Wandering Eyes

New Years Eve (Night Conqueror), believed to be the second-oldest American Thoroughbred on record, has passed away in Pennsylvania. He was 39 and reported to be the oldest living Thoroughbred at the time of his death. We shared his story in March, shortly after his official birthday. Called 'Axl' by those closest to him, the beloved dark bay was foaled the same year as Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. History's oldest-known American Thoroughbred, a gelding named Dead Solid Perfect, died in 2022 at 39 years and 188 days. New Years Eve was 39 years and 57 days when he passed. Julie Izzo, who owned Axl for more than 32 years, said the record was not important to her. She shared a statement with TDN, which appears in its entirety: “On May 13, 2025, the uncommonly long life of New Years Eve, more commonly referred to as Axl, came to a peaceful end. He had started to lose strength in his hind end and getting up was becoming increasingly difficult. True to his breed, he still tried with everything he had to keep going. But it wasn't fair to keep asking. One day, he paused in an effort to rise and looked me in the eye with an expression I'd never seen on his face before. He simply had nothing left to give. I had always promised him that I would not compromise his comfort for more time. And although he was ready, I was not. But I never would be. “I will forever be grateful for our many years together. There will always be a piece of me missing. He wasn't an extraordinary racehorse. But he was extraordinary to me. “I want to thank everyone who had a part in his journey. There were many farriers and vets along the way, but Dr. Melinda Freckleton and Dr. Kate Baldwin were instrumental in giving my boy so many good years. And a special thank you to Barbara Livingston, Sarah Andrew, Bill Finley, and Jill Williams for immortalizing him in print and photos. Axl brought so many amazing people into my life. Thank you to everyone who took an interest in his life and story.” The post Oldest Thoroughbred in America Dies at 39 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A New York-based track veterinarian has been suspended for two years after an internal adjudication panel for HISA determined he had failed to submit veterinary treatment records for thousands of sessions in 2023 and 2024.View the full article

Rallying behind a blistering pace, Italian Soiree surprised at 14-1 in the July 11 Coronation Cup Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article

A member of the Internal Adjudication Panel (IAP) for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) on July 10 imposed a two-year suspension and a $25,000 fine on a veterinarian who has practiced on the New York circuit for more than three decades for “failing to submit over three thousand veterinary treatment records to HISA within 24 hours after examination or treatment of Covered Horses during the period from Jan. 1, 2023, through Mar. 7, 2024.” The veterinarian, Michael J. Galvin, could have faced penalties that included a lifetime ban. Galvin's attorney, Kim Bonstrom, told TDN late Friday afternoon the decision will be appealed. The decision was signed by Barbara Borden, a member of the IAP. Borden is separately employed as the chief state steward in Kentucky. “My first take on this is that there was not one citation to law in this 12-page opinion,” Bonstrom said. “We raised legal issues, constitutional issues. And the hearing officer essentially took the position that HISA rules trump the Constitution, trump the case law. I don't necessarily fault the hearing officer. I found her delightful. But she wasn't a lawyer.” By registering with HISA as a veterinarian, Galvin assumed responsibility to comply with all HISA rules, including Rule 2251(b), which requires the reporting of all veterinary treatments to the HISA portal within 24 hours of the treatment. The decision stated that the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) began looking into Galvin's recordkeeping after a HIWU investigator “obtained, copied, and returned to Dr. Galvin” his daily treatment notebook “during a search of Dr. Galvin's vehicle at Belmont Park on Sept. 2, 2023.” According to Borden's decision, “The notebook contained trainer names, horse names and notes that appeared to relate to veterinary treatments. [The agent] also described a 'Work Done' record provided to HISA by Dr. Galvin on Nov. 13, 2023, which contained the names of trainers and horses listed by date. However, the 'Work Done' record did not record the specific treatments provided by Dr. Galvin to each horse.” The decision stated that in February and March 2024, “HIWU issued a 'Demand for Business Records' to trainers and owners whose horses had been treated by Dr. Galvin. The demand required the production of, among other items, records of veterinary services provided by Dr. Galvin, and trainer administration records required to be kept for Covered Horses that had Galvin.” The decision stated that a HIWU agent “then compared these records and documents to the treatment records that had been entered by Dr. Galvin into the HISA portal [and that] analysis revealed that many treatments had not been reported to the HISA portal.” The agent “also testified that her analysis revealed that Dr. Galvin had not entered treatment records for several horses that had either suffered injuries during their race, or that died or were euthanized after they raced,” Borden wrote. On Aug. 23, 2024, HISA issued a violation notice to Galvin, alleging that he failed to enter required veterinary treatment records into the HISA portal. Borden's decision stated that as Galvin's Mar. 10, 2025, hearing before the IAP neared, “counsel for Dr. Galvin objected to the notices, scheduling, and deadlines concerning the hearing of this matter.” According to Borden's decision, Galvin had been advised by a member of his legal team not to appear at the hearing. Then, “Counsel for Dr. Galvin then proposed that the hearing be continued to a later date to allow his client to be physically present with him while testifying, citing principles of due process.” Borden wrote in her decision that she denied that request “because counsel for Dr. Galvin had had ample time prior to the hearing to arrange for his client to be present with him.” Galvin then filed a Motion to dismiss the IAP proceeding on Mar. 7, 2025. But that motion, too, was denied and the hearing proceeded three days later without the veterinarian testifying. According to the decision, Galvin's legal team argued that HISA's notice of violation failed to state a cognizable offense; that HISA violated his due process rights by an impermissible pre-accusation delay; that the proceeding should be dismissed on the grounds of selective and/or vindictive prosecution, and that “HISA'S refusal to produce relevant (and exculpatory) evidence violated Dr. Galvin's Fifth Amendment due process rights.” Borden did not agree. In meting out Galvin's penalty, Borden underscored that some of the horses whose procedures had not been logged “appeared to have received treatments, including intra-articular injections, several days prior to competing in races.” Borden explained further: “In some instances, had the intra-articular injections been reported, the horses would not have been permitted to work or race in what should have been a mandatory stand-down period. Because the treatments were not reported to the HISA portal, a number of these horses did in fact work and race during what should have been a mandatory stand-down period. “Enforcement counsel also presented evidence that several horses that raced during what should have been a mandatory stand-down period were either injured and did not finish their races or were claimed and the claim subsequently voided by the regulatory veterinarians in the test barn,” Borden wrote. “In other instances, the treated horses finished their races but never raced again,” Borden wrote. “In addition, Enforcement counsel presented evidence that several of the listed horses that raced during what should have been a mandatory stand-down period died or were euthanized shortly after competing,” Borden wrote. “In at least two instances, horses appeared to have had an intra-articular injection on the morning of their race,” Borden wrote. According to a summary of Galvin's past legal issues that the Paulick Report published on Aug. 27, 2024, “Galvin's history in New York includes issues dating back to 1998, when the New York Racing Association (NYRA) banned him for eight months after allegedly treating a filly with a nasogastric tube on race day. The New York Post reports that Galvin actually served a suspension of four months, and later sued NYRA for $30 million. The parties later settled for $500,000.” The Paulick Report story from last summer also stated that, “The New York State Gaming Commission later attempted to suspend Galvin for 45 days over the same issue, but on appeal it was settled for a $250 fine.” A Daily Racing Form story by Matt Hegarty from 2021 stated that Galvin “was temporarily barred” by NYRA from practicing at Belmont, but that the issue was resolved and Galvin was allowed back on the grounds in a matter of days. At the time of that story four years ago, Hegarty quoted a press release from NYRA that stated, “Galvin's NYRA credential was temporarily revoked this week due to a number of concerning operational and administrative issues related to his practice at Belmont Park [but that] his NYRA credential was subsequently reinstated after he took action to address these issues.” The post New York Vet Who Failed to Submit 3,000+ Treatment Records Gets 2-Year HISA Suspension, $25,000 Fine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The world's highest-rated sprinter, Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) scooped a trio of titles including Horse of the Year at the Hong Kong Champion Awards at the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong on Friday night. The 4-year-old gelding also earned the title of Hong Kong Champion Sprinter and Hong Kong Champion 4-Year-Old at the ceremony. Running in the colours of the Ka Ying Syndicate, Ka Ying Rising was undefeated during his 2024/2025 season with eight wins in eight trips to the post for David Hayes. His final seven starts of the campaign occurred exclusively in group company. After posting wins in G2 Premier Bowl and G2 Jockey Club Sprint in October and November, the 2023/2024 Hong Kong Champion Griffin won the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint a month later. He kicked off 2025 right were he left off, with victories in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup in January and the 1400-metre G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup in February, his only start not at his pet 1200-metre distance. After a win in the G2 Sprint Cup at the end of March, his season finale was a score in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize in April. In the last-named race, he increased his winning streak to 12 races, and also swept the Hong Kong Speed Series, good for an HK$5-million bonus. Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) is the 2024/2025 Hong Kong Champion Miler and Champion Stayer and is only the second horse to sweep the Hong Kong Triple Crown. Trained by Ricky Yiu for the Sunshine and Moonlight Syndicate, the bay finished first or second in all seven starts this season with five wins, four at the highest level. A winner second up in the G2 Jockey Club Mile, he struck in the G1 Hong Kong Mile, the G1 Stewards' Cup, and the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup in succession before missing by just a short head in the G1 Champions Mile. He ended his season with a 3 1/2-length win in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup in May. Horse of the Year in 2023/2024, Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) spent most of his season traveling, but still managed to take his two local starts, good for his fourth straight Hong Kong Champion Middle-Distance Horse title. Successful in the G2 Jockey Club Cup, the Danny Shum charge struck in the G1 Hong Kong Cup in December before a trio of overseas runs. In Dubai, the G1 Jebel Hatta went the way of the Peter Lau Pak Fai colourbearer over the winter, and he ran a pair of close seconds thereafter–in the G1 Saudi Cup in Riyadh, and in the G1 Dubai Turf back at Meydan. The Mark Newnham-trained My Wish (Flying Artie) was named the Most Improved Horse. He started his campaign rated 54 and, after four wins, two seconds and two thirds in nine starts, rose to a mark of 105. He landed the Hong Kong Classic Mile in January, and was second in both the Hong Kong Classic Cup and Hong Kong Derby. As expected, Zac Purton was crowned Hong Kong Champion Jockey for the eighth time. Over the racing season, he reached 1,800 wins Hong Kong, breaking Douglas Whyte's mark. In addition, he scored his 700th and 1,000th wins at Happy Valley and Sha Tin, respectively. The remaining seasonal award–Most Popular Jockey, Most Popular Horse, Hong Kong Champion Trainer, Champion Griffin and Tony Cruz Award–will be announced in the coming days. The post Ka Ying Rising Named 2024/2025 Hong Kong Horse of the Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nothing like claiming your second lifetime win in a graded stakes at Saratoga, especially so when your last time on the board was a year ago at the venue. A pricey $600,000 OBS March juvenile purchase in 2024, Italian Soiree (Uncle Mo) came with big expectations and her connections refused to throw in the towel despite their filly not hitting the board in the last five starts at the black-type level. Her 2025 attempts included a Feb. 8 seasonal bow in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs where she ran fourth as MGISW La Cara (Street Sense) ran off the screen. Gone until Apr. 27, she returned to the turf in New York when contesting the Memories of Silver Stakes and ran fifth as undefeated MSW Laurelin (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) continued her streak. She was well beaten last out June 8 during the Belmont Stakes Festival when trying her luck in the six-panel Jersey Girl Stakes against another salty field of stakes fillies. While her team believed in her, the betting public opted to look elsewhere here, and Italian Soiree went off carrying chilly 14-1 odds as the second longest shot on the board. Coaxed out but content to track from third, she was patiently handled through the bend by Luis Saez and when he asked the question, rally she did. Taking command a sixteenth out after being forced to wait on traffic in front of her, she inched away from the longest shot on the board, SP Laurice (Bolt d'Oro), to win by a length. GSW Abientot (Not This Time) came from last to claim third after hitting the near-side stall at the break. “We had worked her on the turf, and she went to Canada and ran really well and even at Keeneland against some of the top turf fillies in the country, but the distance was always the question with her,” said Tonja Terranova, assistant to trainer John Terranova. “The owners had [Kentucky] Oaks vibes, as everyone does, and we tried to stretch her at Tampa [in the Suncoast] and had a little bit of a tough trip. But this is obviously what she wants to do.” Terranova added that the Memories of Silver performance had a noteworthy excuse, saying, “She had trouble. She almost fell. She was hit severely and Johnny [Velazquez] just wrapped up on her, so that was the reason that it didn't look that impressive on the grass that day.” When asked about a next target, Terranova said, “Let's just see how she is. She's a lighter filly so we let her tell us when she keeps her weight and when she's going to run.” ITALIAN SOIREE ($31.20) gets her first stakes win in the Grade 3 Coronation Cup Stakes at 14-1 under Luis Saez for trainer John Terranova. pic.twitter.com/uPU56rP3ZQ — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) July 11, 2025 Pedigree Note: Italian Soiree is the second in her family to claim black-type behind full-brother Be Better. From their dam's last five offspring, four are full-siblings and all of them are winners. The lone half-brother Forced Errors (City of Light) was placed as a 3-year-old. Social Call, a half-sister to GSW Old Time Hockey (Smarty Jones) from the female family that produced MGISW Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) and his full-sister GSW & GISP Antipathy, has not had any foals since Italian Soiree. Her 2025 Forte foal was stillborn. Friday, Saratoga CORONATION CUP S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-11, 3yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.21, gd. 1–ITALIAN SOIREE, 120, f, 3, by Uncle Mo 1st Dam: Social Call, by Smart Strike 2nd Dam: Grat, by A.P. Indy 3rd Dam: Likeable Style, by Nijinsky II 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($290,000 Ylg '23 FTKJUL; $600,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Hit The Bid Racing Stable, Morplay Racing LLC and Randall Hartley; B-Repole Stable, Inc. (KY); T-John P. Terranova II; J-Luis Saez. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 8-2-1-0, $227,048. *Full to Be Better, SW, $346,180. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Laurice, 120, f, 3, Bolt d'Oro–Major Z, by Candy Ride (Arg). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($75,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV; $80,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $460,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-Bregman Family Racing LLC; B-Vehbi Hakan Keles (KY); T-George Weaver. $35,000. 3–Abientot, 124, f, 3, Not This Time–Ready Ready Ready, by More Than Ready. ($210,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-Tracy Farmer; B-Killora Stud, LLC (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $21,000. Margins: 1, NK, 3/4. Odds: 14.60, 14.80, 3.10. Also Ran: Cloe, Gata Brazil, Make Haste (GB). Scratched: Flat Out Time, Spirited Boss, Twirling Beauty, You'll Be Back. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Pop the Corks: Italian Soiree Pulls the Shocker in Coronation Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Before the young horse with the easy-going disposition even stepped on the track at Saratoga Race Course Friday afternoon, just about everyone knew the story behind Dr, Agne (Into Mischief), who is out of Lady Eli (Divine Park). When the 2-year-old colt powered to the finish line and won the seven-furlong, $100,000 maiden special weight, the story came full circle. Dr. Agne, trained by Cherie DeVaux, is named for Dr. Robert Agne, who died at the age of 54 on Labor Day of 2015 after being hit by a car while cycling in Vermont. Dr. Agne was instrumental in the recovery of Lady Eli, who recovered from laminitis in 2015 and later became an Eclipse Award winner. Dr. Agne worked on Lady Eli along with Dr. Bryan Fraley of Fraley Equine Podiatry in Kentucky. DeVaux, then an assistant for trainer Chad Brown who conditioned Lady Eli, was with the filly every step on her long journey back. When Dr. Robert Agne died, DeVaux said she wanted to one day name a horse for him. And here we are. The horse came to her barn in April after he was scratched out of an auction. He was then bought privately by a group that included some of Lady Eli's owners. One is Sol Kumin, whose Sheep Pond Partners owned Lady Eli. The widow of Dr. Robert Agne, Carrie, made the trip to Saratoga from Asheville, North Carolina, to see this special horse debut It was emotional. There were hugs between Carrie and DeVaux in the box seats when jockey Jose Ortiz got Dr. Agne home. There were tears from Carrie in the winner's circle. There may also have been some from DeVaux, but they would be hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. “Oh, my God,” Carrie Agne said, when asked what was going through her mind when Dr. Agne struck the front inside the eighth pole, “he might pull this off!” Carrie Agne, widow of Dr. Robert Agne, embraces trainer Cherie DeVaux after Dr. Agne's emotional debut win at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew Then, after a pause and a tear: “Bob had such heart. He loved racing, everything about horses. He gave his all.” Owned by Kumin's Madaket Stables LLC, Twin Brook Stables and Belladonna Racing LLC, Dr. Agne was foaled in Kentucky. He is the first foal from Lady Eli to run in the United States. The race was originally scheduled to be run on the inner turf at a mile but heavy rain on Thursday night forced it to be moved to the main at seven furlongs. “I knew he would be fine,” DeVaux said. “I felt like he would be ok, just getting a race under his belt. I was not surprised that he could win. Against dirt horses, it might be a lot different.” Sent off as the 7-2 third choice, Dr. Agne held off a late charge from 2-1 favorite Epic Desire (Uncle Mo) and Irad Ortiz Jr. and got to the wire first. Dr. Agne ran the seven furlongs in 1:25.97 and paid $9.70, $3.80 and $2.90. When the colt is next seen, DeVaux said it will be on the grass. Lady Eli, after getting back to the races, was the 2017 Eclipse Award winner for champion Turf Female. While allowing this victory to settle in, DeVaux said she was more nervous for Carrie Agne, who was making her first visit to Saratoga since 2015. “For me, we do this, we have a lot of 2-year-olds,” DeVaux said. “I try to manage my expectations with each of them accordingly. I wanted everything to go well for Carrie. This is like her first soiree, and I wanted to make her proud.” The post Saratoga Maidens, Presented by Keeneland: Dr. Agne with an Emotional First Victory at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In discussing the evolution of his StrideSAFE wearable sensor, Dave Lambert turns to a tufty-haired German philosopher called Arthur Schopenhauer, who described new truths as a play in three parts. “First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.” Lambert has had the rejection and a little bit of ridicule, he said. “Some people have thrown rocks at me,” he added, one recent afternoon via Zoom in a brightly lit corner of his Kentucky home, a small bronze horse as his virtual companion. “But it's getting around to universal acceptance now.” If the bronze had been of the flesh-and-bone kind and trained in Kentucky these past couple of years, chances are it would have worn Lambert's StrideSAFE wearable sensor, used on every horse in every race in the state since May of 2023. Thanks in huge part to this blanket program in Kentucky, StrideSAFE has now been used on over 55,000 individual starts, providing a rich trove of data to understand just how best to use this system to identify the Holy Grail of racing welfare–those horses that exhibit no visible lameness but harbor a brewing problem that could turn catastrophic without intervention. The equation is simple: “screen, scan, save.” Use a wearable sensor like StrideSAFE to screen for early potential injuries. Scan the horse for problems. Then if something shows up, give the horse the necessary time off. It has reached the point where StrideSAFE is now able to identify in which leg the brewing problem is located, and even the type of pathology, the sesamoids versus the condyles (the end of the cannon bone making up part of the fetlock), said Lambert. Brewing injuries in the fetlock are notoriously hard to diagnose. David Lambert with trainer Dale Romans | StrideSAFE In a recent TDN letter to the editor, trainer Dale Romans shared his story of a stakes-level trainee that StrideSAFE had flagged for being at increased risk of injury in its right-front sesamoid in its last race, as well as a flag in the start prior. The horse was visibly sound, but given the StrideSAFE readings, Romans sent it for a precautionary PET scan, which indeed detected worrying bone remodeling in the right-front sesamoid bone. “This horse is now resting for 90 days and is expected to make a full return to training pending a clean recheck. Without StrideSAFE, we wouldn't have caught it,” Romans wrote. Nevertheless, the racing community at large is still proving reluctant to more broadly adopt these wearable technologies, said Churchill Downs' equine medical director, Dr. Will Farmer. “We've come a long way. We've learned a lot. I know StrideSAFE has learned a lot,” said Farmer. “My biggest push with this is that I really would like our horsemen to engage with it.” What would help, said Lambert, would be to start viewing the sensor as a veterinary tool rather than simply a training aid. As Lambert describes it, “this is about developing a new level of finesse in veterinary medicine.” The Evolution of StrideSAFE StrideSAFE is a wireless iPhone shaped bio-metric sensor that fits into the saddle cloth. It captures a variety of measurements while a horse is breezing or racing, like its acceleration and deceleration, its up and down concussive movement, and its medial-lateral motion (movement side to side). David Lambert | StrideSAFE As Lambert and his team's understanding of what StrideSAFE can do has evolved, so has the way they relay its information. In earlier iterations, it worked on a traffic light system, with a green for all-clear, a yellow for caution, and a red for possible danger. Since then, Lambert and his team have refined the system to use a risk factor calculation from one to five, with five the category in which a horse is most at risk of a fatal or career ending injury–nearly 300 times more likely than horses that fall within risk category one. StrideSAFE has now been used on some 55,000 individual starts at 13 racetracks around the country. Of the 55,000 individual starts–many of them in Kentucky–about 65% of the horses have been given a rating of one, about 25% were classified two, and the remaining 10% fell in the three, four and five range. Furthermore, during that time, 152 horses suffered catastrophic injuries. “We have [StrideSAFE data for] nearly 400 career races from those 152 horses,” said Lambert. “So, we have longitudinal records on those horses, which is a massive data set.” Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to run the profiles of the horses in this database, Lambert and his team have been able to more thoroughly and quickly refine their machine to better understand which horses are at heightened risk of injury and why. The most telling rendering of StrideSAFE's efficacy perhaps best lies in individual cases. Lambert is preparing about eight or nine of them for a paper in a peer-reviewed journal. Lambert tells the story of a one-time Derby prospect, who even as early as May of his two-year-old year was flagged by StrideSAFE during his breezes. The horse then won two of his races in the fall of that year, but in doing so, StrideSAFE showed that something again was amiss, despite being visibly sound. Equine athlete with StrideSAFE | StrideSAFE By the time January rolled around, the connections decided to scan the horse, the findings of which indicated he would need 60 days off. But before returning to work, subsequent PET scans and X-rays showed a major problem in the left-front condyle, along with bone remodeling in the other three fetlocks for which time-off was also recommended. “He was sound to the eye throughout all of that,” said Lambert. “But they operated on it and screwed it [the left front]. He's come back to the races and run three times, had a green flag each of the three times since.” With all this data under his belt, Lambert has a growing belief that potential problems can be picked up as far back as a year prior to any serious injury occurring. As Lambert tells it, something occurs that causes the horse serious enough initial pain to show up on StrideSAFE, but which is still not visible to the human eye. “The horse learns to live with it. The problem will heal a little bit. That's when some bone remodeling goes on. It'll get more stable, doesn't hurt so much. It doesn't show you a strong red anymore. It shows a category two or three instead of a category four or five,” said Lambert, stressing how this isn't a set in stone timeline of pathology. “But as you get closer and closer to the fatal race, the pain can actually be diminishing because the condition is healing to some extent and stabilizing. But it's still there,” said Lambert. “That's a new way of thinking about these things.” Kentucky Program Such chronology in the pathology of an injury wouldn't surprise Farmer, he said. “Looking at the necropsy program, we know that these are repetitive use injuries. These aren't singular events. And that fits that idea. It's logical,” he said. “They're either going to adapt to the issue, or they're going to adjust their strides and we can pick that up with the sensor, but we may not be able to pick it up at the jog,” said Farmer. This tallies with one of Farmer's main takeaways from the two years that StrideSAFE has been deployed in Kentucky–a program paid for by the tracks. According to Farmer, Churchill Downs has invested nearly $1 million in piloting the technology at its Kentucky tracks. StrideSAFE's findings, Farmer said, support the overwhelming wealth of evidence that catastrophic injuries aren't caused by a bad step but rather are the accumulative wear and tear over repetitive races and workouts. “There are horses that we see, they start off as 'ones,' then they go 'twos,' then 'threes,' then 'fours.' And then they ultimately have some diagnostics done, or they end up with a fracture,” said Farmer. StrideSAFE device | StrideSAFE As such, StrideSAFE offers “a very unique opportunity” to find the “needle in the haystack,” said Farmer, giving trainers “insight into what's coming down the pipeline before the horse fractures,” or worse, suffers a catastrophic injury. “Rather than it being a fracture, they can get ahead of it, change training patterns for a period of time,” said Farmer. “The goal is to keep horses safer, healthier and in the racing population longer.” Despite the promise, acceptance among the racing community is still limited. “The truth is that unfortunately, we don't have many trainers engaging with it,” said Farmer. “For this to really take that next step, we need that trainer engagement.” Part of the problem is that the information collected by StrideSAFE isn't currently processed and sent back to the trainers in an easily accessible form, said Farmer. “They need to make it as easy to have access to, whether that's a push–like a text push–with a report, or a reminder. That's something StrideSAFE needs to work out, how the information is relayed,” said Farmer. For StrideSAFE's part, they're working on a new password protected interactive website for trainers to access, with data on the welfare of the horse, as well as its performance. “In particular, the way in which they fatigue in a race,” Lambert said. But Lambert is beginning to see the communication issue from a slightly different angle–that the diagnostic component to the utility and effectiveness of StrideSAFE makes it a veterinary tool primarily. “We're getting very sophisticated information about musculoskeletal health, and it's the vets that need to be the ones that manage that and learn about it,” said Lambert. AAEP Study StrideSAFE is one of six wearable sensors currently being used in an ongoing study out of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). The others are Alogo, Arioneo, Equibase/Stable Analytics, Equimetrics and Garmin. The goal, said Langsam, is to see which of these technologies can most accurately detect the sort of hard-to-detect emerging injury that requires intervention, said Dr. Sara Langsam, AAEP racing committee chair. Beyond the sesamoids and condyles, think buck-shins and small chips in the joint. “At the end of the study, we would pass forward this information to HISA [the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority], and they would potentially roll out some sort of integration into the entire industry,” said Langsam. Dr. Sara Langsam | AAEP WEB Each of the sensors are being used on at least 100 two-year-olds throughout this year during high-speed workouts. Over 700 individual horses are enrolled. Each horse that breezes is issued a green, yellow or red rating, with a 48-hour window for the study participants to receive the results. As on ongoing study, there are no concrete findings right now, said Langsam. The study focused on two-year-olds for several reasons. One was to minimize the variables in the study by using a cohort of horses that haven't already accumulated a lot of pre-existing wear and tear. Another is that two-year-olds offer the best opportunity to intervene as injury progresses. “We know that about 40 percent of the two-year-olds are going to get an issue. They like to get mild injuries that may take them out of training, but [which are] less catastrophic in general,” said Langsam. They're hoping to have some kind of conclusion ready for a public airing by the first or second quarter of 2026, said Langsam. “A lot of low hanging fruit has already been conquered. Technology is going to be the next step to help us get even lower [fatalities]. And while zero is ever achievable or not, that is always the goal,” Langsam said. “And this is just one part of the technological sphere that's going to help us move forward. It's exciting.” The post StrideSAFE Update: A New Level of Veterinary “Finesse” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

8th-Monmouth, $51,275, Msw, 7-11, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:38.40, ft, 1 length. NEW MAGIC (c, 3, Curlin–Magic Dance {SW & GSP, $191,083}, by More Than Ready), sluggish from the gate as the 5-2 second choice, quickly found himself far out of it into the first turn as the far more experienced race favorite Bridoza (Khozan) dueled on the front with Atrocious (Ghostzapper) through the quarter in :23.63. Making an early move to catch up with the field through a slowed-down half, the Three Chimneys homebred then had to shift out wide to keep coming and was up into contention by the time the leaders swung for home. In a four-wide calvary charge to the line, New Magic finished up best to deny Bridoza by a length. Magic Dance, herself a half to MGISW and $4.4m FTKNOV broodmare buy Guarana (Ghostzapper), has since produced back to back fillies by Gun Runner in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $31,500. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O/B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. The post Three Chimneys Homebred New Magic Last To First In Monmouth Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

1st-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 12:35 p.m. ET. With the third highest return at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale, TAGERMEEN (Into Mischief) was taken home for $1.4-million by Mahmud Mouni after the colt fired a :9 4/5 during the under-tack show. Sent to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, the debuting bay is out of Silk Route (Empire Maker), who Mouni acquired for a mere $10,000 at the 2024 Keeneland November Sale. Tagermeen's extended female family includes GIII Lecomte Stakes hero Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute) and French Group 1 winner Full Mast (Mizzen Mast). Another OBS grad who exits the gate for the first time is Tapit's Legacy (Tapit). Spendthrift and Epic Racing went to $550,000 to get the colt who went :10 flat during the March breeze. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the son of Tapit was produced by Peace Corps (Violence)–a $500,000 2020 Keeneland November purchase for Corser Thoroughbreds. This dam is a half-sister to GI Prioress Stakes heroine Her Smile (Include), who herself is responsible for MGSW Pink Sands (Tapit). Drawn to the outside for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is $725,000 Keeneland September graduate Time to Strike (Not This Time). Owned by Gold Standard, the April colt's dam is a half-sister to GSW Devil by Design (Medaglia d'Oro), who is responsible for GI American Oaks victress Competitionofideas (Speightstown)–a $1.3-million buy for Shadai at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale. TJCIS PPS 2nd-CNL, $70K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, 12:58 p.m. ET. Musical (Candy Ride {Arg}), under the care of trainer Brittany Russell, will be unveiled for the group known as the 'Avengers.' A $700,000 2023 Keeneland September purchase, the chestnut's extended female family includes a number of stakes winners, including Inspired (Unbridled's Song), plus current sire Leofric (Candy Ride {Arg}). TJCIS PPS 2nd-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:07 p.m. ET. Back upstate, Peter Blum homebred Ginger Ale (Into Mischief) goes out for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. The filly is out of GSP Co Cola (Candy Ride {Arg})–who Blum purchased for $600,000 at the 2022 Keeneland January Sale. The debuting bay claims famed older half-sister Search Results (Flatter), the winner of the GI Acorn Stakes who amassed nearly $2 million during her racing career and went for $3.6-million to Katsumi Yoshida during the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale. Others of note here include Atropa (Into Mischief), whose extended female family includes current sires Street Boss (Street Cry {Ire}) and Jack Christopher (Munnings). Also Claiborne and Adele Dilschneider homebred Asking (Lookin At Lucky) goes out for Bill Mott. The filly's dam is a half-sister to pensioned sire Congrats (A.P. Indy). TJCIS PPS 6th-ELP, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 3:12 p.m. ET. Brian Lynch trainee Love a Little Mo (Uncle Mo) carries the Flying Dutchmen colors. The first-timer was bought for $675,000 during Keeneland September last year. The filly's stakes-winning dam Inject (Frosted) is herself out of GI Spinaway Stakes heroine Appealing Zophie (Successful Appeal), and she counts as half-sisters the sire Tapwrit (Tapit) and MGSW Ride a Comet (Candy Ride {Arg}). Last but not least, Spin a Tune (Hard Spun) is related to Better Lucky (Ghostzapper), while Last Curtain Call (Oscar Performance) is connected to Zipessa (City Zip), who both won the GI First Lady Stakes at Keeneland. TJCIS PPS The post Saturday Racing Insights: Pricey Son Of Into Mischief Makes The Races At The Spa On Busy Saturday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It's not often in the case of a horse's breeding that six-time leading general sire Into Mischief would the less-successful parent. But such is the case for Dr. Agne who not only claims Spendthrift's elite stallion on the top side but also is the third foal and second winner out of Eclipse-winning Turf Champion Lady Eli who banked nearly $3,000,000 in her career before selling to John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale for $4.2m at KEENOV in 2018. Dr. Agne himself went through the ring at Keeneland as a yearling last September, bringing just $185,000 for Quarter Pole Enterprises and now races for the partnership of Madaket Stables LLC, Twin Brook Stables and Belladonna Racing LLC. Given to trainer Cherie DeVaux, the 7-2 shot was well-thought of Friday in what was meant for a seven-furlong turf debut. The weather had other ideas, raining off all but the GIII Coronation Cup Stakes onto the main track. But with the field still largely in tact despite the surface switch, Dr. Agne, with jockey Jose Ortiz aboard, broke sharply with the frontrunners but quickly took back off the speed and was passed on all sides while falling back to sixth along the rail. 14-1 longshot Jet Off (Twirling Candy) set a pressured tempo through a :22.90 opening quarter before getting some separation with Dr. Agne several lengths out of it and splitting the gap between the leading five runners and the two trailers. Hugging the rail around the far turn and quickly picking up momentum, Lady Eli's son began a tremendous rally, coming past the quarter pole in third with Jet Off still to catch. Further out, 2-1 race favorite Epic Desire (Uncle Mo) was also moving but Dr. Agne had first jump, tipping outside of the leading pair and surging past them both to gain the lead at the sixteenth pole. Epic Desire was still coming but was clearly second best as Dr. Agne stole away to the win. The most successful starter for Lady Eli and the 52nd 'TDN Rising Star' for Into Mischief, Dr. Agne has a yearling half-brother by Justify and a foal half-sister by Uncle Mo. The mare herself is a half to MGSW Bizzy Caroline (Afleet Alex) who produced another 'Rising Star' in GI Preakness Stakes fourth Goal Oriented (Not This Time). Yet another of Lady Eli's half-sisters is responsible for English MGSW Sacred (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). What a debut for DR. AGNE ($9.70)!!! The two-year-old by @spendthriftfarm's Into Mischief out of @BreedersCup champion Lady Eli won the 6th at Saratoga under @jose93_ortiz. @reredevaux trains flashy colt for @MadaketStables, @BelladonnaRaci1 & Twin Brook Stables. pic.twitter.com/jVsgZVb2C7 — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) July 11, 2025 6th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 7-11, 2yo, 7f (off turf), 1:25.97, ft, 1 length. AGNE, c, 2, Into Mischief 1st Dam: Lady Eli (Ch. Turf Female, MGISW, $2,959,800), by Divine Park 2nd Dam: Sacre Coeur, by Saint Ballado 3rd Dam: Kazadancoa (Fr), by Green Dancer Sales History: $185,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree. O-Madaket Stables LLC, Twin Brook Stables and Belladonna Racing LLC; B-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. The post Lady Eli’s Son Dr. Agne A Stellar ‘Rising Star’ At Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Anyone who went by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott's barn on the Oklahoma Training Track Friday morning did a double take. A jumbo-sized maple tree, which has stood tall for years outside Mott's office, was no more. Thanks to a violent display of weather Thursday night after Opening Day at Saratoga Race Course, the tree was uprooted and came crashing down. Part of the tree came to rest on the roof of Mott's office. Miraculously, there was no damage done to the office, which was unoccupied when the storm hit shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday night. “It was coming down and I was trying to hold it up, and I couldn't hold it up,” Mott said Friday morning, showing some levity over the situation. Mott was eating dinner with his wife Tina at Pennell's Restaurant, not far from the track when the storm hit. “We were sitting on the patio, and we were just finishing and the winds started blowing and just about everyone moved inside,” Mott said. “I drove over to the harness track to see (if horses) were ok and it was. There was some water, and I thought, 'if they are ok over there, they are probably ok over here.'” Paul Caiano, the chief meteorologist at WNYT-13, the NBC affiliate in Albany, said just under an inch of rain fell in Saratoga in the 45-minute storm. He also said that radar indicated wind gust of over 50 miles an hour was recorded during the storm. “That's what knocked that tree over,” Caiano said. The horses at Mott's barn–including GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief)–did not seem bothered at all. The tree that fell came very close to hitting a two-horse open air stall next to the office. It did not and the horses there were not in any distress. About the only damage that could be seen at the barn was a couple of Adirondack chairs that were outside the barn got hit. Interestingly enough, a hanging flowerpot outside the office, which looked to be in harm's way of the tree, was intact Friday. Mott said the tree will be taken care of in the next day or so via chainsaws. When it is chopped up, it will make for a lot more sun outside of Mott's office. Mo Plex Likely to Stay Put for Jim Dandy Trainer Jeremiah Englehart said Friday that it looks more likely that his 3-year-old Mo Plex (Complexity) will stay home and run in the GII, $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 26. Englehart said that after watching his New York-bred go four furlongs alone in :49.25 (46/92) on the main track with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard for the second straight work. Mo Plex | Sarah Andrew “We are leaning towards the Jim Dandy,” Englehart said. Last week, Englehart said he might prefer to run Mo Plex, who won the GIII Ohio Derby in his last start, in the GI, $1-million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park next Saturday. Mo Plex is owned by Rick Higgins of Saratoga and Howard Reed of Albany (R & H Stable). Englehart said he originally tried talking his owners out of the Jim Dandy, but, after doing some thinking, decided that being at home was more of an advantage than heading out of town. “If you go to the Haskell, you could have Journalism (Curlin); if we run here, you have Sovereignty and a couple other real nice horses,” Englehart said. “Any time you run in any of these races, you are going to have tough horses to run against.” Englehart is hopeful that Ortiz will ride Mo Plex in the Jim Dandy. “I am hoping,” Ortiz said after the work. “There has been no decision made yet.” Ortiz rode Hill Road (Quality Road) in his last start, a fifth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes. He could be pointed to the Jim Dandy for trainer Chad Brown. “I would love to have Irad,” Englehart said. “But if we can't, there are a lot of good riders in that room.” Fierceness Works Towards His Date in Whitney When 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), works, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher expects good things. Pletcher wasn't disappointed Friday when he watched the 4-year-old work five furlongs in 1:01.60 (4/10) with exercise rider Danny Wright on board, as usual. He worked in company on the main track with stablemate Dreamlike (Gun Runner), a 5-year-old gelding. Fierceness (outside) & Dreamlike breezing Friday | Sarah Andrew “It was typical of what we always see from him,” Pletcher said outside his office on the Oklahoma Training Track. “I thought he was very impressive; he did it in hand throughout. We wanted a good, solid work without overdoing it and that is what he did.” This was his second work since finishing second in the GI Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga on June 7. The Saratoga target for Fierceness is the GI, $1-million Whitney Stakes on Aug. 2. Pletcher is still mulling over whether Fierceness, owned by Repole Stable, Derrick Smith, Michael B. Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier, will have company in the Whitney. He could also run 'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution), unbeaten in three starts this year, in the Whitney. Mindframe, owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC, won the GI Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs in his last start on June 28 and will return to the work tab next week, Pletcher said. “We will continue to monitor how both are doing and wait as long as we can to make a decision,” Pletcher said about running both in the Whitney. “If you run them both against each other, barring a miraculous dead heat, one of them is going to get beat.” The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Mott Dodged a Bullet When Strong Storm Hit Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Newmarket's July Festival winds up on Saturday, with the feature G1 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup the stage for the potential reinvention of Godolphin's Notable Speech (Dubawi). Luckily for him and unfortunately for the rest of us, he has no international heavyweights to deal with in a renewal that looks a bit light on its usual quality. With the main protagonists of the Commonwealth Cup, Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and King's Stand all absent, this looks one of the most winnable editions for some time and it will be deflating if last year's 2,000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes hero doesn't at least make it into the thick of the action. Lack of true depth in the sprinting ranks may account for the recent plunge on Ballydoyle's Whistlejacket (No Nay Never), who remains a smart colt having won the Prix Morny and the course-and-distance July Stakes last term. Nevertheless, he has contested four other top-flight contests in his career and been beaten in all, starting odds-on in two of them. Needless to say, he has yet to convince that he belongs in the top echelon the way that the stable's former July Cup winners Stravinsky, Mozart, Starspangledbanner, U S Navy Flag and Ten Sovereigns clearly did. Weak in the betting at present, Godolphin's Sandy Lane Stakes winner Symbol Of Honour (Havana Grey) could surprise a few in his solid, unflashy style while like all of the above Wathnan Racing's consistent Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes third Flora Of Bermuda (Dark Angel) fits the age profile. Only one horse aged older than four has prevailed since 2009 and the way the Al Quoz Sprint-winning five-year-old Believing (Mehmas) flopped at Royal Ascot, she hardly inspires hope that she can turn around that trend. Charlie Appleby said of Symbol Of Honour, “When he gets on the racecourse he's just tough–he gets out on the pace and grinds it out.” Will We Be Reaching For Superlatives? As usual, the card's G2 Superlative Stakes has the potential to promote something exciting and in Wootton Bassett's Italy Ballydoyle have a colt who carries all the right vibes into the early Classic pointer. If you were going to draw up a fantasy list of Triple Crown hopes on breeding, connections and early ability, this relative of Serpentine et al would definitely be on it. Crazy, I know, but that is what this meeting is about really. Prospecting for Classic winners and that ultimate dream horse. Now that we know that the sire is capable of producing class acts over all distances, this relative of Serpentine with Epsom in his blood has Derby potential as well as Guineas. Okay, it is the longest of all longshots at this juncture, but he has the right blend of speed and stamina to at least start the conversation. Aidan O'Brien never gives much away prior to a race, but there was a sense of excitement in the way he said, “We're looking forward to him.” Firstly, Italy has to get past the Charlie Appleby duo and the trainer who excels in this race seems to favour the Sandown winner Saba Desert (Dubawi) over TDN Rising Star Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot) if jockey bookings are a guide. The latter is a grandson of the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Gossamer, from that wonderful Gerald Leigh family and therefore is one with a future and not just about now. Six For Grand Prix De Paris Sunday's G1 Cygames Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp is staged a day before the Fete Nationale and the 12-furlong feature sees Aidan O'Brien looking to extend his five renewals with the G3 Hampton Court winner Trinity College (Dubawi). Supplemented for the race, fellow Prix du Jockey Club also-ran Leffard (Le Havre) and G3 Prix du Lys runner-up Surabad (Bated Breath) shore up the French defence along with the eye-catching Derby fourth New Ground (New Bay). The post July Cup Is Notable Speech’s To Lose appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Explosive debut winner Ewing may point to a next start in the Aug. 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2), according to trainer Mark Casse. View the full article

Ka Ying Rising's outstanding performance during the 2024-25 racing season saw the record-breaking speedster earn the Hong Kong Horse of the Year title at a special presentation held in the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong July 11.View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a daughter of Group 2 winner Indie Angel. 1.40 Newmarket, Mdn, £25,000, 2yo, f, 7fT DARKWING (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is one of the key players in this maiden won in recent times by Ballydoyle, Poetic Charm and Desert Flower, being the first foal out of Cheveley Park Stud's G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner Indie Angel (Dark Angel). John and Thady Gosden introduce the homebred in a fascinating affair which includes Sky Racing Club's fellow newcomer New Vega (GB) (New Bay {GB}), a Simon and Ed Crisford-trained €450,000 Arqana May Breeze-Up graduate from the family of the triple Group 1 winner Ervedya (Siyouni). The post Newmarket Debut For Frankel’s Darkwing, Daughter Of Indie Angel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A 25% share in the undefeated stakes-winning colt Verifire will be on offer at a special Inglis Digital USA flash sale July 14-18.View the full article

Godolphin's Cinderella's Dream claimed her first domestic group 1 in the July 11 Falmouth Stakes (G1) to continue an excellent week at Newmarket's July festival for William Buick and Charlie Appleby.View the full article

Out since Mar. 26 when he broke his left ankle in an incident prior to a race at Gulfstream, Tyler Gaffalione will be back on July 16. Gaffalione was shaken up during the post parade of the claiming event for 3-year-old fillies when his mount, China Blue (Social Inclusion), acted up and pinned his leg against the rail. The surprise is not that he is coming back, but where he will be riding after resuming his career. His agent Matt Muzikar said that Gaffalione will ride the meet at Ellis Park and will try to ride some at Saratoga on Ellis dark days. “We're all set for Ellis and will be coming in and out of town at Saratoga,” Muzikar said. “With him coming back at this particular time, I think it is the best fit for him. I'm trying to keep him from getting too excited. He is chomping at the bit. There will be a lot of Kentucky outfits that send horses to Saratoga, so, hopefully, he'll pick up some of those mounts.” Gaffalione, with Dylan Davis, tied for third in last year's Spa standings with 36 winners. But the purses at Ellis Park have risen so much that Gaffalione may be better off financially riding there versus Saratoga. NYRA continues to lose jockeys to the Kentucky tracks. Luis Saez and Jose Ortiz, who were year-round staples at the NYRA tracks for years, will ride at Saratoga, but each has become a regular rider on the Kentucky and Fair Grounds circuits. Ellis Park announced recently that its maiden races would go for $100,000. Most Saratoga maidens also have purses of $100,000. The post Gaffalione Ready to Return, But at Ellis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The GI Dunkin' Diana Stakes has run through the Chad Brown barn for the last three years and while Brown has two solid entries here, the race runs through the rail-drawn Cherie DeVaux starter She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}). The 4-year-old Lael Stables-owned filly has won four straight dating back to last year, including three Grade I races over several of the rivals she'll line up against Saturday. For reference her last two 1 1/8-mile races resulted in wins by a combined 8 1/4 lengths and she'll be stepping back up, though just barely, to that trip from the 1 3/16-mile GI New York Stakes on yielding turf at the Spa June 6. “She's doing well,” said DeVaux. “She's trained well here since the New York, and she's on track for this. She's been very impressive this year.” Brown, who seeks his 10th overall Diana win, carries a strong hand to challenge She Feels Pretty with side by side entries starting with GI Just A Game Stakes winner Dynamic Pricing (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}). The Klaravich Stables runner, who got her top-level win on yielding turf, comes in on a two-race win streak but tries the 1 1/8-mile trip for the first time, though she did take the 1 1/16-mile GIII Beaugay Stakes at Aqueduct in early May without issue. Just to her inside, stablemate Excellent Truth (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) ran second as the favorite in the Just A Game for Resolute Racing and was also second in her first start stateside in the GI Jenny Wiley at Keeneland Apr. 12. John Stewart picked up the pair from France at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale for €1,600,000 at the end of 2024. Excellent Truth and Dynamic Pricing | Sarah Andrew “In both of her starts for me, she has been unlucky,” Brown said of Excellent Truth. “At Keeneland, she had a rough trip in the stretch and I'd say she is due for a cleaner trip this time around. At least, I hope so. Both Excellent Truth and Dynamic Pricing are on target for this, they've come out of their works well.” Talent runs deep in this field with Saffie Joseph, Jr. shipping in 'TDN Rising Star' Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}). The 5-year-old mare dominated in the 1 1/8-mile GI Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita last out May 26 to tip her earnings over the seven figure mark and also kicked off her year taking the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational at Gulfstream. Sandwiched between those starts however is a head-scratching eighth in the Jenny Wiley. “She is a good workhorse, loves her job, and getting that Grade I win on her resume was huge,” said Joseph, Jr. “The nine furlongs is good. She is unique in the sense that she has enough speed to go a mile, and enough stamina to go longer. Her ability to have that variation of distance is unique, but I feel that nine furlongs is perfect for her. It tests both speed and stamina.” Adding yet another Grade I winner to the field, Choisya (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) beat out Excellent Truth in the Jenny Wiley but faded from contention in the Just A Game last out for trainer Simon Crisford and Rabbah Bloodstock. The Jenny Wiley was this mare's first start in the states since taking several graded wins in the United Arab Emirates early this year. Far Bridge Back On Track For Clement In Bowling Green 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel) started his year a perfect two for two for Christophe Clement and ran well to wind up third beaten just a neck in the 1 1/8-mile GI Manhattan at Saratoga June 8. The 5-year-old LSU Stables runner now stretches back out to 1 3/8 miles, the winning distance two back in the GII Man O' War Stakes at Aqueduct. Far Bridge at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew “Maybe the distance was a touch short at that level, but I think he ran a gallant race,” Clement said of Far Bridge's run in the Manhattan. “He ran a terrific figure and came out of it in great order. He ran probably too good of a race to lose, but that's racing for you.” Clement also sends out Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile) who was eased last out in a rained-off edition of the GIII Belmont Gold Cup June 6 but has plenty of back class on the turf through the last 16 months. Sandwiched between the stablemates, Webslinger (Constitution) comes in off a pair of seconds for Mark Casse. Second in the 1 1/2-mile Colonial Cup in September last year, the 5-year-old gelding then came off the extended layoff to nearly steal the GII Eclipse Stakes at Woodbine in his first try on the Tapeta May 31. “He ran great his first start back at Woodbine,” Casse said. “I've been very impressed with him. I think he's training better than I've ever seen him. The key with him is he'll sit back and make his run. I'm expecting a big year out of him.” Casse also saddles Corruption (Medaglia d'Oro) who ran fourth just behind Far Bridge in the GI Manhattan. He previously wired the field at Churchill facing allowance horses May 10 going 1 1/8 miles. “He's definitely improved,” Casse said of Corruption. “He's our most improved child for the year. He likes to get in a rhythm and the farther you go, the easier it is to accomplish that.” The post She Feels Pretty Seeks Toughest Divisional Test Yet In Diana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Sigh No More in the Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth. Boiling Springs Stakes To Sigh No More Heider Family Stables' Sigh No More ran out a 1 1/2-length winner of Monmouth Park's Boiling Springs Stakes at the end of last month (video). Conditioned by Brendan Walsh, the daughter of Starspangledbanner was making her second US start. Bred by Barronstown Stud out of the Galileo mare Silent Thoughts, the May foal made €50,000 as a Goffs Orby yearling before winning four of her seven Irish starts for Bronsan Racing, Stride Racing and trainer Joseph O'Brien, culminating in the G3 Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown last October. The relative of G1 Golden Jubilee Stakes hero Malhub (Kingmambo) caught the eyes of Ted Durcan and David Lanigan acting for Heider Family Stables for 260,000gns at the 2024 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Sigh No More is a half-sister to Irish listed winner Neptune Rock (Muhaarar), the multiple stakes-placed Unreasonable (No Nay Never) and the No Nay Never pair of a yearling filly, and a colt foal. Coolmore's Starspangledbanner has sired 20 winners from 34 American runners (59%). His nine stakes winners there (26%) are anchored by Grade I winners Rhea Moon and State Of Rest, with the latter in his third season at Rathbarry Stud. Starspangledbanner stands for €45,000 this year. Zarak Mare Wires Foes At The Spa Hoolie Racing Stable's In Time (Zarak) was trying 1 1/2 miles for the first time in her career on July 6, and pulled off a win for Miguel Clement at Saratoga (video). A three-time winner in her native France including a final start at Fontainebleau in March of 2023, the daughter of two-time winner Mixed Evidence (Elusive City) was bred by J.B.S. Invest N.V. She was campaigned by Jan Romel and Pia and Joakim Brandt prior to her switch to America. One of five foals and two winners for her dam, herself a full-sister to multiple stakes winner and multiple group-placed Mixed Intention (Elusive City), In Time is kin to both G2 Queen Mary Stakes heroine Quick Suzy (Profitable) and G1 Prix du Jockey Club third Millebosc (Le Havre). Zarak has sired 50% winners from his 10 runners in the US. Both Parnac, successful in the GII Flower Bowl Stakes, and Laurelin are stakes winners. He stands under the Aga Khan Stud banner at Haras de Bonneval for €80,000. Queen Of Canada Repole Stable's Boca Queen (Kingman) zipped to a 3 1/4-length debut victory in a seven-furlong maiden at Woodbine on July 5 (video). Part of the Flaxman Stables breeding programme, the daughter of multiple group winner Bocca Baciata (Big Bad Bob) is trained by Kevin Attard. Knocked down for a cool €400,000 by West Bloodstock acting for Mike Repole at the 2023 Goffs Orby Sale, Boca Queen is a half-sister to listed winner and €775,000 Goffs November alumni Foniska (Galileo), as well as the unraced 2-year-old filly Botagoz (Mehmas) (€260,000 Goffs Orby pickup by Sumbe); a yearling colt by Frankel and a weanling filly by that Juddmonte sire. Dual group winner and G1 Pretty Polly Stakes runner-up Bocca Baciata is a half-sister to group winner and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches third Topeka (Whipper). Juddmonte's Kingman commands a fee of £125,000 this year. Of his 79 runners in the US, 47 are winners and nine of them have made their mark at stakes level. Domestic Spending, a winner of the Manhattan, Turf Classic, and Hollywood Derby at the top table, is his local star. Lovely Is As Lovely Does Fergus Galvin and Rebecca Hillen's Loveliest (Siyouni) sailed to a five-length victory at Ellis Park on July 5 (chart). The $150,000 Keeneland September yearling was selected by Stephen Hillen and was making her first trip to the post for Eddie Kenneally. Her dam, the Galileo mare Lovelier, won the Listed Cairn Rouge Stakes and was runner-up in the G2 Kilboy Estate Stakes in Ireland. Loveliest is her second foal and first winner, while she produced a colt by Gun Runner last spring. Lovelier is a full-sister to the four-time Group 1 winner and Classic scorer Winter. Another stallion standing under the Aga Khan Studs' umbrella, Siyouni is credited with 23 winners from 51 runners (45%) Stateside. Standing for €200,000 this term, Siyouni has a septet of stakes winners in that locale include five Grade III winners, among them the dual graded winner Sacred Life, who was twice placed at the highest level. Too Darn Hot On The Double So Darn Pretty kicked off a brace of winners for her sire in the latest Making Waves when taking a Saratoga affair for Michael Ryan on July 3 (video). Part of the Brittany Russell barn, the dark bay was bred by Centerville Bloodstock. Although she did not meet her reserve when a 180,000gns buy-back during Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, So Darn Pretty found her way to American shores regardless and was making her third start. The seventh foal out of Zondaq (Bernardini), she is a half-sister to two-time stakes winner and GII Delaware Handicap heroine Saddle Up Jessie (More Than Ready) and the G3 Thoroughbred Stakes and G2 Gimcrack Stakes-placed King's Gamble (Kingman). Zondaq has fillies by Palace Pier and Nyquist born in 2024 and 2025. She was bred back to the latter sire this spring. Kin to five stakes winners under the second dam including GII Jessamine Stakes and GIII Wonder Again Stakes victress Sweet Melania (American Pharoah), So Darn Pretty counts blue hen Lassie's Lady (Alydar) as her fourth dam. So Darn Pretty and Luis Saez take them gate to wire to score the maiden victory in the finale today at @TheNYRA #Saratoga for Mike Ryan pic.twitter.com/GkRhZRkgVj — Brittany Russell Racing Stable (@BTRracingstable) July 3, 2025 The fourth time was the charm for Elite Heat at Horseshoe Indianapolis for Brad Cox on July 5. The Chasemore Farm-bred carries the MyRacehorse silks. Grove Stud purchased the bay as an 80,000gns yearling out of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with Arthur Hoyeau acting for MyRacehorse, in action for the filly during the Arqana Summer Sale. Hoyeau acquired the third foal of the winning Formidable Kitt (Invincible Spirit) for €210,000. Already a half-sister to the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes third Kitteridge (Camelot), Elite Heat has a 2-year-old half-brother by Starspangledbanner, a yearling half-brother by Saxon Warrior, and a half-sister by Study Of Man born this year. Her granddam is the G2 Queen Mary Stakes victress Ceiling Kitty (Red Clubs). Darley's Too Darn Hot is responsible for five winners from seven to race in America counting his latest duo (71%). Listed Wild Applause Stakes victress Oversubscribed was his first stakes winner in that jurisdiction. His 2025 fee at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket is £90,000. Repeat Winners Newstead Stables' Laurelin remained perfect in four starts with a win in the Penn Oaks at Penn National on June 27 (video). The daughter of Zarak, who is trained by Graham Motion, first featured in Making Waves when breaking her maiden in New York last October. Lush Lips (Ten Sovereigns) added a tally in the Listed Tepin Stakes to her ledger for trainer Brendan Walsh on June 28 (video). She races for Medallion Racing, Steve Weston, Stewart Hoffman, Mrs. Paul Shanahan and Mrs. MV Magnier. Making Waves regular Zulu Kingdom (Ten Sovereigns) reigned supreme in the GIII Manilla Stakes at Saratoga on July 4 in the colours of Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss and Michael J. Caruso (video). Trained by Chad Brown, the 3-year-old ridgling is on a three-race winning streak and became a Grade I winner in the GI American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs in May. Marksman Queen (Dubawi) carried the silks of breeder Cayton Park Stud to victory in the GIII Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park on July 5 (video). The win was the first graded victory for the Graham Motion trainee. Arnaud Delacour trainee Evershed won her second consecutive start with a tally at Colonial Downs in Virginia in the colours of Mark Grier on July 9 (video). The daughter of Churchill and the Darshaan mare Balankiya won a Tampa Bay maiden in December. Cheyenna Stable's Ozara (Lope De Vega) is now a dual listed winner in the U.S. after taking the De La Rose Stakes on Saratoga's opening day for trainer Miguel Clement (video). Third in both the GIII Herecomesthebride Stakes and GIII Eatontown Stakes, the consistent 4-year-old filly has now won six of her 12 lifetime trips to the post. Zulu Kingdom | Sarah Andrew The post Making Waves: No Sighs Here, Only Smiles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Saturday at Saratoga and Ellis Park. Saturday, July 12, 2025 Saratoga 1, $100k, 2yo, 6f, 12:35 p.m. Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Tagermeen (Into Mischief), OBSAPR, 1,400,000, :9 4/5 C-Kings Equine, agent; B-Mahmud Mouni Tapit's Legacy (Tapit), OBSMAR, 550,000, :10 C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-Spendthrift Farm & Epic Horses Throckmorton (Caracaro), OBSAPR, 250,000, :20 3/5 C-Global Thoroughbreds LLC, agent; B-Chad Summers, agent Ellis 1, $44k, 2yo, f, Moc, 6f, 12:50 p.m. Heaven's Hope (Frosted), FTMMAY, 17,000, G C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-John Ennis, agent Saratoga 2, $100k, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:07 p.m. Fraudster (Charlatan), OBSMAR, 400,000, :10 2/5 C-White Lilac (Katie Miranda), agent; B-Leland Ackerley Ellis 6, $100k, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 3:12 p.m. Carolyncaroline (Tiz the Law), OBSAPR, 95,000, :21 2/5 C-Ocala Stud; B-Schultz Racing Stable LLC My Secret Dreams (Summer Front), FTMMAY, 20,000, G C-Parrish Farms Inc, agent; B-John Ennis, agent The post Summer Breezes: Saturday, July 12, 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A 25% share in the undefeated stakes-winning colt Verifire will be on offer at a special Inglis Digital USA Flash Sale.View the full article

Mike Lee Stakes winner Train the Trainer headlines the $150,000 New York Derby July 14 at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack. View the full article

Godolphin's Arqana May Breeze-Up graduate Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder), who was knocked down for a sale-topping €1.9-million, displayed a highly encouraging will to win and prevailed by a short-head from Constitution River (Wootton Bassett) to earn a TDN Rising Star rosette in Friday's £25,000 Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes at Newmarket. Field Of Gold (Kingman) attained Rising Star status in this seven-furlong heat last year. “He's been straightforward since he's arrived and full credit to the people who prepared him before that,” said Charlie Appleby. “He's one of the nicest breeze-up horses I've seen, in terms of the future, and another run of two will do him this year.” Prominent throughout following a sharp getaway, the 5-6 favourite was bustled along approaching the final furlong and found extra under continued urging in the closing stages to deny Constitution River on the nod after a ding-dong duel. The pair were 3 1/2 lengths clear of an outmuscled remainder. Winning debut 1.9 million guineas buy Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) gives @godolphin, Buick & Appleby yet another win on the July Course pic.twitter.com/CuTT7Xrv3V — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 11, 2025 The post Arqana Breeze Up Topper Distant Storm Shows Mettle in TDN Rising Star Display at HQ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article