Wandering Eyes

5th-Gulfstream, $70,000, Msw, 1-7, 3yo, 5f (AWT) (off turf), :56.20, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. KING JULIEN (c, 3, Kingman {GB}–Deer Valley {SW, $180,910}, by Speightstown) received some support at 5-1 while debuting for trainer Brian Lynch in a 5 1/2-furlong test over the Saratoga sod last August, but faded to finish a well-beaten seventh. Sent off the 2-1 second choice while getting blinkers on for his off-turf Tapeta debut, the dark bay prompted favored Bourbon Boss (Street Boss) through a snappy opening quarter in :21.78. Inching into the lead approaching the far turn, the colt maintained the tempo turning for home, dispensed of the pesky Bourbon Boss in the stretch and came home a comfortable 2 1/4-length winner. Having failed to produce a live foal over the past two seasons, Deer Valley was bred to Good Magic in 2023. She is a half-sister to Grade I-winning Crisp (El Corredor), who in turn is the dam of Japanese Derby (Dirt) victor Danon Pharoah (American Pharoah). The winner is a half to Wide West (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), SW, $105,185. Sales history: $300,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $42,788. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV. O-Boardshorts Breeding and Racing; B-Glen Hill Farm (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch. The post Kingman Colt Graduates at Gulfstream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

According to a report by Marcus Hersh of the Daily Racing Form, Two Emmys (English Channel), the winner of the 2021 GI Mr. D. S., suffered a fatal injury during a workout Sunday morning at the Fair Grounds. Two Emmys was a newly turned 8-year-old. Hersh broke the news on X, writing “Confirmed tragic news circulating that Two Emmys was euthanized this morning after breaking his leg during a workout. Per trainer H Robertson the fracture occurred the knee, very unusual, & likely happened after another horse “bounced him off the fence” in upper stretch.” At deadline for this story a call to trainer Hugh Robertson seeking additional information had not been returned. Hersh also wrote that James Graham was aboard for the workout and took off his Sunday mounts because of overall soreness. Two Emmys was the type of blue-collar horse that becomes a fan favorite. He was bought for $4,500 at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale. He went on to win eight race and earn $985,083. His most recent win came in the Dec. 23 Buddy Diliberto S. at the Fair Grounds. His graded stakes wins included the GIII Fair Grounds S. and the GII Muniz Memorial Classic S. The post Fan Favorite Two Emmys Euthanized appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was a good day at the office Saturday for the Brad Cox barn, as it swept the two added-money features on the card at Aqueduct. Gold Square LLC's Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun) stamped his authority on the $150,000 Jerome S., scoring by 3 3/4 lengths over a track that produced very slow times all afternoon. The $250,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 80 after stopping the clock in 1:41.91 and plans call for the chestnut, a latest third to Dornoch (Good Magic) and 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in the GII Remsen S. Dec. 2, to remain in New York with his next start likely to come in the nine-furlong GIII Withers S. Feb. 3. “He's lightly raced and the experience he gained yesterday was the main thing,” said Cox's Belmont-based assistant Dustin Dugas. “After Javier won on him [maiden victory over the Jerome course and distance Oct. 6], he was really excited about him and even after the Remsen, he said he would make the trip to ride him again. He really fits the horse well.” Dugas said the longer the better for Drum Roll Please. “The way he trains, it seems like he's the type who can go all day,” said Dugas. “He's a chunk and he's a fun horse. He's always been spunky in the mornings.” Godolphin homebred Comparative (Street Sense) made it a clean sweep for the stable in the Ladies' S. later on the program. The full-sister to MGSW Shared Sense earned her first black-type victory by covering the mile-and-an-eighth distance in 1:55.83. “I like her a lot and she's such a cool filly,” said Dugas. “She's happy to train and loves to do it. I'm not sure where she'll go next. Brad will talk with Godolphin and review it with them and go from there.” Dugas was highly complimentary of the ride Manny Franco put on Comparative. “Manny fits her so well, and he's such a strong rider,” said Dugas. “She needs that. She's a very nice filly, but she needs a strong, special rider. You always heard everyone talk on the backstretch about how strong Manny is, but I think everyone is noticing now. He's shining.” The post Cox Barn Celebrates Big Apple Stakes Double appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

4th-Aqueduct, $70,000, (S), Msw, 1-7, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 1:22.04, sy, head. CRIMSON LIGHT (c, 3, City of Light–Crimson Frost {MSW & GSP, $476,278}, by Stormy Atlantic) debuted with Lasix as the even-money choice here, but he hopped at the start and spotted the field at least 15 lengths. Rolling from the back of the pack around the far turn, the bay moved to the center of the course down the lane, briefly bumped with Shore Time (Not This Time) and got up in the shadow of the wire to secure 'TDN Rising Star' status. The winner is his dam's first offspring, but he does have a 2-year-old unraced half-brother named Guns and Ships (Gun Runner). Sales History: $280,000 Ylg '22 SARAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $38,500. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Whisper Hill Farm, LLC; B-South Gate Farm (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. WOW! #1 CRIMSON LIGHT ($4.20) veered in after the break, hit the rail, and was well out of it early. The debut runner was still at the back of the field heading into the stretch, but absolutely flew down the lane to get up in time to win the 4th at Aqueduct. pic.twitter.com/5Zz6h7fh6Z — TVG (@TVG) January 7, 2024 The post Crimson Light Rolls Into ‘TDN Rising Star’ Station After Debut At Aqueduct appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Tattersalls December Mares Sale marked the end of an era with Paul and Sarah Thorman bringing the curtain down on their Trickledown Stud. Trickledown made its first public offering back in 1990 and has seen a kaleidoscope of change in the industry ever since. The Thormans will forever be associated for having back-to-back 2,000 Guineas winners–George Washington (Ire) and Cockney Rebel (Ire)–through their hands in the early noughties George Washington was sold by Trickledown on behalf of his breeder at Tattersalls in 2004, where he topped Book 1 when selling to Demi O'Byrne on behalf of Coolmore for 1,150,000gns. Meanwhile, Cockney Rebel, who was bought as a foal by Trickledown for 15,000gns, turned a pinhooking profit when selling to Bobby O'Ryan for £30,000 as a yearling. George Washington won the 2,000 Guineas in 2006 while Cockney Rebel followed up the following year. Amazingly, Thorman's association with back-to-back Guineas winners does not rank as his greatest day in the sport. Instead, it was the pinhooking of Dutch Art's dam–12,000gns into 710,000gns in less than a year–which towers above everything else. In this week's Q&A, Thorman reflects on some of those great days as well as his concerns for the sport and future ambitions. You brought the curtain down on the Trickledown consignment at Tattersalls in December. Was the much emotion involved in that process? It wasn't so much emotion but more relief. Sarah got hurt at Book 3 and when I went to see her in hospital that night I said, 'right, that's it, we'll finish now.' I'd been pushing out the retirement and I know Sarah was ready for it as well. You know, when there is a yearling or a foal misbehaving, you are the one who has to grab a hold of it. There comes a time where that is no longer the sensible thing to do and we were ready to retire. We have been the luckiest people in this industry and had the most amazing staff. Some of the staff have been with us since they were 15 or 16 and came back to us after they've had a family. We've also had some brilliant owners, the likes of Chris Mills and Ray Townsend, who have been with us for 30-odd years. No outfit can operate and survive without good owners and staff and we have been blessed with both. The consignment business has changed a lot since you and Sarah started. Trickledown would have been one of the first major consignors in Britain back in 1990. What have been the biggest changes that you have seen since you started? Since we have started, we have seen the likes of Castlebridge, Barton and similar outfits become huge. We've had our loyal bunch of supporters but, as they have gotten older, some have dropped away. Young people like to work with young people and that's why maybe Castlebridge and Barton consign major numbers. I mean, when we started, we used to consign 80-odd foals and we had the best owners that anyone could ask for. We consigned over 1.5m gns worth of foals three years running at one point. This year, the same group of owners were down to just 30 foals to consign. We haven't have a new client for five years. Certainly not a major client. But things evolve and we certainly hadn't been looking for that same volume of work as we were. It has dwindled down without us doing anything and things move on. It was time. I know you've had a lot of good horses through your hands but, in many ways, you have been the champion of the smaller breeder. With that in mind, how tough was it to watch on at the breeding stock sales last year? Oh, for sure. We gave, and I mean gave, two mares and two foals away. These are animals that, five years ago, they would have made five or six grand to Italy or wherever. I had to work hard to give those horses away and, I promise you, they weren't wrecks. You can very quickly work out if a foal is a wreck and if it is never going to be worth anything but these were not wrecks. The two mares we gave away would certainly have been viable three or four years ago. These mares and foals belonged to smaller breeders who have been great clients of ours and it was bloody hard turning to them to explain what was going to happen. Now, we did telegraph it a long way out because the horse were all by stallions who had fallen off a cliff. But, even when you put no reserve on the horse and you don't even get a bid in the ring, that takes a shine off things. Fashion has never been stronger. We used to be able to sell yearlings by unpopular stallions. If they were good-looking horses out of reasonable mares, they'd find a level and sometimes that level was quite good. Sir Mark Prescott, Peter Makin, the likes of those people would always buy a good-looking horse by an unfashionable sire. Now, if you have picked the wrong sire, there is nobody for it. Stallions are never as good or bad as fashion says they are. Dutch Art: Thorman pinhooked the horse's dam for major profit | Racingfotos.com Will fashion play much of a role in your pinhooking? I suppose it will have to. The only thing about fashion when pinhooking is that you have a year for things to change. You couldn't buy a Havana Grey (GB) at Tattersalls in December unless you had a big budget but there were some stallions out there that you felt still had mileage in them so you were happy to buy a foal out of those horses. The most expensive foal we bought was an Ardad (Ire). He had 108 foals two years ago so he has plenty of runners to represent him this year. He was also one of the leading first-crop sires two years ago so he must still have a chance, mustn't he? This foal was a dinger. Now, if Ardad doesn't come off, we might be lucky to get thirty grand for him. But if Ardad comes back into fashion, this could easily be a one-hundred grand yearling. It's buying a lottery ticket, isn't it? There are several horses you could have said would have had the makings of being a decent first-crop sire last year. There are probably four of those stallions who have absolutely been canned already. I mean, you cannot get a bid if you are by any of those stallions. But they are not that bad. Fashion has multiplied their disappointment. Getting back to the foal sales, have you any other thoughts as to why things were so bad for your clients? There weren't any foreign buyers at Tattersalls. I got talking to one of the transport men and, I don't know if he was spinning a yarn or not, but he told me that between Brexit and the English paperwork, it costs the foreign buyers on average one thousand pounds more to get a foal home from England compared to Ireland. That has certainly made a difference. There was more of a market at the lower end at the foal sales at Goffs in Ireland. But at the other end of the spectrum, we had a decent order to go and buy a foal. We were prepared to spend fifty, sixty or seventy grand but, everything we liked, we just kept on getting blown out of the water. We weren't even finishing second or third on these nicer foals. Your broodmare band is down to four. How hard has it become to breed commercially? It's obviously a lot more expensive to produce the horses and perhaps now more so than ever you have to be very careful about what stallions you choose. Our philosophy to breeding has changed a lot but that is due to circumstances. We don't have the farm anymore. When you have a farm, whether you've six mares in a field or eight mares in a field, it doesn't make a fat lot of difference. You can kid yourself that you are keeping them for nothing so, that chancy mare, you might sit with her an extra year or two. When we gave up the tenancy of the farm, we looked at our mares very critically and decided that, if they had two runners that were no good, we shifted them on. Again, I wanted to buy a decent mare in December but didn't because my want list was bigger than my budget. The mares I have are getting a bit older and I could do with some new blood in there. But it's funny, all the good mares I have bought down through the years, I've almost bought them by mistake. The cliche is that the good mare finds you and that you don't find the good mare. You've had your fair share of good touches. Is there one result that towers above another? It would have to be Halland Park Lass (Ire) (Spectrum {Ire}), the dam of Dutch Art (GB), because, again, I bought her by mistake. I had no intention of buying her. I had a bunch of friends who told me that, if I saw a cheap mare, they'd like to come in on one with me. They were two veterinary surgeons from Newmarket and an auctioneer [Ollie Fowlsten]. Every mare I tried to buy for us, I got blown out of the water. A friend came up to me to tell me about Halland Park Lass and said 'she won't do you any harm.' I couldn't find a reason not to buy her so I bought her. I had seen Dutch Art at Doncaster and, although he wasn't the best-looking yearling, I remember being taken by how athletic he was. That was a great story because the two vets bought houses on the proceeds of her sale, as did the auctioneer. I sold a foal out of the mare to my daughter when Dutch Art won his maiden and that ended up helping her to buy a house. For me and Sarah, the biggest thrill of all was the fact we did it for relatively small people. When we sold George [Washington], yes it was great and he was the only yearling that year to make over a million, but the owner was already a millionaire and had a big reserve on the horse. So, it was almost a relief when he sold rather than a slap on the back moment. Anybody could have sold George. Well, maybe not anybody, as he wasn't the simplest fella to deal with. The bulk of the fun we had at Trickledown was when people got a touch and it really mattered to them. Given everything you achieved–being associated with back-to-back Guineas winners and that massive profit with Halland Park Lass–is there more left to tick off? I'd love to own a very good racehorse. We've had plenty of fun with the horses we've raced but never had a real one. But then again, we tend to race what we're left with rather than what we really like. There might be an opportunity to keep one that we really like going forward. Sarah and I are very much into our point-to-pointing and we've got two pointers in training with Chris Barber, one of which we know is only going to be a fun horse. We went to 17 or 18 points last year and had so much fun. If I was to ever win one of the big races, the Foxhunters at Cheltenham or Aintree would be top of my list. Could you imagine the buzz? That would be a dream. And who will consign your horses going forward? David Hegarty, who has just set up on his own, and Robbie Mills, who is actually the son of Chris Mills, who we have sold horses for for over 30 years. He's trading as RMM Bloodstock. You watch them over the next year or two. Both are exceptional talents. They'll find it easy following us! The post Paul Thorman Q&A: Trickledown Boss On Ambitions In Retirement And More appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

'The Week in Review', by T.D. Thornton A few items that stand out after sifting through Friday's “Pimlico Plus” report issued by the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). The ambitious $400-million plan, which is subject to legislative approval, re-imagines the state's racing consolidated at one publicly funded track in Baltimore, the closure of Laurel Park, the construction of a new training facility in the state, and 1/ST Racing and Gaming ceding control of day-to-day Maryland racing to a non-profit entity. Triple Crown traditionalists who are already in a tizzy about the GI Belmont S. needing to relocate to Saratoga Race Course and change its distance for 2024 because of the complete overhaul of Belmont Park had better brace for a radically nomadic renewal the sport's signature series in 2025. If the proposed re-imagining of Pimlico Race Course gets green-lighted by the Maryland legislature as per the MTROA's desired timetable, and if the New York Racing Association (NYRA) confirms the expected Belmont-at-Saratoga festival again for next year, the 2025 series of spring Classics could feature the GI Kentucky Derby run per usual at Churchill Downs, followed by the GI Preakness S. at Laurel Park (the placeholder host during Pimlico's reconstruction), and the Belmont S. at Saratoga for the second season in a row (at the truncated distance of 10 furlongs because NYRA doesn't want to start what is traditionally a 12-furlong race on the Spa's far turn). Even assuming that a modernized Belmont Park is ready to take back its namesake stakes in 2026, the Maryland time frame still has Pimlico's construction ongoing through at least that year, meaning the earliest return to Triple Crown normalcy, in terms of host tracks and race distances, could be 2027. In addition, the 150th running of the Preakness will occur in 2025, but the festivities will likely be muted because of the temporary move. The anniversary will certainly be recognized, but don't expect a Preakness-at-Laurel celebration to have the same cachet Churchill will enjoy this year when it unveils long-planned facility upgrades and partners with the city of Louisville for an extended Derby 150 bash. It will be tough for whoever controls the rights to the Preakness to take advantage of the historical hoopla associated with its big anniversary if the race gets moved to temporary digs 28 miles south of Baltimore. The Preakness is only one day, but the turf racing season in Maryland usually lasts for more than six months. Consolidating racing at Pimlico will mean limiting grass racing to one smaller course that won't get much of a break during the sweltering summer months. When Laurel's expanded turf course opened in 2005, it was billed as a game-changer for Maryland racing, and it has proven to be an investment that paid off handsomely in terms of delivering more grass opportunities, boosting field sizes and generating handle. While Pimlico's existing (and proposed new) turf course is seven furlongs in circumference, roughly the same as Laurel's (seven furlongs and 254 feet), the key difference is width–Pimlico's existing/proposed width will remain at 70 feet according to the MTROA report, while Laurel's is a generous 142 feet wide, allowing for the ability to move portable rails out 17, 35, 53, 70 and 87 feet to provide six different running lanes. Just last month, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) issued a press release that underscored how the “Laurel turf is integral not only to the Maryland racing product but the overall mid-Atlantic racing product.” According to the MTHA's count, in 2023 Laurel ran 273 turf races, the most since 2019 and the highest number among all racetracks in the mid-Atlantic region. Average field size for the course was 9.2 horses per race over six-plus months of usage, while the average field size for dirt races at Laurel between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 was only 6.8. Pimlico, which conducted short meets in May/June and September 2023, ran 72 grass races, giving Maryland access to 345 in-state turf events. But the actual number of turf races at Pimlico isn't as important as the break its meets afford Laurel's course, which had shown signs of strain in previous years when Pimlico didn't run during the summer. Pimlico's ability to carry on Maryland's reputation as a strong grass-racing state is dubious given the course's size and a calendar that will give it a summer break only when the Timonium fair is in session at the end of August and early September. The turf course at Colonial Downs is 180 feet wide and 180 miles south of Pimlico. Over the course of a 27-date 2023 summer meet, the Virginia track ran 213 turf races, the second-highest in the region, according to the MTHA's numbers. To Maryland, Colonial looms as a horse-siphoning threat in both the short term (for the several years Laurel will race almost non-stop while Pimlico gets rebuilt) and over the long term, when Pimlico takes over with a turf course that isn't as expansive or versatile as the one it's replacing. Whether Pimlico's main track and turf course remain in their existing locations or get rotated to better fit within the redesigned property's footprint (both options are outlined by the MTROA), one of the report's “Guiding Principles” states that “The dirt track shall be engineered to be 'synthetic-ready' allowing the quick and economical transition from dirt cushion to a synthetic cushion.” The proposed new training facility is also supposed to have this “synthetic ready” infrastructure in place. Wanting both Pimlico and Maryland's new training center to have the option of switching over from dirt to a synthetic surface in the future seems to be a good idea from a planning perspective, because it's unknown at this point if a federal mandate requiring synthetics might be in the pipeline from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority. But claiming that having such infrastructure is going to position Maryland to be able to “quickly and economically” pivot from one surface to the other understates the difficulty of taking on this sort of after-the-fact conversion. More than two decades of synthetic-surface history in North America has shown that making a switch is, by its very nature, neither fast nor cheap. When Woodbine Racetrack changed from Polytrack to Tapeta during the winter of 2015-16, the work took three months, was purposely scheduled for the offseason, and had to include a settling-in period before horses were allowed on it. Turfway Park made the same surface switch in 2020, but had the luxury of an April-to-November time window between race meets to get the project done properly. To a certain degree, both those tracks were “synthetic ready” because they were switching from Polytrack to Tapeta. The cost for each project was measured in seven digits. Can you imagine if “Pimlico Plus” reopened in 2027 with a dirt surface, and at some point soon after that the entity running the operation decided Maryland's only racing venue needed to cease racing for a while in order to switch over to synthetic? By all means, build the base and its infrastructure to the best possible standards with a focus on safety. But if a synthetic surface is in Pimlico's future, decide on that right from the outset without making it seem like a subsequent change from dirt could realistically be “quickly and economically” accomplished. When Laurel closed for five months in 2021 to replace its main dirt track with an entirely new dirt surface, Maryland racing had Pimlico to fall back on so racing on the circuit wouldn't go dark. If Pimlico becomes the state's sole Thoroughbred track, there will be no Plan B for Maryland racing if it needs to repair or switch surfaces. The post ‘Pimlico Plus’ Concerns: Roving Preakness, Future Of Turf Racing, Synthetic Readiness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale begins Monday in Lexington and continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. Following on the heels of an apparently softening market at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale two months ago, consignors expect to see that all-too familiar polarization continue at the first auction of 2024. “If you take a nice physical over there–the same as in November–it will stand out and should bring plenty of money,” said Hunter Simms of Warrendale Sales. “I think last year was a good year overall and I don't see any reason why that shouldn't lead to good demand in January.” Reflecting on the November market, Simms said, “Judging from what we had and looking at the prices of what sold, the higher quality stuff brought very, very good money. The horses that people could fault, whether it was in produce records or older mares with a late cover date, maybe she has had four or five foals and there was no black-type, or if you had a foal and there were maybe some conformational faults or the sire didn't hit with 2-year-olds right off the bat necessarily, those were more of an uphill battle to get sold. It seemed like buyers were a little bit more reluctant to spend big money on those kinds of horses.” Simms continued, “All of last year, the upper end of the market was very strong, but it was that middle to lower end where it was tough to get a lot of movement on horses, to get multiple buyers. I think that trend will continue. We've seen that trend for a few years now. It all reverts back to, if you have the physical, the right sire, and all of the pieces, your outcome should be good.” The overall economy may offer a bright spot heading into the four-day January sale, according to Simms. “I know interest rates are starting to creep down off that seven or eight percent,” he said. “Hopefully that will get some new people into the game that might want to start buying.” Zach Madden of Buckland Sales agreed the January sale will continue the trend of polarized strength at the top and a weakening in lower strata of the market. “I think it's going to be the same song and dance,” Madden said. “The stuff that is of quality is going to be very well received and I think foals that vet and walk well and have the pedigree and all of that will be hopefully strong. I think that we are just going to continue to see the same polarization of stuff that people really, really want and they go after and they pay top dollar for and then the sort older or “exposed” mares that just don't have much going for them or are in foal to a stallion that isn't making a lot of noise right now–man, that was really tough there in November and, candidly, I expect that to be worse next week. But I still think the top quality is going to bring a bunch of money and the stuff that is perceived to not be that will be a little softer.” The 2023 November sale ended with figures down from the auction's strong 2022 renewal causing some jitters from consignors, but Madden saw reasons for optimism, particularly in the foal market. “I know a lot of people were kind of doom and gloom over the market in general, but stepping out of the middle to top-end type of foal, they were bringing really good money,” Madden said. “I think there was an over saturation of buyers and not enough quality offerings. Why that is? I have no idea. But as people got their sea legs into books three and four, buyers who were looking at that $100,000 and down foal, I felt like that was really competitive. And I think a lot of people didn't fill their orders, so I do think that will be strong.” Madden continued, “I sort of think that 'sky is falling' mentality overshadowed the, 'Hey, the foal market is pretty good.' It's obviously one sector of the whole market, but everybody wants to talk about how bad stuff is, and at the end of the day, I still feel like that quality and the foal market are going to be two strong things, hopefully, leading into next week.” In all, 962 head grossed $45,408,300 through the ring last year for an average of $47,202 and a median of $19,000. Ancient Peace (War Front), a supplement after breaking her maiden just weeks before, brought the 2023 January auction's top price when selling for $650,000. The most recent supplements to this year's January catalogue include Sophia Mia (Pioneerof the Nile), whose first foal Speed Boat Beach (Bayern) captured the Dec. 26 GI Malibu S., and who sells in foal to Not This Time; and the 5-year-old mare Angel Nadeshiko (Carpe Diem), who won the Dec. 30 GIII Robert J Frankel S. The final 10 supplements announced last week bring the total January catalogue to 1,477 horses. The post Bidding Back in 2024: Keeneland January Sale Starts Monday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Driver Penalties M Hurrell | Roxburgh 4 January; careless driving; fined $400. A Cameron | Banks Peninsula 7 January; careless driving; suspended 8-16 January inclusive. Trainer Penalties A Pyers | Wairarapa 2 January; failed to affix gear so as not to come adrift; fined $100. M Williamson | Wyndham 6 January; failed to affix bandage so as not to come adrift; fined $100. C Ferguson | Wyndham 6 January; incorrect gear; fined $100. Horse Penalties CARLEY MAGUIRE | Wairarapa 2 January; unsatisfactory barrier manners; must complete standing start trial. SPECTATOR | Central Otago 2 January; late scratching on veterinary advice; veterinary clearance required. KRACKALING | Central Otago 2 January; late scratching on veterinary advice; veterinary clearance required. CALI FRANCO | Kapiti Coast 4 January; fell in score-up; must complete trial. KINGSCLERE | Kapiti Coast 4 January; broke in running; must complete trial. THANK YOU | Kapiti Coast 4 January; broke in running; must complete trial. MISS GRACIE | Roxburgh 4 January; broke in running; must complete trial. MEGHAN MARKLE | Roxburgh 4 January; poor recovery; veterinary clearance required. NEYMAR | Waikato Bay of Plenty 7 January; broke in running; must complete trial. BABE ON THE BEACH | Waikato Bay of Plenty 7 January; lame; veterinary clearance required. FIFTH AND FINAL | Waikato Bay of Plenty 7 January; broke in running; must complete trial. LADY PEAK | Banks Peninsula 7 January; broke in running; must complete trial. Protests CARLEY MAGUIRE | Wairarapa 2 January; unsatisfactory manners prior to start; declared a non-runner. CALI FRANCO | Kapiti Coast 4 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. HOOROO | Wyndham 6 January; excessive galloping in home straight; disqualified from 3rd. KENNY’S MATE | Wyndham 6 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. LIVY DESMA | Wyndham 6 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. MAMMA MIA | Wyndham 6 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. The post 1-7 January 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Dog Penalties DALTON BAXTER | Christchurch 4 January; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. EXTRA EDITION | Christchurch 5 January; marred (2nd offence); stood down for 28 days and must complete trial. PUKEKO SAMMIE | Christchurch 5 January; marred; stood down for 28 days and must complete trial. Protests WHO’S JEALOUS | Waikato 4 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. THRILLING DOZER | Waikato 4 January; denied a fair start; declared a non-runner. General The Christchurch GRC meeting of 5 January was abandoned after Race 7 due to track conditions. The post 1-7 January 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

In-form Italian jockey tastes success in familiar colours on Sunday, driving Aoraki Summit to victory for the prominent Hong Kong ownerView the full article

Englishman orchestrates boilover in Group Three Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (1,000m) aboard Whizz Kid and continues successful partnership with Blue MarlinView the full article

John Size’s galloper will head straight to the first leg of the four-year-old series after dismantling his rivals on SundayView the full article

by Jonny Turner Da Vinci’s sizzling speed set up a Wyndham whitewash in the Cromwell Cup on Saturday. The pacer sealed an outstanding result for breeder-owners Paul and Brendan Duffy and trainer Craig Ferguson when holding out his half-sister and stablemate Nutcracker who chased gamely along the inner. In front of a bumper crowd at a meeting hosted by the Wyndham Harness Racing Club, with plenty of friends and family in attendance, vice-president Brendan Duffy had plenty to be proud after the one-three finish. “I’m probably especially proud of Nutcracker, she’s just an honest little horse,” Duffy said. “She’s getting up in the ratings now, and it’s probably going to be to her detriment.” “But she seems to compete in a good field like that, the run probably suited her.” “But Da Vinci he’s just got a bit more class and yeah we’re super proud of how he’s going.” “He’s not a top liner but he’s certainly one of the better ones around down here.” Da Vinci and Nutcracker are from the Duffy’s broodmare gem Rockin Cullen who has also produced the good performer, Yorokobi. “It’s a tough game, the breeding game, we’ve had a bit of bad luck this year but you’ve just got to take the good with the bad,” Duffy said. “We’ve got a mare that’s leaving quality stock so if you breed them well, feed them well, they seem to produce.” “Craig’s doing a great job with his team there and being close to Wyndham, the old man (Paul) gets to see them training.” “He’s got everything there he needs – a swimming pool and grass track, a good all-weather track, so the horses have every chance.” Coming out of age group racing, Da Vinci faced a new challenge in the Cromwell Cup. In his first standing start and in his first start on grass, the pacer showed he was well up to the task. “He’s actually surprised me a little bit, with just how he has stepped up,” Ferguson said. “The key thing today was the start and he managed it good, so we’re going to be able to target some of those nice races.” “With his speed and the way he behaved today, he should do a good job in them.” Da Vinci (2600m stand) was one of four horses to set a track record at Cromwell on Saturday. Song Sung Blue (1800m mobile), Hacksaw Ridge (2600m mobile) and One Two Menny (2600m trotting stand) each set new marks with their victories. Racing over the new distance of 1950m, Bullit Train also set a new track record. One Two Menny set his new mark when taking out the Cromwell Trotters Cup in a thrilling finish with runner-up Maui. Trainer Robert Wilson had already enjoyed success at Cromwell when producing Falcons Watch to win race 6. The pacer scored courtesy of an outstanding front-running drive from Seth Hill who produced his first win in the sulky. View the full article

With just three weeks until the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale commences at Karaka, Stud Manager Leon Casey and his team are busy putting the finishing touches on Pencarrow Stud’s 23-strong 2024 sale draft. The Sir Peter Vela owner operation has developed a rich history of providing quality international and domestic performers since Sir Peter and his late brother Phillip established the Tamahere-based property over three decades ago. Casey is justifiably excited about the wide range of youngsters the Stud will send through the auction ring this year. “We have an excellent range of horses in our draft which we believe will appeal to a large cross section of buyers,” Casey said. “Our pre-Christmas parades for mainly Australian buyers were very well received and we are now doing a number of parades for the domestic buyers. “It is very heartening to see the level of interest that has been generated.” While Casey is reluctant to single out any particular individual for special attention, he believes that those with an eye on the international market will be keen on Lot 210, a colt by European Group One winner Kingman out of the Irish mare Marsden Cross who comes from a family that includes outstanding cross-continent Group One performer, Mother Earth, “Our Kingman colt really catches the eye as he is by an outstanding international stallion who has had only a handful of Southern Hemisphere runners and has already produced VRC Oaks (Gr.1, 2400m) winner Zardozi and JJ Atkins Stakes (Gr.1, 1600m) winner King Colorado down here. “Kingman is already classified in the Frankel and Dubawi category of sire success in the Northern Hemisphere and with a filly like Mother Earth in his extended pedigree, who won two Group Ones in Europe but was also Group One placed in America, there is plenty of class in the family.” Casey is quick to point out that a number of the individuals they will offer are from traditional Pencarrow families that have continued to provide the Stud with success, particularly in the past 12 months. “While we obviously have outstanding horses like Romanee Conti, Ethereal and Darci Brahma come off the farm over the years, it is gratifying to see the families we have built that success on continuing to produce on the racetracks in the last year,” he said. “One that quickly springs to mind is Pearl Of Alsace (NZ) (Tavistock) who won five of her first six races and is already a stakes winner and Group One placed, “We have a half-brother to her by Super Seth (Lot 146) in the sale and he is a cracker of a colt. Super Seth has made a great start to his stud career and this guy looks like a real runner. “We also have Lot 43 by another young stallion in Ole Kirk. We made the conscious decision to put our mare Empyrean, who is a daughter of Ethereal, to a stallion who looked like he produced an early maturing type that could run up to a mile. “It is a great cross for the family and he really is an outstanding type.” Casey is also excited to be offering to fillies by first season sire Hello Youmzain, who won twice at Group One level in England including the Gr.1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot and now shuttles to Cambridge Stud for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season. “We have two lovely Hello Youmzain fillies (Lots 87 & 675) from families who have done a great job for us,” he said. “We are shareholders in the stallion and from what we have seen of his first crop to go through an auction ring in this hemisphere, they should attract plenty of attention as there are some lovely individuals on offer.” The only negative for Casey in the build-up to Karaka is the fact that he has been battling the effects of a broken arm suffered when handling a mare prior to Christmas. “I got kicked by a mare a couple of weeks ago but I’m on the mend now,” he said. “They performed surgery on it and I don’t need a cast or even a bandage, “I can’t put any pressure on it but that won’t stop me mucking in with team as we prepare for the biggest week of the year for the Stud.” The National Yearling Sale kicks off at Karaka on Sunday 28 January at 11pm. View the full article

The father and daughter training partnership of Ken Rae and Krystal Williams will take a two-pronged attack into the main race at Reefton on Tuesday, the Ken Gray Memorial Reefton Cup (1400m). Rae and Williams will back-up both The Buffer (NZ) (Reliable Man) and Follow Your Dreams (NZ) (Contributer) in the event after the pair contested the Kumara Gold Nuggets (1810m) on Saturday with contrasting fortunes. While Follow Your Dreams was narrowly beaten into fourth, sentimental favourite The Buffer couldn’t capitalise on a nice run in the trail, battling on to finish beyond midfield behind impressive winner Regal Dice. Williams is confident an improvement in track conditions, with the Reefton surface currently rated a Slow7, will play in favour of both candidates. “On the face of it The Buffer may have looked a little disappointing but I think he got tripped up by a sticky type of track and he may have also not had the race fitness he needed,” Williams said. “He had a blow after he pulled up and will strip a lot fitter for Tuesday. “I also think being back to 1400m will suit and with the fine weather predicted through until Tuesday he will get a track he prefers. “It was great to see Follow Your Dreams back to somewhere near his best as he had a pretty terrible winter. “He just copped a check when a couple stopped on him on Saturday and off his work leading into that race I think he could be a very good chance this week.” The stable will have six stable runners on hand at Reefton with Williams keen on the chances of Berbizier (Race 4) and The Roaring Tiger (Race 8) in their respective events. “The Roaring Tiger (NZ) (Holler) went well at Cromwell to finish third over 1400m and then ran on nicely over 1200m at Kumara last time,” she said. “He is another who will be suited by a better track and with his work of late I’d expect him to be prominent in race eight. “Berbizier (Foxwedge) is a bit of a trick horse as one day he is very good and completely the opposite next time. “The track will suit him as it can be quite a tight circuit and we have been joking about giving all our horses plenty of practice at home going around corners. “He won’t mind that and if he can overcome a wide barrier (8) and topweight (59.5kgs) then he can be right in it.” View the full article

Impressive three-year-old debutant Testwin (NZ) (Time Test) justified some solid support when he took out the opening event on the card at Hastings on Saturday. The Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos-trained son of Time Test boasts an impressive physique and showed he has the ability to match as he put in some huge strides late in the piece to score impressively by half-a-length in the maiden 1600m contest. Given a perfect run behind the pace by rider Jonathan Riddell, Testwin appreciated first use of a track rated as Soft7 before being downgraded during the day to finish a Heavy 10 after some persistent and heavy showers. Trial watchers got an indication of his ability when he took out a 1200m heat at Foxton back in December, with Lowry keen on his chances on Saturday on his home track. “He has shown us plenty and in all honesty we thought he could win based on his trial performance,” Lowry said. “He has a massive stride and we were probably a little lucky to get first use of the track when it was definitely at its best. “He really is a dead set stayer and the mile suited although he might struggle at that distance again in his prep as he just wants to go further.” Lowry will keep that in mind as he attempts to get his charge to the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie on 2 March. “We have him on a Derby path and his next run will be at Wellington on the 27th of January at this stage,” he said. “As long as he goes well we will then look at the Avondale Guineas (Gr.2, 2100m) or the Wairoa Cup (2100m) before tackling the Derby. “The Wairoa Cup might suit best as it is here at Hastings which means he doesn’t have to travel after a big trip to Wellington and then another to Auckland after that, which can be hard on a young horse.” Bred and raced by Lowry’s uncle Tom, Testwin is the younger half-brother to Nedwin (NZ) (Niagara) who won three races on the flat before turning his talents to hurdling where he has now won six of 10 starts over the fences including the 2023 Great Northern Hurdle (4200m). He comes from an extended family that includes outstanding three-year-old Cure who won the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) while also finishing second in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). View the full article

Holymanz justified his race favourite status with a win in the Costal Classic at Geelong on Saturday. Photo: Grant Courtney The highly talented Holymanz is in line for a return to the country of his birth after scoring an effortless win in the $300,000 Coastal Classic (1700m) at Geelong on Saturday. The four-year-old races in the colours of Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay, who are keen to contest the inaugural $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 27. Top horse racing bookmakers reacted to Saturday’s performance by cutting his odds for the four-year-old feature from +1300 to +700. He is now an equal third favourite alongside Desert Lightning in a market headed by Legarto (+160) and Wild Night (+500). Regardless of what the future holds for Holymanz, Saturday’s feature win was itself an enormously satisfying result for the gelding’s connections. After showing bright potential as a three-year-old including a second placing in the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington, his progress was interrupted by a fall in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) that dented his confidence. But trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have brought him back to the peak of his powers as a four-year-old, winning two of his last three races. His 12-start career has now produced four wins, three placings and $371,050 in stakes. “He’s progressive,” assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said. “Henry Plumptre and Cambridge Stud have always thought he was a Group horse. He had a tumble in the Guineas last year, and he was travelling at that point of the race. It knocked him around. Even for him to come back and get back into winning form is fantastic. “We set the horse for this race, and now that we’ve got this result, it leads on to a nice potential option at the Karaka Millions meeting in New Zealand in three weeks’ time.” Holymanz was sent out as a +220 favourite, and jockey Michael Dee was delighted with how the horse was travelling throughout the race. He sat in a handy position before cruising into contention at the top of the straight while still under a tight hold. Holymanz quickened in the straight and soon put the result beyond doubt, coasting to victory by three-quarters of a length over the fellow New Zealand-bred Bermadez. “I knew that I didn’t want to lead today,” Dee said. “I was confident that Keats and Independent Road would make the move and go to the front, but it did take a fair while for that to eventuate. I was happy with where we were. We were able to hold a spot one off the fence. “I wanted to stay off the fence, because we feel that he’s a better horse when he’s ridden outside horses and given plenty of room. He towed me into it coming down the hill, and he made easy work of it in the end.” More horse racing news View the full article

Carbonados remains unbeaten after scoring in his Australian debut at Geelong. Photo: Grant Courtney Exciting New Zealand import Carbonados kept his unblemished career record intact with an impressive Australian debut at Geelong. The Belardo gelding began his career in the New Plymouth stable of Allan Sharrock, and he made a huge impression with a five-length victory on debut on his home track in May of last year. Runner-up Chantilly Lace has since been a multiple Listed winner and Group Three placegetter. Carbonados was subsequently sold to clients of Lindsay Park trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes, who were quickly impressed by what their new recruit showed them in trackwork and trials. Saturday marked his long-awaited Australian debut, and Carbonados did not disappoint. Ridden by Luke Currie, the three-year-old broke quickly from gate four and settled in second behind the front-running Spicy Margs. That rival kicked strongly at the top of the Geelong straight and provided a brief scare, but Currie released the brakes on Carbonados and he drew past to win by a length and a quarter under a hands-and-heels ride. “He’s pretty push-button,” Currie said. “He’s still doing a few things wrong – he’s a bit hot and worked up today. Deeper into his preparation, I reckon he’ll settle down and keep improving. “He jumped well and just cruised along behind the leader with no real problems. He just took a little while to pick up. He was just looking around and is still a bit green and raw. But it was nice that he had that horse to chase. He chased it and put it away nicely in the end. He’s a nice horse going places.” JD Hayes suggested that Carbonados could step into black-type company for the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on January 26. “That performance was really pleasing to see,” Hayes said. “He’s shown a lot of potential, as everyone would have seen in his overseas form and at the trials. “Luke gave him a good ride today. It was nice to see him pull out to the middle of the track and come away with a good victory. “We’ve got some good owners – you’ll see he’s in those Rupert Legh colours, and there are a number of other great clients involved too. They’ve backed us in. He had a pretty nice price tag alongside him after he won so emphatically in New Zealand. There’s still a lot of water to go under the bridge, but this win is a good start. “We’ll take things one step at a time with him, but a race like the Manfred in a few weeks’ time could be a nice target for him.” More horse racing news View the full article

Lyrical Gangster strides clear of his rivals to win at Randwick on Saturday. Photo: bradleyphotos.com.au A gear change and a favourable race tempo helped to unlock the potential of Lyrical Gangster with an impressive win at Randwick. The Proisir gelding headed a New Zealand-bred quinella in the Benchmark 78 event, beating last-start winner Monfelicity by three-quarters of a length. Lyrical Gangster has now had 10 starts for three wins and two placings, earning $165,150 for his co-breeders Cam and Chas Stewart, who race the four-year-old in partnership with Michael Hughes. Since winning on the Kensington track in early November, Lyrical Gangster has been strongly supported for two subsequent starts and has been slightly disappointing in finishing third at Kembla Grange and a last-start fourth at Randwick. Trainer Chris Waller elected to replace blinkers with winkers on Saturday, and with a perfect ride from in-form jockey Kerrin McEvoy, Lyrical Gangster turned his form around. McEvoy had Lyrical Gangster tucked up in behind the speed for most of the race, then presented him in the straight to make his run. Six horses lined up across the track at the 200m in a desperate scramble to the finish, but Lyrical Gangster lifted and kicked strongest of all. “That was a deserved win,” Waller said. “He’s been a work in progress. He’s always shown ability, but he’s been a bit of a heartbreak horse to watch at times. “I said to the owners Cam and Chas Stewart that if we could get his gear right, we can win a decent race with him, and then he’ll train on and get some confidence, and I think that’s the way he’s heading. I’ve just been on the phone to them – they think I’m a genius and I think they’re pretty good too. They’re great supporters of ours, and that’s what racing is all about. “He’s a really big horse and is still growing into himself. Horses like him probably don’t mature until they’re four or five-year-old years, so I think he can win more races once he fills out and gets that confidence.” McEvoy was impressed with Lyrical Gangster’s improvement from his last-start performance. “I think they might have just gone a bit too fast for him the other day,” he said. “He’s a bit of a quirky lad. Today, with the steadier tempo, he was able to settle a bit closer. “Chris changed the blinkers back to the winkers, and I just wanted him to be a bit more enthusiastic out of the gates. He was able to travel after a couple of furlongs, and when I gave him a bit of a smooch around the corner, he came up underneath me and I knew we were in play. “Full credit to the horse – he was able to do his best work and get across the line. He’s heading in the right direction.” More horse racing news View the full article

Hastings three-year-old Testwin kicked off a potential Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) path on home turf on Saturday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Impressive three-year-old debutant Testwin justified some solid support when he took out the opening event on the card at Hastings on Saturday. The Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos-trained son of Time Test boasts an impressive physique and showed he has the ability to match as he put in some huge strides late in the piece to score impressively by half a length in the maiden 1600m contest. Given a perfect run behind the pace by rider Jonathan Riddell, Testwin appreciated first use of a track rated as Soft7 before being downgraded during the day to finish a Heavy 10 after some persistent and heavy showers. Trial watchers got an indication of his ability when he took out a 1200m heat at Foxton back in December, with Lowry keen on his chances on Saturday on his home track. “He has shown us plenty and in all honesty we thought he could win based on his trial performance,” Lowry said. “He has a massive stride and we were probably a little lucky to get first use of the track when it was definitely at its best. “He really is a dead set stayer and the mile suited although he might struggle at that distance again in his prep as he just wants to go further.” Lowry will keep that in mind as he attempts to get his charge to the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie on March 2. “We have him on a Derby path and his next run will be at Wellington on the 27th of January at this stage,” he said. “As long as he goes well we will then look at the Avondale Guineas (Group 2, 2100m) or the Wairoa Cup (2100m) before tackling the Derby. “The Wairoa Cup might suit best as it is here at Hastings which means he doesn’t have to travel after a big trip to Wellington and then another to Auckland after that, which can be hard on a young horse.” More horse racing news View the full article

Canheroc strides away a dominant victor in the Listed Marton Cup (2200m) at Hastings on Saturday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) A day after his connections took a leap of faith with a late nomination for the Group 3 Wellington Cup (3200m), emerging stayer Canheroc rewarded their confidence with a powerful lead-up performance in the Listed Marton Cup (2200m) at Hastings on Saturday. Canheroc had risen steadily through the North Island’s staying ranks in recent months, culminating in a close third behind subsequent Group Three winner Trust In You in the Dunstan Feeds Stayers’ Championship Final (2400m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day. The El Roca gelding took another step up for Saturday’s $80,000 feature, and he rose to the occasion in style with a dominant five-length win. Horse racing betting sites now rates him a +500 chance for the Wellington Cup on January 20, sharing second favouritism with Waisake. Mary Louise is the market leader at +400. “Friday was the deadline to put in a late nomination for the Wellington Cup, so we took a punt and paid up, hoping that he’d justify it with a good run today,” trainer Chris Wood said. “It’s all worked out really well and his performance has given us a bit of confidence to have a crack at Trentham in a couple of weeks’ time. “I’m pretty sure he’ll run two miles. You never know for sure until you try it, but he races like a horse who’ll see the distance out strongly. We’ll just have to hope that they run the Wellington Cup at a reasonable tempo and he gets every chance.” Wood admitted to some concerns about the deteriorating Heavy 8 track on Saturday, but Canheroc was nevertheless sent out as a +340 favourite and blew his nine rivals off the racetrack. Kelly Myers, who was riding the six-year-old for the first time, got him to settle into a smooth rhythm in midfield as Madame Le Fay set a strong pace out in front. The leader began to tire approaching the home turn and the field bunched up tightly. Myers brought Canheroc out into clear air down the extreme outside and let him rip in the straight. He swept to the lead at the 200m mark and romped clear to win with ease from Prince Alby and Never Look Back. “That was a really good performance,” Wood said. “I was a little bit worried when the second lot of rain came today, but he seemed to get through the ground comfortably enough. “Kelly did a very good job on him today. She got him to settle really well and got him to the right part of the track when it mattered. “There was a good tempo, which is always such a big help for staying horses like him, and once Kelly got him into the clear, he was away.” Canheroc has now had 27 starts for four wins, seven placings and $187,305 in stakes for her owner-breeders, Taranaki’s Schumacher family. Canheroc became the ninth individual stakes winner for Westbury Stud stallion El Roca, and he is the best of three foals to race out of the twice-winning Colombia mare Goldie Cantride. More horse racing news View the full article

Muth was the best California-based 2-year-old of the fall, winning the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) and running second to eastern shipper Fierceness in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). Two months later, he still appears on top on the West Coast.View the full article

The Asmussen family legacy saw the beginning of another important chapter Jan. 5 when Erik Asmussen, the youngest son of North America's all-time leading trainer Steve Asmussen, rode his first career winner at Sam Houston Race Park.View the full article

Eclipse Award finalist Muth (c, 3, Good Magic–Hoppa, by Uncle Mo) opened his 2024 tab with a stylish victory in the GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita Park after ending his juvenile season a runner-up to Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile.. Caught to the outside of a scramble for the lead, the Bob Baffert trainee contently track Pilot Commander (Justify) and Slider (Jimmy Creed) as they showed the way early. Moving well coming off the far turn, Juan Hernandez cut his charge loose and the race was over as the son of Good Magic left his stablemate in his wake. Pilot Commander would get the better of the photo with Slider. The final time was 1:23.01. Sales history: $190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP, $2,000,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR. O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Don Alberto Corporation; T-Bob Baffert. Champion Two-Year-Old Male finalist #3 MUTH ($2.80) easily wins the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes (G2). The 3YO Bob Baffert trainee gets his second graded stakes victory with @JJHernandezS19 up. pic.twitter.com/yh53g2O76U — TVG (@TVG) January 6, 2024 The post Muth Takes San Vicente with Style appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Northern visitor Regal Dice reigns supreme in the iconic Kumara Gold Nuggets (1810m) on Saturday. Photo: Race Images South Regal Dice capped a dream first week of 2024 for trainer Robbie Patterson with her victory in the iconic $40,000 Kumara Gold Nuggets (1810m) on Saturday. Remarkably, that was Patterson’s eighth win in the last four days. The New Plymouth trainer collected a win at Greymouth on Wednesday, followed by four winners at Otaki on Thursday and a treble in front of Saturday’s huge crowd at Kumara. Earlier on the Kumara card, Patterson teamed up with jockey Craig Grylls for front-running victories with O’Ceirins Dream and Snipers Dream in maiden and Rating 65 events over the Nuggets distance. They attempted to do the same thing with Times Up in the main event, but a high-pressure pace began to take its toll 500m from the finish. It was stablemate Regal Dice who capitalised as the race suddenly changed complexion, coming up towards the home turn. After settling second-last in a strung-out field, rider Kylie Williams switched across heels and swooped around the outside of the field. By the time she reached the turn into the short Kumara straight, Regal Dice had burst to the lead and was literally going for the gold. Hail Damage provided the sternest challenge, chasing gamely along the inside and clawing back the margin, but Regal Dice held her at bay and won by 1.75 lengths. The Gold Nuggets was the fourth win of a 12-start career for Regal Dice, who has now earned $84,770 for the Regal Dice Racing Syndicate. The daughter of Zed was bred by Bill Stewart, whose other notable successes include the Group Two-winning stayer Tinseltown. “This is great – it’s one of those iconic races that everyone loves to win,” Patterson said. “We managed to win the Coupland’s Mile (Group 3, 1600m) earlier in the season as well. They’re iconic races that mean a lot to people. I’m just really grateful to be here and winning these sorts of races with lovely horses and for good people. “Bill Stewart bred this horse and is a great mate of mine, and I know he’ll be super thrilled with this result too. “It was a smart ride by Kylie. She said they were going to go crazy out in front, so she just sat back smoking her pipe and then made her run and got the result. “Gryllsy got away with those front-running tactics in the previous two races, but he couldn’t quite do it three times in a row. Regal Dice is just a horse with a lot of stamina, and that’s what shone through.” Saturday’s Kumara treble took Patterson to 28 wins for the season, and his runners have now banked more than $1 million in total prize-money through the first half of 2023-24. “I wanted to break a million for the season, so to get there already, less than halfway through the season, is great,” Patterson said. “I’d love to get to 50 wins for the season again, and maybe pick up another Group race along the way. We’ll see what happens. But I’ve got a great crew of people around me and couldn’t have days like this without them.” Regal Dice also became the first Gold Nuggets winner for Williams, who recently reached a milestone of 900 wins in her outstanding riding career. “I’ve always wanted to win the Nuggets,” she said. “I’ve come second a few times, so to finally win the race is great. “I actually only picked up the ride yesterday, and I felt a bit better when Robert said he thought she was the better chance of his two and Craig (Grylls) picked the wrong one. “I said to Robert that there’d be a lot of speed in the race, so I wanted to ride her patiently. At about the 800m I started to get up on heels and in all sorts of trouble, so I elected to come out and let her start to roll forward. “I thought I might have got there too soon, but to her credit, she held them all out. I could hear the others coming at her, but she kept kicking.” More horse racing news View the full article