Wandering Eyes

Racing returns to the Sha Tin turf on Sunday for the first time in two weeks, with the Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) the highlight of the 10-race card. Jay Rooney is in the hot seat to provide an extended rundown of his selections. Race 1 – Class Five L’Oreal Paris Handicap (1,600m) Perfect Peach followed a good win with a sound second to Ninja Derby last start and looks the one to beat here. Race 2 – Class Four Grace One Handicap (1,000m) Ka Ying Warrior has trialled very nicely for...View the full article

A perfectly judged front-running victory on Just Charlie (NZ) (Zed) in the Listed Nautical Boat Insurance Metropolitan Trophy (2600m) capped a memorable New Zealand riding debut at Riccarton on Saturday for apprentice jockey Logan Bates. Born and raised in Canterbury and a son of leading southern rider Kylie Williams, Bates is forging a successful career as an apprentice in Victoria. The 24-year-old has ridden over 110 winners, headed by a first black-type success with Jigsaw in the Gr.2 McEwen Stakes (1200m) on Cox Plate Day at Moonee Valley last month. Bates jumped at the opportunity to return to his homeland on Saturday and ride against his mother for the first time. Both mother and son got on the board early in the afternoon – Bates with Enterprise (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) in the One Good Horse At Avonhead Tavern Premier (1100m) and Williams aboard Platinum Pantheon (Hanseatic) in the Scenic Hotel Group Premier (1200m). But then Bates stole the show with a feature-race triumph as he guided the Kevin Myers-trained Just Charlie to an all-the-way win in the Metropolitan. Bates took up the lead within the first 100m of the race and was able to dictate terms from that point on. He began to up the ante and pull ahead of the field coming down the side of the track, and then Just Charlie kicked off the home turn and put three or four lengths on his nearest challenger. Titicaca (NZ) (Tarzino) launched a powerful finish from the back of the field and got to within three-quarters of a length at the finish, but there would be no catching Just Charlie. Bates exchanged fist bumps with his proud mother after unsaddling and was loudly cheered by family members on the front of the stand. “It’s a big thrill and I have to give credit to ‘Dummy’ (Myers) and his team, they presented the horse in super order,” he said. “I was quite excited to ride him today after looking through his replays, because I could see his staying capability. “There wasn’t a lot of pressure in the race and I was able to just let him do it his own way. He’s a big, strong, big-striding horse. I let him roll and ramped it up from the 1000m. He just gave me a wonderful feel. I was even able to have a couple of looks at the big screen to see how far in front we were.” Just Charlie has had 24 starts for six wins, six placings and $206,435 in prize-money, and he now shares $4 favouritism with Titicaca for next Saturday’s Gr.3 Martin Collins 162nd New Zealand Cup (3200m). “We think he’ll love going up to 3200m for the New Zealand Cup next week,” Myers’ son Jason said. “He was rated beautifully in front today by Logan and he just outstayed them in the end. Logan is a very good rider – we wouldn’t mind having him back home in New Zealand a bit more. “Just Charlie’s ready to race now and we’ll just keep him ticking over through the week ahead of the Cup next Saturday.” View the full article

Progressive stayer Thebudgiesmugla (NZ) (Redwood) showed his versatility when winning his second race at Rosehill in the space of a couple of weeks for trainer Bjorn Baker. The five-year-old son of Redwood was gallant on Saturday carrying 59kg topweight under Dylan Gibbons when winning the Chandon Handicap (2400m) on a Good track, having saluted last start on soft ground. Given a good ride by Gibbons, Thebudgiesmugla was taken out of his comfort zone when the pressure came on early but still proved too good. “He is just an out-and-out stayer,” Gibbons said. “He’s a funny sort of horse. It was a completely different race to the other day, where I had a lap full of horse. “The two times I have ridden him on top of the ground, he is just a casual bugger.” When War Ribbon took off with 800m to run, Gibbons was forced to push forward three-wide and he had enough in the locker to defy Claim The Crown (Acclamation) and Sting In The Tail (NZ) (Savabeel). “Because the move was about a 100m sooner than I would have liked, the last hundred he was out on his feet, but he has pure stamina,” Gibbons said. “I was always subconsciously aware that when you are on the favourite, people are always trying to do what they can to beat you. “I had my guard up and he was able to get out when I needed to. Full credit to the horse, he was able to ping off the mark and then sustain a long gallop.” Raced by Darby Racing, Thebudgiesmugla was a private purchase from New Zealand where he won two races for original trainer Jo Rathbone. Rathbone paid just $3,000 for the son of Redwood who was sold via gavelhouse.com as a broken-in gelding. Bred by Bradbury Park, Thebudgiesmugla is out of the winning Keeper mare Hot Pants. View the full article

Progressive galloper Force Of Nature (NZ) (Savabeel) returned to racing with a vengeance as he took out the feature event at Pukekohe, the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m), courtesy of a rails-hugging ride from Triston Moodley. The Tony Rider-bred and owned son of Savabeel swept through the grades during the autumn and winter months, winning three of his four starts before finishing sixth of eight runners at Te Rapa in early August where he was found to be lame in a hind leg following the run. Trainer Andrew Forsman wasn’t prepared to risk him at that stage and put him away for a break to recover before beginning a summer preparation with a second-placed finish over 1100m at the Te Rapa trials towards the end of September. Forsman concentrated on building the five-year-old’s fitness to have him cherry ripe for his resuming run and the horse repaid that approach in spades as he held out local runner Jaarffi (NZ) (Iffraaj) in a blanket finish to add some invaluable winning black type to his record. Rider Triston Moodley, who had earlier found success aboard impressive juvenile Speed Demon (NZ) (Yes Yes Yes) in the second event on the card, made full use of an inside barrier for his mount to have him travelling sweetly in the trail behind race favourite I’munstoppable (NZ) (Charm Spirit) throughout. Moodley quickly angled Force of Nature around the weakening pacemaker at the 300m and dived through a yawning gap on the fence to join Moving Melody and Jaarffi in a three horse war that went right to the wire as he defeated Jaarffi by a nose with a head back to Moving Melody (Deep Field) and less than half a length over the late-closing First Five (NZ) (Almanzor), Whiskey ‘N Roses (NZ) (Belardo) and Pour the Wine (NZ) (Telperion). Forsman had been concerned about the gelding’s fitness for a tough run 1200m and was pleased everything had fallen into place for his charge. “I thought he might be a little vulnerable late as it has been quite a while since he has had a run, so credit to the team at home to have him right,” Forsman said. “It was a very game effort and he is a talented horse, so hopefully he can come through this well and we can press on. “We haven’t plotted out a path beyond today as this was the race we wanted to have him spot on for. “He is now a stakes winner which is important for Tony as he is breeding from the family, so it’s a massive result. “It is a good feather in his cap so hopefully he can go on with it.” Force of Nature is out of the O’Reilly mare Elusive Nature (NZ) and is the younger brother of Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) winner Shezzacatch (NZ) (Savabeel) who also ran 4th in the 2023 Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) behind Levante. He has now won six of his 11 starts and more than $182,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Group One winner Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) returned to the scene of her biggest win and was right back at the peak of her powers in the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Riccarton on Saturday. The daughter of Written Tycoon showed her class as a three-year-old with a brilliant victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) during last season’s New Zealand Cup Carnival in Christchurch, and she was also a placegetter in the Gr.2 Sarten Memorial (1400m), Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) and Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m). Captured By Love’s form fell away through the rest of that season, finishing only seventh in the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie before venturing to Melbourne and running fourth in the Listed Desirable Stakes (1400m) and eighth in the Gr.2 Kewney Stakes (1600m). The chestnut mare kicked off her four-year-old season in the North Island with a fifth over 1400m at Ellerslie and a second in a 1300m race at Taupo. A return to Riccarton was something of an afterthought, only coming on to the radar after the abandonment of the Te Rapa meeting on Labour Day, and she flew back down to Christchurch just days out from Saturday’s race. But the change of scenery in Te Akau Racing’s Riccarton stable brought the very best out of Captured By Love last spring, and the same thing has happened 12 months later. Captured By Love jumped from the outside gate in the 14-horse field, and rider Bruno Queiroz was unable to get her any closer than three wide turning out of the back straight to come down the side of the track. But despite covering extra ground, Captured By Love cruised forward around the outside of her rivals and was breathing down the neck of the leaders Churchillian (NZ) (Churchill) and Nepheti (NZ) (Charm Spirit) before the turn for home. Captured By Love took command and dashed to a clear lead at the top of the straight. It briefly looked like her wide run might take its toll as the chasers began to eat into her margin, but Captured By Love lifted again in the last 100m. She swept past the finish line two lengths clear of The Radiant One (NZ) (Darci Brahma), with a neck and a head back to Candycane (NZ) (Pins) and Girls Light Up (NZ) (Sacred Falls) respectively. The time was 1:21.53, the third-fastest in the history of the Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes. “It’s fantastic to see her back like that,” said Sam Bergerson, who trains in partnership with Mark Walker. “She was obviously a 1000 Guineas winner here last spring. She’s had a bit of a rough time since then and hasn’t always had the rub of the green. “We took a bit of a risk deciding to bring her back down here again, but she’s an experienced traveller now and she just handled it so well. The change of scenery has done her good. “She did it tough today. The plan was to be positive from the wide gate. Bruno wasn’t able to get cover, but he had her travelling really well and then presented her at the top of the straight. “I thought she was there to be beaten with 200m to go, but she kept finding and won really well. “She’s a Group One winner, and now that we’ve got her back in winning form, we can hopefully target some nice races through the summer.” Captured By Love was bought by David Ellis for A$525,000 from the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She has now had 16 starts for six wins, six placings and $804,486 in stakes. With Ellis still at recuperating at home after undergoing major surgery earlier in the season, the stable was represented at Riccarton on Saturday by his wife Karyn Fenton-Ellis. “David hasn’t been in the best of health, but he’ll be watching at home and this will be a big boost for him,” she said. “This horse won a Group One here in Christchurch at this time last year, and she’s obviously happy to be back – and so are we.” View the full article

Progressive sprinter Platinum Attack (Santos) finally got the firm track conditions he thrives on at Riccarton on Saturday to serve up a stunning performance when winning the Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m). The Lisa Latta-trained speedster hadn’t been seen on raceday since finishing sixth in Listed company at Trentham back in April when clearly unsuited by the tricky wet underfoot conditions that day. Given a long break by Latta, the five-year-old son of Santos was fitted for his reappearance on Saturday with two trials which included a win over 1000m on his home track at Awapuni in early October. Latta was confident she had her charge at peak fitness for the 1000m dash, even taking the precaution to ensure rider Craig Grylls was well aware that his responsibilities included ensuring the horse didn’t get loose travelling around to the start as he was that full of himself. “He has been scarily well in himself the last two weeks,” Latta said. “We said to Craig to get a lead on him went he got around to the start as I hadn’t come all this way for him to get loose.” Grylls did everything asked of him as he bounced the $2.30 favourite away cleanly from the barriers before relaxing nicely towards the rear as former Aussie galloper Azeezle (Exceed And Excel) set up proceedings from in front. Azeezle was still going strongly in front at the 300m and looked to have all runners covered except Platinum Attack who was out in the middle of the track and starting to steam home at a rate of knots. Grylls never had to use the whip as Platinum Attack gobbled up Azeezle and cleared away for a comfortable two-length victory, as local Texas Dolly (NZ) (Ace High) finished off bravely for third. “He struck that many wet tracks last year and all we have ever needed is a decent track that he got today,” Latta said. “He’s pretty smart and I think he is up to winning a Group One. “He will back up next Saturday (Listed Stewards Stakes, 1200m) and we will definitely be looking at the Group Ones later in the year.” Bred by Aquis Farm, G1G Racing & Breeding and Fly Horse, Platinum Attack was purchased by owners Neville McAlister and Lincoln Farms Bloodstock for $37,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Weanling Sale and has now won six of his 16 starts and over $254,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Cambridge-based horseman Nick Kneebone tasted his first success in the training ranks when two-year-old gelding Speed Demon (NZ) (Yes Yes Yes) caused a minor upset in the Hallmark Stud 2YO (1100m) at Pukekohe. Most attention before the start was centred around the Stephen Marsh runners Rupeni (Home Affairs) ($4.00) and well-backed debutant Perfect Pour (NZ) (Dundeel) ($2.40), who headed the market after some impressive raceday and trial form respectively. In contrast, Speed Demon, a son of former The Everest (1200m) winner Yes Yes Yes, was allowed to drift out to $21 despite having finished off nicely for fourth on debut at Ellerslie behind stylish winner Harvey Wallbanger (NZ) (Home Affairs). Rider Triston Moodley allowed Speed Demon to find his feet early, settling third last in the seven-horse field as the Marsh pair set up proceedings from the front. Speed Demon tracked Justin Case (NZ) (Banquo) into the race on the home bend and once balanced up by Moodley, he burst past that runner and drew clear to win nicely by just over a length from Justin Case, who battled on strongly and the late closer Miss Perna (NZ) (Satono Aladdin). Kneebone was all smiles as he savoured his first winner after just a handful or runners. “That was really good and I’m just stoked he won like that,” Kneebone said. “It all went to plan as I said to him (Moodley) if they go hard early, which they did, just slot in and it worked out perfectly. “He finished really nicely last time and I thought this long straight would suit him, and clearly it did.” Speed Demon is likely to be seen in stakes company at his next outing. “My first thought is that he will come back here in two weeks for the Counties Challenge Stakes (Listed, 1100m),” Kneebone said. “He just improved so much off that first-up run and he has put away quite a good field today.” Kneebone, who saddled his first runner as a trainer at Tauranga back in June, is the son of long-time auctioneer and New Zealand Bloodstock’s Director of Business Development Mike Kneebone. The 27-year-old spent a large part of his early 20s gaining international experience to set him up for his move into the training ranks, including taking a senior role with John Sargent in Sydney before returning home. Kneebone trains from the Cambridge stable that was formerly owned by the now Cranbourne-based Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young. The talented horseman has also prepared horses for next week’s Ready To Run Sale, in addition to sending out impressive trial winner Law By Law (Toronado). Despite being a Karaka graduate, Speed Demon is not paid up for the Karaka Millions, but Kneebone said there are plenty of options for the youngster. “I think he will get out to a mile as a three-year-old and has good scope to train-on,” he said. “We picked him up quite cheaply from Book 2 at Karaka and he was one we just didn’t want to leave without as we really liked him. Bred by Helen-Gaye and Graham Bax, Speed Demon is out of the Proisir mare Devotioninmotion (NZ) and from an extended family that includes Hong Kong Group Two winner Amazing Star (NZ) and seven-time Grade One USA winner Snow Chief who was rated the Champion 3YO Colt in the USA in 1986. View the full article

It’s one of the more competitive editions in recent memory and Sunday’s Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) features a pair of former winners of the race, two Hong Kong Derby heroes and a host of other gallopers hoping to stake their claim for next month’s Longines Hong Kong International Races. The 2023 Ladies’ Purse victor, Encountered, and reigning champion Ensued chase repeat successes at Sha Tin this weekend, while the past two Derby winners, Massive Sovereign and Cap Ferrat, remain in...View the full article

Grade I winner Collected (City Zip) will relocate from Airdrie Stud in Kentucky to stand at Rancho San Miguel in California for the 2026 breeding season, it was announced Friday. With an introductory West Coast fee of $7,500, with a live foal stand and nurse guarantee, the 12-year-old son of City Zip enters California as one of North America's leading fourth-crop sires, and as the clear-cut, #1 California sire by 2025 progeny earnings with $6,307,233 in purse money amassed through Nov. 5. From four crops to race, he has sired 20 black-type stakes winners and the collective earners of more than $18-million. His seven graded stakes winners include first-crop Taxed, a Grade II winner who was Grade I-placed in 2025 and earned $1,173,919 in her career. She sold for $750,000 as a racing / broodmare prospect during the 2025 Fasig-Tipton November Sale last Monday. He also claims MGSW & GISP Thought Process; GSW & GISP Iron Man Cal; and SW & MGSP Northern Invader, among other black-type winners and runners. Collected is also the sire of 2025 King's Plate Stakes winner Mansetti, one of the leading sophomore runners in Canada. Collected is out of Helena Bay (GB) (Johannesburg), making him a half-brother to recent 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Jude (Uncle Mo)–who earned his rosette Oct. 10 at Santa Anita Park. He hails from the extended female family of European champion and leading sire Blushing Groom (Fr). “Collected has been an absolutely rock-solid Kentucky sire, and he now has the opportunity to stand as California's premier stallion,” said Airdrie Stud president Bret Jones. “His California training roots and the great success his progeny have enjoyed in the state should guarantee his popularity. We are thrilled to give California breeders access to a stallion that can truly help their programs.” Airdrie Stud boasts two of the stallion's graded winners–Conclude and Thought Process–that were not only bred by their late founder Brereton C. Jones, but also have been campaigned in partnership by his estate exclusively at Del Mar and Santa Anita. “California's success is so critical to our overall industry,” Bret Jones explained. “This is a great deal for both our syndicate members and the California breeding and racing communities.” Collected will be featured during Rancho San Miguel's 2025 Open House and Stallion Show at its San Luis Obispo County farm Dec. 6. Breeders are invited to attend this free event. The partnership formed to relocate the stallion includes Thoroughbred owner and breeder Marsha Naify–businesswoman, philanthropist and former chair of Thoroughbred Owners of California. In addition to supporting Collected with her band of broodmares boarded at Rancho San Miguel, Naify plans to purchase additional mares this fall to specifically fit the incoming stallion. “Partnering with Airdrie and Rancho San Miguel is a natural extension of the strong commitment I have made to the California breeding and racing industry over the past 25 years,” Naify said. “We are overjoyed and extremely honored to have been entrusted by Airdrie to take the reins of Collected's breeding career,” said Rancho San Miguel owner Tom Clark. “In addition to being a familiar runner to our target audience from his years of competing at the highest levels here in California, he is in peak form as a stallion thanks to Airdrie's expert management. We are proud to now do our part along with our longtime friend and client Marsha Naify to help cement Collected's legacy.” The post Collected Relocates to Rancho San Miguel in California appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continued Friday into Book 3 with young mares and weanlings by young, exciting stallions bringing a premium. “Today's session exceeded expectations, and it felt more like a continuation of Book 2 than the start of Book 3,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “The energy here has been tremendous, and we continue to see an incredible diversity of buyers eager to reinvest after such a strong year. There's a real sense of optimism and momentum that's carrying through every session and I think that's reflective of the buyers' confidence in the market.” On the first day of a two-day Book 3, 270 horses sold for $25,416,500, a 39.69% increase from the same session one year ago where 244 horses brought $18,195,500. In keeping with current strong sales trends, the median and average were both up by double digits with the average rising 26.23% to $94,135 and the median up 25% to $75,000. 72 horses failed to meet their reserve Friday, just a tick up from the 70 that RNA'd last year. So far through the 2025 Keeneland November Sale, 866 horses (up 8.52% from 800 last year) have sold for a gross of $189,542,500, a marked 31.81% year over year increase. To date, the average sits at $218,871 and the median is at $150,000. Last year's median through the same point in the sale was $179,753 and the average was $115,000. Nine horses sold Friday for over $300,000, easily eclipsing the two that sold in the Book 3 opener in 2024. Hip 1423 | Keeneland Unchained Elaine (hip 1049), a 3-year-old American Pharoah filly who placed in the Any Limit Stakes at Gulfstream earlier this year for owner/breeder/trainer Patrick Biancone, co-topped the session bringing $375,000 from CF Farms. Consigned by Grovendale Sales as agent, Unchained Elaine was entered as a racing or broodmare prospect with earnings over $170,000. Last raced in July at Gulfstream, her race record stands at 12-3-2-1. A trio of mares brought over $300,000 including a pair of Street Sense mares, both offered in foal. Calle Amanda (hip 1134), consigned by Claiborne Farm and in foal to Tiz the Law, went to Trinitas Place LLC on a final bid of $360,000 while East Bloodstock picked up Encourageachother (hip 1188) from the Woods Edge Farm consignment for $310,000 in foal to Muth. Another young mare, Ember Lynn (hip 1185) sold in foal to Elite Power and went to Iapetus Racing for $300,000. Joining Unchained Elaine at the top of the session was a $375,000 weanling filly (hip 1423) by leading first-crop sire Yaupon who provided some last-session fireworks as one of the last horses through the ring Friday. Out of a Belmont course record-setter in Southern Gem, the filly is a half to GSW Ole Crazy Bone (Ghostzapper). Moreau Bloodstock, who consigned her Friday, purchased her stakes-placed first dam in foal to War of Will for $75,000 at Keeneland November three years ago. That resulting filly, now named Bird the Banker, was a $180,000 Keeneland September yearling last year for BSW/Crow Colts Group. Pick View added a $310,000 Yaupon colt (hip 1161) from the Pope McLean (Crestwood Farm) consignment while the top-priced filly of the day was a daughter of Blame (hip 1346) who went to Tracy Farmer on a final bid of $300,000. Weanlings from first-crop sires continued to be in demand in the Book 3 opener with Cherry Knoll Farm signing for three on the day, two colts and one filly. The $310,000 paid for a colt (hip 1090) from the crop of Kentucky Derby winner Mage matched the highest price paid for one of his weanlings to date. Peter Pugh, who signed the ticket for all three weanlings, also added an Elite Power colt for $300,000 and a filly from the second crop of Jackie's Warrior for $100,000, bringing the farm's total allotment to seven for the sale. “Two nice colts,” said Pugh of the day's top two purchases. “It was extremely difficult buying colts, especially. There's not a lot of availability for the proven sires like a Not This Time. There's no availability now. We did get a Vekoma over at Fasig [the November Sale] but those proven sires are very, very tough to come by. You have to get in behind what you think is a nice horse, like Cody's Wish and Mage.” Cherry Knoll paid $320,000 for that Cody's Wish filly (hip 45) during Tuesday's opening session and Pugh was keen to add a weanling from the Horse of the Year's debut crop to the farm's pinhooking roster. Hip 1090 | Keeneland “There's a lot I like about Cody's Wish and he was such a cool horse,” Pugh said. “We were in Saratoga and a friend of ours was getting on Cody's Wish. He used to ride him by the barn all the time and he was the coolest horse you ever saw in your life. And of course, he ended up who he is. I said 'you know something, if he goes to stud, I'd love to have one of him'.” Pugh found plenty of competition in the market both Friday and earlier in the week as pinhookers battle to stock up ahead of the 2026 yearling sales. “It's almost impossible [to buy],” Pugh continued. “It's not that we're timid. We're in there as good as we can be but sometimes you just have to pull back. The whole market across the board is difficult to buy and that goes with broodmares too. It's tough. In support of the breeder, they're the backbone of the business. I'm sort of glad it's happening for them. There were a lot of people on the horses that we bought. It's happened over and over again. You end up spending probably 20-25% more than what you value the horse at. That's just the way it goes. At this point, if you want a nicer horse, and nothing's promised in this business but I'm hoping that we bought [nicer horses], you have to do that. That's all there is to it. You have to step up.” The Keeneland November sale continues through Tuesday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. The post Keeneland November Stays Strong Into Book 3 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Chasing the Crown's effectiveness on the Churchill Downs turf could tip the scales in his favor when he battles graded stakes winners Wolfie's Dynaghost, Mercante, Lagynos, Encino, and other foes in the $300,000 River City Stakes (G3T) Nov. 8. View the full article

The annual end-of-year student networking event hosted by Amplify Horse Racing will be held Monday, Nov. 10 at the Keeneland library, the group announced Friday via press release. Set to begin 4:00pm and run until 6:00pm, the theme for this year's event is 'Storyteller Night: Exploring Careers in the Thoroughbred Industry'. Students, educators, industry and community members are invited to spend the evening storytelling, exploring careers, and establishing meaningful connections within the equine industry. Students will be offered an accessible way to meet professionals, explore pathways, and learn how diverse experiences shape the Thoroughbred sector. This year's featured speakers include William “Buff” Bradley, Associate of Sales Development for Keeneland; Kassie Creed, Equine Safety Compliance Lead for Keeneland; Jade Cunningham, racehorse trainer; Kelsey Riley, marketing professional; and Eric Resendiz, an Amplify mentee graduate. Each speaker will share a personal story about a defining experience that influenced their career journey–whether a learning moment, a challenge overcome, a humorous misstep, or a memorable adventure in the equine industry. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., with storytelling beginning at 4:15 p.m. Refreshments will be available throughout the event, which is free to attend, followed by an informal networking session where attendees can ask questions and build connections. To learn more about the vent of about Amplify, please go here. The post Amplify to Host Annual Student Networking Event at Keeneland Library appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

On February 7, 1969, Diane Crump became the first woman to ride in a parimutuel race, at Hialeah Park. Her participation in the race was so controversial at the time that she required a police escort to get her through the crowd of hostile spectators to the paddock. She was ninth of 12 in the race, and returned to cheers. It took Crump two weeks to ride her first winner, and the following year, she went on to become the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Crump is the guest on the first episode of season two of the Boundless Podcast, hosted by jockey and veterinarian Ferrin Peterson. Peterson starts the show out noting to Crump that early on, being a female jockey wasn't even a job, asking Crump what her goal was. “Early on,” says Crump, “all I wanted to do was be around horses. I wanted to ride, ride, ride, even if it was just to exercise them. I just had to be around them, and it wasn't until I learned a little bit more and got familiar with everything that I knew I wanted to be a jockey.” Crump said that in those early days in the mid-1960s, she was just about the only female on the backstretch. “When I first came around the track, I was the only woman doing anything,” she said. “I think there was one pony girl. and that was it–not even grooms or hotwalkers. I was it and it was a few years before you started seeing more girls show up.” Crump said getting her license to exercise horses was fairly easy, due to some connections, even though it was illegal for her to be on the backstretch at the age of 14. She tells the story of how Kathy Kusner sued the Maryland Racing Commisison and got her license first, but Kusner had a show-jumping competition at ride at Madison Square Garden, where she broke her leg and was out for six months. Kusner and Penny Ann Early were both galloping horses at Churchill Downs. Early got a mount at Churchill, but the male jockeys boycotted her, refusing to ride in the race. Crump went to Florida, went to court and got a license. Barbara Jo Rubin was riding as an exercise rider, and also got her license, and was named on a mount before Crump. Again, the male riders again boycotted the race. The Hialeah stewards said they wouldn't tolerate that, and that any jockey who boycotted a race so as not to allow women to ride would be suspended for the entirety of the meet. “Nobody wanted a fine, or to stop riding, so I was the third one to get named, and with that warning, the race went off without a hitch,” she said. Peterson dedicated the episode to Janet Mendez, one of the earliest exercise riders who galloped and breezed horses in the Midlantic and Florida, where she and her husband, Rene Mendez, trained horses for over 40 years. To listen to the episode on Spotify, click here. To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here. The post Season 2 of Boundless Podcast Kicks off With Diane Crump appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Brad Cox's outfit was like a hen on a June bug towards the end of Keeneland's 'Fall Stars' meet and subsequently kept pouncing on wins at Churchill, Horseshoe Indy and Aqueduct as the calendar flipped to the more autumn-like weather of November. Louisville's favorite son collected 20 winner's circle visits across 61 starts from Oct. 21 on, which included a Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) playlist in the GIII Hagyard Fayette Stakes, an Oaks points deposit for Life of Joy (Gun Runner) in the Rags to Riches Stakes and taking a bow for the Ozone Park faithful was 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo) in the GIII Forty Niner Stakes. The dual Eclipse Award-winning conditioner may have had only a pair of turf entries at the Breeders' Cup last weekend, but that means little when it comes to the health and power of his stable. Rolling into a graded stakes Saturday with a head full of steam, Cox has Encino (Nyquist) slated for the GIII River City Stakes going nine furlongs on the grass under the Twin Spires. You will remember the dark bay because he wired the field as a 3-year-old in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, which is always the final Derby prep. Sent to the sidelines with an injury before the 'Run for the Roses', the Godolphin homebred returned earlier this year and has since shifted to race primarily on the turf. Last seen scoring over the all-weather in the Presque Isle Downs Mile, Encino will probably be the favorite in the River City with Irad Ortiz Jr. up. “He's a very classy horse who gives it his all on any surface,” said Trace Messina, assistant trainer to Cox. “He's a fast horse but has shown he's able to sit off the pace if he needs to. We're looking forward to him running another top effort on Saturday.” The 4-year-old will face a solid group of experienced specialists though, which includes GSW Lagynos (Kantharos), GSW Taking Candy (Twirling Candy) and GISP Chasing the Crown (Skipshot). Lemon Zest, Godolphin blue through and through | Coady Media Flavien Prat rode Encino at Presque Isle, but the top jockey–who was on fire himself at the Big A last Sunday–hops aboard Lemon Zest (Nyquist) for New York's GII Mother Goose Stakes. Another homebred for Godolphin, the filly won at second asking at Churchill Downs in late June and then cleared an allowance condition at Ellis Park in mid-August. Trying higher-level company for the first time in GIII Remington Park Oaks in late September, Lemon Zest was the runner-up to So There She Was (Munnings), who ships into New York for trainer Chief Stipe O'Neill. Lemon Zest's form shows she can put on some early lick and she is going to need every ounce of it against upstarts like Being Myself (Curlin) and Fully Subscribed (Tiz the Law), plus the presence of GI Longines Kentucky Oaks runner-up Drexel Hill (Bolt d'Oro). The latter, a Whit Beckman trainee, won the Busher Invitational at Aqueduct Mar. 1 and has not been seen since her surprising 32-1 longshot Oaks performance. “She [Drexel Hill] had a very small flake removed from her knee,” Beckman said. “She came back very quickly and seems to be stronger than ever. She has been off for quite a while. Coming back at a mile and an eighth at Aqueduct is no easy task.” Here's the tea on the Long Island & more… Carded at the Big A on Saturday is also the GIII Hill Prince Stakes, which could be a lawn slugfest in the later stages between MGSP Noble Confessor (Quality Road), SW Stars and Strides (American Pharoah) and Mayor of Midnight (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). With a distance test as the finale on the card, the GIII Long Island Stakes includes MGSP Way to Be Marie (Not This Time), who was forced to scratch with an issue before the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar. The 4-year-old filly stands in the way of MGSW & route specialist Beach Bomb (SAf) (Lancaster Bomber). The cold blast from Canada is almost here, but not before Woodbine offers a trio of toasty graded stakes on Saturday. In the GIII Maple Leaf, the ever-consistent Blitz (Uncle Mo) should be able to make the class jump for trainer Mark Casse. However, Casse's trio of runners in the GIII Bessarabian Stakes–which includes GSP Mo Fox Given (Mo Town) who is supplemented to Keeneland's HORA sale next week–could face stiff competition from Miguel Clement's stable in graded stakes winners Love Cervere (Into Mischief) and Les Reys (Fr) (Penny's Picnic {Ire}). Of note, Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach) makes the race, while Brad Cox entrant GSP Ellen Jay (Constitution), out of superstar Covfefe, hopes to draw-in off the also-eligible list. Finally, the GIII Autumn Stakes includes GSW & morning-line favorite Funtastic Again (Funtastic) and GSW Swift Delivery (Not This Time), who is co-owned by future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. The post Hot-Handed Cox Barn Plays Godolphin Aces On Graded Saturday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Graham Motion-trained pair of Beach Bomb and No Show Sammy Jo enter Aqueduct Racetrack's $250,000 Long Island Stakes (G3T) as the horses to beat off of notable last-out performances. View the full article

Attfield (Vekoma) played the role of the Fantastic Mr. Fox to perfection as he shot through a hole to swipe the Central Park Stakes at the Big A on Friday afternoon. The Tom Morley trainee donned cap and gown on debut after sprinting on the grass at the Spa Aug. 29 when he rallied to best eventual stakes winner Schwarzenegger (Not This Time). Attfield tried the Aqueduct turf course in the GIII Futurity Stakes Oct. 3 and improved to make the podium. As a 7-2 shot here, the colt broke a touch inward, but was able to be forwardly placed along the rail just behind the pacesetting Honey Dutch (Knicks Go). Saving ground around the first turn and up the backstretch, the 3-year-old was waiting for daylight and his cue around the far turn. The leader entered the lane looking for the wire because Attfield was about to gun his engine. Tipping to the two path, the chestnut fired his best shot, collared Honey Dutch at the sixteenth marker and was up in plenty of time. “He's [Attfield] very fast but he has a wonderful demeanor this horse,” said trainer Tom Morley. “He's out of a Street Boss mare–and he's by Vekoma–but physically he does look like a horse that should be able to stretch out. “Today was a very important day–firstly, I thought it was important we didn't go to the front–he's been running in fast sprint races,” he said. “I wanted to see him get a lead and Ricardo [Santana, Jr.] and I spoke about that this morning, and he and I both thought he should be sitting in the catbird seat right behind whoever was in front.” The first to the races for his dam, the winner claims a half-sister by Mendelssohn who is currently a yearling. A half-sister to Canadian stakes winner Ray's Away (Limehouse), Graceful Witch visited Newgate for next spring. Attfield is his sire's (by Candy Ride {Arg}) 17th stakes winner. CENTRAL PARK S., $150,000, Aqueduct, 11-7, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.87, fm. 1–ATTFIELD, 120, c, 2, by Vekoma 1st Dam: Graceful Witch, by Street Boss 2nd Dam: Sorus, by Capote 3rd Dam: Shakela, by Alydar ($75,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $220,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Rainbow's End Racing Stable LLC and West Paces Racing LLC; B-Jose Martin Ramirez (KY); T-Thomas Morley; J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $158,500. 2–Noble Dynasty, 120, c, 2, Kingman (GB)–Delta's Royalty (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Besilu Stables LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott. $30,000. 3–Honey Dutch, 120, c, 2, Knicks Go–Ms V Time, by Tiznow. ($33,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Legion Racing and Awestrike Racing; B-Matt Montgomery (KY); T-D. Whitworth Beckman. $18,000. Margins: HF, NK, 1HF. Odds: 3.82, 1.81, 2.82. Also Ran: Beach Ballad-(DH), Jutland-(DH), Sun Above, Omaha Storm, Likeness. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. ATTFIELD gets his first stakes win in the Central Park Stakes under @RSantana_Jr for @morley_racing. pic.twitter.com/WYGuHBVkqn — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) November 7, 2025 The post Vekoma’s Attfield Swipes The Central Park Stakes At The Big A appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features an exciting newcomer in the Juddmonte silks. 12.50 Doncaster, £22,000, Nov, 2yo, 6f 2yT Juddmonte's LEONETTO (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is a half-brother to G1 Nassau Stakes heroine Lady Bowthorpe (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and multiple Group-winning G1 Prix de la Foret third Speak In Colours (GB) Excelebration {Ire}). The Harry Charlton trainee's rivals include Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's fellow debutant Angel Gabriel (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who is a son of G1 Falmouth Stakes heroine Nahoodh (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) and thus a half-brother to last year's G2 Hochi Hai Fillies' Revue victrix Etes Vous Prets (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). 16.30 Wolverhampton, £6,300, Nov, 2yo, 8f 142y (AWT) Yuesheng Zhang's DIRECTOR'S CUT (IRE) (Palace Pier {GB}), one of the owner's two newcomers representing the John and Thady Gosden yard, is kin to G1 Northerly Stakes and G1 Australian Cup hero Light Infantry Man (Fr) (Fast Company {Ire}). His opposition includes Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's hitherto unraced Qarreeb (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is a half-brother to stakes-winning G1 Coronation Stakes third Sounds Of Heaven (GB) (Kingman {GB}), from the Ed Walker stable. The post Half-Brother to Lady Bowthorpe Set for Doncaster Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After being a scratch by track veterinarians from the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) is back at Santa Anita Park undergoing tests to determine a possible cause. Both Tamara and Sweet Azteca (Sharp Azteca) were scratched the morning of the Filly & Mare Sprint, later won by Splendora (Audible), and were figured to be two of the favorites in the race. At the time of the scratch, no reason had been provided for either horse. Now back in the home base of trainer Richard Mandella, Tamara underwent a PET scan as well as X-Rays, and her connections report that results should be known in a couple of days. Mandella said that she appears fine to them. When asked about running at Del Mar if she's okay, the conditioner replied, “I don't know. We're going to kick some ideas around.” The post Tamara Undergoing Tests After Breeders’ Cup Scratch appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Francis DiAmario, the starter at Charles Town Races, got fined $1,000 by that track's stewards for sending away the field in the seventh race on Wednesday with one entrant left back behind the gate. Medallion of Ash (Medallist) was 90-1 in the betting and had yet to step into the outermost stall of a two-turn 6 1/2 -furlong race that started in front of the stands when DiAmario, 65, sprung the latch. Track announcer Paul Espinosa Jr. immediately alerted bettors to the situation at the start of his race call, and the stewards declared Medallion of Ash a non-starter after the remaining eight runners in the NW2L allowance for state-bred fillies and mares crossed the wire. The ruling, issued Friday morning, stated that “all money wagered on her was refunded.” DiAmario waived his right to a hearing before the stewards issued the ruling, which lists his fine as having been paid. The post Charles Town Starter Fined $1,000 for Leaving 90-1 Filly Behind the Gate appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Graham Motion-trained pair of Beach Bomb and No Show Sammy Jo enter Aqueduct Racetrack's $250,000 Long Island Stakes (G3T) as the horses to beat off of notable last-out performances. View the full article

Trainer Kenny McPeek confirmed Nov. 7 that 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan has been officially retired. Fans at Churchill Downs will have one final chance to see the colt Nov. 8 when he parades in the paddock before the fourth race.View the full article

It was one of the better Breeders' Cups that we have seen in a long time and it featured great performances and safe racing, exactly the daily double the Breeders' Cup hopes to hit every year. But the good news has been overshadowed this week by a controversy. Why was White Abarrio (Race Day) scratched just minutes before the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile? The owners, C2 Racing Stable, LLC and Gary Barber, want to know, claiming the horse was “perfectly sound.” “There's nothing wrong with him,” co-owner Mark Cornett told me Sunday. “I have no idea why they scratched him. No one has told us why yet. This is unbelievably frustrating. We have a perfectly sound horse. I've been with this horse since September of his 2-year-old year and he's never missed a race, never missed a work, never missed a day of training.” On Tuesday, the ownership group announced on social media that they have retained a lawyer and have asked for “a full and transparent investigation into this matter.” They continued: “We have requested that the Breeders' Cup, the California Horse Racing Board, and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club preserve and disclose all relevant documents related to White Abarrio being scratched.” Maybe the vet who scratched White Abarrio was right, that there was something wrong with him and it was unsafe to let him run. Maybe he did the owners and all those who bet on the horse, a favor. But that's only part of the story. The Cornett brothers and Gary Barber are exactly right-they are entitled to know why their horse was scratched from a $1 million race in which they believed White Abarrio had a serious chance to win. What is it with horse racing and transparency? We see it time and time again, there is a controversial disqualification or non-disqualification, a controversial scratch and everyone in authority goes running for cover. Horsephotos There was the mess in the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby with Maximum Security (New Year's Day). The stewards took an agonizing 22 minutes to make a decision. Then they appeared before the press and more or less said nothing, failing to explain their reasoning as to why they disqualified a horse from the most important horse race in America. All they needed to do was to say something to the effect that “Maximum Security was disqualified from the 2019 Kentucky Derby for impeding with the progress of other horses as the field rounded the final turn and costing them a placing. Maximum Security, while leading the race, drifted out several running lanes near the quarter-pole. Jockey Luis Saez failed to maintain a straight course.” Five days after the White Abarrio incident, I put on my reporter's hat and asked everyone I could think of who should be in the know the simple question: “Why was White Abarrio scratched?” Afterward, I felt like I had asked for the nuclear codes. From Claire Crosby, the vice president of communications for the Breeders' Cup World Championships: “While we cannot specifically comment on pending or threatened litigation, the Breeders' Cup World Championships operate under the rules and regulations of the host jurisdiction. In the case of the recently concluded 2025 World Championships in Del Mar, California, the rules and protocols for scratches fell under the purview of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) and the Stewards. The Breeders' Cup fully supports the CHRB and its decision-making process.” From HISA Senior Communications Manager Mackenzie Kirker-Head: “Thanks for reaching out. The California Horse Racing Board would be the best point of contact for information regarding that decision.” From Del Mar: “Ask the CHRB.” From the CHRB: No one was willing to go on the record, but colleague Dan Ross did find some information on line. White Abarrio is listed on the CHRB website under the inCompass vet's list for “unsoundness.” There are no other details that have been made available. From the Breeders' Cup website, he found language that confirmed that only a CHRB-licensed veterinarian can scratch a horse. A vet working for the Breeders' Cup cannot. Here's what it says: “Any horse that presents as unsound or unfit to race is confirmed and recommended to be scratched to the Board of Stewards by a CHRB-licensed official veterinarian. The function of the official veterinarian on race day is to determine a horse's suitability to race, not diagnose an issue. Non-California licensed members of the BCL Veterinary Team have no authority to recommend to the Board of Stewards to scratch a horse; that is the sole purview of the state regulatory veterinarians.” Well, now we know that someone determined that White Abarrio was unsound and that decision was made by a CHRB vet. At least that's something. Tamara | Benoit It would also be nice to know why so many horses, including some of the biggest names taking part in the Breeders' Cup were scratched. There's nothing wrong with being extra careful. It is working as the breakdown rate falls every year, but wouldn't it be appropriate for the public and horsemen to be told a little more as to why such standouts as Precise (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Black Out Time (Not This Time), Scottish Lassie (McKinzie), Mystik Dan (Goldencents), Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) and Sweet Azteca (Sharp Azteca) were all scratched. This all could have been handled so much more easily. Yes, there was little time to go before the race and certainly not enough time to whip out a statement before the Dirt Mile was off. But the owners and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. should have been told as soon as possible what the issue was and why they scratched the horse. They still wouldn't have been happy, but they at least wouldn't have been kept in the dark. A veterinarian should have come on NBC right after the race and explained to the television viewers what had just happened. The stewards or a vet should have gone on in-house television and done the same for the fans sitting in the grandstand. This sport has to be as transparent as possible and it is anything but. Keep in mind that CAW play may be the single biggest threat to the future of horse racing but no one-and I mean no one-will say one word about how much the computer players are betting, how much they are winning, what kind of rebates they are getting and, most importantly, how their play has increased the takeout rate for everyone else. At least NYRA has the stewards appear with Andy Serling on television every so often when there is a controversial call, but it is very noteworthy that the steward with all the power, the New York Gaming Commission's Braulio Baeza Jr., doesn't participate. And NYRA has a section on its website called “Past Race Decisions,” in which the stewards do exactly what they should be doing, explaining the calls they made. One problem: There hasn't been a new posting since Dec. 1, 2024. This just shouldn't be this hard. Dan Ross contributed to this story. The post Op/Ed: Why Is It That This Sport Has So Many Problems With Transparency? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Seven wildcards and three supplementary lots have been added to the Arqana Autumn Sale, completing the dissolvement of the partnership between the ownership duo of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede and Haras de Saint Voir. The wildcards include the three-year-old Mets Ta Ceinture (Hunter's Light), the recent winner of the G3 Prix du Tremblay for APQS-bred horses, who will be offered as lot 380 with an entry in the G1 Prix Jacques de Vienne. Trained by Anne-Sophie Pacault, she is out of the black-type mare Rien De Plus (Video Rock), from the family of the top-level winners Rendons Grace (Video Rock) and Homme Du Jour (Video Rock). The François Nicolle-trained Le Nez Creux, successful over fences at Auteuil on her most recent outing, has also been added to the catalogue as lot 398. A half-sister to black-type winners such as Fan De Blues (Poliglote), Kibboutz (Spanish Moon) and Dans La Foulee (Alberto Giacometti), the four-year-old daughter of No Risk At All holds an entry in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gillois. The full catalogue for the Autumn Sale, which takes place from November 17-20, is available to view here. The post Promising National Hunt Performers Added to Arqana Autumn Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Drexel Hill, runner-up in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), returns to the starting gate for her first race since the Run for the Lilies in the $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes (G2) Nov. 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack.View the full article

Multiple stakes winner and millionaire Bango, the winningest horse in recorded Churchill Downs history with 12 wins under the twin spires, has been retired from racing at age 8, trainer Greg Foley said Nov. 7.View the full article