Wandering Eyes

Byron King's Top 12 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, presented by Spendthrift Farm.View the full article

You might have a lifelong passion for horses, and even devote your whole working life to their welfare. But sometimes there is no substitute for sitting on their backs. A few years ago, Dr. Jeff Berk took a vacation from his relentless schedule as an equine veterinarian in order to-well, spend a little time with horses. His next trip to Britain was not to Tattersalls, as usual, but to an eventing course run by two former Olympians. Though Berk was a perfectly accomplished rider, with years of foxhunting behind him, it was this experience that clarified the secret to horsemanship. “And that was that you don't muscle a horse,” he explains. “That's why a small, slight person can be a very good rider. Because it's not about your muscular development. It's about the shifts and balances, all the nuances and subtle signals you can give to a horse, so that if you're speaking their language correctly, they will do things automatically. Which becomes the most beautiful partnership there can be, between human and animal.” To Berk, exploring that rapport brought home the daily miracle he enjoys in engaging professionally at such close quarters. “I know they're ignorant in some ways,” he acknowledges with a smile. “But they're very intuitive creatures that want to do what you ask, so long as you know how to ask them. To me, that's phenomenal. To be honest, I think that the Thoroughbred horse is a gift from God, unique among the animal kingdom. I don't know any other animal as majestic.” Such admiration, however, only makes our accompanying responsibility more urgent. That's why this past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners became a director of Light Up Racing, the sport's campaign to elevate understanding inside and outside its own community. But Berk also believes that each of us, beyond that proactive organization of collective messaging, owes the horse a less formal duty of vigilance; and that we need to think carefully about how the sales and breeding industries have evolved. He has been around the business rather longer than his youthful looks imply. In fact he had already cut his teeth as a racetrack veterinarian, at Thistledown in Ohio, before heading to Ocala in 1983 to start his own practice. Even before then, he had been saturated with animal lore. His father, a polo player and eventer (still riding daily at 95), was a veterinarian by trade; and during vet school at the University of Pennsylvania, Berk himself would spend summers at Delaware Park walking hots and grooming. “I became addicted,” he says simply. “There was no other path for me.” Recovering from a surgery, he decided to prioritize sales work and moved to Lexington, Kentucky, with Equine Medical Associates. But he is licensed at all points of the compass, home and abroad, and has duly been able to compare many different cultures and practices. And he admits himself “very troubled” by the way young horses are nowadays raised. He invokes one of his earliest clients, the old Farnsworth Farm, then the largest Thoroughbred breeder in Florida: between 300 and 450 mares, a dozen stallions. They raised their stock “properly.” “And I'm going to define what that is,” Berk says. “They were foaled out correctly, with great attention. Then the mare and foal would gradually be graduated: round pen, small paddock, eventually a big field, 50 acres plus, where they could run around with the rest. They were raised rough: brought up once daily to be fed and examined, the other 23, 23½ hours living outside. “Why's that important for the development of young horses? Well, it's not only mentally, as herd animals. At least as importantly, all that activity helps to develop the strength, flexibility, and health of all their structures. It's not just bone, but ligament and tendon as well. Everything gets exercised in the right way for the age they are.” Sure enough, these horses were so sound that they required hardly any vet work. But a world where adolescent animals are sometimes put through three sales cycles inside 18 months-weanling, yearling, 2-year-old-feels very different. “Every time a horse goes through a sale, what happens?” asks Berk. “Number one, they have to go through prep, which means a lot of time in the stall. And then maybe there are some little bone fragments. They really don't bother a horse, but they're hard to sell with those. So they undergo a surgery, and that's another month in the stall. “So it's entirely possible, when you're trying to buy a young horse for an athletic pursuit, that it may have spent two, three, four months in a stall exactly when it should be out exercising the way horses do when left to their own devices.” Little wonder, then, if Berk has observed soundness issues that were formerly less prevalent. “I'm not saying that 20 years ago nobody ever saw a high suspensory,” Berk says. “But we didn't see nearly so many of the things we do now that we're putting their bodies and minds under a level of pressure that's not normal for their age.” This is one of those vets who believes that intervention will often be a poor substitute for pasture. That's why he is grateful for clients with patience, something he finds more often when people work as a team. “When you rush horses, it never pans out,” he says. “It's about good decisions. Sales are when they are, there's no flexibility. But if people try to make a horse fit into a program, it may or may not work. Our business has evolved so that people tend to operate in silos, in their own unique space with a unique corporate structure. So perhaps every stakeholder's mission statement should address the collective responsibility we have, above and beyond corporate profits.” Berk challenges us whether commercial dividends banked by cutting corners on a particular horse can ever redress the wider erosion of credibility. “Breeding or racing, there's always a delicate balance between commerce and sport,” he says. “Get too far over, at either end, you're in trouble. There has to be a financial aspect, for it to continue. But think about the roots of the sport, in England and Ireland, under certain conditions-one being a pretty good base of horsemanship, an emphasis on the animal.” He reminds us that when horse vans were first introduced, to Victorian Britain, the sport remained seasonal, spring to autumn. Horses were all turned out for the winter months; moreover walking to race meetings was treated as part of their conditioning, and often the same was true of races themselves. “Now what have we evolved to?” asks Berk. “America being such a big country, we can race year-round. And the horse never gets a break. I'm not trying to reinvent American racing. It's just that if you asked what is ideal for a horse, then that is not. Berk also has concerns about the business model of trainers, though he stresses that this is hardly their fault: they have had to respond to the expectations of owners who select trainers according to win percentages. “There was a time when public trainers didn't even exist,” he says. “Working for Calumet, you may be famous, but you're still an employee. But now that people measure success by win percentages, nobody's going to run unless they think they can win. So the idea of using a race [for fitness] is gone. What do we have instead? Work, work, work, work; race; work, work, work, work; race. And we all see the unfortunate result, the horses that didn't pan out because they didn't fit the program.” To Berk's point about the winter break, studies have shown unequivocally that the spelling of horses will reduce breakdowns-because bone is living tissue, capable of wear and repair. “Every Thoroughbred is an athlete, and every athlete is subject to injury,” Berk remarks. “Almost all of them have some tiny little thing they're living with, and ignoring, because they love to run. Give that horse some time off, the little thing heals and they start over again. If you don't, the little thing becomes bigger. Unbeknownst to you, the horse starts to acknowledge it, feel it. They start to travel differently. A horse that might have a problem in a hind ankle is changing the way that it travels, and then goes and bows a tendon. And they say, 'Oh, shame, stepped in a hole on the track.' But the primary problem may have been brewing for weeks and career-ending injury could have been avoided.” Another side of this same coin, essentially of vigilance, is the contentious business of sales vetting. Here, changing practice tends to reflect technological advances: digital radiography and video scopes, for instance, being reviewable online. Berk has even done so for Arqana yearlings while working a sale at Saratoga. Long days, for sure, with X-ray requests at 2 a.m., and the completion of a vetting process obviously remains contingent on a trusted pair of eyes over the water. But none of this, in itself, results in an overly simplistic “pass” or “fail”. To Berk, the very expression suggests a misapprehension. Vets seldom trade in anything as basic as thumbs up or down. “These are very nuanced discussions,” he emphasizes. “All these things we're doing-X-rays, throats, physicals, ultrasounds-are about assembling information, to establish a level of risk. My job is very much like a portfolio manager, with a shortlist of potential investments. I'm trying to establish a level of risk based upon the information I'm generating. And then I need to be articulate enough to package it for the client, in a way they can understand. So the exact same horse, with the same information, may be suitable for one client and not for another-based entirely upon their own ability to absorb risk and their unique purpose for the horse.” As Berk notes, it is not as though any horse has an absolute commercial value. “Let's say that a given horse should bring around $300,000,” he suggests. “Would you pay $1 million dollars for that horse? Clearly not. But even if there are significant findings, would you pay $1 for it? Of course. Well, there's a number between $1 and $1 million, and the agent's job is to figure out what it is.” Over the years, all this coalface participation has confirmed Berk in one axiom: our first commitment should always be to the horse. Overall, he feels of a community that profoundly respects the animal; it just needs to be better at explaining that. Along with colleagues Dr. Wayne McIlwraith and Dr. Emma Adam, he duly loaded the Light Up Racing platform with the science to counter malice and misinformation. “We talk about collective responsibility,” Berk says. “Well, what if somebody walked up to you and said, 'What happens to horses when they're done racing?' or, 'Is it bad to race 2-year-olds?' Instead of shrugging your shoulders, I think you have a bit of a responsibility: go to the website and within five minutes you could have a good answer, or can at least point that person to one. “We need to be transparent and communicate what we're doing and why, without trying to gloss over anything that needs improvement. But when you hear things that aren't just negative, but baseless, we can now say: 'Number one, where are you getting your information? And would you be interested in some facts?' Because to combat the false narratives out there, we all need to take part in conveying the truth-the lovely truth-about what a wonderful sport we have.” The post Berk Lighting a Path to Keep the Horse Up Front appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the fifth straight year, the European Pattern Committee has reduced the number of black-type races, which chair Jason Morris says, "reflects the collective responsibility that the EPC member countries share towards enforcing quality control."View the full article

Caitlin Courtney has been named the new Director of Sales at Denali Stud after eleven years working with St George Sales and Brookstone Farm. She succeeds Elizabeth Snellings who held the position for three years. “We are thrilled to have Caitlin join the team at Denali,” said Conrad Bandoroff. “She has extensive sales and industry experience, and we're looking forward to her bringing this skillset to Denali and our clients.” A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Courtney has grown up around the Thoroughbred industry and started working for St George Sales and Brookstone Farm after college. “I am really excited about this next chapter in my career at Denali Stud,” said Courtney. “I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Archie and Michelle for eleven years to help them grow into the operation that they are today and through their mentorship, I have gained a wealth of knowledge that will allow me to really excel in my new role. I appreciate all of the staff at their consignment and farm, and am looking forward to forming new relationships working with the staff and clients at Denali.” The post Caitlin Courtney Named Director of Sales at Denali Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A quintet of New York Sired/Bred's have been named finalists for Horse of the Year in the 2025 New York-bred Divisional Awards, announced by the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) on Tuesday. The Horse of the Year finalists are: Bank Frenzy (Central Banker), Doc Sullivan (Solomini), Braverthanubelieve (Honest Mischief), Twenty Six Black (War Dancer), Sunday Girl (Central Banker). Graded stakes winner and MGISP My Mane Squeeze (Audible) was named a finalist in both the Champion Older Dirt Female and Champion Female Sprinter categories. A panel of New York Turf writers, broadcasters, handicappers, racing analysts and photographers will vote on the winners of each division and the 2025 New York-bred Horse of the Year. The 2025 New York-bred divisional champions, New York-bred Horse of the Year and other honors, including the new New York-sired New York-bred of the Year, will be announced at the NYTB Awards Dinner sponsored by the New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund from 6:30-9 p.m. Monday, May 11. The awards ceremony includes a cocktail hour, silent auction, and plated dinner. Formal invitations to follow. “The New York-bred Divisional Awards are an opportunity to recognize the excellence, commitment, and talent that define New York breeding and racing,” said NYTB President Lere Visagie. “This year's nominees exemplify the strength of our program and the people behind it. We look forward to celebrating the connections, farms, and professionals whose work continues to elevate New York on a national stage. It promises to be a memorable evening for our entire industry.” Tickets are available–$150 for NYTB Members and $175 for non-members–for purchase at www.nytbreeders.org/events. Tables of 10 are also available for $1,350 for NYTB members. Also to be honored at the event with 2025 awards will be Broodmare of the Year, Trainer, Champion Jockey, Outstanding Breeder, New York Sire of the Year and New York Farm Manager of the Year. Applications for submission for the New York Farm Manager of the Year are available here. A list of the 2025 New York-bred divisional championship nominees by category follows. Champion 2-Year-Old Male: Arctic Beast, Bravaro, Jaxer, Spirit of New York, Sunday Boy Champion 2-Year-Old Filly: Braverthanubelieve, Iron Orchard, Letmecounttheways, Oh, She's Country Champion 3-Year-Old Male: Iron Dome, Mi Bago, Mo Plex, Out On Bail, River Thames, Train the Trainer Champion 3-Year-Old Filly: Bernieandtherose, Five G, Usha, Valtellina, Vehemente, Zi End Champion Older Dirt Male: Bank Frenzy, Doc Sullivan, Jak N Burny, The Wine Steward, Whatchatalkinabout Champion Older Dirt Female: Bernietakescharge, My Mane Squeeze, Sterling Silver, Sunday Girl, Zi End Champion Turf Male: Mi Bago, Out On Bail, Rhetorical, Spirit of St Louis, Twenty Six Black Champion Turf Female: Awesome Czech, Mommy's Turn, Moonage Daydream, Spinning Colors, Trail of Gold Champion Male Sprinter: Dancing Buck, Doc Sullivan, The Wine Steward, Twenty Six Black, Whatchatalkinabout Champion Female Sprinter: My Mane Squeeze, Sterling Silver, Sunday Girl, Usha, Landed New York-Sired New York-Bred of the Year: Bank Frenzy (Central Banker), Doc Sullivan (Solomini), Braverthanubelieve (Honest Mischief), Twenty Six Black (War Dancer), Sunday Girl (Central Banker) The post My Mane Squeeze, Bank Frenzy, Doc Sullivan Head 2025 New York-bred Divisional Championship Noms appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Last year a move to decouple Florida track/casinos from the requirement to conduct racing was passed in the Florida House, but a united horse group stopped it in the Florida Senate. The wolf was at the door and they got rid of it. This year the wolf is back. Churchill Downs says Fair Grounds without a casino will close. The wolf is at the door there too, and at every track without coupling. The coupling of tracks with casino/alternate gaming was a case of leverage. The casinos wanted in and racing used its political leverage to make it happen. Decoupling is a question of how long racing will have political leverage? Can we save live racing in states without coupling, like California? Yes. Live racing generates plenty of revenue, it just gets misappropriated. Last year, over $11 billion was bet on racing. If it all was bet at the tracks, live racing would have received about $2.2 billion. That kind of money can make or break many businesses, including live racing. Of the $2.2 billion up for grabs last year, only $550 million went to the host tracks, while $1.65 billion went to off-track bet takers. I believe more than $1.65 billion of off-track revenue is now going to the wrong people. I mean the off-track bet takers in and out of racing. They pay about 5% to live racing, but they keep 15%, just for taking the bets. That can change. What if live racing kept all of it? What if racing disrupted the off-track market and kept all of it? Technology says we can. Why can't our sport display a bit of “race riding” in the gambling market? We can amend the Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA) to deliver the full 20% takeout to the host tracks, and then pay a small commission to those taking off-track bets. That's how the lotteries work. They gross over $100 billion, pay 5% to gas stations and keep the rest. Racing can do the same. Technology is changing public behavior quickly. Ticketmaster changed us from paper tickets to phone digital entry overnight. What if Ticketmaster, or another company, took over off-track bets for the host tracks? If their fee was less than 5%, host tracks would receive over $1 billion in new money. This disruption in the gambling market could result in less handle for racing, but 20%, means live racing will net more money even if there was a 50% drop in handle. The IHA, written in 1978, has allowed off-track bet takers to gang up and drive down the price they pay host tracks. That's why host tracks get 5% and bet takers get 15%. We must amend the IHA to refocus the revenue on the live race produced, not where and how the bet is made. The host tracks are being starved of their own revenue by off-track bet takers. To be clear, the $1.65 billion going to bet takers is more than all of the purse money in North America ($1.1 billion). This new money to the host tracks will be in addition to coupling revenue. Combining the two means dramatic growth for live racing. Sports gambling is breaking all the rules. Prediction Market companies, like Kalshi, are barging into every state and cannibalizing the rest of the sports betting market. The big wagering companies, Fan Duel and Draft Kings, are planning far beyond racing. Their future is with the major sports and prediction markets. Every day the expenses to breed, train, feed and care for Thoroughbreds go Up. Every day the expenses to maintain and operate host racetracks go Up. Every day the expenses to take off-track bets go down. Look at the graph lines and decide which direction racing's political leverage should be applied. Right now, one party controls both houses of Congress and the presidency. Before anything changes, those with the means for political leverage can act for the racing's future. Track owners, the HBPA, THA and TOC need to look at the numbers and see the impact of amending the IHA to deliver all of the off-track takeout to the host tracks. I believe they will see more than $1 billion in new net revenue for them to split. The folks who stopped decoupling in Florida took direct action to save live racing there. Now they can join others and scale up for a national effort to amend the IHA and assure, by federal law, the protection of live racing's off-track revenue. John Gaines hired me to sell the concept of the Breeders' Cup to the industry. We started by lining up every major owner and breeder and published the growing list of names every week until those holding out were forced into support of what has become racing's biggest idea. Perhaps some leaders will step up now and start such a list to amend the IHA. As trainer D. Wayne Lukas said about his strategy to win, “Go to the front and stay there.” Amend the IHA and give live racing a chance to go to the front and stay. The post Letter to the Editor: Coupling, Decoupling and Disrupting appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Horses obviously derive no comfort from the legacy they might leave. A stallion's reproductive ardor is presumably driven sooner by the means than the ends! In our own case, on the other hand, foreknowledge of mortality allows us to think about legacy. Racehorse trainers, for instance, can impart horsemanship to the next generation; or disclose, in horses, a genetic prowess that may have remained undisturbed in less skilled hands. Everyone intimate with her quirks is unanimous that Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) could easily have slipped through the cracks in a less artistic program than that operated by John Shirreffs. Ironically, she has turned out to be one of those females perhaps too virile to prove any kind of broodmare. But while her trainer's gentle and generous disposition proved equal even to the circus that developed around her, his wider accomplishments remained grossly overshadowed. Certainly he produced elite performers at a ratio unequivocally superior to others who have preceded him to the Hall of Fame. I remember writing many years ago that his absence diminished only the institution, not the man; and that those already inducted would consider their distinction incomplete until shared by Shirreffs. Doubtless his neglect will now be redressed, albeit-how suddenly-too late. Shirreffs himself, of course, would prize 15 minutes communing with a horse far above any bauble devised to gratify human vanity. Yes, we can honor his legacy; best of all, by emulating his benign and patient engagement with horses. In the meantime, however, we can bleakly share their point of view; can find it hard to think past the here-and-now, when it will never again be sweetened by his inquiring mind, and a voice that transparently conveyed his beautiful nature. I hope you will indulge my starting with this apparent digression. But there are lessons pertinent to the world of breeding: not least, a reminder to appreciate what we have, while we have it. So take a bow, Tapit! At 25, the venerable gray's books are being managed with scrupulous care and his diminished output has seen the three-time champion slide anonymously down the sires' table. But while competition among his male heirs grows ever stronger, his living legacy is expanding giddily through his daughters, hitherto responsible for 144 stakes winners headed by Cody's Wish (Curlin). Tapit-P360-Profile.jpg" alt="" width="346" height="432" /> Last Saturday, Tapit was damsire of three big winners at the Fair Grounds: Paladin (Gun Runner) in the GII Risen Star Stakes; Bella Ballerina (Street Sense) in the GII Rachel Alexandra Stakes; and Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GIII Mineshaft Stakes. A flying start, then, to his defense of a broodmare sire championship-largely contested by pensioned or deceased sires-in which he has finished first, second and first in the last three years. With more and more daughters cycling through to a second career, they will be consolidating his breed-shaping status for a while yet. The fact that two of their winners on Saturday were respectively by Gun Runner and his sire Candy Ride (Arg) will not discourage those who like to reduce matings to mere nicking formulae. After all, Gun Runner has previously given Tapit mares the likes of Society, Red Route One, Disarm and Wicked Halo. But the fact is that both stallions represent the same miraculous program, which was hardly going to resist the experiment of supporting the younger of the pair with daughters of the other. To the rest of us, blundering in their wake, the cross would seem to be producing good horses no more or less than one would expect when one top-class stallion is mated with the daughters of another. We noted last week that Gun Runner has himself opened his account as a broodmare sire with none other than GIII Southwest Stakes winner Silent Tactic, who is of course by a son of Tapit in Tacitus. But just as that horse has much else going on besides, so even a stallion like Gun Runner-whose sophomores on the Classic trail also include Further Ado and Brant, plus fillies Life of Joy, Meaning and Search Party-will gratefully accept the genetic contribution of his steeply upgrading mares. Paladin himself traces to the matriarch Golden Trail (Hasty Road) via her daughter Java Moon (inevitably by Graustark, sire of 11 of Golden Trail's last 12 foals). But we explored his background after the GII Remsen Stakes, so now we'll take a look at the rest of Tapit's weekend. Dancer Not Just Pretty but Bellissima Only Street Cry (Ire) in 2024 stood between Tapit and three consecutive broodmare sire championships, having of course already shown himself a potent sire of female runners including not just Zenyatta but also Winx (Aus). Among his sons, however, Street Sense has had to do almost all the heavy lifting. Now represented by four heirs of his own at stud in Kentucky (including three in the same barn), Street Sense is in turn emerging as a top broodmare sire, with Mindframe (Constitution), Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy) and Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) among those delivered by his daughters. The latter set up her GI Kentucky Oaks success last year-when one of her biggest rivals in the crop, La Cara, was not only by Street Sense but shared her third dam with none other than Paladin-in the same Fair Grounds race that was won last weekend by another Godolphin homebred in Bella Ballerina. And so, too, did Bella Ballerina's half-sister Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) two years previously. Pretty Mischievous was the result of the first mating arranged by Godolphin for Pretty City Dancer (Tapit), the GI Spinaway Stakes after her $3.5 million at Fasig-Tipton in November 2018. With her fourth starter now having started the way she has, that is looking like big money well spent–something of a recurring theme on the Classic trail this year–with Paladin a $1.9 million yearling and Plutarch out of a $6 million mare. But the sale of Pretty City Dancer had itself vindicated another very significant investment, John Oxley having bought her as a yearling for $825,000. That reflected her status as half-sister to GI Gazelle Stakes winner Lear's Princess (Lear Fan), though their unraced dam Pretty City (Carson City) already had that to her credit when Gainesway alertly managed to pick her up for $160,000 as a 13-year-old at the 2011 Keeneland November Sale. Pretty City, moreover, was half-sister to turf millionaire My Big Boy (Our Hero), winner of the GI Bernard Baruch Handicap. Their dam by Riverman was a cheap Ogden Phipps cull (two nondescript starts) after five unbroken generations in that program, tracing to none other than Businesslike (Blue Larkspur), the daughter of La Troienne (Fr) who additionally gave it Busanda (War Admiral)- dam of the great Buckpasser. In her anniversary year, La Troienne (Fr) appears to be making it compulsory to feature a fresh blossom on her family tree every week. Best Supporting Actress The other graded stakes winner out of a Tapit mare last Saturday has a pretty familiar pedigree, by this stage, Hit Show having come to general notice in Dubai last spring. Nonetheless his page had been freshened up only a couple of days previously, when Prom Queen (Quality Road) broke her maiden with sufficient dash to be named a 'TDN Rising Star' at Gulfstream. Prom Queen is out of Miss Bling Bling (Tapit), full sister to Hit Show's dam Actress. The latter, who won a couple of graded stakes including the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (when breaking her maiden), was the first foal out of Milwaukee Appeal (Milwaukee Brew), the Canadian champion and millionaire recruited privately by Gary and Mary West on her retirement. Miss Bling Bling, that mare's fourth foal, was beaten half a length on her solitary start. It seems safe to assume that Hit Show must have been a pleasing foal, as his dam's sister was promptly sent to Candy Ride (Arg) for her next cover. That produced Money Game, winner of both his starts at Oaklawn last year and now back on the worktab at Payson Park. By the way, you have to love the way Accelerize (Omaha Beach)-who pushed Hit Show so hard-is rewarding such a bold mating by Spendthrift: both his sire's dam and his damsire Take Charge Indy are out of Take Charge Lady (Dehere). Mind you, Royal Champion (Ire) (Shamardal), the big turf winner in Riyadh, sees Accelerize and raises him: his sire's dam Helsinki (GB) and damsire Street Cry (Ire) are full siblings! Actually I am myself guilty of having introduced a mare to the Bluegrass bred on exactly the same lines. She may yet prove that you can have too much of a good thing, but at least we now have a “champion” for the theory. Even in a world darkened by the abrupt loss of one of its finest horsemen, and truest gentlemen, we can live in hope. The post Breeding Digest: Venerable Grays and Living Legacies appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Connor King, who was twice crowned champion apprentice jockey on the Flat in Ireland, will bid to become the youngest ever trainer to win the Grand National when sending Oscars Brother to Aintree later this spring. The 27-year-old handler – who only has two horses at his County Tipperary stable – has admitted he is “trying not to think too much” about the prospect of Oscars Brother being a serious Grand National contender. The handicapper has given Oscars Brother a 155 rating – a weight of 10st 13lb – after three wins on the bounce in Ireland this season at Galway, Punchestown and Navan. The most recent two victories were in Grade 2 races and the last was in the famous silks of JP McManus, who bought him in December after spotting his huge potential. After discovering his Randox Grand National weight, King said, “Well, the handicapper's put him up a few pounds! We've just been seeing how he is after the last day, but he's in good form. He needs one more run to qualify. He's in the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival so we'll have to see – there's a month nearly between the two. He came out of Navan extremely well.” King added, “I've been training since April 2024 so it's coming up to two years. I'm trying not to think too much about Aintree! I know how good the horse is and it's brilliant to potentially be going up there with a horse for the Grand National and being involved in it. “I think my first memory of the Grand National would be Hedgehunter falling at the last in 2004, the year before he won it. Mr Hemmings owned him and there was kind of a connection with where I'm from at home with Eugene O'Sullivan, so I kind of remember feeling like it was closer to home than others.” King was speaking at the official Grand National weights launch on Tuesday where last year's winner, Nick Rockett, was handed a rating of 167. Nick Rockett was partnered by Patrick Mullins, champion amateur jockey and assistant to his father Willie, to Grand National glory last year. Speaking about the prospects of repeating the trick, the jockey said, “We have no complaints with his weight. We haven't had a clear run with him and he had an over-reach before the John Durkan. He then had a setback just before Christmas, so we're behind where we want to be. He's back riding and we're hoping to get a run into him before Aintree, so we're hoping to find a race for him somewhere. We've no plan for him yet but we should get him there all being well.” Mullins added, “It's not an ideal preparation having one run but unfortunately those are the cards that we've been dealt with him this year. Maybe going there fresh will help him but it's not ideal, I don't think.” The post King Aiming To Be Youngest Grand National-Winning Trainer In History appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

I just received the news of the passing of Bill Recio. Bill and I were close friends from the early 1970's. He was a true horseman who understood his horses and what they needed and no one was going to move him off of what was best for each horse. He treated every horse that way and got to know them personally. He paid attention to every detail and was demanding that his people do whatever was necessary to make that horse the best that he could be. But beyond that, he was a truly good person who had a very strict code in the way he lived his life. RIP my friend. We lost one of the finest persons that I have met during my 56 years in this industry. The post Letter to the Editor: The Passing of Bill Recio appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dollars & Sense with Frank Angst looks at Forever Young's remarkable career as an example of an international approach that could keep racing's top stars in training. Read more:View the full article

Zarak, who has quickly established himself as one of the leading Flat stallions in France, has been temporarily sidelined from covering duties due to injury, with the Aga Khan Studs reporting that the son of Dubawi “will require several weeks to recuperate”. “Leading sire Zarak will unfortunately miss the start of the 2026 covering season following an accident in his stable,” read a statement issued by the Aga Khan Studs. “He will require several weeks to recuperate, and his condition will be reassessed in two months' time.” Based at Haras de Bonneval, Zarak is due to stand for the unchanged fee of €80,000 this season, having enjoyed notable success with his first five crops. He is the sire of 34 individual black-type winners, including the Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Metropolitan, one of three individual Group 1 winners for the stallion alongside Haya Zark (Prix Ganay) and Zagrey (Grosser Preis von Baden). Metropolitan embarks on his second season at Haras d'Etreham in 2026, while Zagrey is at the same stage of his career at Haras de Grandcamp and Zarakem – runner-up in the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes – is new to Haras de la Tuilerie for this season. The post Zarak Sidelined from Covering Duties, Condition to be Reassessed in Two Months’ Time appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The European Pattern Committee (EPC) has approved the upgrade of two Group 3 races to Group 2 status for 2026, including the Prix Paul de Moussac at ParisLongchamp (1400m, 3yo, early-June). Won last year by the subsequent Group 1 winner Maranoa Charlie, the race is intended to act as the main stepping stone to the G1 Prix Jean Prat over the same distance approximately one month later. Germany successfully applied to upgrade the Bavarian Classic at Munich (2000m, 3yo, early-May) to Group 2 status. The Bavarian Classic has a strong record of producing Deutsches Derby contenders in recent years, with Isfahan the last horse to complete the double in 2016. The EPC has also sanctioned five new Listed races across Europe. France will create a new Listed race at ParisLongchamp restricted to fillies and mares titled the Prix Esotérique (1600m, 4yo+, mid-May). In Germany, a Listed trial for the Deutsches Derby will be introduced at Dortmund, run two weeks prior to the Derby over the distance of 2050m. Elsewhere, Ireland have created a new Listed contest for juvenile fillies at Cork titled the Firville Stakes (1400m, 2yo, mid-August), while both Italy and Sweden have had conditions races reinstated back into the black-type programme – the Premio Emanuele Filiberto (2000m, 3yo, early-May) and the Jägersro Sprint (1200m, 3yo+, mid-May), respectively. It is also worth noting that, in 2025, the EPC approved the upgrade of Leopardstown's Golden Fleece Stakes to Group 1 status. Held at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend in mid-September, the two-year-old contest will also be run over the increased distance of 1800m (from 1600m) when this change takes effect in 2026. As well as the black-type changes announced above, the EPC has removed the threat of sanctions from Italian racing in recognition of the significant progress made by the Ministry of Agriculture (MASAF) in Italy, in terms of the regularisation of their prize-money payments and improvements to their administrative procedures in line with the standards expected. The EPC ratified a total of 811 black-type races, down from 814 in 2025, comprising 409 Group races (411 in 2024) and 402 Listed races (403). The races which have been downgraded for 2026 are as follows: Italy G2 Premio Dormello (Milan) downgraded to Group 3 G2 Premio Lydia Tesio (Rome) downgraded to Group 3 G2 Premio Roma (Milan) downgraded to Group 3 Listed Botticelli (Rome) loses Listed status Listed Repubbliche Marinare (Rome) loses Listed status Listed Vittorio Riva (Milan) loses Listed status Scandinavia G3 Scandinavian Open Championship (Copenhagen) downgraded to Listed In addition to these downgrades, the G3 Prix Pénélope at Saint-Cloud (France), Listed Prix Scaramouche at Saint-Cloud (France), Listed Spring Mile at Jägersro (Sweden) and Listed Swedish Open Mile at Bro Park (Sweden) were all voluntarily deleted from the black-type programme. Additional Changes Other key changes to note include the decision of France Galop to move prominent Pattern races from a Sunday fixture at ParisLongchamp to a Thursday night, with the aim of showcasing quality racing to a younger audience. The G1 Prix d'Ispahan (1850m, 4yo+), G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier (3100m, 4yo+) and G3 Prix du Palais-Royal (1400m, 3yo+) will all move to that ParisLongchamp midweek slot in 2026 (May 21). The G3 Prix Hocquart (2200m, 3yo) and Listed Prix de Montretout (1600m, 4yo+) will move in the opposite direction to bolster the vacant Sunday fixture at ParisLongchamp on May 24, alongside the G2 Prix Corrida (2100m, 4yo+ fillies and mares) which was previously run midweek at Saint-Cloud. In addition, the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (2400m, 4yo+) will take place a week later from this year (July 5) in order to push the race a further week on from Royal Ascot, and a similar rationale applies to the week later date for the G1 Prix Jean Prat (1400m, 3yo) at Deauville (July 12). France Galop also successfully applied to run the G2 Prix Alec Head (formerly the Prix de Pomone, 2500m, 3yo+ fillies and mares) a week earlier (August 15) to create better spacing with the G1 Prix Vermeille – which was shifted forward by one week last year as part of the movement of Arc Trials Day. Due to Capannelle Racecourse not being operational until September, MASAF have successfully applied to move the black-type races due to be run in Rome during the first half of the year to San Siro Racecourse in Milan, aside from one Listed contest (Premio Natale di Roma) which moves to Florence. This will mean that the G3 Premio Parioli (Italian 2,000 Guineas), G3 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1,000 Guineas) and G2 Derby Italiano will all be run at a different venue this year. Horse Racing Ireland also confirmed temporary host venues for Tipperary's five black-type races whilst that venue is closed for the development of an all-weather surface. In Britain, a further point of interest was the name change for the Group 2 race at York formerly known as the 1895 Duke Of York Stakes (6f, 3yo+, mid-May), which will now be named the Minster Stakes. 'At Risk' Races for 2027 A total of 22 Pattern and Listed races will be at risk of potential downgrade in 2027, depending on their performance in 2026. They once again include the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury, run over six furlongs for juveniles in late-September. The Mill Reef's Group 2 status was maintained by the EPC for 2026 following a unanimous vote, but the race will be downgraded automatically in 2027 if it fails to achieve its annual parameter this year. By nation, the spread of 'at risk' races is as follows: Britain – 3 France – 4 Germany – 5 Ireland – 3 Italy – 5 Sweden – 2 Statement from the Chair Jason Morris, chair of the EPC, said, “The EPC has reduced the number of scheduled black-type races for a fifth year in a row, with the total falling from 853 races in 2021 to 811 races in 2026. This reflects the collective responsibility that the EPC member countries share towards enforcing quality control. “The EPC also recognises the challenges being faced with falling foal populations and a diminishing supply of high-quality horses throughout Europe, and it will continue to work collaboratively to keep this critical issue under review. “In this regard, the EPC has warmly welcomed MASAF's commitment to revitalise and relaunch the Italian racing and breeding industry, which includes ambitions for securing an upgrade of an existing race to Group 1 status in the future. The prize-money of the G2 Premio del Jockey Club at Milan in October has been doubled to €500,000 for 2026 as a race that Italy is targeting for potential promotion.” The post Prix Paul de Moussac Among Two New Group 2 Races Approved by the EPC appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Declan Bates joined Pride Of Jenni in a gallop at Caulfield as the pair shed the kilograms in preparation for teaming in the All-Star Mile. Ciaron Maher took a small but select group of horses to gallop at Caulfield on Tuesday morning, including Pride Of Jenni who is preparing for a first-up tilt at the Group 1 All-Star Mile (1600m) at Flemington on March 7. Bates, who has not ridden since December 6 after being injured in a barrier incident at the Ballarat jump-outs shortly after, partnered the mare in the work-out as he builds fitness towards a racetrack return, possibly at Terang on Friday. The Irish jockey suffered a fractured pelvis and sacrum in the barrier incident, describing it as ‘a nasty one’. “It’s a frustrating injury because you can’t give it any relief,” Bates said. “Sitting down you’re putting pressure on it and even lying in bed you’re putting pressure on it. “That’s why in the first month you don’t feel like you’re healing at all, so I was a little bit worried with the injury at first, but once it started coming good, in the last month especially, there has been rapid improvement and luckily, I’ll be back ahead of schedule.” Bates has been back riding trackwork just over a week and put ‘eight or nine’ horses through their paces at the Cranbourne jump-outs on Monday. He said he was looking forward to race riding again and in getting his fitness back up before partnering Pride Of Jenni in the All-Star Mile. “My fitness needs to tighten up a bit, but that’s going to come as I go along,” Bates said. “I was keen to get back racing two weeks before the All-Star Mile and that way it gives me a good two weeks of race riding before then. “Like me, she’s got a bit of fitness to come on, but she feels her usual self, enthusiastic in her work, and that’s what I wanted to see. “It’s good to have a nice horse to look forward to. You always want to get back as quick as possible and when you have a nice horse it really helps the motivation to get back as strong and healthy as possible.” Bates has ridden Pride Of Jenni in 19 of her 43 starts, winning four times at Group 1 level, including the mare’s memorable victory in the 2024 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick. View the full article

Major targets for two and dress rehearsals for others add up to an intriguing day’s racing for a talent-packed Wexford Stables contingent at Ellerslie on Saturday. Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott’s team is headed by Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park) and Waitak (NZ) (Proisir), one the hot favourite for her elite racing debut in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and the other looking for more feature success in the Gr.1 Sport Nation Ōtaki-Māori Weight-for-Age Classic (1600m). Ohope Wins is one of three fillies entered for the New Zealand Oaks along with stablemates Acer and Clara Bow, while Yamato Satona and Genki make a double hand for the Gr.2 Eagle Technology (2100m), and likewise L’Aigle Noir and Panther in the Gr.3 Eagle Technology Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m). Dominant performances by Ohope Wins in the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) and the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Classic (2100m) at her last two starts have resulted in her being installed the favourite for both Saturday’s New Zealand Oaks and the Gr. 1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m), scheduled for Ellerslie on March 7. That form has also meant a change in ownership for the Ocean Park filly, who now sports the increasingly ubiquitous Yulong Investments colours, which will also be carried in Saturday’s classic by second favourite and fellow Ocean Park filly Autumn Glory. While Ohope Wins is also highly rated for the New Zealand Derby, co-trainer Lance O’Sullivan is adamant that the current focus is this weekend’s assignment. “As always we’re treating it as one race at a time,” he said on Tuesday. “Any consideration for a Derby start will only come after we’ve discussed that with her connections and not until after Saturday. “We’re very happy with how she came through that last run at Te Rapa and everything has gone to plan since. “Joe Doyle came across to ride her in her main gallop this morning and she worked very well on the course proper. Clara Bow will be ridden by Warren Kennedy and she also worked well, as did Acer. All three fillies are very well. “Erin Leighton, who rode Acer well when she won the fillies’ race at New Plymouth and had a close association with the stable when she was in Matamata, will ride her again.” The stable’s star weight-for-age performer Waitak has not raced since his unplaced run in the Gr. 1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day and has been freshened for the drop back in distance on the weekend. “We made the decision to back off and freshen him up, after all he had already had a big year with more to come,” O’Sullivan said. “That way he would get the opportunity to perform up to his best in the last two. “We’re very happy with him heading into the mile race, and that will work well for the step up to 2000 in the Bonecrusher Stakes.” Yamona Satona (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) will be out to enhance his New Zealand Derby prospects when he lines up in the Avondale Guineas off the back of late-finishing thirds in the Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m) and Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m). “Those were both very good runs and he’ll continue along that traditional Derby path on Saturday,” O’Sullivan said. “There’s still plenty of improvement in him and by the time he gets to his main target he won’t lack anything in fitness. “Genki is still a maiden but we do like him as a stayer, but first he has to get a start on Saturday and try and qualify, otherwise he’ll go to Pukekohe next week for a last chance to make the field with a maiden win.” L’Aigle Noire and Panther will both have blinkers added when they line up in Saturday’s Gr. 3 Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m), which for virtually all runners will be a final dress rehearsal for the NZB Kiwi (1500m) on Champions Day. A win by either could well secure Wexford’s slot for the rich three-year-old race, however O’Sullivan is not getting ahead of himself. “That was some run by Panther when he ran second at Ellerslie with nothing going his way and he’s coming to form at the right time,” he said. “L’Aigle Noir had nothing go his way in his last run either, but his form before that was very good. “They worked well together this morning and will go into Saturday sound and happy. We figure the addition of blinkers will sharpen them, so along with the rest of the team, it will be interesting to see how they go.” View the full article

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In a well-watched race for the presence of 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Ewing (Knicks Go), it was Oscar's Hope (Twirling Candy) on his return to sprints who stepped forward to take home the Ozark Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The Tom Amoss-trainee entered this contest off an unsuccessful attempt at two-turns Jan. 3 in the local Smarty Jones Stakes, finishing eighth and off the board for the first time in his six-race career. The runner-up there was Silent Tactic (Tacitus), who returned Feb. 6 at this venue to claim the GIII Southwest Stakes in dominant style. Before that, the son of Twirling Candy had been first or second in every start as a juvenile, winning the Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs two back Nov. 26 in his stakes debut. Cutting back from the 1 1/16-miles to six furlongs here, and leaving the blocks carrying 5-2 odds to Ewing's 3-5 favoritism, Oscar's Hope stalked Tiz Mary's Comet (Good Samaritan) and Swung (Instagrand) from third as that pair kept each other company on the front end. After the former posted an opening quarter in :22.01 and four panels in :45.37, and with Ewing not firing from fifth, Oscar's Hope rolled into contention passing the quarter marker and was the looming danger as they neared the final furlong. Overhauling his challengers from the overland route, he kept on well to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Tiz Mary's Comet held on for second by a length with Swung in third. “He's just a horse that always tries,” said Luis Saez. “He's got a big heart. The key to him today was we got a good post and was right there in the perfect spot. We tracked the speed. We were right behind it and when we came to the top of the stretch, he gave me a big turn of foot.” Of Ewing's sixth-place finish, jockey Cristian Torres said, “He was flat. He broke a step slow, but he never got into the bit, never engaged in the race. I started working on him early, going into the turn, but never responded.” The victor is the first to the races for GIII Schuylerville Stakes-placed Hopeful Princess (Not This Time), a full-sister to SP Johanny. That pair's third sibling, three-time winning mare Everything Magic (Street Sense), is herself the mother of MSP Heldish (Great Notion). Hopeful Princess has one other of racing age after Oscar's Hope, a juvenile colt named Major Ray (Nyquist). Her youngest is a yearling filly by Curlin, and she is due back to Twirling Candy for 2026. This is the immediate female family of GSW Street Magician (Street Cry {Ire}) as well as the dam of MGSW Future Is Now (Great Notion) and MSW & GSP Call Another Play (Audible). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. #9 OSCAR'S HOPE ($7.20) took the lead in the stretch and would pull away to win the $150,000 Ozark Stakes at @OaklawnRacing. The son of Twirling Candy (@LanesEndFarms) was ridden by Luis Saez and is trained by @TomAmossRacing. Michael McLoughlin owns. pic.twitter.com/W2TEzjrvcQ — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 16, 2026 OZARK S., $150,000, Oaklawn, 2-16, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.34, ft. 1–OSCAR'S HOPE, 124, c, 3, by Twirling Candy 1st Dam: Hopeful Princess (GSP), by Not This Time 2nd Dam: More Than Magic, by More Than Ready 3rd Dam: Magical Meadow, by Meadowlake ($150,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-Michael McLoughlin; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Thomas M. Amoss; J-Luis Saez. $85,500. Lifetime Record: 7-4-2-0, $323,434. 2–Tiz Mary's Comet, 119, g, 3, Good Samaritan–Suzie's Dream, by Tiz the One. ($50,000 2yo '25 OBSOPN). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Rotstein, Michael H. and Olof, LLC; B-Norman Stables, LLC (LA); T-Rylee Magnon. $28,500. 3–Swung, 119, c, 3, Instagrand–Queen's Gate, by Divine Park. ($17,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT). O-Chad M. Call; B-Duncan Lloyd (KY); T-Matt Williams. $14,250. Margins: 1HF, 1, HF. Odds: 2.60, 7.80, 9.30. Also Ran: Chad Allan, Gnome, Ewing, My Dream Zapper. Scratched: Dirty Rich, Extract's Arrow. The post Oscar’s Hope Strides Home in Ozark, Ewing Off the Board in Seasonal Bow appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Grade 1 winner Baeza will head East to join the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The move comes just days after the passing of his former trainer, John Shirreffs, who died Feb. 12 at 80. The Daily Racing Form first reported the news. View the full article

Argentine champion and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize–Blues for Sale {Arg}), by Not For Sale {Arg}) died at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital on Monday after complications from foaling, according to Frank Taylor, the Vice President of Boarding Operations at Taylor Made Farms, where the 13-year-old mare has been boarded for her entire breeding career. “She had complications from a hemorrhage,” Taylor said. “She had a foal [by Life Is Good] about a week ago.” According to Taylor, her latest filly is doing well. “She had been at the farm since the foaling,” Taylor said. “We try to keep them quiet when they hemorrhage. We didn't want to ship her to the clinic if we didn't have to, since moving them adds stress, and increases the chances of losing them. But she started to colic [Sunday], and we had to go to the clinic. She died on the operating table.” Winner of a trio of Grade Is in North America–the Spinster in (2018-19) and the 2019 Breeders' Cup Distaff over champion Midnight Bisou–she also won at the highest level in Argentina, taking the G1 Premio Seleccion in 2016, the same season that she was named Argentine Champion 3-year-old Female. Bred by Haras La Manija, the chestnut was acquired by Merriebelle Stable and was sent to Ignacio Correas for her U.S. campaign. In North America, she won eight races in the U.S., including the GII Fleur de Lis, GII Falls City and GIII Locust Grove. Retiring with over $2.6 million in the coffers following her Breeders' Cup victory, the mare was purchased by OXO Equine's Larry Best for $5 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Her initial foal, Playback (Into Mischief), won once from seven career starts for trainer Paulo Lobo. Subsequent foals have yet to start–a 4-year-old colt by Instagrand named Flock Hill in addition to a 3-year-old colt by Practical Joke named Boylston. In 2024, she produced a Life is Good colt and her last reported foal was a filly by the WinStar stallion sired earlier this year. The post Breeders’ Cup Distaff Winner Blue Prize Dies appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Miss Twinkle shined when winning her maiden at Riccarton last month and trainer Andrew Carston is hoping for a repeat performance when he returns to his local track on Wednesday with his filly. The daughter of Zoustar showed a lot of early promise when finishing runner-up to subsequent Group Three performer Out Of The Blue on debut at Riccarton in October, and disappointed in her subsequent two starts before winning fresh-up over 800m last month. Carston was pleased with that performance and believes she has progressed well heading into Wednesday’s Riccarton Park Tanks Gold Members Two-Year-Old (1000m). “It was really good to get her maiden win, she has always shown plenty,” Carston said. “She hasn’t helped herself, she has taken a little while to work it out, but she was impressive last start and has trained on well. “She has drawn well (3) in a pretty similar field (to last start). There are a couple that went well last time as well, but we are pretty happy, she has come on.” Carston has a two-pronged attack in the NZB Mega Maiden Series (2000m) courtesy of Taimate Staar and Baggio, and he is particularly upbeat about the chances of the former. “Taimate Staar was really good in rating 60 grade last week. She drops back into a maiden so she should be very competitive,” Carston said. “Baggio is a long-time maiden but he has been going well and his last three starts have been good. He is Mega Maiden Series eligible, so that is the reason he runs. He has drawn a bad gate (12) and will need a bit of luck.” Carston will line-up a quartet of other runners at the meeting, and he believes last-start runner-up Call To Arms is a good chance of going one better in the Ford Contracting Maiden (1400m). “Call To Arms is a nice horse and is still a little bit wayward but is learning all the time,” he said. “I think he will go close, he should run really well.” Meanwhile, Carston has been pleased with the way Say Satono has come through her placing in the Listed Hazlett Stakes (1400m) earlier this month and is contemplating lining her up at Ashburton on Friday. “Say Satono has come through it really well,” he said. “It was a great result for everyone to get some black-type. “There are a couple of options coming up at Riccarton in the next two or three months for her. I have nominated her for Ashburton on Friday, but I’ll just keep an eye on the weather.” Carston has recently welcomed back promising juvenile I Am Belle and Group Three-performed three-year-old Miss Ziggy into his Riccarton barn following their northern campaigns. I Am Belle was impressive when winning on debut at Riccarton last November before beating just one runner home in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham a month later. “I Am Belle is back in Christchurch and is ticking along nicely,” Carston said. “At this stage we will aim her for the two Listed races at Riccarton in April (Listed Riccarton Park Function Centre Welcome Stakes,1000m) and May (Listed Berkley Stud Champagne Stakes, 1200m).” Miss Ziggy also had a freshen-up following her unplaced run in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and may head to the rescheduled Listed Gore Guineas (1200m) at Riverton in April. “She arrived home last week and she is ticking along nicely,” Cartson said. “She had three weeks off in the paddock and has just started work again. I am unsure where I go, but possibly the rescheduled Gore Guineas could be an option.” View the full article

New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Online Breeding Stock Sale is due to take place again on Gavelhouse Plus this July with dates now confirmed for the stand-alone breeding sale. Breeders will have the opportunity to offer broodmares as well as stallion shares and nominations at a key time ahead of the breeding season. Over the past three years the sale toppers have included Yearn, Asama Blue, Chanel’s Choice and Dee and Geewho fetched $195,000, $126,000 $115,000 and $105,000 respectively. The Sale has been a great source of investment potential, with future progeny going on to sell well at Karaka. Paris, who was offered at the 2024 edition of the Breeding Stock Sale in foal to Sword of State, failed to meet her $7,000 reserve, yet the resultant foal went on to sell at Karaka recently for $90,000. High Tranquilitywas a $30,500 purchase at the 2021 edition of the Breeding Stock Sale, while her Vadamos colt born in 2022 went on to sell for $220,000 at Karaka 2024. “This sale is the perfect opportunity for breeders to assess their portfolio and use a proven platform to buy and sell quality mares,” NZB Bloodstock Sales Manager Kane Jones said. “Further to that, stallion shares and nominations will be on offer, at an ideal time ahead of the breeding season. “We’ve also seen some great investment outcomes with the resulting foals, with many of their offspring going on to achieve great returns at Karaka.” Vendors can upload their entries directly to Gavelhouse Plus from 19 May to 16 June, while the catalogue will go live on Friday 26 June and bidding closes from 6pm (NZT) on Wednesday 8 July. The Sale’s entry fee will remain at $400 + GST and commission will be 5 percent with no pass in fees. For more information about the Sale, contact Patrick Cunningham (+64 21 181 5898 or patrick.cunningham@nzb.co.nz) or Gavelhouse.com Manager Haylie Martin (+64 9 296 4436 or haylie@gavelhouse.com). Key dates: Entries Open: 19 May Entries Close: 16 June Catalogue online on Gavelhouse Plus: 26 June Bidding Opens: 5 July Bidding Closes: From 6pm (NZT) Wednesday 8 July View the full article

On the Feb. 16 episode of BloodHorse Monday: Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith remembers late trainer John Shirreffs, Louie Rabaut and Sean Collins recap Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep action.View the full article

C R K Stable and Grandview Equine's Baeza (McKinzie), winner of the GI Pennsylvania Derby and third in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes last season, will be transferred to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, according to the DRF Monday. The colt was previously trained by John Shirreffs, who passed away last week. “The most important thing is the quality of Bill Mott, the kind of person that Robert Clay and myself relate to,” Lee Searing told DRF. “John Shirreffs would probably have liked that pick.” Baeza, who had been based a Santa Anita with trainer Peter Eurton following Shirreffs's death, worked a half-mile on Sunday. Under rider Amy Vasko, he negotiated a half-mile in :48.80. The half-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Mage and Belmont hero Dornoch is expected to arrive at Mott's Payson Park training base on Thursday. While Mott also trains Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old colt Sovereignty, Searing is confident the colts can remain apart, albeit for a while. “I think there are many races we can keep them separate,” he told DRF. “Everyone wants to get to the Breeders' Cup.” While Searing's horses will reportedly remain with Eurton, including GSW Westwood (Authentic), several of Shirreffs' other trainees have gone sent to other trainers including Bob Hess Jr. and Leonard Powell. The post Grade I Winner Baeza to Mott appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The constellation of stars in Johnny Burke's barn at Keeneland has shifted now that champions Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and Immersive (Nyquist), as well as 2025 GI Kentucky Oaks victress Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro), have shipped south to Payson Park, but the shedrow is just as busy as ever. For Burke, the departure of an elite trio simply makes room for the next wave of talent. Burke, who trained publicly out of The Thoroughbred Center for 15 years, has headed up Godolphin's pre-training and rehabilitation program at Keeneland since 2006. The first group that came through featured multiple Grade I winners Cocoa Beach (CHI) (Doneraile Court) and Music Note (A.P. Indy). The latter's legacy came full circle for Burke when he handled her son, 2021 G1 Dubai World Cup hero Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper). Fellow Darley roster-mates Highland Falls, Maxfield, Cody's Wish and Proxy are a few other notable pupils from recent years. The Godolphin horses that pass through Burke's barn arrive with a wide variety of credentials. Some are unraced prospects needing a few extra months before heading to their racing stable while others are getting back under tack after surgery or injury. Seasoned veterans like the trio of Grade I winners that just departed from Burke's care use the program to ease back into the rhythm of daily training after a layoff. “For most of the horses that come through here, it's just a matter of them needing more time,” explained Burke. “This helps them develop a bit and they're really never off the track unless they're in a paddock for a month. It all benefits the horse in the end.” Burke took the TDN down the shedrow of his Rice Road barn, offering an encyclopedic breakdown of every trainee in his care. He highlights some of the notable graded stakes winners who are set to return to the starting gate in 2026 and a few unraced 3-year-olds who Burke believes possess the raw talent for a bright future. FIRST RESORT (c, 4, Uncle Mo — Fair Maiden, by Street Boss). Winner of 2024 GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes in his most recent start. This horse just came in off a layoff. He'd been out for some time, had a little bit of an issue, but he's back training. He had a very authoritative win in the Jockey Club, so we thought we were in a good spot, but that's racing. It'll give you a curveball every now and again when you don't expect it. He's a very straightforward horse. He'll train here until probably March or April and then go back to Eoin Harty. More than likely he'll stay at Turfway for the summer and then ship accordingly. He's doing well, a lot stronger physically, and he's happy to be back in training. THINK BIG (g, 5, Twirling Candy — Always Thinking, by Street Sense). Winner of the 2025 GII Shakertown Stakes, GII Turf Sprint Stakes and GIII Kelso Stakes. This guy will go back to Mike Stidham during the meet here. He had a little bit of a setback and got some time off, but he's on the right track now. He's probably going to work here by the end of the month. These turf sprinters don't need a thousand miles of training under them. They're just naturally quick. He'll probably be hard-pressed to make the spring meet here, but there will be something at Churchill for him and then there's Saratoga, where he ran last year. He's a lot of fun to have in the barn. These sprinters just get better with age. JEFFERSON STREET (g, 5, Street Sense — Apiary, by Bernardini). Runner-up in the 2024 GII Amsterdam Stakes. Last start October, 2024. He hasn't quite lived up to his form yet. He came back here and had a little setback. We've gelded him. We don't keep a lot of 5-year-olds in the program, but he will go back to Bill Mott probably after the meet. He's got conditions and if he can win a stake, great. NASH (g, 5, Medaglia d'Oro — Sara Louise, by Malibu Moon). Runner-up in the 2024 GIII Lecomtes Stakes and GII Pat Day Miles Stakes. Last start September, 2025. Nash will go back to Brad Cox soon. He's graded stakes placed and has won four times. I think there are still some good miles under this guy. INFINITE SKY (f, 3, Not This Time — Sky Painter, by Street Cry {Ire}). Runner-up in the 2025 GII Jessamine Stakes. Sixth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Half-sister to Grade I winner Wet Paint (Blame). We ended up taking a chip out of her knee and she got some time off. She's just come back under tack and she'll go to Brad Cox during the spring meet. ROSE ROOM (f, 3, Ghostzapper — Speckled, by Street Cry {Ire}). Broke maiden at Delaware Park on 8-7-25. Fourth in Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes in her most recent start. This is Mike Stidham's. She was fourth in a stake at Kentucky Downs and then got turned out. She just needed some time. She'll get better with age and will go back to Mike here in the spring. She's probably a stakes-caliber filly at somewhere like Colonial Downs. SPIN A TUNE (f, 3, Hard Spun — Desert Tune, by Street Cry {Ire}). Broke maiden at Ellis Park on 8-1-25. This is an interesting filly. She ran against the boys in her maiden at Ellis Park going five and a half on the grass. It turns out [future stakes winner] Street Beast (Street Sense) was second and the horse that won, Twilight Delight (Twirling Candy), ended up being stakes placed for Daniel Leitch, so that tells you what she ran into in that maiden race. She needed time off and will go back to Eoin Harty probably for the spring meet. This is a nice filly. The Hard Spun fillies are normally very tough and hardy. ZAMBONI (f, 3, Nyquist — Synchronize, by Tapit). Second on debut at Ellis Park on 8-22-25. This colt was second at Ellis Park in his first start for Brendan Walsh. He was getting ready to run here at Keeneland opening weekend and had a setback in a breeze. He had two screws put in and got three months off. He's back under tack now. Typical of a Nyquist, he's a nice, well-made colt. ACKLEY (c, 3, Street Boss — Arbol, by Elusive Quality). Third on debut at Fair Grounds on 11-27-25. This horse just came in from Mike Stidham. He placed down in Fair Grounds. We took a chip out of his ankle and he's been back on the track for about four weeks. He'll go back to Mike probably after the spring meet. Usually if a horse has run a couple times and breezed recently, with five or six weeks for a P1 chip they don't lose a lot of fitness. It won't take long for them to get caught up. EQUATOR (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Moiety, by Bernardini). Third on debut at Ellis Park on 7-13-25. Last start August, 2025. This horse had some joint surgery and he's been back in training for the last six weeks. I'm probably going to pick up the pace in the next week. I like this horse. His races on the charts look good and he looks to be a horse that will improve as he gets older. LADY BROMPTON (f, 3, Street Sense — Tyburn Brook, by Bernardini). Unraced. This is a half-sister to MGSW Knightsbridge (Nyquist) and a full-sister to Darley stallion Speaker's Corner. She was supposed to go to Florida to Bill Mott on the van that left in January, but she had a bit of a setback here and lost a month of training. It was probably a month that she benefitted from because she was immature, but she's a very nice filly and she's from a great family. CUTTING EDGE (f, 3, Curlin — Innovate Idea, by Bernardini). Unraced. This is the half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile). She breezed here this week [three furlongs in :38.40]. She's a nice filly. We gave her plenty of time because she's a typical Curlin where she needs a bit more time, but she's coming together really well. I expect her to go to Brad Cox during the meet here. I'll get her up to working a half mile before she leaves. That's about as far as I typically breeze them. RISING MOON (c, 3, Tapit — Shuruq, by Elusive Quality). Unraced. This colt was supposed to go to Bill Mott's earlier in the summer last year, but unfortunately he had a little setback with Niall Brennan down in Ocala. I've had him for a while but he's doing really well. He's probably three or four weeks away from picking up the pace and then he'll go back to Bill in the spring. I think we have a little bit of a future with this guy. He's got a lot of the old man in him. He's real professional once he gets on the track and he does his job. RILEY COVE (c, 3, Into Mischief — Lake Avenue, by Tapit). Unraced. This colt is by Into Mischief and you can see the old man in him too. He's out of Lake Avenue, who was a pretty decent filly [Grade II winner]. He had some condylar bruising and got some time off. This one is Bill Mott's. He's been back under tack here for the last two weeks. He will train here until the spring and then he may go over to Churchill Downs for the summer. The post Down the Shedrow with Johnny Burke appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Bill Recio, a respected and accomplished horseman, passed away on Feb. 10 following a brief illness. He was 78 years old. Born in Miami, Florida, Bill was introduced to thoroughbred racing at an early age by his uncle, an owner-trainer. From the moment he experienced the beauty of the horse and the electricity of the racetrack, he knew his life's path would be in the horse business. The quote, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man,” could not have been more true for Bill. Horses were not simply his livelihood – they were his calling. Bill began his career at the racetrack as a hot walker, learning the business from the ground up. Through hard work, determination, and a natural gift with horses, he earned his first major opportunity as an assistant to the late great Arnold Winick. Traveling across the country for prominent owners, Bill built a reputation for horsemanship rooted in patience, instinct, and integrity. After marrying the love of his life, Lynn, they decided that putting down roots would better suit their growing family. Bill accepted the position of farm manager and trainer at Marablue Farm. Though he would later return to training at the track, Bill and Lynn fell in love with Ocala and its ideal environment for developing young horses. They eventually made Ocala their permanent home and founded Lynwood Stable, where Bill dedicated himself to pre-training, rehabilitation, and guiding thoroughbreds both young and seasoned. Teaching young horses their early lessons was one of Bill's greatest joys. He treated every horse as an individual, believing that each one would tell you what it needed–if you were willing to listen. His quiet intuition and steady patience allowed countless horses to thrive under his care. Throughout his career, Bill had the honor of contributing to the development of exceptional racehorses, including Songbird, Omaha Beach, Honor Code, Unbridled Belle, Fleet Indian, Battle of Midway, Oleksandra, Funtastic, Gift Box, Leofric and Guarana. Yet to Bill, every horse was his student, and he valued them all equally. The people who worked alongside him were also his students. Though he could be tough, he invested deeply in mentoring young riders and horsemen, shaping not just better professionals but better people. Bill had a way of sharing his convictions and guiding others to see his perspective, often saying simply, “right or wrong,” as he encouraged them to understand, trust, and learn from his approach. Later in life, Bill and Lynn–his partner of 60 years–were able to travel the world together, visiting racetracks and stables across continents. He often said, “The bond between humans and horses is universal–the common denominator. No matter what language you speak or your socioeconomic status, the love of the horse, that is the bond.” It was a belief he lived every day. He is survived by his devoted wife, Lynn; his daughter, Katie Cauthen (Recio) and son-in-law, Chief Stipe Cauthen; his son Gene Recio. He was preceded in death by his son, Mike Recio. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Campbell (Chief Stipe and Katie) and Addison and Wesley (Mike). Bill Recio's legacy lives on in the countless horses he guided, the horsemen he mentored, and the family he cherished. His life was a testament to hard work, quiet wisdom, and an enduring love for the horse The post Bill Recio, Notable Horseman, Dies at 78 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

RIVER WIND (f, 3, Lexitonian–Rachae Leigh, by Stormin Fever) entered this unveiling with a sharp worktab to her credit for trainer Norm Casse, and was supported by the betting public to the tune of 4-1 odds. Breaking well as Quick to Charm (Goldencents) was herded out, the daughter of Lexitonian stepped out to set the fractions and posted an opening quarter of :21.87 with a clear advantage on her rivals. Under a drive but well clear after a half-mile in :45.45, River Wind entered the lane three wide but still moving forwardly as the margin increased to 8 1/4 lengths on the wire. Quick to Charm closed from last to claim second. The victress is the most recent to the races for Rachae Leigh, who claims four successful offspring of competition age from five on the ground. The mare's youngest is a yearling colt by Rombauer, and she is due to Blazing Sevens in 2026. Rachae Leigh is a half-sister to MGSW Stryker PhD (Bertrando) and MSW Madame Pele (Salt Lake), herself mother of SP Ali Alley (Quality Road). This is the extended female family of GSW All Squared Away (Bellamy Road). 1st-Oaklawn, $110,000, Msw, 2-16, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.13, ft, 8 1/4 lengths. RIVER WIND (f, 3, Lexitonian–Rachae Leigh, by Stormin Fever) Sales history: $20,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $155,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $66,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Turman Racing Stable, LLC, Resilient Six Stables, LLC and TJR Thoroughbreds; B-Javie Woodstock, LLC & Javier Hernandez (KY); T-Norm W. Casse. On debut #1 RIVER WIND ($10.40) was impressive going gate-to-wire while running away from the field in the stretch to easily win the opener at @OaklawnRacing. The 2yo daughter of Lexitonian was ridden by @JockeyRamonVazq and is trained by @NormCasse. pic.twitter.com/qm90hRtcL4 — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 16, 2026 The post Lexitonian’s River Wind Strides Home Well on Debut at Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article