Wandering Eyes

Group 1 winner Tunnes topped Friday's BBAG Spring Sale when selling for €75,000 to LAM GmbH. Consigned by owner Holger Enz as lot 59, the half-brother to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Torquator Tasso was sold as a stallion prospect. He won the 2022 Grosser Preis von Bayern, as well as a pair of German Group 3s. Bred by P. H. Vandeberg, the chestnut was originally a €38,000 yearling out of the BBAG September Yearling Sale in 2020. The highest priced 2-year-old was Net Worth (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who sold for €30,000 to LT Racing. Lot 35, consigned by Renello Bloodstock Agency, was an €39,000 buy-back out of the Goffs November Foal Sale, before making €30,000 as a Goffs Orby Yearling. Put through the ring again this spring, he did not meet his reserve at £17,000 during the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale. The juvenile is a grandson of Canadian Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Spring In The Air (Spring At Last), a winner of the GI Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland. At the end of trade, 22 lots had sold from 34 offered for a clearance rate of 65%. The gross was €242,500 and the average was €11,022. The median came in at €2,500. The post Tunnes Sells For €75k During BBAG Spring Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Racing Association announced the sponsored stakes lineup for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at historic Saratoga Race Course which will take place June 4-8.View the full article

Given he was such an important horse for the Gosdens, it was fitting that the stable would provide Kingman's Dalham Hall resident Palace Pier with his first winner at Haydock on Friday evening. Godolphin's homebred colt Morris Dancer, who had been seventh in a hot Newbury maiden a fortnight earlier, was sent off the 7-4 favourite for the card's seven-furlong novice and after being patiently ridden by Robert Havlin was produced to overhaul Havana Gold's Gold Dawn approaching the final furlong and score by 1 1/4 lengths. Morris Dancer (Palace Pier) opens his account at @haydockraces pic.twitter.com/7XTMstWJJm — Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 30, 2025 The third of three currently known foals out of dam, Morris Dancer is a grandson of Sadler's Wells' Listed Swettenham Stud Fillies' Trial Stakes scorer Measured Tempo whose dam Allez Les Trois is a half to none other than Urban Sea and King's Best. 3rd-Haydock, £11,000, Novice, 5-30, 2yo, 7f 37yT, 1:33.02, gd. MORRIS DANCER (IRE) (c, 2, Palace Pier {GB}–Menuetto {GB}, by Dubawi {Ire}) Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $8,015. O/B-Godolphin; T-John & Thady Gosden. The post Morris Dancer Gives Palace Pier His First Winner At Haydock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

GI Kentucky Derby third Baeza (McKinzie) arrived at Saratoga Race Course Thursday evening to prepare for his upcoming start in next weekend's GI Belmont Stakes. Trained by John Shirreffs, the half-brother to both Dornoch (Good Magic) and Mage (Good Magic) arrived at 8:45 p.m. from California along with the Chief Stipe O'Neill-trained Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief), who will likely enter the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap. “He looks pretty bright coming off the van,” said Shirreffs on Thursday evening. Of the colt's Derby effort, Shirreffs added: “I thought he ran really well. If you were to run it another time and with a little bit better luck… if he gets an opening a little sooner and gets to make his move a little earlier, it could have been a whole different story.” Shirreffs said the Belmont Stakes should be an enticing spectacle for racing fans with potentially the top three finishes from the Derby set to run. “I've watched Journalism all winter and we raced against him in the Santa Anita Derby–he's a very nice horse,” he said. “I hadn't seen Sovereignty until I saw him in the paddock, and he was a very impressive physical presence there. So, I think that's three really nice horses.” BAEZA has arrived in Saratoga! The half-brother to @KentuckyDerby winner MAGE and 2024 Belmont Stakes winner DORNOCH is here ahead of this year's Belmont Stakes, presented by @NYRABets! pic.twitter.com/3pYLFTR4a3 — Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) May 30, 2025 Shirreffs indicated that following a walk day Friday, Baeza would return to regular training and also visit the paddock to get better acquainted with the Spa. “We'll give him a chance to see everything, get a feeling for where he is and find his way to the track to develop a little security for him for him to know where he is at,” Shirreffs said. Already on the work tab in New York Friday was MGISW 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) who turned in his final breeze ahead of the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap when working in company with Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso), going a half-mile in :49.74 before galloping out in 1:02 3/5 (10/45). Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said the work was what he was hoping to see from the 2023 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt. “I thought it was great,” he said. He's a very impressive horse to watch breeze and it seems like he does everything so effortless. He shipped in, and everything has gone according to plan. We got in three breezes and we're just trying to keep him in as good of shape as he was going into the Alysheba.” One horse Fierceness is doubtful to face in the Met Mile is his stablemate Mindframe (Constitution), who joined his stablemate on track Friday but is most likely heading to the GI Stephen Foster on June 28 at Churchill for owners St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable. “I thought it was very good also,” Pletcher said of Mindframe's work. “I'll get with Mike [Repole] and St. Elias and we'll make a final decision, but we're probably leaning towards the Stephen Foster. He's a really fun horse to train.” Pletcher also added that Bobby Flay and James Ventura's Sir Barton-winner Crudo (Justify) is “not completely ruled out” of the GI Belmont Stakes pending a Saturday work. The Chad Brown barn sent out both Raging Sea (Curlin) and Randomized (Nyquist) for a half-mile breeze Friday over the Oklahoma dirt training track to prepare for next Friday's GI Ogden Phipps. The pair worked in company, with Randomized to the inside of Raging Sea, covering the half-mile in :49.66 (7/45). “They went great in their work and are on schedule,” said Brown. “They are doing super. They've been training good and looked good.” The post Baeza Ships In, Fierceness Works Ahead Of Belmont Stakes Weekend appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saturday, Baden-Baden, Germany, post time: 15:50, JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION DERBY-TRIAL-G3, €55,000, 3yo, 10fT Field: Aquaman (Ger) (Cracksman {GB}), Eagle Emblem (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), Juwelier (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Next Mine (Ger) (Dabirsim {Fr}), Path Of Soldier (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), Zafirelli (Hun) (Study Of Man {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Path Of Soldier had Aquaman resume rivalry, having been first and third in Munich's G3 Bavarian Classic at the start of the month. Juwelier was fifth in Chantilly's Listed Prix de Suresnes last time and that could represent the strongest form. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, York, post time: 15:15, WILLIAM HILL BRONTE CUP FILLIES' STAKES-G3, £100,000, 4yo/up, f/m, 13f 188yT Field: Divina Grace (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), Allonsy (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), Crystal Flyer (GB) (Magna Grecia {Ire}), Jane Temple (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), Scenic (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Sueno (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Term Of Endearment (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}). TDN Verdict: Last year's winner Term Of Endearment meets a pair of unexposed fillies from Clarehaven in Sueno and Jane Temple, with Ryan Moore an eye-catching booking for the former. Up in trip after an unlucky fourth behind the stable's Shaha and the re-opposing Scenic in Goodwood's Listed Daisy Warwick Fillies' Stakes earlier this month, she has the edge over her stablemate, the Kempton novice winner who carries the Oppenheimer silks successful in this with Precious Ramotswe in its inaugural running in 2018. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Haydock, post time: 14:58, BETFRED NIFTY 50 LESTER PIGGOTT FILLIES' STAKES-G3, £85,000, 4yo/up, f/m, 11f 175yT Field: Sioux Life (Ity) (Sioux Nation), Beautiful Love (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), Bay Of Sanibel (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Chorus (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Estrange (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Invisible Friend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Our Golden One (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), Shaha (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}). TDN Verdict: Shaha, who beat the G3 Bronte Cup protagonists Scenic and Sueno in Goodwood's Listed Daisy Warwick Fillies' Stakes earlier this month, faces another unexposed filly in Estrange who was last seen winning Doncaster's Listed Gillies Fillies' Stakes in November. They may have more upside than Beautiful Love, so readily outclassed by See The Fire in York's G2 Middleton Stakes last time. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Haydock, post time: 15:33, BETFRED JOHN OF GAUNT STAKES-G3, £85,000, 4yo/up, 7f 37yT Field: Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Alyanaabi (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), Grey's Monument (GB) (Territories {Ire}), Kikkuli (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Mount Athos (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Quinault (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}), Room Service (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Spycatcher (Ire) (Vadamos {Fr}), Ten Bob Tony (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Volterra (Ire) (Farhh {GB}), TIger Bay (GB) (Harry Angel {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Kinross is back once again, but as he needed his first start last term he will almost definitely shape fitter for this. Audience reinvented himself last term when taking the G1 Lockinge Stakes and G2 Lennox Stakes, but is uncertain to like this turning test already mastered by Shadwell's Alyanaabi. Newly gelded before his comeback win in the course-and-distance Listed Spring Trophy, he boasts a similar profile to that of Kinross when he first signalled his rise to the top in this four years ago. [Tom Frary]. Sunday, Chantilly, France, post time: 16:05, QATAR PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB-G1, €1,500,000, 3yo, c/f, 10 1/2fT Field: Azimpour (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), RIdari (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}), King Of Cities (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Al Aali (Fr) (City Light {Fr}), Leffard (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), Cualificar (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Detain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Heybetli (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}), Bowmark (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Curragh Camp (Fr) (Romanised {Ire}), Luther (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Trinity College (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Parachutiste (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Tipinso (Fr) (Pinatubo {Ire}), Camille Pissarro (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Nitoi (Siyouni {Fr}), Sinileo (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), Frankly Good Cen (Fr) (Frankel {GB}). Sunday, Tokyo, Japan, post time: 15:40, TOKYO YUSHUN (JAPANESE DERBY)-G1, ¥570,000,000, 3yo, 2400mT Field: Lila Emblem (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Shohei (Jpn) (Saturnalia {Jpn}), Eri King (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Dragon Boost (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}), Readiness (Jpn) (Suave Richard {Jpn}), Fandom (Jpn) (Saturnalia {Jpn}), Museum Mile (Jpn) (Leontes {Jpn}), M's (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), GIovanni (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), Toppi Born (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), Nishino Agent (Jpn) (Isla Bonita {Jpn}), Kalamatianos (Jpn) (Rey De Oro {Jpn}), Croix Du Nord (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), Ho O Atman (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), Faust Rasen (Jpn) (Mozu Ascot), Feiern Kranz (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), Masquerade Ball (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), Satono Shining (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}). Monday, Rome, Italy, post time: 17:00, PREMIO 142 DERBY ITALIANO-G2, €640,000, 3yo, c/f, 2200mT Field: Became Good (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Cleone Jet (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Crazy Spirit (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}), Decorated Royal (Ire) (Decorated Knight {GB}), Hanting (GB) (Harry Angel {Ire}), Heldtoransom (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), Klaynn (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), Lao Tzu (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Loki (Ger) (Best Solution {Ire}), Molveno (GB) (Almanzor {Fr}), Our 'Enery (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Red Maximus (Ire) (Circus Maximus {Ire}), Starnberg (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}), Tamburo (Ire) (Harzan {Ire}), Tutto Torna (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), Zagnuc (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}), Zauberkonig (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}), Zibibbo (Ire) (Fascinating Rock {Ire}). Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: John Of Gaunt Puzzle For Kinross appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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The first five finishers from the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas, G1) return to contest the June 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby, G1).View the full article

Charles Allen will not take up his role as chair of the British Horseracing Authority from the start of next month, British racing's governing body confirmed May 30.View the full article

Despite losing his unbeaten tag to Museum Mile (Leontes) in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), Croix Du Nord still carries the burden of favouritism in Sunday's G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). Never tested at the 2400-metre trip, the son of Kitasan Black and the Cape Cross mare Rising Cross went three-for three in his juvenile season and put an exclamation point on his career thus far in the G1 Hopeful Stakes, defeating Giovanni (Epiphaneia). The Japanese Champion 2-Year-Old Colt will leave from stall 13 in the 18-horse field under Yuichi Kitamura. Trainer Takashi Saito said of the Sunday Racing silks-bearer, “He ran into interference in the Satsuki Sho, but picked up the pace and made up for it. He's definitely ready and looks better and more filled out than he did for the Satsuki Sho. This has been our goal from his debut and I've given him a rotation that works with this distance. Tokyo is no problem and with Kitasan Black as his sire, I think he can handle it.” Second in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes last year, fellow Sunday Racing colourbearer Museum Mile ran fourth in the G2 Hochi Hay Yayoi Sho in March prior to his Classic victory. Unlike Croix Du Nord, he enjoyed a clean passage in the Japanese 2000 Guineas, but he should still be a tough nut to crack in this step up to 2400 metres. Damian Lane is slated to ride, and the duo are close to the middle of the field in stall seven. Trainer Daisuke Takayanagi said, “After the Satsuki Sho, he was tired but otherwise there didn't seem to be any need for concern. It's been a long time since he has raced to the left [handed] and I am a bit concerned about the venue and the distance. However, he has gotten a lot of experience so there's probably no reason to worry. He handled the Satsuki Sho well, which I think reflects how well he has matured mentally.” Testing the Group 1 waters for the first time is the three-for-three Fandom (Saturnalia), who won the G3 Mainichi Hai in March when last seen. Representing Carrot Farm, the colt has yet to try a race beyond 1800 metres, but he has plenty of dash, as he set a new race record of 1:32.80 going 1600 metres at Nakayama last September. “After the Mainichi Hai, he went to the farm for rest and recuperation,” said trainer Tetsuhide Tsuji. “Last week in track work, his time was good and he extended well to the very end, but I could see he still had a lot left over. So, considering that, I think he may actually be stronger physically. “As far as which direction the race is run, the jockey says right or left makes no difference. Looking at this horse in the Mainichi Hai, I could see that he wouldn't be an embarrassment if he ran in the Derby. The line-up will be tough, but I'm hoping he'll give it his best.” Rounding out the top four picks in the ante-post market is the G3 Kyodo News Hai hero Masquerade Ball (Duramente). A winner of the Listed Ivy Stakes from three starts at two, he snagged his group win over 1800 metres in February before improving markedly to run third behind Museum Mile and Croix Du Nord in the Japanese 2000 Guineas. The Shadai Race Horse flagbearer is benched widest of all barring one–G3 Kisaragi Sho victor Satono Shining (Kizuna) in 18–in the gate on Sunday. Trainer Takahisa Tezuka was realistic on his charge's chances and said, “He has talent but he doesn't bring it out on his own. He has a huge stride and isn't good taking the bends, so we've been working on that in work too. He's suited to a wide-open, spacious course, so Tokyo is the better course for him.” The post Derby Redemption For Croix Du Nord? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

What drives someone to leave everything behind to follow a dream? And what happens when the dream is within reach, but one last obstacle stands in the way? Tomislav Mitrovski was watching from home when Color Comin' In (Rock Your World), the first horse he ever bred, overcame a troubled start and stormed home to a three-length victory in her debut at Churchill Downs. Over the moon with the result, Mitrovski immediately called his wife to celebrate a win that felt like the start of something bigger. When Mitrovski packed up his life and moved his family from their home in North Macedonia, a small country in the Balkans, to Lexington, Kentucky, he hoped to accomplish two things: become a Thoroughbred breeder and get a job in horse racing. After just three years, Mitrovski has already checked off that first goal by breeding a filly who looks like the real deal. The second goal, however, has proven more elusive. The morning after becoming the breeder of a 'TDN Rising Star,' Mitrovski was clocking in at Dillard's, where he works as a sales associate in the women's shoe department. After years of effort and countless applications, Mitrovski has had no luck finding a job in the Thoroughbred business. But Mitrovski did not uproot his life and move across the world to stop now. “I was over 50 when I came here,” he said. “It wasn't easy to cut all your ties and just move, but if it was easy, everybody would do it. I'm not giving up. I think I will make it sooner or later. The big thing for me is that I have a great start as a breeder. That was a really crazy result and I hope better things are ahead.” An engineer by trade, Mitrovski fell in love with horse racing in the 1980s, following greats like Spend a Buck, Ferdinand, Snow Chief and Sunday Silence. There was no Thoroughbred racing in his home country, so he followed the sport's biggest events around the world– from Europe and the U.S. to Japan and South America. To immerse himself further, he wrote about racing for various Yugoslavian magazines for almost 20 years, but there was such little local interest in the sport that the column had little success. In 2022, Mitrovski, his wife and their two adult children were granted green cards and they moved to Kentucky. A few months later, Mitrovski teamed up with bloodstock agent Chad Schumer to launch his breeding program. At the Keeneland November Sale, Schumer landed on Sleepless Dixie (Dixie Union), a 14-year-old stakes-placed mare who had produced several winners. None were standouts, but she was in foal to Rock Your World. Mitrovski was working a shift at Dillard's when he got the message that he was officially a horse owner. “We bought her for $7,500, so that was a fantastic deal,” Mitrovski recalled. “I remember Chad texted me and said, 'You got very lucky today.' It was a strange feeling. It was something you dream about all your life and then it finally happens.” Mitrovski sent his new mare to a small boarding operation in Paris. When Color Comin' In was foaled the following February, she was a little crooked up front, but Mitrovski described her as “the sweetest creature ever.” He initially sent the filly to the Keeneland November Sale, but she RNA'd there for $9,000. Color Comin' In improved dramatically as a yearling, but when he sent her down to the OBS October Sale, he encountered another obstacle. The sale took place between two catastrophic hurricanes in Florida and out-of-town buyers were scarce. She sold for just $11,000. Color Comin' In breaks her maiden at Churchill Downs | Coady Media Mitrovski tracked the filly as she was pinhooked for $100,000, selling to Justin Casse at the OBS March Sale after breezing in 9.4, and started putting in works at Churchill Downs this spring. Then he watched as the Norm Casse trainee was entered in a competitive maiden for her debut. The field included a $1.2 million full-sister to MGSW First Captain (Curlin) and a $410,000 OBS March graduate. “I guess I was much more hopeful that I was confident,” Mitrovski admitted. “It was a really good bunch of fillies in that race, but she ran like a rocket. It was an impressive win and a really emotional result. I hope that this is just the beginning of something better. When the first horse you ever bred is a winner at Churchill Downs, it's really nice.” Casse has reported that Color Comin' In, who is campaigned by CKDS Racing Stable, is pointing for the listed Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 29. With a Churchill Downs winner to his credit, Mitrovski is already off to a fast start as a breeder. But breaking into the industry remains a tougher race to win. When Mitrovski and his family arrived in Lexington back in 2022, they spent several weeks living in a hotel while he searched for a job. He hoped to find something quickly so they could settle near wherever he ended up working. After sending his resume to 20-some operations with no positive responses, Mitrovski was confused, disheartened, and knew he had to start looking elsewhere. “Maybe the problem is that I don't have any hands-on experience, but I was applying for administrative jobs,” explained Mitrovski. “Maybe I just don't have the recommendations. I guess that's the reason, but I don't know.” His wife Donna, who was an economist back in North Macedonia, had already found a job at the Fayette Mall. Mitrovski joined her there. Mitrovski and his wife Donna at Keeneland | Sara Gordon In the Dillard's women's shoe department, Mitrovski has waited on some of the sport's most prominent owners and breeders. He recognizes them from the many racing articles he has read over the years and chats with them about their horses in between fetching them a different shoe size or helping adjust a heel strap. Mitrovski said he is grateful to the team at Dillard's for giving him a chance, but sometimes he can't help thinking about how far he is from where he wants to be. “I still hope that I will find something in the industry,” he said. “If I need to learn something, if it's about horses I will learn. No doubt about it. Maybe my expectations are too high, but it's something I've wanted to do all my life. I never gave up on my dreams and when I came here, I found hope again. It's good to have hope. Like with Color Comin' In, you have a good feeling with yourself, a satisfaction that you've done something right.” Color Comin' In was the only foal Mitrovski bred out of Sleepless Dixie. Last year the mare lost her foal a few months before her due date. He bred her back, then sold her at an online auction last spring. This past fall, he took the money he made from selling Color Comin' In and Sleepless Dixie to find a new mare. With the help of Chad Schumer, he bought Waverly Place (Awesome Again), a great-granddaughter of champion Winning Colors, for $17,000. This spring, the mare produced a colt by freshman sire Yaupon. “He is a very promising young stallion and the foal is very correct and very strong, so we have high hopes for him,” said Mitrovski. “The dream is still alive.” In the months leading up to their move to Kentucky, friends and neighbors would approach the Mitrovskis and ask them if they were really ready to trade secure, professional careers for a fresh start in an unfamiliar world that few in their community even knew existed. Mitrovski said he believed he owed it to his family to take the leap. “I'm telling my kids all the time that if you want something, don't waste your time with something else,” he said. “I don't think I would be in this situation without my wife and my family having my back. This is a family business at the end of the day. I'm doing this for myself, but I'm doing this for my kids also.” “I'm here to stay,” he continued. “I don't think I will go back to anything else. This is where I want to be. We will continue to breed horses and hope we will have other success after this. Coming here to Kentucky was always the dream, so don't give up your dreams.” The post From the Balkans to the Bluegrass, Breeder Tomislav Mitrovski Chasing a Dream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lord Charles Allen, who was announced as the new chair of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in November, will not start in his new role on June 2 as originally planned. A statement from the BHA on Friday confirmed that Lord Allen will delay taking over at the helm as he wished to continue to meet all stakeholders to “better inform his vision”. The statement read, “Since Lord Allen was named as the new chair of the BHA last November he has engaged in an extensive round of meetings with stakeholders to develop a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the issues facing the sport. “The BHA can today confirm that Lord Allen will not now start on June 2 as he wishes to continue meeting stakeholders to better inform his vision for the sport and he looks forward to starting his new role once these have concluded.” Lord Allen, a former chief executive at ITV who was also on the organising committee of the London 2012 Olympics, is set to succeed the late Joe Saumarez Smith, who died in February. The post New BHA Chair Delays Start Date appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Items from the estate of the late Virginia Kraft Payson, proprietor of Payson Stud in Lexington and Payson Park Training Center in Florida, will be offered over the course of five auctions via Bluegrass Auction, Appraisal & Realty in June. Showcasing Payson's extensive collections of fine jewelry, rare antiques, and numerous paintings and prints–some numbered and from limited runs–over 1,200 items will be put on offer June 15-22. Said works are by renown sporting artists like Henry Stull, Jenness Cortez, Fred Stone, and Peter Howell, and include topics such as her 1985 Travers Stakes winner Carr de Naskra and homebred St. Jovite, who would be crowned the European Horse of the Year in 1992. Other artwork includes numbered prints and paintings of horses such as Ruffian, A.P. Indy, John Henry, and Alysheba, to name a few. All five catalogues, and online bidding, are available here along with more information on the condition of the pieces. The post Items from the Estate of Virginia Kraft Payson on Offer via Bluegrass Auction in June appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

America's Best Racing provides a numerical history of the Belmont Stakes (G1).View the full article

The New York Racing Association and the New York State Gaming Commission have placed Barn 85 at Saratoga Race Course under a 14-day precautionary quarantine until further notice due to a positive case of strangles in that barn.View the full article

Charlie Fellowes could be forgiven for any lingering frustration over the events at Longchamp just over a fortnight ago. After all, there he was, poised to receive the trophy for winning his first Classic. Shes Perfect was in the winner's circle after the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and the photos had been taken with her throng of happy owners. Then came the dreaded verdict. By now, the records show that after a stewards' enquiry and subsequent unsuccessful appeal, the hampered Zarigana was the winner of the race. Who knows what private and proverbial kicking of cats there may have been behind closed doors at Bedford House Stables, but Fellowes appears to have taken it all with a 'that's racing' shrug of his shoulders. It's the grown-up reaction of one who has now been training for 12 years and has seen enough lows – though perhaps none quite so public or profound – to know that in this sport, nothing can be taken for granted, not even when you've crossed the line in front. “I'm very much what will be will be,” says Fellowes as he watches Shes Perfect and his other exciting Classic prospect Luther as they warm up for first lot. “A lot of people were surprised at my reaction after the demotion. I got so many kind messages about the interview afterwards with Sky Sports Racing, although at that time it was all still such a blur; it hadn't really sunk in. “But I can't change what happened, I'm not going to change their decision, and getting wound up and angry over it achieves absolutely nothing. We are still in the enviable position of having two really exciting horses and, okay it didn't happen that day, but I feel sure that it will happen for her this year, and hopefully for Luther. The only way to help is by focusing on what's happening here and having the horses spot on for the next time they go to the races, and hopefully Lady Luck will shine down on us one day.” Instead then, in Fellowes's rose-lined corner of Newmarket at the yard which has housed a number of Derby winners, including Hermit, Isinglass, Pinza and, most recently, Luca Cumani's High-Rise, it is a case of onwards and upwards. And the next up could come as soon as this Sunday as Luther, whose valiant fourth in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains has been all-but forgotten in the hullabaloo of the fillies' race, returns to France for a crack at the Prix du Jockey Club. He will once more be partnered by Kieran Shoemark, of whom Fellowes is a staunch ally. “Not only is Kieran an incredibly nice human being and a joy to work with, but he's a very good rider. He makes very few mistakes, he's got brilliant hands, you never see a horse pulling with him,” he says. “He rode nigh on a perfect race. Luther has on occasion been a stride slow out of the gates so we put him through the stalls a few days before the race and then he absolutely pinged the gates. We sat a lot closer to a very strong pace than the other three that we reoppose [on Sunday] did.” Fellowes continues, “Luther is not a big, strapping, scopey, staying type. He's neat and quite well made but he's strong.” Fellowes alongside Luther and Stuart Ritchie on Warren Hill | Emma Berry A son of Frankel and the Musidora Stakes winner Give And Take (Cityscape), Luther was bought by Will Douglass for owner Paul Hickman, with his breeder Nicholas Jones staying in for a share. His dam is out of a full-sister to the brilliant Fame And Glory (Montjeu), whose five Group 1 wins included the Irish Derby. This gives Luther a strand in common with his stable-mate Shes Perfect, whose granddam Desertion (Danehill) is a sister to Irish Derby winner Desert King. Hickman, originally from Wolverhampton but now residing in Singapore, has long been a supporter of Fellowes, largely through his friendship with Chief Stipe King, the owner of dual Group 3-winning sprinter Vadream (and also of Coventry City FC). “Paul loves the middle-distance pedigrees – he's not interested in sprinters at all – and we buy one or two a year for him to try to win the Derby,” Fellowes notes. “When you've got one, maybe two if you're lucky, bullets to fire at the sales it's not easy. But I think Paul would definitely settle for a French Derby – so much so that he had the choice whether to go to Epsom or France and he's going to France.” The trainer is also “leaning towards” a return to France and the Prix de Diane instead of Royal Ascot for Shes Perfect. “She has always worked like she wants slightly further, so I am keen to explore a step up in trip,” he says of the daughter of Sioux Nation. “We put her in the Arc at the end of the year. You look at the Coronation [Stakes], and Lake Victoria was very good the other day, and Zarigana has beaten us twice – well, sort of. But it looks like quite a good race and, although I think the round track at Ascot would suit her, as she likes to just get on with things, I think that stepping up to ten furlongs now in France would just give us some clarity as to where we go for the rest of the season – whether we genuinely train her with the Arc in mind, or whether ten furlongs is the limit, or whether we are dropping back to a mile.” He adds, “The beauty of her is that she goes on any ground, which few horses genuinely do. She's a big girl. She is literally perfect physically and that is how she was named.” Shes Perfect and Poppy Watson | Emma Berry With one of the town's most historic stables as his home, Fellowes is now fully embedded in Newmarket. It is not all that far from where he grew up at Abbots Ripton in Cambridgeshire, and where he was first bitten by the bug when coming racing with his mother, who owned shares in horses with Geoff Wragg. “Mum would give me a pound to bet on each race and I was utterly hooked on it,” he recalls. “Friends would come over on a Saturday and want to play in the garden and I just wanted to watch Channel 4 Racing.” Far too tall to be a jockey, which was his initial ambition, he settled on a career as a trainer and set about learning from some of the most established names in the business, which included a stint in Australia with Lee Freedman and five years as assistant to James Fanshawe, who Fellowes says is “one of the best horsemen in the country”. He is not alone in this belief. “I don't come from a racing background so horses weren't in my blood,” he says. “But I think every trainer would say that they are always learning. I know this place like the back of my hand now – I've been here 20 years in Newmarket, and maybe these two have come along at a good point in my career. Maybe they have have timed their runs beautifully so I can showcase their careers.” There will be plenty of folk in his home town cheering for him if either Luther or Shes Perfect manage to land a Group 1. Fellowes is not just instantly likeable, with an openness now much more common to the younger breed of trainer, but he does his bit for the town, too. This includes chairing the committee for Newmarket's popular Henry Cecil Open Weekend in September. As Fellowes watches Luther have his last gentle exercise up Warren Hill before heading to Chantilly, Sir Mark Prescott calls out “bonne chance” to him, while David Simcock wanders over to enquire where Luther has been drawn for the Jockey Club. Along with George Scott, Fellowes was an early adopter of the podcast craze, and he is engagingly candid on his social media channels, which are actively driving ownership in the stable. “Basher does all my social media now,” he says of Basher Watts, the syndicate manager behind Shes Perfect and other horses. “I am generally relatively relaxed about information I send over. I would get an email or two a week now from people who are interested in shares in horses, which we never had before. We're reaching people now which we never touched before. We have about 12,000 followers on Instagram, which has grown significantly since Basher took over, and I'm now on TikTok, apparently.” Fellowes continues, “Twitter is a funny one. I find it can be a really toxic place. We don't use it as a marketing tool and I should really delete it from my phone as it just seems to be a breeding ground for negativity. But I like Instagram and it's definitely been a good marketing tool for us, and a lot of it is just explaining what we are doing – the day-to-day training of the horses, the farrier, etc. I think the everyday guy in the street still thinks that racing is fixed and horses are badly treated, but racing in England is incredibly clean and horses generally live exceptional lives through to retirement and then have a happy and peaceful time after racing. It's up to us to be getting that message across.” While Fellowes has enjoyed his share of success at the royal meeting, he points to Prince Of Arran's win in the G3 Lexus Stakes, which qualified him to run in the Melbourne Cup, as the high point of his career to date. Luther could yet take his trainer back to Australia, as Fellowes and Hickman are keen to aim him at the Cox Plate. “That's the potential end-of-season target,” he says. “I love Australia and I have been desperate to go back for a long time. Luther wants decent ground so he won't be running on Champions Day or anything like that. I think three-year-olds have a good record in the race and I think he would handle the tight track at Moonee Valley.” He continues, “It's really exciting to have these things to think about, and to have it for these owners as well. You couldn't find a nicer or more enthusiastic man than Basher. All he cares about is his shareholders. He just wants them all to have a good experience. He has all these what's app groups and it's a real community. “And then for Paul Hickman, he's been one of my biggest supporters and I speak to him almost daily at the moment. He's a lovely guy who I get on really well with. “I feel like [Luther and Shes Perfect] are just a little bit different to the other good ones that I've had. Prince Of Arran was a wonderful horse but he came alive in Australia and never really loved English tracks. Vadream is talented but quirky – everything has to go like clockwork for her and if it does she'll run a screamer. “But these two, mentally, they are just very tough and straightforward. I think that's what sets them slightly apart.” The post ‘Maybe These Two Have Come Along at a Good Point in my Career’: Fellowes on Luther and Shes Perfect appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) have placed Barn 85 at Saratoga Race Course under a 14-day precautionary quarantine until further notice due to a positive case of strangles in that barn. Strangles is a contagious bacterial infection that generally affects a horse's respiratory system and causes symptoms similar to those of strep throat in humans. When properly diagnosed and treated, strangles is not considered a life-threatening infection and horses recover fully. Barn 85 contains horses trained by Jeremiah Englehart and Jorge Abreu. The 2-year-old [Tranquil Sea] who is trained by Englehart, was referred to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital on Wednesday, after developing breathing issues. He was subsequently tested for a number of potential ailments, and a positive test for strangles was returned on Friday morning. The colt began treatment immediately at Rood & Riddle, where he remains. Following official notification of the positive case by the NYS Department of Agriculture on Friday morning, NYRA and the NYSGC implemented standard infectious disease protocols including restricting access to the horses in the quarantined barn, establishing a 24-hour security watch, mandating regular temperature checks for the horses in that barn and enacting biosecurity measures for all individuals requiring access to Barn 85. Overseen by Dr. Sarah Hinchliffe, the director of NYRA's veterinary department, in consultation with the NYSGC, the Barn 85 quarantine is effective immediately. Abreu has horses in both Barn 85 and Barn 86, and only the horses in Barn 85 are quarantined. The Abreu horses located in Barn 86 can train and race with the general population. During the initial quarantine period, these horses will not be permitted to enter races or train among the general horse population. Afebrile/asymptomatic horses stabled in Barn 85 will have isolated training hours at the Oklahoma Training Track following the close of training for the general horse population at 10 a.m. As of Friday morning, three additional febrile horses have been identified in Barn 85. These horses will be removed from the property to undergo further evaluation. In an email follow-up, vice president of communications Patrick McKenna stated that other than the impacted barn, NYRA had not instituted any additional restrictions on shipping horses into, or out of, Saratoga Race Course. NYRA will provide updates as appropriate. The post Barn 85 at Saratoga Placed Under Quarantine Due to Strangles Positive appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The first five finishers from the Satsuki Sho (Japanese Two Thousand Guineas-G1) return to contest the June 1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby-G1).View the full article

Sam Agars DAZZLING FIT - R5 (1) Can defy heavy weight and continue on his winning ways Jay Rooney LUCKY SYMPHONY - R3 (1) Won impressively last start and can overcome another wide draw here Trackwork Spy HELIOS EXPRESS - R8 (2) So long the bridesmaid, the gun sprinter can have his day in the sun today Phillip Woo DIVANO - R6 (7) Gets in nicely at the weights and is running over a suitable trip Shannon (Vincent Wong) POCHETTINO - R1 (5) Drops into Class Five and looks ready to produce his...View the full article

The Road, presented by Gainesway and Darby Dan FarmView the full article

NZB is excited to announce the addition of ten quality weanlings for the 2025 National Weanling Sale, set to take place at Karaka on Thursday 26 June. In addition to the 134 lots originally catalogued, ten bonus lots will be offered immediately following Lot 134. Seven of the supplementary weanlings are on account of renowned vendor Waikato Stud, who sold star Weanling Sale graduate Jedibeel (NZ), a recent winner of the Group Two Challenge Stakes at Randwick. “We were a little late getting organised, but what we’re offering at this Weanling Sale indicates the strength of what we’ve got in store for the Karaka yearling sales,” stated Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick. “We always support any NZB sale and can only prepare so many yearlings at once. We believe we’ve got our strongest crop of weanlings on the ground, quality and quantity-wise, that we’ve had in a long time and that will be reflected in our draft for Karaka 2026 as we celebrate 100 years of the National Yearling Sales Series.” Established Ready to Run Sale vendors Riverrock Farm will debut at the National Weanling Sale when they present Lot 143, a first foal by Turn Me Loose out of Neon Moon (Exosphere) and Lot 144, a Circus Maximus colt. While Little Avondale Stud have added one more weanling to their nine-strong draft in Lot 135, a filly by Tivaci from Lavita Vishi (NZ) (Savabeel). “The addition of these weanlings with some outstanding pedigrees, commercial sires and from genuine drafts adds another boost to this Sale,” commented NZB’s Bloodstock Sales Manager Kane Jones. “Having these supplementary lots on top of an already quality catalogue creates further opportunities for those end users and traders. “The pinhookers will certainly want to take note, as too the trainers looking for a Karaka Millions eligible horse.” The on-farm parades for the upcoming 2025 National Weanling Sale are scheduled to take place from Wednesday 4 June through to Friday 6 June. All prospective buyers are welcome to attend to inspect weanlings ahead of the Sale, while NZB and NZ-based agents are also available to inspect on your behalf should you require a head start on inspections and evaluations. View and download the schedule here. Physical copies of the supplementary catalogue will be available at Sale Day Reception or can be downloaded here.  View the full 143-lot catalogue online here or on the Equineline app for tablets. All weanlings offered are eligible to be nominated for NZB’s lucrative Karaka Millions Series. Graduates can compete for a share in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), followed by the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) as well as the $1m NZB Mega Maiden Bonus Series. For those attending the Sale and requiring assistance with travel and accommodation, contact travel@nzb.co.nz, or book directly with special rates at the DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka hotel here. View the full article

Race 6 KPMG MILE 1600m LA MEZQUITA (T Moodley) – Trainer Mr. S Marsh reported to Stewards, he was satisfied with the post-race condition of the mare, however, in his opinion LA MEZQUITA would benefit to more rain effected footing. S Marsh further advised it is his intention to carry on with the mare’s current preparation. Race 9 CHAMPION FREIGHT 1500m ROZEL (E Nicholas) – Co-trainer Ms. M Murdoch advised Stewards, that the stable was satisfied with the mare’s condition following the race, however, ROZEL has now been seen for a spell. The post Waikato Thoroughbred Racing @ Te Rapa, Saturday 24 May 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 8 HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY EMILLIE RATING 65 1600m MIGHTY CASTLE (N Yuen) – Trainer Mr. S Woodsford reported to Stewards, he was satisfied with the mare’s condition following the race and it is his intention to carry on with MIGHTY CASTLE’S current preparation, where he may nominate her for the Waimate RC meeting on Sunday 8 June. The post Otago Racing Club @ Wingatui, Friday 23 May 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

After a successful first season in New Zealand, talented young jockey Matthew Cartwright is back home in Victoria for a winter stint. Cartwright currently holds a spot inside the top 10 in the New Zealand jockeys’ premiership, while he also gained his first taste of Group One glory earlier this season when he won the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) on Grail Seeker (NZ) (Iffraaj). “It was very rewarding and I was so glad to get that,” Cartwright said of that top-level triumph. “I’m very proud of my efforts and what I’ve achieved for my first season in New Zealand; I had seven Stakes winners, there was a Group One, a Group Two, a few Group Three’s and a few Listed races. “I was very happy, I rode 53 winners in New Zealand, it’s the most winners I’ve ever ridden in a season and we’ve still got a few months left.” More broadly speaking, Cartwright believes that he’s benefited from his time across the Tasman, both in and out of the saddle. “It’s improved me as a rider, it’s probably made me grow up mentally as well,” he said. “I feel like being away from home has probably mentally toughened me up and made me realise what it’s like being away from home as well.” Cartwright was back at the races on home soil last week at Kilmore and plans to ride in his home state for the next couple of months. “I’m just going to have a lighter winter and be riding in Melbourne and then I’ll head back to New Zealand early August for a few Group horses,” Cartwright said. “I’m happy with how it’s been going in New Zealand and I’d like to give Melbourne a crack for the winter, nothing permanent but I want to ride here and keep my licence in Melbourne for next season as well.” Cartwright hopes to taste metropolitan success during his time back in Melbourne and will ride veteran galloper Curran for his family in Saturday’s Listed Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield. View the full article

A successful association between Windsor Park Stud and Riverton owner-trainer Andrea Dickson has continued with A Mandarin, who will shoot for a hat-trick of wins when she lines up in the Grand Casino (2200m) at Wingatui on Sunday. A Mandarin has joined Dickson’s stable under a lease from Windsor Park Stud. That same arrangement resulted in Dickson winning races at Oamaru and Gore with the capable mare Rita Hayworth in 2021 and 2022. While Rita Hayworth ventured south as an unraced mare, A Mandarin brought established racetrack credentials. The daughter of Turn Me Loose was trained by Sam Mynott through a creditable northern career that spanned 16 starts for two wins, a second, two thirds and four fourths. Her wins came in 2100m races at Te Rapa and Pukekohe in January and October of last year. “I’m leasing her from Windsor Park, and with the good form that she had up in the North Island, I felt quite lucky to get her,” Dickson said. The five-year-old had excuses when unplaced in her first four starts in the South Island, but has turned a corner in her last two appearances with back-to-back Rating 65 victories in the Ashford Motor Lodge Christchurch Pourakino Handiacp (2147m) at Riverton and the Homestead Villa Motel & Majestic Float (2200m) at Ascot Park. The Riverton race had a stake of $40,000. “In her first start for me in January, she hit her head on the top of the gates and almost knocked herself out,” Dickson said. “Then she was badly interfered with by a fallen horse at Wingatui in February. I gave her a bit of a break for a few weeks, and she’s come back really well with those two wins in April. Those were a couple of very good performances. “She’s feeling very well. It’s quite a step up on Sunday, going into open class, and it looks like a very competitive field. “But she’s been working really well and is in great order. She tries really hard, and she seems to be forming a good rapport with Yogesh Atchamah, who has ridden her to both of those wins and can claim 2kg. “I can’t fault her leading into the race, and if she was able to run in the top four against that level of opposition, I’d come out of it pretty happy.” View the full article

Runaway last-start winner Honey Badger will head to Te Rapa on Saturday as a hot favourite for the Ambient Group 3YO (1100m), where another big performance could earn her a black-type opportunity at Tauranga next month. Honey Badger has shown a real affinity for heavy tracks, with both of her two career victories coming in those conditions. That includes a spectacular performance at Rotorua on May 10, where she blew her Rating 65 opposition away by eight and a half lengths. Trainer Tony Pike is open to the possibility of the El Roca filly taking on older mares in the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m) on June 21. “We’ll see how she goes tomorrow before making any plans, but if she happened to win well, we’d certainly give consideration to trying her out at weight-for-age at Tauranga,” Pike said. “She’d run a couple of good races on drier tracks (fifth and fourth at on Soft5 tracks at Te Rapa on April 13 and April 26), but she obviously has a real preference for that rain-affected going. She got that at Rotorua last start, and you don’t often see horses win as impressively as she did that day. “With the rain we’ve been having over the last few days, she’ll have suitable conditions again tomorrow, albeit a rise in class. She’s a short-priced favourite and probably deserves that on the strength of her last-start performance. “She came through the Rotorua run in fantastic order and has worked very well through the week.” Honey Badger will be joined on the float to Te Rapa by her stablemate Cast Of Diamonds, who is a similarly warm favourite for the Wright Civil (2200m). The four-year-old son of Eminent has finished second in his last two starts over 2100m and 2200m, beaten by a long neck and a short head. “He’s racing really well,” Pike said. “He went down by a very narrow margin at Rotorua last start. This looks like an ideal race for him, probably a touch easier than what he came up against last time, and he looks close to a win.” Honey Badger and Cast Of Diamonds could be the start of a notable long weekend for Pike, who also has a pair of highly regarded two-year-olds entered for the Mlaadi Laurich (1150m) at Te Aroha on Monday. Happy Youmzain and Cream Tart both come from the first crop of Hello Youmzain. The Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion is also the sire of Pike’s Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) winner Lucy In The Sky. Cream Tart finished second on debut at Matamata on May 14. She was beaten by a neck by Alacritous, with four and a quarter lengths back to the third placegetter. This will be the first raceday appearance for Happy Youmzain, who has recorded a win and three placings from four appearances at the trials. “They’re both going really well,” Pike said. “Cream Tart impressed me with that debut performance at Matamata. She might have just got the front a little bit soon there, but fought very well. Happy Youmzain has really pleased us at the trials. “We’ll assess what happens with the weather and track conditions between now and then, but as long as the ground isn’t too testing, they’ll head there on Monday as a couple of very nice chances.” View the full article

Luke Ferraris has shaken off the worst of the fever that sidelined him from Wednesday night’s Happy Valley meeting and is hoping he has the ammunition to continue his strong recent form at Sha Tin on Saturday. Victorious at the past two meetings he has ridden at, Ferraris will feature in both of Saturday’s Group Three features but must overcome barrier 10 aboard Lucky With You in the Sha Tin Vase (1,200m) and Chancheng Glory in the Lion Rock Trophy (1,600m). “Lucky With You is going to need the...View the full article