Wandering Eyes

Classy mare Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor) has black-type targets on her agenda after bouncing back to winning form in Saturday’s Happy Hire Cup (1400m) at Tauranga. The daughter of Almanzor was close up in elite three-year-old competition two seasons ago, finishing second in the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) and Eight Carat Classic (1600m), fourth in the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) and fifth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). She added another two black-type placings to her record in last season’s Listed Aotearoa Classic (1600m) and Matamata Cup (1600m). Mary Shan kicked off her current season with a bold first-up victory at Wanganui on August 30, hinting that her five-year-old season might be her best yet. But she was brought undone by a testing Hawera track in her second-up assignment in the Gr.3 Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), beating only one runner home as the $3 favourite. Trainer Andrew Forsman was hoping to get Mary Shan back on track in Saturday’s $50,000 open handicap on a Soft5 surface at Tauranga, and he got exactly what he was looking for. Ridden by Wiremu Pinn, Mary Shan settled into a good rhythm in fourth along the rail. When the front-running Leroy Brown rolled off the fence at the top of the home straight, Pinn and Mary Shan needed no second invitation. They dashed through and quickly took command, kicking away to win by a length and a half from Gospodin, You Say D’Orsay and Leroy Brown. “It was really good to see her bounce back yesterday,” Forsman said. “She obviously got tripped up by a very heavy track at Hawera the start before. She won very nicely at Tauranga to get the campaign back on track, and hopefully it’ll give her a bit of a confidence boost. “I don’t really have any firm plans in mind for her from here, but it’s all going to be about trying to add black-type to her pedigree page. There’s a few nice options coming up. “She could potentially back up for the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.2, 1400m) at Pukekohe next Saturday, although there’s the prospect of some rain around, so we won’t rush into a decision on that. “We could wait until the following Saturday, where there’s a nice set weights and penalties race at Ellerslie (Gr.3 Great Northern Challenge Stakes, 1600m). And then we head into December, where races like the Cal Isuzu (Gr.2, 1600m) might really suit her. So there’s a few races that we can choose from, and we’ll just take things as they come and pick out what suits her best.” Forsman Racing paid $180,000 to buy Mary Shan from Prima Park’s draft in Book 1 of Karaka 2022. She has now won four of her 21 starts and placed in another six, earning $413,290 for owners Jackie Rogers and Gerald Shand. View the full article

Karaka graduate Patch Of Stars (All Too Hard) lived up to expectations in the feature Class 2 Lukfook Jewellery Cup Handicap (1200m) and boosted his Four-Year-Old Classic Series prospects with a smart win for Manfred Man and Zac Purton on an eventful day at Sha Tin on Saturday. Purton, who bagged a treble to extend his championship lead to 22 wins, spoke cautiously about Patch Of Stars drawing a tricky barrier nine in the build-up to the race. But in the event, he was able to manoeuvre the All Too Hard gelding into the box seat before letting down strongly to put away a handy field. Patch Of Stars was sold through the Riversley Park draft at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale for $800,000 to owner Yeung Kin Man. The win sealed a raceday double for Man, after Hollie Doyle had earlier ridden Double Win (NZ) (Burgundy) to victory in the Class 4 Lukfook Jewellery Love Is Beauty Collection Handicap (2000m), increasing the veteran conditioner’s seasonal total to 13. “I think 1200 metres is good for him, because in the Class 3 1400 metres, he was favourite twice and was only fourth and fifth,” Man said. “Back at 1200 metres, he won a Class 3 and was promoted (to Class 2) today and won again, so I think it’s the best distance for him.” On The Lash (NZ) (Savabeel) held off fast-finishing rivals in the Class 5 Lukfook Jewellery Wedding Collection Handicap (1800m) to deliver trainer Pierre Ng’s first victory in four meetings. The win provided Luke Ferraris with another valuable win in his bid for LONGINES IJC qualification, as he held on by a nose from Richard Kingscote surging late on Cool Blue. Trainer Cody Mo’s Bucephalas (NZ) (Savabeel), whose odds plunged to 7/1 moments before the flag dropped, sliced through the field of the Class 4 Lukfook Jewellery Miss Hong Kong Love Yourself Collection Handicap (1400m) to claim his first Hong Kong win at his sixth attempt under Matthew Chadwick. View the full article

Zambardo is one of the most improved horses in the country with a Gr.1 Mackinnon Stakes placing at Flemington. Michael Kent (junior) says It wasn’t all plane sailing when he arrived in their care from NZ. Michael Kent Jnr 14.11.25 – Racing HQ with Steve Hewlett – Apple Podcasts View the full article

Join Guy Heveldt, Emily Murphy and Jayne Ivil as they dissect the racing from Riccarton as NZ Cup Week comes to a close. National Thoroughbred Week gets under way, and we talk to Vicky Leonard to find out what we need to know about this great initiative. Weigh In, November 16 View the full article

Six of the eight races on the 27th annual Claiming Crown program Saturday at Churchill Downs were decided by a length or less, and the “blue-collar Breeders' Cup” featured robust fields, with seven of those eight contests luring at least 11 and as many as 14 starters. The Claiming Crown began in 1999 as a way to showcase and reward horses who compete in the types of races that form the backbone of day-to-day American racing, and its annual programs are conducted under starter-allowance conditions pegged to previous-race claiming prices. The feature on an afternoon of fast/firm course conditions, the $225,000 Jewel at nine furlongs, resulted in a 9-1 upset by the Parx-based Double Your Money, a 4-year-old by 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Demarchelier (GB). The Nov. 15 Claiming Crown assignment over nine furlongs was a turnback in distance for the 6-for-25 gelding, who last year was twice claimed for $16,000 and $30,000 to meet the $35,000-or-less-in-2024/2025 eligibility condition of the Jewel. Double Your Money had finished second at 16-1 odds in the Sept. 20 GIII Greenwood Cup at Parx over 1 1/2 miles and won an Aqueduct starter-allowance going 1 3/16 miles Oct. 18. With eight horses still in it to win it by mid-stretch, jockey Melvis Gonzalez aimed Double Your Money through a narrow gap between horses and the gelding kicked clear under steady handling to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:50.89. “He had a lot of turf races and he had never gone two turns on the dirt when I claimed him,” said trainer and co-owner Benjamin Dunn. “When I started training him, I thought, 'This horse wants three turns on the dirt.' And he lived up to the expectations [on Saturday]. He doesn't stop. All the stamina in the world.” Co-owner Chris Mancusi is also in on the Double Your Money partnership. “Hopefully I'll be back here before the Isaac Murphy Marathon in the spring,” Dunn said, referring to the $200,000 listed stakes at 1 1/2 miles that is generally run during opening week of the Churchill spring meet. The $175,000 Emerald at 1 1/16 miles on the turf was a deja vu victory for Echo Lane (Treasure Beach {GB}), who won this same Claiming Crown race last year. Unlike the 12-1 odds he was in 2024, bettors this year backed the 4-year-old colt to 2.45-1 favoritism, and Echo Lane utilized similar stalking tactics to tally by a length in 1:42.49 under Luis Saez for owner Anthony Rogers and trainer Rohan Crichton. Echo Lane was barely eligible for the conditions of this race (claiming tag of $25,000 or less in 2024/2025), having broken his maiden for $25,000 at Gulfstream on Jan. 20, 2024. Echo Lane | Coady Media In the $150,000 Tiara for distaffers at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, 2.3-1 favorite Ashima (The Big Beast) won her 10th lifetime race from 20 starts by threading through at the fence from midpack and kicking clear inside the final furlong after being repositioned outside by Irad Ortiz Jr. The 4-year-old filly scored by three-quarters of a length in 1:43.08. Owned by Wallace Moore Jr. and trained by Sal Santoro, Ashima had plenty of cushion in meeting the $25,000-or-less claiming conditions for the Tiara. Almost exactly a year ago, last Nov. 17, her current connections claimed her for $8,000 at Gulfstream, and she has been a turf and Tapeta force in Florida at the higher-priced starter-allowance/optional claiming level since then without once being re-entered for a tag. In the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial on the grass at 5 1/2 furlongs, Shape Note (Mendelssohn) was buried at the rail and had to check off heels at the top of the stretch before hitting another gear inside the final eighth, darting through at the fence to score by a neck at 8-1 odds in 1:02.47 with a well-timed ride by Jose Ortiz. Claimed six times in his 10-for-22 career, the 4-year-old gelding on four of those occasions changed hands at a level that met Saturday's $25,000-or-less-in-2024/2025 eligibility conditions. Shape Note was most recently claimed for $25,000 in July at Ellis Park by current owners Paradise Farms Corp. (Peter Proscia) and David Staudacher. Saturday's victory was a record-extending 23rd career Claiming Crown win for trainer Michael Maker. The $125,000 Rapid Transit, at seven furlongs for horses that have started for a $16,000 tag or less in 2024-2025, produced the biggest-margin win of the Claiming Crown races. Nation (Constitution), a 5-year-old gelding who auctioned for $300,000 and $385,000 as a weanling and yearling but was twice claimed for $10,000 and $20,000 this past summer at Del Mar, stalked the pace, took over on the turn, then cracked the race open in the straight, leaving behind a splintered wall of challengers in a 6 1/4-length rout at 6-1 odds in 1:22.01. Nation is owned by Koentopp Racing, LLC (Kevin Koentopp) and trained by Bob Hess Jr., with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons. In the $100,000 Ready's Rocket Express, 4-5 favorite Concrete Glory (Bodemeister) jumped out to a clear lead beneath Irad Ortiz Jr., who ended up with three Claiming Crown wins. The 6-year-old gelding withstood constant pressure from the second favorite and outlasted that rival to the wire for victory by a head in 1:09.89 for six furlongs. Concrete Glory had been competing a Grade III sprints as recently as June. But the Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee for owner Big Frank Stable (Nikki Rupolo) had once, back in 2022, started for a $6,250 claiming tag, which put him below the $8,000-or-less-in-lifetime starter condition. Curlin's Malibu | Coady Media In another Claiming Crown race with an $8,000 or-less-in-lifetime condition, the $100,000 Iron Horse/Kent Stirling Memorial, Curlin's Malibu (Curlin) swung out to the five path at the head of the lane and launched into a long, grind-down drive. It took the length of the stretch for the 3.4-1 second favorite to reel in the resurgent 8-5 choice by a neck in 1:45.01 for 1 1/16 miles. More than three years and 34 races ago, the 6-year-old gelding had been owned by Jeanine Cumiskey when he was still a maiden at Colonial Downs. After three claims, four trainer switches and four wins since 2022, Cumiskey re-acquired Curlin's Malibu prior to a Saratoga start this past August, and the gelding is now 2-1-1 from four starts under the care of trainer Joe Sharp. Luis Saez rode. Next Girl (Divining Rod) sat second behind quick splits of :22.48, :44.91 and 1:09.58 in the one-mile $100,000 Glass Slipper for fillies and mares, collared a stubborn leader in upper stretch, but had to claw back the lead to prevail in a desperate, head-bob photo-finish to win by a nose under Jose Ortiz in 1:36.10. The 4-year-old filly, the 3.1-1 second choice, has been owned by WWCD, LLC (Wade Meadows) and trained by W. Robert Bailes for the entirety of her 7-for-23 career in the mid-Atlantic region. The one time that Next Girl ran for a tag of $12,500 to meet the starter conditions of this race was back on Jan. 24, 2024, when she broke her maiden by 13 1/2 lengths with no takers at the claim box. The post Double Your Money Wins Claiming Crown Jewel In Afternoon Of Close Finishes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 2023 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner, Nobals, repeated in the $127,026 Kennedy Road Stakes (G2) at Woodbine Nov. 15.View the full article

It's been 23 years since the Claiming Crown was run in Pennsylvania at Philadelphia Park, later to be renamed Parx Racing. Still, the outcome of the headline event on Claiming Crown Day at Churchill Downs had a Keystone State feel to it.View the full article

Jockey Dylan Davis will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering multiple fractures and internal injuries in a Nov. 14 spill the seventh race at Aqueduct Racetrack.View the full article

It's been an outstanding year for the 3-year-old filly Fionn and it may not be over. View the full article

Returning from a six-month layoff, 3-year-old filly Shred the Gnar took her elders gate-to-wire in the $300,000 Chilukki Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.View the full article

Fourth most recently in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes at Keeneland, FIONN (f, 3, Twirling Candy–Gaelic Gold, by Giant's Causeway) turned on the tables on that race's runner up, Laurelin (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) to win Saturday's GIII Jockey Club Oaks at Aqueduct. Going three turns on the grass, the 7-5 second choice was quickly shuffled back to last after the break and rated just in behind her rival as longshot Don't Jinx It (Kitten's Joy) handled the pacemaking. The two rivals remained near the back of the field but Fionn was clearly staying just in Laurelin's tracks and, as the even-money favorite made her move around the far turn, Fionn wasn't far behind. With less than a furlong to run, the favorite made the front but Flavien Prat had Fionn rolling down the outside and just got up close to home to win. The final time for 1 3/8 miles was 2:17.22. Lifetime Record: 10-7-1-1. O-Messina, George and Lee, Michael; B-Dixiana Farms, LLC; T-Brad H. Cox. Sales History: $75,000 ylg '23 KEESEP. FIONN gets her fourth stakes win in her last five starts as she wins the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks under Flavien Prat for trainer @bradcoxracing. pic.twitter.com/0eGv5z7hT0 — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) November 15, 2025 The post Fionn Gets Past Laurelin Late To Take Jockey Club Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-Woodbine, C$90,133, Msw, 11-15, 2yo, f, 7f (AWT), 1:25.72, ft, 1 1/4 lengths. LIKELY STORY (f, 2, Charlatan–Caren {Horse of the Year, Ch. 3yo Filly & GSW-Can, $821,790}, by Society's Chairman) found some trouble at midstretch of her five-furlong debut over the local turf course Oct. 18, having to alter course and losing her momentum en route to a fifth-place finish. The lesser-preferred of the two entries in the race for her sire (by Speightstown) behind drifting favorite Beautiful Things, the $260,000 KEESEP yearling was content to bide her time near the tail as the chalk tried to make all the running. Still with some work to do approaching the stretch, but always traveling strongly, Likely Story began to pick her way through horses, switched out, idled for a stride or two and then went on to seal the deal comfortably. Fleury (Practical Joke) was second, while Beautiful Things–who eased out to 17-10 after touching even-money late in the wagering–faded to finish fifth. On the heels of a debut score overnight at Kyoto from Princess Moko, Likely Story is the 13th winner from the first crop of Charlatan. A half-sister to Curlin Candy (Curlin), SP, $196,864, the winner is out of a half-sister to GSW Jill Robin L (Precocity). Horse of the Year Caren is also represented by a yearling colt by Nyquist and is due to Cogburn for 2026. Sales history: $260,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $40,698. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Tracy Farmer; B-Robert Marzilli (ON); T-Mark E Casse. The post Likely Story Gives Charlatan A Baker’s Dozen in Woodbine Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Fairway Consignment's Intello colt (lot 127) out of La Viette (Oasis Dream) topped the single-day Arqana November Yearling Sale in Deauville on Saturday. MAB Agency paid €45,000 for the relative of G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero The Revenant (Dubawi). The second highest price of the day was €30,000 for the Sioux Nation filly Cite Bergere, who caught the eye of Pegasus Bloodstock. Offered by Haras de la Croix Sonnet, lot 83 is kin to the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas third La Nuit Rose (Rainbow Quest). Stephane Wattel snapped up lot 131, a son of Persian King and Waterlilly (Galileo) for €28,000 near the end of the sale. The Fairway-consigned colt is out of a full-sister to G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 Criterium International hero and sire Roderic O'Connor. Rounding out the top five lots were a pair of colts by Sealiway and Persian King, who each brought €27,000. The former, lot 116, is a grandson of listed winner and G3 Prix Miesque second Barbayam (Stormy River) and part of the Hestia Farm draft. He was sold to FR Bloodstock. The latter was another bought by Wattel as lot 126. The February-born and Fairyway-consigned colt is a half-brother to G3 Grand Prix de Vichy hero Mont De Soleil (Siyouni). Overall, 103 lots sold of 119 offered (86.5%) for a gross of €798,500 (+33%). The average and median also rose 51% (€7,752) and 43% (€5,000), respectively. The Fairway Consignment was the leading vendor with 10 lots sold for €182,000, while Nurzhigit Tabyldiyev was the leading buyer, picking up 16 head for €79,000. The post Intello Colt Tops Arqana November Yearling Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hit The Bid Racing Stable's Fast Market exited the summer racing season as a maiden, having gone winless in her first eight starts. But she could end the fall as a graded stakes winner.View the full article

Off a six-month layoff, 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' SHRED THE GNAR (f, 3, Into Mischief–Aspen Light, by Bernardini) showed no signs of fatigue in a gate-to-wire win in Saturday's GIII Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs. Unraced since winning in similarly-impressive fashion going 1 1/16-miles under the Twin Spires on Kentucky Oaks Day May 2, the lightly-raced daughter of Into Mischief stepped into stakes company for the first time Saturday. On the lead with race favorite One Magic Philly (Good Magic) dogging her throughout, Shred the Gnar finally shook that rival off nearing the quarter pole and had no late pressure from the rest of the field with only fellow 'Rising Star' Ragtime (Union Rags) making up any ground close to the wire. Saturday, Churchill Downs CHILUKKI S. PRESENTED BY RESOLUTE RACING-GIII, $300,000, Churchill Downs, 11-15, 3yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:34.84, ft. 1–SHRED THE GNAR, 118, f, 3, by Into Mischief 1st Dam: Aspen Light, by Bernardini 2nd Dam: Zenith, by Roy 3rd Dam: Sequins, by Northern Fashion 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($610,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). 'TDN Rising Star, presented Hagyard'. O-Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing LLC; B-Camas Park Stud & Lynch Bages LTD. (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch; J-Luis Saez. $183,450. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $312,410. *Full to Owendale, MGSW & MGISP, $1,538,435. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–One Magic Philly, 121, f, 4, Good Magic–My Philly Girl, by Empire Maker. O/B-John Gallegos (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $59,500. 3–Ragtime, 118, f, 3, Union Rags–Burmilla, by Storm Cat. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott. $29,750. Margins: 2 3/4, 1, 5. Odds: 2.60, 1.94, 1.36. Also Ran: Impel, Zadorsky, Literate. Scratched: Runaway Diva. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Shred the Gnar wins the G3 Chilukki off a 6-month layoff! @blynchracing trains and @luissaezpty was aboard. #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/pV0BVAJmY5 — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) November 15, 2025 The post ‘Rising Star’ Shred The Gnar Gate To Wire In The Chilukki appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

5th-AQU, $85K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 2:10 p.m. ET. OTTINHO (Quality Road) is out of Quiet Giant (Giant's Causeway), who is famously known for producing one of the top sires of this age in Gun Runner (by Candy Ride {Arg}). The first-time starter and Three Chimneys homebred–sent to trainer Chad Brown–counts among his extended female family GISW Funtastic (More Than Ready) and MGSW Lull (War Front). A stablemate of Ottinho, Up Yonder (Curlin) heads to the post for owner Jeff Drown. The $500,000 Keeneland September grad is out of a winning dam whose own half-sister is champion 3-year-old filly Abel Tasman (Quality Road). St Elias homebred Enforced Agenda (Liam's Map) goes out for conditioner George Weaver. The colt is the first foal for Heart of Hope (Tapit). Her half-sister is MGISW Cavorting (Bernardini), the dam of MGISW Clairiere (Curlin). Chad Summers signed the ticket for $550,000 at the Keeneland September sale for Baltimore (Quality Road). Owned by Al Gold and trained by Summers, the colt is out of Canadian MSW Win The War (War Front), who Hinkle Farms acquired for $750,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed sale in 2020. This mare is a half-sister to GSW Dixie City (Dixie Union) and the dam of current sire Unified (by Candy Ride {Arg}). TJCIS PPS The post Sunday Insights: Juvenile Half-Brother To Gun Runner Unveiled At The Big A On Sunday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Dylan Davis, who was injured in a spill Friday at Aqueduct, will be out of action indefinitely according to NYRA in a note released Saturday morning. Davis's agent, Mike Migliore, said that the jockey “sustained a broken right collarbone, multiple fractured ribs and a partially collapsed lung.” Davis was aboard Tarpaulin (Leofric) when Heavyweight Champs (Solomini) fell near the three-eighths pole unseating jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. Tarpaulin made contact with Santana, Jr. and unseated Davis, who was placed on a backboard and immediately transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Once stabilized, Davis was then transported to the ICU at North Shore University Hospital late Friday evening for additional testing and to begin his recuperation. “More than anything, I just want him to be healthy,” Migliore told NYRA. “He'll get to go home to his family one day soon and be OK. It could have been a lot worse. Thank God, the Lord was looking over him and we have good people looking out for him and he's going to get good care. We would also like to thank Bob Rosenthal, who provided important guidance with the transfer to North Shore. Dylan has received additional scans and X-rays to track the progress of his left lung. He's still uncomfortable, but all vitals are healthy. Dylan really appreciates all the well-wishes and now he just needs to rest and continue to heal.” Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. visited onsite first aid under his own power Friday and is back on his mounts Saturday. Additionally, jockey Sahin Civaci, who was injured at Aqueduct on Thursday after being unseated from Despo's Dream (Mitole), sustained hairline fractures to two vertebrae according to his agent Mike Sellitto. Civaci will follow up with an orthopedic specialist this week. The post Jockey Dylan Davis Out Indefinitely After Friday Spill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

New French auction house AKTEM, dedicated to Thoroughbred and Arabian racehorses, was launched earlier this month. The new sales company will hold its physical sales at Maisons-Laffitte, as well as having an online auction presence beginning in the new year. Through an exclusive partnership with the French-based city of Maisons-Laffitte, AKTEM will benefit from the nearby racecourse and utlise the longest homestraight in Europe, which offers an ideal location and is perfectly suited infrastructure for hosting sales and welcoming horses and professionals. Recently renovated, the track offers optimal conditions for two-year-old breeze up sales. ATKEM will open 10% of its capital in a cooperative approach. Set at €2,500, the shareholding entry will provide access to numerous opportunities, including: reduced entry fees for sales–€550 per horse for all sales, compared with €750 for non-shareholders; deployment of shuttle services for horse transport to sales venues to facilitate logistics; and personalized communication support to promote the horses presented. AKTEM will also be chartering flights from England and Ireland to facilitate the arrival of foreign buyers and maximise commercial opportunities. They will also offer premium hospitality for both people and horses. The 2026 sales dates are as follows: February 13, online sale featuring stallion shares and breeding rights May 15, Maisons-Laffitte: Grand Steeple-Chase Selection Sale featuring two-year-old stores and NH performers, on the eve of the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris June 3, Maisons-Laffitte: Paris Breeze-Up Sale October 16, Maisons-Laffitte: NH 48 Hours Sale, featuring young National Hunt horses, ahead of the NH 48 hours at Auteuil September 8-9, Maisons-Laffitte: Flat Yearling Sale Purebred Arabian sales with the dates to be announced in partnership with AFAC Said AKTEM's Sofiane Benaroussi who is an owner/breeder himself, “Since entering the horse racing industry in 2022, I have wanted to contribute by innovative initiatives to bring dynamism and attractiveness to this fascinating world. This is how GALORAMA, a 360° French media platform dedicated to horse racing, was first created within the Group. Noticing a decline in activity in certain segments of the racehorse auction market in France, and recognising the entrepreneurial opportunities this situation presents, the adventure expanded with a second, independent project: AKTEM. My hope is that this new venture benefits everyone — it's not about keeping the whole cake at the expense of others, but about sharing it so we can move forward together. “With AKTEM, breeders can become true market players and take part in its revitalisation; investors gain a new, friendly, committed and agile entry point. The AKTEM team, currently being assembled, is eager to welcome the first sales. I would like to thank everyone involved in this project, as well as the City of Maisons-Laffitte, in particular Yann Quenot and Franck Lelièvre, who immediately embraced the idea and are exciting to join us on this journey toward 2026.” The post New French Auction House AKTEM Launched appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Sunday, Kyoto, Japan, post time: 15:40, QUEEN ELIZABETH II CUP-G1, ¥252,980,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 2200mT Field: Paradis Reine (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Stellenbosch (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), Shinryokuka (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}), Kana Tape (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), Safira (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), Erika Express (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), Regaleira (Jpn) (Suave Richard {Jpn}), Vermicelles (Jpn) (Gold Ship {Jpn}), Bond Girl (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), Sekitoba East (Jpn) (Declaration Of War), Verehrung (Jpn) (Gold Ship {Jpn}), Lilac (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), Coconuts Brown (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), Kelly Fled Ask (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), Aurora X (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}), Lynx Tip (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}). TDN Analysis: Dual Group 1 winner Regaleira could easily boss this field, and just won the G2 Sankei Sho All Comers Stakes in September. Japanese 1000 Guineas victress Stellenbosch needs to show a spark here, as she has been out of the top three in her previous starts this year. Several fillies return from the G1 Shuka Sho field, among them the second and third in G3 Fairy Stakes heroine Erika Express and Paradis Reine. Kana Tape, a winner of the 1600-metre G3 Sekiya Kinen two back in record time, might find the QEII Cup real estate a bridge too far. Click here for the complete field. The post Black-Type Analysis: Regaleira Eyes Group 1 Hat Trick appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

John and Chelsey Stewart's Resolute Racing was represented by its first winner in Australia on Nov. 14 when the beautifully bred 3-year-old filly Ernaux (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) took out a maiden handicap contest at Canterbury Park in Sydney over 1100 meters. Beaten for speed and settled inside near the back of a seven-strong field beneath Kerrin McEvoy, Ernaux was ridden for luck with $2.20 (6-5) favorite Pyrolysis (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}) to catch turning into the straight. Continuing to find at the fence, she was steered away from the inside and was shoved across the line narrowly best to strike at odds of 6-1. Bred in New South Wales by Katom and offered through the Coolmore draft at the 2024 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, the daughter of G1 Oakleigh Plate heroine Booker (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) was knocked down to Resolute for A$3 million ($1,971,134), second only to the A$10 million for the Pierro (Aus) filly out of Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Aus}). All totaled, Resolute purchased six horses for A$5.44 million at the 2024 Easter Sale. Trained by Chris Waller for a partnership that also includes Coolmore, Westerberg and J Poulin, Ernaux had placed in three of her previous six appearances, including a runner-up effort in the soft at Newcastle in New South Wales on Nov. 1. Our first winner in Australia in the RR silks. ERNAUX gets it done for team @resracingky We have now had winners in 6 countries and 4 continents in only our 2nd year racing! It is a team effort and we are thankful for all of our partners and trainers. pic.twitter.com/cGXTECedV9 — Jstewartrr (@jstewartrr) November 14, 2025 The post Resolute Racing Represented By First Australian Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There are many ways to celebrate breeding a Classic winner, but Ed Harper must be in the minority in having selected a betting shop on Newmarket High Street as his first destination after departing the town's Rowley Mile, the landmark achievement of his family's Whitsbury Manor Stud still barely having sunk in. As it was, little more than an hour after the homebred Chaldean had skipped to glory in the 2023 edition of the 2,000 Guineas, Harper found himself in front of a wall of screens, ready to watch the 17:55 at Doncaster. A five-furlong maiden for two-year-olds, it attracted a field of six, with the market dominated by another Whitsbury Manor homebred now going by the name of Elite Status and racing in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum. It was a debut which, by hook or by crook, Harper was never going to miss. “He was a real talking horse even before he debuted at Doncaster,” Harper remembers. “The day he debuted was actually the day of the 2,000 Guineas won by Chaldean, whom we bred. “My fiancée was very surprised when I dragged her from Newmarket Racecourse, where we'd just watched our pride and joy win the 2,000 Guineas, to a betting shop on the High Street in Newmarket to go and watch a horse that had never run before. “She thought, 'How can this possibly be important enough to leave Newmarket and go and watch this?', but I explained that we had high hopes for Elite Status and he didn't disappoint. He won pulling a cart at Donny and then went on to win the [Listed] National Stakes by an absolute mile. He adds, “I've never had so many text messages about a horse we've bred than after the National Stakes at Sandown. My phone just absolutely blew up with people saying, 'What was that?'” Now, Harper is optimistic that his phone will be red hot with enquires once again as Elite Status prepares to join his sire, Havana Grey, on the Whitsbury Manor stallion roster for 2026. His return to the place of his birth is imminent, just shy of three years since “the champ” departed to be offered at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. “From the get-go he was just a standout foal,” says Harper. “Walking around the paddocks, he could make a lot of the others look very weak. I nicknamed him 'the champ' very, very early on – he just stood out. “He sold very well [for 56,000gns] at the foal sales for what he was. He was by a second-crop stallion [Havana Grey] that wouldn't have been on everyone's immediate list from that point of view but, as soon as they saw him, he couldn't have been busier. Then, obviously, he came back as a yearling and made 325,000gns to Karl Burke, so he was an exceptional yearling.” That “exceptional yearling” soon showed himself to be a racehorse of significant quality, too. He registered his third success as a juvenile in the G3 Prix de Cabourg at Deauville, before twice lowering the six-furlong track record at Newbury as a three-year-old, first when winning the Listed Carnarvon Stakes and then when going faster still in the G3 Hackwood Stakes. “He beat some proper horses that day,” Harper says of that Hackwood victory. “He beat the Group 1 winners Kind Of Blue and Regional – and he did it well. It could easily have been a Group 1 on a different day.” He continues, “We've been so keen to get the right son of Havana Grey here. He'll be the first son of a current standing stallion that we've ever stood at Whitsbury. We didn't know whether it was going to be possible, but he fits the bill for us so well. He's the highest-rated runner by Havana Grey on RPRs at 119, he's absolutely beautiful, and we know every inch of his pedigree.” Those inches extend to an intimate knowledge of Elite Status' broodmare sire, the former Whitsbury Manor stallion Swiss Spirit, in addition to the operation's overwhelming success story that is Havana Grey. Surely, given Harper's longstanding love affair with “the champ” and his bloodline, the homecoming of Elite Status for this next phase of his life must give the stud director that warm and fuzzy feeling inside? “I'm not a sentimental person in terms of just loving a horse for the sake of it – it's got to be right,” Harper counters. “We make very, very commercial decisions here at Whitsbury and I'm not afraid to make the tough decisions. “But it does answer the questions that we sometimes can't answer with other stallions. When we're looking to buy a stallion, just from its race career, we don't know what they were like as a foal most of the time. We don't know what they were like as a yearling, we don't know what their temperament was like, and we don't know what they were like to prep. “We answer all of these questions with Elite Status and Dragon Symbol. We know they were absolutely bombproof and rock solid at Whitsbury – and those are the attributes that we want back.” Confidence In Dragon Symbol's First Foals The attributes Dragon Symbol has passed on to his progeny will be in evidence at the forthcoming foal sales, with eight from his first crop scheduled to sell at Goffs, before another 48, no less, go through the ring at Tattersalls. Like Elite Status, Dragon Symbol returned home to Whitsbury Manor at the conclusion of a racing career which yielded five wins, plus six top-four finishes at Group 1 or Group 2 level during his three-year-old campaign alone. Described by Harper as “the most consistent sprinter around for many years”, the son of Cable Bay covered full books numbering over 140 mares in both 2024 and 2025, including a healthy number in his Whitsbury Manor harem. “Everybody knows that Whitsbury supports its stallions very, very strongly,” Harper continues. “People won't be surprised to see the strong foals that we bring to the sales and we've also scattered a few foals amongst other consignors, so that our consignment isn't just solid Dragon Symbols. We've spread some nice ones about, so there will be a good choice across all of the days.” He adds, “It's a big test when you take the first foals to the sales, but we know that they look right and we're very confident that they're going to show themselves well. I've had it in the past where, after the first day of showing, some cracks start appearing, maybe in the attitudes and the way they show. But I'm very confident that's not going to be the case with Dragon Symbol. “We know the stallion particularly well because we bred him – we saw him as a foal and as a yearling – and we've done extra work with these [foals] and absolutely know that they're going to do their bit. “It's a totally different environment at the sales. Foals have to put up with a lot of showing, especially the nice foals – they will be doing up to 80 shows a day. It's that 70th or 80th show of the day that really shows what they're made of and we're very confident that people will like what they see.” A colt out of Abraj Dubai (Street Cry) is singled out for particular praise by Joe Callan, Whitsbury Manor's head of bloodstock and sales. The half-brother to Havana Grey's Listed winner Star Of Lady M will be offered as lot 649 at Tattersalls, while lot 467, a half-brother to this year's Listed Windsor Castle Stakes third Azizam (Havana Grey), is another to earn a favourable mention when it comes to the Whitsbury Manor draft at Park Paddocks. At Goffs, meanwhile, Baroda Stud will consign the first Dragon Symbol foal to go under the hammer, specifically lot 47, a half-brother to four winners out of the unraced Invasor mare Ealaan. “He's a very good representative of what the stallion can do,” says Callan. “Hopefully, he'll catch the attention of people and they can see straight off the bat what the stallion is producing. We sold his sister [Little Havana] last year for 200,000gns to Amo Racing. She ran once and showed a lot of promise. I know they're quite positive on her, despite her missing a bit of time this year, so he could be an exciting lot on the first day.” Summing up what prospective buyers can expect of Dragon Symbol's first foals, Callan adds, “He's definitely stamping them. They all have good depth, good shoulder, good hip and very similar heads. Very importantly, they all have a great temperament and they're good movers. There's a mix of colours, some bay and some grey, but overall he's definitely stamping them and we're extremely pleased. “A real testament to a stallion is when they cover a larger second book than they do first book. That's a real gauge on people being impressed and we've seen that with Dragon Symbol. The next step is to get them in front of buyers at the sales and, hopefully, everyone is as pleased as we are.” “You Have To Go Hard Or Go Home In This Game” Certainly, there seems to be an air of quiet contentment among a team at Whitsbury Manor which has never been afraid to do things differently. A case in point was the decision to limit Havana Grey to mares who are 16hh or smaller. That restriction remains in place for the 2026 breeding season when, Harper points out, Elite Status will be in situ and able to cover some of the bigger mares deemed not suitable for his sire. What also sets the Whitsbury Manor team apart from many studs of a similar size is its dedication to working with small breeders, plenty of whom benefitted from the early successes of Havana Grey and stud stalwart Showcasing when they began their stallion careers at basement fees. Given that track record, it's little wonder that those same breeders have been found forming an orderly queue when a new sire has been recruited to Whitsbury Manor in recent years – see Sergei Prokofiev and Dragon Symbol – safe in the knowledge that the team at the Hampshire farm will be giving it both barrels with its own broodmare band. “The amazing thing that Showcasing and Havana Grey have done for our business is they've given us the firepower to really bring it up a notch,” Harper explains. “Every time we retire a new stallion, we can raise the bar of the support they get. People will see that at the sales and, hopefully, British breeders can benefit from that down the line when they know they're sending their mares to horses that are going to get the best possible chance.” He continues, “Hopefully, Whitsbury does have that reputation of working with breeders, because we've been there and done it from the bottom up. It's a survival technique, really. Dad did it for 30 or 40 years before and he's very much passed on the idea that, if we don't help the breeders survive, we don't have a business model. “Our aim is to buy and stand stallions that will keep small breeders in business. When they succeed and go up into the next echelons, then those stallions tend to look after themselves after that point. But to get them there, we really need to work with breeders.” Whether Elite Status can make it into the upper echelons of the stallion ranks, only time will tell, but already he's come a long way from that Doncaster debut. For Harper, too, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since that pit stop at the Newmarket betting shop, with this year alone bringing the birth of a child and a typically hectic yearling sales season. “Things at Whitsbury are pretty dynamic and finding a slot for things like this [the interview] is not easy at this time of year,” he sums up. “But we've got an amazing team, everybody pitches in, and I fully trust everyone. I try not to micromanage. My philosophy is to get good people and let them do what they have to do. “We couldn't be more excited. We have five stallions heading into next year. It's a bit scary – that's going to be busy – but you have to go hard or go home in this game and that's what we try and do.” The post Whitsbury Manor Wheels Keep On Turning with New Recruit Elite Status and Dragon Symbol’s First Foals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Brian Spearman, who has served as the chairman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners since 2015, has decided to step away from his day-to-day role with the company at the end of this year, marking a decade of unprecedented success for the Eclipse stable and overall business during his tenure, the syndicate said in a press release late Friday. “Brian's business acumen, combined with his sheer passion for the Thoroughbred horse racing industry has played a vital role in Eclipse's rise within the public partnership space and our considerable success on the racetrack,” Eclipse Founder and President Aron Wellman said. The post Chairman Brian Spearman Steps Away From Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges estimated HK$160 million in turnover was lost in an “unacceptable” incident that saw race eight on Sha Tin’s Saturday card voided following a loose horse galloping the wrong way down the track. As the runners were dispatched for the Class Four Lukfook Jewellery CCool Collection Handicap (1,200m), Matthew Poon Ming-fai was dislodged from Dreaming Winner, with that runner turning around and galloping the wrong way around the...View the full article

After 104 winless rides and some agonisingly close misses, Richard Kingscote was relieved to finally get the monkey off his back with a surprise win aboard Loch Tay at Sha Tin on Saturday. The British jockey’s start to his second Hong Kong stint was no doubt frustrating, having to settle for nine seconds and as many thirds before the drought-breaking success. “I’ve had lots of horses running well and the trainers and owners have been supporting me, to be fair, letting me keep riding a lot of the...View the full article