Wandering Eyes

Check out the great racing offers available from horse racing bookmakers on Wednesday, October 1. Enjoy bonus back deals and other promotions to boost your betting experience. Explore these specials from top online bookmakers and get more value from your bets. Top Australian racing promotions for October 1, 2025, include: Today’s horse racing promotions 25% Winnings Boost! – Sandown-Hillside Get 25% Boosted Winnings paid in BONUS CASH. Fixed win only. First eligible bet per race. Must apply Promotion in bet slip. Cash bet only. Max Bonus $250. Eligible customers only Login to Picklebet to Claim Promo Rosehill Races 1-6 | Bet Back Run 2nd Activate your Bet Back Tool in your Betslip on Races 1-6 at Rosehill this Wednesday and if your runner comes 2nd or 3rd, get up $50 back as Bonus Cash.Bet Back Tool is only available to use on the day of race & must be activated on bet placement on Fixed Win bets, and on races with 5 or more runners. T&Cs apply. Neds T&Cs Apply. Login to Neds to Claim Promo Blonde Boosts! Elevate your prices! BlondeBet T&C’s Apply. Eligible Customers Only. Login to BlondeBet to Claim Promo Sandown & Sha Tin (HK) | Same Race Multi Bonus Back Place a 3+ leg Same Race Multi bet on any race at Sandown and Sha Tin (HK) this Wednesday and if 1 leg of your multi fails, get up to $50 back in Bonus Cash.Applies to first resulted 3+ leg multi with one losing leg. Available from approx. 8:30am local track time on race day. Availability dependent on field size. T&Cs apply. Neds T&Cs apply. Login to Neds to Claim Promo Sandown & Rosehill R1-3 | Wednesday Bonus Back 2nd or 3rd Available from 12:00AM AEST. Auto-applied in Bet Slip. Promotional limits apply. Min 6 runners. Fixed odds only. Check your vault for eligibility. Login to Unibet to Claim Promo Bet Back! Sandown Races 1-3 If your runner finishes 2nd or 3rd at Sandown, get your stake back 50% as cash up to $25. Eligible Customers Only. PlayUp T&Cs Apply. Login to PlayUp to Claim Promo 10% Winnings Boost! – Geraldton, Rosehill & Sha Tin Get 10% Boosted Winnings paid in BONUS CASH. First eligible bet per race. Must apply Promotion in betslip. Cash bets only. Max bonus $100. T&C’s apply. View Terms Eligible customers only Login to Picklebet to Claim Promo Bet Boost | Wednesday Thoroughbred Meetings Get a bet boost on thoroughbred races around Australia on Wednesday. Eligible customers. Login to Bet365 to Claim Promo Wednesday Uplift ALL RACES at Sha Tin Available from 1:00AM AEST Wednesday. Fixed odds win bets only. Limits may apply. Check your vault for eligibility. Login to Unibet to Claim Promo Owners Bonus – Win a bet on your horse & receive an extra 15% winnings in cash Max Payout $2000. Account holder must be registered as an official owner of the nominated horse. Fixed odds win bets on Australian thoroughbred races only. Excludes boosted, multi, live and bonus bets. PlayUp T&Cs apply. Login to PlayUp to Claim Promo Odds Drift Protector | If Your Horse Drifts, You Get The Bigger Price Only available on Australian Horse Racing Fixed Price Win bets placed from 8am AET the day of the race. Eligible customers. Login to Bet365 to Claim Promo Copycash – Get Copied. Get Paid. Get paid $0.10 every time someone uses Copy Bet to copy your bets. Eligible Customers Only. Login to Dabble to Claim Promo How does horsebetting.com.au find these racing offers? HorseBetting.com.au reviews Australia’s top horse racing bookmakers to share the best thoroughbred promotions for October 1, 2025. Bookmakers are always competing, so if one doesn’t have a deal, another usually does. Rely on HorseBetting.com.au for daily racing bonuses and betting specials. Get better value with competitive odds and offers for existing customers. Just log in to your betting account to see what’s available. For extra help picking winners and using your bonuses wisely, check out our daily free racing tips. View all horse racing promotions View the full article

Most of the field for the Oct. 3 Jessamine Stakes (G2T) was last seen at Kentucky Downs, but the morning-line pick, Time to Dream, brings her undefeated record from Saratoga.View the full article

The road back to racing has been a long one for Tamara. Now the Spendthrift Farm homebred will try to make it a return worth waiting for in the Oct. 4 Chillingworth Stakes.View the full article

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association announces that stakes purses for Louisiana Champions Day Stakes at Fair Grounds in December and Louisiana Premier Night at Delta Downs in February are increasing by a total of $250,000.View the full article

TIMONIUM, MD – The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale produced strong returns at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Tuesday, with numbers up across the board from its 2024 renewal. In all, 161 yearlings grossed $4,978,100, while the average of $30,920 rose 30.4% from a year ago and the median increased 33.3% to $20,000. A year ago, 180 horses sold for $4,267,700. The average was $23,709 and the median was $15,000. “The results were very strong today,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “I think it demonstrates that there is a viable and legitimate market here in the Midlantic region for people to bring a quality horse to. I thought we had more buyers here than we had horses. There was more money here than we had horses that could fill those orders. A lot of people went home without buying a horse.” With 36 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate Tuesday was 19.3%. It was 28.3% a year ago. David Scanlon made the day's highest bid when going to $370,000 to acquire a colt by Nyquist from Becky Davis's consignment. The sale topper was one of seven to bring six figures at the auction, up from six in 2024. “For decades, this location has been as reliable and consistent a marketplace as there is in the United States,” Browning said. “And that was evident again today. There was a great cross-section of participation from pinhookers, to local trainers, to owners that race throughout the region. It was very encouraging today.” With the Maryland racing circuit in transition as Pimlico Race Course is demolished ahead of a rebuild and the expected closure of Laurel Park, the catalogue for the Midlantic Fall sale has fallen over the last several years. From 526 head in 2022, the catalogue fell to 412 in 2023, 284 in 2024 and 225 this year. “We know this is a region in transition, but I think the nice thing is that there were a lot of positives to take out of the sale today,” Browning said. “Hopefully it's something we can build on going forward and it gives people some confidence to breed horses and to bring a quality horse here to sell next year and beyond.” Browning continued, “This gives us some evidence to go recruit. There were some horses who came out of this region who sold at other markets in 2025 because of some concern or trepidation. There are some horses that traditionally have come to this market from other states who may not have come this year because of that same kind of trepidation. We can look those men and women in the eye and say, 'You might have made a mistake in 2025. We hope you will come back in 2026 and we will all work together and hopefully grow the marketplace and continue to offer a viable product for buyers and sellers alike.'” The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall sale also featured the company's first female auctioneer, when Camille Booker, a third-generation auctioneer, took the microphone Tuesday. “She sold today because she is a qualified professional,” Browning said. “I think anybody that was in this crowd or watching on the internet said that's a quality professional who happens to be a female. She got in the auction stand because she's a professional and she did a professional job today. And I think the reaction from our buyers and sellers was overwhelmingly positive.” 'They Weren't Going to Let Me Steal One Two Years in a Row': Another Midlantic Nyquist Colt for Scanlon Dave Scanlon walked out of last year's Midlantic Fall sale with a son of Nyquist acquired for $150,000 who subsequently brought $1 million at this year's OBS March sale. The Ocala horseman had to work considerably harder to take home a son of the GI Kentucky Derby winner Tuesday in Timonium, ultimately going to $370,000 to obtain hip 18 from Becky Davis's consignment. Hip 18 c. NYQUIST o/o Lookin Dynamic sells for $370,000 at Midlantic Fall Yearlings! Congrats to the connections: B: Scanlon Training & Sales C: Becky Davis, agt Br: Bowman & Higgins Stable, R. Larry Johnson & RDM Racing Stable (MD)#FasigMD #MDbred @MarylandTB… pic.twitter.com/W2lzo5eSrb — Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) September 30, 2025 “We obviously had huge success with a Nyquist colt here last year,” Scanlon said. “This was the same breeder, same consignor. We were hoping coming in here that he was a beautiful horse. We got here and we were really happy. He's a great walker, he had good scope to him. And he is by Nyquist.” Bred by Bowman & Higgins Stable, the late R. Larry Johnson, and RDM Racing Stable, the dark bay colt is the first foal out of multiple stakes placed Lookin Dynamic (Lookin at Lucky), a half-sister to stakes winner and multiple graded placed Another Broad (Include) and multiple stakes winner Dynamic Strike (Smart Strike). Following a strong renewal of the Keeneland September sale, Scanlon admitted he was prepared to have plenty of competition at the Midlantic sale. “I see more people here this year,” Scanlon said. “I know people didn't get horses [at Keeneland]. We didn't get as many as we hoped to get. So we knew we had to go strong here. I do think there is a huge carry over from Keeneland. I knew coming in here, if this horse is nice, they are not going to let me steal one two years in a row.” Scanlon is perennially active at the Midlantic sale and said he likes the product on offer at the Maryland auction. “I feel like you have to be a real pinhooker here,” he said. “They are not ready made. They are raised right here in Maryland, out in a field and raised properly. And you get in here and they might be a little bit hairy, maybe a little raw, but they train up and they do really well. They are raised good, so they train up nice and they turn out nice.” When the Midlantic auction house holds its 2-year-olds in training sale next May, it will only be with untimed works. Scanlon said the change won't impact his shopping this fall. “I still think they are going to go down there at a pretty good clip,” Scanlon said. “I am for it. I think what it does is it makes everybody do their homework a little bit more. I am a big fan of the whip rule–I think we need to improve perception and I think that's going to help with the whip rule. I think it was a great deal last year. Even though we were kind of forced to do it that way, I loved it. I thought the response was pretty good. I applaud Boyd [Browning] and Fasig-Tipton for doing that. I think it was a great move and I hope it catches on.” Maryland Move Pays for Kiernan, Nothing But Net Owen Kiernan, who transferred his breeding operation from New York to Maryland five years ago, acquired the mare Logic of Absurdity (Bodemeister), in foal to Corniche, for $30,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November sale. The mare's Corniche filly (hip 17) rewarded the purchase Tuesday in Timonium when selling for $200,000 to Robert Lambe. The yearling was consigned by Northview Stallion Station. Owen Kiernan (in blue) | Fasig-Tipton “To be honest with you, I was finding it kind of hard to find horses at that sale,” Kiernan recalled of the 2023 Keeneland sale. “I just saw her going through and I talked with Mick Moore and I pulled the trigger on her and I got her. It was kind of lucky. It was one of those situations where you are getting a little punchy. But, you know, sometimes it works out okay.” Logic of Absurdity is a half-sister to Grade I winner Stormy Lucy (Stormy Atlantic). With no foal reported in 2025, the 11-year-old mare was bred back to Endorsed this spring. “She really bloomed in the last few months,” Owen said of the yearling. “I wasn't really that excited about her in the early part of the year and then she really came on. This sale later in September helped her a lot.” Of the yearling's price tag Tuesday, Kiernan admitted, 'I felt like $75,000 maybe, conservatively, was in my mind before the Keeneland sales. But then Corniche started to establish a good amount of top horses.” Corniche had 43 yearlings sell at the Keeneland September sale for an average of $203,651. The Coolmore stallion, who stood this past season for $15,000, was also represented by the top-priced lot at last week's Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale when a filly by the juvenile champion sold for $250,000. Kiernan said he has a broodmare band of some 10 head at his Tullynally Farm. The Irishman offered five homebred yearlings in Timonium Tuesday and all but one were purchased in utero at prices from $30,000 to $4,500. “There is a shortage of mares here in Maryland,” Kiernan said of his decision to relocate from New York five years ago. “I'm trying to promote the market and get a little niche, having something that will sell without paying a lot of money.” The post $370K Nyquist Colt Tops ‘Strong’ Renewal of Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A field of 12 fillies will vie for a spot in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Del Mar in the 1 1/16-mile Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) Oct. 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack.View the full article

Hopeful Stakes (G1) winner Ted Noffey will look to extend his brilliance to Kentucky and around two turns when he routes for the first time in the $650,000 Breeders' Futurity (G1) going 1 1/16 miles Oct. 4 at Keeneland.View the full article

Louisiana Downs concluded its Thoroughbred racing season with a strong finish, reporting a 16% increase in all-sources handle.View the full article

Trainer Bob Baffert is training Bottle of Rouge up to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), but two of her stablemates, including likely favorite Explora, will try to join her via the $200,000 Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) Oct. 4 at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

The 55th annual Eclipse Awards will return to Florida in 2026 and will once again be held at The Breakers Palm Beach, with the ceremony to be held Thursday, Jan. 22, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form (DRF), and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) announced Tuesday. “We are ecstatic to return to The Breakers Palm Beach for our fourth year in a row,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “Celebrating the success of racing's human and equine champions is the highlight of the year, and The Breakers continues to be the perfect venue to bring the industry together to showcase the best our sport has to offer.” Voting for the Eclipse Awards takes place at the end of the year and is conducted by the NTRA, DRF, the NTWAB, and Equibase field personnel. The post 55th Eclipse Awards Location, Date Set appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Cheveley Park Stud's Estrange will take her place in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe lineup, according to trainer David O'Meara. The grey daughter of Night Of Thunder thrives under soft conditions and the change of rain has increased leading up to Arc Weekend. “She's going to take her chance in the Arc,” said O'Meara. “The weather forecast looks favourable and in the last couple of days quite a bit of rain has appeared in the forecast. We're very much looking forward to it. “To win an Arc would mean everything. It's an iconic race and to have a runner in it, and one who hopefully has a competitive chance, is great for us.” A winner of the Listed John Musker Fillies' Stakes at York last September, she won the Listed Gillies Fillies' Stakes in November and added the G3 Lester Piggott Fillies Stakes at Haydock in May. Successful in July's G2 Lancashire Oaks, Estrange was 3 1/2 lengths off of one of the leading Arc fancies in Minnie Hauk (Frankel) in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks. “It's highly likely Minnie Hauk will be supplemented tomorrow and she beat us well at York, but I'm hoping the softer conditions might get us a bit closer,” added O'Meara. “Whether we can reverse the form, I don't know, Minnie Hauk could be an outstanding filly and is a dual Classic winner so we're under no illusions. But the softening ground I'm hoping will get us nearer or give us a chance of overturning her.” The post ‘It’s An Iconic Race’: Estrange Will Take Her Chance In The Arc With Rain In The Forecast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

TIMONIUM, MD – Camille Booker, who first made her presence known in the Thoroughbred industry as a bidspotter at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale in 2023, became the first woman to auctioneer for the sales company when she took to the rostrum Tuesday at the Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale in Timonium. While it may have been a first for Fasig-Tipton, it was far from a first sale for Booker, a third-generation auctioneer from Washington. “It was fun. It was great,” Booker said in between stints on the stand Tuesday. “I think it took a little bit to understand some of the little differences that are at a horse sale versus other events that I work at. But once I processed all of that, it went smoothly.” Booker's roots in auctioneering go back to her grandparents and father, who started Booker Auction Company in Washington in 1980. “That was where I got my start,” Booker said. “I went to auction school when I was 16. My brother, dad, and I run the Booker Auction Company now. We primarily sell heavy agricultural equipment, construction trucks and trailers. Still to this day, that is what we do full time back at home. So, I have to give a shout out to my team back home because they are still holding down the fort when I am here.” Booker won the International Auctioneer Championship in Orlando in 2011 and soon began diversifying her auctioneering portfolio. “I started doing contract work shortly after I won the International Auctioneer Championship in 2011,” she said. “That gave me the opportunity to start traveling and working with other auctioneers. I have been blessed to work at car sales with Barrett-Jackson and then started working here [at Fasig-Tipton] a couple of years ago. And I have done some fundraisers internationally with different companies.” Asked what the biggest difference she's encountered in her move to the horse sales, Booker smiled and said, “You can't say, 'Sold.' If you've been doing this your whole life and you always sell out, making that transition of not saying sold is definitely not easy.” Regardless of what she is selling, Booker said she has one constant goal. “The biggest thing is you want people to trust you,” she said. “Buyers and sellers. I think that takes a little bit for them to get comfortable with my chant, as well as my style. But most importantly, I want them to feel reassured that, 'Hey, she sees us.' And at the same time the sellers are happy with what they are receiving out of it, too.” Booker sees her role as a facilitator in a vital process for both sides of the ledger. “At home, we deal with retirements or estates or bankruptcies and I always tell people, while we sell equipment for a living, I always feel like for most of the people, we are helping make a transition,” she said. “So a lot of times you are helping them through that process. At a car sale, they are bidding on a car that is maybe their dream car or a childhood favorite. So being part of that is pretty exciting.” Of her newest challenge, Booker said, “I am still learning with the Thoroughbred market. It's very transactional, I feel. It's amazing the dollar amount these horses continue to bring. But I know there are so many stories behind each horse. It still fascinates me how the sales line up. How one just takes off based off his dam and sire. It still intrigues me.” Booker Auction Company already has its fourth generation lined up. “My son, who is 15, is an auctioneer,” Booker said. “He just had a sale Sunday. I worked the ring for him as the bid assistant. That's a great way to get him started.” Booker's future appearances at Fasig-Tipton are still to be determined. “I had on my calendar always to come back to work the floor, at least, at the November sale,” she said. “We will see where this one takes me. It has to fit in my schedule because there is a lot going on at home. And we will see what they thought of all of it, as well.” The post For Camille Booker, A Fasig-Tipton Auctioneering First Years In The Making appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The catalogue for the Arqana Arc Sale on Saturday evening has grown by four after several more wildcards were added on Tuesday evening. Leading the way is G3 Kolner Sprint Trophy hero Shootout (Areion) (lot 25) from the yard of Henk Grewe. A half-brother to multiple Group 1-winning Deutsches Derby hero Sammarco (Camelot), he is joined by the juvenile winner Seneque (Zarak) (lot 45) from the family of Group 1 winners Temida (Oratorio) and Midships (Mizzen Mast). Over jumps, 3000-metre winner Lascar D'Airy (Motivator) (lot 20) and lot 47, the placed Max D'Airy (Storm The Stars) complete the wildcards. The post Wildcard Quartet Featuring Group Winner Shootout Added To Arc Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A pair of Belmont Stakes (G1) competitors highlight the field of seven for the Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes (G2T) Oct. 4 on the inner turf at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

Compiled by America's Best Racing, a media schedule for one of the busiest and most exciting weeks in horse racing.View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of Sept. 22-28View the full article

KILDARE, IRELAND – For the second time in Goffs Orby Sale history, a full-sister to Blackbeard led the way – this time with Coolmore's MV Magnier going to €1.9 million to secure the Glenvale Stud-consigned daughter of No Nay Never. It was at this sale in 2022 when Run Away commanded top lot status when selling to Richard Knight for €2.3 million. In the meantime, Blackbeard has made a good impression with his first crop of yearlings while his little brother Charles Darwin has proved himself to be a chip off the old block by posting an impressive victory in this year's Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. Run Away may not be trained at Ballydoyle but she has done her bit for the pedigree by bagging black-type for Andrew Balding on behalf of a partnership that comprises David Howden, Qatar Bloodstock and Monceaux. As €1.9 million purchases go, this one made a bit of sense, and Magnier fought off the attention of Jacob West who filled the role as underbidder on the daughter of Muirin (Born To Sea). “She is a lovely filly and all of the lads liked her,” Magnier said. “Again, No Nay Never is having another brilliant year. He's a very good stallion. Blackbeard was a very good two-year-old and, to be fair to him, he's making very good stock and they are all selling very well. He has had a good sale here and there are a few nice ones heading to Newmarket, so that will be exciting.” He added, “Aidan [O'Brien] thinks that Charles Darwin is a very good horse. I'm not saying he is as good as Albert Einstein but he's a very good two-year-old and we will see the best of him next year. Listen, the family works well and she [280] is a very valuable filly regardless of what she does on the racetrack.” Like virtually every yearling sale so far this year, the Orby experienced sharp rises in its figures across the board. Notably, there were 194 lots that made €100,000 or more compared to 159 12 months ago. Reflecting on the trade at the Orby Sale this week, Magnier commented, “To be fair to Goffs, they have done a good job and all of the right people are here. It's been a good sale. Every year, some very good horses have come out of here.” A case in point being the leading Arc contender Minnie Hauk, who sold at this sale in 2023 for €1.85 million. “Exactly, and she's a champion,” Magnier continued. “Credit to the Sangster family for selling her here a couple of years ago. Goffs always come up with the goods.” Beeby Reflects On “Consistent” Orby Sale A record median and average was posted on what Goff chief Henry Beeby described as being a “consistent” renewal of the Orby Sale. Of the 435 horses that were offered, the clearance rate posted was 89% for 389 sold. The €52,225,500 turnover was up by 2% on last year while the median climbed a massive 23% to €98,000 and the average by 5% to €134,000. Beeby commented, “Consistent. That is the word that probably sums up the Orby Book 1 of recent years. Whereas other sales often rise one year and fall back another, the Irish National Yearling Sale has proved reliably steady making year-on-year progress since the pandemic. “A top price of €1.9 million backed up by two more seven-figure transactions has led two days of remarkably solid trade for a catalogue of good-looking potential winners. Buyers have flowed from the UK with a huge number of British trainers competing with a large contingent of “American visitors and a sizeable number of bidders from the Gulf Region. It was a huge pleasure to welcome John Stewart of Resolute Racing in person along with our leading buyer Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing, neither of whom were here last year and they did battle with Orby stalwarts like MV Magnier, Godolphin, Rabbah, Al Shira'aa, David Redvers, Joseph O'Brien and Highflyer while another in-person newcomer, Charlie Bond of Bond Thoroughbreds also made his presence felt to great effect. That spread of buyers at the top is another factor that sets this sale apart as the top 10 lots were bought by eight separate entities.” He added, “These leading buyers bid safe in the knowledge that they have bought from a sale that has delivered again and again this season with Classic and Group/Grade 1 winners along with top two-year-olds all serving to promote Orby to a global audience. Add to that the unique Goffs Two Million Series and it's plain to see it's a real no-brainer to attend and buy. The excitement of Saturday's Million Day was a fitting end to the last few months as we have rejoiced in paying out €1 million of Orby Bonuses on twenty race days in Ireland and the UK. The thrill of those top-class wins, and the extra prize money provided by the Million Series has been palpable as both represent “job done” although we always look forward to the next one. “Marketing initiatives are part of what we do but we are nothing without the horses and we are grateful to our vendors who have supported the sale so well. We recognise there are alternatives and take nothing for granted but we exist to provide a global stage for the best Irish horses, and we have been delighted to return some excellent results for so many great people, not least some of the long established farms that have been attending Orby for most if not all of the last 50 years since Kildare Paddocks was launched in 1975. Names like Airlie, Owenstown, Rathasker, Staffordstown and others have been in the indices for as long as any of us can remember and sent stand out lots to us again this week and got well paid. Add to the mix a smattering of UK vendors this year and we can reflect on a sale that has returned improved statistics again with rises in all the key metrics, perhaps most notably the median which has improved by 23%, an impressive 89% clearance rate and a record average to underline the consistent nature of the two days. “As ever we are indebted to every client, both buyers and vendors, whilst also acknowledging the devotion of the superb horsemen and women who present the yearlings in prime condition from start to finish. It's just a joy to be part of it all and we look forward to Orby Book 2 over the next two days.” Amo Racing Spends More Than 3 Million Amo Racing were responsible for the second of three seven-figure lots on the day, a Night Of Thunder filly out of Group 1 winner No Speak Alexander that was bred and consigned by Noel O'Callaghan's Mountarmstrong Stud. No Speak Alexander, who was bred and owned by O'Callaghan, is best remembered for landing a 25-1 surprise victory for Jessica Harrington in the Matron Stakes. O'Callaghan is convinced that Amo Racing will not have to wait long on her Night Of Thunder filly to hit the track. He commented after the €1 million sale, “We're delighted. I hope she's very lucky for Amo Racing. She'll be early. We're not surprised by what she made and, if she made more, we wouldn't have been surprised either. This is a great industry, isn't it. It's been a very good sale and, if you don't get a kick out of selling a yearling for €1 million, you never will.” Asked how he planned on celebrating, O'Callaghan concluded, “I'm off to Newmarket!” If this week is anything to go by, Amo Racing will also be making its presence felt at Newmarket next week. Kia Joorabchian's operation spent €3,185,000 on nine yearlings, headed by the Night Of Thunder filly on Tuesday. Bloodstock agent Alex Elliott commented, “She is bred to be fast and I would say we will know our fate early because we view her as an Ascot filly. A very sweet and good-bodied filly out of a Group 1 winner and by Night Of Thunder. That's kind of what they cost, isn't it? That's what we expected to pay for her – it was in and around the top of our range. She's going to have to be early because she's [been born in] January. There have been some really good horses here, as always. It's been solid. Goffs do a great job getting people here and, when you look at the board downstairs, from Minnie Hauk and more, a lot of good horses have come out of this sale. We're all pleased that Kia has come back and hopefully we have found him some good ones.” Al Sagar Swoops For €1 Million Lope De Vega Filly The third and final millionaire lot came deep into the session when, bidding on behalf of Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud, bloodstock agent Hugo Merry landed a Lope De Vega sister to Group 2 winner Mitbaahy and American Grade I scorer Going Global for exactly €1 million. Consigned by Castlebridge, the Lope De Vega filly completed a €1.35 million spend for the major owner this week. Al Sagar said, “Beautiful [pedigree] and, more important than the pedigree, is conformation. [She is] very correct and strong. She is an early type and looks ready today. In addition, the Argentinian bloodline [the dam, Wrood, is by Invasor], for me, is very much important.” The Lope De Vega filly was bred by Nicky Hartery, chairman of Horse Racing Ireland and owner of Caherass Stud. He said, “I am very pleased. She was a lovely filly from the day she was born and I can only hope that she is successful for her new owner. I was hopeful she would do well, and she has. The family has been very good for me. I am delighted.” “I Am Stunned” – Joy For John Tuthill With Sale Of €440k Mehmas Colt There was a genuine outpouring of emotion towards John Tuthill of Owenstown Stud, widely regarded as one of the best breeders in Ireland, when his Mehmas colt out of Australia mare Quickstep Lady sold to Juddmonte for €440,000. Tuthill had sourced the mare, who reached a rating of 85 for owner Jeff Smith, for just 100,000gns at the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls in 2021. “Of course I am delighted,” Tuthill beamed. “Couldn't have gone to a better home. First living foal, a smasher, and has always been nice since the moment he was born. One of those foals who just has always been nice.” He added, “I bought the mare – she is a queen. I really wanted her and I was lucky to get her and I thought this mating would do quite well. It is a great family. There is an upgrade to the pedigree, too, under the second dam – Planet Seeker (Blue Point) was third in a Group 3 recently. The stars aligned – selling a Mehmas this week was not the worst thing to be doing. The dam is in foal to Pinatubo and she has a foal by Sioux Nation. I am stunned, I am delighted and this makes all the hard work so worthwhile.” As Tuthill alluded to, Wise Approach went some way in reminding everyone what a brilliant stallion Mehmas is when the Charlie Appleby-trained juvenile overcame a tardy start to win the G1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday. Juddmonte's general manager in Europe, Barry Mahon, was one of the many leading buyers to heap praise on the Tally-Ho Stud-based stallion this week. He said, “The owners were keen to support the sale and we had a good look around the other day. This colt looks strong, precocious and fast and is by a very good stallion in Mehmas. It's a good, fast pedigree and he's obviously bred by an outstanding breeder in John Tuthill. We submitted a list to the owners the other day and he was the one that they honed in on. We wanted to try and buy a sharper, more of a two-year-old type.” When it was put to Mahon that the Mehmas colt didn't scream Juddmonte's usual modus operandi, he replied, “I think you have to pay attention and we saw at the weekend in the Middle Park that we have to pay attention to this stallion. He is a very good stallion and Australia is doing well as a broodmare sire. The dam was quick herself, she won over six furlongs so he ticked a lot of boxes. We have bred to Mehmas – we have a couple of two-year-olds by him and there is one in training with Ger Lyons. He hasn't run because he had a small setback but Ger likes him a lot. We've a couple of yearlings by Mehmas as well so we have used him extensively over the past couple of years.” Subplots Paddy Twomey extolled the merits of Havana Grey after forking out €520,000 on a filly by the stallion from Kildarragh Stud. This is the first season that Twomey has trained two-year-olds by the stallion but he achieved huge success as recently as Sunday when Black Caviar Gold landed the G3 Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh. On top of that, Twomey is understood to have sold Rogue Legend to Resolute Racing for eye-watering money earlier in the season on the eve of Royal Ascot, where the Havana Grey colt finished third in the Windsor Castle Stakes. “Havana Grey needs no introduction,” Twomey said. “We bought five yearlings by him last year. It was the first time we had them this year and we had a lot of success. She's for an existing owner. Havana Greys are sound, tough and able.” Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown landed colts by Mehmas and Kingman deep into the session. Having left Goffs early in the evening, it was Tom Biggs who signed for the Kingman from Croom House Stud for €400,000. Roughly 10 minutes later, Biggs out-muscled Amo Racing on Tally-Ho Stud's Mehmas colt at €470,000. Speaking about the market, Brown commented over the phone, “I think the sale has been very good. All year the market globally, certainly in the northern hemisphere, has been very strong. I wasn't at Fairyhouse but that read very strong, and from talking to people who were that certainly seemed to be the case. It was strong at Keeneland, Arqana, it's all following on with very good trade.” A vendor buy-back at €520,000, Glenvale Stud's Wootton Bassett half-sister to Garswood was later knocked down to Al Shira'aa Racing for €400,000. That brought Al Shira'aa Racing's total spend this week to €1,330,000 on four lots. Form Bloodstock struck gold at this sale a couple of years ago when sourcing the unbeaten filly Laurelin for just €160,000 and the American-based ownership outfit landed three yearlings for a combined sum of €570,000 this week. Thought for the day It can be easier in life to be critical rather than pointing out when somebody is doing a good job. But in the spirit of being positive, it must be noted that Goffs has assembled a talented bunch of young bid-spotters who are worth their weight in gold. It didn't go unnoticed by a number of leading buyers this week the excellent job that they have been doing. The post ‘Goffs Always Come Up With The Goods’ – Sister To Blackbeard Headlines Orby Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When they run Saturday's GI Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct, It's Our Time (Not This Time) will be the heavy favorite. How could he not be? The Tom Amoss-trained 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' won his debut at Saratoga by 17 3/4 lengths while earning a 94 Beyer and quickly became one of the most talked-about maiden winners at the meet. The performance went well beyond what Amoss was expecting. “It was a race where there was a horse (Hero Declared) that was super hyped and when they left the gate that horse went straight to the front,” Amoss said. “I thought, hopefully I'll get a respectable showing here. I didn't see that coming. He was working well and he was among a select group that we brought up to Saratoga because we thought he was good enough.” It was a banner Saratoga meet for Amoss, who won five 2-year-old maiden races. “It's kind of strange,” he said. “I've never had a horse debut and do what this horse did. I've had horses win like that, but not in their first start. I feel there's an expectation now based on how he won and how everyone is commenting on it. I know it was a very good performance against the clock, but I think this race is going to different.” The Champagne looks like an easy spot for the Not This Time colt. But Amoss, who knows how easy it is for things to go wrong in this sport, is trying not to get overconfident. “We're going to find out a lot more about him on Saturday,” Amoss said. “I'm not going to call myself a Doubting Thomas. He ran really, really well, but I do think he has something to prove and I think this race will be a good measuring stick.” Amoss, who is based at Churchill Downs, could have stayed closer to home and run this weekend in the GI Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland. But he thought the Champagne, which is a one-turn, one mile race, was a better fit. “I thought the Champagne was a pretty good transition off of one race and trying to go further in distance,” he said. “We're keeping him, for now, around one turn. I thought that made a lot sense especially after how he ran first time, which was pretty fast start to finish.” It's Our Time is owned by Double Down Horse Racing, which is a father-and-son team. Elza Mitchell, the father, owns the colt along with his son, Alex. In the sport for less than two years, It's Our Time was their first winner. He was bought for $425,000 at Keeneland September, a hefty price for Amoss, who is known for finding bargains at the sales. While it would come as a surprise if It's Our Time loses, the field includes a number of horses that are promising. The second and third choices will likely be Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) and Talkin (Good Magic). Napoleon Solo was an easy winner of a Saratoga maiden restricted to horses that sold for $60,000 or less at the sales. He cost $40,000 at Keeneland September. Trainer Danny Gargan may have a good one in Talkin, who got a good figure when breaking his maiden at Saratoga by a neck. The post Tom Amoss: It’s Our Time Still Has Something To Prove appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Michelle Lovell discusses record-setting Doncho ahead of his graded debut in the $400,000 Woodford Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland Oct. 4.View the full article

Breezing a star like Journalism (Curlin) demands an extra level of concentration. It isn't that the colt is headstrong or unfocused. If anything, he does his job almost too well. “You have to be careful about your fractions because you're thinking that you're going really slowly, but really you're going quick with him,” said Tony Gutierrez. “You don't feel when he's touching the ground. He floats.” While Marc Witkowski is Journalism's regular exercise rider, Gutierrez has been aboard the talented colt for the majority of his breezes since he was just a 2-year-old in Michael McCarthy's barn. He rode the three-time Grade I winner for his latest breeze on Sept. 26, where he worked a bullet four furlongs in :47 flat in preparation for this year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. “I got really excited about the way he worked that day,” said Gutierrez. “With him, you just have to be the pilot. He's a horse that wants to do what he wants to do.” That instinct–the ability to feel what a horse is telling him–is what makes Gutierrez one of the most sought-after work riders on the Santa Anita backside. While Gutierrez spends much of his time as an exercise rider in Phil d'Amato's barn, where he partners daily with recent GIII Green Flash Handicap winner and Breeders' Cup hopeful Motorious (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), he also bounces to different barns throughout the morning when trainers call upon him to breeze their best horses. Gutierrez and She's a Tiger in 2013 | Horsephotos Gutierrez came by his horsemanship skills naturally. Born and raised in Mexico City, he grew up in a family deeply rooted in racing. His father was an exercise rider, but tragically passed away in a training accident when Gutierrez was just 3 years old. With his mother left to raise four children on her own, it was Gutierrez's uncle Arturo, a trainer, who stepped in. Arturo brought young Tony and his brother to the racetrack day after day, immersing them in the sport. By 14, Gutierrez was riding races in Mexico. A few years later, he seized the opportunity to come to the United States. He went to work for veteran trainer Jeff Bonde, and at age 22, rode his first American race at a county fair in California. Over the next 14 years, Gutierrez moved his tack from small fairs to Golden Gate and Bay Meadows, and even spent brief stints in New York and at Monmouth Park. By the time he retired in 2013, he had collected 149 career wins in the U.S. Gutierrez went back to California to focus on exercise riding and in the years since, has developed his reputation for giving trainers exactly what they're looking to see in their horses' works. “Every trainer has their own style, so you have to learn about different barns,” he explained. “If Phil asks me to work a horse, I try my best to do it his way. Michael McCarthy, same thing. I guess that's why they're asking me to work with these important horses, which is a big deal. I have to thank a lot of trainers that have given me their trust because it's not easy. It's a lot of pressure, but it doesn't feel like a lot pressure because I know they trust me.” “My entire career has been about horses,” he continued. “Of course, you're dreaming of one day getting on some of the nicest horses in the world.” One of the first big-name horses Gutierrez worked with was She's a Tiger (Tale of the Cat), who won the 2013 Del Mar Debutante and was runner-up in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Some of his other favorites include multiple Grade I winner Lava Man (Slew City Slew), 2014 GI Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) and, more recently, 2024 GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents). Journalism is now on that list of all-time best horses Gutierrez has ridden. The horseman said the son of Curlin showed promise from the start. Gutierrez and Journalism breezing at Del Mar | Zoe Metz “Michael has always said there was something about this horse and I got that feeling too,” Gutierrez said. “When he won the Los Alamitos Futurity last year, it was pretty amazing. I kept working with the horse and he kept getting better and better.” Motorious is another horse that Gutierrez is excited about. After running second in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, the d'Amato trainee has gone undefeated in his past three starts. His most recent win in the Green Flash Handicap was a 'Win and You're In' for the Turf Sprint. “I've been riding Motorious for four years,” said Gutierrez. “We have a connection together. I know when he's happy and I know when he's down. I love the way he's training right now. That last race was really amazing. He's a horse that always gives you 100%. He deserves to win those kinds of races.” For Gutierrez, the Breeders' Cup is like graduation day. The horses he has guided through morning after morning of work now take center stage, and like a proud parent, he can only hope they remember everything he's taught them. “Everybody wants to go to the Breeders' Cup,” he said. “For the riders, the trainers, the grooms, it's what we are dreaming about, to be in those kinds of special races. It's not easy. It takes a lot to get there. I'm blessed that trainers give me the opportunity to ride those kinds of horses.” Watching his trainees succeed at the highest level is one of Gutierrez's favorite aspects of his job. But even if he wasn't riding Grade I winners and Breeders' Cup hopefuls, he would still be getting out of bed every day with the same enthusiasm. “I come in the morning and enjoy it,” he said. “Usually I never take a day off because if I do, it feels like something is missing throughout my day. Horses are like my family. So for me, I have to make them feel that we're not working. We're just going out there to have fun. I have to ride in the morning to feel good about myself. Horses give me that and I do the same for the horses. This is my passion. I've never done anything else. It's a lot of work, but I don't think I can ask for more.” The post Breeders’ Cup Connections: Tony Gutierrez and the Art of Breezing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk It’s been a decade since Chris Butt took three of his own horses to the races, but that’s exactly what he’s doing at Addington today. The Balcairn-based trainer-driver lines up Mister in Race 2, the West Melton BP Supports CSBA and Breeders Trot (5.18pm), Willy Away in Race 3, the Equine PEMF Therapy Mobile Pace (5.49pm) and Lord Mudrick in Race 5, the Breed-Race-Win-Repeat Mobile Pace (6.55pm). “This would be the first time I’ve had three at the races since Australia,” says Butt. That was back when he was based in Perth. He returned home to Canterbury in 2014. “Lord Mudrick is probably the best of my chances,” he says. “He’ll appreciate being back on the all weather track.” A winner of five from 59 starts, Lord Mudrick’s last start was a 10th on the grass at Motukarara earlier in the month. Before that he was fourth at Addington on August 4. Also in his favour is the draw (4) over 1980 metres. “If he’s not on the speed he does not try that hard.” “Motukarara was his first start in a while and hopefully he’ll improve and is a top three chance.” Earlier, Mister will have just his third career start after two unplaced efforts. “He’s taking a long time to strengthen up, he’s been slow maturing,” says Butt. “He does not have the ability of his brothers!” Those siblings are five-race winner Master Class and Prestigious, an impressive winner at Timaru on Sunday. All three are out of Prestine and bred by Butt’s grandmother Jenny Butt. The third of Butt’s runners is Willy Away. He has been placed three times in nine starts. “He has no early speed and that can make life tough for him but he’s not the worst and he’ll just keep getting better.” Addington’s midweek meeting has seven races, starting at 4.52pm. View the full article

By Adam Hamilton The path to the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup starts on Saturday night for champion Aussie pacer Leap To Fame. The amazing six-year-old returns from a break to face just five rivals in a 2138m free-for-all at Albion Park. It will springboard his quest to add another three Group 1 wins for the remainder of this season to his already bulging CV. The biggest of them is the $1 million IRT NZ Trotting Cup at Addington on November 11. Before then, he will head to Melton to chase the one huge traditional open-class race to elude him so far in Australia, the $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup on October 18. It’s the race they call the Cox Plate of harness racing. Leap To Fame’s 2025 Group 1 hunt will finish in his own backyard with the $250,000 Group 1 Blacks A Fake – a race he won last year – in its new timeslot on December 6 at Albion Park. He already shares the Australian record with 12 Group wins (with Lombo Pocket Watch and Smoken Up) and is chasing Lazarus’ Australasian record of 15. Leap To Fame, who hasn’t raced since winning his second Brisbane Inter Dominion final on July 19, sharpened-up for his return to a remarkable 140m trial win – albeit against trotters – from a standing start at Albion Park last Thursday. The trial was as much to gain standing-start practice ahead of the NZ Cup, which is a stand. He won’t get the chance to race from a standing start before it. When he steps out on Saturday night, Leap To Fame will be chasing his 23rd successive win on the Albion Park track. His last defeat there was a luckless fourth way back on November 4, 2023. His last start Inter Dominion win made Leap To Fame the richest all-time pacer in Australasia with $A4,630,884, overtaking Blacks A Fake’s $A4,575,438. Trainer-driver Grant Dixon said the champ was primed for his return. “He didn’t have that long out, only a few weeks after the Inter Dominion and he seems great,” he said. “People ask me if he’s still getting better with the big past few months he’s had. I’d say he’s as good as ever. “It’ll be good to get this run into him, which will be the only run he has before the Victoria Cup.” Dixon didn’t buy into the Victoria Cup hoodoo theory given Leap To Fame had tried to win the race and had to settle for a brave and close third in 2023 and then being scratched with a throat infection just days before the race last year. “He’s won so many other big races, I don’t worry about the ones he didn’t win or that might have got away. He’s done an incredible job,” he said. Dixon confirmed the change of plans to have Leap To Fame get a flight from Melbourne to Auckland after the Victoria Cup, rather than return home to his Tambourine base outside Brisbane before crossing the ditch. “It’ll save him a flight and a long road trip to Sydney, so it makes sense,” he said. View the full article

The victory on Monday of Royal Chapel in the Listed Criterium de Bordeaux brought up the 100th stakes winner for the filly's sire Kingman. His speed in reaching this landmark century since retiring to stud a decade ago has been beaten only by Kingman's fellow Banstead Manor resident, Frankel. There can be few finer tributes to the vision of the late Prince Khalid Abdullah than these two third-generation homebreds standing alongside each other and continuing to fly the flag for the Juddmonte brand through their achievements at stud. The record of Kingman, the peerless champion miler of 2014, has been enhanced this year by his Classic-winning son Field Of Gold, who is being primed for a return on Champions Day to Ascot, where he won the G1 St James's Palace Stakes a month after landing the Irish 2,000 Guineas. After Elmalka, Persian King and Sparkling Plenty, Field Of Gold was the fourth Classic winner for Kingman, and among his 100 stakes winners are 14 individual Group/Grade 1 winners, their victories scattered across the world in England, Ireland, France, America, Australia, and Japan. Now standing at Haras d'Etreham, Persian King, from his sire's first crop, was his breakthrough winner at the highest level, taking the Poule d'Essai des Poulains before adding, at four, the Prix du Moulin and Prix d'Ispahan to his Group 1 record. From the second crop came the champion miler Palace Pier, who is now starting to make his way in the stallion ranks and has three first-crop stakes winners to his name in 2025. Palace Pier's contemporaries include the British-bred Domestic Spending, who landed three consecutive Grade I triumphs at Del Mar, Churchill Downs and Belmont Park for Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables. Another of that crop of 2017 is Kinross, who has proved to be one of his sire's most talented and hardiest campaigners. Across seven seasons, Kinross has won 11 of his 35 races, including the G1 Qipco British Champion Sprint Stakes and the G1 Prix de la Foret. He also won back-to-back runnings of the G2 City Of York Stakes, which has subsequently been upgraded to Group 1 status. With a fairly even split of eight colts/geldings to six fillies among the pool of Group 1 winners, Kingman currently has four sons standing at stud in Europe, while Schnell Meister recently completed his second season at Japan's Shadai Stallion Station. Calyx, another first-crop eye-catcher when winning the G2 Coventry Stakes, stood for six seasons at Coolmore prior to his untimely death in May 2025. His son Sepals won last month's G1 Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield in Australia. Easily the most influential son of Invincible Spirit, Kingman's reach extends to South America, too, where the Royal Ascot winner and Juddmonte-bred Sangarius, a grandson of the brilliant Banks Hill, stands in Brazil. Sangarius is also now a stakes producer via his daughter Odalisca, winner of the G2 Grande Premio Francisco Villela de Paula Machado. Kingman, whose Classic-winning dam Zenda (Zamindar) is a half-sister to another stalwart of the Juddmonte stallion ranks in Oasis Dream, had just two yearlings on offer at this week's Orby Sale – a half-sister to Group 3 winner Arrest who sold for €180,000 and a colt from the family of Mehmas who made €400,000. He has stronger representation next week at Tattersalls, where his 27 yearlings in Book 1 include half-siblings to the Group 1 winners Eshaada, Jannah Rose and King Of Change, and a colt out of the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Frankly Darling (Frankel). It will be no surprise to see American buyers pay particular attention to his stock given that, as well as Domestic Spending, Kingman has been represented in the USA by the Grade II winners Technical Analysis, Public Sector, Serve The King and Redistricting, and Grade I runner-up Summer Romance. In the current sires' championship for Britain and Ireland, Kingman sits in fifth position behind Night Of Thunder, the late Wootton Bassett, Dubawi and Frankel. Elite names all. He is deservedly in the best of company. The post A Regal Century for Kingman appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nine years since Aidan O'Brien gained the most recent of his two victories in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the Ballydoyle trainer has emphasised the importance of Europe's richest race and its standing in the sport as he prepares a two-pronged assault on the 2025 edition at ParisLongchamp on Sunday. Coincidentally, O'Brien endured a nine-year wait to double his Arc tally after Dylan Thomas overcame Youmzain and a prelonged stewards' enquiry to deliver the breakthrough on that nerve-jangling afternoon back in 2007. By contrast, in 2016, when the race was run at Chantilly with the redevelopment underway at ParisLongchamp, the closing stages must surely have been a much easier watch for the trainer, safe in the knowledge from some way out that the prize was heading back to his Ballydoyle base. Not only did he saddle the decisive winner, Found, but he was also responsible for the placed horses, Highland Reel and Order Of St George, in an unprecedented clean sweep of the podium positions. As for the near-decade since, O'Brien achieved his best result in that period when Irish Derby winner Los Angeles finished third behind Bluestocking just last year, beaten nearly three lengths at the line after being forced to make his own running. The imposing Los Angeles will be back for more this year as the stable's apparent second string, with the year-younger filly Minnie Hauk primed to lead the team into battle, but O'Brien refused to take anything for granted as the big day looms, knowing all too well at this stage just how difficult a prize the Arc is to win. “It's one of those races that really captures the imagination of breeders, owners, jockeys and fans all over the world,” O'Brien said of the €5-million showpiece. “It's one of those unique races that everybody wants to win. It's at a perfect time of the year in Paris and that weekend is where everybody wants to be. It's a unique race, in a unique country and a unique city. “It's a very difficult race to win and we don't take one little bit of that for granted. You need to have a top-class horse, you need to be tactical and you need to stay – a lot of stuff has to fall right for you. We try and go there with our best chances every year and we've been lucky to win two. I didn't realise it had been nine years since we won one. All we can do is try and go there with the best horse we have that year, really.” Whilst Los Angeles is clearly a very talented horse in his own right, having doubled his Group 1 tally when also winning May's Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh, the son of Camelot has seemingly been superseded at the top of the Ballydoyle pecking order this autumn by Minnie Hauk. Certainly, the bookmakers see it that way, with Minnie Hauk currently vying for favouritism with Aventure (Sea The Stars) at around 7/2, while Los Angeles is available to back at 33/1. Minnie Hauk is set to be supplemented at a cost of €120,000 on Wednesday, exactly a year to the day that she made her first racecourse appearance at Cork. The daughter of Frankel was beaten on that occasion but hasn't looked back since with five consecutive victories, including three at the top level, having rattled off an Oaks hat-trick at Epsom, the Curragh and York in recent months. “She was a very expensive yearling [€1,850,000 from the Goffs Orby Sale] and we always liked her a lot,” O'Brien said of the filly who was last seen dishing out a three-and-a-half-length beating to fellow Arc contender Estrange (Night Of Thunder) in the Yorkshire Oaks. “We knew she had a little bit of catching up to do this year as she only had the two runs, so she went for the trial in Chester [the Cheshire Oaks] and obviously went from there to Epsom. The rest is history after that. “She's slowly progressed all year, really. We're very happy with her and she's done everything we've asked. At home she's been lovely. Christophe [Soumillon, Minnie Hauk's intended jockey in the Arc] sat on her the other day. That was the first time he had ridden her and he seemed very happy.” O'Brien added on the likelihood of a big field at ParisLongchamp, “Minnie Hauk is very straightforward and easy to ride. She is always happy to go forward and she's very uncomplicated. She's a filly who travels strongly and has plenty of stamina. At Epsom, there was a big field and she coped very well. She has early speed and usually finds a good position quite easily. I'd hope she will handle it well.” Last year things didn't pan out ideally in the Arc for Los Angeles, who O'Brien described at the time as still being “a bit babyish”, having led the 16-strong field from an early stage. Equally, he wasn't seen to best effect at Royal Ascot in June this year when he tired late on after chasing the strong gallop set by stable-mate Continous in the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes. However, the seven-time winner looked much more like his old self when finishing fourth last time in the G2 Prix Foy over Sunday's course and distance, with O'Brien confirming that a second tilt at the Arc has been the plan ever since his good effort in defeat 12 months ago. “This is the race that has always been on our minds for him, absolutely, and he's been trained for it all year,” the trainer added. “All of his runs so far this year were just to keep him ticking over, really. Obviously, he ran a great race in it last year and wasn't beaten very far. He probably would have preferred to not be in front, but that's the way it fell for him.” O'Brien would not be drawn on who he thinks will come out on top between Los Angeles and Minnie Hauk, though, adding, “I'd never be surprised by anything that happens in a race. My two have never worked together – they've had two different preparations, totally – but it will be interesting. “She does look a very good filly, but he looks a horse who is slowly progressing back to his best, so it's impossible to say that [who'd come out on top]. All we can do is have them well, hope to get clean runs, and the acid test is then when you run them.” The post Nine Years On from Found, Another Star Filly Leads Ballydoyle Bid for Third Arc Crown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After finishing second and third in the With Anticipation Stakes (G3T), Heeere's Johnny and Capital Partner are back looking for their first stakes win in the $200,000 Pilgrim Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct Racetrack Oct. 3.View the full article