Wandering Eyes

The 2026 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale will feature several key changes, the company announced Tuesday. Per their release, these changes, centered around eliminating timed workouts and restricting whip use, are designed to better reflect the natural athleticism of the horses, and attract a wider pool of buyers to the marketplace. Key changes include: All under tack show performances will be untimed; Fasig-Tipton will not officially clock breezes. Use of the riding crop will be restricted: riders may carry a crop for safety purposes but may not strike horses during workouts. “These changes reflect our commitment to improving our two-year-old sales process,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “We believe buyer focus has skewed too heavily toward stopwatch-based evaluations. This approach is intended to restore balance–emphasizing how a horse moves and presents itself on the track.” The modifications are also designed with long-term strategy in mind: to welcome a broader spectrum of buyers. “By focusing less on clock-driven evaluations and removing whip use, we believe we can create a more accessible and horse-first sales environment,” Browning continued. “Our aim is to better serve traditional buyers while also welcoming new owners, trainers, and end-users who are interested in acquiring horses that are physically ready and mentally sound for the racetrack.” Fasig-Tipton's decision was based in part on an unplanned but revealing trial during the 2025 Midlantic May Sale when severe weather prompted the company to adjust the final day of the under tack show to untimed gallops and breezes. According to Fasig-Tipton, the response was overwhelmingly positive. “It became an unexpected case study,” said Browning. “Not only did the show present well visually, but the horses came out of their workouts in excellent condition–and the feedback from leading buyers and consignors was extremely supportive. That experience, combined with the tremendous horsemanship of our consignors, gives us the confidence to make these changes.” The 2026 Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale will take place May 18-19 in Timonium, Maryland, following the running of the Preakness Stakes. The post Fasig-Tipton To Switch To Untimed Breezes, Other Changes To 2026 Midlantic May Sale Format appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As noted last week, trainers can only amplify–not magnify–a horse's genetic legacy. D. Wayne Lukas was able to draw our attention to assets we might gladly replicate, but not even he could actually alter the genes available. In suggesting that he met his brief even more usefully with future broodmares than with sire prospects, this attorney admittedly left a star witness in the street in Serena's Song (Rahy)–whose 18-for-38 record, inside 30 months, advertised the toughness underpinning her class even more lavishly than Terlingua and others. But the point duly stands. In today addressing a very different legacy, then, we remind ourselves not just of the far more substantial legacy available to breeders, through their choice of matings, but also of the responsibilities we embrace as a result. For while the loss of R. Larry Johnson in February was a grievous one for the Mid-Atlantic Turf, his final bequest has quickly earned the chance to prove a lasting one. Famously his whole program towered on the precarious foundation of a filly he bought for just $2,400 at Timonium in 1978. She was by a son of Bold Ruler, The Big Boss. (A name that meant nothing to me, he presumably owed his opportunity at stud to full brother Tyrant, who won the Carter Handicap.) Ran's Chick, as Johnson called this filly, appears to have been one of three recorded foals by The Big Boss in 1976, and never made the starting gate. But she bred 11 winners, and before his death Johnson reckoned the stakes scorers proliferating beneath her to have exceeded 40. These included Special Kell (Parfaitement), a turf sprinter whose black-type success–by a nose at Laurel Park–is succinctly but expressively recorded in the form comment: “Hard used, driving.” Special Kell's first foal, Magical Meadow (Meadowlake), was unraced but injected due speed into her son Street Magician (Street Cry {Ire}) to win the GIII Hirsch Jacobs Stakes; while her daughter by distaff legend Bernardini became the dam of Future Is Now (Great Notion), who has matured into a smart turf sprinter for the Johnson program with three graded stakes over the past year. But Special Kell had a still more productive daughter in Star Kell (Star de Naskra), albeit her four wins came at such a moderate level that she might have been claimed for $12,500 when gaining one of them over 4.5f at Charles Town. Star Kell's daughter Strike the Moon (Malibu Moon) achieved multiple placings in graded stakes company, included a head defeat in the GII Delaware Oaks, and also won a couple of stakes over seven at Charles Town. One of those was also won by Star Kell's final foal, Walk of Stars (Street Sense), who that showed the family's trademark speed before holding out by a neck. With the Ran's Chick dynasty flourishing against all odds, Johnson sought to seed it with some extra stretch. Hence the paternity of Walk of Stars herself, while her own second cover was Animal Kingdom. Admittedly the resulting filly has turned out to be another sprinter, albeit in the steadily progressive turf mold of Future Is Now. Now six, Hollywood Walk is persevering in her quest for a first stakes win: her many near-misses (recently placed at that level for a seventh time!) include a head defeat at Laurel last summer. Then, in 2020, Johnson joined the many breeders struck by Constitution's first juveniles the previous year, and sent him Walk of Stars. Their son, one of 187 live foals by Constitution in that bumper crop, was sold through Betz Thoroughbreds for $600,000 to Repole Stable & St Elias Stables at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale. His name is, of course, Mindframe–and last weekend he won his second consecutive Grade I prize in a vintage edition of the GI Stephen Foster Stakes. It's obviously huge that he should have confirmed his elite status round a second turn after being top sprinters last time. High fives all round for the team at Claiborne, recently announced as his future home. If Mindframe has struck that elusive equilibrium between running fast and running long, that's a tribute to Johnson's work in first developing sprint speed under his foundation mare; and then in introducing a complementary Classic flavor through the likes of Street Sense and Constitution. However poignant the timing, Mindframe's fulfilment aptly expresses the continuity bequeathed by the best breeders. Because if they do it patiently enough, eventually they bring us to the point where the future really is now. Honor A.P. | Sarah Andrew Clinging To Honor It was a big weekend for Maryland. On the same day that Mindframe did his thing, back in their native state Post Time (Frosted), a set-your-clock nugget wherever he goes, took his Laurel record to nine-for-nine in the Deputed Testamony Stakes. And the next day the baton was passed to state “compatriot” Romeo (Honor A.P.), who broke the stakes record in the Bashford Manor Stakes. Presumably quite a few people are now revisiting the notes that must have been entered against this colt when he failed to make his reserve at Timonium as a yearling, stalling at just $14,000. Because his was one of the more aristocratic pages in that catalogue, at least once you get past a dam, Fancy Love (Not For Love), who managed a single visit to the starting gate (actually running fourth in a state-bred stakes race) and whose production record had been largely discouraging. She did have a Super Saver colt who won the first three of just five starts, but only this year her owners were ready to move her on for just $10,000 at the Keeneland January Sale–despite the considerable bonus of an Oscar Performance foal aboard. Romeo's emergence since is a twist of fortune hardly untypical of this business, and maddening for the vendors. But the fact is that his dam has seriously blue blood, notably as the daughter of a Touch Gold half-sister (herself confined to one start, similarly showing above-average ability) to Midshipman and therefore also to Fast Cookie, the Grade II-winning dam of Frosted. Fancy Love's half-sister by Unbridled's Song, moreover, has produced two smart runners in Gouverneur Morris (Constitution), twice Grade I-placed in a brief career; and multiple graded stakes performer Final Jeopardy (Street Sense). If Honor A.P. has stoked up these genes more effectively than a couple of much more expensive mates, that wouldn't surprise me. I have always been in his corner: in terms of raw ability, he was arguably the most talented of his crop, while that physique promised an overdue fulfilment in his second career. In the feckless environment of commercial breeding today, Honor A.P. suffered the inevitable neglect of so many stallions on that nervous bubble before their stock is tested on the track. Yet his first crop contains the late A.P. Kid, six-length winner of the off-the-turf Pennine Ridge Stakes; GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes winner Margie's Intention; and Heart Of Honor (GB), denied the G2 UAE Derby by just a nose. Only Vekoma (12), Complexity (seven) and Tiz the Law (six) can beat his five stakes winners to date, and he's working from around half the volume of some of his ostensibly “commercial” rivals. And Romeo is a startling marker for a horse of this profile, standing at $10,000, to lay down so early among his second crop. Horses like this are given a grotesquely brief opportunity, but it looks as though this one may be seizing it. Upstart | Sarah Andrew Upstart On An Upswing The sister race to the Bashford Manor, in contrast, showcased a stallion who has already fought his way through the other side. Percy's Bar, who followed up her spectacular debut with a five-length rout in the Debutante Stakes, represents the first crop conceived by Upstart following his breakout in 2022. That was the work of two second-crop sophomores: Zandon won the GI Blue Grass en route to third in the GI Kentucky Derby, while Kathleen O. similarly found herself among the Oaks favorites after winning Grade II rehearsals at Gulfstream. That same spring, Upstart had been down to 49 live foals. These nonetheless include impressive GIII Delaware Oaks winner Fondly, whose only defeat remains her disappointing Classic run at Churchill. But Upstart was fully subscribed (by the standards of a farm that scrupulously protects clients from catalogue inundation) at around 150 mares in both the next two years. In other words, he is now beginning to ride a wave that looks worth catching, with a much broader footprint guaranteed across the coming years. The extra quantity, remember, will be matched by quality after the trebling of his fee in 2023 to $30,000. It feels auspicious that a filly bred this way should be showing such precocious flair. Her unraced dam is by Super Saver out of a Silver Charm mare, and Upstart himself was as good as ever at four. But that's saying plenty: he had started out as a Saratoga debut winner (also won a stakes at the Spa), before beginning his annual sequence of multiple Grade I placings at two, three and four. Percy's Bar, a $52,000 find by Hat Creek Racing deep in the September Sale, has a seam of gold in her granddam's half-sister, who produced Off The Tracks (Curlin) to win the GI Mother Goose plus dual graded stakes winner Concord Point (Tapit). The only puzzle is that her owners seem to have found a bar they prefer to the Dry Bean Saloon… The post Breeding Digest: Mindframe A Fitting Memorial To His Breeder appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wednesday, Tipperary, Ireland, post time: 18:10, COOLMORE STUD LITTLE BIG BEAR TIPPERARY STAKES-Listed, €27,000, 2yo, 5f 0y Field: First Approach (Ire) (No Nay Never), Fresh Fade (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), Arugam Bay (Ire) (Soldier's Call {GB}), Gelato (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}), Spring Is Here (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). TDN Verdict: Aidan O'Brien last won this in 2018 with No Nay Never's Land Force and is represented here by First Approach, who is another son of the prolific Coolmore sire. He enjoys a similar racing profile to Land Force, in that he shed maiden status in his second start, earned prize-money in the Marble Hill before taking on a five-furlong task at Royal Ascot. The January-foaled bay, 10 lengths adrift of the winner when 19th in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes, encounters the Joseph O'Brien-trained Listed First Flier Stakes fourth Spring Is Here and three-race maiden Fresh Fade, who was a debut third to G2 Norfolk hero Charles Darwin and G2 Queen Mary fourth Cardiff By The Sea. Gelato, a nose shy of Spring Is Here when a debut fourth over course and distance in May, and Fairyhouse maiden winner Arugam Bay complete the line-up. [Sean Cronin]. Click here for the complete field. The post Black-Type Analysis: No Nay Never’s First Approach One to Note at Tipperary appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two-year-olds for both codes were the order of the day as the Arqana Summer Sale began its three-day run in Deauville on Tuesday. It was the young store horses who held sway over their Flat counterparts, and the opening session's top lot (159) was a son of No Risk At All, offered by The Channel Consignment. Named Ironhorse Has and sold on behalf of his breeder Hamel Stud, the two-year-old half-brother to Grade 3-winning chaser Irouficar Has (Dream Well) was signed for by Guy Petit at €180,000. “Pedigree, conformation, attitude—he's a colt with everything going for him,” said the agent. “I bought him for David Maxwell, and he will be trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm.” For Petit, it was a case returning to an outfit with which he has already enjoyed success. At the same sale two years ago, he bought the future multiple black-type winner Nietzsche Has for €240,000 and he too was from the same consignor and breeder. The winner of the G2 Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle for Marcel Rolland, Nietzsche Has, by Zarak, is now standing at Haras de Montaigu. Alban Chevalier de Fau's Channel Consigmnent was responsible for three of the top five stores sold on the day, including the second-most expensive store. Also two, the son of Walk In The Palk is out of a three-parts-sister to the outstanding hurdler State Man (Doctor Dino) and was bought by Gerry Aherne for €160,000. The breeze-up section which opened the sale was led by Knockanglass Stables' Sea The Stars colt out of the Italian Listed winner Bridge Royal Game (Royal Applause), who sold for €80,000 to Royal Ascot-winning owner OTI Racing with Hubie de Burgh. A much improved clearance rate of 79.4% saw 162 of the 204 lots offered find a buyer from a session in which 51 fewer horses passed through the ring compared to last year. The tightening of numbers clearly helped as the day's aggregate was up by 3.5% at €5,557.000 and the average rose by 2.8% to €34,099. The Summer Sale continues over the next two days with horses in training followed by broodmare prospects and in-foal mares. The post Positive Start for Arqana’s Summer Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit announced July 1 that Dr. Mary Scollay, HIWU's chief of science, has retired from full-time duties, effective immediately. HIWU will now transition under the leadership of Dr. Michael Hardy.View the full article

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has announced a 10% purse increase starting in the upcoming condition book, made possible by the passage of West Virginia Senate Bill 75. Charles Town will also add three additional race days.View the full article

Twenty-four students from the Irish National Stud's Thoroughbred Breeding Management course marked the completion of the six-month programme with a graduation ceremony on Friday, June 27. The event was hosted by well-known industry figure Leo Powell, with the family and friends of the graduating class among those in attendance at the County Kildare stud farm, as well as other respected figures from the Thoroughbred industry. A number of students were recognised for their exceptional performance and contribution over the duration of the course, including: Ava Banahan (Co. Kildare, Ireland) – Continuous Assessment Award Sam Thompson (Australia) – Best Portfolio of Assignments Raph McCall (UK) – Veterinary Exam Award Luke O'Neill (Co. Kildare, Ireland) – Equine Business Award Two prestigious internships were also announced. Peter Leavy (Co. Kildare) received the Jonathan Fitzpatrick Business Internship, which will commence in July at the Irish National Stud, while Josefina Posada Montoya (Colombia) was awarded the Goffs Internship. Tara Caroll (Co. Meath, Ireland) was honoured with the Irish Field “Blue Hen” Award for her outstanding article, which will be published in The Irish Field. Tara received a trophy and a €250 cheque presented by Powell. The ceremony concluded with the awarding of the highly regarded Gold and Silver Medals, presented annually to the top two performing students: Gold Medal: Luke O'Neill (Co. Kildare, Ireland) Silver Medal: Chloe De Salvador (France) Anne Channon, education manager at the Irish National Stud, said, “Our graduates this year have shown an extraordinary commitment to their studies and the Thoroughbred breeding industry. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and excited to see them contribute to the future of the Thoroughbred industry.” Class of 2025 Ava Banahan (Ireland), Luke Buchanan (Australia), Tara Carroll (Ireland), Chloe De Salvador (France), Claire Dilger (USA), Patrick Doyle (Ireland), Claire Hillebrand (USA), Jordan Kidd (Ireland), Peter Leavy (Ireland), Caroline Madden (USA), Raph McCall (UK), Sarahjane O'Byrne (Ireland), Luke O'Neill (Ireland), Áine O'Rourke (USA) George Palin (UK), Lea Petit (France), Josefina Posada Montoya (Colombia), Eric Resendiz (Mexico), Sarah Rohan (Ireland), Elle Sorensen (Ireland), Madeleine St Ledger (Australia), Moa Sundstrom (Sweeden), Sam Thompson (Australia), Conor Wafer (Ireland). The post Graduates of Prestigious Course Celebrated at Irish National Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Night Of Thunder currently sits at the top of the sire rankings for Britain and Ireland and, in a year in which he has already been represented by a first Classic winner in Desert Flower, his position could well be strengthened after Saturday with two other star performers lining up at Sandown and Haydock. Coral's sponsorship of the Eclipse Stakes reaches its 50th anniversary this year and the Group 1 contest, which has a roll of honour including such great names as Mill Reef, Sadler's Wells, Giant's Causeway and Enable, has a total prize fund of £1 million for the first time. Godolphin's Prince of Wales's Stakes winner Ombudsman is currently the short-priced favourite to claim the £567,100 on offer to the winner. Up at Haydock, Ombudsman's fellow Night Of Thunder four-year-old, Estrange, will line up in the G2 Lancashire Oaks for Cheveley Park Stud as she continues her climb towards the top level. Her most recent victory came at the same track in the G3 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes. At a Jockey Club-organised press conference for the Eclipse, Thady Gosden, co-trainer of Ombudsman referred to the 17-day turnaround from Ascot to this Saturday as a consideration but said, “He has come out of Royal Ascot in very good order and only had one run beforehand this season at Sandown in the Brigadier Gerard when he was second to Almaqam. He hasn't had a hard season or really a hard career so far so we thought why not go for this? “The Prince Of Wales's was a very tough race with a lot of Group 1 horses in there. He is still relatively inexperienced and that was his first run in a Group 1. We always thought he had the potential to be a horse of the class he has turned out to be and we found that out on the day at Ascot.” Gosden added, “He had a few traffic problems at Ascot but luckily has that turn of foot that Night Of Thunder seems to give them and he picked up really well. He has plenty of speed – he's always had it. He stays a mile and a quarter which gives us plenty of options and we'll have to see if he stays any further. Sandown is a stiff mile and a quarter and we'll know more after he has run on Saturday.” Night Of Thunder / ©Darley Stallions Ombudsman only started racing in the June of his three-year-old season with a winning debut at Newmarket, and Estrange, too, was a later starter, appearing two months after he did, also winning first time out, at Goodwood. Cheveley Park Stud's managing director Chris Richardson told TDN, “We're obviously delighted, having bought her as a yearling at the sales and paying a fair price for a lovely filly. I remember showing Pat Thompson a number of fillies at the sale, and she was very striking being grey, and that sort of sealed the deal really.” It is not just a sire shared by Ombudsman and Estrange, as both were bred at James Hanly's Ballyhimikin Stud. Hanly bred Ombudsman with Jono Mills and Estrange with his long-term allies Trevor Stewart and Anthony Stroud. Estrange, who is out of an Oasis Dream half-sister to Juddmonte's St Leger winner Logician (Frankel), started her training days with the Gosdens before moving to David O'Meara's Yorkshire stable. Richardson continued, “She showed very little as a two-year-old and was barely in training with John and Thady, and then she went back into training as a three-year-old and John was finding that she suffered from setfast, or tying up. We thought that she might benefit from being trained from the paddock, which is what David can offer in his wonderful facility up there. He got her and was very excited about her and has done a wonderful job with her. “When she won so impressively at Goodwood we thought we had something special, and then I made the mistake of running her on too-fast ground at Yarmouth where she got in a pocket and the race didn't really unfold for her. We thought we'd put a line through it and move forward, and we are obviously delighted that she set the record straight.” Beyond this Saturday, Estrange has Group 1 entries in the Nassau Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. “We discussed the Arc and sort of dreamt of a possible Arc contender,” Richardson said. “Obviously it's a very valuable race so we thought we'd make the entry and then we have it if things work out, especially if we are going to be dependent to a degree on a bit of ease in the ground, though I was encouraged when Danny Tudhope told me that he thought that the ground was less of a factor now than it was perhaps.” He added, “Mrs T is really excited about her, which is lovely, and she has given her a big lift. We've been very lucky over the years to have some lovely fillies, including Inspiral more recently, and we hope that this filly will be able to carry the colours for a bit longer, obviously this year, and we haven't discounted her maybe staying in training next year, depending on how she does.” Cheveley Park Stud came close at Royal Ascot a fortnight ago when Cajole, a daughter of Dubawi and Group 1 winner Persuasive, was second in the Sandringham Stakes, a race won by her dam nine years ago. And the stud did feature among the winning breeders courtesy of Humidity, who followed the example set by his full-brother Holloway Boy to win the Chesham Stakes. They are both by Cheveley Park's resident stallion Ulysses out of Sultry, by the late Pivotal. Humidity, who won on debut for his breeder at Newbury, was sold thereafter to Wathnan Racing. “At the end of the day we sadly don't have a Pivotal bringing in the income that he used to so we are running as more of a business now, and it was good business,” Richardson said. “But we are obviously delighted to have bred two Chesham winners, and the fact that they are both by Ulysses might help in the bigger picture a little bit going forward.” Sultry is now in foal to Tally-Ho Stud's Mehmas. The post Ombudsman and Estrange Set to Bolster Night Of Thunder’s Lead appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jose Sarinana has checked off a number of firsts with Happy Saver. The longtime assistant manager at Hagyard Farm, Sarinana foaled the future Grade I winner and seven years later was the breeder of the stallion's first foal. That foal, a filly out of Sarinana's only broodmare Planeta (Giant's Causeway), will become the stallion's first yearling to sell at auction when she goes through the ring as hip 4 in the early minutes of the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Yearlings Sale next Tuesday. She is the lone horse in the Sarinana Racing consignment. Bred and campaigned by Wertheimer et Frere and trained by Todd Pletcher, Happy Saver opened his career with five straight wins, a streak which included a victory in the 2020 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. He hit the board in 11 of 13 starts with five wins and earnings of $1,258,100. In addition to his win in the Gold Cup, he was second in that race, as well as the GI Clark Stakes in 2021, and was runner-up in the 2022 editions of the GI Metropolitan Handicap and GI Whitney Stakes before retiring to stud at Airdrie in 2023. The team at Hagyard, the Wertheimer's Kentucky nursery where Happy Saver was born, knew the handsome chestnut was talented right from the start, according to Sarinana. “We always number our horses from top to bottom,” Sarinana said. “And Happy Saver was always in the top three. He was good looking as a baby, as a weanling and a yearling. When we shipped him out to be trained, he looked even better. When he made it as a racehorse, I wasn't surprised. I knew he would.” Like Happy Saver, Planeta was bred by the Wertheimers. “Planeta got hurt as a baby, so she wasn't going to be a racehorse, but we nursed her to be a broodmare,” Sarinana said. “I was at the point where I wanted to do a little breeding and a little bit of racing and I asked if I could buy her. I remember one of the Wertheimer advisors asked me, 'Do you like to pay bills.' I said, 'Well, I do pay my bills.' He said, 'Well there you go. She is yours.' And they gave her to me. I got her as a yearling. She never left the farm. She stayed at the farm where she was born and where I've been working for 19 years.” Now 14, the mare, who is a half-sister to graded winner Meteore (Pulpit) and from the family of Grade I winners A Phenomenon and Seattle Meteor, is Sarinana's lone broodmare. “Just the one. It's just her and me,” he said with a chuckle. Happy Saver | Sarah Andrew Dac (Distorted Humor) carried the Sarinana Racing colors to victory in the 2015 and 2016 Prairie Bayou Stakes and that led to a brief doubling of the operation's broodmare band. “Dac brought some income to me and I decided to get another broodmare,” Sarinana said. “Unfortunately, I lost her foaling. I decided to just stick with Planeta.” Planeta is the dam of Mr. Sarinana (Mr. Speaker), who won on the flat and over jumps, and Kbcya Later (Broken Vow), a 5-year-old with earnings to date over $140,000. When he bred Planeta to Happy Saver, Sarinana was hoping to reproduce some of the same qualities he saw from that horse at a young age. “Good temper, a pretty easy-going horse, you don't even know he's there,” he recalled of Happy Saver. “One of those horses who showed his class all the way around. I was hoping that he would put some of his traits into the foal and he did. The filly looks a lot like he did when he was a yearling. I hope everybody will agree with me and like her.” Of breeding the stallion's first foal, Sarinana added, “It was very special because I've known Happy Saver since he was born–I foaled him. So to have his first foal, it was very exciting. Especially seeing how beautiful she was.” Sarinana may soon need a replacement for his lone broodmare. “I am looking for my next Planeta,” Sarinana admitted. “She lost a pregnancy last year and this year, she couldn't get in foal. So she may be telling me it's time to retire her. I don't know. I may try to breed her again next year. Maybe to Happy Saver.” While he may end up with two broodmares at some point, Sarinana doesn't expect his breeding operation to expand beyond that. “It's easy to just manage one or two mares,” he said. “Since I have my work, I work for the farm and it's easy for me to have one or two mares. As a hobby, I would say, more than a business. Maybe expecting you can make it one day.” Hip 4 (walking video) will be the only horse in Sarinana's consignment and he acknowledged it could be hard work getting people to believe in your product. “People who know me, know Hagyard Farm has bred and raced a lot of winners, but it's still hard to get people to believe in what you present,” Sarinana said. “It's like going to a mall and going to a mom and pop shop.” The Fasig-Tipton July Selected Yearlings Sale will be held Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m. and will be followed immediately by the company's July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. The post Sarinana to Give Happy Saver Another First at Fasig-Tipton July Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced on Tuesday that it would provide “high-quality technical support” to the tune of 50 million yuan (US$6.9 million) for the equestrian events at the National Games later this year. This help would be in addition to the HK$450 million (US$57.3 million) the club planned provide as the sole partner sponsor for the Hong Kong competition region. There would also be support for the National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the National Special Olympic Games in...View the full article

Kevin Philippart de Foy has been appointed by Amo Racing as their retained trainer at Freemason Lodge, it was announced on Tuesday. The Belgian-born Philippart de Foy started his career in Newmarket in 2020 and has trained just shy of 200 winners on the Flat in Britain in the interim. He celebrated his best season in 2023 when his stable had 61 winners and won over £860,000 in prize-money, highlighted by the success of Inquisitively in the G3 Cornwallis Stakes. Meanwhile, Philippart de Foy's appointment will see Raphael Freire, who has been training the Amo Racing horses at Sir Michael Stoute's former yard since March, return to his previous role as Amo's private trainer. “First, I'd like to welcome Kevin Philippart de Foy as our new trainer at Freemason Lodge,” said Kia Joorabchian, founder of Amo Racing, in a statement posted to the operation's X feed (@amoracingltd). “Kevin is a fantastic horseman who understands our goals and shares our ambition. Having known and worked with him for several years, it makes this transition even smoother. We know his character fits and our ideas align perfectly. “We believe he's the right person to take the operation to the next level and we're excited about what's ahead with him leading the team at this historic yard.” Joorabchian added, “At the same time, I want to say a big thank you to Raphael for stepping up and doing such a brilliant job getting Freemason up and running. His work over the past few months has been crucial and he's laid a solid foundation for the future. “Raphael has been a big part of Amo Racing's journey so far and he continues to be an integral part of our team moving forward.” Philippart de Foy, who has trained 14 winners in Britain so far this year, said, “I am deeply honoured to have been entrusted with the responsibility of taking over at Freemason Lodge and training such an exciting string of horses for Amo Racing. This is a major milestone in my career and I'm incredibly grateful to Kia and the team for the opportunity. “Amo Racing's investment and ambition in the sport are truly inspiring and I look forward to playing my part in what I hope will be a very successful journey together.” The post Kevin Philippart de Foy Named Amo Racing’s New Trainer at Freemason Lodge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nancy LaSala, who has served as president of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund since its establishment in 2006, has announced her retirement and has stepped down from the PDJF board. “On behalf of the entire PDJF Board, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Nancy LaSala for her dedication and service to the Fund and our recipients,” said Chairman William J. Punk, Jr. “Her vision, unwavering commitment, and tireless efforts have been instrumental in what we've become and the support we provide our fallen riders. While she will be greatly missed, we celebrate her many achievements. She has made a lasting impact, and we look forward to continuing the growth she has enabled. Thank you, Nancy, for everything you've done for this organization and the professional jockey community that we serve.” In addition to her role as PDJF president, LaSala served as the group's executive director from 2009 until April of last year. She received the Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award, sponsored by Churchill Downs, in 2024. A native of Chicago and wife of retired jockey Jerry LaSala, her business background includes a nearly 40-year career as manager of contract administration and commercial activities for a global leader in power generation. “As one of the founding Board members of the PDJF, it's been an honor to help build this organization–from the ground up–into something that is so close to my heart,” LaSala said. “Looking back on our journey, I'm incredibly proud of the progress we've made and the impact we've had. It has been a privilege to work alongside such passionate and dedicated individuals, all united by a shared mission to support our jockeys in their time of greatest need. I leave with pride in what we've accomplished together and with deep appreciation for the relationships built along the way. I have always believed that a cornerstone of our sport's business model should be the unwavering support of both our human and equine athletes.” The post PDJF President Nancy LaSala Retires appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dr. Mary Scollay has retired from her full-time duties as the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's chief of science, effective immediately, HIWU announced Tuesday. While Scollay will continue to serve as a consultant to HIWU, Dr. Michael Hardy has assumed the position of acting chief of science. “Dr. Scollay was integral to the creation of HIWU and the launch and enforcement of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program,” said Ben Mosier, executive director of HIWU. “In the three-plus years since our first introduction at Turfway Park's test barn, her contributions have been immeasurable. “The entire HIWU team is thankful for Dr. Scollay's service on behalf of the Thoroughbred industry, and we are grateful that we will continue to benefit from her expertise as a consultant.” Scollay was a regulatory veterinarian for more than 30 years, including 11 years serving as the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's equine medical director. She piloted the program that became known as The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database (EID), which was the first North American database to track equine injuries and fatalities. Before joining HIWU, Scollay was a member of HISA's inaugural ADMC Committee. She also served as the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium's executive director and chief operating officer for three years, where she directed the advancement of laboratory drug testing standards, promotion of RMTC-recommended rules and penalties for prohibited substances and therapeutic medications, monitoring of emerging threats to the integrity of racing and the health and welfare of racehorses, and administrative oversight of RMTC-funded research projects and educational programs. As he transitions into his new position, Hardy will also maintain his role as executive director of the RMTC. “HIWU has enjoyed a productive relationship with Dr. Hardy in his role at the RMTC, and we are excited for him to join our team,” said Mosier. “We are confident that he will build on our successes thus far to promote laboratory harmonization and facilitate research into novel substances that pose a threat to safety, integrity, and welfare.” Hardy joins HIWU after spending nearly three years as the executive director of the RMTC. A member of HISA's Horsemen's Advisory Group, he spent more than a decade as a regulatory veterinarian, including serving as the chief association veterinarian and safety director at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He is also a member of the Breeders' Cup Veterinary Panel and has served on the Horseracing Testing Laboratory Committee and RegVets Continuing Education Program's Committee for the RMTC. The post Scollay Steps Down From HIWU Post; Hardy Named Acting Chief of Science appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Following a victory against top competition in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs June 28, Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables' Mindframe is the new No. 1 in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll.View the full article

Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen will attempt to have the exacta again in the $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) July 5 as Red Route One and Unload return to the 1 1/8-mile contest this year.View the full article

Derby seventh Green Storm is one of nine additions to the catalogue for the Tattersalls July Sale, which takes place from July 8-10. The son of Circus Maximus and multiple Group winner Banimpire will be offered by Charlie Johnston's Kingsley Park, on behalf of owner Ahmad Al Shaikh, as lot 583E. Last seen finishing fifth in the G2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, he was also a high-class juvenile when his efforts included a runner-up finish in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. The same owner's Green Team Racing will also offer the promising three-year-old Al Shababi as lot 583D, consigned by trainer Owen Burrows. The Without Parole colt gained his first career success by nearly three lengths at Windsor in April and will be offered with a Timeform rating of 91p. They will be joined by a third smart three-year-old colt in Matauri Bay, who will be consigned by Imperium Sales as lot 583C. The son of Lope De Vega finished second in last year's G3 Solario Stakes won by the outstanding miler Field Of Gold. Jamie Railton will consign a pair of progressive four-year-olds in Small Fry (Harzand), a wide-margin winner of a competitive handicap at Epsom on Derby day for Gary and Josh Moore, and Fahrenheit Seven (Showcasing), who has won or been placed in 10 of his 12 career starts for Mark Usher. They will be offered as lots 583B and 583A, respectively. The wildcards also include the two-year-old filly Luminare (Dark Angel), a half-sister to the multiple Group scorer Raqiya, who will be offered by the Castlebridge Consignment as lot 243A after her victory in a Bath novice; the four-race maiden Beauty Beyond (Dubawi), who has been added to the Barton Sales draft as lot 243D; plus the three-time winner Smart Hero (Shamardal) and last year's Listed Spring Cup Stakes fourth Ahlain (Too Darn Hot), with that pair being consigned by James Tate's Jamesfield Stables as lots 242B and 243C, respectively. The full catalogue for the July Sale, featuring 940 lots, can be viewed here. The post High-Class Green Storm Headlines Nine Tattersalls July Sale Wildcards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday a budget package that includes a continuation to, and in certain ways a redistribution of, the incentives and promotions that lawmakers have funnelled towards the state racing and breeding industries in recent years. The budget includes the following details: $15 million to Gulfstream Park and $5 million to Tampa Bay Downs for purses “and for the maintenance and operation” of these facilities. This mirrors the amounts listed for such purposes in last year's budget. $6 million to Gulfstream Park and $1.5 million to Tampa Bay Downs to be used as purses and purses supplements specifically for Florida-bred and sired horses. A $2 million direct appropriation to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA). Furthermore, the budget eliminates the requirement for Thoroughbred permitholders to pay their $2 million annual slot machine licensing fees, provided the permitholder is “in compliance” with certain specifics outlined in the budget. Pre-existing legislation means the annual racetrack tax credits to offset HISA funding assessments continues this year unaffected. The budget was a contentiously fought affair, both within the state legislature–which took an additional 45 days over the normal timeframe to agree upon a final package–and among some of the state's key racing industry organizations (beyond the ultimately thwarted attempts to decouple the live racing requirement for Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs to operate their respective casino and card rooms). An earlier version of the tax package advanced by the Florida House of Representatives included a small section tacked onto the end of the bill that would have maintained $27.5 million in annual purse subsidies at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs, but would have stripped out the FTBOA as a receiving or administering entity for that money. Last year, the state legislature funneled $5 million specifically towards the FTBOA in breeding and racing incentives and promotions. While this year's direct appropriation to the FTBOA is $2 million, the budget includes a combined $7.5 million for the tracks to use as purses and purses supplements specifically for Florida-bred and sired horses. In a Monday statement, FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell singled out leaders in the Florida Senate for their “ongoing support” of the state's Thoroughbred breeding industry. “Were it not for key Senate allies, Florida's breeding program would be in a precarious position. We are thankful that Thoroughbred breeding remains a priority in Florida. With Governor Desantis's approval today, Florida will continue to develop top-quality horses, while protecting the important and historic economic, agricultural, and cultural legacy of our state's Thoroughbred breeding industry. “Today's additional state investment affirms the racetracks' responsibility to the Florida industry. We anticipate benefits to our breeders as purse incentives drive up market values for the second most valuable state-breds in the nation,” Powell added. The post Florida Budget Signed, Includes Ongoing Incentives to Racing Industry appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

James Orman was left pinching himself after landing his first Hong Kong double at Sha Tin on Tuesday evening. Orman has chipped away since arriving in Hong Kong as injury cover in February, compiling 11 winners from 206 rides to earn himself a contract through to February next year. “First double – pinching myself really,” said Orman after booting home Wonderstar and Pakistan Legacy. “It’s a good thrill to build a bit of momentum. Hopefully I can keep it rolling.” Congratulations, @JimmyOrman!...View the full article

Excuse the redundancy, but it's the test for the Test.View the full article

The Lexington leg of the Real Rider Cup, held June 28 at New Vocations at Mereworth Farm raised over $57,000 to support Thoroughbred aftercare efforts. The charity show jumping competition brings together personalities from across the breeding and racing industry to increase awareness and raise funds for Beyond the Wire, New Vocations, and the Retired Racehorse Project, with each rider pledging to raise at least $1,000. Kristin VanMeter and Hardesty won the individual competition, and VanMeter's Team Stockplace, which included Gina Gans, Mary Motion, and Avery Wismer, prevailed as the winners of the team competition. Jockey Sophie Doyle took home the highest earner award, having raised over $6,000 by the conclusion of the evening. An honorable mention is due to multi-year RRC participant Sergio DeSousa of Hidden Brook Farm, who achieved a milestone of over $25,000 raised in the course of his participation. “As of Saturday evening, our grassroots event has raised nearly $700,000 for a group of beneficiaries representing a diverse cross section of programs within the aftercare community,” said Real Rider Cup founder Anita Motion. “It's our honor and imperative to give back to the horses who give us our livelihood by supporting these essential organizations.” Real Rider Cup action continues Oct. 18 when it joins the schedule of events on cross country day at the MARS Maryland 5-Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory. For more information, visit www.therealridercup.com. The post Real Rider Cup Lexington Raises Over $57k for Thoroughbred Aftercare appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

I knew it was coming, but that doesn't dull the sadness. I posted online last week that I was sad about the news D. Wayne Lukas had been put in hospice care and retired from training, but it's complicated to explain why I feel so profoundly sad about the passing of a man that I'd only spoken with a few times briefly in my life. A lot of it has to do with a connection I had with my dad that he unknowingly helped fuel many times over more than 40 years. In a strange way, Lukas's death feels like I'm losing another connection to my dad, who also passed away on Mar. 13 of this year. As a kid, I fell in love with horse racing and treated horse racing magazines and Thoroughbred pedigrees like other boys my age treated baseball cards. It was an unusual obsession for a boy growing up in Texas while pari-mutuel wagering was still illegal and no legal racing was anywhere in my home state. But that was fitting because I wasn't like most other boys my age. As a teenager, my dad and I started a tradition of going to Oaklawn Park every April for the Arkansas Derby–the biggest race close to Texas every year at that time. And a friend of his told him how we could sneak into the stable area of the track without licenses–a trick that worked flawlessly for us year after year. My dad didn't really understand my obsession with racing, but he loved me enough to indulge it and even encourage it. I'm sure he would have rather had a son who was more interested in football or baseball and had any athletic ability, but I wasn't going to be that kid. The first year we went to Oaklawn Park, I took my camera and dragged my dad all over the stable area looking for the barns of the big trainers who had the stakes horses–the horses about whom I had encyclopedic knowledge. And number one on my list was the barn of D. Wayne Lukas. He was at the top of the game at that time, and his barn was full of horses that I wanted to see up close and photograph. Tops among them the first year we went (1983) was King Ranch's splendid champion filly by Alydar, Althea, who stormed to an impressive victory over males in the Arkansas Derby that year. While I was walking the shedrow quietly and snapping pictures while trying not to get caught, Wayne Lukas himself came around the corner. I was sure my dad and I were about to get yelled at or thrown out of the Oaklawn stable area. Instead, Wayne engaged me in a conversation about his horses, treating me with the kind of welcoming kindness and encouragement he wasn't known for until much later in his life. At that time, people viewed him–fairly–as often arrogant and brash. Legitimate or just momentary kindness, he made my dad and I feel like he was impressed with my knowledge of his current and past trainees. Maybe even more meaningful, my dad knew enough about the sport at that point that he knew Lukas was a big deal, and he was clearly proud that his son had been able to hold a meaningful conversation with such an expert. It was the first time D. Wayne Lukas brought my dad and I a little closer. The next April, my dad and I were at Oaklawn again, and we again ran into Wayne at his barn. He was welcoming, and this time he told me to follow him to a particular stall, where he told me, “You'll be hearing a lot more about this filly here.” Then, he proceeded to pull the gray filly to the front of her stall so I could take a picture of him with her and my dad could take a picture of me with her. She was relatively unknown at the time, but she won some major stakes later that year. The next year, that filly–Lady's Secret–put together a campaign that included a win over males in the GI Whitney Handicap and a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff on her way to the 1986 Horse of the Year title. While my dad's interest in horse racing was never as keen as mine, when it was Triple Crown time, he always wanted to know who Lukas had running. Growing up, my dad owned a mortgage company, an insurance agency, and did work as a real estate appraiser and real estate agent–whatever it took to keep things going as the economy ebbed and flowed over the decades. He worked incredibly hard, and he worked a lot. He didn't have many hobbies, and especially as I got older, I often found it hard to find things to talk to him about. But he did enjoy gambling, and that made horse racing more interesting for him and something we could share. Lukas and his horses factored into many of those conversations over the years. My dad was proud when some horse racing columns I had written were quoted in a biography about Lukas sometime in the 1990s. Even as an adult, few things feel better than when your dad is proud of you. One more gift Lukas unknowingly gave me. In 2022, an opportunity came to buy shares in a yearling colt by Arrogate through MyRacehorse that was going to be trained by Lukas. I couldn't resist, and I knew it was a journey my father would want to take with me. He did. We both bought shares in the gray colt and relived a lot of memories, including the days at Oaklawn Park when I was a teenager as we embarked on our adventure with our trainer, D. Wayne Lukas. That colt, Seize the Grey, was a topic of many conversations with my dad over the next couple of years, at a time when his world was getting smaller and more difficult as his health declined. In 2023, I was at Saratoga to watch my Derby winner, Mage, run in the Travers. That morning, I stopped by Lukas's office in the Saratoga stable area. I told him about my dad and me meeting him 40 years earlier at Oaklawn and the fact that we were now both shareholders in Seize the Grey. Though I know he heard similar things frequently, he indulged my story. And in Lukas's typically optimistic way, he proceeded to tell me what a talented colt he was and that he thought he was going to have an exciting future. I knew enough about Lukas to know he might be telling the truth, or he might be saying what he knew I wanted to hear because he always was the sport's best marketer. Turns out Lukas was telling the truth because Seize the Grey won the following year's GI Preakness Stakes, as well as some other major stakes. When Seize the Grey was coming down the Pimlico stretch in front, tears started streaming down my face. Interestingly, it was less about winning the Preakness than it was about this journey with my dad centered around this trainer who had hovered around our lives for more than four decades. At a time when my dad wasn't having many moments of joy, this man I hardly knew delivered a moment of great joy that my parents and I could share. It seemed an incredible and perfect end to an unlikely story many years in the making. While the Preakness was not Seize the Grey's last major win, it was the last one my dad was well enough to enjoy. And because of the Lukas connection and all the history and emotion behind it, that win means more to me than my two Kentucky Derby winners or any other race I've been fortunate enough to win with my tiny shares in horses. Today, I find myself both mourning D. Wayne Lukas and the loss of one more connection to my dad. Lukas–especially in his younger days–was often too hard on horses and made his share of mistakes. But he was also the kind of horseman who held champion filly Landaluce's head in his lap as she passed away from a freak disease. And the kind of man who routinely chose random kids to join him in the winner's circle after a win to encourage their interest in racing. Later in his life, he was a trainer who gave young riders a chance to ride quality horses when others wouldn't. Most importantly to me, though, D. Wayne Lukas was part of the fabric of my relationship with my dad–at times enhancing our closeness and providing us moments of unforgettable joy. I will always be grateful to him for that, and the world seems a little less bright and optimistic today knowing he's no longer with us. Richard Glover Jr. is the CEO of the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, and has owned shares in two Kentucky Derby winners, Mage and Authentic. The post Letter to the Editor: Wayne Lukas, My Dad, and Me appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Light Years Charm has Group racing in his future after scything his way through the field to win the Class Two Hong Kong Reunification Cup (1,400m) at Sha Tin on Tuesday. The David Eustace-trained improver always travelled best one from the rear under Zac Purton and despite turning widest of all into the straight, the top jockey was full of both rein and confidence. When unleashed, the Rubick galloper surged into the lead at the 100m pole before holding off a challenge from the equally...View the full article

by Adam Hamilton Champion Queensland trainer Grant Dixon cannot believe star Kiwi filly Captains Mistress was overlooked for a start in Saturday night’s $300,000 Group 1 Rising Sun at Albion Park. Instead, her Kiwi trainer Nathan Williamson will come across her as a hot favourite from barrier in a consolation of the Rising Sun. “I’m more than surprised, I’m dumbfounded, to be honest,” Dixon said. “What more did she need to do? “Along with everything she’s done in NZ, she’s come across here (Brisbane) early and won both her races. “And what she did at Redcliffe (in the Oaks) last week was enormous. It takes a really special horse to do the work she did at Redcliffe and win. “Combine the work she did with the fact she ran as quick as the boys did in the (Redcliffe) Derby and I just can’t see how didn’t get in (to the Rising Sun). “I think she’d have brought a real X-factor to the race, too. And she could’ve won it with the right sort of run, she’s that good.” Dixon will still have three Rising Sun runners, three-year-old pair Fate Awaits and Path To Greatness, along with four-year-old Charge Ahead. Kiwi star Rubira and Luke McCarthy’s Hesitate join Dixon’s pair to give the race a record four three-year-old runners. No three-year-old has won the Rising Sun in its four-year history. The closest have been Leap To Fame’s third in 2022 and Rocknroll Hammer’s second (to Leap To Fame) in 2023. “If it’s going to happen, this is the year,” Dixon said. “It’s a good four-year-old crop, but there’s no standout, while the three-year-olds look like a really good batch.” Rubira, fresh from leading throughout in last week’s Redcliffe Derby and beating Dixon’s pair, is the most strongly fancied of the three-year-olds at $5.50 from gate three. Kiwi-bred The Janitor is a firming ($4.50 into $3.50) favourite from gate six. He is trained by Chantal Turpin and driven by her husband Pete McMullen, who are going for back-to-back wins in the feature after Wisper A Secret won well last year. NZ’s other Rising Sun hopeful, David and Stacey White’s Betterthancash, is sweating on a start as the first emergency. His chances hinge whether Victorian star Bay Of Biscay and stablemate War Dan Buddy get a flight from Melbourne to Brisbane on Friday. Insiders say the flight is only a remote chance of happening. Bay Of Biscay and War Dan Buddy will be scratched if the flight doesn’t eventuate. View the full article

by Adam Hamilton Champion Queensland trainer Grant Dixon cannot believe star Kiwi filly Captains Mistress was overlooked for a start in Saturday night’s $300,000 Group 1 Rising Sun at Albion Park. Instead, her Kiwi trainer Nathan Williamson will come across her as a hot favourite from barrier in a consolation of the Rising Sun. “I’m more than surprised, I’m dumbfounded, to be honest,” Dixon said. “What more did she need to do? “Along with everything she’s done in NZ, she’s come across here (Brisbane) early and won both her races. “And what she did at Redcliffe (in the Oaks) last week was enormous. It takes a really special horse to do the work she did at Redcliffe and win. “Combine the work she did with the fact she ran as quick as the boys did in the (Redcliffe) Derby and I just can’t see how didn’t get in (to the Rising Sun). “I think she’d have brought a real X-factor to the race, too. And she could’ve won it with the right sort of run, she’s that good.” Dixon will still have three Rising Sun runners, three-year-old pair Fate Awaits and Path To Greatness, along with four-year-old Charge Ahead. Kiwi star Rubira and Luke McCarthy’s Hesitate join Dixon’s pair to give the race a record four three-year-old runners. No three-year-old has won the Rising Sun in its four-year history. The closest have been Leap To Fame’s third in 2022 and Rocknroll Hammer’s second (to Leap To Fame) in 2023. “If it’s going to happen, this is the year,” Dixon said. “It’s a good four-year-old crop, but there’s no standout, while the three-year-olds look like a really good batch.” Rubira, fresh from leading throughout in last week’s Redcliffe Derby and beating Dixon’s pair, is the most strongly fancied of the three-year-olds at $5.50 from gate three. Kiwi-bred The Janitor is a firming ($4.50 into $3.50) favourite from gate six. He is trained by Chantal Turpin and driven by her husband Pete McMullen, who are going for back-to-back wins in the feature after Wisper A Secret won well last year. NZ’s other Rising Sun hopeful, David and Stacey White’s Betterthancash, is sweating on a start as the first emergency. His chances hinge whether Victorian star Bay Of Biscay and stablemate War Dan Buddy get a flight from Melbourne to Brisbane on Friday. Insiders say the flight is only a remote chance of happening. Bay Of Biscay and War Dan Buddy will be scratched if the flight doesn’t eventuate. View the full article

Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) advises the industry of important amendments to the Harness Racing New Zealand Regulations – Conduct of Meetings, Programming, Handicapping and Rating Regulation, specifically relating to Clause 17: Junior Driver Rating Concessions. Correction to Clause 17.1 – Eligibility Threshold Increased Effective immediately, the wording of Clause 17.1 has been revised to correct the eligibility threshold for junior driver concessions. The original clause stated: “Race-winning 4YO and older horses driven by a junior driver that has driven up to and including 10 career wins at the commencement of the meeting concerned will receive a two-point rating reduction if that win is not a Rating Penalty Free race.” This was incorrect. The clause now correctly reads: “Race-winning 4YO and older horses driven by a junior driver that has driven up to and including 50 career wins at the commencement of the meeting concerned will receive a two-point rating reduction if that win is not a Rating Penalty Free race.” This adjustment ensures that the rating concessions remain in line with historical practices and support junior drivers in building experience and opportunity within the industry. Deferral of Clause 17.3 – Designated Races Concession Framework HRNZ also advises that Clause 17.3, which was drafted to introduce an expanded rating concession framework for designated races, will not be implemented at this stage. This clause was introduced by the Utilisation Reference Group (URG) to provide a new concession similar to those applied in various states of Australia, with the intent of creating an opportunity to drop horses back in grade and provide extra opportunities for them. The clause proposed a system allowing horses otherwise ineligible for specific races to receive rating point reductions based on the junior driver’s experience level, summarised as: 3 point reduction for junior drivers with 0-10 career wins 2 point reduction for 11-25 career wins 1 point reduction for 26+ career wins Following further consideration, HRNZ has determined that this provision requires additional consultation and development. Accordingly, Clause 17.3 is deferred and will not come into effect until further notice. Commitment to Consistency and Further Review Importantly, these updates mean that junior driver rating concessions remain consistent with the practices in place prior to the introduction of the new rating system on 30 June 2025. To ensure junior drivers continue to have meaningful pathways and appropriate opportunities, HRNZ will soon establish a dedicated working group to review the operation of junior driver concessions. This group will include representation from junior drivers themselves, with the aim of refining these provisions to best support their development and participation. Further Information For any questions or further clarification, please contact Matthew Peden – Head of Racing & Wagering: matthew.peden@hrnz.co.nz. View the full article