Wandering Eyes

As North American horseplayers ponder City of Troy's chances in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), many of their European counterparts already have expressed full confidence in the son of Justify.View the full article

Knicks Go (Paynter–Kosmo's Buddy, by Outflanker), the 2021 Horse of the Year, will stand the 2025 breeding season at $12,500, S&N, Taylor Made Farm announced Wednesday. The 8-year-old stallion, whose first foals are yearlings this year, stood the 2024 season at $15,000. Knicks Go's first yearlings at auction include a colt who sold to CHC/Maverick Racing/Siena Farm for $425,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, and a filly purchased by Horseology for MyRacehorse for $200,000, also at Keeneland September. Breeding incentives to the five-time Grade I winner will be available. For more information, contact Travis White at (859) 396-3508, or Brock Martin at (270) 498-3722, or visit www.taylormadestallions.com. The post Knicks Go to Stand for $12,500 in 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – If the 2024 racing season at Saratoga Race Course wrapped up Labor Day weekend, why are so many of the best horsemen in the country still sticking around? Overlooking the famed Oklahoma Training Track, and, at the moment, enveloped in bright fall foliage, the former home to 2023 Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin) seems like a good place to start. “What did we win, five the last two years? That's not bad,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said with a smile standing outside of his office at Barn 80 as training hours began to wind down on a gorgeous Saturday morning in mid-October at the Spa. That, of course, is five, as in, five Breeders' Cup winners. Cody's Wish successfully defended his GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile title at Santa Anita last year with a dramatic victory over next-out GI Pegasus World Cup winner National Treasure (Quality Road). Two-time champion sprinter Elite Power (Curlin) made it two straight authoritative scores in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Just F Y I (Justify) capped her perfect three-for-three championship season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. And, for good measure, Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) was third in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. The common denominator? Mott prepared all four at his Saratoga base before heading out to the Championships. “The (Oklahoma) track is good,” Mott said. “The weather is good. We enjoy it. The horses enjoy it. Some of them will grow a little fuzzy coat because they're getting ready for the colder weather. But they're doing well. They do well up here. I think they do well in the cold weather.” Hall of Famer Bill Mott celebrating the first of Cody's Wish's two wins in the Dirt Mile | Breeders' Cup/Eclipse Sportswire Mott continued, “Some people don't like it because they grow that little fuzzy coat and they don't look like a horse with a summer coat. You go out to California and they're all gonna have dapples all over and have those summer coats on them. But that's just the difference in the weather between the two places. I think you'll see that when some of the horses come from Europe, too.” Mott will be well-represented by a quartet at this weekend's Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, led by Glassman Racing's sensational GI Whitney Stakes winner Arthur's Ride (Tapit), who looks to bounce back in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic following a disappointing fifth in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Sept. 1. Arthur's Ride gearing up for ⁦@BreedersCup⁩ Classic over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga pic.twitter.com/KPEaUzYiMn — Steve Sherack (@SteveSherackTDN) October 12, 2024 George Krikorian's popular 7-year-old mare War Like Goddess (English Channel), just a half-length shy of a third straight win against the boys in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at the Big A Sept. 28, will be making her fourth and potentially final trip to the event in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She has been consigned by Hill 'N' Dale at Xalapa, agent, as Hip 210 to Monday's Fasig-Tipton November sale. 'TDN Rising Star' Scylla (Tapit) heads to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint after turning back to seven furlongs with a second-place finish in the GI Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga Aug. 24. The well-related Juddmonte homebred was previously second after looking long gone in the 1 1/16-mile GI Clement L. Hirsch Stakes three weeks earlier at Del Mar. Lawrence Goichman homebred Scythian (Tiz the Law) punched her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with an upset victory in the 'Win and You're In' GII Miss Grillo Stakes at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet Oct. 6. Mott has won a total of 15 Breeders' Cup races throughout his brilliant training career. “I had some monsters going last year,” Mott said. “I wouldn't want to say I was overconfident, but I knew I was going with either the favorite or second choice in each race. Two horses (Cody's Wish and Elite Power) were already Breeders' Cup winners, they had already proven that they were that quality. It wasn't like we were guessing.” As for this year's group, Mott concluded, “They're all nice enough to warrant giving them a chance and seeing what we've got.” All four had their final breezes at Del Mar Oct. 27. Grizzly Bear Season Speaking of monsters, or in this case, ahem, 'Grizzly Bears,' trainer Ken McPeek had one stabled at the Oklahoma Annex in Barn 86 up until late October. Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) trained (and ran) like she owned the place shortly after putting on a dominating display on the first Friday in May in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Thorpedo Anna feeling good after breezing on a picture perfect autumn morning at the Spa | Sherackatthetrack In a league of her own in Saratoga's GI DK Horse Acorn Stakes June 7 and GI Coaching Club American Oaks July 20, the 'TDN Rising Star' lost absolutely nothing in defeat finishing a painful second to fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light)–more on him shortly–in a GI DraftKings Travers Stakes for the ages. A just-in-time winner after some anxious moments at 10 cents on the dollar in the GI Cotillion Stakes at Parx Sept. 21–her fourth win at the top level during her brilliant 3-year-old campaign–the $40,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling steal concluded her preparations for Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, her first try versus older fillies and mares, with a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.24 (1/3) over the Oklahoma Oct. 26. The move was recorded in company with her multiple stakes-placed stablemate and 4-year-old gelding Denington (Gun Runner). Thorpedo Anna is campaigned in partnership by Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing. “She's in a really good routine up here and she's been very happy,” McPeek, back in town after purchasing 21 yearlings at Tattersalls October and Fasig-Tipton October, said after watching her final breeze from the backstretch. So why exactly did the Kentucky-based McPeek decide to keep Thorpedo Anna at the Spa all this time? “I've got a solid team up here and I wanted the continuity of it all,” he replied. “I also didn't want to change surfaces. Once a horse gets used to a surface and their routine, I think it's important to keep 'em in it if you can.” He continued, “Normally, I would've brought her and any others back to Kentucky. But because we've got a good set up up here and she was doing good, I left her. It's the first time I've ever done that–this is the latest we've ever stayed. It's a beautiful place to train. It's nice and quiet. She's thrived here. There wasn't any reason to switch it up. It seemed like the right thing to do.” McPeek concluded, “It's gorgeous up here, it's really beautiful.” The ageless Danny Ramsey (has 74 ever looked better?), a longtime employee of McPeek's and the regular exercise rider of Thorpedo Anna, is not lacking for confidence heading to the big dance. “I'm looking for her to win the Breeders' Cup. I'd be shocked if she got beat,” the affable Ramsey said of the Distaff 4-5 morning-line favorite in between sets as Thorpedo Anna drew a nice crowd of media (and blowing leaves) while cooling out following her Oct. 12 breeze. “She's great. She's beautiful. She's just going with the flow. She really is. The track is much better (in the fall). With a lot of horses on that track (in the summer), it gets real real deep on you. But now the track is pretty good because there's not a lot of horses training on it. Kenny made the decision (to keep her at Saratoga), and he made the right one, because she gallops beautiful on this track, she really does.” Thorpedo Anna cooling out back at the ⁦@KennyMcPeek⁩ barn following her breeze pic.twitter.com/GjopkxULeR — Steve Sherack (@SteveSherackTDN) October 12, 2024 Dermot Magner, McPeek's boots on the ground since setting up shop at the Spa this spring, added, “She just likes it here. She's in a good rhythm here. She likes the Oklahoma track. She's breezed weekly here consistently and ran consistently well from training here, too. The weather is also a big factor and we've been pretty lucky.” McPeek, also responsible for this year's GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents), will be looking to break through with his first Breeders' Cup winner after getting shut out with his previous 37 previous starters. McPeek became the first trainer to pull of the Oaks/Derby double since Ben Jones did so in 1952. Pletcher Power With the rising sun beginning to reveal that aforementioned autumn backdrop worthy of a postcard, Mike Repole's Breeders' Cup-bound homebred City of Light full-brothers Fierceness and Mentee looked the part while training in their white bridles during Todd Pletcher's 7 a.m. set over the Oklahoma on the second Saturday in October. Fierceness enjoying the fall at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic morning-line 3-1 second-choice Fierceness remained at Pletcher's Saratoga base following his heart-stopping victory over Thorpedo Anna in the Travers. His 2-year-old full-brother and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf contender Mentee returned upstate after making his grass debut a winning one in the GIII Futurity Stakes at Aqueduct Oct. 4. Pletcher's Saratoga base was also the home of GII FanDuel TV Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes winner Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) (Turf) as well as narrow GII Pilgrim Stakes runner-up and maiden of three career starts Noble Confessor (Quality Road) (Juvenile Turf) this fall. Pletcher's remaining four Breeders' Cup entrants–Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}) (Distaff), Gate to Wire (Munnings) (Juvenile Turf Sprint), Tapit Trice (Tapit) (Classic) and Tenacious Leader (Not This Time) (Juvenile Turf)–were split between Belmont Park and Keeneland, respectively. Pletcher has won a total of 15 Breeders' Cup races. “The main benefit (of staying in Saratoga) is that the surface seems to really do well this time of year,” Pletcher said. “It's the lightest traffic flow that it has during the course of the season, so that's part of it. The cooler weather–we've had some crisp mornings–but not much different than you would have in Lexington. We were in a position that if we felt like we needed to make a move, we could, but with things going well, we decided to not mess with it.” Breeders' Cup Brothers Repole paid $200,000 for Fierceness and Mentee's second dam Nonna Mia (Empire Maker)–named in honor of his grandmother–at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and she was a talented 2-year-old in her own right, breaking her maiden by 12 lengths at second asking at Belmont Park before finishing third to stablemate Devil May Care (Malibu Moon) in the 2009 GI Frizette Stakes. Full-brothers Mentee and Fierceness with Luis Parrilla at Todd Pletcher's Saratoga barn | Sarah Andrew Nonna Mia, a close relative of MGSW sire Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile), was an immediate hit in the breeding shed, first producing the multiple stakes-placed Nonna's Boy (Distorted Humor) before a mating with Uncle Mo resulted in Outwork, the 2016 GI Wood Memorial S. hero. Fierceness and Mentee were produced by her third foal, the 10-year-old mare Nonna Bella. She is a daughter of Repole's 2011 GI Travers S. hero Stay Thirsty. “Physically, they're different types,” Pletcher said. “Mentee is a more compact sort. They're both very good-looking horses, they just don't look like full-brothers, necessarily. But they are both conformational very good horses and have similar personalities in a lot of ways. They're both pretty laid back, quiet colts on a daily basis that on occasion will throw you a curve ball and rear up like Fierceness did in the paddock at the Jim Dandy. But for the most part, they're really straightforward, easy horses to train. They'll go easy if you want them to, they'll go fast if you want them to. Pretty push button that way.” Pletcher added, “It's a credit to Mike's program. I know those mares (Nonna Mia and Nonna Bella) are important to him and he named them after his grandmother. It's kind of cool that this mare has turned out to be a real blue-hen and just keeps giving.” Only six mares–Hasili (Ire) (dam of Banks Hill {GB}/Intercontinental {GB}), Leslie's Lady (Beholder/Mendelssohn), Primal Force (Awesome Again/Macho Uno), Senta's Dream (GB) (Iridessa {Ire}/Order of Australia {Ire}), Sweet Life (Life Is Sweet/Sweet Catomine) and Win Approval (World Approval/Miesque's Approval)–have produced multiple Breeders' Cup winners. “It's amazing having these full-brothers racing in the Breeders' Cup,” Repole said. “Nonna Mia and Nonna Bella have always been special because they were named after my beloved grandmother. That the sire of Nonna Bella is Stay Thirsty, who won the Travers for me, is extremely special.” Repole added that he currently owns approximately 50 broodmares. The Grass is Greener Off the strength of top-level wins in the GI Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 24 and GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes at Aqueduct Sept. 28, 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel) has established himself as the leading hope for 'Team America' in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. The LSU Stables colorbearer was stabled with Christophe Clement's Saratoga division–overseen by his son and assistant trainer Miguel Clement–since the spring. Far Bridge (outside) working over the Oklahoma turf Oct. 25 | Sarah Andrew “The only negative is perhaps the weather,” Miguel Clement said while watching the day's final set train through binoculars over the sun-splashed Oklahoma Training Track. “Because it really changes season-wise on you. You might be more prone to having a thicker coat. It's probably the only negative. The positives are that you're on the same track, you have a great training surface here, there's less traffic and you have access to turf. There are many benefits, but it's without a doubt that we are about 10 degrees cooler than on Long Island. Believe it or not, we're just three hours north.” As the $455-million transformation of Belmont Park continues, there is currently no option to train on grass downstate. With Oklahoma's turf course looking as pristine and green as it did when first opening for business this season in April, Far Bridge concluded his preparations for the 1 1/2-mile Turf with a five-furlong breeze in 1:02.11 (1/2) Oct. 25. “The majority of Far Bridge's works have been taking place on the turf and we're very comfortable with this turf course and we're able to read his works quite well,” Miguel Clement said. “He shows an affinity here. He's got winning ways at the moment, so let's maybe not try to change too much.” Clement added, “I think he's already established and stamped himself as the best horse in America on the grass. Nevertheless, the Breeders' Cup is no easy task. We not only have to face the best Americans, but also the best in the world.” Big Invasion (Declaration of War), beaten just a neck in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, will attempt to go one better for the Clements in the five-furlong dash Saturday. He was based at Belmont this fall. Leading Candidate for Juvenile Turf Sprint Governor Sam (Improbable) will carry a four-race winning streak (there's no way he's anything near that 12-1 morning-line quote, right?) into Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Trainer George Weaver sent him out for a four-furlong spin in :50.66 (1/1) over the Oklahoma turf Oct. 17. For Weaver, a former assistant to the legendary D. Wayne Lukas as well as Pletcher, Saratoga is home. “This is our base and has been ever since I've been on my own,” Weaver said. “We keep horses at Belmont as well, but I spend the majority of my time in Saratoga from May to November. Obviously, it's a great place to live and a great town, but the horses do very well up here and we've done very well basing our horses out of here for all these years. There's access to the turf course and the track is great to train over.” He continued, “After the meet ends, it quiets down quickly as far as the town and the amount of horses up here training. We've had a very nice September/October for the most part. It's been really nice. Every year you can expect it to cool off quicker than it would down by Belmont Park. You get some pretty crisp mornings up here.” Governor Sam, a $50,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling turned $275,000 OBS April breezer, is campaigned by Bregman Family Racing and Swinbank Stables. His four career victories have each come over four different turf courses, led by his neck victory in Keeneland's Indian Summer Stakes last out Oct. 6. “He's put together a real nice resume as a 2-year-old, he's undefeated ever since getting beat in his first start in a stake race (Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes at Gulfstream May 11) that probably was a little bit of a push,” Weaver said. “I respect that it's the Breeders' Cup, they don't give these races away, and I'm sure these will be nice horses that we're competing against. I'm happy with the condition of the horse and the way he's training going into it. At the end of the day, he's gonna have to go over there and prove that he's the best of this group again.” Saratoga Saffie After enjoying a breakthrough meeting at Saratoga this summer saddling 11 winners from 35 starters (31%), it was hardly a surprise to see the blue-and-yellow saddle towels of trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. still in action over the Oklahoma once the leaves began to change color. Joseph will saddle four Breeders' Cup runners this weekend: Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) (Dirt Mile), Batucada (Union Rags) (Distaff), Honor D Lady (Honor Code) (Distaff) and Soul of an Angel (Atreides) (F/M Sprint). Skippylongstocking (outside) breezing at Saratoga Oct. 25 | Sarah Andrew Both Skippylongstocking, third in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and second in the GII Woodward Stakes Sept. 28, and GII Beldame Stakes runner-up Batucada, recorded their final breezes for the Championships in Saratoga Oct. 25. Honor D Lady remained in Lexington following a fifth-place finish in the GI Juddmonte Spinster Stakes Oct. 6 while Soul of an Angel stayed in South Florida following her win in the GIII Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream Sept. 21. “They were all in Saratoga the whole summer,” Joseph said. “Last year was the first year we did it (kept a division in Saratoga after the meet). Skippy ran from there last year and he ran third in the Mile. We liked staying there after, it's a good place to train. It's very quiet. We did well with the horses when they left from there. We figured we'd follow the same protocol.” He continued, “You always try to learn and get better. We learned that getting in there early was a plus. The horses acclimatize and they get to work over the track. It's quite deep early in the meet. We did it last year and we followed it this year. That's gonna be our routine that we're gonna keep now. Try to get in there in May and stay to the end of October. I feel like It compliments the horses. They strive up there and they gain weight. There's a lot of grass areas to graze and they run well even when they leave there to ship to other races. It's a good base that we want to keep going.” “Saratoga has been good to us,” Joseph concluded. 'The Best Place in the World to Train a 2-Year-Old' Snowyte (Good Magic), a maiden of two career starts for trainer Danny Gargan, including a distant runner-up finish in the GI Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct Oct. 5, will look to emulate her leading young sire with an upset victory on the 'Future Stars Friday' program. Good Magic also finished second in his first two career starts, including the GI Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park, before graduating in style in the 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. Sealed With a Kiss: Danny Gargan celebrates Dornoch's Belmont Stakes victory | Sarah Andrew “I think she can be any kind of horse in the future,” Gargan said in these same pages in our 'Second Chances' series following her runner-up finish on debut this summer. Snowyte, a $250,000 Keeneland September yearling graduate, is campaigned in partnership by Pine Racing Stables, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC and R. A. Hill Stable. Breeder Don Alberto Stable is also on the ownership line. Snowyte breezed four furlongs for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in :49.77 (6/29) over the Oklahoma Oct. 18 before shipping to Del Mar. “I couldn't rave enough about that surface and the job that (NYRA's Executive Vice President, Operations and Capital Projects) Glen (Kozak) does,” said Gargan, who trained the recently retired Dornoch (Good Magic) to a 17-1 upset victory in this year's GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. “I've been going up there for three years and we've already won a Classic race. I credit Saratoga. I credit Glen and the track maintenance crew. It's the best place in the world to train a 2-year-old. That's why I go there. The big key is keeping them sound and keeping them racing. Being able to train on those tracks is the key to where the future stars come from. It's a tremendous place. You've got so many good horses that are trained up there and stay sound and run and become legends. I'm fortunate enough that I've trained one.” Stay Until November Open annually for training from April to November, the Oklahoma features a one-mile dirt surface and a seven-furlong turf course. There's also access to the infield for galloping. The New York Racing Association completed a major renovation of the Oklahoma in the spring of 2021, adding a limestone base, a renovated surface layer, a modernized drainage system and an inner safety rail. The track was also widened by 10-to-14 feet. Serving as consultants on the Oklahoma renovation were Dr. Mick Peterson and the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory. “The work that was done up at the Oklahoma, it just complimented what that track was and what Saratoga is for spring and fall training, really,” Kozak said. “The capital that was invested up there got it just the way we wanted from the ground up with the drainage, base, and cushion, and having that be consistent with what we have on the main-track side and also what we're building at Belmont for the main track.” Kozak concluded, “The thing about Saratoga that's so special is a horse can be a horse up there. It's a great environment.” The post Saratoga: The Fall Place to Be appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lynne Lyons's hitherto untried €155,000 Keeneland September graduate Ethical Code (Justify), a Ger Lyons-trained daughter of G1 Phoenix Stakes heroine Damson (Ire) (Entrepreneur {GB}), failed to sell when stalling on the €300,000 mark at Arqana's Breeze-Up fixture earlier in the year and dug deep to make a winning debut in Wednesday's DundalkStadium.com Fillies Maiden at Dundalk. A half-sister to dual Group-winning sire Requinto (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), she raced along the rail in fourth for most of this seven-furlong contest. Taking closer order in the home straight, the 7-1 chance was shaken up to gain a slender advantage approaching the final furlong and kept on in resolute fashion under a late drive to deny Mveve (American Pharoah) by a short-head in a four-way photo. Almost four in a line! Ethical Code clings on to make a winning debut, putting James Ryan one ahead in the apprentice riders' title race. City Of Troy's half-sister Takemetothemoon couldn't build on her promising debut.@DundalkStadium pic.twitter.com/A49OCoCEFY — Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 30, 2024 The post Justify’s Daughter of Damson Makes Winning Debut at Dundalk appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Veteran handler jumps to second in trainers’ premiership thanks to victories from Capital Legend, Daring Pursuit and Sugar Sugar.View the full article

From ABR, an At a Glance look at the 2024 Breeders' Cup Sprint.View the full article

Aidan O'Brien was at pains on Tuesday to spell out Team Coolmore's uncertainty as to the prospects of City Of Troy (Justify) mastering the task of Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. “We think we have him prepared to go forward. Whether he is quick enough to go forward from that slot, in this type of race–I'm not sure,” he said. And therein lies the big question mark regarding how this particular turf impresario transitions to dirt racing first time on the biggest stage. In many ways, the decision to send this colt into a Breeders' Cup Classic without any prior dirt undertaking is outlandish. It's like asking a 16-year-old football prodigy to start in the line-up in a Champions League Final. No amount of athletic ability is going to get him out of trouble if he can't produce what he has never been asked to, which is to cover the first two furlongs of a race in just over :23 seconds. Winding back to his 2-year-old days, City Of Troy covered that first section of the G2 Superlative Stakes in :27.35 and in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes he did it in :26.75. It was not until York's G1 Juddmonte International that we really got a true insight into what he was capable of, but that came later on in the race after he had been able to effectively saunter–in dirt terms–through the first half of the contest. Make no mistake: all of this colt's big displays have come after covering the first part of the race in relatively leisurely fashion. The kind of initial sectionals that his rivals on Saturday would consider funereal. In the last Breeders' Cup Classic staged at Del Mar, the first six furlongs went by in :70.04 and he will have to be somewhere on the premises at that stage to get seriously involved in the finish. Perhaps the only time we have seen him run a “dirt-style” race was at Newmarket in the 2,000 Guineas, when he was asked to go through the first five furlongs in :60.01 and got to two out in :72.33. Even allowing for faster underfoot conditions on Saturday, a similar performance would leave him something in the region of 10 lengths off the pace in a Breeders' Cup Classic with four furlongs to run on a track that favours speed. From three out in the Guineas, he was already cooked and it could be that we witnessed a genuine stayer being asked to go too quick through the early stages of the race. Everything City Of Troy has done so far suggests he is much more Galileo than Justify, but then we don't have a huge amount of evidence to go on. Interestingly, O'Brien pointed out after the Guineas that he had been caught up between sprinters and “the pace was on and he was in the middle of the pace” and that sparks concern for Saturday because the pace will be on and he will be in the middle of the pace. Had City Of Troy gone, as previously planned, to Saratoga in August, we would know a lot more about his chances here. That he didn't leaves a gaping hole in the ability to accurately assess them as well as in the colt's conditioning for a dirt race of his nature. What we do know, particularly in a Breeders' Cup Classic run at Del Mar, is that he is going to have to sprint far harder from the break than he has ever been asked to and then churn out his customary sub-12 second splits on top to stay in the mix. Can he produce what is effectively a prolonged sprint in addition to his diesel-engine powerhouse Derby performance? He'll be some animal if that's the case. There are no prisoners taken at this particular track, so he couldn't have it any harder that's for sure. Whatever happens, we'll find out who the real City Of Troy really is once and for all. The post The Quick And The Dead: Can City Of Troy Live With Life On The Dirt? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

At a recent board meeting of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (CHRHF), the Thoroughbred committees received several updates which were approved in advance of the CHRHF nominations and elections for 2025, the organization said in a press release Wednesday. Glenn Sikura, CHRHF 2023 Thoroughbred Builder Inductee, was appointed as the Thoroughbred Nomination Committee Chair. Robert Landry, CHRHF 2014 Jockey Inductee becomes a member of the Thoroughbred Nomination Committee to fill the position previously held by Tom Cosgrove. A member of the CHRHF Thoroughbred Election Committee since 2019, Ontario-based Thoroughbred trainer, and Jockey Club of Canada Steward Catherine Day-Phillips becomes that committee's chair, filling the role previously held by CHRHF 2015 Communicator Inductee, Jim Bannon. To reduce duplication on Nomination and Election Committees, both Glenn Sikura and Sue Leslie will step down from the Election Committee. Joining the Thoroughbred Election Committee is 2021 Thoroughbred Builder Inductee Vicki Pappas, chairperson of Long-Run Thoroughbred Retirement Society. Additionally, Thoroughbred Trainer Inductee Dan Vella, two-time Sovereign Award recipient and twice the trainer of Queen's Plate winning horses, will be joining the Thoroughbred Election Committee. Click here for a complete list of committee members. The post Canadian Horse Racing Hall Of Fame Updates Committees And Schedule For 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A quintet of wildcards have been added to the upcoming Arqana Autumn Sale on Nov. 18-21. Led by 1300-metre heroine Lilas Trezy (Fr) (Goken {Fr}) (lot 423), the fivesome will sell on Nov. 18. The other lots are all National Hunt offerings: winning hurdlers La Pagaille (Fr) (Choeur Du Nord {Fr}) (lot 458) and Becasse (Ire) (Yeats {Ire}) (lot 464), placed AQPS hurdler Le Tiep's Sacre (Fr) (It's Gino {Ger}) (lot 465) and Keyreine Du Seuil (Fr) (Masterstroke) (lot 466), third in a listed chase at Auteuil. For the full catalogue, please visit the Arqana website. The post Lilas Trezy Heads Quintet Of Wildcards For Arqana Autumn Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

This year's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Metropolitan (Fr) will begin his stallion career at Haras d'Etreham next season, the stud announced on Wednesday. He will stand for a fee of €15,000, with a small number of shares available in the son of Zarak (Fr). Bred by Stuart McPhee, Metropolitan was bought by Alessandro Marconi for €78,000 at the Arqana October Yearling Sale. He was trained for owners Peter Bradley and Scuderia Scolari by Mario Baratti, who saddled him to win three of his seven career starts. The Classic winner also finished third in the G1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and runner-up in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville. “Metropolitan has always been an exceptional horse, with a rare presence,” said Baratti. “He is strong, compact, and boasts an excellent acceleration. From the beginning of his career in Deauville at two, until the Jacques le Marois, he continually demonstrated his incredible ability. It has been a memorable experience to train him and we wish him great success in his new career as a stallion.” Metropolitan is the second winner from four runners out of his unraced dam, the Halling mare Alianza (GB), a half-sister to the Listed-placed Boater (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}). Also unraced was his second dam, Cercle d'Amour (Storm Cat), a full-sister to the Listed-winning Royal Tigress (Storm Cat) and a half-sister to the G3 Norfolk Stakes winner and G1 Prix Morny runner-up Warm Heart (Diesis {GB}). Etreham's Nicolas de Chambure said, “Metropolitan is a top-class stallion prospect and we are enthusiastic about his arrival at the stud for 2025. We have nothing but praise for him–he is a magnificent horse with a faultless physique. His pedigree represents a real asset for breeding because as a descendant of Dubawi, Storm Cat and Sharpen Up, he is exempt of the bloodlines of Danzig and Sadler's Wells and can be crossed with a multitude of mares. “His qualities as a racehorse are also remarkable. Combative and precocious, with great natural speed, he has powerful assets to succeed as a sire. His name Metropolitan is well-chosen with reference to the cosmopolitan connections associated with his career. We would like to thank them once again for their trust and we are delighted that we will join together to support Metropolitan in his new role as a stallion.” The post Classic Hero Metropolitan Retires to Haras d’Etreham for 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Maryland Racing Commission has approved a 2025 racing schedule that calls for Laurel and Pimlico to race just 120 days in 2025. The dates were approved at an Oct. 28 racing commission meeting. The story was first reported by the website the racingbiz.com. The number of racing dates has fluctuated in recent years, but the new schedule will mark a new era for Maryland racing. As recently as 2019 there were 174 racing dates. The dates will be divided between the state's two tracks with 114 dates at Laurel, plus a six-day meet at Pimlico surrounding the running of the GI Preakness Stakes. The new setup will create a situation where, for much of the calendar, the Maryland tracks will not be going up against Colonial Downs. The Maryland tracks will also be closed in July and August, which is generally when Colonial Downs races. Laurel will be closed during the first half of the new year and will re-open Jan. 17. Maryland will also be dark over the weekend of Mar. 14-16, when Colonial will have a mini-meet highlighted by the Virginia Derby. Starting in 2025, the Maryland tracks will no longer be under the control of 1/ST Racing. Rather a new entity, the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA), will be in charge. The MTROA is similar to the New York Racing Association, a quasi-state agency that controls racing at the New York tracks. While still in control, 1/ST Racing made it known that the tracks were struggling financially. Funds from the purse account have been used to subsidized 1/ST's operating expenses. The post Maryland Will Run Consolidated Racing Schedule In 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Shirl's Speight, a Grade I winner by Speightstown out of GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire}), will stand the upcoming breeding season at Darby Dan Farm, the farm announced Wednesday. He will stand his first season at stud for $5,000 S&N. A homebred for Charles Fipke trained by Roger Attfield, the globetrotting Shirl's Speight scored the biggest win of his career in the 2022 GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland, and he was among the top milers that year when also second by three-quarters of a length to champion Modern Games (GB) in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, also at Keeneland. In addition to his Grade I triumph and runner-up performance in the Breeders' Cup Mile, Shirl's Speight also finished second in the 2023 GI Woodbine Mile to multiple Grade I winner Master of the Seas (Ire). He won on turf and all-weather surfaces and was placed on dirt behind Grade I winners Mind Control and Hot Rod Charlie when third in the 2022 GIII Salvatore Mile at Monmouth Park. Shirl's Speight exploded onto the racing scene as a 3-year-old, dominating his Woodbine career debut with an eight-length victory in a seven-furlong maiden special weight on the turf. Despite being geared down late, Shirl's Speight covered the distance in 1:19.97, just missing the course record of 1:19.22 set by Silent Poet in 2019. The effort garnered Shirl's Speight a `TDN Rising Star 'designation. In his next start, Shirl's Speight stretched out to two turns over Woodbine's synthetic surface in the GIII Marine Stakes, which he won by 2 3/4 lengths. He raced in Japan, Dubai (where he was fourth in the G1 Dubai Turf), Canada and the U.S., hitting the board in 10 of 25 appearances and earning $1,497,245. He retires to stud sound. Speightstown, a champion sprinter and one of the most prolific and versatile sires of the last decade, has several successful sons at stud, including Munnings and Grade I winners Charlatan, Olympiad, and Prince of Monaco. Shirl's Speight is a member of a family cultivated by Fipke through the decades. One of only a handful of North American breeders who race homebreds exclusively, Fipke purchased Shirl's Speight's second dam, Grade I winner Lady Shirl, for $485,000 at the 2005 Keeneland November sale. Fipke bred Lady Shirl to his homebred Sadler's Wells stallion Perfect Soul (Ire), winner of the 2003 GI Shadwell Keeneland Turf Mile to get Perfect Shirl, winner of the 2011 GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Perfect Shirl, also trained by Attfield, earned more than $1.3 million during her racing career. Perfect Shirl is also the dam of graded stakes-placed Speightstown Shirl, a full sibling to Shirl's Speight; and Ready for Shirl (More Than Ready), also tabbed a `TDN Rising Star' this year at Keeneland after winning a maiden special weight at 1 1/16 miles on the turf by three lengths in her debut. Lady Shirl is also the dam of Shakespeare, winner of the GI Woodbine Mile and the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic; Lady Shakespeare, a multiple graded stakes winner and the dam of the Grade I winner Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), a 2-year-old champion filly in Canada for Fipke and Attfield; and stakes winner and multiple graded stakes-placed Fantastic Shirl. The post Grade I Maker’s Mark Mile Winner Shirl’s Speight to Stand at Darby Dan in 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Globetrotting multiple Group 1 winner Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) will skip next week's G1 Melbourne Cup and instead target the G1 Champions Stakes during the Australian autumn, Yulong's Sam Fairgray revealed on Wednesday. A title defence of the G1 Cox Plate is also in the offing for next October. Originally a 5,000gns Tattersalls December yearling purchase, the bay would go on to take the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes before changing hands for 2,700,000gns at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Now racing for Yusheng Zhang's Yulong in Australia, she has won a total of four Group 1 races for Chris Waller just this year, beginning with the Ranvet Stakes in March, the Winx Stakes in August, the Turnbull Stakes in September and the Cox Plate last Saturday. “The big carrot that the boss (Mr Zhang) ultimately wants to win one day is the Melbourne Cup,” Sam Fairgray told racenet.com.au. “He would love to win it. But at the end of the day the horse comes first. Everything was considered and the decision was made that the best thing for her was not to run (in the Cup). It was never in our early calculations, so hopefully she can now go to the Champions (Stakes). “Hong Kong is definitely off (this year). We have a property at Bayles, so she will go there (after the Champions) and get a rest and we will get set for the autumn, and hopefully another Cox Plate next year.” The post Via Sistina Will Skip The Melbourne Cup In Favour Of Champions Stakes Bid appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Racing Victoria will not compromise on the welfare of horses for the G1 Melbourne Cup after there was plenty of publicity about the scratching of Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), they announced on Wednesday. “I don't think the reaction's necessarily surprising,” EGM – Integrity Jamie Stier told racing.com. “When the protocols were implemented, it was understood that not everyone was in agreement and was made known that they were not in agreement. And that is as it is, but the protocols were put in place to mitigate any risks that we were able to identify with horses that were going to run in the Melbourne Cup. “So we put in place a process, we're following that process through. The last 24 hours, I'd say, it's unfortunate. It's always unfortunate to see such a high-quality horse not be able to take their part in the race. And that's disappointing not only for the connections and everyone associated with the horse, but also all the fans out there, all the punters, but also for us here at Racing Victoria. “We go to great lengths to try and get these horses here to Victoria to take part in these races, but we won't sacrifice safety for the sake of having a runner.” The post ‘We Won’t Sacrifice Safety’: Racing Victoria’s Stance On Jan Brueghel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Maiden Watch: Breeders' Cup 2024View the full article

Sea The Stars (Ire)'s Sea King (GB) punched his ticket to the G1 Melbourne Cup next Tuesday when winning the G3 Bendigo Cup by 3 1/4 lengths on Wednesday (video). The 5-year-old took over prior to the home straight and forged clear to defeat Berkeley Square (Ire) (Territories {Ire}) in the 2400-metre feature. “It's incredibly exciting. A lot was riding on it, it's the last win-and-you're-in for the Cup, so it's an absolute dream result today,” trainer Harry Eustace told racenet.com.au. “I'd just like to thank (syndicator) Terry (Henderson) … he managed to buy this horse just before Docklands (GB) travelled down as well and it's proving a pretty inspired purchase. “Curiously, coming down, we never even thought we'd get close and, of course, since we've been here the Cup, as everyone is well aware, has really started cutting up. So the closer we got to getting in the more pressure there was I suppose.” Bred by Highclere Stud, the son of stakes winner and G2 Ribblesdale Stakes third Pamona (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) was an 87,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase by Barry Lynch and Heath House. After making several starts for Charlie Walker and Osborne House III, the gelding raced for Neil Boyden from May of 2022, winning several handicaps. He was sold privately to Australian connections prior to his Bendigo Cup score. The weight the gelding will tote in the Race That Stops a Nation will be announced on Thursday. The post Sea King Books Melbourne Cup Ticket With Bendigo Cup Victory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund have signed a memorandum of understanding to leverage and expand the two parties' shared commitment regarding their respective racing and breeding jurisdictions. Recognising a shared interest in fostering a cooperative relationship, both parties aim to cross-promote the participation of Thoroughbred breeders, owners, trainers and racehorses across both jurisdictions. According to a press release issued by HRI on Wednesday, “The memorandum of understanding demonstrates a mutual commitment to advancing and promoting the growth and success of both parties respective thoroughbred breeding and racing industries in key areas such as racing programmes, breeding and bloodstock sales, education, employment opportunities and welfare.” Suzanne Eade, CEO of HRI, said, “I am delighted to sign this agreement, which is building on the existing long-standing relationship HRI has with the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund. They are a valued industry partner and the memorandum of understanding identifies a range of objectives and goals across all facets of our industries that we can both further leverage to create a positive and mutually beneficial impact.” New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund chairman Brian O'Dwyer added, “This is great news for New York State, as it underscores the important role our Thoroughbred breeding industry plays on the global stage. We are honoured to work with our partners at Horse Racing Ireland, as we have much to learn and much to share.” The post HRI and New York State Fund Sign Memorandum of Understanding appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A total of 197 lots have been catalogued for the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale, which takes place at Park Paddocks on Monday, November 25. The catalogue features 11 siblings to Group 1 winners, including lot 63, a Dark Angel (Ire) half-sister to this year's Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Camille Pissarro (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and the Commonwealth Cup winner and sire Golden Horde (Ire); lot 102, a Nathaniel (Ire) half-sister to this year's Irish Champion Stakes scorer Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}); and lot 179, a Saxon Warrior (Jpn) three-parts brother to the Prix du Jockey Club winner and exciting young sire Study Of Man (Ire). Lot 158, a Kingman (GB) colt out of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), is a notable offering from the Cheveley Park Stud draft, while Kirsten Rausing's Staffordstown Stud is responsible for lot 122, a Siyouni (Fr) colt out of the G1 British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes heroine Madame Chiang (GB) (Archipenko). Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said, “The combination of quality and value for money is the key to the popularity of the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale and the extraordinary success of 5,000 guineas purchase and now five times Group 1 winner Via Sistina as well as the 1 million guineas pinhooking triumph at this year's Craven Breeze Up Sale have been spectacular advertisements for the sale. “The 2024 renewal features consignments from many of Britain and Ireland's most successful nurseries and in addition to a host of well bred yearlings, buyers will also find a large number of yearlings eligible for lucrative £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonuses, Great British Bonuses and the ever popular £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes.” The post Catalogue Now Available Online for the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

As we approach November of his first year with runners, freshman stallion McKinzie already has confirmed perhaps the most commercially important of his promising traits: grade 1 success as a sire of 2-year-olds.View the full article

A consequence of massive book sizes is that it has become even harder for a less obvious prospective stallion to break into the elite tier. However, just as many seemingly excellent stallion prospects over the years have failed to make the grade, and there is still scope for a stallion to succeed against the odds, to 'pull himself up by his bootstraps', to join the elite after having started out considerably farther down the ladder. One such has been the admirable Invincible Spirit (Ire), whose retirement from active service at the Irish National Stud at the age of 27 has been announced. Invincible Spirit was a very good horse and a very fast horse but, although he won a maiden race at Goodwood and the Hornblower Stakes at Ripon as a two-year-old, he didn't make the frame in a Group race until he was four and didn't show top-class form until he was five. In fact, notwithstanding that had won the G3 MacDonagh Boland Stakes at the Curragh as an autumn four-year-old in 2001 and the G3 Duke Of York on the first run of his five-year-old season in 2002, it was not until his final (and 17th) start that, as an autumn five-year-old, he properly secured his place at stud, which he did by landing a shock 25/1 victory in the G1 Haydock Park Sprint Cup. Invincible Spirit's pedigree was a big asset to him. Coming from a family which has served his owner/breeder Prince Faisal well, he was a son of the 1990 G1 Prix de Diane heroine Rafha (GB) (Kris {GB}). Furthermore, his sire Green Desert was respected as a sire of stallions as well as racehorses. Consequently, a fee of €10,000 seemed reasonable when he began covering at the Irish National Stud in the spring of 2003 under the management of former CEO John Clarke. Latterly, his career was guided by John Osborne then Cathal Beale. It is probably fair to say that initially the general expectation was that his role would most likely be to help 'commercial' breeders to produce stock who might appeal to the market's seemingly insatiable desire for relatively inexpensive speed. In time, he would prove to be much, much more significant than that. Invincible Spirit got off to the best possible start by siring the winner of the Brocklesby Stakes in 2006, the first two-year-old race of Britain's new turf season going to the Bill Turner-trained Spoof Master (Ire), who had been bought for £15,000 at the previous autumn's St Leger Yearling Sale at Doncaster. In time, Spoof Master would go on to give his own little demonstration that Invincible Spirit was not merely a one-dimensional sire of precocious juveniles because he raced until he was nine. The collective results of Invincible Spirit's first juveniles were solid: within Great Britain and Ireland he was represented by 28 individual winners in 2006 who between them won 50 races. This was enough for him to sneak into the top 50 in the General Sires' Table, a very good achievement for a relatively inexpensive horse with only one crop representing him. This was reflected in his stud fee, which shot up to €35,000 in 2007. Within another 12 months, even that rapidly inflated figure was looking a terrific bargain. During the 2007 season, the seed really burst into flower. Getting a Classic winner in his first crop does not, of course, guarantee long-term success for a stallion, but it is as good a start as any. That is exactly what Invincible Spirit did, courtesy of Lawman (Fr) who landed the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club in the early summer of 2007, beating Literato (Fr) who went on to win the G1 Champion S. four months later. This triumph was sandwiched between wins in the G3 Prix de Guiche over 1800m and the G1 Prix Jean Prat over 1600m. Lawman himself went on to enjoy great success in his first few years at stud, with his first crop containing the 2012 G1 St. James's Palace S. winner Most Improved (Ire) and the 2013 G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Just The Judge (Ire) being the star of his second batch. Notwithstanding that his best son that year never raced outside France, Invincible Spirit finished in 16th place in the General Sires' Table of Great Britain and Ireland in 2007. He was given plenty of help by his second-crop daughter Fleeting Spirit (Ire) whose two-year-old season saw her successful over five furlongs in the G3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood and the G2 Flying Childers at Doncaster, as well as finishing second in the G2 Lowther Stakes at York and to subsequent G1 1,000 Guineas heroine Natagora (Fr) in the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. Thereafter, Invincible Spirit became a permanent fixture in the upper reaches of the table. He broke into the top ten in 2008, when he finished seventh, and he remained in the top ten for 13 straight seasons with the sole exception of 2013, when he finished 11th. For the 2008 season his fee rose significantly again to €75,000 and, while this proved slightly hard for the market to swallow at the time, his continued success saw him standing for six-figure sums from 2015 to 2020 inclusive. Breeding in Ireland during that period was dominated, of course, by Galileo. That great horse won his first sires' championship in 2008 and then was champion sire in the 11 seasons from 2010 to 2020 inclusive. During these 12 years, Dubawi (Ire) finished second to him four times and Montjeu (Ire) twice. Otherwise, six stallions were runner-up. Invincible Spirit was one of these, finishing second in the table in 2014. That was the year of Kingman (GB), his best son who deservedly ended the year as Cartier Horse of the Year thanks to a splendid campaign during which he won four consecutive Group 1 races after suffering his only defeat when (inexplicably) finishing second to Night Of Thunder (Ire) in the 2,000 Guineas. Another son of Invincible Spirit finished fifth in that 2,000 Guineas, Charm Spirit (Ire), and he too enjoyed great success as the season went on, putting together a hat-trick of Group 1 mile victories culminating in his defeat of Night Of Thunder in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on QIPCO Champions' Day. Kingman does not rank as the most prolific of Invincible Spirit's 22 Group 1 winners. The fabulous Moonlight Cloud (GB) scored at the highest level six times, between 1300m and 1600m, and came very close to landing a Group 1 victory over six furlongs when failing by only a head to overhaul Black Caviar (Aus) in the G1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2012, a year in which her sire finished third in the General Sires' Table of Great Britain and Ireland, beaten only by Galileo and Montjeu. Having come so close to 2,000 Guineas glory with Kingman in 2014 and again the following year when Territories (Ire) finished second to Gleneagles (Ire), Invincible Spirit laid the ghost of those near misses to rest when Magna Grecia (Ire) won Britain's first Classic of 2019. Aside from his outstanding milers, Invincible Spirit has been represented by some wonderful sprinters including G1 July Cup winners Fleeting Spirit and Mayson (GB), G1 King's Stand Stakes winner Profitable (Ire) and the top-class sprinting juvenile Shalaa (Ire), successful in both the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park Stakes in 2015. As Invincible Spirit heads into his well-earned retirement, Kingman stands as his natural heir. Having retired to Banstead Manor Stud in 2015, he was an instant success, coming up with the G2 Coventry Stakes winner Calyx (GB) in his first crop. Even more notably, his second crop contained the five-time Group 1-winning champion miler Palace Pier (GB). He has subsequently gone from strength to strength, with his stars in 2024 including the Classic winners Elmalka (GB) and Sparkling Plenty (Fr) as well as the G1 Prix de l'Opera winner Friendly Soul (GB). Excellent a sire though Kingman is, he is not Invincible Spirit's most distinguished sire-son. That honour clearly falls to I Am Invincible (Aus), the most notable product of the four seasons during which Invincible Spirit shuttled to Chatswood Stud (Vic) in Australia early in his career. Although three-time Group 1 heroine Yosei (Aus) was a superior racehorse, I Am Invincible has become very special indeed. Like Invincible Spirit, I Am Invincible took quite a long time to register the high-class form required to secure a place at stud, which he did in Adelaide as a four-year-old in the autumn of 2009 when he won a Group 3 sprint before chasing home Takeover Target (Aus) in the G1 Goodwood Handicap. He finally retired to Yarraman Park Stud in New South Wales, where he has been a revelation, as can be deduced from the path of his stud fee, which started out at $11,000 before hitting a peak of $302,500 in 2023. As that meteoric rise implies, he is a wonderful stallion. He has been Australia's champion sire for the past three seasons and is adept at producing both top two-year-olds and high-class horses who hold their form for several seasons. He looks at least as likely as Kingman to keep Invincible Spirit's line going in the years to come, and that is really saying something. Invincible Spirit's influence will, of course, also flourish through his daughters. He is shaping up as an excellent broodmare sire, as his current sixth place in the table in Great Britain and Ireland confirms, with 2,000 Guineas hero Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) being his best current representative in this respect. If that horse can win the GI Breeders' Cup Mile (or, indeed, if last year's GI BC Juvenile Turf Sprint place-getter Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) can win the GI BC Turf Sprint), they will follow in the footsteps of Invincible Spirit's grandson Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), successful in the GI BC Juvenile Turf in 2022. Invincible Spirit has been a key component of Europe's stallion ranks for years, during which time he has been a great friend to many breeders as well as a true stalwart for the Irish National Stud. A further boon of his popularity was that it encouraged Tally-Ho Stud to take a chance on his younger three-parts brother Kodiac (Ire) (Danehill) in 2007, despite that horse never having won a black-type race. Like his sibling, Kodiac has turned out to be a wonderful stallion. Invincible Spirit can now enjoy his retirement as we savour the fact that his name is likely to remain prominent in the pedigrees of good horses for many years to come. The post Invincible Spirit Earns Honourable Retirement at 27 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Malaysia continues to emerge as a leading racing jurisdiction, with many participants making the move to the growing region following the closure of Singapore and Macau. New Zealand Bloodstock has had a long-standing relationship with the major racing club in Malaysia, Selangor Turf Club (STC), and have worked closely with them again prior to the leading sale of two-year-olds, NZB’s Ready to Run Sale. As a result, STC have since announced another raft of bonus races for graduates of NZB’s Ready to Run Sale as well as incentives for their trainers to purchase at the leading sale of its kind. The added initiatives come just one year after the first running of NZB’s graduate races where Duma (NZ) (Too Darn Hot) made a stylish winning debut in the RM50,000 NZB Ready to Run Sale Trophy (1200m) just last month, and superstar Antipodean (NZ) (Derryn) won the RM100,000 NZB 3-Year-Old Trophy (1400m) back in July. Selangor Turf Club’s additional incentives announced for the 2024 Ready to Run Sale: A RM300,000 Open Championship for all graduates of NZB’s Ready to Run sales A RM150,000 race for graduates of the 2024 edition of NZB’s Ready to Run Sale Two RM70,000 Maiden races for NZB 2024 Ready to Run Sale graduates Two RM70,000 Novice races for NZB 2024 Ready to Run Sale graduates Plus, RM10,000 freight subsidy per horse purchased at the 2024 NZB Ready to Run Sale “We are happy that the Club has maintained a strong affiliation with NZB,” commented Selangor Turf Club Chairman, Tan Sri Datuk Richard Cham Hak Lim. “New Zealand horses have been performing very well and winning many races at the Club. “Each purchase has proven to offer good value for money. We hope to purchase more horses this year at the Sales during our yearly tour to Karaka.” NZB’s Director of Business Development Mike Kneebone has been working closely with Selangor Turf Club. “The new race series and sponsorships are a continuation of our support for Selangor, who we have been working with for more than 30 years.” “The STC have become vital participants in the success of our Ready to Run Sale and have been rewarded with outstanding graduates and results like current champion Antipodean.” “We look forward to hosting the biggest number of clients from Malaysia yet at the 2024 Sale. I am very proud of the work our team at NZB, NZTM and NZTE to give our vendors the best opportunity to sell their horses.” “The work by Chairman Tan Sri Richard, CEO Mike Fong and the committee to promote the sport in Malaysia is incredible. They are a very progressive and forward-thinking Club, and what a credit to thoroughbred racing globally they have become.” CEO of Selangor Turf Club, Dato Michael Fong believes the announcements to be a positive one for the emerging jurisdiction. “We hope the incentives and special races lined up for New Zealand horses would attract our trainers and owners to invest in bigger scale, to procure new horses at the upcoming NZB Ready to Run Sale.” “With the Club looking into hosting weekly racing and increasing prize money in 2025, it would certainly benefit the owners with bigger returns.” NZB’s subsidiary business NZB Airfreight has also been key to ensuring the transport of these purchases into Malaysia each year, which has historically been a difficult route logistically. And as a further incentive to Malaysian buyers, Selangor Turf Club is able to offer RM10,000 airfreight subsidies per horse purchased at the 2024 Ready to Run Sale to ensure their buyers have access to the world’s best two-year-old sale. The 2024 edition of the Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre on 20 and 21 November from 11am (NZT). For international enquiries, contact Mike Kneebone on +61 439 568 881 or email mike.kneebone@nzb.co.nz View the full article

John O’Shea has provided James McDonald with seven of his 100 Group 1 victories and the trainer suspects those numbers can increase by one when McDonald rides for him in Saturday’s $2 million Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington. It has been more than eight years since the pair combined for a win at the elite level, when Hauraki took the Epsom Handicap at Randwick at a time when O’Shea was the head trainer for Godolphin Australia. “We’re due to have another nice race win,” O’Shea said on Tuesday. “We’re pleased to get him as I think he was holding out for the Godolphin horse (Broadsiding) and when it was announced he wouldn’t run, we picked him up. “We ran the gauntlet a bit, but it all turned out well.” McDonald rode King Of Thunder (NZ) (Tivaci) for the first time when he was a fast-finishing third in the G2 Vase (2040m) at The Valley, but he could not confirm his Victoria Derby intentions until he got word on Monday about Godolphin’s intentions with Broadsiding. King Of Thunder’s run for third in the Vase was an eye-catcher that hardly surprised O’Shea or training partner Tom Charlton given his encouraging lead-up runs and his capacity to run a trip. “He’s a genuine mile-and-a-half horse that would be best suited by a good tempo in the race,” he said. “That run (last Saturday) was that last step towards the Derby and he performed really well. “We’ll have no problems with the trip for him, so you’d expect him to go well.” O’Shea purchased the son of Tivaci out of a two-year-old Ready To Run sale in New Zealand for just NZ$50,000, with the trainer explaining the horse’s videos showed him to be star of the future. “To be fair, Mike Rennie from Waikato (Stud), they’d passed him in at the sale and he rang me up and said ‘He’s a nice horse’ so, after I watched a video of him, I said ‘Send it over’ and away we went.” If King Of Thunder was to win Saturday’s Victoria Derby, he would be one of the early favourites for the next year’s Melbourne Cup, but O’Shea said he is no longer keen on sending a young horse to that race. “I am not a fan of running four-year-olds in the Melbourne Cup, but we’ll go through the Derby process now and through the autumn and then give him a relatively light spring next year,” he said. “I’ve got a belief that the machinations of the race changed with the advent of the internationals. “In the old days, it was a natural progression for horses to come out of their Derbies and progress to the Melbourne Cup as four-year-olds. “But I think the internationals have shown they lack seasoning those four-year-olds and they were getting badly handicapped as well. “We’ll just take out time and they’ll get there (Melbourne Cup) when they are five or six.” View the full article

Invincible Spirit (Ire), the sire of 22 individual Group 1 winners worldwide, has been retired from covering duties, the Irish National Stud announced on Wednesday. Now 27, Invincible Spirit was a fixture on the Irish National Stud roster of stallions for 22 consecutive seasons, starting in 2003 after his breakthrough Group 1 victory in the Sprint Cup at Haydock the previous autumn. As a racehorse he won seven of his 17 starts for trainer John Dunlop and owner-breeder Prince Faisal, with his other wins including the Duke Of York Stakes when it was run as a Group 3. The son of Green Desert was introduced at a fee of €10,000 and over time developed into one of the most influential sires of his era. In a statement, the Irish National Stud said, “He [Invincible Spirit] quickly demonstrated his ability to produce fast durable racehorses landing the freshman sires title in 2006, earning him a fee hike to €35,000 for the 2007 breeding season. His first Classic winner duly followed with Lawman winning the Group 1 French Derby, cementing his position among Europe's elite stallions. “Group 1 winners Fleeting Spirit, Mayson and six-time Group 1 winner Moonlight Cloud soon followed but it was Kingman who pushed him into the upper echelons of the stallion ranks. His win in the Irish 2,000 Guineas marked a first British/Irish Classic winner for Invincible Spirit as a sire and his fee increased to €100,000 for the 2015 breeding season. “Following four consecutive years of commanding a stud fee of €120,000 and a first British classic success with his son Magna Grecia winning the English 2,000 Guineas, he has stood the last two breeding seasons at a private fee.” The statement continued, “Invincible Spirit's claim as a sire of sires is demonstrated through the success of his son Kingman in the Northern Hemisphere and Champion Australian sire I Am Invincible in the Southern Hemisphere. “In later years he has become a broodmare sire of note with his daughters producing top class racehorses including Breeders' Cup winner Victoria Road, Classic winner Notable Speech as well as Group 1 winners and performers Desert Encounter and Flotus. He leaves an indelible mark not just on the Irish National Stud but on the entire breed.” Irish National Stud CEO Cathal Beale added, “It has been a great privilege for all of us at Tully to have been here during the reign of Invincible Spirit. He has been, unquestionably, the greatest stallion to have ever stood at the Irish National Stud. We are delighted to be able to retire him now on his own terms. He will live out his days being looked after by the same people, being turned out every day to the same paddock and being given the same exceptional care. He retires as a living legend.” The post Irish National Stud Stalwart Invincible Spirit Retired from Covering Duties appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Two more horses, a southern trotter and a northern pacer, have been confirmed for the $500,000 slot races on Addington Raceway’s Show Day Twilight races on Friday, November 15. After a brilliant win at Ashburton on Monday, Bring On The Muscle has been confirmed as being Tumby Park’s representative in the Majestic Horse Floats LP THE ASCENT while the Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan-trained Better Knuckle Up will replace stablemate Cold Chisel in the Hill Lee and Scott THE VELOCITY for slot-holder Montana Park P/L. Tumby Park is the racing and breeding business run by Scott Whitby near Tweed Heads just on the New South Wales side of the border with Queensland. On Monday Bring On The Muscle looked no chance turning for home in the Group 3 Neumann’s Tyres Vipal Hambletonian 3YO Classic only to produce a storming finish to beat Empire City and Tyron Eros, who have already been confirmed in THE ASCENT. He has now won six from 16. Bred and raced by Jackie Barron, the Majestic Son gelding is trained by her husband Clark Barron. Better Knuckle Up, a winner of five from 13, finished third in the Garrard’s Sires’ Stakes Sophomore Classic on Monday behind Dreams Are Free and Jeremiah. He replaces stablemate Cold Chisel, the Northern Derby winner, who pulled up lame after Monday’s NZB Airfreight Flying Stakes. View the full article

Last year’s IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup winning trainer Jason Grimson won’t defend his title this year following the withdrawal of his two remaining contenders, Major Moth and Nerano. The pair ran way below their best in a free-for-all behind Aussie champion Leap To Fame at Menangle last Saturday night and will be freshened ahead of the up-coming NSW Inter Dominion series. Grimson had earlier ruled out defending NZ Cup champion Swayzee. Leap To Fame, a $1.55 favourite for the country’s biggest race on Tuesday November 12, will lead the Australian charge along with Auckland Cup winner Better Eclipse. Talented Aussie-owned pacer Rock N Roll Doo has also been withdrawn after failing to fire in Monday’s NZB Airfreight Ashburton Flying Stakes. Those defections have seen the New Zealand Cup leaderboard take on a very different look this week. Mo’unga and Australian pacer Aroda have both moved up six places as a result. Mo’unga has gone from 22nd to 16th after winning the main pace, the Alan Gibson Handicap, at Addington last Friday night. The Regan Todd-trained pacer started like a rocket from his 20m mark, leading all the way before going clear by two lengths. He is still one place away from securing a start. Aroda is now in the field at 15th, after winning at Albion Park in Brisbane on Saturday night, while withdrawals have seen Beach Ball go from 16th to 14th. There are some other minimum re-shuffles inside the top 15, with the top seven places unchanged from last week. In this week’s rankings for the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot, also on Tuesday November 12, Fiery Bandito is the main talking point. The Kirstin Green trained and driven Fiery Bandito was a brave second behind rising star Bet N Win in the Group 3 What The What Ashburton Trotters Sprint at Ashburton on Monday after being parked for the majority of the race. The Majestic Son five-year-old has subsequently gone from 21st to 14th in the rankings and inside the cut off. Maui, who finished fourth in the same race, has also improved significantly, from 24th to 18th. The two withdrawals this week were Tectonic and Australian-based trotter Gus. The final rankings will be released following next Monday’s Kaikoura Cup meeting. View them here View the full article