Wandering Eyes

by Brigette Solomon New Plymouth trainer Brodie Ellis was thrilled to train his first winner today at Otaki when Cool Phelan took out the Kapiti Coast Harness Racing Club Trotting Cup. “It’s been a long time coming after running a lot of placings along the way” said Ellis, “This girl has given us some good thrills already and it was pretty awesome to get my first win in a cup race, it definitely made the drive home tonight a pretty good one.” Driven by Dylan Ferguson, Cool Phelan started the 2200 metre race off the front line and stepped quickly off the mark to find the lead with The Gardner’s Pride and Quercus Rubra trailing. Ferguson set a solid pace out in front with the remaining runners and back markers not tacking on to the front runners until entering the home straight. While Cool Phelan was on tired legs over the final 100 metres, she had done enough to hold on and win by a 3.3 length margin ahead of Quercus Rubra and Highview Rockn Roll who were solid in defeat. “I was expecting a good run from her going on her recent form and we knew we’d be starting off the front line when we entered this race, so I was confident she’d be thereabouts” said Ellis “She’s been getting more confident in her standing starts too and was great today which really helped put her in a good spot.” “She’s owned mostly by family and friends and it’s really great to have them involved and get a cup win for them.” Ellis first became involved in harness racing through his uncle Keith Chittenden who was a local Taranaki trainer, and he fondly remembers spending weekends at the stables as a youngster. He later was involved in getting the Taranaki Kidz Kartz up and running despite only being able to compete for a couple of years before aging out of the pony races. After his uncle passed away in 2017, Ellis was eager to remain involved in harness racing and first took out his trainer’s licence in 2020. Prior to today’s win, he had managed thirteen placings from the handful of horses he has trained. “I can remember going with Nana to Uncle Keith’s stables every weekend so I grew up helping him out and since then I’ve always loved it” said Ellis “Now days I still help out at Kidz Kartz when I can, but between training and caring for the horses plus running my car detailing business there’s not too many hours left in the day.” “I have four unqualified horses at home, either spelling or youngsters, so it’s been really nice to have Cool Phelan to race and be competitive while we wait for a few others to get to the track.” Meanwhile, the Grant Plumbing Ltd Wellington Cup Mobile Pace was won by the Michael House trained Gotta Elect Bill who was driven by junior driver Harrison Orange. From the extreme outside of the barrier, Orange was unwilling to settle back in the field and pressed forward with Gotta Elect Bill to sit outside the leader Lord Delmar. Orange applied pressure to the leader from the 600 metre mark, and upon entering the home straight Lord Delmar was travelling the stronger of the two and drew ahead by half a length. In the battle up the straight Gotta Elect Bill dug deep to draw level with the leader who was running out slightly requiring correcting, and it was enough for the House trained runner to get ahead and win in a photo finish. The House and Orange combination were also successful earlier in the day with Tasi Ahnau scoring his maiden victory in the Railway Hotel Otaki Mobile Pace. The pair are developing a good association having combined for six winners since the start of the year. Grass track racing continues at Otaki on Tuesday. View the full article

After 19 years of dominance in the Karaka sales auditorium as the leading buyer at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale, Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis will return to the South Auckland venue later this week in a bid to make it an even 20. He whet his appetite for buying quality yearlings at Magic Millions’ Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier this month where he was on the buyers’ sheet for 21 yearlings. “Overall, it was a really good sale,” Ellis said. He was particularly taken by lot 37, the Snitzel colt out of Group One-winning mare Toffee Tongue, who is a full-sister to multiple Group One winner and Hong Kong Horse of the Year Werther, Group Three winner Gobstopper, and Group One performer Milseain. Ellis went to A$625,000 to purchase the colt out of Bhima Thoroughbreds’ draft and he believes they will have plenty of fun racing him out of their Cranbourne barn. “He is one of the nicest colts I have bought,” Ellis said. “We thought we would have to pay a lot more for him, he has been very popular. He is going to race from our Cranbourne stable and we will get him ready for a race like the Blue Diamond (Gr.1, 1200m).” Ellis didn’t let the dust settle following his Gold Coast trip, returning to New Zealand to continue his on-farm inspections of Karaka-bound yearlings, and he is looking forward to fine-tuning his short-list this week. “I have been spending the last week looking at yearlings in the Waikato and Auckland and there are some really top yearlings there and I am really looking forward to the sale,” he said. “We have got a short list that Reece Trumper, Marcus Corban and I have identified. We will get them vetted and we will finish up with a short list again, and we will go and inspect them this week at Karaka. “We will try to buy the best colts and fillies in the sale.” Prior to the yearling sale commencing, Ellis will head to Ellerslie on Saturday where Te Akau Racing trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson will be out to continue their dominance at the renowned Karaka Millions meeting, with the stable having won seven of the last eight editions of the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). “We didn’t win one last year, but we finished second with Damask Rose and she is one of the favourites for the three-year-old race this year,” Ellis said. “We will have three, possibly four in the Karaka Millions 2YO race. “We have got Blake Shinn, one of the all-time great jockeys in Australia coming over to ride for us with Craig Williams.” Te Akau will also be well-represented on the undercard, with Group One-winning stablemates Move To Strike and Captured By Love set to feature in the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m) and Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) respectively. “We have got a really exciting team racing on Saturday night. It is one of the great nights of racing in the world,” Ellis said. “It is certainly a very exciting time for people to be investing in New Zealand racing. With the prizemoney going up to the level it has, it’s very exciting.” View the full article

Backed down to even-money favoritism with a pair of victories already under her belt, Speedway Stables' Cavalieri (Nyquist–Stiffed, by Stephen Got Even) fought off second choice Alpha Bella (Justify) to collect her first taste of black-type in the GIII La Canada at Santa Anita Sunday. Hounding Chatalas (Gun Runner) through opening fractions of :23.69 and :47.33, the Bob Baffert trainee put the screws to ger rival approaching the quarter pole, was clear in early stretch and continued to grind it out to hold off Alpha Bella by 1 1/2 lengths at the wire. Final time for the 1 1/16-mile test was1:44.15. A two-length winner first out going a mile at Del Mar in August, the half-sister to GSW Affirmative Lady (Arrogate) returned to run off to a 3 1/2-length score in a one-mile Santa Anita optional claimer Oct. 12. Sales history: $900,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record 3-3-0-0, $138,000. O-Speedway Stables LLC; B-Alaster Thoroughbreds Co LLC; T-Bob Baffert. The post Nyquist’s Cavalieri Stays Perfect in Santa Anita’s GIII La Canada appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Impressive maiden winner Patch Adams faces off with grade 1 winner and Eclipse finalist Gaming on the Road to the Kentucky Derby in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park Jan. 25.View the full article

Tampa Bay Downs will conduct six stakes races on the first two Saturdays in February, with track officials hopeful of attracting a number of top horses in training.View the full article

White Abarrio, who won Gulfstream Park's richest race for 3-year-olds in capturing the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) in 2022, takes aim at an even more lucrative prize there when he competes Jan. 25 in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1). View the full article

Ka Ying Rising surges to record-breaking success. Photo: HKJC David Hayes anointed Ka Ying Rising as “probably the best horse” he has trained, while Zac Purton described the speedster as a “really special horse” after the four-year-old’s incredible record-breaking win in the HK$13 million Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. Clocking 1:07.20 in a phenomenal display of sustained speed, Ka Ying Rising lowered the track record for the second time this season, eclipsing the 1:07.43 he posted on November 17, to secure his 10th win from 12 starts and leaving Hayes and Purton awestruck. Pitted against seven rivals, all drawn to his inside, Purton drove Ka Ying Rising out of the barriers and crossed the face of the field inside 200m to lead Magic Control and Victor The Winner – and was never headed – clocking 23.30s for the first 400m before unleashing a devastating mid-race split of 21.54s to have the race at his mercy. Rounding the home turn, Purton flicked Ka Ying Rising into overdrive, and the gelding responded with a blistering 10.59s burst from the 400m mark before easing down the -1000 favourite with , to finish 3.25-lengths ahead of Helios Express, with Howdeepisyourlove a neck further back. “He did surprise Zac when he jumped well and then went to the lead – to lead those fast horses so easily just shows his versatility. He can take a sit, or he just leads. He’s certainly the best sprinter I’ve had anything to do with and probably the best horse,” Hayes said. “He’s quite freakish what he does. The last 100m today, Zac switched the engine off, so in the two track records he’s broken, he’s actually eased him down the last 100m or 80m. “He just doesn’t lose – and I know he lost twice when he was immature – but now he’s mature, he’s just got that ability to win. He’s got amazing cruising speed and he’ll quicken off it, which is very hard to compete against.” 2025 Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup Replay – Ka Ying Rising https://horsebetting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Sha-Tin-2025-Group-1-Centenary-Sprint-Cup-19012025-Ka-Ying-Rising-David-Hayes-Zac-Purton.mp4 Purton, who has ridden a string of champion Hong Kong sprinters during a glittering career, said facts and figures underscored Ka Ying Rising’s extraordinary talent. Asked if the four-year-old was the best sprinter he had ever ridden, Purton said: “He’s right up there. He’s doing things that other sprinters haven’t done, winning with the ease he’s winning with, running the times, he’s running. “We’ve had a lot of champion sprinters grace our turf here and they’ve all had the chance to run the times, he’s run. So, yeah, he’s starting to become a really special horse.” Desperate to avoid a repeat of the HK$26 million Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) in December, when Ka Ying Rising triumphed by half a length in his slowest time of the season – 1:08.15 – Purton enacted a simple plan. “Jump, be positive and just work it out as we go,” he said. “They went too slow in December and it allowed the horses to be too close, so today I made sure the man was going to take care of the boys. “He can run sectionals comfortably and kick off it. It’s very unique to have a horse that can do that, but he can. But when you go too slow, it allows the other horses a bit of an opportunity. Today, we made a statement again.” The Centenary Sprint Cup is the first leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series. Hayes confirmed Ka Ying Rising would chase a HK$5 million bonus by winning the HK$13 million Group 1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) on February 23 and the HK$22 million Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) on April 27. Longer term, Hayes is contemplating a tilt at Group 1 The Everest (1200m) – worth a staggering AU$20 million (approx. HK$96.4 million) – at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia on October 18. “It’s the richest turf race in the world, it’s at his distance, so it’s getting more realistic every month we go on. We’ll really start thinking about a pathway towards it after the international race here in April and then after that, he’ll probably just be set for the big sprint,” Hayes said. Horse racing news View the full article

Voyage Bubble powers clear at Sha Tin. Photo: HKJC Underscoring his status as Hong Kong’s premier miler, Voyage Bubble claimed a second straight HK$13 million Group 1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) at Sha Tin for jockey James McDonald and trainer Ricky Yiu. Receiving a smooth passage throughout, six-year-old Voyage Bubble settled behind leaders California Spangle and Beauty Eternal after breaking from barrier four. Turning for home, Voyage Bubble quickly made ground to hit the lead with 400m left to run. “I reckon this is the best he’s felt since I’ve ridden him. He strode around to the start with a real purpose and he’s such an easy horse to read,” McDonald said. “He’s superb. He’s just bomb proof, jumps fast, puts himself in a good position and quickens.” Sent off as -125 favourite with , Sunday’s Group 1 is Voyage Bubble’s third after wins in this race last year and last month’s HK$36 million Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m). The uncomplicated Deep Field gelding – owned by the Sunshine And Moonlight Syndicate – now boasts nine wins from 23 starts and earnings of HK$77.87 million. Among his triumphs is a +4500 success in the 2023 Hong Kong Derby (2000m). “When he’s got a real pep in his step, he’s on song and he’s a privilege to ride,” said McDonald, who also won Sunday’s HK$1.17 million Class 4 Beat The Clock Handicap (1200m) aboard Blazing Wind and HK$1.86 million Class 3 Mr Vitality Handicap (1400m) atop Four-Year-Old Classic Series aspirant Bundle Award. 2025 Group 1 Hong Kong Stewards’ Cup Replay – Voyage Bubble https://horsebetting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Sha-Tin-2025-Group-1-Stewards-Cup-19012025-Voyage-Bubble-Ricky-Yiu-James-McDonald.mp4 Voyage Bubble – rated 128 – clocked 1:33.58 in winning ahead of a closing Galaxy Patch (second), Red Lion (third), Beauty Joy (fourth), Beauty Eternal (fifth), Chancheng Glory (sixth), Patch Of Theta (seventh) and California Spangle (eighth). “I’m going to watch the replay a few times, that was a good race to watch. He seems to do his job a little bit easier every time and you can see he’s improving still with every race. He’s just a really talented horse and he’s very straightforward to ride,” Yiu said. The Stewards’ Cup is the first leg of the Triple Crown which carries a HK$10 million bonus on offer to any horse who can also win the HK$13 million Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) on February 23 and HK$13 million Group 1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) on May 25. “We’re going to give the Triple Crown a crack. Besides his Derby win, he was second to a very good horse (Romantic Warrior) in the Gold Cup last year. That’s a very good indication that he can go up to that distance no problem,” Yiu said. “We’ll see a lot more from the second leg to see if he’ll be able to get the 2400 (metres). Over the 2400 there could be some overseas horses as well.” Yiu scooped a double at Sha Tin, earlier winning the HK$1.17 million Class 4 Peniaphobia Handicap (1200m) with Sky Joy. River Verdon (1993/94) is the only Triple Crown winner in Hong Kong racing history. Voyage Bubble (2024 & 2025) joins Always Plentiful (1985 & 1986), Electronic Unicorn (2002 & 2003) and Good Ba Ba (2008 & 2009) as the fourth horse to claim consecutive Stewards’ Cups. Horse racing news View the full article

Polices related to President Trump's campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigrants will likely impact tracks, farms, and trainers across the country. View the full article

Lambert spoke at Gluck Equine Research Center Jan. 19, as part of the Cauthen Seminar Series, near Lexington, Ky. He released new studies on horses who suffered hind limb fractures, and carpal fractures. View the full article

Integration will return to the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1T) field for a second straight year after a disappointing fifth-place finish as the favorite in 2024.View the full article

Jockey Kazushi Kimura remains sidelined with swelling, at least through Monday, after being injured in the starting gate prior to last Thursday's fifth race at Santa Anita, said agent Brian Beach Sunday morning. Kimura was aboard Rogue Son (Misremembered) for a starter optional claimer Jan. 16 when, at some point during the loading, his leg got caught between his mount and the side of the gate. The chart notated that Rogue Son was a trainer scratch. Kimura had been booked on eight mounts Sunday, including the GIII Las Cienegas Stakes aboard Ma Rae's Girl (Mendelssohn) for Chief Stipe O'Neill. Mike Smith picked up that mount. The post Kazushi Kimura Recovering after Gate Incident, Remains Sidelined appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hardly a secret to the betting public at Fair Grounds, Pretty Sassy (Medaglia d'Oro–Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit) blasted back from a last-out fifth sprinting at Churchill Downs in November to score like a good thing, while stamping herself a TDN Rising Star Sunday. Settled in a stalking third as Queen Jubilee (Authentic) and Ruby's Ghost (Ghostzapper) led them through opening splits of :23.91 and :48.22, the grey sister to 3yo champion filly Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) looked like she was itching to go on the far turn but needed the seas to part in front of her. Gaining a slip of daylight turning for home, the even-money choice strode right through and tore down the stretch like her tail was on fire, crossing the wire an easy 7-length winner over her equally-brilliantly bred stablemate Love Song (Ghostzapper-Music Note, by A.P. Indy). Queen Jubilee rounded out the trifecta. Final time for the 8 1/2-furlong test was 1:46.64. Pretty Sassy, out of GI Spinaway Stakes winner Pretty City Dancer, is a half-sister to GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Pretty Mischievous in addition to a full-sister, 3-year-old Ornamental. Godolphin purchased the daughter of Tapit for $3.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale in 2018. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $38,400. O/B- Godolphin (KY). T-Brendan Walsh. The post Medaglia d’Oro’s Pretty Sassy Strolls to TDN Rising Stardom at Fair Grounds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Senor Buscador, winner of the 2024 Saudi Cup (G1), has been withdrawn from consideration for the Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup (G1) and has been retired.View the full article

Grade 1 winner Tamara, who was scratched from the Dec. 26 La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park because of a fever, returned to the work tab Jan. 19 for trainer Richard Mandella.View the full article

Voyage Bubble and Ka Ying Rising flexed their muscles in winning the group 1 features on the Jan. 19 program at Sha Tin Racecourse.View the full article

Japan's road to the Classics shifted up a gear on Sunday with the victory of Nishino Agent (Jpn) (Isla Bonita {Jpn}) in the 2000-metre G3 Keisei Hai at Nakayama. Able to secure an ideal position against the fence, the eventual winner raced in the back third of the field, as Taisei Ricordo (Jpn) (Gold Ship {Jpn}) and Ghardaia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) battled in the vanguard. Well in hand after six furlongs in 1:10.40, Nishino Agent charged up in between horses and earned several lucky breaks on the far turn. In fourth and closing in determined fashion down the lane, his sustained rally resulted in a neck victory over Dragon Boost (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}). Mini Transat (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) rallied from last, but could not overcome all his rivals, and settled for a half-length back in third. Placed in his first two starts in August and September, the winner ran fourth in a maiden at Tokyo over this trip on Nov. 3. He broke his maiden by a length as the crowd's pick over 1800 metres at this venue on Dec. 8 and Sunday was his 3-year-old bow. Pedigree Notes Nishino Agent is the seventh stakes winner and fifth group winner for Shadai stallion Isla Bonita. His other group winners are led by Yamanin Salvum (Jpn), who has the G3 Chunichi Shimbun Hai and G3 Niigata Daishoten to his name. The second foal out of Victoria Smile (Jpn) (Novellist {Ire}), Nishino Agent counts G1 Prix d'Astarte heroine Marbye (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) as his great granddam. She, in turn, is the dam of Japanese group winners Marcellina (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), G1 Oka Sho, and Grandezza (Jpn) (Agnes Tachyon {Jpn}), who scored three times at group level and was third in the G1 Mile Championship. Victoria Smile has a 2-year-old filly by Real Steel (Jpn), a yearling colt by Admire Mars (Jpn), and she was covered by Gold Dream (Jpn) last spring. Sunday, Nakayama, Japan KEISEI HAI-G3, ¥78,010,000, Nakayama, 1-19, 3yo, 2000mT, 1:59.90, fm. 1–NISHINO AGENT (JPN), 126, c, 3, Isla Bonita (Jpn) 1st Dam: Victoria Smile (Jpn), by Novellist (Ire) 2nd Dam: Gitana (Jpn), by Dance in the Dark (Jpn) 3rd Dam: Marbye (Ire), by Marju (Ire) 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Shigeyuki Nishiyama; B-Kamii Stud (Jpn); T-Naoto Chiba; J-Akihide Tsumura; ¥41,497,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-1, ¥52,127,000. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Dragon Boost (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Screen Hero (Jpn)–Toko Dione (Jpn), by Empire Maker. O-Miho Mizutani; B-Z Stable (Jpn); ¥16,142,000. 3–Mini Transat (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Epiphaneia (Jpn)–Ichiokuno Hoshi (Jpn), by Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (¥56,000,000 Ylg '23 JRHAJUL). O-Tatsuo Tanikake; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); ¥10,071,000. Margins: NK, HF, HF. Odds: 48.40, 16.30, 28.60. Also Ran: King No Jo (Jpn), Paatihaan (Jpn), Matenro Move (Jpn), Shimasan Black (Jpn), Scents Bloods (Jpn), Passion Rich (Jpn), Goltzschtal (Jpn), Cosmo Storm (Jpn), Interposer (Jpn), Taisei Ricordo (Jpn), Ghardaia (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart & video. The post Agent In Charge At Nakayama appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Hall of Fame quarterback and an analyst on Fox's NFL broadcasts, Terry Bradshaw has bought into three 2-year-olds trained by Ken McPeek. McPeek said Bradshaw owns 20% of each. McPeek has also added another Fox broadcaster, Curt Menefee, to his roster of owners. Menefee has bought into one of the three horses owned by Bradshaw. The other owners in both horses will consist of partners in McPeek's Magdalena Racing Partnership. This won't be Bradshaw's first foray into Thoroughbred racing. He co-owned Mission Impazible (Unbridled's Song), who won the 2010 GII Louisiana Derby before finishing ninth in the GI Kentucky Derby. He was also the part owner of Graydar (Unbridled's Song), the winner of the 2013 GI Donn H. “There's nothing like the Super Bowl,” Bradshaw told the Blood-Horse when asked to compare winning on the racetrack versus winning on the football field. “It doesn't compare to that, but it is pretty friggin' awesome. I can't do the Super Bowl anymore, but I can get lucky in the horse business because that's what you have to do—you have to get lucky.” For now, McPeek said, Bradshaw isn's ready to make a large investment on Thoroughbreds. “These are modestly priced horses,” he said. “This is a conservative move on his part. He has just has 20 percent of the three. He's not throwing money at it. But he's very enthusiastic. He's already talked about coming out every morning here at the Fair Grounds. Other than his TV work, he's not that busy.” And what's he like? “I talk to Terry regularly,” McPeek said. “He's a hoot. He's hilarious. He's in his mid-seventies or more (Bradshaw is 76) but he sounds like he's 30. He's a very energetic guy.” Though he's getting more involved in Thoroughbred racing, Bradshaw's real passion id the Quarter Horse. More than 25 years ago he established Terry Bradshaw Quarter Horses. According to its website, Terry Bradshaw Quarter Horses “specializes in breeding and raising world class halter and pleasure horses.” McPeek hopes that his having established a relationship with Bradshaw and Menefee could lead to Tom Brady also buying some Thoroughbreds. Brady is also a Fox broadcaster. “Maybe this can expand into Tom Brady,” he said. “He goes to the Derby every year and he's on the same broadcast team with those other guys.” Attracting Bradshaw as an owner has come amidst an expansion of the McPeek stable. After he had a career year that could lead to his being named the 2024 Eclipse Award winning trainer, owners like Bradshaw have been knocking on his door. “We're up about 25 horses from last year,” he said. “Last year I had 30 at the Fair Grounds and this year we have 44. Last year we had 36 at Oaklawn and have gone to 40. And I went back to Gulfstream because there wasn't enough room for all those horses at just Oaklawn and the Fair Grounds. Fortunately, we've been winning races at all three places.” On Saturday, McPeek will try to pick up his first Grade I victory of the year when he sends out Mystik Dan (Goldencents) in the GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream. The 2024 Kentucky Derby winner will be coming off a disappointing sixth-place finish in the GI Malibu S. “Everything is looking good for Mystik Dan, and on a couple of fronts,” McPeek said. “We've been pleased with how well he's done since he got to Gulfstream. The hard part is going to be that this will be his first start against older horses. We'll see what happens. Surely, he will run better than he did last time. He's trained quite well here.” The post Terry Bradshaw Joins McPeek Stable appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Morning line 5-2 favorite Locked (Gun Runner) drew post 11 for Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup during Sunday's draw at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Todd Pletcher on behalf of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm, the winner of last month's GI Cigar Mile has a single horse to his outside, that being the sole filly in the field, GI Alabama heroine Power Squeeze (Union Rags), who was given a 30-1 chance on the morning line. One of two representatives for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., White Abarrio (Race Day) was made the 3-1 second choice on the morning line, drawing post 4, while 9-2 third choice in the lineup, GISW Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming), drew post 2 for trainer Brad Cox. Joseph's other runner is GII Charles Town Classic winner Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) (10-1), who drew post 10. Last season's Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan (Goldencents) was given an 8-1 chance while drawing the 8-hole, while GI Santa Anita Derby victor Stronghold (Ghostzapper) drew post 6 (10-1). Rounding out the 12-horse field: Mixto (post 1, 10-1); Newgrange (post 3, 20-1); Crupi (post 5, 15-1); Steal Sunshine (post 7, 30-1), Vitality (post 8, 50-1). The post Favored Locked Draws 11-hole in Pegasus World Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It's nearing two weeks since the fires that have torn across Los Angeles first erupted. Still burning, they're already among the worst in state history. The two biggest fires were the Palisades Fire, on the west side of the city, and the Eaton Fire focused on the northeastern suburb of Altadena, a community in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills where many of Santa Anita's racetrack community live. Together, they have burned through some 38,000 acres. There have so far been 27 confirmed fatalities. AccuWeather estimates the financial toll to be between $250 billion and $275 billion. Many still aren't allowed back to their homes. Others have no homes to go back to. For many—including some from Santa Anita's racetrack community—the long task of recovering lost lives has only just begun, including for Deedee Anderson, who lost her beloved Altadena home. “There's good moments and bad moments,” said Anderson, Saturday afternoon, while treating a horse headed to Florida for next weekend's Pegasus World Cup meeting. Anderson is a long-time staple of the Santa Anita backstretch. She's a former exercise rider and now the owner of a successful equine therapy business, whose clients include trainers like Michael McCarthy. “I'm still left to navigate the whole uncertainty of it all,” she said. “Frankly, I have no knowledge of these things. Dealing with FEMA. Dealing with the insurance.” Dealing with scammers, too. “It broke my heart a little bit,” Anderson said, of someone who had contacted her saying they had found her cat, Oliver, they had left behind in the mad rush to leave their home, unable to catch in time the semi-feral animal. Anderson arrived at the agreed upon meeting place. That's when the person demanded suddenly a reward. “Of course, I never posted a reward… they asked for $40. Fourteen first, and $26 when they dropped off the cat. I was like, 'you're a horrible person to do this. You're just scammers.'” Oliver (pictured) is still missing | Deedee Anderson Anderson's already preparing for a years-long rebuilding process. She hopes the city will allow her and her neighbours the chance to live in trailers on their properties to save money and supervise any construction, though she knows it's a long shot. As for right now, she has just moved into an apartment with her husband and daughter. For days, she had combed the rental market with increasing despair, many landlords price gouging the markets. “It's absolutely despicable,” she said, about the phenomenon, which has courted the intervention of the state Attorney General. Anderson credits the GoFundMe she started for giving the necessary “freedom and ability” to rent the place as quickly as she did. “Thank God for the GoFundMe money,” said Anderson. “If you're going to write about this, I know I can't thank each person individually, and many, many donated anonymously. But whoever you are out there, I thank you so much. That enabled me to get into this place—it was before I could get anything from State Farm.” “Everything happened so fast, I don't really know what I need,” said Teodolo Lopez, 52, the long-time chef in Santa Anita's backstretch cafeteria, owned and operated by Debby Baltas, who is married to trainer Richard. Baltas and Lopez have worked together for years, are as close as siblings. “Debby makes sure we are okay. She tells me I'm her right hand and I tell her she's my left hand,” said Lopez. Lopez lived alone in a one-bedroom bungalow in Altadena which was completely destroyed, along with most everything inside. His two children are adults, live on their own. Lopez doesn't have a GoFundMe, instead relying on family and friends for support. He's currently staying with Baltas's parents, who he considers family. “I loved my casita and I will help my landlord clean the area once they let us back in,” said Lopez, who added he hopes his landlord—who works for Santa Anita—rebuilds the little community of casitas that Lopez and his neighbors lived in. “I don't have a GoFundMe because those are for people who lost everything,” he said. “I still have my car and my job and a place to live.” Exercise rider Lisa Hanson lived in a trailer in Altadena up in the foothills of the mountains. She had time only to grab her passport, a change of clothes and her dog, threw everything in the back of her RV and fled before her home burned to the ground. Like Lopez, Hanson's car somehow survived the blaze, though she hasn't been allowed back to retrieve it. Everything else has been lost, including a beloved personal keepsake from her grandmother, now passed, that she had taken with as she has travelled the world. Hanson escaped to a campsite near San Diego for a few days, though she's back now in Los Angeles, where she has moved into an Airbnb with her dog as she prepares for a hip surgery on Monday. “I'm luckier than a lot of people,” said Hanson. “Hopefully the renters' insurance comes through. I'm lucky to have someplace to stay for the next 28 days, to recover from the surgery. After that, we'll see how it goes.” In the immediate aftermath of the fires, Santa Anita opened its parking lots for the relief efforts, one part of it as a staging ground for the larger response, and another section for a massive donation center. Here's a link to a list of charities for the local communities. The scenes from a pop-up donation area in one of Santa Anita's parking lots | Getty Images “It was an amazing effort,” said Rick Bakker, Santa Anita's associate director of hospitality. “To see the silver lining of something so terrible, it's to see the community come together.” Santa Anita's racetrack community also includes frontstretch workers have found themselves at the mercy of the fires—like Galinda Bañuelos, a Santa Anita banquet server, who lost her Altadena home that she lived in with her son, 22, and daughter, 33. “I had just paid off my house two years ago. I was a widow at 28 years old. My husband left me with two kids—he passed away of cancer. I was able to survive working my two jobs that I've always worked. I raised my kids alone and kept my house,” said Bañuelos. Because Bañuelos had just paid off her house, “I figured this year was my year to travel,” she said. “My year to do what I wanted to do, for me. And I guess God had something else for me because it's not happening—now I'm homeless.” She returned to her home the next day, unable to accept it was gone. “I went in, took a look, and it's totalled. Everything burned to the ground,” said Bañuelos. The ashes were so hot, the soles of her shoes melted. “I lost all my 33 years of memories from my home,” she added. “I lost all my picture, all my clothes, all my jewellery. Everything.” Amongst the ash and rubble, however, she did find a ring—a three-stone ring to signify past, present and future. “A friend of mine gave it to me because I have gone through so much in my lifetime already, and he gave me the ring so I could look ahead and say, 'I'm over this, I can do anything. I can manage anything,'” said Bañuelos. “It was so weird that I found this particular ring. A few other rings in the same box were burned, shriveled. But this one wasn't.” Bañuelos is currently staying in a friend's house. “I don't know how long. I'm taking it day by day. I know I'm okay this month. I'll worry about next month, next month,” she said. “I want to say we're actually okay compared to others,” she said. Her GoFundMe page is here. Alonzo Aguirre also works as a banquet server for Santa Anita. He lived with his parents in the family home in Altadena, seven of them all told. “There's nothing left of it,” he said. “Just the chimney standing. And in the fireplace, one of my mom's religious statues was still standing in the chimney. But that's it.” “We were eight payments from paying off the house here,” he said. “My mom worked hard all her life here. She's devastated. I cry when I see her cry. It's pretty hard.” He's promised his mother he'll help rebuild it. “I'll take a bank loan out in my name to rebuild the house. We had a simple house. Nothing crazy,” he said. “I have savings, too. We'll manage. But it's sad.” As for the fire, “it all happened so fast. In the morning, we were all sleeping, and then we smelled smoke in the house,” Aguirre said. “I opened the door, all I see is grey in front of me, I couldn't see in front of my face. We said, 'time to go.' We grabbed all we could. I had a bag of laundry I took with me. My birth certificate. My pink slip for my car. Cash I had in my hand. And cleared out.” The family left for south Pasadena. Aguirre returned to his home about three hours later. “And that's when I saw the house physically on fire. I tried to get out of my car to do something. I couldn't do anything. The wind was too strong. I saw flying logs and embers hit my neighbours' houses. It was just insane. Palm trees on fire. It was devastating,” he said. Aguirre—whose GoFundMe is here—is staying with his uncle, while his parents are with other family members, though he's looking for somewhere for the whole family. “We're trying to stay together, support each other,” he said. With such sky-high rents, he's worried that might prove impossible. “Anyplace is fine—I'll make it work.” The post Los Angeles Wildfires: For Some Racetrackers, Recovery’s A Long Road appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Rider Penalties Y Atchamar | Canterbury 15 January; careless riding; suspended 19-31 January inclusive. U Holmquist | Canterbury 15 January; careless riding; suspended 19-23 January inclusive. L Hemi | Canterbury 15 January; misconduct; fined $750. C Campbell | Canterbury 15 January; weighed in in excess of weighing out weight; fined $300. M Cartwright | Waikato 16 January; careless riding; suspended 26 January – 2 February inclusive. N Hailey | Waikato 16 January; failed to make weight; fined $200. K Stott | Wellington 18 January; use of whip; fined $350. L Allpress | Wellington 18 January; medical clearance required. K Mudhoo | Waikouaiti 18 January; failed to make weight; fined $200. N Parmar | Auckland 19 January; medical clearance required. Trainer Penalties S Simon | Appeal dated 15 January; failed to ride trackwork free of prohibited substance; disqualified 1 February – 31 October inclusive. P Riley | Auckland 19 January; late rider declaration; fined $50. B Kennedy | Auckland 19 January; late rider declaration; fined $50. Horse Penalties CASSIUS | Canterbury 15 January; epistaxis; stood down for 3 months and veterinary clearance required. TESTING | Wellington 18 January; cardiac arrhythmia; veterinary clearance required. HICKORY JACK | Wellington 18 January; late scratching after rearing behind barriers; must complete trial. TRAV | Wellington 18 January; slow to begin; must complete trial. NOM DE PLUME | Wellington 18 January; cardiac arrhythmia; veterinary clearance required. ABRUZZI | Waikouaiti 18 January; cardiac arrhythmia; veterinary clearance required. The post 13-19 January 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Driver Penalties D Dolan | Ashburton 14 January; careless driving; fined $250. R Anderson | Ashburton 14 January; failed to drive to finish of race; suspended 15-26 January inclusive. B Orange | Marlborough 19 January; careless driving; fined $300. R May | Marlborough 19 January; contacted track marker; fined $100. Trainer Penalty R Green & N Delany | Waikato Bay of Plenty 17 January; failed to affix gear so as not to come adrift; fined $100. Horse Penalties LUNA DOLCE | Ashburton 14 January; broke in running; must complete trial. CHEVAL NOIR | Ashburton 14 January; broke in running; must complete trial. TAIKA | Ashburton 14 January; broke at start; must complete standing start trial. SUPERFAST RONNIE | Northern Southland 16 January; broke in running; must complete trial. STYRAX | Northern Southland 16 January; broke in running; must complete trial. ALWAYS TICKING | Northern Southland 16 January; atrial fibrillation; veterinary clearance including ECG required and must complete trial. MESSENGER BUOY | Kapiti Coast 19 January; atrial fibrillation; veterinary clearance including ECG required and must complete trial. BILLY KIMBER | Marlborough 19 January; broke in running; must complete trial. HEARTBREAK HOTEL | Marlborough 19 January; broke at start; must complete standing start trial. JUST FOXIN | Marlborough 19 January; caused false start; must complete mobile start trial. MONARCH PRINCE | Marlborough 19 January; late scratching when found to be lame; veterinary clearance required. SPECIAL EFFECTS | Marlborough 19 January; broke in running; must complete trial. The post 13-19 January 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Due to the storm that will impact the Mid-Atlantic region, officials at Laurel Park made the decision to cancel their scheduled nine-race program for Sunday, the Maryland Jockey Club announced via press release. Laurel and the MJC OTB network will remain open for simulcasting. Live racing is due to return Friday, Jan. 24 with a nine-race program. The first post is scheduled at 12:25 p.m. The post Winter Storm Forces Cancellation of Laurel’s Sunday Races appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article