Wandering Eyes

When the July Cup (G1) winner turns up at Haydock Park eight weeks later, they are usually a short price to follow up, but that is not the case this time, with No Half Measures a little dismissed in the betting for the Sept. 6 Sprint Cup Stakes (G1).View the full article

As I begin my tenure as chair of The Jockey Club, I look to the future with optimism and gratitude for the work already done by so many in our sport. Together, we have elevated safety, strengthened aftercare, and built partnerships that once seemed unlikely. Now, we have the opportunity to take the next step: ending horse slaughter, so that the pipeline that undermines public trust and jeopardizes our horses is finally closed. Long before this conversation reached industry headlines, The Jockey Club was working with animal-welfare experts to raise standards. The creation of the National Horse Racing Advisory Council in 2016 with Humane World for Animals (then the Humane Society of the United States) provided a bridge between racing professionals and advocates. That collaboration sent a clear signal: We are prepared to lead, to evolve, and to ensure our practices reflect the dignity of the horse. It was a forward-looking effort then, and that spirit of leadership and collaboration continues to guide us today. Yet the challenge of the slaughter pipeline has persisted. While we have made significant progress in caring for Thoroughbreds during and after their racing careers, the existence of this pipeline puts horses at unnecessary risk, undermines our progress, and clouds perceptions of our commitment to the animals at the very heart of our sport. The Jockey Club has long supported the SAFE Act (see Chris Heyde's op-ed in the TDN), legislation that would permanently ban horse slaughter in the United States and end the export of horses for slaughter abroad. With our guidance, many leaders across racing have joined in this call from racetracks, breeders, jockeys, owners and beyond demonstrating that this is not a divisive issue but a unifying one, rooted in our respect for the Thoroughbred. As chair of The Jockey Club, I will continue and deepen this commitment. Our industry can thrive only when it reflects the values of care, integrity, and accountability. By ending slaughter, we will remove a shadow that has lingered for too long and allow our investments in aftercare and second careers to reach their full potential. This is a moment to celebrate how far we have come and to finish the work together. Passing the SAFE Act will honor the horses who define our sport and strengthen the foundation for racing's future. –Everett Dobson became The Jockey Club of America's 11th chairman this summer. The post Letter To The Editor: Jockey Club Chairman Dobson In Support Of SAFE Act appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainers Bob Baffert and Chief Stipe O'Neill are the only ones who have entered horses in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) Sept. 7 at Del Mar, Baffert with four and O'Neill with two.View the full article

4th-DMR, $100k, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 6:05 p.m. ET Having unveiled the likes of 'TDN Rising Star' Buetane, a $1.15-million graduate of this year's OBS April Sale, earlier during the summer at Del Mar, trainer Bob Baffert sends out a promising daughter of Tiz the Law in the form of SOUNDS LUCKY on the penultimate day of the meet. The Apr. 22 foal is a maternal granddaughter of Caminadora (More Than Ready), a Grade III winner long on the grass, and first sold for $100,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November Sale before hammering for double that price at Keeneland September last fall. The bay filly caught the eye of the 'Three Amigos'–the sales alias of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman–at this year's OBS March Sale, where she breezed a furlong in :9 4/5 and was knocked down for $550,000. Sounds Lucky is the 5-2 morning-line selection and has go-to rider Juan Hernandez up. TJCIS PPs The post Saturday Insights: Yet Another Expensive Tiz the Law Debuts For Baffert appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wagering increased compared to a year ago in August despite a reduction in the number of race days during the month, according to information released by Equibase on Friday. Total wagering of $1,204,428,838 on races during the month represented a 3.13% increase over the same period from 2024, while available purses of over $153 million were higher by 7.24%. The figure of over $145 million for paid purses in August was also up by 6.33%. As for the total number of race days, they decreased from 416 to 400 (-3.85%) and the number of U.S. races was lower from 3,232 in August 2024 to last month's tally of 3,181 (-1.58%). Average field size in August was down a touch from over a year ago when it was 7.21, and checked in at an average of 7.19 runners, a decrease of 0.28%. However, average daily wagering increased by 7.25% to $3,011,072, and the average available purse number per race day was up 11.53% to $382,641 from the figure of $343,072 in 2024. When it comes to the year-to-date figures, through August of 2024 wagering on U.S. races came in at $8.082-billion, while this year the amount is $7.942-billion (-1.73%). Those numbers include worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races. The post August Economic Indicators: More Wagering, Fewer Race Days appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Igniter (c, 2, Volatile)'s wide-trip, third-place finish behind 'TDN Rising Star' Golden Tornado (McKinzie) in a live maiden special weight at the Spa Aug. 9 on debut continues to look better every day. The runner-up Oscar's Hope (Twirling Candy) returned with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance on Saratoga's closing day program Sept. 1. Golden Tornado, meanwhile, is being aimed at the GI Champagne S. at Aqueduct Oct. 4. Overlooked at odds of 26-1 for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., Igniter raced on the outside in sixth as Oscar's Hope and Golden Tornado were one-two through an opening quarter in :22.76. The Three Chimneys Farm homebred was on the move while at least four wide and advanced into third approaching the quarter pole as the top two began to get away from the field of eight. Golden Tornado took over in deep stretch and powered clear impressively to graduate by 3 1/4 lengths, stopping the timer for six furlongs in 1:10.87. Igniter continued on nicely down the stretch and finished with interest in a field-best :12.82, crossing the wire 4 3/4 lengths adrift the winner. He earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort. Golden Tornado breaks his maiden at first asking in R6 at Saratoga under @jrosariojockey for trainer Danny Gargan! pic.twitter.com/kCfHKBXm0v — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 9, 2025 “I think he's got stakes potential for sure,” said Chief Stipe Cauthen, Vice Chairman of Three Chimneys Farm. “His race was good and I don't think he was cranked up that much, either.” Cauthen continued, “He was always a nice foal, weanling, yearling, etc. The folks at Three Chimneys–all the managers and staff–liked him, which is always a good sign. He went to the (Keeneland September) sale and just didn't really find a lot of love. He was a good-looking horse and people liked him, but he only had one vetting. He was a scratch just because there wasn't enough interest along with the fact that everybody (at the farm) did like him a lot, top to bottom.” Igniter hails from the second crop of Three Chimneys Farm sophomore sire Volatile. He was produced by Edward P. Evans homebred Malibu Prayer (Malibu Moon), winner of the 2010 GI Ruffian Invitational H. Malibu Prayer brought $2 million from Besilu Stables at the Evans dispersal at the 2011 Keeneland November Sale. She was subsequently purchased privately by Three Chimneys. “The whole package from Besilu was purchased by Three Chimneys–it was like 60 horses and that mare was in it,” Cauthen said. “Volatile improves his mares. He added some speed and Igniter is a nice, big colt.” He continued, “I'd say that was the best foal that mare has ever thrown. Cartucho (Gun Runner) was also very nice. And obviously sold for a lot ($1.2 million KEESEP yearling) and was a 'Rising Star.'” Igniter (outside, blue cap & white bridle) finished third behind 'Rising Star' Golden Tornado on debut at the Spa | Sarah Andrew Igniter has breezed three times since his unveiling, including a four-furlong move in :48.21 (9/75) over the Belmont Park training track Sept. 4. The chestnut could potentially make his next start in a maiden special weight at Aqueduct later this month. “I think there's a lot of upside with that horse,” Cauthen said. Since launching 'Second Chances' in 2017, 64 maidens have been featured in these pages (through 2024), producing 25% graded stakes winners, 34% stakes winners and 48% stakes horses. The series has introduced eight future winners at the top level, led by this year's GI Kentucky Derby, GI Belmont Stakes and GI Travers S. winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), 2023 Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin) and fellow two-time Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo). The post Second Chances: ‘I Think He’s Got Stakes Potential’ – Igniter Exits Key Maiden at the Spa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The bargain purchase of a Blame filly 10 years ago has yielded Ron and Barbara Perry's Cicero Farms a pair of GI Ballerina Stakes victories, but when Marley's Freedom produced a colt in 2024, the Perrys made the decision to go to market. The yearling by Uncle Mo (hip 34) will go through the sales ring during the first session of the Keeneland September Sale Monday with the VanMeter Sales consignment. “I want to be sure he has the best opportunity to be a superstar,” Barbara Perry said of the decision to put the colt in the sale. “Plus, it's what I promised my husband I would do. I did tell him, if he let me keep Marley, I would sell the first boy. I should probably couch that with, 'But it has to be at the price I want.'” Cicero Farms purchased Marley's Freedom for $35,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale, but Perry admitted she hadn't been shopping for a dirt sprinter when she made the final bid on the Blame filly. “I had wanted a Blame filly for a while,” she explained. “The Blame fillies were running very, very well on the turf. And I love turf racing. I am learning to love dirt racing, as well. But from the time I was young, I've always been fascinated by the turf races. When I was very young, my dad took me back East. I don't remember where we went–I think it was Belmont–and I remember standing on the rail and hearing the horses run by. The grass was six or seven inches long and they were just swooshing through it. It was so amazing. I thought I want one of them.” In 18 lifetime starts, Marley's Freedom never raced on the turf, but she was a six-time graded stakes winner while sprinting on the main track. Her biggest victory came in the 2018 GI Ballerina Stakes. “It was very, very cool,” Perry said of the couple's first top-level victory. “It was amazing. And I remember saying to [trainer] Bob [Baffert], 'I don't know how to pick a horse.' And he said, 'What are you talking about?' I said, 'I bought a turf router that became a dirt sprinter. People shouldn't ask me what I think.'” Marley's Freedom attracted her share of admirers, forcing the Perrys to decide whether to add her to their fledgling breeding operation or sell the future broodmare to the highest bidder. It was an easy decision for Barbara, but it took a little convincing for Ron. “My husband was very excited about having people talk about our horse and selling her at auction,” Perry recalled. “And I had a meltdown on him. I said, 'I am going to tell you what. You need to prove to me that whatever we would sell that filly for, it would make a difference in your daily life. And if you can't do that, then you need to shut up and let me have my filly. I did all the research. Most dirt sprinters sell for around a million and a half dollars and they go to Japan. And at a million and a half, you are not going to buy a new house, nothing is going to change in your daily life, Ron. We were already breeders. So why would we sell the best broodmare prospect we have. That doesn't make any sense.” Marley's Freedom | Sarah Andrew Perry chose Quality Road for Marley's Freedom's first mating. “I asked Bob to critique Marley and he said, 'If she had more leg, she'd be perfect,'” Perry said. “So one of the reasons I picked Quality Road was because he was slightly taller than her and had a nice leg underneath him. And I thought if he can put that leg under the baby, then I would get a horse that would be built similarly to Marley with some leg.” The resulting foal was the now 4-year-old filly Hope Road and, with help from a global pandemic, the Perrys had a very close bond with the filly. “During COVID, we drove across country in our SUV with the cat,” Perry said. “We stayed in a bed and breakfast where we would have them deliver our meals to the porch and then bring it in our little room. We spent a whole month there so we could be with Marley and her baby. I have pictures of my husband sleeping with Hope in the stall as a foal. I held her in my lap when she was born.” Despite the connection, the couple decided they should test the market–and do a trial run for future sales offerings–with their Grade I-winning mare's first foal. “The idea of selling her was not high on my list, but I also thought we had to see what it was like,” Perry admitted. “We really hadn't tried to sell. We had always in the past bred to race. We had some here and there that we would sell, but we really didn't have the experience of selling a quality horse. So in a way, it was putting our training wheels on and seeing what it was like. Even though you have a trusted group that you are working with in your sales guy and prep people, until you experience it and go through it, you really don't know.” The test run failed to result in a sale when Hope Road RNA'd for $575,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. “She didn't ship well to Saratoga, so I didn't think she showed that well,” Perry said. “She was thin–she had lost weight. It happens with some fillies, they don't handle that Saratoga trip. And everyone had told me, 'If you don't get what you think she's worth as a broodmare out of a Grade I winner, you shouldn't undersell her.'” Hope Road joined the Cicero Farms racing stable and soon proved the decision to keep her was a sound one. She won a pair of graded races last year and hit the board in three straight graded races this winter and spring before retracing her dam's hoofsteps to Saratoga to earn her own Ballerina Stakes victory by two lengths Aug. 23. The filly was the third daughter of a Ballerina winner to take the Saratoga event. “I am normally a super statistical person and if I would have looked at the fact that Marley is the third mare in 47 years that's produced a filly to win the Ballerina, and the first one in 20 years, I am pretty sure I would have said, 'Oh no. Let's not do that. That's just a dumb idea.' But because I didn't have the opportunity to do that, it really didn't dawn on me how special it was. Then I really started to look at the statistics when I got home. And to have it be the same trainer and same owner, that didn't happen with the other two. That's unbelievable.” Marley's Freedom's daughter Freedom Song (Medaglia d'Oro), now three, was injured as a yearling and will join the Cicero broodmare band next year. The 11-year-old mare produced a colt by Violence this year and was bred back to Not This Time, but all eyes will be on her yearling colt next Monday at Keeneland. “He is, I think, well put together,” Perry said of the yearling. “A lot of Uncle Mos are really big bodied. He has a big body, but he has substantial bone underneath him. He's got really nice legs on him. He's a typical Uncle Mo. He moves very, very well. He's not super big. He's a nice medium sized horse. To me, he looks like a lot of the nice Uncle Mos that I see that are good, quality racehorses. When I am talking about quality racehorses, I am talking about graded stakes racehorses.” Hip 35 | Amy Lanigan Perry admitted it won't be easy to watch Marley's Freedom's colt go through the sales ring next week. “Ron might have to lock me in the women's restroom,” she said with a laugh. “It's going to be pretty difficult because it's going to be like selling part of the family. But we have already told [consignor] Headley [VanMeter] that we would be happy to stay in for a leg. So if that happens, we wouldn't lose.” While Cicero Farms is now old hat at campaigning Grade I-winning fillies, Perry said the prospect of orchestrating the career of a potential stallion was intimidating. “What happens after he wins that first big race? I don't know all of the things that those guys who consistently go to the Derby know,” she said. “Like WinStar, Spendthrift, Starlight, SF Racing, Zedan, all of those. They have been doing it a long time. They know how to handle a stallion and know when to make that deal. These guys do this for a living. I am not competition for them.” Perry, a student of Federico Tesio, is content to continue to cultivate the success she sees possible with Marley's Freedom and her daughters. “I am breeding Marley to make her a blue-hen mare,” Perry said. “That has been my goal since the day I got her.” Pointing to Blame's blue-hen dam Liable, Perry added, “If you take a look at the big blue-hen mares, in time, thank you Mr. Tesio, you will find they end up being the ones that produce more blue hen mares.” So, while still spending long hours at the couple's Commercial Energy, Perry has developed her own detailed system of determining matings. “I spend hours, days, of obsessing over female family pedigree and how it matches up,” Perry said. “And what the female family produced and what did those lineages look like and if I can find those same lineages that are prominent in the sire. And then I look for that sire and have it match up physically with the horse. So, yes. I go down a massive rabbit hole. My goal is always to breed a good racehorse, a graded stakes racehorse.” While the Perrys might be about to part with Marley's Freedom's first colt, Barbara said there are two mares she has no plans to part with. Ever. “I don't think I could ever sell Hope,” she said. “Hope, Marley and I might be in the same little nursing home together.” The Keeneland September sale begins with the first of two Book 1 sessions Monday starting at 1 p.m. Book 2 sessions Wednesday and Thursday begin at 11 a.m. Following a dark day Friday, the auction continues through Sept. 20 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. The post Perrys Pirouette into Keeneland September with Uncle Mo Half-Brother to Ballerina Winner Hope Road appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer 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 juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Saturday at Del Mar. Saturday, September 6, 2025 Del Mar 3, $80k, 2yo, 1mT, 5:33 p.m. Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Honey's Choice (Liam's Map), OBSAPR, 260,000, :10 C-J V C Training & Sales, agent; B-Jim Downey Del Mar 4, $100k, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 6:05 p.m. Can't Say That (Vino Rosso), OBSMAR, 50,000 PS, :10 2/5 C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-Nick J Hines, agent Mimi's Memory (Charlatan), OBSAPR, 60,000, :21 1/5 C-Wavertree Stables Inc (C Dunne), agt; B-G Papaprodroumou Sounds Lucky (Tiz the Law), OBSMAR, 550,000, :9 4/5 C-C-Wavertree Stables Inc (C Dunne), agt; B-Three Amigos Dmr 6, DMR Debutante-GI, $300k, 2yo, f, 7f, 7:08 p.m. Explora (Blame), FTMMAY, 350,000, :10 1/5 C-Crane Thoroughbred Services, agent; B-Three Amigos Himika (Curlin), OBSAPR, 900,000, :9 4/5 C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-Donato Lanni, agent for Baoma Corp Dmr 7, JuvFilliesTurf-L, $100k, 2yo, f, 1mT, 7:38 p.m. Dats Ms. Blame (Blame), FTMMAY, 145,000, G C-Niall Brennan Stables, agent; B-Dat Racing Stable Improbable U (Improbable), OBSJUN, 65,000, :21 1/5 C-Top Line Sales LLC, agent; B-Mojallali Stable La Ville Lumiere (City of Light), OBSMAR, 475,000, :10 C-Eddie Woods, agent; B-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners Pentle Bay (Uncle Mo), OBSAPR, 180,000, :10 1/5 C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-Fergus Galvin, agent Queen Bay (Charlatan), OBSMAR, 350,000, :10 C-Wavertree Stavles Inc (C Dunne), agt; B-Narvick Int'l The post Summer Breezes Sponsored By OBS: Saturday, September 6, 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It's September and the time of reckonings across Europe's racing programme, with the first two weekends witnessing some crucial deciders ahead of year-end honours. It is fair to say that the sprint scene has been murky for a while and so Saturday's G1 Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock takes on extra gravity. Success for Lazzat (Territories) will help clear the picture and if it is a clear-cut one it could even seal his title as champion sprinter, so it is only normal that trainer Jerome Reynier is feeling the heat. “It's a very different feeling when you bring a horse over for a Group 1 and he is the favourite, we are all hoping he doesn't fail,” he said of Wathnan Racing's Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee winner who was second in the Prix Maurice de Gheest last month. “It's a lot of pressure, because if he wins another Group 1 sprint in Europe, he could be the champion of the year and that's very important to all the team,” he added. “He was beaten the other day so he needs to fire back and prove he is the best.” Wathnan also have last year's runner-up Kind Of Blue (Blue Point), who is on the way back after a deflating spring and early summer campaign, and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee third Flora Of Bermuda (Dark Angel) as able deputies. The latter is one of a strong group of fillies assembled for the six-furlong feature alongside the July Cup heroine No Half Measures (Cable Bay), the Commonwealth Cup winner Time For Sandals (Sands Of Mali) and the G3 Ballyogan Stakes winner Sky Majesty (Blue Point). Sky Majesty has been brought to the boil by William Haggas with this in mind and the supplementary entry would be adding to co-owner Tony Bloom's recent spell of good fortune. His racing manager Sean Graham said, “She just hadn't come to herself when she ran first time out at Chelmsford and although she improved significantly for that run, she probably still wasn't where William would have wanted her at Royal Ascot. The ground was very quick that day and maybe she just didn't let herself down on it either and she has won twice at Naas since and looks a million dollars, so we're looking forward to taking our chance.” Arc Clues In Abundance This Weekend Also on Saturday is the G3 September Stakes, where Juddmonte's Kalpana (Study Of Man) takes on the Hong Kong Vase-bound Giavellotto (Mastercraftsman) as they prepare for different autumn and winter targets. Juddmonte's European racing manager Barry Mahon said of the filly, “It's a stepping-stone towards the Arc and she had a hard race in the King George. She's in good form and we're hopeful that she'll run a good race, but we have an eye on October and that's the big day.” ParisLongchamp's trio of Arc trials take place on Sunday and we will all know a lot more after the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille, G2 Qatar Prix Foy and G2 Qatar Prix Niel. The former is a pinnacle event in its own right and leading ladies don't come much bigger than last year's Arc runner-up Aventure (Sea The Stars), the Nassau and Pretty Polly winner Whirl (Wootton Bassett) and the Prix de Diane heroine Gezora (Almanzor). In a big day for Christophe Soumillon deputising for Ryan Moore, Whirl is one of four high-profile rides alongside Los Angeles (Camelot) in the Foy, the long-absent Swagman (Wootton Bassett) in the Niel and Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett) in the G1 Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. The latter is the outlier on the card, having no bearing on the October showcase, but is a fascinating affair featuring Juddmonte's Lockinge winner Lead Artist (Dubawi) and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Rosallion (Blue Point) who looks to belatedly get off the mark in 2025. As far as the Arc is concerned, some of the key domestic players are Gerard Augustin-Normand and Antonio Caro's Grand Prix de Paris hero Leffard (Le Havre), who looks to seal his bid in the Niel, and the Wertheimers' multiple Group 1 winner Sosie (Sea The Stars) who takes aim at the Foy. The latter can be a middling affair, but this year's renewal looks strong with Ahmed Al Maktoum's promising Almaqam (Lope De Vega) and Kazumi Yoshida's Tenno Sho Spring runner-up Byzantine Dream (Epiphaneia) engaged. The post ‘It’s A Lot Of Pressure’: Reynier Hoping Lazzat Can Clinch The Title appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wayne Lordan, who was facing a 10-day suspension for using his whip in the incorrect place aboard Precise (Starspangledbanner) at Goodwood last month, has lost his appeal. His ban will begin on September 9 and last through September 18. In addition, he was fined £1,250 after being found in breach of the rules by the whip review committee following his winning effort on the Aidan O'Brien-trained filly in the G3 Prestige Stakes. Lordan admitted he had used his whip in the wrong place once aboard Precise, he contested the committee's conclusion that he had done so three times in total. As a result, he will miss the St Leger Meeting at Doncaster, as well as Irish Champions Weekend. Normally Lordan is O'Brien's second-call rider behind Ryan Moore, who is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a fractured femur. The panel was chaired by HH James O'Mahony, and they upheld the original decision of the whip review committee. The rider's deposit will be returned. The post Wayne Lordan To Miss Key Meetings After Appeal Fails appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The stakes-winning Hey Nay Nay tries two turns for the first time in the Sept. 7 Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes (G3T) at Del Mar. View the full article

By Michael Guerin It was the night of the “we didn’t know what to expect” horses at Addington on Friday night. Not that anybody doubted the ability of Alta Meteor, Got The Chocolates, Oscar Bonavena or even earlier winner Treacherous Baby going into Friday night’s massive 13-race card. It was just that all of them had at least some of questions hanging over their heads. They answered those questions with sheer class. In the case of Alta Meteor in the Avon City Ford New Brighton Cup it also helped he has great standing start manners and driver Tim Williams was able to control the race. That was enough to answer the questions about whether he could be right up to the mark after a respiratory infection since his last race, with his natural athletic ability doing the rest as key rivals Akuta and We Walk By Faith got too far back. “We were coming here wondering just how he would go after that setback,” admitted co-trainer Amanda Telfer. “But he is in the Cup (NZ) now and we can place him where we want to get him ready for that.” We Walk By Faith was excellent in second while Franco Marek and Renegade were too but Akuta blew out late as trainer-driver Mark Purdon warned punters he might. All in all, a good next step toward the spring for the first five home. Got The Chocolates had his questions marks heading into the Ian Dobson Memorial as John Dunn didn’t want to keep putting him to the sword and that had speed mappers thinking the heavily-backed Rubura and Bar Louie would control the race. They did. It didn’t matter. After they has sorted themselves out early Got The Chocolates was left parked but he simply outstayed the Queensland Derby winner in a stunning win, surging further clear the closer they got to the line. If it wasn’t for Marketplace then Got The Chocolates would be in for a stunningly exciting summer. As it is the question now becomes can he finally snare a big one? I kinda hope so. There are always questions marks over Oscar Bonavena these days. Will he behave? Is he 100 per cent? Is he is too old? Does he even care? But once he stepped better than key rival Muscle Mountain and inside 800m worked his way into the one-one this $40,000 ITM Ordeal Cup was his to lose. His rivals all gave each other a hard time and Oscar was sitting back laughing and wondering when to open the hurt locker. When he did it hurt bad as he smashed his rivals and now remarkably finds himself as favourite again for the Renwick Farms Dominion on Cup Day. If he wins the Dominion again they should name the Addington stabling block after Oscar. Ok, that might be a step too far. But they should name a stall or two after him for oddball, old, wonderful trotters who can do magic tricks like the one Oscar keeps pulling off. By the way, did you know Oscar Bonavena is named after the profesional boxer Oscar “Ringo” Bonavena, who had 58 career victories. Oscar the horse now has 35. Treacherous Baby was the other former Group 1 winner returning to Addington with a win on Friday night and she beat some very smart boys even though trainer-driver Purdon was concerned she had missed some work after her last start win. Again her beautiful trip in the running meant that mattered less and she won like the very good mare she is turning into. The other winners had plenty of class about them, like Lizzie Borden in the opener and Stumblin In in the juvenile pace while Celestial Sea was superb in her Nevele R heat to head home another good night for Team Dunn – John Dunn having four winning drives on the night. View the full article

By Michael Guerin As one door closes, another opens. That tells the tale of Cyclone Rebel, who caused a mammoth upset winning on debut at Alexandra Park on Friday night at $70 on the tote. The son of Bettors Delight had to be good too, overcoming a second line draw in the hands of Matty White to divebomb Andretti, whose drive from Andre Poutama to be trailing early from barrier eight deserved better. But the winner did what very few juveniles do, particularly in Woodlands Sires’ Stakes heats and trainer Tate Hopkins admits he was a touch surprised. “I have always liked him but you don’t really expect them to win like that on debut,” he told HRNZ. “When you see them draw the second line in a capacity field for a Sires’ Stakes heat, I’ll be honest I would have been happy to see him running on well for sixth or seventh.” Cyclone Rebel’s case was helped by a searing early speed as three of the favourites all got involved early but he still had to be excellent to win and he is bred to be good. He is the younger half brother to Cyclone Jordy (Art Major) who won the Young Guns Cardigan Bay Stakes at Alexandra Park last season before being sold for good money to West Australia where he has proven to be one of the best of his age. “At the time this horse was a yearling and the guys who own them, who have been great to deal with for a long time, decided if they were going to sell Jordy they wanted to keep this horse. “So a deal was done where Frank and Ann (Cooney) came in on this horses with the guys who bred him and they now all race him together. “But that meant he didn’t go through the sales so he isn’t Harness Millions eligible.” Hopkins of course worked for Frank Cooney for a long time and was then in training partnership with the popular horseman before Frank took a step back from the business after a race smash. Cyclone Rebel is the fourth foal of Cyclone Kate, who won 21 races here and in Australia for well-known owners Mark Lyon, former All Black Ant Strachan, trainer Gareth Dixon and the famous cricketing brothers Kyle and Heath Mills. “He is obviously very good and I suppose we have to start thinking about the Sires’ Stakes but I will need to give him a couple more starts first to see exactly where he is at,” says Hopkins, who is training 12 at the moment. While he came from a second line draw the night’s other big winners at Alexandra Park were all on the speed. Sooner The Bettor defied a weird odds drift to lead throughout in the main pace with Harrison Orange getting his timing spot on to beat Better Knuckle Up and Jeremiah, with a 26.8 second last 400m as they all prepare for the Spring Cup in a few weeks. Odds-on favourite Castana continued his great run of form after trailing for most of the main trot, things only getting a little tricky when Bolt For The Hill ran to the lead at the 400m but driver Taitlyn Hanara was able to get back to the passing lane to grab the win. And Shezsofast was able to use her speed to lead for most of her Dunstan Feeds Sires’ Stakes heat for the girls to post a 1:56.2 mile rate for the 1700m. View the full article

Harness Racing New Zealand is proud to unveil Paddock to Podium, a bold new breeding incentive. Starting on January 1, 2026 it is designed to reignite and grow our foal crop. The scheme offers a 5% credit to the listed breeder of all prize money won by NZ-foaled 2YO – 6YO horses finishing 1st to 4th in all races in New Zealand, other than in Group and Listed races. For Group and Listed races, $1000 will be split among the breeders of horses finishing 1st–5th. These credits can be used directly against stallion service fees and semen transport costs, helping breeders to reinvest and grow the next generation of champions. The total liability is estimated at $1.4m annually. “It isn’t just about funding though,” says HRNZ Chief Executive Brad Steele “it’s about securing the sustainability of our foal crops and ensuring we continue to produce world class progeny.” “It must be stressed than this is credit, not cash, reimbursing a breeder for stallion fees on a mare they own,” says HRNZ’s Head of Racing and Wagering Matthew Peden. “The breeders of current racehorses will accrue the credits.” “This is about putting breeders back at the heart of our sport. If you left mares empty last year, now is the time to come back in. The more you breed, the more credits you earn,” says Peden. HRNZ is committed to the scheme annually for the next five years, budget permitting. For HRNZ “the breeder” is usually the person in HRNZ’s InfoHorse when the racehorse was born. For embryo transfer foals the breeder is the owner at the time of service. For breeding co-ownerships the credit will be allocated to co-owners according to their recorded ownership share, not to the breeding entity. For syndicates, trusts and companies the credit will be awarded to the entity. Paddock To Podium has been designed to work in tandem with other recent initiatives: 1. The Entain 2YO Bonus where owners get $8000 and breeders $4000 for any 2YO winning his/her first race. 2. The Fillies and Mares Credit Scheme where a $750 breeding credit (not cash) is attached to the mare for every win. It is capped at $6,000 and/or 8 wins. 3. The Silk Road series, with $250,000 in extra stakes, to encourage Fillies and Mares to continue racing before heading to the broodmare barn. 4. The Harness 5000 for horses bred to stallions whose stud fee was $5000 or less during the year of conception. They will be eligible to race in 12 $60,000 races at Ashburton on December as long as they have had at least five starts during the qualifying period. The Harness 5000 will be run annually for the next five years. “Schemes similar to this have been successful in France and Japan in maintaining breeding numbers. “Together these initiatives are a significant investment in our future,” says Peden, “to the order of $3.4m.” “This would be the biggest ever total investment made by HRNZ into NZ breeding,” says Steele. FAQs : How does it work? Credits, rather than cash, will be earned on 2YO to 6YO horses foaled in New Zealand, for each racing season. They can be applied to stallion fees (including semen transport costs). Breeders can use credit on any mare you are breeding – not just the dam of the horse that earned it. Breeders claiming reimbursement will apply online to HRNZ to use the credit. The process will be announced. Who will be affected? In 2025, over 600 breeding entities were active, and this scheme will impact thousands of horses and breeders across New Zealand. When can credits be used? Credits must be used within the two full breeding seasons of the calendar racing year they were earned. Earnings start 1 January 2026, so the last breeding season for the 2026 racing year credits is 28/29, i.e. claims received by 31 July 2029. What happens when breeders in a co-ownership arrangement enter into an informal arrangement from year to year on who breeds the mare? It is common practice for groups of co-owner breeders to make different informal ownership arrangements year to year for the breeding of a mare. For example, within an ownership group, the co-owners may take turn about to bred the mare. Or, one owner may drop out leaving the breeding that year to other co-owners. The proportion of ownership in these informal breeding arrangements may not reflect the underlying ownership percentages for the mare. The Paddock To Podium credits will be paid according to the underlying ownership percentages, not the informal arrangements. Breeders will need to change the ownership percentages at the time of breeding the mare before registering the foal if the credits are going to go to the rightful person. You can only claim credits for your share if you’re listed as an official breeder and at the HRNZ recorded percentage of ownership. What happens if there are special circumstances? 1. Packaged Services – If an invoice from the stud is for a stallion service fee included in a package of other breeding related services the stallion service fee component must be separately identifiable. 2. “Early Bird” Payments – If a breeder pays a stud farm under an “Early Bird” payment incentive scheme or uses frozen semen a breeder cannot make a claim unless they have a paid invoice and proof of a 42 day pregnancy. 3. Sale of an in-foal mare – If a breeder sells an in-foal mare, the breeder can apply to be reimbursed for the eligible costs for the 42 day positive in-foal mare. A buyer of an in-foal mare cannot claim Paddock To Podium credits for that mare’s pregnancy as the buyer did not contract the service that resulted in the pregnancy. 4. Loss of Pregnancy – If a pregnancy is lost, and a Paddock To Podium credit has been paid no further claim can be made for that mare if she is bred again. If the mare is not bred, HRNZ reserves the right to reclaim the paid credit from the recipient. What is the scheme going to cost? The total liability is estimated at $1.4m, if all credits are drawn down. HRNZ will closely monitor the draw down of credits and make the appropriate reserves provision. First payments will be in the 26/27 breeding season for credits from 1 January 2026. How long will Paddock to Podium be going for? Annually for five years, budget permitting. View the full article

By Jordyn Bublitz Benjamin Butcher reached a special milestone at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night, driving one of his own horses to victory for the very first time. The achievement came with I Can Too, in the Xmas Packages On Sale Now @ Cambridge Raceway Mobile Pace. Despite an awkward draw on the outside of the mobile, Butcher pressed forward early to take the lead. From there, he rated the race perfectly and held off challengers to win by the narrowest of margins. For Butcher, it was a special moment and his seventh training success overall. “It’s been a long time coming, it feels good to get the monkey off of my back,” he said, “Me, Dad (David) and Zach have all had a winner in my colours now, so I’ll have to get it framed.” The gelding had shown promise the week before, and Butcher felt he had the right horse to seize the opportunity. “He went really well in the Winter Rewards last week, he was just unlucky and didn’t get a run,” he said. “It was only a small field last night and there wasn’t a lot of gate-speed, I was having to hang onto him so I thought, ‘I might as well press on.’ He’s such an honest horse and he got the job done, so that’s the main thing.” It wasn’t the only highlight of the night, with Butcher also training and driving Abman and Barbarossa to third-place finishes in their respective races. Both impressed their trainer with honest efforts. “I was a bit unlucky with Abman, we probably would’ve run into second if we’d gotten some clear air, but I’m very happy with the way he’s going and that he’s getting back to where I want him.” “Barbarossa’s just an old tradesman, a war horse. He never goes a bad race and he’s always thereabouts. He’s found the right grade where he should be in the money most weeks now. They both raced really well.” The win is even more meaningful given the adversity Butcher has faced. In August last year he was involved in a serious crash at Alexandra Park that sidelined him for months. “I started slowly working back with the horses about four months after the accident, it was the head injury that gave me the most grief,” he explained. “It’s one of those things that until you’ve had your own one it’s hard to understand what you have to go through. I’m still not 100 percent, I’m pretty good but I do still have the off day here and there. It’s a work in progress, but it will just be a time thing.” Now, Butcher is firmly back into his routine. He currently has five horses in his own name and is also looking after seven from his father’s team while he’s in Europe. “It keeps me busy enough, but Mike Berger has been giving me a hand in the mornings and that’s a massive help. We have a bit of a laugh and it’s quite enjoyable, he’s a good man.” Looking ahead, Butcher’s goal is straightforward. “I just want to keep doing the best I can for the owners who are giving me the opportunity to train their horses.” View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Laurence Hanrahan is hoping for a bit of beginner’s luck at Methven on Sunday. The meeting at Mt Harding is the opening grasstrack meeting of the spring. It is also his first meeting as Methven Trotting Club president, having recently taken over from Michael Heenan. It’s his first stint as president. “I’ve been on a committee a while,” says Hanrahan, “I’ve had a few breaks but it will be somewhere around the 20 year mark.” Hanrahan says he’s a bit nervous about the weather leading into Sunday’s 11 race card (starting at 11.34am) though the forecast for the day itself is encouraging with 17 degrees and no rain. “The track’s looking really good so we are hopeful things will go well” Hanrahan’s also come up with a “Horse of the Day” concept that will be rolled out at every one of their meetings. It sees one horse randomly drawn out before the first race of the day, with the winner receiving a bottle of wine. If the horse drawn then goes on to win its race it will receive a magnum of champagne plus $1000 will be given to the owner/owners, $300 to the trainer and $200 to the driver. “I spotted it at another club who were doing something similar so I thought I’d sit on it,” says Hanrahan, “the response has been very positive. Everyone loves it when you give stuff away!” “Plus the club is always open to new ideas and have been very supportive.” Hanrahan will also line up two starters, with Bautista in Race 4, the Bus and Truck Bodyworks Mobile Pace (12.55pm) and Elite Styx in Race 6, the Betavet (Junior Drivers) Mobile Pace (2.07pm). “Back in a Rating 35 Bautista will be very competitive and Elite Styx has her best draw for a while so hopefully she’ll get a good run.” Bautista is a $2.30 favourite while Elite Styx, who has drawn 3, is at $35, with the Brent and Tim White-trained Clonakilty a $2.50 favourite. To see the Methven fields click here View the full article

By Jonny Turner The business is done at home and now the attention turns to Addington. Brett Gray and Nathan Williamson were both in winning form at Wyndham on Thursday, pairing up to deliver Party Up Denario a deserved win. Now both trainers head to Addington on Friday night, taking up a powerful Southland squad between them. Gray starts the unbeaten Miki’s Deal in Caduceus Club Two-Year-Old Fillies Preludes which opens a great night of racing. Williamson takes a powerful team of five north including Off The Canvas, Palladium, Clotilde Wainwright, Dreams Are Free and Always Dreaming. Gray and Williamson can head north in winning form after Party Up Denario’s easy win in Thursday’s opener. The mare was a strong performer through the recent Southern Surge Series and franked that form when speeding to victory for owners the Mic & Dic Syndicate. “All of her runs this time in have had merit, so she deserved it,” Gray said. “She’s owned by a big syndicate who are keen on golf, so it was great for them.” “They’ve been patient with her, she had the one start last prep and she’s come back in bigger and stronger.” “She seems to have sharpened up to what the racing is all about now, too.” Williamson was back in the winner’s circle at Wyndham when She’s Crunchy extended her unbeaten record to four starts. The filly was scheduled to fly to Queensland this month to link up with her owners Steve and Donna Skilton. However, a flight cancellation means she headed to Wyndham as a lead-up to next week’s $50,000 Sires’ Stakes Harness 7000 event at Addington. This week’s Southland Attack at Addington starts with Miki’s Deal’s quest to also remain unbeaten. The filly won two Group 2 events in her only two starts in the spring and now she has a Group 1 target in Auckland to aim at. Gray is hopeful Miki’s Deal is in the kind of shape she needs to be to book her ticket north. “She seems to have come back really well.” “She is a lovely filly and very straight forward, nothing seems to faze her.” “It will be interesting to see how she measures up against the new fillies that are coming through.” “I have been really happy with her work and she seems really well.” Palladium and Off The Canvas have both trialled well for Williamson ahead of their debuts at Addington on Friday. Both Always Dreaming and Clotilde Wainwright take excellent Southern Surge form north for their assignments. Dreams Are Free is arguably the trainer’s biggest winning threat, but the pacer must overcome a wide draw against a quality field. The four-year-old comes into his Addington mission after an eye-catching ninth in the Kurow Cup. After missing away in what was his only start since December, the four-year-old made up plenty of ground in the home straight before running out of room short of the post. View the full article

Dual Group 3 winner One Look (Gleneagles), who won the Goffs Million as a juvenile, has been purchased by Wathnan Racing. Successful in the G3 Park Express Stakes at The Curragh in April, the former Connolly Racing Syndicate colourbearer ran second in the G2 Lanwades Stud Stakes to Porta Fortuna (Caravaggio) a month later. Unplaced in the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot, she bounced back in the G3 Meadow Court Stakes back at The Curragh in July for trainer Paddy Twomey. Richard Brown, Wathnan's Racing adviser, said, “One Look is a fine racemare, with plenty of options from a mile to 10 furlongs before she retires to stud. She's been very well campaigned and is enjoying a tremendous season. We're thrilled to have her.” The post One Look Bought By Wathnan Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jonathan's Way, whose promise last year as a juvenile included a debut win at Saratoga before a victory over Owen Almighty in the Iroquois (G3) at Churchill Downs, has been retired from racing and will enter stud next year at Airdrie Stud.View the full article

Edited Press Release New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has officially launched the Phase 2 Capital Campaign to expand operations at its Lexington, Kentucky facility at Mereworth Farm. In August, construction began on a new barn and office expansion, a project that will enable New Vocations to serve more retired racehorses as they transition into second careers. New Vocations has set a $1-million goal for the campaign, which will cover the expansion costs as well as additional capital improvements to the facility. The campaign was jump-started by a generous $300,000 lead gift from prominent and longtime Thoroughbred owner Margaret Smith, who enjoyed ownership in numerous successful horses including notable runners such as Cotton Blossom and Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice with Dogwood Stables and is currently a partner with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of visiting the New Vocations facility in Lexington, Kentucky, where I met founder Dot Morgan and her daughter Anna Ford,” Smith said. “I could not have been more impressed with the organization and the care provided at the facility. I'm honored to support their mission with a lead gift for the Phase 2 Capital Campaign and encourage other owners to join me in supporting this critical work of rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming our equine athletes.” Added Ford, New Vocations' Thoroughbred Program Director: “We are so grateful for the incredible generosity of Mrs. Smith and for her commitment to aftercare. In less than a decade, thanks to the support of the Susan Donaldson Foundation and the Thoroughbred racing industry, our Lexington facility at Mereworth Farm has grown from 85 acres to more than 150. With a continual waiting list of horses in need, this expansion will allow us to meet the growing demand and provide even more Thoroughbreds with the care and transitional training they need to thrive in their next careers.” New Vocations currently serves over 600 racehorses annually from more than 70 racetracks and training centers nationwide. With this expansion, the organization aims to increase its capacity and provide critical rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming services to even more horses. Supporters have a variety of opportunities to contribute, including naming rights for stalls and paddocks, dedication bricks along the facility's walkway, and other giving levels that directly support the expansion. For more information or to contribute to the campaign, click here. The post New Vocations Kicks Off Capital Campaign For Lexington Expansion appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The mission was simple: go to the Keeneland September Sale with half a million dollars and come back with a horse that could get to the Kentucky Derby. Easy, right? Tom Benson had been out of the sport ever since he purchased the New Orleans Saints back in 1985. But now it was 2014 and he was ready to get back in the game. He recruited three trainers he knew from the Louisiana circuit–Dallas Stewart, Al Stall and Tom Amoss–and laid out the assignment. The outcome surpassed even the most optimistic predictions. Amoss bought Mo Tom, from the first crop of Uncle Mo, for $150,000. The colt's GIII LeComte Stakes win was his ticket to the Kentucky Derby. Stewart's $145,000 purchase, Tom's Ready (More Than Ready), finished second to Mo Tom in the LeComte before joining him in the Derby starting gate. He later collected three more graded wins. Meanwhile, the colt Stall bought for $330,000 was only making his career debut on Derby weekend, but the son of Smart Strike went on to become Grade I-winning millionaire Tom's d'Etat. For Tom Amoss, the experience proved something of a revelation. Until then, the veteran conditioner had purchased only the occasional yearling. This was his first time seriously working the September Sale. “I fell in love with the process,” recalled Amoss. “I looked at it like a draft class for an NFL team or a recruiting class for a college football team. You recruit the athletes and then they're a part of your team. You develop them.” In the years since that first foray, Amoss has continued to focus on finding yearlings at Keeneland September that will one day join his stable. This summer, the program culminated in a Saratoga meet to remember, with three trainees earning 'TDN Rising Star' honors. It's Our Time (Not This Time), Big Dom (McKinzie) and Oscar's Hope (Twirling Candy) embody the kind of talent Amoss hoped to uncover when he first began shaping his recruitment model. “What I like about what we do is that there's a great deal of risk in buying yearlings and we're willing to stand with the client throughout that risk,” he explained. “If the horse is coming to my barn the following year, there's no traditional five percent charge. We're all in it together and it's as simple as a handshake between the client and myself.” Over the past decade, Amoss has found notable success picking out future winners on relatively modest budgets. Two years after selecting Mo Tom, he returned to Keeneland for Benson's GMB Racing. He purchased Lone Sailor (Majestic Warrior), an eventual Grade I-placed, Grade III winner, for $120,000. The next year he went to $70,000 for a daughter of Alternation who developed into 2019 GI Kentucky Oaks victress Serengeti Empress. “She was a real diamond in the rough,” Amoss recalled of the dual Grade I winner. “Her pedigree page was nondescript. With those three horses—Serengeti Empress, Lone Sailor and Mo Tom–you could look at the pedigree page and know they weren't going to be that expensive. We thought of it as value investing in terms of looking at a recruit and saying, 'Hey, we're not going to spend a lot here, but this is a prospect that could be a really valuable player.'” It's Our Time puts on a show in his career debut | Sarah Andrew “We're looking for athletes,” he continued. “When we get to the pedigree page, it's more about what's in the pedigree that says I'm going to have to pay either X or X squared.” Three years ago, Amoss assembled a buying team to expand his reach at the sales. Bret Sumja and Chris Richard had both learned under Amoss before launching their own stables, while Ron Faucheux had competed against Amoss on the Louisiana circuit before he retired from training in 2023. In their first year together, the quartet landed on Quickick, a filly from the first crop of McKinzie out of Graeme Six (Graeme Hall), who won the GIII Winning Colors Stakes under Amoss's tutelage in 2008. Purchased for $550,000 for Greg Tramontin's Greenwell Thoroughbreds, Quickick was twice Grade I-placed at two, including a third-place effort in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and she most recently captured the Iowa Oaks on July 5. Stable standouts like Quickick have underscored the guiding lesson behind Amoss's approach: success starts with athleticism. “The traditional way of looking at a Thoroughbred is always that you start from the bottom and work your way up,” he explained. “That's how most people do it and that's where the most cost is going to lie. If everybody is using the same formula, everybody is going to land on the same horses. I believe the way to look at a horse is from the top down. Certainly conformation is important, but there's conformation you can live with. A perfectly conformed horse that is not athletic is a horse that I'm not interested in.” That philosophy guided Amoss and his team last year at the September Sale, where they selected the three yearlings who have since emerged as Amoss's team of Rising Stars. Oscar's Hope, the stable's most recent winner, was purchased for $150,000 on behalf of Amoss's longtime owner Michael McLoughlin. Amoss said the colt stood out immediately, despite one obvious imperfection. Three TDN Rising Stars and a Breeders' Cup third-place finisher (left to right): It's Our Time, Quickick, Oscar's Hope and Big Dom | Sara Gordon “When the four of us went to look at him, he wowed you when he came out of the stall,” Amoss recalled. “He was so athletic-looking, but he turned out pretty good on one leg. You had to be willing to accept that. We talked it over and it was something we were comfortable with.” Even It's Our Time, for whom Amoss stretched to a $425,000 purchase for Elza Mitchum's Double Down Horse Racing, may have been taken off a few lists because of his size. “He was the smallest of the three,” Amoss reported. “We use Highlander Training Center outside of Dallas and every time I would go down there to evaluate them, I can remember my notes next to It's Our Time saying, 'Please grow.' And he did, but he's still on the smaller end of medium-sized.” It's Our Time's stature didn't keep him from securing a 17 3/4-length debut win. The son of Not This Time is now pointing for the GI Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct on Oct. 4. Meanwhile Big Dom, purchased at the same sale for Greenwell Thoroughbreds after RNA-ing for $160,000, is aiming for the GI Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland following his six-furlong debut win on Aug. 23. “This year has been quite remarkable, to be honest,” Amoss reflected. “I think one of the driving forces behind not only training horses but also working sales, at least for me, is fear of failure. It's very public. They keep score when you're training horses and quite frankly, they keep score at the sales too. Leaving Saratoga this week, I was really proud. I hate to say 'I,' because I was really proud of our stable and the buying team. Every one of those horses was picked out of the sale for our barn. That's a good feeling.” After closing out a banner meet, Amoss now sets his sights on Keeneland, targeting the next generation of star-worthy talent. The post Eyes Ahead: Amoss Targets New Talent After Saratoga Success appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainers Bob Baffert and Chief Stipe O'Neill are the only ones who have entered horses in the Del Mar Futurity, Baffert with four and O'Neill with two.View the full article

A satisfactory debut for Raaheeb (Sea The Stars) at Ascot on Friday would have sufficed, but Shadwell's brother to Baaeed and Hukum was in the winning mood to earn TDN Rising Star status. Almost certainly a work in progress if pedigree is any guide, the Owen Burrows-trained 7-4 favourite was sent to the front by Jim Crowley approaching the furlong pole and asserted for a 1 1/4-length verdict over Pompette (New Bay). “We liked him at home, but he's so sleepy–he almost tripped over himself in the parade ring and cantered down like an old horse,” his rider said after his debrief with Sheikha Hissa and the rest of the team. “He's very relaxed now and I thought if he won today it would be on pure ability, as he is a next-year horse. Today wasn't the be-all-and-end-all, but he's got some of his brothers' blood. Baaeed was a freak–he could have won over six furlongs–and Hukum was tough and the feeling I get off this fellow is he will be a nice middle-distance horse for next year.” Have we seen a potential star at @Ascot? Raaheeb is a full-brother to the brilliant Baaeed and makes the perfect start to his racing career with an impressive performance at the first time of asking!@OwenBurrowsRace | @JimCrowley1978 pic.twitter.com/z7ZrbhLLfY — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 5, 2025 The post ‘He’s Got Some Of His Brothers’ Blood’: Crowley Steers Baaeed’s Sibling Raaheeb To TDN Rising Stardom appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Rigney Racing's Jonathan's Way (Vekoma–Female Drama, by Indian Charle), impressive winner of his first two career starts, including the GIII Iroquois Stakes, has been retired from racing and will enter stud for the 2026 breeding season at Airdrie Stud, the Lexington nursery said in a release Friday morning. Bred in Ohio by Susan Anderson, the dark bay was knocked down to John Moynihan on behalf of Rigney Racing for $290,000 as a weanling at Keeneland November in 2022 and turned in a spectacular debut effort for trainer Phil Bauer going six furlongs at Saratoga in August 2024, overcoming trouble at the start and looping rivals en route to a 4 1/4-length victory and 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Stretched out to the one-turn mile for the Iroquois, Jonathan's Way led throughout to score by nearly three lengths as the favorite, accounting for the likes of future Grade I winner Sandman (Tapit) and GSWs Giococo (Not This Time), Magnitude (Not This Time) and Owen Almighty (Speightstown). Following an unplaced effort in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Jonathan's Way ran on gamely to be second in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. The day before he was set to make his sophomore debut in the GII Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds–won by Magnitude–Bauer alerted the media that Jonathan's Way would have to be scratched from the race due to an “unsatisfactory blood count.” The infection was treated but the colt developed life-threatening colitis that set him back for several months and contributed to further complications that ultimately led to the decision to retire him from racing. “As a racehorse, Jonathan's Way was a very special talent that, honestly, exceeded the ability of the best horses I have ever been around,” said Bauer. “He is an absolutely beautifully made horse and he translated that beauty to the way he moved on the track. He was poetry in motion. He was also the gold standard of class every day in the barn and as he battled through his illness. I don't believe we got to see the best of Jonathan's Way, but I do believe he has a great chance to show everyone how special he was through his stallion career.” Added Airdrie Stud's Bret Jones: “In our opinion, there is no ceiling on Johnathan's Way's potential at stud. Everyone who has spent time with this horse reveres him and anyone who has watched his races has to recognize his immense talent. Because of bad luck, he never had a chance to showcase that talent as a 3-year-old, but that fits the description of some of the most important stallions to stand at stud; from Not This Time and Dark Angel (Ire) today on back to Hail to Reason and Raise a Native. “He's by one of the most highly regarded young stallions in the world in Vekoma, out of an Indian Charlie mare who was an undefeated 2-year-old stakes winner and he was hand-picked by one of the best judges in the industry in John Moynihan,” Jones continued. “We made a commitment to Richard Rigney and his team that we would give him the support he deserves with our broodmare band and we can't wait to get started in honoring that commitment.” Jonathan's Way is available for viewing at Airdrie Stud throughout the Keeneland September Sale. His stud fee will be announced, along with the entirety of the Airdrie roster, at the sale's conclusion. The post ‘TDN Rising Star’ Jonathan’s Way Retired To Airdrie Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saltcoats (NZ) (Ardrossan) delivered trainer Chris Waller his ninth Wyong Cup (2100m) victory when narrowly prevailing in the Listed feature from locally-trained Salt Lake City. The son of Ardrossan was ridden by James McDonald and heavily supported as he landed his fifth career victory from 18 starts, with a further eight placings. McDonald tracked eventual third Glory Daze (Cotai Glory) into the race and came off his back upon straightening to claim the prize. Victory in the Wyong Cup also makes the former Kiwi galloper eligible for the A$3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day. Saltcoats began his career in the Cambridge stable of Samantha Logan, where his three New Zealand starts produced a win in the Listed Auckland Futurity Stakes (1400m) and a placing in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1200m). He was subsequently sold to a syndicate headed by prominent Australian owner Ozzie Kheir, with breeder Lib Petagna retaining a share of the ownership and the consistent five-year-old has now advanced his career earnings to A$586,290. By Waikato Stud’s highly-promising young sire Ardrossan, Saltcoats is out of the lightly raced Savabeel mare Savanite, a half-sister to the Gr.2 Waikato Gold Cup (2400m) winner Singing Star, who in turn is the dam of Group Three winner Miss Selby (NZ) (O’Reilly). View the full article