Wandering Eyes

Dual Grade 1-winning hurdler Marie's Rock (Ire) (Milan {GB}) (lot 704) topped the third and final session of the Goffs December NH Sale on Wednesday. The daughter of Grade 3-winning jumper By The Hour (Ire) (Flemensfirth) brought €155,000 on the bid of Coolmara Stables. She was consigned by Clonbonny Stud. Closutton Stables' Pink In The Park (Ire) (Walk In The Park {Ire}) (lot 713) was next at €120,000, with Powerstown signing the ticket. The listed chase winner is Grade 1-placed over hurdles. During the day's session, 139 lots sold from 211 offered (66%) for a gross of €2,536,200. The average was €18,247 and the median was €11,000. Overall, 672 horses visited the ring with 439 (65%) marked as sold for an aggregate of €7,525,900. “The highest priced NH mare and foal at public auction for the third successive year is a fitting tribute to the progress that the Goffs December NH Sale has made over the last decade,” said Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby in his end-of-sale statement. “From small beginnings our NH Team have worked tirelessly with NH breeders to provide a market that is now the first choice for so many in the category. We are proud that Goffs is now seen as the market leader by so many in the NH world whether it is for the mares and foals this week or in the store sector with the Arkle Sale. “Despite the week starting with a major storm that caused a huge amount of turmoil and presented major travel issues for horses and people, buyers have flocked to Kildare Paddocks in their droves with significant numbers from the UK whilst, of course the record-breaking foal is destined for France. We are grateful for every entry, every bid and all the support we receive as we continue to recognise that we are nothing without our clients and their indulgence. “All that said, we acknowledge the challenging nature of the NH market away from the headlines. Whilst our clearance rate has improved it is not where we would all like to see it and the sales ring can be a lonely place if you don't have exactly what the market wants. As ever, our commitment to Irish breeders remains steadfast. We will work for you and do everything in our power to create the most vibrant market for every horse you entrust to us. That is the point of Goffs and why we exist. From foal to mare, Flat and National Hunt, €1,000 lots to seven-figure sales toppers, the team at Goffs is passionate about what we do and how we do it. We are here to serve at all levels of the market and will continue to provide a viable, transparent and appropriate sale for every category, deriving pleasure and satisfaction for each and every sale regardless of price or category as long as our clients are happy or, at a minimum, satisfied. “To provide that service, we will continue to engage with HRI, ITM, ITBA and every breeder or potential vendor. We will continue to invest in Kildare Paddocks and in Irish Racing as we believe passionately in Irish horses, Irish racing and the Irish thoroughbred industry. “In closing I repeat our thanks to every vendor and each purchaser for the trust both entities place in Goffs with every transaction. Nothing is taken for granted and we remain as ambitious as ever for every visitor to our sales. I also want to acknowledge the hard work of all the staff who work literally night and day to show and present the horses at each sale. They are so often the unsung heroes of the act but their dedication and obvious love for each horse in their care is always a joy to see whilst the camaraderie and support offered across each sale is inspiring. “For now, we wish all Goffs clients a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year and look forward to welcoming each and every one back to Kildare Paddocks in 2025.” The post Marie’s Rock Stars, As December NH Sale Ends At Goffs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby took a sideways turn as a filly won the second leg of the series Dec. 11 at Kawasaki Racecourse, vaulting into the top spot on the leaderboard.View the full article

The Auctav Winter Breeding Sale concluded on Wednesday, and a 1/50th share in Persian King (Ire) brought €140,000 on a private bid to top proceedings. Sold as lot 8, the share was acquired by Broadhurst Agency. Persian King stands at Haras d'Etreham and has 16 winners worldwide in his first crop. Three other lots made €25,000 or more, with a 1/48th share in Nirvana Du Berlais (Fr) (lot 4) making €50,000 from B & R Consulting. The stallion resides at Haras de la Hetraie, while his eldest foals are 3-year-olds this year. Another share (1/50), this time in Haras de Montaigu's Beaumec De Houelle (Fr) (lot 11), was purchased for €31,000 by PB Bloodstock Services, while Jessica Rainer bought a 1/60th share in Haras du Petit Tellier's group sire The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (lot 13) for €27,000. Of the 20 lots offered, nine sold for a gross of €283,000. The average was €31,444 and the median was €17,000. The post Share In Persian King Sells For €140,000 On Auctav Platform appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Southern California, not known for tradition, has a rich and wonderful history in the world of horse racing. Santa Anita was built in 1934 and they got it right. The track embraces the San Gabriel mountains, which loom in the forefront on an incredibly large piece of land by Southern California standards. Bob Baffert has called Santa Anita the most beautiful in the country. From almost any angle, fans get a good view of the horses. Santa Anita is the Wrigley Field of horse racing. Fans can get just feet away from horses, jockeys, and trainers. Just how close? Fans yell out encouragement to their jockey as the horses pass out of the walking ring to go onto the track. If a horse rears in the walking ring, people have to scamper away. That's how close! I have been to other historic tracks like Churchill Downs and Saratoga and you can't quite get that same intimacy. And what about the horses? And the great races that have taken place at Santa Anita? What a history! The statue of the great Seabiscuit stands as the first testament to that history. I have seen the brilliant Spectacular Bid, perhaps the greatest horse to ever look through a bridle according to his trainer, Bud Delp, win the Santa Anita Handicap under the legendary Bill Shoemaker. More history. Another Triple Crown winner, Affirmed, won the Santa Anita Handicap a different year. I remember trainer Laz Barrera remarking: “they can't beat Affirmed.” No they couldn't. In the heady days of Santa Anita's past, where weekend crowds often topped 50,000 people, you would see everyone you wanted to know or maybe some you didn't want to know. They came from everywhere. They were everywhere. People on the walkway with the newspaper or the Racing Form. People studying the horses as they came onto the track. My dad would bribe the ushers with a win ticket so we could go upstairs on the biggest days. I saw the owners and trainers there. I stood in the walkway and there was Farrah Fawcett in her prime Charlie's Angels days standing next to George Hamilton, maybe four feet away from me. No big deal. One day, an inebriated Mickey Rooney came up to me, pulled some money out and asked me if I would go and place a bet for him. I was all of 14! Other people. My dad's friend, unshaven, who drove a beat up car, always in tattered clothes, throwing away $2000 worth of tickets onto the floor at a time when houses only cost $25,000. Ten feet away was John Forsythe sitting in his box, not a hair out of place, just like on the television show: Dynasty. Trainer Charlie Whittingham walking by, always without an expression on his face, whether he had won the feature race or not. Usually he had won. Santa Anita was pure spectacle: of humans shining at one another. It was Kentucky Derby day every day. It was a little city where you would see your racetrack friends and cheer or commiserate together depending how your horse did. And then come back for more. The greatest asset of Santa Anita is that it is always waiting to be discovered, again and again. While horse racing today has much more competition from other sports and other avenues of betting, it is still as it was, a spectacle of horses and people. While crowds are down from its halcyon past, I still see groups of the young new faces strolling in awestruck at what they have discovered. I still notice children mesmerized by seeing a horse just four feet away for the first time and think back to my first experience. The big days like opening day or the Santa Anita Derby are still magic. At the 2023 Breeder's Cup held at Santa Anita, I ran into a co-worker and her husband by chance who heard about the event and just came out rather innocently to see what it was all about. The husband exclaimed to me, beside himself with emotion, “Wow, this is like a giant party.” –Armen Antonian The post Letter to the Editor: Santa Anita at 75 Years–A Personal Retropective appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Scuderia la Tesa and Vaibhav Shah's Giavellotto (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) is targeting the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic on Dubai World Cup night, Apr. 5. Said trainer Marco Botti of his new G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase hero, “I think we'll skip Saudi for sure and head to Dubai. After the other day we'll think about the Sheema Classic, that will be his next target all being well. “He is definitely a horse who enjoys travelling. He enjoys being away from the yard and it gives us chance to target those kind of races that have huge prize-money. “The Sheema Classic will be tough–at that time of year the Japanese horses tend to target it, but he likes going left-handed.” Third in the 2022 G1 St Leger, the chestnut won the G2 Yorkshire Cup in May of 2023 and doubled up in the 2024 edition before adding the G2 Princess Of Wales's Stakes in July. He last ran third to Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish St Leger in September. Added the trainer of Giavellotto's long-term future, “He's still an entire. He was a tricky horse when he was younger but he's got better with age. We were hoping that when his racing days are over he could get a little job as a stallion, it would probably be a National Hunt one but he's a good-looking horse, so hopefully we can find him a nice place.” The post Dubai Sheema Classic Next Target For Giavellotto appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Kelsey Danner will be aiming to build on an already career-best year during Turfway Park's Synthetic Championships Dec. 14 where her stable will be represented in two of the evening's featured stakes.View the full article

Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway–Private World, by Thunder Gulch), winner of the 2022 GI Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational S., has been retired to Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm for the 2025 breeding season. He will stand for $6,500 live foal. “We are thrilled to have Classic Causeway at Crestwood Farm,” McLean said. “He was precocious at two, and a Grade I winner at three. He was versatile on both dirt and turf, with earnings over $1.5 million. His sire Giant's Causeway is a top sire-of-sires, with Not This Time proving to be an elite sire.” Owned by Old Kentucky Home LLC, bred by Kentucky West Racing LLC and Clarke M. Cooper Family Living Trust and trained by Ken McPeek, Classic Causeway also won the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby and GIII Sam F. Davis S. He was third in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity. Classic Causeway posted a record of 24-4-3-4 and $1,519,651 in earnings. “Classic Causeway as a racehorse was one of the soundest, toughest horses I've trained,” McPeek said. “His natural early speed and being a son of Giant's Causeway gives him every chance as a sire.” The post Classic Causeway Retired to Crestwood Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A breeding right in Blue Point (Ire) sold for €430,000 to an unnamed buyer on Darley's winning bid platform on Wednesday. The son of Shamardal sired 2024 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace Stakes hero Rosallion (Ire), as well as his third Group 1 winner in Kind Of Blue (GB). In his second crop, he is credited with seven black-type performers including Group 2 winner Sky Majesty (Ire). On the sales front, his 2024 yearlings have sold for up to €850,000. Fully booked at a fee of €100,000 for 2025 at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, Blue Point will see his third crop take to the track next year. The post Blue Point Breeding Right Sells For €430,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dr. Tracy Turner, partner in Turner Wilson Equine Consulting in Stillwater, Minnesota, was installed as president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) during the President's Luncheon Dec. 10 at the AAEP's 70th Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, the organization said via a press release Tuesday. Retired from private practice late in 2023, Dr. Turner concentrated exclusively on equine sports medicine, lameness and surgery at Turner Equine. He established the practice in 2016 following 12 years with Anoka Equine Veterinary Services in Elk River, and he was in academia for 23 years. Dr. Turner received his veterinary degree from Colorado State University in 1978. An AAEP member since 1986, Dr. Turner previously served on the board of directors from 2017-2019; as chair of the Farrier Liaison Committee; and as member of the Educational Programs and Student Relations committees as well as the Foundation Advisory Council. Dr. Turner has served as president of the Minnesota Horse Council, Minnesota Association of Equine Practitioners, and the American Academy of Thermology; and on the board of directors of the American Academy of Equine Sports Medicine. The post Minnesota Surgery And Sports Medicine Specialist Installed As AAEP President appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Prat’s record-setting year continues as he tied and then set the single-year stakes record and tied the graded stakes record on Saturday at Aqueduct.View the full article

The Jockey Club has announced that Richard Fuller will join its board of stewards for 2025 – a role equivalent to that of non-executive director. A member of The Jockey Club since 2019, Fuller is also chair at Kempton Park racecourse as well as being a board director of pub and hotel operator, Fuller Smith and Turner PLC. He is also Chairman of the Point-to-Point Racing Company, a trustee of the Wavertree Education Trust, chairman of the Cotswold Cider Company and a former Chairman of the Point-to-Point Owners and Riders Association. His wife Charlotte trains jumpers while daughter Page is a jump jockey. The Board of Stewards from January 2025 will be: Baroness Harding of Winscombe (senior steward) The Lord Grimthorpe (deputy senior steward) Mr Richard Fuller Mr Wiliam Rucker Mr William Sporborg Mr Tim Syder Mr Sam Waley-Cohen Lady Carolyn Warren Mr William Wyatt The Jockey Club has also elected five new members in owner-breeders Emma Banks and Jayne McGivern, Nottingham racecourse chair Jeremy Bradbeer, Racing Welfare trustee Johnny Eddis, and Matthew Lohn, chair of Newmarket Racecourses. Commenting on the appointments, Baroness Harding, senior steward of the Jockey Club, said, “We are delighted to announce the election of five new members of The Jockey Club. They all bring them with them a wealth of experience from the wider world as well as a keen interest and involvement in the sport of horseracing. “It is also fantastic to be welcoming Richard Fuller to the board of stewards from the start of next year. His extensive involvement with Kempton Park over the past few years has been hugely valued and with a strong background in the hospitality sector and racing he will prove a great addition to the board.” The post Richard Fuller Joins Jockey Club Stewards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Good Luck Win delivers at $96.85 to hand the trainer his third success of the season.View the full article

From January 2025, a new mandatory levy will be collected from sales companies, vendors and purchasers across the board at British auction houses. This will provide vital extra funding for racehorse aftercare through British racing's official charity Retraining of Racehorses (RoR). A £6 contribution will be made to the RoR from Goffs UK, Tattersalls and ThoroughBid from each lot sold. A further £3 will be collected from the vendor of each lot as well as £3 from the purchaser. This includes online sales, with the respective sales companies providing the framework to collect this money on behalf of the RoR. The extra funding will be used to deliver “ambitious objectives for 2024-2026, including the traceability of horses bred for racing, enhanced educational outreach to owners, and expanded welfare programmes to ensure that no racehorse faces an uncertain future after racing”, according to a statement released by the RoR on Wednesday. The charity's managing director David Catlow said, “This new funding agreement is a vital step forward for RoR and the thousands of former racehorses we support. The generosity of Goffs UK, Tattersalls and ThoroughBid highlights their shared commitment to our mission. With this increased funding, we are better positioned to deliver on the goals outlined in the RoR Strategy 2024-2026.” He continued, “This funding sets a benchmark for racehorse welfare that we hope all other industry stakeholders will follow. It also strengthens RoR's role as the agreed provider of aftercare support, enabling us to enhance our capacity to meet our strategic goals. “Further funding announcements involving additional key racing stakeholders are anticipated in early 2025, reinforcing the collective effort to safeguard the future of former racehorses.” Tim Kent, managing director of Goffs UK, which staged 11 sales in Britain during 2024, said, “Goffs UK is proud to support RoR through this enhanced funding model, ensuring vendors and purchasers play a part in the essential work of retraining and rehoming former racehorses. Together with Tattersalls and ThoroughBid, we are helping to create a sustainable future for these horses once their racing careers have ended.” Tattersalls has just brought the curtain down on a record-breaking year of trade at Park Paddocks in Newmarket, resulting in 1,785 horses being offered during its December Sale, which turned over the equivalent of £141million in nine days. Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony commented, “Tattersalls continues to support RoR's Showing Series, and this new funding model further cements our commitment to RoR. We are pleased to be part of this industry initiative. RoR's work is fundamental to the Thoroughbred industry, not only in promoting welfare but also in demonstrating the versatility of these horses beyond racing. Through this initiative, Tattersalls reaffirms its dedication to the long-term care and retraining of racehorses, ensuring they have the opportunity to thrive in new careers.” James Richardson, CEO of ThoroughBid, which hosts monthly online auctions, added, “We are delighted to be part of this collaborative effort to enhance funding for RoR. Online bloodstock sales play an equally important role in supporting the welfare and future careers of former racehorses, and we are proud to help ensure they can thrive in their lives after racing.” The post British Sales Companies Unite to Boost RoR Funding appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the past few weeks, we have been telling you how some of racing's biggest names fell in love with the sport. Now it's our turn. Here are some of the stories behind the bylines you see every day in the TDN. I grew up in Salem, New Hampshire, which decades ago was the home of Rockingham Park. My parents were schoolteachers, and my dad, Paul, was the high school baseball and basketball coach. Everyone in town seemed to have some sort of connection to the track, and my father started training a handful of Thoroughbreds the same year I was born, in 1968. My earliest memories are of the small farm (long since razed and redeveloped) where my dad boarded his horses, just down the road from Rock's back stable gate. We'd eat breakfast at the track kitchen, then back at the barn, before I was old enough to do chores, my father would corral me in a stall with a rambunctiously playful goat to keep me occupied and out of trouble. The spectacle of the “old Rock” on summer afternoons was the allure. I remember being mesmerized by the flashing lights and hypnotic clicking of the tote board. The ritualistic chaos of race days struck me as important and noble, yet also like a swirling, enthralling carnival. The crescendo of the crowd during a stampeding stretch drive left me wanting more, every time. I recall being five or six and watching my dad–no-nonsense and focused like when he coached sports–saddling racehorses on the other side of the fence in the paddock. Children were not permitted in the enclosure, so I couldn't follow my father there. I didn't have my path figured out, but I knew I wanted to end up on the other side of that fence, where the horses, jockeys and my dad were–the epicenter of action. The summer I was 12, Rockingham Park burned down. The charred grandstand symbolized the end of an era for many, including my dad, who decided to give up his modest stable rather than make the daily 70-mile round-trip to Boston to train and race at Suffolk Downs. Suffolk Downs | Bill Finley A scaled-down version of the “new Rock” opened in 1984, coinciding with the year I got my driver's license. On weekdays, high school would get out at 2:30 p.m., and I'd rush over in time for the seventh race, when the admission gates were left open and you could catch the last few races for free. On Fridays and Saturdays, the Thoroughbreds switched to racing at night. I went nearly every weekend, absorbed in the challenge of handicapping. In 1986, I went off to college. I loved reading and writing, and began to harbor a fantasy about how great it would be if I could someday con some employer into paying me to write about racehorses. The University of New Hampshire was only 45 miles north of the Rock, so I was endlessly borrowing cars or imploring fraternity brothers to cut classes and drive down to the track with me. After writing for the school paper, I landed a series of journalism internships and soon found myself reporting from the New Hampshire bureau of the Boston Globe. In the spring of 1990, I talked an editor into letting me do a feature about struggling, low-level trainers at Rockingham. The very same day Unbridled won the GI Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in front of 128,257 fans, I stood under a leaky shedrow on the rainy Rock backstretch, interviewing a down-on-his-luck horseman about a $3,500 claimer named More Fog. I might as well have been in heaven. That first turf writing assignment led to subsequent brushes with good karma that have kept me immersed in the sport the past 35 years. The final twist to this tale is that not only did my dad first hook me on racing, but I got to hook him back. After being away from horses for 15 years–but with a son who in the interim had gone to work in the racing industry–my dad returned to training in 1995, campaigning a competitive stable on the New England/Tampa circuit until he retired in 2007. The post How I Got Hooked On Racing: TDN Correspondent T.D. Thornton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Back after nearly a decade… Master the Art of Bloodstock Taxation! Unlock the complexities of bloodstock taxation with the 5th Edition of Bloodstock Taxation in New Zealand by the esteemed industry authority, John Aubrey. This updated and meticulously crafted guide is your ultimate resource for navigating taxation laws tailored specifically for New Zealand’s thriving bloodstock industry. Whether you’re a breeder, accountant, or industry stakeholder, this indispensable resource offers: Expertise You Can Trust: Drawn from over 45 years of experience, John Aubrey distills complex tax legislation into clear, actionable insights. Comprehensive Coverage: Dive deep into every facet of taxation, from breeding businesses to racing operations and bloodstock transactions. Success: Stay compliant, maximize opportunities, and secure the financial health of your bloodstock endeavors. Join the countless breeders, trainers, owners, accountants, and stakeholders who trust this guide to simplify their tax obligations and boost their strategic planning. Secure your copy today and take charge of your financial success in the dynamic world of the bloodstock industry! Order your copy HERE View the full article

Bold front-runner Witz End (NZ) (Savabeel) is likely to be seen in a different role in Saturday’s Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. The son of Savabeel has fashioned an enviable record since debuting less than 12 months ago, winning four of his nine starts and placing behind subsequent Group One winner Grail Seeker in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) in March. The Guineas was one of the few occasions Witz End has not been the pacemaker, and while he’s won twice this preparation in that fashion, his trainer Tony Pike is looking for a change of tactics after he was run down late in the Gr.3 TAB Classic (1600m) at Riccarton Park last month. “He did a lot of work early again, especially on that big Riccarton track and got run over late,” Pike said. “This is a good opportunity where he doesn’t need to lead, probably his best run came in the Wellington Guineas last season. “From gate two, we’re going to ride him a lot quieter on Saturday, he’s nicely weighted and he’s a very talented horse with plenty of upside about him. I think we’ll see a much improved performance.” Sam Weatherley will reunite with the gelding in the feature, which will determine where the gelding will head over the summer period, with plenty of lucrative options. He holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) on January 14, but further north, there is a million-dollar target on Pike’s agenda. “I think he’s a 1400-miler, I don’t think the mile is going to be a concern going forward if he’s ridden quietly,” he said. “We’re looking at some of the bigger miles if he performs well on Saturday, the four-year-old mile ($1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic) on Karaka Millions night is his main target this preparation.” Prior to Saturday’s assignment, Pike will have a competitive team of runners at Ellerslie on Thursday, including promising three-year-old Wind Rush searching for his maiden success in the Barfoot And Thompson 1400. The son of Almanzor finished third in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1400m) as a juvenile, and at his first attempt in stakes company this season, he finished a meritorious fourth behind Checkmate in the Listed Armacup 3YO Stakes (1500m). “It was a solid performance, the slightly off track didn’t help and he was possibly ridden a bit close to the speed, but he’s probably going to get to that level next preparation,” Pike said. “Obviously dropping back to maiden class from a good quality three-year-old stakes race, and drawn one, he should be very hard to beat on Thursday.” Joining Wind Rush in the maiden contest will be debutant Nature Reserve, a Kermadec filly who Pike has eyed for the $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) next March. “She’s had some nice barrier trials and was probably a bit unlucky in her trial at Taupo, getting locked up behind runners but she hit the line nicely and will benefit from the experience,” he said. “She’s a nice staying filly going forward and definitely one to watch once she gets over further.” Kelly Myers has been entrusted with the filly’s first-up ride and will also partner stablemate Wind Of Change in the Cambridge Stud 1200. The speedy mare has finished in the top three at every start this campaign. “She’s been very consistent right throughout this preparation,” Pike said. “She gets a better barrier on Thursday which will definitely help, she maps to lead and lead quite comfortably. It would be great to get another win on the board for Matt Goodson (owner).” Completing Pike’s representatives will be Maldini in the SkyCity Horizon 1600, a flashing late finisher in each of his last two starts over 1400m and a mile this campaign “He’s been running some amazing sectionals from well back in the field from bad barriers,” Pike said. “He’s definitely due to win again, we’ve got an awkward barrier to contend with tomorrow night but he only needs an ounce of luck to be winning third-up. “He’s a promising staying horse going forward.” Poetic Justice will be Pike’s sole runner at the Tauranga meeting on Friday, chasing his elusive maiden success after a string of placings, including a last-start second at New Plymouth. “I was probably a touch disappointed with his run there on face value, but he didn’t really handle the tight Taranaki circuit that well,” Pike said. “Back right-handed with the application of blinkers from a good barrier, he should have his chance on Friday.” View the full article

Victory has eluded Gold Currency(NZ) (Tarzino) by the narrowest of margins in the early stages of his career, a trend Shaun Phelan hopes he can change on Friday at Tauranga. The lightly-tried son of Tarzino debuted as a four-year-old in October, going down by a long head to Erin Go Bragh, before only a nose separated the gelding and Sabik at Te Aroha, the pair breaking away from the remainder of the field by a significant margin. Phelan, who trains Gold Currency at Cambridge, has been happy with the performances, albeit plagued by the similarly poor barrier draw he will face in the Rob Pinny Realtycom Maiden 1400. “He’s had two runs and gone very close,” he said. “He’s had 10 days off since his last run at his owners, Sandy and Julie’s, and he’s come back really well. “It’s disappointing that he’s drawn wide again, he’s had that every start. He does go forward, so it’s probably my only excuse for him on Friday.” On Saturday, Phelan will have a pair of runners at the Waikato Cup meeting at Te Rapa including Arjay’s Flight(NZ) (Highly Recommended), who broke his winning streak last start as a result of tough track conditions at Trentham. “He was in on Labour Day (at Te Rapa) when the races got called off, so we had to go somewhere else,” Phelan said. “The track was just too heavy for him at Trentham. “He also had ten days off at his owners and had a freshen-up, so he’s come back and feeling well.” The Highly Recommended gelding holds early nominations for both the Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) and Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m), with the Rating 75 1500m contest on Saturday giving Phelan an indication of where his future plans lie. “This race will tell us where we’re at, whether if on better tracks, he’s going to be looking for that 2000m or just a mile,” he said. “We’ve still got a bit to learn about him, but I think he could be competitive over 2000 on a good track.” Well-related stayer Notabadspillane(NZ) (Time Test) will be searching for a return to his usual consistent form in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers Championship Qualifier (2200m), after an unsuitable run at the course on October 28. “He was just ridden completely upside-down there, we were building up to that race and his last two starts had been really nice, he’d been running on,” Phelan said. “He had two weeks off to freshen-up and he’s a natural stayer, being a half to Pennyweka and related to Cheval de Foudre. “Ideally we can just put him to sleep in the running and he’ll get home well, we’ve got Michael McNab on him and he rode him earlier in his career and thought a bit of him, so hopefully we can get back on track.” View the full article

Star colt Savaglee(NZ) (Savabeel) will be given the opportunity to maximise his stallion potential on Australian soil in the autumn and will take his first steps toward that goal on his home track. The Pam Gerard-trained son of Savabeel enjoyed time out at owner Dick Karreman’s The Oaks Stud following his Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) heroics and will be ready to trial at Matamata on Friday week. “He had two weeks back here and he’s back in the stable now,” The Oaks General Manager Rick Williams said. “There are two trials before the races at Matamata over 1100m for Group and Listed horses and he’ll be in one of those for sure. All the reports on him are very positive.” Safely through his upcoming hit-out, a Trentham restart next month is on the cards for the six-time winner. “He could kick off in the Levin Classic (Gr.2, 1400m) on January 11 and then we’ve got a whole lot of different choices to make,” Williams said. “It’s one step at a time and whether we go two weeks later for the Karaka Million (1600m) or wait and take on the older horses in the weight-for-age race (Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint, 1400m), we’ll just wait and see how he’s doing. “The Levin Classic is only a Group Two now, but it’s set weights, so he’s not penalised against his own age, that’s the attraction.” Savaglee has already been the subject of overseas interest, but the focus is solely on a crack at the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington “Dick turned down a big offer and he’s very keen to roll the dice a bit further with this horse, so the plan is to go and race him until the Guineas,” Williams said. “At this stage, the horse is on an upward spiral and with each race he seems to get better so we’re in no hurry to retire him, but with stallion prospects it’s a race-by-race proposition.” The Oaks, which is currently on the market, is also looking forward to the autumn with younger female members of the racing stable. “I think we’ll have a very nice team of autumn fillies, the one with Stephen Marsh (The Trendsetter) that just got beaten at Te Aroha will go to the Royal Stakes (Gr.2, 2000m) and then toward the Oaks (Gr.1, 2400m),” Williams said. “An unraced filly I really like with Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray is called Alaskan, she’s by Niagara. “She’ll run in a maiden mile at Matamata and she looks an out and out stayer and hopefully will go toward the Oaks as well. “It’s early days, but I’m really happy with the way the racing team is shaping for the autumn and they’re chances to show up and a lot of them will be trialling at Pukekohe next Tuesday. “There’s another one with Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott that I really like, a Darci Brahma filly called Cypher, so we’ve got a few to come up.” View the full article

Danny Rolston may now be living in a different continent from his Group One performer Mehzebeen(NZ) (Almanzor), but that hasn’t stopped the excitement of watching her perform to the highest level in New Zealand. Rolston is one of the world’s most respected judges of thoroughbred bloodstock, and the expat Kiwi’s talent has been utilised over the last couple of years by the Hong Kong Jockey Club as their Executive Manager of Hong Kong International Sale/Owner Advisory Services. Prior to heading to Hong Kong, Rolston was Director of Sales at New Zealand Bloodstock, and in in the latter stages in that role he was asked by his friends Xavier Kos and Beatrice Hild to find them a filly, and Rolston identified a daughter of Almanzor from Pencarrow Stud’s 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft as the perfect fit. “It was the first year that Sir Peter (Vela, Pencarrow Stud principal) had bred the fillies at Bellwood (farm), and I am a big believer in rolling hills being good rearing ground,” Rolston said. “She was a really good-looking filly in the first crop of Almanzor with a Zabeel damsire, so I liked her as a progressive middle-distance type that had the physical shape to ultimately be a nice mum one day.” They went to $50,000 to secure the filly, who was later named Mehzebeen, and a syndicate of close family and friends was put together to race the filly out of Te Akau’s Matamata stable. “There are three ownership parties,” Rolston said. “Xavier, Beatrice, myself and Sharon (wife), and Mark and Yasmin Davis, we own the filly, and we have set-up a lease with Sonia Waddell, who does our agistment and has been a long-time friend and has been a big support to me over the years with her agistment business. My parents, Betsy and Ray Duncan, and close friends of theirs, Kaye and Tony Howe (are also in the racing lease). Tony was actually my first boss years ago when I left school.” The group have enjoyed plenty of success with Mehzebeen, who races in Kos and Hild’s Sarai Stud colours, which began in last year’s Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham, where she finished runner-up to subsequent Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) victor Pennyweka. While the Group One performance was memorable, Mehzebeen gave her ownership group their biggest thrill over last month’s New Zealand Cup week when winning the Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2600m) on the opening day of the carnival before backing up seven days later to take out the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m). “She really deserved a stakes win and we have always thought she was a stakes class stayer. She deserved that, it was really exciting,” Rolston said. “She has been able to bank a bit of prizemoney and secure her stud value with that solid black-type.” Rolston has selected plenty of top-class racehorses for many clients over the years, and he is now enjoying reaping the rewards as an owner himself. “I think it just vindicates what you believe you can do,” he said. “It is really a great endorsement of what I have been trying to do for other people and to be able to do it for myself and my family has been great.” Having secured Group success in New Zealand for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Mehzebeen is now in line to head across the Tasman to Te Akau Racing’s Cranbourne barn to try and secure some Australian black-type. “She will head over to Mark’s Cranbourne stable early in the New Year and work backwards from an Adelaide Cup (Gr.2, 3200m) target,” Rolston said. Buoyed by Mehzebeen’s success, Rolston is keen to head back to Karaka next month to try and replicate his success in sourcing another quality filly. “We will hopefully be looking for something in the New Year at Karaka,” he said. While he will be keeping an eye out for a progressive filly, Rolston will primarily be at Karaka in the capacity of his new role for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, searching for the next youngsters to offer through their international sale. “Primarily, my role at the Hong Kong Jockey Club is overseeing the international sale,” Rolston said. “We buy yearlings from all the major breeding countries in the world, so it takes me to some wonderful places. We store them and train them up and resell them as three-year-olds once they are here in Hong Kong. “We run an auction on a much smaller scale but it is a very high standard event. It is open to all our Jockey Club members and permit holders to come and bid on the horses. “We are just going through the vetting phase at the moment. We have got three-year-olds that will be arriving here (Hong Kong) in late January to go under the hammer in March. We already have two-year-olds on-hand and we will be back into yearling buying from January.” Rolston will arrive back in New Zealand later this month to enjoy Christmas at home before heading to Queensland early in the new year to attend Magic Millions’ Gold Coast Yearling sale, before returning across the Tasman to head to Karaka in late January. “It is great being able to get home and see some family at Christmas, which I am looking forward to,” he said. With his feet firmly under the desk in his new role after more than two years at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Rolston said he has been really enjoying the position. “It is an amazing place to work and I am constantly learning,” he said. “The integration of the Jockey Club being basically everything for the horse racing industry in Hong Kong just gives you so much exposure to other sides of the business.” Having been used to a rural setting throughout his life, Rolston said he and his family have enjoyed the shift to city living, as well as the different cultural experiences that come with living in another country. “I was really ready for that stark contrast (in lifestyle change),” Rolston said. “I have always grown up and lived in a semi-rural or fully rural setting. “I loved Cambridge, Cambridge will always be home, but I am really enjoying some time in a big city. My family are here and enjoying some new schools and different ways of living, and different lifestyles and meeting different people. Being able to travel within Southeast Asia has also been a massive advantage.” View the full article

What Caulfield Heath Races Where Caulfield Racecourse – Gate 2, Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145 When Thursday, December 12, 2024 First Race 3:25pm AEDT Visit Dabble The Heath track at Caulfield is in action once again on Thursday afternoon, with an eight-race meeting set down for decision. Clear skies are forecast through to raceday, so the Good 4 track rating is likely to remain intact. The rail comes out 6m for the entire circuit, with the first race set to jump at 3:25pm AEDT. Best Bet at Caulfield Heath: Grinzinger Pod Grinzinger Pod has raced competitively without much luck in stakes company in all three runs this campaign. She was held up for a run in her first two starts when chasing home classy duo Certain Rise and Jasmin Rouge, then was underwhelming on a Soft surface behind She’s Got Pizzazz. The Calyx filly gets back on top of the ground on Thursday, and if she is anywhere near her best, Grinzinger Pod should be winning. Best Bet Race 3 – #1 Grinzinger Pod (5) 3yo Filly | T: Ben Brisbourne | J: Lachlan King (60.5kg) Bet with Neds Next Best at Caulfield Heath: Fickle Fickle has two wins and two seconds to her name in four runs this campaign. The four-year-old mare put 4.8 lengths on her rivals at Moonee Valley last time out in a dominant all-the-way win, similar to what she did at Warrnambool three back. From barrier four, Craig Williams should have no issue finding the rail and dictating proceedings. Next Best Race 5 – #5 Fickle (4) 4yo Mare | T: Tom Dabernig | J: Craig Williams (60kg) Bet with BlondeBet Best Value at Caulfield Heath: Explosive Thinker Explosive Thinker is yet to miss the frame in two fresh runs throughout his career. The five-year-old gelding broke his maiden when fresh last time in and finished third on debut, suggesting the son of So You Think is at his best when resuming. In the small field of nine, Explosive Thinker presents great each-way value with horse racing bookmakers. Best Value Race 7 – #7 Explosive Thinker (6) 5yo Gelding | T: Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock | J: Damian Lane (58.5kg) Bet with Picklebet Thursday quaddie tips for Caulfield Heath Caulfield Heath quadrella selections Thursday, December 12, 2024 1-5 1-3-7-8 1-5-6-7-9 2-5-7-10 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

What Eagle Farm Races Where Eagle Farm Racecourse – 230 Lancaster Rd, Ascot QLD 4007 When Saturday, December 14, 2024 First Race 12:13pm AEST Visit Dabble The Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes will headline the 10-race meeting at Eagle Farm this Saturday afternoon, where racing will kick off at 12:13pm AEST. The track was rated as a Heavy 8 at the time of acceptances; however, with no rain forecast for the remainder of the week, it is expected that the track will improve into the Soft range. The rail will be in the +2m position for the entire circuit. Grand Prix Stakes tip: Beau Dazzler Beau Dazzler was one of the best closers at Doomben over 1630m when most of the Grand Prix Stakes field met last start, flashing home from the back of the field to finish fourth. The Tony & Maddysen Sears-trained colt carried 60kg on that day, and now he will drop back to set weight conditions to carry 57kg here. Jag Guthmann-Chester has retained the ride, and from barrier one, Beau Dazzler can settle closer to the speed before finishing off strongly. Grand Prix Stakes Race 7 – #1 Beau Dazzler (1) 3yo Colt | T: Tony & Maddysen Sears | J: Jag Guthmann-Chester (57kg) +1000 with BlondeBet Best Bet at Eagle Farm: Aerial Dancer Ron Stewart and Aerial Dancer are starting to build a strong affiliation with one another, following three wins from four starts this preparation. The Matthew Hoysted-trained mare won dominantly at this track and trip two starts back before leading every step of the way over 1600m at the Sunshine Coast last start. With only one other speed influence in the race, Stewart will push forward and lead on Aerial Dancer before giving a strong kick on the home turn. Best Bet Race 2 – #7 Aerial Dancer (3) 4yo Mare | T: Matthew Hoysted | J: Ron Stewart (57.5kg) +360 with Dabble Next Best at Eagle Farm: Busting Busting was heavily backed with horse racing bookmakers last start before being held up for most of the Doomben straight and having to settle for second place. The Tony Gollan-trained gelding settled in the box seat behind the leader, but his main market rival, Payline, held him in a pocket until the 150m. Once the son of Spirit Of Boom got into clear air, he flashed home and lunged at the winner but missed. After drawing barrier nine, Angela Jones can settle Busting outside of runners and go one better with even luck. Next Best Race 5 – #10 Busting (9) 6yo Gelding | T: Tony Gollan | J: Angela Jones (55.5kg) +200 with Neds Best Value at Eagle Farm: Boom Shot Although the form guide says Boom Shot finished fifth, beaten 2.2 lengths at Doomben over 1200m last start, his run was much better, and he should have finished closer to the winner. The Tony Gollan-prepared galloper ran home nicely along the rail before being blocked for a run at the 150m mark. Now that he rises in trip to 1400m third-up and will receive a better run from barrier six, Boom Shot will prove hard to hold out late. Best Value Race 9 – #6 Boom Shot (6) 5yo Gelding | T: Tony Gollan | J: Kyle Wilson-Taylor (58.5kg) +650 with Picklebet Eagle Farm quaddie tips – 14/12/24 Eagle Farm quadrella selections Saturday, December 14, 2024 1-2-5-7 1-2-4-10-11 6-8-9-11 2-3-6-9-13 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip More horse racing tips View the full article

Autumn Australian targets are in the offing for Group One winner Savaglee. Photo: Race Images South Star colt Savaglee will be given the opportunity to maximise his stallion potential on Australian soil in the autumn and will take his first steps toward that goal on his home track. The Pam Gerard-trained son of Savabeel enjoyed time out at owner Dick Karreman’s The Oaks Stud following his Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) heroics and will be ready to trial at Matamata on Friday week. “He had two weeks back here and he’s back in the stable now,” The Oaks General Manager Rick Williams said. “There are two trials before the races at Matamata over 1100m for Group and Listed horses and he’ll be in one of those for sure. All the reports on him are very positive.” Safely through his upcoming hit-out, a Trentham restart next month is on the cards for the six-time winner. “He could kick off in the Levin Classic (Group 2, 1400m) on January 11 and then we’ve got a whole lot of different choices to make,” Williams said. “It’s one step at a time and whether we go two weeks later for the Karaka Million (1600m) or wait and take on the older horses in the weight-for-age race (Group 1 BCD Group Sprint, 1400m), we’ll just wait and see how he’s doing. “The Levin Classic is only a Group Two now, but it’s set weights, so he’s not penalised against his own age, that’s the attraction.” Savaglee has already been the subject of overseas interest, but the focus is solely on a crack at the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington “Dick turned down a big offer and he’s very keen to roll the dice a bit further with this horse, so the plan is to go and race him until the Guineas,” Williams said. “At this stage, the horse is on an upward spiral and with each race he seems to get better so we’re in no hurry to retire him, but with stallion prospects it’s a race-by-race proposition.” Horse racing news View the full article

Witz End will contest the Group 3 TAB Mile (1600m) at Riccarton on Wednesday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Bold front-runner Witz End is likely to be seen in a different role in Saturday’s Group 3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. The son of Savabeel has fashioned an enviable record since debuting less than 12 months ago, winning four of his nine starts and placing behind subsequent Group One winner Grail Seeker in the Group 2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) in March. The Guineas was one of the few occasions Witz End has not been the pacemaker, and while he’s won twice this preparation in that fashion, his trainer Tony Pike is looking for a change of tactics after he was run down late in the Group 3 TAB Classic (1600m) at Riccarton Park last month. “He did a lot of work early again, especially on that big Riccarton track and got run over late,” Pike said. “This is a good opportunity where he doesn’t need to lead, probably his best run came in the Wellington Guineas last season. “From gate two, we’re going to ride him a lot quieter on Saturday, he’s nicely weighted and he’s a very talented horse with plenty of upside about him. I think we’ll see a much improved performance.” Sam Weatherley will reunite with the gelding in the feature, which will determine where the gelding will head over the summer period, with plenty of lucrative options. He holds a nomination for the Group 1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) on January 14, but further north, there is a million-dollar target on Pike’s agenda. “I think he’s a 1400-miler, I don’t think the mile is going to be a concern going forward if he’s ridden quietly,” he said. “We’re looking at some of the bigger miles if he performs well on Saturday, the four-year-old mile ($1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic) on Karaka Millions night is his main target this preparation.” Horse racing news View the full article

Check out this week’s The Box Seat with Matt Cross and Greg O’Connor View the full article

A remarkable father and son trans-Tasman success story, a milestone for Murray Gibbs, and changes to the feature race calendar and the Rangiora trials all feature in this week’s News Briefs. Two wins, two countries, same time Father and son Kirk and Tristan Larsen (pictured above) completed a remarkable double on Sunday, winning races at the same time in two different countries. Kirk drove Falcon’s Watch, paying $23.90, to win at Wingatui in Otago while Tristan reined home Maestro, also at double figure odds ($14) to win the Gunbower Trotters Cup in northern Victoria. For Keith Hotton, a long time supporter of the Larsen stable in Southland, he didn’t know where to look. He was torn between watching the two races on Trackside 1 and Trackside 2. “The two wins would have been within 30 seconds of each other,” says Hotton, “it’s incredible for that to happen, a father and a son winning at the same time in different countries! It must be a first.” Hotten has been a long-serving stable hand and helper at Larsen’s Branxholme barn, a former member of the Southland-based crash crew, and has had some success as an owner – “horses I’ve had a share in have won 26 races.” They include good performers like 2016 Nelson Cup winner Western Art and Mr McLaren, who won four for Kirk Larsen before heading across the Tasman. He’s now won 15 from 60. 50 wins for Gibbs Levin trainer Murray Gibbs secured his 50th training success when Oceanic Art won at Manawatu yesterday. Driven by Peter Ferguson, Oceanic Art sat parked the entire trip but still did enough to beat the pace-setting hot favourite Enya Franco by a nose in the Hawera Grass Track Race days Jan/Feb 2025 Mobile Pace. His 50 wins have come from 670 starts, dating back to Meadow Row at Hutt Park Raceway in 1991. His best seasons wins wise were six he had in 2022 and 2023 with the likes of Smokinhotcheddar, Hail Lucius and Cristiano Buccini. Changes to feature race calendar Some changes have been made to the feature race calendar for next year. Five races at Addington have had their dates altered. They are : G1 Fred Shaw Memorial moves from 23/05/25 to 14/03/25 G3 Lamb & Hayward Trotters Classic moves from 14/03/25 to 28/02/25 G3 Heather Williams Memorial moves from 16/05/25 to 02/05/25 About Now F&M Handicap Trot moves from 02/05/25 to 23/05/25 And the Listed $40,000 I Can Doosit Handicap Trot which was set to be run at Alexandra Park this Friday night has been rescheduled to Friday March 7 2025 following insufficient nominations this week. It will again look to be run at Alexandra Park. Dunn goes past 300 Champion driver Dexter Dunn has now topped 300 wins for the year in North America. The former 10-time Kiwi champion has 304 wins in 2024 and stakes earnings of just over $16.6m, that’s over $2m more than any other USA-based driver. He is all but guaranteed of again being named Driver of the Year in North America. Big odds for Big Skewy Former Kiwi Big Skewy was a big upsetter at the Meadowlands in New Jersey over the weekend. The Sportswriter gelding had one win in this country for Scott Dickson before being exported in 2022. Now a seven-year-old he has won 22 races from 97 starts, his latest in 1:49.4 at The Big M, paying $94. Noms open for annual awards Nominations are now open for the Stablehand of the Year and Unsung Heroes awards. They will be announced at HRNZ’s annual awards at Addington Raceway in February. Stablehand of the Year candidates will be assessed on work attitude, going the extra mile, having the horse’s best interest at heart and overall performance. For more information contact courtney@hrnz.co.nz Changes to Rangiora trials The North Canterbury trials set down for this Thursday (Dec 12) and next Monday (Dec 16) have been cancelled due to track damage at Rangiora. A trial meeting will be held at Addington on Dec 18, starting at 10.30am. Nominations to Cameron Kirkwood (cameron@hrnz.co.nz) by 1pm on December 17. There will also be an additional trial meeting at Rangiora on January 3, 2025 starting at 11am. Nominations close 1pm on January 2. Club News : Cambridge The Dunstan Horse Feeds Battle of the Breeds has been confirmed for Cambridge Raceway on January 17,2025. The three discipline equestrian event in the infield will showcase retired standardbreds and thoroughbreds between races on Dunstan Horsefeeds Group 3 Waikato Trotting Breeders Stakes day. Teams will be selected by December 18. Cambridge Raceway will also run a Haras des Trotteurs Monte Trot on the same day. It will be a non tote event over a 1700m stand. Thanks to a generous sponsorship package from Haras des Trotteurs there will be a prize pool of $5000. For more info: Jo Ferguson 0211443709 or trackchatnz@gmail.com View the full article