Wandering Eyes

Can talented filly Belle Detelle overcome a hiccup in her preparation and take the Qld Derby. Part Owner Nick Bishara says connections had some anxious moments last weekend. Nick Bishara 03.06.2025 – Racing HQ with Steve Hewlett – Apple Podcasts View the full article

Gareth Lahoud commenced the next chapter of his riding career in the best possible fashion at Te Rapa on Saturday, winning aboard Cleat (NZ) (Rios) after eight months on the sidelines. The ex-pat South African started an apprenticeship in New Zealand in 2023 and received good support in the early stages, utilising his four-kilogram claim aboard the likes of stakes winning-mare Casino Princess and Group Two performer Good Oil. Lahoud’s progress came to an unfortunate halt when he dislocated his shoulder last April, an injury that occurred again in September. Medical professionals advised the 23-year-old to undergo surgery, and after a successful operation and rehabilitation period, he was back at the races with three rides at the Saturday meeting. The young hoop got a confidence boost early when going down by a head in the first, and in the penultimate race, a well-rated steer aboard the Danica Guy-trained Cleat saw him power away from his rivals in the Rating 75 contest over 1200m. “It was very satisfying, especially after having my shoulder operation and not knowing whether it would still be in place,” Lahoud said. “It’s stabilised and it’s just so good to get back winning on my first day riding. “I’d never sat on the horse (Cleat) before, but she (Guy) came to me before the race and said that he’s quite a complicated ride and you can’t tell him what to do, he just likes to do his own thing. “We were hoping to get to the front without getting in a speed battle, and fortunately it panned out well and we got to the front quite easily. It was really good.” Lahoud expressed gratitude to his employer, Chris Wood, and northern region riding master Noel Harris, who were both instrumental in getting him back to race day. “I’d like to thank Chris and Noel Harris for being a huge support through this time, getting me back to where I am today,” he said. “I’ve also had a very good surgeon and physios helping me. “I’ve been away for quite a long time, but it healed faster than normal, so it’s been a good recovery process. I started riding trackwork a month ago and had been riding trials for about three weeks.” Lahoud is hoping to continue his momentum through the winter, with a ride for Stephen Marsh (Penurious) on the Cambridge Synthetic on Wednesday, then he will partner Wood’s galloper Embossed (NZ) (Embellish) at the apprentice-only race day at New Plymouth on Thursday. “I just want to take it a bit easy initially as my shoulder is getting stronger, but then hopefully I can track down some more winners and get my name out there around the country,” he said. “I ride Embossed every day, he’s a nice horse with a good temperament. He does everything you ask of him.” View the full article

The finalists for this year’s Industry Excellence Awards have been found, recognising the future leaders and rising stars of the New Zealand racing industry. In all, 28 finalists have been named across the nine award categories open to anyone under the age of 40, with the winner of each category – and the supreme Entain Excellence Award winner – to be announced at an awards night at Tote On Ascot at Ellerslie Racecourse on Sunday, 29 June. Category winners will receive $10,000 with finalists in each category receiving $2,000. The overall supreme winner receives an extra $5,000 and a $5,000 educational package. Flights and accommodation are supplied for each of the category finalists. Entain’s General Manager – New Zealand and member of the judging panel, Jessica Meech, said the awards, in their second year, continue to uncover some exceptional talents within the New Zealand racing industry. “The future of the industry is in outstanding hands, based on the nominations we received,” Meech said. “They all struck a chord with the judging panel, and it was challenging enough to find the category finalists, let alone the winners and the overall Entain Excellence Award winner, which is our next incredibly important task.” More information on the awards can be found at entaingroup.co.nz/industryawards. Industry Excellence Awards Finalists: Administration and Innovation Excellence: Emma Thompson (thoroughbred racing); Jack Collings (thoroughbred racing), David Branch (harness racing) Care & Welfare Excellence: Lisa Kennedy (thoroughbred racing), Hannah Hegarty (greyhound racing), Shannon Armour (harness racing) Dedication to Breeding Brad Molander (thoroughbred racing), Grace McMillan (thoroughbred racing), Kayla Milnes (thoroughbred racing) Equine Licence Holder Excellence Sam Bergerson (thoroughbred racing), Robert Wellwood (thoroughbred racing), Zachary Butcher (harness racing) Greyhound Excellence Katie Wyllie, Matt Roberts, Jamie Pruden Leadership Excellence Nathan Purdon (harness racing), Robert Dennis (thoroughbred racing), Simon Lawson (thoroughbred racing) National Racing Woman Caitlin O’Sullivan Doyle (thoroughbred racing), Samantha Ottley (harness racing), Crystal Hackett (harness racing), Mallory Phillips (thoroughbred racing) Newcomer Excellence Alice Jeffries (thoroughbred racing), Billie Roach (thoroughbred racing), Taleah Voigt (thoroughbred racing) Stud, Stable & Kennel Excellence Olivia Blane (thoroughbred racing), Avinash Bhosale (thoroughbred racing), Kohen Collett (thoroughbred racing) View the full article

Northern apprentice jockey Ace Lawson-Carroll is enjoying a breakthrough season, which was further enhanced at Wingatui on Sunday when recording his 100th win in the saddle. The South Auckland-based hoop brought up the milestone aboard the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel) in the opening race at the Dunedin meeting, and he was duly rapt with the result. “I knew I was on the best horse in the field and it was a relief to get there more than anything,” Lawson-Carroll said. The 20-year-old has experienced his best season to date, currently sitting on 43 wins, including his first stakes victory aboard the Samantha Finnegan-trained Bona Sforza (Written By) in the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton Park last month, and he has accrued more than $1.4 million in stakes. It easily surpasses his previous best tally, and he is hoping to improve on it before season’s end. “To get that monkey off my back and get that first stakes win on Bona Sforza for Samanthan Finnegan was great, and to get my 100th winner was also a big highlight,” he said. Lawson-Carroll is indentured to Byerley Park trainers Shaun and Emma Clotworthy, and he said he owes a lot of his success to the couple after they took a chance on him several years ago. “Shaun and Emma are huge supporters of mine, I have been working for them for a long time” he said. “I needed a job to keep me out of trouble. I went around Byerley Park and met Shaun and Emma and carried on from there. “I worked for a year here on weekends and I developed a love for the sport. I was riding the odd pony around and kept developing from there. “Shaun has been a great help and is a great mentor of mine, with horses and life in general.” While the Clotworthys introduced him to the world of horse racing, horses weren’t anything new to Lawson-Carroll, who grew up riding in the Bay of Plenty. “I hacked around on bush ponies and brumbies around paddocks back home (Whakatane), and went pig hunting on horseback,” he said. Lawson-Carroll has been pleased with his progression as a rider and is proud of the achievements he has earned this year, but admits things are starting to slow down as the calendar heads into winter. “This season I have jumped out of my skin a little bit during the summertime,” he said. “Now that the wet tracks are coming, I am finding it a little bit harder with not having much of a claim, but I am seeing a lot more progress in my riding.” Bona Sforza’s stakes success was a clear highlight for Lawson-Carroll this season, and he is hoping he can retain the ride aboard the filly in the new term, with Finnegan eyeing some stakes targets in the spring. “Bona Sforza could be going to the Guineas later (Gr.1, 1600m) in the year, so I am definitely looking forward to her if I get to stick with her, and hopefully I can,” he said. View the full article

Japanese apprentice Yuga Okubo received the perfect birthday present at Te Rapa last Saturday when riding his first winner in New Zealand aboard Charmer (NZ) (Charm Spirit). Before arriving on Kiwi soil in early 2024, Okubo had ridden four winners in his homeland and took the opportunity to gain some international experience under the tutelage of Cambridge horseman Tony Pike. After learning the English language and settling into life in New Zealand, Okubo was able to gain an apprentice license and picked up a couple of placings before securing the ride on the well-performed daughter of Charm Spirit. Contesting the North Waikato Law (1300m), Charmer was rated a $16 hope but her chances were enhanced by Okubo’s four-kilogram claim, which came right into play on the Heavy10 surface at Te Rapa. The young hoop found a good position early from barrier two, settling in behind the speed as many runners rushed to find a prominent position. The mare was back in midfield turning for home, but after straightening down the centre of the track, she kept finding and surged over the top of Oppenheimer and Ridgeview Vicky to score by half a length, just in time for Okubo’s 22nd birthday. “It gave me a great birthday present because the next day was my birthday,” he said. “It all panned out as I’d hoped, she’s a really nice horse and looked like a fast filly, so I had good confidence in her before the race. “I was very happy to receive the opportunity to ride her. A huge thank you to the owner and her trainers (Ben and Ryan Foote).” Back in Japan, Okubo followed his family’s interest into racing and always dreamed of becoming a jockey. “My Dad and Grandpa were involved in racing in Japan, so I grew up around racing people and have always wanted to be a jockey,” he said. “I’ve been in New Zealand for a year and a half, but I had to learn the English language before I was able to get a license as an international apprentice. I’ve had a license with the JRA for three years and I’ve come over here to experience racing in New Zealand. “My Japanese boss organised for me to come over here with Tony Pike, who I’ve been working for in New Zealand and riding every day. “The people are very kind and helpful here, I love this country and am enjoying living here.” With the monkey off his back, Okubo is hoping to continue riding winners through the winter, a time where apprentices are able to gain more opportunities on race day. “I hope I can keep riding winners over the winter,” he said. “Thank you for those who have supported me so far.” View the full article

Bonifleur (NZ) (Burgundy) will have her first raceday start on Cambridge’s polytrack on Wednesday, and trainer Paul Richards is hopeful of a positive result. The Pencarrow Stud-bred and raced mare was in a purple patch of form over summer, winning in December and placing in her subsequent two starts before putting in a below par performance when last in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Final (1400m) at Ellerslie in March. The daughter of Burgundy has been freshened, and Richards is looking forward to kicking-off her winter campaign in the TAB 1300. “That last run at Ellerslie was below par for her but she did have a bit of an excuse post-race (mucus found in the trachea), so we gave her a bit of a break after that,” Richards said. “She went back to Pencarrow for a month and then came back to the stable. She has been working well and eating well. “She had a quiet trial on the synthetic a couple of weeks ago and I am pretty happy with her condition. “We will be a bit wiser after tomorrow (about her liking for the synthetic surface) under raceday conditions, but she pulled up well after she trialled on it, so hopefully she will race well on it.” Bonifleur is rated a $9.50 winning chance with TAB bookmakers for Wednesday’s feature, behind Lhasa ($2.40), and the Ben and Ryan Foote-trained trio of Keegan ($4.40), Ultimate Focus ($5.50), and Kakadu ($8.50). Richards has no firm winter plans with his two-win mare but is eyeing a trip north later this month as her next possible target. “We will take it race-by-race,” he said. “There are a couple of meetings coming up at Ruakaka, where she has won previously.” Richards is also set to line-up last-start synthetic placegetter Xplorer (NZ) (Embellish) and debutant He’s Xtra (Xtravagant) in the Cambridge Equine Hospital 1550. “Xplorer raced well on it a fortnight ago,” Richards said. “He has got a bit of an awkward draw (9), which hopefully he will be able to overcome and get a bit of a sit somewhere. “He’s Xtra trialled on it a fortnight ago and ran third. The horse that won that trial (Super Fly) won their next start at Ellerslie, so the form out of it isn’t too bad. Hopefully he will race well tomorrow.” View the full article

Emily Murphy brings you Winter Weigh In, your place for Thoroughbred racing news, reviews and insights throughout the colder months. It’s been a busy King’s Birthday weekend and the team cover all the action. Winter Weigh In, June 2 View the full article

Pencarrow Stud has celebrated an outstanding achievement with a century of homebred winners for the season. The Sir Peter Vela-owned nursery hit the three-figure mark on Saturday when promising staying mare Dresse’ Par Joli (NZ) (Tavistock) was successful in the closing event on the Wanganui card. “It’s pretty good, considering the size we are, and we had some good quality winners in among the tally,” Stud Manager Leon Casey said. “That includes horses we’ve sold as yearlings and those we have bred and retained to race. “It doesn’t include the Coolmore Syndicate that we just have a small shareholding in.” The stand-out result of the 2024/2025 season thus far has been the success of Super Seth’s son Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington. “That’s a marquee event, the niche in the market if you like is those high quality three-year-old races and that was a Group One event at a major carnival, so it’s got to be the highlight,” Casey said. Out of the unraced O’Reilly mare Corinthia, he was sold on behalf of the farm by Kilgravin Lodge at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale for $160,000 with trainer Dominic Sutton and McKeever Bloodstock signing the ticket. “There’s also six new stakes winners in total in the mix as well, and that’s what you live and die by and been really significant for us,” Casey said. Island Life won the Gr.3 Sunline Vase (2100m), Jay Bee Gee the Gr.3 Merial Mile (1600m) and Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m), Mehzebeen claimed the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m), Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2600m) and Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m), Tavi Time landed the Gr.3 Summer Cup (2000m) and Listed Scone Cup (1600m), while Tomodachi won the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m). “We have been having better and better years since we got our farm at Matamata (Bellwood) established,” Casey said. “We are now preparing and selling yearlings from that farm, the likes of Mehzebeen grew up there and was prepared from there and sold on to her current owners.” The Allan Sharrock-prepared Dresse’ Par Joli had the honour of providing Pencarrow with its 100th winner of the term and was a $150,000 Karaka purchase for her trainer with McKenzie Bloodstock. By Tavistock, she is the first foal of Makfi’s daughter Cote D’Or who won on eight occasions, including success in the Listed Matamata Cup (1600m). “She was a very good mare and won on all types of ground, really high class and she’s got such a great family behind her,” Casey said. Cote D’Or is a half-sister to the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) winner and Gr.1 International Stakes (2000m) runner-up Dolmabache with multiple top-flight winners Darci Brahma and Ethereal featuring on the pedigree page. Pencarrow sold Cote D’Or’s daughter of Hello Youmzain to Cambridge Stud at Karaka 2024 for $300,000 with the unraced juvenile now named Echannay. “We have retained an Almanzor filly and she has got a Proisir filly as well,” Casey said. “She wasn’t bred last season, she was getting a bit late, and she’s not confirmed for this year just yet.” However, Cote D’Or’s three-year-old son Maison Louis immediate future may influence that decision. A $250,000 Karaka buy for Go Racing, the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained Super Seth gelding has won three of his six starts and will run in take two of this weekend’s Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m). “He was due to run in the Derby before its postponement so he’ll go this Saturday, and on that basis, Super Seth might be a highly likely mating again,” Casey said. View the full article

The battle lines for the most eagerly awaited Triple Crown showdown in the last few years were set June 2 as a field of eight was announced for the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–The event that horse racing has been waiting for is here. Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and Journalism (Curlin), the top two finishers in the GI Kentucky Derby, will get their rematch in Saturday's $2-million GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The two heavyweights of the 3-year-old division are the headliners of the 157th running of the Belmont, which will be run for the second straight year at Saratoga while Belmont Park continues its major renovation downstate. A field of eight was entered at Monday's draw, which was held downtown at Universal Preservation Hall. The race, which has a scheduled post time of 7:04 p.m., will be run at 1 1/4 miles. Normally, the Belmont distance is 1 1/2 miles but the track configuration of the track at Saratoga. Journalism, despite losing the Derby by 1 1/2 lengths to Sovereignty, was installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the Belmont by New York Racing Association odds maker David Aragona. Sovereignty is the second choice on the morning line at 2-1. Journalism will be the only horse that competes in all three legs of this year's Triple Crown. Following the Derby, he returned to win the GI Preakness Stakes with a remarkable, improbable finish. After encountering trouble in the stretch, Journalism and jockey Umberto Rispoli squeezed through a narrow hole and ran down the upset-minded Gosger (Nyquist). Journalism will be making his third start in five weeks; Sovereignty has been resting since the Derby. “This is a great race, one that is heavy on talent,” Journalism's trainer Michael McCarthy said. “Only eight horses but three or four that are going to be very, very good. Come years end, I would not be surprised if one of these horses won the Breeders' Cup Classic.” Journalism is owned by Aron Wellman's Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Robert LaPenta, Elayne Stables 5 LLC, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. Journalism was assigned post position seven and will again be ridden by Rispoli. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, after huddling with Sovereignty's owner, Godolphin LLC, decided to skip the Preakness and a chance at a Triple Crown. Sovereignty, who will be ridden by Junior Alvarado for the fifth time in six, drew post position two. Sovereignty has won three of his six starts and has a pair of seconds. The only time he finished off the board was in his first career start, last Aug. 24 at Saratoga when he was fourth. “Every race he has run, he has shown up,” Mott said. “I think everyone would be looking forward to (the Belmont). These are two very good horses.” Although the focus is clearly on the top two, it is not a two-horse race. Baeza (McKinzie) was only a neck behind Journalism in the Kentucky Derby, and he also hasn't raced since the first Saturday in May. Trained by John Shirreffs and owned by C R K Stable and Grandview Equine, Baeza made his graded stakes debut in the GI Santa Anita Derby where he was beaten three quarters of a length by Journalism. The 4-1 third choice on the morning line, Baeza will be reunited with jockey Flavien Prat, who rode him for the first time in the Kentucky Derby and will start from post six. “I hope we are right there,” Shirreffs said with a laugh when asked if he thought his horse should share top billing with the other two. Shirreffs, like every trainer in the race, were not too concerned about post positions with an eight-horse field. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will be looking for his fourth Belmont victory when he saddles 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) on Saturday. Owned by SF Racing Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stable LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan, Rodriguez missed the Kentucky Derby and Preakness because of a foot issue. Rodriguez (6-1 on the morning line) will start from post three. In his last start, he and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith won the G2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct buy 3 1/2 lengths going gate-to-wire. Smith has won the Belmont three times, the latest coming in 2018 with Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy). “This is a nice field,” Baffert, who is flying East Tuesday, said from California. “The break is going to so important, and he has to run his race.” Hill Road (Quality Road) will attempt to become the 10th winner of the GIII Peter Pan Stakes to claim the Belmont. The last horse to do it was Arcangelo (Arrogate), who won both races in 2023. Trained by Chad Brown and owned by Amo Racing USA, Hill Road finished third in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby on Mar. 8. Hill Road came to Brown's barn after a third-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November. After Brown had to scratch Hill Road from the Wood Memorial because the horse came down with a fever and that forced him to miss the Kentucky Derby. “He is a fresh horse, and he is looking for a mile and a quarter,” Brown said. “He seems to be in good position for the Belmont, but he is going to have to step it up.” Hill Road (10-1) will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. for the first time and will leave from the rail. Early last week, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said he would not have a horse in the Belmont. That changed on Sunday when Pletcher, a four-time Belmont winner, announced that he would enter Crudo (Justify) and Uncaged (Curlin). Crudo (15-1) won the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico on Preakness Day in his last start and will start from post position five with Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez, a two-time Belmont winner, in the irons. Crudo is owned by Bobby Flay and James Ventura. Owned by WinStar Farm LLC and Repole Stable, Uncaged (30-1) tries the Belmont after finishing sixth in the Peter Pan. Luis Saez will ride Uncaged for the first time, and they have post position four. Following a fifth-place finish in the Preakness, Heart of Honor (GB) (Honor A.P.) will look to improve on that in the Belmont. Trained by England's Jamie Osborne and ridden by his 23-year-old daughter, Saffie. The Preakness was the first race Heart of Honor, owned by Jim and Claire Limited, missed finishing either first or second in his prior six starts. Five of them were in Dubai. They drew post position eight and are 30-1 on the morning line. The post Belmont Draws Eight; Journalism, Sovereignty to Renew Rivalry appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The battle lines for the most eagerly awaited Triple Crown showdown in the last few years were set June 2 as a field of eight was announced for the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. View the full article

I recently read with great interest Mr. Campbell's Letter to the Editor feeling remorse as to why he did not vote Christophe Clement into the Hall of Fame before Mr. Clement's death. His sentiment reminded me of other instances where all of us in racing just scratch our heads and ask, “How is this possible.” I remember when Hall of Fame voters failed to vote jockey Garrett Gomez into the Hall while he was alive, yet three months after his death he got in. Before his death, Garrett had distinguished himself as one of the greatest race riders of his generation. When he was alive, Garrett won 13 Breeders' Cup races, including the most memorable, when he beat Zenyatta to the finish line in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Additionally, in 2007, he broke Jerry Bailey's stakes record with 76 wins, and he won the earnings title four years in a row at the top of his game. Yet, Hall of Fame voters seem to overlook his greatness and, instead, chose to focus on his faults as a human being. At the end of the day, Garrett didn't get to enjoy what is arguably the greatest accomplishment of his storied career. That day at Saratoga, I was lucky enough to witness one of the finest acts of grace I had ever experienced in the racing game. Javier Castellano, who was inducted on the same day that Garrett was honored, gathered every jockey in the place to honor Garrett and his family. One by one, they stepped off stage, walked down the stage stairs and embraced Garrett's father, Louie. It brought everyone in the place to tears. As I walked out of the Fasig Tipton arena that day, I wondered to myself how could these jockeys have so much respect for Garrett while the voters passed him by for those few years. Many of us in California feel the same sentiment about trainer Chief Stipe O'Neill. Again, what are the Thoroughbred racing voters seeing that we don't see? What are they waiting for to induct him into the Hall? In addition to his two Kentucky Derby wins with I'll Have Another and Nyquist, Chief Stipe has won 65 major stakes races worldwide, including the Japan Cup Dirt and the Godolphin Mile internationally. He is Top 15 all-time in earnings, he has won the Pacific Classic twice, the Hollywood Gold Cup four times, and, if I am not mistaken, he is the only trainer to ever win all three $1-million races in California in the same year. Yet, here we are, waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the Hall of Fame voters to do the right thing. At the end of the day, it is so refreshing to see Mr. Campbell take note of his reasoning and to question why he didn't vote Christophe Clement, a deserving trainer, into the Hall of Fame sooner. Here is hoping the rest of the Hall of Fame voters can take inventory regarding their own voting bias as well. The post Letter to the Editor: STEVE MCPHERSON in response to ‘Passing on Clement Was a HOF Failure’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Junior Alvarado joins the June 2 episode of BloodHorse Monday to discuss Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sovereignty and his budding rivalry with Journalism ahead of the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1). Lance Gasaway recaps Mystik Dan's Blame Stakes (G3) win.View the full article

C R K Stable and Grandview Equine's Baeza (McKinzie) worked over Saratoga's Oklahoma track Monday morning in advance of a start in Saturday's GI Belmont Stakes. With Flavien Prat aboard, the half-brother to Classic winners Mage (Good Magic) and Dornoch (Good Magic) reeled off splits of :24.89, :48.93 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:16.41, according to NYRA clockers. A winner in his third start while going a mile at Santa Anita Feb. 14, the John Shirreffs trainee finished runner-up behind ultimate GI Preakness winner Journalism (Curlin) in the GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 5 before coming home third behind Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and Journalism in the May 5 GI Kentucky Derby. Bred by Grandview Equine, the son of Puca (Big Brown) was a $1.2 million buy at Keeneland September in 2023. The post Baeza Works Ahead of Saturday’s Belmont Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The GI Belmont Stakes, presented by NYRA Bets will return to FOX Sports for its 157th edition, which takes place at Saratoga Race Course June 7. The third jewel in the Triple Crown highlights the Belmont Stakes Festival, which kicks off Friday with six graded stakes–including the GI Ogden Phipps and GI DK Horse Acorn Stakes. Saturday's Belmont Stakes card features seven additional graded stakes, including the GI Metropolitan and GI Woody Stephens. Pro Football Hall of Famer and longtime FOX NFL Sunday analyst Terry Bradshaw will make special appearances as part of FOX Sports' Belmont Stakes coverage. All FOX Sports horse racing coverage can be streamed live on the FOX Sports app and www.FOXSports.com. FRIDAY, JUNE 6 America's Day at the Races – FS2 11:30 AM – 5:00 PM Belmont Stakes Festival Friday – FOX 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM America's Day at the Races – FS1 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM America's Day at the Races – FS2 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM SATURDAY, JUNE 7 America's Day at the Races – FS1 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM Belmont Stakes Festival Saturday – FOX 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM Belmont Day on FOX – FOX 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM America's Day at the Belmont – FS1 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM The Belmont Stakes – FOX 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM America's Day at the Belmont Stakes – FS1 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM America's Day at the Races – FS1 7:30 PM – 8:15 PM The post Coverage of the Belmont Stakes Festival Returns to FOX Sports appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Firenze Fire, a grade 1 winner in the United States now standing in Japan, sired his first winner, Porta Romana, May 27 at Mombetsu Racecourse in Hokkaido. View the full article

Considered one of the top threats to spoil the bid of a champion in her last three grade 1 appearances, Raging Sea will now find the target painted on her back by six rivals June 6 in the $500,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article

Pride Of Jenni's owner Tony Ottobre ahead of Doomben Cup www.racenet.com.au There are two things Tony Ottobre will never do again. Make a snap decision on race day. Or go on social media. Pride Of Jenni's owner admits he made a blue with his emotional announcement that his star horse had been retired when she was eased down in last November's Champions Mile at Flemington after suffering a bleed. "It was just after the race, the (media) microphones came in and people wanted to talk to me and I had already had a bad day," Ottobre said. Whatever the Doomben Cup result, Ottobre won't see the social media light up after the race. He used to enjoy social media, sometimes spicing things up with a "bit of banter" which he believed helped to make racing fun. Ottobre knows he might not be everyone's cup of tea, but says some of the vitriol he copped was beyond the pale. He has banned himself from social media and will never be back on socials. "I'm not a sook or anything, but some of it was getting out of hand," Ottobre said. "If a bloke comes into my golf club and he's an idiot, we don't talk to him. Pride Of Jenni and owner Tony Ottobre after the mare's victory in the Listed Anniversary Vase at Caulfield on May 3. Picture: Scott Barbour / Racing Photos So I was thinking to myself, why would I be on social media, with all the knockers giving it to me? "Some of it was really nasty. "Nobody probably wants to talk to a lot of these people in their real lives, so they go on social media. "Why would I want to get involved in that? "There is also a really sad side to social media, there are kids who have killed themselves because of social media abuse. "I don't know how you monitor it. "These days, I have no idea what is going on with social media and I don't want to know." Vo Rogue, back in the day. Ottobre is about to jet into Brisbane for the Doomben Cup and he will have a special guest with him at the races on Saturday. He has struck up a friendship, largely via text messages, with Vo Rogue's legendary jockey Cyril Small. The similarities between Pride Of Jenni's dashing frontrunning style and that of Small's former star are easy to spot. "We have got Cyril Small with us on Saturday, so that will be great," Ottobre said. Cyril Small. Picture: Portia Large "He has been really into the whole Pride Of Jenni journey, and the way she runs. "He loves how she races and she reminds him of Vo Rogue. "With Pride Of Jenni these days, we will take every run as it comes. "At the moment, we know the horse is happy and she is enjoying what she is doing. "She is a drawcard for a lot of people and if she had stayed in retirement, the members of the public would have missed out on watching a really good horse continue to race. "A lot of people want to see her and take pictures of her and I think that is just great." All of Ottobre and his wife Lynn's horses carry the name ‘Jenni', in honour of their daughter Jennifer who died from a brain tumour in 2015.

Pride Of Jenni owner Tony Ottobre stays quiet on retirement talk www.racenet.com.au Scarred by the keyboard warriors who criticised Pride Of Jenni's second coming, prominent owner Tony Ottobre has vowed to keep his lips sealed when he decides the time is right to retire the champion mare for good. Ottobre made what he admitted was an emotional decision to call time on the triple Group 1 winner's career after she bled when last in the Champions Mile at Flemington in November. But Ottobre changed his mind in the new year and in March, Pride Of Jenni returned with a bang, winning the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield under 61kg. The seven-year-old then flopped in the $2.5m Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington before a 2.25-length victory in the Listed Anniversary Vase (1600m) at Caulfield early this month. She was then sent to Queensland for the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m), won by local hero Antino, but faded badly to finish 10th out of 12 runners. It prompted further questions over whether it was time for Ottobre to again hang up the saddle for the Ciaron Maher-trained mare, but the owner insisted Pride Of Jenni would be the one to make that call, not him. "When she's ready, then we'll retire her. And there won't be any fanfare," said Ottobre, who told Racenet recently that he had banned himself from social media. "One day she just won't turn up to the races and that'll be it. "I've already made an announcement and I tried to apologise to say that ‘look, I did get it wrong' but it was ‘boo-hoo to you Tony, we're still going to give it to you'. "Well it'll be ‘boo-hoo to you guys' because I'm not going to tell them when she's going to retire so it works both ways. "I've always talked the truth but now I just have to clam up a little bit because it's not good for my family. "I don't care, you can bag the s*** out of me but my family – my wife, my son, my grandchildren and my friends – they don't like to see that kind of stuff. "I just can't believe how bad some people are with their thoughts about horses. It's pretty rank." Ottobre said he felt vindicated in bringing Pride Of Jenni, who had won almost $10.5m in prizemoney, back to the racetrack. "Because I mentioned that she was going to retire last year, ever since then everyone's been jumping on my case saying ‘you should retire her'," he said. "Then she won the Peter Young Stakes. She was just outside the course record that was 20 years old and had to carry 61kg. "We did the right thing and people have got to give us some sort of credit for that because we don't retire her just because people say that we should. "We have a judgment call to make and nine times out of 10 we make the right call. "As far as I'm concerned, bringing her back and winning two out of the races she's raced in was vindication enough to say we were on the money." Pride Of Jenni left Brisbane on Monday on a truck bound for Melbourne, where she will enjoy a spell before a likely spring carnival campaign. But just don't mention the R-word to Ottobre because he's had a gutful of the negativity surrounding his champion mare. "They all talk about retiring and age but horses can run up until they're 13," he said. "I'm not saying I'll do that with her but it's no big deal that seven or eight-year-olds keep running. "Chautauqua is the perfect example. He just told everyone that he didn't want to run."

Sheila M. Maloney, who started young horses and worked with older rehabbing horses in Camden South Carolina for decade, passed away at home on May 25 after a long illness. She was 78 years old. Maloney was born on Apr. 26, 1947, to James Woodruff Maloney, Sr. and Elizabeth Hyland Maloney of East Norwich, Long Island, New York. Her father, a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer, was inducted into the National and Aiken Thoroughbred Halls of Fame. Her mother, Lib, was a show rider during the 1930s and was awarded the Alfred B. MaClay Trophy, at the National Horse Show, in Madison Square Garden in 1934. Maloney, who rode both in the show ring and on the racetrack, was predeceased by her parents, her brothers, J. Stewart Maloney and James Woodruff (Woody) Maloney and her sister, Deborah Maloney and friends Jim Hamilton and Bill Wilson. Memorials may be made Kershaw County Humane Society, 128 Black River Rd, Camden, SC, 29020 Fauquier County SPCA, PO Box 733, Warrenton, VA. 20188 Music Maker Foundation, Hillsborough NC. Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel, will oversee arrangements. The post Lifelong Horsewoman Sheila Mary Maloney Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Camille Pissarro's breeder James Cloney has opened up on the emotion surrounding his most famous graduate's success in Sunday's French Derby and joked that he was pushing even harder than jockey Ryan Moore from his County Kilkenny farm. Camille Pissarro hails from Cloney's 'blue hen' Entreat, with the Pivotal mare having already produced Group 1 scorer Golden Horde along with further black-type performers Line Of Departure and Exhort. The feat is made all the more remarkable for the fact that Entreat was sourced for just 14,000gns and Cloney is convinced that her Classic-winning son has the makings of becoming a pretty important stallion prospect at Coolmore Stud upon the completion of his racing career. He said, “He's a bit unique. As a potential stallion for the future, doesn't he tick all of the boxes? He cost over a million pounds as a yearling, he won his maiden in April before going on and winning a Group 1 as a two-year-old. And now he's a Classic winner. I don't think you can get any better than that. And we know he has the looks, too – he's a big, strong horse. It's very exciting.” Famously a Book 1 show-stopper at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2023 when selling to MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 1.25 million gns, Camille Pissarro has gone from strength-to-strength for Aidan O'Brien. His French Derby success came off the back of a solid third-placed effort in the French Guineas, with Cloney convinced that 10 furlongs is the optimum trip for the colt. “There was a bit of jumping and dancing watching the race on Sunday,” he joked. “I think I might have been pushing him as hard as Ryan Moore was pushing him until he crossed the line! It's unbelievable. We were hopeful he'd do it but, when you look down through the racecard, you realise how competitive the race was. The [French] Guineas form came to the fore and I think in the final moments of that race we really saw the class that Aidan O'Brien had been seeing from him at home at Ballydoyle. “He was able to turn a switch and put the race to bed with ease. You'd have to think that there is even more to come from him as the season rolls on. I think you'd have to say that 10 furlongs could be his optimum. He stays well but he also has a sprinter's finish. He is a big-framed horse, so he is really only strengthening and maturing now.” Along with Camille Pissarro and Golden Horde, Cloney and his father-in-law Michael Nolan are responsible for fellow Group 1 winner Dream Of Dreams. Despite working with only a handful of mares, a steady flow of top-notchers has been produced by this Kilkenny stud, which is being rewarded for being plucky rather than lucky. “It's absolutely unbelievable,” Cloney continued. “It's something else to have been able to create this from nothing, I suppose. This farm has produced three Group 1 winners now which is unheard of really. We are fortunate to have produced some very nice stock and hopefully there will be many more good horses, too. It was a dream to be able to put together a farm, then a stud farm and now we are starting to gather some quality mares and be able to go to the stallions we want to. It's remarkable.” He added, “I use a phrase here myself, in that you've got to put yourself into a clickable position. You need to be in a position where something can go right for yourself. That's the amazing thing about this horse business, compared to every other farming enterprise, you achieve amazing results like this by simply putting yourself in a clickable position. Now, it can dramatically go the other way, but you need to be able to give yourself the opportunity. It's a brilliant industry to be involved in.” And, looking ahead to the future, there could be even more to get excited about, with Entreat understood to have a belter of a Justify colt at foot. Cloney concluded, “We have a lovely colt foal by Justify out of the mare. An absolute cracker. There have been a good few calls from all around the world about him. It's an interesting proposition. The mare has just thrown pure class once again. He's a tall, scopey foal and is an exciting prospect. We're open to everything with him. All possibilities are open.” The post ‘I Was Pushing As Hard As Ryan Moore’ – Camille Pissarro’s Breeder On Emotional Success appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nine years after Almanzor dropped a massive hint that Wootton Bassett might just be a decent sire by winning the Prix du Jockey Club comes the next wave for the stallion whose fee has gone from as low as €4,000 to this year's high of €300,000. As has been well documented, Wootton Bassett's current crop of three-year-olds are the result of his first season standing at Coolmore in Ireland after one of the biggest transfer deals of recent years saw him leave Haras d'Etreham, where he had made his name the hard way, as they say. His European champion three-year-old colt Almanzor was among his first crop which numbered just 23. Wooded, Audarya, Unquestionable, Al Riffa, and King Of Steel were among those to follow: sprinters through to middle-distance horses, two-year-olds and up. And now we have a cohort which includes the artistically-themed Henri Matisse and Camille Pissarro, who between them have smuggled the trophies for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey Club out of France and back to Ballydoyle. Could the Oaks yet be added to the 17-year-old stallion's roll of honour by Whirl? Wootton Bassett should have the outsider Tennessee Stud lining up for him in Saturday's Derby, too, while Baden-Baden's G3 Derby Trial was won by the French raider Juwelier, putting him in contention for the G1 Deutsches Derby on July 6. To continue the theme, Almanzor sired the winner of Monday's G2 Derby Italiano, Molveno. The female side of any pedigree is just as important, however, and often more so. With Camille Pissarro's victory on Sunday came the second Classic success in eight days for the family of the Northfields mare Imagining. Best known as the dam of Serena's Song, whose extraordinary racing career featured 10 starts at two, followed by 13 at three and 15 in her final season of racing as a four-year-old. It is almost impossible to imagine a horse trained in America racing that frequently these days, and her race record, which includes 11 Grade I victories, was only the start of her longevity. The daughter of Rahy was also an outstanding producer and she lives on in retirement at the age of 33 at Denali Stud. Serena's Song's trainer D Wayne Lukas is similarly tireless at age 89. But we digress. Plenty of other horses have stamped their names in bold black type across this page in the intervening years, most recently and prominently Field Of Gold in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, and now Camille Pissarro. The former has Imagining as his fourth dam and descends from Serena's Sister, the full-sibling to Serena's Song whose daughter Princess Serena was bought by the Donworths of Roundhill Stud in 2005. Camille Pissarro's female lineage is through Imagining's daughter River Saint (Irish River), a Cheveley Park Stud yearling purchase, also at Keeneland, in 1997. For any smaller breeder in the business, perusing the drafts of the major studs at any breeding stock sale is always worthwhile as purchases can usually be made safe in the knowledge that other members of the family may still be within the broodmare band and helping your new mare, or that there could be further updates to come closer to home. For James Cloney of Clara Stud, it must still be scarcely believable that he was able to buy River Saint's daughter Entreat (Pivotal) from Cheveley Park Stud at the 2016 Tattersalls July Sale for 14,000gns, carrying a foal by Lethal Force. That colt foal became G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Golden Horde, and he was followed by the Listed Cathedral Stakes winner Line Of Departure (Mehmas). Exhort (Dutch Art), too, has further enhanced Entreat's production record with a Listed win in the Cheveley Park Stud livery, but Camille Pissarro, who had already delivered one reward in the form of a 1,250,000gns payday at the yearling sales, is now a very large cherry on top. Family Favourites Cheveley Park Stud has in turn benefited from its purchase from that influential triumvirate of James Hanly, Trevor Stewart and Anthony Stroud, the breeders of the G3 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes winner Estrange. The four-year-old daughter of Night Of Thunder, bought as a yearling for 425,000gns, has raced only four times but looks potentially top class for David O'Meara, who had the conviction and forethought to make an entry for Estrange in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Her dam Alienate (Oasis Dream) was bought by the aforementioned trio from Juddmonte as an unraced three-year-old for 100,000gns. She is not only a half-sister to the St Leger winner Logician (Frankel) but also to Suffused (Champs Elysees), a treble Grade III winner for Bill Mott. Making it a particularly successful weekend for this family, Suffused's daughter Sunly, who, like Estrange, is by Night Of Thunder, streaked to success in the G3 Prix de Royaumont at Chantilly on Sunday to remain unbeaten for Juddmonte and Francis Graffard. Big days ahead of Estrange | Racingfotos Alienate and Suffused are daughters of Scuffle, a Daylami half-sister to the stallions Bated Breath and Cityscape, and whose eight runners are all winners, including five to have garnered black type. One of those who did not, however, was Alienate's 84-rated full-sister Sleep Walk, whose son Nightwalker (Frankel) is one of two planned runners for Juddmonte in the Derby on Saturday along with the supplemented New Ground (New Bay). The game of family favourites could extend yet further in the case of Ruling Court and The Lion In Winter, who are also still firmly in the Derby picture and both emanate from the family of the Hascombe & Valiant Studs matriarch Inchmurrin (Lomond). Winner of the G2 Child Stakes (which has subsequently been upgraded and returned to its original name of the Falmouth Stakes) for Sir Philip Oppenheimer, Inchmurrin, most famously the dam of Inchinor, is the third dam of The Lion In Winter. Having visited Galileo in his first season at stud, Inchmurrin produced the minor winner Inchmahome, who in turn produced The Lion In Winter's dam, the Group 3-placed What A Home (Lope De Vega). In Ruling Court's pedigree, Inchmurrin is a generation farther back. This year's 2,000 Guineas winner is a son of the High Chaparral mare Inchargeofme, whose Listed-winning granddam Incheni was the result of Inchmurrin's visit to Nashwan in 2000. Walker's Wonderful Week Ed Walker will be hoping that his red-hot May turns into flaming June, as the trainer has been mining a rich seam of form of late, with a near-30 per cent strike-rate over the last fortnight. He saddled eight stakes winners throughout May, with three of those coming on Saturday after Almaqam had won the Brigadier Gerard Stakes on Thursday evening. It may pay to have a little each-way on his Oaks runner Qilin Queen. The likeable Ten Bob Tony stuck his flashy head down just in time to beat Kinross in the G3 John of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock not long after Balmoral Lady had burst through on the rail to take the Listed Achilles Stakes. The latter was the second stakes winner in as many weeks for Invincible Army after James's Delight won the previous weekend's G2 Greenlands Stakes. Meanwhile Ten Bob Tony was one of three group winners over the weekend for Night Of Thunder, whose daughter Desert Flower bids for her second Classic victory in Friday's Oaks. Over at York, Walker's third black-type win of the afternoon came in the G3 Bronte Cup with Scenic, who held off last year's winner Term Of Endearment in another head-bobbing finish. Ed Walker and Scenic | Racingfotos A daughter of Lope De Vega, who has a similarly good week with three group winners and the runner-up in the Prix du Jockey Club, Scenic is a lovely broodmare prospect for her owner David Ward. Her dam Galyah (Frankel) was unraced but is a half-sister Walker's Derby fifth English King (Camelot) and to Prudenzia (Dansili), the dam of Group 1 winners Chicquita and Magic Wand. This is also the family of Parachutiste, who ran for Qatar Racing in Sunday's Prix du Jockey Club. It would be hard to find a nicer person in this sport to chat to than Ward, and it is therefore extra pleasing to see his homebred July Cup winner Starman make such a positive early start with his first runners. The son of Dutch Art is leading the way in the freshman sires' table with Group 3 winner Lady Iman and the Group 3-placed Green Sense among his six winners to date. There was also a breakthrough result last week for Yeomanstown Stud's Supremacy when his daughter Anthelia claimed the third win of her fledgling career in the Listed National Stakes at Sandown. The filly's trainer Rod Millman picked her up from the Yeomanstown Stud draft at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale for £6,000 and she looks very well bought indeed. Having made her debut in the colours of the trainer's wife Louise, Anthelia is now raced by her in partnership with Middleham Park Racing. Whichever way you look, you find Tally-Ho Stud somewhere behind the season's leading first-season sires. The stud is home to Starman, and also to Mehmas and Kodiac, the sires respectively of Supremacy, Ubettabelieveit and Nando Parrado. The last named, who stands at the Irish National Stud, has also made an encouraging start and, like Starman, now has six winners to his credit from 18 runners. A Cross That Works It is staggering to think that it is almost 20 years since Rising Cross chased home Alexandrova to be second in the Oaks. Boy, she was tough. She was also tiny, and was out racing as a two-year-old in the April of her debut season, running 11 times that year for three wins. Back she came for a busy campaign at three, with Rising Cross making four starts before the Oaks, including dead-heating to win the Lupe Stakes at Goodwood. Thereafter she was eighth in the Oaks d'Italia, third in the Irish Oaks and won the G2 Park Hill Stakes in her 11 three-year-old outings before returning for another 10 starts at four. Eventually Rising Cross ended up as part of Katsumi Yoshida's empire at Northern Farm alongside her contemporary Donna Blini. The pair had met before when second and fifth in the Hilary Needler Trophy, and from Beverley their paths crossed again in Hokkaido, where they have each made a named for themselves as broodmares. Donna Blini is famously the dam of former Japanese Horse of the Year Gentildonna, among others, and now Rising Cross has her own Classic winner in Sunday's Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) winner Croix Du Nord. The dark brown colt, who was also runner-up in the Satsuki Sho (2,000 Guineas), shares his sire Kitasan Black with the great Equinox, who could manage only second in the Japanese Derby to Do Deuce. It is also worth reflecting that Rising Cross was clearly highly effective at 1m4f and won at 1m6f, while Kitasan Black, himself a Japan Cup winner, also scored at the highest level over 2m in the Tenno Sho (Spring) and won the Japanese St Leger. He would probably have been consigned to a National Hunt stud here, but instead is one of the most prized stallions in Japan, commanding the co-highest fee, with his son Equinox, on the Shadai roster in 2025. Rising Cross's sire Cape Cross must surely take come credit, too. His impressive record as a broodmare sire includes not just the latest Japanese Derby winner but two winners at Epsom – Australia and Masar – as well as the Irish Derby winner Santiago (not to mention the fact that he is also the sire of Derby winners Sea The Stars and Golden Horn, and grandsire of another, Harzand, as well as Oaks winner Taghrooda). Furthermore, the Group 1 winners Tarnawa, Tahiyra, Lucky Vega, Laurens, Emaraaty Ana, Thundering Nights, and Serious Attitude are all out of Cape Cross mares. The latter also ended up in Japan where her son Stiffelio (Stay Gold) was beaten a nose in the G1 Tenno Sho. The post Seven Days: It’s a Family Affair in the Classics appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Coolmore's superstar St Mark's Basilica was the latest first-season sire off the mark on Monday when his son Rogue Supremacy scored on debut at Wetherby. Well-touted before the opening 5 1/2-furlong maiden, the David O'Meara-trained £160,000 Goffs UK Breeze Up graduate established an early lead and never looked back. Showing enthusiasm throughout for Danny Tudhope, the 8-13 favourite hit the line with 2 1/4 lengths to spare over A'Ali's Vlad. £160,000 buy Rogue Supremacy makes a taking debut @WetherbyRaces pic.twitter.com/KUfDOKWDqD — Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 2, 2025 The post Rogue Supremacy Gives St Mark’s Basilica His First Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Firenze Fire, a grade 1 winner in the United States now standing in Japan, sired his first winner, Porta Romana May 27 at Mombetsu Racecourse in Hokkaido. View the full article

A schedule of racing programs on radio and TV compiled by America's Best Racing.View the full article