Wandering Eyes

Ted Noffey, the 2025 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner who is expected to be honored next week as the Eclipse Award-winning champion 2-year-old of 2025, is back on the worktab for the first time as a 3-year-old.View the full article

BLACK CHERRY (f, 3, Liam's Map–Summer Raven {GSW, $168,910}, by Summer Squall) entered this contest with a bullet work to her name in preparation for her debut, and the betting public liked her to the tune of 7-2 odds as the race came off the turf in favor of the tapeta. Breaking on top to show the way through an opening quarter in :21.77, she was still at the head of affairs as the field swung off the bend for the homeward run. Bracing as challenges arrived on both sides, Black Cherry gamely held on late to win by a neck over a fast-closing Pearl of Pearl (Vino Rosso). Black Cherry is a half-sister to multiple graded winner Lewis Bay (Bernardini), MGSW & MGISP, $1,166,560; Misconnect (Unbridled's Song), GSW, $327,100; and Winslow Homer (Unbridled's Song), GSW, $273,365. Her half-sister Elusive Raven (Elusive Quality) is the dam of GSW Lost Raven (Uncle Mo) and another half-sister went on to be the granddam of SW Our Lady (Bolt d'Oro). A third sibling claims MSP Mojave Desert (Munnings). Black Cherry is Summer Raven's last registered offspring. This is the immediate female family of MGISW Wild Rush (Wild Again). 5th-Gulfstream, $68,000, Msw, 1-16, 3yo, f, 5f (AWT) (off turf), :57.09, ft, neck. BLACK CHERRY (f, 3, Liam's Map–Summer Raven {GSW, $168,910}, by Summer Squall) Sales history: $200,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $40,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Wathnan Racing; B-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott. *1/2 to Winslow Homer (Unbridled's Song), GSW, $273,365; 1/2 to Misconnect (Unbridled's Song), GSW, $327,100; 1/2 to Lewis Bay (Bernardini), MGSW & MGISP, $1,166,560. #1 BLACK CHERRY ($9.80) refused to be beaten, breaking her maiden in R5 at @GulfstreamPark. @JuniorandKellyA was aboard the three-year-old filly by @LanesEndFarms' Liam's Map for trainer Bill Mott. pic.twitter.com/15nkiEg9U5 — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) January 16, 2026 The post Liam’s Map’s Black Cherry Wins the Photo at Gulfstream to Graduate First Out appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Saturday running at Kyoto Racecourse: Saturday, January 17, 2026 6th-KYO, ¥15,200,000 ($96k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m BOOM BAP BEAT (c, 3, Into Mischief–Point of Honor, by Curlin), a $1.25-million Keeneland September acquisition for owner Susumu Fujita, has acquitted himself well in his two previous appearances over this course and distance, finishing third Oct. 10 before showing the necessary improvement to graduate by 3 1/2 lengths when last seen Nov. 15. The bay is the first produce from his dam, winner of the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes before placing in the GI CCA Oaks and GI Alabama Stakes at three. Point of Honor held top-class form at four, with a quartet of Grade I placings and her now 2-year-old full-brother to this colt made $1.5 million at KEESEP last year. O-Susumu Fujita; B-Alpha Delta Stables LLC (KY); T-Mitsu Nakauchida 10th-KYO, Kobai S.-Listed, ¥40,290,000 ($255k), 3yo, f, 1400mT PRINCESS MOKO (f, 3, Charlatan–Tiger Ride, by Candy Ride {Arg}) opened her account at first asking with a three-length success on the dirt at Kyoto in November and made a favorable impression when switched to the turf for the first time, going down by a neck in a 1400-meter allowance at Chukyo Dec. 13. A $170,000 KEESEP yearling turned $300,000 OBS April breezer, the Feb. 21 foal is out of a mare that won a rained-off renewal of Keeneland's GIII Valley View Stakes and was later second to Forever Unbridled (Unbridled's Song) in the GI Beldame Stakes. Yutaka Take has the riding assignment. O-Mishima B.; B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY); T-Hideaki Fujiwara The post Pricey Into Mischief Colt Makes Sophomore Bow at Kyoto appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The nearly four-year rebuild of the new Belmont Park is scheduled to hit a significant milestone by the end of February, when training on the innermost Tapeta track is set to open. Glen Kozak, the New York Racing Association (NYRA)'s senior vice president of operations and capital projects, delivered that news nugget Friday as part of a broader overview of the track's $455-million reimagining during a meeting of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board (FOB). Before delving into details, Kozak underscored an overall message of “on schedule [and] on budget.” The projected timeline still calls for Belmont to open in September 2026 after the Saratoga Race Course meet ends. After this year's spring/early summer season at Aqueduct Racetrack, racing will cease there, leaving Belmont and Saratoga as the only two tracks on the NYRA circuit as of this coming autumn. David O'Rourke, NYRA's chief executive officer and president, explained during the Jan.16 meeting that, “When Belmont opens in the fall, the first two floors will be open. The grounds will be open. There will be a 'preview party' for lack of a better term.” But the entire venue won't be completely accessible to the public until about half a year later. “We'll be working our way into full utilization of the building for the [GII] Wood [Memorial Stakes in April 2027],” O'Rourke said. NYRA and its contractors have been laying down Belmont's four redesigned racing surfaces from the inside out. Once completed, in that concentric order, will be a one-mile Tapeta track, two grass courses at nine and 10 furlongs, and the iconic 1 1/2-miles main dirt track. “The synthetic is complete, in place,” Kozak said. “Horse tunnel is complete with the synthetic on it.” Kozak said the Tapeta track is pretty much ready to handle horses right now, but the wrapping-up of infield construction and massive piles of earth dominating the view are what's keeping training from being greenlighted. “The infield video board is now in place. But leading up to that was the concrete, the structural steel, the crane that was directly adjacent to the inside rail of the synthetic track,” Kozak said. “We still have 30,000 yards of material for the base of the track. We've got probably close to 30,000 to 35,000 yards of topsoil for the infield that needs to get spread, so that's what we're currently working on,” Kozak said. “We're able to start spreading topsoil out in the infield right now. Once the piles are down in the infield, we'll be able to see across the track, and that was the biggest concern. Because we could train-we're able to put horses on the [synthetic] track for galloping and jogging right now. But in order to have the outriders and the exercise riders [see clearly] if they need help, visually there's impairment across the track,” Kozak said. “The clay base for the main track is in the infield. It's screened, it's ready to go. Now we're waiting for the weather this spring to be able to install that, have the temperatures to be able to get that thing down and rolled and [give it] the compaction that's required. That'll take place sometime in March, early April,” Kozak said. NYRA recently gave some 40-plus horsemen a tour of the infield and the under-construction tracks with the aim of getting their input as to how the earliest stages of training might roll out. “We had that communication with the trainers, and their feedback has been, 'Let's get this right and make sure all parties have the proper [safety] coverage and we have everything in place,'” Kozak said. “It gives us the opportunity to continue to push some of the construction components that we have to work around, some of the start times, with training taking place from 5:30 a.m. to whatever time we designate,” Kozak said. “We will continue to work with the horsemen as far as the video board installation, and we're currently working six to seven days a week as far as what we're responsible for for moving that material around, so it's coming together very, very quickly,” Kozak said. “The synthetic harrow yard building is complete. The outrider stands are complete. And the end of February we're expecting all the light poles in for it, so there will be training lighting on the synthetic as well,” Kozak said. “And then the main track, the sub-base is down, meaning the stone dust is set to grade. Inside rail, outside rail are all complete. We're currently in the process now of just putting up marker poles on the inside,” Kozak said. NYRA's target date for the opening of main-track training is late April, Kozak said. “Just to get the horsemen who are coming back from Florida the ability to get on the main track,” Kozak said. “And then we'll coordinate with the construction team whether it is modified training hours or what we need in place,” Kozak added. As for the two grass courses, “[the inner] course was down since July, the [outer] course was down in October,” Kozak said. “Full irrigation is installed. All the rails are installed. We currently have three-quarters of both turf courses blanketed and covered, similar to what we do at Aqueduct.” Moving on to general construction of the grandstand, clubhouse and backyard saddling area, Kozak gave the following update to the FOB, which is the governor-appointed committee that represents the interests of New York State in the real estate at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga. “Steel superstructure and canopy is complete. The concrete superstructure is also complete. Paddock site work is roughly 40% done. Saddling stalls, with the steel work for that, is about 75% complete. Waterproofing on the main roof has started. That will take place for probably another two months, aiming to be watertight by mid- to early-April is what we're projecting. Purchase of all the electrical, mechanical, plumbing, sprinkler [systems are] either on-site or installed [and] the first-floor interiors are 40% complete,” Kozak said. “There's roughly 250 trades personnel on site roughly six days a week. There's been a couple of cases where it's been seven days a week, anywhere from an eight- to a 10-hour day. All the procurement and contracts are now fully executed. The last was the landscape that was just done a couple weeks ago,” Kozak said. The post Belmont Park Update: Tapeta Training Could Start Late Feb., Main Track Aim Is End Of April appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Every week in the TDN, we have been running the five fastest maidens as judged by the Beyer Speed Figure time. An astute reader suggested that since all breeders like fast fillies, we should have a look and see who the five fastest fillies of the week are each week. Here you go. 5. GRATEFULLY, SA, 1/8-5th, Alw, 6 furlongs (turf) Beyer Speed Figure-91 (f, 4, by Laoban–Selflessly, by More Than Ready) O- Adelphi Racing Club and Shelly & Russell Hume. B-WinStar Farm (Ky). T-Robert Falcone. J-Umberto Rispoli. In her '26 debut, Gratefully's 3 3/4-length turf score ran her record to 4-for-4: two on grass, two on dirt (off-the-turf), all in sprints. She's the first foal from Selflessly (More Than Ready-Uniformly Yours), a GSW at 2 and 3 for Klaravich Stable/Chad Brown in 2019's GII Miss Grillo and 2020's GIII Lake George. The “acquisition chain”: WinStar acquired Selflessly, bred her in 2021 to now-deceased Laoban to get Gratefully, sold the mare in November 2022 for $875,000 to Ireland's Barronstown Stud, then sold yearling Gratefully in 2023 for $155,000 to Adelphi. 4. SHINING STAR (Chi), FG, 1/9-7th, Alw, 5 1/2 furlongs (turf) Beyer Speed Figure-93 (m, 5, by Saraha Spirit–Green Power (Chi), by Dublin (Ire)) O-Sumaya U.S. Stable. B-Haras Sumaya (Chi). T-Brad Cox. J-Jose Ortiz. The two-time minor SW in Chile is a potential stakes star here after consecutive turf sprint Beyers of 92-93. Chilean owner/breeder Oussama Aboughazale sent her to the U.S. in early '25 on dirt form, but after flopping on dirt at Santa Anita she was transferred to Cox and now has won two straight on grass by a combined 11 1/2 lengths. Aboughazale stands unraced Tapit stallion Saraha Spirit in Chile: he's out of Wild Spirit, who Aboughazale also imported in 2003 to become his only Gr I winner in this country. Saraha Spirit is a half-brother to stallion Protonico (Giant's Causeway). 3. PRINCESA MOCHE (Per), SA, 1/11-8th, GIII Las Cienegas S., about 6 1/2 furlongs (turf) Beyer Speed Figure- 94 (2nd) (m, 6, by Muwaary (GB)–Queen Jezebel, by Motivator (GB)) O-Rancho San Roberto. B-Haras Los Azahares. T-Chief Stipe O'Neill. J-Marco Demuro. After two allowance wins, Princesa Moche took a big step forward Beyer-wise in a frontrunning half-length Las Cienegas (Gr III) loss to Queen Maxima (see below) at 16/1 odds. California jeweler and Peru native Roberto Spasiano acquired her last summer in Peru and after two $1500 handicap wins sent her to O'Neill. She initially looked overmatched in this country, but not any more. 1 (tie). QUEEN MAXIMA, SA, 1/11-8th, GIII Las Cienegas S., about 6 1/2 furlongs (turf) Beyer Speed Figure-96 (m, 5, by Bucchero–Corfu Lady, by Corfu) O-Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures. B-Saul Rosas (Fla). T-Jeff Mullins. J-Juan Hernandez. With her game Las Cienegas victory, Queen Maxima now has won seven of her last nine, all in turf sprints and three against graded company – and her name belongs high on the list of the country's best female turf sprinters, arguably just below Shisopicy. Co-owner Michele Arthur (the Dutch girl) bought her for only $40,000 as an Ocala June 2-year-old and races her in partnership with Ruben Isla. Arthur and Isla also own Gr I-winning 3-year-old Intrepido. 1 (tie). LOTSANDLOTSOFCANDY, FG, 1/10, Nelson J. Menard Memorial S., 5 1/2 furlongs Beyer Speed Figure-96 (m, 5, by Twirling Candy–Lotsandlotsofhope, by Tiznow) O-Jay Em Ess Stable. B-Samantha Siegel. T-Paul McGee. J-Brian Hernandez Jr. She has lately been drifting to the middle of the track through the stretch, but with her lotsandlotsoftalent, so far that hasn't mattered. Her family talent can be expressed in Beyers: in 2000, Samantha Siegel and late parents Jan/Mace bought 2nd dam Hope Rises, a SW who ran five Beyers between 91-93; she produced Lotsandlotsofhope, whose only start in 2012 was a nose loss with a solid 85 Beyer; and Lotsandlotsofhope has produced not only this mare (90, 94 and 96 Beyers) but also GSW Extra Hope, who three times ran Beyers between 90-95. The post Five Fleet Fillies: January 5-11, 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Laurel Park will run two $100,000 stakes Jan. 17 for runners bred Maryland or Virginia or by sires in these states: the Jennings Stakes and Geisha Stakes. The card also includes two $100,000 open handicaps.View the full article

It has been a wild ride for Jes Sikura, son of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa owner and president John Sikura, since the 24-year-old graduated from the University of Kentucky in December. Just a few days after receiving his diploma, he and his father were on a plane to California. What began as a trip to celebrate opening weekend at Santa Anita proved serendipitous when the Sikuras secured multiple graded stakes winner Barnes (Into Mischief) for their stallion roster following his scratch from the GI Malibu Stakes. Since stepping into his new role as Hill 'n' Dale's Director of Bloodstock at the start of this year, the younger Sikura has taken on the assignment of putting together Barnes's first book. Sikura describes it as “an easy first job.” “I don't have to beg anybody to come to us,” he explained. “People are calling us because they're excited about him. People are excited to bring their mares to him.” Sikura recalled attending the 2023 Fasig-Tipon Saratoga Sale when Barnes first made headlines, selling to Zedan Racing for $3.2 million. Bred by Jeff Drown and Rachel Don, the son of Into Mischief hails from the family of Grade I winners Majestic Warrior, Dream Supreme and Spinning Round, but Sikura said it was the bay's imposing physical that made him one of the talking horses of the auction. “A huge endorsement is if Bob Baffert and Donato Lanni are going to pay $3.2 million for a yearling,” he said. “The fact that they did means that as a yearling, he possessed what looked to be an athletic physical.” Sikura noted that the same physical presence that made Barnes a standout in the sales ring now serves as a major draw for breeders visiting the new Hill 'n' Dale sire. “He has great size, great bone and a great shoulder,” he explained. “He walks well and has a beautiful face. I would describe him as an impeccable physical. I think anybody who is looking for a nice foal would be pleased to see Barnes and hope he's going to produce something that looks like himself.” A winner on debut at Churchill Downs in November of his juvenile season, Barnes returned to California to claim the GII San Vicente Stakes by over five lengths. He followed that performance with a second-place finish to MGISW Journalism (Curlin) in the GII San Felipe Stakes and was fifth in the GI Santa Anita Derby. After a mid-summer layoff, Barnes made three more starts including a third-place finish behind Patch Adams (Into Mischief) and Captain Cook (Practical Joke) in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes and an 8 1/4-length victory in his final career start in the GIII Perryville Stakes, besting rival Captain Cook and GSW Owen Almighty (Speightstown). “He had a lot of talent, a lot of speed and a lot of ability and courage,” Sikura said of the colt, who was retired due to a tendon injury after hitting the board in five of his seven starts. Sikura noted that at a $15,000 price point, the response has been immediate. He reported that the stallion syndicate filled within an hour of the announcement of his retirement. Sara Gordon photo “Being a first-year stallion at $15,000 who has the endorsement of being a $3.2 million yearling bought by Bob Baffert, Donato Lanni and Amr Zedan, he's got a lot of potential,” Sikura said. “He's going to breed a lot of good mares and have every opportunity. He's standing at a range where breeders are going to have a chance to get to him and we hope that he replicates his success and more through his progeny on the track.” While Sikura is just getting started in his first full-time chapter at Hill 'n' Dale, he grew up in the business learning from his father and other mentors. He worked in the farm's bloodstock division while in college and also found time between classes to spend mornings walking hots for Todd Pletcher and evenings working as a server at Carlo Vaccarezza's Frank & Dino's Restaurant. “It gave me the opportunity to meet people in Lexington and in the horse business while going to school,” explained Sikura. Sikura is looking forward to channeling that same work ethic into his new position. “My new role entails everything bloodstock-related at Hill 'n' Dale, whether that would be the sales, the breeding shed, keeping up with clients' yearlings and mares on the farm or anything organizational in the office,” he said. “It's anything I can do to be a helping hand.” “I love everything about what we do,” he continued. “I love getting to work for the family business. I love promoting the great job that we do. I love getting to reward clients who entrust us with big mares and big yearlings. I love everything I get to do that is Hill 'n' Dale associated–promoting the brand, rewarding clients and giving our stallions an opportunity.” The post Jes Sikura On The Job with New Hill ‘n’ Dale Sire Barnes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

6th-FG, $60k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 3:30 p.m. ET A pair of Keeneland September acquisitions by Belladonna Racing and C R K Stable, each sold for better than a half-million dollars, debut for the in-form Cherie DeVaux barn in what appears to be a hot maiden on the Lecomte Stakes undercard. MOJACAR (Essential Quality) looks to become the fifth winner from as many to the races for dam Spanish Star (Blame), who is responsible for 2025 GI Test Stakes victress Kilwin (Twirling Candy); the crack Grade II-winning turf sprinter One Timer (Trappe Shot); and Just Basking (Arrogate), the 2024 Iowa Oaks winner who was subsequently third in the GI Alabama Stakes. A $500,000 KEESEP grad, the Apr. 12 foal is a half to 2019 GI Belmont Stakes hero Sir Winston (Awesome Again). Double Entendre (Tapit) cost $625,000 in Lexington and is out of a half-sister to GI Delaware Handicap and GI Beldame Stakes winner Belle Gallantey (After Market). Whisper Hill Farm unveils Guns Allowed (Gun Runner), a homebred half-brother to GISW Volatile (Violence) and SW & GSP Buy Sell Hold (Violence), herself the dam of SW Bourbon Bash (City of Light) and GSW Showcase (Uncle Mo). The colt's second dam is 2003 GI Test heroine Lady Tak (Mutakddim). TJCIS PPs 5th-FG, $60k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 3:00 p.m. Whisper Hill is represented in this fillies' division by the beautifully bred TAP TO OPEN (Tapit). Mandy Pope acquired the May 27 foal's dam I'll Take Charge (Indian Charlie) for $2.2 million at the 2013 Keeneland September Sale and from her bred this filly's full-brother 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Charge It, twice a winner at the graded level and runner-up in the 2022 GI Florida Derby. I'll Take Charge is one of eight winners produced by treble Grade I victress Take Charge Lady (Dehere), dam of champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song); GISW sire Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy); and GISW As Time Goes By (American Pharoah); and the granddam of champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway) and dual Grade I-winning stallion Omaha Beach (War Front). Jay Em Ess homebred Thesewallshaveears (Gun Runner) is the first foal out of the operation's two-time graded winner Go Google Yourself (Into Mischief) and the dual GISW third dam I Ain't Bluffing (Pine Bluff) produced GSW & MGISP Acting Happy (Empire Maker). Goodall (Yaupon) needs a defection to draw in from the also-eligible list but could be heard from should that happen. Sold to Tom McCrocklin for just $67,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton July Sale, the bay was knocked down to Spendthrift for $525,000 after breezing in a bullet :20 2/5 at last year's OBS April Sale. TJCIS PPs 5th-GP, $84k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 2:20 p.m. ET CONGRESSIONAL (Constitution) is a debuting son of 2017 Sunland Park Oaks winner Ghalia (Medaglia d'Oro), a $600,000 Keeneland November weanling whose two winners to date includes Ghalia Princess (American Pharoah), victorious in the 2024 Cicada Stakes. Grandview Equine went to $650,000 for this Feb. 7 foal at KEESEP in 2024 and his now juvenile half-brother Second Strike (Not This Time) was hammered down to Case Clay Thoroughbred Management for $700,000 at last year's September Sale. Gondorff (Charlatan) is bred for this surface, as he is a half-brother to Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro), whose four successes at the graded level includes the GII Fort Lauderdale Stakes at this venue. The $500,000 Keeneland September yearling is out of a half-sister to Unbound (Distorted Humor), the stakes-placed dam of GISW Arabian Lion (Justify). TJCIS PPs The post Uncoupled DeVaux Entry Packs A Powerful Pedigree Punch appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

La Route des Etalons returns next week when, as ever, you can bet your bottom dollar that bloodstock enthusiasts won't be able to resist straying slightly off the beaten track to view the seven-strong roster at Haras d'Etreham. Situated roughly an hour west of Deauville, a fair distance from most of the other farms participating in the two-day extravaganza, Etreham has a long history of standing stallions, with a certain Wootton Bassett featuring among its famous residents of yesteryear. In 2014 and 2015, the privilege of sending a mare to Wootton Bassett at Etreham would have set you back just €4,000, a far cry from the €300,000 fee he commanded in his fifth season at Coolmore in 2025. Though his own day-to-day involvement with the son of Iffraaj had long since passed, Etreham's Nicolas de Chambure came in for plenty of plaudits when the tragic loss of Wootton Bassett was announced in September last year, with a statement from Coolmore hailing the “incredible start” he enjoyed during his time in Normandy. It wasn't the first time de Chambure had provided such a platform, either, and it almost certainly won't be the last. Indeed, therein lies the dream with a young stallion such as Beauvatier, who is new to Etreham for 2026 following a distinguished racing career for trainer Yann Barberot which yielded six wins from 18 starts. Three of those victories, including Beauvatier's most notable triumph when winning October's G2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket, were achieved over seven furlongs, which de Chambure is taking as a positive omen as he prepares to throw open the doors of Etreham for La Route des Etalons. “Siyouni and Wootton Bassett were real seven-furlong horses and they became extraordinary stallions,” he says of comparisons with the much-missed Wootton Bassett. “With Beauvatier, we tried him over a mile and we tried him over a little shorter, but I think his best distance was really seven furlongs. It's a distance where you need speed, a turn of foot and a little bit of stamina. It's all of the attributes that we like to see in a stallion and, hopefully, there will be similarities down the road between Beauvatier and Siyouni and Wootton Bassett. We would love that – nothing is written, but I think he has a very good chance.” The first chapter of the Beauvatier story was written at Ecurie des Monceaux, his place of birth back in February 2021. Bred by a partnership consisting of Monceaux, Qatar Bloodstock and Barbara Keller, the son of Lope De Vega is the first foal out of the Listed Prix de Thiberville runner-up Enchanting Skies (Sea The Stars), a half-sister to three other black-type performers, including the G1 Preis von Europa winner Empoli (Halling). This is also the family of the German champion racemare Elle Danzig (Roi Danzig). Bought by Barberot for €160,000 at the Arqana August Yearling Sale, Beauvatier earned 'TDN Rising Star' status when winning over five furlongs at Chantilly on his debut in May the following year, drawing right away in the final furlong to win by over five lengths. Five months later, following his fourth consecutive win in the G3 Prix la Rochette, the unbeaten colt arrived at ParisLongchamp as the red-hot favourite for the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. Here, however, the similarities with Siyouni and Wootton Bassett end. Whilst that pair both won France's premier race for two-year-olds, Beauvatier had to settle for third, two and a half lengths behind Rosallion (Blue Point). “He was a very precocious, early horse, more than his pedigree would suggest,” de Chambure says of that juvenile campaign. “He was out in May and he beat Ramatuelle on his second start over six furlongs. He carried that precocity all the way to the Jean-Luc Lagardere where he was an unlucky third. “I think when horses have shown a bit of something at two, it's always important. We've seen with champion horses at three and four that didn't run at two, breeders are always cautious that it could it could be a negative. That's what I like about him is that he was a spring two year old, but he was also a three-year-old, and he was also a four-year old, so it makes the whole thing very attractive.” At three, Beauvatier continued to be highly tried, running at the top level six times in seven starts. On three of those occasions he finished third, with de Chambure identifying his performance behind old rival Ramatuelle (Justify) in the Prix de la Foret as arguably the best of his career. “I think his most impressive race was the Prix de la Foret as a three-year-old,” he explains. “He was at the end of a long campaign. When they go through the Classics and all of that, they can sometimes get a little tired at the end of the season, but that was his best race of the year. It was a 16-horse field and he had a wide draw. He had to sit at the very back and he came flying on the outside to be third. That was very eye-catching, against the older horses and a very strong field.” Having confirmed at Newmarket that every inch of his ability remained intact at the age of four, Beauvatier is reported to have retired sound in wind and limb after being beaten less than five lengths on his swansong in December's G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin. In fact, when it was announced in October that Beauvatier would be standing at Etreham in 2026, Barberot vouched that the colt had “never seen a vet”. “That was a big factor for us,” says de Chambure. “I think it makes a lot of appeal for the breeders, because the racing is meant to allow us to select the stallion for tomorrow. Sometimes, I think the market probably gives too much room to horses that only won one race and were unsound. “In Beauvatier's case, people can see that he was consistent three years in a row, without having any holes in his career. That's important for us and we're going to support him. The three main partners would be the Allaire family, LNJ Foxwoods and ourselves. The interesting part is that the three of us have different views on what broodmares could suit, so that's going to give the horse a different type of support, but three strong partners, very keen on giving him a good start.” Philippe Allaire, LNJ Foxwoods and Etreham have retained 50% ownership of Beauvatier from his racing days, with the remaining 50% in the process of being syndicated. He has been introduced at a fee of €7,000 for 2026. “We feel that he's got quite a bit going for him as a stallion prospect,” de Chambure sums up. “He's quite an outcross and he's going to be easy for breeders to use. He's a Lope De Vega out of a Sea The Stars mare. This is a successful sireline on both sides and Lope De Vega is yet to have a successful son in France. He's done really well as a sire of sires with some of his young sons in England and Ireland, so it's exciting for the French breeders to be accessing that blood without having to travel. “He's a horse that could sit and quicken, and I think that's very important in France where our racing can be a little bit tactical. He has a very good turn of foot and he performed well until he was a four-year-old, which I think is very important as well. And he's a good-looking horse. He's a quality son of Lope De Vega, a good color with a nice head and a good walk. He has a lot of things going for him.” The post Seven-Furlong Specialist Beauvatier Following the Wootton Bassett Path at Etreham appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Fasig-Tipton has added 30 horses as supplemental entries to its Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 9, according to a press release from the auction company on Friday. The latest entries, catalogued as hips 351-380, include: R Morning Brew (hip 352): A SW and earner of nearly $200,000, the current 4-year-old is a half-sister to Dancing N Dixie (Neolithic), who has in excess of $400,000 in earnings herself. Consigned as a racing/broodmare prospect by Gainesway, agent; Pop Idol (hip 361): Daughter of Maclean's Music is a stakes winner at 2 and 3. She's a daughter of Canadian GSW Unspurned (Lemon Drop Kid) from the family of GISW A Z Warrior (Bernardini). Consigned as a broodmare prospect by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent; Candy Light (hip 364):Track record-setting stakes winner by Candy Ride (Arg), from the family of Grade I winners Cogburn, Commentator and Behrens. She is offered as a broodmare prospect by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent; Disco Diva (hip 366): An Arrogate half-sister to undefeated GSW Disco Time (Not This Time), who is an invitee to GI Pegasus World Cup Stakes. Offered in foal to Taiba, she is consigned by Gainesway, agent; Sweetlou'sgotaces (hip 378): A stakes-winning daughter of Constitution from the family of MGISW Colonel John. In foal to Arabian Knight, she is consigned by Denali Stud, agent; Mares in foal to City of Light, Forte, Hard Spun, Liam's Map, Jackie's Warrior, Tiz the Law, Up to the Mark, and Upstart; Yearlings by Corniche, Taiba and Violence Fasig-Tipton will continue to accept supplemental entries up until sale time. Click here to access the online catalogue and the offerings will also be available in the Equineline app. The post Fasig-Tipton Adds Supplemental Entries To Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Champion sprinter Bradsell has sired his first reported foal, a filly out of the Iffraaj mare Lady Eleanor. The dam is a daughter of stakes producer Firenze (Efisio). “We are delighted with Lady Eleanor's first foal by Bradsell,” said breeder Jan Hopper. “She is a quality filly with plenty of strength and size, and as good a foal as the mare has produced.” A three-time Group 1-winning sprinter, the son of Tasleet stands for £10,000 at The National Stud (TNS) in Newmarket. Anna Kerr, CEO of TNS, said, “Bradsell's temperament and tenacity are second to none. He had an excellent first book of mares with a high percentage of stakes performers and producers, along with multiple dams of 2yo winners. It is fantastic to see the quality coming through in his foals, the future looks very bright for him.” The post Bradsell Sires First Reported Foal, A Filly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

AMERICAN SUMMER (f, 3, Constitution–Speaktomeofsummer {GSW, $266,185}, by Summer Front) was bumped by her competition heading out of the gates, and had to settle near the rear of the field as they went into the bend behind an opening quarter in :22.46. On the move after a half in :46.34, she was rallying between runners at the head of affairs but had real estate to make up in the lane. Shifting inside and relentlessly closing the distance, American Summer struck the front with enough time to put 1 1/4 lengths on American Tapit (American Pharoah) by the time they hit the line. The first foal to the races for GII Lake Placid victress Speaktomeofsummer (Summer Front), the victress has two other half-siblings in the wings–a 2024 juvenile filly by Munnings who RNA'd last year at the Keeneland September sale at $235,000 and a 2025 colt by Golden Pal. Their dam, a half-sister to a fleet of black-type performers, is due to Cairo Prince for 2026. A winning half-sister to the mare who did not achieve stakes success on track turned her fortunes around in the breeding shed as Lifetime Memory (Istan)'s claim to fame is through her son, GISW Antiquarian (Preservationist). This is the female family of multiple Group 1-placed Lucayan Prince. 9th-Turfway, $99,825, Msw, 1-15, 3yo, f, 6f (AWT), 1:12.57, ft, 1 1/4 lengths. AMERICAN SUMMER (f, 3, Constitution–Speaktomeofsummer {GSW, $266,185}, by Summer Front) Sales history: $190,000 RNA Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $58,842. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Estate of Brereton C. Jones; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Kelsey Danner. Promising debut from American Summer for Kelsey Danner! Congrats to the team! 2️⃣ win night for @gabe__saez @TurfwayPark pic.twitter.com/7NAw4KMX9q — Jason Barkley (@jbark131) January 16, 2026 The post Constitution’s American Summer Strikes at First Asking Under the Turfway Lights appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A new two-year partnership between Racecourse Media Group (RMG) and the National Trainers Federation (NTF) was agreed upon to support trainers and help further grow the sport of horse racing. The deal sees RMG commit to a range of support and integration with the NTF, from helping produce content for play-out on Racing TV's (RTV) broadcast and digital channels, to an annual contribution to cover the NTF's legal expenses insurance. There is a specific commitment to help raise the profile of smaller yards through increased TV exposure, while NTF members can access footage for use on their own channels. For more information on the deal, please visit the NTF website. Nick Mills, CEO of RMG, said, “It's great to be building a closer working relationship with the NTF. We share several common goals, and this new two-year-deal will be mutually beneficial as well as good for racing as a whole. We look forward to working closely with Paul [Johnson] and would welcome NTF members from across the UK to get in touch with their thoughts and ideas for content to broadcast across our platforms.” Nick Alexander, NTF president, said, “This is brilliant news for the sport and for NTF members. We have seen this year that we can achieve more as a sport when we are able to work collectively and I hope that this will be another example of this. The NTF will be communicating more to members on the specific broadcasting initiatives that will come out of this collaboration in the coming days, and I would encourage trainers to get behind them when we do.” The post Two-Year Deal Inked Between RMG And NTF appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 2025 Longines World Racing Awards will be held on Tuesday, January 20, and will be available via live stream. Organised by Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the ceremony will honour the Longines World's Best Racehorse (WBR) and the Longines World's Best Horse Race (WBHR) of the 2025 season. Winners will be announced beginning at 1:40 p.m. GMT at The Savoy in London. The IFHA website will also stream the ceremony. The IFHA will also be releasing the world's top 100 Group/Grade 1 races, as well as the rankings for all horses rated 115 or higher worldwide. The post Longines World Racing Awards To Be Streamed Live appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Three Chimneys Farm sire Newgate (by Into Mischief) has his first foal on the ground, a filly born at Jody and Michelle Huckabay's Elm Tree Farm in Paris, Kentucky Jan. 4, the stallion operation said via a Friday release. The brand new chestnut filly is out of GSP Pakhet (Cairo Prince), who is also the dam of recent SW Spirit Doll (Tiz the Law). “Newgate is a tremendous physical and covered a high-quality book of 180 mares in his first year at stud,” said Director of Stallion Nominations Rebecca Nicholson. “He has all of the qualities breeders look for in a young stallion, being by a proven sire of sires and combining an exceptional physical with superior talent and brilliance on the racetrack. We're very excited to have his first foals hit the ground.” A $850,000 2021 Keeneland September yearling, Newgate was sent to trainer Bob Baffert and the bay's debut win at Del Mar yielded a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. The future sire's career highlight came when he captured the GI 'Big Cap' at Santa Anita in 2024. Newgate's dam Majestic Presence was third in her own debut in 2014 behind Baffert-trained 'Rising Star' Luminance (Tale of the Cat) and graduated on the stretch out at second asking. She was fourth in a pair of Grade I events that season and contested the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, but had her best black-type finish when third in the GIII Delta Downs Princess behind champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway). Newgate stands at Three Chimneys for a 2026 fee of $17,500 LFSN. The post Three Chimneys Sire Newgate Gets A Filly As First Foal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Jim Goldie was awarded the Timeform Special Recognition Award at the Timeform Flat Awards. He won his first Group 1 with American Affair (Washington DC) in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot last June. Goldie also became the first Scottish-based trainer to break 100 winners in the calendar year. “I think we got lucky with American Affair, because the Sunday Series [in 2024] was the making of him,” Goldie told Timeform's Dan Barger. “Although we didn't do it [win the bonus] we came close and it gave him plenty of time to mature between his races, and then he went on to win the Portland. I always felt after winning the King Charles III at Ascot it was job done.” The likeable gelding is on the recovery trail, according to Goldie. A trip to America was also scuppered after his injury. He said, “He's back on the gallop. Because of what he was and where he was, we took no chances – he came out of winning at Ascot and he wasn't particularly sore, but he was due his annual flu vaccination and after we gave him it, he went lame behind the next day. It might have been his immune system reacting to the vaccine, but we decided to bone scan him and while the results were unremarkable, there was a hotspot in his hind fetlock. So, we MRI-ed him and that told more of a story – there were changes going on in the bone. “We gave him eight weeks and started to train him and then MRI-ed him again, and it was actually going the wrong way. We've got a programme to stress the bone and rebuild it, and hopefully when we MRI him again it's going the right way, and he comes back 100 percent.” Goldie's 100th winner was Krissy (Calyx) at Wolverhampton after Christmas. Overall, the 70-year-old has saddled over 1,000 winners on the Flat and over jumps. “It's a great team effort and a lot of horses have done brilliantly this year. I always spot where there's prize-money and then make a plan.” The post Jim Goldie Recognised With Timeform Special Recognition Award appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Road, presented by GaineswayView the full article

The first reported foal by Claiborne Farm's GISW Prince of Monaco (by Speightstown)–a healthy filly out of the Justify mare Itgetsgreaterlater–was born at Serendipity Springs in Lexington, Kentucky Jan. 12, according to a press release from the sire's home base on Friday morning. This is the third foal out of Itgetsgreaterlater, whose second foal by Gunite brought $160,000 at last year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, topping the session among that day's weanlings. The Kuegler family's Wasabi Ventures Stables bought Itgetsgreaterlater for $80,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November Sale. The extended family includes GISW Cupid (by Tapit) and MGSW Hostess (Chester House). “She's a beast of a filly,” said George Adams, director of stallions and breeding for Wasabi Ventures Stables. “She has tons of substance, and is very correct. The stallion really stamped her. If they all look like her, Prince of Monaco is going to be a star.” Prince of Monaco filly | courtesy of Caliborne Farm A $950,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select yearling, Prince of Monaco won on debut as a 2-year-old by eight lengths at Los Alamitos, which garnered him a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. The Bob Baffert trainee took the GIII Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar where he earned a 103 Beyer. From there, Prince of Monaco earned his first top level score in the GI Del Mar Futurity. As a 3-year-old, Prince of Monaco ran a half-length short of MGISW Book'em Danno (Bucchero) in the GI Woody Stephens Stakes before finishing as the runner-up in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes–both at Saratoga. Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, the young Claiborne stallion is out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Rainier, from the family of Grade I winner Adieu (El Corredor). Covering 176 mares during his inaugural season with 25% who claimed black-type on their sheets, Prince of Monaco will stand for an advertised fee of $30,000 for 2026. The post Claiborne Farm’s Prince Of Monaco Claims First Foal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Dane McLeod/TTR Award-winning broadcaster Nick Luck brought new meaning to the term big Down Under by purchasing two fillies alongside trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale on behalf of a newly-formed syndicate. The first filly was Lot 840, a Russian Revolution filly purchased for $240,000. Beautifully bred, she is out of the three-time Group-winning and Group 1-placed mare Spanish Reef (Lope De Vega {Ire}), and was offered by Rosemont Stud. “It's my first involvement with a horse in Australia, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it, and also delighted to be teaming up with Gai and Adrian,” Luck said. “I've known Emma Coleman for a while, and quite often said I wouldn't mind a small share, just to dip my toe in the water here. And this escalated last night over dinner. Nothing was planned until close to midnight, when I said to Emma, 'Come on, have you got a 5% in a filly for me?'” That's when things took a very Australian turn. “Then she said, 'I've got a better idea. Why don't you start a syndicate down here?' So, we didn't waste any time. The grass doesn't grow under anybody's feet here in Australia.” And waste no time they did. “Then this morning we went out, looked at a few fillies with Gai this morning, and it happened really quickly. We thought this filly was the nicest of all the ones we saw. Obviously, a filly with a great pedigree, out of a really good mare. “She comes from a wonderful farm, and it sounds like the mare's 2-year-old shows some promise as well, so hopefully we get a quick update to the pedigree. “There's going to be residual value in there. She's out of a multiple stakes-winning mare who was capable of running in Group Ones. So, yeah, that's really why I wanted a filly. Gai's had a lot of luck with the progeny of Russian Revolution. They're tough and hardy, and take their training well.” Later in the session, Lot 952 – A Toronado (Ire) filly out of Viennoiserie (I Am Invincible) was purchase from the Westbury Stud draft for $230,000. “We were oversubscribed for the Russian Revolution filly and we absolutely adored the Toronado filly. If she'd come in first, you know, we'd have definitely taken her and probably been very happy with our work.” Luck said “But because there was so much interest, all of a sudden we went again, and I'm thrilled. She's got a bit of charisma about her. Luke McDonald was pretty convinced that she was the best filly in their draft, and he's such a good judge that it was pretty difficult to walk away. I mean, why have one when you can have two?” As for the make-up of the Lucky Down Under Syndicate, Luck has been blown away with the interest – from both sides of the world, therefore the decision to double up, and buy two fillies. “I think it's going to be a good blend of Aussies and UK owners. And obviously, to get a couple of fillies and to have them with Gai and Adrian, it's a great thing as well. You tend to watch Australian racing and think, 'Wow.' Having Gai train it is the closest you can get to greatness, isn't it? I'm thrilled.” The post “I’m Thrilled” – Nick Luck Makes A Splash At Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

by Tom Baddock/TTR AusNZ Chris Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock dominated the spotlight on Day 4 of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, securing some of the most coveted lots of the session, including a A$1.5-million Snitzel colt out of Group 2 winner Vangelic and a A$1.25-million I Am Invincible filly from South Australian Derby winner Qafila. The session also highlighted the air of expectation surrounding first-season sire Anamoe, with a A$1.1 million colt out of stakes winner Secret Trail (Denman) drawing strong interest, while I Am Invincible and Zoustar continued to supply highly sought-after yearlings, keeping bidding at the top end fiercely competitive. At A Glance The day's sale topper was lot 942, a Snitzel colt purchased by Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock for A$1.5 million from Coolmore Stud. Three seven-figure yearlings on the final day, up from two who featured on Day 4 last year. This brings the total number of seven-figure yearlings for Book 1 in 2026 to 15. The average held steady on Day 4 at A$274,508, up on 2025's end of Book 1 average of A$272,507. The median for 2026 stayed static for the sale on Day 4 at A$200,000, the same as 2025's Book 1 median of A$200,000. The current gross at the conclusion of Day 4 sits at A$202,312,500 with 737 yearlings sold, a slight decrease when compared with the end of Book 1 2025 figure of A$205,470,000 for 745 yearlings sold, largely due to a smaller book and an increase in withdrawals. Clearance rate of 86.19% is well up from 81.43% at the corresponding juncture last year, and likely to rise in the coming days. Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock concluded Book 1 with 14 purchases to sit at the top of the buyers' charts, spending a total gross of A$8.7 million at the conclusion of four days of selling. Yulong lead the buyers by average (two or more sold) buying two yearlings at an average of A$1.23 million each. Arrowfield remains the leading vendor after Day 4 with 47 yearlings sold, and only five passed, for A$15.19 million, while Coolmore's 38 sales have grossed A$13.7 million. The Chase lead by averages with six yearlings sold, at 100% clearance, for an average of A$538,333. Snitzel concluded Book 1 as the leading sire by gross standings with 29 yearlings selling for A$19.9 million at an average of A$688,968. Leading by average is Extreme Choice, whose eight yearlings have averaged A$822,500, with Snitzel in second by average. Lot 942: Snitzel x Vangelic (Vancouver), colt – A$1,500,000 Late in the final session of Book 1, Guy Mulcaster, in partnership with Chris Waller Racing, pulled off one of the standout buys of the sale, securing lot 942 for A$1.5 million by champion sire Snitzel and out of Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed mare Vangelic (Vancouver). Mulcaster was immediately taken by the colt's athleticism and presence and said, “He looked really sharp and did beautifully through the prep. He moves like a dream and looks an early runner.” On the price, Mulcaster didn't flinch, knowing that the returns could be tenfold should the colt reach the breeding barn. “It's a lot of money, but that's what these colts cost. When you get a horse that's going to go on to stud, it looks cheap. He's a sharp, beautiful horse.” The pedigree added extra appeal. “The mare ran in plenty of stakes races and acquitted herself very well. It all crosses over and it's looking very strong,” Mulcaster added. Trained throughout her career by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the Vancouver mare was a precocious 2-year-old, winning on debut and finishing runner-up to Away Game (Snitzel) in the G2 Percy Sykes Stakes. She matured into a consistent Group 1 performer, claiming the G2 Golden Pendant and amassing over A$1.4 million in prize-money. Vangelic was sold off the track by Newgate as agent for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for A$1.5 million to Coolmore's Tom Magnier and was exported to the United States in May 2025. This colt is the sixth Snitzel yearling to smash the seven-figure barrier at this year's sale, underscoring the unsatiable demand for progeny from Arrowfield's former champion sire. Lot 708: I Am Invincible x Qafila (Not A Single Doubt), filly – A$1,250,000 Waller Racing, in partnership with Mulcaster Bloodstock, secured one of the most intriguing fillies of the sale when purchasing lot 708 for A$1.25 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Offered by Coolmore Stud, the bay filly is by champion sire I Am Invincible and out of the remarkably versatile G1 South Australian Derby winner Qafila (Not A Single Doubt), a mare whose race record spans elite juvenile speed through to Classic stamina. Mulcaster said it was Qafila's rare versatility that first drew the team to the filly, providing confidence in both her athletic scope and long-term upside. “I think the thing that really got our attention was the fact she was so versatile,” Mulcaster said. “I think she ran in the first 2-year-old race and ended up winning an Oaks, so we've got a few different paths we can take with her. “We always thought she was just an athlete, she's beautiful and has come off a great farm.” Despite strong interest, Mulcaster admitted the team were pleasantly surprised to come away with the filly. “We actually really thought we were going to struggle to buy her but it's ended up all right for us,” he said. “It's a lot of money… but I'm sure he's going to be rapt when he sees her.” In terms of her racing future, patience will be key. “I don't think we'll bustle her too much, we'll let her do the talking and see what transpires,” Mulcaster said. Qafila was a standout race mare, winning three races from 1000 metres to 2500 metres, including the Listed Debutant Stakes on debut as a 2-year-old before stretching out to claim the G1 South Australian Derby at three. She has already made a promising start as a producer, with two winners from two runners, including Angel Eyes (Wootton Bassett), a debut winner over 1000 metres at Ballarat, and Filadeel (Dundeel), a winner over 2200 metres for Ciaron Maher. Qafila has an unraced 2-year-old with Tony and Calvin McEvoy named Full Confidence (I Am Invincible) a colt at foot by Zoustar and has subsequently revisited I Am Invincible. Lot 781: Anamoe x Secret Trail (Denman), colt – A$1,100,000 Ciaron Maher Bloodstock added one of the most anticipated first-season yearlings to their Magic Millions haul when securing lot 781 for A$1.1 million, continuing the strong demand for the progeny of champion racehorse Anamoe. Offered by Widden Stud, the bay or brown colt is out of stakes-winning mare Secret Trail and is a half-brother to multiple stakes performer Spywire (Trapeze Artist), the winner of last Saturday's A$1-million The Syndicate at Magic Millions who is also trained by Maher. Maher's bloodstock manager Will Bourne revealed the colt had made a lasting impression from the very first inspection at the farm. “When Ciaron and I first saw him at the farm at yearling inspections at Widden, he was the last one out there and they usually leave their best for last and he was their prized icon,” Bourne said. While the pedigree stood out on paper, Bourne stressed it was the colt's physical presence that ultimately sealed the decision. “On paper it was obvious, but just on face value, it was the horse in front of you that really took Ciaron's eye and made Ciaron want to buy him,” he said. “Obviously that Spywire factor is there, but it was just a big, imposing, strong colt in front of you that was the main reason. He wasn't missed by anyone.” Bourne also noted the similarities between the colt and his champion sire, following recent inspections of Anamoe himself. “We've seen a lot of Anamoes that we liked and there were a few traits that Ciaron was querying,” he said. “Myself, Ciaron, and Andy Makiv went and checked out Anamoe in the Hunter Valley and, I tell you what, there are a lot of similarities.” Bourne believes the colt has all the hallmarks of elite weight-for-age performer. “He is a heavy horse. If you're being critical, that's the one negative – how big and strong he is,” Bourne said. “But when he moves, his athleticism really makes up for it. He doesn't move sloppy, he doesn't move heavy, he keeps it upright. “Those proper weight-for-age Group 1 horses, they have that strength, they have that imposing muscle, and I'm hoping he's just that.” Lot 781 is among the first yearlings by Anamoe to be offered at auction, with enormous anticipation surrounding his progeny after a racetrack career that yielded nine Group 1 victories across two, three and four-year-old seasons and more than A$11 million in prize-money. Standing at Darley's Kelvinside property at an introductory fee of A$121,000 (inc GST), Anamoe has attracted top-class mares, and early results in the sale ring have reflected that confidence. Secret Trail has already proven herself as a producer, with four foals to race for three winners, including Spywire. He has now won five races from 15 starts, earned close to A$1.4 million in prize-money, and was placed behind Storm Boy in the 2024 R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic, adding further appeal to this high-profile colt. Secret Trail failed to produce a foal last season, but visited Widden's Champion Sire Zoustar. Lot 911: Anamoe x Time Check (Shamardal {USA}), colt – A$950,000 Lot 911, an Anamoe colt out of Time Check (Shamardal) and hailing from one of Godolphin's most celebrated female families, was also secured by Ciaron Maher in partnership with TFI for A$950,000. The family has produced Group 1 stars Alizee (Sepoy) and Astern, as well as promising young sire Tassort, making him a highly coveted prospect. Will Bourne said the colt's minor imperfections were easily forgiven given his overall quality. “He had a few small flaws looking straight on, but side on, the way he moved, he was just a great colt. If you're nitpicking, he wasn't perfect in front, but we see so often how many horses go to the winners' stall on Saturdays and there's no perfect horse front on. That was the only negative, but there were a lot more positives,” Bourne explained. Bourne said paying top dollar was easy to justify with Anamoe as the sire. “If we're going to pay that sort of sum, it might as well be on him. He was a good-looking racehorse, and hopefully he passes that on to his progeny.” Anamoe's progeny have made a strong impression at auction, with 29 yearlings selling so far for a combined A$14.44 million, averaging just under a$500,000 each. Time Check does not have a foal on the ground after missing to Snitzel but visited The Autumn Sun last spring. Lot 887: Zoustar x Tallow (Street Cry {Ire}), filly – A$900,000 An elite 2-year-old family once again caught the eye of buyers, with Matt Laurie Racing and Willannah Park Bloodstock securing lot 887 for A$900,000. The filly is by champion sire Zoustar and out of extraordinary broodmare Tallow (Street Cry {Ire}), who has already produced G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner and sire Farnan, as well as the speedy young stallion Sandbar. “I just fell in love with her. She's a real athlete,” Laurie said. “A very clean-bodied filly and a very stylish horse. She's got a strong page behind her and we want to add to her on the racetrack, but she's always going to have that pedigree.” Laurie said he had expected the filly to sell somewhere between A$600,000 and A$1 million and was pleased with the outcome. “We'll have probably 25% to fill, and there will be some shares available, but I don't think that will be too much of an issue finding someone to go into her,” he added. Tallow, now 20 years old, has produced 10 foals – five to race for five winners – including Bjorn Baker's promising filly Beside The Ocean (Zoustar) who has already won two races from four starts. Tallow has a Shinzo colt at foot and visited Ole Kirk last spring. The post A$1.5m Snitzel Colt Pushes Seven-Figure Tally To 15 At Magics appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tom Cleary has said that he would be the first man to raise a glass to the connections of Oh My Word at Cheltenham after confirming that owner Seamus Ross has moved the leading fancy for the Champion Bumper to his old ally Tony Martin. Cleary enjoyed his greatest day as a trainer when Oh My Word produced a spellbinding performance to win the Listed Future Champions Bumper at Navan under Derek O'Connor last month. In doing so, Oh My Word landed back-to-back bumper wins at the track and joined an illustrious roll of honour that features Don Cossack, Samcro and Envoi Allen to have won that Listed event. It was a win that left the bookmakers suitably impressed with Oh My Word, who Cleary believes is “definitely a Grade 1 horse,” now as short as 12-1 with most firms for Champion Bumper glory. And while some of the narrative surrounding that success leaned towards David and Goliath stories from bygone years – think Tom Foley and Danoli or even Peter Casey and Flemenstar – the 69-year-old Westmeath-based trainer revealed “it was always the plan” that Oh My Word would eventually join Martin, who has trained the lion's share of Ross's horses down through the years. “We hope he goes all the way for Mr Ross and sure we were only privileged to have had him in our yard,” a magnanimous Cleary told TDN Europe on Friday. “We knew all along that the horse would be going to Tony Martin because he trains all of Mr Ross's horses. He's the best horse that ever walked into my yard – he's definitely a Grade 1 horse and I think he could go all the way.” He added, “We were expecting a good run when he ran at Navan on debut and he duly won. We didn't think that we'd have him for his second run but, he was in such good form, we entered him for the Listed Future Champions Bumper and fair play to the owner, he gave us the go ahead to run again. We expected a huge run that day and, sure enough, he didn't let us down.” Oh My Word: as short as 12-1 for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham | Racingfotos.com That was the biggest success that Cleary has enjoyed to date and, according to the handler, it was made extra special for the input his sons, Classic-winning rider Rory and former jockey Paul, put into the horse during the early stages of his career. “I'm only at this [training] in a small way,” he said. “I'd only have five or six horses in the yard at any stage but I've been lucky to have had a few nice horses down through the years. This horse is definitely the best horse we've ever had anything to do with. I'm 69 years of age now and, to be honest, it never entered my head or bothered me whether I'd have a Listed winner or not. Having said that, it was very nice to get it.” He concluded, “Rory is a huge help and I have my other son Paul and his son James at home. The whole family is a huge help to me and I even ride out the odd time myself. Rory pre-trained Oh My Word so it was a big family effort, which made the whole thing extra special. We were just delighted to get the opportunity and look forward to working the same way in the future with Mr Ross and his farm manager Eoin Fenton. And you'd never know, if he goes to Cheltenham, I might have to go over and cheer him on.” The post Change Of Trainer For Leading Champion Bumper Fancy Oh My Word appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ballyhane Stud and the Irish European Breeders Fund (Irish EBF) announced the seventh renewal of their sponsorship of the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes, the richest race staged at Naas Racecourse. The race will be run on Bank Holiday Monday, August 3. The €200,000 median auction contest has established itself as a popular and highly competitive fixture on the Irish racing calendar since its inauguration in 2020. Last year's renewal was won by the Ger Lyons-trained Howd'yadoit, further highlighting the race's strong appeal to leading owners, trainers and breeders. In addition to renewing their support, Ballyhane Stud have announced the introduction of a Breeders' Raffle, an exciting new incentive for 2026. Two breeders of two-year-olds entered at the initial entry stage on March 4 will be randomly selected to receive a free nomination to one of Ballyhane's stallions, Magnum Force or Sakheer. The nominations will be usable during the current breeding season. Ballyhane's Joe Foley said, “The Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes has been a tremendously exciting race to sponsor and we're delighted to continue our support for 2026. Introducing a breeders' raffle this year is something we are particularly pleased about, as it offers a tangible reward for breeders this season while adding another layer of interest at the early entry stage.” Nessa Joyce, Irish EBF manager, added, “The continued partnership between Irish EBF and Ballyhane Stud reflects a shared commitment to supporting connections at every level of the sport. The Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes has established itself as an important race for EBF-eligible two-year-olds whose sire has achieved a median auction price of €75,000 or less. The welcome addition of the breeders' raffle further enhances the race's value and appeal.” The post Irish EBF and Ballyhane Stud Renews Sponsorship as Breeders’ Raffle Launched appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ka Ying Rising has been crowned Timeform's 2025 horse of the year. David Hayes' sprinting superstar became Timeform's highest-rated horse in training when achieving a rating of 135 for a facile victory on his return to action this season in the Chief Executive's Cup, where he gave multiple Group race-winning sprinters significant amounts of weight. The son of Shamexpress also received a second award, being named Timeform's Champion Sprinter. Following his reappearance in September he went on to land the global sprint showpiece, The Everest, at Randwick in October before returning to Sha Tin to defend his Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint crown at the Hong Kong International Races. On receiving the award at Sha Tin, David Hayes said, “It's been a perfect season for Ka Ying Rising. He keeps stepping up and improving, he just absorbs so much pressure so easily and puts the race away – he's a freak. “He has a massive stride and how fast he can go just takes other horses out of their comfort zone mid-race, it just blows them out and then he is able to extend away like no other horse I've ever trained. “He's the best I've ever trained. I'm a massive Black Caviar fan, she's an out and out champion and the best I've ever seen – for me, he is comparable to her and that's incredible to have a horse capable of that.” Calandagan was named Timeform's Champion Middle Distance performer following a standout campaign, where he was beaten only twice before notching four consecutive Group 1 victories across France, England and Japan. Francis Graffard's son of Gleneagles finished the season with a Timeform rating of 133, achieved with his win in the Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes, before becoming the first European-trained winner of the Japan Cup since 2005. Graffard said, “Calandagan has really blossomed mentally and physically after we decided to stay at home for the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud in June. The partnership between Mickael (Barzalona) and the horse is working very well now, he has a lot of confidence in him and he's an incredible horse. He's very smart and well balanced, everything comes very easy for him. “The Japan Cup was a special day. We were the only foreign horse in the race, and he delivered an incredible performance. He broke the track record, beating a very good Japanese horse after a long journey – I don't think I will live that again! He is a champion and he never lets us down.” Meanwhile, Field Of Gold was crowned champion miler, Minnie Hauk landed the prize for champion filly and mare and Trawlerman was the top stayer. The post Ka Ying Rising named Horse Of The Year at Timeform Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Haunui Farm Managing Director Mark Chitty is eagerly looking forward to Karaka 2026 for a multitude of reasons. The sale marks 100 years of National Yearling Sales in New Zealand and while the third-generation stud master is proud to present a 40-strong draft across Books 1, 2 and the Summer Sale, it is also an opportunity to reflect on the journey. “It’s a milestone for New Zealand, in terms of the thoroughbred industry,” Chitty said. We were recounting the other day, the first Haunui associated yearling went through the ring in about 1957, and it was not long after that that we actually vended as a farm through the Trentham sales. “Obviously, I wasn’t part of that, but certainly to carry it on, to see the move from Trentham to Karaka has been wonderful. “The major sale of the year has always been at the end of January. When everyone else is at the beach we’re hammering down, preparing the crop that fundamentally, two and a half years ago, people decided what they were going to breed their mares to, and this is the result. “It is always a time where you’re proud to present your draft, but you’ve also got trepidation with regards to how the market is going to receive the horses that you present.” The New Zealand National Yearling Sales moved from Trentham Racecourse in Wellington to the purpose-built sales complex in Karaka, Auckland, in 1988, with Haunui Farm these days within 15 minutes of the complex. Chitty said Sir Patrick Hogan’s methods had been a game-changer for the New Zealand sales. “What Sir Patrick Hogan did with elite stallions, hospitality and in the presentation of yearlings was certainly a game-changer. “I never worked for Patrick, but you certainly recognise his expertise and attempted to carry it off in your own particular way. “It is a horse sale, it’s a point in time and you just hope that you’re part of the acceptance of the market.” Chitty doesn’t have to look far in the rear-view mirror for Karaka highlights, having sold a full sister to Orchestral for a sale-topping $2.4 million last year, but says he gets a great thrill out of seeing graduates across all budgets going on to racetrack success. “The filly last year was massive, but I probably reflect on possibly going into this Karaka Millions 3YO race, where we could have five graduates, and they range from $30,000 to $825,000,” he said. “We’ve never stood the elite stallion, but we’ve had good yearlings go through, and especially after moving to Karaka in 2010. We’ve had some really nice horses come off the property. “You reflect on a mare like Melody Belle. She only made $57,500 going through the ring but went on to become a 14-time Group One winner. “You love to sell the high priced yearlings but you also want them to go on and perform. Orchestral made $625,000, and she went on and became a champion of her year. “I think it’s just a mix of emotion, you want all parts of the market to be successful. You want people to go in and try their luck at the low end, and you want the guys that pay really good money to have great success too.” Chitty is also Deputy Chair of Auckland Thoroughbred Racing and is looking forward to another bumper Ellerslie card on the popular six-race Karaka Millions twilight meeting on Saturday week. “New Zealand Bloodstock should take a lot of credit for the development of the Karaka Millions meeting and where it’s got to now,” he said. “It is a great event and I’m just a very small part of the cog in the wheel with Auckland Thoroughbred Racing. With the development of the StrathAyr track, what you’re seeing is the subsequent confidence in racing from our stakeholders, not only the trainers, but also the owners. “We are trying to put a bit more back in with regards to stake money through a change in direction. There’s still a lot to be done, but certainly, I’m proud to be a part of it, and I’m sure there are further things in store.” With the opening yearling sale of the year at the Gold Coast off to a positive start, Chitty said that despite selling a completely different product at Karaka, it still shows a good appetite for buying horses. “Even though we don’t have the volume of high-end stallions, we can certainly breed a horse,” he said. “The success of the New Zealand bred horse in Australasia over the last 12 to 24 months has been very good, and I think anyone thinking about buying yearlings has certainly got Karaka on the shopping list.” With a snappier format that will see Book 1 (567 lots) and Book 2 (281 lots) take place over three days (January 25-27) before the new Karaka Summer Sale (161 lots) on the Thursday (29th), Chitty is pleased to have all his Book 2 horses on the complex. “Having all Book 1 and Book 2 yearlings on-site at Karaka logistically will be great and an opportunity to showcase those horses, which is pleasing,” he said. Lots to Watch: Lot 556 Anamoe x Moet Belle colt “I’ve got a very even draft of horses. Our Book 1 draft are predominantly by proven stallions. The horse that is not is a colt by Anamoe out of Moet Belle. This is her third foal. She’s a half-sister to Melody Belle and also from the family of Romanoff, who won the 2000 Guineas last year. “He’s a colt that’s just kept improving in the prep. He’s a really nice medium-sized individual, and he’ll meet with nice approval from a family that’s currently been doing quite a lot in the last five to six years.” Lot 459 Proisir x Gracehill filly “I can’t not mention the half-sister to Crocetti. I’m lucky enough to be vending her on behalf of Daniel Nakhle. It’s a family that Daniel has developed very well through the likes of Irish Colleen, Crosshaven, Killarney, and Crocetti, who has won a Railway (Gr.1, 1200m) and 2000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m). She’s a November foal, but you wouldn’t think it. I think the guys from the New Zealand Bloodstock team are quite surprised with where she’s got to now. She’s a lovely filly going forward into the sale, and got that real residual value.” Lot 220 Hello Youmzain x Viscountess filly “We talk about Sir Patrick Hogan and celebrating 100 years of the sale. We’re lucky enough to be presenting a filly from the Eight Carat family out of a great-granddaughter of Marquise, a Hello Youmzain filly out of an unraced, a Franch mare called Viscountess. “It’s the mare’s first foal and she’s a lovely, strong filly. We’ve got three Hello Youmzain fillies in the sale, and they’re all nice physical types and should meet with good demand.” View the full article

With a global reputation built up through 100 years of high-quality graduates, there should be no shortage of reasons for buyers to flock to Karaka later this month for the NZB National Yearling Sale. But if anyone needs any extra convincing, there are some lucrative incentives to make it well worth getting involved during Karaka 2026. Karaka Millions Series Dual Karaka Millions heroine Probabeel (NZ) The most established of these incentives is the Karaka Millions Series, which was launched with the inaugural running of the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) back in 2008. The Karaka Millions Series is New Zealand’s richest racing series, offering graduates of NZB’s sales the opportunity to compete for a share in over $3.5m. Just 12 months after yearlings make their sale ring debut, nominated horses can compete in the lucrative $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), which is run at Ellerslie on the eve of the following season’s National Yearling Sale. Another 12 months later, they are able to contest the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) on the same star-studded raceday. Graduates are also eligible for the NZB Mega Maiden Bonus Series, with $1m in bonuses up for grabs across 40 maiden races each season. In an additional boost for the newest section of the National Yearling Sale, the Karaka Summer Sale, NZB has announced a $200,000 Karaka Millions bonus. For the first Karaka Summer Sale graduate home in both the 2027 TAB Karaka Millions 2YO and the 2028 TAB Karaka Millions 3YO, $100,000 will be split evenly between the vendor and purchaser. Karaka Millions trophies The Karaka Millions 2YO carries a prize of $550,500 for the winner. The 18 previous winners of the race were purchased for an average price of $139,250. The highest-priced winner was the mighty Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel), who was bought by David Ellis for $380,000 and won the race in 2019 before scoring four Group One triumphs in Australia. The lowest-priced was the 2016 winner Xiong Feng (NZ) (Iffraaj) at just $30,000. The Karaka Millions 3YO is worth $795,750 for the winner. The eight previous winners were sold for an average price of $334,375, with 2019 winner Long Leaf (Fastnet Rock) the most expensive at $750,000 while 2018 winner Scott Base (NZ) (Dalghar) was the cheapest at $70,000. All yearlings and weanlings purchased at Karaka are eligible for the Karaka Millions Series. To nominate your purchase following a sale, email finance@nzb.co.nz or call +64 9 298 0055. Entry deadlines apply, check the Terms & Conditions for the relevant sale for which the horse was purchased from. The NZB Kiwi NZB Kiwi trophy Any horse purchased at Karaka is also eligible to be selected to represent a slot in the southern hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race, the NZB Kiwi (1500m). The NZB Kiwi was added to the New Zealand calendar last season and has become one of the centrepieces of the Champions Day meeting at Ellerslie in early March. It was run for an introductory stake of $3.5m in 2025, which has risen to $4m for 2026 and will increase again to $4.5m in 2027. The inaugural winner of the NZB Kiwi, Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel), was bought by David Ellis for $200,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2023 and has turned that into more than $2m in stakes. On top of the base prizemoney of the NZB Kiwi, an additional $1m in bonuses is available each year to the winners of selected feature three-year-old races leading into Champions Day. To be eligible for a share in the bonus pool, a horse must win one of the various Bonus Eligible races, then run a top-three placing in the NZB Kiwi. The bonus pool is then divided into $600,000 for the winner, $250,000 for second and $150,000 for third. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from January 25 to 29, with Book 1 on January 25 and 26, Book 2 on January 27 and the new Karaka Summer Sale on January 29. View the full article