Wandering Eyes

Too much of a good thing? Not when it comes to maintaining the gold standard. For if we have only recently celebrated the way Medaglia d'Oro is confounding the self-fulfilling prejudice against aging stallions by continuing to produce runners like Good Cheer and East Avenue, then he now demands a sequel addressing his equal prowess in the kind of role more conventionally reserved for a stallion of 26–namely, as broodmare sire. Last weekend, daughters of Medaglia d'Oro gave us GI Gamely Stakes winner Be Your Best (Muhaarar {GB}); GII Santa Margarita Stakes romper Seismic Beauty (Uncle Mo); and, no less lucratively despite the formal gap in grade, Texas Derby winner Instant Replay (Maximum Security). Two others meanwhile produced 'TDN Rising Star' debutants either side of the Atlantic. Already damsire of young stallions such as National Treasure, Prince of Monaco and Olympian, Medaglia d'Oro is attending to every aspect of his legacy. Admittedly he can no more keep pace with Tapit, in this role, than anyone else. Tapit mares have already produced 19 stakes winners this year, including as many as 10 at graded level. But daughters of Medaglia d'Oro are now up to a dozen black-type scorers, ahead of 11 apiece for Jonabell neighbor Street Sense and their late buddy Bernardini. To a degree, of course, the fact that those three should be clustered in pursuit of Tapit tells its own story. Each has (or had) access to the most expensively assembled broodmare herd in Turf history. Good Cheer herself, for instance, is out of a homebred Street Sense mare; while Medaglia d'Oro and Street Sense exchanged roles to come up with First Mission. But that kind of mutual aid represents only a bonus in their overall records. So far as Medaglia d'Oro is concerned, even those of us most skeptical of formulaic breeding must concede the regularity with which his daughters have struck gold with Speightstown. But his daughters' work over the weekend reflected the versatility that remains the principal trademark of Medaglia d'Oro, not least in terms of surfaces. Seismic Beauty | Benoit As we noted the other day, while he has endured long enough to share in a welcome rapprochement, for a long time Medaglia d'Oro served as a rare crossover influence during a generation of culpable disjunction between European and American gene pools. Somehow he has managed to balance the contrasting profiles of his sire El Prado (Ire)–whose other principal heir, Kitten's Joy, dealt almost exclusively in chlorophyll–and a dam by Bailjumper. (Curious how sons of Damascus confined their imprint largely to daughters: not just the obvious case of Private Account, but also Ogygian as damsire of Johannesburg.) Interestingly, both the Medaglia d'Oro mares who produced big dirt winners last weekend were in turn out of daughters of the same stallion: Smart Strike. The one who produced Seismic Duty's dam Knarsdale (Medaglia d'Oro) is an interesting case. While Secret File (Smart Strike) didn't break her maiden until she was four, she progressed to run second in her stakes debut at Ellis Park in 2011. And look who joined her on the podium that day! The GIII Gardenia Stakes was won by an emerging filly named Groupie Doll (Bowman's Band), later a dual Breeders' Cup champion; while third home was Stage Magic (Ghostzapper), making her final racetrack appearance count before commencing the breeding career that has famously given us Justify. Smart Strike, of course, was another sire to extend his influence across different surfaces. Secret File had herself won on synthetic before switching to dirt, and her 2013 mating with Medaglia d'Oro duly led to a corresponding adaptability in their daughter: Knarsdale won a dirt maiden on debut before later transferring to turf for an allowance score/stakes podium, all at sprint distances. The choice of Medaglia d'Oro for Secret File, incidentally, may well have been inspired by his daughter Payton d'Oro, winner of the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and twice Grade I-placed in 2011: she was out of a Jade Hunter half-sister to Secret File's stakes-winning dam Emery Board (Grindstone). Knarsdale herself was later sold, with a maiden cover by Uncle Mo, at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale, to Determined Stud for $430,000. (Less demand, sadly, for her 15-year-old dam a couple of years later: Secret File was culled for just $2,000, four years after a son by Uncle Mo had brought $900,000 as a yearling!) Seismic Beauty, as the foal Knarsdale carried into the ring, cleared most of that investment as a $400,000 weanling at Fasig-Tipton, and subsequent siblings have respectively raised $500,000 (Bernardini colt, won a couple of minor races at two last year) and $225,000 (Essential Quality filly) even without Seismic Beauty decorating the page on the racetrack. Her performance at the weekend, as a five-length winner in a lightning time, will duly spread excitement well beyond her own camp: her dam is still only 11 and a shrewd return to Seismic Beauty's late sire accounts for her yearling daughter; and the stakes are rising also for LCI, purchasers of the Essential Quality filly. Instant Replay | Coady Media No Rewinding But Replay Gives Maximum Pleasure The other Medaglia d'Oro mare out of a daughter of Smart Strike? Well, doubtless that's a bittersweet topic for Gary and Mary West. On the one hand, they will be delighted to see Maximum Security come up with a son as talented as Instant Replay; on the other, the annual cull essential to any program of their size in 2023 unfortunately included his dam Academy Gal (Medaglia d'Oro) for just $5,000 at the Keeneland November Sale. Having regressed sharply in just three career starts, the 7-year-old was found lurking at Hip 3452 by Gaelic Bloodstock. Her first foal, by American Freedom, then remained an unraced juvenile (second last month in a maiden claimer); while the vendors were retaining two sons by Maximum Security. The younger has since been named Final Thoughts, but second thoughts may have ensued now that Instant Replay has won consecutive stakes after closing for third in the GII Louisiana Derby. But hindsight is not a wonderful thing. It's just really irritating. It says much about Academy Gal's apparent prospects that her own dam, Flashy Gal (Smart Strike), was sold for $1,000 at the same auction. The catalogue showed that Flashy Gal had unequivocally failed to repay generous opportunity, producing a second daughter by Medaglia d'Oro (unraced); a daughter by Tapit (ditto); and two foals by Quality Road with a single, unplaced start between them. And yet, and yet… Purchasers Harper Ridge Thoroughbreds evidently reminded themselves that Flashy Gal had won a Belmont maiden on her second start before running third in a stakes over the same turf; and later won a couple of Churchill allowances. And she had cost $250,000 as a yearling, being out of a stakes-placed Deputy Minister half-sister to two elite winners: Hold That Tiger (Storm Cat), a champion juvenile in Europe; and Editor's Note (Forty Niner), winner of the GI Belmont Stakes in 1996. Well, let's at least give Maximum Security credit for stoking up these embers. It was through no fault of his own (nor of his owners) that his amazing rise was derailed, first by his rider in the Derby and then by the imprisonment of his trainer. One way or another, he became such a hard sell that he is now standing at $5,000. But Maximum Security has so far fielded 33 winners from just 68 starters, including three graded stakes/Group performers. He has many a peer whose genetic functionality, despite far greater chances, for now remains less apparent. A Family Where The Best Comes As Standard The weekend's biggest score for a Medaglia d'Oro mare takes the least explanation. Be Your Best (Ire) extends one of the most aristocratic families in the book, with matriarch Up the Flagpole (Hoist the Flag) as fourth dam. Be Your Best | Benoit Be Your Best's dam Kamakura is out of a daughter of A.P. Indy and Up the Flagpole's European Group 1 winner Flagbird (Nureyev), herself once runner-up in the Gamely. That pedigree strongly echoes GI Jenny Wiley Stakes winner Dickinson (Medaglia d'Oro), whose mother, GI Ashland Stakes winner Little Belle, is by A.P. Indy out of Flagbird's daughter by Mr. Prospector. It would be hard to claim that Be Your Best's own sire quite measures up to all these brands. Indeed, a couple of years after Kamakura (Medaglia d'Oro) delivered Be Your Best, Muhaarar (GB) was moved from Britain to France and cut to just €5,000. In fairness, he sired a French Classic winner the following year, and has since coaxed his fee back up to €14,000. It was precisely the way Muhaarar cooled off commercially, after advertising what had appeared optimal commercial speed on the track, that prompted Mike Ryan to keep Be Your Best within his St Croix Bloodstock program. That had now proved a great blessing. Not that Kamakura owed him anything. She was culled by Godolphin for 150,000gns as an unraced Godolphin sophomore, at the Tattersalls July Sale of 2016. By that stage her full brother Bay of Plenty had contributed a Saratoga stakes (dirt 9f) to this famous family; and half-brother Fortify (Distorted Humor) had operated just a tier down from the best juveniles of his crop (Grade I-placed). Kamakura immediately discharged the investment, her first son by Kingman being sold at Tattersalls October for 625,000gns–to Godolphin! He was a winner and so too, already, is Kamakura's latest 2-year-old: a Too Darn Hot colt sold to Blandford Bloodstock last fall, again in Book 1 at Tattersalls, for 270,000gns. Named Postmodern by Wathnan Racing, he looked Royal Ascot material in his five-length 'TDN Rising Star' debut at Yarmouth last week. And Royal Ascot is presumably also an option for Outfielder (Speightstown), similarly anointed a 'TDN Rising Star' after melting the clock for Wesley Ward at Churchill the very next day. The $850,000 Saratoga yearling is out of Notte d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), so there's that Speightstown cross again. If that will obviously be drying up now, no matter: it feels like these Medaglia d'Oro mares are barely getting started. The post Breeding Digest: Gold Rush Continues With Medals For Mares appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will open two new special exhibitions and host several public events to coincide with the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival held June 4-8. The Museum's latest exhibits, A Look Through the Eyes and Life of Charlotte C. Weber and Greg Montgomery: 40 Years of the Travers Poster open to the public Wednesday, June 4. On exhibition in the Museum's McBean Gallery through Nov. 2, A Look Through the Eyes and Life of Charlotte C. Weber chronicles the remarkable journey in thoroughbred racing and breeding and the legacy of Charlotte Weber, who established Live Oak Stud in Ocala, Fla. The Museum's von Stade Gallery will host Greg Montgomery: 40 Years of the Travers Poster, one of racing's most iconic series of artwork, through June 29. Montgomery began producing annual posters for Saratoga Race Course's Travers Stakes in 1986. The post National Museum Of Racing Celebrates Belmont Festival With New Exhibits appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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. Thursday's Observations features a son of a 'TDN Rising Star'. 2.40 Yarmouth, Novice, £9,950, 2yo, 7f 3yT MAN OF VISION (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) debuts for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby in the maiden the yard captured with the smart pair Naval Power and New Science in the last four years. He is the first foal out of the yard's TDN Rising Star Summer Romance, Kingman's dual Group winner who was runner-up in the GI Diana Stakes and GI Just a Game Stakes from the excellent family of Kingman's current 3-year-old sensation Field Of Gold. Also making his debut is Lady Bamford and Alice Bamford's homebred Rodeo (GB) (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}), a John and Thady Gosden-trained son of Cape Blanco's GII Sands Point Stakes winner and GI Del Mar Oaks third Californiagoldrush. The post First Foal Out Of Summer Romance, Man Of Vision, Debuts For Godolphin appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Derek Leung Ka-chun was in the winners again at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, with his first treble since November headlined by Gracious Express’ last-gasp win in the Class Three Seine Handicap (1,200m). The 36-year-old had been winless for 27 rides prior to Voyage Boss’ debut win at Sha Tin on Sunday and he did not have to wait long to continue that winning feeling. Settled in midfield, Gracious Express’ backers would have been forgiven for throwing away their betting slips turning into the...View the full article

Baroness Minette Batters will become the new independent chair of the Horse Welfare Board (HWB), replacing Barry Johnson on July 1, 2025. Formerly the president of the National Farmers Union from 2018-2024, Batters was appointed as a crossbench House of Lords peer in 2024. A director of Salisbury Racecourse, Batters also enjoyed a successful career as an amateur jockey with over 30 point-to-point wins to her name. Batters said, “I'm absolutely delighted to be appointed as the new chair of the HWB. Horse welfare will always be fundamental to racing's success, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Barry Johnson for his leadership and expertise as the outgoing chair.” The post Baroness Minette Batters Appointed Independent Chair Of The Horse Welfare Board appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ahead of their match in the June 7 Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Fierceness broke a tie with White Abarrio to take full possession of the No. 1 spot in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll.View the full article

The new Maryland Jockey Club and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association announced $25,000 purse increases for a quartet of stakes races at Laurel Park on June 28.View the full article

Call Di led the way on the second and final day of the 2025 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast. Twice third at Group 2 level, Call Di showed her ability on the track, but it's her pedigree that helped take her to the top status. By Frankel, Call Di is a sister to Group 2 winner Miss Fabulass and is from the family of Australian Champion three-year-old Samantha Miss. The Newgate Consignment offering ended the day as the top seller when knocked down for $2.1 million to Yulong Investments after a late bidding battle with B2B Thoroughbreds. Yulong's Sam Fairgray commented, “It's good to be able to breed up a family and she's by a champion sire, out of a champion, her granddam's a champion sire and she's in foal to a champion sire. She's a lovely mare and I'm sure she'll leave a very, very nice Extreme Choice.” He added, “On race performance, I followed her racing career and you probably didn't see the best of her on the track. She had very, very good ability.” Yulong also swept the second top seller of the day – the Victoria Oaks winner Aristia who was offered by Vinery Stud in foal to I Am Invincible. She realised $1.45 million. “Once we saw her we knew we loved her,” Yulong's Jun Zhang said. “She is in foal to Vinnie and has got a good first foal by Zoustar. Lonhro is a very good mare sire and (she is) the perfect suit for Alabama Express. She was on our first list. We are always searching for good mares.” All told, the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale grossed $88,319,500 with the average settling at $248,088 [$206,801 in 2024]. Meanwhile, the median was $90,000 [down by $5,000 compared to 2024] and the clearance rate was also down by 6% to 77%. The post Yulong To The Fore As Call Di Tops Day Two of National Broodmare Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Breeders' Cup will be held at Keeneland Race Course and the new Belmont Park for the 2026 and 2027 Breeders' Cup World Championships, the company announced in a joint statement with NYRA and Keeneland Wednesday. The Breeders' Cup at Keeneland will take place Oct. 30-31, 2026, while the Belmont Park edition will be held Oct. 29-30, 2027, pending approval by the host tracks' respective states. “The Breeders' Cup, Keeneland, and Belmont Park share many core values, including a steadfast commitment to excellence and Thoroughbred racing, and there is no better way to showcase that partnership than through hosting the World Championships at these iconic venues in 2026 and 2027,” said Drew Fleming, President & CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited. “Enhanced by their latest capital improvements, both venues, each with their own unique legacy, will set the stage for our thrilling two-day festival that celebrates the pinnacle of Thoroughbred racing and everything the equestrian lifestyle has to offer.” “Keeneland is honored to host the Breeders' Cup World Championships in 2026, and we're thrilled to share this global racing celebration with fans from all over the world and with the Lexington community,” added Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “We are especially excited to host guests in our new Paddock Building with further enhanced hospitality experiences. In addition, we look forward to holding our third annual Championship Sale the Wednesday before Breeders' Cup, a dynamic way to help kick off the week's festivities. Keeneland and Breeders' Cup share a strong commitment to showcasing the very best of Thoroughbred racing, and we look forward to helping deliver another spectacular event.” New York State and the New York Racing Association's $455 million redevelopment of Belmont Park will result in a world-class racing and entertainment destination on Long Island. Centered around a 300,000-square foot, five-story building featuring the modern amenities and hospitality offerings sports fans have come to expect, the new facility will unlock the massive Belmont Park infield to provide fans and the community with more green space than ever before. In addition, NYRA is completely renovating the existing main dirt track and two turf courses while adding an all-weather synthetic surface. NYRA will open the new Belmont Park in September 2026. “A new Belmont Park is taking shape on Long Island because of the leadership and vision of Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose support for horse racing and understanding of its positive economic impact have paved the way for the return of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to New York in 2027,” said David O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO. “New York's racing fans and participants have longed to host this event since it was last held at Belmont in 2005, and we thank the Breeders' Cup for making that a reality.” The post Breeders’ Cup To Keeneland In 2026, New Belmont Park In 2027 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Derby entrant Wimbledon Hawkeye may head next to the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot instead of Epsom, according to trainer James Owen. The son of Kameko, winner of last year's Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes, has run three times this season to be runner-up in the Craven Stakes before running fifth in the 2,000 Guineas and third in the Dante Stakes. Owen said of the Gredley family's homebred, “He's come out of the Dante really well and he's had three quick runs now and probably ran to a similar level in all three. “I thought he stayed well at York and although I would love to go to the Derby with him, we have to do the best thing by the horse and we are probably swaying towards the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot. “We're leaning that way to give him the best chance of getting his head in front. I think he would be a solid Derby runner, but he's got to improve on the form he has shown this year around some of the others. “It's not certain yet, but at this stage we're swaying towards Royal Ascot over the Derby.” Owen will however be represented in the Betfred Derby by Rogue Impact for The Rogues Gallery syndicate. “He's been learning on the job and is going to stay well and has winning form with Owen Burrows's Al Wasl Storm, who is another outsider running in the Derby,” he said. “I think he would appreciate a little bit of cut in the ground, which I think there probably will be – it will be nice ground – and it's great for the Rogues Gallery to have a runner in the Derby.” Owen added, “Whatever the result, we'll have a great day out, the syndicate will have a great day out and we've got a horse to look forward to for the future after that. He's a horse we really like and I'm delighted we're going to have a run.” The post Wimbledon Hawkeye May Swerve Derby for Royal Ascot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There could be two sets of War Machine’s racing colours in next month’s $3 million Stradbroke Handicap if mare Coeur Volante (NZ) (Proisir) can make an impressive debut for her new trainers in Brisbane on Saturday. Like last Saturday’s dominant Group 3 BRC Sprint winner War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel), Coeur Volante also carries the same navy blue and gold colours of major owner Rupert Legh, with both horses now with the Lindsay Park yard after coming out of the Mike Moroney stable following his death earlier this year. War Machine has hit the ground running for his new trainers with some highly impressive performances and Ben Hayes said he is hopeful Coeur Volante can manage something similar when having her opening run for the Euroa-based trainers in a 1200-metre Stakes race on Saturday. “She’s got plenty of talent and she settled in really well, so we’re looking for a bold run on Saturday in the (Listed) Coughlan Stakes,” Hayes said. “She’ll do a piece of work tomorrow and then we’ll kick her off over 12 (1200m) and her grand final is the mares Group 1 (Tatts Tiara on June 21). “But if she comes out and wins well on Saturday, we could consider running her in the Stradbroke or in the Dane Ripper on the same day.” War Machine is now the $5 Stradbroke favourite after his performance at Doomben, with the emerging galloper likely to receive a low handicap of 52 or 53 kilograms in the Stradbroke when weights are released on Monday. “He’s a very exciting horse and we’re very lucky to get him,” he said. “He goes straight to the Straddie and I suppose the only negative is that Blake (Shinn) can’t ride that low so we’ll need to find another jockey. “Fourth-up, hitting the Group 1 with no weight, it’s a pretty good scenario.” View the full article

A Cox Plate tilt at The Valley in Melbourne or a crack at back-to-back wins in the King Charles III Stakes in Sydney. They are races Joe Pride is yet to decide between for Ceolwulf’s (NZ) (Tavistock) major target as the trainer begins the dual G1 winner’s build-up towards his spring campaign later this year. The G1 King Charles III Stakes is over 1600m at Randwick in October and is held a week before the Cox Plate at The Valley, which is over 2040m. Ceolwulf returned to Pride’s stables from a spell on Monday, with the rising five-year-old’s spring program yet to be locked in. “I haven’t nailed it down yet. I’ve got a lot of options,” Pride said. “The two main things, and it’s one or the other, it’s either going to be the King Charles again or the Cox Plate. And I’m going to have to make a call at some point of the preparation, obviously, because one’s a week before the other. “He certainly won’t be running in both and I’ve just got to make a decision, so we’ll see how he is in the early part of the prep.” Ceolwulf was a brilliant winner of both the Epsom Handicap and King Charles III Stakes over the Randwick 1600m last spring at G1 level and Pride resisted the temptation then to press on to Melbourne. Heading into Ceolwulf’s autumn campaign this year, Pride indicated he wanted to see the son of Tavistock run ‘a really good race’ in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes to convince him the gelding was just as good at 2000m as he is at 1600m. Ceolwulf came from last after drawing the outside barrier when finishing fifth behind current Cox Plate champ Via Sistina in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick in April at the end of his autumn campaign and Pride believes that didn’t provide a ‘definitive guide’ on his capabilities at that distance at the elite level. “We just drew so badly in that Queen Elizabeth this year and it just made it hard,” Pride said. “I think he ran a great race, but it just made it hard to get a definitive guide. “I’m relaxed either way. If he’s not that good at 2000 metres it doesn’t bother me at all, I just want to know so that I can put him in the right race. “I’m not here to prove a point, I’m just here to get the best out of this horse. “And you’ve got to say that so far in his life his two best runs are at a mile, so that might be him. He might be a miler. “They’re both about the same prizemoney. And look, I’d rather win a Cox Plate with him because he hasn’t won one and I haven’t won one, but it’s not about me. It’s about the horse.” Ceolwulf narrowly won the Neville Selwood Stakes over 2000m the start before the Queen Elizabeth during his autumn campaign. While Pride is yet to determine Ceolwulf’s exact spring path, the trainer said the plan will be to kick off the talented galloper’s campaign in the G1 Winx Stakes (1400m) on August 23. Pride, meanwhile, is looking forward to getting another of his stable stars back to the races on Saturday, with Private Eye set to resume in the G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) in Brisbane. Private Eye was given a comfortable barrier trial on a Heavy surface on his home track on Monday, his third trial of this preparation, and Pride believes the gelding is ‘spot on’ for a first-up assignment. “And he’s a very good horse fresh,” Pride said. “He has run some mighty races fresh. View the full article

We have heard plenty of the major owner-breeders this season, with the six Guineas to have been run in Britain, Ireland and France having gone to Godolphin, Juddmonte, Coolmore, and the Aga Khan Studs. So now it is time to hear from the breeder with one mare, who has just celebrated a Classic victory for the first foal she has bred. Step forward, Lulu Winter, breeder of Lady Ilze, winner of the G2 German 1,000 Guineas for Westminster Race Horses and Andreas Wohler on Sunday. As we speak on Monday afternoon, Winter apologises for sounding drowsy. She doesn't, and she could be forgiven anyway as she had been up for almost 24 hours the previous day having flown in to Dusseldorf for the big occasion. “My flight was delayed last night getting back from Germany and I don't think I got home until about 2.30, and having got up at 3am it felt like a very long day,” she says. A long but happy day, and one that resulted from Winter's insistence to buy Lady Ilze's dam Roman Spinner (Intikhab) when she retired from her 45-race career with Rae Guest, for whom she worked in Newmarket. “I joined Rae, having never worked in racing, in September 2016 and he bought Roman Spinner as a yearling to put in a three-horse syndicate about a month after I joined him. So I've known her a lot of her life,” explains Winter, who is now working for Jack Jones, Guest's successor at Chestnut Tree Stables. “She was one of those lovely little tough racing mares. She was never going to set the world alight but she won five, got placed 19 times, and then obviously she got to the stage where everybody felt she had probably had enough of her racing and she got put in an online sale because it was the time of Covid. And I got all emotional about her because she's the sweetest, sweetest girl, so Rae sat on the phone bidding for me.” She adds, “I had to go 500gns over my limit that I'd set but I just wanted her to have a good onward life. I didn't expect amazing things, but you always hope that something nice will come.” That something has been more than nice. Bought by Tomas Janda for the Westminster Race Horses syndicate from Tattersalls October Book 3 for 11,000gns, the daughter of Territories went off to Poland. There she won three times as a juvenile before being switched to the stable of one of Germany's leading trainers, Andreas Wohler. “As soon as I saw who bought her at the sale, I nipped round and had a chat,” Winter recalls. “Marian from the syndicate was sitting right next to Tomas, so we started our conversation and I kept in touch and the relationship developed. “They've been very sweet. Tomas keeps me posted about what the plans are or how she's doing, and then he bought the next one, the Lope Y Fernandez filly that I had following year. She's in Poland as a two-year-old now.” Lady Ilze had run fourth in the G3 Baronin von Ullman-Schwarzgold Rennen on her way to Sunday's Classic, for which hopes were not brimming over. “We'd sort of been talking ourselves down a bit in the parade ring because Andreas Wohler said, 'Oh, it's going to be a tough race, and the ground's not what I had hoped for her.' And so we were all thinking, 'Well, it will be lovely if she gets a place.' “But then she came with that late run, I mean, I was just standing there with my mouth hanging open, shouting, 'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.' She just blasted past them.” Roman Spinner with Lady Ilze as a foal at Brook Stud At Brook Stud, where Roman Spinner boards, the mare has a foal by A'Ali at foot. “They do a fantastic job there,” Winter says. “I come up with my shortlist of ideas and then Dwayne [Woods] walks me through them and says, 'No. No. Yes. Yes.' “I knew nothing. I still know nothing. So they've been invaluable in guiding me through the whole process. And of course they look after her beautifully and all the progeny.” Having used Territories initially because he was nearby at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud, Winter was unable to return to him this season as she had planned as the stallion was sold to stand in India, but she sent Roman Spinner instead to his former stud-mate, Triple Time. “I spent all my house extension money, and the dream would be to actually be able to put one in training,” she says. With such a major pedigree update for a young mare, that dream could be realised if the prices for some of Roman Spinner's subsequent offspring duly rise in the sale ring. As recent statistics released by the TBA have shown, it is tough for most breeders to make a profit, and small breeders of Winter's ilk are in desperately short supply. Thankfully, a number of them are still lured into breeding at the promise of a result such as this. Here's to the dreamers. The post ‘I Didn’t Expect Amazing Things’: Classic Success for Rookie Breeder Lulu Winter appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wexford Stables’ three-year-olds prevailed in the survival of the fittest at Tauranga on Wednesday, with Prudentia (NZ) (Proisir) and Macallan (NZ) (Ardrossan) each breaking maiden status in the extremely testing conditions. The opening race of the day had revealed a true Heavy10 track, with rain continuing to fall in the Bay Of Plenty, but that was of no concern to Prudentia, who lapped up the surface in the Tauranga Racecourse Event Centre Maiden (1400m). A half-sister to classy wet-track gallopers Cork (NZ) (Complacent) and Little Bit Of Love (NZ) (Time Test), Prudentia always looked a danger on that sort of surface and was allowed to find her stride early under Warren Kennedy, settling at the tail of the field. Race favourite Timetoplaythegame (NZ) (Proisir) was on speed throughout and gave a sight as many faded in the straight, but powering past the pack was Prudentia, who came from last to first to score softly on the line by 2-¼ lengths. Her co-trainer Andrew Scott had expected a bold showing from the filly after a luckless run last start at Ellerslie and his confidence was justified. “She was pretty unlucky last time and we had a strong belief that she was going to handle the conditions,” he said. “She’s fit and she’s got a good bit of education under her now. “It seems to be the way home, typical of the heavy ground to be settling in and heading out wide. She got her chance to breathe and get a rhythm going so she could really stay on well. “She’s got a future going through this sort of ground, she’s a big, robust filly who is going to crack on through the winter months. “Hopefully she runs a mile and a bit further, but it’s great for the syndicate with Kylie (Bax) and the team. They’ve been very patient with her, she’s rising four now so hopefully she can keep cracking on.” A daughter of Proisir, Prudentia was bred by the Goldeye Trust and is raced by the Bloodstock Achieving Xcellence I’m Pru Syndicate, managed by Bax. She is the fourth foal to race out of Little Bit Irish, all of whom have been winners, and Cork a multiple stakes performer. The track only continued to deteriorate through to race four, where stablemate Macallan showed plenty of fight to deliver a winning debut. In the colours of owner-breeder Lib Petagna’s JML Bloodstock, Macallan had put the writing on the wall when winning his most recent trial at Ellerslie, warranting second-favouritism behind Miss Fladgate in the Tierra Maiden 3YO (1200m). The son of Ardrossan showed good early speed from a wide gate and jockey George Rooke pressed on to the lead, where he remained until Beau Luca (NZ) (Embellish) strode up to take over at the 600m. It looked that Beau Luca may have put a winning advantage on the field, but feeling the pinch at the 200m, he began to tire and Macallan came charging through, finding enough in the closing stages to win over a late-closing Gracetheace (NZ) (Ace High). “We came to the races with high levels of confidence today, he trialled particularly well at Ellerslie and he’s a horse that we, and Elsdon Park, have been very patient with,” said Scott, who trains in partnership with Lance O’Sullivan. “He’s finally really starting to mature, he was quite a gangly horse that took a while to furnish but now he’s a strong gelding who was fit for the conditions today. In saying that, he’s a very quick horse and the quicker the ground he gets on, the quicker he’ll run. “It was pure ability and a good bit of guts that got him through the conditions.” While wetter tracks may be easier to come by this preparation, Scott said they will have a preference for better ground where possible. “We may look to keep him in work and keep cracking on with him, we’ve been patient, so we’d like to build a campaign with him and get through the grades,” he said. “I think he will do so pretty quickly if we can pick some nice tracks for him.” Macallan is the first foal out of a two-win Ocean Park mare Quizzy Lizzy, who scored both of her victories on heavy tracks. The daughter of Ocean Park is a half-sister to stakes winners Showemup and Pierina. The meeting at Tauranga was subsequently abandoned following this race due to heavy and persistent rain, consequential track conditions and visibility issues. View the full article

The Lord Mayors Cup has a history of throwing up an emerging stayer and the Chris Waller stable is hoping that is again the case for the lightly raced Kadavar (NZ) (Tarzino). Three of the past four winners – Eliyass (2024), Bois D’Argent (2023) and Polly Grey (NZ) (Azamour) (2021) – have gone on to either win or place at Group 1 level. Kadavar underlined his promise last campaign with a hat-trick of victories, culminating in his Christmas Cup (2400m) triumph over subsequent Sydney autumn carnival star Alalcance. Waller’s assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said they had high hopes for the four-year-old, who had been earmarked as a potential Cups horse in the spring. With that in mind, Waller may even pull up stumps with Kadavar after Saturday’s Lord Mayors Cup (2000m) at Rosehill, rather than continue on a path through Sydney’s winter staying features. “He might be better than that,” Duckworth said. “He could potentially be a Melbourne Cup horse for us. His record is outstanding. “He could have two runs and then start again.” The winner of six of his 14 starts, Kadavar resumed with a closing seventh behind Tavi Time (NZ) (Tavistock) in the Scone Cup (1600m) when partnered by Rachel King. She is riding in Brisbane this weekend so Kerrin Mcevoy takes over the reins but the stable has been buoyed by King’s feedback. “Rachel was rapt with him that day and basically said that with clear running he would have just about won the Scone Cup first-up,” Duckworth said. “The 2000-metres will be better again for him.” Waller has won the Lord Mayors Cup four times, most recently with Polly Grey, and has accepted with a quartet of runners this weekend. Stablemates First Light and Speycaster are likely to start, however Gosford Cup runner-up Etna Rosso has also been paid up for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm. Speycaster has disappointed at his past three runs in Melbourne and Duckworth hoped a change of environment to Sydney might spark him back to form. “He has had a few excuses, whether it’s been tracks or tempo so we’ve brought him home to Sydney but he needs to lift,” he said. Wiremu Pinn has been booked for the ride, the New Zealander having arrived last week to begin a three-month stint with Waller in Sydney. View the full article

Race 7 MANUKA DOCTOR 1200m REPTAK (C Grylls) – Co-trainer Mr. A Scott reported to Stewards, the stable was satisfied with the gelding’s post-race condition and intends to continue with his current preparation. A Scott further advised that REPTAK may be nominated for the Auckland Thoroughbred Racing meeting on Saturday 7 June. The post Auckland Thoroughbred Racing @ Ellerslie, Saturday 17 May 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 3 COCA COLA RATING 65 1600m THEDREAMSNOTOVER (L Hemi) – Trainer Mr. R Didham reported to Stewards, that he was satisfied with the mare’s post-race condition and intends to continue with her current preparation. R Didham further advised that THEDREAMSNOTOVER may be nominated for the Canterbury JC meeting on Wednesday 11 June and that he may consider a potential gear adjustment prior to her next race. Race 6 BETCHA BET BACK TOOL MAIDEN 1200m BY CHANCE (L Callaway) – Trainer Ms. J Burrows advised Stewards, she was satisfied with the post-race condition of the gelding, however, BY CHANCE has been retired from racing. The post Canterbury Jockey Club @ Riccarton Park, Thursday 15 May 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Group One performer Faraglioni (NZ) (El Roca) showed she is back on track this preparation following her comfortable 1000m trial victory at Foxton on Tuesday. The six-year-old mare put in a subpar showing when finishing last in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m) at Trentham last month, with a subsequent blood test revealing she had an iron deficiency. Trainer and part-owner Josh Shaw gave his pride and joy a few weeks in the paddock, and he was a relieved man on Tuesday when watching her dominate her heat. “She was really deficient in iron after that Trentham run,” Shaw said. “She gets her bloods done routinely leading up to races and it was pretty good to go before the run. “You do that (blood tests) on the Tuesday morning and by the time Saturday comes around there could be something going on. She has obviously picked up something in between. “After Trentham we gave her three weeks in the paddock. I haven’t done a lot of work with her, she just held a bit of residual fitness. She has just been ticking over and it was good to see her doing it as comfortably as she did today. “Looking at the times, she has gone a second quicker than probably every other heat today, and to be fair, she hasn’t even come off the bridle. “It’s a little bit of weight taken off the shoulders for the meantime, but once the blood tests come back again and make sure we are back in the right shape, we will be full steam ahead.” Faraglioni is nominated for Wanganui on Saturday, however, Shaw said it will be unlikely that she will take her place in that field and will more than likely head to Ellerslie next weekend instead, with the ultimate aim being the Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m) next month. “If she trialled over 850m I would have probably said we will go full steam ahead to Saturday, but just the 1000m trial on a Heavy track, it’s not looking likely,” Shaw said. “There’s a couple of options coming up. There’s an Open 1400m at Ellerslie next Saturday, which she could look to go to, otherwise we might look to give her another tune-up trial and head to that fillies and mares weight-for-age (Tauranga Classic), and then she will head to the paddock.” While her best results have come on better going, Faraglioni holds a strong record on Heavy tracks, winning four of her nine starts on the surface, and Shaw justifiably holds no fears heading into winter with her. “She has got the action of a wet-tracker but she has performed out of her skin on top of the ground,” he said. “It is just a shame she has never met one of those good races on an off track. She has still got time, and while she is happy and healthy we will give her every chance.” View the full article

Southern mare Ears Back (NZ) (Jakkalberry) will be seeking to end her season on a high when she heads to Wanganui on Saturday to contest the Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m). Rangiora trainer John Blackadder sent the six-year-old mare north for a two-run campaign, and while things didn’t go to plan in her opening target, the Listed Rangitikei Cup (1600m), he is confident she can bounce back this weekend. “She was quite unlucky last start,” Blackadder said. “She was travelling pretty well and then hit a real heavy spot on the turn. Mereana (Hudson, jockey) said she lost two lengths and she would have been right in it if she hadn’t struck that. “She has been working really well. I am happy with her ahead of Saturday.” Ears Back will be joined at Wanganui by stablemate Malfy Rosa (NZ) (Burgundy), who will line-up in the Rating 75 2040m contest after finishing sixth in the Bulls Country Cup (2200m) at Trentham earlier this month. “She is working well,” Blackadder said. “It might be a shade short for her, but if you can keep her on the pace, she will be hard to beat too.” Saturday will be the end of the line for both mares this season. “They will both come home for a well-deserved rest,” Blackadder said. Earlier in the week, Blackadder will also have a two-pronged representation at Riccarton’s synthetic meeting on Thursday, including debutant Flying On Time (NZ) (Time Test) in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series (1200m) and last-start runner-up Islebefine in the Parsons Partnership 1000 Wins Rating 75 (2200m). “Flying On Time will make her debut and she is quite a nice filly, she goes very well,” Blackadder said. “Islebefine was good over 1600m and she is more suited to 2200m.” View the full article

A small fire May 27 at Saratoga Race Course was quickly contained and will not impact the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival dates that begin June 4.View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of May 19-25View the full article

Lush Lips, who finished second behind Nitrogen in her two most recent starts, will try to take advantage of that rival's absence when she starts as the likely favorite in the $275,000 Regret Stakes (G3T) May 31 at Churchill Downs.View the full article

Bill duPont's program today is much smaller than it was back in the 1980s, when he stood 15 stallions across three continents. Nonetheless all his experience keeps telling in a fashion very hard to emulate for anyone now trying to fill that kind of space. Under the banner of Pillar Properties Services Inc., duPont bred GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Vodka With a Twist (Thousand Words) from a $6,000 mare. Then there's Irish Maxima (Maximus Mischief), whose recent graded stakes breakout at Aqueduct was her eighth win in 11. She's out of a mare duPont bought for $8,500. And after Iscreamuscream (Twirling Candy) won the GI Del Mar Oaks last summer, guess who turned out to have bought her dam for $12,000? DuPont says with a shrug that he isn't crazy about insurance premiums, and duly confines himself these days to mares that let him sleep at night. But the fact is that anyone newer to the game, whatever their resources, cannot hope to match the lore he has honed between his own experience and that of a sporting family as colorful as it was accomplished. Very often duPont will go back to blood that can mean little to most, but that he knows to trust. Take the dam of Vodka With a Twist. “Unplaced in one start is not my usual M.O.,” duPont acknowledges. “But sometimes you make exceptions, and I will occasionally indulge in a mare that goes back to one of my old families. This particular mare, Bourbon and a Kiss (Sky Mesa), traces to Istria (GB), who was a champion 2-year-old filly in Germany [in 1979]. The family has been very successful: Vodka's third dam Mayo On the Side (Silver Deputy) was a Grade I winner, and another branch has Jackie's Warrior.” Not that Vodka With a Twist can yield more than the odd breeder's prize. As a yearling, a couple of veterinary issues enabled McCutchen Training Center to pick her up for just $2,500 at Fasig October. Far worse, duPont then lost the mare to a twisted gut. Nor, actually, has there yet been due reward for finding Silver Screamer (Cozzene), whose weanling at the time turned out to be Iscreamuscream, at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale. The Global Campaign colt she was carrying there was another to hit vet trouble (admittedly resurfaced winning by 11 lengths in Mexico) and sadly Silver Screamer has since lost consecutive foals. “It's a cruel business at times,” duPont concedes. “The lows can be very low. But the highs are very high, too. And obviously Vodka showed up and ran nearly every month from April through to December.” In the circumstances, he might regret not having retained her to race himself. But that's something he seldom does anymore—though, again, there are exceptions. One is a filly out of a mare culled by Calumet a couple of years ago: a champion 2-year-old in Brazil, also graded stakes-placed in California, for just $3,500. “Since younger mares are out of my 'good night's sleep' range, I look for middle-aged ones that haven't yet had their good horse,” duPont explains. “I do prefer mares that could run, over pedigree or conformation. Triers make broodmares. So when I was bigger in the business, and could buy them younger, I followed the Joe Estes theory. Most of mine were stakes mares. And we did fine. It's many years since anyone counted them up, but we were on 75 stakes winners then so must be closer to 100 now.” The duPont dynasty obviously resonates across our sport: while he has only a remote kinship with the owner of Kelso, his aunt had 1938 Grand National winner Battleship. His most direct influence, however, was his mother Margaret Osborne duPont: an all-time tennis great. “She had to take a little vacation to have me, in 1952, but won 37 major titles [across singles/doubles/mixed doubles],” her son explains. “Of those 25 were at the U.S. Open equivalent [pre-Open era], still a record. And my father would never let her go to Australia, so potentially she missed out on many more. He went to California in the winters, for his asthma, and didn't want her going away on his vacation. Different times, right? She was a very quiet, withdrawn personality, very competitive but always known for her sportsmanship.” His father, also William, raced serial champions from Foxcatcher Farm; indeed duPont admits an ancestral resentment that neither Fairy Chant (1940/41) nor Parlo (1954/5), champion fillies at both three and four, have made the Hall of Fame. (Parlo's daughter All Beautiful was bought by Paul Mellon at his father's dispersal, carrying a future Horse of the Year in Arts and Letters.) DuPont's father also joined the syndicate that imported Blenheim, but is perhaps best remembered for Rosemont, who not only interrupted the Triple Crown spree of Omaha in the 1935 Withers (then between Preakness and Belmont) but also beat Seabiscuit in the 1937 Big 'Cap. “I loved the Seabiscuit movie, it was great public relations for the sport, but they took a lot of artistic license,” DuPont says. “They made a big deal out of Pollard's eye, and not seeing Rosemont coming. But Rosemont was the betting favorite, giving Seabiscuit 14lbs, and ran him down through a lot of traffic from the 17 post.” (DuPont adds that anyone who actually reviews Seabiscuit's celebrated win in the same race, three years later, will notice his owner's other entry finishing second under a strikingly indulgent ride!) After his parents' divorce, duPont's mother joined her great friend Margaret Varner Bloss—who uniquely represented the U.S. in tennis, squash and badminton—in El Paso, Texas, where her son was raised. “And it was Margaret Bloss that got my mother into racehorses,” duPont says. “She married a trainer in New Mexico, Gerald Bloss, who did the early training of Gallant Man. They got into breeding and racing down there, Margaret Bloss raising them all herself, by hand.” DuPont was himself getting plenty of hands-on experience, including a summer with Ruidoso trainer Joe Welch – and the two Margarets even urged the college boy to get a trainer's license himself. “So I did,” duPont says. “And I was the official trainer of two of their horses. I had one winner, a horse we took up to Santa Fe.” But the real dividend of that precocious experience was exposure to a couple of interesting neighbors on the backside. “I had two stalls at the end of the barn, and a pony outside, and it was very hard to get an exercise rider,” duPont recalls. “So I was ponying the horses for exercise in the morning. But directly across was this beautiful shedrow, totally out of place at Ruidoso Downs: flowers, grass, beautiful signage. Oh boy: D. Wayne Lukas! And the rest of my shedrow? J.J. Pletcher.” DuPont duly had a couple of horses with Pletcher's son Todd when he started training; and others, over the years, with Lukas. “Wayne suffered much professional jealousy,” duPont says. “But I'm a big fan. Absolutely changed the game, and a very upstanding guy. I didn't know him that well until later, really. But he was amazing. One time we ran a horse in the Hollywood Gold Cup and he's walking through the grandstand with Elizabeth Taylor. Wayne and J.J. both came from Quarter Horses, of course. American racing obviously has a lot of sprinting and a large part of the Quarter Horse angle is training 2-year-olds and keeping them sound.” After graduating, duPont quickly emerged as a dynamic young presence in the Bluegrass. Pillar Stud's first stallion in 1979 was Silver Series, who soon sired Churchill turf specialist Mrs. Revere. As a student of Turf history, however, duPont had been especially inspired by a tour of Europe—and his other start-up was the 1976 St Leger winner, Crow (GB), soon followed by Sassafras (Fr) and the brilliant British juvenile Tromos (GB). “I think horses are more versatile than we give them credit for,” duPont says. “I've always had European mares, and European stallions when I was in that game. I didn't bring them over to be turf sires. I thought they'd be good additions to the gene pool and could adapt to dirt. Some did, some didn't; same with the broodmares.” Unfortunately duPont lost both Silver Series and Tromos, within months of each other, as soon as 1982. “Tromos was my all-time favorite,” DuPont says. “A champion 2-year-old by Busted (GB), of all horses, out of Stilvi (GB) who was a very good sprinter and a top, top broodmare. When I lost him, it just took the wind out of my sails. I've had the most outrageously bad and good stallion personalities. Poker was just flat dangerous; Tromos the total opposite, kind as a lady's hunter. He loved attention, and I have a great picture of him just hanging his head over my shoulder.” DuPont did much business with John Gaines and, having narrowly failed to land Blushing Groom in a partnership, settled for four of 40 shares when he came to Gainesway. And, having surrendered a contract for Riverman when CEM hit, he instead ended up taking one-third of Lyphard. Nor did duPont disdain stallions off the dirt: he repatriated Cure the Blues and General Assembly, and stood (having co-raced) Star de Naskra. And there was a tantalizing moment when he was poised to bring Mr. Prospector to Kentucky, had Claiborne's deal fallen through. But his stable was certainly an unusually cosmopolitan one, with links to Haras de Victot in Normandy and Blue Gum Farm in Victoria. Perhaps his quirkiest success was Noalcoholic, bred from Italian Classic winner Alea (GB). (She was also champion 2-year-old filly in her homeland: hunting those down, even in relative backwaters, has worked repeatedly for duPont, as already noted with Istria.) Noalcoholic had done enough in France to be sent to Blue Gum, but while undergoing quarantine in Newmarket began thriving so insistently that he was allowed to resume racing, and won such races as the G1 Sussex Stakes on his way to becoming champion miler of Europe. Evocative names, for many of us! But the world has changed, as has duPont's firepower. Based in Florida for the last 40 years, he talks wryly of real estate misfortunes that “turned me from a large breeder into a small one.” There were domestic commitments, too: children to raise, a remarriage. Even last November, however, he couldn't resist adding to his residual band of a dozen mares—expertly managed by Collier Mathes of Chesapeake Farm—when a stakes winner by New Approach (Ire) surfaced at Keeneland. She was out of a graded stakes-placed daughter of Test winner Storm and Sunshine, whose own sire was none other than Star de Naskra. Because what the catalogue didn't show was that she's also fourth dam of Group 1-winning sisters Mama Cocha (Jpn) and (the pure white) Sodashi (Jpn) (both by Kurofune). While admittedly now 15, this mare has twice changed hands for half a million—and duPont got her for $5,000! She's gone to The Factor, the kind of stallion that reciprocates the value in those “middle-aged” mares. “Farms are having trouble getting mares once their shiny new stallions become less shiny,” duPont reflects. “So I've been using sires like The Factor, Cross Traffic, Goldencents, while these first-year horses have been going through the roof. But I guess I'm old-fashioned. Isn't the goal ultimately to breed a racehorse? If I can do that, I should get more for the foals down the line.” Playing the long game reflects the perspective of a man familiar with some of the most memorable Turf protagonists of his time. There's even a Kentucky Derby breeder's trophy on the sideboard. In 1987, the year they married, duPont bought his wife Pam a Stage Door Johnny mare named Never Knock—and seven years later Pamela Darmstadt duPont was duly honored as official breeder of Go for Gin. Never Knock having meanwhile also produced Pleasant Tap, one of duPont's great coups was selling a full brother for $2.2 million at the 1998 July Sale. “The first person to congratulate us was 'Brere' Jones,” DuPont recalls. “He was someone I thought very highly of. We had similar thought processes, regarding stallions, and often wound up bidding on the same mares too. Just one of the most respectable, honest, upright people I've ever met.” And that, for duPont, is the real reward of his journey with horses: the relationships, characters, stories. Those who influenced him most included Lee Eaton, Ben Walden, Bob Courtney, Henry White and above all, for his early mentoring, Dan Scott. “My father would send his mares from Virginia to Dan in Kentucky,” he explains. “Dan had Geisha for Alfred Vanderbilt and she wouldn't load the van. So the only horse she could be bred to was the one across the street: Polynesian. If you look at her breeding record, you'll see one Polynesian after another, none any good apart from… Native Dancer!” But then that's what horses do: they amplify the general truth that the more we know, the less we know. As duPont says himself: “I think that anybody you talk to, that has it all figured out, is… inexperienced!” The post DuPont Still Serving up Aces appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lope De Vega's Ezo Fuji (lot 4) was knocked down to Broadhurst Agency for a sale-topping €50,000 during Auctav's May Sale on Tuesday. The Philippe Sogorb trainee has placed this year at three and is out of the multiple stakes-placed mare Malicieuse (Galileo). Her dam is a half-sister to Group 1 winners and sires Bago and Maxios. A juvenile filly by Sea The Moon (lot 9) caught the eye of BLM Bloodstock for €42,000. Consigned by Al Shahania Stud, the daughter of Meseika (Medaglia d'Oro) is a half-sister to G3 Epona Stakes heroine Osmose (Zoffany) and the stakes winner Paris Style (Showcasing). Overall, six sold from 10 offered for a gross of €128,000. The average was €21,333 and the median was €16,750. The post Lope De Vega Filly Tops Auctav Monthly May Sale At €50K appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Paola Castro was introduced to the world of horse racing two years ago on a visit to Churchill Downs. After touring the backside and the Derby Museum, she swore that she would be back again someday to watch the Kentucky Derby. This spring, the dream came to fruition for the 21-year-old when she got to experience the thrill of Derby week firsthand, culminating in attending the iconic race on Saturday, thanks to her involvement with Amplify Horse Racing. “During my first trip to Churchill Downs, I remember walking around and thinking that I would do anything to be there for the Kentucky Derby,” Castro recalled. “I would have worked the concession stand! Then when I had the opportunity to actually be there for the Derby, I remember looking around and thinking that I don't ever, ever want to lose this excitement.” Castro is a first-generation Mexican-American from Brownsville, Texas. A lifelong horse lover, she recently graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in animal science and is set to start vet school there in the fall. Until two years ago, Castro believed horse racing was a closed-off world, one that required family ties or inside connection to gain access. But then she was introduced to Amplify. The program opened doors that she never thought were available to her and today, while her path is still taking shape, Castro is certain that horse racing will be a part of her future. After that first visit to Kentucky–where, through an agriculture-focused student program, she toured Godolphin's Jonabell Farm in addition to Churchill Downs–Castro was eager to learn more about how to get involved in racing. She wasn't sure where to start until a friend forwarded her an email about the Amplify Mentorship Program, an initiative that pairs young adults interested in pursuing a career in racing with experienced industry professionals. She was matched with Jodie Vella-Gregory, the Vice President of Industry Relations for 1/ST Racing. The pair met bi-weekly via video call and their initial connection developed into a meaningful mentorship. “Jodie has been the biggest blessing and a true catalyst for my growth–not only professionally but also personally,” said Castro. “She has connected me with so many different individuals throughout the industry and has always been so supportive of me and the opportunities that have come my way.” Shortly after their mentorship began, Vella-Gregory invited Castro to come to California for the 2023 Horse Racing Women's Summit. While Castro said she was initially hesitant about attending an event where she did not know anyone, she was welcomed with open arms by the other conference attendees. Castro with her Amplify mentor Jodie Vella-Gregory and Horse Racing Women's Summit's Stehanie Hronis | courtesy Paola Castro “I was so nervous,” she admitted. “I had never really been to a networking reception before, but I wanted to be there so badly and I slowly started to talk to people. They all made me feel like I belonged and like they wanted to hear my opinion. It made me feel like I had a place at the table. I remember leaving and thinking that I want this to be my life. I want to have horse racing in my life.” Castro's trip to Santa Anita became a catalyst for many of the connections she has made in the industry over the past two years. At the summit, she learned about The Jockey Club's scholarship program. She applied and was awarded their Vision Scholarship for $10,000 per semester. She also got involved with the Ed Brown Society. Seeking hands-on experience, she interned with veterinarians in the test barn at Retama Park last summer. Castro also got connected with Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, which offered her an internship this summer. She ultimately had to decline the offer after being accepted into veterinary school. Throughout her undergraduate years and during the application process for vet school, Castro struggled with overcoming self-doubt. She credits Amplify and the connections she has made through horse racing for giving her confidence going into those competitive vet school interviews. “Whenever I start thinking those negative thoughts, I remind myself that not very many people have had the experiences that I have had,” she said. “That goes back to my involvement with Amplify and the Horse Racing Women's Association. I feel like that is truly what set me apart from the other students and the other candidates. I have to remind myself that I don't have to look exactly like them to succeed. My story is different and that's okay.” Ahead of this year's Kentucky Derby, Amplify contacted Castro about the opportunity to assist their program in giving tours of the backside during Derby week. Although the trip fell the week before her last round of college finals, Castro could not pass up the opportunity. If Castro was not yet certain of her desire to pursue a career in racing, her experience during Derby week sealed the deal. In addition to helping out with Amplify, she was able to spend a day racing with the Ed Brown Society and another with the Saints or Sinners racing partnership–one more connection she made at the Women's Summit. Castro with (left to right) Amplify's President Jordyn Egan, treasurer Laurel Humbert-Stock, and Executive Director Annise Montplaisir | courtesy Amplify Horse Racing After two years of learning and immersing herself in the industry, the sense of belonging that Castro felt during her week in Louisville was a feeling that still sticks with her. “I think my favorite part of being there was that I felt like I was in such a unique position to recognize people, whether they were jockeys or trainers or whoever,” she reflected. “I was feet away from Frankie Dettori, feet away from Bob Baffert. Mike Smith was on my flight. On the backstretch I met Brian Hernandez and Griffin Johnson. I was just so thankful for it all because two years ago, I wanted to be involved but I didn't know if I was able to and then two years later, I'm at the Derby.” Castro's many positive experiences in the industry haven't all come by chance. Her engaging and enthusiastic personality, gracious attitude, and willingness to step outside her comfort zone have all afforded her one opportunity after another. And that floodgate of possibilities first opened when Amplify introduced her to horse racing. “Amplify is truly an investment in the industry and in the future,” Castro said. “They have done such an amazing job of making racing accessible to whoever wants to be involved. If you want to be there, they will do anything to set you up with whatever role you want to be in. It is very nice to know that there is a pipeline for people who might not necessarily have the professional network to know what their next step is.” Castro is counting down the days until vet school starts in August. Over the next four years, she hopes to dip her toe in anything related to equine medicine. Her goal is to complete internships in both the racing and the breeding sides of the business to discover where her passions lie. In whichever realm of the industry she winds up in, Castro dreams of having a positive impact on the sport someday. “At the Women's Summit, they talked about how they want to keep growing and adapting and that they don't want to stay stagnant with the old rules because the old rules are just not cutting it anymore,” explained Castro. “I think part of that is bringing in new ideas, new perspectives and new people and I think Amplify can bring in so many new people. For me, it has completely changed my life and the trajectory of where I see myself in my future.” The post Tomorrow’s Front Runners: Amplify Opens Door for Future Vet Paola Castro appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article