Wandering Eyes

The powerful jumping stable of Hastings trainers Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal sprung to life for the 2025 season on Saturday with a feature double at Te Rapa. Nelson and McDougal secured their first jumps success of the winter with the up-and-comer Taika (NZ) (Mettre en Jeu) in the $40,000 Jones Trucking Hurdle (2800m). Just over an hour later, seven-time hurdle winner Nedwin (NZ) (Niagara) made a seamless switch to the bigger fences in the $40,000 Dunstan Horsefeeds Steeplechase (3900m). Both winners carried the colours of the meeting’s major sponsor. “It’s a thrill to win with those Dunstan colours on,” Nelson said. “Dave Smith has been a good mate of mine for a long time and is a huge supporter of racing.” There was plenty of interest in Saturday’s steeplechase debut for Nedwin, whose outstanding hurdling CV featured wins in the Great Northern Hurdle (4200m), Waikato Hurdle (3200m), Pakuranga Hunt Hurdle (3200m) and two editions of the Wellington Hurdle (3400m). The Niagara gelding was sent out as a $2.40 favourite for Saturday’s steeplechase debut, in which he was ridden by comeback jockey Mathew Gillies. Nedwin jumped his first couple of fences in bold style and took up an early lead before being passed by Kentucky Boy (NZ) (Jakkalberry) as the field came down the side of the track in the first lap. Nedwin pressed forward again and regained the lead going past the start point in the back straight, but he was soon joined by a new challenger in Leitrim Lad (NZ) (Tavistock). That runner appeared to be travelling better and clearly headed the favourite coming into the home turn. But just when Nedwin looked beaten, he flipped that script with an outstanding leap over the final fence. Nedwin suddenly shook free of Leitrim Lad and pulled away, going on to win by three and a half lengths from the strong-finishing Renegade Fighter (NZ) (Zed). “That was very good,” Nelson said. “He’s a classy jumper and he showed that today. He obviously loved those steeplechase fences. “He’s been a quality hurdler for a number of years. We considered switching to steeplechases with him last year, but he was going that well in his hurdle races that we put the idea on hold. It was always our intention to give him a chase quite quickly this time around, and this one looked like the right one. “We’ve got plenty of the winter left in front of us, so we’ll see how he does after this race before considering where we go with him next.” Gillies has recently resumed riding after spending a number of years on the sidelines. Before Saturday’s success with Nedwin, his last win came aboard Guy Fox (NZ) (Zed) in a hurdle race at Riccarton in August of 2019. “It’s a really good feeling,” Gillies said. “This horse jumped so well today, and the winning of the race was the way he jumped the last. I thought the other horse was going better than us coming into the straight and we might have to settle for second, but his last jump was amazing.” Nelson and McDougal’s other success on Saturday came with Taika, who collected his fourth win from 13 starts over hurdles with an impressive performance in the Jones Trucking Hurdle. After enjoying a comfortable run just behind the customary pacemaker English Gambler (Casino Prince), Taika and his stablemate Dictation (NZ) (Tavistock) warmed into their work and loomed on the outside of that rival coming into the straight. English Gambler still had plenty left in the tank and fought back strongly, but Taika gradually got the better of him through the final 300m and edged ahead to win by a length and three-quarters. “That was a good run and a very good ride by Dean Parker,” Nelson said. “This horse ran a nice race on the flat the other day (fourth at Rotorua on May 10), which he hadn’t done for a while. He loves the jumping, so hopefully it’s onwards and upwards from here.” Last winter was a breakthrough campaign for Taika, who won the Pakuranga Hunt Hurdle (3200m) and finished third in the Great Northern Hurdle (4200m), second in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3100m) and third in the Wellington Hurdle (3200m) and Awapuni Hurdle (3000m). View the full article

Good looking colt Geneva (NZ) (Time Test) looked to have a bright future for owners Jomara Bloodstock as he powered home to make a winning debut in the Direct Fats & Oils 2YO (1100m) at Te Rapa. The Kylie Hoskin-prepared son of Time Test came into the contest off the back of three trials, two of which he won including the last at Ruakaka over 1050m last month. Despite plenty of confidence in the Hoskin camp and from rider Kelly Myers, Geneva was somewhat overlooked by punters as he started at an $8 Fixed Odds quote behind race winner Lubeck (Hanseatic) ($2.10) and another debutant in Kusuda Rush (Xtravagent) ($5). Myers had her mount away nicely from an inside barrier (3) and settled comfortably in fifth as Al Azhar (NZ) (US Navy Flag) and Lubeck set up a steady pace. Lubeck quickly took control inside the 300m but Geneva moved quickly alongside out wider and gradually drew clear from Lubeck to win comfortably by a length with Kusuda Rush making nice ground along the rail for third. Hoskin was delighted her charge could deliver on the promise he had shown the stable. “He has done everything right at the trials, we really like him and have always rated him,” Hoskin said. “To see him come out and do it like that, especially against a filly who I think is very good, is just great to see. “This is my first horse for Jomara Bloodstock and it is a great way to get things started.” Hoskin is looking forward to watching her charge develop as she looks towards his three-year-old season. “It’s so nice it is a good track here today as it makes it much easier to plot a path for him going into the Spring,” she said. “We will be springing out of bed pretty easily now.” Myers was also suitably impressed but admitted she had been full of confidence beforehand. “He is a lovely horse with a really good attitude,” she said. “He took everything in his stride and you would have thought he had been out there one hundred times. “He didn’t get away super clean but was very professional in running and when I asked him, he really stretched out. “I thought he was paying good money based on his trials and when I saw him today, I was delighted. “He has plenty of scope about him and you could see him in some of those better three-year-old races.” Bred by the Carter family under their Jomara Bloodstock banner, Geneva is out of Pierro mare Charli Rose (NZ) who is a daughter of stakes placed mare La Scala (NZ) (Bahhare), a half sister of dual Group One winner Final Destination (NZ) (O’Reilly). He is also closely related to Listed Anzac Mile (1600m) winner Mr Mojo Risin (NZ) (Deep Field) who also races in the Jomara Bloodstock colours. View the full article

The master of Ballydoyle has a four-strong squad prepared for Sunday’s feature simulcast race.View the full article

The 71-year-old thinks a change in jockey could be key for his charge at the Curragh on Saturday.View the full article

The 27-year-old is hoping to break his Group One duck in Hong Kong on the four-time top-level scorer.View the full article

Saturday, Curragh, post time: 15:40, TATTERSALLS IRISH 2,000 GUINEAS STAKES-G1, €290,000, 3yo, c/f, 8fT Field: Comanche Brave (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Cosmic Year (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Expanded (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Field Of Gold (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Officer (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Rashabar (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Scorthy Champ (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Windlord (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Newmarket's 2,000 Guineas runner-up Field Of Gold is the obvious pick on that form, which is generally key to this contest. He had glided in and out of the track's infamous dip in the Craven, but that was on easier ground than he encountered in the main event and it probably caught him and Kieran Shoemark out heading downhill. His finishing Hawk Wing-like surge marked him out as one of the Classic's more talented protagonists of recent times and if this comes down to talent alone he is home and hosed. His achilles heel is the widest draw and so Colin Keane may have to drop out and play on his killer kick, hoping for a strong pace which may not unfold. Aidan O'Brien's runners lack the usual oomph of the stable's Irish Guineas runners and perhaps the continued absence of Twain is coming at a cost, so the lead Irish hope could turn out to be Hotazhell. His sire is having one of those streaks at the moment and with a kind draw the G1 Futurity Trophy hero could get near the lead and play catch-me-if-you-can. Saturday, Haydock, post time: 15:30, BETFRED TEMPLE STAKES-G2, £125,000, 3yo/up, 5fT Field: Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), American Affair (GB) (Washington DC {Ire}), Law Of Average (GB) (Pearl Secret {GB}), Rumstar (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Twilight Calls (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}), Washington Heights (GB) (Washington DC {Ire}), Electric Storm (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Mgheera (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), She's Quality (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Vadream (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}), Grande Marques (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). TDN Verdict: Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Starlust has a stopping five-pound penalty to defy as well as being ring-rusty on this comeback, so a win would represent a significant achievement. Most of these are clustered tight together on form, with the G3 Prix de Saint-Georges scorer Mgheera possibly the one with the most upside. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Haydock, post time: 15:00, BETFRED SANDY LANE STAKES-G2, £125,000, 3yo, 6fT Field: Ain't Nobody {Ire}) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}), Arizona Blaze (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev), Big Mojo (Ire) (Mohaather {GB}), Candy (GB) (Ardad {Ire}), Dash Dizzy (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Kullazain (GB) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}), Powerful Glory (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), Symbol Of Honour (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Arabian Dusk (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), First Instinct (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}). TDN Verdict: Some G1 Commonwealth Cup hopes are put to the test and while Godolphin's Listed Carnarvon Stakes winner Symbol Of Honour won't be one of them given he is a gelding, he serves a dual purpose for connections. Here on merit after Saturday's impressive Newbury win, he will also provide a measure of what's in waiting for Shadow Of Light if he takes in the Royal sprint. This sees the return of the unbeaten G2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Powerful Glory, while the likes of the G3 Molecomb Stakes and G3 Pavilion Stakes winner Big Mojo lend the required gravity. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Curragh, post time: 15:05, WEATHERBYS IRELAND GREENLANDS STAKES-G2, €72,000, 4yo/up, 6fT Field: Big Gossey (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}), Grand Grey (Ire) (Havana Grey {GB}), Iberian (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), James's Delight (Ire) (Invincible Army {Ire}), Lethal Levi (GB) (Lethal Force {Ire}), My Mate Alfie (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Storm Boy (Aus) (Justify), Easy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Vespertilio (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). TDN Verdict: This sees the keenly-awaited European debut of Storm Boy, who bids to emulate the last Australian Ballydoyle recruit in this sphere, Merchant Navy, in winning this en route to Royal Ascot glory. Marginally the best of these on his Southern Hemisphere form, he might need the intro which could leave him vulnerable to the likes of Iberian, an unexposed sprinter who has shown class when winning the G2 Champagne Stakes as a 2-year-old. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Klampenborg, Denmark, post time: 16:00, DE 5 STJERNER SCANDINAVIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP-G3, DKr450,000, 3yo/up, 12fT Field: Irish Fire (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), Ami De Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Ready Teddy (Ire) (Maxios {GB}), Hard One To Please (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}), Mozart (Den) (Le Havre {Ire}), Ray's Moon (Swe) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), Go On Carlras (Swe) (Harzand {Ire}), Greenland (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}). Saturday, Goodwood, post time: 14:05, BRITISH STALLION STUDS EBF COCKED HAT STAKES-Listed, £60,000, 3yo, c/g, 11f 44yT Field: Amiloc (GB) (Postponed {Ire}), Basalt (Ire) (Pinatubo {Ire}), Opportunity (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Palazzo Blu (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Seaplane (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), Sir Dinadan (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). TDN Verdict: Amiloc sets the standard on his clear-cut win in the track's John Dunlop Conditions Stakes earlier this month and that was over a mile, so who knows what he could achieve over a trip that is sure to suit on pedigree? William Haggas believes that the Haydock winner Opportunity could yet make the Derby and that will be good enough for most, while the Gosdens have an affinity with this prize and rely on Tycoon who carries the Stradivarius silks. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Goodwood, post time: 15:15, BETGOODWIN HEIGHT OF FASHION STAKES-Listed, £60,000, 3yo, f, 9f 197yT Field: Janey Mackers (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Manila Thriller (GB) (Rumble Inthejungle {GB}), Music Piece (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Never Let Go (GB) (No Nay Never), Perfect Your Craft (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Queen Of Thieves (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Rhapsody (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), Star Of Light (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Trad Jazz (GB) (Sea The Moon Ger}), Victoria Harbour (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). TDN Verdict: Ralph Beckett's 3-year-olds have just started to get going based on the excellent efforts of Pride Of Arras and Revoir last week, so the yard's unbeaten filly Perfect Your Craft must be respected in this late Oaks prep. This will be a much more suitable trip for Rhapsody than the mile over which she reappeared at Kempton in March and she could take a significant step forward. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Bordeaux-Le Bouscat, France, post time: 14:50, 169TH DERBY DU MIDI-Listed, €55,000, 3yo, 9 1/2fT Field: Ghawar (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}), Nizam (Fr) (Pinatubo {Ire}), Poschiavo (Fr) (Mehmas (Ire), Brise Noir (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}), Spanish Prince (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}), Euskadi (Fr) (City Light {Fr}), Dumonet (Ire) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), Wand And Power (Ire) (Without Parole {GB}), Without (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Biak Lescribaa (Fr) (Robin Of Navan {Fr}), Thordis (Fr) (Earthlight {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Dumonet returns to the course and distance of his defeat of Poschiavo and stablemate Ghawar in the Prix Daniel Guestier conditions event last month. Brise Noir is sent across the Channel after his Windsor novice success, while the impressive Prix Torrestrella conditions event winner Want And Power adds intrigue. [Tom Frary]. Sunday, Curragh, post time: 15:40, TATTERSALLS IRISH 1,000 GUINEAS-G1, €290,000, 3yo, f, 8fT Field: Atsila (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}), California Dreamer (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}), Cercene (Ire) (Australia {GB}), City Of Memphis (Ire) (Sioux Nation), Duty First (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), Flight (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), Jaliyah (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), January (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Simmering (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Swelter (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Tamam Desert (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}). TDN Verdict: If it rains a lot, last year's champion Lake Victoria could be vulnerable with stamina for a stiff mile on easy ground not assured. That could open things up for the 1,000 Guineas runner-up Flight, but she had a tough race there and has to bounce back in a relatively short space of time against fresh rivals. One of those is the meticulously-prepared Swelter, winner of Leopardstown's 1,000 Guineas Trial in March who has been given time to get over those exploits by Dermot Weld. That could be a smart move given that the dam Hot Snap beat Sky Lantern handsomely in the Nell Gwyn all those years ago before bombing out behind her in the 1,000 Guineas. [Tom Frary]. Sunday, Curragh, post time: 15:05, TATTERSALLS GOLD CUP-G1, €300,000, 4yo/up, 10 1/2fT Field: Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), Crypto Force (GB) (Time Test {GB}), Deepone (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), Ghostwriter (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Royal Rhyme (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}). TDN Verdict: There are at least two strands to this renewal, with one being the G2 Mooresbridge Stakes rematch between Los Angeles and White Birch and the other being how Juddmonte's G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Kalpana and Shadwell's G1 Champion Stakes hero Anmaat impact the race. If the expected rain comes, the latter becomes very interesting but at the same time that makes it more of a stamina test which will suit the humourless galloper Los Angeles. There is no obvious classy Prince of Wales's type in this at first sight and this is a division that is crying out for something to make a mark. [Tom Frary]. Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France, post time: 15:45, PRIX D'ISPAHAN-G1, €250,000, 4yo/up, 9 1/4fT Field: Horizone Dore (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}), Sardinian Warrior (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Alcantor (Fr) (New Bay {GB}), Carabelito (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), Sosie (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Dare To Dream (Fr) (Camelot {GB}). TDN Verdict: Sosie looks to book his ticket to the Eclipse, having taken the G1 Prix Ganay on his seasonal bow, and add a third top-level success to his resume. The Gosdens have spotted an opportunity with the Listed Paradise Stakes winner Sardinian Warrior and he could well be up to this kind of test while last year's 1,000 Guineas heroine Elmalka really needs to start delivering having underwhelmed each time she has appeared since that Newmarket Classic. [Tom Frary]. Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France, post time: 16:28, PRIX VICOMTESSE VIGIER-G1, €400,000, 4yo/up, 15 1/2fT Field: Candelari (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Dubai Future (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Passion And Glory (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), Sevenna's Knight (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Presage Nocturne (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}), Double Major (Ire) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), Internaute (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Rouge Sellier (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). TDN Verdict: With its proximity to the Gold Cup, the upgrading of this old favourite is one of the season's mysteries but there are some stalwarts here including the dual G1 Prix Royal Oak winner Double Major. Sevenna's Knight won this in its former guise as a Group 2 last year and may not have had to improve to do so again, but Godolphin's Dubai Future is unexposed as a stayer after his G2 Dubai Gold Cup success. [Tom Frary]. Sunday, Dusseldorf, Germany, post time: 16:38, HORN & COMPANY – 105TH GERMAN 1000 GUINEAS-G2, €125,000, 3yo, f, 8fT Field: Anshoda (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}), D'Ores Et Deja (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), Ellaria Sand (GB) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}), Flaming Stone (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Lady Ilze (GB) (Territories {Ire}), Pershing (Ger) (Areion {Ger}), Place Fontenoy (Fr) (War Command), Quebec (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), Santagada (GB) (Soldier Hollow {GB}). TDN Verdict: After mixing it with the likes of Mandanaba, Gezora and Audubon Park in her native France, Flaming Stone could find this a picnic but last week's German 2,000 Guineas told us that it is never wise to underestimate the domestic runners. They include Santagada, winner of Cologne's G3 Schwarzgold-Rennen, while another French raider D'Ores Et Deja has proven course-and-distance form having won the Listed Henkel-Stutenpreis. They are drawn one, two and three respectively in a Classic where that matters, with the standard-setting G3 Prestige Stakes winner Anshoda compromised in eight. [Tom Frary]. Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong, post time: 16:10, STANDARD CHARTERED CHAMPIONS & CHATER CUP-G1, HK$13,000,000, 3yo/up, 2400mT Field: Voyage Bubble (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}), Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), Cap Ferrat (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), Ensued (Lemon Drop Kid), Moments In Time (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky), Rubylot (Aus) (Rubick {Aus}), Five G Patch (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), La City Blanche (Arg) (Cityscape {GB}), Winning Dragon (Chi) (Ivan Denisovich {Ire}), Bundle Award (Aus) (Shamus Award {Aus}). Click here for the preview. Sunday, Tokyo, Japan, post time: 15:40, YUSHUN HIMBA (JAPANESE OAKS)-G1, ¥286,000,000, 3yo, f, 2400mT Field: Arma Veloce (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), Reve de l'Opera (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), Paradis Reine (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Ai Sansan (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Lynx Tip (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), Vip Daisy (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}), Lesedrama (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Saturday Sunrise (Jpn) (Declaration of War), Embroidery (Jpn) (Admire Mars {Jpn}), Taisei Princesse (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), Will Survive (Jpn) (Al Ain {Jpn}), Brown Ratchet (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Tagano Abby (Jpn) (Animal Kingdom), Savonlinna (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}), Kamunyaki (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}), Go So Far (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Kelly Fled Ask (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), Erika Express (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}). Click here for the preview. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Irish Redemption For Field Of Gold? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hong Kong's group 1 season wraps up May 25 with the Champions & Chater Cup (G1), featuring two Hong Kong Derby winners and one international raider.View the full article

Neither jockey Flavien Prat or Umberto Rispoli will be sanctioned for their rides in a roughly run renewal of last Saturday's GI Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Prat was aboard Goal Oriented (Not This Time) while Rispoli guided home the dramatic winner Journalism (Curlin). The two banged into each other in upper stretch and impeded the Steve Asmussen-trained Clever Again (American Pharaoh). Journalism went on to defeat longshot Gosger (Nyquist) by a half-length. Goal Oriented finished fourth, while the pacesetting Clever Again tired to finish last of nine. Stewards Adam Campola, Ross R. Pearce and Russel G. Derderian issued the following statement Friday on the Maryland Racing Commission website: “After reviewing the films and speaking with the riders involved, we, the presiding Stewards of the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, came to the unanimous decision not to take action against Flavien Prat, rider of 4th-place finished Goal Oriented or Umberto Rispoli, rider of 1st-place finisher Journalism.” The post No Action Taken Against Preakness Jockeys Prat, Rispoli appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Mid-Atlantic-based trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon will face a pair of suspensions that total 60 days after admitting a recent TCO2 rule violation.View the full article

After speaking with jockeys Umberto Rispoli and Flavien Prat via telephone May 23 and reviewing the May 17 Preakness Stakes (G1), Maryland stewards elected not to sanction either jockey for their rides that resulted in bumping in early stretch.View the full article

The likes of last year's winner White Birch, Los Angeles, and Kalpana are likely to take on Ghostwriter in the May 25 Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1) at the Curragh, but trainer Clive Cox believes his 4-year-old will be lining up in tip-top condition.View the full article

Tattersalls Ireland, RATOATH – In a year where records tumbled at the major breeze-up sales in Europe, Tattersalls Ireland was not to be outdone with all of the key metrics soaring through the roof, including the highest-price ever paid for a horse at this breeze-up sale when Anthony Stroud went to €580,000 on behalf of KHK Racing to secure Yeomanstown Stud's Night Of Thunder colt. That result eclipsed the €520,000 that Katie Walsh netted with a Saxon Warrior filly in 2022 and Stroud was forced to see off the attention of Richard Brown, Alex Elliott and Hubie de Burgh en route to landing the record-breaker. And it topped off another memorable sale where the aggregate of €11,658,300 was a record [up 21% on last year] while the €32,000 median represented a 14% rise and the €54,992 average was up by 26%. Even last year's 90% clearance rate, which seemed insurmountable coming into the sale this week, was oh-so-close to being matched at 88%. The sale-topper represented an astute piece of business for Yeomanstown given the O'Callaghan family paid 100,000gns for the Night Of Thunder colt less than six months previously at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale. Yeomanstown's David O'Callaghan commented, “We are very fortunate that we had a very nice horse, the main buyers received him well and we are very thankful to Anthony Stroud for buying him and the underbidders for their involvement. He is a beautiful horse by a very good stallion and he breezed well. We are very privileged to be here – it is a nice touch.” He added, “We went in and gave 100,000gns for him as a yearling but, to be honest, we thought that we were going to have to give more for him. We were delighted to get him at that price. It was a big throw but he is a special horse and he has not let us down.” Not for the first time this breeze-up season, Stroud felt that the bidding process was too long and protracted, with the finger of blame this time being pointed towards auctioneer Alastair Pim. Speaking after signing for the top lot, Stroud said, “That was difficult I have to say. And [it] was far more money than I anticipated. He is a very good individual, of course he is by Night Of Thunder, and in time he will be a nice horse. He comes from a farm that produces lots of good horses and he has a very good way about him. He is for KHK Racing but there is no trainer in mind yet.” He added, “That was a very long and protracted sale. I don't know how many minutes it was but it seemed to be a very long time.” Not only was Stroud and KHK Racing responsible for the most expensive lot ever sold at this sale, but the leading bloodstock agent signed for the second-most expensive horse sold on the day earlier in the session, a Starspangledbanner colt that fetched €475,000. Lot 94 was consigned by Cristiano Martins of CAJ Stables and it represented the best ever result in the ring for the consignor. He said, “It is a fabulous result. He was bought at Tattersalls in December for 37,000gns, and he has always shown himself to be very smart. He has never put a foot wrong. Every day here he has pulled out well and showed himself off. We were expecting him to sell well but not to that level.” Martins added, “He is a lovely and strong horse. I don't think he is fully developed yet and the buyers could see that as well. He is a horse for next year. He was just a lovely horse to have in the yard. I sold the good sprinter, Clarendon House, for 130,000gns, but this is a big difference!” Brown Bags 'Standout' Street Sense Filly For 340k It is fair to say that the majority of Richard Brown's shopping at the breeze-up sales this year has been done with the view towards unearthing Royal Ascot winners on behalf of his principal client Wathnan Racing. However, the recruitment drive has not been carried out to the complete exclusion of later-maturing types, as evidenced by the €340,000 spent on a Street Sense filly from Michael Fitzpatrick's Kilminfoyle House Stud. Brown said, “Physically, I thought she was a standout today. Gorgeous, big scopey filly. She did a lovely breeze – not lightning quick in any way but the style of the breeze and the way that she galloped out would make you think that she's a backend filly. She will be turned out to a field for three weeks and we will bring her back in late summer. She's a big filly and the stallion is doing very well. It's a very good hotel – 'Fitz' sold Believing and we bought a very nice horse off him last year called Electrolyte and we bought a nice filly off him in Donny who is hopefully pretty smart. It all added up.” Brown was speaking less than 24 hours after 270,000gns yearling purchase Postmodern earned a TDN Rising Star when brushing aside a field of highly-touted runners in a Yarmouth maiden. Bookmakers reacted to that performance by slashing the Too Darn Hot colt's Coventry Stakes odds to just 8-1 while Goffs Breeze-Up graduate Underwriter looked similarly impressive in the Wathnan silks when landing an Ayr maiden in good style on Wednesday. Brown continued, “I'm not saying that this [the Street Sense filly] is for Wathnan but yesterday was exciting. We're keeping our feet on the ground but Jamie [Spencer] is a very experienced jockey who has ridden thousands of winners and lots of Group 1s but he said that it was very rare in his career where he needed to take a pull at the furlong marker. It's exciting. He looks a smart colt and, having spoken with Hamad [Al Jehani], he says Postmodern has bounced out of the race so he will go straight to the Coventry now.” Talking Points Former champion apprentice jockey Conor King made his debut as a consignor at this sale 12 months ago by selling a Make Believe colt for €50,000 and returned to what is becoming a happy hunting ground for the young handler by selling a Havana Grey filly [11] to Paddy Twomey for €105,000. The first six-figure lot into the ring on Friday had been sourced by King at the December Yearling Sale at Tattersalls for 35,000gns. Twomey, who is understood to have been the man who caused havoc when bidding in increments of €10,000 on a Sioux Nation filly that eventually went the way of Anthony Stroud on behalf of KHK Racing for €1 million at Arqana, went on to bag Katie Walsh's Sioux Nation filly for €185,000. Both purchases were done online and, in the case of the Sioux Nation filly, it represented return business given the trainer sourced last year's sale-topping Irish 1,000 Guineas contender City Of Memphis for €370,000. Few trainers have latched onto a stallion quite like Michael O'Callaghan has done with Sands Of Mali this year. And it's easy to see why. His recent Owenstown Stud Stakes winner Copacabana Sands is by the Ballyhane-based stallion and, after improving 24lbs since arriving at his stable earlier this year, there could still be further progression to come from that three-year-old following her Naas victory. Not only did O'Callaghan part with 72,000gns for a belter of a colt by Sands Of Mali at the Guineas Breeze-Up Sale, but he continued his support of the young sire on Wednesday by securing a nice colt consigned by Brian O'Connell of Chasefield Stables for €48,000. Katie McGivern's Wootton Bassett colt became the fourth horse to fetch €300,000 or more when Ger Morin, bidding on behalf of Sean and Bernadine Mulryan, signed the docket under the banner of Grandeville Racing at €320,000. Lot 226 is reported to be joining Richard Hughes, who trained high-class breeze-up graduate Bracken's Laugh on behalf of the owners. Golden Touch Many times Johnny Collins has been the man with the Midas Touch but transforming his €1,200 yearling purchase by Cotai Glory into a €165,000 breezer must beat all. Collins sourced the filly for that paltry sum at last year's Autumn Yearling Sale at Goffs and, after posting one of the most impressive breezes on Thursday, she was snapped up by Stroud on behalf of Arabian Dusk's owner Sheikh Daij Al Khalifa. “I guess I was just in the right place at the right time when I bought her,” Collins joked afterwards. “But she was a good-looking sort that came from a very good farm in Oghill House Stud. She has always been so straightforward and, although we were hopeful of her breezing well coming here, this is still a nice surprise.” 'Security In Numbers' Pays Rich Dividends For Horan If it wasn't for Collins' stroke of genius with the Cotai Glory filly, Jerry Horan would have been nailed on for the Golden Touch, given his inspired 1,800gns purchase of an Code Of Honour filly in an online sale blossomed into a €75,000 breezer. It was top agent Stephen Hillen who signed for the filly who was bred by Yulong. For Horan, the result represented another major pinhooking profit in his debut season as a breeze-up consignor following on from the 100,000gns he fetched for a Havana Grey filly at the Guineas Breeze-Up Sale. He said, “To be fair to Alan Hannigan, he flagged her up to me. He had spotted her in an online sale and liked her. I said I'd take a chance. I just like having security in numbers and it has worked well for me down through the years. Having smaller numbers just does not excite me. Yes, it's probably madness what I am doing, dealing with such a large volume of horses, but the more bullets you have to fire, the more chance you have of getting a result like this. The wheel is always turning. At the same time, you are always struggling. The key is to keep on tricking away and hopefully you can get the big break.” Horan also sold a Sea The Stars filly he sourced for 25,000gns to Gary Moore for €48,000 while his €16,000 foal purchase by his own first-season sire Alkumait sold to William Muir for €40,000. Speaking on his debut season, Horan added, “I am delighted with how it has gone. But there's no big secret, you need good riders and good facilities, and without the team at Capital Stud it wouldn't have been possible. Honestly, I haven't been there every single day. I do two or three days a week and obviously bring them away to work and things like that. But it's the team at Capital Stud that deserve all of the credit and they have helped me out a lot. Jack Foley, Stephen Cahill and Sinead Madden have done a wonderful job while Jody Townend came in to ride out and was also a massive help in the whole thing. I didn't actually set out to breeze horses under my own name this year. It almost happened by accident because we had a couple of homebred Alkumaits that we wanted to break in and get going. I had bought a few yearlings to go breezing myself so we said we would combine them all together and thankfully it has all worked out.” Thought for the Day There is a lot to be said for shopping the yearling sales right through to the bitter end. A number of eye-watering pinhooks, including the top lot, came from the later yearling sales. Maybe there's truth to that old saying, the harder you work, the luckier you get. The post More Records Broken At Tattersalls Ireland With Night Of Thunder Colt Leading The Way appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) winner Rodriguez, who missed the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) due to a lingering foot bruise, is "ready for a trip to Saratoga" to contest the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1), according to co-owner Tom Ryan.View the full article

'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic), scratched from the GI Kentucky Derby with a foot bruise, worked seven furlongs in 1:24.80 (1/1) at Santa Anita Friday morning in preparation for the GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga June 7. He previously worked four furlongs in :49 at Churchill Downs May 11. The front-running winner of the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct Apr. 5 is trained by Bob Baffert and campaigned in partnership by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan. “Lovely work from Rodriguez this morning at Santa Anita in 1:24.4 – Happy horse, extended nicely – he's ready for a trip to Saratoga,” SF Racing's Tom Ryan posted on X. Kentucky Derby third-place finisher and Belmont Stakes-bound Baeza (McKinzie) was also on the worktab for John Shirreffs at Santa Anita Friday, breezing six furlongs in 1:12.40 (1/2). Lovely work from Rodriguez this morning at Santa Anita in 1:24.4 – Happy horse, extended nicely – he's ready for a trip to Saratoga.@BobBaffert @BelmontStakes pic.twitter.com/ehJGNup0OP — Tom Ryan (@TomRyanKY) May 23, 2025 The post Rodriguez Breezes for Belmont Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There was drama at the end of Friday's G3 Heider Family Stables Gallinule Stakes at The Curragh, with The Aga Khan Studs' Reyenzi demoted from first to third and Ballydoyle's Thrice handed the prize by the stewards. Judged to have caused sufficient interference to the eventual runner-up a furlong from home to have affected the outcome, the Johnny Murtagh-trained Navan maiden winner who had finished first past the post by a head was stripped of the 10-furlong contest. That means that Aidan O'Brien has another recognised Derby trial in the bag in 2025, with the son of Wootton Bassett proclaimed the 12-1 winner and the third-placed Emit handed second having been the chief sufferer of the hefty bump. Following a lengthy stewards' inquiry, was announced the winner of the Group Three Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh. Reyenzi was first past the post but demoted into third place. pic.twitter.com/W8SkG4Mdhn — Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 23, 2025 The post Reyenzi Loses The Gallinule After Inquiry, Wootton Bassett’s Thrice Awarded Race appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Adam Hamilton The odds are firmly stacked against reigning Inter Dominion champion The Locomotive “doing a Pride Of Petite” in Monday morning’s Elitlopp in Stockholm. The former champion Kiwi mare Pride Of Petite is the only “Down Under” trotter to finish top four in an Elitlopp heat and qualify for the final when she ran sixth in the 1997 final. Most recently, the great Just Believe tried but struck trouble at a crucial stage on the final bend, galloped and lost all chance. The Locomotive will have to overcome a horror barrier draw and some of the best trotters in his heat, slated for 1.55am Monday (NZ time). The five-year-old will start second from the outside (gate seven) in the second of two heats of the world’s greatest trotting race. His trainer-driver Brad Hewitt is clear on the enormity of the challenge. “We knew it was always going to be hard, but now he’s drawn so wide, it’s going to take something incredible from him to qualify for the final,” he said. The Locomotive is the fifth Australian and ninth Australasian trotter to contest the Elitlopp. He is a $71 shot in his heat. It’s the stronger of the two heats as well with boom trotter Borups Victory $2.80 equal favourite ahead of two former Elitlopp winners, Don Fanucci Zet ($2.80) and Hohneck ($4.50). The statistics underline how cruel the draw is for The Locomotive, who has won 23 of 25 starts when he has led and just one of 17 when he hasn’t been in front. “I’m going to be back last, I can’t possibly push forward from right out there,” Hewitt said. “What I will say is, he works well off a sit at home and I haven’t had the chance to drive him that way yet. When he hasn’t led for me, he’s been outside the leader and he won’t be there this time. “I’m hoping he can show all that trademark speed of his at the finish, if we switch him off early and try to weave through them.” Hewitt draws hope from how well The Locomotive has settled in and worked over the past week. “I don’t think I could have him better. It’s all come together in time and he’s primed. He had that terrific work at Solvalla last week and then I couldn’t have been happier with his last serious hit out on Monday,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of faith in the horse, but he’s never faced a field like this and he’s going to need everything to go right. “At least there’s no pressure now. If we could somehow be the first (Aussie) to make the final, it would be amazing.” View the full article

Bidding is currently open for the 2025 Inglis Digital USA May Sale, featuring 30 offerings, including fillies closely related to both parts of this year's GI Kentucky Oaks exacta. The first lot will close Wednesday, May 28 at 2 p.m. ET, with subsequent listings hammering in three-minute increments. Among the offerings are nine racing or racing/broodmare prospects, eight yearlings, three broodmare prospects, eight broodmares, and two no-guarantee stallion seasons. “We have a really good group on offer in our May Sale,” said Kyle Wilson, Senior Director of Sales and Recruiting for Inglis Digital USA. “There's some exciting horses coming in with very legitimate updates and plenty of upside.” The graded-placed Regaled (Mohaymen), a half-sister to Kentucky Oaks runner-up Drexel Hill (Bolt d'Oro), has been consigned by Paramount Sales. The 4-year-old is trained by Samuel G. Davis and owned by Brittnee Caballero. “We are thrilled to represent longtime horseman Samuel G. Davis with this talented filly,” said Paddy Campion of Paramount Sales. “Regaled has a clear and exciting campaign for the summer as well as tremendous potential as a broodmare prospect. With that huge update from Drexel Hill, plus being from the Tapit-sire line, she represents an excellent addition to any top operation.” Just a Fair Shake (Laoban), one of Maryland's top 3-year-olds, enters the sale off runner-up efforts in the Sir Barton S. on the Preakness Stakes undercard on May 17 at Pimlico, and the Federico Tesio S. on Apr. 19 at Laurel. Just a Fair Shake is trained by Daniel McKenzie and owned by LaShawna Lynch. He is consigned for the May sale by Baldwin Bloodstock. “This is a very rare opportunity to own a consistent and talented 3-year-old colt in the spring with so many stakes races and opportunities the remainder of the year,” said Amy Bunt of Baldwin Bloodstock. “Just a Fair Shake has hit the board in all five lifetime starts, including three stakes races. He most recently ran second in the Sir Barton Stakes with Bobby Flay's ultra-talented Crudo coming out on top and is said to be a possible entrant in the Belmont Stakes. Just a Fair Shake has improving speed figures and looks to have a very bright future.” A 4-year-old half-sister to MGISW Wedding Toast (Street Sense), herself the dam of undefeated Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro), has been consigned by Leonard Powell. “This is an attractive filly by More Than Ready with a world-class family that keeps getting better,” Powell said. To view the catalog and register to bid, visit www.inglisdigitalusa.com. The post Bidding Now Open For Inglis Digital USA May Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wesley Ward swung for the fences when going to $850,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale last year to acquire OUTFIELDER (c, 2, Speightstown–Notte d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro) and was rewarded for his efforts Friday when the colt delivered a grand slam at Churchill to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star'. Heavily bet at 1-4, the outside draw endured a rush of early speed to his inside in the opening yards of this five-furlong contest but quickly cleared the crowd and led solo ahead of Brea From Three (Classic Empire) to his outside. A trio of horses came off the turn together with Skipping Stars (Mitole) joining the fray at the quarter pole but Outfielder kicked away with another gear under a motionless John Velazquez to lead in the group in a seemingly effortless performance, completing the five furlongs in :55.93. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O- Amo Racing USA, Two Eight Racing and Ward, Wesley A.; B-SF Bloodstock LLC; T-Wesley Ward. Sales History: $300,000 RNA wlg'23 KEENOV, $850,000 ylg'24 FTSAUG. Outfielder debuts the best for trainer Wesley Ward and @ljlmvel! pic.twitter.com/c656fyxzr3 — Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) May 23, 2025 The post Speightstown’s Outfielder Rockets To ‘Rising Stardom’ at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Embroidery and Arma Veloce, first and second in the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1), could be off on a nice rivalry when they meet again May 25 in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1) at Tokyo Racecourse.View the full article

For Crystal Conning, her two professional worlds will collide May 26 when the Monmouth Park paddock analyst rides Like a Saltshaker in the second race at the Jersey Shore track in between in-house television appearances.View the full article

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association has tapped bloodstock agent David Ingordo to judge the 91st annual yearling show, which will be held on Sunday, June 29 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Horse Show Ring in Timonium, the organization said on Friday in a press release. Born into a racing family, Ingordo has been connected throughout his career to the industry. He launched his professional career at Juddmonte and Walmac Farms before establishing his own bloodstock agency. The nearly endless list of top level runners Ingordo has been involved with include champions from Zenyatta to Flightline. The bloodstock agent is married to one of the nation's leading trainers in Cherie DeVaux. Ingordo joins a list of MHBA yearling show judges which includes Hall of Fame and Triple Crown-winning trainers, as well as notable agents. Open to all yearlings eligible for Maryland-bred registration, entries for this year's show close June 2 with late submissions accepted for an increased fee. The post Ingordo To Judge 91st MHBA Yearling Show appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Churchill tote read 1-4 at the off and Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC's SPICE RUNNER (c, 2, Gun Runner–Simple Surprise, by Cowboy Cal) proved more than equal to the task, racing a bit greenly into the final furlong before edging clear to graduate by an easy two lengths when making his first trip to the races Friday afternoon at Churchill Downs. Drawn widest in a field scratched down from eight to just five juvenile colts, the full-brother to GISW sire Gunite jumped away very sharply for Jose Ortiz and it appeared that the colt could have led if his jockey chose to do so, but instead elected to take a hold of him and set up shop three deep just off the early tempo. Going well and ready to strike on the turn, Spice Runner was asked for his best in upper stretch, began to pull away while racing on his incorrect lead passing the eighth pole and eventually kicked over to post a smooth success. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. Spice Runner scores in R2 at @churchilldowns under @jose93_ortiz for trainer Steve Asmussen! TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/mNrCoanQSy — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) May 23, 2025 The post Gunite Full-Brother Spice Runner Validates Short-Priced Favoritism on Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The two racetrack jobs that Crystal Conning currently has can be broken down simply. In one, her goal is to pick winners. In the other, it's to ride them. On Monday, her professional worlds will collide when the Monmouth Park paddock analyst rides Like a Saltshaker (Peace and Justice) in the second race at the Jersey Shore track in between TV appearances. “I think it's going to be cool to ride a race at Monmouth Park,” said Conning, who hails from Melbourne, Australia. “I've been here three summers working and galloping horses in the mornings. I'm looking forward to riding on my `home' surface for the first time.” Conning has jockeyed sporadically at Parx, and in March rode two races at Camarero in Puerto Rico. She has won two races from 23 mounts this year, with her most recent victory coming aboard Like a Saltshaker at Parx Feb. 25. Overall, Conning has 76 career wins, the majority coming at Turf Paradise and Canterbury Park. These days, she spends her weekends giving her insight to fans on the day's Monmouth Park races while scrambling for mounts Monday through Friday. She said she will give the analysis of Monday's second race–“I have to pick myself,” she said–and then will make a dash to change into silks. “I'll do the TV show, run into the changing room, get the silks on and go out and ride. Then I'll come back and do the analysis on the rest of the races,” she said. Conning, 33, said she has pulled this double duty previously. “I'll just talk about my horse on Monday [in her second race analysis],” she said. “I did something similar in Minnesota at Canterbury. I did the TV analysis and then rode the card the same day. I did that a couple of times.” Conning will be riding for trainer Tom Clark and owner Flurry Racing Stable. She said she has thought about finally shaking the riding “bug” but isn't quite ready to give it up yet. “I've tried. I just can't stop,” she said. The biggest challenge she faces is securing more consistent mounts. “It's difficult from a fitness perspective and timing,” she said. “The more you ride the better you are going to be. It's that cycle of people not wanting to give you an opportunity because you're not riding a lot, but how do you ride a lot if you are not getting the opportunities? “Then you wind up riding a lot of 30-1 shots and people don't think you are any good. Those are the only chances you get sometimes. You really need that one horse who jumps up and makes you look good.” Conning, an Olympic-level event rider in Australia who started competing in Thoroughbred races there in 2015, characterized Like a Saltshaker as “a veteran horse.” “He's easy to ride. He knows the drill,” she said. The 7-year-old gelding has 18 wins and nine seconds from 42 career starts. The post Monmouth Park Jockey And Paddock Analyst Conning To Pull Double Duty appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

They had grown up together, the boy and his horse. Their bond was innate. In fact, he has been told that his mother was on horseback when her waters broke. That was how it was, up in the mountains. Most people couldn't afford cars, certainly not the type that might cope with those roads. “We lived in one of the most desolate villages in Puerto Rico,” Alberto Rullan recalls. “My dad had a small farm: coffee, bananas, plantains. And every night, I would round up the cattle into pens. If you didn't, back then, the cowboys would take them at night.” Still bandit country, in the 1980s. But that meant Rullan was riding Tauri, daily, when both were no more than three or four years old. Looking back, Rullan learned as much about himself from Tauri as he did about horses. They were inseparable–or so he thought. Then came the day Rullan returned from school, aged eight, to be greeted in distress by his grandmother. “A truck had hit Tauri when my dad was riding him on the road,” Rullan recalls. “My dad broke his back, spent a whole year in bed. But I was like, 'What about my horse?' My grandmother said, 'He has a broken leg. We're waiting for help.' By the next day, in the barn, I realized they'd have to put him down. There wasn't a vet in the whole district. So that day I made the decision: I would become a horse vet. I would fix horse legs. No other kid was to lose their horse, if I could help it.” Horses culture has always taken center stage in Puerto Rico | Getty Images Others, of course, might sooner have been prompted by his father's injury to become a doctor. “People tell me that,” acknowledges Rullan with a smile. “But at that age, my connection with horses was everything. It was stronger than my connection with people. My whole life, all my memories growing up, had been horses. And that particular one, for me, became an idol, an icon. From that moment on, every move I made would have the same aim.” Thirty-seven years later, despite some extreme trials on the way, the fervor of that vocation burns undimmed. Touring his Equine Performance Innovative Center (EPIC), a rehabilitation facility and clinic outside Ocala, Florida, Dr. Rullan takes out his phone and shows before-and-after images that make you gasp. While the catastrophes that have brought horses here tend to be too graphic for illustration, the gallery of outcomes is barely credible. He shows you a shattered hock. “Week one; week six,” Rullan says, comparing two images. “To heal an injury like that, it's unheard of. This filly, now, she got into a fire. And this one, they were putting him down–just like my horse when I was a boy. But we could save him, literally removing a piece of dead bone. Look at this horse, the eye's deflated, almost gone. In other clinics, that eye would be removed. But look, after we treated it: almost normal. “How can we do all this? Because we have all the modalities in one spot. There are very few places like this in the United States, in fact on the whole planet. There are lots of rehab centers, but this one has everything on one site, including advanced therapies: surgical suite, hyperbaric oxygen chamber, laser, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, vibration plates. We do a lot of regenerative therapy, alternative therapies. Stem cells, PRP, amnion, ozone treatment. Combine all those, then you can get these kinds of results.” In other words, Tauri did not die in vain. But make no mistake, getting here has been a testing odyssey. Even to embark was difficult. There were no veterinary schools in Puerto Rico and, at that time, Rullan had neither the language nor the resources to attend one in the U.S. What he did have was a flair for mathematics, sufficient to secure a place at Penn State despite his rudimentary English. As he learned, he earned: chemistry tutor, cook, eventually crossing over to teach a program to Hispanic kids like himself. At vet school in Philadelphia, the same: since he was going to spend all his time in the library anyway, painstakingly translating textbooks and lectures, he got a job there. Additionally, as though he didn't have enough on his plate, every summer he would instruct his brother William in everything he had learned, training him up as a technician. They were hired together in Ocala, in 2007, but then came a first serious buffet. Thoroughbreds at the OBS Sale | OBS “My brother got kicked by a horse,” Rullan recalls. “We get kicked all the time, and Willie's like 6'5″, 300lbs, so we keep going. But then his bruise keeps getting worse and worse, goes all the way down to the leg. Now he starts coughing, getting nose bleeds. Goes to a doctor. 'Here's a pill.' Goes again. 'Here are some steroids.' He's starting to look yellow. Goes to the emergency room and, his PCV [blood test], the normal hematocrit is about 40%, he's six. There are no blood cells in his system.” They gave Willie an emergency transfusion, and eventually announced that he had leukemia. Everyone was flattened. They'd had so many dreams. But luckily a transfer to Shands Hospital opened the door to a stem cell experiment. A little over three months later, he was home. For a second time, then, a mishap with a horse had contained some latent good. “If that horse hadn't kicked him, he would have died,” Rullan says. “No question.” Not that they were out of the woods. Launching their own business in 2008, they hit the financial crisis head on. Desperate times prompted Rullan into desperate measures. He was prescribed antidepressants, but not the alcohol he combined them with. Leaving a bar one night, he raced a buddy down the highway. He never even saw the police behind him, but couldn't miss the ones who set up a roadblock in front. “I was still in denial,” Rullan admits. “I was like, 'I only had a couple.' But then they do the test, and put the handcuffs on me. When I felt that cold metal, my heart stopped, I almost collapsed. Called my wife, told her I was in jail. She didn't flinch. She had our one-year-old child with her, and she's like, 'Okay, let's go. What do we need to do?' So she called someone, took care of the bail. She was amazing.” His rehab journey was not always smooth, but Katie stayed strong and it is now six years since Rullan touched a drink. His routine instead became the gym, manuals in personal growth. And, step by step, the business also got onto its feet. For a time, they rented a barn and garage in Summerfield. The brothers would alternate two-hour shifts on overnight treatments. Gradually they pieced together enough respect and momentum to buy a local farm, until a client insisted they move closer to the action, in Ocala, setting them up on a favorable rent. And eventually another one, Mike Hall of Breeze Easy, sponsored their move to what was then a layup farm: they could be his tenants until they reached a position to buy him out. “That's the importance of collaboration, of working with really good people,” Rullan says. “Nothing can be done by yourself. So I negotiated with Mike that whenever I was ready, I could buy it. That was 2017. Everything goes well and last December our accountant told me, 'Okay, it's time to pull the trigger.'” Thoroughbred undergoing rehab | EPIC Rullan is rightly proud, after such a long and winding road, to have established this innovative facility. “With all these modalities under one roof, this place gives Ocala something it never had before,” he says. “Everyone here has specialty. I have a certification in equine sports medicine that only about 100 people in the world have–from the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology–and can teach the same skills to all the other veterinarians, all the interns.” Nor is EPIC simply a case of integrating services that would ordinarily require you to load your horse onto a van and drive from one specialist to another. “I also think that other places are afraid to be so aggressive with injuries,” Rullan explains. “They view a lot of these horses as a lost cause. We have many people coming here after seeing multiple vets who only want to euthanize, or remove the eye, whatever it may be. But we have the will actually to try and move forward.” And that is exactly what Rullan wants to do now, as proprietor, albeit in a targeted way. There would be no point renovating the training track, for instance, when Ocala already has so many. Developing a parallel canine facility, in contrast, will fill a void. Even as it stands, at any time you might find half a dozen therapies simultaneously underway here. The treatment room has a saltwater spa, an underwater treadmill, vibration plates, above all that hyperbaric chamber. A swimming pool, 100 feet long and 16 deep, is meanwhile hired out for clients to self-swim affordably. And, just as the whole journey began with Tauri, so Rullan has a constant reminder of what animates him: an equine skeleton presiding over the lobby. “When Katie was pregnant, there was only one horse appropriate for her to ride,” he explains. “We'd just got started, it was 2008, nobody wanted to pay for treatments. This particular horse came to our clinic with laminitis, the owner telling us to euthanize. But we had just come to town, had nothing, were virtually starving. We had to prove something. So we said, 'Why don't you just give us the horse, and we'll treat her ourselves?' “Long story short, we treated and treated and treated that foot. And she did miraculously. Then my wife started riding her. My son was born. Everything was perfect. And then we had a storm–and the horse was struck by lightning. After going through all that. I was so upset. I said, 'You're not going anywhere. You're staying with us forever.' We had an intern at the time, who needed a project. And for many years now that horse has lived on as the educational specimen for our clinic.” People often ask Rullan for a remote consultation, sending information and images from South America or Europe. “And I say, 'I'm sorry, but I have to touch the horse,'” he says. “I don't know why, but I cannot treat a horse so well if I don't. Today they have all this A.I., all this software: but if I don't touch them, it's not the same.” Perhaps that's because these horses, in aggregate, do far more for us than even the most sophisticated science can for them. So when he thinks back to the vow he made that day, as a traumatized schoolboy, Rullan can comfort himself not only that Tauri lives on through all the horses he has saved since. In the process, Tauri might also be said to be still helping people, too. “There's a proven connection between the heart of the person and that of a horse,” Rullan remarks. “They did a study in California about this. Horses can recognize who is 'their' person, and who's not. But most of the time, believe it or not, it's the horse that actually influences the person's heart. They become synchronized: not the horse's heart synchronizing with ours, but the other way round. And, for us, getting synchronized with their hearts creates a calming effect.” Such is the affinity that has driven this remarkable achiever past every obstacle, whether strewn by fate or his younger self. “Everybody working here has a personal connection to the horse,” Rullan says. “We attract those kinds of people. One of our guys is 82, and gets here at 4.30 a.m. to give therapy. Everybody here, every single person, has been helped by horses.” The post An Epic Journey To New Frontiers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There are few around that would accept that Field Of Gold was second-best three weeks ago despite the formbook stating so and on The Curragh's conventional track on Saturday Juddmonte's elite performer has the chance to put matters right in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas. While Godolphin's admirable Ruling Court is not here, there could be a case to be made that the real star of the Newmarket Classic is. The Gosdens found his defeat there hard to take, which is backed up by the sectionals, and like his sire Kingman he seeks quick atonement. “He's trained well since the Guineas. It's a race we hadn't originally planned to go to, but we're going there now and we'll see how the race pans out,” John Gosden said. “We're drawn out on the wing of it in stall nine of nine, but we have opted to go there rather than waiting for Ascot.” Kingman's other representative Cosmic Year is another colt seemingly heading to the big time, but Field Of Gold is ahead of the curve and this is his to lose. Aidan O'Brien's customary iron grip on this Classic is loosened for one year and despite the promise of the stable's Listed Tetrarch Stakes winner Officer, opportunity knocks for Field Of Gold. If there is one fly in the ointment, it could be Hotazhell, whose defeat of Delacroix in the G1 Futurity Trophy looks a whole lot better now especially as the trusty yardstick Wimbledon Hawkeye was so far adrift. Beaten once in three starts at this track, when in front of Scorthy Champ as the runner-up to Henri Matisse in the G2 Futurity Stakes, he has to peak on his seasonal bow having been taken out of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains. All Eyes On Lake Victoria… Sunday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas sees yet another of Juddmonte's Kingman representatives take one of the central roles, but the Group 3 trial winner Swelter will be up against it if Lake Victoria builds on her 1,000 Guineas sixth to the degree that connections expect. Very few fillies win Group 1 races over six and seven furlongs and a mile at two and until Ballydoyle's champion of 2024 proves otherwise, she is the most exciting of her sex around. Second and third at Newmarket, Flight and Simmering re-engage for Ollie Sangster while Paddy Twomey has a wildcard in Sioux Nation's impressive Cork maiden winner City Of Memphis and Donnacha O'Brien has supplemented the G3 Athasi Stakes winner Atsila, whose sire Phoenix Of Spain enjoyed his finest hour on this weekend. Ryan Moore seems unconcerned about the opposition. “That run should bring her on and she'll be much fitter this time,” he said of the likely hot favourite. “I certainly haven't lost any faith in her and I expect her to show her true colours on Sunday.” Top-Level Quandaries On Sunday Sunday's three other Group 1 races are for the older brigade, with The Curragh's Tattersalls Gold Cup featuring the rematch between the G2 Mooresbridge Stakes one-two Los Angeles and White Birch, with the latter bidding for back-to-back renewals. Juddmonte's G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Kalpana and Shadwell's G1 Champion Stakes hero Anmaat are sure to test the speed of Los Angeles at this 10 1/2-furlong trip and this is probably the first time last year's G1 Irish Derby winner has been asked such a stern question short of a mile and a half. At ParisLongchamp, the possibly needlessly-revamped G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier has failed to attract anything significantly better than it did as a Group 2, with Godolphin's Dubai Future looking to repeat his G2 Dubai Gold Cup defeat of the dual G1 Prix Royal Oak winner Double Major while the G1 Prix d'Ispahan sees another mile-and-a-half star of 2024 in Sosie also look to reinvent himself, Los Angeles-style. This weird 9 1/4-furlong trip is another step down from the 10 1/2 furlongs of the G1 Prix Ganay, but the Wertheimer homebred may still have a class edge in one of Europe's more dubious Group 1s. If not, the upwardly-mobile Listed Paradise Stakes winner Sardinian Warrior will have a say. Sosie's trainer Andre Fabre has a key target in mind for last year's G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero. “We have supplemented because his owners want to see if he can run in the Eclipse,” he explained. “Obviously a mile and a half is perfect for him, but he has some class so we'll find out. Thinking of him being a stallion later, it is important to prove himself at this distance, too.” Saturday's Fast Cast Saturday's trio of Group 2 sprints see some Royal Ascot hopefuls limber up, with Haydock's Sandy Lane hosting Godolphin's Symbol Of Honour who is out just a week after his Listed Carnarvon Stakes success. Rock-solid performers Big Mojo and Arizona Blaze add significant ballast, but there is perhaps more of an air of excitement surrounding the return of the unbeaten G2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Powerful Glory. The track's Temple Stakes is for the King Charles-bound dragsters, with the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Starlust operating under a five-pound penalty for those excesses, while The Curragh's Greenlands witnesses the Irish debut of Ballydoyle's recruit Storm Boy. Richard Fahey said of Powerful Glory, “We're pleased with him, he's wintered well and we're about to find out whether he can play with the big boys this season. Everything has gone to plan and this is the first chance we've had to run him without a penalty, but it will be a good chance to see where we're at with him.” Ryan Moore said of Storm Boy, “He's got a big reputation and he's a big, strong boy, but it's his first start for a long time and it will just be nice to get him started over here. The Curragh will be a new experience for him, as it's a stiff six furlongs rather than running round a bend.” Other Points Of Interest Saturday's feast begins with the six-furlong Curragh 2-year-old maiden won in recent times by Ballydoyle's future stars Henri Matisse, Unquestionable and Arizona, so the fact that Ryan Moore has sided with the yard's unraced Wootton Bassett colt Brussels over the once-raced Kansas is noteworthy. In Sunday's opening 2-year-old fillies' maiden which has played host to the likes of Zarinsk and Albigna in recent times and is a key Albany pointer, Ryan Moore is on another Wootton Bassett with Beautify his pick of the two Ballydoyle newcomers. Perhaps the best of the juveniles seen so far from Rosegreen, Albert Einstein, lines up in Sunday's G3 Marble Hill Stakes before Porta Fortuna makes her keenly-anticipated return in the G2 Lanwades Stud Stakes. Ryan Moore is on her too, so another Sunday bonanza for the rider is not out of the question. Saturday's card at Goodwood boasts the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes and Listed Height Of Fashion Stakes, which used to be last-ditch Derby and Oaks trials known as the Predominate and Lupe but now serve more as stepping stones to the Royal meeting's G2 King Edward VII Stakes and G2 Ribblesdale Stakes. Both host some potentially smart Ralph Beckett representatives, with Valmont's Irish Oaks-entered daughter of Mastercraftsman Perfect Your Craft in the Height Of Fashion and David Aykroyd's unbeaten homebred Amiloc in the Cocked Hat. Amiloc may not be Pride Of Arras, but he's not too far off based on the evidence of his mile conditions win here earlier this month and apart from anything else he sets a useful standard for the others to aim at. One is Wathnan Racing's Haydock novice scorer Opportunity, Frankel's son of Izzi Top who holds a Derby entry. “The plan is to go to Goodwood and find out whether he wants to put his hand up for Epsom or not,” Wathnan's Richard Brown explained. “This is going to tell us everything we need to know. I think we have got a nice horse on our hands, whether he is a Derby horse who knows, he will tell us on Saturday. Ralph Beckett has a horse in there that I rate very highly and this will tell us everything we need to know about where we are going to go next. He's with the right man, William [Haggas] will know where to go.” The post Is He The Gold Standard? Juddmonte Colt Seeks Curragh Redemption appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article