Wandering Eyes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–As Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher suspected, grass was the proper surface for Snow Face Princess (Midshipman). Two months after making her career debut on the dirt at Aqueduct, she secured a victory Wednesday in the sixth race at Saratoga, a $100,000 maiden special weight contest for 2-year-old fillies. Snow Face Princess and leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. completed the 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf Course in 1:02.27. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite in the field of nine, the dark bay or brown filly owned by Gary F. Lewin won by two lengths over Mackinac (Twirling Candy) and paid $7.30. “It was just one of those moves, typical Todd Pletcher moves,” said Jacob West, Lewin's bloodstock advisor. “They're going to be fit. She was fit, and she was ready. And Irad rode her pretty incredibly well and it just resulted in a win. Pletcher said Snow Face Princess got some seasoning in the dirt race, but decided to move her on the grass and added blinkers. “It seems like Midshipman has had some successful turf sprinters, so it seemed like a logical try, Pletcher said. “Glad it worked out.” Pletcher said the equipment change was less of a factor in her success. “I think the real key was switching to the turf,” he said. Early on, she sat third, a couple of lengths off the pace of :21.40 and :44.39 set by Street Sue (Authentic) and moved to the lead entering the stretch. There was a claim of foul following a bumping incident in the stretch, but following a review the stewards did not change the order of finish. Snow Face Princess gets in the turf and gets blinkers to graduate in R6 at Saratoga! @iradortiz had the mount and Todd Pletcher trains. pic.twitter.com/lejfQ1EYax — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 30, 2025 Snow Face Princess was Pletcher's sixth winner in the top-level open maiden races for 2-year-olds at the meet. The 14-time Saratoga champ tops the trainers' table with 12 victories through 15 days. West is a bloodstock advisor for Lewin, a California resident who has owned horses on his own and as a co-owner with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. Lewin paid $110,000 for Snow Face Princess, who is out of the Honor Code mare Cruisin Alone, at the Fasig-Tipton October Sale. “She's always just been a filly that since we got her–we sent her down to Susan Montayne at SBM down in Ocala–was always just straightforward, always acted like she was going to be precocious types. Gary has had a couple of horses with Todd over the years, and it just made sense to send her to him. The rest is history.” Snow Face Princess was a good student and quickly fit into the Pletcher program. “She came in early to us at Palm Beach Downs back in I want to say early March, because she was precocious at the farm,” Pletcher said. “She's learned her lessons pretty easily, and got a start on the dirt that wasn't bad, fourth beaten five lengths, and kind of kept running to the end. I thought that experience really helped today.” The post Saratoga Maidens, Presented by Keeneland: Snow Face Princess Relishes Switch To Turf, Scores For Pletcher appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Aterradora, who was pulled up during the July 26 Lake George Stakes (G3T), was humanely euthanized after the extent of her injury was found to be more severe and complicated than previously identified.View the full article

The Inglis Digital USA July Sale closed Wednesday with a pair of stakes-winning juveniles heading up the trade, topped by Good Civilian (Good Samaritan–Lei It On Me, by Benny the Bull), who was secured by Flurry Racing for $240,000. An impressive winner by 11 ½ lengths at Horseshoe Indianapolis June 14, the gelding followed up with a score in the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows. Good Civilian was previously raced by Southwest Racing Stables Inc. Good Civilian was consigned by trainer Genaro Garcia, who made the horse available for inspection from his barn at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, Ind. “I'm glad we were able to get him,” said Staton Flurry of Flurry Racing. “He'll head to (trainer) Cipriano Contreras. I'm the biggest 'Cippy' fan there is, and he's stabled in Indiana. We'll point toward the Indiana-bred stakes with him and just see where we go once that meet is over.” Bred in Indiana by Dawn Martin, Good Civilian is out of the Benny the Bull mare Lei It On Me, who is already responsible for a pair of winners. Stakes-winning 2-year-old Border Czar (Beau Liam–Adalee, by Street Boss) was the second highest priced offering of the day, going to Zhenxi Li for $185,000. The filly, who won on debut at Woodbine on June 7 returned to take the July 12 My Dear Stakes. Barbara Minshall, Border Czar's owner and trainer, consigned the filly from her base at Toronto-area Woodbine. “I had a very good experience selling on the Inglis Digital USA sale platform,” Minshall said. “They were very helpful and informative as to what was required, and they kept me well informed as to the progress of the sale. Daily info sheets were sent, and I felt my horse was given excellent exposure. I would definitely choose to sell again with Inglis Digital USA.” Border Czar, bred in Kentucky by Southern Comfort Farm, is out of Adalee, whose three winners from four runners also includes SW Feelgood Factor and multiple winner Sassy and Bold. Wednesday's auction closed with 27 horses sold for revenues of $537,500, and an average sale price of $19,907. “We knew going into the sale that the 2-year-olds were going to be popular, and we weren't disappointed,” said Kyle Wilson, Senior Director of Sales and Recruiting for Inglis Digital USA. “We had some good trade at a number of levels, which we are pleased with. It was a solid sale, and we'll look forward moving into the fall sale season.” Entries are now open for the Inglis Digital USA September Sale, and they will be taken through Monday, Aug. 25. The catalog will be released Friday, Aug. 29, and bidding will close on Wednesday, Sept. 3. To enter a horse in the September sale, register as a bidder, or make a bid on an RNA horse from the July sale, visit www.inglisdigitalusa.com. The post Unbeaten Good Civilian Tops Inglis Digital USA July Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Paramount Prince, Canada's champion 3-year-old male of 2023 and champion older main track male of 2024, seeks to win the Seagram Cup Stakes (G3) for the second year in a row Aug. 2.View the full article

Lady Iman earned a starting berth into this year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) after her dominating victory in the July 30 Molecomb Stakes (G3) at Goodwood Racecourse.View the full article

Aterradora, who was pulled up during the July 26 Lake George, was humanely euthanized after the extent of her injury was found to be more severe and complicated than previously identified.View the full article

By Jonny Turner Phil Williamson is looking to turn back the clock to 2021 on the first day of the Southern Surge at Winton on Sunday. Four years ago, Williamson’s form in the sulky at Central Southland Raceway was red-hot. But the undisputed king of New Zealand trotting hasn’t driven a winner since. Not that he’s tried too hard. The master trotting trainer can get back on the board on Sunday when he teams up with two runners from his powerful team of six starting on day one of the Southern Surge series. One of them is Tarragindi who rates as one of the hardest horses to beat on the 11-race Winton card. The three-year-old is a proven Group 1 performer who has beaten arguably stronger fields at Addington recently than he faces on Sunday. All Williamson has to do is wind back the clock to his Jasmyn’s Gift days. “Everything is good with him and he should be tough to beat.” “It will depend how it is run a bit, with the 10m.” “Whether we press forward or sit back will depend on what is happening up front.” “You have to respect the opposition, but I would like to think he would be hard to beat.” What’s The Whisper is Williamson’s first drive on Sunday and he looks a bright hope on the back of his nice late work in his latest trial. The trainer-driver just hopes the three-year-old has his brain engaged for his first race start. “He is a work in progress, he is a big dummy.” “He is on the unruly because he isn’t very clever at stepping that first 10m, but from there he should hopefully be able to get away.” “He has definitely got the ability to win a maiden at short notice, but there are a few unknowns with him.” Williamson also starts Rangitata in Sunday’s opener, with the filly also impressing in her recent trials. “Rangitata is a more reliable type, she hasn’t missed a beat all the way through.” “She is a really, really big horse for a three-year-old filly, you would think that time will be her friend.” “At this stage she is a little bit raw, but on what she is showing us hopefully she can be one of the ones to beat.” Williamson has a three-pronged attack in the fast class trotting heat in the Southern Surge on Sunday. Missile (20m), Our Pinocchio (10m) and Torquay Street (front) go head to head, with the latter shaping as the Williamson stable’s best hope. “Torquay Street has the game for this race, I think if she caught it right she could lead.” “If she settled in the first two or three she could be hard to beat.” “She is fresh up, she might be found wanting depending on how it is run, but she is stronger now.” Our Pinocchio and Missile both look each way threats from their handicaps in Sunday’s trotting heat. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Two years ago, the GI Whitney Stakes was a whiteout. As in White Abarrio (Race Day), who crushed the field by 6 1/4 lengths. Fast forward to now and White Abarrio is back for another run in Saturday's $1 million Whitney, the premier race for older horses at the 40-day meet at Saratoga Race Course. The 6-year-old horse will look to shrug off a disappointing fourth place finish in the GI Met Mile last month and prove to his trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. that he deserves a place among the elite of the older horse division. “You just have to have a short-term memory and move forward,” Joseph said Wednesday morning at his Saratoga backstretch barn about White Abarrio's performance in the Met Mile. “He has been in that position before and has rebounded.” White Abarrio, owned by C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable LLC, started the year with a resounding 6 1/4-length win in the $3 million GI Pegasus World Cup. He followed that up with another score at his home track of Gulfstream Park, winning the GIII Ghostzapper Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths. Then came the head scratcher in the Met Mile. The race was billed as a showdown between White Abarrio and Fierceness (City of Light), but they were both defeated by the since retired Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief). This was the second straight year that White Abarrio tossed in a clunker in the Met Mile. Last June, he was fifth, beaten 10 1/4 lengths by National Treasure (Quality Road). Since that race, Joseph said that White Abarrio, who will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., has trained well and looked like a horse about to give a solid performance. Skippylongstocking working at the Spa | Sarah Andrew “When he comes off a race that is below par, you are always a bit suspect,” Joseph said. “You are like,'what did we miss?' We are happy with him. At the quarter pole [in the Whitney] we will know if he is moving forward.” Joseph will also run Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) in the Whitney. The main goal for the 6-year-old, owned by Daniel Alonzo, is the $1 million GII Charles Town Classic Aug. 22 in West Virginia. It's a race he has captured the last two years. Before winning the Charles Town last year, Skipplongstocking finished fifth in the Whitney. He will be ridden by Jose Ortiz on Saturday. Make no mistake, Joseph is not using the Whitney as a prep race. “If we did not think we could compete, we would not be running in it,” he said. “Is it a tough race? Yeah, it's a really tough race. Of course, you would like it to be easier, but he is here. He has run fast enough on some days to win a Grade I. This kind of Grade I? It's unlikely, but you've got to be in it to win it.” Mo Plex Could be Pennsylvania Derby Bound Following Mo Plex's (Complexity) fourth place finish in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes, trainer Jeremiah Englehart will be in no rush to bring his New York-bred back to the races. His landing point could very well be Parx Racing for the $1 million GI Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 20. “If I had to choose from a timing standpoint, that is perfect,” Englehart said while sitting in his office at his barn at the annex across from the Oklahoma Training Track Wednesday morning. “That would give him almost two months.” Mo PLex between Sandman and Hill Road | Sarah Andrew Mo Plex set the pace in the Jim Dandy before fading and being beat 10 1/2 lengths by Sovereignty (Into Mischief). Owned by Rick Higgins and Howard Read (R and H Stable), Mo Plex had won the GIII Ohio Derby in his prior start and that gave the group reason to try the big boys in the Jim Dandy. Englehart hasn't given up on the idea that Mo Plex can compete with the better horses in the division. He said he does not want to run Mo Plex in the $200,000 Albany Stakes against state breds Aug. 21. “He came out of [the Jim Dandy] fine,” Englehart said. “I don't think I want to run him back in three and a half weeks. I just want to be real smart with the next start.” Englehart did some homework when researching the Pennsylvania Derby. The last two winners of the race, Seize the Grey (Arrogate) and Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) ran in the Jim Dandy before heading to Parx. Seize the Grey was fourth in last year's Jim Dandy and Saudi Crown finished second in 2023. Englehart said he would change his mind about the Pennsylvania Derby if Sovereignty or GI Haskell Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin) decided to head that way. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has not indicated any desire to go to the Pennsylvania Derby and Michael McCarthy has not said which way Journalism is going. Mott Gives Updates on Arthur's Ride, Stars and Stripes Sovereignty wasn't the only horse Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott had his eye on last Saturday. The stable star did his thing when he rolled to his third straight win in the GII Jim Dandy. About three and a half hours before Sovereignty won the Jim Dandy by a length, Mott saddled Arthur's Ride (Tapit) for his first start since last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic when he finished 12th out of 14. Stars and Stripes | Sarha Andrew Mott was not happy with what Arthur showed him. The 5-year-old horse finished third in a 1 1/8-mile multi-conditional allowance race. He was defeated by 8 1/4 lengths as the 1-2 favorite. “That was not acceptable, not happy,” Mott said. Mott said he could not comment on what might be next for Arthur's Ride until he talks with the horse's owners. Arthur's Ride is owned by Glassman Racing LLC (Karl and Cathi Glassman). He won four of his first nine starts, the biggest being last year's GI Whitney Stakes, his first graded stakes try. He was then fifth in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup before the Breeders' Cup. Another horse from the Mott Barn, Stars and Stripes (Not This Time), opened some eyes when he won an allowance race at Saratoga by 71/4 lengths on July 17. That came after he broke his maiden at Aqueduct on June 15 by 101/2 lengths. That was his second career start. Owned by Frassetto Stables LLC, Stars and Stripes might not be seen for a while, Mott said. “He grabbed a quarter pretty good in the [July 17] race,” he said. “I don't have anything picked out for him.” The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Joseph Hoping For A Rebound From White Abarrio In Whitney appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two days after the running of the GIII Lake George Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday July 26, the Mike Maker-trained Aterradora (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) was humanely euthanized at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, the New York Racing Association said via a press release on Wednesday. The 3-year-old owned by Pura Vida Investments LLC, who was making her eighth career start, was pulled up by jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the gallop out after finishing fifth and was immediately attended to by on-track veterinarians. The filly was transported to the aforementioned medical facility for further evaluation and treatment. Radiographs taken that same day revealed a slab fracture of the right knee, which was followed by a CT scan to allow for surgical planning. At the time of surgery, the extent of the injury was found to be more severe and complicated than previously identified. As a result, and upon the recommendation of attending veterinarians, Aterradora was humanely euthanized. According to the NYRA release, since the beginning of the summer meet July 10, Aterradora is the lone fatality during racing. There have been two equine fatalities during training–National Secret (American Pharoah) and Dazzle d'Oro (Bolt d'Oro). The post Aterradora Humanely Euthanized After Lake George Stakes Injury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

East Avenue is fresh off a short break in pursuit of a second consecutive graded stakes win in the Aug. 3 West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort.View the full article

Ready to make his first start of the 2025 season, trainer Tim Yakteen gives an update on grade 1 winner Johannes after he shipped from California to Saratoga Race Course for the $750,000 Fourstardave Stakes (G1T) Aug. 2.View the full article

A quartet of European runners made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean to take on a quintet of United States-based turf horses Aug. 2 in the $750,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) for 3-year-olds at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article

East Avenue is fresh off a short break in pursuit of a second consecutive graded stakes win in the Aug. 3 West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer Park.View the full article

Beaten a neck in last year's Nassau Stakes (G1), See The Fire will look to take home the prize in the July 31 group 1 at Goodwood Racecourse.View the full article

The finalists and runners-up for the 2025 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards have been chosen in the seven categories as the program celebrates its 10th anniversary, according to a Wednesday press release posted on co-sponsor Godolphin's website. The 2025 ceremony will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 21, in Lexington, Kentucky. Finalists and their guest will enjoy a variety of activities, including a tour of a local horse farm, a stallion show, the ceremony dinner with an afternoon of racing the following day at Keeneland. The shortlist judging panel–the first of two–met on Tuesday, July 29, to determine the finalists that will make the trip to Kentucky, along with two runners-up in each of the categories. Their meeting was again hosted by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York. The second and final stage of judging will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 21st, when finalists will meet with the judges for in-person interviews. The panel chair Joe Clancy, said, “The quality of nominees was very strong, across the board, and we sincerely appreciate those who took the time to nominate their champions. I also express sincere thanks to the National HBPA, TOBA, The Jockey Club, Keeneland, Breeders' Cup, and Godolphin, without whose underwriting and support of these awards would not be possible. Also, a heartfelt thanks to media partners–The Thoroughbred Daily News, The Saratoga Special, BloodHorse Publications, Daily Racing Form, FanDuel, Real Players Inside the Backstretch, Paulick Report, Fox Sports, and America's Day at the Races–for helping spread the reach of the awards. “In addition, the efforts of Roberto Rodriguez, Director of DRF en Espanol and Carlos Morales, Producer and Host of Agentes 305, deserve special thanks for informing the Spanish-speaking community,” he said. TIEA category sponsors include Hallway Feeds, NTRA, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Keeneland, Churchill Downs, and 1/ST Racing along with new sponsors, NYRA BETS and Kentucky Downs/KHBPA, who will handle all travel. The winners of the Katherine McKee Administration, Dedication to Breeding, Dedication to Racing, Managerial, Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community, and Support Services Awards will receive a prize of $7,500, with two finalists receiving $3,500. Two runners-up in each category, separate from the winners and two finalists, will receive $2,000 each. The winner of the Newcomer Award will receive $5,000, with two finalists receiving $2,500 each. Separate from the winners and two finalists, two runners-up will receive $1,000 each. The 2025 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards finalists are: Katherine McKee Administration Award, sponsored by Keeneland Maria Isabel Escobar, Todd Pletcher Racing Stable Vicki Forbes, The Thoroughbred Daily News Sandy Martin, Race Track Chaplaincy of America Runners-up Lacey Coler, Barton Thoroughbreds Lauren Monnet, National HBPA Support Services Award, sponsored by 1/ST Racing Lynne Hewlett, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute Robert Richardson, KatieRich Farms Nathan Stephens, Stephens Farrier Service, LLC Runners-up Mary Perkins, Keeneland Association Steve Peterman, Gulfstream Park Dedication to Breeding Award, sponsored by Hallway Feeds Sara Patterson, Cedar Run Farm Juan Piedra, Stone Bridge Farm Mario Ponce, Coolmore America Runners-up Luis Sanchez, Kenneth McPeek Racing Stable Alan Shell, Kenneth McPeek Racing Stable Dedication to Racing Award, sponsored by NYRA BETS Carlos Alarcon, D/M Racing Stables Jackie Dayutis, WinStar Farm Fiona Goodwin, Jena Antonucci Runners-up Rafael Fernandez, Herringswell Stables Lee Vickers, Miguel Clement Racing Stable Managerial Award, sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute John Motaung, Sequel Bloodstock Jesus Pinales, Mulholland Springs Duane Reed, Coolmore America Runners-up Kali Kleinfelt, Stone Bridge Farm Edwyn Kiely, Hunter Valley Farm Newcomer Award, sponsored by New York Racing Association Braden Heath, Three Chimneys Farm Kinnon LaRose, Tom Amoss Ivanna Rabii, WinStar Farm Runners-up Madison Jackson, Churchill Downs Maxine Pina, Taylor Made Sales Agency Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award, sponsored by Churchill Downs Peter Drumstra, Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program Nancy Turner, This Old Horse, Inc. CJ Wilson, Win Place Home Runners-up Victoria Mangini, Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Assoc. Caroline Tatum, Secretariat Center The post Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Finalists Named, Includes TDN’s Vicki Forbes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Caroline Stautberg has been selling her yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale for three decades now, but the Maryland breeder will record a personal first when the boutique auction opens next week. Through the Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services consignment, Stautberg's Willow Oaks Stable will offer the very first horse through the ring Monday when bidding starts at 6:30 p.m. Hip 1 is a daughter of Vekoma out of Tapit's World (Tapit) and a half-sister to graded winner Il Miracolo (Gun Runner). “It's been 30 years since my first Saratoga sale and I haven't missed a year, but I've never been in the first 10 [hips],” Stautberg said with a laugh. “So I guess it was my turn. Thankfully, she is a filly with a nice page and I think she will sell herself. And this is a sale that people are pretty well there when it starts. It's not like some of those sales that start at nine in the morning and you know nobody is there. I'm not jumping up and down about it, but it could be worse.” In addition to her graded-winning half-brother, the yearling is a full-sister to a now 2-year-old filly who sold to Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Plantation for $575,000 at the 2024 Saratoga sale. The trio are out of graded-placed Tapit's World, who was acquired for $175,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November sale. Stautberg admitted that purchase a decade ago harkened back to the mare who provided her with her biggest success as a breeder, Fun Crowd. Stautberg and her late husband, Jerry, purchased Fun Crowd for $115,000 at the 2002 Keeneland November sale. Eleven yearlings sold out of the mare for over $2 million, including Grade I winner Funny Moon (Malibu Moon). “What a mare, that Fun Crowd,” Stautberg said. “She was really a great mare. When she died, I got the prettiest tree that I could find and had a stone made and she is buried on the farm with a really, really pretty tree marking her stone. She was something else. I just didn't have any idea, really, of how lucky I was. Davant Latham found her for me. And he is still helping me pick out broodmares. She wasn't that expensive because she hadn't raced. But she had a great pedigree and, man, did she produce.” Latham recalled that purchase when he and his client were bidding on Tapit's World in 2015. “Davant and I watched her in the ring,” Stautberg said of Tapit's World. “He said, 'The only reason you love her is because she reminds you so much of Fun Crowd.' And she did. She was a chestnut with a white blaze and a couple of white socks. She went through and she RNA'd, so I said, 'Come on.' We ran back to the barn and we offered the price they wanted and they took it.” Funny Moon | Horsephotos With just seven broodmares, Stautberg will offer almost her entire foal crop–four yearlings–at the two-day Saratoga sale next week. “I sold one at the January sale and [Fasig-Tipton] accepted all five I had left,” Stautberg said. “But one of them had an abscess, so she is going to have to wait until fall.” The group, all consigned by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, includes four fillies and one colt. “For the last two years, I've had all fillies and only one colt,” Stautberg explained. “It happened again this year. You feel so sorry for that colt all by himself. I live in Monkton, Maryland, so he has to ship up by himself. My farm manager, Darin Martin, is bringing up the fillies, but he can't come with them. He has to have his own transportation.” Other than the filly out of 15-year-old Tapit's World, the other yearlings in Willow Oaks' Saratoga offerings are out of mares Stautberg has acquired in the past two years. Hip 64 is a filly by Uncle Mo and is the first foal out of stakes-placed Champagne Ivy (Shackleford). She was purchased in utero for $210,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November sale. Hip 74 is a filly from the first crop of champion Epicenter out of graded winner Cosmic Burst (Violence). Stautberg acquired Cosmic Burst for $260,000 at the 2023 Keeneland January sale. Rounding out the group is a colt by Mandaloun (hip 147) out of multiple stakes winner Lucky Stride (Declaration of War). Lucky Stride was purchased for $170,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November sale. “I am 84, almost 85, and I keep saying I don't need to buy any more, but I just can't resist,” Stautberg said of the recent purchases. “I get the catalogue and I see something and I say, 'I think I will hang around for that one.' I keep adding, but I think maybe this is it.” Stautberg sends her mares to Kentucky to foal and be bred back before mares and foals return to Maryland. “I have watched them all grow up,” Stautberg said of the yearlings she will offer at auction next week. “You get very attached to them. I went over this morning to Oklahoma [training track] and saw one that I sold last year, a Twirling Candy filly, and she's so happy and doing so well. And that just makes you feel so good.” Stautberg and her late husband used to raise Black Angus cattle and steeplechasers on their 600-acre Willow Oaks Farm in Monkton, but a trip to Saratoga in the mid-1990s changed the trajectory of their operation. “[The late steeplechase trainer] Tom Voss was a neighbor,” Stautberg recalled. “My husband and I came up and stayed with Tom and [his wife] Mimi. “We went to the horse sale and ended up buying a yearling that Tom had picked out to be a steeplechaser. In the meantime, the Bluegrass Thoroughbred partners had a party where I met John Stuart and Peter Bance. So all of a sudden I said, 'I know a bloodstock agent'–this was probably 1994–and I said, 'Let's buy one.' My husband was an automobile dealer and he said, 'No, one won't do it. We need more than that.' So we ended up with four. I think my first sales were in '95.” Willow Oaks will be offering its 30th class of yearlings–beginning with the first hip through the ring–at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale next week and Stautberg's love affair with the upstate New York town is still going strong. “I usually come up before the sales,” Stautberg said. “I love the racing and I love the people and I love the restaurants. I love everything about it. You are a person here, not just a number. I think the Fasig-Tipton people do such a good job and I am very happy here.” The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale will be held next Monday and Tuesday at the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion. Bidding commences each day at 6:30 p.m. The post After 30 Years, a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga First for Stautberg appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a newcomer sporting the Wathnan Racing silks. 4.55 Goodwood, Mdn, £60,000, 2yo, f, 7fT PROPOSAL (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is an eye-catching newcomer in this maiden won in recent times by the likes of Dreamy and Rhododendron, being the second foal out of the G3 Blue Wind Stakes winner and G1 Nassau Stakes runner-up One Voice (Poet's Voice). Facing several experienced rivals, Wathnan Racing's 360,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase will have to be smart to deal with the likes of the York novice second Aylin (Ire) (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}), Al Shaqab Racing and Amo Racing's 600,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 sensation. The post Wathnan’s Proposal, Daughter of One Voice, Debuts at Goodwood appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The second day of Ellis Park's Kentucky Downs Preview races continues Aug. 3 with the $400,000 Pucker Up Stakes (G3T) as the headlining event. View the full article

Field of Gold's pacemaker Qirat caused a momentous upset when holding off Rosallion in the Sussex Stakes (G1) at Goodwood.View the full article

West Coast horses normally do not leave Del Mar and ship cross country for a Saratoga Race Course turf stakes. But Johannes is not your typical turf horse.View the full article

The $500,000 Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 2 is set up to be a tough test, but trainer Rusty Arnold is armed with two sharp runners in Echo Sound and Kilwin.View the full article

John and Thady Gosden trainee Oxagon (Frankel) shaped with a deal of promise when fifth in a hot winner-producing Newmarket maiden earlier this month and delivered a stunning performance in his second start to earn a TDN Rising Star rosette in Wednesday evening's Chasemore Farm EBF Novice Stakes at Sandown. He becomes the 44th Rising Star for his sire and second this season after Treanmor joined the roll of honour in May. The 10-3 second favourite broke swiftly and gained an immediate advantage, setting steady fractions, in this seven-furlong heat annexed by subsequent G2 Champagne Stakes victor Bay City Roller (New Bay) last year. Holding sway throughout, he was rowed along when threatened by Godolphin representative Look To The Stars (Galiway) passing the quarter-mile marker and powered clear in imperious fashion thereafter to easily outclass that rival by a hugely impressive eight lengths. Oxagon (Frankel) sheds his maiden at the second time of asking under Luke Catton for John & Thady Gosden in the Chasemore Farm @BritishEBF Novice Stakes @Sandownpark pic.twitter.com/vMYHX2bZpg — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 30, 2025 The post Frankel’s Oxagon Powers to TDN Rising Stardom With Imperious Sandown Display appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Many involved with the sport probably know little about trainer Librado Barocio. But that could be about to change. His small stable has been on fire as of late and it recorded a milestone when Lovesick Blues (Grazen) upset his better known rivals to win the GI Bing Crosby Stakes Saturday at Del Mar. For the trainer who has been training off and on since 1999, it was his first Grade I win. How did it feel? That was among the questions our team asked Barocio when he joined us on this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. Barocio was this week's Gainesway Guest of the Week. “It's a blessing and it's a big blessing for my family,” Barocio said. “I consider myself an underdog who is trying to play in this arena. I found a horse that was an underdog, too. The horse did it all. For him just to accomplish that, it means a lot for my family. It means a lot for my parents.” Lovesick Blues is a 7-year-old veteran on the California circuit whose best surface appeared to be the grass. Barocio approached his owner, Nick Alexander, about purchasing another horse, Desmond Doss (Grazen), but when told that horse was not in serious training, he decided to buy Lovesick Blues. The Bing Crosby is a “Win and You're In” race for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, but Barocio will still need to pay $100,000 to get in the race because the horse was not nominated for the Breeders' Cup. Barocio said he was not sure which way to go until his son intervened. Also called Librado Barocio, the son is an assistant coach for the UCLA football team. He talked his father into committing to the Breeders' Cup. “He said, 'Dad, you made it to the Super Bowl,'” the elder Barocio said. “Right now he's at UCLA, but two years back he was with the Washington Commanders and Coach Rivera. And of course, their goal was to get to the Super Bowl. And when he played football at UCLA, their goal was to get to the national championship game. He said, 'Dad, you're in the Super Bowl.' He equated this victory with the Super Bowl. I agreed with him. The Breeders' Cup is the Super Bowl of racing. He said, 'You have to go,' and I said, 'absolutely, you are right.'” Barocio, who says he divides his time between racing and his business as film maker, had his best year in 2023 when he won 24 races. This year, he is 16-for-65, good for a win rate of 25%. Barocio won his first graded stakes race in 2024 in the GIII Senorita Stakes with Visually (Enticed). “I have to give all credit to my help, my workers, my assistants,” he said. “They work endlessly and they don't miss a beat. They do everything and sometimes they do it twice a day. We work on horses twice a day. I think the horses respond to that.” In our “Fastest Horse of the Week,” segment which is sponsored by WinStar, the team went over the many reasons there are breed to WinStar stallion Heartland. The fastest horse of the week was none other than Lovesick Blues, who got a 105 Beyer for his win in the Bing Crosby. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by 1/ST Racing, 1/ST TV, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, and West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Zoe Cadman, Bill Finley and Randy Moss reviewed the big effort by Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes and lamented the fact that he skipped the Preakness in a year where he might have won the Triple Crown. As for the 2-year-olds, 'TDN Rising Star' Brant (Gun Runner) was a hot topic. A horse that cost a record $3 million at OBS March, he romped at first asking in a Del Mar maiden race, earning a 101 Beyer figure, the fastest number run by any 2-year-old this year. The team also reviewed the GI Whitney S., which attracted possibly the best field of older dirt horses assembled this year. The consensus was that Fierceness (City of Light) is the horse to beat. To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here. The post Librado Barocio Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast Presented by Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Racing is canceled at Thistledown July 30-31, the remainder of the scheduled race week, with the track surface there going through continued examination.View the full article

The legacy of two of the top trainers of the last few decades will be honored by 1/ST with the announcement of graded stakes races being renamed in their memories.View the full article