Wandering Eyes

From winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) with Super Corredora to losing her business just days later, Debbie Self has leaned on her horses to help her heal. View the full article

Cameletta Vega (Camelot) has been supplemented to the Goffs February Sale, which is set for February 11-12. A National Hunt breeding prospect, she is a daughter of six-time Mares' Hurdle winner Quevega (Robin Des Champs). Also a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Facile Vega (Walk In The Park) and Aurora Vega (Walk In The Park), Cameletta Vega has wins in a bumper and a maiden hurdle on her resume. She was also fourth in the G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Feathard Lady Mares Novice Hurdle. Goffs Group chief executive, Henry Beeby said, “Cameletta Vega only enhances a strong line-up for the Goffs February Sale and we are grateful to her connections for entrusting another outstanding NH broodmare prospect to us. She will crown a strong two days at Kildare Paddocks and be sold before the commencement of our new February Point-To-Point Sale.” The post Quevega Daughter Added To Goffs February appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

WinStar Farm's 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Timberlake (Into Mischief–Pin Up {Ire}, by Lookin At Lucky), winner of the GI Champagne Stakes at two and a millionaire son of perennial leading sire Into Mischief, sired his first reported foal Tuesday morning, WinStar announced. The first foal, a colt, was born at Monticule in Lexington, Ky. Farm d'Allie Racing Stable (Allison Banks) bred the colt out of the Verrazano mare Flume, a half-sister to Grade I-placed Identity Politics. “He is a big, strong colt, and I think if they all look like him then everyone will be happy,” said Breena Kaplan, farm manager at Monticule, of the Timberlake colt. Allison Banks added, “I am so blessed to have a healthy, strong colt, and a wonderful mare who produces good individuals. To be Timberlake's first foal is just icing on the cake. Our operation may be small, but I feel strongly about quality breeding and attention to detail. Thank you to my farm manager, Monticule, and WinStar for making this possible.” Campaigned by Siena Farm and WinStar Farm, Timberlake won the Champagne by 4 1/4 lengths, defeating subsequent 2-year-old champion Fierceness (City of Light) and registering a 93 Beyer Speed Figure. He also captured the GII Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in his 3-year-old debut and was tabbed a 'Rising Star' following a 9 1/4-length maiden special weight at Ellis Park at two. All told, Timberlake, who was trained by Brad Cox, banked more than $1.3 million, winning or placing in 5-of-9 career starts, including three Grade I's. A $350,000 Keeneland September yearling, Timberlake hails from the family of Group 1 winners Quarter Moon (Ire), an Irish Champion, Yesterday (Ire), and Diamondsandrubies (Ire). Timberlake, who bred 161 mares in his initial book, stands for $15,000 S&N. The post Timberlake Represented By First Foal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland has scheduled 19 stakes worth a total of $9.55 million during the Spring Meet April 3-24. It offers two marquee events for 3-year-olds: the $1.25 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) for males and the $750,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) for fillies.View the full article

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has released its 2026 stakes schedule following approval by the West Virginia Racing Commission.View the full article

Dual grade 1 winner La Cara is set to be back in action Jan. 24, favored in a field of eight contesting the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) at Sam Houston Race Park.View the full article

As a trainer, Luca Cumani's name has long been etched in the history books among an elite group to have trained two Derby winners. Along with Kahyasi and High-Rise, other equine stars to have graced his stable over more than four decades include Barathea, One So Wonderful, Gossamer, Alkaased, Falbrav and Zomaradah, who is now better known as the dam of Dubawi. Perhaps one of the most special was the Fillies' Mile winner Shamshir, who carried the colours of Sheikh Mohammed but had been bred by Luca and his wife Sara at their Fittocks Stud. Keen students of pedigrees, the Cumanis have long run this successful breeding establishment in tandem with the training operation, but since his retirement from the training ranks in 2018, Luca has joined Sara in making this his main focus. Fittocks Stud recently hit was can be described as a bloodstock home run – not once but three times – when selling a trio of seven-figure yearlings at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale. Ahead of the start of another lively foaling season, Luca took the time to speak us about his long-held interest in breeding. As ever, we are indebted to Polly Bonnor and the team at Saracen Horse Feeds for their generous sponsorship of TDN Conversations. Listen here: https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Conversations-Luca_v1.mp3 The post TDN Conversations with Emma Berry: Luca Cumani appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

We continue to spotlight a few of the extraordinary mares–and some of the people behind them–who produced the Grade I winners of 2025. The two mares we highlight today are responsible for the last two GI Kentucky Oaks winners, with the 2024 Oaks victress adding to her laurels in 2025 and the 2025 Oaks winner returning to the track for 2026 in hopes of doing the same. Both are also finalists for this week's Eclipse Awards. Sataves, dam of Thorpedo Anna By any measure, Judy Hicks is a smart woman. She even has the papers to prove it: two bachelor's degrees, two master's degrees, and one Ph.D. But perhaps the smartest thing she's ever done came from the heart instead of the head. On a late January night in 2015, a client's mare at her Brookstown Farm near Versailles, Ky. surprised everyone by foaling six weeks early. Because the mare, a daughter of Stormy Atlantic named Pacific Sky, was so early, the foaling was unattended. The foal was alive but tiny and weak, just 40 inches tall and 60 pounds, and she had a crushed hock. Outside advice given to the client recommend the filly be put down, but Hicks found herself asking if she could have the filly instead. Hicks has always had a tremendous heart for animals–all five of her degrees are in animal-related fields–and she wanted to give this one a chance. “I wanted to save this little filly,” said Hicks. “I could feel there was something there. She didn't breathe very well, but boy was she full of energy. She found the bag on that mare on her own. They told me it would be a disservice to the horse to keep her, but I wanted to try to save her life.” Luckily for the sport, the answer Hicks received was yes. If it hadn't been, there would be no Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) today. Judy Hicks with Sataves and her dogs Smoke, Dozer, and Nova | Sarah Andrew Hicks did save the filly, a daughter of the late Uncle Mo who was born the same year his first crop propelled him to leading freshman sire honors. She let her mother name the filly Sataves–“it has something to do with a Buddist god, I think”–and the filly thrived under her care, despite suffering from stunted growth. She never raced and today she's only 14.2 hands. “She's very little,” said Hicks, “She's so small, she has to reach up on her tiptoes to put her head over the fence. She's temperamental. She's crooked in front. Her left foot toes in so bad it almost touches her right. That hock is big and she's not very attractive, but I love her and she knows I saved her.” Sataves has since produced four foals for Hicks, including 2024 Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna, whose long list of accomplishments includes 2024's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and Kentucky Oaks and 2025's GI Apple Blossom Handicap and GI Personal Ensign Stakes. Everyone knows the tale: Hicks sold her at Fasig-Tipton October as a yearling for $40,000 to trainer Kenny McPeek and ended up keeping a piece of her. But what made her breed Sataves to the late Fast Anna to begin with? Grade I-placed himself, he sired 14 black-type winners in his five crops, but Thorpedo Anna is his only graded winner. “It was his body, I always pick bodies,” remembered Hicks. “He was by Medaglia d'Oro and he was a perfect score on conformation. Everything about him was absolutely gorgeous. Anna got his huge hind end and great shoulder. If anything, Fast Anna would have given Thorpedo Anna a length of neck because Sataves has a short neck, although I don't know if that was from her immaturity. “Sataves looks just like Uncle Mo but with short legs,” continued Hicks. “Her cannon bones never grew–that's why she's short–but her babies all get their sire's attributes. Kathryn Nikkel deserves some credit, as she was the adviser who picked Uncle Mo to breed to Pacific Sky.” Hicks has been around a number of good horses, including in an unusual circumstance where she purchased a mare from a sheriff's sale on the courthouse steps, developed her descendants for a few generations, and eventually saw a yearling she sold out of the family produce Grade I winner and young sire Newgate (Into Mischief). However, she said nothing can prepare a person for the wide ride of an incredibly popular Horse of the Year. “It gives me goosebumps,” said Hicks. “A lot of times I don't know that it really sank in. No one can prepare you for what she did, but I grasped it, I took charge of it, and I got everything out of it I could plus more. “There's so many variables. You have to have a Kenny McPeek, who is willing to take chances. You have to have ability, but I don't know if anybody else had her, if they would have done the same things. You just don't know.” The Northern California native and self-proclaimed George Strait fanatic has had “ups and downs and goods and bads. It has all formed me into the person I am, but I've basically been just a working farm manager. I love my farm and I love saving animals.” Hicks still cared for Pacific Sky until recently, when she put down the long-retired mare, who was suffering from laminitis, and buried her on the farm. Hicks leads Thorpedo Anna into the Personal Ensign winner's circle at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew Hicks and her husband, R.W., run a boarding operation on their approximately 460 acres at Brookstown Farm. They've recently sold part of their land and have toyed with the idea of retiring, but with well over 100 horses to care for, it won't be anytime soon. “I have 10 of my own, 10 in partnerships with other people, and I board probably 80 or 90,” said Hicks. “I've got 40 to foal this spring, I've got about 30 barren mares and maidens to breed, plus 23 yearlings, and some old retired girls. R.W. grows corn and soybeans and we bale our pastures to use for bedding.” In 2007, they suffered the worst tragedy parents can face when their 17-year-old son, Dusty, broke his neck in a diving accident in a pond on their farm. Hicks, her daughter Kristi, and Dusty were on a horseback ride on the 4th of July when it happened. Hicks said Dusty was a top swimmer in the state of Kentucky and had just gotten a full-ride swimming scholarship to Stanford University. “While nothing prepares you for Thorpedo Anna,” said Hicks, “I've had some really bad things in my life that have probably prepared me by helping my strength. My son died when he was 17 and to endure that was beyond anything. I'm still extremely strong and I try and stay as positive as I can.” Hicks is now a grandmother, as her daughter, who lives in Texas, has two little girls, Charlee and Mallory. Thorpedo Anna's older half-sister, Charlee O (Tourist), is named for Kristi's daughter. “She's five and spoiled and Kristi is going to have her hands full with that one,” said Hicks with a laugh. “When I look back at my life, I do have to smile. The memories I have.” Thorpedo Anna's dam at Brookstown Farm | Sarah Andrew Hicks has kept Charlee O, who has a Bolt d'Oro yearling filly and is in foal to Good Magic. She'll go back to Good Magic in 2026. Hicks also retained 25% of Sataves's 4-year-old McAfee (Cloud Computing), a multiple graded-placed colt, and owns her 2-year-old filly, After the Storm (Known Agenda), outright. After the Storm is in training with McPeek and Hicks said the trainer claims she has Anna's hip and leg. Sataves lost her last two pregnancies, a Gun Runner at around eight months and a Curlin before 30 days. “We're thinking maybe we should just take her to Oklahoma and breed her to a cheap stallion because that's when she tends to stay in foal,” joked Hicks, who said the mare is heading to Not This Time this year. “It's unfortunate she lost those two. I sent her over to Dr. Bramlage at Rood and Riddle and the reproductive group over there went over her with a fine-tooth comb. “I'm having to upgrade. I can't go to cheap stallions anymore with her. She's the Broodmare of the Year. Besides me having really, really good sales luck with Not This Time, he is just a magnificent-looking stallion. Hopefully the foal can get his attributes.” The diminutive Sataves in October | Sarah Andrew Sataves, now just 11, was named the 2024 Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Broodmare of the Year in September at TOBA's 40th anniversary awards dinner. Somewhat remarkably, Hicks has never received any inquires about selling her. That's fine with Hicks. “Because she's so unattractive, I don't think anybody would want to buy a 14.2 mare,” mused Hicks. “Maybe they know what she looks like, but I've never had even a phone call. I have never been asked to sell her. Or maybe they know that I wouldn't sell her, so they don't even bother to offer.” Thorpedo Anna suffered mild bone bruising in the fall and was retired in October. John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa acquired a half-interest in the star mare in August, then purchased another 20% for $1 million at Keeneland's Championship sale in late October. The finalist for Eclipse champion older mare now resides at Hill 'n' Dale and is scheduled to visit Gun Runner for her first foal and Curlin for her second. Hicks said she still owns her portion and doesn't plan to part with it. “I have not yet been out to see her,” said Hicks, who said she hated the way Thorpedo Anna's career ended with a tough loss in the GI Juddmonte Spinster Stakes and just returned from two weeks alone in Cabo San Lucas to help process it. “That horrible loss hit me hard. I had to get away and it was the best therapy for me as I was very, very heavy hearted and it was very emotional for me. Part of it is just sadness. Your daughters grow up and leave home and that's what she's done and I have to be happy for her, but it's bittersweet.” Wedding Toast, dam of Good Cheer While Thorpedo Anna was bred by one woman from a discarded filly and an inexpensive stallion yet still turned into an icon, the 2025 Kentucky Oaks winner represents the other end of the spectrum. Godolphin homebred Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) was bred to be a headliner. Wedding Toast in June | Sarah Andrew In 2008, Godolphin's Darley arm purchased Stonerside Farm, near Paris, Ky., from Robert and Janice McNair. Included in the purchase was approximately 170 carefully cultivated broodmares. One of them was Golden Sheba (Coronado's Quest), an unraced half-sister to Stonerside's five-time Grade I-winning luminary Congaree. The first mating arranged by Darley for Golden Sheba was a visit to brilliant home stallion Street Sense. Wedding Toast, a member of his second crop, was the happy result. Racing as a homebred, Wedding Toast captured the 2015 GI Ogden Phipps Stakes and GI Beldame Stakes among her five black-type victories. Good Cheer, who like her dam has five black-type wins, is her fourth foal. “[Wedding Toast is] special, but they're all treated the same here so you can't [let yourself] get too overwhelmed with one superstar mare,” said Ben Lynch, the broodmare manager at Stonerside, last summer. “They're all treated at such a high level, which I think makes a big difference across the board. It's a pretty star-studded barn here itself and it's kind of like that across the farm, so we're very spoiled.” Good Cheer's dam at Godolphin's Stonerside Farm | Sarah Andrew Godolphin has one of the most high-powered broodmare bands in the industry, evidenced by an unprecedented weekend last May when a Kentucky Derby-Oaks double in America turned into a Classic quadruple on both sides of the pond for the global operation, which became the first ownership group to sweep all four Classics in the same year. Three of Godolphin's four winners were homebreds. It was Good Cheer who kicked off the heady weekend with her Oaks score. Lynch distinctly remembers the Oaks winner. “She was, I think, maybe the second crop of foals I was around here. Similar to the mare, she's just all class. Never made a fuss, just very straightforward. Everyone loved her from the beginning.” Like her own dam, Good Cheer is by a revered home stallion in Medaglia d'Oro. Pensioned last fall at the age of 26, he sired a long list of superstars, with Good Cheer marking his third Kentucky Oaks winner. “[Director of Bloodstock] Michael Banahan told me the Mr. Prospector line to Medaglia d'Oro is very successful,” said Lynch, “so that was kind of a big draw to try with [Wedding Toast] and give it a go and it worked out pretty well.” Lynch, who grew up in Maryland, went to the University of Kentucky, and interned with Godolphin during college before joining the organization full-time, said Wedding Toast passes on her class. “The biggest thing would be her mind,” he said. “That's the thing we all notice here working with her every day. She's just a class act and her foals are always the same. They're always very flashy, so everyone is excited to see whenever we're foaling her what they're going to come out looking like.” Wedding Toast wins the 2015 Ogden Phipps | Sarah Andrew Wedding Toast has a freshly minted 2-year-old full-sister to Good Cheer named Best Wishes, who is currently in early training with Niall Brennan. The mare was bred to Nyquist–yet another stellar home stallion–for 2026 and is due in May. Wedding Toast has one other daughter, a placed 5-year-old by Tapit named Queen of Paris, whom Godolphin has retained and is also in foal to Nyquist for this spring. Good Cheer, who got much of the fall off to recover from bone bruising, recently shipped back to Brad Cox at Payson Park to target a 2026 campaign. She's a finalist for Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly. Lynch said it's extra special to see the foals he's helped raise succeed on the racetrack. “It's always nice to see your babies run,” he said. “You're up with them all night foaling them and raising them and if there's any problems, you're always there with them, so you spend probably more time with them than with most of your friends or family. They become your friends and family, too.” The post The Producers: Sataves and Wedding Toast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) concluded its Board elections to fill six vacant seats, with members voting for candidates to serve four-year terms beginning January 2026 through December 31, 2029. Elected to the Board were H. James Bond, Rick Burke, Lois Engel, Michael Lischin, Lere Visagie and Richard Zwirn. Current Board members who have two years remaining in their four-year terms include Scott Ahlschwede, Thomas J. Gallo III, Jane McMahon, Vivien G. Malloy and Mallory Mort. The post Bond, Engel Amongst Six New NYTB Board Members appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland's 15-day Spring Meet, which will run from Friday, April 3 through Friday, April 24, has scheduled 19 stakes worth a total of $9.55 million to set a season record for total stakes purses, the track announced Tuesday. In addition to offering two marquee events for 3-year-olds–the $1.25 million GI Toyota Blue Grass for males and the $750,000 GI Central Bank Ashland for fillies–the meet includes three races that have been upgraded for 2026 and also have increased purses. Contributing to stakes purses for the season is $2.25 million from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation. “Keeneland's Spring Meet is a celebration of the very best of Thoroughbred racing,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “This is a credit to the outstanding horses from leading owners; the competition among successful trainers and jockeys; and the knowledge and enthusiasm of our fans and horseplayers. They all contribute to Keeneland's success, which generates a lot of pride throughout Central Kentucky.” Spring Meet stakes that were upgraded and received $50,000 purse hikes were the $400,000 GII Giant's Causeway on April 12; the $400,000 GII Baird Doubledogdare on April 17; and the $350,000 GIII FanDuel Limestone on April 10. For this season, Keeneland has adjusted the stakes schedule to accommodate the two stakes that would have been run opening Sunday, April 5, which this year is Easter when Keeneland is closed for racing. The GII MiddleGround Capital Beaumont moved to opening day, and the Palisades Stakes will be run Sunday, April 19. Opening day, April 3, now presents four stakes–all for 3-year-olds–led by the year's first Grade I event for sophomore fillies: the 88th running of the $750,000 Central Bank Ashland at 1 1/16 miles. The other stakes that day are the $400,000 GII MiddleGround Capital Beaumont, at seven furlongs on the dirt for fillies; the $600,000 GIII UK HealthCare Transylvania at 1 1/16 miles on the turf; and the $400,000 Lafayette Stakes, a seven-furlong dirt race. Entries for opening day will be taken Monday, March 30. On the meet's first Saturday, April 4, the 102nd Toyota Blue Grass highlights five stakes on the card, annually Keeneland's biggest race day of the spring season. Joining the Toyota Blue Grass are the $650,000 GI Resolute Racing Madison, for fillies and mares at seven furlongs on the dirt; the $500,000 GII Appalachian Presented by Japan Racing Association, for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the grass; the $400,000 GII Valvoline Global Shakertown, for 3-year-olds and up at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf; and the $350,000 GIII Commonwealth, for older horses at seven furlongs on the dirt. The Toyota Blue Grass and the Central Bank Ashland both are worth 200 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks, respectively. The winners of each stakes will earn 100 qualifying points to the respective classic. The early nomination deadline for the two races is Feb. 18. Late nominations are due March 18. Once again, Spring Meet stakes are scheduled for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Friday, April 10, Keeneland will run two turf stakes: the $650,000 GI Maker's Mark Mile, for 4-year-olds and up at one mile, and the $350,000 GIII FanDuel Limestone, for 3-year-old fillies going 5 1/2 furlongs. Two stakes the next day are the $650,000 GI Jenny Wiley, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares, and the $400,000 GIII Stonestreet Lexington, for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. The final prep on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Stonestreet Lexington will award a total of 42 Derby qualifying points. Of those, 20 points will go to the winner. Sunday, April 12 will feature the $400,000 GIII Giant's Causeway, a 5 1/2-furlong turf race for fillies and mares. Friday, April 24 is closing day of the Spring Meet when Keeneland will showcase racing and its world-famous auctions. Highlighting the race card is the $350,000 GIII Bewitch Presented by Keeneland Sales, for fillies and mares at 1 1/2 miles on the turf. After the races, Keeneland will hold the April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. The post Keeneland To Offer A Record $9.55 Million In Purses For Spring Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Racing Association announced that tickets and hospitality offerings for the final Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at historic Saratoga Race Course will go on sale to the general public Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. ET.View the full article

Henry Longfellow sired his first reported foal, a bay filly out of Aurora Borealis (Montjeu), at Noralla Stud Farm. The dam is a daughter of listed winner Elaflaak (Gulch). “She's a very attractive filly, full of quality and very correct–a great advert for her sire,” said Tina Dargan. A Group 1-winning juvenile, Henry Longfellow is bred on the same cross as 2025 Champion Sire Night Of Thunder, as he is by Dubawi out of a Galileo mare, in this case Minding, a seven-time Group 1-winner and champion. He stands for €12,500 this year. The post First Reported Foal For Henry Longfellow Is A Filly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of Jan. 12-18View the full article

Winter weather has led to the cancellation of racing Jan. 20 at both Parx Racing and Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course. Both tracks had also canceled racing Jan. 19.View the full article

Tickets and hospitality offerings for the final Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at historic Saratoga Race Course will go on sale to the public Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. at BelmontStakes.com/tickets. Fans also have the opportunity to sign up for a presale drawing featuring various ticket packages. Beginning Wednesday and continuing through next Tuesday, fans may enter the drawing at NYRA.com/belmont-stakes/presale/ for the chance to purchase reserved seating and hospitality packages in advance of the general public on-sale. Highlighted by the 158th running of the GI Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets June 6, the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held at Saratoga from June 3 through June 7. This year will mark the third and final edition of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. Beginning in 2027, the Belmont Stakes will return to its permanent home on Long Island at a newly reconstructed Belmont Park. The post Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Tickets on Sale Feb. 12 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards will air live on FanDuel TV and Racetrack Television Network (RTN) Thursday from The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida. The Red Carpet Show on FanDuel TV, hosted by Christina Blacker and Andie Biancone, will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the ceremony following at 7:30 p.m. In addition to FanDuel TV and RTN, the ceremony will be streamed live on multiple outlets including: NTRA.com, Equibase.com, Bloodhorse.com, TheTDN.com, and DRF.com. The Eclipse Awards will be returning to The Breakers at Palm Beach for the fourth consecutive year Thursday. The ceremony will be co-hosted by Lindsay Czarniak and Britney Eurton and Caton Bredar will again be serving as the ceremony announcer. The post Eclipse Award Ceremony to be Broadcast Live on FanDuel TV and RTN appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities also co-honored the Champion Stakes (G1) and Japan Cup (G1) as the Longines World's Best Horse Race with an equal rating of 126.25.View the full article

Frigid temperatures caused a second straight day of cancellations at Mahoning Valley Race Course and Parx Racing Tuesday. Temperatures in the Philadelphia area reached only into the upper teens Tuesday, with real feel temperatures in the single digits. The projected high temperature near Mahoning Valley in Ohio Tuesday was 13 degrees. Both tracks were also forced to cancel their Monday race cards. The post Winter Weather KOs Tuesday Racing at Parx, Mahoning Valley appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The ASPCA Right Horse Scholarship will return for the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America thanks to funding by the ASPCA Right Horse Reimagining Racers Grant, the Retired Racehorse Project announced Tuesday. The scholarship will fund the costs of one stall and first discipline fee for up to 50 eligible horses competing at the 2026 event, a minimum value of $405 per horse. The grant also funds $4,000 in additional prize money for the Former Broodmare division, awarding $400 to second-place finishers in each discipline. Eligible horses include those adopted from ASPCA Right Horse Partner organizations; horses must be registered for the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover. Horses meeting certain criteria will be prioritized to receive scholarship funding, including former broodmares, cribbers, those that require rehabilitation at the time of adoption, or have career limitations. Applications are open for the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover through Jan. 23. Late applications will be open after 5 p.m. EST Jan. 23 through June 26. Horses can be registered along with submitted applications, and horses must be registered by July 28. For more information about the ASPCA Right Horse Scholarship, visit the Makeover Scholarship page on the RRP website. For more information about applying to the 2026 Thoroughbred Makeover, visit the Want to Apply page. The post ASPCA Right Horse Scholarship Returns for 2026 Makeover appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With a rating of 130, the Aga Khan Studs homebred Calandagan has been crowned Longines World's Best Racehorse for 2025, ahead of five horses from four different countries who all tied for second on a rating of 128. At a ceremony to mark the Longines Racing Awards at the Savoy Hotel in London on Tuesday, it was confirmed that the performance of Calandagan when winning October's G1 Champion Stakes at Ascot was the best produced by any racehorse on the planet last year. The son of Gleneagles – who also struck at the top level in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Japan Cup during a blockbuster 2025 – becomes the first French-trained winner of the prize since Waldgeist shared the honour with both Crystal Ocean and Enable in 2019. The depth of the fields beaten by Calandagan last year is underlined by the standing of the Champion Stakes and Japan Cup among the world's highest-rated races of 2025. Indeed, for the first time, there was a tie at the top in the battle for the Longines World's Best Horse Race Award, with the Champion Stakes and Japan Cup both achieving a rating of 126.25. This figure is calculated based on the first four finishers in each race and the average of their ratings. Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) and Masquerade Ball (Duramente) were both involved in the five-way tie for second, having finished second behind Calandagan in the Champion Stakes and Japan Cup, respectively. Ombudsman, trained in Newmarket by John and Thady Gosden, was also successful in the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes and G1 Juddmonte International, while Takahisa Tezuka's Masquerade Ball made the breakthrough at the top level when winning the Tenno Sho (Autumn) in his native Japan. Japan was home to another horse who achieved a rating of 128 in the G1 Saudi Cup and GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Forever Young (Real Steel). Those performances were matched on dirt by only the GI Kentucky Derby, GI Belmont Stakes and GI Travers Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), a late absentee from the Breeders' Cup Classic for Bill Mott and Godolphin. Completing the quartet of horses on a rating of 128 was the Hong Kong champion Ka Ying Rising, who proved himself the world's best sprinter when extending his winning sequence to 16 races in 2025. The son of Shamexpress was last seen winning the G1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin for the second year in a row, having previously pulled off a successful Australian raid in the G1 The Everest. Calandagan's stablemate Daryz (Sea The Stars) featured among the next wave of horses on a rating of 127, along with Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) and Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). Daryz produced his career-best effort when winning the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp, while Romantic Warrior and Sierra Leone both ran their best races of last year in defeat, when finishing second behind Forever Young in the Saudi Cup and Breeders' Cup Classic, respectively. The Todd Pletcher-trained Fierceness (City Of Light) was one of five horses on a rating of 125 after his third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic. He was joined by a pair of multiple Group 1-winning members of the Classic generation in Europe, Delacroix (Dubawi) and Field Of Gold (Kingman), plus Japan's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic hero Danon Decile (Epiphaneia) and Aidan O'Brien's Jan Brueghel (Galileo), who defeated Calandagan by half a length when winning the G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom. Minnie Hauk was another Group 1 winner on that Epsom card for Ballydoyle when landing the Oaks. With a rating of 123, the daughter of Frankel was the top-rated filly or mare in the world last year, having also won the G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks, before filling the runner-up spot behind Daryz in the Arc. The veteran Anmaat (Awtaad) was also rated 123 after finishing second behind Ombudsman in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and behind Delacroix in the Irish Champion Stakes, while White Abarrio (Race Day) ran to the same figure when winning the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes. Overall, 279 horses, trained in 15 different countries, were rated 115 or higher last year. This figure was up from 273 in 2024. World's Top Races in 2025 The ratings for the world's top 100 Group/Grade 1 races of last year were also published on Tuesday, in tandem with the Longines World Racing Awards. As mentioned above, the Champion Stakes and Japan Cup shared top billing with a rating of 126.25. In the Champion Stakes, the first four finishers were Calandagan, Ombudsman, Almaqam (Lope De Vega) (122) and Delacroix, before the winner of that contest followed up in the Japan Cup at the expense of Masquerade Ball, Danon Decile and Croix Du Nord (Kitasan Black) (122). This is the first time that the Champion Stakes has won the award, while the Japan Cup takes the title for the second time in three years. It was first celebrated in 2023. The Breeders' Cup Classic was best of the rest on 125.50, followed by Ascot's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (125.00) and Meydan's Dubai Sheema Classic (124.00). Europe's richest race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, finished just outside of the top 10 with a rating of 123.75, narrowly ahead of the G1 Coral-Eclipse, won by Delacroix, on 123.25. In the five respective distance categories, the highest-rated races were: The Everest (121.00, Sprint); Saudi Cup (121.00, Mile); Champion Stakes (126.25, Intermediate); Japan Cup (126.25, Long); and Gold Cup (117.50, Extended). The GI Spinster Stakes, which went the way of Gin Gin (Hightail), was the world's highest-rated race for fillies and mares on 116.75, while the top contest for three-year-olds was the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) on 121.50. Museum Mile (Leontes) (121) was a decisive winner of the Satsuki Sho ahead of Croix Du Nord and Masquerade Ball. Britain hosted 20 of the world's top 100 Group/Grade 1 races in 2025, with another 19 in Australia and 16 in America. In total, 10 different countries had at least one race featured among the top 100, with the others being comprised of Japan (15), Hong Kong SAR, China (11), France (10), Ireland (4), the United Arab Emirates (3), Germany (1) and Saudi Arabia (1). Meanwhile, James McDonald won the Longines World's Best Jockey title for the second consecutive year and third time overall. The New Zealand-born, Australian-based jockey also won the Longines World's Best Jockey Award in 2022. The awarding of the title is based upon performances in the top 100 races mentioned above, with jockeys earning 12 points for a win, 6 points for placing second and 4 points for placing third. McDonald ended 2025 with a total of 184 points, ahead of Mickael Barzalona with 132 points and William Buick with 114 points. The post Calandagan Adds Longines World’s Best Racehorse Crown to 2025 Spoils appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Seize the Grey (Arrogate–Smart Shopping, by Smart Strike), winner of the 2024 GI Preakness Stakes, was represented by his first foal when stakes-winning Dontmesswithjoanne (Pioneerof the Nile) produced a colt at Tanya Johnson's Red Gables Stud Jan. 17. “We couldn't be happier with this mare's first foal for us. He is strong, correct, and has impressive size,” Johnson said. “Seize the Grey delivered everything we were looking for in this mating, and we are excited to watch his progress.” In addition to the Preakness, Seize the Grey also won the 2024 GI Pennsylvania Derby and GII Pat Day Mile Stakes. He covered 196 mares–fifth most of any first-crop North American stallion in 2025–and stands at Gainesway for a 2026 advertised fee of $25,000. The post First Foal a Colt for Preakness Winner Seize the Grey appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Aidan O'Brien has outlined his early-season Classic plans and revealed that he will consider running Gstaad and Puerto Rico in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket this spring. The Ballydoyle handler has saddled a record 10 winners of the Rowley Mile Classic and possesses another strong hand ahead of this year's renewal, with Gstaad and Puerto Rico joined towards the head of the ante-post betting by stablemate Albert Einstein, who missed the second half of his two-year-old campaign through injury. Gstaad and Puerto Rico did get the chance to fulfil their potential, however, with the former rounding off the year by winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar and the latter claiming successive Group One wins in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Criterium International in France. The pair have both been given a rating of 119 in the two-year-old classifications, putting them 2lb behind Andrew Balding's European champion juvenile Gewan. Considering plans for this season for the duo, O'Brien said, “Gstaad looks probably an English Guineas horse to start off. We were very happy with him last year. We were a little bit disappointed with him in the Dewhurst (second to Gewan), it just didn't go right for him and he just got trapped back a little bit. He ended up in not a nice position really, but we were delighted with him in America. “Puerto Rico is a good, strong, big, mature horse. He could be an English Guineas horse or a French Guineas horse on the way to an Irish Guineas. We entered him in Dubai in the Classic, the three-year-old dirt race, but it'll probably come too early and if that is the case, he'll probably end up starting in one of the Guineas, either the English or the French. “Maybe the two would go to the Guineas (at Newmarket). We think he (Puerto Rico) is that type of horse, he's a high cruiser and it's possible that he could get further than a mile, even though he has plenty of pace.” O'Brien also houses the ante-post favourite for the Derby at Epsom in Pierre Bonnard (rated 113), who won three of his four juvenile starts including a Group One triumph in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud. Another likely contender for the premier Classic is Hawk Mountain (116), winner of the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster. “Hawk Mountain is a lovely horse, he could be a French Derby horse and he could be an Epsom Derby horse too. We couldn't be happier with him,” O'Brien continued. “Pierre Bonnard we think is a made Epsom horse. He looks like he should get a mile and a half well, he's a big horse. We'll start him in a trial and see. “We'll probably do the same with Hawk Mountain, but Pierre Bonnard looks like a proper Epsom type horse and could come back to an Irish Derby after that.” The master of Ballydoyle has made no secret of the regard in which he holds Albert Einstein, while he has several other colts with untapped potential. When asked for a few horses who could step up this season, O'Brien said, “Isaac Newton ran well in France at the end of the year and could be nice, we could see more of him. A horse called George Stubbs who hasn't run yet, he's a Camelot horse, and Flushing Meadows by Wootton Bassett. He was second at Leopardstown. “Constitution River is another one, as is Albert Einstein, and Montreal won a maiden very impressively at Leopardstown and could be anything.” The trainer possesses a similarly formidable team of three-year-old fillies for this season, headed by the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies' Mile heroine Precise. The daughter of Starspangledbanner, who missed a planned outing at the Breeders' Cup due to an infection, is the joint highest-rated juvenile filly from last term alongside stablemate True Love (both 115). O'Brien said, “Precise will probably start in the 1000 Guineas (at Newmarket). She obviously went to America and didn't get to run, but the experience would have done her no harm. “True Love is lovely. I went to the Juvenile Turf Sprint in America with her (finished eighth) and I probably should have left her for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, but we thought Precise was going there so there was no point running her in that against Precise. “She's lovely, she's done very well and we could think about starting at seven furlongs in Leopardstown or in one of the British trials at Newbury or somewhere like that, and see if there would be a chance that she would get a mile. “If that was the case, obviously she'll go down the Guineas route. If we thought not, then she'd obviously go the sprinting route.” Diamond Necklace (113) rounded off an unbeaten juvenile season with victory in the Prix Marcel Boussac and is another filly with immense promise. “Diamond Necklace is lovely. It's possible that she could do that (run in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket) or she could go to a French Guineas, because she won the Boussac, but I would imagine she will probably start at a mile and we'll see where we go after that,” O'Brien added. The post O’Brien Outlines Early-Season Classic Plans For Puerto Rico and Gstaad appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jay Rooney SPEEDY SMARTIE - R3 (10) Has been in great form this term and won his last start on dirt Owen Goulding SIGHT DREAMER - R7 (6) Went all the way last start and can repeat the trick from barrier one Trackwork Spy FOREMOST TEDDY -R6 (14) Looks well placed to continue his top form since switching to the dirt Phillip Woo HAPPY UNIVERSE - R7 (4) In good form of late and can make successful transition to the dirt Shannon (Vincent Wong) EXCEED THE WISH - R1 (1) Drops into Class Five...View the full article

January's flat action at Cagnes-Sur-Mer continued apace on Tuesday, when the debutante Eostre (St Mark's Basilica) produced an eyecatching display in the mile conditions event. Always travelling easily for Antonio Orani tracking the leading trio, the 13-2 shot opened up passing the 300-metre marker to record an impressive 4 1/2-length success from the experienced Zaura (Goken). “She is one of our fillies that we like,” trainer Jerome Reynier said. “She had been working well in the morning and confirmed it in the afternoon. This bodes well for the future, because I think she has a lot of room for improvement.” Another taking winner at the meeting for the Reynier stable, the winner who is owned by her breeder Erika Gilliar is out of the 105,000gns Tattersalls December unraced Juddmonte cast-off Tanita (Frankel) whose family includes the luminaries Midday (Oasis Dream) and Reams Of Verse (Nureyev) and last year's G3 Prix la Rochette winner and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere runner-up Nighttime (Wootton Bassett). Prix Freddy Palmer @hippocotdazur Cagnes Sur Mer – Maiden – 3 ans – 1600m – 10 Pts – 21 000 € Eostre (f3) Antonio Orani (St Mark's Basilica (Fr) @coolmorestud – Tanita (Gb) par Frankel?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Frankel (Gb)) Jerome Reynier @EcurieReynier Erika Gilliar… pic.twitter.com/FXTT5FcRQa — French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) January 20, 2026 The post St Mark’s Basilica Filly Eostre Lights Up Cagnes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dewhurst Stakes winner Gewan has been crowned European Champion Juvenile for 2025 with a rating of 121. Trained by Andrew Balding, Gewan was recruited from the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale for €80,000 having been purchased originally from Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. He followed up a debut win at Newbury in July with an impressive defeat of Italy (112) in the Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes at York. His defeat of Gstaad at Newmarket to end the season followed a sole defeat in the Group 2 Betfred Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and confirmed him a leading Classic prospect for 2026. Following Gewan is the Aidan O'Brien-trained pair of Gstaad and Puerto Rico, each with a mark of 119, while stablemates Hawk Mountain (116) and Action (115) also take high rank. O'Brien is also responsible for the highest-rated fillies in the Classification, with Precise and True Love being awarded a mark of 115. The second-highest rated British representative, with a mark of 118, is the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Zavateri. A winner of four of his five starts, the Without Parole colt won the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh prior to finishing fourth behind Gewan in the Dewhurst. Britain's highest-rated filly is Venetian Sun. Trained by Karl Burke, she too took Group 1 honours in the Sumbe Prix Morny at Deauville to go alongside her victories in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (sponsored by bet365) at Newmarket's July Festival. Graeme Smith, BHA Handicapping Team Leader, said, “Gewan became the first outright European Champion 2YO to emerge from Kingsclere in the 48-year history of the classification, bettering the achievement of Andrew Balding's previous Dewhurst – and subsequent QIPCO 2,000 Guineas – winner Chaldean (119) in 2022. “He follows Forest Flower (125 in 1986) and Mrs Penny (joint Champion in 1979 at 121), who were both crowned Champion 2YO Fillies for Andrew's late father, Ian. “Gewan's 121 performance in defying long odds in a representative Darley Dewhurst Stakes capped a stellar year for his sire, Night Of Thunder. As well as being represented in 2025 by the top-class Ombudsman and QIPCO 1,000 Guineas winner Desert Flower, the Darley stallion established a strong hand for the 2026 Classics. “Tattersalls Online Royal Lodge Stakes winner Bow Echo and Distant Storm, who finished third behind the imposing grey Gewan in the Dewhurst, also rank within the top 11 in this year's Classification.” IHRB Handicapper Mark Bird added, “Aidan O'Brien trained Europe's Champion Juvenile Filly for the third year in a row and for a record ninth time in total as Precise and True Love shared top billing on a rating of 115. “True Love's victory in the Group 1 Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket was matched by Precise's success in the Group 1 Bet365 Fillies' Mile at the same track two weeks later. “In what was a banner year for the Ballydoyle-trained two-year-olds, Aidan trained a record seven individual two-year-old Group/Grade 1 winners in 2025. He also matched his previous best total of nine two-year-old Group/Grade 1 race wins in a calendar year, as well as equalling his highest total of two-year-old winners (three) at Royal Ascot. “This dominance of the two-year-old landscape is reflected in his being responsible for six of the top 10 horses in the Classification. “Two of the four Ballydoyle Group 1-winning colts ended the year tied as Champion two-year-old in Ireland on a rating of 119. Gstaad landed the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar after running up three times in elite company, while Puerto Rico went from strength to strength to win both the Group 1 Qatar Prix Jean Luc Lagardere and the Group 1 Criterium International in France by season's end.” The post Dewhurst Stakes Hero Gewan Crowned Europe’s Champion Juvenile For 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article