Wandering Eyes

By Adam Hamilton The odds are firmly stacked against reigning Inter Dominion champion The Locomotive “doing a Pride Of Petite” in Monday morning’s Elitlopp in Stockholm. The former champion Kiwi mare Pride Of Petite is the only “Down Under” trotter to finish top four in an Elitlopp heat and qualify for the final when she ran sixth in the 1997 final. Most recently, the great Just Believe tried but struck trouble at a crucial stage on the final bend, galloped and lost all chance. The Locomotive will have to overcome a horror barrier draw and some of the best trotters in his heat, slated for 1.55am Monday (NZ time). The five-year-old will start second from the outside (gate seven) in the second of two heats of the world’s greatest trotting race. His trainer-driver Brad Hewitt is clear on the enormity of the challenge. “We knew it was always going to be hard, but now he’s drawn so wide, it’s going to take something incredible from him to qualify for the final,” he said. The Locomotive is the fifth Australian and ninth Australasian trotter to contest the Elitlopp. He is a $71 shot in his heat. It’s the stronger of the two heats as well with boom trotter Borups Victory $2.80 equal favourite ahead of two former Elitlopp winners, Don Fanucci Zet ($2.80) and Hohneck ($4.50). The statistics underline how cruel the draw is for The Locomotive, who has won 23 of 25 starts when he has led and just one of 17 when he hasn’t been in front. “I’m going to be back last, I can’t possibly push forward from right out there,” Hewitt said. “What I will say is, he works well off a sit at home and I haven’t had the chance to drive him that way yet. When he hasn’t led for me, he’s been outside the leader and he won’t be there this time. “I’m hoping he can show all that trademark speed of his at the finish, if we switch him off early and try to weave through them.” Hewitt draws hope from how well The Locomotive has settled in and worked over the past week. “I don’t think I could have him better. It’s all come together in time and he’s primed. He had that terrific work at Solvalla last week and then I couldn’t have been happier with his last serious hit out on Monday,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of faith in the horse, but he’s never faced a field like this and he’s going to need everything to go right. “At least there’s no pressure now. If we could somehow be the first (Aussie) to make the final, it would be amazing.” View the full article

Bidding is currently open for the 2025 Inglis Digital USA May Sale, featuring 30 offerings, including fillies closely related to both parts of this year's GI Kentucky Oaks exacta. The first lot will close Wednesday, May 28 at 2 p.m. ET, with subsequent listings hammering in three-minute increments. Among the offerings are nine racing or racing/broodmare prospects, eight yearlings, three broodmare prospects, eight broodmares, and two no-guarantee stallion seasons. “We have a really good group on offer in our May Sale,” said Kyle Wilson, Senior Director of Sales and Recruiting for Inglis Digital USA. “There's some exciting horses coming in with very legitimate updates and plenty of upside.” The graded-placed Regaled (Mohaymen), a half-sister to Kentucky Oaks runner-up Drexel Hill (Bolt d'Oro), has been consigned by Paramount Sales. The 4-year-old is trained by Samuel G. Davis and owned by Brittnee Caballero. “We are thrilled to represent longtime horseman Samuel G. Davis with this talented filly,” said Paddy Campion of Paramount Sales. “Regaled has a clear and exciting campaign for the summer as well as tremendous potential as a broodmare prospect. With that huge update from Drexel Hill, plus being from the Tapit-sire line, she represents an excellent addition to any top operation.” Just a Fair Shake (Laoban), one of Maryland's top 3-year-olds, enters the sale off runner-up efforts in the Sir Barton S. on the Preakness Stakes undercard on May 17 at Pimlico, and the Federico Tesio S. on Apr. 19 at Laurel. Just a Fair Shake is trained by Daniel McKenzie and owned by LaShawna Lynch. He is consigned for the May sale by Baldwin Bloodstock. “This is a very rare opportunity to own a consistent and talented 3-year-old colt in the spring with so many stakes races and opportunities the remainder of the year,” said Amy Bunt of Baldwin Bloodstock. “Just a Fair Shake has hit the board in all five lifetime starts, including three stakes races. He most recently ran second in the Sir Barton Stakes with Bobby Flay's ultra-talented Crudo coming out on top and is said to be a possible entrant in the Belmont Stakes. Just a Fair Shake has improving speed figures and looks to have a very bright future.” A 4-year-old half-sister to MGISW Wedding Toast (Street Sense), herself the dam of undefeated Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro), has been consigned by Leonard Powell. “This is an attractive filly by More Than Ready with a world-class family that keeps getting better,” Powell said. To view the catalog and register to bid, visit www.inglisdigitalusa.com. The post Bidding Now Open For Inglis Digital USA May Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wesley Ward swung for the fences when going to $850,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale last year to acquire OUTFIELDER (c, 2, Speightstown–Notte d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro) and was rewarded for his efforts Friday when the colt delivered a grand slam at Churchill to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star'. Heavily bet at 1-4, the outside draw endured a rush of early speed to his inside in the opening yards of this five-furlong contest but quickly cleared the crowd and led solo ahead of Brea From Three (Classic Empire) to his outside. A trio of horses came off the turn together with Skipping Stars (Mitole) joining the fray at the quarter pole but Outfielder kicked away with another gear under a motionless John Velazquez to lead in the group in a seemingly effortless performance, completing the five furlongs in :55.93. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O- Amo Racing USA, Two Eight Racing and Ward, Wesley A.; B-SF Bloodstock LLC; T-Wesley Ward. Sales History: $300,000 RNA wlg'23 KEENOV, $850,000 ylg'24 FTSAUG. Outfielder debuts the best for trainer Wesley Ward and @ljlmvel! pic.twitter.com/c656fyxzr3 — Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) May 23, 2025 The post Speightstown’s Outfielder Rockets To ‘Rising Stardom’ at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Embroidery and Arma Veloce, first and second in the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1), could be off on a nice rivalry when they meet again May 25 in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1) at Tokyo Racecourse.View the full article

For Crystal Conning, her two professional worlds will collide May 26 when the Monmouth Park paddock analyst rides Like a Saltshaker in the second race at the Jersey Shore track in between in-house television appearances.View the full article

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association has tapped bloodstock agent David Ingordo to judge the 91st annual yearling show, which will be held on Sunday, June 29 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Horse Show Ring in Timonium, the organization said on Friday in a press release. Born into a racing family, Ingordo has been connected throughout his career to the industry. He launched his professional career at Juddmonte and Walmac Farms before establishing his own bloodstock agency. The nearly endless list of top level runners Ingordo has been involved with include champions from Zenyatta to Flightline. The bloodstock agent is married to one of the nation's leading trainers in Cherie DeVaux. Ingordo joins a list of MHBA yearling show judges which includes Hall of Fame and Triple Crown-winning trainers, as well as notable agents. Open to all yearlings eligible for Maryland-bred registration, entries for this year's show close June 2 with late submissions accepted for an increased fee. The post Ingordo To Judge 91st MHBA Yearling Show appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Churchill tote read 1-4 at the off and Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC's SPICE RUNNER (c, 2, Gun Runner–Simple Surprise, by Cowboy Cal) proved more than equal to the task, racing a bit greenly into the final furlong before edging clear to graduate by an easy two lengths when making his first trip to the races Friday afternoon at Churchill Downs. Drawn widest in a field scratched down from eight to just five juvenile colts, the full-brother to GISW sire Gunite jumped away very sharply for Jose Ortiz and it appeared that the colt could have led if his jockey chose to do so, but instead elected to take a hold of him and set up shop three deep just off the early tempo. Going well and ready to strike on the turn, Spice Runner was asked for his best in upper stretch, began to pull away while racing on his incorrect lead passing the eighth pole and eventually kicked over to post a smooth success. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. Spice Runner scores in R2 at @churchilldowns under @jose93_ortiz for trainer Steve Asmussen! TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/mNrCoanQSy — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) May 23, 2025 The post Gunite Full-Brother Spice Runner Validates Short-Priced Favoritism on Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The two racetrack jobs that Crystal Conning currently has can be broken down simply. In one, her goal is to pick winners. In the other, it's to ride them. On Monday, her professional worlds will collide when the Monmouth Park paddock analyst rides Like a Saltshaker (Peace and Justice) in the second race at the Jersey Shore track in between TV appearances. “I think it's going to be cool to ride a race at Monmouth Park,” said Conning, who hails from Melbourne, Australia. “I've been here three summers working and galloping horses in the mornings. I'm looking forward to riding on my `home' surface for the first time.” Conning has jockeyed sporadically at Parx, and in March rode two races at Camarero in Puerto Rico. She has won two races from 23 mounts this year, with her most recent victory coming aboard Like a Saltshaker at Parx Feb. 25. Overall, Conning has 76 career wins, the majority coming at Turf Paradise and Canterbury Park. These days, she spends her weekends giving her insight to fans on the day's Monmouth Park races while scrambling for mounts Monday through Friday. She said she will give the analysis of Monday's second race–“I have to pick myself,” she said–and then will make a dash to change into silks. “I'll do the TV show, run into the changing room, get the silks on and go out and ride. Then I'll come back and do the analysis on the rest of the races,” she said. Conning, 33, said she has pulled this double duty previously. “I'll just talk about my horse on Monday [in her second race analysis],” she said. “I did something similar in Minnesota at Canterbury. I did the TV analysis and then rode the card the same day. I did that a couple of times.” Conning will be riding for trainer Tom Clark and owner Flurry Racing Stable. She said she has thought about finally shaking the riding “bug” but isn't quite ready to give it up yet. “I've tried. I just can't stop,” she said. The biggest challenge she faces is securing more consistent mounts. “It's difficult from a fitness perspective and timing,” she said. “The more you ride the better you are going to be. It's that cycle of people not wanting to give you an opportunity because you're not riding a lot, but how do you ride a lot if you are not getting the opportunities? “Then you wind up riding a lot of 30-1 shots and people don't think you are any good. Those are the only chances you get sometimes. You really need that one horse who jumps up and makes you look good.” Conning, an Olympic-level event rider in Australia who started competing in Thoroughbred races there in 2015, characterized Like a Saltshaker as “a veteran horse.” “He's easy to ride. He knows the drill,” she said. The 7-year-old gelding has 18 wins and nine seconds from 42 career starts. The post Monmouth Park Jockey And Paddock Analyst Conning To Pull Double Duty appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

They had grown up together, the boy and his horse. Their bond was innate. In fact, he has been told that his mother was on horseback when her waters broke. That was how it was, up in the mountains. Most people couldn't afford cars, certainly not the type that might cope with those roads. “We lived in one of the most desolate villages in Puerto Rico,” Alberto Rullan recalls. “My dad had a small farm: coffee, bananas, plantains. And every night, I would round up the cattle into pens. If you didn't, back then, the cowboys would take them at night.” Still bandit country, in the 1980s. But that meant Rullan was riding Tauri, daily, when both were no more than three or four years old. Looking back, Rullan learned as much about himself from Tauri as he did about horses. They were inseparable–or so he thought. Then came the day Rullan returned from school, aged eight, to be greeted in distress by his grandmother. “A truck had hit Tauri when my dad was riding him on the road,” Rullan recalls. “My dad broke his back, spent a whole year in bed. But I was like, 'What about my horse?' My grandmother said, 'He has a broken leg. We're waiting for help.' By the next day, in the barn, I realized they'd have to put him down. There wasn't a vet in the whole district. So that day I made the decision: I would become a horse vet. I would fix horse legs. No other kid was to lose their horse, if I could help it.” Horses culture has always taken center stage in Puerto Rico | Getty Images Others, of course, might sooner have been prompted by his father's injury to become a doctor. “People tell me that,” acknowledges Rullan with a smile. “But at that age, my connection with horses was everything. It was stronger than my connection with people. My whole life, all my memories growing up, had been horses. And that particular one, for me, became an idol, an icon. From that moment on, every move I made would have the same aim.” Thirty-seven years later, despite some extreme trials on the way, the fervor of that vocation burns undimmed. Touring his Equine Performance Innovative Center (EPIC), a rehabilitation facility and clinic outside Ocala, Florida, Dr. Rullan takes out his phone and shows before-and-after images that make you gasp. While the catastrophes that have brought horses here tend to be too graphic for illustration, the gallery of outcomes is barely credible. He shows you a shattered hock. “Week one; week six,” Rullan says, comparing two images. “To heal an injury like that, it's unheard of. This filly, now, she got into a fire. And this one, they were putting him down–just like my horse when I was a boy. But we could save him, literally removing a piece of dead bone. Look at this horse, the eye's deflated, almost gone. In other clinics, that eye would be removed. But look, after we treated it: almost normal. “How can we do all this? Because we have all the modalities in one spot. There are very few places like this in the United States, in fact on the whole planet. There are lots of rehab centers, but this one has everything on one site, including advanced therapies: surgical suite, hyperbaric oxygen chamber, laser, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, vibration plates. We do a lot of regenerative therapy, alternative therapies. Stem cells, PRP, amnion, ozone treatment. Combine all those, then you can get these kinds of results.” In other words, Tauri did not die in vain. But make no mistake, getting here has been a testing odyssey. Even to embark was difficult. There were no veterinary schools in Puerto Rico and, at that time, Rullan had neither the language nor the resources to attend one in the U.S. What he did have was a flair for mathematics, sufficient to secure a place at Penn State despite his rudimentary English. As he learned, he earned: chemistry tutor, cook, eventually crossing over to teach a program to Hispanic kids like himself. At vet school in Philadelphia, the same: since he was going to spend all his time in the library anyway, painstakingly translating textbooks and lectures, he got a job there. Additionally, as though he didn't have enough on his plate, every summer he would instruct his brother William in everything he had learned, training him up as a technician. They were hired together in Ocala, in 2007, but then came a first serious buffet. Thoroughbreds at the OBS Sale | OBS “My brother got kicked by a horse,” Rullan recalls. “We get kicked all the time, and Willie's like 6'5″, 300lbs, so we keep going. But then his bruise keeps getting worse and worse, goes all the way down to the leg. Now he starts coughing, getting nose bleeds. Goes to a doctor. 'Here's a pill.' Goes again. 'Here are some steroids.' He's starting to look yellow. Goes to the emergency room and, his PCV [blood test], the normal hematocrit is about 40%, he's six. There are no blood cells in his system.” They gave Willie an emergency transfusion, and eventually announced that he had leukemia. Everyone was flattened. They'd had so many dreams. But luckily a transfer to Shands Hospital opened the door to a stem cell experiment. A little over three months later, he was home. For a second time, then, a mishap with a horse had contained some latent good. “If that horse hadn't kicked him, he would have died,” Rullan says. “No question.” Not that they were out of the woods. Launching their own business in 2008, they hit the financial crisis head on. Desperate times prompted Rullan into desperate measures. He was prescribed antidepressants, but not the alcohol he combined them with. Leaving a bar one night, he raced a buddy down the highway. He never even saw the police behind him, but couldn't miss the ones who set up a roadblock in front. “I was still in denial,” Rullan admits. “I was like, 'I only had a couple.' But then they do the test, and put the handcuffs on me. When I felt that cold metal, my heart stopped, I almost collapsed. Called my wife, told her I was in jail. She didn't flinch. She had our one-year-old child with her, and she's like, 'Okay, let's go. What do we need to do?' So she called someone, took care of the bail. She was amazing.” His rehab journey was not always smooth, but Katie stayed strong and it is now six years since Rullan touched a drink. His routine instead became the gym, manuals in personal growth. And, step by step, the business also got onto its feet. For a time, they rented a barn and garage in Summerfield. The brothers would alternate two-hour shifts on overnight treatments. Gradually they pieced together enough respect and momentum to buy a local farm, until a client insisted they move closer to the action, in Ocala, setting them up on a favorable rent. And eventually another one, Mike Hall of Breeze Easy, sponsored their move to what was then a layup farm: they could be his tenants until they reached a position to buy him out. “That's the importance of collaboration, of working with really good people,” Rullan says. “Nothing can be done by yourself. So I negotiated with Mike that whenever I was ready, I could buy it. That was 2017. Everything goes well and last December our accountant told me, 'Okay, it's time to pull the trigger.'” Thoroughbred undergoing rehab | EPIC Rullan is rightly proud, after such a long and winding road, to have established this innovative facility. “With all these modalities under one roof, this place gives Ocala something it never had before,” he says. “Everyone here has specialty. I have a certification in equine sports medicine that only about 100 people in the world have–from the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology–and can teach the same skills to all the other veterinarians, all the interns.” Nor is EPIC simply a case of integrating services that would ordinarily require you to load your horse onto a van and drive from one specialist to another. “I also think that other places are afraid to be so aggressive with injuries,” Rullan explains. “They view a lot of these horses as a lost cause. We have many people coming here after seeing multiple vets who only want to euthanize, or remove the eye, whatever it may be. But we have the will actually to try and move forward.” And that is exactly what Rullan wants to do now, as proprietor, albeit in a targeted way. There would be no point renovating the training track, for instance, when Ocala already has so many. Developing a parallel canine facility, in contrast, will fill a void. Even as it stands, at any time you might find half a dozen therapies simultaneously underway here. The treatment room has a saltwater spa, an underwater treadmill, vibration plates, above all that hyperbaric chamber. A swimming pool, 100 feet long and 16 deep, is meanwhile hired out for clients to self-swim affordably. And, just as the whole journey began with Tauri, so Rullan has a constant reminder of what animates him: an equine skeleton presiding over the lobby. “When Katie was pregnant, there was only one horse appropriate for her to ride,” he explains. “We'd just got started, it was 2008, nobody wanted to pay for treatments. This particular horse came to our clinic with laminitis, the owner telling us to euthanize. But we had just come to town, had nothing, were virtually starving. We had to prove something. So we said, 'Why don't you just give us the horse, and we'll treat her ourselves?' “Long story short, we treated and treated and treated that foot. And she did miraculously. Then my wife started riding her. My son was born. Everything was perfect. And then we had a storm–and the horse was struck by lightning. After going through all that. I was so upset. I said, 'You're not going anywhere. You're staying with us forever.' We had an intern at the time, who needed a project. And for many years now that horse has lived on as the educational specimen for our clinic.” People often ask Rullan for a remote consultation, sending information and images from South America or Europe. “And I say, 'I'm sorry, but I have to touch the horse,'” he says. “I don't know why, but I cannot treat a horse so well if I don't. Today they have all this A.I., all this software: but if I don't touch them, it's not the same.” Perhaps that's because these horses, in aggregate, do far more for us than even the most sophisticated science can for them. So when he thinks back to the vow he made that day, as a traumatized schoolboy, Rullan can comfort himself not only that Tauri lives on through all the horses he has saved since. In the process, Tauri might also be said to be still helping people, too. “There's a proven connection between the heart of the person and that of a horse,” Rullan remarks. “They did a study in California about this. Horses can recognize who is 'their' person, and who's not. But most of the time, believe it or not, it's the horse that actually influences the person's heart. They become synchronized: not the horse's heart synchronizing with ours, but the other way round. And, for us, getting synchronized with their hearts creates a calming effect.” Such is the affinity that has driven this remarkable achiever past every obstacle, whether strewn by fate or his younger self. “Everybody working here has a personal connection to the horse,” Rullan says. “We attract those kinds of people. One of our guys is 82, and gets here at 4.30 a.m. to give therapy. Everybody here, every single person, has been helped by horses.” The post An Epic Journey To New Frontiers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There are few around that would accept that Field Of Gold was second-best three weeks ago despite the formbook stating so and on The Curragh's conventional track on Saturday Juddmonte's elite performer has the chance to put matters right in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas. While Godolphin's admirable Ruling Court is not here, there could be a case to be made that the real star of the Newmarket Classic is. The Gosdens found his defeat there hard to take, which is backed up by the sectionals, and like his sire Kingman he seeks quick atonement. “He's trained well since the Guineas. It's a race we hadn't originally planned to go to, but we're going there now and we'll see how the race pans out,” John Gosden said. “We're drawn out on the wing of it in stall nine of nine, but we have opted to go there rather than waiting for Ascot.” Kingman's other representative Cosmic Year is another colt seemingly heading to the big time, but Field Of Gold is ahead of the curve and this is his to lose. Aidan O'Brien's customary iron grip on this Classic is loosened for one year and despite the promise of the stable's Listed Tetrarch Stakes winner Officer, opportunity knocks for Field Of Gold. If there is one fly in the ointment, it could be Hotazhell, whose defeat of Delacroix in the G1 Futurity Trophy looks a whole lot better now especially as the trusty yardstick Wimbledon Hawkeye was so far adrift. Beaten once in three starts at this track, when in front of Scorthy Champ as the runner-up to Henri Matisse in the G2 Futurity Stakes, he has to peak on his seasonal bow having been taken out of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains. All Eyes On Lake Victoria… Sunday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas sees yet another of Juddmonte's Kingman representatives take one of the central roles, but the Group 3 trial winner Swelter will be up against it if Lake Victoria builds on her 1,000 Guineas sixth to the degree that connections expect. Very few fillies win Group 1 races over six and seven furlongs and a mile at two and until Ballydoyle's champion of 2024 proves otherwise, she is the most exciting of her sex around. Second and third at Newmarket, Flight and Simmering re-engage for Ollie Sangster while Paddy Twomey has a wildcard in Sioux Nation's impressive Cork maiden winner City Of Memphis and Donnacha O'Brien has supplemented the G3 Athasi Stakes winner Atsila, whose sire Phoenix Of Spain enjoyed his finest hour on this weekend. Ryan Moore seems unconcerned about the opposition. “That run should bring her on and she'll be much fitter this time,” he said of the likely hot favourite. “I certainly haven't lost any faith in her and I expect her to show her true colours on Sunday.” Top-Level Quandaries On Sunday Sunday's three other Group 1 races are for the older brigade, with The Curragh's Tattersalls Gold Cup featuring the rematch between the G2 Mooresbridge Stakes one-two Los Angeles and White Birch, with the latter bidding for back-to-back renewals. Juddmonte's G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Kalpana and Shadwell's G1 Champion Stakes hero Anmaat are sure to test the speed of Los Angeles at this 10 1/2-furlong trip and this is probably the first time last year's G1 Irish Derby winner has been asked such a stern question short of a mile and a half. At ParisLongchamp, the possibly needlessly-revamped G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier has failed to attract anything significantly better than it did as a Group 2, with Godolphin's Dubai Future looking to repeat his G2 Dubai Gold Cup defeat of the dual G1 Prix Royal Oak winner Double Major while the G1 Prix d'Ispahan sees another mile-and-a-half star of 2024 in Sosie also look to reinvent himself, Los Angeles-style. This weird 9 1/4-furlong trip is another step down from the 10 1/2 furlongs of the G1 Prix Ganay, but the Wertheimer homebred may still have a class edge in one of Europe's more dubious Group 1s. If not, the upwardly-mobile Listed Paradise Stakes winner Sardinian Warrior will have a say. Sosie's trainer Andre Fabre has a key target in mind for last year's G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero. “We have supplemented because his owners want to see if he can run in the Eclipse,” he explained. “Obviously a mile and a half is perfect for him, but he has some class so we'll find out. Thinking of him being a stallion later, it is important to prove himself at this distance, too.” Saturday's Fast Cast Saturday's trio of Group 2 sprints see some Royal Ascot hopefuls limber up, with Haydock's Sandy Lane hosting Godolphin's Symbol Of Honour who is out just a week after his Listed Carnarvon Stakes success. Rock-solid performers Big Mojo and Arizona Blaze add significant ballast, but there is perhaps more of an air of excitement surrounding the return of the unbeaten G2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Powerful Glory. The track's Temple Stakes is for the King Charles-bound dragsters, with the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Starlust operating under a five-pound penalty for those excesses, while The Curragh's Greenlands witnesses the Irish debut of Ballydoyle's recruit Storm Boy. Richard Fahey said of Powerful Glory, “We're pleased with him, he's wintered well and we're about to find out whether he can play with the big boys this season. Everything has gone to plan and this is the first chance we've had to run him without a penalty, but it will be a good chance to see where we're at with him.” Ryan Moore said of Storm Boy, “He's got a big reputation and he's a big, strong boy, but it's his first start for a long time and it will just be nice to get him started over here. The Curragh will be a new experience for him, as it's a stiff six furlongs rather than running round a bend.” Other Points Of Interest Saturday's feast begins with the six-furlong Curragh 2-year-old maiden won in recent times by Ballydoyle's future stars Henri Matisse, Unquestionable and Arizona, so the fact that Ryan Moore has sided with the yard's unraced Wootton Bassett colt Brussels over the once-raced Kansas is noteworthy. In Sunday's opening 2-year-old fillies' maiden which has played host to the likes of Zarinsk and Albigna in recent times and is a key Albany pointer, Ryan Moore is on another Wootton Bassett with Beautify his pick of the two Ballydoyle newcomers. Perhaps the best of the juveniles seen so far from Rosegreen, Albert Einstein, lines up in Sunday's G3 Marble Hill Stakes before Porta Fortuna makes her keenly-anticipated return in the G2 Lanwades Stud Stakes. Ryan Moore is on her too, so another Sunday bonanza for the rider is not out of the question. Saturday's card at Goodwood boasts the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes and Listed Height Of Fashion Stakes, which used to be last-ditch Derby and Oaks trials known as the Predominate and Lupe but now serve more as stepping stones to the Royal meeting's G2 King Edward VII Stakes and G2 Ribblesdale Stakes. Both host some potentially smart Ralph Beckett representatives, with Valmont's Irish Oaks-entered daughter of Mastercraftsman Perfect Your Craft in the Height Of Fashion and David Aykroyd's unbeaten homebred Amiloc in the Cocked Hat. Amiloc may not be Pride Of Arras, but he's not too far off based on the evidence of his mile conditions win here earlier this month and apart from anything else he sets a useful standard for the others to aim at. One is Wathnan Racing's Haydock novice scorer Opportunity, Frankel's son of Izzi Top who holds a Derby entry. “The plan is to go to Goodwood and find out whether he wants to put his hand up for Epsom or not,” Wathnan's Richard Brown explained. “This is going to tell us everything we need to know. I think we have got a nice horse on our hands, whether he is a Derby horse who knows, he will tell us on Saturday. Ralph Beckett has a horse in there that I rate very highly and this will tell us everything we need to know about where we are going to go next. He's with the right man, William [Haggas] will know where to go.” The post Is He The Gold Standard? Juddmonte Colt Seeks Curragh Redemption appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The catalogue for the Arqana Summer Sale, featuring over 560 horses bred under both codes, is now available online. Past graduates include Mgheera (Zoustar), a multiple group winner on the Flat, while in the jumping sphere, Game Of Storm (Motivator), Haiti Couleurs (Dragon Dancer), Mambonumberfive (Born To Sea) and Nietzsche Has (Zarak) all won over hurdles in France and across the channel. Set for June 30-July 3, the sale features 73 Flat-bred 2-year-olds, 160 2- and 3-year-old NH stores, as well as 88 mares and fillies-out-of-training. Juveniles will be put through their paces on June 30 at 1 p.m., and the 10 a.m. July 1 session will feature the Flat-bred juveniles and the stores (lots 1-233). Horses-in-training (lots 234-473) will sells beginning at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2, with lots 474-572, the breeding stock, going through the ring from 11 a.m. on July 3. American Grade I winner Chez Pierre (Mehmas) is a graduate of the juvenile portion of the sale, and one of the choice lots is a Starman half-brother to multiple Grade I winner Obviously (Choisir) (lot 35). Among the horses-in-training is the listed-placed Konada (Toronado) (lot 401); while Maupassant (Galiway) (lot 404) was fourth in Thursday's G3 Prix Hocquart; listed winner and group-placed Strassia (Kendargent) is lot 410; and dual group winner Jiulietta Ghia (Kamsin) is lot 468. Broodmares offered include Grade 2 winner Victoire Des Borde (Antarctique) (lot 527) in foal to Goliath Du Berlais; lot 528, Miss Country (Country Reel), the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Frodon (Nickname), offered in foal to Nietzsche Has; and Suviana (Dandy Man) (lot 562) in foal to Mehmas. The post Arqana Summer Sale Catalogue Offers Something For Everyone appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Sunday running at Tokyo Racecourse. As part of the G1 Yushun Himba program, the race may be watched live across ADW platforms at 10 p.m. ET: Sunday, May 25, 2025 3rd-TOK, ¥10,600,000 ($74k), Maiden, 3yo, 1300m AMERICAN BEYOND (c, 3, McKinzie–Church by the Sea, by Harlan's Holiday) made a single racetrack appearance at two, finishing a distant third to runaway winner Snappy Dancer (Union Rags) going 1400 meters over this strip in October. A $275,000 Keeneland November weanling and $400,000 Keeneland September grad, the bay is kin to two other winners, including MGSW Significant Form (Creative Cause)–the dam of SW Opulent Restraint (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire})–and GSW Hay Dakota (Haynesfield). The colt's unraced dam is a half-sister to GSW/GISP Hello Liberty (Forest Camp) and the deeper female family includes GSW & GISP Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince) and MGSP Dilger (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Top Australian jockey Michael Dee has the call. The competition includes the filly Angel Ladder (Nyquist), whose dam Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow) won the GI Ogden Phipps Handicap and is responsible for the G3 UAE Oaks third Serein (Uncle Mo). O-Yoshizawa Holdings Co Ltd; B-Brereton C Jones (KY); T-Hideaki Fujiwara The post Promising McKinzie Colt Makes 3YO Debut at Tokyo appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin homebred Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot), who is a half-brother to G1 Middle Park Stakes winners Shadow Of Light and Earthlight, went postward as the even-money favourite for Friday's Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Novice Stakes at Haydock and never gave supporters a moment's worry, coming home with an impressive five-length buffer to attain TDN Rising Star status on debut. Positioned in a close-up second for most of this seven-furlong contest, he loomed large hard on the bridle with three furlongs remaining and quickened clear in taking fashion once shaken up by Billy Loughnane approaching the final furlong to easily outclass Island Bear (Kodi Bear) by open water. Wild Desert becomes the third Rising Star for his sire and joins Bauhinia and Thursday's Great Yarmouth winner Postmodern on the roll of honour. Wild Desert looks a very smart prospect for the Charlie Appleby team a he runs on impressively under Billy Loughnane in the Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Novice Stakes! @loughnane_billy | @Betfred pic.twitter.com/n9dU0igZoV — Haydock Park Races (@haydockraces) May 23, 2025 4th-Haydock, £10,000, Nov, 5-23, 2yo, 6f 212yT, 1:29.12, g/f. WILD DESERT (IRE), c, 2, by Too Darn Hot (GB) 1st Dam: Winters Moon (Ire) (G1SP-Eng), by New Approach (Ire) 2nd Dam: Summertime Legacy (GB), by Darshaan (GB) 3rd Dam: Zawaahy, by El Gran Senor *1/2 to Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal), G1SW-Eng & Fr, $634,415; Shadow Of Light (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), MG1SW-Eng, $753,019. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, £5,400. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-Billy Loughnane. The post Godolphin Blueblood Wild Desert Powers to TDN Rising Stardom at Haydock 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 post times for the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which will be held at historic Saratoga Race Course from Wednesday, June 4 through Sunday, June 8.View the full article

The G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) sees G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) heroine Embroidery (Admire Mars) face 17 rivals in her quest to nab the second jewel of the Japanese Fillies' Triple Tiara. A winner of the G3 Queen Cup over 1600 metres in February, the Silk Racing colourbearer will be testing the waters beyond 1800 metres for the first time in her young career. Tied in the lead-up betting markets with Oka Sho third Lynx Tip (Kitasan Black), Embroidery was only a neck in front of the re-opposing third choice and G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies heroine Arma Veloce in the Japanese 1000 Guineas. She will be partnered with Christophe Lemaire and will leave from the middle of the field in stall nine. Said trainer Kazutomo Mori, “She's been running smoothly, and her times have been good. Her win last time was impressive, and it showed that she's developing the right way. She's in about the same condition as she was for the Oka Sho, and it means she should show her speed and power once again.” Never worse than second in her four lifetime starts, To Racing's Arma Veloce is also trying 2400 metres for the first time, but her connections are undeterred. Said trainer Hiroyuki Uemura of the juvenile filly champ who is booked in stall one with Mirai Iwata, “She's moved easily on the uphill track this last week, and there's no problem with her condition. I've thought she'd be better in races over a longer trip, and even though we won't know until she tries, the extended distance in this next race should suit her.” Although she has yet to win a race besides her 2000-metre maiden back in December, Lynx Tip rolls into the Japanese Oaks with plenty of momentum and the distance should suit. Second in the 1800-metre G3 Kisaragi Sho in February, she was 2 1/2 lengths behind Arma Veloce in the first fillies' Classic after being last of 18 at one point during the running. Mirco Demuro will ride the Sunday Racing representative, with the duo breaking from stall five. Kazuki Nitta, assistant trainer to Masayuki Nishimura, said, “She's filling out more and has a good appetite. Her work's been good on the woodchip course, with a final furlong time of :11.1 seconds. She looks like a horse to run over a distance, so the 2400 meters at Tokyo looks good for her, with her big stride and stamina.” Besides the leading fancies, G3 Flower Cup second Paradis Reine is seventh choice in the ante-post wagering. One of a staggering five Kizuna fillies in the affair (Ai Sansan, Lesedrama, Brown Ratchet and Go So Far being the others), if she, or one of her paternal half-sisters prevails, it would be the first Japanese Oaks title for Japan's reigning champion sire. Previously, both Light Back in 2024 and Hagino Pilina in 2021 each finished third in the 2400-metre contest. Triple Crown Chance For Voyage Bubble Hong Kong darling Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) holds a chance to sweep the Hong Kong Triple Crown at Sha Tin on Sunday as one of nine in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup. However, the Sunshine and Moonlight Syndicate runner's greatest challenge is the distance. Successful in the first two legs–the G1 Stewards' Cup (1600m) and the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) in January and February, the 6-year-old gelding has yet to race, let alone win, over 2400 metres. In his latest start, Red Lion (Belardo) beat him into second by just a short head in the G1 Champions Mile in April. If he prevails on Sunday, he would win an HK$10-million bonus and join River Verdon (Be My Native) as the only two horses to accomplish that feat. William Haggas sends veteran traveler Dubai Honour (Pride Of Dubai) to attempt to spoil the party and has enlisted the services of Tom Marquand, with the duo due to break from the rail. Second in the G1 Hong Kong Vase over this course and distance in December, the 7-year-old gelding landed the G1 Tancred Stakes over the Champions & Chater trip in soft going at Rosehill on April Fools' Day. Facing off against the formidable middle-distance mare Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) in his next start, he was not disgraced when 1 3/4 lengths second to her in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick later that month. John Size saddles two in Sunday's contest, and it is his Ensued who holds the better chance. By the infamous 1999 American Triple Crown spoiler Lemon Drop Kid, who won the 2400-metre GI Belmont Stakes on dirt, the 5-year-old gelding has hit the crossbars multiple times in group company this season. His latest effort was a solid fourth behind Tastiera (Satono Crown) in the G1 QEII Cup on FWD Champions Day. He would be the first winner of this contest for his trainer since Super Kid (Gaius) in 2004. “Ensued is going alright,” Size said. “It was a good run that day in the [Hong Kong] Vase, the winner was too good for him. He ran as well as anything else in the race and he's gone on with that. He's raced well since and he's had a pretty good season.” The post Embroidery In Search Of The Winning Thread In The Yushun Himba 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) has rolled out post times for the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which will be held at Saratoga Race Course from Wednesday, June 4 through Sunday, June 8, the track said in a Friday release. Post time for the 10-race programs on Wednesday, June 4 and Thursday, June 5 as well as Sunday, June 8 is 12:40 p.m. (All times Eastern) with admission gates open to the public at 11 a.m. The 14-race program on Friday, June 6 will feature a post time of 11:40 a.m. with admission gates open to the public at 10 a.m. On Saturday, June 7, post time for the 14-race Belmont Stakes Day program is 10:45 a.m. with admission gates open to the public at 9 a.m. FOX will present live, on-site broadcast coverage of the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 7. America's Day at the Races will provide daily television coverage and analysis across the FOX Sports family of networks throughout the five-day event. The post NYRA Rolls Out 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Post Times appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 40th Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) National Awards Dinner will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington, Kentucky, the group said via a press release on Friday. Hosted by FanDuel's Scott Hazelton, the event will feature a more informal feel in terms of recommended “blue jeans, boots, and bling” attire, open seating dining, signature Bluegrass music, and a Kentucky bourbon experience. As part of the anniversary, cartoonist and TDN contributor Remi Bellocq created a signature illustration focusing on the theme of “Cheers to 40 Years” and the informality of this year's celebration. Click here for more information. The post 40th TOBA Awards Dinner To Be Held At Fasig-Tipton In Lexington Sept. 6 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Umberto Rispoli won his first American classic, May 17, guiding Journalism to win in a roughly contested Preakness Stakes (G1), the second jewel in the Triple Crown, and was named Jockey of the Week by the Jockeys' Guild for May 12 through May 18.View the full article

The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation will honor media personality Lindsay Czarniak at its annual Fashionable Fillies Luncheon at Saratoga National Golf Club on Monday, Aug. 4, according to a press release from the organization on Friday. Czarniak, who has served as a host, anchor and sideline reporter for multiple networks, is a Thoroughbred owner through A Stake in Stardom, an initiative of America's Best Racing. The luncheon has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to assist those in need in the racing industry. Click here for tickets. The post Fashionable Fillies Luncheon To Honor Czarniak appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Three new race days will be part of World Pool this weekend, with the Curragh's Irish 2,000 Guineas Day card joining the line-up for the first time. Doomben Cup Day is also featured on Saturday, while on Sunday the final Group 1 of the Hong Kong season, the Champions and Chater Cup, will be globally commingled. World Pool ambassador Ryan Moore said, “It's great that Irish 2,000 Guineas Day is a World Pool event for the first time. “Though this year's Irish 2,000 Guineas isn't a huge field, it's a high quality one which deserves its place on the international racing calendar as a very important Classic, and a Group 1.” Moore will be aboard Officer for Aidan O'Brien in the colts' Classic. He said, “It's a very strong Irish Guineas. Officer has had just the three starts so far, including winning the Listed Tetrarch Stakes on his reappearance this season. “That race is a nice trial for this and it's a positive that he's already proven over the mile at the Curragh, but he'll need to step forward again to beat the likes of Field Of Gold, who sets the standard following his second in the G1 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.” A second World Pool feature on Sunday sees the return of the Irish 1,000 Guineas card from the Curragh, which also features the Tattersalls Gold Cup. The post Irish 2,000 Guineas Day Makes World Pool Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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

Jamie Searle, a proud Southlander and respected racing journalist, has died in Invercargill after a battle with cancer. Inducted into the NZ Trotting Hall of Fame for his contribution to the history of harness racing, Searle worked for the Southland Times between 1986 and 2022. Of those 34 years he was a racing reporter for 28 of them. He was still writing stories as his health deteriorated in recent weeks and was philosophical about his fate. “Everyone has got to fall off their perch at some time and I’ve really enjoyed my life,” he said in a recent interview. Over the years he also owned over 200 horses and owned winners in all three codes – harness, thoroughbreds and greyhounds. And over the years his love for the deep south has not diminished. “Southland has always been good to me and I’m a proud Southlander.” “Jamie always had an enthusiastic approach to his job and passion for racing in particular the harness and galloping codes,” says Jason Broad, General Manager of Southern Harness Racing. “He would often, along with Don Wright, attend local trials meetings when horse numbers were at a peak of up to 20 heats a day. He would publish up-to-date racing information with results and stories that these days we take for granted.” “On many a trip to The Southland Times I delivered fields for publication and even for Invercargill’s Cup Day on the Saturday which had a prelude on the Wednesday, I would arrive after midnight so they could be published the next day. Nothing was a problem with Jamie.” “Jamie was also the commentator at the local Invercargill workouts which was tremendous and kept him in the game.” “I know when the racing role at The Southland Times was cut back, practically diminished, he hated the transition and probably never got over it. Racing was his life.” “Jamie was a great fella, quiet fella. He will be missed.” As a tribute to his contribution to racing a piece of lawn that greets racegoers at Ascot Park in Invercargill is now known as the “Jamie Searle Lawn”. Searle was aware of this before he passed away and was very humbled and honoured to be remembered by the local racing community. Jamie Searle was 61. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Dual New Zealand Cup winner and $4m earner Lazarus is on the move. One of the all-time greats, the now 12-year-old superstar turned stallion has been bought by a group of owners including Wai Eyre Farm principal Darryl Brown and will now stand at the stud’s East Eyreton property in North Canterbury. “He’s on farm at the moment,” says Brown, “and he is now totally New Zealand owned,” Previously Lazarus had an international ownership group and stood at Alabar and Nevele R in this country before this latest move. “We had Christian Cullen here before and now we have Lazarus,” says Brown. At stud Lazarus has been a puzzle. There have been some fertility issues along the way but he’s produced some real quality spearheaded by the likes of North American-based millionaire pacer Voukefalas. In this country his progeny have also been making waves. In just the last 24 hours unbeaten four-year-old The Lazarus Effect (Lazarus – Brook Street) went three from three at Winton yesterday while talented two-year-old Nymbal (Lazarus – Glenferrie EJ) was a good second on debut at Cambridge last night behind the Purdon-trained hotpot Fitzroy. “We knew that purchasing Lazarus would be a very good idea for the farm, especially given the way his progeny have been performing,” says Brown. “We believe he is on the verge of emulating his success in North America as a sire, and we are really excited to be able to be part of this next chapter with him.” Lazarus stood for $5000 last year and Brown has yet to disclose what his fee will be for the next breeding season. “But we really want to give breeders confidence. We are looking at all sorts of on-farm packages to bring prices down.” Lazarus will join a roster that also includes Sky Major, One Over Da Moon, On A Streak, and Carlton. “We could potentially end up with seven or eight.” Brown says Lazarus’ arrival is part of a commitment from the Farm to go all out. “There was a time when we bred up to 450 mares so we certainly have the capacity.” “We have a great team here and we’re trying to get back to where we were 15 years ago.” View the full article

The 31-year-old arrives in Australia in the midst of a career-best season back home in Hong Kong.View the full article

Presenter-driver-trainer Brittany Graham knows a thing or two about racing on both sides of the Tasman and now that the Queenslander is working for Trackside in this country she’s (reluctantly) agreed to write a weekly column. Who wins and why at Addington tonight? By Brittany Graham The final Group 1 for the first half of 2025 will take place at Addington tonight (Friday) in the Welcome Stakes, alongside a pair of competitive open company features as part of a 10-race card, starting at 5.02pm. Race 6 7.34pm – Avon City Ford NZ Welcomes Stakes (GR1) Fugitive looks to be in prime position to be an early season dual Group 1 winner when he leaves from gate four as a short-priced favourite in the Welcome Stakes. His Young Guns success showed his immense talent when being forced to breeze throughout in solid time, before holding off a late challenge. Returning to the south last week, he couldn’t have asked for a better prep run when cruising to victory and his gate speed is a big asset. Allamericanplayer fell desperately short of his own elite success when a slashing nose second behind Fugitive three weeks ago after being held up in a peg line pocket to the turn. A beautifully-bred Stonewall trainee, his high speed makes him exceptionally dangerous from this improved gate of 1. He arrived in the South Island barn earlier this week, and despite a positive draw, he is yet to show a lot of early speed and will also racing left-handed for the first time. Freeze Frame and Rakero Maximus both draw wide which have no doubt hindered their chances, however, are both talents in their own right. Freeze Frame would love a genuine tempo as evidenced by his great second in the Diamond Creek Classic at Invercargill, while Rakero Maximus is a work in progress but possesses above average ability. Selections – (4) Fugitive, (1) Allamericanplayer, (5) Freeze Frame and (7) Rakero Maximus Race 7 8.04pm – Hydroflow NZ Country Championship Final (Listed) A full field of 16 pacers will line up for a $100,000 stake in the fourth edition of the Country Championships final over the New Zealand Cup distance and conditions of the 3200m stand. Pinseeker is currently favoured to clinch his biggest career success to date after running some brilliant recent races, including a slashing fifth in The Race By betcha. Not much has gone right for the 5YO subsequently, getting a long way back in the Rangiora Winter Cup and doing a lot of work when third in the Superstars a fortnight ago. As will be the case for all, a quick beginning will be vital after he shuffled away a fraction at Rangiora. Wag Star has been placed at his last three starts, including back-to-back eye catchers here at Addington in the last fortnight. It appears as though his best pattern presently is to be saved up for one run, but his turn of foot will take him a long way should he land a kind spot off his 10metre handicap. In a race with a multitude of chances, I am going to side with Betterthancash at an each way price from a cosy draw. Very unlucky in recent times, he is a great follower of speed and follows out a quick beginner which should assist him in getting the kind of trip he appreciates. Here’s Herbie has been popular in early markets off the back of his recent return to winning form. Selections – (11) Betterthancash, (17) Pinseeker, (14) Wag Star, (12) The Surfer Race 8 8.32pm Haras Des Trotteurs Heather Williams Memorial (GR3) The trotting mares will have their time to shine, and an opportunity for group race success in the final feature of the night. Eurostyle has returned in sparkling form, winning three of her four efforts this preparation including last week’s Uncut Gems Trotters Classic when performing superbly off her 30metre back mark. She was forced to cart the field up off a strong tempo and then did all the work wide to win comprehensively with the ear plugs still in. She has a smart mobile record, even though she was a little tardy behind the gate at her last effort. Nellie Doyle will make her mobile debut after a late mistake last time out, while Julie Jaccka is in super form herself an possesses excellent early pace from behind the mobile. Walkinonsunshine returns from a fairly fruitful northern campaign however has her asset of gate speed taken away with a second-row draw, while Hidden Talent was exceptional without luck last start, though needs some again from position 13. Selections – (9) Eurostyle, (7) Julie Jaccka, (13) Hidden Talent and (11) Walkinonsunshine View the full article