Wandering Eyes

In response to a release on the subject of 'Equine Sudden Death Syndrome' issued by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Sept. 25 (TDN story), which found that atrial fibrillation (AF) was a contributing factor to equine sudden death, Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HPBA, called the findings into question in a statement of his own on Oct. 8, declaring that the HISA statement 'raised more questions than answers' and 'offered no scientific references, and provided no direct link to the alleged research behind their claims, even though the research has been publicly presented.' In its Sept. 25 release, HISA reported that Exercise-Associated Sudden Death (EASD) accounted for 8% of racing fatalities and 18% of training fatalities at racetracks subject to HISA rules (as well as training centers owned by them). The release also said that retrospective analysis of cases since the inception of HISA showed that more than 50% of those cases were 'likely related to cardiac issues' often classified as 'sudden cardiac death.' The HISA release proposed 'integrating cardiac screening' into the routine evaluation of horse by making use of wearable devices or veterinary exams with the goal of identifying at-risk horses prior to exercise. Hamelback took issue to such monitoring in his release, laying out the limitations of heart rate monitors. Hamelback also calls out HISA for their neglecting to acknowledge how the removal of Furosemide (Lasix) can exacerbate the risk of EIPH. “The welfare of racehorses and the integrity of the sport depend on clear, evidence-based leadership,” Hamelback said. “This is not what we are receiving in this last HISA press release. Anything less does a disservice to horsemen, veterinarians, and most importantly, the horses themselves.” The post National HBPA Pushes Back On HISA Equine Sudden Death Release appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit has suspended owner/trainer Juan Munoz Cano for a dozen years and fined him $150,000 for six clenbuterol positives in Kentucky from November 2024-January 2025.View the full article

Stewards in Kentucky have issued jockey Luan Machado a suspension of three race days for careless riding during the $650,000 Alcibiades Stakes (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland, which led to the disqualification of Percy's Bar.View the full article

By Brian Sheerin and Emma Berry NEWMARKET, UK — Day two of the Book 1 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale followed a familiar script on Wednesday when Godolphin and Amo Racing fought it out for the most sought-after bloodlines. Amo secured two colts by Wootton Bassett – one from Marlhill House Stud and the other from Newsells Park Stud – for 2,200,000gns while Godolphin paid that exact sum for a Frankel colt from Fittocks Stud. All told, there were six different seven-figure lots on Wednesday, where the total turnover reached 47,258,000gns – which was up by 17% on last year's figures. The day two average climbed marginally by 2% to 352,672gns while the median dipped by 10% to 215,000gns. The clearance rate held up reasonably well at 85%, however, that figure represented a 5% drop-off from last year. Fittocks Stud's 'Best Day' Luca Cumani admitted to holding back the tears after he and his wife Sara enjoyed their greatest day in the sale ring when their Fittocks Stud-consigned Frankel colt sold to Godolphin for 2,200,000gns. The Frankel colt was bred in partnership with Newsells Park Stud and Marina and Leonidas Marinopoulos, and it was Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida who filled the role as underbidder. Cumani said, “It's fantastic, absolutely fantastic. It's the highest we have ever had. We sold one for two million last year, which was very exciting, and this is even better. He is such a lovely horse – never puts a foot wrong. He is a great-looking Frankel horse out of a mare who is already proven. I am delighted that he has gone to a very good home.” “This is our best day at the sales. It is very emotional and we are especially thankful to the people who appreciate a good horse. I am also very thankful to my stud groom Martin Languillet. He and all of the staff have done a fantastic job.” The Frankel colt is out of Motivator mare Innevera, who the Godolphin team know well as she is the dam of the outfit's Group 2 winner Ottoman Fleet. Asked how the partnership came about, Cumani explained, “We were selling the mare on behalf of the Marinopoulos family. They wanted to stay involved but had to resolve their other partnership. At the same time, Graham [Smith-Bernal] said to me to keep an eye out if I saw something nice and maybe we could do something together. We said that this mare could be a good proposition for a partnership and that's how it came together.” A great day for Fittocks Stud draft continued with the sale of lot 218, the Dubawi colt out of G1 Nassau Stakes winner Lady Bowthorpe (Nathaniel), for 1,300,000gns. He became the first purchase at Book 1 this week for Coolmore. The colt's breeder Emma Banks, who sold his full-brother to Godolphin at last year's sale for 2,000,000gns, said, “I'm so lucky to have a mare that has produced two beautiful yearlings. Her [Too Darn Hot colt] foal is lovely and she's in foal to Wootton Bassett, so it's exciting.” She continued, “Both of them are getting the best possible chance with trainers that are at the top of their game, so I'm very happy. It gives me an excuse to descend on Ballydoyle next year to see how he's getting on. “It's not every day that you can sell a horse for that much money. If the vets are right, we've got a filly, a Wootton Bassett filly in the oven. So, I'm thrilled about that. I am very emotionally invested in the mare, of course, so that first filly stays with me, I think.” MV Magnier said of his latest purchase, which was made in conjunction with Pater Brant's White Birch Farm, “He's a lovely horse and Lady Bowthorpe was a very good race filly, as we all know. It's a great result for Emma Banks. She's a very nice lady and well done to her.” He added, “Dubawi is still going very well and we are going to retire Delacroix this year. Delacroix is probably one of the most important horses we have retired in Ireland in a good while. He has everything: race record, pedigree, and he's a complete outcross, so we can really get behind him.” Late-Session Flourish for Newsells Park Newsells Park Stud has been the leading consignor at Book 1 each year since 2014 and looks set to do the same this time around. After selling Tuesday's second-top lot for 3,600,000gns, the stud was involved in two of the joint-top lots on Wednesday. As mentioned above, Newsells Park was the co-breeder of the Fittocks Stud-consigned Frankel colt, and on behalf of breeder Al Shahania Stud it consigned lot 349, the Wootton Bassett colt who made a late splash at 2,200,000gns. The son of the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes winner and Classic-placed Qabala (Scat Daddy) was signed for by Alex Elliott on behalf of Amo Racing. “I think we bought two serious Wootton Bassett colts today: one from Marlhill House Stud and then this one out of Qabala, who was a very good filly for Roger Varian,” Elliott said. “Her son by Persian King [Raammee] appears to be a bit of a freak. His performance at Kempton [on debut] appeared to be very special and then he came back and won at Newcastle. Wootton Bassett is an upgrade on most stallions so, with the pedigree going back to a huge Juddmonte family, I think he has the potential to be a very special horse.” Newsells Park Stud's general manager Julian Dollar paid tribute to the colt's breeder, Qatar's Al Shahania Stud, which is in the process of dispersing its thoroughbred stock. “They're just going to focus on the Arabs, so they've got some lovely foals and mares coming through in December, including Qabala and her Ace Impact foal,” he explained. We've had a lovely association with them. Bertrand Le Metayer looks after them, and he's brilliant to deal with. And they have an exceptional manager in Arnaud Leraitre. He is an exceptional horseman and they send these lovely horses over that we have the pleasure of selling. But Arnaud deserves all the credit. He's a lovely guy and he does a tremendous job.” Dollar also offered a fascinating insight on trade so far at Tattersalls. “It's the strangest market I've ever come across,” he said. “We had an amazing sale yesterday, and the Frankel made 3.6 million, which was more than I could dream about in my wildest dreams. And we were part of a beautiful Frankel that Sara and Luca Cumani and their team had put together that made 2.2 million. “We had a great time until then, and then this afternoon I had seven yearlings going through the ring without one single live bid. And then I turned up with the Qabala [colt], who I thought was a lovely horse and would make 500,000-plus, and he goes and makes 2.2 million. So that's what I'm talking about. I've never known a market like it. It's just bizarre.” He added, “We had a very good day yesterday, and we were very fortunate. And it put us well ahead of where we thought we were going to be. We can take the hits. I feel sorry for the smaller breeder who can't take the hits, and I hope that Book 2 will be more solid. I just don't quite understand it. I thought it would be a really good sale, because all the sales have been good and this was the one that started it all off this time last year. So I don't quite know why it's quite thin underneath that top level, because the horses we brought were decent. They vetted well. They walked well. They were well bred. But look, we've been very lucky, so we are not complaining.” Amo Has The Force Having endured bad luck with Crypto Force (Time Test) after his G2 Beresford Stakes victory as a juvenile, Kia Joorabchian will be praying that things pan out more smoothly for the Wootton Bassett half-brother who cost the Amo Racing founder 2,200,000gns during the second session at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Offered as lot 247, the colt is the fourth foal out of the winning Galileo mare Luna Mare, from the family of Lord Weinstock's globetrotting champion Pilsudski. Her first foal was the aforementioned Crypto Force, who won two of his three starts as a juvenile and later finished third in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup after missing his entire three-year-old campaign. Luna Mare was bought by Marlhill House Stud for 500,000gns at the 2022 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, just a couple of months after Crypto Force's win in the Beresford. She has a filly foal, also by Wootton Bassett, but is not in foal this year, according to Marlhill House manager Brian McConnon, who was understandably delighted with the result. He said, “The plan always was, when we bought the mare here three years ago, that we'd send her to Wootton Bassett. She was a young Galileo mare, and Crypto Force was one of the flagbearers for her, so she had a great profile. “This is the first Wootton Bassett we got out of the mare, so the plan came to fruition. It's fantastic. We were hopeful that he'd sell well, but you obviously don't know until you get here. Then all the right people vetted him and you just need them to step up. We were obviously delighted that Coolmore and Amo Racing locked horns again.” Having been pushed all the way by the Coolmore team, Joorabchian admitted that the colt had proved harder to get his hands on than he had originally hoped. “To be honest with you, I was hoping it would be half of that [price],” he conceded. “Unfortunately, when you're bidding against the other big guys, you have to really go for it. You don't have a choice. “We own the half-brother, Crypto Force, and he won a Group 2 for us in Ireland. So, we know the mare and we know she can produce a good horse. We love Crypto, really. He's been a bit fragile for us. He had a couple of bad injuries at the end of his two-year-old career and never really managed to pick up that velocity that he had as a two-year-old. “But we know what happened to him and this is a big upgrade with Wootton Bassett who is now gone. It's a family that we know and we thought we had to have him.”§Having made an instant impact on the opening day of the sale, Amo Racing continued its spending spree, which, after two days, now runs to seven yearlings bought for 9,710,000gns. These included Lynn Lodge Stud's Night Of Thunder colt (lot 275), who was widely expected to ring the bell, and so he did, to the tune of 1,500,000gns. “A good day's work, gotta be lucky,” said Lynn Lodge's Eddie O'Leary who was consigning on behalf of his brother Michael's Gigginstown House. The colt's full-sister Evolutionist, trained by Karl Burke, is set to run in Friday's G1 Fillies' Mile for Yuesheng Zhang. “He's an absolutely beautiful horse. He has a magnificent mind, too. The sire is obviously very, very good. I hope the filly is good – she runs in the Group 1 on Friday.” Their dam Model Guest (Showcasing) was third in the G3 Sweet Solera Stakes for Archie Watson and was bought by Mags O'Toole at the December Sale four years ago for 330,000gns. O'Leary continued, “She looks a good mare and we bought her in foal to Kingman. She produced a stunning filly last year and a stunning colt this year. It's a brilliant day but we've got more to sell now. You are never confident but you hope all the people show up and they showed up. It's brilliant. I hope he's very lucky. I'd like to thank all the lads at home as well for all of their hard work. It's very much appreciated.” The very next lot through the ring was also from Lynn Lodge Stud and the daughter of Wootton Bassett and Mohjatty, an unraced Awtaad half-sister to Classic winner Taghrooda (Sea The Stars) duly sold for 500,000gns to Tsunefumi Kusama. The Japanese owner had also been active through the first session and has now signed for three well-bred fillies for a combined 1,300,000gns. Stars Align for Millisle's No Nay Never Colt The Coolmore partners made their second seven-figure purchase of Wednesday's session when going to 1,700,000gns for the No Nay Never colt out of the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Millisle (Starspangledbanner). Consigned by Watership Down Stud, lot 266 was bred by Stonethorn Stud Farms and is the third foal out of Millisle, who also won the G3 Ballyogan Stakes as a three-year-old. Her first foal, Alfareqa (Frankel), successful once in five career starts, was herself a Book 1 yearling when bought by Shadwell for 1,600,000gns in 2023. Simon Marsh, manager of Watership Down Stud, said of the No Nay Never colt, “To get all the stars to align is very difficult, but this is a lovely horse and he was on a lot of lists. It is a wonderful price, but now we need him to be a good racehorse.” Another purchase signed for by MV Magnier was lot 230, Glenvale Stud's half-brother to G1 Flying Five Stakes winner Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev), who fetched 500,000gns. He belongs to the first crop of Coolmore stallion Blackbeard, a son of No Nay Never. “No Nay Never is having another great year with the likes of Charles Darwin, who's very good, and True Love,” said Magnier. “The mare was very good.” He added, “Blackbeard is having a good sale and there's plenty of good words for the Little Big Bear foals. The best ones by Blackbeard that we have will be going to Ballydoyle.” Hogan: 'My Legs Went to Jelly' It can be easy to read the headlines from Book 1 and conclude that this is a sale for the big boys and, unless you have millions in the bank, you cannot compete. Pinhooker Fearghal Hogan put that theory in the bin on Wednesday when a St Mark's Basilica colt that he bought for €120,000 sold for a whopping 800,000gns to Amo Racing. It was the type of pinhooking profit that left Hogan puffing for air down in the gangway as the numbers kept on climbing. And when the gavel eventually fell, the man behind Apollo Bloodstock nearly collapsed to his knees. “My legs just went to jelly,” Hogan said. “I don't even know what was going through my mind. I couldn't believe it – it's just an unbelievable feeling. I knew the horse was going really well yesterday. We had 20 vets on the horse. And today, he just took off again. I had a good feeling going to bed last night that something good was going to happen. Now, I didn't think he could go and make 800,000gns. But I thought that maybe he might make half of that.” He added, “I rang my mother straight away. She doesn't really understand the horse business so she can't wrap her head around it. To see that kind of money exchanging hands, she was just like, 'oh my God.' I really can't explain what I am feeling. I'm still in shock to be honest.” Hogan purchased the St Mark's Basilica colt at the Goffs November Foal Sale last year. He agreed that taking a chance on the progeny of a stallion's second crop was a big risk but qualified the six-figure outlay by saying he was a massive fan of St Mark's Basilica as a racehorse and that this colt was an excellent model by the multiple Group 1-winning son of Siyouni. On Sunday, there was some reward when St Mark's Basilica was represented by his first Group 1 winners, the Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Diamond Necklace. Hogan explained, “Spending €120,000 on a foal, that's a big throw for me. And people were laughing at me during the summer when St Mark's Basilica wasn't going as well as he is now. Everyone kept reminding me that St Mark's Basilica was a half-brother to Magna Grecia but I kept telling them to keep the faith. I loved St Mark's Basilica as a racehorse and I loved this foal at the sales. Basically, I just took a chance and St Mark's Basilica has enjoyed an excellent second half to the season. He looks as though he's going to be a very good stallion. “The first-season sires are so dangerous and oftentimes you can be either a hero or a zero when you pinhook a foal by one of them. But I loved everything about St Mark's Basilica so I wanted to take a chance on him, basically, and that's what happened. There were one or two other people involved and I am delighted for them. Fair play to Pa Doyle of Galbertstown who consigned him for me as well – he's done a brilliant job.” Hogan added, “I'll be completely honest with you, my costs are massive. I rent a farm on the Curragh and I have one girl, Jackie Mooney, who works for me and I would be completely lost without her. My landlords Philip and Sheena O'Connor are unbelievable as well. But there are a lot of people who have helped me and they know who they are. Even the vets not ringing and annoying you for money and having a farrier who works with you, all of those things matter because, as a pinhooker, you only get one payday every year. After that, you might be short on cash so there are so many people who help you through the tougher times and I just want them to know that it is appreciated. People in the horse game are great people. It really is a great game. The good days can be just around the corner and, if you don't try, you'll have no chance. If you can keep your head above water during the bad years and just survive, survive, survive, you can hit on a result like this. When you do, you don't even remember the bad times!” Four Noughts for Forenaghts A sum of 850,000gns was commanded for the sole yearling brought to Book 1 by Caoimhe Doherty of Forenaghts Stud. The son of Night Of Thunder (lot 344) was the third-most expensive of any yearling by his sire sold so far this week when joining the list of 15 purchases by Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation so far this week. He is out of the Group 3-placed Pronouncement (Declaration Of War) whose current two-year-old Chicago Call (Oasis Dream) is a winner and Listed-placed for Johnny Murtagh this season. Doherty said, “I was full of doubts this afternoon and we are blown away now because we did not expect that. Once we got to 400,000gns, I was just really relieved and happy. I was in tears – I still am!” Burns Enjoys Day of Days Paddy Burns enjoyed his best-ever day since going out on his own under Loughtown Stud. The 37-year-old cleared 1.45 million gns on three well-bred yearlings, headed by a Lope De Vega filly who commanded 750,000gns when sold to Alex Elliott and MV Magnier. The jubilant breeder said of lot 303, “She's just been a star since the day she was born. We bought the dam, Night Of Light, at the Niarchos dispersal at Goffs. She is a beautiful mare and her daughter, Light Of Night (Dark Angel), was in the same sale and I thought that she was beautiful as well. “She's a black-type filly and is the carbon copy of the dam. We bought the mare in foal to Lope De Vega so you couldn't do any better than that. We were lucky that the Palace Pier colt [half-brother Sirius A] was placed in a Group 3 this year. We've had a lot of luck as a family but, since I have gone out on my own under Loughtown Stud, this is by far the best day in the business for me.” Asked what would have been his second-best result, Burns replied, “Earlier today when we sold the Wootton Bassett filly for 550,000gns [to MV Magnier]! It takes a long time to put together mares good enough to give us days like this. We pinhooked away for years and put together enough money to go and buy the mares. So we've got nicer mares, used better nominations and now hopefully we are reaping the rewards. I need to give thanks to Brian Walsh and Brendan O'Brien at home in the yard, and most importantly my wife Helena who is at home with four kids and does a lot of work with the mares. It's an unbelievable result.” Golden Touch It is fair to say that Maxios wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea but Aughamore Stud's punt on buying lot 305 as a foal from the Goffs November Sale for €20,000 paid off handsomely when the colt was resold on Wednesday to Oliver St Lawrence and Sir Mark Prescott for 105,000gns. If you like pedigrees then you should love this horse. His grandsires, Monsun and Galileo, are two of the greatest sires of the modern era, and then there's the not insignificant factor of his dam being a half-sister to Classic winner Study Of Man, meaning that there on the page is the incomparable Miesque and her wealth of classy descendants. It is not hard to guess that this colt was bred by the Niarchos family's Flaxman Stables, and when you plump for graduates from such good breeders, you already have a fighting chance of being associated with a good one. Best of luck to the colt's new owners and congratulations to the Gleeson brothers of Aughamore Stud for reaping the rewards of turning out such a good-looking yearling. Buy of the Day Lot 196: Ghaiyyath filly ex Indigo Lady (Sir Percy) Vendor: Watership Down Stud Buyer: Durcan Bloodstock/Richard Hughes Racing, 75,000gns A neat and racy-looking individual whose dam is a Listed winner and half-sister Indie Angel (Dark Angel) won the G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes. That's a fair bit of upside for a filly for starters. But when you factor in that she was bred at Ringfort Stud, a farm which regularly turns out classy winners, and that she didn't look like she would take forever to come to hand, but with the profile to be progressive, then an outlay of 75,000gns – 20,000gns less than her foal price – seems pretty reasonable. Takeaways It used to be a case of duels between Godolphin and Coolmore, but since Book 1 last year, Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing outfit has burst its way onto the scene and often fills the role of one or other of those two superpowers when the sleeves get rolled up in the ring. Those three big names are dominating the top of the buyers' board, with a combined outlay of 31.5 million gns – which accounts for more than a third of the turnover so far. Aside from its purchases in the name of Godolphin, Stroud Coleman Bloodstock has also signed for 14 horses for 4.77 million gns, while Blandford Bloodstock, whose clients include Wathnan Racing, have bought 10 for 4.43 million gns. After a tricky opening day for pinhookers, there were some sublime feats achieved on Wednesday, most notably in the case of Fearghal Hogan, whose €120,000 St Mark's Basilica colt rocked into 800,000gns. It was Amo Racing who landed the colt. From a one-time low of £15,000 in the two years that he stood in Britain, Night Of Thunder has been riding high on a fee of €100,000 for the last three seasons and it is a gradual rise which looks fully justified. Poised to be champion sire in Britain and Ireland in 2025, the son of Dubawi has had 14 yearlings sold in the last two days for an average of 589,643gns. It was a day where many younger operators enjoyed a large share of the spoils, including Loughtown Stud's Paddy Burns, who cleared 1.45 million gns on three well-bred yearlings. That haul far and away exceeded his previous best result in the ring. There have been 11 seven-figure lots through the ring at Park Paddocks this week and, amazingly, they've all been colts. The boys have definitely dominated at Tattersalls so far. The post Amo Racing and Godolphin Continue Tattersalls Book 1 Domination appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Less than 10 lots from the end of Wednesday's session, lot 349, a son of Wootton Bassett and the Scat Daddy mare Qabala, was knocked down for 2.2 million gns to Amo Racing. He is the third yearling to make that price during the second session of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1. Amo picked up lot 247, another son of Wootton Bassett, for an identical price from the Marlhill House Stud draft earlier in the day. Kia Joorabchian's operation has purchased five yearlings outright on Wednesday for 7.31 million gns. The February foal and third produce of his dam was bred by Al Shahania Stud Doha. He was offered by Newsells Park Stud on behalf of Al Shahania. Qabala joined the Al Shahania fold when picked up for $300,000 out of the Fasig-Tipton Night of Stars as a weanling. She won the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes and was third in the G1 1000 Guineas. Her latest foal is a weanling filly by undefeated G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Ace Impact. The colt's great granddam is the GI Alabama Stakes and GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Flute (Seattle Slew). Flute, in turn, left GII Goldikova Stakes winner Filimbi (Mizzen Mast), who was placed at the highest level four times. The post Another 2.2m Gns Joint-Topper, As Amo Strikes For Wootton Bassett Colt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin After a failed experiment last week Rowe Cup-winning trotter Bet N Win will go back to basics for his return to racing at Addington tomorrow night. The Canterbury five-year-old might be the best trotter in the country, having not only won the Rowe Cup at Alexandra Park in May but he finished second in the Inter Dominion in Brisbane in July, beating home Oscar Bonavena. The latter stands in Bet N Win’s way in the $40,000 Braxton Farriers Worthy Queen Trot at Addington tomorrow night at what is a rare 13-race meeting. The Group 3 is also a rarity in that it is only 2000m but the big three of Bet N Win, Oscar Bonavena and Muscle Mountain all start off the 20m back mark. That would usually be the punting kiss of death but the reality is they are so superior to their rivals, and the handicaps in the race are staggered so they aren’t giving away the full 20m to all their rivals, that one of them should win. Bet N Win has the possible disadvantage of going into the race fresh and punters who saw his race night workout at Addington last Friday might baulk at the fact he galloped when getting up to full speed in the home straight. Co-trainer David White says that is his fault as he tried to find Bet N Win more speed by taking his shoes off for the workout. While not common here, trainers in Europe and Scandinavia race their trotters barefoot in big races quite often, the belief being in their most natural state they can trot faster. Sometimes trotters there race with no front shoes but shoes on their rear hooves while in heat and final races like the famous Elitloppet in Sweden horses will sometimes wear shoes in the heats but race barefoot the final two hours later. With a couple of hundred years of breeding behind them the European-bred trotters can get away with it because their gait is often so clean. As it turns out, Bet N Win can’t just yet. “We tried something different last week but it didn’t work,” admits White. “I think it might work in the future so I haven’t given up on the idea of racing him shoeless to get more speed out of him but not right now. “So he will have the shoes back on for Friday.” Footwear issues aside White and his wife Stacey couldn’t be happier with Bet N Win for his comeback and they literally know he has the heart to get the job done. “His heart rate is amazing,” explains White. “A normal horse might have a heart rate of 85 beats per minute after a workout but his is usually 75bpm even after a good workout, and never gets above 80. “That is around 5 beats per minute lower than it was this time last year so as he is getting stronger the work is taxing him less.” If Bet N Win’s new shoes and big heart combine at the right time he might just be the horse to beat in the Renwick Farms Dominion Trot at Addington on November 11 but White says tomorrow’s night comeback dash could be more about manners. “Usually you wouldn’t be confident with a horse off a 20m handicap over 2000m but Oscar Bonavena has been coming off back marks and beating up on most of these horses,” he suggests. “So I think one of us backmarkers should probably win and that might come down to who steps the fastest. “That could be us because he is usually so quick away but even if that is right we wouldn’t want Oscar getting straight on to our back as I don’t think there is a horse in Australasia who can beat him for speed under those circumstances.” The TAB opened Oscar Bonavena the $2.60 favourite for tomorrow night’s race with Bet N Win decent value at $4.60 and Muscle Mountain at $6.50. A trot of that quality would usually be the highlight of most harness racing meetings but it is just one of a string of major races at tomorrow’s New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred Harness Million meeting. There are three of those sales series races including Jumal trying to remain unbeaten in the $200,000 freshman boys pace, Akuta and Republican Party faces 25m backmarks in the open pace and Marketplace heads a hot three-year-old pacing field in the Dakins Flying Stakes. View the full article

Trainer Will Walden has come a long way in a short period of time. Training only since 2022, through Tuesday, he had 35 wins on the year from 141 starters for a win rate of 25%. His stable's earnings stood at $3.384 million. It's been a good year, in part because of a very good day. Walden won his first Grade I race last Saturday at Keeneland when the New York-bred Rhetorical (Not This Time) won the GI Coolmore Turf Mile. It was an important step for a trainer who admits he aspires to be one of the top trainers in the business. Walden's success has also come after he battled substance abuse problems for years, but says he has found peace and sobriety. To talk about the Coolmore Turf Mile, his plans for the future and other topics, Walden was this week's guest on the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. He was the Gainesway Guest of the Week. How confident was he that Rhetorical, who was 9-1, would win the prestigious one-mile turf race? “I was very confident and that was really exciting,” he said. “That's why my team and I show up every day. We want to win at the highest levels and be around high-caliber horses. We love every single one of them, no matter what level they compete at, but, obviously to win a Grade I at Keeneland was special.” Walden said he brought the horse up to the Turf Mile the same way he imagined Bill Mott would have trained such a gelding. Slow, patient, one step at a time. “In my training career, I've been blessed to work for so many good people, so many good outstanding horsemen, to name a few like Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott, Wesley Ward,” Walden said. “I never worked for Brad Cox, but I've certainly learned a lot from him, training alongside of him at Churchill and Turfway. There are certain horses, obviously you train and you think, what would Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott, Brad Cox have done with them? I always felt like Rhetorical was a Bill Mott type of horses. I tried to make the decisions based on what would Bill do and Bill wouldn't jump him into a stakes too early. He'd space his races out.” The GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar is next. Is he confident? “We'll see how he trains up in between,” Walden said. “He came out of the race great and he's doing well now. It's going to be deeper waters. I do believe because of how tactical he is he will suit that turf course pretty well. I think that turf course and the style of running will suit him. It's a short stretch, which doesn't necessarily favor all Europeans, but I do think it'll favor this horse.” While pleased that he's had such a big year, Walden aspires to do even better. “The goal in life is always to keep moving forward,” he said. “We're extremely pleased with how this year has gone, but we have goals that are bigger than that. As a team, as a collective unit, we want to train on Saturdays in the biggest races. We love racing. So, we want as much action as possible. There's more out there to conquer. And I'd be lying to you if I said we were satisfied.” Walden has been quite open about his problems with drugs and alcohol. With the help of Christian Countzler and Frank Taylor's Stable Recovery program, which has helped hundreds of individuals overcome drug and alcohol problems and find jobs in the racing industry, Walden has thrived. “Christian ran the program that I went through,” Walden said. “I was a part of the inaugural Stable Recovery group, but I actually got sober in a different house than Christian was running. When I would tell them where I was, what facility I was at, they would say, that's a black belt recovery over there, meaning they took it very serious. And I think Stable Recovery has got a really good peer driven, peer held accountable program. It's a big group of guys and everybody's given some responsibility over there. And they're given the responsibility of holding their brother to their left and to their right and check and hold them accountable. When you've got brothers in arms walking through something, it's way stronger than trying to walk through it by yourself. And then you add the equine component, which I've seen personally melt the hardest of hearts and break men down and help them get in touch with a side of themselves that they've never been in touch with before. You add both those things together and you create this brotherhood that's surrounded with this everyday mission to take care of this beast. This requires a tenderness that maybe these guys aren't used to having or even being shown.” The “Fastest Horse of the Week” was Rated by Merit (Battalion Runner), who got a 105 Beyer for his win in the Discovery S. Saturday at Aqueduct. Podcast co-host Randy Moss called him a horse to watch in the Breeders' Cup. The Fastest Horse of the Week segment is sponsored by WinStar. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by 1/ST TV, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association and West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Bill Finley and Moss went over the slew of Breeders' Cup preps last weekend. The consensus was that GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) was among the most impressive winners over the weekend. The team also talked about the poor performance by Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in the GI Juddmonte Spinster Stakes and speculated that she might be retired. The podcast ended with a remembrance of Jeff Siegel, a terrific guy and a great handicapper. He passed away last week at the age of 74. Click here to watch the podcast and here for the audio-only version. The post Will Walden Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast Presented by Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Friday, Newmarket, post time: 14:57, THE BET365 FILLIES' MILE-G1, £528,750, 2yo, f, 8fT Field: Amora Queen (Ger) (Waldgeist {GB}), Composing (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Dance To The Music (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Evolutionist (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Legacy Link (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Moments Of Joy (Justify), Moon Target (GB) (Cracksman {GB}), Precise (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Queen Of Hawaii (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Sugar Island (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Venetian Lace (Ire) (Masar {Ire}). TDN Analysis: Following her wins in the Prestige and Moyglare, Precise is queen bee here with the step up to a mile unlikely to be any problem based on the stamina-packed dam's side. Aidan O'Brien sent Love here in 2019 following her win in that Curragh contest and she was only third, but there is so much to like about the way this filly has been going through her races so far. Juddmonte's Legacy Link is a relative of Frankel and despite the promise of her Haydock novice win has quite a bit to find with the Ballydoyle first-string, while Godolphin's Sweet Solera winner Dance To The Music has to overcome a recent trip to Canada where she was unlucky in the Natalma. Queen Of Hawaii had the re-opposing Ballydoyle understudy Moments Of Joy 2 1/4 lengths back in second in The Curragh's Flame of Tara and is also in the mix. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Newmarket, post time: 14:25, THE THOROUGHBRED INDUSTRY EMPLOYEE AWARDS CHALLENGE STAKES-G2, £125,000, 3yo/up, 7fT Field: Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Poet Master (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Cosmic Year (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Scoville (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). TDN Analysis: Cosmic Year's year has been in-and-out, but it's probably about next year with him and a win here would provide a nice confidence boost for the son of Passage Of Time whose contrasting fortunes can be summarised by a second in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and last-of-four finish in Goodwood's Thoroughbred Stakes. Despite boasting a tally of two Group 3s and four Group 1 placings, Beauvatier has always threatened to be better and is simply the best horse in this race if it all comes together. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Newmarket, post time: 16:45, THE NEWMARKET PONY ACADEMY PRIDE STAKES-G3, £85,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT Field: Ambiente Amigo (GB) (Postponed {GB}), Charlotte's Web (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Frances Ethel (SAf) (Rafeef {Aus}), Karmology (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), Miss Justice (GB) (Justify), Skellet (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Falakeyah (GB) (New Bay {GB}), Sand Gazelle (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Spirited Style (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Victory Queen (GB) (Kingman {GB}). TDN Analysis: This marks the belated return of the impressive Listed Pretty Polly Stakes winner Falakeyah, who has not been seen since finishing down the field in the Coronation Stakes. A distant fourth in the Pretty Polly, Sand Gazelle split Red Letter and Barnavara in the Snow Fairy at The Curragh in August and it may be that she is an entirely different proposition to the filly who was beaten so far here in May. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Newmarket, post time: 13:50, THE GODOLPHIN LIFETIME CARE OH SO SHARP STAKES-G3, £65,000, 2yo, f, 7fT Field: Blingy's Sister (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Calendar Girl (GB) (Advertise {GB}), Classic Cuvee (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), Coming Attraction (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Midnight Tango (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Mood Queen (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Mubasimah (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Senorita Vega (Ire) (Lucky Vega {Ire}), Shady Dame (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Tavana (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}). TDN Analysis: Runner-up on debut here to the subsequent Rockfel winner Zanthos, Classic Cuvee went one better in a hot Doncaster maiden last month and is an exciting prospect for the 2026 Classics. She meets the Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes winner Calendar Girl and the recent course-and-distance one-two Mubasimah and Shady Dame who emanate from top stables with in-depth understanding of what a good filly looks like. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Newmarket, post time: 13:15, THE NEWMARKET ACADEMY GODOLPHIN BEACON PROJECT CORNWALLIS STAKES-G3, £65,000, 2yo, 5fT Field: Revival Power (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), Aspect Island (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), Beckford's Folly (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Brussels (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Chairmanfourtimes (Ire) (Nando Parrado {GB}), Argentine Tango (GB) (Mattmu {GB}), India Love (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Our Cody (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Palmeira (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Spicy Marg (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Wor Faayth (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}). TDN Analysis: Revival Power's rivals will be hoping that a penalty for her Flying Childers win can stop her, as there doesn't seem much hope otherwise given how strong she looked at Doncaster. Ballydoyle's Brussels drops in trip after his solid Middle Park second, but he has done little so far to suggest he can live with the flying filly at this distance. Spicy Marg beat the King Power runner in Goodwood's Alice Keppel, but may not have made the same progress in the interim. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Dundalk, post time: 16:50, IRISH STALLION FARMS EBF LEGACY STAKES-Listed, €28,500, 2yo, 5f (AWT) Field: Howd'yadoit (Ire) (Nando Parrado {GB}), Jack The Bachelor (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Kansas (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Namiid (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Sir Alfie (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Sirius A (Ire) (Palace Pier {GB}), Ipanema Queen (Ire) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}), Aegina (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), By The Lake (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Strait And Narrow (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), Tornado Kiss (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Treasured Royal (Ire) (Nando Parrado {GB}), Xerling (Ire) (Sioux Nation). TDN Analysis: Rescheduled from last Friday, this sees Ballydoyle switch out their original runner Controlled for the Flying Childers runner-up Kansas who was fifth in the Middle Park. Ipanema Queen beat him in the Listed Curragh Stakes in August and is better than her last run when down the field on soft ground in Ayr's Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Dundalk, post time: 19:00, IRISH STALLION FARMS EBF STAR APPEAL STAKES-Listed, €28,500, 2yo, 7f (AWT) Field: Andab (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Controlled (Ire) (No Nay Never), Eleven A (Ire) (Calyx {GB}), Frescobaldi (Ire) (No Nay Never), Which Wolf Wins (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Fairy Oak (GB) (A'Ali {Ire}), Inbox (GB) (Ectot {GB}), Lookingforarainbow (Justify). TDN Analysis: Also rescheduled with a different look, this features Ballydoyle's gelding Controlled who was due to run in the Legacy last week and instead moves up two furlongs following his success in first-time blinkers in a Naas maiden last month. He replaces the stable's original runner Straight Up and the Fillies' Mile-bound Moments Of Joy and faces the proven Andab, who was third to Albert Einstein and Power Blue in the Marble Hill in May, fourth in the Coventry and second in the Prix Francois Boutin. [Tom Frary]. Friday, Compiegne, France, post time: 16:03, PRIX CHARLES LAFFITTE-Listed, €50,300, 3yo, f, 10fT Field: Al Uqda (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), Tajlina (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Al Dhaby (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), D'Ores Et Deja (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), Light The Ghost (Ger) (Waldgeist {GB}), Whataboutism (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), Azaniya (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Gaga Girl (Fr) (The Grey Gatsby {Ire}), Sunshine Baby (Fr) (Areion {Ger}), Janey Mackers (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Place Fontenoy (Fr) (War Command), Heed (Aus) (Frankel {GB}). TDN Analysis: Al Asayl's G3 Prix Penelope victrix Tajlina has not been seen since running second in April's G3 Prix Cleopatre and Al Shaqab's G2 German 1000 Guineas runner-up D'Ores Et Deja was a last-out fifth in June's G1 Prix de Diane. They offer the best form on show here. Godolphin's Andre Fabre-conditioned Whataboutism finished ahead of Al Uqda in August's G3 Prix de Psyche and holds solid place claims, while Kostyantyn Zgara's German 1000 Guineas third Place Fontenoy is winless in eight starts and needs to find more to feature. The three-strong British challenge is an intriguing mix, with the George Boughey-trained Ffos Las maiden winner Heed pitched into black-type company off the back of that debut success at the end of August. [Sean Cronin]. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Precise The One To Beat In Fillies’ Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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Every week, the TDN posts a round-up 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. Among this week's rulings, trainer Juan Munoz Cano has been suspended a combined 12 years and a combined $150,000 (including arbitration costs) for a series of clenbuterol positives spanning the end of last year and earlier this year, according to a final decision by an arbitral body whose ruling can be read here. The ban (a consecutive series of six, two-year suspensions) begins Oct. 7. Though the bronchodilator clenbuterol is classified by HISA as a banned substance, it is permitted for use for a maximum 30 days (within a six-month period) if accompanied with a valid veterinary prescription. Following administration, the horse in question is placed on the vets' list and unable to work or race until it tests clear. The separate cases are a mixture of post-race tests and out-of-competition tests involving six different horses. According to Equibase, Cano has been training since 2020, amassing 129 wins from 936 starts. His most successful year was in 2023, when he collected over $1.6 million in prize money from 32 victories. Also this week, trainer Eusobio Juarez has been suspended a year and fined a combined $18,000 (including arbitration costs) for possession of Diisopropylamine, a banned substance, on Jan. 29. The suspension beings Oct. 8. Diisopropylamine is a banned vasodilator, meaning it can widen the blood vessels and thereby improve blood flow. Diisopropylamine is also found in several everyday items like tobacco and beauty products, as well as hand sanitizer. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 10/07/2025 Licensee: Karyn Wittek, trainer Penalty: A written Reprimand (per 9/26/23 HISA Guidance). Admission. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Aubrey's Unbridled on 8/27/25. Date: 10/07/2025 Licensee: Eusobio Juarez, trainer Penalty: 24-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on October 8, 2025; a fine of $10,000; payment of $8,000 towards arbitration costs. Final decision of arbitral body. Explainer: Violation for the possession of Diisopropylamine—a banned substance—for an event dated 1/29/25. This is a possible violation of Rule 3214(a)—Possession of Banned Substances. Date: 10/06/2025 Licensee: Juan Munoz Cano, trainer Penalty: Combined 12-year period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on October 7, 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 combined fine of $150,000. In Solidify's case, Disqualification of the Horse's Race results (and other applicable forfeitures) applied to the results of races on 11/20/24, 12/06/24, and 12/27/24. Final decision of arbitral body. Explainer: Medication violations (including out-of-competition violations) for the presence of Clenbuterol—a banned substance permitted under certain circumstances—in samples taken from Solidify, who won at Churchill Downs on 11/20/24; from True Jedi on 11/21/24; from Global Sensation on 11/21/24; from Protomagic on 11/21/24; from La Bukana on 10/31/24; and from Beer With Ice on 1/15/25. Date: 10/03/2025 Licensee: Tanner Tracy, trainer Penalty: 15-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on October 4, 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. Admission. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine—a class B controlled substance—in a sample taken from Golden Biz, who won at Prairie Meadows on 8/25/25. Date: 10/02/2025 Licensee: Adam Kitchingman, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Diclofenac—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Gigi's Girl on 8/18/25. Date: 10/02/2025 Licensee: Graham Motion, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Glycopyrrolate—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Regal Kingdom on 8/18/25. Date: 10/01/2025 Licensee: Moises Yanez, 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: Medication violation for the presence of Dantrolene—a class B controlled substance—in a sample taken from She's Gone Rogue, who won at Colonial Downs on 8/16/25. Pending ADMC Violations 10/07/2025, Aaron West, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Salicylic Acid/Salicylic—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Proud Words, who finished second at Belterra Park on 8/27/25. 10/07/2025, Jena Antonucci, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Lidocaine—a class B controlled substance—in a sample taken from Bee a Queen, who won at Gulfstream Park on 6/14/25. Read Antonucci's statement on the matter here. 10/06/2025, Jose Puentes, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Trichlormethiazide—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Yes He Can, who won at Emerald Downs on 8/29/25. 10/03/2025, Kevin Rice, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine—a class B controlled substance—in a sample taken from Legends Can't Die on 8/28/25. 10/02/2025, Greg Allen Green, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Onefortheditch on 9/4/25. Violations of Crop Rule Delaware Park Yabriel Omar Ramos – violation date October 2; $500 fine, two-day suspension Hawthorne Javier Tavares – violation date October 2; $250 fine, one-day suspension The post National Regulatory Rulings: Oct. 2-8 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit has suspended owner-trainer Juan Munoz Cano for a dozen years and fined him $150,000 for six clenbuterol positives in Kentucky from November 2024 - January 2025.View the full article

JCB Stables' Sarawak Rim (Arg) (Remote {GB}) will likely be the final horse trainer Ignacio Correas IV saddles before retiring to his native Argentina in mid-November when she goes postward in the Nov. 1 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. The 4-year-old filly–beaten just once in five trips to the post in Argentina–worked four furlongs from the gate in :48.60 (6/22) Wednesday at Keeneland. Sarawak Rim won the May 1 G1 Gran Premio Criadores at Hipodromo Argentino De Palermo in her most recent race and she has been with Correas at Keeneland since July. “She's got talent and she has surprised me every time she has worked,” said Correas, who won the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Santa Anita in 2019 with Blue Prize (Arg). “She's going to be really good next year, but it will be for somebody else.” Correas has two more works scheduled for Sarawak Rim at Keeneland before shipping Oct. 23 to Del Mar where she will put in her final work for the Breeders' Cup. Colebrook Farms' Simply in Front (Summer Front) likely earned a trip to Del Mar with her win in the GI First Lady Stakes at Keeneland Saturday, but trainer Eddie Kenneally said he is still deciding for which race. “We are looking at Del Mar,” Kenneally said Wednesday morning. “It might be the GIII Goldikova or the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. The Goldikova would be the most logical spot.” Simply in Front would face off against the boys in the $2-million Breeders' Cup Mile, while the $300,000 Goldikova is for fillies and mares. Both races are Nov. 1. The post Sarawak Rim Works for Correas Ahead of Breeders’ Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The final deadline to nominate foals born in 2025 to the Breeders' Cup program at the one-time nomination fee of $400 is at 11:59 p.m. ET Oct. 15. The $400 weanling nomination entitles each foal with lifetime eligibility to the Breeders' Cup World Championships and the Breeders' Cup racing programs. All foals sired by a fully nominated North American Breeders' Cup stallion are eligible for nomination to the Breeders' Cup program in their year of birth at the weanling rate. From Oct. 16-Feb. 28, the nomination cost rises to $1,500. The post Breeders’ Cup Foal Nominations Close Oct. 15 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising had his first official Australian trial less than two weeks out from the Oct. 18 The Everest, and trainer David Hayes is confident the world's top-rated sprinter will be ready for his AU$20 million target. View the full article

Narukami led from the start and scored an easy victory in the Oct. 8 Japan Dirt Classic at Oi Racecourse, a race that has achieved international importance.View the full article

Last year's GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents–Ma'am, by Colonel John), who is expected to start next in the Nov. 1 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, will begin his stud career next year at Airdrie Stud at an introductory fee of $15,000. In addition to the 2024 Derby, Mystik Dan also won this year's GII Lukas Classic Stakes and GIII Blame Stakes. He was runner-up in last year's GI Preakness Stakes and third in the GI Arkansas Derby, and heads to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile as one of the leading contenders. Girvin (Tale of Ekati–Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon) leads the Airdrie 2026 roster, which was announced Wednesday, at $30,000–up from $25,000 in 2025. While the 11-year-old stallion's first Kentucky-bred crop will hit the track in 2026, he was represented this year by GI Ogden Phipps Stakes winner Dorth Vader. In the sale's ring, his 61 yearlings sold at last month's Keeneland September sale averaged $139,000 and he was represented by the $1.1-million sale topper at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale. Also standing his first season at stud at Airdrie in 2026, graded winner Jonathan's Way (Vekoma–Female Drama, by Indian Charlie) will stand for $8,500. Jonathan's Way, the first son of the white-hot Vekoma to be retired to stud, will also take up stud duties following his recent retirement from racing. A `TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' in his Saratoga debut, he was a dominant winner of the Grade III Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs in his second start before ending his juvenile campaign with a fast-closing second in that track's Grade III Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. An early favorite for the following season's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, Jonathan's Way's Triple Crown hopes were dashed early in his three-year-old season by a life-threatening bout with dolitis. Though unable to return to the races following his illness, he retires to stud with a strong reputation and, at $290,000, being the most expensive weanling from Vekoma's debut crop. Mystik Dan and Jonathan's Way will stand for initial fees of $15,000 and $8,500 respectively. After solid years, Upstart and Complexity will stands for $25,000 and $20,000 respectively, with the latter taking a slight rate cut from $25,000. Like Girvin, Upstart's best-bred crop will be two-year-olds of 2026, but his juveniles of 2025 already have him ranked in the top 15 general sires, a ranking that would have been significantly improved had his Percy's Bar not been disqualified from her win in Saturday's Grade I Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland. A rising commercial force, his Keeneland September highlights included a high price of $650,000 and an average of more than $122,000. Complexity, now the leading second-crop sire in America by percentage of stakes winners, can already count nine individual stakes winners from his first crop of three-year-olds and has added two new graded winners in the last 10 days in Innovative and his Breeders' Cup-bound second-crop star Intricate Spirit. While 2023 GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic–Puca, by Big Brown) will stand for $15,000, after standing for $25,000 in 2025. Airdrie's ultra-consistent duo of Cairo Prince and Collected will also offer breeders a savings over last year's fees. A perennial fixture on the leading General Sires list, Cairo Prince's 2025 earnings already exceed $5.6 million. He will stand for a fee of $10,000 for the upcoming season, down from $15,000. Collected, whose 2025 stars include the historic King's Plate hero Mansetti, Grade 2 winner Thought Process and leading juvenile stakes-winner Comport, stands at $7,500, down from $10,000 in 2025. Airdrie's complete 2026 roster, with stud fees, is: Girvin, $30,000; Upstart, $25,000; Complexity, $20,000; Mage, $15,000; Mystik Dan, $15,000; Cairo Prince, $10,000; Jonathan's Way, $8,500; Beau Liam, $7,500; Collected, $7,500; Happy Saver, $7,500; Highly Motivated, $7,500; Divisidero, $3,500. The post Derby Winner Mystik Dan to Begin Stud Career at Airdrie for $15k appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features the ninth foal of Lilly Langtry. 1.45 Thurles, Mdn, 2yo, f, 8f 44yT MOTHER'S DAY (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) is the ninth foal out of Danehill Dancer's Coronation and Matron heroine Lillie Langtry who has proven a revelation for Coolmore by providing a trio of Classic-winning Galileo mares including two winners of the Oaks and one of them being the world-beater Minding. In all probability, not much is expected of her on debut with Wayne Lordan on the recent Naas maiden fifth Cape Primrose (Ire) (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}), the daughter of the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Moyglare heroine Again (Danehill Dancer) whose daughter Delphinia (Galileo) was twice Group 1-placed. 2.27 Saint-Cloud, Debutantes, 2yo, f, 7 1/2fT SIYNTRA (GB) (Dubawi {Fr}) hails from the team of the moment, being an Aga Khan Studs representative under the care of Francis-Henri Graffard. A half-sister to the G1 Prix Saint Alary winner Siyarafina (Pivotal), she meets Baron Edouard De Rothschild's Blanche De Medicis (Ire) (Waldgeist {GB}), an Andre Fabre-trained half-sister to the triple Group winner and dual Group 1-placed Alcantor (New Bay). 2.59 Saint-Cloud, Debutantes, 2yo, c/g, 7 1/2fT BAROUD (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is out of Blue Diamond's mare Tisa River (Equiano), a half to the high-class Order Of Australia (Australia) and Iridessa (Ruler Of The World) purchased by the Stud for 400,000gns at the 2020 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Imad Al Sagar's homebred is introduced by Andre Fabre in this maiden won in 2017 by Study Of Man and encounters a dozen peers including David Layani's Sagano (Fr) (Wooded {Ire}), a Francis-Henri Graffard-trained half-brother to the stable's Prix de Sandringham winner and dual Group 1-placed Volta (Siyouni). The post Thurles Debut For Lillie Langtry’s Mother’s Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Eddie O'Leary's Lynn Lodge Stud landed a 2,200,000gns windfall through consecutive lots at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Wednesday, headlined by the Night Of Thunder colt who was knocked down to Amo Racing for 1,700,000gns. Lot 275 is out of the G3 Sweet Solera Stakes third Model Guest (Showcasing), whose second foal, Evolutionist (Night Of Thunder), is an intended runner in Friday's G1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket. Picked up by Yulong for €600,000 at Book 1 of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, Evolutionist was last seen finishing third in the G2 Debutante Stakes at the Curragh. This colt is the second most expensive yearling by Night Of Thunder to sell at public auction. “I hope the filly [Evolutionist] is good and she runs in the Group 1 on Friday,” said O'Leary. “She [Model Guest] looks a good mare and we bought her in foal to Kingman [for 330,000gns]. She produced a stunning filly last year and a stunning colt this year.” O'Leary, who went on to sell lot 276 – the Wootton Bassett filly out of a half-sister to Taghrooda – to Tsunefumi Kusama for 500,000gns, added, “It's a brilliant day, but we've more to sell now. You are never confident but you hope all the people show up and they showed up. “It's brilliant. I hope he [lot 275] is very lucky. I'd like to thank all the lads at home as well for all of their hard work. It's very much appreciated.” The post Night Of Thunder Colt Stars on “Brilliant Day” for Lynn Lodge Stud, Goes to Amo Racing for 1.7m Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Derek Leung Ka-chun became the fourth home-grown jockey to reach 500 winners after a last-gasp win on Regal Gem in the Class Three Harbour View Handicap (1,200m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The 37-year-old, who has claimed Group One victories on Beauty Generation and Victor The Winner, joined Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, Matthew Chadwick and Tony Cruz after an aptly stellar ride on Regal Gem. Settled ahead of midfield, the three-year-old was forced to swing very wide into the straight, but was...View the full article

Thursday marks a new chapter in the story of the Fabre family, with Andre's daughter Lavinia saddling her first runner at Saint-Cloud having taken out her training licence earlier this year. The 36-year-old saddles Olya (Persian King) in the card's opening Prix de Versailles handicap, with her father in opposition with Timea (New Bay) in the colours of Lavinia's mother Elisabeth. “The plan is to form an association with my father, which should happen by the end of the year,” she told the OTI Gazette. “It shouldn't change much of the day-to-day, as we've been working together for a few years now. It's an amazing opportunity for me to start my training career in the best possible conditions and, hopefully, will lighten the workload for my parents.” The post First Runner For Lavinia Fabre appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin's Rapid Force (Mehmas) had little to beat on his belated debut at Kempton on Wednesday, but carried out the task proficiently nevertheless to begin justifying his £1million purchase price. Having been held back since topping the Goffs UK Breeze-Up in April, the son of the Sapphire Stakes third Rapid Reaction (Shamardal) from the family of Wootton Bassett sat last of the trio that contested the six-furlong novice that opened the card. Wound up by William Buick to take over a furlong out, the Charlie Appleby-trained 2-5 favourite stayed on strongly to account for the experienced Mr Writer (Dark Angel) by two lengths. “He's a strong boy and he's going to get better next year as well,” his rider said. “It couldn't have been better for his first run and when he got to the front he had a little look which is never a bad sign.” One MILLION quid's worth of horse Rapid Force (Mehmas) takes some time to warm to his task on debut but ultimately shows a nice change of gear to score under @WilliamBuickX.@godolphin | @unibet pic.twitter.com/AynSDGzi9u — Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 8, 2025 The post Godolphin’s Goffs UK Breeze-Up Topper Rapid Force Off The Mark On Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Notable absentees from the first-day buyers' sheet at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, the Coolmore partners made their second seven-figure purchase of Wednesday's session when going to 1,700,000gns for the No Nay Never colt out of the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Millisle (Starspangledbanner). Consigned by Watership Down Stud, lot 266 is the third foal out of Millisle, who also won the G3 Ballyogan Stakes as a three-year-old. Her first foal, Alfareqa (Frankel), successful once in five career starts, was herself a Book 1 yearling when bought by Shadwell for 1,600,000gns in 2023. Simon Marsh, manager of Watership Down Stud, said of the No Nay Never colt, “To get all the stars to align is very difficult, but this is a lovely horse and he was on a lot of lists. It is a wonderful price, but now we need him to be a good racehorse.” MV Magnier and White Birch Farm signed for lot 266, as they did the Dubawi filly out of Group 1 winner Lady Bowthorpe [lot 218] for 1,300,000gns earlier in the session. Another purchase was lot 230, Glenvale Stud's half-brother to G1 Flying Five Stakes winner Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev), who fetched 500,000gns. He belongs to the first crop of Coolmore stallion Blackbeard, a son of No Nay Never. “No Nay Never is having another great year with the likes of Charles Darwin, who's very good, and True Love,” said Magnier. “The mare was very good.” He added, “Blackbeard is having a good sale and there's plenty of good word for the Little Big Bear foals. The best ones by Blackbeard that we have will be going to Ballydoyle. We bought the Blackbeard half-brother to Arizona Blaze earlier today. He is a very good horse – Flash [Conroy] always spoke very highly of him.” The post ‘It Is A Wonderful Price’ – Regally-Bred No Nay Never Colt Sells to Coolmore for 1.7m Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A lawsuit filed against jockey Luan Machado for poor riding after he finished second in a race at Churchill Downs last November was dismissed by Jefferson Circuit Court in Louisville, Ky.View the full article

Sierra Leone (Gun Runner–Heavenly Love, by Malibu Moon), last year's champion 3-year-old colt, will join the roster at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky next year, the operation announced Wednesday. Racing for Peter Brant, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Brook Smith and trained by Chad Brown, Sierra Leone is expected to make his final career start in the Nov. 1 GI Breeders' Cup Classic, a race he won in 2024. Sierra Leone, who topped the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale when selling for $2.3 million, was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his debut victory at Aqueduct the following November. He faced only graded company from then on and has hit the board in all 13 starts to date, with five wins and current earnings of $7,006,200. “I've trained a lot of great horses, and to me, I'd say unequivocally he's the best horse I've had my hands on…he's just in a different league,” Brown said of Sierra Leone. During his sophomore campaign, Sierra Leone won the GII Risen Star Stakes and GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes en route to an agonizingly close runner-up effort in the GI Kentucky Derby and a third-place finish in the GI Belmont Stakes. Second in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes and third in the GI Travers Stakes, he concluded his championship season with a 1 1/2-length victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. In 2025, Sierra Leone added a win in the GI Whitney Stakes and runner-up efforts in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. “We're incredibly excited to welcome Sierra Leone to Ashford for the coming season,” commented Ashford Stud's Dermot Ryan. “When you hear someone like Chad Brown say that he is the best he has ever trained, it doesn't get any better than that.” Sierra Leone's 2026 stud fee is still to be announced. The post Sierra Leone to Ashford Stud in 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It can be easy to read the headlines from Book 1 and conclude that this is a sale for the big boys and, unless you have millions in the bank, you cannot compete. Pinhooker Fearghal Hogan put that theory in the bin on Wednesday when a St Mark's Basilica colt that he bought for €120,000 sold for a whopping 800,000gns to Amo Racing. It was the type of pinhooking profit that left Hogan puffing for air down in the gangway as the numbers kept on climbing. And when the gavel eventually fell, the man behind Apollo Bloodstock nearly collapsed to his knees. “My legs just went to jelly,” Hogan said. “I don't even know what was going through my mind. I couldn't believe it – it's just an unbelievable feeling. I knew the horse was going really well yesterday. We had 20 vets on the horse. And today, he just took off again. I had a good feeling going to bed last night that something good was going to happen. Now, I didn't think he could go and make 800,000gns. But I thought that maybe he might make half of that.” He added, “I rang my mother straight away. She doesn't really understand the horse business so she can't wrap her head around it. To see that kind of money exchanging hands, she was just like, 'oh my God.' I really can't explain what I am feeling. I'm still in shock to be honest.” Hogan purchased the St Mark's Basilica colt at the Goffs November Foal Sale last year. He admits that taking a chance on the progeny of a first-season sire was a big risk but qualified the six-figure outlay by saying he was a massive fan of St Mark's Basilica as a racehorse and that this colt was an excellent model by the multiple Group 1-winning son of Siyouni. However, saying all of that is well and good now, but because Hogan admits there were times this year where he didn't feel so clever. He explained, “Spending €120,000 on a foal, that's a big throw for me. And people were laughing at me during the summer when St Mark's Basilica wasn't going as well as he is now. Everyone kept reminding me that St Mark's Basilica was a half-brother to Magna Grecia but I kept telling them to keep the faith. I loved St Mark's Basilica as a racehorse and I loved this foal at the sales. Basically, I just took a chance and St Mark's Basilica has enjoyed an excellent second half to the season. He looks as though he's going to be a very good stallion. “The first-season sires are so dangerous and oftentimes you can be either a hero or a zero when you pinhook a foal by one of them. But I loved everything about St Mark's Basilica so I wanted to take a chance on him, basically, and that's what happened. There were one or two other people involved and I am delighted for them. Fair play to Pa Doyle of Galbertstown who consigned him for me as well – he's done a brilliant job.” Hogan added, “I'll be completely honest with you, my costs are massive. I rent a farm on the Curragh and I have one girl, Jackie Mooney, who works for me and I would be completely lost without her. My landlords Philip and Sheena O'Connor are unbelievable as well. But there are a lot of people who have helped me and they know who they are. Even the vets not ringing and annoying you for money and having a farrier who works with you, all of those things matter because, as a pinhooker, you only get one payday every year. After that, you might be short on cash so there are so many people who help you through the tougher times and I just want them to know that it is appreciated. People in the horse game are great people. It really is a great game. The good days can be just around the corner and, if you don't try, you'll have no chance. If you can keep your head above water during the bad years and just survive, survive, survive, you can hit on a result like this. When you do, you don't even remember the bad times!” The post ‘My Legs Went To Jelly’ – Massive Pinhooking Profit For Fearghal Hogan At Book 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez was unanimously voted Jockey of the Week for Sept. 29-Oct. 5 after winning eight races, including four stakes.View the full article