Wandering Eyes

Three-year-old filly Ultimate Habit (NZ) (Embellish) took an important step toward her tilt at the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Ellerslie on Saturday week with a strong trial win at Te Aroha on Wednesday. The Robbie Patterson-trained filly was a stunning last-start winner of the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) and is rated a $9 chance in the Oaks in a market headed by $1.90 favourite Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park). Ultimate Habit oozed quality when coming from last in an 1100m heat on Wednesday to win under her own steam in a trial against quality older horses. “I wanted to go to the Ellerslie trials on Tuesday but we couldn’t get a suitable trial there so I have had to come here to Te Aroha,” Patterson said. “She finished off nicely against some good horses, and she’s only three with a lot ahead of her in the future.” Patterson said Ultimate Habit had made good progress since her Lowland victory, which came at just start number four for the daughter of Embellish. “She’s progressed very well. She is a beautiful filly and easy to work with,” he said. “She came home in 32.7 (for the last 600m) the other day over 2100m. They just don’t do that, so she’s something special and if we can get her to relax over the 2400m at Ellerslie, she’s going to give Ohope Wins a run for her money, I hope.” Patterson knows what it takes to prepare a New Zealand Oaks winner, having saddled last year’s winner Leica Lucy (NZ) (Derryn), who also progressed from a win in the Lowland Stakes. Equally pleased with Wednesday’s hit-out was rider Craig Grylls, who said the filly handled going right-handed for the first time with aplomb. “That was a really nice trial today,” he said. “She’s improved again. I was thinking that dropping back to an 1100 metre trial today that she might be a little bit flat. “The objective was to let her have a go around this way and it was a shame they deleted the open heats from Ellerslie yesterday so Rob’s decided to come here and I think it’s been well worth the trip. “She got around this direction with no problem and just relaxed well. All I really did was bring her into the clear with 250m to run and she’s picked them up nicely. “She’s a pretty smart filly and it looks like she’s continuing to improve so I’m really looking forward to the Oaks in a couple of weeks’ time.” Ultimate Habit was bred by Hawke’s Bay couple Graham and Isabell Roddick and stems from the same family as 11-time Group One winner Rough Habit. View the full article

Tyro trainer Benji King has enjoyed the reflected glory from unbeaten filly Well Written (Written Tycoon), but on Saturday he will be out to generate his very own headlines with the star of his small team, Mid Ocean (NZ) (Ocean Park). King has become well known for selecting Well Written from a Melbourne weanling sale and on-selling her a year later to Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh through Dylan Johnson Bloodstock. Instead of being disappointed about the one that got away, he has taken a positive attitude by celebrating what Well Written has achieved this season. More importantly, he’s been making definite progress as he establishes his own training operation from stables leased from the Matamata Racing Club, having prepared six winners from less than 50 starters. At Saturday’s big local meeting he’ll bid for his first stakes win with Mid Ocean in the Listed Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (1400m) for a special client. Mid Ocean, the winner of two of her seven starts, the most recent of those at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, races in the historic colours of her breeder, Henrietta, the Dowager Duchess of Bedford. “Through my family I’ve known Henrietta for as long as I can remember and it’s a privilege to now be training for her,” he said. “She was the first person to give me a go when I decided to go training and for all sorts of reasons it would mean so much to see Mid Ocean run well on Saturday.” Matamata’s headline race, the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), was sponsored for several years by the Duchess of Bedford in memory of her late husband Robin, the Duke of Bedford. Just as significantly, the Duchess is also a good friend of Matamata’s Chittick and O’Sullivan families and was particularly close to the late Lisa Chittick, after whom Saturday’s fillies and mares’ feature is named. King is realistic about his chances of winning with Mid Ocean, who is closely related to the Bloomsbury Stud-bred Tavistock and descends from the iconic broodmare Mrs Moss. “She’s definitely got ability and we believe she deserves her chance in a race like this, but as a two-win horse she has a number of more proven horses to beat, and that wide draw (13) won’t help. “I’m trying to keep the emotion out of it, but I would love nothing more than to win this race for Henrietta, who’s very excited about the weekend. “On the positive side, Mid Ocean showed what she’s capable of when she beat a strong progressive field on Boxing Day and nothing went her way when she finished third at Ellerslie last month. “She’s not the sort of horse to star on the training track, but her Tuesday gallop was probably the best I’ve seen her work and the feedback from Sam (Collett) confirmed that. “We’ll need a race with plenty of speed so that she can hopefully slot in somewhere, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if she was to get amongst it, provided she gets the right run.” Mid Ocean apart, other members of King’s 10-horse team have been in good form this summer with the promise of more to come. Last-start Ellerslie winner Burnerphone (NZ) (Microphone) will line up on her home track later this month, and fellow lightly raced winners Predominance (NZ) (Preferment) and Empressive (NZ) (Eminent) are back from time out. King produced a likely sort in Savile Row three-year-old My Gabriel (NZ) (Savile Row) to win a trial first time of asking at Ellerslie on Tuesday, while a recent addition is former Australian galloper Blesstas (The Autumn Sun), the winner of three provincial races. “She’s by The Autumn Sun and is half-sister to a South Australian Derby winner, so it’s great to be given a chance with a horse that seems to have a fair bit going for it,” King said. View the full article

Here's a Triple Crown question for you. Who is the only undefeated, grade 1-winning on dirt 3-year-old still in training for the Kentucky Derby? No cheating. View the full article

Easterly and Bless Her both break their maidens at Gulfstream Park to earn recognition for this week's Maiden Watch. View the full article

Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia, post time: 20:40, SAUDI CUP-G1, $20,000,000, NH/SH4yo/up, 1800m Field: Banishing (Ghostzapper), Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), Haqeet (Arrogate), Luxor Cafe (American Pharoah), Mhally (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev), Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach), Nysos (Nyquist), Rattle N Roll (Connect), Star Of Wonder (Uncle Mo), Sunrise Zipangu (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Thundersquall (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance), Ameerat Alzamaan (GB) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}). Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia, post time: 19:10, NEOM TURF CUP (Presented By HOWDEN)-G1, $3,000,000, NH/SH4yo/up, 2100mT Field: Alohi Alii (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), Bolide Porto (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}), Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchesters {Ire}), Galen (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Phantom Flight (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), Royal Champion (Ire) (Shamardal), Shin Emperor (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), Silawi (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Yamanin Bouclier (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), Direct Security (Ire) (Sioux Nation), Survie (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}). Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia, post time: 19:50, RED SEA TURF HANDICAP (Presented by Longines)-G2, $2,500,000, NH/SH 4yo/up, 3000mT Field: Presage Nocturne (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Tabletalk (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Epic Poet (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Sons And Lovers (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), Struve (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), Tennessee Stud (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Burdett Road (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), Goodie Two Shoes (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), Espoir Avenir (Fr) (Montmartre {Fr}), Vermicelles (Jpn) (Gold Ship {Jpn}), Real Dream (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Tarriance (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia, post time: 18:25, 1351 TURF SPRINT (Presented By Qiddiya City)-G2, $2,000,000, NH/SH 4yo/up, 1351mT Field: Annaf (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}), Comanche Brave (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Fortune Time (Jpn) (Greater London {Jpn}), Geography (Jpn) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Lazzat (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), Love De Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Marvelman (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Panja Tower (Jpn) (Tower Of London {Jpn}), Reef Runner (The Big Beast), Shin Forever (Complexity), Zefzaf (Mo Town), Zio Jo (Nyquist), Time To Dazzle (Not This Time). Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia, post time: 17:40, RIYADH DIRT SPRINT (Presented By Saudi National Bank)-G2, $2,000,000, NH/SH 3yo/up, 1200m Field: American Stage (Into Mischief), Colour Up (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Don Amitie (Jpn) (Asia Express), Echo Point (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Imagination (Into Mischief), Just Beat The Odds (Munnings), Lovesick Blues (Grazen), Muqtahem (Ire) (Soldier's Call {GB}), Royal Zabeel (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Self Improvement (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}), Transferred (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Yamanin Cerchi (Jpn) (Four Wheel Drive), Gabby's Sister (Jpn) (Apollo Kingdom). Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia, post time: 17:00, SAUDI DERBY (Presented By ZOOD Realty)-G3, $1,500,000, NH/SH 3yo, 1600m Field: Acknowledgemeplz (Bucchero), Al Haram (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), Best Green (Jpn) (Smart Falcon {Jpn}), Cielo Di Roma (Fr) (Romanised {Ire}), Keiai Agito (Jpn) (Espoir City {Jpn}), My World (Essential Quality), Obliteration (Violence), Satono Voyage (Jpn) (Into Mischief), Shayem (Ire) (King Of Change {GB}), Tuwajeri (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}), Union Security (Maximum Security), Very Connected (Connect), Wonder Dean (Jpn) (Dee Majesty {Jpn}), Tokai Ma Cherie (Jpn) (Drefong). Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia, post time: 16:20, TUWAIQ CUP (Presented By SHG)-Listed, $1,000,000, NH/SH4yo/up, 1800m Field: Akfeek (Macho Uno), Alaham (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}), Bernard Shaw (Into Mischief), Carracci (Quality Road), Final Destination (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Havildar (Arrogate), Jack Red Cloud (Ire) (Sioux Nation), Lionel (Authentic), Michael Scofield (Tiz The Law), Power Of Beauty (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}), Riyadh El Ezz (Demarchelier {GB}), Sa'aeid (Munnings), Scotland Yard (Quality Road), Wadaatak Allah (Hard Spun), Waqtuk (Not This Time), Webinar (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), Wootton'sun (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Ya Dar (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}), Gharamy (Ire) (King Of Change {GB}). Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Can Shin Emperor Double Up In Neom Turf Cup? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey and veterinarian Ferrin Peterson has launched her latest “The Boundless Podcast,” and her guest is Dr. Kayce Anderson, who is the daughter of WinStar Farm co-founder Bill Casner. Anderson is the executive director of the charity “For the Good.” In her bio on the organization's website, she is described as “a humanitarian, ecologist, mom, explorer, and student.” The For the Good website describes the charity's work as follows: “We work in a region of Kenya that has been labeled as 'not wanting education.' Our experience shows us the opposite: that many Maasai parents recognize the value of education and desire it for their children. We work with them to address barriers of access to affordable education, especially those experienced by girls.” During the podcast, Anderson shares how For the Good began with a simple but massive barrier: many girls miss school during puberty because they don't have access to menstrual hygiene products. What started as providing reusable sanitary pads–paired with reproductive health education–evolved into something even larger: enrolling out-of-school students (most of them girls) and partnering with Maasai communities in Narok County to build local, affordable secondary schools. You'll hear why humility matters more than “having the answers,” what it really takes to earn trust with elders and educators, and how sustainable impact is built through shared ownership–sometimes literally one goat at a time. Anderson breaks down the community-matching model that funds these schools, the patience required to work at the “pace of the earth,” and why education is both a lifeline and a tool for preserving culture and protecting land rights. This conversation is a powerful reminder that real change isn't fast, flashy, or imposed–it's relational, community-led, and built to last. To learn more or support For the Good, click here. The post Latest Episode Of Ferrin Peterson’s “The Boundless Podcast” Features Interview With Dr. Kayce Anderson appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Legendary Hall of Fame trainer King Leatherbury died at his home the morning of Feb. 10. He was 92. His horses won 6,508 races and earned $64,693,537. Leatherbury captured 52 training titles in Maryland and four meet titles at Delaware Park.View the full article

If a Chad Brown-trained 3-year-old son of Gun Runner lining up for the Risen Star Stakes (G2) feels familiar, it's for good reason. Sierra Leone took that path two years ago, and now Paladin is following suit.View the full article

Big returns to the races was the hallmark of many of the five fleet fillies this week, but it wasn't the 2025 champ who took down the number one spot. 5. ME AND MOLLY McGEE, SA, 2/7-6th, 7 furlongs (Video) Beyer Speed Figure-93 (2nd). (f, 4, by Vekoma-Molly McGee, by Quality Road) O-Exline-Border Racing, Aaron Kennedy, Mike Burns, Susanna Wilson and Dan Hudock. B-Four Pillars Holdings (Ky). T-Peter Eurton. J-Hector Berrios. This was a best-case-scenario return after she was vanned off the Saratoga track following the GI Test Stakes last August with a left-hind splint bone fracture and a laceration. Fortunately, her injuries didn't require surgery, and she made a splashy comeback in the GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes despite the layoff to clearly hold second behind 2/5 Splendora (below) after setting the fractions–and now she's Grade II stakes placed. 4. RUNAMILEINMYSHOES, SA, 2/6-8th, 1 mile (Video) Beyer Speed Figure-94 (m, 5, by Street Boss-Intoitagain, by Into Mischief) O-Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber. B-Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal (Cal). T-Peter Miller. J-Emisael Jaramillo. First time back off a $50,000 claim, she immediately picked up a $54,600 payday with a solid win. And it was on dirt, which might be the key. She had run 17 of her 19 races on grass, but now is 3-for-3 on dirt–and even if you don't look at figures, this jumps out as her strongest effort to date. She's well named, too: 15 of her 20 starts have been at a mile. 3. SPLENDORA, SA, 2/7-6th, 7 furlongs (Video) Beyer Speed Figure-96. (m, 5, by Audible-Miss Freeze, by Frost Giant) O-By Talla Racing. B-The Elkstone Group (Md). T-Bob Baffert. J-Juan Hernandez. Splendora | Benoit The talented GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint heroine picked up right where she left off in the newly- christened D. Wayne Lukas Stakes, and this time even overcame a somewhat sluggish break. She lost an Eclipse Award to Shisospicy (Mitole) in what looked like a coin-flip decision, but that's the only loss she has suffered over the last 6 1/2 months. 2. NITROGEN, OP, 2/7-9th, 1 1/16 miles (Video) Beyer Speed Figure-97. (f, 4, by Medaglia d'Oro-Tiffany Case, by Uncle Mo) O/B-D J Stable (Ky). T-Mark Casse. J-Jose Ortiz. Jose Ortiz rode her like a 1/5 shot, and once he woke her up at the 3/16ths she powered past improving stablemate Nerazurri (Protonico) and the GIII Bayakoa Stakes trophy was in the case. With his 1-2 finish, Casse's 45% Oaklawn juggernaut continues and Nitrogen surely looms the early favorite for the Apr. 11 GI Apple Blossom Handicap. 1. MOON SPUN, GP, 2/7-10th, 5 furlongs (turf) (Video) Beyer Speed Figure-99. (m, 5, by Hard Spun-Moonlit Bay, by Malibu Moon) O-Town and Country Racing. B-Jack Liebau Sr (Ky). T-Brian Lynch. J-Javier Castellano. “She always beats the gate,” jockey Javier Castellano said of Moon Spun, and that was definitely the case in Gulfstream's Ladies Turf Sprint. She can be tough and spirited, and the waters will surely get much deeper than this ungraded stakes–but she has won four straight including three her return from a forced 13-month layoff. The post Five Fleet Fillies Of The Week, Feb. 2-8 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Easterly and Bless Her both break their maidens at Gulfstream Park to earn recognition for this week's Maiden Watch. View the full article

Kentucky's horse industry is strong by any measure: economically, culturally, and politically. But that strength did not happen by accident. It was built through years of consistent engagement with lawmakers by groups such as the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA), the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club (KTFMC), and the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP). Participation by industry members at KEEP Day at the Capitol on Thursday, February 12, is critical, even without a pressing legislative crisis. For legislators, KEEP Day is not about a single bill or budget line. It's about relationships and understanding. Lawmakers are responsible for hundreds of issues each session and often only hear from industries when problems arise. When horse industry participants take time to introduce themselves, explain their work, and share how horses support jobs and communities back home, it creates context that lasts far beyond one meeting. Speaker of the House David Osborne highlighted this during the 2025 KEEP Day, pointing to challenges facing the horse industry in states like Florida and California. In those cases, lawmakers are scrambling to understand an industry they haven't been consistently engaged with. Kentucky has avoided that scenario precisely because the horse industry has stayed involved during both good times and bad. Former Senate Floor Leader Damon Thayer also noted the importance of consistent engagement and would frequently highlight the work of the optometrists who would bring an army of advocates to Frankfort every year, whether they had an issue before the legislature or not. I have seen first-hand how exposure to horses can completely alter a person's perspective on our industry. I have experienced this with KEEP Day, too. Giving lawmakers a view of the industry and building those relationships opens up new perspectives that they previously did not have. Legislators frequently note that it is far easier to support an industry when they know the people behind it. A breeder, farm employee, veterinarian, or small business owner brings meaning to economic statistics and reinforces why sound policy matters. Those relationships were essential to past successes, from protecting historical horse racing to establishing and protecting industry incentive funds. KEEP Day at the Capitol also matters because the General Assembly is always changing. New lawmakers arrive each year, many representing horse country but lacking direct exposure to the industry. Early, informal conversations help shape how they view future policy questions. Kentucky's horse industry may be thriving, but legislators will tell you that success requires vigilance. Engagement prevents complacency and helps ensure Kentucky remains a national model rather than a cautionary tale. Showing up matters. KEEP Day at the Capitol is a simple but powerful way to protect the industry's future, by continuing the relationships that have already served Kentucky so well. RSVP to KEEP Day here. Rob Tribbett Watercress Farm KEEP Vice Chair The post Letter to the Editor: Why Showing Up Matters: KEEP at the Capitol appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hall of Fame trainer King Leatherbury, whose career spanned eight decades and included 52 training titles combined at Pimlico and Laurel, has passed away. He was 92 and died Tuesday at his home. “He's one of a kind, said one of his twin sons, Taylor Leatherbury. “There's never been a man more appropriately named than my father.” Born in Shady Side, Maryland, Leatherbury was raised on a farm where his father had horses. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in business administration, Leatherbury went to work on the track and won his first race in 1959 at Sunshine Park, now known as Tampa Bay Downs. But it was in Maryland that he made a name for himself. The quartet of Leatherbury, Grover “Bud” Delp, Richard Dutrow and John Tammaro Jr., also known as the “Big Four,” dominated the circuit throughout most of the seventies and eighties. Leatherbury's specialty was claiming horses. He had a knack for finding cheap horses with an upside, ones he thought he could maneuver up the claiming ladder. “My people would claim horses for $20,000, $10,000, $5,000 and buy a yearling for $22,000, something like that,” Leatherbury told Tom Pedulla in 2020. “I didn't have big clients who wanted to spend $1 million for a horse or $100,000 even.” Between 1972 and 1997, he won at least 100 races every year and from 1974 to 1984, his total hit 200 annually. He led all trainers in wins in 1977 and 1978, winning 322 in 1977 and 304 the next year. In addition to his training titles at the Maryland tracks, he won four titles at Delaware Park. “I was making good claims,” Leatherbury told Pedulla. “You have an owner and you start winning for them and they claim more horses.” With 6,508 career wins, he is the fifth winningest trainer of all time. Occasionally, Leatherbury would come up with a stakes horse. His Taking Risks won the GI Iselin Handicap and the GIII Baltimore Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap in 1994, and his Thirty Eight Go Go won eight stakes from 1987 through 1990. Leatherbury won the GI Hempstead Handicap with Catatonic in 1994. “Nobody in the history of racing…has done what he's done the last 25 years: that being training the horses from speed figures, the Racing Form, using top assistants and veterinarians,” Delp told turf writer Vinnie Perrone in the May 20, 1993 edition of The Washington Post. “Believe me, King Leatherbury can train any racehorse that ever lived, and train him to perfection.” Having compiled so many wins over so many years, Leatherbury had what some considered Hall of Fame-worthy credentials, but his status as a claiming trainer always seemed to hold him back. That all changed with the emergence of Ben's Cat, who took the veteran trainer on a ride beyond anything he had ever experienced before. Bred and owned by Leatherbury, Ben's Cat was by Parker's Storm Cat, who won only one of four career starts and earned $40,800. The dam was Twofox, a winner of 3 of 23 starts. Ben's Cat suffered a broken pelvis at 2 and did not race until his 4-year-old year in 2010, but what was to become was something right out of a storybook. A sprinter, Ben's Cat won 32 races, 26 of them stakes, and earned $2,643,782. He was named Maryland-bred Horse of the Year four times, from 2011 to 2014. A year before Ben's Cat retired, Leatherbury was inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was an honor, he said, that never would have happened if Ben's Cat had not come along. “The excuse (for why he had not been voted into the Hall of Fame) was years ago that Leatherbury wins a lot of races, but he doesn't perform at the top levels,” the trainer told Frank Vespe in 2017. “That was true, but I had to deal with the horses that I had. But Ben's Cat did perform at that level.” At age 11, Ben's Cat retired in 2017. For Leatherbury, Ben's Cat's accomplishments marked one last chance to enjoy the spotlight. The trainer, well into his eighties, saw his numbers dwindle down to a precious few. Between 2019 and 2021, the same trainer who had had as many as 365 wins in a single year, won just six races. He retired in 2023, starting just one horse that year. “I'm 87 years old, for God's sake. Nobody is going to give me horses,” he told the TDN in September, 2020 after winning his first race of the year, which marked the 62nd consecutive year he had at least one winner. “I feel perfectly good and healthy but when I visit my family plot down there, where my whole family has been buried, there's this little sign. It says, 'King Leatherbury, coming soon.'” he jokingly told the TDN. Leatherbury is also a member of the Anne Arundel County Hall of Fame and received a lifetime achievement award from the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. He served as president of both the Maryland Horse Breeders' Association and Maryland Million Ltd, and served on the board of directors at Timonium. He is honored each year at Laurel Park with the running of the King T. Leatherbury Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Linda Marie Heavener Leatherbury, 82; twin sons, Taylor and Todd, 58; and grandson Heavener, 18. The post Hall Of Fame Trainer King Leatherbury Passes At 92 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's Win, Place, Show: The Annual Student Art Exhibition, presented by the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, will open to the public in the Museum's von Stade Gallery on Feb. 14. The exhibition, which will feature more than 60 works of art from Capital Region students in grades 3-7, will run through Mar. 15. A second exhibition for grades 8-12 will open on Mar. 28 and runs through Apr. 26. Submissions for the grades 8-12 show will be accepted through Mar. 15. Each entry must be accompanied by a submission form. To access, click here. Completed entries can then be dropped off at the Museum during normal operating hours. A panel of judges will select a first-, second-, and third-place winner from each exhibition. The first-place winner for each will receive a slate of prizes. All student artists, their families, and anyone in their party will receive complimentary admission to the Museum during the duration of the exhibition. Student artists and their families are invited to participate in a closing ceremony, held on the last day of each exhibition at 2 p.m., to enjoy complimentary refreshments courtesy of Stewart's Shops. The Museum will also host The Forgotten Foundation: How Black Equestrians Helped Build American Thoroughbred Racing, scheduled for Feb. 16 and Feb. 19. The seminar explores the impact and legacy of Black equestrians in American thoroughbred racing. From early trailblazers to Gilded Age legends to today's participants in the sport, this lecture traces the history of Black equestrians and their vital contributions to racing. The seminars will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 16 and at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The event is free for Museum members and is included with paid admission for non-members. As the seminar on the 19th takes place following regular Museum hours, paid guests will be given a voucher to visit the Museum at another date of their choosing–no pre-registration is required–simply arrive at the Museum, and a staff member will direct you to the lecture location. For more information, please visit www.racingmuseum.org. The post Win, Place, Show: The Annual Student Art Exhibition Opens Feb. 14 at the National Museum appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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

Penn National will raise purses by 5% for the 2026 racing season that begins Feb. 19 and lower takeout rates for the Trifecta and Superfecta.View the full article

Henry Beeby says that Goffs “can't wait to get going for the year” ahead of the February Sale which features progeny by Havana Grey, Mehmas, New Bay, Night Of Thunder, Sands Of Mali, Sea The Stars, Walk In The Park and Starman as well a brother [lot 53] to recent Grade 2 mares' hurdle winner Feet Of A Dancer (Authorized). Pinhookers resembled happy cows being let out to spring grass for the first time on the eve of the two-day February Sale, which kicks off the Goffs sale season at 10am on Wednesday. Beeby said, “Our February Sale is always a reactionary catalogue to the autumn sales and it is a very good and balanced catalogue. The Wednesday session is up from 248 to 266 weanlings and there is obviously more Flat than National Hunt. There are some very smart pedigrees in there and the pinhookers will be out in force. You see a lot of the serious buyers have been here on Monday and Tuesday and we have some good drafts from Moyglare Stud and more. We finish off with a newly-introduced point-to-point section and that is a definite reaction to requests given a number of point-to-point handlers were asking for a sale in Ireland at this time of the year.” He added, “The pinhookers always come to this sale. It's a very diverse catalogue so it appeals to everyone. Along with the strong domestic buying bench, we have lots of Eastern Europeans here, people from France and a lot of British buyers as well. It's very funny, because when you get to December, everyone is on their knees as it's the end of the sales season and all people want to do is go home. Come this time of year, all people want to do is get out of their house and go to the sales! So there's a great atmosphere around the place and we can't wait to get going for the year.” Well-known bookmaker Brian Keenan, who breeds 10 to 12 National Hunt mares every year and consigns under Ballymurray Farm, will offer the Affinisea half-brother to Feet Of A Dancer. That Paul Noaln-trained mare couldn't have been more impressive when landing a Grade 2 contest at Doncaster last month and is just 10-1 for the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham. Keenan, whose father Brian had his recognisable pink silks carried by the smart Noel Meade-trained chaser Sir Oj over 20 years ago now, said the slew of good results with Feet Of A Dancer presented too good of an opportunity not to present the latest offspring by Leah Claire at public auction. He said, “The Affinisea is a baby June foal and, normally, you'd be thinking about keeping them and letting them mature. But I just thought, with the page after exploding into life and with Affinisea really doing well, I thought now was the time to bring her to the sales.” He added, “I got a massive kick out of Feet Of A Dancer winning at Doncaster – you'd swear I owned her myself. She won her Listed race by nine lengths, went on and gave Wodhooh a fright at Christmas and then won the Grade 2 at Doncaster. It was great fun. We bought the mare a couple of years ago in foal to Masked Marvel. I have a Santiago three-year-old for the store sales this year and this fella as well. “Given he was born in June, it became way too late to cover her so we said we'd wait until this year and get her good and early. Feet Of A Dancer's brother, Act Of Authority, was actually second to Wodhooh in the Martin Pipe last year so she could do with clearing off! But look, Leah Claire was a nine-time winner herself and was Stakes-placed over both codes so it's not a fluke. She's obviously breeding horses with plenty of ability. I've had plenty of luck with later foals at this sale – fillies especially. So, when we saw the pedigree update, we had absolutely no hesitation in coming here.” Meanwhile, Whitsbury Manor Stud will offer one of the most sought after lots of the entire sale through the Baroda Stud-drafted Havana Grey filly [260], who is a full-sister to Listed winner Havana Ball. Like Keenan, Whitsbury has enjoyed luck at the Goffs February Sale in the past, and the stud's Joe Callan is optimistic the good run can continue at Kildare Paddocks. He said, “We have always liked this filly. We took her here in November, where we thought she would stack up quite well, but she picked up a minor knock just a few days beforehand and we were forced to withdraw her. We decided there and then that she was too nice a filly to be showing with a wrap on and we said we'd give her a chance to come to this sale, which has been good to us in the past. We know the buyers always turn up to this sale so we're hoping that she might stand out.” The post “We Can’t Wait To Get Going” – February Sale Gets Goffs Up And Running For 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Del Mar's 2026 stakes schedule will offer $7,775,000 in purses, including five overnight stakes each carrying a $100,000 prize. The seaside Southern California track will present six grade 1 stakes over the course of its eight weeks of racing. View the full article

Following a review of its contemporary Hall of Fame voting panel and a comprehensive evaluation of the overall nominating and election process, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has made several updates prior to the 2026 election cycle. A voter survey was conducted in December 2025 to guarantee an electorate that is deeply connected to the sport, knowledgeable, passionate and responsive. That survey resulted in more than two dozen voters who received ballots in last year's election being cycled off prior to the 2026 process. Additionally, several new voters were invited to participate this year, resulting in a contemporary voting group comprised of 154 members in 2026, down from 172 voters in 2025. Retired candidates selected by the Nominating Committee as finalists may appear on the Hall of Fame ballot a maximum of 10 times. Previously, there was no limit to the number of times a candidate could be a finalist within the 25-year eligibility window before timing out and transitioning to the Historic Review process. This policy will apply to all horses and retired jockeys and trainers. There will be no limit to the number of times an active jockey or trainer can appear on the ballot, as their credentials are evolving. Hall of Fame voters will receive past voting percentages as a reference tool to help evaluate the viability of candidates and how they are trending. All Hall of Fame voting will be done electronically (email) through the independent auditor McKenna and Franck CPAs, PC, based in Saratoga Springs. Ballots will no longer be physically mailed to voters. Materials for the 2026 election will be emailed to voters in mid-February when the finalists are announced. These changes were made by Museum management in conjunction with recently appointed Nominating Committee Chair D. G. Van Clief, after consultation with the Nominating Committee, and were approved by Museum Board Chair Charlotte Weber. “Our goals are to ensure this process is always defined by absolute integrity and that it yields the most deserving class of Hall of Fame inductees each year,” Van Clief said. “We are fortunate that our Nominating Committee is both eminently capable of and fully dedicated to supporting these goals. With this year's updates to our process and the changes to refresh our voting roster, I am confident that the Hall of Fame will be welcoming inductees to its ranks who will make the sport proud and stand the test of time.” “I fully support the changes D. G. Van Clief and Museum management have made concerning the voting panel and overall election process,” Weber added. “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the greatest honor in any sport. It is of the utmost importance for the Museum to continually evaluate its procedures and evolve with the best interests of the institution and the sport as its guiding foundational principles.” The post Hall of Fame Voting Panel and Procedure Updated appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Retired candidates selected by the nominating committee as finalists may appear on the Hall of Fame ballot a maximum of 10 times. Previously, there was no limit to the number of times a candidate could be a finalist within the 25-year window.View the full article

The official logo for the 158th running of the GI Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, which will be held at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday June 6, was released by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) on Tuesday. This year will mark the third and final edition of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. Beginning in 2027, the Belmont Stakes will return to its permanent home on Long Island at a new Belmont Park. The 2026 Belmont Stakes logo is centered around the Marylou Whitney Entrance at Saratoga, featuring three flags to acknowledge the conclusion of an unprecedented period when Saratoga played host to the Belmont Stakes. The Marylou Whitney Entrance was dedicated by NYRA in 2019 to honor Whitney's legacy and pay tribute to her passionate support for horse racing and commitment to the Saratoga Springs community. The five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held from Wednesday, June 3, through Sunday, June 7 at Saratoga Race Course. Tickets for the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 12 at www.BelmontStakes.com. The post 2026 Belmont Stakes Logo Unveiled appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 35th edition of the Aug. 22 $1-million GI Pacific Classic tops 37 stakes slated for this summer's 87th season at Del Mar. The “Classic” will headline a card featuring the GI Del Mar Oaks, GII Del Mar Mile and the GII Green Flash Handicap. Del Mar opens its summer season on Friday, July 17, featuring 32 days of racing through Monday, Sept. 7, Labor Day. This year's stakes schedule will offer $7,775,000 in purses, including five overnight stakes each carrying a $100,000 prize. Additionally, there have been two purses magnified on the regular schedule–the Green Flash boosted from $150,000 to $200,000, and the traditional opening day Ceasars Sportsbook Oceanside Handicap increased from $100,000 to $150,000. The seaside track will present six Grade I stakes over the course of its eight weeks of racing. The first of those is the $400,000 Bing Crosby on July 25 and followed by the $400,000 Clement L. Hirsch on Aug. 1 In addition to the Pacific Classic and the Del Mar Oaks, the track will offer the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 5 and the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 6. Those last two seven-furlong tests are the championship races for 2-year-olds at the meet. Del Mar track will offer 10 Grade II stakes and five Grade III events during its summer stand. Also, 18 of the added-money races will be conducted on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course and eight of the stakes have been designated for California-bred runners. Other changes of note on the lineup consist of four 2-year-old races lengthened by half a furlong. Both the CTBA Stakes (Aug. 2) and the Graduation Stakes (Aug. 7) will stretch out to 5 1/2 furlongs, while the Generous Portion Stakes (Sept. 4) and the I'm Smokin Stakes (Sept. 7) now go at six panels. Six Del Mar stakes have been designated Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” races: Bing Crosby (Sprint), Clement L. Hirsch (Distaff), Green Flash (Turf Sprint), Pacific Classic (Classic), Del Mar Handicap (Turf) and Pat O'Brien (Dirt Mile). “This stakes schedule showcases the very best of Del Mar racing, highlighted by the $1-Million Pacific Classic and six Grade I events, and offers a wide range of opportunities for our horsemen and horsewomen,” said Del Mar president Josh Rubinstein. “Del Mar's 2026 stakes schedule reflects a continued commitment to quality, competitiveness and opportunity,” said Gary Fenton, chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. “From the $1-Million Pacific Classic to a deep supporting program, this is the kind of structure that benefits owners, horsemen and the long-term health of California racing.” For the complete stakes schedule, click here. First post daily at Del Mar will be 2 p.m. On closing weekend, Saturday, Sunday and Monday cards will go off at 1:30 p.m. The post $1-Million Pacific Classic Tops 2026 Del Mar Stakes Schedule appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The four-time Group 1 winner Legarto (Proisir) will be offered as part of the Attunga Stud draft at May's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Trained in New Zealand by Ken and Bev Kelso, Legarto registered her latest top-level success in the Herbie Dyke Stakes at Te Rapa on Saturday, regaining the title she'd previously won in 2024. An 11-time winner from 23 career starts, the now-six-year-old also ran out a determined winner of the Australian Guineas at Flemington back in 2023. Legarto is set to make at least one more appearance on a racecourse before heading to auction, with next month's G1 New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie confirmed as an intended target, before a potential tilt at the G1 Australian Cup at Flemington later in March. “We've already arranged for her to go to Brian Nutt at Attunga Stud to be prepared for the sale,” said part owner Philip Brown. “Being a partnership, public auction is the proper way to realise her true worth. As a multiple Group 1 winner, including one in Australia, she's obviously a valuable mare, so it's going to be an interesting exercise.” Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch added, “Legarto ranks as one of the finest racemares to have graced the turf in New Zealand in recent seasons. We look forward to enjoying the final conclusion to her racing career before she heads to the Gold Coast where she will be a most sought after breeding prospect for any farm – no matter where they are located around the world.” The post Champion Racemare Legarto to be Offered at Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Looks like the boys must have got on the phone last week. Having watched him throw his weight around all January, it was time to remind Not This Time that he doesn't yet control every neighborhood. The Godfather himself took charge, Into Mischief sending out sons to earn 20 GI Kentucky Derby points on either coast: Plutarch taking the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Renegade the Sam F. Davis Stakes. But he also got together with Not This Time's big rival as young pretender to put a couple of fillies on the Classic trail: Meaning and Search Party, who banked equivalent Oaks points at Santa Anita and Oaklawn respectively, are both by Gun Runner out of Into Mischief mares. But we're actually going to start with Search Party's barnmate, Silent Tactic, whose GIII Southwest Stakes success on the same card represented a double breakout. Besides being the first stakes winner for his sire Tacitus, he's also the first for Gun Runner as damsire. He's apparently only the third starter out of a Gun Runner mare, so we can confidently assume that a 13-year-old stallion who has never missed a beat will be greatly expanding his legacy in this sphere over the years ahead. In the meantime, however, he must share the credit for Silent Tactic not just with Tacitus but with an aristocratic maternal family that has been seeded with due quality. Overall, in fact, this is a pedigree loaded with Classic brands. Certainly Silent Tactic's late surge is consistent with the fact that he not only extends an A.P. Indy sire-line but also owes his granddam Malvinia to the same stallion. Malvinia, placed twice in a light career, is in fact a sister to Malibu Moon–whose posthumous record as a broodmare sire grows ever more impressive, headlined by Gun Runner's son Sierra Leone and, as we'll remind ourselves shortly, the champion dam of Plutarch. Actually it was a Malibu Moon mare, namely GII Mother Goose Stakes runner-up Always Carina, who enabled Gun Runner to add to his laurels last weekend through their seven-figure daughter Always a Runner's “TDN Rising Star” debut at Tampa Bay. That filly duly has strong symmetry with Silent Tactic's dam, Magical Sign, who managed a solitary start for breeder Don Alberto-down the field in a turf maiden-but could not have made a much better start to her second career. Hopefully, then, this branch of a great dynasty is going to keep blooming, Malvinia herself having not really vindicated some elite covers other than with Moraz (Empire Maker), beaten a head for the GIII Santa Ysabel Stakes. On the face of it, her stock appears to have been a little deficient in soundness and that's consistent with a rather fragile brilliance in this corner of the family. We've already noted that Secret Tactic's first two dams stood little racing; Malibu Moon famously made just two starts; another of his sisters, Lady Nichola, was second on her only start; and their dam, Macoumba (Mr. Prospector), won a Group 1 as a juvenile but tapered away quickly at three. But there are never rules about this kind of thing. Macoumba, for instance, had two foals by Danzig: a gelding who won 14 of 84 starts, mostly in claimers; and a filly who never made the gate, but then took on board some Dynaformer toughness and came up with Temple City. Lady Nichola, similarly, produced graded stakes winner Worth Repeating, who raced until he was six, when adding some Giant's Causeway iron. So perhaps the deeper well of quality in this family–Macoumba and her Group 1 winning half-brother Septieme Ciel (Seattle Slew) were out of another elite performer in Maximova (Fr) (Green Dancer)–is best drawn with a sturdy bucket and chain. That augurs well for Tacitus, himself of course a horse of superb pedigree and eligible to put some Tapit grit into play. Silent Tactic's emergence could be just in time to encourage breeders to persevere with Tacitus, now trading at the basement fee of $5,000. While he has mustered no more than 13 winners from 50 starters, nobody could sensibly have expected him to produce precocious stock, and this particular colt's pinhook success ($60,000 to $500,000) suggests a highly progressive trajectory. Tacitus did win at two himself, but only over a mile in November, and it was not until the spring that he really began thriving, en route to third (promoted) in the Derby. In maturity he proved rather frustrating, outclassing his rivals for the GII Suburban Stakes but never quite justifying short odds at Grade I level. But he had amply confirmed the functionality of some of the most happening genes in the breed. For his siblings Syclla (GI Breeders' Cup Distaff) and Batten Down (GIII Ohio Derby) have meanwhile confirmed how their champion dam Close Hatches (First Defence) is replicating a genetic prowess shared by her sister, the GI Kentucky Oaks third Lockdown, whose daughter Idiomatic (Curlin) had preceded Scylla on the Distaff roll of honor a couple of years previously. Moreover this is the famous dynasty of Best in Show, fourth dam of Close Hatches. Tacitus may or may not consolidate from here, but further progress from Silent Tactic himself would make him look a legitimate stud prospect regardless. He has the seamless “stairwell” that you tend to get when a pedigree is held together by well-bred stallions: on top, for instance, the grandsire and damsire of Tacitus are Pulpit and First Defence, both from regal families; and below, of course, we only find stallions eligible to serve such a strong maternal line. Behind second and third dams are established breed-shapers, A.P. Indy and Mr. Prospector; and while he has barely started, in this capacity, someday perhaps being out of a Gun Runner mare will appear the icing on the cake. Something in the Wind Our community is often accused of insularity but we could represent ourselves as a pretty cultured bunch on a weekend when a son of Tacitus could be joined on the Derby trail by a colt honoring another of the ancient world's most important writers. If Plutarch was named for greatness, then that is wholly consistent with his parentage. For if we might accurately record that both Into Mischief's big winners last weekend are out of Curlin mares, that is clearly too bland a description for either! Renegade is out of Spice Is Nice, a graded stakes scorer who cost seven figures as a yearling as a daughter of Grade I winner Dame Dorothy (Bernardini). And Plutarch, of course, is out of none other than Stellar Wind. She had to settle for fourth in her own Oaks bid but made up for that with six Grade Is and $2.9 million in prizemoney. Joining Coolmore for $6 million, she began with two foals by the ageing Galileo (Ire): an unraced colt, and a disappointing filly culled to St. George Stables for $350,000 at the 2024 Keeneland November Sale. That filly is now going up in the world. Straight after that auction, her half-brother by Justify won a Del Mar maiden by six lengths (albeit unseen since). Then in stepped Into Mischief, albeit with a twist: both Stellar Wind's foals by the champion sire have switched between surfaces and, until now, had only won on turf. But now Plutarch has won a dirt race routinely chosen by his trainer to announce a Derby colt, and has restored black type to a family whose development had been curtailed because Stellar Wind's dam, Evening Star-as mentioned above, a daughter of Malibu Moon-only had two other foals, neither making the gate. Behind her, as many will doubtless recall from Stellar Wind's heyday, was Virginian matriarch Sequins (Northern Fashion). We can hardly reprise the full legacy of the Keswick Farm linchpin here but suffice to say that she is granddam and third dam, respectively, of two previous Bob Lewis winners in Great Hunter (Aptitude) and Mor Spirirt (Eskenderaya). Moreover, she is third dam of Speed King (Volatile), whose name can be found below Silent Tactic in the Southwest roll of honor. For a recent impact by Into Mischief on this family, meanwhile, note that Sequins also features as third dam of Shred the Gnar–a sister to the ill-fated Owendale and so impressive in the GIII Chilukki Stakes a few weeks ago. Storm Bird an Interested Party Since delivering Plutarch, Stellar Wind has favored Gun Runner with a couple of visits–another testament to the challenge he is laying down to Into Mischief. As noted above, however, the pair meanwhile co-operated to provide the winners of the Las Virgenes Stakes and Martha Washington Stakes in Meaning and Search Party. Only at their respective second dams, therefore, do these two pedigrees part company–and Search Party does so in particularly auspicious fashion. For she was bred by Tracy Farmer from Devious Charm, another versatile daughter of Into Mischief who broke her maiden at Kentucky Downs but got her stakes podium on dirt. Farmer had bought her as a $260,000 yearling in 2017: Into Mischief was moving up the ranks, and she was out of Limbo, only placed during a light career in Europe but a daughter of A.P. Indy and none other than Storm Bird's Grade I-winning sister Northernette (Northern Dancer). Gun Runner will meanwhile look to strengthen his Derby hand when Paladin lines up for the GII Risen Star Stakes on Valentine's Day. Let's hope he remembers to send Stellar Wind a card. The post Breeding Digest: Silent Breakout Amplifies Sire and Damsire appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Paladin is the 8-1 individual morning-line favorite and "All Other 3-Year-Olds" not named within the 39 individual interests as the overall 4-1 choice in the latest Kentucky Derby Future Wager.View the full article

With Kentucky Derby (G1) preps in full swing, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top 3-Year-Old Poll was bound to welcome some new faces. John Oxley's Silent Tactic jumped to sixth place with his win in the Feb. 6 Southwest Stakes (G3).View the full article