Wandering Eyes

The Backside Learning Center (BLC) will host a Derby Handicapping Social at Angel's Envy Distillery in Louisville on Tuesday, Apr. 15 at 5:30 p.m. ET. A handicapping seminar moderated by Donna Barton Brothers of NBC will feature FanDuel TV's Caton Bredar and Gabby Gaudet, as well as Churchill Downs analyst Joe Kristufek. “All of us on the panel are very excited to be in the new venue,” said Bredar. “We all really look forward to the social, as we not only get to reconnect and get geared up for the Derby, but we can support the backside community and the important work of the Backside Learning Center.” The evening will also include complimentary hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and a guided tasting of Angel's Envy Distillery products. Guests, who must be 21+ to attend, will also have the opportunity to learn about the mission of the BLC, which supports the diverse community of backstretch workers and their families. Tickets are $75 per person. For more information and for tickets–which are limited to 100 for the event–visit one.bidpal.net/blcderbyhandicapping25. The post Backside Learning Center to Hold Derby Handicapping Social appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Purse levels for maiden special weight (MSW) races at the seven-day Kentucky Downs meet in August and September are once again projected to be $170,000, the same level as last season. Although that number isn't going up in 2025, it's still by far the biggest money outlay for maidens at any North American racetrack, because Kentucky Downs boasts the highest overall purse structure on the continent. At Tuesday's meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory committee, some board members-as they have in past years-cautioned against the risks of maintaining such a high level, lest Kentucky politicians get the notion that too much money is being used to fund purses that are out of whack with those at boutique meets in other jurisdictions. The KTDF is funded by three-quarters of 1% of all money wagered in the state on both live Thoroughbred races and historical horse race gaming, plus 1% of all money wagered on Thoroughbred races via inter-track wagering and whole-card simulcasting. That money, along with funding from each track, goes to pay purses in the state. Ted Nicholson, the vice president of racing at Kentucky Downs, noted that given the available money, “We could go higher, but…” The remainder of Nicholson's comment was lost in cross-talk, as a number of KTDF board members chimed in at once to debate the issue. Rick Hiles, a board member of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, who represents that organization on the KTDF board, summed up the Kentucky Downs purse issue this way: “I've argued for years about [not] getting these purses up ridiculously at that level because the legislators have tried to come in and take some of this money back. And you get it to a point that [it's] ridiculous what you're giving away, like $170,000 for maidens, and then the legislators are going to reach in one of these days and say, 'You know what? You guys have got too much money. You're doing too much. Give it to us.'” Braxton Lynch, who represents the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders association on the KTDF board, has long advocated for boosting purses of allowance races with KTDF funding. She made that same suggestion again on Tuesday. “But the allowance races are $200,000,” Nicholson responded, citing another Kentucky Downs purse figure that dwarfs money paid out elsewhere in North America. In the span of a decade, Kentucky Downs has nearly doubled its MSW purses, which stood at $80,000 or $90,000 (based on the age of horses) in 2014. In the post-pandemic years, Kentucky Downs MSW purses have been $135,000 in 2021, $150,000 in 2022 and 2023, and $170,000 in 2024. Nicholson said that for the 2025 meet, Kentucky Downs will feature new private suites and new paving stones in the paddock to replace grass that gets chewed up by heavy foot traffic. In addition, the turf-only track known for its huge fields is endeavoring to upgrade its simulcast presentation. “We're developing new camera locations. We're going to have a drone. We're going to have a cable-cam that's going to run the length of the stretch,” Nicholson said. “We're completely remodeling our simulcast center, and we're also creating a 10,000 square-foot sports book,” Nicholson added. Nicholson also said Kentucky Downs will be hiring a racetrack surfaces consultant “to take a look at any way we can improve our turf course.” During the Apr. 1 meeting, the KTDF advisory board approved the funding request that the Kentucky Downs purse projections were based on. The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation still has to vote on final approval of that allotment at a subsequent meeting. The post Kentucky Downs Maidens to Again Race for $170K, a Level That Even HBPA Rep Acknowledges is ‘Ridiculously’ High appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The final pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager makes its three-day run April 3-5. Santa Anita Derby (G1) contender Journalism was tabbed as the 4-1 favorite among 39 individual horses, and another option is available for "All Other 3-Year-Olds."View the full article

Full Moon Madness, coming off a triumph in the Tom Fool Stakes (G3), vies to return to the Aqueduct Race Track winners' circle in the $300,000 Carter Stakes (G2) April 5. View the full article

Byron King's Top 12 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, presented by Spendthrift Farm.View the full article

Thomas Meis and Mallory Baker will be joining the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA)'s Washington, D.C., office, and Steve Driskill will be promoted to Vice President of NTRA Advantage-Equine Discounts. Driskill has been a member of the Advantage team since its inception in 2002. He replaces Fritz Widaman, who has joined the new Maryland Jockey Club. Driskill started his career in horse racing at Remington Park. Baker joins the NTRA's Washington, D.C., office in the newly created position of Horse PAC® coordinator. Previously, she's worked as an Associate for The Elevated Group, and as a Press Assistant for the House Committee on Oversight & Accountability. She graduated from the University of Kentucky. Meis also joins the Washington, D.C., office as Communications Director. Meis previously worked for the law firm Tyson & Mendes as a Communications Coordinator and graduated from Syracuse University. “We are thrilled to welcome the newest members of the team,” NTRA's Tom Rooney said. “We look forward to continuing to build on the momentum we've established in Washington since opening our D.C. office only a few short years ago.” The post Meis, Driskill, Mallory Join NTRA appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tickets are now on sale for a charity bourbon raffle hosted by CASA of Lexington, featuring a grand prize of a Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby 150: Baccarat Edition bottle with a halter worn by Kentucky Derby 150 winner, Mystik Dan. Produced to commemorate the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, the bottle is one of only 150 produced. The grand prize is a triple-barreled American whiskey aged in three distinct casks– the traditional bourbon barrel, a cognac cask and an exclusive barrel seasoned within the Kentucky Derby Winner's Circle. Each of the limited bottles is showcased in a crystal decanter meticulously crafted by artisans of the French Maison Baccarat and presented in a custom leather carrying case. Set for Wednesday, Apr. 30, proceeds from the Bourbon Raffles, Serial No. 007 raffle will support CASA of Lexington's mission to provide advocacy for abused and neglected children in seven central Kentucky counties: Bourbon, Fayette, Garrard, Jessamine, Lincoln, Scott and Woodford. Along with the grand prize, other raffle prizes will include a Four Roses 20-year Visitor Center OBSV Private Barrel; limited edition green, blue, and red bottles of Blanton's La Maison du Paris; a 2021 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon; a Van Winkle Special Reserve Lot “B” 12-year; an Old Rip Van Winkle 10-year; and two 2024 bottles of Maker's Mark Cellar Aged. The raffle is held in partnership with Elizabethtown-based nonprofit Give 270, and is hosted through the organization's BourbonRaffles.org platform. The raffle will take place live on Give 270's Facebook page and YouTube channel on Wednesday, Apr. 30, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $100 and will be available for purchase until 7 p.m. on the day of the drawing. A total of 1,000 tickets are available for the raffle. Subject to availability, there is no limit to the number of tickets purchased per person. To purchase tickets, visit www.bourbonraffles.org. To learn more about CASA of Lexington, visit www.casaoflexington.org. The post CASA of Lexington Hosts Charity Raffle Highlighting Mystik Dan’s Kentucky Derby Halter appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of 32 horses, including the winners of the 2024 2000 Guineas, 1000 Guineas and their Irish counterparts, have signed on for the £400,000 G1 BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 17. Godolphin's trio is anchored by G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Sussex Stakes score Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for Charlie Appleby, who also saddles graded/group winners Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Ottoman Fleet (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Roger Varian's pair of G1 1000 Guineas victress Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and multiple listed winner Tyrrhenian Sea (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) have both been entered. Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), successful in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas for Karl Burke, will stand her ground for Wathnan Racing, alongside G1 Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}), who is trained by Richard Hannon. Hannon has four other runners to go to war with, and multiple Group 1 winner Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), who beat Haatem in the Irish 2000 Guineas, is one of them. Said Hannon, who also runs GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Persica (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), and Witch Hunter (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), “We are very happy with them all and they all look great. Unquestionable, like Rosallion, wouldn't like it soft but he is a very nice addition to the yard. Witch Hunter on his day can be anything, he has been placed in the Lockinge before and is such a brave warrior. Rosallion is in very good form.” John and Thady Gosden have four entered, including last year's surprise winner Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), who could become the first horse since Soviet Line (Ire) (Soviet Star) in 1995/96 to record consecutive scores. Their G1 Prix de l'Opera heroine Friendly Soul (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who races in the colours of George Strawbridge, is also part of their quartet. Other top-level winners signed on include Sun Chariot Stakes heroine Tamfana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) for David Menuisier, and Ralph Beckett's Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The post Quartet Of Guineas Winners Highlight 32 Lockinge Entries appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was an earlier-than-usual morning for trainer Mark Casse's team April 1 as they welcomed Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Sandman to Churchill Downs just after 4 a.m. ET to begin his preparations for the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

The Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course will open for the 2025 season on Saturday, Apr. 19, according to a the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) Tuesday. The Oklahoma barn area will open to licensed trainers and staff beginning Tuesday, Apr. 15. In 2025, NYRA will expand public access to the Oklahoma Training Track. Beginning April 19, and continuing up until the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the Whitney Viewing Stand will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. In previous years, the Oklahoma Training Track and Whitney Viewing Stand were accessible to the public on weekends only prior to the start of the Saratoga summer meet. NYRA will provide updated operating hours for the Whitney Viewing Stand prior to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, June 4-8. Beginning June 9 and continuing through Labor Day, the Whitney Viewing Stand will be open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pedestrians may access the Oklahoma Training Track by entering the property via Gate 21 off East Avenue, but fans are reminded that vehicles are not permitted on the property at this time. In advance of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the main track at the Spa will open on Wednesday, May 7 with timed workouts permitted beginning Saturday, May 10. The 40-day summer meet will open Thursday, July 10 and continue through Monday, Sept. 1. Following the four-day opening week, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, apart from closing week, when the 2025 summer meet will conclude on Labor Day. For more information, please visit www.NYRA.com. The post NYRA to Expand Public Access to Oklahoma Track Training to Begin Apr. 19 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The final pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which begins its three-day run Thursday and continues through Saturday, is led by 4-1 favorite Journalism (Curlin), who heads a field of 39 individual horses, in addition to “All Other 3-Year-Olds” not listed. Unlike the first five Future Wager pools, Pool 6 will close Saturday at approximately 4 p.m. ET, prior to the GII Wood Memorial, GI Blue Grass and GI Santa Anita Derby. Wagering for Pool 6 opens Thursday at noon through www.TwinSpires.com, as well as simulcast and ADW outlets nationwide. Like the first five pools, win and exacta wagering is offered. Journalism, the winner of last month's GII San Felipe, is set to face a compact field in the Santa Anita Derby, including Eclipse Award winner Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), listed at 10-1 in the future wager. Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy and owned by Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5, Bob LaPenta and Coolmore, closed as the 5-1 favorite in Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. The complete field for Pool 6 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (with trainer, sire and morning line odds) #1 Admiral Dennis (Brad Cox, Constitution, 80-1) #2 American Promise (D. Wayne Lukas, Justify, 30-1) #3 Baeza (John Shirreffs, McKinzie, 60-1) #4 Barnes (Bob Baffert, Into Mischief, 15-1) #5 Built (Wayne Catalano, Hard Spun, 50-1) #6 Burnham Square (Ian Wilkes, Liam's Map, 40-1) #7 Caldera (D. Wayne Lukas, Liam's Map, 40-1) #8 Captain Cook (Rick Dutrow, Practical Joke, 25-1) #9 Chancer McPatrick (Chad Brown, McKinzie, 30-1) #10 Chunk of Gold (Ethan West, Preservationist, 30-1) #11 Citizen Bull (Bob Baffert, Into Mischief, 10-1) #12 Coal Battle (Lonnie Briley, Coal Front, 25-1) #13 Dragon (JPN) (Mikio Matsunaga, Mind Your Biscuits, 50-1) #14 East Avenue (Brendan Walsh, Medaglia d'Oro, 30-1) #15 Final Gambit (Brad Cox, Not This Time, 40-1) #16 Flood Zone (Brad Cox, Frosted, 40-1) #17 Flying Mohawk (Whit Beckman, Karokontie, 60-1) #18 Grande (Todd Pletcher, Curlin, 60-1) #19 Hill Road (Chad Brown, Quality Road, 40-1) #20 Journalism (Michael McCarthy, Curlin, 4-1) #21 Luxor Cafe (Noriyuki Hori, American Pharoah, 20-1) #22 Madaket Road (Bob Baffert, Quality Road, 50-1) #23 McAfee (Rick Dutrow, Cloud Computing, 90-1) #24 My Mitole (Carlos Martin, Mitole, 80-1) #25 Omaha Omaha (Michael Gorham, Audible, 99-1) #26 Owen Almighty (Brian Lynch, Speightstown, 30-1) #27 Passion Rules (Brad Cox, Fresian Fire, 50-1) #28 Publisher (Steve Asmussen, American Pharoah, 25-1) #29 Render Judgment (Kenny McPeek, Blame, 80-1) #30 River Thames (Todd Pletcher, Maclean's Music, 40-1) #31 Rodriguez (Bob Baffert, Authentic, 50-1) #32 Sand Devil (Linda Rice, Violence, 80-1) #33 Sandman (Mark Casse, Tapit, 8-1) #34 Shin Forever (Hideyuki Mori, Complexity, 50-1) #35 Sovereignty (Bill Mott, Into Mischief, 10-1) #36 Statesman (Shug McGaughey III, Constitution, 80-1) #37 Tappan Street (Brad Cox, Into Mischief, 10-1) #38 Tiger Twenty Four (Bill Mott, Lord Nelson, 80-1) #39 Tiztastic (Steve Asmussen, Tiz the Law, 15-1) #40 All Other 3-Year-Olds (20-1) For more information on Pool 6 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, click here. The post Journalism Made the 4-1 Favorite in Pool 6 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Mark Stanley had a fair idea what must have happened when hearing a sudden cascade of message alerts as they drove along. “Based on, nobody calls to tell you a horse ran bad,” he says wryly. “We were out with our grandkids, so I'd taped the race. And then my phone just starts exploding. So I knew he must have won, even before we got back and watched it. Obviously I have nothing to do with him, now, but we've enjoyed following him a lot more than I thought I ever would, watching somebody else's horse. But that's what's fun about this whole business. Those 20 or 30 guys texting about the race, it's like a team, everybody rooting for everybody else.” And, in fairness, Stanley does still have skin in the game. As a first foal, Owen Almighty's success in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby is a valuable boost to his dam Tempers Rising (Bayern); and any breeder is going to enjoy the ride, once a colt starts being measured out for a blanket of roses. The GI Blue Grass Stakes will be a crucial junction for the Speightstown colt, with options of proceeding towards the GI Kentucky Derby or reverting in distance for the GII Pat Day Mile. And that might well boil down to whether he takes sooner after his dam, who herself contested a Classic at Churchill Downs only five years ago, or his sire. Tempers Rising won just a maiden in 14 starts for Stanley, but after running second in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks was given her chance in the postponed GI Kentucky Oaks of 2020, by no means discredited with a midfield finish. “I always thought her a better racehorse than her record showed,” Stanley says. “She was always knocking on the door, and made over $300,000.” At one point Tempers Rising was put in a digital sale, but that was never more than an experiment and Stanley unhesitatingly retained her at $150,000. On her eventual retirement, he then made another astute call–one that other breeders would do well to emulate–in sending this unproven mare to a proven veteran in Speightstown. The resulting colt was obviously a cracker, judging from the $360,000 paid for him as a foal at Keeneland by Sycamore Hall Farm. “Yes, he was good-looking,” Stanley says. “But I'm a bit of numbers guy, and when I looked into it, Speightstown's weanlings sold about as well as his yearlings. So I went ahead and put him in the November Sale, and it worked out.” (Sure enough, the colt proved a pretty neutral pinhook in realizing no more than $350,000 from Boardshorts Stables at Saratoga the following summer.) So can the breeder offer Flying Dutchmen, the owners of Owen Almighty, any encouragement regarding his potential to stretch out? “Well, I think that these guys have done a lot better than I ever do, so I'm going to stay out of it and just enjoy whatever they do,” Stanley emphasizes. “I thought the Pat Day was a good spot, but I understand Derby fever, too. I always thought that the mare just needed a little speed, and of course that was Speightstown's calling card. But from what we're seeing, he got some endurance from his mother, too. So the combination seems to have worked out pretty well.” Owen Almighty as a foal | courtesy Taylor Made Whatever happens, Tempers Rising has enjoyed an immediate vault in status, vindicating Stanley for the further opportunities she has been given since. Her second foal, a Constitution colt, was pinhooked from the September Sale at $185,000 and has been catalogued by Tradewinds Stud at the upcoming Arqana Breeze-Up Sale. Next in line is a colt by none other than Not This Time; and while Tempers Rising missed last year, that left her vacant for an early cover by McKinzie this time round. “We were real excited about the Not This Time, even before all this,” Stanley says. “He's put together the same way as Owen, very athletic, but a little bigger. He's at TaylorMade, where they obviously see a lot of the stallion's foals, and they think a lot of him out there.” Stanley got to know the Taylor family as Little League baseball coach to Duncan's son Marshall, and his interest in other sports has also been stimulated by daughter Alex's marriage to Chief Stipe Davenport, who has just succeeded his father Scott as Bellarmine University basketball coach. Alex, for her part, has long been integral to the Stanley equine program, as it was her toddler tantrums that prompted the naming of its very first recruit. That was back in 1993, when Stanley joined a gang of pals for a weekend at Saratoga. “There were 16 of us, my brother and 14 other guys,” he recalls. “And actually Kenny McPeek was in that group. Well, you know how smart you get at the track sometimes. And we decided that instead of just betting on these horses, we'd get together and buy one. They had a 2-year-old sale, first time I've known them do that during the meet, so we went over and circled the three fastest times. And the one that fell in our price range was this Temperence Hill filly. I signed the ticket [for $70,000] and we went out and celebrated for two days. Two weeks after that, the bill comes. And not a one of them could be found. Not one of the 15! So now I was in the horse business.” Alex was two at the time and, playing on the sire's name, Stanley named the filly Her Temper. Within weeks of entering McPeek's barn, she had won a Turfway maiden and a Keeneland allowance; and the following spring, back at Keeneland, she added the GII Beaumont Stakes. So were there 15 guys kicking themselves then? “Well, virtually every time there are 16 guys in the winner's circle photo!” replies Stanley with a chuckle. Keeneland was already a track dear to his heart. “I've no background at all in racing, I'm from West Virginia, but when I came to U.K. [to study engineering] we'd go out there Friday afternoons,” he recalls. “Mainly because of the girls! But I got into the whole atmosphere and pageantry. And then, working with Kenny early, he's so good with his owners, at communication and keeping you involved.” Variations on a theme since Her Temper include GI Ruffian Handicap winner Swift Temper (Giant's Causeway), sold privately to Japan after falling shy of her reserve at $2.05 million at the 2009 Keeneland November Sale; and Quiet Temper (Quiet American), a $90,000 September yearling who won the GII Fair Grounds Oaks the following year. Stanley, who manufactures auto parts for Toyota, mischievously explains that only the fillies are branded this way. “Boys don't have tempers!” he says, plainly not in earnest. “But as Alex got older, and that first horse having done pretty good, she took pride in the names. Remember we've also had graded stakes winners called Golden Temper (Forty Niner) and Pleasant Temper (Storm Cat), too. So we've tried to match Alex through the stages of her life.” Stanley's mother also contributed to the family's engagement with the program. “She and I used to love going to the track together in the mornings,” Stanley recalls. “She especially loved watching them get a bath after they'd worked. She used to follow Pleasant Temper, in particular, and Elliott [Walden, trainer] treated her like a queen. When that filly ran in Chicago [in 1997], Elliott arranged a limo to pick her up from the airport, and we had lunch in the stakes room, all the shrimp you could have, wine, whatever. “And then we ran terrible! About a month later, my mother's having open heart surgery and I'm sitting with her in the hospital. And it comes up on the screen that Arlington was closing–it was back when they were battling the riverboats–and she turned to me and said, 'I knew they were giving me way too much.' She thinks she broke them.” Mark and Nancy Stanley | courtesy Mark Stanley That longstanding connection to the Walden family connects two milestones in which Stanley played a gratifying role. “In 2001, Pat Day won his 8,000th race on one of mine that Elliott trained,” he explains. “And his groom was a young Bret Jones [of Airdrie, son of Brereton C. Jones]. And then, last October, Irad Ortiz won his 4,000th race on Good Temper: Will Walden training, and Brereton Jones as breeder. So it's full circle.” Earlier this month that Collected filly, just $40,000 deep in the 2023 September Sale, won an optional allowance on the Fair Grounds turf by over seven lengths. “Will picked her out for me, and I'm keen on seeing her go a little longer,” Stanley says. “It's fun, I knew Will when he was three or four years old. He has fought a lot of things but come out on the good end of it.” Good Temper forms part of what is nowadays a considerably reduced program. “The initial theory was to buy fillies and accomplish enough that you could breed them,” Stanley says. “But then it got to the point where, one Thanksgiving, [his wife] Nancy's father asked me how many horses we had. And I said, 'I don't know, eight I think, counting babies, eight or 10.” And Nancy said, 'You better count them again.' And it turned out to be 19. I realized then that I couldn't afford to tie up so much money, and we sold most of them. Now we've just four on the track, plus Tempers Rising and her yearling.” Quality not quantity, then: a single mare, with a first foal on the track, and he's giving everyone Derby fever. That's a condition Stanley fully understands, having sampled it himself in 1999. Though he made no show on the day, Ecton Park (Forty Niner) later beat Lemon Drop Kid in the GII Jim Dandy and Menifee in the GI Super Derby. “He probably shouldn't have run, but it was my first and only chance so I'm glad we did,” Stanley reflects. “For this year we already have our seats, so we'll be there rooting for Owen, whichever race he ends up going for.” Because ultimately this game has been about enjoying the ride, and in the right company–as exemplified by Ecton Park himself, when he failed to meet his yearling reserve at $190,000. “So I went back to Bill Harrigan, made him an offer, and we shook hands on it,” Stanley recalls. “And I know for a fact that somebody else went in an hour later and offered him $30,000 or $40,000 more. But Bill stuck to our handshake, even though we didn't have anything in writing. I've always admired him for that. That's the straight-up kind of guy you like to do business with.” And experiences of that kind, with families like the Waldens and the Taylors, trainers like McPeek and Dale Romans, have long made Stanley rejoice in that fateful Saratoga excursion, all those years ago. “I probably would have been better off, financially, if that first filly had just tanked and I'd quit,” he says. “But over the years I wouldn't have had anything near the same fun.” The post Keeneland Breeder Spotlight: Owen Puts Stanley In Best Of Tempers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of 250 two-year-olds have been catalogued for the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-up Sale, which takes place on Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23. The full catalogue is available to view here. Previous graduates of the sale include last year's Irish Oaks third Purple Lily (Ire) (Calyx {GB}) and the G3 Round Tower Stakes winner Letsbefrankaboutit (Ire), while Coto de Caza (Ire) won three times as a juvenile, including the G3 Cornwallis Stakes, after being bought for €270,000 in 2024. The first crop of Tally-Ho Stud's Starman (GB) will be strongly represented at the sale with 20 two-year-olds, while Coolmore's Sioux Nation–the sire of Coto de Caza and Letsbefrankaboutit, as well as last year's top-priced lot at €370,000–is responsible for 18. In total, the progeny of 88 different sires have been catalogued, with lot 27, a half-sister to the aforementioned Purple Lily, featuring among the dozen by Cotai Glory (GB). Other potential highlights include lot 43, a St Mark's Basilica (Fr) half-brother to the dual Group 1 winner Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}); lot 82, a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt out of the Listed scorer Friendly (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a full-sister to multiple black-type winners, headed by the G2 Superlative Stakes hero and sire Gustav Klimt (Ire); and lot 228, an Alkumait (GB) half-brother to the G1 Caulfield Cup winner Deny Knowledge (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}). The breezes will get underway at Fairyhouse Racecourse from 8.30am on Thursday, May 22, before the sale commences at 10.00am on Friday, May 23. Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said, “The Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-up Sale has experienced extraordinary growth year on year and an incredible number of purchasers have attended in recent years from across the globe. The quality throughout the catalogue has continued to grow exponentially, thanks to consignors recognising that the sale attracts agents, owners, and trainers with significant buying power. This catalogue is our strongest yet and there will be a horse for every level of the market. Our graduates continue to excel on the racetrack, the best advertisement for the sale. “We've worked hard to ensure that our clients enjoy a top-tier experience at the sale, with excellent facilities and hospitality on offer. The team at Fairyhouse Racecourse has been incredibly accommodating, and with the track being in close proximity to the sales complex, it makes for an ideal location, with a seamless transition between both venues and offering great convenience for those attending. Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and our own marketing team will continue to work tirelessly to assist existing and new purchasers attend this year's sale. We're really looking forward to it!” The post ‘Strongest Catalogue Yet’ for Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-up Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A week after we saluted the impact of his daughters on the GI Kentucky Derby trail, suddenly Tapit might also have found a colt to redress the one glaring omission on his resume. At the same time, the emergence of Sandman also contributes to a remarkable reciprocation by a still more venerable distaff influence. Tapit mares having produced American Promise, Tiztastic and Final Gambit across consecutive weekends, Distorted Humor is plainly not to be outdone. Both the big winners last Saturday were out of daughters of the WinStar legend; moreover another son of a Distorted Humor mare, Citizen Bull, has the opportunity this weekend to respond to the breakouts of Sandman and Tappan Street. Like Tappan Street, the champion juvenile is by Into Mischief. The same Distorted Humor cross has already produced that sire's two most expensive sons, Practical Joke and Life Is Good. The one that gave us Sandman, meanwhile, is represented by Constitution–the horse that has best filled the vacancy left at WinStar by the retirement, in 2021, of the farm's senior pro. Distorted Humor both started and finished his stud career unusually late, active from six to 28. But he retained sufficient vigor that final season to cover 29 mares, albeit his final crop ultimately numbered only 13. These precious few, now sophomores, are plainly unlikely to include a son competent to extend his male line, which appears largely to hang on the single thread of Jimmy Creed. Distorted Humor's Derby winner Funny Cide was gelded, while the one sired by his son Flower Alley, I'll Have Another, couldn't find an adequate heir. The game is by no means up, with Jimmy Creed's son Casa Creed now recycling durability and speed at Mill Ridge. As things stand, however, Distorted Humor's legacy remains primarily about his daughters. Distorted Humor | Louise Reinagel. Besides the three stallions already noted, these have given us Arrogate and now Arabian Lion. Vaunting Distorted Humor as damsire (now up to 147 stakes winners) was a major positive, then, when both Sandman and Tappan Street made seven figures at auction. Sandman's $1.2 million purchase at OBS a year ago has already been cleared in racetrack earnings and, while his GI Arkansas Derby was co-authored by witless riding up front, his deeper family could underpin a still more lucrative future at stud. For his fourth dam is the five-time Grade I winner/co-champion juvenile filly It's in the Air (Mr. Prospector). She was sold to the Maktoums early in her breeding career for $4.6 million and, among others, produced the dam of triple Grade I scorer Storming Home (GB) (Machiavellian) plus the granddam of globetrotting State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), winner of elite prizes at Royal Ascot, Saratoga, Longchamp and Moonee Valley. But her most important daughter never even made the track. From only six foals, Note Musicale (Sadler's Wells) produced two female stars: Music Note (A.P. Indy) not only emulated her dam with five Grade I's but then produced G1 Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper); while Musical Chimes (In Excess {Ire}) won a Classic in France. In that context, their half-sister Music Room (Unbridled's Song) appeared a major disappointment, culled by Darley after failing to make the starting gate. Even the single black-type performer she produced, Zinzay (Smart Strike), regressed after finishing second in the GII Jessamine Stakes. Having spent a few years in the WinStar paddocks, Music Room was eventually discarded at age 17 for just $9,000. Yet something of her aristocratic blood has meanwhile begun to percolate: Zinzay produced another good turf runner in the Grade I-placed stakes winner Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon), while two daughters by Distorted Music have really stoked up the embers. One produced Whiskey Decision (Into Mischief) to win a stakes, again on grass, at Delaware last year. The other is Distorted Music, dam of Sandman. Bought as a yearling by Lothenbach Stables for $190,000, Distorted Music won three of eight starts. Her first foal She Can't Sing (Bernardini) won the GIII Chilukki Stakes, and made $1.1 million from Hill 'n' Dale at Bob Lothenbach's dispersal at Fasig-Tipton in February last year. At the same poignant session, Distorted Music's short yearling by Into Mischief made $650,000 from North Ocean Equine, before elevating his value to $1 million at Saratoga barely six months later. In between those two transactions, Sandman had made his headlines at OBS only to disappoint on debut in June. Two days after the Saratoga auction, however, he broke his maiden over the street–and his blossoming since makes Distorted Music (as a 14-year-old, allowed to go for $375,000) appear a characteristically alert Springhouse Farm pick at the dispersal. The Distorted Humor-Unbridled's Song cross behind Distorted Music is actually matched by the dam of Citizen Bull. But that is only the start of Sandman's Mr. Prospector branding. Aptly so, too, as It's in the Air was one of the first clues that her freshman sire would be something special. In fact, three of Sandman's first four dams represent Mr Prospector: through Distorted Humor (via Forty Niner), Unbridled's Song (via Fappiano) and Mr. P. himself. And Tapit, as mate, just doubled that down: his dam is by Unbridled, while his own sire Pulpit is out of Mr Prospector's daughter Preach. On the other hand, the shiniest fruit on this family tree did not require one ounce of Mr. Prospector. That was European champion Balanchine (Storm Bird), whose granddam was a half-sister to It's in the Air. Hardly the first reference to chlorophyll in this pedigree, and someday far-sighted European breeders may wish to tap into Sandman as best of both worlds. Tappan Street | Coglianese Heaven Finding New Horizons Newfoundland was once one of the most glamorous Thoroughbreds on the planet. As a Storm Cat colt whose first three dams were all Grade I winners, he cost Coolmore $3.3 million at the 2001 Keeneland September Sale. Unfortunately he proved unable to build on a debut success for Ballydoyle, and was transferred to Todd Pletcher. After winning a couple of Grade III's, he was given a chance at stud in Kentucky. By the time he departed for Chile, however, he left behind nothing of greater distinction than Our Khrysty, who once changed hands for $3,500 but inherited enough talent (maybe from her dam, who also produced GI Whitney Handicap winner Bullsbay (Tiznow)) to win the GIII Turnback the Alarm Handicap by a nose. Blue Heaven Farm certainly believed in the mare, however, recruiting her for $600,000 at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton November Sale and then giving her some purposeful covers. She has rewarded that faith most handsomely. Her 2019 daughter by Curlin made $700,000 as a yearling and proceeded, as Grace Adler, to win the GI Del Mar Debutante Stakes. Her next foal is Pyrenees (Into Mischief), who last year won the GIII Pimlico Special before emulating Newfoundland as GI Jockey Club Gold Cup runner-up. And now a couple of Our Khrysty's earlier foals are themselves making a mark. Bay Harbor (Speightstown) never won but her first foal Miuccia (Mitole) won a sprint stakes at Gulfstream last year before making the GIII Prioress podium. And her second, Briland (McKinzie), made $675,000 at OBS last spring before winning her sole start at Saratoga. Then there is Our Khrysty's daughter by Distorted Humor, Virginia Key, retained for $90,000 at the 2016 September Sale. That has proved an unbelievably smart decision. Though restricted to four starts, Virginia Key won twice and ran a close third in the GII Gazelle Stakes. Then her second foal not only made seven figures as a Saratoga yearling, but has now upgraded the page as none other than GI Florida Derby winner Tappan Street. Moroever he had not even made his debut when Virginia Key's next foal, a Curlin colt, achieved an even better yield ($1.4 million) at Keeneland last September. Blue Heaven's choice of Gun Runner for Our Khrysty meanwhile paid off with a $975,000 docket at the same sale. After all these years, we are long accustomed to Distorted Humor's range: he's the horse that broke the seven-furlong track record at Churchill yet came up with GI Belmont winner Drosselmeyer. Even so it still feels remarkable that one of his daughters could give Into Mischief a Derby colt, when her own first two dams are respectively by Newfoundland and Lord Carson. What a marvelous legacy Distorted Humor is leaving us! Clever Again | Coady Media How Very Clever It seemed incredible, last spring, that a debutant bred like Clever Again (American Pharoah) could eyeball a Wesley Ward dasher (who romped in a stakes next time) over 4.5 furlongs of dirt and lose out only by a head. Clever Again resurfaced at Oaklawn in February to make all over an extended mile, but a four-length rout of a Grade I winner in the Hot Springs Stakes confirms him a horse with no ceiling. His dam Flattering (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won her maiden in Ireland by 10 lengths over 10 furlongs of heavy going, before registering her Group success over a mile-and-a-half. Her full sister had to travel farther yet for hers, over 14 furlongs. With American Pharoah's stock having fared so well on turf, you would have prescribed Clever Again an absolute prairie. But there are streaks in her page that explain how her connections have indeed been Clever Again. Another of Flattering's siblings, by the relative speed influence Lucky Story, is the speedy and precocious Lucky Kristale, who won two Group sprints in her juvenile summer. And their dam was half-sister to Arabian Gleam (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), who won three Group 2s over 7f. The next dam, meanwhile, is out of a half-sister to Classic miler Don't Forget Me (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}). For these strands to get past a Triple Crown winner and Galileo is not something most of us would care to predict. But Clever Again has horsemen of genius in every corner, always a help in a difficult world. The post Breeding Digest: Humor’s Daughters Giving Him The Last Laugh appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dollars and Sense with Frank AngstView the full article

While none of the eight 3-year-old fillies entered in the Gazelle Stakes (G3) are among the top 14 in the battle for spots in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), that will all change once the field crosses the finish line in the April 5 test at Aqueduct. View the full article

Following their impressive grade 1 wins, Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Sandman and Florida Derby (G1) winner Tappan Street join the top 4 in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top 3-Year-Old Poll.View the full article

Calumet has the distinction of being represented by a couple of horses at the April 5 Dubai World Cup meeting; one a product of their breeding operation and the other who will carry the farm's black colors and gold chevrons in the main event.View the full article

For America's Best Racing, Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers, and jockeys as they travel the Road to the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) May 3 at Churchill Downs.View the full article

It may have come three days later than expected, but Dubai Honour (Ire) claimed his third Australian Group 1, and fourth of his career, in Tuesday's rescheduled Tancred Stakes at Rosehill. The seven-year-old has been a model of consistency for his owner Mohamed Obaida and trainer William Haggas. He's not only won nine times, but he has also been placed nine times, in top-class contests from Ascot to Sha Tin, accruing prize-money in excess of £4.5m. Dubai Honour's sire Pride Of Dubai (Aus), winner of the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes and G1 Inglis Sires in a relatively short-lived racing career before retiring to Coolmore Australia, made three reverse-shuttle trips to Ireland between 2017 and 2019. He didn't really catch the imagination in Europe, despite being from the same family as Kodiac (GB), Invincible Spirit (Ire) and, now, Mishriff (Ire). But in Australia, Pride of Dubai is within grasping distance of the general sires' championship for the 2024/25 season, and is currently breathing down the neck of another former shuttler, Zoustar (Aus). His particularly notable offspring include Australian Horse of the Year Pride of Jenni (Aus), G1 Everest winner Bella Nipotina (Ire) and G1 Might And Power Stakes winner Deny Knowledge (Ire), who was runner-up in Saturday's G1 Australian Cup. Step back a generation further on the top line of Dubai Honour's pedigree and you find Street Cry (Ire), a stallion who died age 16 just over a decade ago, but who certainly should not be overlooked as a sneakily good influence. Twenty-three years ago Street Cry was being prepared by Saeed Bin Suroor for an attack on the Dubai World Cup, back in the days of Nad Al Sheba. He was only his trainer's second string, behind odds-on favourite Sakhee, who ended up finishing third, some nine lengths behind him. Back in the States, the son of Machiavellian was then a similarly easy winner of the GI Stephen Foster Handicap that June. Street Cry retired to Darley's Jonabell Farm in 2003, shuttling to Australia on and off for nine seasons, and set about compiling a portfolio of offspring as diverse and international as they come. Dubai Honour has now won four Group 1s | Scoop Dyga His 23 Group/Grade 1 winners include his first-crop sons and Darley stallions Street Sense (the first horse to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Derby) and Street Boss; Shocking (Aus) (Melbourne Cup); Lyric Of Light (GB) (Fillies' Mile); and Whobegotyou (Aus) (Caulfield Guineas) – and that's before we get to two of the most celebrated fillies of the modern era on either side of the world: Zenyatta and Winx (Aus). To have produced just one of those two great race mares would have ensured Street Cry's place in bloodstock history. Returning to the Australian sires' table, Street Cry's influence can be found not just in Pride Of Dubai, but also via his sons Street Boss and the New Zealand-based Per Incanto, both of whom feature in the top 20, while in the New Zealand championship, Shocking and Per Incanto are in the top five. Street Cry's record as a broodmare sire is none too shabby either. Last year's champion two-year-old in Australia, Broadsiding (Aus), by Darley's upwardly mobile young sire Too Darn Hot (GB), is out of the Street Cry mare Speedway (Aus), and it is a position he also occupies in the pedigree of Classic hope and last year's GI Summer Stakes winner New Century (GB) (Kameko), and also in the other Group 1 winner on Rosehill's card on Tuesday, Treasurethe Moment (Aus) (Alabama Express {Aus}), who landed the Vinery Stud Stakes for Yulong Investments. This Saturday in Dubai, Street Cry's name will echo down the years as the broodmare sire of the highest-earning horse of all time, Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who lines up for the G1 Dubai Turf, and of the defending champion in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Street Cry is the broodmare sire of Romantic Warrior | HKJC Street Cry has played a significant role in ensuring that his Ballymacoll Stud-bred dam Helen Street (GB) (Troy {GB}), winner of the Irish Oaks in 1985 for Lord Weinstock, is remembered as a 'reine de course'. Helen Street's earlier mating with Machiavellian had resulted in a daughter, Helsinki (GB), who would earn some small black type in France for Sheikh Mohammed but would later find far greater fame as the dam of Shamardal. In Darley alone now, that stallion's sons include Blue Point (Ire), Pinatubo (Ire), Earthlight (Ire), and Victor Ludorum (Ire). Elsewhere his most successful son Lope De Vega (Ire) is at Ballylinch Stud, while plenty of Shamardal's grandsons are waiting in the wings to make their mark, including Lucky Vega (Ire), Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), Look De Vega (Ire), and Big Evs (Ire). Indeed, in Tuesday's Tancred Stakes, behind Dubai Honour in second and fourth were Lope De Vega's sons Duke De Sessa (Ire) and Arapaho (Ire). (Horses bred in Europe were the first nine home from 11 runners.) Street Cry's sire Machiavellian, by Mr Prospector, is now being heavily outgunned in Europe by the male-line descendants of his paternal half-brother Seeking The Gold. What could have been a tenuous strand through Dubai Millennium (GB), who died leaving just one small crop, has flourished thanks to the latter's remarkable son Dubawi (Ire). Machiavellian's male line has rested largely on Street Cry, whose runners seemed to work everywhere, and to a lesser extent Medicean (GB). The latter's grandson Starman (GB), by Dutch Art (GB), got off to a good start with his first runner at Dundalk last Friday, but it will be a while before we know if he can truly pick up the baton. It is as a broodmare sire that Machiavellian has thrived, notably filling that role for current champion Dark Angel (Ire) and the fast-rising Mehmas (Ire), both of whom are by Acclamation (GB). Considering those two stallions alone, and the fact that Lope De Vega is inbred 3×3 to him, then there is an increasing probability of the blood of Machiavellian being found in today's runners. Street Cry, who was posthumously named champion sire in Australia in 2015/16, remains his strongest conduit on the top line and yet still seems somewhat unheralded. This is not however the case within the Godolphin and Darley ranks. Dan Pride, Godolphin's chief operating officer in the USA, says, “Street Cry was in the first group of Godolphin racehorses who retired to Jonabell as Darley stallions.” Street Cry is commemorated in bronze at Jonabell | Racingfotos Despite his good race record, with performances solely on dirt, Street Cry, with his European pedigree and imperfect conformation, was not however the easiest sell. An enticement was issued in that owners of Grade I-winning or Grade I-producing mares would not have to pay his stud fee of $30,000. Thirty-one breeders took up that offer in his first book of mares which ran to 131. “Fast-forward to his first crop, which broke the record for the highest number of stakes winners and graded stakes winners in America at that time and included Zenyatta, Street Sense and Street Boss,” Pride adds. “How many of those stakes winners do you think were out of those 31 mares? Zero. “That taught me a valuable lesson: nobody knows nothing and ultimately it is going to be up to the horse.” He continues, “When Street Sense won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby, that whole deal was Street Cry. He gave us legitimacy in the stallion market and proved that hopefully we were going to be an important player. He launched us. And then he shuttled to Australia and got Winx. He ended up with legendary horses in both hemispheres. “You look at our global stallion roster now: Street Cry started it and then you've got Street Sense and Street Boss, both from that first crop, and now grandsons Maxfield and Speaker's Corner, and Anamoe is a grandson in Australia. His influence hasn't waned. It's as prevalent and relevant today as it has ever been.” The post Dubai’s Pride and Honour: Street Cry’s Influence Endures 23 Years After World Cup Triumph appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Kendall Norris has been tabbed the new Marketing and Communications Manager for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, the organization announced Tuesday. In this role, Norris will lead the TRF's marketing and outreach efforts, furthering the organization's mission to provide dignified lifetime care for retired racehorses. Previously, Norris led digital marketing initiatives, managed high-profile PR events, and provided specialized marketing consulting for equine and technology businesses. “I'm incredibly honored to join the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation,” said Norris. “As a lifelong equestrian, I've always believed in the healing power of horses, and this mission, offering second chances to both horses and humans, truly speaks to me. Using my voice to raise awareness and support for retired racehorses fills me with purpose, and I'm excited to connect with the TRF community and help grow this meaningful work.” “We are thrilled to welcome Kendall to the TRF team,” added TRF Executive Director Maggie Sweet. “Her diverse skill set and fresh perspective will play a key role in expanding our reach and strengthening our message. Her enthusiasm aligns perfectly with one of our major goals for 2025: raising awareness about dignified lifetime care for retired racehorses.” The post Kendall Norris Named Marketing And Communications Manager For TRF appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — When one thinks of the Calumet Farm of old, legends of the American turf such as Citation, Whirlaway, Tim Tam and the great Alydar come to mind. The Lexington breeding and racing operation now owned by successful businessman Brad Kelley, Calumet has the distinction of being represented by a couple of horses at Saturday's Dubai World Cup meeting–one a product of their breeding operation and the other who will carry the farm's black colors and gold chevrons in the main event. Calumet is the breeder of defending G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen hero Tuz, whose sire Oxbow was purchased by Kelley and his team for $250,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2011 before going on to win the GI Preakness Stakes in 2013. Tuz cost his connections just $7,000 at the 2018 September Sale, began his career in Russia and has become one of the world's top six-furlong horses. “It's always nice to have a horse you bred that goes on and does well,” said Calumet's General Manager Eddie Kane, who signed the ticket on Oxbow. “Breeding is why we're in the game and it's especially nice to have a horse by Oxbow, who we bought as a yearling. It's always fun to see that.” Runners bred by Calumet accumulated better than $13 million in earnings in 2024, second only to Godolphin among breeders in North America. Calumet sourced Mixto (Good Magic) at the 2022 OBS April Sale, his successful young sire having since been represented by a Kentucky Derby and a Belmont Stakes winner. Calumet parted with $140,000 in a post-sale transaction despite the colt perhaps not showing his true ability while breezing over the synthetic track. “Mr. Kelley likes the offspring of Good Magic and [Mixto] didn't have the greatest workout (video), but [2-year-old consignor] Paul Sharp, who is a very good horseman, said, 'Eddie, I promise you, he's much better on the dirt.'” Kane related. “So that helped us in our decision making to go on and buy the horse. [Trainer] Chief Stipe [O'Neill] has liked him from the get-go.” Though he required seven tries to break his maiden, Mixto has always been treated like a top-class galloper and validated his connections' confidence with a 22-1 boilover in the GI Pacific Classic over the World Cup distance of 10 furlongs at Del Mar last summer, defeating GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast). Kane is looking for a similar effort from their charge this weekend, whose rider knows his way to the Meydan winner's enclosure. “Hopefully he runs good and it's nice to know that Frankie Dettori is going to ride him for us,” said Kane. The Italian reinsman has won the World Cup no fewer than four times, including with American shipper Country Grammer in 2022. The post Tuz, Mixto Carry World Cup Night Hopes For Calumet Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Save America's Forgotten Equines Act (SAFE Act) has a new lease on life after it was reintroduced in both houses on Feb. 27. The act would prohibit slaughtering horses for human consumption and would also make it against the law to ship horses out of the country for the purpose of having them slaughtered. No horses have been slaughtered in the U.S. since 2007. U.S. slaughterhouses were forced to close down because regulations prohibited shipping the meat overseas without the oversight of inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration. The government decided it would no longer pay for the inspectors, which ended the process of horse slaughter in the U.S. Now, horses are routinely bought at auctions by “kill buyers” who ship the horses to Canada or Mexico. The latest bill was sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), and Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). “The slaughter of horses for human consumption is barbaric and has no place in America,” Congressman Buchanan said in a statement. “As Co-Chairman of the Animal Protection Caucus, I look forward to continuing to lead this effort with Congresswoman Schakowsky to protect these beautiful creatures.” Efforts to pass the SAFE Act or a similar bill have been on-going for more than 20 years. The first bill was introduced during the second session of the Congress in 2002. “While each effort has received bipartisan support, getting the bill over the finish line has been a frustrating endeavor,” said Chris Heyde,” the founder of Blue Marble Strategy, LLC, a lobbyist group “Passing any bill is hard. In the beginning, there was strong overwhelming support for banning slaughter. We had an actual roll call vote on the first defund amendment because everyone, regardless of party or state, thought this was wrong and un-American. Sadly, the agriculture industry got involved and started to oppose it. The opposition even had lobbyists, claiming it was just the first step in going after meat consumption. That is a tired old scare tactic folks roll out for anything on even the most modest welfare issue.” Heyde said another scare tactic used by pro-slaughter forces is to claim that if slaughter were outlawed thousands of horses would be abandoned, some left to starve. “We have also had strong bipartisan support through the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on our annual effort to defund horse slaughter inspections. While that stopped slaughter in the US since 2006 by the defund language, kill buyers still haul horses to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, though this year saw a record low,” he said. “That actually blows the opponents other big lie, that what will we do with all of the horses if slaughter is stopped? In 2012 there were 166,000 horses slaughtered and now we are down to just under 20,000. Slaughter is demand driven so horses are euthanized, die naturally or sold to new homes. There are plenty of rescues to help with horses.” Louis Masry, a horse owner and activist, has been on the front lines of the battle to get an anti-slaughter bill passed for two decades. He said that, this time around, the strategy should be to incorporate the SAFE Act into a large omnibus bill. That was the same path the bill to authorize HISA took. “This time, I think we will have a better opportunity to insert it into a bill,” Masry said. “On Monday, President Trump announced that he is looking for one large bill, which is inclusive of a lot of different things. He wants a very large comprehensive bill. That tells us that there will be a lot of different areas where we could potentially insert the bill. That has made me optimistic.” Masry said he will also work to members of the House and Senate from Kentucky to back the bill. “In this particular case, if we can have success getting Kentucky members of Congress on board as interested parties and get them to become more involved, that will help,” he said. “When people think of horses they think of Kentucky. Now that we've introduced the bill, if we can add the Kentucky members to the list of people supporting the bill, that would be a big push. It hasn't been fully there. We need unanimous support and that's what we'll be looking at going forward.” Masry said he plans on meeting with Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, whose support of HISA was a key to that bill getting passed. In a press release issued by Rep. Buchanan, the Congressman said he'd like to see language banning slaughter added to the Farm Bill. “In 2017, Buchanan worked with the late Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) to get the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act signed into law as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, which made it illegal to slaughter, transport, possess, purchase, sell or donate cats and dogs for human consumption,” Buchanan said in a press release. “The SAFE Act builds upon that legislation by adding horses, donkeys and burros to the prohibition. Although the practice of slaughtering horses for human consumption is currently illegal in the United States, the ban is temporary and subject to annual congressional review and no federal law exists to prohibit the transport of horses across America's borders for slaughter in Canada or Mexico.The lawmakers hope to include the SAFE Act as part of the 2025 Farm Bill when it is considered by Congress later this year.” Though Heyde and his colleagues have been unsuccessful getting the slaughter bill passed, Heyde is confident that it is just a matter of time. “As I have always said, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it is possible,” he said. “I really do think we can end this cruel practice. The American public and even Congress has shown overwhelming support for the ban.” The post SAFE Act Reintroduced In Both Houses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sam Agars SWAGGER BRO - R4 (2) Improving galloper can overcome a wide gate and break through Jay Rooney PRIME MORTAR - R7 (3) Looks poised to strike after an impressive second last time out Trackwork Spy VIVA GRACIOUSNESS - R6 (1) Can go one better than last start with Purton on Phillip Woo LUCKY GENERATIONS - R2 (1) Comes off a luckless run and looks a winning chance Shannon (Vincent Wong) PRIME MORTAR - R7 (3) Unlucky second last start and looks a big chance tonight Racing Post Online AESTHETICISM - R8 (6) Ran a nice third to Excellence Value last start and can go close again Tom Wood BEAUTY INFINITY - R9 (3) Kept kicking last start to win and always hard to leave out in the form he's inView the full article

Senior auctioneer Ollie Fowlston has rejoined Tattersalls and will return to the rostrum at Park Paddocks for the Craven Breeze-up Sale, which takes place from April 14-16. Fowlston joined Tattersalls in 1998 and worked for the company for 25 years, before leaving to become managing director of Dullingham Park in 2023. An auctioneer since 1999, Fowlston was previously a senior member of the bloodstock team and played a key role in the development of the Sceptre Sessions of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. His return will also see him undertake yearling and other inspections, as well as other client relations-based activities, on behalf of the Tattersalls Group. “I am delighted to be rejoining Tattersalls having enjoyed an amazing 25 years with the company during my first stint,” said Fowlston. “I am looking forward to working alongside the Tattersalls team again and with our clients to source and sell the best bloodstock in Europe, as well as resuming auctioneering in the truly remarkable arena of Park Paddocks.” Fowlston's departure from his role at Dullingham Park follows the sale of that operation's two stallions, Shaquille (GB) and Soldier's Call (GB), to Yulong Investments, which was announced last month. The post Ollie Fowlston Leaves Role at Dullingham Park to Rejoin Tattersalls appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article