Wandering Eyes

Stable newcomer Paradis provided a pleasant surprise for Foxton trainer Suzy Gordon on Friday with a first-up victory in the Aquashield Roofing Maiden (1600m) at Otaki. The daughter of Complacent had previously been in the Hastings stable of Fred Pratt and Caitlin Johnson, for whom she had recorded three placings from eight starts between November of 2023 and July of 2024. Friday’s race at Otaki was the five-year-old’s first appearance in almost a year, first start for her new stable and first time racing over a distance shorter than 2100m. None of those factors stood in her way. After settling well back in third-last among a strung-out field, Paradis was urged along by jockey Bruno Queiroz and began to steadily gain ground coming down the side of the track. Queiroz spotted an opening along the inside at the home turn and cut back to the fence. Paradis kept up her long, sustained run, reeling in the tearaway leader Crafty Colin and racing past him in the last 50m to win by half a length. The first pair finished five and three-quarter lengths in front of the rest of the field. “I don’t think she’s ever started over less than 2100m before,” said Gordon, who also now shares in the ownership of Paradis. “In her first start for me today, I thought we’d start her out at a mile and see how we go. “She’d been working well. I thought she’d probably go a good race today, but I thought she might need to get up to 2000m.” Paradis was the first leg of a Matariki double at Otaki for Queiroz, who later added the Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) with Platinum Diamond. “Bruno gave the mare a beautiful ride today,” Gordon said. “He’s had three rides for me now for two wins and a second, so you can’t really do much better than that.” Friday’s success was the ninth win of the season for Gordon, equalling her personal-best tally from the 2017-18 season. Those nine wins have come from a total of only 87 starters, backed up another 11 second or third placings. View the full article

Trainers Tony and Maddysen Sears will have two runners in Saturday’s Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m), with Kiwi bred Poetic Drama (NZ) (Proisir) joined by stablemate Red Wave (Red Dazzler), who won last year’s edition of the race. Six-year-old mare Poetic Drama, who extends to a middle distance for the first time has been performing well at her past two starts in stakes grade, including a luckless sixth in the Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) two weeks ago. “Last start she got stuck behind a wall of horses. Albeit, it was a hard race, I think if she had have got out when Ang (jockey Angela Jones) wanted her to she would have been in the finish. She was totally untested,” Maddysen Sears said. “If she runs the journey, which we think she will, she will be really hard to beat. She is going very well. “It wouldn’t surprise me if both of our runners ran top three. “It is hard to split our pair. Red Wave is up five and a half kilos on last year whereas the mare has a low weight but is untested at the distance. But she is a Proisir and they do get the trip and she is showing signs she will.” Poetic Drama is bred and raced by Tony Falcone, who raced her sire Proisir. The Sears stable had a near-miss last weekend when Yellow Brick beat all but War Machine in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m). Sears confirmed Yellow Brick would be given a freshen up and aimed at the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) during the Sydney spring carnival. With Red Wave chasing back-to-back Ipswich Cup wins and Poetic Drama stepping up in trip, punters can explore form and markets at the best betting sites Australia for value odds this weekend. View the full article

Legendary trainer Kevin Prendergast has died at the age of 91. Prendergast won eight Irish Classics and managed the careers of some significant horses like Nebbiolo, Pidget, Artique Royale, Northern Treasure and Oscar Schindler right up throught to Awtaad, who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh in 2016. His sole English Classic success came when Nebbiolo won the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in 1977. A son of “Darkie”, himself a legendary trainer in his own right, Prendergast was a leading amateur jockey before embarking on his training career in 1963. One of Irish racing's all-time greats, Prendergast sent out winners for seven different decades. More to follow The post Legendary Trainer Kevin Prendergast Dies Aged 91 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A $720,000 race day has been announced for Ashburton Raceway this December. A total of 12 finals will be held but they will be only open to trotters and pacers whose sire stood for an advertised retail service fee of $5,000 or less in the breeding season of conception. The “Harness 5000” finals will be for 3YO, 4YO and 5YO and older Fillies and Mares and Colts, Geldings and Entires for both gaits. Each final will carry a stake of $60,000 and will be limited to a field size of 14 runners. “This is a concept we are very excited about,” says HRNZ’s Head of Racing and Wagering Matthew Peden, “it’s a real ‘grassroots’ series.” If the format sounds familiar it is. “It certainly has a Harness Jewels feel about it,” says Peden, “we have taken notice of the things that worked there but adapted it significantly.” “We believe this is the perfect showcase to encourage and reward breeders and owners who have supported these stallions, while ensuring there is now a clear and meaningful pathway for stallions across the entire spectrum of service fees.” Ashburton hosted the first of the Harness Jewels meetings in 2007. It featured nine races for the 2YO,3YO and 4YOs (Pacing Fillies and Mares and Colts and Geldings, and Trotters). The last of the series was in 2021. Like the Harness Jewels, qualifying for the Harness 5000 Finals will be done solely on stake money won, with the top 14 in each category making the Finals Day on December 21. For this year the qualifying period will be between July 3 and December 9, 2025. To be eligible, horses must compete in at least 5 race day starts within this period. With a commitment from Harness Racing New Zealand to run this series for at least the next 5 years, the qualifying period in 2026 will be between January 1 and November 29. “We really think this is going to be a popular addition to the calendar, with not only stimulus within the breeding industry, but also an opportunity for an increase in domestic trading of horses” says Peden. Download Flyer View the full article

by Jordyn Bublitz It was a rewarding night at Cambridge Raceway for trainer Owen Gillies and the connections of Kumanovo, as the mare notched her second win in just three starts. Driven confidently by Zachary Butcher, Kumanovo showed a strong turn of foot to take out the Gavelhouse.com Handicap Trot, validating Gillies’ belief in her ability. It’s been a bit of a journey getting the daughter of Father Patrick back to the races, and Gillies couldn’t be prouder of how she’s coming to hand. “She’s been a hard horse to handle, and it hasn’t been easy” he laughed. “She should’ve been ready to go probably six months ago, but she came into season really bad and stayed there for a good two or three months. We had to throw her back in the paddock for another month!” The five-year-old was only fair when finishing fifth last week, but Gillies wasn’t discouraged by the effort. “She had a couple weeks between runs there and was probably just a little unfit” he explained. “She’s not a very good doer and she’s quite nervy, so I don’t work her hard in between races. I said to Zach after her last start ‘we’ll back her up and see if she goes any better’. I thought she’d be winning”. And win she did, putting in a sharp performance that reaffirmed the talent Gillies has always seen in her. “She’s always had a bit of ability, and she’s got a lot of speed. It’s just been a matter of getting her head in the game.” Gillies was quick to acknowledge the patience of her owner Cameron Mackie, who’s stood by during the mare’s interrupted preparation. “I’m really lucky with her owner, we’ve had to give her a lot of time off and he hasn’t worried about it. I’ve got to take my hat off to him really, he could’ve just as easily sent her to someone else, but he stuck with us.” As for what’s next, the team has their sights set on Auckland. “The plan now is to try and get her trotting right-handed so we can look at taking her to Alexandra Park. The stakes are better up there, hopefully we can get her right.” View the full article

The Listed Civic Stakes (1400m wasn’t always the first choice for Grebeni’s next start, but co-trainer Sterling Alexiou believed it might just prove the right fit. The son of Ocean Park was being aimed towards the Tattersall’s Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday week, however, Alexiou and training partner Gerald Ryan had a rethink and opted to send him around at Randwick this Saturday instead. “It wasn’t really the plan to run this Saturday. He was going to go to Eagle Farm (Saturday week) and run in the Tatt’s Mile, but we were just a little bit concerned about how the track there walked and how it raced last week,” Alexiou said. “The drying track (at Randwick) is a big tick for him. He raced well the other day but he is certainly better on top of the ground.” Grebeni has been racing in great heart, passing a qualification clause for the Big Dance with his runner-up finish in the Muswellbrook Cup in March and notching a gallant third in the Scone Cup two starts ago. Last time out he beat all but Loch Eagle over 1600m at Randwick and Alexiou doesn’t envisage a slight distance drop causing too many headaches in the Civic Stakes (1400m). “Probably his best form is around the mile but he’s well suited Saturday and you can expect another consistent run from him,” he said. “When he’s in a good vein of form he seems to be consistent and hold his form.” View the full article

The Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) was one of the few age-group features in the lower North Island that was missing from Lisa Latta’s CV, but the fast-improving filly Platinum Diamond dealt to that unfinished business at Otaki on Friday. Latta has picked up more than 80 black-type victories in her 1200-win training career, including Central Districts two and three-year-old prizes such as the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m), Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m), Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m), Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m) and Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m). But the Castletown had proved elusive, with placegetters Secret Allure (2018), Miss Fi (2015) and Elusive Red (2011) delivering her best results. That all changed on Friday. Latta went into the $80,000 juvenile feature with both quality and quantity on her side. She saddled a three-strong Castletown contingent, headed by stylish last-start Wanganui winner Platinum Diamond. However, the favourite for the Castletown Stakes was one of the beaten runners from that Wanganui race on May 31. Gavin Sharrock’s Country Salon was significantly hampered by his stablemate Spandeedo that day, carried extremely wide around the home turn before recovering to finish second and three-quarters of a length behind the winner. Country Salon was sent out as a $3 favourite to reverse that result on Friday, but instead Platinum Diamond increased her winning margin with an even more impressive performance. Platinum Diamond was patiently ridden by visiting Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz, settling second-last as Portland led the field up to the point of the home turn. Country Salon enjoyed a perfect run on the outside of the leader and then kicked hard to take command straightening for home. But then Queiroz angled Platinum Diamond into clear air and unleashed her down the outside of the favourite. She burst to the front at the 200m mark and kicked away to win by a length and a quarter. Country Salon held on for second, a head in front of the winner’s stablemate Brutiful Lass. “I was very confident before the race,” said Queiroz, who has now ridden 12 winners in New Zealand including two at Listed level. “This is a nice horse. She was travelling very well all the way. I just waited until the straight, and then she flew home.” Lisa Latta Racing Stables paid $90,000 to buy Platinum Diamond from breeders Beaufort Downs during Book 2 of Karaka 2024. The filly has now had three starts for two wins and $66,975 in stakes. “She’s really going the right way,” Latta said. “She was a late foal, a December foal, and we’ve just waited on her and given her time. Every start, she’s got better and better. “Bruno was very confident today. I didn’t really have to give him instructions. He said, ‘I’ll just win.’ “There are some great owners in this filly. Neville McAlister has been with me for a long time and puts a huge amount of work into finding these horses. Kevin and Wendy Dixon and Trevor Tomlins, from the South Island, are in the ownership too. It’s great to get this result for them.” Platinum Diamond is the second stakes winner from Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain’s first New Zealand crop, joining Lucy In The Sky in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton in May. Hello Youmzain heads New Zealand’s first-season sire standings with total progeny earnings of $284,585. That puts him almost $50,000 ahead of the second-placed Lucky Vega, whose $235,700 comes mostly from Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) runner-up Vega For Luck. Platinum Diamond is out of the winning Thorn Park mare Spritz, who is a half-sister to the Group One placegetter Corsage. Spritz is the dam of two winners from two foals to race, with Platinum Diamond’s half-brother Healthy Healthy being a five-time winner in Hong Kong. View the full article

Stratford gelding Piper’s Son produced a remarkable performance to get up off the canvas and score the biggest win of his career in Friday’s $45,000 Harcourts Otaki Raukawa Cup (2100m). The Tony Dravitzki-trained Piper’s Son headed into Otaki’s Matariki meeting with a rating of just 56, making him the lowest-rated runner in the open handicap line-up. Even with apprentice jockey Elle Sole’s 3kg claim, he appeared to have his work cut out against the $2.70 favourite Boomtown Boy. But Dravitzki was confident his five-year-old gelding was not there to simply make up the numbers. “He’s always shown a bit of potential,” he said. “He’s really just a one-pace horse. Elle took the initiative and went to the front. Full credit to her and this is a great result. “I knew he was fit – he’s been doing three laps around the wet track at Stratford!” Sole was able to dictate terms out in front and conserve her mount’s energy with a sedate tempo. The field bunched up tightly behind them in the back straight and down the side of the track, and it was obvious a long way from home that Boomtown Boy was going to be the big danger. He was travelling effortlessly on the heels of the leader, then swooped around the outside to clearly take the lead at the top of the home straight. Piper’s Son looked beaten, but he lifted again in the straight and gradually clawed his way back level with Boomtown Boy. They fought tooth and nail through the last 200m, and Piper’s Son summoned another big effort in the last few strides to edge ahead and win by a short head. Boomtown Boy finished two lengths in front of the third-placed Pinkerton, with another four lengths back to Carpe Diem in fourth. “That was a real battle – very tiring,” Sole said. “He was going nicely in front, but coming down the back straight and up to the corner, he wasn’t really handling the heavy track that well. He kept chopping and changing his legs. “When Boomtown Boy came up beside him, I just screamed. But he’s a very nice horse and did a great job to fight back and win today. Thanks to Tony for always putting me on and giving me so much support.” Piper’s Son has now had 21 starts for two wins and three placings. The five-year-old son of Complacent has earned $48,760 for an ownership that includes Dravitzki. View the full article

Actually the South Island Premiership is a no contest at the moment

Satono Reve could give a hefty boost to the formlines of Ka Ying Rising when he lines up in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1,200m) at Royal Ascot on Saturday. Trained by Noriyuki Hori in Japan, the Lord Kanaloa galloper has twice chased home Ka Ying Rising this season, first when third in December’s Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) before his second-placed finish in the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) in April. In-between those runs was a fantastic win in the...View the full article

by Mike Love Current training premiership leaders Steve and Amanda Telfer look set to edge a little further ahead on the leaderboard tonight at Addington raceway with seven runners across three races. “It’s been a really good run – long may it continue,” said co-trainer Amanda Telfer. In race one tonight, The Peninsular Beachfront Resort mobile pace over 1980m, driver Tim Williams links up with Miki Flybye ($1.55FF) for the first time under race conditions. The three year old Always B Miki gelding will need to overcome the unruly draw, but the small field of eight should assist. Telfer is confident of a good account. “He was off the unruly last start. His work is good, and his runs have been good. He just needs to pace all the way. “He’s a nice horse on the improve.” Moving onto race six the Garrards Horse & Hound handicap pace over 2600m the Telfer team line up two runners – Carbon ($10.00FF) with Nikita Burton, and C C Arden ($4.20FF) and Tim Williams. “It’s both their first stand starts tomorrow.” “Carbon is a consistent boy who’s always in the finish, and I don’t see that being any different tonight if he can negotiate the stand. “C C Arden went really well last start. His work has been really nice, so the same as Carbon, if he can get the start right he should go quite good.” Cheer The Captain ($23.00FF) and Akatea ($2.00FF) represent Stonewall Stud in race seven the Woodlands Winning Weanlings mobile pace over 1980m. Telfer believed that Cheer The Captain may feel the rise in class tonight, while Akatea just can’t put a hoof wrong at the moment. “It’s a big jump in class for Cheer The Captain, but he is a nice horse going forward. He’s progressive. So with a nice run he should hopefully measure up in this grade.” Their other runner Akatea is looking for four wins in a row, but draws the outside of the gate being the most tightly assessed runner in the field. “She’s being going great. I think she’ll have this run tonight, then the Silk Road final next week, after which she will go for a break before resuming in the spring.” Terry Chmiel takes the drive on Cheer The Captain, with Tim Williams behind Akatea. A chance to bookend the programme may arise with two strong chances in the final event, race nine the Gold Band Taxis mobile pace over 2600m. Captain Christian ($8.00FF) for Terry Chmiel and Music Mistress ($2.80FF) with Tim Williams look set to give it a decent shake. “Captain Christian has been good this time back. He’s on the improve, and is just lightly raced. It’s a nice field but he should go alright. “They will both be driven conservatively over the 2600m.” The Telfer team also line up three runners at Alexandra Park tonight, namely; Race four – Beachbreak ($11.00FF) Race five – Turn O The Tide ($8.00FF) Race seven – Iron Heart ($8.50FF) All runners will be driven by Josh Dickie. Race one at Addington gets underway at 5:06pm, while Alexandra Park commences at 5:25pm. View the full article

by Jonny Turner The chance Hayden Douglas took on harness racing paid off twice more at Wyndham on Thursday. The Oamaru junior driver reined home a winning double, with Magnetic Beckers toughing out a strong front-running victory immediately after Princess Sadie’s successful return to racing. Despite one being a trotter and the other a pacer, each horse wore about the same amount of gear in their wins. “Magnetic Beckers has had the hopples off, and he just feels so strong now that he’s free-legged.” “He’s really improved recently, and he showed that again today.” Douglas proved he was more than up to the challenge of handling Princess Sadie in her return at Wyndham. The four-year-old was facing the standing start tapes for the first time, in what became a four-horse field following two key scratchings. The race had the potential to become a tactical affair, but Douglas ensured Princess Sadie was right where she needed to be. “My job was on the line,” the junior driver quipped. “She made it pretty easy for me — it was just a four-horse field and I just had to get her around.” “She has the Silk Road Final next week which is the main goal, but to get a penalty-free win first is nice.” “She did it under her own steam — she did it fairly easily, I thought.” Thursday’s double continues Douglas’ success since joining the Matthew Williamson stable. Though in his second season on the track, it wasn’t until early this year that the reinsman moved into a full-time position in the harness racing industry. When the Williamson stable had a vacancy for a junior driver, Douglas quit his job in Invercargill and headed to Oamaru. “I had a really good job, and it was a tough decision to move up to Matty and Charlotte’s.” “I was having some sleepless nights thinking it over, but ever since I made the decision, I haven’t had any regrets.” “So that tells me it’s been the right decision.” “Matty and Charlotte have been really supportive, getting to drive a horse like Princess Sadie has been pretty unreal.” Douglas’ Wyndham double took him to 13 wins for 2025, already equalling his 2024 tally. View the full article

Comeback jumper Te Kahu will begin another campaign toward New Zealand’s premier steeplechases at Te Aroha on Sunday, stepping out on the flat alongside his stablemate, Captains Run. Now an 11-year-old, Te Kahu won the Great Northern Steeplechase (6200m) back in 2021 and campaigned briefly in Australia in the following year. The talented chestnut was off the scene for nearly two years after that, but he made a serious resurgence last year, defeating champion jumper West Coast to win the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase (4800m), which was just his 19th start. Unfortunately, after his Hastings triumph, Te Kahu was ruled out for the remainder of the year with a minor injury but is back to full soundness and will have his first conditioning run in the Majestic Horse Floats 2200m. “He had a little joint issue after Hawke’s Bay, but that seems to have settled down now and we’re back into it,” trainer Dan O’Leary said. “He’s nice and sound. “We haven’t done a lot of fast work with him and he’s done a little bit of schooling, so at this stage, this is a nice trip away and a flat race to start off with. “He’s a very easy horse to have around, a pleasure to train, and he’s got a real will to win when he’s in a steeplechase. He gets very competitive and strong, so hopefully we can get back steeplechasing, and he can retain that energy that he has.” In Te Kahu’s absence in the back end of the season, Captains Run stepped up for O’Leary, placing in the Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) and Great Northern Steeplechase (6500m), his second time finishing runner-up in the latter. After 18 starts over fences, it’s something of a novelty that the gelding will make his debut on the flat on Sunday. “It’s actually his first ever flat race, he’s never been in one before,” he said. “Both he and Te Kahu wouldn’t have to be competitive, but if they’re finishing off well and pull up sound and happy, I’ll be very pleased with that. “We are targeting those later steeplechasing races in the National and the Northern. Those are the two races that they’ll both head for, if they remain sound and competitive. “That was another reason for going to Te Aroha, the Northern is run there, so it’s a step along the way.” O’Leary will have a representative over fences on Sunday, with Zac Flash contesting the K and R Steeplechase (3500m). A winner over hurdles, the gelding tends to mix his jumping at times, and O’Leary hoped to combat that with a steeplechase trial at Cambridge on Monday. “He actually didn’t jump that well again at the trials, but he can be a little bit like that, he needs a bit of repetition and routine to get flowing again,” O’Leary said. “He’s stepping into open company without a maiden chase there, so he’s finding his way a bit and we’re just hoping that he can jump well, get around safely and finish on strongly.” View the full article

Cody Cole will be watching his in-form mare Rareza from afar on Saturday in her quest for a stakes victory. The Matamata trainer is taking a well-earned break at Port Douglas in Queensland during a personal-best season of 34 winners and stable earnings of more than $1.2 million. Cole has received positive reports from his staff ahead of the Rareza’s bid to make it four consecutive victories when she runs in the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m). “She’s going well and has come through her last win nicely,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a step up to weight-for-age and it’s not going to be easy, but she deserves to be there and worked well on Thursday morning.” The daughter of Exosphere has fashioned the tidy record of four successes from nine outings and opened her latest winning sequence at Trentham in the spring before a break. She successfully resumed at Woodville at the end of April and struck again last month at Te Rapa. “When she stepped up last start, we decided we needed to look at black-type options,” Cole said. A daughter of four-time winner La Valeta, Rareza was co-bred by Cole’s mother Lou, who is part of the ownership group in the mare. “She’s a mare that comes from Mum’s family and goes back to For Love, who won the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.2, 1400m) so more black type on the page would be valuable,” Cole said. “Rareza was a foal share with Mike O’Donnell of Fairhill Farm and went through the weanling sale, but she didn’t get a bid, so we syndicated her to race and here we are now.” She will again be ridden by Michael McNab at Tauranga and is then likely to head for a break. “I’ll probably give her a freshen-up and look toward the spring,” Cole said. “There are some nice options, she doesn’t want the firmer tracks, but she was good on a better surface at Te Rapa, so that was pretty encouraging.” Cole also has other winning chances on Saturday with Bradley in the A1 Homes Maiden (1600m), Oneira runs in the BOP Equine Vets (1200m) and Kai Moana in the Super Liquor Greerton (1600m). The former has been knocking on the door with runner-up finishes from his last two appearances. “Bradley thought he’d got the job done the other day and knocked off, the inside horse was too far away for him to chase,” Cole said. “On face value, Oneira looked a bit disappointing, but we rode her back and they ran home in 33s and she just doesn’t have that sort of turn of foot.” Placed in last season’s Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), Oneira had led and finished runner-up at Ellerslie at her previous run while Kai Moana was also second two starts ago at Hawera before a fifth at Wanganui. “She just needs to lead, that’s her pattern, as she can’t really quicken,” Cole said. View the full article

Race 3 MANAWATU ITM MANAWATU HURDLES 2500M WEST COAST (S Fannin) – Trainer Mr. M Oulaghan reported to Stewards, WEST COAST underwent a veterinary examination which included blood tests, on Tuesday 10 June. An irregularity was detected, however, a subsequent blood test on Thursday 19 June showed no abnormalities. M. Oulaghan further advised that it is his intention to continue on with WEST COAST’S current preparation. The post Manawatu Racing Club @ Trentham, Saturday 7 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 2 FAIRVIEW MOTORS WAIKATO HURDLE 3200m TAIKA (J Kozaczek) – Co-trainer Ms. C McDougal reported to Stewards, the stable was satisfied with the post-race condition of TAIKA, and it is the stables intention to carry on with the gelding’s current preparation. The post Waikato Thoroughbred Racing @ Te Rapa, Saturday 14 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Mirroring contentious votes from two prior California Horse Racing Board meetings, the CHRB again chose during its monthly meeting June 19 not to award race dates this year in Northern California.View the full article

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) on Thursday voted down two separate proposals to allocate 2025 race dates to entities at Ferndale and Fresno that wanted to keep Thoroughbred racing going on the now-nonexistent Northern California circuit. The 4-3 votes on each measure dashed what appeared to be the last remaining hopes for a 2025 resuscitation of the sport in a region of the state that as recently as two summers ago boasted a year-round rotation of racing anchored by one commercial track and five fair venues. The June 19 decisions by the CHRB marked the third straight month that supporters of NorCal racing had tried but failed to advance attempts to race at Ferndale. The April CHRB meeting resulted in a vote-down of racing at Pleasanton and a failure to garner enough votes for a decision either way on Ferndale. The May CHRB meeting ended with a 4-3 vote against awarding August and September dates to Ferndale. On June 13, Ferndale tried again but got rebuffed, even after switching its request to six dates over three weekends in October, which would be outside of when the county fair at that property would be operational. The Fresno request for seven dates in September and October, with only one date coinciding with when its fair would be in session, also didn't pass. The CHRB voting bloc hasn't budged on any of the NorCal proposals since May. Voting “no” for all versions of the NorCal meets (plus the simulcast-revenue privileges that would have gone with the dates allotment) were CHRB chairman Gregory Ferraro, DVM, plus commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos and Thomas Hudnut. Voting “yes” to keep NorCal alive were vice-chair Oscar Gonzales and commissioners Brenda Washington Davis and Peter Stern. The central arguments for and against a revival of NorCal racing haven't changed much over the past 60 days. Racing at Pleasanton | Vassar Photography But the emotional intensity over the difficult situation has noticeably ramped up, with stakeholders on both sides becoming increasingly argumentative and accusatory. In-person attendees at Thursday's meeting, as they have in the recent past, peppered some parts of the testimony with derisive interjections when the opposing side said something they didn't agree with. The votes on Thursday did nothing to close the chasm on the best path forward for California racing as a whole, increasing an existential North-vs.-South rift that opened nearly two years ago when The Stronach Group (TSG) announced plans to shutter Golden Gate Fields, the main commercial licensee in NorCal. TSG also owns Santa Anita Park, and that prominent SoCal track, along with Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), have lobbied hard for centralizing all of the state's racing and simulcast revenues in the South on a single circuit that also includes Los Alamitos Race Course. Those entities remain firm in their belief that concentrating all of California's racing in the South is in the best long-term interest of the state as a whole. Some representatives have asserted that the South would be “cannibalized” by what they characterize as unrealistic, not-well-organized, and tenuously financed attempts to make a go of race meets in the North with an allegedly too-thin horse population. NorCal interests, on the other hand, argue that they have both the horses and proper financial backing to pull off successful small meets, and they are firm in their belief that it's a mistake to concentrate the entirety of the state's racing in one, largely urban geographic area. The North proponents have articulated complaints that the TOC isn't representing their interests, and that the CHRB isn't extending support to smaller-scale racing outfits that cannot compete at Santa Anita or Del Mar. They also assert that if NorCal slides off the grid, so too will the state's quickly diminishing foal crop, because the North is where the bulk of the breeding farms are. Ferndale's management has consistently portrayed a loss of racing there as a severe blow to the local community, and operators of other fairs contend that without the attraction and revenue from racing and simulcasting, the county fairs themselves will be in danger of not being able to operate. All stakeholders seem to agree that a revenue infusion is needed for statewide racing to get on firmer footing, perhaps in the form of some type of slot-machine gaming being allowed at the tracks. But that type of gambling requires legislation at the state level that is beyond the CHRB's power to grant. Dr. Gregory Ferraro | courtesy of the CHRB Some commissioners, particularly Alfieri, have advocated for a cooling-off period of study so that the NorCal proposals can be better assembled for 2026. It remains fresh in the minds of commissioners that the CHRB okayed a venture by an entity called Golden State Racing that failed to conduct a financially viable meet last autumn at Pleasanton. Back at the April meeting, Ferraro described that decision last year by the CHRB as “unwise at best or disastrous at worst.” Ferraro had explained in April that those who were advocating for an approval of race dates at NorCal venues in 2025 should “not to expect the board to give the same leeway” because of the damage such a decision might do in terms of siphoning horses and simulcasting revenue from the SoCal tracks, which are also struggling but remain more viable than any entity in the North. On Thursday, Larry SwartzlanderBernal Park Racing, the director of racing for Bernal Park Racing, the group has been trying to financially back and operate this year's proposed meets at Pleasanton, Ferndale and Fresno, warned that NorCal racing is at a now-or-never inflection point. “If we don't race in 2025, if the fairs don't show that they want to continue on in this business, I think the door's closed” for the future, Swartzlander said. “I mean, we can sit here and then come back here in 2026 and give you another calendar. But if it's going to be the same criticisms, it's not going to work,” Swartzlander continued. “It's going to be worse, because we all know in this business once you close, it's difficult to reopen.” Del Mar president Josh Rubinstein was adamant that greenlighting racing in NorCal would be detrimental to the South. “I believe the business case has been made over the last several meetings that a pop-up race meet in the North is not in the best interest of the overall California ecosystem,” Rubinstein said. “And Del Mar has been very clear throughout this entire process that we will not compete with similar conditions if dates are awarded to the North during this time frame. California simply does not have the horse population to operate parallel race meets.” Bill Nader, the president and chief executive officer of the TOC, asked critics who claim that his organization doesn't represent all of California's owners to be mindful of the much larger picture. Bill Nader | Benoit “We're fighting–and we've said it many times at meetings before–a game here where we're dependent solely on pari-mutuel income. We don't have HHR [historical horse racing]. We don't have VLTs . We don't have any of the incremental revenue sources that competing states have,” Nader said. “So every move we make here, we have to do it responsibly, in a way that protects and preserves our foundation. And if we can get to the day when we have alternative revenue streams and we're in a better position, it's an entirely different discussion,” Nader said. The CHRB's Hudnut expressed his opinion this way during a break between the two votes that denied the NorCal dates: “I can imagine sitting in the audience and thinking that some of us cast our votes in a cavalier manner. But I just want to assure you that there isn't a commissioner up here who wouldn't like to see racing in the North, at the fairs, and in the South… “We, at the moment, have a problem with viability of horse racing in this state, regardless of where it is. [And] it's too bad, because we honestly would like [two circuits],” Hudnut said. “But in the final analysis, it's not about horses. Unfortunately, it's about money.” Following Hudnut's comments, vice chair Gonzales, who has voted differently than his colleague on all of the NorCal issues, weighed in. “I appreciate what you're saying, [but] I just think this board decided Ferndale didn't matter again,” Gonzales said. “So regardless of what we think–the complexities, the legislative remedies, all of these–it's really, 'Do communities matter?' And I just believe there are some [people, not only on] this board, but many in society, that have discounted rural areas. And really, the debate that's going on in this country is which communities matter [more than] others.” Gonzales summed up his point at a different juncture: “This is democracy at work. Sometimes governance works. Sometimes it doesn't. But I encourage people not to give up. Because this board, we're going to come and go. Horses have been around for a very long time. We all know that. And horses will outlast this board and many others. So I remain optimistic.” The post CHRB Again Votes Down NorCal Dates, Dashing Hopes For ’25 Racing At Fairs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Appearing to lose all chance after a super-awkward start from the inside post, Meringue (Frosted) slowly reeled in her rivals over the course of Churchill's five-furlong turf test and was up just in time to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors Thursday afternoon. Breaking from post 1, the grey was eased to the back of the field as 3-2 favorite Delightful Darling (Flameaway) went to the front, cutting out an opening quarter of :22.19 as Vibora (Hootenanny) pressed the issue in a close-up second. With those two fillies turned for home in tandem, Meringue was behind a wall of horses with several lengths left to make up on the leaders. Taken to the outside by Luan Machado for the stretch drive, the green but potent Rodolphe Brisset trainee filly closed with a sudden burst midstretch and swept to the front in the final strides to graduate by a neck over fellow-firsters Delightful Darling and Second City Saint (Raging Bull {Fr}), who was farther back in third. Vibora was fourth. Unplaced Catbrier, with this filly in utero, sold to Stephen and Denise Smith's Mesingw Farm for $32,000 at the Keeneland November Sale in 2022. Meringue, her first foal, was followed by a colt by Oscar Performance and a filly by Volatile this term. 1st-Churchill Downs, $118,987, Msw, 6-19, 2yo, f, 5fT, :56.98, fm, neck. MERINGUE, f, 2, by Frosted 1st Dam: Catbrier, by Street Sense 2nd Dam: Kiawah Cat, by Lemon Drop Kid 3rd Dam: Thunder Kitten, by Storm Cat *TDN Rising Star* Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,300. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Elements Racing LLC; B-Mesingw Farm LLC (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset. The post Frosted’s Meringue Closes From the Clouds to Earn ‘TDN Rising Stardom’ at Churchill Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Signora has to be the starting point in the June 20 Albany Stakes (G3) at Ascot Racecourse, and the Aidan O'Brien-trained juveniles are flying this week. Everything points to her having all of the answers.View the full article

The National Thoroughbred League continued its record-breaking 2025 campaign with the June 15 Philadelphia Cup at Parx Racing, drawing more than 6,000 fans, an NTL record, and generating a $1.55 million handle.View the full article

Due to an extreme heat index forecast next week, Delaware Park has moved it's June 25 card to June 27, creating three consecutive days of racing from June 26-28.View the full article

The South American leg of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In continues June 22 with the Grande Premio Brasil (G1) in Brazil and the Gran Premio Pamplona (G1) in Peru. View the full article

Due to the extreme heat index forecasted for next week, live racing has been rescheduled for Thursday, June 26 through Saturday, June 28 at Delaware Park, the track said via a press release on Thursday. There will be no racing on Wednesday, June 25. Entries taken tomorrow, will be for the card rescheduled to Friday, June 27. Live racing is still planned for Saturday, June 21 with first race post time set for 12:35 p.m. ET. The post Heat Forces Delaware Park To Shift Next Week’s Schedule To Thursday-Saturday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With France's Royal Ascot week having failed to lift off so far, all eyes will be on their darling Zarigana (Siyouni) to provide the rescue in Friday's G1 Coronation Stakes. As a granddaughter of Zarkava with a Classic under her belt, there should be very little for her to prove but the Aga Khan Studs representative has been edged out of both her big tests in photo finishes. Awarded a G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches that she may or may not have won had she not suffered interference, she could really do with a command performance here. Nemone Routh revealed that her handlers will have to keep a lid on her on her first foray overseas. “It is a competitive race and it's the first time she'll have to travel abroad and she can have moments where she gets quite worked up,” the Stud's racing manager said. “It looks like it's going to be very hot as well, but she's got to get through all that as part of the test of being a Group 1 filly.” “She's very consistent–she's won four of her starts and was beaten a nose in the other one. This is a big test for her and she's got to maintain that form and hold it all together in the preliminaries and have luck in running and everything else. If there is any weakness, it will be found out but we're happy with her preparation and while she goes on anything, she's probably better on fast ground.” If all goes well in the build-up and in the early stages of the race, Zarigana is very much the one to beat having covered the penultimate furlong of that ParisLongchamp Classic in a rapid :10.47 and her final three in a scintillating :32.50. It is up to Shadwell's Falakeyah (New Bay) to turn it on here, with stamina guaranteed having dazzled in Newmarket's Listed Pretty Polly Stakes. Angus Gold revealed that the decision to supplement was down largely to Jim Crowley's feedback. “To Jim's credit, he kept saying every time he sat on her that she had a lot of speed and his first words to me having got off her at Newmarket were 'she'd have killed them over a mile'. He thought she'd have gone close in the Guineas had she run in that, so I had to take notice,” he said. “Unfortunately we were going for the Prix de Diane, but then she had a hold-up and we ran out of time. They now feel she's back to her best,” he added. “It's only her third race so we're still learning and I couldn't put my hand on my heart and say she's definitely a miler, but she has plenty of speed and we felt after discussing it this was worth a try.” Ryan Moore has created a stir by picking Ballydoyle's January (Kingman) over Exactly (Frankel), with the former having gone under the radar after her G1 Fillies' Mile second. Coming off a return eighth in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, she is impossible to rule out given the stable's capacity to supercharge improvement into their runners race-to-race. According to the betting market, it seems that the 1,000 Guineas runner-up Flight (Siyouni) has been written off after running below expectations in the Curragh equivalent and is mysteriously much bigger than the Listed Michael Seely Memorial Stakes winner Kon Tiki (Night Of Thunder). Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt? Friday's G1 Commonwealth Cup is deep, but it has a clear favourite in Godolphin's Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega) who is one of those rarities that can pull off a Middle Park-Dewhurst double. Showing his dramatic acceleration when third in the 2,000 Guineas, he has a lot of the boxes ticked. “Shadow Of Light is in great order and I'm pleased with the draw,” Charlie Appleby said. “He ran a great race in the 2,000 Guineas and we are confident that the drop back to six furlongs is going to suit. I can't give any negatives and I'm hopeful he is the one to beat.” Juddmonte have yet to win this, but go to war with big guns this time in the G1 Phoenix Stakes winner Babouche (Kodiac) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains runner-up and fellow TDN Rising Star Jonquil (Lope De Vega). Babouche just enjoys beating up Ballydoyle's G1 Prix Morny winner Whistlejacket (No Nay Never) and will probably do so for the third time, with Colin Keane staying loyal and forsaking Jonquil. “Babouche is in good form and won the trial for this race in Ireland in good style. We would be hopeful of a good run, but we wouldn't be fussy which one won,” Barry Mahon said. “I think it would have been tough for Colin to get off Babouche, having ridden her in all her starts and his association with Ger, but both horses are in good form and ready to run well.” Of Jonquil, Juddmonte's European racing manager added, “Dropping back to six furlongs is a bit of an unknown, but he showed a lot of speed when winning the Greenham at Newbury and also showed plenty of speed in France and hit the front a furlong down. Oisin and Andrew both felt it was a good option for him.” The Aga Khan Stud homebred Rayevka (Blue Point) was electric in the Listed Prix Marchand d'Or last time and that could be a clear signal that she is the race's lurker. “It's a very tough race and a big field and a bit of a cavalry charge, but she's a three-year-old sprinting filly and if we'd waited we were going to have to run in a Group Three against older horses,” Nemone Routh explained. “She won a Listed race well last time and this was her last opportunity to run in a Group race against her own age group. It is a big ask and we'd be really chuffed if she was to run into a place. She's in good form, sprinting is her game and she is a top-of-the-ground horse.” All Set For The Ascot Derby The Aykroyds and Ralph Beckett may have missed out in the Derby, but Friday's G2 King Edward VII Stakes offers the opportunity for their unbeaten Listed Cocked Hat Stakes winner Amiloc (Postponed) to provide compensation. Ballydoyle's Listed Lingfield Derby Trial winner Puppet Master (Camelot) and the Aga Khan homebred Zahrann (Night Of Thunder) offer stern opposition from Ireland, with the latter a convincing winner of Leopardstown's Listed King George V Cup. The action begins with the G3 Albany Stakes, where Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's impressive Carlisle winner Venetian Sun (Starman) is one of several looking to halt Ballydoyle's momentum in the 2-year-old events this week. Good luck with that one, as the market is speaking strongly for Rosegreen's latest juvenile rifle Signora, Frankel's daughter of the Queen Mary winner Heartache who achieved as much on debut when third in Naas's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Blackbeard Fillies Sprint Stakes than most of these in their respective novices and maidens. Lazzat Heads All Star Cast In Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee International Clash Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes has a confirmed field of 16, with the big favourites set to represent four different countries in a fascinating edition of the six-furlong feature. Last year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Lazzat (Territories) represents the Jerome Reynier stable and forms the spearhead of a strong French challenge alongside Topgear (Wootton Bassett), British hopes rest with last year's G1 Commonwealth Cup hero Inisherin (Shamardal) from the Kevin Ryan stable, Aidan O'Brien relies on his Australian import Storm Boy (Justify) and Japan is represented by the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner Satono Reve (Lord Kanaloa). Also on Saturday is the G2 Hardwicke Stakes, where a dozen will line up without Juddmonte's Kalpana (Study Of Man) who has been ruled out due to the fast ground. They include Godolphin's high-class stalwart Rebel's Romance (Dubawi) and Amo Racing's £2million Goffs London acquisition Ghostwriter (Invincible Spirit), while the G3 Jersey Stakes features 15 with the current favourite being Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's unbeaten Remmooz (Blue Point) from the Owen Burrows stable. The Listed Chesham Stakes sees Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Treanmor (Frankel) tackle Ballydoyle's filly Moments Of Joy (Justify). The post ‘If There Is Any Weakness, It Will Be Found Out’: Zarigana Faces Coronation Test appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article