Wandering Eyes

The Fasig-Tipton March Digital Sale closed Tuesday evening with 66 horses sold for $2,011,200. The catalogue featured horses of racing age, breeding stock, and yearlings. Law Professor (Constitution), a 6-year-old horse of racing age, sold for $230,000 to JTH Racing to top the sale. Offered as Hip 4 by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, he was a winner in his last two starts, earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure last out Feb. 23. Law Professor is a four-time stakes winner, including the GII Santa Anita Mathis Mile S., and was runner up to Life Is Good in the GI Woodward S. To date, Law Professor has eight wins, two seconds, and three thirds from 22 career starts and has earned $1,004,565. Other top sellers included: Queens Command (Ire) (War Command) (Hip 11), a 5-year-old racing/broodmare prospect sold for $200,000 to Shannon Potter, agent for Town and Country Racing and George Saufley, from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. A winner in Ireland and the United States, Queens Command was runner up in the GIII Santa Ana S. in her most recent start Feb. 24. Cairo Sugar (Cairo Prince) (Hip 27), a stakes winner, sold for $200,000 to SF Bloodstock LLC from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Offered as a broodmare prospect, Cairo Sugar is a daughter of MGISW Spun Sugar and is a half-sister to the dams of graded stakes winner Best Actor and stakes winner Arham. Bless America (Into Mischief) (Hip 25), a 4-year-old horse of racing sale sold for $145,000 to MV from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Bless America has won or placed in all three of his career starts, breaking his maiden in maiden special weight company in his most recent start Feb. 24. “It was a very solid sale,” said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton's Director of Digital Sales. “It was a workmanlike sale. Six horses brought six figures or more and the market was very fair.” Overall, 66 horses sold for $2,011,200, good for an average of $30,472. Full results are available online. The next Fasig-Tipton Digital sale will be the April Digital Sale, which opens for bidding on Thursday, Apr. 4 and closes on Tuesday, Apr. 9. The post Law Professor Tops Fasig-Tipton March Digital Sale at $230,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Baoma Corp.'s undefeated superstar, Nysos, will be out of training for at least one month, knocking him out of contention for the April 6 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and putting his Preakness Stakes (G1) hopes into question.View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of March 4-March 10View the full article

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association will have a nearly $6,000,000 stakes schedule this year the LTBA announced Tuesday. Offered over 67 stakes races, of which 33 will offer a purse of over $100,000, the purses are part of a continuing program to support accredited Louisiana-breds along with incentives for breeders and stallion owners. “We are proud to offer a dynamic stakes program that provides a year-round schedule for Accredited Louisiana breds,” said Roger Heitzmann III, secretary-treasurer of the LTBA. “Our owners and trainers have found this to be a tremendous benefit, and we are thankful to have four tracks that do great job of supporting Louisiana breds” The post LA-Breds To Race For Nearly $6m In Stakes Purses This Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The William Cooper Faith and Community in Action award was bestowed upon Stable Recovery Tuesday according to a release from the organization. Honored at the Annual Governor's Prayer Breakfast, Stable Recovery was celebrated for their support of individuals and families affected by substance abuse. “We are humble and grateful to receive the Faith and Community in Action Award,” said CEO of Stable Recovery Christian Countzler. “We wake up every day and try to make a difference. Our mission is challenging but worthwhile, and it is heartening to be recognized by the governor and the state for all the hard work we do.” More information about Stable Recovery and their mission can be found at their website. The post Stable Recovery Honored With William Cooper Faith And Community In Action Award appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Breeders' Cup announced March 12 individual $1 million purse increases for two of its marquee races: the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T).View the full article

Parx-based trainer Monte Gelrod has been notified by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) that a horse he trains named Ratified (Constitution) tested positive for Cobalt after racing Feb. 19 at Parx. His suspension has been put on hold while HIWU awaits the results of a B sample test. If the B sample also shows the presence of Cobalt, Gelrod faces a suspension of up to two years. Gelrod's positive was the second recorded at Parx in a short period of time. On Feb. 6, the Patricia Farro-trained Deplane (He's Had Enough) tested positive for the banned substance after winning a $7,500 claimer. As is the case with Gelrod, Farro has continued to train while HIWU awaits the results of the B sample. Since HIWU took over the role of drug testing and issuing punishments against offending trainers, there have been three positives for Cobalt. The third trainer involved is Mario A. Dominguez, who had a horse test positive following a May 24 race, one that also took place at Parx. Dominguez's case has been resolved and he has received a two-year suspension. Cobalt has been proven to stimulate the production of EPO and red blood cells in mammals which explains why some have turned to it as a potential performance-enhancer in horses. With greater blood cell production comes better endurance and decreased muscle fatigue. Gelrod is a relative newcomer when it comes to Thoroughbred racing. Gelrod was a close associate of top Standardbred trainer Bill Robinson, who was banned at Woodbine Entertainment Group's tracks for more than 11 years for repeated drug violations. Gelrod trained Standardbreds on his own from 1991 to 2015 and won 676 races. According to a 2003 story in the Daily Racing Form, he received a five-year suspension in New Jersey after a fourth positive for milkshaking. He began training Thoroughbreds in 2023 and has amassed a career record of 4-for-20. The case of Farro includes an unusual twist. The horse was claimed out of the race in which he tested positive by trainer Harold Wyner for owner John Fanelli and Longball Stables. HISA rules allow two business days for new owners to consider returning claimed horses to the previous connections after an alleged drug violation. Fanelli and Longball decided to keep the horse even though the horse itself is under a 60-day suspension, the result of the Cobalt finding. The new owners ran him back Feb. 14, before the Cobalt positive was made public. He finished third in that race and the owners had to return the $4,928 they picked up in purse earnings because the horse should have been declared ineligible to run in the race. Farro did not return a call from the TDN seeking comment. The post Monte Gelrod Latest Parx Trainer to Have Cobalt Positive appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic and the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf will both receive individual $1-million purse increases, Breeders' Cup Limited announced Tuesday. Beginning with this year's 41st World Championships at Del Mar, the purse of the 1 1/4-mile Longines Breeders' Cup Classic will increase from $6 million to $7 million, while the purse of the 1 1/2-mile Longines Breeders' Cup Turf will increase from $4 million to $5 million. This raises total purses and awards for the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious two-day event, to more than $33 million. The increases were approved at the March meeting of Breeders' Cup Limited's Board of Directors. “These purse increases reflect a key mission of the Breeders' Cup World Championships: to attract the best-of-the-best from around the world to compete in a spectacular international showcase,” said Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited. “We are proud that the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic and Longines Breeders' Cup Turf continually rank among the top races in the world and these purse increases demonstrate our Board of Directors' commitment to further enhancing the international stature of the World Championships.” The 2024 Breeders' Cup World Championships, featuring 14 Grade I Championship races, will be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar. The post Breeders’ Cup Classic and Turf Both Receive $1-Million Purse Increases appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

CHELTENHAM, UK — The biggest cheer all day at Cheltenham came from the Ascot crowd. Sir Francis Brooke, first Her Majesty's and now His Majesty's Representative at Ascot was engulfed by back-slappers and well-wishers as the horse he owns with Richard Pilkington, Chianti Classico (Ire) (Shantou {Ire}), ground his way through the extended three miles of the Ultima Handicap Chase to provide the sole strike for Britain on a day dominated – predictably – by Willie Mullins. Chianti Classico's trainer Kim Bailey has had his share of Cheltenham glory but those high days were almost 30 years ago when, in 1995, Alderbrook (GB) took the Champion Hurdle followed two days later by the victory of Master Oats (GB) in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the maestro Norman Williamson in the saddle for both. That was in the days when it seemed that the spoils were more evenly spread, and Bailey claiming two of the championship races in the same year was big news. Now, Mullins does that with regularity and the winner's enclosure on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival was again frequently occupied by his horses. There seemed little doubt, barring the vagaries of luck in running, that State Man (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}) would carry off the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle once Constitution Hill (GB) (Blue Bresil {Fr}) had been ruled out last week. The latter is the only horse who has been able to tame State Man in his last 12 races, when, on this day last year, Constitution Hill handed him a nine-length drubbing in this same race. “You've got to turn up to win a Champion Hurdle. We turned up,” said Mullins, unable to resist a a gentle sideswipe at those constantly comparing his fifth Champion Hurdle winner to the rather more flamboyant absentee. “There's no wow factor with State Man,” he said of the seven-year-old. “And you don't go 'wow' when you look at him either, but he does what it says on the tin. He's that type of horse. It's very hard to be wow in that ground, but he's a good solid, sound horse and he just gives his running every time.” There is a rather bigger wow attached to the lovely five-year-old mare Lossiemouth (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}), who prowled round the parade ring, cruised around racecourse, making light work of the heavy turf, then returned to claim her second prize on Cheltenham's main stage. She has only been beaten once in her life and we will surely see her in the Champion Hurdle in years to come but, having taken last year's G1 JCB Triumph Hurdle it was plainly the right decision to keep her among her own sex in the G1 Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle. The sheer depth of that race in recent years is testament to the fact that it is doing exactly what is was introduced to do, and that is to encourage owners to buy and race mares. “You can say anything you want to in hindsight,” said Lossiemouth's owner Rich Ricci. “We had a plan and we stuck to it. Hopefully we'll be able to do it next year. We've won the Mares' [Hurdle], it's a Grade 1 and I'm delighted.” It was in fact double delight for Ricci and his wife Susannah, whose colours had already been borne to victory by Gaelic Warrior (Ger) (Maxios {GB}), who had started the ball rolling for Mullins with victory in the G1 Arkle Novices' Chase. This provided a rare top-level winner over fences for the breeding operation of the Niarchos family. He'd been sold by them for only €9,000 as a yearling in Germany and thus became the first of two BBAG September Yearling Sale graduates to strike at Cheltenham on Tuesday. He is one of the standout performers, along with former Triumph Hurdle winner Quilixios (GB), for his sire Maxios, and his breeding is Niarchos through and through, with his first two dams and damsire Hernando (Fr) having also been bred by the family. Incidentally, lovers of racing trivia may recall that Maxios's half-brother, the Arc winner Bago (Fr), was responsible for the only horse ever to have carried the Niarchos colours on a Henry Cecil runner at Cheltenham when his son Plato (Jpn) won the 2011 St Patrick's Day Derby under Lorna Fowler, whose first runner as a trainer in the Champion Hurdle this year, Colonel Mustard (Ger) ran an honourable fifth. It is now the norm for Irish-trained horses to have the upper hand at Cheltenham, and Henry de Bromhead, Joseph O'Brien and Emmet Mullins also wrote their names on the first-day scoresheet. First blood went the way of de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore in the G1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle when Slade Steel (Ire) outbattled Mystical Power (Ire) up the hill. The latter has the bloodlines to excel on the Flat or over jumps, as he is by Galileo (Ire) out of the brilliant Champion Hurdler Annie Power (Ire), but it was Galileo's son Telescope (Ire) who provided the winner. Though born in Ireland at Ballincurrig House Stud, Slade Steel was bred by British breeder Dena Merson, who joins an elite group to have bred a winner at both the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot. The two horses are related, too, as the 2008 Ascot Stakes winner Missoula (Ire) (Kalanisi {Ire}) is a half-sister to Slade Steel's dam Mariet (GB) (Dr Fong). The cousins Joseph O'Brien and JJ Slevin combined for their second joint-Festival win with Lark In The Mornin (Ger) in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. The son of Soldier Hollow (GB) may not be one of the main poster boys for the breeze-up sales but he adds an extra level of versatility to the list of graduates from that division, having been bought at BBAG by Tom Whitehead for €28,000 and resold through his Powerstown Stud for 130,000gns at the Tattersalls Guineas Sale. Also the winner of Listowel mile maiden on debut at two, Lark In The Mornin was bred by Gestut Hof Ittlingen out of Loyalty Ger), a mare by their G1 Japan Cup winner Lando (Ger). Emmet Mullins, who runs his Grand National winner Noble Yeats (Ire) (Yeats {Ire}) in Thursday's G1 Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle, claimed Tuesday's finale, named in honour of his grandmother, who died last month. The Maureen Mullins National Hunt Challenge Cup saw the widest-margin winner of the day when JP McManus's Corbetts Cross (Ire) (Gamut {Ire}) shot clear by 17 lengths in the hands of Derek O'Connor. “It was a great honour and a privilege for The Jockey Club to name the race after Mrs Mullins, granny, and it's extra special to win it,” said Mullins. But the day really belonged to Emmet's Uncle Willie, who, with Lossiemouth, recorded a 97th Festival win. Don't bet against him getting a hundred up before the week is out, and there would perhaps be no more appropriate way to do so than in the hundredth running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday. Conveniently, and totally unsurprisingly, Willie Mullins has the favourite for that race, too. The post A Mullins Treble Puts Cheltenham Century in Reach appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of March 4-March 10View the full article

Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager opens March 15 at noon. Risen Star (G2) winner Sierra Leone named the 5-1 morning line favorite. Rachel Alexandra (G2) winner Tarifa named 8-1 favorite in lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager.View the full article

West Point Thoroughbreds and the Green family's D J Stable went to $1.2 million to acquire a colt by Tapit from the Lothenbach dispersal Tuesday at OBS. Bred by the late Bob Lothenbach, the gray colt is out of Distorted Music (Distorted Humor) and is a half-brother to graded winner She Can't Sing (Bernardini). He was consigned by Tom McCrocklin. The result was the third million-dollar sale from the dispersal. She Can't Sing sold for $1.1 million at the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale where Bell's the One sold for $1.3 million. The post West Point, D J Stable Strike for $1.2M Tapit Colt from Lothenbach Dispersal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The post Here Lies Vinny appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nysos (Nyquist), the top-ranked horse in the NTRA's poll of top three-year-olds, will miss one month of training after a `minor' setback, said the colt's trainer, Bob Baffert, by text Tuesday afternoon. “(Nysos) will be out of training,” Baffert texted. “Tack-walking for 30 days. No plans.” Asked exactly what the setback was, Baffert replied, “minor.” Nysos is a perfect three-for-three, breaking his maiden at Santa Anita in October, winning the GIII Bob Hope S. in November, and then winning the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. in February. HIs combined margin of victory is 26 3/4 lengths. The colt has not worked since Feb. 25, raising questions about his condition. The post Nysos to Miss One Month of Training After `Minor’ Setback appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A collection of Preakness-inspired artworks are now on display for public voting at The Art of Racing, an online gallery which showcases art by those inspired by racing both on and off the track. Public voting will last two weeks with the winning piece featured on specially-created Preakness merchandise. Proceeds from the sales of the art will support Park Heights Renaissance, a non-profit dedicated to creating employment and housing in the Park Heights community. View the entire collection of The Art of Racing and vote here. The post Public Voting Open For Preakness-Inspired Art Contest appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Byron King's Top 12 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, presented by Spendthrift Farm.View the full article

GII Risen Star S. winner Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) was named the favorite for Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. The 'TDN Rising Star' is the 5-1 morning-line choice in the pool that opens Friday, March 15, per a release from CDI. Other top interests in the pool include GII Rebel S. winner Timberlake (Into Mischief), GII Fountain of Youth S. victor Dornoch (Good Magic) and Eclipse champion 2-year-old Fierceness (City of Light). The lone future wager for the GI Kentucky Oaks also begins Friday with 'TDN Rising Star' and Rachel Alexandra S. winner Tarifa (Bernardini) topping the list of fillies at 8-1. The post Risen Star Winner Sierra Leone Made 5-1 Favorite In Pool 5 Of KY Derby Future Wager appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There were few changes in this week's National Thoroughbred Association top Thoroughbred poll or for their 3-year-old counterparts. Last year's Pacific Classic (G1) winner Arabian Knight was the lone new member of the top 10. View the full article

GIII Robert B. Lewis S. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) remains atop the leaderboard for week 7 as the NTRA's top 3-year-old in a poll released Tuesday. GII Risen Star S. winner Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) edged out Dornoch (Good Magic) for second with Timberlake (Into Mischief), Track Phantom (Quality Road) and Muth (Good Magic) also receiving votes. For the older horses, recent G1 Saudi Cup hero Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) took top honors ahead of National Treasure (Quality Road), Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) and Newgate (Into Mischief). The post Unbeaten Nysos Remains Top 3-Year-Old In NTRA Poll appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Commissioner Doug Moore, the new Chair of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, made inaugural remarks Monday. Per a release from the ARCI, Moore called for unity amongst the racing industry along with reforms to HISA. Speaking about how penalties are assessed, Moore noted: “Previously, these fines varied from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, creating an illusion of inconsistent application of the rules. But the fact of the matter is that uniform fines are anything but uniform. Fines were and need to be assessed based on the financial structure of individual tracks. An equal fine assessed to a trainer at a track running for a purse structure of up to $500,000 per day is not the same as one given to a trainer racing where the daily purses are $100,000 per day.” Moore's full remarks can be viewed on the ARCI website. The post New ARCI Chair Calls For Unity And Suggests HISA Reform appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wednesday's top tips from the Post's racing teamView the full article

Terrence Franks, the top rookie contestant at the National Horseplayers Championship, will be honored with the James Nace Trophy. The 25th edition of the Championship, presented by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, begins Friday, March 15 and continues through Sunday, March 17. “Receiving the Jim Nace Trophy is a great honor and a moment II'll cherish, but it's also a reminder of the journey ahead,” said Franks. “The pursuit of excellence doesn't stop with an award; it's an ongoing process of learning, adapting, and thriving amidst the challenges.” “To all aspiring handicappers, success in this field is not just about making the right calls but also about continuous learning, adaptability, and a genuine love for the sport,” he continued. “Let passion be your guide, and never stop seeking knowledge.” To sign up for the 2024 NHC Tour, visit the NTRA website. The post Terrence Franks Honored As Top Rookie At National Horseplayers Championship appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For a stallion farm, it's the equivalent of the “difficult second album” so notorious in the music industry. You've launched a new sire, and profited from the customary stampede of commercial mares. But the vogue proves to be cruelly fleeting. When he returns to the covering shed, the following spring, he offers exactly the same performance history, chromosomes and conformation as before. But suddenly the phone is cold. Precisely the factors that drove his debut book–novelty, plus security from imminent exposure of his competence (or otherwise) to replicate ability–have meanwhile prompted everybody to switch to the next bunch of rookies off the carousel. In the old days, farm accountants might reckon on three seasons to retrieve the investment required to land a stallion prospect. The model was “three and out.” Nowadays, they're having to calculate closer to “one and out.” In the verdict shared by one confidant, the market for second-season sires in 2024 is proving “brutal.” Already five years ago, one of the big commercial farms managed to find just 53 mares for the second book of a stallion that had started out the year before with 223. It's very hard to see who benefits from that kind of volatility. Knowing that the only thing as certain as demand for a new stallion is the brevity of attention, opening fees now tend to be very high. In fact, the percentage of sires that will achieve a viable niche in Kentucky naturally being very small, the majority will turn out to have started at the highest fee they will ever command. The agents and managers tell their clients that first-crop yearlings represent their one shot to land on the next Into Mischief or Tapit while he's still affordable. But if that were true, why don't they stick to their guns in the stallion's third and fourth seasons, when fees, books and medians are on a giddy slide? That, after all, is precisely when your vaunted “judgement” is about to be vindicated by his first runners. That leaves as their only real pretext the self-fulfilling one that a stallion's debut book will generally prove the biggest and best of his life. But if you've truly identified a stallion who can upgrade his mares, then wouldn't you want one of the few yearlings going to market the year after he has demonstrated that ability to a waiting world? Look, everyone is doing this stuff with their eyes open. The industrial model enables a stallion farm to charge a relatively lenient fee because they're going to process a ton of mares. But if a turf sprinter could last year cover 293 mares in his first book, then breeders already know that they had better stand out from the crowd. In fairness, these high-volume operations would surely prefer a consistent spread of temperate support, through four or five years, to the current polarities. True, some of them have mastered the challenge impressively, maintaining the famous “pipeline”–whether with their own mares, or through the kind of imaginative incentive schemes introduced by the late B. Wayne Hughes for an ice-cold second-year stallion named Into Mischief. And the farms that do struggle to maintain traffic can hardly blame commercial breeders, who need to put bread on their table. So we can only conclude that it all starts with those directing investment at ringside. So what can be done? Anecdotally, we're hearing of farms offering deals on second-year sires: two-for-one, even free seasons. We're also told that “nobody's talking about it.” Well, let's change that. At the end of this article you'll find an email address to share your views or experiences. In the meantime, one man characteristically prepared not only to address the situation but to do something about is Price Bell of Mill Ridge. This farm has made a pretty spectacular return to the stallion game with Oscar Performance, and is now determined to help its latest recruit face the headwind in his second year. Aloha West, winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar in 2021, covered 83 mares in his first book. Emboldened by the quality they report in his first foals, Bell and the shareholders are offering a new incentive to keep the horse (an $8,500 cover) in the game. “If you're the breeder of record of an Aloha West that wins a maiden special weight, as a 2- or 3-year-old, you'll get a free season the next year,” Bell explains. “In other words, it's after actually having done something that you'll get rewarded. As opposed to what you hear now, where it's like, 'You get a free season this year, but then if the horse makes it, you're going to have to pay a $20,000 stud fee to breed back to him.' “Heaven forbid, Aloha West has 40 maiden winners his first crop? Then we'll have to give away 40 seasons. But it would also mean he's champion first-crop sire, so I'd love nothing more than that problem!” The point is that it should all come down to belief. “At the end of the day, if you stand a horse at stud, and support him with your mares, that's got to be because you believe that their foals will become successful racehorses,” Bell says. “And now that purse money is where it is, you can make that play. You won't always have to go to the commercial sales market. Yes, you've got more bills if you don't. But the reward, at the end, is potentially worth it.” Somehow, somewhere along the line, people have come up with this idea that there's a difference between breeding for the racetrack and breeding for the ring. For anyone prepared to play a slightly longer game, however, there should be nothing more commercial than putting a winner under your mare. “Absolutely,” Bell agrees. “For your mare and for your stallion, right? I mean, I don't have all the answers, anything like it–but I guess that is exactly my query about the whole thing.” Aloha West found himself in a very tough intake: Flightline, Life Is Good, Jackie's Warrior, Jack Christopher, Epicenter. But it was no picnic for Oscar Performance to lock horns with Justify, Good Magic, City of Light. And he duly had to earn his stripes through the standard adversities. “Oscar Performance actually had the same number of mares in his first and second years, which was like 120,” Bell says. “Just like Aloha West, because of the breadth, quality and belief of the shareholders, he was going to remain supported through those early years. He went 120, 120, 80, and then 60. And it was probably only as many as 60 because he had a winner at Keeneland in April. That got him another 10 mares or so in that fourth book.” Which brings us back to a point made earlier: if you actually believe in what you were doing, the fourth season is exactly when you would be playing: you get the best value about a horse even as he's about to announce his prowess for all to see. “And yet some horses don't even get to a fourth crop in America!” exclaims Bell. “I think my dad [Headley Bell] made that point when he bred to Arrogate in his fourth crop. There was a lot of uncertainty along the way, before he exploded with Cave Rock and all the rest. Nobody gets it right every time. Well, it's that yo-yo of chicken and feathers–you're still back at feathers. With the middle market so bifurcated, you stick to your guns because you're either going to be rewarded or you're not. There's no safe 'bond' play. If you hit, you're going to get well paid; and if you don't, you got nothing anyway. Oscar Performance | Photos By Z “That's why you do see some very shrewd breeders using horses in years three and four. And I'd like to believe that a little bit of that's happening right now. There's still a lot of mares to be booked. People have seen the incentives. They're like, 'Well, let's see her foal and then see what kind of deal I can get.' Which may also be a reaction from last year, which felt quite transitional.” Arguably, the staggering books reported in 2023 felt as though one or two farms were making a point after seeing off the proposed mare cap. But it's certainly interesting to hear these imaginative perspectives from Mill Ridge, which last engaged with the sector way back with Diesis and Gone West. After all, the whole environment has seen wild changes in the meantime. “We're all kind of sheep and if we're not careful we'll run ourselves right over a cliff,” Bell warns. “The whole beauty of the game, the whole reason we do it, is that ultimately no-one knows for sure where a good horse comes from. So if you believe in Aloha West, or any other horse, the whole quest should be about the finish line. “People say, 'Oh, I have a commercial broodmare band, therefore I should only breed the first-year sires.' I mean, I appreciate that. But if everyone has that attitude, then nobody stands out. And I think it also makes you question your horsemanship, your judgment. So maybe we should just get back to believing what we believe in, and going for it–above all, like I said, because purses are really good.” Bell, of course, has a heartening example front and center in the thriving Oscar Performance. “Our shareholders believed in him and look how well they've been rewarded,” he remarks. “Oscar Performance was pigeonholed. He didn't really have much support from pinhookers, because they were like, 'What am I going to do with a turf horse?' But then he starts having 2-year-olds winning six-furlong stakes on dirt. So now he's being supported because he's exceeded expectations. “And for Aloha West and Eclipse Thoroughbreds, it's always been the same: believe, and believe big. We really believe in this horse, in his brilliance and his opportunity to contribute to the breed. And that's why we want to reward those who believe with us.” The horse's obvious challenge, commercially, is that he didn't race until the February of his 4-year-old campaign. But Bell points out that he was routinely posting bullet works as a juvenile, before being sidelined. “So while it doesn't show in the form line, when you look at his work pattern, there's no doubting his 2-year-old quality,” he says. “And he's a gorgeous horse: not a typical Hard Spun, maybe, I think he gets more from the Speightstown mare: he's really typey and beautiful. So he's got the pedigree, he's got the brilliance, and then he has the great partners and other breeders who believe in him.” The paradox is that second-season sires actually face one question mark fewer than the rookies who enjoy such clamorous attention: breeders have at least had the chance to see what kind of stock they're putting on the ground. But even that will have its limits: Lookin At Lucky could never overcome the lack of physical glamor in his stock even after he produced winners of the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic. In the end, different people pin their belief on different things. But where there is authentic belief, then it's logical for both sides of the deal to keep the faith and share the rewards. “I mean, we're all looking for the golden ticket,” Bell concedes. “Maybe we need to recalibrate our expectations a little, and not always be searching for the lottery win. But I do think that if you're breeding a horse, you should at least believe that they're going to win a maiden race, right?” Contribute to the debate: Do you have something to add about the first-year/second-year sire conundrum for publication? Email suefinley@thetdn.com. The post Seeking Solutions When The Rookie Buzz Has Gone “West” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Marie's Diamond (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), the new resident at Diamond Stud Bellewstown, has had his first mares scanned in foal. These include Grain De Beaute (Ire) (Lawman {FR}), a half-sister to the Group 3 winner and black-type producer Beyond Desire (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), and Ilulisset (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), a half-sister to four black-type runners. Diamond Stud Bellewstown's Ciarán De Barra said, “We're delighted with how Marie's Diamond has been received. He's obviously a very good-looking horse, who had an exceptional racing career and breeders have been taken with him. We're being supported by some great breeders who are brave enough to support a new independent outfit like ours and we're very grateful for that.” The eight-year-old stallion has a bonus scheme in place for his first season, with a €25,000 Diamond Breeders' Bonus going to the breeder of his first juvenile winner and group winner in Ireland or Britain. The post First Mares in Foal for Marie’s Diamond appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Peter Williams has been in the racing game for long enough that he doesn’t get overawed by the big occasions these days. By his own reckoning, 2024 marks the 50th year that Williams has held a trainer’s licence, and on Saturday the New Zealander will saddle up Desert Lightning in the All-Star Mile at Caulfield. “It’s just a race, but we don’t get those sorts of races in New Zealand,” said Williams, who these days trains in partnership with his wife Dawn. “We’ve had horses in the Sydney Cup and things like that over the years, so it doesn’t get to me too much.” It’s been a while between visits to Melbourne for Williams, whose last trip to Caulfield was in March 2005 when he won a three-year-old handicap with Fiscal Madness (NZ) (Volksraad). Already a Group One winner, Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride of Dubai) earned his spot in the All-Star Mile by taking out the Aotearoa Classic at Ellerslie in January, while since then, he finished third in the Gr.1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic. “His races have been good,” Williams said. “His last start, he got a wet track … and he hated it. If he gets a reasonable track, he’ll be fine.” Desert Lightning arrived in Melbourne on Sunday and will have regular rider Vinnie Colgan in the saddle at Caulfield on Saturday. Sportsbet has the son of Pride Of Dubai at $17 in their market for the All-Star Mile. “He’s a good galloper and take Mr Brightside out of the race, he’s a chance,” Williams said. View the full article