Wandering Eyes

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Pukekohe-based trainer Andre Poutama is hopeful he’s got a couple of decent prospects at Cambridge today. He’ll drive three of his own – Light O Love (R1), St John Eight (R4) and Desert Dawn (R7) – as well as Emily Bay for trainer Ival Brownlee (R6). “That’s a big team for me,” laughs Poutama, “and there are some good top three or each way chances there.” He opens his day with last start winner Light O Love in Race 1, the Off the Track Food and Bev Trot (4.24pm). The Father Patrick four-year-old had her first win at her 10th career start at Cambridge on March 25. “She always does everything right so she gives herself a chance,” says Poutama, “and I’ve put blinds on today to sharpen her up.” She’s currently a $4.40 third favourite. In Race 4, the Hidden Lake Hotel Mobile Pace, St John Eight ($4.50) is another well-backed runner for Poutama. “He trialled well last Thursday and it just depends on whether he wants to try or not.” The Always B Miki four-year-old was well supported in his opening two races in Canterbury before having a fourth and fifth in two starts in the north for Poutama. “He’s certainly good enough to get a maiden win.” The Brownlee-trained Emily Bay, who will start in Race 6, the Betavet Buildagut Handicap Trot (6.54pm), was “disappointing in her last couple of starts”, according to Poutama. She was a bit unlucky though in her last start fourth, after being held up by stablemate Bangkok Betty at Cambridge on March 25. “She trialled good last Thursday and if she trots she’s a definite each way chance,” says Poutama. Rounding out Poutama’s day will be Desert Dawn in Race 7, the Dunstan Horsefeeds Mobile Pace (7.21pm). The four-race winner is a regular in amateur drivers’ races in the north though his last start was an eighth in the Dorothy Cutts Invitational as part of Cambridge’s Night of Champions on April 4. Poutama isn’t upbeat about his chances but says at $19 and $3.70 he’s “a bit of a gold coin job.” View the full article

It is full steam ahead for the connections of El Vencedor (NZ) (Shocking), as the star galloper jets off to Hong Kong on Thursday in preparation for the Gr.1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin on April 27. El Vencedor has been unstoppable in New Zealand’s middle-distance ranks over the summer, winning three consecutive elite-level crowns in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m), Gr.1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) and Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m). The popular gelding’s stellar form did not go unnoticed on the global stage, rated joint-10th in the latest LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings and receiving an invitation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club to compete at the spectacle that is FWD Champions Day. Stephen Marsh, alongside owner-breeders David Price and Mark Freeman swiftly accepted the offer, mapping out a plan that has gone smoothly to date. El Vencedor appeared at Ellerslie, the scene of so many of his successes, for an impressive trial win on April 3, before stepping out for an exhibition gallop on Sunday at Te Rapa. “He’s done everything we wanted to see,” Marsh said. “I thought his trial was great, then he galloped up beautifully on Sunday at Te Rapa and he pulled up really well. “We felt we’d given him enough after the Bonecrusher, he was fit and we just had to keep that fitness there. We haven’t been easy on him through the season, so he’s bang on. “He’s in a great vein of form, he’s feeling well and he looks a million dollars. I’m really looking forward to getting him over there.” After being carefully managed in their Cambridge barn, the son of Shocking will fly out of Auckland on Thursday with his trackwork rider Emma Smith, with Marsh to join them later in the week. “He’s had all his own gear and the same handlers, we’ve been careful without excluding him from the other horses,” Marsh said. “We’re just trying to keep everything perfect and so far, so good. “He flies out on Thursday and I’ll be travelling a couple of days later, Emma has been up there many a time and I’ll arrive there on Saturday. “It’s a great buzz for the whole team, all the workers, his owners, and the rest of our clients as well, everyone is really getting behind us. “It’s an unreal feeling.” View the full article

Time was always going to benefit Mehzebeen (NZ) (Almanzor) and the Almanzor mare continues to emphasise that in her five-year-old season. She was bred and sold by Pencarrow Stud and at Trentham furthered her black-type record with victory in the Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson. Mehzebeen had also completed the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2600m) and Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) double in the spring to realise the earlier staying potential she showed when runner-up in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m). “She has matured into a really nice mare and while it didn’t quite work out in Australia, she’s certainly in good form now,” Pencarrow Manager Leon Casey said. He was referring to the Te Akau-prepared mare’s two unplaced performances in Melbourne earlier this year. Mehzebeen is out of the since sold Zabeel mare Salkantay, dam of three winners including another stakes performer in Smiling Touch, and was secured by Sarai Stud for $50,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale. “She was a lovely type of filly and was just a little bit immature and hadn’t really furnished up as much as the others,” Casey said. “There was obviously interest in her, but she was always going to take some time. “She came off our Bellwood farm where we do some of our yearling fillies, it’s a hill property and she went over just after weaning and did her full preparation there. “We prepare and sell from that farm, we’ve only been doing it for a few years. It’s a very small number and she’s our fifth individual stakes winner going through that system.” Mehzebeen continued Pencarrow’s good roll following the recent debut victory over 1400m at Waverley of debutante Powerofpersuasion (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) in Sir Peter Vela’s colours while homebred and raced Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) was a late finishing third in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m) at Trentham. Powerofpersuasion is a three-year-old daughter of Ten Sovereigns and the Darci Brahma mare Persuasive, a winner on five occasions up to 1400m. “That was Stephen and Julia’s 10th winner for the season from a small team and she won nicely,” Casey said. “We sell five or six fillies a year and keep the others to race and all three grew up on the hill farm.” Pencarrow has a half-brother to Powerofpersuasion by Nicconi who will be offered at the New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale and a colt by Eminent while the dam is in foal to Reliable Man. Lightly raced Tarzino mare Tomodachi has won five of her eight starts for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott and is out of the High Chaparral’s daughter Quintessentially, a granddaughter of champion mare Ethereal. Quintessentially’s colt by Hello Youmzain sold for $80,000 at Karaka earlier this year and she is in foal to Pride Of Dubai. View the full article

Pier (NZ) (Proisir) may have fallen just short of winning Saturday’s Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m), but trainers Darryn and Briar Weatherley couldn’t have been happier with their returning star ahead of a potential campaign in Queensland. As a three-year-old, Pier won a competitive Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and placed in a Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) and Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m). Since then, he has spent much of the last two seasons on the sidelines, including after winning impressively when resuming last June. A sharp trial at Ellerslie gave the Weatherleys confidence heading into his resuming run in the Trentham feature, where he settled near the tail of the field and stormed home to miss Slipper Island by a half-head, breaking 11 seconds for the final 200m. “Pier is our stable stalwart, he’s had well-documented issues but we’ve given him the time that he’s needed,” Darryn Weatherley said. “His work going into the race was super, his trial was excellent at Ellerslie and he was pretty fit for Saturday, he looked good in the parade ring and I thought he would run some sort of a race, which he did alongside Tomodachi. “Taking nothing away from the winner, with an ounce of luck he probably could’ve won, he changed ground two or three times in the straight. “It was great to see him come back and do that over 1200m when they’ve run such a good time, his sectionals were exceptional.” Delighted to have Pier back at his best, Weatherley is eyeing a time-honoured feature during the Brisbane Winter Carnival in June. “We’re thrilled to bits to have him back, he’s our first and only Group One winner so he holds a very special place in our stable,” he said. “He’s five rising six now, and to be honest, I think he’s only just grown into himself. “He’s having a couple of days in the paddock, the weather looks like it’s turning so he’ll probably come back into his box on Tuesday night. He’ll go to the track and swim for a week, then ideally, we would love to get to Brisbane. “I know it’ll be a hard race to get into, but a race like the Stradbroke (Gr.1, 1400m) would be an ideal race for him, maybe even if we have to go a bit earlier and run in a race like the Kingsford-Smith Cup (Gr.1, 1300m) to qualify, we’ll have to wait and see. “We’re still six or seven weeks away from that so we’ve got a bit of time up our sleeve. “That would be ideal, I’d love to go and get a little bit of sun on my back before the winter months.” Less than 24 hours after Pier’s effort at Trentham, his close relation Bulgari (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) kicked off his racing career in the best possible fashion at Te Rapa, winning the Five Stags Leamington 2YO (1200m). A son of Hello Youmzain, Bulgari was purchased for $220,000 by the Weatherleys at the National Yearling Sales last January, continuing their highly-successful association with a family that has produced Pier and Group Three-winning sprinter Maria Farina. The colt had made three appearances at the trials for a win and two placings, most recently in the hands of Matt Cartwright, who was aboard when he stepped out on debut on Sunday. Underrated in the market at $11, Bulgari stepped away fairly from the gates and Cartwright let him find his feet in the second half of the field, while race-favourite Princess Elsa and Rising Star set a strong tempo up-front. Coming to the middle of the track, Bulgari began to hunt down the leaders in the straight and showed a similarly sharp turn-of-foot that his siblings possess to fend off a game Do You Just, with Rising Star holding well in third. The road to raceday hadn’t gone entirely to plan with Bulgari going shin-sore on several occasions, and his trainers were rapt to see him performing up to their early hopes. “We bought the colt at Karaka because he was closely related to Pier and Maria Farina in the book and each time I went back to look at him, I liked him more,” Weatherley said. “We paid more for him than Briar and I could afford, but we managed to syndicate him which was cool. “He won his first trial very well left-handed at Rotorua, but we put him out after that because he went shin-sore. He came back and ran third at Pukekohe right-handed at the trials, which was a little bit deflating because he’d gone so well the first time, but we discovered he was shin sore again. “We put him aside again and brought him back, then he went to Ellerslie and didn’t go a bad trial there with the rail out a long way. His work during the week on the course-proper (at Matamata) was pretty good and my son Sam galloped him, and he thought back left-handed over 1100m, they’ll know he’s in the race. “Sam gave me a little bit more confidence and he was proved right, we’re very pleased.” Weatherley is able to draw a number of comparisons between the talented trio, who share the same granddam in Naturo, a multiple stakes winner herself. “He’s got the same temperament as them which is beautiful, he wants to be a racehorse,” he said. “He’s a colt and all he wants to do is eat and sleep which is ideal, he’s very placid and easy to have around. He has got a little bit of that same acceleration as them as well. “The plan was always to give him three educational trials, then I wanted to give him one run for experience before the winter and hopefully get some points for next season as a three-year-old. “It’s certainly going to be a lot easier now that he’s won a race, it’s an added bonus.” Bulgari was bred by Jamieson Park, who remain in a large ownership group that includes the Weatherleys and Barry Wright. View the full article

California trainer Felix Rondan has been suspended seven days and fined $1,000 after the 4-year-old filly Cee's the Image tested positive for the muscle relaxer methocarbamol after a March 8 race at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

East Coast trainer Michael Matz concluded a seven-day suspension for an acepromazine positive from January at Gulfstream Park. He was also fined $1,000.View the full article

Another Prophet winning the 2024 Group 1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield Racecourse. (Photo by Reg Ryan/Racing Photos) Racing Victoria (RV) and the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) have confirmed a strategic reshuffle of three Group 1 races at Caulfield as part of broader programming changes to the 2025 Spring Racing Carnival and the 2026 Festival of Racing. The changes, which have received approval from the RV Board and endorsement from the Asian Pattern Committee, aim to bolster key racedays across Victoria and maintain momentum across the entire spring calendar. Following strong wagering and crowd engagement in recent years, industry stakeholders have agreed to retain Group 1 racing at Caulfield on the second Saturday after the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The move is part of a collaborative outcome from RV’s inaugural Racing Forums, which brought together the MRC, MVRC, VRC, CRV, Southside Racing, TROA, ATA, VJA and TBV. The Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) for three-year-old fillies will be reinstated on Caulfield Cup Day – Saturday, October 18, 2025 – strengthening the MRC’s flagship meeting with a second Group 1. The race returns to its pre-1988 timeslot and will now sit two weeks after the Group 1 Flight Stakes in Sydney, allowing fillies to target the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) or Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) later in the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) will move back to Saturday, September 20, 2025, joining the Underwood Stakes (1800m) on a dual Group 1 raceday. This reinstates its lead-up position to the Toorak Handicap (1400m), run three weeks later on Caulfield Guineas Day. The Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) will be repositioned from February to Saturday, November 15, 2025. The move extends the spring Group 1 schedule and avoids duplication with the Futurity Stakes (1400m) in the autumn, offering a new option for horses emerging from Flemington’s Cup Week or interstate features. Prizemoney and further programming updates for the 2025 Spring Racing Carnival will be revealed in coming months. “These changes serve to strengthen our racing calendar throughout the Spring Racing Carnival, whilst maintaining 12 consecutive weekends of Group 1 racing from late August to mid-November,” RV Chief Executive Aaron Morrison said. “The revamp comes following great consultation and collaboration between industry stakeholders via our new industry Racing Forums and with the blessing of the Asian Pattern Committee whom I want to acknowledge for their support and diligence. “RV and stakeholders were all in agreement that Group 1 racing at Caulfield in mid-November works and should continue to be embraced. We have maintained that goal whilst strengthening Caulfield Cup Day, one of our marquee racedays.” MRC Chief Executive Tom Reilly added: “These changes are an important step in shaping a racing program at Caulfield that not only enhances the Spring Racing Carnival but supports the broader racing industry and racing pattern in Victoria. “By putting the Thousand Guineas to Caulfield Cup Day, we’re creating a more compelling platform to attract quality fillies and maintain the strength of our feature race day. “Returning the Thousand Guineas to earlier in the Spring also gives fillies the chance to progress through to the Oaks or Empire Rose at Flemington. “Equally, the enhancements to our September and November racedays are about ensuring Caulfield continues to attract high-quality horses, provide greater opportunities for participants, and reinforce its role as one of Australia’s premier racing venues throughout the entire spring period.” Horse racing news View the full article

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On the April 14 episode of BloodHorse Monday, Churchill Downs Asia representative Kate Hunter discusses Japanese Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders Admire Daytona and Luxor Cafe, as well as the challenges involved with getting them to the Derby.View the full article

The rankings below are in “likeliest winner” order, and are independent from the “Road to the Derby” points leaderboard that will determine starting berths for the GI Kentucky Derby. 1) JOURNALISM (c, Curlin–Mopotism, by Uncle Mo) O-Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5 LLC, LaPenta, Robert V., Magnier, Mrs. John, Smith, Derrick and Tabor, Michael B.; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. Sales history: $825,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GISW, 5-4-0-1, $638,880. Last start: WON Apr. 5 GI Santa Anita Derby. Pros: This $825,000 FTSAUG colt by Curlin from trainer Michael McCarthy's stable is an adaptable, athletic stalker with a long, purposeful stride who was won four straight, including three stakes. The best sophomores in the west have been unable to beat him. Both starts at age three have produced triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. Journalism has shown he can overcome trip adversity, and is highly attuned to in-race cues from his regular rider, Umberto Rispoli. This colt has no problem racing at the fence covered up by other horses, and has enough tactical speed to pick his own advantageous prowling position somewhere in the front third of the 20-horse Derby. Cons: The presumptive Derby favorite hasn't had much experience in large fields, with four of his five lifetime starts coming against only four rivals. Although Journalism's most recent victory in the GI Santa Anita Derby was the most authoritative among this year's nine-furlong Derby preps, it also appeared to be the most taxing. He was trapped down inside entering the far turn and had to shoulder aside a rival, overcoming a significant momentum stop before running hard through the lane. Having only two starts at age three is a recent-history negative. From 2017 through 2024, horses with only two sophomore starts prior to the Derby have been a collective 0-for-49. (However, that two-at-three template worked well over the previous decade, producing eight Derby winners between 2007 and 2016.) 2) RODRIGUEZ (c, Authentic–Cayala, by Cherokee Run) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Kingswood Farm & David Egan (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $485,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW 5-2-2-1, $522,800. Last start: WON Apr. 5 GII Wood Memorial Stakes. Pros: When this $485,000 KEESEP colt trained by Bob Baffert wired the GII Wood Memorial Stakes, his final time of 1:48.15 was the fastest nine-furlong clocking in any points-awarding Derby prep stakes since 2022. The free-running Rodriguez seems to be developing similarly to his 2020 champion sire, Authentic, who was 5-for-5 when he established command and led throughout, but just 1-for-3 in races where he either didn't make the lead or was tasked with stalking. Rodriguez's new jockey, Mike Smith, raved after the Wood about how relaxed this colt was after Baffert removed blinkers for that Apr. 5 stakes. Rodriguez handled legit pace pressure from the favorite and crossed the wire with his ears pricked, indicating a comfort level that will be a huge help if that mojo carries over into the Derby. Cons: Authentic was a May 5 foal who took a while to mentally mature, and he benefitted greatly by the pandemic forcing the 2020 Derby to be delayed until September. Rodriguez, too, is a late (May 20) foal, meaning he won't actually turn three until three days after the second leg of the Triple Crown. Is he cognitively dialed in for an arduous race the like Derby at this stage of his development? Rodriguez wired a so-so field in the Wood on a day when horses either on the lead or dueling won 10 of 13 races, so it's legit to ask how much a speed-favoring surface factored into the end result. Historically, the Wood is a poor prognosticator for Derby success, with only two winners in the past 44 years (Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 and Pleasant Colony in 1981) parlaying a win in New York into a blanket of roses at Churchill Downs. 3) TAPPAN STREET (c, Into Mischief–Virginia Key, by Distorted Humor) O-WinStar Farm LLC, CHC, Inc. and Cold Press Racing. B-Blue Heaven Farm (KY). T-Brad H. Cox. Sales history: $1,00,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GISW, 3-2-1-0, $643,400. Last race: WON Mar. 29 GI Florida Derby. Pros: Tappan Street, a $1m FTSAUG colt by Into Mischief, is the type of horse you'd bet in the Derby if you sense he's an up-and-coming star who has yet to peak. Through only three lifetime races, this smooth-traveling Brad Cox trainee has adeptly handled most challenges tossed his way. He won his debut in a seven-eighths sprint at Gulfstream (three next-out winners); ran second as the fave in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes behind next-out GI Blue Grass Stakes winner Burnham Square (Liam's Map), then won the Florida Derby under confident handling by Luis Saez. His career arc is similar to that of 15-1 upsetter Mage in the 2023 Derby in that they both prepped at Gulfstream with only three lifetime races and both posted 94 Beyers in the Florida Derby (Mage was second, beaten one length). Since its inception in 1952, the Florida Derby has been the most productive path to the Kentucky Derby winner's circle, with 25 of the last 73 Kentucky Derby winners prepping in the Florida Derby. Cons: Since 1900, 29 horses have attempted to win the Derby off exactly three lifetime starts, and the only ones to do it were Regret in 1915, Big Brown in 2008, Justify in 2018 and Mage. Tappan Street is also against the grain of the same recently unproductive “two starts at age three” angle that Journalism (and Nos. 4, 5, 7 and 19 on this list) will try to overcome. 4) SOVEREIGNTY (c, Into Mischief–Crowned, by Bernardini) O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott; Lifetime Record: MGSW & GISP, 5-2-2-0, $572,800. Last start: 2nd Mar. 29 GI Florida Derby. Pros: This Into Mischief-sired homebred for Godolphin has a pedigree that resonates with Classics-winning royalty, including Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, A.P. Indy, Empire Maker and Bernardini. Sovereignty can reliably be counted upon to fire with one sustained run from off the tailgate, and his last-to-first annihilation of the GII Street Sense Stakes in October stood out as one of the more visually impressive two-turn efforts by a 2-year-old last season. This colt overcame the outermost post nine over Gulfstream's short-stretch configuration to win the Mar. 1 GII Fountain of Youth Stakes, and he was gaining on Tappan Street when second from post 10 in the Florida Derby, a prep for which trainer Bill Mott probably did not have Sovereignty fully cranked. Cons: Falling in love with a deep closer for the Derby can be hazardous to your bankroll. Speed-centric horses who raced either on the lead or just off it crossed the finish wire first in every Derby between 2014 and 2021 (although two were DQ'd). Yes, horses from off the pace have won the last three Derbies (Rich Strike in 2022 and Mage in 2023 rallied from well back while Mystik Dan won in 2024 with an inside stalk). But it's still difficult to get behind one-run tailgate types like Sovereignty knowing that the fates for well-meant closers in the Derby so often end up being pace- and trip-dependent. Tappan Street (right) and Sovereignty came to decide the GI Curlin Florida Derby | Ryan Thompson 5) CITIZEN BULL (c, Into Mischief–No Joke, by Distorted Humor) O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Robert & Lawana Low (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $675,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 6-4-0-1, $1,451,000. Last start: 4th Apr. 5 GI Santa Anita Derby. Pros: If you're a believer in the 2-year-old champ's overall body of work and the all-business, front-running force he displayed when wiring three graded two-turn stakes between October and February, you're going to be rewarded with an overlaid mutuel in the Kentucky Derby. Last-race recency bias will account for bettors jumping off Citizen Bull's bandwagon after his fade to fourth in the Santa Anita Derby. Trainer Bob Baffert has already publicly shouldered some blame for not getting another prep race into this $675,000 KEESEP son of Into Mischief during the winter/spring campaign, and this colt being “short” for his first race in two months is probably the most logical explanation for his poor performance. In the Santa Anita Derby, Citizen Bull broke running, conceded the lead, then was asked to duel with a 44-1 rabbit; he looked out of his element, never being able to establish any sort of in-race rhythm. Much like in stablemate Rodriguez's write-up above, letting this colt roll straight out of the gate appears to be the key to getting him primed for a rebound result. Cons: The most obvious thing going against Citizen Bull is the possibility that the assessment above is completely wrong and that the punchless finish we saw at Santa Anita is exactly what we'll get in Louisville. That would make Citizen Bull the ninth straight champion juvenile male not to win the Derby. And that bit about sending him to the lead? Both Citizen Bull and Rodriguez share common ownership interests. Are we to expect Baffert will instruct one rider to back off from what could be a hot pace between the Derby's two main speed threats, or will it be a stablemate-versus-stablemate free-for-all once the gates open? Citizen Bull's biggest hurdle is history: Only two winners of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 40 years have ever won the Derby (Street Sense 2007, Nyquist 2016). 6) LUXOR CAFE (c, American Pharoah–Mary's Follies, by More Than Ready) O-Koichi Nishikawa; B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt & Westerberg Ireland ULC (KY); T-Noriyuki Hori. Lifetime Record: SW-Japan, 6-4-1-0, $377,323. Last start: WON Mar. 29 Fukuryu Stakes. Pros: This Kentucky-bred son of American Pharoah from Noriyuki Hori's stable passes the eye test based on his rhythm, response and ability to produce a startlingly quick turn of foot in the late stages of his races. Luxor Cafe has now won four straight (twice over a metric nine furlongs), and has twice beaten Admire Daytona (Jpn) (Drefong), who subsequently rebounded to win the G2 UAE Derby. This colt is a full brother to Japanese dirt champion Cafe Pharoah. Cons: Although Derby handicappers in America have gotten wise to the talents of top-level Japanese horses in big races like the Derby and the Breeders' Cup, it is still difficult for most of us to get a true read on the quality of competition these horses have been facing. 7) EAST AVENUE (c, Medaglia d'Oro–Dance Music, by Ghostzapper) 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. Lifetime Record: GISW, 5-2-1-0, $654,395. Last start: 2nd Apr. 8 GI Blue Grass Stakes. Pros: 'TDN Rising Star' East Avenue may have come up a nose short in the GI Blue Grass Stakes, yet in a case of the second-place horse making a more emphatic statement than the winner, he earned every point of his form-redeeming, 96-Beyer effort by sustaining improved speed under pace duress over a track that was not rewarding frontrunners. After setting torrid fractions while racing with blinkers on, this Godolphin homebred from Brendan Walsh's barn looked certain to be swallowed up by a wall of horses off the final turn. Instead, he stayed on better than expected to reclaim the lead late, only losing it in the last few strides to the onrushing Burnham Square. East Avenue had enough early lick to wire a six-furlong sprint on debut last August, then stretched that speed around two turns to win the GI Breeders' Futurity Stakes in start number two. He was the beaten fave in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile because of a botched break from the one hole, then mystified his connections in February with an explanation-defying 10th in the GII Risen Star Stakes. You have to be willing to take the tradeoff that this colt is on the upswing despite two ugly races in the middle of his past performance block, but a price around 20-1 in the Derby could make it worth the gamble. Cons: As much as East Avenue ran well against the grain of a closer-favoring Keeneland strip in the Blue Grass, a speed bias very much aided his 5 1/4-length front-running blowout there last October, and the horses he beat in that short-stretch Breeders' Futurity went a collective 0-for-9 in their next starts. In addition, the Blue Grass this year came up light on paper and produced a final time (1:51.33) that equates to the second-slowest edition of that stakes since Keeneland switched back to dirt from synthetic in the fall of 2014. And the :13.44 final furlong during which East Avenue clawed back his lead was also below par, clocking nearly a half a second slower than any final eighth out of the nine Derby-qualifying stakes at the nine-furlong distance in 2024-25. The blinkered East Avenue bounced back in the Blue Grass | Coady Media 8) BURNHAM SQUARE (g, Liam's Map–Linda, by Scat Daddy) O/B-Whitham Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes. Lifetime Record: GISW, 6-3-1-1, $977,755. Last start: WON Apr. 8 GI Blue Grass Stakes. Pros: Two months ago, trainer Ian Wilkes described Burnham Square as “a plain ol' horse,” admitting that the connections of this Whitham Thoroughbreds homebred by Liam's Map weren't initially sure how talented a prospect he might turn out to be. Now, despite wins in the Holy Bull Stakes and Blue Grass Stakes, this off-the-pace gelding could very well still be flying beneath the radar of Derby bettors. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because low-profile contenders who consistently show up on race day and produce results without much public pressure are a valuable commodity. Burnham Square has already beaten No. 3 Tappan Street in their only meeting in February, and he was fourth, beaten only three lengths by No. 4-ranked Sovereignty when they met in March. Both those Gulfstream races were over short-stretch configurations with the finish line at the sixteenth pole, a layout that usually does not benefit closers like Burnham Square. Cons: As stated in East Avenue's write-up above, there's no getting around the fact that the Blue Grass was a slowly run race after a hot first half mile, and that setup played to the advantage of Burnham Square biding his time from last. In the Holy Bull Stakes, this gelding got very agitated during the post parade and pre-race warm-ups; it's something to file away and recheck when the chaos of Derby day rolls around. 9) SANDMAN (c, Tapit–Distorted Music, by Distorted Humor) O-D. J. Stable LLC, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables; B-Lothenbach Stables Inc (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. Sales History: $1,200,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: GISW, 8-3-1-2, $1,254,595. Last start: WON Mar. 29 GI Arkansas Derby. Pros: As far back as Aug. 10, when Sandman broke his maiden sprinting seven furlongs at Saratoga in his second lifetime start, trainer Mark Casse told TDN that, “Since day one, he always showed that he was kind of head of the class,” adding that this $1.2 million OBSMAR son of Tapit developed an early knack for handling new assignments with ease. Since then, Casse has tested Sandman with six races at a mile or longer, and the gray has responded with nice progression by honing a reliable late run that looks well suited to 10 furlongs. Sandman's 99-Beyer score in the GI Arkansas Derby didn't appear to take too much out of him, and he's never been worse than third in a two-turn race. Cons: Sandman's Arkansas Derby victory was aided by a colossal pace meltdown on the front end that saw two leaders peel off from the pack by 10 lengths down the backstretch, and he was able to uncoil late with no serious challengers threatening him late in the lane. Although we've seen him finish well both by coming up the fence and swooping around horses off the far turn, Sandman still has intermittent focus loss through the stretch, and jockey Jose Ortiz stated after that Mar. 29 Oaklawn win that he knows Sandman doesn't like to be whipped left-handed based on how Sandman veered out sharply when struck once from that side in the Arkansas Derby. 10) RIVER THAMES (c, Maclean's Music–Proportionality, by Discreet Cat) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-CHC, Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC; B-CTR Stables, LLC (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales history: $200,000 Ylg '23 SARAUG. Lifetime record: 4-2-1-1, $261,900. Last start: 3rd Apr. 8 GI Blue Grass Stakes. Pros: 'TDN Rising Star' River Thames has had four starts since debuting with a win sprinting at Gulfstream on Jan. 11, and his Beyer range has been very consistent at 94-92-95-94. This New York-bred ($200,000 SARAUG) by Maclean's Music from trainer Todd Pletcher's barn also scored in a one-turn-mile allowance, and his first try around two turns in the Fountain of Youth Stakes was a better-than-it-looked second, beaten only a neck, by Sovereignty. Cons: River Thames had a trouble-free talking trip in last week's Blue Grass Stakes, but despite appearing primed to pounce at both the quarter and eighth poles, his run through the lane lacked spark. He ended up third in that slowly run stakes. 11) TIZTASTIC (c, Tiz the Law–Keesha, by Tapit) O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith; B-Capital Bloodstock (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. Sales history: $80,000 Ylg '23 KEEJAN; $335,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 8-3-1-2, $1,549,800. Last start: WON Mar. 22 GII Louisiana Derby. Pros: Tiztastic (80,000 KEEJAN, $335,000 KEESEP) won the GII Louisiana Derby (95 Beyer) by rallying from ninth, but he has previously been effective stalking closer to the pace. Big fields have not fazed this Tiz the Law colt from Steve Asmussen's stable: He's twice competed in 10-horse races, and once each in fields of 12 and 13. For a colt who has not yet technically turned three (Apr. 30 foaling date), it's quite an accomplishment for him to have already won million-dollar races on both turf and dirt (the grass win was the Juvenile Mile Stakes at Kentucky Downs last September). Cons: When Tiztastic scored in the Louisiana Derby, he was passing only spent horses. That stakes hasn't historically been productive prep for Louisville: Only Black Gold in 1924 and Grindstone in 1996 have pulled off the elusive Louisiana/Kentucky Derby double. 12) FINAL GAMBIT (c, Not This Time–Pachinko, by Tapit) O/B-Juddmonte (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-2-1-1, $520,639. Last start: WON Mar. 22 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks Stakes. Pros: This Brad Cox-trained gray homebred for Juddmonte has been closing from far back on both turf and Tapeta, and what he lacks in polish and finesse is counterbalanced by the impression that he has the potential to be scary-good once his mental acuity catches up with his physical ability. In several of his races he's unleashed an unexpected extra kick inside the eighth pole that seems to come out of nowhere, and his 90-Beyer victory in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks Stakes saw him coasting clear late despite giving up nine paths of real estate off the final turn. Cons: Final Gambit has either gawked around or shied from rivals he was passing in the stretch in each of his last three races. Jockey Luan Machado said after the Jeff Ruby win that sometimes, “when he's between horses, he doesn't try as hard as when he's in the clear.” That could be problematic in a 20-horse field like the Derby, which is also going to be Final Gambit's first career race on dirt. Final Gambit is set to try conventional dirt for the first time in the Derby | Coady Media Potentially rounding out the starting gate… 13) COAL BATTLE (Coal Front) Pros: Coal Battle ($70,000 TTAYRL) is a versatile overachiever who has scored on the front end and from farther back while winning four stakes in succession earlier this campaign (Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs, Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington, plus the Smarty Jones Stakes and the GII Rebel Stakes, both at Oaklawn). He let loose with a decent middle move in the Arkansas Derby, but despite looking like the horse to beat on the far turn, his bid was only good enough for third. He has consistency on his side and figures to go off relatively ignored in the Derby betting, likely north of 35-1 odds. Cons: Trainer Lonnie Briley said after Coal Battle's last race that he believed the colt got too hot and bothered prior to the Arkansas Derby, which was out of character and probably cost him some energy in the race. Was that behavior a one-race aberration or will Coal Battle act up even more when faced with a high-energy crowd of 150,000 at Churchill? Handicappers have to factor in the possibility that Coal Battle already peaked between November and February, a concern that could be reflected in his Beyer Speed Figure arc, which topped out at 91 in the Rebel. 14) MADAKET ROAD (Quality Road) Pros: Madaket Road's only victory came back in Dec. 26 in a Santa Anita maiden race, but he earned Kentucky Derby qualifying points by finishing third, second and fourth, respectively, in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Rebel Stakes and Florida Derby. He stalked just off the pace in his first three starts but attempted to make the lead in his last two; with two other higher-ranked contenders from the Bob Baffert barn already earning spots in the Derby as likely pacemakers, it would be reasonable to expect this $650,000 FTSAUG colt to be tasked with sitting just behind the first flight. Baffert horses have crossed the finish line first in seven Derbies (one DQ'd) and he hasn't always won with his perceived “best” entrant, so the trainer angle has to be considered among Madaket Road's positive attributes. Cons: Madaket Road's best speed-figure race, the 90-Beyer second in the Rebel Stakes, was accomplished with him opening up a daylight lead on the backstretch and an even wider between-calls margin into the stretch. Yet he still couldn't hang on when confronted by Coal Battle, a colt who regressed to third in his next start. 15) GRANDE (Curlin) Pros: Grande, a $300,000 KEESEP colt from Todd Pletcher's stable, was wide on both turns of the Wood Memorial, yet he finished well enough to be second behind wire-to-wire winner Rodriguez. He was closing against the grain of a speed-favoring Aqueduct surface that afternoon after having previously won a one-turn-mile maiden and a nine-furlong allowance, both at Gulfstream, in his only other two lifetime starts. Cons: He's very light on experience and will be up against the same only-three-lifetime-starts obstacle detailed in Tappan Street's write-up. 16) AMERICAN PROMISE (Justify) Pros: This 750,000 KEESEP colt wired an Oaklawn maiden field on Dec. 29, but after finishing out of the money in two subsequent stakes at Oaklawn and Fair Grounds, he looked more in his element pressing outside of a favored speedster in the Mar. 15 Virginia Derby (95 Beyer). His trainer, Hall-of-Famer D. Wayne Lukas, has won four Kentucky Derbies. Nine lifetime starts, with eight of them at a mile or longer, suggests a decent foundation for American Promise attempting 10 furlongs. Cons: The Virginia Derby was a one-turn, nine-furlong race, and after wresting command a half-mile from home, American Promise didn't have to deal with any late threats that might have given us a better sense of how he might fare when faced with multiple waves of closers. The two horses who finished second and third while 7 3/4 lengths behind him were fifth and ninth, respectively, in their next stakes starts in the Blue Grass and Wood Memorial. 17) CHUNK OF GOLD (Preservationist) Pros: It's awfully difficult not to root for a Derby contender who only cost $2,500 at the FTKOCT auction. This gray Ethan West trainee has outrun his odds every time he's raced and is usually passing horses in the lane when it counts, with his two most recent races both second-place tries in the nine-furlong Risen Star Stakes and the 1 3/16-miles Louisiana Derby. He paired 92 Beyers in those two efforts. Cons: This son of Preservationist only has a six-furlong maiden win over Tapeta at Turfway to his credit. 18) ADMIRE DAYTONA (JPN) (Drefong) Pros: Admire Daytona (Jpn) stayed on under pressure in the UAE Derby. This Yukihiro Kato trainee was hounded on the lead by multiple challengers, briefly lost the lead in a three-way stretch battle, then prevailed in the final jump to win by a nose. Cons: This ¥66-million JRHAJUL weanling, whose first five starts were in Tokyo, was all-out to win the UAE Derby, and you have to wonder if the exertion from that race, when coupled with him having to endure another halfway-around the globe shipping experience, is going to be too much to overcome in Kentucky. 19) FLYING MOHAWK (Karakontie {Jpn}) Pros: Flying Mohawk may be only 2-for-6, but trainer Whit Beckman thought highly enough of him to race him in a New York graded grass stakes while still a maiden last autumn, and he's never been beaten by more than five lengths. This colt ($25,000 KEENOV, $72,000 KEESEP) rallied late to gain second in the Jeff Ruby over Tapeta at Turfway despite some trouble at the break, and he has plenty of large-field experience, competing three times in fields of 12 and once in a 10-horse race. Cons: He's never raced on dirt and his lifetime-best Beyer is 84, which is 20 points shy of what it usually takes to be a major player in the Derby. 20) PUBLISHER (American Pharoah) Pros: This $600,000 FTSAUG colt by American Pharoah is a maiden who finished seventh, fourth, then second in Oaklawn's series of graded stakes preps. His 95-Beyer placing in the Arkansas Derby, in which he was equipped with blinkers for an improved effort, is his standout accomplishment. Cons: Publisher brings an 0-for-7 record into the Derby. Steve Asmussen is 0-for-26 in the Derby, currently the longest losing streak for a trainer. The post TDN Derby Top 20: The Pros and Cons of Every Contender appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A harness racing week, complete will two double-headers, gets underway today with action at Cambridge and Addington. They will be followed by Winton and Auckland on Thursday. Today’s seven-race meeting at Cambridge starts at 4.24pm, with the first of Addington’s eight races at 4.14pm. Addington’s meeting features Heat 2 of the Canterbury Plains Challenge Series for the 5YO and older R35-39 Pacers at 7.37pm. The series, now in its second year, will have 10 heats in all before the $30,000 Final at Addington on May 16. To be eligible to contest the Final a horse must have had at least one start in a heat of this series, and a minimum of two race starts within the qualification period of April 13 – May 11. All heat winners will automatically qualify for the final provided they have had two starts within the qualification period. The first heat, the Carrfield Grain and Seed Canterbury Plains Challenge Mobile Pace at Methven on Sunday, was won by Evidently. Trained by Peter Holmes and driven by Jim Curtin, Evidently got in the one-one before peeling out at the home turn to overhaul the pace-making Normie Stead, who finished third, behind Sweet Glory. In today’s race a big 14-horse field will line up at 7.37pm with the country’s leading trainer Michael House starting two bright prospects. Wilson House will drive Didjashoutthebar following an unlucky third at Addington last Wednesday when blocked for room late while Hit The Lights will start one the second row for the country’s leading driver Blair Orange. To see the field click here Last year House had four runners in the inaugural Canterbury Plains Challenge Series Final won by the Tom Bamford-trained and Carter Dalgety-driven Ebury Street. House currently has 62 wins in 2025, 32 clear of Steve and Amanda Telfer while Orange and Wilson House are one-two in the drivers’ premiership with 65 and 48 wins respectively. On Thursday Winton will host its Cup meeting which will also feature the $70,000 Group 2 Entain 2YO Fillies Mobile Pace and Alexandra Park has its Oaks and Derby Preludes night. Action returns to Addington for its Easter Saturday Premier race meeting highlighted by the two $30,000 Racing Rewards Showcase Races for the 4YO and older R35-57 Pacers and Trotters. With no racing on Easter Sunday, Banks Peninsula holds what will be the last grass track meeting before the winter break at Motukarara on Monday. This week’s racing : April 15 – Today – Cambridge April 15 – Today – Addington April 17 – Thursday – Auckland April 17 – Thursday – Winton April 19 – Saturday – Addington April 21 – Monday – Motukarara April 22 – Tuesday – Cambridge View the full article

With three more grade 1 wins, owner Sol Kumin will reach the extremely rare 100-win plateau.View the full article

An expanded racing schedule, featuring higher overnight purses and more stakes races, is on tap when Colonial Downs kicks off its 41-day meet, running from July 9 through Sept. 13. View the full article

An expanded schedule with higher overnight purses and additional stakes events will feature this summer at Colonial Downs during a 41-day stand from Wednesday, July 9 through Saturday, Sept. 13. A total of 31 black-type races worth a total of $5.85 million are programmed for the meet, highlighted by the Colonial Festival of Racing Saturday, Aug. 9 and featuring the $1-million GI Arlington Million, the GII Beverly D. S. and the GII Secretariat Stakes. The meet's fourth and final graded event takes place on Saturday, Sept. 6 with the running of the $500,000 GIII Old Dominion Derby. Co-featured that afternoon is the $250,000 Listed Old Dominion Oaks, and both races take the spot on the calendar previously occupied by the Virginia Derby and Virginia Oaks. The latter two events were moved to the dirt to serve as prep races for the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks, respectively. Overnight races will offer $70,000 for open maiden special weight contests ($87,500 for Virginia-restricted races), while allowance races will feature purses up to $80,000 for open runners and $90,000 for their Virginia-restricted counterparts. Eight races will be run under starter-allowance conditions on Thursday, Aug. 23 as lead-ups to this year's Claiming Crown. The top two finishers in each race receive automatic berths into the corresponding race on Claiming Crown Day, to be held Saturday, Nov. 15 at Churchill Downs. The post Higher Purses, Additional Stakes Highlight 2025 Season at Colonial appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

California trainer Felix Rodan has been suspended seven days and fined $1,000 after the 4-year-old filly Cee's the Image tested positive for the muscle relaxer methocarbamol after a March 8 race at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

Wednesday, Newmarket, Britain, post time: 15:00, BLANDFORD BLOODSTOCK ABERNANT STAKES-G3, £85,000, 3yo/up, 6f 0y Field: Apollo One (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), Grand Grey (Ire) (Havana Grey {GB}), Lethal Levi (GB) (Lethal Force {Ire}), Royal Zabeel (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Run To Freedom (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), Sajir (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and Romantic Style (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). TDN Verdict: One of those Fabre specials is in evidence here at the track he so loves, with the burgeoning sprinting talent Sajir bidding to add to his G3 Prix Sigy success of last term. The trouble is, he is up against a filly with potentially even more upside in Romantic Style, who is unbeaten at this trip in her last three starts over it which include the course-and-distance Listed Bosra Sham Fillies' Stakes as a juvenile. Needless to say, if she was good enough to subdue Ramatuelle (Justify) and Tamfana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) in the G3 Prix Imprudence last April she should be clear favourite for this. Which of course she is. Wednesday, Newmarket, Britain, post time: 15:35, BET365 CRAVEN STAKES-G3, £85,000, 3yo, c/g, 8f 0y Field: Aomori City (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}), Benevento (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Field Of Gold (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Matauri Bay (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), New Century (GB) (Kameko), Opera Ballo (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), The Waco Kid (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), The Watcher (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB) (Kameko). TDN Verdict: Whether the 2,000 Guineas is as open as the betting and formbook suggests probably depends on what Twain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) is capable of, but at this stage there definitely scope for the Craven to produce something significant. Not the same pointer it once was, due to a variety of reasons, this year's edition is a quandary with the quartet of proven performers engaged all having been upstaged after winning their group or graded stakes. Perhaps Opera Ballo is the answer, given that he has mainly followed the same route as Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and put up a significant time performance in comparison with last year's Guineas hero in Kempton's “European Road To The Kentucky Derby” Conditions Stakes in February. William Buick apparently thinks not, as he sides with the G2 Vintage Stakes winner Aomori City who will tell us more about one of the Newmarket Classic's leading protagonists Scorthy Champ (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) who he trailed when fourth in The Curragh's G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes. Juddmonte's TDN Rising Star Field Of Gold also came up short in his group 1 at two, but everything about his pedigree suggests he is only just getting started and he has that killer Kingman freshness to call upon here. Click here for the complete fields with owner and breeder information. The post Black-Type Analysis: Strong Craven Offers Potential Classic Clues appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, the bellwether auction of the juvenile sales season, begins its four-day run Tuesday and continues through Friday with bidding beginning each day at 10:30 a.m. “We are hoping to capitalize on the momentum that we had at our March sale,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “There are an awful lot of good horses on the grounds. There is a lot of activity on the grounds right now. We are looking forward to a good sale.” The 2024 renewal of the Spring sale set highwater marks for average and median, with 630 horses selling by the close of business on the auction's final day for a gross of $81,994,000, an average of $130,149 and median of $70,000. Both records improved on figures set just the year. “We kind of keep our heads down and just try not to focus on records,” Wojciechowski said of the potential for new records in 2025. “But I do think the catalogue stacks up very well. I am always amazed at how the consignors outdo themselves every year with the quality of horses that they bring. We have a good representation of young sires, proven sires, so it's a very good catalogue.” The juvenile sales season began last month with the OBS March sale, a longtime select sale which was making its 10th appearance on the calendar as an open sale. During its decade as an open sale, the March auction seemed at times to be eclipsed by its April counterpart, but this year's strong renewal produced seven million-dollar-plus juveniles, including an OBS record $3-million colt. The Spring sale, which had five seven-figure juveniles in 2022 and three in 2023, produced just one, a $1.9-million daughter of Tiz the Law, in 2024. Rather than seeing the two sales as competitors, Wojciechowski sees them as complementary. “The pendulum has swung a little bit back to March, but I don't think it's to the detriment of April,” he said. “This is the one sale that, if you are going to go to a 2-year-old sale, this is where everybody comes. I think April has really grown and evolved and matured into a market mainstay.” As bidding opens at the April sale, consignors seem resigned to seeing a familiar polarity in the marketplace. “More of the same,” consignor Tom McCrocklin said when asked for his expectations for the April market. “I might have guys lined up at my table wanting horses $200,000+, and I don't have one guy there asking if I have one for $40,000. They just aren't here. I didn't see them in March anyway. I don't know where they've gone, but they are not in numbers at the 2-year-old sales.” Another concern for the middle market this coming week in Ocala is the volatility in the stock markets. “Certainly you would rather not see all that stuff coming out,” Wojciechowski said of the uncertainty in the global economy. “I will tell you that there is a ton of international interest here looking at horses. And if you look back at March, the stock market wasn't at its peak and we had just had all of the decoupling stuff come out and there was certainly some not so nice things in the news during that sale. But people put their blinkers on and they bought horses.” During last week's under-tack preview for the Spring sale, 27 juveniles shared the fastest furlong time of :9 4/5, while six posted the co-fastest quarter-mile time of :20 2/5. “We got very fortunate with the weather last week,” Wojciechowski said. “Any bad weather seemed to hit us overnight. It didn't interrupt any of our days and conditions were fairly consistent. We had a pretty substantial wind on Monday and we caught a headwind yesterday starting about mid-morning and then gradually increasing during the day. It wasn't as brutal as what we experienced in March, but it certainly had an effect and I think the buyers recognize that.” Hips one through 302 will be offered during Tuesday's first session of the auction, followed by hips 303 through 604 on Wednesday, hips 605 through 906 on Thursday and hips 907 through 1207 on Friday. The post ‘A Market Mainstay:’ OBS Spring Sale Begins Tuesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There can be no bad time for a sale company to produce a Group 1 winner but, star graduate Believing (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) bagging a much-deserved breakthrough success at the highest level in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan last week provided Tattersalls with something extra to shout about on the eve of the much-anticipated Craven Breeze-Up Sale. The George Boughey-trained speedster became the fifth Group 1 scorer to emerge from the Craven in the past three years alone, joining genuine top-notchers like 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), Irish 2,000 Guineas hero Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), dual Group 1 scorer Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) and last year's Futurity Stakes winner Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). Not a bad roll call, one might say, and Jason Singh, associate director at Tattersalls, says he can see no reason why that trend can't continue at Park Paddocks this week. He said, “Believing winning the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai was perfect timing and she becomes the fifth individual Group 1 winner to emerge from the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale in the past three years alone.” He added, “The great thing about those Group 1 winners is that there is a great mix of price tags. When you look at Cachet for example, she won the 1,000 Guineas and only cost 60,000gns. Then you have Native Trail, the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner who cost 210,000gns, dual Group 1 winner Vandeek cost 625,000gns, then Classic prospect Hotazhell who cost 200,000gns. “Then you have Believing, who cost 115,000gns, and she placed in five Group 1s before getting her deserved day in the sun in Dubai last week. Other than Vandeek at 625,000gns, you could say that all of those Group 1 winners were extremely buyable so it's great to see the success has been spread right across the market.” It's not just Tattersalls that is rightly pleased with Believing. It was Mick Fitzpatrick's eye and pocket that spotted the potential in Believing at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale from Baroda Stud for 70,000gns. Believing went on to turn 45,000gns profit for Fitzpatrick at the Craven in 2022 before joining Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Blazing Speed (GB) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) on Kilminfoyle House Stud's Group 1 roll of honour. Fitzpatrick said, “It's good that the horses are progressing for the next person and that we are selling a good product. Not only can we stand by our own brand, but we can stand behind the breeze-up game as well. But this game is a lot of hard work. It's 24/7. Only for my staff, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. There's no logic to it at times. It's a fugazi and you just have to buy the best and sell the best that you can. Believing was placed in a few Group 1s and I was just hoping she would be able to get her head in front in one. It is a very elite thing, to win a Group 1. It's very, very hard to produce a Group 1 winner so it's very special when it happens.” Like any handler worth his salt, Fitzpatrick is concentrating on producing the next one and can call upon a smart-looking Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) filly [lot 101] as well as colts by Justify [44] and Knicks Go [52] and another filly by Maclean's Music [4]. His neighbours down in Somerville Paddock O, Tradewinds Stud, will have similar dreams going to bed on Monday after lot 65, a beautiful Havana Grey (GB) filly, showed up well on every time sheet post-breeze. Alex Power said, “We've a lovely bunch of horses and have put five or six months of hard work into getting a day like today so it means a lot to me and Shane [brother]. You could go on for another five years and you might not have another day like it. It's hard to believe. We're not quite believing it but hopefully on Tuesday afternoon we will.” He added, “Nothing the Havana Grey filly ever did suggested that she wasn't good. Everything she did was done in a smart fashion. But you can never be too bullish, especially when they are good.” Not only are there good horses on the ground at Tattersalls but so, too, are the buyers. Kia Joorabchian was a notable inspector, alongside top bloodstock agent Alex Elliott, Robson Aguiar and the Amo Racing entourage, along with a host of top buyers and trainers. All promising signs, leading Singh to reveal there was 'quiet optimism' in the air on the eve of the sale, which kicks off at 5.45pm on Tuesday. He said, “With this being the first of the major breeze-up sales of the year, there is definitely a certain level of cautious optimism. The breeze-up handlers always bring an outstanding bunch of horses to the sale and this year appears to be no different. There is a really good mix of stallions represented in this week's sale. “We have nine Blue Points, three by Candy Ride, and a host of other sexy stallions like Dubawi, Justify, Kingman, Havana Grey, Mehmas, Night Of Thunder, Sioux Nation and Starman, who has made an exceptional start. Then you have the stallion who's arguably one of the most sexy stallions in the world right now, Too Darn Hot, and there are seven catalogued by him. Last but not least, Wootton Bassett, who had a remarkable 10 juvenile Group winners last year, has three horses in the sale.” The post Tattersalls Bids To Build On ‘Perfect Timing’ Of Brilliant Believing At Craven Breeze-Up Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features a half-sister to 2,000 Guineas hero Coroebus. 4.45 Newmarket, Mdn, £22,000, 3yo, f, 8fT VICTORY QUEEN (GB) (Kingman {GB}) is another significant runner in the Godolphin blue at the first big European meeting of the year for the operation, being a half-sister to the 2,000 Guineas hero Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Descended from that illustrious broodmare Eastern Joy (GB) (Dubai Destination), she has major residual value as does fellow debutante Goldie Trickett (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) from the William Haggas stable. At €1.65 million the second-highest-priced yearling to sell at Goffs Orby Book 1 in 2023, Fiona Carmichael's representative is a full-sister to Saffron Beach (Ire) who captured the G1 Sun Chariot Stakes over this course and distance and the G1 Prix Rothschild. The post Kingman Half to Coroebus Debuts at Newmarket appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

ABR's Tom Pedulla offers takeaways from reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna's latest stellar performance in the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park, the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, and other major stakes. View the full article

Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers, and jockeys as they travel the path to the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) May 3 at Churchill Downs. View the full article

FanDuel TV, the New York Racing Association (NYRA), Keeneland, and Santa Anita will team up with Hall of Fame jockeys along with active riders and other prominent personalities Apr. 19 to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) via the seventh annual telethon event. According to the release sent Monday afternoon, the event will be broadcast on both FanDuel TV and America's Day at the Races on the FOX Sports family of networks as well as streamed on tvg.com. Fans can participate by calling 1-844-884-7353 on Saturday, Apr. 19 between 12:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. or can donate directly on the PDJF website. Fan favorite jockeys, active and retired, will be on hand live at call centers in California and Kentucky as their schedule permits. Since its inaugural event in 2018, the telethon has raised over $2-million in support of the PDJF. “Seven years ago, this telethon was created as a vision of hope for the PDJF to raise awareness of our mission, share the stories of our recipients and raise funds for the program,” said PDJF president Nancy LaSala. “It is with immense gratitude to our industry partners–FanDuel TV, NYRA, America's Day at the Races, Keeneland and Santa Anita race tracks who provide the platform; their staff, the retired and active riders–and our volunteers who provide their talents and compassion, and our sponsors and donors whose support gives us our purpose to reach beyond the vision we had seven years ago to further our mission for the men and women the PDJF serves.” “On behalf of the PDJF Board we thank everyone for supporting this vision on telethon day and throughout the year, it would not be possible without the collective efforts of all.” Since its foundation in 2006, the PDJF has disbursed more than $14-million to support disabled jockeys and is 100% reliant on charitable donations. The post Seventh Annual Live Telethon to Benefit PDJF will Broadcast on FanDuel TV and FOX Sports appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tuesday, Newmarket, Britain, post time: 14:25, BET365 FEILDEN STAKES-Listed, £55,000, 3yo, 9f 0y Field: Almeric (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), Green Storm (Ire) (Circus Maximus {Ire}), King Of Cities (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Last Galileo (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Law Of Design (Ire) (Sottsass {Fr}), Masai Moon (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), Nightwalker (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Sallaal (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). TDN Verdict: With the Derby and Prix du Jockey Club on the horizon, this early pointer sees Godolphin put forward one of their list of possible protagonists for the Classics in the Kempton debut winner Masai Moon and he is cut from the right cloth as a relative of Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire). Also in the mix is Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Yarmouth novice scorer Sallaal, who as a half-brother to Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) has great upside as does Juddmonte's G3 Autumn Stakes third Nightwalker, a half-brother to Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio). Tuesday, Newmarket, Britain, post time: 15:00, BET365 EARL OF SEFTON STAKES-G3, £85,000, 4yo/up, 9f 0y Field: First Conquest (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Cairo (Ire) (Quality Road), Lavender Hill Mob (GB) (Expert Eye {GB}), Ottoman Fleet (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Persica (Ire) (New Bay {GB}). TDN Verdict: Ambiente Friendly has his first outing for the James Owen stable as he bids to get back on track after a finale that went flat in the G2 Prix Niel in September. The Derby runner-up and Irish Derby third encounters Persica, who threatened briefly in the G1 Champion Stakes and gets the quicker ground he prefers, and one of Godolphin's classy stalwarts Ottoman Fleet whose tally of four wins and a second in five starts on his home track include the last two renewals of this. Tuesday, Newmarket, Britain, post time: 15:35, LANWADES STUD NELL GWYN STAKES-G3, £85,000, 3yo, f, 7f 0y Field: Arabian Dusk (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Biniorella Bay (GB) (New Bay {GB}), Cartwheel (GB) (Lightning Spear {GB}), Celestial Orbit (GB) (No Nay Never), Nardra (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Qarlyga (Fr) (Golden Horde {Ire}), Remaat (GB) (Kodiac {GB}), Saguaro Blossom (Ire) (Arizona {Ire}), Verse Of Love (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Zanzoun (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Godolphin already have the hot favourite for the 1,000 Guineas in Desert Flower (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and so it is significant that another TDN Rising Star in Verse Of Love is set to go off favourite for his longstanding trial. So impressive over this course and distance in October, she is bred for further than this and will have to contend with a stern test of maturity facing the likes of the fast G2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes winner and G1 Cheveley Park Stakes third Arabian Dusk and Listed Star Stakes scorer Celestial Orbit. William Haggas withdrew the 8 1/2-length soft-ground six-furlong Haydock novice winner Nardra from Saturday's G3 Fred Darling Stakes and whether she needs this good-to-firm surface remains to be seen. Click here for the complete fields with owner and breeder information. The post Black-Type Analysis: Craven Meeting Kicks Off In Style appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The British EBF has released details of its programme for 2025, featuring 700 races and £2 million of contributions to horse racing's prize-money from 35 British stallion studs. Headlining the Flat racing initiatives is the British EBF 2yo Series, with a total prize fund of £2.3 million and two finals. They will each be worth £100,000, with the fillies' race set to take place at Goodwood on Wednesday, September 24, before the colts and geldings take centre stage at York on Friday, October 10. Over 170 restricted maiden and novice races, worth up to £30,000 each, act as qualifiers. Any EBF eligible horse who finishes in the top six of a qualifier can enter one of the finals, with no early closing restrictions and no staged entry fees. Now in its fourth year, the series continues to strengthen, with previous graduates including the G3 Jersey Stakes third Streets Of Gold (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}) and Sunday's G3 Prix de la Grotte runner-up Shes Perfect (Ire) (Sioux Nation). The British EBF will also offer increased support of the £3.3 million programme of High Value Development races in 2025, contributing £400,000 to the project. “These races focus £3.3 million of prize-money into a vital, foundation area of the programme,” said British EBF chairman Simon Sweeting. “Our 2024 races produced fantastic graduates, led by Manton Thoroughbreds' Rashabar. Second in a British EBF maiden at Chester's May meeting, he went on to win a scintillating Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and finished second in both the Group 1 Prix Morny and Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere. Our races alone have produced a further 10 stakes winners or performers, including Listed winners Englemere and Lady With The Lamp.” With the BHA, Darley, Juddmonte and Tattersalls, the British EBF support 88 races for two-year-olds and three-year-olds, with minimum values of £40,000 for open maiden and novice races and £30,000 for restricted races. The collaboration is designed to provide owners and trainers with regular development opportunities and the ability to start making returns on training fees and the purchase price of a horse earlier in its career. Meanwhile, the £250,000 British EBF Future Stayers Series celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2025, returning with a programme of 12 races run for no less than £20,000 (Class 4), rising to £30,000 for a Class 2. It headlines the British EBF support for the breeding and racing of middle-distances horses, with races only open to the progeny of sires and dams who ran over 10 furlongs or more. Previous graduates of this series include the multiple Group 1 winners Cracksman (GB), Hurricane Lane (Ire) and Stradivarius (Ire). British National Hunt racing will also continue to benefit from the support of the British EBF, with total prize-money exceeding £900,000 across its 80 races. For the first time this year they include a series of 19 junior hurdle races for National Hunt-bred horses, with over £150,000 on offer, designed to mirror the early education options available to National Hunt trainers in France and Ireland. Support of two pilot equine veterinary research projects is another feature of the British EBF agenda for 2025, both of direct benefit to the Thoroughbred. Sweeting added, “To date, the British EBF has directly funded over £1.3 million of equine veterinary research projects, in addition to our £42 million prize-money allocations, and we are pleased to be building on that support by fully funding two projects in 2025. “The Trustees selected a study covering inbreeding depression in Thoroughbreds and methods for non-invasive diagnosis of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals. Both subject areas are of importance to the long-term health of the Thoroughbred and we are delighted to be supporting the aims of the HBLB in this important work.” The post British EBF Announce £2 Million Support for Racing in 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Horse of the Year Mineshaft (A.P. Indy) has been retired from study at the age of 26, and will be pensioned at Lane's End, the farm announced Monday morning. In excellent health as he transitions to the newest stage of his life, Mineshaft wraps a breeding career which saw him garner acclaim as one of the leading sons of the great A.P. Indy, including being named a top five general sire in 2024 and a top 20 lifetime active sire. Bred and campaigned by Bill Farish, James Elkins Jr., and W. Temple Webber Jr., he began his racing career in England as a juvenile in the shed row of John Gosden, but was returned to the U.S. after showing a strong affinity for the dirt. Moved to Neil Howard, Mineshaft would go on to win four races at the highest level as a four-year-old, namely the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, GI Pimlico Special, GI Suburban Handicap, and GI Woodward Stakes. Off of that season, he was named the Horse of the Year and champion older male and was retired to a stud career which spanned over two decades. From 20 crops to his credit, Mineshaft's progeny have earned over $101-million in purses with some of his top horses including G1 Saudi Cup hero Senor Buscador–who accounts for over $12-million of that tally–who now stands at the same farm and will carry his sire's banner. His eight Grade I winners include the late Effinex; MGISW It's Tricky, dam of MGSW & GISP Enticed (Medaglia d'Oro); True Timber; Dialed In, himself among leading sires; Discreetly Mine, who stands in Uruguay; Weep No More, a producer of winners in Japan; and Bond Holder. “Mineshaft is a tremendous horse in all aspects–a champion racehorse and a top sire,” said Lane's End president, Bill Farish. “We are so pleased that he is retiring from stud in wonderful health and will enjoy a long retirement at his birthplace.” “Mineshaft means so much to our family and to the farm. When he arrived home at Lane's End following his retirement from racing, literally everyone on the farm gathered at the stallion barn to celebrate his accomplishments and to welcome him home. He is a very special horse.” Mineshaft is the son of 2003 Broodmare of the Year Prospector's Delite (Mr. Prospector), who was a multiple Grade I winner in her time as a racehorse and only gilded her page during her second career as a broodmare. The GI Kentucky Oaks-placed mare was responsible not just for Mineshaft, but his multiple Grade I winning full-sister Tomisue's Delight, who in turn went on to produce GISW Mr. Sidney (Storm Cat). His full-brother MSW & GSP Rock Slide went on to a stallion career as did his half-brother Monashee Mountain (Danzig). This is the extended female family of 'TDN Rising Star' MGSW Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}); MGSW & GISP Revolutionary (War Pass); MSW Rated by Merit (Battalion Runner); and GISW Dickinson (Medaglia d'Oro). The post Mineshaft Retired from Stud Duty at Lane’s End appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article