Wandering Eyes

The two-minute win pool cutoff for computer-assisted wagering (CAW) bets that was implemented at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club over the summer in an effort to stabilize late odds fluctuations won't be in effect when the Southern California track hosts the Breeders' Cup Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, a spokesperson for the championships confirmed to TDN on Thursday. Back on July 29, in response to growing clamor among non-CAW bettors about the outsized role that CAW players had in driving a spate of marked late odds changes at Del Mar during the first two weeks of the meet, Del Mar president Josh Rubinstein said in a press release that the implementation of the cutoff was “part of an overall effort to ensure an optimal wagering experience for fans on-track, at simulcast locations and those playing via our advanced deposit wagering partners.” As TDN's Dan Ross reported at the time, the controversy involving CAW players typically surrounds the major edge they wield over regular gamblers because of their use of sophisticated technologies and specialized pool access that allows them to place massive wagers across nearly all pools in the final seconds of betting, as well as the attractive rebates offered to them that are unavailable to the average horseplayer. Other tracks, like those run by the New York Racing Association (NYRA), have had similar CAW policies in place since 2021. While Del Mar's cutoff only applies to win pools, (the most visible of all wagering pools), non-CAW horseplayers have hailed the decision as at least a step in the right direction toward mitigating the influence of CAW money. When Santa Anita Park opened for its fall meet last month, it continued the two-minute cutoff that Del Mar had initiated on the same circuit. On Oct. 16, when Rubinstein appeared before the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to discuss the track's licensure for the upcoming meet, CHRB vice chair Oscar Gonzales asked him if the CAW win-pool cutoff policy would extend into the track's upcoming late-fall meet that includes the Breeders' Cup championships. “So that will continue for our fall meet,” Rubinstein said. “Related to the Breeders' Cup, that is a decision that they will need to make.” Considering that the two-day championships are just two weeks away and that such a significant logistical decision had likely already been made, TDN reached out to the Breeders' Cup to get better clarity. A Breeders' Cup spokesperson replied with the following statement, which was not attributed to any specific Breeders' Cup executive: “Fortunately, due to the substantial liquidity in our multi-million-dollar wagering pools, the late odds fluctuations that frustrate horseplayers have not been an issue at the World Championships, including last year at Del Mar. “In addition, the competitive nature of our races–with full fields of the best runners from around the globe–has historically provided recreational players with great betting value and opportunities for generous returns.” On social media, non-CAW horseplayers have been opining and debating for weeks whether or not the two-minute ban at Del Mar would apply to the Breeders' Cup championships, with some bettors suggesting they might not wager on the races if no cutoff will be in effect. The post No 2-Minute CAW Cutoff In Win Pools For Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two-time Horse of the Year Curlin (Smart Strike) and his champion son Good Magic will stand the 2026 breeding season for $225,000 and $125,000, respectively, at John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, the Lexington area nursery announced Thursday. Curlin, who turns 22 in 2026, remains the only stallion to have supplied three Breeders' Cup winners on a single program and the only sire to account for four Eclipse Award winners in the same year. Good Magic, who was represented by a quartet of $1-million yearlings in 2025, is the sire of Classic winners Mage and his full-brother Dornoch from his first two crops. Army Mule (Friesan Fire) is set to be represented in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf by the undefeated Ground Support and will return to $25,000 for the 2026 breeding season, up from $20,000 this past year. From his 133 winners to date, no fewer than 20 have struck at the stakes level, with Ground Support the most recent of his four graded scorers. Former 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) was 'the most popular horse ever' to retire to Hill 'n' Dale and his fee remains at $30,000 for 2026. A stud fee for Charlatan (Speightstown) will be determined at a later date. “Our goal has always been to offer the best stallion value in the breeding business,” said Sikura. “We feel our 2026 fees will allow breeders to be competitive with the progeny of our stallions. Despite a very robust auction market, we have held our fees to provide value.” The remainder of the Hill 'n' Dale stud fees for 2026 are as follows: Kantharos (Lion Heart, $10,000); Loggins (Ghostzapper, $5,000); Maclean's Music (Distorted Humor, $30,000); Violence (Medaglia d'Oro, $30,000). The post Army Mule Gets Slight Bump, Curlin, Good Magic Remain at Six Figures at Hill ‘n’ Dale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Aidan O'Brien is ready to ignite the rivalry between the Delacroix and Ombudsman camps for one final time in a blockbuster Champion Stakes (G1) at Ascot Racecourse Oct. 18.View the full article

Unlike other races this fall at Del Mar, current plans do not call for computer-assisted wagering groups to be excluded from win wagering inside two minutes to post during the two-day Breeders' Cup.View the full article

Whisper Hill Farm homebred JUST ALOOF (f, 2, Justify–Aloof {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) came running late down the center of the Aqueduct turf course to take her debut Thursday. The 8-1 shot, who spent much of the race in a mid-pack fifth, had to fan out wide with a quarter-mile left but rallied to get by race favorite and stablemate Market Hours (Practical Joke) in the final yards for the win. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O/B-Whisper Hill Farm; T-Chad Brown. The post Whisper Hill Homebred Just Aloof All Business In Her Aqueduct Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

TATTERSALLS, NEWMARKET – Almost 200 million gns changed hands between Book 1 and 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale but there was no sign of the money drying up at Park Paddocks as Book 3 got off to a rip-roaring start with turnover climbing by a massive 19% to 7,680,500gns. Whitsbury Manor Stud was rewarded for targeting the Book 3 with four horses selling for 371,000gns – which included a 160,000gns Havana Grey colt that was only knocked off his perch by the last lot into the ring, a Ballyhimikin Stud-consigned Blue Point colt that sold for just 5,000gns more. Just as he has been at every major yearling sale in Europe this year, Alex Elliott was extremely active on the opening day of Book 3. Along with signing for the 160,000gns Havana Grey colt on behalf of Valmont and Amo Racing, he also purchased a Nathaniel filly from Jamie Railton's consignment for 150,000gns to go with a 110,000gns Blue Point colt from Norelands Stud – which was purchased alongside fellow agent Billy Jackson-Stops. All told, Elliott has signed for almost 50 yearlings across Book 1, 2 and 3, and spent 381,000gns at Park Paddocks on Thursday. Put simply, few people are better qualified to comment about what has played out in recent months and weeks. Speaking about the Havana Grey colt, he began, “He's been bought for Amo Racing and Valmont and will go to David Simcock. David begged us for a faster horse. We always like sending him the slower ones but he says he slows them down enough! He trained Dream Ahead, who was obviously a top sprinter, so he can do the job if the horse is good enough. I actually bought a sibling to this horse by Due Diligence called Study Up. He was quite talented and won on debut, and obviously Havana Grey is Havana Grey.” Reflecting on trade over the past two weeks, Elliott added, “I've found it easier than last year, there wasn't the mania there was then. Kia [Joorabchian] has been very strong and bought a lot of horses, but because there isn't that mania, Anthony [Stroud] sees more value in the market and is prepared to step in at that stage. It's been good for me, between Amo and other clients I'm getting up towards 50 purchases over the two weeks. I'm in a very lucky position to have people backing me to buy that many.” The majority of the money spent at Book 1 and 2 was on behalf of international buyers but Thursday's action was dominated by domestic traders. Whitsbury Manor Stud were one of the busiest vendors and boss Ed Harper was rewarded for targeting Book 3 with some of his better yearlings by star stallion Havana Grey. He explained, “We make sure to put Book 2 horses in Book 3. We're not trying to do anything clever but we have to spread out the stock by our stallions and Havana Grey is hot. We can't sell them all in Book 2 and, if we get a reputation for selling good yearlings in Book 3, well then people are going to stay for Book 3. Not only are we helping ourselves and our own stallions by doing that but hopefully we are helping the British breeders. There is a higher percentage of British breeders in this sale and we need to give the best buyers a reason to stay for Book 3, and they are. If we don't give them that reason, we all have that little bit less of an option.” The Havana Grey colt of Sakhee's Secret mare, Cross My Heart, who is the dam of a black-type performer in Adaay To Remember. Meanwhile Whistbury's Havana Grey filly out of Hot Secret, the dam of Royal Ascot heroine Pilgrim (Havana Grey), was bought for 135,000gns by Yeomanstown Stud to go breezing. Speaking about his headline acts, Harper continued, “I don't know whether it's fluke or happenstance or whatever but there's an amazing cross between Havana Grey on a Sakhee's Secret mare. I think there's five rated over 100 on that cross and there's only been about eight runners. Five of those were stakes winners. For his age, he was a very impressive colt.” He added, “The filly is a sister to Pilgrim, who won the Palace Of Holyrood House at Royal Ascot for David Barron. Again, she is a late foal so there will be bags of improvement in her, which I think people spotted. When you are bringing a full-sister to a Royal Ascot winner to Book 3, people are going to have a look.” While Elliott has some of the biggest clients – Amo, Valmont and at times Coolmore – on his books, he still pops up now and again to buy a horse he likes on spec. This was the case with the Nathaniel filly that was consigned by Railton, who, like Whitsbury, targeted Book 3 in an effort to stand out. Elliott explained of that 150,000gns purchase, “There could be a few plans because I've half bought her on spec. I've put a partnership together for her and a few people have spoken to me about the filly. I thought she was gorgeous, she's very strong, and I've had a bit of luck with Nathaniel fillies like [Irish Oaks winner] You Got To Me.” He added, “She's out of a Pivotal mare, and he's a great broodmare sire. There's Arch, another great broodmare sire, in the pedigree too. She's also a sister to a Group 3 winner so if she's any good, even if she nicks a little bit of black-type, then she's worth a lot of money. Her march around the back ring was very special. Training plans are up for discussion. Somebody just stopped me in the shoot to see if I'd sold her or not. It's kind of fluid at the moment but she's a good one to get.” Along with the major rise in the turnover, the median climbed by a massive 33% to 26,500gns while the average was up by 19%. The clearance rate fell, however, by 3% to 85%. Railton, one of the biggest British-based consignors, heaped praise on the Nathaniel filly's breeder John McNally for forgoing a slot in Book 2 in an effort to stand out before putting on record how pleased he was to see the appetite for horses sustained into the middle and lower tiers at Book 3. Railton said, “She had a place in Book 2 but the owner was keen for her to stand out and he was probably right. She is a lovely filly and had all of the right people on her. It's nice to be involved in those types of horses.” He added, “I think it has been fantastic to see the appetite for a horse. It has carried on into Book 3 and it's important that we have buyers at every level, not just at the top. It's crucial. The pyramid only works if there is a solid base to it. It feels really good and the appetite for horses is what I like to see. It's not just a transaction, it's a passion.” Late Late Show As Blue Point Top Lot Bought To Go Breezing Ballyhimikin Stud has knocked it out of the park all week and continued to do so at Book 3, with two Blue Points – a filly and a colt – selling for six figures or more, including the latter, which headlined trade on Thursday at 165,000gns. The Blue Point colt was bought by Rodrigo Goncalves, who signed under the banner of MADR Bloodstock, and held off trainer John Butler as underbidder. MADR Bloodstock ended the day as the second leading buyer behind Elliott with four yearlings sourced for 300,000gns. Goncalves said, “He's been bought to go breezing and the idea would be that he could come back for some of the bigger sales – either the Craven or Arqana. He's a strong horse by a sire that I like a lot. A number of friends and myself have teamed up together to breeze a couple of horses and he was my pick of the day. I left it late to strike but I am happy to get him.” Ballyhimikin also sold a Blue Point colt out of an Oasis Dream mare to Julie Camacho for 110,000gns earlier in the evening. The Irish farm ended the day as the leading vendor with five selling for 396,000gns. Subplots No man played a more important role at Book 1 and 2 than Anthony Stroud, who was buying on behalf of the leading purchaser Godolphin among others. However, Stroud has remained active into Book 3, and went to 100,000gns to secure a Starspangledbanner colt from Torard House Stud. “I have bought him for Alison Swinburn and we have been looking for a horse for her since last week” he said. “It was a clever pinhook [bought for 27,000 as a foal]. I think he is a bit of a standout for me today – he has got size and scope and is a very good mover.” Kirsten Rausing's Staffordstown Stud brought a few interesting horses to the market early doors on Thursday, including the 90,000gns Study Of Man colt that was bought by Jeremy Brummitt on behalf of Quantum Leap Racing. He said, “He is an exceptionally well-balanced horse, which I don't think is typical of many horses, but is typical of very good horses. He is by a stallion who is probably still emerging and I don't think I could find a horse as well-balanced as this horse is. The dam [six-time winner Altra Vita (Animal Kingdom)] was obviously tough and most importantly, this colt has been bred by someone who tries to breed racehorses for the racecourse and not sales horse for the sale ring – you can see that by looking at the pedigree and how many winners are in it. He is for Quantum Leap and we have not yet decided on a trainer; if they have got any sense they will be queuing up to see if they can train him – put that in!” The Marnane family played a major role on Thursday. Between trainer David Marnane, who signed for six yearlings for 190,000gns, and breeze-up handler Con Marnane, who signed for four yearlings for 175,000gns, the brothers put 365,000gns into the market. Young James O'Mahony has enjoyed a good week at Tattersalls, notably when selling a colt by first-season sire Persian Force for 100,000 during Book 2. The Irish-based breeder struck again with a colt by the Tally-Ho Stud-based stallion, with Kevin Ross going to 48,000gns to secure a particularly fast-looking offering by the Group 2 winner. He looks very sharp and should provide his connections with some early action next year. Buy of the day The National Stud's Stradivarius colt was one of the nicest horses in Book 3 and looks very well-bought at just 62,000gns by Billy Jackson-Stops. He oozed quality and confirmed the decent impression the multiple Group 1-winning stayer has made with his first batch of yearlings. Thought for the day What took place here at Tattersalls during Book 1 and 2 was hardly representative of the industry. Yes, we enjoyed booming trade here over the past couple of weeks, but with foreign money propping up the market. Book 3 was always going to be more informative with a view towards taking the temperature of the industry in Britain and one would have to take encouragement from the figures posted on Thursday. Beyond the figures, there was a strong cohort of trainers on the ground and getting in on the action on Thursday, which was good to see. The post ‘The Appetite Is Fantastic’ – Momentum Rolls Into Rip-Roaring Book 3 Sale At Tattersalls appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) on Thursday approved a slate of 2026 Thoroughbred race dates that will closely resemble the state's 2025 schedule. Over the last decade or so, hammering out the state's annual race-dates calendar has usually been a long, controversial and often argumentative process that gets drawn out over many monthly commission and sub-committee meetings, with stakeholders often testifying and advocating for hours on end and some entities not pleased with their eventual allotments. But with the demise of the entire Northern California racing circuit, and Southern California's two remaining main tracks–Santa Anita Park and Del Mar Thoroughbred Club–seemingly satisfied with the current template, the CHRB on Oct. 16 compressed that entire decision-making process into just two minutes, with zero public commentary and a unanimous 4-0 decision that approved the schedule that had been presented to the board. “Southern California, for the first time, actually, since I started this job in 2020, has agreed on a calendar,” said the CHRB's executive director, Scott Chaney, prior to the vote. “It will largely mirror what this year looked like, with the exception of the Breeders' Cup week [at Del Mar in 2025], which will revert back to Santa Anita, as is normally the case.” Bill Nader, the president and chief executive officer of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, submitted a letter included in the meeting packet that stated his organization supported the proposed schedule. After the vote, at the general public commentary session near the end of the meeting, longtime California horse owner George Schmitt gave an update on initiatives of the company called Bernal Park Racing that he had formed with the owner/breeder John Harris, who died this past summer. Earlier in 2025, Bernal mounted an unsuccessful bid to secure race dates in Northern California with the aim of putting together an organization to make personnel and a day-to-day racing infrastructure services available to any fair in the state that wanted to use those resources to run a meet. “Since I was last with you, you know that my partner, John Harris, died,” Schmitt said. “The last time I was with John, I promised John that I would continue to do what he and I were working on to bring horse racing back into the county fairs in Northern California.” With no Northern California racing in 2025, Schmitt cited a siphoning-off of California-bred horses to nearby states like Washington and Arizona, and what he said was the “lowest number of mares bred in the history of California since we started keeping track of how many mares are bred.” Schmitt said that the number of mares bred is “barely over 1,000. In large part, in my opinion, it's because breeders in Northern California have decided [not to] breed their mares this year. We need to figure out a way to bring horse racing back into the county fairs in the North, in my opinion, so that people with lesser horses don't feel obligated to ship them [out of state].” Schmitt said, “I think that we need to take a look at what happened this year in California. I know that the handle was up somewhat in Southern California. But if you look at the total state, there was no handle in Northern California. [Statewide] handle is way down by almost all the money that has been typically bet in Northern California at the fair races. “I'll be back. I am working with significant sponsors for horse racing in Northern California. I am working with five county fairs. You all know Sacramento has destroyed their track and has decided they'll never run again. But there still are five racecourses and county fairs that are willing to run. I'm trying to get them all together. I hope to have everything done by the end of this month, and be with you next month requesting dates for the county fairs in the North again… “I know everybody's going to say, 'Where's the money coming from?'” Schmitt said. “Well, I don't think I need to do more than tell you I have the money, and I will do that before I come before you. I still have significant amounts of money in Bernal Park Racing, because John and I put it in, and it's just sitting there… “Let's figure out how to get this industry working all over the state of California again,” Schmitt said. The approved 2026 calendar is below, listed in blocks of dates and not actual racing days. Santa Anita: Dec. 17, 2025-June 16, 2026. LA County Fair at Los Alamitos: June 17-July 7 Del Mar: July 8-Sept. 8 Los Alamitos: Sept. 9-22 Santa Anita: Sept. 23-Nov. 3 Del Mar: Nov. 4-Dec. 1 Los Alamitos: Dec. 2-15 CHRB vice chair Oscar Gonzales and commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Brenda Washington Davis and Peter Stern all voted in favor of the 2026 dates package. CHRB chairman Gregory Ferraro, DVM, and commissioners Thomas Hudnut and Damascus Castellanos were not present at the meeting. The post With California Down To a Single Circuit, ’26 Dates Allotment Sails Through CHRB appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Chris Waller will launch a three-pronged attack in the AU$20 million The Everest Oct. 18 at Randwick Racecourse, with the champion trainer's focus not only on his own runners but also on how they measure up against the Hong Kong superstar.View the full article

A memorial service honoring veteran horseman Al Pike will be held at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Lexington, Kentucky. A reception will follow. Pike, a perennial leading 2-year-old consignor and pinhooker, passed away on July 26, 2025 at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer. Those wishing to speak in memory of Pike at the service are asked to contact Mark Toothaker at 859-421-0151. The post Al Pike Memorial Sunday at Fasig-Tipton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Precious Dixie (Bernardini), the dam of leading GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hopeful Final Score (Not This Time), is one of two new supplements to the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale to be held Tuesday, Nov. 4 in Lexington. Consigned to the sale by Taylor Made, the 11-year-old mare is offered in foal to Muth and is a daughter of the Grade II-winning and Grade I-placed turf distaffer Princess Haya (Street Cry {Ire}), herself the dam of GSW & GISP Lady Kate (Bernardini) and of the Irish Group 2-placed $1.8-million Keeneland September grad Bernard Shaw (Into Mischief). In his two most recent trips to the post, Repole Stables' Final Score won the Aug. 28 GIII With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga and the GII Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 5. Also added to the sale is Singsational (Audible), whose half-brother Mad House (Vekoma) won the GII Gallant Bob Stakes at Parx on Sept. 20 and is a candidate for the GI Cygames Breeders' Cup Sprint. Singsational is consigned by Baldwin Bloodstock, agent. Keeneland will accept supplemental entries to Book 1 right up until the start of its November Sale. A total of 3,084 horses are catalogued for the auction, which will take place over eight sessions through Tuesday, Nov. 11. The Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale is set for Wednesday, Nov. 12. The post Dam Of BC Juvenile Turf Hopeful Final Score Supplemented To Keeneland November appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dr. Kapur (c, 2, McKinzie–Ava's Kitten, by Kitten's Joy), a game second, beaten just a neck, after setting a fast pace in the Travers Day maiden at Saratoga Aug. 23, ran to the money as the 4-5 favorite with a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' performance at Keeneland Thursday. The Ken Ramsey homebred was hustled to the front from his outside draw, but was immediately hounded to his inside through an opening quarter in :22.47. He began to get some breathing room on the far turn, kicked for home as the one to catch and leveled off nicely in the stretch while kept to task by Irad Ortiz, Jr. to graduate with authority by 2 3/4 lengths. Chip Honcho (Connect) was second. The final time for seven furlongs was 1:23.71. Highlighted in our 'Second Chances' series, Dr. Kapur is named after the surgeon who performed Ramsey's kidney transplant last year. Dr. Kapur is the fourth 'Rising Star' for Gainesway sophomore sire McKinzie and is out of Ramsey's stakes-winning and graded-placed homebred Ava's Kitten (Kitten's Joy). Ava's Kitten made all 13 of her career starts on grass and her full-brother Real Solution carried Ramsey's famed red-and-white silks to wins in two of the top grass stakes in the country, the GI Arlington Million and GI Manhattan S. Ramsey also bred and raced Dr. Kapur's broodmare sire, the late champion grass horse and perennial leading sire Kitten's Joy. Ava's Kitten is also represented by a yearling colt by Not This Time ($400,000 purchase by Repole Stable at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga) and an Essential Quality colt of this year. She was bred back to American Pharoah. 6th-Keeneland, $110,000, Msw, 10-16, 2yo, 7f, 1:23.71, ft, 2 3/4 lengths. DR. KAPUR, c, 2, by McKinzie 1st Dam: Ava's Kitten (SW & GSP, $279,771), by Kitten's Joy 2nd Dam: Reachfortheheavens, by Pulpit 3rd Dam: Reach, by Dynaformer Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $85,643. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Kenneth L. Ramsey; B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. Dr. Kapur is much the best in race 6, followed by #2 Chip Honcho and #6 Fuzzbuster pic.twitter.com/cEuSVSKG0w — Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 16, 2025 The post McKinzie’s Dr. Kapur Earns ‘Rising Star’ Honors Second Out at Keeneland 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 catalogue for the second Keeneland Championship Sale, to be held in the Del Mar paddock the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 29, is now available for viewing by clicking here. The sale features a curated selection of elite racehorses, breeding stock, stallion shares and breeding rights. The live auction for the Championship Sale will commence at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time. Attendance is by invitation only, with bidding available in-person, online and by phone. The auction's interactive catalog–featuring photos, videos, speed figures and detailed information about each entry–is available at Championship.Keeneland.com. The Championship Sale features these offerings: Lifetime breeding right to millionaire and Grade 1 winner Constitution, sire of multiple Grade I winner and GI Breeders' Cup Classic candidate Mindframe, exciting young sire Tiz the Law and others. The leading son of Tapit at stud, Constitution stands at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. Randy Gullatt consigns the lifetime breeding right. Stallion share in GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner and $4.5 million earner Life Is Good, who also stands at WinStar. The multiple Grade I-winning son of Into Mischief was represented by his first crop of yearlings at Keeneland's recent September Yearling Sale, where they commanded prices of $1.25 million, $1.025 million, $725,000, $700,000, etc. The 2.5% fractional interest is consigned by Christie DeBernardis, agent. Stallion share in Mindframe, multiple Grade 1 winner and leading contender for the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 1. He is scheduled to enter stud at historic Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, in 2026. The 2% fractional interest is consigned by Claiborne Farm, agent. Stallion share in Not This Time, which includes the income associated with this share from his 2025 breeding season. Already the sire of nine Grade I winners, he is the leading sire of black-type winners in 2025 with 22 and second by graded stakes winners with 12. He stands at Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The 2% fractional interest is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Lifetime breeding right to leading sire, champion and GI Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, who stands at Darley in Lexington. He leads all sires with 10 Grade I performers in 2025 including Cavalieri, Argos and Velocity. Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, agent consigns the lifetime breeding right. 20% ownership interest in 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, now retired to Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. In three racing seasons, Thorpedo Anna won 12 races in 16 starts, including the 2024 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff among 10 graded stakes, and earned $5.4 million. Out of the Uncle Mo mare Sataves, she is from the family of Grade/Group 1 winners Eskendereya and Balmont. The 20% fractional interest is consigned by McPeek Racing Stables, agent for Richard M. Edwards. 25% ownership interest in Bentornato (Valiant Minister), a leading candidate for the GI Cygames Breeders' Cup Sprint. Never off the board in 10 career starts, the six-time winner has earned more than $1.2 million. A narrow second in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar last year as a 3-year-old, Bentornato enters this year's championships off a career-best 5 1/4-length victory at Churchill Downs. Jose D'Angelo, agent, is consigning the 25% fractional interest. The post Keeneland Championship Sale Catalogue Online appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Half Yours has drawn barrier 2 for the Oct. 18 Caulfield Cup (G1), a result the Tony and Calvin McEvoy team say will allow the stayer to settle and obtain an economical run.View the full article

Off since November 2024, 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' With the Angels (Omaha Beach) returned to the track Thursday with a win at Aqueduct against allowance horses. Sidelined for much of the year after winning each of her first four starts including three straight stakes races as a juvenile, the New York-bred filly faced open company for the first time and came from off the pace to win going away under Flavien Prat. Lifetime Record: 5-5-0-0. O-Winning Move Stable, Oxley, John C., Lady Sheila Stable, Rideau Racers LLC and Sanford H. Robbins LLC; B-Joseph DeRico (NY); T-Linda Rice. Sales History: $65,000 ylg '23 SARAUG, $350,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR. Welcome back, champ! With the Angels, bred by Joseph DeRico and foaled at River Valley, coasts out of traffic to take her sophomore debut. Prat aboard the unbeaten #NYbred for @LindaRiceRacing, Winning Move, John Oxley, @Lady__Sheila, Rideau Racers, and Sanford Robbins. pic.twitter.com/WCC4eOiAil — NYTB (@nytbreeders) October 16, 2025 The post ‘TDN Rising Star’ With The Angels Returns A Winner In 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

3rd-Keeneland, $110,000, Msw, 10-16, 2yo, 7f, 1:23.84, ft, 3 lengths. CONFESSIONAL (c, 2, Essential Quality–Speedy Vanessa, by American Pharoah) outran his 12-1 odds to graduate first out Thursday and become the 10th winner for his freshman sire (by Tapit). Wide of the speed from his outer draw, he stalked just off frontrunning Grand Slam Sam (American Pharoah) past the half-mile pole. Pushing past that rival into the stretch, he opened up three lengths to the wire. 'Insight' runners Colossus (Constitution) and Our Forefathers (Constitution) finished sixth and eighth respectively. Speedy Vanessa, purchased for $280,000 at KEENOV last year in foal to Yaupon, is a half-sister to GI Central Bank Ashland winner Karlovy Vary (Dynaformer), herself the dam of MGSW/MGISP Mean Mary (Scat Daddy) and GSW/GISP Bye Bye Melvin (Uncle Mo). The Yaupon filly she produced this year will return to the KEENOV ring next month while Speedy Vanessa is due back to Life Is Good. Sales History: $160,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $63,085. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Steve Landers Racing LLC; B-Breed First LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. #10 Confessional takes race 3 with Axel Concepcion aboard, # 11 Grand Slam Sam and #1 Corona de Oro follow pic.twitter.com/VsJLaqcFKb — Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 16, 2025 The post Confessional A Debut Winner At Keeneland For Essential Quality appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two 3-year-old sprinters close behind Patch Adams in Aug. 23 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1)—runner-up Captain Cook and third-place Barnes—compete Oct. 18 against four other 3-year-olds in the Perryville Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. View the full article

Canadian classic winners Mansetti and Runaway Again meet for round three when they square off in the CA$150,000 Ontario Derby (G3) Oct. 18 at Woodbine. View the full article

Blue Grass Farms Charities (BGFC) sixth annual Relics and Rarities from the Bluegrass Region online auction will begin at noon ET Oct. 23 and run until 7:00 p.m. ET Oct. 26 with a preview starting Oct. 16 which will showcase halters worn by top Thoroughbreds, Kentucky Bourbon and other unique items, the organization said in a press release on Thursday. “We are excited about the items for this year's auction, but most especially sterling silver bracelets made with horsehair from seven amazing Thoroughbreds,” said BGFC Executive Director Julie Kwasniewski. “Bracelets were made by local jeweler Beth Johnson, of Paris, Kentucky, using hair from Cody's Wish, Goodnight Olive, Gun Runner, Rachel Alexandra, Silver Charm, Tapit and Zenyatta.” According to the release, Godolphin will serve as this year's presenting sponsor. Auction proceeds will be used for the charity's annual 'Festival of Christmas' which is Dec. 3. Click here to access the auction items. The post BGFC Relics And Rarities Auction For Charity Starts Oct. 23 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The announcement of the pre-entered fields for the 2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 9 a.m. Pacific time (12 p.m. ET) and will also be streamed live at www.breederscup.com. The list of the pre-entered fields will also be available on the Breeders' Cup mobile app, Facebook, X and YouTube. Pre-entry is the first of a two-step process for all owners intending to start a contender in one of the 14 Breeders' Cup World Championships races. The entry stage then takes place on Monday, Oct. 27, when post positions are also drawn. The pre-entry announcement will be hosted by FDTV's Todd Schrupp and Christina Blacker. The Breeders' Cup will take place on Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1 at Del Mar. The post Breeders’ Cup Pre-Entries To Be Announced On FanDuel TV, Streamed Live on BC Website appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A new performance-based rating system for Thoroughbreds has been launched by Equibase to provide “more options for tracks to consider when developing race conditions,” the company said in a release Thursday. The first such race using the Equibase rating will be contested at Santa Anita on Friday, Oct. 24. The Equibase rating provides an algorithmically generated predictive performance score based solely on race outcomes and measurable factors such as speed, race strength, track conditions, and trip factors and was developed with the input of industry stakeholders with the goal of simplifying conditions, improving race competitiveness, and creating larger fields. “This has been a truly collaborative effort to improve race competitiveness and give horsemen additional options to complement claiming, especially for horses that have run through their conditions,” said Kyle McDoniel, president and COO for Equibase. “We are happy to partner with 1/ST to card the first race at Santa Anita and are excited about the interest already being generated by the new rating. I'd like to thank all of the participants in our various advisory groups who provided input from perspectives of racing offices, owners, trainers, breeders, and handicappers as well as other jurisdictions outside of the U.S.” “As we've seen in international racing, a rating system provides horsemen and women more clarity in selecting a race for their horses,” said Aidan Butler, President of 1/ST. “Currently, the closest comparable option only exists with claiming races, whereas if you want a horse to run with others of similar class, you have to put them up for sale, which is counter-productive to owners and trainers investing long-term in their horses. We believe the introduction of the rating system to U.S. racing will translate to horses running more often, leading to larger fields with increased wagering opportunities for our horseplayers.” The Equibase Rating is calculated through an algorithm that factors in race records, performance analytics and historical data from racetracks. It is different from the Equibase Speed Figure, which measures how fast a horse has been running in its past races with a single number and is based on the horse's actual time in combination with the condition of the track. The Equibase Rating will be incorporated into racetrack condition books for race planning and are available on equibase.com next to the horse's name in entries, statistical profiles, and past performances. More information on the Equibase Rating can be found here. The post Equibase Launches New Rating System, First Race Carded Oct. 24 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

5th-BAQ, $85K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 3:21 p.m. ET. Bred by Summer Wind, PALADIN (Gun Runner) easily was knighted as a top-twelve price during the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling sale when the chestnut was hammered down for $1.9-million. The ownership group of Mrs. John Magnier, Peter Brant, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Brook Smith and Jane Lyon, who stayed in for a piece, sent the colt to trainer Chad Brown. Out of unraced Secret Sigh (Tapit), the first-time starter is a half-brother to a colt by Into Mischief–taken home by Case Clay for $900,000 during the recent Keeneland September sale. Paladin's second dam, MGSW India (Hennessy)–responsible for Japanese multiple Group 1 hero Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB})–is herself a half-sister to the dam of MGISW To Honor and Serve (Bernardini) and GI Chandelier Stakes victress Angela Renee (Bernardini). TJCIS PPS The post Friday’s Racing Insight: Pricey Paladin Knighted For Unveiling Around One Turn At Big A appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Three favourites, three different states of readiness. That sums up the powerful Barry Purdon/Scott Phelan assault on Addington tonight as the open class pacing season steps up a gear in the $60,000 Lamb and Hayward Canterbury Classic (9.35pm). The stable have their elite pacers Merlin and Sooner The Bettor in the capacity field, up against Republican Party, We Walk By Faith and Alta Meteor, so basically all the local New Zealand Cup-winning chances aside from Akuta, who is sidelined this week. The northern stable also have our best young trotters in Meant To Be (R7, No.7) in a small but strong three-year-old trot and Greased Lightnin as favourite in the $50,000 Garrards’ Sophomore Classic (8.38pm). Merlin and Greased Lightnin were backed soon after markets opened and Phelan, who has travelled south with the team, says the time is right for Merlin to step up. “He has had two runs back and been good but the crucial thing this week is he is back on the front line,” says Phelan. “He has been off 20m in those two races so far and we all know how hard that is. “He has good manners and if he steps well he is ready to be driven aggressively.” Sooner The Bettor has beaten Merlin in both their recent Alexandra Park starts but doesn’t get a 20m head start tonight and how he steps will have a huge impact on his chances as the front line contains some fast beginners. “He has also some times raced below his best at Addington, where he has never won, but we can’t fault him going into it.” Republican Party, We Walk By Faith and Alta Meteor have all won impressively this campaign and could do so again without surprising but the capacity field will make it hard for those behind midfield with a lap to go with so much horsepower likely to be handy. While Phelan is adamant both Merlin and Sooner the Bettor are ready for tonight he warns exciting trotter Meant To Be goes into his comeback with one trial less that would be ideal. “Don’t get me wrong, he is really well and even stronger than last season,” he says. “We are very happy with him but he has only had the one trial and a couple of the smart ones in the race are going to be fitter than him. “This is only our starting point, not our Grand Final, so he might possibly be vulnerable.” Greased Lightnin sits between those two levels of fitness, ready to win Race 8 but still on the up as a huge next two months loom for the three-year-old pacing crop. He was a luckless fifth making good ground during a fast last 400m in the Group 1 Flying Stakes last Friday when fresh up and the superstars who beat him home last week don’t oppose him tonight. Greased Lightnin has good gate speed which makes him the one to beat. Purdon and Phelan also train the two favourites in main race at Alexandra Park tonight, with Better Knuckle Up (R6, No.2) favoured. “He was very good coming from well off the speed against Merlin and those horses last start and he might be just a bit more forward than Jeremiah, who missed that race,” says Phelan. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Patience rather than panic is the key to finally getting the best out of frustrating trotter Pantani. The four-year-old heads to Alexandra Park tonight for Race 2, the Garrards Pesticides Northern Metro Trotters Heat (6.19pm) that he would almost certainly win if he raced up to his best form. He did that for the first time in a year four starts ago and thrashed a similar field by 10-and-a-half lengths at The Park but he has galloped in all three starts since. Trainer-driver David Butcher says Pantani will eventually have the manners to match hit motor so he can’t get too concerned. “He used to be a bit hot (nervy) but he is getting better,” says Butcher. “It will come and we are doing little things with him. We tried using plugs on him but they almost made him too laid back and then he galloped when you pulled them. “So he will keep going around and getting more practice and I think this week’s race will suit him.” Pantani (R2, No.6) faces only six rivals so Butcher is confident he can get him away safely and smoothly before deciding whether to make a mid-race move or sit in and drive him for speed. With favourite Pretty In Pink drawn the ace on the front line Pantani wouldn’t want to let her get too far in front of him but he does have 2700m in which to make his move. Butcher faces having to come from back in the field with his two other favoured drives tonight in Mako (R4, No.8) and Jolimont (R6, No.5), who is off a 20m handicap in the small main pace, the Vale Chris Garrard handicap Pace (8.22pm). “He just needs to step away, which he should off a back mark in the small field,” he says. “This race suits him because the best open class horses aren’t here but that is the same for a few of the others. But he should be hard to beat.” Like Jolimont, Mako is trained by Arna Donnelly and was impressive winning fresh up and looks headed most of the way to open class. But he meets some talented intermediate grade rivals in a 2200m Metro Pacing heat that could easily see the winner break 2:40. “He is still on the way up and it is a good field for this grade so it might come down to luck in the running. The meeting is one of the smallest Alexandra Park Friday night cards in years, with just seven races and an average field size of six starters but actually still has some interesting betting races because of the evenness of the fields. View the full article

Canadian classic winners Mansetti and Runaway Prince meet for round three when they square off in the CA$150,000 Ontario Derby (G3) Oct. 18 at Woodbine. View the full article

We should have seen it coming really. Night Of Thunder burst onto the scene in 2019 to be champion first-season sire with seven stakes winners to his name. Not all leading freshmen go on to put themselves into contention for champion sire honours, of course, but six years later this is exactly what the prolific Night Of Thunder has done, and he looks almost certain now to follow the achievement of his own sire Dubawi, who was champion in 2022. Dubawi, who turns 24 in January, took longer to get there but for many of his earlier years at stud he had Galileo to contend with. Since that multiple champion's demise, the title race has had a more open feel to it, albeit it has twice been won by Galileo's son Frankel and now a son of Dubawi looks likely to follow suit. It's quite something when one considers the relatively small likelihood of the Dubai Millennium line taking root in such a way after he left only 56 foals back in 2002. Darley also has Dubawi's son Too Darn Hot sneaking up the charts, and he has an exceptional representative in Fallen Angel, the winner of five Group 1s at two, three and four. This Saturday at Ascot, four of the ten highest-rated horses in the Longines World Rankings this year will turn out for Qipco British Champions Day. Of those, Dubawi's 126-rated son Delacroix and Night Of Thunder's Ombudsman (128) – who currently tops the list – will face off in a scintillating line-up for the Champion Stakes which includes another son of Night Of Thunder, Economics, on his first run for a year. Also in line for a Group 1 outing on Saturday are Ten Bob Tony and Estrange, who give Night Of Thunder a chance to accrue some decent progeny earnings on a valuable day's racing. At the time of writing, he is more than £600,000 clear in the British and Irish sires' championship, with Wootton Bassett behind him in second. The late Coolmore sire still holds sway across Europe having had the Classic winners Camille Pissarro and Henri Matisse, as well as the Group 1 winners Sahlan, Maranoa Charlie and Puerto Rico to add to his haul in France. Back when the sacrilegious move was made to wrest the Champion Stakes from its rightful home of Newmarket, it was Frankel who saved the new-look Champions Day at Ascot, with his winning appearances first in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes then his emotional swansong in the Champion Stakes. (Notably, he had also won the Royal Lodge at two, when that race was respectively run at its rightful home of Ascot.) This year, Frankel has Latakia, Bedtime Story and Exactly representing him at Group 1 level on Champions Day but, already more than £2 million behind Night Of Thunder in progeny earnings, he will be unable to hold onto his champion sire crown. Don't bet against him winning it back at some stage though. Frankel has had strong competition from within his own stable this year, with Kingman having reached the milestone of 100 stakes winners in late September, and he is of course responsible for the joint-top-rated three-year-old in the world in Field Of Gold. The grey is on 127, currently equal with the Arc winner Daryz (Sea The Stars), and is one of five Group 1 runners for Kingman at Ascot. Ballylinch Stud's globally renowned Lope De Vega could yet improve his standing in the sires' table. Currently in sixth, he has Almaqam, Carl Spackler, First Look, Iberian and Fox Legacy to represent him on the Group 1 stage this weekend. Completing the top ten stallions in the table to date, Sea The Stars has Sweet William and The Lion In Winter in his corner, while Australia's good year could be continued through his Irish Oaks-placed daughter Wemighttakedlongway. Mehmas has no Champions Day representatives but is once again having a strong year and is the leader in both the European table and in Britain and Ireland by number of winners. Then there's Blue Point, whose finest hours came at Ascot and whose breakthrough as a stallion of note was aided by his Classic-winning son Rosallion. Plenty would enjoy seeing Rosallion win his fourth Group 1 on what may well be the final start of his career in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Blue Point's second-top-rated son Kind Of Blue returns to defend his Champion Sprint crown, in which he could face fellow Blue Point offspring Rayevka and Sky Majesty. Outside the ten are some names who will doubtless be given plenty of consideration by breeders in the coming months as mating plans are confirmed. Gleneagles had a Group 1 sprint winner and a Derby runner-up last year (as well as the German Derby winner) but it is his son Calandagan who is arguably doing the most to advertise his sire's merits. Fresh from back-to-back Group 1 victories in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the four-year-old returns to Ascot to line up for a red-hot Champion Stakes. He's not his sire's only Champions Day runner either, as One Look, recently third in the Prix de l'Opera heads to the Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes. Study Of Man had his breakthrough Group 1 winner in that race last year and Kalpana will be back in an attempt to retain her crown. Meanwhile, a horse who deserves respect in the Champion Stakes is the lightly-raced Almeric, who looks progressive and impressed on his return in the Doonside Cup last month. He could be Study Of Man's next star performer. Golden Horn has made the transition to being fully respected in the National Hunt sphere, with the Champion Hurdle and Triumph Hurdle winners Golden Ace and Poniros to his credit at the Cheltenham Festival this year. But don't rule him out of the Flat game just yet: this year his five group winners on the Flat put him on a par with Camelot and Too Darn Hot, and they are led by the mighty stayer Trawlerman, who returns to the scene of his Gold Cup triumph on Saturday in a bid to win a second British Champions Long Distance Cup. The difference this year is that the race now carries Group 1 status for the first time. Trawlerman will have competition from another hugely consistent stayer in Al Qareem, a son of the secretly very decent stallion Awtaad, who, like Golden Horn, is a Classic-winning son of Cape Cross. The post Can Champions Day Seal the Sires’ Championship for Night Of Thunder? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article