Wandering Eyes

Jakama Krystal was a quiet achiever in the steeplechasing role last season, and she’ll step up to the major leagues for the first time at Te Rapa on Saturday, taking on the Signature Homes Waikato Steeplechase (3900m). Often effective in the lead, Jakama Krystal spaced her rivals on debut over the bigger fences last August and put on a similar display when winning the final race of the jumping season in September. After enjoying her summer holiday, the nine-year-old returned to Peter and Jessica Brosnan’s Matamata stable and has appeared twice on the flat, including a second placing behind capable flat galloper Fourty Eight. The daughter of Jakkalberry is the third-elect in the market behind Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal’s pair of The Cossack and Nedwin, and Jessica Brosnan is looking forward to kicking off her season in the feature. “She’s a bit older now, but she’s feeling well, and you’ve got to be in it to win,” she said. “She goes a little bit better fresh, I think she’s had one start there for a third, so she goes well at Te Rapa. “She’s generally better suited at the tighter tracks, but we have to go where the jumping is and wing it a little bit in that regard.” The Brosnans will be represented in two of the undercard jumping events, with Canulovemeagain contesting the Ken and Roger Browne Memorial (3900m), and Jake and Squire in the Waikato/BOP Owners Association Hurdle (2800m). A half-brother to Group One performer Aspen Colorado, Canulovemeagain lost his jockey after jumping awkwardly late in the race at Te Aroha and has an in-form Corey Wiles in the saddle on this occasion. “He’s doing well, I galloped him up our grass before and he’s feeling good,” Brosnan said. “I think he should make a steeplechaser.” Both just four-year-olds, Jake and Squire are in the early stages of their careers over fences, but have pleased Brosnan ahead of their hurdle debut on Saturday. “They’re only four, so anything they do this season will be a bonus,” Brosnan said. “They’re quite young to be doing it. “Squire has a lot of natural ability, it’s just putting it together on the day and he’ll be away. He’s got a big group of owners that want to travel around the countryside and go have fun at the races. “He’s a really nice horse, I’m just hoping that he can behave and control his excitement. “We’ve had Jake for a few months, Mark (Brosnan) thought he would make a jumper and we’ve got the riders. He’s surprised us a little bit, he wasn’t the best jumper initially but once he started going over the hurdles, he was away.” View the full article

Samantha Logan is hoping for a result to savour when the aptly named Jelly Roll makes his debut at Matamata on Sunday. Off the back of an encouraging trial performance, the three-year-old will step out in the Slattery Contracting Maiden (1200m), with Bridget Grylls to take the reins. He is a son of Swiss Ace and Icing On The Cake and is trained and owned by Logan, who was gifted the gelding. Jelly Roll’s name is drawn from both his parents and also from the moniker of the American rapper, songwriter and Grammy Award nominee. “I like the singer and it all worked in well, it’s a play on both,” Logan said. “He was bred by Christophe Verkimpe, who’s from New Caledonia, and he was supposed to go there but then the civil unrest broke out and he couldn’t be shipped. “They offered him to me, and we’ve had a bit of fun getting him to this point.” Jelly Roll’s first outing was delayed following an abandonment last month. “He was saddled and ready to go at Tauranga before they got called off, so we’re looking forward to Sunday with him,” Logan said. “I don’t think he’ll disgrace himself, his last trial (at Ellerslie) was pretty good. He’s a neat little horse and he should love the heavy ground.” Logan will also have a top chance on Saturday at Te Rapa where Ascension will be a favoured contender in the Andrew (Ledge) Leadbeater Memorial (1400m). She will again be ridden by Michael McNab, who was aboard the Almanzor filly when she finished well for third in her resuming run over 1200m on the track at the end of last month. “We’ve always really liked her and thought that she may have been our Oaks filly, but immaturity held her back,” Logan said. “She’s a lot stronger and more forward this preparation and she finished off really strongly last start. “We were happy with her going into the race and the step up to 1400m should suit her this time. “She’s a beautiful filly and really easy to do anything with, she’s just a dream to have around.” Ascension is part-owned by co-breeder Lib Petagna’s JML Bloodstock, who has a good association with Logan. “I’ve been very lucky and been able to race a few quality fillies for him this year and she’s definitely one of them. She’s got the pedigree and the type to go with it,” she said. Ascension is a half-sister to stakes winners Windsor and Sergio, with their dam the unraced Lonhro mare Shanro whose family features the multiple Group Two winners Camena and Arcetri Pink. View the full article

Kiwi-owned Group One winner Desert Lightning will be out to double his elite-level tally when he returns to Eagle Farm on Saturday to tackle the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m). Formerly in the care of Peter and Dawn Williams in New Zealand, the five-year-old gelding won five races for his now retired trainers, including the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m) and $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m). He transferred to the care of Pakenham conditioners Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman last spring where he made an immediate impact, placing in the Listed Chautauqua Stakes (1200m) first-up before winning the Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m). Returning in autumn, he was unplaced in the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) and Gr.1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) before returning to form last Saturday at Eagle Farm when runner-up in the Listed Spier Chief Handicap (1500m), belying his 61kg impost. Owners Sarah and Chris Green and Ger Beemsterboer, who race Desert Lightning under their Barneswood Farm banner, were delighted to see their charge return to form last weekend and are excited about his prospects carrying a lighter load on Saturday. “It was a great finish from him (last Saturday). He had 61 kilos to carry and this time he has 54.5kg, so that is big change,” Sarah Green said. The son of Pride of Dubai will jump from the ace barrier, with Tommy Berry remaining in the saddle. “He is in the field and we are just hoping for the best,” Green said. “He raced last weekend and is backing up again. We are not sure how that is going to play out, but he has got a great draw. “It’s a good sign (that Tommy has retained the ride). He knows him and that is always a plus when the jockey wants to stick with him. “He has got the ability, but it is a field full of good horses and we are just taking a chance.” Green has returned from Europe this week to be trackside at Eagle Farm on Saturday, where she will be joined by her Australian-based daughter, and she said she gets a lot of enjoyment in competing across the Tasman. “I love it (racing in Australia),” Green said. “My daughter lives in Sydney and she is coming up to Brisbane to be with me and watch the race. “It is exciting, and for me it (Australian racing) is the epitome of racing, I love it. You just take the excitement when you can and just hope for the best.” View the full article

There's nothing a horse can tell Bob Duncan about the terrors of a confined space. He was already on the gate crew, back in 1968, when he went to visit his parents at Laurel, where his dad was training a small string. After an evening at a nearby bar, his buddy threw him the keys. Different car, different handling. Coming to a railroad bridge, he suddenly realized that he wasn't going to make the turn. “We hit these cement pilings, plunged over the side,” Duncan recalls. “We had waist belts on. No shoulder straps, which turned out to be fortunate. Next thing I know, I'm waking up, somehow stuck under the console–and I can hear running water. I'm upside down, trying to fight my way out. Then I pass out again.” It was a couple of hours before someone spotted them. Next time he returned to consciousness, metal was crunching in the jaws of a winch. He assumed his friend must be dead. But they were both hauled out, stitched up in the hospital and sent home next morning. Duncan will never forget his mother's face when he walked in. “I looked like I'd been beaten with a bat,” Duncan recalls. “We went over to see the car and this guy comes over and says, 'Yeah, there were two kids in that thing last night. Both dead.'” A plank was protruding from the back window, immovable under the crushed roof. The headrest, steering wheel, everything above the console was flattened. Duncan's wrecked car | Courtesy Bob Duncan Duncan often thinks back to that miraculous escape. He was 19 and what a lot he would have missed, had the path of his life ended there. But perhaps the episode also helps to explain the unusual empathy which has made that life so interesting. For Duncan is still getting up before dawn, year-round, Palm Beach Downs to Saratoga, to help Thoroughbreds overcome phobias at the gate. It's the ultimate behind-the-scenes vocation. People on the backside know his work, especially at the Todd Pletcher barn, but all that matters to Duncan is the recognition of the horses themselves. Any wider celebrity probably traces to Quality Road, who notoriously refused the gate in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. “He's a dominant horse, and that was what had gotten him in trouble,” Duncan recalls. “Because he would get away with stuff. If the van's over there, and the grass over here, he'd drag you over to the grass. 'That's okay,' they'd say, 'it's Quality Road.' But it got to the point where he'd do it at the starting gate, they got after him with the buggy whip–and all hell broke loose.” Coming to the barn a few days after the incident, Duncan noted that playfulness. But he could also sense the horse's concentration: he was trying to read Duncan, responding, the rope just dragging along as Duncan walked him round, never a hand laid on him. Duncan looked over at Pletcher. “I don't think we have a problem here,” he said. “We just kept advancing each day,” he recalls. “First, into the gate without a rider. Next day, rider on, in and out. Third day, over to the paddock, dressed for a race, into the gate. Finally we shipped him over to Aqueduct with the other horses, put him through everything with them. Not once did he do anything wrong. His next race, he hesitated a step but then walked right in.” Duncan working the gate | TDN Such mastery seemed a remote prospect, the first time Duncan shared a confined space with a nervous Thoroughbred. This was back around the time of his Laurel reprieve, when given the chance to accompany a couple of horses on a transatlantic flight. Some chance! One of them had once got loose and run into the barn. When the outrider found them, the horse had his trainer by the chest. They put a raincoat over his head to pull him clear. So they gave this horse a tranquilizer, and Duncan a box containing a lethal extra dosage. “That's all you had if something went wrong,” he recalls. “Back then, it was just a plywood box with a rubber mat. He was so nervous: wasn't trying to bite me or anything, just looking for help. As we start rolling, his feet are peeling up that mat. And all of a sudden he's splintering the box, front and back.” They were right under the cockpit. A face appeared atop the ladder: the captain wanted to know whether to abort. “But I was just a kid and wasn't going to be the one to turn a plane around,” Duncan says. “So I'm petting and petting him as he's sliding and falling and jumping. Finally he just collapses. The other horse never turned a hair. Eight hours later, I'm all bloodied walking him out, he's a wreck, mad and sweating, bandages hanging off. These Irish guys who were taking him on couldn't believe their eyes.” Not, on the face of it, an experience calculated to inspire anyone to spend more time than necessary with these animals in a state of high anxiety. On the other hand, gate work now looked a stroll in the park. You don't even need a parachute to vacate the scene. The only problem was that Duncan found himself haplessly reinforcing collective, ancestral error. “These last 25 years I've been apologizing for what I did the first 20,” he says. “You didn't know any better. You're following tradition, being told what to do, there's peer pressure. I remember trying things and my foreman saying, 'You got to show that horse who's boss.' It was coercion. It put the horse between a rock and a hard place: he doesn't want to be in there, but is even more scared by that buggy whip out back. It's like going into kindergarten and nobody talks your language. And when the teacher yells at you, and you don't understand, they start hitting you.” There had to be a better way and, especially once his son David was old enough to help, Duncan strove to find one. The turning point was a demonstration by Monty Roberts. “He had this 14-year-old mare they'd always had to drag till her knees buckled to get anywhere near a van,” Duncan recalls. “So he has this step-up van backed into the round pen, and he's just standing there talking away, obviously he's a wonderful speaker and storyteller. Meanwhile the filly has one of his halters on, and he has this long lunge-line wrapped in his hands. And even though he's not really looking at her, he's getting her to back up; then asking her forward again. After about 15 minutes when he's going one way, so's she. It all starts from his face; she's watching him. With all these people crowded around, she needs a friend. So what he's doing is creating leadership, showing that he knows what her mother taught her about movement. “Then he drops a good portion of the rope on the ground, turns away, and walks toward the trailer. And, seeing him leaving, she goes jogging after him. He steps in the back of the trailer and she jumps up behind him, turns around and hangs her head over his shoulder, the pair of them just looking out at everyone.” Bob Duncan | Bob Coglianese Now obviously a tuned-up Thoroughbred would be a different proposition. But Duncan and his son drove straight down from Massachusetts, parked by the starting gate, took a nap, and promptly tried what they had witnessed on the first two horses to come over. It was probably all a bit clumsy, and maybe they were easy horses, but they left in high excitement. You could get them on your wavelength, just from your demeanor. “Because they're so acutely attuned to their environment,” Duncan explains. “They take all the information in, because it's what keeps them alive. It's an energy they have. You watch a herd run around, it's like a school of fish–and they do it at the gallop. “So you show them that you have the language, that energy in your shoulders or eyes. It's really very basic. It's about movement. Literally in minutes, you can have that horse moving with you like a dance. Even though he's 1,000lbs, you hardly have to do anything. You just have to be consistent.” With other horses milling around, all the people and noise, Duncan says they're relieved just by calm and kindness cutting through. Duncan at Saratoga | TDN It wasn't only Roberts; priceless lessons were also gleaned from Pat Parelli and Ray Hunt, who had learned from old ranchers out West. But it was never going to be easy, getting this kind of lore past the hard-pressed, hard-headed guys in the gate crew. “I had some people mad at me for a while, as I was trying things,” Duncan admits. “Because it was all new to me. There was a lot of learning out in the middle.” The first public test was a little filly who had a habit of standing meekly in the gate before suddenly flipping out of nowhere. The rest of the crew watched Duncan and his boy with a mixture of concern and derision. She strolls in, no problem; but then the adjacent horse goes berserk, gets hooked on the back and starts thrashing the barrier. “And while all this commotion is going on, she just drops her head right on David's chest,” Duncan marvels. Nobody conceded a syllable of approval, muttering that she sure looked happier loading in the chute today. “People struggle with change,” Duncan observes. “They have a fear of failing at something new. And, just as some people have a natural feeling for it, others have a certain negativity. There's something about them the horse does not buy into, you can see them get aggravated, start looking for the exit. “In the old days, we were always putting them on the side of the cliff: fight or flight. And in that mindset, the adrenaline goes up, the heart rate, you're hyperventilating, building oxygen for the quarter-mile that you can outrun any four-legged animal in the woods.” To Duncan, moreover, gate work represents a single dimension of overlooked behaviors. One of his few regrets, in fact, is that he has had to specialize: he would love to explore uncharted fields of equine communication. For instance, he feels that horses prefer to warn than harm. It's not good for a herd to contain an injured horse. So if we feel lucky, when a kick just misses us in the shedrow, luck may have little to do with it. Yet Duncan has observed experienced trainers still relying on domination. He might well have made a trainer himself. When Duncan's father died, Art Rooney of Shamrock Farm wrote that he had never known a better horseman. Duncan was only a kid when first working on the backside, though other growing-up experiences would follow out in the world: time at college; a draft that fortuitously sent him to pacified Korea, instead of Vietnam; he even did some modeling. (There's an old cigarette advertisement where he resembles Robert Redford's better-looking brother.) But in between he also worked for Eddie Neloy, and learned that rubbing a horse meant something different in a Hall of Fame barn. Bob Duncan | Diana Pikulski “I'd never touched anything beyond an allowance winner, and suddenly here are six of the top horses in the country in one barn,” Duncan recalls. “I was put right next to Buckpasser, and an Irishman named Patty Cleary was with Queen Empress on the other side. I'm rubbing my horses one morning, thinking I'm doing a good job, and suddenly here's Mr. Neloy ducking under the rope. And you don't know whether he's looking at you or not, with his one eye. He takes my brushes, works on the horse, hands them back, never a word. So I went to Patty and said, 'What are you doing, to get that shine on the horse?' He said, 'Well, for a start, never wash your rag. Let those oils build up.' And he gave me his rag to feel, and it was so heavy, almost gamey.” If some old school lessons were precisely those he eventually had to unlearn, then Duncan is today proud that in 20 years with Pletcher he hasn't once “tailed” a horse in the gate. He doesn't use blindfolds, doesn't even own a buggy whip. “They're so engaged,” he says. “They have curiosity. They're looking for you to give them something to do. Pat Parelli would take off the rope and halter, and say: 'Now the only thing between you and that horse is the truth.'” And that revelation has been the greatest blessing in a life of privilege. Duncan thinks back to that car wreck, or to contemporaries who never returned from Vietnam. “How can anyone be so lucky?” he says. “Scary things happen in life, but wonderful things happen too. I've never taken any of it for granted. I didn't do anything special and yet fell into this wonderful work, with these amazing animals. I know what a good run I've had, and just how lucky I am.” The post Bob Duncan Making the Gate an Open Door appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

While Fierceness continues to make his presence felt in the older male division, his younger half sibling Nonna's Love started making some waves of her own, graduating with a scintillating score over the Aqueduct Racetrack turf June 12. View the full article

OBLITERATION (c, 2, Violence–I'mclassyandsassy, by Master Command), one of a debuting pair available at double digits for the reliable Steve Asmussen stable, ran away from a very promising group of 2-year-old males to become the afternoon's second 'TDN Rising Star', this one at Churchill Downs. A $200,000 purchase at this year's OBS March Sale, the bay colt was in front not long after the start and led for just short of a furlong before being displaced on the business end by She's On A Roll (Charlatan), the 8-5 post-time favorite. Deftly eased back by Erik Asmussen to chase from second into the turn, Obliteration was after the front-runner and collared his rival with just less than a quarter-mile to travel. Quickly putting pay to that one, Obliteration opened up a sizeable advantage entering the final furlong and went on to take it by six to seven lengths in the slick time of 1:03.32 for the 5 1/2 furlongs. Sales history: $200,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Leland Ackerley Racing LLC; B-Ocala Stud (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. Obliteration romps on debut in R2 at @churchilldowns for trainer Steve Asmussen with Erik Asmussen aboard! TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/kfgfpFcdEY — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 12, 2025 The post Violence Colt Obliteration Runs To His Name in ‘Rising Star’-Worthy Bow appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a full-sister to a Breeders' Cup winner. 3.35 York, Novice, 2yo, f, 5fT STARGAZED (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) is a full-sister to last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint hero Starlust who debuts for Clipper Logistics and the Karl Burke stable. Out of the G3 Prix de Saint-Georges winner and G2 Lowther Stakes runner-up Beyond Desire (Invincible Spirit), she faces seven in this speed test. 4.52 Cork, Mdn, 2yo, f, 6fT SKYDANCE (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) was a €1 million purchase by Al Shira'aa Racing at last year's Arqana August Sale who debuts for the Willie McCreery stable in the maiden won 12 months ago by the future luminary Babouche. A daughter of the G3 Prix de Lutece winner Paix (Muhaarar) connected to a host of stars including Magic Wand and Chicquita, she faces a tough task taking on Ballydoyle's experience Beautify (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a daughter of the G3 Munster Oaks winner Words (Dansili). The post Starlust’s Sister Debuts At York appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After significant rain over the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival held last weekend at Saratoga Race Course, four of the graded races scheduled for the grass were moved to the dirt. The American Graded Stakes Committee automatically downgrades those races by one level–for that edition only–and reviews the runnings for the possibility of each race being restored to its original grade. None of the four graded races moved off the grass over the weekend at Saratoga had their original grade reinstated after review, according to a release from the American Graded Stakes Committee Thursday afternoon. The races affected last Friday and Saturday included the Belmont Gold Cup Stakes, won by 'TDN Rising Star' Parchment Party (Constitution), and downgraded from Grade II to Grade III, as well as the Wonder Again Stakes, won by Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) and also downgraded from Grade II to Grade III. The Pennine Ridge Stakes, won by A. P. Kid (Honor A. P.) and the Soaring Softly Stakes, won by Saturday Flight (Mendelssohn), have lost graded status and will retain listed status. The post Belmont Weekend Turf-to-Dirt Stakes at Saratoga Officially Downgraded appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A son of Crystal Ocean (lot 703) took pride of place during Part 2 of the Goffs Arkle Sale on Thursday. The gelding, from the Woodhouse Stud draft, caught the eye of Gerry Hogan Bloodstock and Paul Nolan Racing and was secured for €70,000. Out of a full-sister to Grade 3 hurdle winner Cup Final (Presenting), the 3-year-old store is a grandson of multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler Asian Maz (Anshan). Of the 229 horses offered, 176 (77%) sold for an aggregate of €3,192,500 (+42%). The average rose 20% to €18,140 and the median increased 14% to €16,000. “Following a sensational Arkle Part 1 we were hopeful that today would return a vibrant trade and are pleased to have delivered a set of results that show improvement in every area,” said Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby. “Arkle Part 2 is a viable and attractive alternative to the last two days and, of course, also has a strong record in the point-to-point field. An upswing in turnover, average, median and clearance rate is encouraging albeit these returns are at a lower level and a 77% clearance rate, whilst much better than last year, continues to point to a selectivity in places that has been increasingly evident away from the top in recent times.” The post Goffs Arkle Part 2 Concludes With €70k Crystal Ocean Topper appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Baoma Corp.'s HIMIKA (f, 2, Curlin–Motivated Seller, by Into Mischief), a $900,000 purchase out of this year's OBS April Sale, looked in a bit of trouble through the opening three panels of a five-furlong maiden at Santa Anita Thursday. But when Juan Hernandez was able to push away from the inside and with dead aim on pacesetting Stuffy Mist (Maximus Mischief), the athletic bay gathered that one up with ease a few strides later and whistled home to score by the better part of seven lengths, ears back and forth and up and down on the wire, to become a no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star'. Drawn the fence, the firming 1-2 chalk was away neatly enough, but couldn't quite go with the early gallop and was forced to sit behind and wait for room. That daylight came as soon as heads were turned for home and Himika had soon built a massive advantage, then was taken in hand for the better part of the last sixteenth of a mile, stopping the clock in :57.84–and that could have been significantly faster had Hernandez so chosen. Bred by Klaravich Stable, Himika breezed an eighth in :9 4/5 at the April Sale and caught the eye of Donato Lanni, who signed the winning ticket on behalf of Baoma. The bay had done little wrong in her morning trials locally, and in her final breeze, went heads up with Nothing Like You (Malibu Moon), the 2024 GII Santa Anita Oaks heroine, through four furlongs from the gate in :46 4/5. Sales history: $900,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Baoma Corp; B-Klaravich Stable Inc (KY); T-Bob Baffert. #1 HIMIKA ($3.00) was an easy winner of the 2nd race at @SantaAnitaPark. The two-year-old Curlin filly broke her maiden on debut under @JJHernandezS19 for trainer Bob Baffert. pic.twitter.com/mxazPvLvRJ — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) June 12, 2025 The post Expensive Curlin Filly Himika As Advertised On Santa Anita Debut, Becomes a ‘Rising Star’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Master 2-year-old conditioner Michael Freedman is confident Aerodrome is ready to put his best foot forward on firmer ground as he seeks to shore up the first-season stallions' title for his sire Ole Kirk in the June 14 J.J. Atkins Stakes (G1).View the full article

The versatile John Cortez—Santa Anita Park's lead outrider, pari-mutuel clerk, and small-stable trainer—got his first training win in more than 3 1/2 years when Carver scored in the fifth race June 8.View the full article

Amongst a bevy of co-fastest furlong workers, Elenique, a filly from the first crop of multiple graded winner Leinster (hip 412), separated herself from the pack with a bullet quarter-mile work in :20 3/5 during the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Thursday. The Florida-bred chestnut is consigned by RiceHorse Stable and was bred by Aldo DeLuca's DeLuca and Sons Stables. “She always showed us that she was a very fast filly,” DeLuca said. “I was preparing her to take her to the races at Gulfstream. She was working some bullet works at Nelson Jones [Training Center], she had a couple of :36s and :35 a change. The trainer told me that he never had such a fast horse there because it's such a deep track. And she wanted to go even further, it was not only speed.” The juvenile is out of Cape Trios (Cape Blanco {Ire}), a mare DeLuca purchased privately. The mare's first foal, Greenfield Cougar (Breaking Lucky), was a debut winner at Gulfstream in March. Of the decision to send Cape Trios to Leinster, De Luca explained, “I have loved Leinster since he came to Florida. I love horses that are from California or New York that are fast. They always hit home runs here in Florida. In my years of breeding, I always see that. Fast over there, but super fast over here.” So with the filly turning heads with her early training and the success of her half-brother, coupled with her young sire's immediate success on the racetrack where his daughter Lennilu will go postward at the Royal Ascot meeting next week, DeLuca suddenly needed to reevaluate plans for the 2-year-old he had named Elenique. “We decided to sell her because there were too many things happening,” De Luca said. “All the Leinsters are doing good–all of them–there is not one bad one around. There was one yesterday who did :9 4/5 [at OBS]. And the one is going to Royal Ascot, Lennilu. And all that out of a group of only 20 babies. Her super good works, the Leinster, plus the mother's first baby won a maiden special weight at Gulfstream first time out, we felt we had to sell her. He continued, “She has shown us for six months, since working at Nelson Jones and today again, that she is a special horse, a real racehorse. And if she is sold, we have a better shot to see her compete in group races up north and that, as her breeder, would make us proud.” DeLuca, who has a band of 12 broodmares at his Florida farm, admitted it wasn't an easy decision to make. “It is emotional because we have had her since she was born,” he said. “And you don't get a horse like this every day. She had the best work of the whole week until now. And I took it easy with her. That's why she's in June. We weren't planning on putting her in the sale, so we weren't rushing her in February or March, so we could bring her to Gulfstream around this time because she is a May baby. We don't want to rush our babies. I never in my life put a May baby in a breeze sale. I would never do it, but this filly really needed to talk to tell me, 'Yes, I need to go into that sale.' And she did.” Seven juveniles equaled the :9 4/5 fastest furlong of the week during Thursday's third session of the under-tack show. First to hit that mark was a colt by Modernist (hip 512) consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock, followed quickly by a filly by Kantharos (hip 496) who is consigned by Wildheart Thoroughbreds. Harris Training Center, which sent a filly by Frosted out to work the bullet during Wednesday's second session of the under-tack preview, had a second bullet worker Thursday with a filly by Maximus Mischief (hip 503). A filly by Midshipman (hip 351) earned the bullet for New Hope AB; while Top Line Sales was represented by a filly by Charlatan (hip 459). A filly by Uncle Chuck (hip 476) worked the bullet for S G V Thoroughbreds and a colt by Authentic (hip 528) matched the mark for Wavertree Stables. The under-tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning each day at 7:30 a.m. The post ‘A Real Racehorse’: Leinster Filly Sets the Mark at OBS appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner) fired a four-furlong bullet in :48.25 (1/21) over Saratoga's Oklahoma training track Thursday morning. The GII Suburban S. going 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga July 4 will be next for this year's runaway GI Santa Anita Handicap winner. Locked was last seen finishing fourth behind his Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), who set a new track record for 1 1/16 miles in the GII Alysheba S. at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks day. “After the Alysheba, we wanted to get him up to Saratoga to freshen him for the second half of the season and he's responded very favorably,” said Aron Wellman, president and founder of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “Our ownership group, which includes Gainesway Farm, who will stand Locked when his racing career concludes, decided we wanted to focus on races at nine furlongs and beyond.” Locked's stacked resume also includes: wins in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland and the GII Cigar Mile H. at Aqueduct, a runner-up finish in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. and a third-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. “If all goes as we anticipate in the Suburban, hopefully we'll be in position to consider races like the (GI) Whitney (at Saratoga Aug. 2) or another trip out west for the (GI) Pacific Classic (at Del Mar Aug. 30),” Wellman said. “For now, our main focus is on posturing Locked for a performance in the Suburban capable of propelling him back into Grade I company. He's an elite colt and we believe he'll be a candidate for the (GI) Breeders' Cup Classic in November.” The post Locked Fires Bullet for Suburban appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

This summer, Valerie Buck and the off-track Thoroughbreds of ACTT Naturally are increasing the number of American veterans benefitting from its Hearts in Harmony program. On Saturday, June 14, in observance of Women Veterans Recognition Days, the New York State Department of Veterans' Services (NYS DVS), in partnership with ACTT Naturally, will host “Wrap Yourself in Wellness” at Long Shadows Farm in Cambridge, NY. Between 30 and 45 women veterans are expected to attend. In addition to equine-assisted emotional therapy, participants in the day-long retreat will hear from “Patriot Hills of New York” CEO Jeannine Mannarino, focus on healing through movement with Laura Laz, and learn healing through mindfulness with Dr. Rachel Magnel of “Kairos Center for Change”. The organizers hope the event will bring more awareness and attention to the resources available to veterans and others suffering from PTS and the positive impact of working with Thoroughbreds. “Connecting military members and first responders with therapeutic horse programs offers a powerful pathway to healing and reintegration for both the horses and the humans,” said Melissa Balan of NYS DVS. “Working with the horses allows the veterans to engage in a calming, non-judgmental environment where trust is built naturally and silently.” “I am thrilled, not just by the interest and enthusiasm from Melissa and the NYS DVS on behalf of women veterans, but also by the unique opportunity to present the horse-centered program together with other healing activities,” said Buck. “It deepens and expands awareness of what many of us already know is the special power of Thoroughbreds in emotional healing and how it should become a funded mainstream treatment.” ACTT Naturally Thoroughbreds of all ages and experiences will be participating with the women on Saturday. Veteran therapy horses Three Lions '04 (Hennessey), Traffic Chief '20 (Colonial Affair), Fly Ride '09 (Street Sense) and Fuhrious Warrior '12 (Langfuhr) will be joined by newcomers Open Mic Night '22 (Practical Joke), Platform Company '20 (Cloud Computing) and Indemnify (FR) '19 (Invincible Spirit). In addition to providing the Hearts in Harmony program, ACTT Naturally focuses on retraining and adoption of sound former racehorses. Working with the veterans, teens, first responders and other Hearts in Harmony participants has become an integral part of ACTT Naturally's training protocol. “Connection is the most important part of a horse-human relationship and successful adoption match,” said Buck. “The programs teach the horses how to make a positive connection with the person in their presence and these interactions make the Thoroughbreds better partners for their adopters.” For Buck and Long Shadows Farm, starting the 2025 summer season with a collaborative event, fostered by the NYS DVS and Patriot Hills of New York, is especially exciting because it brings government recognition, as well as new faces, to the well-established program. Launched in 2017, Hearts in Harmony has grown steadily in support and reach, despite losing a year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Buck is striving to help more people and horses. “With people who have experienced trauma, the challenge has always been to facilitate that first visit,” said Buck. “Gaining trust and having the women and men feel comfortable and confident enough to come out and experience the joy is the first step. Partnering with organizations and leaders who have already established the relationship with the veterans needing the program is key to expanding our reach.” Balan understands what the horses have to offer and is in a good position to facilitate program attendance among the veterans that NYS DVS serves. “The intuitive nature of horses offers immediate feedback, encouraging mindfulness, patience, and a renewed sense of self,” said Balan. “For veterans who often carry invisible wounds, equine therapy is not just therapeutic–it is transformative.” For more information about ACTT Naturally, including how to sponsor veterans and horses in the program, click here. The post ACTT Naturally Kicks Off Summer Season With New Event For Women Veterans appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The star of her division last fall, 2-year-old champion filly Immersive is finally set to make her 3-year-old debut June 14 at Churchill Downs in the $175,000 Monomoy Girl Overnight Stakes.View the full article

Trainer Bjorn Baker has second-hand star Robusto primed to cap a huge season for the stable and syndicators Darby Racing in a bold first-up bid to land the 1,400-meter (about seven-furlong) Stradbroke Handicap (G1) at Eagle Farm June 14.View the full article

By Adam Hamilton It is a big weekend for the Kiwis when the Brisbane Winter Carnival steps up a notch at Albion Park on Saturday night. Leading the way is Team Purdon’s star veteran trotter Oscar Bonavena, who faces a fascinating clash with the enigmatic but gifted Gus in Tony Veivers Memorial Trot (race four) over the mobile 2138m. Oscar Bonavena, who looked sharp winning and Albion Park trial last Friday, will be driven by Adam Sanderson and has eased from $1.40 to $1.80. Gus has been backed from $5.50 into $3.30. Not As Promised, who didn’t show his best during a recent NZ campaign, is the other key player. He’s been $17 into $10. Later in the night, Team Purdon’s classy three-year-old Rubira will get a taste of what’s to come when he clashes with Queensland’s best of his age, Fate Awaits, in the Burwood Stud 3YO (race nine) over 1660m. Rubira, with Sanderson aboard, has a huge barrier advantage from gate two with Fate Awaits out in six. There is huge anticipation around star Kiwi filly Captains Mistress, who has her first start for Grant Dixon against older mares in race eight. Captains Mistress, a last-start Group 1 winner for Nathan Williamson, has only been seen once for Dixon when she coasted to an easy Redcliffe trial on June 4. She is $2.50 pre-post favourite for the Queensland Oaks in a race where Dixon also has $3.50 second elect, Cool And Classy, who won the NSW Oaks. The Kiwis have already added plenty to what shapes as a stellar next six weeks of racing in Queensland. Former Kiwi four-year-old The Janitor will create plenty of attention from gate one in the second race on Saturday night. He is one of the major contenders for the Group 1 Rising Sun on July 5. The Rising Sun flavour extends to the Queensland Sun where Dixon has three of the leading hopes: Path To Greatness (one), Air Express (six) and Charge Ahead (eight). The winner gets a golden ticket into the Rising Sun. View the full article

By Michael Guerin It may be 14 months since American Me last won a race but it was the quality of that victory that suggest he is the horse to beat in the main race at Alexandra Park tonight. The Ashburton pacer returns to the north and trainers Brent and Tim White appear to have found the ideal race in the $20,000 Classique Landscapers Pace (6.22pm). He is on a 25m handicap but only has four rivals in front of him, of which two share a 10m handicap, so being a fast beginner American Me should be in the body of the field soon after the start. From there his best form makes him the horse to beat even though he hasn’t won a race since May last year. That race though was the listed Roy Purdon Memorial, in which American Me beat Self Assured, Old Town Road, Don’t Stop Dreaming and two subsequent Auckland Cup winners in Better Eclipse and Republican Party. Six months before that he won the Group 1 Invercargill Cup and was a player at New Zealand Cup level, relishing the lung-searing nature of elite level racing. He has struggled to return to that level in the last eight months but Brent White says he likes what he has seen lately. “He had one of those interrupted seasons at the back end of last season when we couldn’t get him spot on,” he says. “But he trialled well recently and Blair [Orange, driver] gave us the thumbs up to go north. “We thought there were two or three races up there over winter that would suit him, with maximum back marks and maybe small fields and this has come up like that. “He is getting older, like all of us, and maybe isn’t quite as quick as he used to be but I think he can still have a very good winter up there.” Orange’s son Harrison, who is having a remarkable season and leads the North Island driver’s premiership, will partner American Me ($1.65FF). For punters who don’t like backing horses who have been off the winner’s list for so long it is hard to find a logical danger to American Me but Seaclusion ($5.50) is a mare in form who driver James Stormont is adamant can be just as potent driven with a sit. Tonight’s meeting continues a heartening run of strong winter cards at The Park with plenty to keep punters interested, with the first race, the Lone Star Alexandra Park Handicap Tot (4.48pm), a good trotting race in which the conditions suit Hillbilly Blues. That could start another night of trotting domination for trainers Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett, who have one of the better value bets of the night in Viscount Mackendon in Race 6, the Star Personnel – Metro Trotters Series Hat 1 (7.29pm). He has been running on well behind high class three-year-olds in recent starts and meets easier opposition over 2200m tonight so if he can make the most of barrier 1 his $6 opening fixed odds price will be over the odds. The stable also have Manchester’s Moment and Maro Mackendon as winning chances in the last race, the Mondiale VGL – Metro Trot Series Heat 2 (8.56pm). Earlier in the night the $34,000 Woodlands Stud Silk Road Final is a rarity in that Princess Of Savoy (R2, No.6) is the warm favourite even though she burned punters by galloping in the score up last Friday. There is no doubting her promise but with the 2200m mobile containing plenty of depth her $2.45 opening price was a touch surprising. View the full article

By Jonny Turner Friends will become foes at Addington on Friday night. Regan Todd and Craig Ferguson have enjoyed success together that many can only dream of over the past 12 months. But this time, the two horsemen will go head-to-head in Friday night’s feature pace with Betterthancash and Da Vinci in Race 5, the Breckon farms Lot 1081 NZB Weanling Sale handicap pace (6.12pm). . Betterthancash returns to the track for the first time since his outstanding win in a hectic running of the New Zealand Country Championship. With more feature racing still a little way off for the pacer, Friday night’s clash is set to help determine the direction of his campaign. “We’ll see how he goes and then make a bit of a plan,” Todd said. “We could freshen him up and have a go at some of the early lead-ups to the (New Zealand Cup), or he could keep going a little bit longer.” “We’ll see how he gets through this run and then take it from there.” Not having raced since his big two-mile win means Betterthancash comes into Friday night’s assignment after a three-week break. However, Todd feels the pacer is forward enough to run a strong race. “We’ve kept him ticking over. This race came along, and we thought we’d have a crack at it.” “We’ve found that he’s better when he’s had racing, but in saying that, he seems very well in himself and his work has been good.” “Hopefully, he can go a nice race.” Betterthancash starts on level marks with Da Vinci in Friday night’s feature pace. Da Vinci was brilliant first-up in the Uncut Gems Classic, charging home from a hopeless spot to run fourth for the Ferguson stable. In doing so, the pacer beat Betterthancash home — though his rival didn’t get much luck either, being buried on the markers during the running. Ferguson goes into Friday night’s pleased with Da Vinci since that big fresh-up effort. “He’s been working well — he seems as well as he’s ever been, really.” “It could become a bit of a tactical race with the handicaps, but I think he has the speed to be a nice chance, however it works out.” While Betterthancash ($3.60) and Da Vinci ($2.00) have headed early betting for Friday night’s race, it is far from a two-horse affair. The Lazarus Effect will be looking to bounce back to form after a surprise defeat at Addington last week. The pacer has the advantage of starting off the front line for trainer-driver Bob Butt, giving him a 25m head start on the two favourites. The Lazarus Effect is proven from a standing start, having made a safe beginning in his win on New Zealand Cup Day last year. View the full article

Following his victory in the Belmont Stakes (G1), Sovereignty (125) has joined the top 5 in the fourth edition of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings for 2025 and is currently the highest-rated 3-year-old in the world.View the full article

The furore surrounding the changes to the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes shows no signs of abating, but for this year at least the six two-year-old races at Royal Ascot remain much as they've always been, which is beneficial for trends followers studying the data in an attempt to find winners next week. We lost one of the so-called bankers when Albert Einstein, last seen winning the G3 Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh, was ruled out of the meeting due to a sprained joint, but his absence shouldn't detract too much from the top-class action in store for us. After all, the son of Wootton Bassett is just one of 13 two-year-olds who have earned 'TDN Rising Star' status with their performances on European racecourses in 2025, with many of the others set to be in action in the coming days. Here, we have a spin through the key members of that group, whilst pinpointing the trainers and sires you need to bear in mind when it comes to compiling a shortlist of potential Royal Ascot-winning juveniles in 2025. O'Brien Runners The Obvious Place to Start If you're on the hunt for a Royal Ascot-winning two-year-old, then those trained by Aidan O'Brien is an obvious place to start. In the last 10 years alone, O'Brien is responsible for 16 winners in this division, from a total of 60 races, which essentially means that horses from Ballydoyle are winning one in every four. O'Brien has been even more dominant than that in the Listed Chesham Stakes, having won five of the last 10 renewals, while the only juvenile contest he hasn't won in that time is the G2 Queen Mary Stakes. His remaining tally is made up of three wins in each of the G2 Coventry Stakes, G3 Albany Stakes and Windsor Castle, plus a pair of victories in the G2 Norfolk Stakes. Typically, O'Brien has assembled a strong team of two-year-olds to go to war with next week, even in the absence of the highly-touted Albert Einstein. The stable is responsible for four other 'TDN Rising Stars', headed by Charles Darwin who, with a Timeform rating of 109p, is tied with Albert Einstein as the highest-rated two-year-old colt in training. Charles Darwin hasn't looked back since being beaten on his debut at the Curragh, winning both of his subsequent starts at Navan and Naas, and he looks a leading contender to follow in the footsteps of Caravaggio (2016), Arizona (2019) and River Tiber (2023), O'Brien's three winners of the Coventry in the last decade. In total, O'Brien has won that Group 2 on 10 occasions. O'Brien has four other colts entered in the Coventry, including another 'TDN Rising Star' in Curragh debut scorer Brussels (89p), plus fellow once-raced winners Gstaad (98p), Flushing Meadows (95p) and Warsaw (89p). All but Gstaad, a Starspangledbanner half-brother to dual Group 1-winning juvenile Vandeek, are by Coolmore's sire sensation Wootton Bassett, who is also responsible for the other pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' from Ballydoyle, namely Italy (94P) and Simply Astounding (90p). Italy appears an unlikely runner at Royal Ascot–he was missing from the Coventry entries and isn't qualified for the Chesham–but Simply Astounding is worth looking out for when the Albany entries are published on Saturday. A daughter of the seven-time Group 1 winner Minding, she clearly wasn't herself when following a striking debut win at Naas with a poor effort in the G3 Fillies Sprint Stakes over the same course and distance. Whatever happens next week, the fact that Wootton Bassett has already produced four 'TDN Rising Stars' from his second Irish-bred crop is a rare achievement. Indeed, No Nay Never is the only sire to have previously matched that tally pre-Royal Ascot, back in 2022, when his juveniles included the Windsor Castle hero Little Big Bear–one of his 'TDN Rising Stars'–and Albany winner Meditate. This year those two Coolmore powerhouses will be pitted against one another in the Coventry, with No Nay Never's Charles Darwin–a full-brother to Blackbeard–set to come up against Military Code (93p), the son of Wootton Bassett who is unbeaten in two starts for Charlie Appleby. Breeze-up Buys On The March Karl Burke has sent out more Royal Ascot-winning two-year-olds in the last decade than every other trainer bar O'Brien, with his five-strong tally putting him one ahead of Wesley Ward, who is set to be without a runner at the meeting this year for the first time since 2012. In the last 10 years, Burke has registered solitary wins in the Albany, Chesham and Norfolk, while next week he will bid for a third success in the Queen Mary with 'TDN Rising Star' Zelaina (90P). The Wathnan Racing-owned filly, a £650,000 purchase at the Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze-up Sale, created an excellent impression when making a successful start to her career at Nottingham earlier this month, skipping clear in the closing stages to come home unchallenged by two and three-quarter lengths. Burke was winning that Nottingham contest with a breeze-up graduate for the third consecutive year, having struck in 2023 with Beautiful Diamond, who was subsequently third in the Queen Mary, and last year with Wathnan's Leovanni, before she went on to win the same Royal Ascot Group 2. Burke and Wathnan also teamed up 12 months ago to win the Norfolk with Shareholder, who was an expensive breeze-up buy himself when fetching €460,000 at Arqana. In total, nine Royal Ascot-winning juveniles in the last decade were offered at a breeze-up sale, including five of the last 10 winners of the Norfolk, with Shareholder being joined on that roll of honour by Prince Of Lir (£170,000 at Doncaster) in 2016, Shang Shang Shang ($200,000 at Ocala) in 2018, A'Ali (£135,000 at Doncaster) in 2019 and Perfect Power (£110,000 at Doncaster) in 2021. This year, Burke and Wathnan could again team up in the Norfolk with Naval Light, a 360,000gns buy at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale, who caught the eye in second when making his debut in a conditions race at Beverley last month. Big-Name Sires and the Freshman Looking for a Breakthrough Two of the most notable absentees from the Coventry entries are trained by Appleby at Moulton Paddocks, namely Treanmor (95P) and Maximized (93p), both of whom are also 'TDN Rising Stars'. Frankel's Treanmor, who cost Godolphin €2 million as a yearling, is more than likely Chesham-bound, while Maximized, a £720,000 purchase at the Doncaster Breeze-up Sale, seems set to miss the meeting altogether after his Woodcote victory at Epsom. Despite the absence of Maximized, leading two-year-old sire Mehmas is still blessed with plenty of strength in depth in this division as he tries to tick off a surprising omission on his CV, having failed to come up with a Royal Ascot-winning juvenile since he himself finished second in the 2016 Coventry won by Caravaggio. Zelaina looks to be the Tally-Ho Stud stallion's most obvious chance of making the breakthrough next week, while Appleby's Wise Approach (93p), another 'TDN Rising Star' following his debut victory at Ascot, is one to look out for wherever he goes, having so far been given entries in the Coventry and the Windsor Castle, with the possible runners for the Norfolk not released until Friday. In total, Mehmas is responsible for four Coventry contenders, with the others including the Listed National Stakes runner-up First Legion (91p) and Ayr debut winner Underwriter (84p). Havana Grey is another well-established sire for whom a Royal Ascot-winning two-year-old has thus far proved elusive, but he too will have plenty of chances to right that wrong next week. As well as Naval Light, he is the sire of Resolute Racing's big-money buy Rogue Legend (105p), who is ranked behind only Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin among Timeform's highest-rated juveniles, following back-to-back wins at Cork and Tipperary. Yarmouth scorer Staya (91p) deserves a mention, too, ahead of her potential appearance in the Queen Mary for George Scott and KHK Racing. That Yarmouth card also witnessed a 'TDN Rising Star' performance from Wathnan's Postmodern (91p), who is challenging both Charles Darwin and Military Code for Coventry favouritism with the majority of bookmakers. He is by Too Darn Hot, one of the leading first-season stallions of 2023 but still on the hunt for a breakthrough with his juvenile runners at this meeting. As for the 2025 crop of freshman sires, Starman has more than one good chance of opening his Royal Ascot account at the first opportunity, with Burke's Carlisle winner Venetian Sun (85p) likely to be joined in the Albany by the Joseph O'Brien-trained Green Sense (97p), who was last seen filling the runner-up spot in the Fillies Sprint Stakes won by Lady Iman (100p). Incidentally, the unbeaten Lady Iman, also by Starman, is Timeform's highest-rated two-year-old filly in training, but trainer Ger Lyons has reported to her be an unlikely runner at Royal Ascot. Space Blues is another first-season sire who has already come up with a black-type performer in Power Blue (103), runner-up to Albert Einstein in the Marble Hill. Beaten less than a length on that occasion, Power Blue looks potentially overpriced at 25/1 for the Coventry, where his potential rivals include St Mark's Basilica's first-crop son Rogue Supremacy (88p), a dominant debut winner at Wetherby. US Sires Punching Above Their Weight Another interesting angle at Royal Ascot in recent years has been the success of US-based sires with their two-year-old runners. All told, they have provided 10 of the 60 winners in that category in the last decade, consistently punching above their weight given the lesser representation they're always going to have compared to their European counterparts. The much-missed Scat Daddy was responsible for four of those winners, identifying him as the joint-most successful stallion in the juvenile races at Royal Ascot in the last 10 years. He shares that title with the Tally-Ho stalwart Kodiac and another late Coolmore stallion in Zoffany, with the aforementioned No Nay Never best of the rest with three winners. In a share of fifth with two winners is another US-based stallion in War Front, while Malibu Moon, Not This Time, Nyquist and Shanghai Bobby have all sired one Royal Ascot-winning juvenile apiece. Interestingly, seven of those 10 victories for US sires were achieved in the races run over five furlongs, and yet, the progeny of all but Malibu Moon would be eligible to run in the new-look Windsor Castle from next year, when it will be restricted to juveniles whose sire won at least once over seven furlongs-plus at two, or a mile-plus at three and above. That demonstrates the way these US sires seem able to produce fast and precocious juveniles, even when their own race record suggests they had more than a bit of staying power themselves. As for this year, with no Wesley Ward runners, Lennilu could be the one to fly the American flag when she lines up in the Queen Mary, having earned her spot in the field with victory in last month's Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Gulfstream Park. A daughter of Leinster, she's following the same path to Ascot as Crimson Advocate, the daughter of Nyquist who won the Queen Mary two years ago. The post Royal Ascot Two-Year-Olds Under The Spotlight appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Shred the Gnar (Into Mischief), “a little off” and scratched from last Friday's GI Acorn S. at Saratoga, will receive 30 days off, according to Hunter Rankin, president of Travis Boersma's operation. “She's doing fine,” Rankin said. “We had Dr. Bramlage (at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital) go over her, bone scan and everything else. But it turns out, she's just gonna need 30 days. Her front, high-suspensories are bugging her a little bit, but it's nothing that we can't deal with. She'll get 30 days on the farm, then she'll be back and ready to go.” Shred the Gnar looked like a potential star in the making for trainer Brian Lynch heading into the Acorn, which was won in front-running fashion by La Cara (Street Sense) over a sloppy-and-sealed track. A debut second, beaten a neck, sprinting at Gulfstream Feb. 9, the $610,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate and full-sister to millionaire Owendale won her next two starts by a combined 13 1/2 lengths, including a runaway, wire-to-wire victory while making her two-turn debut in an optional claimer at Churchill Downs May 2, good for a 94 Beyer Speed Figure. “We were so excited to bring her up there and showcase her,” Rankin said. “She's really turned into a very nice filly. She's got a lot of talent.” The post Scratched from Acorn, 30 Days Off for ‘Rising Star’ Shred the Gnar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies features a George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) rematch with Paris Lily and Kinzie Queen, second and third, respectively, behind Margie's Intention, who enters as the 5-2 morning-line favorite.View the full article

Basher Watts and his syndicate have turned down a $2.5 million offer for Shes Perfect ahead of her bid for classic redemption in the June 15 Prix de Diane (French Oaks, G1).View the full article