Wandering Eyes

Godolphin's G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes hero Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) will face five opponents after a select half-dozen were confirmed for Saturday's £1-million G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown. The John and Thady Gosden trainee, who has drawn stall five, encounters fellow four-year-old Sosie (Sea The Stars), who will bid for a fourth success at the highest level for the Andre Fabre stable from the neighbouring stall four. The Classic generation enjoys strong representation and features G1 2000 Guineas hero Ruling Court (Justify) and G1 Prix du Jockey Club victor Camille Pissarro (Wootton Bassett). The TDN Rising Stars have been allocated stalls one and two, respectively. The field is completed by last term's G1 Futurity Trophy first and second Hotazhell (Too Darn Hot) and Delacroix (Dubawi), who will renew rivalry from stalls six and three. The post Six Confirmed For Saturday’s Eclipse, Ombudsman To Undergo Sosie Test appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Irish sports stars TJ Reid, Bernard Dunne, Rachael Blackmore, Danny Mullins, and Ursula Jacob are lending their support to the annual Hurling for Cancer Research match, which has raised more than €1.6m since its inception. The event, which is now backed by supermarket chain Centra, was the brainchild of trainer Jim Bolger and jockey Davy Russell 14 years ago. It is set to take place this year at Netwatch Dr Cullen Park on Monday, August 18 at 7.30pm. “It's become a very special day in the calendar, especially for the kids, but also because it creates so much awareness about cancer, especially among men,” said Kilkenny hurling superstar TJ Reid. “The game's obviously not competitive in one sense. It's nice to just come out and express your skills and a great day to share a dressing room with past and present legends of the game and from other sports too. “Last year was the biggest year because we had the biggest names, players like [Limerick's] Cian Lynch, Gearoid Hegarty, Tom Morrissey and some of the Clare lads. It's getting harder now to get a spot.” Tickets for the match are €10 for adults and €5 for children, and can be purchased at selected Centra and SuperValu GAA Ticket Agent stores or online at www.hurlingforcancer.ie. All proceeds from ticket sales and donations will go directly towards funding life-saving cancer research. The post Stellar Line-up for Annual Hurling for Cancer Research Match appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Francis Graffard is considering the G1 Juddmonte International Stakes as an option for Daryz (Sea The Stars), who retained his unbeaten record when winning Sunday's G2 Prix Eugene Adam. Nemone Routh, racing manager for Daryz's owner-breeder The Aga Khan Studs, said, “We're slightly scratching our heads with Daryz and we would need to sit down with Princess Zahra as well as there are several options we can take with the horse. “I know Francis is quite interested in the idea of bringing him to the Juddmonte International and he's obviously done very well over that trip and we've only ever run him him over a mile and a quarter, so it is the right trip for him. It would be a big ask as Sunday was only his fourth start, but he's an improving horse and we're really excited by him, he's bred in the purple and a proper horse.” Daryz's stablemate and fellow Aga Khan-bred Calandagan (Gleaneagles), who holds and entry for the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, was second to City Of Troy in last year's Juddmonte International, and claimed his first Group 1 victory on a good day for for his oconnections in Sunday's Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. As a gelding, he was prevented from running in last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe but that would not be an issue for Daryz, who is a half-brother to the late G1 Prix Ganay winner Dariyan (Shamardal). Routh continued, “We have an eye on the Arc at the end of the year, but [Daryz] needs to run before that and there are several different races he could run in. He could have a traditional prep for the Arc in the Prix Niel or he could take in something like York. “We'll have to weigh everything up with him as he is still a little immature, but he's improved with every race and York is definitely an option. We will just have to see what is the right option as we haven't quite figured that out.” The post York Under Consideration for Progressive Daryz appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The need for Cambridge Stud to control the size of their star-studded broodmare band has opened up some special opportunities in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus. Cambridge Stud is offering six well-credentialled mares – Critical Angel (NZ) (O’Reilly), Friwi (Almanzor), Runway Queen (Star Witness), Stellar Maccartney (NZ) Tavistock), Western Belle (Domesday) and Ziffel (NZ) (Zabeel). They are all being offered in foal to Cambridge Stud stallions. “We’re very fortunate that Brendan and Jo Lindsay’s significant investment in yearling sales and their own breeding programme leads to a number of high-class fillies and mares coming off the racetrack to join the broodmare band every year,” Cambridge Stud’s sales and nominations manager Scott Calder said. “That obviously means we have a large broodmare band that’s continuing to grow, and the challenge that creates is that we need to regularly sell mares just to keep our numbers at the same level. “But the fact that we’re selling these mares shouldn’t reflect badly on them in any way. These mares all have plenty going for them, with deep pedigrees and carrying pregnancies to our Cambridge Stud stallions. We think this sale will provide a great opportunity for buyers to secure some mares that they could go on to have a lot of success with. “A young mare like Friwi is coming off the track, carrying her first foal and has a very bright future in front of her, while several of the others have progeny on the racetrack and have already achieved good results with their yearlings in the sale ring. There’s plenty happening in the families and there could be a number of pedigree updates to come.” Friwi, Runway Queen, Stellar Maccartney and Ziffel are all being offered in foal to Sword Of State. The Group One-winning son of Snitzel has made waves with his first yearlings this season, averaging over $200,000 and selling for up to $540,000. “Those Sword Of State pregnancies are going to be a real drawcard,” Calder said. “His first yearlings have sold amazingly well this season, and that continued at the National Weanling Sale at Karaka last week with demand for his progeny remaining very strong. “Sword Of State is our most popular stallion going into the new season. These mares will have Sword Of State foals on the ground within the next few months, giving people an opportunity to quickly secure his progeny without the expense of breeding to him themselves.” Friwi is by Almanzor out of the winning So You Think mare Brisida. The pedigree page is stacked with German black type, with Brisida’s half-brother Brisanto (Dansili) being Champion 2YO Colt in Germany in 2014 while second dam Briseida (Pivotal) won the German One Thousand Guineas (1600m). Briseida is the dam of eight winners from nine foals to race. She has produced three individual stakes winners and is the granddam of the Listed winner and Group Two-placed Pappalino (Makfi). “There’s so much that can be said about Friwi,” Calder said. “She comes from a high-class family and is a really good-looking Almanzor mare retiring off the track. I think she has a lot going for her and I see her as a very good match for Sword Of State.” Lot 62 of the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale Runway Queen. Photo: Supplied Runway Queen is a half-sister to the dual Group One winner Stratum Star (Stratum) and the multiple Group Three winner and Group One placegetter Prague (Redoute’s Choice). Runway Queen’s full-sister Red Velvet Swing (Star Witness) is the dam of this season’s Group One Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) placegetter Declichy Boulevard (Snitzel). Runway Queen was herself a winner over 1300 metres in Australia. “Runway Queen comes from a family that’s had huge success on the racetrack, but has also been highly sought after in the sale ring with a couple of million-dollar yearlings,” Calder said. Tavistock mare Stellar Maccartney comes from the family of Group One winners Fairy King Prawn (Danehill) and Cosmic Endeavour (Northern Meteor). Critical Angel is by O’Reilly (NZ) out of the Group One-winning Centaine mare Critic (NZ). Herself a winner over 1200 metres and a second placegetter in the Group Three Vanity Stakes (1400m), Critical Angel has made her mark as a broodmare with her son Scathing (Trusting) winning three races and finishing fourth in the Group Three Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) and Fred Best Classic (1350m). Western Belle is a half-sister to the Group One winner Regal Power (Pierro) and Group Two winner Action (Pierro), while their stakes-winning dam Broadway Belle (Redoute’s Choice) is a half-sister to the multiple Group One-winning star mare Arcadia Queen (Pierro). Ziffel, a half-sister to the Group Two winner and multiple black-type producer Amelia’s Dream (Redoute’s Choice), has had yearlings sell for up to $500,000 and is the dam of the multiple winners Earl Of Devon (NZ) (Tavistock) and War Of Succession (NZ) (Tavistock). Bidding is open in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus with the first lot closing from 7pm (NZT) on Wednesday 9th July. View the full article

The inclement weather didn’t dampen Robyn Ayton’s spirits at Ashburton on Thursday, with the local trainer posting her first double courtesy of Lady Bankside (NZ) (Belardo) and Tellme You Loveme (NZ) (Tavistock). “That was my first double, so it was nice to do it on the home track, it was fantastic,” Ayton said. “They have both been working well, they look great and have done nothing wrong, so I was hopeful heading into today.” Ayton was particularly hopeful about the chances of Lady Bankside in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1200m) after the mare finished runner-up over the same distance at Timaru last month. The daughter of Belardo jumped well from her wide gate and was pushed forward early by apprentice jockey Donovan Cooper to take an early lead. She relished the heavy conditions and skipped away to a 3-1/2 length victory, securing a welcome bonus for her connections. “I was a little bit apprehensive about the draw (11), but she got to the lead easily enough and once she got there and found the rail she was in a happy place,” Ayton said. The five-year-old mare will now likely step up in distance, something Ayton had intended on doing before the Pearl Series race was added to the Ashburton meeting. “She would have gone 1400m today, but it was her last chance at a Pearl Series, so I dropped her back down for the 1200m because she was eligible for it,” Ayton said. “I think she would like to go a bit further.” Later on the card, Cooper once again donned Ayton’s silks when hopping aboard Tellme You Loveme ahead of the Dunstan Horsefeeds (2200m), and the seven-year-old daughter of Tavistock was looking to recapture some form after a couple of disappointing runs. The pair sat parked for the majority of the journey before finding the lead at the 800m mark. They didn’t relinquish their advantage and hugged the rail for the remainder of the journey, pulling away in the concluding stages to win by 3-1/4 lengths. “She was tough and she tried hard,” Ayton said. “I was disappointed with her last start, but she has always been honest.” Tellme You Loveme’s record now sits at six wins, but Ayton is unsure when she will add to it, citing difficulty in finding a suitable target in the near future. “There is not a lot coming up for Tellme You Loveme, there are not many open handicap staying races down here,” she said. The weather continued to deteriorate as the meeting progressed, and it was subsequently abandoned following race seven due to visibility and safety issues. “We must have had luck on our shoulder today,” Ayton said. View the full article

Blair Orange driving one hundred winners in a season might not seem like a big deal but as the seven-time premiership winning driver approaches three figures again, it’s just as important as the first time. “I remember the first time I got it done (2014) as it was with Donsmedad at Addington for the late Mike Austin who gave me so many opportunities early on. When I started out at Tim Butt’s, driving a winner was a goal so I never take any win for granted,” he added. It would be the 12th consecutive season Orange has racked up three figures, equalling the record held by Maurice McKendry. He currently shares the second-longest streak (11 seasons) with Dexter Dunn and Tony Herlihy. Herlihy still holds the record for the most 100-win seasons overall, with 17 to his name – although they weren’t all back-to-back. The gun driver has a number of good opportunities at Addington on Friday but has decided to head South on Sunday for the Invercargill meeting with a near full book of drives. “I’ve looked at the next 12 months and note there will be a lot more clashes with Canterbury meetings on Sundays so I will just have to weigh things up each week. I have had such great support in Southland and driven a lot of winners for some terrific people and that will definitely play a part going forward.” Amongst his book on Friday are the Cran and Chrissie Dalgety pair of Sugar Babe and Magician. The former is a last-start winner likely to face her stiffest opposition from her stablemate Forever Dream, whilst Magician takes on a strong field full of form in the Dallas and Sam Boyd Mobile Pace. The son of Captain Treacherous went a sound race first up when 7th behind the flying Akatea, so is likely to strip a lot fitter with the Diamond Racing pair of Miki Knows and Always B You likely to prove the hardest to beat. On Sunday his book includes the Mark Jones-trained pair of Ultimate Gladiator (R4) and Tact Tena, the latter in the final race. She has been in excellent form at Addington including a last-start 3rd behind the smart Ocean Of Tears but does have a 2nd row draw to contend with this week. View the full article

The $34,000 Classique Landscapers Silk Road Final for trotting fillies and mares has drawn a terrific field full of form this Friday night. As is often the case at Alexandra Park the Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett team dominate the trotting races numerically and have three very good chances this week. Two of those, Courmayeur and Melsadele have differing form lines and share the co back mark of 25m as they clash for the first time in their respective campaigns. The former galloped and took no part last week whilst Melsadele was a dominant winner of the TAB Metro Final . ‘’Courmayeur was the victim of the false starts and got very wound up so it would be best to forgive her on that and go on her excellent 2nd behind Halberg a fortnight earlier. She has to be driven for her speed so requires a bit more luck than Melsadele who has been super in both of her runs this time in. She was 2nd in both the NSW and NZ Derby’s and can really stay so Todd (driver) has more options so is the top pick of our three”. The third of the training couple’s runners is Shesgold who is three weeks between runs but gets in off the front. “We are happy with her and she races well in a fresh condition. She will be driven by Benjamin Butcher. Of that stable’s opposition, Sans Au Revoir is well placed being off the front and gets another 15m off Melsadele compared to last time when she was 3rd. The Roydon Downey trained 7yo was a winner the week earlier and has struck up a good association with gun junior driver Harrison Orange. Ocean Eyes is the only filly in the race but has won two of her last three and was driven on both occasions by her driver tonight Zachary Butcher whilst you can never count out the former oaks winner Con Grazia Love who had little luck last time but had been very good in her previous two attempts. Earlier in the night American Me gets a chance to repay the punters in the IRT.Your Horse Our Passion Handicap Pace. The Brett and Tim White trained 8yo was a dominant winner first up in his northern campaign but was a victim of circumstances when beaten and short odds over the shorter 2200m last time. He’s back to the 2700m this week, generally steps very quickly and is only 10m behind his biggest threat Mantra Blue. View the full article

Emerging Kiwi pacer Betterthancash is in the $300,000 Rising Sun field. As expected, a tentative flight to Brisbane for Chariots Of Fire winner Bay Of Biscay and his stablemate War Dan Buddy will not go ahead tomorrow. Trainer Emma Stewart scratched the pair and her Inter Dominion trotting hopeful Harold Smith last night from Saturday’s Albion Park meeting. Co-trainer Stacey White was thrilled to learn Betterthancash was in the field. “You feel for the connections of those horses and the club to lose a star like Bay Of Biscay from the race, but we’re very happy to get a run,” she said. Betterthancash gives NZ two genuine players in the Rising Sun, a race restricted to three and four-year-old pacers. The other is Mark and Nathan Purdon’s three-year-old, Rubira. The Purdons combined to win the inaugural Rising Sun in 2021 with former superstar mare Amazing Dream. Rubira is $5.50 second favourite from barrier three, while Betterthancash firmed from $12 to $8 after being guaranteed a run. He will start from three-out on the back row (gate 10). Betterthancash thrilled new trainers David and Stacey White with a terrific second to fellow Kiwi Pinseeker at Menangle last Saturday week. It adds to a big opening Inter Dominion night for the Kiwis at Albion Park. Inter Dominion trotting hopefuls Bet N Win, a stablemate of Betterthancash, is $1.50 to win his first heat from barrier one. In the other trotting heat, Oscar Bonavena is $2.50 against likely leader London To A Brick ($2.10). Even NZ’s lone pacing series hopeful, the Jonny Cox-trained Pinseeker, gets a chance for crucial early points from gate three in race four. Earlier, brilliant Kiwi filly Captains Mistress is $2 favourite from the pole in the Rising Sun Consolation (race one). Her task has been made a lot easier with Betterthancash and Jacks Ultimate Fury both getting starts in the Rising Sun itself. View the full article

Gabriel Duignan's Echo Sound (Echo Town) might not be perfect but she's pretty darn close. The winner in her latest start in the GIII Miss Preakness Stakes will try to make it back-to-back graded wins for trainer Rusty Arnold in Saratoga's opening day feature, the GIII Victory Ride Stakes. According to Arnold, a win in the 6 1/2-furlong test for sophomore fillies would be special for more reasons than simply its placement on the calendar. “We've targeted this race because of the distance, and it's also a special race to me since I trained Victory Ride,” Arnold said. “It would be nice to win. You don't get many chances where you get to run in a race named after something you had. It's a great opportunity and I can't wait to give it a try.” A winner in her career debut at Ellis Park last summer, the bay won her next two–an optional claimer at Churchill Downs in September followed by a score in Keeneland's Myrtlewood Stakes in October. Situated a little farther off the pace than usual in Churchill's 6 1/2-furlong Fern Creek Nov. 30, the half-sister to GSW Pick of the Litter (Kitten's Joy) came up 2 1/2-lengths short of Impulse Buy (Speightstown), while finishing a neck ahead of favored Shisospicy (Mitole), who won three of four subsequent starts including the GIII Mamzelle at Churchill. “She's doing very well. She doesn't have a bad race, and what I like about her is she has won at Ellis Park, Keeneland, Churchill and Pimlico,” Arnold explained. “In five starts, she's won at four different racetracks, so she doesn't need to be on her favorite track.” He added, “We thought she was nice, but you never know until they run. She did everything right, she's a big strong filly, and she hasn't done anything wrong since Day 1. All her races have been good. We're taking a step up in competition and we'll see what we have.” Asked about tactics for her first start in New York, Arnold said, “I think I'll leave it to Luis [Saez]. She'll lay right off horses, and I don't think she's ever going to be way back, but she'll lay off of them and if there isn't a ton of speed, she has no problem being there. It's a very good thing for her.” The post Near Perfect Echo Sound Looks to Add Another Notch to Her Belt in the Victory Ride appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

New Zealand Champion jockey Opie Bosson’s hunger for riding has returned, and he has announced he will make a comeback to the saddle in the new season. The revered hoop announced his retirement last December, admitting he was a spent force, but his passion for the sport has been reignited following a six-month break and he is excited to return to the competitive amphitheatre of the track next month. “It has been at the back of my mind for a little while now,” Bosson said. “I have still been riding track work, and there are a lot of nice horses coming through. “I didn’t really lose a lot of fitness, and I have got the hunger back again that I lost. I decided about eight weeks ago that I wanted to come back, so I have been training hard.” Weight was an ongoing battle for Bosson throughout his riding career, and he cited continual wasting as one of the driving factors behind his retirement decision last year, but he said he is finding it relatively easy returning to riding weight this time around. “I really needed the break to get my head right and the body right, and everything seems to be going well,” he said. “I have been working on bringing my weight down naturally without having to get in saunas and stuff like that. I haven’t missed a meal, and the weight is coming down perfectly.” Bosson enjoyed his stint away from racing, spending more time on hobbies and socialising outside of racing circles, but he is excited to return to the races and reunite with some familiar faces. “I have done a lot of fishing and met a lot of people outside of racing as well, I really enjoyed the summer,” he said. “But I have got the hunger back that I lost and I’ll start riding at the start of the new season.” Bosson was aligned with leading New Zealand stable Te Akau Racing prior to his retirement, and he will renew that association in the new season, citing Te Akau principal David Ellis as a major player in his return. “I have pretty much been living out at Te Akau Stud, training and working on the farm there. They have been so good to me,” Bosson said. The fresh start will also come with a change in riding agent, with Bosson parting ways with longtime associate Aidan Rodley. “Michael Coleman is going to do my rides for the new season,” he said. Bosson tasted plenty of success on both sides of the Tasman, most notably aboard Te Akau’s Group One darling Imperatriz, and while Te Akau’s Cranbourne base is now firing on all cylinders, he said he would like to concentrate on his homeland before setting his sights further afield. “I haven’t really thought about it (Melbourne) at this stage,” he said. “I just want to get back going in New Zealand first.” A major milestone is looming for the 44-year-old, who currently sits on 2146 career wins, with Bosson just one win shy of 100 Group One victories, and he is looking forward to chasing down the elusive target. View the full article

Awapuni trainer Mark Oulaghan’s star hurdler Berry The Cash (NZ) (Jakkalberry) will commence his bid to defend his Hospitality NZ Canterbury Grand National Hurdles (4200m) crown when he competes on the flat at Otaki on Saturday. The eight-year-old gelding will have his first race since his two-run Australian campaign in autumn, which netted a pair of fourth placings in the Brierly Steeplechase (3450m) and Grand Annual Steeplechase (5500m). “They were reasonable runs (in Australia), but it was a learning curve, and I think if we went back again we would do things a little bit differently, but I was happy enough with the way the horse went,” Oulaghan said. The son of Jakkalberry returned to New Zealand for a freshen-up, with the aim of heading to Riccarton in August to try and win his third successive Grand National Hurdle title. Oulaghan is happy with the condition of Berry The Cash and is looking forward to lining him up in the Vets On Riverbank Handicap (1600m) on Saturday. “He seems pretty well, it is just a mile race, which will be a bit short, but it will be a good gallop for him and somewhere to kick him off,” he said. “We might back him up at Woodville the following Sunday (over hurdles) and if he gets through that alright, he will go straight to Riccarton.” Berry The Cash’s Champion Jumper stablemate West Coast will also follow a similar path to try and secure a record fourth consecutive Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) title. He will also just have the one prior jumping assignment before Riccarton, having had a slow and progressive build-up on the flat, including a ninth placed effort over 2200m at Trentham last Saturday. “He was plodding on at the finish (last Saturday),” Oulaghan said. “It wasn’t a startling run, but he probably went as good as he can go. He will probably go to the steeplechase at Woodville before Riccarton, that’s the plan.” Berry The Cash will be joined in his weekend contest by stablemate Semper Magico, with the 10-win gelding looking to recapture some form on the flat. “I thought we would give him another mile, and he can go 2000m next start,” Oulaghan said. Homebred gelding Pinkerton will also head to Otaki to line-up in the Cavallo Farms and Chris Rutten Bloodstock Handicap (2200m), with Oulaghan hoping the seven-year-old can improve on his last start placing. “His run there last week was good,” he said. “He doesn’t like the track too puggy, so it all depends on what it is like. I think if it is a loose track he will be a real show, especially with a light weight.” Further north on Saturday, Super Spirit and Kentucky Boy will trek up Sate Highway One to contest the Waikato Hunt Cup (3900m) at Te Rapa. “Super Spirit has been a bit disappointing,” Oulaghan said. “We will probably put a hood on him on Saturday and just try to ride him along a bit more. I think the ability is there, but he is not putting a big effort into it. Hopefully we can turn that around. “Kentucky Boy should go a good race, it is his grade. We expect him to do something.” Prior to the weekend, Oulaghan will have a two-pronged attack at his local synthetic meeting on Friday, headlined by in-form gelding Jack Morrison in the McVerry Crawford 2140. The five-year-old son of Darci Brahma has thrived on the surface, winning his last three races at the track, and Oulaghan is hoping he can extend his picket fence form line on Friday. “He seems to really like the synthetic,” Oulaghan said. “He has got a bit of weight (62.5kg), but the field looks pretty much the same field that he raced against a couple of weeks ago, so hopefully he can do the same thing.” Oulaghan will also line-up Main Street in the J & J Walters Limited 2140 in a bid to reinvigorate the gelding. “He raced in the hurdle race at Wellington and was disappointing, he didn’t jump as well as he can,” he said. “We just thought we would try something different, so he can have a run on the synthetic.” View the full article

A fresh Waihaha Falls (NZ) (Sacred Falls) will be looking to bounce back to form when he heads north to Te Rapa on Saturday to contest the Group One Turf Bar Sprint (1200m) first-up. Initially trained in Sydney by John O’Shea, the Sacred Falls gelding won five and placed in five of his 22 starts across the Tasman, including placing in the Gr.3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) and two editions of the Listed Razor Sharp Handicap (1200m). He returned to New Zealand last year to the care of Guy Lowry, who bred the now seven-year-old in partnership with Waikato Stud, and he resumed with a placing over 1000m at Trentham last October before finishing last over 1200m at Otaki a month later. He has since enjoyed some time in the paddock and has made one public appearance ahead of his resuming run this weekend when unplaced in his 1000m trial at Foxton last month. Leah Zydenbos, who trains the gelding in partnership with Lowry, has been pleased with his progression this preparation and is looking forward to getting a gauge in him ahead of mapping out his future targets. “He is an older horse now, so he has taken a while to get going, but it looks like it will be a nice, heavy track at Te Rapa. He loves the heavy going so we are excited to get a line on him,” she said. “We thought his trial was good. As he has gotten older, he has started doing less without blinkers on, but we were happy enough with him. “We are taking everything race-by-race at the moment. The only disappointment of his career was his last start before we sent him out for a spell. There are no big plans as yet, we just want to see how he is going.” Closer to their Hastings base, Lowry and Zydenbos will also be represented at Otaki on Saturday by Eyegeegee in the Aquashield Roofing Handicap (1200m). The Little Avondale Stud-bred and raced gelding pleased with his first-up fourth placing over 1200m at the Kapiti Coast track last month, and his trainers are looking for an improved showing this weekend. “He had a great first-up performance for fourth. He stays at 1200m on a heavy track and has a three-kilo claimer, so he should be competitive,” Zydenbos said. Meanwhile, the stable will have a strong hand at Awapuni’s synthetic meeting on Friday, heading to the Palmerston North venue with seven runners. Their charge will be led by consistent six-year-old Gohugo, who takes a string of placings into the Milton Park Stables 1200. “Gohugo is a consistent old lad,” Zydenbos said. “He didn’t pull up too well after his last start, we freshened him for a week, and he certainly did well in that paddock. We never know what he is going to give us, but we know he always tries hard.” Three-year-old gelding No Trumps pleased with his last start runner-up performance and will make his third raceday appearance in the Pukemarama Siviculture 1700. “He was an impressive second there last time. He steps up in distance and another bold performance is expected,” Zydenbos said. He will be joined in his race by stablemate Uncle Ken, who will be making his debut for owner-breeder Waikato Stud. “He is a nice horse who will get better over ground,” Zydenbos said. “We are just looking forward to seeing him under a little pressure at the races.” Five-year-old mare Pepperoni will also make her debut in the Bryce Newman Racing 1200, and Zydenbos is hoping her owners can be rewarded for their patience. “The owners have done right by the horse and given her plenty of time,” she said. “We were happy enough with her trial and her jumpouts in this prep so hopefully her owners are rewarded for their patience.” She will be met in the race by stablemate and last start placegetter Sunshine Ale. “She can be a slightly difficult mare, but Amber Riddell rode her nicely last time and she gets on aboard again,” Zydenbos said. The stable’s Awapuni representation will be rounded out by debut placegetter Kayzino in the J& J Walters Limited 2140 and enigmatic four-year-old It’s Amelia in the Royal Racing With Adam Scott 1400. “Kayzino is a stayer on the rise,” Zydenbos said. “We are really happy with her debut and a step up in distance on the synthetic track should suit. “It’s Amelia has had a lot of turns now. She has started favourite in most of her runs and has disappointed. She has certainly got a lot of ability but just can’t seem to put it together on raceday.” View the full article

Well-performed sprinter Mercurial (NZ) (Burgundy) has progressed well since his resuming effort and with the addition of headgear at Te Rapa, he’s expected to be more of a force to be reckoned with. The son of Burgundy will step out in the Group One Turf Bar Sprint (1200m) on Saturday with promising apprentice Jack Taplin to retain the ride. Mercurial only beat one runner home when he returned to action on the course three weeks ago following a five-month break, but trainer Stephen Marsh was satisfied with the six-year-old’s effort. “I didn’t mind him first-up and he didn’t have the blinkers on. He needed the run and he’s taken natural improvement, I just hope we don’t get too much rain,” he said. “He’s an easy horse to ride, he’s ideal for an apprentice so Jack will ride him again.” Mercurial has met and matched the best short-course performers in his career with victory in the 2024 Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) off the back of a third in the Gr.1 Railway (1200m). He hasn’t won since his success at Trentham and Marsh is likely to take a more conservative approach in the coming months. “We’ve got a pretty good bunch of sprinters in New Zealand, and we’ll target the next level down of races with him,” he said. “Hence the reason we’ll give him two or three runs this time in before a freshen-up and then go through the later spring or summer without targeting the major sprints, there’s still good money to be made.” Mercurial has already proved to be a grand money-spinner for his breeder-owners with more than $590,000 banked from six wins and 18 minor placings. Stablemate Sinhaman (NZ) (Tivaci) will bid to turn his fortunes around when presented third-up for the UBP Te Awamutu Cup (1600m). The Tivaci four-year-old was an encouraging third when resuming two runs back and then finished midfield on the synthetic track at Cambridge. “He’s a capable horse and didn’t get a lot go right for him the other day,” Marsh said. “He carried a big weight (60.5kg) and got caught a bit wide and had to be exposed a bit early. “He’s back down in the handicap and if he handles the track, I’m sure he’ll race very well.” Meanwhile, Billy Lincoln (NZ) (Belardo) will tackle the John F Grylls Memorial Classic (1400m) ahead of a possible trip to the Central Districts for the $100,000 Polytrack Championship (1400m) on August 3. He has consecutive runner-up finishes on his home all-weather track to his credit. “He’s going really well and thought with three weeks between the Cambridge synthetic meetings, we’d give him a run on the grass,” Marsh said. “He might be one who heads down to the final at Awapuni for some bigger money,” Marsh said. View the full article

Lisa Kennedy has always had a passion for thoroughbreds, and her efforts in guiding retired racehorses into new careers through EventStars were celebrated at Entain’s Industry Excellence Awards last Sunday as the winner of the Care and Welfare Excellence Award. As lead re-trainer, Kennedy works alongside EventStars’ founder Gina Schick to rehome approximately 300 retired thoroughbreds into sporthorse homes on a yearly basis, and her recognition was a timely tonic for the organisation. “It’s been an emotional time here recently, so it meant a lot to the team,” Kennedy said. “Rod (Schick) and Gina have done incredible things with this place and what she has created over the past 15 years with EventStars is amazing. “It’s very much a team effort, EventStars and Windsor Park are one big family and just to be a part of it is phenomenal, it’s a very humbling experience and I feel very privileged. “Thank you also to Entain for putting on these awards.” Prior to entering the rehoming space, Kennedy had ridden on raceday as an amateur and over fences, the latter coming during her time working for Wanganui trainer Kevin Myers. “I had friends in the South Island who raced jumpers and I ended up riding a few of them at home one day,” she said. “I thought that was pretty cool and I just went racing from there. “I ended up working for Kevin Myers and had a couple of stints there, and now I’m in Cambridge working for Gina. I had a bit of a background in racing and younger horses, so it made it a little bit easier for me to make that transition, already having had a feel for the green thoroughbreds.” After Sunday’s awards, it was back to business as usual for Kennedy this week, with the current group of thoroughbreds going through a carefully managed routine where they are given every opportunity to succeed in a suitable home. “It’s all dependent on how many horses we’ve got in at the time, but at the moment, we’re ticking along through the winter,” she said. “We’ve got thoroughbreds from around the country, but also coming from the Hong Kong Jockey Club. “For their first couple of rides, we’ll work them here to get a bit of a feel for them, then they’ll go for a hack around the home farm. If we can, we like to get them on the float within the first week and out to a different arena and a different place to go hacking, to get more mileage and experience. “We are able to see where their strengths and weaknesses are, so we can place them into the right home environment. “Gina is the driving force behind the marketing, communications and everything of that nature, which she is extremely good at, and I’m just learning about parts of that now. She’ll cast an eye over every horse and make an assessment on which home she thinks would be suitable, which typically is the same as the rest of the team. “We work very well as a collective.” Kennedy’s passion for the breed is evident outside of work as she is often out competing with two of her own retired thoroughbreds. “I’ve loved the thoroughbreds for a long time and they’re one of a kind,” she said. “They’ve got a really cool attitude, they want to do the best that they can. “They’re very trainable and willing, and they suit a range of different people. You find the top-level horses, but there are a lot of horses that just suit the average battler like myself. “I have two of my own, both from Kevin Myers’ barn. I’ve had one of them for eight or nine years, he’s travelled around New Zealand with me and done a bit of everything. “The other was a steeplechaser and I got him four or five years ago, he was Angela’s (Illston) horse and was in my barn at the time, and I just adored him. He’s a Rip Van Winkle, so naturally he’s a nice jumper and the dream is to go two-star eventing with him in the next 12-24 months.” View the full article

Nick Vaccarezza, 25, won his first race from 12 starts as a licensed trainer June 30 at Presque Isle Downs. Although every conditioner's first victory is a special accomplishment, Vaccarezza's was unique because it occurred in a stakes race. Off at even-money odds, Keeneland-based shipper Golden Afternoon (Goldencents) prompted the pace and drew off by 2 1/2 lengths to capture the $100,000 Tom Ridge Stakes over six furlongs. The win was also sweet because Golden Afternoon is owned by a partnership of friends (Eddie and Pat Greco, Scott Jaffe, and Michael Cloonan) headed by Carlo Vaccarezza, Nick's father. Earlier this year, Carlo stepped away from a 10-year training career while continuing his decades-long involvement as an owner, capping a transition plan for the family's racing stable that was several years in the making and centered on Nick taking over the day-to-day care of 14 Kentucky-based horses. Nick Vaccarezza told TDN in a Tuesday phone interview that his first training win was a goal he had pursued ever since he can remember. “My dad was always involved with horses, and when I was growing up in Florida he would always bring me to Calder,” Vaccarezza said. “My first word was 'Go!' so this horse thing has been instilled in me since before I could even speak. I could read a Racing Form by age six. And when I found out I was too tall to be a jockey, I started betting on myself that I was going to be a trainer. I've wanted to train forever.” The Vaccarezza family's involvement with Thoroughbreds afforded Nick access to some high-profile trainers to help him learn the trade–Dale Romans, Chad Brown, and the late H. Allen Jerkens among them. But while Vaccarezza's statistical slate as a trainer is still relatively blank, away from the racetrack he has already dealt with more adverse, life-altering experiences at age 25 than most people encounter in an entire lifetime. Vaccarezza on his way to his first win | Coady Media On Feb. 14, 2018, Nick, then a senior, and his brother, Mike, a sophomore, survived the deadliest mass shooting at a high school in United States history, walking out of their Parkland, Florida classrooms alive after a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle killed 17 people and injured 18 others. Through a fundraiser at a Boca Raton restaurant owned by their father 11 days after the shooting, Nick and Mike raised $160,000 for the families of the victims, and the Vaccarezza racing stable would later name a racehorse in honor of a friend of Nick's who had been slain at the school. Then, seven years later, right after taking out his training license in early 2025, Nick Vaccarezza was diagnosed with Stage 1 testicular cancer. Vaccarezza underwent surgery May 5, barely missed any time under the shedrow, and said he has been declared cancer-free at all his follow-up checks in the two months since the procedure. “Thankfully, I don't need any chemotherapy or anything yet,” Vaccarezza said. “But it's looking good so far. It's watch and wait. Every two months blood [monitoring], every four months scan.” A trainer's education While Vaccarezza does not shy away from discussing the Parkland shooting or his bout with cancer, he does not frame those events as life-defining experiences. Horses and the track are Vaccarezza's world, and he said the seeds for his schooling to be a trainer were planted more than two decades ago when Pat Greco, one of the current partners in Golden Afternoon, gave the broodmare Hay Jude (Wavering Monarch) to his father. Carlo Vaccarezza bred Hey Jude to Tiger Ride, and he named the foal she produced in 2005 Little Nick, honoring his then-toddler son. The gelding won nine races from 40 starts, including three black-type stakes. Two years later, Hay Jude produced a foal by Spanish Steps. Named Little Mike, after Nick's younger brother, the 14-for-30 gelding, owned by their mother, Priscilla, won four Grade I turf stakes, including the 2013 Breeders' Cup Turf. Little Mike was trained by Romans, and Nick Vaccarezza hung out at the barn of the Eclipse Award-winning trainer as often as he could as an adolescent, soaking up horsemanship and even being allowed to hotwalk horses for Romans while in middle school. Golden Afternoon wins the Tom Ridge Stakes | Coady Media By 2014, Carlo Vaccarezza had started training the horses he owned, and he shared stalls in the same Gulfstream Park barn as Jerkens in what was to be the Hall-of-Fame trainer's last year before his passing. Nick Vaccarezza said Jerkens, then 86, took him under his wing that winter, mostly by talking to the 14-year-old. “If you want to learn something, you can learn something from talking to anybody, whether it's a homeless guy or the president of the United States,” Vaccarezza told TDN, recalling the experience from 11 years ago. “There's always something to learn from someone new.” But Vaccarezza said he really hit it off with one of Jerkens's younger assistants, Fernando Abreu, who let him inside stalls to observe close up how skilled grooms do their jobs, and later allowed Vaccarezza to rub horses himself by age 15. As Vaccarezza built up his barn skills and learned more about the logistics of operating a stable during his mid-teen years, Abreu eventually introduced him to his brother, Reynaldo, then an assistant for Chad Brown, who was in the midst of winning four of five eventual Eclipse Awards for outstanding trainer. After Vaccarezza graduated from high school in 2018, Brown offered him a job under his shedrow. Vaccarezza did well enough as an assistant that Brown even allowed him to handle a small string at Saratoga for part of 2019. “Chad showed me how an operation of that size has to be run, and how it runs,” Vaccarezza said. But Vaccarezza's plan at the time had been to take off just one year of education between high school and college. He stepped away from Brown's stable and enrolled at the University of Kentucky (UK) for the fall 2019 term. After two months at college, Vaccarezza felt that it wasn't working out the way he had hoped. He talked to his parents about quitting school, then called Brown to see if he could have his job back. The trainer welcomed him back to the Florida division, but Brown told Vaccarezza not to give up entirely on pursuing an education. “One thing Chad always told me was that he can teach me everything he knows about a horse,” Vaccarezza said. “But what he cannot teach me is how to become a good businessman. And he's such a great trainer because he's a great businessman.” Everything was going smoothly for Vaccarezza for about five months. Then the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world, and the 20-year-old opted not to travel with Brown's stable when it shipped north to New York. As the early months of the pandemic morphed into summer, Vaccarezza decided to relocate back to Lexington. His father was opening a new restaurant there (one of three in Kentucky that Carlo owns), plus the family's racing outfit was stabled at Keeneland. “The 2020 [GI Kentucky] Derby was in September, so I went up there,” Vaccarezza said. “My dad ran three horses on Derby day, and they all ran really bad. So I said, 'This is my time that I need to work for my dad and turn his barn around; try everything that I learned from Chad, and apply it to my dad's horses.'” The stable started winning races. Reynaldo Abreu even ended up coming over to work for the outfit. Vaccarezza put in his hours during the mornings and on race days, but also decided to take some classes at UK. “I thought it would be an extra card in my pocket if I went and did a pre-veterinary course,” Vaccarezza said. Once he took part of the course load, Vaccarezza decided it would be worth it to actually end up with a diploma, so he completed the work in four years and finished with a degree in equine science and management. Celebrating after the Tom Ridge Stakes at Presque Isle | Coady Media “So fast-forward to 2024,” Vaccarezza said. “Reynaldo left our barn on good terms. We brought in trainer Mike Dilger for a year. And Mike took the job knowing that I was soon to take over completely. My dad wanted to see if I was ready to do it on my own. Last year we had a great year. We won at 25%, and were in the top three like 50 or 60%. We did pretty well for only having 10 to 14 horses at a time. “I was pretty eager to train,” Vaccarezza explained. “And we kept pushing it back to, 'Let's wait until you graduate school. Let's wait this. Let's wait that.' “But I think I was waiting on Golden Afternoon,” Vaccarezza said. “We had aspirations to try and run him in the Derby, and that would have been my first big horse that put me on the map.” Golden Afternoon had broken his maiden for trainer Carlo Vaccarezza at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 8, 2024. The gelding subsequently ran second in the Grade II Bourbon Stakes on the turf at Keeneland, then won an allowance/optional claimer on the grass at Fair Grounds, all at age two. In an effort to mark the family transition with a well-meant contender, Nick Vaccarezza's first starter as a licensed trainer ended up being Golden Afternoon's sophomore debut, in the Jan. 18, 2025 GIII Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds. The gelding was fourth, beaten only 2 1/2 lengths, at 25-1 odds. Vaccarezza was elated to be off and running in his training career. Then he felt something wasn't right with one of his testicles. “It was all of a sudden,” Vaccarezza said. “Around February, after I had taken out my license, we were at Fair Grounds still, and it started to swell up. I thought maybe I had just sat on it when I was riding a pony, but it never really went back down. So when I got back to Keeneland in March, I got it checked out, and they basically immediately said they had to take it out.” 'Every day a blessing' As his doctors performed tests and scheduled the surgery, Vaccarezza continued to run the stable. Golden Afternoon, the barn's big hope, was transitioned back to the turf. But after finishing second in the $100,000 Black Gold Stakes at Fair Grounds, he was badly outrun in both the GIII Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland and in the GI American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on the Derby undercard, finishing eleventh and ninth, respectively. Forty-eight hours later, on the Monday after Derby day, Vaccarezza had his cancerous testicle surgically removed. Nick Vaccarezza | Courtesy of Nick Vaccarezza Now, eight weeks later, Vaccarezza is both reflective and optimistic about his prognosis. “It hasn't stopped me. It hasn't slowed me down at all. I missed a couple of days of work,” Vaccarezza said. “It actually makes me a lot more grateful to do what I do. Because life is so short, and every day that you get is a blessing. And I just really want to thank God for everything He's done in my life.” Shipping Golden Afternoon to Presque Isle for Monday's stakes was an experiment in cutting the gelding back in distance and trying a synthetic surface for the first time. Vaccarezza said he caught a big break in getting five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. to ride. Both Irad and his brother, Jose Ortiz, had just ridden at Churchill over the weekend, and were planning on driving more or less past Presque Isle on their way to Saratoga for this week's races. The Ortiz brothers have both known Vaccarezza since he was a teenager, and they agreed to make a slight detour on their road trip to help out. “Irad only rode the horse because of me, really. He knew I needed to win my first race. And he'd already won on Golden, and he knows that he's a nice horse. It was nice that they came,” Vaccarezza said. “They've been like big brothers to me for the past five or six years. Irad and Jose keep me in line and make sure I'm doing the right thing. They've kind of invested in me, as well, and it's inspiring to see that guys who are that successful, I can reach out to any time and they can give me advice on anything in life,” Vaccarezza said. “We gave Golden a little class relief and a cut back in distance, and he showed how dominant he can be,” Vaccarezza said. “To have my dad there, and to hold the trophy for my first win, in a stakes, with Irad and Jose there, and my brother there, it was really special to have all my guys in my winner's circle for my first win,” Vaccarezza said. Vaccarezza spoke to TDN Tuesday evening just after pulling into the parking lot of one of his father's restaurants in Lexington. He was hosting all of his stable help for a celebratory dinner in honor of the team getting a stakes win the day before. The next morning, the entire outfit would be getting ready to ship west from Keeneland to Ellis Park for the summer meet. “I've only got two hands and I have 14 horses,” Vaccarezza said, deferring credit for the win to his team. “It would be impossible to do it all by myself.” The post After Surviving a School Shooting and Cancer Surgery, a 25-Year-Old Trainer Savors His First Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When Texas Derby winner Instant Replay runs in the $300,000 Indiana Derby (G3) at Horseshoe Indianapolis July 5 it will be with a new owner: Wathnan Racing.View the full article

A new ownership group is bringing fresh energy to Cambridge Raceway, as the Taylor Street Syndicate begins to make its mark on the track. The Taylor Street Syndicate, established by Cambridge Raceway, was created with the goal of offering everyday people the opportunity to experience the thrill of harness racing ownership. Launched through the popular Taylor Street Club and extended to their friends, the syndicate now boasts around 40 enthusiastic members. Currently, the group owns three horses, and tonight, one of them takes to the track. Amaretto Delight lines up in race 4, the Gregory Equine Mobile Pace (6:44p.m.) The 3-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight is trained locally by Nicky Chilcott and is the first of the syndicate’s horses to make it to the races. The filly made her debut last week at Cambridge Raceway, where she ran a strong second after trailing the leader and darting up the passing lane in the home straight. Syndicate manager Peter McDermott says that moment was a milestone for the group. “We were really pleased. It’s early days, but it’s nice to see her showing a bit of promise. It’s actually taken us quite a while to get our first horse to the races, so our members were pretty excited to see her go around.” While she may not have turned heads early in her education, trainer Nicky Chilcott is encouraged by the filly’s recent development. “She’s probably a typical Bettor’s Delight – she really hadn’t shown me a lot,” Chilcott explains. “But she has improved a huge amount since her last preparation. I was delighted with her first-up run. You wouldn’t get too carried away with it because it was a very sedate pace and 1-2-3 the fence is where they finished. Look, she can only do what she did, and she seems to have come through the run well. She’s probably not going to get the same favours tonight, but we just hope she races honestly and runs home well again.” Peter McDermott is hopeful of a good turnout from syndicate members trackside tonight. “They do turn up, not in great numbers,but I’d say after last week, there will be a few more on course with the hopes that she’ll go one better.” Looking ahead, the Taylor Street Syndicate will be open to new members from January 1st, with anyone interested in harness racing encouraged to get involved. It’s a grassroots initiative helping to grow ownership and build excitement from the ground up — one race at a time. View the full article

As much as the New York Racing Association is offering three graded turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies, the leader of that division could be one-and-done in the series. View the full article

Godolphin's Think Big stretches his speed beyond 5 1/2 furlongs for the first time in nine months when he faces a high-quality field of older horses in the $175,000 Kelso Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course. View the full article

Some of the most influential people in the life of Wayne Lukas-and some of the people for whom he was the most influential–took part in a special TDN Writers' Room podcast in order to pay tribute to `the Coach,' who passed away Saturday night at the age of 89. Lukas worked almost up until his last days in the sport which he revolutionized upon his arrival in the early 1980s. Before it was over, he would win 20 Breeders' Cups, 15 Triple Crown races, five Eclipse Awards as leading trainer, and saw his horses win 25 yeear-end championship awards. But it was the personal side of their interactions with Lukas which the eight guests–Todd Pletcher, Kiaran McLaughlin, Bob Baffert, Ron Moquett, Christina Bossinakis, John Bellinger, Jerry Bailey, and Gary Stevens–wanted to discuss. “He hired me in January of 1985 to go to California,” said Kiaran McLaughlin, who worked as an assistant to Lukas for seven years. “Well, the first thing was he told me to meet him at four o'clock at the donut shop. I said, `four o clock? What do we do at four o' clock?' And then walked Noble Threewitt and Willard Proctor and we grabbed a coffee and donut and we were out of there by before four oclock. We drove to the barn at four and it was dark. And I wondered what we were going to do that early. But it was a set list. He waited to the morning of to do the set list in case it rained and he had to change something. And for the next seven years, it was four in the morning, get up, and go to work.” If there was one area in which McLaughlin failed, it was his penmanship, which Lukas required to be picture-perfect, said Todd Pletcher, who was at the barn around the same time. “He expected his assistants to not only be on top of everything with the horses, but also to have good penmanship,” said Pletcher. “Have you ever seen Wayne Lukas's autograph? I mean, it looks like an artist drew it. And I think that that story speaks to the level of detail that he expected out of people, not just the caring for the horses and the running of the races, but everything around the shed row had to be just perfect.” Jerry Bailey won the 1991 Kentucky Derby for Lukas aboard Grindstone, but had known him since he was a teenager. “My association with Wayne goes probably back 60 years,” said Bailey. “My first interaction with Lukas was when I was a kid in New Mexico at Riodoso Downs. I grew up in West Texas and we used to go up to Riodoso every summer. My dad owned some horses and Wayne was up there training. Wayne has been called a lot of nicknames–Rhinestone Cowboy–but his nickname back then was Mr. Clean, because he had a vacuum between every other stall of the horses and before they would go up to the paddock–because he was bedding on sawdust as everybody was–he would take the vacuum and suck all the dust off of them before they went to the paddock.” John Bellinger, one of his principal owners in his later years, said he'd miss the conversation the most. “Sitting in his office, closing the door, and reminiscing about the past, about what he'd done, who he'd worked with,” said Bellinger. “In those four years, I obtained a PhD in horse racing from Wayne Lukas. He was the coach. He was the professor. He prepped us for the next step going forward and every moment was so special.” In his later years, Lukas was known for allowing young people into the winner's circle after he won a race. One of the first of those was Christina Bossinakis, who asked for his autograph at 19, and 25 years later, was autographing books alongside him as the co-author of their book, Sermon on the Mount. “He was my idol,” she said of their meeting, which she credits for her long career in horse racing. “I admired him so much that if he had brushed me off or had done anything that made me feel not welcome, I honestly think I may not be in horse racing today. So I'm really appreciative of that moment with him.” Ron Moquett, a dear friend of Lukas's later in life, recalled a time when Lukas was driving him back and forth to a meeting on icy Arkansas roads. “He just keeps going faster and faster, and I said, `Wayne, I don't want you driving like this. I don't want to die.' And he says, `why are you so worried about dying?' I said, `because the headline tomorrow would read `World-Famous Hall of Fame Trainer Wayne Lukas and Passenger Killed in Car Wreck.' I said, `they won't even say my name.' He laughed the rest of the way home.” Lukas was instrumental in the career of jockey Gary Stevens, and for Stevens, picking out his fondest moment between the pair was a simple one. “I've got a drone shot, a picture of Wayne leading me and Oxbow into the winner's circle at Pimlico,” he said. “I've got my left hand on Wayne's shoulder and he's got this humongous smile on my face. That's how I'm going to remember Wayne.” For Bob Baffert, who was with Lukas from the Quarter Horse days right up until the past few weeks, the pain of his loss is raw. Baffert recently posted a tribute on social media that ended with, “I hope I made him proud.” “I really had a hard time with it last week when I first heard about it,” he said. “I'm still dealing with it.” The TDN Writers' Room is presented by Keeneland; the guests of the week are sponsored by Gainesway. The rest of the show is sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV, WinStar, and West Point Thoroughbreds. Click here to watch the show. Click here to listen to the show. The post Writers’ Room Devotes Entire Podcast to Wayne Lukas Tribute appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the earliest clues for next year's Triumph Hurdle may well have been on show at Arqana on Wednesday when the highly-touted Zekret (Fr) was purchased on behalf of a leading Irish owner to continue his career with Joseph O'Brien. The Zarak colt boasted smart form in France for trainer Andre Fabre on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing and was last seen running respectably – only beaten a little over three lengths – in a Group 3 contest at ParisLongchamp over 1m3f. It was ace agent Alex Elliott, working alongside Nicolas Bertran de Balanda [NBB Racing], who purchased Wednesday's sale-topping colt. He said, “An obvious horse for us. A juvenile hurdle campaign will be his main aim but obviously he has a lofty Flat rating and he could come back and go over both codes. Initially, the main aim is jumping and he will go to Joseph O'Brien.” Elliott added, “I suppose it's debatable about whether he will be gelded or not. Look at the Zarak horse, Nietzche Has, who won the Juvenile Finale Hurdle at Chepstow last year – he's a stallion now. So we will see how he takes to the job and whether we think gelding can improve him or not. But he looks like a horse who will handle soft ground. He will have a bit of a break now but hopefully he is an exciting juvenile hurdler going forward. “Nicky [Bertran de Balanda] and I have a good record when we work together. We bought Teahupoo, A Plus Tard and a few more. Hopefully this guy can be another one to do us proud.” Despite wildcard Juwelier (Wootton Bassett) being bought back at €1.1 million, it proved to be a lively day two session of the Summer Sale at Arqana with 19 horses selling for six figures or more. Interestingly, Highflyer Bloodstock and Paul Nicholls teamed up to spend €500,000 on two potentially smart jumps prospects – €300,000 purchase Gold Cast (Telecaster) and €200,000 buy Pourquoi Pas Papa (Manatee). Meanwhile, bloodstock agent Jason Kelly was one of the busiest buyers in town. As well as signing for two horses on behalf of Tony Elliott's Rogues Gallery for a combined sum of €162,000, Kelly landed the Listed-winning sprinter Toyotomi (Fr) (Blue Point) for €335,000. All told, Kelly spent €733,000 on seven lots. BBA Ireland's Mick Donohue was another familiar face to get in on the action. The Jerome Reynier-trained three-year-old filly Konada (Toronado), who boasts Listed form and an unexposed profile, was snapped up by O'Donohoe on behalf of Middle Eastern clients with lofty targets. He explained, “She was one we targeted and we're delighted to get her. We bought her on behalf of an existing Middle Eastern client and, to be honest, when the catalogue for this sale came out, she was the one we wanted. She's a very consistent filly on the track and, when we saw her in the flesh, she matched up physically to what we wanted. She could be aimed at something on Saudi Cup night next year. A race like the Neom Turf Cup could be right up her street. Delighted to get her.” Albeit the Wednesday session boasted a beefed up catalogue compared to 12 months previous [41 more horses sold], the overall figures were impressive. The €6,988,500 aggregate was up by 31% on last year while the €47,220 average represented a 11% rise and the median climbed €8,000 to €20,000. The clearance rate was also up by 8% to 82%. The post Joseph O’Brien To Train 520k Arqana Top Lot Who Could Be A Triumph Hurdle Dark Horse appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Following the GI Belmont Stakes, the month of June is traditionally a little quieter in the graded ranks as the sport revs up for Saratoga and other summer racing. This year and last, Saratoga has been in the spotlight early as host of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival while Belmont Park undergoes reconstruction. Fifteen of North America's graded races were held at the Spa over that extended weekend this year. Canadian racing rejoined the graded picture in June, with five of the 35 graded races for the month in North America held at Woodbine. That meant 30 were in the U.S., with half of them held at Saratoga. Another two races, the Pennine Ridge and Soaring Softly Stakes, were scheduled as graded at the Spa but downgraded due to a surface switch. Ten of the 35 were Grade I events, with seven carded as Grade II, and another 18 as Grade III. Six of the Grade Is ran on dirt; the other four were on the grass. Overall, 18 of June's 35 graded races ran on the main track, 14 on turf, and three on Woodbine's Tapeta surface. A total of 28 individual stallions sired the 35 graded winners. Constitution and Into Mischief each had three individual winners, while Medaglia d'Oro, Street Sense, and the late Uncle Mo each doubled up. Airdrie Stud stallions had a particularly good June, with four members of their roster siring graded winners during the month. Three stallions–Into Mischief, Medaglia d'Oro, and Street Sense–not only sired graded winners, but also had sons sire graded winners in June. The 35 winners were represented by 30 broodmare sires. Uncle Mo led the way with three, while Bernardini, Distorted Humor, and Ghostzapper each had two. Darley's Street Sense held the distinction of both siring a Grade I winner and serving as the broodmare sire of a Grade I winner. Godolphin and WinStar Farm were the only breeders to double up on graded stakes for the month, giving 33 individual breeders graded winners. Thirteen were homebreds, some with additional partners added. Among graded winners sold at public U.S. auctions, Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy) was the least expensive at $30,000, although Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief) and Mo Plex (Complexity) each RNA'd for $27,000 as yearlings. Both later sold for under six figures as OBS 2-year-olds in training. Deterministic (Liam's Map) was the highest-priced public U.S. buy at $625,000 with Funtastic Again (Funtastic), Mindframe (Constitution), and Cash Call (McKinzie) right behind him at $600,000 apiece. In the trainer ranks, Chad Brown, Mark Casse, and Cherie DeVaux all tripled up for the month, while Brad Cox and Bill Mott each got two. Twenty-seven individual trainers got their charges to the winner's circle for graded wins in June. Two weeks after taking over his late father's stable, trainer Miguel Clement got his first Grade I win with Deterministic in the GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes. The post 35 Graded Races in June: What Did We Learn? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS–After Baeza's (McKinzie) lackluster third-place finish in the GI Belmont Stakes last month, trainer John Shirreffs wasn't convinced his horse was as bad as he showed at Saratoga Race Course. Shirreffs is keeping the faith and will ship Baeza back to Saratoga for a date in the $500,000 GII Jim Dandy on July 26. “It seems like all roads lead to Saratoga,” Shirreffs said by phone from California Wednesday afternoon. “So far, it's the only race that has been under discussion with [owners] Mr. [Lee] Searing and Mr. [Robert] Clay.” Baeza came to the Belmont with plenty of hype after his third-place finish in the GI Kentucky Derby and a second in the GI Santa Anita Derby. In six career starts, Baeza has just a maiden win, but has shown plenty of potential. Shirreffs thought that potential would shine through in the Belmont, but he finished 6 1/2 lengths behind Sovereignty (Into Mischief). Journalism (Curlin) was 3 1/2 lengths in front of him. “I did not expect him to run that way at all,” Shirreffs said. “We were expecting him to run more like he did in the Kentucky Derby and maybe do a little bit better. I really don't know what led to that.” Since the Belmont, Baeza has worked twice at Santa Anita. His most recent move was a bullet (1/66) four furlongs in :46.40 last Friday. Shirreffs said if Baeza performs well in the Jim Dandy, he would keep the colt in Saratoga for a return trip in the GI Travers on Aug. 23. “I think he is as good as any 3-year-old in the country,” Shirreffs said. “I just want hm to prove it.” One potential snag in the Jim Dandy plan is who will ride Baeza in the Jim Dandy. Flavien Prat was his jockey in the Belmont and the Kentucky Derby. Shirreffs said that he was told by Prat's agent Brad Pegram that Prat would be in California to ride Nysos (Nyquist) in the GII San Diego Handicap on July 26 if trainer Bob Baffert opts to run the 4-year-old in that spot. Locked Gets His Turn To Shine For Pletcher Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is hoping that Friday's $400,000 GII Suburban is a lock. That's because Locked (Gun Runner), one of the talented trio of older horses living in his barn, is running in the 1 1/4-race for 4-year-olds and up. Locked schooling in Saratoga | Sarah Andrew Pletcher has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to older horses. Besides Locked, he can see Mindframe (Constitution) and Fierceness (City of Light) down his shedrow. Mindframe stamped himself as the leader of the division last weekend when he won the GI Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs; Fierceness was last seen finishing second in the GI Met Mile at Saratoga on Belmont Day. Now, it's Locked's turn. “It's back to a distance that he is at his best at,” Pletcher said outside his office on the Oklahoma Training Track. “He has had some good wins, but I think the [GI] Santa Anita Handicap was his best effort.” Locked, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm, won the 1 1/4-mile Santa Anita Handicap by 8 1/2 lengths under jockey Jose Ortiz, who will be ride on Friday. Locked is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the field of eight. In his last start, Locked finished fourth in the GII Alysheba at Churchill Downs on May 2, beaten 6 3/4 lengths by Fierceness. That race was run at 1 1/16 miles. Fierceness set a track record (1:40.66) while Locked was screaming for more distance. “If you look at it, they went slow fractions [:24.39, :48.31] and then they had a track record,” Pletcher said. “Usually, track records are set with fast paces. [Locked] was trying to close ground into horses that went soft fractions early and then they set a track record. Kind of an impossible scenario.” While Pletcher awaits Locked, he can sing the praises of Mindframe, owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC. He ran his record to three wins in three starts this year at three different distances. The Stephen Foster was run at 1 1/8 miles; the GI Churchill Downs seven furlongs and the GII Gulfstream Park Mile. For his career, he has five wins in seven starts; last year he was second in the GI Belmont and GI Haskell following a maiden and allowance wins. Pletcher now must decide what comes next for Mindframe. He already has Fierceness, also owned by Repole Stable, pointed to the prestigious $1-million GI Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 2. “We have to keep it in play,” Pletcher said about Mindframe and the Whitney. “You hate to run two horses like that against one another, but you also have to manage each horse's career for what is best for each horse.” If it is decided that Mindframe won't run in the Whitney, Pletcher said Plan B would be for the colt to compete in the $1-million GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga on Aug. 31. Sovereignty Gearing Up For Return In Jim Dandy It's time for Sovereignty (Into Mischief) to get busy again. The GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes champ is back on the work tab for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Last Friday, Sovereignty had his first work since the Belmont as Mott allowed his stable star to stretch his legs on the Oklahoma Training Track (four furlongs in :50.85). Sovereignty on the track in Saratoga | Sarah Andrew The next goal is the Jim Dandy at 1 1/8 miles on July 26. That would be the only race Mott would target for Sovereignty, whose summer end game goal is the GI Travers on Aug. 23. Sovereignty, owned by Godolphin, has won three of four starts this year. In the Kentucky Derby and Belmont, he defeated the favored Journalism, who was favored in both races. Mott, standing outside his office at the Oklahoma Training Track, said there would also be the option of training Sovereignty up to the Travers, but that would only happen if the horse could not make the Jim Dandy. “Anything can happen,” Mott said. “You never know. He could get a fever, he could get a skin rash, he could grab a quarter. It's day to day. It is always day to day. We are going to put him on a regular schedule and see if we can get him to the Jim Dandy.” Since the Belmont, Mott sees nothing but a healthy horse in Sovereignty. The colt has stamped himself as the best 3-year-old in the country after winning two legs of the Triple Crown. “We have had high expectations for him for a long time,” Mott said. “But having hopes and dreams and expectations is different from actually doing it. Those things are all in our minds. Right now, his record is his record.” The post Shirreffs Says Baeza Will Head East for Jim Dandy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Zulu Kingdom, whose only defeat in six career starts came in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T), looks like an odds-on favorite in the $200,000 Manila Stakes (G3T) for 3-year-olds July 4 at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article

After finishing second best to a filly in his first start in a stakes, Blinging It Back will try again—this time strictly against the boys.View the full article