Wandering Eyes

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Changes to the stop-race protocol have been called for by those involved in a race Nov. 9 at Chelmsford in which horses narrowly avoided colliding with a set of starting stalls left stranded on the track by a malfunctioning tractor.View the full article

Selections for Cup day at Addington Race Matt Cross Commentator Race 1 12.08pm 13 Eurokash 5 Tu Tangata 4 Sheza Gift 12 Forgiveness Race 2 12.33pm 8 Dynasty 6 Dave Duley 13 Salute 12 Shake A Leg Race 3 1.00pm 9 Gold Bullion 7 Zoltan Boscik 15 Matty A 1 Julie Jaccka Race 4 1.32pm 9 Catch A Wave 14 Ohoka Connor 5 Wag Star 4 The Big Lebowski Race 5 2.07pm 9 Duchess Megxit 12 Treacherous Baby 2 Classic Elegance 11 Ruby Roe Race 6 2.42pm 16 The Lazarus Effect 17 Rise Up N Dance 2 Katherine 18 The Coalman Race 7 3.14pm 2 Just Believe 16 Bet N Win 14 Oscar Bonavena 6 Arcee Phoenix Race 8 3.53pm 3 Hadron Collider 1 Rakero Rocket 13 Pinseeker 2 Xlendi Race 9 4.33pm 8 Marketplace 1 Captain Sampson 9 Got The Chocolates 4 Demon Blue Race 10 5.09pm 3 Fear And Faith 7 Oliver 6 What The Bell 17 Ready Set jet Race 11 5.46pm 15 Swayzee 10 Merlin 5 Don’t Stop Dreaming 14 Republican Party Race 12 6.23pm 3 Borrisokane 5 Miki’s Courage 4 Bazooka 6 Neverseentherain View the full article

The top lot on the second day of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale came late in the session when Aisling Noone and Simon Cavanagh of Drumloose Stables went to €54,000 for the Harzand (Ire) colt (lot 416) consigned by Garryrichard Stud. “As soon as we saw him we fell in love with him,” Noone said of the foal. “We sold a Harzand for a client at the Derby Sale to Kevin Ross, so we have had some luck with him, and we have gone back to the well again. “We know the family quite well as Simon is friendly with Gerald Quinn who trained this colt's half-brother Broughshane to win his four-year-old point-to-point. He is now with Jonjo and AJ O'Neill and won over hurdles in October.” For much of the day it looked as though the top price of €42,000 was going to be a two and then three-way split between two colts by leading sire Walk In The Park (Ire), both bought by Richard Frisby, and a colt by Crystal Ocean (GB) from Graiguebeg Farm, who was purchased by Tom Howley's Brook Lodge Farm. “This is a very good-moving horse,” Howley said of lot 406, who is out of the six-time winner Run For Mary (Ire) (Flemensfirth), a half-sister to the G1 Prix du Cadran third Run For Oscar (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}). “The mare was a good runner and I am a big fan of the sire. I have a few by him for next year's store horse sales and he had a juvenile bumper winner last week.” The first of Frisby's two purchases by Walk In The Park was lot 227, who was prepped by Gillian Kinahan for breeder and consignor Kevin Haverty's Hillview Farm, while the other, lot 389, provided Jimmy and Eileen Furlong's Thistletown Stud with another notable result after they sold the top lot on the opening day of the sale, a colt by Jeu St Eloi (Fr) who fetched €58,000. The November National Hunt Sale continues at 10am on Tuesday. The post Harzand Colt Stars on Second Day of the Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) is being targeted at the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan on Friday, January 24, according to Fred Heyman, who was recently named president of Team Valor International. Trained by Jerome Reynier for Team Valor, Facteur Cheval is no stranger to Meydan, having made the breakthrough at the top level when winning the $5-million Dubai Turf back in March. He was last seen filling the runner-up spot in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, pushing the outstanding miler Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) all the way to the line. The five-year-old now has a return to Dubai this winter on his agenda, with his connections keen to test him on dirt in preparation for a potential tilt at the G1 Dubai World Cup. In a video posted on X by the Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai), Heyman said of Facteur Cheval, “We are so proud of him. He just dances every dance, he shows up, and he put in what we thought was a remarkable performance at Ascot, not taking anything away from Charyn, probably one of the best milers in training in Europe right now. “Our plan is to send him over to Dubai. We've always thought that he had the potential to be a very nice horse on the dirt, in terms of the way he moves across the dirt track. It looks like we're going to be looking at the Al Maktoum Challenge, which is run on the dirt in the middle of January, with perhaps the ultimate goal being the Dubai World Cup.” The post Al Maktoum Challenge the Next Stop for Facteur Cheval appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Emma-Jayne Wilson, involved in a Oct. 25 spill at Woodbine in which she suffered neck and pelvic fractures, remains in a Toronto hospital and is bedridden, but is already looking forward to launching a comeback when Woodbine re-opens in April. Wilson, 43, was riding the horse Ready Shakespeare (More Than Ready) in that day's second race. The horse fell after suffering an apparent heart attack and Wilson was thrown to the track. “I remember everything,” she said from her hospital bed at Milton District Hospital. “Right from the git-go, I remember the race itself. I remember my horse losing his cadence and changing the way he was traveling. So I knew something was wrong. And from that moment to the impact, it was very fast. I kind of grabbed a hold of him to try to pull him up. We ended up going down and I remember hitting the inner rail. I knew what I had done.” After she underwent surgery at Sunnybrook Hospital, she was transferred to Milton District, a blessing, she said, because that hospital is only five minutes from her home. “Going to that hospital has been very beneficial for myself and my family,” she said. “My girls have been able to come by and see me more often, which is a big help to me.” While Wilson has a long road ahead, she is focused on getting healthy and returning to riding. “I'm doing as well as can be expected given the situation,” she said. “Things are steadily progressing.” However, she is not allowed to bear any weight and remains bedridden. “I'm limited so far as my movements go,” Wilson said. “I'm not allowed to bear any weight. I'm sort of confined to a bed and to a chair. That's mildly irritating, but it is necessary. She is not sure when she will be released from the hospital. “I don't know how much longer I'll be in the hospital,” Wilson said. “I have follow-up appointments this week. I'm anticipating once we get X-rays and scans and what not we'll have better idea of how things have gone post surgery and a better idea what the next stage will be.” She will require months of physical therapy, but doesn't see any reason why she won't be ready for the 2025 season at Woodbine. “I should be ready by then,” she said. “I'll definitely need a few more months to recover. We'll wait to see when I'm fully recovered and have regained my fitness level. It's still in early stages right now.” It's clear that she is not feeling sorry for herself. She understands that accidents like the one she experienced are an unfortunate part of racing. “When you're an athlete, accidents are something that you have to be prepared for,” she said. “This is something where I'm going to give the same amount of focus and dedication to my recovery as I always have to my career. That's what I'll be focused on for the next few months.” On July 11, 2024, she won the fourth race at Woodbine to become the highest-earning female jockey in history, surpassing the record of $90,126,584 previously held by Hall of Fame rider Julie Krone. Wilson has been riding since 2004 and has amassed 1,930 wins and $91,393,445 in earnings. The post Emma-Jayne Wilson Still In Hospital, But Is Upbeat About Her Future appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features a half-brother to a leading member of this year's Classic generation. 12.00 Chantilly, Mdn, €30,000, unraced 2yo, c/g, 9 1/2f (AWT) Alain and Gerard Wertheimer's unraced UTHER (GB) (Camelot {GB}) is a homebred half-brother to this term's G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero, G1 Prix du Jockey Club third and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe fourth Sosie (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The Christophe Ferland trainee encounters seven rivals in this denutants' heat. 13.10 Chantilly, Mdn, €30,000, unraced 2yo, f, 9 1/2f (AWT) Princess Zahra Aga Khan's MANDANABA (FR) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) is a Francis-Henri Graffard-trained daughter of three-time Group 1 winner Mandesha (Fr) (Desert Style {Ire}). She is opposed by 10, including Roy Racing's Day Dreaming (Fr) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}), who is out of dual Group 3-winning G1 Prix Rothschild and G1 Prix Jean Romanet placegetter Siyoushake (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}); and Pia and Joakim Brandt trainee Karinskhaya (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}), who is a half-sister to G1 Irish St Leger third Baron Samedi (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}). The post Half-Brother to Grand Prix de Paris Hero Sosie Set for Chantilly Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Adam Hamilton Trainer Jason Grimson is thrilled with the way Swayzee has handled his hectic schedule ahead of today’s $1m IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington Raceway (5.46pm). The defending Cup champion arrived at the Butt family’s Woodend Beach stables at 9pm Sunday night, after flights from Sydney to Auckland and then a connector down to Christchurch. “Looking at him, he seems great,” Grimson said yesterday. “It doesn’t look like he’s lost much weight at all. “I had him really well before we left and it’s just about having him bright now for race. We’ve taken him down to the beach. Asked about the enormity of the challenge, giving Swayzee raced and won at Young in New South Wales on Friday night and then had his two flights to get to Christchurch, Grimson still seemed bullish. “He’s the right sort of horse to try something like this with, not much bothers him and he’s an experienced traveller,” he said. “You’ve got to say looking at him, it doesn’t seem to have bothered him.” Grimson believes Swayzee is a better horse than when he won the NZ Cup last year. “He’s more experienced in the big races and I think that Victoria Cup win last month was as good as he’s ever gone,” he said. “I’d say he’s a better horse now. It’s hard to say I’m as confident as I was going into this race last year, just because he’s arrived so close to the race.” Grimson also likes Swayzee’s back row draw. “It’s pretty much ideal. It may not have been if Leap To Fame was here, but I like it,” he said. On tactics, Grimson said Swayzee wouldn’t necessarily be driven to dominate the race like he so often is. “I’ll leave that to Cam (Hart, driver), but he’s more versatile than people realise. He can sprint really quickly, especially in these staying races, if we sit him up,” he said. Can Merlin or Don’t Stop Dreaming beat the champ? By Michael Guerin If the locals want to win back trans-Tasman bragging rights in today’s Cup they are going to need to rise to a new level. Since 2000 there have been six double winners of the Cup, Terror To Love going on to win three. He is joined by Just An Excuse, Flashing Red, Monkey King, Lazarus and Copy That as the other multiple winners, a group Australian pacer Swayzee tries to join today. The reason great horses are able to win two Cups is simple: there is nowhere to hide. Since 2008 there have, quite rightly, been no handicaps in the NZ Cup, meaning like the Olympics the best can return again and again. And so it will be today. The searing 3200m around Addington gets most horses out of their comfort zone with a lap to go, out of contention soon after. Plenty will keep going, standardbreds rarely shirk a task, but few will have the lung capacity or ability to sprint when history demands a price only the special horses can pay. That is what New Zealand’s best pacers need today, a horse who has both the physical gifts and mental toughness to either outstay or outsprint Swayzee, and to a lesser degree Better Eclipse and Aroda. Swayzee is a sledgehammer of a horse and if the rival New Zealand drivers let him bully them like last season by rolling to the front in the middle stages they will most likely get what they deserve. But there are two local warriors who have both the speed and stamina to beat him if they want it bad enough. And if they can they will reach a new career high today. One is Merlin. He used to be fast and flashy but now he is also a brute. Brute helps in the Cup. His Hall of Fame trainer Barry Purdon says Merlin is ready, in that zone where the good stallions go looking for walls to run through. “He is in a great space and all we want now is no back luck. We couldn’t have him any better,” says Purdon. Purdon and training partner Scott Phelan will leave Merlin’s tactics and importantly that decision of whether to hand any potential lead away to Swayzee to driver Zachary Butcher. Merlin might be one of only two horses in this Cup who could win either leading or trailing. The other is Don’t Stop Dreaming, our other great hoppled hope, trained by Purdon’s brother Mark and Mark’s son Nathan. Don’t Stop Dreaming isn’t as handsome and maybe not as fast as Merlin. He was last year but Merlin has developed more and won more. But Don’t Stop Dreaming has always had that x-factor of a horse who can win a New Zealand Cup. That mix of speed and sheer will wrapped in Purdon polish. Don’t Stop Dreaming has the manners to use his handy draw and has looked an horse on the improve in both runs this campaign. There is a sense of timing about him. These days Mark Purdon lives in Matamata, the eight-time Cup winning trainer nowhere as hands on as he used to be. But he was on Saturday, when he drove Don’t Stop Dreaming in his final pre-Cup workout. After he uttered five words to Don’t Stop Dreaming’s driver today Blair Orange. “That’s good enough for me,” he told Orange. “And he said it with that cheeky smile Mark does when he is feeling good about a horse,” says Orange, the smile now contagious. This year Swayzee and his Aussie mates will need to fight off two very good local horses who have the training legends to help them become great. Bad draw but Bet N Win still winning chance in Dominion Trot By Michael Guerin The way Bob Butt looks at it Bet N Win has lost a weapon but been gifted an opportunity in today’s $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion at Addington today. Well, that is the optimistic version anyway. Butt drives the four-year-old who has very quickly developed into possibly the best trotter in New Zealand after retirements, injuries and issues have taken their toll on a once golden crop. Bet N Win is both fluent and fast but has drawn the second line in today’s Group 1 Trot, which is half his problem, the other half being Australian champion trotter Just Believe drawing barrier 2. The always laughing, enthusiastic Butt is going glass half full on this one. “Yes, the second line takes away the advantage of his manners because had he drawn the front line he could have led and maybe even parked out Just Believe,” says Butt. “So now to beat him we are probably going to have to come from behind him, which will be very hard and maybe impossible. “But looking on the bright side that also means the pressure is off. If we don’t beat him people will understand why. But if we do he will become a superstar. “And regardless of the result because we are probably going to have to move mid-race how he goes will tell us where we stand and what races David and Stacey [trainers] should aim him for in the next six months.” Just Believe is so brilliant and brave it is hard to bet against him and he will act as the multi anchor for many today, with Bet N Win and defending Dominion champ Oscar Bonavena the only realistic Kiwi winning chances should the Victorian not bring his A-game. Butt is even more realistic about his drive Dalton Shard in the NZ Cup, saying he will be looking for short cuts, but he could be the driver to follow on today’s undercard. He thinks Forgiveness (R1, No.12) can win if she behaves while Dynasty (R2, No.8) is spot on and will be put into the race early. “Gold Bullion is favourite in Race 3 and he can win for sure but I am just a little worried about it being a 2000m stand as he can be a stride slow at the start. But he is dropping a long way in class.” Butt trains both Reklaw’s Dream and Classic Elegance in the $200,000 Nevele R Fillies Final and rates the latter at least a place chance for visiting Australian reinsman Brad Hewitt, whose wife owns part of the filly so he has made the trip to drive her. The Lazarus Effect (R6, No.16) won his only start and is a horse Butt loves and says the second line draw in a big field is his only real concern. “I’ve also got Xlendi, Ready Set Jet in and I’m driving Neverseentherain and they can all get some of it.” Michael Guerin’s betting strategy for Cup Day 1: Just Believe (R7, No.2) is a champion Australian trotter and super stayer. So he is your multi anchor. 2: Duchess Megxit (R5, No.9) is very fast and high class. Tricky barrier but should be able to work to the lead. 3: Home track advantage: Marketplace (R9, No.8) meets an untapped northerner in Captain Sampson (1) but the home track thing is real, especially for young horses. 4: Traffic concerns: The Lazarus Effect (R6, No.16): Looks very sharp and good trial last week. Biggest issue could be the big field and his second line draw. 5: Stable split bet: Tu Tangata (R1, No.5) and Forgiveness (No.12) are both trained by the master Paul Nairn and are paying enough you can back them both. If Forgiveness brings her manners she can win at $8. View the full article

Bentley Combs, who has served as an assistant to trainer Chad Brown since last March, has resumed training on his own and his new solo operation will have its first starter when he saddles City of Clouds (City of Light) in the ninth race Friday at Churchill Downs. Combs ran his own barn from 2017 to early 2024 after working his way up to assistant trainer for Dallas Stewart with horses that included Forever Unbridled, Tom's Ready and Unbridled Forever. While training on his own, Combs won a record three straight renewals of the Trails End and was Oaklawn's leading trainer by percentage in 2023. Botswana (Graydar), claimed for $30,000, was third in the 2020 GIII Fair Ground Stakes. He had 54 career wins when he had the opportunity to run Chad Brown's Kentucky-based string last Spring. “At the time, I felt like there was more to learn and running Chad's barn was a chance to raise my level of knowledge, working with so many top-level horses and owners.” Combs continued, “If you're not looking to grow and learn in every situation, you won't improve and you won't succeed. Working with an Eclipse Award-winning trainer really helped me and I'm grateful for that opportunity.” Combs and wife Kaela are expecting their first child in January, which the 36-year-old said makes the move even more timely, while adding, “The growing purses in Kentucky certainly didn't hurt the decision to stay in the Commonwealth.” In the short term, Combs plans to acquire horses off the claim, but he will also be on hand with clients at the upcoming Keeneland January Horses of Racing Age Sale with an eye towards adding to his stable. “I believe every horse is a unique individual,” Combs said. “I believe in custom-tailoring a program to each one and I have had success doing just that.” A 2010 graduate of University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program with an MBA from the University of Mississippi, Combs is currently based at Churchill Downs' Trackside Training Center. More on Bentley Combs Racing can be found at bentleycombsracing.com. The post Bentley Combs Restarts Solo Training Career Friday at Churchill Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Racing Together Webinar Series returns on Thursday, November 14 with a look back at National Racehorse Week and how it has become a community outreach success story. The webinar will be hosted by Sally Lyons from Great British Racing (GBR), who will be joined by guests including Richard Phillips, the originator of the idea of National Racehorse Week, and Fr33dom Zampaladus, the founder of the Urban Equestrian Academy. Representatives from New Beginnings and Yorton Stud will also take part in episode one of the series. The webinar will begin at 1pm and is scheduled to last 45 minutes, with an opportunity for audience members to ask questions. Click here to register. The post Racing Together Webinar Series Returns This Week appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In the blink of an eye, that's another turf season in the books, which means that this is the final Seven Days column for 2024. Next week Adam Houghton will be starting a new column which aims to keep tabs on those two-year-olds who are rising three and could make more of a name for themselves next year. An eagle-eyed former Timeform employee, Adam guarantees that if the next Notable Speech (GB) is out there, about to make his debut on the all-weather this winter before marching on to Classic glory, then he will spot him. No pressure, then. Whatever one's view of City Of Troy (Justify) he has certainly kept people talking this season. “There's not a lad left in Tipperary,” commented one friend as we watched his calm procession around the pre-parade ring ahead of the Guineas. The palpable buzz from the local and Irish crowd at Newmarket that day quickly turned to abject disappointment, only to be followed by redemption at Epsom, two more top-level wins against his elders, then a great debate surrounding his participation in the Breeders' Cup Classic. We all know how that ended – and I'll always say this – but I would love to have seen him back next year. That's a moot point, of course, and instead we have the rare, if not unique, scenario of two consecutive Derby winners retiring to the same stud at the same time. We'll have one last shake of the rattle from Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in what will be an intriguing Japan Cup from a European perspective, with the 'King George' winner Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) an intended runner, along with last year's Deutsches Derby winner Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}). Worth the equivalent of $7.7 million, with a $3 million win bonus for any horse who has also won one of 24 qualifying races around the world, the Japan Cup is clearly an enticing target. Last year it was the top-rated race in the world, thanks largely to Equinox (Jpn), who was chased home by four Japanese Classic winners in the next four places. Underestimate the strength of the home challenge at your peril. The last overseas winner of this race came almost 20 years ago, when Luca Cumani sent over Alkaased from Newmarket in 2005. Prior to that Sir Michael Stoute had trained back-to-back winners in Singspiel (Ire) and Pilsudski (Ire) in 1996 and 1997. In his acknowledgement of the retirement of the 10-time champion trainer at the end of this season, Paul Hayward recalled the golden era of Stoute's great rivalry with Henry Cecil in his TDN column this week, and if you missed it, I recommend catching up here via this lovely trip down memory lane. Acclamation Bows Out As we creep ever closer to the likelihood of Dark Angel (Ire) being crowned champion sire of Britain and Ireland for the first time on what will be the eve of his official 20th birthday, there was extra poignancy to the announcement last week that his own sire, Acclamation (GB), has been pensioned at the age of 25. What a mighty servant he has been to Rathbarry Stud, where Acclamation stood throughout his stud career for 21 consecutive seasons. Thanks to Dark Angel and his fellow Group 1 winner Equiano (GB), Acclamation was the champion first-season sire of 2007. Further top-flight winners were to follow and included the Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior (Ire), crack sprinter Marsha (GB), who went on to set a new auction record when sold at Tattersalls for 6,000,000gns in 2017 and, most recently, Makarova (GB), who won the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye for her owner-breeders Jeffrey and Phoebe Hobby of Brightwalton Stud. It is perhaps Acclamation's Group 2-winning son Mehmas (Ire) who will come closest to rivalling Dark Angel's fantastic stud career in time. His record grows year on year, and was augmented the weekend before last by the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint victory of Magnum Force (Ire). Mehmas already has five stallion sons of his own in Europe, while Dark Angel's list of sons at stud will be boosted further by Charyn (Ire) next year, who will retire to Sumbe's French roster after this Sunday's G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto. Meanwhile, Rathbarry has a young son of Acclamation in place in Bouttemont (Fr), who covered 81 mares earlier this year in his first season. It's safe to say that this sire-line, which stems from one of the hitherto quieter branches of the Northern Dancer dynasty, through his son Try My Best, has firmly taken root. Special Agent A fond farewell was also waved in the last week to Accidental Agent (GB) (Delegator {GB}), who, at the age of 10, has been the star of Eve Johnson Houghton's stable for many a year. The highlight of his career was of course his great victory in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot six years ago. Yes, he has been plying his trade in lesser company of late but less than a length separated him from one final victory when he finished third last Wednesday after being sent off at 50/1 for his swansong at Kempton. Seven wins, 11 places, 59 starts, £755,346 in earnings. So states his record. But what he will have brought in sheer joyful satisfaction to his trainer and her mother Gaie, who bred and raced the old warrior, reaches way beyond numbers. Accidental Agent is from a family which the Johnson Houghtons have cultivated for five generations and though he did not join the stallion ranks, his younger relative Mohaather (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), winner of the 2020 G1 Sussex Stakes, has been keeping the family's name in lights on that front this season. Mohaather's first two-year-old runners have included the stakes winners Big Mojo (Ire), Merveilleux Lapin (Ire) and Yah Mo Be There (GB), and he is currently level with Sergei Prokofiev for number of winners this year in Britain and Ireland. With 17 apiece they are at the head of the freshman table. By progeny earnings, Mohaather, who is a half-brother to Accidental Agent's dam Roodle (GB) (Xaar {GB}), is in fourth place. And while we are saluting a veteran performer, we must mention in dispatches Accidental Agent's fellow 10-year-old Trais Fluors (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who notched his 11th win from 78 starts on Friday for Linda Perratt. She is his fifth trainer as Trais Fluors started his racing days over the Channel in the colours of his breeder Andreas Putsch, for whom he won Group 3 and Listed contests, as well as finishing runner-up in the G1 Prix Jean Prat when trained by Andre Fabre. He subsequently won for both Mick and Jack Channon before joining Perratt, who has coaxed another three victories from him – and last week's win came on his 15th start of the year. Age shall indeed not weary him. Flying Again David Lowe's homebred Sparks Fly (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) was another to post an 11th career victory this weekend, though she is still only four and has now won on just over 50 per cent of her appearances on a racecourse. Though trained in Shropshire by David Loughnane, she has a particular liking for Paris – who doesn't? – and three of her four Listed victories have come at Saint-Cloud, including in Sunday's Prix Isola Bella, which she won for the second year running, each time with Laura Pearson in the saddle. Sparks Fly did not run as a juvenile but she was busy last year with 15 runs to her credit. A break after her spring appearance earlier this season clearly did her the world of good as the mud-lover has come alive again this autumn with three straight stakes wins to her name. She's a delight. Liberty Racing's Astute Purchases Assistent (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) brought to a close the Group 1 action in Europe when winning the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern in Munich on Sunday. The five-year-old's victory, after finishing second in the same race last year, crowns a glorious first season riding in Germany for Thore Hammer-Hansen, who will become champion jockey in the country of his birth after moving home last year. A former apprentice for Richard Hannon, Hammer-Hansen also claimed an initial Classic victory aboard Palladium (Ger) (Gleneagles {Ire}) in the G1 Deutsches Derby. Both Assistent and Palladium were bought by Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten's Liberty Racing from the BBAG September Yearling Sale, the former for €58,000 in 2020 and Palladium for €80,000 in 2022. Between these two came the purchase by the same syndicate of last year's Deutsches Derby winner, Fantastic Moon, for €49,000 in 2021. As mentioned above, he is bound for the Japan Cup after winning the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden in early September. That's a whole lot of Group 1 success for relatively little money, though none of that trio can claim to be the star bargain from BBAG: that honour goes to the G1 Sun Chariot winner Tamfana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), bought in Baden-Baden in 2022 for €20,000 by Jeremy Brummitt. While Fantastic Moon remains in the Liberty colours for his finale before retiring to stand at Gestut Ebbesloh, it is somewhat extraordinary to reflect that this year's Derby winner Palladium is now in the care of Nicky Henderson with, presumably, a jumps career ahead of him. The sum of €1.4 million at Arqana's Arc Sale was clearly too good to turn down and, now the most expensive 'National Hunt' horse ever to be sold, will run in the colours of Lady Bamford. Maybe Henderson can be persuaded to take aim at some of the nice staying contests at Royal Ascot, instead of the Triumph Hurdle. Imports Play Starring Role in Australia We've all rather enjoyed the tale of the vocally talented and Irish-born Robbie Dolan winning the Melbourne Cup on his first ride in the race and can only look forward to the day, hopefully long in the future, when Ryan Moore retires from the saddle and announces his participation in Strictly. Dolan is not the only import to have lit up the spring racing in Melbourne. Duke De Sessa (Ire), Deny Knowledge (Ire), Onesmoothoperator and Sea King (GB) have all won group races, but the undisputed star of the show has been Via Sistina (Ire). Less than a year ago the daughter of Fastnet Rock (Ire) was bought by Yulong Investments for 2.7 million gns at the Tattersalls December Sale. She was already of course a Group 1 winner, having landed the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh five months earlier and placing in another three top-level races in the interim. If that price seemed punchy at the time, in glorious hindsight it now looks like money well spent. Via Sistina has won another five Group 1s and the equivalent of almost £4 million since heading to Chris Waller's stable in Sydney, including her record-margin victory in the Cox Plate, which was followed a fortnight later by another imperious win in Saturday's Champions Stakes. As mentioned last week, she is a credit to her breeder, the Bryce family's Laundry Cottage Stud Farm, which also produced Wootton Bassett (GB). With his newly announced fee of €300,000, he ranks behind only Frankel (GB) and Dubawi (Ire) on covering price after a year in which he has been responsible for four new juvenile Group 1 winners. The post Seven Days: Over and Out appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In the week leading up to this year's Breeders' Cup, observers who remained trackside at the conclusion of morning training would have spotted a young man with a short bristly moustache lug an unusual looking contraption around the two ovals at the heart of Del Mar. If these trackside observers hung around long enough, they would have spotted this two-legged interloper stop to place down and trigger what appeared to be a miniature guillotine, twiddle with a few buttons, then either jump back into his golf cart or set off on foot for another sixteenth-of-a-mile sprint. On the Tuesday morning before the championships, the young man in question, Kaleb Dempsey, stopped mid-rounds to express satisfaction with his revolutionary-looking sidepiece. “It's been very consistent,” said Dempsey, laboratory manager of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL), in a way that betrayed both relief and trepidation (more on this in a bit). “Overall, I've been very happy with it.” The darling of Dempsey's eye is the Integrated Racetrack Tester. It's not, in fact, a guillotine. But it does execute a vitally important function that seeks to drag the sometimes technologically backward-looking world of managing racetrack surfaces into something resembling modernity. At every sixteenth pole, Dempsey will stop and plonk the upright contraption onto the track surface. He will then let a one-kilogram mass fall a meter onto a small block that in turn will strike a one-centimeter probe-tip into the ground. Dempsey does this at five, 10 and 15 feet from the rail at every stop. The probe tip will measure the total depth penetrated. At the same time, the machine is equipped to simultaneously collect a range of other information, including moisture content, surface temperature, moisture salinity, GPS coordinates, and a timestamp of when the information was collected. This data is stored locally. “And then at the end of the data collection–I have a cellular modem embedded into this which is something we didn't have last time–we actually generate an automatic surface report in PDF form,” said Dempsey, who added that the tool will also send track superintendents a raw-data set for good measure. With all this information at their fingertips, superintendents can accurately gauge the consistency of the track surface–in other words cushion depth and moisture content and other useful data points–all around the track. All these measurements from this one single tool–a hitherto unheard of concept. Indeed, up until now most track managers have used the GoingStick on the turf, and a FieldScout TDR Meter to measure moisture content in both the turf and the dirt. And unlike the GoingStick, the Integrated Racetrack Tester doesn't depend upon who's using it. “I could let you pick it up and use it, and it would get the same measurement that I would have,” he said, adding that it provides a more qualitative measurement of the turf as compared to its more vintage counterpart. “In the U.S., we tend not to have a qualitative measurement of the turf. 'Oh yes, it's firm.' Or, 'oh yes, it's yielding.' In Australia and New Zealand, they don't do it qualitatively. They take a look at the average reading–that's how they read the turf. They have a scale of one to 11,” said Dempsey. Furthermore, the Integrated Racetrack Tester doesn't discriminate–it can be used on the turf, the dirt and synthetic surfaces. This means it has the potential to satisfy the daily surface monitoring and measurement requirements written into the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)–requirements not currently being met uniformly across all U.S. racetracks. “We have a high number of tracks that are finally starting to provide their daily measurements thorough the maintenance quality system. That's a good thing–it's how we really pull this data together,” said Dempsey. “But the hardest step is to actually get people to take the daily measurements so we can have those links.” Among the readouts issued to the track crews is a graph showing a middle green zone sandwiched between yellow and then red cushions. The trick is to maintain a wavey line that more or less stays within the green zone, to reflect a consistent surface. “You want to see that every day,” said Dempsey, who then pulled up on his phone a graph showing a 12-day dataset for Aqueduct. “You can see, when they opened it up, they had to tune it up a little bit. But now it's a lot more consistent.” The toughest period for a track manager, he said, is the initial stages of a meet. “When you're coming out from being closed to open, it's always a little tricky–it takes a lot of work. It's not perfect the whole time. It takes time to even out.” What this tool does is confirm or refute the subjective impressions and suspicions that track crews make as they go about the process of ironing out these kinks in the track, tightening or loosening it up bit by bit in preparation for the advent of the first set of hooves. “You don't make big adjustments on a track,” Dempsey said. “You want to tweak it a little bit over time.” Tweaking over time is a succinct summary of how Dempsey has approached the designing, building and modification of the Integrated Racetrack Tester, developed using Jockey Club funding. Indeed, it was four years ago that Dempsey unveiled an earlier version of this tool–a big, lumbering cumbersome unit that, contrary to its size, proved as delicate as a Faberge Egg. It's taken a few years for Dempsey to reach the prime-time stage of the tool's launch. Pandemic-era restrictions held back his work somewhat, while earlier iterations of the machine proved ill-suited to life on the racetrack. “This is a pretty harsh environment. It's dusty, wet, the vibrations from the truck. The track crews–we've got some pretty heavy-handed people,” said Dempsey. “You test things at the lab and you think, 'Oh, that'll work great.' But nothing beats field testing.” An Achilles Heel of the current iteration, for example, was the guillotine contraption that catapults the probe into the soil. There are now seven of these machines currently in use. The New York Racing Association has one. So does Churchill Downs, Oaklawn Park, Colonial Downs, as well as tracks in New Zealand. It's expected to have several important corollary uses, including in better understanding the patterns underlying equine fatalities and injuries. Using two years of race-day data out of New Zealand which used the Longchamp penetrometer (on which the Integrated Racetrack Tester is based), researchers determined that horses had lower odds of injury on a slow track compared to other conditions–perhaps not exactly a landmark discovery by itself. But interestingly, the researchers pointed to the overall infrequency of fast race-day conditions, and observed, “it may be that the reduction in the number of races presented as fast tracks is a direct response by the industry to the perceived risk of racing on such surfaces.” Another corollary use, said Dempsey, could be for the tracks to share this detail-rich set of data with the punters. “I think there's real value in that. It all goes to transparency,” said Dempsey. “But at the same time, it's not uncommon for data to be misinterpreted. There's always a risk in sharing information like this.” The tool currently costs about $10,000. “I'm hoping by next summer to have a 20% reduction in price,” he said, adding how the GoingStick is of comparable price. Demspey assembles these units himself, in what sounds like the building of a large Meccano set. In a satisfying rebuke to the pathology of hoarding behind closed doors intellectual property beneficial to the public good, the designs to this machine are open source, accessible through the RSTL's website. “If you wanted to–if you had the skills to–you could make it yourself,” he said. “Our mission is just to make tracks safer.” The post Integrated Racetrack Tester a One-Stop-Shop in Track Surface Measurements appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Newsells Park Stud has released its stud fees for next season, with Classic sire Nathaniel (Ire) receiving an increase to £20,000 and last year's Poule d'Essai des Poulains runner-up Isaac Shelby (GB) being introduced at £7,000. Perhaps best known as the sire of the dual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and triple King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Enable (GB), in addition to the Derby hero Desert Crown (GB), Nathaniel has enjoyed another successful year on the racecourse in 2024, headed by the exploits of his Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me (GB), who will be offered for sale during the Sceptre Sessions at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Now 16, Nathaniel covered 154 mares when standing for £17,500 this season and Julian Dollar, Newsells Park Stud's general manager, is adamant that the stallion still represents value at his increased fee. “I don't know what more I can say about Nathaniel,” said Dollar. “With You Got To Me an impressive winner of the Irish Oaks this year, he delivers new Group 1 winners and Classic winners on an annual basis, but at a fraction of the fee of his peers. “When one considers that only three stallions have produced the winners of the English, Irish and French Oaks this century and that the other two were Deep Impact and Galileo, you appreciate the company Nathaniel keeps. “Only two other active stallions have sired the winners of the Epsom Derby and Oaks, Frankel (£350,000) and Sea The Stars (€250,000), so you can't help but see what incredible value he offers breeders who dream of breeding a Classic winner, but at an affordable fee.” The recruitment of Isaac Shelby to Newsells Park was announced last week and Dollar also expressed his delight at how breeders have reacted to his arrival at stud. He continued, “We are delighted with the extremely positive reaction we've had to the news that Isaac Shelby will be standing with us next year. As Night Of Thunder's first son to stand at stud, and a top-class, Group 2-winning two-year-old, a brilliant winner of the Greenham and only just beaten in the French 2000 Guineas at three, he has a lot to offer. His good looks should give breeders great confidence.” The Newsells Park roster is completed by first-season sire Without Parole (GB) and the multiple Group 2 winner A'Ali (Ire), who was represented by his first yearlings at the sales this year. Without Parole, the sire of 10 individual two-year-old winners in Europe at the time of writing, including the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf fourth Fiery Lucy (GB), remains unchanged at £8,000, while the fee for A'Ali is also unchanged from the £5,000 he stood for this season. Dollar added, “Without Parole has made a great start at stud. 10 individual two-year-old winners coming at a clip of 40% winners to runners and peppered with smart juvenile performers like the multiple Group-placed Fiery Lucy, stakes-placed Sea To Sky and 96-rated Mr Chaplin, give a glimpse of what's to come with his first Classic crop next year. “Finally, A'Ali's yearlings looked exactly like it said on the tin and sold exceptionally well. Like his sire, they had the looks and the athleticism to match and gave the impression they are likely to be just as speedy and precocious as their dad. With prices including 200,000gns, £150,000 and £130,000, and an average of £34,000, it was pleasing to see breeders' getting a healthy return on his covering fee.” The post Nathaniel Climbs to £20,000 as Newsells Park Announce Fees for 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After 24 World Pool Moment of the Day prizes were awarded in 2024, which saw each groom of the winning horse receive a cheque for £4,000, four finalists remain in the running to be crowned World Pool Moment of the Year. This year's shortlist for the World Pool Moment of the Year competition features winners from the UAE, Australia, Ireland and the UK, with the grooms of each in contention to win a VIP trip to Hong Kong next year, should they come out on top in the public vote. Voting is now open here and will close on Monday, November 25, with the winner set to be announced on Friday, December 6 during the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) week. The four finalists are: Bhopal Singh, groom of Laurel River, winner of the G1 Dubai World Cup on March 30 Campbell Ashby, groom of Celestial Legend (Aus), winner of the G1 Doncaster Mile on April 6 David Hickey, groom of City Of Troy, winner of the G1 Derby on June 1 Jasa Ram, groom of Rashabar (Ire), winner of the G2 Coventry Stakes on June 18 Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products at the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), said, “Giving back to the community is something we take pride in at the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the World Pool Moment of the Day initiative does just that by rewarding grooms who are the lifeblood of the racing industry. “After giving nearly £100,000 to grooms this year with 24 Moment of the Days chosen, we're very excited to have selected our four finalists who are now in the running for the World Pool Moment of the Year prize–a VIP trip to Hong Kong. “We've seen some breathtaking racing moments from across the globe this year, so deciding on our finalists was no easy task, and we can't wait to see which moment is chosen by the public as their World Pool Moment of the Year.” The post World Pool Moment of the Year Finalists Revealed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Zero Gravity (GB) (Dansili {GB}), the dam of this year's G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), has been added to the Tattersalls December Mares Sale as a wildcard and will be offered as lot 1485A during the Sceptre Sessions on Monday, December 2. She will be offered in foal to Chaldean (GB) by Ed Player's Whatton Manor Stud, who also consigned her Too Darn Hot (GB) filly at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale where she was purchased by Shadwell Estates for 425,000gns. The Listed-winning Zero Gravity is a full-sister to the G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner and sire Zambezi Sun (GB), in addition to the Listed-placed Shared Account (GB), the dam of four black-type performers. She is also a half to the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano scorer Kalabar (GB) (Kahyasi {Ire}). The post Dam of Kalpana Added to Tattersalls December Mares Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

There are no rules or even guidelines when it comes to choosing horses or humans for Eclipse Awards. There is though, at least in the human categories, conventional wisdom. Just pick the person whose stable earned the most money. That's what most voters do. If you base your vote on that criteria, Chad Brown is the obvious pick for trainer of the year. Through Nov. 9, his stable has earned $29,707,240. Steve Asmussen is second at $25,736,730. Brown leads all trainers in graded stakes wins (46) and Grade I wins (15). A future Hall of Famer, he posts numbers comparable to this every year. He's very good. So good that his success has come to be expected. But he won't get my vote this year. Kenny McPeek will. When it comes to the numbers, in the case of Brown-versus-McPeek it's not even close. McPeek is seventh in the nation with $14,744,600 in earnings. He's won just eight graded stakes races this year. So how can I justify voting for McPeek over Chad Brown? Because, as a voter, I can make up my own rules. The raw numbers are important, but sometimes you have to think outside the box. What trainer did something truly remarkable this year? Though it may not be fair to Brown, it's not him. He did what he always does, win a lot of races and pile up a lot of earnings. He operates a well-oiled machine, an assembly line that churns out top stakes horses like no one else in the business. It's not his fault, but he makes the extraordinary seem ordinary. But while he'll never equal Brown's numbers, McPeek had a year that was truly special, one that captivated the sport and reminded us that there is more to this than the raw numbers. McPeek made every right move, many of which were “good for the game.” He actually began to lay the groundwork for this campaign back in 2022, when he bought Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) for $40,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling sale. That's his comfort level. Brown, Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert have owners who have no problem paying seven-figures for a yearling or 2-year-old. Not McPeek. He shops in the bargain basement, and somehow is able to find outstanding horses there year after year. While Thorpedo Anna cost $40,000, Brown's best horse, Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) cost $2.3 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale. “I'm more of a middle-level player in the sense that I get average horses that pull down my numbers,” McPeek said. “But I think we did a really good job with the best horses that we have.” When Thorpedo Anna kicked off her 2024 campaign with a win in the GII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn, it was clear that she was going to be a major player in the 3-year-old filly division. Meanwhile, McPeek was developing a colt who was serving notice that he could win the GI Kentucky Derby. Mystik Dan (Goldencents) won the GIII Southwest S. before finishing third in the GI Arkansas Derby. His Arkansas Derby appeared to be a setback, but McPeek was, in hindsight, fine tuning the colt and preparing him for big run in the GI Kentucky Derby. Thorpedo Anna turned in what, to that point in her career, was her best race, winning the GI Kentucky Oaks by 4 3/4 lengths. The next day Mystik Dan won the Derby by a nose over Sierra Leone. In the course of 24 hours, McPeek won the Oaks and the Derby, becoming the first trainer to do so in the same year since the legendary Ben Jones won both races in 1952. Mystik Dan would finish second in the GI Preakness and eighth in the GI Belmont before being sent to the sidelines for the rest of the year. He is working regularly at the Fair Grounds and McPeek said he could make his next start before the end of the year. Mystik Dan is a Derby winner and a very good horse, but he was never the star in the McPeek barn this year. That was Thorpedo Anna. And McPeek managed her like he knew he had a very good horse and, to his credit, was never afraid to challenge her. After the Kentucky Oaks, she won the GI Acorn S. and the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. For most trainers the next step would have been the GI Alabama. Had she run there, Thorpedo Anna would likely have won easily over a small field of horses whose trainers were just hoping to get second money. McPeek, who's never afraid to take a chance, entered her instead in the GI Travers. She finished second behind Fierceness (City of Light). That was to be her only loss of the year, but, more so than any other race, it put her in the conversation for season-ending honors. Just barely losing to a colt as good as Fierceness was a special achievement. “Here is the way I felt about the Travers,” McPeek said. “I had won two Alabamas before. I thought if I ran her in the Alabama, it was going to be a really boring race. The way she dominated the 3-year-old filly division, it was going to be a bit of a yawner, and that was going to be bad for the game. To give it a little life and inject something a little different for the sport in the summer I made the decision to run her in the Travers because I thought she was good enough. With a little luck here or there, she might have won. But I was really proud of her effort and I think it elevated her status as opposed to otherwise.” A surprisingly narrow win in the GI Cotillion S. was next. The GI Breeders' Cup Distaff was supposed to be one of the most competitive races on the card as expected starters included not just Thorpedo Anna, but Idiomatic (Curlin), Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) and the undefeated Japanese horse Awesome Result (Justify). But none of them made the race, which turned it into a one-horse race. Thorpedo Anna wasn't necessarily dazzling in the Distaff. She more or less just went out there and did her job, winning by 2 1/2 lengths as the 2-5 favorite. So here is McPeek's resume for 2024: Became the first trainer since 1952 to win the Oaks and the Derby, trained a horse who will certainly be Horse of the Year, won the Breeders' Cup Distaff, and nearly pulled off a win in the Travers with a filly. “I'm flattered that people are mentioning me for the Eclipse Award,” McPeek said. “Chad Brown has had a fantastic year in his own right with all the things he has accomplished. I'd really be honored to win [the Eclipse Award].” The race may be close and he will have to beat another trainer in Brown who had a sensational year. But when we look back 10 years from now, 2024 will be remembered as the year of Thorpedo Anna and Kenny McPeek, two deserving Eclipse winners. The post The Eclipse Award Winning Trainer: A Case for Kenny McPeek appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dullingham Park Stud's roster for 2025 is headed by European Champion Sprinter and dual Group 1 winner Shaquille, who remains unchanged at £15,000. Dullingham Park's Ollie Fowlston commented, “Shaquille covered a very good book of mares in his first season and we are extremely excited to see his first foals on the ground. If they look anything like him then the breeders will be delighted. He was such an exceptional talent on the track and luckily for us is the standout sprinter over the past few years so will stick in everyone's mind. We supported him very strongly and with some very high quality mares.” Soldier's Call will have his fee reduced to £6,000. He had a consistent year on the track, most notably with his first Royal Ascot winner Mickley, and covered the dam of Bradsell. Fowlston commented, “Soldier's Call has been a very consistent stallion in his first two years and got many a maiden mare off to a good start. We have priced him in accordance with the way the market has responded to commercially fast horses. We look forward to welcoming breeders to the farm over the December Sales period to see the stallions.” The post Shaquille Unchanged At £15,000 As Dullingham Announce Fees For 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The best is yet to come from You Got To Me (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), according to her trainer Ralph Beckett, who drew parallels between the Irish Oaks heroine and his brilliant Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}) ahead of the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls, which takes place from December 2 to 5. You Got To Me, who will go through the ring on Tuesday, December 3, is one of the star attractions at the upcoming Sceptre Sessions and Beckett admitted that he is quietly hopeful that the winning bidder will leave the Classic winner in training at Kimpton Down Stables for what could be a fruitful four-year-old campaign in 2025. Few fillies progressed like You Got To Me did this year. She rates as a hugely exciting older filly to stay in training, with Beckett admitting that the Valmont and Newsells Park Stud-owned filly could chart a similar path to what Bluestocking did this year. When asked to map out a potential plan for You Got To Me next season, the trainer said, “Very similar to Bluestocking, funnily enough. I'd probably drop her back and start her in the [Group 2] Middleton at York [over 1m2f] as it's a track she showed a distinct liking for in the Yorkshire Oaks. Then we would figure it out from there. It would be something along those lines and you'd probably frame the year around the Yorkshire Oaks and work back from that. But you wouldn't be afraid to run against the colts again. At no point has she been over-awed by any occasion so it's all on the table. We wouldn't be afraid to travel her, either. There's plenty for her [next year] which would be a big attraction.” He added, “Obviously she has a very good physical constitution to go with a good, hardy attitude. There wasn't any point in the year that we were going at her too hard. She took everything in her stride and never had any real physical issues in her two- or three-year-old career. She'd be one of those you'd be hoping can keep on rolling all year.” Of course, You Got To Me has already achieved enough to be rated one of the best fillies in training. She went from strength to strength in 2024, beginning her campaign with victory in the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial before claiming that career highlight in the Irish Oaks on just the sixth start of her career. All told, You Got To Me has won three of her eight starts and achieved an official rating of 113. Other notable performances include a gallant second to Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Yorkshire Oaks back in August. Reflecting on You Got To Me's season, Beckett said, “She kept coming out of her races very well-she's a tough girl. When she won the Lingfield Oaks Trial, she ran away with Hector [Crouch] for most of it. In the Oaks itself, she travelled really well but perhaps didn't quite get home [to finish fourth] on that ground. I felt afterwards that it was ground more than anything. It was still a sound run and then, in the Ribblesdale, she was very keen but still ran through the line to finish fourth. Obviously we put the tongue-strap on her in Ireland and that made a much more tractable footnote in the Irish Oaks and in York for the Yorkshire Oaks. For a filly to do that–five starts between May and August–, that's pretty good going.” On that memorable Irish Oaks triumph, he added, “It felt like we had to run because the way the race had fallen out. It felt like a really good fit for her. With her being as hardy as she is, the travelling wasn't going to bother her and, the way she takes her races, that wasn't going to bother her either. The track was always going to suit and they went a good gallop–that was always going to suit as well. All of those things came together.” Bred by Dullingham Park Stud & Sarabexm, You Got To Me was initially purchased by BBA Ireland for 62,000gns as a foal at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale in 2021. Offered by Glenvale Stud at the Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale, she was acquired by Alex Elliott on behalf of Valmont for 200,000gns. Newsells bought into the filly during her three-year-old campaign. Speaking about her physical and mental attributes, Beckett concluded, “She was a big, scopey filly at two and she filled her frame throughout the year. There wasn't any point where I thought, 'this filly is going to go light on us.' That didn't happen. With her size and scope, and the way she's made, you'd expect her to develop between three to four–particularly off the back of a long break, which she'll have had before she goes into the ring.” The post ‘She’s A Tough Girl’ – Beckett Lauds You Got To Me Ahead Of Sceptre Sessions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Baaeed (GB), the top-class six-time Group 1 winner whose first foals are set to hit the European market in the coming weeks, will head the Shadwell stallion roster for 2025 at £65,000. That represents a £15,000 drop from the £80,000 that Baaeed stood for in 2023 and 2024 as Shadwell acknowledged an “unpredictable climate” facing breeders in a statement released on Monday. Stephen Collins, Shadwell's European Bloodstock Manager, commented, “Baaeed retired with an official rating of 135 after six brilliant Group 1 wins, since then he has been supported by the world's leading breeders with two exceptional books of mares. “He is a stallion of great importance to Shadwell and we are delighted with his first foals. Given his extraordinary ability, outstanding pedigree and faultless conformation, he remains a truly unmissable stallion prospect.” He added, “For a roster of Shadwell's quality, we believe our fees provide good, competitive value to breeders in what is an unpredictable climate. While many of the yearling sales saw the market rise far above expectation, we recognise there are still areas of the market which require support.” Mohaather, who has a fighting chance of ending the year as the champion first-season sire, will command a fee of £15,000. Collins said, “Mohaather has been one of the success stories of the year, producing three Stakes winners, more than any other first-crop sire in 2024. “He remains on an exciting upward curve and, considering he continued to improve throughout his career, there is a lot to look forward to. The market was incredibly supportive of his second-crop of yearlings and we believe he should be very attractive to breeders at the fee of £15,000.” The Beech House Stud roster is completed by Mostahdaf (Ire) at £12,500. Meanwhile, Minzaal (Ire) and Awtaad (Ire) will stand for €12,500 and €7,500 respectively at Derrinstown Stud in Ireland. Collins continued, “Mostahdaf was an outstanding winner of two of Europe's premier races and completed a historic double as only two horses have won both the Prince of Wales's Stakes and the Juddmonte International in the same season in the last 50 years. The son of Frankel has an exceptional pedigree being a half-brother to Nazeef, a dual Group 1-winning miler, and is from the family of two Champion Sprinters. He has covered a high-class first book supported by all the right breeders and we look forward to seeing his first foals next year.” On the Irish roster, he concluded, “Minzaal is the highest-rated son of Mehmas, who himself has had another excellent year. We received very strong reports on his first foals and anticipation is high ahead of the foal sales. He ticks a lot of boxes for Ireland's commercial breeders and he has been well-supported with two quality books of mares. A very fast, good-looking horse he should be popular with breeders again this year.” “Awtaad had another phenomenal year, being the sire of Group and Grade 1 winners Anmaat and Anisette, as well as Al Qareem and Naomi Lapaglia. Few sires can match his achievements in terms of the value he offers breeders as a regular source of black-type performers. His yearlings this year sold for up to 80,000gns and €80,000. I'm sure nominations will be in high-demand.” The post Baaeed Drops To £65,000 As Shadwell Acknowledges “Unpredictable Climate” For Breeders appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer David Hayes will change things up with his three-year-old, who has twice thrown away any chance of victory while leading.View the full article

What Rosehill Races Where Rosehill Gardens Racecourse – James Ruse Dr, Rosehill NSW 2142 When Wednesday, November 13, 2024 First Race 2:35pm AEDT Visit Dabble Metro racing returns to Rosehill on Wednesday afternoon, with a quickfire six-part program set for decision. The rail moves out +6m for the entire circuit, and with significant rainfall to hit the course on Tuesday and Wednesday, punters can expect the surface to be rated a Soft 7 on race-day morning. The action is scheduled to get underway at 2:35pm local time. Best Bet at Rosehill: Aye Aye Captain The Les Bridge-trained Aye Aye Captain was a dominant maiden winner at this course and distance two starts back. She then failed at Warwick Farm on October 23, with the 1400m proving a stretch too far for the daughter of Merchant Navy. She loved the sting out of the ground in her winning effort on October 2, and with almost identical conditions expected this week, Aye Aye Captain can return to winning ways. Best Bet Race 1 – #1 Aye Aye Captain (2) 3yo Filly | T: Les Bridge | J: Kerrin McEvoy (59kg) Bet with Neds Next Best at Rosehill: Congregation Congregation was storming through the wire when it was all over at Randwick on October 9 and should’ve finished closer than the 1.8-length margin may suggest. He was dragged back to last in the field of seven on the Kensington circuit before making strong inroads along the inside rail when persuaded by Tommy Berry. Gate two should allow James McDonald to take closer order this time around, and with Congregation set to peak fourth-up, watch for this guy to finish off best at a good price with Picklebet. Next Best Race 5 – #2 Congregation (2) 4yo Horse | T: Chris Waller | J: James McDonald (61kg) Bet with Picklebet Best Value at Rosehill: Concoction The Edward O’Rourke-trained Concoction debuts on the back of two strong trial wins. His latest victory particularly caught the eye, with the son of Rageese stretching out to score by 5.3 lengths on the Kensington circuit on November 1. He kicks off his career in a testing maiden, but with Tyler Schiller likely to gain an economical run in transit from stall five, Concoction represents good each-way value with top racing bookmakers. Best Value Race 2 – #3 Concoction (5) 3yo Gelding | T: Edward O’Rourke | J: Tyler Schiller (57.5kg) Bet with Dabble Wednesday quaddie tips for Rosehill Rosehill quadrella selections November 13, 2024 2-4-5 1-6-7 2-4-8-9 2-3-7-9 | Copy this bet straight to your betslip Horse racing tips View the full article

Veteran handler is confident his stable star can defeat Pierre Ng’s charge with James McDonald in the saddle on Sunday.View the full article

Smart Love winning the Fresh Choice Leamington 3YO (1600m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Wexford Stables have unveiled a number of promising three-year-olds over the past fortnight, and the latest to shed her maiden status was Smart Love, who won the Fresh Choice Leamington 3YO (1600m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. Following in the footsteps of stablemates Hankee Alpha (Te Aroha), Texas Hold Em’ (Ellerslie) and Smokotime (Pukekohe), Smart Love entered the mile contest as the top pick at $2.10, a reflection of two second-placed performances in her career to date. The Savabeel filly jumped away positively under Masa Hashizume and sat on the speed early before settling back in the one-one. Hitting the lead early in the straight, Smart Love kept finding to the line and held off a charging Bella Montagna to score by a head. Andrew Scott, who trains in partnership with Lance O’Sullivan, was pleased with the performance, particularly as she stepped out to the mile. “She’s continuing to improve which is very encouraging for us, you always hope that she would do so as the distances got longer,” he said. “She’s got a bright future as she continues to mature and as her education levels increase, she hit the front there at the top of the straight and did very well to maintain a gallop right to the line. “We’re going to let her come through the race before mapping out a concrete plan for her, but she’s a progressive filly.” Out of an O’Reilly mare Relentless Desire, Smart Love was bred by Waikato Stud and races in their colours, under the Chittick Investments banner. The stable also had a trio of runners in the feature race, the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m), and Geriatrix made a big impression storming into third from near-last on the corner. “He’s racing very well and the encouraging part for us was that he sprinted so well over 1200 at that level,” Scott said. “His sectionals were probably the quickest of the day, had they run it a little more true, he may have been able to run over the top of them. But it’s encouraging signs for his future, that he can really quicken well at that class. “We haven’t made a decision as to where he’s heading, we’ll give him a couple of days to recover, but we feel the shorter trips are where his future lies.” Wexford’s attention now turns to Te Aroha on Tuesday, where they will have 10 runners, including last-start placegetter Checkmate, who will have his second race-day appearance in the Prima Park 1400. “We couldn’t have been more pleased with his performance on debut, he’s a horse with a good load of ability on him, while lacking a lot of confidence,” Scott said. “We popped him in the paddock for a couple of days after his debut, he freshened up nicely and the big roomy track at Te Aroha should suit him. “We think that he’s gone the right way since his debut, and hopefully he can go one better. We’ve got pretty high hopes for him this summer.” Ribkraka, Massari and She’s All That will be split across the trio of maiden three-year-old contests over 1150m, and Scott has plenty of positives surrounding each runner. “Ribkraka has made any amount of improvement from two to three, he’s trialled up really well and his work has been super at home,” he said. “He’s got a good gate and there’s no reason why he can’t be right in the finish there, he’s a horse that’s probably going to be better at 14 to a mile, but he should sprint well fresh. “She’s All That is a neat filly, she’s come away from a good trial win in one of the quickest times of the day. “She’s been very encouraging and has a good turn of foot, high levels of fitness and should debut really well. We like her, she’s a robust type of filly with a good sprinting summer ahead of her. “Massari has trialled particularly well, we think she has a bright future ahead of her too.” In their older contingent, Scott noted Saxs ‘N’ Silks as a strong hope in the Prima Park 1400, while El Roca mare Cupid’s Arrow will return in a fresh state after competing in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) in March, when she lines-up in the Riverrock 1400. “She (Cupid’s Arrow) has made really good physical development from three to four, but we certainly won’t get her out to 2400 this preparation, she’ll be looking for one corner racing,” Scott said. “Some of her form there, whilst she was a maiden, she was running into really good horses and running seconds and thirds. She’s going to improve a fair bit with tomorrow’s run under her belt, but she’ll have a good summer ahead because she loves firm ground.” Horse racing news View the full article