Wandering Eyes

The Iroquois Steeplechase announced Oct. 30 a partnership with the Jockey Club UK that brings together two of the most prestigious racing organizations in the world.View the full article

By Adam Hamilton It now looks a real longshot Great Southern Star winner Callmethebreeze will head across for NZ Cup Week. The star French import is a $5 second favourite for the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot behind fellow Aussie Just Believe ($1.60). Trainer Andy Gath confirmed Callmethebreeeze would not race at Swan Hill as planned tomorrow (Friday) night. “He’s not running, but there’s some good news to that because we’ve found out what’s been causing him to trot roughly,” he said. “When he went to NZ earlier this year he developed a quarter crack and that same hoof has flared-up again, but hopefully it’s not too bad and some remedial shoeing can quickly do the trick. “It’s good to find out what we’re dealing with. “While it’s unlikely he’ll be on the plane next Tuesday (to Auckland), we’re not giving up yet. “We’ll do some work over the next few days and see how he is by the end of the weekend. We’ll make a final decision then. “We’d love to go, but he’ll have to show us he’s ready to go.” Callmethebreeze brilliantly won his first three starts for Gath, but it all went wrong when trotted roughly at a crucial and galloped in the Group 1 Bill Collins Trotters’ Sprint at Melton on October 12. View the full article

By Jonny Turner After starring on the big stage, Clark Barron and Brent Barclay will try to keep their winning form going at Winton on Thursday. The training and driving combination produced one of the most impressive victories on Labour Day at Ashburton when Bring On The Muscle powered home from off the speed to win the Group 3 Hambletonian Classic. Trainer and driver knew they had always had a serious horse on their hands, but for the three-year-old to prove it in the best possible circumstances brought plenty of satisfaction. “He went super, he has really turned the corner,” Barclay said. “He looked great, he had dapples in his coat and he was strong down the straight and strong right through the line.” The epic win, coming from the unruly to beat a classy field, has earned Bring On The Muscle a shot at the $500,000 Majestic Horse Floats LP The Ascent on Show Day during the New Zealand Cup Carnival. Slot-holders were quick to try to snap the brilliant southerner up, with the New South Wales-based Tumby Park Trust winning out. Barclay and Barron will be back in action at Winton on Thursday, combining with Raknruin in Race 5, The Pasture/The Finish Line Mobile Pace. The three-year-old has been running on from hopeless positions in her recent starts, but she gets the chance to settle handier from one. At least Barclay hopes that is the case. “We have put the blinds on her this week which I do think will help.” “The main issue is there is a heap of gate speed outside us.” “We will have to see where we end up, but if she gets a handy enough trip she could be in it.” Barclay rates Jovial Jay his best drive at Winton on Thursday in Race 9, The Rump/ Prime Cut Mobile Pace. The pacer has placed in all three of his starts this time in and looks to be closing in on a win. “He’s got all the form and he’s drawn 1,” Barclay said. “We will be trying to use the draw, whether he can lead up I don’t know.” “But he can follow speed well too, so if he can get out well and follow the right horse he would be a chance.” On Thursday, Barclay will reunite with Julie Jaccka, a mare he drove to a Group 1 placing in the New Zealand Trotting Oaks as a three-year-old in Race 8, the Ironman / Beef and Lamb Handicap Trot. Though class is bound to take the mare close, the reinsman is wary about his horse’s lack of recent racing. “She won her last trial but it was just OK and I definitely think she is still on the way up.” “It is a handy enough field and Moment Of What trialled very well the other day.” Barclay combines with another of the Brett Gray stable in Madison’s Moon, who starts in Race 1, the Farmers’ Trot, after a second at Ascot Park. “If she trots all of the way she can run in the first four, she has to get away and do things right.” Barclay also links up with Sidorova and Ted at Winton on Thursday. View the full article

Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey has won 15 Breeders' Cup races and has watched hundreds more in person as a commentator for NBC Sports. Always on top of things and not afraid to voice his opinions, Bailey joined the TDN Writers' Room Podcast sponsored by Keeneland to discuss Breeders' Cups past and present. When asked who would most want to ride in this year's Classic if he were to come out of retirement, the answer was somewhat of a surprise. He picked GI Whitney S. winner Arthur's Ride (Tapit), who is 15-1 in the morning line. “One of the most interesting horses to me is Arthur's Ride,” Bailey said. “I think he turns into a very quality horse when he can be comfortable on the lead, and I think he might have a comfortable lead this year. With Skippylongstocking going to the Dirt Mile, with Dornoch leaving the picture a month ago, the speed of the race is Arthur's Ride. I don't think anybody with the early speed to challenge him will really want to, thinking he may not be a threat. I think he will get a comfortable lead.” Like most everyone else, Bailey doesn't quite know what to make of European superstar City of Troy (Justify), who will start in the GI Breeders' Classic in what will be his dirt debut. But after observing the horse in person he said there were some things not to like. “I was more convinced about City of Troy's chances in the Classic this year before I saw him this morning,” Bailey said Tuesday. “He still is a good-looking horse but he's more feminine than I thought he would be…more long and lanky, more turfy, if you will. He's built like a turf horse. Believe me, I love the horse. I think it's a great story and I would love to see him win. But I think the biggest question anybody has is will he dirt? Seeing him, I didn't get the answer I was looking for.” The Breeders' Cup win he is most proud of? “I think it's probably Six Perfections in the (2003) Mile,” Bailey said. “There was one thing I wanted to know because she had drawn the 12 post. I asked (trainer) Pascal Bary is her first step from the gate decent? And if I ask her leaving the gate, can I turn her back off again and get her to relax during the middle part of the race? And he said, 'yeah, no problem. She'll break quick enough.' “He said that you can do what you want early and she'll still relax for you. I said that's all I need to know. And my good friend, Gary Young, after the drew called and said, 'I'm sorry.' He calls me 'Beetle Bailey.' He said, “Beetle, I'm sorry about your post. I said, don't feel bad for me. Feel bad for the guy inside me, because I'm going to shut him off the first jump to get over and save some ground.” And what did Andre Fabre tell him before his historic win aboard Arcangues at 133-1 in the 1993 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. With Bailey, knowing nothing about the horse, he was hoping that Fabre could give him some useful tips. I didn't exactly happen that way. “I was always a student of the past performances and the video,” he said. “I really didn't think I was quite as physically gifted as some of my contemporaries, like Angel (Cordero) and Laffit (Pincay Jr.) and guys like that. But I thought I could out prepare them and out think them in a race. So I was heavily dependent on PPs and video, of which there were really none available for Arcangues . At that time, you couldn't get videos. So I thought I'll just ask Andre Fabre, the trainer. He should know exactly where he wants to be, where he's most comfortable and how much of a pace I can ask him to keep during the middle of the race. I walked into the paddock, there's like a thousand people in there at Santa Anita, and you can't find anybody. So I couldn't find him. And I was kind of beginning to panic a little bit. I thought I'll just go to the horse. I'll ask the assistant or the groom the questions I need answered. And so I get there and I'm asking them all these questions and they speak nothing but French. So I don't know jack about this horse when I'm getting on him. We go around the ring and head for the tunnel and all of sudden I hear the trainer. He says, 'Jerry, Jerry.' And I thought, great he can give me some instructions. He said, 'good luck.' That's all he said.” In our breeding spotlight section we took a look at the Winstar stallion Life is Good (Into Mischief). Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar, XBTV.com, and 1/ST Racing, the team of Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley handicapped all 14 Breeders' Cup races and, hopefully, picked a lot of winners. To listen to the podcast as an audio show, click here. The post Jerry Bailey Talks All Things Breeders’ Cup on TDN Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

He's been on board for both her Group 1 wins and on Wednesday morning Frankie Dettori was reunited with Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for a spin on the grass track at Del Mar ahead of lining up for the Breeders' Cup Turf. It has been exactly a year since Europe's most recognisable jockey signed off with a Champion Stakes triumph in Britain before jetting to his new life in California. This new chapter started in the best possible way with another top-flight win, in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf aboard another of the Gosden stable's star mares, Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Now, trainer and jockey have teamed up again at an old stomping ground for which both John Gosden and Dettori have genuine fondness. “The only thing that hasn't changed is John. He's still bossing me around, wanting me in to work at 6.45am,” said Dettori of his past 12 months across the Atlantic. “It has been a challenge but it was what I needed. It has gone better than I thought it would. Coming to America and taking on the Americans in their own backyard, not many people have done that. But my agent has done a great job. I've ridden for everyone, not just one single stable. It has been a very successful year.” He continued, “The only place I get recognised now is on the racetrack. It's nice when you step away and you are just left to be a normal person. I don't have to wear sunglasses and a hat like when I am walking through customs. It has been a lot of fun because it's all new to me. I've been to New York, New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Toronto. I've seen so much in the space of nine months. It has been great. “It's a challenge because we are moving around with eight suitcases but it's been a challenge more for Catherine, rather than myself. I've got less clothes than her. But apart from Saratoga, where I was for six weeks, I don't think I've been in the same place for more than a week. It's fun, fun, fun.” A former resident of California in his early years of training, Gosden oversaw Emily Upjohn being given a “leisurely look” at the turf on Wednesday and said afterwards that the five-year-old mare had enjoyed her spin under Dettori. That certainly looked to be the case as she wandered around casually waiting for the turf track to open, towering over her pony with imperious elegance. “It's great to be back here at Del Mar. We used to have a lot of fun here in the old days,” Gosden said. “[Emily Upjohn] likes faster ground and obviously it's going to be quick ground here which will suit. We got quite a bit of rain in Ireland when she was second in the Pretty Polly, and she ran a great race the other day in the Vermeille when it was good to soft, but she's a better filly on softer ground. She's got a decent draw and now you're just hoping she can capitalise on it.” Emily Upjohn had been also been entered for the Filly & Mare Turf, but Gosden opting for the extended distance of the Turf in mixed company. Explaining that decision, he said, “A mile and a half round here is like running a mile two and a half in Europe. It's sharp, it's quick, it's fast ground, three bends, short straights, so she needs every inch and that's one of the reasons she is running in the mile and a half. The other reason is that the starting stalls in the mile and a half are not close to the far bend. If you get a wide draw and you are that close to the bend you are seriously disadvantaged. I didn't want to come all the way here and get a wide draw going a mile and three-eighths, so we'll run against the colts, get a better run down the back stretch before you hit the first bend, because she's a big filly, she's not a neat little thing.” Gosden cited the “harsh workload” on jockeys in Britain and Ireland as one of the reasons for Dettori's move to the States. “Jockeys are not riding every day over here,” he said. “People underestimate how hard it is on jockeys in the UK and in Ireland. They're riding seven days a week. They can be riding at 8.30 at night on some all-weather track. Then, getting home when it's dark and getting up in the morning at 5am to ride work. It's the same in the summer. The workload on jockeys in our country is much too harsh. They're phenomenal athletes and a lot of them aren't able to eat or drink a normal amount of food. They can't sweat at the races anymore. I think they have a really, really tough time and that is underestimated by our authorities.” After Andre Fabre, Gosden is one of only two European trainers to have won the Breeders' Cup Classic, and he also offered his view on one of the week's main talking points: can City Of Troy win? “Actually, I talked to Aidan [O'Brien] about it at York,” he said. “You get a good run up the straight before the first bend – I won the mile-and-a-quarter race here that used to be called the Del Mar Handicap – and if you're down on the inside you've got to break alertly because if they come across you get the kickback, and that's the problem, the kickback is the thing. A horse like that, if you get a clear run to the first bend and he was travelling well then I doubt they'd catch him. I think he would outclass them. But from where he's drawn it's a matter of how alertly he jumps.” He continued, “I've had many good turf horses, you put them on the dirt and they could work a mile in 1m 36 and change, and then you go and put them on the dirt in the afternoon and they get the kickback and lose their rhythm, because they are not used to that amount of dirt hitting them in the face. Ryan [Moore] will be very aware that he has to try to avoid that scenario, but it is easier said than done. “But is he the best horse, on quality? Yes, he is.” The horse in question, City Of Troy, was back out just after 8am with his team of workmates which had been reduced by one. Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who had been an intended starter in the Filly & Mare Turf along with stable-mate Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), was withdrawn late on Tuesday after the three-year-old was found to be running a slight fever and off her food. With Rachel Richardson in the saddle, City Of Troy had a smooth session in the stalls and a canter round, up in gear from his first appearance on Tuesday but still only a steady exercise. Appearing each day just behind the Ballydoyle battalions but at one cool remove has been one of Europe's smartest three-year-old fillies, Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio). In the half-siblings Iridessa (Ire) and Order Of Australia (Ire) Annemarie and Aidan O'Brien have already bred a pair of Breeders' Cup winners, and Porta Fortuna, trained by their son Donnacha, could be next. She lines up for the Mile for what will be her second Breeders' Cup start, having finished a close second to Hard To Justify (Justify) in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. She has done little to disappoint her trainer since then. “Everything has gone perfectly. She travelled over good and is moving well,” said O'Brien. “I don't think you can ever expect a filly who was as busy as she was at two to progress as well as she has but she's a fantastic filly and we're lucky to have her. She's very professional.” That professionalism has carried her to victory this season in three consecutive Group 1s, the Coronation, Falmouth and Matron Stakes, and she was runner-up to Elmalka (GB) in the 1,000 Guineas on her three-year-old debut. Her trainer added of the next challenge, “It's a very deep race; it probably has the most depth of any of the races that I've looked at anyway. The form looks very strong and she will probably have to step up on what she's done to win it but I think she's got a good chance.” Porta Fortuna is owned by the American partnership of Medallion Racing, Barry Fowler, Steven Weston and Reeves Thoroughbreds, a group which has since expanded its involvement in O'Brien's stable. He said, “I think the plan is to keep going next year but there are a lot of partners so we'll see first how she runs and then take it from there. “It's not always that if someone has success they'll put money back in but everyone has been fantastic to us and bought yearlings the last two years to give to me and we're super-appreciative of that.” The post Fun, Fun, Fun as Frankie and Friends are Reunited appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Every week, the TDN posts a round-up of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings are two steep suspensions. Trainer Francisco Ramos has been banned a total of 10 years and fined a combined $125,000 for five out-of-competition medication violations for Clenbuterol, a substance that is banned outside of very specific circumstances. According to HIWU's final ruling, HIWU representatives collected blood samples from the horses Scat Shack and Cindy's Storm, and a hair sample from Jim's River Runner, at Belterra Park May 8. HIWU rep's collected hair samples from Tequila Flats and Total Smokescreen at Belterra Park June 1. Ramos repeatedly failed to respond to deadlines throughout the adjudication process for these five separate cases, the final ruling states. And so, the penalties were reportedly issued by default. Trainer Adolfo Macias has seen an earlier 18-month ban for possession of Levothyroxine extended another 18 months. HIWU has not yet posted a detailed explainer on the decision, but it relates to HISA rule 3229, which pertains to permitted professional activities during a provisional suspension or ban. Macias's latest 18-month suspension begins May 2, 2025. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the HIWU “pending” and http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/“resoloved” cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 10/28/2024 Licensee: Adolfo Macias, trainer Penalty: 18-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 2, 2025. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: Related to HISA rule 3229, which pertains to a covered person's status during provisional suspension or ineligibility. Macias is currently in the middle of an 18-month ban, starting Nov. 2, 2023, for a case related possession of Levothyroxine, a banned substance. Date: 10/25/2024 Licensee: Daniel Hurtak, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Hosel Rocket on 9/11/24. Date: 10/24/2024 Licensee: Francisco Ramos, trainer Penalty: 10-year combined period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 30, 2024, and a combined $125,000 fine; 14-month periods of Ineligibility for the relevant Covered Horses. Explainer: Out-of-competition medication violations for the presence of Clenbuterol—a banned substance except in specific circumstances—in samples taken from Scat Shack, Cindy's Storm and Jim's River Run on 5/8/24, and from Tequila Flats and Total Smokeshow on 6/1/24. Date: 10/23/2024 Licensee: Edmund Davis, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a controlled substance (Class C)—in a sample taken from Drinking Solo, who finished third at Finger Lakes on 9/4/24. Pending ADMC Violations 10/30/2024, Juan Rizo Patron, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole—a controlled substance (Class C)—in a sample taken from Bestial on 10/4/24. 10/28/2024, William Martin, trainer: Use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on Super Model Stroll during the race period. 10/24/2024, Bennie Woolley, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone—a controlled substance (Class C)—in a sample taken from Clear the Coast, who finished third at Canterbury Park on 9/21/24. Violations of Crop Rule One important note: HISA's whip use limit is restricted to six strikes during a race. Keeneland Tyler Gaffalione – violation date October 24; Five-day suspension, $2500 fine The post Weekly Rulings, Oct. 24-30: Lengthy Bans for Trainers Ramos, Macias appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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The New York Racing Association today announced a partnership with Caymanas Park, Jamaica's premier horse racing venue, establishing FOX Sports as the television home of the Mouttet Mile Invitational in 2024.View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a full-sister to G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes hero Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}). 12.15 Halle, Mdn, €9,000, 2yo, 7 1/2fT Gestut Schlenderhan's GO FLYING (IRE) (Adlerflug {Ger}) is a homebred daughter of Listed Hoppegartener Stutenpreis victrix Gouache (Ger) (Shamardal) and thus a full-sister to this year's G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes hero Goliath (Ger). The Peter Schiergen-trained newcomer encounters nine rivals in this low-key introduction. They include Gestut Auenquelle's once-raced homebred Vitalia (Ger) (Best Solution {Ire}), whose three black-type siblings include multiple Group-winning G1 Preis von Europa runner-up Vif Monsieur (Ger) (Doyen {Ire}). The post Full-Sister To Goliath Set For German Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Stakes-winning Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile–Stage Magic, by Ghostzapper), a half-brother to Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy), has been retired from racing and will take up stud duties next year at Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm. Bred and campaigned by John Gunther, Stage Raider won last year's R.A. Cowboy Jones Stakes at Ellis Park and was third in the GIII Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs. “My dad and I really believe in this horse and we are excited to start him on his new stallion career,” said Tanya Gunther. “Being a half-brother to international sire sensation Justify, a great physical, combined with the brilliance he showed early in his career, gives him a license to be a high-class sire. The genetics are there for greatness, considering Pioneerof the Nile sired a Triple Crown winner and his dam Stage Magic produced a Triple Crown winner who is now an elite sire.” Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after a 10 3/4-length maiden win at Keeneland in 2021, Stage Raider hit the board in eight of 18 starts, with four wins, and earned $423,370. “It is an honor to partner with the Gunthers on Stage Raider,” said Pope McLean, Jr. “They have an incredibly impressive resume as the breeders of Grade I winners, including the likes of Justify, First Samurai, Mo Town, Tamarkuz, Vino Rosso, Stay Thirsty and Without Parole. We believe that working together, Stage Raider has a tremendous chance to be a top sire.” Stage Raider will stand for $6,500 Live Foal (Payable Stands and Nurse). A limited lifetime breeding right program will be available. The stallion will be available for inspection starting in November. For more information, contact Crestwood Farm at 859-252-3770. The post Stage Raider, Half to Justify, to Crestwood Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

DEL MAR, California–History can be a sprint from one anachronism to the next, but every now and then it hands us spectators something unique across generations. You know, one of those full circle moments where we can witness a learner transforming into a future master. A little over 40 years ago at the inaugural Breeders' Cup World Championships hosted by Hollywood Park, Monsieur Alain de Royer-Dupre saddled Lashkari (GB) (Mill Reef) for His Highness The Aga Khan. The 3-year-old took home the very first Breeders' Cup Turf, which was one of many important international races the legendary French trainer collected over the course of his illustrious career. The expert horseman, who competed in dressage at the Grand Prix level before turning to Thoroughbreds, became the principal trainer for His Highness in the early 1980s. Not only was he a master in his own right, but he also influenced the next generation of would-be trainers. One of the seeds he planted was in the Kentucky-based Rodolphe Brisset. As a teenager some twenty years ago the young man was offered a position as an exercise rider in Dupre's French yard. Instead of being a job, it turned into an education that has stuck with Brisset to this day. “When Monsieur Dupre saw me up on one of his horses for the first time he called me over and told me with this calm voice, 'I thought you knew how to ride?'” said Brisset. “He told me, 'You've got much more to learn' and of course he was right.” And so began a new branch in the future training career of the Frenchman from Lyon. It was a journey which would include 12 years on the staff of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott where he learned from another master who is currently tied for third place with Todd Pletcher (15) when it comes to all-time Breeders' Cup wins. When Brisset left Mott, a couple of stints followed as WinStar Farm's trainer. Now a proud United States citizen with a family and a farm in Kentucky, Brisset is completely out on his own. He keeps a string of about 40-50 head and enters primarily on the Bluegrass circuit from early April through December. Chief among the members of his shedrow is Mullikin (Violence–Tulira's Star, by Congrats), who captured the GI Forego Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 24. The victory handed Brisset his first top level race as a trainer. Ever the balanced manager of expectations, he said the milestone was not lost on him, but there is always more planning ahead. Mullikin (outside) working last week at Keeneland | Sara Gordon “I'm always low key, I have the experience and know that being overly-confident never works,” he said. “We had a job to do, of course it was exciting and Flavien [Prat] gave us a great ride too.” The colt came out of the race in fine shape and Brisset, along with the ownership group of WinStar and Siena Farm, always knew that the big target would be the GI Cygames Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar Nov. 2. “We contemplated running him back in a spot like the [GIII] Vosburgh Stakes at Aqueduct in late September or the [GII Stoll Keenon Ogden] Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland earlier this month,” said Brisset. “But the time of roughly four weeks was a little short and he has done nicely off a break before, so we gave him a stiffer third worker with Flavien up [Sept. 10, 5f, :59.60, 1/12] and we think he should be good.” Mullikin has a special spot in Brisset's heart not only because of what the horse has accomplished on the track, but because he came to the trainer as a late juvenile. Watching his development, especially during his 3-year-old season, was nothing short of gratifying. “Sometimes a horse just needs time and that is how Mullikin was last year,” Brisset said. “He was healthy, continued to have a beautiful physical, but the maturity needed time and we gave it to him when he needed it.” Bred by Fred Hertrich and John Fielding, the $500,000 Keeneland September grad broke his maiden at third asking under the Twin Spires in May of 2023, then was the runner-up in the Maxfield Stakes when the Churchill summer session was forced to switch to Ellis Park. The bay then ran fourth against allowance company at the Pea Patch in late July and that is when Brisset saw fit to turn him out. Mullikin wins the Forego Stakes at Saratoga | Tod Marks “He is a super easy, very classy guy,” Brisset said. “But the transformation heading into this season was obvious and he just came back ready to go.” And go he did. Mullikin cleared the allowance level when he won by 5 3/4 lengths at Keeneland Apr. 26 and won against optional claimers going seven furlongs at Churchill Downs June 8. Next, the 4-year-old won the GII John A. Nerud Stakes at the Big A July 6 before shipping to Saratoga for the Forego. Heading to the Breeders' Cup is not foreign to Brisset whatsoever since he was part of a larger operation under Mott. He understands the drill, but having his name printed in the program is something different. Last year at Santa Anita, Brisset had his first Breeders' Cup runner in longshot MGSW Yuugiri (Shackleford), who outran her odds and finished second in the GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. “It was a different situation with Yuugiri since we had tried her on different surfaces and were figuring out where she would do her best,” Brisset said. “She was great and we hope to have another great experience this year.” Brisset's lone Breeders' Cup entry is not his sole concern as he just wrapped up a stellar fall meet at Keeneland. The trainer was on fire as he saddled nine winners out of 20 starters. Forego trophy presentation with Rodolphe Brisset (center) | Tod Marks “We are a small barn under 50 horses and we will never be scared to ship anywhere and run with anyone,” he said. “Racing is strong here in Kentucky and we are going to keep working on details, all the little things that matter and it's going well right now.” The importance placed on details that Brisset mentioned–schooling with the likes of Dupre and Mott–have assisted him on his way to this year's Breeders' Cup and will do so beyond such a sliver in time. Another early lesson from Dupre confirmed as much. “Like Monsieur Dupre told me 'It's better to be a good exercise rider over being a bad jockey', which if you understand what he was saying is about quality or quantity. It's about doing something properly, from the start, to get where you never thought you could go.” Now with Mullikin ready to show his quality in the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, Rodolphe Brisset has the chance to earn a special achievement. He is fully aware that Saturday's sprint will be over quickly, but transforming into a master does not happen even remotely as fast. There is always much more to learn. The post Once The Learner, Experienced Brisset Brings Mullikin To Breeders’ Cup Xl appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For over a decade, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners has built a reputation for racing Grade I-winning fillies who go on to prove successful, both in the sales ring, and then in the breeding shed. The operation was part of the partnership which sold champion Nest (Curlin) for $6 million last year and it sold Feathered (Indian Charlie), who subsequently produced superstar Flightline (Tapit), for $2.35 million in 2016. Eclipse will once again be loaded with top-shelf fillies on offer at next week's breeding stock sales in Lexington. “From the get-go, we made a concerted effort to focus our stable predominately based on fillies for this very reason,” said Eclipse president and founder Aron Wellman. “At the end of the day, if we are doing our job, these fillies will create some inherent residual value for our partners. We've now been in business for 13 years and–I would have to look at the stats to verify–but I think the vast majority of those years we have sold at least one, if not multiple, seven-figure fillies. And this year we are in line for another streak extender, so to speak.” Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners has three mares catalogued for Monday's Fasig-Tipton November Sale and another three catalogued in Book 1 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale across town Tuesday. Whether all six keep their engagements in the sales ring could be determined Saturday, with three of the six seeing action on championship weekend at Del Mar. Leading off the group is Grade I winner Queen's Goddess (Empire Maker), who is catalogued as hip 179 at Fasig-Tipton. The 6-year-old mare, who won the 2021 GI American Oaks, as well as the 2023 GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes and two other graded events, will sell in foal to Into Mischief. “Queen Goddess is sure to bring seven figures, plus,” Wellman said. “It's a beautiful pedigree, she's a beautiful physical and she's in foal to the man himself, Into Mischief.” Queen Goddess, whose last race was a troubled ninth-place effort in her Pegasus defense in January, is the only one of the six Eclipse offerings to be offered in foal. Next up in Eclipse's Fasig-Tipton line-up is multiple graded stakes winner Solo Album (Curlin) (hip 190). The 4-year-old filly is out of Grade I-placed Summer Solo (Arch), who is a half-sister to the dam of recent GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup winner She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}). “Solo Album is a gorgeous daughter of Curlin, right off the racetrack, a multiple graded stakes winning mare with a very active pedigree,” Wellman said. “We are really excited to bring her to market.” Also catalogued to Fasig-Tipton's boutique auction is Grade I winner Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}) (hip 232). The 3-year-old filly won last year's GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes and was runner-up in this year's GI Coaching Club American Oaks and GI Alabama Stakes before a third-place finish in the GI Juddmonte Spinster Stakes. The filly, who is entered in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, is unlikely to keep her sales engagement Monday evening in Lexington. “Candied will not go to the sale, as of right now, unless something unforeseen happens after the Breeders' Cup,” Wellman said. “As of right now, she will probably bypass the sale and race another season.” Anisette | Benoit That formula worked for Eclipse last year when the operation took Anisette (GB) (Awtaad {Ire}), already winner of the GI Del Mar Oaks, out of the Keeneland November sale and the dark bay filly won an additional two Grade I races–the GI American Oaks and GI Gamely Stakes–as well as the GII Yellow Ribbon Stakes. The 4-year-old goes postward in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup F/M Turf and is catalogued for this year's Keeneland November sale as hip 229. “Anisette is such an exciting prospect,” Wellman said. “She had an incredible 3-year-old season last year. We did not run her in the Breeders' Cup. We felt she needed another year to mature to be able to deserve that opportunity. So we brought her back at age four. That strategy of holding on to her for another year and bypassing last November paid off, thankfully.” Anisette enters the Breeders' Cup off a narrowly beaten third-place effort in the Sept. 7 GII John C. Mabee Stakes. “She was taken a little bit out of her game in the John Mabee, but that race was really designed as a prep to get her to the Breeders' Cup in the best of shape,” Wellman said. “Now she is fresh. The Filly and Mare Turf is one of the best renditions of this race in Breeders' Cup history, so she is going to have the opportunity to prove she belongs with the best fillies and mares in the turf in the world.” Whether Anisette takes her place at Keeneland next Tuesday is also dependent on her performance Saturday, according to Wellman. “We will see how she performs on Saturday before determining whether she shows up at Keeneland or not,” Wellman said. “She is a filly that we feel like falls into the gray area of whether you bring her back for another season at age five because she's just so consistent at an elite level. But we have to treat this as a business at times as well. We are predominantly a racing partnership, but we have to be prudent and responsible when it comes time to consider liquidating really high-end assets.” Another filly with a European pedigree who will see action for Eclipse in the F/M Turf–and possibly in the Keeneland sales ring–is Sunset Glory (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) (hip 79). The 4-year-old returned from a year and a half on the sidelines to break her maiden at Santa Anita in April. She added a Del Mar allowance in July before winning the CTT and TOC Stakes at the oceanside oval in August. She was most recently fifth in the Oct. 5 GII Rodeo Drive Stakes. “She is extremely talented,” Wellman said of Sunset Glory. “We have always thought the world of her. Unfortunately, she faced a few minor setbacks that held her out of the races for over a year and she came back and won three in a row off long layoffs, including a stakes win. She was extremely troubled in the Rodeo Drive last time and that's why we are willing to take a monumental shot in the F/M Turf. We just think on talent alone, she deserves the opportunity. She's certainly going to have to step up in a humongous way in terms of class to be able to be competitive. Her performance on Saturday will largely determine whether she goes to market this season or we hold on to her because we have more to prove with her over the course of the next year.” Asked whether wins on championship weekend made it more or less likely that horses like Anisette, Candied, and Sunset Glory would be offered at auction next week, Wellman laughed. “That's a really good question and I hope it's a question that we have to answer on Saturday night,” he said. “That's a first-world problem that we will have to answer, but it's one of those things where you just kind of have to go with your gut. Fortunately, we have been down this road many a time in the last decade, plus, with these top-shelf fillies coming to market and we have been able to top several of these sales over the years.” Rounding out Eclipse's Keeneland Book 1 offerings is the stakes-winning broodmare prospect Atomically (Girvin) (hip 118), who was third in last year's GIII Forward Gal Stakes. Atomically | Lauren King Eclipse fillies will continue to be on offer at Keeneland, with graded-placed Frosty O'Toole (Frosted) (hip 991) and Yatta (Yoshida {Jpn}) (hip 865) and stakes winner Golden Canary (Medaglia d'Oro) (hip 1005) among its offerings later in the auction. “It doesn't stop with just Book 1 at Keeneland,” Wellman said. “We have a really healthy draft of very attractive fillies with lots of black-type on their race records and attractive pedigrees who might not be quite Book 1 quality on paper, but still are really solid six-figures, plus, type mares that are also very important to the program as well, aside from just these seven-figure marquee mares.” While primarily a racing partnership, and despite its niche as a seller of high-end fillies and mares, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners is also active in the breeding business. “We have a boutique breeding operation that we try to keep as selective as possible,” Wellman said. “It's mostly comprised of fillies that we raced or ones that failed to make the races that we had an inside track on and believed that they have more talent than the commercial market would appreciate. We do have several stallions in Kentucky right now that we have retained an interest in, including Independence Hall and Aloha West, so we want to support those stallions with our seasons as well. “We sort of play on the come as to whether we sell [the foals] and turn revenue for the partners that are involved in those breeding partnerships or if we race them,” Wellman continued. “It's a neat little diversification of what we offer our partners, aside from just the racing partnerships. But the goal, of course, is for them to do well enough on the racetrack that they are too expensive for us to be able to retain.” Those fillies too expensive to retain have built quite a resume for Eclipse graduates–from its first Grade I winner Byrama (GB) (Byron {GB}), who went on to produce GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Known Agenda (Curlin), to a mare like Feathered, who won a graded stakes in its colors before selling for over $2 million and producing champion Flightline. Asked what it was like to watch the success of graduates like Feathered, Wellman said, “It's hugely gratifying. Would we have loved to retain Feathered? Of course we would. But financially, speaking, at that moment, it just wasn't viable for us to do so. She was an incredibly profitable partnership.” Wellman continued, “We are really proud and gratified when progeny of former Eclipse fillies do go on to succeed. That just enhances the Eclipse fillies moniker that we have worked so hard to brand over the course of the last decade plus. When we bring these fillies to market, it's incredibly important for buyers to know that these mares that we race so successfully are capable of going on and producing at the highest level. That's just an added value for our partners.” Other Grade I-winning Eclipse graduates to bring seven figures in the sales ring include Curalina ($3 million in 2016); Illuminant ($1.1 million in 2017); In Lingerie ($2.4 million in 2013); and Valiance ($3 million in 2021). “We have established this hashtag moniker, #eclipsefillies that I think the industry has picked up on globally,” Wellman said. “It's all part of the program, and the overall strategy, that we try to construct for our partners. Hopefully, we can identify fillies at a young age, either as yearlings or early in their careers, that go on and take them on a wonderful ride on the racetrack and then be able to cash in when their racing careers are over, so that the cycle can come full circle and they can take those proceeds and hopefully go and try to find another one.” The post Eclipse Thoroughbred Fillies Trending in the Sales Ring and in the Breeding Shed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar Nov. 2 is again an international affair as nine of the remaining 12 entrants were bred outside the United States, but Kentucky-bred War Like Goddess is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.View the full article

FOX Sports will be the television home of Jamaica's Mouttet Mile Invitational in 2024 following the announcement of a partnership between the New York Racing Association and Caymanas Park, Jamaica's premier horse racing venue. The Mouttet Mile Invitational, a Grade 1 event for 3-year-olds and up over one mile, will be worth $250,000 when it is held Dec. 7. In addition to live coverage and on-site analysis of the Mouttet Mile from Caymanas Park, America's Day at the Races will also offer coverage of the G3 Chairman's Plate Invitational, while also highlighting Jamaica's natural beauty and historic sites. “We were incredibly pleased with the output and reception of last year's Mouttet Mile, which aired to a U.S. audience for the first time thanks to NYRA and FOX Sports,” said Solomon Sharpe, chairman of track operator Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited. “We're optimistic about the growth of racing in Jamaica and are excited to play a part in bringing this world-class event to an international stage.” Commentary and insights from Caymanas Park will be provided by NYRA's senior racing analyst Andy Serling, alongside NYRA television analyst and reporter Acacia Clement. “Expanding the distribution and reach of quality Thoroughbred racing is the primary focus of NYRA's partnership with FOX Sports,” said Tony Allevato, NYRA Chief Revenue Officer. “This partnership aligns with that goal, and we look forward to presenting live television coverage of this year's Mouttet Mile from Caymanas Park.” The post America’s Day at the Races to Provide Coverage of Jamaica’s Mouttet Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Racing Victoria has stressed that "it is a level playing field for everyone" in the wake of Melbourne Cup (G1) ante-post favorite Jan Brueghel being withdrawn from the race by stewards.View the full article

Petulante (Arrogate–Auntjenn, by Uncle Mo), winner of the 2023 GIII Salvator Mile Stakes, has been retired from racing and will stand the 2025 breeding season under the management of Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions LLC in Saratoga, New York. The 5-year-old stallion hit the board in all seven lifetime starts for Lugamo Racing Stable and trainer Rick Dutrow, with four wins and earnings of $254,555. In addition to the Salvator Mile, he was also third in the Stymie Stakes in March. Lugamo Racing Stable has retained an interest in the stallion, who will stand for $5,000 LFSN. For more information on special incentives for breeders, life-time breeding right purchases or to book a mare, contact: Rick Burke (rick@IrishHillCenturyFarm.com) or Moe Scavullo (info@IHDVstallions.com). The post Petulante to Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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