Wandering Eyes

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During the first episode of the BloodHorse Monday podcast, trainer Ron Moquett said a decision on running Speed King in the Rebel is still undecided. The ultimate goal is the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park March 29.View the full article

We're inside the 13-week mark to the GI Kentucky Derby with no seismic changes to the running order at this early stage of the season. The rankings are fairly evenly distributed among contenders based on both coasts and in Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana. 1) FIRST RESORT (c, Uncle Mo-Fair Maiden, by Street Boss). O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Eoin G. Harty. Lifetime record GSW, 4-2-1-0, $338,671. Last start: WON Nov. 30 GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. First Resort's 6-1 win in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes Nov. 30 rated as the most visually impressive 2-year-old route stakes last season, and his bounding-home fourth-quarter split of :23.28 and final sixteenth of 6:10 represent the fastest respective finishing fractions out of 11 Derby qualifying stakes at 1 1/16 miles so far in 2024-25. Initially, trainer Eoin Harty had envisioned that this Godolphin homebred by Uncle Mo would make his 3-year-old debut at either Gulfstream Park or Tampa Bay Downs. But Mother Nature forced a change to those plans when adverse winter weather descended upon Turfway Park in mid-January, where Harty has stabled both First Resort and 'TDN Rising Star' Poster (Munnings). The game plan is now for First Resort to target the Feb. 22 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway, while Poster got shipped to Tampa to train in advance of this Saturday's Sam F. Davis Stakes. “They missed two works, and I just didn't feel like I would have been doing them any favors to try and fit a square peg into a round hole,” Harty told TDN on Monday shortly after First Resort breezed six furlongs in 1:14 as the only worker at that distance over Turfway's Tapeta surface. “He's progressing. He missed a little training like a lot of horses in the Midwest and the South over the last two or three weeks. That's why I worked him three-quarters and he worked very well. He doesn't have to progress much. I'm still very happy with him. He hasn't disappointed me at all.” Harty also trained First Resort's dam, Fair Maiden, another Godolphin homebred. She was a four-time victress by Street Boss who won the 2020 GI La Brea Stakes. “The only similarity they really have is their speed. They both have natural speed,” Harty said. “She was a pretty flighty, a little, narrow-headed chestnut filly. He doesn't have that at all. He is so laid back, so mellow. He's very kind. Very nice to be around. He gets a little aggressive at feed time, which is understandable. But he covers so much ground in the morning when he's training, so he keeps himself very fit.” 2) SANDMAN (c, Tapit-Distorted Music, by Distorted Humor). O-D. J. Stable LLC, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables; B-Lothenbach Stables Inc (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. Sales History: $1,200,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: GSP, 6-2-1-1, $344,595. Last start: 2nd Jan. 25 GIII Southwest Stakes. On the Derby development trail, a second-place finish earned by overcoming adversity can count more than an actual win, and until some other soph prospect wows us with a sensational try despite a brutal trip, Sandman's rousing, runner-up effort in the GIII Southwest Stakes is this year's benchmark for outrunning in-race hardship. This $1.2 million OBSMAR colt by Tapit buckled at the ankle then leaped sideways at the start of that Jan. 25 Oaklawn stakes. Relegated to last, Cristian Torres let Sandman regroup on the backstretch. The colt started gathering true steam three-eighths out, but by that time he was chasing a staying-on leader who had capably shrugged off a dueler and was ahead by open lengths. Sandman uncoiled through the lane, and he looked like the more confident colt shouldering aside the lugging-out 4-5 favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Patch Adams (Into Mischief) when those two raced in close quarters through midstretch. Sandman never quit, ending up a length behind Speed King (Volatile), who ran a gritty race on the lead at 14-1 odds but benefitted from a trouble-free run on the front end while the three betting favorites all encountered trip woes. Sandman closed against the grain of a speed-centric track that afternoon, with the 11-race card yielding one wire winner and seven just-off-the-lead winners, compared to closers prevailing in only three races. Trainer Mark Casse reported that Sandman returned “in good order.” The Feb. 22 GII Rebel S. is next, where a potential marquee matchup looms with one of the two West Coast colts ranked below at Nos. 3 and 4 on this list. Citizen Bull | Benoit 3) CITIZEN BULL (c, Into Mischief-No Joke, by Distorted Humor). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Robert & Lawana Low (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $675,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime record: MGISW, 5-4-0-1, $1,421,000. Last start: WON Feb. 1 GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Even though he won the GI Breeders Cup Juvenile and was voted the Eclipse Award for top 2-year-old male, Citizen Bull headed into his first start at age three as one of the more “ignored” juvenile champs in recent memory. He didn't sit atop too many published early-season Derby contender lists (including this one), and he was sometimes ranked behind horses with less experience even within his own stable, the powerhouse barn of trainer Bob Baffert. That changed to a large degree on Saturday when this $675,000 KEESEP son of Into Mischief returned from a three-month break with a smackdown wiring of the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita. He earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure despite trouble at the break and being cut back in distance to a mile after a pair of Grade I wins at 1 1/16 miles to close out his 2-year-old campaign. After bobbling at start, Citizen Bull recovered on his own under a patient Martin Garcia, asserted himself at the head of affairs, cranked out a legit tempo while keeping challengers at bay on the backstretch, then opened up on the far turn without being roused. Gamely chased home by two Baffert-trained stablemates in the five-horse field, he drew away under steady handling to score by 3 3/4 lengths. “He was fresh,” Garcia said post-win. “When I was warming him up, he just wanted to go and you could see that he was ready, and when the gates opened it was like the ground broke underneath him. He just broke too fast. Right away he recovered and I just sat, sat, sat and he just took me right away. Bob knows when the horses are ready. That's why he is in the Hall Of Fame.” Baffert has described Citizen Bull as a “big, strong, heavy horse” who will benefit from racing, perhaps more so than training. “It's funny you see him and you don't realize that in a race that he has those gears,” Baffert said. “He won't show you that in the morning, but he does have gears.” 4) BARNES (c, Into Mischief-All American Dream, by American Pharoah). O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Jeff Drown and Don Rachel, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $3,200,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). Lifetime record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $189,000. Last start: WON Jan. 4 GII San Vicente Stakes. The Bob Baffert-trained Barnes put in a :59.80 (5/72) five-furlong breeze Saturday at Santa Anita, his third published workout since annihilating four rivals in the Jan. 4 GII San Vicente Stakes. Considering that Barnes cost $3.2 million at FTSAUG and is named in honor of the Hall-of-Fame trainer's longtime assistant, Jimmy Barnes, he probably doesn't need any added pressure placed upon his broad, bay shoulders. But since Baffert has already compared Barnes favorably to the colt's maternal grandsire, the 2015 Triple Crown champ American Pharoah, superlatives figure to be maxxed until Barnes makes his first start around two turns. Baffert confirmed on Sunday that next race will be either the Rebel Stakes Feb. 22 at Oaklawn or the San Felipe a week later at Santa Anita. Both are contested at 1 1/16 miles, and you'd have to think that Baffert intends to separate Barnes from the above-ranked Citizen Bull. I flip-flopped Citizen Bull and Barnes in the Nos. 3 and 4 slots this week after writing them up the other way around a month ago. That amounts to splitting hairs at this early stage of the season. But even if you concede that Barnes rates higher in long-term potential, it's awfully tough to discount that Citizen Bull has already won three stakes around two turns, while Barnes has yet to attempt a race beyond seven furlongs. With his highly hyped debut win at Churchill Downs on Thanksgiving Eve now more than two months in the rear-view mirror, it's worth noting that of the nine rivals Barnes beat in that 5 1/2-furlong sprint, five of them have run back, and none managed to win their next-out starts (although the runner-up Barnes beat by a head won his second start back). 5) SOVEREIGNTY (c, Into Mischief-Crowned, by Bernardini). O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott; Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-1-1-0, $143,280. Last start: WON Oct. 27 GIII Street Sense Stakes. This Godolphin homebred was back on the worktab Friday, breezing a half mile in :49.20 (13/16) after previously only working twice since Dec. 24 at Payson Park. Sovereignty broke his maiden in his first two-turn attempt in the Oct. 27 GIII Street Sense Stakes, and although his next start has been highly anticipated, no plans for his sophomore debut have been publicly disclosed. Unveiled on the undercard for last summer's Grade I Travers Stakes, Sovereignty rallied from last with a seven-wide swoop to get fourth in a six-furlong sprint that yielded two next-out winners. A one-turn mile at Aqueduct a month later seemed better suited to his Into Mischief (out of a Bernardini mare) pedigree, and Sovereignty stalked and romped home with huge strides to just miss by a neck, beaten by the 1.25-1 favorite. Start number three was Sovereignty's big coming-out party at Churchill. Bet to 7-5 favoritism in a nine-horse field, he broke a step slow from the outermost post, remained patiently parked in last until the quarter pole, then circled everybody for another seven-wide stretch attack that propelled him to a five-length, 87-Beyer victory. 6) AVIATOR GUI (c, Uncle Mo-Paulistinha, by Tapit). O/B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY); T-Chad Brown. Lifetime record: GSP, 4-1-1-1, $120,500. Last start: 2nd Dec. 7 GII Remsen S. This Uncle Mo-sired homebred for Three Chimneys Farm opened some eyes with an adversity-overcoming, trip-troubled second when stretched out to nine furlongs in the Dec. 7 GII Remsen S. After stalking inside, this Chad Brown trainee was full of run but was boxed in at the quarter pole. After fighting free, he brushed aside a rival at the lead of the lane, then had his momentum stalled a second time when lugging in atop the heels of the eventual winner, Poster. Yet he closed with authority, ending up second by a head-bob before galloping out past Poster. Aviator Gui is wintering at Payson Park but has only had two late-January workouts to this point in his sophomore training. Captain Cook | Sarah Andrew 7) CAPTAIN COOK (c, Practical Joke-Pow Wow Wow, by Indian Charlie). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-St. Elias Stable; B-Marylou Whitney Stables, LLC (KY); T-Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. Sales history: $410,000 2yo '24 KEENOV. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $188,256. Last start: WON Feb. 1 Withers Stakes. Trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. has touted Captain Cook's relaxed nature as nice complement to the colt's smaller stature, because he believes that easy-going attitude will allow the colt to conserve in-race energy. This 'TDN Rising Star' by Practical Joke ($410,000 KEENOV) had an arduous sprint debut at Churchill Oct. 27 in which he was bumped and crowded at the break and got hooked five wide on the far turn, finishing sixth but beaten only four lengths. Captain Cook then burst onto the scene with a 9 1/4-length pace-pressing blowout score at Aqueduct over a sloppy seven furlongs Dec. 28. Stretching out to nine furlongs in the Feb. 1 Withers Stakes, Captain Cook commanded 7-5 favoritism and delivered a measured 2 1/4-length victory (94 Beyer) despite breaking a touch tardily and stalking the leaders while three wide on both turns. His stretch run had a no-nonsense, focused quality to it. It might be two months before we see this colt in action again. Dutrow said he will aim for the Apr. 5 GII Wood Memorial Stakes, because he prefers longer spacing between races for Captain Cook, and believes that having two wins over the Aqueduct dirt (with one of them at the Wood's nine-furlong distance) is a plus. 8) EAST AVENUE (c, Medaglia d'Oro-Dance Music, by Ghostzapper). 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $410,645. Last start: 9th Nov. 1 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. 'TDN Rising Star' East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) closed at 15-1 odds in last month's Derby Future Wager, the fourth betting choice behind the mutuel field (4-1), Barnes (6-1) and Patch Adams (12-1). Bettors are not only being forgiving of East Avenue's blown break in the Breeders' Cup (when he was favored in the Juvenile and finished ninth after a poor start), but they're also factoring in that this Godolphin homebred has reportedly been thriving in his Fair Grounds training for the Feb. 15 GII Risen Star Stakes. This Brendan Walsh trainee won his first two starts by a combined 13 1/4 lengths. He dismantled an Aug. 24 Ellis Park maiden sprint field by eight lengths (86 Beyer), then wired the GI Breeders' Futurity by 5 1/4 lengths over the short-stretch 1 1/16-miles configuration at Keeneland. 9) KEEP IT EASY (c, Hard Spun-Boxwood, by English Channel). O-St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, CJ Thoroughbreds. B-Mr. & Mrs. William L. Pape (KY). T-Dale L. Romans. Sales history: $435,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime record: 4-2-0-0, $207,671. Last start: WON Nov. 30 Ed Brown Stakes. Keep It Easy had been nominated for this past Saturday's GIII Holy Bull Stakes, but trainer Dale Romans opted to wait for the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes Mar. 1 instead. This $435,000 KEESEP colt by Hard Spun has been training at Gulfstream for his two-turn debut, and is now four breezes into his winter campaign after a 5 1/4-length runaway win despite absorbing a bump at the break in the 6 1/2-furlong Ed Brown Stakes at Churchill Downs. Two colts who finished behind Keep It Easy in that Nov. 30 stakes subsequently won stakes themselves. Runner-up Tough Catch (Complexity) took the Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds at 2-5 odds in his next try, while sixth-place Coming in Hot (Maclean's Music) scored by 5 1/2 lengths in a Turfway allowance sprint, then won the Turfway Preview Stakes at 3-1 odds. The most notable name in Keep It Easy's company lines is the No. 2-ranked Sandman, who was favored at even money in his June 27 sprint debut but finished fifth behind this colt's second-start wiring of a Churchill sprint field at 23-1 odds. Keep It Easy's one ugly race is a total tossout: He blew the break at the start of the GII Saratoga Special Stakes and never recovered, finishing last. 10) RODRIGUEZ (c, Authentic-Cayala, by Cherokee Run). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Kingswood Farm & David Egan (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $485,000 Ylg KEESEP '23. Lifetime record: 3-1-2-0, $86,800. Last start: 2nd Feb. 1 GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes. While everyone was raving over Citizen Bull's “champ is back” performance in last weekend's Lewis Stakes, his stablemate Rodriguez's sneaky-good, two-move effort to finish second got lost in the shuffle. This 'TDN Rising Star' by Authentic broke running, chased the favorite, then appeared to be falling out of contention with a half-mile to race. But Rodriguez wasn't spent. Jockey Juan Hernandez instead wanted him positioned outside instead of between horses for the far-turn run, and within a furlong Rodriguez was back on the prowl without losing significant momentum. This Bob Baffert trainee had no quit in him despite getting outkicked by the much more experienced Citizen Bull through the stretch, and he was the only other horse besides the winner finishing strongly. Hernandez wisely chose not to hammer on him in the final stages when it was evident this May 20 foal who was making his first start against winners was not going to reel in the Breeders' Cup winner and divisional champ. Burnham Square | Lauren King 11) BURNHAM SQUARE (g, Liam's Map-Linda, by Scat Daddy). O/B-Whitham Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-1, $202,330. Last start: WON Feb.1 GIII Holy Bull Stakes. When equipped with blinkers for the first time in start number three, Burnham Square (Liam's Map) flashed speed and broke his maiden by nine lengths from post one in a 1 1/16-miles race Dec. 28 at Gulfstream. Attempting stakes company over the same short-stretch configuration Feb. 1, he drew the outermost seven post for the Holy Bull Stakes but came out slowly, dropping back to last while four wide in the early going. After repositioning down near the rail, Burnham Square commenced a bid up the fence with little coaxing, closing a gap that had him six lengths last 5 1/2 furlongs out but within one length of dueling leaders a furlong later. When one of the speedsters called it quits and dropped back, Burnham Square was briefly bottled up with nowhere to go. But he made his own clear path, bumping lightly with a rival entering the far turn while coming out for running room, again giving up four paths of real estate on the bend. Approaching the quarter pole, four different horses had already taken turns on the lead, and Burnham Square willingly chased the new frontrunner, the favored Tappan Street (Into Mischief), who had come over the top with what looked like a winning move. With more left to give, Burnham Square zeroed in on Tappan Street with purpose, and even though it took him the better part of the stretch to reel him in, the gelding responded to rousing before punching through at the sixteenth pole. Kept to task late, he won by 1 3/4-lengths, and the 90-Beyer effort was impressive considering his difficulty at the break, the lost ground on the turns, the backstretch traffic, and the fact that the race's finish line was at the sixteenth pole. Trainer Ian Wilkes said post-win that the Fountain of Youth Stakes Mar. 1 is “a strong possibility” for Burnham Square's next start. 12) JONATHAN'S WAY (c, Vekoma-Female Drama, by Indian Charlie). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Rigney Racing, LLC; B-Susan L. Anderson Racing LLC (OH); T-Philip A. Bauer. Sales history: $290,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV). Lifetime record: GSW, 4-2-1-0, $268,530. Last start: 2nd Nov. 30 GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. Jonathan's Way, who celebrates his third birthdate Feb. 5, is being aimed for the Risen Star Stakes, where he and East Avenue should take the brunt of the betting. This $290,000 KEENOV weanling won his first two starts in a manner that mirrored the early racing career of his sire, Vekoma. Both won six-furlong sprints in New York in their debuts, then scored as favorites in one-turn-mile stakes second time out. Jonathan's Way parlayed a 4 1/4-length maiden score at Saratoga Aug. 17 into a win in the Sept. 14 Iroquois Stakes. Vekoma (who had gotten a later start as a May 22 foal) won his Sept. 23, 2018, debut at Belmont, then took down the GIII Nashua Stakes. Their paths diverged from there. Jonathan's Way ran seventh with no obvious excuse in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, then wheeled back four weeks later with a gutsy second as the beaten .87-1 favorite in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill. He overcame a bump at the break, got hooked five wide off the far turn, then twice had to shift away from a tiring rival in the stretch. He dug in and was closing in on the impressive, No. 1-ranked First Resort, but came up 2 1/4 lengths short. Vekoma, by contrast, followed up his first two wins by running third in the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes, winning the then-GII Blue Grass Stakes, and finishing twelfth in the 2019 Kentucky Derby. After missing 10 months with foot ailments, Vekoma's connections cut him back to one-turn races in 2020, and he ended his career with three straight stakes victories, including the 2020 GI Metropolitan Handicap. Interestingly, winning a debut and then a stakes was also the career path for this colt's dam, Female Drama. In 2009, she wired two sprint races in New York as a juvenile to start her career, but never won again from four more starts. The post TDN Derby Top 12: An Eclectic Cast of Evenly Matched Characters appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Thoroughbred Owners of California recognized the state's leading owners by earnings, by number of total wins, and number of stakes wins for 2024. Reddam Racing, for the fourth consecutive year, is California's top owner by earnings.View the full article

Lou Hodges, Jr., a second-generation photographer who has captured horse racing images at the Fair Grounds since 1976, has announced his retirement. Hodges, Jr., who took over the family business in 1978, will now hand the reins over to his daughter, Amanda Weir Hodges. “Fair Grounds has been lucky to have Lou Hodges,” Senior Director of Racing Jason Boulet said. “Our racetrack, our horses, and our horsemen have come to life through the fantastic photos he has taken. We are very grateful for everything he and his family has given us, and we are fortunate to have his highly-respected daughter Amanda take over. Although Lou is retiring, his photos will always be here to tell Fair Grounds' story.” Hodges, Jr. spent plenty of his childhood at the racetrack with his father. “He would go out early in the mornings to deliver pictures to the trainers,” Hodges, Jr. said. “So I would go with him through the barn area and that's where I learned a lot about his relationship to the horsemen. He would walk into the barn to deliver pictures and everybody would always get excited. It was really something. He had a lot of friends on the racetrack. People really respected him.” Hodges, Jr. also worked as the track photographer at Rockingham Pak, Washington Park, Arlington Park and Louisiana Downs, and remarked on how the photography business has evolved down the years. “The technology changes always came along at the right time for me,” Hodges Jr. said. “More than anything that's what kept me really interested. It allowed me to always try to think of a new way to do a picture, some new angles, something different to shoot.” With so many years on the job, Hodges, Jr. has a sufficient number of stories to tell. “Washington Park, that was my first racetrack fire,” Hodges, Jr said. “They had not run Thoroughbred racing there for a number of years, but they decided to bring it back, and on Jan. 1 as we rode into town, the temperature dropped below freezing, then below zero. On Feb. 5, we had left to go back to our apartment and the track caught fire. All the fire hoses had frozen up and they just watched it burn down–there was nothing they could do.” “Then eight years later there was Arlington,” Hodges, Jr. said. “Eight years after that Fair Grounds burned down. So I've seen enough racetrack fires. When we got back to racing at Fair Grounds and were using tents, Pat Day was in the post parade and he saw me standing there and said 'Just being around you I feel like I should have a fire extinguisher.'” Hodges, Jr.'s daughter joined the operation in 2015. “Amanda's undergraduate degree from Ole Miss is in Art Education,” Lou said. “She came along with different ways of looking at things. Her computer skills with photoshop are outstanding. I was very fortunate that she decided to come into the business, it made life a lot easier.” “My father is still going to come out for the big race days,” Amanda said. “We joke that he is like the Rolling Stones. Will he ever really officially retire? Who knows.” This past Sunday, Fair Grounds celebrated Lou Hodges Jr.'s retirement, and the fourth race was run in his honor. The post Fair Grounds’ Photographer Lou Hodges, Jr. Announces Retirement appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin The Australian exclamation mark could be coming at the HRNZ annual awards in Christchurch this Saturday night. That is when the industry celebrates the good and the great of 2024. The night will feature a huge roll call of equine talent to honour as well as some of the people who make the industry tick and while it is always a special night it could be even more so for any Australians who make the trip across the Tasman. This year Australian-trained horses are eligible for age group and major awards. They will be judged on their performances on this side of the Tasman only. Last season saw the Australians dominate New Zealand’s major races and that could be reflected in the categories and even overall Horse of the Year voting. They won big races including the New Zealand Cup with Swayzee and the Auckland Cup with Better Eclipse, with Merlin flying the Kiwi flag in the Race by Grins. Those results alone will make for interesting voting: is a one-off NZ Cup win enough to earn Swayzee aged pacer of the year against, say, the Auckland and Invercargill Cup wins of Republican Party, who was also third in the NZ Cup? And if Merlin is, as looks likely, to win the Four-Year-Old of the Year would that and the Grins win give him a shot at Pacer of the Year? A little horse who casts a shadow over all the pacing winners will be recently-retired Australian trotting champion Just Believe, whose body of work here was close to a total domination. He won the first TAB Trot, the Rowe Cup and the Dominion and he and his connections are also enormously popular so he is certain to be in the running for Horse of the Year. The supreme award has of course been won by a trotter two of the last three years in Sundees Son but Australian-trained winners of the premier award are a far rarer occurrence. Flashing Red was half classed as an Aussie when he won in 2007 but was trained by Tim Butt for the wins that won him that title. So if one of the Aussies can claim the signature award this Saturday night they will join the elitist of clubs. The change of the calendar that sees most feature races run at the start or end of the season has also increased the competitiveness of the categories, with many having early season stars who will to be weighed up against later season form. One of the most open awards will be Three-Year-Old Male Pacer with Cold Chisel, Chase A Dream, Major Hot, Better Knuckle Up and We Walk By Faith all winning huge races and with no dominant performer. The juvenile pacing fillies also shared the honours around as did the older pacing and trotting mares, three-year-old male trotters and the four-year-old pacing mares. Where and when : NZB Standardbred HRNZ Annual Awards Saturday, February 8 Christian Cullen Lounge, Addington Raceway Doors open at 5.15pm, Awards begin 6.00pm View the full article

Edited Press Release The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is pleased to announce the addition of Thoroughbred horsemen Michael Annechino, Neil Howard, Todd Mostoller and Justin Revak to its Horsemen's Advisory Group. Formed in 2022, this body of racing industry participants provides HISA's executive team and Standing Committees with formal feedback on the evolution of its Racetrack Safety Program and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. Its new members succeed outgoing Horsemen's Advisory Group members Timothy Keefe, Maggi Moss, Graham Motion and Kirk Wycoff. The Horsemen's Advisory Group has 18 members with a wide variety of viewpoints from across the racing industry. Its membership includes trainers, owners, bloodstock agents, horsemen's group representatives and veterinarians. “We are grateful to Timothy Keefe, Maggi Moss, Graham Motion and Kirk Wycoff for their invaluable contributions to HISA's mission,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Their unwavering dedication and keen insights have played a critical role in advancing HISA's rules, driving meaningful progress for the industry. We are excited to welcome our new members and look forward to learning from their extensive experience as we continue to build a safer and more unified framework for Thoroughbred racing.” The full list of the Horsemen's Advisory Group members can be found here. The post HISA Announces New Members To Horsemen’s Advisory Group appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the fourth consecutive year, Paul Reddam's Reddam Racing was the leading owner in California by total purse earnings, while Hronis Racing LLC led all California owners by number of victories, according to statistics released Monday by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC). Runners campaigned in the white-and-blue colors of Reddam Racing in California proved victorious 32 times from 252 starts for total purses of $2,031,442. Among the stable stars were the multiple stakes-winning Stay and Scam, a daughter of Reddam's Square Eddie, who also hit the board in the GIII Wilshire Stakes and GIII Royal Heroine Stakes. Other Reddam colorbearers to earn black-type include Don't Fight the Fed (Nyquist), Stolen Treasure (Nyquist) and Accidental Genius (I'll Have Another). Hronis collected 35 wins from 142 California starts for earnings of $1,720,310, topped by GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile hero Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast), Antifona (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}) and Tapalo (Tapiture). Cuyathy LLC, owner and breeder of Eclipse Award finalist and top miler Johannes (Nyquist), and the partnership of Sondereker Racing, Kruljac, Fetkin, and Thornburgh each had five stakes wins in 2024. The top earner for the latter partnership is the outstanding Cal-bred sprinter The Chosen Vron (Vronsky). The post Reddam, Hronis Among 2024 Statistical Leaders In California appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Board of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen (FTH) met Monday to address HB 105, the pending legislation seeking decoupling in Florida that would allow Gulfstream Park to separate its gaming license from the requirement to continue to conduct live racing. The Board of the FTH voted unanimously against decoupling and is against the passage of HB 105. Their statement issued Monday reads: “The future of Thoroughbred racing in South Florida is too important and too uncertain if HB 105 is passed. We cannot take that risk without a definitive plan going forward. “The organization wants to actively engage and work with 1/ST RACING and Gulfstream regarding the future of racing in South Florida. We have requested a series of meetings with 1/ST and Gulfstream so that the interested parties can collectively come up with a sustainable solution that would be in the best interest of racing. “Unless and until that solution is developed and agreed upon, the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen will be against decoupling or any legislation that threatens continued Thoroughbred racing in South Florida.” The FTH joins many of their counterparts in other jurisdictions (THA, KTA) and major industry shareholders such as Hill 'n' Dale Farm's John Sikura, in coming down against the legislation. The post FTHA Issue Statement Opposing Decoupling Legislation appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A Letter To The Industry from Damon Thayer The Florida State Legislature is facing a crossroads similar to what we in Kentucky's General Assembly faced in early 2021. At stake, as it was in Kentucky, is the future of the labor-intensive horseracing and breeding industry in that state. With strong support from horsemen whose livelihoods were at risk, Kentucky lawmakers passed legislation that allowed the racing industry to invest in itself by protecting tracks' ability to conduct and benefit from another parimutuel product known as historical horse racing (HHR). Today, Kentucky has the strongest racing circuit in America, with tracks creating hundreds of new jobs and billions of dollars in economic investment. By contrast, passage of Florida's HB 105 would permit Gulfstream Park to sever the legislatively mandated connection between its gaming license and conducting live horse racing. Gulfstream's ownership, which wants to build a casino and hotel on the property, says that's the only way the historic track will survive for three more years, but unlikely beyond that. But past performances tell another story: it would end horse racing in south Florida and cripple the state's important Thoroughbred breeding industry. When the Kentucky industry was threatened by a judicial action (a state Supreme Court deciding HHR was unconstitutional after 10 years of favorable legal opinions), it required a legislative remedy. Now racing in Florida is threatened by a desire to change a long-standing legislative remedy designed to help the horse industry to compete with the state's full-blown casinos (currently standing at eight). Racing is heavily regulated and continues to thrive in states where the industry has a strong relationship with the legislature, where the industry can tell its story and the legislature can make vital decisions about its future and health. Now is the time for everyone who cares about live horse racing and breeding in Florida–and that should include not just the Sunshine State but every other racing jurisdiction–to band together and tell Tallahassee the Florida Thoroughbred industry's story. According to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association statistics, thoroughbreds alone account for: $3.24-billion annual economic impact 87,600 thoroughbreds in the state 33,500 jobs While I'm proud of the strength of Kentucky racing and breeding, I also know that it's important that the industry is strong in other states. It's all part of the North American ecosystem. If the Florida legislature doesn't care about that, lawmakers should care about protecting the tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of thousands of acres of green space within its borders. The Florida legislature can't force Gulfstream Park to continue live horse racing. But lawmakers shouldn't make it easy to abandon such a vital agri-business, job-creator and tourism attraction. It's important to remember that Gulfstream Park would never have gotten its gaming license in the first place if not for conducting live horse racing. Pompano Park is the cautionary tale for Florida lawmakers. Once the Standardbred industry's premier winter track, Pompano closed three years ago, one year after decoupling legislation was passed for harness racing. Breeding horses is a long-term investment. The foals of 2026 resulting from mares that will be bred starting this month won't reach the racetrack until at least 2028, the last year for which Gulfstream Park says it will guarantee live racing if the decoupling legislation is approved. (And if not approved, Gulfstream Park's consultant Keith Brackpool has said the track almost assuredly will close much sooner.) Just the threat of Gulfstream Park closing in the next few years will take a toll. Uncertainty in the marketplace creates added risk and therefore less investment in any industry, especially those where the payoff is several years away. Not to diminish the importance of Tampa Bay Downs–a true gem itself with its 4 1/2-month winter racing season and one of my favorite tracks–but there would now be far less incentive to have a mare foal in Florida. A year from now, how many of those mares will be shipped out to give birth in Kentucky, New York, Louisiana or Pennsylvania–pick a state–to take advantage of those states' viable breeders incentives? HB 105 would devastate Ocala. Marion County's 75,000 horses account for the largest single-county equine population in the United States. Of those, 34,000 are Thoroughbreds. One in five of Marion County's jobs–or 28,500 total employment–involve the horse industry, according to the FTBOA. It's not just Florida-bred horses and broodmares that are vital to the Florida industry's health. Thousands of young horses are sent there from all over the country to get their earliest training on Florida farms and training centers. Horsemen from all over the East Coast and Midwest reside at least four months over the winter to train and race in Florida, spending millions of dollars in lodging, food, sales tax and horse feed, bedding and supplies. Just like Kentucky, Florida is an exporter of Thoroughbreds. One example: the Ocala Breeders Sales, among the pre-eminent sellers of 2-year-olds in the world, sold a total 4,147 horses (all ages), fetching a total of $180 million in 2024. It's the job of government to create an environment where industries can thrive. HB 105 would do just the opposite. There's a way for world-class horse racing to co-exist with a large casino and hotel without sacrificing tens of thousands of jobs, hundreds of thousands of acres of green space and an important tourism magnet. Florida's legislature should vote for its horse-racing industry by not passing HB 105. Damon Thayer recently stepped down after 22 years in the Kentucky General Assembly, the last 12 as Senate Majority Floor Leader. He has served in numerous capacities in track management, marketing and publicity, work that continues with his Thayer Communications and Consulting marketing company. Thayer is a partner in racehorses through C.J. Thoroughbreds, including horses racing at Gulfstream Park. The post As Did Kentucky, Florida Legislature Should Bet On Live Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It was announced in a joint statement on Monday that representatives of the Thoroughbred Group and the Racecourse Association (RCA) have undertaken a commitment to work together to pursue the signing of an industry-wide commercial partnership structure. These partnerships would see a commercial link formed between participants and racecourses to share the revenue that is generated by the sport. This is agreed to be a critical requirement if the industry is to reward owners and provide racegoers and bettors with competitive and engaging racing. In turn, it is hoped that this will improve the experience and returns for those who invest in the sport, as well as the outlook for the businesses and individuals that depend on it to earn their living. It was reported that work remains to get the first of these agreements in place but that significant progress has already been made between the Thoroughbred Group, the RCA and racecourses in recent months. This has included the sharing of financial statements in order to facilitate the drafting of proposals, for ongoing discussion, that will enable all racecourses to be evaluated equitably relative to each other, regardless of their business model, with the intent of encouraging greater investment in-prize money. Charlie Boss, interim CEO of the Jockey Club, said, “We continue to work closely with the Thoroughbred Group and share their vision for a constructive, transparent and collaborative relationship between racecourses and participants, which we believe is vital for British racing's future. “For some years now we have been meeting with industry groups and individuals to explain our financial performance and how money flows back through the sport. We welcome collaboration with the RCA and the Thoroughbred Group as the formally recognised bodies representing racecourses and participants on the commercial partnerships structure.” Paul Johnson, chief executive of the National Trainers Federation (NTF), added, “With participants' businesses coming under increasing financial pressure, the foal crop down and a number of owners leaving the sport, we recognise that there is a critical, and urgent, need for change. “We believe that commercial partnerships between racecourses and participants must be the first step in enabling differing stakeholder groups to function collectively to safeguard the future of British racing. A great deal of progress has already been made between the RCA, racecourses and the Thoroughbred Group and this commitment underlines the desire to put in place an agreement that can benefit the sport as a whole.” The post Thoroughbred Group and RCA to Collaborate on Commercial Partnership Goal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 2022 GII Demoiselle Stakes victress 'TDN Rising Star' Julia Shining (Curlin) has been retired and will be bred to leading sire Into Mischief, according to a tweet by Stonestreet on X. A full-sister to two-time champion MGISW Malathaat, also a 'Rising Star' for owner Shadwell Stable, Julia Shining claimed her own black-type at the elite level when she ran third in the GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes in 2023 at Keeneland. Her last start was a second-place effort Jan. 11 at Aqueduct in the Listed Ladies Stakes. Julia Shining and her sister continued a remarkable line of 'TDN Rising Stars' for the family, as their dam GISW Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy) was also a recipient of the moniker as were her half-siblings MGSW Dream Pauline (Tapit) and MSW Atreides (Medaglia d'Oro). Second dam Dream Rush (Wild Rush) was a multiple Grade I winner and twice placed at the highest level as well. “Welcome home, Julia Shining!” read the X statement. “This graded stakes winning daughter of champion Curlin and the remarkable MGSW Dreaming of Julia is officially joining our broodmare band! She will be bred to Into Mischief.” The post Graded Winner Julia Shining Retired to Stonestreet, to Visit Into Mischief appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nominations for every Arqana sale will be made solely through the MyARQANA+ platform from today, with all vendors invited to create an account. Existing MyARQANA accounts will not be automatically transferred to the new platform. Designed to simplify the entire process for vendors, the new MyARQANA+ platform is designed to offer an optimised and seamless process for the management of horses entered at Arqana's sales. Intended initially for vendors, the tool manages every stage of the process, from nominating a horse to going under the hammer. Every breeder, consignor or owner can use it to: Nominate their horses Check their pedigrees and make corrections Submit health documents Access various documents useful for the sales (such as the letter to vendors) Put conformation photos and videos directly online following entry Sign purchase confirmation forms A hotline has been set up until the close of nominations on Friday, March 7 to help people get to grips with using the tool if necessary. The post MyARQANA+ Launched for Vendors Nominating their Horses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Loved finally got over the graded stakes hump last time out with a victory in the Falls City Stakes (G3). Now, she aims for two in a row as she faces five rivals traveling 1 1/16 miles in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) Feb. 8 at Oaklawn Park.View the full article

The Burns family have been producing top-class racehorses from Lodge Park Stud in County Kilkenny since the early 1970s. Derby winner New Approach (Ire) and Oaks heroine Was (Ire) feature among the farm's long roll of honour and another milestone was achieved last autumn when Lodge Park Stud achieved a world record price for a yearling colt when selling their son of Wootton Bassett (GB) to Amo Racing at 4.3 million gns. That colt hailed from Galileo (Ire) mare Park Bloom (Ire), whose sister Al Naamah (Ire) at the time set a European record at Book 1 when selling for 5 million gns 11 years previously. Safe to say the Burns family know a thing or two about the game. The modus operandi for this thriving stud farm is quality over quantity. In fact, the slogan 'small on numbers, big on quality,' is the caption on Lodge Park Stud's X page while the Burns family make no bones about the fact that the objective is to breed for the racetrack rather than the sales ring. Such a business model has not just sustained the farm but has allowed it to thrive and Damian Burns, who helps run the family's stud alongside his brother Jamie, joined the TDN's Conversations podcast to look back on the breeding stock sales from 2024, discuss his philosophy to breeding, building up his own band of broodmares under the Lodge Park banner and a whole lot more. “I've been standing at stable doors long enough and I suppose it's a privilege to have been able to grow up in a thriving commercial enterprise,” Burns told TDN Europe's Brian Sheerin. “What I have learned is that it's when you breed those [top-class] racehorses, that's what acts as the biggest ambassador for the stud farm. Okay, you might have made huge money in the sales ring but why did they make huge money in the sales ring? It's because New Approach won the Derby or because Was won the Oaks.” He added, “The racetrack comes first for us. So, when you breed an elite racehorse like New Approach, that's what people really stand up and take notice of. And I've learned that that's what drives everything. And if you are not breeding those black-type horses, people are going to walk away. They're not going to come back to you.” To listen to the audio version of this podcast, click here. The post Conversations: Damian Burns Looks Back On The Breeding Stock Sales And More appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The catalogue for the OBS March sale has been released and is now available online. The three-day sale will run from Mar. 11 to Mar. 13 and each session will begin at 11:00 a.m. HIPS 1-272 will go through the ring Mar. 11, then 273-544 the day after, and lastly 545-814. The under-tack show will begin Mar. 5 and run through Mar. 8 starting at 8:00 a.m. each day. The show, and subsequent sale, will both be streamed live via the OBS website as well as the TDN. There will also be a new entry option of “gallop only” where sellers may enter their horses with the designation and which will be reflected on the catalogue page. There is an iPad version available via the Equineline Sales Catalog app. The full catalogue is available here. Online bidding will be offered during the March sale and buyers are encouraged to go to the OBS website to register to gain bidding approval. The bidding screen will be accessible from there with approved credentials. For information on registration or online bidding, please go here. The 2024 OBS March sale claimed several noteworthy runners last season, including GISW Gaming (Game Winner); GISW Scottish Lassie (McKinzie); $1.8-million graduate GSW Nooni (Win Win Win); $1.3-million buy MGISP Ferocious (Flatter), who finished fourth Feb. 1 in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes on seasonal bow; and $1.2-million purchase Sandman (Tapit), recently seen running second Jan. 25 in the GIII Southwest Stakes after a troubled beginning. Also a two-time OBS graduate is MGISW White Abarrio (Race Day), who was last seen putting on a masterclass in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. The grey claimed the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic and is a winner at the elite level a total of four times. The post OBS March Catalogue Available Online appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Maryland stallion season online auction to benefit the Maryland Horse Foundation will be held from Feb. 9 to Feb. 12, the group announced Monday via press release. Seasons to 12 stallions will be offered, including Blofeld (Quality Road), Bourbon Courage (Lion Heart), Cupid (Tapit), Divining Rod (Tapit), Engage (Into Mischief), Friesian Fire (A.P. Indy), Galawi (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Holy Boss (Street Boss), Kobe's Back (Flatter), Mosler (War Front), and Warrant (Constitution). The proceeds of the auction will support the operations of the Maryland Horse Foundation to serve the various educational and charitable needs of the Maryland horse industry. To register to bid and view the catalogue, please go here. The post Maryland Stallion Season Online Auction Set for Feb. 9 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It's too soon, isn't it, to be thinking about this year's first-season sires? Well, not according to bookmaker Paddy Power, which has already released a market on this year's championship for Britain and Ireland, installing Starman (GB) as odds-on favourite to take the crown. There are a number of good reasons to imagine that this might be the case. For a start, the Group 1-winning sprinter stands at Tally-Ho Stud, which enjoys loyal support from many commercial breeders as well as backing their own stallions to the hilt. In recent years Tally-Ho has had both Mehmas (Ire) and Cotai Glory (GB) land this particular title. Then there's the fact that Starman was the busiest freshman of his intake, covering 254 mares in 2022. It is important though to remember that the statuesque Starman, who is out of the 10-furlong winner Sunday Star (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), did not himself race at two. However, when he got to the racecourse, the influence of his sire Dutch Art (GB) was certainly more apparent than that of his damsire. With the Covid pandemic having delayed the start of the 2020 Flat season, Starman made his debut in the colours of his breeder David Ward in the July of his three-year-old year, winning his first three starts, all over six furlongs, including the Listed Garrowby Stakes. At four, he notched a first-up win in the G2 Duke of York Stakes before his victory over a strong field for the G1 July Cup. His sole try at just beyond six furlongs came when he was third in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and he ended his racing career when beaten a short-head by Emaraaty Ana (GB) in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup. Some years ago in TDN, Ger Lyons coined the phrase 'hypologist'. We're still not sure that it's actually a word but you get the drift, and in the stallion business there are more than a few hypologists about. The team at Tally-Ho Stud is the polar opposite of this, to the extent that once, when this scribe attempted to pay Tony O'Callaghan a compliment on the success of Tally-Ho's mighty veteran Kodiac (GB), his response was a reminder as to the failure at stud that was Bushranger (Ire). So, don't be expecting any bold predictions from Mullingar regarding Starman. During a recent expedition to Tally-Ho all we could glean from Anne O'Callaghan was that she is very fond of Starman as he has such a good temperament, and that was backed up by the stallion himself when he paraded for this pesky visitor. If he can pass that on, just as the amiable Mehmas appears to do for a good portion of his stock, then he will be starting off on a solid footing. We perused the Weatherbys bloodstock report for Starman's first crop, mostly to see how many clever David Bowie-related names there are on the list, but perhaps more importantly to see which trainers have a Starman two-year-old on their books. The answer to the latter is that Starman's own trainer Ed Walker has a decent batch coming his way, while Clive Cox, Michael Appleby, Richard Hannon, Richard Fahey, Archie Watson, Alice Haynes, David Loughnane, John and Sean Quinn, and George Boughey are also among those trainers with at least one Starman juvenile. I don't think I have ever been as stressed as I was the day of the July Cup because I had such belief in him and I just couldn't see him getting beaten – Ed Walker on Starman The chestnut colt out of Moment Of Truth (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who was Starman's bestseller at 260,000gns during Book 1 to Amo Racing and Al Shaqab, has not yet been assigned to a trainer, according to Weatherbys, but one of his co-top-priced fillies, out of Johara (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), who fetched 240,000gns and, like the colt, was sold by Tally-Ho Stud, is with Karl Burke. So far there is a disappointing lack of Bowie song titles among those to have been named, but that may just be because Phil Cunningham has reserved all the good ones. “I think we're going to have nine of his two-year-olds,” says Ed Walker. “It's a trainer's dream to train progeny by a stallion you've trained.” Casting his mind back to his early association with Starman, he continues, “He was big and so good-looking. He was bred by David Ward, who is all about what is best for the horses over his own personal ambitions, and he said to just give him all the time he needed. At two, he was in full work and was shaping up nicely but as a big, immature horse. We could have run him at two but the ground had gone and David didn't want him to run on the all-weather, so we were happy just to wait until he was three, and then of course we all got hit by Covid. “By then we knew he was pretty good, but David, completely understandably, didn't want to run him until owners were allowed to attend and, ironically, as it turned out, the only six-furlong maiden I could find was at Lingfield on the all-weather, so that's why he made his debut in July.” By the age of four, Starman was ready to deliver a breakthrough victory at the highest level for his trainer. He was also dropping hints that he might take well to his second career. “I don't think I have ever been as stressed as I was the day of the July Cup because I had such belief in him and I just couldn't see him getting beaten,” Walker says. “The only thing he ever did wrong was show a bit too much interest in the fillies – he won his maiden and the July Cup with his wedding tackle out. But he was a great horse, and a beautiful horse with a super temperament. He'll make a good stallion, I've got no doubt. “Tally-Ho have given him every chance and David has given him every chance; David's been incredibly supportive. His racing interests now are all about Starman, about making him a stallion.” With Starman at 1/3 in the betting, his nearest rival is Supremacy (Ire) at 7/2. Now ensconced at Yeomanstown Stud alongside champion sire Dark Angel (Ire), Supremacy won both the G1 Middle Park and G2 Richmond Stakes making him the leading light of that strong crop of first runners for Mehmas. Out of the Arcano (Ire) mare Triggers Broom, he is from the same family as top sprinter Harry Angel (Ire), who is looking like an increasingly useful sire. Yeomanstown Stud's Supremacy is second favourite | Racingfotos Supremacy was not short of support in his first covering season, with 187 mares sent his way. Similarly well backed was Darley's Space Blues (GB), who covered 160 mares in his first book, and is next in the betting at 14/1. Quoted at 16/1 are Coolmore's St Mark's Basilica (Fr), the National Stud's Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), Newsells Park Stud resident A'Ali (Ire) and Darley's Palace Pier (GB). In the breeding world, we are used to surprises, particularly when it comes to stallions. Today's hero can be tomorrow's zero, and sometimes vice versa, with whispers and hearsay often playing an overly significant role in whether a young sire makes it or not. No Flat trainer would want to nail his colours to the mast in midwinter but Walker, who has more reason than most to want Starman to succeed, is cautiously optimistic at this stage. “From what I have seen so far there's a lot to like about them,” he says. “We have three in at the moment and I'm really happy with them. They've got good temperaments, with plenty of size and scope and well put together. Yes, they are probably quite big but equally they have high energy levels – every day they are fresh and up for it. Early signs, certainly from my point of view, are positive.” He adds, “I don't think we will see too many run in April and May but I am hoping that by Goodwood they will be rocking and rolling. It will be really interesting to see how he gets on. David has sent a few to other trainers, specifically to guys who have a good record with their two-year-olds, like Tom Dascombe, Hugo Palmer and Karl Burke. I'll be cheering everyone's Starmans along.” Betting for the 2025 first-season sires' championship Odds – Stallion – Mares in 2022 1/3 – Starman – 254 7/2 – Supremacy – 187 14/1 – Space Blues – 160 16/1 – St Mark's Basilica – 176 16/1 – Lope Y Fernandez – 134 16/1 – A'Ali – 114 16/1- Palace Pier – 160 20/1 – Lucky Vega – 154 50/1 – Ubettabelieveit – 98 50/1 – Nando Parrado – 130 Bar The post They Could be Heroes, But Starman Favourite to be Leading First-Season Sire appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Amy Murphy is set to relocate her entire operation to Chantilly, France ahead of the upcoming Flat season, the trainer announced in a statement on her X feed (@almracing) on Monday. Based on the Hamilton Road in Newmarket since saddling her first runner under Rules in September 2016, Murphy initially rented Hamilton Stables from Michael Wigham, before moving to the nearby Southgate Stables following the purchase of that yard in May 2018. The 32-year-old enjoyed notable success during her time in Newmarket, both on the Flat and over jumps. The high-class Kalashnikov (Ire) (Kalanisi {Ire}) was one of the first horses to really put his trainer on the map, with his wins including the G1 Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree in April 2019, while Pride Of America (Fr) (American Post {GB}) has been one of the flagbearers on the Flat, with the 2023 John Smith's Cup featuring among his seven victories for the stable. In 2022, Murphy launched a satellite yard near Chantilly and it was that experience which has informed her decision to make a permanent move, with the trainer citing the prize-money on offer in France as a key factor. “As of February 2025, I will be leaving England and relocating to Chantilly in France,” said Murphy, who saddled a total of 33 winners on the Flat in Britain in 2024. “We've obviously had a great time here in England, in the 10 years we've been training here, and we're looking forward to the opportunities that are going to arise as we make this exciting move across the water. “[Racing in] France is ever evolving and has great prize-money levels. That's the main draw as to why we're moving and, whilst we've attacked it on a small level, I now believe that I want to have a good go at making a successful career based in France.” She added, “I'm really lucky that some of my incredible team here at Southgate Stables will be joining me in Chantilly. Lots of our owners are following us and we're looking forward to, hopefully, showing them a new side to racing. It's exciting for everybody and the facilities are second to none. There's everything you could ever dream to have as a trainer on our doorstep in Chantilly. “I'm young, I'm ambitious, and I want to keep building my career. Saturdays are the places that we want to be and I hope that this move will help us compete in the big races and on the big stage.” The post Amy Murphy Announces Plan to Relocate to Chantilly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Submissions for the Friday, May 2 Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade are now being accepted, Churchill Downs announced Monday morning. This year's event will honor 150 Breast and Ovarian cancer survivors and fighters with tickets for the recipient, plus one guest, to attend the 151st Kentucky Oaks to participate in the march on the track. Those who have overcome or are battling a breast or ovarian cancer diagnosis, who have never participated in the Oaks Survivors Parade, may submit their story here until Friday Feb. 28. Those who are nominating a potential participant should share the submission link directly with the candidate so they may submit the relevant information. The 17th Survivors Parade at Churchill Downs will feature and support Derby Divas through the Norton Cancer Institute Breast Health Program and Horses And Hope through Kentucky Cancer Program. Both organizations provide critical services that help deliver care to underserved women across the region, including on the backside of racetracks in Kentucky, who lack access to screenings and services. Over the last 16 years, the Kentucky Oaks charitable initiative has raised more than $1-million to drive awareness and life-saving interventions. As was the case in 2024, this year's parade participants will be chosen randomly rather than by public vote to optimize equal opportunity or consideration. Winners will be announced Friday, Mar. 7. For more information on the parade or the charitable partners, please go here. The post 2025 Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade Submissions Open appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Robert Croteau has been named as the next general manager of Fair Hills Training Center (FHTC) in Maryland, it was announced via press release Monday morning. Tapped to succeed Sally Goswell, who retired after almost 30 years in the position, Croteau began his position effective Feb. 1 while Goswell stays on as a consultant to ease the transition. “I always thought Fair Hill Training Center was a great concept and to actually be involved with something like that is exciting,” said Croteau, himself the son of a Thoroughbred trainer, and who's held positions in several facets of the equine industry. “Racing is going through changes, and I think there's opportunity for places like Fair Hill. I want to help it be all it can be, but I'm very aware I'm standing on the shoulders of giants. They've done all the hard work.” FHTC was founded in 1983 and includes 18 privately owned barns with 700 Thoroughbreds calling it home at peak capacity. The common areas comprise of a one-mile dirt track, seven-furlong Tapeta track, access to fields in the surrounding 5,600-acre state-managed area, and a starting gate crew, among others. “We thank Sally for her service to FHTC as general manager, and going back further, as a barn owner with her husband Mike,” said Bruce Jackson, president of the Fair Hill Condominium Association, which leases the property from the state of Maryland's Department of Natural Resources. “Sally's fingerprints are on everything at FHTC and has been a key to our success for many years. We're thrilled to have her involved and look forward to Robert growing into the role with Sally's valuable input.” The post Robert Croteau Tapped as New Fair Hill Training Center General Manager appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Based at his Mill Ridge Farm, Headley Bell and his Nicoma Bloodstock have been helping clients mate their mares since 1979. With such notable successes as Trempolino, Suave Dancer, Keeper Hill, Barbaro, Street Sense, Havre de Grace, Oscar Performance, Bricks and Mortar, and the 2024 Preakness winner Seize the Grey, it's no wonder that many of the clients he discusses below have been with him for over 40 years. “It's such a gift to be able to assist our clients in this manner because it's something I'm passionate about,” said Bell, who went on to describe the methods he brings to his matings. “My first objective is to understand what the goals of the client are. Are they a commercial breeder? Are they breeding to race? Or are they both? And then, if they have a portfolio of mares or are trying to build one, I like to grade them out into A, B, and C categories because it helps you to decide. I value them, appraise them and generally stick to a 20% value of the mare for the stud fee. I also use various tools such as your TDN sire statistics, Mare Produce Records and a computer program that lets me study stakes winners and their 5 cross pedigrees. My goal is always to breed a racehorse. I understand the commercial side, but by breeding a racehorse, you'll satisfy the commercial side as well. My objective is to assist clients in fulfilling their dreams. Because truly, that's why we do this.” “The first thing I try to do in the process is inspect the mare if possible, because that helps define, by looking at her, what her pedigree is. Through her color, her size, her racing talent, I'm trying to identify who she is and not just that she's a Bernardini mare because she's by Bernardini. I try to understand the entire pedigree, and strongly consider the dam's side. I also apply this practice with stallions.” Below, Bell takes us through seven of his clients, old and new, and their plans for their 2025 matings. SMART SHOPPING, 12, Smart Strike-Shop Again, by Wild Again. To be bred to Oscar Performance Tolie Otto and her daughter, Audie, have been clients of ours for 40 years, and while we lost Tolie two years ago, her daughter, Audie, now runs the business, Jamm Ltd. In 2007, we bought Shop Again and she became a foundation mare for her. She produced G1 winner, Power Broker and Tolie kept a Smart Strike filly out of her to race that she named Smart Shopping. Smart Shopping showed talent with Brendan Walsh and appeared to be an Oaks filly, but injured herself at Tampa. It's a very active family, and we bred her to Arrogate to produce Seize the Grey. The commercial side of the business can be such a herd mentality and for clients, and I bred 12 mares to Arrogate in his last year when everyone had stopped breeding to him. She's a beautiful mare and has a lovely 2024 Life is Good filly. Audie is a shareholder in Oscar Performance and going to breed her to him which has a terrific pedigree blend with mare. Shop Again was a daughter of Wild Again, which is the Icecapade family, the Hyperion line. Oscar Performance has that same line through Nureyev and blends very well with Smart Shopping. MADEMOISELLE COCO, 12, Medaglia d'Oro-Easter Bunnette, by Carson City. To be bred to Cody's Wish Another longtime friend and client of 40 years is Nancy Dillman who bred to Diesis (GB) to produce Champion Diminuendo in 1985, his first crop. Nancy also bred Havre de Grace who was Horse of the Year and she only has three mares but is very intuitive and has always been a student of things. Mademoiselle Coco is a half-sister to Havre de Grace and another mare who we sent to Arrogate and has a nice three-year-old filly called Neon Icon who has earned $250,000. Mademoiselle Coco is a Medaglia d'Oro mare and we were looking for some size with mating. She's currently in foal to Cody's Wish, and Nancy is going to return her to Cody's Wish. We like him and we're happy enough that it's his second year. She has two Essential Qualities that precede this mating as well. If we believe in the horse, we'll go back to the horse. JOY OF LEARNING, 9, Kitten's Joy-Miss Chapin, by Royal Academy. To be bred to Not This Time Bobby Frankel once told Jerry and John Amerman, `you need to meet Alice Chandler,' and Jerry will tell you it was one of the best days of her life. As you can see with our clients, many are ladies and they had wonderful friendship and relationship with Mom and Mill Ridge. Jerry is a horseman, a champion dog breeder and animal lover, and she and John make a tremendous partnership. Obviously, Oscar Performance is the flagship and the fulfillment of every dream. They have about 10 mares or so that they breed from and are not commercial breeders. Their two foundation mares have been Devine Actress, the dam of Oscar Performance, and Miss Chapin, a beautiful mare and good producer. One of her daughters I'd like to feature is Joy of Learning by Kitten's Joy, such an underrated stallion, pedigree-wise and performance-wise. Joy of Learning was a winner and she has a very promising three-year-old called Test Score, who is by Lookin at Lucky. I have used Lookin at Lucky quite a bit, because he breeds racehorses, and he's a beautifully-bred horse but was never commercial. She has a very attractive Not This Time, just turned two, and we were able to get that fee at $40,000. We're going to return to Not This Time and he's deservedly gotten more expensive, so you kind of average out the $40,000 from her first mating to him and the $175,000 and you're at $100,000. Not This Time | Sarah Andrew WILD SILK, 12, Street Sense-Spun Silk, by A. P. Indy. To be bred to Not This Time Another client and dear friend is Lynn Schiff and her Clover Hill Farm. Sadly, we lost Lynn a few years ago but her daughter, Maggie Gieseke, is carrying on. They have about six mares or so, and are commercial breeders. Lynn and I bought three mares in 2017 to inject some new blood into their program and one of the mares we bought was Wild Silk for $70,000. She was a Godolphin cull, from the good Fed Biz family. She is a daughter of Street Sense, and she needed some size, so we were going to experiment to see if we could breed some size into her. You identify the weaknesses and see if you can breed those out. I was fortunate enough to have mated with Jim Tafel, Street Sense from the first crop of Street Cry. He too provides a source of Hyperion through Dixieland Band and Lynn, also a shareholder in Oscar Performance, bred Wild Silk to him and produced Red Carpet Ready from that mating. Wild Silk has a lovely Not This Time filly who sold as a yearling in Saratoga this year for $750,000, so Wild Silk has done very, very well in the process, and we are going to breed her back to Not This Time for the same reason really as the Amermans did with Joy of Learning. If you're trying to breed a racehorse and you can see you've got a very nice one, you're inclined to replicate that but we know there are no guarantees. HUMOR ME DIXIE, 8, Distorted Humor-Dixie City, by Dixie Union. Will be bred to Upstart Frank Garrison is a longtime friend from my college days. We own a couple of mares together and a mare I'm going to feature here is a mare called Humor Me Dixie. She is a Distorted Humor mare who, similar to Wild Silk, I paid $50,000 for her because I wanted to get into the pedigree. She lacked some size. I bought her as a maiden, and we mated her to Omaha Beach in her first year and she has a very promising two-year-old by him called Presha that we sold for $40,000 and then sold as a two-year-old for $390,000 and is stakes placed in the Tepin. She has some potential for Will Walden and Woodford Racing. We have a very nice Upstart yearling now. We believe in Upstart and a shareholder. You study the cycles in these stallions, and you see their books, when they get weak, and the strength and use certain stallions accordingly. She's currently in foal to Oscar Perfomrance and we'll return to Upstart for the blend, the size, and the timing with Upstart. KODIAC WINTERGREEN (IRE), 4, Kodiac (GB)-Humble and Proud (Ire), by Pivotal. To be bred to Oscar Performance Kodiac Wintergreen is for a new client, a lovely gentlemen named Michael Salley. It's a fascinating story. He was in Lexington, and came into town for a TOBA new-owner seminar. He owned some horses and was just trying to continue his education, and took a Horse Country tour to Mill Ridge. He fell in love with Mill Ridge and reached out to see if he could meet Mr. Bell. He told me he wants to breed and race from what he breeds. I said in the meantime, let's shave a couple of years off that plan and consider a few yearlings. He bought four yearlings in September and a maiden mare named Kodiac Wintergreen in November. She comes from a lovely family, and her dam is by Pivotal, such a great source of the Nureyev line, and once again, you've got Hyperion in the process. She was stakes-placed at Keeneland and earned $150,000. We are going to breed her to Oscar Performance to utilize that Hyperion line and the pedigree blend. NICKNAME, 12, Scat Daddy-Nina Fever, by Borrego. To be bred to Munnings Lastly, a new client is Brookdale Racing whom I'm assisting with their U.S. operations. They're commercial breeders and they also race and have stallion interests. They own half of Thorpedo Anna. They've got about 15 mares, about five or six that are A and B mares. The mare I'm going to feature is a mare called Nickname, winner of the GI Frizette Stakes, a good mare. She's got a good Wootton Bassett (GB) colt who has just turned three, as well as a just-turned two-year-old Wootton Bassett. She is in foal to Gun Runner. They ended up sending three of their mares to Munnings, including this mare. I believe Munnings is a value play, and at the same time breeds you a racehorse. Timing-wise, it's a good time to use him. You might say, `my goodness, you're stepping back from Wootton Bassett and Gun Runner to go to Munnings.' For me, those sires are paving the way, and this complements her. DREAM TREE, 10, Uncle Mo-Afleet Maggi, by Afleet Alex. To be bred to Life is Good Dream Tree is currently in foal to Constitution and both of these mares have been given every chance with quality stallions. This mare was a very good racemare, a Grade I-winning, multiple graded stakes winner of over $500,000, and she has a very nice Gun Runner filly that they retained to race. She has been bred to Curlin, Into Mischief, and stallions like that and we are going to breed to Life is Good. We really do believe in the horse and are sending a few mares to him. It doesn't put me off to use a stallion in their third or fourth years, particularly a brilliant horse like him. The post 2025 Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Headley Bell, Nicoma Bloodstock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Zac Purton steals the show again, John Size continues his resurgence and Me Tsui is in the midst of a lengthy drought.View the full article