Wandering Eyes

A filly from the first crop of GI Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal (hip 177) brought top price of $240,000 during the first session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's October Yearlings Sale Monday in Central Florida. The bay filly–one of three to bring $200,000 or more during the session–was bred by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds LLC and was consigned by Richard Kent's Kaizen Sales. Christophe Nouvellet, bidding on behalf of Dream With Me Florida, LLC, made the winning bid. “She was a standout in the back ring,” Nouvellet said. “She looked good, moved good and had something to her. We have open plans for her. We don't know if we are going to race her or sell back. We just liked her. And she was definitely the standout of the day.” The session-topping yearling is out of the unraced On The Good List (Speightstown), a half-sister to Grade I winner Dunbar Road (Quality Road). Blum purchased the mare, with the filly in utero, for $95,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November sale. The filly RNA'd as a weanling for $55,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale. “I sold Serena Song's as a yearling and this filly has that kind of class,” said Kent, whose Kaizen Sales was the session's leading consignor with 18 sold for $605,000. “That's big words.” Of the yearling's session-topping price, Kent added, “The price was excellent. The filly justified the price. She was just a super star all week. She'd been scoped eight times and showed herself just brilliantly over 100 times. She's a very classy filly. We had all the players in town bidding on her.” Nouvellet was philosophical about the filly's six-figure price tag. “Every time you buy a horse, you expect to pay less,” he said. “Unfortunately, you often pay more. There is a good horse everywhere. It's a question of opportunities. You are either there or you're not. And when you are there and you see a nice horse, if you have enough money left, you try your luck.” Dream With Me Florida, which recently purchased the 200-acre McKathan Brothers' Farm in nearby Citra, also acquired a Florida-bred filly by Colonel Liam (hip 182) for $13,000 during Tuesday's session. Hip 177 was one of four to bring six figures during Tuesday's session. There were seven to reach that threshold in the entire 2024 auction. During Tuesday's session, 146 yearlings sold for $3,255,600 for an average of $22,299 and a median of $15,000. The buy-back rate was 32.4%. At last year's opening session, which was abbreviated as the sales company shuffled the auction's schedule ahead of an incoming hurricane, 104 horses grossed $1,713,900 for an average of $16,480 and a median of $10,000. The 2024 auction's cumulative average was $19,275 and median was $10,000. The final session of the OBS October sale begins Wednesday at noon. The post Mo Donegal Filly Tops OBS October Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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

Week of Sept. 29-Oct. 5View the full article

The Horse Racing Women's Association, Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, and Keeneland hosted a backstretch women's appreciation event Oct. 7 in the sales pavilion at Keeneland, honoring the women who work tirelessly to care for the equine athletes.View the full article

5. MIZZOU, KEE, 10/3, about 7 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-88 (2nd) (c, 3, by Munnings–Mo'ne Davis, by Bernardini) O-Harrell Ventures and Seaside Racing. B-Brenda and Philip Robertson (Ky). T-George Weaver. J-Jose Ortiz. This Friday maiden sprint kicks off a clean sweep for Keeneland in the Five Fastest Maidens. Mizzou battled with Divine Justice (below) from the start to ultimately lose a head bob despite having been away from the races for more than a year. Curtis Harrell and his nephew Forrest Jr. bought Mizzou for $300,000 at Keeneland September in 2023 from Versailles, Ky., husband and wife breeders Phil and Brenda Robertson. The Robertsons bought dam Mo'ne Davis from Roy Jackson four years ago–she's a half-sister to Jackson's 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. 4. DIVINE JUSTICE, KEE, 10/3, about 7 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-88 (c, 3, by Justify–Rarities, by City Zip) O-Flurry Racing Stable, Titletown Racing Stables, Mathiesen Racing and KC Racing. B-Killora Stud (Ky). T-Brad Cox. J-Tyler Gaffalione. A month-and-a-half ago, Semper Primus broke his maiden at Ellis Park by 8 1/4 lengths with a 100 Beyer, becoming only the second triple-digit-Beyer maiden since we started Five Fastest Maidens this May. Next across the finish in that race was Divine Justice, who just managed to outduel Mizzou Friday in his second career outing. He's a son of Justify out of a full-sister to two-time Grade I winning sprinter Palace. 3. GALLIVANT, KEE, 10/4, 6 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-89 (3rd) (c, 2, by Into Mischief–Fancy Dress Party, by Munnings) O/B-LNJ Foxwoods (Ky). T-Ben Colebrook. J-Luan Machado. And now we get to the swift Saturday sprint at Keeneland. This son of supersire Into Mischief was well-backed at 5/1, and a pacesetting third-place 89 debut Beyer is a fine launching pad. His dam, also raced by the Roth family, won five of her six starts including the GIII Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland, so Gallivant has strong genes on both sides of his pedigree. 2. ROCKIES BALBOA, KEE, 10/4, 6 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 91 (2nd) (c, 2, by Girvin–Toni Ann's Miracle, by Hear No Evil) O-Charles Monfort, Americas Pastime Stables and Bloom Racing Stable. B-Tonya Hunt (Fla). T-Dale Romans. J-Corey Lanerie. “Rocky” probably thought he had pacesetter Gallivant measured, until Local Knowledge landed an uppercut in the final furlong. In large part, his massive improvement from a no-excuses fifth in his first lifetime start is why some may look at the race's lofty rating with raised eyebrows. In that Sept. 1 debut, he trudged home 9 3/4 lengths behind highly-regarded Oscar's Hope with a mediocre 60 Beyer. By contrast, his 91 Beyer on Saturday came a half-hour before Oscar's Hope finished second in a Keeneland allowance–in a six-furlong time 1.16 seconds slower than Rockies Balboa. That might seem illogical, but in making speed figures you go where the data takes you. 1. LOCAL KNOWLEDGE, KEE, 10/4, 6 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-94 (c, 2, by Yaupon–Chestnut Street, by Scat Daddy) O-Spendthrift Farm. B-Stoneriggs Farm (Ky). T-Todd Pletcher. J-Dylan Davis. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. Right in the middle of Spendthrift's banner weekend, this performance flew under the radar. But the $625,000 OBS April purchase delivered a big debut Beyer despite a disadvantageous trip. Watch the head-on replay and you'll see the son of Yaupon slam into the side of the gate at the break and drop five lengths behind average fractions. He also took the long way four wide around the turn, yet still ran down the leaders with nice-looking strides and a final quarter of :23.87. The post Five Fastest Maidens, Presented By Taylor Made: Sept. 30-Oct. 6 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

According to the HIWU website, GI Belmont Stakes winning trainer Jena Antonucci has had a horse test positive for Lidocaine. The horse in question is Bee a Queen (Khozan). Bee A Queen last raced on Sept, 12 at Gulfstream, but it is not clear whether or not that was the race from which the filly had a positive test. After the notice of the positive was posted on the HIWU website, Antonucci posted a statement on her X account explaining that she was willing to work with HISA/HIWU and called for there to be a solution to the problem of trainers being suspended when the medication in question is of “irrelevant concentration.” Here statement read: “While this is still a pending matter, learning you have a controlled substance test which is above an allowable limit is a terrifying experience. Primarily because you do not want to feel that you let down your horse, your owner, your team of those that know who you are. “Since learning that we were navigating the waters of a 3-Hydroxylidocaine overage, we did a complete business triage to ensure we assessed every aspect of our operation. I could not be more thankful to our entire team knowing there was no purposeful or accidental exposure in our control including our veterinary team who does not use Lidocaine in their practice. I am most proud of the professionalism and attention to detail exhibited by everyone. “I continue to stand behind HISA and HIWU and will continue to work with all organizations to get the language right to serve all horsemen fairly and justly. While our overage was nominal, it is paramount we work towards utilizing irrelevant concentrations in testing for the future of sport. “I appreciate HISA and HIWU having an open line of communication during my process and encourage anyone finding themselves in a similar situation to work with the organizations to find solutions. There is something to be learned through each event by both sides. “As a side note…It is easy to be very reactionary as what we do is every bit of our being–so it is personal. I would only ask and encourage trainers to be prudent in detailing all business practices and share your attention to detail and how on top of your business you are, and I would also ask that HISA and HIWU continue to learn it isn't all black and white. We are in this together and we must continue to respect both sides to find and agreeable middle for the horse. For without them we will have nothing.” She concluded the statement saying there will be no further comment at this time. The post Jena Antonucci Has Lidocaine Positive, Says ‘It’s Not All Black and White” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Over the course of four seasons at the racetrack, Sibelius (Not This Time) took his connections on the ride of a lifetime. The well-traveled gelding made 27 starts at 14 tracks, including two international trips to Meydan Racecourse. During his career, he established himself as a three-time group/graded stakes winner, highlighted by an elite-level victory in the 2024 G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. Many who think of Sibelius may reflect on his race record, with six of his nine wins secured at the black-type level while earning just over $1.8 million. However, for those that spent every day with the chestnut while he was racing, it was his inquisitive nature, endearing demeanor and driving work ethic that elevated him from trainee to family member. That's why when it came time for owners Delia Nash and Jun Park, and trainer Jerry O'Dwyer, to make a decision regarding the future of Sibelius after he suffered a tendon injury following a routine gallop last August, the team quickly came to a collective consensus: retirement from racing. “He can come back 100% from it, but that will be a seven or eight month or a year process. He has done so much for us already, we are not going to take a chance of him overexerting himself again,” Jerry O'Dwyer had said following the news of Sibelius's retirement. It was a pivotal moment for everyone involved. Though briefly bittersweet, it opened the door to a new chapter for Sibelius, a horse that has proven his resilience time and time again. “He's a very, very special horse. We had four years of great racing with him. And when he did get injured, we were certainly feeling a little sad and sorry for ourselves that the journey was over. But to know that he was okay and it was nothing that just a little bit of time wasn't going to resolve for him, that's all that really matters at the end of the day,” said Nash, who retains ownership of Sibelius with Park. “He still has so much more to give. He just oozes personality and loves to work and play as well.” After spending six months recuperating in recovery from his tendon injury, Sibelius got back to work, this time under the guidance of Jerry's wife, Alison O'Dwyer. Though she grew up in the world of eventing, competing through the three-star level, O'Dwyer has transitioned to focus on the retirement and retraining of Thoroughbred racehorses primarily in the discipline of dressage. It's O'Dwyer's focus on Off-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) that has led her to become a regular competitor at the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover, held annually in October at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. She has previously won the overall championship once and topped the dressage division three times. This year marks O'Dwyer's sixth year of competing at the Makeover, which begins Oct. 8 and continues through Oct. 11. However, this trip will be more memorable than most as she will be aboard her husband's most successful trainee, Sibelius. “I think it's really remarkable how many people he has touched, even outside of my family. First, I'm very thankful to Delia for sharing him. She could have easily landed him back at her farm for her to look at every day and instead, she wanted him to receive a new education and that involved sharing him with me and my family,” said O'Dwyer. “He was obviously huge for Jerry's career. Sibelius really gave us the most amazing experience and ride going international, but also with wins here in America that I know we'll all never forget. O'Dwyer and Sibelius | O'Dwyer photo “Jun is also such a wonderful co-owner. He is happy if the horse is happy. It's a great little family. There are a lot of people in Sibelius's corner and that's just very special. It all goes back to his character. He's so sweet and wants to do right by his people every second of the day.” Sibelius and O'Dwyer will be competing in the disciplines of dressage and freestyle, a free-form division to demonstrate skills of the trainer's choice, at the Makeover. Though Sibelius has experienced success on the international stage in the world of racing, it has taken a whole new training experience to prepare the gelding for his Makeover debut. “It was obviously extremely intimidating to start off with. Sibelius comes with a lot of pressure, but pressure is a privilege, and I just want to do right by him. When we brought him back into training down in Florida, he was definitely confused. He was still a bit 'racy' and could get upset on his hacks home, and I thought, 'This is going to be tough,'” explained O'Dwyer. “But once we got to Kentucky and established a routine, he really turned a page and mellowed out significantly. You could tell he flipped the switch and thought, 'Okay, this is my new life. This is the new expectation of me.' It was then that we started to bond and make progress quickly. That was in May, and he's just been a joy ever since.” In the lead-up to the Makeover, O'Dwyer has trailered Sibelius everywhere, from hacking out to horse shows, all the while witnessing his progress firsthand as he's found purpose in his new career as a riding horse. The gelding now travels confidently on his own and also stands tied to the trailer without issue. While those may seem like minor details to most, when it comes to making the transition from the track to the show world, all point to taking major steps in the right direction. The 7-year-old gelding's kryptonite remains his curiosity, many times leading to the point of distraction, but it's also something that O'Dwyer has enjoyed learning more about and working with. “He's very nosy, that's what Delia calls him, and he just wants to know what other people are doing. Sometimes we have to have a 'discussion' when we venture to a new place, but it's not like he's misbehaving. He really is great off-property. The environment can impact him but he's just so classy, he handles it all so well,” said O'Dwyer. “It's all about having compassion and understanding that this is actually very, very hard for him. He's still working hard, but in a new way. He has to carry himself differently. He's normally used to going fast in a straight line and now I'm asking him to lift his shoulders and make small turns. “I feel so brave on him now. For me, from a very personal standpoint, it's been a fun transition. I used to be very intimidated by him and now I trust him so much.” Though it's a new chapter for Sibelius, his second career marks a continuation of the story for his connections, who all remain a supportive and loving team behind the Group 1-winning gelding. Alison O'Dwyer and Sibelius | courtesy A O'Dwyer “We all became a little family unit through the races, especially during our trips to Dubai. We pretty much did everything together and it made the experience so special. To see that carry through now to his second career, and for Alison and Jerry to still be involved, is wonderful. He really is just as much their kid as he is ours,” said Nash. Sibelius's talent paired with his trainer's experience, both at the Makeover and outside of it, appears to be a good omen ahead of their next competitive endeavor. “I obviously love the competition and I love the people that run it, they're very passionate. What I appreciate most about the competition is that what's really valued is showing off the training. You get to be creative and I love being able to think very seriously about my horse's strengths and weaknesses, and how to present them in the best possible light. That's not something that we really get a chance to do in any other competition,” said O'Dwyer. Unlike with his racing career, where connections were continuously looking ahead to the next start, they now plan to take it day by day and simply enjoy the continuing ride with Sibelius. “He has a home with me for life and will be spoiled when he returns to the farm. But for now, he's a horse that wants to have a job. For him to go on and have this opportunity, who knows where he'll go after this. He has a lot to accomplish here and that competitive edge still lives on in all of us,” added Nash. Just as he did at the track in the mornings, and at the races in the afternoons, Sibelius is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression, regardless of the outcome. However, if a slate of morning-line odds were to be drawn up ahead of the Makeover, there's no doubt the multitalented gelding would lead the way as the 2-5 favorite. To view the full list of entries for the 2025 Thoroughbred Makeover, click here. The post The Ride of a Lifetime Continues for G1SW Sibelius and Connections at the Thoroughbred Makeover appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Due to an injury sustained in training, WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s multiple grade 1 winner Patch Adams will not be competing in the Breeders' Cup as planned and has been retired to WinStar Farm for the 2026 breeding season.View the full article

Due to an injury sustained in training, WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s dual Grade I winner Patch Adams (Into Mischief–Well Humored, by Distorted Humor) will not be competing in the Breeders' Cup as planned and has been retired to WinStar Farm for the 2026 breeding season. A stud fee will be announced later. “Patch Adams had a straightforward lateral condylar fracture in his right hind that went back together extremely well, and he can race or breed without any notice of the fracture in 2026,” said Dr. Larry Bramlage of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. “He has an excellent prognosis.” Trained by Brad Cox, the 3-year-old reeled off back-to-back Grade I victories in the Woody Stephens Stakes and the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes. “The speed and heart he showed in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial not only established himself as the leading 3-year-old sprinter in the country but drew a lot of attention from the breeding public and solidified our decision to stand him in 2026,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “While he could still run at four, we have made the difficult decision to stick with our original plan to retire him.” His final time of 1:21.36 in the Woody Stephens stands as the fastest seven-furlong time by a colt at Saratoga during the 2025 season. Named a TDN Rising Star after winning his second career start at Churchill Downs by 10 1/2 lengths, Patch Adams stopped the clock for seven furlongs in a rapid 1:20.77, just 0.33 seconds shy of the track record set by two-time champion Groupie Doll back in 2012. “I've had good two-turn colts in my career like Essential Quality and Cyberknife, but Patch Adams is the fastest 3-year-old I have ever had,” said Brad Cox, a two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer and currently the leading trainer in the country by earnings. “When he won by 10 lengths going seven furlongs in 1:20.77, I knew he would be a Grade I winner.” Patch Adams won four-of-seven lifetime starts–was undefeated (3-for-3) at seven furlongs–banked $772,585. Patch Adams is by perennial leading sire Into Mischief out of the stakes-winning Distorted Humor mare Well Humored. he hails from the family of Grade I winners Well Armed, Cyberknife, Played Hard and American Patriot. The bay was bred by WinStar. “Here at WinStar, we believe in speed,” said Walden. “We believe Patch Adams has the genetics, race record, conformation, and pedigree to make a top stallion prospect. Patch Adams was a fast 2-year-old and a very fast 3-year-old.” For more information on Patch Adams, contact Liam O'Rourke, Olivia Desch, or Ben Hanley at 859-873-1717, or visit www.WinStarFarm.com. The post MGISW Patch Adams Injured, Retired to WinStar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Morgane Kervarrec knows she's not exactly known for being the most outgoing person on the backside. But for her, the job has never been about small talk or making appearances. It's about the work, the horses, and the quiet rhythm of morning training at Santa Anita. “People will say sometimes that maybe I'm not really social,” Kervarrec admitted. “It's not that I'm tired of being social. I'm just tired of fake connections with people that you don't get with animals. That's why I picked this job. You deal less with people and more with animals. The connection that you have with them is real.” The bond she shares with the horses she works with is what she loves most about her job as an exercise rider for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. It is also what has helped the 35-year-old build up an impressive list of trainees going into this year's Breeders' Cup. This fall, her mounts include recent GI Goodwood Stakes winner Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach), GI Del Mar Debutante Stakes victress Bottle of Rouge (Vino Rosso), 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Boyd (Violence), and GSW and GISP Barnes (Into Mischief). Violence) and GSW and GISP Barnes. She shares her insights on the quartet in this episode of Breeders' Cup Connections."> Kervarrec's connection with horses didn't just start one morning on the track. As a young girl growing up in Brittany, France, she was drawn to the simple honesty of the animals and she began dreaming of a life spent working with them. “I think I started falling in love with horses before I started talking, before I even started walking,” recalled Kervarrec. “It's something that runs in my family and I always promised my parents that I wouldn't work with horses. So I went to college to please everybody, but I just realized it wasn't for me. I ended up working with horses anyway.” Kervarrec moved throughout Europe and Australia working as both an exercise rider and a jockey. In 2019, she traveled to California with the intention of staying at Santa Anita for three months. She never left. After starting out working for fellow French export Leonard Powell, she moved over to trainer Simon Callaghan's barn. Three years ago, she had to take a pause from riding for the birth of her daughter. For Kervarrec, it was never a question of if she was coming back to the racetrack, but of how it could be an opportunity to turn over a new leaf in her career. “When you come from Europe, well let's be honest, Bob Baffert is a legend all around the world,” she said. “There are a lot of good trainers here in the U.S. that we don't know about in Europe, but everybody knows Bob Baffert. I remember when I first came, Justify was still here, so just seeing him in the morning I was just like, 'Wow.' One morning I saw Bob standing in the front of his barn. I was like, 'Okay, I'm just going to take a shot. After all, he's just like any other person.'” Baffert offered Kervarrec a job on the spot and she started the next morning. Kervarrec said that she has been a horse lover for as long as she could remember | photo courtesy Morgane Kervarrec One of the first stakes-level horses that she was assigned to that still holds a place in her heart today is Mr. Fisk (Arrogate). The Sunny Brook Stables homebred brought home three graded stakes in California and is now a stallion at Pleasant Acres in Florida. “He was very special to me,” said Kervarrec. “He has a great personality and I really miss him every day. I'm just happy that he has a very good life now having babies.” Another early standout performer was three-time Grade I winner Adare Manor (Uncle Mo), who took Kervarrec to her first Breeders' Cup when she competed in the 2023 Distaff. “I remember going to the track in the morning with her name on the towel, and it's like you're proud because that's your baby that you train all year long,” Kervarrec explained. “The Breeders' Cup is the target. That's our championship.” As a member of Baffert's team, Kervarrec gets on no shortage of Breeders' Cup-level quality horses. But she said she treats all her mounts the same, no matter their future potential or existing resume. “We're spoiled at this barn,” she admitted. “I'm blessed to be able to get on such good horses, but it doesn't matter if they are stakes horses or if they're just going to win their allowance. I love them all the same. I think that we have to remember that the people [on the backside] really do this job because we love the horses first.” This year, Kervarrec has an embarrassment of riches with the horses she is working with. She said she shares a unique connection with each of them. The first time she rode Nevada Beach, she went back to the barn and asked the foreman if she could keep riding the 3-year-old son of Omaha Beach. “He is just such a sweet boy and he's a huge horse, but he's like such a gentle giant,” she shared. “He really wants to do whatever you ask him to do. He's very special to me.” After breaking his maiden on debut this past April, Nevada Beach was runner-up in the Affirmed Stakes and claimed the Los Alamitos Derby before his definitive win in the Goodwood, a 'Win and You're In' for the Breeders' Cup Classic. Kervarrec said she was at pony club with her daughter when the big colt got that first Grade I score on Sept. 27, but she was watching from her phone and cheering him on as he stormed to the wire. While Nevada Beach is a breeze for Kervarrec to ride in the mornings, Bottle of Rouge requires a touch more concentration and skill. Nevada Beach wins the GI Goodwood Stakes | Horsephotos “When she first came in, it wasn't easy to find a way to get along with her,” said the horsewoman. “She was a little sassy, so you had to find a way to ask her what you wanted to do because you don't make them do what you want, you ask them. She has really figured out what we are doing here and now she is really easy to work with. I would say that she is one of my favorites now.” A winner in her second start at Del Mar, the Jill Baffert-owned juvenile claimed the GI Del Mar Debutante and is now pointing for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Kervarrec also rides Himika (Curlin), the fourth-place finisher in the Debutante. She said she enjoys working with the 2-year-olds, and helping them learn the ropes of the racetrack. One colt who needed a steady hand when he first arrived in the Baffert barn was Zedan Racing Stables' Boyd. “It's funny because I normally don't like riding chestnut horses, but there is something so special about him,” she said with a fond smile. “I remember galloping him for the first time. He was just so smooth and was like, 100% good boy, really. He was willing to do good, but was confused about what he was doing here. That is, until the first race. Then he showed everybody that he totally understood the task.” In his first start on Sept. 7 going five-and-a-half furlongs, Boyd broke sharply and never looked back, breaking away to win by almost six lengths and earning the 'Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' nod. The colt is now expected to train up to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Kervarrec also rides another Zedan Racing Stables-owned colt, Barnes (Into Mischief). She said that sitting aboard the Grade II-winning colt named after Baffert's longtime assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes is a great honor. “Jimmy is a great person to work for,” she said. “Same with Bob. He has been supporting me and didn't give up on me when I needed him. He's not easy, but he's a great boss.” Being an exercise rider is demanding under any circumstances. The early mornings, long hours, and ever-present risk of injury make it a tough way to make a living. For Kervarrec, balancing that with raising her 3-year-old daughter adds another layer of challenge, but also motivation. “For me, it was never a question to stop working because I'm a mom,” she shared. “It's a big life turn, but I'm grateful for her. She loves horses and is riding already. She loves to spend time at the barn. If you let her, she'll walk down the shedrow and pet everybody so you've got to keep an eye on her.” Perhaps that horse-crazy streak runs in Kervarrec's daughter, too. It's a common thread on any backside, where so many people have built their lives around the sport because it's what their parents and grandparents did before them, and because deep down, they can't imagine doing anything else. “What people see on the front of the track is just the glitter,” Kervarrec explained. “It's the pretty side. They don't see all the people on the backside who are here because they love their job. They love horses and they work hard to make all this possible. I think that when you love your job, you get up every morning with the feeling that you're not working. I feel blessed every day when I get to gallop these horses.” The post Breeders’ Cup Connections: For Morgane Kervarrec, It’s All About the Horse appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Brian Sheerin and Emma Berry NEWMARKET, UK — Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum rarely misses Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and when the ruler of Dubai is present at Park Paddocks it is a safe bet that he will make a major contribution to the top end of the market. This he did once more, buying the day's top lot for 3,700,000gns – the most expensive yearling sold anywhere in the world this year – as well as three of the five seven-figure lots of the session. By the day's end, Sheikh Mohammed and his team of representatives, which included Anthony Stroud, David Loder and trainers Charlie Appleby and Saeed Bin Suroor, had recruited another 10 yearlings to the Godolphin fold for a first-day outlay of 9,300,000gns. Leading the session, but only narrowly, was lot 90, an exquisitely-bred son of Sea The Stars whose close relation Crystal Ocean, by the same stallion, had been champion older horse in England in 2019. Bred by Ed's Stud and consigned by Eugene Daly's Longview Stud, the colt is out of the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild's Listed winner Crystal Zvezda (Dubawi), who was bought from the dispersal of Southcourt Stud for 775,000gns in 2022. His appearance in the ring sparked a bidding duel between the Godolphin team outside the ring and Kia Joorabchian and the Amo Racing posse inside. “He was exceptional-looking and [comes] from a very good stud farm,” said Stroud. “It's a Rothschild family so he was majestic in the way that he moved and walked. He was a lovely horse.” He continued, “Obviously the family works well with Sea The Stars and he really stood out for us. You have to pay for the ones you really want and he was the one we wanted.” With a sentence that may be music to the ears of those vendors with horses still to come, Stroud added, “Godolphin has supported this sale hugely. It's only the first day and we have two more days to go.” Stroud later also signed for lot 95, Airlie Stud's half-brother to former champion Irish two-year-old filly Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy). The son of Too Darn Hot finally brought the hammer down at 1,000,000gns. Airlie's Anthony Rogers said, “It is a great price – he is a lovely horse. You can never believe that you are going to get a million for a horse. Dane Street has been an amazing mare for us and we failed to sell her here about 15 years ago. She is still breeding, but she has had a rest this year.” Also on the Godolphin list was a Blue Point colt out of the G3 Ballyogan Stakes second Boston Rocker (Acclamation), who is the dam of six winners from as many runners to date, including 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). Sold as lot 67, he continued the annus mirabilis for James Hanly and his Ballyhimikin Stud when selling for 1,000,000gns. “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 that lot 67, who was bred in partnership by Hanly, Anthony Stroud and Skymarc Farm, 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.” Weighed In The extraordinary highs of last year were always going to be hard to match, but the returns on Tuesday were strong by most standards, even though they represented a reduction when it comes to year-on-year comparisons. From a staggering 92 per cent clearance rate in 2025, 79 per cent of the first-day yearlings were marked as sold. The turnover of 40,533,000gns from the sale of 125 yearlings (eight more than last year's opener) represented a drop of six per cent, while the average of 323,352gns was down by 11 per cent and the median by 19 per cent at 210,000gns. Family Matters for Amo Racing While Amo Racing had filled the role of underbidder to Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation on the day's top lot, it hadn't taken long for Kia Joorabchain to make presence felt again at Book 1 when 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.” Of the 12-year-old Aljazzi, he added, “Unfortunately she lost a pregnancy to Too Darn Hot back in January and we failed to get her back in foal. She's had two blank years but we will regroup and go again. I think she should go back to Frankel, don't you? “When I did the budget last December, I put him in at a measly half-a-million. I said half-a-million because some of these big, raw Frankels can still make half-a-million even if they are just legs. He really came together all year, especially during his prep. And I suppose coming in here, I thought maybe there is a chance he might make seven figures, a bit like I felt with the filly last year. But when you get two big-hitters locking horns, there's always a chance they can go and make unbelievable amounts.” Determined Bidding Pays Off There was no shortage of American buyers through the opening session of Book 1, with Repole Stable, Justin Casse, Chad Brown, Liz Crow, Mike Ryan, Andrew Cary and Alex Solis all signing for yearlings, but perhaps the most prominent so far is Matt Dorman of Determined Stables, who bought four fillies through David Ingordo. While Ingordo is a Tattersalls regular, this was a first visit to Park Paddocks for Matt Dorman. “We've purchased remotely before but we definitely wanted to be here in person,” Dorman said. “Everything has been great. I commend Tattersalls [for the] wonderful grounds, good people, and it's been very easy to look at horses and go through the process we need to go through.” The quartet of yearlings was bought for a total of 1,500,000gns and included a Bjoirn Nielsen-bred No Nay Never half-sister to French Listed winner Chartreuse (Lawman) for 540,000gns from the draft of Brian O'Rourke (lot 69). Ingordo also signed for Ballyvolane Stud's Too Darn Hot filly five lots later at 425,000gns. A first foal, she is out of Caromil (Sea The Stars), a sister to the Listed winner Boerhan from the family of G1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Millisle. Dorman continued, “We have a broodmare band in Lexington, Kentucky, and they are producing and doing well. We wanted to shift the focus a little bit to develop more runners and create some future broodmares. We are really looking long-term, and the stallion power that is present here makes a lot of sense as we like to race on turf and dirt. These [fillies] will ship back to the States and they will go to Cherie DeVaux.” Night Of Thunder Millionaire for Juddmonte Juddmonte has made a concerted effort to acquire speedier types at the yearling sales this year and, a week on from spending €440,000 on a Mehmas colt at the Goffs Orby Sale, added a Night Of Thunder colt to the roster for a cool million gns. The Night Of Thunder colt was bred by Lodge Park Stud and hails from one of the farm's most famous families given the dam, Express Way (Dark Angel), is a daughter of Alluring Park (Green Desert), who famously produced Oaks heroine Was (Galileo). Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge simply summed up the transaction, “He's just a super horse – a lovely horse. That's what you have to pay for them, I'm afraid. It's very expensive in there. He's a very good mover. Showed well all week. It's an amazing family as well. The stallion has been fantastic this year.” Meanwhile, Jamie Burns of Lodge Park Stud was visibly emotional after the sale and reported his mother, Patricia, who has cultivated the family for many years, to be “thrilled to bits”. Burns said, “He exceeded expectations greatly. He is a lovely-moving horse and he goes to a great home. Delighted to see him go to Juddmonte as he will be given every opportunity. Night Of Thunder is flying. Galileo has worked great in the pedigree so we are trying a different angle. We're absolutely thrilled to bits. Mum is delighted.” Subplots Japanese owner Tsunefumi Kusama, a first-time visitor to Tattersalls, will be racing two smartly-bred fillies in his homeland, having bought Ballyphilip Stud's Frankel half-sister to top sprinter Battaash for 600,000gns along with the Palace Pier filly out of Oaks winner Anapurna (Frankel) from Meon Valley Stud for 200,000gns. It should be noted that Palace Pier enjoyed a good sale. Three yearlings by Darley's young stallion sold for an average of 298,333gns, which placed him in the top 10 performing stallions on that metric. Nurlan Bizakov was in attendance at Tattersalls to secure lot 157, a brother to his top-class miler Charyn, whose first foals will hit the ground in 2026. The Sumbe boss went to 450,000gns to secure the Grangemore Stud-consigned brother to the multiple Group 1 winner. Bizakov said, “He is very similar to his brother, though a different colour, and he does remind me of Charyn at this stage. We were, of course, interested in the pedigree as soon as the catalogue came out – the mare has been a very good producer.” Bizakov went on to spend 300,000gns on lot 176, a Wootton Bassett colt out of G3 Athasi Stakes winner Happen (War Front) from Tweenhills. The Thompson family's Cheveley Park Stud was yet another major owner-breeder to get in on the action when spending 750,000gns on a Sea The Stars sister to the highly-rated Roi De France. Out of Bjorn Nielsen's Group 3-placed Danilovna (Dansili), who is a half-sister to multiple Group 1 scorer Lillie Langtry (Danehill Dancer), the Sea The Stars filly was consigned by Brian O'Rourke Bloodstock. The big question coming into Book 1 was whether Amo Racing would be as strong as last year. Well, that question was answered pretty quickly when Kia Joorabchian went to 3.6 million gns on a Frankel colt from Newsells Park Stud. All told, Amo Racing and Godolphin spent 13.9 million gns between them. That worked out at almost a third of the total aggregate on Tuesday. Newtown Anner Stud was one of the bigger spenders at Goffs last week and landed a sister to Saffron Beach (New Bay) for €500,000. Maurice Regan's operation was busy once again at Tattersalls when going to 525,000gns for lot 166, Whatton Manor Stud's Dubawi half-sister to multiple Group 2 scorer Silver Knott, out of the Group 1 winner God Given (Nathaniel). Golden Touch Taking a chance on a foal by young stallion Space Traveller paid off in spades for Michael Carty of Kilmoney Cottage Stud when he almost tripled his money on the half-brother to Royal Ascot-winning two-year-old Ain't Nobody (Sands Of Mali). Bought for 82,000gns, the Space Traveller colt fittingly sold to Ain't Nobody's trainer Kevin Ryan for 240,000gns. Carty said, “We can't afford to buy the foals by the big stallions so we took a chance on Space Traveller and we have been well rewarded. I'd give him a big chance. This is a grand colt, now. He prepped well and has been very easy to deal with. I liked him a lot as a foal and we were lucky to get a nice update when his half-brother Ain't Nobody was second in the Nunthorpe earlier in the summer. He's gone to a very good trainer which is important. We buy around 10 foals every year and, while we knew this lad was nice, we are pleasantly surprised by what he made. It's a great day.” Buy of the Day Lot 60: Nathaniel colt ex Bizzi Lizzi (Muhaarar) Vendor: Meon Valley Stud Buyer: Andrew Balding, 75,000gns A strong colt by one of the best middle-distance stallions in Europe from an excellent breeder which has diligently nurtured this particular family for more than four decades. There's plenty to like about what appears to be a very reasonable purchase of this son of the dual winner Bizzi Lizzi, herself out of the dual Group 1 winner and multiple stakes producer Izzy Top (Pivotal). Trainer Andrew Balding was standing alongside Mick and Janice Mariscotti when bidding for this colt and history tells us that it pays to follow the purchases of this particular team. Coltrane, who was retired on Saturday after finishing runner-up in the G1 Prix du Cadran, won nine races, including six at stakes level, and amassed more than £1 million in prize-money having been bought by Balding at Book 1 seven years ago for 50,000gns. They trio has also enjoyed success with another Meon Valley Stud-bred by Nathaniel in the G2 Queen's Vase winner Dashing Willoughby, bought at Book 1 for 70,000gns in 2017. The Mariscottis also have Zavateri running in this weekend's G1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes. The Without Parole colt, who is unbeaten and is already a three-time group winner, was a Book 2 purchase last year for 35,000gns by Anthony Bromley and trainer Eve Johnson Houghton. We'll be watching this well-bred Nathaniel colt with interest in the years to come. Tattersalls Takeaways: Day 1 The opening session of the October Yearling Sale provided the two most expensive yearlings sold anywhere in the world this year at 3,700,000gns (approximately $5.2m) and 3,600,000gns (approximately $5.08m). This compares to a top price of $4.1m at the Saratoga Sale, $3.3m at Keeneland September, and the equivalent of $2.83m at Japan's JRHA Select Sale. Godolphin dominated the buyers' list on Tuesday, signing up 10 yearlings for 9,300,000gns, including the top lot and four of the top ten. Next on the list was Amo Racing, whose three purchases totalled 4,600,000gns. The Coolmore partners were notable absentees from the first-day buyers' sheet. A third of the way through Book 1, Frankel is the leading sire with six yearlings sold at an average of 939,167gns. There was a decent result for Ballylinch Stud's first-season sire Bayside Boy when Blandford Bloodstock signed for lot 137 at 300,000gns. The colt out of Fairy Dancer (Fastnet Rock) was bought last year from breeder Ballylinch for 80,000gns by Oneliner Stables. From a larger catalogue this year (537 compared to 448 in 2024), the key figures took a dip during the opening session, with the clearance rate of 79 per cent being down from 92 per cent 12 months ago. The post Tattersalls on Top of the World as Two Most Expensive Yearlings in 2025 Launch Book 1 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 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