryan continued by confidently stating that, for everything they saw in him at the yearling sale, the circle has looped back around in more ways than one. “[Cherokee Nation] was the most expensive yearling we purchased that year. He doesn't just catch your eye but he stops you in your tracks. He's everybody's type of sexy. He's just a big, beautiful, two-turn horse that is exciting to have in the barn. The fact that he is out of an Indian Charlie mare is full circle with Bob because he trained Indian Charlie and he's such a good broodmare sire. We are truly excited about the horse and about Not This Time. It feels like sky is the limit with that stallion.” Litmus Test | Horsephotos Litmus Test Exits Rebel in Good Shape, Arkansas Derby Next Favored in last weekend's GII Rebel Stakes, SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan's Litmus Test (Nyquist) showed early speed, however, got a little leg weary late, finishing third to Class President (Uncle Mo) and Silent Tactic (Tacitus). Despite the first defeat since his victory in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity on Dc. 13, SF Racing's Tom Ryan wasn't discouraged by the effort. “I thought Litmus Test's performance [ third in the Rebel Stales] was pretty solid,” he said. “I think he'll progress along. He came out of his race in good shape. Oaklawn's [surface] may have been a little more demanding than we initially felt. He's definitely a good horse and we know he's a cut above his performance in the Rebel.” Asked what's next for the $875,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase, Ryan told TDN, “I think he is entitled to run back in the [Mar. 28 GI] Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn. I think he will have benefitted from his run in the Rebel and hopefully, he can move forward off of that.” Likely to return later this season, the partnership's Kristofferson (Nyquist) hasn't been seen since finishing sixth behind Intrepido (Maximus Mischief) in the GI American Pharoah Stakes on Oct. 4. A $1.15 million purchase at Keeneland last September, he narrowly defeated Mr. A.P. (Honor A.P.) in his career debut sprinting six furlongs at Del Mar last August. Mr. A.P. subsequently finished second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at the seaside oval. “He's at Santa Anita and he's probably going to get a little bit more in the next 10 days and we look forward to him,” said Ryan. “He's a horse that has shown that has shown he has a level of brilliance about him. He ran a 90 Beyer as a 2-year-old and he's got that Nyquist class about him.” The colt was last seen working six furlongs in 1:12.40 at Santa Anita on Jan. 18. In his only other work since the American Pharoah, he worked four furlongs in :46.40, the fastest of 90 at the distance on Jan. 11. “We just backed off him,” said Ryan. “He was a horse that we did all the usual scans to make sure we were happy with him and continued to move forward. Bob [Baffert] felt we should give this horse an easy 30 days. It's not like he's in a paddock in Northern California somewhere. He is at Santa Anita, two stalls down from Bob's office. We look forward to getting him back.” He added, “We just felt we needed to give him a little bit of time over Christmas and through the first part of the year to truly mature physically and mentally, so we can have him humming along through late spring and summer.” Of the older set, Ryan explained that the team is also lookign forward to the return of TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard Cornucopian (Into Mischief) and Imagination (Into Mischief). The former kicked off 2026 with an optional claiming score at Santa Anita on Jan. 31, while the latter was last seen taking the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 14. “We are looking foward to Cornucopian being a nice 4-year-old and Imagination is back fro Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We're excited about the group. We have a few difference vintages there but they'll all have their windows to jump through.” “It's a progressive time of the year for us and we have a few in the chamber that, if things go well, we'll have more bullets to fire in the spring and summer.” The post Cherokee Nation, Litmus Test Have Elite Engagements on Their Horizon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Well Written (Written Tycoon) may carry the colours of thoroughbred industry giant Yulong Investments, but she has an army of other part-owners who will be cheering her home in Saturday’s $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie. The undefeated Group One-winning filly has 16 individual ownership interests, with Yulong holding the controlling interest, and all her connections are equally enjoying the journey she is taking them on. Well Written has won all five of her starts to date for trainer Stephen Marsh, with Yulong buying their interest in the filly following her victory in the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) last October, with the daughter of Written Tycoon going on to post successive wins in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m), and $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m). Greg Pope, a member of the 8 Mates Syndicate, has been part of the journey since buying shares in her as a yearling, and he said he is enjoying the ride with his friends, as well as the new friends he has made amongst her other owners. “There is a large ownership group with a lot of friends, and we have made a lot of new friends along the way,” Pope said. “8 Mates have had horses with Stephen before. We are a bunch of guys around retirement age that have been mates for years. We are not in it for the money, we are only a small shareholder in the horse, and it’s all about going to the races with mates and having some fun. “We all head to the races with our wives and get to go on a trip somewhere and this horse has taken us on those trips.” Pope, who has been involved in the racing industry all of his life and has recently retired after working for equine airfreight company IRT for 30 years, has tasted success on the track in the past, but not to the extent of Well Written’s deeds, and he is glad he and his group of mates decided to buy into the filly. “We have raced horses with Stephen Marsh and Chris Waller, and we had a horse called Gold Rush with Lance O’Sullivan who won the Matamata Breeders’ (Gr.2, 1200m),” he said. “During summer around the bar leaner at Whangamata we were told we needed to be in on this horse (Well Written), so we bought a piece of her. So far, so good, and the journey she has taken us on has been a lot of fun.” While Pope has been enjoying the ride with his 8 Mates Syndicate, he said he has also enjoyed meeting Well Written’s other owners, with the large contingent meeting each other for the first time the night before her New Zealand 1000 Guineas victory. “In advance of the 1000 Guineas we teed up on the Friday night down in Christchurch that we all met each other at a bar,” Pope said. “We have now got a great group of people that we can talk to easily and each race those relationships get stronger and stronger. We are fortunate to be with a group of good people.” Pope said he has also enjoyed racing a horse in partnership with Yulong, with his ties with some of their employees going back several decades. “I have known Sam Fairgray (Yulong chief operating officer) for many years from when he was working here in New Zealand at Ra Ora Stud,” Pope said. “Because we knew Sam Fairgray, it was exciting, and it is good for New Zealand racing to have Yulong in there.” Well Written’s success has been a particular tonic for one member of the 8 Mates Syndicate, who is currently battling illness, and Pope is hoping she can continue her winning ways this weekend to provide that much-needed boost. The syndicate will be trackside at Ellerslie on Saturday to cheer home their pride and joy, and Pope said he is enjoying the lead-up to what is becoming New Zealand’s biggest day in racing. “We are all going to be there with our wives,” he said. “I am off to the barrier draw and I was out at Ellerslie on Monday morning to watch her gallop. It’s a great time of life to just be enjoying it.” View the full article

David Archer has participated in more than enough of racing’s big dances to know that on a racetrack nothing can be taken for granted or predicted with absolute accuracy. That’s why his optimism ahead of Saturday’s $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) remains unbending despite the formidable challenge presented by Well Written, who has dominated pre-race discussions as the unbeaten winner of five races and since the last of those in the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), the $1.20 favourite. Archer is the breeder and co-owner with his partner Diane Wright and children Simon and Natalie of Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel), who has staked her own NZB Kiwi claims after winning her last two starts. As the $9 second favourite, the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained filly is the only one of Well Written’s 13 rivals at a single-digit quote on the TAB’s fixed odds market. In just her third start last November, she finished third to Well Written in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and has won both her starts since returning from a let-up. On the eve of her fresh-up win the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) on the Karaka Millions support card in late January, Belle Cheval was claimed for the NZB Kiwi by slot holders The King’s Men. Her credentials have been strengthened further by a dominant win in the Gr.3 Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie’s final race meeting ahead of Champions Day. On top of being by champion stallion Savabeel, Belle Cheval has potent pedigree credentials to back her NZB Kiwi claims. She is a half-sister to triple Australian Group One-winning sprinter The Bostonian and is closely related to two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Mufhasa. Both horses wore Archer’s sliver and blue colours for a combined 30 wins and stake-earnings amounting to some $5.5 million. In the midst of the pair’s winning records, however, were times when not everything went to plan, which is something that Archer is holding onto ahead of Belle Cheval’s attempt to become the first horse to beat Well Written. With tally of 20 wins, and half of those at Group One level, Mufhasa was not only a crowd favourite but also a prime fancy with punters. Not always did pre-race expectations play out, most notably when he lined up as the $1.40 favourite to add the 2011 Gr.2 Tauranga Stakes (1600m) to his record, only to be undone by $18 longshot Lady Chaparral. Archer’s catalogue of memories remains vivid as well as educational and sobering, which buoys him ahead of Belle Cheval’s bid for NZB Kiwi honours. “A horse race is a horse race and you never know what might happen,” Archer said. “We were so fortunate to race two wonderful horses in Mufhasa and The Bostonian, but things didn’t always go their way. “After The Bostonian had won the Doomben 10,000 and Kingsford-Smith in Brisbane, he lined up in the Stradbroke to become the highest weighted horse to complete the big sprint treble. “Just before the race it rained on top of a good surface and when he jumped he slipped so badly that he ripped up this great long strip of turf, lost lengths and that was it, game over. “Towards the end of his career Mufhasa was dealing with breathing and foot issues and in the lead-up to the George Ryder at Rosehill he suffered two (epiglottal) entrapments, but the vets dealt with them and gave him the green light. “Then in the birdcage just before the jockeys mounted he pulled a plate, the farrier had trouble getting it back on and even after all that he still had the race won until Pierro, a horse rated a champion by Gai Waterhouse, got up to beat him by a neck. “After all his wins, with so many things against him, I still rate that performance as one of his very best.” While fully appreciating the size of the task facing Belle Cheval on Saturday, Archer is by no means conceding victory to the hot favourite. “We know on Saturday we’ve got to meet a top, if not champion, filly and we’ll need everything in our favour if we’re any chance of beating her. “The only time the two of them have met was in the 1000 Guineas when our girl had no luck in the running but still made up lengths on Well Written. “Mind you Well Written has been very dominant since and that last win of hers was something else. “Everything has gone to plan with our filly, her trackwork has been very good and if everything works in our favour we’ve got a stunning filly, she’s in the right form and she’s shown that she’s got gears. “The one remaining thing we need is a good gate, and I’ve left that onerous task at the barrier draw function on Tuesday night to Di, it will be up to her. “For me it’s a little early to be counting sleeps, but my son and daughter in Australia are already super-excited and they’re booked to come across with their children from Brisbane and Sydney. “I know it will take something very special to win, but we’ll go along to Ellerslie with a smile on our faces and if she does finish second we’ll be happy. If she was to win, well…” View the full article

In the 11th instalment of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Road to the Derby series, we take a look at the “upward trajectory” of Dazzling Fit (NZ) (Ribchester) after his fifth in Sunday’s (1 March) HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m). While Frankie Lor’s Stormy Grove (Toronado) stole the show with a scorching success in the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series at Sha Tin, Dazzling Fit produced the sort of run that has trainer David Eustace hoping his charge will be peaking just in time for the 149th HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March. After missing out on a run in the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) on 1 February, Dazzling Fit entered the Four-Year-Old Classic Series for the middle leg and announced himself as a genuine Hong Kong Derby hope with a gallant fifth at 51/1 odds, three lengths adrift of Stormy Grove. Prominent early before travelling three wide forward of midfield in a race where they rattled along from the 1600m to the 800m, Dazzling Fit stuck on better than all but 3.8 chance Numbers (NZ) (Tivaci). “I felt like there was a lot of merit in the run and it probably showed that he’s not too far off them and still improving,” Eustace said. “It was a solid enough tempo, he was in a rhythm but wide throughout but still stuck on well. I thought it was just a good run and the 2000m should be no problem.” Jockey Luke Ferraris echoed Eustace’s thoughts. “I thought it was a really good run. He didn’t have enough natural speed to get there but I thought we were going a bit quick early so I let my guy get into a rhythm and he’s finished off well,” said Ferraris. A son of Ribchester out of Charge Forward mare Sapphire Lass, Dazzling Fit was bought for NZ$115,000 (approx. HK$538,000) at Karaka in 2023 by Paul Chow and Alex Oliveira’s Tartan Meadow Bloodstock before making his way to owners David and Liann Ho. The gelding’s Hong Kong Classic Cup effort earned him four ratings points, and he sits on a mark of 80 after three wins and three placings from 11 starts. “I think he has earned his place in the Derby,” Eustace said. “I think he will get the trip and he has been trained for this race the whole way through, so I think he will be pretty spot on for the day and still on that upward trajectory.” Dazzling Fit is one of three Eustace-trained gallopers with entries for the BMW Hong Kong Derby, with the trainer confirming Glittering Legend (Too Darn Hot) is unlikely to warrant a spot in the race while Seraph Gabriel remains a chance despite a last-start 12th. “Glittering Legend runs this weekend in the Class 3 mile but he will need to dramatically improve. He is still working things out a bit,” he said. “With Seraph Gabriel, we took the decision to train him for the race and hope he gets in. There’s no guarantee but (owner) Marc (Chan), to his credit, didn’t want to rush the horse and I didn’t want to squeeze another run into him. I thought that would probably just flatten him even if it did get him into the Derby. “But his last run was poor, I was expecting a lot more but he didn’t give a yelp. I’m hoping he was flat off the back of a solid run over a mile, so I’ll trial him next week and hopefully we can get him back on track.” Other four-year-olds with BMW Hong Kong Derby entries who are running this week include Fortune Boy (NZ) (Contributer) in the Class 2 1800m, Natural Numbers (Alabama Express) – who will line up alongside Glittering Legend in the Class 3 1600m – and Super Express (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) in the Class 3 1400m. The Contenders Name Rating Trainer Owner Record Country of Origin Import Type Little Paradise 103 Jimmy Ting Ko Kam Piu 6-1-1-10 Australia PPG Numbers 100 Frankie Lor 23/24 Frankie Lor Fu Chuen Trainer Syndicate 2-0-1-4 New Zealand PP Sagacious Life 97 Pierre Ng Leslie Lui Chi Yuen 2-0-0-5 Brazil PP Invincible Ibis 94 Mark Newnham Ibis Syndicate 4-3-1-9 Australia PPG Infinite Resolve 89 Mark Newnham Absolute Return Syndicate 1-4-2-10 Australia PP Patch Of Cosmo 89 Manfred Man Simon Yeung Chun Kin 5-0-1-14 New Zealand PPG Beauty Bolt 88 Tony Cruz Eleanor Kwok Law Kwai Chun & Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen 2-3-2-9 Ireland PP Top Dragon 87 Chris So Vincent To Wai Keung, Kenneth To Kin Ting & Ronald To Yiu Ting 3-4-2-13 Australia PPG Regal Gem 85 Frankie Lor Everest Syndicate 3-2-1-12 Great Britain PP Akashvani 82 David Hayes Prem Fathechand Melwani 3-1-2-15 Australia PPG Dazzling Fit 80 David Eustace David Ho & Liann Ho 3-1-2-11 New Zealand PPG View the full article

We edge inside the two-month mark to the GI Kentucky Derby with a well-bunched Top 12 hurtling toward more lucrative qualifying points races at longer distances. 1) PALADIN (c, Gun Runner–Secret Sigh, by Tapit) O-Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter M. Brant, Brook T. Smith, and Summer Wind Equine, LLC; B-Summer Wind Equine LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. Sales history: $1,900,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG. Lifetime record: MGSW, 3-3-0-0, $848,250. Last start: WON Feb. 14 GII Risen Star Stakes. The 3-for-3 Paladin has racked up two wins in nine-furlong stakes after getting elevated from second to first via disqualification in his career debut last October. This $1.9 million FTSAUG son of Gun Runner from Chad Brown's barn has been favored in every start, and now sports a Beyer Speed Figure arc of 87-85-93, which suggests measured progression with room for improvement. Paladin will have one additional prep (likely the Apr. 4 GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes) prior to attempting 10 furlongs on the first Saturday in May. In his first sophomore start Feb. 14 in the GII Risen Star Stakes, Paladin broke alertly and settled willingly between horses into the first turn. He was fourth, about four lengths off the 7-1 breakaway pacemaker Chip Honcho (Connect) in the early part of the backstretch run, then was switched outside in the eight-horse field and incrementally edged up to attain second through opening quarter-mile splits of :23.81, :23.68 and :24.04. By the far turn Paladin looked certain to seize the lead. But jockey Tyler Gaffalione ended up getting more of a fight than expected from the staying-on Chip Honcho, who was perhaps aided by a Fair Grounds main track that had been slightly favoring speed (five of seven dirt races that afternoon won by horses either on the lead or dueling for it). Gaffalione roused Paladin with both left- and right-handed stick work off the bend, and although the colt did not uncork one big, blast-off move through the extended Fair Grounds home straight, Paladin finished with locked-in purpose through a fourth-quarter split of :24.84 and a last furlong in :12.77 for a final clocking of 1:49.14. Paladin's churn-and-grind stretch run was similar to how he polished off the No. 4-ranked Renegade (Into Mischief) in the Dec. 6 GII Remsen Stakes. But a subtle visual difference was that in the Remsen, Flavien Prat had to start scrubbing on Paladin 2 1/2 furlongs from the wire, while in the Risen Star, a more assertive Paladin was carrying Gaffalione along at a comfortable clip before being set down for the drive. The bet here is that Paladin will continue to build upon this foundation of steady, no-nonsense power. We will likely see other Derby contenders emerge whose styles tilt more toward “flash and panache.” But Paladin, despite a limited number of starts, already rates an edge in reliability and consistency. 2) COMMANDMENT (c, Into Mischief–Sippican Harbor, by Orb) O-Wathnan Racing; B-Lee Pokoik (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Sales history: $485,000 RNA Wlg '23 FTKNOV; $475,000 RNA Ylg '24 FTSAUG; $500,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 4-3-0-0, $403,539. Last start: WON Feb. 28 GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes. Commandment boosted his lifetime record to 3-for-4 with his 101-Beyer victory by a neck in last Saturday's GII Fountain of Youth Stakes. More important than his winning margin and speed number is the “how he did it” factor. This son of Into Mischief ($485,000 RNA FTKNOV; $475,000 RNA FTSAUG; $500,000 KEESEP) has now put together a string of races in which he has shown he can settle into a comfortable rhythm, even when covered up at the inside, then find a seam and bull on through to the front to finish strongly while still maintaining a measured cadence. Prior to winning the Fountain of Youth, Commandment took the Jan. 3. one-turn-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes under confident handling, and also won a seven-furlong MSW at Churchill Downs, opening up late by 5 1/2 lengths. His only defeat was in his career debut, when he rallied from 11th to get fourth going six furlongs at Keeneland. His Beyer progression now stands at 82-81-91-101. Commandment's work wasn't done after the field hit the finish line in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth. Gulfstream utilizes a short-stretch configuration with the wire at the sixteenth pole for main-track races at that distance, and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. asked the 2.4-1 favorite to gallop out with good energy to the second finish line, which will be Commandment's target in his expected next start in the Mar. 29 GI Curlin Florida Derby. “I think it was important that Irad asked him to run to the second wire there for the experience moving forward,” trainer Brad Cox said the day after the win. “If we pursue the Florida Derby, it makes sense to continue on to the second wire. You're only doing it if everything's going well. If you're fading or not doing well down the lane, you don't ask him. But if you have horse and you're finishing well, you may as well go ahead and educate him, stay on and finish up.” Commandment | Lauren King 3) NEARLY (c, Not This Time–Ib Prospecting, by Mineshaft) O-Centennial Farms; B-Wind Hill Farm (FL); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales history: $350,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 4-3-0-0, $249,900. Last start: WON Jan. 31 GIII Holy Bull Stakes. This $350,0000 KEESEP colt from Todd Pletcher's stable will attempt to pair a victory in the Jan. 31 GIII Holy Bull Stakes with a decent showing in the Florida Derby prior to attempting the Kentucky Derby. Nearly has been proficient as a speedster/stalker who can apply/take heat right up close to the pace. This son of Not This Time has now won three straight at Gulfstream by a combined 20 lengths, and Nearly is riding an upward wave of Beyer figures (49-82-97-98) that suggests a breakthrough into triple digits could be within his grasp. But it's also legit to question whether Nearly's dominance in those three Gulfstream starts was a product of him clearly relishing a strip that often rewards forwardly placed horses while being matched against competition that has since had trouble finding the winner's circle. The horses Nearly blew away in his maiden, allowance and stakes scores at Gulfstream have collectively posted a 1-for-9 next-race record. Then again, Nearly did accrue style points and valuable experience in the Holy Bull. Even though he was an aggressor in what seemed like a too-fast-to-last pace, he stuck around admirably to finish with gusto. As the second betting choice in the Holy Bull, Nearly dueled the favorite into defeat but still had enough energy left to repulse a challenge from the only rival close enough to try to reel him in, widening his winning margin to 5 3/4 lengths over the short-stretch configuration. 4) RENEGADE (c, Into Mischief–Spice Is Nice, by Curlin) O-Robert Low, Lawana L. Low, and Repole Stable; B-Robert Low & Lawana Low (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales history: $975,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 4-1-2-1, $199,000. Last start: WON Feb. 7 GII Sam F. Davis Stakes. Renegade's three starts at age two established that he could perform well against high-level competition in New York. His much-the-best, maiden-breaking score in the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs (92 Beyer) indicated his form has remained sharp in the two-month interim since his last start. The big question, though, as this $975,000 KEESEP son of Into Mischief prepares for a probable start in the Mar. 28 GI Arkansas Derby, is whether or not that 3 3/4-length romp in the Davis was as dominant as it appeared visually. There were no other Top 12-ranked horses in that Feb. 7 Tampa stakes, and none of the also-rans who straggled home behind Renegade appears to be Triple Crown-level contenders. Irad Ortiz, Jr. kept Renegade patiently parked in next-to-last position in that nine-horse race before letting the colt loop the field five deep through the far turn. Renegade rolled to the lead without encountering serious competition, and he extended his margin while drifting out under left-handed whipping. The 48-1 pacemaker who had led for most of the race stayed on for second with no fresh closers able to gain on him. In his Aug. 16 sprint debut, Renegade was third behind a 17 3/4-length winner at Saratoga. He then finished a head better than No. 1-ranked Paladin, but was disqualified for stretch interference in a one-turn-mile MSW race at Aqueduct Oct. 16. Renegade then was second, beaten two lengths by Paladin in the Remsen Stakes. 5) DESERT GATE (c, Omaha Beach–Theogony, by Curlin) O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman; B-Twin Oaks Bloodstock (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $125,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $100,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP; $260,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime record: GSW, 5-2-2-0, $252,000. Last start: 4th Feb. 7 GII Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Desert Gate, formerly No. 1 in last month's installment of these rankings, fell from his lofty perch after an uninspiring fourth as the 6-5 favorite in the Feb. 7 GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Although disappointing, that loss has a “too bad to be true” ring to it. It was not indicative of this colt's true ability, and thus not enough to get this son of Omaha Beach completely voted off the Top 12 island. “Desert Gate missed the break, and I knew the one hole would hurt us,” trainer Bob Baffert said in the aftermath of the colt's first start since being sidelined with a hock infection that kept him out of the Breeders' Cup. “I knew we were in trouble then because he is so one-dimensional.” Desert Gate, who does his best running when forwardly placed, got relegated to last in the one-mile, seven-horse Lewis. He advanced to fourth along the inside for the backstretch run, came under a vigorous ride on the far turn without much response, then was laboring late when nailed for the show position by a nose. This colt (125,000 KEENOV; $100,000 KEESEP; $260,000 OBSMAR) returned to the work tab with a five-eighths move at Santa Anita last Friday. The race that stands out in Desert Gate's five-race past-performance block is the Oct. 4 GI American Pharoah Stakes, in which he led from the start as the 9-10 favorite, took mild pressure from the second fave, came back on that rival when headed, repulsed a stretch bid from a new foe, then got nailed at the wire by 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' Intrepido (Maximus Mischief), losing by only three-quarters of a length. 6) CHIEF WALLABEE (c, Constitution–A La Lucie, by Medaglia d'Oro) 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard'. O/B-Mike Ball & Katherine Ball (KY); T-William I. Mott. Lifetime record: GSP, 2-1-1-0, $117,600. Last start: 2nd Feb. 28 GII Fountain of Youth Stakes. This homebred son of Constitution from Bill Mott's stable is light on experience but high on potential after just missing behind Commandment in last weekend's Fountain of Youth Stakes. Both those colts rallied from mid-pack, but while Commandment saved ground and shot on through the inside, Chief Wallabee took the overland route. “I had to make a little premature move just to get my position forward since it's the first wire with a horse going that far for the first time,” said jockey Junior Alvarado. “I hesitated a little to make that move but I had no choice. “Then I saw [Commandment] coming through at the three-eighths pole and I had to make a premature move once again. I have to say it might have cost me the race, but this is something we're building on for next time. I doubt if those horses will beat me again,” Alvarado said. Chief Wallabee had broken his maiden sprinting seven furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 10 and was taking a sizable upward step in class by trying winners and two turns for the first time in a graded stakes. Mott has yet to commit to a next start. If Chief Wallabee runs big and earns qualifying points in a nine-furlong prep, he faces the prospect of starting in the Derby off just three career races. Since 1900, 29 horses have started in the Derby with exactly three lifetime starts. Only four have won: Regret in 1915, Big Brown in 2008, Justify in 2018 and Mage in 2023. Of the remaining 25, only one finished better than seventh: Curlin, who was third in 2007. Chief Wallabee | Ryan Thompson 7) SILENT TACTIC (c, Tacitus–Magical Sign, by Gun Runner) O-John C. Oxley; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. Sales history: $60,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT; $500,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR. Lifetime record: GSW, 5-2-3-0, $774,422. Last start: 2nd Mar. 1 GII Rebel Stakes. With a 12-1 win in the GIII Southwest Stakes and three second-place tries in other stakes, this Mark Casse-trained son of Tacitus is still a bit of an under-the-radar Kentucky Derby threat. Silent Tactic ($60,000 FTKOCT; $500,000 OBSAPR) has never gone off favored in any of his five starts, but he consistently gains ground in the late stages of his races and has the makings of a punches-above-his-weight type of colt. In the Mar. 1 Rebel, Silent Tactic was one of only two runners who opted out of the seven-horse scramble for the lead into the first turn. Cristian Torres settled him at the fence, and Silent Tactic was always responsive to subtle cues to quicken. Threading through from the back of the pack, Silent Tactic attained a more prominent position at the head of the lane, but Torres had to keep him “on hold” for a few strides behind a wall of frontrunners before committing to a four-wide sweep under a full head of steam. His running line in the chart doesn't reflect it, but Silent Tactic hit the front briefly several times in the final furlong before Class President (Uncle Mo) reclaimed the lead to win by a nose. Both colts were credited with 91 Beyers for their efforts, with the rest of the fragmented field 5 1/4 lengths behind in their wake. 8) LITMUS TEST (c, Nyquist–Study Hard, by Malibu Moon) O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor, Dianne, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $875,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG. Lifetime record: GSW, 6-2-0-2, $440,188. Last start: 3rd Mar. 1 GII Rebel Stakes. Similar to the writeup about Desert Gate several spots above, Litmus Test is another Bob Baffert trainee who didn't fire his best shot in his sophomore debut. But are you really going to drop this colt from Kentucky Derby consideration off that subpar third in the Rebel Stakes given that Baffert's horses have crossed the finish wire first in the Derby on a record seven occasions (with one DQ), and knowing that not all of those colts who wore a blanket of roses for Baffert on the first Saturday in May were ready for prime time in early March? With five lifetime races at age two, including three at two turns and two in Grade I stakes, Litmus Test already has built a broader foundational base than many of his Top 12 counterparts will bring into the May 2 Derby. This $875,000 FTSAUG colt by 2016 Kentucky Derby champ Nyquist looked out of his element leading the field under pace pressure at Oaklawn from post one, establishing opening quarter-mile splits of :23.06 and :23.56. By contrast, Litmus Test had looked more comfortable reeling in a target when winning the GII Los Alamitos Futurity in his previous start Dec. 13. “I talked to [Flavien] Prat and he basically said that he was in the one hole [with] a big horse, and he [thought he] could probably get him going,” Baffert said. “He's never trained like that. He's a one-run kind of horse. He had to be farther back and make one run. He didn't get tired. He was just sort of one-paced, but you learn about these horses. Those were nice horses that beat him.” 9) IRON HONOR (c, Nyquist–Orenica, by Blame) O-St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence & Glassman Racing; B-Mike & Pat Freeny; T-Chad C. Brown. Sales history: $230,000 Ylg '24 KEEJAN; $475,000 Ylg KEESEP. Lifetime record GSW, 2-2-0-0, $211,750. Last start: WON Feb. 28 GIII Gotham Stakes. Favored at 0.94-1 in his second career start, Iron Honor pressured a 9-1 pacemaker every step of the trip in last Saturday's GIII Gotham Stakes. The top two peeled off from the pack by open lengths and this Nyquist colt then wrested control in the final sixteenth of the one-turn mile for a 90-Beyer win by one length. This Chad Brown trainee ($230,000 KEEJAN; $475,000 KEESEP) had previously won a Dec. 13 six-furlong maiden sprint at Aqueduct out of which the second- and third-place finishers both came back to win subsequent starts. “I like the fact that it was far back to third,” Brown said, noting the 6 1/2-length margin between second-place finisher Crown the Buckeye (Yaupon) and the rest of the field. “Those races typically come back fast, figure-wise. I think the horse that was runner-up was a very stubborn foe and on the improve.” Brown said after the Gotham that Iron Honor, who had previously shipped south to Payson Park in Florida to start the winter before coming back north for the Gotham, would now remain in New York with the Apr. 4 GII Wood Memorial Stakes as his next target. “I don't want to ship the horse around too much,” Brown said. “I'll hedge that as bad a winter as we've had in New York, the law of averages will hopefully turn the right way here. I'll leave him with my New York base where he's done most of his training since he arrived into our system. He was there last summer at our Belmont barn training on that training track, so he's very familiar with the surface. He's 2-for-2 on the Aqueduct surface racing, so if he comes out of [the Gotham] healthy, he will train in New York and run in the Wood Memorial.” Iron Honor | Sarah Andrew 10) CLASS PRESIDENT (c, Uncle Mo–Top Quality, by Quality Road) O-WinStar Farm, LLC, First Go Racing and CHC, Inc.; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Lifetime record: GSW, 3-2-1-0, $593,700. Last start: WON Mar. 1 GII Rebel Stakes. Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Rebel Stakes on three occasions, each time with a colt making his third lifetime start who was not favored. His other two trainees, Malagacy in 2017 and Magnum Moon in 2018, both next started in the Arkansas Derby (Malagacy was fifth and Magnum Moon won). Class President, off his 8-1 upset in the Rebel, might be headed elsewhere though, because a higher-ranked Pletcher trainee, Renegade, has been under consideration for the Arkansas Derby for some time now. This Uncle Mo-sired homebred pressured the pacemaker in the early stages of the Rebel, backed off a beat in the middle stages, seized the lead in upper stretch, then fought off a robust late bid from the more-seasoned runner-up, Silent Tactic, to prevail by a nose before galloping out with decent energy. Class President broke his maiden in a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Dec. 27, then was second, beaten 3 3/4 lengths, when cutting back to seven furlongs in the Swale Stakes there Jan. 31. 11) REAGAN'S HONOR (c, 3, Honor A. P.–Rutile, by Medaglia d'Oro) O-West Point Thoroughbreds, David Ingordo & Gabriel Duignan; B-David Ingordo & Jerome S Moss (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. Sales history: $140,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: 3-2-0-0, $72,300. Last start: WON Feb. 19 Fair Grounds ALW. When was the last time a Derby candidate beat–let alone even faced-older horses in February? I'll have to defer to someone with a better memory and/or database than me for that answer. But there's no doubting this Honor A.P. colt uncorked a serious, look-at-me effort (96 Beyer) when splintering a 3-and-up, first-level allowance route by 6 3/4 lengths at Fair Grounds Feb. 19, one full month before his actual third birthdate. Competing against older males wasn't the first-choice plan for Reagan's Honor. But when a race with similar conditions restricted to sophomores failed to fill at Fair Grounds the weekend before, trainer Cherie DeVaux entered this $140,000 KEESEP colt against older company, with a tradeoff being that Reagan's Honor would get between a three- and eight-pound weight break against five elders. Jose Ortiz outbroke the field from post two, and Reagan's Honor appeared neither taxed nor pressured in laying down lively quarter-mile splits of :22.94, :23,89, :24.72 and :24.19. The 11-10 favorite was hand-ridden by Ortiz to the top of the long Fair Grounds home straight, put under some light hustling in upper stretch, and kept to task with occasional stick work while widening his winning margin. Reagan's Honor finished up with a last half-furlong timed in :6.28 for a final 1 1/16-miles clocking of 1:42.02, just one-hundredth of a second off the track record set by Olympiad in the GIII Mineshaft Stakes exactly four years earlier, on Feb. 19, 2022. This colt started his career Dec. 20 in a Fair Grounds MSW sprint in which he was fourth, beaten eight lengths at 9-2 odds (69 Beyer). He won his maiden Jan. 17, wiring a 1 1/16-miles field at 7-1 odds (81 Beyer). Reagan's Honor, a medium-framed colt, is out of a Medaglia d'Oro half-sister to 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo (Holy Bull). He's being pointed for the Apr. 4 GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Reagan's Honor | Hodges Photography 12) TALKIN (c, Good Magic–Rote, by Tiznow) O- Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Pine Racing Stables, Legendary Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC, and R. A. Hill Stable; B-Fifth Avenue Bloodstock (KY); T-Danny Gargan. Sales history: $600,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GISP, 3-1-1-0, $156,250. Last start: 9th Dec. 6 GII Remsen Stakes. It's getting a bit deep into the season to be making speculative inclusions within the Top 12 for horses who have yet to start at age 3, but let's close out the column with a mention of Talkin, who is likely to be entered Wednesday for this Saturday's GIII Tampa Bay Derby. This $600,000 KEESEP trainee from Danny Gargan's barn never fired when ninth in the Remsen Stakes going nine furlongs Dec. 6, a race whose one-two finishers now occupy the Nos. 1 and 4 spots on this list. Talkin's eye-catching performance from his juvenile season is actually two starts back, when he was the runner-up despite lots of lateral movement and trip trouble in the GI Champagne Stakes. In that one-turn mile at Aqueduct, Talkin contested the pace outside at the break, angled in leaving the chute, tracked behind horses, then got bumped out to the seven path. He dropped back down to the rail entering the far turn, advanced to fourth at the fence, then shifted outward again to be seven wide off the final turn. He got carried out by a tiring and drifting favorite before earning second under a mild drive behind a 6 1/2-length winner. Talkin was entered for last Saturday's Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream, but Gargan scratched him with an eye toward Tampa, which is likely to be a softer spot. The post TDN Derby Top 12: Anyone’s Race Two Months Out appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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On the March 2 episode of BloodHorse Monday: Brad Cox discusses Commandment's victory in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and provides updates on other Kentucky Derby/Oaks prospects. Eric Hamelback previews the National HBPA conference March 3-7.View the full article

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi's racing stable provided an update March 2 on Forever Young and another of Yahagi's pupils, American Stage, a 4-year-old son of Into Mischief. View the full article

Multiple Grade I winner Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) has had his first mare confirmed in foal, Lane's End announced Monday afternoon. Said mare is Cahira's Song (Midshipman), a half-sister to seven other winning siblings, and who hails from the female line of GISP Lucky Lavender Gal (Carson City). The third dam is herself a full-sister to MGSP La Ville Rouge, most famous for her son–GI Kentucky Derby hero Barbaro (Dynaformer). The mare also produced his full-brothers MSW & GSP Margano and SW Lentenor. Made a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' after his stylish 8 3/4-length win at second-asking in Florida, Carl Spackler was dominant on the turf in his career, and retired with eight wins–three Grade Is, and six graded contests overall–for earnings of nearly $2-million to his credit. Carl Spackler stands for $15,000. The post First Mare in Foal for Carl Spackler appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Guillaume Herrnberger, currently managing director of AFASEC, has been appointed to the role of deputy managing director of France Galop, alongside Henri Pouret who has held the same title since February 2024. France Galop will now be managed in tandem by Pouret and Herrnberger, both of whom will report to the president, Guillaume de Saint-Seine, who chaired a meeting of the Board of Directors on Monday. The appointment of Herrnberger and changes to the leadership structure follow the departure of Elie Hennau from his role as managing director last month. “I am very pleased to join France Galop to lead the transformation alongside Henri Pouret,” said Herrnberger, who has been the CEO of AFASEC since 2021. “I have been a racing enthusiast since my youth, having been a breeder and owner with a high school friend. My background, involved in corporate transformation as an employee and expert consultant in this field, is an asset for meeting the challenges ahead alongside Henri Pouret. “I thank Guillaume de Saint-Seine and the members of the Board of Directors for their confidence.” Guillaume de Saint-Seine added, “Our ambition is to accelerate the recovery of French flat racing, to evolve our economic model and our way of working, while preserving our equestrian culture, unique in the world of sports and leisure. “The partnership between Henri Pouret and Guillaume Herrnberger, who have two very complementary profiles, is perfectly suited to our ambition to lead modernization while respecting our fundamentals.” The post Guillaume Herrnberger Named Deputy Managing Director of France Galop appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Among the top trainers on the New York circuit for decades, John Kimmel has announced his retirement. Citing the economic difficulties facing many trainers these days, Kimmel, 71, said he would devote his time to building his business as a bloodstock agent. Kimmel has been doing double duty over the last three or four years, continuing his training operation while acting as a bloodstock agent to outside clients. While training full-time, he was known for having a keen eye when it came to picking horses out at the sales, including the many future stars that became part of his stable. His recent success stories include the purchase of Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie), whom he purchased on behalf of Flanagan Racing for $725,000 at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale. Trained by Chad Brown, Chancer McPatrick won the GI Hopeful Stakes and the GI Champagne Stakes. “It's been a long time for me, working seven days a week as a trainer,” Kimmel said. “But all during this time, I've always had an affinity for going to the sales. I first started going to the sales with my father when I was in high school. I've developed a very good eye for a horse and what I look for in a horse. Probably the majority of the Grade I and top graded horses I've had are horses that I've purchased for my clientele. I think that's something that I can use. I think people recognize it, but they might be a little reluctant to use me as their bloodstock agent fearing that as a trainer, I might be adversely affecting their clients. “I've bought horses in the last few years for Linda Rice and Chad Brown. We've had a lot of luck with Chancer McPatrick, who is a multiple Grade I winner. We've also had With the Angels, who just won the Correction, and Hot Currency, two horses we bought for Winning Move Stable. The long and the short of it is, that I think I can bring to the table a wealth of experience that can't be matched by many people that are in the bloodstock industry. I hope I can use that to my advantage and see if I can generate some new business.” Kimmel said he will be working closely with bloodstock agent Nick Sallusto. Kimmel plans to hit the ground running, saying he will be active at the upcoming OBS March sale. Though his training business slowed in recent years, Kimmel was a major force in New York throughout the 1990s and the 2000s. He was introduced to the sport by his father, the owner Caesar Kimmel, but began his path in racing as a veterinarian. He holds a pre-med undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and then graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school in 1980 before starting his training career in 1984. His first winner came at Calder on Oct. 29, 1984 with a horse named Chachi Man. He has won 1,449 races during his career, and his best year came in 2001 when he won 105 races. He won 89 graded stakes races and trained 10 horses that won Grade I events. His best horse may have been Hidden Lake (Quiet American), who was named Champion Older Female in 1997. She won five graded stakes including the GI Beldame Stakes, the GI Hempstead Handicap and the GI Go for Wand Stakes. Kimmel trained three horses that earned over $1 million, including Bar of Gold (Medgalia d'Oro), who won the 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. He was the first trainer of eventual GI Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch. After four starts with Kimmel, the horse was sold privately to Michael Tabor and landed in the barn of D. Wayne Lukas. Kimmel won six training titles on the NYRA circuit outright, and in 1997 he finished in a tie with Bill Mott for leading trainer at Saratoga with 15 wins at the meet. In 1999, he led all NYRA trainers in the category of money earned. But as has happened in the era of the “super trainer,” Kimmel, who, for much of his career had a stable that numbered about 44 horses, was having trouble keeping up with his rivals. He won 11 races in 2023, 14 in 2024, and seven in 2025. So far this year, he was winless from seven starts. “The super-trainer thing has gotten to the point where if you're not on the front pages of every big racing day, it seems like people have a very short memory about what you have accomplished,” Kimmel said. “A lot of the new money that's come into this game may not even know my track record or my past history. The fact is that there is a new business model. With this business model, it is extremely difficult to make ends meet. If you're not making significant money through purses or buying and selling horses, there's no way that you can offset the cost of doing business, particularly in New York. It might be better in some states, like Kentucky, where businesses seems to be doing much better than they are in New York. Here, maintaining a stable and dealing with the labor laws and the costs of the labor to run things the way I like to do it, it just became a very inequitable formula. “The labor costs, the fee costs, the costs of doing business, just outweigh what you can charge on a day rate. It's absolutely crazy. You could run literally millions of dollars through your training accounts. And at the end of the day, you look at your profit/loss and you're not making any money on your day rate. It's just a losing proposition. That's a reality that most trainers face. I'm sure you've heard the same thing from many trainers.” Kimmel said he will send out his final starters this weekend at Aqueduct, adding that he currently has just five horses in his stable. In 2024, Kimmel was featured in a story in the TDN written by Chris McGrath. The post John Kimmel Steps Away from Training to Focus on Bloodstock Business appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features a horse to follow at Chantilly. 3.05 Chantilly, Debutantes, 3yo, f, 9 1/2f (AWT) MAINE (FR) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) is the 12th foal out of the Wertheimers' G2 Prix de Royallieu winner and outstanding broodmare Balladeuse (Singspiel), who is responsible for the Prix Vermeille heroine and Arc runner-up Aventure (Sea The Stars) and another Vermeille-winning luminary in Left Hand by Night Of Thunder's sire Dubawi. Also the second dam of the Group 2-winning Prix du Jockey Club runner-up First Look (Lope De Vega) and Dubawi's Group 2-placed Audubon Park, her latest progeny is in the care of Aventure's trainer Christophe Ferland who pitches her into a contest also featuring the Andre Fabre-trained Moussac Family colour-bearer Mennula (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a daughter of the Long Island Handicap winner Aigue Marine (Galileo). The post Aventure’s Half-Sister Maine Debuts at Chantilly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

All four newcomers to the Darley stallion ranks in Europe – Inisherin, Rosallion, Shadow Of Light and Tribalist – have now had their first mares scanned in foal. Rosallion and Inisherin, both Group 1-winning grandsons of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's blue hen Reem Three, have recently embarked on their first seasons at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket. Rosallion, who won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at two and the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes at three, has been introduced at a fee of £40,000, while Commonwealth Cup hero Inisherin stands for £12,500. In Ireland, Shadow Of Light commands a fee of €17,500 at Kildangan Stud, having retired as only the third two-year-old since the Pattern began to win both the G1 Middle Park Stakes and G1 Dewhurst Stakes. Completing the quartet of newcomers is Tribalist, who enjoyed his career highlight when making all to win the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. He stands for €6,000 at Haras de Castillon in France. The post First Mares Scanned In Foal to Darley’s Inisherin, Rosallion, Shadow Of Light and Tribalist appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Over the course of the past two seasons, Abraham Gardea has been steadily picking up momentum as a trainer, spending much of his time along the Southern Florida circuit of Tampa and Gulfstream Park while shipping to Colonial Downs in New Kent, Virginia for summer racing. After taking out his training license in 2018, the Chihuahua, Mexico native made a brief return to private training sector before returning to the racetrack in 2024. Collecting his first career victory at Tampa midway through that racing season, he registered a personal career best in 2025 with his runners amassing $362,243 while finishing in the top three 24% of the time. Gardea currently has 20 horses in training at the track, in addition to a handful of babies. Marking a career first in 2026, Gardea makes his first foray at the OBS March Sale when his consignment company–Next Level Thoroughbreds–presents six juveniles at the three-day juvenile in training sale in Ocala, Florida from Mar. 10-12. “I have more pedigree this time than I did last year. There just different types of horses. I spent more money this year than I did last year. I am really high on them and I think they will show up and do well.” First Swing a Home Run The up-and-coming trainer made his first appearance at OBS last April, selling a bullet-earning son of Galilean for $250,000. He worked in :9 4/5 during the breeze session. Out of Royale Michele (Elusive Quality), the Florida-bred colt was the sole juvenile offered by Next Level Thoroughbreds in 2025. Purchased by MHM Stables, the colt, named Agustinian, was sent to Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. Now three, the colt has yet to finish off the board in six career starts, including a six-length maiden win over Gulfstream's synthetic surface last November. Purchased privately for $24,000 after RNA'ing for $23,000 at the 2024 renewal of the OBS October Yearling Sale, the bargain bay has amassed over $124,000 in earnings to date. Augustinian is currently the leading earner for Galilean, who stands at Questroyal North in Stillwater, New York. “That was a great experience, especially being my first consignment,” said Gardea. “He always had pretty good conformation, and he was a well-balanced horse.” He continued, “I think hurt the final price was that he was out of an older mare–she was about 20 at the time and he was her last foal. Also, he was by a stallion that stands in New York but he's a Florida bred.” “He always showed he could run. Once I put blinkers on him and started stretching him out, I saw a big change. Once he's tacked up and goes to the track, he's like another horse.” Having already had a glimpse for the physical type buyers are looking at the juvenile sales, Gardea arrives at OBS with a what he asserts is a solid group of horses with more depth on the catalog page than last year. “I have been selling horses on and off for a while, but in 2024, I sold a few horses [on behalf of someone else] and I did ok. I was given an opportunity last year to sell horses for Vincent Conanan's Next Level Stables and we came back with a few more this year.” Armed with an equal number of colts and fillies for 2026, Gardea's offerings are highlighted by Hip 731, a colt by Omaha Beach. Selling on behalf of Next Level Stables, the chestnut is out of Malibu Moon's Emilia Moon, winner of the Peruvian G1 Clasico Polla de Pontrancas. Out Peruvian Group 3 winner Thunder Emilia (Thunder Gulch), 10-year-old Emilia's Moon is a half-sister to GII Tampa Bay Derby winner Helium (Ironicus) and Grade III-placed Mighty Scarlett (Scat Daddy). “He's always been pretty straight forward,” he said. “He does have a lot of potential. He gallops out strong–he can go a quarter or three eighths on the gallop out, no problem. He's pretty good minded when he gets down to breezing. She's always shown ability.” Next Level Stables is also represented by Hip 254, a colt by Frosted and Hip 540, a filly by Munnings. The latter was purchased by Next Level Stables for $50,000 at last summer's Saratoga Sale. “She's pretty quick,” he said. “She does everything right. She doesn't turn a hair. She's also very straightforward.” He added, “The Frosted colt is one that has taken a little bit longer to understand things, but he's really coming into himself now, right in time for the sale.” Also likely to garner a second look from potential buyers is Hip 359, a filly by Freshman sire Mind Control. The May 4 foal is out of Silver Hustler (Political Force). The filly, a homebred for Bob and Bonnie Roth's Majestic View Farms, hails from the family of multiple graded winner on the turf, Spring House. “Everything she's done, she's made it look easy,” Gardea said of the Mine Control filly. “She is a New York-bred filly Also on behalf of New York-based Majestic View, Gardea presents Hip 300, a filly by Volatile. She was purchased for $27,000 at the OBS October Sale. “She's a pretty big filly. I picked her out of the October sale for my new clients. She might not be a :10 flat type of sprinter but she's very strong in the gallop out. She's just a big, strong filly.” Gardea's 2026 OBS group is rounded out by Hip 771, a colt by Colonel Liam out of Fond of Sarah (With Distinction). According to Gardea, he has two more juveniles slated for the upcoming OBS April Sale. And come what may next, Gardea is prepared to stand behind his team. “If we really like them and we can't get what we want for them, we just race them,” he said. “But I hope everything goes well and we will continue to build up more and more as they come. You start building and see how things go.” The post Gardea Looking to Take It to the Next Level at OBS March appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Kyllarney (Kyllachy), a half-sister to the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes winner Move Swiftly (Farhh), is among the first mares confirmed in foal to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Unquestionable. Kyllarney has already produced the G3 Solario Stakes second Inishfallen (Exceed And Excel), while another proven mare confirmed in foal to the son of Wootton Bassett is Claramara (Epaulette), whose standout runner to date is the G3 Prix du Bois third Havana Angel (Havana Grey). Others to mention include Teodora De Vega (Lope De Vega), a half-sister to multiple black-type winners, and Lady Trish's Dream (Showcasing), a half-sister to the dual Group 3 scorer Hit The Bid (Exceed And Excel), among others. Unquestionable, who also filled the runner-up spot behind Rosallion in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere as a juvenile, stands for a fee of €10,000 in his first season at Rathbarry Stud in 2026. The post Breeders’ Cup Hero Unquestionable Up and Running at Rathbarry with First Mares In Foal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article