Wandering Eyes

Juddmonte's 5-year-old homebred daughter of Curlin won eight of nine starts last year and earned more than $2.4 million. She ended her 2023 campaign by winning the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).View the full article

Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa., announced the cancellation of its cards Jan. 22-23 due to the lasting effects of winter weather last week.View the full article

In an announcement made at a press conference on Jan. 22, the NZB Kiwi, which will be sponsored by New Zealand Bloodstock, will be one of the major highlights in a newly established Champions Day featuring more than NZ$9 million.View the full article

By Jonny Turner Great results on track are not the only reason cult hero Lord Forbes is proving popular with breeders. Lord Forbes was a fan favourite during his time on the track and moved into a much quieter life off it for his former owner-trainer-driver Gavin Forbes. The stallion retired with 11 wins, 28 placings and $148,707 in stakes earnings. Forbes bred one mare a year to the stallion in his retirement and the results so far have been outstanding. From just two starts, the sire has produced two winners including the Group 1-placed filly Louies Girl. Huki Fella has helped bolster his dad’s impressive stats by winning twice and placing twice in seven starts. Those great results prompted Lord Forbes’ move into the commercial siring ranks at Macca Lodge and so far it has also been a good success. “We talked with Gavin about the idea of standing him here, he was keen and we were keen and before we knew it he had a new stallion for the stud season,” Macca Lodge studmaster Caine McIntyre said. “Breeders have been keen on him – he has attracted a good number of mares.” “He has shown he can leave a nice horse with Louies Girl being up with the best two-year-old fillies and Huki Fella doing a good job.” Louies Girl (Lord Forbes – One Bad Dream) has won three from seven while Huki Fella (Lord Forbes – Deceitndesire) has won two from seven, both for trainer Craig Ferguson. “At a $1000 stud fee we thought breeders would think he is worth a crack and so far it is working out that way,” says McIntyre. Lord Forbes’ affordable service fee and his results on the track aren’t the only reasons why he is proving to be a success so far. The stallion isn’t letting breeders who give him a chance with their mares down. “He is very fertile and he is getting mares in foal,” McIntyre said. “Obviously that is a huge plus for anyone that sends their mare to him.” “All in all, everything has been positive with him so far and we are getting enquiries from breeders who were not going to breed this season.” With the change in racing season to the calendar year, breeders still have the opportunity to send their mares to Lord Forbes this breeding season. Enquiries can be made to Caine McIntyre on 027 238 7717 or by emailing maccalodge@yrless.co.nz View the full article

A winning double at Blenheim has propelled Muscle Bank up to second in the Seddon Shields Trotters’ Series. The Tom Bamford-trained trotter was in imperious form in Marlborough and now has 22 points in the series, four behind Boyz Invasion who he beat into second place on both days (January 19 and 21) at Waterlea Raceway. Boyz Invasion now has a four point lead on 26. He’s the only trotter who has started in all seven races in the series so far. In its first year, the series, run by the Seddon Harness Racing Group, has just two race meetings left, at Westport and Reefton on March 8 and 10. Each leg of the series is worth between $15,000 and $20,000. Points for each race will be allocated as follows: 1st – 7 points 2nd – 5 points 3rd – 4 points 4th – 3 points 5th – 2 points One point for every other starter. At the end of the series the connections of the horse with the most points will get a bonus of $10,000, with $3,000 for second and $2,000 for third. To see the latest leaderboard click here View the full article

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) has been named the official aftercare partner of this weekend's Pegasus World Cup races at Gulfstream Park. The TAA will have a race named on both the Friday and Saturday programs. On Friday, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will present Race 6: “Congratulations Fasig-Tipton TAA Auction Winners” alongside Fasig-Tipton, the winning bidder of last year's Off to the Races VIP Pegasus Package. Post time is set for 2:39 PM ET. On Saturday, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will present Race 10, the Grade II 'TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational S.', which has a post time of 3:45 PM ET. Winners of both named races will receive a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance blanket and a gift bag with branded merchandise. In recognition of their enduring collaboration, 1/ST RACING will present Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance with a generous check donation following the named race at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. Representatives from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Board of Directors and its accredited organizations will be present for the check presentation. “We're thrilled to have Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance join us again at the Pegasus World Cup,” said Nicole Walker, Vice President of The Stronach Group. “Their amazing dedication to ensuring the well-being of these incredible animals on and off the racetrack deserves to be recognized, plus their wonderful presence adds to our celebration of racing excellence.” The TAA will present 'best turned-out' awards, sponsored by Centennial Farm, for each of Saturday's 14 races. The winning groom and horse will be recognized by the track announcer and will be promoted across TAA's social media accounts. Award recipients will recent a TAA gift bag with branded merchandise. “Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is extremely excited to be part of Pegasus World Cup for another year,” said Stacie Clark Rogers, operations consultant at Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. “It's a testament to our shared commitment to the care and support of these exceptional athletes. We're thrilled to continue our long-time partnership with Pegasus, uniting for the betterment of retired Thoroughbred racehorses in this prestigious racing event.” The post TAA Named Official Aftercare Partner of Pegasus appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Juddmonte's Laurel River (Into Mischief), last seen running out a 3 3/4-length winner of the GII Pat O'Brien S. in August 2022 for Bob Baffert, has been entered for the G3 Al Shindagha Sprint (1200m) and the G3 Firebreak S. (1600m) on 'Fashion Friday' at Meydan Racecourse Jan. 26. “Everything seems to be fine, we've gotten nothing but good reports from over there,” said Garrett O'Rourke, general manager of Juddmonte USA, who confirmed that the 6-year-old stallion will take part in the shorter of the two races Friday evening. An impressive maiden winner at second asking in April 2021, Laurel River was second to The Chosen Vron (Vronsky) in the GIII Laz Barrera S. the following month, but went missing off an 11 1/2-length romp in his first start going a mile at Del Mar that September. A facile allowance winner first off an 11-month absence in July 2022, he defeated American Theorem (American Pharoah) and Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) in the Pat O'Brien to earn a berth in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He was scratched on the eve of the race, for which he would have been one of the top choices. Laurel River was subsequently transferred to the successful yard of trainer Bhupat Seemar and cleared quarantine last October. He has been in steady work since, but the Juddmonte team are taking a pragmatic approach to what might lie ahead. “I don't want to get ahead of ourselves. He's been off a long time,” O'Rourke said. “I'd like him to show that he still has the same sparkle, but obviously we expect some rust for as long as he's been off.” O'Rourke indicated that it will be one step at a time with Laurel River and that near-term options include the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint–a race won last year by Juddmonte's champion Elite Power (Curlin)–and the G3 Mahab al Shimaal (1200m) or G3 Burj Nahaar (1600m) on Super Saturday in Dubai Mar. 2 en route to a possible appearance on Dubai World Cup night four weeks later. “I'd say he'll dictate where we go,” O'Rourke said. “We have to answer one question first and that's whether he shows his old spark and ability and I think after that, we'll play it by ear. You don't want to pigeonhole yourself into any plan when something different might work out to be the best. “We've got to get past this performance and move on after that,” O'Rourke continued. “We're just happy that the horse is healthy and happy and working well and wherever it leads us after this weekend, we'll see where we go with him.” Laurel River will kick off his Dubai campaign on a mark of 116, among the highest-rated dirt horses in the jurisdiction. Isolate (Mark Valeski), winner of last year's G2 Godolphin Mile and on track for the G1 Saudi Cup next month, is rated on 117, while the top dirt sprinter Tuz (Oxbow) is rated 115. The latter, conditioned by Seemar, is also among the entries for the Al Shindagha Sprint. Mawj Clapton Tuz Mysterious Night King Gold Danyah Kabirkhan Mimi Kakushi Atletico El Culano Laurel River Equilateral Just a few of the big names entered for #FashionFriday! Entries: https://t.co/gOO130QXte pic.twitter.com/y7rPpj6Rg4 — Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) January 22, 2024 The post Laurel River Set For Desert Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company opens its 2024 calendar with the two-day Winter Mixed Sale which begins Tuesday at noon. The auction opens with a preferred session of 137 catalogued short yearlings, broodmares and broodmare prospects. Following the preferred session, OBS will present an offering of 76 catalogued horses of racing age. The auction concludes Wednesday with 263 catalogued offerings in the company's open session, which also begins at noon. The horses of racing age took to the OBS track Monday, with the unraced 3-year-old Saint George (St Patrick's Day) (hip 262) earning the under-tack show's bullet when working three furlongs in :32 1/5. Out of Crowninshield (Aldebaran), the chestnut colt was bred by Brent and Crystal Fernung and is consigned by the Fernungs' Journeyman Bloodstock Services. “I thought he was going to work awful good,” said Brent Fernung. “He pulled a stifle before the April sale last year–and we thought he would work good there, too–so we just gave him plenty of time and decided to bring him back here. He stepped up and did what he was supposed to do.” Journeyman is usually active selling at the 2-year-old sales, but Fernung agreed having an outlet to sell horses of racing age in Ocala in January is a welcome addition to the calendar. “Historically, what we've done is we breed homebreds and sell them at the 2-year-old sales,” Fernung said. “And once that last 2-year-old sale goes by, part of the by-product of that is that horses who can't make it to those sales for one reason or another, you've got to have somewhere to go with them. It used to be, before we started doing this here, I ended up having to race all of those horses. We did OK doing that, but it turns into a two-year process before you know it.” Of interest around the sales grounds Monday, Fernung said, “I thought it was a reasonable number of people watching the breeze show. And we have some nice mares in this sale and they seem to be getting looked at pretty regular, too. It's not a real busy place, but it never is. It always helps if it gets really cold up north right before this sale.” “I've been saying since the end of the 2-year-old season last year, if we can just remain flat and level–and I'm not just talking about OBS, I am talking about the Thoroughbred industry in whole–it's been strong now for several years, so if we just don't lose any ground, I'd be satisfied,” Fernung said of expectations for the market. “I think that is realistic. I haven't seen anything that suggests to me that it's going to take a big downturn yet.” During the 2023 Winter sale, 380 horses grossed $6,346,200 for an average of $16,701 and a median of $9,500. A yearling colt by Tapit brought top price of $225,000 and was one of two to bring six figures at the auction. The post OBS Winter Mixed Sale Begins Tuesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa., announced the cancellation of its fourth consecutive card Jan. 22 due to the lasting effects of winter weather last week.View the full article

The pari-mutuel field of "All Other Colts and Geldings from the 2021 Foal Crop" closed as the 2-1 favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, and Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) winner Fierceness was the 8-1 second choice.View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has cataloged an additional 15 supplemental entries to its Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, to be held Feb. 5 and 6 in Lexington.View the full article

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden. Becca's Rocket, 6, (Orb-Idoitmyway, by Unbridled's Song). To be bred to Elite Power. Becca's Rocket is currently in foal to Jackie's Warrior. We bred this Orb filly and after the untimely death of her Unbridled's Song dam in a paddock accident, I vowed to buy this beautiful stakes mare back after her racing career. When she was born, I had such high hopes for her because she was just a super model from day one. Even though Orb tanked as a stallion, I was thrilled that she ran to her looks to become a four-time stakes placed mare of over $250,000. I drove the people who owned her so crazy for over a year to buy her upon her retirement. I saw Jackie's Warrior and thought he was beyond stunning so she went to him the first year, figuring the horse version of Angelina Jolie to Brad Pitt certainly has the chance to make a beautiful baby! So, who to breed her to this year? When I was at the Breeders' Cup this year after losing my butt all day since I refused to bet the chalk, and about six drinks in, Elite Power's race was up. I was watching the post parade and all of a sudden Elite Power gallops away from the pony horse like a machine, giving me goose bumps (which I just got again thinking about it!) I turned to my husband and said, `whatever cash or betting funds we have I am putting on Elite Power.' I literally was putting in a dozen single dollar bills into the auto teller at the Little Red Feather suite with two minutes to post. Ha! He wins and happy, happy! How could one of my favorite homebred yearlings not go to one of my favorite racehorses? Becca's Rocket is booked to Elite Power. Life Well Lived, 17, Tiznow-Well Dressed, b Notebook. To be bred to Constitution. She is in foal to Constitution and my thoughts are, `if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' We were so lucky to buy this fabulous older multiple stakes producer the morning before her son, Parchment Party (Constitution), became a TDN Rising Star. I'm a huge, huge fan of Stone Farm who had her and raised all her runners, so I knew he had a great chance of being raised big and sound. Valerie de Meric, whose family broke and trained him, had texted me the morning she sold about his incredible talent. My mom and I were in the back ring with a tentative budget of $250,000 to purchase her. As her price climbed, I said to my mom that I did not think our original budget was going to cut it at all. We bid $340,0000 and the bid was returned slowly at $350,000 from whom I found out was her breeder, WinStar Farm. I looked at my mom as Stan the bid spotter is asking me with his gestures from his back ring post, `What do you want to do?' Mom looked at me and I asked her, `What do you want to do?' She said, `I am 76 and I can't take it with me, and I want to buy this mare.' The reference to her being 76 was not lost on me as my mind instantaneously was flooded with the memories of my beloved grandmother (my second mom) and her mother, Betty Machmer, who died in perfect health at 76 asleep on the sofa. Her loss 30 years ago still hurts. Her love, her personality, her life of supreme kindness inspired the name and spirit of what is Machmer Hall. So we bid again. That afternoon at Keeneland, when his allowance race went off at Churchill Downs, I am sure they heard me cheering him in Louisville. The grand old gal is happily living at Machmer Hall now, a stone's throw from her former home of Stone Farm and, to top it off, I got the most wonderful and amazing congratulatory text from my favorite chef on Beat Bobby Flay after her purchase. Lynn Hancock asked me what I was going to do if he won the Derby and I told her I was going to get drunk. What a life we lead. Hope is the most valuable commodity. She is booked back to the next super stallion in Kentucky, Constitution. Bunskie, 4, (Speightstown-Layreebelle, by Tale of the Cat). To be bred to Into Mischief. Many years ago, we bought a top-class older mare when she was 19 years old. She was carrying a Tale of the Cat filly at the time. That mare was Voodoo Lily, who became the granddam of Justify. The resultant Tale of the Cat filly unfortunately injured her shoulder in a field accident so we kept her as a broodmare and named her Layreebelle (after my kids Layne, Reece, and Isabelle). Layreebelle has gone onto be a triple-graded-stakes producer with her most recent filly, Three Witches (Into Mischief) running third in the Breeders' Cup Sprint and selling for $1.7 million at Keeneland November. We retained the now four-year-old Speightstown daughter out of Layreebelle named Bunskie, my youngest brother's childhood nickname. She foaled a fancy Bolt d'Oro filly just last night! In deciding where to go next, we looked to our favorite super sire, Into Mischief. His live-foal stud fee is out of our comfort zone, so we did a package of no-guarantee seasons in him with Spendthrift and she is booked on one of those seasons. We cannot wait to have a handful of Into Mischiefs back on the farm next year! Stonetonic, 6, (Candy Ride {Arg}-Stonetastic, by Mizzen Mast.) To be bred to Flightline. We were lucky enough to breed Grade II winner Stonetastic out of our super mare, Special Me. We were anxious to have a filly from that family, so when her first daughter Stonetonic came to auction in foal to Yaupon, we paid an outrageous $400,000 for her. Well, we looked pretty damn crazy until I was in Keeneland November seeing all of these fancy Yaupon babies with incredible physiques selling for big bucks! She has a lovely filly foal and when it came to make a choice of who to breed her to last year it was not lost on me that Flightline's purchaser, David Ingordo, bought Stonetonic's half-sister by Gun Runner for $925,000. David also bought Special Me's Grade I winner, Gift Box, off of us as a weanling so we're thinking it might be a lucky mating to send her to the stellar racehorse Flightline for her second baby, which she is expecting. Figuring that it was a no-brainer to send her first year mating, why not repeat it for $50,000 less for second year? Stonetonic is booked back to Flightline for 2024. Hailey's Melody, 6, (Can the Man-Miki's Melody, by Aptitude). To be bred to Two Phil's. Since we have a ridiculous number of mares due to yours truly having a major horse addiction, we have really tried to limit our new acquisitions to stakes mares. I first saw this mare on a Fasig-Tipton digital sale and even though Can the Man fizzled out at stud, she was a gorgeous, stakes-placed mare who failed to meet her reserve at $48,000 as a breeding or racing prospect. I messaged her owner that when she was done racing we would be interested in buying her as a broodmare only. Fast forward five months, and I got a text that her owner would sell her for a price so reasonable I think I choked on the Diet Coke I was drinking. She shipped in and this stunning 16.3 Adonis gets off the van. So, who to breed her to first year for good value but a great physical and price? Two Phil's: what a great price at $12,500! His speed figures were off the charts and he is by such a great, underrated stallion in Hard Spun. She has the big stretchy frame to lengthen out his Quarter Horse type physique and they are both correct with plenty of bone. Rumandice, 8, (Congrats-Chasethegold, by Touch Gold). To be bred to Practical Joke. I was walking in the back ring in Keeneland January, 2020 and happened to glance over and see this statuesque Congrats filly literally in the chute to go into the ring to be sold. We had actually had great luck in past with her family both in the sale ring and on the racetrack (which is the holy grail for any Thoroughbred commercial breeder). I decided to watch her sell and see where she went. She waltzes into the ring and I hear music to my bargain-shopping ears: `this mare is a cribber.' `OH!' my brain says. `There might be a chance here!' I bought her for $65,000 as a broodmare prospect and happy! Her second foal turns out to be a magnificent son of Practical Joke we sold to Winstar farm for $500,000 at this year's Saratoga sale. We bred her back to Authentic in 2023. Elliott Walden was kind enough to send me a video last month of said Practical Joke colt training, now named Social Hour, and so far so good! Seemed like a no brainer to us to repeat that mating and hope for maybe a happy hour next time! Her 2024 mating is back to the proven and great value sire in Practical Joke. Line of Vision, 9, Court Vision-Gold Lined, by Numerous). To be bred to Maximus Mischief. Line of Vision is a small mare but was a multiple stakes-winning two-year-old with 20 starts under her belt and earnings of almost $250,000. We used to have a rule in our band that all mares had to be at least 16hh but as the years passed we realized that rule needed to be changed with so many big stallions in Kentucky. We bought this mare on the Wanamaker's digital sale platform and bred her in 2023 to Mo Donegal, who is a big, strong horse. She was actually booked to Bolt D'Oro, but that day he was chock a block so we had to call an audible and change stallions last minute. Hopefully it works out like it did when the same thing happened with Vyjack's mating. In deciding where to send her for 2024, we turned to a former Machmer Hall pinhook, Maximus Mischief. What a magnificent foal he was and we have supported him since he went to stud including purchasing multiple breeding rights in him. He seems to throw leg and stretch no matter what mare he goes to. I think that he has had literally three maiden special weight winners in the past two days alone. We are hoping this sound young mare will be a great match with him physically and on the track! 2024: booking Maximus Mischief Warm Sunshine, 10, (Unbridled's Song-Carolina Sunrise, by Awesome Again). To be bred to Cody's Wish. We bought Warm Sunshine as a yearling on my never ending quest for Unbridled's Song mares. We already had claimed her full-sister, who became the dam of Grade III winner Fore Left and her other half-sister, Little Miss Macho, who was a Keeneland September session topper. We raced her and even though she is small, Bart Hone told me she “had a heart the size of Texas.” When we were looking who to breed her for a first foal, Constitution was in the middle of the dreaded bubble year as a stallion. I was challenged by Winstar to book five mares to him and get a bonus season. I actually found eight mares for him and we decided to send Warm Sunshine to him. Fast-forward from that 2018 mating; a case of sesamoiditis derailed our vision of a yearling sale. On to the two-year-old sale, where he promptly bucked his shins. So now, we race him. Steal Sunshine (named after the Len song) has now won two stakes and over $350,000 for us and is running in the GIII Hooper on Pegasus day this weekend! His mother is in foal to two-year-old champion Essential Quality on a 2023 breeding and booked to a horse that more happy tears have been shed over then I can remember in my lifetime, Cody's Wish, for 2024. Vino Rosso is booked for Breakfastatbonnies | Sarah Andrew Breakfastatbonnies, 6, (Laoban-Right Prevails, by Successful Appeal). To be bred to Vino Rosso. Breakfastatbonnies is another one of my infamous walking in the back ring and `what on earth is that?' buys. (Better to ask forgiveness than permission from the hubby and mom.) This stakes-placed Laoban mare is the sh$t. I mean big and beautiful in every way of the word. A little flat in her knees if you want to be critical but I think that was found in a lot of the Laoban progeny. Full-sister to a stakes-winner of over half a million, I bought her as a broodmare prospect for $90,000. For a first year foal, we bred her to Cyber Knife. I try to call the people that know those horses best when they were yearlings or two year olds and Susan Montayne had broken and trained him for Al Gold. After speaking to her, I felt this would be a great physical match, but, truth be told , this mare is so good-looking she could probably get bred to a Welsh Pony and have a Pony Finals champion. When looking to breed her for 2024, my eyebrows have been raised at the incredible accomplishments so far of Vino Rosso. We booked three mares to him for the 2024 season and Breakfastatbonnies is one of those mares going to him. Fancy Kitten, 10, (Kitten's Joy-Endless Fancy, by Ghostzapper). To be bred to Justify. Fancy Kitten was originally claimed by James Keogh to resell as a broodmare prospect. He called me for a reference on someone who could claim this stakes-placed daughter of Kitten's Joy for him. I told him I knew the perfect person-a 4H conformation judge in a former lifetime and now a hard-working trainer. James calls her and the claim is dropped on `the correct and good-sized filly.' `Grand, grand,' you can imagine James saying in his best Irish brogue. Wait a minute, the phone rings again and the trainer says, `I was so busy making sure she was correct that I might have missed that she is a wee weak in the topline.' James is like, `how weak are we talking?' Too late, claim dropped. I am dying of laughter typing this because to hear James tell the story is side-splitting. James calls me after the mare gets to his farm and he is like, `so much for your former 4H judge!' Fancy Kitten goes to the Fasig-Tipton February sale and if you ever had the Breyer horse as a kid like I did , Fancy Kitten was the chestnut version of the old grey mare Glossy. She is at the sale and as everyone knows it is impossible to sell a swayback (even though I have never seen a swayback throw a swayback) and she fails to meet her modest reserve. My mother, of course, has heard the entire story of the claim and James is desperately wanting to get her off the books as one of the rare times he does not make a fabulous claim, so we buy her for $10,000. Her first foal is the graded-stakes winning Jasper Krone (Frosted) who ran in this year's Breeders' Cup and her second foal, Ngannou (Mendelssohn) was a graded-stakes-placed two year old of last year. She has never thrown a swayback and throws a lovely baby that can run! She is currently in foal to the beautiful Jackie's Warrior and is booked back to the rising-star stallion Justify. You just cannot make this stuff up and that is why you never know where they are going to come from! The post Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Machmer Hall appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The questionnaire series continues with Group 1-winning trainer Ed Bethell in the spotlight. Proudest moment of 2023? Winning the G1 Sprint Cup at Haydock with Regional (GB) (Territories {Ire}). What is your biggest ambition for the new year? Keep training winners and try to train another Group 1 winner if I can. Give us one horse to follow and why? That's a really good question. I've got some really nice three-year-olds. I think Paborus (GB) would be the one to follow. He's a lovely, big horse by Recoletos (Fr) and he's owned by a couple of great pals of mine. I think he could be pretty good. He's a very big horse and I think in time he'll develop into a lovely horse. Who do you think will be champion first-season sire this year? Everyone seems to be talking about Earthlight (Ire), but I'll go with Pinatubo (Ire). And the best value stallion in Europe? I think Make Believe (GB) is very good value at €10,000. Or the simple answer for me would be Territories (Ire), who is the sire of Regional and stands at just £10,000. What's the one horse you wish you'd bought in 2023? I missed out on Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) as a yearling [in 2022] when he was on my list. I think he went through as a yearling for 50,000gns, but I just didn't have the budget for him at the time. He's been a bit of a pain in my bum! Biggest regret? I have no regrets. Biggest influence on your career? I guess my father [former trainer James Bethell] would have to get the call up on that one. If you could sit down for dinner with three people (dead or alive) who would they be and why? David Beckham would be one, I'd love to sit down with him. Margot Robbie would be pretty cool to have around and someone like John Magnier would be really interesting to sit and listen to. That's a really weird mix of people, isn't it? The post In The Hot Seat: Ed Bethell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Star Fortress ranks as favorite in the Jan. 27 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2T) off a 10-length win her her North American debut but faces a tougher field this time around.View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued an additional 15 supplemental entries to its upcoming Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale to be held Feb. 5 and 6 in Lexington. Included in the additional lots are: stakes-winner and multiple graded stakes placed Princess Cadey (Dialed In) (hip 508), in foal to McKinzie; stakes-placed broodmare prospect T Max (Connect) (hip 511); 4-year-old racing/broodmare prospect Modern Love (Curlin) (hip 515), a half-sister to Grade I winner Competitionofideas (Speightstown); stakes-winning 3-year-old racing/broodmare prospect Airosa (Uncle Mo) (hip 516); Navy Fleet (Hard Spun) (hip 520), half-sister to Grade I winner Ivar (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) in foal to Olympiad; and Cianchetta (Arch) (hip 521), dam of recent GIII Robert J. Frankel S. winner Angel Nadeshiko (Carpe Diem) selling in foal to Dialed In. Both sessions of the Winter Mixed sale begin at 10 a.m. The post Additional Supplemental Entries Added to Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

We're at the top end now when it comes to stallion fees, but there is quite a range to those prices, which for this feature is anything above £/€20,000. There is of course a massive difference, certainly when it comes to value, in a stallion standing at £35,000 and one at £350,000. In fact, we have two at that latter fee, which makes Frankel (GB) and Dubawi (Ire), the champion sires of the last two years in Britain and Ireland, the most expensive stallions in the world. Those two representatives of Juddmonte and Darley respectively live within a mile of each other as the crow flies over the stud farms encircling Newmarket. Add to that mighty pair the names of Kingman (GB) at £125,000 and Baaeed (GB) at £80,000, and you have four of the top ten European stallions by price all within that square mile of excellence. It's not all about Newmarket, of course, with the Aga Khan Studs standing the most expensive stallion in France, Siyouni (Fr), at €200,000, the same fee commanded by their Sea The Stars (Ire) in Ireland, where he matches Wootton Bassett (GB), who heads the Coolmore roster. The lucky ones among us were those who jumped aboard the Siyouni and Wootton Bassett supporters' buses when those two stallions started out at €7,000 and €6,000 respectively. In bloodstock, as in life, there's a lot to be said for those who have carved out their own lofty niches from humble origins. Of course, with this level of sire power, one needs a mare of equally high standing, whether on the racecourse or as a producer or both. Many of the resulting offspring are retained to race by major owner-breeders, and those that do make it to the sales ring can be expected to fetch the level of return that could make even these high fees look good value. It's all relative. Dependable At a more reachable level for many breeders comes this dependable trio – two we can most certainly call stalwarts and one who stamped his presence on the business with his first few crops. We discussed Yeomanstown Stud's Dark Angel (Ire) in greater depth in TDN last August. For 2024, he remains at €60,000, which was his fee for the preceding three seasons and down from three years at €85,000 between 2018 and 2020. Admittedly, his yearling sales average, which was in six figures for seven straight seasons, has dipped a little in the last few years and to a certain degree he is perhaps a victim of his own success, with various sons and other younger stallions of a similar profile encroaching on this popular sprinter/miler territory. But he had 77 yearlings sold at an average of £88,637 in 2023 which isn't bad going and, now 19, he was also third in the general sires' table behind Frankel and Dubawi. From one O'Callaghan family farm to another, we switch to Tally-Ho Stud. At 23, Kodiac (GB) is into veteran territory but he is also at his lowest fee for nine years at €35,000. You pretty much know what you're going to get with him because he's been there, done that, siring plenty of fast colts and fillies and regularly providing the highest number of winners in a season. He hasn't lost his touch, as demonstrated last year by his Group 1-winning son and now stable-mate Good Guess (GB) and the G2 Lowther S. winner Relief Rally (Ire). Before Good Guess gets a shot at the title, the most credible threat to Kodiac's crown within the Tally-Ho empire comes from Mehmas (Ire), who tore up the first-season sire record books in 2020 and has continued to build on that great start. His European results are backed up by some notable success in America, which should put his sales stock, whether as yearlings or horses in training, on the radar of a wider range of buyers, and at €50,000 in 2024, his fee has come down from last year's high of €60,000. His two-year-olds of this year were conceived in his first book after that break-out season of 2020, so we can expect the level of of his mates that year to have risen in line with his fee. That is not always a guarantee of increased success but I wouldn't want to bet against Mehmas continuing to be one of the most exciting younger sires in the European ranks. His equable temperament, and that of many of his offspring, appears to be what sets him apart. Versatile If you're looking for a stallion with the potential to get you a Classic winner at a mid-level price then the names of Teofilo (Ire) at €30,000, Sea The Moon (Ger) at £32,500, and Galiway (GB) at €30,000 should all be considered. It would be wrong to compartmentalise Teofilo as a staying stallion, though he is very good at that, as his Melbourne Cup-winning sons Without A Fight (Ire), Twilight Payment (Ire) and Cross Counter (GB) show, not to mention the Ascot Gold Cup winner Subjectivist (GB). But there is much more in Teofilo's playbook than that, and he remains a hugely dependable sire across the distances, and of fillies too, from the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Pleascach (Ire) to Irish St Leger winner Voleuse De Coeurs (Ire). If you also factor in some of his achievements as a broodmare sire – Coroebus (Ire), Mac Swiney (Ire), Cachet (Ire) and Dreamloper (Ire) are among the Group 1 winners in that category – and a case can be made for Teofilo being an elite sire at a much more affordable fee than some in that category. Sea The Moon has defied the level of commercial acceptability usually granted to winners of the Deutsches Derby and throughout his career to date has posted very consistent sales returns via his yearlings. His fee has remained sensible – starting at £15,000 for the first six seasons, and then rising steadily to £22,500, then £25,000 and to his current high of £32,500. No doubt helped by the fact that he tends to get very good-looking stock, Sea The Moon has a following in both hemispheres despite never having left Lanwades since retiring to stud, and he coasts into 2024 having sired the winners of the equivalents of the Derby and the Oaks in his native Germany, where he is the champion sire. Climbing up the ranks in France is Galiway, whose two Group 1 winners are the full-brothers Sealiway (Fr), who was also busy last year at Haras de Beaumont, and Classic prospect Sunway (Fr). We can perhaps expect Galiway to make as much of an impact at the Cheltenham Festival as he may do at Chantilly or Epsom, and that has increased his appeal to the National Hunt crowd, with another of his sons, Kenway (Fr), having recently joined Coolagown Stud in Ireland. But it is the Flat with which we are chiefly concerned here, and Galiway's French yearling results last year – six sold at Arqana in August for an average of €131,667 and 23 in October for a €44,761 average, all from his 2021 fee of €12,000 fee – make him a stallion worthy of closer attention. Since 2021, his price has increased to €30,000. The Next Step This year is a critical one for the two young stallions who made the biggest impression with their first-crop runners in 2023. Understandably, both Blue Point (Ire) and Too Darn Hot (GB) have been given fee increases, the former from €35,000 to €60,000 and the latter from £40,000 to £65,000. Getting a mare in to either of these Darley stallions might have been the toughest first challenge for the many breeders who wanted to use them at their higher fees. There is plenty of sales-ring and some racecourse evidence to back up those decisions, and a Group 1-winning three-year-old, preferably a Classic winner, will be required to keep these reputations soaring. A year ahead of them is Coolmore's Sioux Nation, whose juveniles of this year were conceived at his lowest fee of €10,000. He is now at €27,500 thanks to the exploits of the hugely likeable Brave Emperor (Ire) and Matilda Picotte (Ire) among his 10 Group winners from his two crops of runners to race. Sioux Nation was third in the second-season sires' table last year behind Ace Impact's sire Cracksman (GB) and Havana Grey (GB), and while the latter had the highest number of black-type winners (11), Sioux Nation was represented by the most Group winners of this intake (7). He is definitely a horse to watch, even though his fee has increased by €10,000 in the last year. Everything to Prove I'm going to pitch in two names here who are teetering on the brink of triumph or disaster. That's not actually true, of course, but such is the knee-jerk reaction to the early results of stallions by industry people who really should know better, that some horses can be commercially 'dead' before we have even had a proper chance to see what they can do. If mass desertion by breeders follows then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that the stallion will fail, sometimes through no actual fault of his own, other than the fact that he is unlikely to get you a Brocklesby winner. Anyway, as I climb down off my soapbox for the umpteenth time with the fading hope that folks will just wait'n'see awhile, I will put forward Ghaiyyath (Ire) at €25,000 and Hello Youmzain (Fr) at €22,500 as two of the more interesting names among those with first runners in 2024. A dual Group 1-winning son of Kodiac, Hello Youmzain's yearlings were in demand in Deauville last year and he must be odds-on to be France's leading first-season sire this year. He covered 140 mares in his first season at Haras d'Etreham at his opening fee of €25,000. Ghaiyyath's fee has also been trimmed slightly from his starting point of €30,000. Not all sons of Dubawi are created equal, of course, and there is now no shortage of them at stud, but Night Of Thunder (Ire), bred on the same cross as the 130-rated Ghaiyyath, and Too Darn Hot, bred on a similar cross, have set the bar high. Both Hello Youmzain and Ghaiyyath became Group winners themselves for the first time in the second half of their juvenile seasons. If their offspring can follow suit, it is easy to imagine that both stallions could be more expensive by this time next year. TDN Value Podium Bronze: Acclamation (GB), Rathbarry Stud, €25,000 If we are spruiking Dark Angel and Mehmas in this piece, then we must have their sire on the podium. At 25, Acclamation is still going strong and is an increasingly significant influence. As last year's G1 Hong Kong Cup and G1 Cox Plate winner Romantic Warrior (Ire) showed, he is far from just a one-trick pony, though he is obviously best known as a sire of sprinters, with the brilliant Marsha (Ire) among them. Al Shaqab's Orne (Ire), who was bred at home by Rathbarry, has Classic claims ahead of this season, and with Acclamation's fee sliding down from his career-high of €40,000 in 2018 and 2019, he's very much still one to keep on your side. Silver: Pinatubo (Ire), Dalham Hall Stud, £35,000 Perhaps boosted by the success of his fellow son of Shamardal, Blue Point, last year, Pinatubo seems to be many people's idea of this season's leading freshman in waiting. If you had the chance to see him last week during Darley's open days, then it would be hard to disagree, as he has swagger and substance in spades. His yearling average of almost £154,000 for 41 sold tells of his commercial popularity to date. It's up to him now, and up his sleeve he has the fact that he is from the same family as Invincible Spirit and Kodiac. Pinatubo has remained at £35,000 throughout his stud career and that could look very reasonable if his stock live up to expectations this year. Gold: Sottsass (Fr), Coolmore, €25,000 We hear a lot about 'stallion-making races' and I'm not sure I believe in the concept, but all we need to know about Sottsass is that he won the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – two races that most owners would give their eyeteeth to win – not to mention the G1 Prix Ganay and G2 Prix Niel. He was also third in the Arc as a three-year-old behind the older horses Waldgeist (GB) and Enable (GB). Sottsass is from one of the current 'it' families, with his half-siblings including the stellar Sistercharlie (Ire) and My Sister Nat (Fr), while full-brother Shin Emperor (Fr) looks a Grade 1, or even Classic, winner in the making in Japan this year. He is the first cab off the rank when it comes to Coolmore's sons of Siyouni (Fr). In general, his first yearlings looked athletic and together, and they may raise a few eyebrows by coming to hand sooner than expected. More importantly, however, they should go on, and as we know, it's best to rely on a Classic winner to get you a Classic winner. The post Value Sires Part IV: It’s All Relative appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Eclipse Awards Ceremony, to be held Thursday at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida, will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV and Racetrack Television Network (RTN). The Keeneland red-carpet show will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the ceremony following at 7:30 p.m. ET. In addition to FanDuel TV and RTN, the ceremony will be streamed live on multiple outlets including: NTRA.com, americasbestracing.net, bloodhorse.com, DRF.com, equibase.com, ThoroughbredDailyNews.com, and NTRA's YouTube channel. The ceremony will be co-hosted by Britney Eurton, Acacia Courtney Clement, and Nick Luck. Caton Bredar will be serving as the ceremony announcer. The post Eclipse Awards Ceremony to be Broadcast Live appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa., announced the cancellation of their fourth consecutive card Jan. 22 due to the lasting effects of winter weather last week.View the full article

The pari-mutuel field of “All Other Colts and Geldings from the 2021 Foal Crop” closed as the 2-1 favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, while GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Fierceness (City of Light) was the 8-1 second choice. Other horses who attracted mild interest from bettors: GII Remsen S. runner-up Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) (13-1); GII Remsen S. winner and the full-brother to GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Dornoch (Good Magic) (15-1); Breeders' Cup Juvenile third Locked (Gun Runner) (18-1); recent Gulfstream Park maiden winner Conquest Warrior (City of Light) (18-1); and Gun Runner S. and GIII Lecomte S. winner Track Phantom (Quality Road) (18-1). Total handle for the Jan. 19-21 KDFW pool was $334,472 ($254,977 in the Win pool and $79,495 in Exactas), a 7% increase from last year's $312,906 ($244,700 in the Win pool and $68,207 in Exactas). A total of $809,662 has been bet on the Derby future wagers so far this year, compared to $623,660 at this stage last year–a 30% surge. Other Future Wager dates are set for Feb. 16-18 (Pool 4); Mar. 15-17 (Pool 5); Apr. 4-6 (Pool 6). The lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 5. For the complete final odds for the third pool, visit www.KentuckyDerby.com/FutureWager. The post ‘All Others’ Favored in Derby Future Wager appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Parx was forced to cancel its live racing card Monday as the Philadelphia region continues to deal with winter weather. The track, which canceled its entire three-day racing week last Monday through Wednesday, is expected to resume racing Tuesday. The post Parx Cancels Monday Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

California Governor Gavin Newsom has reappointed Brenda Davis to the Calfiornia Horse Racing Board. Davis, who has served on the CHRB since 2020, has been Principal at the Brenda Davis Law Group since 2007. She was Managing Counsel at the California Farm Bureau Federation from 1999 to 2007 and was a Legislative Advocate and Negotiator in the Executive Office of the Attorney General at the California Department of Justice from 1996 to 1999. She is a member of the California State Bar, New Mexico State Bar, Mercy Foundation Board of Trustees and the Friends of Sacramento Arts Board of Directors. Davis, a Republican, earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy Sciences from Duke University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. The post Brenda Davis Reappointed to CHRB appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD NEWSLETTER View the full article

Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (ATR) confirmed today, Monday 22 January, that the TAB Karaka Millions on Saturday 27 January is officially sold out. The event is Ellerslie’s first premier raceday since the installation of a world-class StrathAyr track and is the Club’s first unrestricted raceday in four years as a result of the pandemic and aforementioned track reconstruction project. Attracting almost unprecedented levels of interest since tickets went on sale in December 2023, hospitality sold out within days of launch and the sales reached 10,000 people on Saturday 20 January with general admission also selling out. There will be no further tickets available. With a capacity crowd of 12,000 expected on the night, a provision has been allowed for ATR members, their guests, and owners of the runners taking to the track. Owners will receive access information from the Club this week once fields are confirmed. The event features a six-race card including the $1.5 TAB Karaka Millions 3YO, the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO, the $1m Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic, the Gr.2 Westbury Classic, the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy and the Gr.3 Brighthill Farm Concorde Handicap. ATR CEO, Paul Wilcox, is thrilled that Ellerslie’s return to the spotlight has garnered such interest from the racing and event going public. “The TAB Karaka Millions is one of Ellerslie’s most significant racedays and interest in this year’s event has surpassed our expectations,” he said. “It’s created a real sense of excitement in the industry and we’re working hard to create an event that is befitting of our return to the racing spotlight. “Saturday will be the culmination of many years of hard work from the ATR team and we can’t wait to welcome a capacity crowd oncourse to celebrate with us.” Gates for the TAB Karaka Millions open at 2.30pm on Saturday 27 January at Ellerslie Racecourse with the first race scheduled for approximately 4.19pm. View the full article

Super sprinter Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) will step up her autumn preparation this week with a planned trip away from home to jump out at Mornington. Te Akau Racing assistant trainer Ben Gleeson said on Monday that Imperatriz had been entered to trial on the inner grass track at home at Cranbourne on Monday, but it had been decided to wait two days and instead take her to Mornington for a course-proper gallop over 800 metres. “We just wanted to take her away from Cranbourne for one trial and this looks a perfect fit,” Gleeson said. “She’ll have one (trial) away from home and then one at home before she goes back to the races.” Imperatriz was only beaten once in nine starts – six of those wins coming at Group A$1 million Gr.1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington on February 17. View the full article

Talented horse names making their return to the racebook happens from time to time and should Pendragon (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) find his way to taking on the Australian Guineas at Flemington in March, many punters will quickly recall the Bart Cummings-trained galloper of the mid 2000s. This Pendragon, however, is the Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard -trained version who Moroney hopes can step up to the Group One 1600-metre feature via the $1.5m Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) at Ellerslie on Saturday. Bought by Moroney’s brother Paul for $110,000 at the 2022 Karaka Sale, Pendragon is rated a $9 chance to go near cracking the million dollars in prizemoney this weekend. The son of US Navy Flag took four starts to break his maiden in November last year and since then has put two more victories together including last start in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) on December 26. “He is the type of horse we would bring over (from New Zealand) and have a go,” Moroney said. Unlike the old Pendragon (NZ) (Elnadim) who ran fourth in the Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) in 2005, Moroney doesn’t believe that the current Pendragon is one for those staying trips. “I don’t know that he’s a Derby horse,” he added. “On the dam side there is staying form but being by US Navy Flag, there’s the sprinting quality in England and Ireland.” Saturday’s Ellerslie meeting also features the $1m Karaka Millions 2YO and $1m Aotearoa Classic (1600m) where 2023 Victoria Derby winner Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) is the $1.60 favourite. View the full article