Wandering Eyes

Tony Pike’s powers of persuasion have come up short against the money on offer in Hong Kong. The Cambridge trainer was keen to hold on to impressive debut winner Quantum Legend through his three-year-old campaign but has been unable to convince Hong Kong owner Kenneth Lau to leave him in New Zealand. “Unfortunately, it looks like he is going to take him up there. The PP bonuses (for previously raced horses) are so attractive for the owners if they win in Class 3,” Pike said. “We made a good case and the owner thought about it long and hard but, no, he’s heading up there. “It’s a real shame and if he was a colt, it may have been a different story, but with the amount of prizemoney up there it’s pretty hard to try and convince him otherwise, so we’ll move on.” Quantum Legend was offered by Kilgravin Lodge at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale where the son of Castelvecchio was knocked down to Waikato Bloodstock, on behalf of Lau, for $400,000. From the family of multiple Group One winner and champion sire Redoute’s Choice, he had impressed at the trials before winning as a short-priced favourite at Te Rapa last month. That performance earned him a $10 equal second favourite quote for the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Pike is now hoping a stablemate can press his southern claims on Saturday. The highly regarded Snitzel colt Storm Front is currently a $31 chance and will open his campaign in the Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie. “He trialled really well at Te Awamutu, he’s one of a number of nice three-year-olds who will probably run in the next couple of weeks and then we’ll know where they’re heading,” Pike said. Storm Front was a smart debut winner before he suffered cardiac arrhythmia when unplaced in the Listed Star Way Stakes (1200m) and was spelled. Meanwhile, multiple stakes winner Val Di Zoldo will bypass the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m). “She will go to the open mile at Te Rapa, I just didn’t want to run her first-up on a good surface over 1400m against weight-for-age horses, they’ll be too sharp for her,” Pike said. “She’ll run on September 14 and then go to the mile (Gr.1 Howden Insurance) and the 2040m race (Gr.1 Livamol Classic). “The Livamol is probably her best chance, but if they happened to get a Soft 8 or 9 for the second day at Te Rapa, where she has always run well, then it would be suitable for her as well.” View the full article

Meringue (Frosted) proved her talents could be applied to the turf and dirt as she successfully picked up her first stakes win in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes. The grey debuted June 19 at Churchill Downs, where she closed from eighth in that five-panel baby dash to win at first-asking on the grass by a neck. From there, her connections moved her to the main track for a tilt at the GIII Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga, and she ran headlong into Florida-bred titan Mythical (St Patrick's Day), who dominated by 3 1/4 lengths. Training well since that race, and with the field's best Beyer figure of 78, the betting public sent her away here with 5-1 odds to return to the winner's enclosure. In her customary spot near the rear of the field, the daughter of Frosted was in no hurry behind an opening quarter in :22.10 and a half in :44.80 from five off the fence. Asked for more by Luan Machado as they closed ranks for the homeward drive, she had to swing seven wide to do it, but Meringue relentlessly shortened the gap on 75-1 longshot Red Beretta (Catalina Cruiser) and To a Flame (Justify), and overhauled that entire flight in the shadow of the wire to win by a head. The former was second by a nose while the Justify filly was third by a head in a blanket result. Meringue is the first to the races for her dam Catbrier, whose half-sisters include SP Angel Kiss (Frosted) and Ms Bernadette (Bernardini)–dam of SP Beantown Baby (Artie Schiller). The second dam MGSP Kiawah Cat (Lemon Drop Kid) is a half-sister to G1 Dubai World Cup-placed Cat O'Mountain (Street Cry {Ire}) and multiple Group 1-placed Michita (Dynaformer). Catbrier has a yearling colt to her credit named Oscar (Oscar Performance) and a 2025 filly by Volatile. She went to Tiz the Law for 2026. This is the immediate female family of Singaporean Horse of the Year and five-time champion War Affair (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The fillies battle down the stretch in the $1M Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies with #6 MERINGUE ($13.20) prevailing for trainer @BrissetRodolphe and owner Elements Racing (@llc_racing). @luanmachado85 was aboard the daughter of @DarleyAmerica's Frosted. @KYDownsRacing pic.twitter.com/DiDwmB8cQZ — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) August 31, 2025 KENTUCKY DOWNS JUVENILE FILLIES S., $996,000, Kentucky Downs, 8-31, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:34.61, fm. 1–MERINGUE, 118, f, 2, by Frosted 1st Dam: Catbrier, by Street Sense 2nd Dam: Kiawah Cat, by Lemon Drop Kid 3rd Dam: Thunder Kitten, by Storm Cat 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Elements Racing LLC; B-Mesingw Farm LLC (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset; J-Luan Machado. $586,750. Lifetime Record: GSP, 3-2-1-0, $691,050. 2–Red Beretta, 118, f, 2, Catalina Cruiser–Dontgetinmyway, by Machiavellian. ($9,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Mana Racing; B-Shane Doyle & Penny McCarthy (KY); T-Michel Douaihy. $192,500. 3–To a Flame, 120, f, 2, Justify–Moth (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). ($375,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Bregman Family Racing LLC; B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY); T-George R. Arnold II. $96,250. Margins: HD, NO, HD. Odds: 5.60, 75.07, 8.31. Also Ran: Rose Room, Soloist, Oscar's Encore, Loveliest, I've Got the Honey, Back Ring Buzz, Chambourcin. The post Frosted’s Meringue Best of the Cavalry in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

10th-Gulfstream, $42,000, Msw, 8-31, 2yo, f, 1m 70y (AWT) (off turf), 1:43.63, ft, 1/2 length. DANDONA (f, 2, Tiz the Law–Tulsa Queen {SW & GSP-Can, SW-USA, $211,381}, by Cactus Ridge) was a pricey in-training purchase this past spring and she started her career on the tapeta after this maiden was rained off the turf course. Given 2-5 favoritism on the back of two bullets from her last three works, the filly was content to watch the race unfold from the back of the pack as pacesetters rolled through :23.59 and a half in :47.06. Moving into contention on the bend and vying for control in upper stretch, Dandona had challengers on all sides as she led them home in the final sixteenth, but she held on by a half-length over That Police (Tiz the Law). The victress is the second winner from as many offspring on the ground for Tulsa Queen, herself a frequent face on the Canadian stakes circuit in her racing years. The mare produced a yearling filly by Cyberknife but missed for her 2025 covering to Bolt d'Oro. Dandona sold for a tag befitting royalty, $1.05-million, after she blitzed through a furlong in :9.4 at OBS April this year. Sales history: $70,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT; $1,050,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $24,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Tagermeen Racing; B-Spotted Pony Stables LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.. The post Tiz the Law’s Dandona Game In Two-Turn Unveiling at Gulfstream Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saffie Joseph, Jr. edged Jose D'Angelo to earn leading trainer honors for the 13th consecutive race meeting at Gulfstream Park. The 38-year-old native of Barbados entered Sunday's closing day of the Royal Palm Meet with a one-win lead, 55-54, and clinched the title with 4-5 favorite Drama in the third race, following a victory with Genuine Gomo in the opener. Dandona, a $1.05-million OBS April purchase, gave Joseph his third winner on the day with a victory in the 10th race. Joseph finished with 58 winners and more than $1.9 million in purse earnings during the five-month Royal Palm Meet, which began Apr. 3. Joseph's string of Gulfstream training titles began in 2021 with the Royal Palm Meet, which he has now won five straight years, and also includes four consecutive titles at Gulfstream's Championship Meet. Jockey Edgard Zayas was the Royal Palm Meet's leading rider with 93 wins and nearly $3.1 million in purse earnings and Ken Ramsey finished as leading owner with 13 wins. Gulfstream's 36-day Sunshine Meet opens with a nine-race program Friday. Post time is 12:50 p.m. The post Joseph Earns 13th Straight Gulfstream Training Title appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In a day good for the runners who made the pace, Johnny's Red Storm (Twirling Candy) made every pole a winning one and took home the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint Stakes Sunday afternoon. The George Weaver charge came into this race off a sterling debut Aug. 3 at Saratoga, where he similarly took a field of auction-price restricted maidens gate-to-wire by four lengths. Training well in New York since then and shipped down for the race, the betting public liked him to the tune of 8-5 odds, and he was the favorite when the gates opened. Out to the front just as he had in his unveiling, the son of Twirling Candy rolled along through an opening sectional of :21.94 and a half in :44.73 with some moderate pressure coming from an outside challenger. Roused to put that one away by Frankie Dettori, who was enjoying quite an afternoon with three wins on the card at that point, Johnny's Red Storm responded well and kicked home to win by two lengths. 'TDN Rising Star' Obliteration (Violence) tried valiantly to cut into the margin, but had to settle for a clear-cut second. Stablemate Azizam (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) flew late to take third. It was Dettori's fourth time in the winner's enclosure while Weaver claimed two of the trifecta spots via the winner and third-place finisher. Johnny's Red Storm is the second successful offspring for Estoril behind winning eldest half-sister Momma Kim (Noble Mission {GB}). The last registered foal for the dam is a now yearling filly by Known Agenda after the mare did not produce a foal from her trip to Good Magic for 2025. Estoril, a half-sister to GSW Tide of the Sea (English Channel), does not have a 2026 breeding on record. This is the female line of MGISW Tates Creek (Rahy) and is the immediate family of MGSW Fulsome (Into Mischief) as well as European champion 2-year-old filly Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. JOHNNY'S RED STORM ($5.48) led all the way in the $1M Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint. The fourth winner on today's @KYDownsRacing card for jockey @FrankieDettori. George Weaver trains this 2YO colt by @LanesEndFarms' Twirling Candy. pic.twitter.com/5gSYDZsXhU — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) August 31, 2025 KENTUCKY DOWNS JUVENILE SPRINT S., $946,000, Kentucky Downs, 8-31, 2yo, 6 1/2fT, 1:14.83, fm. 1–JOHNNY'S RED STORM, 120, c, 2, by Twirling Candy 1st Dam: Estoril, by Into Mischief 2nd Dam: Routine, by Empire Maker 3rd Dam: Tates Creek, by Rahy ($60,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-John J. Cronin, Jr., and RAP Racing; B-St. Elias Stables, LLC (KY); T-George Weaver; J-Lanfranco Dettori. $586,750. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $630,750. 2–Obliteration, 120, c, 2, Violence–I'mclassyandsassy, by Master Command. ($200,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Leland Ackerley Racing, LLC; B-Ocala Stud (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $192,500. 3–Azizam (GB), 120, c, 2, Havana Grey (GB)–Mimram (GB), by Kheleyf. (€46,000 Wlg '23 GOFNOF; £46,000 Ylg '24 GOFFUK; 115,000gns RNA 2yo '25 TATBRE). O-Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables LLC, Harrell Ventures LLC, Steve Adkisson, Brody Racing LLC, Pura Vida Investments LLC, Campeche Stables and Andrew Atkinson; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-George Weaver. $46,250. Margins: 2, 1 3/4, 2. Odds: 1.74, 2.82, 5.63. Also Ran: Twilight Delight, Longshoreman, Win N Juice, Trendsetter, Lawyer Mason, Zeus's Echo, Telecaster. The post Twirling Candy’s Johnny’s Red Storm Takes Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint Gate to Wire appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Early Sunday afternoon, Mike Repole wasn't sure if he had slept or not Saturday night. “I might have taken a nap from 2 (a.m.) to 4,” Repole said in the Saratoga box seat area. “I am running high on adrenaline right now.” Sixteen hours earlier, Repole, with 40 friends and family–including Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher–gathered at his Saratoga house and watched Fierceness (City of Light) overcome a world of trouble and still draw off to a 3 1/4-length win over GI Preakness Stakes winner and GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes runner-up Journalism (Curlin) in the $1-million GI Pacific Classic. “Mike was pretty excited,” Pletcher said at his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track Sunday morning. “I got out of there at 11 (p.m.). If you had told me 9:15 (Pacific Classic) post, we were going to win and I would get out at 11, sign me up.” A couple hours after Repole was rehashing Fierceness' win, things got sour as he watched his other top older horse–Mindframe (Constitution)–lose rider Irad Ortiz Jr. just after the start of the $1-million GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. That was the end of his race. Before the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Repole was approached by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott–who conditions Derby, Belmont and GI Travers Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief)–and accepted his congratulations for Fierceness. Ditto from trainer Chad Brown, who has GI Whitney Stakes champion Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), who was second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Fierceness shipped to California from Pletcher's Saratoga base last Wednesday. Pletcher said Sunday morning that Fierceness would fly back to Saratoga this Wednesday and, most likely stay here to train up to the $7-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2. “We stayed here last year, and the weather cooperated, and we were able to get our final breezes in and then ship to California,” Pletcher said. “That is probably what I would like to do, but we have to keep some flexibility based on what the weather does.” In the Pacific Classic, the Repole crew gasped at the start of the Pacific Classic when Fierceness, starting from the rail in the 1 1/4-mile race veered sharpy inward towards the rail, nearly losing his rider John Velazquez. Almost speechless. Fierceness had a historic and epic performance winning the G1 Pacific Classic @DelMarRacing Watching this race as a fan in Saratoga with family and friends is why I fell in love with this game and why I still love this game!!!!! This is why I decided to… pic.twitter.com/3OCPCq7Vqg — Repole Stable (@RepoleStable) August 31, 2025 Velazquez showed why he is a Hall of Fame rider as he was able to get Fierceness back on track, but then found himself behind a wall of horses. “I wasn't nervous until 10 seconds into the race,” Repole said. “Then I went from nervous to panic. I was like, 'oh my God, is he going to get hurt?' Then it was 'oh my God, the race is over!' Then it was 'oh my God, I shipped him to California. What a waste!' What an incredible job by Johnny. Nine out of 10 jockeys go down.” Fierceness, who was accompanied to California by Pletcher's assistant Sophie Green, has now won two of four starts this year and has seven wins in 13 career starts. “People have said that if things don't go his way, he doesn't run well,” Pletcher said. “Things didn't go his way yesterday–part of it was his fault for the mistake at the start. After that, he was bottled up behind horses and had to wait, split horses down the backside and overcome some adversity. Maybe this will quiet some of the skeptics.” Repole wasn't going to be around too much longer on Sunday. He said he was flying to Europe Sunday night for a “half business, half wedding” trip. His last impressions of being in Saratoga were half good, half not so good. Watching the Pacific Classic on television with friends and family was a highlight, watching Mindframe in the Jockey Club Gold Cup was not. Baffert Hopeful That Buetane Comes Through Closing Day When 2-year-old colt Buetane (Tiz the Law) broke his maiden at Del Mar on Aug. 3, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was in Saratoga. When Buetane runs in Monday's $300,000 GI Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga, Baffert will be at Del Mar. “The first time he ran, I was landing in Saratoga for the [Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale],” Baffert said by phone from his base in California. One of these days, he just might get to see one of his prized 2-year-olds run in person. Buetane | Benoit Buetane is in Saratoga because Baffert, as usual, has a plethora of promising youngsters. Buetane is owned by Zedan Racing Stables Inc. and Amr Zedan paid $1,150,000 for him at the 2025 Ocala Breeders Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training sale. Zedan also owns the promising Brant, a $3-million purchase at the same sale. He broke his maiden by 5 1/4 lengths in July. Buetane romped to a 3 1/2-length score on Aug. 3. Both were tabbed 'TDN Rising Stars.' Baffert wants to keep the two Zedan runners separated for now, so Buetane came east. Buetane is the nickname of two-time World Series champion pitcher Walker Buehler, a friend of Baffert. Baffert said that Buetane, who will be ridden by Flavien Prat, has always showed promise. “They tip us off in the mornings and then they have to run in the afternoons,” Baffert said. “I think he has trained well. It looks like it is going to be a tough Hopeful. It's a good spot for him Ned Toffey Has High Hopes for Ted Noffey More than a few heads turned when a 2-year-old colt named Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) made his debut at Saratoga on Aug. 2. Part of the reason was because the colt, owned by Spendthrift Farm, was an impressive 1 1/2-length winner in his $100,000 maiden special weight, earning 'TDN Rising Star' honors. The other was the name. If it sounds a lot like Ned Toffey, the general manager at Spendthrift, you're right. It does. The name came about after an inadvertent typo on a social media post. Eric Gustavson, co-owner of Spendthrift, got wind of the mistake and thought it would be a cool name for a horse. And here he is. Ted Noffey. He will take his next step on Monday when he runs in the $300,000 GI Hopeful Stakes, one of two horses Spendthrift has in the race. They also co-own Emphasis (Yaupon) along with Repole Stable. Ted Noffey | Sarah Andrew Into Mischief and Yaupon stand at Spendthrift. “When you break your maiden at Saratoga and do it in the solid fashion that he did it, it's easy to get optimistic,” Ned Toffey said. “But, at the same time, we are going in the Hopeful, and I guess I should say the Spendthrift Hopeful because we are sponsoring it for the first time!” Ted Noffey (9-2 on the morning line) and Emphasis (12-1) are both trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher. Ricardo Santana Jr. is named to ride Emphasis and Hall of Famer John Velazquez is on Ted Noffey. Emphasis broke his maiden by a length, going nearly gate-to-wire at Saratoga on July 19. “Both of them did what we asked them to do and this is kind of what you do now,” Pletcher said. “Go to a stakes. Hopefully, they can run well and keep moving forward and improve as they go along. That is what you need all of them to do.” The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Fierceness Allowed Repole to Have Quite the Party After Pacific Classic Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After a fruitless last three appearances against elite company, juvenile champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) returned to his winning ways after major class relief in the Shared Belief Stakes. Off the board in the GI Woody Stephens, GI Kentucky Derby, and GI Santa Anita Derby in his last three starts, it had been a tough spring for the Bob Baffert trainee after a sensational juvenile season which saw him win two Grade I races, including the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and take home top prize as the best 2-year-old colt of 2024. Gone since the Woody Stephens June 7, the 'TDN Rising Star' returned here in a scratched down field of three and was made the definitive 2-5 favorite by the betting public. Taking command right from the jump, Citizen Bull put up :22.39 and a half in :45.88 with no pressure from Smooth Cruisein (Girvin) or Gaming (Game Winner). Well in command coming off the far turn, he needed little encouragement to pull away from his rivals and ultimately won by 5 1/2 lengths. “He's a good horse,” said winning rider Juan Hernandez. “He broke well out of the gate. He gave me speed at the three-quarter pole and that was it. When he recovers well from this race, I think he can go anywhere.” “He was back to a distance he really loves,” said Baffert from the winner's enclosure. “The Breeders' Cup Mile is probably where we will be pointing. We were trying to get him back to form after what he went through. I told Juan [Hernandez] 'Come back with bugs on your teeth.' It was good to see him put on a show today. You saw the champion Citizen Bull today.” The victor is his dam's first winning offspring from three to the races. No Joke, herself a half-sister to MGISW Moonshine Memories (Malibu Moon) and SW & GSP Indian Evening (Indian Charlie), has a yearling colt by Mandaloun and a 2025 colt by Life Is Good to her credit. Another of the dam's half-sisters is the mother of MGSW Souper Hoity Toity (Uncle Mo). This is the extended female family of MGISW Tiz the Law (Constitution) and the immediate one of Horse of the Year Favorite Trick. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. He's GONE. Citizen Bull & @JJHernandezS19 with an easy victory in the Shared Belief Stakes. pic.twitter.com/oGzadThz2V — Del Mar Racetrack (@DelMarRacing) August 31, 2025 SHARED BELIEF S., $115,000, Del Mar, 8-31, 3yo, 1m, 1:35.12, ft. 1–CITIZEN BULL, 124, c, 3, by Into Mischief 1st Dam: No Joke, by Distorted Humor 2nd Dam: Unenchantedevening, by Unbridled's Song 3rd Dam: Evil Elaine, by Medieval Man ($675,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor, Dianne, Determined Stables, Masterson, Robert E., Ryan, Tom J., Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine; B-Robert & Lawana Low (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $75,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2-year-old colt, MGISW, 9-5-0-1, $1,556,000. 2–Smooth Cruisein, 120, c, 3, Girvin–Smooth Cookie, by In Summation. ($41,000 Ylg '23 OBSOCT; $45,000 RNA 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Matson Racing, Brown, Sandra L., Naify, Elise and Naify, Marsha; B-J D Farms (FL); T-Karen Headley. $25,000. 3–Gaming, 124, c, 3, Game Winner–So Stylish, by Johannesburg. ($40,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $250,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Pegram, Michael E., Watson, Karl and Weitman, Paul; B-Mt. Brilliant Farm & Ranch, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $15,000. Margins: 5HF, 9, NO. Odds: 0.40, 9.50, 1.40. Scratched: Brother Brother, Privman. The post Juvenile Champion Citizen Bull Back to Winning Ways in Shared Belief appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Centennial Farms' Antiquarian withstood the late run of Sierra Leone to win the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga Race Course; a race that saw Irad Ortiz Jr. knocked off of prominent contender Mindframe in the early going.View the full article

Trainer Ian Wilkes said Burnham Square will get the rest of the year off and point to a 2026 turf campaign.View the full article

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., who was thrown from Mindframe (Constitution) shortly after the start of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Sunday at Saratoga, was sent to Albany Medical for evaluation. Release of the results of those tests were still pending Sunday evening. “Mindframe seems to be okay,” owner Mike Repole said in a video posted to X after the race. “My biggest concern is Irad. I went out there to check on him. He's an incredible kid. He's in a lot of pain. Right forearm, maybe thumb. And his rib. A lot of pain on the left side on his rib.” Ortiz was dislodged from his mount after Phileas Fogg (Astern {Aus}) veered inward at the start of the race, causing a chain reaction with the horses to his inside. After being knocked off Mindframe, Ortiz briefly ended up on the back of White Abarrio (Race Day) just to his outside before falling to the track. Flavien Prat, aboard trailing favorite Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) swerved in an attempt to avoid the fallen rider. “I hope Irad is okay,” Chad Brown, trainer of Sierra Leone, said. “That's my main concern. Our horse is the one that went over the top of him and my concern is for him.” The post Ortiz Injured in Gold Cup Incident appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Bi-coastal, 1 1/4-mile Grade I stakes over the weekend at Del Mar and Saratoga featured a number of contenders projected to target the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The obvious winner was continent-crossing jockey John Velazquez, who parlayed a win in Saturday's GI Pacific Classic into a score 16 hours later in Sunday's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. Here's a look how the horses who were in action emerged from those efforts and where they stand heading into the championship race. Fierceness: For a colt who has a reputation for sometimes not sealing the deal and for not being overly fond of racing while pinned down inside, this 'TDN Rising Star' by City of Light orchestrated a Houdini-like extrication from dicey circumstances in Saturday's Pacific Classic when he attempted to duck into the temporary rail leaving the 10-furlong start chute and then overreacted by pulling in the opposite direction. Velazquez said post-win (107 Beyer Speed Figure) that he “wanted to stay off” Fierceness's mouth and that the 4-year-old was “keen to go on” with an early move into the far turn. But once clear of rivals Velazquez “wanted to get him off the bridle a little and let him finish,” and that's exactly what Fierceness did, opening up by 3 1/4 lengths at 8-5 odds over the 2-5 favorite, Journalism (Curlin). You could raise the argument that Fierceness encountered little difficulty once he put away the 96-1 and 72-1 longshots who were capitulating on the far turn, meaning that the Pacific Classic wasn't a stern late-race test of his ability to handle multiple waves of challengers. That's a valid point, because in many other Grade I races (like when fifth-place Fierceness had everything his own way, pace-wise, but could not sustain his mid-race bid in the Aug. 2 GI Whitney Stakes) that sort of move might only resonate as “premature.” It didn't on Saturday though, and now this two-time winner at 1 1/4 miles is on his way back to New York to train up to the Breeders' Cup after notching a win over the Del Mar surface before needing to ship back there again for the Nov. 1 Classic. Fierceness was second in last year's Classic, also at Del Mar, as the 2-1 beaten fave behind 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). Antiquarian: The “other” Todd Pletcher-trained entrant upset the Jockey Club Gold Cup at 13-1 odds after stablemate and second betting choice Mindframe (Constitution) lost his jockey in a gate incident that changed the entire complexion of the race and also resulted in a disqualification of the third-place finisher. Following the spill that occurred to his inside, this 4-year-old son of Preservationist was midpack behind a breakaway 70-1 pacemaker before getting second run on that speedster and steadily closing the gap with his big, white blaze cocked out toward the grandstand. Antiquarian came over the top a sixteenth out, a comfortable 1 1/2 lengths clear of the late-striding 1.15-1 favorite Sierra Leone. Antiquarian, who had not previously been considered an A-list aspirant for the Classic, earned an automatic, fees-paid berth into that race. His only previous stakes victory was last year's GIII Peter Pan Stakes, although he did win a seven-furlong allowance/optional claimer at Gulfstream in April off a 10-month layoff before finishing second in both the GIII Blame Stakes and the GII Suburban Stakes. Sierra Leone: Even though the defending Classic champ was likely going to do his running from well off the tailgate anyway in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, it didn't help his rhythm when he was forced to alter course around the fallen jockey in the first sixteenth of the race, and then Flavien Prat had to take him back and build a bid with a loose horse in front of him. Sierra Leone launched into his reliable late-stage run three furlongs out and came wide and driving like he usually does. He did display a little of the deep-stretch lugging-in (inconsequential, in this case) that has been a hard-to-shake habit since the early part of his career. But this 4-year-old's best races continue to be those in which he gets a significant speed set-up on the front end, like in the Whitney Stakes, when no fewer than five other horses had led at some point before he torqued past in a “last man standing” effort. It's too early to tell whether Sierra Leone will have his type of tempo unfold before him in the Classic at Del Mar, but he did win last year's edition off similar 2 1/2-month spacing after being a beaten fave in a Saratoga stakes (the GI Travers). Journalism: This three-time Grade I winner didn't show next-level advancement when second in the Pacific Classic and facing older horses for the first time. Journalism's 102-Beyer effort wasn't a marked regression, but this 3-year-old son of Curlin will now have to prep for the Breeders' Cup off a plateau that lacks positive momentum. The beaten fave in the GI Kentucky Derby had shipped East for four straight races and was deserving of a start on his home circuit. His drop-back-to-last style on Saturday was appropriate for the pace and it kept Journalism out of the traffic he often encounters. But nothing about his one-paced move from the three-eighths pole home capitalized on Fierceness's self-inflicted trip trouble, and Journalism's deep-stretch chase mode was without the impressive, final-sixteenth winning turns of foot he uncorked when seemingly beaten in the GI Preakness Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes. Journalism will now get a nine-week break leading up to the Breeders' Cup, the longest time off he's had since the gap between his juvenile and sophomore seasons. He'll enter the Classic with three attempts at 10 furlongs this campaign, but he's been second each time, and projects to face the horses–Fierceness and Sovereignty (Into Mischief)–that have already bested him at that distance. Mindframe: After dislodging jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. shortly after the break in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Mindframe toured the track riderless before getting collared by an outrider. He was walked back to the barn area, and several hours after the incident, trainer Pletcher said on Sunday that initial inspections of the colt checked out “fine.” Should he go on to target the Breeders' Cup, Mindframe would be one of the more intriguing Classic contenders based on his versatile running style and previous 3-for-3 record in stakes this year, in which this 4-year-old has already beaten the likes of Sierra Leone, Nysos (Nyquist) and the crack sprinter Book 'em Danno (Bucchero) in races between seven and nine furlongs. Nysos: This 'TDN Rising Star' by Nyquist gets an “incomplete” grade because he scratched out of the Pacific Classic on race day with a hind hoof bruise that trainer Bob Baffert described as “sensitive.” By Sunday morning, Baffert told Daily Racing Form that Nysos “looked better” and that the colt will now aim for the nine-furlong GI Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita Sept. 27. Nysos has only raced six times in a career that spans 21 months and includes a 15-month layoff between his 3- and 4-year-old seasons, but he was riding a two-race win streak into the Pacific Classic. He had splintered the field in the four-horse GIII Triple Bend Stakes over seven furlongs (108 Beyer) on May 31 at Santa Anita, then overcame being hemmed at the fence on the far turn of the July 26 GII San Diego Handicap before slicing up the rail and galloping home in hand by 2 3/4 lengths. That victory gave him a win over the Del Mar surface in preparation for the Breeders' Cup, but Nysos still hasn't raced beyond 1 1/16 miles. The post The Week in Review: Six Takes on Two Weekend Stakes for Breeders’ Cup Classic Contenders appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There is no time for real celebration and there certainly isn't time to feel sorry for oneself. In horse racing, the game just keeps going on. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher had first-hand experience of that Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course. Just before 2 p.m., he was elated and crushed in the same race, the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. Just over an hour later, he had to push those emotions to the side and saddle a 2-year-old in a $100,000 maiden special weight. It was the seventh race, a six-furlong event for fillies and Pletcher had the horse to beat in the even-money favorite, Lovely Christina (Vekoma). And she ran like it. Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, Lovely Christina won the pace duel with All About You (Maclean's Music), the 8-1 third choice, and then drew off to win by an easy 1 ¾ lengths. Second went to Paige Turner (Army Mule), who was 6-1. Lovely Christina covered the distance in 1:11.42 and paid $4.00, $3.00 and $2.30. Of course, Pletcher was delighted with how Lovely Christina ran for owner Leland Ackerley Racing, but it was only human nature that his mind would wander back to the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He had two horses in that race. The one most expected would run the best–Mindframe (Constitution)–lost jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and didn't finish the race. The other, 13-1 Antiquarian (Preservationist), was the winner. An hour later, the emotions were still raw. Both good and bad. “That was a tough one,” Pletcher said. “Part of you is so excited for Antiquarian and (owner) Centennial (Farms) because they deserve to have a horse win a race like that. On the other hand, you feel horrible for Mindframe and Irad and (owners) St. Elias and (Mike) Repole.” Pletcher said he had just gotten off the phone with Ortiz, who was in an ambulance and on his way to Albany Medical Center with what appeared to be a wrist injury. Mindframe, he was happy to say, was ok. “My biggest concern,' Pletcher said, “was over at the quarter pole gap. A lot of times when a horse gets loose, they look to where they go on and off the track and goes on at that gap. I was really worried he might go that way and something really bad could happen. Thankfully, he was able to maintain his composure once he loped past that and the outriders came and got him.” Pletcher could only imagine what might have been with Mindframe, but he still got the big prize with Antiquarian. And then he had to switch focus quickly and get ready to saddle Lovely Christina. Bred by Spendthrift Farm, she had finished a distant second in her 6 1/2-furlong debut on Aug. 10. That race was won by Carmel Coast (Omaha Beach). “She ran into a buzzsaw the last time and ran very well,” said Pletcher, who notched his 13th maiden special weight victory of the meet. Her performance was good, but Pletcher had to decide if he was going to run her back on three weeks rest. “A little concerned about that,” he said. “But she had done well since the race and the next opportunity was not going to be until around Sept. 25 at Aqueduct. I don't think she needed to wait that long.” 7th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-31, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.42, ft, 1 3/4 lengths. LOVELY CHRISTINA (f, 2, Vekoma–Daring Kathy {GSW-USA, GSP-Can, $494,956}, by Wildcat Heir) found Carmel Coast (Omaha Beach) too tough in her career debut when seen finishing 5 1/2 lengths back in second at the Spa Aug. 10. Backed down to even-money favoritism in her first start back, the bay broke sharply and prompted a :22.83 opening quarter set by All About You (Maclean's Music). Edging ahead of that rival at the quarter pole, Lovely Christina drew off to score by 1 3/4 lengths over the closing firster Paige Turner (Army Mule). The winner is a half to How's Ur Attitude (Street Sense), SP, $191,549. The winner's graded stakes winning dam Daring Kathy produced a filly by Mo Donegal and a filly by Vekoma over the past two seasons. Sales history: $170,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP; $425,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $75,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Leland Ackerley Racing; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. The post Saratoga Maidens: Emotional Day for Pletcher, But He Gets Another Juvenile Score appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Star mare Treasurethe Moment showed she could provide champion Yulong teammate Via Sistina some stiff opposition if they clash in the spring by producing a breathtaking victory in a classic edition of the Memsie Stakes (G1) Aug. 31.View the full article

Centennial Farm's Antiquarian withstood the late run of Sierra Leone to win the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga Race Course; a race that saw Irad Ortiz Jr. knocked off of prominent contender Mindframe in the early going.View the full article

Star mare Treasurethe Moment showed she could provide champion Yulong teammate Via Sistina some stiff opposition if they clash in the spring by producing a breathtaking victory in a classic edition of the Memsie Stakes (G1) Aug. 31.View the full article

The GI Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes is carded as the anchor for Monday's Labor Day festivities, which marks the last set of races for the season upstate. A scan through the past winners of the top-level affair over the past 25 years include a strong list of future sires. How about for starters Sky Mesa (2002), First Samurai (2005), Shanghai Bobby (2012) and Competitive Edge (2014)? More recently Practical Joke (2016), Mind Control (2018), Basin (2019), Jackie's Warrior (2020), Gunite (2021) and Forte (2022) got their picture taken before heading to stallion duty later. They were hopefuls no more. This year's edition boasts a quality field of eight and includes a trio of 'TDN Rising Stars' in Ted Noffey (Into Mischief), Curtain Call (Tiz the Law) and Buetane (Tiz the Law). Ted Noffey cleared on debut for Spendthrift and trainer Todd Pletcher at the Spa Aug. 2, while Curtain Call earned his badge at second asking over a sloppy Saratoga main track July 12 for West Point and trainer Mark Casse. The California invader who clocks in is Buetane. His 3 1/2 length score at his unveiling at Del Mar was strong for Bob Baffert. A $1.5-million buy for Zedan Racing at this year's OBS April Sale, the colt was made the 2-1 morning-line favorite by David Aragona. Buetane debuts a winner at Del Mar | Benoit Trainer Steve Asmussen won three Hopeful Stakes starting with Basin, and is well-represented with Soldier N Diplomat (Army Mule) and Bashford Manor Stakes hero Romeo (Honor A.P.). The latter was purchased for $1.7-million by Mahmud Mouni at the Fasig-Tipton Horses of Racing Age Sale this summer and sent to Asmussen. Pletcher also has Emphasis (Yaupon) going out for co-owners Spendthrift and Mike Repole. The $625,000 Keeneland September grad debuted a winner over the local course July 19. Rounding out the field is Butch Reid trainee Flyin Hawaiian (Maximus Mischief), who was highlighted last week in Tim Wilkin's Spa Notebook, presented by NYRA Bets. Last but not least, trainer Joseph Orseno sends out Aye Eye (Essential Quality), after his colt won an auction-restricted maiden race at the Spa Aug. 8. “Seven furlongs was the natural progression for this horse,” said Orseno. “I was looking for this distance, and it happens to be a Grade I. I know his numbers don't say he belongs, but you can't take away the way he did it. That's what I'm looking at more than his numbers.” “When I look at Essential Quality, this horse has the same kind of body type, that's about the only comparison I can make,” he said. “Physically, he's not this big, strapping 16 and change hands horse that would 'wow' you, but he's athletic looking and put together.” Monday's Hopeful is the ninth race at 4:42 p.m. ET. Timing ISN'T everything Midlantic May 2YO Sale grad AYE EYE blew past the competition to break his maiden at first asking at Saratoga on 8/8! He sold off an untimed workout at this year's sale. Congrats to all the connections! #FasigGradpic.twitter.com/S06ScI3cca — Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) August 10, 2025 The post Hopeful Stakes Preview: Recent Grade I Pipeline To Stallion Duty appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was an erratic running of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, but Antiquarian (Preservationist) managed to avoid the worse of it to take home the hardware and stamp his ticket to the Breeders' Cup Classic in November. Mindframe (Constitution) lost Irad Ortiz Jr. not long after the break, and was safely corralled by outriders. All seemed well after the jump, but things soon went south when Phileas Fogg (Astern {Aus}) came over to secure a spot on the rail and caused a chain reaction which knocked jockey Ortiz Jr. off the 9-5 shot. Ortiz seemed to briefly be on the back of White Abarrio (Race Day) before he eventually fell to the track. With the scramble behind him, 70-1 longshot Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief) was left alone on the lead and set fractions of :23.00 and a half in :46.96 completely uncontested. The lone leader was overtaken through the final turn by Phileas Fogg but Antiquarian had that one squarely in his sights in the stretch, eventually overhauling him to win. Even-money Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) came on well to cross the line in second after having to swerve to avoid Ortiz. After the race, there was an immediate inquiry into the running with Phileas Fogg ultimately disqualified from his runner-up placing to being unplaced behind Mindframe. The running order was Antiquarian, Sierra Leone, and Highland Falls (Curlin) was promoted to third. There will be updates coming, as soon as they are available, on Ortiz Jr. and Mindframe. Antiquarian upsets at 13/1 in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga! @ljlmvel was aboard for trainer Todd Pletcher. pic.twitter.com/dApK90BI10 — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 31, 2025 The post Antiquarian Wins Jockey Club Gold Cup in Erratically-Run 2025 Rendition appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Monday at Saratoga. Monday, September 1, 2025 Saratoga 1, $100k, 2yo, 6f, 12:05 p.m. Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Epic Quest (Nyquist), OBSMAR, 1,000,000, :10 C-Scanlon Training & Sales, agent; B-Shannon Potter for Epic Horses LLC Grunge (Beau Liam)-MTO, OBSAPR, 260,000, :10 C-Julie Davies LLC, agent; B-J Migliore, agt S Rocco & West Point Rockies Balboa (Girvin), OBSAPR, 150,000, :10 C-Randy Miles, agent; B-J Bloom for C Monfort & B Spagnola Saratoga 6, $90k, 2yo, f, (S), 5 1/2fT, 2:55 p.m. Harpy (Redesdale), OBSJUN, 12,000, :10 2/5 C-Omar Ramirez Bloodstock, agent; B-Heather Smullen, agent Saint Margaret (Honest Mischief), OBSMAR, 425,000, :9 4/5 C-Sequel Bloodstock, agent; B-Joseph DiRico Sassy Sats (Maximus Mischief), FTMMAY, 62,000, G C-Bryan Ford Training Stable, agent; B-Phillips Stb, Oracle BS, agt Too B Wed (Yaupon)-AE, FTMMAY, 85,000, :11 C-Tom McCrocklin, agent; B-Dennis O'Neill Sar 9, Hopeful S.-GI, $300k, 2yo, 7f, 4:42 p.m. Aye Eye (Essential Quality), FTMMAY, 45,000, G C-Julie Davies LLC, agent; B-Robert Cotran Buetane (Tiz the Law), OBSAPR, 1,150,000, :20 3/5 C-Tom McCrocklin, agent; B-Donato Lanni for Zedan Racing Curtain Call (Tiz the Law), OBSMAR, 325,000, :10 1/5 C-S G V Thoroughbreds (S Venosa), agt; B-West Point, LEB, agent Soldier N Diplomat (Army Mule), OBSMAR, 950,000, :10 C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-St Elias Stable LLC The post Summer Breezes Sponsored By OBS: Monday, September 1, 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 12:05 p.m. ET. On closing day at the Spa, EPIC QUEST (Nyquist) makes his first start after clocking a 10 flat during the OBS under tack show–according to Alan Carasso's 'Summer Breezes'–then going to Epic Horses for a cool million at the March auction. The Todd Pletcher trainee is out of unraced Alottalute (Midnight Lute), who claims multiple stakes winners Street Lute (Street Magician) and Alottahope (Editorial). The first-time starter's extended female family includes $1.2-million earner Texcess (Excess {Ire}). Also set to debut is Fasig-Tipton October grad Stream It (Tapit), whose dam is Canadian champion female sprinter River Maid (Where's the Ring), and OBS April buy Grunge (Beau Liam)–the half-brother of GSW Divine Miss Grey (Divine Park). TJCIS PPS 2nd-SAR, $100K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 12:39 p.m. ET. Time to Win (Not This Time) makes the races under the care of trainer Chad Brown. A $650,000 acquisition out of the 2023 Keeneland September Sale, the chestnut's half-sister is GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes heroine Juju's Map (Liam's Map), while his dam is herself a half-sister to GI Santa Margarita Stakes victress Fault (Blame). Finally, Voulezvous (Uncle Mo) gets his shot at an unveiling. The Jumping Jack Racing homebred will be along the same shedrow as his older full-sister MGSW Envoutante, who was also trained by Ken McPeek. TJCIS PPS The post Monday’s Racing Insights: Pricey Nyquist Colt Epic Quest Heads Spa Maiden On Closing Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There are moments in every great industry where legacy is forged not in silence, but through bold, decisive action. As we approach the 2025 Keeneland September Sale, this is one of those moments. In last week's Thoroughbred Daily News, two pieces struck a deep and unsettling chord: the Thoroughbred Rescue Alliance's open letter titled “When Does a Thoroughbred Earn a Safe Retirement?” (Aug. 25), and Pat Cummings's “Aftercare Not Meeting The Need” (Aug. 28). As an industry of excellence, prestige, and tradition, these letters were hard to read–not because they're wrong, but because they reveal a truth we can no longer ignore. The dichotomy of which is not just heartbreaking-it's destructive. To the public eye, it makes racing appear out of step, out of touch, and out of time. We have been here before. We've recognized the need, and we've responded with integrity-creating organizations like the TAA, TRF, and TCA, all of which have done extraordinary work thanks to the vision of early leaders. But as Mr. Cummings rightly points out, the scale and speed of today's challenges are eclipsing yesterday's solutions. It is time to lead, and it is time to raise the standard. Aftercare is not a charitable cause–it is a moral and professional responsibility. The horses we breed, train, and race are not disposable assets. They are the foundation of everything we stand for. If we neglect them, we diminish not only our credibility, but the legacy of an entire sport. This industry has always stood for excellence. From historic bloodlines to iconic tracks, we've been custodians of something greater than ourselves. That's what draws people to racing-not just the sport, but the significance of being part of something lasting. But here's the truth: No matter how strong the bloodline or how prestigious the sale, if we can't ensure a safe, and dignified path for the horses after the finish line, everything we build will crumble under the weight of public distrust and internal disillusionment. We are no longer just managing optics. We are facing a reckoning. Aftercare is not a charitable side note. It is a responsibility. This Is a Call Not Just to Act, but to Lead Would representatives of The Jockey Club, TOBA, Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton and OBS, Breeders' Cup, Churchill Downs, NYRA, 1/ST Racing and other racetrack owners consider coming together on any given day between September 7-10 at Keeneland, to use your influence to be the nucleus of a bold, coordinated, national framework for aftercare–a system that doesn't just react to crises but prevents them? Let's be crystal clear: without a responsible, structured approach to aftercare, this industry will not survive. But more than that-it will not deserve to. It's time to build something worthy of the animals who give us everything-and the sport we claim to cherish. We are at an inflection point. History will remember, this era as the generation who rose to protect the soul of racing? Or the one that let it fall–FROM KINGS, TO KILL PENS? What we choose will be our legacy, that choice lies with us, and the institutions who define our sport listed above. The time to lead is now. Suzi Prichard-Jones is an owner/breeder and the founder of the Byerley & Godolphin Conservation Project. The post Letter to the Editor: There Comes a Time appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

ParisLongchamp's Prix de Fontenoy looked a fascinating affair on paper beforehand and didn't disappoint as Zaraki (Zarak) surged to TDN Rising Stardom on Sunday. Sent off the 19-10 favourite for the mile event for unraced colts, the Wertheimer homebred was always happy shadowing the leader Houblon (Wootton Bassett). Committed two out by Maxime Guyon, the Andre Fabre-trained grandson of Plumania was impressive from there and hit the line with ears pricked by two lengths. “We expected a good debut from this horse,” the owner-breeders' racing manager Pierre Yves Bureau said of the sire's first TDN Rising Star. “The reports of his homework were very good and he confirmed that very nicely. It looks that he has everything to make a real nice three-year-old.” Prix De Fontenoy @paris_longchamp Longchamp – Inédits – Males – 2 ans – 1600m – 9 Pts – 45 700 € Zaraki (m) Maxime Guyon @maximeguyon_off (Zarak (Fr) @AgaKhanStuds – Urbania (Gb) par Sea The Stars (Ire)) Andre Fabre Wertheimer & Frere Wertheimer &… pic.twitter.com/r6YvCZzSNL — French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) August 31, 2025 Pedigree Notes Zaraki is the first foal out of the 11-furlong winner Urbania (Sea The Stars), one of a quartet of mares produced by the operation's high-class Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud heroine Plumania (Anabaa). They include Galileo's Solilea, who is in turn the dam of four black-type performers including Le Havre's Listed Prix Zarkava winner and G1 Prix Saint Alary-placed Solsticia and the highly-regarded three-year-old colt Sinileo (Siyouni) who was third in the G2 Prix Eugene Adam in June. Plumania, who is also responsible for four black-type performers headed by the G2 Prix du Muguet and G3 Sovereign Stakes winner Plumatic by Zarak's sire Dubawi, is a half to the G2 Prix de Royallieu winner Balladeuse (Singspiel) whose progeny feature the multiple Group winner and Arc runner-up Aventure by Urbania's sire and another leading Dubawi in the Vermeille heroine Left Hand. Also connected to this year's Listed Prix Rose de Mai winner and G2 Prix Saint Alary runner-up Audubon Park, also by Dubawi, and the dual Prix Royal Oak hero Double Major (Daiwa Major), Urbania's yearling filly Tofu is by Lope De Vega while she also has a colt foal by Camelot named Urbain. The post Zaraki Impresses At ParisLongchamp, First TDN Rising Star For Zarak appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lightning couldn't strike twice, could it? In a sense it already has. Gerard Augustin-Normand, who made his entrance to the world of Thoroughbred racing with Prix du Jockey Club winner Le Havre, recently celebrated victory in the Grand Prix de Paris with Le Havre's son Leffard. The colt had been born a month before the untimely demise of his sire at the age of just 16. That victory brought not just Leffard's posthumous tribute to Le Havre as his first Group 1-winning colt, but also the resurgence of the man responsible for the racing careers of both father and son, Jean-Claude Rouget, whose life has been upended in recent years by a cancer diagnosis. Rouget, the first of whose five trainers' championships came in 2009, the year in which Le Havre gave him his first victory in the Prix du Jockey Club, was absent from French racecourses during the 2024 season. His triumphant return to the Group 1 stage with Leffard was wrought with emotion. Now, this special horse is being campaigned for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a race which his trainer has won twice with Sottsass and Ace Impact. “It's a dream. But we have to dream,” says Augustin-Normand over coffee in the Place Morny during Deauville's August extravaganza of racing and sales. Leffard is stabled just up the road and will remain in training in Normandy despite the fact that Rouget, during a restructuring of his operation, has recently given up the significant satellite stable which part of his string occupied full-time in Deauville. Now, the trainer is primarily back in his heartland of Pau in south-west France, where he had gradually built up one of the most powerful stables in the land. Normandy, however, is very much Augustin-Normand's territory, as his own name and those of his horses imply. “Well, it's incredible really. He was my first horse and I called him Le Havre, and I am from Le Havre,” says the owner-breeder. Le Havre and Christophe Lemaire after the Prix du Jockey Club | Scoop Dyga Following in his wake have been others named on that theme, such as Group winners Incarville, Leaupartie, Monteille, Freville, and Neufbosc, but few will have been so meaningful as Leffard, who, as a member of Le Havre's final crop, has not only added an important extra top-level winner to his ledger but also presents the opportunity of a future for the sire-line. Prophetically perhaps, the filly named Avenir Certain was the horse who first dropped a massive hint as to the future prowess of Le Havre when winning both the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane for Rouget, Augustin-Normand and the latter's great ally Antonio Caro, in whose colours she ran. Two years later, La Cressonniere pulled off the same Classic double for the same trainer/owner combination. The one difference was that the latter was bred by Augustin-Normand's Franklin Finance, while Avenir Certain was bred by Elisabeth Vidal, the former wife of Sylvain Vidal, who, with Mathieu Alex, managed Le Havre's stallion career, initially at Haras de la Cauviniere, Elisabeth's family farm. This, then, was looking like a serious young sire at a time when France was crying out for new blood in its stallion ranks. Augustin-Normand recalls, “We sold half of Le Havre to very good breeders who had the resources to sustain him, and that was I think a good decision. And Le Havre produced two winners of the Prix de Diane and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. It was an extraordinary time. “We had the pleasure of having his produce. We had bought a lot of mares at the beginning with Sylvain and then with Mathieu because Le Havre was a wonderful horse and I loved him, so we had to give him every opportunity to produce good foals. “And Leffard, from the last year of Le Havre, is really special, because people always say that Le Havre produces good fillies.” Leffard wins the Grand Prix de Paris | Scoop Dyga Indeed, at the highest level, Le Havre's fillies outweigh the males five to two. Only last weekend, the five-year-old mare Quisisana became Le Havre's seventh Group 1 winner in the Prix Jean Romanet. He is starting to make a name for himself as a broodmare sire, and features in that spot in the pedigree of Group 2 winner Survie, who was runner-up to Quisisana on Sunday and is an Augustin-Normand homebred raced in partnership with the China Horse Club. The King George and Coronation Cup winner Pyledriver is also out of a mare by Le Havre. The gelded Suedois is the sire's only other male Group 1 winner, but Group 2 winners Auvray, Ramadan, Glycon, Roman Candle and Port Guillaume have added some balance. Three years after his death, Le Havre lies in third place in the French sires' table, behind Wootton Bassett and Lope De Vega. “Today, I think Le Havre is still in a good place,” says his owner. “It's very strange to think about that because now there are a lot of good, young stallions in France. But 15 years ago there weren't many. “But with Siyouni, Le Havre, there was a renaissance. I don't know how many breeders come to France for French stallions but 15 years ago more went to England or Ireland. Now more breeders come to France to go to stallions like Siyouni or Zarak.” Le Havre did indeed play a significant role in a resurgent stallion scene in the country from 2010, the year in which Kendargent also retired to Haras de Colleville, initially at his extraordinarily low fee of €1,000. A year later, Siyouni took up his place at Haras de Bonneval, and a year after that along came Wootton Bassett to Haras d'Etreham. Le Havre also “changed the game” for Augustin-Normand, who had migrated from trotters to Thoroughbreds, and then from being an owner to an owner-breeder. “I was not a breeder at the beginning, so for me it was absolutely new. Patience is not my first quality, but with Mathieu and Sylvain, we made such a good business. Now I try to be more selective, because we don't sell [young stock] but we still have a lot of mares – 28, I think, and some in partnership. But at one time we had up to 50.” Augustin-Normand puts all of his homebreds into training and has traditionally patronised a wide range of trainers across France. Either on his own or in partnership, especially with Antonio Caro, his co-owner of Leffard, he has raced 15 Group 1 winners, but he also takes pleasure in the small winners, particularly if that happens to be for one of his smaller trainers. If he buys into a horse in training, it is not his policy to push for that horse to be moved to a different stable. “Each of those trainers give me something, and together we live through the frustrations and the joys of horses,” he says. “I've been incredibly lucky, and if you have luck it is important to say thank you to the people who have helped you.” It is a refreshing strategy from such a major owner, especially one who is plainly so attached to his horses and makes a point of ensuring that they find a good home beyond their racing careers. That has included covering expensive veterinary costs simply to retire a horse from racing to become a riding horse. Despite his own success, he does however have concerns for the future of racing in France. “I am not so optimistic,” he says. “We don't have the right people driving racing. Maybe the big [owners and trainers] will survive. I think that will be true for a while. We need to get young people engaged in racing, to go racing and enjoy it. But in France, you can't even see the races if you are not signed up to Equidia. It's not on national [television] channels. “We have an industry that is a mixture of nature, finance, social interaction, and that's quite unique. I think that's a very important selling point.” He has been sold on it himself for a good while now, and to that unique mixture above we can add the passion that comes not just with the horses but also the people around them. “With Leffard, it has been very emotional with Jean-Claude Rouget. I am very happy to be with Jean-Claude today. He's a very courageous man,” Augustin-Normand says. “Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure to see [Japan-based] Christophe Lemaire, who rode Le Havre. He's a wonderful guy. We have also have a good partnership with Cristian [Demuro]. That's really important for me.” It was Demuro who guided Leffard to his driving victory in the Grand Prix de Paris over the Aidan O'Brien-trained Trinity College. We are likely next to see them in action in the Prix Niel on Arc trials day at Longchamp on September 7. “He will stay here in Deauville until then,” says Augustin-Normand. “The climate is good here. If I was a horse, I would be happy to stay here. “Jean-Claude said he's one of the easiest horses he's had to train. He's got a beautiful temperament.” The colt also has a desirable pedigree, as highlighted by Augustin-Normand's racing manager John Hammond, who knows a thing or two about the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe himself. Hammond trained Leffard's damsire Montjeu, the Arc winer of 1999, eight years after he had made his name with his first winner of France's banner race, Suave Dancer. Leffard, who was bred by Pierre Talvard's Haras du Cadran in partnership with Ecurie Melanie, is out of the unraced Let's Misbehave, a three-parts-sister to High Chaparral and Dante Stakes winner Black Bear Island. The immediate family also includes the 2020 Prix de Diane winner Fancy Blue (Deep Impact), who is a daughter of another of the dam's siblings, Chenchikova. Will the lure of a stallion career preclude Leffard racing on as a four-year-old? “It depends on how he runs in the autumn,” Hammond says. “He has a proper pedigree on the dam's side, and she has also produced a Listed winner [Sippinsoda]. And he's a lovely-looking horse with a great action. He didn't run at two, so he's relatively lightly raced. We'll see what what Jean-Claude wants to do at the end of the year. “The Prix Niel has been brought forward a week this year, so there are four weeks between that and the Arc. Jean-Claude said that if it had been three weeks he wouldn't have wanted to run in the Prix Niel. He's very good like that, strategically.” Augustin-Normand, who rarely goes racing but watches the sport closely, adds simply, “The Arc is the dream.” Perhaps he will be tempted to venture to Longchamp on October 5. Leffard, after all, has given him the right to dream of that special race. And if chapter two means the continuation of Le Havre's bloodline in the stallion ranks, then it would be further reward for a man who has already invested so much of his time, money and emotion in the sport. The post ‘The Arc is the Dream’: Gerard Augustin-Normand’s Emotional Attachment to Leffard appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Patience has been a virtue for Vincent Ho Chak-yiu as he prepares for his return to race action at Sha Tin this week, after seven months on the sidelines following a horror fall. The 35-year-old has been away from competitive action since suffering a traumatic brain injury when taking a tumble from Oldtown at Sha Tin on February 9. He spent time in intensive care after the incident and then underwent a period recovering in Geneva, with doctors there giving him the all-clear to ride track work at...View the full article

Sunday’s Clotworthy Racing Open (1600m) lost some of its top-flight talent with Mark Twain’s scratching due to the Heavy10 track at Te Aroha, but another returning stayer took the spotlight with a bold first-up performance. Last season’s Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) winner Son Of Sun (NZ) (Tavistock) kicked off his six-year-old preparation in the $50,000 open handicap. His last raceday appearance had been 176 days earlier, when he finished eighth in the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) on Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 8. The Tavistock gelding was ridden by Warren Kennedy on Sunday and settled near the back of the field. When Rosetown Princess saved significant ground by sticking to the inside around the home turn, Son Of Sun was left all on his own in a clear last. Kennedy angled Son Of Sun across the back of the field and got him to the extreme outside halfway down the straight, but he was still last and had plenty of work to do and limited time remaining. Son Of Sun quickly balanced himself up and accelerated, powering past all of his seven rivals within the last 150m of the race. He collared fellow stayer Canheroc in the final few strides and snatched victory by a head. The race was run in 1:46.55 on extremely heavy ground. Co-trainer Grant Cooksley had been happy with Son Of Sun’s progress through the early part of his new campaign, but was still pleasantly surprised by his first-up performance. “He won that race really well,” he said. “It was nice to see him produce a performance like that first-up. It was probably a bit better than we were expecting, and especially on a track like that. “We’d been pretty happy with him leading into it. He’s coming up well and is a stronger and more mature horse this time in.” Son Of Sun was a $65,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2021. He has now had 22 starts for seven wins, three placings and $375,595 in stakes for owners New Zealand Gingkosun Investment Ltd. The TAB reacted to Sunday’s win by moving Son Of Sun from $41 into $18 for the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Ellerslie on October 18. He is also nominated for the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa on September 27, for which he remains a $41 chance. “I’m not sure where we’ll go with him now, there’s not that many suitable handicap races around for him during the spring,” Cooksley said. “We’ll get him home and see how he’s come through this, then try to work out a plan.” View the full article

Former Horse Of The Year Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) is set to take a step towards a return to the racetrack having been entered for upcoming trials. The Ciaron Maher-trained mare is entered for a jump-out on Monday at Cranbourne and for a trial on the Caulfield Heath track on Tuesday, both over 800m. Maher said track conditions would be pivotal in determining where the champion mare steps out. It was thought Pride Of Jenni was headed for the breeding barn when tenth in the Gr.1 Doomben Cup in May, but Maher said the mare had returned to his Cranbourne stable in excellent order. Pride Of Jenni did her pre-training at owner Tony Ottobre’s property on the Mornington Peninsula. “They did a good job with her,” Maher said. “She had a nice covering on her. She is nice and happy, nice and free in her action. “The signs are positive. She’s a marvel actually, she surprises me every time she comes back. “She’ll trial on one of those days. We’ll have a look at track conditions and work out which suits better, but it doesn’t really matter. “She seems in a really good spot, physically and mentally and we’ll be guided by how she jumps out, but all signs seem pretty good.” Maher said no race had been picked out for Pride Of Jenni’s first-up outing, and her program would be worked on further following Monday or Tuesday’s hit out. The trainer indicated Pride Of Jenni was likely to remain in Melbourne for her campaign. “I think she will stay here,” Maher said. “I think we’ll keep her around the mile, 1800 (metres) and probably on the backend of spring.” The Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes and the Gr.1 Champions Mile, both over 1600m at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week, could be potential targets for Pride Of Jenni this spring. Those two races in 2023 were the first Group One victories for the mare, kickstarting her towards Horse Of The Year honours in season 2023-24. View the full article