Wandering Eyes

NEWMARKET, UK — The racing programme in the Gulf region is becoming ever busier, with this Saturday's $1m Abu Dhabi Gold Cup the latest valuable contest to be enter the fray, followed by a double bill next weekend of Qatar's Emir's Sword Festival and the blockbuster Saudi Cup meeting. The various horses-in-training sales at Park Paddocks have long been a lure for owners from that part of the world, and the final day of the Tattersalls February Sale proved to be no exception, with the top lot, Space Invasion, going the way of Bahrain's Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa for 230,000gns. The three-year-old colt from the first crop of Space Blues was bred and raced by Steve Parkin's Clipper Logistics and has won his last two starts at Lingfield under the care of trainer Richard Hannon to earn a rating of 88. Agent Alastair Donald, who conducted the bidding on Shaikh Isa's behalf, said that Space Invasion will be trained by Daniel and Claire Kubler, who are in the middle of their first season training in Bahrain. Donald said, “[Shaikh Isa] is very keen to support Daniel and Claire Kubler, who've had a very good start out there. A couple of the horses we bought at the sale in October have looked pretty exciting for them in Lord Montague and Up The Pace. Bahrain is a very progressive racing jurisdiction and has an exciting future, and Sheikh Isa has been very pleased with the start Daniel and Claire have made there. “There's a flight at the end of February so this horse can get straight over there. The advantage with the Kublers is that they still have their horses in Lambourn, so they can keep him going there and then he can run in Bahrain in March, when there's still a couple more Series races that he'd qualify for. “He's a good-looking horse with ideal fast ground conformation. He's shown a good turn of foot, and the horse he stuffed last time [Sovereign Wealth] made 100,000gns yesterday.” He continued, “He's progressive, well rated and if he wins his next race he becomes a very valuable horse. The trainer [Hannon] was underbidder, and it's always encouraging when they want to keep them. Hopefully he's got a bright future. He looks ideal for Bahrain. “That was at the higher end of our valuation, but when there's a standout horse like this, they can sell well. Horses like this don't often turn up at the February Sale.” Another of the four six-figure lots for this mixed auction came in the form of four-year-old New Bay filly Wilhelmina, an 80-rated dual winner for Ballylinch Stud and partners when trained by Kevin Phillipart de Foy. She is off to the paddocks now, having been bought for 125,000gns by breeders Neil Goldie-Scot and Clare Salmon, and will join their five-strong broodmare band at Apedroc Stud in East Sussex. She will make a very smart addition as Wilhelmina is a half-sister to the G1 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes winner Poptronic (Nathaniel). She was bought through Arthur Dobell of Oliver St Lawrence Bloodstock. “She is absolutely beautiful, she is a very sweet filly and we love the breeding with Poptronic,” said Salmon. “We saw her yesterday morning, and as she came out of the box I thought I can't keep a straight face as I really want to buy her.” Arthur Dobell, Neil Goldie-Scot and Clare Salmon | Tattersalls The four-time winner and Listed-placed Enfjaar will return to trainer Roger Varian but will race in different colours after being bought from Shadwell for 120,000gns through agent Alex Elliott. The five-year-old son of Lope De Vega, bred by James Wigan, has a rating of 110 and counts the John Smith's Cup at York among his successes. Figures rallied through the second session to put the median and average on par with last year, though the turnover dipped slightly to 3,639,000gns. The clearance rate of 83% was achieved through the sale of 204 horses from 246 offered. At the conclusion of this first sale as managing director of Tattersalls, Matthew Prior said, “The Tattersalls February Sale is undisputedly Europe's premier midwinter sale, and once again we welcomed a typically diverse domestic and international group of buyers to Park Paddocks in Newmarket. While the key metrics fell narrowly short of last year's figures, buyers from more than 20 countries and a turnover in excess of 3,500,000gns represent a positive start to 2026. “We saw the second-highest-priced colt ever sold at this fixture, with Space Invasion realising 230,000gns following an intercontinental bidding duel, while consignments from leading Newmarket-based operations Godolphin and Juddmonte again featured among the highlights of the Tattersalls February Sale. “The sale also featured the Retraining of Racehorses Showcase for the second time, alongside the ever-popular British EBF Stallion Parade, and it was great to welcome such a large crowd to Tattersalls to see former stars of the turf thriving in their second careers. “We now look forward to the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale, which has an outstanding record in recent years, with graduates including Classic and Group 1 winners Native Trail, Cachet, Hotazhell, Vandeek and Believing, as well as exciting Classic prospects Six Speed and Title Role.” The post Space Invasion Tops Tattersalls and Heads to Bahrain appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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Aga Khan homebred Ezeliya delivered her first foal on Sunday, according to a post from The Aga Khan Studs on X. By Dubawi, the 2024 G1 Oaks heroine foaled a chestnut Justify filly. She will visit Sea The Stars at Gilltown Stud in Ireland later this year. The G3 Salsabil Stakes-winning daughter of group winner and G1 Irish Oaks third Eziyra (Teofilo), Ezeliya is a granddaughter of the stakes-placed Eytarna (Dubai Destination). The extended family of Ezeliya features G1 Gold Cup heroine Estimate (Monsun), who raced for the late Queen Elizabeth II, among many other talented runners. The post Oaks Heroine Ezeliya Welcomes First Foal, A Filly By Justify appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Edited Press Release The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) and Virginia Tech jointly announced today the Thoroughbred Wellness Expo, which will take place Saturday, Feb, 28, at Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, VA. The Thoroughbred Wellness Expo is a day of seminars and live demonstrations with a focus on soundness in the Thoroughbred athlete. Sessions are designed to empower and educate the equestrian to confidently partner with the breed. “We were delighted when the team at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center approached us about partnering in an educational event,” said RRP Executive Director Kirsten Green. “Education–making sure people working with Thoroughbreds have the information and resources they need to be successful–has always been fundamental to the work of the RRP and increasing opportunities and access figures prominently in our strategic plan. We're grateful to the staff of the Equine Medical Center for their collaboration and making their world-class facility available to host this event.” The event will include the following sessions: 'From the Track to the Ring': Evaluating orthopedic and soft tissue injuries and corrective procedures and their impact on post-racing life from Dr. Jeff Berk, VMD, MRCVS; 'When Breathing Goes Off Track': Equine upper-airway diseases in ex-racehorses from Dr. Elsa Ludwig, DVM, MS, CVA, PhD, DACVS (LA); 'No Foot, No Horse': Managing and rehabbing Thoroughbred feet, led by Amy Sidwar, APF-I. “Thoroughbreds are incredible athletes that have a lot to offer beyond the racetrack,” said Dr. Michael Erskine, Director, Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center. “By partnering with the Retired Racehorse Project to support rehoming efforts, and sharing best practices for care, we are ensuring that they can transition and thrive into safe, purposeful second careers.” Click here to purchase tickets. The post RRP, Virginia Tech Team Up For Thoroughbred Wellness Expo appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nominations for the Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, sponsored by Godolphin, will close at 5pm on Friday February 13. Anyone can nominate a friend or colleague for an award and must be completed online at www.itiea.org The nomination process has been simplified for the 2026 awards. In previous years nominators were required to write a detailed profile of their nominee. This year, the nominator will be contacted by a representative of Naas-based Clark People Solutions who will complete the nominee profiles by phone. Sponsored by Godolphin and supported by the Irish Stable Staff Association, Horse Racing Ireland, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and the Racing Post, the awards recognise and reward the exceptional skills, experience and dedication of the women and men in the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry and offer €60,000 in prize money across 10 award categories for the winners and their workplace colleagues. In addition to a Newcomer Award and five Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, an Administration Award and an Ancillary Services Award have been introduced for 2026. All winners are then eligible for the Irish Racing Excellence Award, which will be announced at the awards ceremony. The Racecourse Award winner, chosen by the Irish Stable Staff Association, will also be revealed on the awards night. The Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards ceremony will take place in the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge, County Kildare on Tuesday June 2. Sandra Hughes, Godolphin's Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Ambassador, is available to anyone who has questions or needs assistance with nomination queries. The post Nominations For Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Close Next Week appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Aisling Oscar created a little slice of racing history at Southwell on Thursday when winning his eighth successive handicap. While his previous seven wins for his current connections had all come at Newcastle, trainer Adrian Keatley had to look at Southwell for his record-equalling success in the Win £250,000 With BetMGM's Golden Goals Handicap. Bought by Dan Astbury from Ireland for just 3,200 gns, the five-year-old has risen from a mark of just 42 to 71 during his prolific spell. Ridden by Oisin McSweeney, who had been on board for two of his wins, he came home the 3-1 favourite with his nearest rival, Studious, three-quarters of a length behind him. The last horse to win eight handicaps in a row was the Reg Akehurst-trained Ballynakelly between 1995 and 1996. “It's unbelievable, he's a credit to Adrian, his team at home and to Dan who bought him,” McSweeney told Sky Sports Racing. He added, “It's fantastic and it doesn't happen every day of the week. It's just great to be a part of it. It probably didn't go as straightforward as we thought, I didn't really want to come all the way across but I had enough horse underneath me to get us all the way to the line. He loves it and he just seems to be thriving. “That's his eighth win on the bounce and he's fairly versatile, everything doesn't always have to go his way. He's won from being dropped out, he's been on the pace. All credit to the horse, really.” The post Aisling Oscar Equals Long-Standing Record Of Eight Successive Wins appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Frankie Lor is optimistic talented young stayer Numbers can achieve twin objectives when the gelding contests the HK$4.2 million G3 Centenary Vase Handicap (1800m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (8 February). Targeting the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) on 1 March and the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March with the last-start winner, Lor believes the Tivaci gelding is capable of landing his first Group race win in Hong Kong while also advancing Four-Year-Old Classic Series hopes. To carry only 115lb under Derek Leung, Numbers will aim to emulate the feats of Glorious Dragon (2021), Zebrowski (2022) and Nimble Nimbus (2024), who all carried 115lb or less to victory in the Centenary Vase. “He (Numbers) looks okay, everything is good. He trialled well over 1600m at Sha Tin (on 20 January) and his work since has been good,” Lor said as Numbers clocked 59.2s (32.9, 26.3) at Sha Tin on Thursday morning (5 February). “This time, we try to get a Group 3 with him. We have got a light weight, which I hope will help him. We are looking towards the (Hong Kong) Classic Cup and the (BMW Hong Kong) Derby. “But this coming Sunday, we will see how he is running.” Second in the 2025 G1 Queensland Derby (2400m) in Australia, Numbers has raced only twice in Hong Kong, following a good third on debut at Happy Valley over 1800m on 10 December with an impressive all-the-way Class 2 win over 2000m at Sha Tin on 27 December. Rated 90, Numbers is a chance of providing Lor with his third Hong Kong Classic Cup success following the wins of Mission Tycoon in 2019 and Healthy Happy in 2021. Numbers will face six rivals on Sunday – Straight Arron (135lb), Beauty Joy (134lb), last year’s winner Chancheng Glory (132lb), Encountered (126lb), Speed Dragon (126lb) and Ensued (125lb). Changcheng Glory will start from gate five on Sunday under Zac Purton and is in similar form to when he won the 2025 Centenary Vase, according to trainer Francis Lui, who is also represented by Speed Dragon (Lyle Hewitson, gate three). “Changcheng Glory is about the same as he was last year. Group 3 is good for him, and it all depends on the pace of the race. He needs to travel comfortably. He needs to run his own race,” Lui said. “Speed Dragon will be suited by the distance, and he’s been racing well at Happy Valley, but he hasn’t raced at Sha Tin for a long time. I hope he can improve a little bit.” A spectacular last-start winner of the G3 January Cup Handicap (1800m) at Happy Valley, Speed Dragon will race at Sha Tin for the first time since February last year. Brett Crawford will bid for a second Group 3 this season with veteran galloper Encountered, who won the G3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse Handicap (1800m) at Sha Tin on 9 November. Karis Teetan will partner Encountered from gate seven. “He’s (Encountered) doing very well, I’ve been very happy with him at home. He looks amazing, so there’s a bit of a turnaround in the weights with a couple of horses that beat him last time, so I think he’ll be better suited to the 1800m at Sha Tin,” Crawford said. “It’s a small field, so I’m expecting a very competitive run. He likes to run at horses, so I think if we give him a chance to do that, it would be good. It’s a small field, so he shouldn’t have too much ground to make up. “He seems to like to race that way, so we won’t change too much.” Preparing to chase Hong Kong racing history at Sha Tin with an 18th consecutive win at Sha Tin on 22 February in the HK$13 million G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m), the world’s premier sprinter Ka Ying Rising continued his smooth preparations at Sha Tin this morning (Friday, 6 February). Ridden by Zac Purton, Ka Ying Rising pleased trainer David Hayes as he clocked 24.0s while dashing over the final 400m on Sha Tin’s dirt course after striding from the 1400m. Ka Ying Rising last start equalled fellow champion sprinter Silent Witness’s feat of racking up 17 consecutive wins by a Hong Kong-trained horse with victory in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) on 25 January. The five-year-old, currently rated the joint second-best horse in the world, will have a barrier trial at Sha Tin on Tuesday (10 February). Hayes provisionally plans to give Ka Ying Rising two more starts this season – in the HK$5.35 million G2 Sprint Cup (1200m) on 6 April and the HK$24 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) on 26 April – before preparing the superstar for a defence of the AU$20 million (approx. HK$108 million) G1 The Everest (1200m) in Sydney in October. Sunday’s (8 February) 11-race fixture at Sha Tin begins at 12.30pm with the Class 5 Fu Tai Handicap (1400m). View the full article

Prominent Australian jockey Ethan Brown and home-grown apprentice Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu will join Hong Kong’s elite riding ranks for the end of the season after they were granted short-term licences by the Jockey Club. One of the most sought-after riders in Australia at the moment, 26-year-old Brown will ride in races in the city from April 26 to the season finale at Happy Valley on July 15. Brown has racked up more than 600 wins including 10 at Group One level, forming a strong association with...View the full article

Cambridge mare Nigella Lane (NZ) (Niagara) was runner-up in last year’s Listed Clubs NZ Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) and she was able to go one better in this year’s edition at Tauherenikau on Waitangi Day. The last-start winner settled three back on the fence in the hands of in-form hoop Bruno Queiroz, while the Sam Mynott-trained Electron (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) set the tempo up front and race favourite Khanshe (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) was ridden quietly at the back of the pack. Taranaki galloper Sindee (NZ) (Ardrossan) began to serve it up to Electron from the 600m mark, injecting some much-needed pace into the race, with Hi Yo Sass Bomb (NZ) (Complacent) shifting out to the one-one position, allowing Nigella Lane to sneak into the trail. Turning for home, Queiroz was able to extricate his charge off the rail, taking a gap inside Hi Yo Sass Bomb, and chased down the leaders to get her head in front with 100m to go. Khanshe was flying home out wide, but had left her run too late and came up half a neck short of victory, with Hi Yo Sass Bomb a further half head back in third. Queiroz said he studied Nigella Lane’s last-start victory at Taupo and quizzed jockey Rihaan Goyaram about the mare ahead of his first ride on the six-year-old, and he was rapt to get a winning result. “She is very professional,” Queiroz said. “I watched the replay before and I spoke with the boy (Rihaan Goyaram) who rode her in her last start. She is so professional, is very good to ride and had a strong finish.” By Niagara, Nigella Lane is out of Group Two-winning mare Casabella Lane (NZ) (Volksraad) and has now won 8 of her 31 starts and has earned just shy of $285,000 in prizemoney. It was the second stakes victory of her career, having won the Listed Rotorua Cup (2200m) last May, while she has also placed in the Gr.3 Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2050m), Listed Kaimai Stakes (2000m), and Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes. The victory capped a pleasing day for trainer Ralph Manning, who scored a treble on the eight-race card, having earlier won with Finest Hour (NZ) (Derryn) in the Kuripuni Sports Bar & TAB (1000m) and Midnight Train (NZ) (Yes Yes Yes) in the Pope & Gray Contractors Maiden (1300m). A race prior, New Plymouth trainer Robbie Patterson got his hands on the Chatham Islands Jockey Club Wairarapa Cup (2050m) following a brave run by Ricochet (NZ) (Toronado). View the full article

Riding the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr., Will Take It came through a narrow opening in early stretch and outfought Woodcourt to win the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes Feb. 5 at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Riding the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr., Will Take It came through a narrow opening in early stretch and outfought Woodcourt to win the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes Feb. 5 at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Local trainer David Greene can’t wait to head to Te Rapa on Saturday where he will be chasing $1.125 million in prizemoney with a trio of runners. “It is brilliant,” Greene said. “We have got the three runners running for $1.1 million, it is a really good indication of what has happened to the stakes in these good races over the last couple of years.” His charge will be headed by last-start Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) winner First Five, who will be looking to rebuff the Australian raid of Lindsay Park duo Arkansaw Kid and defending champ Here To Shock in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m). Greene couldn’t have been any happier with the Almanzor gelding’s Trentham heroics last month and he has been thrilled with the way he has progressed. “He recovered well from his trip away to Wellington and it has been business as usual for him ever since,” he said. “He goes into Saturday back at his favourite distance and in the best form of his life, so it is very exciting.” The Te Rapa horseman said drawing his ideal barrier of four will only aid his chances against a very strong line-up. “You need every bit of help you can get in these races. I wouldn’t switch four, it is perfect for him,” Greene said. “This race is one of the best races every year, plenty of our best horses have won it. It is obviously going to be a difficult task for any of them and I am really glad to have a horse we feel can be really competitive in it.” Greene is also upbeat about the chances of Sweet Ice in the Gr.2 Legacy Lodge Waikato Guineas (2000m). The three-year-old feature has been the key aim all season for the son of Frosted, who has placed in two of his last three starts, including the Listed Trevor & Corallie Eagle Memorial 3YO (1500m). He finished sixth in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) last month and Greene expects a better showing over more ground this weekend. “I thought it was a good run (in the Karaka Millions 3YO),” Greene said. “He had to work to hold his spot racing in that field of the crème de la crème of our milers. We think he will get a middle-distance trip and it is definitely a drop down in quality of field compared to the Karaka Millions.” In complete contrast to First Five, Sweet Ice has drawn barrier 15 and Greene said he will need plenty of luck from that gate. “The 2000m is a tricky starting point as well so it (draw) definitely doesn’t do us any favours,” Greene said. “We are just going to have to take our medicine, drop back and try to find cover and hope they go along at quick enough speed that we can get into it at some stage later on.” Despite the draw, Greene believes Sweet Ice will be a strong chance on Saturday as he looks to progress to next month’s Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m). “It (Waikato Guineas) is a race we have been setting him for since the start of the season,” Greene said. “Apart from the barrier draw, we feel he is really well placed to give it a good shake.” Completing Greene’s representation at the lucrative meeting will be four-year-old mare Bethany Dee in the $350,000 Sir Patrick Hogan Karapiro Classic (1600m). “For a one-win horse like her to be running around in that race on Saturday for $350,000, with the lucky colours on as well, is great,” Greene said. “She is an even chance of running in the first three.” Legends Day is one of the highlights on the Waikato racing calendar, and Greene said his team are chomping at the bit to be a part of the action. “This day is such a good racing card for the racing purists. It is a day you really want to be on course for, there are good races all day,” Green said. “The whole team is buzzing about Saturday and it has been a really slow week waiting. We just want to get into it as quick as we can.” The meeting comes fresh of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale where Greene secured two colts, and he is hoping positive results this weekend can assist in selling down the remaining shares. “We have still got a couple of shares left in the ones that we bought up at the sales. Hopefully a good result on Saturday and we might fill them up,” Greene said. “We bought a nice Almanzor colt from Wentwood Grange, trying to see if we can replicate First Five. “We bought another colt in the Summer Sale off Curraghmore by Victor Ludorum. “They are two nice colts that are having a bit of time out in the paddock before they are broken in. I am very happy with what we got.” View the full article

Tomodachi’s connections are banking on a target closer to home to bring out the best in the gifted mare on Saturday. While she wasn’t disgraced when a resuming fourth in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m), more was expected and she gets an opportunity to bounce back in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. “We thought she would be more competitive,” said Andrew Scott, who trains the Sir Peter Vela-bred and raced five-year-old with Lance O’Sullivan. “We just didn’t think she travelled down as well as we would have hoped and we’ve seen her better in condition on race day. “She hasn’t got that travel complication this weekend and that heartens us for a more competitive performance.” Tomodachi is a winner on the course and will be reunited with Joe Doyle, whose past race day rides on Tarzino’s daughter resulted in victory in the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) and third in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) last spring. “She has worked to her normal high standards and certainly brightened up after a quiet week post-Wellington,” Scott said. “She’s in good condition and 1400m doesn’t hold any fears for us, the strength of the field does but she has won around Te Rapa before “She’ll have to turn in a personal best to be right among it, but we know she’s got a good load of talent when things go her way.” The stable will also be represented in black type features on Saturday by Ohope Wins (Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic, 2100m) and Yamato Satona (Gr.2 Legacy Lodge Waikato Guineas (2000m). The former pressed her Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) claims with a hollow last start win under Saturday’s rider Doyle in the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m). “She stayed well on January 1 and we had high hopes of her once she got out in trip, so that was pleasing to see and the way she relaxed in her first attempt over ground,” Scott said. “She was always going to have a bit of a gap between runs, and she had a trial here at Matamata with the blinkers on for the first time. “Joe got off and said she was a little more focussed and worked her again on Tuesday morning and was very pleased, that has given us confidence but she does need to bring it up another level as the field is stronger.” The Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) nominee Yamato Sonata is another top mount for Doyle after an encouraging third in the Listed Gingernuts Salver (2100m). “He’s getting better with racing for sure and he relaxed well at Ellerslie in a wee bit of a leader dominated race,” Scott said. “He closed well wide on the track and gave us confidence that he has a staying future. He’s another who has worked well since and is a focussed and sound colt.” Among the stable’s other leading Te Rapa chances are Crackercol (Peter Kelly-Bayleys, 2100m) and Track Tester (Horses @ Henley Park, 1200m). “Crackercol is racing well and his form looks good after he ran seventh last start and the winner of the Wellington Cup (Manzor Blue) ran sixth,” Scott said. “He probably just got in a bit that day when the bias was out wider at Wellington and he has trained on well. “Track Tester won well last time and probably hasn’t drawn that favourably but is a horse that we think can get to a good level.” The stable duo of Tristar and Hankee Alpha are also in good form for the Dr John Southworth Memorial (1200m) but will also need some luck from tricky barriers. “Both have drawn awkwardly but they are going well and are progressive mares. They will need a bit of pressure in the race to be able to run on, but we couldn’t be happier with the pair of them,” Scott said. View the full article

Foxton gelding He’s A Battler may be viewed as just that ahead of Saturday’s Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa, but anything can happen in horse racing and trainer Suzy Gordon is daring to dream of an upset in the $700,000 feature. The lightly-raced eight-year-old has established a tidy record, winning seven of his 25 starts to date, albeit four on the synthetic, including his last-start over 2100m on the Riccarton Synthetic at the start of December. “I know a lot of his wins have been on the synthetic, and he loves the synthetic, but he goes alright on the grass too,” Gordon said. The wet summer thwarted Gordon’s initial summer plans, with the Horowhenua horsewoman hoping to give He’s A Battler a couple of stakes hit-outs before the Herbie Dyke. “We were targeting him at a few races,” she said. “There was the Manawatu Cup (Gr.3, 2300m), Marton Cup (Listed, 2200m) and every time we would set him for something it would rain. He is no good on a wettish track. “It would have been nice to have run him in one of those just to see where he is and whether he can measure up to a bit better company. It wasn’t meant to be so now he has been thrown in the deep end.” The son of He’s Remarkable’s first stakes assignment will now be at elite-level, and while it will also be Gordon’s first time lining up a horse in a Group One, she said the task is less daunting given his juicy odds – $101 with TAB bookmakers. “Being a 100-1 shot it’s not too bad. At least I don’t have too many expectations, it is just nice to have a horse in it,” she said. “He is very well, but he is nine weeks between runs and he has only had a quiet jumpout, so hopefully he is fit enough. He goes best fresh.” Gordon is also looking forward to rewarding stable apprentice jockey Liam Kauri with a Group One ride. “Liam knows him very well, he has won four on him,” Gordon said. “The owner decided to stick with him because he knows the horse probably better than anybody.” Kauri will have to use all his skillset on Saturday where he will have to overcome his outside gate in the 10-horse field. “The draw isn’t ideal, I never seem to have any luck with draws,” Gordon said. “He will just get back anyway, so hopefully it works out alright in the end.” Gordon will head north more hopeful than confident but is dreaming of a major upset so she can reward the support of He’s A Battler’s owner-breeder Roger Sugrue, who Gordon has known for several decades. “I used to know Roger when he was training himself back at Awapuni when I was young. I rode a bit of trackwork for him, so I have known him for quite a long time,” Gordon said. “I was pleased he was happy to go ahead with it (Herbie Dyke tilt). He (He’s A Battler) has won five of his last eight now, so he has done a good job, but this will be the biggest test that he has faced.” View the full article

Trainer Phil Serpe, who is fighting both in federal court and at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) level to overturn a two-year suspension imposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) for a clenbuterol positive in one of his trainees, on Wednesday was notified by the FTC that his legal team would not be allowed to have new evidence considered in his nearly 18-month-old case. Serpe's suspension stems from clenbuterol detected in the urine of Fast Kimmie (Oscar Performance) after her Aug. 10, 2024 victory in a $30,000 claiming race at Saratoga Race Course. Clenbuterol is classified as a “banned” substance, meaning it is never to be present in any HISA-regulated Thoroughbred. On Jan. 22, 2026, Serpe's legal team had filed a motion with the FTC to consider additional evidence and for a stay of sanction pending review based on: 1) Affidavits from two of Serpe's employees that “an independent contractor hired to help care for Serpe's horses often carried an inhaler in and around Serpe's barn,” purportedly explaining “a likely alternate source of the clenbuterol in Fast Kimmie's urine.” 2) “[E]vidence that Dr. Daniel Eichner, HIWU's expert witness, has pecuniary relationships with HIWU that compromise his independence” by heading “a private corporation that receives significant revenue by providing testing services for HIWU.” On Feb. 4, April Tabor, the secretary of the FTC, wrote an order that denied, in part, Serpe's request, explaining the denial based on the following reasoning: “As an initial matter, we decline to consider this additional evidence. On a party's motion, we may consider new evidence when it is material to our review and there are reasonable grounds on which the party failed to previously submit it,” Tabor wrote. “Mr. Serpe–who has been ably represented by counsel throughout these proceedings–has not demonstrated reasonable grounds for waiting seventeen months to procure affidavits from two former employees,” Tabor wrote. “He merely notes that he is 'no trained investigator.' “Nor has Mr. Serpe provided reasonable grounds for not earlier presenting the evidence of HIWU's expert's alleged bias,” Tabor wrote. “We are not persuaded that further review of the ALJ's decision as to his liability or suspension is warranted,” Tabor concluded at a different point in the order. Tabor added that, “Mr. Serpe's combined motion remains under consideration to the extent it concerns a stay of his suspension pending a final decision in this case.” A request for comment emailed to Serpe's legal team did not yield a reply prior to deadline for this story. Serpe's separate (but related) lawsuit in United States District Court (Southern District of Florida) is ongoing. Back on Oct. 30, 2025, the federal judge in that case, David Leibowitz, signaled that the 66-year-old trainer could end up prevailing in his overall suit against the FTC and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). He wrote that while Serpe “may ultimately win the race, two obstacles stop him from getting a preliminary injunction.” Serpe's injunction was denied by the court at that time because, as the judge wrote, “Serpe does not face a threat of imminent irreparable harm [and] has not demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits.” Also in that Oct. 30 court order, Judge Leibowitz wrote that, “what happened to [Serpe] in the wake of Fast Kimmie's win goes to the constitutional core of the American judicial system.” But, Leibowitz explained, “The problem for Serpe at this stage of the litigation is that his suspension is disconnected from the basis of his Seventh Amendment challenge, a disconnect that Serpe himself has acknowledged,” the judge wrote. A status report posted to the court's docket for the case stated the parties have agreed that Serpe will file a motion for summary judgment by Feb. 6 and that defendants will file a combined cross-motion for summary judgment and opposition to Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment by Mar. 23. Other deadlines for filings have been set as far out as late May, with no trial date yet posted. Beyond the lawsuit, Serpe's case has been separately handled at the administrative level by HISA, HIWU and the FTC. Serpe has already appealed his penalization before a HIWU arbitrator and the administrative law judge (ALJ) assigned by the FTC, and as part of an FTC order dated Sept. 15, 2025, the FTC will be undertaking a “further review” of the case, which is what is happening now. The post FTC Rules Serpe Cannot Now Introduce New Evidence in 18-Month Old Clenbuterol Case appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

UNWRITTEN RULE (c, 3, Justify–Jewish Guilt, by Curlin) was one of the few first-timers in the field in this rained-off sprint debut. Prominent throughout from just off the leader, the 5-2 second choice kept things tight into the turn through an opening quarter in :22.44. Moving between rivals with just over a quarter-mile left to run, Unwritten Rule burst clear of Troubleonthegreen (World of Trouble) to win by two lengths. Glen Hill purchased Jewish Guilt for $425,000 as a yearling from Keeneland September 2019. That mare, a winning daughter of Curlin, has since produced a 2-year-old Olympiad filly and a filly by Girvin this year. She's due to Army Mule this term. 8th-Tampa Bay Downs, $34,300, Msw, 2-5, 3yo, 5f (off turf), :58.13, gd, 2 lengths.Sales History: $575,000 RNA Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $18,240. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O/B-Glen Hill Farm (KY); T-Thomas F. Proctor. The post Justify Firster Unwritten Rule Debuts A Winner At Tampa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wagering on U.S. races during the month of January experienced just over a six percent downswing from a year ago, but the number of race days was roughly 12 percent lower, according to information released by Equibase on Thursday. Total wagering of $753,930,913 on races during the month represented a 6.09% decrease over the same period from 2025, while available purses of over $73-million were lower by almost 13%. The figure of over $68.5-million for paid purses in January was also down by 13.69%. As for the total number of race days, they decreased from 233 to 205 (-12.02%) and the number of U.S. races was lower from 1,995 in January 2025 to last month's tally of 1,724 (-13.58%). Average field size in January was down a touch from over a year ago when it was 8.14, and checked in at an average of 7.92 runners, a decrease of 2.67%. However, the average daily wagering metric increased by 6.74% to $3,677,712, and the average available purse number per race day was down 1.03% to $356,718 from the figure of $360,437 in 2025. The post January Year-Over Wagering Numbers Swing Down With Lost Race Days appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin The queen of trotting may have two impressive last-start winners heading to Alexandra Park tonight but she thinks her rep with the worst form line might end up being the punter’s friend. Michelle Wallis and husband Bernie Hackett had a career-best season last year when training 57 winners capped by Hillbilly Blues capturing the Group 1 National Trot on New Year’s Eve. Remarkably of those 57 wins, 55 came in trotting races with the majority at Alexandra Park where it feels like the stable wins a trotting race almost every Friday. That could well be the case again tonight though Wallis and Hackett only have starters in two races on the small seven-race card. Both Magic Dash (No 1) and Confessional (No 5) were impressive last-start winners and they clash in tonight’s feature trot, with Magic Dash having the advantage of a front line mark and 20m start over his stablemate. “Both of them have to be good chances but it is a good little field and could be a really interesting race,” says Wallis. “Magic Dash has only had two starts back since needing surgery for colic last year but won really well last start and has good manners. “And Confessional came to us from Paul Nairn because his connections thought he was better right-handed and he handled the track here really well winning last start. “Magic Dash might have more speed and Confessional’s strength might be his stamina but these small fields can be really hard to predict.” Also hard to predict has been Final Approach (R2, No 3) who resumes as one of the three stable reps in his race tonight, with the couple’s daughter Crystal Hackett doing the driving. “We have always really liked him but he lost his way manners-wise last season,” explains Wallis. “But he has had two workouts this time in and done everything right. “I’d say if he trots all the way and produces his best on Friday he will be hard to beat.” Tonight’s meeting also sees the first juvenile pacing fillies race of the northern season and with early favourite As One Wishes scratched with a minor issue the race looks wide open, with manners the likely key. Another favourite scratched tonight is Sammy Lincoln, who comes out of Race 3 leaving impressive recent workouts winner Ms Collins only needing to do things right to be the one to beat after a promising debut last year as a two-year-old. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Craig Thornley is literally hoping to go one better at Rangiora’s annual Waitangi Day meeting today. And that’s because three of the horses he’ll drive (Ma Belle Amie Franco, Waikaka and Moa Mojito) all finished second for him in their most recent starts. One of them in particular Ma Belle Amie Franco is heavily backed to get her maiden win. Trained by Steven McRae, Ma Belle Amie Franco is at $2 following her last start second at Wyndham on January 6. “She is getting better every time she’s away from the place and looks a good each way chance,” says Thornley. The Always B Miki four-year-old has drawn the ace over 1950 metres in Race 5, the HSW Accounts – The Tyre General Amberley Mobile Pace (5.14pm). “I’m unsure just how much gate speed she has .. I’d like to be lead or trail but three back the fence isn’t the worst place to be at Rangiora,” says Thornley. “She’s had a wee freshen up .. and anything she does she will improve on.” In Race 3, the Aurora Storm Handicap Pace (4.18pm) Thornley links up with another McRae-trained runner in Waikaka. A winner of two races he was second last start at Oamaru last Sunday and will be off 10 metres today. “He’s a good beginner so he should get handy and is an each way chance.” He opened at $5.50 with Lavra Rose (also 10m) a $3 favouirte. After driving those two stablemates Thornley will drive three for Ashburton trainer Ben Waldron. Moa Mojito will line up in Race 6, the G K Fyffe Painting “Making It Happen” Trot after finishing second to Go Home Denise at Methven on January 25. “I thought I had that too – just got caught in the last stride,” Thornley says. With a safe beginning she’s rated a decent each way chance, paying $7 and $2.40. Waldron’s second runner is Penny Weight in Race 8, the Valley Inn Tavern Mobile Pace (6.40pm). The five race winner will line up one the second line and Thornley says that makes his tactics pretty straight forward. “I’ll be following the number one (Kushite Warrior). Wherever she goes I’ll be going too,” says Thornley. Kushite Warrior is a $3.60 favourite for trainer Malcolm Shinn. In her latest runs Penny Weight finished third and fourth at Blenheim last month. Thornley’s final drive is the out of form Franco Chaplin in Race 10, the Dawe Contracting Ltd – Shore Accounting Solutions Mobile Pace (7.42pm). “It’s a confidence issue with him,” says Thornley, “he has some ability and if he’s running home well I’ll be happy.” The day’s pacing feature is the Rangiora Equine Services Amberley Cup (6.09pm) Audacity is the favourite after a fast finishing third last start. He’s drawn one in a small field that also has quality performers in Bazooka, Vessem and Smoke On The Water, who’s vying for his fourth win in a row though he will have to overcome a 40 metre handicap. View the full article

The Spendthrift Farm team never wanted to run its pair of 3-year-old male 'TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard', against one another during the lead-up to the GI Kentucky Derby. But that was no longer a problem when Ted Noffey (Into Mischief)–who was being pointed for the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes and the GI Florida Derby–was taken off the Trail due to bone bruising. So, that created a situation where Spendthrift's other 3-year-old star, Further Ado (Gun Runner), who is based in South Florida at Payson Park, might be asked to fill the void and be rerouted to the Florida series. Apparently, it's not going to happen. “[Trainer] Brad [Cox] is leaning toward the original schedule that he had mapped out,” said Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey. “It goes without saying that with horse racing everything is extremely tentative, but he is looking at the [Mar. 7] Tampa Bay Derby, followed by the [Apr. 4] Blue Grass. I haven't talked to Brad a ton about this, but I think he just felt the timing going into the Tampa race made a little more sense.” Toffey said the reports out of Payson Park on Further Ado have been nothing but positive. “Everything has been positive, and they are happy with how his breezes have gone,” Toffey said. “He's had a couple of works and will have his third work this weekend. Brad is pleased, and he was really happy with his fitness level. He felt like he was ready to move forward. Once he got the Tampa race in mind, I think he didn't want to adjust and feel rushed into anything.” In his third career start, Further Ado put in an explosive performance, winning a Keeneland maiden race by 20 lengths. He backed that effort up with a 1 3/4-length win in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. Ted Noffey shipped to the training center at Stonestreet Farms. “We've used a couple of different people for layups in Ocala,” Toffey said. “They've got some really good bells and whistles at Stonestreet as far as the rehab process goes. It starts with time, and then it's a process of easing him back into exercise. They have an Aquaciser. It's not the submerged treadmill, but the round one. That will be a good thing for a horse easing his way back into things as we get closer to that 90-day mark. “Maybe I should have been more disappointed than I was when we learned that Ted Noffey would be sidelined, but, you know what, he owes us nothing,” he said. “He's an undefeated 2-year-old champion. You just have to do the right thing by the horses, and I feel pretty confident that there's nothing there that will prevent him from coming back very strong. It's just a matter of us giving him the time.” FURTHER ADO earns 10 points on the Road to the @KentuckyDerby with his 1 3/4 length victory in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes with @iradortiz aboard! This was trainer @bradcoxracing's 500th career win at @ChurchillDowns! Congratulations to all connections! pic.twitter.com/sFDPWRqNX1 — Equibase (@Equibase) November 29, 2025 The post Despite Florida Series Opening, Plans Unchanged For Further Ado appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Promising 3-year-olds Confessional and Renegade square off against seven other rivals in the Feb. 7 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.View the full article

Iberian, a group-winning son of Lope De Vega, has been retired and will stand at Haras du Mazet in France, according to published reports. The G2 Champagne Stakes hero's opening fee is €3,000. Bred by Ballylinch Stud, the five-year-old won the 2023 edition of the Champagne, and was also placed in that year's G2 Vintage Stakes. A winner of three of 13 lifetime starts, the Ballylinch and Teme Valley-campaigned Iberian was also second in last year's Listed Cammidge Trophy Stakes. Out of the stakes-winning High Chaparral mare Bella Estrella, the Charlie Hills trainee sold for 200,000gns as a Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling before being picked up for 55,000gns out of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale by Durcan Bloodstock last autumn. His granddam Uncharted Haven (Turtle Island) won the GII San Clemente Handicap and the GII San Gorgonio Handicap and also foaled G3 St. Simon Stakes heroine High Heeled (High Chaparral), who was third in both the G1 Oaks and G1 Coronation Cup. Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Just The Judge (Lawman) is also a member of Iberian's extended family. The post Champagne Stakes Hero Iberian To Stand In France appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Unbeaten Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map), unraced since a powerhouse, front-running victory in the GI Champagne S. at the Big A Oct. 4, is gearing up for his sophomore debut. The Gold Square colorbearer has posted four workouts for Chad Summers at Palm Meadows this winter, including a four-furlong bullet in :48 (1/19) Thursday. “He's doing well,” owner Al Gold said. “The plan is either the (GII Coolmore) Fountain of Youth (at Gulfstream) or the (GIII) Gotham (at Aqueduct) on Feb. 28 or the (GIII) Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 7.” The talented Cyberknife (Gun Runner) punched his ticket to the 2022 GI Kentucky Derby for Gold and trainer Brad Cox with a win in the GI Arkansas Derby. He also carried Gold's black-and-gold silks to a dramatic victory in the GI TVG.com Haskell S., a near-miss in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland and a runner-up finish in the GI Runhappy Travers S. The Spendthrift Farm stallion's first-crop 2-year-olds race in 2026. “Surprisingly, that was four years ago already,” Gold said. “Time goes by fast. It's great to be back having quality horses. We had a nice Gun Runner 3-year-old filly last year Dry Powder, who just missed by a neck in a Grade I (Cotillion S.). We had a lot of fun with her. It's great to have a colt. This is the exciting time, it's why you get in the game trying to win the Derby. So, we'll see how it plays out.” Gold and Summers decided to bypass the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar with Napoleon Solo following his 6 1/2-length victory going a one-turn mile in the 'Win and You're In' Champagne, which produced a gaudy 95 Beyer Speed Figure. The $40,000 Keeneland September steal previously broke his maiden in similar fashion at first asking in an auction-restricted maiden special weight at Saratoga Aug. 8. NAPOLEON SOLO dominates in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes under @JRosarioJockey for trainer @horsesummers, punching his ticket to the @BreedersCup Juvenile! pic.twitter.com/afe73Kw7Yn — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) October 4, 2025 One of seven Grade I winners for Liam's Map, the John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock-bred Napoleon Solo was produced by Atomic Blonde (Scat Daddy), a stakes-winning homebred for the Gunthers. He is bred on the same Liam's Map x Scat Daddy cross as GI Blue Grass S. winner Burnham Square and also the dam of GISW and 'Rising Star' Brant (Gun Runner). Napoleon Solo is named for a fictional character from the TV spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. “We've had four or five horses that made the last races of their career as 2-year-olds,” Gold said. “They got hurt, so I'm very skeptical about going forward with a horse after they race that fast as a 2-year-old. I lost (2006 GII Saratoga Special Breeders' Cup S. winner) Chace City years ago, one with Brad Cox and another one with Jeremiah Englehart–they all ran really fast.” Gold continued, “I figured it was a good time to stop. I had a 2-year-old last year Two Out Hero (War Front), who won a stakes and lost by a length (third) in the GI Summer Stakes in Canada. I stopped on him also. I didn't want to go forward and risk being vulnerable and losing their 3-year-old years. We wanted to be able to have fresh horses as 3-year-olds.” Gold will have another 'fresh horse' for Saturday's Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs, good for 20-10-6-4-2 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Game For It (Know Agenda), a debut winner at Aqueduct Dec. 10, is campaigned by Gold in partnership with breeder Wynnstay, Inc. and trainer Chad Summers. The post Unbeaten Champagne Winner Napoleon Solo Gearing Up at Palm Meadows appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

3rd-TAM, $55K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1m 40yds, 1:36 p.m. ET. Three Chimneys bred ALWAYS A RUNNER (Gun Runner) as the first foal out of GSP Always Carina (Malibu Moon) who is the half-sister to Jeff Drown and Don Rachel's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Structor (Palace Malice). The farm bought Always Carina's dam, Miss Always Ready (More Than Ready), for $400,000 at the 2014 Keeneland April 2-Year-Old Sale. Her full-sister is Bobby Flay's GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf victress More Than Real. During the 2024 Keeneland September Sale, Valor Farm's tall Texan Douglas Scharbauer went to $1.05-million to acquire Always a Runner, then Three Chimneys stayed in for a piece before she was sent to trainer Chad Brown. As for Always Carina, she has visited Gun Runner consecutively which so far has yielded a March filly in 2024–who RNA'd for $850,000 at Keeneland September–and a April colt last year. TJCIS PPS The post Friday Insights: Always A Runner Done With Target Practice, Now Sights Tampa Maiden appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

This wasn't the plan. Jon Green, the general manager of D.J. Stable, and trainer Mark Casse were ready to give 3-year-old filly champion Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) a nice break after her second-place finish in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. But just 67 days after her last race, she will go in Saturday's GIII Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn, where she is the 4-5 morning-line favorite. Why? Because Nitrogen was telling Casse that she had had enough of taking it easy. “The game plan, initially, was that when she was done with her championship campaign in 2025, we were going to give her two to three months off,” Green said. “Not only did she hit the board in every single one of the nine races she ran in last year, but she shipped around a lot to Florida, Kentucky, New York, back to Kentucky, and then all the way out to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup. “Our full intention was to give her time off, let her relax and regroup for her 4-year-old campaign,” he said. “Like everything else in life, man plans and God laughs, and in this case Nitrogen had the last laugh. She is such a professional and loves training and loves what she's doing. We basically gave her three, three-and-a-half weeks off. Then Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse called me and he said, 'I know the game plan was to give her time off. She doesn't want it. She wants to train and is sound and is doing well.' He said that his concern was that if he didn't train her, mentally, she might get a little sour on us and that's not what you want to do, especially with a filly. “So we put her back in light training because she didn't lose a lot of fitness and she picked it up very quickly,” said Green. “Our original intention was to focus on the Mar. 7 [GII] Azeri [Stakes] as a stepping stone to the [Apr. 11] [GI] Apple Blossom [Handicap], but she's ready to run. Is she 100 percent tuned up all the way for the Bayakoa? No. But she's probably 80 percent there and we feel like rather than give her another five weeks off, we would run her in this race.” Though he said his filly will be only 80 percent for the race, Green has no problem predicting that this will be the start of a big year for Nitrogen. “I'm not concerned about whether she'll take a step forward because I genuinely think she ranks atop that division right now,” he said. “Now, she has to fulfill her destiny.” Green added that the plan is to run in the Azeri, as well. After the Apple Blossom, he's not sure what path his Eclipse Award winner will be taking. Jon and Len Green after Nitorgen's Alabama win | Sarah Andrew “We're trying to take it the way Bill Parcells used to look at the NFL schedule back when it was 16 games,” Green said. “He would say there are four quarters to the season and I'm going to look at it one quarter at a time. That's really the way we are managing Nitrogen. We'll look at it every three or four months and try to work backwards from a signature race. For this quarter, it's the Apple Blossom.” D.J. Stable has never been afraid to sell a mare when she has reached peak value. Green said that the idea was discussed, but ultimately Nitrogen was just one they couldn't send to auction. “We did look at it from a business standpoint so far as whether we should cash in on her,” Green said. “We also had to take in the fact that my father [Len] is almost 90-years-old. Not that this is his last hurrah. But when you have a homebred like this and you want to keep the family, it's difficult to entertain offers. “We did, however, sell Tiffany Case, her mother, in foal to Not This Time,” he said. “She topped the January Sale for $3.2 million, so I feel like we cashed in on the family and we still have Nitrogen and Nitrogen's half-sister, a Gun Runner 2-year-old named Sniper that we're going to keep and race as well. We're fundamentally treating this as a business. We sold off some of the assets that we had because of Nitrogen's great year and her Eclipse win. But for right now, we are really enjoying campaigning the big mare.” It will be a busy Saturday at Oaklawn for the Casse-D.J. team, which will also send out 2025 GI Arkansas Derby winner Sandman (Tapit). He'll go in a $126,000 allowance race run at a mile-and-a-sixteenth. Unlike Nitrogen, he did not have the strongest of finishes to his season. After a fifth-place effort in the GII Jim Dandy at Saratoga in late July, the colt turned in a ninth-place showing when trying the grass for the first time in the GIII DK Horse Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes at Kentucky Downs in late August. “We ran him in the Jim Dandy and he ran a very tepid fifth place,” Green said. “In the Jim Dandy, we tried to put the blinkers on him to induce him to be a little closer to the lead and that didn't necessarily come to fruition. We tried him on the turf because the family had succeeded on the grass before and we thought maybe his going almost a mile-and-a-half would be a good distance for him, and he never really picked up his feet. At that time, he was telling us, 'I need a break.' He had been campaigning at a top level, really, from the moment we bought him. He never got a chance to get a mental break. We opted to pull the plug on him after the Kentucky Downs race and then did a minor surgery on an ankle.” Green said that he is also hearing good reports from Casse regarding Sandman's comeback. “Just like with Nitrogen, he's been moving forward by leaps and bounds,” he said. “We did not anticipate running him in February. We thought it might be a little later, maybe once at Oaklawn, once at Churchill, and then have a tough campaign for him going forward. The special ones, the ones with talent, they leap over your expectations. That's why we have Sandman in this race. He's ready to go.” The post Back Sooner Than Expected, Champion Nitrogen Will Kick Off Year In Saturday’s Bayakoa At Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

NEWMARKET, UK — A sale ring as full as any for the Sceptre Sessions greeted first the Retraining of Racehorses showcase and then the British EBF stallion parade for sires yet to have runners. Included in the 10-strong line-up for the latter was Eldar Eldarov, the winner of the St Leger in both Britain and Ireland whose family was back in the spotlight several hours later when his Lope De Vega half-brother Naval Command changed hands during the first day of Tattersalls February Sale. Sold as lot 105 for 80,000gns from the Godolphin draft, the four-year-old gelding was bought by Alex Elliott and Ralph Beckett for a “group of partners”. Elliott, who noted that shares are available in the four-year-old, said, “The partners were keen to get a horse to go to war with. He's not run for a while but the Godolphin notes said that not a lot had gone wrong, he just had some time off since he ran on some fast ground. “He has got a mark, we think we could stretch him out in distance, go for softer ground, and he will suit Ralph's programme very well. He is a bit of a blank canvas, still a maiden, and has potential. If we get a bit more uplift, he could be worth a bit more come October.” Out of the Listed winner All At Sea, the 85-rated Naval Command was bred by Kirsten Rausing and the Lope De Vega Syndicate from the Listed winner All At Sea (Sea The Stars), herself a daughter of treble Group 1 winner Albanova (Alzao). He finished runner-up on his most recent of three starts for Charlie Appleby. Naval Command's price was beaten by only one horse on the day, with Sovereign Wealth (Frankel), formerly trained by George Boughey for Forz Europe, becoming the sole six-figure lot of the session. The three-year-old was signed for by Ted Durcan on behalf of Blue Blood Racing, the original owner of G3 UAE Guineas winner Six Speed. “They did extremely well with Six Speed and sold him on,” said Durcan. “They were very anxious to reinvest and this horse will be going out to Bhupat Seemar. “The lads had him earmarked, I had him earmarked, he vetted out extremely well.” Those who had remained in their seats following the stallion parade didn't have to wait long for day's top-priced broodmare when Tally-Ho Stud bought the third horse through the ring for 75,000gns. Elshaadin, the 15-year-old daughter of Dalakhani and Distinctive Look (Danehill), is not in foal after being covered by Kingman, the sire of her Listed-winning son Moqtarreb, but she has three Night Of Thunder fillies still to race for her and will have a range of stallions at her disposal when she arrives in Mullingar. A grand-daughter of the stellar producer Magnificient Style (Silver Hawk), she was offered by Houghton Bloodstock. Walter Buick signed up the lightly-raced Porter, a son of Too Darn Hot whose profile had risen significantly since the catalogue was printed. A winner on his second start on January 28 for Joseph O'Brien, he was sold through the Castlebridge Consignment for owner Al Shaqab Racing and will continue his career in Norway, where a Classic campaign will be on the cards. “He will be supplemented for the Norwegian Derby,” said Buick after buying Porter for trainer Are Hyldmo for 75,000gns. “They have changed the rules and previously horses had to be supplemented before the end of the two-year-old year, but now we have until the end of February so it works out really well for this sale.” A grandson of Dubawi, the three-year-old is also related to the Darley sire through his maternal line, with his fourth dam being Zomaradah. Buick added, “He will definitely stay the trip, he is the right shape and not overly big, and as some of the tracks are tight we don't want them too big. “He is to be trained by Are Hyldmo, who is with me, and he has won the Derby five times already. We have been trying for the last few years to buy another one and it has not quite worked out, but hopefully this horse will do the job.” Hamad Al Jehani, who has a stable for Wathnan Racing in Newmarket as well as being one of the leading trainers in Qatar, will be the recipient of three horses from the sale bought for a total of 113,000gns on his behalf by JD Moore and led by the 70,000-guinea purchase Leonetto. The three-year-old Frankel colt is a half-brother to the Group 1 winner Lady Bowthorpe (Nathaniel) and has posted four consecutive runner-up finishes for Juddmonte and Harry Charlton. “He's the type to go well in the Middle East and will ship straightaway,” Moore said. From a strong renewal last year when 88% of the lots offered were sold, the first day of the February Sale was down a little on that marker, with the clearance rate of 79% being achieved through the sale of 105 horses from 133 to pass through the ring. Turnover was down by 26% at 1,863,000gns, with the average of 17,743gns representing a drop of 19% and the median being down by 17% to 12,000gns. Stallion Parade Proves a Great Draw For many years the February Sale has been immediately proceeded by a stallion parade which lures breeders and interested parties from far and wide. The 10 young sires on show this year are yet to have runners, and of the group the stallion closest to being given that important racecourse test is Stradivarius, who has appeared at Tattersalls annually since being retired to the National Stud. He likes to make his presence felt and tends to act as if the many people who had turned out in the cold were there solely to see him. Maybe they were, but there was plenty of interest in the whole line-up, with Stradivarius having been joined by stud-mates Bradsell and Diego Velazquez. The latter was not the only new recruit on show, as Genesis Green Stud was represented by the powerful Royal Scotsman. Vandeek, whose first foals are appearing now, has had a pedigree update since retiring to stud thanks to his Grade 1-winning half-brother Gstaad (Starspangledbanner), and he had previously played a starring role at Tattersalls when topping the Craven Breeze-up Sale of 2023. His fellow parader Eldar Eldarov was also a star of the breeze-up scene and he too has his first foals on the ground after joining Roisin Close's Chapel Stud last year. He arrived in Newmarket from Gloucestershire along with stable-mate Subjectivist, who has first-crop yearlings and is a contemporary in that regard of El Caballo, who is based with Sophie Buckley at Culworth Grounds. Mostahdaf, another with first yearlings for sale later this year, made the short trip down the road from Shadwell's Beech House Stud. Connolly's Promising Debut There was a new face – and voice – on the Tattersalls rostrum late in the day when Irishman Thomas Connolly took to the ring for the final batch of horses to come under the hammer. Thomas Connolly flanked by colleagues Max Mcloughlin and Freddie McKibbin A native of Carlow, Connolly said he had done “a small bit” of auctioneering at home but we think he was being modest as his Tattersalls debut was an extremely polished affair. “It's an immense pleasure and a privilege to do that here,” he said as he brought the curtain down on the first day of trade. “It flew by.” The post Sovereign Wealth Leads Opening Session of Tattersalls February Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article