Wandering Eyes

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Excellent Truth in the Diana Stakes at the Spa. Excellent Truth Captures Diana Crown Resolute Racing's Excellent Truth joined the ranks of Making Waves with a head victory in the GI Diana Stakes at Saratoga for Chad Brown on July 12 (video). Bred by Sandra Russell, she was making her third US start, after seconds in the GI Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland and the GI Just A Game Stakes in April and June, respectively. Originally a €52,000 Goffs Orby yearling when picked up by former owner Montgomery Motto, Excellent Truth won the G3 Prix Psyche at two and a listed stakes at Deauville at three for Mauricio Delcher Sanchez. She signed off her European career with a second in the G1 Prix Rothschild before making €1.6 million at last year's Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale on the bid of Stamford Bloodstock and Meridian Bloodstock on behalf of John Stewart's operaiton. The half-sister to G3 Premio Regina (Italian 1000 Guineas) third Memo De L'Alguer (Mehmas) is followed by a 3-year-old colt by Dandy Man, and the placed buzz horse Armstrong (Starman). Out of Moment Of Truth (Teofilo), herself a half-sister to the G1 Criterium International winner Zafisio (Efisio), the mare is a relation to the classy Group 1-winning duo of Cezanne (Ajdal) and Colorspin (High Top). Tally-Ho Stud's Cotai Glory, who stands for €15,000 this year, has sired nine winners from 16 runners (56%) in America. His trio of stakes winners there are anchored by the Diana Stakes luminary. What a race!! Excellent Truth (IRE) takes the G1 Diana Stakes at #Saratoga in a thrilling finish over heavily favored She Feels Pretty for trainer Chad Brown's 9th Diana win in the last 10 years!! Congratulations to all connections! pic.twitter.com/MqLW2Wm0QS — Equibase (@Equibase) July 12, 2025 No Nay Never Gelding Thriving At Saratoga Lindy Farms and Ice Wine Stable's Innate (No Nay Never) graduated at Saratoga on July 16 (video). Bred by Moni Market Breeder, the gelding was making his third lifetime start and second in New York. Now trained by Philip Antonacci, the bay was a €90,000 Goffs Orby yearling who caught the eye of MM Bloodstock. He debuted with a second in the colours of EuroLindy Syndicate for trainer Joseph O'Brien at Fairyhouse in July of 2023. Switched Stateside, he was fourth in the Listed Awad Stakes at the Belmont at the Big A meet in October of that year and was missing until Wednesday's effort. His year-younger full-brother Amangani is a winner, while his winning dam, the Silver Frost mare La Naturel, foaled a colt by Awtaad this year. Under the second dam is G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero and sire Charm Spirit. Coolmore's No Nay Never has an 58% strike rate in the US, with 64 of his 110 runners finding the winner's circle. Priced at €125,000 this term, the 14-year-old's 10 stakes winners include GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Meditate, as well as multiple graded winner Nay Lady Nay, and GIII Palm Beach Stakes hero Vitalogy. Innate upsets at 20/1 in R2 at Saratoga under @RSantana_jr for trainer Philip Antonacci! pic.twitter.com/ATTdhC9KOa — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 16, 2025 The post Making Waves: The Truth Will Out appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

At the close of the 2024/2025 Hong Kong season, total racing wagering turnover was HK$138.85 billion (approx. £13.2b), a rise of 3% on the previous season. Overall, there were 88 race meetings comprised of 847 races and 393 overseas simulcast races. Hong Kong races attracted record commingling turnover of HK$31.76 billion, a 10.1% increase on the 2023/24 season. In total, 71 overseas races that had been in the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' (IFHA) Top 100 at least once during the previous three years were simulcast, up from 61 the previous season. Overall, turnover on simulcasting (including World Pool commingling) for the season was up by 2.3% to HK$13.11 billion. This season, the number of World Pool races increased from 258 to 296 including, for the first time, all 12 of the Club's Group 1 races as well as top races from New Zealand. Commingling turnover into the World Pool (excluding Club races) recorded an 8.4% increase over last season. From an attendance perspective, over 1.7 million people attended the races, including a record 195,786 Mainland tourists, plus international visitors. This was a significant 110% increase on the 93,000 Mainland tourists who visited last season. Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress), the latest Horse of the Year, led a talented brigade of Hong Kong runners, with Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) and Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) also earning season-end titles. John Size earned a record 13th Hong Kong trainers' championship and Zac Purton took his eighth jockeys' title. Next season, there will be a Group 1 prize-money increase to a record HK$1.74 billion. The Club will offer record prize-money totalling HK$208 million in these races in the 2025/26 season. For FWD Champions Day, prize-money for the FWD QEII Cup will rise to HK$30 million, while the Chairman's Sprint Prize will increase to HK$24 million, taking the total prize-money for the three Group 1 races to a total of HK$78 million. For the international day in December, the increases apply to the Longines Hong Kong Sprint (HK$28m), and the Longines Hong Kong Vase (HK$26m), while the Longines Hong Kong Mile stays on HK$36 million and the Longines Hong Kong Cup will be run for prize-money of HK$40 million, taking the total Group 1 prize-money purse to HK$130 million. On average, 440 horses were trained at Conghua Racecourse (CRC) this season, with 219 horses from 19 stables notching 302 wins, an increase of 17.7% and 24.3% respectively on last season. The HKJC is also preparing for the start of regular meetings at the CRCC in October 2026, with the iconic grandstand nearing completion. HKJC's CEO, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, said, “It's been an amazing season, with outstanding performances by top horses that have truly captured the imagination of fans not just in Hong Kong but around the world. Since the Policy Address of HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee, we have been able to attract even more Mainland and overseas tourists, who have come to our racecourses in record numbers to experience our city's signature sport for themselves. These achievements strengthen the position of Hong Kong racing as a world-class sport and entertainment experience. They have also made an important contribution to Hong Kong tourism as well as underlining Hong Kong's vital role as a centre for East-West exchange.” The post Hong Kong Season-End Turnover Rises 3% To £13.2 Billion appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

David Probert is the latest British-based rider to be granted a licence to ride in Hong Kong. The Welshman has been given a part-season jockey's licence which runs from from July 17 to February 17, 2026. The 37-year-old Probert, who has won 1,678 wins across the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and the UAE, will join Andrea Atzeni and Harry Bentley, who have committed to riding full-time in Hong Kong. It was also recently announced that Derby-winning jockey Richard Kingscote has been given a part-season licence for 2025/26. The new Hong Kong racing season begins at Sha Tin on September 7. The post Probert Granted Hong Kong Licence appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The TDN always strives to remain scrupulously non-partisan and confines its occasional attention to the world of politics to such opportunities and concerns that directly affect the Thoroughbred industry. Recently, for instance, we spent time with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he stepped in to support the campaign against decoupling in that state. A few days ago, Chris McGrath was given the opportunity to sit down with the Governor of the Bluegrass State itself, Andy Beshear, a figure increasingly on the national radar as a potential White House contender in 2028. Here are their exchanges on Governor Beshear's love of the horse, the importance of our industry to his home state, his views of legislation that appears to contain both significant advantages and anxieties for investors in Thoroughbreds, and the lessons that a Democrat Governor of a traditionally red state might take forward on a wider stage. Chris McGrath: Horse country: for you, it's not just conceptual. I believe your own family and upbringing exposed you to horses. Gov. Beshear: All my first jobs were around horses. I mucked stalls before school and through the summers. I taught horseback riding lessons. I even ran a camp in my teens. My mom is an equestrian. My brother's a vet in Virginia. My daughter is an eventer. So half of our family spend every moment with horses and I guess the other half of us are governors. Chris McGrath: And do you feel that kind of exposure gave you a connection to rural America? Gov. Beshear: Absolutely. It's the hard work that occurs on a farm, but then there's also the love and the comfort of the animal itself. I'm comfortable around horses. I know what I'm doing around them, and I also appreciate them. You know, when you spend that much time taking care of these animals, you get to know them on a very different level, and there's something really special about horses and how they bond and connect with human beings. I still remember the last horse that I owned, and I would go off to college and I'd come back and it would actually follow me around in the field. Only one I've had that would do that though. Had one that if you didn't have food would try to kick you. Chris McGrath: Food always helps. I don't know if you're as comfortable with bourbon, but these are our signature industries, right? And I'm sure you would say that anyone who holds your office, any form of leadership in Kentucky, you need to be an advocate for horseracing. Governor Andy Beshear at Churchill Downs for the Derby | Getty Images Gov. Beshear: Absolutely. The horse industry is so critical. It's over 60,000 direct and indirect jobs in Kentucky, billions of dollars in our economy, and it draws people in. And when you think of the horse industry, I actually think it's the intersection between agriculture, and now gaming, which is so important in it, and tourism. And for us to maximize it, what at least I try to do from a leadership perspective in Kentucky is to make sure we're maximizing each piece. It's understanding that it's farmers who bale the hay that are also a part of this industry. Family farms are supported by it. On the gaming side, how it's important to make sure that if that's what's bringing people in, we have a way at that track or at that parlor to introduce them to the sport itself. And finally, that tourism piece. I think bourbon is a good example of how you can develop a year-round booming tourism industry around something that people are passionate about. The Bourbon Trail 20 years ago was hardly a thing, and today it is one of the biggest draws in the country. So when you look at what Kentucky Downs is doing with their hotel and the attractions that they're putting up, when you look at what the Derby Museum means for Churchill, it means that those are year-round draws that bring people into the Commonwealth. Chris McGrath: And when we speak of advocacy among political leadership, that extends across the divide. And a Republican congressman has worked very hard to get a great concession as part of this bill. And obviously, when everything is bundled together, it's going to contain good things and bad things. So I'm sure you welcome the depreciation scheme's extension, but there are other aspects of that bill that I know you find concerning. Gov. Beshear: Well, there are some parts of that bill that help certain industries in Kentucky, and so I'm glad that they're there, but this is the reason that you don't put everything into one big bill, because for every good thing for an industry in that bill, the trillion-dollar-plus cut to health care is going to lay off 20,000 Kentucky health care workers. It's going to boot 200,000 people off their health care coverage. It may close up to 35 rural hospitals which are the second-largest employers in their communities and what that means is you're going to have fewer people that have the dollars in their pockets to be able to go to the tracks, to be able to go to the races. So understanding the health of the economy is important for the horse racing industry. It's important for people to be doing well, and we don't want to sacrifice the number of fans, the number of people that could be out there, you know, in a giant bill because it has some things that are good. Gov. Andy Beshear meets storm victims in Pikeville, Kentucky last February | Getty Images Chris McGrath: And it also contains elements of concern with the gambling taxation. Gov. Beshear: It does, and then if you look at another side, the SNAP cuts are going to hurt some of the very farmers that bale the hay and support the industry. They're getting hit, especially family farmers, so badly over the last six months. You saw the tariffs, which hurt the exports of especially soybeans. You see the end of USAID, which was just a big client, a big export source for farmers, especially in Kentucky. you see the end of the farm-to-cafeteria program, and now you see this SNAP cuts will again be one less ultimate client for them. And so I think the horse industry is also served by having more family farms that aren't under the pressure to sell out to the bigger commercial farms that are less interested in supplying the horse industry. Chris McGrath: You know horses, you know horsemen: you know they can be hard-headed, if not cynical. In big picture terms, your anxiety is that with tax breaks for the wealthy and so on, the emphasis is all wrong. But they're going to say to you, 'Well, guess what? My clients are wealthy people. This is good for my business.' Gov. Beshear: Well, I think it's whether you put the industry first or other interests first. You look at how tariffs are hitting this industry. You look how they're going about immigration enforcement, which hurts this industry, you know, I believe that border security is national security. I believe we have to enforce the laws of the land, but how we enforce them shows our humanity. And so what I think the big influential players in this industry need to do is be vocal leaders on fixing our immigration problem. It's not, at the end, a political problem. It's a math problem. It's that we don't have enough visas or enough slots in our work programs to fill the jobs out there that Americans otherwise aren't going to fill. And what that does is create a demand for other labor. And we can ultimately fix this, get beyond the turmoil of the day, but we've got to sit down, be reasonable, and address the math. And I think horse farm owners could do a lot. I think that other industry players could do a lot, and they've typically been people that the very powerful people in Washington will listen to. But it'd be nice to not be having some of these issues every couple years or every eight years, but to actually get it right and to be driven by the math. Now what that does mean is all the industries out there that we see in hospitality and agriculture are going to have to be willing to pay the wages that come along with those programs. Chris McGrath: Now our community, like the whole state, embraces people of many different opinions. And we're not here to tell them who's right and who's wrong, or that there's too much yelling going on, but what we have in our community is something that draws us all together, our love of the horse. And that keeps people with radically different opinions, good friends. That's something that we don't see enough on a wider scale. And the big question for this country and for the world, it seems to me, is how can we all do a bit more of that? Gov. Andy Beshear at the Semafor World Economy Summit in Washington, DC | Getty Images Gov. Beshear: I think what we have to do is put the goal first. We've got to care more about the horse industry than our political party. We've got to care more the country than our party. We've got to care about solving problems, who gets points for wins and losses, and it can't be a zero-sum game. A good thing that happens for the country can't just be viewed as a win for one party and a loss for another. And when we address the challenges in the horse industry, it can't just be one group that's gaining and another group that is losing. What we've ultimately got to do is lift the whole industry up and make sure that everyone does better. And I think when you approach problems that way, especially with a communal love for something like the horse, or I really wish we could get Congress to say we love the United States so much that we're going to do the hard things and we're going to compromise and we are going to find common ground. Because in the end it's not important that we move right or left. It's important that we move forward. And most times those forward steps aren't about politics at all. Now I believe that when most people wake up in the morning, they're not thinking about their party. They're thinking about their job, their next doctor's appointment, the roads and bridges they drive every day, the school they drop their kids off at, and whether they feel safe in their communities. And when you find those things, in the core parts of the equine industry you pull out, most of them don't just benefit one group or another group. If done correctly, they can benefit everybody. Chris McGrath: To coin a phrase, united we stand? Gov. Beshear: That's right, and even think about the Pledge of Allegiance. In the Pledge of Allegiance, we pledge to a flag and to a country, and then we pledge to keep our country indivisible. And so I think we violate that pledge when we try to divide people, when we try to create an us-versus-them. And what I've loved to see in the horse industry, especially recently, is embracing new audiences and new people. I think about Griffin Johnson and Sandman introducing horse racing to 10 million 20-somethings on TikTok. I think about the way that Coolmore works with us on economic development, introducing CEOs to Justify and American Pharaoh. I think how Barbara Banke, who supports people on both sides, really looks out for the industry, looks to use even her other ventures to lift up horse racing. Ron Winchell and all of his investments, but what he sends back to Kentucky. So I think that there's a lot of opportunity for our country. I think there's a lot opportunity for the racing industry, but I think we have to put the goal first, to step back and to say we've got to reevaluate who we support and how we support it because we can't be more worried about our friends saying whether we're a good Democrat or a good Republican as opposed to are we doing the best for Kentucky or are we doing the best for the horse industry. Chris McGrath: So one final question. I'm not going to ask you about 2028. Gov. Andy Beshear | Getty Images Gov. Beshear (laughing): Everybody else does. Chris McGrath: There aren't that many people talking common ground the way you do. So people are interested in you. People are viewing you like, you've won the Blue Grass Stakes, this guy should run in the Derby. So what I'd like to know is what you've learned from your experience, in your home state, that will animate you in whatever form of service you end up embracing? Gov. Beshear: What I've seen in Kentucky is the temperature turned down as opposed to the rest of the country, and people generally getting along, people being excited about us breaking every economic development record in the books, and a real recognition that these good steps we've taken are good for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. In Kentucky, I see a legislature that's dominated by one party and a governor that's of another party being able to get at least the most important things done. And then, just the ability to push beyond the rancor and to have pride in who we are. I mean, right now, I think the people of Kentucky are excited and encouraged, even in a country that maybe is more pessimistic. I mean we see the country finally looking up to us instead of looking down on us. And so I think that whoever our next leader is, is going to need to be somebody who can heal the country and can bring people back together. Again, who's not worried about the boxes people try to put you in–Democrat, Republican, Liberal, Conservative, Right or Left but it's more pragmatic; it says what's going to benefit everybody. And what I've seen–because I saw it between my last two elections–is if you work really hard to create a better life for everyone they come together, they're willing to cross party lines and you see less of this destructive partisanship. Chris McGrath: We'll raise a glass of bourbon to that. Governor, thank you for your time. The post Horses, The Tax Bill, And 2028: A Conversation With Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Think of the West Country and one tends to picture wintry days and the big jumping yards, but amid the rolling hills of Devon sits one of the smaller Flat operations which routinely finds at least one horse a year to ensure the stable punches well above its weight. Step forward, Rod Millman, frontman of a family-run business which includes his wife Louise and sons James – the former jockey who has been an excellent addition to the roster of Racing TV presenters – and amateur rider Patrick. This year, it has been the fast young filly Anthelia which has kept the Millman name in lights, and on Saturday she bids to give her trainer a third victory in the £250,000 Weatherbys Super Sprint. Millman first won the race back in 1997, in only its seventh year, with Lord Kintyre (Makbul), and Bettys Hope (Anjaal) struck for the stable again in 2019. They each ran in the family's silks, having been bought respectively for 9,200gns back in the days when the old Doncaster sales still operated in that currency, and £3,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot September Yearling Sale (which has now morphed into the Somerville Sale). Anthelia, too, fits that mould. The Yeomanstown Stud-bred filly from the first crop of Supremacy was bought by her trainer for £6,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale and she has paid him back in spades, winning her first two starts before landing the Listed National Stakes at Sandown. A step up to six furlongs followed for the Listed Empress Fillies' Stakes at Newmarket, in which she was beaten only two lengths when fifth. Millman believes that it was not the extra distance which scuppered her chances that time. He says, “She's very well and everything has gone right up to now. I think she stayed the trip okay last time over six but I think she just got a bit too far back and had too much ground to make up, and we were giving them three pounds as well, but she will be running over six later in the season, for sure.” Such is the clamour for smart two-year-old prospects that, unsurprisingly, as soon as Anthelia started winning, the phone started ringing. “I sold a half-share to Middleham Park Racing after she'd won for reasonable money,” says Millman. “But after we'd won the National Stakes we were offered silly money for her to go to Royal Ascot. If I'd been ten years younger I'd have probably taken it, but it was a family decision and we'd bought her to have fun with, so we kept her, and we'll keep her and run her next year as well. I expect we'll sell her at the end of her three-year-old season.” Millman, a dab hand at turning inexpensive and often unfashionably bred horses into useful campaigners, says of his buying strategy, “I don't try to buy cheap horses, I try to buy nice horses cheaply.” It's clearly something he does well, and despite his prowess with early two-year-olds, he is not in the camp which views them as dispensable commodities. He says, “I try to buy something that will be mature for their age, but nearly all the good ones that I've had that have come out early and done well have made very good older horses. Woolhampton was second in the Super Sprint and has won a lot of money and she's still running well as a five-year-old. Cop Hill Lad was also second in the race and we sold him for a lot of money to Hong Kong and he ran there a long time. And Lord Kintyre was still on the racetrack at eight years old. Although we get them out early, they are not abused, and they last for a long time.” Possibly the greatest advertisement of the trainer's skills in this regard is Whitbarrow (Royal Abjar), the winner of the Woodcote and the Molecomb Stakes in 2001 who ran until he was 11, winning 13 of his 109 starts. Anthelia and Lewis Edmunds win the National Stakes | Racingfotos Millman decided to avoid Royal Ascot with Anthelia, but he is not a fan of the changes that have been made to the Windsor Castle Stakes, which will be run over six furlongs next year and restricted to the offspring of stallions who won over at least seven furlongs at two or a mile at three and up. “The trouble is, the Windsor Castle was a race that people aimed at with that sort of horse and it gave people who were buying a stud fee for less than £5,000 a chance of having a good horse,” he says. “It's all very well saying that we want to put more stamina into the breed, but the market doesn't say that.” He adds of Anthelia skirting the royal meeting, “I just felt that she would have a hard race. On the form I think she would have been placed, because the horses we beat weren't beaten very far. But I thought we'd keep our powder dry and not risk getting jarred up. Royal Ascot is like going to the Cheltenham Festival and I didn't think she'd win the Queen Mary, so I thought we'd miss that and keep ourselves fresh for the rest of the season. If you look at the Cheveley Park, there were only seven runners in that last year, so you only have to ride for place money and you'd probably get third. “We had some of the big people try to buy her because they wanted to have a runner at Royal Ascot, but she'll always have a value as a black-type winner. So I just hope that we can roll the dice a bit longer. I'm 68 now and it's nice to have a good horse to go racing with. Middleham Park have been super – they trust you to manage and they let you manage.” Millman will also be represented at Newbury on Saturday by Adaay In Devon. Now four and the winner of seven races, she is also a dual Listed winner for her breeder, the Horniwinks Racing Syndicate, who managed to pick up her dam for £1,000 when a number of horses were auctioned at Exeter Market after Worsall Grange Stud went out of business. “They sold 35 or 40 horses in pig pens,” Millan recalls. “I didn't end up buying anything but a couple of farmers went down and thought they'd buy themselves a racehorse and they ended up buying Favourite Girl with a foal at foot. Then they put the mare to Adaay and that's how Adaay In Devon came to be.” The trainer says that he no longer buys yearlings on spec but values the support of some studs, notably Whitsbury Manor, while he is sometimes sent horses from Ireland by Tally-Ho and Yeomanstown Studs. “I buy one every year to have fun ourselves, and any others I buy to order,” he says. “I'm lucky I have my two sons involved because I'm getting a bit older now and they take the pressure off a bit.” Anthelia has certainly provided plenty of fun already this year, both for the Millman family and their partners in Middleham Park Racing, and her trainer has every right to hope for a third victory in the race in which he has enjoyed so many good runs in the past. “She's got a good chance,” he says of the second-favourite behind Eve Johnson Houghton's Windsor Castle Stakes winner. “And she's only a pound wrong in the handicap with Havana Hurricane. He's rated 100 and we are 94 but we're getting five pounds from him, so we are not a million miles away.” The post ‘I Don’t Try to Buy Cheap Horses, I Try to Buy Nice Horses Cheaply’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Icon Racing, a new racing syndicate created by former Major League Baseball all-star and World Series Champion Jayson Werth and Ken Kuykendall, celebrate winning their first race with their first starter, Sacred Goddess.View the full article

The tenacity displayed by Snazzytavi during her stellar racing career has stood her in good stead in a battle off the track. The Cambridge Stud-owned mare has been fighting an acute case of laminitis for months, but now the signs indicate she is on the road to recovery. “While she remains at Matamata Veterinary Services, a dedicated team of vets and farriers have painstakingly repaired her laminitic feet and she is finally heading in the right direction,” Chief Executive Officer Henry Plumptre said. “We acknowledge the care and dedication shown by Dave Keenan and his team at MVS, Tracey, Barb and her devoted carer Claire. “We also acknowledge the wealth of expertise that Scott Morrison, from Rood and Riddle in Kentucky, Link Bauman from Equine Podiatry in Tamworth and Steve Robinson from Scone Equine have brought to the table.” Cambridge Stud are hopeful their daughter of the late Tavistock will return home in a matter of weeks. “However, we have made a decision not to cover her this year as a pregnancy could compromise the hard work put in over the past five months,” Plumptre said. “The entire team would agree that Snazzytavi has shown incredible strength and character over the journey to reach where she is now. “She remains bright and alert and not above chasing her helpers out of her paddock when she feels like it.”Snazzytavi won nine of her 15 starts for trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall, including Group One victories in the Zabeel Classic (2000m) and Livamol Classic (2040m). View the full article

Millie Bond’s love of harness racing started young. One of her earliest memories is sitting on her dad’s lap as he jogged a horse called Crusher Collins around their home track in Gore. “I had a big smile on my face,” she says. “It was the first time I felt the excitement of being on a horse moving.” Now 16, Millie is chasing that same feeling, this time on one of harness racing’s biggest stages. On Saturday night, she will represent New Zealand in the ID25 Mini Trots Championship Final at Albion Park in Brisbane. Held as part of the Inter Dominion Grand Final meeting, the event brings together young drivers from across Australasia. Millie is New Zealand’s sole representative and has been invited straight into the final. “I was so excited and a bit shocked when we got the call,” she says. “It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I couldn’t believe it at first.” The phone call came on June 19, while Millie and her mum Aimee were at the races. Danny Blackmore was on the line to deliver the news. “We were absolutely over the moon,” says Aimee. “It was surreal. She’s worked so hard for this, and to see it pay off is incredibly special.” Millie has been part of Kidz Kartz Southland for the past three seasons, but horses have always been part of her life. Her father Lyndon has trained 78 winners from his Mataura base, and she comes from a long line of Bonds involved in harness racing with the sport woven through her family for generations. Growing up in a harness racing household taught Millie more than just how to drive. “She’s very aware and respectful when handling animals, especially ones she doesn’t know,” says Aimee. “She’s cautious but confident. Safety and horsemanship are second nature to her now.” Ponies George, Doc and Bingo Millie started Kidz Kartz with two ponies, Bingo and Doc, gifted by Jamie and Natalie Gameson. She still remembers winning her first cup race with Bingo at Riverton. “We were wide on the grass track and I tried to save his sprint until the last 150 metres,” she says. “He just got up on the line. My heart stopped when I heard the commentator say I’d won, it was such a shock.” These days, her regular drive is George (race name The Ginga Ninja) a pony her uncle Graham Bond broke in. George was “a bit hitchy” behind at first, but after a lot of work, the pair found their rhythm. Last season, George won ten races, including the Wyndham Kindergarten Kidz Kartz Series Trophy. “He’s been a bit of a project,” Millie says, “but he’s come a long way.” Behind the scenes, Millie’s also putting in the work to turn her passion into a career. Through the Gateway programme, she now spends Thursdays at Tony Stratford’s stable in Gore and Fridays at Telford in Balclutha, gaining hands-on experience in areas like stable management and horse care, a natural next step from what she’s learned through Kidz Kartz and at home. “The Gateway programme has been a great addition to my learning,” she says. “Being at a different stable gives me new experiences, because everyone has different ways of doing things. It’s helped me grow as a driver, and I know I’ll always have a passion for harness racing.” That development is something her parents have noticed too. “Her attention to detail really stands out,” says Aimee. “From how she presents her ponies to how she prepares for races, she’s so focused and meticulous. It’s that kind of dedication that’s gotten her to this level.” When asked who she looks up to, Millie doesn’t hesitate. “Samantha Ottley. She’s a legend and such a great ambassador for our sport. She’s also driven a lot of winners for our family, including Step It Up A Notch when she won on Show Day. I’d love to be like her one day.” Now, with the final looming, Millie will step into the sulky with a new pony, on a new track, under the lights of one of the sport’s biggest nights. She’s ready. “I might be a bit nervous once I get out there,” she says, “but I’ll do my best.” View the full article

by Jonny Turner Brad Williamson’s winning double on Winter Rewards Day at Winton on Thursday brought delight to owners across New Zealand. The Oamaru trainer-driver produced Aint No Angel to win her second Winter Rewards Final, as well as scoring with Tabasco. After producing strong form in handy company recently, Aint No Angel saved her best for Southland’s biggest day of harness racing so far. The mare’s victory sits alongside the Winter Rewards Final she produced at Addington last year for Oturehua (Central Otago) breeder-owners Neville Armstrong, Rusty Nevill, and Kim and Mary Heaney. The win also added to the ever-growing list of winners for Nevill, who rates as one of Otago’s biggest standardbred breeders. “It’s a great result for Rusty, behind the scenes he does a hell of a lot for the industry,” Williamson said. “He probably goes under the radar a bit, he is not one to put himself in the spotlight.” “But he breeds and races a lot of horses and contributes a lot to the industry.” “Rusty is in this mare with a group of his mates from Central Otago and they love watching her race.” “They all would’ve got a great thrill out of today.” Tabasco bounced quickly back to his best form while showing he’s got another weapon in his arsenal. The pacer almost exclusively races up on the pace, but on Thursday Williamson was forced to sit off a strong early speed from his wide draw. Despite possibly being out of his comfort zone, it mattered little when Tabasco powered home to score. “His best results have come when I have driven him upside down,” Williamson said. “But today he was just sitting back doing nothing in what was a bit of a drop back in class for him.” “He had raced in country cups right through his last preparation.” “Last week he loomed into it like the winner, but he hit the wall just with having such a big gap between races.” “We will keep racing him through the winter now, he’s a pleasure to have in the stable.” Tabasco is raced by a group of loyal Williamson stable owners, including Robert Austin of Waiuku. “Robert makes the trip down from up north for most of Tabasco’s races,” Williamson said. “He bred this horse’s dam, so it’s his breed, really.” “He’s a great owner and loves his racing and his horses, so it is great that can get a bit more success today.” Downtown Orlando, Robyns Hustler, Share A Dream, Emily, and Southside Of Heaven were also Winter Rewards Final winners alongside Aint No Angel at Winton on Thursday. View the full article

by Michael Guerin Even for the man with a plan Steve Telfer is stunned how quickly the New Zealand harness racing trainer’s premiership may have become a one-stable race. Telfer and his sister/training partner Amanda go into this weekend’s racing 16 wins clear in the premiership after being 16 behind Michael House just two months ago. It has been a staggering turnaround but one Telfer all but predicted, just not at this record speed. “We had a plan to race a good team through winter, when the stakes are almost as good as summer but the opposition isn’t as tough,” says Telfer. “We had good numbers and a lot of horses coming back on ratings they were going to be competitive at so I was confident we were ready to hit some form. “But I couldn’t have quite predicted what has happeened. We have had a huge run and look to be in a pretty good position to win the premiership.” While the harness racing season doesn’t end until December 31, over six months away, Team Telfer are paying $1.02 to win the title after being $2.80 less than two month ago. And there imposing lead could extend signifcantly tonight as they have up to six potential favourites between Alexandra Park and Addington. “We had a quieter week last week [two wins] as it had been very wet so some of the horses didn’t get as much hoppled work so we chose to let them miss a week. “But we have some really strong chances tonight.” That starts in the opener at Alexandra Park for which Beachbreak is favourite after close seconds in stronger fields lately. “He is a logical chance but our other horse Princess Lisa was unlucky last start and could even get a better run so she is right up there with him,” says Telfer. Turn O The Tide is rated the stable’s better hope of three winning chances in Race 4, with Telfer suggesting the big, strong jprse can make it to the verge of the better three-year-old races later in the season. The stable again has two reps in Race 5, one of the strongest races of the night and Telfer warns punters to forgive Twista his lazy effort at Cambridge last Thursday. “He is so laid back he can be a bit funny and he was like that last week so he will go better this week but I really like Semba over the 1700m. “He has gate speed and the short trip suits him so maybe him narrowly on top out of our two.” Telfer says their best winning chance at Alexandra Park would be Captain Moonlight if he produces his best in Race 7. “We thought he’d win last start as he works way better than a maiden at home and we were stunned when he raced that poorly. “There was nothing majorly wrong with him and he had a nice quiet trial but please us last week and if he races up to his work he should get the chocolates.” J T Boe goes on top as the stable’s best chance of their two hopes in the last race. They have almost as powerful a presence at Addington tonight with at least four winning chances. “Miki Flybye [R1), Riptide [R3], obviously Slots [R8], C C Arden [R9) can all win and so could a few of the others but if I had to name one as our best chance down there it would be Arden Seascape [R3, No 7], who had no luck last start.” View the full article

by Michael Guerin Trainer Matty Williamson admits tonight’s Ricoh Canterbury Silk Road Final isn’t the perfect race for Princess Sadie. But he says that doesn’t mean the speedy four-year-old can’t still win it. Williamson trains and drives the five-win mare who has been one of the best of her age at two and three. She now faces taking on older horses at every start and often, like tonight, that also means stepping up in distance. “She is a real speed mare so the 2600m handicap probably isn’t ideal for her,” says Williamsom. “But it is the best race for her at this stage of the season so we will deal with that. “When she won over 2400m two starts ago she rated 2:2 so she is strengthening up and while she was beaten last start that wasn’t her best. “So I think she will go better again this week.” Princess Sadie led and was divebombed by I Dream Of Jeannie last start although the winner, who is now with Robert and Jenna Dunn, goes back a further 10m for that victory. “She is a good trotting mare I Dream Of Jeannie so she will be hard to beat but I think our mare will improve too,” says Williamson. “But yes, longer term I am looking forward to getting her back to some mobile sprint races which I think will suit her and I think she can work her way through to the verge of open class.” Williamson, who is on 1272 career driving wins, will partner Got You Covered in the main pace and he liked the performance of the now Kevin Fairburn-trained pacer when third here last Friday. “He can win a race again soon for sure. I am not saying it will be this week because it is a handy little field but I thought he we went well.” Earlier in the night stable rep Florence The Machine (R2, No 9) has copped a bad draw in her mobile trot and her manners come sometimes let her down and she meets some handy enough types. View the full article

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) and Racing Te Aroha are proud to announce a significant milestone in the history of New Zealand jumps racing. The revered Great Northern Hurdle and Great Northern Steeplechase will now be known as the Great New Zealand Hurdle and Great New Zealand Steeplechase, marking a new chapter for these iconic events. The renaming reflects the races’ relocation to Te Aroha and their continued importance on the national racing calendar. Racing Te Aroha President Raewyn Armstrong shared her thoughts on the change. “The Great Northern Hurdle and Steeplechase hold a special place in New Zealand racing history and were synonymous with the unique terrain at Ellerslie,” Armstrong said. With these iconic races now proudly homed at Te Aroha, we felt it was appropriate to mark this new chapter.” NZTR Chief Operating Officer Darin Balcombe acknowledged the significance of the name change and what it means to continue the tradition while also improving the race’s profile. “Renaming these races the Great New Zealand Hurdle and Great New Zealand Steeplechase acknowledges not only the national significance of the races but also signals a fresh era and we’re excited to see Te Aroha continue the legacy with a renewed vision,” said Balcombe. Additional changes include a new format for the end of the jumps season with the historic races being run over a two-day carnival taking place in September, with the Great New Zealand Hurdle scheduled for Friday 19 September, and the Great New Zealand Steeplechase to follow on Sunday 21 September. The Club is looking forward to creating an event for the community and jumps fans to enjoy while honouring the history of the races. “At Racing Te Aroha, we’re committed to building a true carnival atmosphere around these races, one that celebrates the tradition of jumps racing while bringing together both our local community and the wider racing fraternity,” Armstrong added. “It’s about honouring the past whilst creating something special for the future.” Racing Te Aroha is also delighted to confirm that the Great New Zealand Hurdle will be supported by J Swap, while Ben & Ryan Foote Racing will continue as naming rights sponsor of the Great New Zealand Steeplechase. “We’re thrilled to have J Swap and Ben & Ryan Foote Racing as sponsors of these iconic jumping features,” Armstrong said. “Both have long-standing ties to the races and a genuine passion for jumps racing, so it’s fitting to have them involved as we usher in this new era. Their support means a great deal to the Club and we look forward to welcoming them on course in September.” View the full article

Saturday’s Novara Park (1400m) at Rotorua will be the first raceday appearance in six months for talented mare Fabulous Gal. From a 15-start career, Fabulous Gal has recorded two wins, four placings and three fourths. She began her career with Matamata trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, for whom she scored a stylish maiden win on her home track in January of 2023 before contesting the Listed Oaks Prelude (1800m) and the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m). She had a change of scenery last year and moved to the Te Aroha stable of Peter Lock. The daughter of Fabulous resumed with a fourth, a third and a seventh, then romped to victory by two and a quarter lengths at Wanganui in late December. In her most recent appearance, some 182 days ago, Fabulous Gal ran third behind Nancy She Wrote in a $65,000 Rating 65 on Wellington Cup Day at Trentham on January 18. “She definitely showed a lot of ability in that last campaign and she’s a mare that’s always been held in quite high regard,” Lock said. “She began her career in Matamata and put in some good performances there, but then she came over to us with a few niggly problems. We worked on sorting those out through her last campaign. “She’s had a good break and has come back bigger and stronger and really matured into a beautiful mare. “Her trial at Waipa (a win over 1150m on July 8) was fantastic. She didn’t carry a lot of weight, with a young apprentice on, but she won with authority and pulled up super well. That told us that we were pretty much on the mark with her.” Fabulous Gal has previously won fresh, but Lock admits to some reservations about Rotorua’s Heavy10 track. “I think very, very testing ground would have to be a massive question mark,” he said. “I wouldn’t be as worried about it if she’d had some runs under her belt already. “I guess everyone’s in the same boat and they all have to get through those conditions. But a few of her opponents have that race fitness and seasoning under their belts, which might be a bit of an advantage for them. “But it’ll be good to get her campaign underway, even though she’s wanting a better track. Safely through this, I think she’s got an exciting preparation ahead of her. She’s well above average.” Lock also gave a positive update on stable star Debit. The five-year-old Darci Brahma mare has won four of her five starts and has the Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa on August 23 on her radar. “She’s good,” Lock said. “She also trialled up well at Waipa (second over 850m on July 8). She’s coming to hand nicely. “She’s a year older now and had a very good break after her last campaign. She probably did a bit too well during that time off. It took her four trials to get fit last time around, and she’s had two trials so far this time in. “It’s a bit frustrating with the very heavy tracks and trials getting called off, and the synthetic surface doesn’t suit her. But we’re getting there and I think one more trial should have her close to the mark.” View the full article

Last year’s runner-up Spencer will try to turn the tables on Belardo Boy when they line up for a rematch in Saturday’s Listed Sinclair Electrical & Refrigeration Opunake Cup (1400m) at New Plymouth. The 2024 edition of the Opunake Cup, which was run at Hawera, was Spencer’s first appearance at Group or Listed level. The Derryn gelding took a three-race winning streak into that first big test of his career, and he performed creditably with a second placing behind two-length winner Belardo Boy. Spencer has added another two wins to his burgeoning record since then, including a black-type breakthrough in the Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa in October. That has brought a rise in the ratings, lifting the five-year-old up to 58.5kg for Saturday’s $120,000 feature while topweight Belardo Boy has 60kg. They meet much closer at the weights this year than 12 months ago, when Belardo Boy carried 59kg and Spencer had 53kg. But despite that, and despite a disappointing last-start ninth in a northern mission at Ellerslie in early June, Spencer’s trainer Erin Hocquard believes the star of her Waverley stable can make his presence felt on Saturday. “I’m not sure how well he handled that big trip to Auckland, and then he didn’t get much of a breather in the run either,” Hocquard said. “So a few things went wrong. It’s just one of those things that can happen sometimes in racing. “I’ve kept him ticking along in between times, but for one reason or another he hasn’t had a run since then. He was meant to go to the trials, but they got cancelled too. So he’s freshened himself up in a way. “But he galloped very well at Hawera on Tuesday and did a similar bit of work at Wanganui a week or two before that, so we’ve managed to get a good amount of work into him. “I think he compares pretty well to what he was like going into the race last year. Hopefully he’ll go alright again. Going so long without a run is a bit of a concern, especially if the track is really heavy, but I think a few of the others will be in a similar boat.” Spencer has drawn the inside gate and will be ridden by Kavish Chowdhoory. “There’s not much we can do from that draw apart from pushing forward,” Hocquard said. “Hopefully we won’t get stuck in the worst part of the track.” Spencer will attempt to deliver a popular local result in the Opunake Cup, racing in the colours of Taranaki owner-breeder Aidan Schumacher. The TAB rates Spencer a $13 sixth favourite. Belles Beau is the $4.20 favourite, just ahead of Joshua Brown at $4.80. They are followed by Belardo Boy ($6), Little Bit Of Love ($7) and Sinbin ($10) View the full article

Thought Process returned from a layoff to capture an allowance race by 5 3/4 lengths after winning two stakes as a 2-year-old.View the full article

A quality cast of four-year-olds will clash in Malaysia’s richest race this weekend, with a significant NZB influence throughout the 16-horse field. Sunday’s Selangor Mile (1600m) is worth RM1m (NZ$395,000) and is marketed as ‘One Race, One Million, One Champion’. Five of the 16 runners in the 2025 Selangor Mile are graduates of the Karaka sale ring, plus New Zealand-bred Shinjuku (NZ) (Tarzino). ANTIPODEAN (NZ) The number-one saddlecloth will be carried by the race’s highest-rated runner and likely favourite Antipodean (NZ) (Derryn). Breeders Grangewilliam Stud offered Antipodean in Book 2 of Karaka 2022, where he failed to meet his $40,000 reserve. He returned to Karaka for the Ready to Run Sale later that year and was bought by Malaysian-based trainer Simon Dunderdale for $23,000. Antipodean’s high-class career has so far produced 10 wins and five placings from only 16 starts. He has banked RM396,900 (NZ$157,015) in prize-money. Antipodean won nine races last year including the 3YO Pacific Cup (1200m), the New Zealand Bloodstock 3YO Trophy (1400m), the Selangor Gold Cup (1600m) and Sports Toto Supreme Challenge Cup (1400m). Antipodean was transferred to a different stable at the end of last year, and his 2025 campaign has so far produced a series of placings in the Chinese New Year Prosperity Trophy (1600m), Tunku Gold Cup (1200m) and 4YO Sprint Championship (1200m). He has returned to Dunderdale for the build-up to the Selangor Mile, in which he will be ridden by Bernardo Pinheiro and will jump from gate 11. “With the Selangor Mile coming up, the owner (Yee Kin Kong) probably thinks the horse needs a change of luck,” Dunderdale commented to the Selangor Turf Club this week. “I have been working him for the past month and I am happy with him. I’m happy with the draw too. It means the jockey can place him anywhere in the race.” LUCKY MAGIC (NZ) Lucky Magic (NZ) Vendor: Prima Park The next Karaka graduate in the Selangor Mile field is Lucky Magic (NZ) (Mendelssohn), whose jockey Shafiq Rusof won more than 50 races in New Zealand between 2017 and 2019 including the Group One Tarzino Trophy (1400m) and Arrowfield Stud Plate (160m) on Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands). Lucky Magic was offered by Prima Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where Ben Kwok bought him for $35,000. He was subsequently re-offered by Prima Park at the Ready to Run Sale and sold to the HY Cheng Racing Stable for $75,000. Lucky Magic has had 12 starts for seven wins, two placings and RM161,182 (NZ$63,745) in stakes. His victories include the Penang Gold Cup (2000m) and Perak Derby (2000m). He is heading into Sunday in some of the best form of his career, having won four of his last five starts. Lucky Magic has drawn well for Sunday’s blockbuster mile, jumping from gate five for trainer, and well-known buyer HY Cheng. PLATINUM GLORY Platnium Glory (NZ) Vendor: Riversely Park Platinum Glory (Showtime) was offered by renowned Ready to Run Sale vendors Riversley Park during the 2022 edition of the world-leading sale of two-year-olds. He was bought by the Macau Jockey Club for $30,000. From just five starts to date, Platinum Glory has recorded three wins, a second and a fourth. Platinum Glory strung together three impressive wins in a row, starting with a four-length romp over 1400 metres at Selangor in February. He won over the same course and distance in March, this time by three and a quarter lengths, then returned from a freshen-up with a neck victory in May. He stepped up to 1600 metres last start on June 15 and finished second. Platinum Glory has drawn awkwardly on Sunday in gate 14 for trainer CW Choi. DON’T FORGET BOSS (NZ) Don’t Forget Boss (NZ) Vendor: Riverrock Farm Don’t Forget Boss (NZ) (Preferment) caught the eye of successful pinhookers Riverrock Farm during Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where he was bought for $30,000 from the draft of Wentwood Grange. He was offered in the Riverrock draft at the Ready to Run Sale and knocked down to trainer David Kok for $75,000. Don’t Forget Boss has had 22 starts for five wins and six placings. He won three times in Singapore and has added another two victories since relocating to Malaysia. His total earnings are the equivalent of more than NZ$100,000. He was rated highly enough during his Singapore career to contest the Singapore Guineas (1600m) and the Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m). Jockey Harmeet Singh Gill will take the mount on Don’t Forget Boss on Sunday, and the pair will jump from the handy draw of gate three for trainer David Kok. RED DRAGONFLY (NZ) Red Dragonfly (NZ) (Rubick) was a $55,000 purchase from Riversley Park’s draft at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale. Red Dragonfly (NZ) Vendor: Riversley Park He has had 17 starts for six wins and a placing. He began his career in Singapore, placing once from eight starts, then moved to Malaysia and made a huge impression with wins in six of his first seven starts. Red Dragonfly has drawn the inside gate on Sunday, and trainer Ooi Chin Chin intends to use that to his advantage. “It means we can go with the pace,” he said. While the NZB Bloodstock team are currently canvassing around the world for the upcoming Ready to Run Sale and Karaka 2026, NZB’s Director of Business Development Mike Kneebone is in Kuala Lumpur ahead of the inaugural running of the Selangor Million-dollar Mile. “On Sunday, we have a big chance to add another NZB graduate to the impressive winning tally this season, so it is timely to visit this significant market.” “To kick off the big weekend for Malaysia, the New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia, HE Michael Walsh and myself are hosting a dinner at the New Zealand Residency this week with the most influential racing people in the country,” he added. NZB’s Mike Kneebone & Selangor Turf Club Chairman, Tan Sri Datuk Richard Cham Hak Lim “Selangor Turf Club have continued to improve and innovate, and the RM 1,000,000 Selangor Mile is another step forward, advancing horse racing here. “Our buying bench for the upcoming Ready to Run Sale is shaping up to be incredibly strong, and no doubt with vendors full support to bolster the catalogue, we will see some incredible results again. “The horses that continue to perform on the racetrack from this sale is unbelievable. Ten Group Ones this season alone is phenomenal, and the results in Malaysia are no different.” “Last year I predicted that we would sell a million dollar two-year-old, this year we might sell more.” The Selangor Mile will be run as Race 9 on Selangor’s bumper 12-race programme on Sunday. The scheduled start time of the Selangor Mile is 4.30pm local time (8.30pm NZT). The 2025 edition of the Ready to Run Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre on Thursday 13 & Friday 14 November with Breeze Ups to be held at Te Rapa Racecourse on Monday 13 & Tuesday 14 October. Entries for the Sale are open now and close at 5pm on Friday 1 August. To nominate your rising two-year-olds for the 2025 Ready to Run Sale, visit NZB’s online portal at portal.nzb.co.nz. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25 – 29 January, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25 – 29 January, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. View the full article

A quality cast of four-year-olds will clash in Malaysia’s richest race this weekend, with a significant NZB influence throughout the 16-horse field. Sunday’s Selangor Mile (1600m) is worth RM1m (NZ$395,000) and is marketed as ‘One Race, One Million, One Champion’. Five of the 16 runners in the 2025 Selangor Mile are graduates of the Karaka sale ring, plus New Zealand-bred Shinjuku (NZ) (Tarzino). ANTIPODEAN (NZ) The number-one saddlecloth will be carried by the race’s highest-rated runner and likely favourite Antipodean (NZ) (Derryn). Breeders Grangewilliam Stud offered Antipodean in Book 2 of Karaka 2022, where he failed to meet his $40,000 reserve. He returned to Karaka for the Ready to Run Sale later that year and was bought by Malaysian-based trainer Simon Dunderdale for $23,000. Antipodean’s high-class career has so far produced 10 wins and five placings from only 16 starts. He has banked RM396,900 (NZ$157,015) in prize-money. Antipodean won nine races last year including the 3YO Pacific Cup (1200m), the New Zealand Bloodstock 3YO Trophy (1400m), the Selangor Gold Cup (1600m) and Sports Toto Supreme Challenge Cup (1400m). Antipodean was transferred to a different stable at the end of last year, and his 2025 campaign has so far produced a series of placings in the Chinese New Year Prosperity Trophy (1600m), Tunku Gold Cup (1200m) and 4YO Sprint Championship (1200m). He has returned to Dunderdale for the build-up to the Selangor Mile, in which he will be ridden by Bernardo Pinheiro and will jump from gate 11. “With the Selangor Mile coming up, the owner (Yee Kin Kong) probably thinks the horse needs a change of luck,” Dunderdale commented to the Selangor Turf Club this week. “I have been working him for the past month and I am happy with him. I’m happy with the draw too. It means the jockey can place him anywhere in the race.” LUCKY MAGIC (NZ) Lucky Magic (NZ) Vendor: Prima Park The next Karaka graduate in the Selangor Mile field is Lucky Magic (NZ) (Mendelssohn), whose jockey Shafiq Rusof won more than 50 races in New Zealand between 2017 and 2019 including the Group One Tarzino Trophy (1400m) and Arrowfield Stud Plate (160m) on Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands). Lucky Magic was offered by Prima Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where Ben Kwok bought him for $35,000. He was subsequently re-offered by Prima Park at the Ready to Run Sale and sold to the HY Cheng Racing Stable for $75,000. Lucky Magic has had 12 starts for seven wins, two placings and RM161,182 (NZ$63,745) in stakes. His victories include the Penang Gold Cup (2000m) and Perak Derby (2000m). He is heading into Sunday in some of the best form of his career, having won four of his last five starts. Lucky Magic has drawn well for Sunday’s blockbuster mile, jumping from gate five for trainer, and well-known buyer HY Cheng. PLATINUM GLORY Platnium Glory (NZ) Vendor: Riversely Park Platinum Glory (Showtime) was offered by renowned Ready to Run Sale vendors Riversley Park during the 2022 edition of the world-leading sale of two-year-olds. He was bought by the Macau Jockey Club for $30,000. From just five starts to date, Platinum Glory has recorded three wins, a second and a fourth. Platinum Glory strung together three impressive wins in a row, starting with a four-length romp over 1400 metres at Selangor in February. He won over the same course and distance in March, this time by three and a quarter lengths, then returned from a freshen-up with a neck victory in May. He stepped up to 1600 metres last start on June 15 and finished second. Platinum Glory has drawn awkwardly on Sunday in gate 14 for trainer CW Choi. DON’T FORGET BOSS (NZ) Don’t Forget Boss (NZ) Vendor: Riverrock Farm Don’t Forget Boss (NZ) (Preferment) caught the eye of successful pinhookers Riverrock Farm during Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where he was bought for $30,000 from the draft of Wentwood Grange. He was offered in the Riverrock draft at the Ready to Run Sale and knocked down to trainer David Kok for $75,000. Don’t Forget Boss has had 22 starts for five wins and six placings. He won three times in Singapore and has added another two victories since relocating to Malaysia. His total earnings are the equivalent of more than NZ$100,000. He was rated highly enough during his Singapore career to contest the Singapore Guineas (1600m) and the Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m). Jockey Harmeet Singh Gill will take the mount on Don’t Forget Boss on Sunday, and the pair will jump from the handy draw of gate three for trainer David Kok. RED DRAGONFLY (NZ) Red Dragonfly (NZ) (Rubick) was a $55,000 purchase from Riversley Park’s draft at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale. Red Dragonfly (NZ) Vendor: Riversley Park He has had 17 starts for six wins and a placing. He began his career in Singapore, placing once from eight starts, then moved to Malaysia and made a huge impression with wins in six of his first seven starts. Red Dragonfly has drawn the inside gate on Sunday, and trainer Ooi Chin Chin intends to use that to his advantage. “It means we can go with the pace,” he said. While the NZB Bloodstock team are currently canvassing around the world for the upcoming Ready to Run Sale and Karaka 2026, NZB’s Director of Business Development Mike Kneebone is in Kuala Lumpur ahead of the inaugural running of the Selangor Million-dollar Mile. “On Sunday, we have a big chance to add another NZB graduate to the impressive winning tally this season, so it is timely to visit this significant market.” “To kick off the big weekend for Malaysia, the New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia, HE Michael Walsh and myself are hosting a dinner at the New Zealand Residency this week with the most influential racing people in the country,” he added. NZB’s Mike Kneebone & Selangor Turf Club Chairman, Tan Sri Datuk Richard Cham Hak Lim “Selangor Turf Club have continued to improve and innovate, and the RM 1,000,000 Selangor Mile is another step forward, advancing horse racing here. “Our buying bench for the upcoming Ready to Run Sale is shaping up to be incredibly strong, and no doubt with vendors full support to bolster the catalogue, we will see some incredible results again. “The horses that continue to perform on the racetrack from this sale is unbelievable. Ten Group Ones this season alone is phenomenal, and the results in Malaysia are no different.” “Last year I predicted that we would sell a million dollar two-year-old, this year we might sell more.” The Selangor Mile will be run as Race 9 on Selangor’s bumper 12-race programme on Sunday. The scheduled start time of the Selangor Mile is 4.30pm local time (8.30pm NZT). The 2025 edition of the Ready to Run Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre on Thursday 13 & Friday 14 November with Breeze Ups to be held at Te Rapa Racecourse on Monday 13 & Tuesday 14 October. Entries for the Sale are open now and close at 5pm on Friday 1 August. To nominate your rising two-year-olds for the 2025 Ready to Run Sale, visit NZB’s online portal at portal.nzb.co.nz. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25 – 29 January, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25 – 29 January, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. View the full article

A quality cast of four-year-olds will clash in Malaysia’s richest race this weekend, with a significant NZB influence throughout the 16-horse field. Sunday’s Selangor Mile (1600m) is worth RM1m (NZ$395,000) and is marketed as ‘One Race, One Million, One Champion’. Five of the 16 runners in the 2025 Selangor Mile are graduates of the Karaka sale ring, plus New Zealand-bred Shinjuku (NZ) (Tarzino). ANTIPODEAN (NZ) The number-one saddlecloth will be carried by the race’s highest-rated runner and likely favourite Antipodean (NZ) (Derryn). Breeders Grangewilliam Stud offered Antipodean in Book 2 of Karaka 2022, where he failed to meet his $40,000 reserve. He returned to Karaka for the Ready to Run Sale later that year and was bought by Malaysian-based trainer Simon Dunderdale for $23,000. Antipodean’s high-class career has so far produced 10 wins and five placings from only 16 starts. He has banked RM396,900 (NZ$157,015) in prize-money. Antipodean won nine races last year including the 3YO Pacific Cup (1200m), the New Zealand Bloodstock 3YO Trophy (1400m), the Selangor Gold Cup (1600m) and Sports Toto Supreme Challenge Cup (1400m). Antipodean was transferred to a different stable at the end of last year, and his 2025 campaign has so far produced a series of placings in the Chinese New Year Prosperity Trophy (1600m), Tunku Gold Cup (1200m) and 4YO Sprint Championship (1200m). He has returned to Dunderdale for the build-up to the Selangor Mile, in which he will be ridden by Bernardo Pinheiro and will jump from gate 11. “With the Selangor Mile coming up, the owner (Yee Kin Kong) probably thinks the horse needs a change of luck,” Dunderdale commented to the Selangor Turf Club this week. “I have been working him for the past month and I am happy with him. I’m happy with the draw too. It means the jockey can place him anywhere in the race.” LUCKY MAGIC (NZ) Lucky Magic (NZ) Vendor: Prima Park The next Karaka graduate in the Selangor Mile field is Lucky Magic (NZ) (Mendelssohn), whose jockey Shafiq Rusof won more than 50 races in New Zealand between 2017 and 2019 including the Group One Tarzino Trophy (1400m) and Arrowfield Stud Plate (160m) on Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands). Lucky Magic was offered by Prima Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where Ben Kwok bought him for $35,000. He was subsequently re-offered by Prima Park at the Ready to Run Sale and sold to the HY Cheng Racing Stable for $75,000. Lucky Magic has had 12 starts for seven wins, two placings and RM161,182 (NZ$63,745) in stakes. His victories include the Penang Gold Cup (2000m) and Perak Derby (2000m). He is heading into Sunday in some of the best form of his career, having won four of his last five starts. Lucky Magic has drawn well for Sunday’s blockbuster mile, jumping from gate five for trainer, and well-known buyer HY Cheng. PLATINUM GLORY Platnium Glory (NZ) Vendor: Riversely Park Platinum Glory (Showtime) was offered by renowned Ready to Run Sale vendors Riversley Park during the 2022 edition of the world-leading sale of two-year-olds. He was bought by the Macau Jockey Club for $30,000. From just five starts to date, Platinum Glory has recorded three wins, a second and a fourth. Platinum Glory strung together three impressive wins in a row, starting with a four-length romp over 1400 metres at Selangor in February. He won over the same course and distance in March, this time by three and a quarter lengths, then returned from a freshen-up with a neck victory in May. He stepped up to 1600 metres last start on June 15 and finished second. Platinum Glory has drawn awkwardly on Sunday in gate 14 for trainer CW Choi. DON’T FORGET BOSS (NZ) Don’t Forget Boss (NZ) Vendor: Riverrock Farm Don’t Forget Boss (NZ) (Preferment) caught the eye of successful pinhookers Riverrock Farm during Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where he was bought for $30,000 from the draft of Wentwood Grange. He was offered in the Riverrock draft at the Ready to Run Sale and knocked down to trainer David Kok for $75,000. Don’t Forget Boss has had 22 starts for five wins and six placings. He won three times in Singapore and has added another two victories since relocating to Malaysia. His total earnings are the equivalent of more than NZ$100,000. He was rated highly enough during his Singapore career to contest the Singapore Guineas (1600m) and the Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m). Jockey Harmeet Singh Gill will take the mount on Don’t Forget Boss on Sunday, and the pair will jump from the handy draw of gate three for trainer David Kok. RED DRAGONFLY (NZ) Red Dragonfly (NZ) (Rubick) was a $55,000 purchase from Riversley Park’s draft at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale. Red Dragonfly (NZ) Vendor: Riversley Park He has had 17 starts for six wins and a placing. He began his career in Singapore, placing once from eight starts, then moved to Malaysia and made a huge impression with wins in six of his first seven starts. Red Dragonfly has drawn the inside gate on Sunday, and trainer Ooi Chin Chin intends to use that to his advantage. “It means we can go with the pace,” he said. While the NZB Bloodstock team are currently canvassing around the world for the upcoming Ready to Run Sale and Karaka 2026, NZB’s Director of Business Development Mike Kneebone is in Kuala Lumpur ahead of the inaugural running of the Selangor Million-dollar Mile. “On Sunday, we have a big chance to add another NZB graduate to the impressive winning tally this season, so it is timely to visit this significant market.” “To kick off the big weekend for Malaysia, the New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia, HE Michael Walsh and myself are hosting a dinner at the New Zealand Residency this week with the most influential racing people in the country,” he added. NZB’s Mike Kneebone & Selangor Turf Club Chairman, Tan Sri Datuk Richard Cham Hak Lim “Selangor Turf Club have continued to improve and innovate, and the RM 1,000,000 Selangor Mile is another step forward, advancing horse racing here. “Our buying bench for the upcoming Ready to Run Sale is shaping up to be incredibly strong, and no doubt with vendors full support to bolster the catalogue, we will see some incredible results again. “The horses that continue to perform on the racetrack from this sale is unbelievable. Ten Group Ones this season alone is phenomenal, and the results in Malaysia are no different.” “Last year I predicted that we would sell a million dollar two-year-old, this year we might sell more.” The Selangor Mile will be run as Race 9 on Selangor’s bumper 12-race programme on Sunday. The scheduled start time of the Selangor Mile is 4.30pm local time (8.30pm NZT). The 2025 edition of the Ready to Run Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre on Thursday 13 & Friday 14 November with Breeze Ups to be held at Te Rapa Racecourse on Monday 13 & Tuesday 14 October. Entries for the Sale are open now and close at 5pm on Friday 1 August. To nominate your rising two-year-olds for the 2025 Ready to Run Sale, visit NZB’s online portal at portal.nzb.co.nz. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25 – 29 January, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25 – 29 January, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. View the full article

A quality cast of four-year-olds will clash in Malaysia’s richest race this weekend, with a significant NZB influence throughout the 16-horse field. Sunday’s Selangor Mile (1600m) is worth RM1m (NZ$395,000) and is marketed as ‘One Race, One Million, One Champion’. Five of the 16 runners in the 2025 Selangor Mile are graduates of the Karaka sale ring, plus New Zealand-bred Shinjuku (NZ) (Tarzino). ANTIPODEAN (NZ) The number-one saddlecloth will be carried by the race’s highest-rated runner and likely favourite Antipodean (NZ) (Derryn). Breeders Grangewilliam Stud offered Antipodean in Book 2 of Karaka 2022, where he failed to meet his $40,000 reserve. He returned to Karaka for the Ready to Run Sale later that year and was bought by Malaysian-based trainer Simon Dunderdale for $23,000. Antipodean’s high-class career has so far produced 10 wins and five placings from only 16 starts. He has banked RM396,900 (NZ$157,015) in prize-money. Antipodean won nine races last year including the 3YO Pacific Cup (1200m), the New Zealand Bloodstock 3YO Trophy (1400m), the Selangor Gold Cup (1600m) and Sports Toto Supreme Challenge Cup (1400m). Antipodean was transferred to a different stable at the end of last year, and his 2025 campaign has so far produced a series of placings in the Chinese New Year Prosperity Trophy (1600m), Tunku Gold Cup (1200m) and 4YO Sprint Championship (1200m). He has returned to Dunderdale for the build-up to the Selangor Mile, in which he will be ridden by Bernardo Pinheiro and will jump from gate 11. “With the Selangor Mile coming up, the owner (Yee Kin Kong) probably thinks the horse needs a change of luck,” Dunderdale commented to the Selangor Turf Club this week. “I have been working him for the past month and I am happy with him. I’m happy with the draw too. It means the jockey can place him anywhere in the race.” LUCKY MAGIC (NZ) Lucky Magic (NZ) Vendor: Prima Park The next Karaka graduate in the Selangor Mile field is Lucky Magic (NZ) (Mendelssohn), whose jockey Shafiq Rusof won more than 50 races in New Zealand between 2017 and 2019 including the Group One Tarzino Trophy (1400m) and Arrowfield Stud Plate (160m) on Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands). Lucky Magic was offered by Prima Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where Ben Kwok bought him for $35,000. He was subsequently re-offered by Prima Park at the Ready to Run Sale and sold to the HY Cheng Racing Stable for $75,000. Lucky Magic has had 12 starts for seven wins, two placings and RM161,182 (NZ$63,745) in stakes. His victories include the Penang Gold Cup (2000m) and Perak Derby (2000m). He is heading into Sunday in some of the best form of his career, having won four of his last five starts. Lucky Magic has drawn well for Sunday’s blockbuster mile, jumping from gate five for trainer, and well-known buyer HY Cheng. PLATINUM GLORY Platnium Glory (NZ) Vendor: Riversely Park Platinum Glory (Showtime) was offered by renowned Ready to Run Sale vendors Riversley Park during the 2022 edition of the world-leading sale of two-year-olds. He was bought by the Macau Jockey Club for $30,000. From just five starts to date, Platinum Glory has recorded three wins, a second and a fourth. Platinum Glory strung together three impressive wins in a row, starting with a four-length romp over 1400 metres at Selangor in February. He won over the same course and distance in March, this time by three and a quarter lengths, then returned from a freshen-up with a neck victory in May. He stepped up to 1600 metres last start on June 15 and finished second. Platinum Glory has drawn awkwardly on Sunday in gate 14 for trainer CW Choi. DON’T FORGET BOSS (NZ) Don’t Forget Boss (NZ) Vendor: Riverrock Farm Don’t Forget Boss (NZ) (Preferment) caught the eye of successful pinhookers Riverrock Farm during Book 1 of Karaka 2022, where he was bought for $30,000 from the draft of Wentwood Grange. He was offered in the Riverrock draft at the Ready to Run Sale and knocked down to trainer David Kok for $75,000. Don’t Forget Boss has had 22 starts for five wins and six placings. He won three times in Singapore and has added another two victories since relocating to Malaysia. His total earnings are the equivalent of more than NZ$100,000. He was rated highly enough during his Singapore career to contest the Singapore Guineas (1600m) and the Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m). Jockey Harmeet Singh Gill will take the mount on Don’t Forget Boss on Sunday, and the pair will jump from the handy draw of gate three for trainer David Kok. RED DRAGONFLY (NZ) Red Dragonfly (NZ) (Rubick) was a $55,000 purchase from Riversley Park’s draft at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale. Red Dragonfly (NZ) Vendor: Riversley Park He has had 17 starts for six wins and a placing. He began his career in Singapore, placing once from eight starts, then moved to Malaysia and made a huge impression with wins in six of his first seven starts. Red Dragonfly has drawn the inside gate on Sunday, and trainer Ooi Chin Chin intends to use that to his advantage. “It means we can go with the pace,” he said. While the NZB Bloodstock team are currently canvassing around the world for the upcoming Ready to Run Sale and Karaka 2026, NZB’s Director of Business Development Mike Kneebone is in Kuala Lumpur ahead of the inaugural running of the Selangor Million-dollar Mile. “On Sunday, we have a big chance to add another NZB graduate to the impressive winning tally this season, so it is timely to visit this significant market.” “To kick off the big weekend for Malaysia, the New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia, HE Michael Walsh and myself are hosting a dinner at the New Zealand Residency this week with the most influential racing people in the country,” he added. NZB’s Mike Kneebone & Selangor Turf Club Chairman, Tan Sri Datuk Richard Cham Hak Lim “Selangor Turf Club have continued to improve and innovate, and the RM 1,000,000 Selangor Mile is another step forward, advancing horse racing here. “Our buying bench for the upcoming Ready to Run Sale is shaping up to be incredibly strong, and no doubt with vendors full support to bolster the catalogue, we will see some incredible results again. “The horses that continue to perform on the racetrack from this sale is unbelievable. Ten Group Ones this season alone is phenomenal, and the results in Malaysia are no different.” “Last year I predicted that we would sell a million dollar two-year-old, this year we might sell more.” The Selangor Mile will be run as Race 9 on Selangor’s bumper 12-race programme on Sunday. The scheduled start time of the Selangor Mile is 4.30pm local time (8.30pm NZT). The 2025 edition of the Ready to Run Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre on Thursday 13 & Friday 14 November with Breeze Ups to be held at Te Rapa Racecourse on Monday 13 & Tuesday 14 October. Entries for the Sale are open now and close at 5pm on Friday 1 August. To nominate your rising two-year-olds for the 2025 Ready to Run Sale, visit NZB’s online portal at portal.nzb.co.nz. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25 – 29 January, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25 – 29 January, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. View the full article

Sunday’s Glenmoa Farms Ltd River Plate Trophy (1200m) at Oamaru is an unexpected detour for Epee Beel in her build-up to the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton on August 2. Epee Beel is a proven big-race performer over the course and distance of the Winter Cup, having taken out the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m) last year and the Gr.3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) in March. Trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman had no hesitation in pointing her towards the $110,000 feature on the opening day of this year’s Grand National Carnival. However, their Winter Cup preparations hit a snag when Epee Beel missed a run at Ashburton on July 3. Torrential rain forced the meeting to be abandoned over visibility and safety concerns. That means Epee Beel will instead line up in Sunday’s feature sprint at Oamaru. It will be the four-year-old mare’s first start since the Gr.3 Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) some 85 days earlier. “She’s coming up really well,” Matthew Pitman said. “She’s heading towards the Winter Cup. She’s already won a couple of stakes races over 1600m at Riccarton, so that’s an obvious target. “We had a little hiccup with the abandonment at Ashburton a couple of weeks ago. That was Plan A, so we’ve had to go to Plan B and go to Oamaru. The 1200m is certainly going to be short of her best on Sunday, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see her run a bold race fresh. It should set her up nicely for the Winter Cup in a couple of weeks.” Epee Beel is one of three runners in Sunday’s $40,000 open sprint for the Pitman stable, who are also represented by Express Coup and Makabar. Express Coup has won seven times over 1200m, including stylish wins at Timaru and Ashburton in two of her last three starts. She was a placegetter in her only previous visit to Oamaru. “She’s in really good form at the moment and seems to be a happy horse,” Pitman said. “As a three-year-old, she wasn’t far off some of the best of her age group down here in the South Island. We had a few setbacks in her next campaign, but those are behind her now. She’s very fit and she’s about as well as we’ve ever had her. Hopefully she can continue her good form this weekend.” Makabar is a 10-race winner, with eight of those successes coming on heavy tracks. “He often comes into form around this time of year,” Pitman said. “He’s done a good job at the Grand National Carnival, including winning the sprints on both Saturdays a couple of years ago. He’s also been a previous winner at Oamaru. “His last-start run might not look very good on paper, but he had to come from last and we thought he was strong through the line. He seems to be progressing well towards another National Carnival.” El Vaquero boasts standout credentials for Sunday’s One Smart Coffee 2YO (1200m). His last two starts have produced close seconds behind Te Akau Racing’s smart filly Cool Aza Rene, beaten by a head and a half-neck. “Those were a couple of good efforts, and the field doesn’t appear to be as strong this weekend,” Pitman said. “He’s drawn one, which is always a big plus for a two-year-old. “Only three horses in the field have exposed form, and he’s already beaten the other two, so on paper he looks very hard to beat.” Pitman also gave a push for Proserve, who steps up in distance for Sunday’s Mariner Suites Oamaru (2200m). “He was a good second over 1600m at Ashburton last time, where he was just a bit one-paced and outsprinted late over a distance that’s short of his best,” Pitman said. “Going up to 2200m will be ideal. He’s probably one of our better chances on the day.” View the full article

Icon Racing, the syndicate group created by MLB all-star and World Series Champion Jayson Werth, earned its first win July 17 with its first starter as Sacred Goddess won a New York-bred maiden race at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article

The Illinois Racing Board on July 17 approved a request from Hawthorne Race Course to reduce its remaining 2025 schedule from three days per week to two.View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The first six days of Saratoga have been hot. As in really hot. Blast furnace type hot. Trainers have felt it. Jockeys. Patrons. New York Racing Association executives. Parking attendants. Everybody. And, of course, the horses. But the stars of the show have been watched very carefully by those entrusted to take care of them. Some horses, like people, can't stand the heat. “Some horses can be extreme sweaters,” trainer Gary Contessa said on yet another steamy Saratoga morning on Thursday outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track. “Horses can struggle in this weather. Some come back and just don't cool out. You get them back in the stall and they start sweating again.” Other horses, Contessa said, don't pay the heat no mind. Trainer Dale Romans said the key is to cool horses down as quick as possible. He also keeps an eye on the thermometer when making his entries. Tap Into This gets hosed | Sarah Andrew “If I have a horse that I knew could not handle it, it would definitely make me think about scratching,” he said at his barn on the Saratoga backstretch. “The weather has not been the best; the worst thing it does is affect my golf game!” The key is keeping the Thoroughbreds hydrated and that is a major priority in weather like this. Just about every horse has a fan in his or her stall. All precautions are taken. According to Christina Speciale, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Albany, the average temperature for the first six days of the meet has been 88 degrees. Heat indexes have made that feel much warmer. She said that, so far during July, the average temperature has been nearly five degrees higher than usual. But there is good news. Friday promises to be much more comfortable. “When you wake up, you will be like, 'wow, someone flipped the switch,” she said. “The humidity will be gone. We are going to get a little break.” But not for long. Speciale said that by the end of next few weeks, we'll be back in the steam bath as temperatures are predicted to be in the high 80s to low 90s. Mullikin Arrives, Set For A.G. Vanderbilt There were options for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. In the end, he decided that the best one would be for Mullikin (Violence) to run in Saturday's GII Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga. The 5-year-old, owned by WinStar Farm LLC, could have headed to California for the GI Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar, which, like the Vanderbilt, is run at six furlongs. A third option was to have Mullikin sit them both out and defend his title in the GI Forego Stakes at seven furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 23, Travers Day. Mullikin goes to school at the Spa | Sarah Andrew Mullikin arrived in Saratoga on Wednesday from Brisset's Kentucky base at Keeneland and galloped a mile on the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning. The decision to go in the Vanderbilt was simple enough for the trainer. He has another horse, the 4-year-old 'TDN Rising Star' World Record (Gun Runner), who he is pointing to the Crosby. “Everything was up in the air until last week,” Brisset said outside his Oklahoma barn Thursday morning. “One of them was going to go to the Crosby. [Mullikin] is doing really good and he only has two races this year. I want to run him at six furlongs here and get a little more speed into him. I have the luxury of having two good horses in the sprint division and I want to keep them separated.” Mullikin finished second in his last start, the GIII True North Stakes at Saratoga June 7–1 1/4 lengths behind Book 'em Danno (Bucchero)–who is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Vanderbilt. Mullikin is the 7-2 second choice. In his other start this year, he was fifth–beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI Churchill Downs Stakes. Both those races came over sloppy tracks. For his career, Mullikin has five wins, five seconds and a third in 13 starts. “He is a dream horse to train,” Brisset said. “Easy go be around and does all we ask and always shows up. We know he loves the track here.” Jose Ortiz will ride Mullikin for the first time. Flavien Prat who has ridden Mullikin in six of his last eight starts is at Monmouth on Saturday. It Seems Like It's Always Game Day For Englehart After saddling Sacred Goddess (Kantharos) to win Thursday's sixth race, trainer Jeremiah Englehart's day was just starting. He hopped in the car and headed for the nearby town of Cambridge, about 24 miles away, to watch one of his boys play in a youth baseball tournament. The Englehart squad in the winner's circle | Sarah Andrew Then, back in the car for a nine-mile trip to the town of Greenwich in the hopes of catching the last three of four innings of another son's game. All summer long, it's rinse and repeat for Englehart. When the kids have games, you can be darn sure dad is going to be there whenever he can. Here's the lineup: daughter Raelyn, the oldest, will be a sophomore at Schuylerville High School this fall. She plays lacrosse, basketball and soccer. Twins Anna (lacrosse, basketball and soccer) and CJ (football, basketball and baseball) are heading into the eighth grade. Eli, on his way to seventh grade, is busy with football, basketball, baseball and lacrosse. Finally, fourth grader Jax, has the same sports resume as brother Eli. Papa Englehart and wife Robin do their best to get to all of the summer games. Last weekend, Jeremiah scooted up to Vermont to watch a lacrosse tournament. “My parents always did a real good job of making sure they were there for us,” Englehart said Thursday. “I set up my barn where I can try to get away when I can. Being there and being present is extremely important because we are raising future generations, and I want them to know it is going to be important for them to be there for their kids.” Next weekend will be a tough call, Englehart will be saddling Mo Plex (Complexity) in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes. The kids have games to play. Here's the rub. The kids would rather be at the track watching the big horse. “My kids really enjoy the horse racing, especially this time of year because of Saratoga,” Englehart said. “They want to be out every day. But it won't be up to them until they are 18. As they get older, and get more competitive, it will be a lot more of like, 'let's go play!” The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: The Heat Has Been On, But Relief Is On The Way appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse reflects on winning his 4,000th career race, which he accomplished with It's Witchcraft taking the 11th race at Colonial Downs July 17.View the full article

Total racing wagering turnover for the season was HK$138.85 billion, representing a 3.0% increase on the 2023/24 season. View the full article