Wandering Eyes

Overlooked in the lead-up to Saturday’s Gr.2 Happy Hire Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham, Intention(NZ) (Bivouac) burst out of the shadows of her higher-rated rivals and scored an impressive upset win. The $175,000 feature was only the second start for the Awapuni filly, who finished fourth on debut at Otaki on November 28 after jumping awkwardly from the starting gates and then bucking in the early part of the race. Carrying the blue and white colours of Tineke Balcombe’s In To Win Syndication, Intention headed down to the start on Saturday as a $17 outsider among a five-horse field of two-year-olds in the Wakefield. But her performance made a mockery of those odds. Intention’s rider Tina Comignaghi was in no hurry in the early stages of the Wakefield and settled in fourth as the unbeaten Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained fillies Cool Aza Rene and Marokopa Falls set the pace. Landlock kicked through on the inside of that pair at the crossing on to the course proper, hitting the front at the top of the home straight. Cool Aza Rene and Marokopa Falls were soon put under pressure by their riders and struggled to stay with the leader, but just when it looked like Landlock might have pinched a winning break, Intention joined the fray. She quickened stylishly through a big gap one off the rail, moving up alongside Landlock with 200m remaining and throwing down a fierce challenge. Landlock was in for the fight, but Intention slowly but surely edged ahead of him to win by half a length. Landlock crossed the finish line a length and three-quarters in front of the third-placed favourite Marokopa Falls. “I’ve always thought a lot of her, and I decided to line her up on debut without a trial,” winning trainer Mike Breslin said. “Things didn’t work out well for her that day, but she’s just done so well since then. She’s improved hugely. Her trackwork has been fantastic. “I wouldn’t have run her in a race like this if I thought she was out of her grade. I was expecting a big run, and we got it. “It’s great for Tineke and In To Win. We didn’t buy her for very much at the sales, and a filly like her is really important for Tineke and her syndication business.” Saturday’s win prompted the TAB to cut Intention from $41 into $14 for the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie on January 25. “We’ll take her home now and give her a few days in the paddock,” Breslin said. “We’ve got the Karaka Millions there as an option. I’m not sure yet how we’ll get her there, but we’ll see how she goes from here.” Intention’s Wakefield performance made a big impression on Comignaghi, who was riding her for the first time. “I thought she might be a bit green after that debut run, but she was a real professional today,” she said. “She finished it off very strongly from off the pace. She’s a lovely filly and takes everything in her stride, so I think she’ll only improve.” Intention was bred by the Hawkins family’s Llanhennock Trust and offered under their Wentwood Grange banner during Book 1 of Karaka 2024. She was a $65,000 purchase by Breslin and In To Win. Intention comes from the first crop of Godolphin’s multiple Group One-winning sprinter Bivouac, while her dam Bella Hudood is an unraced daughter of champion sire Snitzel. Intention has now earned $102,625 from her two-race career, which puts her clearly at the top of the Karaka Millions order of entry. Saturday’s runner-up Landlock now holds second spot with $57,375. View the full article

Promising filly Komocean(NZ) (Ocean Park) made it two wins from two starts when she dealt to her rivals in fine style when taking out the second event on the card at Trentham, the Breeze Wellington 3YO (1200m). Trainer Allan Sharrock has a big opinion of the Ocean Park filly and expressed it after she overcame a slow start when winning impressively on her home track at New Plymouth earlier in the month. Punters agreed and sent the half-sister to former Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) winner Signify out a warm favourite ($2.40) in the five-horse field on Saturday and she delivered a similar performance to her debut effort in the hands of rider Craig Grylls. After missing away by a length Grylls allowed Komocean to find her feet and was still at the tail of the field rounding the home bend. Angled to the middle of the track, Komocean produced several huge bounds to level up to the pacemakers before easing clear to win decisively by nearly two lengths from Matamata visitor Ballon d’Or in a slick 1.08.46 for the 1200m journey. Sharrock had been confident before the race and has black type targets on the horizon for the filly that he purchased for $80,000 during the Book 1 Sale at Karaka in 2023. “She’s very raw but very good I think,” Sharrock said. “Her family is pretty slick, but being by Ocean Park, if you train her right she might get a trip. “We want black type for her but it might be in the autumn as she is still pretty fragile so I might just put her away for a while.” Grylls was also suitably impressed by the performance. “She is a filly with a lot of untapped ability as she is still very green,” he said. “She did a bit wrong but it is all in front of her. She ambled up to them at the 300m and when I went for her she really kicked away.” Raced by a syndicate that includes Sharrock, Komocean was bred by the Hawkins family under their LLanhennock Trust banner from the mare Pica Pica who is also the dam of 2016 Gr.1 Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) runner-up El Sicario. View the full article

There will be no Autumn Triple Crown in Japan this year. Tenno Sho (Autumn) and Japan Cup hero Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), was retired to stud after a foreleg injury on Friday as the fan favourite for the G1 Arima Kinen. His absence, reduces the field to 15, however, the 2500-metre race still has nine Group 1 winners signed on. Heading the ante-post betting is Urban Chic (Jpn) who will leave from stall three under Christophe Lemaire. The Silk Racing runner, one of two Suave Richard (Jpn) Group 1 winners in the field alongside Hopeful Stakes heroine Regaleira (Jpn), won the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) last out on Oct. 20. He is cutting back in trip 500 metres. Lemaire said, “I rode him on Dec. 18 to check his responses, physical condition and such. I wanted to give him a good final workout without pushing him too much. Urban Chic has improved a great deal from the fall. He has matured and was much more powerful in the Kikuka Sho and won strongly. I think he'll do well here. I've won the Kikuka Sho and the Arima Kinen with a 3-year-old before, Satono Diamond [in 2016].” Another 2024 Classic winner entering the fray is Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) hero Danon Decile (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), sixth to Urban Chic in the Kikuka Sho. Set to be ridden by Norihiro Yokoyama for Danox Co.–Danox also has Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the mix–the colt is looking for some redemption on Sunday. Trainer Shogo Yasuda said, “This will be his first time facing older horses, and with the high caliber of the others, it's going to likely be the toughest race he's experienced so far. Of course, I've tried to prepare him such a way that he'll be able to handle it. I've been paying close attention to his mental state and am hoping he'll be able to show his stuff. I'm not particularly training him with any specific other horses in mind. I'm just focusing on him.” Conquered by Do Deuce in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) when sixth in October, this spring's G1 Osaka Hai hero Bellagio Opera (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) could yet have a say in the Arima Kinen outcome. Third to Blow The Horn (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen, the 4-year-old colt will break from gate five under Kazuo Yokoyama. Trainer Hiroyuki Uemura said, “Two weeks ago, I wanted to see how sharp his responses were, so we pushed him hard in work. The jockey [Kazuo Yokoyama] rode him on Dec. 11 and his condition has improved. Dare I say he's about where he was for the Osaka Hai. He has good racing sense and he's handled 2,400 meters well, so [the] key is going to be how he manages 2,500 meters.” Second in this race to Do Deuce in 2023, dual Classic heroine Stars On Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) is hoping to bounce back after unplaced runs in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in March, and in the Japan Cup to her old rival. She is joined by top-drawer winners and GI Breeders' Cup Turf second and third Rousham Park (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) and Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), while multiple group winner Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will provide some intriguing international form lines, as he finished second to Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the G1 Cox Plate in October. Fresh off a victory in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Nov. 10, Stunning Rose (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) steps beyond 2400 metres for the first time. The post Arima Kinen Wide Open With Do Deuce Defection appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

California-based The Street Fighter (Street Boss–Silver Swallow, by Alphabet Soup) will join the Rancho San Miguel roster for 2025. A winner at three and five who placed in Del Mar's California Dreamin' Stakes, The Street Fighter will stand for $2,500, live foal guarantee. The chestnut was bred in California by Bruce Headley and Andrew Molasky, trained by Headley until he passed away in 2021, and trained for his final starts that same year by Headley's daughter, Karen. The latter now owns him along with Marsha Naify, a longtime Headley client. Both will support The Street Fighter with their own mares. “In many ways, The Street Fighter represents the culmination of Bruce Headley's unique ability to train and maintain durable, quality horses for the Southern California racing circuit,” said Rancho San Miguel's Tom Clark. “This promising young stallion is strong and correct, with good bone, and we are pleased to offer him to West Coast breeders at an affordable fee that will help carry these versatile, proven bloodlines forward into the future.” The post The Street Fighter Relocates to Rancho San Miguel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Kentucky Derby winner faces a field that includes three from the Bob Baffert barn, Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Stronghold, and Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) second Bentornato.View the full article

Flightline (Tapit) had gone off to stud and there weren't any horses at the start of 2024 on the West Point roster that looked to be headed for stardom. Terry Finley, the founder and president of West Point Thoroughbreds, wasn't expecting a bad year for his stable but he tried to be realistic about West Point's goals for the year. “It wasn't like one horse made $3 million for us this year,” he said. “It was a bunch of really hard knocking, or maybe even a little bit better than hard knocking, horses that stayed around a good part of the year. That's a big deal. If you stay around you can end up running at Kentucky Downs or some of the other tracks with the huge purses. When you're not on the sidelines, that makes an impact on your stats when it comes to earnings.” With the final days of 2024 upon us, West Point has won 26 stakes races this year. According to Jeff Lowe, who works in communications and marketing for West Point, the 26 stakes wins established a new record for most stakes wins by a partnership. The previous record, Lowe reports, was 22, set by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners in 2022. West Point horses have, through Thursday, earned $9,533,183, the most ever for the stable. “We are very, very proud,” Finley said. “How can you not be proud of the team, proud of the partners and everybody who works in our ecosystem? I am proud of the horses, too. I would not have expected it at the beginning of the year. It's probably similar to what happens with a lot of people in the horse business when they have success. They look back and a lot of times people will say we didn't truly see this coming. I'm in that camp. While I didn't see it coming, all we try to do is work hard every day and make good decisions every day. I know that sounds like corporate speak, but I have always bought into that mantra. Those are the things that work, working hard and doing it every single day. Really that's the No. 1 thing we can control. We are filled with pride and it just drives home the fact that nobody can do this by themselves. We see people time and time again try to do it themselves for whatever reason. You can't do it that way. Truly, this is a team sport.” It was horses like Jaxon Traveler (Munnings) who over achieved this year and helped set the record. Soon to be seven, he was bought for $140,000 at the 2020 OBS April Sale. He's gone over the $1-million mark in earnings and won four stakes this year, including the GIII Whitmore Stakes. While there's nothing wrong with winning the Whitmore, West Point likes to aim high. Finley is encouraged that the stable appears to have a quality group of soon-to-be 3-year-olds who could be Derby material. He said that division is headed by GIII Bob Hope Stakes winner Bullard (Gun Runner), Sandman (Tapit), Keep It Easy (Hard Spun) and the undefeated Laurel Futurity winner Pascaline (Upstart). “We'll take a week or so to really cherish the 26 stakes wins,” Finley said. “As we were getting close to the 20 mark I was saying wouldn't it be nice to say we won a stakes every two weeks. We got there. I have asked my team to reflect and enjoy the great work we've all been part of. You're not guaranteed anything in this sport and you're not owed anything in this business. You've got to show up. One of the things I monitor and am always looking out for is that every member of the team is still passionate about the horses and our partners. I can look every one of them in the eye and say that we are. This will be our 34th year. That's a good feeling, to have done something for 34 years and to have had some success and still be unbelievably passionate about the industry and about our company. How lucky are we? That's something I don't take lightly.” West Point's success has been fueled not just by quality but by quantity. Finley started with one horse 34 years ago, a $6,250 claimer. Since, the stable has grown steadily. They now have 123 horses in training and 22 yearlings. Are they nearing a tipping point where more is less? “I'm not saying this would work with 300 horses, but I think our system has evolved where we've gotten better and we have worked on things,” Finley said. “It may be another cliche, but I'm a big proponent on getting better on a regular basis and never sitting back on our heels. We're never in the back of the foxhole, we're always forward. I think we could get bigger, I really do. Not a lot bigger, but after we've had a year like this one you start to think I want more of this. That's what we do as owners across the spectrum in the horse business. We're not looking to get a whole lot bigger, but we had another good year bringing people into the business. We are also getting a good number of people who own horses joining up with us in joint venturers. More and more people are looking to do that, including breeders that want stay in as owners. And you get people who go to the big sales like Saratoga or the first couple of days at Keeneland and they realize they can't bang heads. It doesn't make sense to bang heads, so you see that a lot of the partnerships now are joining forces with other owners. We will continue to do that. With the right people, the right outlook and the right team, it's a great way to do this.” West Point will look to get 2025 off to a fast start when it runs Maui Strong (Kitten's Joy) in the Jan 1. Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream. Can West Point top 26 stakes wins in 2025? It won't be easy but that's because few things are easy in this sport. But West Point's formula is working. Buy a lot of horses, spend a lot of money, team with quality trainers like Steve Asmussen, Shug McGaughey, John Sadler and Christophe Clement and a top bloodstock advisor in David Ingordo and work really hard. Do all that and good things are bound to happen. The post West Point Sets Record in Banner Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a daughter of a Classic winner. 17.15 Wolverhampton, Mdn, £6,300, 2yo, f, 9f 104y (AWT) Anthony Oppenheimer's STAR OF LIGHT (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is the first foal produced by G1 Irish Oaks, G1 Prix Vermeille and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares heroine Star Catcher (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The John and Thady Gosden-conditioned debutante's seven opponents include Flaxman Stables Ireland's twice-raced former Sir Michael Stoute trainee Coma Cluster (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who is a daughter of G3 Lacken Stakes victrix Only Mine (Ire) (Pour Moi {Ire}), making her first start for the George Boughey stable. The post Daughter Of Irish Oaks Heroine Star Catcher On Deck For Wolverhampton Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After vanning nearly 1,900 miles from Fair Grounds in New Orleans, GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents) arrived at Santa Anita in good order Wednesday night, got a rest day on Thursday, and stretched his legs on California soil for the first time Friday morning. Backed up to the seven-eighths pole around 8:15 a.m. local time under exercise rider Tony Gutierrez, Mystik Dan galloped about nine furlongs, then took two turns around the paddock before heading back to Barn 54, where he is staying. Trainer Kenny McPeek was not on hand–he's scheduled to arrive next Thursday morning along with Mystik Dan's regular rider Brian Hernandez, Jr.–but McPeek's assistant Dermot Magner oversaw the morning's activities alongside Greg Morehead, director of operations for McPeek Racing. Magner and Morehead shared the driving duties for Mystik Dan's trip from Fair Grounds. The Derby winner is entered to run in next Thursday's GI Malibu Stakes on Santa Anita's opening day. He'll break from post six in his first start since an off-the-board finish in the GI Belmont Stakes. In other Malibu news, three other members of field had their final works Friday: Stronghold (Ghostzapper) covered five panels in 1:01; Winterfell (Arrogate) worked four furlongs in :47.20; and Senior Officer (Into Mischief) worked a half in :48. Also on the worktab was GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), who worked for the second time since that win Nov. 1. He covered four furlongs in :49. Another notable worker was Eagles Flight (Curlin), the winning half-brother to Horse of the Year Flightline, who put in five furlongs in 1:00.40. The post Mystik Dan Arrives Safely and Gallops at Santa Anita, Citizen Bull Works appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Soul of an Angel, dramatic winner of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) and this summer's Alabama Stakes (G1) winner Power Squeeze will line up together for the first time in the $140,000 Rampart Stakes Dec. 26 at Gulfstream Park.View the full article

France Galop's administrative council has formally adopted a budget for 2025 which will see the sport run a €15 million deficit.View the full article

By Michael Guerin Arna Donnelly had never won a $100,000 race before Friday night: now she has won three. And after her treble on the inaugural Golden Gait night at Alexandra Park she has her eyes set on even bigger targets. The popular Waikato trainer captured a treble with three very different types of horses the first being Chase Me who capped a wonderful debut season with an impressive win in the TAB Golden Gait 2YO Mobile Pace. “He is a really promising horse and what makes it even better is I own most of him,” says Donnelly. “I was underbidder on him at the sales but bought him later and he peaked at just the right time tonight. “I think he is a Derby horse so that will be his next aim if he stays, but we have a few people chasing him.” The feature pace of the night, the TAB Golden Gait Aged R63 – R99 Mobile Pace, saw Donnelly train first and third with Jolimont sitting parked to win while Kango was a huge third. But it may be that Jolimont is now the stable star has he has stepped up to be a genuine open class force which will now be tested further in the Auckland Cup. “He has really come of age and he is up to that level now.” But at the other end of the scale comes Rough And Ready, who won this lower grade aged pace at start number 119 and just two weeks before he turns eight. “He has been such a lovely old horse and raced everywhere including in Australia where he never settled in but his owners were so good about bringing him back over here. “So to see a horse like him get his big win tonight was very satisfying. “It has been a special night for us and I couldn’t do it without the support from my owners and all the staff who work so hard .. it is a huge team effort.” The night’s other pacing feature was taken out in no-fuss fashion by Duchess Megxit, capping off an amazing month in which she won the NZ Oaks, Queen Of Hearts and now the three-year-old Golden Gait. She had to work a bit early to get the lead but was always going to be too fast after that and ends a excellent year in which she has stamped herself one of the great three-year-old fillies, particularly when racing at home. She was one of three winners on the night for driver Zachary Butcher, joining fellow driver Crystal Hackett and trainers Donnelly and Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett as three-time winners on a hugely successful first running of the Golden Gait concept. View the full article

By Michael Guerin There couldn’t be a more deserving stable to win the first ever TAB Golden Gait Final held than Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett. But Belle Neige’s win in the $100,000 opener at Alexandra Park, the TAB Golden Gait Aged R49 – R60 Mobile Trot, was only the start of a stunning night for the husband and wife team. The numbers are impressive, the stable producing the first four home in the opening race, with daughter Crystal driving the winner. They doubled up in the next, the TAB Golden Gait Aged R35 – R46 Mobile Pace, when Nelson’s Boy won again with Crystal in the sulky while the enigmatic pacer is part-owned by their other daughter Tyla Hackett, a former Kidz Kartz driver and now top equestrian rider. To round out the remarkable night they trained Faith In Manchester to beat stablemate Magic Dash in the R61 – R79 Mobile Trot to give them three wins for the night. Add to that Illicit Love’s third in the 2YO Mobile Trot and Val Thorens just missing in the three-year-old trot after carrying a flat tyre and the stable runner’s collected $220,000 in win and place stakes alone. To add to the party Crystal drove another winner for one of the other stars of night in trainer Arna Donnelly when Rough And Ready gave her a treble as well in the R48 – R61 Mobile Pace. To see Wallis and Hackett have such a successful night at the first ever Golden Gait felt like payback as the night is supposed to reward horses who have supported Alexandra Park in 2024 but the reality is their stable has been keeping races alive there for several years. There have been times in recent years when Alexandra Park didn’t have the buzz it did on Friday and has it not been for the prolific support of the Wallis/Hackett stable some trotting races in particular wouldn’t have got off the ground. “We have always been big supporters of this club and this track and we have been happy to do so,” says Michelle. “But to have a night like this is very special for different reasons. “The first winner was owned by Pat Driscoll and he has become such a big supporter of ours and we almost got him another one with Val Thorens. “Then Nelson’s Boy winning who has been such a good old horse for us and to have Tyla and the family involved in his ownership. “And Faith In Manchester had to be really good to win and she is raced by owners in Heather and Russell Steele who have been with us such a long time. “So they are all special moments and to see Crystal driving a treble, it has been a wonderful night.” Wallis also got a thrill from the atmosphere in the Alexandra Park stabling area as many of the participants knew what the night meant to each other. Another stable who has been a huge addition to Alexandra Park in recent years in Robert and Jenna Dunn’s Pukekohe base won the three-year-old trot with Bounce N Beyond, courtesy of a beautifully-timed Zachary Butcher drive to work him to the front from his outside of the second line draw. The son of the talented northern mare Dead Cat Bounce, who won 13 races, Bounce N Beyond has had his tricks at times but seems to have settled down lately and looks an open class horse in the making. Earlier the two-year-old trot went, as expected, to Meant To Be, confirming he is our best juvenile trotters when easily accounting for stablemate Ocean Eyes, their tasks made easier when both Ya Eejit Ya and Hillbilly galloped early. The night’s final trot was taken out by Itaintnecessarilyso, a recent addition to Shane Butcher’s small stable but expertly prepared and giving Butcher’s fiancee Monika Ranger the biggest win of her driving career. View the full article

By Jonny Turner It was a day to savour for Team Dalgety at Invercargill yesterday. Cran and Chrissie Dalgety trained three winners on the day including Republican Party in the feature, the Group 1 Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup and son Carter had four wins in the sulky to launch him to the top of the junior drivers’ premiership. The combination proved unstoppable in the $100,000 Invercargill Cup when their five-year-old made a brilliant beginning to set up a powerful front-running victory. The win was something of a carbon copy of the combination’s win with Krug when the feature was run at Group 1 level for the first time two years ago. Even though he had done it all before with another star pacer trained by his parents, Carter Dalgety was still left lost for words by the victory. “I am pinching myself really, this horse deserved a big race and everything worked out good,” Carter said. “I am a bit speechless, to be honest.” Carter was quick to credit his father for Republican Party’s electric Invercargill Cup beginning. Cran made a surprise move to add a shadow roll to the pacer’s gear, something he wasn’t wearing when he ran a brilliant third in the Group 1 New Zealand Cup. “I have to give the credit to Dad, he made the late call to put the shadow roll on and it worked a treat,” Carter said. “He began that well, he put himself in a beautiful spot after 200m.” While Cran was chuffed to add yet another Group 1 title to his glittering harness racing resume, he admitted combining with his son adds another dimension to the victory, compared to those years ago. “It is hard to explain, those are the warm fuzzies you get that make all pretty special.” “You want to see your kids do well and for him to jump into this profession and follow in the family’s footsteps it is a great thrill.” The Dalgety combination also took out the SBSR Sires’ Stakes Southern Solstice with Magician before notching another special win with Wallflower in the Canada Stakes. The feature race is named after the late Canada Broad, the daughter of Southern Harness Racing boss Jason Broad, who passed away earlier this year after bravely battling cancer. “You try to get a horse good enough to compete in a race like this, and you don’t think about winning it,” Cran said. “When we were able to win it, with Jason there, it was very special.” With Carter Dalgety also winning with the Tom Bamford-trained Ebury Street in the Craig Heyrick at Harcourts Real Estate Mobile Pace his four wins took him to 61 for the year, and to the top of the junior drivers’ premiership, three clear of closest challenger Sam Thornley. Muscle Mountain produced another of the star turns on Group 1 Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup Day. The star trotter sat off the speed before being lit up at the 800m as he won in another all-family affair for Greg, Nina and Ben Hope. Ben Hope drove a patient race with the favourite, partially due to some cat-and-mouse mid-race tactics in front of him, but it played right into Muscle Mountain’s hands. “I just thought being a long-distance race and we were off a bit of a handicap, so I thought I would let him settle early,” Ben said. “He is a lovely horse and while I respected the field, if he is on song he is as good as any of them and he proved it today.” While Muscle Mountain had won bigger races than the Group 3 Brendan Franks Farrier David Moss Stakes, Hope admitted the big Ascot Park crowd and the great atmosphere on-course made the win special. “To win a nice race down here with a horse of this calibre is definitely a special moment.” View the full article

Pleasant Acres Stallions outside of Ocala, Florida, who welcomed to its stallion roster this year 'TDN Rising Star' Champions Dream and Mr Fisk, has released the farm's stud fee schedule, according to a Friday press release. The 220-acre farm owned by Joe Barbazon and Helen Barbazon added MGSW Mr Fisk (by Arrogate) after the homebred was retired by Sunny Brook Stables last month. The colt amassed a record of 11-5-2-0 and earnings of $369,700. Mr Fisk will stand for $8,500. GSW Champions Dream (by Justify) will take up residence alongside Mr Fisk as the latest Pleasant Acres sire. Both the 4-year-old colt and his dam GSW Dancinginherdreams (Tapit) were named 'TDN Rising Stars' for their respective early efforts. Campaigned by Rosedown Racing, Champions Dream was retired in November and his fee comes in at $5,000. Both newly-minted sires will join a stallion shedrow which includes 'TDN Rising Star' Doppelganger (by Into Mischief) and GSW Verifying (by Justify), who in their second year at stud both have a fee set at $10,000. Sire Roster/Stud Fee: Bodexpress: $3,500 Champions Dream: $5,000 Chess Chief: $5,000 Curlin's Honor: $2,500 Doppelganger: $10,000 Gunnevera: $6,000 Leinster: $2,500 Magic on Tap: $5,000 Mr Fisk: $8,500 Neolithic: $5,000 Simplification: $6,500 Verifying: $10,000 The post Pleasant Acres Stallions Releases Stud Fees For 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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3rd-GP, $60k, Msw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:18p.m. ET Fashionably late to the party, but making it to the races for the partnership of WinStar Farm, Siena Farm, and Rockridge Racing, TUCSON (Constitution) seeks to validate their patience against a field of experienced maidens over the main track. A $1.3-million purchase from KEESEP in 2022 by Richard Knight Bloodstock acting as an agent, the chestnut has been working steadily for Todd Pletcher out at Palm Beach Downs. A half-brother to Grade I-winning and Royal Ascot Group 1-placed Kimari (Munnings), Tucson hails from the female line of course record-setter MGSW Apolda (Theatrical {Ire}). TJCIS PPs 6th-GP, $65k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 2:46p.m. ET Carrying the flag for WinStar Farm once again, this time in partnership with CHC, Inc. and Siena Farm, CYBER SECURITY (Quality Road) will be unveiled on the grass for trainer Todd Pletcher. Given morning line odds fo 12-1, he is a half-brother to GSW Carribean Caper (Speightstown), who claimed the GIII Dogwood Stakes and Listed Runhappy Audubon Oaks in 2021. Their dam Checkupfromzneckup (Dixie Union) joined the WinStar broodmare band in 2017 when she changed hands for $825,000 at KEENOV. His half-sisters Bombdiggity (Into Mischief) and Dixie Tap (Tapit) brought $600,000 at KEESEP in 2020 and $990,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga in 2021, respectively. The former went to Stonestreet Stables while the latter to the partnership of West Point, Scarlet Oak Racing, and NBS Stable. She sold at KEENOV last year for $340,000 to Rosilyn Polan. Most recently, this one's full-brother Tornado Road sold for $1.15-million at KEESEP in 2022 to BK Stables. This is a very active extended family which includes the likes of A.P Indy and the recently departed Lemon Drop Kid. To his inside is $510,000 OBSAPR pick up ROGER ROGER (Omaha Beach) debuting in the colors of Spendthrift Farm for trainer Chad Brown. Another with a steady worktab, his dam Caxambas Pass (Tiznow) is a winning half-sister to MGISW Point of Entry (Dynaformer), MGISW Pine Island (Arch), SW Bokeelia Island (Medaglia d'Oro), and GSP Sail Ahoy (Bernardini). One of the dam's half-sisters went on to produce the likes of GSW & GISP Great Island (Scat Daddy) and went on to become the granddam of GSW Surprisingly (Mastery). This is a very busy extended female family which includes names like 'TDN Rising Star' MGISW Guarana (Ghostzapper) and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine Pleasant Home (Seeking the Gold). TJCIS PPs The post Dec. 21 Insights: Well-Connected Debuters Make an Appearance in the Sunshine State appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There are 13 horse racing meetings set for Australia on Saturday, December 21. Our racing analysts here at horsebetting.com.au have found you the best bets and the quaddie numbers for Pakenham, Ascot, Eagle Farm & Alice Springs. Saturday’s Free Horse Racing Tips – December 21, 2024 Pakenham Racing Tips Ascot Racing Tips Eagle Farm Racing Tips Randwick Racing Tips Alice Springs Racing Tips As always, there are plenty of promotions available for Australian racing fans. Check out all the top online bookmakers to see what daily promotions they have. If you are looking for a new bookmaker for the horse racing taking place on December 21, 2024 check out our guide to the best online racing betting sites. Neds Code GETON 1 Take It To The Neds Level Neds Only orange bookie! Check Out Neds Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit today. “GETON is not a bonus code. Neds does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. Full terms. BlondeBet Signup Code GETON 2 Punters Prefer Blondes BlondeBet Blonde Boosts – Elevate your prices! Join BlondeBet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GAMBLING WITH? full terms. 3 Next Gen Racing Betting Picklebet Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Full terms. Recommended! 4 It Pays To Play PlayUp Aussie-owned horse racing specialists! Check Out PlayUp Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Full terms. Dabble Signup Code AUSRACING 5 Say Hey to the social bet! Dabble You Better Believe It Join Dabble Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? Full terms. Bet365 Signup Code GETON 6 Never Ordinary Bet365 World Favourite! Visit Bet365 Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. GETON is not a bonus code. bet365 does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. What’s gambling really costing you? Full terms. Horse racing tips View the full article

Race 5 CONCORDE STAKES 1200m (G3) BONNY LASS (M Cartwright) – Co-trainer Mr. G Richardson reported to Stewards, after undergoing a post-race endoscopic examination which showed mucus and inflammation in the mare’s trachea, BONNY LASS, was placed on a four-day treatment of medication, and on Thursday 12 December, BONNY LASS, was examined by the stable veterinarian which included an endoscopic examination with no abnormalities been detected. G Richardson further advised it is the stables intention to carry on with the mare’s current preparation. The post Auckland Thoroughbred Racing @ Ellerslie, Saturday 7 December 2024 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Measured Time, a grade I winner at Saratoga Race Course, blitzed the field in his first start of the Dubai World Cup Carnival for the familiar Meydan Racecourse team of Godolphin, trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick.View the full article

As much as extending 2024 by a few months would not bother trainer Kenny McPeek, he's already looking forward to 2025. View the full article

The Dec. 22 Arima Kinen (G1) draws a quality field despite the absence of champion Do Deuce, who will miss his chance at one last grade 1 victory as lameness forces him out of the race. View the full article

Owner Mike Repole, always a strong competitor on the East Coast, has made his presence out west felt following back-to-back dazzling performances from the 3-year-old filly Accuracy. View the full article

Cast ratings aside: which horse stole your heart in 2024? And who went into the notebook for next season? Brian Sheerin has been a little greedy, but we will let him off as it's the season of indulgence, and he is putting forward four names worthy of merit. Horse(s) of the year: Porta Fortuna and Mehmas On the track, this year belonged to Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) but Mehmas (Ire) deserves a huge amount of credit for breaking Kodiac's long-standing record for the number of two-year-old winners sired in a year. That's why this is going to have to be a toss-up between the pair. Porta Fortuna was simply sublime this season. Few people would have put their neck on the block about Donnacha O'Brien's filly getting the mile this year given she never managed to score beyond 6f as a juvenile. But boy did she prove any of her doubters wrong. After being narrowly denied by Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the 1,000 Guineas, Porta Fortuna mopped up a trio of Group 1s on the spin with victory in the Coronation Stakes followed by Falmouth and Matron Stakes triumphs. And that Leopardstown success was arguably the most impressive of them all, with Tom Marquand sling-shooting to the lead inside the final furlong to account for Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) in what was an up-to-scratch renewal of the race. The Breeders' Cup proved to be just one race too many for Porta Fortuna and she remains hugely exciting with a view towards next season. As for Mehmas, what more is there to say? Not only did he break his Tally-Ho Stud mate's record, but he also took the step to the next level with a number of his progeny holding leading claims for Classic races next season. One for next year: Cosmic Year Cosmic Year (GB) created a lasting impression when brushing aside the well-regarded Rock d'Oro (Bolt d'Oro) to win by over six lengths on debut for Juddmonte and Harry Charlton earlier this year. Not only was the margin of victory impressive, but it's safe to assume there was plenty of substance to the performance given Rock d'Oro had the benefit of a run under his belt. And what a run that was. Rock d'Oro gave Bay City Roller (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) an almighty fright on his respective debut at Chelmsford, ultimately going down by less than a length, and we all know how good that form has proved to be given George Scott's stable star went on to land the G2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. For whatever reason, Cosmic Year did not run again after posting that impressive debut success at Sandown, but the Kingman (GB) half-brother to Time Test (GB) could well be up to Guineas standard in 2025. Stallion to follow: Sioux Nation Sioux Nation could be about the chart a similar path to Mehmas. That might seem a big statement but, given what Sioux Nation has achieved with lesser books of mares, one can only assume that he is ready to kick off and go to the next level in 2025 given that this will be his best crop of runners, on paper at least. It would be a surprise if he didn't come up with a proper juvenile next season. The post Horse Of The Year; One For Next Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

If a Saturday of racing under palm trees and warm, sunny skies sounds just like something on your holiday wish list, look no further than Gulfstream Park's Pegasus Preview Day with three graded stakes on offer ahead of January's main event, the Pegasus World Cup Invitational held Jan. 25. On the dirt, a trio of 3-year-olds will face older horses in the 1 1/16-mile GIII Harlan's Holiday Stakes. Spendthrift Farm's Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso), who won three of his first five starts including a 6 3/4-length romp in the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth before going to the sidelines after the GI Haskell Stakes, returned at Aqueduct to just miss in the Discovery Stakes at 1 1/8 miles Nov. 3 in his first start off the layoff. Trainer Todd Pletcher's sole runner in the field, 5-2 morning-line favorite has certainly signaled his readiness with a pair of bullet works at Palm Beach Downs, going four furlongs in :47 1/5 (1/30) Nov. 29 before going the same distance in :47 4/5 (1/24) just last week Dec. 14. Gulfstream's perennial leading trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. comes into Saturday's card heavy handed with no fewer than three runners in the Harlan's Holiday alone: Cape Trafalgar (Lord Nelson), Digital Ops (Nyquist) and Super Corinto (Arg) (Super Saver). The group all breaks outside of the Brian Lynch runner Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance), the sole Breeders' Cup runner in the field (fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile). On the grass, the boys prep for the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational by going 1 1/8 miles in the GII Ft. Lauderdale Stakes. Again loaded here, Joseph, Jr. brings in 6-year-old Cash Equity (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}), Saratoga Flash (Laoban) and Lorenz (Brz) (Forestry). Of Cash Equity, who drew the rail Saturday, Joseph said: “He's a horse that seems to run decent enough each time but never win, though he's picked up some big checks. A mile and an eighth is probably the perfect distance. He's drawn well. Maybe he can not be as far back this time and hopefully he can break through and get the win. I think he'll like the firmer turf at Gulfstream because he ran well at Kentucky Downs. It's a different course but it's a very firm turf also.” Joseph also admitted that, while Cash Equity has already proven his form towards the Pegasus Turf, his other runners had something left to run for. “It's a trial for them. It's an exhibition to see if they're good enough.” Pletcher also wields a pair here in Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro) and Whisper Hill's Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) who gains blinkers off a Breeders' Cup run when 11th in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. Closing out Saturday's card, the fillies and mares go the flat mile in the GIII Suwannee River Stakes ahead of the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational with a pair of runners making their first starts in the United States following careers overseas. Pletcher has the outside runner in South African-import Bless My Stars (Saf) (Gimmethegreenlight {Aus}) who last ran in February but is a Group 1 winner in her native country. To the inside, French runner Ribaltagaia (Blame) last contested the G1 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp in October and comes over for trainer Gianluca Bietolini. The rail draw went to Glen Hill Farm homebred Ocean Club (Curlin) who comes in off a short break dating back to her win in the GIII Noble Damsel going this distance at Aqueduct Sept. 21 for Jack Sisterson. Closer Papilio (Ire)'s (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) last trip over the mile was a strong win at Keeneland in the GII Appalachian Stakes but that was over 20 months ago and she's only gone longer distances since for trainer Mark Casse and D J Stable. The post Pegasus Preview Day An Early Present From Gulfstream Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In those days, everything on the waterfront was done by hand. John Gunther especially remembers the 120lbs sacks of flour he had to haul onto Russian ships, month after month. But then the one thing he could always do was work. Back in Alberta, on the farm where he was raised, he would shift 10,000 bales of hay every summer. Yet he has only ever been wiry in build. There has plainly always been some other source of strength. In the Latin phrase, multum in parvo: he condenses “much into little.” Nobody should be surprised, then, if the program he has since developed at Glennwood Farm should have punched so far above weight; nor if its latest project, Crestwood rookie Stage Raider, now does exactly the same. Back on the Vancouver docks, however, horses were doing him no good at all. Diligent as he was, he could never save any money; not with Exhibition Park right across from the pier. Growing up, he had always adored horses. Following the death of his father, he'd been brought up by an uncle and aunt out on the prairies. He didn't dare ask for one himself, there wasn't the money, but would gaze longingly at any horse glimpsed when the school bus stopped at other farms. The daydreaming had to end, though, when he left school and joined the many relatives he had working quayside. “And I'd go over and blow my pay check every weekend, gambling on those horses,” he recalls. “I just loved racing so much. Until one day I met these stock promoters in a beer parlor, and they talked me into investing. So now I was instead putting all the money I could into this one stock. And it tanked. I lost it all.” Stage Raider | Katie Petrunyak And here's the bit that makes his daughter Tanya chuckle. Because John's reaction to this disaster was not to retreat, chastened or embittered, but to recognize the cue to his fortune. “Having lost all that money, I thought, I've got to get into this!” he says. “Got to figure this out. So I left the waterfront that I loved and took the Canadian Securities Course.” “And, actually, this explains my dad to a T,'” says Tanya. “The stock had nose-dived. It was a miserable failure. That would put most people off, right? Not him. It was, 'No, now I got to conquer this thing.'” John gives a shrug. “Anyway that's how I got into the brokerage business,” he says. “And then I got lucky in the stock market and made some money.” Pure luck, plainly. Nothing to do with a stubborn persistence, nor self-belief, courage, enterprise, acuity. But whichever of these assets may have contributed to John's rise from longshoreman to corporate financier, a surplus remained to make Glennwood arguably the most influential farm of its size on the Turf today. From around a couple of dozen mares, across 2018-19 the Gunthers famously produced winners of the U.S. Triple Crown, G1 St James's Palace Stakes and GI Breeders' Cup Classic from the same crop. And now their footprint is expanding again, towards a potentially historic legacy. Glennwood's impact at stud in Europe extends between Justify's champion City Of Troy, to the very promising Without Parole at Newsells Park; and the half-brother to Justify now starting in Kentucky duly demands far more attention than a single stakes success at Ellis Park might imply. Stage Raider was delivered by Stage Magic (Ghostzapper) 12 days after her sophomore son claimed leadership of his crop in the GI Santa Anita Derby. After Justify proceeded to the Triple Crown, the Gunthers retained his sibling at $950,000 as a yearling–and that looked another smart decision when he won his second start at Keeneland by over 10 lengths, making himself an automatic 'TDN Rising Star.' “It was quite exciting,” Tanya recalls. “Stage Raider was the talk of the talk of the town after that. Of course, he was by Pioneerof the Nile, who'd sired American Pharoah; and meanwhile his dam had come up with Justify. So you had Triple Crown on both sides of the equation.” But while Stage Raider followed up in a Belmont allowance, and only failed narrowly to follow up his Ellis success the following year in graded company, he never quite lived up to that early potential. Hence a restrained opening fee of $6,500. “But the days he put it out there and ran, he showed that he had a lot of talent,” Tanya insists. “On his day, he was very good. And if he had some quirks, he was very game. He didn't mind going inside or between horses, and could fight to the wire. You like to see that type of gutsiness in a racehorse. So it's not just his genes. It's not like he's one of those well-bred horses that never make it. He won almost half a million dollars. You don't do that without talent. “He's not too big, for a 'Pioneer,' which I like: between 16 and 16.1. He was always really balanced, as a foal and all the way through. That's something we've seen in all our best horses. He's very correct too. So you can breed mares with a lot of different physicals to him.” Crestwood has carved an astute niche in the fiercely competitive Kentucky stallion market, lately achieving notable traction with Caracaro. “They're good at getting those sorts of horses off the ground, that might not be so obvious,” Tanya says. “They really appreciate pedigree, and the right kind of matings, so we're excited to be working with a great group of guys.” Stage Raider's appeal, at a budget fee, can only be heightened by the unmissable functionality of the genes now being so expensively recycled by his half-brother. John & Tanya Gunther | Tattersalls “Justify is producing horses of all kinds, all over the world: Australia, England, America; dirt, turf; short, long,” Tanya observes. “I haven't seen an American-bred horse do it quite like that, in my experience. And I'd like to think Stage Raider could be a real crossover stallion, too. When Justify went to stud, I remember wondering whether he could get turf horses? I figured yes, because you've got Scat Daddy, Ghostzapper, Pulpit. And here you've got Pioneer/Empire Maker, which we've seen work on different surfaces, and of course still Ghostzapper and Pulpit. So you've got real crossover scenarios there.” Tanya is also heartened by the impact made by the inexpensive first crop of Thousand Words, corroborating the impression made by other sons of Pioneerof The Nile that his premature loss is being redressed by his legacy as a sire of sires. But the real lure for breeders will be the nearly mechanical replication of genetic excellence achieved by this extraordinary program. Though his stock has been divided either side of the ocean, potentially diluting his profile, Without Parole has already had a dozen winners from 45 named foals, including one that just missed a Breeders' Cup podium. “We've been super-pleased how early some of them have been,” Tanya remarks. “I was expecting them to be a little later, and I feel like the consensus is that he's improving the mares. Again, he has that balance, and a good keen mind. He always liked to do the job and wanted to do it well. And while this may sound crazy, sometimes I look at his offspring and see something in their eye, just an expression, that reminds me of him.” As will now be the case with Stage Raider, the Gunthers' own support has helped to establish Without Parole. That's challenging, when your horizons are broader than your numbers. But Glennwood, by departing from parochial conventions of commercialism, has reliably ended up creating demand for something different. That has required much patience, and no less imagination. John has been going to Tattersalls for 30 years, and in the 1990s sent a filly over to Dermot Weld in Ireland to win a stakes race on debut. Then, having been present for that astounding exhibition in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, they shipped a young Lemon Drop Kid mare to England in the hope that she might get to Frankel. Though her first foal by Speightstown had just won a couple of minor races for Shadwell in England, that hardly seemed likely to suffice. “But that was Frankel's second year, and people were knocking his foals,” John recalls. “People were saying he wasn't stamping them,” agrees Tanya. “So actually it was a moment where you could get to him, if you were keeping faith. And then the Speightstown went to Dubai and won the [G2] Godolphin Mile, and later the [GI Breeders' Cup] Dirt Mile. Because that was Tamarkuz. So the page proved up, just not at the time we were signing the contract.” When the resulting colt went to Tattersalls, John set a steep reserve after having allowed a Scat Daddy colt to slip through his grasp at Keeneland a few weeks previously. “When we took Justify to the ring, we thought for sure we were going to RNA him,” Tanya says. “Because he had failed, like, 10 or 12 vets. He'd had an OCD removed from his stifle. And Dad had a $499,000 reserve so I was like, 'For sure, he's coming home.'” “And I wanted him to,” John confirms. “That's why I put a high number on him. But then he sells for $500,000.” So John, determined to avoid a repetition, raised his original 600,000gns reserve on the Frankel colt to 675,000gns. Sure enough, he stalled at 650,000gns. As a result, 10 days after watching Justify win the GI Belmont Stakes, father and daughter were able to watch Without Parole carry their own colors to success at Ascot. And, of course, there was more to come: Vino Rosso, the only other colt they'd sold alongside Justify in Book 1, came through at four to win the biggest prize in America. Little wonder if people often ask for their secret. But Tanya, who has always done the matings, has never believed in short cuts: she isn't into nicks or genetic testing or heart scans. (It still tickles her that one predictive service declared Justify to be a sprinter.) Instead she delves deep into family; deep enough, for instance, that you find Without Parole's ninth dam is a sister to Man o' War. People ask her derisively how genetic material can penetrate six or seven generations? “They just want a silver bullet,” Tanya says. “But there never is one. First of all, you got to keep them alive. That's what I always say. And that's not as easy as people think, who haven't bred their own. Then you have to raise them right, so their bones grow, they're healthy, all of that. And then you've got to get them through prep, without them running through a fence, and finally hope they get into good hands. But yes, obviously before all that is trying to make the match right.” Nor does that ever reduce to any simple formula. “I mean, it's like a ball and you look at all sides of it: pedigree, physicality, temperament, distance,” Tanya continues. “You'd kind of have to get in my brain to understand how I look at matings. But you do start to understand your own families, and what they're producing.” Lessons for us all, then, in the way a generational force has been ignited in the breed. Tanya takes due pride in Justify, but stresses that her own input only paid off because of her father's vision. “Dad doesn't really have any limitations on his imagination,” she says. “He's always thought out-of-the-box, always set lofty goals. After Justify won the Triple Crown, he said, 'Well, now we have to do it in England.' And I'm like, 'Can we just enjoy it for a minute?!'” But that, of course, is how a young longshoreman became one of the most respected breeders on the planet. “My uncles and cousins on the waterfront probably thought I was crazy when I left,” John ponders. “Probably still do,” his daughter replies. But nobody should find anything crazy in the idea that Justify's half-brother might now rise in his slipstream. “The mare's thrown very good physicals all along, so I like to think that Stage Raider will pass that along too,” Tanya says. “Fingers crossed, he'll end up working for people who can't access Justify's genes. All anyone can ever do is work with these great pedigrees, here and in Europe, and figure out some sort of tapestry, some ways to blend things. “I mean, you never imagine you could shape the breed or whatever. But it's kind of cool, one horse at a time, to try to do something special; to get the magic to happen again.” The post Stage is Set For Another Gunther Masterclass appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article