Wandering Eyes

After a dominant gate-to-wire win in the Delaware Oaks (G3) last month, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' president and founder Aron Wellman told the BloodHorse Monday podcast that Fondly is targeting the Monmouth Oaks (G3) at Monmouth Park July 26.View the full article

The arbitrator in charge of trainer Phil Serpe's contested clenbuterol positive detected in a filly who won last summer at Saratoga Race Course has issued a final decision that metes out the exact penalties sought by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)–a two-year suspension, plus a race disqualification and forfeiture of purse winnings. Beyond the potentially career-ending banishment of the 66-year-old trainer, what was striking about the decision is that it did not impose any monetary fine upon Serpe. According to ADMC Rule 3223, Serpe could have faced a fine of up to $25,000 as part of his sanctions. Such a fine against Serpe was initially sought by HIWU after the drug was detected in the urine of Fast Kimmie (Oscar Performance) after her Aug. 10, 2024 victory. But on Apr. 23, 2025–eight months after the date of the violation and six months after Serpe initiated a federal lawsuit against HISA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)–HIWU took the unusual step of informing Serpe via a one-paragraph letter that it would not be seeking any fine at his arbitration hearing. That's a departure from how the agency handled a dozen other clenbuterol detections since the ADMC went into effect in May 2023. Serpe's legal team has argued in a Florida federal court that HIWU's sudden non-pursuit of the $25,000 penalty is an alleged end-around to stymie Serpe's efforts to prove in his Oct. 17, 2024 lawsuit that he has been wrongfully denied his Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial. HISA had asserted in an Apr. 24, 2025 court document that HIWU's lack of a monetary fine in Serpe's case “moots Plaintiff's Seventh Amendment claim and removes any risk of cognizable harm with respect to it,” and that the judge in the case “should dispose of Plaintiff's Seventh Amendment claim, and Plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction relating to that claim.” Serpe's civil complaint cites a United States Supreme Court case that previously ruled that a federal regulatory agency's enforcement for civil monetary penalties must be brought in a federal court, subject to the Seventh Amendment's jury trial right. Serpe's legal team has claimed that by making the monetary penalty go away, HISA and HIWU are trying to set up a situation whereby the trainer can't then go to court and plead that the fine was issued in an unconstitutional manner. According to HIWU's online portal that lists resolved cases since the agency's inception, 12 of the 15 adjudications for clenbuterol resulted in fines of at least $15,000. In two instances, the anti-doping violations were withdrawn, and in one other case the split sample did not confirm the presence of the drug, so the charge was dropped. So is the non-pursuit of a fine against Serpe an unexpected policy change for HISA and HIWU? Or, put another way, should trainers who get charged with ADMC violations expect that they, too, might now have their fines not pursued by HIWU? Alexa Ravit, HIWU's communications director, gave this explanation when TDN queried the agency last month, before Serpe's decision was made public. “HIWU was directed by HISA to not pursue a fine against Mr. Serpe based on the facts and circumstances of his specific case,” Ravit wrote in a June 27 email. “It is not indicative of a broader policy to stop pursuing fines for potential ADMC Program violations.” Bradford Beilly, an attorney for Serpe, told TDN on Monday, July 14, that the non-pursuit of a fine is, as Serpe's legal team has alleged in court filings, an attempt to avoid federal court jurisdiction over a constitutional issue. “It appears that HIWU has followed HISA's direction to not seek a fine to attempt to moot the federal court's jurisdiction over Serpe's Seventh Amendment claim,” Beilly said. “It appears that HISA's representation to the court that it does not control HIWU is not an accurate statement.” Although U.S. District Court (Southern District of Florida) Judge David Leibowitz ended up writing in a May 29 order that he was denying Serpe's request for a preliminary injunction, he also ruled that he would be leaving open the opportunity for Serpe to refile his Seventh Amendment injunction claim at a later time after the HIWU arbitration process had been completed. Beilly told TDN that now that the arbitrator has released that HIWU decision (dated July 9, but not posted to HIWU's online portal until July 14) the legal team will focus on the next steps in Serpe's case. “We will be filing a notice of appeal with the FTC in the [HIWU] administrative proceeding as required and renewing the motion for preliminary injunction against the FTC in the federal district court action,” Beilly said. Jeffrey Benz, the arbitrator, only mentioned the word “fine” once in his 16-page decision, in a section detailing the consequences that HIWU had sought against Serpe. “HIWU could have also sought its legal fees and the fees of the Arbitrator and the arbitration institution as well as the statutory fine permitted for these cases, but it declined to do so,” the arbitrator wrote in a decision. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the management of horses with airway obstruction. Clenbuterol cannot be administered to any HISA “covered horse” other than in the context of a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship in accordance with the conditions set forth in ADMC rules. According to the arbitrator's decision, a post-race urine and blood samples were taken from Fast Kimmie during her Saratoga post-race test. The filly's clenbuterol concentration came back as 27 picograms per milliliter in urine. The blood sample was negative. Serpe, a licensed trainer since 1984 who has maintained a nearly violation-free record while campaigning graded stakes winners up and down the East Coast, denied he had authorized any veterinarian to dose Fast Kimmie with clenbuterol. He chose to have the split samples tested at his own expense. The urine confirmed the clenbuterol presence and the blood again negated it. Serpe pointed out in his defense that Fast Kimmie had undergone out-of-competition (OOC) testing at the behest of HIWU on June 19, 2024, nearly eight weeks before her Saratoga win, and that no prohibited substances were detected in her blood at that time. On Dec. 11, 2024, another OOC test on Fast Kimmie took blood and hair samples. This was four months after her positive test at Saratoga, and both samples tested negative for clenbuterol. Benz summed up his arbitration decision this way: “Mr. Serpe contests the [positive finding] on the basis of negative results of a hair sample analysis which he submits 'directly conflict' with the urine adverse analytical finding (AAF)….Mr. Serpe claims that this calls into question the accuracy of the initial urine testing because if Clenbuterol was administered to Fast Kimmie, the hair testing results should have returned a positive finding… “Mr. Serpe's position must be rejected. First, while hair is an acceptable sample matrix in testing for the Presence of Banned Substances, the ADMC Program is a single-matrix regime whereby a single split urine sample is sufficient to establish an AAF [and] no supplemental testing in another matrix–hair, blood, or otherwise-is required,” the arbitrator wrote. “Mr. Serpe also attempts to defeat the [finding] on the basis of Fast Kimmie's negative OOC anti-doping results prior to and after the Aug. 10, 2024, positive urine test that resulted in the AAF. This argument should also be rejected. “First, nowhere in the ADMC Program does it provide that prior or subsequent testing is relevant [thus] HIWU's burden of proof is met when the B Sample analysis confirms the presence of a Banned Substance detected in the A Sample,” Benz wrote. “The ADMC Program is crystal clear: 'it is not necessary to demonstrate intent, Fault, negligence, or knowing Use on the part of” Mr. Serpe to establish a Presence-based [finding]. Moreover, Clenbuterol is not a Threshold Substance, and the quantity of the substance found in the Sample is entirely irrelevant for the purposes of establishing the [finding]. Mr. Serpe cannot try to rewrite the ADMC Program Rules,” Benz wrote. “Mr. Serpe's defense hangs entirely on the bald assertion that inadvertent exposure to Clenbuterol may have resulted from cross-contamination,” the arbitrator wrote. “Mr. Serpe speculates that Fast Kimmie may have been exposed to Clenbuterol from an 'unidentifiable third party or the inadvertent contamination of the urine sample in the testing barn.' The evidence adduced by Mr. Serpe falls well short of establishing on a balance of probabilities the source of Clenbuterol. He has not provided any affirmative evidence of contamination,” Benz wrote. “Mr. Serpe was at all times strictly liable for any violations of the ADMC Program committed by other Covered Persons, employees, personnel, agents, or other Persons involved in the care, treatment, training, or racing of Fast Kimmie,” Benz wrote. “It is thus no defense for Mr. Serpe to point the finger at a blacksmith or unidentified exercise rider and provide no additional explanation of any precautions taken by Mr. Serpe to ensure that his Covered Horse was not inadvertently exposed to a Banned Substance,” Benz wrote. Benz summed up: “Despite the findings of this Arbitrator, no one should read this decision as determining that Mr. Serpe is a cheater. The only determination that can be taken from the findings in this Final Decision is that Mr. Serpe was unable to meet his burden and standard of proof under the applicable rules.” Fast Kimmie is owned by WellSpring Stables. Following her DQ from the win at Saratoga last summer, she was off for eight months. Now age five, Fast Kimmie has raced twice this spring in New York, most recently winning a $17,500 claimer at Aqueduct May 24. The post Arbitrator Suspends Serpe Two Years, but Unlike Other Clenbuterol Cases, HIWU Does Not Pursue Any Fine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Calumet Farm's Lexitonian was represented by his first winner when juvenile filly Ritzaphena dug in and battled for victory on closing day at Lone Star Park July 13.View the full article

Under normal circumstances, Reagan Swinback would have been at Saratoga July 10 to watch his filly Cy Fair (Not This Time) debut in a Saratoga maiden turf sprint. Swinback had been receiving nothing but good reports from trainer George Weaver, and those reports proved to be accurate. Cy Fair won the race by 3 1/4 lengths, enough to be named a 'TDN Rising Star.' But Swinback couldn't be there as his week was largely taken up by attending funerals. They were for the 27 campers and counselors who were killed by the flooding that ravaged their summer camp, Camp Mystic. Swinback's 15-year-old daughter Ashley was there, but made it out alive. His 12-year-old son Harvey attended a different camp, La Junta. It, too, was badly flooded, but no one died there. “The girls that lost their lives at Camp Mystic were the younger girls, and they stay in cabins on the flats,” Swinback said. “The older girls stay in cabins on the hill, which is appropriately named. So Ashley was never in direct danger, but at daylight she saw the devastation firsthand.” When asked how Ashley was holding up, Swinback said, “Not great. She's 15 and a mature 15. Her questions are more holistic. Why would God do this? We had chapel that night, so it's more adult-like questions.” His son was also shaken up. “When I drove them home on July 5th, it was pouring rain, and [Harvey] said to me from the backseat, 'Dad, just make it stop raining.' Oh, you just cry your eyes out. I just said, 'I'm going to drive you home safe. I can't make it stop raining, buddy, but I'm going to get you home safe.' So as an immature 12-year-old boy and a mature 15-year-old girl, they're handling it differently as you would expect, but every day is better. The funerals are brutal, but they do provide some closure. And as a community, we are getting through it. “They're just kids. And they saw life-and-death situations that no one should ever have to see, let alone children.” On the same day as the floods, Cy Fair worked four furlongs on the turf training track at Saratoga in :50.92. Weaver had put the finishing touches on the filly and had her ready to go for her debut. The hope was that she could live up to expectations when Swinback paid $185,000 for her at this year's OBS April sale. There's nothing that can cure the hurt and devastation felt by the Swinback family. Then again, never underestimate the power of a racehorse to brighten someone's day. Swinback doesn't claim to be an expert when it comes to pedigree and conformations, so he relies on others, including Jake Ballis, to pick out his horses. “So, I've known Jake since we were 10 years old, and I've kind of followed along with what Jake and his wife Maddie dictate,” Swinback said. “They say we should buy the horse, we buy it. I don't provide that much input, other than if the price gets too high.” The name comes from the community where the Swinbacks live. “Cy Fair is short for Cypress Fairbanks, which is a part a Houston where I'm from,” Swinback said. “And my mom is from Cypress Fairbanks, and all her family is from Cypress Fairbanks. The local high school is called Cy Fair. My mom went to Cy Fair.” So, six days after the flood, Cy Fair comes out and runs like a future star. That didn't heal all the pain, but it helped the Swinback family forget their problems, even if it was for a short while. “We really needed a smile, and horse racing is a tough game,” Swinback said. “I've been in it for five years now, and I know how tough it is. But the highs of horse racing are very, very high. And when that horse broke and got to the front and went on to win, my family smiled for a couple hours. We high-fived and we hugged and we talked to George Weaver. I had 85 texts and tweets. There was some hugging and crying and some happy tears after a week of sad tears.” Swinback is confident Cy Fair will bring many more joyous moments to his family. “Yeah, we're very excited about her,” he said. “I mean, she came out with an 80 Beyer speed figure. Her Ragozin and Thoro-Graph numbers were also very impressive. It's hard to win by 3 1/4 lengths in a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint. And she did, so we are so excited. Her pedigree is great. And so far as George Weaver goes, we trust he's very, very good with turf horses, especially young ones. We just can't wait to see what we can accomplish with her.” But even if Cy Fair does not turn out to be a star, the filly will have already done enough. To a family that needed it badly, Cy Fair sprinkled some happiness into their lives. The post In the Aftermath of a Tragedy, a ‘TDN Rising Star’ Comforts a Family appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

GoffsGo, the new online sales platform from Goffs, went live on Monday with four horses on the market and selling, including Noel Meade's two-year-old winner Check This Out. Bidding on the son of Ten Sovereigns is already up to £130,000 ahead of its close at 2pm on Friday. On Tuesday, the nine-year-old mare Ceistiu (Vocalised) will be added to the platform, having recently made headlines as the dam of the Royal Ascot winner Merchant (Teofilo), who holds an entry in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes after his success in the King George V Stakes when last seen. Bidding will open at 12pm on Thursday and close at 3pm on Friday. Entries are always open, 365 days of the year, with Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby hailing Monday's launch as “a new dawn for the online sale of thoroughbreds as GoffsGo offers a vibrant, always on alternative to the traditional marketplace”. He continued, “Unique to GoffsGo is our tailoring of buyers' preferences so you get what you want rather than an endless stream of generalised information. The GoffsGo platform is customer led, offering the lowest selling costs whilst availing of the unique Goffs service and global reach.” The latest entries on the GoffsGo platform are available to view here. The post First Horses Live on GoffsGo, with Dam of Royal Ascot Winner to Follow appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Racetrack Chaplain Jay Hurley, who is pastor at the Samaria Baptist Church in Providence Forge, Virginia, recently began his seventh season ministering at Colonial Downs. Hurley's Samaria Church congregration recently purchased enough personal items to fill 100 hygiene bags which were distributed to members of the Colonial Downs backstretch community during a July 11 welcome back luncheon hosted by the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association. “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Samaria Baptist Church congregation for their generous donation,” said VAHBPA Field Director Aidan Turnage-Barney. “Their kindness and compassion meant so much to our community of grooms, hotwalkers, exercise riders and support staff.” The post Track Chaplain Organizes Backstretch Giveaway at Colonial Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Last week in this new series, we put the spotlight on some of the trends–or lack thereof–among the mares that make up the Grade I-producing ranks of 2025 and spent time with multiple Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner)'s dam, Luna Rosa (Malibu Moon). We asked her connections about her story and the thoughts behind her matings. This week, we do the same with the dams of two Grade I-winning 3-year-olds of 2025: GI Curlin Florida Derby star Tappan Street (Into Mischief) and GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner Burnham Square (Liam's Map). Virginia Key, dam of Tappan Street Just one horse has beaten GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) this year: another son of Into Mischief known as Tappan Street. The WinStar Farm LLC, CHC, Inc., and Cold Press Racing runner powered clear of Sovereignty in the Mar. 29 Florida Derby and would undoubtedly have been one of the favorites on the first Saturday in May. In his final workout, one week prior to the big event, Tappan Street suffered a condylar fracture to his right front, had surgery a day later, and is now slated to return to trainer Brad Cox in the fall. Naturally, with Sovereignty unbeaten on the biggest possible stage since Tappan Street defeated him, that begs the question of just how good Tappan Street might be. “It just makes you wonder what could have been,” said Adam Corndorf, whose Blue Heaven Farm bred Tappan Street, “but you just have to keep trying. It's funny, when you meet someone not in the horse business, the first question they always ask is, 'Have you had a horse in the Derby?' And they don't realize just how difficult that is. We were six days away from being able to say yes! Now we still have to say no, but we did have one that was good enough.” With good humor and an infectious laugh, Corndorf adds, “No one wants to hear your sob story.” Virginia Key at Blue Heaven | Sarah Andrew He emphasizes how one good horse can make all the difference to an operation. “For the size of our operation, potentially having a horse that we had raised in the Derby wasn't even a once-in-a-lifetime situation, but a once-in-10-lifetimes situation. To have gotten that close and then to have it taken away was devastating and heartbreaking and every word you can use, but we feel grateful for what he did and what he hopefully still can do.” Corndorf owns Blue Heaven near Versailles, Kentucky with his mother, Dr. Bonnie Baskin. After several years in partnership with her own father, Baskin founded Blue Heaven, first boarding at Taylor Made, and finally purchasing the approximately 200 acres that make up the family farm in 2010. Ten years later, Corndorf bought in after managing it for the first decade. They've had uncommon success with small numbers. “We only have 13 or 14 mares and 8 or 10 foals a year, so our numbers are not significant compared to some of the larger operations,” said Corndorf. “Anytime that we have a Grade I winner or a stakes winner or even a maiden special winner at a nice track, it's a big deal. The percentages are not in our favor, so I think we've done really well and are fortunate to have a great team and a great group of mares.” In addition to breeding Tappan Street, whom they sold at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale for $1 million, they've also bred GISW Grace Adler (Curlin), a fistful of seven-figure yearlings, and an outsized percentage of stakes winners. What is their secret? “I wish I could say we've had all of these great sales and racing successes with lesser-known stallions, but when I think back, the best horses that we've sold and had on the track are almost all invariably by Into Mischief, Curlin, Uncle Mo, and Tapit,” said Corndorf. “It seems the best way to be a success is to spend money on really good stallions. It's not a coincidence that those horses are who they are.” Our Khrysty, Tappan Street's granddam and the dam of Monday's newest 'TDN Rising Star' Glory Me | Sarah Andrew Even the top stallions can't hit with every runner. Corndorf explains Blue Heaven's strategy. “We don't have a huge number of mares; with the resources that we have, we would rather be at the highest level that we can with a smaller number. Historically the data for us shows that we do better with the higher-end stuff, so I'd rather have five yearlings by the top stallions than 15 by a more modest group. On occasion there will be a stallion that's a little bit less expensive that will have a $700,000 yearling, but the chance of you having that one yearling is not great. Into Mischief will have 20 at that level. You might not have one of those 20, but you give yourself a better chance.” Corndorf said being so hands-on with the horses also helps, as does having such a small number because he and his team know each mare and their offspring so intimately. “We really get to know not just the families, but also the individuals. We get to know their quirks and know what has worked before. If you see a mare's foals tend to be on the smaller side, you can seek out stallions that give you a better chance to enhance the good and not double up on the bad. Obviously, all the larger operations do a great job, but for us being able to see these horses every single day and put our hands on them helps.” Adam Corndorf with Virginia Key, left, and Our Khrysty | Sarah Andrew Tappan Street stood out from the start, said Corndorf. “He was just sort of an obvious horse. Sometimes some of them need time to get coordinated and figure themselves out, but he was always a big strapping dude from the beginning. He was just a very strong, substantial, powerful horse, just really straightforward, and he loved to work.” Normally Blue Heaven does their own prep for yearlings, but when Tappan Street was a yearling, a barn on the farm needed some maintenance, so some of the colts that year went to Archie St George for a few months. Tappan Street was one of them. “Archie would always say, 'You can't get to the bottom of this horse,'” said Corndorf. “We'd work him twice a day at times just because he needed it for his energy level. He seemed like a racehorse through and through.” Blue Heaven bred not only Tappan Street, but also his dam, Virginia Key (Distorted Humor). They bought her dam, GSW Our Khrysty (Newfoundland), in 2011 at Fasig-Tipton's November sale for $600,000. “For us, she was expensive,” said Corndorf, “and when you spend that much money on a mare, you have high hopes, but to say that she's exceeded those would be an understatement. Her production both at the racetrack and at the sales has been out of this world and then the really exciting part is that her daughters are producing.” Corndorf said when there's a budget involved in buying horses, something has to give. With Our Khrysty, it was her page. “In the price range that we historically operate in, we can't afford all three main criteria: good looking, good racehorse, good family. To get all three, it usually costs in the seven figures, which is a little bit out of our price range, so we've always had success focusing on race record and looks. Our Khrysty was a stakes winner at two and eventually a graded stakes horse in New York as a 4-year-old going two turns. She was a big, strong, scopey, pretty mare, and she had all the things we were looking for physically. “The family was a little bit on the lighter side, but she checked a lot of the boxes for us and then the one thing that was light has ended up filling out. It's just been an amazing family, taking us to incredible highs. It's a cliche, but we wish we could have a barn full of Our Khrystys because we'd be sitting pretty.” In addition to producing Grace Adler and Virginia Key, Our Khrysty is also the dam of GSW & MGISP Pyrenees (Into Mischief) and the 2-year-old Gun Runner filly named Glory Me, who sold at last year's Keeneland September sale for $975,000 to Lael Stable and debuted Monday to 'TDN Rising Star' honors on unveiling at Ellis Park. Our Khrysty didn't produce a foal the last two years, but is in foal to Constitution for next term. “She's 19, so it's a blessing anytime she's in foal. We're hoping we can have a few more foals out of her and give her an extremely long and happy retirement here on the farm, where we can pamper her for the rest of her life.” Virginia Key, dam of Tappan Street | Sarah Andrew As for Tappan Street's dam, Virginia Key is 10 this year. Blue Heaven sold her 2-year-old colt by Curlin, since named Weekend Glory, at Keeneland September last year for $1.4 million to Bradley Thoroughbreds. Corndorf said he's with Chad Brown. Virginia Key's yearling filly is by Quality Road and Blue Heaven will not offer her for sale. “We're at the point that it's going to take a lot to pry fillies out of this family away from us because we can't afford to buy ones like that,” said Corndorf. Virginia Key didn't produce a foal this year, but is carrying to Gun Runner for 2026. Blue Heaven retained another Our Khrysty daughter, a 4-year-old named Prestwick (Uncle Mo), who is in foal to Maxfield for next spring. “Knock on wood, if things go well, we'll have three out of that family born next year,” said Corndorf. “It's been a really good family for us, so we're just going to lean into it as much as we can for as long as we can. This game is gutters and strikes, highs and lows. When it's good, you got to really try and enjoy it.” With two of her first three foals bringing seven figures and a Grade I winner among her first two starters, what is it that's made Virginia Key such a top broodmare at this stage? Corndorf doesn't hesitate. “Distorted Humor is part of it. It just seems like you can't go wrong with him and now as a broodmare sire he's just been incredible. “Also, there's so many similarities between Virginia Key and Our Khrysty, not just physically, but also temperament, energy level, enthusiasm, and zest for living. You see it flow through to the foals. One of the first things all of the trainers who have their offspring say is that they're high-energy, happy, lively horses; there's no concern about enthusiasm for training. “We've bred both mares to a bunch of different stallions and it's worked out pretty well every time, so I think they pass along size, strength, bone. They're all correct, high energy, smart, and strong willed, but able to channel that for good. They advocate for themselves. They're just classy. We haven't had a bad foal out of either of them.” Linda, dam of Burnham Square While Tappan Street is the only horse to have beaten Sovereignty this year, there's also only one horse who has beaten Tappan Street. Burnham Square won the GIII Holy Bull Stakes over Tappan Street, lost to Sovereignty in the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes, then came back to win the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. Linda, dam of Burnham Square | Sarah Andrew Burnham Square races as a third-generation homebred for Whitham Thoroughbreds, but more than 10 months before he debuted, the family operation sold his dam, Linda (Scat Daddy), at the 2024 Keeneland January sale. Springwood Farm jumped on the opportunity, plucking the gray out of the Denali Stud consignment for $55,000. Kim Nardelli, who operates Springwood with her brother, Rodney, explained why they had their eye on the mare. “We first bought into this family of Mrs. Whitham's in 1996. It was a 2-year-old Storm Bird filly named Listen Now out of the Secretariat mare Listen Well, who is the grandmother of much of the Whitham stuff. We were able to get Listen Now as a 2-year-old because she was too crooked to train, so we were able to buy her as a broodmare. “I don't think they even broke her, but she did well for us. We raised lots of nice horses out of her. [2017 GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes winner] La Coronel was a granddaughter of that mare and La Coronel's dam was the first Grade I-producing mare that we owned out of that family. We've still got two daughters and a niece, a couple of granddaughters.” Linda's dam, the GSW & GISP Beautiful Noise (Sunny's Halo), was a half-sister to Listen Now. Linda and her Life Is Good filly at Springwood | Sarah Andrew “We love the family,” continued Nardelli, “so we try to buy it whenever we can find it. When Linda came up, she was sold in foal to Oscar Performance and it was before he was really, really hot. Burnham Square hadn't hit yet, so we grabbed her. We were grabbing her anyway because of her family. We keep as much of it as we can.” Linda won the GII Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill in 2015. She produced five foals for the Whithams before the Nardellis acquired her. “I've never met Mrs. Whitham, but I'd love to,” said Nardelli. “I'd like to thank her for the farm. Her good breeding has kept us going.” Nardelli is modest to a fault, as it's not just with Whitham bloodlines that Springwood has found success. The brother-sister team has about 25 mares on their property near Midway, Kentucky and has bred and/or sold plenty of good horses. One of them was the $3.4-million Not This Time sales topper at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Another was 2010 GI Humana Distaff Stakes winner Mona de Momma (Speightstown), the dam of MGISW and current leading second-crop sire Vekoma. Yet another is GSP and 'TDN Rising Star' Coach Prime (Quality Road), who hammered for $1.7 million at Keeneland September in 2022. “We sell only our own and our partners' horses,” said Nardelli. “When you have a horse do well, whether on the track or in the ring, that's what it's all about. That's what we're doing, or trying to do.” Linda produced an Oscar Performance colt last year and a Life Is Good filly this year. The yearling is entered in Keeneland September and the foal will take the same route. The mare is now in foal to Gun Runner. “Her Oscar Performance is a lovely colt, a really nice colt, so we're lucky. We didn't know what Linda was going to throw because she's not overly big, but the family kind of speaks for itself,” said Nardelli. “There's not much we can add to it that's not already in black and white. It's just been lucky for us.” Linda at Springwood near Midway | Sarah Andrew Nardelli said the current foal is something of a spitfire. Burnham Square himself reportedly can owe his gelding to a tough disposition. “You've got to wonder,” said Nardelli with a laugh. “This is just Linda's second foal for us, but I would say a little fire and attitude might be something she's passing on. We knew something was up when we saw Burnham Square was gelded. When we bought Linda, we kept waiting to see if she was wicked or something. The [Life Is Good] filly has got a touch of attitude to her. She's pretty strong minded, so we're thinking, 'Yep, this is why your brother got gelded. I see it. I can tell you're a little tough.' “The mare hasn't shown any attitude to us yet, except the first time we went to suture her. She wasn't very polite then, but you can't blame her for that. Other than that, she's been very much a lady, but we don't ask a lot of her.” Burnham Square ran in the Derby for the Whithams and trainer Ian Wilkes, finishing a troubled sixth, then returned to serve as runner-up to GISW and 'TDN Rising Star' East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GIII Matt Winn Stakes. “We had nothing to do with the breeding of Burnham Square, but we're very happy to own his mama,” said Nardelli. “You never know where a good one is going to come from. “Linda is always muddy and a flea-bitten gray mare,” added Nardelli. “She just loves to wallow in the mud, but in her own unique way, she is a pretty mare. She actually is beautifully balanced. We went to Gun Runner this year because we're trying to get her up to the upper end.” Up next, we'll check in with the dams behind a few homebreds of 2025: GI Fasig-Tipton La Troienne Stakes winner Raging Sea and GI Maker's Mark Mile Stakes winner Carl Spackler (Ire). The post The Producers: Part 2, Street Appeal and Square Deals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saratoga Race Course will host Wish Wednesday this week, with more than 50 Make-A-Wish Vermont & Northeast New York Wish Family members visiting the track for a special day offering a new experience through the excitement of world-class thoroughbred racing. The group of Wish Kids and their families will participate in a variety of activities, culminating in a named race and trophy presentation in the winner's circle. “We are honored to support Make-A-Wish Vermont and Northeast New York and play a small part in the magic they create for children like Kailey,” said Robert Hines, NYRA Community Affairs Manager. “Horse racing is deeply rooted in community and Wish Wednesday is a powerful reminder of how sport and service can make a meaningful impact.” The post NYRA to Host Wish Wednesday at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

She was the seventh highest-priced Gun Runner at Keeneland September last year, and Glory Me more than justified that price tag here as she effortlessly cruised home to 'TDN Rising Star' honors on unveiling at Ellis Park. Giving the gate crew trouble before the race but eventually convinced to load, she was content to watch the race unfold from the back until midway on the turn when she launched an eye-catching rally to inhale her inside competition of her own volition. Striking the front with little urging from Brian Hernandez Jr., she left them all in her wake to win with air to spare. Kenz (McKinzie) was a clear second best. Glory Me is a half-sister to GISW Grace Adler (Curlin) and MGISP Pyrenees (Into Mischief). Sales history: $975,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. O-Lael Stable; B-Blue Heaven Farm (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. Glory Me ($7.68) looked the part and was much the best on debut for trainer @reredevaux n R2 @EllisParkRacing! The 2-year-old filly by @Three_Chimneys Stallion Gun Runner was ridden to victory by jockey @b_hernandezjr.#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/yi3w1UYmnM — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 14, 2025 The post Gun Runner’s Glory Me Coasts Home to ‘Rising Star’ Honors at Ellis Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland announced July 14 that Dean Dorton, a nationally recognized advisory firm that began in Lexington and has headquarters here, is the new sponsor of the $250,000 Myrtlewood Stakes.View the full article

Calumet Farm's Lexitonian was represented by his first winner when Ritzaphena dug in and battled for victory on closing day at Lone Star Park July 13.View the full article

Aidan O'Brien trainee Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel), a G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes entry and son of dual Grade I winner Newspaperofrecord, went into every notebook when encountering the TDN Rising Star display of Dorset (Wootton Bassett) at the Curragh last month and duly delivered a breakthrough success in Monday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Killarney. The 2-5 favourite, stepping up from seven furlongs to a mile for this return, broke on the lead and remained there throughout. Setting a modest pace through halfway, he was allowed an inch of rein with a quarter-mile remaining and stayed on relentlessly in the latter stages to easily outpoint stablemate Endorsement (Wootton Bassett) by 2 3/4 lengths. Frankel x Newspaperofrecord Benvenuto Cellini looks a nice one for Ballydoyle and lands the July Festival opener under @waynemlordan at @KillarneyRaces pic.twitter.com/Ol28sqwg0w — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 14, 2025 Benvenuto Cellini is the second foal and scorer out of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and GI Just A Game Stakes heroine Newspaperoftherecord (Lope De Vega), whose Group 3-winning dam Sunday Times (Holy Roman Emperor) ran second in the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes. Sunday Times, who is also the dam of Listed Cecil Frail Stakes winner Classical Times (Lawman {Fr}), is kin to Listed Bosra Sham Fillies' Stakes runner-up Question Times (Shamardal), herself the dam of three black-type winners headed by G1 Irish Derby hero Latrobe (Camelot) and multiple Group 1-placed Listed Salsabil Stakes victrix Pink Dogwood (Camelot). The April-foaled chestnut's third dam Forever Times (So Factual) is a half-sister to multiple Group-winning dual G1 Prix de la Foret runner-up Welsh Emperor (Emperor Jones), the stakes-winning Majestic Times (Bluebird) and the Group 3-placed Brave Prospector (Oasis Dream). Benvenuto Cellini is a full-brother to Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial victrix and G1 Oaks fifth Giselle and a yearling filly. He is also kin to a weanling colt by Justify. The post Frankel’s National Stakes Entry Benvenuto Cellini Impresses With Killarney Breakthrough appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) is inviting applications for non-fixture related grants for the period January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026. The application window opens on July 14 and closes on August 22. Applications are welcomed for projects and activities that support HBLB's Statutory Objectives and the 13 Racing Outcomes as set out in HBLB's Business Plan. This process excludes race fixture-related items such as prize-money and raceday service grants or items falling within HBLB's veterinary science and education budget. Grant applications must be made online using the HBLB Funding Gateway. The Funding Gateway can be accessed via this link. The post HBLB Opens Application Round for 2026 Non-Fixture Related Grants appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A good ranch horse was worth its weight in gold. They needed to be able to withstand long hours navigating rocky, unforgiving terrain beneath the blazing Arizona sun. With six to eight cowboys riding out daily at H and E Ranch, there never seemed to be enough horses to meet demand. So Elena Crim set out to breed her own stock. She focused on producing sound, sturdy Quarter Horses that could not only tolerate the harsh conditions, but thrive in them. As it turned out, Crim's lifelong passion for horses made her a shrewd and instinctive breeder. When her ranch horse program began to flourish, she set her sights on breeding Thoroughbreds. Over the past 30 years, Crim has found that the same traits that made her ranch horses durable and dependable also shape winning racehorses. GI Jaipur Stakes victress Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy) and multiple graded stakes winner Desert Dawn (Cupid), both bred by H and E Ranch, demonstrate how those foundation principles translate seamlessly onto the racetrack. Growing up on a farm in northern Wisconsin, Crim's early memories are of following her father around the barn. Her family was involved in Standardbreds and their top earner, The Harvester, was a famous trotter from just after the turn of the 20th century whose legacy inspired the naming of a modern cigar. “Horses became my passion when I was a little kid,” Crim recalled. “It was my father's passion and we were with him all the time, so it just came naturally. We rode pretty much every day and then later we got into showing horses.” When she was 16, she met her husband Hollis Crim. He was, as Crim describes, a handsome cowboy who loved horses as much as she did. After he returned from serving in Vietnam for three years, the two married and went to work on a cattle ranch in Florida. Crim was initially optimistic about their new adventure, but then after only a week there, an alligator ate her dog and she was eager to relocate to somewhere with fewer reptilian hazards. Desert Dawn as a yearling at H and E Ranch | Lea Sage Watson The Crims moved to Globe, Arizona–a small town about 100 miles southeast of Phoenix. They leased government land, paying grazing fees for the open range based on the number of cow-calf pairs they ran, and used their first initials to name their operation H and E Ranch. “I rode with the cowboys there for 10 years,” recalled Crim. “It was a lot of fun, just like in a John Wayne movie. It sounds staggering, but our ranch covered about 300,000 acres. We're talking about a lot of mountains and very rugged land.” From riding show jumpers as a teenager to working cattle through the arid desert, and then delivering foals when she launched the ranch's breeding operation, Crim's horsemanship evolved with every new chapter. It was Crim's longtime friend Mary Jane Hunt, a breeder in Ocala, who encouraged the Crims to make the shift from Quarter Horses to Thoroughbreds. Early into their commercial breeding venture, they traveled to Florida and, with Hunt's help, purchased the winning young mare Ashley Secret (Dr. Carter) in 1996. The broodmare quickly proved to be a lucrative buy, producing Resolve (Future Storm), who claimed three stakes including the 2001 Arizona Breeders' Derby, and Grimm (Hansel), a seven-time stakes winner at Turf Paradise. The Crims sold most of their stock, but they kept a daughter of Ashley Secret who RNA'd as a yearling in 2005. Ashley's Glory (Honour and Glory) won five times over three years before retiring to the ranch in Arizona where she was once foaled. The homebred had little success as a broodmare until late in her career, when she produced a leggy Cupid filly in 2019. By then, Hollis's health had started to decline and the Crims' daughter Hollie joined them in managing some of the daily workings of the farm. Hollie was the one who foaled out Desert Dawn. “She was unusually tall and very lanky,” Crim explained. “We ran her through OBS as a weanling, but bought her back for $32,000. At the time I thought that just didn't seem fair, so we decided to run her ourselves and she turned out to be a real jewel.” Trained by Phil d'Amato, Desert Dawn became H and E Ranch's first graded stakes winner when she claimed the 2022 GI Santa Anita Oaks. The homebred placed third in her next start in the GI Kentucky Oaks and added 11 more graded placings over the next two seasons, including a win in last year's GIII La Canada Stakes. “She never took a lame step, which is amazing for how big she is,” said Crim. “She competed with some very tough fillies and we didn't miss a single one of her races. She's the dream of a lifetime.” The only shadow on an otherwise fairytale-like story was that Hollis never got to see the filly develop into a star. Crim's husband passed away when Desert Dawn was just a foal. Hollie, a lawyer by trade, joined her mother in running the family business following his passing. In some ways, the program's focus has shifted over the past few years. The cattle are gone and Crim now spends most of her time in Scottsdale, but the mother-daughter team are still intent on breeding high-quality animals. In addition to their Quarter Horses, H and E Ranch manages about 40 Thoroughbred broodmares. The majority of those are based in Kentucky, but they still foal out a few in Arizona every spring to support their home state's program. “These days I don't do as much with the foalings other than give instructions,” Crim said wryly. “At 73, I've had two hip replacements and my body has been tormented by these equines for years, so I try not to get into areas where I don't belong.” But Crim is still a horsewoman through and through. At her home in Scottsdale, Crim's barn is filled with a collection of the farm's retired ranch horses and Thoroughbreds, including Thegloryisallmine (Mineshaft), the half-brother to Desert Dawn who was stakes placed for H and E Ranch. A $30,000 weanling, Ag Bullet went on to bring $220,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Sale | Keeneland “It's a sickness,” she joked of her love for the animals. “It just follows you the rest of your life. I have 12 head here at my house. They're all retired, so they get a lot of attention and carrots twice a day and they're spoiled rotten.” In addition to caring for the farm's retirees, Crim enjoys working the sales and planning matings each year. She is partial to gray mares–she has 14 of them–but also stresses the importance of paying attention to how a horse moves. When Vekoma's first foals were hitting the ground, Crim was struck by their athleticism. She supported the Spendthrift sire in his second year and sold one of his yearlings for $350,000 in 2023, just as the eventual leading freshman stallion's first runners were making noise on the track. “Some horses have a presence to them,” she explained. “They're no different than people. Something just strikes your eye and you go,' Wow, they have presence.' That's the best way I can describe it. Movement is a big deal for me and obviously it is in the industry now too.” At the 2013 Keeneland January Sale, a maiden gray mare caught Crim's eye. The Audley Farm homebred had broken her maiden on debut by eight lengths on the turf. Crim purchased Noble Grey (Forestry) for $70,000. Initially, the mare went back home with Crim to Arizona, but she proved to be such a handful that Crim sent her back to Kentucky. What Noble Grey lacks in decorum, she makes up for in genetic capability. Her first nine foals have all been winners, including turf standout Ag Bullet. H and E Ranch sold the daughter of Twirling Candy for $30,000 as a weanling at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale and the filly returned to the same sales ring the following September, fetching $220,000. Campaigned by Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran, Ag Bullet emerged as a stakes winner at three in 2023. After moving to trainer Richard Baltas the following year, she claimed the GIII Monrovia Stakes and GII Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs before finishing a hard-fought third in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. After a troubled trip in the GIII Unbridled Sidney Stakes on Kentucky Derby weekend this year, Ag Bullet bounced back with a definitive win over males in the GI Jaipur Stakes, punching her ticket back to the Breeders' Cup. The victory marked Ag Bullet's first Grade I score, as well as H and E Ranch's first as breeders. Army Mule filly. " width="1155" height="840" /> Noble Grey and her 2025 Army Mule filly | Elena Crim Crim is certain that successes like this recent win could not have happened without the help she has received along the way. Early on, she was introduced to Callan Strouss at Lane's End and Frankie O'Connor at Kildare Stud. Today, most of her mares are in the care of those same two horsemen. “I'm very fortunate to have people around me that know what they're doing,” she said. “Lane's End and Frankie run exceptional operations and they have taught me so much. We try to have quality horses and associate ourselves with quality people, because without them, we couldn't do what we do.” While Crim still sells the majority of her stock, a few young homebreds may have a permanent place in her program. This year, Noble Grey foaled a striking Army Mule filly who is a half-sister to Ag Bullet. H and E Ranch also has Desert Dawn's 2-year-old full-sister in training with d'Amato who is expected to debut at Del Mar in the coming months. And Desert Dawn herself is at Kildare Stud carrying her first foal by Nyquist. With their continued success on the racetrack, H and E Ranch is building a reputation in the sales ring. They have four yearlings pointing to this year's Keeneland September Sale, including two colts by the in-demand young sire Maxfield and an Omaha Beach colt out Sanity (City Zip), a half-sister to Ag Bullet. For Crim, horse sense has always come naturally. What has carried the program forward, however, is the combination of a horsewoman's intuition with hard-earned knowledge and wholehearted dedication. “We were so naive in those early years,” she reflected. “I mean, what did I know? Absolutely nothing. That was a long time ago and we've come a long way. I've made every mistake you can make and I try not to make the same mistake a second time. It's amazing when you think back on it now. I've been very fortunate.” The post Keeneland Breeder Spotlight: From Desert Dust, a New Dawn at H & E Ranch appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lone Star Park wrapped up its 29th Spring Thoroughbred Racing season Sunday, July 13, handling a daily average of $247,453 in Live On-Track handle and a daily average of $162,976 in export handle over the 41-day meet, which were both increases over 2024 figures by 2% and 5% respectively. Attendance for the meet increased 7% over 2024. Jockey Ramon Vazquez ended the meet with 55 wins, taking the leading jockey title for the second time after having won the 2020 title with 58 races. Among his biggest wins, the veteran won this year's GIII Steve Sexton Mile aboard Komorebino Omoide (Jpn). The meet ended with End Zone Athletics being named leading owner for the fifth consecutive year at Lone Star Park. Garnering 22 wins, End Zone Athletics collected its ninth time that End Zone Athletics has been the leading owner, surpassing Tom Durant's eight titles. The title for leading trainer went down to the wire and it was Lone Star Park's all-time leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, who edged Abel Ramirez-Rodriguez with 33 wins. Asmussen clinched the training title after MSW Noem Beach, with Erik Asmussen aboard, won Sunday's seventh race. This is the 18th time that Asmussen has been honored as the meet's leading trainer. Among this season's highlights, Lone Star's Million Day on Memorial Day generated the highest on-track handle of the meet with $788,805 wagered from 5,521 fans on a rainy day. The day that generated the highest export handle was the June 28 Summer Turf Festival card, generating $343,964 off track. The July 4 Lone Stars & Stripes Fireworks Festival drew a season topping 11,913 fans to the Grand Prairie oval. The post Lone Star Park Concludes with On-Track Handle, Daily Average Up appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

HOKKAIDO, Japan — “I expected it would be lively,” said Katsumi Yoshida, in what may have been the understatement of the day at the conclusion of the yearling section of the JRHA Select Sale. Even by its own lofty standards, Japan's premier sale of bloodstock managed to raise the bar higher still, with only two of the 227 yearlings to pass through the ring on Monday failing to find a buyer. A 99 per cent clearance rate would be the envy of any sales house, and with the turnover of ¥15,546,000,000 ($105.6m/€90.2m) climbing by 7.2 per cent and the ¥69,090,000 ($469,259/€401,205) average by 6.7 per cent, the JRHA once again ventured into record territory. A director of the sale company and principal of Japan's largest breeding operation, Yoshida said, “The market was very strong even from the first lot. We had more than 200 groups inspecting horses only yesterday, so I expected it would be lively. There were 60 to 70 new buyers from last year, so the turnover has risen, like every year.” He continued, “Overall the quality of the catalogue is improving and the reason for that is we have invested a lot of money in buying some of the top broodmares from all over the world. Also, the conformation of the horses was outstanding, and the way the breeders care for horses in Japan is very good, and that's another reason the sale has improved.” Looking ahead to the session of 250 foals to sell on Tuesday, Yoshida added, “[First-crop sires] Equinox and Titleholder have very good foals tomorrow so I hope the momentum will continue.” Accounting for roughly 40 per cent of the first session of yearlings catalogued, Yoshida's Northern Farm draft dominated proceedings, often in tandem with one of the country's most popular stallions, Kitasan Black. The son of Black Tide was responsible for the day's top two lots, with the colt out of the four-time Australian Group 1 winner Mosheen (Fastnet Rock) leading the day's trade when selling to new entity Nebraska Racing for ¥420m ($2.85m/€2.43m). The winner of the VRC Oaks among her top-level victories, Mosheen is now the dam of four winners, including the treble Grade 2 winner Primo Scene (Deep Impact). Makoto Kaneko, best known in the racing world as the owner of Deep Impact, signed for the second-top lot (86) among six yearlings bought on the day. The Kitasan Black colt out of the G1 Victoria Mile winner Normcore (Harbinger), herself a half-sister to Arima Kinen hero Chrono Genesis (Bago), brought the hammer down at ¥410m ($2.78m/€2.38m), and Kaneko bought another by the same sire (lot 54), Shadai Farm's half-sister to the dual Classic victrix Stars On Earth (Duramente) for ¥270m ($1.83m/€1.57m). Makoto Kaneko at the opening ceremony | JRHA Back to Black A terrific racehorse himself, Kitasan Black's star as a sire has continued to rise since Equinox emanated from his first crop to become the highest-rated horse in the world in 2023. It has been boosted further still thanks to this year's Japanese Derby winner Croix Du Nord, and potential owners now seemingly can't get enough of him. Along with the aforementioned top two, the Kitasan Black colt out of Argentinean Grade 1 winner Conviction (lot 23) rang the bell when selling from Northern Farm to Masahiro Noda of Danox Co Ltd for ¥300m ($2m), while Lake Villa Farm's daughter of the GI EP Taylor Stakes winner Etoile (Siyouni) was one of the most expensive fillies of the day at ¥165m ($1.1m/€957,990), bought by Tatsuya Aakimoto. In total, all 11 of Kitasan Black's yearlings were sold for an average price of ¥225,454,545 ($1.5m/€1.3m). Photo Opportunity for Resolute Two days after celebrating the Grade I success of Excellent Truth (Cotai Glory) in the Diana Stakes at Saratoga, John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock made its first strike at the JRHA Select Sale and he too was lured by a Kitasan Black yearling whose page boasted plenty of bold black type from around the world. Lot 69 is out of Photo Call (Galileo) and, bought by Stewart for ¥170m ($1.14m/€987,020), her dam is a half-sister to Land Force from the Cassandra Go dynasty which includes Auguste Rodin and Victoria Road, by Deep Impact and his son Saxon Warrior respectively. Stewart said that he had also been underbidder on lot 36, Lake Villa Farm's Contrail colt, and that his purchase was “all about the dam's pedigree for us.” He said, “I see this sale as an opportunity to bring some of the bloodlines back to the US that have been exported. We have a few Galileo mares and Photo Call had a nice career here in the States. Kitasan Black is really doing well and we like this as a pedigree for future breeding.” Photo Call, bred by the late Evie Stockwell, raced initially in Ireland before being sold to Vinnie Viola for $3,000,000 at Keenelend's November Sale. Four years later she returned to the sales, this time to Fasig-Tipton, where Katsumi Yoshida gave $2,700,000 for the dual Grade I winner. Stewart noted that her daughter will also be exported to America for her racing career. He continued, “I think our participation in this sale is a testament to the wonderful job the Japanese have done importing many top mares and stallions to their country from around the world. We appreciate the JRA and Northern Farm for breeding such a nice selection of quality horses.” Stewart added, “We will be active tomorrow with some foals that we have our eyes on.” Stewart appeared to be the lone foreign buyer at the sale so far. Those in attendance from overseas included Kenny McPeek, with his wife Sherry and daughter Annie, David Redvers, Hannah Wall, Arthur Hoyeau, Will Johnson, Annabel Archibald and Ciaron Maher, but the strength of the domestic market is such that it can be difficult for foreign buyers to land a blow. Sister Act Hard to Follow Saturnalia, who stands alongside both his sire Lord Kanaloa and half-brother Epiphaneia at Shadai Stallion Station, featured as the sire of lot 90, the half-brother to ill-fated Fillies' Triple Crown winner Liberty Island (Duramente). The colt out of the dual Group 1 winner Yankee Rose (All American) was another sold from the 90-strong Northern Farm draft and will race under the 'Danon' banner for owner Masahiro Noda, who went to ¥310m ($2.1m/€1.8m) to secure him. Lot 64, another of the Saturnalia yearlings, was one of the leading ladies of the day and brought a winning bid of ¥240m ($1.62m/€1.34m) from TM Group. Out of the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington), she is a half-sister to the young Shadai stallion Grenadier Guards (Frankel), who has four of his first-crop foals in the sale on Tuesday, and to the dual Grade 2 winner Queen's Walk (Kizuna). Forever Again There really could be only one trainer for lot 77, the half-brother to Saudi Cup winner Forever Young (Real Steel), who has been such a globetrotting star for Yoshito Yahagi in recent seasons. Third in a closely fought Kentucky Derby, Forever Young has also won the G1 Tokyo Daishoten at home, as well as finishing third in both the Dubai World Cup and Breeders' Cup Classic. A graduate of this sale himself, he has now earned more than €14m on the track, and hopes are high that his yearling brother by the Japanese Derby winner Rey De Oro can be a similarly tough and talented campaigner. Confirming that he would train the colt after he was bought by digital advertising entrepreneur Susumu Fujita for ¥300m ($2.03m/€1.74m), Yahagi said, “This is very nice horse and I strongly recommended to Mr Fujita to buy this yearling. I have a feeling that he may act well on turf, but I would be very happy if he becomes another dirt champion.” Fujita was the biggest-spending buyer during the first day of the sale and picked up six yearlings for a total of Y1,180,000,000 ($8m/€6.8m). They included the first yearling by Breeders' Cup Classic winner Flightline to be sold at public auction anywhere in the world. Lot 16, a son of the Grade 2 winner Selflessly (More Than Ready), brought the hammer down at ¥190m ($1.29m/€1.1m). Flightline's three yearlings in the sale sold for an average of ¥158.3m ($1.07m/€919,758). Contrail Blazes On Japan's most recent Triple Crown winner Contrail was represented by his first winner on Sunday at Fukushima when Rouge Voyage broke her maiden over 1,800m, and the young stallion's stock has remained in demand ever since his first foals made their debut at the JRHA auction two years ago. The aforementioned Susumu Fujita, founder of the advertising company CyberAgent, went to ¥280m ($1.9m/€1.62m) for lot 57, a half-brother to the GI Coaching Club American Oaks winner Paris Lights (Curlin). Their dam, the Bobby Flay-bred Paris Bikini (Bernadini), was bought by Katsumi Yoshida at Fasig-Tipton in 2020 for $1.95m and has subsequently produced another black-type runner, American Bikini, by American Pharoah. It is a JRHA Sale tradition for the first and last lot of each session to be sold without reserve, but those bookenders are usually pretty choice lots, as was the case with the first lot through the ring on Monday. The son of Contrail is out of the Argentinean G1 Gran Premio Mil Guineas winner Mecha Corta (El Corredor) and was sold to Yohiro Kubota for ¥260m ($1.76m/€1.5m). Kubota's grandson Shunsuke said, “My grandfather was looking for a very nice Contrail and I visited the major consignors and thought that this was the best one in the catalogue. I saw him again this morning and was convinced that he was the best here by Contrail.” The Gilded Lilies There are a number of members of Haras de Tourgeville's Miller's Lily family in the catalogue, including lot 98, a grey colt by Kizuna out of the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Lily's Candle (Style Vendome). He was sold for ¥230m ($1.56m/€1.33m) to Kyojun Yonehara, and there is bound to be a similar level of interest in his younger half-brother by Kitasan Black, who features in Tuesday's foal session as lot 423. The American Post mare Liliside, who is a half-sister to the dam of Lily's Candle, is another from this prolific French family to have made her way east and her colt from the first crop of Efforia closed the yearling session in fine style when sold for ¥170m ($1.15m/€986,850) to West Hills. He is a half-brother to Lys Gracieux (Heart's Cry), who represented Katsumi Yoshida on the world stage when winning the G1 Cox Plate in Australia, while at home her three Grade 1 wins included the Arima Kinen. Lots to Note The Grade 1-winning miler Indy Champ (Stay Gold) has his first two-year-old runners this year and already has two winners on the board. This has not gone unnoticed by Yoshihisa Osaza, who bought lot 21, a colt from the family of the recently deceased Jukebox Jury, for ¥160m ($1.08m/€928,800). “I am now very keen to buy young horses by Indy Champ because his first crop have been running very well, and I thought this was the best one in the catalogue,” he said. “The dam is an older mare but is still producing very good winners so I hope she still has a chance to produce another. Indy Champ himself was a miler but I think this colt will have a chance of racing over a mile and a quarter.” The G1 Pennsylvania Derby winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up Hot Rod Charlie had seven yearlings catalogued on Monday, including lot 33, a son of the Shackleford mare Ice Pastel, who has already produced this year's G2 UAE Derby winner Admire Daytona (Drefong). The colt from the Northen Farm consignment was bought by TN Racing for ¥150m ($1.01m/€870,750). Thought for the Day: Transparency The term horsetrading was coined for a reason but while the inner machinations of the world of bloodstock auctions can be hard for newcomers to fathom, there is at least an array of information freely to hand at the JRHA. Unlike most other sales, the reserves of the lots, bar the first and last, as mentioned above, are freely available from the consignors so at least one knows the level of expectation from the vendor, even though the reserves are often easily exceeded. Along with those figures, the height, weight, girth, and cannon bone length of each yearling is published on the sale website, along with notes of any surgical or medical intervention. Nothing beats seeing a horse in the flesh but this extra information is a bonus for potential buyers. The post Yoshida Praises Fellow Breeders as ‘Lively’ Trade Sets New JRHA Records appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Tom Lacy, the renowned breeder of Persian Force who is famed for providing Pat Smullen with his start in racing during his time as a trainer, has died. He was 89. Lacy rode 50 winners as a jockey and found only Arkle and Flyingbolt too good aboard Height Of Fashion in two Irish Grand Nationals. As a trainer, he sent out hundreds of winners from his yard in Rhode, County Offaly, spearheaded by Ingabelle, who went on to become a hugely important foundation mare at Ballylinch Stud. But it was his role as a breeder where Lacy received so many accolades in recent years. Along with his son Barry, he bred Group 1 performer Persian Force (Mehmas) from €1,200 mare Vida Amorosa (Lope De Vega). Lacy's other son Tony is a familiar face on the international bloodstock circuit and holds the role of Vice President of Sales at Keeneland. Persian Force is not the only high-class runner that Lacy bred out of his bargain mare Vida Amorosa as Gubbass first put the pedigree in lights when landing the Super Sprint Stakes. It was off the back of Persian Force's achievements, which included victory in the July Stakes and multiple placed efforts at the highest level, that led to Lacy being crowned small breeder of the year at a memorable ITBA awards ceremony in February, 2023. Fittingly, it was John O'Connor who presented Lacy with that award, and the Ballylinch Stud boss recalled the genuine outpouring of emotion for the Offaly native on the night. Paying tribute to Lacy, O'Connor said, “That was a very nice moment for us. I have known Tom since I worked in Baroda Stud back in the eighties. Tom brought one of his best racemares, Bodelle, to Bob Back and bred a very fast filly called Caurselle. He and I stayed in contact after that and, when his very good filly, Ingabelle, came up for sale, we went down to meet him at his home in Rhode and we came to an agreement. Ingabelle was sold in foal to Bluebird and the filly she was carrying turned out to be Wild Bluebell, who was a very good filly as well. Tom kept some of the family and I suppose you could say we helped each other.” O'Connor added, “But he was just a very, very nice man to deal with and his family are all excellent horse people. The one thing about Tom's horses is that they always looked so well – be that when they went racing or at home on the farm. And the horses he trained, they were so versatile – they could win sprint races, hurdle races, you name it. He was an outstanding horseman. He was just a lovely man who knew his horses extremely well. It was just a coincidence that we were able to present him with his prize but it was very appropriate.” Barry and Tom Lacy | Emma Berry Lacy sat down with TDN Europe shortly after the ITBA Awards where he spoke of his genuine appreciation for being acknowledged by his peers. He also shared tales of driving hard bargains with Tally-Ho Stud boss Tony O'Callaghan, who now stands Persian Force, along with his sire Mehmas. More importantly, O'Callaghan has been a long-standing friend of Lacy's, and he paid a heartfelt tribute on Monday morning. He said, “I have known Tom Lacy for more years than I care to remember, and every one of those years revealed him as a true lover of life. Others are better placed to speak about his deep and unwavering love for his family, but it was through the other great constant in his life – horses – that our paths crossed. “Tom often regaled me with tales from his riding days with Height of Fashion, his training of Ingabelle, and most recently, his breeding of Persian Force. These three horses, each marking a different stage of his journey, reflected his lifelong passion for the game and this made him a joy to be around.” O'Callaghan added, “He was a tough negotiator – another of his constants – especially when it came to selling a horse. But that toughness came from a genuine love and respect for the animals. It's that same enthusiasm, that deep-rooted love for the horse, which I will remember most vividly – and which will always bring a smile to my face whenever I think of him.” The post ‘Outstanding Horseman’ And Breeder Of Persian Force Tom Lacy Dies Aged 89 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Matthew Poon Ming-fai “can’t wait” for Wednesday night as he bids to hold off Matthew Chadwick and Derek Leung Ka-chun and win his first Tony Cruz Award at Happy Valley’s season closer. The 31-year-old sits on the 36-win mark for the campaign, one clear of Chadwick and a further victory ahead of Leung in pursuit of his maiden local riders’ premiership. After he fired a blank at Sha Tin on Sunday and both his rivals took advantage and drew one win closer, Poon sits in a precarious position...View the full article

by Michael Guerin Gemma Thornley may find herself forced to make a tough decision if the second half of 2025 goes as well as she hopes. The 25-year-old was the punter’s princess at Addington on Sunday when she reined favourites Belmont Valor and Action Major to win consecutive races before her aunty Olivia Thornley won the very next race for an unusual family treble. It wasn’t Gemma’s first daily double and she even drove at treble at a deep south meeting a couple of years ago but she acknowledges the importance of taking control of a race when on the favourite. “I think it is important to prove to people you can do that, handle the pressure of being on favourites and getting them home,” she told HRNZ. “I might get some recognition for having the family name but on the whole I haven’t had big stable backing in my career so when you do get on favourites you want to show other trainers you aren’t easily intimidated.” The double takes Thornley to 88 career wins here, a number which would already be a lot higher had she not taken 10 months off last year to work at an equestrian stable in England. “I loved it and learning news things but I also missed the excitement of driving,” she explains. “So while it was a great experience I am loving being back and this season is going well.” The question is whether that might be too well as Gemma is already on 21 wins for 2025. “Ideally I’d like the opportunity to drive as a junior again next season seeing how I missed more or less a year last year. But if I get to 100 wins (career) by the end of the season I probably won’t get my junior licence back.” “So I might have some thinking to do if I get to like 98 or 99 wins a month out from the end of the season whether I am better off sitting a few meetings out to stay a junior and keep learning next season.” But Thornley, who these days works for Greg and Ben Hope, also realises she is on pace to get to the 100 career wins mark well before December and couldn’t face sitting out two or more months at such an important time of the year. “But I will think about that closer to time and I the moment I am just really enjoying my driving and thankful for the support I am getting.” She wasn’t the only young female starring on a Sunday afternoon at headquarters but the other one was equine in debuntante trotter Request, who took out the first on the card for trainer Ken Barron. “She is bred to trot well and she does it well, although we still have some tidying up to do on how she corners,” says Barron. “I think she will keep improving and the long-term aim is the Trotting Oaks at the end of the season if she gets to that level.” Request is one of 25 horses Barron has in work with more to come in so he is not really sticking to a promise he made to himself to start slowing down a few years ago. “Ultimately young Sam Thornley wants to buy into the business and eventually I see him taking it over,” explains Barron. “But he might still be a bit too young to take it over yet and I might not be old enough to retire so we will keep going for a while,” he smiles. View the full article

by Adam Hamilton The first 200m will go a long way to deciding young Kiwi star Bet N Win’s winning chances next Saturday night’s $500,000 Inter Dominion trotting final. Bet N Win drew well in gate five and will move even closer into four if emergency Sir Fahrenheit doesn’t gain a start, but his main danger Arcee Phoenix drew even better in barrier one. All eyes will be on the start and whether trainer-driver Chris Svanosio can muster enough early speed on Arcee Phoenix to hold the lead. In contrast, Bob Butt will be charging out as quickly as he can aboard Bet N Win in search of the lead. While leading isn’t everything, around Albion Park it’s a huge advantage. “Bob will come out and have a look at the start, but I doubt he’ll have enough speed to get across. We’ve got to have a look,” Bet N Win’s co-trainer David White said. “It’s a balance. You can’t afford to burn too much at the start especially over a long trip (3157m) like this. “We’d love to be in front because the whole series has shown how hard it is to be off the pegs. Arcee Phoenix and Gus have gone enormous both weeks and not won.” Arcee Phoenix firmed from $4 to $2.50 after the draw, while Bet N Win eased froom $2.50 to $3.50. The other Kiwi trotting finalist, Oscar Bonavena landed gate 12 after being ruled out of the draw following another gallop in his second round heat. “It’s a good thing. He seems to make his mistakes when he’s off the front,” co-trainer Nathan Purdon said. “We thrilled he managed to sneak into the final and we know he’s good enough to be right in the finish if he gets it all right.” In the pacing final, not even the worst possible barrier draw should stop champion pacer Leap To Fame from winning a second Inter Dominion title. Trainer-driver Grant Dixon initially shook his head in disbelief when Leap To Fame drew gate one, after having barrier eight (inside the back row) in both qualifying heats. “Most horses would love the pole, but it’s the one draw we didn’t want,” he said. That’s because Leap To Fame has only average early gate speed and, if he’s crossed at the start, traffic and luck in running becomes a potential issue in the $1 million race. But Dixon’s initial look at the rivals drawn on the front row, eased his frustration somewhat. “It’s not a really fast front row. There’s nothing explosive, who looks certain to get across us,” he said. “I think we’re a chance to hold up and lead. That’s what I’ll be trying to do anyway. “At least it’s a real staying race (3157m) so if he is crossed, we’ve got plenty of time to find some clear air.” Leap To Fame will start the shortest priced Inter Dominion favourite in history, but did ease from $1.10 to $1.25 after drawing the pole. The six-year-old hasn’t been beaten at Albion Park since November 4, 2023. He’s won 20 successive races at the track since. Just as he did in the 2023 Brisbane Inter Dominion, Leap To Fame is aiming for a clean sweep after winning all his qualifying heats. Leap To Fame missed last year’s Sydney Inter Dominion through illness, which paved the way for Don Hugo to win. Don Hugo then upset Leap To Fame in the Miracle Mile on March 8, but Leap To Fame has beaten him in all three other clashes, including last Saturday night’s heat when Don Hugo had torrid run and tired for seventh. Don Hugo has gate six and loads of early speed, but will trainer-driver Luke McCarthy dare to unleash him over an untried marathon distance? Leap To Fame is one of three finalists for Dixon. His wife Trista will drive Aroda (gate 13) and Jack Chapple will partner Tims A Trooper (gate eight). Queensland trainer Shannon Price said “ask me Thursday” who stable driver Adam Sanderson will partner out of Speak The Truth (gate three) and Sure Thing Captain (12). Menangle trainers Kerry Ann and Robbie Morris also have two runners, Cya Art (gate four) and old marvel Petes Said So, who will contest his fourth consecutive Grand Final at his 215th start. Victorian star Catch A Wave drew outside the front (gate seven) and is a $21 shot. GRAND FINAL DRAWS PACERS Front row: Leap To Fame, Rakero Rebel, Speak The Truth, Cya Art, Petes Said So, Don Hugo, Catch A Wave. Back row: Nyack (E1), Captains Knock, Tims A Trooper, Max Delight, Sure Thing Captain, Aroda. TROTTERS: Front row: Arcee Phoenix, Love Gun, Sir Fahrenheit (E1), Parisian Artiste, Bet N Win, Not As Promised, Golden Sunset. Back row: Constantinople, Harry Stamper, Zealous Spur, London To A Brick, Oscar Bonavena, Gus. View the full article

The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Group One winner Warmonger has been sidelined due to injury, with plans for a tilt at this year’s Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in tatters. The son of War Decree has suffered a tendon injury that will see the four-year-old out of action for at least 12 months. The runaway winner of last year’s Gr.1 Queensland Derby finished second in the Listed Randwick City Stakes (2000m) behind Alalcance in the autumn and raced without luck when unplaced in both the Gr.1 Tancred Stakes and Gr.1 Sydney Cup. View the full article

The Jamie Richards-trained Bulb General crowned his return from serious illness with an impressive breakthrough victory at Sha Tin on Sunday. The three-year-old son of Embellish had begun his Hong Kong career in encouraging style with a debut third earlier this year before he was sidelined. “He raced very well in February and the form out of the race was strong and, unfortunately, he did get held up with a little bout of colic after his first run,” trainer Jamie Richards told the Hong Kong Jockey Club. “He’s made a full recovery, and it looks like he’s got a few rating points up his sleeve. We’ll let the horse do the talking next season and hopefully he can work his way through the grades.” The three-year-old delivered his first winning strike over 1200m under rider Zac Purton, scoring by two and a half lengths over King Oberon. Bulb General was bought out of Cambridge Stud’s Book 1 draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $175,000 by Richards and Andrew Williams Bloodstock and was a juvenile trial winner at Te Rapa before relocating to Hong Kong. He is the first winner for the Fastnet Rock mare Stylish Achiever who has since produced another son, Bellish Boy, and daughter of Embellish and is back in foal to the sire. View the full article

It was a proud moment in the Taiaroa family on Sunday when amateur jockey Evan Taiaroa recorded his first win in the saddle aboard Grand Prospect at Woodville for Foxton trainer Sue Walsh. “It was great to finally get the monkey off the back,” Taiaroa said. The 47-year-old hoop has had a lifetime involvement in racing, having followed his jockey father, Arnold Taiaroa, into the sport. “Dad showed me the ropes when I was six to about 12-years-old,” Taiaroa said. “My mother was really against it because she didn’t want me to get hurt. “When Dad was riding for Bill Skelton, he was taking me down there. I was riding them in the yard and mum didn’t even like me doing that. “It was hard for Dad to get me going, but it has always been in the blood. I always had a passion because I wanted to be with Dad, with the horses and making Dad proud.” Taiaroa followed his passion and started working in the industry, commencing his jockey apprenticeship in the 2006/07 season, however, weight would quickly curtail his dreams of being a jockey. “I started off with Errol Skelton in Levin and I was there for two years before I signed up with a trainer in Levin (to start apprenticeship). I then went down to Trentham where I was with Noel Waddell and I was there for another two years,” Taiaroa said. “At that time, I had to make a decision as my weight wasn’t the best at that age, I was sitting at around 58-59kg as a four-and-a-half kilo claimer. I couldn’t get my weight down, no matter how much I dieted, and back in those days if you couldn’t claim your weight you weren’t going to get put on.” While loathe to do so, Taiaroa stepped away from raceday riding for more than a decade but seeing his daughter, Temyia, commence her riding career relit a desire in him, and he elected to return to raceday riding as an amateur. “I made a comeback when my daughter Temyia started riding and I was based with Suzy Gordon then, who gave me my first ride back,” he said. “Seeing Temyia out there rekindled the love of the horses. “Temyia had the same feeling as myself – wanting to make us proud and carrying on that legacy. She has done well. She has done her apprenticeship and is now a fully-fledged jockey. She is having a bit of a break at the moment, but she will be back.” Taiaroa is in his fifth season in the amateur ranks, and he said he loves the camaraderie amongst his peers, and he said amateur riding is a great stepping-stone for aspiring young riders. “I love riding in the amateurs, there is no pressure, and it is a good class to have for up-and-coming riders to lead onto an apprenticeship,” he said. After getting his first taste of victory, Taiaroa is keen for more, and he is hoping there are many more years in the saddle to come. “I will keep kicking on until the body gives up,” he said. View the full article

Southern horsewoman Samantha Wynne is recuperating in Christchurch Hospital after sustaining serious head injuries in a horse-related incident on Saturday morning. Wynne, who relocated to New Zealand from her native Ireland over a decade ago, has made Canterbury home, where she has been both a successful jockey and more recently a trainer. She had enjoyed a memorable season, highlighted by three stakes victories with Pivotal Ten, who she rode in the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie in March. As she does on a regular basis, the 36-year-old had taken a team of horses into the track on Saturday but can’t recall anything further after she was kicked in the head and taken to hospital where she underwent surgery for a fractured skull and badly damaged ear. Her family, friends and colleagues were relieved to hear from Wynne on Monday after a couple of days resting in hospital. “I’ve been in hospital for the last couple of days and I’m feeling a little bit better this morning,” she said. “I can’t really remember what happened but the girls filled me in. One of the two-year-old fillies wouldn’t walk into the tie-ups and she ran backwards and kicked me in the head. It pretty much took my ear off and I’ve got a fractured skull. “I was knocked out for about five or six minutes and apparently when the ambulance came I was fighting them because I didn’t want to go to the hospital. Once they got me in, they gave me some good painkillers and I went into surgery that night. “I got my ear sewed back on, they removed fragments out of the fractures and pulled a bone out of my head. They had to make sure I had no brain injuries, and I’m very lucky that I don’t think I have. There is just a lot of swelling, but hopefully that will go down and the fracture will heal. “My partner has spoken to a lot of people and I’ve responded to a couple. I’ve been able to use my phone a little bit more today after being a bit too dizzy over the last couple of days.” While hoping to be discharged on Monday, Wynne said it is more likely that she’ll be heading home on Tuesday and is grateful to have the support of her staff. “I was hoping to go home today, but the doctors think it’ll be tomorrow,” she said. “I have to go for a hearing test later on and a couple of other tests as well. “I just feel upset and frustrated because I don’t know what happened, but I’m grateful for the support I’ve had. “I’d be lost without the girls, I’m so grateful for them. They’re just the best team that you could have. We’re doing okay.” The news comes during an extremely tough period for the racing community, with the tragic passing of apprentice jockey Ngakau Hailey last Wednesday, and fellow rider Triston Moodley also recovering from a kick to the head at the Waipa trials last Tuesday. View the full article