Wandering Eyes

Odds Bookmakers News Field Past Winners Sweet Embrace Stakes Group Two Betting Guide Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025 Location: Randwick Racecourse – Sydney, New South Wales Prize Money: $300,000 Distance: 1200m The Sweet Embrace Stakes is a Group 2 race for two-year-old fillies, run over 1200m under set weights. First held in 1979 by the Sydney Turf Club, the Sweet Embrace Stakes is named after the 1967 Golden Slipper winner, Sweet Embrace. The Sweet Embrace Stakes grants ballot exemption for the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m). Initially a Listed race, the Sweet Embrace Stakes was upgraded to Group 3 in 1987 and Group 2 in 2012. The 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes, worth $300,000, was won by Manaal, defeating Fly Fly and Extreme Diva. Four fillies have completed the Sweet Embrace–Golden Slipper double, most recently Fireburn (2022). 2025 Sweet Embrace Stakes betting odds Manaal returned a winner in the 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes. Photo: Bradleyphotos.com.au Odds for the Sweet Embrace Stakes as of February 24 – Courtesy of Neds Bellazaine Win $3.00 Place $1.50 Within The Law Win $4.40 Place $1.85 Memo Win $6.00 Place $2.25 Snitzel Miss Win $8.00 Place $2.75 Price Tag Win $11.00 Place $3.50 Artistic Venture Win $13.00 Place $4.00 Inkaruna Win $15.00 Place $4.50 Karinska Win $15.00 Place $4.50 Tupakara Win $15.00 Place $4.50 Strada Varenna Win $17.00 Place $5.00 Open Secret Win $21.00 Place $6.00 Daphnes Win $26.00 Place $7.25 Marhoona Win $26.00 Place $7.25 Wootton Lass Win $26.00 Place $7.25 Autumn Blonde Win $51.00 Place $13.50 Deep Affection Win $51.00 Place $13.50 Dream Side Win $51.00 Place $13.50 Lady Pankhurst Win $51.00 Place $13.50 You’re The Choice Win $51.00 Place $13.50 Queen Of Clubs Win $101.00 Place $26.00 How to bet on the Sweet Embrace Stakes All of our top horse betting sites have markets for the Sweet Embrace Stakes. Most of the Sydney Autumn Carnival races have markets opened well in advance and the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes is no exception. Neds Code GETON 1 Take It To The Neds Level Neds Only orange bookie! Check Out Neds Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit today. “GETON is not a bonus code. Neds does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. Full terms. BlondeBet Signup Code GETON 2 Punters Prefer Blondes BlondeBet Blonde Boosts – Elevate your prices! Join BlondeBet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GAMBLING WITH? full terms. 3 Next Gen Racing Betting Picklebet Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Full terms. Recommended! 4 It Pays To Play PlayUp Aussie-owned horse racing specialists! Check Out PlayUp Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Full terms. 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Sweet Embrace Stakes News Randwick free racing preview & best bets | Saturday, March 1 Horse Racing Tips 1 day ago Check out HorseBetting’s free betting preview and quaddie tips for a monster Group 1 day of racing at Randwick on … Read More Manaal shows her class in Sweet Embrace Stakes victory Australia horse racing news 12 months ago Tommy Berry has guided the Michael Freedman-trained Manaal to victory in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) at Randwick … Read More Randwick race-by-race preview & betting tips | Saturday, March 2 Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago The Verry Elleegant Stakes headlines a bumper 10-race card at Randwick this Saturday. See our free betting tips and quaddie … Read More The Follow Files: Freedman filly ready to fire in Blue Diamond Horse Racing Tips 1 year ago In this week’s Follow Files, we have found runners from Caulfield and Randwick last Saturday that are worth keeping an … Read More Lazzago the best of the girls in the Sweet Embrace Stakes Australia horse racing news 2 years ago The old firm of Hugh Bowman and Chris Waller have combined for Group 2 success in the Sweet Embrace Stakes … Read More Fireburn continues hot streak in Sweet Embrace Australia horse racing news 3 years ago Fireburn continued on her winning ways in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes at Royal Randwick, booking her ticket into … Read More 2025 Sweet Embrace Stakes Final Field HorseBetting will update this page when the 2025 Sweet Embrace Stakes final field is released on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. Previous Behemoth Stakes Fields 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes field No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 Manaal Michael Freedman Tommy Berry 6 55.5kg 2 Castanya Annabel Neasham Zac Lloyd 14 55.5kg 3 Totoka Paul Perry Dylan Gibbons 10 55.5kg 4 Chateau Miraval Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 8 55.5kg 5 Photographics John Sargent Kerrin McEvoy 3 55.5kg 6 Extreme Diva Anthony Cummings Chad Schofield 13 55.5kg 7 Wave Breaker Peter & Paul Snowden Tyler Schiller 4 55.5kg 8 Drifting Peter & Paul Snowden Tom Sherry 7 55.5kg 9 Valabing David Payne Adam Hyeronimus 11 55.5kg 10 Asteride Robert & Luke Price Ashley Morgan 9 55.5kg 11 Fly Fly Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes Jason Collett 12 55.5kg 12 Diddle Dumpling Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou Regan Bayliss 2 55.5kg 13 Montana Dawn John Thompson Reece Jones 5 55.5kg 14 Zounaka John Thompson Tom Marquand 1 55.5kg 2024 Sweet Embrace Stakes result https://horsebetting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Randwick-2024-Group-2-Sweet-Embrace-Stakes-02032024-Manaal-Michael-Freedman-Tommy-Berry.mp4 1st – Manaal (+115) 2nd – Fly Fly (-125) 3rd – Extreme Diva (+190) Recent runnings of the Sweet Embrace Stakes: 2024: Manaal all class Manaal ($2.00) returned to the winner’s circle by taking out the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes at Rosehill. The Michael Freedman-trained filly was well backed throughout betting and jumped as an even money favourite with top online horse betting sites, with her followers receiving a relatively easy watch throughout the 1200m contest. The daughter of Tassort jumped well and held a position behind the speed before Tommy Berry pushed the favourite out four and five-wide on the home turn to make her run in the final 400m. Once Berry released the brakes and she let down with her finishing burst, the race was just about over as she careered away to take the lead, with only Fly Fly ($8.00) taking ground off her in the final 100m. 2023: Lazzago arrives in time The old firm of Hugh Bowman and Chris Waller combined with Lazzago for Group 2 success in the Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick. The Capitalist filly franked the form from the Inglis Millennium, as well as Facile and Blanc De Blanc who finished second and third respectively, all coming through the same race behind Learning To Fly. It was a dominant win all things considered as Bowman circled the entire field from well back in the run to secure her way to the Golden Slipper. 2022: Fireburn relishes wet Randwick Fireburn continued on her winning ways in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes at Royal Randwick, booking her ticket into the Golden Slipper. The Gary Portelli-trained two-year-old made it three straight wins in the Group 2 event in what was her third attempt at 1200m. The daughter of Rebel Dane moved up stylishly on the outside of Xtravagant Star and Lady Laguna, to quickly put the field to bed and fend off the challenge from the fast-finishing She’s Extreme. Previous winners of the Sweet Embrace Stakes Sweet Embrace Stakes Past Winners Year Horse Jockey Trainer 2024 Manaal Tommy Berry Michael Freedman 2023 Lazzago Hugh Bowman Chris Waller 2022 Fireburn Jason Collett Gary Portelli 2021 Four Moves Ahead Nash Rawiller John Sargent 2020 Hungry Heart James McDonald Chris Waller 2019 Anaheed Tim Clark Peter & Paul Snowden 2018 Seabrook Hugh Bowman Mick Price 2017 One More Honey Jay Ford John Thompson 2016 Scarlet Rain Kathy O’Hara Gai Waterhouse 2015 Always Allison Glyn Schofield Chris Waller 2014 Believe Yourself Jason Collett Gerald Ryan 2013 Romantic Moon James McDonald John O’Shea 2012 Jade Marauder Hugh Bowman Chris Waller 2011 Shared Reflections Nash Rawiller Gai Waterhouse 2010 Crystal Lily Damien Oliver Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra 2009 Headway Chris Munce Peter Moody 2008 Stripper Jeff Lloyd David Payne 2007 Chinchilla Rose Stathi Katsidis Steele Ryan 2006 Universal Queen Danny Beasley Bede Murray 2005 Carry On Cutie Jim Cassidy Graeme Rogerson 2004 Burning Sands Jim Cassidy Graeme Rogerson 2003 Legally Bay Rod Quinn John Hawkes 2002 Victory Vein Danny Beasley Bede Murray 2001 Ha Ha Brian York Gai Waterhouse 2000 Dynamic Love Glen Colless John Wallace Sweet Embrace Stakes winners pre-2000 Sweet Embrace Stakes Past Winners Pre 2000 Year Horse 1999 Countess Christie 1998 Rubicall 1997 All The Chat 1996 Flapper 1995 Millrich 1994 Shadowy Outline 1993 Rock Review 1992 Skating 1991 Shadea 1990 Paklani 1989 A Little Kiss 1988 Scollata 1987 Postage Due 1986 Khaptivaan 1985 Speed Check 1984 Vain Display 1983 Purpose 1982 Jade Lace 1981 Black Shoes 1980 Dark Eclipse 1979 Ingenue Recommended! Take It To The Neds Level Home of the Neds Toolbox Check Out Neds 18+ Gamble Responsibly Full terms Punters Prefer Blondes It’s a fact, Blondes have more fun Join BlondeBet 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE?. Next Gen Racing Betting Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? It Pays To Play New online bookmaker Check Out PlayUp 18+ Gamble Responsibly Say Hey to the social bet! You Better Believe It Join Dabble 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE?. Full terms. View the full article

Chris Waller has turned his eyes to the expansive Flemington straight track in hope of getting a touch of luck and Joliestar (Zoustar) back in the winner’s stall for the first time in six months in next Saturday’s $1.5 million Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m). Waller was in Melbourne on Friday to see the four-year-old get her first look down the famous straight course, clocking 48.78 seconds under Damian Lane for the 800-metre workout, holding off Traffic Warden and stablemate Gatsby’s. “She just needs a bit of confidence and a bit of luck,” he explained. “She is just having no luck, her Everest run was as good as any in the run and Golden Eagle run same again, as good as any, but had no luck and then first-up things just didn’t go to plan. “She is going as well as she’s ever gone and she’s certainly capable of winning a race like the Newmarket.” Joliestar hasn’t saluted since the Gr.3 Show Country (1200m) last August. The Cambridge-owned daughter of Zoustar is the $6 favourite with Sportsbet in the race, which Waller won for the only time so far with Brazen Beau back in 2015. Having campaigned that galloper at Royal Ascot thereafter, Waller said there is a possibility Joliestar could follow the same path, as could stablemate Switzerland, who instead will run in the Canterbury Stakes next weekend. “We love to give our horses an experience running down the straight because there are so many great races here at Flemington or even overseas if you want to travel,” Waller said. “The beauty of winning a 1200-metre race at Flemington is it opens up the door to travel. “She is certainly good enough (to win the Newmarket) in our opinion and this morning gave her a good chance to have a look at the straight with Damian Lane aboard. “Obviously it’s a different style of racing but one she should adapt to pretty quickly.” Waller said a rider won’t be be confirmed until weights are released but a top-three finish will see her line up in the G1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m), suggesting a sprinting path is more likely this campaign. View the full article

Treybon will contest the $200,000 Southern Mile Final (1600m) at Wingatui on Saturday. Photo: Race Images While Saturday’s inaugural Otago Classics Day at Wingatui is headlined by its trio of black-type features, the $200,000 Southern Mile Final (1600m) gives intermediate-grade horses an opportunity to race for the highest stake of their careers. The Southern Mile Final is the final event on Saturday’s 10-race card. It is the culmination of a series of Rating 65 and 75 qualifiers that began on Boxing Day and included races at Wingatui, Riccarton, Riverton and Ascot Park. The popular series is now in its fourth year, with Henley, Burgie and The Grey Goose winning the first three editions of the lucrative Wingatui final. Burgie went on to place in the Group 3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) later in the autumn of 2023, then returned a year later and won that fillies and mares’ feature. Last year’s Southern Mile winner The Grey Goose will be back at Wingatui again on Saturday to contest the Group 3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m). Saturday’s 2025 renewal of the ODT Southern Mile Final has drawn a full field of 14 plus six emergencies, with locals facing off against strong contingents from around Canterbury and Southland. The 59kg topweight is the Canterbury visitor Treybon, who has been a model of consistency through his seven-year-old season. The Sweynesse gelding beat black-type performers Family Ties and Miss Layla to win a 1600m Rating 75 at Ashburton in December, then stepped up into open class and ran a close fifth behind Ears Back in the Timaru Cup (1600m). After taking out the iconic Kumara Gold Nuggets (1810m) on January 11, Treybon dropped back down to Rating 75 company and recorded a pair of close second placings behind fellow Southern Mile Final entrants Quintabelle and Steal My Thunder. “He’s been racing in great form this summer,” Beckett said. “He seems to have really matured now and grown into himself. There have been no problems with him at all since that last-start second at Ascot Park. I’m happy as hell with him. He should go well again on Saturday.” Treybon has formed a successful partnership with apprentice jockey Donovan Cooper, who has ridden him six times for two wins, three placings and the Timaru Cup fifth. Cooper’s 2kg claim will reduce Treybon’s impost to 57kg. “Donovan gets on really well with him and the horse seems to race kindly for him,” Beckett said. “He was very keen to stay with him for Saturday, and we’re more than happy to have him on again.” A super-consistent member of the Southland contingent is Maximus Augustus, whose eight starts this season have produced a win, two seconds, a third, two fourths and a fifth. The five-year-old son of War Decree is trained by his owner-breeder Bill McNamara, who has five horses in work in his Ascot Park stable and has never before had a runner in a $200,000 race. “It’s exciting,” McNamara said. “We’re thrilled to have him lining up in a race for that kind of prize. We’ve got an in-form jockey (Samantha Wynne) and a good gate (two), so we’ve been pretty fortunate in the lead-up to the race. “He’s been in good form this season and hasn’t had much luck in his races either. There’s always been something that’s happened, where the outcome could have been quite different if things had gone differently in the running. So hopefully he might have a bit of better luck going his way this time. “I’ve been very happy with the horse since his last run. He’s big and strong. He’s as fit as we’re going to get him and as well as we’re going to get him. Now it all comes down to what happens on the day.” Horse racing news View the full article

Pam Gerard pictured with former training partner Mike Moroney, who passed away in Melbourne this week. Photo: Trish Dunell Barely 48 hours after the sad loss of her former training partner Mike Moroney, Pam Gerard will saddle a Group 1 contender at the Melbourne track the Hall of Fame horseman called home. Gerard’s star three-year-old Savaglee will line up as a leading chance in Saturday’s A$1 million Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington, where Moroney was based for the last two decades. Despite his move across the Tasman, Moroney maintained a presence in his old home town of Matamata, where Gerard served as his training partner from 2016 until last season and they won 178 races together. One of the big success stories from their time together was Roch ‘N’ Horse, who was a Listed winner and Group 1 Telegraph (1200m) placegetter in New Zealand before Gerard sent her across to Moroney and she won Flemington’s Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) and Champions Sprint (1200m). Gerard took sole charge of Ballymore Stables’ Matamata operation when Moroney relinquished his New Zealand licence at the end of last season amid a health battle, but the pair continued to work closely together until the 66-year-old died in his sleep on Thursday morning. “It’s a huge loss,” Gerard said from Melbourne on Friday. “He was a fantastic man and I was so lucky to work alongside him and have the great partnership with him that we enjoyed over the last 10 years or so. I’m going to miss him a lot. “The Guineas isn’t going to be an easy race on Saturday, but I’d love to see Savaglee run a really big race in Mike’s honour.” Savaglee has swept all before him in New Zealand’s three-year-old ranks, winning five of his seven starts this season including the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Group 2 Levin Classic (1400m), Group 2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) and Group 2 Sarten Memorial (1400m). The Oaks Stud-owned colt signed off his domestic campaign with a third placing against older horses in the Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on February 8. Savaglee flew to Melbourne on Wednesday and pleased Gerard with the way he took the journey in his stride. “He seems to have handled the trip across really well,” she said. “He’s done a fair bit of travelling this season, going to Hawke’s Bay and Christchurch and Wellington, and he seems to enjoy it. He looks bright and well this morning and I think we’re on track. “I think going back up to 1600m is going to be ideal for him too. He was dominant over that trip in the 2000 Guineas and has probably been wanting it again ever since. He got away with 1400m at Trentham in a fresh state, but I think he found it a bit short at Te Rapa last time. I can’t wait to see him run 1600m around that big track at Flemington.” Savaglee will be ridden by expat Kiwi jockey Michael Dee, who lived with Gerard and her partner Tommy Hazlett when they worked at Te Akau Racing during Dee’s apprenticeship. Horse racing bookmakers rate Savaglee a $13 chance in a market headed by Angel Capital ($3.90), Sepals ($4.80) and Point And Shoot ($5.50). Gerard has black-type contenders in action on home soil this weekend too, with impressive last-start winner Harlech lining up in the Group 3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m) while Dubai Gold contests the Group 2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Trentham on Sunday. “It’s great to see Harlech still racing so well,” Gerard said. “His trips down to the South Island over the last year or so have really helped to build his confidence up. “It’s going to be a similar field to the one that he beat last start, and stepping up to 1600m should suit him even better. “Dubai Gold looked really good early on in this preparation, then just went off the boil a little bit on some of those harder tracks through the summer. But it seemed to me like she turned a corner before that last-start win at Te Aroha. She came right in the coat, put on a bit of weight and just had a different demeanour. “She’s looking really good now and enjoying the racing and work. She’s coming into her own and I’m looking forward to seeing how she goes up over ground in the Lowland.” Horse racing news View the full article

Leica Lucy will contest Sunday’s Group 2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Trentham. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) New Plymouth trainer Robbie Patterson is thankful he is still alive following the devastation of losing his house to a fire earlier this week. While he has lost his household possessions, Patterson is grateful that he and his daughter weren’t at home at the time of the incident, and they can rebuild their lives. “My house burnt down and we lost everything, but we didn’t lose our lives,” Patterson said. “It was very fortuitous that we weren’t there because we wouldn’t have survived it, it was pretty messy, and it happened in the very early hours of the morning when we would have been asleep. We are very lucky to live.” Taking a silver lining approach to the incident, Patterson has pressed on with his race team and is looking forward to heading south to Trentham on Sunday where his star filly Leica Lucy will contest the Group 2 Lowland Stakes (2100m), her final lead-in run to next month’s $1 million Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m). The daughter of Derryn has been a revelation for Patterson and owner-breeders Peter and Heather Crofskey, winning three of her first four starts, including the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m). Her impressive run of form caught the eye of prominent Australian owner Ozzie Kheir, who bought into the filly earlier this month, and she carried his familiar silks to victory in the Group 2 Fillies Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa just days later. Kheir will make the journey across the Tasman to watch his filly race this weekend, and Patterson is hopeful he can reward Kheir with a victory in the Group 2 feature. “It will be nice to meet him, and it would be lovely if he can watch his horse win,” Patterson said. “She is 100 percent and has worked up super this week. She is bordering on being too well at the moment actually, she is thriving that much. I am really happy going into it.” Leica Lucy is tipped to continue her winning streak, with horse racing bookmakers installing her a $1.50 hot favourite for Sunday’s feature, ahead of Connello ($6.50) and Myakkabelle ($8). Patterson is hoping stablemates One Bold Gigolo and Sir Bruce can also continue their winning ways, with the last-start winners set to contest the Rothley 1400 and Mana Plumbing 2100 respectively. “It was a nice win last start from One Bold Gigolo, but he is going from a Thursday maiden to a Saturday race,” Patterson said. “But he is a progressive horse, he is well drawn (1), and he will put himself in the race. I can’t see why he can’t figure in the finish. “Sir Bruce is another progressive staying type. He is going to get back from that draw (15), which isn’t going to be a worry. I would love to see him track into the race and if he can get a truly run race and a nice track, he will be flying down the outside.” Patterson’s Trentham team will be rounded out by two-win Derryn mare Sinbin, who will contest the MG Tiling & Clarky’s Painting 1200. “She is going to get back from that draw (11),” he said. “She went a super race fresh-up, she got home really strong at New Plymouth. A repeat of that performance will see her flashing home.” Horse racing news View the full article

Myakkabelle will contest Sunday’s Group 2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Trentham. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Myakkabelle has been a model of consistency in the lead up to the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and she will take the final step towards the $1 million feature in Sunday’s Group 2 Lowland Stakes (2100m). A filly by War Decree, Myakkabelle was amongst the action in each of the Group 2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m), Group 2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) and Group 2 Fillies’ Classic (2000m), the latter her first time facing off against Oaks favourite Leica Lucy. While Leica Lucy will be the odds-on pick and filly to beat at Trentham this weekend, Myakkabelle has continued to please her trainers Ben and Ryan Foote, both on and off on race track. “She was very good in the Fillies Classic, she probably just came to the end of it 100m out but she still fought on strong,” Ben Foote said. “We’re trying to bring her up to peak at the Oaks, but her work on Tuesday was as good as I’ve seen it, so I think everything is coming to hand nicely with her.” Joining Myakkabelle on the journey from their Cambridge base will be Rayet and Nancy She Wrote, two mares with a definite liking for the champagne turf. Rayet came desperately close to winning two starts back at the course, while on the same day, Nancy She Wrote saluted over subsequent winner Lanikai. The pair will start in the MG Tiling and Clarky’s Painting 1200 and Laser Electrical 1600 respectively. “Rayet went a great race there two starts back and then came home strong last start, but she’d actually smacked her head in the gates,” Ben Foote said. “A couple of horses were declared non-starters, but because she ended up in the trail, she didn’t. “It was still pretty much a non-race for her I think, and we’ll be expecting her to turn that around on Sunday. “She (Nancy She Wrote) is a horse with a lot of ability that needs a lot of things to go her way. “Trentham is such a big, roomy track and things seem to go her way a bit more, she always races well there so we decided to head back down.” Meanwhile, the stable will be represented in the lucrative Wairere Falls Classic (1500m) at Matamata the day prior with The Odyssey. The son of Zacinto has already tasted success in an innovation race, winning last year’s $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m), and has gone on to win in open company this term as well as placing in the Group 3 Waikato Cup (2400m). “He’s been a slow-maturing horse, but he’s strengthened up a lot, his work has been very good,” Ben Foote said. “He’ll need a touch of luck from the barriers, but he’ll go a good race and then we’ll be on to better things hopefully.” Earlier in the week, Kakadu got the stable off to winning start at Taupo, producing a dominant victory in the Central Livestock (1200m). A two-time winner on the Cambridge Synthetic, Foote was rapt to see his charge bring that ability to the turf after testing out various distances. “He’s been a hard horse to work out, some people get off and tell me that he’s a stayer, while others say he’s a sprinter,” he said. “He’s a very big horse that is still maturing. “We decided to freshen him up and go back to sprinting him, so hopefully we’ve got him worked out now as well. “He’s always shown us plenty and to win on quite a firm surface yesterday was good to see, sometimes when they go well on the poly you would think they need the easing out of the track.” Horse racing news View the full article

The ever popular series of Metro Heats and Finals will kick off in 2025 at Cambridge next Tuesday. The raceway will host heats for both the 3YO and older R35-45 pacers and trotters. Both heats will be worth $8000. To see the field for the Trotters’ heat click here To see the field for the Pacers’ heat click here There’ll be a second round of $16,000 heats at Alexandra Park on Friday, March 14 before the $35,000 finals for both gaits, also at Alexandra Park on March 21. The first four from each of the heats automatically qualifies for the final. The Finals, to be held as part of a huge NZB Harness Million night, will be limited to 12 runners. Should a horse win both a heat and the final the final will be penalty free. Heats and Finals will held throughout the year including $20,000 heats for both gaits at Alexandra Park on May 9 and 23, ahead of a $35,000 final on Friday, May 30. There will also be $20,000 heats in June. The Heats/Finals format was introduced in 2024 as part of the “Future Starts Now” to re-invigorate racing in the north. It is all about rewarding owners and trainers who regularly front up with their horses at Cambridge and Auckland. To see the complete list of Heats and Final for the first half of 2025 click here View the full article

After a monumental weekend celebrating Hong Kong’s current star thoroughbreds racing on the world stage, attention now turns to the next generation of talent as it converges on Sunday’s HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) at Sha Tin. Following Romantic Warrior’s Group 1 Saudi Cup (1800m) second in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last Saturday night, Ka Ying Rising and Voyage Bubble both dazzled with classy victories at last Sunday’s Group 1 double-header in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Classic Cup is the second leg of the HK$52 million Four-Year-Old Classic Series, which culminates on 23 March with the HK$26 million Hong Kong Derby (2000m) – the city’s most desired race – which will be staged for the 148th time this year. The HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) is the first leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, and Pierre Ng’s Johannes Brahms was a ground-covering 14th of 14 in that race on 31 January before bouncing back with a smart victory over a mile in Class 2 on 16 February ahead of seasoned duo Speed Dragon and Sunlight Power. “The horse to his inside just kept pushing him out. We were around seven-wide on the turn and we just had no chance at all (in the Classic Mile), but he did really finish off well last start when he won. It’s a matter of experience for him – he will be even more professional with more racing in Hong Kong,” Ng said. The Siyouni gelding has drawn barrier four with jockey Karis Teetan. The bay – with earnings of HK$6.44 million for owner Yau Kwok Fai – won once pre-import for trainer Aidan O’Brien at Naas over 1186m before placing as a two-year-old at Group 2 level at York. “He’s done really well with two wins in Hong Kong. He just didn’t get an ideal run in the Classic Mile but he won well the race after. It’s an extra 200 metres this time, so we have to be switching him off,” Ng said. “He pulled up well enough from last start. He looks fit, healthy and he’s been eating up well – we’re looking forward to this Sunday.” Teetan previously won the Hong Kong Classic Cup in 2015 with Thunder Fantasy. Hong Kong Classic Mile winner My Wish reopposes from gate nine. Packing Hermod, Rubylot, Divano, Mickley, Noisy Boy, Cap Ferrat, Californiatotality, Packing Angel, Mondial, Steps Ahead and Sky Trust also line up. “I wouldn’t say it’s the best distance for him (Johannes Brahms) or probably half of the field, who are stepping up in trip. We’re just looking for a very good run and hopefully he’ll be competitive. It’s really good to see these types of horses in your yard. They have the potential to be a great horse next season,” Ng said. Successful in the Four-Year-Old Classic Series previously with Golden Sixty – who swept all three legs in 2020 as the second horse to do so after Rapper Dragon (2017) – Francis Lui saddles five of the 14 runners in this weekend’s Hong Kong Classic Cup: Packing Hermod, Divano, Cap Ferrat, Packing Angel and Steps Ahead. Second in the Hong Kong Classic Mile, Divano roared from last to just miss by a neck behind My Wish. Fly-in jockey Tom Marquand – who has two wins this season – partners Divano, while Joao Moreira hops aboard triple winner Packing Angel, Blake Shinn pairs with Packing Hermod and Craig Williams links with Cap Ferrat. Lyle Hewitson is riding Steps Ahead. Packing Hermod was third in the Hong Kong Classic Mile as favourite. The Rubick gelding is a four-time winner in Hong Kong, including in Class 2 over 1400m. Packing Angel has won his last three starts. The son of Shocking is yet to race beyond 1400m across his six-start career in Hong Kong. Sunday’s 10-race fixture at Sha Tin kicks off at 1pm HKT with the Class 4 Fu Tai Handicap (1000m). Horse racing news View the full article

Caulfield Guineas winner Golden Mile will return to the racetrack on Saturday at Randwick. (Photo by Reg Ryan/Racing Photos) Former Darley Victoria stallion Golden Mile is set to make his racetrack return as a gelding in Saturday’s Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) at Randwick. It will be his first start since finishing third in the Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on May 4 last year. “We’d be thrilled to see him convert on what he’s been showing us on the track over the past couple of months,” trainer James Cummings said. Golden Mile eased into his preparation with a quiet first trial before producing an impressive win over 900m at Warwick Farm on February 11. “The horse has been flying and feeling good,” Cummings continued. “No one has got a bigger opinion of the way Golden Mile has been going at Osborne Park than Golden Mile. “I love the way he’s been trialling from one trial to the next.” Golden Mile is rated as a +1100 chance with Dabble in the Liverpool City Cup on Saturday. Horse racing news View the full article

Mornington Glory ridden by Ethan Brown winning the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley Racecourse. (Photo by George Sal/Racing Photos) Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) winner Mornington Glory has been ruled out for the remainder of the autumn carnival due to an injury and limited race options. “He wrenched a joint in his last piece of work before the Oakleigh Plate, and we weren’t 100 percent happy with him,” trainer Gavin Bedggood said. “So he’d missed his target really, he doesn’t handle wet ground and is limited with the options he can be competitive in at his 1000 to 1100-metre distance range, and we just thought we’d be better off giving him a break and getting him ready for the Moir again. “I’ve been around long enough to know you don’t win these races on afterthoughts.” Mornington Glory’s journey has been remarkable, returning from retirement and overcoming a heart condition to claim Group 1 success. Despite this latest setback, Bedggood remains optimistic about his future. “He’s never had an unsound day in his life, but he had a bit of filling in that joint, so rather than patching him up at the beginning of a preparation,” he said. “I think he was going every bit as good as his previous campaign. Nobody was more disappointed than me.” Horse racing news View the full article

Alice Springs trainer Terry Gillett, pictured with daughter Dakota, is enjoying another fine season. Terry Gillett is on track to defend his title in the Alice Springs trainers’ premiership, and he will have several chances to extend his lead on Saturday at Pioneer Park. Veteran sprinters Supreme Attraction and That’s Justified will line up in the feature race, an open handicap over 1200m where the Lisa Whittle-trained O’Tycoon is aiming to make it five wins from his last six starts. Handy duo Great Buy and Kangaroo Court are arguably the two best horses in the Benchmark 76 over 1400m and should fight out the finish. Faithful Champion and Supreme Goal are also among the fancied runners in the Benchmark 54 over 1200m, which will kick off the six-event program. With some 24 horses at his disposal, Gillett has been a model of consistency this season to lead the way with 25 wins. Whittle sits second with 15 wins, while Paul Gardner (13), Greg Connor (12) and Kerry Petrick (11) have all had respectable seasons, which clearly illustrates Gillett’s dominance. At the end of February last year, Gillett had 10 victories and was sitting in fifth place before ending the 2023/24 season with 25 wins to seal the trainers’ title from Gardner, who finished with 23. With the 2025 Alice Springs Cup Carnival starting on March 16, Gillett is naturally eyeing the feature races. Nine-year-old Supreme Attraction, who hadn’t raced since finishing fourth in the Pioneer Sprint last year, returned to action on February 15 with a respectable fourth behind O’Tycoon in open company over 1100m. That’s Justified, an absolute marvel for the Gillett yard since 2017, returns after a last-start second in June over 1400m at BM76 level, and it will be his first start as a 10-year-old gelding. O’Tycoon, a major contender in this year’s Pioneer Sprint on April 5, Ray Viney’s Kickatorp and Greg Connor’s Flying Yishu will provide stiff opposition for Gillett’s ageing stablemates. Dick Leech’s Early Crow — the 2023 and 2024 Palmerston Sprint winner in Darwin — and NT Guineas winner Better Not Fuss from the Gardner stable complete a highly competitive field on Saturday. Gillett’s daughter and apprentice Dakota, who is one off the pace in the jockeys’ premiership with 14 wins, is booked to ride Supreme Attraction, Kangaroo Court and Faithful Champion. Stan Tsaikos, a two-time champion jockey in the Red Centre, has 12 wins for the season and partners That’s Justified, Great Buy and Supreme Goal. Horse racing news View the full article

Shaggy ridden by Adam Hyeronimus winning the Pierro Plate at Randwick. Photo: bradleyphotos.com.au Adam Hyeronimus is looking to keep Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) aspirations alive for unbeaten colt Shaggy when he lines up in Saturday’s Group 2 Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Randwick. Trained by Allan Kehoe, Shaggy burst onto the scene two weeks ago, rising from wins at Coffs Harbour and the Sunshine Coast to claim an impressive Pierro Plate (1100m) victory at Randwick on February 15. Hyeronimus, who secured the ride after Aaron Bullock was unable to make the weight in Sydney, is relishing the opportunity to book a Slipper berth this weekend. However, with Shaggy not originally nominated for the $5 million feature, connections would need to pay a $150,000 late entry fee should he gain a spot. “It’s very exciting for the owners, but also for anyone who dreams of racing for the riches of two-year-old racing,” Hyeronimus said. “That’s the thrilling part about two-year-old races: horses can put their hand up, there’s so much on offer. “He’s traveled a fair way for a two-year-old and shown it doesn’t faze him. “I’ve ridden a lot of nice two-year-olds, and I think the common denominator is a horse that’s quite forward with a good attitude. It’s a very good recipe.” Shaggy is the +130 favourite with BlondeBet for the Skyline Stakes on Saturday, where he has drawn ideally in barrier three. Horse racing news View the full article

When Kristin Pierce of Tacoma, Washington, explains that she owns a retired racehorse who is aspiring to a second career that involves sniffing out lost hikers in the wilderness, even people who are familiar with Thoroughbreds are surprised to learn this olfactory skill comes naturally to horses and that they can learn to master it. Yet that's precisely what Prayerstone, a 12-year-old by 1996 GI Kentucky Derby champ Grindstone, has been taught to do over the last several years. Pierce told TDN in a recent interview that the strapping bay absolutely thrives on the scent work that she stumbled upon by chance when trying to come up with creative ways to occupy the gelding's busy mind during a long period of stall rest to recover from injuries. Now Prayerstone is healed and on the cusp of attempting his final field testing to qualify for a spot on the all-volunteer Northwest Horseback Search and Rescue (NWHSAR) unit that operates under the direction of the King County Sheriff's Office in Seattle. “Every time I tell someone he's training to be a search-and-rescue horse and working on scent detection, they're just amazed that horses can do that,” Pierce said. “It's not very common. I had never met anyone else who had done it before trying it myself.” Pierce said that sitting in the saddle atop Prayerstone while he's focused on trying to find a person in dense woods is at once gratifying and enlightening. “Usually he's a horse that doesn't have a 'stop button.' He just wants to go, go go,” Pierce said. “But when he's scenting, everything slows down, and he's very deliberate about where he puts his feet, where he puts his face, and in which direction he's moving. “He drops his head to the ground and his nostrils get huge. He is actively scenting. His eyes kind of half-close and his ears stick out to the side, and he is concentrating. So it's really fun to ride him then, because you can feel his whole self is focused on this thing I can't see, and he knows exactly where he's going. I just have to duck for the branches,” Pierce said. Prayerstone started three times in 2016 and '17 at the now-defunct Portland Meadows while racing for his owner/breeder, Tom Crader. He debuted in a fog-obscured stakes for Oregon-breds and finished eighth out of nine at 35-1 odds. Ten months later, he surprised with a 39-1 second, beaten only a head, when dropping into the maiden-claiming ranks. Start number three was another maiden-claiming attempt in which the 7-1 Prayerstone dueled inside, then steadily retreated to last in a field of eight. Right about the time that Prayerstone was easing into an early retirement, Pierce herself was getting back into enjoying horses after several decades of being a lapsed equestrian. “I guess you could call me an adult re-rider,” said Pierce, who is 47. “I rode horses as a kid, all the way up through college, and then took a break when I couldn't afford them. During COVID, I realized that my heart had a horse-shaped hole in it. So I started taking lessons and doing a partial lease at an event barn around here.” A friend who rode with Pierce found out Prayerstone was available to be re-homed, and thought he would be the perfect companion. She went and got the gelding and dropped him off at the barn for Pierce to check out. Prayerstone's sire, winner of the 1996 Kentucky Derby, had more traditional Thoroughbred talents | Horsephotos “He was stunning,” Pierce said. “He's a 17-plus-hand, 1,500-pound, old-fashioned, big, chunky Thoroughbred. And he has the classic Thoroughbred head–the 'look of eagles.' He looks like he's going somewhere.” Pierce continued: “He was restarted off the track by a phenomenal event trainer named Meika Decher. She did an absolutely beautiful job on his restart, and he lucked out. He got to spend four years in a 40-acre pasture up in the mountains with a bunch of other horses, just horsing around. But she knew that he was never going to be an advanced-level event horse, so she listed him for like $5,000. “I took him,” Pierce said. “I fell I love with his personality.” Had Pierce scheduled a pre-purchase veterinary exam prior to falling in love, Prayerstone's story might have turned out differently. “There were six pages of findings,” Pierce said. “So [Decher] was right that he was never going to be an advanced-level horse. And that was fine, because all I really wanted was a big buddy.” Pierce rattled off a list Prayerstone's medical shortcomings, focusing on the major issues. “He has kissing spine in seven places. He has shivers, probably. He also has some sort of horse version of Tourette syndrome. It's similar to headshakers, but all the treatments for headshakers make it worse, so he has a tic in his head and his neck. We've treated him for ulcers. I think I've had every part of him X-rayed and ultra-sounded,” Pierce said. “We started trying to do low-level eventing and little fun schooling shows, but his body just couldn't handle it. His legs seem to be made out of tissue paper, and he can't feel his feet, so he kind of runs like a Muppet. We tried to do a low-level cross-country event, but he smacked his legs into each other hard enough that he broke both his front splint bones and pulled a suspensory, so that was 10 months of stall rest to get him back together.” While confined to the stable, Pierce taught Prayerstone–whose nickname around the barn is Raven–how to use communication buttons that associate words with actions that some horses seem to understand. “Raven loves puzzles. He loves games and opening doors. He loves making loud noises and destroying things and generally being a 1,500-pound toddler,” Pierce said. Pierce faced a dual challenge of trying to keep Prayerstone from being bored in the short term while also knowing that on the other side of his long recovery, he was not going to be able to handle the endurance competing she had initially envisioned. And dressage was out because Pierce herself got bored going around in circles in an arena. “He will jump anything you point him at. He will happily gallop through a field where he can't see where he is going. But he does not want to be in an arena any more than I do,” Pierce said. “So we pivoted, and decided that his favorite place to be is out in the woods,” Pierce said. “But he needed some sort of mission in his life. A life of public service is what I thought.” Pierce is no stranger to second–or even third–career switches. She worked in the medical sector for 15 years testing experimental drugs on people. Then she trained to be a diesel mechanic. Now she's a project manager for Tacoma's wastewater treatment plant. Pierce happened to find some online literature about equine scent training, and the concept appealed to her because some of the conditioning to hone that skill involved positions she believed would give some relief to where Prayerstone had been hurting. “Doing all of the rehab, I realized that I needed a way to get him to move in a really biomechanically correct way, where he'd put his nose down and he'd lift his belly, and he'd kind of stretch out all of those spaces in his back where his spine is touching. And scent work seemed to do that,” Pierce said. “So I bought the Scentwork for Horses book [by Rachaël Draaisma] and I started working through the book by myself, and he just loved it,” Pierce said. At first the training is done with the horse on a long line without a rider. You show a treat to a horse and let it sniff it, then run backwards about 100 feet. “And the horse figures out pretty quick they should go find that person and get the cookie,” Pierce said. “After two or three iterations of that, the person can run away and hide behind a tree.” Pierce said this basic instinct comes naturally to horses. “Every horse I've presented this to has been interested. When they snuffle your pockets for treats, they're doing scent detection. When they are looking around in their stall for little bits of dropped food, they're doing scent detection. So similar to training dogs, you kind of encourage that, and then make it a little bit harder each time,” Pierce said. “He would search out lost socks in the arena,” Pierce said. “He would happily find one of my friends who would go hide in the woods.” Prayerstone's barn backs directly up to a military base that has 60,000 acres of trails, which civilians can access so long as they have a pass. This allowed Pierce to ramp up the scent training over a much wider range. “You're just promoting that natural behavior, and you're really along for the ride. My job is not to steer. It's really just to stay out of his way,” Pierce said. “With him, I notice that he will flick an ear in the direction of the scent, or he will swing his whole giant head in the direction of the scent. When he's on the trail, he puts his nose on the ground, arches his back and does this huffing noise. And when he loses the scent, he will start circling until he finds it again, just like a dog, and then follow it off again.” Pierce said the next big breakthrough for Prayerstone was when she vanned him eight hours into the mountains of central Oregon to attend a week-long clinic hosted by Terry Nowacki of Minnesota, whom Pierce described as “the brain trust behind using horses in scent detection the way that they use dogs.” Tracking dogs can outperform horses in thick underbrush, but horses have an advantage over longer distances. Their height also aids in picking up airborne scents that rise above the noses of dogs. “We can cover more ground. We can generally move faster over a longer period of time. And dogs aren't as effective scenting when they're panting,” Pierce said. “Horses don't pant, so when it's really hot or humid, they just keep going.” In fact, a tired horse will open its nostrils wider, exposing more olfactory receptors, which increases detection ability. In training for scent detection, the rider knows the parameters of the search. But in a real rescue operation like Prayerstone and Pierce hope to encounter with the NWHSAR, there are no defined borders as to where a lost person might be. “So we take every opportunity when we go trail riding to find every human being in that area, and I reward him,” Pierce said. “Every time we go out, it's an opportunity for him to find a person, even if I don't know they're there.” Prayerstone training through fire | Courtesy Kristin Pierce But can Prayerstone handle the physicality of search and rescue given his medical history? “Our area is mountainous and forested,” Pierce said, explaining that the terrain is rugged, but the pacing is deliberate, which helps Prayerstone. “We do have some big prairies, but it's mostly mountains and forest and 10-foot tall blackberry bushes and streams and bridges. Obviously, I'm not going to take him up high-angle rock faces, because he can't. But he will happily plow through brush. He loves it. “Lately we've been working on scent discrimination and tracking,” Pierce continued. “The two different kinds of scent detection are air-scenting and tracking. Air scenting is where you find any human in an area. Tracking is what you think of when you think of bloodhounds. You give them something to smell, and then they go find the thing that smells like that. He seems to enjoy the tracking, because it's a harder puzzle for him. “The main reward is finding the person, but Raven will never turn down a cookie,” Pierce said. She added that one time the gelding was so intent on his task that he tried to dig out a volunteer with his hooves when the person was hiding beneath a fallen tree. Pierce said Prayerstone still needs to pass a 36-point competency test to become a member of the NWHSAR, and she has to prove her map and compass skills. “Basically, Raven would have to get loaded up with everything he and I would need for three days independently in the woods, and then ride out 10-15 miles and camp, just the two of us. Then we have to go find our volunteer hidden 'victim' and bring him out together to be certified.” On the NWHSAR team, scent detection is not a requirement. The rescue team does most of its operations by following a search grid, with horses working in small groups to cover an assigned area. Pierce believes that once he's been certified to be on the unit, Prayerstone will be the only horse with that skill, which she hopes will add a specialized element to the searches. “The national search and rescue organizations don't certify horses for scent, just because there aren't enough of us,” Pierce said. “So right now we're training to take the dog certification. He can perform the tasks for being a scent dog, but we are working to find a group that will let us test as though he were a dog.” Once on the NWHSAR unit, members are responsible for paying for and maintaining their own horses, trucks and trailers, and they must self-deploy when called by authorities to help with a lost, missing or injured person. This often means getting an emergency call in the middle of the night and/or during foul weather. Pierce is investing time and money in other skills that might help Prayerstone handle chaos. They recently attended a mounted police skills course hosted by the law enforcement expert who trains New Orleans police horses to handle rowdy crowds during the Mardi Gras celebration. “The first thing they had us do was they lit off a smoke bomb in the middle of an indoor arena and had the horses walk through the smoke. Raven walked around it a couple times and was like, 'Wait, I know what to do.' And he walked right up to the smoke bomb and stomped on it,” Pierce said with pride. “That clinic was cool. He walked through fire that they set on the ground. He walked right up to a police car with the lights and sirens going and he stuck his head inside. He walked under an arch of fire,” Pierce said. “At this point, I know this horse will do anything I ask him to. He's the proverbial bomb-proof horse–quite literally,” Pierce said. Pierce said her important take-away message for second-career Thoroughbred owners is to consider alternative ways to keep physically challenged horses mentally engaged. “There are a fair number of ex-racehorses who have physical limitations,” Pierce said. “And I would encourage anyone with a horse like that to work at non-traditional things like this. Even if search and rescue isn't somebody's goal, just doing the mental games of scent detection work is so good for them, and gives them a sense of purpose and meaning.” The post Winning by His Nose: Retired Thoroughbred Uses Scent Detection to Find Lost Hikers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Gulfstream Park has changed run-up distances for 1 1/16-mile and 1 1/8-mile races contested over the main track, the South Florida track announced Feb. 27.View the full article

New Zealand's leading 3-year-old Savaglee was due to touch down in Melbourne on the afternoon of Feb. 27 ahead of his bid to become the second Kiwi raider in three years to prize the Australian Guineas (G1) crown from the grasp of the locals. View the full article

By Adam Hamilton Expect to see a better and sharper Merlin when he chases a Miracle Mile berth at Menangle on Saturday night. Co-trainer Scott Phelan said the star pacer’s second at Menangle last Saturday night has “brought him on plenty” ahead of Saturday night’s $100,000 Group 2 Cordina Group Sprint (10.30pm). Merlin, who races as Its Merlin in Australia, will need a top three finish to be certain of a spot in the $1 million Miracle Mile a week later. He’s got the draw to do it from gate one and regular driver Zachary Butcher returns to the sulky. “He definitely needed the run last week and Gavin (Fitzpatrick) drove him well considering where he was at,” Phelan said. “He’d only had one quiet trial going into it, so he’s benefited a lot from the run. “I was happy with how he went and he’s come through it really well.” Its Merlin is in the stronger of the two qualifiers with arch Kiwi rival Dont Stop Dreaming (gate two), dual NZ Cup winner Swayzee (five), classy mare Eye Keep Smiling (four), Captain Ravishing (eight) and Tact McLeod (12) among his major rivals. “It’s a strong race, but the draw is a huge help. We’re not used to getting the pegs at Menangle,” Phelan laughed. Merlin is currently the second favourite at $3.80, with Swayee the top pick at $2.25. “We have to take advantage of the draw. He’s got the gate speed to use it. “I’ll leave the driving up to Zac, but sometimes you’ve just got to back your horse. “It’s a mile and he’s got a great draw, we won’t be handing the lead away. If he does, something will really have to earn it.” That could be Swayzee, who is sure to be driven aggressively by Cam Hart. Phelan admits stablemate Sooner The Bettor faces a challenge from a wide draw (gate eight) in the other qualifier. “He’s fine. The vet said he pulled-up sore after that first run he had at Menangle, but he was fine the next day,” he said. “The draw is the issue. He had great draws when he ran so well in those Menangle races, including the Miracle Mile, this time last year. “There’s a lot of speed and nice horses inside him this week.” It’s a similar story with Phelan and Barry Purdon’s Chariots Of Fire runner Better Knuckle Up, who has drawn nine, but will move down to seven. “He’ll also improve from his first run over here,” Phelan said. “It’s just hard to see where he’ll end up from the draw. “If they go hard, he’s certainly a good enough horse to be right in the finish, but he’s going to need the run to suit.” Purdon is chasing a fifth Chariots Of Fire win. His four wins is already a training record. View the full article

When Rashmi (Oscar Performance), the latest ingenue to punctuate a dynasty of George Strawbridge-bred starlets, made short thrift of the latest running of the GIII Megahertz Stakes at Santa Anita, her win affirmed the charmed run enjoyed by her trainer, Jonathan Thomas, shows no outward signs of lost momentum. Will Then (War of Will) cruising away with the GIII Jimmy Durante Stakes. Truly Quality (Quality Road) showing rare quality in the GII Hollywood Turf Club Stakes. Mrs. Astor (Lookin At Lucky) doing double Grade III duty in the Red Carpet and Robert J. Frankel Stakes. Rashmi's back for more in the upcoming GII Buena Vista Stakes. Whatever happens this weekend, it's been a profitable 12 months for the stable, one memorable afternoon after another under a roaring California sunshine. Just don't fool yourself into thinking this has translated into some kind of gilded age for the barn. “Right now, we're got 19 horses,” says Thomas, at the end of training one recent morning. He had 34 horses at his height last year. Fifty-two is the most he's ever trained. “This is the smallest I've been by far.” A couple of new owners have gravitated his way the past year. They brought with them an additional five horses. Not many, considering the outsized impact Thomas's small stable has had in California, since he made a serious winter base here towards the end of 2023. And he's lost to answer why. “It's a good question. If it's all on us, I'd like to know so I could do a better job of attracting more horses,” Thomas says. Rashmi | Benoit “I think at the end of the day, you have to take responsibility for the spot you're in,” he adds. “I don't know if we don't advertise enough. Or if it's just a byproduct of where the business is at the moment. I know we've had some really good clients that I adore, that we've done well with, but have joined some super-group partnerships. I know with those, we're not on the receiving end.” This leaves the Thomas stable at an inflection point–both geographically and figuratively. His Santa Anita barn (number 59) sits at a crossroads. Training track immediately left. Main track straight on. Barn area off to the right. Robert Frost would have a field day. But for Thomas to break into the next sphere as a trainer, he needs more horses. That's the curve he needs to climb. That a small stable nearly ten years into the job, but which has so consistently punched above its weight, is struggling to attract new well-heeled benefactors poses a conundrum worth dissecting. Luckily, Thomas is in contemplative mood. He bats back a question about the evolving nature of ownership with an anecdote involving a trainer with a sobriquet that left no room for uncertainty. The Chief. “He had two horses go to the gate to breeze,” Thomas recalls, of Allen Jerkens. “He had jockeys on. I can't remember who, but he had two good jockeys on. You could tell it was a pretty important workout. One of the horses was just lathered, didn't want to go into the gate. Fractious.” Jerkens steered his golf cart to the gate and called the whole thing off, told the jockeys to take the horses home. “He called a complete audible just because he didn't like what he was seeing. He didn't want to add fuel to the fire. There was a chance where maybe you could have blown the horse's brains,” says Thomas. “I thought that was really cool. If you're an assistant or something, you feel the pressure. 'I've got to do this.' But he didn't give two shits. He did what was the right thing to do,” says Thomas. “He probably brought that filly back and schooled her a hundred times until she was good.” The lesson here is one of experience–that the confidence to venture off the beaten path comes with a familiarity of the terrain that only time and practice can bring. “Really, it's not who's winning most, it's who's making the least amounts of mistakes that is the most successful at the end of the day. But you've got to get things wrong to learn how to get things right. You've got to take chances. You've got to try things to learn,” says Thomas. The backbone of experience is opportunity, however. And one way to foster the sort of environment where opportunities are extended is to approach the trainer-owner relationship collaboratively. “I tell anyone new, whenever I have the luxury of talking to someone new in the business, 'you have to be okay at embracing when things don't work out,'” Thomas says. “You have to have the sort of backing where people are allowing you–or maybe not 'allowing,' but be able to understand–that mistakes are palatable, and you can problem solve with the client,” he says. “'Hey, we're going to be 30-1. It looks silly to run on paper. But I feel the horse is doing well. Would you like to take a shot?' If they're in and you give them equity in the decision-making, if it's a screw-up, it's fine because you're in it together,” he says. “But if it works, then it's great.” But how do you give the young trainer given so few of these opportunities in the first place the chance to make mistakes? The freedom to shape their skills at the gristmill of trial and error? The conversation turns to the evergreen topic of the nation's numerically dominant super trainers. More specifically, if training has become an out-and-out numbers game, what hope is there for the smaller outfits? “They're very good at what they do,” Thomas says, stressing how he harbors no animosity towards the big barns that are simply capitalizing on a welcoming marketplace. “But I've seen the consolidation of things happen faster in the last two years in real time than ever before.” This consolidation has been across the board. In breeding. In pre-training. “I know some very good smaller boutique places like in Ocala that break horses–they're dying on the vine because those partnerships are now going to one place,” says Thomas. And with that consolidation has emerged an increasingly select commercial market that “runs racing,” he says. “A lot of the expensive horses are, understandably, being bought to end up being stallions or broodmares. If they're stallions, they're only going to a handful of people. And they're only going to a handful of people because for whatever reason, those horses are deemed worth more because of who had them,” says Thomas. Thomas with Catholic Boy | Sarah Andrew “I've sat in on enough stallion deals and been a part of those things where it's like, there's this formula for a stallion. Unfortunately, it's just how it is,” says Thomas, who brings up Catholic Boy, his dual GI winner. “It was hard getting a stallion deal done with him.” Which leads to a curious creation of Thomas's–the idea of a bonus structure that benefits smaller barns. “What if you had a horse with a guy that had under 30 horses or 40 horses, and they were running for $30,000 or $40,000 more [than the bigger-number trainers] in a race?” Thomas suggests, describing such a system as incentive driven. “You can't keep taking. People are tired of being taken, and owners are the ones that get taken the most. They're paying multiple entities, multiple places. I pay my staff. We work hard to make sure we take care of everything. But the owner's ultimately paying. That's why you've got to give,” he says. “You have to find a way to incentivize someone to move horses.” Such a seemingly leftfield proposition–the oft-proposed remedy to the super trainer bugbear are stall limits–belies someone steeped in the sport's traditions, and the notion of standing-on-the-shoulders-of giants. Indeed, when Thomas first came marching back to his office at training's end, he brought with him tales from a morning spent sifting through the mental libraries at the disposal of Santa Anita mainstay, Neil Drysdale. “I haven't talked to him as much about actual horse training as much about business. The state of the business, forecasting where we're going to be in a couple of years,” says Thomas. “I've loved our time here in California, and I'm rooting for this place to keep going,” he says. “I think it's really just a matter of money at the end of the day, isn't it? Wherever the money goes, people follow.” The operations of another track mainstay have also caught the trainer's eye. “I really watch [Bob] Baffert's horses. He's able to extricate the innate talent of a lot of these horses with speed. It's kind of like you need to do it because you're preparing a horse for war. If you're training a soldier, you're not going to be soft on them. You got to train them for the battle. He does it as well or better than anyone that's ever done it,” says Thomas. “The brilliance for a lot of these guys, it's not so much what they're doing when they're breezing, it's when they're not breezing,” says Thomas. And Baffert, he adds, “gallops his horses very gently in between.” Then there's the knowledge and guidance imparted through the stable's current primary benefactor, Strawbridge, who has patronized the stable for about five years. “I'm getting through his breeding program the last two years by far the best horses that I've had. They are very, very well-bred. They're leaning on generations of hard work and planning. I always look at it like we're the beneficiary of being associated with someone like him who's got a lifetime of work behind him. Also, he's a very good horseman,” says Thomas. “He's very easy to make decisions with because he's seen this happen time and time and time again. There are a lot of times I don't have answers, but I'll ask a lot of questions, and through that, we'll get somewhere. Thomas with Frankie Dettori after a recent win | Benoit “I'll ask him, 'Hey, I'm not seeing what I think I need to see from this horse. You've had the family, what do you think?'” Thomas recounts. “'Oh, well, I think we stopped on the mother and gave her time. Why don't we turn this one out for six months and come back?'” Which brings the conversation full circle to the stable's trajectory, and another curious position that Thomas finds himself in–that of an unpaid ambassador for California racing. One common reason trainers give for avoiding the West Coast is the heightened veterinary scrutiny. While the advent of federal rules has somewhat leveled the playing field nationally, house rules mean California still wields arguably the strictest set of pre-race veterinary hurdles. “Honestly, I have found everyone that is instituting those rules to be very forthcoming, transparent, helpful, in navigating rules. After a couple months, I felt like it was kind of second nature. All these rules are implemented for the safety and betterment of horse racing, so we're fully behind all of them,” says Thomas. “In a way it's made life easier,” he adds. “If we've had a horse where you're kind of straddling the fence between do we turn them out, or do we get a little more aggressive with medication, it's an easy answer. You give a horse a time off.” Thomas doesn't know how many 2-year-olds are headed his way this year. He hopes for a handful or so from Strawbridge. His ideal stable number would be somewhere between 50 and 60. With so few horses currently at Thomas's disposal compared to so many of his stakes race competitors, does this impact the way he approaches the morning training? “It doesn't,” he says, adamantly. “I train what I have in front of me. You're going to do the best you can with what you have. What else are you going to do? I can't back off the gas and go, 'Well, I better preserve these because I don't have horses coming in.' It's the wrong thing to do for the horses and the clients,” says Thomas. “I've got a really good group of employees right now. They're a great crew. But I don't know what the complexion is going to look like in two, three months,” Thomas says. “Honestly, if in three months I'm down to four horses, but we did the best we could with what we have, I can walk out the door knowing I did the best job I could.” Such bleak words from a trainer who has made such a sparkling impression in one of racing's toughest circuits is a curiosity. No, not just a curiosity. A pretty damning indictment of an industry with its priorities all back to front. The post The Curious Case of Jonathan Thomas appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Waverley trainer Bill Thurlow will continue his southern raid this weekend when Steal My Thunder is joined by reinforcements Royal Sovereigns and Field Of Gold at Wingatui’s inaugural Property Brokers Otago Classics Day. Steal My Thunder headed south earlier this month and was victorious in her southern debut in the ODT Southern Mile Qualifier – Summer Cup (1600m) at Ascot Park a fortnight ago. While victorious in the race, she failed to collect enough points to make the final field for the $200,000 ODT Southern Mile Final (1600m) on Saturday, but Thurlow has found her a nice consolation in the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Weight For Age (1600m). “She is not going to make that (ODT) field. She was probably always never going to make it, there are a lot of qualifying races, and a lot of points accumulated early on,” Thurlow said. “It is designed for those southern horses, and I am happy with that. “The White Robe is a very good substitute. If she can run top four I would be rapt. I am not sure she can, but she is in good form, and she apparently has done very well.” Steal My Thunder has been staying with Gore trainer Ellis Winsloe and will be reunited with her two stablemates at Wingatui on Saturday after their long-haul trek from the north. “Two of them (Royal Sovereigns and Field Of Gold) left home on Tuesday and they have had two nights in Christchurch before going down (on Friday),” Thurlow said. “Steal My Thunder stayed with Ellis Winsloe and she will come back from Invercargill to Wingatui for the race and then come home.” While it is a big trip from Waverley, Thurlow expects them to handle it in their stride. “The older horse (Field Of Gold) has been there and done that. He went down for the (New Zealand Cup) carnival when he was a three-year-old when Tony Pike trained him,” he said. “The young horse (Royal Sovereigns), it (travel) might just tickle her up a little bit being her first time, but other than that she will be pretty right.” Field Of Gold has seen a fair bit of the country in the last few weeks, having finished seventh in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa earlier this month before his southern journey. “I am really happy with him,” Thurlow said. “I thought his run in the Herbie Dyke was good. He didn’t sprint home, but he just kept grinding away and he was still doing good work late. I am expecting him to run very well.” Thurlow is also pleased with Royal Sovereigns, who was fourth in the Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m) at Trentham last month. “I am really happy with her. She had a week off after Wellington, where she went super,” Thurlow said. “I am hoping we have got her forward enough for the mile, I think we have, but that is my only little question mark. Having said that, with the trip away, and she is only a lightly-framed filly, I think we will be fine. “If she runs up to how she has been racing up here, she will be right there.” Thurlow is excited to be a part of the inaugural Property Brokers Otago Classics Day, and said it is great for southern racing. “It is very good prizemoney and I feel the horses we are sending down there deserve a chance at it,” he said. “It is massive, and it is great for South Island racing.” Meanwhile, Thurlow said the $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) dream with Twisted Love is over. The promising filly, who won on debut at Waverley last month before being sold for to Australian syndicator OTI Racing, had hit a snag in her preparation and Thurlow felt the best course of action was to give her a break before she continues her racing career in Melbourne. “It was really unfortunate. She just got to the stage where I think she maybe wasn’t going to quite cop the rest of the campaign and she had a bit of blood elevation, and a couple of things weren’t right,” Thurlow said. “We have decided to up stumps on this campaign, and she is flying out to Melbourne on Saturday.” View the full article

Myakkabelle has been a model of consistency in the lead up to the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and she will take the final step towards the $1 million feature in Sunday’s Gr.2 Jennian Homes Lowland Stakes (2100m). A filly by War Decree, Myakkabelle was amongst the action in each of the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m), Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) and Gr.2 David and Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m), the latter her first time facing off against Oaks favourite Leica Lucy. While Leica Lucy will be the odds-on pick and filly to beat at Trentham this weekend, Myakkabelle has continued to please her trainers Ben and Ryan Foote, both on and off on race track. “She was very good in the Fillies Classic, she probably just came to the end of it 100m out but she still fought on strong,” Ben Foote said. “We’re trying to bring her up to peak at the Oaks, but her work on Tuesday was as good as I’ve seen it, so I think everything is coming to hand nicely with her.” Joining Myakkabelle on the journey from their Cambridge base will be Rayet and Nancy She Wrote, two mares with a definite liking for the champagne turf. Rayet came desperately close to winning two starts back at the course, while on the same day, Nancy She Wrote saluted over subsequent winner Lanikai. The pair will start in the MG Tiling and Clarky’s Painting 1200 and Laser Electrical 1600 respectively. “Rayet went a great race there two starts back and then came home strong last start, but she’d actually smacked her head in the gates,” Ben Foote said. “A couple of horses were declared non-starters, but because she ended up in the trail, she didn’t. “It was still pretty much a non-race for her I think, and we’ll be expecting her to turn that around on Sunday. “She (Nancy She Wrote) is a horse with a lot of ability that needs a lot of things to go her way. “Trentham is such a big, roomy track and things seem to go her way a bit more, she always races well there so we decided to head back down.” Meanwhile, the stable will be represented in the lucrative COMAG Wairere Falls Classic (1500m) at Matamata the day prior with The Odyssey. The son of Zacinto has already tasted success in an innovation race, winning last year’s $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m), and has gone on to win in open company this term as well as placing in the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m). “He’s been a slow-maturing horse, but he’s strengthened up a lot, his work has been very good,” Ben Foote said. “He’ll need a touch of luck from the barriers, but he’ll go a good race and then we’ll be on to better things hopefully.” Earlier in the week, Kakadu got the stable off to winning start at Taupo, producing a dominant victory in the Central Livestock (1200m). A two-time winner on the Cambridge Synthetic, Foote was rapt to see his charge bring that ability to the turf after testing out various distances. “He’s been a hard horse to work out, some people get off and tell me that he’s a stayer, while others say he’s a sprinter,” he said. “He’s a very big horse that is still maturing. “We decided to freshen him up and go back to sprinting him, so hopefully we’ve got him worked out now as well. “He’s always shown us plenty and to win on quite a firm surface yesterday was good to see, sometimes when they go well on the poly you would think they need the easing out of the track.” View the full article

1st-Aqueduct, $77,600, Msw, 2-27, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:39.84, ft, 15 3/4 lengths. VANILLA SUNDAE (f, 3, Gun Runner–Vanilla Bean Back, by Empire Maker) finished sixth as the third wagering choice in her career debut sprinting six panels at the Spa last August before catching another off track in her next start–a mile test at the Big A Nov. 21–and faded late to finish a well-beaten fourth. Finally catching a fast track this time, the even-money second choice sprinted to the front, carving out a modest :24.18 quarter mile. Still on top through a :48.02 half, she started to draw away from the compact field turning for home and rolled home all alone, winning by 15 3/4 lengths over Stone Cold Kelly (Laoban). Stablemate Ice Cream Boat (Outwork) rounded out the trifecta. Sales History: $150,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 3-1-0-0, $52,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Repole Stable; B-Karen Ewing (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. The post Gun Runner’s Vanilla Sundae Romps at Big A appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Explore a multitude of captivating racing promotions offered by horse racing bookmakers on Friday, February 28. Immerse yourself in the thrill with generous bonus back offers, elevating your betting experience. Delve into these promotions from top-tier online bookmakers to maximise your betting opportunities. The top Australian racing promotions for February 28, 2025, include: Today’s best horse racing promotions Blonde Boosts! Elevate your prices! BlondeBet T&C’s Apply. Login to BlondeBet to Claim Promo DOUBLE WINNINGS ALL RACES AT MOONEE VALLEY | UP TO $50 BONUS CASH Get DOUBLE WINNINGS paid in BONUS CASH. Applies to Win, Place & Top 2/3/4 markets (excludes SRM). First eligible bet per race. Must apply Promotion in bet slip. Cash bet only. Max Bonus $50. Picklebet T&Cs apply. Login to Picklebet to Claim Promo COPYCASH. GET COPIED. GET PAID – Get paid $0.10 every time someone uses Copy Bet to copy your bets Earn $0.10 per unique Copy Bet. Max $1000 per week. Copy Cash is real money into your account. Dabble T&Cs apply. Login to Dabble to Claim Promo Moonee Valley – Friday Bonus Back 2nd All Races Any Race. Any Runner. Any Odds. Get a Bonus Back if your runner comes second. Fixed odds only. Eligible customers only. T&Cs apply. T&C’s apply. Login to UniBet to Claim Promo Owners Bonus – Win a bet on your horse & receive an extra 15% of winnings in cash Account holder must be registered as an official owner of the nominated horse. Fixed odds only. PlayUp T&Cs Apply. Login to PlayUp to Claim Promo Odds Drift Protector If the price at the jump is bigger than the price that you took, we will pay you out at the bigger odds Eligible customers. T&C’s apply. Login to Bet365 to Claim Promo Moonee Valley & Canterbury | Friday Best Tote Exotics Available on Exactas, Quinellas, Trifectas & First Fours. Eligible customers only. T&Cs apply. customer T&C’s apply. Login to UniBet to Claim Promo BoomBet Daily Race Returns Use your daily Race Returns to back a runner in ANY RACE you want* and if your horse doesn’t win but finishes in the specified positions, you get your stake back as a bonus bet. 18+ Gamble responsibly. Can be used across any race and code unless specified in customer’s BoomBox. Fix odds, win bets only. Max bonus $50. Login to BoomBet to Claim Promo How does horsebetting.com.au source its racing bonus offers? HorseBetting.com.au meticulously assesses leading Australian horse racing bookmakers, revealing thoroughbred bonus promotions for February 28, 2025. These ongoing offers underscore the dedication of top horse racing bookmakers. In the realm of horse racing betting, when one bookmaker isn’t featuring a promotion, another is stepping up. Count on HorseBetting.com.au as your go-to source for daily rewarding horse racing bookmaker bonuses. Enhance your value with competitive odds and promotions tailored for existing customers. Easily access these offers by logging in to each online bookmaker’s platform. For valuable insights into races and horses to optimise your bonus bets, trust HorseBetting’s daily free racing tips. Horse racing promotions View the full article

Super Saturday in Dubai has been upstaged a little bit by the success of the Saudi Cup program, but the March 1 renewal still has plenty of firepower for horses looking for a spot on Dubai World Cup night.View the full article

A year after Honor Marie ran in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Kerry and Alan Ribble are back on the road to Churchill Downs as Drexel Hill targets the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (G1).View the full article

8th-Gulfstream, $78,540, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 2-27, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.16, ft, 2 1/2 lengths. GRANDE (c, 3, Curlin–Journey Home {GSW, $225,997}, by War Front) put in a promising debut performance going an eighth of a mile shorter to take a win first-time out at odds of 9-1 Jan. 11. Now favored at even-money facing winners for the first time, the Triple Crown-nominated colt sat poised in second just off pacesetter Jimmy's Dailys (Vekoma) who spurted to the front from the rail. Tracking that runner past the half in :47.61, Grande began to assert himself off the far turn and quickly put 2 1/2 lengths on the early leader, holding that advantage while ridden out to the line. It was the second win on the afternoon at Gulfstream for Todd Pletcher and Repole Stables who also scored with Edgy (Arrogate) in race four. Journey Home, who sold for $650,000 in foal to Curlin at KEENOV in 2021, has already produced Ticker Tape Home (Medaglia d'Oro), GSW, $273,916 and now has two winners from three to race. This is the family of GI Arkansas Derby winner and Japanese sire Nadal (Blame). Journey Home visited both Into Mischief and Tapit for this season. Sales History: $300,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $88,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Repole Stable; B-KatieRich Farms (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. #5 GRANDE ($4.20) and John Velazquez (@ljlmvel) impress in Race 8 at @GulfstreamPark nabbing another victory for the team of @PletcherRacing and @RepoleStable. Our on-site coverage from Gulfstream continues on @FanDuelTV, presented by @ClaiborneFarm. pic.twitter.com/nvKgwLWzSF — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 27, 2025 The post Grande Stays Perfect With Allowance Win At Gulfstream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Back in the late 2000s, the racing world was captivated by the formidable Zenyatta, who put together an astounding 19-race winning streak with her trademark rallies from far back. Then there was Rachel Alexandra, whose jaw-dropping performance in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks and historic Preakness Stakes victory were part of an undefeated campaign that saw her capture Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and Horse of the Year honors. Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra commanded respect, were immensely popular, and deserved all of their accolades. But during that same era, Blind Luck crafted a terrific career in her own right. From her winning debut in the early summer of 2009 at Calder to her career finale at Santa Anita in early October 2011, Blind Luck proved herself to be an owner's dream. Over the course of her 22-race career, Blind Luck accomplished the following: She won 12 races at 8 different tracks across North America. She won 10 graded stakes (6 of them being a Grade I), and was third or better in 9 others. She captured multiple graded stakes wins in each of her three seasons of action. She won several major races, including the Hollywood Starlet, Kentucky Oaks, Alabama Stakes and Vanity Handicap (now the Beholder Mile). She proved she could win on dirt and synthetic tracks, and was successful both sprinting and routing. She was named Champion 3-Year-Old Filly for the 2010 season. To win or place in 19 graded stakes is the sign of a truly special racehorse. That is even more true considering Blind Luck visited so many tracks in the country. She also defeated Havre de Grace, the 2011 Champion Older Mare and Horse of the Year. During an era where racing understandably watched the flashy and amazing performances of both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra, Blind Luck quietly went out and did her job when she left the starting gate. She never attained the popularity her contemporaries enjoyed, but Blind Luck put together a memorable and underrated career. She traveled many miles across North America to compete during her three seasons at the races. Her next stop should be Saratoga, as Blind Luck's work on the track is Hall of Fame worthy. The post Letter to the Editor: Blind Luck Should Be in the Hall of Fame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article