Wandering Eyes

7th-AQU, $86K, OC80k/C, 4yo/up, 1m, 4:22 p.m. ET. A debut winner by 3 1/2 lengths over the slop at Churchill Downs last summer, STAR OF WONDER (Uncle Mo) earned a 'TDN Rising Star' for the effort. The WinStar homebred then cleared an allowance condition under the Twin Spires in mid-September, and broke through on the main track there in late November when he faced optional claimers for the second time. Back on the tab at Payson Park by Feb. 1, the colt hails from the same Brad Cox shedrow as his multiple Grade I winning older half-sister Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil). TJCIS PPS The half-brother to Shedaresthedevil, #10 Star of Wonder wins impressively on debut in R8 at Churchill Downs under Flavien Prat for trainer @bradcoxracing! @WinStarFarm @SienaFarmKY #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/vwLokuvzmI — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 2, 2024 The post Friday Insights: Star Of Wonder Shoots For 4-Year-Old Debut At Aqueduct appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A special Belmont Stakes Racing Festival three-day admission pass is now available at nearly 200 Stewart's Shops throughout the greater Capital Region, the New York Racing Association, Inc. announced in a press release Thursday. The pass includes general admission to Saratoga Race Course for three of the five days of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival: Thursday, June 5, Friday, June 6, and Saturday June 7–Belmont Stakes Day, featuring the third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown–for $99. The admission pass, which represents a savings of 15 percent based on individual day pricing, is available exclusively at participating Stewart's Shops, while supplies last. “Stewart's Shops has become synonymous with convenience for local horse racing fans by offering access to NYRA Bets gift cards, Saratoga season passes and Post Parade programs,” said NYRA Vice President, Sales and Hospitality, Kevin Quinn. “Our longstanding partnership with Stewart's Shops has now expanded to include three-day passes for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, providing fans the opportunity to enjoy multiple days of the event at a reduced price.” The post NYRA Partners with Stewart’s Shops to Offer Special Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Admission Pass appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

"Inside Churchill Downs," the popular weekly horse racing radio show, returns for its 11th season April 4 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN Louisville's ESPN 680/105.7.View the full article

Fridays don’t get much bigger than Cambridge’s Night of Champions. Tonight’s 10-race card will get underway at 5.08pm , with the two biggest races, the $600,000 TAB Trot at 7.49pm and the $1m The Race by betcha at 8.52pm. The night will have a strong trans-Tasman theme including The Locomotive versus Oscar Bonavena, and Leap To Fame and Don Hugo vs the likes of Merlin, Don’t Stop Dreaming and Republican Party. Leap To Fame needs personal best performance in The Race by betcha By Michael Guerin The hero of harness racing is going to have to produce the best winning performance of his career to win in the $1million Race by Betcha at Cambridge tonight. That hero is Leap To Fame, a genuine cast-iron champion, winner of 49 of his 62 starts and almost everything you could want in a pacer. He has won most of the races that matter in Australia, shattered records and conquered hearts. Tonight he will need to do something he hasn’t done before. He will, almost certainly, need to sit parked outside another great horse and crush him to win. That is the accepted speed map for tonight’s 2200m slot race, that Leap To Fame from barrier seven will work forward and sit parked outside leader Don Hugo from barrier 2. No shock in that. About the only gift Leap To Fame wasn’t given is gate speed and that coupled with a series of dreadful draws means he has done more than his share of sitting parked in our best races. But here is the shocking, and thought-provoking, part for punters: He almost always gets beat when he does. Larry, as he is affectionately known, has sat parked in seven races at the highest level and been beaten in five. The only exceptions was when he won a somewhat below par Miracle Mile last year when Sooner The Better even gave him a scare late and in the 2024 Blacks A Fake when he sat parked outside the enormously inferior Hi Manameisjeff. So how can clearly the best pacer in this part of the world get beaten so regularly when asked to race outside the leader? Welcome to modern harness racing. As the breed has refined, gear and tracks improved the best harness races have become punishing affairs. Most are won by horses on the markers or, when things get crazy, swoopers. Few, very few, are won by horses sitting parked. Leap To Fame is THE living example of that. Examine the five times Leap To Fame has sat parked and been beaten and you find the leaders were been Swayzee (twice), Rock N Roll Doo, Catch A Wave and in last month’s Miracle Mile, Don Hugo. So every time the champ has sat parked outside a Grand Circuit winner in a major race, he has been beaten. Every time. That is not to say it will happen tonight and if almost any other horses was drawn to lead tonight you would be happy taking the TAB’s $2.30 quote that “Larry” could sit parked outside them and put them to the sword. Tonight his issues are two, or maybe threefold. If he can crush Don Hugo, no small feat, Leap To Fame could still be left a sitting duck for stalkers Merlin or Don’t Stop Dreaming, who aren’t as good as him but might not have to be. But first he has to get past Don Hugo, a Eureka, Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile champion driven by a freak in Luke McCarthy and one who could cover 6-8 less lengths than Leap To Fame. Don Hugo isn’t as good as Leap To Fame either but that isn’t the point. The point is, actually the question is, do you really want to take $2.30 for a horse to do something it has only successfully achieved 28.4 per cent of the time? Of course you do. Because you want to see Larry win. You want to witness greatness and feel that rush. Possibly, maybe probably, he will give that to us. But wanting doesn’t produce winning. And very rarely, as it turns out, does sitting parked in $1million races. LARRY’S PARKED PROBLEMS : Leap To Fame’s record when parked out in the highest level races March 2025: 2nd to Don Hugo in Miracle Mile Feb 2025: 2nd to Swayzee in Hunter Cup July 2024: 1st in Blacks A Fake, beating Swayzee. March 2024: 1st Miracle Mile beating Sooner The Bettor. Oct 2023: 3rd to Act Now in Victoria Cup. Sept 2023: 2nd to Encipher in The Eureka July 2023: 2nd to Swayzee in Blacks A Fake Oscar Bonavena can “definitely win” – Mark Purdon By Michael Guerin At least Mark Purdon knows it can be done. The genius trainer of New Zealand harness racing proves just how bad he is as being semi-retired by having runners in both slot races at Cambridge tonight: Oscar Bonavena in the $600,000 TAB Trot and Chase A Dream in the $1million Race by Betcha. He co-trains both with son Nathan and the two horses, are different ends of their careers, face a similar challenge tonight, both expected to have to come from off the speed to run past the all-conquering Australians. Oscar Bonavena looks likely to be midfield at best in the TAB Trot with Purdon loathe to rush him off the gate from barrier three because of his hit-and-miss mobile manners. Chase A Dream has drawn one on the second line with the best Purdon can hope for in the pace being three deep on the markers with Don Hugo being attacked to create late gaps. Both horses swooped to win their warm up Flying Miles last Friday and in the brief history of the big-money slot races at Cambridge, Purdon is the only driver to come from back in the field at the bell to win one. He came from last to win the first running of the Pace with Self Assured, the subsequent two editions being won by the leader Copy That and Merlin coming out of the one-one last year. The only running of the TAB Trot saw Just Believe sit parked last year to beat the leader, with the elite horses usually making Cambridge feel smaller than most 1000m tracks. “I’d love to be able to use Oscar early from barrier three but I really don’t think it is the best thing to do with some of the issues he has had early in some mobile races this season,” admits Purdon. “He is at his most potent when driven for speed so I hope they go hard early and we get a sit handy to them. “He can definitely win because he is really well.” Chase A Dream benefitted from a tougher training regime last week to improve dramatically but his task, and that of all the horses who get back in the Race by Betcha, is a daunting one. Not only do they have to hope for a brutal pace to soften the leaders up but gaps on a track that rarely sees the best fields break up over 2200m and a home straight that will disappear below their hooves very quickly. If Purdon is going to become the first driver to win two Cambridge slot races, Oscar Bonavena is by far his best chance of pulling it off. Early tactics key in TAB Trot By Michael Guerin Chris Svanosio is going to do something he doesn’t want to do at the start of tonight’s $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge. Because he knows if he doesn’t do it the slot race could be over as soon as it has begun for Arcee Phoenix. The Victorian horseman, universally known an Snooze, realises he can’t be caught napping at the start of the 2200m mobile because if he is Arcee Phoenix will lose his crucial tactical advantage over fellow Aussie and likely race favourite The Locomotive. Arcee Phoenix has drawn barrier 4 and The Locomotive barrier 6 and most expect one of the pair to lead after 400m. Whoever does becomes the horse to beat, covering less ground and able to dictate to their rivals. So what is the problem? “I have spent the last two years trying not to rush him off the gate,” sighs Svanosio. “I have looked after him in most of his races early to keep him balanced and then let him work his way into the race. “In some of those races he has still been able to work his way to the front and he is a very good front runner but he hasn’t been really buzzed off the gate. “But if I let Brad [Hewitt, driving The Locomotive] get straight past us then that gives the advantage to him. “So I might have to roll the dice this week, try to get him out as fast as I can and see what happens.” While that is a key tactical admission and full of logic the richest race of a horse’s career is a tricky time to be seeking new weapons for their arsenal. Arcee Phoenix has plenty of experience, starting in this race last year and two Group 1s at the NZ Cup meeting. He finished fourth in all three. With the champion Just Believe retired he is one of those bidding for his crown. The price of the crown may be early balance and poise under pressure. Whether he can pay that price could decide tonight’s race. Even if Arcee Phoenix learns his new trick quickly Hewitt has made it clear he intends to press on, full of confidence his Inter Dominion winner will handle a dogfight into the first bend and come out the other side trotting. With the fastest Kiwi on the front line, Muscle Mountain, drawn widest it seems certain one of the two big gun Aussies will eventually lead, wresting it off more than likely Queen Elida. That will make the winner of the early battle the favourite to win the war but the uglier it gets inside the first 600m, with anything below 43 seconds for that opening sectional considered detrimentally fast, the better the chances of the locals. Oscar Bonavena would love to watch an early fireworks display before putting a dampener on it later and under those circumstances he would become the horse to beat. Bet N Win felt the biggest loser from the draw, being the only horse on the second line, but driver Bob Butt gets the chance to sum up early whether to stay on the markers and wait for gaps if the pressure get ramped up or slide into the running line if it doesn’t. Either way, he is going to have to try adopt a new racing style to win tonight, just like Arcee Phoenix. Whereas The Locomotive and Oscar Bonavena will just need to be themselves and the race should come to one of them. Will “the Menangle boost” be a thing at Cambridge? By Michael Guerin A thing without a name could be a crucial factor in tonight’s two mega money slot races at Cambridge. Since it is as yet un-named, we will call it the Menangle boost. It is the boost in performance horses get after regular racing at the Menangle track outside Sydney, the hardest harness racing in this part of the world. Menangle is like nothing else in Australasian harness racing with the searing miles and relentless style turning those who can handle it into fitter and therefore faster horses. Since Menangle opened in 2008 a disproportionate number of Grand Circuit races have been won by the New South Wales horses who are most exposed to its rigours. “It is definitely a factor,” says champion horseman Luke McCarthy, who has Don Hugo in tonight’s Race by Betcha. “I notice it when I take horses who have been racing well at home [Menangle] up to the Brisbane winter carnival. They get back to the 1000m tracks and just fly around them.” Don Hugo could do just that tonight, with all of his three career highlights being major Menangle wins and he could feel very bold whizzing around Cambridge against the marker pegs tonight. Another Menangle regular is The Locomotive, favourite for tonight’s TAB Trot and his trainer-driver Brad Hewitt agrees with McCarthy that those who can handle Menangle thrive away from it. “It makes them so fit because the racing is so hard,” says Hewitt. “I was in the Inter Dominion Pacing Final with Captains Knock back in December and I have never been in a race like it. We went absolutely flat out all the way. “It makes them better horses when they go back to normal races.” Plenty of the best horses in tonight’s two slot races have raced at Menangle recently, with Leap To Fame, Don’t Stop Dreaming and Merlin also competing at the Miracle Mile carnival last month but the longer horses are exposed to the 1400m track the better they seem to become. The markets suggest the Menangle boost may be a very real thing at Cambridge tonight. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Who Sunnys Sister is at Addington tonight and who she is in a month time could be two vastly different things. Which is driver John Dunn’s way of warning you to be careful when the Group 1 winner returns in the opener, the IRT.Your Horse.Our Passion Mobile Trot tonight (5.21pm). While the Addington card plays the supporting role to the very serious stuff at Cambridge it does see the return of a high class trotter who could well be taking on some of those in tonight’s TAB Trot in just a month’s time. Sunny’s Sister is more than just retired champion Sundees Son’s little sister, she is the Oaks and Derby winner of her year who looked set to make an open class impact until a bone chip in her fetlock saw her sidelined last spring. That was taken out and she returns in a winnable race to start the night at Addington but with Dunn worried she has only had one soft trial. “She won it but they only went like qualifying speed so she can’t be at peak fitness,” says Dunn. “We are going into this race hoping she goes well and then improves and we can look at the races up north, possibly culminating in the Rowe Cup. “But she isn’t in that form yet so she will be driven for speed this week and trying to divebomb them. “She won’t be taking off and trying to be her big brother.” They could see Sunnys Sister as vulnerable if one of her better rivals, like Mr Love, could get forward and into a dominant position with the pair clearly standing out under the mobile conditions. Dunn says the team, officially trained by father Robert and wife Jenna, is getting its mojo back after a slow patch. “We have little things going wrong and horses out of form and it means I haven’t been able to drive them as I like, which has been very frustrating. “But I think they are turning the corner now.” One horse Dunn says punters can jump on tonight with a degree of confidence is Tyron’s Strapping Lad (R3, No.2), who stormed home for second fresh up last Friday. “He was a horse we liked last season and he has come back well and he is also on trial for a trip north so he would want to go well, which we think he will.” He also expects improvement from smart filly Queen Tyron (R2, No.3) who was highly rated by the stable last season before sidelined by injury. “Her fresh up run will have improved her so she will be hard to beat so we have some good chances to start the night.” The stable also have Frazzled in Race 5 but in a strong enough field to test her while later in the night the highlight will be the $20,000 Stevie and Maree Thank Their Clients Pace, a rare Addington mobile mile. That could suit Dunn’s hard-running Who’s Delight if he can get across to the markers, sometimes easier said than done from the off mobile mile start point on a bend. View the full article

Pax Romana (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) (lot 2) topped the Auctav April Flash Sale when selling for €45,000 to Meridian International. The Haras de la Morsangliere-consigned once-raced 3-year-old filly is a half-sister to a trio of black-type horses: listed winner and GI Secretariat Stakes third Afandem (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}); the Grade 3-placed hurdler Le Vagabond (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}); and the listed-placed Frenchette (Fr) (The Gurkha {Ire}). Lot 3, an AQPS filly foal by Saint Des Saints (Fr), also sold. She made €23,000 on the bid of Lucy Snowden from the Haras des Trois Rivieres consignment. This is the extended family of stakes winners and Grade 1-placed National Hunt horses Alary (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and Musica Bella (Fr) (Bateau Rouge {Ire}). The gross was €68,000 for two lots sold from three offered (66%), while the average was €34,000 and the median was €34,000. The post Siyouni Filly Tops Auctav April Flash Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Luis Gavignano's involvement in horse racing, which began innocently enough with a few claiming horses at Laurel Park in 2017, has blossomed into a racing, breeding and pinhooking operation with its own burgeoning home base in Ocala. His Lugamo Racing, with a dozen broodmares to support its graded-stakes winning first-season stallion, as well as a new stakes winner among its 10 horses in training, will offer 14 juveniles at the upcoming Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Gavignano traces his love of horses back to his childhood in Venezuela. Now living in Virginia where he owns a string of fast food restaurants, he found an outlet for that passion at nearby Laurel Park. “The closest track I have is Laurel Park,” Gavignano said. “So I started going there. I have been a horse lover for forever, but not really into the racing. So I just started looking. I met some trainers over there at Laurel Park, Rodolfo Sanchez and Claudio Gonzalez. I bought two or three claiming horses, nothing really special or any big horses. That was in 2017.” The following year, Gavignano made his first trip to the OBS sales and it was there, in April of 2021, that he purchased Petulante (Arrogate) for $40,000. The gray went on to win the 2023 GIII Salvator Mile and is currently standing his first season at stud in New York at Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions. “I have 12 mares right now that are in foal to Petulante,” Gavignano said. “I am trying to give him a chance. I will try to keep these 12-15 mares to show other breeders that I believe in my horse. They can see that I am trying to support him. I hope other people will at least give him a chance.” Gavignano's current focus is on buying at the yearling sales before deciding whether to send his 2-year-olds through the sales ring or into his racing stable. “I started very quietly, buying two or three horses,” Gavignano explained. “Last year, I did it a little bit more. I bought 24 horses as yearlings. Honestly, I didn't plan to buy 24 horses last year. My idea was to buy a few horses, maybe five or six, and keep two or three and sell the other ones. That was my initial idea. But for some reason, I fell in love with so many horses that I ended up buying them. I am still dealing with which ones I am going to keep and which ones we will try to sell.” The sell-or-race philosophy worked out perfectly for Lugamo last year. The operation purchased a daughter of Tapit for $60,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton October sale and reoffered her the following April at OBS where she sold for $325,000 to KatieRich Farms. At the Fasig-Tipton July Sale in 2023, Lugamo purchased a filly by Tiz the Law for $80,000 and, when she failed to meet her reserve at $145,000 at OBS in March, she joined the operation's racing stable. Both fillies are now stakes winners, with May Day Ready (Tapit) winning last year's GII Jessamine Stakes and finishing second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, while Cloe (Tiz the Law) won the Melody of Colors Stakes in just her third lifetime start at Gulfstream Park Mar. 23. May Day Ready | Erin Johnson/Coady Media Gavignano credited Servando Espinoza with helping him to find May Day Ready as a yearling. “[Espinoza] has his own farm and his own company, but we are very close,” Gavignano said. “We are neighbors. I keep my horses at my farm and he comes every morning to take my horses to the track. We have this relationship and we are good friends. He told me I should look at this Tapit filly. I went with him to see her and I said, 'No way. I don't think she has a chance.' She was very small. But he said he thought we could put her where she should be. And she's by Tapit. Usually you cannot go wrong with Tapit. “The change after six months was amazing,” Gavignano continued. “She looked totally different. And more important, she was working really good at the farm. I put her in the sale and you saw the numbers. We bought her for $60,000 and we sold her for $325,000. But the most important thing is the new owners did a really good job with her.” Despite a :9 4/5 work, Cloe failed to attract the interest Gavignano was hoping for, but he was happy to take her home. “Since the first day, I did not want to put Cloe in the sale,” he admitted. “She was a really good filly with everything–conformation, size, the pedigree. Everything was good. And she really had a good breeze. I talked to Tristan de Meric and I said, 'I am going to put her through the ring, but I am going to be picky with how much I am going to ask for her. Because I think she is special.'” Gavignano admitted he really hadn't expected the filly to RNA. “I was surprised, but the big buyers want a clean, clean horse,” he said. “She had a small issue. When I spoke to the doctor, he said to me, it's nothing for racing, but maybe it is going to hurt her at the sale. I wasn't going to give away my filly. So I kept her.” The pinhook or race debate continued at this year's OBS March sale, where Gavignano sold three horses, but ended up taking one home. “I had one Uncle Mo colt that was doing really good, but he got injured in the stall the night before the sale,” Gavignano said. “He's doing great. He's back at my farm. It was nothing major. So that's one of the horses I am going to keep. He did great in the breeze at OBS. I am a strong believer in God, so I think it was a message. He sent a message to keep this horse and that's exactly what I am doing.” Lugamo Racing's OBS April contingent includes a colt by Into Mischief (hip 27), purchased for $200,000 at the Fasig-Tipton October sale, and a colt by Tapit (hip 249), purchased for $300,000 at the Keeneland September sale. Both colts are consigned by Top Line Sales. With de Meric Sales, Lugamo will offer a filly by Into Mischief (hip 660), who was purchased for $115,000 at Fasig-Tipton October and a colt by Justify (hip 744) purchased for $200,000 at Keeneland September. “Last year, I tried to buy more into some pedigrees and see what happens,” Gavignano said. “I think it's a very good group. So far, I think Top Line and the de Merics are happy with the group that we are bringing. But you never know. You have to have good luck. For instance, at the March sale, we had three fillies the first day and the first day was really, really bad for breezing. It was 20+ mph headwind. So they didn't really perform in the way they did before. But the next day and the following day, there was no wind and there were a bunch of :9 4/5s and even a :9 3/5.” Gavignano thinks he may have found a way to circumvent any bad luck when the under-tack show for the Spring sale begins Sunday. “The good thing is, I have horses in every day of the book,” he said with a chuckle. “So I don't have everything in the same basket.” Two years ago, Gavignano purchased a farm in Ocala, but he wasn't originally thinking of his racehorse operation when he bought the property. “The reason I bought the farm initially was more for the love of the horses, not really thinking that it would be a perfect facility for training,” Gavignano said. “It was more that I wanted to have a place where I could fly out of my base in Virginia and spend time around the horses.” He continued, “But if you put everything together, it was a perfect combination. My barns were there, I have a bunch of broodmares that are in foal. So I can see the horses and I can have the horses there to rest for a few weeks or months. We want to actually build an equine pool. I am preparing for the farm to be a complete facility. So we don't have to go to a different place, everything will be in one place.” After eight years in the business, Gavignano has experienced success on the track and in the sales ring and he is now expanding into breeding, but he has no problem identifying his favorite aspect of the industry. “There is nothing like racing,” he said. “When you go to a sale and you see your horses doing good, it's very nice to see that. But you know the goosebumps that I feel every time that I have a horse in any race? I don't know why, for me, a $20,000 claiming race makes me feel that way. That adrenaline when we are in a race, it's difficult to feel that any other way.” So while he will be offering several horses at the OBS Spring sale, he won't be too upset to take some of those babies home with him. “I don't have any hesitation to keep them, to be honest with you,” Gavignano said. “If the horse doesn't bring what I want, I hope we can have the next Cloe.” Of his expanding equine empire, Gavignano admitted, “When I got more into the horses, you know, it is difficult to get out.” The under-tack preview of the Spring sale will be held next Sunday through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 8 a.m. The auction will be held Apr. 15-18. Bidding begins each day at 10:30 a.m. The post With Success on the Track and in the Sales Ring, Lugamo Racing Does it All appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 107 entries for its April Digital Sale, which may be viewed online at digital.fasigtipton.com. Bidding is open and will now close on Wednesday, Apr. 9, beginning at 2 p.m. ET, instead of Tuesday, Apr. 8 as originally scheduled. The closing date has been pushed back as to not conflict with rescheduled racing at Keeneland. The catalogue features horses of racing age, breeding stock, 2-year-olds in training, yearlings, and a no guarantee season to Nyquist. Featured offerings include the major reduction of Merriebelle Stable as well as half-sisters to Eclipse Champions Mitole and Ria Antonia; GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan; and Grade I winners Hot Rod Charlie, Dunbar Road and Princess Violet. “We've got over 50 horses of racing age in current form ready for action at the spring meets, stakes-credentialed breeding stock, quality offerings from the reduction of Merriebelle Stable, and a no guarantee season to leading sire Nyquist,” said Leif Aaron, Director of Digital Sales. Other offerings of interest include: Tiarella (Hip 7): Nyquist filly broke her maiden by seven lengths going away Aqueduct on Mar. 23. Offered as a racing/broodmare prospect by Indian Creek, agent. Yes Ma'am (Hip 21): Three-year-old half-sister to last year's GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. Offered as a racing/broodmare prospect by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Blind Spot (Hip 23): Stakes winner at two and multiple stakes performer. Offered as a broodmare prospect by Gainesway, agent. Her Laugh (Hip 24): Daughter of Practical Joke was an undefeated stakes winner last year at two and placed in stakes company on the Kentucky Oaks trail this year. Offered as a broodmare prospect by Ballysax Bloodstock, agent. Delray (Hip 25): Three-year-old Munnings filly won her last two starts, including an allowance at Aqueduct on Mar. 28. A winner last year at two, she's never finished worse than third in six career starts. Offered as a racing/broodmare prospect by Full Servis Equine, agent. The post Bidding Open for Fasig-Tipton April Digital Sale; Will Now Close Apr. 9 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It felt more doomsday than liberation day as the world – especially those people who do business with America – awaited President Trump's address from the White House on trade tariffs. In the bloodstock sector, where horses are regularly traded between Europe and the United States, the one thing we can be certain of for now is that the issue will add some uncertainty to the market. A first test of the degree to which it will affect the sales will come when the breeze-ups get underway later this month. The Arqana Breeze-up Sale at Deauville in May has routinely attracted not just many American-bred horses pinhooked in Kentucky the previous autumn but also plenty of American buyers. Some of those regular transatlantic visitors recently told Sue Finley what it is they like about this two-year-old sale in particular, but that was before the introduction of a 20 per cent trade tariff on the European Union (EU) trading bloc for all imports to the USA. This could affect sales in France, Ireland, Germany and Italy, and, to a lesser extent, Britain, which left the EU in 2020 but had a 10 per cent tariff imposed by Trump on Wednesday. These will come into effect from April 9. According to the Financial Times, EU leaders are now planning a four-week period of consultation and negotiation before deciding whether to issue retaliatory tariffs on American goods. Britain's prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is holding out for a trade deal that will reduce the 10 per cent rate but has not ruled out some degree of retaliation. At Arqana, close attention will be paid to these crucial EU negotiations, according to CEO Freddy Powell, who adds, “And we have a very close alliance with the Irish agricultural industry.” We're not only selling horses, it's the whole package, and often the American buyers are coming to find something they don't have at home – Freddy Powell Fluctuations in currency strength routinely affect the ebb and flow of spending from different nations, and that will doubtless play a part this year too. In the immediate aftermath of Trump's announcement, the pound and the euro both rose against the dollar. “The impact on the American buyer is still very difficult to calculate because obviously, through political and economical actions, there can be a lot of change between the euro, sterling and the dollar, so that 20 per cent could actually be far less in the end,” Powell says. Furthermore, not all international purchasers at sales are exporting the horses they buy, with plenty of Americans counted among the overseas clients supporting stables and stud farms in France, Britain and Ireland. “Half of the American purchases stay in France,” Powell says of the trade at Arqana. “Our American clients are not only attracted by the genetics of our horses and the know-how of our breeders and trainers, they also come to buy horses in France to enjoy the French racing, the atmosphere – the savoir vivre a la Francaise. We're not only selling horses, it's the whole package, and often the American buyers are coming to find something they don't have at home. So this demand is not going to stop from one day to another – 9 April is not going to be the day of the funeral of French racing for the Americans.” It is a similar story at Tattersalls, particularly at the yearling sales. At last year's Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale, at least 43 yearlings were bought by American entities for almost 12 million gns, just less than 10 per cent of that elite sale's total turnover. It is difficult to wholly assess the exodus of bloodstock from Europe to America but the Weatherbys Fact Book states that last year 117 British-bred horses were permanently exported to the US, and that number has been largely consistent over the last four years, with 442 having been exported during that time. The number is greater when it comes to Irish-breds, of which 304 were exported to America last year (1,187 in the last four years). Alongside public auctions, there is strong trade in private purchases for horses who have shown decent form in maidens. Earlier this week, Brian Sheerin reported on the lucrative sale of Curragh maiden winner Dupont Law (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}), who will be leaving Ciaran Murphy to race on in America. A new wave of Middle Eastern buyers and an emerging force in Amo Racing, as well as the big-spending Yulong operation and typically strong demand from Japan and Australia, were all significant factors in healthy returns in last year's yearling, foal, horses-in-training and breeding stock markets in Europe. Indeed, it could be argued that if, say, Japan responds like-for-like to the imposed 24 per cent tariff, then perhaps buyers from that country will favour European sales over those in America, where they also make a significant impact. Powell says, “We need to put things into perspective: the American market is very important for Arqana, it amounts to 10 per cent of our trade, but also we are very lucky to have a massive spectrum of international clients. As an example, in August 2024, we had 11 different buyers for the 11 top prices of the sale, and they were from nine different countries.” With regard to the forthcoming breeze-up sales in particular, it is worth noting that horses bearing a USA suffix sold in Europe would not be subject to tariffs if returning to America for a racing career. There is little doubt, however, that the market for two-year-olds over the next two months will have a knock-on effect for the yearling sales, which in turn affects the foal trade. A number of people from different roles canvassed for their opinions on this emerging situation said that they preferred not to be quoted but would be keeping a close eye on developments. That old saying that a week is a long time in politics is perhaps particularly true of the volatility of the current era. The one thing that we have learned about the bloodstock business, particularly since the more troubling days of the Covid pandemic, is that its participants are resilient and adaptive. They may need to be once more as the true impact of the tariffs is assessed in the coming months. The post Watching Brief for Bloodstock World as Trump Enforces Trade Tariffs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Stonestreet Stables' Emery looks to extend to three her unbeaten streak at Keeneland as she will face familiar foes and talented older mares in the $650,000 Madison Stakes (G1) April 8.View the full article

Multiple grade 2 winner Hoist the Gold headlines a field of 12 older horses entered for the $350,000 Commonwealth Stakes (G3) April 8 at Keeneland.View the full article

Sonata Stable's Arzak is back in the bluegrass to defend his title in the $400,000 Shakertown Stakes (G2T) April 8.View the full article

The 6-year-old will look to become the first to complete the unofficial Sprint Triple Crown when attempting to add the Golden Shaheen to the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2).View the full article

Tenma, with a record of four wins in five starts, is the even-money, morning-line favorite in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) March 5 at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

Three-time group 1 winner Zougotcha will provide buyers with a rare opportunity when she goes under the hammer at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast next month.View the full article

Most of the racehorses entered in these races have previous experience on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and several have strung together a sequence of impressive stakes wins, but some are entered for their first try in a stakes race. View the full article

“Inside Churchill Downs,” the popular weekly horse racing radio show, returns for its 11th season Friday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN Louisville's ESPN 680/105.7. Co-hosted by Churchill Downs Racetrack's Communications Team–Darren Rogers and Kevin Kerstein–the one-hour program will feature insights from a rotating cast of Churchill Downs' expert racing analysts: Joe Kristufek, Kaitlin Free, Tony Calo and Kevin Kilroy. Friday's season opener will spotlight this weekend's key Road to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks Championship Series races. Fans outside the Louisville area can listen live at www.espnlouisville.com or catch the show on-demand via podcast on the station's website. The post ‘Inside Churchill Downs’ Returns Friday for 11th Season appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There will be a significant increase in prize-money for Group 3 and listed races, handicaps, and juvenile maidens during the 2025 Leopardstown Flat season, the racecourse announced on Thursday. Each of the 16 Group 3 races at the course will see their value rise to a minimum of €60,000 while overall prize-money for the course's eight listed races increases to €45,000. A guaranteed minimum value has been confirmed for each of the five new handicap bands with all 2-year-old maiden races rising to ensure a minimum prize fund of €20,000 per race. Paul Dermody, CEO HRI Racecourses, said, “We are delighted to be making these significant improvements at Leopardstown to its prize money for the 2025 Flat season. This season, Leopardstown will be increasing their contribution to prize-money by in excess of €271,000 compared to 2024 levels. The total prize-money for the Flat programme at Leopardstown in 2025 is expected to exceed €5.5m before their season ends in mid-October. “In addition to the increases in the Group 3 and Listed race categories, the minimum values of 0-60 handicaps at Leopardstown will be €12,000, the 0-70s will be €15,000, the 0-80 races will be €20,000, the 0-90 are €25,000, while the 0-100 rated handicaps will come in at €30,000. In conjunction with the Irish EBF, all two-year-old maidens at Leopardstown will now have a minimum value of €20,000.” The post Leopardstown Hikes Prize-Money For 2025 Flat Season appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin's Ancient Truth (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was ruled out of G1 2000 Guineas contention with a setback earlier this week, has succumbed to the injury, Godolphin posted on X on Thursday. The G2 Superlative Stakes hero and three-time winner last ran third in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes. He won a Newmarket novice in his debut last May good for a 'TDN Rising Star' badge, and added a similar affair in June, prior to his Superlative victory. “Promising three-year-old Ancient Truth sustained a serious injury earlier this week and, despite veterinary intervention, could not be saved,” Godolphin said in a statement. “It's very sad news for everyone at Godolphin.” The homebred was out of the G2 Prix du Calvados and G3 Prix Six Perfections heroine Beyond Reason (Ire) (Australia {GB}), herself a daughter of GIII Gallorette Handicap winner No Explaining (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}). The post One-Time Guineas Hopeful Ancient Truth Succumbs To Injury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

DUBAI, UAE–Owners Jim and Claire Bryce have admitted to feeling “like kids in a sweet shop” ahead of Saturday's UAE Derby where their own Heart Of Honor (GB) (Honor A. P.) could help jockey Saffie Osborne create history by becoming the first female jockey to win a race on Dubai World Cup night. Trained by Jamie Osborne, who won the same race 11 years ago with Toast Of New York (Thewayyouare), Heart Of Honor is the most high-profile Flat performer for the husband-and-wife owners who admitted to having mixed emotions about being forced to bypass Aintree where their Warren Greatrex-trained Good And Clever (Ire) (Soldier Of Fortune {Ire}) lines out for a Grade 1 novice hurdle on Grand National day. But speaking at Breakfast With The Stars at a sun-kissed Meydan racecourse on Thursday morning, the owners explained how Heart Of Honor is the culmination of a plan hatched by their trainer to target and buy dirt horses at the breeze-up sales for this very meeting. And the confidence in the camp is beginning to grow. “I don't think it's unreasonable to think that we're in it to win it,” Jim said. “We think that the boy has more in him than what he has shown on the track so far. It's just whether we can extract it on Saturday or not. We're hopeful.” He added, “Saffie is already the first female jockey to have won a race out here in Dubai full stop. I know she likes to play it down and she doesn't want to think about it as she wants to focus on the race but we'd love it for her if she did achieve it. We should also mention Adrie de Vries, as he rode Heart Of Honor three times and has been very supportive throughout the horse's career. Saffie is the stable jockey but he has been very helpful to us as well.” Heart Of Honor is one of eight horses that the Bryces bought through Osborne at the breeze-up sales last year and is described by Jim as the “golden nugget” within the group. He is quite a unique horse in that he has been through three different sales houses already. He was first sold as a foal by Tweenhills Stud at Tattersalls for 35,000gns with David Redvers having sourced the dam [Ruby Love (Chi) (Scat Daddy)] the previous year at Keeneland for $90,000. Heart Of Honor was then sold for €42,000 to Hurley House Stud at the Book 1 session of the Goffs Orby Sale before being knocked down to Osborne for €160,000 after posting an eye-catching breeze for Meadowview Stables in Arqana last May. Jim said, “If you were to look at him on an individual basis, you could say that he was a great bargain. Jamie came up with a project plan and, when you do a project like this, you need to buy a few horses. This horse is the golden nugget of what we bought at the breeze-up sales. To get us to Dubai World Cup in the first year of this project is quite remarkable, really. “In essence, Jamie came to me to tell me that he had been thinking about doing this for a while. We had already started coming out to Dubai and really enjoyed that. Equally, we'd seen through Jamie's past exploits, that it has been very hard to take on the Godolphin-owned horses on the turf. So we tried to do something different. It sounded interesting and I have to say we had a lot of fun going to the breeze-ups. We bought eight in total. We still have some nice ones who just weren't quite forward enough to make this campaign.” Asked about opting to go to Dubai over Aintree, Jim added, “We love it all, really. Jetting off over the winter to get a bit of sun and going racing, it's quite nice. That said, we're just as into the jumps as we ever were before. We enjoy both sides of it. It's actually quite difficult, because we have Good And Clever (Ire) (Soldier Of Fortune {Ire}) running in a Grade 1 novice hurdle at Aintree. I think we have to say that this is more special, given it's World Cup night, but we are a little bit gutted that we had to make the choice.” There's no doubt that the journey the couple have been on with Heart Of Honor over the winter months has left a lasting impression. Claire, who is being blamed by Jim for their rapidly-expanding string, admitted to being captivated by a horse auction and revealed that plans are already being hatched to go back in search of the next Heart Of Honor at the Craven and Arqana breeze-up sales. She explained, “It's been quite a dramatic increase! We've only been in ownership for the past eight years and I suppose the interest stems from my Dad, who used to take me to our local racecourse in Uttoxeter when I was young. Dad and I used to have a couple of horses that we used to go riding together on. I just love horses. Heart Of Honor has given us some great trips already and we've really enjoyed being out here.” Claire added, “I am becoming renowned for sticking my hand up at the sales! It's difficult to describe how much we love this sport but, we've been very lucky with the sale of Jim's business that, financially, we have found ourselves in a place that we never expected to be in. We're retired now but it seems as though we're as busy now as we ever were.” It's at this point where Jim points out, “Going back to your original question, about how we got into the sport, safe to say I attribute all blame to Claire!” Some people buy a boat and others take up golf in retirement. The Bryces have gone into racing in a big way and, regardless of how Heart Of Honor performs on Saturday night, one gets the feeling that they wouldn't change it for the world. There is, however, a suggestion that the couple could cash in on what is one of the hottest young dirt prospects out there. But for now, Jim and Claire are keen to enjoy the ride. Jim said, “I suppose you could say that we are very much like kids in a sweet shop right now. As the years roll on, we might put a bit more structure to the thing. I owned a software business. It was a long slog–I was in it for over 30 years–before finally getting a good payday. We haven't decided exactly what level we're going to be operating at in the market but we're definitely going to buy a few more breezers and plan on going to the Craven and France. I don't think how Heart Of Honor performs on Saturday will determine anything but, in your head, you just really want to get a good result.” He concluded, “We know lots of people have been sniffing around but I don't think we have any interest in selling the entirety of the horse. As Jamie would put it, lowering our risk could be an option at some point, in that we would sell some of the horse. But equally, it's going to be a fantastic experience on Saturday to see him racing in our colours. We're happy to take the full ride for now.” The post ‘We’re Like Kids In A Sweet Shop’ – Meet The Owners Behind UAE Derby Contender Heart Of Honor appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Better known for breeding and selling top racehorses, Carrie and Craig Brogden touched down in Dubai late Wednesday and were trackside at Meydan on Thursday morning to watch their G2 Godolphin Mile hopeful Steal Sunshine (Constitution) turn in some light work over the track. It isn't the first time that the high-class Machmer Hall operation has been represented on foreign soil. The late Tepin (Bernstein) was bred by and came through the consignment before beating the boys on three occasions, including the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Mile and G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. But to participate in a seven-figure race at a meeting as prestigious as the Dubai World Cup? “It feels different,” said Carrie Brogden. “We have certainly cheered on a lot of horses that we bred in the Derby and Tepin and had some amazing, amazing experiences. But I don't think anything quite like this, actually. It probably hasn't hit me yet, but I do know if he were lucky enough to win, you'd probably hear me back in the United States. I'm well known for that, but I can't help myself.” And who could blame her? Steal Sunshine is a son of Warm Sunshine, a $50,000 purchase at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton October Sale who was a maiden winner from seven starts for Brogden. But anything the mare did on the racetrack was going to be a bonus, as producing daughters of her sire Unbridled's Song had already provided the Brogdens with any number of breeding successes. Among the 118 worldwide graded or group winners out of Unbridled's Song's daughters are the Machmer Hall-bred offspring of Special Me–Stonestastic (Mizzen Mast), Gift Box (Twirling Candy), Special Forces (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) in addition to Steal Sunshine. “Speed. He produces speed,” Brogden replied when asked exactly what makes Unbridled's Song such an important influence on the bottom side of pedigrees. “For whatever reason, he's well known for not producing the durability on top. But with the broodmare side of things, he has very good record of durability in all of our mares. Special Me, my gosh, she's the epitome of that. “So, for me, people keep asking me, who is the next Unbridled Song? Obviously there's a tremendous amount of unbelievable broodmare sires now, More Than Ready, Distorted Humor, Tapit, they're all emerging. But to me, there's nothing quite like Unbridled's Song. I haven't felt the next one where you offer speed, beauty, finesse, stretch, throws beautiful physicals, good vetting most of the time. I just think he has all the components of what we're looking for. Obviously, we love Bernardini mares and stuff, but the physicals, we're in a physical-driven market, so I think that Unbridled Song, ultimately, as a broodmare sire produced the athletes, it runs to their looks.” Warm Sunshine was among that tricky third book of mares bred to WinStar's Constitution, and when Brogden gets behind a stallion, she sticks to her convictions. “She was bred when Constitution was on his bubble year and WinStar actually gave me a bonus Constitution season as a thank you for booking so many mares to him that year,” she explained. “And this is the resulting foal. Steal Sunshine smoothly gallops by at Meydan ready for the Godolphin Mile pic.twitter.com/RHrBStVAvJ — Craig Brogden (@craigbrogden) April 3, 2025 “A.P. Indy with Unbridled Song is a well-known, very successful cross. And we were very good friends, or we still are very good friends with [Twin Creek Farm's] Randy Gullatt [who raced Constitution in partnership win WinStar]. But like I said, it was a complimentary season on a bubble year and sometimes you just get lucky. We”ve seen enough through breeding that we know there are no crystal balls and horses will make liars out of everyone and anyone.” The Brogdens wouldn't ordinarily keep a colt like Steal Sunshine, and he was ticketed for the breeze-up sales in 2021, but came up with an issue. “He got a shin as a 2-year-old, which is why I didn't go the 2-year-old sale, and the rest is history,” Brogden explained. “Torie and Jimbo Gladwell of Top Line broke him and started him for us. And she told me that he was very talented and if they breezed him for the sale, they were going to hurt him. So, we pulled the plug and just gave him time, and he hasn't missed a beat since, really.” Twice a stakes winner at three under the care of Bobby Dibona, Steal Sunshine registered a breakthrough success at the graded level when taking the 2024 GII Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes. A midpack sixth behind White Abarrio (Race Day) in the GI Pegasus World Cup in January, Steal Sunshine was off very slowly in defense of his title in the Mar. 1 Gulfstream Park Mile, but made an eyecatching move on the turn and was getting to the victorious 'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe at the wire to round out a Constitution 1-2. Brogden suggests that at least some of the 6-year-old's consistency and durability owes to a patient approach that allows Steal Sunshine to just be a horse for a chunk of time. “Every single year we've given him a 30-day layoff in the field,” she said. “And every year I send him back to my trainer and he's like, 'Oh my God. We're never going to get him back.' And I was like, 'Bobby, imagine a bodybuilder going out and eating pancakes or whatever for a month.' And so I think that that's very important. To me, a layoff or a freshening is not tack- walking in the shedrow and spending 23 hours in the stall. It is being out on the land, enjoying grass, relaxation. “He actually is out with Vinceremos every single time he comes back and every single time, it's crazy. I put a video on Twitter of it last time because every single year they get turned out. They run to each other. They know each other immediately.” Steal Sunshine, now campaigned in partnership with Mike and Jules Iavarone, Kevin Pollard, David Menard and Ed Gorry, is drawn three in a scratched-down field of 14 for Saturday's $1-million contest. Top Japanese jockey Christophe Lemaire takes the reins. “Great draw. Really happy with the draw,” Brogden said. “I'm sorry to see two scratches in the race, but at least the speed horses are still in right now.” Having taken some time to tour the sprawling Dubai Mall in the comfort of air conditioning on Thursday, the Brogdens are prepared for a scorching day in the desert sun on Saturday before boarding an early-morning flight back to the States on Sunday. They wouldn't trade places with anyone. “To be there from the day they're born and then to come this far…he's just the epitome of soundness and durability and he's just thriving here. And he always shows up.” After his Dubai Cup race @RacingDubai Steal Sunshine is scheduled for another 30 day vacay w former Ky derby now babysitter, Vinceremos we truly believe proper turnouts during the race year lead to happiness and longevity. https://t.co/8WqHJn5zff — Carrie Brogden (@MachmerHall) April 2, 2025 The post Nothing But ‘Sunshine’ For The Brogdens in Dubai appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Chief executive Engelbrecht-Bresges open to negotiations: ‘It has to be something which benefits us’.View the full article

Champion Hong Kong-based jockey will have to be at his brilliant best to help Canadian import overcome difficult gate in Randwick Group One.View the full article

Auguste Rodin (Ire) will be joining his fellow Coolmore stallion and Derby winner City Of Troy in shuttling to the Southern Hemisphere this coming season but he will head instead to New Zealand's Windsor Park Stud. The son of Deep Impact (Jpn) will stand for NZ$30,000 (approximately €16,000). The stud's eight-strong stallion line-up also includes Paddington (GB) and Circus Maximus (Ire), and it has previously been home to the Coolmore shuttlers Montjeu (Ire) and High Chaparral (Ire). Windsor Park Stud principal Rodney Schick said, “We are privileged to welcome a racehorse of Auguste Rodin's calibre to our stallion roster. “His race performance has a remarkable similarity to that of High Chaparral, who we stood here at Windsor Park and who enjoyed global success and international renown through his own success and that of his sons, grandsons and daughters at stud. “We extend our thanks to Coolmore for their continued strong endorsement and support of both Windsor Park and the New Zealand breeding industry, just as they did last season shuttling Paddington here.” A Group 1 winner at two, three and four, Auguste Rodin triumphed at the highest level six times, adding the Irish Derby to his Epsom success and also winning the Irish Champion Stakes and Prince of Wales's Stakes over 1m2f. Coolmore's Tom Magnier added, “Auguste Rodin is an exceptional racehorse and stallion prospect with the blend of class, speed and pedigree that only the very best possess. “He is a very special horse for us at Coolmore and I truly believe he ranks up there with the best racehorses and sires that we have stood here before him. “We're delighted he is going to shuttle to Windsor Park Stud to enhance his future legacy in the Southern Hemisphere”. The post Windsor Park Stud ‘Privileged’ to Stand Coolmore’s Auguste Rodin in NZ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

What Dubai World Cup Night 2025 Where Dubai Racing Club – Al Meydan Rd, Dubai – United Arab Emirates When Saturday, April 5, 2025 First Race 4:35pm DST (11:35pm AEDT) Visit Dabble The 2025 Dubai World Cup attracts the world’s best to compete on a stacked nine-part program at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday evening, with a mix of features to be run on all-weather and turf courses. The rail is in the true position throughout the entire circuit, and with pristine conditions forecast leading into the weekend, punters can expect a genuine Good 4 surface. The opening event is scheduled to get underway at 4:35pm local time. Check out HorseBetting.com.au’s best bets for the Dubai World Cup meeting down below. Dubai World Cup Tip: Forever Young Forever Young continues to build a formidable record, only suffering defeat twice in his 10-start career. The son of Real Steel surged past Romantic Warrior in a ding-dong battle to claim the worlds’ richest race on dirt, getting the head down where it matters most in the Group 1 Saudi Cup (1800m) at Riyadh on February 22. He should only improve stepping out to 2000m, and with trainer Yoshito Yahagi knowing what it takes to win on the world stage, expect the Dubai World Cup to return to Japan for the second time in three years. Dubai World Cup Race 9 – #1 Forever Young (5) 4yo Colt | T: Yoshito Yahagi | J: Ryusei Sakai (57kg) Dubai Sheema Classic Tip: Calandagan Calandagan is yet to taste Group 1 success in his eight-start career but appears poised to strike in the Group 1 Sheema Classic (2400m). The son of Gleneagles closed on the heels of City Of Troy in the Group 1 Juddmonte Stakes (2056m) first-up last preparation and was subsequently luckless in the Group 1 Champion Stakes (2000m) at Ascot on October 29 before heading to the paddock. The Aga Khan gelding has been targeted for this race ever since, and with Mickael Barzalona set to get the one-one from gate two, Calandagan should get every chance to claim the 2025 Sheema Classic. Dubai Sheema Classic Race 8 – #5 Calandagan (2) 4yo Gelding | T: Francis-Henri Graffard | J: Mickael Barzalona (57kg) Dubai Turf Tip: Romantic Warrior Romantic Warrior and James McDonald reunite to take on the world in the Group 1 Dubai Turf (1800m). The Hong Kong superstar lost no admirers suffering defeat in the Group 1 Saudi Cup (1800m), where the son of Acclamation acquitted himself well racing on the dirt for the first time. He gets back to the same course and distance where he dispatched his rivals in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) on January 25, and provided he can replicate that performance, Romantic Warrior should have no issues justifying the short price with horse racing bookmakers. Dubai Turf Race 7 – #8 Romantic Warrior (9) 7yo Gelding | T: Frankie Lor | J: James McDonald (57kg) Best Bet at Meydan: Howdeepisyourlove Howdeepisyourlove makes the journey across from Hong Kong to contest the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200m), and the John Size-trained gelding should take a power of beating. His form-lines behind the worlds’ best sprinter Ka Ying Rising jump off the page compared to some key rivals, with the son of Deep Field running into the minor money on back-to-back occasions. He’s been tested down a straight which is a bonus, and with James McDonald set to be legged aboard, Howdeepisyourlove is a deserving favourite with in the 2025 Al Quoz Sprint. Best Bet Race 4 – #3 Howdeepisyourlove (9) 6yo Gelding | T: John Size | J: James McDonald (59.5kg) Next Best at Meydan: Trawlerman The John & Thady Gosden-trained Trawlerman brings elite staying form-lines to the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup (3200m) and must be considered a major player despite being first-up from a six-month break. The son of Golden Horn was sensational finishing third in this event last year, with only Tower Of London and race rival Al Nayyir getting the better of him in a fast-run race. Trawlerman has matched motors with Kyprios in the past, and if he brings an ounce of that form into this, the $5.50 with is good value. Next Best Race 2 – #8 Trawlerman (3) 7yo Gelding | T: John & Thady Gosden | J: William Buick (58.5kg) Horse racing tips View the full article