Wandering Eyes

A 25% ownership interest in Bentornato, a leading candidate for the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and earner of more than $1.2 million, will be offered at the second edition of the Keeneland Championship Sale Oct. 29 at Del Mar.View the full article

A rundown of this week’s television, streaming, and radio horse racing coverage as compiled by America's Best Racing.View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Observations features a spn of Halfway To Heaven. 3.52 Navan, Mdn, 2yo, 8f 40yT PROPOSITION (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) is one of two newcomers from Ballydoyle and not the pick of Wayne Lordan, but as the eighth foal of the outstanding producer Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal) a highly significant runner for Coolmore. The dam, who captured the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Nassau and Sun Chariot, is so far responsible for the brilliant Galileo mares Magical and Rhododendron with the latter of course gifting the operation Auguste Rodin. The yard's first-string in a race they have won for the last three years appears to be Ex Animo (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a son of the Group 3 winner Peach Tree (Galileo) whose daughter Serenity Prayer (Dubawi) was runner-up in this year's Musidora. 1.28 Nottingham, Novice, 2yo, f 5f 8yT WINTER'S BLOOM (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) debuts for Godolophin and Charlie Appleby over the minimum trip, two furlongs shorter than her full-brother Naval Crown began over prior to his metamorphosis into a leading sprinter. Fourth in the 2,000 Guineas, he eventually ended up over six and captured the Platinum Jubilee Stakes before retiring to stand at Kildangan Stud. 4.03 Kempton, Novice, 2yo, 6f (AWT) RAPID FORCE (IRE) (Mehmas {Ire}) is another significant newcomer to represent Godolophin and Charlie Appleby on the afternoon, being the colt who at £1million topped this year's Goffs UK Breeze-Up. Out of the Sapphire Stakes third Rapid Reaction (Shamardal) from the family of Wootton Bassett, he meets only two peers here with one being another debutante in Chasemore Farm's homebred Zooella (Ire) (Zoustar {Aus}), a Ralph Beckett-trained half-sister to the dual Stakes winner and Quick Call-placed Fandom (Showcasing) from the immediate family of the sire's Cheveley Park heroine Lezoo. The post Halfway To Heaven’s Son Proposition Debuts For Ballydoyle At Navan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk The in-form training combo of Hayden and Amanda Cullen look set for more success at Addington tonight. They will line up three starters in the night’s 2YO race, the Lather Up Dual World Champion Mobile Pace (8.22pm) One of them Mystery Creek has come in for some serious support. On the back of two encouraging trials, the son of Bettor’s Delight has gone from his opening price of $3.20 to $1.95. “They’ve really come for him haven’t they?” says co-trainer Hayden Cullen. “I really like the horse …. both his trials have been good and he’s trained on well, it seems the penny has started to drop with him.” The country’s top driver Blair Orange will drive him tonight after guiding him at both trials (behind King Neptune and Kotare Rimu) at Rangiora on August 26 and September 10. “Blair says the horse gave him a nice feel so we are pretty happy with him.” Mystery Creek has drawn well at two in what is now a field of seven 2YOs over 1980 metres. “He has gate speed – he will certainly hold his own from there,” says Cullen. The two other Cullen starters are Crunched and Flying Ace. To be driven again by Jonny Cox, Crunched opened favourite for tonight after his fourth on debut while Flying Ace will be driven in his first race by Olivia Thornley. He won his latest trial at Rangiora on September 25. They are now at $2.25 and $12 respectively. “It looks good on paper,” Cullen says of his chances, “though it is not always that easy is it?” The Cullen team have been on a roll of late – among their recent winners have been the likes of We Walk By Faith, Hadron Collider, Five Crowns and Winelight. Addington’s nine race programme gets underway at 4.30pm. View the full article

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance was presented with a $20,000 donation from Woodbine Entertainment at the 5th annual Woodbine Aftercare Day on Saturday, Oct. 4. Through its philanthropic branch Woodbine Cares, Woodbine Entertainment has enhanced its already standing commitment to investing in equine welfare and aftercare initiatives to help foster a prosperous and vibrant future for horse racing. This past Saturday's donation of $20,000 supports the work done by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, a nonprofit that works to accredit, inspect, and award grants to approved North American organizations that retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbreds who have finished their racing careers. LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society, located in Hillsburgh, Ontario is Woodbine's local Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accredited organization. Vicki Pappas, chairperson and founding member of LongRun, joined local trainer and volunteer Liz Elder, and Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance's Stacie Clark Rogers and Emily Dresden and Emily's daughters Aria and Lainey in receiving the $20,000 donation on Saturday afternoon. “Supporting the long-term care and well-being of Thoroughbreds is a fundamental part of our responsibility to the sport,” said Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine. “The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance does exceptional work ensuring that horses transition safely and successfully into their next chapters. “We're proud to contribute $20,000 to help advance their important mission and to reinforce our shared commitment to the horses that make racing possible.” TAA was the named presenter of the GII Nearctic Stakes, and presented Best Turned-Out Horse Awards, sponsored by Josham Farms Limited, for all stakes races on Saturday, including the GI Canadian International and the GII bet356 Dance Smartly Stakes. “Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is grateful to Woodbine for their commitment to accredited aftercare,” said Stacie Clark-Rogers, Operations Consultant for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. “Dedicating a day to aftercare, with on-site engagement, Best Turned-Out Horse Awards, and a named race, provides an impactful platform to highlight this important cause.” In addition to Woodbine's corporate donation, many jockeys, valets, blacksmiths and administrative employees chose to make a personal contribution to Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance totaling a donation of approximately $1,500. The post Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Receives $20,000 Donation from Woodbine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Rebel's Romance (Dubawi) and Notable Speech (Dubawi) look set to spearhead a top-class team for Charlie Appleby at next month's Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, a meeting at which the Godolphin trainer has excelled since saddling his first winner in 2013. Appleby took his tally of Breeders' Cup winners to 11 at Del Mar last year when Rebel's Romance won the Turf for a second time, having also been successful at Keeneland in 2022. More recently, the seven-year-old gained the ninth top-level victory of his career when heading back Stateside for September's Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct, taking his career earnings beyond $14.4 million. Now, Rebel's Romance is being primed for his attempt to become the first three-time winner in the history of the $5-million Breeders' Cup Turf. He will again be joined at Del Mar by Notable Speech, who will be given the opportunity to try and better his third-place finish in last year's $2-million GI Breeders' Cup Mile, having resumed winning ways last time in the GI Woodbine Mile. “Rebel's Romance and Notable Speech will be the two feature horses, but we'll have a few others as well,” Appleby said of his potential squad for the showpiece meeting. “We know there are going to be younger legs than Rebel's Romance going round there but, at the Breeders' Cup and on those type of tracks, you can't beat experience – he has an abundance of it. “He'll tell me when it's time to stop. People have asked me the question many times and I've always said the day he runs out of the first three is probably him saying he's raised his white flag. He owes us nothing but, while he's enjoying it, we'll allow him to keep doing it.” Weighing up the other contenders to fly the flag for Godolphin at Del Mar, Appleby continued, “Notable Speech has come out of Woodbine well and we'll keep an eye on El Cordobes as well, because he ran a solid race behind Rebel's Romance last time [when third in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic]. As we all know, you just need luck round Del Mar. “Two-year-olds-wise, we'll just see how the horses I ran at Woodbine are. Dance To The Music is probably going to run at Newmarket in the Fillies' Mile, but the colt [Wild Desert] will probably head to Del Mar. Hopefully, he has a bit of luck on his side after gaining the experience last time. “I might look at the Filly & Mare Turf with Diamond Rain and Cinderella's Dream will also be in the mix for that, while we have Military Code for the [Juvenile Turf] Sprint. I think that race might just suit him.” The post Rebel’s Romance and Notable Speech Booked for Breeders’ Cup Return appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A 25% ownership interest in millionaire Bentornato (Valiant Minister–Her Special Way, by Put It Back), slated to contest the GI Cygames Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar, will be offered at the second edition of the Keeneland Championship Sale, to be held in the Del Mar Paddock on Wednesday, Oct. 29, two days before the Breeders' Cup World Championships, according to a Keeneland release Tuesday. “The 25% stake in Bentornato is a unique opportunity for someone to buy into a Breeders' Cup contender and immediately have action on one of grandest stages for Thoroughbred racing anywhere in the world,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “This is the type of innovative offering that characterizes the Championship Sale, which invites creativity to connect buyers with elite occasions.” The 4-year-old, who scored a 5¼-length victory in the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 13, never has finished worse than third in a 10-race career that includes six victories for trainer Jose D'Angelo. At 2 in 2023 at Gulfstream Park, he captured his first two career races and next competed in a series of races for offspring of Florida-based stallions. “The consistency of his performances alongside his obvious talent makes him a hard to come by individual and just a privilege to train,” D'Angelo said. “I thought the way he came back at Churchill after a longer layoff was very impressive, and he just proved his class yet again. I feel like he's at the peak of his career this far, and I expect him to continue that into his 5-year-old campaign.” Last year, Bentornato launched his 3-year-old campaign in the G3 Saudi Derby and was a courageous third behind the victorious Forever Young (Jpn), who went on to finish third in the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic. Bentornato was second in the Robert Hilton Memorial at Charles Town and stepped up to the U.S. graded ranks with a win in the GII Gallant Bob Stakes at Parx as a prep for the Breeders' Cup. The post 25-Percent Interest in BC Sprint Contender Bentornato to Sell at Keeneland Championship Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Like so many of his predecessors from Lodge Park Stud – and indeed this family – the Night Of Thunder colt who went through the ring as lot 134 proved a red-hot commodity during Tuesday's session at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with the Juddmonte team making its first purchase of the sale in securing him for 1,000,000gns. Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge said, “He is just a super horse, a lovely horse, and that is what you have to pay – it is very expensive in there [the sale ring]. He is a very good mover, easy going, and showed well all week.” He added, “It is an amazing family, it is a wonderful page, and the stallion has been fantastic this year. We are delighted to buy him; he looks a fast horse.” Descended from Lodge Park Stud's blue hen Park Express (Ahonoora), this colt is the first foal out of the winning Dark Angel mare Express Way who, in turn, is out of the multiple Listed-placed Alluring Park (Green Desert), the dam of nine other winners. They include the Oaks heroine Was, G2 Curragh Cup scorer Amhran Na Bhfiann, G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial winner Douglas Macarthur and G3 Prix Cleopatre runner-up Al Naamah, all by Galileo. Al Naamah holds the record for the highest-priced yearling ever sold at Book 1 at 5,000,000gns, while another sibling, Park Bloom (Galileo), was responsible for Lodge Park Stud's Wootton Bassett colt who fetched 4,300,000gns last year, the record price for a colt offered at this sale. Since named Poker, he recently finished sixth on his debut at Haydock for Amo Racing and Karl Burke. “That has exceeded expectations greatly,” Lodge Park Stud's Jamie Burns said of this colt's price tag. “He is a lovely moving horse and he is going to a great home – he will get every opportunity there. We went to Night Of Thunder as we were trying to get Galileo back into the pedigree. We are trying to keep the generations going – it is up to us to keep it going.” The post Coveted Night Of Thunder Colt Another Feather in the Cap for Lodge Park Stud’s Famous Family appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With the $800,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T) on her radar at Keeneland Oct. 11, George Messina and Michael Lee’s Fionn has the opportunity to be anointed as royalty in the 3-year-old turf filly division.View the full article

Sponsored by Pedigrees360. According to Oscar Wilde, the one thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about at all. Nothing to worry the Spendthrift team there! This is one of the two farms that have done the most to drive up stallion books, duly able to pitch fees accessibly to smaller breeders but embracing major responsibility in their footprint on the gene pool. But if some people remain uncomfortable with the business model, everyone can acknowledge the caliber of the horsemen making it function. And certainly those charged with taking forward the legacy of B. Wayne Hughes have just had a weekend of extraordinary achievement. One of them, of course, is mischievously celebrated in the naming of Ted Noffey (Into Mischief), who headlined Spendthrift's spree. But the farm's self-effacing general manager would sooner emphasize the teamwork that additionally secured a Keeneland Grade I for Tommy Jo (Into Mischief); graded stakes for Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) and Brave Deb (Authentic); a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' debut for Local Knowledge (by the farm's trailblazing freshman Yaupon); and a Keeneland maiden for Get Back Loretta (Bolt d'Oro). All carry the Spendthrift silks. But it will have been nearly as gratifying to see their own success shared by others who had supported their young stallions: from Intrepido, a second Grade I winner this year for the $15,000 cover Maximus Mischief, to another pair of graded winners for the flourishing Vekoma. But perhaps the cherry on the cake, especially with the aforementioned Brave Deb following through at Santa Anita the next day, was a Grade I breakout for Authentic through Iron Orchard in the Frizette Stakes. For these two fillies to emerge consecutively from his second crop, on either coast, represents a huge tonic for a stallion on the brink. Now, we know what may happen to he who lives by the sword. Stallions launched with enormous books must seize their moment, because the kind of breeders who get involved generally move right on to the next off the carousel. On one end of the spectrum, you can land on a horse like Vekoma, making his volume count pretty sensationally, with 97 individual winners from 160 starters this year. But his neighbor Authentic, at $75,000 much the most expensive start-up of their intake, notoriously found the early going so tough that this spring he was trading at just $15,000. The 2020 Horse of the Year opened with 229 mares and his first yearlings duly dominated the rookie averages at $286,076. Yet a class-high 94 starters last year yielded a single black-type success, at Albuquerque, among 24 winners overall. His subsequent crops have paid a heavy price, his third currently trying to rally a $32,000 median against a $60,000 conception fee. But one or two straws could still be clutched. Authentic was himself a late developer, and the same could easily prove true of his stock. Sure enough, this spring Rodriguez–a May foal, like his sire–put himself in the Classic picture winning the GII Wood Memorial. With wretched luck, however, the relieving general disappeared the moment he had appeared on the horizon. Scratched from the Derby with a foot bruise, Rodriguez had to settle for fourth in the GI Belmont Stakes and has not been seen since. But now Authentic has shown himself no one-trick pony. While no second-crop sire can lay a glove on Vekoma, now up to seven, three graded winners this year can otherwise be matched only by Complexity and McKinzie. (And if Authentic had numbers on his side, so did Vekoma and McKinzie; the one punching above weight is Complexity.) The GIII Surfer Girl success of Brave Deb has proved a silver lining to Authentic's loss of vogue, having been retained by the farm ($70,000 RNA) at Keeneland last year. But Iron Orchard is an even better measure of the way their sire could yet turn things round. She made $140,000 as a weanling in 2023, slipstreaming those popular yearlings, and then failed to meet her reserve at the New York-bred Sale in Saratoga before being moved on for $78,000 at Fasig-Tipton last October. But her second pinhook cycle, through Grassroots Training and Sales, proved a great success ($500,000 at OBS) and now she's only the second graded stakes winner out of a Brethren mare. Gin Gin | Coady Media That mare, moreover, ended her career as a $25,000 claim. In fairness, she offered Authentic some interesting genes. For a start, she's half-sister to Wonderlandbynight (Sky Mesa), who won her first four including the GIII Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes; and also to the dam of GI Shoemaker Mile winner Exaulted (Twirling Candy). The next dam is a Gulch half-sister to the productive Lovington (Afleet), responsible for two graded stakes winners plus the granddam of Aloha West. And they're out of a half-sister to Ogygian, himself an interesting distaff influence, as well as to the dam of Honour and Glory. These names sit comfortably with the next dam, a half-sister to none other than Killaloe (Dr. Fager), mother of breed-shaping Fappiano. In other words, this is the family shortly pegged down by Cequillo (Princequillo). As sixth dam, the Tartan Farms foundation mare may play only a tenuous role in the emergence of Iron Orchard. But Authentic will be grateful for all the help he can get and, who knows, may yet redeem himself as a bargain route to Into Mischief. Double Gin Packs Flavor By this stage, perhaps, you'll be familiar with this column's weakness for a matriarch like Cequillo, no matter how far recessed. Many a talented runner, of course, discloses a background of relentless anonymity, but this time round we were spoiled for choice. Admittedly you have to spool back a long way behind GI Spinster winner Gin Gin (Hightail) before reaching the great Claiborne mare Bourtai. But it's still fun to note that the same granddaughter, Golden Sari (Ambiorix {Fr}), combines this maternal line with that of one of the Spendthrift flyers, Get Back Loretta (respectively as sixth and seventh dam). Gin Gin's family has certainly been well seeded in the meantime, with first four dams by Hard Spun, Seeking the Gold, Seattle Slew and El Gran Senor. This is Hightail's second elite winner from just 77 career starters and the other, Mongolian Groom, had equally resonant seeding: Dynaformer, Mr Prospector, Danzig, Buckpasser, Native Dancer. In a difficult world, that kind of thing will always comfort me. But the most obviously striking feature of Gin Gin's page is that Seattle Slew, sire of her third dam, is replicated twice in the same generation behind Hightail himself: as sire both of his granddam, dual Grade I winner Fleet Renee, and his grandsire A.P. Indy. Other aristocrats dusted off last weekend, meanwhile, included Classy 'n Smart (leading to No Class/Classy Quillo) as fifth dam of GII Pilgrim Stakes winner Bottas (Vekoma); Chris Evert's daughter and Juddmonte linchpin Nijinsky Star, as fourth dam of GII Jessamine Stakes winner Imaginationthelady (Not This Time); and Seattle Slew's dam My Charmer as fifth dam of GIII Waya Stakes winner Village Voice (GB) (Zarak {Fr}). Napoleon Solo | Sarah Andrew A Bloom Worth The Wait The latter was imported from Tattersalls for 1.3 million guineas, already a proven runner, but to get to this point a series of astute breeders have tapped into these great families at much lesser cost. Relatively speaking, of course, they will often have made a matching commitment. One of the best farms of its size in Kentucky, for instance, dug out $280,000 for the 6-year-old Romanticism (War Front) at the height of the Covid market, in the 2020 November Sale at Keeneland. She was unraced, but out of Nijinsky Star's seven-time Grade I-winning granddaughter Sightseek (Distant View). Ashview has since raised and sold three yearlings out of this mare: a $450,000 Constitution colt; a $300,000 Not This Time filly; and, most recently, a $325,000 son of Liam's Map. The middle one of those is Imaginationthelady, and for the mare it is all gravy from here. Of course, sometimes the dividends can take a little longer–even for perhaps the most extraordinary family farm of them all. Glennwood, like Ashview for Romanticism's latest yearling, chose Liam's Map as the 2022 cover for its homebred stakes winner Atomic Bloom (Scat Daddy). The resulting colt was sold for no more than $40,000 at the September Sale last year, yet we now know him as the runaway GI Champagne Stakes winner Napoleon Solo. Good to see Liam's Map standing up for himself, even as half-brother Not This Time soars ever higher. This was the older sibling's third Grade I winner of the year, albeit Not This Time's upgraded mares are really cycling through now: he had another four graded stakes winners over the weekend and, most instructively of all, filled out the frame in the Jessamine. One way or another, what a legacy their dam Miss Macy Sue (Trippi) has left us! While it was Chad Summers who found himself a bargain in Imaginationthelady, the Gunther family can now look forward to the trickledown for Atomic Bloom, bred from a Danehill Dancer (Ire) mare picked up for just $22,000 in 2011. Atomic Bloom was this year covered by Glennwood's own stallion, Stage Raider, but her weanling colt is by none other than Authentic. And with a program like this in his corner, nobody will be giving up just yet. The post Breeding Digest: Authentic Hope Highlights Spendthrift Spree appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The top-five horses ranked in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Thoroughbred Poll—rankings meant to represent horses competing for Horse of the Year—are all pointed for the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).View the full article

A total of 108 horses have been catalogued for the Goffs October HIT & Yearling Sale at Doncaster on Tuesday, October 21. The sale, which includes a 15-lot unreserved dispersal from Brookhouse Racing, begins at 11 a.m. Both Flat and NH horses are in the Brookhouse consignment, among them listed bumper winner and maiden hurdle winner Aslukgoes (Yorgunnabelucky) (lot 75). Still Have Faith (Expert Eye) (lot 76) has won four times on the Flat and has also struck over hurdles, while lot 77, My Chiquita (Postponed), has won three of her last seven starts over hurdles and on the Flat. Aside from the dispersal, dual bumper winner Friary Road (Finsceal Fior) (lot 26) is entered, as is maiden hurdle winner Dramatic License (Casamento) (lot 50) and Lord (Best Solution) (lot 58), a winner of three of his four hurdle starts. In the yearling portion of the sale, sires like Ardad, Showcasing, Havana Grey, Kameko, Persian Force, New Bay and Mehmas have been entered. Lot 139 is a filly by New Bay out of a full-sister to Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Lady Kaya (Dandy Man) and lot 142 is a daughter of Mehmas out of a No Nay Never half-sister to Group 1 winner Gilt Edge Girl (Monsieur Bond). Goffs UK managing director Tim Kent said, “The Doncaster October Sale will offer the final opportunity to secure a Donny yearling and they have been running hot this season courtesy of three Group 1 winners in the July Cup winner No Half Measures, Phoenix Stakes winner Power Blue and Flying Five Stakes winner Arizona Blaze. This sale is no stranger to Group 1 success and will offer the progeny of some top sires and performing families. “The horses-in-training session is headed by the Brookhouse Dispersal which will offer 15 lots, all without reserve, and features some smart, up and coming young horses. The sale is taking supplementary entries and they will be accepted, and published online, up to the time of the sale.” The post Brookhouse Racing Dispersal Highlight Of Goffs October Catalogue appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There is a new top lot at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale as Godolphin went to 3.7 million gns to secure a Sea The Stars colt [lot 90] consigned by Eugene Daly's Longview Stud. Anthony Stroud, bidding on behalf of the powerhouse owners, went on to land a Too Darn Hot colt [90] from Airlie Stud for 1 million gns shortly afterwards. That horse became Godolphin's third individual seven-figure purchase with a total spend of 8.75 million and counting on Tuesday afternoon. Speaking after signing for the new top lot, Stroud commented, “He was exceptional-looking and [comes] from a very good stud farm. By Sea The Stars, it's a Rothschild family so he was majestic in the way that he moved and walked. He was a lovely horse.” Stroud added, “Obviously the family works well with Sea The Stars and he really stood out for us. Sea The Stars is an unbelievable sire.” Godolphin out-lasted Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing on the Sea The Stars colt, with Stroud stating that Sheikh Mohammed's buying team had to really stretch to hold off the opposition. He said, “You have to pay for the ones you really want and he was the one we wanted. You always have to pay more than you want to because you want the horse.” Stroud added, “Godolphin has supported this sale hugely. It's only the first day and we have two more days to go.” The post New Top Lot At Tattersalls As Godolphin Takes Total Spend To Nearly 9 Million Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The annus mirabilis for James Hanly and his Ballyhimikin Stud continued at Tattersalls on Tuesday with the sale of a Blue Point colt to Godolphin for 1,000,000gns, making him the second seven-figure lot during the opening session of Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale. Lot 67 is out of the G3 Ballyogan Stakes second Boston Rocker (Acclamation), who is the dam of six winners from as many runners to date. They include the G2 Zabeel Mile scorer and G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains third San Donato (Lope De Vega), as well as this year's G2 Gimcrack Stakes runner-up Rock On Thunder (Night Of Thunder). Boston Rocker is in foal to Zarak. “He was a cracking colt,” said Hanly. “He was always a super horse. He never turned a hair from the day he got here.” The Godolphin team will be hoping lot 67 can emulate another previous Tattersalls October graduate from Ballyhimikin in Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), the winner of this year's G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes and G1 Juddmonte International, who was bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 340,000gns at Book 2 back in 2022. Another flagbearer for Ballyhimikin this year has been the high-class filly Estrange (Night Of Thunder), who was a Book 1 yearling, also in 2022, when going the way of Cheveley Park Stud for 425,000gns. Asked if selling is any less nerve-wracking after his stellar year on the track as a breeder, Hanly replied, “I just take each day as it comes. Each day is a new day, so just enjoy it and do your best. Some days it doesn't work out, so you've got to put up with those days.” Other early purchases for Godolphin included lot 10, Ballylinch Stud's full-brother to the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero Bayside Boy at 700,000gns, and another Blue Point colt who was consigned by Newsells Park Stud as lot 52 and fetched 575,000gns. The post Ballyhimikin Stud in the Limelight Again as Godolphin Strike for Blue Point Colt at 1m Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sam Agars CHARMING BABE - R7 (1) A late scratch last month, he has since trialled nicely and looks ready to strike Jay Rooney EMBRACES - R6 (1) Made late ground first up and should make the required improvement Owen Goulding CALL ME TOPSEED - R6 (2) Much more like it in latest trial and Irish winner is drawn perfectly Phillip Woo DENFIELD - R7 (2) Looks primed to salute on the back of a good first up run Shannon (Vincent Wong) STAR CONTACT - R6 (3) Not beaten far last start and should go...View the full article

Will Douglass will join Ocala Breeders' Sales Company as their international representative, OBS announced. The English native established Will Douglass Bloodstock in January of this year. Previously, he had worked as a bloodstock agent with Charlie Gordon-Watson since 2010. Prior to that, Douglass was an assistant to Classic-winning trainer Luca Cumani, Ed Dunlop and Australian Champion Trainer David Hayes. “I am looking forward to working with [the] team at OBS and helping them expand their international client base,” Douglass said. “OBS has a long history of selling outstanding horses that are successful all over the world such as Crimson Advocate (Nyquist) winning at Royal Ascot whilst [Group 3 placed and OBS October graduate] The Publican's Son (Beau Liam) looks be a horse to follow next year.” Some of the horses-in-training acquisitions Douglass has been responsible for include Classic and multiple Group 1 winner Al Riffa (Wootton Bassett); Hong Kong group winner Helene Feeling (Sioux Nation), dual Hong Kong Group 1 winner Peniaphobia (Dandy Man), Qatari champion Kerindia (Cotai Glory), and Grade 2 winner Nancy from Nairobi (Sixties Icon). Douglass also selected the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches second Shes Perfect (Sioux Nation) and Grade II winner Luther (Frankel). “Will's expertise in Europe and Asia provides the perfect complement to the global appeal of OBS graduates,” said Tod Wojciechowski, OBS director of sales. “We are excited to bring him on board as his knowledge and skillset will be an invaluable asset in promoting our sales.” The post Will Douglass Appointed OBS International Representative appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Dane McLeod/TTRAusNZ Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) finished a close-up third in his pre-Everest trial at Randwick on Tuesday, with the world's champion sprinter cruising into the minor placing under a hold behind the G1 Randwick Guineas winner Linebacker (Super Seth) and A$10.5-million earner and dual Group 1-winning sprinter Overpass (Vancouver). Plenty in the crowd were keen to catch their first glimpse of the outstanding Hong Kong sprinter, who enjoyed the strong hit-out and clocked a fast time ahead of the A$20 million feature Saturday week. The line-up was stacked with quality equine talent with big targets ahead in the coming weeks, with the 10-time Group 1 winner and G1 King Charles III Stakes hopeful Mr Brightside (Bullbars) finishing just under five lengths behind the winner in fourth. Jockey Zac Purton gave his immediate reaction to SENTrack following the trial, where Ka Ying Rising was held together but asked to extend his work past the line for fitness. “He hasn't had a run for a month and he hasn't done too much serious work in that amount of time, so it was the first time he's done anything competitive in a while,” said Purton. “The track was a little bit soft for him. He's not totally at home on that ground, but I thought he trialled well enough. I was hoping he would have changed his leg. He didn't, but that's him.” When asked whether there were any concerns heading into The Everest, Purton added, “No, I think he'll come on a bit from that. Obviously, it's going to be a competitive race. The horses in Australia are peaking at the right time, so hopefully we can draw a good gate and get a dry track. It's going to be a good race to watch, isn't it?” Welcome to Randwick, KA YING RISING! The Hong Kong superstar has his first trial in Australia alongside his @tabcomau Everest rivals and finishes nicely! pic.twitter.com/iT5OmtV9HC — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 6, 2025 Trainer David Hayes echoed the belief that the gelding would take significant benefit from the trial. He said, “It was a good solid trial, but he did need it. He blew a few cobwebs out and he'll really come on a lot for that. He'll have a nice gallop on Monday and he'll be right for the big one. He's about 20 pounds above his racing weight and I'll expect it [his weight] to come down a bit in the next week.” When asked about Ka Ying Rising's behaviour in the parade ring, where he appeared a touch hot and was having a good look around, Hayes added, “At Sha Tin he gets very edgy in the mornings going through the tunnels with all the horses, and when Zac – or whoever is riding him – drops over his neck, he relaxes straight away. “I think that was a bit typical of Ka Ying today. He will be better on race day, but he'll have to be, because there's going to be 50,000 people here. He really needed a dress rehearsal, he was a bit fresh in the pre-parade. It's been a big help for him.” The post World’s Best Sprinter Ka Ying Rising Warms Up for The Everest with Randwick Trial appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this BH monthly interview, Karen M. Johnson profiles young racing personalities. View the full article

Key lead-up races the Holmes D G and the Methven Cup have prompted a big change in this week’s rankings for the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup, to be held at Addington Raceway on Tuesday, November 11. Sooner The Bettor became the sixth horse to automatically qualify for the $1m NZ Cup with his win in the Holmes D G at Alexandra Park on Friday night while Better Knuckle Up has been rewarded for his third placing to go for 21st to 17. Better Knuckle Up was the inaugural winner of last year’s THE VELOCITY slot race at Addington. He completed a Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan-trained trifecta in the Holmes DG with Merlin finishing second. Further south Rakero Rocket solidified his 11th place in the rankings with his win in Sunday’s Methven Cup while the fast finishing runner-up Wag Star has been a big mover – up six places from 25th to 19, just four places outside the cut-off. After finishing fourth in the Methven Cup, American Me has improved two places to 13th. He was fourth in the 2023 New Zealand Cup as well. Both the Holmes D G and Methven Cup had Group 3 status. The top 10 in the rankings for the Renwick Farms Dominion Trot remain unchanged this week though there has been some manoeuvring just behind them, especially from two Australian contenders. Jilliby Ballerini has improved seven places to 12th on the back of her win at the Group 3 Australasian Trotters Championship at Melton beating a quality field that included Arcee Phoenix. She is now a $6 third favourite for the Dominion behind Oscar Bonavena and Bet N Win. The other trotter heading up the rankings this week is Parisian Artiste following his 15th career win at Menangle on Saturday night. He has gone from 14th to 11th. The rankings will be updated weekly with the final rankings coming out after the Kaikoura Cup meeting on Monday, November 3. To see the latest rankings click here View the full article

Time is running out for racegoers to get onboard The Whale Train for Kaikoura’s two day meeting next month. Held over Marlborough Anniversary weekend the Sunday meeting on November 2 will feature the opening rounds of the 2025 World Driving Championship while Monday’s card will be highlighted by the 100th running of the Kaikoura Cup. The annual meeting is always a crowd favourite with thousands flocking to the scenic South Bay race course. This year Pounamu Tourism is offering two return train trips from Christchurch on its Whale Train – a retro, red and white, 1950s classic DA locomotive. Both leave and return on the same day. The Sunday trip leaves Christchurch at 8.30am and returns at 6.15pm, with a one and a half hour window at the races while Monday’s trip departs at 8.30am and returns at 10.15pm, giving travellers the opportunity to catch all the day’s action on course. The cost for a family of four is $399, with adults at $169 and children at $69. Those wanting to make enquiries should go to : www.pounamutourismgroup.com or contact : paul@pounamutourismgroup.com View the full article

One of the country’s highest profile and most influential breeders is confident there will be spin-offs for all the racing codes from New Zealand’s Free Trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates. Recently Ken and Karen Breckon, who own and manage the award-winning Breckon Farms, hosted a delegation that included the chair and chief executive of TAB New Zealand, Bill Birnie and Nick Roberts as well as the UAE’s ambassador to New Zealand, His Excellency Mr Rashed Matar Sultan Alsiri Alremzi. “To have someone at that level from the UAE here shows that they are serious about looking at opportunities in the New Zealand bloodstock industry” says Breckon. The visit from His Excellency followed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) coming into force on August 28, 2025. It is New Zealand’s first free trade agreement in the Middle East. “New Zealand has over a billion dollars worth of exports to the UAE every year and that figure is set to increase exponentially in the next decade or so,” says Breckon, “that’s an incredible opportunity.” As well as being a top breeder Breckon also represents harness racing’s interests on a high powered committee set up to advise the TAB NZ. It stemmed from an idea from Racing Minister Winston Peters, Bill Birnie and Sir Peter Vela, who chairs the committee. Based at Ohaupo in Waikato, Breckon Farms was set up more than decade ago. Last year it underwent a substantial upgrade into a state-of-the-art facility featuring stabling for 48 horses, function rooms and a parade ring. “We drove him around the farm and showed him the investment here and to showcase harness racing which they are not familiar with,” says Breckon. The Breckons also showed Mr Alremzi replays of some of their best horses winning big races including millionaire trotter I Can Doosit, the winner of 18 in a row, and unbeaten superstar Millwood Nike who won 17 straight before being retired last year. “We brought I Can Doosit out for the day which he thoroughly enjoyed.” The UAE has no ties with harness racing at all. It is a thoroughbred powerhouse worth billions. Among its marquee races are the Dubai World Cup, one of the world’s richest races. But Breckon says that doesn’t mean there won’t be opportunities. “Going forward they could invest into our industry through studs or by buying into top broodmares, stallions or in horses at Group level.” “Then there are other activities in New Zealand like the way we train horses, veterinary science and horse welfare and technologies around performance monitoring and analysis which are world class.” “There are many lessons in the UAE we can learn from and vice versa.” Breckon is upbeat the relationship between the two countries will flourish. Among near term plans are to have His Excellency hosted at Karaka next year as it celebrates 100 years of National Yearling Sales in New Zealand. View the full article

A significant driver change has been confirmed for the upcoming World Driving Championship to be held around New Zealand this November. Italian representative Antonio Simioli has withdrawn due to personal reasons and has been replaced by Giampaolo Minnucci, the driver who gained fame and world-wide success with superstar Italian trotter Varenne. Known as the Il Capitano (The Captain), Varenne was acclaimed as the greatest trotter in harness racing history, earning a record $US8.7m, with 62 wins from just 73 starts. He was also the only horse to win Horse of the Year in three different countries – Italy, France and the USA. As his regular driver Minnucci played a critical role in Varenne’s success. Among their greatest performances was the win in a new world record at the 2001 Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands in North America and their two wins at Sweden’s great race, the Elitloppet in 2001 and 2002. Italy has won the WDC twice before in its 55 year history – Roberto Andreghetti in 1997 and Guiseppe Guzzinati (1972). The WDC starts in just over three weeks with 10 of the globe’s best drivers, including New Zealand’s representative Blair Orange, battling it out at Kaikoura (November 2 and 3), Cambridge (November 5), Addington (November 7), Winton (November 9) and finally on IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup day at Addington on Tuesday, November 11. To see more on the WDC go to wdc25.nz View the full article

Voukefalas may not be a name we have heard of much in New Zealand, but in North America he is a horse that has captured the imagination of the harness racing world, and the hearts of those closest to him. To read more about the son of Lazarus click here View the full article

By Adam Hamilton Champion Aussie pacer Leap To Fame will go into the IRT NZ Trotting Cup sight unseen this trip. After much deliberation, trainer-driver Grant Dixon has locked in travel plans which will see the six-year-old arrive in Christchurch just five days before the $1 million feature at Addington on Tuesday, November 11. “He’ll be on a flight Wednesday (November 5) from Melbourne which I’m told then gets him into Christchurch on Thursday morning,” he said. It ends speculation about a possible lead-up race or at least an appearance in the traditional Cup Day trial the week before the Cup. At best, Leap To Fame could pop into Addington for a workout on the Saturday before the Cup. The later flight to NZ is a win for Victorian fans, who will now get to see Leap To Fame race three times at Melton over the next month. It starts with a surprise, earlier-than-expected appearance in Saturday night’s Smoken Up Sprint where he will clash with TAB Eureka winner Bay Of Biscay for the first time. It means Leap To Fame will be having his third start in as many weeks when he tackles the $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup on Saturday week. As sharp as Leap To Fame looked winning first-up at Albion Park last Saturday night, Dixon said another race this week would only help. “He’s booked on a flight (from Brisbane) to Melbourne in the middle of the night Thursday (night), so will be there early Friday morning,” he said. “He won well and did it easily last Saturday (at Albion Park), but another run will just sharpen-up that it more again. “It’s as much about how well he thrives on racing. Going into the biggest races, he seems to love racing each week, so we’ll do that again.” Perhaps Dixon is also mindful Leap To Fame’s only defeat in a Victoria Cup came back in 2023 when he had raced just once in the seven weeks leading into it. Beyond the Victoria Cup, Dixon has two other Melton race options for Leap To Fame before the flight to NZ. “Given it’s more than three weeks between the Victoria Cup and NZ (Cup), I’ll look to give him another race at Melton to keep him up to the mark, especially with NZ being over two miles (3200m).” Those options are a 2240m free-for-all at Melton on October 25 or a 1720m free-for-all on November 1. The timing of the 1720m race would seem better given racing again on October 25 would mean four runs in as many weeks for Leap To Fame. View the full article

It didn't take long for the Amo Racing team to make its presence felt as Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale got underway at Tattersalls, with Kia Joorabchian outbidding MV Magnier of Coolmore at 3,600,000gns for lot 15. The brother to last year's sale-topper, by Frankel out of the G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner Aljazzi (Shamardal), was bred and consigned by Graham Smith-Bernal's Newsells Park Stud. “The boys love him,” Joorabchian said. “We have a lot of people that really liked him around us and we couldn't really let him go. We want to keep the family tight. We want to be able to see how the family works out.” The colt's two-year-old sister, who fetched 4,400,000gns 12 months ago, is now named Partying and is with Amo Racing's new trainer Kevin Philippart de Foy at Freemason Lodge in Newmarket. He continued, “If he's a very good horse he's going to be a stallion but if he's not, he's not going to be a stallion. Obviously we like the filly [Partying] otherwise we wouldn't have gone for the brother. But who knows, right? She still hasn't run, but it's a completely different project because if the filly runs or doesn't run, she's still got a huge residual value and she can be a broodmare, and we have five stallions so it's important. “I thought we paid a little bit more than what we were expecting to but we're up against Coolmore, and they've got five [partners] versus one. So we've got to give them a crack.” Julian Dollar, general manager of Newsells Park Stud, said, “He just blossomed during the summer. Particularly during yearling prep, he just came into himself. What he has always had is a really lovely attitude – a great temperament. [He has] always been very athletic. Six or nine months ago, I thought he was just one of those gangly babies but he just started to come. He's still not where I'd like him to be now but he's a lovely horse.” The post Deja Vu as Amo Racing Strikes for Frankel Colt at 3.6m Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article