Wandering Eyes

3rd-Colonial Downs, $70,100, Msw, 7-26, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:03.99, ft, 5 1/2 lengths. FOND OF YOU (f, 2, Street Sense–Hallie Belle {MSW & GSP, $210,464}, by Medaglia d'Oro) broke alertly from her inside post, slightly heading a contentious group of three other quick rivals approaching the far turn. Continuing to show the way, the 4-1 shot put a length on the rest of the field at the top of the stretch, and began to extend that margin through the lane, which grew to 5 1/2 lengths in the end. Athenix (Good Magic) held on for second. Fond of You is a half-sister to GSP Maycocks Bay (Speightstown), $179,020. A daughter of French Group 3 winner Charity Belle (Empire Maker), Hallie Belle is a half-sister to MGSW Alms (City Zip) and Runnin N Gunnin (Gun Runner), third in this year's GII Fantasy Stakes. She foaled a full-sister to the winner this past season and was bred back to Nyquist for her 2026 foal. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O/B-Godolphin, LLC; T-Michael Stidham. Fond of You is a 4/1 debut winner in R3 at @ColonialDowns! @stidhamracing trains and Francisco Arrieta was up. #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/FbIMwlVa4F — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 26, 2025 The post Street Sense Filly Fond of You Leads All The Way on Colonial Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Reigning champion 3-year-old colt and 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), second last out in the GI Stephen Foster on June 28 at Churchill Downs, worked a half-mile in :48.80 (52/167) Saturday to the inside of Secured Lender over the Spa main track. The Chad Brown runner is expected to start in next Saturday's GI Whitney Stakes, a 'Win and You're In' race for the GI Breeders' Classic in November at Del Mar. “He worked super. It was just maintenance,” Brown said. “He's bounced out of the Stephen Foster race in good order, and he was moving great through the lane.” The $2.3 million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase will face a Whitney field expected to include some of the top older horses in the country with fellow 'Rising Stars' Fierceness (City of Light), Mindframe (Constitution) along with White Abarrio (Race Day), Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), Post Time (Frosted), Highland Falls (Curlin), Gould's Gold (Goldencents) and Mama's Gold (Bolt d'Oro) all possible. Brown said he is not too concerned just yet about where his horse ranks in terms of year-end honors, but feels Sierra Leone is in good order as he looks for his first win at the Spa. “It's early in the season still and a lot of racing to go,” Brown said. “The horse is the reigning 3-year-old champion and he's coming off a very nice race. I'm happy with how he's training and that's all that really matters to me at the moment.” Godolphin's homebred Highland Falls also turned in his final work for the Whitney when covering five furlongs in 1:01.55 (3/13) solo over the Saratoga Race Course main track on Saturday. Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the 5-year-old worked in his usual blinkers with Luis Saez up. The work was supervised by Blake Cox, the son of and assistant to Brad who said the team was pleased with what they saw from Highland Falls. “He was good. He went five-eighths from the half and went nice and smooth, letting him quicken down the lane,” Cox said. “He looked very happy and it was a good work. He's a good enough work horse on his own, so we just figured we'd go solo this week.” Highland Falls returns to the scene of his best performance to date, a four-length romp in last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup that equaled a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure. “He's doing great and obviously, he had a good year here last year, so I think he likes this place,” Cox said. “I think he's very similar to last year – we liked him a lot going into the Jockey Club and he's a more seasoned horse now. There's some very good horses in there, but hopefully he can get a piece of it.” The post Contenders Get Final Works In Before Next Weekend’s Whitney appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

2nd-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 7-26, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.87, ft, neck. SOLDIER N DIPLOMAT (c, 2, Army Mule–Diplomatic Miss, by Violence) had his fair share of admirers at this year's OBS March Sale, ultimately hammering to St. Elias for $950,000 after gliding over the synthetic track in :10 flat (see below) during his under-tack preview. Having logged five breezes at Keeneland at the back end of the spring, he trained forwardly once transferred to the Spa in late June and was duly dispatched as the 9-10 chalk in a field of eight first-time starters. Off only fairly from his low gate, the Feb. 15 foal was hustled along and settled in a stalking third as Vino Vici (Vino Rosso) made play through an opening quarter in :22.19. Tracking the leading pair around the turn, Soldier N Diplomat confronted Vino Vici approaching the eighth pole, edged clear and found the wire narrowly best. Accost (Maclean's Music) was one of the first to break the line, sat a midfield trip and was getting to the winner at the finish. St. Elias campaigned Army Mule, himself an $825,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile, to three wins from as many starts, capped by a victory in the GI Carter Handicap (114 Beyer). Machmer Hall purchased Diplomatic Miss, a daughter of four-time graded winner and four-times Grade I-placed Miraculous Miss (Mr. Greeley), for just $45,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January Sale. The mare is also represented by a yearling Authentic filly and last visited Arcangelo. Sales history: $950,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-St Elias Stable; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen. Soldier N Diplomat hangs on to win R2 at Saratoga and break his maiden on debut! Steve Asmussen trains and @jose93_ortiz was aboard. pic.twitter.com/JKXUSoGw7S — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 26, 2025 The post Army Mule’s Soldier N Diplomat Game on Debut at the Spa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Sunday at Saratoga, Ellis Park and Del Mar. Sunday, July 27, 2025 Saratoga 3, $100k, 2yo, 1mT, 2:18 p.m. Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Tapit's Legacy (Tapit)-MTO, OBSMAR, 550,000, :10 C-de Meric Sales, agent; B-Spendthrift Farm & Epic Racing Ellis 5, $100k, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 2:44 p.m. Dewi's Denali (Violence)-AE, OBSAPR, 105,000, :10 1/5 C-1880 Bloodstock, agent; B-Kelsey Danner Rare Eclipse (Yaupon), FTMMAY, 60,000, :10 3/5 C-Wavertree Stables Inc (C Dunne), agt; B-Three Diamonds Farm Street Beast (Street Sense), OBSAPR, 85,000, :10 2/5 C-Eddie Woods, agent; B-Davant Latham, agent Stunning Sapphire (Win Win Win)-AE, OBSAPR, 230,000, :10 C-Shooting Star Sales LLC; B-Niki Goodwin, agent Del Mar 5, $80k, 2yo, 1mT, 7:00 p.m. Born to Rock (Rock Your World), OBSMAR, 90,000, :10 1/5 C-Really and Truly Thoroughbreds, agt; B-Michael Warnick Huber (Omaha Beach), OBSAPR, 700,000, :10 C-Eddie Woods, agent; B-Three Amigos The post Summer Breezes Sponsored By OBS Sales: Sunday, July 27, 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Calandagan (Gleneagles) secured back-to-back victories for his trainer Francis Graffard in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes when reeling in Kalpana (Study Of Man) in a scintillating finish to the day's feature at Ascot. The Aga Khan Studs' four-year-old won by a length from Juddmonte's game filly, who had taken up the running off the home turn as early leaders Jan Brueghel (Galileo) and Continuous (Heart's Cry) weakened. Rebel's Romance (Dubawi) ran home late for Godolphin to take third for the second year running. This story is being updated. The post Calandangan Outguns Kalpana in King George Thriller appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

On her third appearance at Ascot, Fitzella (Too Darn Hot) set a fierce gallop from the gates and was never headed when winning the G3 Sodexho Princess Margaret Stakes by a length from Staya (Havana Grey). Bred by Bob and Pauline Scott at Parks Farm Stud, the winner had been beaten only a neck on her debut at the track in May before posting a convincing win at Haydock and then running fourth in the G3 Albany Stakes at the royal meeting. Fitzella is trained by Hugo Palmer, who outlined his intention to aim her towards the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf at the end of the season. A daughter of the Exceed And Excel mare Shamandar, she is a half-sister to the Listed-placed Admiral Nelson (Kingman) and was bought as a yearling from the Goffs UK Premier Sale for £170,000 by SackvilleDonald and Manor House Stables, where Palmer trains. The post Too Darn Hot’s Fitzella Makes All in the Princess Margaret appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

On the 75th anniversary of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot has announced a prize-money boost for next year to £2 million, which means it will become Britain's richest-ever race. This year's race, worth £1.5 million, is already the most valuable race to be run at Ascot. Last year's King George was officially the best mile-and-a-half contest in the world in the 2024 Longines World's Top 100 Group Races. “The roll call of winners over the last 75 years is unrivalled, and we are committed to ensuring that we continue to attract the very best horses to our midsummer highlight,” said Ascot CEO Felicity Barnard. That roll call includes such great names as Ribot, Nijinsky, Brigadier Gerard, Grundy, Shergar, Dancing Brave, Nashwan, Galileo and Enable. She continued, “We are also conscious of ensuring that the race remains internationally relevant in an increasingly competitive global picture. These days, there are plenty of options for connections to run their horses worldwide and year-round, so it's vital that we find the right balance of prize-money and prestige. By making this announcement now we hope that connections will be able to start planning backwards from the race already “We are very conscious of the fact we need to continue to invest in prize-money across the programme at all levels and we look forward to making further announcements regarding 2026 in due course.” The post King George to Become Britain’s Richest Race in 2026 at £2m appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dave The King will look for his crowning glory when he goes for back-to-back wins in the Group One HKJC Champions Cup (1,800m) at Greyville on Sunday. The Mike and Mathew De Kock-trained star is unbeaten in two starts this campaign, latterly winning the Group One Gold Challenge (1,600m) at Greyville in June. The four-year-old was a comfortable winner of this race 12 months ago, cruising clear on his way to becoming South African Horse of the Year. The father and son combination have their runner...View the full article

By Michael Guerin Andrew Stuart and Robbie Close were the kings of the giant killers at Addington on Friday. The trainer and driver combined to win two races at a best fixed odds double price of 275-1 as Moonlite Blood and Here Comes Marty downed their more favoured rivals to give Stuart a hard to come by Friday night double. It was the theme of the night as smaller stables won most of the races, the exception being Team Telfer who trained a double to move to 101 wins for the season. But around them it was Margo Nyhan, Bruce Negus, Jonny Cox, Kevin Fairburn, Ross Houghton and Kyle Cameron training the winners, with Cameron’s super impressive What The Dragon the only favourite to win for the entire Winter Rewards racenight. It was Stuart who took the honours though as Moonlite Blood paced a 1:56.6 mile rate to remain unbeaten this campaign beating a Dalgety and a Telfer horse. “He is a really nice horse and hasn’t finished yet,” says Stuart, who usually only has 20 or less horses in work. “Everybody knows it was a special win for us here last time but winning on a Friday night is a decent field is a level higher again. “He has a great group of owners, including blokes like Wheels (legendary galloping trainer John Wheeler) and Carey Hobbs (former chief executive Taranaki Racing) and they are having a whale of a time. “One guy has been in horses his whole adult life and said that was the biggest buzz he had ever had.” Stuart’s second winner Here Comes Marty snuck through the passing lane to win in a blanket finish and earned himself a short spell. “Even though he won he is better than that and I think he should have won easier so he can have a break.” Stuart and Close weren’t the only double winners to taunt punters as Sheree Tomlinson got her drives on Mouton Cadet ($14) and Got You Covered ($7) spot on to score a back to back driving double. Got You Covered used early manners and late toughness to wear down hot favourite Slots in the main handicap pace, his first win since joining Kevin Fairbairn three starts ago. Almighty won his Winter Rewards Trot for Cox and owner/breeder Jenny Butt while Kotare Rimu continued a great start to the juvenile season for Houghton with Bronson Munro doing the driving. But the win that will stick in the mind the longest and probably be repeated the most was that of What The Dragon, who trailed and sprinted like a trotter who is going to be a force in summer and not just getting winter rewards for trainer Kyle Cameron. View the full article

By Michael Guerin One race drive and one phone call was all it took for Move It Lou to find a new home with Tony Herlihy. But the champion horseman was placing the credit for the juvenile’s win at Alexandra Park on Friday with former trainers Logan Hollis and Shane Robertson. Herlihy drove Move It Lou in his first start four weeks ago and liked what he felt as the son of Sweet Lou finished second. He asked Hollis and Robertson, who also owned the gelding, whether he was for sale and is always the case with them the answer was “yes.” Herlihy’s first call was to Canadian owner Mike Tanev, who was quick to add another horse to his Down Under team and judging by how he won on Friday night it was money well spent. “Logan and Shane come up with a good juvenile or two every season, they have a great record finding young horses,” says Herlihy. “They owned the horse so they got good money and Mike gets a really nice horse.” Herlihy has known Tanev for years and previously sold him other horses but is training this one himself with an eye on an early tilt at a Sires’ Stakes heat. “That is the aim, the heat up here on September 5,” says Herlhy, with that Alexandra Park meeting to host juvenile Sires’ Stakes heat for the girls. Move It Lou started a big 30 minutes for Herlihy as he trained Regal Girl to win the $34,000 TAB Racing Club Metro Trot in the very next race. The beautifully-bred mare went past $100,000 in career earnings as she sprinted clear of Crackerjack and Bravehearthighlander. She is owned by Herlihy’s wife Suzanne along with their close friends and neighbours John and Trish Green, the Green’s son James and Trish’s sister Colleen Smith. “She has always been a nice mare but just took some time to strengthen up,” explains Herlihy. “She can now handle 2700m as we saw tonight and she is doing a really good job.” The night’s other Metro Final, of the pacers, went to a late-surging Leo Lincoln after a lovely Peter Ferguson up the passing to beat a very brave You Little Beauty. The winner broke 2:40 for the mobile 2200m, a big effort on a cold winter night, and is part owned by co-trainer Ray Green. Also impressive was Matty A in the main trot who overcame a 45m handicap to trot 3:28.6, a mid-race move from driver Andre Poutama the winning of the race. The big son of Dream Vacation looks stronger this prep for trainer Sheryl Wigg and with the open class ranks lacking great depth he wouldn’t look out of place in some of the bigger races. View the full article

Hardy three-year-old Stylish Secret will ensure trainer Mick Nolan can savour his 70th birthday celebrations after a strong win in the MRC Chairman’s Club Handicap (2400m) at Caulfield. The diminutive son of Sweet Orange has taken his connections on an enjoyable ride with his three victories to date, with Saturday’s triumph the gelding’s first since landing the Derby Trial last spring. Ridden by Craig Williams, Stylish Secret came from just beyond the speed to run down Verona Rupes. From 15 starts, Stylish Secret has won on three occasions and is twice placed, advancing his career earnings to A$260,725. A skilled horseman with years of experience as Mick Price’s right-hand man, Nolan relaunched his training career and secured stables at Mornington a couple of years ago. “My first runners I had at Moone Valley, Flemington and Sandown all won, and I have been cranky that I have had to wait four starts for a win at Caulfield, but I have got the whole four now,” Nolan joked. “It’s unbelievable. We have a great bunch of owners. it’s what racing is all about, a cheap horse, look at these people you couldn’t get them any happier could you. “I was nervous because I thought it was going to be the end (of preparation run), but he is such a tough little horse, he’s only 420kg and 15 hands, and he just cops the work, he is an amazing horse.” Nolan praised the ride by Craig Williams and said he was looking forward to celebrating tomorrow by ‘Drinking about 10 stubbies too many’. “All the owners are going to be there and you only get to 70 once in your life, so it will be good fun,” he said. Stylish Secret was purchased in New Zealand by part-owner Helen Thomas off Gavelhouse.com for just $2,300 as a weanling. A highly-acclaimed journalist, broadcaster and author, Thomas was on the hunt for a staying type and sought the advice of long-time friend, the late Deane Lester, one of Australia’s most respected form students. “Deane (Lester) did suggest that I have a look on Gavelhouse because it is a really great website to find horses, particularly broodmares and young horses,” Thomas said. “I jumped on and lot number one was this happy, little horse – he looked like a bit of a ragamuffin as a weanling. “He was by Sweet Orange out of a Savabeel mare called Scarlett Secret and bred and raised at Windsor Park Stud. “Daqiansweet Junior by Sweet Orange was doing really well at the time, and I thought, here’s a horse that is certainly bred to be a middle-distance horse, if not a fully-fledged stayer and wouldn’t it be good to grow him up and have a bit of a fun with him. “A month or two after I bought him, his half-brother won a trial and was sold to Australia and that’s Unseen Ruler (winner of six races).” View the full article

Enigmatic galloper Diamond Jak exacted the perfect revenge when he came with a perfectly timed run to take out Saturday’s feature flat race at Te Rapa, the Callinan Family Taumarunui Gold Cup (2100m) after being narrowly denied success in the 2024 version of the event. The Mark Brosnan-trained rising seven-year-old had beaten narrowly by Saturday’s race rival Hula Beat in a stirring finish in 2024 and brought good form to the 2025 edition although this was tempered by his knack of missing the jump in his races and setting himself an impossible task on most occasions. Rider Samatha Collett was wide awake to those habits as she got him away on terms on Saturday and had him travelling sweetly towards the rear but well within striking distance. Collett set him alight approaching the home turn and he loomed into contention outside topweight Drop Of Something (60kgs) with 300m to run. That pair set down to fight out a driving finish which saw Diamond Jak thrust his head in front to defeat Drop Of Something at the winning post, with Quick Fire and Arjay’s Flight close-up behind the first two. Brosnan cut a contented figure when questioned after the race. I’m very happy as he should have won the race last year, so I’m very grateful to get it today,” Brosnan said. “He is a big horse but not the biggest frame as he doesn’t eat much. “It was also a very good ride by Sam.” Collett had noted before the race her biggest goal was to get the horse away from the starting gates with the rest of the field and was relieved she had done that. “He has definitely hopped (out) a bit better, but in saying that I was still a long way back,” she said. “Plan B was to let him get through his gears and at the half mile he was tracking up nicely on a speed that had been quite genuine. “He was still making hard work of it on the corner and I had covered more ground than Christopher Columbus, so I was pleased he was so fit. “Mark has done a great job with him and he was unlucky not to win last year. He was the fittest and best horse here today.” The six-year-old son of Jakkalberry has now won five of his 31 starts and over $194,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Race favourite Force Of Nature made it five wins from five starts at Te Rapa when he strolled home in the Woods Contracting 1300 (1300m) on Saturday. Bred and raced by Milan Park principal Tony Rider, the son of Savabeel has continued to improve since breaking his maiden status back in October last year and is unbeaten in three starts after resuming from a summer spell with a win in rating 75 company in April followed by his inaugural open handicap success in early May. Trainer Andrew Forsman gave his emerging star another short break and he returned to action with a vengeance, defeating Marlborough Bay and Dusty Road with ease. Senior rider Michael McNab had his mount perfectly situated in midfield before angling him to the outer in the home straight. Force Of Nature bounded clear at the 200m with McNab easing him to the line nearly two lengths clear of Marlborough Bay, Dusty Road and Martell who all chased gamely but to no avail. Rider was delighted to see Force Of Nature continue on his winning way and has high hopes that success can be maintained. “That was a very good run in a nice field,” Rider said. “I know Andrew thinks a lot of him and we all hope he can continue his development to get him up to black type level. “Andrew has always said he has heaps of ability but it has taken some time for him to mature and he has more growing up to do. “They have taken him along quietly and he is displaying the benefit of that. Personally, I think he could get up to a mile and that will open up some exciting stakes opportunities for him.” Force of Nature is out of the O’Reilly mare Elusive Nature (NZ) and is the younger brother of Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy winner (1200m) Shezzacatch (NZ) (Savabeel)who also ran 4th in the 2023 Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) behind Levante (NZ) (Proisir). He has now won five of his nine starts and just under $124,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

A nasty fall that extinguished the chances of four of the nine runners in the Property Brokers Taumarunui 3YO (1400) at Te Rapa overshadowed a fine victory by talented filly Ortega. The race changed in dramatic fashion when Illuminated Miss clipped the heels of race favourite Ribkraka as that runner crossed to the lead at the 1000m mark. The subsequent chain effect saw Gina Rosa, Gracetheace and I Park all hit the deck leaving the rest of the field to continue on. The Stephen Marsh-prepared Ortega kept in touch with Ribkraka and became his only danger as she challenged him on the outer in the home straight for apprentice Jack Taplin and got in a decisive stride right on the line to head him for the victory. “She was very good and very tough today,” Marsh said. “She was a while in between runs last time and got taken on at Rotorua which caused her downfall. We wanted to back her up and she showed the benefit of that decision today. “Young Jack Taplin couldn’t believe how she stayed on her feet as he said she had to hurdle one of the fallen runners. “It was very nice to get the win but you never want to see a fall like that as that is not what racing is all about and I just hope everyone involved is okay. Marsh will now take time to reassess his next moves with Ortega but believes she is in the right form to carry on over the next few months. “She probably doesn’t really like that deep ground now and enjoyed the Te Rapa surface which is never like a bog winter track,” he said. “With her going so well now and being rock hard fit I can see her picking up some good money over the next few months as she gets footing to suit.” Raced by Marsh, Dylan Johnson and American-based stable client Dennis Foster, Ortega is a daughter of Reliable Man and out of the stakes placed Rip Van Winkle mare Rayas. She has now won three of her 12 starts while she also finished third in the 2024 Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki. The four jockeys in the fall, Hayley Hassman, Rihaan Goyaram, Ashlee Strawbridge and Ace Lawson-Carroll, were transferred to Waikato Hospital by ambulance immediately after the race with a variety of injuries, although all were said to be conscious and speaking to Ambulance personnel. The four horses also escaped serious injury although all had scrapes, bumps and scratches for their efforts. A post-race inquiry saw Ribkraka disqualified from his second placing for causing serious interference while the meeting was set back one race to allow for the four riders to depart the track. View the full article

Talented juvenile filly Platinum Diamond made all posts a winner when she captured her second consecutive stakes victory in the last black type feature of the 2024-2025 racing season, the Listed Phils Electrical & Gypsy Caravans Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki. The Lisa Latta-trained daughter of Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain had scored handsomely in the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) at the venue last month with Bruno Queiroz in the saddle and the visiting Brazilian jockey made it three victories from three rides on the filly with another well-judged effort on Saturday. Queiroz had the filly settled nicely in midfield against the running rail early on before improving to sit just behind the pacemaker Spandeedo approaching the home turn. There was plenty of jostling between Spandeedo and several runners on his outer at that point, however Queiroz kept his mount hard against the fence to avoid any interference as Platinum Diamond cornered brilliantly and shot clear. Despite being hotly challenged in the closing stages by Luminance and Latta’s second runner Brutiful Lass, Platinum Diamond was too tough as she held a margin of just on a length ahead of her rivals at the winning post. “I was a little bit worried when there was a kerfuffle turning in but I think hard against the rail is as good as getting out wide,” Latta said. “Bruno got her in a good part of the track and that helped. She has a summer type coat already but she keeps herself well and she is very exciting. “I don’t think she is just a wet tracker so we’re going to give her two or three weeks as a freshener and she is going to the paddock at a good time.” Queiroz was impressed with how his mount had performed. “She is a very very good horse and such a lovely type,” he said. “I was very confident as she travelled well and in the last 600m she came through on the inside and was very happy to be there.” Lisa Latta Racing Stables paid $90,000 to buy Platinum Diamond from breeders Beaufort Downs during the Book 2 Sale at Karaka in 2024. The filly has now had four starts for three wins and $112,975 in stakes. View the full article

The win was a triumph for Louisiana-breds as owners Valene Farms, rider Brian Hernandez Jr., and Smoken Wicked all hail from the Pelican State.View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In the first race of her career Friday, Time to Dream (Not This Time) showed that she could very well have been given a fitting name. After overcoming trouble under jockey Jose Ortiz, the Repole Stable bay stormed from off the pace in the stretch to win the seventh race, a $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds by 2 1/4 lengths over pacesetter Maiora (Speightstown). Time to Dream completed the one mile on the inner turf course in 1:36.58 and paid $9.90 to win. Pan Pan (Audible) was another half-length back in third. Bred in Kentucky by Maggie Gleseke, the daughter of the Street Sense mare Wild Silk drew the attention of owner Mike Repole and his staff at last summer's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Nearly a year later, she debuted in style. “Obviously, a beautiful yearling,” said Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. “Mike reached out and gave $750,000 so she is one that we had high hopes for coming in. She's a very professional filly and trained really well leading into this. We were optimistic, but it's great to see her perform to where we thought she might be capable of.” Time to Dream is a half-sister to Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance), a three-time graded stakes winner on dirt. Yet, Time to Dream started her career on turf. “When we were first up here in the spring, the Oklahoma track was pretty deep and demanding, and it seemed like we were having some horses that were struggling with it a little bit,” Pletcher said. “She was not one of them, but we did work her one time on the turf. Not This Time is such a versatile stallion. It seems like he really gets runners that do just about anything. We thought she really breezed well on the turf and felt like she didn't want to rush in a maiden dirt race. We were just kind of waiting for this.” The half-mile turf work in :50.85 took place on the June 27 and put her on course for a race on the grass. Pletcher smiled at the obvious next question. “Today, she's a turf horse,” he said, “but we wouldn't rule out at some point trying the dirt.” Pletcher said Time to Dream might be a candidate for the 1 1/16th miles P.G. Johnson Stakes on turf on Aug. 27. Time to Dream was Pletcher's third winner of the meet in the top-level 2-year-old maiden special weight races. He is 3-2-1 from 11 starts. Making her second career start, Maiora quickly took command of the race under Hall of Famer Joel Rosario and led the field of eight through comfortable opening split times of :24.25 and :48.96. At the top of the stretch she extended her advantage to three lengths after covering six furlongs in 1:13.11 and looked like she would secure the victory for owners Susie and Ed Orr. Time to Dream was sitting in a stalking position going up the backstretch, but found trouble near the three-eighths pole and Ortiz had to check off the heels of Pan Pan. Moments later, he had to carefully avoid the heels of Repole stablemate Flighttown (Practical Joke) on the turn. “She broke great and put me into a good spot,” Ortiz said. “At the second turn, I kind of hit a little bit of traffic. She backed up a little, and then she re-broke again. It was very impressive. It was nice.” Pletcher's two horses were close to each other when Ortiz had to check. “She was making some good progress and then it looked like she kind of had to, not slam on the brakes, but at least kind of put it on hold for a few strides a couple of times,” Pletcher said. “But it's impressive to see her regroup and then deliver another big run. Ortiz took Time to Dream wide coming off the turn and she accelerated quickly to put herself into contention. She caught Maiora near the sixteenth pole and sped away. The post New ‘Rising Star’ Time To Dream To Stick To Turf For Now For Pletcher And Repole appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Some 24 hours after he was in a frightening spill at Colonial Downs and had to be airlifted to the hospital, jockey Tyler Conner made noticeable progress Friday and was able to take a few steps in the critical care unit at Virginia Commonwealth Hospital in Richmond. “The doctors are all very optimistic that he will make a full recovery,” said his father, John Conner. “They said it could take a month, it could take a year. We'll know a lot more in a few days.” Conner sustained a C1 fracture and broken nose following a spill in the seventh race July 24 at Colonial Downs. The remainder of the card was canceled after the incident. Conner was aboard Stanza (Great Notion), who clipped heels and unseated the 31-year-old jockey. He remained conscious following the spill. “It's 24 hours later and he walked around the critical care unit today,” Conner said. “And he did like three squats. The left arm is still a struggle for him. He can use it. But he looks like he was in a train wreck. They took X-rays today and there was nothing new. He was walking and I was crying this morning.” Conner said that his son refused to take the powerful drug oxycontin that was offered to him and instead relied on Tylenol to deal with the pain. “They say it will get better with time,” Conner said. “He refuses the serious painkillers. He wouldn't take the oxycontin they offered him last night before he went to sleep. He's just taking Tylenol. They also have him on Gabapentin, which is supposed to be good for the inflammationC1 fracture. He said when he initially got in the ambulance he couldn't move anything. Twenty-four hours later he can move his limbs and is doing well.” When asked if his son felt lucky to be alive, Conner said: “I guess it is a matter of inches. It could have gone one way or the other, so, yes, he is lucky to be alive. He doesn't go cheap when it comes to the helmets and the vests. The helmet did its job.” While Conner expects that his son will return to riding, he said nothing is certain. “Whether he rides again, I don't know,” he said. “We'll see where that goes. I think he'll be ok. My belief is he will ride again because I know he won't want to go out that way. And he's only 31. We'll just see how the progression goes. It's day-to-day, but it looks very good at this point for him. He understands it is part of the business. He's been racing motorcycles for 10 years, so he knows you can always leave in an ambulance.” The post Jockey Tyler Conner on the Mend appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – So far, trainer Joe Sharp has done little wrong at the Thoroughbred meet at Saratoga. If you've been following along, you know he has won six races with his first 15 starters. You might not know that he is also doing ok across the street at the harness track. Sharp has been moonlighting as a harness owner at night–along with former jockey Taylor Rice, the wife of jockey Jose Ortiz. They own a pair of pacers named Virgin Honor and Legal Bettor and they will both race Saturday night. They got involved in the sulky business a year ago. Legal Bettor will run in the second race and Virgin Honor will contest the fourth. Both will be driven by veteran Wally Hennessey, who just won his 12,000th career race earlier this week. He drove Virgin Honor to victory last Saturday night. “It really is a lot of fun,” Sharp said outside his barn on the Oklahoma Training Track. “This is sheer entertainment, and I have learned a lot. That's why I like it so much because I can learn a lot about a different industry. That is what makes it so intriguing for me and Taylor and Jose.” Sharp laughed when asked if he was a tough owner. “Last year I might have been a little bit tough, but I have a lot of faith in my trainer (Jaymes McAssey) and I am very good at letting him do his thing. But we are in the mindset that we want to win. We run them wherever they can win.” Sharp, 40, is all in on the harness thing. Every morning, after training his own string at Saratoga, he heads over to the harness track and jogs a few horses. “They usually hold one or two for me to jog,” he said. “It's a lot of fun.” As far as changing careers, that isn't happening. His wife, former jockey Rosie Napravnik, just rolls her eyes when that subject came up. Sharp is having plenty of fun so far at Saratoga as his horses have been showing up for him. He is just two wins away from career win No. 1,000. “Only because you guys remind me of it all the time,” Sharp said with a smile when asked if he thinks about the milestone. “Honestly, I don't think about it much. I'm very proud of our team and getting to that point does not weigh on me at all.” As far as the sizzling start goes, he'll take it. Last year's Saratoga meet saw him win five times in 49 starts. “The right races went for us early in the meet,” he said. “We are grateful how everything has been clicking and we have a lot of horses yet to run. Some of the horses that have already won might start, some might not. It's important for me up here. The track is great, the atmosphere is great, and the weather is fantastic.” And if Sharp wasn't busy enough, he still finds time to run between eight and 10 miles four or five times a week. “I went 11 the other day,” he said, “that's because I got lost!” La Cara, Nitrogen Work Towards Alabama Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said he has never had two quality 3-year-old fillies like these. He is counting down the days when he will run La Cara (Street Sense) and Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GI, $600,000 Alabama Stakes on Aug 16. La Cara working Friday | Sarah Andrew Both fillies worked on the main track at Saratoga Friday morning. La Cara, who missed last weekend's GI Coaching Club American Oaks because the barn she was in was under quarantine, went five furlongs in :59.76 (1/16) with regular exercise rider Mary Rose Hitt. Casse said that while under quarantine, La Cara missed three days of training. “I don't think I have worked her five-eighths in a long time,” Casse said outside his barn on the main track. “I am trying to put some air into her since we didn't get to run.” The last time La Cara worked five furlongs was Mar. 21 at Palm Meadows in Florida. Since then, she has had six, four-furlong works before Friday. La Cara, owned by Tracy Farmer, has three wins in five starts this year, including a pair of Grade I races. In her latest, she won the GI Acorn at Saratoga on June 6. D J Stable LLC's Nitrogen has started six times this year, five of them on grass. In her lone try on dirt, Nitrogen won the off-the-turf GIII Wonder Again by 17 lengths over two grass horses. Friday, she worked four furlongs in company and was timed in :48.02 (8/60). “She worked phenomenal,” Casse said. While Casse is excited about his two fillies heading to the Alabama, he is also facing the fact that he will not be attending the King's Plate at Woodbine. That is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race and the oldest continuously run race in North America. Casse plans on having a horse, maybe two, in the King's Plate, a race he has won three times. “I can't ever remember missing one,” Casse said, “but the Alabama is the same day, and I have never had two fillies in the Alabama.” Bauer's Barn Has Taken Some Hits Last summer, trainer Phil Bauer had some high hopes for a pair of young horses. Jonathan's Way (Vekoma), a 2-year-old colt, and Two Sharp (Twirling Candy), a 2-year-old filly, had shown plenty of promise. Fast forward a year and Bauer doesn't have either of them in his barn. He just hopes they can return next season. Phil Bauer | Sarah Andrew “We have been annihilated with depression,” Bauer said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track. Here' why. Start with Jonathan's Way, owned by Richard Rigney's Rigney Racing LLC. After breaking his maiden at Saratoga by 4 1/4 lengths last summer, he took a hike up in class and won the GIII Iroquois Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths at Churchill Downs. After a lackluster seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 1, he rebounded with a second in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. Then, nothing. “He had an infection and then he had colitis,” Bauer said. “He looked like an emaciated horse. It was awful. He is doing ok now.” Bauer said Jonathan's Way is back home on the farm. He'll get the rest of the year off. Two Sharp, also owned by Rigney, won three of four starts last year, including the GIII Chilukki Stakes at Churchill. In her one race this year, Two Sharp won the GIII Winning Colors by 3 1/2 lengths. She hasn't been seen since. Bauer said Two Sharp has had a soft tissue issue and is also at the farm. “She is crazy good, that filly,” Bauer said. “Probably the best horse I ever had. She is just naturally fast and doesn't stop; she is one that does not get tired.” All Bauer can do now is wait and see if both horses can get back to the races as 4-year-olds. “That is the plan,” he said. “It's not like they are retired. They are turned out and we'll reevaluate them and try again. You are always hopeful, but you can't get too high on them, because they will just break your heart.” The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Sharp Spa Start For Always On the Go Trainer Sharp appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Louisiana-bred SMOKEN WICKED (c, 3, Bobby's Wicked One–Street Smoke, by Street Boss) turned the tables on Macho Music (Maclean's Music) Friday to win the GII Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga going away. Second last out in the Maxfield Stakes at Churchill, the Dallas Stewart runner ran sixth in the GII Pat Day Mile behind Macho Music two back on the Derby undercard. Pressing that rival on the front from the first jump, it was Smoken Wicked at odds of 5-2 who had the most to say late as the 8-5 favorite began to fade along the rail into the stretch. Ridden out by Brian Hernandez, Jr., he led in Gunmetal (Gun Runner) while geared down late in a final time of 1:15.64. O-Valene Farms LLC; B-Tom Curtis & Wayne Simpson; T-Dallas Stewart. Sales History: $38,000 ylg '23 BSLY&M. Smoken Wicked (5-2) ships in from Ky for @DallasStewart3 and wins G2 Amsterdam by 5 3/4 lengths. @b_hernandezjr on board. 3-6-5-1 pic.twitter.com/wSg5gUgYx7 — Tim Wilkin (@tjwilkin) July 25, 2025 The post Smoken Wicked Impressive In Amsterdam Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Five of the eight starters have competed in previous runnings of the Eddie Read, including 2023 winner Gold Phoenix.View the full article

Morning-line favorites Bellezza and La Mehana, plus longshot Sacaya, give trainer Miguel Clement three opportunities to win the 1 1/2-mile Glens Falls Stakes (G2T) July 27 at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article

Thistledown Racino's firing this week of track superintendent Sean Wright followed reports of alleged safety issues with the track's one-mile dirt surface that led to lost days of training and racing. There have also been multiple racing and training equine fatalities since the meet began Apr. 21. The ongoing autopsy on these events has raised compliance question marks (both at Thistledown and nationally) over a key component of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) racetrack safety program. Under this program, tracks are required when operating a meet to submit a set of measurements daily made at all quarter-mile markers at distances of five feet and 15 feet from the inside rail. This includes moisture content and, for dirt and synthetic tracks specifically, cushion depth. Officials say these timely measurements are necessary to help identify on a day-to-day basis any potential equine safety concerns with the track surface. “If we see any problems at a track—catastrophic injuries, problems with soreness on the horses—we should be able to provide to the regulatory vets and HISA real-time data either to identify problems with the tracks or rule out any issues with the tracks,” said Mick Peterson, director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL) in Kentucky, to which these measurements are to be submitted. According to HISA, there have been windows since Apr. 21 when Thistledown failed to file these daily reports. While this track surface data was being collected, it was “not consistently manually uploaded to the system,” wrote HISA's senior communications manager Mackenzie Kirker-Head, in an email answer to a series of questions. She declined, however, to provide specific dates as to when the measurements weren't submitted daily. “Thistledown did go back and upload the collected track surface data to the system after we reached out to them concerning the matter,” Kirker-Head added. “To the extent that you want information on specific days missed, once the data is rectified, we no longer track information on which days were missed,” wrote Kirker-Head. When asked Friday about this recording lapse, Wright—who had been in the track superintendent's position for about four months before his firing—said that for the first few weeks of the meet, he was unable to submit these records as he was without a computer, though he was recording the measurements in a notebook. When Wright got a computer, he then uploaded the measurements as required, he said. “I even had to go back and catch a lot of things up because it took a while from the time I got here working on the track to the time I actually got a computer. There was a gap in time there, and I had to go back and catch it up,” said Wright, adding that he wouldn't submit track moisture data on days of heavy rainfall, as it wasn't necessary. Earlier in the week, Wright told TDN that a period of heavy rainfall in the spring—during which time the surface appeared safer, he said—was followed by much drier conditions this summer. This is when Wright's maintenance crew repeatedly failed to follow his orders on adding enough additional water to the track, he said. “I don't mean to throw my guys under the bus, but a spade's a spade here,” Wright said, who told the TDN he has text messages which proves the alleged insubordination. Reached Friday, Wright reiterated that he believes he did everything he could to safely maintain the track's surface conditions, and that he had consistently submitted to HISA a separate set of track maintenance data. “I'm not going to defend myself any more because I did my job and I did my job well,” he said. “Because of this, I won't have a job like this any more—there's no way I'm going to be a track superintendent again. There's no way they're going to touch me with a 10-foot pole. “Find somebody who cares for a racetrack more than I do,” Wright added. “I've spent 45 years in this business. My family's been in this business 100 years. I've spent blood, sweat and tears on these racehorses, and you've all done a hatchet job on me.” National Reporting Standards Racetracks are required to submit these daily surface condition measurements (during a race-meet) as part of HISA's accreditation program. “Reporting compliance is one of many factors that are considered when evaluating racetrack accreditation, and we take compliance with those reporting requirements very seriously,” wrote Kirker-Head. It appears, however, that Thistledown hasn't been the only track failing to submit these daily reports since HISA went into effect. Kaleb Dempsey, RSTL laboratory manager, told TDN last November that these requirements were not being uniformly met across all U.S. racetracks. “We have a high number of tracks that are finally starting to provide their daily measurements thorough the maintenance quality system. That's a good thing—it's how we really pull this data together,” said Dempsey last November, about the connection between surface conditions and equine injury. “But the hardest step is to actually get people to take the daily measurements so we can have those links.” When asked if all tracks currently operating a meet are now in compliance with the daily surface report mandate, Kirker-Head wrote that they're in “substantial compliance” with this requirement. “If a track misses a day or two, we address it with them. HISA keeps the details of those reports between us and the track,” Kirker-Head wrote. According to Peterson, while some tracks—particularly the larger facilities—are in strict compliance with this requirement, others (especially the smaller, more cash-strapped tracks) are still found wanting. “What I would like to see is us having this information so we can avert problems, and that really takes having this data put in every day,” said Peterson. “We're not there yet, and I would like to get there.” When asked if some tracks miss than a day or two's worth of data, Peterson said that “some of them are perfect. I can't emphasize that enough.” However, “some of the smaller tracks just struggle to keep up,” he added, declining to give specific timeframes. The question, therefore, is this: how best to bring all facilities up to speed? In light of recent events, Thistledown has reportedly ordered a device called an Integrated Racetrack Surface Tester, to help streamline the data recording requirements. “This machine will be able to take the required track surface data measurements, which are uploaded via GPS directly to the Maintenance Quality System, streamlining and automating the collection of track surface measurements for track superintendents,” wrote Kirker-Head. Peterson also raised another endemic issue plaguing the sport—of the loss of institutional knowledge as an ageing workforce exits the sport, leaving behind a vacuum of experience and expertise. “What I would really like to see is the industry continue to support those tracks, and part of this gets back to the struggle with these workforce issues,” he said. “This is as true of some of the vet issues as it is the track issues.” The post Thistledown Furor Raises Compliance Questions with Key HISA Track Safety Requirement appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The aptly-named TIME TO DREAM (f, 2, Not This Time–Wild Silk, by Street Sense) impressed in her debut start on the grass at Saratoga, becoming a new 'TDN Rising Star' for all-star connections Todd Pletcher and Repole Stable. The pricey daughter of Not This Time, half of a coupled entry, found herself mid pack in this one-mile spot racing a path off the fence into the backstretch. Caught back around the far turn as her stablemate Flighttown (Practical Joke) got the first move on pacesetter Maiora (Speightstown), the 7-2 shot swung out six wide at the quarter pole and quickly put this field behind her in an eye-catching final quarter. The final time for the mile was 1:36.56. O-Repole Stable; B-Maggie Gieseke; T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $750,000 ylg '24 FTSAUG. #2B TIME TO DREAM ($9.90) broke her maiden in impressive fashion in the 7th race at Saratoga. The juvenile filly by @TMStallions' Not This Time was piloted by @jose93_ortiz for trainer @PletcherRacing and owner @RepoleStable. She is a half-sister to MGSW Red Carpet Ready! pic.twitter.com/GtUg03X60D — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) July 25, 2025 The post Aptly-Named Time to Dream A New ‘Rising Star’ For Todd Pletcher And Mike Repole At Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article