Wandering Eyes

By Michael Guerin Benjamin Butcher isn’t sure his return to race driving will bring him a win at Alexandra Park on Friday night but it will sure feel like one. The popular Waikato horsemen hasn’t been seen in a race since a smash at Alexandra Park in August that left him with a shoulder injury and concussion. It was the latter that has caused Butcher the most grief, with anybody who has had concussion knowing the “foggy head feeling” that Butcher had to go through. “It was pretty bad there for a while but a lot better now,” says Butcher. Butcher will have two drives tonight. “I was in no real hurry or had a set date to get back out there but this race came up with two in it I train so it seemed the right opportunity.” He will partner Hearts N Aces in Race 4, the Gallagher Insurance Mobile Pace for mainly three-year-old maidens while father David will drive I Can Too. “They are both nice horses but they have also only had one trial each this time. “The maidens weren’t going fast last week so I decided to race them this week but I think the one Dad is driving is actually a better chance.” “But I think they are both better than maidens eventually.” Ironically the horse Butcher was driving when he had his race accident in August, Iron Heart, is in the same race and listed as a debutante because after the fall that night the race was deemed a no-race. Butcher’s first drive back will actually be the race before on Rise To The Occasion in Race 3, the Dunstan Speedfeed Summer Series – Handicap Trot. The dependable trotter is looking at least a place chance in a race that should be dominated by the backmarkers. The night has plenty of horses just tipping into odds-on including two from the Purdon barn in Without You (Race 1) and Demon Blue (Race 6) while the biggest certainty of the night is Ray Green and Nathan Delany will train the winner of the two-year-old race as they have all five starters. One of the other features will be Kyvalley Hotspur dropping back from taking on Muscle Mountain and Oscar Bonavena lately when starting off a 45m handicap in the $20,000 main trot, the Lone Star Alexandra Park Handicap Trot. View the full article

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations: Date: 02/18/2025 Licensee: Raymond Valerio, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU. Explainer: For the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on Crypto Conspiracy during the race period. Date: 02/18/2025 Licensee: Amador Sanchez, trainer Penalty: 30-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 19, 2025; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $2,500; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Also: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); Treated as 1 violation with Mayheminthepalace under 09/08/23 HISA Guidance. Final decision of internal arbitration panel. Explainer: Medication violations for the presence of Lidocaine-a controlled substance (Class B)-in samples taken from Mayheminthepalace, who won at Remington Park on 10/4/24, and from Excuses, who finished second at Remington Park on 10/6/24. Date: 02/17/2025 Licensee: Gerald Butler, trainer Penalty: 20-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 18, 2025; a fine of $10,000; payment of $5,000 of HIWU's arbitration costs (Rule 3214(a)). Final decision by arbitral body. Explainer: Possession of a banned substance, Levothyroxine, and acts of retaliation and threats/intimidation. Date: 02/17/2025 Licensee: Jon Glenn Arnett, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Also: A fine of $500; imposition of 1 Penalty Point; referral to the relevant state or federal authority. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: Medication violations for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on Blessed Anna during the race period, and for “Possession of a Controlled Medication Substance or Controlled Medication Method not in compliance with applicable State or Federal law” for an event dated 9/28/24. Date: 02/13/2025 Licensee: David Wayne Baker, trainer Penalty: 15-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 14, 2025; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Final decision by internal adjudication panel. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Mepivacaine-a controlled substance (Class B)-in a sample taken from Mars Magic, who won at Ferndale on 9/7/24. Pending ADMC Violations: 02/14/2025, John Salzman, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Happy Hour Joker on 1/16/25. 02/14/2025, William Blair, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Triamcinolone–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Dot on 1/19/25. 02/13/2025, Alejandro Mendieta, trainer: Pending medication violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on Pure Elegance during the race period. 02/13/2025, Roshan Samsundar, trainer: Pending medication violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on Gringotts during the race period. 02/12/2025, Todd Pletcher, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Betamethasone–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Vassimo, who won at Gulfstream Park on 12/14/24. Read more on the story here. Violations of Crop Rule: Oaklawn Park Francisco Joaquin Arrieta–violation date Feb. 16; $500 fine, two-day suspension Francisco Joaquin Arrieta– violation date Feb. 14; $250 fine, one-day suspension The post Weekly National Regulatory Rulings, Feb. 13-19 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It now appears as if only two of the five tracks that ran summer fairs meets in Northern California in 2024 are willing to consider giving racing a go in 2025, exacerbating the racetrack fallout in that region that started when The Stronach Group ceased operations at Golden Gate Fields, the region's lone commercial track, last June. “Ferndale has expressed interest,” Oscar Gonzales, the vice chair of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), said at Thursday's monthly board meeting. “They're trying to bring together the different components. Fresno, their fair board leadership, who I communicated with, is also considering. But I'd have to say preliminarily that the other three fairs–Cal Expo, Santa Rosa and Pleasanton–are probably going to opt out this year, if not indefinitely.” In December, the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) board voted unanimously to rescind a proposed 2025 Golden State Racing meet at Pleasanton after a financially disastrous three-month autumn meeting at the tail end of 2024. That meet unsuccessfully attempted to fill NorCal's “anchor track ” void left by Golden Gate's closure, but the Pleasanton racing season didn't draw enough betting interest, and ended with a purse overpayment of approximately $800,000. Although Pleasanton's management (the Alameda County Fair) initially stated back in December that it intended to keep the facility open as an 850-stall training center to help maintain a Thoroughbred population base in the region, the number of horses stabled there had fallen below 500 by late January, enough of a tail-off that both Pleasanton and CARF jointly announced that such an option was no longer feasible. Around the same time, CARF itself said it would not apply for any 2025 race dates on behalf of any individual fairs, instead directing its staff to reorganize operations with a focus on addressing current obligations and supporting future efforts. “Alameda County Fairgrounds, which had planned to stay open as a training center through the summer fair season, has indicated that it will close on Mar. 25, or 33 days from today, making the prospect of a traditional fair racing season less likely,” CHRB executive director Scott Chaney said at the Feb. 20 meeting. Chaney explained that CHRB commissioners and staff have met with representatives from each fairs track, both individually and collectively, to get an idea of which entities are still considering operating race meets in 2025. “To a fair, they all expressed their desire to race, but acknowledged the hurdles to racing, which included economic headwinds,” Chaney said. “With the closure of Pleasanton, the prospect of no existing horse population in Northern California, and the logistics of operating a fair meet without the assistance of CARF,” Chaney said chances of a traditional five-track summer fairs circuit were difficult to envision. Chaney added that a transition group that had initially been started to help horses and humans relocate from Golden Gate to Pleasanton has been rekindled to prepare for the cessation of training and movement out of Pleasanton. Gonzales said the CHRB needs to prepare for a near-term assessment of how a vastly truncated fairs season will affect the state's racing workforce. “I think there will come a time when we have to have a conversation about what this board's role is, or is not, as it relates to other areas of impact because of this significant setback,” Gonzales said. “I think there will be time to talk about that. But we welcome any public input [about] the things that this board should be looking at in terms of the kind of leadership and commitment of resources, just to lessen the blow. And it will be quite significant, in my opinion The post NorCal Fairs Season In Jeopardy, With Only Ferndale And Fresno Expressing Interest appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 63rd annual class of Maryland-bred champions will be named starting next Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 10:00 a.m. ET each morning on social media, according to a press release from the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA). In addition to the divisional champions and Horse of the Year, the MHBA's top awards for Maryland stallion, broodmare and breeder will be revealed. The winners will be celebrated at the eighth annual Renaissance Awards, which will be held Friday, Apr. 18 at Laurel Park. The announcement schedule is as follows: Wednesday, Feb. 26–Maryland-bred Champion 2-year-olds (male, female) and 3-year-olds (male, female); Thursday, Feb. 27–Maryland-bred Champion Older Male, Older Female, Turf Runner and Sprinter; Friday, Feb. 28–Maryland-bred Horse of the Year, Broodmare of the Year, Stallion of the Year, Breeder of the Year The post 2024 Maryland-Bred Champions To Be Named Beginning Feb. 26 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Parx Racing in partnership with the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association are announcing the addition of Feb. 27 to their 2025 live racing calendar. The first post will occur at 12:05 p.m. ET.View the full article

When Cary Frommer was first approached by Fasig-Tipton about the concept of a digital 2-year-old in training sale, she was immediately sold. Frommer isn't necessarily known for showcasing the sharpest drills at the breeze-up sales, so when the veteran consignor learned that the horses in the sale would be presented to buyers with a gallop video rather than a timed breeze, she saw this as an opportunity to let her trainees show off their true potential. “I love the idea that you don't have to ship the horses and train for two weeks over a track they're not familiar with,” Frommer said. “Plus, there's the idea that we as consignors have some control over what the potential purchaser sees in that we don't have to work fast to get attention. Buyers have to be horsemen about it by looking at the horses and their movement. There are a lot of really good consignors out there who can make horses go very fast. I'm not one of them, so it doesn't suit me to be pitted up against fast times.” At this month's Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale, which opened for bidding on Thursday, Frommer has five horses entered in the 2-year-old in training portion of the auction. Along with a Tonalist filly and colts by Frosted, Great Notion and Silver State, Frommer's consignment will feature a filly by Munnings out of multiple stakes winner Midnight Disguise (Midnight Lute). “This filly is the whole picture,” said Frommer. “She's scopey and classy, does her job and could go on at any time. She could be anything. I've picked the five that I have in here because I think they all, if they did well, would help the digital platform because any one of them could be a really nice horse.” Frommer's strong showing in this inaugural sale must indicate that she has faith in the concept? “I don't know if faith is what you would call it, but I do have hope,” she noted. “I think ultimately it will be a real move forward in the sales. I understand the side of the coin the buyers are on too. Buying something off a video is hard to do, but I think that's when the relationship you have with the consigner comes into play.” Consignor Randy Miles explained how he believes that one of the keys to a successful digital 2-year-old sales arena will be giving the buyer as much information as possible. For the pair of colts that Miles has entered in this month's sale, that means offering not only the traditional vet reports and a gallop video to potential bidders, but also jogging videos and videos taken over several days of training, plus videos of the horse walking before and after a breeze. “I think trying to be as transparent as possible is really going to give the buyers much more confidence in what we're presenting,” he said. “[For the two he has entered] we decided to breeze them, but breeze them in say 13 seconds instead of 10. We wanted to show the buyers enough of the horse's movement, stride length and the way he carries himself, but keep it to a minimum. So we came up with going an eighth of a mile with another eighth or quarter-mile gallop out, just enough to show the buyers and make them comfortable.” Miles's two-horse consignment features a Not This Time colt named Clockin In who is out of GI Ogden Phipps Handicap victress and $1.1 million earner Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow). The mare has two stakes horses on her produce record. “He's a big, strapping, dark bay colt that we have come to really respect,” noted Miles. “He was shipped to us in October by the breeder and he has had no setbacks in his training. We think he has quite a bit of potential later on.” Both the Not This Time colt and a Dialed In colt selling as Hip 43 were sent to Miles with the goal of eventually going on to race for their breeders, but this digital sale opportunity gave owners the ability to easily present their homebreds to the market. “It was something that appealed to us because we didn't have to be so demanding on the horse to get them ready for a 2-year-old sale in March or April,” explained Miles. “I do not believe the digital sales will ever be a threat to the way we are currently conducting our normal 2-year-old sales with the breezes and the showing, but I do think this appeals to both sellers and buyers. I think it's a wonderful idea. It's something that is needed. Some people have an appetite for the [traditional] 2-year-old sales and then some people may not have an appetite for the speed that we ask for in our 2-year-old sales, so this appeals to a lot of different people.” Tristan de Meric shares the same belief as Miles that digital sales will not replace 'brick and mortar' 2-year-old sales, but he said that digital sales could be a good fit for horses that end up needing more time to develop and would get overlooked at a traditional breeze-up sale. Yaupon colt out of Frosty Margarita | Katie Petrunyak de Meric said another likely case for a digital sale juvenile might be a horse that a breeder intends on racing themselves, but would like to present the horse to the market without sending them through the rigorous 2-year-old sales prep process. Like the two colts Miles has entered in the February Sale, the 2-year-old that de Meric will offer fits that bill. The son of Yaupon out of multiple stakes winner Frosty Margarita (Frost Giant) is a homebred for Chip Acierno's Gabrielle Farm. “[Fasig-Tipton's] Peter Penny took us to lunch to tell us about this idea and before he finished his sentence explaining what the sale was about, this horse popped into my mind,” recalled de Meric. “His breeder had thrown out that he might be interested in putting him in a sale, but he's also happy to go on and race. We've had him at the farm since October of his weanling year and he's been a beautiful horse from day one. I've always liked him. We wanted to make sure we brought a horse that could grab people's attention for this format as an experimental trial run.” He continued, “We've had several people come out and look at him already, just from us talking to people and the Fasig-Tipton team doing a great job of promoting these horses and making sure the right people are paying attention. I think for horses like the one we have entered, being a homebred of a client that is open to racing, it might be a little more appealing to some breeders instead of putting them into a 2-year-old sale, so I think there's a spot for this. There may be some kinks that need to be ironed out, but people want to buy early and keep going with the horse, so I think it could definitely be a small wave of the future.” Fasig-Tipton's February Digital Sale will feature a total of 13 two-year-olds in training, in addition to horses of racing age, breeding stock and a stallion season to Street Sense, and the sale will conclude Tuesday, Feb. 25. The post A Space for Digital Two-Year-Old Sales? Consignors Weigh In appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

OwnerView, an effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the TOBA, is hosting its first virtual Thoroughbred Owner Conference panel to be held Tuesday, March 11, at 2:00pm, with a discussion pertaining to accounting, legal, and insurance considerations. Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView, will moderate the panel with guests Chapman Hopkins, chair of Stoll Keenon Ogden's Equine Litigation group; Joe Daugherty, public accountant for Dean Dorton, leading equine tax practice; and Mike Levy, founder of Muirfield Insurance. “The OwnerView webinar series is the industry's leading effort to educate and provide access to experts for new and existing owners,” said Falter. “In 2024, the webinars once again provided compelling topics and expert speakers, and the series continues to attract a wide audience of owners from around the country. At last count there have been over 17,000 views of the webinars. With the success of the online webinars, OwnerView is proud to offer another great series of topics in 2025.” Nine additional Thoroughbred Owner Conference virtual panels are scheduled for 2025. Registration is required and available free of charge here. The post OwnerView 2025 Thoroughbred Owner Conference Series Kicks Off March 11 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A select field of five, anchored by Godolphin's GI Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes heroine Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal), lines up in the 1800-metre G2 Balanchine on grass, the cornerstone of the Meydan programme on Friday. The GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf second will attempt to give trainer Charlie Appleby his seventh consecutive winner of the Balanchine. “We gave Cinderella's Dream a little break following the Breeders' Cup and she looks fresh and well,” said Appleby of the GII Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes victress. “This will be her only start in Dubai before we look at taking her back out to North America for the summer. She isn't finely tuned for this, as it's the start of hopefully another long campaign, but her preparation has gone well and she looks a worthy favourite.” Her main rival is last out G2 Cape Verdi heroine Choisya (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), who is trained by the father-and-son duo of Simon and Ed Crisford. “We're really pleased with the way Choisya has been training out here in Dubai,” said co-trainer Ed Crisford. “She won the Cape Verdi in good style and I think if she can progress again she'll be very competitive.” Oaks Points On The Table The Balanchine is one of a quartet of black-type races on a busy Friday in the UAE, and the G3 UAE Oaks offers the winner a free berth in the GI Kentucky Oaks on the first Friday in May. Worth 50 'Road to the Kentucky Oaks' points, the 1900-metre dirt race features eight fillies, with the Norwegian-trained Queen Azteca (Sharp Azteca) tops on ratings for trainer Niels Petersen. A winner at Jagersro in Sweden earlier in her career, the filly ran second to Flama Sunshine (Flameaway) in a 1400-metre conditions affair locally in December, but rebounded to take the 1600-metre Cocoa Beach Stakes (Cond.) here over Taswaheen (Mendelssohn) and Arigatou Gozaimasu (Honest Mischief) last month. “Queen Azteca has come on for the race and will benefit from a little bit further,” said Petersen. “The opposition will be pretty much the same, so of course we are optimistic, but most importantly the filly just looks like she's getting better and better. “It's a big race for us, coming here for so many years, it means a lot to us if we're able to pull this one off, because we know it's very difficult to win here.” Also on the undercard are the G2 Nad Al Sheba Trophy, a qualifier for the G2 Dubai Gold Cup in April, and the Listed Al Bastakiya over the course and distance of the G2 UAE Derby, also on Dubai World Cup night. The Listed Al Khail Trophy one-two of Keffaaf (GB) (Adlerflug {Ger}) and King Of Conquest (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) vie in the former, while G3 UAE 2000 Guineas runner-up Heart Of Honor (GB) (Honor A.P.) faces 15 in the latter contest and leaves from the rail. The post Lucky Number Seven For Appleby In Balanchine? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

C R K Stable and Grandview Equine's Baeza (McKinzie–Puca, by Big Brown), the 3-year-old, half-brother to Classic winners Mage (Good Magic) and Dornoch (Good Magic), is joining the GI Kentucky Derby trail following an impressive maiden victory at Santa Anita Feb. 14. “We're looking forward–I would think 99%–that the (GI) Santa Anita Derby (Apr. 5) is where we belong running,” C R K Stable's Lee Searing said. “Staying at home, no matter who we run against, we got a nice horse and he deserves the chance.” The John Shirreffs-trained Baeza pressed and pounced his way to a 4 3/4-length maiden win going a two-turn mile, good for a 93 Beyer Speed Figure. He made two previous career starts, also at a mile, finishing ninth on debut over the Del Mar lawn Dec. 1, and a distant second behind 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) while making his dirt debut with first-time blinkers at Santa Anita Jan. 4. Rodriguez was subsequently second in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes Feb. 1. “He's a May foal, so it was really important that John took his time with him,” Searing said. “When Rodriguez beat him, my horse ran a really good race. We had to wait for either a stakes race or a maiden race and I wanted to run him back in a maiden. We've been through a few really good horses where we've jumped them into stakes races just due to lack of available races. This race came up and he really ran super.” #5 BAEZA ($6.40), the half brother to MAGE and DORNOCH, breaks his maiden in the 6th race at @santaanitapark. The three-year-old colt by McKinzie (@Gainesway) was ridden by @HIBerrios for trainer John Shirreffs. pic.twitter.com/p1zRmv5Sc1 — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 14, 2025 Hailing from the first crop of McKinzie, the Grandview Equine-bred Baeza brought $1.2 million to top the third session of the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling sale. Mage, the second foal out of the 'TDN Rising Star'-turned- bluehen mare Puca, upset the GI Kentucky Derby and also finished third in the GI Preakness Stakes earlier that spring. Dornoch, meanwhile, followed up with an upset of his own in the 2024 GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. Mage stands for $25,000 at Airdrie Stud and has his first foals arriving this year. Dornoch kicks off his career at stud at Spendthrift Farm, where he commands a fee of $40,000. John Stewart purchased the SW & GSP Puca for $2.9 million at the 2023 Keeneland November Sale. She produced a full-brother to Mage and Dornoch last year and is currently carrying a full-sister to the duo. Stewart announced that Puca would be bred back to Frankel (GB) on Southern Hemisphere time (See Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift, for more). “He's a really good horse with a really good pedigree,” Searing said of Baeza. “As it's been discussed, he's got a different body type than Mage and Dornoch. He's a horse with a beautiful body along with great action. With his pedigree, he can go as long as they want to run. We're pretty darn excited that we can get him to the race. Obviously, he has no (Derby) points yet, so we need to run a really good race. Everybody, including John and myself, looks forward to that first Saturday in May.” Lee Searing | Photos by Z Searing is also looking forward to being on hand for Sunday's rescheduled GII Rebel Stakes program at Oaklawn Park. C R K Stable's purple-and-gold silks will be carried by 'TDN Rising Star' Justique (Justify) in the Carousel Stakes and Skinner (Curlin) in the GIII Razorback Handicap. Previously campaigned by Shirreffs in Southern California, both were transferred to Cherie DeVaux earlier this year. Justique was an impressive winner in her first start for DeVaux sprinting in an optional claimer at Fair Grounds Jan. 2. Skinner, a breakthrough winner of the GIII Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 23, was third over a sloppy track in the GIII Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds Jan. 18. “We moved a few horses back east where racing and purses seem to be more advantageous to my stable,” Searing said. The post Baeza – the Half-Brother to Classic Winners Mage and Dornoch – Targeting Santa Anita Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The first foals for European champion three-year-old Vadeni (Fr) have been reported by the Aga Khan Studs, who also welcomed one of the first arrivals for Group 2-winning miler Erevann (Fr) recently when a bay filly out of the G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Daryakana (Fr) (Selkirk) was born on February 11. The foal is a half-sister to five black-type performers–including the G1 Prix Ganay winner and sire Dariyan (Fr)–and is described as “a beauty” by French studs manager Pierre Gasnier. He added, “[She's] a very attractive filly, with plenty of size, short-coupled and well-balanced, with a typical Dubawi head.” The first reported arrival for Vadeni was born on January 15, a bay colt out of the winning Outstrip (GB) mare Rue des Irlandais (Ire). The foal was bred by Mme Françoise Bérès of Ecurie, who described him as “a compact colt, who seems to be a precocious type”. Other foals of note for the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Eclipse winner Vadeni include a filly out of the stakes performer Miss Maia (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}), whose second dam is the G1 Prix de la Foret heroine Etoile Montante (Miswaki), born on January 31; and a filly out of the G3 Give Thanks Stakes winner Zannda (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), bred by the Dreamer Partnership, born in Ireland on February 3. A colt foal out of the Fastnet Rock (Aus) mare Romelia (Ger) has been described by Julie Mestrallet at Haras de l'Aumonerie as having “an expressive head with great strength and a compact frame”. Mestrallet added, “He's a very good mover.” Vadeni covered 128 mares in his first season at Haras de Bonneval in 2024, while Erevann, a son of Dubawi (Ire) and the triple Group 1 winner Ervedya (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), was also strongly supported with 168 mares. They included the Elusive City mare Schmusli (GB)–a half-sister to the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte scorer Sans Equivoque (Ger) (Stormy River {Fr})–who delivered a colt at Haras d'Etreham at the end of January. “[He's] a good foal who has a lot of strength and good balance,” said Etreham's Nicolas de Chambure. “He already makes a great impression.” Meanwhile, Matthieu Gouesnard of Haras d'Ombreville has described himself as “delighted” with his Erevann colt out of a half-sister to the G3 Prix de Psyche winner Top Toss (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}). “He is well-built, with good bone, a nice size, and he is correct,” Gouesnard added. “He has a lovely profile and a beautiful shoulder.” Erevann stands for a fee of €8,000 at Haras de Bonneval in 2025, while Vadeni is available to breeders at a fee of €18,000. The post Vadeni and Erevann Represented by First Foals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Bidding is now open for the Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale, which includes among its 240 offerings a 'no guarantee' season to sire Street Sense with a portion of the proceeds going to recent Special Eclipse Award winner Stable Recovery, the auction company said via a release Thursday. The online sale will close Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The catalogue offers horses of racing age, breeding stock–including mares with foals at foot, 2-year-olds in training, yearlings, a stallion prospect, and a no guarantee stallion season. “We are heating things up in February with a sizzling catalogue,” said Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron. “We have some serious breeding stock catalogued–including graded stakes performers–as well as offerings from three dispersals, horses of racing age, a million-dollar-earning stallion prospect, and a no guarantee season to Street Sense.” Fasig-Tipton will also debut a new type of offering on its digital platform in this sale, a segment of 2-year-olds in training. “We are excited to offer a group of 2-year-olds in training for the first time on Fasig-Tipton Digital, in a new and unique format,” continued Aaron. “Two-year-olds will be sold from their training bases in Ocala, Florida; Aiken, South Carolina; and Lexington, Kentucky; and presented with professionally filmed gallop and breeze videos that are untimed. “All the resources of a traditional two-year-old sale will be at the buyer's disposal, including conformation photos and walking videos, vet reports, and a full repository,” Aaron said. “There is quality sire power among the entries, and buyers may schedule appointments to inspect the horses in-person through our platform.” Sires represented by 2-year-olds in training include Constitution, Munnings, Not This Time, and Yaupon. Two-year-olds in training are all grouped together in the catalogue as hips 41-57. Other offerings of interest in the catalogue: 'No guarantee' season to Street Sense (Hip 38), with a portion of the season's sale proceeds donated to Stable Recovery; Dispersal of Swifty Farms, offering horses of racing age, breeding stock, and yearlings, all of which are eligible for the Indiana-bred program; Breeding stock from the dispersal of Red Oak Stable; Stallion prospect Newgrange (Hip 9), MGSW and millionaire son of Violence. Click here to view a sale preview with Fasig-Tipton's Jesse Ullery and here to access the catalogue. The post Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale Opens, Includes Street Sense Season To Benefit Stable Recovery appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the first time in the U.S. since data has been recorded, the racing-related fatality rate for the majority of U.S. races—specifically tracks under the oversight of HISA—fell below 1.00 per 1,000 starts for a calendar year in 2024.View the full article

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has canceled its Feb. 20 card as a result of the bitter cold and single-digit forecasted wind chills. View the full article

Eight racehorses, seven trainers, and one jockey account for the 16 finalists that will comprise the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame ballot, as chosen by the Museum's Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. View the full article

World Pool returns this weekend with 14 races across meetings in Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Hong Kong, with the world's richest race, the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup the jewel in the crown. Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) will be trying dirt for the first time in that 1800-metre affair. The globally commingled pools powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club will be in operation for the third time on Saudi Cup Day, with seven races set to be globally commingled. In 2024, a total of HK$196 million was staked on World Pool bet types across those races, and the same races will be available on Saturday: the Saudi International Handicap, G3 Saudi Derby, G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint, G2 1351 Turf Sprint, G2 Neom Turf Cup, G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap and G1 Saudi Cup. Last year's Saudi Cup Day World Pool Moment of the Day winner, the Sir Alex Ferguson co-owned Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}), is set to defend his crown in the G2 Neom Turf Cup, and another World Pool Moment of the Day will be chosen from the seven races on this year's card. The groom's winner will be awarded £4,000 and the chance to win a VIP trip for four to Hong Kong next year. In Australia at Caulfield Racecourse, the A$2-million G1 Blue Diamond, G1 Futurity Stakes, G1 Oakleigh Plate, G3 Mannerism Stakes, and the Victoria Gold Cup are all part of the World Pool. There are also a pair of races from Hong Kong in the World Pool on Feb. 23, the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup featuring Voyage Bubble (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}), and the G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup which marks the return of the world's highest rated sprinter, Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}). Sam Nati, head of commingling at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said, “The eyes of Hong Kong and the racing world will be on Romantic Warrior as he takes aim at the Saudi Cup this weekend and we're greatly looking forward to commingling the world's richest race for a third year. “It forms part of a very strong World Pool offering this weekend, with top quality racing from Saudi Arabia, Australia and Hong Kong featuring some of the very best horses from around the world, and it's a real thrill to bring such enthralling action to our global customers. “As usual we strive to combine the best racing with unequalled liquidity and value for our World Pool customers, and we anticipate high levels of interest and turnover across the three meetings.” The post Saudi Cup One Of 14 World Pool Races This Weekend appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland's 101st running of the $1.25 million GI Toyota Blue Grass on Saturday, Apr. 5 has attracted 133 nominees, including champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), according to a release on Thursday from the track. With a $250,000 purse increase this year, the Blue Grass joins the GI Coolmore Turf Mile as Keeneland's two $1.25 million races, which are the richest in track history. The Turf Mile reached that level during the 2024 Fall Meet. “Keeneland is proud of the enhanced stature of the Toyota Blue Grass, and we thank the owners and trainers who have nominated another quality group of horses to the historic race,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “The Toyota Blue Grass has produced a long list of major winners, including 2024 winner Sierra Leone, who went on to win the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and become the champion 3-year-old male. We look forward to showcasing another exceptionally talented field of 3-year-olds for this year's race.” Run on the second day of Keeneland's 15-day Spring Meet, the Blue Grass, held at nine panels on the dirt, is one of five graded stakes worth a combined $3.15 million on the 11-race card, which has a first post of 1 p.m. ET. Other stakes that day are the 24th running of the $650,000 GI Resolute Racing Madison Stakes for fillies and mares at seven furlongs on the dirt; the 37th running of the $500,000 GII Appalachian Stakes, presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies racing a mile on the turf; the 29th running of the $400,000 GII Valvoline Global Shakertown Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf; and the 38th running of the $350,000 GIII Commonwealth Stakes for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs on the dirt. Good Cheer scores the Rachel Alexandra | Hodges Photography The Toyota Blue Grass is the 10th race with a tentative post time of 5:52 p.m. ET. Every race during the Spring Meet will be live streamed free of charge on the track's website. The winner of the Toyota Blue Grass will earn 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, while the second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishers receive 50, 25, 15 and 10 points, respectively. Click here for the list of Toyota Blue Grass nominees and here for their past performances. On Friday, Apr. 4 with 10 races carded, the 88th running of the $750,000 GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes is featured. The year's first top level stakes for 3-year-old fillies offers GI Kentucky Oaks points to the first five finishers–100, 50, 25, 15 and 5, respectively. A total of 96 horses led by Godolphin's undefeated Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) were nominated. Click here for a list of Central Bank Ashland nominees and here for their past performances. The post Keeneland’s $1.25m GI Toyota Blue Grass Attracts Champion Citizen Bull Among 133 Nominees appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Groupie Doll, Smarty Jones, and Ken McPeek have been nominated to the Hall of Fame as finalists for the first time, according to a press release Thursday morning from the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. They were among the eight racehorses, seven trainers, and one jockey who accounted for the 16 finalists that will comprise the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame ballot, as chosen by the Museum's Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. The finalists are racehorses Blind Luck, Game On Dude, Groupie Doll, Havre de Grace, Kona Gold, Lady Eli, Rags to Riches, and Smarty Jones; trainers Christophe Clement, Kiaran P. McLaughlin, Kenneth G. McPeek, H. Graham Motion, Chief Stipe F. O'Neill, John W. Sadler, and John A. Shirreffs; and jockey Jorge F. Chavez. Hall of Fame voters may select as many candidates as they believe are worthy of induction to the Hall of Fame. All candidates that receive 50 percent plus one vote (majority approval) from the voting panel will be elected to the Hall of Fame. All the finalists were required to receive a minimum of nine votes from the 14-member Nominating Committee to qualify for the ballot. Ballots will be mailed to the Hall of Fame voting panel next week. The results of the voting on the contemporary candidates will be announced on Thursday, April 24. That announcement will also include this year's selections by the Museum's Historic Review, Steeplechase, and Pillars of the Turf committees. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Aug. 1, at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony is open to the public and free to attend. To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, trainers must be licensed for 25 years, while jockeys must be licensed for 20 years. Thoroughbreds are required to be retired for five calendar years. All candidates must have been active within the past 25 years. The 20- and 25-year requirements for jockeys and trainers, respectively, may be waived at the discretion of the Museum's Executive Committee. Candidates who have not been active within the past 25 years are eligible through the Historic Review process. A chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Fairlawn Farm, Blind Luck (Pollard's Vision—Lucky One, by Best of Luck) won the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in 2010. A multiple Grade I winner at ages 2 and 3, Blind Luck was also a Grade I winner at 4. Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer and owned by Hollendorfer in partnership with Mark DeDomenico LLC, John Carver, and Peter Abruzzo, Blind Luck posted a career record of 12-7-2 from 22 starts and earnings of $3,279,520 from 2009 through 2011. She won a total of 10 graded stakes, including six Grade Is: the Kentucky Oaks, Oak Leaf, Hollywood Starlet, Las Virgenes, Alabama, and Vanity Handicap. Throughout her career, Blind Luck defeated the likes of Havre de Grace (three times), Life At Ten, Unrivaled Belle, Evening Jewel, Devil May Care, and Switch. A dark bay gelding bred in Kentucky by Adena Springs, Game On Dude (Awesome Again—Worldly Pleasure, by Devil His Due) won 14 graded stakes, including eight Grade Is. Racing from 2010 through 2014, he compiled a record of 16-7-1 from 34 starts and earnings of $6,498,893. Owned by Joe Torre's Diamond Pride LLC, Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable LLC, and Bernie Schiappa, Game On Dude was trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. He is the only horse to win the Santa Anita Handicap three times (2011, 2013, 2014), setting a stakes record in the 2014 edition by covering 1¼ miles in 1:58.17. Game On Dude also won the Hollywood Gold Cup and San Antonio Stakes twice each, as well as single editions of the Pacific Classic, Californian, Charles Town Classic, Lone Star Derby, and Native Diver. He won the Grade I Goodwood in 2011 and won the same race when it was renamed the Awesome Again in 2012. In 2013, Game On Dude swept the three signature Grade I races for older horses in California–the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup, and Pacific Classic–becoming only the second horse to win those three events in a single year, joining Hall of Famer Lava Man. A chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Fred Bradley and William “Buff” Bradley, Groupie Doll (Bowman's Band—Deputy Doll, by Silver Doll) won consecutive Eclipse Awards for Champion Female Sprinter in 2012 and 2013. In those same years, she won back-to-back editions of the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Campaigned by the Bradleys in partnership with Brent Burns and Carl Hurst, Groupie Doll was trained throughout her career by Buff Bradley. Following her second Breeders' Cup win, Groupie Doll was sent to the 2013 Keeneland November mixed sale and sold for $3.1 million to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. She started twice more before her retirement. Groupie Doll won nine graded stakes, including four Grade Is, and posted an overall record of 12-4-4 from 23 starts with earnings of $2,648,850. She raced from 2011 through 2014. A bay filly bred in Kentucky by Nancy S. Dillman, Havre de Grace (Saint Liam—Easter Brunette, by Carson City) won the Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and Champion Older Female in 2011. Trained by Anthony Dutrow at ages 2 and 3 and by Larry Jones thereafter, Havre de Grace was campaigned by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms throughout her career. After finishing second to champion Blind Luck in thrilling editions of the Delaware Oaks and Alabama Stakes in 2010, Havre de Grace earned her first graded stakes victory later that year in the Grade 2 Cotillion. In her 2011 Horse of the Year campaign, she beat Blind Luck in the Azeri and went on to win Grade Is in the Apple Blossom, Woodward (defeating males, including Flat Out), and Beldame (defeating Hall of Famer Royal Delta). Havre de Grace made one start as a 5-year-old in 2012, winning the listed New Orleans Ladies' Stakes before being retired with a career record of 9-4-2 from 16 starts and earnings of $2,586,175. A bay gelding bred in Kentucky by Carlos Perez, Kona Gold (Java Gold—Double Sunrise, by Slew o' Gold) won the Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter in 2000. That year, he set a six-furlong record at Churchill Downs in his Breeders' Cup Sprint victory. Campaigned by Bruce Headley (who also served as his trainer), Irwin and Andrew Molasky, Michael Singh, et al, Kona Gold raced from 1998 through 2003 with a record of 14-7-2 from 30 starts and earnings of $2,293,384. He set a track record for 5½ furlongs at Santa Anita and won a total of 10 graded stakes. Kona Gold won multiple editions of the Bing Crosby Handicap, Potrero Grande Breeders' Cup Handicap, and El Conejo Handicap. He registered Beyer Speed Figures of 110 or higher 17 times. On 10 occasions, his Beyer Figure was 115 or higher, including a career-best of 123. Kona Gold made five consecutive appearances in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Lady Eli | Sarah Andrew photo A dark bay filly bred in Kentucky by Runnymede Farm and Catesby W. Clay, Lady Eli (Divine Park—Sacre Coeur, by Saint Ballado) won the 2017 Eclipse Award for Champion Turf Female. Trained by Chad Brown for Sheep Pond Partners, Lady Eli won her first six starts, including Grade I victories in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and 2015 Belmont Oaks. A battle with laminitis then kept her away from the races for more than a year. Upon her return in 2016, Lady Eli finished second in the Ballston Spa then won the Grade I Flower Bowl and finished second in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She finished second in the Jenny Wiley in her 2017 debut then won the Gamely, Diana, and Ballston Spa in succession. Lady Eli was retired after finishing off the board in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Overall, she posted a record of 10-3-0 from 14 starts with earnings of $2,959,800. Lady Eli won a total of eight graded stakes, including at least one Grade I in each of her four years on the track. A chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Skara Glen Stables, Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy—Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister) won the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in 2007, a campaign highlighted by an historic victory in the Belmont Stakes. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and Michael McCarthy for owners Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith, Rags to Riches broke her maiden in her second career start in January 2007, at Santa Anita. That six-length victory was the beginning of a five-race win streak. The next four wins were all Grade Is: the Las Virgenes Stakes, Santa Anita Oaks (by 5½ lengths), Kentucky Oaks (by 4¼ lengths), and the Belmont. In winning the third jewel of the Triple Crown, Rags to Riches defeated two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Curlin by a head to become the first filly in 102 years to win the event. Rags to Riches remains one of only three fillies to win the Belmont. She finished second in her next race, the Grade I Gazelle, and a right front leg injury was discovered after the race. A 4-year-old campaign was being planned for Rags to Riches, but she re-injured her right front pastern and was retired with a record of 5-1-0 from seven starts and earnings of $1,342,528. A chestnut colt bred in Pennsylvania by Someday Farm and campaigned by Roy and Patricia Chapman under the Someday Farm banner, Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality—I'll Get Along, by Smile) was the Eclipse Award winner for Champion 3-Year-Old Male in 2004. Trained by John Servis and ridden exclusively by Stewart Elliott, Smarty Jones won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (by a record 11½ lengths) that year after beginning his campaign with wins in the Count Fleet Stakes, Southwest Stakes, Rebel Stakes, and Grade II Arkansas Derby. Undefeated in eight career starts entering the Belmont Stakes–no horse had accomplished that since Seattle Slew in 1977–Smarty Jones was beaten a length by Birdstone before a record crowd of 120,000 to be denied the Triple Crown. He was retired following the Belmont with a career record of 8-1-0 from nine starts and earnings of $7,613,155. Clement, 59, a native of Paris, France, has won 2,556 races (through Feb. 17) with purse earnings of more than $182 million (11th all time) in a career that began in 1991. He trained three-time Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti, winner of four straight Grade Is on the turf in 2009, as well as 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist, who also won consecutive runnings of the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2014 and 2015. Clement has won 282 graded stakes. His Grade I wins include multiple editions of the Beverly D. (2001, 2007, 2008), Del Mar Oaks (2007, 2013), Diana Handicap (2003, 2015), Manhattan Handicap (2001, 2009, 2010), Man o' War (2009, 2010), Turf Mile (2010, 2011), and Sword Dancer (1999, 2011, 2021, 2022, 2024). Clement began his career in the United States by winning with the first horse he saddled, Spectaculaire, on Oct. 20, 1991, at Belmont. He has since trained 22 horses that have earned $1 million or more. Other Grade I winners trained by Clement include Discreet Marq, Far Bridge, Forbidden Apple, Gufo, Mauralanka, Relaxed Gesture, Rutherienne, Voodoo Dancer, and Winchester, among others. Clement won his first Breeders' Cup race in 2021 when Pizza Bianca captured the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Kiaran McLaughlin | Horsephotos McLaughlin, 64, a native of Lexington, Ky., won 1,809 races with purse earnings of $130,031,267 (including international statistics) from 1995 through 2021. He ranks 23rd all time in North American earnings. A winner of 179 graded/group stakes, McLaughlin won three Breeders' Cup races: the 2006 Classic (Invasor), 2007 Filly and Mare Turf (Lahudood), and the 2016 Dirt Mile (Tamarkuz). Along with Hall of Famer Invasor–who won Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male in 2006–both Lahudood (2007 Champion Turf Female) and Questing (2012 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly) earned Eclipse Awards for McLaughlin. McLaughlin's Grade I victories included multiple editions of the Donn Handicap (2007, 2009), Gazelle (2007, 2012), Metropolitan Handicap (2008, 2016), and Ogden Phipps (2012, 2015, 2016). He won the 2006 Belmont Stakes with Jazil. Other top horses trained by McLaughlin included millionaires Alpha, A Thread of Blue, Cavorting, Frosted, It's Tricky, and Wedding Toast. A three-time leading trainer at Nad al Sheba in Dubai, McLaughlin also led the trainer standings at Saratoga Race Course in 2008. He ranked in the top 20 among North American trainers in earnings 12 times, including six times in the top 10. McPeek, 62, a Lexington native, has won 2,095 races to date with purse earnings of more than $133 million (18th all time) in a career that began in 1985. He won both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks in 2024 with Mystik Dan and Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, respectively, to become the first trainer to sweep both races in the same year since Ben Jones in 1952. The Derby win gave McPeek a career sweep of the Triple Crown races, as he had previously won the Belmont Stakes in 2002 with 70-1 longshot Sarava and the Preakness Stakes in 2020 with champion filly Swiss Skydiver. Thorpedo Anna concluded her 2024 campaign by giving McPeek his first Breeders' Cup win in the Distaff. McPeek has won 126 graded stakes, including multiple editions at the Grade I level in the Spinster (2002, 2003), Ashland (2002, 2014, 2023), Blue Grass (2002, 2013), Florida Derby (2002), Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap (2004, 2005), Alcibiades (2008, 2018, 2020), Breeders' Futurity (2009, 2021), and Alabama (2018, 2020). He has won five training titles at Keeneland, where he ranks No. 5 all time in wins (274) and No. 6 in stakes wins (35). McPeek has also won four training titles at Churchill Downs, where he ranks No. 7 all time in wins (498) and stakes wins (49). Has trained 14 horses that have won $1 million or more. Motion, 60, a native of Cambridge, England, has won 2,781 races to date with purse earnings of more than $157 million (16th all time) in a career that began in 1993. He won the Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup with champion Animal Kingdom, trained two-time Eclipse Award winner Main Sequence, and has won four Breeders' Cup races. His first Breeders' Cup victory took place in the 2004 Turf with 10-time stakes winner Better Talk Now at odds of 28-1. Motion won the 2010 Filly and Mare Turf at odds of 46-1 with Shared Account, was victorious in the Turf for a second time four years later with Main Sequence, and won his fourth Breeders' Cup race with Sharing in the 2019 Juvenile Fillies Turf at 14-1 odds. Motion has won 204 graded stakes, including multiple editions at the Grade I level of the Del Mar Oaks (2011, 2022), Manhattan Handicap (2007, 2017, 2018), Man o' War (2005, 2022), Matriarch (2010, 2016), Sword Dancer (2004, 2014), and United Nations (2005, 2014). He has trained 14 horses that have earned $1 million or more, including Miss Temple City, who defeated males in both the Shadwell Turf Mile and Maker's 46 Mile. Motion has won training titles at Keeneland and Pimlico and ranks fifth all time with 39 stakes wins at Keeneland. O'Neill, 56, a native of Dearborn, Mich., has won 2,983 races to date with purse earnings of more than $169 million (14th all time) in a career that began in 1988. He won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2012 with I'll Have Another and a second Derby in 2016 with Nyquist. O'Neill has trained five Eclipse Award winners–I'll Have Another, Maryfield, Nyquist, Stevie Wonderboy, and Thor's Echo — and has won five Breeders' Cup races. O'Neill won nine graded stakes with Hall of Fame member Lava Man, including three editions of the Hollywood Gold Cup (2005, 2006, 2007), two runnings of the Santa Anita Handicap (2006, 2007), and one each in the Pacific Classic (2006) and Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (2006), all Grade I events. O'Neill has won six training titles at Del Mar, where in 2015 he became the first trainer to win five races on a card there. He has also won five training titles at Santa Anita, including a record 56-win meet in the winter of 2006-2007. O'Neill has trained 13 horses that have earned $1 million or more and has multiple victories in Grade I races such as the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (2005, 2015), Alcibiades (2010, 2015), Pacific Classic (2006, 2024), FrontRunner (2013, 2015), Santa Anita Derby (2012, 2013), and Triple Bend (2004, 2017), among others. O'Neill has won 146 graded stakes and ranks No. 3 all time with 1,198 wins at Santa Anita and No. 4 at Del Mar with 467. John Sadler | Benoit photo Sadler, 68, a native of Long Beach, Calif., has won 2,839 races with purse earnings of more than $153 million (17th all time) in a career that began in 1978. He has won 192 graded stakes, including the Breeders' Cup Classic with Eclipse Award winner Accelerate in 2018 and Horse of the Year Flightline in 2022. He also trained champion Stellar Wind. Sadler has conditioned 10 horses that have earned $1 million or more. He won his second Breeders' Cup race in 2024 with Full Serrano in the Dirt Mile. Sadler, at the Grade I level, has won four editions of both the Pacific Classic (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) and Clement L. Hirsch (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019), as well as three runnings each of the Santa Anita Handicap (2018, 2019, 2020) and La Brea (2007, 2009, 2010). Other Grade I races he has won multiple editions of include the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (2015, 2018), Santa Anita Derby (2010, 2021), Santa Anita Oaks (2010, 2015), and Vanity Handicap (2004, 2014). Sadler won four training titles at Hollywood Park and has won two each at Del Mar and Santa Anita. He ranks No. 2 all time in wins at Santa Anita with 1,216 and No. 4 with 154 stakes wins. At Del Mar, he ranks No. 2 in both wins (545) and stakes wins (85). Shirreffs, 79, a native of Leavenworth, Kan., has won 586 races, including 109 graded events, with purse earnings of more than $55 million. Although he had a few starters as early as 1978, Shirreffs did not start training full time until 1994. Best known as the conditioner of Hall of Famer Zenyatta, Shirreffs conditioned the four-time Eclipse Award winner to 19 consecutive victories, including 13 Grade Is, from 2007 through 2010. Named Horse of the Year in 2010 and Champion Older Female each year from 2008 through 2010, Zenyatta's Grade i wins included the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic in 2008 and the Classic the following year. In 2009, Shirreffs also won the Ladies' Classic with Life Is Sweet, becoming the first trainer to win both Classics in the same year. Shirreffs won the 2005 Kentucky Derby with Giacomo at odds of 50-1. At the Grade I level, Shirreffs has won five editions of both the Santa Margarita Handicap (1999, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010) and Vanity Handicap (1999, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010); three runnings of both the Lady's Secret (2008, 2009, 2010) and Santa Anita Derby (2007, 2017, 2020); and two renewals of the American Oaks (2010, 2011), Apple Blossom (2008, 2010), Clement L. Hirsch (2009, 2010), and Santa Maria (2000, 2003). Shirreffs has trained eight horses that have earned more than $1 million: Express Train, Giacomo, Gormley, Hollywood Story, Life Is Sweet, Manistique, Tiago, and Zenyatta. Chavez, 63, a native of Callao, Peru, won 4,526 races with purse earnings of $161,792,580 from 1988 through 2011. Voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1999, Chavez won the 2001 Kentucky Derby aboard Monarchos and earned a pair of Breeders' Cup victories in his career. He ranked in the top 20 in North American earnings 13 times–including six times in the top 10–and finished in the top 20 in wins eight times. Chavez won 196 graded stakes and topped all jockeys on the New York Racing Association circuit in wins six consecutive years from 1994 through 1999. He won seven riding titles at Aqueduct and five at Belmont. Chavez rode Eclipse Award winners Artax and Beautiful Pleasure, as well as Affirmed Success, Albert the Great, Behrens, Flower Alley, Lido Palace, Spain, Val's Prince, and Will's Way, among others. Along with the Kentucky Derby and his Breeders' Cup wins with Artax (1999 Sprint) and Beautiful Pleasure (1999 Distaff). The 2025 Hall of Fame Nominating Committee is comprised of Caton Bredar, Steven Crist, Tom Durkin, Bob Ehalt, Tracy Gantz, Teresa Genaro, Jane Goldstein, Steve Haskin, Jay Hovdey, Alicia Hughes, Dick Jerardi, Tom Law, Jay Privman, and Michael Veitch. The post Groupie Doll, Smarty Jones, Ken McPeek First-Time Finalists for 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

By international sire of sires More Than Ready, the 2024 GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile winner More Than Looks will shuttle to Australia from Lane's End in 2025, commencing stud duties at Yulong in Mangalore, Victoria for the Southern Hemisphere season. Bred by Hinkle Farms and campaigned by Victory Racing Partners, the Cherie DeVaux trainee collected several stakes wins including at three the GIII Manila Stakes at Belmont Park and the Jefferson Cup Stakes at Churchill Downs. Last year, More Than Looks was the runner-up in the GI Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga and the GI Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland before scoring in the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar where he posted a Beyer of 105. He finished his career with earnings of $1,870,715. “He's an eye-catching horse that showed elite ability from day one,” said trainer Cherie De Vaux of More Than Looks. “His explosive turn of foot and competitive nature led to consistency at the highest level and ultimately resulted in him becoming a Breeders' Cup Champion.” More Than Looks is out of the black-type winning Ladies' Privilege, a daughter of champion juvenile sire Harlan's Holiday. She is a full-sister to MGSW Takeover Target and hails from the family of G1 winner Critical Eye (Dynaformer). More Than Ready's progeny in Australia have excelled at the highest level, with a pair of Golden Slipper victors in Sebring and Phelan Ready, a Blue Diamond heroine in Samaready, as well as eight-time G1 winner and champion filly More Joyous among the 96 Stakes winners in this stalwart sire's southern hemisphere crops. “More Than Looks is by one of the best stallions we have seen shuttle to Australia in More Than Ready”, said Yulong's General manager Vin Cox. “He's extremely good looking and as his name suggests, won some proper races including the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Coupled with an outcross pedigree, More Than Looks provides huge appeal to the Australian market, and we are delighted to stand him at Yulong in 2025”. The post Lane’s End Stallion More Than Looks Will Shuttle To Australia In 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the first time in the United States since data has been recorded, the racing-related fatality rate at racetracks subject to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) rules fell below 1.00 per 1,000 starts for a calendar year, the regulator said in a press release on Thursday morning. In 2024, 99.91% of starts did not result in a fatality. From January 1 through December 31, 2024, 47 racetracks across 19 states operating under HISA's rules recorded an aggregate racing-related fatality rate of 0.90 per 1,000 starts, an approximate 27% decrease from the 1.23 rate reported by HISA in 2023 and a 55% decrease from when The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database began reporting fatalities in 2009 at a rate of 2.00. “It has never been clearer that Thoroughbred racing has become safer under HISA,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “While we celebrate this progress, HISA remains committed to collaborating with industry stakeholders to further reduce fatalities and to enhance safety for horses, jockeys and all those who love and participate in the sport.” HISA's Racetrack Safety Program, implemented on July 1, 2022, and its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, implemented on May 22, 2023, have significantly strengthened safety measures nationwide by implementing uniform rules that embody best-practice standards. Key requirements include expanded veterinary protocols, pre-race inspections, laboratory harmonization, racetrack surface monitoring and uniform medication oversight. HISA also has rolled out new technologies in the last year to assist stakeholders with making informed decisions about equine athletes, including HISA Horse In-Sight, an innovative platform that combines a horse's career and medical history to provide a unique and holistic view of its health and performance. In March, HISA will release its 2024 Annual Report, which will detail racing-related fatalities over time by state and racetrack. Additionally, for the first time, the 2024 Annual Report will include full-year training-related fatality data on an aggregate, per-state and per-track basis. By implementing standardized tracking and reporting for training-related fatalities, HISA is providing unprecedented transparency and insight as part of ongoing efforts to prevent training- and racing-related fatalities across the country. This expanded dataset will enable a more comprehensive understanding of risk factors and inform targeted safety measures in both training and racing. The post HISA Data Shows Fatality Rates At Regulated Tracks Hit Historic Low Last Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the second week in a row we start in France and on the polytrack at Chantilly, the scene of not one but two sizzling debut performances on Friday's card. The two newcomers blitzed their rivals by a cumulative margin of 11 lengths, with the four-length victory of Audubon Park (Fr) quickly being put in the shade by that of Tito Mo Cen (Ire) when he won the boys' equivalent race by nearly twice as far. The time clocked by the latter was also around 1.4 seconds faster as he romped to 'TDN Rising Star' status, becoming the second such horse we've seen on the all-weather in France this winter after Mandanaba (Fr) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), a six-length winner when making her debut over the same course and distance back in November. Tito Mo Cen also became a first 'TDN Rising Star' in Europe for his late sire, Uncle Mo, to go with the 20 the former Ashford Stud resident has accumulated elsewhere. He brought up his score at Oaklawn Park on January 25, just a matter of weeks after his sad passing at the age of 16. As for Tito Mo Cen's dam, the G2 Goldene Peitsche heroine Raven's Lady (GB) (Raven's Pass), she is perhaps best known as the dam of last year's G1 Prix de la Foret winner Ramatuelle (Justify), who was also placed at the top level on three other occasions, before selling to MV Magnier for $5.1 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Raven's Lady herself was bought by Yeguada Centurion for $300,000 when she went through the ring in Lexington five years earlier. It was in the familiar colours of Yeguada Centurion that their homebred Tito Mo Cen created such a deep impression on Friday. Sent straight to the front by Stephane Pasquier, he proceeded to grind his 10 rivals into submission with a remorseless display of galloping, ultimately winning by seven lengths in totally dominant fashion. He wasn't stopping at the line, either, clocking the fastest final furlong of any horse in the field to demonstrate that he can sustain a strong tempo, for all that he might lack Ramatuelle's irresistible turn of foot. Instead, it had echoes of Big Rock (Fr), the former flagbearer for Yeguada Centurion who produced some memorable efforts from the front, notably winning the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot by six lengths in 2023. He too registered his first career win on the polytrack at Chantilly, when winning a handicap early in his three-year-old season by five and a half lengths. Only time will tell whether Tito Mo Cen can emulate Big Rock by making a significant impact at the top level, but his connections are entitled to be dreaming of bigger and better things after such a promising start to his career. Those dreams might well include another tilt at the Prix du Jockey Club in which Big Rock filled the runner-up spot behind a certain Ace Impact (Ire) when sent off favourite in 2023. Tito Mo Cen featured among 151 entries for that Classic published on Wednesday. Incidentally, whilst Big Rock was trained as a three-year-old by Christopher Head–who also had Ramatuelle throughout her career–Tito Mo Cen is based at the neighbouring yard of Head's sister, Victoria. Wow! A half-brother to Ramatuelle, Tito Mo Cen (Uncle Mo x Raven's Lady) dazzles for Stephane Pasquier and Victoria Head at @fgchantilly… pic.twitter.com/RATfX0iDxb — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) February 14, 2025 Graffard Fillies a Force to be Reckoned With Francis-Henri Graffard, who trains just a short distance from the Heads in Chantilly, was responsible for the star turn among the fillies on Friday as Audubon Park kicked off her career in the best possible fashion. The daughter of Dubawi (Ire) had more ahead of her than behind as the field of 10 newcomers reached the home turn, appearing locked against the inside rail. That gave her jockey, 6lb claimer Luca Carboni, a decision to make, whether to sit and suffer or take the safety-first approach by maneuvering his way to the outside to guarantee a clear run. After executing option B, Carboni then barely needed to shake the reins at Audubon Park for her to cut down the leaders entering the final furlong, even having the luxury of a look between his legs close home after his mount had sealed matters with a telling burst of acceleration. It was a stylish debut from a filly who fetched €390,000 from Craig Bernick's Glen Hill Farm when offered at the Arqana August Yearling Sale. She was bred in partnership at Ecurie des Monceaux out of the Lope De Vega (Ire) mare Right Hand (GB), a half-sister to four black-type performers, including the G1 Prix Vermeille heroine Left Hand (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and last year's G2 Prix de Pomone winner and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe runner-up Aventure (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). It's a competitive heat, but Audubon Park has the pedigree and potential to suggest she can take high rank in what looks a strong team of three-year-old fillies for Graffard to go to war with in 2025, alongside the one-two from last year's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, Vertical Blue (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Zarigana (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), plus the aforementioned Mandanaba. Graffard is responsible for 16 of the 130 entries received for the G1 Prix de Diane, including all of the quartet above, as well as seven of the 114 in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Audubon Park has not been given a Pouliches entry. Prix du Château de la Reine Blanche @fgchantilly Chantilly – Inédites – Pouliches – 3 ans – 1900m – 10 Pts – 27 000 € Audubon Park (f) (Fr) Luca Carboni (Dubawi (Ire) @DarleyEurope – Right Hand (Gb) par Lope De Vega (Ire)) Francis-Henri… pic.twitter.com/ZJYV5nDIZ8 — French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) February 14, 2025 More to Come from Kalaoun Over at Cagnes-Sur-Mer on Sunday, the performance of Kalaoun (GB) perhaps didn't have the shock and awe of those posted by Tito Mo Cen and Audubon Park, but he must be considered an interesting prospect nonetheless, having confirmed the immense promise of his debut with a comfortable victory in the 10-furlong maiden. The son of Kitten's Joy was one of three runners for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget when he made his first racecourse appearance over the same course and distance last month, in a race named after the stable's 2023 winner, Ace Impact. It doesn't take a genius to work out that it's a contest Rouget likes to target, nor was it a surprise when two of his challengers came to the fore, with the market leader, Leffard (Fr), just holding off the challenge of the fast-finishing Kalaoun by a short neck. In truth, Kalaoun probably didn't need to improve on that form to go one place better as the odds-on favourite on Sunday, just needing to be kept up to his work to win by three quarters of a length, but his Jockey Club entry suggests he's thought capable of better by a trainer with a formidable record in that Classic. Ace Impact was Rouget's sixth winner of the race when successful in 2023, while the late Le Havre (Ire)–the sire of Leffard and the dam sire of Kalaoun–was his first back in 2009. Leffard, who is out of an unraced half-sister to High Chaparral (Ire), also features among the stable's nine Jockey Club entries, but don't underestimate Denford Stud's homebred Kalaoun, the first foal out of the dual Listed-placed Ebony (Fr). He conceded first run to the winner first-time-out and wouldn't be a forlorn hope to reverse the placings should they meet again. Prix De La Mer @hippocotdazur Cagnes Sur Mer – Maiden – 3 ans – 2000m – 7 Pts – 23 000 € Kalaoun (m) M. Grandin (Kitten's Joy (Usa) – Ebony (Fr) par Le Havre (Ire)) Jean-Claude Rouget Denford Stud Denford Stud pic.twitter.com/U9GSlqvtcy — French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) February 16, 2025 Lots to Like About Chelmsford Winner If we saw a future star take to the track in Britain last week, then it was probably the Ralph Beckett-trained Likealot (GB), an emphatic winner of the fillies' novice run over 10 furlongs at Chelmsford on Thursday. Runner-up Pearl Of Hope (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) very much enjoyed the run of the race, dictating a steady gallop, but she ultimately proved no match for Likealot after being joined by that rival early in the straight. At the line Likealot was three and a half lengths clear of her closest pursuer, beating Pearl Of Hope–a half-sister to Victor Ludorum (GB)–by even further than Glittering Surf (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) had when that exciting prospect made a successful debut of her own at Kempton in December. It's solid enough form and perhaps most revealing is that Likealot returned an SP of 6-5, suggesting a performance of this nature was foretold by what she'd been showing on the gallops at Kimpton Downs. Beckett certainly knows a high-class filly when he sees one, anyway, and this daughter of Camelot (GB) has an attractive pedigree as a half-sister to the G3 Prix Daphnis and dual Listed winner Checkandchallenge (GB) (Fast Company {Ire}). Both were born and raised at Meon Valley Stud, whose homebred Oaks heroine Anapurna (GB) (Frankel {GB}) also started her career on the all-weather. Eye-catching start The very well-backed Likealot (Camelot) is a half-sister to Checkandchallenge and motors clear in the final furlong to make a lovely start for the @RalphBeckett team @Rossaryan15 | @ChelmsfordCRC pic.twitter.com/OLNLceVSV0 — Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 13, 2025 Ferguson Yard Continues to Advance Likewise, a number of successful Flat trainers have used the all-weather to launch their careers, including James Ferguson, who saddled his first runners late in 2019, with his breakthrough winner following shortly afterwards when Arabian King (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) struck at Southwell on January 30, 2020. Coincidentally, it was exactly 12 months earlier that the aforementioned Anapurna had opened her account with victory in a fillies' maiden at Lingfield. The Ferguson yard has continued to go from strength to strength in the interim, registering a personal-best tally of 33 winners in Britain in 2024, and there was further cause for celebration at Machell Place last week when newcomer Advancing (GB) ran out a well-backed winner of the one-mile maiden on Wednesday's card at Kempton. Returning an SP of 13-2, having been available at 22-1 in the morning, Advancing duly produced an accomplished display to land the gamble. In a race run at a solid pace, he always looked to be in his comfort zone, travelling sweetly on the heels of the leaders, before stretching clear once asked for his effort to win well by a length and a half. The first horse for a newly-launched syndicate named Uppingham Special, Advancing must have given its members a huge thrill with this debut performance. Most excitingly, he looks the type to progress further when he steps up in trip, certainly if his smart middle-distance pedigree is anything to go by. The son of Lope De Vega (Ire) is the second winner from three runners out of the unraced Intisaar (War Front) who, in turn, is out of the G3 Noblesse Stakes runner-up Betterbetterbetter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The latter is a three-parts sister to no fewer than five black-type performers by Sadler's Wells, headed by the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Yesterday (Ire) and G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Quarter Moon (Ire). Nice debut Lope De Vega colt Advancing travelled and quickened in the style of a smart colt on debut. A nice horse for the @jamesferguson89 team pic.twitter.com/YdtmU9cgHK — Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 12, 2025 Amo Dominance at Dundalk Over in Ireland, it's been a productive spell for Adrian Murray and Amo Racing, who celebrated two winners in the space of three days at Dundalk last week, starting with 150,000gns purchase Spicy Margarita (Ire) when she won the seven-furlong fillies' maiden on Wednesday's card. Only sixth when making her debut at Galway back in October, the daughter of Earthlight (Ire) left that form well behind to get off the mark at the second attempt, despite leaving the impression she's still learning on the job. Produced to lead over a furlong out, she proceeded to take a scenic route to the winning post, wandering both left and right, though it didn't seem to slow her down as she ran out a decisive winner by nearly three lengths. Bred by Loughtown Stud, Spicy Margarita is the seventh winner from 11 runners out of the G1 Falmouth Stakes and G2 Lowther Stakes scorer Nahoodh (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), with the others including last year's G2 Hochi Hai Fillies' Revue winner Etes Vous Prets (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). She has more to offer but isn't necessarily bred to stay middle-distances, so it will be interesting to see how she fares when she steps up to 10 furlongs for a conditions race back at Dundalk on Friday. As for stable-mate Tiberius Thunder (Ire), he seems sure to relish longer trips after his debut success in the one-mile maiden run last Friday. Backed as if defeat was out of the question, returning an SP of 8-15, he impressed most with his strength at the finish after coming under pressure from some way out, certainly giving his supporters a few anxious moments on his way to beating Waterford Flow (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) by three quarters of a length. Like Spicy Margarita, Tiberius Thunder was purchased at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, this time for 220,000gns, having initially sold for 120,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. He's the first foal out of the G3 C.L. & M.F. Weld Park Stakes winner Ellthea (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) who, in turn, is out of the G2 Royal Whip Stakes scorer Tropical Lady (Ire) (Sri Pekan). Yet another new three-year-old winner for Night Of Thunder (Ire) in 2025, Tiberius Thunder is sure to progress and win more races, with a step up to 10 furlongs, at the very least, promising to play to his strengths. Tiberius Thunder (Night Of Thunder) is out of a Group 3 winner and runs green on debut but ultimately justifies short odds for Adrian Murray, @waynemlordan and @amoracingltd @DundalkStadium pic.twitter.com/yH9kKqbkog — Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 14, 2025 Winners in Waiting Dancing Teapot (Ire), runner-up at Dundalk (November 22) since publication Padua (Ire), seventh at Kempton (December 4) since publication Marhaba Ghaiyyath (Ire), winner at Lingfield (December 3) since publication Safe Idea (GB), third at Wolverhampton (December 21) since publication Indian Springs (Ire) Spanish Voice (GB) Noble Horizon (GB) Dixieland Blues (GB) City Of God (Ire), winner at Southwell (January 17) since publication War And Love (GB), runner-up at Chelmsford (January 11) and fifth at Newcastle (February 4) since publication Cupola (GB) Lady Lilac (Ire) The post Winter Watch: Chantilly Showstoppers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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When it comes to Thoroughbreds, Arthur B. Hancock III has courted the bastard. Never much for floating the mainstream, he has celebrated in many a winner's circle, while knowing firsthand how wild oats can almost drown a man in a barrel of despair. If Mr. Hancock had not been an accomplished horseman or musician, he would have made one hell of a history professor. In the aptly-titled, just-published Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption, the author has penned something truly special–a reflection which looks back on a life well-lived. The master of Stone Farm has laid honesty to bare for all to see and there is more than enough hope for us to draw from this well. Talk about leaving something behind in the best spirit of Newton's Third Law. I found intertwined in this memoir some Wendell Berry prose coupled with Dr. Thomas D. Clark style–both legendary Kentuckian gems. There is a touch of gonzo journalism ala Hunter S. Thompson here, plus a work squarely notched between the storytelling of Jeannette Walls and Tara Westover. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts in this memoir are the reprinted ballads that Hancock wrote himself. Somebody call Robert Zemeckis because Dark Horses would make an intriguing screenplay. I laughed and cried in the same chapter. The memoir takes us on a sojourn through how a son of Claiborne Farm starts in one place, steers in an entirely different direction, but still contributes mightily to Thoroughbred racing history. Within these pages you will feel the pressure Hancock was under as he grappled with growing up and you will see how a superstitious nature operates–the massive bullfrog in the pool comes to mind. At 6′ 6″, Hancock's grandfather cut an imposing figure and was a tough disciplinarian. Senior imparted to junior, who as you know was nicknamed “Bull,” the same kind of approach to living life. In turn, Arthur Hancock III was schooled in the family tradition with some of the most cutting-edge breeding and horsemanship to be had. From the get-go, the memoir details the lessons that his father drilled into him. Claiborne was like a bloodline laboratory as European stallions like Nasrullah were imported to infuse a new version of speed into pedigrees. The tapestry lines of warp and weft here is impressive, and Hancock lets us sit behind the loom as he masters everything from learning to shoe from farriers to being an assistant trainer in New York where he handled the great Buckpasser. Where it gets complex is his own struggle with identity. He attended Vanderbilt and was a championship swimmer before he dropped out. He returned to finish with a degree in history, but the real gravity that also pulled at him was music. Picking a guitar was where pure passion resided and his penchant for crafting a song really comes through in the book. Signed by Nashville legend Fred Foster, Hancock would write and interact with many of the greats including Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. A highwayman himself, Hancock always seemed to grapple early on with two masters–the Thoroughbred and the guitar–which rankled his father, who derided the son when he sang as nothing more than, “a canary.” By 1972, their relationship was on the improve though. Just then, the patriarch died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 62. That was a hinge moment for the son of Claiborne who as we learn was forced out as the heir when the powerful Ogden Phipps, who served as an advisor to the farm, engineered his departure. Founding Stone Farm took moxie and Hancock tells story after story of how he struggled. A central theme throughout the memoir though is his battle with alcoholism, which on too many occasions could have ended his life prematurely. Surrounded by some excellent advisors who loved him deeply, including his mother Waddell and wife Staci, Hancock beat the disease. Of course, one of the more poignant sections covers the story behind Sunday Silence. Even though Hancock had tasted victory with Gato Del Sol in the 1982 Kent ucky Derby–an accomplishment his father always dreamed of but never realized–Stone Farm's expansion during the rest of the decade was costly. In other words, Hancock was doing the backstroke in debt to the tune of $15 million. Needing a miracle, Sunday Silence and his famous battles with Phipps homebred Easy Goer bore fruit and saved the day. Picking out the colt that no one wanted and his eventual sale to the Yoshida family, which led to the horse becoming the most important foundational sire in the history of Japan, were like bookends to a wonderful dream. Living up to its billing, Dark Horses is a story of redemption that comes directly from the heart. Like the main character in Pilgrim's Progress, the trip to the Celestial City never follows a straight line. Whether it was around the racetrack or in the recording studio, the ballad of one Arthur B. Hancock III is meant for us all. Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption by Stone Publishing, LLC, 319 pages, photos, lyrics and poems index, 2024. Available at www.arthurhancock.com, at Amazon.com or at Barnes & Noble. The post Book Review: The Ballad of One Arthur B. Hancock III appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA — At the age of six, Lucky Seven Stable and Sharaf Mohamad Alhairi's Rattle N Roll (Connect) is at the peak of his powers. The same can be said for his veteran trainer Ken McPeek, who is just this side of a series of achievements that anyone who does what he does for a living will have a hard time replicating anytime in the foreseeable future. For equine and human alike, Saturday's G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse is a potential watershed moment. “It's very exciting. Of course, I've had a lot of excitement in the last year,” said McPeek. “This'll just put a little icing on top or a little cherry on top of my excitement if we could pull this off.” Born in Arkansas and raised in Lexington, the 62-year-old McPeek has long been regarded as one of this game's top horsemen and one of its shrewdest judges of horseflesh for most of the last three decades. He has posted career numbers over the last two seasons, improving on his $10.8 million in earnings in 2023 with a season that will long be remembered in 2024. His runners amassed $16.2 million in prize money and it's difficult to pick a single highlight among the list of accomplishments. Was it the Oaks/Derby double with Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and Mystik Dan (Goldencents)? Training the former to Horse of the Year honors? Or perhaps finishing just a handful of votes behind Chad Brown for an Eclipse Award of his own. As encores go, a win in an eight-figure horse race would rate as a pretty good one, but McPeek is quick to deflect and defer and to give credit elsewhere. “I don't really think about [the $20-million purse] so much as I've got this great team of people that I work with, whether it's clients or the staff, and we try to just do the best we can with each individual horse,” he said. “I really don't think about the money so much as what's right for this particular horse.” Ken McPeek | Tod Marks Reasonably Humble Beginnings Known for having selected the likes of Curlin and, of course, Thorpedo Anna, for modest sums, McPeek gave $210,000 for Rattle N Roll on behalf of the Mackin Family's Lucky Seven Stable at the 2020 Keeneland September Sale, hardly a king's ransom, but not an insignificant chunk of change. “Well, he looked like–and I tend to buy this kind of horse–he looked like a horse that would not have any trouble handling distance,” McPeek explained. “And he had a lot of size and balance and length to him. I don't really buy sprinters and haven't historically trained a lot of sprinters, although I've had my share of sprint wins, but he's a classic mile-and-a-quarter, mile and-a-sixteenth, mile-and-an-eighth horse. And of course we all dream of having that kind of horse and he's been great.” Winner of the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at two, Rattle N Roll just failed to draw into the 2022 GI Kentucky Derby, the renewal won from the clouds by Rich Strike (Keen Ice). At least in a minor sort of way in hindsight, McPeek regrets that Rattle N Roll did not gain a run in the Derby. “This horse would probably be much more recognizable had he gotten into the Kentucky Derby, because that race ended up being a closers' race,” McPeek said during a Thursday press conference at King Abdulaziz. “He would have benefited from the fast pace. He was every bit as good as Rich Strike, but he didn't get in.” Rattle N Roll nevertheless more than earned his keep over the course of a 10-race sophomore campaign that featured a victory in the GIII Ohio Derby. Kept busy at four in 2023, he made seven trips to the races, winning three times in Grade III company and just missing in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes. Rattle N Roll was a distant fourth as the favorite in the GIII Lukas Classic Stakes in September 2023 and was sidelined thereafter with distal bone bruising, casting a fair bit of doubt on his career, though no surgery was required. “We gave him this long, long time off, and actually at one point we weren't sure he was going to make it back,” said McPeek. “And then fortunately, the Mackin Family are extremely patient and have always been the best client to say, 'Look, do what's right for the horse. No problem, okay?'” Rattle N Roll looking amazing @TheSaudiCup to be seen on @HorseRacesNOW and @FanDuel_Racing on Saturday 12:40ET pic.twitter.com/PWyLlHhPHv — Kenny McPeek (@KennyMcPeek) February 20, 2025 Back And In Career Form Gone for two days shy of a year, Rattle N Roll resumed with a sound third in the 2024 Lukas Classic and connections rolled the dice, sending him out west with an eye on the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Unfortunately, it came up snake eyes for McPeek and Lucky Seven, and Rattle N Roll was rerouted for the GII Clark Stakes back in Kentucky about four weeks later. He ran out a 3/4-length winner, and McPeek and his owner opted for some outside-the-box thinking thereafter. “His win in the Clark was just a real highlight for a horse that we weren't sure was going to make it back at all,” the trainer said. “Of course, he's been so successful all his career, but that was a real high moment. And then from there it was, okay, 'What do we do next?'” Instead of a race like the GI Pegasus World Cup, connections programmed Rattle N Roll for the G3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (King's Cup) the Jan. 25 course-and-distance qualifier for the main event with a push from former trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. In the interim, McPeek and Mackin had been approached by Saudi businessman Sharaf Mohamad Alhairi, making the decision to come for the prep that much more sensible. Switched off towards the rear with Joel Rosario calling the shots, Rattle N Roll weaved his way though the long straight to win with something in hand. “The King's Cup was a race that there was a little risk, but a lot of reward there,” McPeek said. “But we felt like he would, on class alone, that that ought to be a race he could win. And right now it's put us in a position where we might have a chance to win the whole thing. We've always felt like that he would be a really good fit for some of those races over there in between Saudi and Dubai.” McPeek said that Rattle N Roll, who has been under the watchful eye of Danny Ramsey since the King's Cup, is thriving in Riyadh. “He's a very uncomplicated horse,” said McPeek. “We keep him on what I'd call a Saturday routine, and he really likes his regular schedule. He gallops. Danny's been getting on him since he was a 2-year-old, so Danny Ramsey knows him well.” Should all go well this weekend, Rattle N Roll would move on to Dubai for a crack at the G1 Dubai World Cup six weeks down the road. McPeek explained that Rattle N Roll would then return to the U.S. to continue his career for Lucky Seven and his Saudi part-owner, who–unlike the lease agreement he struck with the owners of Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) last year–has purchased an ownership interest in the 6-year-old entire. McPeek relishes the opportunity to showcase his and his horses' ability on foreign soil. “I just find it fun,” he said. “I think the Thoroughbred is one of the most amazing animals ever created. It's almost a universal language. “I think when you're traveling for these big races–the interesting thing is that, look, bring a very good horse and interesting things happen. I liken it to fine wine. Once you've tasted those experiences, that's what you want. I gave a young trainer by the name of Brad Cox some advice years ago. I said, 'Once you taste the fine wine, you won't drink the Bud Light anymore.'” Should the stars align for McPeek, Mackin and Alhairi just after 8:40 Saturday evening, you can count on plenty of 'rattlin' n' 'rollin' with a side of 'hootin' n' hollerin' on the outskirts of Riyadh. The post Rattle N Roll, McPeek As Good As Ever As Saudi Cup Looms appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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Every month Harness Racing New Zealand selects an Owner and Breeder of the Month. It is an entirely random selection though their horse must have won a race during the month. In December 2024 the Breeder of the Month was Anthony Smith after Fredastaire’s win at Manawatu on December 12 and Stonewall Stud syndicate member David Whitburn was Owner of the Month after Caught the Eye’s victory at Ashburton on December 22. In January 2025 the two winners were Phil Sherley (Breeder of the Month) for Eagle Hanover’s win at Kapiti on January 6 and Derek Newton was Owner of the Month after Tokyo Rose’s win at Marlborough on January 17. Coincidentally both Eagle Hanover and Fredastaire were driven by Jay Abernethy, with Fredastaire’s win also being career training success number 50 for Blenheim trainer and co-owner Allan Shutkowski (pictured above). And it’s at Waterlea Racecourse at Blenheim where Fredastaire’s breeder and co-owner, 85-year-old Anthony Smith has spent a lot of his time. The horse’s name came from his late wife Freda. Since he was a colt the “Astaire” was added. “It’s incredibly rewarding. Fredastaire winning feels like the culmination of years of effort, starting from breeding to training.” Fredastaire has now won two from 22. His dam Brucelle is also special to Smith as she was named in memory of his late son Bruce. “Fredastaire is the first foal out of Brucelle, who I also bred and raced,” says Smith, “all the horses I have bred have come from my own horses. There are three more foals from Brucelle coming up, so it’s exciting times!” He has lost count of the horses he’d bred over the years. “But some standouts include Petali. He was my first horse in 1976 and raced in New Zealand before I sold him to the States.” January’s Owner of the Month Derek Newton acquired Tokyo Rose from the yearling sales. She sold for $22,500 and has so far won six from 33 for trainer Mark Jones and earned more than $80,000 in stakes. Among those who also race her is Newton’s bridge playing mate John McDonald. “I have bred and raced over 20 individual winners,” says Newton, who races horses under the entity Tancred Holdings. “It’s hard to pick a favourite but Ruby Tues Bay’s first and only win at Nelson (2019), trained and driven by Chris McDowell, was right up there.” He also bred Hushed World who won two from four in this country in 1994, going on to win 20 from 98 in Australia from 1994-2000. Congratulations to all our winners and your plaques are on their way. View the full article

There are nine horse racing meetings set for Australia on Friday, February 21. Our racing analysts here at horsebetting.com.au have found you the best bets and the quaddie numbers for Canterbury and Moonee Valley. Friday’s Free Horse Racing Tips – February 21, 2025 Canterbury Racing Tips Moonee Valley Racing Tips As always, there are plenty of promotions available for Australian racing fans. Check out all the top online bookmakers to see what daily promotions they have. If you are looking for a new bookmaker for the horse racing taking place on February 21, 2025 check out our guide to the best online racing betting sites. 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. Dabble Signup Code AUSRACING 5 Say Hey to the social bet! Dabble You Better Believe It Join Dabble Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? Full terms. Bet365 Signup Code GETON 6 Never Ordinary Bet365 World Favourite! Visit Bet365 Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. GETON is not a bonus code. bet365 does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. What’s gambling really costing you? Full terms. Horse racing tips View the full article

What Alice Springs Races Where Pioneer Park Racecourse – Stuart Highway, Connellan, NT, 0870 When Saturday, February 22, 2025 First Race 10:34am ACST Visit Dabble The build-up to the start of the Alice Springs Cup Carnival next month continues with a six-event card at Pioneer Park on Saturday. With the mercury expected to climb to 41C on a bright sunny day, it will be an early start to the meeting with the first race jumping at 10:34am ACST. It will be a good dirt surface, and the rail will be in the true position. Best Bet at Alice Springs: Hasseltoff He might be making his Alice Springs debut, but Hasseltoff brings excellent SA form to town after winning three of his past four starts for Adelaide trainer Phillip Stokes. In November, the eight-year-old gelding won at Morphettville over 1533m at BM72 level. In December, he triumphed at Gawler over 1500m in BM78 ranks. Then, on January 25th, Hasseltoff stormed from the back of the field to secure another victory at Morphettville, this time over 1600m in BM78 grade. The son of Toorak Toff boasts three wins at Flemington. Best Bet Race 6 – #1 Hasseltoff (5) 8yo Gelding | T: Dick Leech | J: Hannah Le Blanc (a2) (63kg) Next Best at Alice Springs: Super Sharp Super Sharp started as the $2.50 favourite with horse racing betting sites in his Red Centre debut on February 8 before winding up in the home straight to seal victory by half a length over 1200m against 0-58 opposition. The five-year-old gelding trailed the runaway leader in second place and was pushed to the limit over the final 100m before edging clear. For the son of More Than Ready that was his first start since November in South Australia and he will no doubt benefit from the run. Significantly, Super Sharp has a decent record over 1400m (11: 2-1-3). Next Best Race 4 – #2 Super Sharp (8) 5yo Gelding | T: Lisa Whittle | J: Sonja Logan (60kg) Best Value at Alice Springs: Black Zous Returning from a spell in late December, Black Zous hasn’t been all that far away in four starts from 1000-1400m. The six-year-old gelding powered home to win first up over 1000m at 0-58 level before missing the start and descending late to finish third over 1200m in 0-64 grade. The son of Zoustar then finished second behind runaway leaders over 1400m and 1100m in the 0-64 ranks. Black Zous has finished among the placegetters in his past six starts and presents great value with Dabble. Best Value Race 5 – 2 Black Zous (2) 6yo Gelding | T: Kerry Petrick | J: Paul Denton (59.5kg) Saturday quaddie tips for Alice Springs Alice Springs quadrella selections Saturday, February 22, 2025 1-2-5-6 1-2-5-8 1-2-4 1-2-4 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article