Wandering Eyes

This could only happen to Brad Cox. He trained the best 2-year-old filly in the country last year as Eclipse Award winner Immersive (Nyquist) whipped everything she faced, including eight challengers in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Earlier this year, she looked like the runaway leader among the fillies eyeing the GI Kentucky Oaks, but came down with a minor injury and will not be ready in time for the Oaks. For most other trainers that would have been a severe setback, losing out on a chance they may never get again. But not Cox. When it comes to 3-year-old fillies, he doesn't rebuild, he reloads. Even with Immersive on the sidelines, he still has a firm grip on the division. Even without Immersive, he trains the top two horses in our first 2025 installment of the TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10, which is presented by Fasig-Tipton. Muhimma (Munnings) is three-for-three lifetime and has claimed the top sot. Right behind her is Cox-trainee Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro), who is undefeated in four starts and could be, as they say, “any kind.” Last week's action was topped by the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn which was won by the Kenny McPeek-trained Take Charge Milady (Take Charge Indy), a comfortable 5 3/4-length winner. The race became easier when Her Laugh (Practical Joke), who was 2-1 on the morning line, had to be scratched. Trainer Whit Beckman said that the snowstorm that hit Louisiana, where she was based at the Fair Grounds, made shipping to Oaklawn too difficult. The new target for her is the Feb. 15 GII Rachel Alexandra at the Fair Grounds. It will be a relatively quiet weekend when it comes to preps for the Oaks. The seven-furlong GIII Forward Gal Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream and the GIII Las Virgenes S. Sunday at Santa Anita could shake things up some. Here's a look at the first installment of our Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for 2025: 1) MUHIMMA (Munnings–Princesa Carolina, by Tapit) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Shadwell Stable; B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Sale history: $700,000 yrl '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-3-0-0, $279,460. Last Start: Won Dec. 7 GII Demoiselle Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 10. Next Start: GIII Honeybee S, OP, Feb. 22 or GII Davona Dale S., GP, March 1 The Shadwell Stable-owned filly was a little late to get going last year and once she did she was lost in the massive shadow of stablemate Immersive. After she won a maiden by 7 1/4 lengths, picking up 'TDN Rising Star' status, she won an allowance by 5 1/2 lengths and then she won the GII Demoiselle by a length. It was her first start around two turns, but, despite the narrow winning margin, it was probably her best race as she improved 11 Beyer points to earn a 90. Cox said she will kick off her 3-year-old campaign at either Oaklawn or at Gulfstream. If this doesn't work out they can always try the grass as the dam's lone stakes win came on that surface. 2) GOOD CHEER (Medaglia d'Oro–Wedding Toast, by Street Sense) O/B-Godolphin (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-4-0-0, $457,630. Last Start: Won Nov. 30 GII Golden Rod Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points 20. Next Start: GII Rachel Alexandra S., FG, Feb. 15 Consider Muhimma and Good Cheer 1 and 1A. They come from the same barn, are both undefeated, and both came onto the scene late, winning some important fall, post-Breeders' Cup races. Oh, and they both can run. Good Cheer's major wins came in the Rags To Riches S. and the GII Golden Rod S., which she won 2 1/2 lengths. She was very impressive when winning the Golden Rod over Quietside (Malibu Moon). “Her record really speaks for itself and the style in which she's won all of those races has been very impressive,” Cox said after the win. “She is another testament to Godolphin's program. She's handled everything we've done with her, so far, extremely well and I think we haven't seen her best yet.” 3) TENMA (Nyquist–Amagansett, by Tapit) O-Baoma Corp.; B-B Flay Thoroughbreds (Ky); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $200,000 yrl '23 KEESEP; $850,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GISW, 4-3-0-1, $369,000. Last Start: Won Dec. 7 GII Starlet Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 13. Next Start: GIII Fasig-Tipton Las Virgenes, SA, Feb. 2 It's rare that a Bob Baffert-trained horse is overshadowed, but you don't hear a lot of hype about Tenma. That could be because she did not compete in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies or because she was a poor third in the GII Oak Leaf S. But she put it together in the GII Starlet at Los Alamitos, another race that usually flies under the radar, last out. She won by 1 3/4 lengths that day and was facing off against some quality fillies. At 5-2, she wasn't even the favorite. That race was good enough to suggest that she is probably Baffert's best 3-year-old filly. Baffert is obviously getting her ready as she's had four sharp works already this year. Baffert told the Daily Racing Form that he skipped the Breeders' Cup because he wasn't confident that Tenma was ready for the sort of top effort she showed at Los Alamitos. It looks like she is back. Tenma | Benoit 4) SIMPLY JOKING (Practical Joke–Imply, by E Dubai) O-Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner and Berkels0813; B-Barlar, LLC (PA); T-D. Whitworth Beckman. Sales history: $65,000 yrl '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MSW, 2-2-0-0, $153,000. Last Start: Won Jan. 18 Silverbulletday Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 20. Next Start: TBD Trainer Whit Beckman showed a ton of confidence in this daughter of Practical Joke when starting off her career in a stakes races, the Letellier Memorial S., a six-furlong race at the Fair Grounds. Despite getting bumped at the start, he closed to win a by a neck. But could she go a distance? That question was answered in the one-mile-and-70-yards Fasig-Tipton Silverbulletday S. Leading early, she drew off in the stretch to win by 2 1/2 lengths over a sloppy racetrack. Because of the distance, it was an important test to pass and it was an impressive effort. “She came out of the Silverbulletday in great shape,” Beckman said. “She's possible for the Rachel Alexandra, but we're still finalizing plans for her.” At some point, she may need to prove that she can sit off horses, but for now her early speed is a definite weapon. 5) TAKE CHARGE MILADY (Take Charge Indy–Price Too High, by Scat Daddy) O-James Ball, Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek) & Kenneth Rhodes; B-Merriebelle Stable, LLC (Ky); T-Kenneth McPeek. Sales history: $60,000 yrl '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW, 4-2-1-0, $259,594. Last Start: Won Jan. 25 Martha Washington Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 20. Next Start: GIII Honeybee S, OP, Feb. 22 Can Kenny McPeek win the GI Kentucky Oaks in back-to-back years? Take Charge Milady may not be another Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), but she won last Saturday's Martha Washington S. at Oaklawn in her stakes debut and she could continue to have success on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. She's following a familiar McPeek form cycle. She didn't do much running when sixth in her debut, but has slowly progressed in every race since and is now a stakes winner. “Gosh, she was impressive,” McPeek said of the Martha Washington. “The Honeybee is the logical next step for her. After that either the Fantasy or the Ashland. She's the spitting image of Take Charge Lady. It's the funniest thing. And she's by a son of Take Charge Lady. We've always been really impressed with her. She missed most of her 2-year-old year due to a small issue.” 6) QUIETSIDE (Malibu Moon–Benner Island, by Speightstown) 'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Shortleaf Stable (Ky); T-John Ortiz. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 5-1-3-1, $312,200. Last Start: Second in Jan. 25 Martha Washington Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 18. Next Start: GIII Honeybee S, OP, Feb. 22 or GII Fantasy, March 29, OP If you like consistent horses who always go out and pick up checks, then Quietside is a horse for you. She's only won once, in her first career start, winning a maiden at Saratoga by 6 1/4 lengths. She hasn't visited the winner's circle since, but, as a 2-year-old, she finished second or third in the GI Spinaway S., the GI Alcibiades S. and the GII Golden Rod S. In the Spinaway and Alcibiades she lost to eventual Eclipse Award winner Immersive. She picked up right where she left off in her 2025 debut, finishing second in the Martha Washington S. behind Take Charge Milady. The problem is that it appears that she's no better than fourth or fifth in the division, so what will it take for her to rise to the top? Trainer John Ortiz said either the Honeybee or the Fantasy will be next. 7) LOOK FORWARD (Bolt d'Oro–Troublesome, by Into Mischief) O-Reddam Racing; B-Woods Edge Farm & Ballyfair Bloodstock (Ky); T-Michael McCarthy. Sales history: $285,000 yrl '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $132,400. Last Start: Won Jan. 5 Santa Ynez Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 15. Next Start: TBD No doubt a talented horse, this filly trained by Michael McCarthy used her speed to win the seven-furlong Fasig-Tipton Santa Ynez last out at Santa Anita. In her prior start, she faded in the stretch to finish second in the mile-and-a-sixteenth GII Starlet S. at Los Alamitos. All of which raises the question as to whether or not she can get the nine furlongs in the Oaks? “She'll be headed to Oaklawn,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “Not sure I'm all that worried about nine furlongs just yet. I think the deep Santa Anita surface just wasn't to her liking and she was classy enough to get the job done [in the Santa Ynez].” If she can win around two turns at Oaklawn, she'll immediately become one of the favorites for the Oaks. Look Forward | Benoit 8) RUNNING AWAY (Gun Runner–Allez Marie, by Unbridled's Song) O/B-Stud TNT; T-Wesley Ward. Lifetime Record: SW, 4-2-1-1, $166,875. Last Start: Won the Jan. 18 Busanda Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 20. Next Start: GI Ashland Stakes, Kee, April 4. This is not your typical Wesley Ward-trained horse. The daughter of Gun Runner was nowhere to be found back in April at Keeneland, when they were running their 2-year-old races. She didn't debut until July at Saratoga and has never run in a race shorter than a mile. No one will care about that if she continues on her winning ways. After breaking her maiden in November, she picked up her first stakes win in the Jan. 18 Busanda S. at Aqueduct. Clearly, she didn't face a very tough field in the Busanda, but she did everything right, winning by 2 1/4 lengths in wire-to-wire fashion. She will face a much bigger test next time out in the GI Ashland S. at Keeneland. 9) SCOTTISH LASSIE (McKinzie–Bodebabe, by Bodemeister) O-Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish LLC, Corms Racing Stable & Jorge R. Abreu; B-Winchester Farm (Ky); T-Jorge Abreu. Sales history: $50,000 yrl '23 KEESEP; $85,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: GISW, 3-1-0-1, $332,000. Last Start: Fourth in the Nov. 1 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Kentucky Oaks Points: 16. Next Start: TBD This daughter of McKinzie has been out of sight and out of mind. She has not raced since finishing fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and has not had a work since. That means she has a lot of catching up to do. But she's got the ability, which she proved when romping in the GI Frizette by nine lengths. The hope is that she is not a one-race wonder. 10) CHASTEN (Into Mischief–Lockdown, by First Defence) O/B-Juddmonte (Ky); T-Brad Cox. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $75,000. Last Start: Fourth in the Jan. 18 Silverbulletday Stakes. Kentucky Oaks Points: 4. Next Start: TBD If not for her pedigree, Chasten never would have made this list. She won her debut in November at Churchill, but the time for the seven furlongs was a slow 1:23.26 and she got a Beyer figure of just 68. Still another Brad Cox-trainee, she didn't show a whole lot next out when she finished fourth in the Fasig-Tipton Silverbulletday. But isn't it too early to give up on a half-sister to Idiomatic (Curlin)? By way of comparison, Idiomatic was not at all precocious either. She didn't make her first start until she was three and didn't win a graded stakes until her eighth career start. She turned into a two-time Eclipse Award winner, but just needed time to develop. Could that be the same case with her little sister? Maybe. But she can't waste much time as she is pretty far behind the top members of the division at this point. At the very least, keep any eye on her. Chasten | Coady Media The post The Kentucky Oaks TDN Top 10 for Jan. 30: Cox Reloads appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nominations for Dubai World Cup night at Meydan on Apr. 5 were released this week. Headlining the nine-race card is the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline. A total of 173 horses have been entered, led by 20 Group/Grade 1 winners. The winners from 2023 and 2024, Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) and Laurel River (Into Mischief), respectively, have signed on, as did the world's highest-earning horse, Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who drubbed a good field in the G1 Jebel Hatta just last weekend. Japanese Derby hero Danon Decile (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) steps forward on the back of a victory in the G2 American Jockey Club Cup on Sunday, while Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), placed in both the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic, takes his chance after winning the G2 UAE Derby over the dirt track here last March. The winners of the past two Breeders' Cup Classics are also entered in White Abarrio (Race Day) (2023) and Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) (2024). Part of the supporting cast from the U.S. is Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan (Goldencents), and GI Belmont Stakes second Mindframe (Constitution). GI Pacific Classic hero Mixto (Good Magic) is also nominated. The $6-million G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic features 109 nominees, 16 of them successful at the top level including Shuka Sho heroine Cervinia (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) and last year's third-place finisher and Japanese Fillies Triple Crown victress Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}). Standout King George scorer Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) is part of this bunch, as is his Francis Graffard stablemate Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), and defending champion and dual Eclipse winner Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}), will defend his title in the G1 Dubai Turf. Another 2024 Dubai World Cup night winner is Tuz (Oxbow), who is gunning for his second G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, but faces challengers in Straight No Chaser (Speightster) and Speed Boat Beach (Bayern). Rounding out the Group 1 races is the Al Quoz Sprint, with Hong Kong star California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) nominated, as well as Howdeepisyourlove (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}). To view the full list of nominations, please visit here. “We have received some outstanding nominations for the 29th Dubai World Cup meeting from all corners of the globe,” said Sheikh Rashed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Racing Club. “This is a testament both to the outstanding facilities for horses at Meydan Racecourse and the strength of the Dubai World Cup meeting, one of the best days of racing on the global calendar.” The post Slew Of Champions Nominated To Dubai World Cup Night In April appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Johannes Brahms (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), runner-up as the favourite in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes before filling the same spot in the G2 Gimcrack Stakes while under the care of Aidan O'Brien in 2023, is among a full field of 14 for the first leg of the 4-year-old Classic series in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Classic Mile. The HK$13-million event anchors Friday's Chinese New Year meeting at Sha Tin. Acquired privately after finishing third in the Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2YO Stakes at Doncaster in September 2023, the Tattersalls October grad has run with credit in each of his four local runs and posted his first local success Dec. 22, overcoming a checkered passage to take out a Class 3 handicap over 1400 metres. He experienced similar traffic trouble yet again in his Class 2 debut Jan. 12, but got home well for third to the reopposing Rubylot (Aus) (Rubick {Aus}). Mickael Barzalona jets in to take the ride for sharp young trainer Pierre Ng. Francis Lui, who sent out the legendary Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) to win this in 2020, sends out three of the four top-rated horses on Friday, including Packing Hermod (Aus) (Rubick {Aus}). The selection of record-setting jockey Zac Purton, the 93-rater bested Rubylot by a neck in a 1400-metre Class 2 on International Races day Dec. 8, but the tables were turned last time when Rubylot had a significantly better run in transit while Packing Hermod could do no better than a running-on fourth. The extra furlong on Friday could level the playing field. Cap Ferrat (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), twice Group 1-placed in Australia for Chris Waller, made a big impression on his first Hong Kong appearance over Friday's trip Dec. 15, tearing home down the centre of the course to be beaten just a neck by the more-experienced Mickley (Ire) (Soldier's Call {GB}), who got through nearer the inside for Hugh Bowman. Lui also saddles Divano (Aus) (Brave Smash {Jpn}), an on-pace winner over 1200m Dec. 22, but a badly hampered eighth to Rubylot last time. Blake Shinn will have to work out a trip from the riverside draw in 14. GONG XI FA CAI Year of the snake pic.twitter.com/sqSjr4So7D — BRENTON AVDULLA (@brentonavdulla) January 29, 2025 The post Ex-Ballydoyle Johannes Brahms A Live Chance In HK Classic Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tickets for Kentucky Derby Week and the entire 43-day Spring Meet, which spans nine weeks from Apr. 26-June 29 at Churchill Downs, go on sale Thursday at noon (all times Eastern), the track said in a release on Wednesday. Tickets for the 151st Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby May 2-3 are available by clicking here or by calling (502) 636-4447. Churchill Downs also provides a secure, official resale marketplace to purchase Derby and Oaks tickets via the Churchill Downs Ticketmaster Ticket Exchange, which can be found here. Derby Week general admission tickets are $24 on Opening Night and Winsday; $41 on Thurby; and a special $5 offering for 502'sDay. Reserved box seats range from $32-$39 for Derby Week and $55-$71 for Thurby depending on the location. Guests attending Churchill Downs on Thurby will see the debut of the new Starting Gate Courtyard. The redesigned area will feature new, padded stadium-style seating that overlooks the dirt and turf racetracks. Tickets in the new Starting Gate Courtyard are $169 on Thurby for an all-inclusive experience. In addition to Kentucky Derby Week events, tickets for all other Spring Meet racing days can be purchased by clicking here. The post Kentucky Derby Week, Spring Meet Tickets On Sale Thursday At Noon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

If we can have December in November, why not have February in January? That is the case for the two-day Tattersalls February Sale which takes place over this Thursday and Friday, January 30 and 31, and offers a mixture of broodmares, short yearlings and horses in training. This is always a good way to kick off the sales year, as much for the social occasion as for the trade itself. For a start, dry January is almost over, and it's a great chance to get back out on the circuit with fellow breeders and take the opportunity to view some stallions. With that in mind, Tattersalls has stepped into the breach left by the TBA to ensure that the Flat Stallion Parade continues prior to the sale getting underway on Thursday morning. The nine stallions joining the show this year are A'Ali (Ire), Bangkok (Ire), Bradsell (GB), Caturra (Ire), El Caballo (GB), Isaac Shelby (GB), Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), Stradivarius (Ire) and Ubettabelieveit (Ire). More information on the morning's events can be found in this recent TDN article, but as a reminder, the stallion parade will follow the inaugural RoR Showcase, featuring nine former stars of the track now excelling in different disciplines, including Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Native River (Ire). As to the main action itself, there is a sizeable draft of breeding prospects and horses in training heading to Park Paddocks from Godolphin. These include the four-year-old Blue Point (Ire) filly Valdivara (Ire), a Listed-placed winner in France out of a full-sister to the useful stallion Territories (Ire). The consignment also contains Courtly Queen (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who is a three-parts-sister to Classic winner Castle Lady (Ire) (Shamardal) from the immediate family of Raven's Pass. The Castlebridge Consignment boasts the largest draft in the sale and features a full-brother to Cracksman (GB) in the 81-rated four-year-old Fireblade (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who has up to now been trained by John and Thady Gosden. Jack Morland has made an eye-catching start to his training career since October and he will consign Angel Of Antrim (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who won four races in a row between December 21 and January 4 and now has a rating of 84, having been put up 33lbs in the last month. The Galileo (Ire) mare Facade (Ire) is one of the interesting lots within a decent draft of 15 from Far Westfield Farm and is the only mare in the catalogue to be offered in foal to Study Of Man (Ire), while Hazelwood Bloodstock's two entries include the well-bred Propel (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Now 13, the half-sister to Group winners Memphis Tennessee (Ire), Mayhem (Ire) and Royal Bench (Ire) is in foal to Pinatubo (Ire). Throughout Thursday morning there will be hospitality in the Lower Sale Ring Bar sponsored by the British EBF Stallions, and Thursday's sale session will commence at around noon following the RoR Showcase and Stallion Parade. Selling begins at 10am on Friday. In addition to the stallion parade taking place at Tattersalls, the following studs around Newmarket are open this Thursday and Friday as follows: Cheveley Park Stud, open from 9.30am to 3.30pm. Darley, Dalham Hall Stud, open on Thursday and Friday, contact the stud for details. Juddmonte, Banstead Manor Stud, open from 10am to 12 noon and 1pm to 3pm. Lanwades, open from 10.30am to 3pm. Shadwell, Beech House Stud, open from 10am to 3pm. The post Back to Business at Tattersalls as February Sale Begins appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In recent years, Stonehaven Steadings has been responsible for breeding a Breeders' Cup champion and Eclipse Award winner in Corniche as well as a $2.5 million Keeneland September sale topper. Today, the farm's Adrian O'Meara discusses the mating plans for Stonehaven Steadings in 2025. VENETIAN SONATA (m, 16, Bernardini-Moonlight Sonata, by Carson City) and Miss Costa Rica (m, 7, Hit It a Bomb-Five Star Daydream, by Five Star Day) to be bred to Curlin Venetian Sonata is one of our flagship mares. All three of her daughters are graded stakes fillies and she's been one of our strongest mares in the sales theater too. Curlin's exceptional stakes strike rate with Bernardini mares has been well documented and this is a mating we did two years ago partially based off that. The resulting foal was a beautiful filly that did well last September at Keeneland in spite of a mild radiograph issue that held her back. The dream here would be for a colt with the huge pedigree to back him up. Miss Costa Rica was a Grade II-placed juvenile and had a nice family update with Sandy Bottom (Omaha Beach) being a new stakes winner out of her sister. We unfortunately lost her first foal, an Into Mischief colt, last year but she showed she could throw the right type and we bred her back to Into Mischief off of the quality of that foal. She is a big beautiful mare, probably one of our strongest physically, and should really compliment Curlin in that department. Curlin is one of the legends and we want to make every effort to use horses of this caliber. We take these top-tier stallions for granted but the recent passing of Uncle Mo makes you appreciate the opportunity to have this caliber of stallion available and the pipeline following them is going to be light unless a few stars emerge from these recently retiring groups. Venetian Sonata, who produced this Curlin filly that brought $425,000 as a yearling last year, will go back to the Hill 'n' Dale sire in 2025 | Jennifer M. Keeler/Yellow Horse Marketing TRUE FEELINGS (m, 16, Latent Heat-Grand Charmer, by Lord Avie) and STUNNING SKY (m, 8, Declaration of War-Sky Walk, Unbridled's Song) to be bred to Into Mischief True Feelings has been a star for us but has had a couple of years off since we nearly lost her to a bad colic a few years back. She has bounced back impressively and her Flightline colt will be one of our top three yearlings this year. She has been remarkably consistent in producing quality with a wide range of stallions. One of her better runners was an Into Mischief filly, Feeling Mischief (who coincidentally had a knockout Flightline filly sell in November) so we decided to go back to the proven cross once again. Stunning Sky was a Grade III winner at Keeneland and was Grade II placed at Saratoga. She did her best running on turf but she is built like a dirt runner and her sire nearly won the Breeders' Cup Classic. She has shown a lot of class in her first two foals. Her Quality Road filly is probably the best filly that we'll bring to auction this year and so she continues to be strongly supported in the breeding shed with Into Mischief. These top tier sires are expensive and we really like to see a mare throwing some quality in her foals before committing to these bigger stud fees. We have generally been supporting her with stallions that have shown strong dual surface abilities such as Medaglia d'Oro, Quality Road and she is currently in foal to Justify. These stallions will hopefully increase her chances of getting some dirt runners or compliment her own turf credentials. She puts a lot of size in her foals and that's something that always is a plus with Into Mischief. GREEN UP (m, 6, Upstart-Green Punch, by Two Punch) and FIGURE OF SPEECH (m, 8, Into Mischief-Starlight Lady, by Elusive Quality) to be bred to Nyquist Green Up, a three-time stakes winner including the 2023 Pumpkin Pie Stakes, will visit Nyquist in 2025 | Chelsea Durand Green Up is a new mare we bought in November. She is typical of one of the types of mares we like to try to buy. She was an accomplished dirt runner, winning three stakes against some strong graded stakes-winning fillies like Shotgun Hottie (Gun Runner), Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief), Interstatedaydream (Classic Empire) and she was Grade I-placed to Adare Manor (Uncle Mo). She's by a strong emerging sire in Upstart but you're not paying the premium on the purchase price for a bigger-name sire and some value is found there. Sometimes you just have a strong gut feeling on a mating and herself and Nyquist was one of those for us this year. It's an expensive cover for a first foal but she's a big beautiful mare that gives some confidence that she mightn't be a candidate for a small first foal. The A.P. Indy sireline has been potent with Nyquist and has played a large part in his success so far, so pedigree wise this was a no brainer. The A.P. Indy line can also be prone to passing on a little clubby foot at times so we always try to balance that in matings on either side. Nyquist and his entire line were generally good-footed and will hopefully counterbalance any recessive tendencies she might have in a foal. Figure of Speech was a Saratoga Grade I-placed juvenile and is another one of our younger mares. She had a beautiful Gun Runner filly sell last September to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and has a very tidy Curlin filly pointing to Keeneland September for this year, so she continues to get acquainted with the big-name sires. She has a very sharp, classy physique and should complement Nyquist in that department. Although not as potent as the A.P. Indy line, Into Mischief has had a lot of success in these early broodmare stages with Nyquist too. NOTAPRADAPRICE (m, 11, Paddy O'Prado-Brenda's Slew, by Straight Man) and MIDNIGHT DIVA (m, 7, Midnight Lute-Pizza Lady, by Dance With Ravens) to be bred to McKinzie McKinzie has gotten off to the right kind of start and was the obvious up and comer to breed to this year. Prada and Diva are young, graded stakes fillies who are big, pretty profiled mares who will both compliment his big, beautiful frame. Both are nicely conformed in front and while McKinzie throws decent-legged stock, you always have to be conscious of what the sire and grand sire of a stallion has historically thrown and breed accordingly on the conformation side of things. McKinzie offers an opportunity to help a young mare getting started at a lower price point than the bigger names, but hopefully will be well on his way to being one of the bigger names in a few years' time when sale time rolls around for this combination. JILTED BRIDE (m, 8, Wicked Strong-Cry At My Wedding, by Street Cry {Ire}) to be bred to Not This Time Jilted Bride is another young mare for us currently in foal to Justify. Her first foal by Into Mischief will be one of our stronger colts this year. She was a very tough mare and ultra consistent, winning multiple stakes and multiple Grade III placings. The only time she was out of the first three was in a Grade I. She's a big mare herself, but hails from the Danzig line so we're generally looking for a stallion for her that has shown plenty of ability to put some commercial leg into their offspring. Not This Time climbed the ladder the hard way and looks set to remain at the top for many years to come. LA TITINA (m, 10, Distorted Humor-Ask the Moon, by Malibu Moon) to be bred to Medaglia d'Oro Medaglia d'Oro is one in the older brigade but has shown again this year that he can still produce the big horse and support it well with additional graded stakes winners. He is the best value in the proven stallion ranks right now and still well respected in the sales arena. La Titina is still early enough in her career and has shown some quality ability so far, with her daughter topping a 2-year-old sale for $500,000. The Medaglia d'Oro /Distorted Humor combo has been responsible for some very classy horses such as Elate, Golden Sixty, New Money Honey, etc. La Titina is a pretty profiled mare but a little offset in front and Medaglia generally can help in that department. BECKLES ROAD (m, 16, Smart Strike -Padmore, by French Deputy) to be bred to Constitution Beckles Road produced this Into Mischief filly who brought $800,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale. This year the mare will visit Constitution | Jennifer M. Keeler/Yellow Horse Marketing Beckles Road is in her mid-teens now but still showed her lasting appeal this year with another beautiful Into Mischief colt that was our top seller in September and she has another classy Gun Runner colt this time around. She is a multiple stakes producer and unlucky not to have another stakes horse or two on her resume, but commercial realities being as they are she gets a drop in stud fee but not stallion quality and should really compliment Constitution physically if her previous foals are anything to go by. The pedigree match up is solid. DEBBY D'ORO (m, 12, Giant's Causeway-Dashing Debby, by Medaglia d'Oro) to be bred to Twirling Candy Candy Ride (Arg) built his career largely on the back of his success with the Storm Cat line and his son Twirling Candy has continued the family tradition himself, particularly with Giant's Causeway who is Debby's sire. She had a beautiful Candy Ride filly sell in September in Book 2 and was bred to Twirling Candy last year based off the strength of that filly as a foal. Candy Ride would have been the no brainer to breed back to this year, but unfortunately the way the commercial market treats these mid-20-year-old sires, you have to re-handicap the situation and breed to one of his more commercial sons at the price point that suits the mare. We also would be hoping that the Candy Ride filly turns out to be legit talent and helps the resulting foal come sale time in two years' time. STEELIN' LIBERTY (m, 7, Curlin-Steelin', by Orientate) and STEELIN' MEMORIES (m, 5, Quality Road-Steelin', by Orientate) to be bred to Practical Joke These two fillies are Curlin and Quality Road half-sisters to Shanghai Bobby. We held on to most of his sisters and his first one is already the dam of MGSW Canoodling (Pioneerof the Nile), so we'll see what the future holds for these two. Practical Joke is one of the few stallions in this price bracket that is still young enough to have strong potential upswing and is a very useful sire to help get a younger mare established. His upward trajectory should only continue as his bigger and better-bred crops come down the pipeline. Both fillies are powerfully built but lacking a little commercial leg, which hopefully Practical Joke can help a bit with. The Into Mischief line has been potent with Smart Strike-line mares and should bode well for Steelin' Liberty. Steelin' Memories was originally booked to Uncle Mo, but with his untimely passing she was rerouted here which, while maybe not as strong pedigree wise as the original plan, it is still a very nice combination and maybe a blessing in disguise depending on how it all works out in the long run. There are plenty of stories in the industry where good horses were conceived under similar circumstances. FRESHMAN/FIRST RUNNERS Most of the rest of the broodmare band will be visiting a couple of the other stand outs of the freshman class with first runners in Tiz the Law and Vekoma and also a cross section of the best of the incoming freshman sires. It's an interesting incoming class this year lacking any major stand out, but is a solid bunch of prospects overall. National Treasure was probably our favorite of the bunch and we have three penciled in for him. He showed the most consistency of the group, being a three-time Grade I winner and arguably his best performance was in defeat in the Breeders' Cup. We'll also be sending mares to Seize the Grey, Dornoch, Cogburn and Prince of Monaco. Arabian Knight and Domestic Product were two we liked too but couldn't make work pedigree wise with the mares we were looking to use. It's more mares than we would generally breed to freshmen sires, but market conditions can force your hand. With breeders flooding to these freshmen sires it's getting more and more difficult for young, emerging sires to get established and maintain momentum and tougher for breeders to identify a young talent that has the second and third-crop fire power behind them to build on any positive start they might gain in their first crop. The post 2025 Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Stonehaven Steadings appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) and the Jockeys' Guild agreed to a new scale of mount fees for jockeys who ride at NYRA tracks which will take effect Feb. 1, according to a Wednesday release from the Guild. Under the new fee agreement, jockeys will receive a minimum of a $125 losing mount fee for races at all NYRA racetracks as well as a $500 minimum fee in races with purses of $1 million or more. This scale also includes a 4th place incentive. “We have come to a three-year agreement with the Jockeys' Guild on jockey fees at the NYRA tracks, which includes the first increase since 2018,” said NYTHA President Tina Marie Bond. “These riders demonstrate their skill and bravery on a daily basis, and they are indispensable to our sport.” “We appreciate the efforts and continued commitment to the jockeys by Tina Marie Bond and NYTHA's Board on behalf of its membership,” said President and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild Terry Meyocks. “In addition to the direct benefits for the jockeys who ride at NYRA tracks, we have worked with NYTHA on several important issues including maintaining a safe racing environment. We pledge to work with all parties to provide New York racing fans with the best Thoroughbred racing in the world.” Under this agreement, both parties are pleased to continue with the overall commitment to the industry, and in particular the equine and human athletes. Since the agreement in 2018, NYRA jockeys have donated $1 per mount to the PDJF and $1 per mount to NYTHA's aftercare program, TAKE THE LEAD and have agreed to continue under the new agreement. NYTHA has agreed to continue to pay the PDJF $20,000 per year. “It is through the working relationships like the one we have with NYTHA that our industry can flourish,” said Meyocks. “Our hope is that other states and horsemen's organizations will follow the lead of those like NYTHA, California, Kentucky, and New Mexico to increase the losing mount fees for the jockeys.” Click here for the fee schedule. The post NYTHA And Guild Agree On New Mount Fees For NYRA Jockeys appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin has been announced as the winner of the Queen's Silver Cup for leading British-based Flat breeder for the 11th time in the TBA's statistical awards for 2024. Starting the season well with 2,000 Guineas winner Notable Speech (GB), Godolphin was also represented by the dual Group 1-winning juvenile Shadow Of Light (GB), who landed the Middle Park Stakes, followed by the Dewhurst Stakes a fortnight later. The operation's flagship sire Dubawi (Ire) was crowned the leading British-based stallion for the tenth time in 11 years with total progeny earnings of £4,425,502. He was also awarded the British EBF Barleythorpe Stud Silver Cup. Dubawi's good season included the aforementioned Notable Speech as well as the Oaks winner Ezeliya (Ire) and the Eclipse Award winner Rebel's Romance (Ire). Claire Sheppard, chief executive of the TBA said, “The statistical awards are important in highlighting track success of British-based breeders and stallions over the course of the year. Britain has the highest proportion of world-class thoroughbreds relative to the total number of foals born, indicating the quality of bloodlines and breeding operations, and all underpinned by many of the best stallions in the world. Our congratulations to Godolphin and Dubawi, and we look forward to presenting them and all the winners in person at the annual Flat Season Awards ceremony on 9 July.” Sam Bullard, director of stallions for Darley and Godolphin, said, “Everyone at Godolphin is delighted that the Queen's Silver Cup is heading back to Dalham Hall Stud. 2024 was a tremendous year for both Team Godolphin and the Darley Stallions and it is very fitting that Notable Speech, by our flagbearer Dubawi, has contributed to both the leading breeder award and to Dubawi's double success. Dubawi continues to excel at the highest level and is now being challenged by his own sons as the future champions in waiting. We are incredibly fortunate to have him.” Simon Sweeting, Chairman of the EBF added, “The British EBF is pleased to be sponsoring the Barleythorpe Stud Silver Cup this year. The award focuses on a stallion's winners-to-runners strike-rate which is an important indicator for breeders of a stallion's ability to produce winning progeny. Our congratulations to all connections of Dubawi. Again, he has proven himself an icon of the British stallion ranks, and we are grateful for the support his enduring success makes to the British EBF's prize-money contributions.” Whitsbury Manor Stud received the Tattersalls Silver Salver for leading freshman sire for the fourth time, with Sergei Prokofiev taking the title in 2024. He followed the lead of Showcasing (GB), Adaay (Ire) and Havana Grey (GB). Among Sergei Prokofiev's 23 British and Irish winners was the Andrew Bengough and Partners-bred Arizona Blaze (GB), who won the first Irish maiden on the Curragh on March 18, and later won the G3 Marble Hill Stakes, was third in the G1 Phoenix Stakes and ended his season by running second in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Ed Harper, stud director of Whitsbury Manor, said, “We are delighted that Sergei Prokofiev has won the leading first-season sire award. With 29 individual juvenile winners worldwide, including a second in the G1 Breeders Cup Juvenile turf sprint, and top performers in the Middle East, he offers British breeders an exciting commercial option.” The statistical awards cover the calendar year 2024 and relate to racing in Britain and Ireland only. The post Godolphin and Dubawi Dominate TBA Flat Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Te Akau will hope a stellar weekend at the Karaka Millions is followed up with further success on Saturday with Quintessa’s (NZ) (Shamus Award) return in the $200,000 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) at Sandown. A winner when fresh in the Cockram Stakes in the spring, a quiet jumpout at Cranbourne on Monday morning has the Group 1 Levin Classic winner ready for her return with Mick Dee taking the ride. “She normally goes well fresh … then she ran on wet tracks and it derailed the campaign, but she’s going well,” co-trainer Mark Walker said from the Karaka sales grounds. “Most mares as a general rule are better in the autumn and I think that will be the case.” Quintessa showed her versatility winning at 1200 metres first-up in her spring campaign, having concluded her autumn preparation with a fourth in the 2400-metre ATC Oaks. “I think anything between 1400 and 2000 metres is pretty good for her,” Walker said of the daughter of Shamus Award’s best distance. “We will take it one step at a time and probably keep her in mares’ company and she could even have just a short campaign and perhaps go to Brisbane in the winter.” Walker will also be represented at Sandown by It’s Business Time (NZ) (Turn Me Loose), who will be ridden by Blake Shinn, and suggested the mare could run a ‘cheeky race’ fresh. Te Akau recently completed the build of its on-course stables at Cranbourne, allowing them to house up to 70 horses. View the full article

Fresh from a pair of million-dollar successes at Ellerslie and another leading buyer title in Book 1, Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis remained in the headlines with some Book 2 fireworks at Karaka on Wednesday afternoon. In the final hour of a solid opening day of trading in the Book 2 sale, Ellis secured the top-priced yearling of the day with his $260,000 purchase of Lot 855. The filly by Satono Aladdin was offered by Brighthill Farm and is a full-sister to this month’s Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) winner Too Sweet. Ellis, who bid on the filly on the phone with bloodstock consultant Marcus Corban, has more than one reason to be familiar with this filly’s family. Too Sweet has spent most of the last month at the Te Akau stable as part of a reciprocal agreement between trainer Roydon Bergerson and his son Sam, who trains for Te Akau alongside Mark Walker at Matamata. The Awapuni-based Too Sweet, who is also part-owned by Sam Bergerson, remained in the north between her Eclipse Stakes victory on New Year’s Day and an unplaced finish from a wide gate in Saturday’s Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). The sale-topping filly’s third dam Madame Echezeaux, meanwhile, is an unraced half-sister to the Group One performers and sires Darci Brahma and Burgundy, who were both purchased by Ellis for seven-figure prices as yearlings at Karaka. “I was delighted to buy this filly today, and the demand that we’ve already had for shares in her just shows what a quality filly she is,” Ellis said. “She wouldn’t have been out of place in Book 1. We’ve already sold 80 percent of the shares in her. “Having a classy two-year-old like Too Sweet as a full-sister is a tremendous advertisement for her, but I also thought she was just an outstanding individual in her own right. She stood out to me as a filly that would have every chance of making it to the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) this time next year.” Ellis knows a thing or two about that race, having purchased eight of the last nine winners – Melody Belle, Avantage, Probabeel, Cool Aza Beel, On The Bubbles, Dynastic, Tokyo Tycoon and Saturday’s winner La Dorada. Damask Rose, who was runner-up in last year’s edition, returned on Saturday and went one better in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m). “Another thing that stood out to me about this filly today is that she’s closely related to Darci Brahma and Burgundy,” Ellis said. “They both went on to successful careers on the racetrack and at stud, and I’ve always said that Burgundy is the fastest horse we’ve ever had at Te Akau. I wouldn’t be surprised if this filly had some of that brilliance as well.” Lot 855 was the only purchase of the day for Ellis, who secured 26 yearlings from Book 1 for a total spend of $4,497,500. “The quality of the yearlings at Karaka this year has been very high,” Ellis said. “It’s been a competitive buying bench, but I’ve felt that I’ve been able to buy the horses I wanted at what I thought was good value. “It’s just so exciting to go around the farm today and look at some of these lovely young horses that we’ve bought. A lot of them will be racing in 12 moths’ time, and I can’t wait.” Leading buyer John Foote Photo: Angelique Bridson The leading buyer on the opening day of Book 2 was respected bloodstock agent John Foote, who bought six colts for a total of $530,000 and an average price of $88,333. Five of his purchases are bound for Hong Kong, with the other set to head to Victoria. “It’s been pretty good shopping today, really,” Foote said. “The horses have made their money, but not too high. “You find some good opportunities when you stick around for Book 2 of the sale. There’s always nice horses here. We’ve bought some horses from this sale that have gone on to win good races in Hong Kong. “When you buy from this second tier, you may have to give away a little bit in terms of pedigree, but I’ve never found that pedigree means too much when it comes to Hong Kong. You always try to buy as much pedigree as you can, but you’re really buying an athletic individual with a bit of size that looks like it can run. “Stallion-wise, you don’t have to be too particular. There are winners by all sorts of stallions in Hong Kong, including some that do extremely well up there and don’t do so well here. You don’t have to be too fussy.” Foote’s highest-priced purchase on Wednesday was Lot 686, a colt by first-season sire Noverre out of the Showcasing mare La Jolie Fille. A member of Ardsley Park’s draft, he was bought for $130,000. “We didn’t buy any of Noverre’s progeny in the first book, but I was happy to buy one here because I thought he was the nicest one we saw,” Foote said. Foote also made a pair of $100,000 purchases – a Hello Youmzain colt from the Kilgravin Lodge draft, and a Shocking colt from Rich Hill Stud. “I said to Eion Kemp that I thought the Hello Youmzain colt should have been in the first book, and so did he,” Foote said. “I was pretty happy to get him today. “Wrote is going very well in Hong Kong. I bought that colt for David Hall, who rang me up this afternoon and said he wanted to buy the horse.” Foote also bought an Ardrossan colt for $80,000, a Reliable Man colt for $75,000 and a Shocking colt for $45,000. “The Shocking will go to Victoria for a good client of mine who only buys stayers,” Foote said. “If they can’t run a mile and a half, he doesn’t want them. This horse fit the bill perfectly. He’s a lovely Shocking out of a Zabeel mare. There’s a lot of Zabeel in him and a lot of quality. For $45,000, he’s pretty good really.” Lot 855: A Satono Aladdin sister to Group Two winner Too Sweet Photo: Glenys Randell View the full article

The corporate hospitality company Eventmasters, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, will sponsor Royal Ascot Trials Day on April 30. Eventmasters will put its name to four races on the card worth a total £315,000 in prize-money as well as having headline sponsorship for the meeting. Eventmasters has worked with Ascot Racecourse throughout its 40 years of trading with Royal Ascot being a key event in the calendar with upwards of 3,500 guests due to be in attendance. The company has also sponsored at Doncaster, Kempton, Warwick, Windsor, Wolverhampton and York Racecourses. “Eventmasters are longstanding hospitality partners of ours and to formalise this relationship with the headline sponsorship of one our most important fixtures in the calendar is really exciting,” said Felicity Barnard, Chief Executive at Ascot Racecourse. Denise Sheasby, CEO of the Eventmasters Group, added, “We are delighted to have the ability to sponsor Royal Ascot Trials Day, this will give us the opportunity to celebrate a special year. We would like to say a very big thank you to all of our clients for their business over very many years. We would like to thank all of the individuals and venues with whom we have worked throughout, our success could not have been achieved without their help and support.” The post Eventmasters to Sponsor Royal Ascot Trials Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) has taken a step towards his racing return with a trial placing at Geelong. Trainer Dominic Sutton has a decision to make with Feroce in the lead-up to Australian Guineas at Flemington. The Caulfield Guineas runner-up will have only one run before the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington in March. That first-up run will come in either the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 8, or the Group 3 C S Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington the following week. “He’s better performed at Caulfield, but the Group 1 is at Flemington,” Sutton said. “I think the more exposure we can give him at Flemington would be better leading into a Group 1 race, but he seems to be furnishing.” Sutton gave Feroce his second trial in preparation for his return when the gelding chased home Sophia’s Magic in a 1200m heat at Geelong on Wednesday morning with Billy Egan in the saddle. “I decided to trial him over the 1200 metres rather than the 1000 metres, simply because we’re going first-up over 1400 metres and then straight into the Australian Guineas,” Sutton said. “I wanted him to have a nice, strong piece of work this morning and he was excellent. “Billy’s comment after the trial was that he feels like he’s matured again this time in. “He relaxed nicely, went through his gears in the right manner to the line.” Sutton said Feroce was only afforded a couple of weeks off after his spring campaign which wound up after finishing third in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 2. “I wanted to give him plenty of time to have him ready for the Guineas second-up,” Sutton said. “We didn’t want to overtax him. He’s had two nice trials now. “We’re just going to weigh-up whether we go to Caulfield, Saturday week, or we wait for the C S Hayes the week after.” Sutton now has 18 boxes at Flemington which he moved into earlier in the month and after starting his campaign at Ballarat, Feroce headed there after his jump-out at Werribee on January 17. “He’s housed there now and has settled in very well and hopefully we might be able to sneak onto the course proper for a gallop before the Guineas if we’re lucky,” Sutton said. View the full article

Trainer Matthew Williams will be hoping history can repeat when the Group 3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes is run at Sandown on Saturday. Normally held at Caulfield, the Bellmaine Stakes for mares will be staged at Sandown on this Saturday’s program, which had to be transferred from its regular venue following the recent grandstand fire there. The Bellmaine was also held at Sandown two years ago and on that occasion Wrote To Arataki (NZ) (Wrote) strode to victory on the Hillside course over 1300m. Saturday’s renewal is on the Hillside circuit over the race’s usual 1200-metre distance and Warrnambool-based Williams has been encouraged by the way Wrote To Arataki – who has not won since the G2 Tristarc Stakes during the 2023 spring – has been preparing for her return. The mare won a recent jumpout and Williams said he had changed a few things up with the six-year-old this preparation in a bid to get her to return to her best racing form. “I’m pretty happy with how she has prepped up,” Williams said. “We did a couple of things a little bit different. “She did some pre-training down at Balnarring Beach – had a bit of a working holiday down there with Cheryl Weller – and she came back from that in good order. “She has galloped well and in her trial the other day, I thought that was probably better than how she trialled up in the preparation before.” Williams has also elected for the mare not to wear earmuffs this time around and believes taking them off seems to have ‘switched her back on again’. He said Wrote To Arataki is also being trained out of a paddock set-up this time in. “I’ve just tried to do things a little bit different, to see if we could switch her on again,” Williams said. “And I must say, I came away from the trial the other day thinking we’re a chance to have her back maybe going at her best. “Last preparation we thought she was probably two or three lengths off her best.” Wrote To Arataki also ran in the Bellmaine Stakes last year at Caulfield, finishing fourth when first-up. Dean Yendall rode Wrote To Arataki when she won the 1000-metre jumpout at Camperdown on January 20 and he is booked for the ride for Saturday’s race. Wrote To Arataki defeated the Archie Alexander-trained Bizot in that jumpout and that mare is also among the Bellmaine Stakes nominations. “I liked when Archie’s horse started to get to her in that trial and Dean asked her for a little bit more, she just kept giving him a little bit more all the way to the line,” Williams said. “I think the black earmuffs off have certainly helped because she can hear a bit more now in the run and a bit of a change in training so hopefully that shows on race day that she’s switched back on.” Should Wrote To Arataki turn in a pleasing performance on Saturday, Williams said there are other Stakes races on the agenda for her in the coming weeks, including the Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m) at Flemington two weeks later. “There’s a nice mares’ program through the autumn for her,” he said. “She has followed that path before.” View the full article

An exciting autumn calendar awaits formidable Kiwi-bred galloper Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars), who will defend his crown in the Gr.1 C.F Orr Stakes (1400m) next Saturday after a comfortable trial win at Geelong. The son of Bullbars has accumulated eight Group Ones and over A$16.3 million in stakes in a 40-start career, where he has been the leading light for Lindsay Park Racing, headed by brothers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. Ben Hayes was on course at Geelong on Tuesday, where his star galloper sat in behind the speed for regular rider Craig Williams, before rolling over the top of classy filly Arabian Summer to take the 1000m heat. “He was great, exactly what we wanted,” Hayes told Racing.com. “It was nice to have Craig come in and ride him, he wasn’t feeling very well today so it was good of him to come in. “He was super, he sat just in behind the speed and did everything we wanted. He extended to the line, he’s come back having a nice healthy blow, and more importantly, Craig gave him a big tick and said he looks fantastic. “If you go through his preps, spring through to autumn, he’s always carrying that residual fitness, so he’s come to hand really nicely. We’re very comfortable with where he’s at.” 12 months ago, Mr Brightside followed a similar schedule to his plan in 2025, with the Orr preceding runs in the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) and Gr.1 All Star Mile (1600m). The gelding went on to contest the Gr.1 Australian Cup (2000m), but this year, an international trip to take on the Gr.1 Hong Kong Champions Mile (1600m) is firmly on his radar. “If they work perfectly, you stick to the same recipe,” Hayes said. “We’re doing very similar, last year we were supposed to trial on this day and we had to scratch him, so he ended up trialling the following Friday. That’s what we’ve done slightly different, but he hasn’t had any hiccups at all, he’s lovely and sound, a happy horse. We feel we’ve got him spot on for the Orr. “They’re the three runs he will head towards if everything goes to plan, and hopefully that’s how it goes. If he’s in form and we’re happy after the All Star Mile, we’ll work out if we go to Sydney and have a run, then go to Hong Kong. They are all decisions to make in three runs time.” Fellow New Zealand-bred in the Lindsay Park contingent, Here To Shock (NZ) (Shocking), also featured at Geelong, winning his 1000m heat under Craig Newitt. In the spring and summer months, the son of Shocking landed some lucrative prizes winning the $1.5 million Alan Brown (1400m) and $1 million Supernova (1400m). Meanwhile, in search of their next Kiwi star, the Hayes were active buyers at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale this week, purchasing eight yearlings out of Book 1. Among their selections was Lot 261, the half-sister to Group One winner Ruthless Dame, and Lot 547, a Savabeel half-brother to Group Two winner Spanish Whisper. View the full article

Roger James and Robert Wellwood experienced a whirlwind of highs across the Karaka Millions and Yearling Sales series this week, a trend they hope to continue back at Ellerslie on Saturday. Last Saturday night at the Auckland venue, their star mare Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel) silenced any doubters with a top-class performance to win the $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m), a year after reigning supreme in the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m). An earner of over $2.67 million, Orchestral is now poised to take on the likes of Snazzytavi (NZ) (Tavistock) and La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos) in a star-studded edition of the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m), to be run at Te Rapa on February 8. “It was great to see her back at her best, especially in a big race like that,” Wellwood said. “It was a huge thrill. “She seems to have come through the run really well, we’re yet to make a firm decision but more than likely she’ll go to the Herbie Dyke.” The daughter of Savabeel is currently the $3.50 second-elect in the TAB Futures market for the $700,000 feature, with Snazzytavi on top at $1.90. A few days after the Karaka Millions meeting, James and Wellwood went to $1.1 million to secure a special filly out of Hallmark Stud’s draft on behalf of Orchestral’s owners, Colin and Helen Litt. Lot 564, a Proisir filly out of Donna Marie, is the full-sister to another Kingsclere headlining act in Prowess (NZ) (Proisir), who won two Group Ones and over $1.5 million in a career that came to a premature end. Wellwood, while acknowledging the connection to Prowess, said the filly stood out on her own. “It was great, but we’re not sentimental and don’t buy them for the sake of it,” he said. “We genuinely thought she was the best filly on the grounds, which gave us confidence, matched up with a family we know, and a cross we know that works. “We’re extremely lucky and proud to be able to get her, and very fortunate to have the owners that support us to buy what we felt was the best filly.” A further six yearlings were purchased by the Cambridge trainers in Book 1, including Lot 412, a Per Incanto colt out of Group Two winner Xpression for $260,000, while they went to $310,000 for Lot 623, a filly by young sire St Mark’s Basilica. “I thought we did reasonably well, we only buy horses if we love them,” Wellwood said. “I always do the grandmother test, I say to myself if my grandmother wanted this horse, would I buy it for her. All of these horses have passed that test and are coming home. “We’re excited to see them in our stable.” Back in the stable, promising sprinter Irish Legacy already saluted earlier in the week at Tauranga, while Wellwood has plenty of time for Schmooze (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), who will make just his fourth start on Friday at Te Rapa in the NZB Kiwi Preview Evening 6/3 (1400m). “He was very unlucky last start, he’s a highly talented horse that we’ve been patient with,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him step out with a good barrier (3) for once.” The team will have a strong contingent at Ellerslie on Saturday, with juvenile debutant Vittoria (NZ) (Per Incanto) representing the TAB Racing Club in the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m). Her sole trial appearance was second behind In Haste, who went on to score comfortably at Matamata. “I thought her trial was very good and that form was then franked by In Haste going to the races and winning nicely,” Wellwood said. “This is not something we would normally do, running a horse that’s only had the one trial in a stakes race at its first start, and Ellerslie is one of the harder tracks to get things right at being a big open space, so we’re taking it on trust that she’s going to handle the occasion. “It was either head there or to Tauherenikau, and Ellerslie was closer, we’ve got a high opinion of this filly and whatever she does, she’s going to improve off.” The Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) is the ideal scenario for in-form galloper Hasstobeawinner (NZ) (Vadamos), but currently third on the ballot, he looks more likely to take his place at Taranaki in the Platinum Homes 1400. “Our preference is to head to Ellerslie, but we’ve got to get a run, that’s the key there,” Wellwood said. “He’s flying, wherever he goes he’ll be competitive.” A horse that may be back at Ellerslie on the big stage in a month’s time is Oceana Dream (NZ) (Ocean Park), a $1.25 million Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) prospect who blew away his competition on debut at Tauranga. Stepping up in distance, he will contest the Trelawney Stud (1600m). “He’s a high-class horse, I’m really looking forward to seeing him step out and then going forward, working out whether we look to head the Derby way, or perhaps whether he’s sharper,” Wellwood said. “We’re very happy with him.” Completing Kingsclere’s runners will be the well-related Usain (NZ) (U S Navy Flag), having his first attempt over ground that should suit his bloodlines in the Horizon By SkyCity (2100m) “He’s from a staying family and is bred and built to go staying trips,” Wellwood said. “He’s going well, he’s certainly ready to be getting up over ground and probably didn’t have all that much luck last start.” View the full article

Off the back of a lucrative result at Karaka, Mark and Jane Corcoran’s Grangewilliam Stud will be chasing another top outcome on the track this weekend. A son of Proisir was the headline act of their small Book 1 draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and the farm will be hoping to make another top impression with Utopian Wine at New Plymouth on Saturday. Bred by Mark’s father John, the Proisir colt will in time be heading offshore after he was knocked down to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $325,000. “That was a very good result, he was a really nice type and will go through the Hong Kong Sale,” Mark Corcoran said. “I put a figure of $200,000 on him and we had a reserve of $150,000 so we were all pretty happy with what he made.” The youngster is out of the Swiss Ace mare Secret Spirit, who won four races including the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m). She was also successful three times at Listed level in the Great Northern Foal Stakes (1400m), Ryder Stakes (1200m) and the O’Leary’s Fillies’ Stakes (1200m) with her third dam the Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) winner Daria’s Fun. “We sold a Derryn colt out of the mare last year for $95,000 to Shane Crawford and he thinks he’s a very good horse,” Corcoran said. “She had another Derryn colt last year and is in foal to our new horse Hilal.” The Group-winning son of Fastnet Rock stood his first season in 2024 and among his full book was Utopian Wine, who will run in Saturday’s Gr.3 Dennis Wheeler Earthmoving Taranaki Cup (1800m). The daughter of Pierro was a two-time winner for Chris Waller before she was purchased by Mark and John Corcoran for A$70,000 when offered last year via an Inglis Digital Sale. “We were looking for some nice young mares to send to him and she’s out of a Group-winning sister to Stratum, who was obviously a Golden Slipper (Gr.1, 1200m) winner,” Corcoran said. Utopian Wine is trained by Bill Thurlow and posted consecutive wins at Trentham and Otaki before she was unplaced, but only three lengths off the winner in the Gr.3 Trentham Stakes (2100m). “To be honest, racing her was only an afterthought,” Corcoran said. “We put her in foal and Bill watched her last race (in Sydney) with me and said we should put her back in work, so it’s worked out really well and she’s given us a bit of fun. “She might get one more chance after this one and we thought we’d have another crack at getting some black type for her. “Kavish Chowdhoory will ride her and she’s a mare that likes to get out wide with plenty of space so hopefully she’ll get out into the clear this time and wind up.” View the full article

Haunui Farm have been crowned leading vendor of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Book 1 Yearling Sale at Karaka for the first time this week following a pleasing set of results, led by the $2.4 million sale of the full-sister to glamour mare Orchestral. The Karaka farm sold 24 of its 30 yearlings, for an aggregate of $6.74 million, nearly $900,000 more than its closest rival in Waikato Stud with $5.88 million, and their average of $280,883 was second only to Curraghmore with $322,222. “It was a special result,” Haunui Farm managing director Mark Chitty said. “I am never thinking anything like that (leading vendor) coming into the sale. “You are entrusted with a lot of horses and people give you the responsibility of taking the horses through to the market, and they were very well received. “We sold 18 horses for over six-figures or better out of 30, which is what you are trying to achieve.” The $2.4 million sale of lot 345, the Savabeel full-sister to multiple Group One winner Orchestral, to bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster and trainer Chris Waller was the clear highlight, and Chitty said he was rapt to get the result for their client Barneswood Farm. “You are always hopeful that they are going to sell extremely well, she is a rare commodity,” Chitty said. “Given around the world what those elite yearlings have been making, I always thought she could make seven-figures, but no way in my wildest dreams did I think she would make the money that she eventually did. “That is full credit to New Zealand Bloodstock for getting the buying bench here and getting them to participate. She was an absolute queen from a long way out. “They (Barneswood Farm) have put a lot of money into the game. They have been regular buyers of horses and it’s nice to see them justly rewarded when they put a quality filly like that in the sales ring.” While Haunui had a number of other high-priced sales, Chitty said a sentimental result for him personally was the sale of lot 530, the Proisir filly out of a half-sister to Group One performers Babylon Berlin and Darci Be Good, to Star Thoroughbred and Randwick Bloodstock Agency for $360,000. “She was out of a mare who came to me having not had a foal for three years,” Chitty said. “I am a veterinarian by trade, and I learned under one of the best reproductive veterinarians in New Zealand, the late Dr Charlie Roberts. Through some of what he taught me we were able to get that mare in-foal, and that was the resulting progeny. “There is some professional satisfaction out of getting a result for that filly for some great Australian clients of mine.” Haunui now head into the Book 2 session of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale where they will offer 19 yearlings. “I have got a nice draft of horses by a variety of stallions, and we’ll let the buying bench be the judge,” Chitty said. View the full article

What Pakenham Races Where Southside Racing Pakenham – 420 Nar Nar Goon – Longwarry Rd, Tynong VIC 3810 When Thursday, January 30, 2025 First Race 5:15pm AEDT Visit Dabble The Victorian night racing season continues at Pakenham with a competitive eight-race meeting scheduled for Thursday evening. A perfect summer evening is forecast, and with the track rated a Good 4 at the time of acceptances and the rail back in its true position, there will be no excuses for fancied runners throughout the night. The first of the Pakenham races is set to go at 5:15pm AEDT. Best Bet at Pakenham: Hey Now Hey Now Hey Now Hey Now caught the eye on debut at the Pakenham 1400m on December 20 when hitting the line with intent to finish second. In a race that was run to suit those up on speed, the three-year-old filly did well to finish within two lengths of the winner. From barrier three, if Craig Williams can have the Pierro filly settled in a mid-field position, all Hey Now Hey Now has to do is replicate last start’s finish to justify her short quote with . Best Bet Race 7 – #8 Hey Now Hey Now (3) 3yo Filly | T: Robert Hickmott | J: Craig Williams (56kg) Next Best at Pakenham: Under My Thumb Under My Thumb showed a bit of ability in her first racing preparation without breaking through for a victory. The four-year-old mare filled a minor placing in each of her three starts, and on the back of a couple of handy trials leading into this, she looks the goods. Michael Dee sticks on board and, from barrier five, will look to have the Bel Esprit mare lead from barrier to box. Next Best Race 3 – #6 Under My Thumb (5) 4yo Mare | T: Ben, Will & JD Hayes | J: Michael Dee (57.5kg) Best Value at Pakenham: Courting Emily Courting Emily was massive in defeat on debut at Bendigo on December 15 before finishing midfield with little luck at Stawell last time out. The four-year-old gelding saw nothing but backsides at a crucial time and was beaten by three lengths when hardly tested. Barrier seven on Thursday means Harry Coffey should have the son of Intello in clear air approaching the home term, and if Courting Emily replicates the finish she produced on debut, she should prove too hard to hold out at an each-way price with horse racing bookmakers. Best Value Race 4 – #1 Courting Emily (7) 4yo Gelding | T: Ben, Will & JD Hayes | J: Harry Coffey (59.5kg) Thursday quaddie tips for Pakenham Pakenham quadrella selections January 30, 2025 3-4-5-10-11 2-3-8 4-8 2-5-8 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Odds Bookmakers News Field Past Winners T.S. Carlyon Cup Group Three Betting Guide Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025 Location: Caulfield Racecourse – Melbourne, Victoria Prize Money: $200,000 Distance: 1600m The T.S. Carlyon Cup is a Group 3 race for milers, conducted by the Melbourne Racing Club at Caulfield Racecourse. First run in 1977 and won by Ngawyni, the TS Carlyon Cup is held over 1600m under set weights and penalties conditions. In 2025, The TS Carlyon Cup is offering a purse of $200,000. Initially a Principal race until 1979, The TS Carlyon Cup was elevated to Group 2 status until 2002 before being downgraded to Group 3 from 2003 onwards. The T.S. Carlyon Cup distance has varied over the years, ranging from 1400m to 2000m. Once an important lead-up to the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m), it has since shifted in prominence. Notable winners include Hyperno (1978), Super Impose (1989), Northerly (2001), Apache Cat (2007), and Avilius (2019), with several of these Carlyon Cup winners achieving Group 1 success later in their campaigns. The 2024 TS Carlyon Cup was claimed by Yonce, who triumphed over Foxy Cleopatra and Young Werther. 2025 T.S. Carlyon Cup betting odds 2025 T.S. Carlyon Cup odds are currently unavailable. HorseBetting will update this page when bookmakers open betting for the 2025 T.S. Carlyon Cup. How to bet on the T.S. Carlyon Cup Australian horse racing bookmakers will have betting on the T.S Carlyon Cup available. Many of them will open an early market so you can wager on the race a week or so in advance. Unlike many of the bigger races the acceptances are only done a few days before the race so you won’t find a futures market weeks in advance, like major group 1s like the Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate. Aussie bookies like Picklebet offer all of the usual bet types on the race and you will have the option of using ‘boosted odds’ at some of them. This simply means you place your win bet and use the boosted odds option, which could send a $10 shot out to $15. This provides great value and is as good a reason as any to bet online. Neds Code GETON 1 Take It To The Neds Level Neds Only orange bookie! Check Out Neds Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit today. “GETON is not a bonus code. Neds does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. Full terms. BlondeBet Signup Code GETON 2 Punters Prefer Blondes BlondeBet Blonde Boosts – Elevate your prices! Join BlondeBet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GAMBLING WITH? full terms. 3 Next Gen Racing Betting Picklebet Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? 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Full terms. 9 By Players, For Players UniBet Unibet offer daily promotions to registered and logged in customers only Join Unibet Review 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Chances are you are about to lose. Full terms. 10 Ladbrokes Switch Ladbrokes Ladbrokes offer daily promotions to registered and logged in customers only Visit Ladbrokes Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit today. “GETON is not a bonus code. Ladbrokes does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. Full terms. T.S. Carlyon Cup News Duke De Sessa set for Caulfield return Australia horse racing news 23 hours ago Group 1 Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa begins his 2025 campaign in the TS Carlyon Cup at Caulfield on … Read More Yonce makes every post a winner in Group 3 Carlyon Cup Australia horse racing news 12 months ago Yonce ($3.30) held off all challengers in the Group 3 Carlyon Cup at Caulfield on Saturday, making every post a … Read More Sandown full racing tips & quaddie tips | Saturday, February 11 Horse Racing Tips 2 years ago The C.F Orr Stakes headlines the action out of Sandown on Saturday, and HorseBetting’s James Herbert presents his race-by-race preview … Read More Callsign Mav taking time out at beach New Zealand horse racing news 3 years ago Multiple Group One winner Callsign Mav is enjoying an easy time at the beach before a decision is made on … Read More Earlswood makes winning Australian debut in Carlyon Cup Australia horse racing news 3 years ago Warrnambool trainer Maddie Raymond took out the Group 3 Carlyon Cup (1600m) with a newcomer to the stable, Earlswood, who … Read More Caulfield race-by-race betting preview, form guide & tips Horse Racing Tips 4 years ago HorseBetting.com takes a look at the latest odds and best bets for every race on the card this Saturday afternoon … Read More 2025 T.S. Carlyon Cup Final Field HorseBetting.com.au will update this page when the 2025 T.S. Carlyon Cup final field is released. Previous T.S. Carlyon Cup Fields 2024 T.S. Carlyon Cup field No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 Young Werther Danny O’Brien Damian Lane 4 57kg 2 Loft Ben, Will & JD Hayes Luke Currie 2 57kg 3 Paperboy Gavin Bedggood Michael Dee 3 57kg 4 Yonce Ciaron Maher John Allen 5 55kg 5 Unusual Culture Ciaron Maher Craig Williams 6 55kg 6 Foxy Cleopatra Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young Blake Shinn 1 55kg 7 Kind Gesture Michael Kent Ms Jamie Kah 7 55kg 2024 T.S. Carlyon Cup result https://horsebetting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Caulfield-2024-Group-3-Carlyon-Cup-10022024-Yonce-Ciaron-Maher-John-Allen.mp4 1st – Yonce (+250) 2nd – Foxy Cleopatra (+130) 3rd – Young Werther (NTD) Recent runnings of the T.S. Carlyon Cup: 2024: Yonce fights on to win TS Carlyon Cup Yonce ($3.30) held off all challengers in the (1600m) Group 3 Carlyon Cup at Caulfield. The lightly raced six-year-old mare was third-up in a campaign after suffering a lengthy setback and had only recently returned from the paddock after 626 days off the scene. Two moderate performances at this course at Listed level were both clearly short of her best journey, with the 1100m and 1400m proving too sharp for the daughter of Proisir. That simply wasn’t the case in Group 3 company, as Yonce was able to recapture the form that allowed her to storm to victory on six consecutive occasions in her last preparation. John Allen utilised her early speed to cross to the lead from gate five and was able to steal a few cheap sectionals, staving off her rivals all the way to the wire. 2023: Pounding thunders home Pounding delivered a dominant performance to claim victory in the 2023 T.S. Carlyon Cup (Gr 3, 1600m) at Sandown. Settling midfield early under Jamie Kah, the Peter Moody-trained gelding unleashed a powerful turn of foot in the straight to defeat a quality field, showcasing his versatility and class. 2022: Earlswood makes Group 1 impression on Australian debut In his Australian debut, Earlswood clinched victory in the 2022 T.S. Carlyon Cup (1600m) at Caulfield. Guided by jockey Damian Lane, Earlswood settled midfield before launching a decisive move in the straight, overtaking the well-fancied Callsign Mav near the post to win by a short head. Spanish Mission finished strongly to secure third place, just a half-neck behind. Previous winners of the T.S. Carlyon Cup T.S. Carlyon Cup Past Winners Year Horse Jockey Trainer 2024 Yonce John Allen Ciaron Maher 2023 Pounding Jamie Kah Peter Moody 2022 Earlswood Damian Lane Maddie Raymond 2021 Best of Days Damien Oliver James Cummings 2020 Miss Siska Damian Lane Grahame Begg 2019 Avilius Kerrin McEvoy James Cummings 2018 Gailo Chop Mark Zahra Darren Weir 2017 Burning Front Brad Rawiller Darren Weir 2016 Burning Front Brad Rawiller Darren Weir 2015 Smokin’ Joey Chris Parnham Wez Hunter 2014 Chase the Rainbow Craig Williams Rick Hore-Lacy 2013 Budriguez Craig Williams David Jolly 2012 Manighar Luke Nolen Peter G Moody 2011 Lord Pyrus Craig Williams Judy Mawer 2010 Rightfully Yours Craig Newitt Mick Price 2009 Time Matters Steven Arnold Darren Weir 2008 Publishing Steven Arnold John Sadler 2007 Apache Cat Glen Boss Greg Eurell 2006 Live in Vain Luke Nolen Peter G Moody 2005 Niagara Falls Steven King Peter G Moody 2004 La Sirenuse Brady Cross Tony McEvoy 2003 No Deposit Nash Rawiller Robert Smerdon 2002 Piper Star Scott Seamer Roger James 2001 Northerly Greg Childs Fred Kersley 2000 Skoozi Please Jim Cassidy Graeme Rogerson T.S. Carlyon Cup winners pre-2000 T.S. Carlyon Cup Past Winners Pre 2000 Year Horse 1999 Thackeray 1998 Delinquent 1997 Peep On The Sly 1996 Toil 1995 Starstruck 1994 Station Hand 1993 Veandercross 1992 Cool Credit 1991 Prince Salieri 1990 Marwong 1989 Super Impose 1988 Black Charleston 1987 Cossack Warrior 1986 The Vagrant 1985 Astrolin 1984 Admiral Lincoln 1983 Trissaro 1982 Granite King 1981 Mr. Independent 1980 There You Go 1979 Marceau 1978 Hyperno 1977 Ngawyni Recommended! Take It To The Neds Level Home of the Neds Toolbox Check Out Neds 18+ Gamble Responsibly Punters Prefer Blondes It’s a fact, Blondes have more fun Join BlondeBet 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE?. Next Gen Racing Betting Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? It Pays To Play New online bookmaker Check Out PlayUp 18+ Gamble Responsibly Say Hey to the social bet! 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She’s Bulletproof. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Racing Photos) Trainer Charlotte Littlefield is confident that She’s Bulletproof will ‘go to a different level’ in the Group 3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) at Sandown on Saturday. The Shooting To Win mare has only finished outside of the placings once in her ten-start career, with her most recent effort being a second-place finish in the Listed Black Pearl Stakes (1200m) at Geelong on January 4. Since then, She’s Bulletproof impressed in a Pakenham jump-out on January 21, winning with authority. “Sage Duric rode her and she won by a long margin,” Littlefield told Racing.com. “The way she accelerated, it was like she developed another string to her bow and really let down a different way that I’ve not seen before. “She’ll go to a different level on Saturday. I’m going there a lot more prepared. I think last start, she may have just gotten away from me a fraction, (I) had her a little bit heavy. “We’ve done a few things differently, we’ve managed to rip a few kilos off and I think she’ll be going into this race a lot better physically so I think she’ll really show a different finish on Saturday.” She’s Bulletproof will be ridden by Mark Zahra for the first time in Saturday’s Group 3 contest. Horse racing news View the full article

Multiple stakes winner Last Leaf (Not This Time) (hip 56) brought the highest price at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Winter Mixed Sale Tuesday when bringing a final bid of $140,000 from Joey Peacock. Peacock purchased the 6-year-old broodmare prospect in the name of Senor's Senoritas to support his recently retired G1 Saudi Cup winner Senor Buscador (Mineshaft). Last Leaf was the only six-figure offering at the one-session Mixed Sale, which was downsized from its two-day 2024 format. In all, 212 horses sold Tuesday for a gross of $3,098,700, an average of $14,617 and a median of $7,500. From a catalogue of 342 head, 270 horses went through the ring and 58 were reported not sold for a buy-back rate of 21.5%. A filly by McKinzie (hip 70) was the auction's highest-priced short yearling. Bred by Don and Jackie Duppenthaler and Wade and Donna Russell and consigned by Summerfield, the dark bay filly sold for $97,000 to Lambholm, agent. She is out of Picolata (Bellamy Road). Peacock Continues Buscador Buying Spree in Ocala Joey Peacock has been active at the breeding stock sales from November to January in preparation for the start of Senor Buscador's stud career next month at Lane's End. Tuesday's sale topper was his 13th purchase of the season. “Marette Farrell is our agent and our advisor on this,” Peacock said Tuesday. “She talked to me about this mare [Last Leaf] yesterday and said she was really excited about her and hoped that we could get her for a price that was within our budget. It looks like that all came together, so we are really excited to have her.” A five-time stakes winner and four times graded-placed, Last Leaf (Not This Time) RNA'd for $300,000 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale three months ago. On the board in 20 of 30 starts, the mare won seven times and earned $622,058 for Monarch Stables. She was consigned Tuesday by G. Martinez Training, agent. “We like to see mares that are coming off the racetrack that have done a couple of things: run early in their careers–2 and 3-year-old wins are important–and shown a lot of speed and durability,” Peacock said of his wish list for mares heading to Senor Buscador's first book. Senor Buscador was a three-time graded winner on the racetrack. In addition to his victory in last year's Saudi Cup, he won the 2023 GII San Diego Handicap and 2022 GIII Ack Ack Stakes. He was also second in last year's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational and third in the G1 Dubai World Cup. He will stand his first season at stud this year at Lane's End for $7,500. Peacock purchased four mares to support the new stallion at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, led by Kelsey's Cross (Anthony's Cross) (hip 710), who was purchased for $225,000. At the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Peacock acquired eight mares, led by Candy Kitty (hip 1345) for $95,000. “This one makes 13,” Peacock said of the roster of mares he has acquired for Senor Buscador. “And then we have another mare that we already own that is my wife's that we will breed to Buscador also, so we are up to 14 mares to get him kicked off. We still might shop. We don't have to buy any more, but I told Marette if she sees something that she is absolutely in love with, then we can talk about it. But I feel like we have enough.” Last Leaf | Lauren King Eleven of the newly acquired mares were purchased in-foal and Peacock said the plan will be to sell those babies. “We will have those to sell either as weanlings, or short yearlings, or yearlings, just depending on where they are at the stages of different sales,” he said. “We will likely sell all those and then recycle the money into more mares for that second year.” As for Senor Buscador's first foals, Peacock said, “We will likely sell quite a few of them, but we are going to pick a couple out of every crop probably to race ourselves. I like to put horses in [trainer] Todd Fincher's hands because I trust him and he's done such a wonderful job for us. I would love to see him get his hands on some of the Buscador babies. Whether we buy some at auction or keep some of the ones that we raised, I will make sure that we put a couple every year in Todd's hands.” Fincher currently has three of Senor Buscador's siblings in training: 4-year-old filly Aye Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}); 3-year-old Rose A (Hard Spun); and 2-year-old The Hell We Did (Authentic). “[Fincher]'s got all three of those following right behind Buscador,” Peacock said. “He leaves some pretty big horseshoes to fill, but hopefully they can rise to the occasion.” The mare responsible for it all is the remarkable Rose's Desert (Desert Gold), whose first four foals are all stakes winners. She produced a filly by Into Mischief last year and is currently carrying a colt by Uncle Mo. Her daughter, stakes-winner Our Irish Rose (Ghostzapper) is due to foal a Not This Time baby any day now. Senor Buscador | Benoit Peacock is full of confidence as Senor Buscador begins his stud career. “We are excited,” he said. “We believe wholeheartedly in his bloodlines and his pedigree. The Mineshaft, A.P. Indy bloodline is phenomenal and our mare, Rose's Desert, everything she has had can run. So we feel really good about his chances. It's going to be up to him to prove it, but we are certainly going to support and try to give him the best chance to succeed. We feel like he has a really good chance of being an important sire.” The post Last Leaf Has Senor Buscador Date After Topping OBS Winter Mixed Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Miss Roumbini after winning the 2025 Magic Millions Fillies & Mares. Photo: Darren Winningham After a successful three-start campaign, culminating in victory in the Magic Millions Fillies and Mares Classic (1300m), the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Miss Roumbini will be aimed at the Sydney autumn carnival. The Zoustar mare’s next likely target is the Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on March 1. “She’s enjoying a well-deserved week off in a nice green paddock up in Queensland and then she’s hopping on a bus back down to our Rosehill stables,” Kent Jnr told Racing.com. “There’s a lovely program of mares races for her in Sydney which will really suit. There’s a lot of options. “She could run at the end of February or early March.” The Group 3-placed Miss Roumbini has won four of her past five starts, including the Eureka Stockade Plate (1200m) at Ballarat. Kent Jnr added that if she can maintain her form, the four-year-old may also target a race like the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill on March 15. Miss Roumbini is currently a $15 winning hope with horse racing bookmakers for the Coolmore Classic. Horse racing news View the full article

Keeneland Race Course is projecting overall purses for the upcoming April meet to increase in the range of 10-12%, with maiden special weight (MSW) purses for 3-year-olds and up rising to $110,000 after that MSW figure had plateaued at $100,000 for the past three springs. Churchill Downs plans to card 3-and-up MSW races at $120,000 during its April-June meet, a level that hasn't changed since 2022. Executives from both tracks disclosed those spring 2025 purse projections during the Jan. 28 Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory board meeting. Rick Hiles, a board member of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, who represents that organization on the KTDF board, spoke up during Tuesday's meeting to express a concern that not enough KTDF funding–and not enough overall purse money and racing opportunities in general–are trickling down to owners and trainers who compete at the lower end of the purse structure. “I'm not asking for a lot,” Hiles said, noting that there needs to be an alternative beyond stacking both KTDF and track money “on the top end.” The KTDF is funded by three-quarters of 1% of all money wagered in the state on both live Thoroughbred races and historical horse race gaming, plus 2% of all money wagered on Thoroughbred races via inter-track wagering and whole-card simulcasting. That money, along with funding from each track, goes to pay purses in the state. “The idea was to make sure that everybody gets part of the KTDF,” Hiles said. “The small guys and breeders.” Ben Huffman, who is both the racing secretary at Keeneland and the vice president of racing for Churchill, addressed Hiles's point by conceding that lower-level races could use some shoring up. “The claiming races are there,” Huffman said when speaking on behalf of Keeneland. “They're just not filling as well as we'd like them. So it's not like we're not offering them. We'd like to see that number up a little higher also.” Later, figuratively putting on his Churchill hat, Huffman made essentially the same point when speaking about how at Churchill in springtime, it is sometimes a “struggle” to fill open claiming and certain conditioned claiming races. “I like offering the races in all the condition books we write,” Huffman said. “And personally, I'd like to see more of those claiming races that we offer fill. Because [the horses are] here. They're in this state. And we try very hard to fill as many as we can.” Gary Palmisano, Jr., Churchill's vice president of racing, offered wider context on the issue. “The reality is [in] Kentucky, it's the maiden special weights and the allowance races [that fill] and we're splitting them,” Palmisano said. “The claiming horses just aren't here [all year round]. So we, as an industry, need to figure out how to try and prop up the claiming races more, for sure.” Palmisano said the seasonality of Kentucky racing is also a factor. Even though Churchill and Turfway Park share the same corporate parent, the two tracks utilize claiming races differently because Turfway's December-March meet that is sandwiched between Churchill's autumn and spring meets is populated by different levels of horses. When Churchill races in the spring and early summer, there's also the matter of more tracks being operational in nearby states like Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia. “It's difficult in the summer,” Palmisano said, using the example of a $10,000 claiming horse whose connections can choose among a number of regional racetracks. “Do you ship to Churchill to hook Steve Asmussen, or Brad Cox, or [any other big outfit] plunging in?” Palmisano asked rhetorically. “Or do you ship to Indiana? And you could run for $20,000 in Indiana [with a horse that would be competitive for $10,000 in Kentucky]. But if you run for $10,000 here, you'll probably lose your horse [via claim].” Palmisano continued: “What we see at Turfway, is everybody just runs [by entering robustly in claimers]. They're the only game in town in the winter. When there's four or five different condition books sitting on your desk in the middle of June and you've got a $10,000 horse, your options are significantly wider, and the perceived competition is less.” Palmisano asked Huffman to share with the KTDF board the ratio of allowance races to claiming races that Churchill cards. “I don't have that number in front of me, Gary, but just anecdotally, I know the number keeps getting smaller and smaller, because some guys are afraid to lose their horses through the claim box in this state,” Huffman said. “And we are just so 'good horse' heavy, if you will,” Huffman added. “A lot of good horses are here.” At Tuesday's meeting, the KTDF advisory board approved the recommendation of allotment requests that the Keeneland and Churchill purse estimates were based on. The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation still has to vote on final approval of the funding at a subsequent meeting. The post Keeneland Projects 10-12% Purse Hike; Horsemen Concerned Kentucky’s Money Isn’t Trickling to Lower Levels appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The California Association of Racing Fairs (CARF) voted unanimously Tuesday morning not to apply for racing dates in 2025. The summer fair meets this decision could impact are at Alameda County Fair, The Big Fresno Fair, Cal Expo at California State Fair, and Ferndale at Humboldt County Fair. Sonoma County Fair runs a summer fair meet independent of CARF. In theory, individual tracks can still independently apply for a 2025 racing license similar to Sonoma's approach. “After making the difficult decision not to submit future race meet applications, the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) announces that it has directed staff to reorganize operations to focus on addressing current obligations and future efforts to support California Fairgrounds and their Satellite Network. This difficult decision was based upon an assessment of financial challenges incurred in the GSR race meet as well as current obstacles facing the horse racing industry,” wrote CARF in a press release Tuesday. In the middle of December, the CARF board voted unanimously to rescind a proposed Golden State Racing (GSR) meet spanning the first half of this year, due to much lower than anticipated revenues generated from the GSR meet that ran at Pleasanton between October and December. The purse overpayment at the end of the meet was around $800,000. “While this marks a difficult and challenging moment for the Northern California live racing community, CARF will continue to support its satellite wagering members and explore all possible avenues to support the California Horse Racing industry. CARF remains dedicated to serving all of our member fairs and their communities,” the press release adds. Perhaps the biggest near-term question, therefore, concerns the horses currently stabled at Pleasanton. It was detailed during Tuesday's meeting that there are about 478 horses currently stabled at Pleasanton, according to Bill Nader, president and CEO of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), who listened in to the meeting online. Thoroughbreds are currently stabled there and shipped south as part of a stabling and training agreement with the industry's Southern California interests to provide Northern Californian-based horsemen and women opportunities to run at Santa Anita. CARF and the Alameda County Fair have “the sole and exclusive right to extend” the agreement to June 10 “by providing written notice no later than Feb. 25, provided there are 500 or more horses stabled at Pleasanton at that time,” according to a statement issued by Santa Anita on behalf of the Southern California stabling and vanning committee earlier this month. However, that agreement currently guarantees stabling at the facility only until Mar. 25. Asked about the possibility of extending the stabling agreement beyond the Mar. 25 date, Jerome Hoban, CEO of the Alameda County Fair, said that “any such determination” would primarily fall on racing interests in the South. “If the horse count is not robust enough to satisfy their program, then they would be the ones with the ability to make that decision,” said Hoban. When asked if ongoing non-storm water discharge quality concerns could impede the track's ability to facilitate stabling and training at the track after the Mar. 25 cut off, Hoban said that “we are actively working with agencies to be compliant.” Hoban added, “I think everybody with CARF, including the Alameda County Fair, is attempting to sort through the challenges and do what is best for the horsemen and the backstretch workers.” Earlier this month, Hoban stepped down as both chairman of CARF and from the board itself. Asked about any potential extension to the stabling agreement, Nader said, “there's no reason to wait until Feb. 25 if they know now what their intent is. They should let us know and let the horsemen know.” If the stabling agreement ends in March, there is room for about 200 horses at San Luis Rey and about 300 horses at Los Alamitos, said Nader. An out-of-state alternative for trainers currently stabled at Pleasanton is Emerald Downs, opening day for which is Apr. 27. The post CARF Not Applying for 2025 Race Dates appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By now we are all well-informed of Gulfstream Park's intent to decouple their casino gaming from live racing responsibilities. I have no doubt they are very serious about abandoning live racing while expanding casinos and property development. This cynical action arrives on the heels of historic stimulus legislation–led by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association and our strong allies in Tallahassee–that stabilized racing and breeding economics. The only outstanding ingredient for an ascendant industry–racetrack operators committed to the live race. As you consider the future of the Florida Thoroughbred industry, bear in mind; we do not control the racetrack operators; we do control our Tallahassee battle-plan to beat away their selfish, nefarious intents, as we have so many times before. FTBOA stands firm. Undaunted. Tireless in combat. We strive to preserve sound industry economics and seek reaffirmed racetrack commitments to the live racing industry which, combined, fuel a strong Florida breeding industry. George Isaacs is the president of the FTBOA. The post Open Letter to the Industry: FTBOA Stands Firm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article