Wandering Eyes

The finalists and runners-up for the 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards have been chosen in the seven categories for this year's renewal of the annual awards now in their ninth year in the U.S., said Godolphin in a press release on Thursday afternoon. The 2024 awards ceremony will once again be hosted by Keeneland and will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Finalists and their guest will be provided with travel and accommodations for out-of-town finalists, a tour of a local horse farm, and the ceremony dinner with an afternoon of racing the following day at Keeneland. The shortlist judging panel, the first of two judging panels, met on Tuesday, July 30, to determine the finalists that will make the trip to Kentucky as well as two runners-up in each of the categories. Their meeting was hosted by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York. The second and final stage of judging will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 15, when finalists will meet with the judges for in-person interviews. Panel Chair Tom Law said, “As in past years, I can describe the 2024 intake of nominees in a word–“Wow!” To learn about the backgrounds of those that make our industry work is just so meaningful. Represented were backstretch workers, exercise riders, those in administrative roles, farm workers, those that donate their time to help in the equine community; the list goes on. They're not the ones in front of the camera. They're not the ones accepting trophies. They truly represent the backbone that makes our industry work. We owe them all a great debt of gratitude and the TIEAs are one meaningful way in which we can repay them for all that they do.” I'd also like to express sincere thanks to the National HBPA, TOBA, The Jockey Club, Breeders' Cup, and Godolphin, without whose underwriting and support these awards would not be possible. Also a heartfelt thanks to our media partners–The Thoroughbred Daily News, The Saratoga Special, BloodHorse Publications, Daily Racing Form, FanDuel, Real Players Inside the Backstretch, Paulick Report, Fox Sports, and America's Day at the Races–for helping to spread the reach of the awards. I would also like to thank our newest media partners who helped spread the TIEA message to the Spanish-speaking community this year: Roberto Rodriguez, Director of DRF en Espanol; and Carlos Morales, Producer and Host of Agentes 305.” TIEA is also pleased to welcome back category sponsors Hallway Feeds, NTRA, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Keeneland, NYRA, Churchill Downs, and 1/ST Racing. The winners of the Katherine McKee Administration, Dedication to Breeding, Dedication to Racing, Managerial, Community, and Support Services Awards will receive a prize of $7,500, with two finalists receiving $3,500, and two runners-up, separate from the winners and two finalists, receiving $2,000 each. The winner of the Newcomer Award, which this year includes as a finalist TDN Producer Katie Petrunyak, will receive $5000, with two finalists receiving $2,500 each, and separate from the winners and two finalists, two runners-up will receive $1,000 each. The 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Award Finalists and Runners-up are: Katherine McKee Administration Award, sponsored by Keeneland Lauren Marks (Ocala Breeders' Sales Company) Tia Murphy (Turfway Park) Deeann Ruppert (Claiborne Farm) Runners-up Gretchen Feld (Lane's End Farm & David Ingordo) Tiffany Leggett (1/ST Racing) Support Services Award, sponsored by 1/ST Racing Keith and Joy Cooper (Cooper Horse Transport) Cass Dewey (Desert Oasis Rescue) Vicki Tomlinson (Churchill Downs) Runners-up Justine “Tina” Elam (Hagyard Equine Medical Institute) Kevin Moran (Keeneland Association) Dedication to Breeding Award, sponsored by Hallway Feeds Sue Hooper (Craig Wheeler Thoroughbreds, Inc.) Francisco “Poncho” Sanchez (Bridlewood Farm) Steve Vargas (Haven Oaks Farm) Runners-up Abel Garibay (C&S Thoroughbreds) Christine Sgorrano (Sugar Plum Farm, LLC) Dedication to Racing Award, sponsored by NTRA Francisco D'Angelo (D'Angelo Racing Team) Milver Martinez (Brendan Walsh Racing) Erma Lee Scott (William I. Mott Racing) Runners-up Darquin “Darwin” Aguilar-Valenzuela (Brad H. Cox Racing LLC) Lee Vickers (Christophe Clement Racing Stable) Managerial Award, sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute Stuart Angus (Taylor Made Farm) Christine Jones (Pleasant Acres Stallions) Jack Sadler (Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners) Runners-up Lauren Eads (Watercress Farm) Debbie Ward (Safari North Farm) Newcomer Award, sponsored by New York Racing Association Katie Petrunyak (Thoroughbred Daily News) Demetrio Rabadan (Niall Brennan Stables) Julianne Stowell (Christophe Clement Racing Stable) Runners-up Nicole Dreiling (Bel-Mar Farm) Ethan Fry (O'Sullivan Farms) Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award, sponsored by Churchill Downs Joel Helmburg (TRF at Blackburn Correctional Facility) Bob Miller (Ocala Farm Ministry) Nancy LaSala (PDJF) Runners-up Melanie Case (Kentucky Race Track Chaplaincy) Christian Countzler (Stable Recovery) The post 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Awards Finalists And Runners-Up Named, TDN’s Katie Petrunyak A Newcomer Finalist appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When City of Light won the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in 2018, it was one of the more impressive performances of the day. Although it had already been announced he would enter stud in 2019 at Lane's End Farm near Versailles, Ky., he had one race remaining on his dance card: the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes the following January. He romped that day as well, besting a slightly favored GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner with a 112 Beyer Speed Figure, which topped his 110 Breeders' Cup mark, and was sent to Lane's End with a marked buzz about his future as a stallion. “We were obviously thrilled to get City of Light,” said Lane's End's Bill Farish. “It was an interesting thing, actually. He was owned by Mr. [William K.] Warren, a good friend who we stood Saint Liam for, but unfortunately that horse died young. It was exciting for us to get another horse for Bill, a really neat thing to have another chance to do that with him. “One of the things that attracted us to City of Light is that he's a son of Quality Road.” Quality Road, one of the elite stallions on the continent, also stands at Lane's End. Farish said that multiple Grade I winner and sire of three Eclipse winners passed on several qualities to City of Light. “Physically they're both big horses, not super heavy, but tall and long and very athletic. They're similar in that sense, but if anything, City of Light is a more refined and elegant version of his sire. “The offspring of both are very commercial horses. It is always a wonderful, added benefit when a good stallion also has commercial appeal, as they do both do.” TDN Stallions: City of Light from Thoroughbred Daily News on Vimeo. City of Light had the sire line, the race record, the support of breeders, and yearlings that both looked and sold the part. Was there any doubt he would come up with good horses? His best to date is, of course, Fierceness, the 2023 champion 2-year-old colt and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner. Fierceness, who also won this year's GI Florida Derby, was back in action last weekend, taking a scintillating edition of the GII Jim Dandy Stakes over fellow 'TDN Rising Star' and Grade I winner Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). “It's great to get a big horse early,” said Farish. “We've all seen plenty of stallions that start off with plenty of winners, but don't have that big horse. If anyone has any doubt in their mind, it erases the doubt to have a champion right off the bat. “The other trait that I think he seems to have is that they're staying sound and racing on like Chop Chop. I love that. It's very important.” Chop Chop, a member of City of Light's first crop, winner of Keeneland's GIII Bewitch Stakes in April, and entered Thursday in Saratoga's GII Glens Falls Stakes, has another eight black-type wins or placings, including a sharp second in the GI Alcibiades Stakes at two. City of Light also has G3 UAE Oaks winner Mimi Kakushi and six other black-type winners. With another 14 stakes performers and five 'TDN Rising Stars', City of Light gives a sense we haven't seen the best of him yet. To date, he has three 2-year-old winners of 2024–his third crop to the races–and they include Mentee, a full-brother to Fierceness. The colt debuted at the Belmont at the Big A meet June 16 and promptly set a new track record of :56.97 for five furlongs. He was scratched the morning of the GIII Sanford Stakes with a fever as the morning-line favorite. “They [his runners] are just what we'd hoped they'd be,” said Farish. “We supported him a lot this year as well because we're so encouraged by the versatility he's getting and the commercial appeal he has. We've used him particularly with our young mares that are just getting started because we think he gives them a great chance.” Farish said City of Light bred about 145 mares this year, a number the farm “tries to be in with all of our stallions, if we can.” He added that in terms of quality, this year's book was similar to his previous books. City of Light's 216 yearlings to set foot in a sales ring–and that includes short yearlings–have grossed $48,295,809. That's an average of $223,592, or nearly 6 1/2 times his stud fee. Two members of his first crop sold for seven figures, as did two members of his second crop, all at Keeneland September. He has one entered (hip 32) in Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Select sale next week. Himself a $710,000 Keeneland September yearling out of the Lane's End consignment, City of Light wrapped up his race career while never off the board in 11 starts. He registered seven triple-digit Beyers with four Grade I victories. The Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren colorbearer's own versatility was on vivid display in those Grade I wins, as two were at a sprint, one was at a middle distance, and another came at 1 1/8 miles. Before the 2018 Breeders' Cup, trainer Michael McCarthy had said he found himself in the position of having to choose between the Sprint, the Dirt Mile, or the Classic. It's a special horse who can give connections such options. Fierceness wins last Saturday's Jim Dandy at the Spa | Sarah Andrew Interestingly, there's another type of versatility City of Light seems to be passing on. Although he never raced on grass, his stakes performers are proving dual surface. Of his 23 runners who have won or placed in stakes, 14 have gotten black-type exclusively on dirt, four exclusively on turf, and five on two surfaces. “He's just a lovely horse,” said Farish. “He seems to be like his father and get both dirt and turf. He's a pretty big horse, but has beautiful lines and great balance. “I also think they're continuing to improve. That's a trait that both horses also have: the ability to get good horses early and then continue.” Unraced at two and debuted in the summer of his 3-year-old year, City of Light didn't try stakes company until December of that sophomore season, when he entered Santa Anita's Malibu Stakes a maiden winner and emerged a Grade I victor. As such, he was probably not expected to be the most likely candidate for precocious 2-year-olds, but runners like Fierceness and Mentee are saying otherwise. Additionally, his athletic-looking, premium-priced yearlings have also contributed to stud fee fluctuations. Retired at $35,000 for 2019, he was so popular his fee actually increased for 2020 and 2021 to an advertised $40,000, then rose again for 2022 and 2023 to $60,000. Most horses go the other direction, particularly during the bubble years when they're not the shiniest, newest stallion options and don't yet have runners. On the heels of a 2023 champion, City of Light was back at $35,000 for 2024. “We were thrilled with his book this year,” said Farish. When asked what type of mare suits the horse best, Farish said, “I think he likes a medium-sized to slightly bigger mare because he's big himself, so breeding something really small isn't ideal.” Among the top 10 freshman sires in North America of 2022, City of Light ascended to the top five as a sophomore sire. He's holding steady among the top five as a third-crop stallion. “I would love to see him continue to climb up the ranks and be a top stallion,” said Farish. “We'd love to see him be a champion sire.” If City of Light's stud career continues at the same slow burn of ever-expanding excellence his race career did, his future looks very bright, indeed. The post Saturday Sires: City of Light appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As it has in virtually every conversation that involves horse racing over the past year, safety played a central role at the 72nd annual Jockey Club Round Table Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York Thursday. California: Safety and Collaboration In two presentations focusing on California, Gary Fenton, Chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and a managing partner of Little Red Feather Racing, spoke from a TVG set in the Del Mar paddock about the importance of California racing to the overall racing ecosystem, while Dionne Benson, the Chief Veterinary officer at 1/ST Racing, discussed the ways in which California has improved the safety of its equine athletes. “The California product exported throughout America continues to be at the top levels of racing,” said Fenton. “California has produced six of the last 13 Kentucky Derby winners, who all prepped in California for not one, but three separate trainers. And in September we will invest again in the future of our sport by unveiling California Crown Day at Santa Anita Park, which hopefully becomes the next big marquee day.” Fenton said that he was proud to have been present to witness the complete turnaround that California had made toward safety, from a disastrous 2019 to a near-perfect record today, and that the success of that had required a concerted effort. “I was fortunate to be in the room when Dr. Benson, Aidan Butler and Belinda Stronach laid out the initial and ambitious plan,” he said. “Trainers do a tremendous job on the backstretch but 20 eyes on a horse are better than two. The detailed plan crafted by California and carried out with the support of stakeholders and horsemen laid the blueprint for helping get HISA over the goal line. And here we are five years later with historic declines in fatalities. It has never been safer to race in California …and we did it with dirt tracks.” Fenton made a plea for owners in the rest of the country to send horses to California, citing figures to indicate that a major part of the U.S. racing industry is driven by California, despite the lack of subsidies to California tracks from alternate forms of gaming. Dr. Dionne Benson | The Jockey Club “We are all connected,” he said. “California buys horses from Kentucky farms, and breaks them at Florida farms and then ships them back to California racetracks. The best ones are sent back to different states again to race and breed. Just the addition of 200 race-ready horses would add tens of millions of dollars to ours and your bottom lines. When you think about it, that's a Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen, Chad Brown and Brad Cox sending a string of 50 horses. It won't take much to improve California's already-premium brand.” Dr. Benson's presentation detailed how Santa Anita achieved the remarkable turnaround in safety, from a catastrophic year in 2019 to their near-perfect safety record today, and how it was achieved through a dedication to changing existing procedures, and the use of technology. “January and February of 2019 were terrible months at Santa Anita Park,” she said. “Horses were dying. By March, the track was closed and there was a real possibility that the State of California would end racing forever. With a two-month fatality rate of over 4.3/1000 horses in racing, it was clear to all stakeholders that something had to change. This was an opportunity to change racing and training forever.” Dr. Benson said that as part of this effort, several protocols were adopted. They included stricter medication regulations, and greater veterinary oversight, included track-hired vets and private vets who became involved in evaluating the soundness of the horses they treated. They also started saving horses who had suffered an injury but were judged to be able to go on to be pasture- sound. “Finally,” she said, “we mandated that horsemen sign up for works 48 hours in advance to allow us to review those horses and examine as many as possible.” They found that to be a daunting task, with trainers requesting workouts for up to 400 horses on a Saturday. As a result, they developed Racehorse 360, an integrated program to help not only manage racehorse inventory, but also serve as an invaluable tool for safety with a veterinary repository function to ensure all information vets need is in one place. Now, rather than sorting through risk factors manually for the up to 400 horses per day requesting a workout, Racehorse 360 does that work for them, and flags horses who should be examined by a track veterinarian. All of those examination notes and even videos are loaded onto the horse's page in the system for future use by other veterinarians. Santa Anita also installed trackside cameras to monitor horses' action on the track. That data is run through an AI program that filters the information and make predictions based on the videos. It can pick up horses with both obvious lameness and subtle issues sending a message to the track vets, with the video, to allow the vet to identify the trainer and track down the horse. Benson said that between Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita, and Laurel, 1/ST Racing has analyzed 2,500 videos so far, with 75% of the clips having proven to be worth following up. Dr. Benson said that 1/ST Racing also uses AI to monitor horses' action during racing, flagging patterns which have proven to indicate problems in the past. The results of these efforts have been profound. “In January and February of 2024, we had zero racing fatalities,” said Benson. “We saw a 40% decrease in training fatalities from 2019 to the first two months of 2024. And these results are not an anomaly. Since 2019, Santa Anita has shown significant decreases in fatalities in each of the years following. In fact, from March of 2023 to March of 2024 we did not have a single racing fatality in 363 days. Our fatality rates are not zero, yet, but they are now on par or better with racetracks not just in the rest of the United States but the rest of the world. I am incredibly proud of the veterinarians, track management and ownership, horsemen and women, jockeys, grooms and everyone who has made this possible.” Racetrack Redesign Among the Triple Crown Tracks The event's keynote speaker, Todd Gralla, principal at Populous, a global design firm that focuses on sports and entertainment from stadiums and arenas to event spaces and urban environments, discussed the redesign of Belmont Park, which aims to integrate technology into racetrack design while respecting the sport's history. Todd Gralla | The Jockey Club Populous, whose design of Camden Yards revolutionized the concept of what a baseball stadium should be, is currently working on not only Belmont Park, but the new Pimlico, the Keeneland renovation, and additions to Churchill Downs. Gralla said that the average age of an NBA arena was 20 years, while the average age of racing arena was over 60. Today's consumers don't experience sporting events the way our ancestors may have done, he said–sitting in one seat for the entire event and focusing on the game. Gralla displayed a photo of a model of the new design for Belmont, which reduces the scale of the building while introducing a contemporary design with an overhanging roof reminiscent of ParisLongchamp. The building seats 8,000 guests, with private suites and dining, but with a flexible additional capacity to support events with expected crowds of over 50,000. The entire building will be five levels with floor-to-ceiling windows ensure that every level overlooks the paddock. The entire Pimlico site will be stripped clean after the 2025 Preakness, said Grall. The project will be similar to Belmont's, he said, fitting the day-to-day needs, while being scalable to handle bigger crowds for the Preakness and a possible Breeders' Cup. The Intersection of Horse Racing and Sports Betting Joe Asher, the president of IGT's PlaySports, a leading supplier of gaming technology, gave a presentation on the intersection of horse racing and sports betting. Joe Asher | The Jockey Club Asher, a lifelong racing fan who takes his 11-year-old son to horse racing venues around the world, likened the people's introduction to racing through family members to a potential introduction to horse racing through sports betting. “I encourage everyone to look for ways to get parents to bring their kids to the track, whether it's the Donut Days they used to have at Del Mar, the playground area at Delaware Park, or other ways to welcome families,” he said. “Another way to get people introduced to racing is sports betting. “One of the reasons sports betting is so popular,” he continued, “is that millions of people are watching the games anyway; they follow sports news on television, radio and the internet. They talk about the latest trades, injuries and so forth with their friends. Making the transition from watching or following a sport to betting on it is quite easy in most states. You just need to set up your account, fund it and away you go. For recreational players, there's no additional work required because you already have the information you need to bet–you can make up your mind on what to bet based on what you've watched or read recently. People are already spending a lot of time consuming information about the game they want to bet on; no extra work is required.” Contrast that, he said, with the difficulty in betting on racing, where you have to buy products and study them. With so many people already having legal wagering sports betting accounts, he made a case for a simplified way to make an informed wager. “You have the content,” he said. “It's just a matter of getting it in front of people with a proclivity to gamble and an easy way for them to form an opinion on what to bet.” NTRA's Rodgers Discusses Safety Runs First Campaign Meghan Rodgers, senior vice president of Public Affairs, National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), gave an overview of the NTRA's Safety Runs First campaign, a print, radio, television, web and digital advertising campaign designed to spread the message that racing is becoming safer, and that the sport is committed to that goal. Meaghan Rodgers | The Jockey Club “During our fall board meeting which was held in Washington, where we met with multiple members of Congress, it became clear that we as an industry needed to do a better job of proactively telling the story about all of the positive things happening in our sport related to safety and welfare,” he said. “In the past two years, we have been inundated with questions from lawmakers asking what the sport is doing to be as safe as possible, especially under the newly implemented law HISA that many Members of Congress worked very hard to pass.” Rodgers said that phase one of the campaign had run from April 22 through the Belmont Stakes, and showed a 60-second spot that was aired prior to the Kentucky Derby, and estimated that it made 190 million total impressions, and generated 100,000 clicks on the website, www.safetyrunsfirst.com. She said that phase two will run from now through the Breeders' Cup, and asked for the support of the people in the room, from spreading the message to helping to raise funds. “It's our job to constantly drive the positive narrative,” Rodgers said. “We cannot rely on others to do it.” Gagliano Delivers Update on Jockey Club Activities James Gagliano, President and COO of The Jockey Club, introduced several new initiatives the company is undertaking. He said that the company had entered into a licensing agreement with Halo AI to “assist stakeholders with breeding, sales, and racing decisions.” The first models will be rolled out this fall. Jim Gagliano | The Jockey Club Gagliano also announced that every breeder of a registered Thoroughbred would now receive free, lifetime past performance information for every horse they register, and be prompted after each time they race so that they may download a fresh set, and that Equibase was now providing a free full year dataset of entries, results, charts and GPS data to developers, handicappers, academics and researchers to help move their projects forward. He said that had had 900 such requests for that date. He also said that The Jockey Club is implementing a new service to better track horses through their careers, in an attempt to improve aftercare solutions for horses. Gagliano also said that The Jockey Club had invested in “a next-generation tracking technology called Real Time Kinematics, or RTK to help improve the accuracy of data collection by orders of magnitude–in most cases down to centimeter-level accuracy.” The technology was used at the Belmont-at-Saratoga meeting, and has been installed at Del Mar and plans are to expand it over the coming months, he said. Equibase is working on a pilot ratings and handicap system for U.S. Thoroughbred racing, and Gagliano said that in some cases, this would provide an alternative to claiming races. “We believe the horses will benefit from a ratings system because they are likely to spend more time in the care of the same owner and trainer. As a side note, frequent changing of trainers is one of the risk factors identified by Dr. Tim Parkin, which he discussed at the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit in June. The Jockey Club has also okayed funding for new sensor technology to monitor racing surfaces, he said. Finally, he said, The Jockey Club is making two recommendations for safety; first that all racetracks, beginning with those under the regulation of HISA, fully participate in the Maintenance Quality System. The MQS is managed by the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory to record track maintenance and weather information. The second recommendation calls for all racing-related necropsies to be performed using the 2020 AAEP Guidelines for the Necropsy of Racehorses as a minimum standard. The post Safety And Collaboration Key Topics At 2024 Jockey Club Round Table Conference appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-SAR, $100k, 3yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2f, 1:10 p.m. ET LADY PINK (Into Mischief), a $720,000 acquisition by Peter Brant at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, is out of the unplaced Astray (Bernardini), whose SW & MGSP dam Away (Belong to Me) was responsible for MGSW and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles (Unbridled's Song) and an additional pair of stakes horses. The bay is a half-sister to Bob Marco (Arrogate), stakes-placed on the grass as a 3-year-old. Rigney Racing's Two Sharp (Twirling Candy), a $925,000 KEESEP yearling, blew the break in her June 29 bow at Churchill, but was up to contend for the lead turning for home before setting for second to $1.2-million FTSAUG grad Mugen (Into Mischief). TJCIS PPs 4th-CNL, $60k, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 6:05 p.m. ET PRINCESS ATTITUDE (Frankel {GB}) is the latest to make the races from the classy MGSW/MGISP distance turf mare Keertana (Johar), also the dam of the Grade III-winning grass router Ticonderoga (Tapit). Among the eight other winners for the unraced second dam Motokiks (Storm Cat) is MGSW/GISP Snow Top Mountain (Najran), herself responsible for Grade III winner Greyvitos (Malibu Moon) and Bee Mountain (Street Sense), placed in this track's course-and-distance Jamestown Stakes in 2022. Abundant Love (Kitten's Joy) is out of a daughter of GI Diana Stakes winner My Typhoon (Ire) (Giant's Causeway), a half-sister to the immortal Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire) among others. TJCIS PPs 3rd-DMR, $75k, Msw, 2yo, 5fT, 8:02 p.m. ET C R K Stable's WESTWOOD (Authentic) has drawn the inside gate in a field of eight for this first trip to the races. The bay colt, foaled May 26, is out Indian Bay (Indian Charlie), a daughter of Grade II winner Buy the Barrel (E Dubai) whose winning produce includes Shivaji (First Samurai), a Group 3 scorer and Group 1-placed turf sprinter in Japan; and his full-sister Tarabi, victorious in the 2022 Wilton Stakes at Saratoga after finishing runner-up in the GI Spinaway Stakes and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies the year prior. TJCIS PPs 4th-DMR, $75k, 3yo/up, f/m, 1m, 8:33 p.m. ET Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's MIZZYAAN (Justify) made a pair of starts over the winter for Chief Stipe Watson during the Dubai World Cup Carnival, finishing a slow-starting fourth on her 1600-meter debut before putting a bit of a scare into 'TDN Rising Star' Manama Gold (Star Guitar) in the G3 UAE Oaks Feb. 23. The daughter of Sheikh Khalifa's 2018 GI Zenyatta Stakes winner Vale Dori (Arg) (Asiatic Boy {Arg}) is trained by Michael McCarthy. TJCIS PPs The post Friday Insights: Into Mischief Filly Pink Lady Debuts For Brant, Brown at the Spa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Opera Singer excelled under a bold front-running ride by Ryan Moore to land a second group 1 in the Nassau Stakes (G1) Aug. 1 at Goodwood.View the full article

A federal judge cancelled a July 31 hearing in a lawsuit filed last week by eight Oklahoma horsemen who are trying to get the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) declared unconstitutional after learning that seven of the same plaintiffs last year filed a substantially similar complaint but voluntarily withdrew it three months later. The judge in the newer case, Charles Goodwin of United States District Court of Oklahoma (Western District), also signed a July 30 court order reassigning the lawsuit to Chief Judge Timothy DeGiusti, the same federal judge who handled the 2023 case. As in seven previous lawsuits around the country since 2021 that have similarly targeted the HISA Authority and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as defendants, the Oklahoma horsemen in the July 24, 2024, case want declaratory judgments, injunctions, and restraining orders imposed that would invalidate HISA rules and prohibit the HISA Authority, the FTC, and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) from enforcing the regulations that govern the sport. The plaintiffs in the new case are Joe Offolter, Danny Caldwell, Elizabeth Butler, Randy Blair, Bryan Hawk, Scott Young, Boyd Caster and Michael Major. All but Butler was among a total of 15 plaintiffs in the 2023 lawsuit that got voluntarily withdrawn. Judge Goodwin wrote his orders to strike the hearing and reassign the case after receiving a “notice of related case” filed Tuesday by the FTC defendants. “Like the plaintiffs here, the plaintiffs in that prior case raised two counts challenging (1) the constitutionality of [HISA], and (2) several regulations promulgated under that statute,” the FTC filing stated. “Specifically, the plaintiffs in both Offolter cases have contended that HISA–which was originally enacted four years ago–and its implementing rules violate the so-called private-nondelegation doctrine as well as the Fourth and Seventh Amendments, and they have challenged the 'Registration Rule' and the 'Enforcement Rule'–which were originally promulgated two years ago–under the Administrative Procedure Act. “Like the plaintiffs here, plaintiffs in the prior Offolter case also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order shortly after they filed their complaint,” the FTC filing continued. “Chief Judge DeGiusti found that plaintiffs' motion was 'facially insufficient' for a TRO without notice, directed the plaintiffs to 'provide written notice to Defendants' counsel,' and set a briefing schedule on plaintiffs' motion. The plaintiffs then withdrew their motion and voluntarily dismissed their complaint. “Despite that voluntary dismissal more than a year ago, seven of the same plaintiffs have now refiled a substantially similar case,” the FTC filing explained. “This case is therefore a related or companion case to the prior Offolter action because it has been 'refiled after [the] dismissal' of plaintiffs' prior action and 'involv[es] the identical legal issue in the same or similar factual setting as one previously dismissed,'” the FTC filing stated. The post Anti-HISA Suit Reassigned After Judge Learns Oklahoma Plaintiffs Raised ‘Identical Legal Issue’ In Dismissed Case appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland has increased purses for five stakes racing during the 2024 fall meet by a combined total of $800,000, for a record-setting $9.85 million from 22 stakes races over the 17-day meet.View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Friday at Del Mar: Friday, August 2, 2024 Del Mar 3, $75k, 2yo, 5fT, 8:02 p.m. ET Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Artislas (Catalina Cruiser), OBSMAR, 100,000, :20 4/5 C-Omar Ramirez Bloodstock, agent; B-Michael Pender, agent Cajun Gold (Cajun Breeze), OBSMAR, 210,000, :20 4/5 C-Tom McCrocklin, agent; B-West Point TBs, L E B, agent Kale's Angel (Complexity), OBSAPR, 150,000, :9 4/5 C-McKathan Bros Sales, agent; B-Kagele Bros & Peter Miller, M & M Bloodstock, agent Pali Kitten (Vino Rosso), OBSAPR, 82,000, :10 1/5 C-Kaden Clary; B-Steven Rothblum Scipio (Caravaggio), OBSMAR, 60,000, :10 2/5 C-Scanlon Training & Sales, agent; B-Richard Baltas The post Summer Breezes, Sponsored By OBS: August 2, 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Introduced in the same seven-furlong Goodwood maiden on Thursday that Ballydoyle won with Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2016, Dreamy (Ire) (American Pharoah–Tapestry {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) became the latest to fly the flag for the Rosegreen stable in a largely fruitful week. Bred by Flaxman Stables and Coolmore and carrying the famed colours of the Niarchos Family, the daughter of the G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine qas quickly away from her high draw before being settled in fourth by Ryan Moore. Taking her time to build in the closing stages, the 5-2 favourite stayed on strongly to reel in Bouvier (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) close home and prevail by a neck. 𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒚 American Pharoah filly Dreamy got going late to make a winning debut and complete a brilliant treble on the day for Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien. @Ballydoyle | @Goodwood_Races pic.twitter.com/DMIYPhYcmU — Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 1, 2024 The post Goodwood Debut Win For American Pharoah’s Daughter Of Tapestry appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The once-beaten Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal) will look to give Godolphin a third winner in the five-year history of the GII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes as she bids to add to her latest success in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational over the same mile-and-three-sixteenths journey July 6. The homebred ran the table in the first four starts of her career, a pair of victories at two followed by two more this season at Meydan, including a jaw-dropping score in the Listed Jumeirah 1000 Guineas Mar. 2 that defies any real description. A good seventh, beaten just over four lengths in what has proven to be a productive running of the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on the first Sunday in May, Cinderella's Dream lobbed along near the back of the field and whooshed past her rivals to take out the Belmont Oaks last time. William Buick makes another trans-Atlantic trip for the ride on Friday. “She's in great nick and she's done very, very well since her last run,” trainer Charlie Appleby said. “She broke the track record there last time at Aqueduct in the Belmont Oaks, which was impressive.” Greenfinch (Justify) represents the Aidan O'Brien team, and while considerably less accomplished on paper than the favorite, she sports Timeform ratings that suggest that she is not out of her depth in this first go at Grade I level. A maiden winner over the Dundalk all-weather last November, the homebred–whose dam Misty For Me (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas in 2011–is a half-sister to G1SWs Roly Poly (War Front) and U S Navy Flag (War Front) and GSW Cover Song (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), and she earned this opportunity when carrying Wayne Lordan to a clear-cut victory in the Listed Cairn Rouge Stakes at Killarney July 17. Ryan Moore, who has almost shockingly never won a race at Saratoga, is in for the ride. Segesta (Ghostzapper) came from just off the speed to take the GII Wonder Again Stakes at Aqueduct May 27 but made the majority of the running in the Belmont Oaks before being caught in the late stages. She is–somewhat surprisingly–the only entrant from the barn of Chad Brown, but trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. has two chances. Kathynmarissa (American Pharoah) ran on nicely to finish third to Dancing N Dixie (Neolithic) in the June 29 Tepin Stakes at Churchill, while Macanga (American Pharoah) was a pacesetting third in the Wild Applause Stakes downstate on June 22. Hall of Fame Figures A Wide-Open Heat A field of eight sophomore males is set to face the starter for Friday's GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes, and with six of the runners having posted Beyer Speed Figures in the mid to upper 80s and with none of the entrants having cracked 90, there is no standout. Neat (Constitution) is the 5-2 favorite on the morning line on the strength of his 13-1 upset of Keeneland's GIII Transylvania Stakes in April and a 3/4-length victory in the June 29 Manila Stakes down at Aqueduct. He can certainly win this, but may need to improve on his Beyer top of 86. The filly Buttercream Babe (Twirling Candy) owns the field's top turf figure, an 88 Beyer for a one-mile allowance victory over Friday's course and distance on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 8. She was fractionally unlucky to finish second in the Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicap July 13 and she'll have to race without Lasix this time, but cannot be eliminated. Zverev (Oscar Performance) certainly isn't out of this if he is able to reproduce the sort of form that saw him dominate a June 20 Churchill allowance where he defeated recent Saratoga winner West Hollywood (Uncle Mo). More consistent than he has been spectacular, Lagynos (Kantharos) has run some competitive races on the grass, finishing a close third at longshot odds in the Transylvania and behind Trikari (Oscar Performance) in the GII American Turf Stakes at Churchill May 4. Second in the June 4 Audubon Stakes over nine panels, he was an even fourth in the American Derby June 29 and maybe this cutback to the mile is what he is looking for. The post ‘Dream’ Scenario Looms In Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tickets for Keeneland's 2024 Fall Meet, slated for Oct. 4-26, will go on sale to the public on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 9 a.m. ET., the track said in a press release on Thursday. A variety of ticket options are available, and all tickets must be pre-purchased via Keeneland's Official Online Ticket Office. Keeneland has increased the purses for five stakes races during the 2024 Fall Meet by a combined total of $800,000, which brings the total purse for all 22 stakes races held over the 17-day meet to a record-setting $9.85 million. All Fall Meet stakes include KTDF contributions. Also of note, The Hill will be open for tailgating on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the meet. Fans can watch racing and football via a jumbo TV and place their bets in a wagering tent while live music and food trucks will be available. The post Keeneland Fall Meet Tickets On Sale To Public Aug. 20 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

An interval of 136 years between Apollo and Justify, followed by one of just five to Mage, tells us all we need to know about the way modern trainers can (and increasingly prefer to) prepare their Derby prospects. So these remain very early days for the freshmen sires, nowadays responsible for such a large portion of every juvenile crop. In this era of monster books, especially, even the rookie with most action to date has barely scratched the surface. At the moment that's Vekoma, who lies second in the freshman prizemoney table with 11 winners from 28 starters. He will be able to call on no fewer than 130 named foals in his debut crop. Nonetheless, anyone who enjoys a little Schadenfreude can imagine the anxiety with which every new starter is annually monitored when an expensive sire fails to land running. There are conspicuous cases every year, and of course many end up turning things round after the manner of Arrogate. So nobody should be panicking at this stage, even if they're charging multiples of the $12,500 fee via which Complexity has so far sired 12 winners (two stakes, one graded stakes) from just 18 starters. What's really tough, however, is when stallions quickly suggest unexpected prowess from marginal opportunity, only to be swamped by rivals whose mediocre ratios can eventually be suppressed behind their sheer output. Adverts acclaiming “Yet another stakes winner for X” should very often translate as: “Gosh, can you believe that X, with all his opportunity, is still bumping along at three percent?” Because horses that punch above weight from small, cheaply assembled books will almost invariably have seen their numbers meanwhile dwindle further yet, making it difficult to maintain momentum. Among last year's intake, for instance, will enough people remember, for long enough, the way a couple of Complexity's neighbors are performing at $5,000: Preservationist has had 26 winners (three in stakes) from 52 starters this year, a better strike-rate than any other second-crop sire; while Divisidero has two stakes winners from just 19 starters. They had to settle for 27 mares between them in 2023, so these horses (both carrying excellent bloodlines, incidentally) must depend on far-sighted breeders stepping up to give them the opportunity they have surely earned. Casalu | Benoit I mention this because no freshman has made a better start from a small base than Caracaro, with four winners from five starters to date from his 39 named foals conceived at $6,500. These include Kentucky Juvenile Stakes winner West Memorial and Del Mar debut romper Casalu, a $775,000 sensation at OBS April. Whether Caracaro can consolidate from here remains to be seen, but these straws in the wind deserve to be caught when so much hot air is guaranteed for rivals with huge cavalries to bring into play. Instilled Regard has fielded three scorers from five, while his sales reception makes it absolutely no surprise that the very interesting Win Win Win has had four from eight. But for now I want to focus on Caracaro because we've just been reminded of the kind of odds his farm must overcome, in seeking such an imaginative niche in the midst of the Bluegrass superpowers. Nakatomi, winner of the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes last weekend, belongs to the second crop of Firing Line, who retired to Crestwood in 2017. Unfortunately he did so having long been out of the limelight, making no impact in a solitary 4-year-old start after derailing in the GI Preakness. But he had only been worn down late by American Pharoah in the Derby, and previously won the GIII Sunland Derby by 14 lengths, breaking the track record, and missed a juvenile Grade I by a nose. There was one glaring problem: his sire Line of David. While Kantharos has meanwhile given Lion Heart credibility as a sire of sires, the fact is that Line of David produced nothing else remotely close to Firing Line (whose damsire Hold For Gold hardly improved matters). On the other hand, Firing Line is out of a Grade I-placed half-sister to the dams of Grade I milers Sharp Azteca (Freud) and Bowies Hero (Artie Schiller), from a line tracing to matriarchs Kamar and Square Angel. Not many rolled the dice, even at $5,000, and then–the last straw–it turned out that Firing Line's fertility was ordinary. Yet there was some genetic functionality here. As a second crop sire, he mustered 23 winners from 37 starters including two placed at Grade II level. Nakatomi | Sarah Andrew One of those was Nakatomi himself, sharp enough to bookend his first campaign with Keeneland wins at the Spring Meet and in the Bowman Mill. But it has really been with maturity that he has thrived, making the podium at the Breeders' Cup last fall and now making his Grade I breakout. All too late, however, to rescue his sire from oblivion: last year Firing Line covered five mares and was sold to the Philippines. Okay, fair enough: his road was already too steep for Firing Line to get away with patchy fertility as well. And, as we have discovered elsewhere, Nakatomi's dam must also take some credit. But let's hope that whatever ill luck he endured can be redressed by the horse now filling the breach on the same roster. Caracaro is certainly a contrast to his magnificently robust neighbor Heart To Heart, who won graded stakes at three, four, five, six and seven, in that he managed no more than four starts. But in that brief window he split Country Grammer and Mystic Guide in the GIII Peter Pan Stakes, and also ran second in the GI Travers. His mother is by War Front out of GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Santa Catarina (Unbridled), while the next dam was a Storm Cat half-sister to a Classic winner in Europe, a line tracing to Lady Be Good. To the marketplace, however, first and foremost Caracaro is a son of Uncle Mo who created a buzz with his debut at the 2-year-old sales. For now he's keeping some much more expensive sires in the shade, and laying down a marker that should not be crushed when their tanks eventually come rolling through. Record Shows Top Gun's Range Sierra Leone couldn't quite find the extra reserves on Saturday, having once again consumed a ton of gas with one of his trademark moves from nowhere, but Gun Runner now appears to have another sophomore monster in World Record. His exhibition of speed in the GII Amsterdam could hardly be in greater contrast with late-running Sierra Leone. With Gun Pilot and Vahva slipstreaming Gunite, the last Amsterdam winner, with Grade I wins this year round a single turn, their sire is as remarkable for his range as his class. World Record | Sarah Andrew World Record actually has a ton of chlorophyll in his pedigree, his first three dams being by Exceed And Excel (Aus), Last Tycoon (Ire) and Grey Dawn (Fr). But his second dam certainly responded to dirt covers from Silver Charm and Cherokee Run respectively to produce Miss Isella, a triple Grade I scorer/GI Go For Wand runner-up, and GII Arkansas Derby winner Sir Cherokee, and it feels safe to assume that he won't be trying grass any time soon. We must congratulate Joel Politi for picking out World Record's half-sister by Violence for $80,000 at Keeneland last September. She's just started breezing at Churchill, but is now a valuable commodity whatever she can do on the track. And, after last week's plaudits, we must again give a nod to the Runnymede team, who co-bred World Record and sold him to Maverick Racing for $410,000 as a weanling at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale. Parenting All About Genes Like Gun Runner, Justify has quickly positioned himself as eligible to fill an eventual void as the likes of Into Mischief (19) and Curlin (20) enter the evening of their careers. And it's been another auspicious week for the Triple Crown winner. Parenting (inside) | Benoit His pinhook sensation Ruling Court lived up to every cent of his record $2.3 million Arqana Breeze-Up tag with a brilliant debut at Sandown. Norman Williamson found this colt for $150,000 at Keeneland last September, and again we must reprise compliments offered last week, this time to co-breeder and consignor Nursery Place, where Williamson knew that the youngster would have received a peerless grounding. Ruling Court heads the early betting on next year's Derby, though there's plainly a long way to go before he can give Justify a second consecutive Epsom champion from what remains a fairly small footprint in Europe. It only took a minor 11th hour hiccup, after all, to cause another son to miss the GI Haskell Stakes. Parenting instead surfaced in an allowance at Santa Anita last Sunday, holding off a far more seasoned rival after setting some pretty exacting fractions. That consolidated his 'TDN Rising Star' debut and stakes romp, and his ambitious new owners may yet see him enter the championship equation on one coast or other (GI Travers/GI Pacific Classic). Bred by Jason Hall and BCS Thoroughbreds, Parenting did not enter a ring until OBS April last year, when prepared by Paul Sharp for a $750,000 sale. His breeze was backed up by a pedigree tracing to Sam-Son linchpin No Class as sixth dam, via a Seattle Slew half-sister to Smart Strike/Dance Smartly as fourth. Closer up, his mother is a half-sister to GI Woodbine Mile winner El Tormenta (Stormy Atlantic) by Lemon Drop Kid, whose dam was also by Seattle Slew. Fast as he is, with those genes behind him, Parenting is going to keep on running. The post Breeding Digest: Keep Small Books Out Of The Firing Line appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Maiden winner Wizard Of Odds (Ire) (Arizona {Ire}) topped the ThoroughBid July Sale on Thursday. BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe bought the juvenile for £50,000. Sold as lot 28 by Baronrath Stables, he was trained by Charles O'Brien to win at Down Royal two weeks ago. Donohoe said, “I've been keeping my eye on the ThoroughBid sales ever since they kicked off and was interested when I saw Wizard Of Odds entered. He's a horse I've been following all season. “He'll be staying in-training in Ireland for some Irish clients and looks to have a bright future. He's a horse with a fair bit of height and scope for a 2-year-old, so I think he'll have a little break and then be tried over further. He looks like being a nice mile type for next year.” Of the 52 lots offered, 23 sold for a gross of €121,700. The average was £5,291 and the median was £2,500. CEO of ThoroughBid, James Richardson, said, “With a good spread of quality and variety, it's no surprise that this was a very lively sale. It was a busy session, with bidders tuning in from America, Australia, the Middle East and right across Europe. “We're delighted to have seen such an exciting 2-year-old like Wizard Of Odds go under our online hammer. He's sold well for £50,000 and we look forward to following his future steps. “We're seeing an increasing amount of owners and trainers come to our door and hope to see many more as we go through the year.” The post Wizard Of Odds Tops ThoroughBid July Sale at £50k appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

I Wish I Win ridden by Luke Nolen takes out the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm. Photo: Darren Winningham Last season’s Everest (1200m) runner-up, I Wish I Win, is looking to go one better come October. The gelding has been confirmed to represent Entain’s Trackside Media in the $20 million race at Randwick on October 19. Trained by Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, I Wish I Win finished just 0.4 lengths behind last year’s winner, Think About It. “We’re delighted to be involved with ‘Wish’ again, together with the team at Waikato Stud and Moody Coleman Racing,” said Cameron Rodger, Entain Australia and New Zealand managing director. “His win in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup in Brisbane last month showed us he’s going to be perfectly primed to climb the Randwick mountain in October and we’re sure he’s going to have plenty of Kiwi fans cheering him on too.” I Wish I Win is the second horse officially confirmed for The Everest, following the selection of former West Australian sprinter Bustling by slot holders Max Whitby and Neil Werrett. With over two months to go until The Everest, I Wish I Win is a $4.50 favourite with horse racing bookmakers. Horse racing news View the full article

Group 1 Golden Slipper winner Lady of Camelot. Photo: RacingNSW Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s promising young horses from last season, Lady Of Camelot and Storm Boy, are gearing up for the new racing season with trials at Randwick on Friday. Lady Of Camelot, the impressive winner of the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) last season, will be piloted by Tim Clark in a 850-metre trial. Lady Of Camelot features in several futures markets with horse racing bookmakers, but it is in The Everest (1200m) markets where she is a $15 chance. Storm Boy, who narrowly missed out as a favourite in the Slipper, will have James McDonald in the saddle for a trial shortly after. Also returning to the track is Switzerland, trained by Chris Waller, who despite a disappointing run in the Slipper after a strong start to his career, is looking to make an impact at the top level season. Storm Boy and Switzerland are $7 & $13 respectively in Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) futures markets. Horse racing news View the full article

What Rosehill Races Where Rosehill Gardens Racecourse – James Ruse Dr, Rosehill NSW 2142 When Saturday, August 3, 2024 First Race 11:30am AEST Visit Dabble Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is the destination for NSW metro racing on Saturday, with a bumper 10-race program set for decision. The rail is out +7m the entire circuit, and although the track is rated a Soft 7 at the time of acceptances, punters can anticipate an upgrade into the Good range thanks to the sunny skies forecast leading into the weekend. All the action is scheduled to get underway at 11:30am local time. Best Bet at Rosehill: Vivy Air Formerly trained by Archie Alexander, Vivy Air debuts for the Ciaron Maher barn on the back of two impressive barrier trials. Her most recent piece of work at Warwick Farm on July 15 particularly caught the eye, with the daughter of Hellbent careering through the wire under her own steam to get within 1.3 lengths of Northumbria. Her form from last preparation reads exceptionally well for this BM72 contest, and although the 1200m might be short of her best trip moving forward, Vivy Air should still prove too classy for this lot first-up. Best Bet Race 3 – #2 Vivy Air (2) 4yo Mare | T: Ciaron Maher | J: James McDonald (59kg) +150 with Picklebet Next Best at Rosehill: Spring Lee Spring Lee returns after a short 77-day spell and appears primed to strike first-up. The four-year-old was no match for Commemorative at the end of last campaign in the Listed Denise Joy Stakes (1100m) at Scone on May 18, but finished a clear runner-up to signify she still has plenty of upside moving forward. Barrier two should allow Rachel King to take closer order throughout the 1100m this time, and provided she can replicate a similar performance in this weaker BM78 contest, Spring Lee should be figuring in the finish. Next Best Race 7 – #9 Spring Lee (2) 4yo Mare | T: Bjorn Baker | J: Rachel King (56kg) +200 with Bet365 Best Value at Rosehill: More Secrets As highlighted in the Follow Files, More Secrets looks set to peak after a bold display in the Listed Winter Challenge (1500m) at this course and distance on July 20. The daughter of More Than Ready powered through the line despite a torrid run in transit, closing within a half-length of Jojo Was A Man. She was contesting genuine Group 1 company prior to that effort, and provided Tim Clark can slot in closer from stall seven on Saturday, the $9.00 available with online bookmakers about More Secrets will seem too big a price as they turn for home. Best Value Race 8 – #8 More Secrets (7) 7yo Mare | T: Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | J: Tim Clark (55kg) +800 with Neds Rosehill Saturday quaddie tips Rosehill Gardens quadrella selections Saturday, August 3, 2024 3-9 1-3-4-8-10-14 2-3-10-12 1-2-7-10-11-12 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips
 View the full article

What Palmerston Sprint Day 2024 Where Fannie Bay Racecourse – Dick Ward Dr, Fannie Bay NT 0820 When Saturday, August 3, 2024 First Race 12:55pm ACST Visit Dabble The biggest weekend of the year in the Top End kicks off with the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) – the Darwin Cup Carnival’s Day 7 feature. The premier race in the NT for the sprinters has attracted an outstanding field with up to eight horses capable of winning. The seven-event program has attracted 79 acceptors with sunny and breezy conditions the forecast, and a top temperature of 32C. The rail will be in the true position and Fannie Bay will once again be a good dirt surface. Palmerston Sprint Tip: Star Magnum Returning from a spell, Star Magnum was third behind Palmerston Sprint favourite Spaceship over 1200m (BM76) in May. The son of Magnus then finished second behind Rising Sphere over 1100m (BM76) and Spaceship in open company over 1200m in June. The seven-year-old gelding then won two open 1100m handicaps in July after pinging the gates and controlling matters out in front. Ninth in last year’s Palmerston, Star Magnum is a big hope should he once again make a good start and lead. Palmerston Sprint Race 7 – #4 Star Magnum (8) 7yo Gelding | T: Phil Cole | J: Emma Lines (56.5kg) Bet with Picklebet BEST BET: Captain George After two seconds over 1200m (0-70) and 1200m (BM54) in April, Captain George had a break before returning to finish second over 1100m (0-58) in June. Jumping from barrier two a fortnight ago over 1100m (0-58), the six-year-old gelding settled midfield on the fence before heading to the middle of the track to seal a comfortable victory by 2.8 lengths. Best Bet Race 6 – #1 Captain George (1) 6yo Gelding | T: Gary Clarke | J: Jarrod Todd (60.5kg) Bet with Bet365 NEXT BEST: Global Wonder Global Wonder, the seven-year-old gelding, with a Top End record of 41: 5-14-9, was a certainty beaten over 1600m (0-66) on July 20. After blowing the start, the son of Hinchinbrook was 15 lengths behind the leader Marvelous Night in last place passing the 1100m before winding up at the 600m. Marvelous Night was well clear at the home turn before Global Wonder finished one length adrift in second place. He can go one better this time around. Next Best Race 1 – #1 Global Wonder (1) 7yo Gelding | T: Gary Clarke | J: Jarrod Todd (60kg) Bet with PlayUp BEST VALUE: Pompeii Empire The five-year-old gelding Pompeii Empire from SA has impressed in three Darwin starts. A first up third over 1200m (0-66) on June 29 was followed by a close second over 1100m (0-66) behind track record holder Patriotic King on July 17. In last Saturday’s Flying Sprint (1100m), the son of Magnus finished strongly from the back when less than a length behind Palmerston Sprint hope Star Magnum in second place. Best Value Race 4 – #2 Pompeii Empire (1) 5yo Gelding | T: Kym Healy | J: Ianish Luximon (61kg) Bet with Neds Saturday Darwin quaddie tips – 3/8/2024 Darwin quadrella selections Saturday, August 3, 2024 1-2-4-6 1-5-9-10-12 1-2-3 1-3-4-6-10 Horse racing tips View the full article

Aidan O'Brien knew he still had a top-class filly on his hands despite Opera Singer (Justify–Liscanna {re}, by Sadler's Wells) missing out on all the early-season mile monuments and the late Evie Stockwell's homebred who had wowed in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac duly delivered up in trip in Thursday's G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. Able to control the 10-furlong contest from the front throughout, the 9-4 second favourite really turned it on passing the three-furlong pole and had to be brave late as the 16-1 shot See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) threatened to emulate her dam Arabian Queen (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in causing an upset in a prestige British group 1. Tough to the line in response to Ryan Moore's urgings, Opera Singer had a neck to spare over Jeff Smith's homebred, who was promoting the Eclipse form having been a well-beaten fourth behind City Of Troy (Justify) at Sandown. There was another 3/4 of a length to the speedy closer and G1 Prix de Diane heroine Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) in third, with the 7-4 favourite Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) only sixth having looked uncomfortable on this unique track. “We always felt she was crying out for a step up in trip and she's a very good filly who could step up further,” O'Brien said. “If she is going to the Arc, she might go for the [G1] Prix Vermeille before but if the ground was bad at Longchamp she could go to the Breeders' Cup instead. Last year, we thought her and City Of Troy were the best 2-year-old filly and colt we'd ever had.” in FULL CRY Opera Singer stays the ten furlongs well to win the Group 1 @Qatar_Racing Nassau Stakes under Ryan Moore. Could she be an Arc contender?#QatarGoodwoodFestival #GloriousGoodwood pic.twitter.com/vM12Qa6I6f — Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 1, 2024 The post Justify’s Arc Bound Opera Singer Not For Passing In The Nassau appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Coolmore and Westerberg's 'TDN Rising Star' Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}–Devoted To You {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}) followed up an eighth-length debut tally at the Curragh with a black-type breakthrough back there in June's G3 International Stakes and, penalised three pounds for his narrow success in the latter, dipped into deep reserves to maintain his perfect record with a battling performance in Thursday's G3 John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes at Goodwood. The 4-5 favourite allowed this track's Listed Cocked Hat Stakes victor Meydaan (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) establish a clear advantage through halfway and took closer order turning for home. Bustled along with three furlongs remaining to gain an edge passing the quarter-mile pole, he was joined by G3 Hampton Court Stakes third Bellum Justum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) approaching the final furlong and found plenty under a late drive to deny that rival by a neck in game fashion. The runner-up was 3 3/4 lengths clear of G1 Derby fifth Sayedaty Sadaty (Ire) (Anodin {Ire}) as Meydaan faded late to finish nine lengths back in fourth. “Jan Brueghel stays very well, but he is very babyish and green,” said Aidan O'Brien after collecting a fourth renewal of the G1 St Leger trial. “He had to do an extra round in the parade ring because we were talking, Ryan [Moore] had to go down on his own and said he was very green going to the start. Ryan was delighted when the other horse went off in front and time and distance is going to improve him. We didn't do anything with him last year and you can really see it now. Ryan was very good on him and you'd have to be very happy. He led the other two to the leader and then got left there. All he was doing was looking in front of him and he wasn't really concentrating because he is such a baby, but he fought them off when Ryan asked him. It was a bit of a crash-course to come here, he had a lot to learn in a short time and I would say you'd have to go straight to the St Leger. It is only his third run but I wouldn't think there would be a chance for a run in between. He was a lot heavier today than for his last run, which usually means he is maturing. We also have the horse that won at Royal Ascot [Illinois] for the St Leger and the Irish Derby winner Los Angeles is a possible.” Moore added, “Jan Brueghel will get better, there is definitely more class in there and we just need to get it out.” It wasn't pretty but he's still unbeaten toughs it out to land the Group 3 Gordon Stakes under an animated Ryan Moore. Thoughts on his Leger prospects?@Goodwood_Races | @Qatar_Racing pic.twitter.com/0Nsx4aOTLU — Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 1, 2024 Pedigree Notes Jan Brueghel is the ninth of 11 foals and one of eight scorers for G2 Debutante Stakes and G3 Park Express Stakes placegetter Devoted To You (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), herself kin to a sextet of black-type performers headed by GIII Honeybee Stakes victrix Humble Eight (Seattle Battle). His second dam Alleged Devotion (Alleged) is a half-sister to G1 Oaks and G1 Irish Derby heroine Balanchine (Storm Bird). The May-foaled bay is a full-brother to G1 Irish Derby hero Sovereign (Ire) and G1 Irish St Leger third Dawn Rising (Ire). He is also kin to a yearling filly by St Mark's Basilica (Fr) and a weanling filly by Wootton Bassett (GB). Thursday, Goodwood, Britain JOHN PEARCE RACING GORDON STAKES-G3, £200,000, Goodwood, 8-1, 3yo, 11f 218yT, 2:34.76, g/f. 1–JAN BRUEGHEL (IRE), 132, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire) 1st Dam: Devoted To You (Ire) (MGSP-Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire) 2nd Dam: Alleged Devotion, by Alleged 3rd Dam: Morning Devotion, by Affirmed TDN Rising Star. O-Westerberg, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & D Smith; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £113,420. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 3-3-0-0, $221,264. *Full to Sovereign (Ire), G1SW-Ire & G1SP-Eng, $1,173,919; and Dawn Rising (Ire), G1SP-Ire & GSP-Eng, $277,824. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Bellum Justum (Ire), 129, c, 3, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Natural Beauty (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). (375,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-King Power Racing Co Ltd; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Andrew Balding. £43,000. 3–Sayedaty Sadaty (Ire), 129, c, 3, Anodin (Ire)–Bell Su River (GB), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€30,000 Ylg '22 BBAGS). O-Australian Bloodstock; B-Thomas Lines (IRE); T-David Simcock. £21,520. Margins: NK, 3 3/4, 9. Odds: 0.80, 2.75, 11.00. Also Ran: Meydaan (Ire). Scratched: Align The Stars (Ire). The post TDN Rising Star Jan Brueghel Digs Deep For Gordon Triumph appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is rolling out the Makeover Champions program by inviting members of the Thoroughbred industry to demonstrate public support for former connected horses who are headed to the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, the RRP said in a press release on Thursday. Former connections, including breeders, owners, trainers, and stallion farms are eligible to participate in the program. Makeover Champions will share updates about their former connected horses throughout the event. Additional participation options include volunteering at the Thoroughbred Makeover, attending to cheer on their former connected horses or making a monetary donation in support of the RRP's charitable mission. “We've seen an ever-increasing number of connections over the past decade of work at the RRP who are keenly interested in what their horses are doing beyond racing,” said RRP Executive Director Kirsten Green. “Outcomes for Thoroughbreds will only continue to improve if we as an industry strive to consider their life cycle holistically and embrace the career that comes after racing, not just consider it a 'plan B.'” Click here to learn more. The post Retired Racehorse Project Introduces Makeover Champions Program appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) will begin its second season with a stop at Kentucky Downs on Sunday, Sept. 1, the track said in a Thursday release. Launched last year, the NTL tour adds a competitive component for its teams based on the outcome of races. At Kentucky Downs, that will involve a five-race sequence culminating in the $500,000 National Thoroughbred League Handicap. There are no nomination, entry or starter fees for the scheduled handicap, though horses must be nominated by Aug. 19, with declarations to be made by Aug. 24 and weights announced Aug. 26. Of the $500,000 purse, $200,000 is restricted to eligible Kentucky-breds. “We want to support innovation that's designed to create new fans and we're happy to have the NTL at Kentucky Downs for the second year,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs's vice president for racing. “There's not a better place to launch our season than in two unique venues like as Nashville and Kentucky Downs,” said NTL President Tom Ludt. “We appreciative the Kentucky Downs team for helping to facilitate our dream designed to grow the sport we all love.” As part of the festivities, the NTL is staging an on-track party in Kentucky Downs's VIP Chalet. The public can join the NTL VIP party by buying tickets through the track's online ticket office. The post National Thoroughbred League Second Season Starts At Kentucky Downs Sept. 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Eleanora Kennedy's Black Forza (Complexity–Harlee Honey, by Harlan's Holiday), a £220,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up graduate, shed maiden status at Fairyhouse last month and stepped forward to notch a landmark win for his Airdie Stud-based freshman sire (by Macleans Music) in Thursday's G2 Markel Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. The Michael O'Callaghan trainee was steadied after the break and settled several lengths off the tempo in seventh through the early fractions of this six-furlong dash. Coming under pressure to reduce arrears approaching the quarter-mile marker, the 9-1 chance went fifth entering the final furlong and continued his withering run on the stands' side to nab Wathnan Racing's The Strikin Viking (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}) by a half-length in the dying strides. Bearstone Stud's Intrusively (GB) (Territories {Ire}) kept on strongly in the closing stages to finish 3/4-of-a-length adrift in third. A game performance from Black Forza who makes it back-to-back wins, taking out the Group 2 @MarkelUK Richmond Stakes for @DylanBrowneMcM and @MDOCallaghan! pic.twitter.com/edEvKUeD7B — Goodwood Racecourse (@Goodwood_Races) August 1, 2024 The post Black Forza Becomes Complexity’s First European Stakes Winner With Richmond Triumph appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Craig Fravel, who served as the executive vice chair for The Stronach Group's 1/ST Racing, is leaving the company and becoming a partner and senior advisor with Southern California-based Brown Advisory, the global, private and independent investment management firm said in a release early Thursday. Beginning in late 2019, Fravel was hired to lead 1/ST Racing as its chief executive during the equine fatality crisis at Santa Anita. His tenure also included presiding over the sale of Pimlico Race Course and the closing of Golden Gate Fields. Prior to that, Fravel was the President and CEO of the Breeders' Cup, from 2011 through 2019, and President of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club where he worked from 1990 to 2011. “We are very excited to have Craig join our firm. He has a demonstrated track record of success and trust–he knows how to bring people together and get things done,” said Mike Hankin, president and CEO. “Craig's thoughtful approach to finding solutions combined with his connections, network and expertise in and beyond horse racing will be very valuable to our clients.” Also, Fravel served on the board of Equibase and while at the Breeders' Cup he was a member of the board of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. “After a rewarding career in the Thoroughbred racing industry, it is thrilling to have an opportunity to bring the skills and relationships developed over the years to Brown Advisory as it expands its presence in California,” said Fravel. “While I am deeply grateful for the experiences and friends I have enjoyed in racing, it is a great time for me and my family to undertake a new challenge. The culture, integrity and excellence I have personally witnessed in my interactions with Brown Advisory and its colleagues in recent years gives me confidence that the next chapter will be as fulfilling as the last.” Fravel is on the board of The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the Southern California Equine Foundation and the Dolly Green Research Foundation. On the roll of The Jockey Club of America, he chairs that organization's Thoroughbred Safety Committee and he is also a Breeders' Cup member. Brown's latest hire started his career at the San Diego law firm of Luce, Forward, Hamilton and Scripps after graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law. The post Craig Fravel Leaves Stronach To Join Brown Advisory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Terry Gillett-trained Dakota Lee makes her Darwin debut on Saturday in the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m). There are a host of in-form speedsters in Darwin, so the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) on Saturday is shaping as a thrilling contest. In 2020, just 0.6 lengths separated the first five horses across the line with Gary Clarke’s Enigman sneaking home. It was one of the more spectacular finishes at Fannie Bay and it might well be an exciting conclusion to the Palmerston this weekend. Clarke, who has won the Palmerston five times since 2016, goes into the Darwin Cup Carnival’s Day 7 feature with three starters, including Spaceship – the $5 favourite with online bookmakers. Six other horses were also under double figure odds – last year’s winner Early Crow ($5.50) from the Chris Pollard stable, Chris Nash’s Ideas Man ($6), Clarke’s Lumber Punk ($7.50), Terry Gillett’s Dakota Lee ($7.50) from Alice Springs, Pollard’s Kerioth ($8.50) and Phil Cole’s Star Magnum ($9.50). Early Crow, Ideas Man, Kerioth and Star Magnum saluted at the top level in the Top End during July. Lumber Punk was a last start second when he powered home to trail Early Crow by half a length over 1200m in weight-for-age company a fortnight ago. Spaceship, who won his first three starts after arriving from Queensland, was fourth in the same weight-for-age contest and drops 4kg for the Palmerston. Dakota Lee, who boasts 10 wins from 10 starts in the Red Centre, debuts at Fannie Bay. Cole’s Conclave Prince ($11) finished second behind Kerioth over 1200m (0-76) before winning over 1100m (0-70) during July. Clarke’s former NSW galloper Seguso ($15) worked home nicely in his NT debut when second behind Star Magnum in open company over 1100m on July 6. A leading Darwin racing analyst, who wished to remain anonymous due to his links with a local stable, labelled this year’s Palmerston field as arguably one of the strongest ever. “Spaceship has been a popular favourite for a while, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Early Crow or Ideas Man are the punter’s elect on Saturday,” he said. “Can Early Crow win again, can last year’s runner up Ideas Man take the next step? “Spaceship only has 54.5kg and barrier two, and with Jarrod Todd on board he’s the one to beat. “Chris Pollard has done a great job with Early Crow and Kerioth after they spent time with the Clarke stable after cutting ties with the Dick Leech yard. Despite her formidable record in the Red Centre, Dakota Lee will need to be at her best come Saturday’s feature. “Everyone is aware of Dakota Lee’s issues over the years, but she had three wins in Alice before heading here,” he said. “There’s no doubt she has ability, but she’s drawn the outside gate (12) and although I’m not writing her off I fear trainer Terry Gillett may regret not giving her a start before the Palmerston. “Kerioth has been terrific and only carries 54kg, but barrier 11 could also hinder his hopes. “Star Magnum, who usually jumps well, could be competitive because in his last two wins over 1100m they couldn’t catch him after getting to an early lead. “Star Magnum won the Flying Sprint last weekend, Early Crow won that race last year. “Lightweight hopes Lumber Punk, Seguso and Conclave Prince must be respected.” 2024 Palmerston Sprint Tips David White (horsebetting.com.au) 4 STAR MAGNUM 1 IDEAS MAN 6 SPACESHIP 10 LUMBER PUNK Craig Sant (Darwin Racecaller) 7 KERIOTH 5 SEGUSO 10 LUMBER PUNK 3 EARLY CROW Greg Aldam (Thoroughbred Racing NT) 10 LUMBER PUNK 1 IDEAS MAN 3 EARLY CROW 7 KERIOTH Andrew O’Toole (Sky Racing) 1 IDEAS MAN 5 SEGUSO 6 SPACESHIP 10 LUMBER PUNK Horse racing news View the full article

Jarrod Todd steers Shakattak to success in the $40,000 Dabble Cup. Fittingly, champion Darwin trainer Gary Clarke and jockey Jarrod Todd claimed the final race of the 2023/24 season at Fannie Bay on Wednesday. It occurred in the feature on Day 6 of the Darwin Cup Carnival when five-year-old gelding Shakattak – the $1.95 favourite with online bookmakers – won the $40,000 Dabble Cup (1300m). The son of Shalaa saluted over 1300m (0-66) on July 13 following a first up seventh over 1200m (0-66) in June when he arrived from Clinton McDonald’s Cranbourne stable. For Clarke and Todd, it was their third straight Carnival feature with Masatora sealing the $135,000 NT Derby (2050m) on July 20 and Wolfburn landing the $50,000 Metric Mile (1600m) last Saturday. Clarke, winner of the Top End and Country trainers’ premiership for a 12th straight year, finished the season with 68 wins. Todd ended the campaign with 60 wins to claim the jockeys’ premiership for the fifth year in the row. Looking ahead to the $135,000 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) on Saturday and the $200,000 Darwin Cup (2050m) on Monday, Clarke and Todd are in the mix as Spaceship and Wolfburn are serious contenders. Fourth behind leaders Plague Stone, Swing With Junior and Budgerigar in the Dabble Cup, Shakattak found clear air in the home straight before kicking away at the 100m to seal victory by 1.3 lengths. Jason Manning’s Budgerigar ($12) fought on gamely for second after travelling three deep for the entire trip, while Neil Dyer’s Yaki Ishi ($6.50) finished strongly and wasn’t all that far away in third place. Clarke had a winning double when six-year-old mare Adelaide River ($7), led from start to finish to overcome Tom Logan’s Polarising ($1.65 fav) and Kerry Petrick’s Flash Fiorente ($26) over 1100m. Polarising, a spectacular last start winner, was desperately unlucky when flattened at the back of the field at the 800m before finishing 1.6 lengths adrift of the winner. Trainer Chris Nash and jockey Mark Pegus had two wins with five-year-old mare Li’l Wonder ($5.50) getting home over 1200m (0-62) and seven-year-old gelding Mr Have A Chat ($3.20 fav) getting the chocolates over 1100m. Li’l Wonder led from start to finish to clip Phil Cole’s Soul Spirit ($6) and Kym Healy’s Cyclonite ($19) by 3.5 lengths, while Mr Have A Chat skipped two lengths clear at the 600m before getting home by 0.8 lengths from Clarke’s Kumicho ($3.60) and Healy’s Real Valentia ($5.50). Tayarn Halter’s I’m A Dreamer ($11), who wasn’t far from the lead, ended a 13 month drought with victory over 1600m (0-62) when the six-year-old gelding shook off Dan Morgan’s Dartboard ($12) and Petrick’s Real Divine ($21) in a blanket finish. Neil Dyer and Noel Callow, combined for victory when five-year-old mare Ariarne hit the front exiting the back straight before clocking Chris Pollard’s stablemates Go Barney Go ($10) and Full Damage ($15) by 6.2 lengths in a 1300m maiden. Horse racing news View the full article