Wandering Eyes

The Goffs QIPCO British Champions Day Sale returns to Ascot Racecourse on Saturday, with a pair of promising two-year-olds set to go under the hammer before the richest day in the British racing calendar gets underway. Opening Saturday's sale is the Showcasing colt Generous Rascal (lot 1), who broke his maiden on his second and most recent start at Kempton earlier this month. A half-brother to Juddmonte's G1 Dewhurst Stakes and G1 2,000 Guineas hero Chaldean (Frankel), who now stands as a stallion at Banstead Manor Stud, Generous Rascal will be sold by trainer Oliver Cole's Whatcombe Racing with an entry in the Listed Criterium de Vitesse at Deauville. The filly Birdcall (lot 2) follows, an impressive four-length winner on her recent debut at Nottingham. Consigned by Ollie Sangster Racing, the daughter of in-form sire Night Of Thunder hails from the family of Group 1 winners such as Dream Of Dreams, Airwave, Churchill and Clemmie. She will be sold with an entry in the Listed Bosra Sham Stakes at Newmarket. Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby said, “The Goffs QIPCO British Champions Day Sale hit the headlines when selling Rogue Lightning for £1,000,000 in 2023 and it's wonderful to partner with Ascot Racecourse again as part of Britain's richest race day. “This sale is very much in keeping with the 'right time, right place' ethos of our hugely successful Goffs London Sale which has been the curtain raiser to Royal Ascot for over a decade and has offered many top-class horses over the years including current recent Group 1 winners Woodshauna, Lazzat and Red Lion. “Generous Rascal and Birdcall are both London Sale calibre horses as they have a huge amount of potential, and we look forward to selling them before racing from Ascot's iconic winners' podium.” Both horses will be offered with 5% agent's commission and have been vetted. Veterinary Certificates are available to view online, along with conformation photos and videos. The post Pair of Promising Juvenile Winners to be Offered at Goffs QIPCO British Champions Day Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

TATTERSALLS, ENGLAND – The young pinhookers behind the 450,000gns Minzaal filly that lit up Book 2 will face an interesting proposition when they return to school on Tuesday given the teenagers each walked out of Tattersalls on Monday with more money than their teachers will earn in a year. Fionn White (16) and brothers Jack (17) and Max Galway (13), whose father Richie is racing manager at Punchestown and son-in-law of Jessica Harrington, will do well to ignore sales catalogues for school books from this day on given the three whippersnappers turned their €85,000 investment into more than €500,000 at the current exchange rate. There are some things you can't learn in a classroom and for White, who operates under Clunemore Lodge Stud, this was not his first rodeo given he sold a Gleneagles colt for 230,000gns at this sale last year. He has sourced the colt for just €36,000 as a foal. In the case of lot 668, who was knocked down to Karl Burke for 450,000gns, the Baroda Stud-drafted Minzaal filly benefited from a major pedigree update given the sister, Saratoga Special (Mehmas), won a Listed race for trainer Jessica Harrington. Shortly after the hammer fell, Harrington's daughter and assistant trainer Kate joked that, 'There was more pressure on Saratoga Special than any other horse in the yard this year!' However, while White might only be 16, he doesn't do pressure and took the life-changing sum in his stride. “[I] didn't expect it all,” he cooly said. “[I] can't get over it – can't even put it into words. Jack, Max and I went around the foal sales together. Jack and Max had to go back to school but, because I was in transition year, I had the year off and spent that with Baroda Stud. I really liked her as a foal so I followed her in. I rang Richard to ask him how Saratoga Special was getting on and he told me that she was very nice and would win this year. Saratoga Special won a Listed race – it always helps, doesn't it?” Asked if he felt any emotion as the bidding climbed, White added, “The sweat was pumping out of me. I can't really put it into words. We're going back to school tomorrow. Last year I had a Gleneagles that made 230,000gns and I bought him for €36,000 so that was nice as well.” Saratoga Special won a Listed contest over the minimum trip at Ayr back in June. The dam, Chiclet (Dandy Man), was similarly speedy and reached a rating of 100 for trainer Tracey Collins. She has produced another highly-rated runner in Turn On The Jets (Mehmas) and Burke was not going to get beaten on the latest offering from the mare. He said, “She is lovely sort – vetted well and I am delighted to get her. We have bought a couple by the sire and a few months back now Jim Cowley, who used to ride Minzaal, said that he was a lovely, laid-back horse and recommended the progeny to us. I have been impressed by them. She has been bought for an owner in the yard. I did not think that she would get to that amount. It is a lot of money – hopefully she can run!” The post You Won’t Learn That At School! – Teenage Pinhookers Make Half-A-Million At Tattersalls appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Group 1-winning juvenile and Classic hero Camille Pissarro will stand at Coolmore Stud in Fethard, Ireland for the 2026 breeding season, following in the footsteps of his late sire, Wootton Bassett. Bred by James Cloney, Camille Pissarro was bought by MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 1,250,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. A half-brother to the G1 Commonwealth Cup-winning sire Golden Horde (Lethal Force), he ran seven times as a two-year-old and saved his best performance for last when emulating Wootton Bassett with his victory in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc weekend. He also filled the runner-up spot on three occasions, including when beaten just a head by this year's G1 Flying Five Stakes winner Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev) in the G3 Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh. Returning in March this year with another runner-up finish in the Listed Gladness Stakes at the last-named venue, Camille Pissarro then returned to ParisLongchamp for the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains where he finished third behind stablemate Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett), before justifying favouritism with a comfortable success in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly. Last seen finishing fourth in July's G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, he was retired shortly afterwards due to a fissure fracture which was found in his fetlock. The Group 1 scorers Camille Pissarro and Golden Horde feature among eight winners from nine runners out of the winning Pivotal mare Entreat, with the others including the Listed Cathedral Stakes victor Line Of Departure (Mehmas) and the Listed Pipalong Stakes heroine Exhort (Dutch Art). Entreat, in turn, is out of the Irish River mare River Saint, a half-sister to the legendary Serena's Song (Rahy), who won 11 Grade I races in America and was an outstanding producer in her own right. Coolmore's David O'Loughlin said, “Camille Pissarro is a huge addition to our roster. Wootton Bassett is obviously a tremendous loss for us all, but we can be very confident that Camille Pissarro will follow in his father's footsteps. He is made very much in his father's image, arguably even better looking, according to a lot of the judges! Like his father, he won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere but went on to add the renowned sire-making Prix du Jockey Club. He has a pedigree stacked with Group 1-speed but managed to carry that speed over 10 and a half furlongs.” Camille Pissarro's stud fee for 2026 will be announced in due course. The post Prix du Jockey Club Winner Camille Pissarro Retired to Coolmore Stud for 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Mike Campbell's gut told him he would follow the lead of his grandfather and father by becoming a trainer. The former jockey never anticipated the awful turn that would lead him to that second career and, now, a second trip to the Breeders' Cup.View the full article

QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday is set to feature four of the top ten horses in the world, with Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), Field Of Gold (Kingman), Delacroix (Dubawi) and Calandagan (Gleneagles) headlining the confirmations for the five Group 1 races made on Monday. The £1.3m QIPCO Champion Stakes looks like being one of the races of the year, with the world's top-rated horse, Ombudsman, leading 15 confirmations for the 10-furlong contest. The Godolphin-owned four-year-old's ongoing rivalry with Coolmore's Delacroix will be settled at Ascot on Saturday with the Aidan O'Brien-trained three-year-old also confirmed for the race – the series between the two currently stands at 1-1. This year's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Calandagan, who was second in this race in 2024, will bid to go one better this year, meaning that this year's QIPCO Champion Stakes will feature three of the eight best turf horses in the world, according to the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings. Meanwhile, Economics (Night Of Thunder) will have his first run of the season in Saturday's showpiece, having last been seen in this contest last year, where he finished a close-up sixth. The two supplementary entries for the race are Devil's Advocate (Too Darn Hot) for Godolphin and John and Thady Gosden, an intended pacemaker for Ombudsman, and First Look (Lope De Vega), the Andre Fabre-trained four-year-old who won the G2 Prix Dollar on Arc weekend. Field Of Gold, the world's joint-second best horse, will make his long-awaited reappearance in the £1.1m Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO), which sees 17 confirmed for the one-mile contest. John and Thady Gosden's Juddmonte-owned colt has been given time to recover after being found to be lame following the G1 Sussex Stakes where he finished fourth. The three-year-old had previously looked like a superstar when steaking away from his rivals in the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh and G1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. Fallen Angel (Too Darn Hot) steps back into open company for the first time since May, having rattled off three consecutive Group 1 wins against her own sex. Rosallion (Blue Point) has finished runner-up in three Group 1 contests this year, each time by a neck or less, and will bid to add to his impressive Ascot record, as will Docklands (Massaat), who has finished first or second six times in seven starts in Berkshire, including when beating Rosallion in this year's G1 Queen Anne Stakes. Andrew Balding's Marvelman (Invincible Spirit) has been supplemented for the race, having impressively won the G2 Park Stakes at Doncaster last time. The £500,000 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes sees 21 confirmed, including last year's winner Kind Of Blue (Blue Point). Wathnan Racing hold a strong hand in the race with Lazzat (Territories), this year's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner, and Flora Of Bermuda (Dark Angel), third in this race last year, also confirmed. Course-and-distance winner Big Mojo (Mohaather), who took the Haydock Sprint Cup last time, and No Half Measures (Cable Bay), who sprung a surprise when winning Newmarket's July Cup, will look to add more Group 1 glory to their CVs, as will the eight-year-old Art Power (Dark Angel), who won this race in 2023 and proved age is just a number when taking a Group 3 at the Curragh last month. George Boughey's Rosy Affair (Havana Grey) and Francis-Henri Graffard's Rayevka (Blue Point) have been supplemented for the race. The £500,000 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes could also see last year's heroine look to defend their crown. Kalpana (Study Of Man), who finished seventh in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe earlier this month, is among 13 confirmed for the race, along with Estrange (Night Of Thunder), who was an intended runner in the Arc but suffered a late setback, and Waardah (Postponed), who proved too strong for Danielle (Cracksman) in the G2 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood at the start of August. Francis-Henri Graffard has confirmed Latakia (Frankel), a Group 2 winner at Deauville in August, and Quisisana (Le Havre), who won the G1 Prix Jean Romanet at the same meeting. Wathnan Racing's One Look (Gleneagles), trained by Paddy Twomey, is a supplementary entry. Trawlerman (Golden Horn) will look to cap a dominant season in the staying division with a second success in the £500,000 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup, which sees six confirmed as it is run as a Group 1 for the first time. John and Thady Gosden's seven-year-old won this race in 2023, before finishing second behind Kyprios in 2024, and this year he has looked better than ever in registering three consecutive victories, notably winning the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. The Gosden team also send out Sweet William (Sea The Stars), successful in the G2 Doncaster Cup last month, while Al Qareem (Awtaad) makes a quick return to Ascot having become the first ever three-time winner of the G3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes earlier in October. Aidan O'Brien has supplemented G1 St Leger third Stay True (Galileo). For the first time ever there will be seven races on QIPCO British Champions Day with a new two-year-old race kicking off proceedings. The £250,000 QIPCO British Champions Day Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes sees 19 entered, including the G2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Words Of Truth (Lope De Vega) and G1 Middle Park Stakes runner-up Brussels (Wootton Bassett). The card will close as always with the £200,000 Balmoral Handicap, which will have a maximum field of 20 with three reserves. Following Monday's confirmation stage, 46 horses remain in contention, including ante-post market leaders Native Warrior (Wootton Bassett) and Crown Of Oaks (Wootton Bassett). Regarding track conditions for QIPCO British Champions Day, Chris Stickels, clerk of the course at Ascot, said, “As of Monday morning we've got good ground on the straight course and we're good, good to soft in places on the round course. We're not expecting much rain through the week, with just a few light showers in the forecast, so I'd expect that we will be racing on a mixture of good and good to firm ground on Saturday.” The post World’s Best Confirmed for QIPCO British Champions Day Blockbuster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Modest to a fault, breeder and former chairman of the Breeders' Cup Fred Hertrich likes to talk about how lucky he has been. “I've been very fortunate, very lucky,” he said. He also said, “If you're not lucky, things won't fall your way in this business.” Perhaps. But there's a lot more to it than that. Luck is not the reason Hertrich became the youngest Ford dealer in the United States, forming Frederick Ford Mercury in Seaford, Delaware. Today, he is the President of the Hertrich Family of Automobile Dealerships, representing 23 automotive dealerships, 13 collision centers and a long-term leasing company, ranking them in the top 50 privately owned retail automobile groups in North America. Luck is not the reason that Hertrich and his partners have bred numerous stakes winners, including 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) and such standouts as GI Hopeful Stakes winner Boys At Tosconova (Officer) and GI Travers Stakes winner Catholic Boy (More Than Ready) or European champion Shamardal (Giant's Causeway). Luck is not the reason he was chosen to be the Chairman of the Board of the Breeders' Cup from 2017 to 2021. Then, just what is his secret sauce? It starts with attention to detail. “I attribute our success to our staff and how we raise the horses and how we get them from Point A to Point B,” he said. “People ask how do we do it. There are so many things, but it starts with luck. Then you have to have the staff. Somebody asked me once, 'What does it take to make a good horse?' and I said that, 'Believe it or not, it probably takes 60 different people who have had something to do with the success of that horse.' So many horses don't get that opportunity because they don't have those 60 people working with the horse. There might be a horse someone paid a couple million dollars for and because the groom isn't paying attention the horse falls over backwards and breaks its neck. It's so labor intensive to get that animal to the gate where it performs. It takes all of that. It's such a game of inches and fifths of a second that just can't miss anything. The devil is in the details in raising a horse and getting that horse to reach its full potential. It is a really difficult task that not many people have an understanding of.” Long before he got into Thoroughbred racing, Hertrich was in the Standardbred game and always made sure that he surrounded himself with knowledgeable, reliable people. While he was ensconced in the Standardbred business, he didn't give much thought to the Thoroughbred game. That changed overnight. Hertrich was at a Standardbred sale in Lexington with his then-partner Dr. Phil McCarthy when McCarthy suggested they head down the road and check out a Thoroughbred sale. Hertrich didn't think he had anything to lose. “Doc said we ought to go to the Thoroughbred breeding stock sale,” Hertrich said. “So we put together a partnership that included [prominent Standardbred owner] the late Lou Guida. Lou and Phil had been friends for years. Lou came in for 25% of the partnership to buy Thoroughbred broodmares. A gentleman named Ben Walden, Jr. of the Walden family, which has been in the business for 50 years, joined us. His father really educated me at that sale about buying Thoroughbreds. We all had 25% and we spent a couple of million dollars and bought mares in what turned out to be a very down market. My entire life, I've been very lucky and was lucky to put that partnership together.” Hertrich, who owns Watercress Farm near Paris, Kentucky, was still somewhat of a greenhorn when it came to Thoroughbreds, so he reached out to some of the smartest people in the industry. “I found the farm and I bought it,” he said. “When I bought the farm, Dr. McCarthy had just returned from working in Europe for two years and he came out and looked at the farm. We also had Joe Taylor, the father of the Taylor Made sons, come out and look at it with me and tell me all about the soil maps that he thought were the best anywhere in Bourbon County or the surrounding area. I didn't know anything about soil maps.” He likes to call himself a trader more so than a breeder. He doesn't just sell yearlings or 2-year-olds, but will sell anywhere where he thinks he can get the price he is looking for. It's the same when he decides he needs to add to his broodmare band. “The process starts once that foal is born and then we decide how we are going to market that foal,” he said. “We could sell it as a weanling, we could sell it as a yearling, we could sell it at 2-year-old-in-training sale. Or we could race it. The great thing about the industry to me is there is always a market. If you decide you want to sell a horse, you can usually do it within the next 30 days. For a trader, which is what we truly are, that's very enticing because we always know we can go to a market or find another mare in another market. It's kind of been our mantra that we participate at all levels because I think you really have to. If you are going to be one-dimensional, then you are at the mercy of the market on that particular day. That's kind of what makes the Standardbred business difficult, as you don't have those multiple markets like you have with the Thoroughbreds. The market is always moving and you can't really know until you get there what that market is going to be.” Hertrich took on a new partner in John Fielding before McCarthy passed away. The two hit it off right from the start. “John came in while Dr. McCarthy was still alive,” Hertrich said. “We've been friends for probably 25-odd years and John likes to tell people we've been partners for that long and have never had a cross word. That is true. We met at a Standardbred sale in Toronto at Woodbine Racetrack. I probably shouldn't say this, but at end of sale, we got a case of Labatts beer and sat on a couple of hay bales and, by the time we left, we were best friends.” Hertrich said he has about 100 mares at Watercress, but would like to get down to 80 or 90. But planning the matings for even 80 horses is a monumental task. He knows he couldn't get it down without the help of his right-hand man, Rob Tribbett. “I met Rob when he was cleaning stalls for his father, who trained for me,” Hertrich said. “He was the assistant racing secretary at Ocean Downs right out of college. He didn't like that and said to me, 'Fred I'd like to come to work with you. I just want to learn different things. I'll do it for free.' He's been with me ever since. He's a big piece of the puzzle that goes into the work that has to be done to decide on your matings. We are mating some 100 mares. We also own stallion shares, but you have to go to the market and buy some breedings, as well. Then we sit down and put it all together based on what we know about the mare and what we know about the stallion. All the conformation information. All the information like that cross has been bred 50 times and has never worked, so we're not going to go there. “There's an awful lot of effort and time that goes into it,” he said. “You think you're brilliant when you figure out the puzzle and then you think how dumb you are when you don't. You know the stallion and you know the mare and then the foal comes out and it doesn't look anything like you thought it was going to look. On the other hand, you worry about a mare because she has a conformation defect and she might throw the perfect horse. In all honesty, the guy with the most money does not always win.” Rushing Fall | Sarah Andrew Of all the top horses he has bred, Hertrich said Rushing Fall is his favorite. Her record includes a win in the 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. “Your first memory is always the best,” he said. “That was Rushing Fall. We sold her to a good friend in Bobby Edwards. And she turned out to be a Grade I horse right about the time when I first came in as the Chairman of the Board of the Breeders' Cup. We were at the Breeders' Cup and watched her win. That built us up, making us think we could do this every year. The owners of that horse are very good friends and so is the trainer, Chad Brown. It was very exciting for us to win at that level. As incoming chairman, I even got to present the trophy to them.” He owns shares in several top sires. “We own shares at every major farm that sells shares,” he said. “We don't own any at Coolmore or Spendthrift because they don't sell shares. We have shares of stallions at WinStar, Lane's End, Hill 'n' Dale, Claiborne and Gainesway. Hertrich is in the process of getting out of the Standardbred game, which will give him more time and more money to devote to his Thoroughbred breeding operation. He would like nothing more than to own a Breeders' Cup winner, but because Hertrich and Fielding never have many horses in training, that's not likely to happen. But you never know. They'll just have to get lucky. They have before. The post Keeneland Breeder Spotlight: Sustained Excellence, How Fred Hertrich Has Stayed on Top appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Multiple graded stakes winner Arzak (Not This Time–Delightful Melody, by Tapit) has been purchased by Amsterdam Two Farm in Middleburgh, New York, where he will retire to stud for a fee of $6,000, with special consideration to approved mares. A $575,000 OBS Spring 2-year-old in 2020, Arzak won the 2023 GII Woodford Stakes and 2024 GII Shakertown Stakes on the grass at Keeneland and he was also runner-up behind Cogburn (Not This Time) in the 2024 GI Jaipur Stakes. He won the 2022 GIII Jacques Cartier Stakes and Thorncliffe Stakes–where he set a new track record of 1:02.62 for 5 1/2 furlongs–on the Tapeta at Woodbine, and the 2021 Tom Ridge Stakes at Presque Isle Downs. On the board in 16 of 36 starts, Arzak won eight times and earned $1,081,294 while racing in the colors of Marc Tacher's Sonata Stable for trainer Michael Trombetta. “This horse was so sound and so willing–I never had a moment's problem with him,” Trombetta said. “Arzak was as clean-legged on retirement as the day he came to the barn. And I think, based on his sire's accomplishments and Arzak's own win going a mile at Tampa Bay in his third career start, his offspring will be well-suited to most distances offered at the new Belmont Park.” Ken Williams, manager of Amsterdam Two, added, “Physically, Arzak is an absolute rocket ship. He's 16.2 hands, with tremendous bone, a powerful build and an absolutely monster walk–and he's got arguably the three most important qualities sought by New York breeders: speed, soundness and precocity. We knew we needed a special horse to launch Amsterdam Two's stallion operation, and Arzak fits that description to a tee.” Bloodstock agent Michael Slezak brokered the deal to bring Arzak to New York and will stay involved to help Amsterdam Two sell shares and seasons. Amsterdam Two has built a state-of-the-art stallion barn and will be offering an open house after Thanksgiving. The post Millionaire Arzak Retired to Stud at New York’s Amsterdam Two Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

European champion two-year-old Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega) has been retired from racing and will take up stud duties at Kildangan Stud in Ireland next year. A stud fee will be announced at a later date. Trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin, Shadow Of Light joins the Darley roster as a dual Group 1 winner, having become only the third two-year-old since the Pattern began to win both the Middle Park Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes. Beaten just once in five starts that season, when filling the runner-up spot in the G2 Gimcrack Stakes at York, he followed that effort with a four-length success in the Middle Park, before returning to Newmarket just two weeks later to win the Dewhurst by a neck. Though unable to add to those Group 1 spoils in four starts as a three-year-old, Shadow Of Light proved himself at least as good as ever when beginning the campaign with a close-up third in the 2,000 Guineas. He was also fourth in a blanket finish to the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville, with just half a length separating him from the winner. Godolphin homebred Shadow Of Light is out of the G1 Fillies' Mile and G3 Sweet Solera Stakes third Winter's Moon (New Approach), whose first foal, Earthlight (Shamardal), has stood the past five seasons at Kildangan Stud. He too was a dual Group 1-winning juvenile, having completed the Prix Morny/Middle Park double in 2019. Winter's Moon is also the dam of this year's GI Summer Stakes and G2 Superlative Stakes placegetter Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot), while Shadow Of Light's second dam, the G3 Prix des Reservoirs winner and G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Summertime Legacy (Darshaan), has produced seven other winners. They include the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud hero Mandean (Manduro) and G1 Prix Saint-Alary scorer Wavering (Refuse To Bend), while another daughter, the unraced Hurricane Irene (Green Desert), is the second dam of this year's G1 Prix Morny winner Venetian Sun (Starman). Sam Bullard, Darley's director of stallions, said, “Shadow Of Light hails from an extraordinary family packed with precocious Group 1 performers and his own record at two is simply outstanding. We are very excited to show him to breeders in the coming weeks.” The post Champion Juvenile Shadow Of Light Joins the Darley Roster for 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

New Zealand sourced runners were to the fore at Sha Tin on Sunday with six winners from the ten races. Sky Heart (NZ) (Ardrossan) landed the fourth win of his 13-start career when fighting bravely to score in a Class 3 over 1400m. The Caspar Fownes-trained five-year-old overcame barrier 13 to win by a nose under Ellis Wong for the Kwan family after being sidelined for the best part of six months. “He’s a good horse and we’ve always had a very high opinion of him, but he’s just had umpteen problems,” Fownes said. “He had colic surgery and he was out for a while but we’ve given him a really good prep and we were just gutted when we saw the draw. But we just pressed on and relied on his fitness and you can see he’s a good horse because he really stuck his neck out.” Fownes had earlier saddled Daily Trophy (NZ) (Tarzino) to win a Class 4 over 1200m. Jamie Richards continued his good early-season form when $1.20 favourite Jubilant Winner (Capitalist) notched a workmanlike victory in a Class 4 over 1200m. A son of Capitalist, Jubilant Winner was a trial winner in New Zealand at Te Rapa for Richards father Paul and is now a two-time winner in Hong Kong. See video below for a full review of the New Zealand success at Sha Tin. View the full article

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Jamie Richards looks to continue his strong start to the campaign with his aptly named La Forza in the Class Three Hok Yuen Handicap (1,200m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The 36-year-old endured a frustrating campaign last season but has quickly put that in the dust, racing to seven successes and unleashing some smart winners along the way. “We had a shocker last season, but I’m very pleased with how things have kicked off this time around. Long may it continue,” said Richards. A...View the full article

French jockey Corentin Berge had to wait longer than anticipated to partner Sicillian at the races, but he made that opportunity count at Arawa Park on Sunday, earning his first win on New Zealand soil. Berge arrived in New Zealand last month and had five raceday rides prior to the Arawa Park Hotel Rotorua (1400m), a take two aboard the Wexford-trained mare having been scheduled to ride her at Matamata last Saturday before the late abandonment. He retained the ride for the following weekend and had confidence that she could produce a winning result, having shown promise as a three-year-old and resuming in Rating 65 company. Sicillian only stepped fairly from the gates and Berge pressed on to find cover off the rail in midfield, while Beetlegeuse ensured a solid tempo up-front. That pace played into the hands of Sicillian, who ranged up at the top of the straight and comfortably ran down the favourite Sweetazme, kicking clear by 1 – ¼ lengths to Sneak Peek and Live On Air. “I was pretty confident in this filly, I’d ridden her at the trials two or three weeks ago and was supposed to ride her in the last meeting at Matamata before it was called off,” Berge said. “I thought she could be my first winner so it’s really nice to get that done. “I didn’t have any clear instructions, her trainers (Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott) gave me a free card, but she probably started a bit slower than I expected. In saying that, we didn’t end up too far from the leader and it all worked out well.” Originally from Toulouse, Berge rode 86 winners in his homeland before seeking further opportunities in Germany where he added another six wins to his tally, including success at Listed and Group Two level. Now plying his trade in Matamata, Berge is working for Te Akau Racing, having been in contact through a French association with Cambridge Stud. “I’m from Toulouse, I started my apprenticeship in the southwest of France before going to Chantilly, which is the main place for horse racing,” he said. “After I lost my claim, I moved to ride a bit in Germany for a couple of months, but it wasn’t all exactly as I’d expected, so I decided to come over to New Zealand. “I was looking for a country not only for racing, but also for a nice lifestyle and opportunity for international jockeys. I think New Zealand was a good fit for that and it’s going well so far. “There wasn’t a real connection between France and New Zealand, but I was lucky because a French trainer, Nicholas Clement, trained for Cambridge Stud a few years ago so he got in contact with them, which led me to Te Akau. “Te Akau have given me a few trial rides over the last few weeks and are really open to giving me the opportunity to ride for other stables in the mornings, so I try to ride for Wexford, Pam Gerard and Graham Richardson as well.” Berge is enjoying his new surroundings in the Waikato, while adjusting to a different pattern of racing than what he is accustomed to at home. “I arrived last month and it’s a nice country, I’ve ridden on four racecourses and the facilities are nice for the horses,” he said. “The races here are quite different. In a typical French race we start slow and the last 400m is very quick, but here, the races have a stronger pace throughout.” Berge is available to be booked for rides through his agent Ted McLachlan (021 147 7378). View the full article

After a couple of unlucky runs in big races this season, Antipodean (NZ) (Derryn) turned his fortunes around at Selangor on Sunday with a deserved victory in the RM300,000 NZB Ready to Run Sale Championship (1400m). Antipodean was bought for $23,000 by trainer Simon Dunderdale from Regal Farm’s draft at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka. The star five-year-old has now had 20 starts for 12 wins and six placings, including a perfect six-from-six record over 1400 metres. Previously the winner of last year’s RM200,000 Selangor Gold Cup (1600m) and RM100,000 Supreme Challenge Cup (1400m), little had gone right for Antipodean in his recent runs. He had a tough wide run when third in the Selangor Mile (1600m), then was significantly hampered by a fallen horse on his way to a fourth placing when he tried to defend his Selangor Gold Cup title. But it was a different story on Sunday. Jockey Bernardo Pinheiro took up a handier position this time on Antipodean, settling fifth in the run. All eyes went towards the outside at the home turn as Antipodean and Duma (NZ) (Too Darn Hot) began to launch their runs. That pair swept to the front together and went clear to fight out the finish, with Antipodean winning by half a length. The third-placed Rocky Bhai (Microphone) finished four and a half lengths behind the first two with favourite Lucky Magic (NZ) (Mendelssohn) finishing just outside of the placings after enduring a wide passage throughout. “When the rain came, I had to change tact,” Pinheiro said. Winning connections of Antipodean following the Antipodean gets the better of Duma in the NZB Ready to Run Sale Championship Photo: supplied “He has been coming home strongly but not winning with 59 kilograms on his back. On the wet track, if I had held him back early, he would be charging home as usual but might be too late. Hence I decided to urge him on early and place him in a more handy position. “Once I placed him where I wanted to be, I got him to relax and waited for the straight to mount my challenge. This horse has got such a big heart.” Winning trainer Simon Dunderdale was delighted to see a change in Antipodean’s fortunes. “He was always drawn wide, and added to that he was either forced to race wide or was interfered with in the running,” he said. “Today he had the luck in the running and showed everyone what he is really capable of.” The expat Kiwi trainer enjoyed a successful day, having sent out Capetian (NZ) (US Navy Flag) to win the NZB Ready To Run Progressive (1200m), with graduates coming from last year’s edition of the sale. The three-year-old is out of Indomitable, making him a half-brother to multiple Group One winner and sire Turn Me Loose. He was purchased for $70,000 from the draft of Prima Park by Dunderdale and the late Joe Yorke. The 2025 edition of the Ready to Run Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 10am (NZT) on Wednesday 12 & Thursday 13 November. Breeze Ups will be held at Te Rapa Racecourse on Monday 20 & Tuesday 21 October. View the full article

Plenty of drama has surrounded Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) ahead of Saturday’s A$20 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick, but trainer David Hayes assures everything is fine with the Kiwi-bred sprinting sensation. “I got a call yesterday (Sunday) at lunchtime from JD, my son, and Gareth Hall (racing broadcaster) had rung him and said his twitter account had been hacked and sent out some false information, which basically had him scratched, lame in behind and not eating,” Hayes said. “That’s not the horse I have been training anyway. “The phone went into meltdown for about six hours, but to use a Donald Trumpism, it’s fake news.” Ka Ying Rising put any doubts to bed following his trackwork gallop at Canterbury on Monday, where he pleased Hayes with his hit-out. “We are really happy with him,” Hayes said. “He just went out on the beautiful Canterbury track this morning and ran home in 38 under a nice hold, and his recovery was excellent.” The son of Shamexpress finished third in his 1000m trial at Randwick last week and Hayes said he has benefited a lot from that run. “I think he has really improved from that trial. The idea of the trial was to bring him on, and I think it has,” he said. “I am sure if we trialled him today, he would be a nine out of 10. He has made the progression we thought he would and we are expecting a bold showing. I love the weather pattern as well, a nice, firm track will only help. “I think he is ready to rumble.” The all-important barrier draw will take place tomorrow night (Tuesday), with Hayes hoping to secure an inside marble. “As close to the rail as possible, that would be the best,” he said. “In Hong Kong, they jump and really go hard because they have only got 200m to the turn. In Sydney, they have got a nice 600-700m run. The tempo isn’t quite as hectic, so the barrier is not quite so important for him. “He has got incredible gate speed and he has got the ability to take a sit, so he is pretty foolproof.” Bred by Marton horseman Fraser Auret under his Grandmoral Lodge Racing banner, Ka Ying Rising has been an unstoppable force for trainer David Hayes in Hong Kong, winning 14 of his 16 starts in the competitive racing jurisdiction and amassed more than $HK68 million (NZ$15.2 million) in prizemoney. View the full article

Harness Racing legend Barry Purdon had a weekend to remember. On Friday he made a winning return to the sulky, following a six-year hiatus, when piloting Group One-performing trotter Higher Power to victory at Alexandra Park, and on Sunday, his famous silks were to the fore once again, but this time in the thoroughbred code, when his exciting galloper Yamato Satona scored on debut in the opening race at Arawa Park for trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott. Purdon was trackside in Rotorua with his wife Katrina, who shares in Yamato Satona’s ownership, along with good friend and stable client Dean Shannon. “It was a great thrill,” Barry Purdon said. “We went down there and we weren’t expecting to see what we saw, but it was great. “Lance and Andrew have always liked him, so that is always a good sign.” The 70-year-old horseman was also pleased to return to the driving ranks on Friday night, and he is looking forward to frequenting the track more often this season. “It was great, I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I had a pretty nice horse to drive and it was good to get out there again. “I have been driving quite a bit of track work lately since I had that bit of bad luck with my hip, and I feel good again.” The Purdon surname is synonymous with harness racing, with Purdon and his late father Roy dominating the New Zealand training ranks for several decades, winning every premiership bar one between 1976 and 1996. His brother Mark has dominated the sport in recent times, winning 14 trainers’ premierships since 2000, and he has also started to train a few thoroughbreds from his new Matamata base. In the nineties, harness racing royalty teamed up with thoroughbred racing royalty when Purdon raced several thoroughbreds with Paul and Dave O’Sullivan at Wexford Stables, and the association has continued for more than 30 years. “We had a horse with Paul and Dave O’Sullivan called Most Happy Fella in about 1995,” Purdon said. “There has been a bit of a lull, but we usually have had a horse with them.” Purdon also dabbled in training the odd thoroughbred himself and recorded his sole thoroughbred training success in the 2011/12 season. “I trained a couple (of thoroughbreds) for a little while,” he said. “We managed to get a winner at Pukekohe with a little horse called Maverick. It took a lot of time when you have the harness horses too.” Last year, Purdon was looking to purchase another thoroughbred to race and went to Karaka in search of his next horse, and Yamato Satona, a Satono Aladdin colt in Rich Hill Stud’s draft, caught his eye. “I first saw him on a video when I was looking at all of the yearlings, and I really liked him,” Purdon said. “When I saw him in the flesh, I really liked him as much, if not more. “He was a kind horse, a little bit timid, but he had a great attitude. He was in and out of the box because he was quite popular and I just liked his temperament. “The Satono Aladdins are pretty nice horses and he is out of a Commands mare, and he was a pretty good stallion himself.” Purdon was delighted to secure the colt with a final bid of $250,000, and subsequently placed him in the care of Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott at Wexford Stables in Matamata. “We paid a bit of money for this guy and I just wanted to make sure that everything was done right, and one of those was to make sure he went to Lance and Andrew because he would get every opportunity,” Purdon said. And his colt has been given just that, placing in three trials before winning his last trial over 1000m at Arawa Park last month, and he won on debut like a horse with a bright future, a view shared by co-trainer Andrew Scott. “We were really pleased, he settled in well, stayed the 1400m and for an inexperienced young horse to quicken in the manner he did, we couldn’t be happier,” he said. “He’s put in a performance that suggests he has good levels of ability and where we go to from here, we’ll let the dust settle over the next few days. “Hopefully he has a good summer ahead of him, as his experience levels increase, his confidence will come with it and once he gets out to a mile, he’s certainly going to have a successful season.” View the full article

High class three-year-old Autumn Boy may not have a New Zealand suffix next to his name, but his Kiwi roots run deep. The Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) winner was bred and sold by Beltana Stud’s Richard Rutherford, who is continuing to breed from the Chris Waller-trained colt’s dam Rosegarden. “It was terrific result all around and he’s a cracking horse,” said Rutherford, whose boutique breeding operation is located at Parnassus, about 130km north of Christchurch. Autumn Boy was offered through Amarina Farm’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where he was sold to Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock for A$200,000 and is raced by South Island owner Glenn Ritchie. “He was a magnificent colt, a beautifully balanced horse who just kept improving and Amarina did a wonderful job with him,” Rutherford said. By The Autumn Sun, Autumn Boy has now won three of his five starts, with his stake earnings topping A$2 million. The unraced Rosegarden is a daughter of multiple stakes winner O’Reilly Rose who failed to meet her $200,000 reserve at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale. Currently residing at Amarina, she has since produced a son and daughter of Yarraman Park’s Hellbent, a Group One-winning son and daughter of I Am Invincible. The two-year-old was sold privately and is being broken in while the future of the filly has yet to be decided. “It’s early days and she’s only a month old, she’s a beautiful filly and the mare was served by The Autumn Son last week,” Rutherford said. “I’m only breeding from a couple of mares and I’ve got a few others, but I won’t be breeding from them this year.” Autumn Boy is the third top-flight winner in Australia that Rutherford has bred from the family. The colt’s granddam is a three-quarter sister to Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) winner Shamexpress, who has enjoyed a successful stud career at Windsor Park, while Affinity won a Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m). “I’ve had a lot of other Group One-placed horses, a second in the Epsom Handicap (1600m), The Metropolitan (2400m), The All-Aged Stakes (1400m) and the AJC Derby (2400m), although some years ago,” Rutherford said. “Shamexpress and this one (Autumn Boy) have been the best recently.” Rutherford is also looking forward to the career of another well-credentialled family member. “I’ve got a half-sister by Super Seth to Rosegarden, and I think she’s an outstanding filly,” he said. “She’s a two-year-old and I’ll race her, but I haven’t decided on a trainer yet.” View the full article

Ka Ying Rising continued his Group One The Everest (1,200m) preparation with his final serious gallop on Monday morning, with trainer David Hayes enjoying the calm of Canterbury after Sunday’s chaos. Forced to field calls for “probably six hours” after rumours ran wild about hot favourite Ka Ying Rising potentially missing Saturday’s The Everest, Hayes was pleased to see his superstar back up what he told everyone on Sunday. “We’re really happy with him. He just went out on the beautiful...View the full article

The Kaikoura Cup will celebrate its 100th running this year. Over the next few weeks Kaikoura Trotting Club historian Phil Gourdie will look back at the history of the great race, starting today with The First 50 Years. The Kaikoura Cup – 1914 to 1964. By Phil Gourdie The Kaikoura Cup was first raced for 111 years ago. Since then it has had a far from uninterrupted run due to World Wars, the depression and the creation of the new track. In 1914, the first running of the Kaikoura Cup was won by nine-year-old mare Kintail, owned by Arthur Edgar and trained and driven by William Honeybone. Kintail led throughout and won a good competitive race by a length from the President Arthur Marshall’s Black Prince. The first multiple winner of the Cup was Full Cry. Owned and trained by Henry Leaman, he won his first Cup in 1916 and then completed the double in 1919. On both occasions he was driven by Edward (Teddy) Redmond. Described as a strong powerful pacer who could stay well Kinthorpe was a decisive winner in just a seven horse field in 1921. He was not a fluent pacer and during the race mixed his gait more than once. He was by Lord Althorpe from Kintail, the inaugural winner of the Kaikoura Cup. There was a strong local connection to 1929 and 1931 winner Arachne. He was owned, trained and driven by County councilor, Francis Monk. 1953 saw the introduction of the new South Bay Racecourse at Kaikoura. The 1119m course was a dirt-based facility. This was a huge step up from the lengthy grass track that ran deep into South Bay. Over the first 51 years and 40 runnings of the Kaikoura Trotting Cup many household names got onto the Honours Board. These included William and Ernest Honeybone, Edward Redmond, Tom Fox, Frank Monk, Ces Donald, George Murfitt, Stan Edwards, Alan McKenzie, Noel and Colin Berkett, Chief Stipe Watts, W E Lowe, R P Nyhan and Maurice Holmes. The 15 drivers named drove 23 of the first 40 Kaikoura Trotting Cup winners. Next time we will look at “Records are made to be broken”. Footnote: Phil Gourdie is currently writing a history on the Kaikoura Cups which will be published to mark the centenary. View the full article

Following feedback from the industry, and in conjunction with the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club, we wish to advise that the Wednesday trials at Addington will now be open to: – Horses requiring qualification – Horses needing to pass from a specific start type – Horses that have been stood down to trial by the Stipendiary Stewards. This change provides additional opportunities for connections to trial and qualify their horses midweek. Preference will continue to be given to qualifiers, with trials limited to four heats. Nominations for trials this Wednesday, 15 October, close at 12pm tomorrow (Tuesday, 14 October). View the full article

By Michael Guerin Akuta’s New Zealand Cup campaign has hit a speed bump with the wonderful pacer set to miss this Friday’s Lamb and Hayward Canterbury Classic at Addington. The former Auckland Cup winner has been the comeback story of the spring but was found to have mucus in his throat after failing at Addington last Friday. Co-trainer Nathan Purdon says Akuta will start treatment straight away and with five runs under his belt already this spring and plenty of lead-up options left he can still make the IRT-sponsored Cup at Addington on November 11. “It is not ideal of course but at least we know why he performed below his best,” says Purdon. Akuta remains a $12 chance in the Cup market as the road to the great race has taken some surprise turns around Leap To Fame and Swayzee in the last week. Team Purdon have already withdrawn Chase A Dream from the NZ Cup but it was never a certain target for the four-year-old. “We are really happy with him and he will trial this week and then be ready to race,” says Nathan. “We are aiming him at races like the Christian Cullen and the Invercargill Cup but the [NZ] Cup is just going to come too soon.” While they won the $150,000 NZBS Harness Million for two-year-old fillies with Wat Next, the stable also had plenty of bad luck on Friday night. Oscar Bonavena got back and never looked a winner chance in the Worthy Queen Trot but will back up this Friday at Addington while Rubira was locked away three back in the Flying Stakes. And juvenile pacer Special Occasion was also found to have a similar mucus issue to Akuta after his eighth in the NZBS Harness Million won by Jumal. View the full article

By Mike Love Yaldhurst trainers Derek and Adele Jones continued to have success with their team after Kiss The Girls was a very impressive winner in yesterday’s Cavalier Trotting Products Akaroa Cup at Motukarara. In what were dramatic events before the race got underway – with two false starts and the late scratching of Ted’s Legacy with his trainer and driver Jim Curtin being injured – Kiss The Girls made two fliers from those false starts before scrambling away when it mattered to settle six back on the fence. Driver Kimberly Butt then sat patiently for the metres to tick by before working into the clear at the top of the straight and producing a barnstorming run to knock off pacemaker Still Rockin. Co-trainer Adele Jones could not be happier with the outcome. “It was great. We didn’t actually think we’d won!” said Jones. “At home he begins like a rocket. Derek said to Kim if he bobbles away just push him through and he’ll come down. She couldn’t pull him up after the false starts – so he’s probably run 3200m.” The win was the eight-year-old gelding’s seventh career victory and his second on the track after winning at the Akaroa meeting back in 2020. “He’s been working the house down at home.” It was Kiss The Girls’ third run back this campaign with a luckless fresh up run and then not handling the bog at Methven last week. Jones was a little unsure how things were going to pan out yesterday. “He didn’t handle the track at all last week. But they needed the run. I was a bit unsure about starting but Derek said he’d be okay and he was!” Kiss The Girls was bred by Derek, Adele and their daughter Chelsea who all remain in the ownership along with Cath Ironside. “We all owned George’s (Kiss The Girls) mum Duarunner. We sent her to Terror To Love, and we gave Cath Ironside a share – she helps us out a lot!” Kiss The Girls’ racing career was in jeopardy a couple of years ago when he was injured, making yesterday’s victory a very satisfying one with his previous victory being in May 2022. “He broke a splint bone. It set him right back and took him a long time to get his confidence back. We were just using him as a GP (galloping pacemaker). He didn’t like being on holiday so we brought him back once he was right. He loves galloping and trying to beat Eurostyle in work. He’s just loving the work.” To date this is the Jones’ best season on record tallying eight winners so far. “We’ve got some really nice horses around us at the moment. Lavra Rose has been a bit of a surprise. She’s a typical Bettor’s Delight that grows a leg on race day. (We also have) Muscle Sass, Eurostyle and a young two year old trotter who should be stepping out at the trials or workouts this week or next.” Kiss The Girls gave Kimberly Butt a driving double on the day with her other victory being To Ri Ruby in a fresh state for Simon Adlam. The driver-trainer combo of Mia Holbrough and Bruce Negus also had a double (Mouton Cadet and Folijon Star) while Blair Orange also picked up a driving double (Tribbiani and Quicker Than Quick). View the full article

A quick early tempo in the $390,950 Franklin Stakes (G2T) set the stage for a closer on the Keeneland turf Oct. 12, and Time to Dazzle took the cue. Living up to her name, the 4-year-old Not This Time filly dazzled to the tune of a 3 1/4-length win.View the full article

Trailing early on the all-weather track, Piper's Gift hung close to the lead through the opening half-mile of the 7-furlong contest. Moving off the rail, Piper's Gift challenged two wide at the turn before taking control early in the stretch.View the full article

State-bred and -sired programs in Louisiana, West Virginia and Maryland were in the spotlight over the weekend, and the while main events at Delta Downs, Charles Town Races and Laurel Park each featured heavily backed odds-on favorites, the results produced varying outcomes: A new track record, a double-digit-lengths blowout, and an upset of a Breeders' Cup-placed horse who had seemed like a cinch dropping down into restricted company. On Saturday at Delta Downs, Touchuponastar (Star Guitar) returned from a 4 1/2-month layoff in the co-featured $100,000 Gold Cup Stakes for Louisiana-breds, and was bet down to 1-10 odds in a field of seven. Jockey Tim Thornton let the gelding roll right out of the gate, applying pressure to a pair of longshot pacemakers while three deep for the first half of the two-turn, seven-furlong race. Entering the far turn, Touchuponastar drew away at will without being asked by Thornton, leaving a splintered pack behind with his next closest pursuers being scrubbed on for run while the 6-year-old effortlessly widened his margin. Beyond a couple of flicks of the wrist through the lane, Thornton never encouraged the gelding to kick into a quicker cadence, and Touchuponastar cruised under the wire in hand when he shaved four hundredths of a second off a 22-year-old track record, stopping the timer in 1:24.27. Bred by Coteau Grove Farms and sold for $15,000 as a yearling at the Texas Thoroughbred Association sale in 2020, Touchuponastar has been campaigned through his 17-for-24 career by Set-Hut Stable, which is comprised of a partnership between former Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, his father, Jerry, and Jake's brother, Jeff, who trains. In his second career start back in 2022, Touchuponastar broke his maiden in a state-bred race by 21 1/4 lengths, and he has been running amok over Louisiana-restricted company ever since, including what is now 12 consecutive victories in state-bred stakes (after running third in his first stakes start right out of the maiden ranks). But his $1,520,000 in earnings also includes a very respectable 4-for-5 lifetime in-the-money mark in open, graded stakes. Back in March, Touchuponastar earned a 6-1 victory in the GII New Orleans Classic over 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' and 3-year-old champion Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), who was third in his 4-year-old debut and is now among the favorites to defend his title in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. 14 1/4-length blowout At Charles Town, Teachintherelease (Windsor Castle), who was claimed for $20,000 in mid-2024 and has since gone on to add four West Virginia-bred stakes to his lifetime record of 14-for-32, asserted himself at the front of the 10-horse field and waited until the third and final turn of the nine-furlong race to split the $300,000 Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders' Classic Stakes wide open at 1-10 odds, scoring by 14 1/4 gaudy lengths in 1:52.67. Carlos Lopez rode the 5-year-old gelding for trainer Stephen Murdock and owner Robert Cole Jr. Teachintherelease was bred by John Casey, who had owned and trained the dam, Romantic Cork, a two-time victress in stakes on the West Virginia Breeders' Classic cards in 2016 and 2017. 96 Beyer Breakout At Laurel, the 6-1 upset by Barbadian Runner (Barbados) over the 1-10 Post Time (Frosted) in Saturday's $150,000 Maryland Million Classic Stakes had a lot to do with pace tactics that swung the balance of the race in favor of the longer shot. But don't dismiss the effort by the winning 3-year-old as a fluke, because the Henry Walters trainee has been quietly building an upward sophomore arc that signals he is capable of competing in select open-company stakes after the breakout performance (96 Beyer Speed Figure) against his older, GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile-placed rival. The win was Barbadian Runner's first attempt at nine furlongs, and jockey Forest Boyce gave the Shamrock Farm-bred gelding every chance to excel in the six-horse race by saving ground and staying in touch with tepid early fractions of :24.98, :50.31 and 1:15.14. By contrast, Sheldon Russell opted for a back-of-the-pack placement for Post Time, but the late-striding gray's seeming class advantage wasn't enough to overcome being so far behind the lethargic tempo. By the time Post Time started to unwind with his characteristic top-of-stretch stretch torque, Barbadian Runner had already darted to the outside of the tiring leader they were both gunning for, building better momentum to collar Post Time at the sixteenth pole, finishing up in 1:51.09. Back in January and February, Barbadian Runner had won a pair of $100,000 open stakes at Laurel that briefly put him in consideration for other possible prep races for the GI Kentucky Derby. But Walters and owner AJ Will Win Stables opted for a mid-Atlantic spring, summer and fall campaign instead, and that more realistic path paid dividends in the form of victories in the off-turf May 31 $90,000 Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park and the Aug. 22 $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes at Charles Town, with three second-place finishes in other stakes in between. In that open Charles Town stakes prior to the Maryland Million, the 9-1 Barbadian Runner ended up finishing ahead of the two favorites in that race–Neoequous (Neolithic) and Owen Almighty (Speightstown)–who had been both near the front of a sacrificial pace in the Kentucky Derby. And now, a month and a half later, in what was also his first start against older horses, Barbadian Runner has beaten a much more seasoned 5-year-old whose past-performance cut includes eight in-the-money finishes in graded stakes and five races where Post Time had earned a triple-digit Beyer figure. The post The Week in Review: State-Bred Results Yielding Intriguing Results appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Eduardo Luces saddled his first winner with his first starter Sunday at Gulfstream Park when Vino Santo went wire-to-wire in the day's sixth race. Luces, who is currently training a stable of three, was not involved in racing in his native Venezuela, but worked his way up to assistant trainer under Oscar Gonzalez in South Florida. “I'm obviously very happy and thankful to all the people who have supported me,” the 38-year-old trainer said through a translator. The post Eduardo Luces Saddles First Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article