Wandering Eyes

Woodbine Entertainment announced Dec. 20 the 2023 Thoroughbred season produced an all-sources handle of CA$613,125,180. View the full article

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among the key rulings from the last seven days is the saga surrounding Tankinator, a horse at the centre of two positfives within 17 days. On Oct. 21, Tankinator finished 6th at Delaware Park. Tankinator was claimed out of Webster Gayle's barn that day before running again on Nov. 7 for Bonnie Lucas at Parx Racing. Tankinator was pulled up and vanned off in that race. It's unclear whether Tankinator was euthanized. In pending rulings posted on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) website, the 5-year-old gelding's post-race sample after his Oct. 21 appearance tested positive for the corticosteroid Dexamethasone, a controlled drug commonly used as an anti-inflammatory. Tankinator's post-race sample after his Nov. 7 run tested positive for Xylazine, a controlled drug that can be used to sedate or tranquilize horses. According to a HIWU spokesperson, the notice for the first positive test was sent out after the horse ran again on Nov. 7, as the post-claim owner would not have had the option to void the claim through HISA without being aware of the first positive test. Gayle and the post-claim owner were alerted to the dexamethasone positive at the same time, the spokesperson added. In a separate case, trainer Michael Lauer was handed down a two and ½ month suspension after his horse, Mowins, had tested positive for the diabetes drug, Metformin, after finishing third at Horseshoe Indianapolis on Aug. 5. He was also fined $2,600. Lauer's suspension began on Oct. 12. HISA lists Metformin as a banned drug, meaning it comes with a possible two-year suspension. According to the case resolution posted on HIWU's website, the groom looking after Mowins had a prescription for Metformin, which he took twice daily. The day of the race, the groom, Jorge Ceballos, took the medication during lunch, before preparing Mowins for the race, “which included putting the bridle in Mowins' mouth,” according to the case resolution. HIWU agreed that “Mr. Lauer was able to establish the source of Metformin by a balance of probability was unintentional contamination by Mr. Ceballos during his pre-race grooming preparations,” according to the case resolution. Trainers Jeffrey Englehart and A. Ferris Allen were each issued seven-day suspensions and $1,000 fines for Phenylbutazone positives. Phenylbutazone is a Class C controlled medication. For both trainers, the sanctions handed down constituted their second Class C substance violations under HISA. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 11/05/2023 Licensee: Anthony Farrior, trainer Penalty: No penalty. Equine anti-doping charges withdrawn. B Sample volume insufficient for analysis. Explainer: For the presence of Metformin-a banned substance-in a sample taken from Geothermal, who raced at Laurel Park on 11/5/23. This was a possible violation of Rule 3212-Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers. Read more on the story here. Date: 10/28/2023 Licensee: Tony Lello, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Methocarbamol-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Reel Em In. This was a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 10/25/2023 Licensee: Joe Pizzurro, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Atlantic Firestorm. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 09/28/2023 Licensee: Terry Eoff, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Methocarbomal-Controlled Medications (Class C)-in a sample taken from Kentucky Dawn, who finished second at Remington Park on 9/28/23. This was a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 09/01/2023 Licensee: A. Ferris Allen, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility, beginning on December 13, 2023; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Aristocratic, who finished second at Colonial Downs at 9/1/23. This was a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 08/05/2023 Licensee: Michael Lauer, trainer Penalty: Two and ½ month (i.e., 75-day) period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on October 12, 2023; 60-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Horse, beginning on August 31, 2023 (already served); Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results obtained on 08/05/23 and 08/23/23, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $2,600. Final decision of HIWU, and admission. Explainer: For the presence of Metformin-a banned substance-in a sample taken from Mowins who finished third at Horseshoe Indianapolis on 8/5/23. This was a possible violation of Rule 3212-Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers. Date: 07/17/2023 Licensee: Jeffrey Englehart, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility, beginning on December 13, 2023; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Admission. Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Graywing, who finished fourth at Finger Lakes on 7/17/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers. Pending ADMC Violations Date: 11/29/2023 Licensee: Lacey Gaudet, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314-Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method-on the horse, Graceful Union. This is also a possible violation of Rule 4222-Intra-Articular Injections Within Seven (7) Days of Timed and Reported Workout. Date: 11/25/2023 Licensee: Peter Walder, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314-Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method-on the horse, Hello Jack. This is also a possible violation of Rule 4222-Intra-Articular Injections Within Seven (7) Days of Timed and Reported Workout. Date: 11/14/2023 Licensee: Robert Lucas, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Shake N Fries. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 11/13/2023 Licensee: Librado Barocio, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Sugar Fish. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 11/13/2023 Licensee: Librado Barocio, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Barristan the Bold. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 11/13/2023 Licensee: Ron Rozell, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Pemoline-a banned substance-in a sample taken from Bavaria. This was a possible violation of Rule 3212-Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 11/08/2023 Licensee: Ilmar Loaiza, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Roseinthesky, who finished second at Finger Lakes on 11/8/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 11/07/2023 Licensee: Bonnie Lucas, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Xylazine-Controlled Medication (Class B)-in a sample taken from Tankinator, who was pulled up and vanned off in a race at Parx Racing on 11/7/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 10/21/2023 Licensee: Webster Gayle, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone-Controlled Medication (Class B)-in a sample taken from Tankinator, who finished sixth at Delaware Park on 10/21/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Date: 09/21/2023 Licensee: Bret Calhoun, trainer Penalty: Pending Alleged violation: Medication violation Explainer: For the presence of Diclofenac-Controlled Medication (Class C)-in a sample taken from Ain't Broke, who won at Churchill Downs on 09/21/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312-Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List). Violations of Crop Rule One important note: HISA's whip use limit is restricted to six strikes during a race. Los Alamitos Diego Herrera – violation date Dec 16; $250 fine, one-day suspension, 2 strikes over limit Giovanni Franco – violation date Dec 16; $250 fine, one-day suspension, 1 strike over limit Kyle Frey – violation date Dec 17; $250 fine, one-day suspension, 1 strike over limit OTHER KEY RULINGS The TDN also publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. New York Track: Aqueduct Date: 12/14/2023 Licensee: Manuel Franco, jockey Penalty: Three-day suspension Violation: Careless riding Explainer: For having waived his right to an appeal Jockey Mr. Manuel Franco is hereby suspended for three (3) NYRA racing days January 1st 2024, January 4th 2024, January 5th 2024 inclusive. This for careless riding during the running of the 6th race at Aqueduct Racetrack on December 9th 2023. Track: Aqueduct Date: 12/18/2023 Licensee: Junior Alvarado, jockey Penalty: Three-day suspension Violation: Careless riding Explainer: For having waived his right to an appeal Jockey Mr. Junior Alvarado is hereby suspended three (3) NYRA racing days January 1st 2024, January 4th 2024, January 5th 2024 inclusive. This for careless riding during the running of the 9th race at Aqueduct Racetrack on December 16th 2023. The post Weekly Stewards And Commissions Rulings, Dec. 12-18 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Gulfstream Park's GII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational, just upgraded this week from a Grade III to Grade II event, got another boon Wednesday when 1/ST Racing announced the race will serve as an automatic qualifier for the G1 Qatar Nassau S. at England's Qatar Goodwood Festival Aug. 1. The Filly & Mare Turf will be held Jan. 27 as part of Gulfstream's Pegasus World Cup Day presented by Baccarat, which features the $3 million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational and six other graded races. “Goodwood Racecourse is one of the crown jewels in global racing,” said 1/ST Racing & Gaming CEO Aidan Butler. “It's an honor to work together with Goodwood on growing each of our events and brands at home and abroad.” Goodwood's Director, Lord William Gordon Lennox, concurred: “Goodwood is thrilled to be partnering with 1/ST on this exciting initiative. This is a great first step in what we hope will be an exciting partnership over the coming years.” 1/ST also began a partnership this year with Royal Ascot, making Gulfstream's Royal Palm Juvenile and Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies races automatic qualifiers for entry into one of six 2-year-old races during Royal Ascot in June. Crimson Advocate (Nyquist) won both the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies and Ascot's G2 Queen Mary S. The Goodwood partnership will include a $25,000 travel stipend to the winning connections of the Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf. The post Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Tabbed as Automatic Qualifier for Goodwood appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Trainer David Butcher says there is a very good reason he isn’t driving Caulfield on his home track at Cambridge today. “I thought I should put Benjamin on to keep him happy since we working together now,” laughs Butcher. The father and son (Benjamin Butcher) have kind of teamed up at David’s property, where they both have horses. “I’d say we are working in together,” says Butcher. “Ben has a few of his and helps with mine and he does the odd breaker too. “A while back we had too many horses but the numbers are about right now.” The best of them is Hooray Henry, who is being aimed at the $60,000 Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup, taking on Akuta on New Year’s Eve. But one of the most honest members of the stable is Caulfield, who is falling into a familiar patttern: he goes to Alexandra Park and tends to be outsprinted but returns home and can outstay his local rivals. The Butchers will be hoping that continues today as Benjamin has barrier 2 to use over the 2700m mobile conditions Caulfield won over five starts ago. He comes out of a race at Alexandra Park last Friday where he battled bravely into fifth but outsprinted by sharper, younger horses who will probably go further in life. Today he meets horses like him, no stars but ones who take their chances at Cambridge and Caulfield’s chance don’t get much better than today so ff he can lead or trail he becomes the horse to beat. Butcher also thinks he has a chance in Race 3 at today’s twilight meeting, with Romeo Foxtrot off the front over 2200m and also dropping back from Auckland company. “I have been trying a few different things with him and he will go well but it is not a field he stands out in. “It is very even so will come down to manners and who gets the right run.” The stable also have Changealot in what shapes as a very competitive Race 2, a field of maidens without great recent form but many of whom probably won’t be maidens by the end of the summer. “He is the sort of horse who needs the speed on all the way, 30 quarters (400m sectionals) to run the sprint out of the other horses.” The other stable to follow today is another local trainer in Nicky Chilcott, who has strong chances right across the card but particularly in the trotting races. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Colin DeFilippi would love to give Katie Cox a small Christmas present at Ashburton today. DeFilippi and his wife Julie are looking after talented two-year-old pacer It’s Tough for regular trainer Cox as she undergoes treatment for cancer. Cox’s battle is well known in harness racing and the DeFilippis have three of her horses to in work until Cox is back ready to resume training. “Katie used to work for us and we loved having her here,” says Colin. “We were admant she should go to university as well as do the horses and she just flew through her degree here. “But is always a pleasure to be around and how she handled herself through all this, she has the heart of a lion. “I talk to her quite often and ask her how I should drive her horses.” DeFilippi will have to pass those instructions on to Bob Butt today as he is driving It’s Tough as Colin recovers from surgery himself that will keep him out of the sulky for another three weeks. The DeFilippis have found the right race today as It’s Tough drops back from the two-year-old boy’s pace on Grand Prix Day and taking on Major Hot the start before at Timaru. “I knew a long way from home he was in trouble on Grand Prix Day because they were on and off the pace. “He hasn’t got that really sharp sprint yet but I think he will develop it with more racing. “But he is dropping back in grade this week and after two starts back I think he is ready to do some work now.” A fresh-up winner of the Welcome Stakes back in May, It’s Tough meets only one other race winner today, Laurence Hanrahan’s colt Mighty Flying Lou, who finished seventh in the same Timaru race that It’s Tough ran fourth in last time they met. Today’s twilight meeting, which runs alongside one at Cambridge, has 10 races but smaller fields than usual at Ashburton yet still has an even look to it so punters will be able to get some value. One of the better bets could come early in George Eliot, who drops a long way in class to a maiden mobile trot. She raced well out of her grade against Eurostyle at Addington last Friday while the start before was sixth in the NZ Trotting Oaks won by Sunny’s Sister. The fillies who finished in front of George Eliot that night excelled in the NZ Trotting Derby that Sunny’s Sister won on December 10. View the full article

An Arkansan leads the Oaklawn owner's standings through the first five days of the 2023-24 meeting, but it is not record-setting John Ed Anthony or 2022-23 champions Heath and Sheena Campbell. It is Staton Flurry of Hot Springs, Ark.View the full article

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) will undergo a number of structural and personnel changes in the Racing Department, the organization announced Wednesday. With effect from Mar. 1, Jason Morris, who has been Director of Racing since 2002, will become Horse Racing Ireland's Director of Strategy where his focus will be on the delivery and execution of HRI's strategic plan for 2024-2028, which will be launched early in the New Year. Also with effect from Mar. 1, Jonathan Mullin, who has served as Director of Communications and Public Affairs since 2017, will be taking over the position of Director of Racing. HRI has begun recruiting for a new Director of Communications and Public Affairs. From Jan. 1, Shane Doyle will be moving to the position of Breeding Development Manager with Andrew Finnegan, currently Assistant Race Planning Manager and Scheduling Manager, succeeding Shane as Race Planning Manager. For more information, click here. The post HRI Outlines Racing Department Changes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Japan's Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) has been named Horse Of The Year by Timeform–besting G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) and GI Breeders' Cup Turf winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn})–in the inaugural Timeform Awards, it was announced Wednesday. Trained by Tetsuya Kimura, the colt earned a 136 rating in his career finale in the G1 Japan Cup. Equinox, who also stood atop of the Leading Male 3yo/up category, also garnered the Champion Of The Rest Of The World award, ahead of Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), who equalled his highest ever rating (129) with a score in this month's G1 Hong Kong Mile, and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody's Wish (Curlin) (129), who finished as joint runners up. Leading the fray in other divisions: G1 Dewhurst S. victor City Of Troy (Justify) earned a 125 rating thus securing the Leading 2YO award. Ace Impact (133) was crowned Champion Of Europe ahead of Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) (131) and Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (130) Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (126) led her John and Thady Gosden-trained stablemate Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) (125) in the Female 3yo+ Category Timeform's Leading First-season Sire of 2023–based on an average Timeform master rating of a sire's top 10 progeny in Britain and Ireland–was Too Darn Hot (GB) Dubawi {Ire}) (99), who claimed top honours ahead of Blue Point (Ire) Shamardal) (96) in second place, while Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) tied for third place (93). The race of 2023 was determined based on an average Timeform master rating of the first three horses. Longchamp's Arc came out on top with the first three finishers–Ace Impact, Westover and Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB})–earning the race an average rating of 130, 1 lb higher than Kyoto's G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, which finished joint-second. For the complete results of the Timeform Awards, click here. The post Equinox Earns HOTY Honours at Inaugural Timeform Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance voted at its Dec. 14 meeting to elect six new directors for 2024, the non-profit said in a release Wednesday afternoon. Directors beginning service in 2024: Christina Blacker, Racing Host and Analyst at FanDuel Jay Privman, Former National Correspondent at Daily Racing Form Dean Roethemeier, Assistant Director of Sales Operations at Keeneland Barbara Vanlangendonck, Owner of Summerfield Sales Directors returning for a second term in 2024: Walter Robertson, Attorney at Stites & Harbison Yvonne Schwabe, Owner of Persley Den Farms Each Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance director may serve for up to five consecutive years. Upon completion, each is required to rotate off the board for at least one year before becoming eligible for renomination. Having dedicated five years of their time, expertise and resources, Craig Bandoroff, Simon Bray, Donna Brothers, Boyd Browning, Chip McGaughey and Tom Ventura will conclude their service at the end of 2023. For a third consecutive year, Jeffrey Bloom, Managing Partner of Bloom Racing Stable, will serve as TAA President. The post New Directors Elected To Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Board appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The series follows United States syndicate manager Harlan Malter's ambitious quest to return to Royal Ascot with a horse sired by his 2018 King's Stand Stakes (G1) runner, Bucchero.View the full article

The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association, Gulfstream Park, and the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association announced an unprecedented $2.1 million Florida-Bred Incentive Fund for overnight race conditions beginning Jan. 1.View the full article

An unprecedented $2.1 million will fill the Florida-Bred Incentive Fund (FBIF) for overnight race conditions to start the new year, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA), Gulfstream Park and the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association said in a combined release Wednesday. Independently, the FTBOA revealed that an additional $1.3 million of Florida-bred race incentives on Gulfstream Park stakes and selected overnights to complement the expanded FBIF and longstanding Florida-Sire Sire Stakes 2-year-old series is on tap. The combined programs, totaling $4.6 million, are substantially enabled by HB 7063, a 2023 Florida tax package directing more than $55 million into the Thoroughbred industry over two years. In addition to the FBIF, the total pool of $5,000 bonuses for 2-year-old Florida Sire Stakes eligible winners in maiden special weights will triple to $300,000 from the $100,000 total bonus pool offered in prior years. In overnight conditions, the FTBOA will boost maiden special weights, allowances and handicaps with $5,000 win bonuses for Florida-breds in open races and Florida Sire Stakes eligible winners in restricted races. The post 2024 Florida-Bred Incentives At Gulfstream Park Released appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 2023 Longines World Racing Awards will be held at London's Savoy Hotel Jan. 23, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities announced Wednesday. The event, co-hosted by the Swiss watch brand Longines, will honour the highest-rated horse in the 2023 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings as well as the Longines World's Best Horse Race. The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings are established by international handicappers according to the performance of the horses in top races. The highest rated race is determined by averaging the rankings of the first four placed horses. The trophies are engraved with the name of the Longines World's Best Racehorse and Horse Race, respectively, and the representatives of the winners are presented with Longines timepieces. The complete list on the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings is available at http://www.ifhaonline.org. The post Longines World Racing Awards Set for London’s Savoy Hotel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Woodbine Entertainment's 2023 Thoroughbred season produced an all-sources handle of $613,125,180 CAD, which was the second largest single-season recorded, but that overall number was down $8 million from 2022, the organization said in a release Wednesday. In 2023, a total of 1,180 races were contested over 128 dates of racing compared to 1,198 races over 132 dates in 2022. Woodbine ran four less dates and 18 less races in 2023 due to an unprecedented number of cancelled race cards (five) because of extreme heat and poor air quality caused by smoke from forest fires across Canada. The average field size for those races was 8.2, the same as 2022, and above the industry average. In Ontario, wagering on Woodbine Thoroughbred racing by customers across the province was down 6.2% ($81.8 million this season vs $87.2 million in 2022). The decline in home market wagering was partially mitigated by a foreign market handle of $512 million, a decrease from $515 million in 2022, though still a remarkable gain from the previous record of $420 million in 2021. The $512 million in foreign market handle was supported by a strong U.S. dollar. The average handle per race in 2023 was a record $519,597. This is an increase of $580 per race from 2022. To address the increased competition from an emerging licensed sports betting market, Woodbine Entertainment announced a partnership with global sports betting leader bet365 prior to The King's Plate. “We are operating on a very solid foundation that positions us well to manage the current industry and economic trends,” said Michael Copeland, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “We also have opportunities before us that have not been fully realized yet, like the integration of racing into licensed sportsbooks, which will have a positive impact.” The post Woodbine’s 2023 Thoroughbred Meet Produces Mixed Results appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After playing a starring role in a story that the racing world–and many circles outside the equine industry–will not soon forget, Cody's Wish will now work toward cementing his legacy as he takes up stud duty at Darley's Jonabell Farm. With a $75,000 initial fee, the son of Curlin is the priciest newcomer to join the Kentucky stallion ranks this year, but also the only one to boast five Grade I victories. His resume is further enhanced by a Grade I-winning dam–a distinction that only one other incoming stallion can claim and it's another member of the Darley roster. Proxy, a son of 2007 GI American Oaks Invitational S. and Juddmonte Spinster S. victress Panty Raid (Include), earned his own Grade I status in last year's Clark S. The son of Tapit will launch his stud career at $25,000. With two homebreds joining the stallion barn on the heels of champion Essential Quality and MGSW Maxfield getting started last year and Grade I winners Mystic Guide and Speaker's Corner coming in for 2023, there will be plenty of activity at Jonabell once the shed doors open for 2024. “For our operation to have produced two homebreds that hit these high notes on the racetrack and then complete the circle and come to the stallion barn is hugely gratifying and hugely exciting,” said Darley Sales Manager Darren Fox. There was no shortage of demand as Fox and the rest of the team fielded calls from eager breeders when Cody's Wish arrived at Jonabell following his hard-fought Breeders' Cup victory. The back-to-back Dirt Mile champ quickly accumulated plenty of high-caliber race mares and producers. “We are very pleased with breeders' reception to him and the book of mares he has assembled,” said Fox. “It is going to be a very strong book of young mares, a lot of graded stakes winners and producers, and Grade I winners. It certainly is going to set him up for every success going forward.” Over his three-year career Cody's Wish earned eight triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures including a standout 112 in this year's Met Mile, so breeders were more than familiar with the multi-millionaire's race record. Fox said that breeders studying the horse during the busy open house season at Jonabell over the past few weeks only served to further interest. “Cody's Wish is just an imposing, jaw-dropping physical,” he explained. “He's quite a good-sized horse–16'3 and three quarters. So he's a substantial horse, but he is so well balanced and so well proportioned. From afar, you would be forgiven for not thinking he was that big at all. He is just so well made with the depth of his shoulder, the strength of his hip, the length of his limbs and how he carries himself.” The only son of Curlin on the Darley America roster, Cody's Wish's pedigree suggests an appealing blend of speed and stamina. His dam Dance Card (Tapit) won the 2012 GI Gazelle S. as a 3-year-old going a mile and an eighth but turned back to finish third in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint the next year. While Cody's Wish didn't break his maiden until October of his 3-year-old year, his half-brother Endorsed (Medaglia d'Oro) won on debut at Saratoga as a juvenile and has been a presence for the last six seasons since, this year claiming the GIII Fred W. Hooper S. and GII Gulfstream Park Mile S. “Curlin as a sire of sire is one of the most sought-after lines in North America currently, so it's very exciting to add a son of Curlin to our roster both for our own broodmare brand and our clients and to complement our existing roster,” said Fox. “Being by Curlin out of a Tapit mare, he certainly is a little sharper in terms of his distance aptitude than one might initially expect based on a cursory glance of his pedigree. But when you delve a little deeper into his dam's race record and you watch his replays and see the speed he had from seven furlongs to a mile, it makes him a very exciting stallion prospect to mix that stamina and speed crossed with some of the best mares in the country. It really sets him up to have a very exciting stallion career going forward.” Across the barn aisle, Cody's Wish's new studmate Proxy has also garnered plenty of looks during open houses. Most breeders can quickly recall the talents of not only his dam, but also his half-sister Micheline (Bernardini), a Grade II winner for Godolphin who was runner-up in the 2020 GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S., as well as Panty Raid's full-sister St. John's River (Include), who was second by a neck in the 2011 GI Kentucky Oaks. Proxy at Jonabell Farm | Sara Gordon “Proxy is a horse who has definitely attracted a lot of fans from people viewing him in person,” said Fox. “He is a stunning-looking horse. 16'3, a lot of class and quality, very sharp and attractive with a lot of shoulder and a lot of shape. I've said repeatedly during our open house season that anyone who brings a yearling version of Proxy to the sales will be very handsomely rewarded. He is just that commercial type and breeders have recognized that and supported him accordingly. He's got the multiple Grade-I winning race mare, he's a half to a really good filly and he is a very high-performing racehorse in his own right.” Fox said that many might forget how Proxy showed brilliance at two, breaking his maiden in November and following that effort with a two-and-a-half length allowance win at Fair Grounds a month later. A presence on the Triple Crown trail early on at three and the winner of the GI Clark S. over GISW West Will Power (Bernardini) at four, Proxy continued his upward trajectory this year with a score in the GII Oaklawn H., a pair of runner-up efforts in the GI Santa Anita H. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, and a fast-closing third to conclude his career in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. All in all, the competitive son of Tapit placed in all but four of his 20 lifetime starts and earned over $2.7 million. Kudos to the Darley stallion research team for finding out that Proxy holds an interesting record for their stallion barn. “He defeated 18 Grade I winners throughout his career, which is a record for the barn,” Fox shared. “For context, Medaglia d'Oro lies second on 17. So it really tells you how good of a racehorse this guy was. He kept top company throughout his career and was so consistent. He has that toughness, soundness and durability and certainly has high level form as well. He is a very well-rounded, high-performing horse to bring into the stallion barn.” The post Darley’s New Sires Offer Grade I Appeal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Edited Press Release Trainer Jena Antonucci sat down with the NYRA Press Office to discuss her accomplishments, MGISW Arcangelo (Arrogate) and the memorable moments that happened to her this year. NYRA: What did it mean to you personally to win the GI Belmont S. and GI Travers S.? Antonucci: “It opened the window for people to see what we've been doing. I've chuckled a little bit at the people who say, 'Oh, she's only ever had one horse.' No, we've actually had a lot, and have won stakes beforehand. Yes, these are our first Grade 1s, but our goal is to continue doing us. If it has afforded us to have a better quality of horses, then we will just continue to do all of that the best possible way we can. We'll just continue to be true to who we are. “It's honestly most gratifying watching the team. When you take those little moments during an event and look at a team member's face and see how proud they are–to watch that and to see the people accomplish career and lifetime goals and dreams, it's literally the most gratifying part. “I will forever be grateful for the horse and what he gave us, and him believing in us, but to watch your team check boxes in a way that maybe they never thought would happen and to potentially make that happen for them is by far and above the most rewarding and gratifying.” NYRA: You've said before that you would need some time to think about exactly what this means for women in this sport. How have your thoughts come together with time? Antonucci: “I think it's resonated more hearing it from other people and what it means to them. Hearing how it made women who have watched the journey feel and to make people excited about our sport and what we have accomplished is such a gift. “Recently, I was able to speak to an all-girls school from fifth graders to seniors, and did a talk with the group of almost 700 young ladies. To see where their questions fell and what they got excited about, and to be able to speak about what we've accomplished in our sport, it definitely resonates. To be able to look at young girls and say, 'This hadn't happened in 155 years,' and to see how they receive that is special. “You watch other women accomplish things in other sports and careers, but to watch it from the front row is very interesting and a gift that I will absolutely carry with much regard for a very long time to make sure it is meaningful and we can push the ball forward to encourage a young girl to rock on and to do her.” NYRA: One of your most repeated and applauded comments about your accomplishments was your metaphor of making your own seat at the table. What does it mean to you that it resonated so well with so many? Antonucci: “There was a space that was missing something, and that filled that space for people. I like to be behind the scenes making things happen, and we have created what we did because of what we've built. Being able to organize that into something that was short and concise for people is flattering. I hope it helps anybody, any gender or any age, fulfill something and understand that sometimes you've got to do it a different way.” NYRA: Patience and working on the horse's schedule were always central to your plans with Arcangelo and each of your trainees. How does your training program revolve around that model? Antonucci: “Fiona [Goodwin, assistant] and I talk non-stop about every single horse. It's just making sure we are doing our best to tend to each individual horse specifically. If it's a colt or filly that needs a little more time, or something that we need to be a little tighter on and they need to be on a more stringent schedule–we just really try to give the breathing room to each horse. “I greatly understand owners get a little impatient, so I just try to be respectful and mindful of, 'Yes, we need to be running, but here are these things and here is why.' Allowing the owner to be part of the process instead of just, 'No, we're not ready.' I've found over my career that trying to explain it to them and allowing them to be part of the 'whys' is important.” NYRA: After winning two of racing's most prestigious events, what are some other goals you hope to achieve? Antonucci: “We're just going to stay present. We have a handful we really like in the barn and the ones we are hopefully getting as 2-year-olds for the coming season, and we're going to let them tell their story like we let Arcangelo tell his. To put a burden on anyone in the team–as far as expectations–I don't think is fair. We'll let them run their races and tell their story.” NYRA: With Arcangelo now retired, what will you remember most about him and his career? Antonucci: “His personality. He's such a cool guy, and his personality was bigger than the stall or the barn. We were able to get him to focus for the two minutes of his races and put that big personality to work. His desire to win and to want to be a Champion is something that you can't bottle. “He still has a ton of personality. I keep in touch with the farm [Lane's End], and the stallion manager and I have some chuckles. His personality is in full effect. He's doing awesome and they're very much enjoying having him there. It will be wild and cool to train some of the kiddos one day.” The post Arcangelo Trainer Jena Antonucci’s Memorable Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The former New York-based veterinarian Alexander Chan has filed a hand-written plea from prison asking for a reduction to his 30-month sentence that was handed down in May as punishment for his role in the wide-ranging 2020 racehorse doping conspiracy case. In December 2022, Chan had cut a deal with prosecutors that involved pleading guilty to a single felony charge of drug adulteration and misbranding in exchange for two other felony counts against him being dropped. Chan's filing with the court on Monday was submitted without an attorney acting on his behalf. But the 10-page motion laid out a cogent case for reconsideration based on an amendment recently adopted by the United States Sentencing Commission that allows for downward revisions of sentencing levels for petitioners who have zero criminal history points on their records. According to Chan's filing, the new sentencing commission guidelines allow, in certain cases, for retroactive recalculation of the “offense levels” that are used to determine prison terms, so long as the offenses didn't involve things like violent behavior, the use of weapons, sex crimes, or hate crimes. Chan is arguing that a recalculated offense level in his instance would reduce his sentence to a 24-to-30 month prison term, and he is asking the court to revise his imprisonment to the lowest end of that tier because of his record of good behavior while jailed at Fort Dix, a low-security federal correctional institution in New Jersey. Chan wrote in his motion that he has “pursued [computer] programming to a greater degree than any other similarly situated inmate and has been free from disciplinary actions.” Chan was arrested in March 2020 as part of a series of coordinated law enforcement sweeps in the years-long federal investigation of a network of more than 30 horsemen, veterinarians, and equine pharmaceutical suppliers who ended up facing charges. Jason Servis | The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia In the lead-up to sentencing, federal prosecutors had described Chan in court documents as “a former veterinarian for the New York Racing Association (NYRA), and a practicing veterinarian for over 15 years [who] abdicated his duty of responsibility to the horses under his care.” The feds' portrayal of Chan continued: “After spending three years as a traveling veterinarian for NYRA, the defendant worked under convicted co-defendant Kristian Rhein at Empire Veterinary Group and soon after began providing and/or administering adulterated and misbranded drugs without valid prescriptions, knowing that their use violated New York's racing rules, medical ethics, and the law.” Chan's own presentence report filed by his legal team had stated that, “Dr. Chan's sterling career and the beautiful young family it supported have since been destroyed because-at the direction of his boss and the owner of the veterinary practice in which he worked, Dr. Kristian Rhein-Dr. Chan participated in the distribution of misbranded substances for use on Thoroughbred racehorses.” According to a trove of wiretap evidence, plus implicating testimony from plea-bargaining defendants, Klein and Chan's client list included the now-imprisoned former trainer Jason Servis, whom the feds alleged doped almost all the horses under his control in early 2019. The post Former Vet Chan Asks For Revision To 30-Month Doping Conspiracy Sentence appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In a discussion with NYRA publicity, Antonucci reflected on the stellar career of Arcangelo and what her achievements mean for women and the sport.View the full article

The ceremony will honor the highest-rated horse in the 2023 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings as well as the Longines World's Best Horse Race. View the full article

French jockey thinks the former Hong Kong champion trainer’s in-form recent recruit could be worth setting for Happy Valley’s only black-type raceView the full article

It has been a big year for Whitsbury Manor Stud. From a landmark result with homebred Chaldean going on to win the 2,000 Guineas for Juddmonte, his half-sister Get Ahead selling for 2.5m gns at public auction and the continued rise of superstar stallion Havana Grey, 2023 has been the gift that keeps on giving for Ed Harper and his team. There is plenty, still, to look forward to next year, with fellow Whitsbury-based stallion Sergei Prokofiev set to be represented by his first crop of runners and Dragon Symbol taking up his position on the roster. From all things Whitsbury to reflecting on the breeding stock sales, the ever-engaging Harper makes for required reading in this week's Q&A. You must look back on 2023 pretty fondly with Whitsbury Manor Stud homebred Chaldean winning the 2,000 Guineas for Juddmonte? We wouldn't have a lot of runners in Classic races because of the types of stallions we stand but, obviously, we use a few outside stallions every year. When you use the best stallion around [Frankel], you hope to provide yourself with a chance to step up on quality. It couldn't have worked out any better with Chaldean winning the 2,000 Guineas. Where would that rank? A great milestone. It ranked very highly but I don't feel as though it was a whole heap of hard work that produced the result. For example, producing a stallion like Showcasing or Havana Grey, that takes five or six years of hard work from every team member pulling in the same direction. A result like Chaldean is a piece of good judgement in the sales ring to buy the mare by Dad, which isn't to be underestimated, but even he would admit that there is a lot of luck involved. So, you get yourself a diamond mare in Suelita, what are you going to do with her? You're going to send her to a diamond stallion. It's brilliant, and it's fantastic, but it's not comparable to the whole Whitsbury machine working together for years to make a stallion. I see the two things very differently. You must have got a lot of pleasure at seeing Chaldean's half-sister Get Ahead, a talented mare in her own right, selling for 2.5m gns to Ian MacAleavy's First Bloodstock? I'd have rathered if we didn't have to sell her! We have to remind ourselves that the function of Whitsbury is not to have a small, uber broodmare band sending mares to the best stallions on the planet. Our job is to keep small breeders alive in England because, without them, there is no breeding industry in this country. If we can sell Get Ahead and support the business in areas that help, such as the grassroots by making stallions, then that's our job. Effectively, weighing up the sale of Get Ahead, we can't be everything to everyone. You can't be brilliant at everything. It doesn't work like that for anybody. So weighing it up, we ask ourselves what our priority is. Is it looking out into the paddock and seeing the occasional super mare going to the super stallion or is it making the next stallion? We effectively prioritised the buying of Dragon Symbol over keeping Get Ahead. That's the choice we made. I'll go on to Dragon Symbol in a second but, when you mentioned Whitsbury supporting the grassroots players in England, I just wonder how you would look back on the breeding stock sales on a personal level taking into consideration how many smaller breeders took a kicking? The most satisfying thing for us this year was the 20 to 30 smaller breeders who really benefited from Havana Grey. That means that some of those breeders can reinvest and possibly step up the next rung up the ladder, which is great, or, on a slightly scarier level, it means some will survive another two or three years. Without stallions like Havana Grey, that doesn't happen. I'm not pretending to have the answers as to why this is but, culturally, when smaller breeders in England stop, they stop for good. They don't come back. When small breeders in Ireland stop because, say there's a dip in the market or maybe there's overproduction, for whatever reason, they seem to have the ability to come back when times get better. I feel like we have to be the lifeboat throwing the vests out to keep some of the smaller breeders alive and, when you get it right and you help a load of people, it's very satisfying. Obviously, we're trying to run a profitable business as well, we're not a charity, but we need a thriving industry and we have to provide our clients with a chance to make money. It's very satisfying when it happens. Did you listen to this month's Jamie Railton podcast where Roger O'Callaghan was the guest? Roger singled out Whistbury for high praise. A lot of people would say there are similarities between how Whitsbury and Tally-Ho Stud is run. What would those similarities be? I listened to it, yes. There's lots of other places in England who had good years, so we don't have a monopoly on that. But what do we do similar? For starters, we don't really worry what other people are doing and Tally-Ho certainly don't worry either. The one thing that we would agree on is that we need to see success scattered around the business from time to time. It can't be for one outfit all the time because that's not how a sport works. I've a few friends and connections who have never been involved in the breeding industry who have started to ask me questions about getting involved for the first time. I've known some of these people for 20 years and they've never asked me that so it's nice to think we have just pricked the interests of a few new players because we can't just have people going out of the market. We need new people as well. For me, one of the stories from the mares sale was your neighbour Katrina Yarrow getting 52,000gns for Havana Grey foal with the first mare she ever bought. Exactly. And that was someone who was brave enough to listen to us when we recommended the mare. Fair play to Katrina for giving it a go. You're only ever going to find out by giving it ago and, if you don't risk too much and keep top of what you are prepared to invest, it can be a lot of fun. Getting back to the Railton podcast, when Roger said that some breeders need to look themselves in the mirror over some of the poor results in the ring, rather than blaming the game, did you think that was fair comment? Yea, I would agree with Roger completely. We're all good at seeing the difficulties in our game but the skill is figuring out how to combat it. Sending back the same mares, who are a year older, year after year, and then saying, 'oh, it hasn't happened for me,' is not the approach. If you asked that same person what they have done to give themselves a chance, what have they actively gone and done, they often don't have any answer for you. Some will say, 'oh, well I can't go out and buy a new mare, I had to play it safe because the foal sales didn't go well or the yearling sales didn't go well.' Well, the answer to that is no, when the foal or yearling sales don't go well, that's when you have to go out and buy a new mare! You almost have to be more active when things aren't going well. People tend to almost go back into the shell when things aren't working for them. Everyone should be trying to improve all the time. I mean, I read Emma Berry's piece with Peter Kavanagh in the TDN on Tuesday, and he made some excellent points. The bit I would completely agree with is that, part of the puzzle, and the piece of the game that we rarely talk about, is horse husbandry. It's arguably the most important part of the puzzle. From choosing stallions, to buying mares or even sending horses into training, it's all completely irrelevant if the horse husbandry hasn't been good enough. That is the area that is slipping in Britain; the horse husbandry is going the wrong way a lot of the time. Obviously there are plenty of people doing a good job but, in general, the slide is in the quality of husbandry, and that's difficult to get around. When husbandry slides, the rest of it becomes irrelevant. What are we talking about here? Just poorly presented foals at the sales with regards to lack of bone, poor feet etc? Everything. The quality of the land, management of the pasture, the attention to detail on the stock, general care of the stock; it's everyday stuff. Thinking that you can just turn out horses and forget about them, be it mares, foals, whatever, horse husbandry is an everyday job. If you are not on it every day, it slips. I was at the pinhookers panel at Tattersalls on the evening before the foal sales where you came out with a great line when referencing a conversation you had with your accountant. I think he was questioning one of your decisions and you said something along the lines of, 'you don't get to have a say, you just keep the score!' With that in mind, and I know you won't mind me saying this, but I would say there were a few people questioning the decision to stand Dragon Symbol at Whitsbury. Lucky you don't care what other people think! We had the same reaction with Showcasing and Havana Grey. When we bought Showcasing, I was told that the Gimcrack wasn't a stallion-making race. You had to go back to Mill Reef when a Gimcrack winner became a good stallion. What a load of rubbish that was. With Havana Grey, people were saying, why are we getting excited about a son of a stallion who was standing for eight or 10 grand, or whatever it was at the time. That made no sense to me either because, first of all, Havana Gold had already proved himself as a bloody good stallion and, also, you could give 10 examples in about three seconds of horses who were more successful than their sires. In terms of Dragon Symbol, he's very easy to defend. He was five pounds a better racehorse than Havana Grey ever was and it's about standing a quality racehorse at the end of the day. To be first past the post in a Commonwealth Cup, with himself and Campanelle six lengths clear of the rest, and to then go and be beaten just a neck behind Starman in a July Cup as a three-year-old, those are serious performances. I happened to think Cable Bay was a bloody good stallion as well. He just didn't have the rub of the green in terms of fertility and soundness, in that he had one or two issues that held him back, which was nobody's fault. He got eight black-type two-year-olds in his first crop which is better than ninety per cent of stallions and that allowed them to double his fee to 15 grand, which nobody batted an eye over. He absolutely deserved it. Dragon Symbol (right) | Racingfotos.com Is it extra special bringing Dragon Symbol back to where he was bred or does it even matter? The answer to that is I couldn't give a monkeys who bred him! It's a nice thing to talk about but it had zero influence on the decision. In fact, I think it could have the opposite effect as people might get the wrong end of the stick in thinking Dragon Symbol was a vanity project when the reality is that it couldn't be further from the truth. We're far too business-minded and commercial to worry about that sort of thing. And what's the vibe ahead of Sergei Prokofiev's first runners next year? I don't even want to hear things from trainers in February, let alone December, but all I would say is that the Sergeis are very easy customers to deal with. They are relaxed and compliant. As we were saying earlier, sadly with the staffing in the industry, we don't have the time to deal with difficult horses compared to back in the day, so having a stallion who produces even-tempered and nice horses is a step in the right direction. We almost got to the end of the conversation without waxing lyrical about Havana Grey. I know you find it boring to continue to heap praise on him but even you must have been punching yourself over the continued support behind him at the foal sales? It's fantastic but my pulse doesn't raise much at the sales. When we're selling our own stock for good money, we need to do that to keep the cogs turning in the right direction and to reinvest in the industry, but it's not something I get excited about. What excites me most is watching our horses win on the track. I do get nervous watching a two-year-old we thought a lot of make its debut. Even if it's a Class 5 at Wolverhampton, I'll be far more nervous about that than a horse going through the ring. The other thing that makes us happy is trying our best to help and advise people and, when it works out even better than what we'd hoped it would, that is very satisfying. Celebrating the result of our clients is more satisfying. The post Ed Harper Q&A: “What Excites Me Most Is Our Horses Winning On The Track” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Somehow this is a real sweet spot in the market. For a stallion farm, the $10,000 cover is a particular pitch: you're a cent away from offering a horse at four figures, but you feel that dropping him into a low-rent neighborhood might be beneath his dignity. You're offering a very accessible fee, but you're not going to let him look cheap. That makes this a surprisingly congested zone, ample for separate assessment. And since clinging to a five-figure fee somewhat represents a show of faith, some of these sires tend to have a fair case in their favor. At a time when fees are widely perceived to be challenging, this is a nook that harbors some decent value. It is broadly populated by three types. First are the veterans who have achieved an honorable viability over the years (and we know how difficult that is) but are now suffering the commercial prejudice in favor of fresher blood. On the other hand, we have a bunch of younger guns, typically riding out the bumps between the vogue of novelty and distrust of racetrack exposure. And then there are a few in between, horses in their prime who have settled into a workable niche that keeps them competitive with the next tier up. The senior group is headed by a remarkable pair, both about to enter their 20th year at stud, with a body of work behind them that will forever embarrass the vast majority of this lot. And there's plenty of life left in MINESHAFT, judging from seven stakes scorers this year (one for each of his lifetime Grade I winners) at a ratio that Uncle Mo, Medaglia d'Oro and Tapit have barely matched. A 1-2 in the GII Cigar Mile showcased his continued prowess, both Hoist the Gold and Senor Buscador already owning wins at that level earlier in the year. The former is now in the millionaires' club, and will soon be joined there by the latter assuming he perseveres in 2024. SKY MESA is still more neglected, yet similarly remains in the top 15 active sires by lifetime earnings, with ratios of black-type and graded stakes action that measure up respectably against all but the elite names. Remember that these old boys can draw some venerable influences close: Sky Mesa's first three dams are by Storm Cat, Affirmed and Round Table, yet the continued vigor of his family has been lately evinced by his half-sister's son Maxfield (Street Sense). Mineshaft's first three dams, meanwhile, are by Mr. Prospector, Hoist the Flag and Herbager (Fr)! Both Mineshaft and Sky Mesa have superb families and to be able to access their blood, relatively undiluted by the huge books nowadays flooding the gene pool, is a diminishing opportunity too obvious to any enlightened breeder to require the formal gilding of a place on the Value Podium. Really I should have them both up there, but they covered 40 mares between them last year and that tide is hardly going to turn at this stage. Happily, we know them to be in good hands and they will remain long cherished once their service is finally over. Ditto another veteran, MIDNIGHT LUTE, who had a few more mares than that pair last spring but again hardly the numbers commensurate with his five elite winners–including not just Midnight Bisou but more recently Smooth Like Strait, himself now launching a stud career at a bargain fee–and the solid ratios that also keep him inside the top 20 active sires. At the other end of the spectrum, meanwhile, most of the younger sires are awaiting the emergence of their first runners. (By the way, don't forget that we gave the absolute beginners a separate assessment, at the outset of this series, highlighting the claims of one standing at this fee in COUNTRY GRAMMER.) One of the younger guns that has already tested the water on the racetrack, however, has done so with quite promising results. For while COLLECTED found himself in a very competitive intake, his first sophomores this year included winners of the GII Del Mary Derby, GII Pennine Ridge S. and GII Black-Eyed Susan S. Drain the Clock | Sara Gordon Among several only just embarked on their new careers, INDEPENDENCE HALL and especially DRAIN THE CLOCK have some big numbers behind them-unsurprisingly, in view of the 101 Beyer clocked by the former in his record-margin romp in the GIII Nashua S., or the similar precocity displayed by the latter as prelude to his GI Woody Stephens success. TACITUS, HAPPY SAVER and IDOL were contrasting brands, on the margin of the elite around a second turn but amply demonstrating the functionality of their aristocratic genes. Happy Saver, in fact, has none other than Weekend Surprise replicated top and bottom: she's his third dam, while her son A.P. Indy is the damsire of Super Saver. The latter has another son trading in this bracket in RUNHAPPY, whose fee slips despite producing a GI Hopeful winner in the $12,000 yearling Nutella Fella. We saw another glimpse of the real Smile Happy in the GII Alysheba S., meanwhile, and the stakes are now pretty minimal for those keeping the faith with Runhappy. A couple of nuggets at this level are the Lane's End pair, THE FACTOR and TONALIST. The former had a quiet year by his very consistent standards, and needed to come down in line with his yearling yield, but there's no knocking a stellar lifetime ratio of two winners to three named foals. As for Tonalist, a single horse has blatantly distorted his earning power but what Country Grammer has represented much more fairly is all the toughness one would hope to inherit from Tapit over Pleasant Colony. It's heartening to see that this was recognized by as many as 115 mare owners last spring, twice as many as Tonalist entertained in 2021. Another farm that demands a visit for those working to this kind of budget is Spendthrift. Admittedly its $10k trio have all long shed the novelty value prized by its more commercial clients, as was clear when their latest yearlings entered the ring. Continued demand in the breeding shed, however, suggests that people can glimpse a different type of value here. Sure enough, on the track JIMMY CREED produced another three graded stakes winners including the evergreen Casa Creed, whose Fourstardave H. win was his fourth at the top level. Jimmy Creed is carving out a very viable place at this level, with his book back up into three figures last spring, and only narrowly misses joining one of his neighbors on the podium. VALUE PODIUM Bronze: HONOR A.P. Honor Code–Hollywood Story (Wild Rush) Lane's End $10,000 Honor A.P. | Sarah Andrew This is our clear pick among the many young stallions whose farms are hoping that this kind of fee will prove only a foundation, once some actual runners can attest to their genetic prowess. That, of course, is the reverse of the usual scenario. As a rule, the commercial market backs away faster and faster, the closer a stallion gets to the unsparing exposure of the racetrack. Everyone knows that most young sires will fail, and tries to ride their fleeting commercial momentum. If you truly believe in a horse, however, this is the time to double down. Only where could you hope to find a combination of top-class pedigree, physique and performance for just 10 grand? Well, right here at Lane's End–that's where. Honor A.P. beat the subsequent Horse of the Year at Santa Anita, and did so fair and square. He would surely have gone close to doing so again, but for his nightmare trip in the September “Derby”. The matter was left unresolved by his further misfortune, but nobody could deny that he had ticked the performance box in the little opportunity he had. Physique? How does $850,000 Saratoga yearling sound? And as for the genetic package, he's out of a Grade I winner (at both two and five) by a sire from one of the great modern families. True, Honor Code himself has proved a rather disappointing sire, to the extent that he recently became another far-sighted “rescue” by a Japanese industry prepared to play a longer game. Honor Code promptly came up with Honor Marie's GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. as something to remember him by, but his departure is probably good news for his son. It must have been difficult to launch Honor A.P. alongside his own sire, when the latter had failed to pull away into a higher tier of the market. Honor A.P. now gets a clear run even as he prepares to launch his first runners. He made a perfectly solid sales debut, his 48 yearlings processed at $55,145 highlighted by a $375,000 colt. Just because Honor Code did not prove consistently potent, that doesn't alter the fact that Honor A.P. converted a stellar genetic legacy into something luminously functional on the track. Unsurprisingly he struggled for numbers in his third book, but we've been given every incentive to hang in there with a fee cut from $15,000. With luck, his quality will start to now take his mares past those floundering against the dull tides of quantity. Silver: FROSTED Tapit–Fast Cookie (Deputy Minister) Darley $10,000 Frosted | Darley Could it be that Frosted has finally reached a point where he becomes a value proposition? There's no denying that he has been a letdown to this point. The fastest GI Met Mile winner in history retired with his 123 Beyer as the most expensive option of the 2017 intake, at $50,000, and averaged around $225,000 with his first yearlings. And here he is, after 344 starters, still waiting for that breakout Grade I winner. In the meantime, his fee has slumped consecutively until settling at $10,000 last year. But if we reset our bearings accordingly, we'd have to concede that he has had a quietly productive campaign, his 18 black-type performers including three graded stakes winners (plus one in Australia). True, he's still benefiting from some of the classy mares he received early on: Keeneland Grade III winner Frost Point, for instance, is out of a Grade I-winning millionaire. So we'll have to see whether he can maintain this kind of output with rather lesser raw materials, but it's very striking that last spring Frosted moved his book up from 108 to 154. Evidently the kind of commercial breeders who could not initially afford him have by no means given up on the gray, and it may be that a different kind of cocktail will shake some fresh flavors-as a sprint influence, for instance, and even as a turf one, as in the case of globetrotting Jasper Krone-out of a horse that once seemed to have the world at his feet. After all, he traded 66 of his latest crop of yearlings at $65,475, which would do very nicely indeed off this kind of fee; while one sold for $50,000 in the previous crop soared to $900,000 at OBS in April. Frosted is still only on his fourth crop and that leaves ample scope for a market thaw. Gold: CROSS TRAFFIC Unbridled's Song–Stop Traffic (Cure The Blues) Spendthrift $10,000 Cross Traffic | Spendthrift This horse has endured some dazing fluctuations since being crowned champion freshman by multiple indices in 2018. His reward in 2019 was the attention of 188 mares at $25,000, up from just 60 at $7,500 the previous year. The resulting crop were juveniles of 2022, when 33 individual winners from 79 starters put him second in the all-comers' 2-year-old table, with no fewer than 13 of them earning black-type. And how did they follow through this year? Well, 63 of his 105 sophomore starters won, notably GI Ashland S. winner Defining Purpose. And another 3-year-old filly was on track for a stunning Grade I debut when taking her unbeaten spree of five (Saratoga maiden and stakes at two, another stakes and two graded stakes at three) into the Test S. Her name, you will scarcely need reminding, was Maple Leaf Mel. From his older stock, Cross Traffic also produced homebred Here Mi Song to win the GIII Commonwealth S for a three-horse program that also includes her dam, an apt measure of the type of service he can perform for the smaller breeder. Ludicrously, however, his 2020 book plunged by two-thirds and he ended up with only 28 live foals, of which a bare dozen started this year, leaving him submerged in the general sires' table despite 14 black-type performers. He must continue to ride out this slump after another couple of quiet years, but his book last spring responded to his 2022 deeds with a rally to 84. The hope now must be that Cross Traffic can consolidate the second chance he has earned from those fickle breeders. It will assist his cause that the familiar precocity of his stock tends to be fortified with maturity, after the fashion of near-millionaire Ny Traffic who soaked up four campaigns. Cross Traffic himself, remember, raced only as a 4-year-old, when making up for lost time with a GI Met Mile second and GI Whitney success on just his fourth and fifth starts. His family has some fairly exotic seeding, albeit no more so than the big horse on this farm. And it is full of runners, not least his dual Grade I-winning dam. She has additionally given Unbridled's Song the mother of Gulfport (Uncle Mo), who won the Bashford Manor by a dozen lengths last year before his promotion to replace Forte (Violence) in the GI Hopeful S. There's some real genetic vigor here, then, and Cross Traffic has now shown twice over-with his juveniles of 2018 and 2022-the kind of crop he can produce if only he's given the chance. And, at this kind of money, a proper, sustained chance is just what he deserves. Sires At $10,000: Breeders Selections Fabricio Buffalo | Keeneland Fabricio Buffolo, Buffalo Bloodstock Gold Medal: Happy Saver I think he is a nice example of what a true American dirt horse looks like, especially with such an impressive and powerful shoulder. I think it's hard to not think about his name and not associate it with such a solid and sturdy front end. He was a very good racehorse who showed grit and resilience throughout his races against all the best in the country. He is an interesting young stallion. Silver Medal: Midnight Lute When considering the group of stallions with runners standing at $10,000, I think that he stands out with a solid percentage of black-type horses and black-type winners to runners, including five Grade I winners which is not usual at this price bracket. He's quite versatile with his progeny having good performers on different surfaces and distances, and the key lies in finding a mare that can suit him physically. Bronze Medal: Jimmy Creed He is another horse that has done fairly well at this stud fee bracket getting a good percentage of black-type horses compared to others, including some with higher price tags. It's evident that the market can be quite tough on horses like him that have had a decent number of crops, but he has received continued support in the last few years attesting to the confidence that breeders have found in him. The Factor | Lee Thomas Elgin Hamner, Prime Bloodstock Gold Medal: The Factor If The Factor had not left for a couple of years, I believe he would be a constant top 25 sire. He's great value to have a shot at a good runner. Silver Medal: Frosted I was really high on him coming out, he's a strong horse with a strong race record. Love the Tapit over Deputy Minister. Now, he has established himself as a racehorse producer. He's always top two or three of his crop and gets a bigger, stronger horse than The Factor. They seem to run anywhere and are selling ok. He just needed a couple of big horses earlier. Bronze Medal: Goldencents It's hard to make it as a sire, but they run early and often. They don't sell as well as they should (can lack size), but each one born could be a runner. Honorable Mention: Honor A.P. No runners yet, but the physical when he stamps them is pretty strong. We have to keep that A.P. blood going, it's the best two turn blood of the last 20 years, and he is one of the last of that line with a shot. The post Value Sires For 2024, Part 3: The $10k Club appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of $82,494,143 was bet on Remington Park throughout the season, lower by 3.8% from the 2023 total of $85,761,277.View the full article

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com. I think my favorite moment of 2023 was Epsom Derby day. The Derby was a great race which included Passenger for Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd., who was a bit too immature for this big event but who has won the G3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor since. The winner, Auguste Rodin, doesn't need any introduction now but what an impressive horse. Winning a Group 1 as a two-year-old and four Group 1s this year in three different countries is very special. I am really looking forward to seeing him on the track again. Well done to all his connections to keep him in training next year. But that day was also very special to me because my wife, Kelsey Lupo, connected through Jamie McCalmont, was supporting Prosperous Voyage who won the Princess Elizabeth Stakes, trained by Ralph Beckett for Andrew Rosen & Marc Chan. Kelsey was able to walk into the winner's circle with our less than three-month-old daughter Millie that day. Not the first race day for Millie but the first big win for her and definitely a favorite moment of mine this year! –Aurelien Voileau, Assistant Manager to the Niarchos Family The post What Was Your Favorite Moment of 2023: Aurelien Voileau appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Cementing a hat-trick, Elegant Lady (NZ) (Highly Recommended) won the Cochranes of Canterbury (2200m) on Wednesday at Ashburton. After capping a hat-trick of seconds with victory on New Zealand Cup Day, Elegant Lady won at Riccarton on the synthetic earlier this month and then scored again in the same grade. Carrying virtually the same weight (56kg) with Lily Sutherland aboard, Elegant Lady received a smooth passage three back outer, ranged into contention on straightening and had things parcelled up inside the final 200m. “It was another really good win by a progressive mare and a lovely ride by Lily (Sutherland),” said co-trainer Mark Walker. “She’s a nice staying prospect and we have got the Dunedin Gold Cup in the back of our minds, and an opportunity to look for some black type.” The Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) will be contested on Saturday 3 February at Wingatui. Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM bought her dam Lady Masako for $23,000 as a yearling at the 2015 South Island Sale. “She’s a homebred filly that has strengthened and developed into a beautiful looking mare,” said Ellis, who spent the day inspecting yearlings at Haunui Farm, Westbury Stud, and Hallmark Stud, ahead of Karaka 2024. “She was pretty well placed by Mark (Walker) and Sam (Bergerson) to win again in the same grade, and it’s as much about keeping their confidence high when aiming for a Cup race. “She’s always been incredibly consistent and sometimes horses that obviously try as hard as she does just need that extra bit of maturity to start winning. “She had no trouble seeing out the 2200 metres today, has stamina in her dam line, and stepping up to a mile and a half (2400m) may suit her. “She’s a lovely mare, great attitude, and good to see her winning races in the south after I’d bought her mother at a South Island sale. “Hunter Durrant and his team of staff are doing a fantastic job looking after the horses in work at Riccarton, and they’vee got a strike rate better than three (2.9) this season which is quite incredible.” By Fastnet Rock (Danehill) stallion Highly Recommended, Elegant Lady is the second foal from Iffraaj mare Lady Masako (NZ). View the full article