Wandering Eyes

A field of 11 3-year-old colts is set to face the starter for Saturday's $226,404 Fukuryu Stakes, an 1800-meter allowance contest at Nakayama Racecourse that serves as the last of four legs on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and offers points on a 40-20-12-8-4 scale. Luxor Cafe (American Pharoah) currently sits in pole position in the series, having earned 30 points when proving best in the Listed Hyacinth Stakes over Tokyo's one-turn, 1600-meter configuration on Feb. 23. A full-brother to dual G1 February Stakes winner Cafe Pharoah and campaigned by the latter's owner Koichi Nishikawa, the son of Mary's Follies (More Than Ready) set a juvenile course record when winning his maiden over a mile at headquarters Nov. 23 before tacking on a facile allowance victory over this course and distance Jan. 11. Joao Moreira takes over in the saddle here, where a victory or runner-up effort secures the bay colt the automatic berth in the Derby, but it may not all be straight-forward. ▼高松宮記念　本命候補① サトノレーヴ（想定2番人気） 理由① １週前追いはチャックネイト、ルクソールカフェとの３頭併せで手応え良く最先着。 初の左回りは未知数だが、フットワーク的には問題なさそう。 フォロー&いいね20でどんどん更新してきます。 フォロー頂けると励みになります！ pic.twitter.com/OfpYc9t2In — ちゃぶ君の競馬サロン (@chab358x11) March 24, 2025 Fully eight of the 11 runners enter off a victory, including Imhotep (Jpn) (New Year's Day), who looks to take his record to a perfect three-from-three. Purchased for nearly $380,000 out of the JRHA Select Yearling Sale in 2023, the Northern Racing-bred colt graduated by nine lengths at first asking over track and trip Jan. 12 and added a three-length allowance score here just two weeks ago. Golden Cloud (Cloud Computing) was a debut winner at Kyoto last October, then ran the G2 UAE Derby-bound Don in the Mood (Jpn) (Asia Express) to a neck in allowance company Jan. 6. The latter returned to be third in the Hyacinth, while Golden Cloud registered a similar finish behind the pacesetting Isana (Jpn) (Declaration of War) going this distance at Chukyo Jan. 26. The 2024 Fukuryu Stakes was won by T O Password (Jpn) (Copano Rickey {Jpn}) in his second career start. Connections accepted the invitation to the Derby, where the colt ran an excellent fifth, 6 1/2 lengths behind Mystik Dan (Goldencents). The post American Pharoah’s Luxor Cafe Leads Deep Field Into Japan Road to the Derby Finale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ruling against the interests of four race tracks, the Supreme Court of Louisiana declared unconstitutional a statute legalizing historical horse racing machines without first requiring local voter approval.View the full article

Godolphin Mile (G2) contender Little Vic carries the colors of former Major League Baseball star Victor Martínez, a five-time MLB All-Star turned passionate owner.View the full article

America's Best Racing's Patrick Reed provides a horse-by-horse rundown of the Arkansas Derby (G1) lineup.View the full article

Mike Curry analyzes the 10-horse field in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park March 29, which has historically been one of the most important stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

Woodbine's CA$750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) has been added to the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series as an official "Win and You're In" race. ​The winner receives an automatic, fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T).View the full article

In the pantheon of propaganda, Tally-Ho Stud would hardly get a look in compared to its competitors, so when Tony O'Callaghan says “the vibes are good” about Lady Iman (Ire) (Starman {GB}) ahead of her debut in the two-year-old maiden at Dundalk on Friday, it can be taken as a major positive. Lady Iman is a significant runner for O'Callaghan given she is the first representation of Tally-Ho Stud's first-season sire Starman in Ireland this year. She boasts a pretty smart pedigree, too, being a half-sister to West Acre (Ire), who is by the Mullingar-based stud's flagship stallion, Mehmas (Ire). An unfortunate set of circumstances led to the well-bred filly remaining in the custody of O'Callaghan after she was returned to the vendor after being sold for £185,000 to bloodstock agent Daniel Creighton at the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale last year. There is an old saying that a pessimist finds a problem in an opportunity while an optimist will find an opportunity in a problem. O'Callaghan took the return of the Lady Iman on the chin last August and is confident that things will work out in his favour in the fullness of time. “The vibes are very good,” O'Callaghan remarked, before adding, “She passed all the scopes before the sale but, low and behold when she went down to lunge after she was sold, they said she made a noise. That's the story. If they didn't want to take her, they didn't want to take her. We didn't want to take any less and we weren't too bothered to be quite honest with you. But you always hate when this kind of thing happens because we would have bet bottom dollar that she was perfect. Anyway, we have her now and we didn't even think about breezing her either. We said we'd put her into training and that's it-I think things are going to work out in our favour.” He added, “The vibes were good on her when we had her here and they are still good. We dropped her up to Ger [Lyons, trainer] six weeks ago and he seems pretty happy with her. The vibes are good but the vibes are also good about four or five of them in the race so we're looking forward to Friday.” West Acre: a sprinter going places | Erika Rasmussen Lady Iman's pedigree is on the up. The George Scott-trained West Acre has been something of a revelation in Dubai this winter, carrying Michael Blencowe's colours to back-to-back successes in Group 3 and Group 2 sprints. He is now a leading fancy for the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint at the Dubai World Cup meeting and, happily for O'Callaghan, his dam is reported to be back in foal to Mehmas at Tally-Ho Stud. O'Callaghan said, “We bought the dam [Lady Aria (GB) (Kodiac {GB})] off Amo Racing at the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls for 160,000gns in 2019. They don't always ring a bell but thankfully this mare seems to be doing well. She has a yearling colt by Persian Force (Ire) and is scanned in foal to Mehmas.” Lady Iman will face eight rivals in her bid to get off to the best possible start in the 5f maiden at Dundalk [7.00] on Friday. She will be partnered by Ireland's dominant champion jockey Colin Keane. O'Callaghan concluded, “West Acre looks a smart horse and we think this filly is pretty smart, too. We can't be heard saying it but plenty of people seem to be happy with Starman and we've three nice fillies going to the Craven Breeze-Up Sale by him as well.” The post “The Vibes Are Good” – O’Callaghan Excited By Well-Bred Starman Newcomer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

“Has it really been that long?” queries Kevin Ryan after being informed of an anniversary looming on the horizon, that of it being two decades since Amadeus Wolf (GB) won the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. “I didn't think it was that long ago,” he adds, rubbing his face in apparent disbelief, elbows perched on the kitchen counter of his Hambleton home. “Twenty years–that has soon gone by.” That Middle Park in September 2005 was a significant milestone in Ryan's career, as it was the day he joined the ranks of Group 1-winning trainers, some seven years after he sent out his first winner at Catterick in July 1998. A second Group 1 win then followed just three short weeks later when Palace Episode struck in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, while that 2005 campaign was also notable for it being the first time that Ryan broke through the £1-million barrier in prize-money. Now, all of these years later, that sort of haul is par for the course for Ryan and his team. Out of the last 20 seasons on British soil, between that breakthrough year in 2005 and when Ryan achieved a new best total of £1,821,254 in 2024, only three have failed to deliver a seven-figure return–in 2008, 2010 and the Covid-hit campaign of 2020. Equally, Hambleton Lodge is now a regular source of Group 1 winners, admittedly after a seven-year wait between numbers three and four, a drought which was ended by Astaire (Ire) (Intense Focus) when he also won the Middle Park in 2013. Then along came The Grey Gatsby (Ire), the Prix du Jockey Club and Irish Champion Stakes hero who provided the stable with some of its best days with those triumphs at Chantilly and Leopardstown in 2014. “He was a great horse,” Ryan remembers of the popular grey who also won the G2 Dante Stakes at York. “He never had a vet near him bar to do the insurance or give him a flu jab–he was bell-metal sound.” As for the current incumbents of his Thirsk yard, Ryan needn't look too far to be reminded further of the passage of time, with the first foal out of Glass Slippers (GB) (Dream Ahead), the stable's most prolific winner at the top level, featuring among this year's two-year-old intake. “It tells you that you're getting f****** old, when you trained the dam and now you're training the progeny,” Ryan jokes, before providing a positive update on the Dubawi (Ire) colt whose dam won the 2019 Prix de l'Abbaye, as well as the Flying Five Stakes and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint the following year. “He's a grand type of horse,” Ryan goes on. “He was presented at the sales as a yearling but he wasn't ready for a sale. He was just a bit backwards. I saw him at the sale and then when he arrived he looked a different horse to what I saw at Newmarket. He looks a different horse again now–he's really starting to develop and grow. “He moves great, although we haven't pressed any buttons with him yet. She [Glass Slippers] wasn't precocious–it was the second half of the season before she really started to show her true metal. We'll just let him come to himself and then we'll get him out as and when.” For now, until others prove themselves worthy, pride of place in the class of 2025 most definitely belongs to Inisherin (GB), who provided Ryan with a 16th Group 1 success when landing last year's Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. Though down the field on his final three-year-old appearance in the G1 Sprint Cup at Haydock in September, the strapping son of Shamardal clearly remains the apple of his trainer's eye. “He's had a nice long break and he wintered very well,” says Ryan. “He's bigger and stronger and we're looking forward to getting him going again. He'll get an entry in the Duke Of York Stakes [May 14]. He'll have a Group 1 penalty to carry, but it's a good starting point and there's a nice gap between York and Royal Ascot. It's easy to place where he'll be going, although there's a possibility that we could go up to seven furlongs. They've upgraded that race at York [City Of York Stakes] now to make it a Group 1, so never say never. And you've got the Prix Maurice de Gheest over six and a half–he's got loads of options.” Inisherin is the real deal and lands the Commonwealth Cup at Royal @Ascot! pic.twitter.com/K685XUvt4f — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 21, 2024 Inisherin has already shown that he's capable over a bit further, having finished sixth, beaten less than five lengths, in last year's 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, after beating none other than Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}) by three and a half lengths when winning his novice over a mile at Newcastle a couple of months earlier. “He had a lot thrown at him in a short space of time last year,” Ryan says of why Inisherin might have lost his way in the second half of 2024. “He'd won a maiden and been to a Guineas early in the season. He ran very well in the Guineas and, in fairness, he ran well in the July Cup [when finishing fifth behind Mill Stream]. He just didn't seem to come down the hill, which was quite surprising because he ran well on the other track. And then it was very tacky ground at Haydock which I don't think he really liked. Physically, he was great and we're delighted with the way he's come back in.” Here's hoping we see the Royal Ascot version of Inisherin in 2025, with the form of the Commonwealth Cup looking even better now than it did at the time, after the runner-up, Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never), travelled down under to win the A$10-million Golden Eagle and the fourth-place finisher, Kind Of Blue (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), ended the season with victory in the Champions Sprint Stakes. “It's all there,” Ryan adds. “And it was easy watching that day–from two down you could see that he wasn't going to be beaten. I think, with Ascot, most of the pressure is on the run up to it and getting them there in peak condition. There's not much more you can do when you're there, but you're still nervous. You're bound to be nervous when everyone is expecting him to win–I was expecting it as well which puts even more pressure on you. “He's as quick a horse as we've had. He has a huge stride on him, with a high cruising speed and a great turn of foot–he's always had loads of gears. A lot of these horses are retired early, but I think it's great for people who follow the sport to get to see them again. He didn't even have to think about it, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid. He said straight away at Royal Ascot that both the horses would stay in training, him and Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}). He loves his racing and he's in no rush to send them to stud.” Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum has been a big supporter of the Ryan yard ever since his 2018 purchase of Emaraaty Ana (GB) (Shamardal), after he'd won the G2 Gimcrack Stakes at York when owned by Ahmad Abdulla Al Shaikh. Emaraaty Ana would later win the 2021 Sprint Cup, becoming the first of four individual Group 1 winners Ryan has trained in the famous yellow and black-spotted silks. The others include another Royal Ascot winner in Queen Anne hero Triple Time (Ire), a three-parts brother to Inisherin's dual Group 1-winning dam, Ajman Princess (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). “You could get anything out of them,” Ryan says of the annual batch of homebreds he receives from Sheikh Obaid. “You could get a very fast horse or you could get a really good staying horse–his breeding programme covers all angles. He breeds a lot of very good horses and he lets us buy as well. It's nice to have that kind of backing at the sales.” One such purchase for Sheikh Obaid was the four-year-old Volterra (Ire) (Farhh {GB}), who occupies the neighbouring box to Inisherin in the L-shaped block of stables which are overlooked by the kitchen window of the Ryan family home. Previous inhabitants include other sprinting stars such as Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Hello Youmzain (Fr). Volterra, who was bought for 400,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, still has some way to go to earn his place in that illustrious company, but his trainer is optimistic that the 103-rated colt might prove equal to the task after a stylish victory in the Challenge Cup at Ascot on his final start of last season. “He's a very, very talented horse, always has been,” says Ryan. “He was a very weak two-year-old, and he still wasn't very mature last year, but he was still able to perform at a high level in those big handicaps. He destroyed the field at Ascot. “We always thought he was going to be top class. The way he looks now and the way he's strengthened, I think he's one who can really come into his own this year. I wasn't keen to throw him into a Group race straight away, but that might have to be the case because of the way the programme is. He'll be testing the waters and, hopefully, he can make up into a Group 1 horse–that's what we think he is.” What a performance! It's Challenge Cup glory for Volterra under Shane Gray! @Ascot pic.twitter.com/4nUNZ7s00O — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 5, 2024 For Ryan, like any trainer, that search for the next Group 1 horse is what the job's all about, an endeavour in which he is ably assisted by the bloodstock agents Steve and Becky Hillen. “We all have our own ideas, myself, Steve and Becky,” Ryan says of his approach to the sales. “Everyone has an opinion and at the end of the day I'm the one who has to make the last call on it. If I can't buy the ones I want, I'd prefer to come away with less horses rather than forgiving this, that and the other with them. “There's always been a certain type of horse I like. The pedigree has to be reasonable, although I'll sometimes forgive a pedigree if there's a really nice individual. Especially with the breeze-up horses, you can be a lot more forgiving because they're at a completely different stage than they are as yearlings. You're seeing them six or seven months later. “We might gather up some more [two-year-olds] at the breeze-up sales [this year]. We always have done. Astaire, Brando, The Grey Gatsby, Amadeus Wolf and Palace Episode–they were all breeze-up horses, to name just a few. It has been very good to us over the years. Mind you, they're getting harder to buy. A horse like The Grey Gatsby cost €120,000 and he'd probably be a £200,000 horse now–that's the difference in it. “But I want to race at a good level,” he adds of the pursuit of another The Grey Gatsby. “We've been very lucky and we've had a Group 1 horse in the yard near enough every year. It's incredible to think that we haven't really had a lull with them–I hope I'm not putting the mockers on it now! We've one, maybe a couple, for this year as well, but it's all about trying to find the next one as the back up for when they're gone.” Ryan on… Ain't Nobody (Ire) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}) Successful in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, he was last seen finishing a running-on sixth in the G2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster. “I'm looking forward to stepping him up to six furlongs. He did it well at Ascot, but then he grew quite a bit. His last run told us that he wanted six, so he'll probably start off in the Commonwealth Cup Trial. I'm not saying he's a Commonwealth Cup horse. He's a fair bit to make up to be that, but it seems an obvious place to start off his rating and that will give us an idea of what level he's going to play at this year.” Room Service (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) This colt is rated 109 after ending last season with victory in the Listed Wentworth Stakes at Doncaster. “His form was very good at Donny. It was hard enough not to put him in there again this Saturday, but it took him a bit of time to get rolling last year. There's a seven-furlong conditions race at Thirsk [April 12]. We'll start there and he'll have the option then of sticking to seven or dropping back. But I'm sure that he's going to stay seven well. It was only in the last half-furlong that he got on top at Donny–even two down I didn't think he was going to win. He could be a horse for the Buckingham Palace at Royal Ascot.” Washington Heights (GB) (Washington DC {Ire}) Second on his return to action in the Dukhan Sprint in Qatar last month, he was a fixture in the top European sprints last season following his victory in the G3 Abernant Stakes at Newmarket. “He's a great syndicate horse. He takes them to all of the right meetings and he's very, very genuine. He will have an entry in the Duke Of York [in which he finished fourth in 2024]. Before then he has the option of going back for the Abernant again or he could switch to the Palace House over five furlongs at the Guineas meeting. Simon Turner [racing manager for owners Hambleton Racing] will have his own ideas and we'll discuss it closer to the time.” The post Twenty Years at the Top Table for Kevin Ryan, with Inisherin Back for More appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The following represents the conclusion of this look at how long-term trends in Thoroughbred racing have evolved to the point where a turnaround may be near in the sport's economic fortunes. To read part I, click here. For part II, click here. Defining Development #6–Blessed are the Survivors As a matter of basic free-market economics, it is possible to view the past 30-plus years of contraction in U.S. races, racing dates, and racetracks as an unfortunate, but necessary adjustment to a changing competitive environment. The Thoroughbred sport, presented to its best advantage, still retains its centuries-old ability to attract, engross, and thrill fans of all ages. The thrill lessens when racing overwhelms even its hardiest followers with too much inferior product. There are some signs that the pattern of downsizing may be within a furlong or two of a sustainable destination. As one favorable trend, take the relationship of the cost of training to the average annual earnings of American Thoroughbreds. In 1988, when racing's contraction was just underway, the average annual cost for keeping one horse in training was generally in the range of $25,000 to $30,000 on major racing circuits, and less so at other tracks. That same year, average racetrack earnings for Thoroughbreds was slightly above $8,000. By 2023, the average annual cost of training had doubled to $50,000 to $60,000 on major circuits, while the average earnings quadrupled to nearly $32,000. In other words, in 1988 racehorse owners could expect to recover on average about one-quarter of the annual costs of training a Thoroughbred. In the current day, owners can expect to recover a bit more than half, while waiting and hoping for the major winner that will cover past losses and take them to the promised land. This favorable trend has happened because available wagering has been concentrated on fewer horses competing in fewer races, enabling purses, supplemented by other forms of gambling, to rise faster than training costs. This pattern of focusing more revenue on fewer races stands to benefit the full range of participants in the industry. The downside is that sound economics in racing now support fewer stakeholders. The upside is that survivors have better chances to stay afloat, and perhaps prosper. Other favorable developments, now ingrained into racing's culture across the country, include ways to increase the sport's appeal to casual fans, and to offer something special to hard-core bettors. Kelso with Eddie Arcaro aboard wins the Brooklyn Handicap | Coglianese For casual fans, grouping a track's best races into special Saturday packages, maybe four or five weeks apart, sends an authentic signal that here is something that shouldn't be missed. Such efforts were never on the radar, nor were they necessary, in the long-ago days of Kelso. Today they have produced some success in increasing overall attendance and pari-mutuel handle. For the hard core, handicapping contests, leading to a national championship for top individual gamblers, provide a way for serious students of the game to test their skills against the best other players. Anyone who has witnessed the final rounds of these contests cannot doubt the intense interest at play. Why not tweak and expand this concept, albeit with lower stakes, to daily events at individual tracks, or combination of tracks? In another promising smaller-scale development, racing has benefitted from numerous partnerships that serve as points of entry to Thoroughbred ownership for casual fans. These owner-fans, particularly in micro-share partnerships, have at times turned out in substantial numbers and wagered enthusiastically enough to boost pari-mutuel pools and lower the odds on 'their' horses. Some also plunge heartily into the parties, hats, and let-the-good-times-roll side of major events. This stuff is irresistible to TV cameras and presents racing in its best light. Now that is good marketing. Elsewhere, there has never been a time in my decades of watching Thoroughbred racing when so many comments, criticisms, and ideas for change have bubbled into the national debate. Long gone are the see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, speak-no-evil years of the past. Necessity has produced an array of conferences, forums, panel discussions, letters to editors, and summits, all seeking a better way forward. This kind of ferment can lead to a consensus behind workable ideas and opens doors to acceptance of long-needed change. So which racetracks are most likely to endure and prosper in coming years? Here is a checklist of factors that affect the chances of survival. 1) Sports Competition. How many other top-level professional sports are vying for fans in a track's local market? 2) Gambling Competition. How many casinos and other gambling outlets with no connection to racing exist in the same market? 3) Modern Facilities. How long has it been since a racetrack's physical facilities were updated? 4) Length of Season. Does a track's racing season have a beginning and an end, or is it forced to grind away for too many months through all manner of conditions, good and bad? 5) Real Estate Values. Has a track's real estate value risen to the point where only not-for-profit ownership can resist the chance to cash out? 6) Political Clout. Does horse racing have a productive relationship with its state government? Fixed odds wagering at Monmouth Park | Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO. Each of these six factors is important. The sixth may be the most important. Leaders of racing and breeding organizations deserve full credit in states where governments have come to view the sport as a public-private partnership aimed at saving a job-creating, greenspace-preserving industry. With that as a goal, states are more likely to channel proceeds from other forms of gambling into racing, and adopt tax policies that enable the sport to survive. The struggle does not end there. The continuing challenge is to ensure that racing is more than a ward of the state. To thrive, Thoroughbred horse racing must find ways to consistently offer a fan-friendly, bettor-friendly product in a people-friendly environment. Is that too much to ask? Thus ends the more serious portion of this commentary on racing's economic history and current state of affairs. Now, how about a long-shot suggestion for one way to approach the impending fate of Gulfstream Park. It would be especially useful at this moment if a “Coalition of the Willing” came together to build an investment fund intended, not as a charitable pursuit, but as a profit-making enterprise seeking an acceptable future for Florida racing. A good starting point, amid current property values in South Florida, might be raising (a modest) $50 million a year for five years. Any Coalition with a such a fund could approach Gulfstream's owners with a proposition like this: We'll invest our $50 million annually for five years for an equity position in the track, proportionate to its current real estate value. Then after five or 10 years, all parties will evaluate whether it makes financial sense to continue racing, or sell the property for whatever the market will bear. Turf blur at Gulfstream | Ryan Thompson Such a scheme would allow Gulfstream's owners to take some money off the table, while pondering what comes next. Any eventual sale of the property would also allow a Coalition to share in profits from further increases in property values. Maybe even enough to build a new, appropriately down-sized racetrack elsewhere in the state. That's a plan, but where would a Coalition find the money? Answer: By beginning with contributions from some of the nation's most prominent owners who race horses in the Florida sunshine. This would continue a long tradition of the sport's leading patrons playing key roles in owning racetracks. Think of Joseph E. Widener and Edward R. Bradley at Hialeah and August Belmont Jr. and William Collins Whitney at Belmont Park, in early decades of the 20th century. Following those titans, modern-day exemplars of turf should be good for at least $25 million a year in seed money, wouldn't you think? It is frequently said that the demise of Gulfstream would spread grief among numerous other sectors of the industry, including breeding farms and sales companies far beyond Florida. Why not ask those sectors to contribute their fair share to a rescue plan? The most consistent profit centers in the industry throughout the 21st century have been stallions with extraordinarily large books of mares, and auction companies whose revenue streams continue to flow, despite racing's decline. Now, for some back-of-the-envelope calculations. A plan that would ask stallion masters to contribute proceeds from one season for every 25 mares covered might generate $10-12 million a year. Asking sales companies to chip in one percent of their annual gross revenue could produce another $12-13 million. So, there's the Coalition's $50 million a year. Make no mistake, loss of Gulfstream and the South Florida market, either now or in five or 10 years, would damage the Thoroughbred industry. But it need not mean sudden death for all concerned. Florida has sizable tracts of rural real estate, not far north of mega-metropolitan Orlando and south of Ocala, say along I-75 not so many miles from The Villages' ever-growing retirement community. Has there ever been a more promising assemblage of existing and potential horse racing enthusiasts, with time on their hands? Derby longshot Mine That Bird | Sarah Andrew Any track in such a location could take advantage of the Ocala area's unmatched roster of training centers, thus reducing the need for on-track stables. Its leaders could also negotiate a division of racing dates with Tampa Bay Downs, providing for alternating meetings and avoiding endless drudgery at either track. The odds on this flight of fancy could be longer than a Derby parlay on Mine That Bird (Birdstone) and Rich Strike (Keen Ice). Hapless California might be completely off any odds board. For Florida, there may be a kernel here that could grow if nourished by the right leaders. The Thoroughbred industry has an outsized portion of dreamers, schemers, survivors, salespeople, risk-takers, and savvy investors. Now would be a good time for some of them to have a go at an investment plan like this. Or maybe they already have. –David L. Heckerman, 80, is a native of Southwestern Indiana and 1966 graduate of DePauw University. He spent most of his working years as a writer, editor, and columnist in the newspaper world, and, from 1980-2000, covering Thoroughbred auctions and the economics of racing and breeding at trade magazines based in Lexington, KY. Heckerman now lives in retirement in Evansville, IN and may be reached at davidheckerman@twc.com. The post Why We Are Where We Are, Part III: Blessed Are The Survivors appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The $750,000 GI E.P. Taylor Stakes has been added to the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series as an official “Win and You're In” race, according to a release from Woodbine Entertainment on Thursday morning. The new designation offers the winner an automatic, fees-paid berth into the $2 million GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at the 2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships which is scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Del Mar. This year, the E.P. Taylor Stakes will be run Aug. 16, sharing the stage with Woodbine's King's Plate. After construction is completed on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course in 2026, the race will move back to its spot on the September calendar, alongside Woodbine's three other Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races. “This is an exciting moment for Woodbine and Canadian racing,” said CEO of Woodbine Entertainment Michael Copeland. “The E.P. Taylor Stakes has long attracted top turf fillies and mares from around the world, and its inclusion in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series further cements its status as a premier international event.” E. P. Taylor Stakes Woodbine – Groupe 1 – Femelles – 3 ans et plus – 2000m – 5 Pts – 900 000$ Full Count Felicia (Usa) Kazushi Kimura (War Front (Usa) @claibornefarm – Claire de Lune (Ire) par Galileo (Ire)) Kevin Attard @kevin_attard Gold… pic.twitter.com/EUPem67jln — French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) September 14, 2024 The post GI E.P. Taylor Stakes At Woodbine Joins Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Fillies from the Aga Khan Studs claimed two of the European Classics last season and both will be covered this spring for the first time. The Oaks winner Ezeliya (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) is in America to be covered by Justify, while Poules d'Essai des Pouliches victrix Rouhiya (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) will remain among the home team and is to visit Sea The Stars (Ire) at Gilltown Stud. Ezeliya's dam Eziyra (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) will return to Dubawi and Rondonia (Ire) (Raven's Pass), the dam of Rouhiya, who is currently in foal to Sea The Stars, is booked to Frankel (GB). The Juddmonte star is also the intended mate for the Aga Khan Studs' treble Group 1 winner Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal). An announcement of a selection of the operation's matings for 2025 also divulged that Tarnawa's half-sister, the four-time Group 1 winner Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), will be covered by Coolmore's Wootton Bassett (GB), while their dam Tarana (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) will visit Too Darn Hot (GB) at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket after delivering a foal by Siyouni. Head of the list among stallions based in France, Siyouni is set to cover more than 20 of the Aga Khan Studs broodmare band. These include Azmiyna (Ire), dam of multiple Group 1 winner The Autumn Sun (Aus); Calayana (Ire), dam of Group 2 winner and dual Group 1 runner-up Calandagan (Ire); Group 2 winner Darkaniya (Fr), and Zarkala (Fr), a Frankel daughter of Zarkava (Fr). The maiden mare and Group 2 winner Hanalia (Ire) is also among Siyouni's mates for 2025 along with fellow maidens, Group 3 winner Sumiha (Ire) and stakes winner Ashiyma (Ire). As well as the aforementioned Rouhiya, Sea The Stars will also cover the Aga Khan mares Sicinya (Fr), a young half-sister to Siyouni, and Baiykara (Fr), a Group-winning daughter of Zarak (Fr). Zarak himself, who was second only to his own sire Dubawi by percentage of Group winners to runners in 2024, will cover 15 Aga Khan mares, including Ereviya (Fr), a three-parts sister to treble Group 1 winner Ervedya (Fr); Tasalka (Ire), a half-sister to the dam of multiple Group 1 winners Tarnawa and Tahiyra, and Etneya (Ire), a Group-placed half-sister to the dam of Classic heroine Ezeliya. Also on Zarak's list is the stakes winner and Group 1 runner-up Sagamiyra (Fr); Ebba (Fr), a winning half-sister to Ebaiyra, and Hanakiyya (Ire), the dam of three Group winners including Hanalia. Young Haras de Bonneval stallions Vadeni (Fr) and Erevann (Fr) both received strong support in their first seasons at stud in 2024 and that will continue this year. Erevann -©Zuzanna-Lupa-300x218.jpg" alt="" width="526" height="382" /> Haras de Bonneval | Zuzanna Lupa Vadeni's book will include Group 1 winner Ridasiyna (Fr), whose Churchill (Ire) three-year-old, Ridari (Fr), will make his seasonal debut in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau. Vadeni will also cover Siyenica (Fr), a Stakes-winning, Group 2-placed half-sister to Siyouni who is already the dam of Group 1 winner Siyarafina (Fr); Dalma (Fr), a Dubawi daughter of G1 Prix de l'Opera winner Dalkala (Fr); Group 3 winner Rehana (Ire), and Kineta (Fr), a winning young mare from the family of High Chaparral (Ire). The G1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Dolniya (Fr) is among Erevann's second book, along with G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Vazira (Fr); Zarshana (Ire), a Group-winning half-sister to Zarkava; Group winner and producer Ebiyza (Ire), and Candara (Fr), dam of Group 2 winner Candarliya (Fr) and unbeaten stayer Candelari (Ire), who has recently foaled a Vadeni colt. The post Oaks Winner Ezeliya Visits Justify as Aga Khan Studs Announce Mating Plans appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Pacific Breeze has already showed he has the talent to match both his pedigree and his looks. The colt will bid to build on the encouraging start he has made to his career when he takes aim at Saturday’s Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham. Trained by Steven Cole at Byerley Park, the well-related son of North Pacific finished fourth at Te Aroha on debut before he ventured south to Waverley to open his wining account over 1200m. “He’s a well-bred horse who has showed plenty of ability so far so it’s quite exciting for us,” Cole said. “In his first start he was pretty unlucky when he struck interference and then, after picking himself up, flashed late to be in a photo for third. “Sam (Spratt, jockey) said if she had got the split, she was probably the winner.” Jonathan Riddell took the reins next time out and Pacific Breeze duly accounted for his stablemate Odds And Ends. “It was a good win and he obviously went away for the night and had a go left-handed, which was the reason for going down there and the horse of mine that ran second finished third the other day so there’s a bit of form there,” Cole said. Cole is also confident that Pacific Breeze will have no trouble mastering the step up in trip at Trentham. “When I spoke to Jonathan after the win, he definitely thought he would run the 1400m out strongly,” he said. “Obviously, with two-year-olds you never know how many will get it, but we are confident he will see the distance out and Jonathan will ride him again.” Pacific Breeze was originally passed in for $150,000 at Karaka when offered by Woburn Fam at the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. “We liked him and ended up making a deal with Woburn so it’s a good result,” said Cole, whose father David races the colt. Pacific Breeze is the third winner for the Redoute’s Choice mare Auckland Beauty, whose dam Fritz’s Princess won the Gr.2 Shorts Handicap (1100m) and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Winter Stakes (1400m) and third in the Gr.1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m). “He’s a big, dark black horse with plenty of size and scope about him so he has the looks to match the pedigree,” Cole said. “He’s going to be a better three-year-old, but he’s going the right way at the moment and definitely deserves his place there on Saturday.” Cole also has high hopes for consistent stablemate Chicago Jack in The Oaks Stud Handicap (1200m). “He’s going really well and has been plagued by bad barriers when he’s had to go back or do a bit of work to cross,” he said. “Het gets the one barrier on Saturday and has a very good rider with Michael McNab on, so it looks a nice race for him.” View the full article

CLICK TO PLAY View the full article

What Australian Cup Day 2025 Where Flemington Racecourse – Melbourne, Victoria When Saturday, March 29, 2025 First Race 12:15pm AEDT Visit Dabble For the final time this autumn, Group 1 racing heads to Flemington Racecourse on Saturday afternoon, where the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) headlines the 10-race program. Despite the slight chance of a shower forecast for race day, the surface is expected to remain a Good 4 throughout the meeting, with the rail returning to its true position the entire circuit. The first race is set to jump at 12:15pm AEDT. Race 1: TAB We’re On (1100m) Nunthorpe is set to resume from a six-month spell, and despite resuming at a distance short of her best, the mare’s brilliance will have her in this for a long way. The five-year-old mare will need a genuine tempo over the 1100m down the Flemington straight, but with Written Blight and Lovero set to run this at a genuine clip, the race sets up perfectly for Nunthorpe to unleash a strong turn of foot down the grandstand side of the straight. Selections: 4 NUNTHORPE 1 A LITTLE DEEP 2 BOSSY NIC 7 WRITTEN BLIGH Best Value Race 1 – #4 Nunthorpe (10) 5yo Mare | T: Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman | J: Linda Meech (54kg) Race 2: VOBIS Gold Plate (1400m) Prestige Ole was a strong Ballarat 1200m winner on March 7, and as the Ole Kirk juvenile steps up to the 1400m, he looks just as hard to hold out. The David Brideoake & Matt Jenkins-trained colt settled in the second half of the field on that day, but with a strong turn of foot, was able to overhail his rivals in the shadows of the winning post. He’s drawn perfectly in barrier two under Ben Allen, and with the run of the race and with a similar finish, Prestige Ole should prove too good once more. Selections: 1 PRESTIGE OLE 2 ZORB 7 POLISH PLAYGIRL 6 GRINZINGER TUNDRA Race 3: Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) Befuddle was only run down in the shadows of the winning post during The Showdown (1200m) last time out and looms as the one to beat in the 2025 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes. The two-year-old colt has drawn perfectly for a juvenile race down the straight, with most of these youngsters looking to find the inside rail in run as a bit of a guiding stick. Jye McNeil will have him bounding along out in front, and with race experience on his side, Befuddle will take some catching. Selections: 1 BEFUDDLE 3 EETEEDEE 2 EDEN ROSE 5 ENCHANTED BY Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes Race 3 – #1 Befuddle (1) 2yo Filly | T: John Sadler | J: Jye McNeil (56kg) Race 4: VOBIS Gold Reef (1600m) Storm Season could not have been any more impressive when breaking her maiden first-up from a spell at Pakenham on March 13 over 1400m. The three-year-old filly produced a stunning turn of foot inside the final 250m and made up plenty of ground when nabbing Comanche Miss on the line. The step up to the mile second-up looks ideal, and with the length of the Flemington straight to build through her gears, Storm Seaosn has the finishing burst to overhaul her rivals again. Selections: 9 STORM SEASON 1 NDOLA 2 ATHANATOS 4 CAVITY BAY Race 5: Curragh Handicap (1600m) In a race full of non-winners, Enxuto brings winning form to this 1600m affair, which could prove to be the difference. The five-year-old gelding launched late to run down Capper Thirtynine over 1400m last time out, with the win even more impressive considering he did not see clear air in the home straight until the 300m mark. Luke Currie will have the son of Lean Mean Machine midfield with cover once again, and with a similar finish, there is no reason why Enxuto cannot bring up a fourth straight win. Selections: 10 ENXUTO 11 HELLSING 2 NUGGET 1 MUNHAMEK Race 6: Listed ATA/Bob Hoysted Handicap (1000m) Oak Hill was breathtaking when winning the 55 Second Challenge Final (955m) at Moonee Valley on March 7, and based on his campaign so far, he only needs to handle the straight to be winning again. The son of Per Incanto didn’t see clear air until the final 50m last time out but launched late to grab Shirshov right on the line. With four wins from five starts to his name at the 1000m, he is clearly a distance specialist, and with plenty of speed engaged, Oak Hill will be flashing down the outside late and hopefully salute at a nice price with . Selections: 12 OAK HILL 9 MIDWEST 8 PISANELLO 1 OSCAR’S FORTUNE ATA/Bob Hoysted Handicap Race 6 – #12 Oak Hill (12) 4yo Gelding | T: Glen Thompson | J: Daniel Stackhouse (54kg) Race 7: Listed HKJC World Pool Sprint Classic (1100m) Alabama Lass will make her Australian debut in the $500,000 Listed HKJC World Pool Sprint Classic, and if she brings anything close to what she has produced in New Zealand, she will take some catching. With five wins and three second through eight career starts, the three-year-old filly comes to Flemington on the back of a 5.3 lengths romp in the Group 3 Kings Plate (1200m) when beating home Group 1 winner Crocetti. She will be doing as she pleases out in front, and as long as she handles the Flemington straight, her high-cruising speed should bring plenty of these undone. Selections: 6 ALABAMA LASS 13 AMELITA 1 FIRST SETTLER 15 VESTAS Next Best Race 7 – #6 Alabama Lass (4) 3yo Filly | T: Ken & Bev Kelso | J: Craig Williams (57kg) Race 8: Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) Seven Group 1 winners are amongst the field for the 2025 Australian Cup, where Pride Of Jenni dominates the market with horse racing bookmakers. Can the front-running marvel add another win at the highest level? Or should punters be looking elsewhere in Saturday’s feature? Click here for our full preview of the 2025 Group 1 Australian Cup Race 9: Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) Win and you are in to the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) later in the year, that is what Deakin will be chasing when he looks add a third win from his last two starts. The five-year-old gelding spaced his rivals by 5.5 lengths in the Listed Torney Night Cup (2500m) at Moonee Valley on February 21, and despite being five weeks between runs, he simply looks a class above his rivals in the staying feature of the day. Drawn in barrier three, Daniel Stackhouse will have the son of Australia settled up on speed, and when asked to quicken on the home turn, Deakin should be kicking clear of his rivals and booking a spot in the big race on the first Tuesday in November. Selections: 3 DEAKIN 7 GARACHICO 9 BERKSHIRE BREEZE 11 WALTHAM Best Bet Race 9 – #3 Deakin (3) 5yo Gelding | T: Phillip Stokes | J: Daniel Stackhouse (57kg) Race 10: Glorious Goodwood Handicap (1100m) The last event of the day is a “dartboard job” where a winning case could be made for five or six and runners and you could still be wrong. Sunset Dreaming gets the verdict first-up from a six-month spell following a nice trial in preperation for this when finishing a head off the classy Globe. The four-year-old mare has a win and a second from two fresh runs and brings some strong form lines to the closer from last spring. Jamie Melham with have her stalking the speed throughout, and as long as a gap appears at the right time, Sunset Dreaming will be fighting out the finish. Selections: 13 SUNSET DREAMING 8 WALLENDA 1 MYTEMPTATION 9 WOLFY Saturday quaddie tips for Flemington Flemington quadrella selections Saturday, March 29, 2025 1-6-13-15 4-6-7-8 3-7-9 1-8-9-12-13 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Pacific Breeze will contest Saturday’s Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Pacific Breeze has already shown he has the talent to match both his pedigree and his looks. The colt will bid to build on the encouraging start he has made to his career when he takes aim at Saturday’s Group 1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham. Trained by Steven Cole at Byerley Park, the well-related son of North Pacific finished fourth at Te Aroha on debut before he ventured south to Waverley to open his wining account over 1200m. “He’s a well-bred horse who has shown plenty of ability so far, so it’s quite exciting for us,” Cole said. “In his first start he was pretty unlucky when he struck interference and then, after picking himself up, flashed late to be in a photo for third. “Sam (Spratt, jockey) said if she had got the split, she was probably the winner.” Jonathan Riddell took the reins next time out, and Pacific Breeze duly accounted for his stablemate, Odds And Ends. “It was a good win, and he obviously went away for the night and had a go left-handed, which was the reason for going down there, and the horse of mine that ran second finished third the other day, so there’s a bit of form there,” Cole said. Cole is also confident that Pacific Breeze will have no trouble mastering the step up in trip at Trentham. “When I spoke to Jonathan after the win, he definitely thought he would run the 1400m out strongly,” he said. “Obviously, with two-year-olds, you never know how many will get it, but we are confident he will see the distance out and Jonathan will ride him again.” Pacific Breeze was originally passed in for $150,000 at Karaka when offered by Woburn Fam at the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. “We liked him and ended up making a deal with Woburn, so it’s a good result,” said Cole, whose father, David, races the colt. Pacific Breeze is the third winner for the Redoute’s Choice mare Auckland Beauty, whose dam, Fritz’s Princess, won the Group 2 Shorts Handicap (1100m) and finished runner-up in the Group 1 Winter Stakes (1400m) and third in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m). “He’s a big, dark black horse with plenty of size and scope about him, so he has the looks to match the pedigree,” Cole said. “He’s going to be a better three-year-old, but he’s going the right way at the moment and definitely deserves his place there on Saturday.” Cole also has high hopes for consistent stablemate Chicago Jack in the Oaks Stud Handicap (1200m). “He’s going really well and has been plagued by bad barriers when he’s had to go back or do a bit of work to cross,” he said. “Het gets the one barrier on Saturday and has a very good rider with Michael McNab on, so it looks like a nice race for him.” Horse racing news View the full article

Group One contender Too Sweet (outside) having an exhibition gallop with Bradman at Waverley. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Central Districts filly Too Sweet was all the rage ahead of January’s $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), but now she seems to be the forgotten horse of the juvenile ranks, set to start as an outsider in Saturday’s Group 1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham. “I think she is the forgotten horse, she has drifted from $6 to about $21, so it’s incredible really,” trainer Roydon Bergerson said. “She is the only horse in the race that has beaten La Dorada, and she beat her fair and square in the Eclipse (Group 2, 1200m).” Purchased by part-owner Chris Rutten out of Phoenix Park’s 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft for $50,000, Too Sweet began her career with a bang, winning on debut over 900m at Trentham and doubling her win tally two races later when taking out the Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day. She started a $5 third favourite for the Karaka Millions 2YO but had a luckless run from her outside barrier and finished 11th. The taxing run told on the daughter of Satono Aladdin, who has enjoyed a freshen-up ahead of her first elite-level target this weekend. “It is a big ask, she hasn’t raced for a couple of months,” Bergerson said. “She had a tough run in the Karaka Millions, which wasn’t ideal. She got stuck back and stuck wide. She challenged on the turn, but she just had too much work to do. “She was a bit tired after the race. We were going to go to the Sistema (Group 1, 1200m) but it had just taken too much out of her, and we got her home and freshened her up. “She went out to Chris Rutten’s for a little bit of a break, and then she came back, and I gave her one gallop, and we took her to the Waipuk trials, where she just got beaten by Peter Didham’s filly (War Princess). “We gave her another couple of gallops, and she trialled against the older horses and went super the other day at Foxton and ended up on the fence in behind the leaders and didn’t let her head go at all. She galloped in between races at Waverley with Bradman (last week) and on a Heavy track she still ran home in 47, so it was good work. “She had her final hit-out and galloped really well on the course proper here (Awapuni) on Tuesday morning. “We did the same programme with Wolverine, and it nearly came off.” Too Sweet has been plagued by bad draws, and this weekend is no exception, with jockey Masa Hashizume having to overcome the outside barrier in the field of 13. “She has just been plagued by bad draws. She drew eight of eight in the Eclipse, she drew 14 of 14 in the Karaka Millions, and now she has drawn 13 of 13 in the Sires’,” Bergerson said. “We are just going to have to come up with some plan with Masa and see how the track plays. The track might be tired on the inside, so it might work to her advantage; we don’t know. We will probably know halfway through the day and where the speed is coming from. “It is going to be a really interesting race and a tidy field; there are a lot of chances.” Bergerson hasn’t ruled out an Australian campaign with his filly; however, he said Saturday will more than likely be her last run for the season. “This will probably be her grand final, but you never know,” he said. “If she comes out and bolts in you would have to look at something else, whether it be Sydney or Brisbane. You just have to leave that until after the race.” Earlier on the card, stablemate Bradman will be out to defend his crown in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m). The seven-year-old gelding will be first-up and Bergerson is rapt with his condition. “He is coming up really well, I couldn’t be happier with him,” he said. “He has finally matured, it has taken him seven years, but he looks like a little weapon now. “He had a quiet trial the other day, just to get a bit more condition off him. He had an exhibition gallop as well last week at Waverley with Too Sweet just to get more fitness into his legs.” While pleased with his charge, Bergerson said he is hoping to see a bit of moisture about ahead of the weekend. “I was hoping for a bit of rain around for the race. I will just wait to see how firm the track comes up, if it’s too firm he probably won’t run,” he said. “He has got a really good jockey (Ryan Elliot) and a good draw (4), and if the fire is out of the track, he will run a cheeky race. “I think he is in for a really successful winter.” Stablemate Town Cryer will also be shooting for stakes success in the Group 2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m) The seven-year-old daughter of Tavistock placed in the Group 1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) in her last outing at Trentham in January before posting two unplaced results at Ellerslie, and Bergerson is hoping a return to Trentham will be favourable for his mare. “I am very happy with her,” he said. “She hasn’t had much luck this season. She went very well the other day (seventh in Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, 1600m), she kept coming to the line. In her last two starts at Auckland have both been really strong to the line. “We can’t wait to get her up over ground. We intended to go to the Bonecrusher (Group 1, 2000m) but she had a foot issue, and we missed the run in the Otaki-Maori race (Group 1, 1600m), hence why we stayed at the mile for the fillies and mares. “I think she is a really good, genuine chance.” Rounding out Bergerson’s Trentham representation will be Charlotte’s Way in the Herrick Perry Memorial 1400. “She is a drop back horse from 75 rating back to 65, so I thought I would give the owners a shot at $65,000, which is probably better than going around for $18,500,” Bergerson said. “She is a quirky mare, she has probably jumped 100 pony fences this week. Her work on Tuesday morning was tip-top on the course proper. “She has got a good jockey (Elliot) and a good draw (3), so hopefully she can put her hand up.” Horse racing news View the full article

Group One-winning trainer Andrew Campbell. Photo: Angelique Bridson Group One-winning trainer Andrew Campbell is set to return to the training ranks when he heads to Trentham on Saturday to line-up debutant Croupier in The Oaks Stud 1200. “It has been quite a few years now since I last had a runner, so it’s quite exciting,” Campbell said. “I love it (training) and doing nothing gets quite boring; there are only so many fish you can catch out this way.” The respected horseman transitioned into a career as a bloodstock agent three years ago; however, he didn’t find it to his liking, so at the start of the season, he elected to make a return to training. “I started doing a bit of bloodstock work, and we moved back down the line,” he said. “It wasn’t for me; you have to be a special person to sell horses, and it took me two or three years to work out that I didn’t enjoy it at all. “I love going to the yearling sales, but buying them off the track was too tough for me; I didn’t like it.” Formerly based in the Wairarapa and subsequently Cambridge, Campbell moved back to his home region after he ceased training but ultimately moved to the other side of the Tararua Range after falling in love with the Kapiti Coast. “We moved back to the Wairarapa, and it just wasn’t the same as it was when we left,” he said. “We came over to the Kapiti Coast for a holiday and fell in love with it and bought a lovely place in Peka Peka, which is 10 minutes down the road from the Otaki track (where Campbell now trains). “I have 10 boxes and 10 yards; that’s the maximum I am going to do. I have three in work at the moment, which is an even better number; I love it.” Campbell is enjoying being back training, and while he admits to missing Cambridge, he is pleased to be training out of Otaki. “I love Otaki, but I love Cambridge as well, it was good fun with great people, I enjoyed it up there,” he said. “This (Otaki) is like having your own private training track, it is very quiet, and they have great facilities.” Campbell experienced his biggest moments in racing training for prominent owner Tommy Heptinstall, and he has reunited with the real estate mogul and his group of owners. “I love the horses and I am mucking around now with a couple for Tommy (Heptinstall) and the boys, which is great, they are a good bunch,” Campbell said. The first runner to step out for the reunited group will be three-year-old gelding Croupier, who will make his debut at Trentham this weekend. Purchased out of Beaufort Downs’ 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft by Heptinstall and Campbell for $160,000, the son of Ace High has yet to be bested in his jump-outs and trials, but Campbell said he faces a stiff task against some staunch opposition first-up. “He was down to run at Tauherenikau on Sunday, but they obviously canned it,” Campbell said. “We have got to a point where we have got to get him going. It is a bloody tough field on Saturday, with some really good horses in there. “We think he goes alright but it will be a big telling point on Saturday. It is hard to see him winning that race with the good horses in it at his first start, but he is not the worst chance. “He has had a couple of jump-outs, which he has won, and he won that (1000m) trial at Foxton reasonably well. He did a few things wrong, but he is one of those big, dopey horses that will only get better with time.” Campbell said Saturday’s performance will dictate the remainder of his preparation. “We haven’t worked out a plan as yet, but if he went super, we would head for the stars,” he said. Campbell and Heptinstall were active at the Karaka yearling sales earlier this year, and Campbell is excited about the prospects of his young team. “We bought five at the sales this year and I have got a couple out spelling,” he said. “We will have 10 horses to work with, which is a great number.” Croupier has been installed a $12 winning chance for Saturday by TAB bookmakers behind Group Three performer I’m All In ($2.50) and stakes winner Super Photon ($2.60). Horse racing news View the full article

What Alice Springs Races Where Pioneer Park Racecourse – Stuart Highway, Connellan NT 0870 When Saturday, March 29, 2025 First Race 2:01pm ACST Visit Dabble Day 3 of the Alice Springs Cup Carnival is the last chance to impress before the $110,000 Alice Springs Cup (2000m) and $100,000 Pioneer Sprint (1200m) next weekend. The middle-distance runners square off over 1600m, and the sprinters clash over 1200m at weight-for-age level. A total of 66 runners have accepted for the seven-event program. The heatwave conditions have passed, with light showers gracing the Red Centre and come Saturday the forecast is for sunny weather and a top temperature of 28C. It will be a good dirt surface and the rail will once again be in the true position. Chief Minister’s Cup tip: Hasseltoff Hasseltoff has impressed since arriving from Adelaide with two wins over 1600m in five-horse fields. Lumping 61kg, the eight-year-old gelding was a $2.60 second favourite on February 22 before hitting the front at the 1100m and sealing a comfortable win. Next start on March 8, the son of Toorak Toff – a $1.55 favourite with horse racing bookmakers – hit the front at the home turn before saluting by 5.8 lengths and breaking the track record (1.32.68). Hasseltoff won three of his last four starts in SA before heading to the Red Centre, and if he is anywhere near his best, he should be winning. Chief Minister’s Cup Race 7 – #5 Hasseltoff (5) 8yo Gelding | T: Dick Leech | J: Hannah Le Blanc (59kg) Best Bet at Alice Springs: Grinzinger Lass Second in last Saturday’s NT Guineas (1600m), Grinzinger Lass – with an extra 1.5kg this week – faces fellow three-year-olds yet again in a race that has attracted five starters. It wasn’t smooth sailing for the filly in the Guineas, where she failed to settle at the 1200m before striking trouble at the home turn. The daughter of Shalaa finished 1.3 lengths adrift of the fast-finishing The Men Went Home. A close second over 1200m on February 22 was followed by a convincing win over 1400m on March 8, and with better racing manners, Grinzinger Lass will take some beating. Best Bet Race 2 – #2 Grinzinger Lass (5) 3yo Filly | T: Ray Viney | J: Brendon Newport (57kg) Best Value at Alice Springs: Black Zous Black Zous is due after four straight seconds from 1100-1400m. The son of Zoustar was far from disgraced each time, as Zesty Spice, Hellivit, Altar Boy and Pompeii Empire are decent opposition. The six-year-old gelding disappointed during last year’s Darwin Carnival before posting two seconds at Kununurra in August. Black Zous saluted over 1000m in December and was third over 1200m in January before his current run of seconds. Black Zous opened at $9.50 with horse racing betting sites, which looks like great value if he brings his A-game. Best Value Race 4 – #4 Black Zous (6) 6yo Gelding | T: Kerry Petrick | J: Paul Denton (59.5kg) Saturday Alice Springs quaddie tips – 29/3/2025 Alice Springs quadrella selections Saturday, March 29, 2025 1-3-4-6-7 2-3-6 2-5-6 4-5-6 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Just over a year after joining Yulong Investments, Vin Cox has announced that he is set to depart the operation following differences in opinion on strategic direction and values. Cox took over as General Manager, overseeing all global operations for Yuesheng Zhang's Yulong outfit from mid-November, 2023. However, the former Managing Director of Godolphin Australia released a statement on Thursday stating that he had handed in his six-months' notice. “I want to thank the exceptional team and clients I have had the privilege to work with. I do not want to make any further comment,” the statement read. The news comes after Yulong announced it had acquired Dullingham Park stallions Shaquille and Soldier's Call less than a fortnight ago. However, while Yulong stated it had secured a deal for the stallions that used to stand under Steve Parkin's Clipper Logistics banner, the operation's European representative Paul Curran declined to comment on whether Yulong had bought Dullingham Park Stud. Meanwhile in Australia, Cox has seen Yulong become a powerhouse operation in the racing and breeding ranks. Yulong's rise to the top has been sugarcoated by Via Sistina's Cox Plate triumph in 2024. Under Cox's guidance, Yulong sourced the eight-time Group 1 winner at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale for 2.7 million gns shortly after he joined the team in 2023. When appointing Cox, Yuesheng Zhang said, “Vin's impeccable track record and vast experience in bloodstock make him an invaluable addition to lead Yulong. We are excited about the new chapter this heralds for our operations. Together, we aim to solidify our position as a leading player in the global industry.” The Chinese billionaire is yet to release a statement on Cox's departure. The post Shockwaves Down Under As Vin Cox Announces He Is To Leave Yulong appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Back from seven weeks on the sidelines with a fractured toe, the seven-time champion jockey jumps aboard the talented galloper for the first time.View the full article

War Princess will contest Saturday’s Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). Photo: Jack McKenzie (Race Images Palmerston North) Peter Didham and his owners can take a good deal of satisfaction from their dual representation in Saturday’s feature event at Trentham, regardless of the outcome. The Awapuni trainer and connections have the unbeaten War Princess and the promising Shameless Star to do battle in the Group 1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). The stablemates were purchased as early prospects, and for both to be competing at the elite level this weekend is a sound reflection on the selection process. “I’ve got a great bunch of owners, and we got together and identified that Entain had put some decent stake money up,” Didham said. “We went and bought a couple of horses that we hoped would make two- and three-year-olds, and now we’ve got two runners in the Sires’ Produce, so we’re really excited.” The fillies are raced by Ian Middleton’s Exempt Bloodstock and Chelsea Connections Ltd, also Auckland-based, with Palmerston North couple Brendon and Debbie Hart. A daughter of U S Navy Flag, War Princess was secured for $77,500 out of Haunui Farm’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstocks National Yearling Sale while Shameless Star was offered by Woburn Farm and bought for $55,000. War Princess goes into the Sires’ Produce with the form on the board following two comfortable front-running victories. “I’m really happy with her and she galloped 1000m here (on Tuesday) on the new grass track and I thought she was excellent,” Didham said. “It’s a huge jump from winning at Tauherenikau and Wanganui to taking on a big 1400m at Wellington. “It’s only her third run and there’s a question whether she’s seasoned enough, but she deserves a go. War Princess is a half-sister to juvenile winner and Karaka Millions placegetter Appellant. “She’s a funny horse, she’s not brilliant on the track but she won a jump-out, a trial and a race and then a trial and another race,” Didham said. “She has just kept finding each time, so we haven’t really tested her too much to know what we’ve got. She is an easy-going filly and good to train, she’s lovely.” Shamexpress youngster Shameless Star, from the family of Group 1 Otaki Maori WFA Stakes (1400m) winner Star Satire, has finished fourth in both of her outings. “She’s my favourite horse in the stable, but she’s probably a year away, and I think you will see her running around in some nice three-year-old fillies’ races,” Didham said. “She is just a bit lighter, and the experience will do her good. “I don’t think she will be far away, but I think her time will come next season.” Didham will also be represented in the Group 2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m) by the enigmatic Savabeel mare Manifique. “She is a frustrating horse and seems to go a ripper of a race and then a very average one and then another ripper,” Didham said. “I’ve just been battling this year to get on top of why she’s not performing like she can, she’s not far off it and her work has been great. “The vet has been over her two or three times and we can’t find anything, she’s had everything x-rayed and her teeth done, so hopefully we will have the real Manifique on Saturday.” Horse racing news View the full article

La Dorada will contest Saturday’s Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson will present nearly a third of the field in Saturday’s Group 1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), vying for a seventh title in the last eight years with their all-conquering juveniles. Te Akau’s glamour girl Melody Belle commenced their string of dominance in the $550,000 feature back in 2017, with the likes of Avantage and On The Bubbles taking the crown in the following years. Each of that trio also was victorious in the $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), a feat completed this year by Sires’ Produce favourite La Dorada. The Super Seth filly backed up her Millions performance swiftly when taking out the Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and as a leading hope in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) earlier this month, she was ruled out on race morning with a spiked temperature. On the back foot, Walker and Bergerson have taken an alternative route with La Dorada but are confident she is ready to take on the elite-level feature at Trentham. “We’re playing a bit of catch up now, she’s had two exhibition gallops at Tauranga and again at Matamata last Sunday to keep her up to the mark,” Bergerson said. “She’s had a bit of time between runs and up to 1400m is the query, but she’s very bright and well at home now. Thankfully, she bounced through that spiked temperature after a couple of days and we think we’ve got her on track.” La Dorada is the current market leader at $2.50, with her less-experienced stablemate Hostility next at $10. Hostility, a $1.65 million son of I Am Invincible, narrowly missed winning his debut, going down to Tajana at Matamata. “I was proud of his effort… the winner is a pretty nice horse and it’s a good form line heading into Saturday,” said Bergerson. He’s improved from the raceday experience and worked well at Matamata with Born To Be Royal. “He’s obviously got the least experience of the field, but we think he’s talented enough to be a strong each-way chance.” Born To Be Royal, third behind La Dorada at Matamata, is considered a promising filly. “She doesn’t carry a lot of condition… but she’s a real horse for the future and we think the big, roomy track at Trentham will really suit her, as well as the step up to 1400m.” To Bravery Born, who placed third in the Matamata Slipper, completes the Te Akau quartet. “He was very fresh without a lead-up before the Karaka Million… we’ve kept him fresh for Saturday. He’s done very well at home… He probably needs to improve off the Slipper effort, but he’s very bright at home.” Walker and Bergerson tailor each horse’s prep individually. “They’re all coming from different form-lines… we think they are going there in tip-top order.” Horse racing news View the full article

Leading into the 2025 breeding season we reflect on the volume of mares covered by a stallion with 10+ mares in 2024. View the full article

Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel) may not be mentioned in the same breath as some of Chris Waller’s champions past and present, but the mare is far from a spent force on the racetrack. The seven-year-old will be chasing a third Group 1 win at Flemington and her fourth in total when she lines up in the Australian Cup at Flemington on Saturday. The same age as Pride Of Jenni and Deny Knowledge who have both improved as they have aged, Atishu also fits into that category. Atishu registered her third Group 1 win last spring when successful in the Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington before chasing home her stablemate Via Sistina in the Champions Stakes (2000m) a week later. A year prior, Atishu has finished second in the Empire Rose before winning the Champions Stakes. With two runs under the belt this campaign, her latest being a closing fifth in the Group 1 All-Star Mile (1600m) on March 8, Waller’s assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said Atishu would relish the extra trip on Saturday. “Her runs have been good and it’s well documented that she gets better the deeper she gets into a preparation,” Duckworth said. “She always carries plenty of condition and her best runs are usually on the quick back-up. “She’s coming here off the back of a three-week gap, so we’ve made a conscious effort that she’s trimmed up a little bit fitter and a little bit lighter and not carrying as much condition as she does so well between runs.” The All-Star Mile was run at a slow tempo with the pace increasing from the home turn, which did not suit Atishu who was outsprinted. However, the mare did work to the line solidly to finish fifth, just under three-and-a-half lengths from the winner Tom Kitten. Duckworth expects Saturday’s contest, with Pride Of Jenni and Deny Knowledge engaged, to be run more truly which may assist the Waller-trained mare. “In terms of race shape, she’s instantly in the back-half, regardless of Pride Of Jenni and Deny Knowledge being in there,” Duckworth said. “But the hot tempo should allow her to cruise into it and she loves Flemington, so there’s a lot to like about it, but it’s a seriously good Group 1 contest.” Duckworth said the stable was keeping an open mind as to where Atishu may head following Saturday’s outing. The Group 1 Queen Of The Turf (1600m) at Randwick on April 12, a race Atishu won in 2023, is a possibility, as is the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on the same day. “If she was to beat them all on Saturday, there’s no reason why she can’t go into the Queen Elizabeth,” Duckworth said. “But we’ll get through Saturday and then work out where we head.” View the full article

Central Districts filly Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) was all the rage ahead of January’s Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), but now she seems to be the forgotten horse of the juvenile ranks, set to start as an outsider in Saturday’s Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham. “I think she is the forgotten horse, she has drifted from $6 to about $21, so it’s incredible really,” trainer Roydon Bergerson said. “She is the only horse in the race that has beaten La Dorada (NZ) (Super Seth), and she beat her fair and square in the Eclipse (Gr.2, 1200m).” Purchased by part-owner Chris Rutten out of Phoenix Park’s 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft for $50,000, Too Sweet began her career with a bang, winning on debut over 900m at Trentham, and doubled her win tally two races later when taking out the Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day. She started a $5 third favourite for the Karaka Millions 2YO but had a luckless run from her outside barrier and finished 11th. The taxing run told on the daughter of Satono Aladdin, who has enjoyed a freshen-up ahead of her first elite-level target this weekend. “It is a big ask, she hasn’t raced for a couple of months,” Bergerson said. “She had a tough run in the Karaka Millions, which wasn’t ideal. She got stuck back and stuck wide. She challenged on the turn, but she just had too much work to do. “She was a bit tired after the race. We were going to go to the Sistema (Gr.1, 1200m) but it had just taken too much out of her and we got her home and freshened her up. “She went out to Chris Rutten’s for a little bit of a break and then she came back, and I gave her one gallop and we took her to the Waipuk trials were she just got beaten by Peter Didham’s filly (War Princess). “We gave her another couple of gallops and she trialled against the older horses and went super the other day at Foxton and ended up on the fence in behind the leaders, and didn’t let her head go at all. She galloped in-between races at Waverley with Bradman (NZ) (Pins) (last week) and on a Heavy track she still ran home in 47, so it was good work. “She had her final hit-out and galloped really well on the course proper here (Awapuni) on Tuesday morning. “We did the same programme with Wolverine and it nearly came off.” Too Sweet has been plagued by bad draws, and this weekend is no exception, with jockey Masa Hashizume having to overcome the outside barrier in the field of 13. “She has just been plagued by bad draws. She drew eight of eight in the Eclipse, she drew 14 of 14 in the Karaka Millions, and now she has drawn 13 of 13 in the Sires’,” Bergerson said. “We are just going to have to come up with some plan with Masa and see how the track plays. The track might be tired on the inside so it might work to her advantage, we don’t know. We will probably know halfway through the day and where the speed is coming from. “It is going to be a really interesting race and a tidy field, there are a lot of chances.” Bergerson hasn’t ruled out an Australian campaign with his filly, however, he said Saturday will more than likely be her last run for the season. “This will probably be her grand final, but you never know,” he said. “If she comes out and bolts in you would have to look at something else, whether it be Sydney or Brisbane. You just have to leave that until after the race.” Earlier on the card, stablemate Bradman will be out to defend his crown in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m). The seven-year-old gelding will be first-up and Bergerson is rapt with his condition. “He is coming up really well, I couldn’t be happier with him,” he said. “He has finally matured, it has taken him seven years, but he looks like a little weapon now. “He had a quiet trial the other day, just to get a bit more condition off him. He had an exhibition gallop as well last week at Waverley with Too Sweet just to get more fitness into his legs.” While pleased with his charge, Bergerson said he is hoping to see a bit of moisture about ahead of the weekend. “I was hoping for a bit of rain around for the race. I will just wait to see how firm the track comes up, if it’s too firm he probably won’t run,” he said. “He has got a really good jockey (Ryan Elliot) and a good draw (4), and if the fire is out of the track, he will run a cheeky race. “I think he is in for a really successful winter.” Stablemate Town Cryer will also be shooting for stakes success in the Gr.2 City Of Palmerston North Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m The seven-year-old daughter of Tavistock (NZ) (Tavistock) placed in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) in her last outing at Trentham in January before posting two unplaced results at Ellerslie, and Bergerson is hoping a return to Trentham will be favourable for his mare. “I am very happy with her,” he said. “She hasn’t had much luck this season. She went very well the other day (seventh in Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, 1600m), she kept coming to the line. In her last two starts at Auckland have both been really strong to the line. “We can’t wait to get her up over ground. We intended to go to the Bonecrusher (Gr.1, 2000m) but she had a foot issue, and we missed the run in the Otaki-Maori race (Gr.1, 1600m), hence why we stayed at the mile for the fillies and mares. “I think she is a really good, genuine chance.” Rounding out Bergerson’s Trentham representation will be Charlotte’s Way (NZ) (Pentire) in the Herrick Perry Memorial 1400. “She is a drop back horse from 75 rating back to 65, so I thought I would give the owners a shot at $65,000, which is probably better than going around for $18,500,” Bergerson said. “She is a quirky mare, she has probably jumped 100 pony fences this week. Her work on Tuesday morning was tip-top on the course proper. “She has got a good jockey (Elliot) and a good draw (3), so hopefully she can put her hand up.” View the full article