Wandering Eyes

In his penultimate work for the GI Kentucky Derby, American Promise (Justify) went fast by design for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, and will ship to Kentucky Sunday. The breeze Friday morning at Oaklawn Park, shortly after the renovation break, was a seven furlong trip from the gate in 1:25.20 under Nik Juarez, who will also have the call in the big race. According to Oaklawn's lead clocker Jim Hamilton, American Promise rolled through :22 for the opening quarter, :33.60 for three furlongs, a half in :45.80, five furlongs in :57.80, and six in 1:11 in company with seven-race maiden Bon Temps (Bravazo). That workmate dropped back on the turn with his five furlongs credited in :59.60. Despite the look of it, Lukas says the workout unfolded as planned because he wanted the colt on his toes early. “What I'm trying to do is get him focused on getting into his races quicker because with a 20-horse [Kentucky Derby] field, there's always a problem,” Lukas said. “Put yourself in a place where you can [avoid trouble]. I'm training him a little bit different.” “He did a half-mile from the gate in :45 seconds. He doesn't have to do that, but at least he's got that in mind now. The other horse worked with him just to give him a little interest.” Barring any hiccups, the son of the 2017 Triple Crown winner will have his final Kentucky Derby workout at Churchill Downs Apr. 26. With two weeks left before the race, Lukas says he would not trade places with anyone. “I really feel like he's coming around. He's improving every single day. He's still a 2-year-old [American Promise's actual birthday is May 1] and still growing into that frame. The last two weeks have been the best two weeks he's had here.” The post American Promise Motors Through His Paces, Ships to Kentucky Sunday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Florida Breeders' Incentive Fund (FBIF) has been restructured to be open to all races regardless of value, and is projected to provide over $2-million in awards to owners, Gulfstream Park announced via press release. The FBIF race incentives, which were offering $5,000 per race for claiming races of $25,000 and up or higher conditions, will be raised to $6,000 per race in maiden special weights, allowance, and overnight handicaps. The only exception will be state-bred races. Changes to the fund will reflect beginning May 1. “The restructuring of the Florida Breeders' Incentive Fund will provide additional incentives to Florida owners,” said Bill Badgett, executive director of Florida racing operations at Gulfstream Park. “We look forward to continuing working with horsemen to make Gulfstream's summer meet a success.” The post Florida Breeders’ Incentive Fund Restructured, To Provide $2-Million to Owners appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, a six-time Kentucky Derby (G1) winner, has reduced his squad of Thoroughbreds for the May 3 Run for the Roses from three to two. View the full article

Gulfstream Park announced today the restructuring of the Florida Breeders' Incentive Fund that is projected to provide over $2 million to owners beginning May 1.View the full article

The sun is shining and the birds are singing, which means that spring has sprung and hopefully cold blasts are fixed over yonder. This kind of weather propagates the condition known to many as Derby fever, which technically has no definable cure. So, while you're tinkering with mint julep recipes or heading to the dry cleaners with your seersucker to keep the vapors in check, maybe what you need is to take a look at the weekend's graded stakes slate. The races are chock full of options, so let's not spare the horses and get to it. Like Peanut Butter & Jelly The meet in Hot Springs is coming to a close rapidly, but on Saturday the track off Central Avenue is ready to put on another edition of the GII Oaklawn Handicap. In his latest piece, TDN Racing Editor Steve Sherack admirably covers the preparation behind 'Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense). The Brad Cox trainee was made the 2-1 morning-line favorite by Rick Lee. Last year, trainer Saffie Joseph won this race with MGSW Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), who was a $37,000 OBS April grad for Daniel Alonso. With almost $3.5-million in earnings to his credit, the 6-year-old is back to try and do it again. Last out, Skippylongstocking notched his third GIII Challenger Stakes at Tampa in early March. “I think he's coming in in good form,” trainer Saffie Joseph said. “I expect a good run, hopefully. I do think he likes to be forwardly placed. Hopefully, he breaks well from there and puts himself in a forward position. There's some speed in there that he can stalk if he needs to. If he broke well enough, he can lead, also.” Alexander Helios #4 surges late | Coady Media At the Oaklawn gate, the 6-year-old will be joined by his stablemate and GIII Razorback Handicap hero Alexander Helios (Cairo Prince), who clearly like the local strip. “Obviously, stepped up his game and ran well last time [in the Razorback],” Joseph said. “He beat Banishing, who came back to win the [GIII Oaklawn Mile]. He's in good form and he goes over there with a very good chance himself. We feel like we have two horses that are in good [form] and, hopefully, they run their best races on that day.” Speaking of Banishing (Ghostzapper), the gelding will look to stretch back out for trainer David Jacobson after that Oaklawn Mile score on the Arkansas Derby undercard. Also set for a start are a pair of Winchell homebreds trained by Steve Asmussen. The last time they hit the Oaklawn surface GSW Disarm won an optional claimer and MGSW Red Route One took home the GIII Essex Handicap. Both entries are on the Gun Runner-Tapit cross that ownership used to effect in the breeding shed with MGISW Society. Cheerful In All Weathers It was a wild start to the Keeneland Spring meet with all of the schedule changes, but horse racing is about adaptation. Keeneland rolled with the punches that were thrown by a serious round of storms. On Saturday, the track has two graded races scheduled. First, the GII VisitLEX Elkhorn Stakes pits a good group of deep turf routers against one another. If there is any 'give' in the ground, then look for MGSW Balnikhov (Ire) (Adaay {Ire}) to outrun his 8-1 morning-line odds. The Phil D'Amato trainee will be making his 20th consecutive graded stakes start, which is quite an accomplishment. “I was a little concerned about the 12 post, but he'll just drop over to the rail at the back of the pack and watch them all,” said Phil D'Amato assistant Glenn Brookfield. Balnikhov like some 'give' | Horsephotos “I think he can get a mile and a half,” he said. “The time he did, he just got a beat a half-length [in last fall's GII Hollywood Turf Cup].” The ultra-consistent Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy) was tabbed by Nick Tammaro as the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Trained by Shug McGaughey, the 6-year-old only missed by a neck when third in the GIII William L. McKnight Stakes at Gulfstream Park Jan. 25. Also drawn for the Elkhorn is Todd Pletcher trainee & MGSW Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro), plus do not overlook the one-eyed wonder Rebel Red (GB) (Frankel {GB}) from the Cherie DeVaux barn. Heading to the main track and going 1 3/16ths in the GIII Ben Ali Stakes is a group of seven, which includes 5-2 morning-line favorite Duke of Love (Cupid). The Josie Carroll trainee successfully fought an infection and after 18 months made it back to the track. The 6-year-old owned by MyRacehorse was fifth on return facing optional claimers at Gulfstream Mar. 1. “That was a good comeback race with a solid group of horses and a genuinely tough race,” trainer Josie Carroll said. “He's an honest horse who shows up every time, and that race showed he was back at a good level.” An entry looking to flip the script and pull off an upset is GISP Piroli (Battle of Midway). The gelding has a win over the track when he beat optional claimers last October for trainer Michael McCarthy. Great Racing At That Place Out at Santa Anita over the weekend you can find a couple of graded options. The Saturday feature is the GII Santa Maria Stakes for older fillies and mares traveling 1 1/16th on the dirt. Trainer Bob Baffert holds a pair of aces in GISP Splendora (Audible) and GSW Richi (Chi) (Practical Joke). Do not be surprised if they run first and second, but maybe Sun Of Hill (Brz) (Camelot Kitten) can spoil the Hall of Famer's exacta. Endlessly is back in California | Benoit Spinning into Sunday the turf will take center stage as Endlessly (Oscar Performance) makes his return to California in the GIII American Stakes. As a juvenile, the colt rattled off three wins to start his career, which included after his broke his maiden the GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes and the GIII Zuma Beach Stakes. Amerman Racing celebrated when the bay got his picture taken in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks the following spring. The Derby fever was strong and they rolled the dice on the first Saturday in May. Finishing a respectable ninth in the big race, the Michael McCarthy trainee then was fifth in the GI Belmont Derby at Aqueduct in early July. By August his conditioner sent him to the bench for a rest. Now ready for his 4-year-old debut, Endlessly will face a formidable opponent in King of Gosford (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}). The chestnut might be coming off nearly a fourth-month break himself, but his class is undeniable. Last year the Phil D'Amato trainee ended his season with a front-running score in the GII Mathis Mile Stakes at Santa Anita in late December. If neither layoff runner is prepared to fire, then GISP Zio Jo (Nyquist) or MGSW Cabo Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) would be happy to head to the winner's circle. For some expert handicapping analysis, download tonight's TDN and refer to the 'Graded Stakes Entries' section. The post Graded Cast From ‘Skippy’ Defense At Oaklawn To Endlessly Going On At Santa Anita appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Our best driver is lamenting not being able to be in two places at once today. Blair Orange has had to forgo his drives at Alexandra Park tonight after that meeting was postponed on Thursday because of the Auckland weather, with Orange having flown to Auckland by the time the announcement was made. He will instead drive at the Addington day meeting today. “There isn’t much you can do about Mother Nature so I went up to Auckland and came back and will drive at Addington on Saturday instead,” says Orange. That means missing the drive of Without You in what is now a five-filly field for the Oaks Prelude at The Park but he has a full book at Addington for the Racing Rewards meeting with its boosted stakes for the lower grade horses. “They are great stakes for some of those lower grade horses but also hard races to win because of the big fields,” says Orange. While those big fields were provide punters with plenty of value to chase it is the night’s smallest field that provides Orange with one of his most interesting drives. “I drove Blacklaz to win last start and he was really good,” says Orange. “And I think that win has improved him because he has jumped out of the ground since. “It will be a good race, even though it is a small field, because I have been really impressed by what I have seen from Jumal at the trials and when it won at Addington on debut so that should be a good clash.” Also in a smaller field but with genuine class is Orange’s drive in today’s handicap pace feature, Harrison John (R8, No.6). Last December’s NZ Derby placegetter returned with a 1:52.8 mile win last start but faces his first standing start challenge against the likes of proven Cups pacers Beach Ball and Dalton Shard. “I think he will handle the stand okay because he is a nice pacer and has a touch of class. “He has to be hard to beat but these can be tricky races as they are all nice horses.” Orange has a string of handy drives in the $30,000 Racing Rewards races, including three for trainer Michael House, but opts for Paris Prince (R11. No.16) as one of his better hopes. “He is one of my best chances but it can be difficult from a handicap in a field that big so we have to hope to get the right cart into the race but he is racing really well.” One of the deeper fields of the day is the last in which Orange partners Five Crowns against Treacherous Baby and Hadron Collider. Five Crowns has drawn inside the other pair but Orange says he doesn’t have to head forward in a quest to lead as the three-year-old can be just as potent driven with a sit. “He is fast off a helmet but it is a good race,” he told HRNZ. View the full article

By Michael Guerin The two-day delay to tonight’s Alexandra Park meeting has only brought about only minor changes to the major races. Namely: Arafura out of the Northern Oaks Prelude while Got The Chocolates comes back into the Northern Derby Prelude. The meeting was to have been staged on Thursday night but was postponed because of high winds and constant rain in Auckland, both of which were gone by early Friday. So the meeting moves to tonight, overlapping with the Addington day fixture, with leading driver Blair Orange driving at Addington instead of Alexandra Park. Scratchings for Thursday’s meeting were reinstated and that brings Got The Chocolates back into the Derby Prelude, pushing hot favourite Marketplace’s odds back out from $1.14 to a multi-tempting $1.24 on Friday. But while it will now have the full field originally declared the Oaks Prelude is down to five with the Harness Million quinella-mates Stella Rouge and now Arafura out. Co-trainer Steve Telfer said Stella Rouge had a slightly off blood picture on Thursday and didn’t need the Prelude outing to be ready for the Oaks next Friday. But rival trainer Hayden Cullen made the decision to scratch Arafura from barrier 1 as the Prelude comes just six days out from the Group 1. “Six days is just short enough of a turnaround. If they happened to go hard like a 2:40 for the 2200m this week, I didn’t want to risk it,” says Cullen. “But she is totally fine and will start next week but we aren’t bringing General Jen up for the Oaks, she can wait for the Sires’ Stakes.” That reduces the Oaks Prelude to five starters and Beside Me to $1.50 with Without You rated her only real danger by the bookies at $2.50. Tonight’s meeting has been reduced by one race to a nine-race card starting at 5.38pm, with the first three races on Trackside 2 before coverage continues on Trackside 1. View the full article

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL – The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training had one more seven-figure juvenile up its sleeve with a colt by Tiz the Law bringing a sale-topping $1.5 million during the final session of the four-day auction which concluded with it third straight record average Friday. “We are very appreciative and glad and happy–all of the adjectives you can apply to the week,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said at the close of business Friday. “It was a great week for everyone.” Through four days of selling, 637 horses grossed $88,761500 for an average of $139,343, up 7.1% from last year's previous record figure of $130,149. The median of $65,000 fell 7.1% from a year ago. From a catalogue of 1,207, 765 horses were offered with 128 failing to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 16.7%. Steve Venosa's SGV Thoroughbreds sold the top two lots at the auction, adding the $1.5-million colt by Tiz the Law purchased by the partnership of Spendthrift Farm, St. Elias Stable, and West Point Thoroughbreds Friday, to the $1.45-million son of Gun Runner purchased by Kerri Radcliffe Wednesday. In all, nine horses brought seven figures during the Spring sale, surpassing the auction's previous record of five to hit that mark. Three of the nine were by GI Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law. The nine million-dollar juveniles were purchased by seven different buyers, with Radcliffe and Mahmud Mouni signing for two each. De Meric Sales was the auction's leading consignor with 32 head sold for $7,869,000. Mouni, who purchased 10 head for $4,835,000, was the auction's leading buyer. Second leading buyer was Case Clay, who purchased the same number for $3,750,000. “It's a pretty typical market,” said Clay. “It's pretty polarized, but it's strong at the top.” In his operation's final offering at OBS, legendary horseman Eddie Woods was the auction second leading consignor with 25 sold for $5,251,000. “As happy we are with the sale, knowing that we are not going to have one of our top consignors around is a bittersweet pill,” Wojciechowski said. Among the Japanese buyers who were active at the Spring sale, Hideyuki Mori purchased five juveniles for $725,000, while North Hills Co. purchased the same number for $390,000. Korean interests acquired 16 head for $476,000. While Mouni was purchasing for a new partnership of Middle Eastern clients, Pedro Lanz continued buying for Saudi clients. Lanz signed for eight horses for $1.535 million. “The international buyers were here and were excited to buy horses and it looks like they did,” Wojciechowski said. “Certainly there was a broad spectrum of buyers from all over the world.” More Seven-Figure Glory for Tiz the Law Tiz the Law was represented by his third seven-figure juvenile of the week when Spendthrift Farm, St. Elias Stable, and West Point Thoroughbreds teamed up to acquire a colt by the GI Belmont Stakes winner (hip 1094) for a sale-topping $1.5 million Friday at OBS. The $1.5-million Tiz the Law colt | OBS/VidHorse “We have now bought three Tiz the Laws at the 2-year-old sales,” said West Point's Terry Finley. “He has come forward like a whirlwind. We are very, very high on him. I remember the day he broke his maiden at Saratoga. Visually, I said he was going to be a superstar. He turned out to be a hell of a racehorse and I think he is going to have an impact on the breed for years to come.” Consigned by Steve Venosa's S G V Thoroughbreds, the dark bay colt is out of stakes-placed Georgian Dancer (Souper Speedy), a half-sister to Canadian champion sprinter River Maid (Where's the Ring). He worked a furlong last week in :10 flat. “They are very athletic,” Finley said of the offspring of Tiz the Law. “They are very intelligent. All of the pinhookers and farm trainers that I am talking to just say they have great minds and they carry themselves with some poise and some pizzazz. I wasn't as big a believer in him early, but he's got me hook line and sinker now.” On Thursday, Spendthrift manager Ned Toffey acknowledged the team had found competition stiff for the top colts with stallion potential this week at OBS. The operation was underbidder on several of the auction's million-dollar colts before partnering up for the sale topper. “It's called the power of partnerships,” Finley said. “When you are with the right partners, it really helps because you can come back at the next sale and you might get a horse that you wouldn't have gotten if you'd spent your budget at the first two sales. In that respect, I think people, even significant players who can do everything themselves, are smart when they say what group of good partners can we look to partner with. I think that structure is here to stay in our business. And I think, if anything, it helps the industry. I don't hear sellers talking that often anymore about you're taking buyers and it effects the upper end. When you see a horse that you wouldn't normally take a look at, but say, well all right, if we can get Spendthrift and the Violas in, we might be in play. All of a sudden you have more buyers instead of fewer.” @JessMartiniTDN Tiz the Law Colt Tops Big Week for Venosa The $1.5-million Tiz the Law colt gave Steve Venosa's S G V Thoroughbreds the top two offerings of the week at the OBS Spring sale. The operation sold a colt by Gun Runner for $1.45 million during Wednesday's second session of the auction. Asked how it felt to have a pair of million-dollar results this week, Venosa said, “I don't know yet. Ask me again next week.” Pushed to reveal how he would be celebrating the accomplishment Friday evening, he said, “Not sure yet. But without my team, we aren't able to do this. They take as much credit as I do.” The sale topper was purchased by SGV Thoroughbreds for $125,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. “He was just a big, scopey-type horse that we felt would do the job at a 2-year-old sale,” Venosa said of the colt's appeal last fall. “That stallion has been doing really well. So we took a shot on him.” Venosa continued, “The transformation has been amazing. He just kept getting better and better. As he was showing here, several people would come and look at him every day and every day they said he just blossomed and improved.” In addition to his three million-dollar juveniles, Tiz the Law also had a colt sell for $825,000 during Friday's final session of the Spring sale. “They just show up,” Venosa said of the Coolmore stallion's progeny. “They run on dirt, they run on turf, they are showing up at the 2-year-old sales. And the most important thing is they are sound. To bring a horse like that with that size over here to work the way he did, it was very impressive. And he vetted perfect.” @JessMartiniTDN 'It's a Bit Emotional:' Woods Signs Off at OBS Eddie and Angela Woods watched on from their usual spot on the side of the pavilion as the final horse of their legendary consignment went through the sales ring at OBS Friday. Angela wiped tears from her eyes as the son of Twirling Candy entered the sales ring and, as bidding inched forward, auctioneer Justin Holmberg quipped, “Are you reconsidering your decision?” Ultimately, hip 1177 would sell for $560,000 to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Sabby Racing and was led out of the ring to a round of appeals for the veteran horseman who has been a staple of the Ocala scene for three decades. Eddie and Angela Woods | OBS “It's a bit emotional,” Woods admitted afterwards with a tear in his eye. “It's great, it was fantastic how he sold. He was a beautiful horse. I expected him to sell well. And it was neat for a really nice horse to be my last horse and not some $5,000 type thing.” Through the years, graduates of the Eddie Woods consignment have included GI Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, as well as champions Lady Eli, Left Bank, Midnight Lute and Spring in the Air. Just last month, the consignment sold a son of Gun Runner for an OBS record $3 million at the March sale. “We've been doing this a long time in this place,” Woods said. “It's going to be different.” Asked for some of his favorite memories from the Ocala venue, Woods said, “I think my favorite memory from OBS will be that we had the first horse to work in :10 flat back in the day when :22 flat was still a good time and a :10 1/5, you were high-fiving everybody. And the first horse to work in :10 flat was notable.” He continued, “I've been on the board here for a long time. We redeveloped this whole thing from nothing. Out there it was basically a hay barn, if you remember that. And it's changed and it's a beautiful place. To be a part of that development was really good. I am proud of that, too.” As he left the pavilion for the last time as a consignor, Woods concluded, “We had some great days. We had some bad days here, too. That's part of it. But our record here has been very, very good for the number of horses we've had.” @JessMartiniTDN Quality Road Colt Tops Clay's OBS List Bloodstock agent Case Clay made the trek back from the Middle East, where he celebrated the victory of Wathnan Racing's Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the G1 Dubai World Cup at the beginning of the month, to Central Florida for the Spring sale and he may have covered that same amount of ground walking the barns at OBS this week. Clay acquired 10 juveniles for $3,750,000 during the four-day auction and made his highest-priced purchase of the week Friday when going to $750,000 for a colt by Quality Road (hip 1081) from Julie Davies's consignment. The dark bay colt is out of Fuhriously Kissed (Langfuhr), who was third in the 2018 GI Apple Blossom Handicap. “Time will tell, but he looks to me like a Saturday horse,” Clay said of the colt who was purchased for the emir of Qatar's Wathnan Racing. “He's by a great sire out of a Grade I-placed mare. And he's just a beautiful mover. I really liked him a lot.” Clay's purchases at the Spring sale also include a $600,000 son of Vekoma (hip 246), and a $500,000 daughter of City of Light (hip 1159). “Some of them are for Wathnan and some of them are for a different client,” Clay said of his April purchases. “Wathnan is focusing a lot on dirt and the other client that I am purchasing for at this sale is focusing on turf.” @JessMartiniTDN Gervais Racing Continues Racing And Breeding Expansion at OBS April Now two years into the game, Randy Gervais continued to expand his and his mother's Gervais Racing brand with the addition of three purchases at OBS April this week. Striking early during Tuesday's opening session, he first went to $400,000 to secure a filly by Speightstown (hip 21) who Gervais claimed was “a queen”. “I knew she was the horse I wanted,” Gervais said. “She was the queen to me of the entire sale. I saw [her] and she was early on [in the sale]. I loved her when I saw her. I got here Sunday and I saw her then and I saw her again Monday. I wound up texting my mom to say we found a filly we can't leave without. She's coming [home].” Purchased as a yearling at Keeneland September for $120,000 by Equinox for George A. Sharp and consigned at OBS by Niall Brennan Stables, the filly is a half to pair of winners and worked her furlong in :10. “I looked at every single horse,” Gervais said. “My bloodstock agent is Clay Scherer and we're really good friends. He's a big addition to the team. We loved [hip 21], and not just because she was early. I loved her. I thought she was a queen so I was super excited to get her. She was number one on my list for fillies.” Gervais noted he was happy to be stake his claim early. “I was very happy that I was aggressive early on with her. I personally believe that if she was later on in the sale, she would've cost $200,000 more so I was happy with what we did.” Gervais noted that, while he and his mother were especially keen on fillies as they are looking to establish a breeding operation, a good colt wouldn't be overlooked. “I'm open to anything,” he said. “If the horse is right, the horse is right. You're buying the individual. I don't want to sell myself short by saying I'm only coming for fillies and have a colt that I pass on. But with a filly, you can win a black-type or a Grade III and have a really nice mare that you can then breed to.” Keeping that open mind, Gervais Racing signed two days later for a colt by Maclean's Music (hip 704) from the Kinsman Farm consignment for $475,000. Out of a half-sister to champion 3-year-old filly Letruska (Super Saver), the colt also worked in :10. Similarly to the Speightstown filly, Gervais knew what he wanted when he saw it. Sire Maclean's Music | Lee Thomas “He was number one on my list for colts,” he said. “I liked 704, [hip 249] and [hip 727], those were my top three colts. And I thought [hip 704] was a notch above both of them. When I saw him walk out of the stall, he just spoke to me. He walked out of the stall like a man. I saw him before I got [hip 21] and I knew I had to wait around until Thursday. He came out of the stall on Monday before I even got to [hip 21] and I thought 'oh man, I've gotta leave with a filly and a colt'. Then I saw him on Tuesday and these horses, they're shown so many times and every single time that Kinsman brought him out, he just took it.” Of the price, Gervais said he would've been willing to spend whatever was needed. “I was prepared to go up high for [hip 704]. It helped me out that another Maclean's Music [hip 727] was 20 hips behind me. I knew they were going to battle each other. I knew people liked mine and people also liked that one. Everyone has a different taste.” In his third and final purchase for the week, Gervais Racing picked up a Complexity filly (hip 295) who RNA'd in the ring and sold post sale for $45,000 from the Grade One Investments consignment. “We got another little RNA horse,” Gervais said. “That's just fun and I'll send her to a new trainer whose a friend of mine.” The three purchases made this week go along with a pair of colts who went the way of Gervais Racing during the OBS March sale last month. “As an owner, I don't like being the owner that just says [to a bloodstock agent], 'hey, what do you like?'. I have to be there and see [the horses] myself. When I get there, we make a list like everyone else. We [Gervais and Scherer] go through and I picked who I liked.” When it comes to the racing side of his operation, Gervais keeps that same open-mind mentality and lets the horses tell him when they're ready to join trainer Dallas Stewart's barn. “I let them speak,” he said. “I sent [hip 21] to WinStar to just go relax. I think the fillies are better later on in the year so I'm not going to debut her until probably September. I'm going to move right on with [hip 704] and I'm hoping for a Saratoga debut.” Additionally, several of Gervais's yearling purchases from last year are already at the track including a $150,000 Not This Time colt purchased at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. “I bought a Not This Time from the Saratoga Sale and he's going great,” Gervais said. “He's already with Dallas at Keeneland. He might debut at Saratoga. If he can make a Churchill race, great. But I've seen in my experience that the horses that really carry on are ones that are lightly raced as 2-year-olds. I want the horses to feel good in their bodies and be conditioned. I don't have to buy a horse and go run it.” Even with OBS April concluding Friday, Gervais said he wasn't done shopping quite yet. Saying he has between 15 and 20 horses currently in training, Gervais doesn't have an ideal number saying with a laugh, “Call me in September.” He also added he'd be shopping at the [Fasig-Tipton] Timonium Sale. “I'll look around [at Timonium],” he said. “I'll talk to Clay but I'm not really looking for anything, just window shopping. If I go and I see something I have to leave with, then that conversation will change. I'll have to sleep on it, pray on it, see if it feels right and that's when I'll make my move.” –@SGrimmTDN De Meric Sells Tiz the Law Colt to Chris Hartman for $825K A colt from the second crop by Coolmore stallion Tiz the Law (hip 970) went to trainer Chris Hartman on a final bid of $825,000 early in the final session Friday and Hartman noted that the colt would go to a Texas-based partnership named Flatland Racing Stable. Consigned by de Meric Sales Friday after they paid $110,000 for the him at Keeneland September, the colt worked his eighth in :10. “We went through all the horses first while we're in the search like everyone else for a good racehorse,” said Flatland's Clay Carnes. “And he checked all of the boxes and stood out as an individual. So we said let's step up to the plate and see what happens.” HIP 970 in the ring | OBS/VidHorse The five-member strong Flatlands Racing Stable, who keep about five to ten horses in training with Hartman at a time, circled the colt early as the one they wanted and Carnes noted he fell right into their expected range. “We had him between $800,000 and $1,000,000 so he was right there. The higher-end horses seem to be selling pretty well.” Carnes was quick to attribute the purchase to Hartman who selected the horse on behalf of the partnership. “We looked at everything in the book and had a couple that we really looked at. But he was the one we circled and the one we were going after. This is a horse that Chris picked out and identified.” The colt was another strong result for de Meric Sales and wound up their third-highest priced sale of the week. “He's always trained very well,” said Tristan de Meric. “The way he moved, the action and the angles. He always had great angles and moved really well. He's out of a Curlin mare which I loved. You could see some Curlin in him for sure. He always did everything right. We were lucky to have him and it seemed like everyone on the ground was talking about him. So we were very happy to get the result. Best of luck to Chris Hartman.” Of the price, de Meric added: “It was starting to feel like the horse was going to sell very well with all the activity and vets in the barn on him. But you never expect a horse to sell that well. We're thrilled to be in the right place at the right time.” –@SGrimmTDN Cortez Racing Pinhooks Justify Colt Ocala-based pinhooker Alex Cortez enjoyed a successful pinhooking week when a colt by Justify (hip 1030) sold to SG Racing for $250,000 early in Friday's fourth and final session. His Cortez Racing and Sales purchased the colt as a yearling at Keeneland September for $110,000 last year. “He was super racy,” Cortez said of what initially attracted him to the colt in Kentucky. “He looked really fast. I took a chance and called my brother and my other partner. I said, 'we gotta take a shot' and it worked out.” Now in his third year of pinhooking, Cortez said he never asked his Justify colt for a thing coming into the sale. “He's always trained super big in the mornings,” Cortez said. “He always acted perfectly and I never asked him to do too much because he was always giving [his best].” His biggest sale of the week, Cortez also pinhooked a Tiz the Law filly (hip 819) during Thursday's third session for $150,000 after initially buying her at Keeneland September for $28,000. Of his eight-horse consignment, seven found new homes. “For me, the most important thing is for [the horses] to go to good homes and go on to do well. To see them performing and doing well in the races is why I started doing this three years ago.” Of the market, Cortez added: “It's been good to me. I'm always thanking God for all the success.” –@SGrimmTDN The post $1.5-million Tiz the Law Colt Puts Exclamation Point on Record-Setting OBS Spring Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

On a quiet afternoon at Meadowbrook Farm in Shelbyville, Ky., mares and foals graze and stroll about while pregnant broodmares-in-waiting bask in the warmth of the sun's rays. And adjacent to all of them, in a small round pen set up alongside one of the main pastures, Surfside Stables' Kona Kai (Palace Malice) and her twin fillies enjoy a supervised turnout session. Though they were born within minutes of each other, the twin fillies—daughters of Oscar Performance—look remarkably different, seemingly representing both halves of their genetic makeup. Nicknamed 'Mary-Kate,' the bay filly takes after her sire with a similar coat color, paired with a dollop of white adorning her forehead and a splash of color on her right hind leg. Meanwhile, her sister, fondly known as 'Ashley,' takes after her dam with a vibrant chestnut coat and a bold white face. “Mary-Kate, from the get go, she's been the boss. Even though she's a bit smaller, she came out really strong. Those personalities haven't changed. Ashley is much more social, yet if you hold on to her and you let her go, she's the first one to try to kick you,” said Lori Hendrickson, who manages her family's farm, as she glances over at the fillies with a smile. “Growing up, I don't think that's going to change much.” The reality of overseeing the care of a mare with twin foals is one that is still sinking in for Hendrickson, considering their arrival on March 10 was a complete surprise to all involved. Mary-Kate takes a snooze in the field | Sara Gordon After delivering her first foal last year, a filly by Oscar Performance, Kona Kai was bred back to the Mill Ridge Farm-based stallion and seemed to pass every checkpoint throughout her second pregnancy with flying colors. Though Hendrickson and her staff observed that Kona Kai appeared to be 'carrying low' as the weeks counted down to her due date, the vet had not seen anything irregular in the scans throughout her pregnancy. Yet, Kona Kai had been keeping a secret. “[Kona Kai] was in the way back [of the pasture] and she was lying down. I walked up close to her, asked her if she was okay, and that's when I heard her kind of pushing. We got her almost to the barn, her water breaks, and we had to make her go into the stall. I've heard that they'll sometimes stand up and have the baby, so I had a guy on one side of her and I was on the other. [Soon enough,] we caught the baby, laid it down slowly, but then of course the umbilical cord broke. Kona kind of turned a little, then the placenta came right out,” recalled Hendrickson. “After taking two steps forward, she lays down, and I ran to get the banamine. I thought something was really wrong with Kona at the time. [After] I got up to put the syringe away, we heard her push. I whipped my head around while my guy ran back behind her and he said, 'There's another baby.'” Kona Kai with Lori Hendrickson | Sara Gordon The news was equally as surprising for siblings Debbie and Howard Appel of Surfside Stables, with Debbie based in Florida and her brother based in California, as both tuned in to the live feed streaming from the camera in Kona Kai's stall. “Our other mare, Phantom Opening [Arch], gets in foal with twins every time she's been in foal, so we're very familiar with the twin thing. We know the process, we were familiar with all of it, so I knew how bad it was to have twins. It was a big shock,” said Debbie Appel. Though twin pregnancies aren't uncommon in Thoroughbred mares, a mare managing to successfully carry the twins to term is. Typically, the mare will likely abort within the first six weeks or, in the case she carries to birth, the twins will either not survive the birth or be born severely undersized and underdeveloped. It's due to those risks that when the presence of twins is revealed by a scan early on in the mare's pregnancy, breeders will have their vet 'pinch' or manually abort one of the embryos to give the other the best chance of survival. However, it's been proven time and time again that horses aren't aware of statistics and don't live within the realm of science. This much was true of Kona Kai and her twin fillies, who not only evaded being discovered on routine scans but also beat the statistics when surviving well past birth. Taking every precaution, Hendrickson conferred with the Appels and Kona Kai's vet before making the decision to transport the trio to Rood & Riddle for further observation and care under the watchful eye of Dr. Bonnie Barr, a neonatal specialist, and her team. “When we drove up, I remember looking out [to see] people standing in all of the different buildings, they were all watching. From what one of the girls [at Rood & Riddle] told me, they had been on the radio to say 'we have two twins coming in and they are both the same size and they're doing really well,' and I think that the clinic just couldn't believe it,” said Hendrickson. The trio spent a week at the hospital, receiving supportive care, as the veterinary team monitored their development through factors such as weight, bone growth and strength, and white blood cell count. When they were born, the twins weighed approximately 58 pounds and 62 pounds, respectively. At nearly a month old, Hendrickson said Ashley was weighing in at 102 pounds and Mary-Kate had reached 98 pounds. “The one challenge that we had was trying to decide whether we should get a nurse mare for one of the twins or not, or keep them all together and try to see if Kona could manage. Howard and Lori and I kind of put our heads together and tried to figure out what we could do, [to determine] what was best. It was very hard because on one hand, we wanted to make sure the twins had every opportunity. But they clearly were so bonded, that became obvious, and not only the twins to each other, but Kona to the twins. They were a little family. The idea of separating one of those foals and putting them with the nurse mare, we just couldn't do it,” said Debbie Appel. Kona Kai, Hendrickson, and her twins | Sara Gordon “We [also] wanted to give it a little bit of time to see if Kona was able to produce enough [milk] to feed both of them,” added Howard Appel. “It basically came down to the bloodwork. They were gaining weight every time they checked them. They had to do x-rays on knees and hocks to clarify what they would be able to do once they came home, and that's why they've been in a pen, [because] the knees were always great but the hocks needed more time,” said Hendrickson. It was during the twins' time at the hospital that Debbie Appel shared the first photo of them on social media. That initial post, published March 12 on X, has now garnered nearly 875,000 views. The twins achieving social media stardom overnight was not something Appel had anticipated, but she has accepted it graciously, now sharing updates with photos and videos of the twins via Hendrickson, whenever she gets the chance. “For both of us, we love racing and we love the industry. But one of the things that is sometimes troubling about it is [that] there's so much bad press and negative information that people use to beat up on horse racing. We looked at this as an opportunity to share a positive story, something that people can rally around,” explained Debbie Appel. “It's very nice to see so much interest and that people have gravitated to the twins. Ultimately, our goal is that they'll be healthy and have a racing career. In the meantime, this is a feel-good story that has captured hearts internationally. We're happy to be a part of that and share this with everyone,” said Howard Appel. Though it's been quite the learning curve for Hendrickson, who worked as a multiple stakes-winning trainer for 20 years before making the transition to working on the farm full-time a few years ago, she wouldn't trade the experiences for anything. “I love watching them when they're born. [It's witnessing] that first time you take them out and they take a couple steps, then they'll jog a little bit, and then all of a sudden, they kind of find their legs and start kicking and galloping. You can almost see it within an hour or two, how much they change,” said Hendrickson. “It is stressful, but once they're born and you get past all of that, it's pretty entertaining.” As they near the two-month mark, the twin fillies and their dam have leveled up to a larger paddock, providing ample room for the foals to stretch their legs…while also giving Kona a break from their antics. In the meantime, Debbie and Howard are hoping to make the trip to Shelbyville from their respective homes on the East and West Coasts to finally meet Kona Kai's 'miracle' foals. It marks a memorable time in the siblings' experience within the industry since establishing their racing stable in 2018, highlighted by multiple graded stakes-placed geldings Oceanic (Constitution) and Midnight Rising (Mendelssohn). Phantom Opening and Kona Kai, both campaigned by Surfside and trained by Jordan Blair during their racing careers, were retired to start a new chapter as broodmares which marked the Appels' first foray into breeding. Debbie and Howard are the first to acknowledge their status as a breed-to-race operation, but most importantly, an operation with a focus on 'breed-to-retire safely.' “We know it's a tough business and we could have easily put horses in claiming and other things, but [instead] we've retired a number of horses because the last thing you want to see is an injury or to find out they're racing somewhere else. We've sent a number of horses to Second Stride and other organizations that can provide [the horses with] another life after racing,” said Howard Appel. “We try to give back to the industry as much as we can. We try to make sure that our horses stay healthy so that they can have a future after racing.” Mary-Kate | Sara Gordon Based on the significance of Kona Kai, and the impression her twins have already left from even states away, there is no question that living as part of the Surfside Stables herd will be their forever home. “We want them to be healthy and we want to give them whatever tools or resources that we can to ensure that they have every opportunity to be on the track and be successful,” Howard Appel said of the twins. “But we know the odds are long and if it doesn't work out that way, then we'll find a way to continue their story. Either that or they'll end up in our backyard.” “Wouldn't that make a great story, for them to be one of the first sets of twins to have a successful racing career? I mean, with any given horse on any given day, really with any horse born, nobody knows, right? You get the claimers that can run in stakes and sometimes the million-dollar purchases can't win anything,” replied Debbie Appel. As the twin fillies doze beside each other, with their incredibly patient and doting mother Kona Kai watching over them, it's easy to envision the dream that all of their connections describe. And isn't that the beauty of this industry…this sport…these remarkable athletes? The triumph we all dream of is not only found when beating the odds, but defying them. “We feel blessed to have the twins and Kona, and that they're all healthy. We have a dream that Mary-Kate and Ashley will be in the [2028] Kentucky Oaks, running down the stretch together and they finish in a dead heat. That's still the dream.” The post Double Take: Twin Thoroughbred Fillies Defying The Odds, Flourishing at Home appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Croix du Nord puts his undefeated record on the line in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) April 20, the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown.View the full article

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As first reported by the Daily Racing Form's David Grening, MGSP Madaket Road (Quality Road) will be pointed to the GII Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard instead of the marquee race that Saturday. After working Friday morning at Santa Anita, where he posted a five furlong move in 1:00.80 (13.32), Madaket Road will now be pointed to the Pat Day and will ship to Churchill Downs with stablemates 'TDN Rising Stars' MGISW Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) and GSW Rodriguez (Authentic). “That's sort of been our goal all along, that's a better distance for him,” Baffert told the DRF. With Madaket Road being removed from the line up, the door opens for SW & MGSP Built (Hard Spun), but the connections are also reportedly considering the Pat Day Mile for that one as well. GISP Neoequos (Neolithic), MSP Render Judgment (Blame), and GISP Baeza (McKinzie) are next in line with the Neoequos and Baeza camps already confirming their intent to run if the spots open up. The post Madaket Road Reroutes From Kentucky Derby to Pat Day Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Having produced a five-furlong breeze which pleased trainer Brad Cox and completed his winter season in Indiantown, FL Friday morning, GI Florida Derby hero Tappan Street (Into Mischief) is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs Saturday morning. Going the five panels in company in 1:01.40 at Payson Park Training Center, it marked the penultimate breeze on the sophomore's schedule in advance of his expected start in the GI Kentucky Derby May 3. Tappan Street worked with stablemate 'TDN Rising Star' Rapture (Uncle Mo) for the second straight week. The son of Into Mischief sits sixth on the leaderboard with 100 points and is tied with Florida Derby runner-up MGSW & GISP Sovereignty (Into Mischief). “Overall, very pleased. [He] continued on around the turn very nicely and galloped out strong,” Cox said. “He looked great coming off the track. He's been very consistent, and it seems like with his works: the further, the better. He's in a good spot right now.” Neoequos, Currently On Derby Bubble, Will Ship to Churchill As Defections Continue Florida-bred GISP Neoequos (Neolithic) is on the outside-looking-in on the Kentucky Derby points board–21st in the standings with 40 points–and would need another defection to be included in the 20-strong field, but trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. continues to move forward with completing the colt's Derby preps in a timely manner. Having gone from evicting his rider from the saddle on debut last July to being Grade I-placed via a third-place finish in the Florida Derby in late March, the colt worked five furlongs Friday morning in 1:00.51 in company with an older workmate, Mr. Narcissistic (Signature Red). With a start in the Derby still very much in the books, Neoequos is expected to breeze one more time at Gulfstream Park before shipping to Kentucky. The likelihood of him securing a coveted spot in the gate became even more likely Friday afternoon when the Daily Racing Form's David Grening reported that trainer Bob Baffert would be sending MGSP Madaket Road (Quality Road)–who had been in that top 20 with 46 points–to the GII Pat Day Mile over the Kentucky Derby. “Right now, we're going to the Derby,” Joseph said. “The distance is still a question mark, but he keeps running well enough and fast enough on the figures to keep going and try.” “I'm probably leaning toward working him one more time and then head to Churchill. He might work next Thursday. Either Thursday or Friday next week. Probably next Thursday and then ship in [Friday].” The post Tappan Street Ships to Churchill Saturday, Neoequos One Step Closer to Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A federal judge on Friday denied a request by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) to stay a preliminary injunction that was issued two months ago in favor of the advance-deposit wagering (ADW) platform TwinSpires. Back on Feb. 19, the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan had ruled that the MGCB was unconstitutionally violating the Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA) by requiring that ADW to partner with a brick-and-mortar racetrack in that state before accepting simulcast wagers from Michigan residents. At the time of that earlier ruling, Judge Hala Jarbou had ordered the MGCB not to enforce the contested Michigan Horse Racing Law (MHRL) licensing requirement about partnering with an in-state racetrack or to issue any sanctions against TwinSpires, a Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) subsidiary, for accepting bets from Michigan residents on out-of-state simulcast races. The court order from Apr. 18 only pertains to the Feb. 19 preliminary injunction. The underlying Jan. 12 lawsuit by Churchill Downs Technology Initiatives Company–plus a still-pending, entirely separate lawsuit brought five days later by the MGCB against TwinSpires–are both still active in the federal court system. Both lawsuits stem from the fact that at the start of 2025, Michigan's law requiring ADWs to partner with a racetrack in the state couldn't be fulfilled by any ADW operator because there hasn't been any Thoroughbred racing in Michigan since 2018, and Standardbred races last ran in February 2024. TwinSpires (and other ADWs) had previously partnered with the now-demolished and to-be-developed Northville Downs, whose license-holders as of Jan. 1 were planning to–but had not yet received at that time–approval for the required 30 days of Standardbred racing at a different location so that all parties could be eligible for ADW and simulcasting in 2025. On Dec. 23, 2024, the MGCB notified all licensed ADWs to cease offering wagering for Michigan residents effective Jan. 1, 2025. The shutdown was to be temporary until the harness track's licensing issue got resolved. While ADW operators Xpressbet, NYRA Bets, and TVG Network voluntarily complied with the order, TwinSpires did not. After a week of continuing to take bets against the order, the MGCB suspended the TwinSpires license Jan. 7. On Jan. 31, Northville Downs received its licensing, allowing third-party facilitators to accept wagers in accordance with the MHRL license requirement. However, the MGCB continued to maintain its suspension against TwinSpires. In the Apr. 18 opinion and order, the judge wrote that, “[The MGCB] Defendants have not met their burden to show entitlement to a stay. Their arguments are unpersuasive. Because Defendants are not likely to succeed on the merits, they have not demonstrated that the preliminary injunction has caused irreparable harm, and they have not illustrated that issuing a stay is in the public interest, the Court will deny their motion…” The judge continued: “Michigan law is clear: 'a bet is made at the time and place where the offer of it is accepted.' The IHA requires TwinSpires obtain consent from only three entities: the horseracing association, the host racing commission, and the off-track racing commission. For races that take place outside of Michigan, TwinSpires does not need MGCB consent. The MHRL requirements seek to add an additional layer of consent when a wager is placed by individuals in Michigan. The IHA preempts these requirements… “Defendants argue that the preliminary injunction prevents Michigan officials from effectuating the MHRL, which amounts to irreparable harm. While this sentiment is valid, the argument is not sound. The Court is not preventing Michigan officials from effectuating the statute in a manner that is consistent with the IHA. The preliminary injunction is limited to wagers that are accepted outside of Michigan for races that take place outside of Michigan. The MHRL remains in effect for wagers accepted in Michigan and for races that occur in Michigan.” The opinion and order also stated that, “Defendants also argue that the Michigan horse racing industry [is] is reliant upon the fees generated from interstate off-track wagering. The Court will not comment on the policy choices that will best support a horse racing industry in Michigan. The Court will, however, uphold the charge of the IHA, which establishes the exclusive procedure by which entities can accept interstate off-track wagers.” The post Federal Judge Again Upholds Interstate Horse Act, Denies Stay in TwinSpires-vs-Michigan Lawsuit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The morning-line favorite First Mission hasn't been to the winner's circle in almost a year, but if his recent works are any indication, he will be in peak form Saturday. View the full article

Croix du Nord puts his undefeated record on the line in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) April 20, the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown.View the full article

The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit has sanctioned Tampa Bay Downs-based trainer Scooter Davis after one of his horses tested positive for the corticosteroid dexamethasone after a March 15 race at the track.View the full article

The all-weather season drew to a close on Good Friday, April 18, with Tony Carroll named the All-Weather Champion Trainer for the first time. Carroll, who finished second to Mick Appleby last season, saddled 57 winners, 11 clear of his nearest rival, James Owen. “For me personally, it is a great achievement and I am very proud of it,” said Carroll. “A big thank you to the team at home–Titch, Mary, and everybody else involved. They are people that never go racing and are never seen, but they are the backbone behind it all. They do all the work really, and I'm just there making sure everything is as it should be. “The horses have been fantastic all winter. The horses have been really healthy, right the way through, and the owners have been fantastic. ARC have put a great thing on and we have all really enjoyed it.” Added Carroll of All-Weather Champion Apprentice winner Jack Doughty, “Jack Doughty has been fantastic for the yard and it's great for us both to win together. He is only 17 but has been with me for a while, so it's marvellous. He has been a pleasure to have in the yard, all the way through from day one, and you could always see that he was just a bit different from the rest. “We have had 57 winners on the all-weather this season, but I think Init Together (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}) is the only one that has won four. The rest has been made up by individual horses, so it's a great performance from them.” Billy Loughnane was a first-time winner of the All-Weather Champion Jockey title. He was the All-Weather Champion Apprentice the past two years. Godolphin earned its 11th consecutive All-Weather Champion Owner title with 15 wins, two better than Rabbah Racing. Loughnane, who had 75 wins, four better than Hector Crouch, said, “I am chuffed. It has been a good winter and a long hard battle with Hector for the past few months, who's obviously a great jockey, and it's been a big last push to get it over the line. “It was good being able to get away for a little bit of time in Australia as well, but to come back and get a lot of support from numerous different trainers who've helped me and my agent Tony Hind, who is a super-agent and doing a great job. “Obviously, dad runs the majority of his horses on the all-weather and I've grown up around it. “Dad's got a big team and George Boughey is my main boss now, but there are a lot of trainers, the Kublers and Ian Williams to name just two, who have given me a lot of support so it's great.” The post All-Weather Champions Crowned At Newcastle appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 2025 Inglis Digital USA April Sale catalogue is now online and showcases a diverse group of 20 individuals ranging from Claiming Crown qualifiers to Keeneland debuters with their maiden conditions still available to yearlings from active families, the online auction house announced via press release Friday afternoon. A slate of racing age horses includes Sitka (Speightstown), eligible for the aforementioned Claiming Crown and who holds his N2X condition, hailing from the shed row of trainer Matt Williams. His career-best Beyer figure is an 88, which he matched in his Apr. 4 gate to wire win in a starter allowance at Oaklawn Park. Buyers looking to add juveniles or lightly-raced 3-year-olds will find horses like Lilium (Flatter), a sophomore racing or broodmare prospect out of a half-sister to champion 3-year-old MGISW Maximum Security (New Year's Day) and from the immediate female family of MGISW Flat Out. The 2-year-old Baytown Dreamer (Mendelssohn) is offered on the back of his third-place effort Apr. 10 in a Keeneland maiden special weight. He is out of a stakes winning Munnings mare who herself is a half-sister to MGSW Appealing Tale (Tale of the Cat). The catalogue also features a trio of yearlings from the consignment of Highlander Training Center in Texas. Interested parties must register to bid and request a limit to start placing them. To view the full catalogue and register, please go here. “April is an exciting and busy time of year,” said Kyle Wilson, senior director of Sales and Recruiting for Inglis Digital USA. “We have established runners and some young horses ready to get a start. We're also offering some breeding prospects if anyone has late seasons to fill.” The post Claiming Crown Qualifiers, Well-bred Maidens with Conditions Available Highlight Inglis Digital USA April Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two horses have been supplemented to Keeneland's April Select Horses of Racing Age Sale, set to begin Apr. 25, namely stakes winner Incanto (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and the maiden-placed Happyhappyboy (Runhappy), the auction house announced Friday afternoon. The former is trained by Jose D'Angelo and has two victories to his credit in 2025, including the Texas Glitter Stakes at Gulfstream Park Mar. 22, before he shipped out to Santa Anita for a try in the Listed John Shear Stakes. Finishing fifth there, the gelding will be selling remotely from Santa Anita. This is the immediate female family of GISP Responsibleforlove (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Vale of York (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who was also Group 1-placed in Italy. Happyhappyboy hails from the shed row of owner/trainer Marcelino Torres, and was last seen finishing second on debut Apr. 7 at Keeneland behind the Wesley Ward owned and trained Pinky Finger (Army Mule). That filly facing the boys ran off the screen to win by 7 1/2 lengths while the Runhappy colt kept on to claim second by three-quarters of a length. The juvenile hails from the family of SW & MGSP Jazz (Quiet American) and SW & GSP Favored Lady (Fappiano). Click here for the catalogue. A supplemental catalogue along with a consignment and barn order list will be produced and distributed roughly on Monday, Apr. 21 when the entries are close to being final. Keeneland will accept approved supplements until the sale date. The post Stakes Winner Incanto Supplemented to Keeneland April Select HORA Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A colt from the second crop of Tiz the Law (hip 1094) set a new high-water mark during Friday's final session of OBS April, selling for $1,500,000 to the partnership of Spendthrift, St. Elias and West Point. Consigned by S G V Thoroughbreds (Steven Venosa), the colt is out of a half-sister to Canadian champion female sprinter River Maid (Where's My Ring) who herself produced GI Central Bank Ashland runner up Cocktail Moments (Uncle Mo). The Louisiana-bred worked an eighth in :10. The post New Topper At OBS April As Tiz The Law Colt Brings $1.5M appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Shortleaf Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' MGSW & MGISP Quietside (Malibu Moon) breezed five furlongs alone Friday morning at Keeneland as her march toward Louisville continues for the first Friday in May. With jockey Jose Ortiz in the irons, no relation to trainer John Ortiz, the filly rolled through her five panel work in :59 flat and galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.20. Her sectionals were :12.20, :36.20, :59 (end of her work), and 1:12.20. “We wanted to give her a good five-eighths to get some air in her,” said trainer Ortiz. “Jose worked her in 58 and 4 at the Fair Grounds before the [GIII] Honeybee and wanted to do the same today. We know she will do 12s [second eighths of a mile] and then finish down the lane–which she did.” “She had a strong gallop out. We were very pleased with the work. She is a filly that is peaking at the right time.” His filly currently sits atop the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard and will likely not only be a main player but also one of the wagering choices for the May 2 headliner. That in mind, Ortiz also included that the travel itinerary for Quietside would be to remain at Keneeland for a while longer before shipping into the controlled chaos at Churchill Downs. “I probably will keep her here because it is quieter. We'll work next Friday morning [Apr. 25 at Keeneland] and then ship over to Churchill that afternoon.” The post Quietside Breezes in Lexington as Oaks Prep Continues, Ships to Churchill Next Friday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

10th-GP, $57K, Alw/Opt. Clm., 3yo/up, 7f, 5:54 p.m. ET Last seen finishing a midpack fifth behind Dornoch (Good Magic) in last year's GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, Centennial Farms' ANTIQUARIAN (Preservationist) resumes over a sprint trip Saturday at Gulfstream. The $250,000 KEESEP yearling, a maiden winner at second asking at the Fair Grounds, was an even sixth in the GII Louisiana Derby before striking in the GIII Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct. Edgard Zayas has the call for this seasonal jumping-off point. TJCIS PPs 4th-AQU, $80K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 2:46 p.m. ET STRATEGIC FOCUS (Gun Runner) was a $500,000 acquisition at the 2023 KEESEP sale and will carry the same Klaravich Stable colors as his full-sister Headline Numbers, who was the front-running, 4 1/2-length winner of the Top Flight Stakes at this venue just last weekend. The May foal's dam Curlin's Mistress (Curlin) is a full-sister to MGSW Curlin's Approval, dam of recent GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes third Praetor (Into Mischief); and a half to MGSP Apologynotaccepted (Fusaichi Pegasus). TJCIS PPs 7th-TAM, $53K, Msw, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:24 p.m. ET MAYOR OF MIDNIGHT (IRE), a gelded son of the very much in-form Lope de Vega (Ire), gets his career started for Seth Klarman's operation, which campaigned the sire's Grade I winners Program Trading (Ire) and Newspaperofrecord (Ire). A 190,000gns buyback out of the 2023 Tattersalls October Sale, the May 22 foal is a half-brother to SW Maqsad (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and GSP Cambridge (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) as well as a now 2-year-old filly by Palace Pier (GB) that fetched 260,000gns from Cary Bloodstock at TATOCT last fall. The bay is a maternal grandson of Aquarelliste (Fr) (Danehill), winner of the 2001 G1 Prix de Diane and an additional two elite-level scores while also finishing runner-up to Sakhee (Bahri) in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe of 2001. TJCIS PPs 5th-OP, $110K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 3:27 p.m. ET SEPTIMUS (Uncle Mo) debuts for the partnership of Winchell Thoroughbreds and breeder Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, who sold the colt for $300,000 at KEESEP and then stayed in for a part. The Mar. 8 foal goes out for trainer Steve Asmussen, who conditioned dam My Miss Aurelia (Smart Strike) to champion 2-year-old filly honors on the strength of her victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2011. She added the GI Cotillion Stakes the following term and this is her third foal to make the races. Godolphin homebred Energize (Medaglia d'Oro) is out of Enliven (Ghostzapper), a Grade III-placed daughter of MGISW It's Tricky (Mineshaft), also the dam of MGSW & GISP Enticed (Medaglia d'Oro). Sports Hero (Munnings), a half-brother to GSW Circle of Trust (Union Rags) and SW Flashy Lass (Street Sense), is out of a half-sister to Gary and Mary West's GISW sire West Will Power (Bernardini). TJCIS PPs 6th-GP, $55K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 3:43 p.m. ET PRIME ROCKET (Tapit) is a half-brother to six winners from six to race out of the stakes-winning Yawkey Way (Grand Slam), whose son Spun To Run (Hard Spun) upset the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Previously the dam of SW Tap It All (Tapizar), Yawkey Way was purchased by Gainesway–the stallion home of Spun To Run–and Whisper Hill Farm for $600,000 at KEENOV in 2020, and the Hard Spun foal she was carrying at the time became Informed Patriot, victorious in last year's Bathhouse Row Stakes and graded-placed at two and three. Frank Fletcher gave $550,000 for Prime Rocket at KEESEP in 2023. That auction's $3-million top seller, Vibe (Into Mischief), was a well-beaten fourth on local debut over six furlongs Mar. 15, but adds blinkers and stretches out with a Palm Beach Downs bullet in hand for this second go. TJCIS PPs 8th-GP, $55K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 4:47 p.m. ET WEEKENDSANDWHISKEY (Justify) was knocked down to Robert and Lawana Low for $850,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and is another from the barn of Todd Pletcher. The chestnut is out of a winning half-sister to Enterprising (Elusive Quality), a three-time graded winner on the turf. The colt's third dam Fire the Groom (Blushing Groom {Fr}) was responsible for eight winners, including champion MG1SW Stravinsky (Nureyev) and English SW & U.S. GISP Moscow Ballet (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). TJCIS PPs The post Saturday Insights: Antiquarian Makes Seasonal Debut at Gulfstream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

To the surprise of no one, pride of place in Sunday's G1 Satsuki Sho belongs to the Sunday Silence sire line with eight representatives spread throughout the 18-strong field. The late Shadai Stallion Station luminary's first foals arrived in Japan in 1992, and from that first crop was 1995 Satsuki Sho winner Genuine (Jpn). Six others followed (Ishino Sunday {Jpn}, 1996, Air Shakur {Jpn}, 2000, Agnes Tachyon {Jpn}, 2001, Nishino Sunday {Jpn}, 2003, Daiwa Major {Jpn}, 2004, and Deep Impact {Jpn}, 2005). Sunday Silence saved the best for last, with Deep Impact also winning the Japanese Triple Crown. A 13-time Japanese Champion Sire before his premature death, the American Horse of the Year would also sire a litany of other Classic winners and champions, excelling as both a sire-of-sires and a broodmare sire. However, it is a different Sunday Silence branch from Deep Impact that gives us the antepost favourite on Sunday in 2024 Japanese Champion 2-Year-Old Male and G1 Hopeful Stakes winner Croix Du Nord (Jpn). By Kitasan Black (Jpn), the sire of 2023 Satsuki Sho hero Sol Oriens (Jpn), 2022 runner-up (and international wunderkind) Equinox (Jpn) and 2025 rival and G2 Spring Stakes winner Piko Chan Black (Jpn), Croix Du Nord counts Black Tide (Jpn), a less heralded full-brother to Deep Impact, as his grandsire. He will leave from stall 10 under Yuichi Kitamura. Trainer Takashi Saito said of the champion, “Last time in the Hopeful Stakes, he got a position quite naturally, and the jockey rode him well. It was the horse's first run at Nakayama, but he ran a strong race. He's had a break at Northern Farm Shigaraki since, and on returning to the stable, he looks about the same, and things seem as usual with him.” A total of three sons of Deep Impact have won this Classic including Dee Majesty (Jpn) ('16), Al Ain (Jpn) ('17) and Triple Crown Winner Contrail (Jpn) in 2020. Deep Impact's 2024 Japanese Champion Sire son Kizuna (Jpn) boasts a trio of colts hoping to dethrone Croix Du Nord, with the three-for-three Eri King (Jpn) shortest in the market. Like the Hopeful Stakes hero, the G3 Kyoto Nisai Stakes victor and son of G1 Queensland Oaks heroine Youngstar (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}) will be making his 2025 bow in the Satsuki Sho and will be ridden by Yuga “King” Kawada from stall two. Satono Shining (Jpn) defeated subsequent G1 Oka Show third Lynx Tip (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) in the G3 Kisaragi Sho, while Magic Sands (Jpn) claimed the G3 Sapporo Nisai Stakes. Nishino Agent (Jpn) already sports a win in the G3 Keisei Hai over the Satsuki Sho course and distance, and traces to Sunday Silence through his grandson, 2014 Satsuki Sho hero Isla Bonita (Jpn) (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn}). King Kamehameha's Influence Kingmambo horse King Kamehameha (Jpn) also excelled as a sire in Japan, and seven members of the Satsuki Sho field trace to the 2004 G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner through their male line. The late Japanese Champion Sire and 2015 Satsuki Sho scorer Duramente (Jpn) is represented by a quartet of sons with the three-for-four Masquerade Ball (Jpn) appearing the best on paper. He defeated Kalamatianos (Jpn), by King Kamehameha's son Rey De Oro (Jpn), in the G3 Tokinominoru Kinen. Trainer Takahisa Tezuka said of Masquerade Ball, “He had a break at the farm after his last race, before returning to the stable at the end of March. He's been working as usual on the uphill track, and he's done well enough when considering the ground at the time of his work.” One of the most intriguing runners on pedigree is G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes second Museum Mile (Jpn), by King Kamehameha's Leontes (Jpn). Leontes's dam, the dual Group 1 winner Cesario (Jpn) (Special Week {Jpn}), also produced Celia (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), the dam of fellow Satsuki Sho entrant and group-placed Vincentio (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}). Museum Mile will be ridden by Joao “Magic Man” Moreira, who won the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) aboard Embroidery (Jpn) (Admire Mars {Jpn}) last Sunday. They are booked for stall six. Cutting back in distance is Rulership (Jpn)'s 2200-metre Listed Sumire Stakes winner G T Adamant (Jpn). Seventh choice ahead of Sunday's contest, the colt is currently 18-1 and will exit stall eight. Alternative Bloodlines One of only three in the race not tracing to either Sunday Silence or King Kamehameha, ante-post fourth choice Giovanni (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) was runner-up in the Hopeful Stakes. He is a descendant of Hail To Reason's son Roberto through Kris S. to Symboli Kris S, the sire of Epiphaneia (Jpn). The last-named sire already has 2021 Satsuki Sho hero Efforia (Jpn) to his credit. Another branch of Roberto is represented by the multiple group-placed long shot Dragon Boost (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}). His grandsire Grass Wonder was by Silver Hawk (Roberto). The only horse in the race tracing tail male to Northern Dancer is Hopeful Stakes third Faust Rasen (Jpn), by Frankel (GB)'s G1 February Stakes/G1Yasuda Kinen scorer Mozu Ascot. He won the course-and-distance Guineas prep–the G2 Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen–on March 9. The post Sire Lines In The Satsuki Sho appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) is rolling out a participation incentive program for owner and trainers during the five-day 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course in early June, the track said in a release on Friday. Owners will be eligible for a starter bonus for horses finishing fourth through last with $1,500 awarded for stakes starters and $1,000 awarded to owners of starters in overnight races. Trainers whose horses start in stakes races that week will receive a $750 bonus, while a $500 bonus will be awarded to trainers for starters in all overnight races. The program is designed to assist owners and trainers in covering additional expenses incurred for shipping upstate earlier than the typical start of the summer meet. Eligible horses must be declared an official starter and must not be placed on the poor performance list or veterinarian list. Trainers must comply with all NYRA, HISA and NYSGC racing and safety rules to remain eligible. NYRA reserves the right to determine eligibility for qualified starters. Steeplechase participants are not eligible. Click here to access the condition book and complete purse schedule. The post Owner And Trainer Incentive Program Offered For Belmont Stakes Racing Festival appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article