Wandering Eyes

Snow Patrol (outside) denies Southport Tycoon in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes. (Photo by Pat Scala/Racing Photos) Mark Zahra and the Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr team have combined with Snow Patrol (+800) to grind away to victory in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday afternoon. It was a perfectly timed steer by Zahra who elected to stalk the favoured runner Southport Tycoon (+110) every step of the way, taking a mid-field sit throughout the 1400m journey. There was a strong tempo mid-race setup by the team Hayes-trained Carbonados (+550), as the third market elect strode to the front under Luke Currie, attempting to make every post a winner. As the leader was fading turning into the home straight, the eventual quinella pair cleared out on their respective rivals as Snow Patrol and Southport Tycoon sat down to fight out the finish, with the former just able to get the upper hand in the shadows of the post. Hey Fat Cat (+500) was the clear firmer in the market but bombed the start significantly, putting an end to his winning chances despite flashing home into a fourth-place finish, while Western Australian invader Zipaway (+650) managed to hold third. 2024 Group 2 Autumn Stakes Replay – Snow Patrol It was all about the winner though, as Snow Patrol puts his hand up for Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) contention next month. Co-trainer Michael Kent Jnr was on course to discuss the win of his improving three-year-old and gave a glowing assessment of the gelding heading towards the Guineas. “I suppose the last hundred (metres), the second horse really kicked back and made it tough for him and he just fought it out,” said Kent Jnr. “He’s got three weeks now to the Guineas, that’s ideal. “Being by that stallion (Contributer), we hope he’ll get 2000 metres, why wouldn’t he, a big strong, clean winded, sound horse, the race worked out beautifully, the pace was on, how good’s Mark Zahra? He can go enjoy the NFL on Monday,” joked Kent Jnr. Mark Zahra spoke to his tactics post-race as well, allowing his mount to tuck in behind the preferred Southport Tycoon. “I loved his trial,” said Zahra. “My plan was just to follow Southport Tycoon everywhere he went, and I did, Frosty (Damian Lane) was travelling really strong and I thought if I waited for him to kick, I wouldn’t have been able to pick him up so, Mick Price & Junior always have their horses fit, even first up, so I opted to rush him a bit at the top of the straight. “It became a two-horse war and there was nothing in it, it was a great battle and I got the head over the line at the right time but I think he’ll improve a lot from that too.” Snow Patrol is now an +700 chance with online bookmakers in the Group 1 Australian Guineas on March 2. Horse racing news View the full article

Blake Shinn drives Wertheimer to a strong win at Caulfield. Photo: Bruno Cannatelli A strong tempo and a perfect Blake Shinn ride played to the strengths of handy stayer Wertheimer as he ran out a strong winner at Caulfield on Saturday. The six-year-old son of Tavistock is prepared by Matthew Enright at Bendigo and is racing consistently well this campaign for the ex-pat Kiwi conditioner, showing no signs of fatigue at the ninth start of his preparation. Wertheimer settled second-last in the run and tracked Oceanic Flash throughout as Divine Purpose set a strong tempo up front. Shinn timed his run to perfection, claiming the lead shortly after straightening and staved off the late challenge of Galilaeus to score by a half-length. “I thought with Peter Moody’s horse (Divine Purpose) going 12 seconds to the furlong it suited me as he is not a sit and sprint horse,” Enright said. “He likes a genuine tempo, and I was happy where we were in the run. I didn’t give Blake any instructions. You don’t have to. I was surprised he was that far back, but it was a beautiful ride and he’s the master.” Enright said his facilities at Bendigo, where he has a water-walker, have enabled him to keep the horse happy throughout a lengthy campaign, and he is now eyeing a tilt at the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) on March 11. “This is run number nine (this preparation) and I said to Blake that there is no sign of him training off,” Enright said. “He goes on the water-walker for four days after each run. I don’t do anything with them and then I just regenerate them. He seems to be coping so hopefully we might sneak to Adelaide for the Adelaide Cup. “I think it is probably a year for a horse like him. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of high-class stayers around, so he will sneak there on the minimum I presume. It is certainly an option.” It was the fifth win of a 34-start career for Wertheimer and incredibly it had been 19 years since Shinn had previously ridden a runner for Enright. Bred and part-owned by Tommy Heptinstall, Wertheimer has now earned A$295,335 in stakes. Horse racing news View the full article

Race 9 WHITE ROBE LODGE WEIGHT FOR AGE (G3) 1600m NOBELLEM (B Murray) – Trainer Mr. T Kennedy advised Stewards, he was satisfied with the post-race condition of the mare and it his intention to carry on with NOBELLEM’S current preparation. The post Otago Racing Club @ Wingatui, Saturday, 3 February 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Mugen forges clear under Karis Teetan. Trailing only Zac Purton in the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship, Karis Teetan hopes to enhance another productive season when he partners emerging talent Mugen in the HK$3.72 million Class 1 Chinese New Year Cup Handicap (1400m) at Sha Tin on Monday when the Mauritian takes a full book of rides. With 43 wins so far, Teetan is second in the 2023/24 standings behind six-time champion Purton (63) after 44 meetings and hopes Pierre Ng stablemates Mugen and Galaxy Patch continue to make impressive headway. Mugen (115lb) faces only five rivals in the afternoon’s feature – Courier Wonder (135lb), Duke Wai (131lb), Super Wealthy (131lb), Red Lion (125lb) and Running Glory (125lb) – and Teetan hopes the gelding can continue the form which has seen him notch three wins and a third from four placings this term. “He’s taking on stronger horses again, but he goes in with a nice weight. It’s a small race and I think he’s going to have his chance,” Teetan said. “The speed is going to be a tactic in the race, but if he can get the right run – of course, he’s been doing very well this season – he should run well.” Galaxy Patch contests the Class 2 Yue Yee Handicap (1200m) bidding for a fifth win from six starts this campaign but faces a field packed with quality gallopers, including Flying Ace and Howdeepisyourlove and three fellow last-start winners – Good Luck Friend, Majestic Knight and Bundle Of Charm. “It’s going to be interesting to see him (Galaxy Patch) come back. He’s done everything right,” Teetan said. “His last trial was good. He’s getting better with time, so just looking forward to riding him again.” By Wandjina, Galaxy Patch arrived in Hong Kong on a rating of 63 after winning his only Australian start for Will Clarken & Niki O’Shea at Morphettville, Adelaide when racing as Gulinga Spirit in January, 2023. The gelding has since risen to 96 in the handicap. Dual champion Hong Kong trainer David Hayes rates his entry of nine runners as “probably one of the nicer teams of progressive horses I’ve saddled up during my second Hong Kong stint” and will saddle Running Glory in the Chinese New Year Cup Handicap. “I know his form has been a bit off of late but he’s had a little holiday, put a bit of weight on and hopefully he’ll strip well fresh. He’s a good horse, we all know that. He was always going for this race,” Hayes said of the former John Size charge. “He’s a very awkward horse to place because of his rating so I targeted this race from the moment I inherited him from John.” With 21 wins and 52 minor placings from 248 runners, Hayes is optimistic his team can deliver on Monday with Storm Rider (Class 3 Kut Cheong Handicap, 1400m), Ka Ying Rising (Class 3 Prosperity Handicap, 1200m) and Master Mastermind (Class 4 Good Fortune Handicap, 1200m). “Storm Rider has been very good, Ka Ying Rising will love looking up and not seeing Wunderbar and Master Mastermind ran very well first up – I think he’s a nice horse and he’s trialled well since,” Hayes said. “Lucky Encounter (Class 2 Yue Yee Handicap) has also trialled well and he’s ready to run a good race. He looks well placed in that class now. He responded in the ear muffs, he was over-racing a bit, and his last run he relaxed and worked home. The last 200m was really good and I think he’s come on from that. I really like him.” Frankie Lor hopes Irish import Unbelievable – a Hong Kong Derby (2000m) hopeful – can erase the frustrations of a challenging preparation with a strong debut performance in the Class 3 Red Packet Handicap (1600m) under Derek Leung. “He (Unbelievable) hasn’t been lucky. Early December, I wanted to trial him but suddenly he had a temperature. I started to work him again and he got a quarter crack in his hoof,” Lor said. “I have been waiting for this race. Everything revolves around the Derby but it’s all a bit rushed. He’s still not 100 per cent fit. We need to give him a run and then we will know more about him.” Formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien, Unbelievable won two races in England and Ireland is a full brother to unbeaten Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes (1400m) winner City Of Troy. Australian jockey Ben Thompson starts his Hong Kong stint with four rides – Devil And Gold, Le Maillot Jaune, Solar Partner and Powerful Wings. “It’s happened very quickly. I only received an opportunity to ride for the Hong Kong Jockey Club last Monday, so honestly to be standing here is super surreal,” Thompson said. “I’m very excited to and looking forward to settling in with my wife (Stephanie) and little boy (Harry) and we’re really excited to be here. It’s coming together well and all the help and support the Hong Kong Jockey Club has given me has made the move very comfortable. “I’m still young, willing to learn – I just want to take in the experience – and ride as many winners as I can. I want to work hard and make the most of my opportunities.” Horse racing news View the full article

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) has published the likely fields for the Saudi Cup meeting to be held Saturday, Feb. 24, at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The United States is set to be represented by a five-strong entry in the $20-million richest race in the world, a team headed by White Abarrio (Race Day), who will be making his first start since besting Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Nov. 4. The 5-year-old, trained by Richard Dutrow, Jr., has remained in California since and has logged seven workouts dating back to Dec. 24, including a five-furlong drill that was timed in :59.60 (3/120) Feb. 3. Also making the trip over from the states are National Treasure (Quality Road) and Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), first and second, respectively, in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 26; GII Cigar Mile H. hero and Pegasus fourth Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft); and Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming), last year's GI Pennsylvania Derby hero and recent winner of the GIII Louisiana S. Derma Sotogake is one of five Japanese-based horses gearing up for the nine-furlong test and will be joined on the trip over by Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), the 2023 G1 Dubai World Cup winner and a good fifth in the Classic; champion Japanese dirt horse and dual Group 1 winner Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid); G2 UAE Derby and G3 Korea Cup victor Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}); and multiple Group 3 winner Meisho Hario (Jpn) (Pyro). Most intriguing among the probables is the globetrotting Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) for trainer Aidan O'Brien. A Group 1 winner at ages two, three and four in Europe, the 5-year-old will make his first start on the dirt, having just missed behind Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup Dec. 10. The home team fields the remaining three runners, including the recently imported American Grade I winner Defunded (Dialed In); Power in Numbers (Girvin), undefeated in four starts in Saudi Arabia since selling for $400,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Horses of Racing Age Sale; and Carmel Road (Quality Road), who aired by 7 1/2 lengths in a valuable 1600-meter race Jan. 13. Emergency runners include the Doug Watson-trained 2023 G2 Godolphin Mile winner Isolate (Mark Valeski) and Scotland Yard (Quality Road), a close second to Power in Numbers in the King's Cup last time. The probable starters for the remaining Saudi Cup races may be accessed here. LIKELY FIELDS RELEASED! $37.6m in total prize money 13 countries represented #TheSaudiCup (23-24 Feb) See who's set to run below. — The Saudi Cup (@thesaudicup) February 9, 2024 The post White Abarrio, National Treasure Lead U.S. Challenge Into Saudi Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Darwin apprentice Emma Lines, 17, pictured after winning a race in the Top End recently, maintained her remarkable consistency with a winning double at Fannie Bay on Friday. Picture: Caroline Camilleri (Darwin Photography Professionals) You could wax lyrical about the success of Darwin-based apprentice Emma Lines all day. The 17-year-old, who debuted in December 2022, continued her amazing strike rate with a winning double at Fannie Bay on Friday. That made it 54 wins for the teenager, who won last year’s Darwin Guineas (1600m) aboard Tubthumper for trainer and her master Phil Cole. The leading apprentice in the Top End and Country premiership last season with 21 wins, she finished third in the jockeys’ premiership behind Jarrod Todd, who has won the past four titles, and Sonja Logan. After booting El Magnificence ($3) – making its 62nd start – and Whitten ($3 fav) home for Cole, Lines (19) remains second behind Todd (28) in the 2023/24 premiership. Cole’s Looking For You ($13), whom Lines rode to victory in her first career race start, buckled at the 700m in the opening race over 1300m (0-58) when the nine-year-old gelding trailed the leader Desarmer ($9). Lines somehow held on before Looking For You recovered to finish fifth behind Gary Clarke’s Desarmer (Todd) – with Tom Logan’s fast-finishing Queen In The North ($2.90 fav) and Tayarn Halter’s I’m A Dreamer ($17) filling the minor placings. Desarmer, Turn Me Loose’s five-year-old gelding from Victoria, was making its NT debut before saluting with half a length to spare. El Magnificence, a nine-year-old gelding by Magnus, had finished second in its past three starts, but wouldn’t be denied yesterday when prevailing over 1100m (0-76). Chris Nash’s Mr Have A Chat ($2.50 fav) – a new face from SA – shared the early lead with Patriotic King and El Magnificence before Lines settled in third place leaving the back straight. Approaching the final bend, El Magnificence accelerated along the fence to catch the leader Mr Have A Chat, who drifted wide in the home straight to win by 2.2 lengths – Clarke’s backmarker Vallabar ($18) finished strongly for third. For El Magnificence, seventh in last year’s Palmerston Sprint (1200m), it was his seventh win from 25 starts for Cole. Whitten, a four year-old gelding by Written Tycoon, made it two wins from his past three starts after swooping late at the end of 1200m (Class 2) for the three and four-year-olds to nail Clarke’s Starspangledancer ($3.70) right on the line. Camped in fifth place, Whitten made his move at the 500m and finally caught a tiring Starspangledancer to win by half a length – Logan’s Erroneous ($6), a debutante from Queensland, was third. Jason Manning’s Bon’s Pride ($2.40 fav) secured three wins on the bounce when the four-year-old gelding by Bon Aurum stepped up in grade to overcome Clarke’s Bel’s Banner ($3.60) and Cole’s Vunivalu ($3.90) over 1200m (0-70). With Vanessa Arnott as the pilot, Bon’s Pride was third behind Vunivalu and Fromthenevernever exiting the back straight before winding up at the 400m and kicking clear with 200m to go when Bel’s Banner threatened to win by two lengths. Having finished among the medals in the first four races, Clarke capped off a good day when Wilsons Prom ($4.40), with Adam Nicholls in tow, blitzed his rivals by 6.5 lengths over 1600m (0-64). After two straight wins, the five-year-old son of Xtravagent, finished 11th on Australia Day over 1300m (BM73) – the meeting was eventually abandoned when Fannie Bay resembled a muddy lake following relentless rain. It was a different story on Friday when after sharing the early lead, Nicholls, who missed last week’s meeting through illness – flicked the switch at the 600m before Wilsons Prom left Peter Stennett’s New Enterprise ($8.50) and Halter’s Kippax ($16) in its wake. Horse racing news View the full article

The first foal by GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner and Sequel Stallions sire Fire At Will (Declaration of War–Flirt, by Kitten's Joy) was born recently. Bred in New York by Horse Haven Racing and born on Jan. 30, the colt is the first foal out of the unraced Marital Joy (Practical Joke). The mare is from the same extended family as Breeders' Cup winner Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect) and her Breeders' Cup-winning daughter Sharing (Speightstown). “The colt has a lot of scope to him,” said Sequel's Becky Thomas. “He has a good hind end, like his sire, and is overall very well balanced. This is exactly what we were hoping to see out of the first crop for Fire At Will.” Fire At Will will stand the 2024 season at Sequel in New York for $5,000. The post First Foal for Sequel’s Fire At Will appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

7th-Fair Grounds, $57,000, Msw, 2-9, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:45.97, fm, 3 1/2 lengths. TARNEEMA (f, 3, Kitten's Joy–Mooghareadh, by Malibu Moon) rallied from the clouds after a poor beginning but came up 4 1/4 lengths short of a pair of next-out winners in her debut over course and distance Dec. 31, an effort for which she received a 70 Beyer Speed Figure. Favored at even-money under Florent Geroux, the Shadwell homebred had a mildly better start and found herself mid pack while able to save ground against the fence. Angled outside of rivals from fifth turning for home, Tarneema unleashed a drive into the final furlong, easily got past late leader Tempting Lady (Enticed) and opened up to the wire to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Tarneema's dam, Mooghareadh, is a full-sister to MGSW/GISP Malibu Pier, herself the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner up and $1.3m FTKNOV broodmare Coasted (Tizway) and MGSP Malibu Stacy (Tizway). Shadwell purchased Mooghareadh as a yearling for $675,000 out of the 2014 KEESEP sale and has bred three winners from her from four to race. She has a 2-year-old Medaglia d'Oro colt, a yearling Street Sense colt and was covered by Jack Christopher for this year. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $39,920. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O/B-Shadwell Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. An impressive Fair Grounds victory by Kitten's Joy filly #4 TARNEEMA ($4.00) with @flothejock in the irons for @bradcoxracing and owner @ShadwellRacing. pic.twitter.com/Vr9goOmV1Z — TVG (@TVG) February 9, 2024 The post Shadwell’s Tarneema Graduates Impressively At Fair Grounds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

“It's a really difficult thing, to let go of something that you've spent your whole life building,” acknowledges Nick de Meric. “I don't know if 'letting go' is quite the right way to put it. But to actually cut that umbilical cord, it's a leap of faith.” The Ocala horseman, who reflected on a colorful past in yesterday's TDN, now turns his attention to the future. For the evolution of a successor program, parallel to his own, makes the de Meric family a particularly pertinent case study for our series on how horse people handle the challenges of dynastic transition. And, really, Nick couldn't have used a more apposite analogy. The “umbilical cord” to which he refers, of course, is the one extending four decades to the foundation of the pinhooking and pre-training business he operates with his wife Jaqui. Albeit not by much, it even predates the advent of their son Tristan and daughter Ali. But while that literally umbilical connection between parents and their children is never truly severed, the handover of a family business requires long habits of filial duty and parental authority to be gently renounced. And that's a process that demands imagination, flexibility, generosity. As so often in these situations, Nick and Jaqui first had to establish whether, through nature or nurture, they had passed on a sense of vocation around horses-not to mention the accompanying skills. “The guys I grew up with in the business, they're mostly around my age,” Nick remarks. “Some have kids who are looking like they're ready to assume the mantle; others don't. And when you've devoted your whole career to building a business, it's gratifying to have someone who can carry the torch forward for you, rather than just having to end it.” Brandon and Ali Rice | Photos by Z Ali married another who was born to the game, in Brandon Rice, and in 2009 they started their own program very much in the same manner as Nick and Jaqui around 25 years previously. They scraped together enough for a couple of cheap yearlings, notably a $7,000 colt who made $200,000 at OBS the following April before going on to become a graded stakes winner. Building on that remarkable start, Ricehorse Stables has proceeded to become a respected presence on the national sales scene. Tristan and his wife Val, meanwhile, have become integral to the home operation, while maintaining a degree of independence that has evidently worked well on both sides. That they, too, know what they are about is evident from the fact that they and prepared subsequent champion juvenile Corniche (Quality Road) to make $1.5 million at OBS. But perhaps an even bigger turning point, for Tristan and Val, had come when Gabriel Dixon put back on the market a 60-acre tract he had previously bought from Nick and Jaqui, with access to their Eclipse Training Center complex. “Tris and Val were looking for something to invest in, so they jumped at that chance,” Nick explains. “And since then two more barns have been built, which they're able to lease out and so make the real estate itself turn into a good investment.” (Again, this has strong echoes of Nick and Jaqui's own story: we saw yesterday how they once paid off their own mortgage in much the same way.) “So their business runs adjacent and parallel to mine,” Nick explains. “They use our racetrack. We pinhook together, but they also do plenty independently and so do I. And I hope that eventually this way of doing things will make for a fairly seamless transition.” So was this incremental model a deliberate strategy, or did it just evolve organically? “I would say a little bit of both,” says Nick. “In life generally, but particularly in our business, we all know that the best-laid plans can go sideways in a heartbeat. So I would not so much say that it was my plan, but that it was my hope. Because while you can't project anything in cast-iron, at the same time you at least need some drift and direction.” With both their children, Nick and Jaqui imparted their horse lore more by osmosis than by formal instruction. “Ali was always obsessed,” Nick recalls. “If I left for the barn in the morning without taking her, and I'm talking like 5:30, she would have a meltdown. She used to come with me to the Keeneland 2-Year-Old Sale, I'd let her out of school for a few days. And later she worked sales in Korea, Europe, all over the States. “Tris was always more of a homebody, and not so much engaged in the horses as a kid: it was baseball, dirt bikes, boy stuff. So when he did decide that this really was his thing, it surprised us how much he had absorbed, just from being around us, from conversations at the dinner table and that kind of thing. “Certainly he didn't come round to it through any pressure from us. This business is tough on a good day, and I would never press anybody to enter it unless they're passionate. But ever since then, he's taken it and run with it.” Evidence of Tristan's inherited flair emerged during what are perhaps the two most critical weeks for all these programs, in scouting the September Sale at Keeneland. Tristan de Meric | Photos by Z “We all know how that's as much an exercise in logistics and stamina as in horsemanship,” Nick says. “You've just got to keep plugging on, and Tris was right there doing a very good job. And from early on I found, more and more, that I could absolutely rely on his eye. I could send him ahead to do this or that barn, and we could compare notes later. I was always super impressed with how analytical and critical an eye he had for horses, at such a young age. Some things you can teach, some you can't, and he just had that knack.” And that trust has become the foundation of their teamwork ever since. “It's a totally subjective thing,” Nick stresses. “It's about judgment, intuition, instinct. So you don't always agree on everything. But he not only could pick athletes, but also had a very good fix on the economics of what we do. Picking the right horse is not always the hardest part. Actually, getting them brought at a price you can make sense of, that's a big part of the equation too. And knowing what you can and can't live with, in terms of vetting and conformation. He's done incredibly well with all of that, way beyond anything I can take credit for.” So much for the innate skills. In terms of structuring their professional responsibilities, however, the together-but- separate model appeals as one that other families might usefully emulate. “On a normal training day at home, when we're just doing our thing in the winter, we're right next to each other,” Nick explains. “I'm usually on a pony, and Tris is right there, either on a pony himself or in the viewing stand with Valerie. So we're actually talking all the time. We're watching each other's horses. We help each other out, whenever we can, or need to. But those over there are his horses, his riders; and these over here are my horses, my riders. Tristan, Nick and Jaqui | Christie DeBernardis “We have clients in common, a lot of friends in common. But they have a following all of their own, which to their credit they have acquired quite independently of Jaqui and me. Conversely, most of my clients are now very familiar with them, and understand that we overlap a lot in our businesses. During a sale, they know they can talk to any of us and get all the information they may need.” Nick is absolutely not going to pretend that it has been plain sailing all the way. At the best of times, it's never easy for one generation to know when and how much rein should be permitted to the next; and that's harder yet when the decision-making doesn't just affect personal development but the prosperity (or otherwise) of the whole family. “I don't know if 'baggage' is quite the right word, but there's all the history that led you to this point,” Nick agrees. “As they say, the child is father of the man. So for someone in my position, who with his wife and partner has been making all the decisions, for better or worse-financial decisions, training decisions, client decisions-there comes a point when I have to say, 'Okay, you're in charge, it's your baby; I'm taking a sabbatical, I'm stepping back.' So far I've been easing back, but not pulling back. “Sometimes you will see things a little differently. And that's where you have to learn to bite your lip and say, 'Okay, I might have done it this way instead-but I understand where he's coming from, let it go.' But most of us in this business, almost by definition, are control freaks to some extent. Because we have to be on top of everything. So that's a transition, too.” That, however, is a price he considers well worth paying in order to see a life's work taken forward by his own flesh and blood. He cites friends whose children have no interest in doing that, and who will just have to call in a realtor someday. “Neither Jacqui or I have any interest whatsoever in cashing in our chips and moving to a gated community,” Nick admits. “We are farm people. We have more dogs, cats, peacocks, goats, chickens, cows than you could count. Same for all the pets buried in the woods behind the house. We'd never move off the farm unless we absolutely had to. Behind every rock and tree, there's some little memory. And we're always going to ride, as long as we're physically capable. “But that doesn't mean we have to keep going hammer and tongs. We've had so little time to really enjoy the farm for what it is. Just to get up in the morning, take a stretch, tack up our horse and just go wandering around. We've always been pedaling the bike. “And we can see Tris and Val are doing a great job. It's great what they have done, working independently of me and alongside me. I can see the buyers are completely comfortable interacting with them. And that's allowing me to take a little step back. Maybe not quite as fast as Jaqui wants me to, but I'm working on that! I do worry, for both our kids and their families, about the collective legacy we're handing them in this sport. But I couldn't be prouder of what they have accomplished.” The post ‘Succession’ Presented By Neuman Equine Insurance: De Meric Sales appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The well-regarded 3-year-old maiden Victory Avenue, beaten as the favorite in his debut last month, returned to the work tab Feb. 9 at Gulfstream Park.View the full article

Female jockey Forest Boyce scored the 1,000th victory of her career when she guided Determined Driver home first in the seventh race at Laurel Park Feb. 9. View the full article

8th-FG, $57K, Msw, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 4:30 p.m. ET. Bred by Machmer Hall, SHIRE'S END (Into Mischief) takes to the turf in New Orleans under the guidance of trainer Brendan Walsh. A $450,000 buy at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, the colt is a full-brother to MGSW/GISP Three Witches, who went to RIFA Mustang Europe for $1.7 million at last year's Keeneland November Sale, then won the GII Santa Monica S. at Santa Anita a week ago. Dam Layreebelle (Tale of the Cat) is also responsible for GII La Canada S. winner Spellbound (Bernardini)–dam to MGSW Soothsay (Distorted Humor)–and GIII Dwyer S. winner Kid Cruz (Lemon Drop Kid). TJCIS PPS 8th-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 3:37 p.m. ET. On the main track in Hallandale, Secret Crush (Candy Ride {Arg}) makes the races for the MyRacehorse contingent. Purchased for $300,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale, the Todd Pletcher trainee is out Elarose (Storm Cat), who went to Chiyoda's Dr. Masatake Iida in 2018 at Keeneland November for $450,000 while in foal to Quality Road. Elarose is part of a deep family anchored by her dam, Take Charge Lady (Dehere). Her half-siblings include GI Florida Derby champ Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy), GI Travers S. victor Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song), GI Beholder Mile winner As Time Goes By (American Pharoah) and the dam of champion of 2-year-old filly Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway) and 2023 top five first-crop sire Omaha Beach (War Front). TJCIS PPS 9th-TAM, $53K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 4:45 p.m. ET. Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables bought Oversubscribed (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) at the 2022 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 400,000gns. Trained by Chad Brown, the filly's extended female family includes French Group 3 winner In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), the dam of G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines S. heroine We Are (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), G1 Prix du Cadran S. hero Call The Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and G1 Prix Rothschild S. victress With You (GB) (Dansili {GB}). TJCIS PPS The post Saturday Insights: Full-Brother To MGSW Three Witches Ready To Party At Fair Grounds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Maymun, a dazzling debut winner going six furlongs here Jan. 20 for trainer Bob Baffert, returns Feb. 11 and stretches out to a mile in a first-level allowance heat.View the full article

The Tampa Road to the Kentucky Derby heats up Saturday afternoon, as a full field of 12 sophomore males is set to face the starter for the $250,000 GIII Sam F. Davis S., with 42 Kentucky Derby qualifying points (20-10-6-4-2) up for grabs. When Litigate (Blame) took out the 2023 renewal, he was giving trainer Todd Pletcher a seventh victory in the Davis, having won the race for the first time in 2006 with Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat). 'TDN Rising Star' Agate Road (Quality Road) will be the more-fancied of Pletcher's two runners as he returns to the dirt for the first time since missing by a nose in a rained-off maiden at Saratoga last August. A had-to-see-it-to-believe-it winner of his turf debut at the Spa the following month, the $650,000 Keeneland September purchase found his best stride late to take out the GIII Pilgrim S., but he was done no favors by the one-mile trip of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, running on belatedly to finish fifth. Agate Road's seasonal debut is best taken with a grain of salt, as Tocayo (Always Dreaming) set a leisurely tempo in the Jan. 6 Dania Beach S. and was never threatened, with Agate Road chipping away late to be second. He certainly fits on class and figs, but he would be dodgy at a skinny number with Jose Ortiz in the irons. Pletcher also sends out Tireless (Not This Time), a local maiden winner over an extended mile Jan. 14. Iowa-bred No More Time (Not This Time) broke his maiden impressively going a mile at Gulfstream in October, but was off slowly from the inside gate in the Jan. 1 Mucho Macho Man and loomed a wide threat at the head of the lane before fading into fifth. The dark bay tries the two-turn game for the first time, with Paco Lopez taking over from Ortiz for trainer Jose D'Angelo. Courtlandt Farms' Change of Command (Into Mischief) blew the doors off a field of Gulfstream maidens going seven furlongs Dec. 17 and gutted out a neck victory trying a route of ground for the first time in Hallandale Jan. 5. Shug McGaughey elects to puts blinkers on the $1.05-million KEESEP acqusition. Elysian Meadows (City of Light) is perfect in two starts to date, both over three-quarters of a mile at Aqueduct, and the form of his first-level state-bred allowance victory Dec. 15 was franked when the runner-up Mischief Joke (Practical Joke) returned to win the Rego Park S. It'll be up to Junior Alvarado to work out a trip from the 12 hole for trainer Bill Mott. That combination teamed to win the 2021 Davis with Candy Man Rocket (Candy Ride {Arg}). Small, But Select Field For Rescheduled Las Virgenes Saturday's GIII Las Virgenes S., postponed due to impending rains last Sunday, has lured a field of five, but what the race may lack in numbers, it appears to make up for in terms of quality. Michael Lund Petersen's 'TDN Rising Star' Kinza (Not This Time) steps up in class and up in trip for this second go after earning a towering 96 Beyer Speed Figure in annexing her racecourse debut by 7 1/2 lengths going six furlongs Dec. 29. The $17,000 FTNOCT weanling, $30,000 OBSOCT yearling and $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic breezer will try to give trainer Bob Baffert an eighth Las Virgenes and third straight for Petersen following Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) in 2022 and Faiza (Girvin) last year. Kopion (Omaha Beach) holds an experience edge over Kinza and exits a front-running, 5 3/4-length success in the seven-furlong GIII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 7. The $270,000 KEESEP graduate had previously defeated She's a Tempest (Connect) into second to open her account at first asking at Del Mar in late November, and She's a Tempest did her part to validate the effort with a tenacious victory over next-out maiden winner Ultimate Authority (Practical Joke) over this track and distance Jan. 5. The post Agate Road Back To The Dirt For Sam F. Davis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin continued its mastery of the Meydan Racecourse turf on the 10th night of the World Cup Carnival Feb. 9, winning two of the three races on the surface, including the two features.View the full article

Sibelius will need to overcome Doctor Oscar, as well as a truly formidable foe in Nakatomi, to prevail in this year's edition of the Pelican Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Also, a preview of the Suncoast Stakes.View the full article

The Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA) will host its 9th Annual Golf Scramble Tuesday, Apr. 16 at University Club of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky with all proceeds going to support the network of chaplaincies, the non-profit said in a Friday release. The tournament will begin with lunch at 11:30 a.m. ET. before a 12:30 p.m. start. Included in the registration fee are green fees, lunch, team photo, food after the round, a special gift and more. A host of prizes will be given out for longest drive, closest-to-the-pin, door prizes and other games. Each par 3 will have hole-in-one prizes and an award ceremony will follow. To register a team or request sponsorship information, contact the National Service Center of Race Track Chaplaincy of America at (859) 410-7822 or click here. The post Race Track Chaplaincy Of America Hosts Annual Golf Tournament Apr. 16 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Oregon Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announces a $1,500 foal incentive paid to a breeder of an Oregon foal born in 2024 and 2025 and starting bonuses paid to owners of Oregon-bred horses starting at Grants Pass. View the full article

Two barns at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course are under quarantine for confirmed cases of strangles, with one barn at the Youngstown, Ohio, track nearing the end of its quarantine, according to a track executive.View the full article

Discover a plethora of enticing racing promotions from horse racing bookmakers on Saturday, February 10. Dive into the excitement with generous bonus back offers for an enhanced betting experience. Explore these free promotions from leading online bookmakers to enhance your betting opportunities. The top Australian racing promotions for February 10, 2024, include: Today’s best horse racing promotions Caulfield All Races Same Race Multi 3+ Leg Bonus Back Up To $50 If 1 Leg Fails Place a 3+ leg Same Race Multi bet on any race at Caulfield this Saturday and if 1 leg of your multi fails, get up to $50 back in Bonus Cash. Available from approximately 8:30am local track time on race day. Neds T&Cs apply. Login to Neds to Claim Promo Te Rapa All Races Same Race Multi 3+ Leg Bonus Back Up To $50 If 1 Leg Fails Place a 3+ leg Same Race Multi bet on any race at Te Rapa (NZ) this Saturday and if 1 leg of your multi fails, get up to $50 back in Bonus Cash. Market available from approximately 8:30am local track time on race day. Neds T&Cs apply. Login to Neds to Claim Promo Randwick, Caulfield & Doomben Races 1-6 Bonus Back 2nd & 3rd Get your stake back in bonus bets. Limits apply. General T&Cs apply. Login to PlayUp to Claim Promo HOTBET – Both Asfoora & Mr Brightside to run Top 2 Caulfield Races 8 & 9. All Options Must Start. No Boost, Bonus Bets or Multis. Max Bet $25 Playup T&Cs Apply. Login to PlayUp to Claim Promo Odds Drift Protector If the price at the jump is bigger than the price that you took, we will pay you out at the bigger odds Eligible customers. T&C’s apply. Login to Bet365 to Claim Promo 25% Boosted Winnings All Races at Caulfield, Randwick, Doomben & Bunbury 25% Boosted Winnings in Bonus Cash. Max bonus $250. First bet only (including SRM). Paid in bonus cash. Must use available balance. Picklebet T&Cs apply. Login to PickleBet to Claim Promo 10 Again! Get 10% Boosted Winnings paid in BONUS CASH. Max bonus $100. First bet only (including SRM). Paid in bonus cash. Must use available balance. Check for Promo Icon. Picklebet T&Cs apply. Login to PickleBet to Claim Promo BoomBet Daily Race Returns Use your daily Race Returns to back a runner in ANY RACE you want* and if your horse doesn’t win but finishes in the specified positions, you get your stake back as a bonus bet. 18+ Gamble responsibly. Can be used across any race and code unless specified in customer’s BoomBox. Fix odds, win bets only. Max bonus $50. Login to BoomBet to Claim Promo Saturday Bonus Back 2nd or 3rd in R1-4 at 4 Metro Meetings Auto-applied in Bet Slip. Promotional limits apply. Min 6 runners. Fixed Odds only. T&Cs apply. Login to UniBet to Claim Promo Saturday Best Tote Exotics All Races at Randwick & Caulfield Includes Quaddies, Quinellas, Exactas, Trifectas & First 4s T&Cs apply. Login to UniBet to Claim Promo How does horsebetting.com.au source its racing bonus offers? HorseBetting.com.au meticulously evaluates premier Australian horse racing bookmakers, unveiling exclusive thoroughbred bonus promotions for February 10, 2024. These consistent offers highlight the commitment of top horse racing bookmakers. In the world of horse racing betting, if one bookmaker isn’t running a promotion, another is. HorseBetting.com.au is your ultimate resource for daily lucrative horse racing bookmaker bonuses. Gain value with competitive odds and exclusive promotions for existing customers. Access these offers by logging in to each online bookmaker’s platform. For race and horse insights to optimise your bonus bets, rely on HorseBetting’s daily free racing tips. More horse racing promotions View the full article

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Three-time stakes winner Home Brew (Street Sense), who races in the colours of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the highest-rated horse in Saturday's AED700,000 G3 Jebel Ali Mile Sponsored by Shadwell. Trained by Michael Costa, who has been enjoying a successful season in the UAE, the 5-year-old entire won the Bourbon Trail S. at Churchill Downs in his final start for breeders Gary and Mary West. He resurfaced in these new colours at Meydan in November, but ran unplaced that day. Saturday is his first start back and he leaves from the widest gate, stall 13. Despite his ample backclass, Home Brew faces a stiff challenge in the form of four-for-six Swing Vote (GB) (Shamardal). Rabbah Racing's representative won a pair of Chantilly contests last spring, and enters on the back of two victories over this track and trip–defeating the Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum-owned duo of Tenbury Wells (Medaglia d'Oro) on Dec. 13 and the In Crowd (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) on Jan. 20. Shadwell homebred Monaada (Giant's Causeway) broke his maiden in March of 2022 on turf, but lost his way a bit after a pair of wins in England later that year. Saturday's affair will be his first start since December of 2023. The post A Taste Of Home At Jebel Ali? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin continued its mastery of the Meydan Racecourse turf on the 10th night of the World Cup Carnival Feb. 9, winning two of the three races it contested including the two features.View the full article

A passion for winning horse races brought Danny Caldwell and country music superstar Toby Keith together. That passion will keep them together for the time being in spirit.View the full article

Stable Recovery is a rehabilitation program in Lexington, Kentucky that provides a safe living environment and a peer-driven, therapeutic community for men in the early stages of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Along with going to 12-step meetings and support groups, residents attend the School of Horsemanship at Taylor Made Farm to learn a new vocation in the Thoroughbred industry. The School of Horsemanship is a project that was created by Taylor Made two years ago and has since seen over 100 men go through the program. Many of those graduates have gone on to pursue a career in an equine-related field. Spy Coast Farm, Brook Ledge, Hallway Feeds, Will Walden Racing, Rood & Riddle, WinStar Farm and Godolphin have recently partnered with Stable Recovery as the program looks to expand its reach throughout Lexington. In this month's installment of TDN's series, 'The Road Back,' we introduce you to Josh Bryan, the former program coordinator for the School of Horsemanship who now serves as assistant to Frank Taylor, the Director of New Business Development at Taylor Made Farm. If you've ever been to a sale and had a chance to speak with Josh Bryan, you already know that he is a breath of fresh air. During those busy days when most everyone has their nose buried in a catalogue, barely having the time to look up and give a quick nod as you pass each other between barns, Bryan's easy smile as he looks you in the eye and asks about how you've been is a welcomed reprieve from the normal routine. The sales are Bryan's happy place. He loves the energy, the wheeling and dealing, celebrating when a client's horse goes for a good amount of money. He has a passion for the horses, yes, but what he really enjoys is meeting new people, making someone's day better and carrying out his life's mission of helping others however he can. Josh Bryan has had a hard life. He was born with Goldenhar syndrome, a rare congenital defect that affects the development of the ear, nose, soft palate, lip and mandible usually on one side of the body. He had his first corrective surgery when he was just seven weeks old and now, at the age of 31, the count is up to 14. Growing up in Frankfort, Kentucky, Bryan was constantly going in and out of doctors' offices. His parents didn't want him to get hurt so he rarely got to play sports. He never partied until college, when his life took the worst of turns. During his freshman year at Western Kentucky University, Bryan's father passed away from leukemia. Two years later, his mother was battling health issues that turned out to be a fatal brain aneurysm. The Taylor Made crew at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale | courtesy Josh Bryan With both his parents suddenly taken from him, Bryan turned to alcohol to numb the loss. “I didn't really feel like I had much to live for after that, which looking back now is total nonsense,” Bryan recalled. “It was a lot of depression and really no sense of purpose. I felt like life really wasn't really worth living anymore.” Eventually addiction overcame any motivation he had to finish college and he flunked out. He returned home, hoping to get a job with the family business. Bryan is second cousins to Frank Taylor and the rest of the Taylor brothers. Like almost everyone in the Taylor family, Bryan had spent a few summers as a teenager doing yearling prep. He worked off and on at Taylor Made after his return to Central Kentucky, but his addiction kept him from holding down a consistent job. One day as he was driving down East Hickman road on the way to the farm, his car broke down. It was cold, and rainy, and he finally hit rock bottom. “I felt like my life was coming to an end,” Bryan said. “It was either go on like I was until something tragic happened and I lost my life or make a decision to get some help. I kind of cried out to the universe that I had to get out of here. I had this sense of hope that there was more of a purpose for me than continuing on this dark path that was going to lead to me dying or going to jail or killing someone else.” With the help of Frank Taylor, Bryan got into the Shepherd's House, a residential drug addiction treatment center, in August of 2020. He soon landed a job at Rood and Riddle and worked there as a surgery technician for eight months. One day he got a call from Taylor, who had an idea to start a project that would teach men going through recovery from addiction a new vocation in the Thoroughbred industry. He wanted Bryan to be the program coordinator. Together, Taylor and Bryan built the School of Horsemanship and eventually, with the help of Christian Countzler, they launched Stable Recovery, which allows all the participants in the School of Horsemanship to live in one place and go through meetings and support groups together during their time in the program. As the program coordinator, Bryan taught members of the School of Horsemanship everything they needed to know about the daily care of the horses at Taylor Made. “These people have never touched a horse and they're kind of timid at first, but once you are with them for a week or two, you see that light bulb come on and you see the passion that I had when I first started,” he described. “It's very heartwarming to me.” Bryan and Frank Taylor | Sara Gordon Like many graduates of the School of Horsemanship have already attested, Bryan said he knows there is something about horses that has a positive impact on people going through recovery. “I think horses have a really good sense of your feelings emotionally,” he explained. “If you go into a horse's stall nervous, they're going to be rambunctious. If you go into that stall angry, they're going to mess with you and make it worse. I remember some days before my recovery I'd go into the barn hungover with a bad attitude and they'd just eat me alive, bucking and trying to run me over. If you go in there with the right mindset and a clear head, they'll love you to death. If you're having a bad day and you go into a horse's stall and give it a big old hug, it just makes all the difference.” Horses don't notice that Bryan may look a little bit different than the other humans that care for them. This fact helped Bryan as he was first navigating a leadership role at the School of Horsemanship. “They don't care about if you went to jail or what you look like or where you came from,” he said. “For a long time I wasn't comfortable in my own skin and it took a lot of people and prayer and therapy for me to be okay with it. Sometimes I still don't see myself as a leader, but I've gotten more comfortable with it.” While Bryan thrived in his role at the School of Horsemanship, recently he was ready for a change as he hoped to grow his knowledge of the sales side of the business. He stepped down as program coordinator, handing the reins over to Joshua Franks (profiled here), and began working directly under Frank Taylor, who also recently took on a new position as the Director of New Business Development at Taylor Made. Taylor and Bryan work together almost every day, traveling to farms to look at horses and talk with clients. Bryan's eventual goal is to be a Thoroughbred advisor at Taylor Made and maybe, one day, a bloodstock agent all on his own. As a kid who lost both his parents by the age of 20, Bryan had needed someone to fill a mentorship role in his life and Taylor stepped in to do just that. Now, as Bryan furthers his career in the Thoroughbred industry, he hopes to do right by his family-both those who are with him today and those who will always be in his heart. “I've gotten to the point where I feel my parents spiritually and I'm trying to make them proud even though they're not here physically,” he said. “Frank has kind of been like a father figure ever since my parents passed away. He took me under his wing even when I was out there doing that craziness. He's been a tremendous rock in my life, no doubt.” “Josh is basically one of my kids,” added Taylor. “We've always worked well together. It's kind of like we're best friends and I think I'm a mentor or father figure to him. I'm very proud of him. Once he quit drinking and got his life in order and spiritually strong, he's on a path to do great things. Big things.” Because Taylor has fought through his own battle with alcoholism, he and Bryan share more than just a blood relation. “I guess it's what they call trauma bonding,” Bryan explained. “A lot of not-so-good things have happened in our lives that have brought us together. It's kind of a thing where you have to live it to understand it. I think everybody could learn from what we like to call the Big Book, which is the Alcoholics Anonymous book. They teach you about all these life skills not only on how to help yourself but how to help others. It's really about treating people how you want to be treated and about being compassionate.” Just last month, Bryan practiced what he preaches when he and Taylor took a trip to Jamaica through a partnership with The Mustard Seed, a foundation that works to help people in need-particularly those who suffer from mental and physical disorders in third-world countries. Among the many projects they took on during their time there, Bryan and Taylor helped renovate a house for the program and added in a new second floor. “I eventually want to do more for people,” said Bryan. “You've got to have money to help, unfortunately, but that's why I love Frank. He does a lot for a lot of people and that's what I eventually want to do. I do what I can for now.” All this coming from someone who was handed more than his fair share of hardship and loss, and yet Bryan doesn't really look at it that way. “I think one thing I've really learned is that just because sometimes you might get dealt a bad hand, the world doesn't owe you anything,” he said. “You get to make the decision on whether you're going to find the strength within, whether you're going to let it harm you or if you're going to overcome it. In recovery we tell people all the time that you have to have the gift of desperation. In the end it's your choice. You can have all this support but at the end of the day it's your decision to change your life for the better.” “The last three years in recovery have probably been the best three years of my life,” he continued. “I found that sense of purpose that I know a lot of people struggle with. I had lost that connection with God after my parents passed away and I think that has grown stronger every year. I think that was something I was lacking for a while–that trust that everything is going to work out the way it's supposed to. Now I just take my hands off it and trust that no matter what happens, it's going to work out. And it has.” The post The Road Back: Josh Bryan Embraces a Second Chance to Help Others appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article