Wandering Eyes

Rich Hill Stud’s Group 1 stallion roster was the dominant force at Te Rapa’s premier meeting with their progeny claiming a feature race double. Proisir’s son Waitak was back to his brilliant best to score in the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) while Satono Aladdin three-year-old Magic Carpet reigned supreme in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m). Associate sire Ace High was also to the fore with Bak Da Angel impressively claiming an 1100m sprint on the undercard to complete a treble for resident Rich Hill stallions. The performance of the Stephen Marsh-trained Magic Carpet highlighted the remarkable Australasian statistics of the progeny of Satono Aladdin. From 96 runners to date, he has sired 12 individual stakes winners, equating to 12.5 per cent stakes winners-to-runners. “Satono Aladdin’s first three Southern Hemisphere foal crops averaged just 48, which means at this stage his stakes winners-to-foals is running at an incredible 8.3 per cent, plus he’s running at 12.5 per cent stakes winners-to-runners,” Rich Hill’s John Thompson said. “These are world class statistics. With a two-year-old crop of 122 well-bred colts and fillies and his current yearling crop of 127 following, the next few years are going to be very exciting for Satono Aladdin’s many supporters.” The winners continued to flow throughout the weekend, with a trio of stakes performances by Rich Hill sires at other venues. Chris Waller produced Group 1 performer Firestorm (Satono Aladdin) for a fresh-up third in Gr.2 Golden Pendant (1400m) at Rosehill and his Group 1 winner Molly Bloom (Ace High) looked to be coming back to top form with a brave first-up third placing in the Gr.2 WH Stocks Stakes (1500m) at Moonee Valley. Talented Shocking four-year-old Scary finished a close second in Sunday’s Listed RM Ansett Classic (2415m) at Mornington while Proisir’s lightly raced son Tyga Taste scored over 1350m at Strathalbyn for trainer Michael Hickmott. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Satono Aladdin’s son Speedy Smartie triumphed in the opening event over 1200m at Sha Tin to give ex- South African trainer Brett Crawford his first Hong Kong winner. View the full article

Wolfgang, who races as Mister Wolfgang in Australia, will get his first opportunity to earn a golden ticket into the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) when he heads to Flemington on Saturday. The Peter and Shaun McKay-trained gelding will contest the Gr.3 The Bart Cummings (2500m), with the winner earning an automatic spot in the A$10 million two-mile feature. The seven-year-old son of Puccini finished last first-up over 1700m at Flemington earlier this month before backing up seven days later at Caulfield where he finished 12th in the Gr.3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m). “His second run was good,” Peter McKay said. “Even though he only beat four or five horses home, from where he was in the race, there wasn’t a lot of changing going on. Where they were turning the corner is where they finished. His sectionals were quite good from the half-mile home, so we were rapt with that.” McKay has received positive reports from Shaun, who is with the horse in Melbourne, and they are hoping for a bold showing from the gelding this weekend. “We are pretty happy with the way he is going into it,” McKay said. “Daniel Stackhouse is going to ride him again, so at least he knows him, and we are hoping he can run in the first half dozen on Saturday. “There are still a couple of races after that to find out if we can get into the Melbourne Cup, and if not, there is some good money on offer over there.” Back home in New Zealand, the stable is coming off a pleasing day at Te Rapa on Saturday where they recorded a couple of placings, including Faultless running third in the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (1400m). “We were hoping that he could run in the first three or four and he has done that, it was a good run,” McKay said. Withdrawn from November’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Faultless will now be set for a couple of feature targets closer to home in a bid to qualify for next year’s $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m). “He will probably go to the Sarten (Gr.2, 1400m), but that is a month away,” McKay said. “Depending on how the weather is, he may go to Otaki for a $65,000 three-year-old race over 1400m. “Hopefully once he has got a bit more ringcraft about him, we can try and have a crack at the Karaka Millions after Christmas.” Stablemate Subiaco also featured at Te Rapa when running third in the Simply Fire Mile (1600m). “That was a good run,” McKay said. “Craig (Grylls, jockey) said he stepped the gates slightly slow and he didn’t want to dig him up just in case her over-raced, which he would have. He then had to ride his race from the back and he finished off his race really well. “He is probably better suited on top of the ground, he is such a big, long-striding horse. Hopefully there is something instore for him.” McKay is hoping to continue the stable’s solid run of form at Tauranga on Wednesday where they will be represented by a quartet of runners, including Rocky Marciano in the Gartshore Construction Maiden (1600m), Meatlug in the Tauranga Crossing Fashions In The Field November 1st (1400m), La Plancha in the Ultimate Ford Maiden 1400, and Just Call Me Jonny in the Bayleys Altogether Better 1400. View the full article

Jenna McLeod got a massive thrill when watching the latest generation of her family’s breed score at stakes level at Te Rapa on Saturday. Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) victor Magic Carpet hails from the same lineage that has been in her family’s care for nearly 70 years, and she is delighted to continue that legacy. “The original mare was bought by my great-great-grandfather in 1957 at the Trentham sales,” she said. “My grandfather, Gerald Shand, has raced and bred a number of this family and my parents, Phil and Jackie (Rogers), have raced a number of this family, and now myself and Dane, my husband, are racing and breeding from a number of the family as well. “It is really neat and the horses have done really well over the years. That has made us feel confident about continuing. We do it for the love of it – we love breeding and racing horses. “It is the side hobby away from the dairy farm, all of us are involved in the dairy farm.” One of the family’s more notable graduates, Group One winner Stolen Dance, was bred by McLeod and her husband, along with her brother Brian. The McLeods initially raced the mare out of David Greene’s Te Rapa stable, for whom she won the Gr.3 Eagle Technology Stakes (1600m), Gr.2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1400m), and was runner-up in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m), Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) and Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m). She was subsequently sold to Shand and joined Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman’s Cambridge barn and won the Thorndon Mile at her final start. “Stolen Dance was the first horse Dane and I bred ourselves, and the first time we had friends come into the ownership with us,” McLeod said. “You don’t get many like her that come along every day. “She was an absolute gem and David (Greene, trainer) and Heidi (wife) did such a great job with her from a young age because she was always a fiery wee thing. “Gerald purchased her off us for a broodmare and she went on to win the Thorndon Mile. Gerald has just turned 90, so we help him out with the matings, we all work it in together.” While the family typically breed to race, last year McLeod decided to send a couple of yearlings to New Zealand Bloodstock’s yearling sales, including Magic Carpet. By Rich Hill Stud shuttle stallion Satono Aladdin, Magic Carpet is out of Tavistock-winning mare From Eden, a half-sister to Group Two winner The Fuzz and Songbird, the dam of Stolen Dance. McLeod was impressed with the colt from the day he was born and placed him through Nick Fairweather and Nicole Brown’s Carlaw Park draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Book 1 Yearling Sale, and he subsequently sold to trainer Stephen Marsh and Dylan Johnson Bloodstock for $320,000. “The mare did really well with him and he was a lovely foal. He has always been quite a good-looking chap right from the get-go,” McLeod said. “He was born at Windsor Park and then came home. He always had a great temperament, did everything right and was an absolute breeze. “Generally, we are a breed to race family and it took a little bit of convincing for my Mum and Dad to go to the sales. “We sold two that year, the Satono Aladdin (Magic Carpet) and the other one was by Proisir (Rose Symphony, $150,000). They are the right stallions for the sales and they were nice types as young horses. “They developed the right way and Nick and Nicole did a fantastic job with them.” Magic Carpet carries the silks of majority shareholder, Bourbon Lane Stables, but McLeods parents have retained a share in the colt, and they are enjoying the ride he is taking them on, having placed in his two prior starts to Saturday’s triumph. “Stephen (Marsh) has always been such a big fan of Magic Carpet,” McLeod said. “We always wanted to keep a share in one or both (of the yearlings), and we were lucky enough to keep a share in him with Stephen.” McLeod said her family are breeding from seven mares this season, and while their ownership varies amongst the mares, they all work as a cohesive unit. “We are breeding from seven mares this year and even though there are different ownership with the horses, we all do it together,” she said. “They all stay at our home farm in Taupiri.” While they continue to enjoy racing their own horses, McLeod said they will try and replicate their past success at the sales when they head to Karaka next year with three yearlings. “Three of our yearlings got accepted for Book 1 at Karaka, so that was really exciting,” she said. “We are selling a Profondo-Songbird filly, an Almanzor-Just Dance filly, and a Noverre-Finest Wine colt. They are all with Carlaw Park.” View the full article

Evaporate crowned a stellar period for his sire across the Tasman when he produced a gallant performance to land the thick end of the stake in Saturday’s Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m). The Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained four-year-old is a Little Avondale Stud homebred son of resident sire Per Incanto. “He had an outstanding week in Australia with eight winners, capped off by Evaporate,” Little Avondale Stud principal Sam Williams said. The farm had also earlier celebrated a victory at Te Rapa with the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-prepared She’s All That. Evaporate was sold through Sledmere Stud’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for A$330,000 on behalf of Little Avondale, who wisely remained in the ownership. The multiple Group winner and $3.5 million The Kiwi (1500m) runner-up had also overcome a hiccup in his lead-up to the Sandown feature. “He was carrying topweight (59kg) and missed a bit of work with a virus, they got on to it early and it was fantastic to see him back,” Williams said. “The Hayes boys have done a wonderful job with him at Lindsay Park and the Golden Eagle (A$10 million, 1500m) is his main target and now he’s also got the Toorak (Gr.1, 1600m) in front of him.” Evaporate is a son of the unraced Animal Kingdom mare Savanna, whose two foals to race have been successful. “He’s from my favourite family of Sound Lover, she was an incredible mare whose progeny won around 60 races,” Williams said. “The family has had four stakes winners by Per Incanto, Evaporate, Belluci Babe, Pure Incanto and Magnum. “Savanna is in foal to him again and hopefully she’s carrying a filly so we can keep it. “I sold a Bivouac filly (for $100,000) out of her last year, Jim Bruford bought her and he’s got a smile from ear to ear because Bivouac got his first Group One winner at the weekend, so it was a double whammy for him.” Meanwhile, She’s All That impressed in her first-up victory over 1200m at Te Rapa in the Little Avondale silks to take her record to two wins from eight appearances. “She hadn’t had a race day start for some time and I thought in the last 100m that her fitness may have told, but she had her ears back and when she hit the line put them straight forward like a good horse,” Williams said. “It’s great for the syndicate, they’re a great bunch and one of the lease syndicates we do and a lot of them were also in Roch ‘N’ Horse and Belluci Babe.” She’s All That is a daughter of former Little Avondale resident Time Test. “He’s second on the sires’ premiership for individual winners and for prizemoney, I might have to get a boat and got to Turkey and sneak him back out!” Williams said. She’s All That is out of the Per Incanto mare Imadreamer, who had a filly by Profondo last season before a successful visit to Hello Youmzain. View the full article

The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable is weighing up the pros and cons of a Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) start for Golden Path (NZ) (Belardo). If it is decided the Caulfield Cup is the race for Golden Path, then Saturday’s Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) will be the next step towards the 2400m feature on October 18. “It is still to be confirmed but he’ll have a nomination in the Turnbull,” Kent Jnr said. “We’ve had some lengthy discussions with the ownership group, and we might have a throw at the Caulfield Cup. “If we are going that way, and I think we are, then the Turnbull is the likely lead in.” Golden Path has had three runs back from a break. He finished third first-up over 1600m at Caulfield on August 16, lumped 61kg to victory at Flemington over 1700m on September 13 then backed up a week later to finish third, beaten less than half-a-length in the Gr.1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield. In Price and Kent Jnr’s eyes, that was a career high. “Our opinion is he’s probably a couple of lengths shy of the best horses in these weight-for-age races over 2000 (metres) and his chance of winning a big race is in a handicap like the Caulfield Cup,” Kent Jnr said. “We think he’s in the race, which is a start, he’s got 54-½ kilos, so he’s in with a reasonable weight. “My personal gut feel is that he’ll enjoy 2400 (metres). It’s a bit of a gamble as he’s never been past 2000 metres, but I think it’s the right time to take that gamble. “It’s a $5 million punt and the way he can sustain a gallop over 2000 (metres), I’d be hopeful he would enjoy 2400 (metres). “He’s got a great racing style that suits Caulfield and he’s a horse in really good form. “We may not get the same opportunity next year.” Kent Jnr said Golden Path needs another run before the Caulfield Cup and the Turnbull Stakes is the favoured option. While the Gr.1 Might And Power Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on October 11 had been discussed, it is felt backing up within a week twice in the campaign would be too arduous. Golden Path has improved with age, but Price and Kent Jnr are also realistic. “The winter in Sydney last year was when he found his best form,” Kent Jnr said. “The autumn in Sydney this year, we were forced into those better Group 1’s and he was three-to-five lengths short of them, and we were running against the country’s best horses, and he wasn’t up to them at those distances. “It was nice to get him back winning in a handicap at Flemington. “I think he ran well to show us he’s in career best form and it makes a lot of sense in my opinion to have a go at the Caulfield Cup under handicap conditions. “It’s not an easy race but I think he’s the right horse and the market will tell you that he’s somewhere in the race.” Bred by the Wallace family’s Ardsley Stud, Golden Path was purchased for $35,000 from the 2021 Karaka Book 2 Yearling Sale by Pukekohe trainer Michael Rogers. After winning two of his three trials in New Zealand for Rogers, Golden Path was sold to clients of the Price-Kent team. View the full article

Hong Lok Golf could be a season-defining horse for Harry Bentley and the Brit is relishing the chance to hop back aboard in Wednesday’s Class Two Beijing Handicap (1,400m) ahead of a potential Group-race campaign. The five-year-old was almost perfect in his debut campaign, winning six of his seven starts. The only defeat came when he finished a desperately unlucky second at Sha Tin in February, after being hemmed in at a crucial stage. Since that Class Three defeat, he has subsequently saluted...View the full article

Two big names made early statements, an accomplished trainer hit the ground running after a wretched campaign last season and Super Typhoon Ragasa forced one meeting to be abandoned in an eventful opening month of the new season. The Post analyses the jockeys and trainers who had a September to remember or one to forget, as well as the most outstanding victory and winning ride. Who’s hot? It was business as usual for Zac Purton after he bagged a five-timer at the opening meeting of the season en...View the full article

The Chris Waller-trained Beiwacht emulated his sire Bivouac when winning the Golden Rose Stakes (G1) Sept. 27 in a record-breaking time of 1:20.79, smashing the previous track record of 1:21.22 held by Cepheus.View the full article

Coming off an eight-month layoff between races, it would have been fair to wonder how Imagination would perform in his return to competition. The Into Mischief colt exceeded even the wildest of expectations to win the Santa Anita Sprint (G2). View the full article

Freebelle (pink cap) powering through to take out the Murdoch Contracting 1400 at Waverley on Sunday. Photo: Jane Davidson (Race Images). Robbie Patterson was given a boost of confidence around the future of staying mare Freebelle when she came out on top in the Murdoch Contracting 1400 at Waverley on Sunday. The five-year-old had just five starts under her belt in a short career to date, two of those being winning efforts over a mile, so Patterson anticipated she may find the seven furlongs a touch sharp first-up this campaign. Kavish Chowdhoory got the late call-up to ride the mare after regular stable rider Craig Grylls was unable to attend the meeting because of a fall, but the former had guided her to success at Trentham through the winter and allowed her to find her feet early under a fierce tempo set by Vibration and Duncan Creek. The field strung out along the back straight and Freebelle was spotting the leader more than eight lengths at the 600m, but started to pick up ground turning for home as Duncan Creek attempted to get a break on his rivals. Challengers were coming right across the track but none with more momentum than Freebelle ($7.50 with Neds betting), who wound up down the centre and powered on by to score with authority ahead of a game Vibration and Champagne Linda. Patterson was pleasantly surprised with the result, with Freebelle being his sole representative on the nine-race card. “She’s a real staying type and not a big horse, so over the 1400m, I would’ve been very happy if she ran into about fifth,” he said. “The pace in the race showed she’s got some real stamina inside her, she was flat to the boards the whole way so to round it off like that, she’s shown she’s above average. “I was never worried about the better track, she’s a very good-actioned horse and comes from a very good family over a few generations. I didn’t expect that over 1400m, so it’s a sign of a good stayer if they can do that fresh-up over 1400m. “We’ll find a nice race around three weeks’ time for her, I think there’s a 75 mile back at Waverley on their Cup day so I’ll take her back there for that. “I’ll be patient with her and hopefully she’ll go to another level.” Patterson said Chowdhoory had produced a great ride and brought out the best in Freebelle. “Craig was unfortunately not unable to be here, but Kavish is a lovely guy and rides jumpouts for us and does a lot of work behind the scenes,” he said. “This horse has been tricky, she has been late scratched a couple of times for dumping riders going down to the start, so he’s done a super job with her.” In six starts, Freebelle has recorded three wins and a minor placing, having only debuted as a four-year-old last December. Out of a Thorn Park mare Freelinks, her granddam was a top middle distance mare and Group One performer in Freequent. View the full article

Jack Taplin (pictured) suffered a broken wrist in a nasty incident at Riccarton on Saturday, with it dislodging three other jockeys. Jack Taplin has sustained a broken wrist after a race fall at Riccarton Park on Saturday. Photo: Race Images South Apprentice jockey Jack Taplin sustained a broken wrist in Saturday’s shocking race fall at Riccarton Park, which involved four other jockeys including Bridget Grylls and Brandon May, who were also injured. Taplin’s mount King Of The Castle was brought down by the fallen Richard Stomper (May) near the 550m, with the trailing Koyama (Yogesh Atchamah), She’s So Reliable (Grylls) and Proserve (Brett Murray) unable to avoid the fallen horses and dislodging their respective riders. Also read: How to bet on NZ racing Atchamah and Murray were assessed by St John personnel and cleared of injury, while Taplin, May and Grylls were transported to Christchurch Hospital for further assessment. New Zealand Jockeys’ Association Executive Officer Andrew Lacy shared further updates on the riders on Sunday evening. “I have been in contact with all of the jockeys involved in this incident, and fortunately Brandon May, Jack Taplin and Bridget Grylls have all been discharged from hospital,” he said. “Jack has shattered his wrist and has a possible fracture in his arm, he came out of hospital early on Sunday morning and is taking it as it comes at this stage. “Brandon was quite sore in the lower back and pelvic area after being stood on by a horse, so he went to the hospital and fortunately everything came out clear in the x-ray. He has some internal bleeding on the muscle in that area, but is resting up and feeling very grateful as it could’ve been a lot worse. “Bridget sustained a concussion and dislocated and possibly broke her finger, and also got stitches for a scratch on her knee. “Brett was not injured in the incident and will be riding at the trials at Riccarton on Monday. “Yogesh has also been cleared to ride after being checked at the meeting.” View the full article

Evaporate (NZ) ridden by Blake Shinn wins the Sportsbet Sandown Stakes at Sportsbet Sandown Hillside Racecourse on September 27, 2025 in Springvale, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Racing Photos) Evaporate crowned a stellar period for his sire across the Tasman when he produced a gallant performance win the Group 3 Sandown Stakes (1500m) on Saturday. The Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained four-year-old is a Little Avondale Stud homebred son of resident sire Per Incanto. Evaporate ($3.70 with betting sites) beat home favourite Transatlantic ($2.60) and Athanatos ($7), while Cote Atlantique punched on for fourth. “He had an outstanding week in Australia with eight winners, capped off by Evaporate,” Little Avondale Stud principal Sam Williams said. The farm had also earlier celebrated a victory at Te Rapa with the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-prepared She’s All That. Evaporate was sold through Sledmere Stud’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for A$330,000 on behalf of Little Avondale, who wisely remained in the ownership. The multiple Group winner and $3.5 million The Kiwi (1500m) runner-up had also overcome a hiccup in his lead-up to the Sandown feature. “He was carrying topweight (59kg) and missed a bit of work with a virus, they got on to it early and it was fantastic to see him back,” Williams said. “The Hayes boys have done a wonderful job with him at Lindsay Park and the Golden Eagle (A$10 million, 1500m) is his main target and now he’s also got the Toorak (Group 1, 1600m) in front of him.” Evaporate is a son of the unraced Animal Kingdom mare Savanna, whose two foals to race have been successful. “He’s from my favourite family of Sound Lover, she was an incredible mare whose progeny won around 60 races,” Williams said. “The family has had four stakes winners by Per Incanto, Evaporate, Belluci Babe, Pure Incanto and Magnum. “Savanna is in foal to him again and hopefully she’s carrying a filly so we can keep it. “I sold a Bivouac filly (for $100,000) out of her last year, Jim Bruford bought her and he’s got a smile from ear to ear because Bivouac got his first Group One winner at the weekend, so it was a double whammy for him.” Meanwhile, She’s All That impressed in her first-up victory over 1200m at Te Rapa in the Little Avondale silks to take her record to two wins from eight appearances. “She hadn’t had a race day start for some time and I thought in the last 100m that her fitness may have told, but she had her ears back and when she hit the line put them straight forward like a good horse,” Williams said. “It’s great for the syndicate, they’re a great bunch and one of the lease syndicates we do and a lot of them were also in Roch ‘N’ Horse and Belluci Babe.” She’s All That is a daughter of former Little Avondale resident Time Test. “He’s second on the sires’ premiership for individual winners and for prizemoney, I might have to get a boat and got to Turkey and sneak him back out!” Williams said. She’s All That is out of the Per Incanto mare Imadreamer, who had a filly by Profondo last season before a successful visit to Hello Youmzain. View the full article

Imagination (Into Mischief) showed an electric turn-of-foot in the lane to overhaul the defending champion and claim his automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup by way of the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes. Back at the six furlong distance for the first time since his debut two years ago at Del Mar, the Bob Baffert trainee had predominantly been a two-turn horse in his career and had two elite-level placings last year to his credit–once in the spring in the GI Santa Anita Derby when he came a neck shy of winning the Kentucky Derby prep, and a third placing in the GI Malibu Moon Stakes to end his 2024. He raced once this year, way back in late January, and faded to fourth in the GII San Pasqual Stakes at this venue. Gone since then, this was his first race off an almost eight-month layoff, and the betting public gave Imagination a 5-1 shot to get it done over his in-form competition. Breaking inwardly and brushing with his neighbor, he recovered to track up the backstretch from fifth and was almost six wide when he went into the turn. Slowly angled in to save some ground, he was closing the gap on defending champion, 3-5 favorite Straight No Chaser (Speightster) but still had work to do as the field came into the homestretch. Taking contact from Awesome Rhythm (First Samurai) as that one faded through the stretch after pushing the issue earlier, Imagination continued his march to the front with Dr. Venkman (Ghostzapper) looming a danger as well on the inside. Finally collaring the longtime leader at the sixteenth pole, he drove clear of his pursuers to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Dr. Venkman got the best of Straight No Chaser late to claim second and last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint hero ran third. “We freshened him up. He needed a freshening,” said Baffert. “We gave him a lot of time. He looks beautiful, he has filled out and his work was just sensational the other day. I just thought, 'you know what, I am just going to run him in the Sprint'. There is not a race for him for another three weeks, but this will set him up. He's always been a good horse. He's a little quirky but that is his thing.” Regarding his other entry, who finished last, Baffert said, “Speed Boat Beach, I don't know what happened to him. He didn't want to run today, but Juan came to pick up the pieces and [Imagination] ran huge. It's a great win for the team.” Regarding the third place finish of Straight No Chaser, who had not raced since early April after his trip out to the Middle East, it was explained as a case of being slightly rusty. “I thought [Straight No Chaser] ran good,” said jockey John Velazquez. “It had been a long time. Hopefully he'll be ready for the Breeders' Cup.” #8 IMAGINATION ran past Straight No Chaser to take the $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2), a @BreedersCup Win and You're In event. @Spendthriftfarm's Into Mischief the sire of this now-dual stakes winner. @JJHernandezS19 up. Dr. Venkman 2nd, Straight No Chaser 3rd. pic.twitter.com/Vin5aQ3a9s — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) September 29, 2025 Pedigree Notes: Imagination is the fourth runner in his family to garner black-type and the second in a row to claim it at the elite-level behind his full-sister MGISP Occult. The eldest siblings of the foursome were a pair of stakes winners named Exulting (Tapit) and his full-sister Magical. Their dam Magical Feeling was also placed at the Grade I level as a third-place finisher in the GI Humana Distaff during her time on the track. The mare has a juvenile colt named Make My Day (Gun Runner) as her last registered foal after she aborted her 2024 Flightline. She did not produce offspring in 2025 and was bred to National Treasure for 2026. This is the extended female family of GISW Dream Tree (Uncle Mo) as well as the immediate one of GISW Golden Ticket (Speightstown). Further down is the multiple Group 1-placed Tomahawk. Sunday, Santa Anita SANTA ANITA SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP S. PRESENTED BY ESTRELLA JALISCO-GII, $201,500, Santa Anita, 9-28, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:09.00, ft. 1–IMAGINATION, 122, c, 4, by Into Mischief 1st Dam: Magical Feeling (GSW & GISP, $554,532), by Empire Maker 2nd Dam: Magical Mood (GB), by Forestry 3rd Dam: Good Mood, by Devil's Bag ($1,050,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Masterson, Robert E., Waves Edge Capital LLC, C Donovan and T Ryan.; B-Peter E. Blum Tbreds, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan Hernandez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 13-3-5-2, $603,700. *1/2 to Magical (Tapit), SW, $164,550; 1/2 to Exulting (Tapit), MSW, $687,370; Full to Occult, GSW & MGISP, $721,006. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*** Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Dr. Venkman, 126, g, 5, Ghostzapper–Theory of Change, by Archarcharch. ($105,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Alipony Racing, Agnew, Dan J., Bunch, Clint and Hailey, James; B-Ghostzapper Syndicate & Hidden Brook Farm (KY); T-Mark Glatt. $40,000. 3–Straight No Chaser, 124, h, 6, Speightster–Margarita Friday, by Johannesburg. ($110,000 2yo '21 EASMAY). O-MyRacehorse; B-John Eaton & Steve Laymon (KY); T-Dan Blacker. $24,000. Margins: 1 3/4, HF, 2 3/4. Odds: 5.60, 4.20, 0.70. Also Ran: Smooth Cruisein, Awesome Rhythm, Wound Up, Mbagnick (Chi), Speed Boat Beach. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Imagination Ignites Breeders’ Cup Dreams with Santa Anita Sprint Championship Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Rancho San Miguel's first-crop sire Mo Forza, a grade 1-winning son of the late Uncle Mo, got his first winner Sept. 28 when his 2-year-old son Mo Holland Drive won a maiden special weight at Santa Anita Park. Read more: View the full article

Cavalieri, Richi, and Howin ran one-two-three for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, as Cavalieri posted her fifth win in as many starts.View the full article

Much like the diva the race was named in honor of, Cavalieri (Nyquist) gave the fans on hand a moment's worry at the start, but rolled home the easiest of winners to stamp her ticket to the Breeders' Cup via the 'WAYI' GII Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita. Unbeaten in her career, the Speedway Stables colorbearer entered the race off a stalk and pounce performance which saw her claim the GI Beholder Mile by three-quarters of a length over stablemate Richi (Chi) (Practical Joke) back in March–who returned here for a second shot at turning the tables. She started her 2025 with a stylish victory in the GIII La Canada Stakes Jan. 19 to mark her first graded victory in her career. Made the 3-5 betting choice here, Cavalieri missed the break entirely after she tossed her head around and hopped as the gates opened. She had to move quickly to secure her stalking position behind the anticipated pacesetter, and was never far behind the opening splits of :23.67, :48 flat, and six panels in 1:11.60. Pushed to come onto even terms with Richi, Cavalieri had a slim advantage as they hit the top of the stretch but was slowly increasing the margin with every stride. With ears pricked, she sailed in under a confident ride through the final yards to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Richi gamely hung on to second as their third stablemate MGSP Howin (Gun Runner) claimed third. With the win in the Zenyatta, Cavalieri has earned an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar in November. After hopping at the start CAVALIERI ($3.40) digs in under @JJHernandezS19 to win the $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at @santaanitapark. The undefeated 4YO Nyquist (@DarleyAmerica) filly is trained by @BobBaffert and owned by Speedway Stables. #BC25 @BreedersCup @LanesEndFarms pic.twitter.com/PKbr8CGtT1 — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) September 28, 2025 Pedigree Notes: The victress is the most recent to the races for her dam, who does have a juvenile to her credit named Miss Disconnect (Connect). Her elder half-sister, Affirmative Lady (Arrogate), also claimed graded black-type during her career when she took home the hardware in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks. Cavalieri is the first in the family to claim Grade I black-type, however, and is the most accomplished for the dam thus far. Stiffed has a yearling colt by Mandaloun in the wings and unfortunately delivered a stillborn Elite Power foal this season. The dam is herself a half-sibling to accomplished racehorses-namely MSW Speaking (Mr Speaker) and MSW Sea Streak (Sea Wizard) on track while her half-sisters produced the likes of MSW & MGSP Great Navigator (Sea Wizard) and MSW & GSP Riding Pretty (Jack Milton). Sunday, Santa Anita ZENYATTA S.-GII, $200,000, Santa Anita, 9-28, 3yo/up, f/m,1 1/16m, 1:42.64, ft. 1–CAVALIERI, 124, f, 4, by Nyquist 1st Dam: Stiffed (MSW & MGSP, $256,559), by Stephen Got Even 2nd Dam: High Noon Nellie, by Silver Deputy 3rd Dam: Full and Fancy, by Marfa ($170,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $900,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Speedway Stables LLC; B-Alastar Thoroughbred Co, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 5-5-0-0, $438,000. *1/2 to Affirmative Lady (Arrogate), GSW, $284,435. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*** Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Richi (Chi), 126, m, 5, Practical Joke–Rich Baby (Chi), by Scat Daddy. O-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. (J. G. Sikura) and Stud Vendaval, Inc.; B-Haras Paso Nevado (CHI); T-Bob Baffert. $40,000. 3–Howin, 118, f, 3, Gun Runner–Flora Dora, by First Dude. ($550,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-Baoma Corp; B-Coffee Pot Stables (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $24,000. Margins: 1 3/4, 2 1/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.70, 1.30, 18.50. Also Ran: Sugar Fish, La Kika (Per). Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Perfect Is as Perfect Does: Cavalieri Strolls Home to Win Zenyatta, Stamps Ticket to Breeders’ Cup Distaff appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In her third start for Ribble Farms and Front Page Equestrian, Regaled made a return on their investment with a dominant victory in the $392,000 Delaware Handicap (G3) at Delaware Park Sept. 28.View the full article

Tom's Magic, a hard-charging second in The King's Plate, went one better in the CA$400,000 Breeders' Stakes, the final jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown, Sept. 28 at Woodbine.View the full article

G2 Queen Mary-placed Lennilu (Leinster) has emerged from her Leinster Hollywood Beach Stakes victory in good order and is now on target for a tilt at the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. With her lone career loss coming at the Royal Ascot meeting when she ran third in the aforementioned Group 3, the grey has already defeated the boys–in the Hollywood Beach–and will take them on again at the World Championships as confirmed by trainer Patrick Biancone Sunday morning. “She's doing great. Perfect,” said Biancone from Palm Meadows, confirming his preference for the Turf Sprint against males over going a mile against fillies in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf the same day. “After the Queen Mary, I said we would give her some time to recover and get her ready for the Breeders' Cup [Juvenile Turf] Sprint–and here we are.” Lennilu qualified for the Queen Mary by way of her victory in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Turf at Gulfstream Park. The filly who beat her that day, True Love (Ire) (No Nay Never), won the G1 Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes in Newmarket on Saturday and is described by trainer Aidan O'Brien as a 'powerhouse'. A potential trip to the Breeders' Cup is being floated for her as well. The post Lennilu to Take on Boys in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Check out the great racing offers available from horse racing bookmakers on Monday, September 29. Enjoy bonus back deals and other promotions to boost your betting experience. Explore these specials from top online bookmakers and get more value from your bets. Top Australian racing promotions for September 29, 2025, include: Today’s horse racing promotions 10% Winnings Boost! – Bunbury Get 10% Boosted Winnings paid in BONUS CASH. First eligible bet per race. Must apply Promotion in betslip. Cash bets only. Max bonus $100. T&C’s apply. View Terms Eligible customers only Login to Picklebet to Claim Promo Blonde Boosts! Elevate your prices! BlondeBet T&C’s Apply. Eligible Customers Only. Login to BlondeBet to Claim Promo Copycash – Get Copied. Get Paid. Get paid $0.10 every time someone uses Copy Bet to copy your bets. Eligible Customers Only. Login to Dabble to Claim Promo Bet Boost | Monday Thoroughbred Meetings Get a bet boost on thoroughbred races around Australia on Monday. Eligible customers. Login to Bet365 to Claim Promo Daily Multi Insurance Any Race. Any Runner. Any Odds. Get a Bonus Back if your Multi loses by a specified number of legs. Fixed odds only. Check your Vault for eligibility. Check your vault for eligibility. Login to Unibet to Claim Promo Top 4 Betting! Bet and win up to 4th place. Eligible customers only Login to Picklebet to Claim Promo Owners Bonus – Win a bet on your horse & receive an extra 15% winnings in cash Max Payout $2000. Account holder must be registered as an official owner of the nominated horse. Fixed odds win bets on Australian thoroughbred races only. Excludes boosted, multi, live and bonus bets. PlayUp T&Cs apply. Login to PlayUp to Claim Promo Odds Drift Protector | If Your Horse Drifts, You Get The Bigger Price Only available on Australian Horse Racing Fixed Price Win bets placed from 8am AET the day of the race. Eligible customers. Login to Bet365 to Claim Promo Uni Bundle Bundle 2 or more runners in the same race and if any of them win, you win! Fixed odds only. Min 4 runners. Available on all AU, NZ & HK thoroughbred and AU harness & greyhounds. Check your vault for eligibility. Login to Unibet to Claim Promo How does horsebetting.com.au find these racing offers? HorseBetting.com.au reviews Australia’s top horse racing bookmakers to share the best thoroughbred promotions for September 29, 2025. Bookmakers are always competing, so if one doesn’t have a deal, another usually does. Rely on HorseBetting.com.au for daily racing bonuses and betting specials. Get better value with competitive odds and offers for existing customers. Just log in to your betting account to see what’s available. For extra help picking winners and using your bonuses wisely, check out our daily free racing tips. View all horse racing promotions View the full article

Trainer John Sadler said Full Serrano will "probably" try and defend his title in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) rather than try the added distance of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).View the full article

7th-Belmont The Big A, $85,000, Msw, 9-28, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:37.28, ft, nose. BELIEVABLE (f, 2, Curlin–Temptress, by Tapit), an $800,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling sale grad, may not have made the front in her debut race as an 8-1 shot here, but she certainly remedied that by the time the field exited the chute and hit the main track. The 2-year-old held sway up the backstretch and around the far turn, but entering the lane she was challenged by a bid to the outside from Concurrently (Amercian Pharoah). Duking it out past the sixteenth marker it looked as though her rival was going to get paid, but Believable proved stout by a nose. The winner is full-brother to Tenfold, MGSW & MGISP, $1,285,365, and a half-sister to filly in-training Seraphia (Gun Runner), who went to Jackpot/Whispering Oaks/Rick Ortyl for a cool million at the 2023 Saratoga Select Yearling sale. A half-sister to GSW Donegal Moon (Malibu Moon) and out of an extended female family which includes champion grass mare Possibly Perfect (Northern Baby), Temptress handed Believable a full-brother last year, but was not reported as bred since. Sales History: $800,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $46,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Repole Stable; B-Newstead Corp (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Unbelievably close photo finish win by BELIEVABLE and @KendrickCarmou1 for trainer @PletcherRacing! pic.twitter.com/DTISBsK6PC — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) September 28, 2025 The post Slugfest! Curlin’s Believable Stern Late At The Big A appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

If it all works out over the next five weeks, the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) will serve as Round 3 in the epic rivalry between the 3-year-old stars Sovereignty and Journalism. But will it be their last meeting? View the full article

Goodwood Stakes (G1) winner Nevada Beach was bred by Paul Tackett, who co-owned the dam with his late son, Philip.View the full article

The weekend stakes featured plenty of outcomes with Breeders' Cup implications. But while top-level races in California, Kentucky and New York yielded headline horses bound for the big Saturday of championship weekend, an ungraded $125,000 grass route for 2-year-old fillies in Maryland produced one of the more intriguing, under-the-radar candidates for Future Stars Friday. Ultimate Love is now 3-for-3 after her stylish, four-length, going-away score in the Selima Stakes at Laurel Park, and the chestnut daughter of Curlin could be bound for the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf. A homebred from Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Plantation and Stud in Florida, Ultimate Love has won her three starts by a combined 13 1/4 lengths. She rallied from fifth and last to dismantle a one-mile maiden special weight field by 2 3/4 lengths at Colonial Downs July 24, then stalked and pounced to blow open a first-level allowance by 6 ¾ lengths at Laurel Sept. 5. She was the third- and second-favorite in those respective starts, and got bet down to 3-2 favoritism for the nine-runner Selima on Sept. 27. Stretching out to 1 1/16 miles, Ultimate Love broke running but willingly settled outside in fourth by the time the field cornered onto the backstretch. Moving at a confident clip, jockey Jorge Ruiz nudged Ultimate Love to take closer aim at the leaders on the far turn, and she incrementally closed the gap, always in control of the cadence while ratcheting up the pressure. Ultimate Love came over the top in mid-stretch, requiring only token left-handed encouragement before Ruiz switched back to a hand ride. After building momentum for the better part of two furlongs, the filly quickened with a nice flash of foot through a final sixteenth clocked in :6.01 over ground rated firm. Her final time of 1:43.58 was .85 seconds faster than 2-year-old males ran in the same-distance Laurel Futurity Stakes a half-hour earlier (also won by Ruiz). “She might be a good one,” trainer Michael Trombetta told the Laurel notes team as Ultimate Love cooled out on her way back to the barn. Ultimate Love's pedigree backs up her conditioner's assessment: Her second dam is My Typhoon (Ire), a GISW grass mare in North America who is a half-sister to champions Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire). Live Oak paid a sales-topping (more than triple the price of the next most expensive offering) $2.9 million for her at the 2002 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and My Typhoon earned back $1.3 million in purses, much of it on an eight-race tear in 2006-07 during which she racked up triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in eight consecutive stakes. “Very laid back,” Trombetta described his filly, who is the sixth foal but first stakes winner out of the 0-for-1 Bernardini mare Tsunami of Love. “I told [Ruiz] in the paddock today that you have a good post. Hopefully, you can find a good spot that you like, and he did a good job of it. I was a little concerned when [the Todd Pletcher-trained second favorite] got loose [on the lead].” Ultimate Love wouldn't be the first recent victress of the Selima to go on to win the Juvenile Fillies Turf. The Graham Motion-trained Sharing upset the 2019 edition of that Breeders' Cup stakes at Santa Anita. She was 13-1 in the betting after winning at Laurel as the 1-2 favorite. “Those thoughts crossed my mind as she crossed the finish line,” Trombetta said of the Oct. 31 Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar. But a go in the Breeders' Cup would necessitate a cutback in distance to a flat mile for Ultimate Love, who looked very much in her comfort zone stretching out to 1 1/16 miles. “Curlin will get you dirt. The dam side is more turf,” Trombetta said. “What I like about this filly is that I think she's going to be a mile-and-an-eighth, mile-and-a-quarter type of filly.” Dan Delivers The bust-through-traffic stretch rally by 2024 GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents) in the GII D. Wayne Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs put a tactical exclamation point on a race that was additionally dramatic because it honored the recently deceased Hall-of-Fame trainer and played out against the backdrop of Mystik Dan's regular rider, Brian Hernandez Jr., being hospitalized last week after a Churchill spill broke seven ribs and punctured a lung. Mystik Dan (rail) | Coady Media Trainer Ken McPeek said that he's leaning toward the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile for Mystik Dan, but he's not entirely ruling out the GI Classic. He also believes jockey Francisco Arrieta did well subbing for the stable's go-to rider, but he's still not sure who will be aboard Mystik Dan in his next start because there's a possibility Hernandez could be cleared to resume riding by the Breeders' Cup. “It's tough. Brian helped this horse get here,” McPeek said in a video interview posted by the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. “He really deserved to be on him today, and he deserves to be on him next time, too. But, you know, in the meantime, Francisco Arrieta did a fantastic job, and we'll probably sit down and discuss whether Francisco rides him back. I think what he did [Saturday], he deserves to ride him back. Of course, that's all assuming that Brian could be back in that quick of a time, but that's out of my control. “He had every reason to get beat,” McPeek said of Mystik Dan. “It got tight. He got locked in there. It looked like he wasn't going to get through. But that shows the kind of turn of foot he's got. He can turn it over hard and fast. Like Francisco said, he's like a Maserati. You press the pedal, and he goes.” On aiming for the Dirt Mile, a stakes that was won by Mystik Dan's sire in both 2013 and 2014, McPeek said, “I think this race probably points him toward the [Dirt] Mile, as a stallion prospect, I think the [Dirt] Mile's a really good spot for him.” With his victory on Saturday, four months after his score in the GIII Blame Stakes, Mystik Dan accomplished something no other Derby winner has done in more than two decades: Win at least two races at age four. Funny Cide, the 2003 Derby winner, was 3-2-3 in 10 starts during his 4-year-old season of 2004. Oddly enough, another Derby-winning gelding whose career extended long past the Triple Crown, California Chrome in 2014, did not win a race at age 4 (0-for-2) even though he rebounded to win seven races at age 5. Prior to Funny Cide, the most recent Derby winners to win more than once during their 4-year-old seasons were Real Quiet (2-for-5) and Silver Charm (6-for-9), the 1998 and 1997 Derby champs. Beyer Roundup Mystik Dan's tally in the nine-furlong Lukas Classic came back as a 100 on the Beyer scale, one point higher than his victory in the Blame, but one point lower than his subsequent fourth in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes. Since the Foster, he also once tried the turf, registering a 94 when fourth in the GI Arlington Million. At Aqueduct, 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Locked (Gun Runner) was assigned a 98 Beyer for his win in the three-horse GII Woodward Stakes. Locked was disadvantaged in having to chase down loose-on-the-lead favorite Phileas Fogg (Astern {Aus}) over nine furlongs. But that pacemaker was shortening stride late in the lane when Locked mounted his late-race bid, switching off the inside to collar him by three-quarters of a length. Still, the victory firmed up a launch pad for Locked to take aim at the Breeders' Cup Classic. At Santa Anita, both 1 1/2-length winner Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach) and runner-up Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast) appear Breeders' Cup-bound, but they will point toward separate races after their respective finishes at 8-1 and 1-2 odds in the nine-furlong GI Goodwood Stakes. Their Beyers came back 101 and 98. Nevada Beach will target the Classic. Full Serrano appears destined for a return engagement in the Dirt Mile. Read more from their trainers here. The post Week In Review: 3-for-3 Filly Flies Under the Radar, but ‘Ultimately’ Not for Long appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article