Wandering Eyes

Bidding is now open for the Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale, which includes among its 240 offerings a 'no guarantee' season to sire Street Sense with a portion of the proceeds going to recent Special Eclipse Award winner Stable Recovery, the auction company said via a release Thursday. The online sale will close Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The catalogue offers horses of racing age, breeding stock–including mares with foals at foot, 2-year-olds in training, yearlings, a stallion prospect, and a no guarantee stallion season. “We are heating things up in February with a sizzling catalogue,” said Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron. “We have some serious breeding stock catalogued–including graded stakes performers–as well as offerings from three dispersals, horses of racing age, a million-dollar-earning stallion prospect, and a no guarantee season to Street Sense.” Fasig-Tipton will also debut a new type of offering on its digital platform in this sale, a segment of 2-year-olds in training. “We are excited to offer a group of 2-year-olds in training for the first time on Fasig-Tipton Digital, in a new and unique format,” continued Aaron. “Two-year-olds will be sold from their training bases in Ocala, Florida; Aiken, South Carolina; and Lexington, Kentucky; and presented with professionally filmed gallop and breeze videos that are untimed. “All the resources of a traditional two-year-old sale will be at the buyer's disposal, including conformation photos and walking videos, vet reports, and a full repository,” Aaron said. “There is quality sire power among the entries, and buyers may schedule appointments to inspect the horses in-person through our platform.” Sires represented by 2-year-olds in training include Constitution, Munnings, Not This Time, and Yaupon. Two-year-olds in training are all grouped together in the catalogue as hips 41-57. Other offerings of interest in the catalogue: 'No guarantee' season to Street Sense (Hip 38), with a portion of the season's sale proceeds donated to Stable Recovery; Dispersal of Swifty Farms, offering horses of racing age, breeding stock, and yearlings, all of which are eligible for the Indiana-bred program; Breeding stock from the dispersal of Red Oak Stable; Stallion prospect Newgrange (Hip 9), MGSW and millionaire son of Violence. Click here to view a sale preview with Fasig-Tipton's Jesse Ullery and here to access the catalogue. The post Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale Opens, Includes Street Sense Season To Benefit Stable Recovery appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Eight racehorses, seven trainers, and one jockey account for the 16 finalists that will comprise the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame ballot, as chosen by the Museum's Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. View the full article

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has canceled its Feb. 20 card as a result of the bitter cold and single-digit forecasted wind chills. View the full article

For the first time in the U.S. since data has been recorded, the racing-related fatality rate for the majority of U.S. races—specifically tracks under the oversight of HISA—fell below 1.00 per 1,000 starts for a calendar year in 2024.View the full article

World Pool returns this weekend with 14 races across meetings in Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Hong Kong, with the world's richest race, the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup the jewel in the crown. Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) will be trying dirt for the first time in that 1800-metre affair. The globally commingled pools powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club will be in operation for the third time on Saudi Cup Day, with seven races set to be globally commingled. In 2024, a total of HK$196 million was staked on World Pool bet types across those races, and the same races will be available on Saturday: the Saudi International Handicap, G3 Saudi Derby, G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint, G2 1351 Turf Sprint, G2 Neom Turf Cup, G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap and G1 Saudi Cup. Last year's Saudi Cup Day World Pool Moment of the Day winner, the Sir Alex Ferguson co-owned Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}), is set to defend his crown in the G2 Neom Turf Cup, and another World Pool Moment of the Day will be chosen from the seven races on this year's card. The groom's winner will be awarded £4,000 and the chance to win a VIP trip for four to Hong Kong next year. In Australia at Caulfield Racecourse, the A$2-million G1 Blue Diamond, G1 Futurity Stakes, G1 Oakleigh Plate, G3 Mannerism Stakes, and the Victoria Gold Cup are all part of the World Pool. There are also a pair of races from Hong Kong in the World Pool on Feb. 23, the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup featuring Voyage Bubble (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}), and the G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup which marks the return of the world's highest rated sprinter, Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}). Sam Nati, head of commingling at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said, “The eyes of Hong Kong and the racing world will be on Romantic Warrior as he takes aim at the Saudi Cup this weekend and we're greatly looking forward to commingling the world's richest race for a third year. “It forms part of a very strong World Pool offering this weekend, with top quality racing from Saudi Arabia, Australia and Hong Kong featuring some of the very best horses from around the world, and it's a real thrill to bring such enthralling action to our global customers. “As usual we strive to combine the best racing with unequalled liquidity and value for our World Pool customers, and we anticipate high levels of interest and turnover across the three meetings.” The post Saudi Cup One Of 14 World Pool Races This Weekend appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland's 101st running of the $1.25 million GI Toyota Blue Grass on Saturday, Apr. 5 has attracted 133 nominees, including champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), according to a release on Thursday from the track. With a $250,000 purse increase this year, the Blue Grass joins the GI Coolmore Turf Mile as Keeneland's two $1.25 million races, which are the richest in track history. The Turf Mile reached that level during the 2024 Fall Meet. “Keeneland is proud of the enhanced stature of the Toyota Blue Grass, and we thank the owners and trainers who have nominated another quality group of horses to the historic race,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “The Toyota Blue Grass has produced a long list of major winners, including 2024 winner Sierra Leone, who went on to win the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and become the champion 3-year-old male. We look forward to showcasing another exceptionally talented field of 3-year-olds for this year's race.” Run on the second day of Keeneland's 15-day Spring Meet, the Blue Grass, held at nine panels on the dirt, is one of five graded stakes worth a combined $3.15 million on the 11-race card, which has a first post of 1 p.m. ET. Other stakes that day are the 24th running of the $650,000 GI Resolute Racing Madison Stakes for fillies and mares at seven furlongs on the dirt; the 37th running of the $500,000 GII Appalachian Stakes, presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies racing a mile on the turf; the 29th running of the $400,000 GII Valvoline Global Shakertown Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf; and the 38th running of the $350,000 GIII Commonwealth Stakes for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs on the dirt. Good Cheer scores the Rachel Alexandra | Hodges Photography The Toyota Blue Grass is the 10th race with a tentative post time of 5:52 p.m. ET. Every race during the Spring Meet will be live streamed free of charge on the track's website. The winner of the Toyota Blue Grass will earn 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, while the second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishers receive 50, 25, 15 and 10 points, respectively. Click here for the list of Toyota Blue Grass nominees and here for their past performances. On Friday, Apr. 4 with 10 races carded, the 88th running of the $750,000 GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes is featured. The year's first top level stakes for 3-year-old fillies offers GI Kentucky Oaks points to the first five finishers–100, 50, 25, 15 and 5, respectively. A total of 96 horses led by Godolphin's undefeated Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) were nominated. Click here for a list of Central Bank Ashland nominees and here for their past performances. The post Keeneland’s $1.25m GI Toyota Blue Grass Attracts Champion Citizen Bull Among 133 Nominees appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Groupie Doll, Smarty Jones, and Ken McPeek have been nominated to the Hall of Fame as finalists for the first time, according to a press release Thursday morning from the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. They were among the eight racehorses, seven trainers, and one jockey who accounted for the 16 finalists that will comprise the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame ballot, as chosen by the Museum's Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. The finalists are racehorses Blind Luck, Game On Dude, Groupie Doll, Havre de Grace, Kona Gold, Lady Eli, Rags to Riches, and Smarty Jones; trainers Christophe Clement, Kiaran P. McLaughlin, Kenneth G. McPeek, H. Graham Motion, Chief Stipe F. O'Neill, John W. Sadler, and John A. Shirreffs; and jockey Jorge F. Chavez. Hall of Fame voters may select as many candidates as they believe are worthy of induction to the Hall of Fame. All candidates that receive 50 percent plus one vote (majority approval) from the voting panel will be elected to the Hall of Fame. All the finalists were required to receive a minimum of nine votes from the 14-member Nominating Committee to qualify for the ballot. Ballots will be mailed to the Hall of Fame voting panel next week. The results of the voting on the contemporary candidates will be announced on Thursday, April 24. That announcement will also include this year's selections by the Museum's Historic Review, Steeplechase, and Pillars of the Turf committees. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Aug. 1, at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony is open to the public and free to attend. To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, trainers must be licensed for 25 years, while jockeys must be licensed for 20 years. Thoroughbreds are required to be retired for five calendar years. All candidates must have been active within the past 25 years. The 20- and 25-year requirements for jockeys and trainers, respectively, may be waived at the discretion of the Museum's Executive Committee. Candidates who have not been active within the past 25 years are eligible through the Historic Review process. A chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Fairlawn Farm, Blind Luck (Pollard's Vision—Lucky One, by Best of Luck) won the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in 2010. A multiple Grade I winner at ages 2 and 3, Blind Luck was also a Grade I winner at 4. Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer and owned by Hollendorfer in partnership with Mark DeDomenico LLC, John Carver, and Peter Abruzzo, Blind Luck posted a career record of 12-7-2 from 22 starts and earnings of $3,279,520 from 2009 through 2011. She won a total of 10 graded stakes, including six Grade Is: the Kentucky Oaks, Oak Leaf, Hollywood Starlet, Las Virgenes, Alabama, and Vanity Handicap. Throughout her career, Blind Luck defeated the likes of Havre de Grace (three times), Life At Ten, Unrivaled Belle, Evening Jewel, Devil May Care, and Switch. A dark bay gelding bred in Kentucky by Adena Springs, Game On Dude (Awesome Again—Worldly Pleasure, by Devil His Due) won 14 graded stakes, including eight Grade Is. Racing from 2010 through 2014, he compiled a record of 16-7-1 from 34 starts and earnings of $6,498,893. Owned by Joe Torre's Diamond Pride LLC, Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable LLC, and Bernie Schiappa, Game On Dude was trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. He is the only horse to win the Santa Anita Handicap three times (2011, 2013, 2014), setting a stakes record in the 2014 edition by covering 1¼ miles in 1:58.17. Game On Dude also won the Hollywood Gold Cup and San Antonio Stakes twice each, as well as single editions of the Pacific Classic, Californian, Charles Town Classic, Lone Star Derby, and Native Diver. He won the Grade I Goodwood in 2011 and won the same race when it was renamed the Awesome Again in 2012. In 2013, Game On Dude swept the three signature Grade I races for older horses in California–the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup, and Pacific Classic–becoming only the second horse to win those three events in a single year, joining Hall of Famer Lava Man. A chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Fred Bradley and William “Buff” Bradley, Groupie Doll (Bowman's Band—Deputy Doll, by Silver Doll) won consecutive Eclipse Awards for Champion Female Sprinter in 2012 and 2013. In those same years, she won back-to-back editions of the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Campaigned by the Bradleys in partnership with Brent Burns and Carl Hurst, Groupie Doll was trained throughout her career by Buff Bradley. Following her second Breeders' Cup win, Groupie Doll was sent to the 2013 Keeneland November mixed sale and sold for $3.1 million to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. She started twice more before her retirement. Groupie Doll won nine graded stakes, including four Grade Is, and posted an overall record of 12-4-4 from 23 starts with earnings of $2,648,850. She raced from 2011 through 2014. A bay filly bred in Kentucky by Nancy S. Dillman, Havre de Grace (Saint Liam—Easter Brunette, by Carson City) won the Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and Champion Older Female in 2011. Trained by Anthony Dutrow at ages 2 and 3 and by Larry Jones thereafter, Havre de Grace was campaigned by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms throughout her career. After finishing second to champion Blind Luck in thrilling editions of the Delaware Oaks and Alabama Stakes in 2010, Havre de Grace earned her first graded stakes victory later that year in the Grade 2 Cotillion. In her 2011 Horse of the Year campaign, she beat Blind Luck in the Azeri and went on to win Grade Is in the Apple Blossom, Woodward (defeating males, including Flat Out), and Beldame (defeating Hall of Famer Royal Delta). Havre de Grace made one start as a 5-year-old in 2012, winning the listed New Orleans Ladies' Stakes before being retired with a career record of 9-4-2 from 16 starts and earnings of $2,586,175. A bay gelding bred in Kentucky by Carlos Perez, Kona Gold (Java Gold—Double Sunrise, by Slew o' Gold) won the Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter in 2000. That year, he set a six-furlong record at Churchill Downs in his Breeders' Cup Sprint victory. Campaigned by Bruce Headley (who also served as his trainer), Irwin and Andrew Molasky, Michael Singh, et al, Kona Gold raced from 1998 through 2003 with a record of 14-7-2 from 30 starts and earnings of $2,293,384. He set a track record for 5½ furlongs at Santa Anita and won a total of 10 graded stakes. Kona Gold won multiple editions of the Bing Crosby Handicap, Potrero Grande Breeders' Cup Handicap, and El Conejo Handicap. He registered Beyer Speed Figures of 110 or higher 17 times. On 10 occasions, his Beyer Figure was 115 or higher, including a career-best of 123. Kona Gold made five consecutive appearances in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Lady Eli | Sarah Andrew photo A dark bay filly bred in Kentucky by Runnymede Farm and Catesby W. Clay, Lady Eli (Divine Park—Sacre Coeur, by Saint Ballado) won the 2017 Eclipse Award for Champion Turf Female. Trained by Chad Brown for Sheep Pond Partners, Lady Eli won her first six starts, including Grade I victories in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and 2015 Belmont Oaks. A battle with laminitis then kept her away from the races for more than a year. Upon her return in 2016, Lady Eli finished second in the Ballston Spa then won the Grade I Flower Bowl and finished second in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She finished second in the Jenny Wiley in her 2017 debut then won the Gamely, Diana, and Ballston Spa in succession. Lady Eli was retired after finishing off the board in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Overall, she posted a record of 10-3-0 from 14 starts with earnings of $2,959,800. Lady Eli won a total of eight graded stakes, including at least one Grade I in each of her four years on the track. A chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Skara Glen Stables, Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy—Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister) won the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in 2007, a campaign highlighted by an historic victory in the Belmont Stakes. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and Michael McCarthy for owners Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith, Rags to Riches broke her maiden in her second career start in January 2007, at Santa Anita. That six-length victory was the beginning of a five-race win streak. The next four wins were all Grade Is: the Las Virgenes Stakes, Santa Anita Oaks (by 5½ lengths), Kentucky Oaks (by 4¼ lengths), and the Belmont. In winning the third jewel of the Triple Crown, Rags to Riches defeated two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Curlin by a head to become the first filly in 102 years to win the event. Rags to Riches remains one of only three fillies to win the Belmont. She finished second in her next race, the Grade I Gazelle, and a right front leg injury was discovered after the race. A 4-year-old campaign was being planned for Rags to Riches, but she re-injured her right front pastern and was retired with a record of 5-1-0 from seven starts and earnings of $1,342,528. A chestnut colt bred in Pennsylvania by Someday Farm and campaigned by Roy and Patricia Chapman under the Someday Farm banner, Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality—I'll Get Along, by Smile) was the Eclipse Award winner for Champion 3-Year-Old Male in 2004. Trained by John Servis and ridden exclusively by Stewart Elliott, Smarty Jones won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (by a record 11½ lengths) that year after beginning his campaign with wins in the Count Fleet Stakes, Southwest Stakes, Rebel Stakes, and Grade II Arkansas Derby. Undefeated in eight career starts entering the Belmont Stakes–no horse had accomplished that since Seattle Slew in 1977–Smarty Jones was beaten a length by Birdstone before a record crowd of 120,000 to be denied the Triple Crown. He was retired following the Belmont with a career record of 8-1-0 from nine starts and earnings of $7,613,155. Clement, 59, a native of Paris, France, has won 2,556 races (through Feb. 17) with purse earnings of more than $182 million (11th all time) in a career that began in 1991. He trained three-time Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti, winner of four straight Grade Is on the turf in 2009, as well as 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist, who also won consecutive runnings of the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2014 and 2015. Clement has won 282 graded stakes. His Grade I wins include multiple editions of the Beverly D. (2001, 2007, 2008), Del Mar Oaks (2007, 2013), Diana Handicap (2003, 2015), Manhattan Handicap (2001, 2009, 2010), Man o' War (2009, 2010), Turf Mile (2010, 2011), and Sword Dancer (1999, 2011, 2021, 2022, 2024). Clement began his career in the United States by winning with the first horse he saddled, Spectaculaire, on Oct. 20, 1991, at Belmont. He has since trained 22 horses that have earned $1 million or more. Other Grade I winners trained by Clement include Discreet Marq, Far Bridge, Forbidden Apple, Gufo, Mauralanka, Relaxed Gesture, Rutherienne, Voodoo Dancer, and Winchester, among others. Clement won his first Breeders' Cup race in 2021 when Pizza Bianca captured the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Kiaran McLaughlin | Horsephotos McLaughlin, 64, a native of Lexington, Ky., won 1,809 races with purse earnings of $130,031,267 (including international statistics) from 1995 through 2021. He ranks 23rd all time in North American earnings. A winner of 179 graded/group stakes, McLaughlin won three Breeders' Cup races: the 2006 Classic (Invasor), 2007 Filly and Mare Turf (Lahudood), and the 2016 Dirt Mile (Tamarkuz). Along with Hall of Famer Invasor–who won Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male in 2006–both Lahudood (2007 Champion Turf Female) and Questing (2012 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly) earned Eclipse Awards for McLaughlin. McLaughlin's Grade I victories included multiple editions of the Donn Handicap (2007, 2009), Gazelle (2007, 2012), Metropolitan Handicap (2008, 2016), and Ogden Phipps (2012, 2015, 2016). He won the 2006 Belmont Stakes with Jazil. Other top horses trained by McLaughlin included millionaires Alpha, A Thread of Blue, Cavorting, Frosted, It's Tricky, and Wedding Toast. A three-time leading trainer at Nad al Sheba in Dubai, McLaughlin also led the trainer standings at Saratoga Race Course in 2008. He ranked in the top 20 among North American trainers in earnings 12 times, including six times in the top 10. McPeek, 62, a Lexington native, has won 2,095 races to date with purse earnings of more than $133 million (18th all time) in a career that began in 1985. He won both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks in 2024 with Mystik Dan and Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, respectively, to become the first trainer to sweep both races in the same year since Ben Jones in 1952. The Derby win gave McPeek a career sweep of the Triple Crown races, as he had previously won the Belmont Stakes in 2002 with 70-1 longshot Sarava and the Preakness Stakes in 2020 with champion filly Swiss Skydiver. Thorpedo Anna concluded her 2024 campaign by giving McPeek his first Breeders' Cup win in the Distaff. McPeek has won 126 graded stakes, including multiple editions at the Grade I level in the Spinster (2002, 2003), Ashland (2002, 2014, 2023), Blue Grass (2002, 2013), Florida Derby (2002), Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap (2004, 2005), Alcibiades (2008, 2018, 2020), Breeders' Futurity (2009, 2021), and Alabama (2018, 2020). He has won five training titles at Keeneland, where he ranks No. 5 all time in wins (274) and No. 6 in stakes wins (35). McPeek has also won four training titles at Churchill Downs, where he ranks No. 7 all time in wins (498) and stakes wins (49). Has trained 14 horses that have won $1 million or more. Motion, 60, a native of Cambridge, England, has won 2,781 races to date with purse earnings of more than $157 million (16th all time) in a career that began in 1993. He won the Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup with champion Animal Kingdom, trained two-time Eclipse Award winner Main Sequence, and has won four Breeders' Cup races. His first Breeders' Cup victory took place in the 2004 Turf with 10-time stakes winner Better Talk Now at odds of 28-1. Motion won the 2010 Filly and Mare Turf at odds of 46-1 with Shared Account, was victorious in the Turf for a second time four years later with Main Sequence, and won his fourth Breeders' Cup race with Sharing in the 2019 Juvenile Fillies Turf at 14-1 odds. Motion has won 204 graded stakes, including multiple editions at the Grade I level of the Del Mar Oaks (2011, 2022), Manhattan Handicap (2007, 2017, 2018), Man o' War (2005, 2022), Matriarch (2010, 2016), Sword Dancer (2004, 2014), and United Nations (2005, 2014). He has trained 14 horses that have earned $1 million or more, including Miss Temple City, who defeated males in both the Shadwell Turf Mile and Maker's 46 Mile. Motion has won training titles at Keeneland and Pimlico and ranks fifth all time with 39 stakes wins at Keeneland. O'Neill, 56, a native of Dearborn, Mich., has won 2,983 races to date with purse earnings of more than $169 million (14th all time) in a career that began in 1988. He won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2012 with I'll Have Another and a second Derby in 2016 with Nyquist. O'Neill has trained five Eclipse Award winners–I'll Have Another, Maryfield, Nyquist, Stevie Wonderboy, and Thor's Echo — and has won five Breeders' Cup races. O'Neill won nine graded stakes with Hall of Fame member Lava Man, including three editions of the Hollywood Gold Cup (2005, 2006, 2007), two runnings of the Santa Anita Handicap (2006, 2007), and one each in the Pacific Classic (2006) and Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (2006), all Grade I events. O'Neill has won six training titles at Del Mar, where in 2015 he became the first trainer to win five races on a card there. He has also won five training titles at Santa Anita, including a record 56-win meet in the winter of 2006-2007. O'Neill has trained 13 horses that have earned $1 million or more and has multiple victories in Grade I races such as the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (2005, 2015), Alcibiades (2010, 2015), Pacific Classic (2006, 2024), FrontRunner (2013, 2015), Santa Anita Derby (2012, 2013), and Triple Bend (2004, 2017), among others. O'Neill has won 146 graded stakes and ranks No. 3 all time with 1,198 wins at Santa Anita and No. 4 at Del Mar with 467. John Sadler | Benoit photo Sadler, 68, a native of Long Beach, Calif., has won 2,839 races with purse earnings of more than $153 million (17th all time) in a career that began in 1978. He has won 192 graded stakes, including the Breeders' Cup Classic with Eclipse Award winner Accelerate in 2018 and Horse of the Year Flightline in 2022. He also trained champion Stellar Wind. Sadler has conditioned 10 horses that have earned $1 million or more. He won his second Breeders' Cup race in 2024 with Full Serrano in the Dirt Mile. Sadler, at the Grade I level, has won four editions of both the Pacific Classic (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) and Clement L. Hirsch (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019), as well as three runnings each of the Santa Anita Handicap (2018, 2019, 2020) and La Brea (2007, 2009, 2010). Other Grade I races he has won multiple editions of include the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (2015, 2018), Santa Anita Derby (2010, 2021), Santa Anita Oaks (2010, 2015), and Vanity Handicap (2004, 2014). Sadler won four training titles at Hollywood Park and has won two each at Del Mar and Santa Anita. He ranks No. 2 all time in wins at Santa Anita with 1,216 and No. 4 with 154 stakes wins. At Del Mar, he ranks No. 2 in both wins (545) and stakes wins (85). Shirreffs, 79, a native of Leavenworth, Kan., has won 586 races, including 109 graded events, with purse earnings of more than $55 million. Although he had a few starters as early as 1978, Shirreffs did not start training full time until 1994. Best known as the conditioner of Hall of Famer Zenyatta, Shirreffs conditioned the four-time Eclipse Award winner to 19 consecutive victories, including 13 Grade Is, from 2007 through 2010. Named Horse of the Year in 2010 and Champion Older Female each year from 2008 through 2010, Zenyatta's Grade i wins included the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic in 2008 and the Classic the following year. In 2009, Shirreffs also won the Ladies' Classic with Life Is Sweet, becoming the first trainer to win both Classics in the same year. Shirreffs won the 2005 Kentucky Derby with Giacomo at odds of 50-1. At the Grade I level, Shirreffs has won five editions of both the Santa Margarita Handicap (1999, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010) and Vanity Handicap (1999, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010); three runnings of both the Lady's Secret (2008, 2009, 2010) and Santa Anita Derby (2007, 2017, 2020); and two renewals of the American Oaks (2010, 2011), Apple Blossom (2008, 2010), Clement L. Hirsch (2009, 2010), and Santa Maria (2000, 2003). Shirreffs has trained eight horses that have earned more than $1 million: Express Train, Giacomo, Gormley, Hollywood Story, Life Is Sweet, Manistique, Tiago, and Zenyatta. Chavez, 63, a native of Callao, Peru, won 4,526 races with purse earnings of $161,792,580 from 1988 through 2011. Voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1999, Chavez won the 2001 Kentucky Derby aboard Monarchos and earned a pair of Breeders' Cup victories in his career. He ranked in the top 20 in North American earnings 13 times–including six times in the top 10–and finished in the top 20 in wins eight times. Chavez won 196 graded stakes and topped all jockeys on the New York Racing Association circuit in wins six consecutive years from 1994 through 1999. He won seven riding titles at Aqueduct and five at Belmont. Chavez rode Eclipse Award winners Artax and Beautiful Pleasure, as well as Affirmed Success, Albert the Great, Behrens, Flower Alley, Lido Palace, Spain, Val's Prince, and Will's Way, among others. Along with the Kentucky Derby and his Breeders' Cup wins with Artax (1999 Sprint) and Beautiful Pleasure (1999 Distaff). The 2025 Hall of Fame Nominating Committee is comprised of Caton Bredar, Steven Crist, Tom Durkin, Bob Ehalt, Tracy Gantz, Teresa Genaro, Jane Goldstein, Steve Haskin, Jay Hovdey, Alicia Hughes, Dick Jerardi, Tom Law, Jay Privman, and Michael Veitch. The post Groupie Doll, Smarty Jones, Ken McPeek First-Time Finalists for the Hall of Fame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By international sire of sires More Than Ready, the 2024 GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile winner More Than Looks will shuttle to Australia from Lane's End in 2025, commencing stud duties at Yulong in Mangalore, Victoria for the Southern Hemisphere season. Bred by Hinkle Farms and campaigned by Victory Racing Partners, the Cherie DeVaux trainee collected several stakes wins including at three the GIII Manila Stakes at Belmont Park and the Jefferson Cup Stakes at Churchill Downs. Last year, More Than Looks was the runner-up in the GI Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga and the GI Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland before scoring in the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar where he posted a Beyer of 105. He finished his career with earnings of $1,870,715. “He's an eye-catching horse that showed elite ability from day one,” said trainer Cherie De Vaux of More Than Looks. “His explosive turn of foot and competitive nature led to consistency at the highest level and ultimately resulted in him becoming a Breeders' Cup Champion.” More Than Looks is out of the black-type winning Ladies' Privilege, a daughter of champion juvenile sire Harlan's Holiday. She is a full-sister to MGSW Takeover Target and hails from the family of G1 winner Critical Eye (Dynaformer). More Than Ready's progeny in Australia have excelled at the highest level, with a pair of Golden Slipper victors in Sebring and Phelan Ready, a Blue Diamond heroine in Samaready, as well as eight-time G1 winner and champion filly More Joyous among the 96 Stakes winners in this stalwart sire's southern hemisphere crops. “More Than Looks is by one of the best stallions we have seen shuttle to Australia in More Than Ready”, said Yulong's General manager Vin Cox. “He's extremely good looking and as his name suggests, won some proper races including the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Coupled with an outcross pedigree, More Than Looks provides huge appeal to the Australian market, and we are delighted to stand him at Yulong in 2025”. The post Lane’s End Stallion More Than Looks Will Shuttle To Australia In 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the first time in the United States since data has been recorded, the racing-related fatality rate at racetracks subject to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) rules fell below 1.00 per 1,000 starts for a calendar year, the regulator said in a press release on Thursday morning. In 2024, 99.91% of starts did not result in a fatality. From January 1 through December 31, 2024, 47 racetracks across 19 states operating under HISA's rules recorded an aggregate racing-related fatality rate of 0.90 per 1,000 starts, an approximate 27% decrease from the 1.23 rate reported by HISA in 2023 and a 55% decrease from when The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database began reporting fatalities in 2009 at a rate of 2.00. “It has never been clearer that Thoroughbred racing has become safer under HISA,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “While we celebrate this progress, HISA remains committed to collaborating with industry stakeholders to further reduce fatalities and to enhance safety for horses, jockeys and all those who love and participate in the sport.” HISA's Racetrack Safety Program, implemented on July 1, 2022, and its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, implemented on May 22, 2023, have significantly strengthened safety measures nationwide by implementing uniform rules that embody best-practice standards. Key requirements include expanded veterinary protocols, pre-race inspections, laboratory harmonization, racetrack surface monitoring and uniform medication oversight. HISA also has rolled out new technologies in the last year to assist stakeholders with making informed decisions about equine athletes, including HISA Horse In-Sight, an innovative platform that combines a horse's career and medical history to provide a unique and holistic view of its health and performance. In March, HISA will release its 2024 Annual Report, which will detail racing-related fatalities over time by state and racetrack. Additionally, for the first time, the 2024 Annual Report will include full-year training-related fatality data on an aggregate, per-state and per-track basis. By implementing standardized tracking and reporting for training-related fatalities, HISA is providing unprecedented transparency and insight as part of ongoing efforts to prevent training- and racing-related fatalities across the country. This expanded dataset will enable a more comprehensive understanding of risk factors and inform targeted safety measures in both training and racing. The post HISA Data Shows Fatality Rates At Regulated Tracks Hit Historic Low Last Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the second week in a row we start in France and on the polytrack at Chantilly, the scene of not one but two sizzling debut performances on Friday's card. The two newcomers blitzed their rivals by a cumulative margin of 11 lengths, with the four-length victory of Audubon Park (Fr) quickly being put in the shade by that of Tito Mo Cen (Ire) when he won the boys' equivalent race by nearly twice as far. The time clocked by the latter was also around 1.4 seconds faster as he romped to 'TDN Rising Star' status, becoming the second such horse we've seen on the all-weather in France this winter after Mandanaba (Fr) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), a six-length winner when making her debut over the same course and distance back in November. Tito Mo Cen also became a first 'TDN Rising Star' in Europe for his late sire, Uncle Mo, to go with the 20 the former Ashford Stud resident has accumulated elsewhere. He brought up his score at Oaklawn Park on January 25, just a matter of weeks after his sad passing at the age of 16. As for Tito Mo Cen's dam, the G2 Goldene Peitsche heroine Raven's Lady (GB) (Raven's Pass), she is perhaps best known as the dam of last year's G1 Prix de la Foret winner Ramatuelle (Justify), who was also placed at the top level on three other occasions, before selling to MV Magnier for $5.1 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Raven's Lady herself was bought by Yeguada Centurion for $300,000 when she went through the ring in Lexington five years earlier. It was in the familiar colours of Yeguada Centurion that their homebred Tito Mo Cen created such a deep impression on Friday. Sent straight to the front by Stephane Pasquier, he proceeded to grind his 10 rivals into submission with a remorseless display of galloping, ultimately winning by seven lengths in totally dominant fashion. He wasn't stopping at the line, either, clocking the fastest final furlong of any horse in the field to demonstrate that he can sustain a strong tempo, for all that he might lack Ramatuelle's irresistible turn of foot. Instead, it had echoes of Big Rock (Fr), the former flagbearer for Yeguada Centurion who produced some memorable efforts from the front, notably winning the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot by six lengths in 2023. He too registered his first career win on the polytrack at Chantilly, when winning a handicap early in his three-year-old season by five and a half lengths. Only time will tell whether Tito Mo Cen can emulate Big Rock by making a significant impact at the top level, but his connections are entitled to be dreaming of bigger and better things after such a promising start to his career. Those dreams might well include another tilt at the Prix du Jockey Club in which Big Rock filled the runner-up spot behind a certain Ace Impact (Ire) when sent off favourite in 2023. Tito Mo Cen featured among 151 entries for that Classic published on Wednesday. Incidentally, whilst Big Rock was trained as a three-year-old by Christopher Head–who also had Ramatuelle throughout her career–Tito Mo Cen is based at the neighbouring yard of Head's sister, Victoria. Wow! A half-brother to Ramatuelle, Tito Mo Cen (Uncle Mo x Raven's Lady) dazzles for Stephane Pasquier and Victoria Head at @fgchantilly… pic.twitter.com/RATfX0iDxb — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) February 14, 2025 Graffard Fillies a Force to be Reckoned With Francis-Henri Graffard, who trains just a short distance from the Heads in Chantilly, was responsible for the star turn among the fillies on Friday as Audubon Park kicked off her career in the best possible fashion. The daughter of Dubawi (Ire) had more ahead of her than behind as the field of 10 newcomers reached the home turn, appearing locked against the inside rail. That gave her jockey, 6lb claimer Luca Carboni, a decision to make, whether to sit and suffer or take the safety-first approach by maneuvering his way to the outside to guarantee a clear run. After executing option B, Carboni then barely needed to shake the reins at Audubon Park for her to cut down the leaders entering the final furlong, even having the luxury of a look between his legs close home after his mount had sealed matters with a telling burst of acceleration. It was a stylish debut from a filly who fetched €390,000 from Craig Bernick's Glen Hill Farm when offered at the Arqana August Yearling Sale. She was bred in partnership at Ecurie des Monceaux out of the Lope De Vega (Ire) mare Right Hand (GB), a half-sister to four black-type performers, including the G1 Prix Vermeille heroine Left Hand (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and last year's G2 Prix de Pomone winner and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe runner-up Aventure (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). It's a competitive heat, but Audubon Park has the pedigree and potential to suggest she can take high rank in what looks a strong team of three-year-old fillies for Graffard to go to war with in 2025, alongside the one-two from last year's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, Vertical Blue (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Zarigana (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), plus the aforementioned Mandanaba. Graffard is responsible for 16 of the 130 entries received for the G1 Prix de Diane, including all of the quartet above, as well as seven of the 114 in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Audubon Park has not been given a Pouliches entry. Prix du Château de la Reine Blanche @fgchantilly Chantilly – Inédites – Pouliches – 3 ans – 1900m – 10 Pts – 27 000 € Audubon Park (f) (Fr) Luca Carboni (Dubawi (Ire) @DarleyEurope – Right Hand (Gb) par Lope De Vega (Ire)) Francis-Henri… pic.twitter.com/ZJYV5nDIZ8 — French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) February 14, 2025 More to Come from Kalaoun Over at Cagnes-Sur-Mer on Sunday, the performance of Kalaoun (GB) perhaps didn't have the shock and awe of those posted by Tito Mo Cen and Audubon Park, but he must be considered an interesting prospect nonetheless, having confirmed the immense promise of his debut with a comfortable victory in the 10-furlong maiden. The son of Kitten's Joy was one of three runners for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget when he made his first racecourse appearance over the same course and distance last month, in a race named after the stable's 2023 winner, Ace Impact. It doesn't take a genius to work out that it's a contest Rouget likes to target, nor was it a surprise when two of his challengers came to the fore, with the market leader, Leffard (Fr), just holding off the challenge of the fast-finishing Kalaoun by a short neck. In truth, Kalaoun probably didn't need to improve on that form to go one place better as the odds-on favourite on Sunday, just needing to be kept up to his work to win by three quarters of a length, but his Jockey Club entry suggests he's thought capable of better by a trainer with a formidable record in that Classic. Ace Impact was Rouget's sixth winner of the race when successful in 2023, while the late Le Havre (Ire)–the sire of Leffard and the dam sire of Kalaoun–was his first back in 2009. Leffard, who is out of an unraced half-sister to High Chaparral (Ire), also features among the stable's nine Jockey Club entries, but don't underestimate Denford Stud's homebred Kalaoun, the first foal out of the dual Listed-placed Ebony (Fr). He conceded first run to the winner first-time-out and wouldn't be a forlorn hope to reverse the placings should they meet again. Prix De La Mer @hippocotdazur Cagnes Sur Mer – Maiden – 3 ans – 2000m – 7 Pts – 23 000 € Kalaoun (m) M. Grandin (Kitten's Joy (Usa) – Ebony (Fr) par Le Havre (Ire)) Jean-Claude Rouget Denford Stud Denford Stud pic.twitter.com/U9GSlqvtcy — French and International Horse Racing (@Vincenzo0612) February 16, 2025 Lots to Like About Chelmsford Winner If we saw a future star take to the track in Britain last week, then it was probably the Ralph Beckett-trained Likealot (GB), an emphatic winner of the fillies' novice run over 10 furlongs at Chelmsford on Thursday. Runner-up Pearl Of Hope (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) very much enjoyed the run of the race, dictating a steady gallop, but she ultimately proved no match for Likealot after being joined by that rival early in the straight. At the line Likealot was three and a half lengths clear of her closest pursuer, beating Pearl Of Hope–a half-sister to Victor Ludorum (GB)–by even further than Glittering Surf (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) had when that exciting prospect made a successful debut of her own at Kempton in December. It's solid enough form and perhaps most revealing is that Likealot returned an SP of 6-5, suggesting a performance of this nature was foretold by what she'd been showing on the gallops at Kimpton Downs. Beckett certainly knows a high-class filly when he sees one, anyway, and this daughter of Camelot (GB) has an attractive pedigree as a half-sister to the G3 Prix Daphnis and dual Listed winner Checkandchallenge (GB) (Fast Company {Ire}). Both were born and raised at Meon Valley Stud, whose homebred Oaks heroine Anapurna (GB) (Frankel {GB}) also started her career on the all-weather. Eye-catching start The very well-backed Likealot (Camelot) is a half-sister to Checkandchallenge and motors clear in the final furlong to make a lovely start for the @RalphBeckett team @Rossaryan15 | @ChelmsfordCRC pic.twitter.com/OLNLceVSV0 — Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 13, 2025 Ferguson Yard Continues to Advance Likewise, a number of successful Flat trainers have used the all-weather to launch their careers, including James Ferguson, who saddled his first runners late in 2019, with his breakthrough winner following shortly afterwards when Arabian King (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) struck at Southwell on January 30, 2020. Coincidentally, it was exactly 12 months earlier that the aforementioned Anapurna had opened her account with victory in a fillies' maiden at Lingfield. The Ferguson yard has continued to go from strength to strength in the interim, registering a personal-best tally of 33 winners in Britain in 2024, and there was further cause for celebration at Machell Place last week when newcomer Advancing (GB) ran out a well-backed winner of the one-mile maiden on Wednesday's card at Kempton. Returning an SP of 13-2, having been available at 22-1 in the morning, Advancing duly produced an accomplished display to land the gamble. In a race run at a solid pace, he always looked to be in his comfort zone, travelling sweetly on the heels of the leaders, before stretching clear once asked for his effort to win well by a length and a half. The first horse for a newly-launched syndicate named Uppingham Special, Advancing must have given its members a huge thrill with this debut performance. Most excitingly, he looks the type to progress further when he steps up in trip, certainly if his smart middle-distance pedigree is anything to go by. The son of Lope De Vega (Ire) is the second winner from three runners out of the unraced Intisaar (War Front) who, in turn, is out of the G3 Noblesse Stakes runner-up Betterbetterbetter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The latter is a three-parts sister to no fewer than five black-type performers by Sadler's Wells, headed by the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Yesterday (Ire) and G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Quarter Moon (Ire). Nice debut Lope De Vega colt Advancing travelled and quickened in the style of a smart colt on debut. A nice horse for the @jamesferguson89 team pic.twitter.com/YdtmU9cgHK — Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 12, 2025 Amo Dominance at Dundalk Over in Ireland, it's been a productive spell for Adrian Murray and Amo Racing, who celebrated two winners in the space of three days at Dundalk last week, starting with 150,000gns purchase Spicy Margarita (Ire) when she won the seven-furlong fillies' maiden on Wednesday's card. Only sixth when making her debut at Galway back in October, the daughter of Earthlight (Ire) left that form well behind to get off the mark at the second attempt, despite leaving the impression she's still learning on the job. Produced to lead over a furlong out, she proceeded to take a scenic route to the winning post, wandering both left and right, though it didn't seem to slow her down as she ran out a decisive winner by nearly three lengths. Bred by Loughtown Stud, Spicy Margarita is the seventh winner from 11 runners out of the G1 Falmouth Stakes and G2 Lowther Stakes scorer Nahoodh (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), with the others including last year's G2 Hochi Hai Fillies' Revue winner Etes Vous Prets (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). She has more to offer but isn't necessarily bred to stay middle-distances, so it will be interesting to see how she fares when she steps up to 10 furlongs for a conditions race back at Dundalk on Friday. As for stable-mate Tiberius Thunder (Ire), he seems sure to relish longer trips after his debut success in the one-mile maiden run last Friday. Backed as if defeat was out of the question, returning an SP of 8-15, he impressed most with his strength at the finish after coming under pressure from some way out, certainly giving his supporters a few anxious moments on his way to beating Waterford Flow (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) by three quarters of a length. Like Spicy Margarita, Tiberius Thunder was purchased at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, this time for 220,000gns, having initially sold for 120,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. He's the first foal out of the G3 C.L. & M.F. Weld Park Stakes winner Ellthea (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) who, in turn, is out of the G2 Royal Whip Stakes scorer Tropical Lady (Ire) (Sri Pekan). Yet another new three-year-old winner for Night Of Thunder (Ire) in 2025, Tiberius Thunder is sure to progress and win more races, with a step up to 10 furlongs, at the very least, promising to play to his strengths. Tiberius Thunder (Night Of Thunder) is out of a Group 3 winner and runs green on debut but ultimately justifies short odds for Adrian Murray, @waynemlordan and @amoracingltd @DundalkStadium pic.twitter.com/yH9kKqbkog — Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 14, 2025 Winners in Waiting Dancing Teapot (Ire), runner-up at Dundalk (November 22) since publication Padua (Ire), seventh at Kempton (December 4) since publication Marhaba Ghaiyyath (Ire), winner at Lingfield (December 3) since publication Safe Idea (GB), third at Wolverhampton (December 21) since publication Indian Springs (Ire) Spanish Voice (GB) Noble Horizon (GB) Dixieland Blues (GB) City Of God (Ire), winner at Southwell (January 17) since publication War And Love (GB), runner-up at Chelmsford (January 11) and fifth at Newcastle (February 4) since publication Cupola (GB) Lady Lilac (Ire) The post Winter Watch: Chantilly Showstoppers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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When it comes to Thoroughbreds, Arthur B. Hancock III has courted the bastard. Never much for floating the mainstream, he has celebrated in many a winner's circle, while knowing firsthand how wild oats can almost drown a man in a barrel of despair. If Mr. Hancock had not been an accomplished horseman or musician, he would have made one hell of a history professor. In the aptly-titled, just-published Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption, the author has penned something truly special–a reflection which looks back on a life well-lived. The master of Stone Farm has laid honesty to bare for all to see and there is more than enough hope for us to draw from this well. Talk about leaving something behind in the best spirit of Newton's Third Law. I found intertwined in this memoir some Wendell Berry prose coupled with Dr. Thomas D. Clark style–both legendary Kentuckian gems. There is a touch of gonzo journalism ala Hunter S. Thompson here, plus a work squarely notched between the storytelling of Jeannette Walls and Tara Westover. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts in this memoir are the reprinted ballads that Hancock wrote himself. Somebody call Robert Zemeckis because Dark Horses would make an intriguing screenplay. I laughed and cried in the same chapter. The memoir takes us on a sojourn through how a son of Claiborne Farm starts in one place, steers in an entirely different direction, but still contributes mightily to Thoroughbred racing history. Within these pages you will feel the pressure Hancock was under as he grappled with growing up and you will see how a superstitious nature operates–the massive bullfrog in the pool comes to mind. At 6′ 6″, Hancock's grandfather cut an imposing figure and was a tough disciplinarian. Senior imparted to junior, who as you know was nicknamed “Bull,” the same kind of approach to living life. In turn, Arthur Hancock III was schooled in the family tradition with some of the most cutting-edge breeding and horsemanship to be had. From the get-go, the memoir details the lessons that his father drilled into him. Claiborne was like a bloodline laboratory as European stallions like Nasrullah were imported to infuse a new version of speed into pedigrees. The tapestry lines of warp and weft here is impressive, and Hancock lets us sit behind the loom as he masters everything from learning to shoe from farriers to being an assistant trainer in New York where he handled the great Buckpasser. Where it gets complex is his own struggle with identity. He attended Vanderbilt and was a championship swimmer before he dropped out. He returned to finish with a degree in history, but the real gravity that also pulled at him was music. Picking a guitar was where pure passion resided and his penchant for crafting a song really comes through in the book. Signed by Nashville legend Fred Foster, Hancock would write and interact with many of the greats including Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. A highwayman himself, Hancock always seemed to grapple early on with two masters–the Thoroughbred and the guitar–which rankled his father, who derided the son when he sang as nothing more than, “a canary.” By 1972, their relationship was on the improve though. Just then, the patriarch died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 62. That was a hinge moment for the son of Claiborne who as we learn was forced out as the heir when the powerful Ogden Phipps, who served as an advisor to the farm, engineered his departure. Founding Stone Farm took moxie and Hancock tells story after story of how he struggled. A central theme throughout the memoir though is his battle with alcoholism, which on too many occasions could have ended his life prematurely. Surrounded by some excellent advisors who loved him deeply, including his mother Waddell and wife Staci, Hancock beat the disease. Of course, one of the more poignant sections covers the story behind Sunday Silence. Even though Hancock had tasted victory with Gato Del Sol in the 1982 Kent ucky Derby–an accomplishment his father always dreamed of but never realized–Stone Farm's expansion during the rest of the decade was costly. In other words, Hancock was doing the backstroke in debt to the tune of $15 million. Needing a miracle, Sunday Silence and his famous battles with Phipps homebred Easy Goer bore fruit and saved the day. Picking out the colt that no one wanted and his eventual sale to the Yoshida family, which led to the horse becoming the most important foundational sire in the history of Japan, were like bookends to a wonderful dream. Living up to its billing, Dark Horses is a story of redemption that comes directly from the heart. Like the main character in Pilgrim's Progress, the trip to the Celestial City never follows a straight line. Whether it was around the racetrack or in the recording studio, the ballad of one Arthur B. Hancock III is meant for us all. Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption by Stone Publishing, LLC, 319 pages, photos, lyrics and poems index, 2024. Available at www.arthurhancock.com, at Amazon.com or at Barnes & Noble. The post Book Review: The Ballad of One Arthur B. Hancock III appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA — At the age of six, Lucky Seven Stable and Sharaf Mohamad Alhairi's Rattle N Roll (Connect) is at the peak of his powers. The same can be said for his veteran trainer Ken McPeek, who is just this side of a series of achievements that anyone who does what he does for a living will have a hard time replicating anytime in the foreseeable future. For equine and human alike, Saturday's G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse is a potential watershed moment. “It's very exciting. Of course, I've had a lot of excitement in the last year,” said McPeek. “This'll just put a little icing on top or a little cherry on top of my excitement if we could pull this off.” Born in Arkansas and raised in Lexington, the 62-year-old McPeek has long been regarded as one of this game's top horsemen and one of its shrewdest judges of horseflesh for most of the last three decades. He has posted career numbers over the last two seasons, improving on his $10.8 million in earnings in 2023 with a season that will long be remembered in 2024. His runners amassed $16.2 million in prize money and it's difficult to pick a single highlight among the list of accomplishments. Was it the Oaks/Derby double with Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and Mystik Dan (Goldencents)? Training the former to Horse of the Year honors? Or perhaps finishing just a handful of votes behind Chad Brown for an Eclipse Award of his own. As encores go, a win in an eight-figure horse race would rate as a pretty good one, but McPeek is quick to deflect and defer and to give credit elsewhere. “I don't really think about [the $20-million purse] so much as I've got this great team of people that I work with, whether it's clients or the staff, and we try to just do the best we can with each individual horse,” he said. “I really don't think about the money so much as what's right for this particular horse.” Ken McPeek | Tod Marks Reasonably Humble Beginnings Known for having selected the likes of Curlin and, of course, Thorpedo Anna, for modest sums, McPeek gave $210,000 for Rattle N Roll on behalf of the Mackin Family's Lucky Seven Stable at the 2020 Keeneland September Sale, hardly a king's ransom, but not an insignificant chunk of change. “Well, he looked like–and I tend to buy this kind of horse–he looked like a horse that would not have any trouble handling distance,” McPeek explained. “And he had a lot of size and balance and length to him. I don't really buy sprinters and haven't historically trained a lot of sprinters, although I've had my share of sprint wins, but he's a classic mile-and-a-quarter, mile and-a-sixteenth, mile-and-an-eighth horse. And of course we all dream of having that kind of horse and he's been great.” Winner of the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at two, Rattle N Roll just failed to draw into the 2022 GI Kentucky Derby, the renewal won from the clouds by Rich Strike (Keen Ice). At least in a minor sort of way in hindsight, McPeek regrets that Rattle N Roll did not gain a run in the Derby. “This horse would probably be much more recognizable had he gotten into the Kentucky Derby, because that race ended up being a closers' race,” McPeek said during a Thursday press conference at King Abdulaziz. “He would have benefited from the fast pace. He was every bit as good as Rich Strike, but he didn't get in.” Rattle N Roll nevertheless more than earned his keep over the course of a 10-race sophomore campaign that featured a victory in the GIII Ohio Derby. Kept busy at four in 2023, he made seven trips to the races, winning three times in Grade III company and just missing in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes. Rattle N Roll was a distant fourth as the favorite in the GIII Lukas Classic Stakes in September 2023 and was sidelined thereafter with distal bone bruising, casting a fair bit of doubt on his career, though no surgery was required. “We gave him this long, long time off, and actually at one point we weren't sure he was going to make it back,” said McPeek. “And then fortunately, the Mackin Family are extremely patient and have always been the best client to say, 'Look, do what's right for the horse. No problem, okay?'” Rattle N Roll looking amazing @TheSaudiCup to be seen on @HorseRacesNOW and @FanDuel_Racing on Saturday 12:40ET pic.twitter.com/PWyLlHhPHv — Kenny McPeek (@KennyMcPeek) February 20, 2025 Back And In Career Form Gone for two days shy of a year, Rattle N Roll resumed with a sound third in the 2024 Lukas Classic and connections rolled the dice, sending him out west with an eye on the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Unfortunately, it came up snake eyes for McPeek and Lucky Seven, and Rattle N Roll was rerouted for the GII Clark Stakes back in Kentucky about four weeks later. He ran out a 3/4-length winner, and McPeek and his owner opted for some outside-the-box thinking thereafter. “His win in the Clark was just a real highlight for a horse that we weren't sure was going to make it back at all,” the trainer said. “Of course, he's been so successful all his career, but that was a real high moment. And then from there it was, okay, 'What do we do next?'” Instead of a race like the GI Pegasus World Cup, connections programmed Rattle N Roll for the G3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (King's Cup) the Jan. 25 course-and-distance qualifier for the main event with a push from former trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. In the interim, McPeek and Mackin had been approached by Saudi businessman Sharaf Mohamad Alhairi, making the decision to come for the prep that much more sensible. Switched off towards the rear with Joel Rosario calling the shots, Rattle N Roll weaved his way though the long straight to win with something in hand. “The King's Cup was a race that there was a little risk, but a lot of reward there,” McPeek said. “But we felt like he would, on class alone, that that ought to be a race he could win. And right now it's put us in a position where we might have a chance to win the whole thing. We've always felt like that he would be a really good fit for some of those races over there in between Saudi and Dubai.” McPeek said that Rattle N Roll, who has been under the watchful eye of Danny Ramsey since the King's Cup, is thriving in Riyadh. “He's a very uncomplicated horse,” said McPeek. “We keep him on what I'd call a Saturday routine, and he really likes his regular schedule. He gallops. Danny's been getting on him since he was a 2-year-old, so Danny Ramsey knows him well.” Should all go well this weekend, Rattle N Roll would move on to Dubai for a crack at the G1 Dubai World Cup six weeks down the road. McPeek explained that Rattle N Roll would then return to the U.S. to continue his career for Lucky Seven and his Saudi part-owner, who–unlike the lease agreement he struck with the owners of Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) last year–has purchased an ownership interest in the 6-year-old entire. McPeek relishes the opportunity to showcase his and his horses' ability on foreign soil. “I just find it fun,” he said. “I think the Thoroughbred is one of the most amazing animals ever created. It's almost a universal language. “I think when you're traveling for these big races–the interesting thing is that, look, bring a very good horse and interesting things happen. I liken it to fine wine. Once you've tasted those experiences, that's what you want. I gave a young trainer by the name of Brad Cox some advice years ago. I said, 'Once you taste the fine wine, you won't drink the Bud Light anymore.'” Should the stars align for McPeek, Mackin and Alhairi just after 8:40 Saturday evening, you can count on plenty of 'rattlin' n' 'rollin' with a side of 'hootin' n' hollerin' on the outskirts of Riyadh. The post Rattle N Roll, McPeek As Good As Ever As Saudi Cup Looms appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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Every month Harness Racing New Zealand selects an Owner and Breeder of the Month. It is an entirely random selection though their horse must have won a race during the month. In December 2024 the Breeder of the Month was Anthony Smith after Fredastaire’s win at Manawatu on December 12 and Stonewall Stud syndicate member David Whitburn was Owner of the Month after Caught the Eye’s victory at Ashburton on December 22. In January 2025 the two winners were Phil Sherley (Breeder of the Month) for Eagle Hanover’s win at Kapiti on January 6 and Derek Newton was Owner of the Month after Tokyo Rose’s win at Marlborough on January 17. Coincidentally both Eagle Hanover and Fredastaire were driven by Jay Abernethy, with Fredastaire’s win also being career training success number 50 for Blenheim trainer and co-owner Allan Shutkowski (pictured above). And it’s at Waterlea Racecourse at Blenheim where Fredastaire’s breeder and co-owner, 85-year-old Anthony Smith has spent a lot of his time. The horse’s name came from his late wife Freda. Since he was a colt the “Astaire” was added. “It’s incredibly rewarding. Fredastaire winning feels like the culmination of years of effort, starting from breeding to training.” Fredastaire has now won two from 22. His dam Brucelle is also special to Smith as she was named in memory of his late son Bruce. “Fredastaire is the first foal out of Brucelle, who I also bred and raced,” says Smith, “all the horses I have bred have come from my own horses. There are three more foals from Brucelle coming up, so it’s exciting times!” He has lost count of the horses he’d bred over the years. “But some standouts include Petali. He was my first horse in 1976 and raced in New Zealand before I sold him to the States.” January’s Owner of the Month Derek Newton acquired Tokyo Rose from the yearling sales. She sold for $22,500 and has so far won six from 33 for trainer Mark Jones and earned more than $80,000 in stakes. Among those who also race her is Newton’s bridge playing mate John McDonald. “I have bred and raced over 20 individual winners,” says Newton, who races horses under the entity Tancred Holdings. “It’s hard to pick a favourite but Ruby Tues Bay’s first and only win at Nelson (2019), trained and driven by Chris McDowell, was right up there.” He also bred Hushed World who won two from four in this country in 1994, going on to win 20 from 98 in Australia from 1994-2000. Congratulations to all our winners and your plaques are on their way. View the full article

There are nine horse racing meetings set for Australia on Friday, February 21. Our racing analysts here at horsebetting.com.au have found you the best bets and the quaddie numbers for Canterbury and Moonee Valley. Friday’s Free Horse Racing Tips – February 21, 2025 Canterbury Racing Tips Moonee Valley 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 February 21, 2025 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

What Alice Springs Races Where Pioneer Park Racecourse – Stuart Highway, Connellan, NT, 0870 When Saturday, February 22, 2025 First Race 10:34am ACST Visit Dabble The build-up to the start of the Alice Springs Cup Carnival next month continues with a six-event card at Pioneer Park on Saturday. With the mercury expected to climb to 41C on a bright sunny day, it will be an early start to the meeting with the first race jumping at 10:34am ACST. It will be a good dirt surface, and the rail will be in the true position. Best Bet at Alice Springs: Hasseltoff He might be making his Alice Springs debut, but Hasseltoff brings excellent SA form to town after winning three of his past four starts for Adelaide trainer Phillip Stokes. In November, the eight-year-old gelding won at Morphettville over 1533m at BM72 level. In December, he triumphed at Gawler over 1500m in BM78 ranks. Then, on January 25th, Hasseltoff stormed from the back of the field to secure another victory at Morphettville, this time over 1600m in BM78 grade. The son of Toorak Toff boasts three wins at Flemington. Best Bet Race 6 – #1 Hasseltoff (5) 8yo Gelding | T: Dick Leech | J: Hannah Le Blanc (a2) (63kg) Next Best at Alice Springs: Super Sharp Super Sharp started as the $2.50 favourite with horse racing betting sites in his Red Centre debut on February 8 before winding up in the home straight to seal victory by half a length over 1200m against 0-58 opposition. The five-year-old gelding trailed the runaway leader in second place and was pushed to the limit over the final 100m before edging clear. For the son of More Than Ready that was his first start since November in South Australia and he will no doubt benefit from the run. Significantly, Super Sharp has a decent record over 1400m (11: 2-1-3). Next Best Race 4 – #2 Super Sharp (8) 5yo Gelding | T: Lisa Whittle | J: Sonja Logan (60kg) Best Value at Alice Springs: Black Zous Returning from a spell in late December, Black Zous hasn’t been all that far away in four starts from 1000-1400m. The six-year-old gelding powered home to win first up over 1000m at 0-58 level before missing the start and descending late to finish third over 1200m in 0-64 grade. The son of Zoustar then finished second behind runaway leaders over 1400m and 1100m in the 0-64 ranks. Black Zous has finished among the placegetters in his past six starts and presents great value with Dabble. Best Value Race 5 – 2 Black Zous (2) 6yo Gelding | T: Kerry Petrick | J: Paul Denton (59.5kg) Saturday quaddie tips for Alice Springs Alice Springs quadrella selections Saturday, February 22, 2025 1-2-5-6 1-2-5-8 1-2-4 1-2-4 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

What Hobartville Stakes Day 2025 Where Rosehill Gardens Racecourse – James Ruse Dr, Rosehill NSW 2142 When Saturday, February 22, 2025 First Race 12:30pm AEDT Visit Dabble Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is the destination for metro racing on Saturday afternoon, with a bumper 10-part program lined up for Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) Day. The three-year-old feature is supported by a quality undercard, including the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) for the two-year-olds, while some key stayers for the autumn step out in the Group 3 Parramatta Cup (1900m). The rail moves out +5m the entire circuit or the meeting, and with only minimal rainfall expected to hit the course proper, punters can expect the track to be rated a Soft 5 on race-day morning. All the action at Rosehill is scheduled to get underway at 12:30pm local time. Hobartville Stakes Tip: Linebacker Linebacker was game in defeat first-up in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 8, with the son of Super Seth unsuited to his leading role. There was a lack of tempo on that occasion as Mayfair failed to muster any early speed, with Kerrin McEvoy electing to send Linebacker to the top. Public Attention was the only one to get by the newly gelded three-year-old, and with a change of tactics to take a sit over 1400m, watch for Linebacker to be flashing over the top. Hobartville Stakes Race 8 – #3 Linebacker (7) 3yo Gelding | T: John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | J: Kerrin McEvoy (56.5kg) Silver Slipper Stakes Tip: West Of Swindon West Of Swindon gets the verdict in the 2025 Silver Slipper Stakes as he returns after a 105-day spell. The son of Wootton Bassett caught the eye in his only run last preparation, storming home in the Group 3 Golden Gift (1100m) at this course and distance to get within a half-length of North England. He trialled up nicely heading into this first-up assignment, and with barrier one allowing Tyler Schiller to stalk the speed throughout, watch for West Of Swindon to be finishing off best and put his hand up for the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) next month. Silver Slipper Stakes Race 6 – #2 West Of Swindon (1) 2yo Colt | T: Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes | J: Tyler Schiller (56.5kg) Parramatta Cup Tip: Asterix Asterix represents terrific each-way value with horse racing betting sites in the 2025 Parramatta Cup after a strong first-up performance at Randwick on February 8. The New Zealand import hit the line well over the unsuitable 1600m journey behind Highlights, with the Tavistock gelding doing his best work late to suggest the 1900m would be ideal second-up into the campaign. Joshua Parr can sit closer from gate two this time around, and although the Chris Waller barn could send around as many as seven runners in this, Asterix has appeal at the $23.00 with Picklebet. Parramatta Cup Race 7 – #3 Asterix (2) 6yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Joshua Parr (57kg) Millie Fox Stakes Tip: Scarlet Oak Scarlet Oak will be hoping the rainfall is significant heading into the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m). Her best form has been on wet ground in the past, with a formidable record of four starts for three wins and another minor placing on rain-affected ground. She maps to get the perfect run from barrier one as Makarena attempts to make all, and provided she can sprint fresh, the $6.50 about Scarlet Oak with Playup will appear a big price as they make the run for home. Millie Fox Stakes Race 5 – #3 Scarlet Oak (1) 4yo Mare | T: Chris Waller | J: Zac Lloyd (56kg) Best Bet at Rosehill: Step Aside Step Aside was one of the best of the beaten brigade behind Bunker Hut at Rosehill on February 1, filling out the minor placings alongside race rival Lady Boss. Step Aside didn’t have much luck getting clear turning into the home straight, with the son of Redwood pushing his way out of a pocket in the concluding stages. He’ll strip fitter for that performance, and with Zac Lloyd being legged aboard from the one pole, Step Aside should get every chance to claim his fourth career victory. Best Bet Race 3 – #5 Step Aside (1) 5yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Zac Lloyd (57kg) Best Value at Rosehill: Semillion Semillion returns to Sydney after a couple unsatisfactory performances in Victoria. The son of Shalaa was well held in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on January 24, falling back in the field while Schwarz careered away by five lengths on the wire. Semillion always improves deeper into the preparation, however, with the five-year-old winning third-up in the past and dropping back into BM94 company appears ideal placement. Watch for Tyler Schiller to dictate to his rivals from stall two, and provided any of this predicted rainfall hits late in the day, the $18.00 with Dabble will seem too big. Best Value Race 10 – #4 Semillion (2) 5yo Gelding | T: Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes | J: Tyler Schiller (58kg) Saturday quaddie tips for Rosehill Rosehill quadrella selections February 22, 2025 1-3-4-6-8-10-11-13 1-3-11 1-3-5-6-11 4-5-7-9 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

What Ascot races Where Ascot Racecourse – 71 Grandstand Rd, Ascot WA 6104 When Saturday, February 22, 2025 First Race 12:28pm AWST Visit Dabble The Listed Detonator Stakes and Challenge Stakes will headline the nine-race card at Ascot on Saturday afternoon, where the first race is scheduled to jump at 12:28pm AWST. Although the track was rated as a Soft 5 at the time of acceptances, no rain is forecast to fall before raceday, allowing the surface to improve into the Good range. The rail will be in the +3m position for the entire circuit. Detonator Stakes tip: Bonjoy Bonjoy brought up a hat-trick of wins with another strong victory over 1600m at this track on February 1. The Jason Miller-trained mare showed her customary push button turn of foot to storm home over the top of Antique Miss in the final 100m of the race. Even though this will be her first crack at 1800m, it is expected that Bonjoy will have no worries seeing out the journey, and +100 with Dabble is a fair price. Detonator Stakes Race 8 – #6 Bonjoy (10) 5yo Mare | T: Jason Miller | J: Clint Johnston-Porter (55.5kg) Challenge Stakes tip: All Grunt After stretching out to 1400m for the first time in his career last start, All Grunt goes on top in the second feature. The Tiarnna Noske-trained gelding settled worse than midfield and ran home strongly down the middle of the track to bring up his third win in four starts. From barrier six, Jarrad Noske will attempt to replicate his ride on All Grunt from the back of the field and finish over the top of their rivals late. Challenge Stakes Race 7 – #2 All Grunt (6) 3yo Gelding | T: Tiarnna Noske | J: Jarrad Noske (56kg) Best Bet at Ascot: Essentric Nature Grant & Alana Williams have engaged William Pike to take the reins aboard Essentric Nature, who was a little unlucky when stuck behind traffic over 1200m last start. The son of Savabeel proved way too good for his rivals first-up before finishing fourth second-up. Rising to 1500m and gaining the services of Pike for this third-up start are two positives for Essentric Nature, and with even luck, he will bounce back. Best Bet Race 6 – #6 Essentric Nature (8) 4yo Gelding | T: Grant & Alana Williams | J: William Pike (56kg) Next Best at Ascot: Axeman’s Jazz Axeman’s Jazz returned with a stylish win over 1400m at this track on January 22, when the Grant & Alana Williams-trained gelding let down with a strong turn of foot to defeat Missile Storm. The son of Dundeel has won back-to-back starts and is starting to build a solid record after just seven runs. The rise to 1600m off a four-week break looks like the perfect recipe for success, and Axeman’s Jazz gets a great opportunity to bring up the hat-trick. Next Best Race 5 – #4 Axeman’s Jazz (5) 5yo Gelding | T: Grant & Alana Williams | J: Clint Johnston-Porter (58kg) Saturday quaddie tips for Ascot races Ascot quadrella selections Saturday, February 22, 2025 5-6-8 1-2-6-8-9 6-7-12 2-4-6-7 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Elite speedster must overcome another wide barrier when stepping up to 1,400m in Sunday’s Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup.View the full article

The $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) has received a welcome injection of southern flavour, with exciting filly Pivotal Ten (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns) having secured a berth in the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race. Trained and ridden by Samantha Wynne, Pivotal Ten has gained many admirers this term after producing a picket fence form line, including three successive stakes victories, culminating in last Saturday’s dominant 8-3/4 length victory in the Listed Southland Guineas (1400m). Her connections received plenty of interest from NZB Kiwi slot holders, but it was the Selangor Turf Club that came out on top in securing the services of the daughter of Ten Sovereigns. “I think she is the most interesting runner in the race and probably the most exciting,” New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) Director of Business Development and Selangor Turf Club Slot Holder representative Mike Kneebone said. “She is a filly that I think will work really well for the race and I am thrilled that we waited for as long as we did to get the horse that we really wanted.” Wynne is looking forward to being a part of the New Zealand Thoroughbred racing industry’s first-ever slot race and is excited by the challenge. “It is going to be the biggest challenge of my life, but I am ready for it,” she said. “I know how lucky I am to have her. People wait all their lives for a horse like her, so I am not taking anything for granted. “She keeps stepping up and doing good things, so I think she deserves a shot, and hopefully we can do the South Island proud.” While Wynne has ridden at Ellerslie, she has yet to line-up a runner in the North Island, so to do so in the richest race in the country is a bit surreal for the Canterbury horsewoman. “I have never had a runner in the North Island,” she said. “I rode in the Auckland Cup and had a couple of rides that day. I will be up there a week before the race and I will do as much homework as I can, we will leave no stone unturned.” The Selangor Turf Club have been great supporters of New Zealand Bloodstock, and the New Zealand racing and breeding industry, and Kneebone said it is great to have their involvement in the inaugural running of the NZB Kiwi after they purchased a slot at a charity event prior to New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale last year. “I have worked up there (Malaysia) for a long time and I have said for many years that the Selangor Turf Club are a very forward-thinking club,” Kneebone said. “They are driven by a wonderful chairman in Tan Sri Richard Cham, and his wife Louise is by his side. Their CEO is Mike Fong and they have been great supporters of New Zealand Bloodstock for a long time. “When they realised Singapore was finishing (racing last year), they were wanting to get two-year-olds coming up into their racing system so they had new, young horses coming through to attract people to the races, and they chose New Zealand as that place to replenish their horses. “When they came down for the Ready to Run Sale they were at the welcome party where the auction of the one-off NZB Kiwi slot was going on. Captain Tan Tiang Huat, who is one of the main owners up there, bought the slot, and after it he said, ‘Mike you will need to find us one now and we will come down’. “There is a group of 20 coming down. They love their racing and they are an on-the-move Club. We can’t thank them enough for the support they have given us, and this might be a good way to reward them.” Kneebone thinks he has found the Selangor Turf Club the perfect filly for the race and said his attention was drawn to her following her golden run of form in the south. “I had a number of people mention her to me as a filly on the rise, because I buy a lot of well-bred fillies and mares, and she came on the radar because of that,” he said. “After her win in the Gore Guineas (Listed, 1335m), it was the times that I was impressed with the most with her and the fact that she doesn’t seem to have a care in the world. She is a lovely, relaxed animal. “I have spoken with Sam about going the other way around for Ellerslie and she said the filly is such a natural, relaxed talent and she swaps over legs whenever she wants to, and I don’t think that will be a problem for her at all.” Kneebone said NZB is proud to be the naming sponsor of the race and extending their strong support of the New Zealand racing industry. “New Zealand Bloodstock have been huge sponsors of New Zealand racing for so long with the Fillies Series and the Pearl Series, general race meetings, and of course the Karaka Millions as well,” he said. “It is a great fit for us, and it keeps the momentum going that New Zealand racing is heading in at the moment. We just love this concept.” Pivotal Ten was bred by the late Kevin Hickman under his Valachi Downs banner. She is out of Lady Woodcote, a full-sister to Group One winner Maarek, and is a half-sister to stakes performer Woodcote Lass. She was offered through Valachi Downs’ 2022 NZB National Weanling Sale where she was purchased by Colin Wightman for $15,000, and was entrusted to the care of Wynne, for whom she has won five of her seven starts, including three at stakes level, and has earned nearly $200,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

It is always a gamble to pay a late entry fee into a feature race but with a winner’s purse of $1.2 million up for grabs in the Blue Diamond Stakes it is one well worth taking. Trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young along with the connections of Field Of Play parted with $55,000 to have the Field Of Play run in Victoria’s most prestigious two-year-old race at Caulfield on Saturday. Field Of Play is one of two unbeaten two-year-olds in Saturday’s Group 1 contest, coming off a debut win at Moonee Valley, importantly at 1200m, before taking out the Blue Diamond Prelude for colts and geldings over 1100m at Caulfield on February 8. With almost $300,000 in the bank from those two wins, Busuttin said the late payment was an easy choice to make after the gelding was not entered for the Group 1 race when entries were taken last year as he had been earmarked to head to Hong Kong. Busuttin said the lead up to Saturday since the Caulfield victory had been very smooth and while there will be more pressure with 16 runners, the co-trainer is sure Field Of Play will be up to it. “He sat up outside the lead last time and they weren’t hacking the other day,” Busuttin said. “He’s got good natural speed, he’s a good natural horse. “I was speaking to Blake Shinn on Tuesday morning and running through things, and I said ‘if we draw wide, we go back, and we’ll still be good enough to be in it’. He said ‘it won’t matter what we draw, we’ll be going forward’, so the draw takes care of that.” Field Of Play drew barrier five on Saturday as Shinn chases a first win in the prestigious event while Busuttin and Young a second having scored with Tagaloa in 2020. Tagaloa ran the second fastest time in the last 25 years when successful, just 0.01 seconds slower than Sepoy in 2011 and one of only four two-year-olds to have broken 1:09.00 in that period. “I think we drew three and four the year we won it,” Busuttin said. “Letzbeglam (from three) was outside the lead and Tagaloa was three deep without cover. “They all raved on about bias that day and that the second horse Hanseatic should have won. Hanseatic drew one and peeled off their heels and had every opportunity. “Not many horses win a Blue Diamond sitting three deep without cover, and I certainly hope that’s not the case with this bloke. “In a perfect world he’ll be one-one, but Blake will sort that out.” One thing Busuttin knows is the 1200m won’t be a concern for Field Of Play. “Everyone will say their horse is going to improve, which they naturally will,” Busuttin said. “The second horse (Devil Night), it was a big effort to run second on debut and is drawn well, and I think is the one to beat, while the fillies have done nothing wrong, and the chances don’t end there. “But I think our horse is the one to beat. He hasn’t been dominant to the point where you would say he’s just going out and win, but I wouldn’t be swapping him with any other runner.” View the full article

A sterling field has assembled for Saturday’s Listed Trevor and Coralie Eagle Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) and Cody Cole is looking forward to testing his promising three-year-old Atmospheric (NZ) (El Roca) against some of the best in the country. The son of El Roca has been lightly-tried by Cole, with just four starts resulting in a win and three minor placings. After scoring his maiden at Tauranga in January, Atmospheric was bold against the older horses at New Plymouth, finishing a head adrift of One Bold Gigolo. “His run at Taranaki was full of merit, there was quite an on-speed bias that day and he got a bit of a bump on the bending, losing his momentum,” Cole said. “He really wound up late. “When he backed up his good win at Tauranga with another nice run, I thought why not have a crack. We opted to keep him at those shorter trips, he could’ve followed a path to go over ground in those couple of races after the Derby, but I just feel that he’s a little too immature to cope with that sort of mileage yet. “He’s that kind of horse that you can do anything with, he could switch off and run a trip if you want to, but I think we’re better to look ahead at the four-year-old year for that. “If he can be competitive there, we’ll keep him there for now.” Cole will apply blinkers on Atmospheric for the $110,000 contest, which features four confirmed slot holders for the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), with plenty chasing one of the remaining spots in the big race. “It’s a very strong race and he’s drawn an absolute horror gate (12 of 12), but you’re only three once and he’s an improving type,” Cole said. “He’ll be better next year, but he deserves a shot at them.” Atmospheric will be Cole’s sole representative at Ellerslie, while two of his runners in Bradley (NZ) (Belardo) and Mapalicious (NZ) (Puccini) will travel south to Otaki. Bradley is chasing a breakthrough victory in the Harcourts Otaki Maiden (1600m), while Mapalicious is searching for better fortune than in her most recent appearance in the Aquashield Roofing Handicap (1600m). “Bradley had a fresh-up run the other day and got back in an awkward spot, then he came down the outside in the firmest part of the track which he didn’t really appreciate,” Cole said. “There is a little bit of rain around at Otaki and it won’t be anywhere near as firm as it was at Te Rapa, which will suit him. It’s a race that possibly lacks a bit of depth and he deserves to be where he is in the market down there. “Mapalicious was in a really niggly run race last-start where the breaks were on and off, Gryllsy (Craig Grylls) had her in a lovely spot then she just got shuffled back to last at the top of the straight and by the time she’d crossed heels and got out, the race was over. “She’s better than that and doesn’t often run a bad one, I had no criticism of her performance there, it was just the way the race panned out.” Looking ahead to Champions Day in a fortnight, Cole will return to Ellerslie with his consistent juvenile Landlock to take on the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m). The son of Merchant Navy won on debut and was a narrow second in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m), but it was his game fifth-placed effort in the $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) that stood out for Cole. “I was really proud of the horse, he’s had four runs, never had a trial and drew an awful gate (13) in the Millions, but when Rory (Hutchings, jockey) got off, he was very complementary of him,” Cole said. “He said he just gives you 100 percent and he wished I could feel the feeling he gives you, he was all out in the last 100m and his head was getting lower and lower, but he just kept giving his all. He’s just a genuine little racehorse. “He had a couple of weeks in the paddock post-race and he’s back to it again now, he’ll look to head to the Sistema and on to the Sires (Gr.1, 1400m) after that.” View the full article

Fresh off recording his 20th Group One win aboard Skybird in the Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington last Saturday, jockey John Allen will cross the Tasman this weekend to ride a pair of Group contenders at Ellerslie. It will be first time the 40-year-old hoop has plied his trade in New Zealand, with the trip instigated by OTI Racing’s Terry Henderson, who was keen for Allen to partner his $1.25 million Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) contender Skippers Canyon (NZ) (Belardo) in Saturday’s Gr.2 Eagle Technology Avondale Guineas (2100m). Trained and initially raced by Opaki horseman Jim Wallace, Skippers Canyon was purchased by OTI Racing following his maiden win at Otaki last month, and he carried their familiar silks to a fourth placed result in the $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m) a fortnight later. “It will be the first time I ride in New Zealand,” Allen said. “Terry Henderson of OTI contacted me to see if I was interested in going over to ride Skippers Canyon. He said he is heading towards the Derby and thought he would be a live chance. “I have had a few dealings with him before. It’s obviously Blue Diamond Day in Melbourne but it didn’t look like I was going to be on anything in any of the good races, so I said I would.” Allen is also booked to ride the Ciaron Maher-trained Interpretation in the Gr.3 Eagle Technology Avondale Cup (2400m), a horse he has ridden on three occasions in the past. The Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) runner finished seventh in his sole New Zealand start to date in last month’s Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham, and Allen is confident of a better showing this weekend. “I have ridden a bit for Ciaron and I was aware he was over there,” Allen said. “I have ridden the horse once or twice before, so if he can bring his best form he should be a good chance.” Both of his mounts are destined to compete on Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 8, with the Derby Skippers Canyon’s main objective, while Interpretation will contest the Gr.2 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m), and Allen said it would be great to be a part of the action. “We will just see how Saturday goes first but there are some big races and big prizemoney (on Champions Day), so it would be good to pick up a ride in them,” he said. View the full article

Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott are keeping their eye on the prize in Saturday’s Listed Trevor and Coralie Eagle Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m), as slot horses Sethito (NZ) (Super Seth) and Checkmate (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) have their final hit-out before next month’s $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m). It was evident from early in the season that O’Sullivan and Scott were likely to play a big role in the NZB Kiwi, with an abundance of three-year-old talent in their arsenal. Wexford currently have Sought After, Sethito and Checkmate in the race, with the latter pair lining up in the curtain-raiser at Ellerslie on Avondale Cup Day. Checkmate was last seen at the course on January 12, winning an open three-year-old 1500m contest after picking up the Listed Armacup 3YO Stakes (1500m) earlier in the season. Sethito’s form has been similarly impressive, winning the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) before narrowly missing in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1400m) on Boxing Day. “Checkmate had 10 days in the paddock for a freshen-up, as did Sethito and now it’s just maintenance work going into this race,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re hoping that they will be peaking two weeks later. “They’ve had one piece of work together but do most of their work separately, in saying that, they are pretty evenly matched.” While their stablemates are locked in under the Wexford and Waikato Thoroughbred Racing slots respectively, chasing an opportunity in the NZB Kiwi will be Hankee Alpha (NZ) (Proisir) and Tristar (NZ) (Exceedance). Hankee Alpha was a standout maiden winner and backed that up in Rating 65 company, before a meritorious fifth in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m). The daughter of Proisir will have just her fourth start on Saturday, just one less than Tristar, who was outstanding when winning at Tauranga in early January. “She (Hankee Alpha) ran well in the Almanzor, she got around Ellerslie and I think her sectionals were very respectable,” O’Sullivan said. “We were very pleased. “This race will only continue to improve her and we expect her to put up a good performance. “I thought Tristar’s win last start was very good and she has trialled in the interim, she went to Ellerslie and got around the course nicely. “It would be nice if someone could pick her up as well, she’s certainly worthy.” The Wexford quartet are all prominent in the Uncle Remus market, with Checkmate and Sethito on top at $3.80, Hankee Alpha at $8 and Tristar at $8.50. Earlier on the card, Group One winner Waitak (NZ) (Proisir)will have his first race further than 1400m in nearly two years in the Gr.1 Sport Nation Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m). Waitak was Group One-placed as a juvenile and continued that form into his three-year-old year, winning the Listed Trevor and Coralie Eagle Memorial (now Armacup 3YO Stakes) over 1500m and placing in the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m). The Proisir gelding earned a trip to Brisbane where he contested the major distance features, but on his return at four, it became evident that he was more effective over six furlongs, winning the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) and contesting the A$5 million The Quokka (1200m) in Perth. Continuing his consistent form, Waitak has been thereabouts at every start at the top level in sprint company this term, but after a booming run from the back in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m), O’Sullivan and Scott turned their focus to the mile feature. “Looking at the way he’s racing, his pattern certainly suggests that he’s wanting to run further,” O’Sullivan said. “He’ll get that opportunity this weekend and we expect him to be competitive. “He hasn’t run past 1400m for quite some time, but that won’t be any concern.” Waitak is rated a $16 chance in the early market for the $500,000 contest, headed by El Vencedor ($2.70) and Orchestral ($3.50). View the full article

Expatriate Kiwi trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young are hoping for a case of third time lucky with their staying three-year-old Thedoctoroflove. The Cranbourne-based couple have sent the son of So You Think across the Tasman to run in Saturday’s Gr.2 Eagle Technology Avondale Guineas (2100m) ahead of a return to Ellerslie for crack at the $1.25 million Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) on Champions Day. “He travelled over last Thursday and got there on Friday morning and has settled in well at Shaune Ritchie’s place,” Busuttin said. Another former New Zealand trainer has also made the trip home with the Classic contender. “Brendon Hawtin, our assistant trainer here, is over there with him and the horse galloped well on Tuesday morning so we’re happy with him,” Busuttin said. The stable is treading a well-worn path to Ellerslie following two previous Derby assaults with 2017 runner-up Rising Red and last year Interlinked ran third in the Avondale Guineas and fifth in the Derby behind Orchestral. “Obviously, Rising Red got beaten by Gingernuts and Interlinked ran well in the lead-up and was a bit plain in the Derby,” Busuttin said. “This horse looks similar to those at this stage so hopefully he runs very well.” To be partnered by Daniel Moor, Thedoctoroflove placed at his first two starts before he won over 2000m at Flemington and was then sixth over 2100m at Sandown. “The other day, he got well out of his ground and finished strongly and if he’d held his position and sat midfield, he probably would have gone close to winning that race,” Busuttin said. “That was against the older horses, so I think his form is certainly going to be competitive.” Thedoctoroflove was bought out of Mill Park Stud’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for A$220,000. He is the first foal of the Rebel Raider mare Liberty Lover, a half-sister to the multiple stakes winner Dalasan, who placed four times at Group One level including a runner-up finish in the South Australian Derby (2500m). “This horse is a real mile and a-half type and he doesn’t have a lot of change-up speed, so he’ll need every bit of the 2100m to be competitive, but we’re sure he’ll run well,” Busuttin said. “I haven’t paid too much attention to all the New Zealand horses, other than the hot favourite (Willydoit) and he looks a special horse, but we’re happy to have a go.” Busuttin and Young also have a potential Group One three-year-old contender at home with the New Zealand-bred Emphasize, a son of Embellish who has won two of his three starts. “He runs on Saturday in the Autumn Classic, a Group Three over 1800m, at Caulfield and I’d say he will be a short-priced favourite,” Busuttin said. “He obviously looks the one to beat and safely through that he’ll probably aim at the Rosehill Guineas (Gr.1, 2000m).” View the full article

Atmospheric will contest Saturday’s Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) A sterling field has assembled for Saturday’s Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) and Cody Cole is looking forward to testing his promising three-year-old Atmospheric against some of the best in the country. The son of El Roca has been lightly-tried by Cole, with just four starts resulting in a win and three minor placings. After scoring his maiden at Tauranga in January, Atmospheric was bold against the older horses at New Plymouth, finishing a head adrift of One Bold Gigolo. “His run at Taranaki was full of merit, there was quite an on-speed bias that day and he got a bit of a bump on the bending, losing his momentum,” Cole said. “He really wound up late. “When he backed up his good win at Tauranga with another nice run, I thought why not have a crack. We opted to keep him at those shorter trips, he could’ve followed a path to go over ground in those couple of races after the Derby, but I just feel that he’s a little too immature to cope with that sort of mileage yet. “He’s that kind of horse that you can do anything with, he could switch off and run a trip if you want to, but I think we’re better to look ahead at the four-year-old year for that. “If he can be competitive there, we’ll keep him there for now.” Cole will apply blinkers on Atmospheric for the $110,000 contest, which features four confirmed slot holders for the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), with plenty chasing one of the remaining spots in the big race. “It’s a very strong race and he’s drawn an absolute horror gate (12 of 12), but you’re only three once and he’s an improving type,” Cole said. “He’ll be better next year, but he deserves a shot at them.” Atmospheric will be Cole’s sole representative at Ellerslie, while two of his runners in Bradley and Mapalicious will travel south to Otaki. Bradley is chasing a breakthrough victory in the Harcourts Otaki Maiden (1600m), while Mapalicious is searching for better fortune than in her most recent appearance in the Aquashield Roofing Handicap (1600m). “Bradley had a fresh-up run the other day and got back in an awkward spot, then he came down the outside in the firmest part of the track which he didn’t really appreciate,” Cole said. “There is a little bit of rain around at Otaki and it won’t be anywhere near as firm as it was at Te Rapa, which will suit him. It’s a race that possibly lacks a bit of depth and he deserves to be where he is in the market down there. “Mapalicious was in a really niggly run race last-start where the breaks were on and off, Gryllsy (Craig Grylls) had her in a lovely spot then she just got shuffled back to last at the top of the straight and by the time she’d crossed heels and got out, the race was over. “She’s better than that and doesn’t often run a bad one, I had no criticism of her performance there, it was just the way the race panned out.” Looking ahead to Champions Day in a fortnight, Cole will return to Ellerslie with his consistent juvenile Landlock to take on the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m). The son of Merchant Navy won on debut and was a narrow second in the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m), but it was his game fifth-placed effort in the $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) that stood out for Cole. “I was really proud of the horse, he’s had four runs, never had a trial and drew an awful gate (13) in the Millions, but when Rory (Hutchings, jockey) got off, he was very complementary of him,” Cole said. “He said he just gives you 100 percent and he wished I could feel the feeling he gives you, he was all out in the last 100m and his head was getting lower and lower, but he just kept giving his all. He’s just a genuine little racehorse. “He had a couple of weeks in the paddock post-race and he’s back to it again now, he’ll look to head to the Sistema and on to the Sires (Group 1, 1400m) after that.” Horse racing news View the full article