Wandering Eyes

Trainer Phil D'Amato has half the field in Del Mar's Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T), which gets a shipper from the Graham Motion barn in Heredia.View the full article

French sales house Auctav is set to stage its first solely Flat yearling sale at Haras de Bois Roussel on Saturday, September 13. The 100-lot catalogue, which is now online, includes drafts from Haras de Petit Tellier, Haras de Colleville, Hestia Farm, and Haras du Long Champ and features a Galiway filly (lot 30) who traces back to Shadwell's hugely successful Height Of Fashion family, offered by Haras du Vieux Bourg. Galiway's Group 1-winning son Sealiway has his first yearlings for sale this year and included in the Auctav offering is a colt from Haras du Chateau de Rabodanges whose dam Moon Power (Exceed And Excel) is a half-sister to Listed winner Shepherd Market (Reckless Abandon). Group 1 winner Ebro River was a new recruit to the French stallion ranks in 2023 and a member of his first crop will be the first lot through the ring at this inaugural yearling sale. The colt, names Ebrosindra, is out of an unraced half-sister to Group 3-winning sprinter Air De Valse. The sale is scheduled to get underway at 2pm. The post Auctav to Hold First Flat Yearling Sale in September appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Four additional yearlings, including fillies by Flightline, Gun Runner and Into Mischief along with a colt by Golden Pal, have been supplemented to Book 1 of the September Yearling Sale on Sept. 8-9, Keeneland announced Thursday. Opening day of the sale will include these supplements: Hip 181 is a filly from the first crop of Horse of the Year Flightline who is out of stakes winner Call On Mischief, by Into Mischief. Call On Mischief is a half-sister to Grade I winner and millionaire Power Squeeze. The filly is consigned by Thorostock, agent. Hip 182, a colt from the first crop of two-time Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal, is a half-brother to Grade III winner Becky's Joker. Consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, he is out of the Elusive Quality mare Becky's Best and from the family of Grade II winner Vertical Oak and stakes winners Vertical Vision and Giant Mischief. Yearlings supplemented to the second day are: Hip 372 is a filly by Into Mischief out of multiple graded stakes winner Keertana, by Johar. A half-sister to Grade III winner Ticonderoga, she is consigned by St George Sales, agent. The filly is from the family of Grade II winner Diversy Harbor; Grade III winners Snow Top Mountain, Greyvitos and Parochial; and Italian highweight Knifebox. Hip 373 is a filly by Gun Runner who is the first foal out of multiple stakes winner Hear My Prayer, by The Big Beast. From the family of stakes winner Additional Prayer, she is consigned by Mulholland Springs, agent. The post Four Yearlings Supplemented To Keeneland September Book 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Despite having flown to Lexington as recently as Tuesday, there was never any chance of Ted Voute not being at Deauville this weekend, with the jet-setting adviser to Prince Faisal describing himself as “quietly quite excited” about the prospects of Sajir when the son of Make Believe lines up in Sunday's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. After gaining a second Group 3 triumph in April's Abernant Stakes at Newmarket, Sajir was then conceding 2lb to his conqueror, Topgear (Wootton Bassett), when filling the runner-up spot in the Prix du Palais-Royal at ParisLongchamp the following month. That form nugget is fueling Voute's optimism that Sajir can be competitive on Sunday, in against some of the best sprinters that Europe has to offer. Above all else, with over 4,000 air miles set to be racked up in his commitment to the cause, Voute is simply hoping that Sajir himself doesn't get stuck on the runway this time, having been withdrawn from the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot after getting upset in the stalls. “That was so out of character,” Voute says of that incident. “I think it was just the heat on that day. He was in for a long time and Oisin [Murphy, jockey] said he went to go under the front of the stall. Oisin pulled his head up and the next thing he was kicking out. He had some scrapes on his hind legs after that, but nothing broke the skin. We've obviously been careful with him since and Andre [Fabre, trainer] thinks he's ready to run. Let's just hope he jumps out of the gate this time!” Sajir could be joined by up to 10 rivals in the gate for the Maurice de Gheest, including six individual Group 1 winners, headed by defending champion and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee hero Lazzat. Should Lazzat retain his title, then champion sprinter status for the son of Territories would be all but assured, but recent history has taught us to expect the unexpected in this division. “It looks quite a tough race, but with those sprinters you just never know,” Voute points out. “They all take it in turns and some of the top ones don't need much to go wrong to not perform like they should on the day. “I'm quietly quite excited about going. I'm in Lexington at the moment, but I'm going to fly back so I can go to Deauville because I think he could run one of his best races there. Whether he can win it or not, I don't know, but he's got Oisin on top. Let's hope we can get a big race out of him somewhere and maybe then we'll have another stallion on our hands.” As the conversation meanders through the rest of Prince Faisal's best and brightest prospects, the topic of producing stallions becomes a recurring theme. Not content with giving us the breed-shaping brothers Invincible Spirit and Kodiac, it would seem that Prince Faisal's quest to uncover the next big thing in the breeding shed continues apace. The first foals by three-time Group 1 and Saudi Cup winner Mishriff arrived earlier this year, a source of immense pride for his owner-breeder, while many would share Voute's view that Make Believe was a steal at the career-low fee of €8,000 he stood for this year at Ballylinch Stud. “He's incredibly good value,” Voute says of the Classic-winning sire of both Mishriff and Sajir, as well as Klaynn, the seven-length winner of this year's Oaks d'Italia. “We've probably been more successful with him than a lot of people, but we probably send him more mares. It's worked out nicely for us. “He should get 100 mares every year and, hopefully, if we can get some of the race records right this year, with the likes of Sajir, we might be able to get his book filled again.” Another homebred with the potential to put wind back in the Make Believe sails is the John and Thady-Gosden-trained Nahraan, who announced himself as potentially something out of the ordinary when making a successful debut at Wolverhampton in May, coming from miles back to upset the now-100-rated favourite Cajole (Dubawi). Voute admits to being incredulous in the aftermath of that victory, having travelled to Wolves more in hope than expectation, whereas relief was the overriding emotion at Hamilton last month when Nahraan clung on by a nose to win the Listed Glasgow Stakes. What a race! Nahraan (Make Believe) makes it three from three – just! – in a thrilling Listed @BritishEBF Glasgow Stakes for @oismurphy, John and Thady Gosden and Prince Faisal @HamiltonParkRC pic.twitter.com/cAvvvLlBIG — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 18, 2025 “It was a bit close for my liking!” Voute says of that performance. “I wish he'd won with more in hand, but I think it might have been the distance that made it so tight. We pretty much proved to ourselves that a mile and a half might be a bit too far for him. That was a mile and three [furlongs] and I think we learnt that it was right on his limit in terms of distance.” A notable absentee from the declarations for Saturday's Rose Of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock, Nahraan is another who now looks to be Deauville-bound. His connections are weighing up a tilt at the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano on Saturday week. “We were keeping our options open, but I think we'll probably go to Deauville,” says Voute. “It will be a very hot race – I think Charlie Appleby is going to run his Guineas winner [Ruling Court] there – but he has to step up at some stage. To do that against the three-year-olds might be the best thing for him, even though it is a Group 2. Otherwise, he'd have to take on the older horses.” Giving a glimpse into the excitement surrounding the unbeaten Nahraan, Voute adds, “It does look like we could have a very nice horse on our hands. When you have these horses, you think they come around quite easily, but they really don't. They are very special when they come along. “The Prince is always trying to make a stallion out of these horses and he's been very lucky in getting a few over the line. He's a very patient man and, between him and John, I'm sure they'll decide the best route. Obviously, we'd like to progress to a Group 1 and we've entered him in everything he's eligible for, including the Champion Stakes.” Nahraan is the first foal out of the dual winner First Kingdom, a half-sister to Sajir and among a select bunch of Prince Faisal's mares with a Mishriff foal on the ground this year. “The Prince has always bred to Frankel or bought yearlings by him,” Voute says of First Kingdom's sire. “From the first crop, he's been very supportive all the way through. We're very lucky that he's ended up being a good broodmare sire and we've got some of the first ones who show that. First Kingdom also has a two-year-old filly by Olden Times with Andrew Balding which is the second foal. Sadly, she didn't get in foal this year to Dark Angel, but she's got a Mishriff foal which is very nice. “We're very pleased with what we've got,” he adds of Mishriff's first foals. “We bought two mares to go to him. Sadly, [triple Group 3 winner] Oscula didn't have a foal, but [Group 2 winner] Bounce The Blues did. We obviously sent First Kingdom as well and we've sent three or four others back again this year. He's been well supported and it's very exciting.” “Very exciting” is also the phrase used to describe the two-year-old Oxagon, who earned 'TDN Rising Star' status when winning his maiden by eight lengths at Sandown last week. The son of Frankel is out of Godolphin's homebred mare Endless Charm (Dubawi), but the family can be traced back to Prince Faisal's very best – he bred and raced the third dam Wosaita (Generous), a half-sister to the Prix de Diane heroine Rafha, the dam of Invincible Spirit and Kodiac and third dam of Mishriff. Oxagon (Frankel) sheds his maiden at the second time of asking under Luke Catton for John & Thady Gosden in the Chasemore Farm @BritishEBF Novice Stakes @Sandownpark pic.twitter.com/vMYHX2bZpg — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 30, 2025 “Again, we've got to try and keep our feet on the ground,” Voute says of Oxagon. “We were claiming 5lb with Luke Catton [at Sandown] and it was only a class 4. We're going the right way, but we need to choose our spots. “John Gosden obviously thinks a bit of him, though, because he's entered him well. We've got him in all of the seven-furlong races. We put him in the Champagne the other day and we'll probably put him in the Acomb. It will be up to the Prince and John, they do that race planning better than anyone else, but I think it will be a black-type race for him somewhere. “Let's just hope we keep going the right way. Sometimes you tempt fate and, when you get two weeks down the road, all of the bubbles have burst. But he's definitely exciting.” Certainly, if there is one horse who has taught Prince Faisal and Voute not to get ahead of themselves, then it must be Eydon, the now-six-year-old who has raced just six times since finishing fourth in the 2022 edition of the 2,000 Guineas. There's little doubt that the engine is still in full working order, as Eydon demonstrated when last seen winning May's Aston Park Stakes, but once again the chassis let him down in the aftermath of that Newbury success. “He's back now and he's going the right way,” Voute says of Eydon's recovery from his latest setback. “He just has a niggly problem every single time and they're all different. It's never anything major. He just needs a bit of box rest and then everything comes good. “It started when he was at Roger Varian's. He got cast in his box before the Derby and that was sort of it. It's always at the most inopportune times, the day of a race or a week or two after. We think we've got over the hurdle and then something comes out of nowhere.” Provided another bolt from the blue doesn't come along, then Eydon should be seen on a racecourse again before the end of the year, with Voute keeping everything crossed that he can land another big pot to reward the patience of Prince Faisal. It would also go a long way to guaranteeing him some mares at his door, in an attempt to continue the line of his sire, the Prix Jean Prat winner Olden Times, a son of Darshaan, who died last year at the age of 26. Whilst it would be fair to say that Olden Times was never the most fashionable stallion – his largest crop of foals was the 25 born in 2009 – the female side of Eydon's pedigree is littered with some of Prince Faisal's most happening names. Indeed, his dam, Moon Mountain (Frankel), is a half-sister to Simple Magic, the dam of Sajir and second dam of Nahraan. “The Prince has been so patient, I would love it for him if we could win a decent race with Eydon,” Voute sums up. “He probably would then stand him as a private stallion. I don't know how many people would like to breed to him, but it's a sire line that is expiring and it would be great if we could continue that somehow. “The Prince did it with Olden Times and his own mares. Sadly, he's now gone, so Eydon would be a nice replacement.” The post Sajir and Nahraan Ready to Showcase Stallion Potential for Prince Faisal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Kevin Philippart de Foy has outlined plans to travel his new recruit Ghostwriter over next winter. Now training for Amo Racing, having replaced Raphael Freire at the operation's Freemason Lodge Stables in Newmarket, Philippart de Foy has had the four-year-old under his wing since he reared over at Newmarket and was subsequently withdrawn from the Princess of Wales's Stakes when trained by Clive Cox. “Ghostwriter is a really exciting horse, Clive has done an excellent job with him and now we just need to carry on that work,” he said of the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes winner. “There will be some exciting winter targets and he is a horse that is probably going to be travelling over the winter and into next year as well. “The idea for him is to become that high-profile flagbearer for the yard. We're just going to let him settle in and get used to surroundings and take our time with him. “He's a highly-talented horse and we want to do everything right by him and once he tells us he's ready to run, we'll get him to the races.” Philippart de Foy has also taken charge of Amo Racing's Coronation Stakes fourth Cathedral and the unraced two-year-old Partying, a daughter of Frankel and Aljazzi who was bought for 4.4 million gns at Tattersalls last year. Both fillies were previously trained by Ralph Beckett. Philippart de Foy said of Cathedral, “She's a filly which will probably go to Sandown for the Atlanta at the end of the month, then we will take it from there. She showed she is very good over a mile in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and then might not have stayed the extra furlong in France last time when the ground was a bit slow that day. “We'll bring her back to a mile on faster conditions and she has arrived in great shape.” He continued, “[Partying] is a very exciting filly to be training. We're not asking too many questions at the moment, but it's so far so good and she's a really exciting filly going forward. “We'll look to get her on track towards the back end of the year and hopefully she can deliver and prove to be another exciting prospect for Amo.” He added of his move from Induna Stables to Freemason Lodge, “Training for Amo Racing is a real privilege and I'm delighted with how things have started. It's been a smooth transition and hopefully it's going to be an exciting couple of months coming up. “When you start training these are the type of horses you are always targeting training and when I started five years ago I could only dream of training these types, so I'm obviously delighted but I have just got to deliver now.” The post Philippart de Foy Outlines Plans for ‘Exciting’ Ghostwriter appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

First-time starter Setting Sun (Caravaggio), who was pulled up during the running of the ninth race at Saratoga Wednesday, has been euthanized according to a press release from NYRA Thursday. The note reads: “During the running of Race 9 on Wednesday, August 6 at Saratoga Race Course, the Miguel Clement-trained Setting Sun was pulled up by jockey Flavien Prat in the stretch run with an injury to the left front. The filly was immediately attended to by on-track veterinarians, who transported Setting Sun to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for further evaluation. Radiographs performed at Rood & Riddle showed severe fractures to the left knee, which were deemed to be inoperable. As a result, and upon recommendation of the attending veterinarians, Setting Sun was humanely euthanized on Wednesday evening.” Additionally, NYRA noted that Setting Sun's death marked the fourth total with two equine fatalities occurring during racing and two more occurring during morning training. The post Setting Sun Euthanized After Saratoga Race Injury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Solene Hudbert has been appointed to the Arqana bloodstock team and will gradually take charge of both Flat and National Hunt-bred yearling and store inspections. A graduate of the Godolphin Flying Start programme, Hudbert has gained international experience working across the racing and breeding sectors, including spending a season foaling and sales preparation for the breeze-ups at Kildaragh Stud, and a season preparing yearlings for sale at Cambridge Stud in New Zealand. She thas also worked as pupil assistant for trainers Johnny Murtagh, William Haggas, Jamie Richards and Nicolas Clement, before being assistant trainer for Mickael Seror, Richard and Will Freedman, and Peter Snowden. She said: “I am delighted to be joining the Arqana team and very excited about taking on this new challenge on my return to France. It is a wonderful opportunity to fully immerse myself in a dynamic team and a stimulating environment, directly linked to my passion for racing.” Arqana bloodstock director Ludovic Cornuel added, “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Solene to the bloodstock team. With her academic background and solid professional experience, particularly in breeding and training, Solene will be a wonderful addition to the team and will enable us to further enhance the quality of service we strive to offer both our vendors and buyers.” The post Solene Hudbert Joins Arqana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation will host its final fundraiser of the year, the Backyard BBQ, at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Saratoga Springs on Tuesday, August 19, the organization announced Thursday. The event, held from 5:30-8:30pm, includes a full BBQ dinner, a drink ticket, live music, a silent auction and an opportunity to hear from graduates of the TRF Second Chances Program. All proceeds from the event benefit the TRF's herd of nearly 400 retired race horses and the Second Chances Program which pairs incarcerated individuals with horses to teach skills through horsemanship. More information and tickets for the Backyard BBQ can be found here. The post Thoroughbred Retirement Fund To Host Annual Backyard BBQ Fundraiser appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

What Geelong Races Where Geelong Racecourse – 99 Breakwater Rd, Breakwater VIC 3219 When Friday, August 8, 2025 First Race 12:45pm AEST Visit Dabble Geelong serves up an eight-race Friday card on a Soft 5 with the rail true and light winds forecast. The opener jumps 12:45pm AEST, the closer 5:00pm AEST. Early at Geelong, rails-in-run can be fine if tempo is controlled, but as the day wears on, expect the best ground to creep a couple of lanes off the fence—so track patterns through R1–R3 before locking in staking plans. Best Bet at Geelong: Navy Nina Navy Nina is a progressive mare who brings the right platform into the 0-64. She broke her maiden stylishly at this track last time out on July 25 and looks set to measure up immediately in this. From barrier 3, expect Jamie Melham to hold a spot just behind the leaders, conserve, and slide into the moving line from the 600m—textbook Geelong when the track has some give. Her action is tailor-made for Soft 5, and her closing figures say she’ll relish a sustained build rather than a dash-home sprint. With map, fitness and upside in her corner, she’s well placed to go back-to-back. Next Best Race 6 – #12 Navy Nina (3) 4yo Mare | T: Ben, Will & JD Hayes | J: Jamie Melham (57kg) Next Best at Geelong: Deep Pleasure Deep Pleasure looked a coming metro winner last prep and resumes in a very suitable Class 1. She trialled up sweetly, draws barrier 7 to land midfield with cover, and strikes a race where the pressure looks genuine from inside/outside speed. That pattern is perfect for a mare who can build from the 600m and lengthen through the line. Damien Lane sticks, the yard is flying, and her late splits from last campaign stack up against better grade than this. If Lane can have her within three lengths turning for home, Deep Pleasure’s superior engine should kick in and prove too strong late. Next Best Race 7 – #1 Deep Pleasure (7) 4yo Mare | T: Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | J: Damian Lane (60.5kg) Next Best Again at Geelong: Trapdoor Debutant Trapdoor appeals at a nice price in the 3YO 1200m maiden that opens proceedings. The Hawkes team rarely bring them to the races undercooked; he’s drawn barrier 3 to park just off the speed and get the dream stalking run for Blake Shinn. With plenty of unraced rivals and a handful of well-exposed maideners, the profile of a colt with a solid jump-out base and tactical gate speed is exactly what you want. Soft 5 looks ideal, and if the inside is holding early, he can punch through off the cutaway; if it isn’t, Shinn can pop off and build momentum. Next Best Again Race 1 – #10 Trapdoor (3) T: Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes | J: Blake Shinn (58kg) Friday quaddie tips for Geelong Geelong quadrella selections Friday, August 8, 2025 1-4-11 12 1-3 3-9-10 Horse racing tips View the full article

Rangiora mare Ears Back (NZ) (Jakkalberry) added an all-important black-type success to her record in the autumn, and her trainer John Blackadder has designs on another fruitful campaign this spring. The Jakkalberry seven-year-old defeated the likes of Belardo Boy and Bradman to take out the Listed AGC Training Stakes (1600m) at Wanganui in May, which also provided a new career-high for Blackadder. “It was pretty amazing, she’d been a bit unlucky in some of those big races, so it was great to go up there and do it for the owners,” he said. “She delivered on the promise she’s always showed, aided by a great ride from Mereana (Hudson). “She had three-and-a-half weeks off to freshen her up, and we’re aiming to go back up for a Group Three mile at Awapuni on the 20th of September.” Blackadder is referring to the Gr.3 Merial Metric Mile (1600m), and her build-up into the $100,000 feature is likely to commence at Riccarton Park on Saturday, when she contests the Stephanie Murray Mortgages Open Handicap (1400m). “I didn’t plan to kick her off here, but she’s working a bit above herself, so I thought I’d put her in,” he said. “It does depend on the amount of rain we get though, if it’s going to be really deep, I won’t start her. “At the moment, she’ll start, and I think she’ll give a very good account of herself. I took her down to the beach this week, which she loves, and she worked really well.” While Blackadder will be keeping an eye on the forecast with Ears Back, rain will not be of concern to her stablemate Blane who makes his Kiwi debut in the Johnny Fresh Darfield and Yaldhurst Rating 65 (1400m). The son of Swiss Ace originally started his career with Awapuni trainer Roydon Bergerson, and after winning a three-year-old trial in the early part of the 2023/24 season, he was sold to Hong Kong. After three unplaced efforts in the competitive jurisdiction, he found his way back to New Zealand, where he has settled well into life with Blackadder. “Clinton Isdale and I have shares in him, he’s a pretty nice horse,” Blackadder said. “I’ve had him for about four or five months. He was fairly light in condition when he came back from Hong Kong, so we’ve done a lot of slow work with him. Hong Kong doesn’t suit a lot of horses, sometimes they need a change of scenery, and he’s happy here. “We keep him away from the track a bit, getting down to the beach and doing different things. I had a lovely horse (from Hong Kong) called Eptimum who ended up winning quite a few races for us, and we had another couple of old fellas last year that had a few races before they were retired.” Blackadder was struggling to get a start in a maiden event with Blane, hence his entry into the Rating 65 contest. “He enjoys a wet track, but the only reason he’s in a 65 is because I can’t get a start with him in a maiden race, and he doesn’t like the synthetic,” he said. “We ended up getting a start here, so we’ll see how he goes.” Completing his representation will be Reverberations, a winner at the course in similar conditions in late April. With Bridget Grylls in the saddle, the gelding will line up in the Scenic Hotel Group Rating 75 (1600m). “He’s had a good freshen-up and he goes well in that state, I just need to space his races out a bit more,” Blackadder said. “He’s working well, but it is a good class of horse in that race on Saturday.” View the full article

The first foal by Grangewilliam Stud’s Group Two winner and multiple Group One performer Hilal arrived on Thursday morning with a filly born out of the well-related No Nay Never mare La Frox. “His first foal is a filly born at Shaun and Anna O’Leary’s, of Who Shot Thebarman fame,” Grangewilliam Stud’s Mark Corcoran said. “I’ve just been around to see her and she’s a lovely foal. She is the second foal out of a No Nay Never mare called La Frox who was a $110,000 yearling and is a half-sister to a progressive stakes horse in Bourbon Proof from the family of Showella. “The foal is very well put together. She is well-muscled with good size and bone and a lovely head. I couldn’t be happier. If they all look like that, I’d be very happy.” An impeccably bred son of Fastnet Rock, Hilal covered a book of 134 mares last spring. A filly foal by Hilal out of La Frox Photo: supplied “It gives him every opportunity,” Corcoran said. “We sold breeding rights in him which was a good way for us to get numbers to the horse initially and a great way for the breeders to get into a stallion at a good price for life. “He was well supported beyond those breeding rights and we were really pleased with the support.” Hilal showed elite ability from the outset as a Kensington maiden win over 1100m in February of his juvenile year, when defeating King Of Sparta before finishing runner-up in the Gr.2 Skyline Stakes (1200m). He finished second to Anamoe in the Gr.1 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and was also runner-up in the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) when narrowly beaten by Captivant. As a spring three-year-old Hilal excelled on good ground when winning the Gr.2 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) and A$1 million Bondi Stakes (1600m). During his autumn campaign he was beaten a neck by nine-time Group One winner Anamoe when second in the Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) and finished third behind Converge and Anamoe in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m). “Hilal is a lovely physical type. He is a strong horse with a good head for a Fastnet Rock and there has been a fair bit of upside since last spring with his half-sister Marhoona winning the Golden Slipper (Gr.1, 1200m),” Corcoran said. “Straight after the Golden Slipper win, we had a few mares booked in and his bookings are really solid to this point. He is well ahead of where he was this time last year and I think he will be well-supported again, especially with foals like that.” Hilal is one of four stakes winners from five foals out of the Encosta de Lago mare Salma, along with Marhoona, Salateen and Trojan Harbour. Hilal will stand at $8,000+GST this spring. View the full article

Savabeel gelding Force Of Nature (NZ) (Savabeel) has been in a purple patch of form of late, and weight-for-age assignments could be in the offing for the five-year-old if he continues his impressive form line on Saturday. Bred and raced by Milan Park principal Tony Rider, Force Of Nature has won five and placed in three of his nine career starts to date, including winning his last three outings. He will bid to continue his golden run in the Dunstan Horsefeeds 1200 at Te Rapa on Saturday, for which he is currently a $1.90 favourite with TAB bookmakers. Trainer Andrew Forsman has been pleased with his progression to date, and he will likely give him his first tilt at weight-for-age at the Hamilton track in a fortnight, in the Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m), if he performs up to expectations. “He is running in really good form and he seems to love Te Rapa,” Forsman said. “Each race brings stronger opposition, so hopefully he can keep stepping up. “We would like to see him run really well this weekend to justify potentially pressing onto a Foxbridge Plate, and then if he measured up to weight-for-age company then the other two races come into play.” Those other two races are the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) and Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m), which will take place at Ellerslie and Te Rapa respectively next month. “It would be nice to get to that level,” Forsman said. “He is little way off proving himself as a weight-for-age candidate yet, but I guess that will just be determined by his next start or two.” Forsman does have a plan b in place if his charge doesn’t measure up, with some Australian targets in mind from his Flemington base. “He does seem a lot more comfortable left-handed,” he said. “If he is not quite at weight-for-age level at the moment, then there could be some nice handicap options for him in Melbourne.” Forsman is also looking forward to Privy Garden resuming at Te Rapa in the See You At The Te Rapa Tavern 1400. “She is off a little freshen-up,” he said. “Over 1400m from a wide draw, we will just ride her patiently. “It might be a run she needs to have to get back underway and I think at this level, in this company, she is probably going to need a little bit further. “She has always run pretty well at Te Rapa and generally performs pretty well fresh as well.” Forsman will also be represented by Milanese in the BCD Group 2100, while last start winner Fat Cat is unlikely to take his place in the Fairview Motors 1200 after drawing the outside gate in the 10-horse field. “Milanese has been a bit disappointing raceday to date,” he said. “She struck a very heavy track at Tauranga so we have just kept her ticking over while we were waiting for a better track, which we will get this Saturday. “She has really got to put her hand up. She has shown glimpses of ability on the track, but you have got to produce on raceday. “Fat Cat is an unlikely runner from the bad draw. There is a lot of speed in that race and he has drawn the outside barrier. Unless there were two or three significant scratchings, we will probably save him for another day.” A day prior at Cambridge, Unequivocal will attempt to snare the lion’s share of the $100,000 on offer in the TAB Polytrack Championship (2000m). “It is a race that we have had in mind all campaign,” Forsman said. “We have been working towards having her right for this. “She has drawn a reasonable barrier (eight), better than what she has had in her last start or two, so hopefully she can utilise that, and she drops significantly in weight as well.” Forsman will also be represented at his local meeting by Rufus in the Group One Protable Structures (1550m). “He is a better horse than what his form line suggests,” Forsman said. “We took him down (to Waverley last start) thinking we had found a nice race to resume in and I think the track was just too tricky for him, his wheels were spinning in it as soon as he was asked to quicken first-up. “He jumped out well on the polytrack prior to that, so hopefully getting back on the poly, on a decent, consistent surface will get his confidence back and I am sure he will run really well.” View the full article

Matt Cartwright is back on Kiwi soil and he has made an instant impact on his return, riding home two winners from just nine rides in the past week. The 22-year-old Australian hoop moved across the Tasman last year to further his riding career, and he was rapt with his season tally of 53 wins, including seven Group or Listed victories, and he amassed more than $3.2 million in prizemoney. “I felt like I had a great season for my first season in New Zealand,” he said. “I am very happy with how things went. A highlight would be the first day at the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival, having a treble and my first Group One win on Grail Seeker. “It was a rewarding season, and I am looking at hopefully going a little bit better this season.” Cartwright went back home to Victoria for the last few months to spend time with family and friends, for whom he also had success for in the saddle. “I had a bit of a lighter winter, but I rode here and there just to keep my fitness up,” he said. “I was very happy with my time at home, I spent a lot of time with family and friends, and I had a bit of success too, which was great. “I rode a couple of winners for my Mum and Grandmother, and I rode a couple of winners for one of my good mates, Clay Beasy, so It was quite rewarding. I had a metro Saturday winner for my family, which was definitely a highlight for my time back at home.” Feeling renewed after his trip back home, Cartwright is pleased to be back in New Zealand where he has already ridden a couple of winners, including Cashla Bay for Andrew Forsman at Ruakaka last Saturday and Secret Beau for Joe Waldron at Riccarton’s synthetic meeting on Wednesday. “I am very happy to get a couple of winners within my first week of riding back in New Zealand,” he said. “I am feeling fit and well, so I am ready to have a good crack this season and hopefully a bit of support comes my way, and I have a bit of luck over the next month or two.” Cartwright has a number of horses he is looking forward to riding in the new term, including the Stephen Marsh-trained Kiwi Skyhawk, who he rode to victories in the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2100m) and Gr.3 Championship Stakes (2100m). “A horse that holds a special place in my heart is Kiwi Skyhawk,” Cartwright said. “He is a horse I had great success on and had a couple of Group wins. I am looking forward to getting back on him. “I am also looking forward to riding a horse called Storm Front for Tony Pike, he is quite a nice colt.” While Cartwright admitted leaving his family and friends in Australia was quite tough, he knows he is better placed in New Zealand at this time of his career, and he is hoping to have another lucrative season on this side of the Tasman. “It was naturally a little bit (hard) leaving family, but it (New Zealand) is where my career is best set at the moment, so I am happy here and I will be working very hard,” he said. Cartwright will be looking to add to his winning haul at Cambridge’s synthetic meeting on Friday where he will ride Agera in the Saddlery Warehouse (2000m) and Deep Pursuit in the Phelan Racing (1300m) for local trainer Tony Pike. View the full article

There is a tough sense of déjà vu for Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal in Christchurch this week, with Dictation (NZ) (Tavistock) being ruled out of Saturday’s Hospitality NZ Canterbury 135th Grand National Hurdles (4200m) through injury. The son of Tavistock had risen to prominence in the hurdling ranks this term, winning the Waikato Hurdle (3200m) in June before an outstanding front-running display in last Saturday’s Sydenham Hurdles (3100m). Off the back of that effort, Dictation joined two-time champion Berry The Cash on top of the National market, but he was scratched from the $100,000 contest on Wednesday afternoon after a minor ligament strain was detected. “He has a minor ligament strain, he’s been working on it and been okay but had a very little reaction when he was looked at by the vet,” Nelson said. “He’s a very good horse, and the vet suggested that we wouldn’t want to race him now with that risk. Fortunately, it’s not too serious.” At this time 12 months ago, the stable’s star jumper The Cossack was set to run in the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) but was unable to take part in the race under similar circumstances. The Hastings trainers and Dictation’s ownership group, the I See Red Syndicate, will still be represented in the Grand National Hurdles, with their hopes now solely with Suliman. A former Wellington Hurdles (3400m) winner, the evergreen 12-year-old pleased Nelson with his fifth-placed effort in the Sydenham. “A lot of the owners are coming down, so it’s just as well we have Suliman in there too,” he said. “He was good in the Sydenham, he made up a lot of ground and you’d hope he could be pretty competitive on Saturday. He hasn’t had a lot of racing this year and he’s going well.” Talented hurdler Nedwin will have his first major test over the bigger fences in the Racecourse Hotel and Motor Lodge 150th Grand National Steeplechase (5600m), after a tidy performance for fourth in the Koral Steeplechase (4250m). Nedwin’s co-owner Mick Gardner has been in the south alongside Nelson this week and had a positive report on his charge after taking the gelding for a spin in trackwork. “He’s been very keen this week in his work, Mick worked him for a couple of days and he wasn’t enjoying it by the end very much,” Nelson quipped. “He went well in the Koral and will improve off that experience.” View the full article

Mark Oulaghan is hoping the extreme distance of Saturday’s Racecourse Hotel and Motor Lodge 150th Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) will play into the hands of West Coast (NZ) (Mettre En Jeu), as his champion jumper attempts to rewrite the history books at Riccarton Park. The adored 10-year-old has won the last three editions of the National, becoming the second horse to claim three titles since Agent in the 19th century, and the first to do so in successive years. After a top performance to finish second in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase (4800m), West Coast earned himself a fourth trip to the southern course, where he opened his account with a gritty third in last Saturday’s Koral Steeplechase (4250m), won by hot-favourite Jesko. Oulaghan was pleased with the performance, which was Victorian hoop Willie McCarthy’s first steer aboard the son of Mettre En Jeu. “It was a good run, he covered a bit of extra ground and probably got going a little bit earlier than would have been ideal, but at the end of it, he was only six lengths off the winner,” Oulaghan said. “We were pretty happy with it. “Willie quite liked him and he’s confident that he can improve on Saturday.” In addition to his National haul, West Coast has two Great Northern Steeplechase (6500m) crowns on the mantelpiece, so the marathon journey is nothing new. “I think that’s his strong point, once he gets over those longer distances he just seems to be able to grind it out,” Oulaghan said. “In the last couple of years, we’ve picked his races and he hasn’t had hard seasons, so I think consequently, he’s been able to carry on a bit longer and focus on these better races.” The extra kilometre of the Hospitality NZ Canterbury 135th Grand National Hurdles (4200m) will also come to the benefit of his stablemate Berry The Cash, who has been running on late to place in each of the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles (3000m) and Sydenham Hurdles (3100m). While his older counterpart is shooting for a record four crowns, Berry The Cash will be chasing a three-peat of his own in the hurdle, off the back of a tidy effort behind Dictation in the Sydenham. “It was a good run by him under the weight and at the distance, so we’re happy with him too,” Oulaghan said. “He’s a grinding type of horse and finishes it off, so the extra distance is suitable for him. There is a bit of rain forecast for Friday down there which wouldn’t worry him, while one or two of the others might not be too keen on it.” While his star pair spend the week in Christchurch, Oulaghan is back at home in Awapuni preparing for an entirely different feature assignment with Jack Morrison. The son of Darci Brahma has racked up six victories from eight attempts on his local synthetic track, and for the first time, he’ll venture further afield to chase the big prize at Cambridge in the $100,000 TAB Polytrack Championship (2000m). Oulaghan had been hopeful for Friday’s contest, with Amber Riddell to reduce his impost to a comfortable 58kg, but was less so after seeing Jack Morrison has drawn unfavourably in 11. “We’ve kept him relatively fresh, he hasn’t had a run for a while and we were hopeful of a good draw up there but that hasn’t quite panned out,” Oulaghan said. “It is a big help there if they draw well. “I haven’t spoken to his owner, and I think we’ll still go, but it will certainly make it more difficult from out there. We’ll have to see what happens rather than being overly confident. “The weight is a bit of a help, I’m surprised it’s actually a claiming race so with Amber on, he gets a couple more kilos off.” View the full article

Freegoing five-year-old Leroy Brown (NZ) (Ace High) will be chasing a crack at a weight-for-age feature when he resumes at Te Rapa on Saturday. The talented son of Ace High returns to action in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Handicap (1200m), and success would firm up plans for a return in two weeks’ time in a bid for higher honours. “We want to have a go at the Foxbridge Plate (Gr.2, 1200m) and we’re behind the eight ball a bit on the ratings,” trainer Stephen Ralph said. “It will be a tough field on Saturday and hopefully we can get a good result and then chase the Foxbridge, that’s our first aim.” The gelding is a five-time winner, with his latest victory in the autumn posted at Matamata at the expense of Val Di Zoldo, who landed the Gr.3 Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes (2050m) and Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) at her next two starts. Leroy Brown subsequently finished midfield in the Gr.2 Japan Trophy (1600m) before a break and was a comfortable winner of his open 900m heat at Monday’s Taupo trials. “He’s a bit older and his mental game has undone him in the past, he tended to want to do things too early and that affected his breathing, but we feel he’s a lot better now,” Ralph said. “He’s absolutely perfect in his trackwork and I feel he is progressing well.” Leroy Brown was partnered at the trials by Gareth Lahoud, who will take the mount again on Saturday. “We think Gareth is a really talented rider, it’s a tough field with Twain and Force Of Nature there, but he’s got a good draw (one),” Ralph said. “I know he has won on a heavy track before, but he really does like it better than that so that’s what we’re hoping for.” Raced by breeders Parsons Bloodstock, Leroy Brown could also be in line for an overseas trip if his form warrants raising the bar. “We would like to think he can pick up a decent black-type race here, Keith (Parsons) and I are keen to get to Australia with him,” Ralph said. “If he can keep ticking boxes then we might get there, maybe Sydney in the autumn. “If he came up really well, we could get to Melbourne, but there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge to see where he can get to.” View the full article

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. will play host to 'Casino Night' on Monday, Aug. 18 from 6 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. ET., and the evening will serve as a fundraiser for the museum and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the repository said in a press release on Wednesday. The event, which is sponsored by Live Oak Plantation and the Jockeys' Guild, will be catered by Mama Mia's. Along with will some high-stakes fun, the fundraiser will include a lively atmosphere throughout the museum as well. Click here for tickets. The post Casino Night Benefit For Museum Of Racing And HOF, PDJF Scheduled For Aug. 18 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There is a lot of alliteration surrounding the co-feature event at Colonial Downs Aug. 9. Because while Be Your Best brings the credentials to be the likely favorite, Beach Bomb boasts the brilliance to beware of in the Beverly D. Stakes (G2T). View the full article

BLACKOUT TIME, ELP, 8/2, 1 mile, 'TDN Rising Star' Beyer Speed Figure- 83 (c, 2, by Not This Time–Beauty Parlor, by Elusive Quality) O-Brookdale Racing and Lance Gasaway. B-Newstead Corp (Ky). T-Kenny McPeek. J-Brian Hernandez Jr. McPeek has another promising juvenile and he's already gone a mile. Blackout Time–out of a Joe Allen owned-and-bred graded turf winner – debuted with a strong 2nd behind Dazzle d'Oro at Churchill and Saturday he sped 9 3/4 lengths ahead of a full field of juveniles that included two Asmussens, two Coxes, two Casses and a Walsh. BUETANE, DMR, 8/3, 5 furlongs, 'TDN Rising Star' (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 83 (c, 2, by Tiz The Law–Taboo, by Forestry) O-Zedan Racing Stables. B-Merriebelle Stable (Ky). T-Bob Baffert. J-Juan Hernandez. Amr Zedan topped this list last week thanks to Brant's 101 Beyer. One month after shelling out an OBS record $3 million for Brant, Zedan took home Buetane for $1.15 million and now he has a nice one-two punch for upcoming Del Mar 2-year-old stakes. Buetane had 3 1/2 lengths on fellow Baffert firster Falcon Jet, who was 7 1/4 ahead of the others. ITS BOURBON THIRTY, ELP, 8/1, 5 1/2 furlongs (turf) Beyer Speed Figure- 84 (g, 4, by Outwork–Seattle Artist, by Stormy Atlantic) O-Howling Pigeon Farms. B-Paul King (Ky). T-Jeremiah O'Dwyer. J-Luan Machado. He started his career 0-for-5 in races on turf and Tapeta, all around two turns. But O'Dwyer cut him back from 9 furlongs to 5 1/2, added blinkers, and watched him lead from start to finish at 6-1 odds. Its Bourbon Thirty is a fitting name for a Kentucky-bred, and those who hit this $1,389 dime superfecta Friday were probably knocking back a few. GLORIOUS LIFE, DMR, 8/2, 5 furlongs (turf) (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 88 (g, 5, by Vronsky–Glorious Luck, by Lucky J.H.) O/B-Harris Farms (Cal). T-Carla Gaines. J-Kazushi Kimura. He's from one of the most productive female families nurtured by California breeding legend John Harris, who passed away July 2. The 5-year-old had only four previous races, hadn't started in 10 months and also had been gelded in the interim. Gaines had already hit the board three times at Del Mar with long-layoff runners and had this one primed for a lifetime best off the bench. DELIGHTFUL CLAIRE, SAR, 8/2, 7 furlongs, 'TDN Rising Star' (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 95 (f, 3, by Thousand Words–Izshelegal, by Maria's Mon) O-Rigney Racing. B-Gmbracstables, Mr. and Mrs. Ramon Rangel and Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Mad (Ky). T-Phil Bauer. J-Joel Rosario. She was bet down to 8-5 in her June debut at Churchill but was done in by wickedly fast fractions and a talented Mott filly. Then she stepped up her game Saturday in a huge way, putting a 9 1/4-length bruising on a decent field strung out a quarter-mile behind her. Her half-brother Crazy Mason came from the clouds to win the Carter four months back, but she has plenty of speed. The post Five Fastest Maidens, Presented By Taylor Made, For July 28-August 4 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Check out the great racing offers available from horse racing bookmakers on Thursday, August 7. Enjoy bonus back deals and other promotions to boost your betting experience. Explore these specials from top online bookmakers and get more value from your bets. Top Australian racing promotions for August 7, 2025, include: Today’s horse racing promotions Punters Toolbox! Use your neds Toolbox on greyhound, harness and horse racing today. Check your Neds Toolbox for Bet Back, Price Boosts and much more. Neds T&C’s Apply. Login to Neds to Claim Promo Top 4 Betting! Bet and win up to 4th place. Eligible customers only Login to Picklebet to Claim Promo Blonde Boosts! Elevate your prices! BlondeBet T&C’s Apply. Eligible Customers Only. Login to BlondeBet to Claim Promo Daily Multi Insurance Any Race. Any Runner. Any Odds. Get a Bonus Back if your Multi loses by a specified number of legs. Fixed odds only. Check your Vault for eligibility. Check your vault for eligibility. Login to Unibet to Claim Promo Copycash – Get Copied. Get Paid. Get paid $0.10 every time someone uses Copy Bet to copy your bets. Eligible Customers Only. Login to Dabble to Claim Promo Bet Boost | Thursday Thoroughbred Meetings Get a bet boost on thoroughbred races around Australia on Thursday. Eligible customers. Login to Bet365 to Claim Promo Owners Bonus – Win a bet on your horse & receive an extra 15% winnings in cash Max Payout $2000. Account holder must be registered as an official owner of the nominated horse. Fixed odds win bets on Australian thoroughbred races only. Excludes boosted, multi, live and bonus bets. PlayUp T&Cs apply. Login to PlayUp to Claim Promo Odds Drift Protector | If Your Horse Drifts, You Get The Bigger Price Only available on Australian Horse Racing Fixed Price Win bets placed from 8am AET the day of the race. Eligible customers. Login to Bet365 to Claim Promo Daily Exotic Boosts Boost your exotics by up to 20%. Available on Exactas, Quinellas, Trifectas & First Fours. Excludes Quaddies. Check your vault for eligibility. Login to Unibet to Claim Promo How does horsebetting.com.au find these racing offers? HorseBetting.com.au reviews Australia’s top horse racing bookmakers to share the best thoroughbred promotions for August 7, 2025. Bookmakers are always competing, so if one doesn’t have a deal, another usually does. Rely on HorseBetting.com.au for daily racing bonuses and betting specials. Get better value with competitive odds and offers for existing customers. Just log in to your betting account to see what’s available. For extra help picking winners and using your bonuses wisely, check out our daily free racing tips. View all horse racing promotions View the full article

Coming off a victorious run in the Penn Mile Stakes (G3T), Dream On will try to make it four wins from five starts this year in the $500,000 Secretariat Stakes (G2T) at Colonial Downs Aug. 9.View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – For now, it looks like Baeza (McKinzie) is going to stay put in California. Trainer John Shirreffs said Wednesday that a cross-country trip to Saratoga and another shot at Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the $1.25 million GI Travers Stakes is unlikely. “I would say there is not a really good chance of doing that,” Shirreffs said by phone from his summer base at Del Mar. Shirreffs said the reason for skipping the Aug. 23 Midsummer Derby has everything to do with getting to Saratoga. Baeza has already shipped twice to the Spa; he was here for the GI Belmont Stakes and finished third, 6 1/2 lengths behind Sovereignty. He returned home after that. Then he returned for the July 26 GII Jim Dandy Stakes and was beaten a length by Sovereignty “It's just such a tough ship from Del Mar to over there,” Shirreffs said. To get here, Baeza, owned by Robert Clay's Grandview Stable and Lee Searing's C R K Stable, would have to van to either Los Angeles or Ontario [two-hours] and then fly to Newark, N.J. and take another van 190 miles to Saratoga. Baeza at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew Baeza also flew from Los Angeles to Louisville when he ran in the GI Kentucky Derby. That's three cross-country ships in as many months. Shirreffs said when Baeza shipped to the Derby and the Belmont, it affected the horse, and took him a couple days to get over it. When he came out of the Jim Dandy, Baeza handled it much better. Shirreffs said the plans for Baeza's next race have not yet been finalized. The two most appealing options are to stay home for the $1 million GI Pacific Classic Aug. 30 against older horses or the $1 million GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Sept. 20 against 3-year-olds. “We have discussed the Pacific Classic and Pennsylvania Derby,” Shirreffs said, acknowledging that the Travers would be third on the depth chart. “We have not made up our minds yet. We would have a little more time to the other races and time is valuable in these situations.” Baeza, a $1.2 million purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, has one win, three seconds and two thirds in his seven-race career. Baeza is scheduled to work at Del Mar on Thursday, according to Shirreffs. McPeek Been Thinking Turf For Mystik Dan For A Long Time On August 1, trainer Kenny McPeek put 2024 GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents) on the grass for the first time. This was not done on a lark; McPeek had been thinking about doing it for at least a year. Here's the proof as to how serious McPeek is about Mystik Dan being a thoroughbred lawn mower: he is running him in Saturday's GI Arlington Million at Colonial Downs. All of Mystik Dan's prior 14 starts have been on dirt. “It was kind of an audible at the line of scrimmage,” McPeek said Wednesday morning at his barn at the annex across from the Oklahoma Training Track. “He was doing really well and the [Million] seems to be modest in depth. We decided to put him in.” Mystik Dan working over the Spa turf | Sarha Andrew A field of eight has been entered for the Million and Mystik Dan, who will be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., drew the rail and is the 9-2 fourth choice in the 1 1/4-mile race. Integration (Quality Road) is the 8-5 morning line favorite for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. McPeek worked Mystik Dan on the grass for the first time last week and he responded with a five-furlong work in 1:02.17 (5/10). “He does everything easy, he is Mr. Workmanlike,” McPeek said. “If he were a student, he would be in the middle of the classroom, he would be getting straight As, he would never make a sound, and you would not even know he is there. He just goes about his business very quietly, professionally. That is him. There is nothing loud about him. Very smart.” McPeek said he did not ever think about running him in the GI Whitney Stakes last week. Mystik Dan was eighth in last year's GI Belmont Stakes, which was run at Saratoga. When Hernandez jumped off him that day, he told McPeek that Mystik Dan didn't like the surface. “Why run in the Whitney on a racetrack I don't know if he is going to like?” McPeek said. “We know where he fits against the older horses. He is within a few lengths, one side or the other, against the Sierra Leones, Fiercenesss of the world. If the Derby winner wins the Arlington Million, I think it adds to the dynamic of him as a stallion prospect.” Owned by Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing LLC, Daniel Hamby III and Valley View Farm LLC, Mystik Dan is scheduled to leave Saratoga Thursday morning. “Good horses will run on anything,” McPeek said, and then added, with a smile, “we are going to prove it Saturday.” Romans Making Most With Limited Starters Louisville, Ky. is home for trainer Dale Romans. A lot of his best work has been under the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs. So far at the Saratoga meet, he hasn't been too bad, either. Romans brought just eight horses up for the summer–he has 55 down in Kentucky–and, after five starts, he has three wins, a second and a third. The latest win came Sunday when Jack's Promise (Promises Fulfilled) rallied to win a claiming race at odds of 7-1 under Junior Alvarado. Romans became the all-time leading trainer at Churchill Nov. 12, 2017 when he won his 703rd race. He held the top spot until June 13, 2020 when he was overtaken by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen when he won his 738th Churchill Race. Dale Romans with Irad Oritz and Bobrovsky at the Spa | Sarah Andrew Romans has won or shared 10 training titles at the historic track. “I know how to win,” Romans said outside his barn on the Saratoga backstretch Wednesday morning. Jack's Promise is owned by Bob Baron, who is also a close friend of Romans. The horse is named for one of Baron's grandchildren. Baron and Romans also teamed up with the sire, Promises Fulfilled (by Shackleford), who won the 2018 GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes and GIII Amsterdam Stakes. “It makes the losses harder, but the wins sweeter,” Romans said of training for friends. Even though Jack's Promise's victory came in the claiming ranks, it did not go unnoticed. At Saratoga, everyone is watching. Or so it seems. “If you win an allowance race at other tracks, nobody knows it,” Romans said. “I got 20 text messages after winning a claiming race!” Earlier in the meet, 2-year-old Bobrovsky (Daredevil), co-owned by Romans and Steve Berg, broke his maiden on dirt at 4-5 by 10 1/2 lengths. Bobrovsky is scheduled to work on the grass Friday and, if all goes well, will be pointed to the $150,000 Skidmore at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf Aug. 16. “When you don't win up here, it's a grind,” Romans said. “When you do, it promotes your business, pays the bills and just makes you feel better. Makes your golf game a lot better, too.” The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Baeza’s Next Race Won’t Be The Travers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After this past spring's failed attempt to get a controversial bill passed in the Florida legislature that would have stripped a 40-days-minimum live racing requirement from its casino licensure, the owners of Gulfstream Park have filed a lawsuit against the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC), alleging that the 2021 statute that allowed all classes of pari-mutuel licensees except Thoroughbreds to “decouple” from live racing as a condition of operating slot machines is an “unconstitutional special law and violates the equal protection clause of the Florida Constitution.” Daniel Wallach, a Florida-based attorney who specializes in gaming law, was first to break the news of the litigation via a Wednesday posting on the X social media platform. Wallach wrote that the lawsuit is a “buzzer-beater” because “the deadline for asserting these claims was set to expire on Aug. 11, 2025–the four-year anniversary of the 'effective' date of the 2021 compact between the Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida to which the decoupling law's effectiveness was linked.” The Aug. 5 lawsuit in the Second Judicial Circuit for Leon County stated that Gulfstream “is encumbered by the requirement to conduct live racing, and the only pari-mutuel permitholder who faces criminal prosecution if it fails to maintain live racing while continuing the conduct of slot machine gaming.” The lawsuit stated that “Gulfstream alone bears the statutory burden to sustain one particular industry–Thoroughbred horseracing–in order to participate in another industry–slot machines. No other competitor suffers that legislatively imposed burden on its constitutional right to operate slot machines.” The lawsuit continued: “This differential treatment destroys Gulfstream's ability to compete with other similarly situated entities and puts Gulfstream at a severe disadvantage as compared to other similarly situated entities. “There is no rational basis for treating Gulfstream differently than other similarly situated entities,” the lawsuit stated. “This differential treatment inflicts irreparable injury on Gulfstream, which includes its ability to continue to exercise its state constitutional rights,” the lawsuit stated. In addition to the unconstitutionality declarations that Gulfstream is seeking to nullify the live racing mandate, the lawsuit also wants the court to enjoin the FGCC from requiring Gulfstream to have “written binding agreements” with the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (FHBPA) and Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA) as a condition of obtaining its slots license. Lonny Powell, the chief executive officer of the FTBOA, described the court filing as “deeply troubling” in an Aug. 6 press release. “Let's be clear: this is a casino-first move, not a racing-first one,” Powell said. “The courts should recognize it for what it is–a direct threat to our industry's integrity and Florida agriculture's future.” Lonnie Powell | Serita Hult Powell said that “after benefiting for decades from the prestige and profits of Florida's Thoroughbred industry, they're now asking the courts to let them abandon it entirely.” Powell said Gulfstream's authorization to operate slot machines is “a privilege they obtained specifically from their involvement with Thoroughbred racing.” The website Florida Politics quoted Marie Long, the general counsel for Gulfstream's parent company, 1/ST Racing and Gaming, as saying that, “The law on its face is anti-free markets, with the government picking winners and losers with its legislation.” Long continued: “This is a matter of fair and equal treatment under the law, which the Decoupling Act clearly and intentionally violates. This is not about racing–we are committed to a sustainable future for racing. It's about our inability to compete with the private slot operators who don't have to meet the same obligations we must meet to run our business because they receive special treatment at our expense.” Powell disagreed. “This lawsuit isn't about fairness; it's about Gulfstream Park wanting to operate a casino without fulfilling their racing responsibilities. They're turning their back on the very industry that built their brand and bottom line,” Powell said. “The 2021 decoupling law was designed to preserve Florida's core horse racing institutions. Gulfstream Park's attempt to overturn it would open the floodgates; eroding Thoroughbred racing statewide, threatening family farms, rural jobs, and a multi-billion-dollar agricultural economy,” Powell said. Messages seeking comment left with the FHBPA and FGCC did not yield replies prior to deadline for this story. The post ‘Encumbered’ By ‘Statutory Burden’ Of Live Racing To Operate Slots, Gulfstream Files Lawsuit To Overturn Law appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After arriving at Colonial Downs Aug. 3, Refai Alghraiban's classy globetrotter Cairo was on the track Aug. 6 ahead of his run in the Arlington Million (G1T) Aug. 9. Trainer Alice Haynes was on hand for the Irish-bred's move over the turf course.View the full article

David Scanlon and his wife, Blair King, purchase the former Eddie Woods Training Center near Ocala, Fla.View the full article