Wandering Eyes

Group One targets are in the offing for Tajana (NZ) (Darci Brahma) after she broke through for her maiden win in the AKW Farrier LTD 2YO (1200m) at Matamata on Wednesday. All eyes were on sale-topping juvenile Hostility ahead of the race, with the $1.65 million Karaka purchase jumping a short-priced $1.30 favourite, but it was The Oaks Stud-bred and raced Tajana who came out on top. The daughter of Darci Brahma jumped well from her ace draw before settling three back on the rail where she enjoyed and economical trip before improving to sit in the trail from the 400m. She peeled off leader Heloisa’s (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) back at the top of the straight and entered a duel with Hostility down the straight, with her raceday experience telling against the debutant in the concluding stages to win by a head. Cambridge horseman Shaune Ritchie, who trains the filly in partnership with Colm Murray, was pleased with the victory, but believes she is a filly that will improve with time. “It was a beautiful ride from Sam (Spratt, jockey),” Ritchie said. “It is pretty hard to beat Te Akau colours at Matamata, and he (Hostility) is a magnificent colt, but she had that bit of experience and that counts for a lot.” It was Tajana’s third raceday appearance, having finished runner-up behind subsequent Group One winner Return To Conquer in the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m) at Ellerslie last month, and now an elite-level target awaits her later this month in the form of the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham. “The way she is going it (Sires’ Produce) is very tempting,” Ritchie said. “She has got a nom for it and if she does go to that, that will be it from there (this season). “Even if she can run a place in a Group One that would be fantastic. She has got that Group placing at Ellerslie, so a little bit more would be nice.” While a Sires’ Produce tilt is likely, Ritchie believes she will be a more natural three-year-old and has eyed the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November as her primary objective. “I really see her as a 1000 Guineas filly next season,” he said. “She has got a magnificent nature, she is a real sweetheart to deal with and I think there is a lot more ahead of her than a maiden here.” Spratt shares Ritchie’s sentiments and believes Tajana will be an ominous force in the spring. “She is going to be a beautiful filly next season, she is probably doing it on natural ability at the moment, she still has a bit to learn,” she said. “I wouldn’t say she is a natural two-year-old running type, she managed to hold her ground just and stuck on nicely. “The Sires’ might come up a little quick, but while you are going you have got to go for it. I think she is definitely one to follow next season that’s for sure.” View the full article

A bright future is being tipped for local gelding Giacomo (NZ) (Puccini) following his comfortable victory in the Holster Engineering Lally And Symes South Waikato Cup (2000m) at Matamata on Wednesday. The six-year-old son of Puccini was sent straight to the front by jockey Jasmine Fawcett, where they were able to dictate terms throughout. When asked to improve at the top of the straight, Giacomo quickly opened up several lengths on his rivals, eventually running out a 2-3/4 length victor. Giacomo had placed in his previous three outings, and trainers Peter and Shaun McKay were pleased to see him score a deserved victory. “It was good to finally see him get his own way in front, and even down the back, and he showed his good turn of foot, and he won well,” Shaun McKay said. “He is going to be a good stayer. He is still learning, and getting his own way in front for a few more starts is going to build his confidence.” McKay hasn’t identified any immediate targets for Giacomo, but said they may keep going with their gelding for a couple of starts before sending him for a well-deserved break. “We have just taken it step-by-step with him,” he said. “We didn’t know we were going to get him up to 2000m at this stage. We will see how he pulls up, but he might have one or two more runs left.” Bred by Mapperley Stud principal Simms Davison, Giacomo has now won five and placed in 13 of his 45 career starts and has earned nearly $145,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Windsor Park Stud’s first-season sire, Circus Maximus, celebrated his first Australian winner on Wednesday when Ha’penny Hatch (NZ) Circus Maximus scored an impressive victory at Eagle Farm. The filly, trained by Paul Shailer and ridden by Damien Thornton, showed early speed to lead from the jump and fought off challengers to secure a three-quarters of a length win over Ready For Zion, with Estee Emm finishing third. Ha’penny Hatch takes out the Eagle Farm opener for @RacingShailer! pic.twitter.com/RPrDuLYnTn — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 12, 2025 Shailer was delighted with the performance. “She’s a lovely filly, very professional, and she’s got plenty of improvement in her.” Ha’penny Hatch was purchased for $33,000 by Shailer Racing and Hughes Bloodstock from the Wentwood Grange draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale at Karaka. She is the second foal of Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) winner Emily Margaret, a daughter of Pins and out of the top-rated New Zealand filly of 2009, Seven Schillings. Shailer noted that the filly had always shown promise. “From the first day she came into the stable, she’s been a natural. She’s got a great attitude and plenty of ability.” Circus Maximus, a champion miler by Galileo, boasts three Group One victories, including two at Royal Ascot. He has completed four seasons at Windsor Park Stud in New Zealand. In addition to Ha’penny Hatch’s success in Australia, Circus Maximus has had two runners in New Zealand, including a placegetter and some promising trial winners including Road To Paris and Miss Parker, while his first northern hemisphere crop featured seven winners, highlighted by the Group One-placed Green Storm. Shailer believes the win bodes well for Circus Maximus’ progeny. “If this filly is anything to go by, he’s going to leave some really nice horses. She’s got all the attributes you want to see.” View the full article

Multiple Group 1 winner I Wish I Win (NZ) Savabeel has been retired. Waikato Stud announced that the Peter Moody-trained galloper has run his last race after pulling up a touch lame on Tuesday. The six-year-old won two G1s and a staggering $12.8 million in prizemoney in his 25 starts. “We’ll always do what’s best for the horse,” said Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick. “This decision wasn’t easy but on the advice of Peter (Moody) and Katherine (Coleman), we all felt the time was right for ‘Wishy’ to hang up the reins. “He will come home and have a paddock right outside our house for the rest of his days. He will be looked after like a king, because he is one.” I Wish I Win’s final run was an eye-catching third in the G1 Futurity Stakes at Caulfield behind Mr Brightside and Tom Kitten. The latter pair then went on to fight it out in the All-Star Mile last Saturday when Tom Kitten prevailed. “You don’t have a horse like this, an experience like this without so many people helping,” Chittick said. “It wouldn’t have happened without our staff here, Jamie and Chanel Beatson who broke him in, Jamie Richards (first trainer), of course Moods and Katherine and all the jockeys who looked after him so well. “And especially to Gio Spiga his strapper for his special care and attention. We have loved it and I wish I could go on but the horse comes first. So, he is coming home.” Moody said the horse was ‘retiring at the top of his game’. “He ran third a margin in weight-for-age and it’s a shame we didn’t win, but he’s been a fabulous horse for the stable and given Katherine, myself and the stable the ride of a lifetime over the last two-and-a-half years,” Moody said. “Our stable are extremely grateful to the team Waikato for giving us this opportunity.” View the full article

12 March 2025 Roydon Bergerson is following a familiar path to the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) with his talented juvenile Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin). Awapuni-based Bergerson prepared Wolverine (NZ) (Tavici) to win the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) in 2022, before going on to place in the $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and the Sires’. A filly by Satono Aladdin, Too Sweet was a winner on debut and also continued on to take out the Eclipse, but fell victim to a wide barrier draw in the Millions, ruling her out of a possible tilt at the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) last Saturday. “She just had such a tough run, drawn the outside and racing five-wide the whole way,” Bergerson said. “Following that, we decided to give her a quick spell and aim at the Sires’, as we did with Wolverine. She didn’t go to the Sistema either. “She’s done really well in the meantime and has come back looking amazing really.” Instead of tackling the Sistema, Bergerson opted to head back to the trials against her older counterparts at Foxton on Tuesday, where she was hard held by jockey Lily Sutherland throughout the 1000m heat with no running room in the final straight. “I couldn’t ask for any more of her, she trialled very well, and Lily said she felt tremendous and was very strong to the line,” he said. “She just didn’t get a gap which didn’t worry me too much. “Lily said she trialled better yesterday than two weeks before, she just ran out of puff there at Waipuk. She’s pulled up super and licked the bowl last night. “I’ll probably take her to the races in between now and the Sires’ for an exhibition gallop to keep her up to the mark, she hasn’t raced for a while. I couldn’t be happier with her.” Also appearing at Foxton was her older stablemate Bradman (NZ) (Pins), kicking off his autumn campaign over 850m. The seven-year-old was full of running under apprentice Jim Chung and was only caught late by Group One performer Express Yourself (NZ) (Shamexpress), a performance reflective of his condition this time in. “He’s coming up super this year, he’s surprised us with how much he’s strengthened up,” Bergerson said. “He’s come back 40 kilos heavier than he’s ever been and he’s just a ball of muscle now. “We’re just going to keep him off the firmer tracks, he touches his heels really badly and I think I made a mistake going to Waikato at the end of his last preparation, that really hurt him.” Bradman picked up the Listed Flying Handicap (1400m) and a number of stakes placings last term, culminating in a narrow third in the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m). As a 94 rated-gelding, Bergerson is likely to stick to weight-for-age where possible with Bradman before tackling the Riccarton feature again in August. “We’ll keep on the wet and stick to weight for age racing, he’s quite high in the winter ratings,” he said. “I’ll try get back to the Winter Cup, that’ll be his main aim.” Last-start winner Vee Vee (NZ) (Vadamos) will be Bergerson’s sole runner to the races this week, preparing for Wanganui’s Saturday meeting with a quiet hit-out over 1400m at Foxton. The son of Vadamos was a comfortable winner of that heat and will start top-weight in the Wanganui Motors 2040. “We haven’t had a grass to gallop on and he can feel the poly a bit at times, so I elected to take him for a quiet trial and he’s done really well,” Bergerson said. “I expected him to do that because it was virtually jumpers having their first trial, but he’s got to the line really nicely. “He’s got a good draw on Saturday and with a couple of kilos off, he should be very competitive.” View the full article

Talented mare Coeur Volante (NZ) (Proisir) will jump from barrier one in her bid to deliver Ballymore Stables an emotional Group 1 victory on Saturday. Coeur Volante will travel to Sydney for the Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill following her dominant last-start win in the G3 Mannerism Stakes at Caulfield. That victory was trainer Mike Moroney’s final city triumph before his shock passing just days later. Training partner Glen Thompson and racing manager Anthony Feroce have continued the training operation since Moroney’s death and a victory on Saturday would be a highly emotional one for the stable. Lindsay Park will saddle up Marble Arch (NZ) (Per Incanto) in the race, while Danny O’Brien has sent Grinzinger Belle up to Sydney to compete in the $1 million feature. Leading Victorian jockey Blake Shinn will also ride at the meeting and will partner Alsephina in the race. View the full article

What Kensington Races Where Royal Randwick Racecourse – Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031 When Thursday, March 13, 2025 First Race 1:15pm AEDT Visit Dabble Metro racing returns to Royal Randwick on Thursday afternoon, with a competitive eight-part program lined up on the Kensington circuit. The rail is in the true position the entire circuit for the meeting, and although the track is rated a Soft 6 at the time of acceptances, there is still hope for an upgrade into the Good range courtesy of drying conditions forecast on Tuesday and Wednesday. All the action at Randwick is scheduled to get underway at 1:15pm local time. Best Bet at Kensington: Piastri The Ciaron Maher-trained Piastri returns after a 26-week spell and brings some quality form to this BM78 contest. The son of Choisir was brilliant in his only start in Sydney last preparation, claiming a dominant 1.5-length victory at Rosehill on August 17. He appears to be well weighted with 58kg on his back after the 3kg claim of apprentice hoop Anna Roper, and with any sting out of the ground a major benefit to his chances, expect Piastri to be flashing over the top at a good price with horse racing bookmakers. Best Bet Race 6 – #1 Piastri (6) 4yo Gelding | T: Ciaron Maher | J: Anna Roper (a3kg) (61kg) Next Best at Kensington: Travolta Travolta was a good thing licked on Australian debut, closing all over heels in the concluding stages at Warwick Farm on February 19. The Lope De Vega gelding never came off the bridal, with the four-year-old cruising through the wire under his own steam. Look at that performance at a glorified barrier trial heading into this second-up assignment, and with the booking Nash Rawiller marking serious intent from team Waller, expect Travolta to be fighting out the finish this time around. Next Best Race 7 – #8 Travolta (2) 4yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Nash Rawiller (57.5kg) Best Value at Kensington: Sigiriya Rock Sigiriya Rock showed plenty of promise in his debut preparation, claiming one victory and four more minor placings across his five starts. The son of Alabama Express showed versatility and steady improvement every time he stepped out, including his latest effort over a staying trip at Flemington on January 1. He may want further than the 1400m first-up in the Randwick finale; however, with more potential upside compared to some key rivals, Sigiriya Rock warrants respect at the price with Dabble. Best Value Race 8 – #8 Sigiriya Rock (12) 3yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Reece Jones (57.5kg) Thursday quaddie tips for Kensington Kensington quadrella selections March 13, 2025 1-2-6-9-10-11 1-4-6-9 6-7-8-10-11 6-7-8-10-13 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

I Wish I Win winning the Group 1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1400m). Photo: Grant Peters The curtain has come down on the sensational racing career of I Wish I Win. The unlikely hero, I Wish I Win’s story has been well-documented, from the foal at Waikato Stud with a bent near-fore leg, to a superstar of the fiercely-competitive Australian sprinting ranks. Beginning his career in the care of former Te Akau Racing trainer Jamie Richards, I Wish I Win did just that on debut as a juvenile, before placing in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1200m). Returning at three, the gelding added another elite-level placing to his record in the Levin Classic (1600m), his final start in New Zealand before joining Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman’s operation in Victoria. Initially identified as a country cups prospect, I Wish I Win soon changed that narrative, winning first-up before taking out the Listed Testa Rossa Stakes (1400m). In his biggest test yet, the gelding was among the favoured runners in the $10m Golden Eagle (1500m), and taking on glamour mare Fangirl, I Wish I Win shot to prominence, scooping the major spoils and a $5.5 million payday for connections. The following autumn was another unforgettable campaign for I Wish I Win, placing in the $1 million Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) and $1.5 million Newmarket Handicap (1200m), before finally triumphing at the highest level, winning the $3 million Group 1 T.J Smith Stakes (1200m) in front of a roaring crowd at Randwick. ‘Wishy’ captured the hearts of the New Zealand public when representing the Trackside slot in the $20 million The Everest (1200m), finishing a phenomenal second behind Think About It, and went on to add to his Group One tally in Queensland, winning the Kingsford-Smith Cup (1400m). While unable to repeat that performance in last year’s Everest, I Wish I Win returned this autumn with another Group One placing behind Mr Brightside and Tom Kitten in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m), a stellar effort that would end up being his swansong. Amassing more than $12.8 million in stakes over 25 starts, I Wish I Win far exceeded the expectations of his part-owner, Waikato Stud’s principal Mark Chittick. “We’ll always do what’s best for the horse,” he said. “This decision wasn’t easy but on the advice of Peter and Katherine, we all felt the time was right for Wishy to hang up the reins. “You don’t have a horse like this, an experience like this, without so many people helping. “It wouldn’t have happened without our staff here, Jamie and Chanel Beatson who broke him in, Jamie Richards, of course Moods and Katherine and all the jockeys who looked after him so well. And especially to Gio Spiga, his strapper, for his special care and attention. “We have loved it, and I wish it could go on, but the horse comes first. He will come home and have a paddock right outside our house for the rest of his days. He will be looked after like a king, because he is one.” Moody echoed Chittick’s sentiments, having been a part-owner of I Wish I Win since he crossed the Tasman in 2022. “He’s retiring at the top of his game,” he said. “He ran third a margin in weight-for-age and it’s a shame he didn’t win, but he’s been a fabulous horse for the stable and given Katherine, myself and the stable the ride of a lifetime over the last two-and-a-half years.” “Our stable are extremely grateful to the team at Waikato for giving us this opportunity.” Horse racing news View the full article

Lady Shenandoah. Photo: bradleyphotos.com.au A classy field of 15 fillies and mares are set to do battle in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday afternoon, with the Chris Waller barn represented by a possible five-pronged attack. The $1 million feature is headlined by Lady Shenandoah, with the two-time Group 1 winning filly installed as the $2.50 favourite with horse racing bookmakers after a stunning victory in the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on March 1. The daughter of The Autumn Sun may have some work to do, however, with James McDonald booked to navigate the Rosehill circuit from barrier 13. Amelia’s Jewel is searching for back-to-back wins after claiming the Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes (1400m) on the same day and is on the second line of betting at $5.00 with Neds. Lady Of Camelot ($7.50) was gallant in defeat behind Lady Shenandoah in the Surround Stakes and has plenty of respect as the only other runner in single figures, while Melbourne raiders Coeur Volante and Marble Arch have been marked at $13.00 apiece with Dabble. The chances don’t end there, however, with the likes of Alesphina ($18.00), Olentia ($23.00) and Scarlet Oak ($31.00) representing terrific each-way value in a wide-open edition of the Coolmore. The 2025 Coolmore Classic is the eighth event on the Rosehill program and is scheduled to get underway at 4:35pm AEDT. 2025 Coolmore Classic Final Field 1. Amelia’s Jewel (6) T: Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald J: Joshua Parr W: 58kg Age: 5YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Siyouni (FR) Dam: Bumbasina (IRE) +400 -105.26 2. Olentia (3) T: Chris Waller J: Jason Collett W: 55kg Age: 5YO Colour: Bay/Brown Sex: Mare Sire: Zoustar Dam: Mabkhara +3000 +600 3. Alsephina (5) T: Grant & Alana Williams J: Blake Shinn W: 55kg Age: 6YO Colour: Chestnut Sex: Mare Sire: Star Turn Dam: Delta Gee +1600 +320 4. Lady Shenandoah (13) T: Chris Waller J: James McDonald W: 54.5kg Age: 3YO Colour: Bay Sex: Filly Sire: Snitzel Dam: Star Pupil +150 -250 5. Marble Arch (9) T: Ben, Will & JD Hayes J: Tommy Berry W: 54.5kg Age: 5YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Per Incanto Dam: Jonquil +1200 +250 6. Lady Of Camelot (14) T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott J: Tim Clark W: 54kg Age: 3YO Colour: Bay Sex: Filly Sire: Written Tycoon Dam: Miss Debutante +650 +140 7. Coeur Volante (1) T: Michael Moroney & Glen Thompson J: Kerrin McEvoy W: 54kg Age: 4YO Colour: Brown Sex: Mare Sire: Proisir Dam: Shanina +1100 +230 8. Grinzinger Belle (12) T: Danny O’Brien J: Regan Bayliss W: 53kg Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Shamexpress Dam: Ripsomemore +1600 +320 9. Firestorm (15) T: Chris Waller J: Tyler Schiller W: 51.5kg Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Satono Aladdin Dam: Dancing Embers +3000 +600 10. Manaal (11) T: Michael Freedman J: Rachel King W: 51kg Age: 3YO Colour: Bay or Brown Sex: Filly Sire: Tassort Dam: Red Lodge (USA) +1600 +320 11. Sounds of Heaven (4) T: Joseph Pride J: Reece Jones W: 51kg Age: 5YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Kingman (GB) Dam: Ring the Bell (IRE) +6000 +1100 12. Elettrica (7) T: Richard & Will Freedman J: Bailey Wheeler W: 51kg Age: 6YO Colour: Brown or Black Sex: Mare Sire: Vespa (NZ) Dam: On The Move +6000 +1100 13. Scarlet Oak (2) T: Chris Waller J: Zac Lloyd W: 51kg Age: 4YO Colour: Bay Sex: Mare Sire: Kermadec (NZ) Dam: Tactless +3000 +600 14. Our Gold Hope (10) T: Robert & Luke Price J: Ashley Morgan W: 51kg Age: 4YO Colour: Grey Sex: Mare Sire: Lope de Vega (IRE) Dam: Grey Queen (USA) +12500 +2100 15. Lazzura (8) T: Chris Waller J: Jay Ford W: 50kg Age: 3YO Colour: Bay Sex: Filly Sire: Snitzel Dam: Laguna Azzurra (JPN) +3000 +600 Horse racing news View the full article

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Frank Stronach, who purchased Gulfstream Park in 1999 and co-founded The Stronach Group with his daughter Belinda, has written an opinion piece against her intention to decouple Gulfstream's casino business from live horse racing. View the full article

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL – The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training opened Tuesday with a colt from the first crop of Grade I winner Maxfield (hip 119) leading the way when selling for $1 million to Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida. The colt was consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables. At the end of the session, 117 juveniles had sold for $15,902,000 for an average of $135,915 and a median of $85,000. At the conclusion of last year's opening session, 152 head grossed $20,844,000 for an average of $137,132 and a median of $73,500. With the inclusion of post-sale transactions, OBS's finalized figures from the 2024 opening session saw 167 horses gross $21,859,000 for an average of $130,892 and a median of $60,000. “We're pleased to see that the average and median were up,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “The good news is we still have two days of some really nice horses to sell. It's kind of hard to compare session to session, year to year. But it was a good start and we look forward to more good horses tomorrow and the next day.” OBS With 272 juveniles catalogued for Tuesday's session, 102 were withdrawn. Of the 170 head offered, 54 failed to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 31.8%. The horses who sold Tuesday worked during Thursday's first session of the under-tack show last week and faced a persistent head wind. While the $1-million session topper shared the day's bullet furlong time of :9 4/5, the conditions and resulting slower times may have provided buyers with some bargains, according to Dunne. “I think that, [the $1-million colt] aside, there is tremendous value here,” Dunne said. “And I don't mean this to disrespect anybody, but we've gotten so statistical and so analytical with our numbers, and our gallop-outs and our stride lengths that they've eliminated 80% of the catalogue before they even start to look at them. At the end of the day, the great horsemen through the ages, be it [D. Wayne] Lukas, or [Bob] Baffert, they bought on instinct. That's something that we can't ever lose sight of. Yes, it's an intangible and it's sometimes hard to sell. But the great horsemen have it. And I get it. It's a performance-based sale. But there are so many factors that go into that performance. And I think the guys who are willing to think outside the box are the guys who are going to do well in the end. Because the guys who are pigeon-holing themselves into statistics are always going to have to overpay because everybody has the same statistics.” Hip 212, a full-brother to Cogburn | OBS In addition to the session topper, also going the way of Japanese buyers Tuesday was the day's third highest-priced offering, a son of Not This Time who sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $650,000. Yoshida also purchased a filly by Upstart for $375,000. The session's leading buyer was re-emerging Texas-based owner Leland Ackerley, who acquired four juveniles Tuesday for $1,175,000. Leading the quartet was a filly by Vekoma purchased for $425,000 from the Wavertree Stables consignment. The OBS March sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 11 a.m. A Cool Million For Maxfield Colt The gun-slinging started early at Tuesday's opening session of the OBS March Sale. Bidding from the back of the press box in the pavilion for a colt by Maxfield, agent Donato Lanni–accompanied by trainer Bob Baffert–reached in for the colt while Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida threw down the gauntlet out back. When all was said and done, it was Japan that outlasted Team America and held the winning bid, extending to $1 million. Offered as hip 119, the colt breezed an eighth in :9.4 during Thursday's breeze session. The Maxfield colt's work Thursday | OBS “Physically, he looks really strong and his movement is really smooth–very nice,” explained Nakauchida, who also conditioned 2023 Japanese Filly Triple Crown winner Liberty Island (Jpn) and Grade I winner Serifos (Jpn). “I just liked everything about him.” The session-topping juvenile was the sole purchase by Nakauchida during Tuesday's session. He added, “I liked his breeze at first and then I looked at the physical and I really liked him. And he's by freshman sire Maxfield and he looks like he will be good.” According to Nakauchida, “He is going to race in Japan and I hope we get lucky with him.” Consigned by Wavertree Stables, the son of MSW and GSP Eyeinthesky (Sky Mesa) was bred by War Horse Place, who secured the mare in foal to War of Will in 2021 at the Keeneland November Sale. A scene from the OBS March Sale | OBS Offered at Keeneland last September, the Apr. 8 foal was purchased by Wavertree's Ciaran Dunne for a pinhooking partnership for $75,000. “We were lucky enough to get him for what we got him for,” said Dunne. “He was just an easy horse to train. We had originally targeted him for April, but he was just forward and easy to deal with that he kind of pushed himself here. He breezed phenomenally. He vetted good, he showed good. And then we were fortunate enough to get two people who wanted him. That's what it takes. It exceeded all expectations. We just hope he's lucky for the guys at the other end.”–CBoss Another Mule for Viola Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, which purchased Army Mule for $825,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale, acquired a son (hip 81) of the 2018 GI Carter Handicap winner for $950,000 during Tuesday's first session of the OBS March sale. Monique Delk | OBS “We love Army Mule,” said Monique Delk, who signed the ticket on the colt on behalf of St. Elias. “So to be able to support the stallion like that with a horse that we love, we are really very honored.” The juvenile is out of the unraced Diplomatic Miss (Violence), a daughter of multiple graded winner Miraculous Miss (Mr. Greeley). He was consigned by de Meric Sales and was bred by Machmer Hall. Facing strong headwinds during the first session of last week's under-tack preview, the colt worked a furlong in :10 flat. “The wind was a huge issue, so for a horse to perform like that under those conditions, made it even more spectacular,” Delk said. Delk said a trainer was still to be determined for the youngster. “He will get a little time off from here,” she said. “He will go to the farm for a little bit and kind of regroup. Then we will make decisions from there.” Hip 81, an $825,000 Army Mule colt | OBS Machmer Hall purchased Diplomatic Miss for $45,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January sale. Her 2-year-old colt had originally been slated to sell at last year's Keeneland September sale. “We did his X-rays for the sale and he had a small fragment,” Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden said of the decision to withdraw the colt from that auction. “He was a bigger version [Tuesday] of what he always was. He was always a magnificent horse.” Diplomatic Miss died this year, leading Brogden to assert, “He will definitely be a Grade I winner because the mare died last month. She died of colic. But we are delighted that he will be part of her legacy.” The mare leaves behind an Authentic yearling filly. “I am not sure if we are in a rush to sell her,” co-breeder Sandy Fubini said of the yearling. “We'll see how this goes. We keep the broodmares and especially when they throw physicals like this. I really hope he is a star for [St. Elias], And then we will have the half-sister.” @JessMartiniTDN The post $1-Million Maxfield Colt Leads OBS March Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Should Gowells Delight not run in Virginia, McPeek has another contender, Anonima. Her name means Anonymous in Spanish, and should she win March 15, she will definitely be known. View the full article

Meanwhile, Rattle N Roll shipped to Dubai March 7 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to prepare for the Dubai World Cup (G1). The 6-year-old is scheduled to work this weekend at Meydan Racecourse.View the full article

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of the No Nay Never filly Bunratty Manor. No Nay Never Filly Third Time Lucky It took three tries, but Bunratty Manor (Ire) (No Nay Never) secured her first career victory at Gulfstream Park for Three Diamonds Farm on Mar. 9 (video). Trained by Rusty Arnold, the bay was bred by Yulong Investments (Australia) in Ireland. The first foal out of Sapphire Ring (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the filly changed hands for €185,000 as a Goffs Orby yearling when selling to Highbury Bloodstock from Baroda Stud. She ran eighth for Dewsweepers III and George Weaver in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes on debut. After making $110,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale when picked up by Three Diamonds Farm, she was a close second when she made her 2025 bow in January. Her dam has Lucky Vega (Ire) offspring born in 2023 and 2024, a colt and filly, respectively. Bunratty Manor's granddam was the G3 Munster Oaks heroine Words (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), who foaled stakes winner and G3 Give Thanks Stakes third Library (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Words, in turn, is a full-sister to stakes winner Nevis (Ire) and a half-sister to three additional stakes winners, among them US Army Ranger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a Group 3 winner and runner-up in the G1 Derby. Coolmore's No Nay Never has 58 winners from 102 runners (57%) in the U.S. An even 10 stakes winners have captured 15 stakes between them, with Meditate (Ire)'s GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf the crowning jewel. A trio of other runners have also earned Grade I placings: Mountain Bear (Ire), Nay Lady Nay (Ire), and Aesop's Fables (Ire). Repeat Winners GII Pilgrim Stakes hero Zulu Kingdom (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) was back in the winner's circle after a tally in Tampa Bay's Columbia Stakes on Mar. 8 (video). The 3-year-old ridgling races for Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss and Michael Caruso and trainer Chad Brown. Jungle Peace (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) won for the second time in four starts when successful at Santa Anita for Phil D'Amato on Mar. 9 (video). The daughter of Peace Treaty (Ire) (War Command) races for CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Jerry McClanahan, Michael Nentwig, and Jeremy Peskoff. The post Making Waves: Bunratty Manor Sparkles At Gulfstream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The TDN European division produced a wonderful article about our recently deceased friend Clem Murphy last Saturday. I wanted to offer a few observations from an American who respected and loved Clem for all the things he did not just in Europe, and the list is long, but for what he did here in America. As background, I met Clem about 40 years ago, just as the Coolmore empire was exploding under John Magnier, with the help of a quiet young genius named Clem Murphy. Clem was part of the evolution of arguably the greatest Thoroughbred breeding and racing operation in history and he pulled the strings quietly and in the background throughout. Over time I realized Clem was involved in everything. Clem was not somebody who criticized without solutions, or proposed solutions without rolling up his sleeves and making them happen. Clem identified problems, proposed solutions and fixed them. As an example, I was part of the Breeders' Cup to witness Clem do as much or more than anybody to improve the Breeders' Cup and American racing over the past 25 years; always quietly and effectively. His contributions to American racing make for way too long a list for this small letter, but suffice it to say he was involved in many of the improvements to racing internationally and the United States over the past 30 years; and this was not even his day job! A few of my thoughts on Clem: He was highly intelligent, very determined, innovative, funny, always with the wry grin of one who loved humor, loved a Heineken every now and then, and he firmly and rightly chastised me on a couple of occasions to my benefit. This great guy went too early, but he accomplished more in our business during his short time than most could in a number of lifetimes. My heart goes out to his wife Barbara and his whole family, as well to John, Susan and the Magniers who considered Clem to be very much a part of their family. Anybody and everybody who knew Clem respected him and will miss him. I will very much. The post Letter to the Editor: Thoughts on a Great Friend and a Great Man appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Breeders' Cup has released ticket information for the two-day event at Del Mar before tickets go on sale April 23 at noon ET. View the full article

Florida's polarizing decoupling legislation, which would remove a statutory requirement that Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs run a minimum number of live Thoroughbred races in order to operate the respective casino and card room at each venue, recently had its first reading in the House of Representatives and remains pending at the committee level in the Senate. The bill has the backing and was launched at the impetus of Gulfstream's corporate owner, The Stronach Group (TSG). But in a solidarity twist that supersedes his family's business ties, 92-year-old Frank Stronach, who founded TSG in 2011 but is no longer involved in any of the day-to-day operations of TSG's portfolio of racetracks, signed a letter to the editor published in the Mar. 11 South Florida Sun Sentinel that spoke out against decoupling, opining that, “To put it simply, it would end horse racing in Florida.” Belinda Stronach is the chairman, chief executive and president of TSG. The rags-to-riches rise of her father, the Austrian-born Frank Stronach, has been well-documented within the racing industry. Although the family patriarch today is much farther removed from racing's public spotlight, over the decades Frank Stronach has been honored with numerous awards during his ascendancy from a small-scale horse owner and breeder based in Canada to a global Thoroughbred power player. His letter to the editor in the Sun Sentinel stated, in part: “Fourteen years ago, I, along with my daughter, founded TSG, a horse racing, entertainment and pari-mutuel wagering technology company. Our most noted contributions to the horse racing industry include world-class courses like Santa Anita Park in California and Pimlico Race Course in Maryland, as well as Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach… “It is from this profound place, with my love of the horse racing industry, a great respect for the Thoroughbred industry and owners, and the continued and unwavering support of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen, that I feel compelled to encourage the Florida Legislature not to pass legislation that would jeopardize the future of horse racing in Florida… “My heartfelt opposition to this legislation comes from my love of the industry, the respect for the men and women in this sport, and the deep concern in what this legislation would mean for the future of horse racing in the state. To put it simply, it would end horse racing in Florida… “I know that not everyone will feel the same passion for this industry that I do, but I do think we can all understand economic impacts. This legislation will mean that Florida will lose a lot, especially rural and agricultural areas of the state that contribute significantly to horses that are bred, raised and trained. “I respect those who are pushing this legislation, and I respect my former colleagues at Gulfstream Park for their business interests that have led to this move, but I would say to them that this endeavor is not right. It's not right for the industry; it's not right for those who love horse racing; and it's not right for Florida,” Frank Stronach wrote. Over the course of six decades, Frank Stronach enjoyed commercial success as an auto-parts magnate, and several of his early racing holdings were intertwined with the firm that he founded, Magna International. As Frank Stronach's scope and scale of investment within Thoroughbred racing grew, he formed Magna Entertainment Corporation (MEC) in 1999 to keep his racing interests separate from the automotive business. Belinda Stronach came on board with MEC in 2001 as its chief executive, although she briefly stepped away shortly thereafter for a run in Canadian politics. After the Stronach family formed TSG, various factions of parents, siblings and grandchildren within the clan turned against one another, leading to a series of lawsuits in Canadian courts that began in 2018 and largely ended several years later with settlements of non-disclosed terms. Essentially, the agreements entitled Belinda Stronach to remain at the helm of TSG, with full control of its horse racing, gaming, real estate and related assets, while Frank Stronach and his wife, Elfriede, took ownership and control of the family's stallions and breeding business, farm operations in North America, and European assets. In January, under Belinda Stronach's leadership, TSG told Florida industry stakeholders it could guarantee racing at Gulfstream Park only through 2028 if the proposed bill to decouple Thoroughbred horseracing from casino licenses passes the state legislature. A TSG consultant also told horsemen at a closed-door meeting that even if the decoupling bill does not pass, “there's no guarantee of when we will continue to race.” The post Breaking with Family’s Corporate Ties, Frank Stronach Pens Letter Speaking Out Against Controversial Decoupling Bill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Byron King's Top 12 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, presented by Spendthrift Farm.View the full article

Fans will have another opportunity to wager on their favorites in the fifth pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which begins March 14 at noon ET and March 16.View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of March 3-9View the full article

CHELTENHAM, UK — It is a rare thing for a trainer almost to apologise for winning a race, particularly the biggest race of his career, but observers of Jeremy Scott over the years would perhaps have expected nothing less. A man of exemplary manners, he would struggle to take pleasure in triumph in the face of other people's disasters, and there was drama and dismay aplenty in the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle, won by Scott with the plucky little mare Golden Ace (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}). “It probably wasn't the prettiest,” Scott said, after the two previous winners of the race fell. First, Constitution Hill (GB) (Blue Bresil {Fr}) fluffed the fourth flight from home and, as Brighterdaysahead (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}) took up the running then emptied fast when State Man (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}) cruised by, it appeared to be his for the taking for the second year in a row. The racing gods had other ideas. The defending champion approached the last five lengths clear, with Paul Townend crouching lower in the saddle in pursuit of his third win of the day for Willie Mullins, but suddenly he was gone, crumpling on landing and leaving Golden Ace to climb the hill unchallenged as Burdett Road (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), Winter Fog (Ire) (Papal Bull {GB}) and the tiring Brighterdaysahead were hampered as State Man scrambled back to his feet. Admitting to feeling “flabbergasted”, Scott continued, “It's bizarre but it's fantastic. It's a horse race and anything can happen.” Paul Townend hits the deck as Golden Ace gallops to glory | PA Media Indeed it can. And on a day which will only further inflame the already heated debate over the G1 Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle, Golden Ace has benefitted not only from the mishaps of some of her rivals but from the decision of Rich Ricci and Mullins to keep Lossiemouth (Fr) (Great Pretender {Fr}) to racing against her own sex. The latter duly won for the third time at the Festival, and that decision in turn helped Golden Ace's owner Ian Gosden to opt for the Champion route for his mare against the advice of his trainer and jockey Lorcan Williams. Fortune favours the brave. “It's unbelievable. I thought we would struggle against Lossiemouth so we thought we might as well have a go at this one,” Gosden said. “We'd already beaten Burdett Road and Brighterdaysahead once each and she was, and still is, unbeaten over two miles. There's a lot of luck in it. “Constitution Hill came down and I thought he was going to bring her down as well but she just got by him. Then she was third and I thought, 'Well, that's the dream, isn't it?'” The dream of being placed turned to the realm of near-fantasy for Gosden and Scott, who were enjoying their second consecutive win at the Festival with Golden Ace. She is the first Grade 1 winner for her sire Golden Horn, who is fast rising through the ranks of National Hunt sires. Now seven, she was bred by the Weinfeld family's Meon Valley Stud – Classic-winning owner-breeders on the Flat who also happen to have bred the best National Hunt sire to have stood in Britain in recent years in the late Kayf Tara (GB). Golden Horn, who followed Kayf Tara to Overbury Stud, has now picked up the baton. “We are lucky that we can give them time and Mr Gosden has been extraordinarily patient as well as being a great chooser of a race,” Scott added with a hearty laugh. “My wife and family are all involved and Camilla does a lot of the work at home and has the patience of a saint.” He added, “Can you give me a pinch to make sure this isn't a dream.” With young jumping prospects now regularly changing hands for eye-watering sums, the story of the unraced three-year-old who was picked up for 12,000gns and went on to become a champion is a much needed fillip to the sector, and indeed to Cheltenham Festival lore. The dramatics of the race aside, this was a result that restores the dream of smaller, battling owners and trainers the land over. A surprise but very welcome winner could not have been delivered to a more deserving team of connections. Why Mares' Races Matter Five of the last ten runnings of the Champion Hurdle have now been won by four different mares. That these horses are being funnelled through to the top level owes much to the determined expansion and upgrading of the racing programme for National Hunt fillies and mares, with the G1 Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle at its aspirational pinnacle. Some will argue that that race only detracts from the Champion Hurdle. That's tosh. Only seven mares have won the Champion Hurdle in its 98-year history. That so many of them, relatively speaking, have won in the last decade in open company is because the mares' races at the Festival are there to be aimed at by owners determined to have a Cheltenham winner. One doesn't need too good a memory to recall the days that National Hunt filly foals were all but worthless at sales, and it doesn't take a vivid imagination to guess at the potential welfare concerns if there is weak demand for 50 per cent of a jumps foal crop. Lossiemouth runs her rivals ragged in the Mares' Hurdle | PA Media On both sides of the Irish Sea the work of the respective breeders' associations and racing authorities must be applauded. Through incentive schemes and enhanced racing opportunities they have helped to turn the tide of bias towards fillies rather than against them. No more should a breeder feel utter a private cry of despair at the birth of a filly. At a time when the National Hunt population is declining in Britain, the number of mares in training in the country has risen by 30 per cent since 2012, to 1,526 in 2025. The stalking triumph of Lossiemouth (Fr) will doubtless have plenty arguing that she should have been running one race later in the Champion Hurdle itself. Perhaps she should, and perhaps she will become the eighth mare to win that race next year, but for now let's applaud the imperious beast that she is and let her owners Rich and Susannah Ricci, who have invested plenty in jumps racing over the years, enjoy another moment in the sun. As we saw so spectacularly on this day, nothing in this sport can ever be taken for granted. Any Human Heart Some people may dwell under the misconception that horse racing is just about horses. The horses must come first, always, even those that come last, but entwined in the lives of racehorses are stories imbued with all range of human emotion. As the action got underway at Prestbury Park on Tuesday and William Munny (Ire), bearing the colours of Barry Connell, scampered up the hill in vain pursuit of Kopek Des Bordes (Fr) it was impossible not to cast minds back almost two years to the day when Marine Nationale (Ire) triumphed in those same colours. They were carried then by Michael O'Sullivan, whose name this year was attached to the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in posthumous tribute, his brother Alan among the crowd as racegoers applauded this bright talent so sadly lost only last month. A day of high draam at Cheltenham | PA Media One race later, Jango Baie (Fr) (Tiger Groom {Fr}) delivered an eye-popping finishing burst not completely dissimilar to his grandsire Arazi in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile more than three decades earlier, to claim the G1 Arkle Chase in the most thrilling finish of the day. One on the board for Nicky Henderson and Nico de Joinville before the crushing disappointment of Constitution Hill, and a balm of even greater comfort to his owner Tony Barney. “It means a lot to me, as I bought the horse on the day my son got killed. His name was James Barney, the horse is Jango Baie, so the same initials,” he said. “Phenomenal. Blessed. My son is looking down on me, that's for sure. Where he came from, from the back – from losing to winning. Amazing.” An association with a horse which began in the depths of despair and, for this day at least, has lifted his owner above the numbing pain which must come with the loss of a child. Scoreboards barely matter in the wake of such tragedies, but there was a pleasing balance to the origins of the winners. Two for Mullins, of course, and another for Joseph O'Brien and JP McManus with Puturhandstogether (Ire) (Caravaggio) in what we'll still call the Fred Winter, now sponsored by Hallgarten and Novum Wines. Three for Ireland then, and, despite the binary nature of the Prestbury Cup, the four wins for British trainers were actually two for England, one for Scotland and one for Wales, with Lucinda Russell and Rebecca Curtis adding their names to the sheet with Myretown (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and Haiti Couleurs (Fr) (Dragon Dancer {GB}). A properly united kingdom, in sport at least. The post Golden Ace Prevails in Dramatic Champion Hurdle appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Adam Corndorf isn't afraid to admit that he has never been to the Kentucky Derby, but the reason behind his skipping the iconic event–even after living in Kentucky for the past 15 years–offers some insight into the tenacious drive and determined strategy that define his leadership of Blue Heaven Farm. “I've always said I'm not going until we have something connected to a horse that is running,” explained Corndorf. “We've never had a horse run at Churchill on the Friday or Saturday of Derby weekend, but I'm hoping that we have a good reason to go this year.” Indeed, his odds of getting to Churchill Downs on the first weekend in May aren't all that bad. Blue Heaven Farm is represented by two horses on the Derby trail this year with lightly-raced Tappan Street (Into Mischief), who showed his emerging talent last month with a runner-up performance in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes, and the gritty Getaway Car (Curlin), a top juvenile last year in California who will make his next start in Saturday's Virginia Derby. Although this farm has yet to breed a Derby contender, the list of notable horses it has produced is growing rapidly. Blue Heaven's shot at getting a 2025 Kentucky Derby starter comes on the heels of the farm's best year on record in 2024 after breeding five stakes horses and several seven-figure yearlings. Perhaps most impressively, all this has been achieved with a broodmare band of just 14 mares. As a commercial breeding business, Blue Heaven Farm is the very definition of a boutique operation. Tappan Street's dam Virginia Key will visit Gun Runner in 2025 | Katie Petrunyak “Year by year we try to curate the broodmare band so that it's in that 12 to 15 range, which requires being aggressive,” said Corndorf. “If people don't like your horse because of various things, it's easy to want to prove them wrong and keep every filly you can't sell, but before you know it you have 25 or 30 mares and they're all sisters or daughters. So we try hard to be objective and make smart decisions. With the group that we have, we can be aggressive with our stallion selection and sort of be 'small but mighty.'” “But it's tough,” he acknowledged. “You can do everything a certain way and have an amazing year, then the next year do things the exact same way and have a terrible year and not really know how it happened. So I've learned that we just try to enjoy the good years as much as possible.” Corndorf has been the president and general manager of Blue Heaven since they moved onto the property on McCowans Ferry Road in Versailles 15 years ago, but the roots of his family's involvement in horse racing go back several generations. Over thirty years ago, Corndorf's grandfather Sy Baskin bought into a few racing partnerships at Arlington Park after retiring from a career in chemical manufacturing. As his stable began to grow, his daughter Bonnie Baskin took an interest as well. Where Sy was passionate about the racing side of the business, Bonnie–a microbiologist and the founder of several successful biotechnology companies–was fascinated with the breeding. The father-daughter duo formed SyBon Racing Stable. One of their early purchases was Ocean Drive (Belong to Me), a $160,000 2001 Keeneland September yearling who went on to become a multiple graded stakes winner and important broodmare for her owners. Later, as Bonnie's passion for the breeding side of the business continued to blossom, she founded her own racing and breeding operation in Blue Heaven Farm. Meanwhile, Bonnie's son Adam Corndorf was busy earning a law degree. After graduating and moving to New York, Corndorf also began to follow the family's racing business. He had big dreams for Blue Heaven and when he sat down with his mother to discuss the future, the pair drew up a plan where they would grow the operation to the point where, instead of boarding their mares, they could have their own farm in Kentucky and Corndorf would take over managing the stable. Before taking the leap, Corndorf did all he could to gain industry knowledge. Giving up his law practice, he spent a season running cards at the Keeneland September and November sales for the Taylor Made consignment, hoping to glean information on what buyers were looking for, and then he worked at Belmont Park for six months walking hots for Todd Pletcher. It was his first real hands-on horsemanship experience and Corndorf smiled as he recalled his first days on the job. One morning as he was hot walking a colt, there was an open stall door where another colt was saddled inside, waiting for the next set. Corndorf's colt spotted the open door and strode inside with Corndorf following along, helplessly clutching the shank. Corndorf family and grandfather Sy Baskin at Gulfstream Park in 2020 | courtesy Adam Corndorf “There I was in a stall with two giant colts and I'm thinking, 'This is it. This is how it ends,'” Corndorf recalled with a laugh. “But Todd was wonderful and I really appreciated him giving me an opportunity to be exposed to not just good horses, but a high-quality operation. Even after those six months, there are people who have forgotten more about horses then I'll even know, but I just felt like it would give me credibility if I had put some time into building those relationships and learning as much as I could.” After purchasing the farm in 2010, Corndorf and his wife Christine, a fellow lawyer from Los Angeles, moved into a double wide trailer on the property. In those early years, it was just Corndorf, the farm manager and one groom working together to muck stalls, mow grass and oversee the care of their stock. From the start, Corndorf was careful about maintaining a 'quality over quantity' philosophy. “This was not going to be a side hustle for us with disposable income from other businesses,” explained Corndorf. “Everything we do here is with an eye towards sustainability. The business has to support itself, so it was really about making sure that we weren't throwing money away just to say that we did it ourselves. I felt like with the right kind of numbers, we could make it work.” Blue Heaven has never been a breeder that consistently goes after seven-figure mares to build their broodmare band. Instead, Corndorf has made a habit of not compromising on race record or physical, but focusing on finding mares who might be discounted due to a lack of commercial sire power or pedigree. Starship Jubilee fit that description. The Florida-bred daughter of Indy Wind was a three-time graded stakes winner when she went through the ring at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. Blue Heaven purchased her privately with the goal of breeding the then-five-year-old mare, but trainer Kevin Attard convinced Corndorf to keep her in training for a bit longer. The mare reeled off two unforgettable seasons and six more graded stakes wins for Blue Heaven and became the farm's first Grade I winner as an owner. “It was a Cinderella story for us for two years of heights that we never thought we would get to,” said Corndorf. “There were a couple of her races where it was four generations of us–my grandfather, my mom, myself and my two kids–so it was really fun. She's back at the farm now and is carrying her fourth foal.” Starship Jubilee's 2-year-old Quality Road filly has been retained by the farm and will be sent to Attard later this spring. Starship Jubilee and her Quality Road filly, who is now a 2-year-old preparing to join the Kevin Attard barn | Sara Gordon Our Khrysty (Newfoundland) was another similar purchase. A graded stakes victress in her own right, the mare has produced six winners since she was bought by Blue Heaven in 2011, including 2021 GI Debutante Stakes victress Grace Adler (Curlin) and Pyrenees (Into Mischief), who was retained by Blue Heaven and raced to a win in last year's GIII Pimlico Special Stakes. After a pair of runner-up Grade I performances and a start in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Cherie DeVaux trainee is now preparing for his 5-year-old campaign. Our Khrysty's daughter Virginia Key (Distorted Humor), another Blue Heaven homebred who earned graded stakes credit in the 2018 GII Gazelle Stakes, is not only the dam of the promising Tappan Street, but also the highest-selling yearling in Blue Heaven's history. The mare's Curlin colt brought $1.4 million at last year's Keeneland September Sale. It was a Keeneland sale for the record books for Blue Heaven, highlighting their growing reputation as commercial breeders, when they were also represented by a $975,000 Gun Runner filly out of Our Khrysty. “I usually don't bring my kids to the sales because they're 10 and 12 and I'm always worried that they're going to buy a horse or something,” Corndorf joked. “I don't trust them to keep their hands down. But I kind of felt like those two had the potential to be good ones. They were both selling in the afternoon so my wife left work early, picked the kids up from school and came over. We watched them sell together from the back ring. The filly sold for $975,000 and then the next day the colt sold for $1.4 million. We had reserves that were nowhere near anything like that. They were maybe a fifth of that. We went in thinking we had good people on them and were just kind of hoping for the best. Then the bidding started and it was kind of hard to believe what was happening.” The Curlin colt sold to Bradley Thoroughbreds and the Gun Runner went to Lael Stable, giving Corndorf plenty of optimism about the pair's future. “So much of this from our end comes down to luck with whose hands they go into,” said Corndorf. “If you think about the success we've had over the last few years with good horses, there's a correlation with who trains them and who owns them. It's people who know what they're doing and give them a chance to succeed.” The two potential Derby contenders are also represented by powerhouse connections. Tappan Street is with Brad Cox and is campaigned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and Cold Press Racing while Getaway Car, a $300,000 Keeneland November graduate and $700,000 Keeneland September pinhook, is in the Bob Baffert barn and owned by a large partnership that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables and Stonestreet Stables. One essential element of Blue Heaven's success, according to Corndorf, is the team at the farm. Jamie Corbett has been the operation's farm manager since 2014. “We're only as good as the people we have working here,” said Corndorf. “I think it's very easy in this business, with how valuable these horses are, to treat the horses really well but not always treat the people well. So I like to think that more than anything–more than having good horses or good mares–that this is a good place to work. Our employees have been here for years, which I hope means that they're happy, and I feel like we have a supportive environment here.” After growing up in Minneapolis with no ties to racing until his grandfather and mother started to get involved when he was in college, Corndorf has a unique outlook on the industry and the opportunities the sport has given him and his family. “I never knew that this world existed,” he admitted. “I just figured that I would be a lawyer and grind it out in an office for the rest of my life. I grew up as a sports fan and sure, I would watch the Triple Crown races, but beyond that I knew nothing about the breeding industry. I'm sure my wife would say the same thing. But it has been great. We love Lexington. We love life on the farm. It's a fun way to grow up for my kids. We want to be a part of maintaining these farms in the manner that they deserve to be maintained so that this community exists in this way for many generations.” Canadian champion and graded stakes producer Café Americano (Medaglia d'Oro) watches over her napping Forte colt, with Our Khrysty in the adjacent paddock | Katie Petrunyak Today, Blue Heaven's founder Bonnie Baskin is based in Texas, but she enjoys receiving updates on the new foals every spring, attending the races with her family when she can, and admiring all that her son has accomplished with the operation that she once named as a nod to the Gene Austin song her father used to sing to her. “As Adam's mother who is very proud of him and thinks the world of him, it's great to see the fruit of his labor and commitment,” said Baskin. “It's a result of really strategic thinking and perseverance because in this business you need perseverance, especially coming into a community where he wasn't well known. To have the opportunity to be in business with my son is like a dream and I've always trusted him. We've gone through ups and downs, good years and bad years, but we've always stuck with our plan.” Baskin's father Sy passed away in 2021 at the age of 100, but before his death he was able to see the arrival of his namesake Sy B (English Channel)–the final foal out of Ocean Drive, the mare he and his daughter purchased together 20 years earlier. This year Grade II-placed Sy B will begin her broodmare career at the farm where she was once bred, marking a new generation at Blue Heaven Farm. “We raise horses that can run,” reflected Corndorf. “That's the most important thing. I think the stats hopefully show that we raise our horses the right way. We don't coddle them. We try to let them be horses as much as possible. We like to think that what we're bringing to market is the best of what we've curated over the last decade and a half, that there's consistency and reliability with what we've produced and that buyers are going to get a horse that is tough, hard-nosed and talented.” The post Keeneland Breeder Spotlight: Generations Build Influence of Blue Heaven appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A colt from the first crop of Grade I winner Maxfield (hip 119) will be heading to Japan after selling for $1 million to the bid of trainer Mitsu Nakauchida during Tuesday's first session of the OBS March sale. The colt, who shared the :9 4/5 bullet during the first under-tack show last week, is out of multiple stakes winner and graded placed Eyeinthesky (Sky Mesa). He was consigned by Wavertree Stables and was purchased by a pinhooking partnership for $75,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. The post Maxfield Colt First to Seven Figures at OBS appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

GII DK Horse San Felipe Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin) was named the 3-1 individual favorite in pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager which opens Friday, March 14 and runs through Sunday, March 16. Joining him at 3-1 odds is the undefeated Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) in the lone Kentucky Derby Oaks Future Wager which opens the same time. Both pools feature $2 Win and Exacta wagering, as well as a separate Oaks/Derby Future Double linking selections in both races. The Kentucky Derby Future Wager closes Sunday at 6 p.m., while the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager remains open until 6:30 p.m. The pool for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager includes 39 individual betting interests and an option for “All Other 3-year-olds” not listed while the Oaks pool features 40 other betting interested and an option for “All Other 3-year-old Fillies” not listed. Among the other top interests in Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are a trio of Into Mischief colts including GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes winner Sovereignty, Eclipse Award-winning champion Citizen Bull and highly regarded San Felipe runner-up Barnes. The sixth and final pool is scheduled for April 3-5. The post Journalism Tabbed 3-1 Favorite In KY Derby Future Wager Pool 5; Oaks Future Wager Led By Good Cheer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article