Wandering Eyes

It was another solid day of trade as the 2026 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale came to a close on Tuesday, with a Ghaiyyath colt from Wentwood Grange seizing control and topping the sale when knocked down to McEvoy Racing and Belmont Bloodstock for A$625,000. The colt was record-breaking in several ways. He became Wentwood Grange's most expensive yearling sale result, surpassing the NZ$600,000 paid by Bjorn Baker Racing, Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) and Ridgmont for an Anamoe colt out of Easifar (Pride Of Dubai) at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Sale only a matter of weeks earlier. He also set a new benchmark as the highest-priced Ghaiyyath yearling sold in the Southern Hemisphere. Lot 668 is the fifth foal out of the dual New Zealand-winning mare Berg En Dal (Dehere), a half-sister to G3 Cuddle Stakes winner Leigh Valley (Bianconi). Leigh Valley is the dam of G1 Herbie Dyke Stakes winner Valley Girl (Mastercraftsman), whose Anamoe yearling filly sold for A$200,000 to Liam Howley Racing Pty Ltd earlier in the same sale. New co-trainer Calvin McEvoy was understandably delighted to secure the sale-topping colt alongside his father Tony and spoke warmly of his admiration for the stallion. “We love the stallion. He's doing very good things, isn't he? He's got everyone very excited,” said McEvoy. “We tried to buy a few in New Zealand but, unfortunately, we weren't strong enough. This is a colt that we've been really trying to piece together since I saw him on Tuesday last week. “He's just a beautiful walker, a good strong colt off a great farm, a farm with very good statistics, so I knew we'd have to be strong. I didn't know I'd have to be that strong, but we're pleased to have him.” He continued, “We've bought a Derby winner from this sale and a Group 1-winning 1,500-metre horse from this sale. It's been a good sale for us and we came here with a bit of confidence. I'm pleased because he was the one horse we wanted to leave here with.” Dean Hawkins of Wentwood Grange, based near Cambridge in New Zealand, reflected on the stud's landmark result, adding, “That was unbelievable. He has been a great mover the whole week and the staff have done a terrific job. “He was on the market at A$150,000 – he was here to not go home – but he walked so well here. You always get nervous before a sale, but I was stoked.” The post ‘We Love The Stallion’ – Ghaiyyath Colts Top Inglis Classic Yearling Sale at A$625,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In more than three decades’ training Bill Thurlow has yet to race a horse at Matamata, but that’s about to change with two stable members entered for the eastern Waikato venue’s biggest ever race meeting on Saturday. The Waverley horseman, who since the start of the season has been training in partnership with former heavyweight jockey Sam O’Malley, is scheduled to head north with stable members Frank The Tank (NZ) (Burgundy) and Wire Rope (NZ) (Darci Brahma). Both are entered for the $350,000 Comag Wairere Falls Classic (1500m), while Wire Rope has a contingency nomination for the Rating 75 1600m on the undercard. This will be the second year the Wairere Falls Classic has been contested at Matamata and the first time on the same programme as the two-year-old double-header of the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes and Gr.3 Fairview Matamata Slipper. That also means the for the first time total stakes at the Matamata Racing Club’s marquee raceday will exceed $1 million. Off his rating of 79, Frank The Tank will safely make the 14-horse cut for the Wairere Falls Classic, however with two less rating points Wire Rope is just outside the limit. “I’d love them both to get a start, but we might need a bit of luck with Wire Rope,” Thurlow said. “It’s not often you get the chance to race for this sort of money with mid-grade horses, so we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed there. “The forecast for a bit of rain later in the week should play into their hands, as they both like a bit of cut in the ground. “Frank The Tank had some issues with his feet in the spring and that held him up, and he needed the run when he finished fifth at Waverley last week. “He was a bit burly for that but his work since has been good, so I figure he’s about where he needs to be. “Wire Rope has been racing very well (for two wins and second from his last three starts), so it would be good to see him get his chance. “The other race is still worth a crack, so I’m looking forward to heading up there. From memory I took a jumper up to Matamata years ago but I think they ended up calling the races off, so this will be my first try there.” Meanwhile, Thurlow reports that stable star Whangaehu (NZ) (Proisir) has made all the right moves since finishing third at Ellerslie 10 days ago and is on target for the Gr.3 Avondale Cup (2400m) on Saturday week. It’s coming up seven years since Thurlow won the Avondale Cup with Glory Days, and he’s looking forward to another shot at that race and the ultimate prize, the Gr.2 Auckland Cup, that the Red Giant mare added at her next start. “It was a big relief to see him run so well last time,” Thurlow said. “We still haven’t been able to work out why his form was so poor earlier in the season, all we can assume is he’s one of those horses that for some reason won’t come up in the spring. “But the main thing is that was more like him at Ellerslie to see him finishing off so well and we’ve been really happy with him since, so everything’s on target. “We’ve got Craig Grylls booked to ride him in the Avondale Cup and all going well he’ll be on him in the Auckland Cup too.” View the full article

The world’s best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress), will face nine rivals when he attempts to break Silent Witness’ seventeen race winning streak in the Gr.1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup on February 22. The David Hayes-trained and Zac Purton-ridden five-year-old will tackle familiar foes Helios Express and Lucky Sweynesse in the 1400m Group One event, which he prevailed in last year. Former Aussies Copartner Prance, Galaxy Patch and Packing Hermod, last start winner Patch Of Theta, Hong Kong sprint runner up Raging Blizzard, Champions Mile victor Red Lion and classy performer Sunlight Power are the others whose connections are game enough to challenge Ka Ying Rising. Since his triumph in The Everest during the spring, Ka Ying Rising has been in dominant form in Hong Kong, effortlessly winning his three subsequent starts at Sha Tin. Ka Ying Rising was back at the barrier trials at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning and while he had to cover ground in the 1200m dirt heat, he still pulled away to win comfortably for Purton. “He broke one (minute) eight (seconds) and I don’t think Zac was doing too much on him; he had a nice, healthy blow,” Hayes told the South China Morning Post. “We just let him relax in the first part of the trial, practicing for 1400m in a couple of weeks. I like the way he responded, he just took a sit, easy, and then Zac strode up and he won as you’d expect.” After suffering narrow defeats to Wunderbar at his second and third starts, Ka Ying Rising’s winning streak dates back to February 2024 as he rapidly rose through the grades before landing his first Group 1 at the end of that year. View the full article

Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges has urged racing officials worldwide to work together to help the sport prosper and grow a new fan base. Speaking at the Asian Racing Conference in Riyadh on Tuesday, Engelbrecht-Bresges highlighted several challenges the industry was facing, including the threat of illegal betting on integrity. The conference’s three-day business programme started on Tuesday with the opening session ‘The Evolving Global Racing and Sporting...View the full article

Last Saturday’s Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2100m) has proved a fork in the road for a pair of Andrew Forsman-trained fillies earmarked for Oaks ambitions. The race was won impressively by the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park), who swamped Forsman’s gallant runner-up Single Red (NZ) (Vanbrugh) late in the piece. While Single Red is set to renew her rivalry with Ohope Wins in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Ellerslie on February 21, it was an end of prep run for well-regarded stablemate Chilling Out (NZ) (Savabeel), who raced ungenerously throughout to finish tenth. “Chilling Out raced like a horse that’s just come to the end of it for this season,” Forsman’s Racing Manager Joe Walker said. “We really do like her and we think with a good spell now, we’re going to reap the benefits with her as a four-year-old and onwards. “Single Red was a super effort on Saturday. She’s a nice progressive filly, and we will still be heading to the Oaks. It was a strong run considering she was stepping up to 2000m for the first time. “They went hard enough and she was exposed quite quickly into the straight, so she probably had every right to knock-up. It’s taken a very good one to beat her, but we are impressed by her effort and looking forward to the Oaks.” Fresh from riding his 100th Group One winner on Saturday, star jockey Opie Bosson will take the reins on Single Red in the Oaks, taking over from Bruno Queiroz. Four-year-old mare Hinekaha (NZ) (Savabeel) finished sixth in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) won by Legarto, with the Forsman stable believing the consistent mare is best suited over a mile. “She jumped so well, she led and the pressure just went on, maybe a little bit too early for her,” Walker said. “She’s seen out a strong mile and maybe 2000m is not quite the distance this time around but that is not to say she won’t get there in time.” Quality mare Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor) will have the addition of headgear this weekend as she looks to add further black-type in the Listed Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (1400m) at Matamata on Saturday. “We’re going to put blinkers on,” Walker said. “We thought her run the other day at Ellerslie was very good (when third on Karaka Millions night). She just hit that flat spot turning for home and picked herself up and was up on the winner’s heels as they crossed the line.” There are also still cards to play for a pair of the stable’s highly-rated two-year-olds, with Lassified (Stay Inside) returning from Sydney after racing with little luck in the Inglis Millennium, while debut winner Stromlinien (NZ) (Almanzor) has had a brief break after her tenth placing in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). “Lassified flew home on Monday, so she’s going to have a week in the paddock and then we’ll reassess,” Walker said. “There are some nice black-type options later on in the season. We were happy with her effort on Saturday. The race just didn’t quite work out, we couldn’t land in a handy position and she was amongst them for the first time in her racing career. She picked herself up and found the line well, considering and the Sistema Stakes (Gr.1, 1200m) on Champions Day could be an option for her. “Stromlinien had a little break after Karaka Millions night. It was only her second start and the lack of raceday experience showed on that occasion. She had a week in the paddock after the race but she’s back in work now. She’s in good order and she’ll be aimed at Manawatu Sires’ Produce (Gr1., 1200m) at Trentham in March. View the full article

David Hayes was left suitably impressed as Ka Ying Rising routed his rivals in a barrier trial ahead of his date with destiny in the Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday week. The world’s best sprinter is aiming to surpass the legendary Silent Witness by winning his 18th race on the spin when he tackles the second leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series and his trial on Tuesday morning went off without a hitch. Initially travelling second, Ka Ying Rising strode into the...View the full article

By Adam Hamilton Cran Dalgety summed up Republican Party’s Hunter Cup draw the best. “It’s the draw he needed to be a winning chance in such a hot race,” he said. “Drawing the pole is a hell of a bonus. It’s the quickest way home.” Republican Party firmed from $12 to $4.60 after drawing gate one for the $250,000 feature at Melton on Saturday night. Defending champion Swayzee ($3.60) is next door in gate two, while Leap To Fame ($2.40) has six and NZ Cup hero Kingman ($4.40) is off the back row (10). Dalgety said Republican Party would be a lot fitter for last week’s second to Leap To Fame in the Group 1 Kilmore Cup. “He went from a chance to blowing out in the last 80m, but we sort of expected that with five weeks between runs,” he said. “He blew up a lot over the back and the run will bring him on a lot. We needed a good draw this week and we’ve got it.” Leap To Fame may have to do what he couldn’t do last year to win a $1 million bonus in the Hunter Cup. Mighty stayer and arch-rival Swayzee is the most likely of the big guns to find the lead from gate two and Leap To Fame may have to sit outside him. Swayzee used a better draw to lead, smash the track record and beat a gallant Leap To Fame in last year’s Hunter Cup. It was the second time Swayzee had led and beaten Leap To Fame. “He’s going to have to earn it now, that’s for sure,” Leap To Fame’s trainer-driver Grant Dixon said. “The draw isn’t perfect, but we’ve had more difficult ones. The way I see it, there’s as many positives as negatives. “I rate Kingman the hardest to beat and the back row isn’t good for him, so that’s a help, but then you’ve got Swayzee and Republican Party (gate one) drawn inside us. “Republican Party is the biggest winner from the draw. As we know, especially at Melton, the fence is gold in these races and he’ll be on the fence, either behind the leader or three pegs. “We’re going to have to be right at the top of our game, but all the signs are he is.” Leap To Fame is lining up for his fifth start in as many weeks, but Dixon said it suited him. “That’s where he’s different to most horses, he just thrives on it and bounces out of a big race looking for the next one,” he said. “This is the third time he’s had an extended stint down in Melbourne and it’s by far the happiest we’ve been with him. “He seems as good as this as he has all trip. He’s really bright, holding his weight and eating up. “We’ve just got four more days to keep him this well.” Leap To Fame’s three latest wins in the Ballarat, Cranbourne and Kilmore Cups make him the only horse eligible for HRV’s new $1 million Summer Carnival bonus if he wins the Hunter Cup. Victory will also give him a share of the record for Group 1 wins by Australasian pacer on 16 with former greats Westburn Grant and Lazarus. While most expect Swayzee to take advantage of gate two and find the lead, much focus will be on what Emma Stewart’s trio Oliver Dan (gate three), Miki To Success (four) and War Dan Buddy (five) – all fast beginners – do at the start. If one or more of them crossed Swayzee early, it could aid Leap To Fame’s cause. Superstar trotting mare Keayang Zahara’s quest for a 13th Group 1 win in the Saturday night’s Great Southern Star has been aided by a good draw (gate five) in the first heat of the unique race. Unlike any other Australian racing, the Great Southern Star consists of two heats early on Saturday night with the final about two hours later. View the full article

Grade I Del Mar Oaks winner Iscreamuscream (Twirling Candy) (hip 385) provided a much-needed warm up to central Kentucky as she topped the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, selling to Japan's Katsumi Yoshida for $1.5 million. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the 5-year-old mare was undefeated in her first four starts including a win in the GII San Clemente before going on to Grade I glory. Her sales price was the highest at a Winter Mixed Sale since Zetta Z (Bernardini), the dam of 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Nysos (Nyquist), brought $2 million from Coolmore in 2024. “We're very excited,” said Taylor Made Stallions President Travis White. “We thought she was the type of horse that could bring that kind of money and it all lined up. She showed well all weekend, even with the [bad] weather, and everybody's really excited. The owners are thrilled. It suits [the owners] who aren't in the breeding business. They're really happy to get her sold and now they can put that money back into their racing syndicate and buy some more race horses.” Little Red Feather Racing, who bought Iscreamuscream as a 2-year-old at OBS March for $145,000, then welcomed in a partnership as a 33% share of the filly brought $330,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midsummer Flash Sale in 2024 just one start before she took down the Del Mar Oaks. “John Dowd, our bloodstock agent, purchased her for us a 2-year-old,” said Little Red Feather Racing's Billy Koch. “Thanks also to Phil D'Amato, who did a tremendous job with her and her racing career. This game is so hard. It's very rewarding for everybody to have moments like this.” Last raced in 2024, Iscreamuscream was meant for another year of racing in 2025 and, though she was initially entered for last year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale, was pulled to attempt to remain in training. “We really tried to run her,” Koch said. “She never had any major injuries, just little tiny things. We kept having to stop and start and we finally called time. We considered putting her in foal ourselves and selling her at the end of this year. But then we thought, if someone wants to breed her, it would be nice to let someone be allowed to breed her to the stallion of their choice rather than us do it. And with breeding season right around the corner, we thought it was great timing. We reached out to Boyd Browning and the team at Fasig-Tipton, and we worked with Travis White at Taylor Made, and we put this together very quickly to get her into this sale. They did a fantastic job, as always. The credit really goes to the filly and to our partners at Little Red Feather Racing who are incredibly loyal and dedicated. To see something like this happen, it meant a lot to them.” At Monday's conclusion, 266 horses sold for $16,646,500 with an average of $62,581 and a median of $25,000. One year ago, the first year that the Winter Mixed Sale was consolidated to one day, a total of 260 head sold for $11,495,500. The average was $44,213 and the median was $17,000. “I'd like to begin by thanking our facilities crew and our consignors for obviously dealing with some very adverse conditions over the last week,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning of the frigid temperatures in central Kentucky. “An amazing job of cooperating and doing the very best they could with snow and ice removal. It's a lot of hard work, there's no glamour in it. I want to give credit to our crew for a remarkable job and to our consignors who were very cooperative. Very much appreciate their efforts.” The average rose over 40% Monday from the same session one year ago and the median jumped over 56%, numbers Browning attributed to a large and diverse buying bench. “Tremendous sale,” Browning said. “There was a lot of activity and the sale felt good. There were bidders from $1.5 million to $150,000 to $15,000. Really throughout every level of the marketplace, there was activity. One of the most encouraging signs is to see horses selling for significantly more than their reserves. Our consignors are pretty market savvy so to see horses blow by their reserves is really encouraging. Our first live sale of 2026 is off to a great start.” White also mentioned the buying diversity, saying “Overall, I think it was a very good, solid day. There were a lot of different buying groups and I think overall it was pretty good.” Ava's Grace 2025 Into Mischief filly | Fasig-Tipton All In the Family For Gunderson And Ava's Grace Twin Oaks Bloodstock's Marc Gunderson, who has been active at the top levels of several previous sales, struck early in the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale to pick up both broodmare Ava's Grace (Laoban) (hip 126) and her yearling daughter by Into Mischief (hip 127). Mother and daughter both were consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. In foal to Hill 'n' Dale's top sire Curlin, Ava's Grace brought $950,000. Grade I-placed in her racing career in the La Troienne, Ava's Grace will be represented by her first foal to race this year with a 2-year-old Into Mischief colt named Mischief to Grace. “We're feeling really exited about the sale so far,” said Hill 'n' Dale's Director of Bloodstock Jes Sikura. “Everybody at the barn is pretty happy and they brought what we thought they were worth. Hopefully they're going to end up serving [Marc] well.” Her yearling Into Mischief filly, purchased Monday by Gunderson for $625,000, is the latest addition to Gunderson's top-class yearling band as he also went to $800,000 to acquire a Gun Runner colt at last month's Keeneland January Sale. That's in addition to a $400,000 Up To the Mark colt purchased at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale and a $750,000 Nyquist filly at the Keeneland November Sale. “Marc is one of our newer clients and a friend of the farm,” Sikura said. “He actually just bought a place right next door to us. He obviously has a lot of faith in the family. Hopefully the filly goes on to be a full-circle, rewarding purchase even though admittedly stretched a little bit on the mare. I think he's happy to get her and, if that filly can run, then everything will work out for him.” Gunderson himself admitted that he knew early on he'd have to pay more what was deemed quality. “I knew that was a position we were going to have to take,” Gunderson said of the prices. “My son Will, and farm manager Rob Brennan, we all decided that you had a really good, young mare here [in Ava's Grace]. And she's in foal to a top-end sire. We knew if we could get [her filly], and make sure she got to the track under the tutelage of our own trainers, that we could be in charge of our own destiny. We think [Ava's Grace [is a foundation mare. So the whole goal was to get both of them. Now of course, that's a dangerous game. But I thought [the price] ended up in the spot we thought it should end up.” With two fillies by Into Mischief already in the pipeline, Gunderson mentioned that Ava's Grace could very well be headed back to Curlin, though the decision was yet to be made and would still depend on stallion availability. “It'll probably be one of the same stallions that she's already been bred to,” said Gunderson. “Meaning Into Mischief. I'm going to make some contacts for Gun Runner but he's very full. Curlin's also very full. But I've been talking to [Hill 'n' Dale's] John Sikura and I think that would probably be one of the stallions we'd end up going back to.” Meanwhile, her yearling filly will be set for a racing career with Gunderson positioned to use her set up future success for Ava's Grace. “We want to make sure we have the opportunity to prove the mare,” Gunderson said. “We'll get her to the track with one of our trainers.” Elle Sueno | Fasig-Tipton Tropical Racing Adds Elle Sueno For $800,000 Just over a year after purchasing her now 2-year-old Into Mischief filly as a weanling for $500,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, Tropical Racing went to $800,000 to acquire her dam, Elle Sueno (Street Cry {Ire}) (hip 193). “Obviously that's not an inexpensive price for anything,” said Tropical Racing's Director of Bloodstock Stuart Morris. “But I think you're looking at buying mares from quality families that have been kicking out top-end horses for generations. It's important for us to get those kinds of pedigrees in our program and to do the best we can to continue to develop our own branch to those trees going forward. Elle Sueno will stay with us for the rest of her days. That's how we look at this. These are animals and we take care of them until the end. We have a long-term plan with her.” The second of two mares offered in foal to leading sire Curlin, Elle Sueno was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. “[Them having her daughter already] would point to Tropical Racing having high hopes for her,” said Hill 'n' Dale's Jes Sikura. “If it works out with the filly they already have that's in training, hopefully it becomes a full-circle thing and ends up being a good deal for all.” The 14-year-old mare is already a proven broodmare with the likes of GII Golden Rod Stakes winner and GI Acorn Stakes third Dream Lith (Medaglia d'Oro) under her produce record and Tropical Racing also picked up another of her daughters in the placed Medaglia d'Oro mare Ju Ju Vip (hip 246) for $85,000 later in Monday's session. “It's a real quality family,” said Morris. “We've been very high on the family for a long time. Since we purchased her 2-year-old two Novembers ago as a baby, she's done nothing but exceed expectations at every turn. Every time the bar was raised and she was asked for more, she responded in kind. So we're very bullish on protecting our families once we get into them. That's an important philosophy at Tropical.” Tropical Racing, which Morris said is still very much a breed to race organization, is growing their broodmare band with the roster now pushing north of 30 mares. The organization recently purchased Highclere Farm from Morris's father with a plan to expand operations into more space. “It's really important to us to work with family and people that we're close to on the team that see the same vision as us,” Morris said. “My father has a pretty remarkable history [at Highclere] for over 50 years. It's important to us to be on the right kind of land with the right people so we can build a foundation of quality fillies that we're buying as yearlings to build from internally. We're trying to make it to the highest level of racing competition.” Elle Sueno's 2023 Curlin filly, now named Amanera, was purchased for $850,000 by Resolute Racing at the Saratoga Sale in 2024 and Morris was looking forward to having this 2026 foal on the ground before booking the mare back for her next cover. “The tricky thing right now is the time of year we're in,” Morris said. “And the accessibility to all the stallions you'd want to go to. She's going to foal in March and we're contemplating letting that foal hit the ground before making a decision. Obviously Into Mischief is a high one on the list. And her 3-year-old filly by Curlin was an expensive yearling at Saratoga and has had high marks. So I think we have a lot of options of where to go with her but that's still a bit of a question at this point, more due to availability of the stallions since it's February. We're just hoping we can continue to develop that pedigree and go from there.” Drain the Clock at Gainesway | Sara Gordon Drain The Clock Filly A Quick Return For Crupper Just three months after purchasing her for $30,000 at last October's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale, a filly by Drain the Clock (hip 90) offered a quick return on investment for Crupper Bloodstock when selling to Will Stein Bloodstock for $125,000 early in Monday's sale. Keith Crupper and his brother Allen were nearly shut out when they were shopping in New York last year but managed to see through that Crupper acknowledged was a growth spurt to pick up this filly. “We chased a lot of horses in New York and she was the only one we got,” Crupper said following the sale. “We're obviously ecstatic. [The price] went way past our expectations. She's a very nice filly. My brother picked her up for us in New York, brought her back, dropped her off to me and didn't have to do a whole lot with her, just continue to prep her. She came here great and really responded to being here. She has a lot of personality and it really shined here. She's a big-walking filly and she's really matured [since we got her].” Crupper Bloodstock often picks up weanlings in New York with this specific sale in mind. In fact, this is the second straight year that Keith and Allen have successfully pinhooked a foal by Drain the Clock from New York into the Winter Mixed Sale when a colt they purchased for $32,000 in 2024 sold at the 2025 Winter Mixed Sale for $57,000. “We did well on one last year,” said Crupper. “But not this well! [Allen] called me every time something would come up [in New York] and he said, 'this filly, she's in a growth spurt, she's a little plain at the moment but I think she's going to bounce out of it. I think this is our best shot.' She really came together. Had a lot of action at the barn and in the repository. She had perfect x-rays in New York and she had perfect x-rays here. And she checked all the boxes. That's what it came down to today.” Crupper's continued success with Drain the Clock has led him to support the stallion in kind, with Keith saying he'd already booked four mares back to the young Gainesway sire before Monday's result. “We've been fans of him from the start,” said Crupper. “We, as a group, tend to like to go back to the fishing hole that's producing fish!” The post Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale Brings The Heat To Central Kentucky appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Grade I Del Mar Oaks winner Iscreamuscream (Twirling Candy) lit up the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale late, selling to Japan's Katsumi Yoshida for $1.5 million. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the 5-year-old was undefeated in her first four starts including the GII San Clemente Stakes before taking down the Del Mar Oaks in August of 2024. She last sold via the Fasig-Tipton Digital platform for $330,000 shortly before earning her Grade I win. Yoshida also picked up GSW 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Maysam (Game Winner) earlier in the sale for $400,000. G1SW ISCREAMUSCREAM (hip 385) sells for $1,500,000 at Kentucky Winter Mixed! Congrats to the connections: B: Katsumi Yoshida C: @TaylorMadeSales, agt h/t @lrfracing pic.twitter.com/nESqCSOFkS — Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) February 9, 2026 The post Iscreamuscream To Katsumi Yoshida For $1.5 Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Promising three-year-old Navy Ensign (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) will be seeking to break through for an elusive maiden victory when he heads to Te Aroha on Wednesday to contest the Taylor Perry Insurance NZB Mega Maiden (1150m). The son of U S Navy Flag was initially purchased as a pinhook prospect by part-owner David Archer out of Haunui Farm’s 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft for $47,500, but was retained after he failed to meet his $60,000 reserve at the Ready To Run sale later that year. It has proven to be a blessing for Archer, with the talented youngster showing plenty of talent on the track in his four starts to date, where he has finished runner-up to a string of exciting athletes, headlined by his debut vanquisher Well Written, who has gone on to remain unbeaten in her subsequent four outings, including the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) and Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m). “He has got to be the best maidener in the country,” trainer Murray Thompson said. “The horses beating him, you have got to look at the form behind them, it is just unreal. “In his debut behind Well Written, we were three and four wide, we had the toughest run in the race that day and it was a really good run. “We didn’t have much luck in our third start (behind Lyin’ Eyes), we were three-wide the trip, and last start (behind Khaleesi) we rode him upside down, we wanted to take luck out of the equation, it didn’t suit him plus he was feeling the ground.” Thompson was also buoyed by the $350,000 Sir Patrick Hogan Karapiro Classic (1600m) result at Te Rapa last Saturday, which was contested by both Khalessi and Golden Wings, and was taken out by That’s Gold. “That’s Gold won the race and he was behind us in our second start, so the form stacks up,” he said. Navy Ensign has enjoyed a freshen-up following his last start over 1400m at Tauranga in December and Thompson said he has thrived over the short break. “I gave him a couple of weeks off after Tauranga, he was just feeling the track a little bit,” he said. “The two weeks off has just done him so good, he has come back really well. “His work on Saturday was very good, so we are expecting a good run as usual.” Navy Ensign will jump from barrier eight with regular rider Matthew Cameron in the saddle. Stakes assignments are looming for the gelding after Wednesday, but they will be determined by his fresh-up performance. “I have pencilled in the Wellington Guineas (Gr.2, 1600m), but if he won and won well I would probably look at headquarters (Ellerslie) on Saturday week in the Uncle Remus (Gr.3, 1400m), but he would have to win to warrant going there.” Archer’s colours are expected to be prominent at Ellerslie a fortnight later when Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel) contests the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), and Thompson said they could also feature on the undercard, with the Pukekohe horseman eyeing the Windsor Park Stud 3YO Trophy (1500m) with Navy Ensign. “There is a $100,000 three-year-old race on Champions Day that would be an option as well,” he said. Thompson believes Navy Ensign has a bright future and said there is still plenty of improvement to come from the gelding. “He is going to get better with time,” he said. “He put on muscle and a little bit of weight in the two weeks off. In six months to a year he is going to be doing wonders.” View the full article

On the Feb. 9 episode of BloodHorse Monday: Mark Casse recaps a successful weekend at Oaklawn Park highlighted by victories from Silent Tactic, Search Party, and Nitrogen. BloodHorse bloodstock editor Eric Mitchell previews new stallions for 2026.View the full article

“It's been a long time since a country boy from Conway, Arkansas, has been invited to a race in a place like Saudi Arabia.” So says Alex Lieblong, who in partnership with his wife JoAnn bred and race Reef Runner, a homebred son of the couple's Grade I King's Bishop Stakes winner The Big Beast, who flies a bit beneath the radar, but looms a real chance in Saturday's $2-million G2 1351 Turf Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. The Lieblongs, who have campaigned the likes of Grade I winners Telling (A.P. Indy), Embellish the Lace (Super Saver) and Wicked Whisper (Liam's Map) in addition to The Big Beast, purchased Reef Runner's dam, Paradise Bay (Blame), for $350,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale. The acquisition occurred about six months after her half-sister, former 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Paradise Woods (Union Rags), took out the GI Santa Anita Oaks and the acquisition looked that much better when that filly defeated her elders in the GI Zenyatta Stakes a few weeks after the sale. Paradise Woods would go on to finish a sound third in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. “I love Blame as a broodmare sire and The Big Beast was extremely talented, he loved seven furlongs,” Lieblong said. “It's a better pedigree than it might look.” Reef Runner is trained for the Lieblongs by David Fawkes, who conditioned the $1.9-million earner Duke of Mischief (Graeme Hall) for the couple. And Lieblong says that the reports emanating from the Middle East are nothing short of glowing. “David has sent me pictures and I have to say, I think Reef Runner looks about as good as I've ever seen him. He's really sparkling,” said Lieblong, who flies from Dallas to the desert on Tuesday. “All the reports are good. I can tell it in David's voice when it's good or bad and it's all good right now. I haven't received any negative vibes at all.” Alex Lieblong | Fasig-Tipton Reef Runner has amassed a record of 5-4-4 from 16 starts in turf sprints and–with the exception of the 2024 Mahony Stakes at Saratoga–has never run a truly poor race on the surface. Also a stakes winner on the synthetic track at Gulfstream Park, the bay put together his best season in 2025. First past the post,but demoted to the runner-up spot in the 'Win and You're In' five-furlong GIII Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar in August, he came running late to take the GIII Eddie D. Stakes down the hill at Santa Anita Sept. 27. As short as 13-2 for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 1, he was scarcely disgraced in fourth behind 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Shisospicy (Mitole) and will be making his first start since annexing the Janus Stakes going five-eighths over the Gulfstream turf course Dec. 20 (video). Lieblong feels that the added real estate of this weekend's race very much works in favor of Reef Runner, who picks up the services of Irad Ortiz, Jr. with the defection from the 1351 of Shisospicy. “I really like the distance for the horse,” he said. “Five furlongs for what he does is a little tough sometimes. To make up as much ground as he does, that is tricky going that distance. [Lieblong trainer] Steve Hobby was watching that last race from Florida and says 'there's no way he was ever going to get up.' But he did.” A victory on Saturday could lead to something of a Lieblong family reunion in Dubai for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint in six weeks' time. “I promised my son if he wins that we'll keep him over there and then the whole family can go to Dubai,” Lieblong said. “If the grandkids can get out of college, we'll bring them too.” But first things first. And win, lose or draw, Lieblong is excited not only about the opportunity that lies ahead, but to also experiencing a new port of call. “I am looking forward to every bit of it,” he said. “I'm one of these guys that likes to look around and observe, that's what I feed off of. I just think it's going to be a neat experience. We're looking forward to it and we're just really grateful for the invitation.” The post Reef Runner Ready To Roll In 1351 Turf Sprint appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sam Houston Race Park had launched the Sam Houston Racing Club, a groundbreaking collaboration with MyRacehorse, which offers SEC-qualified, true ownership interests at scale, redefining how fans experience Thoroughbred racing.View the full article

5 — HIGH CAMP, GP, 2/7-6th, 7 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-85 (c, 3, by Instagrand-Summer Silk, by Uncle Mo) O/B-OXO Equine (Ky). T-Will Walden. J-John Velazquez. Owner-breeder Larry Best continues to get mileage out of his former stakes star Instagrand, but you wouldn't have bet a dollar on High Camp at the quarter-pole. He was 2nd under a ride when two rivals blew past him–prematurely, as it turned out – and he dropped to 4th then swung wide and came back again to win. He's the first foal from Summer Silk, an unraced daughter of three-time GSW Summer Applause, whose foals were disappointing on the track but perhaps might still prove worthy in the breeding shed. 4 — ABSOLUTE HONOR, GP, 2/5-6th, 1 mile (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-86 (f, 4, by Nyquist-Elusive Checkers, by Quality Road) O-Michael Ryan. B-Baldwin Bloodstock (Ky). T-Saffie Joseph Jr. J-Micah Husbands. A one-turn mile might be her thing. After two 9-furlong races at Saratoga and an uncharacteristically poor outing at 1 1-16 miles at Keeneland, she was cut back here and ran away from 3/5 favorite Whitethorn. Ryan owns GI winning turf mare Be Your Best and has had a couple more GI winners in partnerships. 3 — TOP LEVEL, OP, 2/6-5th, 6 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-88 (c, 3, by Upstart-Upsetter, by Strong Hope) O-BG Stables. B-Paul Tackett Revocable Trust (Ky). T-Mark Casse. J-Javier Castellano. There isn't much turf in his pedigree, so after solid breezes but a dull debut on grass the possibility existed of a step forward on dirt–and he took a big one, rallying with a final quarter in :24.73 to win going away. Of course, anything Casse saddles in Hot Springs deserves special consideration: he's batting 45% on 17-of-38 with a meet-high $1.87 million in earnings. 2 — POWERSHIFT, TAM, 2/7-6th, 1 mile 40 yards (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-95 (2nd) (c, 3, by Constitution-Free Flying Soul, by Quiet American) O-Repole Stable. B-Liberty Road Stables (Ky). T-Todd Pletcher. J-Irad Ortiz Jr. It'll be interesting to see the path Repole and Pletcher choose for this colt, who couldn't have run better in his debut. Thirty years ago, the Kentucky Derby trail wouldn't even be a consideration, but times have changed. His two-turn 95 Beyer screams talent, plus he has pedigree and showed gameness and professionalism in a narrow defeat. 1 — EMERGING MARKET, TAM, 2/7-6th, 1 mile 40 yards (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-96 (c, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg)-Wild Empress, by Empire Maker) O-Klaravich Stable. B-Stoneriggs Farm (Ky). T-Chad Brown. J-Flavien Prat. The electric move he made at the quarter-pole to rush alongside Powershift was just as eye-catching visually as his 96 Beyer looks on the paper. Now the same questions apply as with the colt he outdueled. A good “comp” could be Cloud Computing–also owned by Seth Klarman–who won his debut February 11, then was 2nd in the Gotham and 3rd in the Wood before winning the Preakness. But Cloud Computing's debut Beyer was an 82 at 6 furlongs–could this colt have more raw talent? The post The Five Fastest Maidens, Feb. 2- Feb. 8 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Jordyn Bublitz Tracy Cadwallader has two last-start winners heading to Manawatu today as she looks to improve on an already successful start to 2026. Indisposed (Race 1) and The Big Bang (Race 4) will be driven by Michael Hay. A son of A Rocknroll Dance, Indisposed comes off a solid win at Hawera on January 20. “I was very happy with the win …. I know he’s a seven-year-old but he’s only just started to come to it now, he’s pulled up from that run great, and he’s come forward in leaps and bounds since then,” she said. He will start one the second line over 2500 metres. “He hasn’t got the most fabulous draw but we’d rather be drawn 8 than way out in 7, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t in the top 4!” The Big Bang, a son of Sweet Lou, will chase a hat-trick of wins in The Tank Guy Mobile Pace (5.48pm). “He’s my pride and joy, I just love him to bits. It’s very surreal to me that he might get a hat-trick,” she said, laughing at the thought. “He’s got a terrible draw (5), and he’s so well, It’s been a month between runs and I think he might be coming into this race a little bit too fresh.” “He’s feeling a million bucks, but I really think he could do with this run. I reckon he’d go better on the second day, but you never know with this horse, he’s got a heart bigger than anything I’ve ever come across. He knows where the post is, and he’s determined to get there,” says Cadwallader. The Big Bang has won three of five lifetime starts. Race 1 of seven is set to go at 4.29pm. View the full article

The Sam Houston Racing Club, a new collaboration between Sam Houston Race Park and MyRacehorse, was launched Monday, the track announced via press release. Compared to a traditional racing club, the Sam Houston Racing Club gives members the opportunity to become racehorse owners rather than simply joining a fan club. This includes real equity, earnings participation, and direct access to their horse's journey. Through the MyRacehorse app, club owners receive real-time updates delivered directly to their phones, including training progress, race entries, and insights from the trainer. Members can RSVP for owner-only events, follow their horse's development from the barn to race day, and, if the horse is successful on the track, receive earnings directly into their MyRacehorse digital wallet. The Sam Houston Racing Club will kick off with sophomore colt Onthethirstyside (Stay Thirsty) trained by Mindy Willis. “This partnership is about meeting today's fans where they are and inviting them further inside the sport,” said Bryan Pettigrew, general manager of Sam Houston Race Park. “The Sam Houston Racing Club gives people a legitimate stake in the action while reinforcing our commitment to innovation, hospitality, and top-tier racing experiences here in Texas.” “Racing clubs aren't new, but true ownership at this scale is,” said Michael Behrens, CEO of MyRacehorse. “MyRacehorse was built to solve the biggest challenges facing ownership groups: access, communication, education, and transparency. This partnership with Sam Houston Race Park allows us to bring real ownership to more people while delivering a modern, intuitive experience that keeps owners engaged every step of the way.” To view the offering and become an owner, and to learn more about the Sam Houston Racing Club horse and trainer, visit the website here. The post Sam Houston Race Park, MyRacehorse Launch Racing Club Collaboration appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Elle Sueno (Street Cry {Ire}), already the dam of GSW/GISP Dream Lith (Medaglia d'Oro), sold to Tropical Racing for $800,000. Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, the mare was offered in foal to leading sire Curlin. Her 2-year-old of this year, an Into Mischief filly named Mardigras Mischief, is already part of the Tropical Racing stable as they picked her up for $500,000 at the 2025 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The post Tropical Racing Adds Elle Sueno For $800,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Marc Gunderson picked up both GISP Ava's Grace (Laoban) and her yearling Into Mischief filly during Monday's Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, going to $950,000 for Ava's Grace who is in foal to Curlin, and $625,000 for her filly just one hip later. Mother and daughter were both consigned by by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. The $950,000 paid for Ava's Grace already eclipses the top price of the 2025 Winter Mixed Sale when a colt by Curlin sold for $775,000. Stakes placed AVA'S GRACE and her yearling filly by Into Mischief (@spendthriftfarm) prepare for their turn in the ring! @HillnDaleFarm consigns. pic.twitter.com/OrvwrEvZhZ — Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) February 9, 2026 The post Gunderson Gets Ava’s Grace And Her Into Mischief Filly At Fasig-Tipton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Good Racing Company and Leeds Rhinos have joined forces to help raise funds for motor neurone disease (MND) causes. With the aim of keeping the late Rob Burrow's legacy at the heart of both the horse racing and rugby league communities, they will promote key events and fundraising initiatives to one another's fan bases. To launch the partnership, The Good Racing Company will be the official match sponsor for the Rhinos' game against York Knights at Headingley on Friday, February 20. Lindsey Burrow, who is an ambassador for The Good Racing Company, said, “Rob was passionate about two sports: rugby league and horse racing. It's great to see Leeds Rhinos and The Good Racing Company teaming up to champion Rob's legacy across both sports and continue his efforts to raise funds and awareness.” Leeds Rhinos managing director Rob Oates added, “Together, The Good Racing Company and Leeds Rhinos are giving supporters a dynamic, cross‑sport platform to celebrate Rob's life and help more families affected by MND in his name. We hope every matchday or raceday is a fresh opportunity to continue the amazing fundraising that Rob and Lindsey inspired.” The Good Racing Company set up the Rob Burrow Racing Club which costs £49 for an annual membership, with proceeds going to the Burrow family's chosen charities. They now have 10 horses in training across various syndicates, with their biggest success to date being Alfa Kellenic, winner of six races including the Ayr Silver Cup. The post Good Racing Company and Leeds Rhinos Partner Up to Raise Money for MND appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sunday Racing's Mitilini (Jpn) (f, 3, Tapit–Midnight Bisou, by Midnight Lute) came with a sustained run from from far back to graduate in her first try going two turns on the dirt in Saturday's opening race over 1700 meters at Kokura Racecourse. Once second from two tries going 1400 meters on turf to begin her career, the Feb. 24 foal never landed a blow when trying the dirt for the first time going that same distance Nov. 16. Despite being ridden for a bit of early speed from a double-digit gate, Mitilini was no better than third-last to make the first turn and trailed by a good 12 to 15 lengths down the backstretch. Asked to improve with better than 600 meters to travel, Mitilini responded nicely when asked in upper stretch, came running three off the fence with time ticking away and was along in the waning strides to graduate by a neck as the 7-1 fourth choice. A five-time Grade I winner and the Eclipse Award-winning older dirt female in 2019, Midnight Bisou was the adjudicated winner of the inaugural Saudi Cup in 2020 and Chuck Allen paid $5 million for her at that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale. After producing the Curlin colt Bisou in 2022, she was bred to this sire and offered at Keeneland November later that fall, where she topped the auction on a bid of $5.5 million from Katsumi Yoshida. Also the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Kitasan Black (Jpn), Midnight Bisou produced a colt by Equinox (Jpn) last season that fetched a sales-best ¥580 million ($4,318,488) during the foal section of the JRHA Select Sale. She is due to Equinox once again for 2026. 1st-Kokura, ¥11,280,000 ($72,418), Maiden, 3yo, f, 1700m, 1:48.3, ft. MITILINI (JPN) (f, 3, Tapit–Midnight Bisou {Ch. Older Dirt Female & MGISW-US, $13,971,520}, by Midnight Lute) Sales history: $5,500,000 in utero '22 KEENOV. Lifetime Record:4-1-1-0, $63,878. VIDEO (SC 12) O-Sunday Racing Co Ltd; B-Northern Racing; T-Tomokazu Takano. 2026.02.07 小倉競馬場 1R 3歳未勝利 ミティリーニ & 鮫島克駿 騎手Tapit%E7%94%A3%E9%A7%92?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tapit産駒#高野友和厩舎 pic.twitter.com/Alf5Hfud2e — はごろも (@856_rmc) February 7, 2026 The post Mitilini, Daughter of Tapit and Midnight Bisou, Graduates In Japan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tattersalls Online will join forces with Inglis Digital for a dedicated Southern Hemisphere Session to be held on Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th February. The catalogue, which is available to view on the Tattersalls Online website at www.tattersallsonline.com, marks the third collaboration between Tattersalls Online and Inglis Digital and aims to continue to strengthen the connection between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere markets. The upcoming Southern Hemisphere Session will feature a select draft from The Castlebridge Consignment, headlined by Southern Hemisphere-bred progeny by Too Darn Hot. Tattersalls Online Sales Manager Katherine Sheridan commented, “This Southern Hemisphere Session offers a genuinely unique opportunity. Too Darn Hot's 2024 Southern Hemisphere foals are exceptionally limited in number and when combined with pedigrees of this quality, the appeal is clear. We are delighted to once again collaborate with Inglis Digital and to present a session that we expect will attract strong international interest.” Among the highlights of the session is a three-in-one package featuring the young mare Moraless, offered together with her Southern Hemisphere-bred weanling colt by Too Darn Hot and in foal on a Southern Hemisphere cover to Champion First-Season Sire Starman. Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch concluded, “The collaborations with Tattersalls Online are a product of conversations that we have been having with the team at Tattersalls for a number of years and in the instances that we have executed them, they have generated good engagement and a number of excellent results.” “Katherine raised the possibility of this opportunity last month and we were very keen for Inglis Digital to be involved as we feel we can add significant value to the process.” “Access to Too Darn Hot was particularly limited in his fifth season because he was domiciled in England, and as such, there is a real scarcity value to these foals, particularly when analysis of who holds the balance of the crop shows that it is very unlikely that many of his offspring will be available at public auction in Australia either as weanlings in 2026 or as yearlings in 2027.” He added, “Very simply, as an owner or a trader, if you want part of the action with the fifth southern hemisphere crop of Too Darn Hot, you have to look very carefully at these offerings.” The draft will be available for inspection prior to the sale and appointments can be made by contacting Bill Dwan or Paddy Diamond of The Castlebridge Consignment, whose details are available on the Tattersalls Online website. For further information, please contact Katherine Sheridan (katherine.sheridan@tattersalls.com) or Inglis Bloodstock Sales Manager Harry Bailey (harry.bailey@inglis.com.au). Full catalogue details can be viewed online at www.tattersallsonline.com. The post Tattersalls Online And Inglis Digital Join Forces To Offer SH-Bred Too Darn Hot Progeny appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Like London buses, James Keane will have not one but two runners this week in quick succession, marking his first two appearances on the racecourse as trainer. The 32-year-old Irishman now claims Newmarket as his home, rather extraordinarily falling in love with the place during a winter which included the fierce 'Beast from the East' cold snap of eight years ago. If you can withstand winters in Newmarket, then the other seasons will be a doddle. “You have to be a bit of a glutton for punishment to be a trainer, don't you? Something possesses us,” he says. Indeed, horses, if not racehorses, have been in his blood for years. Keane cut his teeth riding ponies and sport horses and represented Ireland at junior and young rider level, becoming the junior national eventing champion of 2008. Modestly, though, he says, “I was a show jumper by trade and quickly discovered I wasn't a good enough rider to make a living out of that, so I tried my hand on the breeding side of things but didn't really enjoy that. I did a year at Barouche Stud and then took a job as a marketing manager at Wolverhampton Racecourse. I didn't really know the first thing about marketing but I managed to talk my way into the job.” While at Wolverhampton, Keane started riding out for James Unett and says his progression towards wanting to be a trainer “just kind of snowballed”. A year as pupil assistant to Ed Dunlop was followed by three years with fellow Newmarket trainer Lucy Wadham before he joined the Godolphin Flying Start programme, from which he graduated in 2023. “I very quickly decided when I was a couple of months in at Ed's that I quite liked the training game. It's been a long road to get here, a bit of a winding one,” Keane says. “I get my kicks from performance horses, and obviously show jumping is a performance industry, and that didn't work for me, but I love getting a raw horse, and making it into something, helping it to perform.” Further stints as assistant to Roger Varian and Charlie Hills followed, but while in Lambourn with the latter Keane decided that it was time to return to Newmarket and take the leap into branching out on his own. “Lambourn wasn't for me, so I just decided I'd go for it,” he says. “So I went out and bought four horses on spec at Tattersalls between the HIT Sale and the November Online Sale, and just flogged them as I went. I was lucky, I got a bit of help off various bloodstock agents, they sold bits and pieces for me, which was great, and everything's sold in the yard now, all from nothing in the past six months. Ten grand and a dream I sat down with last May, that's what I had in the bank, and I sat down to write a business plan, and here we are now.” A native of Collon, County Louth, Keane admits that he has looked across the water to the business model of some of his compatriots when it comes to formulating his own plans. “There's no profit in training horses,” he says. “You've got to trade horses, and I think there's a gap in this country for a trading trainer. And that's not to say that every horse I have will be a trading horse, but I think, if you look at the Irish model, they all own bits and pieces of horses, and they all sell them out to America or whatever. It's almost taboo in this country. “So I think if you can get a reputation for being a source of proven horses to be sold out to the export markets, why not? If you own 25, 50% of them yourself, that's where your profit margin is.” Keane is training from Albert House Stables, “a beautiful yard at the foot of Warren Hill”, which has previously been the base for Charlie Clover, Alice Haynes and Chris Dwyer among others. “This is the nerve centre of horse racing in the UK. If you want to meet people, this is where you want to meet them, because they're all here for a couple of months of the year between sales and racing. Also, it's where I've spent the bulk of my professional career,” he says. “I know the gallops inside out. I feel that I can train on the gallops, and I know them well enough that I can say that with confidence. And the facilities are second to none, and that's not to knock the Jockey Club facilities at Lambourn, but even my yard, for example, I don't know if I would have got it elsewhere – 23 boxes, an apartment for me, staff accommodation, an office. It's a proper, compact, professional outfit, which is exactly the kind of brand I'm trying to put across.” As the countdown ticks on to his first runner at Kempton on Wednesday, Keane admits that the pressure is mounting a little. He does however follow some notable graduates of the Flying Start course to have successfully made the crossover to the training ranks, including France's current champion Francis Graffard, Breeders' Cup-winning trainer Dan Blacker, and Jerome Reynier, who is doubly represented at this Saturday's prestigious Saudi Cup meeting. “It wouldn't mean anything if I wasn't, but it's pressure I put on myself,” he says. “My owners are fantastic. There's no pressure from them. I haven't had one phone call. Actually, I don't think any of them have ever rung me at any time. I do all the ringing, which isn't a bad thing. They've very much left me to my own devices and said, do what you like, which is fantastic.” The Time Test three-year-old Time To Sparkle, who will line up for the mile handicap at 5.05pm on Wednesday, will be the first runner from the Keane stable. Bought for 5,000gns from Eve Johnson Houghton's stable at the Horses-in-Training Sale, she is making her handicap debut for The Adventurers. “She needed the winter on her back and has improved dramatically as a physical,” the trainer says. “That's not necessarily going to make her any faster, but she's been working nicely. I'd be hoping that she's going to run into the frame and give a good account of herself.” The following day Keane is planning to run five-year-old Miletus, a Magna Grecia half-brother to Emmaus (Invincible Spirit) at Lingfield. “I'd be disappointed if he's not there or thereabouts. I think he's well-treated. I'd hope he's the horse I can win two or three on the spin with, and all of a sudden, your name is out there.” The post ‘Ten Grand And A Dream’: New Trainer James Keane Hoping It’s His Time To Sparkle appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for inclusion in its Legend Category. The category was established to honor people and horses whose accomplishments and feats occurred during the foundational years of horse racing in Canada. To be considered in the Legend Category, the nominee's primary career and impact on racing must have taken place a minimum of 50 years prior to nomination. The deadline for submission for the Legend Category is Mar. 9 at 5 p.m. Nominations can be made here. The post Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Seeks ‘Legend’ Nominations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Twinspires.com's Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge (KDBC), a live-money handicapping tournament, will feature an increased, guaranteed $300,000 prize pool May 2, while the $25,000 Kentucky Oaks Betting Challenge will debut May 1. The KDBC returns this year with the same $5,000 buy-in structure and the newly added KOBC will have a seeded cash prize pool of $25,000 and will award one KDBC seat for every 10 entries. “Championship Series” races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks will anchor weekly TwinSpires tournaments, which offer qualifying opportunities for the KDBC. The contest includes cash prizes, seats to the 2026 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, 2027 National Horseplayers Championship and 2027 KDBC. For a complete schedule of tournaments, visit twinspires.com/tournaments. The post Twinspires Boosts Derby Betting Challenge Prize Pool, Adds Oaks Challenge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Like any responsible stakeholder in the Thoroughbred racing industry, I have followed with keen interest Mike Repole's now 2 1/2-year crusade to reform, disrupt, rejuvenate and revitalize horse racing, breeding and aftercare. Mike's mission surely predates that timeline, but it was in October 2023 that he formalized his intentions with the formation of the National Thoroughbred Alliance and the appointment of Pat Cummings as Executive Director. I am not privy to any private meetings or correspondence between Mike and Pat and the industry's power brokers. What we all do have access to are Mike's many public statements across social media, print interviews, podcasts and television appearances. Over time, Mike has been relentlessly critical of several prominent industry organizations and their representatives, most notably The Jockey Club, the Breeders' Cup, TOBA and the NTRA. His tactics are often brash, offensive, vulgar, uncouth and harsh. Choose your own adjective. Some people like how he posts on X, some people cringe. Mike is disruptive, an undeniable product of his business success. You can call him whatever you want, but no one is calling him wrong. Across dozens of conversations totaling hundreds of hours with industry stakeholders since the NTA was formed, not one person has told me that Mike is wrong about the issues driving the decline of our key indicators, or threatening the long-term viability of our industry. Not one. Not a single soul. In the interest of transparency, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners has partnered with Repole on several horses over time, including our champion Nest. We are not currently partnered on any racehorses, broodmares or stallions. Eclipse is partnered with several members of The Jockey Club, TOBA and Breeders' Cup, all of whom I consider friends and wonderful racing partners. I am also a Member of Breeders' Cup, in addition to other Boards with individuals who are Members of The Jockey Club and TOBA. For 2 1/2 years, Mike has been throwing punches at The Jockey Club. Until Jan. 27, The Jockey Club refused to engage publicly. If they believed their rebuttal was a haymaker, some decisive blow, they missed completely. Not only did it fail to land, it left them exposed. Whatever residual public support The Jockey Club enjoyed evaporated as stakeholders read a statement that was ill-advised, weak, non-substantive and overtly gaslighting. Any lingering belief that Repole was misguided or irrational vanished just as quickly. The defensive, excuse-laden response achieved the opposite of its intent. And whatever confidence remained in The Jockey Club's leadership has now given way to doubt and a sobering realization that Mike is onto something. And that something is really big and potentially industry shifting. In the wake of some serious soul searching, and after absorbing The Jockey Club's Jan. 27 rebuttal directed at Mike's demands for accountability, I can no longer concern myself with the risk of offending individuals who wear titles which should warrant respect, nor friends or business partners. Mine and Mike Repole's styles could not be more opposite. But, this mission is not about personalities. This mission is not personal. This mission is about principle. On what side of racing history do we all want to be on? For too long, I have been a complacent and complicit member of the silent majority. The stakes are too high to remain silent. They are too high right now and far too high for the generations that will follow us. I genuinely hope that breaking my own silence will inspire others to support Mike's mission for the betterment of our industry. It's time. Aron Wellman is the Founder & President of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners The post Letter to the Editor: Mike Repole’s Mission appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article