Wandering Eyes

James Orman will have his first ride in a Hong Kong Group 1 on Sunday. (Photo: HKJC) If things had spanned out differently for James Orman, he would now be back in Australia chasing his third consecutive Metropolitan Queensland Jockey Premiership. He didn’t hesitate to snap up an offer of a short-term six-week contract to ride in Hong Kong to cover a sudden shortage of jockeys, but before it expired on April 2 his contract was extended until the end of the season. In what is regarded as the world’s most competitive racing jurisdiction for both horses and jockeys, snaring a ride in any of Sunday’s three Group 1 races on FWD Champions Day is a notable and sought-after achievement. And for 27-year-old Orman to be offered the ride on Francis Lui-trained Copartner Prance in the HK$22 million Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) after only a couple of months in Hong Kong is another highlight in career where he has ridden more than 1300 winners. “I am very excited,” Orman said. “It’s awesome and great to be in that sort of race on a world stage like that and I have to thank Francis Lui and the connections for having me on. “He is a horse I have ridden in his last few starts now and I know him pretty well. He is a horse that has got good speed and he makes his own luck on speed. “It’s a very tough race but you have to be in it to win it.” Copartner Prance is on a seven-day back-up after failing to beat a runner home on the all-weather track at Sha Tin last Sunday after racing handy but fading in the 1200m race. The tall jockey is hoping for both an improved run, suspecting the gelding just didn’t handle his first run on the dirt course. “His two previous runs before that were good and he ran fourth to Ka Ying Rising and he ran second to Frankie Lor’s Lucky With You,” he said. “So, his form before his last run was really good. If you go through his form, he is a consistent horse and this is a step-up obviously but he is a horse, who as I said, makes his own luck up on the speed. “I am just happy to be in the race.” With Orman supporting the popular theory that beating Ka Ying Rising rates as mission impossible, he concedes a lot of the field are running for the minor prize. “If you could run second, third or fourth, it would be awesome,” he said. “But who knows, it’s racing and anything can happen.” Orman sees Hong Kong as the next step in his career but concedes it would have been nice to win another jockey premiership. “I have been away eight weeks now and I am still only five (wins) behind after they (rival Queensland jockeys) just caught me,” he said. “Before that I missed three weeks riding in Dubai and I missed six weeks when I got my finger tip bitten off by a horse, so I have missed a lot of the season back home and they have only just caught me.” Orman said it was always been his ambition to ride in Hong Kong and so far he has had four winners in eight weeks and concedes it’s a tough environment. “It’s awesome and I love it,” he said. His wife Heidi and their two children Hallie and Floyd are also loving the experience and with a little bit of luck they’ll be calling Hong Kong home for a while yet. Horse racing news View the full article

Quokka contender, Headwall. Photo: Bradleyphotos.com.au Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith is confident in the condition of his Group 1-performed sprinter Headwall ahead of Saturday’s $5 million The Quokka (1200m) at Ascot. The six-year-old has hit career-best form this preparation, finishing runner-up to Joliestar in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) before an eye-catching third in a deep edition of the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick. “He had a bit of a breeze up this morning (Tuesday) on the grass and looked great,” Smith told TABradio. “His condition’s good. He hasn’t lost any weight, which is important. He just seemed nice and bright. He was sharp and he was looking to do something, so that’s always good too.” Smith is also optimistic that the Ascot layout will suit the powerful-finishing gelding. “I had a good look at the track this morning. It’s got a good camber on it around the turn, which does help those horses back in the field. It’s not a particularly long straight, but he does have a good turn of foot.” Reflecting on Headwall’s last run, Smith believes the performance was among the best of his career. “It was a really good TJ (Smith Stakes) this year. I don’t know, it was eight or nine Group 1 winners in there. “I was surprised to see him on the bit at the 200 (metres). I thought that was unusual in a TJ to be still travelling.” “If he can reproduce his TJ run, he’s going to be fighting the finish. Now, he’s still got to travel here and he’s still got to do it, but we’re not seeing any signs that he won’t.” Horse racing news View the full article

Estriella. (Photo: Scott Barbour – Racing Photos) Ciaron Maher’s team is looking for a form reversal from Estriella as she lines up in Saturday’s Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville. The four-year-old mare, a Group 2 winner, finished fifth in the Sangster last year but has struggled this campaign, finishing 14th in the Oakleigh Plate and 11th in The Galaxy. “At her last couple we’ve gone back in an effort to get her to settle,” Maher’s assistant Jack Turnbull explained. “Up in Sydney, we were hoping for a bit of rain, but we just seemed to dodge it left, right and centre.” With barrier two this weekend, the stable is likely to adopt a more positive approach. “Drawing a gate, we may just go with her rather than riding her back thinking that she will finish off,” Turnbull said. “Arguably we do need a drop of rain. As she has got on a little bit she does require some give, but there is nothing to say why we shouldn’t be going there. “She came down from Sydney last week and travelled well and we’ll head over Wednesday night.” Joining her in the race is stablemate A Little Deep, who is stepping up to Group 1 level for the first time. “She’s mature, she’s in form and she’s fresh,” Turnbull said. “She’s a Listed winner, she’s Group 3-placed, so she deserves a crack. Where she heads in the next couple of months, I’m not sure. “She may be sold, so if we can have a crack at a Sangster and get some Group 1 form on her page, it would greatly enhance her profile.” Horse racing news View the full article

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Lisa Latta can’t wait for racing to return to her home track of Awapuni on Friday and she’ll be flying the flag for the locals in the Listed Manawatu ITM ANZAC Mile (1600m). Based at the Palmerston North venue, Latta has watched on as the turf track received an extensive refurbishment, with successful jump-outs and trials deeming Awapuni fit to return to the domestic calendar. After a long 18 months away from regular programming, Latta was more than satisfied with what she saw in the lead-up to Friday’s meeting. “It’s gone really well, we had a lot of rain before the trials and the track held up so well,” she said. “I’ve galloped a fair number of horses out there and I’m really happy with it. “We’ve done a lot of travelling, we obviously had a lot of home meetings that were run elsewhere and it makes a difference, you’re home earlier, staff are done earlier, all those types of things. It’s definitely been a strain in that regard. “We’re really looking forward to being back.” Representing Latta in the ANZAC Mile will be He’s A Doozy, a Group One-winning galloper who looked to have found his form of old last-start at Wanganui. While delighted to see her talented galloper back in the winner’s circle, Latta admitted the 59kg impost he now carries on Friday will pose a challenge. “He’d been disappointing down south, so we changed a couple of things around on him and it was great to have him back in winning form at Wanganui,” she said. “Unfortunately, he’s back up in the handicaps again now and is carrying topweight. “We’ll get this run into him and see where we go from here, he’s drawn well and that’ll be a help carrying that much weight.” Group Three-winning gelding Lantern Way has also indicated he is back on the up this preparation, finishing well behind subsequent stakes winner Slipper Island at Trentham and repeating that effort last-start behind Ballon D’Or. The son of Satono Aladdin will contest the TRC Tractors 1400 alongside his stablemate Benefactor, who also prefers the cut out of the track. “He’s been good in his last couple, he’s probably looking for a bit more moisture in the track though and I think the track will probably get back a bit more than what it is at the moment,” she said. “I just think he could be looking for a looser, softer track, and similar for Benefactor.” Latta will saddle over a dozen more runners through the meeting, then her focus will turn to the south on Saturday, as her ultra-consistent filly Connello contests the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton. The Time Test filly is accustomed to travelling across the Cook Strait, having finished fifth in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) and Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in the spring. Closer to home, she was beaten only by Leica Lucy in the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), before midfield finishes in the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m). Back in the south, she stormed home into second behind Dream Of The Moon in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) a fortnight ago, earning herself another shot at black-type this term. “She drew the outside (in the NZB Airfreight) and got caught wide which you would expect, while the winner got all favours with that inside draw” Latta said. “She tries her little heart out every time and she deserves to take her place on Saturday.” Back at Wanganui on Sunday, heavy-track specialist and multiple-stakes winner Belardo Boy will resume in the Open 1350m. Belardo Boy’s 99 rating will make weight-for-age racing an appeal this preparation and Latta is eyeing a potential tilt at the early Hawke’s Bay features, which will be held at Awapuni. “He’s had a nice trial, we’ll claim the three kilos with Amber Riddell riding him, which will help,” she said. “This is a fitness run for him to get back up to a mile after that. “We’ll just have to take the medicine a little bit with the weights, we’ll try to get back to the weight-for-age at Wanganui (Listed AGC Training Stakes, 1600m) which he won last year. “We may miss going south this year and with Awapuni having the first two races of the big days, weather can sometimes play a role there. We might get a bit of an off-track which would be a help to him.” View the full article

Perennial bridesmaid Dazzling Miss will chase a richly deserved stakes victory in Saturday’s Gr.3 Coca Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m) before heading to Monovale Farm’s broodmare paddock. After showing her talent on the synthetic surfaces for Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray, Dazzling Miss headed south to join Riccarton horsewoman Terri Rae, who has prepared her to win a further three races, while being a consistent presence in stakes company. She finished third in last year’s Canterbury Gold Cup, while also placing in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m), Gr.3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) and Listed Sothys Spring Classic (2000m). Her career earnings got another significant boost last start when finishing second in the $350,000 Southern Alps Challenge (1600m), and while that was on a Good track, Rae would prefer a Soft surface for the mare in her swansong appearance. “I don’t know about a really heavy track, but she definitely likes rain-affected ground,” she said. “She’s pretty honest, she loves the 2000m and ran third in this last year. “This is probably going to be her last run before she heads to the broodmare paddock, she’s getting up in the ratings now and has done a fantastic job down here. “She’s won six races and she’s stakes-placed four times, so she’s got a really good page and hopefully she can add to it a little bit more on Saturday.” Rae couldn’t speak more highly of Dazzling Miss both on and off the track, something she expects will only continue as she enters her next chapter with Monovale’s Joe and Max Smithies, who bred her. “She’s the most gorgeous-natured mare, everyone loves her,” Rae said. “She’s great to have around, she’s so easy and you know when you take her to the races, she always puts in 100 percent. “She’s been lovely and the boys (Smithies) have been really good, they’ve let me have a free rein with her and it was good of them to send her down in the first place. “They’ve got a really nice broodmare to add to their nice little collection.” The Monovale silks may also appear in the Listed Daphne Bannen Memorial Great Easter Stakes (1400m), with track conditions dictating whether South Of Houston takes her place in the feature. The daughter of Deep Field joined Rae after returning from Australia earlier this season and has shown her prowess down the chute, winning twice and placing in the Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m), while also holding her own into fifth in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m) at Trentham. “She’s doing really well, but she probably won’t run on a really heavy track as she’s quite a quick mare and I think she’s a bit too fast for those conditions,” she said. “She’s done a good job this prep, she’s another one with a really nice page and she’s stakes placed. Hopefully, the boys leave her down here for another season, because I think she can really add to her record.” Her stablemate Candycane is likely to take her place in the field, aiming to cap off a stellar campaign where she has progressed from Rating 65 grade up to winning in open company last start at Ashburton. “She’s really versatile, she seems to run on anything over 1200 and 1400, and she can get a mile as well,” Rae said. “She’s very honest. “She came down here for a group of owners, some of which had never been in a horse before. They just think it’s amazing and she’s done such a good job. “She never goes a bad race and has had a busy little prep, so she’s likely to head to the spelling paddock after Saturday.” View the full article

Journalism, the expected favorite for the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1), completed a 12-hour journey from Southern California April 22 and arrived at Churchill Downs around 4:30 p.m. ET.View the full article

Michael McCarthy discusses expected Kentucky Derby favorite, Journalism, after the colt arrived at Churchill Downs from Southern California April 22.View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of April 14-20View the full article

Ten years after American Pharoah won the Triple Crown in 2015, becoming the first horse to sweep the historic series in 37 years, the now 13-year-old stallion gives the appearance he might still be fit enough to run a classic distance.View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of April 14-April 20View the full article

Despite not posting a flashy time, Admire Daytona's half-mile work in :53 1/5 at Churchill Downs April 22 went according to plan as the UAE Derby (G2) winner prepares for the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

Byron King's Top 12 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, presented by Spendthrift Farm.View the full article

Woodbine Entertainment is set to launch its 70th Thoroughbred racing season at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, April 26. The 2025 season at Woodbine will consist of 128 race dates and runs from April 26 through December 14.View the full article

With the Road to the Kentucky Derby completed and the nation's top 3-year-olds awaiting May 3, it came as no surprise that there were only minor changes to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top 3-Year-Old Poll April 22.View the full article

Following his third breeze on the Churchill Downs surface April 22—a half-mile in :47 4/5—trainer Lonnie Briley and assistant trainer Bethany Taylor discuss how Coal Battle is training with just 11 days until the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

Despite not posting a flashy time, Admire Daytona's half-mile work in :53 1/5 at Churchill Downs April 22 went according to plan as the UAE Derby (G2) winner prepares for the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

Following La Cara's bullet half-mile workout in :46 April 22, trainer Mark Casse gives her an A+ ahead of the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (G1). The Hall of Famer also discusses Kentucky Derby (G1) contender Sandman ahead of his April 23 breeze.View the full article

Fairmount Park kicks off its 100th anniversary season April 22 with a brand new casino that seemed to take 100 years to get going, but now holds the promise of prosperity for horsemen.View the full article

The Coach, D. Wayne Lukas, discusses the development of Virginia Derby winner American Promise ahead of his start in the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.View the full article

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott discusses his relationship with Godolphin, which dates back to winning the inaugural Dubai World Cup (G1) with Allen Paulson homebred Cigar in 1996. Mott trains Godolphin homebred Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was the most notable absentee as the latest entries for the first two British Classics of the season were released on Tuesday. A total of 24 colts remain in contention for the Betfred 2,000 Guineas, while the number of possible runners in the Betfred 1,000 Guineas has been whittled down to 17, before any supplementary entries. Aidan O'Brien confirmed last week that The Lion In Winter was an unlikely runner at Newmarket, with all roads instead leading to the G2 Dante Stakes at York for last year's G3 Acomb Stakes winner. In his absence, O'Brien is responsible for five of the 24 remaining entries for the 2,000 Guineas, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 3. That quintet is headed by a trio of Group 1-winning juveniles in Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere scorer Camille Pissarro (Ire), Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Henri Matisse (Ire) and Criterium International winner Twain (Ire), as well as the G1 Dewhurst Stakes runner-up Expanded (Ire). They are all from the first Irish-bred crop of Wootton Bassett (GB), along with the final member of the Ballydoyle team, Dundalk maiden winner Serengeti (Fr). Twain is the sponsor's 5/1 second favourite for the 2,000 Guineas, behind only the John and Thady Gosden-trained Field Of Gold (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), who is available to back at 9/4 after his impressive success in last week's G3 Craven Stakes over the same course and distance as next month's Classic. He features in what could be a four-pronged attack from Juddmonte, along with stable-mate Detain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Andrew Balding's G3 Greenham Stakes winner Jonquil (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and the unbeaten Cosmic Year (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who made it two from two for the Harry Charlton yard when recently winning a Kempton novice by five lengths. Charlie Appleby could saddle up to three runners as he seeks his third 2,000 Guineas triumph in four years. They include Aomori City (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who was only third behind Field Of Gold in the Craven, identifying Shadow Of Light (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Ruling Court (Justify) as potentially the most formidable contenders from Moulton Paddocks. Shadow Of Light was crowned Europe's champion two-year-old of 2024 after back-to-back Group 1 wins in the Middle Park Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes, while Ruling Court impressed on his return to action when winning a Listed race at Meydan by six lengths. Appleby's Opera Ballo (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) was another horse not to stand his ground after his sixth-place finish in the Craven, but the runner-up at Newmarket, Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB) (Kameko), remains in contention, as well as Brian Meehan's Rashabar (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) after he filled the same position in the Greenham. Meanwhile, Joseph O'Brien has steered clear of the trials with Scorthy Champ (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), but last year's G1 National Stakes winner must be considered another leading player from Ireland, along with the G1 Futurity Trophy scorer Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and G2 Champions Juvenile Stakes hero Green Impact (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). They are both trained by Jessica Harrington, who intimated recently that Green Impact was more likely than Hotazhell to line up at Newmarket. As for the 1,000 Guineas, which takes place on Sunday, May 4, six of the remaining 17 entries are trained in Ireland, with last year's treble Group 1 winner Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) featuring among four possible runners from Ballydoyle. Last seen winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar back in November, Lake Victoria could be joined at Newmarket by stable-mates Bedtime Story (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Exactly (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Merrily (No Nay Never), all Group-winning juveniles. Appleby is set to rely solely on Desert Flower (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), who was unbeaten in four starts as a two-year-old, culminating with a wide-margin victory in the G1 Fillies' Mile. She heads the sponsor's betting at 11/10 following a sparkling racecourse gallop during Newmarket's Craven fixture, ahead of Lake Victoria at 7/2 and Ger Lyons's Red Letter (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at 11/2. Red Letter–who was beaten just a length and a half when finishing fourth in last year's Moyglare Stud Stakes, a Group 1 won by Lake Victoria–is one of two entries for Lyons, along with Listed scorer Chantez (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). The stable's G1 Phoenix Stakes heroine Babouche (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) was a notable absentee, however, in addition to Francis-Henri Graffard's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Vertical Blue (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Ralph Beckett's Cathedral (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). Of the remainder, Ollie Sangster could saddle up to three runners having retained entries for his G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes runner-up Celestial Orbit (GB) (No Nay Never), Moyglare second Simmering (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Flight (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), who was last seen finishing third behind Merrily and Cathedral in the G3 Oh So Sharp Stakes. The post Field Of Gold and Desert Flower Standing Tall Among Latest Guineas Entries appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Easter weekend that would conclude the mission of Argentina's most revered expatriate had begun, in our rather more trivial field of endeavor, with a remarkable testament to the influence of South America on the American Turf. At Keeneland, the late Pope's compatriot Ignacio Correas saddled his latest big winner, Utah Beach (English Channel) in the GII Elkhorn Stakes. Over at Santa Anita, the flourishing Chilean import Richi (Chi) (Practical Joke) impressed in the GII Santa Maria Stakes. And at Oaklawn the weekend's biggest prize was won by First Mission (Street Sense), whose dam is a conduit to 11 generations of Argentinian breeding extending into the 19th Century. Yet that line could hardly have begun more precariously. In 1882, a young mare was imported from Britain by Edoardo Casey, whose picaresque rise and fall is among the most remarkable tales of the Pampas. True to his Irish roots, Casey was a passionate horseman. In renaming this mare Perdita (GB), however, he proved sadly prophetic: she died as soon as 1884, leaving a single foal. But that turned out to be Condesa (Arg), first female winner of the Argentine Derby and later an important producer. One of her sons won the prize now known as the Grand Premio Carlos Pellegrini, while his sister Princesa (Arg) became granddam of Per Noi (Arg). Per Noi's son Congreve is one of the great patriarchs of the South American breed, his seven Argentinian sire championships unmatched until Southern Halo. And her final foal, delivered 10 years after Congreve in 1934, was his full-sister Carezza (Arg), who duly proved a significant producer herself. Her daughter by Hunter's Moon (GB)-half-brother to the celebrated trio Hyperion (GB), Sickle (GB) and Pharamond II (GB)-was named Houle (Arg) and can be found behind numerous good runners. One of her granddaughters, Shopping (Arg), was duly among the mares first targeted by the ambitious Haras La Biznaga after its foundation in 1972. (A different Shopping, to be clear, from the U.S.-registered dam of Trappe Shot.) Perhaps the biggest dividend for La Biznaga was Shopping's great-granddaughter Forty Marchanta (Arg) (Roar), whose two Classic wins in 2004 made her champion filly of her crop. Forty Marchanta was promptly recruited by Godolphin, but proved a disappointing investment both on the racetrack and in the paddocks, culled for just $60,000 at the 2014 Keeneland November Sale. Luckily for Godolphin, her weanling daughter was retained: after all, she was by Medaglia d'Oro, whose champion Rachel Alexandra was similarly out of a mare by Forty Marchanta's sire Roar. And Elude, as this filly was named, did eventually win a Tampa Bay maiden, albeit only at the eighth attempt. When her first foal finished last in both his starts, however, Elude was ditched at the next opportunity, to International Equities Holding for $105,000 at the 2022 Keeneland January Sale, when in foal to Street Sense. Once again, however, Godolphin had retained a weanling (strictly, a short yearling). He was also by Street Sense-and has turned out to be none other than last weekend's GII Oaklawn Handicap winner. First Mission's emergence as a juvenile had already enabled Elude's purchasers to bank an immediate profit: his GIII Lexington Stakes success was glowing out of Book 1 when the brother meanwhile delivered by Elude made $500,000 at the 2023 September Sale. (This colt surfaced at Parx last fall, by the way, but was badly hampered.) Not for the first time, First Mission looks a Grade I winner in the making. As such, he may well end up entering the competition to succeed his veteran sire-whose ongoing potency is further attested by GI Kentucky Oaks contender La Cara-alongside Maxfield and Speaker's Corner, already in the same barn, and McKinzie elsewhere. That would be some result, after both his granddam and dam were discarded immediately after producing what proved to be their crucial foals. It would also be an edifying legacy for a family cultivated by Argentinian breeders between 1882 and 2004. If we can flagrantly generalize about an entire continent, I've always viewed the South American Thoroughbred as something of a time capsule, preserving the kind of stamina and robustness eroded by commercial breeding elsewhere. Admittedly only two mares between Condesa and Forty Marchanta were by sires also foaled in Argentina. But the other stallions to have seeded the family, self-evidently, were only available for export because deficient in commercial appeal on native soil. A Complex Situation I'm a big fan of Baeza, who's in the very best hands to progress past more seasoned types if squeezing into the GI Kentucky Derby. Doing so, however, would not only confirm his dam as perhaps the most precocious blue hen of all. It would also maintain a curious imbalance in the early output of his sire. McKinzie, like First Mission a son of Street Sense, has catapulted his fee to $75,000 after his first juveniles included two Grade I winners. But they were also his only stakes winners of any kind, compared with five apiece for Vekoma, Tiz the Law and Complexity. Nor have his sophomores materially altered his profile: for now McKinzie has just 13 winners from 74 starters in 2025, one at black-type level. Yet cumulatively he has five Grade I performers, including Baeza. Complexity | Sarah Andrew Nobody in this class can lay a glove on Vekoma just now, with 44 winners including six at stakes level (90 starters); but the one closest to doing so is Complexity, despite his smaller books and fee (opened at $12,500). Last Saturday he came up with his third and fourth black-type winners of 2025 (56 starters): Mo Plex in the Bay Shore at Aqueduct, and Complexity Jane in the Weber City Miss Stakes at Laurel. Mo Plex was already on his sire's resume, having won the GIII Sanford Stakes last summer, but Complexity Jane was going three-for-three on her stakes debut. She was among the last yearlings sold before the passing of her breeder Brereton C. Jones, for $100,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale of 2023 (pinhooked by Scanlon Training & Sales, making $170,000 at OBS the following spring). Jane's dam Bestinthebusiness (Ghostzapper), a maiden winner in a light career, had been bought (with a maiden cover by Carpe Diem) for $100,000 at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale. While the catalogue showed her to be a half-sister to GIII Tom Fool winner Do Share, and that their dam had managed a couple of graded stakes podiums, the young mare's real appeal lay below the page. For her fifth dam is none other than the Locust Hill Farm legend Shenanigans (Native Dancer), whose six foals before her loss to a paddock accident somehow included Ruffian, Icecapade and Laughter. The latter, a daughter of Bold Ruler, combines the pedigrees of Grade I winners Private Terms (as dam); Coronado's Quest (as second dam); and Orb (as fourth)-and also connects Bestinthebusiness as fourth dam. Interestingly Airdrie's selection of Complexity for the mare's first “home” cover closely duplicated his damsire Yes It's True, who also sired Complexity Jane's granddam. While Complexity Jane has nonetheless stretched through a second turn, her sire's trademark is plainly speed: he fired Black Forza down one of the sharpest tracks in Europe last summer to win the G2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. No Substitute for Deputy In the previous cycle to Complexity Jane, Scanlon Training & Sales also pinhooked Just a Touch (Justify). Quite a find, as a $125,000 Fasig October yearling: a colt conceived by a $150,000 fee out of a graded stakes winner by Tapit! He has since proved nearly as well bought by Fergus Galvin, at OBS the following spring, for $300,000. While his Derby tilt plainly didn't pay off, Just a Touch is regrouping impressively now: after a comeback win by 10 lengths, last Saturday at Keeneland he followed up by seven. Crudo | Coady Media Justify's other runaway winner on that card, in a maiden, was the $350,000 Keeneland November weanling Crudo (subsequently a $520,000 RNA at Saratoga). This is a horse I shall be following, being out of a mare by Deputy Minister himself. Nowadays we tend to find that legendary distaff only behind second or third dams. Crudo's mother Blossomed never made the track but it tells you much about our business that she nonetheless changed hands seven times at auction! The final of those transactions brought her to Springhouse Farm from the 2018 Keeneland November Sale for $425,000, the highest price she ever realized (once changed hands for $33,000). That was because her half-sister by Orb, Sippican Harbor, had that summer won the Spinaway Stakes. For Blossomed to produce a Grade I winner by such a disappointing stallion suggests that Deputy Minister must have been working his usual magic; and, sure enough, Crudo's full-sister (from Justify's first crop) has meanwhile emerged as unbeaten Japanese millionaire Awesome Result. There must be a few other Deputy Minister mares still in production, as Blossomed was foaled in 2003 and her sire produced two further crops of 54 and 44 live foals. None has been offered at Keeneland since 2020, however. Hopefully that means those supervising Deputy Minister's parting gifts are fully cognisant of their privilege. By the way, as I've frequently remarked, great broodmare sires often seem to pass on their peculiar potency-and Crudo also draws that out through his sire, whose dam Stage Magic is of course by Deputy Minister's grandson Ghostzapper. The post Breeding Digest: Latin Roots of Easter Mission appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Norman Stables' Coal Battle (Coal Front) and Junko Kondo's G2 UAE Derby winner Admire Daytona (Jpn) (Drefong) put in half-mile works for the Kentucky Derby over a fast track Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. Working during the 7:15-7:30 a.m. EST training window reserved for Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders, Coal Battle was the first to go, clocking a half-mile in :47.80 under Bethany Taylor. Fractions were :12.40, :24.60, :47.80, and out five furlongs in 1:00.80. “I was thrilled with it. He keeps getting better every time he goes out there,” Taylor said after Coal Battle's third local work. “He is improving every time.” Admire Daytona, with Yoshimitsu Miyashita aboard, worked in :53.20 starting at the three-eighths pole, with splits of :13, :39.20, and :53.20. “With only three weeks between races, we just prepped him the same way we did in Dubai,” Miyashita said. “We let him decide what he wanted to do over the four furlongs. He increased his speed a bit in the straight on his own and really it was exactly like the kind of work he turned in prior to the UAE Derby. He has managed to maintain his pre-UAE Derby physical condition perfectly so we just have to help him keep it until race day.” In between those works, Tracy Farmer's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks hopeful La Cara (Street Sense) turned in the fastest of 30 half-mile moves, going in :46 with Kevin Donnis aboard. Fractions were :11.60, :22.60, :34.20, :46, and out five furlongs in :58.60 and three-quarters in 1:12.20. “Going back to grade school when they gave out an A, B, C or D, I'd give her work an A+,” Casse said. “I thought it was a little quick but she was in a good rhythm. We had the radios, but I just told him to let her go on. She did it effortlessly.” Casse said the work would serve as he only pre-Oaks drill since winning the Ashland at Keeneland on April 7. “We've got 10 days now (before the Oaks) and plenty of time (to recover).” Scheduled to work Wednesday is D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables' GI Arkansas Derby winner Sandman (Tapit) for trainer Mark Casse. The post Coal Battle, Admire Daytona Work for Kentucky Derby; La Cara Preps for Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A multi-year agreement between The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Emerald Ecovations has been forged, according to a NYRA release Tuesday. Emerald Ecovations will serve as NYRA's preferred sustainable products partner. “NYRA is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and maintaining its positive impact on our surrounding communities,” said Kevin Quinn, NYRA's Vice President of Sales and Hospitality. “We are pleased to partner with Emerald Ecovations to work together on implementing staple products across our tracks that will assist with waste reduction.” Emerald Ecovations will provide a variety of sustainable food service products for use across Saratoga Race Course, including cups, bowls, containers, napkins, tissues, utensils and product dispensers. Designed and made in the United States, Emerald Ecovations offers a line of 350+ Tree-Free and Plastic-Free products to combat deforestation and plastic pollution, offering companies a sustainable solution to the growing demand for environmentally responsible products in disposable food packaging and everyday facilities products. Emerald Ecovations will also be branded on refuse containers across the backyard and grandstand areas at Saratoga Race Course and displayed throughout the property beginning in June during the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival slated for June 4th-8th. Over the coming months, Emerald Ecovations will be prominent during the July 4th Racing Festival set for July 3-6 at the Spa, and with an educational onsite activation during the traditional 40-day Saratoga summer meet which spans from July 10th through Sept. 1. The post Emerald Ecovations Named NYRA Preferred Sustainable Products Partner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article