Wandering Eyes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Great Northern Hurdle (4200m) has always been the major target for Fourty Eight this preparation, and the hopes of reaching the iconic race took a massive step forward at Woodville on Sunday when he took out the Cody Singer Memorial (4000m) in convincing fashion. Raced by a large contingent of owners, including breeder Sheena Martin and the Frac Club, Fourty Eight had been suffering from feet issues over the last couple of months and trainers Shaun and Hazel Fannin thought their hopes of getting to the Great Northern were dashed. However, he revived those hopes with a front-running display when scoring his maiden hurdle victory by 4-3/4 lengths over Mr Fabulous, with a further 30-3/4 lengths back to Muse in third. “It was a good result,” said Shaun Fannin, who also rode the six-year-old gelding. “He does have a fair bit of ability, he just can be a bit temperamental sometimes. “He doesn’t have great feet and we have had a couple of setbacks in the last couple of runs with those feet. We have got a good farrier and we have managed to keep on top of them and get him back on track, and it was just nice to see him back on track yesterday. “He can jump a little bit high sometimes over the brush fences, so I thought he might jump those first two quite high and get into his rhythm after that, but he jumped pretty well from the outset yesterday and finished it off strongly.” Another hurdle assignment is looming for Fourty Eight, with Fannin not ruling out their initial target of the Great Northern in September. “The long-term plan was the Great Northern Hurdles, but it all just went up in the air after he won at Hawera on the flat and then his next two runs we had foot issues there and that put us on the back foot again,” he said. “Yesterday was more about getting back on track, and he showed that, so we will just see what he does in the next week and make a plan from there.” The stable also picked up two placings on the nine-race card, including Sweet Ada in the MacDougalls (2100m) and Flying Celebration in the Farmlands Pahiatua & Mitchpine (1600m). “Sweet Ada has had four runs for us now and she has run a couple of fourths, a third and a second. It seems improving form, so hopefully next start is a win for her,” Fannin said. “Flying Celebration went as good as she could go on that track. It was a good day for the stable.” Meanwhile, it was a bittersweet moment for Fannin when riding champion jumper West Coast to a courageous runner-up result behind Smug in the Glenanthony Simmentals Stud Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase (4800m). “He was unreal, he is just a champion,” Fannin said. “He has carried 73 kilos start after start. “I thought I was almost beaten at the 600m and then we got over the third-to-last (fence) and he found another gear, like he always does. It’s only in the last couple of strides that Smug came back and beat me. “He is such a good jumper and a remarkable stayer.” Fannin will have to hop off West Coast in next month’s Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) to ride his own stable runner Jesko in the Riccarton feature. The pair have won the last three editions of the race and Fannin said he isn’t looking forward to facing off against West Coast for the first time. “I have always been on his back, and he gives you so much confidence when you hop on his back, so it will be a very different feeling going out against him,” he said. “It is not something I am looking forward to.” View the full article

Roydon Bergerson will see a number of Central Districts racecourses over the coming week, with the busy period kicking off at Hawera’s rescheduled meeting on Tuesday. The Awapuni-based trainer had entered two runners for the card set to run last Saturday, but after heavy rain and surface water on the course, the races were pushed back three days. The guarantee of a soft surface will pose no issue for Farravallo, who will represent the stable in the Property Management Specialist @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m). In a compact field of just five runners, Farravallo is currently the second-elect in the market behind Lazio, who he defeated first-up in May when the pair filled the placings behind Ima Brazen One. “He’s an open 1200m horse that enjoys the cut out of the track, so this was the right race for him,” Bergerson said. “I thought the field might be a bit small, so that’s why we put in the nomination. “He’s really good, he’s bouncing and I’m really happy with his work. “He’s rock-hard fit now.” A winner of four races on either soft or heavy ground, the son of Belardo has been thereabouts since that resuming effort, and struck the worst part of the home straight last start at Trentham. “I thought his run at Wellington was okay, I told Jimmy (Chung, jockey) to get to the outside where we had to be, but he didn’t get out there in time,” Bergerson said. “When he got out there in the end, he said he came on quite strongly. “The track tied him up a bit in the last couple of runs, he just needs it a bit looser. “He should go really well.” Joining Farravallo on the journey west will be Wonderboy, who resumes off a long spell when lining up in the Sharna Caskey @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m). A rising five-year-old by Sacred Falls, Wonderboy is raced by Bergerson and Chris Rutten, and the pair have allowed him plenty of time to mature, recording three placings from six starts over the last year. “He’s coming up super really, he went very well at the jump-outs a couple of weeks ago, then Kelly (Myers) said he was really strong to the line in his trial,” Bergerson said. “I see the horse that beat him (Sam’s Turn) won the other day on the poly, so that’s good form coming into a maiden race. He should get through the track, he’s a nice strong horse now that has taken a long time to mature. “We’ve given him the time, so hopefully he can repay us this preparation.” Bergerson intends to start Charlotte’s Way at his local synthetic meeting on Thursday, which could also feature Turn It Up, while last start winner Testing will head across to New Plymouth on Saturday. “Charlotte’s Way has been a bit disappointing in her last couple of runs, she’s just not jumping out of the gates so I’ll try a change of jockey with her this time,” he said. “I’ve got Turn It Up in the maiden 1000m, but she’s also entered at New Plymouth in the 1100m there. “Testing is off to New Plymouth, she won nicely and has come through that race really well. It’s a good stake at New Plymouth and we know she’ll handle the track. “I know she’s going up a grade into a Rating 75 1200m, but I think she’s quite a good galloper.” Bergerson has elected to bypass Saturday’s Listed Sinclair and Refrigeration Opunake Cup (1400m) with Bradman, with the gelding set to trial next Tuesday at Foxton before heading south for the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton. The ever-consistent gelding finished an agonisingly tight third in last year’s edition, and this year, he’ll likely contend with a topweight with a rating of 97. “He’s going to go to a trial at Foxton, then he’ll head down to Riccarton,” Bergerson said. “I think he’s had enough racing, so he’ll have a quiet trial and after a big trip down there, he should be ready to go. “My only worry for him is the handicapper really, he’ll probably get 60 kilos and it’s hard to win at that weight. He ran well in this race last year, I thought he was a bit unlucky not to hold on after being checked around the 800m. “He’s going down in the same form that he was in last year, so I’m pretty happy with him.” View the full article

New Zealand racing has lost a highly respected and popular administrator with the passing of Ian Boyland at the age of 81. He was a former long-serving Secretary of the Wanganui Jockey Club and came from an accounting background to take up the role in 1971. It was a notable and bold appointment as Boyland was then the youngest Secretary in the country and served until 1997. “I first met Ian at a secretaries’ conference at Ellerslie in 1977 and he was representing the Wanganui contingent,” long-time friend and colleague Tony Enting said. Enting was formerly with the Counties Racing Club before moving to the Waikato Racing Club and a secretarial post he held for 34 years. “Ian was always a very sociable fellow and very well-liked by everybody in the industry, that’s for sure, a great mate to sit down with for a chat and a beer,” he said. During that era, clubs took their own nominations and acceptances, and meetings in the River City thrived under Boyland’s stewardship with northern stables regularly in attendance with multiple runners. “One of the first things Ian said to me was, ‘now listen young fellow, just remember a good secretary always knows his nominations’,” Enting said. “Back then, we would take hand-written nominations, we could take 700 to 900 entries for a meeting. “They were taken about two and a-half weeks before the race meeting, so stables tended to put in their whole racing team and sort out later where they wanted to go.” The affable Boyland was at the helm when Wanganui played host to a two-day Queen’s Birthday meeting, run on the Saturday and Monday with a popular dinner and dance on the Sunday evening. Its spring meeting was also formerly staged on consecutive Saturdays and featured the then Gr.3 Trust Bank Central (1600m), Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m) and Listed Wanganui Guineas (1600m) and opening two-year-old event of the season. Formerly known as the Jackson Stakes and Tim Rogers Stakes, the Trust Bank was run at weight-for-age with home-town hero Veandercross, Bonecrusher, Horlicks, The Phantom, Shivaree, Secret Seal and Axeman featuring on the honours board. It was subsequently downgraded to Listed status and now run as the AGC Training Stakes (1600m). Boyland shone in a promotional role, regularly visiting local and northern trainers to sing the praises of Wanganui and was well known for his hospitality on the eve of race meetings. “He was the Wanganui Jockey Club and a great man for enthusing visiting trainers to race at Wanganui, the likes of the late Bill Sanders and then his son Graeme and many others,” Enting said. Boyland’s administrative skills were acknowledged as one of two New Zealand representatives on an Asian study tour to Japan and gained first-hand experience of the industry in Australia and the United States. He also shared in the ownership of a number of horses, including Young Pirate with great friends, the late Dave MacNab and George Bristol who were both past Wanganui Jockey Club Presidents. Trained by MacNab, he won the 1993 edition of the Listed Duke Of Norfolk Stakes (3200m) at Flemington in the hands of 10-time Group One-winning jockey, former Sky Racing Channel presenter and now Racing Victoria apprentice Jockey coach Alf Matthews. Young Pirate also placed at Group Three level in the Manawatu Cup (2300m) and Waikato Guineas (1600m), finished fourth in the Listed Geelong Cup (2400m) and was subsequently unplaced behind Vintage Crop in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m). View the full article

Tauranga’s race meeting on July 6 marked the beginning of an exciting new venture for Nick Kneebone. The Cambridge-based horseman saddled his first raceday runner, the appropriately named Nick Time, who finished sixth in the Container Co Maiden (1400m). Kneebone, son of long-time auctioneer and New Zealand Bloodstock’s Director of Business Development Mike Kneebone, has spent a large part of his 20s gaining international experience to set him up for his move into training. “It’s something that’s been a fair few years in the making,” he said. “I started off over in Sydney with John Sargent, who obviously trained very successfully in New Zealand before making the move to Australia. I learned so much during my time with him, and now it’s great to be back home and putting that knowledge into practice with my own career. “I want to give it a crack at a time when it looks like New Zealand racing is on the up. The prize-money increases have been great news for the industry here in recent times and I’m very keen to be a part of it.” Kneebone has purchased the Cambridge stable that was formerly owned by the now Cranbourne-based Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young. “I’ve taken over Trent and Natalie’s old stable, which in more recent times has been leased by Hollie Wynyard,” he said. “We’ve been putting a lot of work into whipping it into shape and it’s all coming together nicely. There’s still a little bit of paddock fencing to go and things like that, but I’m really happy with how it’s all coming together.” While a large part of his operation will centre around preparing horses for the NZB Ready to Run Sale at Karaka every November, Kneebone will also serve as a public trainer. “I’ve got 20 boxes here,” he said. “The number of horses will go up and down a bit depending on the time of the year. I’ve got eight pointing towards the Ready to Run Sale, so they’re not far off coming back in to start their preparations. “There’s a few older horses that are up and racing too. I’m lucky enough to have some outside clients that are giving me some really good support in this early part of my career. “We’re only a small team, so there’s plenty going on to keep us busy.” A key member of that team is Tony Allan, whose successful career in the saddle has produced over 1000 wins, headed by the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) with Empire Rose in 1988. Allan has trained his own team of horses at Otaki in recent times but has made the move to Cambridge to be Kneebone’s main trackwork rider. He has brought his own horses with him, including his first runner at his new home track, Perfect Posy, who he rode into second place in Thursday’s Cambridge Equine Hospital (970m). “Tony and I go way back, I’ve known him for years,” Kneebone said. “I was struggling a bit for trackwork riders, so I just sent him a message one day saying that I’d love to have him up here at Cambridge if he was keen. He jumped at the opportunity. “He’s been an awesome help. He does a lot of the gallops for me, and his knowledge and insight has been so valuable. He seems to have settled in really well in Cambridge and he’s loving it. “He’s also brought up some of his own horses and nearly had a win at the local meeting last week. It’s good to have the team coming into a bit of form. Hopefully we can continue with that and it’s onwards and upwards from here.” View the full article

Jean-Claude Rouget and Cristian Demuro have scaled the greatest heights in tandem, but there can surely never have been as emotional a triumph shared by the two men as Leffard's nail-biting win in the Grand Prix de Paris (G1) at Longchamp July 13.View the full article

New Plymouth trainer Debbie Harris will head south to Hawera’s postponed meeting on Tuesday with just the one runner, but she is hoping that is enough to bring home a winner’s cheque. Harris had two runners initially entered for Saturday’s meeting, which was postponed due weather and track conditions, but she has been forced to withdraw debut placegetter Daysofbliss from the Sharna Caskey @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1200m) after she presented lame on Monday morning. That leaves four-win gelding Urenui as her sole representative, with the five-year-old son of Derryn set to kick off his preparation in the Scott Roberts @ Metcalfe Real Estate (1600m). Urenui has been pleasing Harris with his progression this time in, winning his 1400m trial at Foxton last month, and she is confident he is forward enough to put in a bold performance first-up. “He has been working really well so fingers crossed we can have a race meeting and he goes well,” Harris said. “He has done plenty of work and has had a few jumpouts and a trial, so he should be pretty forward. “The draw (2) isn’t ideal, but Jimmy (Chung, apprentice jockey) has ridden him in his jumpouts and trial this prep, so he has a bit of a feel of him so he will figure it out.” Harris has plenty of time for the gelding, who made his stakes debut in the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m) in his last start in November, and she said Urenui will likely target the feature once more as she feels they have unfinished business in the Cup. “All going well we will try and look for a few nice staying races with him,” Harris said. “He was pretty competitive in some open company races last year so hopefully we can get a nice win for him and the owners. “He didn’t get much luck during the running in the Wanganui Cup last year so that is something we will probably look at again this year. “He is a pretty handy horse, he has got a bit of ability. We do have a few feet problems with him, so he is a little bit hard to keep sound, but when he is right, on his day he is not a bad horse.” While upbeat about the future with Urenui, Harris is also excited about the prospects of one of his promising stablemates who is set to make their debut in the near future. “I have got a nice three-year-old by Darci Brahma called Chibra,” she said. “He trialled a couple of weeks ago and I think he is going to be a nice progressive type of horse. He isn’t too far off coming to the races.” View the full article

On Saturday 26 July, the New Zealand thoroughbred breeding community will gather at the National Breeding Awards — not only to celebrate excellence, but to invest in the future of our people and our industry. At the heart of the evening is a fundraising effort supporting the Sunline Trust International Management Scholarship, which gives emerging Kiwi leaders a unique nine-month global experience to build the skills, confidence, and connections our industry needs to thrive. Over 20 past recipients have gone on to contribute significantly across the industry, here and abroad — click here to see the full list of Sunline Scholarship alumni. The Sunline Scholarship continues a proud tradition of investing in people. In both 2001 and 2012, stallion nominations were generously donated and auctioned to raise funds for the programme — a testament to the industry’s willingness to support its own and secure opportunities for the next generation. Thanks to the vision and generosity of some of New Zealand’s leading stud farms, the scholarship’s next chapter can begin. Three of New Zealand’s leading stallions will have service nominations auctioned on the night — Proisir, offered by the Proisir Syndicate and standing at Rich Hill Stud; Circus Maximus, standing at Windsor Park Stud; and Sword of State, standing at Cambridge Stud — with all proceeds going to the Sunline Trust International Management Scholarship. Proisir, from humble beginnings, has rocketed to prominence with a string of Group 1 winners and was crowned New Zealand’s champion sire for the 2023–24 season. Standing at Rich Hill Stud, his progeny continue to impress both on the track and in the sales ring; this season alone he has sired eleven individual stakes winners, and his yearlings have sold up to $1.1 million at Karaka 2025. Circus Maximus, a triple Group 1-winning champion miler in Europe, is already making a strong impression with his first two-year-olds, which include stakes winners and impressive metropolitan performers. His progeny are showing the same class and toughness that defined his racing career. Sword of State, New Zealand’s leading first-season sire at the 2025 yearling sales, was a brilliant juvenile himself, winning the Group 1 Sistema Stakes by a wide margin and defeating top-level performers like Imperatriz and On The Bubbles along the way. His first yearlings sold for up to $540,000 and have been praised for their precocity and quality. The leaders of these farms spoke passionately about why they chose to support the scholarship. John Thompson, owner of Rich Hill Stud, said: “The Sunline Management Scholarship gives young New Zealand horse people the chance to travel abroad, expand their knowledge and skillset and ultimately contribute to the New Zealand industry. The achievements of some of our previous Sunline winners reflect how successful this initiative has been. The Proisir Syndicate recognise the opportunity the management scholarship provides for the next generation of thoroughbred industry leaders. We are gifting this nomination to be auctioned with the funds generated helping finance future Sunline recipients to continue this great legacy.” Scott Calder, Head of Sales & Nominations at Cambridge Stud, added: “You only need to look at the list of alumni and the positions they now hold to see the value the Sunline Scholarship provides to our industry. It’s essential we continue to provide opportunities for our best young people, which is why we are committed to helping fund the scholarship’s future.” Steve Till, General Manager at Windsor Park Stud, agreed: “At Windsor Park, we’ve always prided ourselves not just on investing in thoroughbreds, but in people. Supporting initiatives like the Sunline Scholarship is our way of giving back to an industry that has given us so much — and of helping to inspire and equip the next generation to carry it forward.” Nick Johnson, CEO of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and a trustee of the Sunline Trust, summed up: “The Sunline Scholarship has opened doors, broadened minds, and built confidence in the leaders our industry needs. To see the Proisir Syndicate and Rich Hill Stud, Windsor Park Stud, and Cambridge Stud stand behind this cause with their stallions shows the kind of vision and generosity that makes our industry special. We hope everyone will get behind the auction and help secure this opportunity for the next generation.” For more information about the Sunline Scholarship and the National Breeding Awards, visit www.nzthoroughbred.co.nz, or to discuss supporting the scholarship further, contact nick@nzthoroughbred.co.nz. View the full article