Wandering Eyes

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A class drop and an opportunity to race a shorter distance suggest FMQ Stables' Saudi Crown will be a force in the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile Stakes (G3) March 29 at Oaklawn Park.View the full article

The Queens M G, winner of the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) March 1, returns in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) March 29. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies offers qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10.View the full article

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and Godolphin have secured the riding services of Manny Franco for Sovereignty's highly anticipated start in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 29 at Gulfstream Park.View the full article

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and Godolphin have secured the riding services of Manny Franco for Sovereignty's highly anticipated start in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 29 at Gulfstream Park.View the full article

This week's schedule of racing on radio and television, compiled by America's Best Racing.View the full article

Manny Franco will accompany Godolphin's Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in Saturday's $1-million GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. The New York-based jockey will fill in for regular rider Junior Alvarado, who sustained a shoulder injury in a racing mishap Sunday. Alvarado has been aboard the bay for all four starts, including a last-to-first victory in the Mar. 1 GII Fountain of Youth. Franco is currently atop- the jockey standings at the current Aqueduct meet. “I can rarely get him. He's never been easy to get to ride, but I think he won a couple of Grade Is for us on Channel Maker,” said Mott, who gave Franco a leg up for back-to-back victories in the 2020 GI Sword Dancer at Saratoga and GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont. “He's done well with the one's he's ridden for us.” Franco won the 2020 GIII Florida Derby and Holy Bull aboard Tiz the Law. Franco is currently sixth this year in North America in money won and third in wins behind Irad Ortiz Jr. and Jose Ortiz. Franco was tied for 10th in victories last year with 210. The post Franco to Fill in For Alvarado On Sovereignty in Floriday Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

White Abarrio returns after winning the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park in the Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) there March 29.View the full article

A bill that had a committee hearing on Monday in the Minnesota House of Representatives would make a one-time transfer of $7 million from the state's general fund to establish a Thoroughbred pilot program to award Canterbury Park horse owners $750 per start during the 2026 and 2027 race meets provided those horses have met a residency registration requirement by being stabled at the track for 120 days during the previous season. Bill HF 1540 would also earmark “at least” $500,000 in 2026 and 2027 for the state's commissioner of agriculture to award grants to Thoroughbred aftercare organizations, and “at least” another $500,000 each year would fund mental health and educational services for Canterbury's backstretch community. Horse owners would have to pay an application fee of $100 to be eligible for the program, and those fees would be added to the total amount to be distributed. Canterbury Park would be tasked with distributing the money via the horsemen's bookkeeper after each racing day, and then the track would be reimbursed by the state at the end of the season. The bill's text explicitly states that the program is to expire July 1, 2028, although it is possible that if the bill passes and is viewed as beneficial, new legislation could eventually renew it. Justin Revak, the president the Minnesota Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, testified during the Mar. 24 Agriculture Finance and Policy committee hearing that the average horse starts four or five times during Canterbury's season, which in 2025 will span May 24-Sept. 20. The bill's co-sponsor, Rep. Brad Tabke, a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party whose district includes the city of Shakopee, where Canterbury Park is located, underscored at the hearing that the payments would be triggered per start, and not per horse or per owner. Tabke also emphasized that the only starters who would get paid are those that met the previous-year residency requirements. So if the bill gets voted into law, owners wishing to collect in 2026 must establish each horse's residency at Canterbury in 2025. “Canterbury has an extremely loyal group of horsemen, owners and trainers, many who have been racing here since the '80s,” Revak told the committee. “But when you factor that in and then purses declining, that loyalty only goes so far before you can't make an honest business out of it and continue racing here… “So in summary, I'd say this bill increases purses to attract more horses to Canterbury, enhances the backside programs that we're able to establish, and also provides money for retired racehorses, which is another important factor,” Revak summed up. The hearing concluded with no action being taken on the bill, which was “laid over” by the committee. The post Minnesota Bill Would Pay $750 Per Start in 2026-27 for Horses Who Establish Previous-Meet Residency at Canterbury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The connections of Coal Battle hope his Oaklawn Park story comes to a satisfying conclusion March 29 as he faces eight rivals in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1).View the full article

Honeybee Stakes (G3) winner Quietside is set to defend her home dirt at Oaklawn Park March 29 against the undefeated Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots invader Simply Joking in the $750,000 Fantasy Stakes (G2).View the full article

Trainer Bill Mott was not surprised Sovereignty was made the 8-5 favorite for the March 29 Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park. "I guess it's a good thing we've shown we can run over the (Gulfstream) track," he said.View the full article

Group winner Field Of Gold (Ire) anchors the Juddmonte Classic brigade, and he is pointing to a start in the G3 Craven Stakes at Newmarket, according to racing manager Barry Mahon. The G3 Solario Stakes-winning son of Kingman (GB) won second out at Newmarket last July. After his group tally in August, the John and Thady Gosden trainee went on to finish fourth in soft going in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in the autumn. He will be joined by Harry Charlton's fellow Kingman colt Cosmic Year (GB), who won his lone start at Sandown in September; and maiden winner Jonquil (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who switched from Sir Michael Stoute's yard to Andrew Balding, in Guineas trials. All three are 'TDN Rising Stars', and, if they perform to expectations, the G1 Betfred 2000 Guineas would be next on their collective dance cards. Mahon said, “We've a few heading to trials. I think Field Of Gold will probably go to Newmarket for the Craven and Cosmic Year and Jonquil could go for the [G3] Greenham [Stakes at Newbury], so that'll tell us where we're going. “Cosmic Year has only run once so he needs the experience and Jonquil won his maiden and it was a bit of a non-event the next day. With him changing trainer as well, we'd just like to see him on track. “Field Of Gold is in good shape and could go straight to the Guineas, but I think John is keen to give him a run in a trial and see how he's progressed.” Mahon also had updates on a trio of fillies aiming for the G1 Betfred 1000 Guineas set for their 2025 bows in the coming days. 'TDN Rising Star' Red Letter (GB) (Frankel {GB}), fourth to Cartier Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, is likely to head straight to the 1000 Guineas, while G3 Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes victress Tabiti (GB) (Kingman {GB}), fifth in the G1 Fillies Mile at Newmarket in October, and the winner Zanzoun (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) are both pointing to trials. “Red Letter, subject to the owners agreeing to it, is probably most likely to head straight to Newmarket, and Tabiti and Zanzoun will both probably run in fillies' trials,” Mahon added. “With Tabiti, I think it's more about learning her trip, whether she's going to get a mile or not. We probably didn't conclusively learn that last year. “Zanzoun won her maiden well and is probably not Guineas level at this stage, but we'll let her take her chance in a trial and see how we go.” Kodiac's Group 1 winner Babouche (GB) will be kept to shorter trips for now, according to Mahon. A 'TDN Rising Star', and a winner of her first three starts, including the G3 Anglesey Stakes and G1 Phoenix Stakes for trainer Ger Lyons, the bay was fourth to Lake Victoria in the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes on Sept. 28. Mahon said, “That feels like it's the plan at the minute [to keep her under a mile]. We haven't fully locked it in and she's just starting to do a bit more now, but I think both Ger and Colin [Keane] felt sprinting was going to be more her cup of tea. “There's a [G1] Commonwealth Cup trial in Naas and we'll probably look at something like that and see are we going to go down the Commonwealth route.” The post Juddmonte Classic Crop Handed Trial Assignments appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Given their current trajectories, Tapit ($214.6 million) will soon be overtaken by Into Mischief ($205.2 million) as the highest-earning stallion in American history. In terms of volume, however, their respective output just now happens to be virtually identical: Into Mischief, with bigger books across four fewer crops, tallies 1,735 named foals and 1,440 starters against 1,718 and 1,447 for his venerable rival. And though Spendthrift's champion recently nosed ahead by stakes winners (170/166), his upgraded mares are still cycling through and Tapit for now remains clear in the elite indices: whether by graded stakes winners (105/82), graded stakes performers (199/158) or Grade I winners (32/22). With advancing years, moreover, Tapit is meanwhile consolidating another dimension of his legacy. His daughters have so far produced 129 stakes winners, including a Horse of the Year in Cody's Wish, compared with just 33 for Into Mischief mares (who have, of course, so far largely emerged from earlier, cheaper books). So while Tapit is being managed with due care, confined to 79 mares last spring, his $185,000 fee ($300,000 in his pomp) plainly provides access to a precious residue of genetic gold. That was reiterated last Saturday when both new GI Kentucky Derby contenders, Final Gambit (Not This Time) and Tiztastic (Tiz the Law), were out of Tapit mares-just like American Promise (Justify), who had stated his case the previous weekend. While time may be running out for a son to complete Tapit's resumé with a blanket of roses-at least pending Sandman's GI Arkansas Derby bid-his daughters will surely not prove so dilatory. In the meantime his male line continues to develop, with Essential Quality and Flightline entering competition with Constitution and company. And that makes the GII Louisiana Derby winner a particularly potent symbol of Tapit's prowess. For in emerging from the first crop of Constitution's son Tiz the Law, Tiztastic is inbred to Tapit as closely as 3×2. A smart pinhook ($80,000 short yearling to $335,000 in the same Keeneland ring that September), Tiztastic was bred by Capital Bloodstock from the unraced Keesha (Tapit). Keesha was culled by Brushwood as a 3-year-old at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale, to Horse France for $220,000. Brushwood had bred her from another unraced mare, Wile Cat (Storm Cat), who had evidently returned to the fold after going through the ring for as much as $1.3 million as a yearling. Wile Cat did eventually pay her way, selling several foals well after her first daughter Shumoos (Distorted Humor) was beaten a whisker in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot. None of the others fared quite so well on the track, however, and Wile Cat was eventually sold on. In fact her only other black-type performer, Steady On (Pioneerof The Nile), won for the first time since a turf stakes at Gulfstream a couple of years ago when claimed for $20,000 at the Fair Grounds on Sunday. A curious double, over the weekend, for this family! But something has evidently percolated through these two unraced mares, who owed their expensive covers to next dam Strategic Maneuver (Cryptoclearance), winer of the GI Matron Stakes by a dozen lengths. Wile Cat's yearling valuation additionally reflected the rise of her sister Cat Fighter, who had won the GII La Canada Stakes earlier that year and would bring $2.3 million in the same ring a few weeks later. Moreover their half-brother Ishiguru (Danzig) had been a seven-figure yearling who won a Group sprint at the Curragh. So here we have a colt whose first two dams were unraced, and whose third dam owed her brilliance to parents who shared Mr. Prospector as grandsire. Some of the better horses in his pedigree were turf sprinters, and Tiztastic registered both his previous wins on that surface, too. Not, on the face of it, the most robust background for a Derby colt. But in steps Tapit, twice over, backing up a sire whose first two dams are by Tiznow and Go for Gin. And you get a thunderous finish over a mile and 3/16ths of dirt! As for Tiz the Law, sheer numbers just told against him in that incredible race for the freshman title last year, when Vekoma and McKinzie could respectively summon 154 and 150 named foals against his 89. Nonetheless he matched marginal champion Vekoma (and Complexity) with five stakes winners, and it's also worth noting that he has a much bigger second crop incoming. Vekoma has again made volume count with his sophomores, with five stakes winners already in 2023 from 77 starters. Of the other freshman protagonists, Tiz the Law has two from 42; McKinzie, one from 64. Arguably Tiz the Law is owed a Kentucky Derby, after the race's contentious rescheduling in 2020. Regardless, he's certainly the protagonist with the momentum now. Gambit's Dirt Gamble If you were seeking a Derby colt out of a Tapit mare a few weeks ago, you would probably have picked Poster (Munnings). It could yet happen, back on dirt, but their GIII Jeff Ruby performances instead switched attention to Final Gambit. This colt represents one of the great Juddmonte families. Admittedly his dam Pachinko (Tapit) contributed just a maiden to its record, and even that only at the eighth attempt (started out in France before crossing the water). But she's a half-sister to several useful runners in Europe, notably G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Announce (GB) (Selkirk). And their dam Hachita (Gone West), herself winner of a couple of races for Sir Henry Cecil, brings us towards Juddmonte royalty. Final Gambit | Coady Media For the next dam Choice Spirit (Danzig), a Listed winner in France, was half-sister to champion Zafonic (Gone West) and his sibling Zamindar, who was not quite so talented a runner but closed the gap at stud. Their dam Zaizafon (The Minstrel) was acquired in utero with the Juddmonte foundation mare Mofida (GB) (Right Tack {GB}) in 1981. Mofida's first cover for the nascent program, Roberto, proved barely less crucial to its development: the resulting filly, Modena, produced elite winners Reams Of Verse (Nureyev) and Elmaamul (Diesis) plus the dam of another in Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). All this quality, however, is accompanied by an obvious concern: the family is saturated with chlorophyll, with even a dam by Tapit reserving her one win for turf. And while Not This Time can get you literally anything, a fair amount of his anything has favored grass. Final Gambit having hitherto progressed on turf/synthetics, a Derby bid would have to draw on the various dirt strains that are certainly available across his pedigree, from the Florida speed of Not This Time's maternal family to the Classic brands carried by Tapit. Final Gambit is only Pachinko's second starter and the first, by Arrogate, has won a couple of modest prizes on dirt. But among Pachinko's useful siblings is Mexican Gold (Medaglia d'Oro), another classy grass performer who was Classic-placed over a mile in France. And her mating with Tapit's son Constitution produced quite a contrast to Final Gambit in Pure Force, who looked a potentially smart dirt sprinter in his first two starts as a sophomore last year. Having disappeared after bombing out in the GII Amsterdam Stakes, it's good to see him back on the worktab now. But whatever Final Gambit might be, he's hardly a sprinter, so we'll just have to see how finite their kinship may prove in terms of surface, too. A Route Worth Pursuing But my favorite winner out of a Tapit mare last weekend? Hands down, that was Red Route One (Gun Runner), whose flamboyant GIII Essex Handicap success takes him past $2 million in earnings. His new rider certainly got a tune out of the veteran and, if they can get a similar pace set-up, the partnership surely warrants another roll of the dice in a Grade I. He hasn't tried that level since the Belmont, but certainly deserves to put that kind of seal on his fourth campaign. And, who knows, perhaps a Grade I might prompt a stallion farm of sufficient imagination to replicate his old-school constitution? After all, while there are already plenty of Gun Runners open for business, few have a pedigree to match his. His dam is an unraced sister to champion Untapable (Tapit), and also half-sister to another Grade I winner in Paddy O'Prado (El Prado {Ire}). Her only other foal, also by Gun Runner, is a stakes winner; so too, is Red Route One's sidekick Unload, another son of Gun Runner out of a sister to his dam. Granddam Fun House (Prized) meanwhile sets a template by including a Grade II among five wins in 29 starts across four years; and she in turn was out of a half-sister to Olympio, himself never out of the first four in 16 starts (across 16 months, the last 10 all Grade I/II). Olympio was the best runner out of the Winchells' foundation mare Carols Christmas (Whitesburg), but her six daughters included four producers of graded stakes winners, plus a GII winner who became granddam of one of Tapit's early stars, Tapizar. The Winchells having been integral to the careers of sire and damsire alike, Red Route One must be one their most cherished horses. It would be nice to think that there are enough far-sighted breeders around eager someday to tap into that joint legacy. The post Breeding Digest: Another Big Weekend for Tapit Mares appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For those willing to lay out seven figures for a horse at the sales there are no guarantees. Some turn out to be very good horses and some can't run a step. The same goes for horses bought for a few thousand dollars. That doesn't mean they can't run. Case in point: Chunk of Gold (Preservationist). He's now run second in both the GII Risen Star Stakes and the GII Louisiana Derby. That gives him 75 points, more than enough to qualify for the race. That couldn't have been anything anyone expected when he was purchased for $2,500 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings sale. “This is a once-in-a-million thing or a case of catching lightening in a bottle or whatever you want to say about it,” said Larry Holt, the racing manager for owner Terry Stephens. “You know how many horses are born every year and everybody has the same dream. I trained for 50 years and never had a Derby horse. I have one now, but it's on the other side. Did I think he was a Derby horse? No. Did I think he'd be a nice, nice horse? I hoped so.” Chunk of Gold was bred by the late Brereton C. Jones and landed in a sale where the average sale price was just $48,045. He was purchased by Chris Melton, a trainer and pinhooker. Rather than resell the horse at auction he offered to sell half of him to Holt, a long-time friend. “Chris bought the horse,” Holt explained. “He approached me and said that he had a colt and that he'd like to sell a part of him. I went to look at him and liked what I saw.” Chunk of Gold was sent to trainer Anthony Farrior in Maryland to begin his career, but Farrior ran out of patience when the horse wasn't training forwardly, so Holt sent him to his current trainer, Ethan West. “Obviously, after I got him I looked up how much he sold for, but it was nothing that we discussed beforehand,” said West, who has been training only since 2018. “They told me they had a 2-year-old they liked a little bit and they wanted to run him at Turfway, where I was stabled. Why he chose me? I don't know. I've known Larry for a long, long time but this is he first horse I've ever had for him.” Chunk of Gold debuted on Dec. 19 at Turfway, winning a restricted maiden race. After that race, Holt bought out Melton's share in the horse. West decided to be aggressive and ran the colt back in the Leonatus S., also at Turfway. He finished second. “We didn't expect him to run at this level, but we knew when he started working that he had some talent,” said West, who doubles as Chunk of Gold's exercise rider. “He ran a real impressive first race. When he stepped up to that first overnight stakes, the Leonatus at Turfway, he was stretching out and had missed some training because of bad weather but still ran a respectable second that day. That's when we started getting pretty high on him.” He picked up his first Derby points when he finished second, beaten 9 3/4 lengths, in the Risen Star behind runaway winner Magnitude (Not This Time). “People say he was 43-1 in the Risen Star,” Holt said. “He can't read. He didn't know he was 43-1. How much did Mine That Bird cost ($9,500)? How much did Canonero cost ($1,200)? It's what's in their heart. If you could watch this horse walk and see what's in his heart you'd think differently. He's an athlete. He likes to run. He's a pleasure to be around.” Chunk of Gold showed improvement in the Louisiana Derby, again finishing second, but this time losing by just 2 1/4 lengths. The race was won by the Steve Asmussen-trained Tiztastick, a $335,000 Keeneland September purchase. Yinzer (Twirling Candy), a $1 million purchase at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, was last. “I thought his race was fantastic,” West said. “It set up just as we thought. (Jockey) Jareth Loveberry is a very studious rider and he knew where everybody was going before the gate opened. Or, I should say, he knew where they were supposed to go. He knew how the race would set up and he had his game plan mapped out. We were on the same page with it. The only thing that didn't go according to plan, and it's not such a bad thing, is that he was a lot more forwardly placed than we imagined. Jareth said he put himself there naturally and he wasn't going to take himself out of the race. At the top of the stretch I thought he was going to keep on going . He got a little tired but that was the most he had ever had to work that early on in a race. Usually, he makes that half-mile run and tries to mow 'em down. On Saturday, he had to work a little harder earlier and that was something he hadn't had to do before.” West sees a horse that has improved a lot and has done so over a short period of time. “He's gotten a lot stronger over the last six to eight weeks,” he said. “Between these last two races he really took a step forward size-wise and maturity-wise in his body. He didn't necessarily get taller, but he really started to fill out. He really started to muscle up. A lot of people who saw him before the Risen Star and then before the Louisiana Derby commented to me how much he had changed. I thought he took a big step forward physically and mentally. He was putting more into his training, getting more out of it. That was all on his own, he wanted to get more out of it.” The perfect ending to the story is that the $2,500 horse wins the Kentucky Derby. That's not impossible, but it is highly unlikely. He'll probably be about 50-1 and will be overshadowed by the horses who won the major preps. But Chunk of Gold keeps overcoming the odds, and West doesn't see why he can't do it one more time. “We'll need a lot of luck,” he said. “With 20 horses in the Derby, I don't think the best horse wins all the time. To get the best trip and to stay out of trouble means everything. As long as we can keep him healthy and happy I think we have as good a shot as anyone. That's what I believe.” The post Out of the Bargain Basement, The $2,500 Yearling Who Is On His Way to the Kentucky Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk A last start sixth behind Marketplace in a Group 1 on IRT New Zealand Cup day reads like good form for Sacetas heading into Ashburton today. The Tom Bagrie-trained three-year-old is fresh up and a $1.70 favourite in Race 5, the Scenic Hotel Mobile Pace (4.40pm). He will be driven by Ricky May. As the highest-rated horse in the field he’s drawn the outside of the front row over the 1700 metre trip. He has won one from 10 so far. “His work has been really good and we thought this is a nice wee race for him,” says Bagrie, “but he does have some quirks.” The “quirks” he refers to have been some erratic behaviour at the trials in February. Twice he refused to play ball in the score up and was pulled up. His manners were much improved in his most recent trial though when he finished fourth behind Kasarani, Crunch Time and Miki B just last Thursday. “That last trial was really good,” says Bagrie, who was in the sulky at Rangiora. “Fingers crossed there won’t be any hiccups coming up to the gate.” “We are hoping for a good run with some good 3YO races coming up.” Sacetas’ last start was in the Sires’ Stakes 2YO Colts and Geldings Final at Addington on Cup day. He was sixth that day with the Group 1 taken out by Marketplace who has gone on to stamp himself as a budding star. Also in the final were the likes of Rubira, Got The Chocolates, and Demon Blue. Bagrie is upbeat about the chances of Hoof It Hagrid who is also fresh up in the Majestic Horse Floats Trot (2.54pm). He’s had just the three starts, winning on debut at Rangiora last year. “He’s still learning his craft but he’s come back stronger and I would say he’s a really good chance.” “At his most recent trial he was third behind Eurostyle and Father Time.” The $4 favourite for the race is the Michael House-trained Koko Kaboom. First race at Ashburton goes at 2.19pm. View the full article

Newbury Racecourse announced on Tuesday the introduction of a £50,000 bonus for any horse who wins a two-year-old race throughout the Flat season at Newbury and subsequently triumphs in the G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes. In the event that a horse achieves this feat in 2025, £40,000 will be paid to the winning owner and £10,000 to the yard where the horse is trained for the stable staff. The European Pattern Committee revealed in February that the Mill Reef was one of two races in Britain at risk of being downgraded in 2026, depending on their performance this year. To increase the appeal of the six-furlong contest, the 2025 edition has also received a prize-money boost of £25,000. It will offer a total prize fund of £125,000 when it takes place on Saturday, September 20. Meanwhile, the G2 Hungerford Stakes will this year be run for £150,000, having also received a £25,000 increase. The seven-furlong race for horses aged three and above will be staged at Newbury on Saturday, August 16. George Hill, clerk of the course at Newbury, said, “We are delighted to be able to increase the total prize-money on offer for both of our Group 2 contests this Flat season by £25,000. This highlights our ongoing commitment to increasing the prize-money on offer to attract the best horses and guarantee competitive and compelling racing action. “With the addition of the new £50,000 Mill Reef bonus initiative this year, we aim to be offering an even more attractive option for connections. We hope that through the introduction of the new bonus, as well as the addition of £25,000 to the total prize fund, connections seek to target the Mill Reef with any exciting two-year-olds that emerge as the season develops.” Trainer Richard Hannon, who won the 2023 running of the Hungerford with Witch Hunter (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), said, “The Hungerford has always been one of the go to races for me. We always have plenty of good milers and some of those are better over seven furlongs. It comes at a great time of the year and I will probably have a lot of entries. The fact it is worth more prize-money is fantastic. “Newbury are obviously making every effort to avoid races being downgraded by putting in prize-money. It will attract more good horses and that's what you want. It is good to see them doing that.” He added, “The idea of the new £50,000 bonus if you win a two-year-old race and the Mill Reef has got to be a massive draw. With the yard getting £10,000 of the bonus if you pull off that double, you'll have the stable staff behind it and the trainers behind it–I think it's a fantastic idea.” The post New £50,000 Bonus and Prize-Money Boost for Newbury’s Mill Reef appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ocala Stud stallion Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}–Seeking the Title, by Seeking the Gold), whose first-crop runners are 3-year-olds this year, died unexpectedly on Feb. 28, of complications from colic. Campaigned by Charles Fipke, the homebred won the 2017 GI Clark H., 2018 GIII Ack Ack S. and the 2019 GII Stephen Foster S. The Kentucky-bred won or placed in eight graded stakes, including runner-up finishes in the $1-million GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and the $9-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., while hitting the board in 20-of-32 career starts. Seeking the Soul was by Fipke's Grade I winner and Canadian Champion Perfect Soul out of the graded stakes-winning Seeking the Gold mare Seeking the Title. He hailed from the Phipps family of undefeated champion Personal Ensign, champion Storm Flag Flying, and Grade I-winners My Flag, Miner's Mark, and Traditionally. “The unexpected passing of Seeking the Soul is a tremendous loss,” said Ocala Stud's David O'Farrell. “He was a remarkable racehorse who had just begun his stallion career. His impact will be deeply missed by everyone who knew and worked with him, including all of us here at Ocala Stud. We extend our condolences to Charles Fipke, who bred him and guided him through an extraordinary racing career.” The post Ocala Stud Stallion Seeking the Soul Dies From Colic appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Tiztastic arrived at Churchill Downs early March 25 from Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen's Barn 38, where he'll begin his preparations for the Run for the Roses.View the full article

The breeding game's loss could be the racetrack's gain after Amo Racing revealed on Tuesday that Group 1-winning sprinter Bucanero Fuerte has made a return to training with Adrain Murray following an unsuccessful stint at stud. Big things had been expected from Bucanero Fuerte at Tally-Ho Stud, where he had been advertised at an opening fee of €12,500. However, after failing to get a single mare in foal, he is back in full training and connections are quietly hopeful that the hugely-talented son of Wootton Bassett can make the return to the racecourse a seamless one. Confirming the news, Amo Racing's Ryan McElligott said, “Bucanero Fuerte has been withdrawn from stud duties. He has returned to Adrian Murray, who will bring him along with a view to having him ready for a return to the track. He was a top-class racehorse, and if he can get back to that level, there's plenty to look forward to. For now, we'll see what the future holds for him.” Bucanero Fuerte delivered a breakthrough Group 1 success for Amo Racing and Murray when he beat high-class horses like multiple Group 1 scorer Porta Fortuna, Givemethebeatboys and subsequent Breeders' Cup winner Unquestionable in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh. He began last season with a bang, too, by accounting for Givemethebeatboys in the G3 Lacken Stakes before running respectable races in Group 1 sprints either side of the Irish Sea. Bucanero Fuerte was retired alongside fellow Group 1 winner King Of Steel–who is reported to be going well at his new job–at Tally-Ho Stud last year. Along with King Of Steel, the Amo Racing stallion roster is completed by Persian Force, whose first foals sold well in 2024, talented stayer Mojo Star and durable sprinter Go Bears Go. The post Guess Who’s Back? Group 1 Winner Bucanero Fuerte Back In Training After Being “Withdrawn From Stud Duties” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sottsass (Fr) had two deeply promising fillies in Saint-Cloud's Prix Kizil Kourgan on Tuesday and despite his Ultrafragola (Ire) starting favourite it was the other daughter Safia (Fr) who emerged best to earn TDN Rising Star status. Carrying the colours of racing and breeding's rising force David Layani, the Fabrice Chappet-trained descendant of Sophisticat (Storm Cat) and Serena's Song (Rahy) travelled easily throughout the mile Classic pointer under Cristian Demuro and readily held White Birch Farm's TDN Rising Star Ultrafragola by two lengths. Riviera Equine, Haras d'Etreham and Craig Bernick have maintained their interests in the winner, with Layani acquiring a 50% share after her winning debut by four lengths at ParisLongchamp in October. Entered in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, she is the first foal out of the unraced Stay Home (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) who is a daughter of the Listed Prix de Lieurey winner and GIII Noble Damsel Handicap-placed Sefroua (Kingmambo). Also responsible for the G3 Prix Chloe winner Suphala (Fr) (Frankel {GB}), Sefroua is a daughter of the G1 Coronation Stakes heroine Sophisticat (Storm Cat) with the next dam being the celebrated champion Serena's Song (Rahy). Stay Home's 2-year-old colt Noble Memory (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) was acquired by Chauvigny Global Equine for €230,000 at last year's Arqana Deauville August. Nice performance! Safia (Sottsass x Stay Home) – who has entries in the Prix de Diane and Poule D'essai des Pouliches – makes it two from two for @ChappetRacing at Saint-Cloud… pic.twitter.com/E8u0vMRMKn — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 25, 2025 The post Sottsass To The Fore At Saint-Cloud With Safia A New TDN Rising Star appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1/ST CONTENT—provider of premium content for North American horse racing and a key division of 1/ST—has broadened its international footprint with the announcement of a partnership with America Simulcast, a leading LATAM distributor.View the full article

Tiztastic finally got his breakthrough victory March 22 in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and was awarded a place among the nation's top sophomores in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top 3-Year-Old Poll.View the full article

Vargas, 43, came to the United States in 2008 and was unable to find an agent willing to work with him, making it difficult for him to attract quality mounts on his own. He worked as an exercise rider in the morning in his early years in the U.S.View the full article