Wandering Eyes

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a son of Too Darn Hot. 3.35 Haydock, Novice, £10,000, 2yo, 6f 212yT WILD DESERT (IRE) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) is the latest in a glut of significant Godolphin newcomers to step out of the Charlie Appleby stable this week, being the sixth foal out of the operation's prized mare Winters Moon. Remarkably, two of those she has produced so far are the G1 Middle Park Stakes winners Shadow Of Light and Earthlight, with both successful twice at the top level at two, so all eyes will be on this colt's progress this summer. Fitri Hay's similarly unraced Last Verse (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) is a key rival, being an Andrew Balding-trained half-brother to Galileo's multiple Group winner Armory. 2.15 Bath, Novice, £6,800, 2yo, 5f 10yT FORTIFICATION (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}) debuts for Wathnan Racing and the Archie Watson stable in the race won 12 months ago by their subsequent G2 Flying Childers Stakes and G3 Prix d'Arenberg winner Aesterius also by this sire. A £350,000 Goffs UK Breeze Up purchase, he is out of a Listed scorer who was also dual Group-placed and hails from the family of Windsor Knot. The post Relative Of Shadow Of Light And Earthlight Debuts At Haydock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Friday, Curragh, post time: 18:55, HEIDER FAMILY STABLES GALLINULE STAKES-G3, €36,000, 3yo, 10fT Field: Emit (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Reyenzi (Fr) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Shackleton (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Thrice (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Tiberius Thunder (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Dawn Spirit (Ire) (Australia {GB}). TDN Verdict: Aidan O'Brien runs last year's G3 Zetland Stakes runner-up Shackleton in the latest Derby trial he bids to annex during a stellar period for the stable, but there is a strong case to be made for Reyenzi following his impressive five-length Navan maiden win last month. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Goodwood, post time: 15:50, BETGOODWIN FESTIVAL STAKES-Listed, £60,000, 4yo/up, 9f 197yT Field: Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Cash (Ire) (Shamardal), Exoplanet (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Jeff Koons (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Liberty Lane (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Meydaan (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Peace Man (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Savvy Victory (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Sir Busker (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Godolphin's Silver Knott operates under a seven-pound penalty here, so despite it being a class drop for the multiple group and graded stakes winner it could be tricky. Last year's Cambridgeshire winner Liberty Lane was second to Lead Artist in Newmarket's nine-furlong G3 Darley Stakes in October and that form has taken on a new dimension this month. [Tom Frary]. 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}). 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}). 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 complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Friday’s Gallinule Holds Derby Clues, As Irish 2000 Guineas Attracts Nine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Marcus Vitali, who has not started a horse at a NYRA track since 2021, will make his return to the Big Apple Friday when he sends out Classy Lass (Classic Empire) in Friday's fifth race at the Belmont At The Big A meet. The race is a $17,500 claimer on the dirt. The Daily Racing Form's David Grening was first with the story. Vitali, who has numerous violations on his record, reached an accord with NYRA July 1, 2022 in which he agreed to a suspension. But NYRA was vague about the details and both sides said the terms of the settlement were to be kept confidential. NYRA had attempted to bar him from its three tracks, but could not do so until offering Vitali a hearing. It appears that the “agreement” was a compromise in which Vitali agreed not to run any horses in New York for an unspecified period and NYRA agreed to not go forward in its attempts to ban him permanently. “Marcus Vitali has satisfied the terms of the NYRA settlement agreement reached in 2022 and is licensed to participate in racing activities by the New York State Gaming Commission,” said NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna. “As such, he is currently permitted to enter races on the NYRA circuit.” In an official “statement of charges” issued against Vitali in 2022, NYRA pointed to what it alleged was a long and lengthy list of suspensions and medication violations. “From between in or about 2010 and in or about 2020, Respondent amassed an extensive record of medication violations, lengthy suspensions, improperly using 'program' or 'paper' trainers during suspensions and obstructing an investigation into alleged wrongdoing,” the statement read. “In the past five years, Respondent was denied entry, ejected and/or had license applications denied by regulators of Thoroughbred racing in Florida, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Delaware; and was sanctioned by the Jockey Club for violating a racing statute, rule or regulation relating to prohibited or restricted drugs, medications or substances seven times in a single year.” It was unclear when and why the New York Gaming Commission green-lighted Vitali's latest license application. At deadline for this story, the Gaming Commission had not answered an email from the TDN requesting information on Vitali's reinstatement. “I don't really have a comment. I just entered a horse,” Vitali said. “I renewed my license last year when I was at Presque Isle. I have this horse and I just can't find a spot for her. I thought this race at Aqueduct fit this filly and we're going to run her. I have accepted my responsibility over the years and I'm ready to move forward. We're doing what we have to do. I like racing in New York and I think she fits in that particular spot. There was nowhere else to run her.” Vitali has run only a few horses at NYRA tracks over the years and has focused his attention more on lower level tracks. All of his starters this year have come at Turf Paradise. He is 4-for-21 on the year. He says he currently has stalls at Presque Isle Downs and at Hawthorne and does not intend to ask NYRA for any stalls. The post NYRA Accepts Entry From Marcus Vitali appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jim and Claire Limited's Heart of Honor, fifth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course May 17, arrived at Saratoga Race Course May 21 and walked the shedrow May 22 as he begins preparations for the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1).View the full article

With nothing off the table, MGISW Fierceness (City of Light) could face stablemate GISW Mindframe (Constitution) in next month's GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap, according to trainer Todd Pletcher. Fierceness worked Thursday over Saratoga Race Course's Oklahoma dirt training track in preparation for what is shaping up to be a titanic race during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course. The champion colt breezed in company with GSP Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso) through a half-mile in 49.85 seconds, according to NYRA clockers. It marked the pair's second work together in as many weeks after they covered the same distance in 49 flat last week over the Oklahoma. “He looked great,” Pletcher said of Fierceness. “Another typical breeze from him, doing it very easily and impressively. I'm very pleased with him.” The winner of last year's GI DraftKings Travers Stakes, Fierceness made a successful seasonal bow in the GII Alysheba Stakes during Derby week and set a new track record. The Hall of Fame trainer said he is pleased with the way Fierceness emerged from the strong performance. “He's had a really good energy level, his appetite's been great–he's really matured as a 4-year-old and put on some weight,” Pletcher said. Pletcher noted Tuscan Sky, also owned by Repole Stable, is likely headed to the GIII Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park June 14. Mindframe wins the Churchill Downs Stakes | Horsephotos As for Mindframe, Pletcher is also considering the GI Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill in late June. Owned by Repole Stable with St. Elias Stable, the colt was last seen winning the GI Churchill Downs Stakes May 3 with a deep-closing rally. “We haven't ruled anything out,” Pletcher said of Mindframe's next start. “We'll give him a breeze tomorrow and see how that goes, assuming the weather cooperates. Obviously, we hate to run him and Fierceness against each other if we can keep from it, but we'll keep our options open for now.” Pletcher said it was rewarding to see Mindframe notch a Grade I victory. “That was big,” Pletcher said. “We wanted that Grade I win for him, and for him to do what he's done to win at seven-eighths, a mile, a mile and a sixteenth, be second at a mile and a quarter… he, too, is a very special horse and is very versatile. He's a pleasure to train.” The post Fierceness And Mindframe Drill With Met Mile Match Still On The Table appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Jordyn Bublitz After having nine driving wins across the Tasman, Brooke Wilkins will make her Kiwi debut at Alexandra Park tonight. The 27-year-old will drive Treacherous Baby in Race 1, the Alex Bar and Eatery Mobile Pace for her employers Mark and Nathan Purdon. Born in Sydney into a racing family Wilkins was always going to get involved in the sport but her racing career stalled in 2019. “I actually had a bad fall, and it put me out for quite a while,” she said, “afterwards I moved to Melbourne and worked for Emma Stewart, and she pushed me back into driving.” Across the Tasman she had 39 training wins and nine driving successes. For the past two and a half years she has been honing her craft with Purdon Racing with driving taking a back seat due to travelling often with their horses. “Since moving up to Pukekohe Nathan (Purdon) pushed to see if I’d drive a couple at the trials and it sort of went from there.” “Then this mare on Friday needed a junior driver so it worked out pretty well.” Just this week Wilkins drove comeback pacer Akuta at the Pukekohe trials. Now she gets her chance on race night with Treacherous Baby, who’s rated a $2.30 second favourite in what is just a five-horse field. “I think she’s got a good chance. She hasn’t had much luck lately and her form isn’t too hot, but I don’t think she’s run a bad race at all,” she said, “I think we’ll just drive her a bit cold on Friday and save her for one run.” Mantra Blue looks to be her main danger, having her second start back this campaign after running a game fifth in the North Island Breeders Stakes last week. “I think people probably underestimate how quick she (Treacherous Baby) is and being a small field, I think she’ll be right in it.” Herlihy with three well-favoured runners at Alex Park tonight By Michael Guerin The harness racing season may be getting close to a winter wind down but our greatest ever driver is just getting warmed up. After a frantic last two months many of the code’s biggest names are enjoying their winter break and racing in the north is returning to something resembling normal. And Tony Herlihy is ready to take advantage. Our most successful ever driver, for those keeping count he is up to 3707 domestic wins, Herlihy is also one of the north’s great all time trainers, with 1132 training wins, rarified air in the north especially as Herlihy rarely travels his horses these days. He fancies he can add to that total over the colder months ahead. “I have got a few who are racing well and aren’t that deep into their campaigns so I am hoping to sneak a couple over the next month,” he smiles. There may not be too much sneaky about the likes of Youneverknow (R2, No.1), Roy Kent (R3, No.3) or Double Parked (R9, No.3) at The Park tonight as all three are in the market, two of them warm favourites. Youneverknow really caught the eye with a huge second to Meant To Be $120,000 IRT Sires’ Stakes Championship last start and only has to race up to that form to win tonight. “He is a lovely big horse and getting better and I think he will hold his own from barrier 1 so he has to be a good chance,” says The Iceman. Roy Kent has been a victim of circumstances lately, chasing home the likes of Marketplace in elite three-year-old races while when he dropped back into the grades last start and was outsprinted by Words in a no-pressure race on the subsequently abandoned race night where the passing lane he could have used was a puddle. “Roy always goes a good race and I think he will be even better next campaign but he has gate speed and is up to these horses.” That same quote suits Double Parked who won a heat of the Metro Series two weeks ago and races in another one tonight in probably an easier field. “He has that gate speed that helps and will be really hard to catch if he can get up against the marker pegs. He definitely has more wins in him.” Herlihy suggests his other runners tonight in Sadhaka (R7, No.1) and Always Ask (R10, No.2) will both be better for their outings tonight. The meeting has some small fields but some smart horses, headlined by Mantra Blue in Race 1 who looks enormously better off in a mobile in Race 1 tonight than when she resumed off a 30m handicap last Friday. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Craig Ferguson knows he might need another miracle at Addington tonight. But the difference between the miracle the Southland driver pulled off with Marketplace last Friday and the one he needs with Wag Star tonight is this time it could be the difference between winning and losing. Ferguson has had a wonderful year in the sulky with his flagship horse being superstar three-year-old Marketplace, trained by his close friend Regan Todd. Ferguson found a pathway paved in gold in the Group 1 Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington last Friday when he weaved through from the second line to lead after 400m. In reality Marketplace probably still would have won but such was the margin at the line Ferguson’s early awareness turned a maybe into a certainty. Tonight he faces another early disadvantage with Wag Star, who he trains, starting off a 10m handicap in a capacity field in the $100,000 Hydroflow Country Cups Championship. Wag Star has been battling handicaps and poor draws all autumn, often booming home late but Ferguson says there is one key difference between his tactics tonight and Marketplace last Friday. “I think his best chance of running out a hard 3200m is being driven quiet in the first half of the race,” says Ferguson. “I wouldn’t want to be taking off on him over the long trip and usually in this race they run hard so I think it will suit him being driven that way. “But in a full field that still means he will need luck and maybe the right cart into the race.” Alongside fellow 10m marker Pinseeker, Wag Star has been a promising newcomer to the open class pool and look like be belongs, albeit Pinseeker has properly dived into that pool and made a bigger splash. Either could win tonight but while their 10m handicaps don’t sound daunting over 3200m in the full field it could mean settling 15 lengths from the leaders so if either can make a quick beginning it may enormously enhance their chances. They are joined back in the 10m mark by North Island Country Cups winner The Surfer, who has raced well at Addington before, and Betterthancash. All those off that 10m handicap are aided by the front line containing plenty of horses possibly not in their best form after the long, magnificent but tiring Country Cups series. That may allow for a rarity, a major 3200m winner coming from off the marker pegs, with the $5 Box Seat Boost for Pinseeker (available in TAB futures) looking very fair money for a pacer who finished fifth in the Race by betcha. While Fugitive is red hot to win tonight’s other Group 1, the Avon City Ford Welcome Stakes, the Group 3 Heather Williams Memorial for the trotting mares has a lot more moving parts. Favourite Eurostyle has been superb this autumn and could be an open class factor in the second half of the season as our elite trotting ranks start to reshape. Her peak performance would probably win tonight but she does meet some high class rivals in Hidden Talent, Nellie Doyle, Julie Jaccka and the returning Empire City. The latter spent the back end of last season chasing home Australian champion Keayang Zahara and comes in tonight without a trial. “I don’t think that will bother her because she is very well and ready to go,” says trainer Phil Williamson. “But she is up against some good mares who are race fit. She can win but it won’t be easy.” View the full article

On the racetrack, Godolphin is enjoying a record-breaking season after becoming the first ownership group in history to win the G1 1,000 Guineas, G1 2,000 Guineas, GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks all in the same year. Off the racetrack, the international operation founded by Sheikh Mohammed is celebrating a banner year in a different realm of the industry. 2025 marks 10 years since the launch of Godolphin's global charitable program, which was founded with the mission of growing awareness and passion for the Thoroughbred and having a positive, long-lasting impact on the industry and the communities local to Godolphin's facilities. Over time, initiatives like the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards and Godolphin Flying Start have had an international influence, but the organization has also amplified its impact by supporting a range of programs beyond its own. Diana Cooper is the Strategic Advisor of Charities at Godolphin, overseeing the work that goes on globally. Her involvement with Godolphin dates back over 30 years. When the concept for this program was launched in 2015, she transitioned from the racing and bloodstock division of the operation over to the charitable sector. “We had already created a fund for the wildfires in Australia in 2007 and likewise in Japan with the earthquakes,” explained Cooper. “So there has always been a lot of work happening, but not within a framework that meant we could build and see what was working, what wasn't, and where we could best fill those gaps.” When the program first began, one of the first steps was to designate charitable managers for Godolphin's various facilities worldwide. Today, those roles are filled in six of Godolphin's locations with Katie LaMonica in the U.S., Penny Taylor in the UK, Louise Bernard in France, Ciara Devitt and Tom Gallagher in Ireland, Emma Ridley in Australia and Yasuko Sawai in Japan. These managers coordinate local charitable efforts and collaborate with each other to address international industry challenges. The first issue the fledgling team decided to tackle in 2015 was aftercare. That year, they hosted the Godolphin Forum for Thoroughbred Aftercare, inviting leading aftercare providers from around the world to gather in Kentucky and discuss the state of the industry. The following year, Godolphin helped launch the inaugural International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) in Newmarket, bringing together many of the same organizations from Lexington along with broader industry leaders like The Jockey Club, Horse Racing Ireland, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and France Galop. Panel at the 2025 IFAR Conference | IFAR/Brittlan Wall The forum has expanded significantly since then. Every year, the international racing community gathers to discuss the importance of responsible aftercare. Last month, the ninth-annual IFAR conference was held in Lexington. “I think our industry was pretty complacent for a long time because the Thoroughbred was always part of our lives,” noted Cooper. “We didn't quite grasp what the ramifications would be until probably a little bit too late. So that's why our first thing was to help set up IFAR. The more voices that talk about it, the happier the horses will be. Our dream is that everywhere there is a racing jurisdiction, there will be an aftercare body.” Over the past 10 years, aftercare initiatives have launched and blossomed around the globe. With support from Godolphin, the Retired Racehorse Project in Kentucky became a national retraining event rather than a regional one in 2015. Godolphin also partnered in the founding of Au-Delà des Pistes, an effort that promotes and monitors racehorse in their second careers in France. A similar platform called Treo Eile began in Ireland in 2020. Godolphin helped launch Old Friends Japan the same year. “I think one of the things we're most proud of is that now, aftercare isn't a conversation that goes like, 'Oh, we'll give you some money and now go away,'” said Cooper. “It's a joyous part of the industry now. There is a growing groundswell of support for the Thoroughbred and an acknowledgment of how much they can provide in their second life.” As aftercare efforts have advanced, Godolphin has expanded its focus to include not only the horses, but also the people and the communities that make up the industry. One of Godolphin's biggest success stories has been the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, which recognize and reward the diligence of farm and racing stable staff. The project first began when Godolphin became the principal sponsor of the Stud and Stable Staff Awards in Ireland in 2015. Since then, it has expanded to four other countries and seen over 10,000 nominations, 365 winners and, most impressively, over $6.7 million awarded in prize money. This year, TIEA will celebrate its 10th year in the U.S. In other countries where the awards program is held, TIEA is supported by the national governing body of the country, like the BHA or France Galop. Katie LaMonica, the charities manager for Godolphin America, said that the support of major organizations within the American industry has been essential to its success here. “Since we have no governing body, when we brought the program here we really had to figure out how we were going to structure it,” she explained. “I went out to try to pull together what I believed were our governing bodies. We brought The Jockey Club, the HBPA, TOBA and the Breeders' Cup together. Some of those groups don't sit at the same table very often, but they have all been very passionate about this program. It renews your faith and love of this game every year when you are meeting and hearing everybody's story. I think it's the best thing we do.” Winners of the 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in the U.S. | courtesy Godolphin Industry challenges are often country-specific. In the U.S., LaMonica's focus is on education and recruitment. Godolphin supports projects like Stable Recovery and the TRF Second Chances program, which both provide vocational training to help develop a workforce for the industry. Godolphin helped with the launch of Amplify Horse Racing, the national youth arm for education in the industry, in 2019 and LaMonica is still on their board of directors today. She has also served as the chair of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation. “Each year we are charged with looking not only within our communities–like what Lexington needs and what our broader Kentucky industry here needs–but we also have to look at the global health of the industry,” said LaMonica. “We can't solve all the problems and it's not our responsibility to solve all the problems. However, because we are the largest global racing organization, we need to do everything we can to improve the quality of life for the human and the horse.” Man of Promise educates students on a school exchange between Newmarket, England and Monasterevin, Ireland | courtesy Godolphin Godolphin-sponsored education initiatives are happening worldwide, like children's programming that incorporates stud tours in Japan and Business in the Community initiatives in Ireland. In 2021, Godolphin supported the opening of the Newmarket Pony Academy, a five-day course for elementary-aged children that focuses on teaching equine care in a way that integrates English, math and science. In 2019, Godolphin hosted the Godolphin Forum for Education, which–much like the first IFAR conference–brought industry leaders together to examine opportunities and challenges related to education and community engagement. The first forum led to the creation of Together for Racing International (TfRI), a global initiative that provides a platform to promote these important topics. Like many of the programs Godolphin has helped established, TfRI is not operated exclusively by Godolphin. Instead, Godolphin focuses on providing the resources and support needed to get these projects off the ground and sustain them over time. The goal is to empower independent efforts that align with the broader mission of strengthening the global racing community. “Philanthropist and wartime refuge Steve Shirley said, 'Philanthropy is not all about giving money. It's about energy, contacts and the experience of coming together. And when happens, so much more as achieved.' That has been the ethos of our program too,” explained Cooper. “We have a donations budget in each country for our local communities, but the sustainable aspect of our program for the industry is to create those networks, really grow the programs and enable others to come on board.” Cooper and her team rarely pause to reflect on the milestones they have reached over the past decade. Instead, they are already planning for the next ten years, envisioning new ways to expand their impact and strengthen their initiatives on a global scale. “These 10 years have been the most fulfilling thing,” Cooper said. “It's so cool to see our industry show what it is really capable of, how much more we have to offer. When you do look back on the last 10 years and see the body of work we have accomplished as a team, it is very special. I don't think we could have dreamed it.” The post Godolphin Charities Celebrates 10 Years appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

No doubt about it, the folks at Hagyards seem to have found themselves a promising intern. Still early days, mind. Richard Holder has only been there 53 years. In fact, Dr. Holder believes himself the first beneficiary of an official internship at the storied Lexington firm, founded in 1876, albeit Dr. William McGee himself was evidently granted a similar opening, less formally, by Dr. Charles Hagyard in 1940. (By 1953 the firm was renamed Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Associates.) In either case, safe to say that the internship model started pretty well. Holder had introduced himself, his first year at vet school, when a friend back in Corpus Christi sent him with an introduction to Craig Franks. Hoping to strengthen that connection, Holder returned as a junior–only to discover that Dr. Franks had left the practice. “So I'm walking out, wondering what to do now, when [Dr.] Jim Smith drives into the barn,” Holder recalls. “I explained what I was doing there, and he said, 'Well, why don't you hop in and ride with me.' We got to be good friends and the next year, 1972, I got the internship.” A vocation for horses had always been there, growing up in South Texas: working on ranches, rounding up cattle, playing cowboy. After the University of Texas, he proceeded to vet school at A&M–and his timing, in terms of the horse business, could not have been better. The old-school sporting programs were suddenly being supplemented by people trying to make money, big money, from breeding. An era was dawning when veterinary input could influence huge business decisions. “When I arrived, the July Sale average was $37,000,” Holder recalls. “The next year, the Japanese started coming in and it went to $55,000. And over the next 15 years it went to $700,000. The business just exploded. There were tons of horses, people buying farms, people bringing in mares. Hagyards was swamped. They probably only had 10 veterinarians, now there are probably 70-something. So I got hired on. And the theory then was to be good to kids: if they worked hard, give them a chance. So if everything worked out, you could become a partner in eight years. And it did work out.” His professional longevity qualifies Holder as one of the last links to names that still cast a benign shade over the Bluegrass, from a time when everything was done by palpation. “Dr. Charlie” retired the year Holder joined, but would regularly call by the office after a dove shoot, to take a drink and make the secretary blush with his teasing. Jane Lyon with Dr. Richard Holder | Keeneland “Dr. Davidson loved shooting, too,” Holder recalls. “As the only intern, I'd hang out with him at the racetrack and see what he'd do with the horses in training. But it was Dr. McGee who was my savior. He was trying to let up, so I hit at the right time. I got along well with Charles Nuckols–we were same age–so was able to take over Hurstland from Dr. McGee. Darby Dan, too, he kind of took me under his wing there. So just with those two, that was 300 mares off his list.” McGee's need was Holder's opportunity. “But he was also doing what I was most interested in, the 'ob-gyn' [obstetric-gynecological] stuff,” he says. “And he was extremely patient and supportive. His clients loved him: if he said I was okay, I was okay with them.” Dr. Charlie's nephew Ed Fallon (“a studious, exacting guy who took great pains with me”) maintained the dynastic core of the firm, while closer in age. Mind you, science was moving so fast that the old timers were also having to learn as they went along. And Holder would himself become associated with a breakthrough meanwhile taken for granted as a decision-making tool by farms of every size. In 1989, having expanded his clientele to include Waterford Farm and a burgeoning Lane's End account, Holder visited the man he considered the world's premier equine researcher, Dr. Oliver Ginther at the University of Wisconsin. They spoke of this and that, caught up on advances–ultrasound had just entered widespread use–until it was time to head back to the airport. Waiting for the taxi, Holder happened to make a wistful aside about embryos: “Boy, it'd be cool if we could figure out a way to tell what sex they are.” “You think people would really be interested?” said Ginther. “I know my clients would. 'Wish we knew what she's carrying.' Hell, people have been saying that ever since I got down there.” A few months later, Ginther telephoned. Thanks to ultrasound, they were learning their way round embryonic physiology, identifying nascent organs and tracking minute changes. And they had identified a barely perceptible, gender specific structure. “Two millimeters, kind of an 'equals' sign,” Ginther explained. “But if you can locate it, that genital tubercle might let you determine sex.” This examination of fetal tissue in Ginther's lab had been conducted by Sandra Curran, who came down to show Holder what to look for. All he needed now was a small, obliging program that might let him experiment on its mares. There was an obvious candidate. “Yeah, I had a little farm with a partner,” Holder recalls. “Fifteen mares. So I was my own first client for this. People don't like you just banging around in there without good reason. Then a couple for Dave Mowat at Fawn Leap. The first year, I did 25. All correct. So Dave said, 'Come on then, I'll let you charge for it.' Next year I did about 45. The year after, 80. Still all correct.” It spread like wildfire: first to Holder's clients, then the superpowers, soon even their sister farms in Europe. At first, volume was confined by assessment being restricted to the first 80 days of pregnancy. But then Holder discovered that this narrow window could be prised back open just a couple of weeks later. “At 80 days it goes out of reach but at 95, damn, there it is again,” he says. “It's a developed fetus, maybe the size of a rat, and the tubercle is no more: by now you're looking at external genitalia.” A.P. Indy | Sarah Andrew He returned to mares already sexed that year and cross-checked the later test against his original findings. Everything tallied. So now the testing spectrum had expanded radically. At one point Holder was scanning 2,000 mares a year, from Japan to Dubai. “I carted that 25lbs Aloka machine through airports for 15 years!” Holder says. “Wasn't always fun, if you were late for a flight…” Of maybe 50,000 tests across his career, no more than eight have proved wrong. So here was another transformative tool: science assisting business, but also business driving science. As the industry grew, ancillary specialisms flourished. In Holder's case, sexing fetuses ended up as 60 percent of his practice. But ultrasound was game-changing in so many other ways. Holder remembers the theatricality surrounding the firm's first machine, each farm booking its day and moving all its mares to one barn to take their turn almost ceremonially. Improved detection even prompted some of the older help to mutter that the machine “caused” twins. “I remember, one of the first mares I looked at, seeing three vesicles in there,” Holder recalls. “I thought she was full of cysts. Then next time you looked, damn, they were pregnancy vesicles. Triplets! Nobody really knew we had them. I've had as many as four or five pregnancies in a mare, but you'd never have known before.” His specialism could make heavy demands. In springtime, long days ran into long nights, as draining emotionally as physically: if you need a vet for the business end of a pregnancy, something is going wrong. The other big test of vocation comes when your arm is fully committed to that portion of an indignant mare with two lethal hoofs attached. One colleague lost a lung, ultimately with tragic consequences, attempting no more than a worming. Mostly, however, Holder has felt able to trust both his own instincts and those handling his patient. But while timeless crises abide, Holder could not have had a more dynamic environment for his long journey from intern to veteran. Now he, in turn, is fascinated by breakthroughs entering daily use among the next generation. Plenty of these, equally, have simply shown how well the old timers managed in the half-light of science. Holder has been privileged by intimate insights into the systems that produced A.P. Indy and Genuine Risk, among others. And while he takes it a little easier now, confining himself to sexing “only” around 600 a year, the professional ardor still burns. “I got here in '72, and I'm still practicing,” he says. “I think I'll have the record at Hagyards, in all the time they've been going. A lot of it's been pretty labor-intensive. But it's fun to get good results. Pregnant or not, that's different. Sexing, there's already good news: she's pregnant. Nobody blames you if it's the 'wrong' sex. But someone really wants a filly? And, yep, it's a filly–well, they go crazy. I've had such fantastic clients, over the years. So it's all been kind of nice to be part of.” The post Half A Century Holding Your Horses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Field of Gold will face eight rivals as he bids for classic redemption in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) at the Curragh May 24.View the full article

Frateli La Vita is set to defend his title May 25 in the Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella at Club Hipico de Santiago with an automatic starting position in the Breeders' Cup Mile on the line.View the full article

For the first time since 2000, Laurel Park in Maryland will host National Steeplechase Association hurdle races on Father's Day, June 15.View the full article

2nd-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, 5f, post time: 1:14 p.m. ET Winchell Thoroughbreds' SPICE RUNNER (Gun Runner) drew outside in a field of eight and is the 5-2 morning line second favorite to try to snap an unusually cool beginning to the local meeting for the Steve Asmussen barn. A March foal, the homebred is the latest to make the races out of Simple Surprise (Cowboy Cal), who won her maiden at first asking over a sloppy Churchill main track for coming up on 10 years ago for these same connections. Unsurprisingly covered by the Horse of the Year in her first year at stud in 2018, Simple Surprise produced Gunite, who needed three tries to break his maiden and celebrated his best season as a 4-year-old, defeating future champion Elite Power (Curlin) in the GI Forego Stakes before finishing runner-up to that foe in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Gunite put together a record of 4-2-1 from seven appearances beneath the Twin Spires, with three of those scores in stakes company. TJCIS PPs The post Friday Insights: Gunite Full-Brother Unveiled at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tattersalls Ireland, RATOATH – Oh what a feeling it is to be playing with the house's money. Eoin McDonagh, one of the most upwardly mobile handlers on the circuit, finds himself in that very position after a bonanza of a breeze-up season and he bids to end the year with a bang at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale – the sale that got him going. And he has a strong chance, too. His eight-strong Shanaville Stables draft features juveniles by Hello Youmzain, Starspangledbanner, Lope De Vega, Sioux Nation and more. And McDonagh admits to having saved some of his best bullets until last. “I have a good, solid bunch of horses and I am not afraid to support this sale,” the 35-year-old said. “This sale got me going a few years ago and it continues to go from strength to strength every year since. The footfall here last year was phenomenal and it seems to be strong already here this week again. And not just at the top end, which seemed to be strong at every breeze-up sale this year, but the market from the bottom right up to the top has historically been extremely strong at this sale. That's why we love coming back and hopefully this week will be the same.” Things have been humming along pretty sweetly for McDonagh ever since the Craven Breeze-Up Sale where his 30,000gns yearling purchase by Starspangledbanner rocked into 200,000gns. Jackpot. But the cards have kept on falling his way all year and, following another good week at Arqana, there is optimism in the air ahead of what has traditionally been known as the final big sale on the European breeze-up circuit. He said, “I've had a great year – turned simple pinhooks into good money and I'm ahead for the year. Things are good and I'm fortunate I had a few nice horses. We'd a very good sale at Arqana selling a Palace Pier filly with a nice page for €165,000 and a Blue Point that we sold for €75,000. They both made a profit. I think the best result of the year so far was the Starspangledbanner colt we sold at the Craven – he sold for 200,000gns after we bought him for just 30,000gn as a yearling but I really do hold him in high regard. He was actually named Golden Conquer this week and I think there will be big things to come from him. He's based with Roger Varian and the vibes seem to be good.” He added, “I had 15 breeze-up horses last year and we upped it to 18 this year, which is the most we have ever had. I think we bought a lot more quality last year – did a lot of shopping at Book 1 and 2. We actually bought three of the cheapest horses in Book 1 last year and they all blossomed into lovely horses so it worked out well. I took a chance on horses by sexy sires who might have been falling between the cracks.” To that extent, McDonagh has come into the breeze-up game from a different angle. Having cut his teeth in National Hunt racing, a sphere in which he knows, loves and continues to operate well in, McDonagh revealed that it did take some time to refine his eye to what the market wants and appreciates on the level. He explained, “I love National Hunt racing, I always have done, but as far as running a business goes, this works well. I spent a couple of years with Con Marnane when I was younger and that just opened my eyes to what scale there is on the Flat. We've been relatively successful at the breeze-up game throughout a short period of time but every year you are learning something new and adapting. I try to give myself a good chance with sire-power and pedigree. If you have that, you can get buyers to the door and, if they have done a nice breeze, it's an easy sell. I'm not afraid to think outside the box either.” He added, “I have always been sucked into those big-walking horses at the sales but I have learned that you don't need that big exaggerated walk for the Flat. Those horses tend to be slow so, when you come to this game from a National Hunt background, you need to adapt and change your eye to a certain degree. I'd often look at a yearling and be quite forgiving because I'd imagine what they would look like when they are trained up at the breeze-up sale. That forgiving mindset has worked in my favour. Take the Starspangledbanner for example. He was quite a heavy yearling but he came back a much better two-year-old and just transformed into a lovely horse with a bit of training. So I'm not afraid of taking a chance and trying to turn these yearlings into nice, athletic horses.” While a number of the Shanaville horses found themselves in the top 50 on the unofficial times sheets following Thursday's breeze, you won't usually find many of McDonagh's horses breaking the clock as a rule. Instead, the young handler remains committed to the later-maturing types, a modus operandi that has served him well thus far. He concluded, “I was never really tempted to get sucked into those fast, early types, because if they don't clock well, you've a long way to fall. On top of that, they are not worth much after Royal Ascot. Concentrating on the mile/mile-plus horses has served me well and I think it's the area of the market that suits us best. With those sharper, quicker horses, you have a shorter shelf life. If you have a horse with size, scope and movement, people will look at them with a view towards them being three-year-old types and some buyers might even be thinking of a horse that would go dual-purpose. I prefer to think long-term and the international market for those horses is very strong when you have a good one.” The Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale, which produced classy performers Diego Ventura and Coto De Caza last year, gets underway at 10am on Friday. The post ‘The Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale Got Me Going And I’m Not Afraid To Support It’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The deadline to nominate yearlings to the European Breeders' Fund (EBF) by a stallion not registered to the EBF is Saturday, May 31. This nomination stage largely relates to yearlings by stallions standing in the US and requires a registration fee to be paid of $600. “Owners and breeders looking to either campaign a horse in Europe or sell, should check that it is EBF nominated as over 80% of two-year-old maiden races are confined to EBF-qualified horses,” said the EBF's Kerry Murphy. “The EBF is contributing over €6 million in added prize-money throughout Europe every year.” The post EBF Registration Deadline Approaching appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Gun Barrel City during the Belmont at the Big A meeting on May 18. Frankel Gelding Hits His Target Bass Stables homebred Gun Barrel City (Frankel) graduated at second asking during the Belmont at the Big A meeting on Sunday (video). Trained by Todd Pletcher, he was gelded after his debut last September. Out of GII Lake George Stakes and GIII Nobel Damsel Stakes heroine Mrs McDougal (Medaglia d'Oro), the 4-year-old is a half-brother to War Front's graded stakes winner Seal Team, as well as the 3-year-old gelding Ben Milam (Curlin), a juvenile colt named Fast Connection (Connect) and a yearling colt by Charlatan. Mrs McDougal's latest progeny is a colt foal by Annapolis, which arrived on April 28. His granddam, Distorted Passion (Distorted Humor), was a multiple stakes winner and placed in a pair of graded stakes. Juddmonte's Frankel sports a strike rate of 51% in the U.S., with 35 winners from 68 runners. Of his winners there, he has sired 13 stakes winners anchored by Grade I winners McKulick, Measured Time, Inspiral and Lake Victoria. Gun Barrel City breaks his maiden in R6 at BAQ for trainer Todd Pletcher with @iradortiz aboard! pic.twitter.com/O3pCAESqtd — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) May 18, 2025 Repeat Winners Dan Blacker trainee Lunar Impact (Zoustar) earned the first black-type win of her career in Santa Anita's Mizdirection Stakes on May 17 (video). Owned by D K Racing, Qatar Racing, Radley Equin, Rick Gold and Dave Odmark, the 5-year-old mare was making her 11th start. The post Making Waves: Gun Barrel City Strikes In The Big Apple appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Bouncing back from a disappointing effort when fifth in last month's G3 Prix Noailles, the Starspangledbanner colt Rafale Design returned to ParisLongchamp to stamp his class on Thursday's G3 Prix Hocquart, Sent off at 12-1 for the 11-furlong contest, Laurent Dassault's colour-bearer was restrained by Christophe Soumillon following a smart break to track the moderate pace. Full of running at every stage, the Yann Barberot-trained descendant of the GI Matron Stakes heroine Sense Of Style took control approaching the furlong pole before asserting for a smooth 1 1/4-length verdict over Sottsass's Asmarani. “I am not surprised to see him win, because he is a good horse and my best three-year-old,” Barberot said. “He is a good-ground specialist and the rain-softened ground was a real concern for me but obviously he is getting stronger. He has improved with time and stays well, so the [G1] Grand Prix de Paris will now be the target.” Won last year by Calandagan before going onto bigger and better things… Rafale Design takes a nice step forward from his reappearance to claim Listed honours at ParisLongchamp! pic.twitter.com/mZX1JWD44y — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 22, 2025 The post Starspangledbanner’s Rafale Design Bounces Back In The Hocquart appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Group 1 winner Tunnes, a half-brother to Arc hero and sire Torquator Tasso, has joined the BBAG Spring Sale as a wildcard. Set for May 30, the catalogue now features 59 lots. The son of Guiliani was sold for €38,000 during the BBAG September Yearling Sale in 2020. Racing for Holger Renz, the chestnut showed group form at two with a win at Group 3 level, and progressed at three to take the G3 Deutsches St. Leger and the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern. He is out of the Toylsome (GB) mare Tijuana. The post Group 1 Winner Tunnes Added To BBAG Spring Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There were a few likely types in Yarmouth's six-furlong novice on Thursday and one clear-cut winner in Too Darn Hot's newcomer Postmodern who surged to TDN Rising Star status. Contained initially by Jamie Spencer, Wathnan's 270,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase tanked his way to the front before getting past the first two furlongs. Asked to extend with every rival covered a furlong from home, the Hamad Al Jehani-trained 18-5 second favourite powered clear for an emphatic five-length success. Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's 500,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 buy Amorim by Havana Grey was the closest at the line, but treading water behind the half-brother to Muhaarar's GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes winner Be Your Best. “He left the gates smarter than I wanted, but he pricked his ears in front and I was still taking him back at the furlong pole,” Spencer said, while the trainer added, “He's a nice horse and we were educating him today. He has a nice turn of foot and hopefully we'll see him in a big race next.” We may have just seen something very special! Postmodern puts in a seriously impressive performance first time up at @GTYarmouthRaces! pic.twitter.com/9Iz0P4cd8x — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 22, 2025 The post Too Darn Hot’s Postmodern A New TDN Rising Star For Wathnan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A schedule, compiled by America's Best Racing, of racing programs on radio and television.View the full article

Godolphin's recent £720,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up acquisition Maximized (Mehmas) yielded a swift return on investment with a performance worthy of TDN Rising Stardom in Thursday's Betfred “Follow Us On X” EBF Novice Stakes over six furlongs at Haydock. The Cheveley Park Stud-bred went postward as an 11-2 chance and broke well to stalk the pace in second from the outset of this debut. Looming large before inching ahead passing the quarter-mile marker, he quickened impressively to settle the contest in a matter of strides approaching the final furlong and kept on powerfully in the closing stages to easily account for stablemate Time To Turn (Dark Angel) by 1 1/4 lengths. The runner-up finished 2 3/4 lengths clear of the remainder. A @godolphin 1-2 but NOT in the order the market expected Maximized, a £720,000 breeze-up buy, proves too streetwise for seemingly better-fancied stablemate Time To Turn. Two colts with stacks of potential. @Betfred | @davidprobert9 pic.twitter.com/ws9rbnNdAk — Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 22, 2025 Maximized is the latest of five foals and second scorer produced by a daughter of G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Hooray (Invincible Spirit), herself a out of Listed Star Stakes winner Hypnotize (Machiavellian). Hypnotize, who is a half-sister to Group 2-winning G1 1000 Guineas third Dazzle (Gone West), also threw Listed Criterium de l'Ouest victor Hypnotic (Lomitas) and Listed Two-Year-Old Trophy third Mazyoun (Mayson). The April-foaled bay is a half-brother to Listed Cathedral Stakes victrix and G3 Ballyogan Stakes runner-up Benefit (Acclamation). 2nd-Haydock, £11,000, Mdn, 5-22, 2yo, 6fT, 1:14.97, g/f. MAXIMIZED (GB), c, 2, by Mehmas (Ire) 1st Dam: Boost (GB), by Pivotal (GB) 2nd Dam: Hooray (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire) 3rd Dam: Hypnotize (GB), by Machiavellian Sales history: 95,000gns RNA Ylg '24 TATOCT; £720,000 2yo '25 GOUKBR. *1/2 to Benefit (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), SW-Eng & GSP-Ire. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, £5,940. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. O-Godolphin; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-David Probert. The post Expensive Godolphin Breezer Maximized Impresses with TDN Rising Star Display at Haydock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sammarco, a dual Group 1 winner when trained in Germany by Peter Schiergen, is set to make his Australian debut for Ciaron Maher at Sandown on Saturday. The son of Camelot was a high-class three-year-old in 2022 when he registered back-to-back victories at the top level in the Deutsches Derby and Grosser Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen. He now kicks off his career in Australia as the winner of five of his 18 starts and over €630,000 in total prize-money. “It's going to be interesting how that German form ties in,” assistant trainer Jack Turnbull told Racenet. “We've had some of our riders on him and Ethan [Brown] had a sit on him recently and said he gave him a feel. That's what you want to hear. “He's definitely one of those staying horses that could do anything, especially this time of year. You know he's got the stamina, he's just got to get the first half right.” Sammarco is set to run over 1,800 metres on Saturday, having shown his best form in Europe at around 2,400 metres, but Turnbull is optimistic that the run will bring him on as the team build towards some big targets in the spring. “He'll want the run, naturally, but it's just the right race to kick him off in,” he added. “Our plan is to pick through the winter. He'll probably go through the Banjo Paterson Series and then, all being well, you're at the doorstep of spring fit. “He will be regulation four to five weeks every run, emulating that European style. He's not young–he's seasoned and we can't reinvent the wheel running every two weeks.” The post Deutsches Derby Hero Sammarco Ready for Australian Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Santa Anita Park's Hollywood Meet reached the halfway point by increasing the substantial gains in handle and field size through comparable dates from last year. The Hollywood Meet, which began on Apr. 18, saw purses increases of over 10% from last year's season while drawing runners from Northern California and leading to an 11% rise in field size at Santa Anita. Additionally, Santa Anita Park's handle is up 14% from 2024. On-track attendance during Santa Anita's 90th year has remained steady with a 5%increase over 2024. The Santa Anita Hollywood Meet continues through Sunday, June 15. The post Santa Anita’s Handle, Field Size Up at Halfway Point at 2025 Hollywood Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

King Dance (Nyquist–Do the Dance, by Discreet Cat), a 3-year-old half-brother to last week's GIII Pimlico Special Stakes winner Awesome Aaron (Practical Joke) who cost $200,000 at Keeneland September in 2023, makes his career debut in a 1200-meter 'griffin' race at Sha Tin Racecourse Sunday afternoon. King Dance is owned by Peter Chu and is trained by Francis Lui, best known as the conditioner of three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), and who has had other success with American-bred gallopers, such as Hong Kong Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Chancheng Glory (Mor Spirit); Chancheng Prince (Carpe Diem), winner of seven races and better than $1.4 million in Hong Kong; and the Group 3-placed Sunny Star (Flatter). Having arrived in Hong Kong last September, King Dance spent his first few weeks in light work at Sha Tin, but has been stabled at the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Conghua Training Center since late October. He has participated in four barrier trials, the last three of which have taken place over the last two months, including a narrow 'victory' going a straight 1000 meters Apr. 28 where he was slowly into stride before making progress while under urging to prevail (video, barrier 4). Bred in Kentucky by the Do the Dance Partnership, the chestnut was consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, to the 2023 Keeneland September Sale, the same auction that produced future three-time G1 Hong Kong Mile hero Good Ba Ba ($85,000 in 2003), himself a debut griffin winner. King Dance's stakes winning dam is out of Loure (A.P. Indy), whose daughter Randonnee (Blame) was a listed winner and placed three times at Group 3 level in Japan. Third dam Loving Pride (Quiet American) won the 2002 G3 Prix d'Aumale in France for Sheikh Mohammed and Criquette Head. King Dance is drawn four in a field of 12 in the Sunday opener at Sha Tin (12:30 a.m. ET). 'Griffins' are defined as horses aged two or three years old who are unraced upon their import into Hong Kong. South African ex-pat jockey Lyle Hewitson has the riding assignment. Click here for the HKJC form. The post Keeneland-Sourced Son of Nyquist Set For Hong Kong Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

An earner of more than $3 million, Skippylongstocking has competed at 15 different tracks during his career, in which he has won eight graded stakes.View the full article