Wandering Eyes

Mark Casse sent three undefeated juveniles into the Victoria Stakes at Woodbine, and Casson (Caravaggio) emerged as the last man standing of that group to keep his perfect record intact by a clear margin. A four-length winner on unveiling May 11 against local maidens, the grey was a 7-2 chance against his stablemates Jupiter (Upstart) and the flashy Rude Procedure (Authentic). The former went off as the 6-5 favorite and the latter was 2-1. In no rush initially, Casson assumed command entering the bend as Rude Procedure tried to match strides and was in full flight for the wire by the time they reached the top of the stretch. Sailing home by open lengths, the victor was much the best as Jupiter overtook Rude Procedure in the late yards to claim second, giving their trainer the trifecta in the race. Sales history: $200,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. O-Manfred and Penny Conrad; B-Ballycroy Training Centre & Villa Rosa Farms (ON); T-Mark Casse. The post Caravaggio’s Casson Leads Mark Casse Trio in Victoria appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sugaree earned a sweet victory for her freshman sire By My Standards (by Goldencents) as she came home a winner at second asking over the Colonial main track on Saturday. A runner-up facing auction-restricted maidens at Churchill Downs June 29, the filly was well-supported as the 70 cents on the dollar favorite here. The juvenile chased the pace from midpack up the backstretch and had some work to do around the far turn. As the leader began to tire down the lane, Sugaree came with a run to the outside and passed Barbados Bulldog (Barbados) in the final jumps to get her picture taken. By My Standards, the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby victor who is a member of Spendthrift's stallion roster, claims 64 foals of racing age. As for the winner's dam, she produced current 3-year-old gelding Ace On the Turn (Higher Power) and was entered in Drain the Clock's book for next term. 3rd-Colonial Downs, $57,050, Moc ($50,000), 7-12, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.39, ft, 3/4 length. SUGAREE, f, 2, By My Standards 1st Dam: Fly in for the Win, by Birdstone. 2nd Dam: Namaste's Wish, by Pulpit 3rd Dam: Copelan's Bid Gal, by Copelan Sales History: $9,000 RNA Ylg '24 FTKFEB; $30,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $46,800. O-David A. Bernsen LLC, Dean Demaree and Steve Crabtree; B-Mullikin Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Freshman Sire By My Standards Values First Winner At Colonial appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Morning storms waited for Sovereignty to complete his five-furlong workout on the Oklahoma Training Track July 12, with the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner traveling in 1:02.18 ahead of the July 26 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2).View the full article

Rain or shine, the show must go on, and Curtain Call (Tiz the Law) gave the people what they came to see at Saratoga, kicking home powerfully at second asking to claim 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Outkicked early over the slop as debuting Throckmorton (Caracaro) was determined to control the tempo, the field swung through bend behind a half in :45.15 and the running was on as they entered the homestretch. Inhaling his competition from between challengers attempting to mount responses, Curtain Call kicked home to score by a widening margin in a final time of 1:10.31. Favorited Tagermeen (Into Mischief) ran on to claim second. The son of Tiz the Law was unveiled June 12 at Churchill Downs to run a well-beaten second behind fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Obliteration (Violence). That runner returned to action July 5 at this venue to put on a Tour de Force in the GIII Sanford Stakes, winning by 10 1/2 lengths. Sales history: $115,000 Ylg '24 FTKJUL; $325,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. O-West Point Thoroughbreds; B-Nancy Stone (FL); T-Mark Casse. Curtain Call opens up and dominates in the opener at Saratoga under @jose93_ortiz for trainer @markecasse! pic.twitter.com/AmybSBHR4y — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 12, 2025 The post Call for an Encore! Tiz the Law’s Curtain Call Gives the Saratoga Crowd a ‘Rising Star’ Performance appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Sunday at Saratoga and Ellis Park. Sunday, July 13, 2025 Ellis 5, $100k, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 2:44 p.m. Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Argos (Nyquist), OBSMAR, 165,000, :20 3/5 C-Majestic, agent; B-David S Romanik Gelato (Twirling Candy), OBSAPR, 250,000, :10 2/5 C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-D J Stable LLC Saratoga 6, $100k, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 4:02 p.m. Brooklyn Styles (Munnings), OBSAPR, 140,000, :10 1/5 C-Niall Brennan Stables, agent; B-Case Clay TB Management The post Summer Breezes: Sunday, July 13, 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After all the will-they or won't-theys leading up to Saturday's G1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai July Cup, it came down to the hardened sprinters and a hardened jockey with No Half Measures (Cable Bay) springing a 66-1 upset under Neil Callan. Campaigned mainly over five furlongs so far, last year's G3 World Trophy winner relished the step up to six to overwhelm Big Mojo (Mohaather) in the last half a furlong and provide Richard Hughes with a first Group 1 winner as a trainer. “Richard told me she's very genuine and better with a bit of dig in the ground, but that it was an open race and they had to have a go,” commented the winner's journeyed jockey, who had ridden successfully in Hong Kong and had recently been served with a ban by the BHA for social media comments. “I left her alone for as long as possible and when I gave her a flick she accelerated. I'm getting into the twilight of my career, but the one thing I have is a lot of self-belief and every dog has his day.” Drawn widest away from the stand's rail, which seemed to be carrying a bias at this meeting, the four-year-old was handed an ideal lead by the Jersey runner-up Spy Chief (Kingman) with Notable Speech (Dubawi) and co waiting to join battle on the other side. That 85-40 favourite looked to be going best inside the last two furlongs, but as his run flattened out No Half Measures emerged to power past the 12-1 shot Big Mojo and prevail by a neck, with the 40-1 shot Run To Freedom (Muhaarar) completing the shock tricast 1 3/4 lengths away. 66/1 winner! NO HALF MEASURES WINS THE @ABE_Dubai JULY CUP@NewmarketRace pic.twitter.com/0aek58rF62 — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 12, 2025 The post ‘Every Dog Has His Day’: Callan Steers No Half Measures To July Cup Shock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Picked by William Buick from the two Godolphin hopes for Saturday's G2 Superlative Stakes, Saba Desert (Dubawi) justified that call to continue connections' run of success at Newmarket's July Festival. Swooping late to deny the 4-6 favourite Italy (Wootton Bassett), the grandson of the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Gossamer defied a market drift to 6-1 to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths and deliver a fourth renewal to his sire who won this himself in 2004. “We went to Sandown with a lot of confidence and William said he had felt like sitting there and winning on the bridle that day which is rare for him,” Charlie Appleby said after greeting his sixth winner of this staging post. “He's a horse we've held in high regard for a while and is the typical stamp of a Dubawi–deep-girthed and short-backed–and as it's a road we often take he could go to The Curragh for the National and then on to the Dewhurst.” Opening his account at Sandown in the maiden won by the stable's Native Trail in 2021, the chestnut leapt in the air at the break and missed the kick which served as a blessing as the filly Venetian Lace (Masar) streaked up the stand's rail. Italy, who had been too free throughout the early stages, and the winner's stablemate Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot) were compromised as she drifted left running downhill and the way was clear for Saba Desert to overhaul them all in the closing stages. Saba Desert (Dubawi) remains unbeaten to claim Group Two success in the Superlative Stakes Another win in the race for @WilliamBuickX, Charlie Appleby and @godolphin @NewmarketRace | @bet365 pic.twitter.com/JbR7ezttSe — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 12, 2025 The post Fourth Superlative For Dubawi, Sixth For Appleby As Saba Desert Strikes, National Stakes Next appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Richard Hannon trainee Orion's Belt (Starman), a debut fourth at Salisbury last month, made all for an impressive 3 3/4-length success in Saturday's Rossdales British EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes at Newmarket and became the 15th winner for her freshman sire (by Dutch Art). The seven-furlong test went the way of subsequent G1 Fillies' Mile and G1 1000 Guineas heroine Desert Flower (Night Of Thunder) last year. “She's a very nice filly and that was exactly what we thought earlier on in the year,” said the Hannon stable's Tony Gorman. “She was stepping up in trip today, but I think she would have won at six [furlongs] because she was always in a lovely place. Once ours have had a run they know their jobs and she has loads of options. She's a big filly, so we'll give her a bit of time. She's by a proper sire.” In command throughout, the 15-8 favourite came under pressure when threatened with a quarter-mile remaining and was ridden out in the closing stages to easily outpoint New Vega (New Bay) in impressive fashion. Orion's Belt is the sixth of seven foals and third scorer out of a half-sister to G2 Richmond Stakes victor and G1 Prix Morny third Always Hopeful (Mind Games) and the stakes-placed Nacho Libre (Kyllachy). The February-foaled bay is a half-sister to G2 Oaks d'Italia runner-up Must Be Late (Champs Elysees) and a yearling colt by Space Traveller. Orion's Belt (Starman) DOMINATES in the @NewmarketRace opener for Ryan Moore and @rhannonracing @RossdalesVets | @BritishEBF pic.twitter.com/CvCpidHdim — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 12, 2025 1st-Newmarket, £25,000, Mdn, 7-12, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:27.07, g/f. ORION'S BELT (IRE) (f, 2, Starman {GB}–Delphica {Ire}, by Acclamation {GB}) Sales history: €33,000 Wlg '23 GOFNOF; 105,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $18,592. O-Georginio Rutter & Jinky Farms; B-Mareshah Stud; T-Richard Hannon. The post Starman Filly Orion’s Belt Impresses in Storied Newmarket Maiden appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sam Agars MICKLEY - R9 (2) Looks to be finally hitting his straps and can cash in down in grade Jay Rooney CHANCHENG GLORY - R8 (2) Can dictate in a race lacking pace and prove hard to catch Trackwork Spy STAR BROSE - R5 (10) Steadily improving and with a strong pace to chase, he can collar them late on Phillip Woo SOUTH STAR - R11 (4) Unlucky last start and can end a sterling first campaign with another win Shannon (Vincent Wong) CALIFORNIA MOXIE - R5 (7) Ran well at Happy Valley...View the full article

HOKKAIDO, Japan — At Northern Horse Park, one of the great tourist attractions of Hokkaido, the next few days will be all business. Japan's most prestigious bloodstock auction, the JRHA Select Sale, springs back to action with a session of yearlings on Monday, but what many observers will be waiting to see is the reception given to the first foals of world champion Equinox. Twenty-five of his debut crop are set to sell on Tuesday, including a colt from American champion dirt mare Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute). His reserve, which is published beforehand along with those for all horses in the sale bar the first and last lot in the ring each day, is the highest of the foal session at ¥100m (€580,000). The Select Sale's early date in the calendar means that most of these foals, though well grown, are not yet weaned. This prompts a carnival of sorts on Tuesday morning, when the youngsters are brought with their dams to the shade of the woods alongside the sales arena to stand patiently while final inspections are made in the hours before the day's trade begins. But as much as this is about assessing the foals, where else would one have the chance to see such a stellar line-up of broodmares all in one place? Grade 1 winner follows Group 1 winner follows Grade 1 winner – a reminder of the Japanese breeders' exhaustive hunt for top-class bloodstock from all corners of the world. It is a spectacle like no other, but then, this is a sale like no other. Over the last decade, the growth in turnover has more than doubled, with the combined aggregate of 2015 of ¥13.1bn (€76.4m) increasing year on year to the 2024 record of ¥28.9bn (€167.8m). The difference in the number sold in those two years? Only two: 470 in 2015 and 472 last year. Demand for high-end bloodstock is not of course exclusive to Japan – corresponding elite sales in Europe and America have seen similar growth, often masking concerns lower down the order – but one key difference here is that neither the size of the foal crop nor the the crowds at the races are diminishing in the way they are in most other parts of the world. On Saturday morning, Teruya Yoshida welcomed a group of visitors to his Shadai Farm and sounded a brief note of caution regarding the wider economic picture on the back of trade tariffs imposed on Japan. “I can't say there is a lot of confidence [in the market] because of President Trump,” he said. “We export a lot of automobiles to America and that trade has been damaged. “But we have many people here for the sale – there are more lookers than last year – so I think we will be okay.” Yoshida continued, “But in Japan Racing Association the betting has grown five per cent on last year, and in NAR [the National Association of Racing circuit, mainly on the dirt] it is up 10 per cent. Racing is so popular here. That means more people may come into ownership – the racing clubs [syndicates] are almost sold out.” The racing clubs in Japan offer not just a way into ownership but also a chance to be at the heart of the action with some top-class runners. In recent years such names as Almond Eye, Gentildonna, Lys Gracieux, Daring Tact, Loves Only You, Epiphaneia, Efforia, Buena Vista, and of course Equinox, have been owned by clubs. The first Equinox foal in the ring is the colt out of Camprock | Emma Berry Despite the unpredictability of the goings-on in the White House, it is fair to say that expectations are high in Hokkaido. For a start, it never hurts to have a world champion to showcase. In 2023, Auguste Rodin, from the small final crop of Deep Impact, gave a global reminder of the talents of the former Japanese champion sire with his victories in the Derby, Irish Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders' Cup Turf. But these exploits were not enough to match the superiority of Equinox, who strolled through the Dubai Sheema Classic, bloodlessly dispatching such classy challengers as Westover, Mostahdaf and Rebel's Romance, before retuning to his home nation to win the Takarazuka Kinen and Tenno Sho en route to a hero's farewell in the Japan Cup. The latter was named the Longines World's Best Horse Race of that year, just as its winner towered over all Thoroughbreds on rankings. Equinox, a grandson of Deep Impact's full-brother Black Tide, was himself a member of the first crop of Kitasan Black. He now stands alongside his father at Shadai Stallion Station, the pair commanding equal fees of ¥20m (€116,000) in 2024 and 2025 – the highest of any stallion in Japan. The 'Book Full' sign was hung outside Equinox's stable just as soon as that record fee for a freshman had been announced, and he ended up covering 203 mares in his first year. A number of those heading to Tuesday's sale were available for viewing on Saturday at Shadai, Northern and Oiwake Farms – the studs respectively owned by the Yoshida brothers Teruya, Katsumi and Haruya. Teruya Yoshida has been in the game for too long to get carried away at this early stage by thoughts of what Equinox may or may not achieve in his secondary career. Wisely, he focuses instead of the achievements of his sire, whose fee has quadrupled since he first took up residence at the Shadai Stallion Station. “Of course Equinox is remarkable but the father of Equinox, Kitasan Black, also produced this year's Derby winner [Croix Du Nord], so I have more confidence in him. [Equinox] is just a beginner as a stallion,” he said. “The standard of Japanese horses is now very high so we will be very proud to present all these horses at the sale.” That the Japanese breeders are reaping rewards on the track and at the sales is as a result of concerted investment in the best race mares and stallion prospects available – from North and South America and across Europe and Australia. Yoshida's latest in-training purchase was Klaynn (Make Believe), just five days before she won the G2 Oaks d'Italia by seven lengths. The owner may have been associated with reams of good horses over the decades but such was his desire that the Endo Botti-trained filly wear his silks in the Italian Classic that he had jockey Cristian Demuro take a set with him from France to Milan. “For 20 years we have been buying many good mares from all over the world and that is now returning to the quality of the horses here,” Yoshida said. “We've invested in quite expensive mares and that has seen some changes. But from my experience, good horses can also come from so-so mares, not always the expensive mares.” Foal inspections underway at Oiwake Farm | Emma Berry Yoshida is in good heart this Saturday morning as the bloodstock world prepares to turn its attention to the sale he runs with his brother Katsumi. Together, their Shadai and Northern Farm operations account for around 1,600 broodmares – almost double the amount of active mares across all of Germany. He reminisces about the purchase of Northern Taste, some 50 years ago, in the early days of the Shadai Corporation. “Before I bought Northern Taste, Lyphard was sold and he was a small horse but he became such a good stallion. Because I saw Lyphard the year before I had good confidence to buy Northern Taste,” said Yoshida. “When I went to America I expected the American horses to be big. Northern Dancer [sire of Lyphard and Northern Taste] was not big but he had a strong temper. I tried to have a photo taken with him at Maryland but he bit me, so I can't forget him. My father always liked to go to see good horses anywhere in the world. Now we have many foreign visitors here, so I am happy.” Those foreign visitors are undoubtedly happy to be here. In years gone by, the Yoshida clan set about learning all they could from some of the more established Thoroughbred breeding nations. Now, they are the ones teaching the lesson. The post JRHA Prepares for Equinox in High Summer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

New Zealand-bred three-year-old Arcadia Park (NZ) (Ocean Park) passed his first black-type test with flying colours in the A$125,000 Listed Aquanita Stakes (2019m) at Bunbury on Saturday. The Michael Grantham-trained gelding went into the race with two wins and three placings to his name from eight career starts, most recently a smart last-start success over 1600m at Pinjarra on June 28. The Aquanita was a step up in class and distance, but Arcadia Park was well and truly up to the task. Arcadia Park was ridden by Clint Johnson-Porter and settled in second place as the six-horse field made their way around the Bunbury circuit at a sedate pace. Johnson-Porter allowed his mount to stride up alongside the leader coming up to the turn, and Arcadia Park hit the front as he straightened for home. Arcadia Park got his head to the side in the straight and drifted across the track in both directions, but he dug deep when challenged by the favourite Our Paladin Al (A Lot) and kicked back strongly to win by a neck. “He was left by himself in the straight and was looking around a little bit,” Johnson-Porter said. “He initially shied at the barriers and ran away from them a little bit, and then he went to duck into the mounting yard as we approached the line. So he’s still new, and it was an impressive win by him today.” Arcadia Park’s nine-start career has now produced three wins, three placings and A$242,500 in stakes. Bred and raced by Peters Investments Ltd, Arcadia Park is the latest in a long line of stakes winners to carry Bob Peters’ distinctive cerise and white colours. Arcadia Park became the 23rd individual stakes winner for Waikato Stud stallion Ocean Park. His dam is the Domesday mare Arcadia Dream, whose five wins included the Aquanita Stakes as well as the Gr.2 Western Australian Derby (2400m). Arcadia Dream is a half-sister to Peters’ triple Group One winner Arcadia Queen (Pierro), along with fellow black-type winners Arcadia Prince (Pierro) and Arcadia Rose (Khelefy). “This horse seemed to be all over the place, didn’t he, but he won well,” Peters said. “I was quietly confident coming into the race. I knew that the Domesdays handle the wet and the Ocean Parks handle the wet, so I thought he might be able to run a good race. He’s still got to learn how to go straight, but it was nice to see him get up.” View the full article

Stakes-winning New Zealand import Aberlour recorded her first win on Australian soil with a strong front-running performance in the A$160,000 Toyota Forklifts Handicap (1800m) at Randwick on Saturday. Sent out as a $15 chance in the hands of expat Kiwi jockey Alysha Collett, Aberlour broke well from the starting gates and slid forward to take the lead within the first 100m. That was where she stayed, bowling along in front with a two-length margin up until the home turn. Aberlour was able to kick again soon after entering the straight, and despite beginning to tire in the final 100m, she held on gamely to win by a neck. Now trained by Joe Pride, Aberlour has had 15 starts for four wins, three placings and A$229,430 in prize-money. Aberlour was bred by Av Todd and is one of six individual winners for Group Two-winning stallion Mongolian Falcon, who stands at Hau Ora Farm for a service fee of $2,500. Aberlour is out of the winning Postponed mare Sophie Louise, who is also the dam of black-type performer Tobilicious. Todd initially raced Aberlour with son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Emma Tyler, along with Kelvin Tyler and his wife Vanessa, and they have all retained a share in the ownership following her sale to Australia last year. Kelvin Tyler trained Aberlour in her six-start New Zealand career, which produced three wins and two placings, including victories in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) and Southland Guineas (1600m). “Aberlour made the most of a soft lead over a nice distance today and did us proud,” Tyler said on Saturday. View the full article

Captain Fred Barker, owner of the picturesque King Edward's Place Stud on the edge of the Downs near the Ridgeway, died recently at the age of 88. Born into a world where hunting, racing and breeding were a way of life, horses were always at the core of Fred's being. He did just enough to survive his five years at Harrow and then spent several very happy years in the 11th Hussars, before taking over the running of King Edward's Place, which was once a discreet country retreat of Edward VII, as the name suggests, from his parents, 'Gar' and Nancy Barker in 1962, while in his mid 20s. Ever the perfectionist, Fred worked hard to maintain the stud and with the help of his fellow former 11th Hussar, great friend and bloodstock agent, Johnnie Lewis, he spent a considerable amount of money on stallions, which he hoped would reinvigorate the stud and bring it the recognition it deserved. Stallions like Klairon, Soleil, Manacle, Calpurnius, Prince De Gaulles, Quiet Fling and latterly Anfield, passed through the stallion yard at King Edward's Place. Manacle was the stud's most successful stallion. He sired Moorestyle – British Horse of the Year, European Horse of the Year and champion sprinter in 1980 – and was later sold to Australia. Nick Angus Smith, a manager at King Edward's Place “a very long time ago”, remembers that Calpurnius was a particularly dangerous horse and tried to savage his lad many times. Johnnie Lewis swiftly had him sold to the West Indies, where he went on to be champion sire. Quiet Fling sired Old Country, winner of six races, including the G1 Derby Italiano, G1 Premio Roma and G1 Prix Royal-Oak. He was out of a daughter of Klairon. The last stallion to stand at the stud was Anfield, a three-time Group 3 winner in Ireland by Be My Guest and a half-brother to Group 1 winner North Stoke. His best horse was the very good German colt, Turfkonig, who won the G1 Grosser Mercedes-Benz Preis. Sadly however, none of the stallions Fred stood at King Edward's Place proved a huge success, or provided the necessary financial return. By the late 1980s, disillusioned with the racing industry and facing increasing head winds, as bloodstock became more expensive and it became ever harder to acquire commercial stallion prospects, Fred made the difficult decision to sell King Edward's Place. Sold to Allied Dunbar, it sadly disappeared off the map as a stud farm. “I was born in the house, so it was a very difficult decision to sell,” he said at the time. It would be fair to say that to the wider equine community, Fred Barker was probably more renowned for his mastership of the Quorn and VWH hunts. His two stints as senior master of the Quorn were one of the longest in the hunt's history since the war. Always beautifully mounted and impeccably turned out, Fred was meticulous in planning his days, enjoyed excellent relations with his farmers and even had the respect of the anti-hunting brigade. Fred and his second wife Penny subsequently went on to become successful masters of the VWH hunt, before in recent years switching their interest to three-day eventing. After initially having horses with Australian rider Paul Tapner, they more recently kept them with Tom McEwan, which notably resulted in team gold and individual silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with their horse Toledo de Kerser. Away from horses, Fred owned and operated the BEAS Helicopters company through the 1970s and loved his farming estate at Lushill, near Hannington, Wiltshire. Always one for an adventure, Fred memorably teamed up with Johnnie Lewis and another great friend and fellow 11th Hussar, David Dollar, to compete in the 1968 London to Sydney car rally, where despite not processing one iota of rally driving experience between them, they managed to win the amateur class and finish 18th of the 100 entries overall. His eldest son Grant succinctly summed up his father at his recent funeral. He said, “Fred was prompt, precise and passionate. He also loved polo, power boats and parties, but most of all he loved beautiful things…and married two of them.” Fred Barker died peacefully at his home near Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, surrounded by his wife Penny, children and his dog, Charlie. His was the epitome of a life well lived. The post Remembering Captain Fred Barker: A Life Well Lived appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France, post time: 20:25, CYGAMES GRAND PRIX DE PARIS-G1, €600,000, 3yo, c/f, 12fT Field: Surabad (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), Leffard (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), New Ground (GB) (New Bay {GB}), Trinity College (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Uther (GB) (Camelot {GB}), Frankly Good Cen (Fr) (Frankel {GB}). TDN Verdict: Prix du Jockey Club form is the order of the day here, with half the field having crossed swords in the Chantilly Classic. Jockey Club fourth and TDN Rising Star Trinity College has since prevailed in Royal Ascot's G3 Hampton Court Stakes and reopposes Chantilly seventh Frankly Good Cen and 17th Leffard. Juddmonte's New Ground was a never-nearer fourth in Epsom's G1 Derby and rates a serious threat while Alain and Gerard Wertheimer's G3 Prix Noailles winner Uther, a half-brother to last year's hero Sosie, comes back off a third in May's G3 Prix Greffulhe. The in-form Francis Graffard stable is represented by G3 Prix du Lys second and supplementary entry Surabad, who snagged April's Listed Prix de l'Avre over this course and distance. [Sean Cronin]. Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France, post time: 19:10, PRIX RADIO FG – PRIX MAURICE DE NIEUIL-G2, €119,000, 4yo/up, 14fT Field: Sibayan (Fr) (Blame), Columbus (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}), Yashin (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), Emblet (GB) (Aclaim {Ire}), Waldadler (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), Double Major (Ire) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), Internaute (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Francis Graffard's in-form stable is represented in this stamina test by Sibayan, who was defeated by a whisker in last month's G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and seeks a pattern-race breakthrough here. He will be confronted by the Wertheimer duo Double Major, who won this last year, and Internaute. The pair met when fifth and sixth in May's G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier at ParisLongchamp. Double Major's Christophe Ferland-trained stablemate Columbus annexed last year's G3 Prix Gerald de Geoffre and rates a danger returning off a short-neck second in Saint-Cloud's Listed Prix La Moskowa on seasonal comeback one month ago. [Sean Cronin]. Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France, post time: 19:50, CYGAMES PRIX DE MALLERET-G2, €119,000, 3yo, f, 12fT Field: Rabbit's Foot (Fr) (Golden Horde {Ire}), Indalimos (Fr) (Cloth Of Stars {Ire}), Sunly (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Miss Of Change (Fr) (King Of Change {GB}), Three Pearls (Fr) (Intello {Ger}), Qilin Queen (Ire) (Pinatubo {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Juddmonte's hitherto undefeated Sunly puts her perfect record on the line and will head postward coming back off a taking victory in last month's G3 Prix de Royaumont at Chantilly. Seeking revenge is Royaumont runner-up Indalimos and fifth home Rabbit's Foot. Victoria Head trainee Three Pearls is held by the latter on their Listed Prix Caravelle running while Classic form is represented by G1 Oaks eighth Qilin Queen and Czech Derby heroine Miss Of Change. [Sean Cronin]. Sunday, Mulheim, Germany, post time: 16:15, BBAG DIANA TRIAL-Listed, €25,000, 3yo, f, 10fT Field: Bastion (Ger) (Brametot {Ire}), Lips Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), German Style (Fr) (Shamalgan {Fr}), Ismahane (Ger) (Isfahan {Ger}), Near Rib (Ger) (Ribchester {Ire}), Nurania (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Que Bella (Ger) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Rockshalaa (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}), Stugardia (Ger) (Tai Chi {Ger}), Sunshine Baby (Fr) (Areion {Ger}), Tausendschon (Ger) (Destino {Ger}), Winnyzja (Ire) (Sottsass {Fr}). TDN Verdict: With eight prior starts in the books, G3 Schwarzgold-Rennen third Lips Vega is the most experienced contender in this late-stage launchpad to next month's G1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks) and sets the domestic standard. Stugardia also has black type to her name, having run second in April's Listed Henkel Stutenpreis at Dusseldorf, while Tausendschon makes her stakes bow coming back off a clear-cut debut success at this venue last month. [Sean Cronin]. Monday, Vichy, France, post time: 16:25, PRIX FREDERIC DE LAGRANGE-Listed, €50,300, 3yo, 12fT Field: Quinteplus (Fr) (Telecaster {Ire}), Tommy Boy (Fr) (Intello {Ger}), Zarakchic (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), Starnberg (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}), Marchemalo (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}), Espoir Avenir (Fr) (Montmartre {Fr}), Yellow Jersey (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), Master Cath (Fr) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Zingara (Fr) (Kingman {GB}). TDN Verdict: While the Tour de France wends its way through the nearby mountains, Qatar Racing's Yellow Jersey is favoured to follow up an impressive debut performance, tackling this trip at Saint-Cloud, on black-type bow. The Andre Fabre nominee was value for more than the official winning margin of four lengths and will bid to become the trainer's first winner since Doha Dream prevailed in 2016. Jerome Reynier won this in 2022 and 2023 and relies on G3 Prix Hocquart third Zarakchic and G2 Derby Italiano fifth Starnberg. Christophe Ferland also supplies two contenders, namely Swiss Derby hero Espoir Avenir and ParisLongchamp handicap winner Zingaro. [Sean Cronin]. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Trinity College Aims To Ace Grand Prix De Paris Exam appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It is now or never for Derek Leung Ka-chun as he looks to Beauty Joy to be the catalyst to spark his fading Tony Cruz Award hopes back to life at Sha Tin on Sunday. The 36-year-old is in a three-way shoot-out for the local riders’ premiership, with Matthew Poon Ming-fai leading the way on 36 and Matthew Chadwick sitting second on 34. Leung has two meetings to claw back three winners to draw level with Poon, with his Sunday book of eight rides looking the strongest of the trio. He rides Beauty...View the full article

Jockey Antoine Hamelin admits to feeling sad whenever he thinks about his imminent Hong Kong departure, but it’s certainly been nothing but smiles and celebrations on the racetrack as the Frenchman finishes his five-year stint in the city with a flourish. Victorious at three of the past four meetings, Hamelin will say farewell to Sha Tin this Sunday before signing off at Happy Valley next Wednesday. “I’m feeling OK, not too bad, but when I think about it I’m very sad. When I met my friends for a...View the full article

Promising three-year-old Stop The Rock (NZ) (El Roca) collected the fourth win of his five-race career with another irresistible finish in Saturday’s A$150,000 Sportsbet Same Race Multi Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield. The New Zealand-bred son of El Roca is trained by Patrick and Michelle Payne and kicked off his career with a debut win at Warrnambool on New Year’s Eve. He returned from a freshen up with a fifth at Cranbourne in May, but never looked back from there. He has now strung together three consecutive victories, including two Saturday city successes. Stop The Rock scored stylishly at Swan Hill on June 8 and then again at Flemington on June 21, where he beat next-start Mahogany Challenge Final (2500m) winner Shockletz (NZ) (Shocking). Those performances earned strong support for Stop The Rock on Saturday as a $5 second favourite, and he continued his breakthrough campaign. Ridden by Billy Egan, Stop The Rock settled in second-last among a field of 12 before beginning to warm into his work from the 600m. Egan angled him to the outside at the home turn and he charged home out wide on the track, hitting the lead inside the last 50m and winning by a neck. “He really needs to build his momentum,” Egan said. “He made a long, sustained run at them the other day. “They went quick enough today that I was able to come wide and know that if I came with that same sort of run again, they would get tired and he’d be coming over the top of them late. He’s done a really good job.” Stop The Rock’s five-start, four-win career has netted more than A$214,000 in stakes for his ownership group. “He’s just answering every question that we’re asking him,” Michelle Payne said. “What a horse. He’s doing it on raceday every time for a great group of owners. “He started 35-to-one in his first start. He was always very casual in his trials, but Patrick has really liked him as a horse the whole way through. We were just waiting for him to come into his own. He’s doing that now and he’s a beauty. He shows up on raceday, gets the job done with no fuss and is becoming another stable favourite.” By Westbury Stud stallion El Roca, Stop The Rock is out of the Fusaichi Pegasus mare Shezablonde and stems from the family of Nothin’ Leica Dane. Stop The Rock is a graduate of the hugely successful New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale, purchased for $75,000 by Patrick Payne from the draft of Westbury Stud. View the full article

Progressive mare Nancy She Wrote (NZ) (Wrote) provided co-trainer Ben Foote with the perfect welcome home from a Gold Coast holiday when she came from well back to capture the Tanalised Mile (1600m) at Ruakaka. The five-year-old daughter of Wrote is prepared by Foote and son Ryan from their Cambridge stable and has always looked a promising middle distance performer for her breeder and owner, Gerald Bell. After being given a brief spell following an unplaced run over 2100m at Ellerslie in April, Nancy She Wrote resumed with a handy performance in stakes company when finishing sixth behind Cork in the Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m) at Tauranga last month. Punters were keen on her chances at longer odds on Saturday with a $1000 bet at a $10 Fixed Odds quote shortly before the race jumped, indicating a winning run could be on the cards. That judgement was proved correct as rider Courtney Barnes brought the mare down the outskirts of the track in the home straight to collar local runner Time And Tide in the final 100m as she raced away for a two-and-a-half-length victory. Sporting a handy winter tan, Foote acknowledged it was son Ryan who had done all the hard work to put the winning touches on the mare in his absence. “Courtney knows exactly how to ride this one and she is a little underrated as on her day she is a smart mare,” Foote said. “It was a lovely ride today as she got her out into the clear and she powered home. “We think she can be competitive at the stakes level as long as things go her way. “I probably have to give all the credit to Ryan as he has done the work on her while I’ve been away. “We will go back and see where we go next once she has had time to recover. “We don’t have anything specific in mind but she is suited by the big, roomier tracks.” Nancy She Wrote has now won four of her 29 starts for Bell and over $136,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Apprentice jockey Ace Lawson-Carroll honoured his late friend Ngakau Hailey with a salute as he guided Reward Smile (Havana Grey) to a poignant win in the Northpine Waipu Cup (1400m) at Ruakaka on Saturday. Jockeys wore black armbands in the $40,000 feature in memory of the 18-year-old Hailey, who was killed in a tragic vehicle accident in Hamilton on Wednesday. Lawson-Carroll was pleased to pick up a victory that meant much more than most. “It’s quite special and I’m glad I could get that win for Ngakau,” he said. “I built up a nice friendship with him and really bonded with him over the last few years riding with him. He had better talent than I will ever have.” Saturday’s special win came courtesy of the British-bred Reward Smile, who joined Jenna Mahoney’s Byerley Park stable earlier this season after winning three races and more than $1.2 million in Hong Kong. The Havana Grey gelding had struck more than his share of misfortune in his first three New Zealand starts, but still showed promise with a close fifth at Ellerslie on May 17, fourth at Ellerslie on June 7 and a last-start fifth in the $60,000 ITM/GIB Sprinters’ Championship Final (1400m) at Ruakaka on June 28. Reward Smile’s luck finally took a turn for the better on Saturday. After settling in third-last in the early part of the race, Lawson-Carroll set him alight and began to press forward around the outside of the field coming up to the turn. Reward Smile loomed ominously on the outside straightening for home, and then he kicked hard with 300m to run. He pulled ahead of local hope Illicit Dreams and won by a length and a half. “We kind of got squeezed back a little bit going into that first corner,” Lawson-Carroll said. “Once everything unfolded after that, I knew that he might not have that much of a sprint, but if you can get hm rolling and really put them away early, he was always going to hit the line really strongly.” Mahoney was relieved to see Reward Smile’s luck change on Saturday. “He hasn’t run a bad race since he got here, but he just hasn’t had much luck, so we were pretty confident he could perform well today,” she said. “He just got too far back in his last run here, but Ace gave him a nice, positive ride today and he found the line really strongly. “We’ll probably look at bringing him back up here again for the next meeting in a couple of weeks’ time.” View the full article

Ruakaka stayer Bosch (NZ) (Pentire) added a fifth win to his imposing course record with a tough front-running performance in Saturday’s Northbeam Strong Stuff (2100m). The Pentire gelding has now recorded five wins from a 30-start career, with all of those five successes coming from 15 appearances on his home track. Saturday’s win took his career earnings past $174,000. Bosch was sent out as a $3.60 favourite on Saturday, having run a gallant last-start second in the $60,000 ITM/GIB Whangarei Gold Cup Stayers’ Final over the same course and distance on June 28. The six-year-old was ridden by Vinnie Colgan and ended up as the leader almost by default, with none of his eight rivals showing any interest in going forward. Colgan was able to give his mount a breather with some easy sectionals down the back straight. Awhina’s (NZ) (Derryn) jockey Jasmine Fawcett decided to throw down the gauntlet coming down the side of the track, spearing forward out wide and clearly taking the lead before the home turn. But Bosch rose to the challenge and found plenty more as he entered the straight. He soon shook free of Awhina and pulled away. Fly My Wey (NZ) (Sweynesse) came through in the favourite’s slipstream and produced a strong late finish to eat into the margin, but Bosch held him out by a long neck. The third-placed I’m Lulu (NZ) ( Belardo) crossed the line another two and a half lengths behind the first two, with Awhina a length and a quarter away in fourth. “That was very satisfying,” said local trainer Michelle Bradley, who also won the Northland Business Systems (1200m) with Iridescent earlier in the afternoon. “He had a very, very soft lead. I was a little bit worried that something would come up, and then I saw Awhina come up and I thought, ‘Oh, Vinnie, keep going.’ “But it was a great win and it’s great to see him back in the winners’ circle. Vinnie’s a top jockey with so much experience. It’s a pleasure to have him on and get the result today. I’m extremely pleased.” Success away from home is the only thing missing from Bosch’s CV, and Bradley is keen to change that later in this preparation. “I’ll have a meeting with the owners either next week or the week after and we’ll have a chat about where we go next,” she said. “We’ve got Ellerslie coming back up in the spring. He’s had two runs at Ellerslie this prep and was carrying big weights. I’d have no hesitation in taking him back there. I do still think he’s going to be competitive there at a nice weight. “We’ll just weigh up our options. To win a Cup with him would be amazing. It’s just about getting him there mentally and getting there the right way.” View the full article

Apprentice Gareth Lahoud made good use of his 4kg claim as he guided Reptak (NZ) (Shocking) to an all-the-way victory in the Northpine Making It Tanalised (1200m) rating 75 contest at Ruakaka on Saturday. The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-prepared five-year-old had kicked off his latest campaign with a win at Ellerslie over 1200m back in April and in two subsequent runs had not been disgraced despite not featuring in the placings. Drawn ideally in barrier two Reptak made a swift beginning with Lahoud not afraid to keep his race rivals at bay in the early stages as he claimed pacemaking duties on the son of Shocking and set up a solid speed in front. Turning for home it was evident Reptak was travelling sweetly as he put a two length break on the chasing pack and despite race favourite Judicial (Written Tycoon) mounting a strong finish from midfield, Reptak had plenty in hand as he went to the line nearly two lengths to the good of the favourite with local runner Dancing Dream (NZ) (Contributer) sticking on well for third. O’Sullivan was taking in all the action from his Matamata home and liked what he saw from both the horse and rider. “It was a good positive ride by Gareth as we told him to go forward and lead and make the best use of his claim which worked out nicely,” O’Sullivan said. “We like to give the apprentices their chance on our horses in the winter as we are firm believers in their claim giving a horse a big advantage over the higher-weighted runners. “This fellow (Repak) has always shown plenty on the training track at home but hasn’t always put that out on raceday. “He is learning all the time and has matured well which is starting to show in his performances. “I have no doubt he can get through to open class and with his liking for some cut in the tracks he will be well suited over the next few months.” Bred by the late Colin Devine and raced by his wife Jill, Reptak is out of the Carnegie mare Marley Magic (NZ) and comes from an extended family that includes three-time Australian Group One winner Desirable (NZ). The victory added to a stellar season for the O’Sullivan and Scott partnership, who sit third on the National Trainers’ premiership ladder with 82 wins and more than $4.395million in prizemoney earned. View the full article

Talented two-year-old Yokozuna (Fierce Impact) turned Saturday’s Promote Waipu 2YO (1200m) into a winning Ruakaka homecoming for former local trainer Donna Logan. Logan was based at the Northland track from 1985 until 2018, when she relocated to Singapore. She returned to New Zealand following last year’s closure of racing in Singapore and now bases herself at Byerley Park in South Auckland, but still jumps at every opportunity to return to her old stomping ground on the shores of Bream Bay. “It’s so good to be back up here at Ruakaka, and a win like that makes it even better,” Logan said after Saturday’s win, which was her 103rd career success at Ruakaka. “That was a really nice win by Yokozuna today, I think he’s got the makings of a good horse.” Saturday’s $35,000 race marked the first raceday appearance for Yokozuna, who had finished second in a trial over 1100m at Ellerslie on June 9. He was ridden by Vinnie Colgan and jumped only fairly from gate two, but quickly recovered and took up a handy position in fourth by the end of the back straight. Many of his rivals showed signs of greenness, most notably the front-running Rotten Tommy (NZ) (U S Navy Flag), who ran off at the home turn. But Yokozuna balanced up at the top of the home straight and lengthened stride stylishly. He bounded to the front at the 200m mark and strode clear to win by a length and a half from the strong-finishing favourite Moretothinkabout. Yokozuna’s performance made a favourable impression on Colgan. “He’s a lovely-looking horse,” he said. “Everything went his way and he gave me a very good feel in the straight. “He didn’t get away that cleanly, but he got into gear well after two or three strides and felt very nice from there. He’s still a bit raw and green, but he’s a nice horse who should develop into a good three-year-old.” Logan suggested that Yokozuna could be in line for a return to Ruakaka in the coming weeks. The August 2 meeting features an 1100m three-year-old race worth $35,000, while the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) will be run for a $100,000 stake two weeks later. “The phone’s ringing already with people interested in buying him, which isn’t surprising after a performance like that,” Logan said. “We’ll wait and see what we do with him from here, but he’s shown that he likes the track here, so we might be bringing him back to Ruakaka.” Yokozuna is by Fierce Impact out of the winning Flying Spur mare Misstiflying. Offered by Hallmark Stud in Book 2 of Karaka 2024, he was bought by Logan Racing for $40,000. Yokozuna races in the colours of part-owners Social Racing, whose manager Brent Cooper has a long-running association with Logan. “Donna and I go back 30 years,” Cooper said. “She’s a special person and has been a great friend. It’s so good to get back involved with her stable again now that she’s back in New Zealand, and I’m super excited that we’ve got a talented horse like this. This horse has obviously come on in leaps and bounds from his trial.” The Logan connections continued in the second and third races on Saturday’s card. Logan’s daughter Samantha trained the Mountfield Quarry (1600m) winner Ascension, while former staff member Michelle Bradley won the Northland Business Systems (1200m) with Iridescent. View the full article

Popular Foxton trainer Gail Temperton will take a two pronged attack to the races at Woodville on Sunday with promising hurdler Never Look Back (NZ) (Shocking) set to contest one of the feature races on the card, the Te Whangai Romneys Hawke’s Bay Hurdles (3000m). The six-year-old son of Shocking is in the early stages of his life as a jumper having won four races on the flat plus another over hurdles. A gritty effort for fifth in the Waikato Hurdles (3200m) a month ago has Temperton cautiously optimistic about his chances against a stellar line-up on Sunday. “He stuck on very well at Te Rapa after having a bit of a life at the very first fence that day so I’m hoping it is a sign he will eventually measure up in this type of field,” Temperton said. “I’m never nervous about him getting over a fence as he has that ability to do it his way and make it to the other side. We have trained him that way from day one which is a little different to most but it is very effective for him. “He won’t mind a testing track as he has been in work a long time with only a four week break in late January so fitness won’t be an issue even though he hasn’t run since Te Rapa last month. “Emily Farr is going to ride him which is just great as we have had a very long association over the years and she tells me she has a picture of when she rode Just Ishi for me back in 2017 on a wall at her home in Wales. “She is a tough little critter and so is the horse so they are a match made in heaven.” Temperton admits that six-start maiden Name The Game is a different kettle of fish to Never Look Back despite his granddam being Gr.1 Railway Handicap (1200m) winner Coogee Walk. The full brother of handy galloper Nom Du Beel will tackle the Cody Singer Memorial (4000m) maiden steeplechase with Temperton hoping an impressive effort at the Cambridge jumping trials last Monday will stand him in good stead. “Name The Game isn’t much of a flat galloper but from what he has shown us in his only hurdle run and his schooling lately he could make a nice chaser for us,” she said. “He is brilliantly bred being out of a Zabeel mare who is a daughter of Coogee Walk but unfortunately he hasn’t really inherited that flat ability. “Stephen Nickalls took him to the jumping trials at Cambridge earlier this week where Hamish McNeil rode him and he said he jumped superbly. “That is similar feedback to what I’ve had from other riders so I’m hoping he can bring that to raceday. “I’m thrilled to have Ellie Callwood on him as she is a super rider and a lovely girl who has been on him at several jumps days and knows him well now. “I’m hoping he puts his best foot forward and if he does he would be a top three prospect.” It isn’t all good news for the Temperton team however as promising galloper Procul Boy, who has won three of his four starts, badly injured a foot when having a week away from the stable recently and faces a period of rest and recuperation before getting back to the track. Temperton had entertained thoughts of taking the son of Proisir to Riccarton for racing during the Grand National Carnival in early August but will now have to revisit any future plans for him. View the full article

By Michael Guerin John Dunn thinks his team have the ideal horse for a new series of mares races set for the second half of the season in Canterbury. Dunn suggests there will be a series of six mares races, usually run at two week intervals, in the region starting late August. “We have been told there will be six races, three of them worth $60,000 and going through until mid November,” says Dunn. “I think it is a great idea because it is important to give these good mares races they can target and keep them in the country.” It also helps that Diamond Racing, officially made up of Dunn’s dad Robert and John’s wife Jenna training, have the perfect mare for the new races in Always B You. She beat some tough, older rivals at Addington on Friday night as the improvement curve continued. “She just keeps getting better and better,” says Dunn. “So this series will be perfect for her and great for heaps of other mares around here. “And after that she can head back to Auckland for a race like the Queen Of Hearts to give her her Group 1 shot as she races well right-handed.” Dunn says the stable is on the improve after a slow start to the season but he says their defence of their training premiership title is already over as they have 44 wins for the season while Team Telfer went to 90 with a double on Friday night. That puts them 16 clear of Michael House and they are $1.02 to win the title. While one mare in Always B You was the star at Addington at a rain-soaked Alexandra Park it was another mare in Mantra Blue who took horse of the night honours. She sat parked to win the main pace in the hands of Monika Ranger, pacing her last 800m in 54.9 seconds and showing she is right back to her best. Other highlights of the Alexandra Park card were a training quinella for Roydon Downey with Sans Au Revoir and Saninarmbro while Craftsman suggested he is a two-year-old with a future when he won on debut after covering plenty of ground over the last 400m. Later in the night Seaclusion continued her great form for Graeme Rogerson and James Stormont when she overcame starting from the outside of the front line to win the Woodlands Stud Silk Road Final for her high-profile ownership group. It was her seventh career win and shows what a great weapon being able to run on the pace is, especially at Alexnadra Park. Matty A won the main trot for trainer Sheryl Wigg, recording his first win for the season. View the full article

Ka Ying Rising’s outstanding performance during the 2024/25 racing season saw the record-breaking speedster earn the Horse of the Year title at a special presentation held at the Grand Ballroom of the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong tonight (Friday, 11 July). In addition, he was also named Champion Sprinter and Champion Four-Year-Old at the ceremony. Owned by Ka Ying Syndicate and trained by David Hayes, last season’s Champion Griffin improved sharply in his sophomore season, scoring one of his biggest wins of the season in the HK$26 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), and completing a record-equalling season with a commanding victory in the HK$22 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) in April to secure this season’s Champion Sprinter mantle. His triumph in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize not only left him unbeaten with eight wins from eight starts during the season, but also took his unbeaten streak to 12 consecutive races. The four-year-old Shamexpress gelding completed a clean sweep of the Hong Kong Speed Series and collected a HK$5 million bonus, emulating the feats of Mr Vitality (1995/96), Grand Delight (2002/03), Silent Witness (2003/04 and 2004/05) and Lucky Sweynesse (2022/23). Ka Ying Rising broke Sacred Kingdom’s Sha Tin 1200m record with a gallop of 1m 07.43s in the G2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1200m), lowering a mark which had stood since 2007. He broke his own record just two months later in a time of 1m 07.2s in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m). He is currently the world’s highest-rated sprinter, with the international rating of 126, sitting joint fourth alongside Romantic Warrior in the latest LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings at 126 behind joint top-rated horses Field Of Gold, Forever Young and Ombudsman (127). He was also named the Champion Four-Year-Old based on his brilliant performance throughout the season. Voyage Bubble is named Champion Miler and Champion Stayer. The Ricky Yiu-trained Voyage Bubble also enjoyed a stellar season, especially when he rewrote Hong Kong racing history with an impressive victory in the HK$13 million G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) in May to become only the second horse in Hong Kong racing history after River Verdon in 1993/94 to complete the Triple Crown by winning the HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m), HK$13 million G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) and Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup in the same season, snaring a HK$10 million bonus. Voyage Bubble has dominated this season’s mile and stayer divisions, winning this term’s HK$36 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) and consecutive HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) and, with these outstanding performances, the six-year-old Deep Field gelding was crowned Champion Miler as well. His LONGINES Hong Kong Mile win was further boosted by seven runners, including himself, from that race who subsequently achieved Group one successes. He also scored in the HK$5.35 million G2 BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile (1600m) and in total won five races, including four Group 1s, from seven starts this term. Based on his outstanding achievements, he was named Champion Miler and Champion Stayer for the 2024/25 racing season. Romantic Warrior is crowned Champion Middle-Distance Horse. Romantic Warrior secured a fourth straight title as Champion Middle-Distance Horse, following his outstanding wins in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m), G1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) and G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (2000m). The Danny Shum-trained globetrotter also finished gallant second in the G1 Saudi Cup (1800m, dirt) and G1 Dubai Turf (1800m), taking his career earnings to a world record-extending HK$214.7 million. The seven-year-old Acclamation gelding clocked a sensational record-breaking time of 1m 45.10s to beat a group of global top middle-distance runners with more than four lengths to spare in the G1 Jebel Hatta and became the first Hong Kong-trained horse to achieve Group 1 successes in four different racing jurisdictions, namely Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and Dubai. My Wish is this season’s Most Improved Horse. The Mark Newnham-trained My Wish is this season’s Most Improved Horse. After starting the campaign rated 54, the Flying Artie gelding soared 51 points to 105 after achieving four wins, two seconds, two thirds and a fourth from nine starts in his second season, including his career-best performance when winning the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) in January. My Wish ran well in the other two legs of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, finished second in both the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) and BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m). Zac Purton takes top honours for an eighth time. Zac Purton is now an eight-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey. The Australian rider enjoyed another remarkable season of dominance, including reaching 1,800 career wins in Hong Kong and breaking Douglas Whyte’s all-time record for Hong Kong win. He also reached 700 and 1,000 career wins on Happy Valley races and Sha Tin turf events respectively in the term. This season’s Most Popular Jockey and Most Popular Horse will be announced at the conclusion of Sunday’s (13 July) 87th and final Sha Tin meeting this season. The presentation ceremony for the 2024/25 Hong Kong Champion Trainer will also be held this Sunday following the races should any trainer gain an unassailable lead ahead of Wednesday night’s (16 July) 88th and final fixture of the racing season, while this season’s Champion Griffin and Tony Cruz Award will be announced at the conclusion of Wednesday’s (16 July) 88th and final fixture this season at Happy Valley. The Champion Awards Judging Panel announced the winners for the 2024/25 season during this evening’s presentation ceremony as follows:- Award Winner Owner Trainer Horse of the Year Ka Ying Rising Ka Ying Syndicate David Hayes Champion Jockey Zac Purton Champion Four-Year-Old Ka Ying Rising Ka Ying Syndicate David Hayes Champion Sprinter Ka Ying Rising Ka Ying Syndicate David Hayes Champion Miler Voyage Bubble Sunshine And Moonlight Syndicate Ricky Yiu Champion Middle-Distance Horse Romantic Warrior Peter Lau Pak Fai Danny Shum Champion Stayer Voyage Bubble Sunshine And Moonlight Syndicate Ricky Yiu Most Improved Horse My Wish Ada Che Xiao Hong, Suki Tang Xianfang & Ruby Hui Like Sea Mark Newnham View the full article