Wandering Eyes

ASCOT, UK — There may be cause for concern when it comes to the tumbling number of foals bred in Britain but, with Ascot festooned with the Union Jack, the first three races represented a terrific result for the United Kingdom, falling to horses bred in England, Wales and Scotland. In front of the King and Queen, first Docklands then Gstaad and American Affair testified to the strength of Thoroughbreds produced in the country, with British-based Irishmen Richard Kent and John McGrandles being the breeders behind the first two Group 1 winners of the royal meeting. The pride of Mickley Stud, Docklands is by the farm's resident stallion Massaat and went one better than his second-place finish in last year's Queen Anne Stakes to lift the opening contest of Flat racing's biggest meeting and give trainer Harry Eustace his first Group 1 winner. As Eustace was engulfed in hugs by his parents James and Gay and brother and fellow trainer David, over from Hong Kong, a beaming Terry Henderson of OTI Racing followed Docklands in to the winner's circle, the globetrotting Australian syndicator bringing a welcome international feel to the day. But it was over in Shropshire that the winner's life began and, as his breeder Richard Kent leaned on the rail of the enclosure, his face a little higher of colour than usual, he accepted congratulations from Angus Gold. It was through Shadwell and Gold that the the 2,000 Guineas runner-up Massaat ended up at Mickley Stud and, as with any of the stallions Kent stands, he has had plenty of home support. Kent said, “I rang Harvey Bell yesterday with the list of horses and I have eight or nine Massaats who were going to the Autumn Sale but now I think they might have to have an upgrade – or I could keep a few and run them in next year's Windsor Castle!” He continued, “Genuine horses and genuine people never let you down. Go for a genuine horse and try to stick around as many genuine people as you can. We've two Massaat fillies who both ran yesterday and both were second and they both ran their hearts out. We went to Germany with a filly by him last year and she ran her heart out, and they are not the fanciest of pedigrees. My friend Liam Norris bought the dam Icky Woo for me and she wouldn't win a beauty contest but then she breeds us a genuine horse like this. It's all about their heart.” Docklands shares his birthplace with one of the hottest stallions around at the moment, Havana Grey, who was bred by Kent in partnership with the late Lady Caroline Lonsdale. Other notable recent Mickley graduates include G2 Temple Stakes winner Liberty Beach and G1 Irish St Leger winner Brown Panther for Michael Owen. “We used to breed jumpers and we went broke doing that so we went over to the sprinters,” Kent added. “Docklands was a beautiful horse and Adrian Costello is a very good judge and he bought him off me as a foal. Terry Henderson was keen to buy the horse because he had bought his half-brother Harbour Views, who was a very good horse down in Australia, by Le Havre.” Mickley Stud will be represented at Ascot again on Thursday as the breeder of London Boy (Havana Grey), who runs in the Norfolk Stakes for Amo Racing. 'This is history repeating itself' First blood in the two-year-old contests of the week went to Gstaad, the Starspangledbanner half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Vandeek, bred by Kelly and Huw Thomas at Maywood Stud in Wales. Their dam Mosa Mine (Exceed And Excel) was also a homebred and is now in foal to Wootton Bassett. Huw and Kelly Thomas, breeders of Gstaad | Emma Berry “I can't believe it – another one,” said Kelly Thomas after the Aidan O'Brien-trained colt had stormed to success in the Coventry. “The mare's at home now and I was just looking at her as I left. She's in the front paddock and is being kept a very close eye on.” She continued, “This is history repeating itself. Vandeek went out and won on his first run and then goes into a Group 2 on his second run and wins, and this lad has done just the same.” Gstaad was sold for 450,000gns to MV Magnier as a foal in the year of Vandeek's great triumphs at Newmarket and Deauville. Thomas, who keeps four mares at Maywood, added, “To have their support means so much. To think that our little stud can produce a horse who's in training at Ballydoyle. I took the mare over to Coolmore to be covered this year and whilst I was there I was lucky enough to go to see Gstaad in his stable. It's a privilege to go there.” Flower of Scotland Another couple enjoying a day they will never forget was John and Wendy McGrandles, the owner-breeders of American Affair. In becoming the first Group 1 winner for his sire Washington DC, he also provided Scottish trainer Jim Goldie with a first Group 1 as well as a first Royal Ascot winner in the King Charles III Stakes, and King Charles III himself was there to hand over the trophy to to the winning connections. The ownership group includes the trainer's wife Davina Goldie and David Gatherer. John McGrandles, left, and fellow owners with the King | Racingfotos “American Affair is probably the only horse here with a Glasgow postcode in his passport,” said John McGrandles. “Jim trained his dam, granddam and grandsire, and he gave me the mare but I only got two foals out of her. She was a super mare but sadly I never got a filly from her.” That mare was Classy Anne, whose sire was the erstwhile Goldie stable star Orientor. From the same crop of foals bred by the McGrandles came Copacabana, who races at the opposite end of the distance spectrum to American Affair and won a bumper for Willie Mullins earlier this year. “We breed them at home just about 10 miles outside Glasgow. We've always had horses – we've bred event horses and racehorses all our lives, but this is without doubt the best racehorse I've ever bred,” added McGrandles, who is off to another major event tomorrow to show some sheep at the Royal Highland Show. “Washington DC isn't popular but the reason that I went to him is that the mare was a very fast mare and I thought I would go to the fastest stallion that I could afford. We've sent another mare back to him this year and she is also by Orientor.” Both Massaat and Bearstone Stud's Washington DC, who stand not much more than a stone's throw from each other in Market Drayton, were available at £3,500 this year. They may not be the most sought-after of stallions, but at the most fashionable meeting of them all, their offspring showed that fashion counts for little as long as you have heart. The post Union Jack Flying High as Small Breeders Strike on the Big Stage appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Churchill Downs Inc., which owns and operates Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, has reached an agreement with Louisiana horsemen for racing to continue at Fair Grounds from around Thanksgiving until early next spring.View the full article

With significant, persistent rainfall in the local forecast for the next several days, the four turf stakes races carded for June 20 at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course have been rescheduled for June 27.View the full article

While it is neither the habit nor the place of this column to cite scripture, words that some of you may have heard last Sunday should resonate with everyone in this game: “Endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Certainly we wouldn't have much of a business if the reverses we endure could not be parlayed into those attributes. We often refer to the Turf as “character-forming,” which always feels rather ambivalent. After all, we might easily find ourselves turning into quite unpleasant characters! But a persevering nature tends to be a winning one, whatever happens on the track, and plenty will duly be rooting for Albaugh Family Stables the day they nail that first Kentucky Derby. The prize that drives their investment has often shimmered on the horizon, only to dissolve into a mirage. Not This Time, probably their best candidate, had to be retired at two; but they have since won nearly all the principal trials, sending no fewer than seven into the Derby gate over the past decade, including third-placed Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) in 2023 and Catching Freedom (Constitution) who ran fourth the following year. Last fall it looked as though the Iowa-based program might have found another candidate in a colt named for its founder Dennis Albaugh. After a 'TDN Rising Star' maiden score at the home of the Derby, however, Admiral Dennis (Constitution) proved too slow a learner–especially leaving the gate–to earn adequate starting points from his rehearsals. Instead, he regrouped for a fresh start in the inaugural Delaware Derby last weekend, where he suggested that he may yet measure himself, later in the year, against some that did make the first Saturday in May. He certainly has the right shape to his pedigree, doubling down on the great Weekend Surprise (Secretariat): not just as fifth dam, but replicated in the same generation as mother of A.P. Indy, whose grandson Tapit is of course sire of Constitution. The dam of Admiral Dennis, Gulf Coast (Union Rags), represented a fifth generation bred by William S. Farish and various partners, tracing to the purchase of Weekend Surprise's dam Lassie Dear. But while Gulf Coast's dam and granddam, Sweet Success (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Aspiring (Seeking the Gold), both managed a place in the GIII Bourbonette Oaks on the Turfway synthetic, this particular branch of the dynasty had otherwise fallen rather fallow. Only with the next dam, A.P. Indy's half-sister Lassie's Legacy (Deputy Minister), do we find its customary quality: her daughter Happy Week (Distorted Humor), herself a useful stakes operator, produced GI Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Happy Saver (Super Saver). Gulf Coast was duly treated as the end of this particular line and sent to auction ($240,000 Keeneland September yearling/$300,000 OBS March). After surfacing in the colors of WinStar Farm, however, she showed plenty of ability in a curtailed career. Having won on debut, she ran second, first (Cash Run Stakes) and second in black-type company in her only remaining starts, all compressed between November and February. Whatever went awry then at least permitted an immediate covering by the farm's emerging star, Constitution, whose first sophomores had the previous year included Tiz the Law. The result is Admiral Dennis, who brought $425,000 as a September Book I yearling. So the mare has made a flying start–just like Constitution. Having last year broken into the top five of the general sires' list, he has now established himself as a six-figure cover with his upgraded books cycling through onto the track. Albeit himself produced from the home herd, Admiral Dennis belongs to Constitution's first crop at $85,000, up again from $40,000 after his first juveniles had elevated him from an opening $25,000. If anything, it feels surprising that he has only sired two Grade I winners since Tiz the Law, in Mindframe and Americanrevolution. (American Pharoah and Liam's Map, in the same intake, have seven and six respectively.) Constitution does have a whole bunch of elite winners in Chile, where his prolific early service might have unnerved some people after he mustered just two graded stakes winners in 2023. But his overall body of work, with 51 stakes winners and 102 such performers, remains commensurate with his fee at 6.9 and 13.8 percent of named foals. With that mare quality now fully in play, he continues to consolidate and currently stands sixth in the year-to-date table. Drift Gathering Momentum Catching Freedom, mentioned above, was the first Constitution yearling landed by the Albaugh family. While he remained unraced when they bought Admiral Dennis, he was evidently shaping well enough to offer plenty of encouragement (started hot favorite on debut just a couple of weeks after the sale). Both horses were bred by WinStar, who similarly excelled in finding the dam of Catching Freedom–as can be judged from the way the previous foal out of Catch My Drift (Pioneerof the Nile), the 5-year-old Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), continues to make up for lost time. Having missed most of 2024, last weekend he won his fourth consecutive prize in the GIII Salvatore Mile. Catch My Drift was bought for $400,000 at Fasig-Tipton in November 2015, having won four of 10 starts including a 9f stakes at Saratoga, missing the GII Turnback the Alarm Handicap by just half-a-length. She was given due opportunity, but neither of her first two foals by Medaglia d'Oro and Tapit made the racetrack. Her third, Strava (Into Mischief), fortunately for his breeders failed to reach his yearling reserve and was instead sold at Keeneland for $825,000 after winning his juvenile debut on the adjacent track. While he did subsequently manage a couple of black-type places, he ended up being claimed for $32,000 last fall. Catch My Drift's success since, with Bishops Bay ($450,000 yearling) and Catching Freedom ($575,000), has little blatant provenance. We are familiar with the astuteness of her breeders Fred W. Hertrich III and John D. Fielding (who sold her to Hidden Brook as a yearling for $95,000), but in this case they are strictly only breeders of record: they bought her in utero along with her $85,000 dam at the 2010 Keeneland November Sale. That was Drift to the Lead (Yonagushka), who had taken seven attempts to break her maiden but then won three in four at Delaware Park. She had a half-sister by Pleasantly Perfect who won three stakes, but that did not prevent their mother, by Tabasco Cat, being discarded for just $6,500. It's only in the next dam that we finally find a nugget: besides her 11-for-48, stakes-winning speed in Florida, Sigrun (Crafty Prospector) came up with a graded stakes winner who then became one of three stakes-producing siblings. That's pretty remote already, however, so we'll resist dwelling on the fact that Catch My Drift's fourth dam is a stakes winner by Baldski–having only last week noted that largely forgotten name lurking behind Justify himself. A Wise Decision The registered breeders of Catch My Drift get full credit, however, for Whiskey Decision (Into Mischief) after her successful resumption in the GIII Eatontown Stakes. Messrs. Hertrich and Fielding evidently repented of serial attempts to sell her–RNA at both Keeneland September ($230,000) and Fasig October ($180,000) as a yearling, subsequently scratched from a 2-year-old sale–and she has vindicated that decision, whatever the implied influence of whiskey, in winning four of eight. Bishops Bay | Adam Coglianese She's duly rewarding their faith in her dam Funny Song (Distorted Humor), who showed little in two starts after finding her way into their hands from breeders WinStar. It was certainly alert to favor her with Into Mischief for a debut cover: even for those of us who pay little heed to nicks, the Spendthrift champ's record with Distorted Humor mares is conspicuous. (Last week we noted how Patch Adams has brought daughters of Distorted Humor up to one-fifth of Into Mischief's Grade I winners.) Back then, however, her owners needed more immediate grounds for sending Funny Song to a $175,000 cover on the back of such an inauspicious track career. Sure enough, she already had a sensational page–and, happily, it has only continued to strengthen since. Funny Song's unraced dam Music Room (Unbridled's Song) is a half-sister to a top-class pair in five-time Grade I scorer Music Note (A.P. Indy) and European Classic winner Musical Chimes (In Excess {Ire}); and their dam, in turn, was among a series of smart performers and/or producers out of champion It's in the Air (Mr Prospector). In the meantime, Music Note's son Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) has won a G1 Dubai World Cup; Funny Song's half-sister has produced Grade I-placed Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon); and her full sister has added not only Grade III dirt/triple turf stakes winner She Can't Sing (Bernardini) but one of the top current sophomores in GI Arkansas Derby winner Sandman (Tapit). Funny Song's next two foals were both sold as yearlings and, as fillies, their purchasers will be rubbing their hands. An $85,000 daughter of More Than Ready is still trying to break her maiden but ran second at Horseshoe Indianapolis last week; while the 2-year-old, a $525,000 purchase by Helen Alexander last September, is breezing at Saratoga. And she's by none other than Not This Time–the Albaugh family's greatest legacy, and a perfect example of endurance turning into new hope. The post Breeding Digest: Two Admirable Families Behind Dennis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Already postponed once for rain from May 30 to June 20, weather has yet again pushed the four turf stakes on GIII Penn Mile day another week out. In a press release Tuesday morning, Penn National stated that the four stakes in question, the Penn Mile, Penn Oaks, Alphabet Soup Stakes and Lyphard Stakes will be now be held Friday, June 27. The release reads: “With significant, persistent rainfall in the local forecast for the next several days, the four turf stakes races carded for Friday, June 20th at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course have been rescheduled for Friday, June 27. Those four stakes will go–as drawn–on June 27. The other 7 non-stakes races carded for this Friday, June 20th will be run as scheduled, with this Friday's first post remaining at 5 pm. Of course, the safety of our athletes–both human and equine–is everyone's top priority. Moving these four stakes to June 27 also helps ensure that our horsemen will be able to run their horses on the turf, as intended.” The track also noted that guest announced Larry Collmus will still be on site on the 27th to call those four stakes races. The post Rain Forces Another Postponement Of The Penn Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Immigration enforcement officers raided Delta Downs racetrack Tuesday morning, according to Ed Fenasci, executive director of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (HBPA). “There was a raid at Delta Downs. They shut down the highway–it's federal highway that's by Delta Downs. They shut that down, buttoned down the place and had an [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] ICE raid,” said Fenasci, Tuesday morning. Stressing that he has few specifics at the moment, Fenasci said that immigration enforcement offices had swept the racetrack backstretch, and that it started before eight o'clock. “The descriptions I'm getting, it was a raid. They had drones out,” said Fenasci, who said that members of his staff weren't permitted onto the property. “Nobody was allowed in or out of the property,” he said. It's currently unclear if any backstretch workers were arrested during the raid. The raid was coordinated between ICE, state and local law enforcement agencies, according to one source. In a statement Tuesday morning, David Strow, Delta Downs' vice president of corporate communications, wrote that he understood no Delta Downs employees were swept up in the raid. Delta Downs is owned and operated by the Boyd Gaming Corporation. “Our company complies fully with federal labor laws, and to our knowledge, no Delta Downs team members were involved in this matter. We will cooperate with law enforcement as requested,” wrote Strow. This story will be updated. The post Immigration Enforcement Descend Upon Delta Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 16:20, PRINCE OF WALES'S STAKES-G1, £1,057,500, 4yo/up, 9f 212yT Field: Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), Certain Lad (GB) (Clodovil {Ire}), Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}), Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Map Of Stars (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Ombudsman (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Royal Champion (Ire) (Shamardal), See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Ballydoyle's bruiser Los Angeles proved what a hardnut he really is when taking a Tattersalls Gold Cup that was set up like a war of attrition and there is something about this that has the air of inevitability. Anmaat could have had a say if the track had been hit by one of those thunderstorms that can happen at this time of year, but will surely play second fiddle again on this type of ground. As likeable as Map Of Stars and Ombudsman are, they have something to find with the favourite while See The Fire is so effective on York's flat terrain it is not easy to make a case for her outbattling the big colts in this. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 15:05, QUEEN'S VASE STAKES-G2, £265,000, 3yo, 14f 34yT Field: Al Wasl Storm (Ire) (Affinisea {Ire}), Asmarani (Ire) (Sottsass {Fr}), Carmers (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Devil's Advocate (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Furthur (Ire) (Waldgeist {GB}), Hallelujah U (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}), Pinhole (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Rahiebb (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Scandinavia (Justify), Shackleton (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Spinning Wheel (GB) (Postponed {Ire}), Titanium Emperor (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Too Soon (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). TDN Verdict: Potential Irish domination here, with Ballydoyle represented by two different types and probably expecting most from Shackleton, while Paddy Twomey saddles the unexposed Listed Yeats Stakes winner Carmers. Francis-Henri Graffard sends across Asmarani, who is up markedly in trip having run into Rafale Design in the G3 Prix Hocquart. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 15:40, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE STAKES-G2, £225,000, 4yo/up, 7f 213yT Field: Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal), Crimson Advocate (Nyquist), Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), One Look (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion), Soprano (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Start Of Day (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). TDN Verdict: The way Cinderella's Dream went through the G2 Dahlia Stakes last month, we could be talking about a special filly and this looks hers for the taking. Fallen Angel is an obvious threat, but the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Moyglare winner has a bit to prove with cheekpieces fitted for the first time, while One Look comes into it after chasing home Porta Fortuna in The Curragh's G2 Lanwades Stud Stakes last month. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 14:30, QUEEN MARY STAKES-G2, £150,000, 2yo, f, 5fT Field: America (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Caitlin G (GB) (Bangkok {Ire}), Cardiff By The Sea (Ire) (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}), Come On Eibhlin (Ire) (Space Blues {Ire}), Eskimo Pie (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Eternal Solace (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), Flowerhead (Ire) (Starman {GB}), Guernsey Lady (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}), Harry's Girl (GB) (Harry Angel {Ire}), Justice Twice (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}), Lennilu (Leinster), Love Olivia (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Miss Yechance (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), Paris Carver (Bolt D'Oro), Revival Power (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), Secret Hideaway (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Shine On Me (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Social Exclusion (GB) (Lope Y Fernandez {Ire}), Society Kiss (GB) (A'Ali {Ire}), Solana Rose (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Spicy Marg (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Staya (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), True Love (Ire) (No Nay Never), Viamarie (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}), Zelaina (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Wathnan's TDN Rising Star Zelaina took the same Nottingham maiden as last year's winner Leovanni, so connections are hoping that lightning strikes twice. As it rarely does at this meeting, the race is more open than the betting suggests with the likes of the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes winner Lennilu, Ballydoyle's high-class maiden True Love and Ralph Beckett's course-and-distance winner Society Kiss all poised. Special mention must also be made of Revival Power, the full-sister to Winter Power who probably wasn't expected to make such an impressive debut at Thirsk and would be an emotional winner for the Easterbys. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 18:10, WINDSOR CASTLE STAKES-Listed, £110,000, 2yo, 5fT Field: Ardisia (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), Azizam (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Beach Partee (GB) (Lope Y Fernandez {Ire}), Better And Better (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Call Me By My Name (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), Dickensian (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}), First Approach (Ire) (No Nay Never), Gaga Mate (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Gorey Gold (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}), Havana Hurricane (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}), Jan Steen (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev), Kamakameleon (GB) (Kameko), Kansas (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Logi Bear (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Nuevo Slovo (Ire) (James Garfield {Ire}), Old Is Gold (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Rogue Legend (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Rogue Supremacy (GB) (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}), Shaman Champion (Ire) (Shaman {Ire}), Sovereign Spell (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Tough Critic (Caravaggio), Utmost Respect (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Wyle Cop (Omaha Beach), Oasis Diamond (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). TDN Verdict: Dual winner Rogue Legend will be more streetwise than most, but there is a chance that St Mark's Basilica's first winner Rogue Supremacy is a smart one. He looked the part at Wetherby on debut, while the Keeneland winner Tough Critic and Hamilton scorer Azizam are other unknown quantities at potentially inflated odds. [Tom Frary]. Thursday, Ascot, post time: 16:20, THE GOLD CUP-G1, £650,000, 4yo/up, 19f 210y Field: Coltrane (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Dubai Future (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Sweet William (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Trawlerman (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), Wonder Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Yashin (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), Illinois (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). TDN Verdict: No Kyprios, but in Illinois Ballydoyle have a serious follow-up act with this trip looking within his compass. Getting better as the year progressed at three, the St Leger form is looking much better after the Coronation Cup and he sets the standard. Candelari is the unknown quantity, having mastered the newly-promoted G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier in the manner of a potential staying star, but it is a long time since this had a French winner and the likes of Vazirabad have been found wanting in recent times. Of the outsiders, Wonder Legend has abundant promise as the winner of the All-Weather Championships Marathon Handicap and one who loves the all-weather which seems link so well with this track. [Tom Frary]. Thursday, Ascot, post time: 15:40, THE RIBBLESDALE S.-G2, £250,000, 3yo, Open, 11f 211y Field: Caspi Star (GB) (Camelot {GB}), Catalina Delcarpio (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Ecstatic (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), Garden Of Eden (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Go Go Boots (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Hollys Graces (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Island Hopping (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Lady Vivian (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Life Is Beautiful (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire]), Serenity Prayer (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Understudy (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). TDN Verdict: This is an open renewal with just the one Oaks runner in Go Go Boots due to the quick turnaround from Epsom this year. Catalina Delcarpio didn't look the strongest stayer when second in the 10-furlong G3 Salsabil Stakes at Navan in April, so it is a surprise to see her here while the G3 Musidora Stakes runner-up Serenity Prayer and Ballydoyle's Listed Naas Oaks Trial Stakes winner Garden Of Eden also move up in trip. The latter is one of three from Ballydoyle, but there is a case to be made for Ecstatic who despite seeming to tread water of late is out of Magic Wand who took a while to fine her feet too. [Tom Frary]. Thursday, Ascot, post time: 14:30, THE NORFOLK S.-G2, £150,000, 2yo, Open, 5f 0y Field: Afjan (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}), Ameeq (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Charles Darwin (Ire) (No Nay Never), Clear Force (Ire) (Supremacy {Ire}), Comical Point (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Exclamation (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), First Legion (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Graft (Ire) (US Navy Flag), Hey Tru Blue (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), Irish Fighter (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), Lil Brother (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), London Boy (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Naval Light (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Sandal's Song (Mendelssohn), Star Material (Ire) (Starman {GB}), Wise Appraoch (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). TDN Verdict: No Outfielder, so this race has lost a potential superstar but there are still plenty who could emerge just as Gstaad did in the absence of Albert Einstein on Tuesday. Like Wesley Ward's hot prospect, Charles Darwin is another on the TDN Rising Star list who as a full-brother to Blackbeard has all the boxes ticked. Wise Approach is a half-brother to Perfect Power, who won this in 2021, while French interest is in the form of the Chantilly winner Afjan. [Tom Frary]. Thursday, Ascot, post time: 17:35, THE HAMPTON COURT S.-G3, £150,000, 3yo, Open, 9f 212y Field: Al Shababi (GB) (Without Parole {GB}), Arabian Force (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Detain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Emit (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Glittering Legend (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Great David (GB) (Ribchester {Ire}), High Stock (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Jackknife (GB) (Kameko), Reyenzi (Fr) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Sea Scout (Ire (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Stardrop (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), Tiberius Thunder (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Tornado Alert (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Trinity College (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Two colts who showed up prominently in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club renew rivalry in Detain and Trinity College, with the 2,000 Guineas fourth and Derby sixth Tornado Alert bringing the Epsom form to the table. Glittering Legend has been laid out for this following his Listed Burradon Stakes win and shapes as a progressive type who should appreciate this track. [Tom Frary]. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Los Angeles Looms Large In Prince Of Wales’s Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With a quiet weekend of racing for the top level, Metropolitan Handicap (G1) winner Raging Torrent held his lead in Week 21 of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll.View the full article

The move came as a surprise to some as U.S. President Donald Trump had said that immigrants who worked in hospitality and agriculture had nothing to fear when it came to his administration's plans to crack down on illegal immigrants.View the full article

If Tuesday's Group 1 bonanza was akin to absorbing a Mike Tyson combination, such was the ferocity of the action, Royal Ascot's day-two fixture takes a relatively measured approach to its Group 1 crescendo. The £1-million highlight of Wednesday's fayre is the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes in which a star-studded older brigade will race eight yards shy of a full 10 furlongs on the round course. The Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” race is amply supported by the undercard, which opens with a trio of Group 2 events. Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore drew a Group 1 blank on day one and the axis gets another opportunity of notching its 150th top-level triumph with last term's G1 Irish Derby hero and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe third Los Angeles (Camelot). The four-year-old caused a rumble in the betting jungle and dominated early ante-post exchanges after emerging victorious in a bruising edition of the Curragh's G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup last month. He sets the standard in a nine-runner renewal shorn of White Birch (Ulysses) for a second straight season. Stablemate Continuous (Heart's Cry), himself a G1 St Leger winner, is here to ride tempo. It's going to be a case of no quarter asked, no quarter given, according to O'Brien. “He's very happy to lead and very happy to get a lead,” the trainer explained. “He will go forward, there will be strong pace on and everybody knows that. He's not a wimp, he loves a fight and he will really brawl if he has to. The more competition for him the better. It's going to be a strongly run mile-and-a-quarter.” Age is But a Number Los Angeles's Curragh victims were headed by the reopposing Anmaat (Awtaad), who had the Ballydoyle nominee's number–and then some–when registering a career high in October's G1 Champion Stakes over course and distance in his only prior visit to this Berkshire track. It is worthy of note the contest has not fallen the way of a seven-year-old since its 1968 reincarnation and Shadwell's Owen Burrows trainee must buck that statistical trend. He has saluted thrice and placed twice in five outings on a good-to-firm surface, but fast ground might deter connections. “We are keeping an eye on the ground and if it was quite quick we would need a conversation,” admitted Burrows. “There was some rain at the weekend, which is a big positive for us, and we will see what it's like on the first day. We have been very pleased with him since his run in Ireland. He got a little bit tired there in the last 50 yards, but he's taken a nice step forward since then.” Graffard Ordnance Worth Surveying Few back home in France have been able to apply the brake on Francis Graffard's domestic juggernaut this term and the in-form trainer, who kept his powder dry yesterday, unleashes Wathnan Racing's progressive G2 Prix d'Harcourt victor Map Of Stars (Sea The Stars) as the second star of his formidable squad on deck this week. Asmarani (Sottsass), in the G2 Queen's Vase, fires Graffard's opening salvo earlier on the card. The four-year-old was last seen running Sosie to a neck in April's G1 Prix Ganay and has delighted connections with his progress since. “Francis called us last week and said the horse had worked brilliantly, his scope was clear and he's in fantastic nick,” said Richard Brown. “I think you could argue he might be unbeaten because he's been unlucky twice. Mickael [Barzalona] made a move down the false straight at Longchamp last year, which he was kicking himself about, and we just didn't get the run of luck in the Ganay. The ground was pretty quick in the Harcourt and he showed a very serious turn of foot. He's a colt we're very excited about.” Ombudsman Flies HQ Flag Newmarket hopes rest on Godolphin's upwardly mobile Book 2 graduate Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), a John and Thady Gosden trainee who enjoys the profile of a typical Clarehaven project. He lowered the colours of Map Of Stars in September's G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange, but surrendered his perfect record when runner-up in Sandown's G3 Brigadier Gerard on seasonal return last month. Positive vibes have emanated from HQ after recent workouts and a sixth win for the yard isn't beyond reach. “He's in good form, but would probably prefer if the ground was a bit easier,” commented John Gosden. “It's a proper race with a good depth to it. Los Angeles just battles it out, he's a tough devil and he'll just keep galloping. His style of racing tries to take the speed out of you and, sitting there with a turn of foot, I think we're going to wait and pounce.” Burke Targets Queen Mary Threepeat In the 18th century, Edmund Burke wrote you can never plan the future by the past. In the 21st century, Karl Burke may beg to differ. Royal Ascot's day two festivities get underway with the 25-runner G2 Queen Mary Stakes providing an adrenaline rush over a fast and furious five furlongs. Burke annexed this juvenile distaffers' contest with Dramatised in 2022, hit the board with Beautiful Diamond in 2023 and celebrated a second victory with Leovanni last year. Beautiful Diamond and Leovanni annexed Nottingham's EBF Fillies' Maiden en route to this and the Spigot Lodge trainer's tried-and-trusted formula sees exciting TDN Rising Star Zelaina (Mehmas) next in line. Wathnan Racing's £650,000 Goffs Breezer banged a knee and had an interrupted preparation prior to her scintillating debut success and was value for much more than the official 2 3/4-length buffer. That Colwick Park race was no run-of-the-mill affair as Godolphin's second Secret Oath was a €550,000 Goffs Orby yearling while Coolmore's third Novelette was a £410,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up graduate. Zelaina has been favourite for this ever since and rider James Doyle is confident of a bold showing. “Leovanni won the exact same race before going on to win the Queen Mary and this filly clocked a marginally quicker time on what I felt was slower ground than what Leovanni won on at Nottingham, so that has to give you confidence. If she can turn up nice and relaxed, you would be hopeful she could run a big race. It's always difficult to compare yours to what you might be up against but I don't think I would be swapping this filly, that's for sure.” Ballydoyle sends forth the twice-raced maiden True Love (No Nay Never), whose full-sister Truly Enchanting ran 13th last year. She is better than the bare form might imply, having forced G3 Naas Fillies Sprint victrix Lady Iman to pull out all the stops when highly tried in the Listed First Flier Stakes first time out. She then went down fighting to G2 Coventry hero Gstaad at Navan last month. No Wesley Ward, no problem. Ward's trailblazing posse has four Queen Mary rosettes in the bag and will be sorely missed this week, but Stateside representation is not lacking and the Patrick Biancone barn fills the void. Step forward two-for-two Lennilu (Leinster), who garnered the same Keeneland maiden special weight used as a springboard by Ward's 2009 heroine Jealous Again. That debut form has since received multiple nods and she lines up off a wide-berth defeat of G3 Albany entry Bibi Dahl in last month's Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies on the Gulfstream Park turf. She is a $23,000 OBS Winter bargain buy and has been stationed at the Bedford Lodge base of Charlie Fellowes. Luis Saez retains the ride. “She's perfect, I am very happy with her and she's ready to go,” Biancone said. “Newmarket is like Chantilly and it's the mecca of English racing. My friend Luca Cumani was here, the stables are beautiful and the people are very nice. I know she is a very, very good filly. She is one of the best two-year-olds I've trained in my career and she is one of the favourites with the bookmakers.” Asmarani Set For Queen's Vase Evaluation Francis Graffard contender Asmarani (Sottsass), representing a stable which started the week basking in G1 Prix de Diane glory, meets a high standard for the G2 Queen's Vase over an extended 14 furlongs. His runner-up finish in ParisLongchamp's 11-furlong G3 Prix Hocquart was bolstered when conqueror Rafale Design doubled up in Sunday's G3 Prix du Lys at Chantilly. “It is probably quite a big ask, but we think that the step up in trip will suit him,” Graffard suggested. “He has always shown us more in the afternoon than in the morning and he's a horse that finishes his races off very well. He can hit a bit of a flat spot and tends to get going quite late. We don't really have these kind of tough races in France and it will be a new experience for him. He goes on any ground and I think we would be happy if we ran into a place.” Aidan O'Brien has authored the book on the standard required for this marathon and matched Sir Henry Cecil's record haul with an eighth triumph, provided by G1 Gold Cup-bound Illinois, last year. Ryan Moore takes charge of G3 Zetland Stakes third and G3 Gallinule Stakes fourth Shackleton (Camelot) while G1 Oaks hero Wayne Lordan is called up for duty aboard Navan maiden winner Scandinavia (Justify). Ireland's strong hand also includes Fiona Carmichael's Listed Yeats Stakes victor Carmers (Wootton Bassett), who is a Paddy Twomey-conditioned G1 Irish St Leger entry and winner of both starts to date. Devil's Advocate (Too Darn Hot) finished a neck shy of third for Godolphin and the Gosdens in the G2 Dante, but that form took a hefty knock when five of the first seven home at York got an old-fashioned walloping in the Derby. He'll need to find improvement stepping up a half-mile in distance. “I was pleased with Devil's Advocate in the Dante,” said John Gosden. “We didn't expect to be in front, they all came to him and then he stayed on again. The Dante form took a bit of a knock in the Derby, but it was completely different ground at Epsom. The Queen's Vase will suit him.” If the Slipper Fits Focus diverts back to the fillies for an intriguing edition of the one-mile G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes and very much centres on Godolphin's GI Belmont Oaks Invitational and GII Saratoga Oaks Invitational heroine Cinderella's Dream (Shamardal). She makes her eagerly awaited return to action after romping to an impressive wide-margin G2 Dahlia Stakes success from Elmalka (Kingman) at Newmarket on the 1000 Guineas undercard. Elmalka has not triumphed in five starts since claiming G1 1000 Guineas glory last year and ran fourth against the boys in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan when last seen. “Dropping back to one mile will be on the sharper side for Cinderella's Dream, although she showed enough gears in the Dahlia Stakes to suggest that she will handle it comfortably,” said Charlie Appleby. “She's in great nick and a repeat of her Newmarket run will make her the one to beat.” David Howden's Running Lion (Roaring Lion) inched John Gosden one clear of Sir Michael Stoute's four on the race's roll of honour when making virtually all last year, but has failed to better her tally in four starts since. One of those defeats was a narrow reversal in October's G1 Prix de l'Opera and there's no doubt she will have been primed for this title defence. The yard also saddles Wathnan Racing's 2023 G2 Queen Mary winner Crimson Advocate (Nyquist). Wathnan's 2024 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Fallen Angel (Too Darn Hot), has several instances of interlocking form with Cinderella's Dream, Elmalka and Running Lion and bids to regain the winning thread coming back off a creditable sixth in Newbury's G1 Lockinge. She is one of five runners on the day's card for Karl Burke while Paddy Twomey's day two squad also features G3 Park Express victrix and G2 Ridgewood Pearl second One Look (Gleneagles), who trades at relatively short odds. Rogues Let Loose in Windsor Castle Black-type feasting is interrupted while the Royal Hunt Cup and Kensington Palace cavalry charges hog the spotlight and returns to round off the day's proceedings with a conundrum that is the five-furlong Listed Windsor Castle Stakes for two-year-olds. The 24-runner field averages out at just two runs apiece in an event which enjoys more than its fair share of long-priced winners. Paddy Twomey is responsible for another fancied contender and sends out dual winner Rogue Legend (Havana Grey), who posted clear-cut scores over five furlongs at Cork and Tipperary in one week last month. The latter win prompted John Stewart's Resolute Racing to pry him away from the Rogues Gallery Syndicate for an undisclosed sum. He is listed as the 5-1 favourite in an obviously open renewal. “He has done all of his winning over five furlongs and we're looking forward to Royal Ascot,” reported Twomey. “He's been very straightforward to train and is improving with every run, culminating with an impressive weight-carrying performance at Tipperary last time. It's great to have John Stewart and the Resolute team join the yard.” Stewart added, “I was impressed with his recent performance on the track and, with a Timeform rating of 104, he is one of the top two-year-old sprint horses in Europe. I expect for him to be very competitive.” Rogue Legend's former owners have not been left in the lurch after parting ways with one of their leading lights and the red-and-white silks will be seen aboard impressive Wetherby maiden winner Rogue Supremacy (St Mark's Basilica), who became the first winner for his freshman sire in his June 2 debut last time. “We really, really like this horse and loads of people have tried to buy him,” revealed syndicate founder Tony Elliott. “It's not all about selling because we want some nice ones ourselves and it's a tricky situation. However, we're not all multi-millionaires and sometimes you have to use your head. The jockey was more or less stood up with him the whole way at Wetherby and we don't yet know what we've got. We don't know if he'll get six furlongs, but he's sharp and that's why we're looking at five furlongs.” George Weaver struck another blow for America with Crimson Advocate in the 2023 G2 Queen Mary and the Louisville native is back in town with Keeneland maiden special weight winner and mount of Flavien Prat, Tough Critic (Caravaggio). Like Lennilu in the Queen Mary, he will be ponied to the gate by the British Racing School's Capricorn Prince piloted by Lydia de Souza. “Going back a second time is a little easier for us because now we've got the lay of the land,” Weaver said. “It's quite expensive to make this kind of trip for the owners, but it's really exciting to go and it's definitely a great experience. We were very happy with his first start and he's done some nice breezes since. He's a colt that is just coming into himself mentally and physically. You never know, but I just have a feeling he is going to run well and we're looking forward to the Windsor Castle.” In the absence of three-race maiden Kansas (Wootton Bassett), who has been scratched, Coolmore's case will be made by G3 Marble Hill Stakes fourth First Approach (No Nay Never) in a contest won three times by the Aidan O'Brien stable in the last 10 years. Illinois Heads Gold Cup Eight Coolmore's Kyprios supersub Illinois (Galileo) has bagged stall one and faces seven opponents in Thursday's G1 Gold Cup, with his foes featuring the Francis Graffard-trained G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier hero Candelari (Frankel) and Godolphin's 2024 runner-up Trawlerman (Golden Horn). Elsewhere on the day-three card, Coolmore's TDN Rising Star Charles Darwin (No Nay Never) enjoys short-odds favouritism and has drawn a high-numbered stall in the G2 Norfolk Stakes. He encounters 15 rivals, including Wathnan Racing's Stateside raider Sandal's Song (Mendelssohn), in the five-furlong contest. Robert Moran's TDN Rising Star Catalina Delcarpio (Lope De Vega) is one of 11 distaffers declared for the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes while G1 Prix du Jockey Club third and fourth, Detain (Wootton Bassett) and TDN Rising Star Trinity College (Dubawi), will cross swords once again in the G3 Hampton Court Stakes. They have been drawn alongside each other in stalls five and six. The post Los Angeles On Deck, Prince Of Wales Has L.A. X-Factor appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Having been beat in her three starts since winning this race a year ago, Vahva aims to right the ship June 21 in the $300,000 Chicago Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.View the full article

Emulating his sire Kingman in style as well as bare results, Field Of Gold got the Juddmonte-Colin Keane retainer off to a flyer at the highest level in Tuesday's St James's Palace Stakes. Making a mockery of the Royal Ascot rematch with his 2,000 Guineas conqueror Ruling Court, the 8-11 favourite left that son of Justify and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett) trailing with his ruthless acceleration between the two and the one. Like his sire going one better than Newmarket in the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas before confirming himself top dog here, the Gosdens' grey hit the line with 3 1/2 lengths to spare over Henri Matisse, with Ruling Court staying on 3 3/4 lengths back in third. “It was exciting, to say the least,” John Gosden said. “I thought he'd gone too soon, but he's a proper horse and we'll give him a holiday now.” SUPERSTAR! FIELD OF GOLD ROUTS THEM IN THE ST JAMES'S PALACE STAKES! #RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/ENbnZHKAZk — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 17, 2025 The post ‘He’s A Proper Horse’: Kingman’s Field Of Gold Destroys St James’s Palace Rivals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Barraston Racing's 5-year-old handicap regular American Affair (Washington DC) had not set foot in black-type territory until last month and stepped forward to claim GI King Charles III Stakes glory for Scotland after another ding-dong cliffhanger. The 11-1 chance finished a close-up fifth behind Mgheera (Zoustar) in Haydock's G2 Temple Stakes and the Jim Goldie trainee's task was made easier when that rival was scratched at the start after losing a shoe. Tucked away in mid division until coming under pressure to reduce arrears approaching the quarter-mile marker, he went second with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining and was driven out in the latter stages to deny G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf winner Frost At Dawn (Frosted) by a neck after a pulsating duel. The fast-breaking long-time leader Regional (Territories) ran on in game fashion once headed and finished one length back in third. AMERICAN AFFAIR WINS THE KING CHARLES III STAKES! #RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/8puaIhIuw7 — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 17, 2025 The post Jim Goldie-Trained American Affair Strikes for Scotland in King Charles III appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Even without Albert Einstein, Ballydoyle were able to come up with one to dominate another competitive renewal of Royal Ascot's G2 Coventry Stakes and provide Aidan O'Brien with an 11th renewal. The colt in question was Starspangledbanner's Gstaad, a half-brother to Vandeek who had beaten the yard's much-vaunted filly True Love on debut at Navan last month and generated enough support here to start as the 7-2 favourite. Always travelling strongly up the centre under Ryan Moore, the bay who at 450,000gns was the top-priced colt at the 2023 Tattersalls December Foal Sale streaked away from two out to record an emphatic three-length success from Do Or Do Not (Space Blues), with Coppull (Bated Breath) a neck away in third. “Ryan gave him a lovely, uncomplicated ride and he's a lovely horse. He's a big horse who gets the trip very well,” said O'Brien. Gstaad pic.twitter.com/Zkh83GBA4F — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 17, 2025 The post 11th Coventry For O’Brien As Starspangledbanner’s Gstaad Strikes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

John Stewart's Resolute Racing farm in central Kentucky, located on the grounds of the former Shadayid Stud, will be expanded to include a new training facility, Stewart said on Nick Luck's Live From Royal Ascot podcast Tuesday. “It's our second year [on the farm],” said Stewart. “Last year we bred 31 mares, this year we bred over 50. We've got some fantastic diversity on the farm and we're really excited about that. We've got out first yearlings that were bred on the farm coming up so next year they'll be 2-year-olds. So it's all coming along pretty well. We've grown the farm from 800 acres to 1,300 acres and we're planning to build a training center on the property. So it's going pretty well.” Stewart's farm roster includes a who's who of successful race mares and broodmares led perhaps most notably by Puca (Big Brown), the dam of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), GI Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch (Good Magic) and this year's MGISP Baeza (McKinzie). His aforementioned yearlings are by top international stallions such as Wootton Bassett (GB), Siyouni (Fr) and Frankel (GB) while his American-bred yearlings feature the full-brother to Mage and Dornoch along with a Flightline half-sister to 2-year-old champion Forte (Violence). “You can't just get involved in racing and want to win” he said. “Because then you're just taking from the sport. If you're going to get involved in something, you have to get involved with all aspects of the sport and you have to want to support everything. For me, that's competing on a global stage. I think it's important to be in these historic venues. Ascot is definitely at the top of the list of races I want to compete in. So much so that I'm building a replica of the mile uphill on my farm. I specifically bought an additional farm because it has a 1 1/2-mile of property so I can build a proper uphill gallop. I think if we want horses to come over here [to Ascot] and race, you have to train them in environment you want them to compete in.” Asked by Luck if Resolute would keep an in-house trainer on site or if the facility would only include pre-training, Stewart said, “Not going to go with my own trainer. I'm going to require every trainer that wants to train with me to have a division at my training center. I'm going to keep all my horses there in America and I'll ship them to the races just like they do at [Coolmore's] Ballydoyle. We're building a training center with 400 stalls. It's going to be state of the art. I'm going to take the Ballydoyle concept and take all the latest technology and implement it and try to up the game. There's a lot of incremental things we can learn from sports science. So much we want the horses to be athletes but we treat them still like farm animals. I think there's a lot of opportunity to makes things more competitive and to give the horses every opportunity and also to take care of [their] wellness from a training standpoint.” The post ‘I’m Going To Take The Ballydoyle Concept’: Stewart Plans New Training Center appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There is always a story at Royal Ascot and this year's meeting opener, the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, delivered an immediate slice of drama as Harry Eustace trainee Docklands (Massaat) provided the Newmarket conditioner with a thrilling first Group 1 triumph, by a pixel, despite Australian rider Mark Zahra dropping his whip in the closing stages of the straight one-mile test. Last year's runner-up, a 14-1 chance, was the last of 10 into stride and settled into a smooth rhythm off a moderate pace towards the rear through halfway in this sixth Group 1 start. Weaving a passage into contention with a quarter-mile remaining, he quickened smartly to seize a narrow advantage entering the final furlong and refused to yield as last year's G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace hero Rosallion (Blue Point) lunged late to call the judge's magnifying glass into early action. Refai Alghraiban's 100-1 outsider and Alice Haynes nominee Cairo (Quality Road), who ran eighth last year, flashed home late to finish 1 3/4 lengths adrift of the protagonists in third. “I didn't want to worry about the whip rules, so chucked the stick away,” joked Zahra in the immediate aftermath. WHAT A START TO #ROYALASCOT! PHOTO FINISH IN THE QUEEN ANNE STAKES… AND IT GOES TO DOCKLANDS! pic.twitter.com/SeG6nFmM2R — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 17, 2025 The post Massaat’s Docklands Prevails in Queen Anne Thriller appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Bernie Sams will be launching a new venture, BF Sams Bloodstock Advisory, according to a press release from the new venture this morning. Drawing upon his extensive experience working for some of the world's top Thoroughbred farms, Sams said he would offer a variety of consulting services, including broodmare band management, advice on matings, purchases of stallion seasons and shares, securing equine insurance, and more. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Sams began working with Thoroughbreds while attending the University of Kentucky. Early in his career, he worked at Wimbledon Farm, Haras de Roiville in France, Manchester Farm Lexington, and Overbrook Farm, as well as managing stallions at Gainesway. In 2003, Sams began his tenure at Claiborne Farm, where he served as Bloodstock and Stallion Manager. His role included assisting in buying and syndicating new stallions, managing the stallions, advertising, helping clients purchase mares to fortify their broodmare bands, consulting on matings, and a host of other duties and responsibilities. Among the successful stallions Sams managed at Claiborne were Pulpit, Arch, Flatter, Blame and War Front, one of the most accomplished sires in recent history. “I'm very excited to begin this new venture,” said Sams. “Claiborne was very good to me over the past 20-plus years and I look forward to the next chapter. I'm also happy to see my son, little Bernie, showing a passion for the Thoroughbred industry, so I'm hoping in the next few years he'll join me in this new endeavor.” Bernie Sams can be reached at bfsams1959@gmail.com. The post Bernie Sams Launches BF Sams Bloodstock Advisory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Los Angeles and Anmaat will lock horns again in what is expected to be a titanic tussle for Wednesday’s Group One Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (2,000m) at Royal Ascot. The day two feature has gone to powerhouse trainer Aidan O’Brien on five occasions and three-time Group One winner Los Angeles is set to go off favourite for the middle-distance contest. The Camelot colt is unbeaten in two starts this season, winning the Group Two Mooresbridge Stakes (2,000m) at the Curragh on reappearance before...View the full article

Aidan O'Brien will seek a 10th Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on Thursday, with his prospects whittled down to just Illinois (Galileo) in the meeting's prestige feature. Last year's G2 Queen's Vase winner will take on the Aga Khan Studs representative Candelari (Frankel) from the Francis-Henri Graffard stable and that G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier winner is like him a newcomer to these Cup races. Old stagers Trawlerman (Golden Horn) and Sweet William (Sea The Stars) are back again, while the All-Weather Championships Marathon Handicap winner Wonder Legend (Sea The Stars) is an interesting contender. In the G2 Norfolk Stakes, Ballydoyle are represented by TDN Rising Star Charles Darwin (No Nay Never) as 16 stand their ground, while the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes has attracted 11 fillies including Robert Moran's TDN Rising Star and G3 Salsabil Stakes runner-up Catalina Delcarpio (Lope De Vega). There are 14 engaged in the G3 Hampton Court Stakes, with Juddmonte's G1 Prix du Jockey Club third Detain (Wootton Bassett) looking for quick compensation. The post Illinois Heads Eight For Gold Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Rob Courtney Richard Cornelius is long retired with his feet up in Prebbleton but the wily Cantabrian has been a harness enthusiast for as long as he can remember. His list of winners indicates he has won his share of good races. Gail Devers (Live Or Die – Awesome Dream) won 10 from just 19 starts and Oscar Wild (Albert Albert – For The Boys) won 11 and was placed in an Auckland Cup. Both were trained by David and Catherine Butt when they were winning multiple trainers premierships back in the early 2000s. Cornelius was an avid breeder during this period and obviously liked to name his foals after world famous athletes. Gail Devers was named after a famous American sprinter as an example and around 2012 he had Wilma Rudolph (named after another American Olympic champion) at home as his only weanling. She was by Rocknroll Hanover from Merlene Ottey (you guessed it, another Olympic sprinter) and Cornelius was of a mind to go to the 2013 weanling sale and buy a ‘mate’ for Wilma. Lot 24, a filly by Pegasus Spur from Mybrotherwasastar, from Rob The Nest and therefore a half sister to the very handy Galleon’s Assassin and Thedonsson, both Group 1-winning trotters, cost Cornelius $8000 on the day. That unnamed filly became Wilma’s Mate and nine months later Cornelius took the yearling filly back to the Christchurch yearling sales but disappointingly, didn’t get a bid. The disappointment was short-lived as Wilma went on to win twice as a 2YO and eventually won 14 races (3 in Australia) and $348k in prize money. Keep in mind that after about five of those wins, Cornelius shared a story where trainer Davey Butt was not at all happy with the trotting mare and made the decision to send the mare to master trotting trainer Paul Nairn to ‘sort out’, with the results being quite spectacular. History repeated itself when Cornelius took Wilma’s first foal to the yearling sales in 2022, aptly named Wilma’s Boy. By the well-credentialed but unproven Tactical Landing, Wilma’s Boy did not get a bid on the day! A baffled and despondent Cornelius took the horse home and gave him to Bob Butt to train. It also prompted him to sell off his remaining mares including Wilma’s Mate who had a Love You filly at foot and she is now in the ownership of Graham Beirne of Small Car World. The latter filly is called Love You Wilma. Wilma’s Boy created quite an impression when winning on debut by some 9L at Addington but three subsequent starts didn’t go to plan for the big son of Tactical Landing and he was put aside. Back at the trials in May for Bob Butt, the now 4YO went ‘terrible’ according to his owner and as if to repeat history all over again, his young trainer made the decision to send the horse to Nairn. Boom ! Less than two weeks after that ‘terrible’ trial, Nairn produced the young trotter to win by 5L at Addington (30/5/25) after sitting parked much of the way and then repeated the dose (6/6/25) with another 5L victory, taking his short career record to three wins from six starts. The stories behind ‘the boy’ and his mother are startlingly similar to say the least. No bids at the yearling sales, trained by the Butts, given to Paul Nairn to sort out and with spectacular results. Wilma’s Boy is the only horse Richard Cornelius now has in his ownership and is sharing that ‘ride’ with younger members of his family. The future is exciting, presently. Maybe ‘the boy’ might go on to win 14 races and a whole lot of money for his connections. Richard Cornelius certainly hopes so. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk After 40 years, Morrinsville-based trainer Leanne Edwards is calling time on her training career. “I still love them (the horses) but it’s time for a change,” says Edwards, “I’m hanging up the bridle.” “I sold my last one (Cupids Arrow) last month.” Edwards’ first winner was Grattan Royale in 1984. He ended up winning six from 24 and her headliner was Frugal Echo, who won 16 from 81 career starts. “He was the best trotter I ever trained,” she says. In the early 2000s he was up against some of the country’s best ever square-gaiters and was good enough to run second to multiple Group 1 winner Take A Moment on several occasions. He was also runner-up behind La Coocaracha in the 2002 Rowe Cup, to Lyell Creek in the 2000 Dominion and to Martina H in the 2003 Dullard Cup in Victoria. Other good performers included Una Bromac, who was a Group winner in 2005, while the now 14-year-old Grey Stoke is a favourite. “He won 11 races and I got a lot of satisfaction from winning with him,” says Edwards, “he will be here till the day he dies.” Edwards never trained a huge team. “I never had more than nine or 10 and in recent years it’s been closer to four and five.” “There have been a lot of highlights.” “I love the grass track racing and I was fortunate enough to win a couple of Cups on the grass, one of them was in the (2007) Kumeu Country Cup with a horse for Mum called O K Miles. Iwi Trouble was another “tough old horse” who did well on the grass track circuit, winning six races overall from 72 starts. Edwards isn’t sure what the future holds. “I’ll see what comes around the corner but racing’s been very good to me and I’ve loved it.” View the full article

A decision has been made allowing Nigel McGrath to make a partial return to the industry, but under very strict conditions. At the last Harness Racing New Zealand AGM clubs and kindred bodies passed a rule change allowing any banned party to apply for an exemption if they have served at least half of their penalty. McGrath, who was banned for eight years, met this criteria and subsequently applied for a number of exemptions. HRNZ’s Exemptions Committee met to consider the matter and concluded that the conditions regarding McGrath’s ban would change. “It is however under tightly-managed conditions and it is up to him to prove he has changed his ways,” says HRNZ Chief Executive Brad Steele. McGrath cannot hold a trainer’s or driver’s licence. He is allowed to be at a licenced person’s property but he cannot be involved in the training of any horse or work as a stablehand. He will remain unable to enter a racecourse when a race meeting is taking place. “There will be zero tolerance,” says Steele, “and any breach of these exemptions would result in immediate consequences, including the potential reinstatement of his disqualification.” His involvement will be subject to regular review and monitoring by the Racing Integrity Board and Harness Racing NZ. “The decision balances disciplinary actions with the industry’s obligations to rehabilitate,” says Steele, “a decision to provide anyone with a chance to be re-integrated should not be mistaken for leniency.” Steele acknowledges the decision won’t be welcomed by everyone in the sport. “We take those comments onboard and the issue has prompted us to commit to a review of the industry’s integrity standards and processes.” “It will be an opportunity for everyone in the sport to have their say and will happen shortly.” To see the official notice please click here View the full article

Fresh from a runaway victory in Saturday’s A$160,000 Listed The Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm, connections of Group One galloper Pier (NZ) (Proisir) are formulating plans for the spring. The Darryn and Briar Weatherley-trained gelding will enjoy a break in the Queensland sun after a three-start campaign that saw the 2022 Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner return to something like his best. The son of Proisir produced powerful finishes for placings in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m) at Trentham and the Gr.3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben prior to Saturday’s triumph. “He should have won his first-up run at Trentham and had he drawn an alley at Doomben, I’m not saying he would have beaten War Machine, but looking at the sectionals, he would have given him a fright,” Darryn Weatherley said. “Then, of course, he won the other day. So we’re very proud of him, and he’s gone for a well-deserved break now, just for a month. “He is at Beaudesert and he will get a bit of sun on his back.” The most likely plan for Pier will see him return to New Zealand for the Hawke’s Bay Triple Crown which commences with the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) to be run at Ellerslie this year with the Hastings track out of action. “We’ve got three really nice Group One races at home in the spring over 1400m, 1600m and 2000m and I can’t wait to get him out to 2000m,” Weatherley said. “They look quite tasty targets for him. Even if it is wet, I really do believe with the cut in the track, he’s actually a better horse because of some of his old injuries. “He’s won on a Good 3 track, and he’s won on a Heavy 10 track, so we’re lucky that he is very adaptable. “I’m not against going to Melbourne either in the spring but after his rest we will see how he goes first-up. “Because of his niggly little problems we haven’t been able to get him that far, but gee I think he would relish 2000m.” Although the Wayne Wilson was a nice consolation, connections will never know how competitive Pier might have been had he gained a start in the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), for which he was fourth emergency. “It is what it is,” Weatherley said. “He ran a track record time carrying 59 kilos and in the Stradbroke he had 51 kilos. “It would have been really interesting. I do believe he would have given War Machine a run for his money.” View the full article

Harvey Wilson has been successful in a number of New Zealand’s major jumping races, but before he was training racehorses, he scaled even greater heights in the show jumping arena. Growing up in the Wanganui region, Wilson was surrounded by horses, hunting and racing, but serious competition came later in his teenage years. “My parents rode, not extensively, but they hunted, and my father was an amateur rider and rode in the point to points in those days,” he said. “He was involved in the Waverley Racing Club for a long while. “I didn’t do much in ponies, I probably didn’t start competing a lot until I left school, and it all snowballed from there.” Wilson became one of the country’s top riders and competed on the international stage, including his selection for the Olympic Games on three occasions. Based in New Zealand at the time, Wilson travelled to compete in Montreal in 1976 but was unable to fulfil his place on the team. Eight years later, he was back in the frame and represented New Zealand at Seoul in the individual and team competitions and emulated that effort in Barcelona in 1992. On home soil, there are few trophies without Wilson’s name engraved, and the same could be said for his wife Ann. They were the first husband-and-wife to win an Olympic Cup at the New Zealand Horse Of The Year Show, and in 2013, they were inducted to the show’s Hall Of Fame. “I initially went (overseas) in 1976 with the team that was going to Montreal for the Olympics, with John Cottle and Joe Yorke,” he said. “I didn’t get to the Olympics, our horses got travel sickness a wee bit, so we competed in England over that summer, and I met Ann during that time. “Ann was on the Junior British Event Team, and she then was on the Senior British Show Jumping Team. “I came back to New Zealand and had a couple of nice horses here, so I took them back to England, we got married and competed over there for about three years after that.” During that period, Wilson experienced one of the greatest moments of his decorated career, winning the inaugural Commonwealth Cup alongside a number of Kiwi heroes in equestrian sport. “Winning the Commonwealth Cup at the Royal Windsor Show was a highlight, it was a team’s event between England, Australia and us,” he said. “The team was made up of Mark Todd, Bruce Goodin, Maurice Beatson and myself, and I was lucky enough to be the captain, so I got to meet the Queen when she presented the prizes.” Even in their time show jumping, thoroughbreds were an integral part of the Wilson’s operation, with Ann’s star Olympic Cup winning-mare Imperial sourced out of the John Wheeler stable. “Most of our good horses were thoroughbreds, we both won the Horse Of The Year on thoroughbreds and they’re great show jumpers,” Wilson said. “If you find the right one, they are very genuine and they get on with it. “We had to sell some of the horses to make ends meet, but some were too good to sell. We sold a lot of horses to Japan, they were good buyers of a nice, sensible thoroughbred.” When he wasn’t busy riding at the Olympics, Wilson loved to go hunting, and once he and Ann settled back in New Zealand, he became master of the Egmont-Wanganui Hunt Club. “I always hunted as a child, and continued to all the way through,” he said. “When we came back and settled here, I was the master of the Egmont-Wanganui Hunt for 20 years, starting in the mid-eighties. “We were lucky, we had a very strong hunt, great people, good huntsman and a good pack of hounds. It was great fun.” After competing at the top-level in show jumping for a long period of time, Wilson turned his focus to racing in the early 2000’s, something he had followed with interest through his career. “I always was keen on racing, I had a thoroughbred horse initially in the seventies that I pre-trained for someone who was then given to me, so I gave him to my good friend Kim Richardson to train,” he said. “He won quite a few races, he won six in a row one winter. “Once we were show jumping, we didn’t do much racing, but in the last few years, we’ve got more and more involved.” While they may not have been too aware of it at the time, the couple struck gold with their first purchase, an aptly named filly called Barcelona. The daughter of Desert Sun won four races, and the first of those in Wilson’s care was the Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m). “She was a filly we bought at the sales and Kevin Myers trained her initially, we raced her together with Ange (Illston) and Ann,” Wilson said. “I think Kevin got sick of me nagging at him, so he said to me it might be best I train her. “So she came home and we trained her, with Kevin and Ange still in the ownership. She was a handy mare, she had a few Group placings and our first win with her was actually in a Listed race at Tauranga. “We probably didn’t appreciate it as much as we should have, because we hadn’t done much racing at that stage. We thought, ‘this one goes pretty good’ and had a bit of fun. “It’s only now that we appreciate how good she may have been.” In the years to come, it came as little surprise that Wilson would excel in the jumping caper, producing It’s A Wonder to an outstanding win the Grand National Steeplechase in 2019. The eye-catching chestnut had romped home in the Koral Steeplechase, but driving rain had turned Riccarton Racecourse to a bog during the week, and Wilson admitted there was doubt in his mind heading into the feature. But, as history shows, It’s A Wonder took his place and bolted in by no less than 23 lengths. “He won the Koral very well, he led most of the way, jumped super and we were lucky to have Shaun Phelan on him, who is a great rider,” Wilson said. “On the National morning, it was very wet, and he didn’t particularly like the really heavy track. The thought did pass through our mind to scratch him, because it was too wet, but we didn’t and he seemed to cope fine. “He won the National really well, it was a great moment.” Now rising 15, It’s A Wonder is enjoying life in retirement, having been with the Wilsons since he was purchased as a juvenile. “He was passed in at the Ready to Run sales, and we bought him from Sam Beatson,” Wilson said. “He was a really nice type of an Istidaad horse. “He could be quite tough and did pull hard in his work, but he was a super jumper and just a really nice horse to have around. He’s still on the farm with us, he looks a bit old, but he’s doing well.” In the same year, Wilson very nearly did the National Week-double with Bad Boy Brown, who went down by the barest of margins in the Grand National Hurdles. The son of St Reims got revenge on his Riccarton defeat back in the north a month later, reigning supreme in the Great Northern Hurdle at Ellerslie. “One day at the Woodville races, Karen Zimmerman was saddling him up and I’d said to her, that would make a nice jumper for us,” Wilson quipped. “That was just jokingly, but Karen ended up giving up training a few months later and she rang and offered us the horse. “We trained him for John and Liz Hancock from Martinborough, he was a tough little horse. He wasn’t the best jumper, but he was just a good horse.” The Wilsons have also enjoyed success with the likes of Password, Dr Hank and Justa Charlie, while talented flat galloper Cruiser was stakes-placed on four occasions. “We trained Justa Charlie for a lot of local people, which was great fun,” Wilson said. “He was a very consistent horse, he ran second in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles and won the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase. Will Gordon rode him quite a bit and was on him that day, winning that was a great thrill. “Cruiser was by Captain Rio and we bought him at the sales. He was plagued a bit by unsoundness through his career, but he was a handy horse that won a few flat races for us. “We had a lot of fun with him too.” A background in show jumping was always going to give Wilson an advantage in educating his horses, a system he continues to follow with each prospective jumper. “We enjoy the jumpers, there is a lot of satisfaction in teaching them to jump and getting them fit on the hills,” he said. “We like to do a lot very quietly, in the arena and going over small fences so they can learn where to put their legs and what not. “The jumping side isn’t so easy for me now, I’m getting a bit older, but we have Nicole Sinclair riding a bit of work for us and she jumps the horses. We’re lucky to have her.” In his current string is progressive stayer and recent winner Comedy, while a more recent addition, Jerricoop, impressed in his hurdling debut at Trentham on Saturday. No matter the result, their horses are always looking a picture at the races, something he credits largely to Ann. “We’ve only got four in work at the moment, but it’s not a bad number for us now at our stage of life and we do it all ourselves,” Wilson said. “I guess the turnout comes a little bit from showjumping, we don’t go overboard with it, but Ann looks after that side of it, and we like to turn them out as well as possible. “If you take a horse to the races that looks really well, but it doesn’t go so well, then it’s not quite so bad.” While happy to keep their numbers small, Wilson is always on the lookout for a promising jumper and hopes to see the industry continue to thrive in years to come. “They aren’t very easy to find, but we’d like to get another jumper,” he said. “It would be very disappointing if jumps racing didn’t continue because not only is it a lot of fun and a lot of people enjoy it, it’s a great avenue for a lot of horses. Many horses, once they’re finished on the flat, won’t be suitable to be sport horses, but they are good jumping horses. “There are a lot of senior jumping trainers at the moment, so it would be good to see a few more of the younger brigade getting involved. It’s a lot of fun and financially rewarding if you’re lucky enough to have a good horse.” View the full article

Mark Oulaghan is keeping his options open with three runners entered in Friday’s Harcourts Otaki Raukawa Cup (2100m), all of whom may head in different directions. The first of Oulaghan’s representatives is Jack Morrison (NZ) (Darci Brahma), a force to be reckoned with on all-weather tracks, as shown in all of his five victories coming on the Awapuni Synthetic. He has added two of those in his last two starts, and with an open staying race at that venue on Sunday, that is the probable direction for the son of Darci Brahma. “We’re leaving our options open a bit, nominations were quite light in that field, but he’ll more than likely go to the synthetic at Awapuni,” Oulaghan said. “He seems to handle his racing pretty well, but he probably prefers the track a bit better than it’ll be at Otaki. “I think he goes more like a staying sort of horse, but it’s a bit harder to gauge on the synthetic. It’s quite a frontrunners track, they seem to get out and cruise along, and the ones that can stick on seem to get the chocolates.” Having suffered only one defeat on the surface, Oulaghan is considering venturing further afield with his charge, with the $100,000 Polytrack Championship (2000m) held at Cambridge in early August. “We’d definitely have to have a look at that for him,” he said. 10-win gelding Semper Magico (NZ) (Per Incanto) will resume on Friday, but Oulaghan is yet to decide whether he’ll tackle the Cup and a 59kg impost, or the Cavallo Farms and Chris Rutten Bloodstock Handicap (1600m), where he is a clear 62.5kg topweight. The Per Incanto nine-year-old placed in a Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m) a couple of years ago, and more recently, he made a successful switch to hurdling, with a win and a couple of placings last term. “He seemed to spell alright and has just taken a wee while to come up,” Oulaghan said. “He’ll probably need the run on Friday, but at least it kicks him off and gets him going. “We’ll give him a few flat runs to condition him up, then we’ll look at stepping him over the fences somewhere later in the season. “I had initially thought the mile for him, but looking at the nominations, the 2000m may be the softer option.” The one Oulaghan runner assured to start in the Cup is Pinkerton (NZ) (Niagara), appearing second-up after resuming at Trentham earlier this month. “He’ll run and he’s perky at the moment,” Oulaghan said. View the full article