Wandering Eyes

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has confirmed two of the nation’s premier Group 1 races will move venues and dates this season in a step to protect their international status and strengthen the industry’s racing calendar. The $1,000,000 Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) will be run at Ellerslie Racecourse on 21 February 2026, two weeks before the $1,250,000 Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Auckland Thoroughbred Racing’s Champions Day meeting, while the $600,000 Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) will return to its traditional late-March timing at RACE Awapuni on Saturday 28 March 2026. NZTR Chief Executive Matt Ballesty said the changes were vital race-planning decisions for the country. “NZTR has made necessary adjustments to preserve the quality of New Zealand’s Group One calendar, protect critical breeding pathways, and deliver top-class racing experiences nationwide,” he said. The New Zealand Oaks, long regarded as the ultimate test for three-year-old fillies, faced the risk of downgrade after three consecutive years below the required international ratings, prompting an Asian Pattern Committee (APC) review. Its move to February reflects both recent challenges in attracting top-level fillies and the opportunity to link more naturally with the Trackside New Zealand Derby and Australian Autumn features. The change has been approved for one year, with its position to be reviewed thereafter. Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (ATR) Chief Executive Officer Paul Wilcox said the change creates a fresh opportunity for the Oaks to flourish. “The new February timing at Ellerslie strengthens pathways for fillies, creates synergy with the Derby two weeks later, and gives New Zealand’s Classic calendar better alignment with Australia’s Autumn features,” he said. The $150,000 Gr.2 Jennian Homes Lowland Stakes (2100m) will also move to RACE Inc’s Wellington Cup Day on 31 January to sharpen the lead-in to the Oaks. The New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, New Zealand’s only Group One race exclusively for fillies and mares, will also undergo a reset. Won in recent years by champions such as Avantage and Imperatriz, the race will return to its traditional March slot at RACE Awapuni, creating a blockbuster Central Districts raceday with five black-type events, including two Group Ones (the Breeders’ Stakes and the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes [1400m]). Supporting pathway races will also be realigned, with the $200,000 Gr.3 Wentwood Grange Cuddle Stakes (1600m) moving to RACE Awapuni on Sunday 1 March 2026, the $600,000 Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m) shifting from ATR’s TAB Karaka Millions meeting on Saturday 24 January to Champions Day on Saturday 7 March, and the $90,000 Royal Descent Stakes (1400m) moving from ATR’s SkyCity Boxing Day Races to the TAB Karaka Millions. As a part of that same APC review, the Group One classification of five races was considered, including: the New Zealand Oaks (2400m), New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), Livamol Classic (2040m), Telegraph (1200m) and Thorndon Mile (1600m). Under APC rules, a vote is triggered when a race records three consecutive runnings below the Group One benchmark and tolerance levels. As a result of the review, the Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) has been downgraded from Group One to Group Two status. The decision reflects the race’s recent performance history. The race will continue to carry prizemoney of $500,000 and will be staged at RACE Trentham on Saturday 17 January 2026. The APC also confirmed continued Group One status, for now, for the New Zealand Oaks and New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, supported by the calendar and venue changes stated above, and for the Livamol Classic and Telegraph, based on overall field quality and historical standing. NZTR’s Senior Handicapper and APC representative Bruce Sherwin said while the downgrade was disappointing, there are encouraging signs for New Zealand racing. “New Zealand’s ratings have been impacted by the recent retirement of top horses, but levels are now rebuilding,” Sherwin said. “Significant prizemoney increases, stronger turnover and renewed investment at the NZB sales are positive indicators. This season has also started strongly with the Gr.1 Proisir Plate at Ellerslie showing excellent depth and quality. “Looking ahead, it is critical our best horses contest Group One races if they are to remain at the highest level,” Sherwin added. Details on nomination and acceptance dates will be included in NZTR’s Racing Programme Guide in due course. View the full list of 2025-26 Group and Listed races here. View the full article

Well-bred three-year-old gelding Kygo Star (Wootton Bassett) is set to shine when he makes his debut in the Fox & Hounds Taupo (1300m) at Taupo on Wednesday. The promising youngster has breeding on his side, being out of in vogue Coolmore stallion Wootton Bassett and out of Group One performer Star Karen, and he has made a good impression on his trainer Chad Ormsby. The Cambridge horseman is looking forward to seeing him step out for the first time on raceday, having pulled him out of his intended debut at Matamata last Friday due to the deteriorating track. “He was due to run last week but it was too wet at Matamata,” Ormsby said. “Hopefully we might have a nice, long campaign in front of him, and we didn’t want to put a gut buster in first-up. “It’s a nice option there (at Taupo) and I expect to know a little bit more about him. We do think he is a horse that will get up over ground. “He will be a better autumn three-year-old. He is a little bit slow-maturing, but he has started to put his hand up, so we are pressing on for now.” Stablemate Dalmatian Coast (NZ) (Ace High), a half-brother to Group One performer Antrim Coast, is also entered for Taupo to contest the DPA Chartered Accountants NZB Mega Maiden Series (1200m), but Ormsby said he is likely to be saved for Ellerslie on Saturday after drawing 17 at Taupo. “We threw him in on Saturday at Ellerslie, so we are most likely to go there,” Ormsby said. “We have drawn pretty average tomorrow. “He was in last week (at Matamata) but we don’t want to give him a gut buster first-up and that’s the same sort of deal with drawing wide. The track will probably play a little tricky tomorrow as well.” Looking ahead to the weekend, Ormsby is set to head to Ellerslie with two other runners, including Pieces of Eight (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) and Unodostrescuatro (NZ) (Savabeel), with all three nominated for the SkyCity 1200. “Pieces of Eight has endless amounts of ability, so I am looking forward to seeing her kick-off her campaign,” Ormsby said. “She is still in that maiden grade so if it’s not Saturday, we will see her break her maiden pretty soon. “Unodostrescuatro has had three runs to date and all have been very good runs. “It is nice to have a couple of nice maideners that should break maiden grade pretty soon.” Meanwhile, Have A Crack (Zoustar), who has won both of his starts for Ormsby, is enjoying some time in the paddock following his last-start victory at Ellerslie earlier this month. “He is really good,” Ormsby said. “I haven’t found the perfect race for him for his next run, so he found himself in the spelling paddock at the end of last week. “He is having a little rest and he should have a nice summer campaign in front of him. We are quite excited about him.” Ormsby is also excited about the summer prospects of his Group Three-winning stablemates Master Fay (Deep Field) and Outovstock (NZ) (Tavistock), with the latter winning his 1100m trial at Ellerslie last week. “Master Fay might go to the Te Rapa trials (next Tuesday),” Ormsby said. “He was due to go to Ellerslie but got eliminated there and had a jumpout at home. He is ticking all of the boxes. “If we can get him anywhere near his best, he is going to be an exciting horse for summer racing. “Outovstock is due to trial again next week as well. If he can find his best form, he is going to be right up there with some of the better stayers this year.” View the full article

Promising mare Gossip (NZ) (Proisir) will be seeking to earn her connections a rich bonus when she heads to Taupo on Wednesday to contest the DPA Chartered Accountants NZB Mega Maiden Series (1200m). The Mega Maiden Series allows Karaka Millions eligible horses to race for an additional $1 million in bonuses comprised of 40 non-Saturday maiden races. The series kicks off at Taupo’s midweek meeting, and as a New Zealand Bloodstock graduate and maiden over the age of three, Gossip could earn her owner Gary Harding $20,000 and trainer Danica Guy $5,000 if she were successful on Wednesday. The four-year-old daughter of Proisir, who was purchased out of Fairdale Stud’s 2023 Gavelhouse Plus National Online Yearling Sale by Harding for $110,000, looks a good chance of snaring the cash first-up, having shown plenty of promise to date, placing in all three of her career starts. She returned this season with a pleasing runner-up performance in her 800m trial at Avondale earlier this month and Guy believes her mare is on song for her first-up assignment. “She is coming up really well,” Guy said. “She has had a bit of a long layoff. She had a trial last week so she should be pretty forward for tomorrow. “She is a lovely filly and has done a bit of developing, which she needed to do, so hopefully she runs well.” Guy is hopeful of a bold showing on Wednesday and believes Gossip is in for an exciting preparation. “There are a lot of nice options for her, but we will just get through tomorrow and make some plans from there,” she said. The Matamata horsewoman will take a further four runners to Taupo, including three-year-old filly Licorice (NZ) (Savabeel), who will make her debut in owner Gary Harding’s colours in the Fox & Hounds (1300m). “Licorice is a beautiful, well-bred filly,” Guy said. “She is quality and whatever she does tomorrow she will improve off. “I think she could be a really nice filly going forward to some of the three-year-old races over a bit more ground.” Fierce Impact gelding Snipers Shot (Fierce Impact) will also make his debut in the Prezzy Card Northern Country Cups Series (1300m), while the stable will also be represented by Annabelle (NZ) (Almanzor) in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1400m) and Live On Air (NZ) (Proisir) in the Inglis Ready2Race Sale – 16 Oct (1400m). “Snipers Shot is a nice horse, but he needs good tracks,” Guy said. “He is going to be a nice staying three-year-old and is going to be one to watch when he gets over a bit more ground. “Annabelle is going well. She is pretty forward for her first-up run, so she should give a big of a sight too. “Live On Air is flying. She is one of my better chances tomorrow.” View the full article

David Eustace has Light Years Charm “ready to go” for next week’s Group Three Celebration Cup (1,400m) after the progressive galloper comfortably won a dirt trial on Tuesday. An impressive winner of four Sha Tin races in his first Hong Kong season, the Australian import warmed up for his return with a narrow victory under Zac Purton in a 1,200m trial. “I was happy with his trial. The track was rain-affected, but I thought he got through it well,” Eustace said. “Zac knows him extremely well, he...View the full article

Tony Cruz is optimistic a “better and stronger” Californiatotality can make a big impact on his seasonal return in Wednesday night’s Class Two Shek O Handicap (1,650m) at Happy Valley. A shining light of Cruz’s stable last term, the son of Zoustar proved his toughness with four wins and a pair of placings while earning a crack at the final two legs of the Classic Series. Though he could only manage eighth in the Classic Cup (1,800m) and 11th in the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m), Californiatotality...View the full article

Zac Purton and Ka Ying Rising are heading to Sydney for the Evereret Carnival. (Photo: HKJC) Ka Ying Rising is expected to arrive in Sydney later this month, before two weeks in quarantine and then a short preparation for the Group 1 Everest. The David Hayes-trained Ka Ying Rising is the $1.70 favourite for the Everest and is the world’s top rated sprinter after winning 14 of his first 16 starts, including a current run of 13, which has netted more than $10million in prize money. Hayes, who is in his second stint in Hong Kong racing after a successful raid early in his career, is beginning to hit his straps and Ka Ying Rising is undoubtedly his stable star, which is backed up by the decision to bring leading Hong Kong jockey Zac Purton, another ex-pat Aussie out to ride him. Hayes’ star galloper is not the only big name heading out to Australia for the $81million Sydney Everest Carnival, with a select group of gallopers primarily targeting The Group 1 $20 million Everest and Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes at Royal Randwick (18 October) and the $10 million Golden Eagle at Royal Randwick (1 November). Ka Ying Rising, favourite with all Aussie bookmakers, will be the centre of world racing eyes when he touches down in Sydney on September 22 and heads to the Canterbury Quarantine Centre. After spending two weeks in isolation at Canterbury, Ka Ying Rising with his trainer and jockey head to Royal Randwick for a barrier trial and major public event at Royal Randwick on Tuesday, October 7. His preparation will continue to build at Canterbury ahead of the world’s richest race on turf, Sydney’s iconic $20 million Everest at Royal Randwick. UK training maestro William Haggas sends Lake Forest back to Sydney as the stable looks to build on a remarkable record at Autumn and Spring carnivals. Lake Forest won last year’s $10 million Golden Eagle and is being aimed at Group 1 glory in the $5 million King Charles III Stakes at Royal Randwick on Everest Day. Stablemate Sam Hawkens will also travel to Canterbury Quarantine with a primary goal of running in the $500,000 ATC St Leger Stakes, another feature race on the bumper card on TAB Everest Day. The William Haggas stable has won 11 races and two placings in Sydney over the past five years at a whopping strike rate of 45.83%, including six Group 1s. Amongst a second shipment of international runners deeper in the Spring will be a group of high-class Japanese gallopers and other UK horses targeting the $10 million Golden Eagle at Royal Randwick on November 1. Japanese star eyes Group 1 Golden Eagle glory Panja Tower is aiming to be the second Japanese horse in three years to win the Golden Eagle and will be prepared by trainer Shinsuke Hashiguchi. Japanese horse Obamburumai won the Golden Eagle in 2023. Two UK gallopers in Seagulls Eleven for trainer Hugo Palmer and the Charlie Fellowes trained Luther are also heading to Sydney for the Golden Eagle. Australian Turf Club Head of Racing and Wagering Nevesh Ramdhani said the Sydney Everest Carnival in Spring had become a major focus of world racing and leading stables across several distances and age groups. “Sydney will host the world’s best sprinter, some of the biggest trainers in UK racing, and another contingent of Japanese runners, all targeting a range of multi-million dollar races throughout October and November,’’ Mr Ramdhani said. “The international interest in the Sydney Spring continues to grow and trainers are realising a select and special horse is needed to compete and win against our very best. “We are also seeing more horses being sent to Sydney to compete and then remain here with local trainers to race all year round, which is another significant vote of confidence in our racing.” View the full article

Red Sea will represent Cambridge Stud principals Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay in Hong Kong. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Cambridge Stud will break new ground this season when the iconic farm’s familiar gold and black checked silks will be in action in Hong Kong. Principals Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay have been granted an ownership permit with expatriate New Zealander Jamie Richards to train their Group One-performed representative Red Sea. “The Hong Kong Jockey Club invited I think around a dozen international owners to be part of the Hong Kong racing system,” Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre said. “Cambridge Stud has a single permit and in Hong Kong terms for a PPG, a Private Purchase Griffin which is an unraced horse, or a raced horse which would go up there with a rating. “Hong Kong is a very important market for New Zealand, they are well represented at the Ready to Run Sale and at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale every year. “Having received the invitation to race a horse up there, we felt it was an opportunity not to be missed.” A homebred son of Pierata, Red Sea was prepared by Andrew Forsman and was a juvenile winner and finished runner-up in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). “In Hong Kong terms, he ticks quite a few boxes, he’s a four-year-old now and will go into Class 3,” Plumptre said. “The fact that he was Group One placed in New Zealand and a winner of quite a strong race suggested to us that he would be more than capable of holding his own up there.” Red Sea underperformed in two starts as a three-year-old in Melbourne before an injury came to light and sidelined him for the rest of his season. “He fractured a rib and we can only suggest it was an accident in his box, and it went unnoticed while he was in training,” Plumptre said. “We couldn’t work out why he wasn’t extending in his races at Moonee Valley and Sandown. “We got him home and did a complete scan and found the fractured rib and it took four months for him to recover.” Red Sea was a trial winner at Taupo last month in the hands of regular rider Warren Kennedy. “Warren gave us really good feedback and said he felt brilliant,” Plumptre said. “Jamie wanted him to have a decent gallop right-handed, so we took him to Ellerslie for a gallop with a companion and, once again, he went very well. “We were confident enough to put him on the quarantine list, and he leaves in two weeks’ time.” Red Sea will continue the successful association Cambridge Stud has enjoyed with Richards. “We’ve had a lot of luck with Jamie, both here and in Australia, with Probabeel the flagbearer and he trained a number of other good fillies for us so that gives us confidence we’ve got the right trainer,” Plumptre said. “The important thing is that Jamie knows the New Zealand system and obviously knows Andrew Forsman and how well he has handled the horse. “If he is competitive in Class 3 and can maybe get to Class 2 then that will be an important step and see the Cambridge Stud brand at that level.” Red Sea will be given ample time to settle into his new environment before stepping out. “I’m tipping that Jamie will feel his way and if he’s racing around Christmas time that would be good, but more likely toward the end of January,” Plumptre said. “The important thing for us is to have a competitive horse up there and we’re confident we’ve got the right horse, it’s just a question if him acclimatising.” A half-brother to multiple Australian winner Hard To Cross, Red Sea is a son of the Commands mare Egyptian Cross. She is a half-sister to dual Group Three winner Egyptian Symbol with their dam the Group 1 Railway (1200m) winner Our Egyptian Raine. View the full article

The boss of NZTR, Matt Ballesty, joins Michael in studio for an in-depth chat about the state of the industry, impending changes, and the future and plans with various tracks. Guerin Report – S2 Ep.3 Ft. Matt Ballesty View the full article

Cambridge Stud will break new ground this season when the iconic farm’s familiar gold and black checked silks will be in action in Hong Kong. Principals Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay have been granted an ownership permit with expatriate New Zealander Jamie Richards to train their Group One-performed representative Red Sea (NZ) (Pierata). “The Hong Kong Jockey Club invited I think around a dozen international owners to be part of the Hong Kong racing system,” Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre said. “Cambridge Stud has a single permit and in Hong Kong terms for a PPG, a Private Purchase Griffin which is an unraced horse, or a raced horse which would go up there with a rating. “Hong Kong is a very important market for New Zealand, they are well represented at the Ready to Run Sale and at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale every year. “Having received the invitation to race a horse up there, we felt it was an opportunity not to be missed.” A homebred son of Pierata, Red Sea was prepared by Andrew Forsman and was a juvenile winner and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). “In Hong Kong terms, he ticks quite a few boxes, he’s a four-year-old now and will go into Class 3,” Plumptre said. “The fact that he was Group One placed in New Zealand and a winner of quite a strong race suggested to us that he would be more than capable of holding his own up there.” Red Sea underperformed in two starts as a three-year-old in Melbourne before an injury came to light and sidelined him for the rest of his season. “He fractured a rib and we can only suggest it was an accident in his box, and it went unnoticed while he was in training,” Plumptre said. “We couldn’t work out why he wasn’t extending in his races at Moonee Valley and Sandown. “We got him home and did a complete scan and found the fractured rib and it took four months for him to recover.” Red Sea was a trial winner at Taupo last month in the hands of regular rider Warren Kennedy. “Warren gave us really good feedback and said he felt brilliant,” Plumptre said. “Jamie wanted him to have a decent gallop right-handed, so we took him to Ellerslie for a gallop with a companion and, once again, he went very well. “We were confident enough to put him on the quarantine list, and he leaves in two weeks’ time.” Red Sea will continue the successful association Cambridge Stud has enjoyed with Richards. “We’ve had a lot of luck with Jamie, both here and in Australia, with Probabeel the flagbearer and he trained a number of other good fillies for us so that gives us confidence we’ve got the right trainer,” Plumptre said. “The important thing is that Jamie knows the New Zealand system and obviously knows Andrew Forsman and how well he has handled the horse. “If he is competitive in Class 3 and can maybe get to Class 2 then that will be an important step and see the Cambridge Stud brand at that level.” Red Sea will be given ample time to settle into his new environment before stepping out. “I’m tipping that Jamie will feel his way and if he’s racing around Christmas time that would be good, but more likely toward the end of January,” Plumptre said. “The important thing for us is to have a competitive horse up there and we’re confident we’ve got the right horse, it’s just a question if him acclimatising.” A half-brother to multiple Australian winner Hard To Cross, Red Sea is a son of the Commands mare Egyptian Cross. She is a half-sister to dual Group Three winner Egyptian Symbol with their dam the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) winner Our Egyptian Raine. View the full article

With figures continuing to surpass the 2024 standard at the Keeneland September Sale, a colt by Maclean's Music was the most fancied yearling of the day, bringing $500,000 from Alex and JoAnn Lieblong. Offered as Hip 2263, the son of SW Athens Queen (Majestic Warrior) was consigned by Eaton Sales. A trio of colts realized $475,000, including Hip 2235, by Gun Runner and Hip 2281, by Epicenter. Both yearlings were purchased by Pedro Lanz, acting on behalf of KAS Stables. With five purchases for $1,345,000, Pedro Lanz, agent for KAS Stable, was Monday's leading buyer. The third colt to bring that amount was Hip 2138, a son of Candy Ride (Arg) who was originally knocked down to trainer Kenny McPeek. Delta Squad Racing and BSW/Crow were added to the docket. A pair of fillies brought $400,000 on the day–Hip 2266, a daughter of Good Magic out of Aunt Kat and Hip 2302, by Omaha Beach out of Carmel Beauty. The former was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, while the latter was offered by Hunter Valley Farm. On Monday, Keeneland sold 279 yearlings through the ring for $30,107,000, up 19.31% from last year when 288 horses brought $25,234,000 at the seventh session. The average of $107,910 increased 23.16% over $87,618 in 2024. The median rose 7.14% from $70,000 to $75,000. Cumulatively, 1,495 yearlings have sold through the ring for $447,729,000, an increase of 23.80% from $361,642,000 for 1,454 horses sold during the same period last year. The average of $299,484 is 20.41% higher than $248,722 in 2024, and the median rose 17.65% from $170,000 to $200,000. The day's leading consignor was Gainesway, which sold 27 yearlings for $2,935,000. The September Sale continues Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET and runs each day through Saturday for a total of 12 sessions. McPeek Ramps Up in Book 4 Kenny McPeek picked up the baton on the third day of selling at Keeneland, however, the Kentucky horseman walked away with the most purchases to date in the Book 4 opener. “We have had short-list horses that we've been after all week and just felt short budgeted. It seems that things finally came together today,” said McPeek. “Every day we've participating a little bit and a bit more as the sale goes.” By the end of the day, McPeek signed for eight yearlings. His highest-priced purchase of the session was Hip 2138, a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) out of Screen Goddess (Giant's Causeway), a winning half-sister to GISW Star Billing (Dynaformer). “He's probably the best Candy Ride I've ever seen presented at auction,” he said. “He had a lot of flow to him. He wasn't a big horse but he was very well made. He presented himself well and we figured we'd stick our neck out on him.” Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale, the Mar. 13 foal, who was bred by George Krikorian, is from the family of GI Mother Goose winner Stellar Jayne and champion juvenile filly Just F Y I. “I liked the bottom line and I felt like a lot of things fit,” he added. After successfully outbidding agent Brad Weisbord on the colt, McPeek confirmed that the agent and partners will stay in for a piece of him. “It's the first time we've worked together,” McPeek confirmed. “I actually bought him without a client, I liked him that much. I figured we'd put it together when we could.” Also included among purchases his Monday, McPeek secured Hip 2097, a daughter of McKinzie, for $220,000. Consigned by Summerfield (Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck), the filly it out of Picolata (Bellamy Road). “She's a filly that had a lot of leg to her. She reminded me a bit, conformationally, of [GISW] Take Charge Lady,” said McPeek in reference to the McPeek-trained MGISW and earner of over $2.4 million. “She looks like an [Kentucky] Oaks-type filly. She'll take a little more time, I don't see her sprinting a whole lot, but I think when she stretches out, she'll be tough.” McPeek also signed for a pair of colts by Authentic (Hip 2287, $85,000 & Hip 2249, $45,000), in addition to a colt by Golden Pal (Hip 2257, $200,000). Monday's purchases were rounded out by Hip 2053, a colt by Essential Quality, purchased for $190,000, an Olympiad filly (Hip 2368) who brought $50,000 and a Nashville colt (Hip 2392) that went for $200,000 late in the session. “I bought a Golden Pal earlier in the summer but I thought this one was really reminiscent of Curlin, who I bought as well,” he said. “That always excites me.” McPeek purchased the eventual Horse of the Year and leading stallion for $57,000 at the 2005 renewal of the September sale. A two-time Breeders' Cup winner, Golden Pal earned in excess of $1.8 million on the racetrack. The son of Uncle Mo stands at Coolmore America. “I think Golden Pal is going to inject speed into the equation and I think the stud has been well represented.” Through seven sessions, McPeek signed for a total of 17 yearlings, for a gross of $2,940,000, averaging $172,941. “I have more middle and lower-market people, I've done that for a long time and I refuse to give those people up and I will continue to help them,” he said. “We've been plugging along and finding our niche. I am happy with what we've got so far. We still have a lot of work to do. We'll probably work all the way to the end.” The post Maclean’s Music Colt Brings $500K in Keeneland September Book 4 Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The administrative law judge (ALJ) handling Phil Serpe's appeal to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stemming from a two-year suspension imposed by a Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) arbitrator over a contested clenbuterol positive case has upheld the sanctions imposed against the veteran trainer. However, Jay Himes, the ALJ, also wrote in his Sept. 12 decision that he would “modify the award to add a $25,000 fine against Serpe,” even though the ALJ also ruled that, “I hold without merit Serpe's argument that he is entitled to a jury trial under the Seventh Amendment.” The issue of a fine, which was not imposed by HIWU, is a central part of a nearly year-old federal lawsuit Serpe initiated last October against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the FTC. Serpe's lawsuit is separate from the HIWU, HISA and FTC proceedings, although all of the adjudicatory proceedings are intertwined. And even though the ALJ offered an opinion that Serpe's Seventh Amendment argument is “without merit,” that question has yet to be decided by the federal judge in charge of Serpe's lawsuit. A key component of Serpe's renewed request for a preliminary injunction in his lawsuit is that HIWU and HISA did not pursue any monetary fine against him, which is a departure from how the agencies handled a dozen other clenbuterol detections since the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program (ADMC) went into effect in May 2023. The 66-year-old trainer has claimed that the non-pursuit of a fine by HISA and HIWU is an alleged end-around by those agencies to stymie his efforts to prove in his lawsuit that he has been wrongfully denied a constitutional right to a jury trial. Citing a United States Supreme Court case that previously ruled that a federal regulatory agency's enforcement for civil monetary penalties must be brought in a federal court, Serpe asserted in a July 15 legal filing in U.S. District Court (Southern District of Florida) that his Seventh Amendment rights are being violated by “gamesmanship” in the form of HISA and HIWU initially imposing a monetary penalty, but then withdrawing it when the case was eight months old and on the brink of going to arbitration. Serpe alleged that this move “strategically” attempted to deprive him of federal-court jurisdiction over the facts of liability required for any sanction. HISA, in an Aug. 15 legal filing, denied the allegations of gamesmanship, writing that Serpe “has completely turned this case on its head” by “begging for an additional penalty…” The ALJ's 130-page ruling dated last Friday affirmed the anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) against Serpe, then went into detail about the circumstances surrounding the HIWU arbitrator's non-imposition of a fine. “With Serpe's liability proven, I address next the matter of sanctions, specifically, whether the Arbitrator erred in failing to award a fine. I first consider the Authority's argument that Serpe is not aggrieved by the absence of a fine and, therefore, cannot complain of its omission in the sanctions award under review,” the ALJ wrote. “HISA § 3058(b)(1) provides, in relevant part, that review by an FTC ALJ may be taken 'on application by…a person aggrieved by the civil sanction' that has been 'imposed by the Authority…' The Authority maintains, however, that HISA's review provision 'does not permit a Covered Person to challenge the absence of a sanction….' “As the Authority puts it, '[t]he Arbitrator's decision not to impose a fine only benefitted' Serpe,” the ALJ wrote. Phil Serpe | Sarah Andrew “But the Authority's argument misses the forest for the trees. Serpe contends that, while HIWU initially sought a fine in charging him, after he objected that arbitration proceedings under HISA and the Rules violated his right to a jury trial under the Seventh Amendment, the Authority directed HIWU to drop its fine request with a view to mooting Serpe's Seventh Amendment objection,” the ALJ wrote. “Having litigated to conclusion HIWU's presence charge against him before the Arbitrator, Serpe has been held liable for an ADRV and had sanctions imposed–actual injury resulting in a proceeding he contends violates his right to Seventh Amendment protection. Serpe's objection is not to the absence of fine in the sanctions award. He maintains that he was entitled to have his liability for the alleged presence ADRV resolved by a jury in an action governed by discovery rules less 'restrictive' [than] those available in a HIWU-prosecuted arbitration,” the ALJ wrote. “While arguing here that, since no longer subject to a fine, Serpe has no Seventh Amendment objection capable of review, at the same time the Authority contends in the Federal Action that, '[b]ecause Plaintiff's Seventh Amendment claim depends on a fine that does not and will not exist, he cannot prevail on the merits…' “So, according to the Authority, Serpe cannot have his Seventh Amendment claim heard either on this review or in his Federal Action. It's a catch-22,” the ALJ wrote. “That cannot be right. HIWU itself argued in the arbitration that Serpe's constitutional argument is properly heard in this review proceeding: 'the ADMC Program and the de novo review process provide a forum in which Trainer Serpe can raise constitutional issues and have those issues addressed' [and] case law supports HIWU's position,” the ALJ wrote. “As I discuss below, the Authority's gloss on de novo review in this proceeding is too narrow, and how HIWU came to withdraw its request for a fine matters,” the ALJ wrote. “Suffice it to say at this point that, in my view the Authority and HIWU have sought to deprive Serpe of the opportunity to have his Seventh Amendment claim heard and resolved, and they also may well have induced Arbitrator error in this case,” the ALJ wrote. “[Serpe] is, therefore, 'aggrieved' for purposes of this review,” the ALJ wrote. “Equally important, there is something unseemly about the Authority's constitutional avoidance strategy, which would enable it to forego often minor monetary fines while continuing to expose those covered by HISA and the Rules to banishment from Thoroughbred horseracing for substantial periods of Ineligibility–here, two years for Serpe's first ADRV,” the ALJ wrote. “As Serpe rhetorically asks in the Federal Action: 'Will Defendants run this set of plays every time a Covered Person is prosecuted under HISA and seeks to vindicate his Seventh Amendment right?'” the ALJ wrote. “The Authority and HIWU's voluntary cessation of allegedly unconstitutional enforcement conduct 'does not make the case moot,'” the ALJ wrote. “If that avoidance strategy were permitted, the issue Serpe raises would be capable of repetition, yet evading review'–not only in federal court, but also in HISA review proceedings. “Simply put, HIWU does not work for, nor is it subject to the direction or control of, the Authority the way an employee or even an independent contractor might be,” the ALJ wrote. “Under HISA and the Rules, HIWU has a vital role in the national enforcement system that governs the horseracing industry, and that system's integrity calls for, and requires, preserving HIWU's independence from the Authority–except in the most exceptional of circumstances,” the ALJ wrote. “Whatever the scope of those exceptions might be, intervening to direct HIWU's charging prerogative in an individual, ongoing enforcement proceeding–as the Authority did here–is not one of them,” the ALJ wrote. “The conclusion is inescapable: The Authority intervened in HIWU's case in an attempt to avoid a resolution of Serpe's claimed constitutional violation, either by the Arbitrator or the District Court. The Authority's interference with HIWU's independent prosecutorial authority in this case is inconsistent with its statutory responsibility, under HISA itself, to 'provide for adequate due process' to those charged with ADMC Program violations,” the ALJ wrote. “In executing the Authority's directive, HIWU became complicit in the Authority's wrongful conduct,” the ALJ wrote. “Nonetheless, Congress intended HISA to rid Thoroughbred horseracing of the scourge of doping, and there is a public interest in effective enforcement of the statute and its implementing Rules. On the facts in this case, either: (1) a fine of some amount greater than $0 should have been awarded; or (2) an explanation for the decision to dispense with any fine at all was necessary,” the ALJ wrote. “The Arbitrator, however, offered no explanation, and nothing extraordinary is suggested that could account for the omission,” the ALJ wrote. “The Arbitrator's failure to explain his decision to omit any fine 'is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts found' and thus 'a clear error of judgment,'” the ALJ wrote. On Monday, a HISA spokesperson declined to comment on the ALJ's decision. Serpe's legal team could not be reached for comment. Serpe's suspension stems from a clenbuterol positive detected in the urine (but not blood) samples taken from his trainee, Fast Kimmie (Oscar Performance), after her Aug. 10, 2024 victory in a $30,000 claiming race at Saratoga Race Course. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the management of horses with airway obstruction. Clenbuterol cannot be administered to any HISA “covered horse” other than in the context of a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship in accordance with the conditions set forth in ADMC rules. Clenbuterol is classified as a “banned” substance by the ADMC, meaning it is never to be present in any HISA-regulated Thoroughbred. In the 1990s and 2000s decades, clenbuterol first started being regulated by American racing commissions because of its propensity for abuse as a drug known to mimic the muscle-building properties of anabolic steroids. The post FTC Judge: ‘Something Unseemly’ about HISA’s ‘Constitutional Avoidance Strategy’ in Serpe Case appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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By Michael Guerin The “frenemies” will be at it again in the IRT Spring Cup at Alexandra Park on Friday night but this time they will have a lot of stablemates for company. Defending champion Sooner The Bettor will have found memories of last season’s Spring Cup as he beat stablemate and constant travelling companion Merlin. This does not happen often. Usually Merlin is too fast for his perfectly-mannered mate, although Menangle is the one place Sooner The Bettor also seems to close the gap. They are back at it again when Merlin resumes off 20m in the 2200m step and scamper this Friday (9.16pm) and there is no reason Sooner The Bettor can’t beat him again, especially with a big field so there should be plenty of horses between the pair. Many of them in the same colours. Trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan have six in the race, the others being Cold Chisel back from injury, the race fit pair of Better Knuckle Up and Jeremiah and the mare Duchess Megxit. That makes for one hell of a representation but Arna Donnelly isn’t doing bad either as she has half as many with Little Spike, The Surfer and Jolimont. While there are only three stables represented it is still heartening to see a biggish field for the race and how punters react to Merlin’s opening quote ($2.35) will be interesting considering the poor record of back markers in major pacing races in the last couple of years. To place a bet on the Spring Cup click here The night’s other highlight is the $110,000 Caduceus Club Fillies Classic in which southern filly Lizzie Borden comes north and gets barrier 7 against those who have been racing at The Park headed by Shezsofast, Alecto, Queen Lizzy and the impressive maiden War Cry. Add in a big and deep Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes heat for the boys and the meeting is going to answer a lot of questions, with the TAB bookies going up nice and early on the features on Monday night. To see Auckland’s fields click here View the full article

The Axe the Racing Tax campaign has evidently hit a nerve at the Treasury, which made what was seen to be the unusual move of issuing a statement on the eve of the protest. The statement was also notable for being particularly tetchy in its tone.View the full article

Horse racing can pat itself on its back for the progress that has been made concerning horses sent to slaughter. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, horses are an amenable species, which means that horse meat cannot be shipped or sold for human consumption without inspection. With the government declining to foot the bill for inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration, every slaughter facility in the U.S. was forced to close. Tremendous strides have also been made when it comes to aftercare. There are dozens of wonderful charities out there taking care of thousands of retirees. Several racetracks have instituted their own non-profit programs where trainers and owners can turn their horses over to on-track workers who guarantee they will find the retiree a safe home. The gold standard for this is Parx's Turning For Home program, which has taken in 4,600 horses since its inception in 2008. But the job is not done. Horses are still being slaughtered because it is legal to ship them to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. That's where the Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act comes in. The bill would prohibit not only slaughter in the U.S. permanently but would also make it illegal to export horses to Canada and Mexico for the purpose of slaughter. Passage of the SAFE Act would slam the door on this ugly part of the horse industry. With no pipeline available to Mexico and Canada, someone wanting to sell a horse for slaughter would have no practical outlet to do so. It's not that our elected officials are against the SAFE Act. Very few are. It's that the bill continues to get buried in the quagmire that is our federal government. Chris Heyde is the founder of Blue Marble Strategy and is a Washington, D.C. lobbyist who has dedicated his career to animal welfare issues. On a recent TDN Writers' Room Podcast, he said the bill has made strides in the House of Representatives but can't get any traction in the Senate. “We've passed it out of the House of Representatives several times,” Heyde said. “Even in the last Congress, we moved it out of there. It's a matter of getting all the parts lined up to get it out of the House and get it out of the Senate. The Senate was set up to be a lot slower. It's where things get bogged down. They are far more deliberate.” Yet, Heyde, who has been working on animal welfare issues for 25 years, knows all too well how most things get done in D.C.: money, access and influence. That's what works. The problem is, Heyde doesn't have much money and he admits he doesn't have the kind of clout you need to get congressmen and senators to grant you an audience and listen to what you have to say. “Anytime I ever talk or write articles, I mention an old Thoroughbred owner, John Hettinger,” Heyde said. “He could pick up the phone and he would get members of Congress on the phone or he would get other major business leaders to get on the phone and tell them that this is a priority. And that's really what we need. We really haven't kind of had that leadership since John passed away.” Hettinger died in 2008. Heyde is waiting for the next Hettinger to come around. There are obviously others in the racing industry that are well connected enough and wealthy enough to get this done and care about the well-being of all horses. Surely, someone among the major breeders in Kentucky can sit down and talk with Mitch McConnell. HISA never would have passed without him. McConnell announced in February 2025 that he will retire and not seek re-election in 2026. His successor is likely to be Congressman Andy Barr, who has always been a friend to the racing industry. Do you have access to him? If yes, pick up the phone and ask for a meeting. It doesn't have to be McConnell or Barr and the responsibility to do this shouldn't rest solely with the Kentucky breeding industry. Do you have influence with any senator and congressmen? Then pick up the phone. Look at what Mike Repole accomplished earlier this year getting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to come out against decoupling in Florida. According to campaign finance records filed in July 2025, the billionaire businessman contributed $300,000 to DeSantis's state political committee, the Freedom Fund. Because he is a governor and not a senator or congressman, there is little that DeSantis can do. But the DeSantis-Repole relationship is a prime example of what can get done when someone with clout and a lot of money desires to make a change. “There are politicians that will listen to business owners and business leaders,” Heyde said. “That's really what we need because this isn't good for the racing industry. We've always tried to get that point across. I would say that 99% don't want this happening to their horses, but they've got to speak up and make that contact. So that's what we're really trying to do, to get top-tier business leaders to join us.” There have to be dozens of wealthy horse owners who know influential politicians who will hear what they have to say. Pick up the phone. Heyde admits that the SAFE Act would never go anywhere if presented as a stand-alone bill. So efforts have been made to include it in the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is a comprehensive omnibus bill that is the primary agricultural and food policy instrument of the federal government. The 2018 Farm Bill permanently outlawed the slaughtering, trading, and transport of dogs and cats for human consumption in the U.S. All it would take is to add the word “horse” to the bill's language covering cats and dogs. Heyde admits he can't get this done by himself. But if enough racing people who are power brokers step up, the SAFE Act can become a law and slaughter will end. Want to help? You can contact Heyde at cheyde@bluemarblestrategy.com. The post Op/Ed: The Industry Needs to Step Up and Help Pass the SAFE Act appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

On the Sept. 15 episode of BloodHorse Monday, Louie Rabaut and Sean Collins on the start of the Kentucky Derby and Oaks trails, Frank Angst discusses opening week of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, and we preview the Pennsylvania Derby (G1).View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features a runner in the Thoroughbred Daily News EBF Novice Stakes. 1.48 Punchestown, Mdn, 2yo, f, 8f 30yT WHITE SAND BEACH (Dubawi) debuts in a fascinating contest for Ballydoyle and is the fifth foal out of the triple Group 1 heroine Alice Springs (Galileo), making her a full-sister to Dubawi's Group-placed past TDN Rising Star Prettiest. She meets the Donnacha O'Brien-trained Lookingforarainbow (Justify), the daughter of the luminary Damson (Entrepreneur) who was third on debut behind Diamond Necklace at the Curragh. 2.25 Yarmouth, Novice, 2yo, 6f 3yT DIVISION (Kingman) is out 11 days after his impressive win at Haydock for Wathnan and William Haggas and will be a warm order to follow up despite his penalty. Entered in the Middle Park, the 800,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 graduate, who is a full-brother to last year's G2 Lowther Stakes winner Celandine, faces eight maidens in this Thoroughbred Daily News EBF Novice Stakes. The post Alice Springs’ Daughter White Sand Beach Debuts at Punchestown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Racing Australia will go back to the drawing board this week after a bid to make four more NSW races group 1s was rejected by the Asian Racing Federation's Asian Pattern Committee.View the full article

C R K Stable and Grandview Equine's Baeza (McKinzie), third to Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes and a latest second to the divisional leader in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes, and Gosger (Nyquist), runner-up to Journalism (Curlin) in the GI Preakness Stakes and when last seen in the GI Haskell Invitational Stakes in mid-July, drew gates eight and nine, respectively, in a field of 10 for Saturday's $1-million GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing north and east of Central Philadelphia. The human connections of Baeza, the half-brother to the Classic-winning full-brothers Mage (Good Magic) and Dornoch, eschewed another trip back east for the GI DraftKings Travers in favor of the Pennsylvania Derby and the son of former 'TDN Rising Star' Puca (Big Brown) has registered no fewer than five breezes in Southern California since the Jim Dandy, including a six-furlong move at Santa Anita on Sept. 12 that was clocked in a race-like 1:11.60. Hector Berrios has the call for trainer John Shirreffs. Only a pair of improbable finishes from Journalism consigned GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes hero Gosger to the bottom of the exacta at Pimlico and again at the Jersey Shore two months ago. Since returning to trainer Brendan Walsh's Churchill base, the homebred has gotten in a half-dozen drills, most recently working a bullet five-eighths (1/40) in :59.60 on Sept. 12. Luis Saez is as the controls. Magnitude (Not This Time) upset the GII Risen Star Stakes in stunning fashion and was equally impressive in winning the Iowa Derby off an injury-enforced absence, but was beaten a country mile into third in the Jim Dandy after setting a fairly easy pace. Ben Curtis is back aboard. Fringe players include 'TDN Rising Star' Goal Oriented (Not This Time), fourth in the Preakness and three-parts of a length behind Journalism in third in the Haskell; GIII Ohio Derby hero Mo Plex (Complexity), subsequently fourth in the Jim Dandy; and 'Rising Star' Big Truzz (Justify), a romping seven-length winner of the Ellis Park Derby Aug. 10. PA Derby 1. So Sandy 2. Altobelli 3. Magnitude 4. David of Athens 5. Happily Delusional 6. Goal Oriented 7. Big Truzz 8. Baeza 9. Gosger 10. Mo Plex — John DaSilva (@JohnDaSilva) September 15, 2025 The co-featured $1-million GI Cotillion Stakes has no future Horse of the Year in the mix–Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) gutted it out in 2024–but the 8 1/2-furlong test pulls together three previous winners at Grade I level. Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) ran the table in five starts last term and took the GI Kentucky Oaks second off the layoff May 2. La Cara (Street Sense) frolicked in the Saratoga slop, relegating Good Cheer to fifth and handing her the first loss of her career in the GI Acorn Stakes June 8 and she was a sound second in the GI Alabama Stakes last time, with La Cara only fourth to stablemate Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro). Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) gave her sire a sweep of the one-mile Grade I features for the juvenile set at Aqueduct last October in the Frizette Stakes and has been a slower burn this year, but exits a monstrous 15 1/2-length romp over champion Immersive (Nyquist) in the GI CCA Oaks on July 19. Saturday's marquee day of racing at Parx also includes the GII Gallant Bob Stakes, the marathon GIII Greenwood Cup Stakes and three stakes at listed level. Cotillion 1. Scottish Lassie 2. La Cara 3. Clicquot 4. Indy Bay 5. Not Too LAte 6. Ourdaydrraminggirl 7. Good Cheer 8. Dry Powder — John DaSilva (@JohnDaSilva) September 15, 2025 The post Classic-Placed Baeza, Gosger Drawn Side By Side In Pennsylvania Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Stu wore so many hats. He was a friend, employee, colleague to so many people. But I was the only one that got to call him my father-in-law. I will forever be grateful to share the same last name with someone that was so loved by his community. I will continue to be proud and carry our last name with honor. He also earned a new title as Grandpapa Stuburger in the last year. It does tear my heart knowing our current children or future children will not grow up knowing him, but I will cherish the memories they have made! Stu was always there to cheer Drew and I on. Whether it was about our marriage and foster journey, or just about the meal we were cooking him. He was our biggest fan. Some of my favorite memories with Stu were when he would come up to Cincinnati and we would go brewery hopping. Cincinnati has some really cool spots. This last winter we were lucky enough to travel to Bermuda. While the food wasn't the most impressive, we did go to The Hog Penny, and had the most satisfying dinner. We played multiple rounds of golf and just enjoyed the beautiful island. I am so glad we were able to celebrate Stu and Drew's 60/30 birthday year! I hope Drew and I can carry on his legacy in everything we do. I thank God he allowed me to be Stu's daughter-in-law. —Alexa Angus The post Stu Story #12 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk The legendary Jimmy Cassidy never does things by halves. So when the dual Melbourne Cup-winning jockey decided to get involved in his first standardbred he went all in. “I’ve always wanted one so decided to give it a crack,” Cassidy said from Sydney. Not only did he put his money where his mouth was but agreed to a suggestion by his “great mate” Graeme Rogerson that the colt be called “Go Jimmy Cassidy”. The two-year-old qualified at Cambridge Raceway last week. The son of American Ideal was bought by Hamilton-based Rogerson Bloodstock for $42,500 from the 2024 National Yearling Sales. So how did the deal come about? “I’ve known Rogie since I was 11 years old – he helped me throughout my career, we are great mates,” says Cassidy. “I go to Rogie’s three to five times a year and stay with him and Deb and he’s always got horses strewn everywhere on his table and I saw this one and said ‘that’s a good looking horse'”. “I didn’t know if it was a trotter or a pacer or a galloper and he said ‘it’s a pacer'” “I said “I’ll take a share in it”, says Cassidy, “it was just a good-bodied horse.” And it was Rogerson who came up with the name. “He said ‘why don’t we call it Go Jimmy Cassidy and I said ‘you’re an idiot.'” Known as “Pumper” because of his distinctive up and down riding style, Cassidy won over 100 Group 1 races in a colourful and highly successful career that included two Melbourne Cup wins. His “last to first” win with Kiwi in 1983 is racing folklore and was followed by his second with Might And Power 14 years later. He retired in 2015 aged 53 after a 36-year career and nearly 2000 winners. Over the years greyhounds and other horses have had names such as Jimmy the Pumper and King Cassidy and he knows he’s going to get some ribbing over this latest one, not that he’s worried in the slightest. “I’ve been copping it all my life mate.” Cassidy quickly got together his ownership group. It includes wife Vicki and some golfing mates (Cassidy is a 8 handicapper himself). “I syndicated it for him and I put a heap of my old mates in it from here in Sydney, a group of cotton farmers and others and we are just going to use it as a bit of fun.” Cassidy is already thinking about being trackside to see the youngster in the flesh. “Hopefully when he’s ready to go my mates who all play golf will come over and play some golf and then we’ll go to the races and watch him race.” “He had a bit of foot trouble but he’s got that right now, and he’s qualified – we’ll give him a couple of weeks and then start fresh.” And like his two-year-old namesake Cassidy is just taking it one step at a time. “It’s fun – if I do something I like to enjoy it. Whatever happens happens and that’s one of the great things about this game called racing.” View the full article

Jim Edgar, a moderate Republican who served two terms as the Governor of Illinois and a successful owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds in the Midwest, passed away on Sept. 14 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 79 years old. Appointed to the position of Illinois Secretary of State in 1981, Edgar was responsible for helping to toughen drunk driving penalties in the state and was also instrumental in successfully leading a legislative battle to mandate car insurance for Illinois motorists. Edgar was elected to his first term as governor in 1990 and won re-election four years later, winning all but one of Illinois's 102 counties, including Cook County (Chicago), historically dominated by the Democrats. According to Equibase statistics, Edgar began racing horses in 2003 and in 2005, won the Governor's Lady Handicap with the Tom Dorris-trained Illinois-bred mare Fighting Fever, which Edgar bred with Don Smith. As recently as this past July, Edgar was represented by the 3-year-old Indiana-bred filly Temple Paynter (Paynter), winner of the Indiana First Lady Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis for trainer Robert E. Dobbs, Jr. Over the course of his career, his horses amassed a record of 144-183-196 from 1,317 starters for earnings of $3,300,162. This past February, Edgar revealed he was fighting pancreatic cancer. “I've told many people I want to stay around,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I've got a few things I want to do and see. I want to see great-grandchildren. I kind of like to see my horses do a little better than they've done. So I've got a lot to hold out for. But to be very truthful, if it ended tomorrow, I've had a great life.” Current Illinois Democratic Governor J. B. Pritzker paid tribute to Edgar, telling the suburban Chicago Daily Herald: “I was lucky enough to consider him a friend and mentor and have found myself drawing from his words of wisdom on countless occasions. His commitment to reaching across the aisle in service of the people of Illinois undeniably made our state better. “Now more than ever, we should channel that spirit and resolve to live as Gov. Edgar did: with honesty, integrity, and an enduring respect for all.” The post Former Illinois Governor, Thoroughbred Enthusiast Jim Edgar, Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There was a famous t.v. commercial in the 1970s where Victor Kiam tells the audience that he was a dedicated `wet shaver' until his wife bought him a Remington electric shaver. He was so impressed, he says, he bought the company. John Stewart knows how Kiam felt. “When I first got into the industry back in 2023, I was looking for tools and so I went through the traditional ones, nicks and all the different tools,” said Stewart. “And then I started going into pedigrees, looking at all the different products and doing research on the products. And then I found Pedigrees360.” In a meeting with the company's founders in 2024, he learned there could be an opportunity to purchase the company, and he closed the deal. Using AI and machine learning, Pedigrees360 identifies what is says are eight “clusters” that can help to identify both champions and unsuccessful horses, or what the site whimsically calls “slow 'uns.” The company's CEO, Mike King, said that the program looks at nine generations of a horse's pedigree. “Using a machine learning model trained on thousands of fast and slow horses, it builds a unique performance profile for each horse,” said King. “The system highlights bloodline combinations that are most likely to produce top performers and flags those that are less likely to yield champions. Unlike traditional nicking theories, Pedigrees360 goes deeper, drawing on the sixth to ninth generations of a pedigree to uncover insights that would otherwise remain hidden.” At the core of the Pedigrees360 site are the cluster graphs, with a horse's breeding or a potential match appearing on the graph under a traffic-light system. Each dot represents one of eight line-breeding attributes that their research shows are different in fast horses and slow ones. The traffic-light system makes this easy to interpret, its creators say. 1. Green = the attribute aligns closely with proven patterns in fast horses. 2. Yellow = neutral alignment. 3. Red = the attribute resembles patterns more typical of slow horses. The higher a dot appears on the page, the stronger that attribute is expressed. A green dot “off the chart” signals the strongest possible alignment with champion pedigrees. The cluster graphs are what first drew Stewart to the program. “I really liked the visualization of the tool,” said Stewart. and then started meeting with the team that founded it to understand more about it and how they were using the data.” “From the very beginning, Pedigrees360 set out to reimagine pedigree analysis, harnessing emerging technologies to apply proven methods with a level of depth and scale that was previously never possible,” said King. “This led to the development of a product grounded in line-breeding fundamentals, refined through advanced analytics to deliver sharper insights and stronger predictions which took to market in 2022.” The extension to nine generations is important, says King. “Pedigrees360 identifies the critical mass of key ancestor genetics that remains hidden within the deeper generations of a pedigree insights not visible in the first five generations alone,” he said. “The platform also allows users to run bulk mating analyses, streamlining the search for the best potential matches, and saving valuable time in the decision-making process.” The system is designed to serve both breeder and buyer. “Stud farms, major broodmare programs, and bloodstock agents have reported significant efficiency gains by running multiple stallions against their mare lists at scale,” said King. “The platform then highlights key ancestors within potential matings, showing not just who they are but where they appear in the pedigree.” “For buyers, Pedigrees360 simplifies purchase decisions at major sales,” he continued. “The enhanced Sales Catalogue feature allows users to filter, search, and shortlist potential purchases with precision. And coming in 2025, a further upgrade will extend this functionality to include breeding stock sales, expanding the scope of opportunities supported by Pedigrees360.” And they're just getting warmed up on sales functionality, said Stewart. “We're planning a pretty big upgrade in January to the tool that will really help people who are buying horses and going to the sale and customizing dashboard. Because when you go to a sale, you have to find some way to filter the horses. You can't go to Keeneland and look at 4,000 horses. Nobody can. You have to have some way to filter them down. And so we can take their criteria and filter through the horses and help them have a better shortlist.” Stewart said that the company has already attracted several large, global clients, and has a big international following. He envisions future upgrades which will turn Pedigrees360 in a comprehensive tool for anyone's business, helping users to not only plan matings and evaluate bloodstock, but to decide where to run their horses. Said Stewart, “I want to turn it into a complete 360 tool.” The post Stewart: `I Liked Pedigrees360 So Much, I Bought the Company’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The team at Thoroughbred Daily News is proud to sponsor, in association with the British EBF, the opening race of Yarmouth's three-day Eastern Festival on Tuesday. Nine two-year-olds will go to post for the six-furlong Thoroughbred Daily News EBF Novice Stakes, headed by Division, the sole previous winner in the line-up for James Doyle and William Haggas. A running-on second when making his debut at Windsor last month, the son of Kingman showed the benefit of that experience when justifying short odds at Haydock next time, making all to win by three lengths in the style of a colt going places in a hurry. That breakthrough success also saw Division become the third winner from as many runners out of the Listed scorer and G3 Summer Stakes third Pepita (Sir Prancealot), with the others including last year's G2 Lowther Stakes heroine Celandine, also by Kingman. Whereas Celandine sports the silks of owner-breeder Rockcliffe Stud, Division was an expensive yearling purchase for Wathnan Racing when fetching 800,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1. A Group 1 entry in the Middle Park suggests this colt is thought capable of rewarding that investment somewhere down the line, albeit he probably won't need to improve to double his career tally on Tuesday. For context, that performance at Haydock earned him a Timeform rating of 89p, whereas his chief rival on form, King Of Chaos (Showcasing), is rated just 72. At least the form shown by King Of Chaos last time looks better now than it did when he was declared on Sunday morning. Beaten less than five lengths in a Salisbury novice back in June, after pulling too hard, he finished behind none other than Zavateri (Without Parole), Sunday's unbeaten winner of the G1 National Stakes. The fourth and fifth from that race have also won since, while George Scott will be hoping a recent gelding operation can eke out further improvement from this breeze-up buy. Of the rest, Cheveley Park's Lifeguard (Mehmas) and Shadwell's Shahik (Showcasing) both need to leave behind underwhelming debut efforts, likewise Fine Art Dealer (Blue Point), a stablemate of Division, and James Fanshawe trainee Obsidian Verse (Lope Y Fernandez), who is out of a full-sister to the stable's multiple Group 1-winning sprinter The Tin Man (Equiano). Then there's the two newcomers in the line-up, Ballybunion (Footstepsinthesand) and My Shagaf (Sioux Nation). My Shagaf, the only filly in the field, was picked up for 100,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 2 and is out of a half-sister to the G2 Queen Mary Stakes heroine Ceiling Kitty (Red Clubs), while Ballybunion is a half-brother to the Listed scorer and Queen Mary third Maria Branwell (James Garfield). He was a 68,000gns purchase at the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale. Four years ago this novice went the way of Light Infantry (Fast Company), a six-and-a-half-length winner on his racecourse bow. Trained back then by David Simcock in Newmarket, he went on to be placed in five Group 1s on European soil, before moving to Australia where he's won a pair of top-level prizes for Ciaron Maher under the name of Light Infantry Man. It all started for him in the delightful surroundings of Great Yarmouth, like so many other top-class performers both before and since. From the legendary Dubai Millennium in 1998 to Europe's champion two-year-old Shadow Of Light just last year, you never know where those formative steps on a racecourse might lead. Only time will tell there's another superstar lurking in Tuesday's line-up but, with the weather looking set fair, it's guaranteed to be a terrific day to kick off the popular Eastern Festival. Why not come along for the seaside air, the fish and chips and, of course, to see our very own Alayna Cullen Birkett present the prize to the winners of the Thoroughbred Daily News EBF Novice Stakes? The post Exciting Division Headlines the Thoroughbred Daily News EBF Novice Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There was much consternation when only three new Flat stallions retired to stand in Britain for the 2025 season. It remains to be seen whether this was a blip, but if it becomes a trend then obviously it is cause for concern. It is easy to understand why, in an increasingly commercial sphere, breeders would either flock to the proven elite (for those with mares good enough and pockets deep enough) or to the next first-season sire on the block who may be forgiven for a year or two until we know whether he can do the job well or only passably. In this racing season in particular, however, we have had frequent reminders of those stallions who can get you a Group 1 winner while not necessarily breaking the bank with his covering fee. Naturally the top-tier stallions Sea The Stars, Frankel, Dubawi, Wootton Bassett, Kingman, Night Of Thunder, Camelot, Too Darn Hot and Siyouni all feature on the list of Group 1 sires in Europe this year, but so too do Australia (sire of Lambourn and Cercene), Almanzor (Gezora), Massaat (Docklands), Washington DC (American Affair), Golden Horn (Trawlerman), Sands Of Mali (Time For Sandals), Territories (Lazzat), Gleneagles (Calandagan), Polish Vulcano (Hochkonig), Wooded (Woodshauna), Cable Bay (No Half Measures), Brametot (Nicoreni), Make Believe (Sajir), and Mohaather (Big Mojo). To that list we can now add Sergei Prokofiev and Without Parole, whose respective sons Arizona Blaze and Zavateri each played their part in adding some valuable variety to an excellent Irish Champions Festival. From the latter group, leaving aside Territories, Almanzor and Cable Bay, who were not standing in Europe this season, nine of the remaining 10 were available for £10,000 or less, with Gleneagles being the outlier to a degree at €20,000. We are edging towards the time of year when stallion announcements start to be made, followed by the unveiling of fees. Though the figures are yet to be officially announced, there has reportedly been another drop in covering numbers this year in Britain and Ireland of around 10 per cent. Stallion owners will undoubtedly be thinking hard when it comes to pricing their sires, and breeders too should think hard about where the value lies. Is it worth running the risk of your mare being one of several hundred to be covered by a particular stallion if you end up with an ordinary-looking individual? Granted, it is also a gamble to use an under-the-radar sire and then risk being denied a sales slot simply because of the vagaries of fashion. Inevitably, if a crystal ball is not to hand, it comes down to believing in your own stock and, if the market doesn't like them, being prepared to put horses into training and proving them all wrong. Clearly, though, for those thinking a little outside the box, the cheaper stallions don't necessarily mean smaller returns in the long run. Gunther Graduates Making Their Mark Eight days apart in 2015, John and Tanya Gunther welcomed foals by Frankel and Scat Daddy to their breeding operations in Britain (at Newsells Park Stud) and Glennwood Farm in Kentucky. The first to be born became known as Without Parole after he had been retained by his breeders at 650,000gns at Book 1 of the October Sale at Tattersalls and put into training with John Gosden. The Scat Daddy colt was sold for $500,000 at Keeneland September and raced for a partnership which included the China Horse Club under the name of Justify. We all know what he did on the track, and 10 days after Justify secured his Triple Crown, Without Parole gave the Gunthers a memorable day at Royal Ascot when winning the G1 St James's Palace Stakes. What reflected glory these two stallions still heap on their breeders. On Saturday, Scandinavia battled hard to take the St Leger, following fellow Justify colts City Of Troy and Ruling Court in becoming a British Classic winner. The following day, the name Gunther appeared again as the breeder of the plucky little chestnut colt named Zavateri, who bowed neither to size nor reputation when it came to digging deep to see off three colts from Ballydoyle in the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh. Without Parole's two crops of racing age, conceived at Newsells Park from fees of £10,000 and £8,000 respectively, number less than 100. He had 52 foals in his first crop and 42 from his second. Of the 56 to have raced to date, 27 have won (48 per cent), including the Group 3-placed Fiery Lucy and Listed-placed Sea To Sky from his first crop, while current juvenile Genchev was third in the Listed Pat Smullen Stakes on debut behind the previous winners Daytona and North Coast. The unbeaten Zavateri is of course Without Parole's star performer, jumping from his Salisbury novice win in June to the G2 July Stakes and G2 Vintage Stakes to become a Group 1 winner. The Dewhurst beckons and, as a descendant of the great Zarkava, Zavateri has the family behind him to allow owners Mick and Janice Mariscotti and trainer Eve Johnson Houghton to dream of next year's Classics. Sergei Prokofiev Calls The Tune The statuesque Sergei Prokofiev retired to stud at the same time as Without Parole, joining Whitsbury Manor Stud at an opening fee of £6,500. A son of Scat Daddy, his best victory came in the G3 Cornwallis Stakes over the minimum trip, and over that same distance he is now a Group 1 sire after his son Arizona Blaze took Sunday's Flying Five Stakes for Amo Racing. David Egan and Kia Joorabchian celebrate Arizona Blaze's win | Racingfotos An admirably tough colt, Arizona Blaze, who was bred by Andrew Bengough and Partners, had been his sire's first winner on March 18, 2024, and he ran a further eight times last year, never finishing out of the first four and beating subsequent Classic winner Camille Pissarro when winning the G3 Marble Hill Stakes. In his final start of last season he was a close second to Magnum Force in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. This year, four of his eight starts to date have resulted in victory and he now has a deserved Group 1 tag against his name. Sergei Prokofiev is also responsible for the Listed winner Enchanting Empress and four other black-type earners, but arguably his most impressive horse of this campaign after Arizona Blaze has been Song Of The Clyde. An £85,000 yearling from Goffs UK by his trainer Clive Cox, the Middleham Park Racing colour-bearer has earned £438,790 from five starts this year, chiefly from his victory in the Harry's Half Million at York, and he was also runner-up last week to Calendar Girl, a daughter of Advertise, in the Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes. Burke's Shining Example While Aidan O'Brien had to concede the National Stakes to Eve Johnson Houghton, narrowly missing out on making Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) a Group 1 winner like his half-brother Vandeek (Havana Grey), the master of Ballydoyle did collect three of the weekend's top-level contests. With the help of Tom Marquand, he landed the St Leger for the third consecutive year and ninth time in total with the aforementioned Scandinavia, the Irish Champion Stakes with Delacroix (Dubawi), and the Moyglare with Precise (Starspangledbanner), whom he and his wife Annemarie also bred. Karl Burke laid down the most impressive challenge for Britain at the Irish Champions Festival, with Fallen Angel (Too Darn Hot) claiming her fourth Group 1 victory in the Matron Stakes, Convergent (Fascinating Rock) winning the G3 CMG Group Stakes and Royal Champion (Shamardal), Venetian Sun (Starman) and Al Qareem (Awtaad) each finishing third in the Irish Champion, Moyglare and Irish St Leger respectively. Burke and his jockey Clifford Lee also scooped €135,500 for the victory of Alparslan (Dandy Man) in the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Stakes. Burke's five runners in five Group 1 races over the weekend sets an example to plenty of other major stables. Fruitful Partnerships Last year's spending spree by Amo Racing at the yearling sales also saw the emergence of a new partnership between Kia Joorabchian's operation and Al Shaqab Racing. One of their joint-acquisitions was Aylin, from the first crop of St Mark's Basilica, for 600,000gns from Yeomanstown Stud. Another promising young individual from Karl Burke's stable, Aylin posted her second win when taking the G2 May Hill Stakes on Thursday and will likely bid to go a grade higher in the G1 Fillies' Mile. Along with Amo Racing's Group 1 strike with Arizona Blaze, Al Shaqab has also enjoyed a major winner in its own right of late courtesy of the G1 Prix du Moulin win of the homebred Sahlan (Wootton Bassett). Another partnership which has been in clover of late is that of Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy. Following a treble on September 6 with Old Borough Cup winner The Reverend, Crown Of Oaks and Dash Of Azure, the duo was represented on the opening day of Doncaster's St Leger meeting by the victory of the progressive stayer Santorini Star in the G2 Park Hill Fillies' Stakes. The daughter of Golden Horn is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Dreamloper (Lope De Vega) and was bred by Olivia Hoare from Livia's Dream (Teofilo), whose female-line ancestors include the 1980 Oaks winner Bireme (Grundy), who also features as the great granddam of another Oaks winner, Talent (New Approach). The William Haggas-trained Santorini Star will in time make a lovely addition to the burgeoning broodmare band of her owners, as will the G1 Prix Morny winner Venetian Sun, who leads the charge for the Bloom and McAleavy team this year. Gold-Star Performers This may not happen any more, but in the schooldays of the 1970s children used to be awarded a gold star for doing something well, or perhaps for not misbehaving. Not so long ago, the daughter of a friend of this column used to be awarded stickers on a kitchen chart if she had got through a whole week without biting anyone. We saw said child at her grandmother's 80th birthday party recently and she appears to have grown out of such behaviour, so the reward charts clearly have a place in civilised society. It is not known whether Convergent and/or Al Riffa are prone to biting people, but they may be forgiven if they are, particularly after their respective gold-star performances at the weekend. Convergent and Clifford Lee, third left | Racingfotos Convergent was simply a joy to watch – and perhaps even more so after the winning post than before. Some excellent camera work followed him bowling on round the bend at Leopardstown after he had won the G3 CMG Group Stakes in convincing fashion for owner-breeder Newtown Anner Stud, who also bred and raced his sire Fascinating Rock. Convergent had previously come within a squeak of adding his sire's name to the list up above, when beaten a short-head in the G1 Deutsches Derby, and it would be no surprise to see him bag his own top-level win before too long. The G1 Champion Stakes and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Fascinating Rock, whose sire Fastnet Rock died last week, has been at Burgage Stud for the past four seasons and was advertised at €2,000 this year. Al Riffa, too, deserves a big gold star for his menacing win in the G1 Irish St Leger, three years almost to the day after he had won the G1 National Stakes on the equivalent card of 2022. The son of Wootton Bassett didn't feature much the following year, running only twice at three, and it would have been easy to have written him off as a decent juvenile who didn't go on. But go on he has, to pick up last year's G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin and now this season's G2 Curragh Cup and Irish St Leger en route to attempting to give his trainer Joseph O'Brien a third win in the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November. As both his jockey's first and most recent Group 1 winner, Al Riffa must hold a special place in the heart of Dylan Browne McMonagle. Let's give him a gold star too. The post Seven Days: Every Sire Has His Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article