Wandering Eyes

Alexis Badel believes the improving Fast Network has the credentials to compete in elevated Group 2 company on Sunday (26 October) when he steps out in HK$5.35 million G2 Premier Bowl (1200m) at Sha Tin, with the handicapper lending a helping hand. The Frenchman partnered the Dennis Yip-trained five-year-old to a thrilling G3 National Day Cup Handicap (1000m) victory three weeks ago, and said he can continue his impressive form on the 1200m course at Sha Tin, where he has won two of four outings. For that win, Fast Network (124lb) was hit with a seven-point rating hike – to a career-high 111 – but the presence of top-rated sprint star Helios Express (135lb) in the field has compressed the weights, handing the rest a lenient pull, and on Sunday, Badel’s mount will carry one pound less for his National Day Cup effort. “I think he does (handle the step-up to Group 2). I think the handicap plays in his favour,” said Badel, who won the Premier Bowl in 2022 aboard the great Wellington. “He doesn’t carry too much weight – I think 124 (pounds) is more than reasonable.” While John Size’s Group 1 stalwart Helios Express is the class horse in the race, Badel acknowledged a strong challenge could also emerge in the form of David Hayes’ Tomodachi Kokoroe (115lb). The Written Tycoon gelding, who has amassed more than HK$13 million in career stakes, is enjoying an Indian summer in his seven-year-old season, with two wins from two runs already this season, the first of which set a new Sha Tin Class 2 1200m record mark. “It’s interesting to see how he’ll respond against Tomodachi Kokoroe with the bottom weight – with the (1200m) record in Class 2,” said Badel, who has won two of the three Group races contested this season. “And Helios Express, which always gets beaten by the superstar … So I think it is a pretty open race.” A repeat of Fast Network’s National Day Cup heroics could thrust the Wrote gelding into the conversation surrounding the fast-approaching LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on 14 December. The LONGINES HKIR resume is there; Fast Network has won six of his 13 career starts and has never finished further back than fifth. Badel was confident the galloper could deliver. “He gave me a good feel in the Group 3. If he can repeat that, he should run well,” he said. With the draw confirmed, top-weight Helios Express, who will be looking to build on his HK$4.2 million G3 Sha Tin Vase (1200m) win at the end of last season, drew ideally in barrier two. Lightweight Tomodachi Kokoroe was handed a boost when he drew barrier five. Fast Network, who usually prefers to race on the pace, will start from gate 12. Sunday’s (26 October) HK$5.35 million G2 Premier Bowl Handicap (1200m) is the highlight of a 10-race fixture and starts at 4.45pm. View the full article

Trainer Paul Preusker will get another tilt at a Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) after Torranzino (NZ) (Tarzino) ran out a strong winner of the Gr.3 Geelong Cup (2400m) on Thursday. Connections of the son of Tarzino roared as their charge raced past hot-favourite Gilded Water (Fastnet Rock), which is raced by His Majesty The King. Perfectly ridden by Celine Gaudray, Torranzino applied pressure to Gilded Water rounding the home turn and went on to score by half a length to claim the golden ticket into the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday week. Preusker saddled Surprise Baby (NZ) (Shocking) to finish a luckless fifth in the 2019 Melbourne Cup won by Vow And Declare (Declaration of war) and admits he was too cute with the son of Shocking when attempting to snare the 2020 Melbourne Cup off a two-start campaign. “I’m super excited to get another go, that is what it is all about,” he said. “Celine’s has got that job done for me. “He has been an unbelievable horse all the way through. He has wanted to do things his way, I have hurdle schooled him, steeple schooled him, we have locked horns plenty of times, but eventually he won and he is a happy horse now. “Everyone knows if you can get a chance, you’re a chance and you learn every time you get into the Cup. I am grateful for the opportunity to go again. “He is pretty much there now, I will just have to keep the weight of him. He is a horse that does well. We will just keep him ticking over he will do plenty in between, but we won’t ask him for anything more. He’s pretty fit.” For Celine Gaudray, just having a ride in the Melbourne Cup is a dream in itself. “It is so surreal, ever since I was a little girl, I have always watched the Melbourne Cup, to get a ride is unbelievable, and this horse really deserves his spot,” she said. “The whole race I was actually giggling to myself, he was travelling really well, I thought around the 600m I would let him pop out and come into it. I had so much horse underneath me, and he just took me through the line. “I was happy (about the slow pace) as last time they were so strung out and he wasn’t travelling that well. Whereas today, he was able to get a softer run in behind them, and I knew if I pulled out early enough, he would be able to run over the top.” By Westbury Stud stallion Tarzino, Torranzino was bred by Payne Family Racing Pty Ltd. He is the first foal to race out of the Helmet mare Goldilicious (NZ), who is a half-sister to the Group Three winner Showbeel (NZ) (Savabeel), who in turn is out of Champion Stayer Showella (NZ). Torranzino was offered by Janine Dunlop’s Phoenix Park as a yearling in Book 1 of Karaka 2021, where Preusker bought him for $75,000 through New Zealand Bloodstock’s Mike Kneebone after the horse was initially passed in. OTI Racing have recently purchased his half-brother Kandinsky (NZ) (Time Test), who has joined the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable after impressing at the trials for Tony Pike. Kaha Nui Farm purchased his half-brother by Sword Of State at June’s New Zealand Bloodstock Weanling Sales and will present him at January’s NZB National Yearling Sales. View the full article

Talented staying three-year-old Azazel (NZ) (Shocking) has booked his passage for the Gr.1 VRC Derby (2500m) on Saturday week after a tough victory in the Listed Roderick Insurance Brokers 3YO Geelong Classic (2200m) at Geelong on Thursday. Prepared by Mark Walker and ridden by Mick Dee, the son of Shocking was put into the race early when the pace slackened and despite racing wide over the concluding 600m, had a narrow advantage at the line from Highvol and Savisanta. Sporting the colours of OTI Racing, Azazel was purchased at last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale by Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis in conjunction with OTI, going to $140,000. A winner of two of his three starts to date, Azazel has already banked A$151,250 in prizemoney and a tilt at the A$2million Derby now looms for which the gelding is a $9 chance. “It’s a big relief, he obviously toughed it out well,” Walker’s Assistant Trainer Ben Gleeson said. “When I saw that they slowed the pace, and it was going to be a sit and sprint, it was never going to suit this horse. Credit to Mick (Dee), he took off at the right time, and the horse was gallant. “We’re thrilled to get this win for OTI, it’s our first stakes winner for them. They have given us two horses to use our craft with, and it’s great to have this horse in the Derby for them. It’s very rare that a plan you plot at the beginning of spring, and that plan goes smoothly. “He will love the 2500m, we bought him with that profile from a good family, so hopefully we get a strong run 2500m and a true staying test. He appreciates a bit of give in the ground, so hopefully there is a little bit of rain around next Saturday. If it’s a truly run race, we will be there at the finish.” Winning rider Mick Dee made all the right moves with Azazel having 0.35 length to spare at the line. “He doesn’t have a great turn of foot, but he really keeps grinding away,” Dee said. “We did want to ride him a bit quieter to see more of a turn of foot today. But the way it panned out, we just had to go and put ourselves in the race. “He is still a little bit green, and he is probably a horse that will never win by a huge margin, but he has a great will to win, and he has improved every time he has stepped out. He looked at a picture in the yard, and he will definitely give a site in the Derby. “Ben said he has kept on improving, and he has plenty of improvement to come, so he is definitely going to be peaking on the right day.” Azazel was bred by Anne Corcoran and was sold for $15,000 as a yearling at Karaka through the Corcoran family’s Grangewilliam Stud. One of 26 stakes winners for outstanding Rich Hill Stud stallion Shocking, Azazel is out of the Tavistock mare Alagant Angel (NZ), who in turn is out of the Group Two winner Alagant Satin (NZ) (Al Akbar). View the full article

Aidan O'Brien will have some of his big guns in action at the weekend, with both Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) and Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett) headlining the cast for Doncaster's G1 William Hill Futurity Trophy and Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett) supplemented for Sunday's G1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud. While the impressive G2 Champions Juvenile winner Benvenuto Cellini was initially thought the main hope for Doncaster, O'Brien has added spice by confirming the Beresford winner Hawk Mountain as well as Lambourn's half-brother Action (Frankel). Completing the six-strong line-up for the two-year-old Group 1 climax on Town Moor are Juddmonte's exciting Item (Frankel), another son of Frankel in Prince Faisal's Oxagon from the Gosdens and outsider Rochfortbridge (Mehmas) from the Adrian Keatley stable. Saint-Cloud's Sunday card is taking shape, with the confirmation stage set for Friday but the addition of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Champagne winner Puerto Rico brings star quality to the Criterium International at a mile. The other Group 1 for the juveniles is the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, where Ballydoyle could be represented by the recent Zetland Stakes winner Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) and/or Eyrefield Stakes winner Christmas Day (Camelot) on a weekend when next year's 2,000 Guineas and Derby markets will see big shifts. The post Benvenuto Cellini And Hawk Mountain Set For Trophy Clash, Puerto Rico To Saint-Cloud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It’s been a big week of firsts for Zac Purton – a maiden The Everest win, an unprecedented 1,900th Hong Kong victory and now, for surely the first time in his career, a spray labelling the eight-time champion “a big sissy”. Speaking from Kempton late on Wednesday night Hong Kong time, Maureen Haggas – wife of top trainer William – called Purton’s steer on their galloper, Lake Forest, in Saturday’s King Charles III Stakes at Randwick in Sydney “about the worst ride I think I’ve ever seen in my...View the full article

Group 1-winner Globe (NZ) (Charm Spirit) has been ruled out of Saturday’s Cox Plate. Racing Victoria stewards confirmed on Thursday morning that the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained galloper had been withdrawn on vet’s advice. “The horse was found to be lame in its off fore upon inspection by RV veterinarians this morning,” RV stewards tweeted. Speaking on SEN’s Giddy Up with Gareth Hall, Price backed the decision of RV’s vets. “I know the horse. We weren’t happy Saturday morning. We have done everything to get him through,” Price said. “That horse, definitely, was not right. He was not right for two reasons. One on the trot up. I know RV vets have called it, but there was absolutely no disagreement from myself. “That horse was not 100 per cent. Whilst it is disappointing for the owners .. the other side of that, you could multiply that disappointment by about 50 if you were to run that horse, see him go no good in the Cox Plate and exasperate a small injury. “It’s the correct decision. I was glad the decision was made. Absolutely the horse should not run.” Price said Globe had shown signs of cardiac arrythmia as well. View the full article

Blake Shinn says you need a champion to win the Cox Plate and is hoping Antino (NZ) (Redwood) is that horse. The Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday has long been regarded as Australia’s weight-for-age championship and Shinn believes he is on the right horse to give him his first win in the race, which will be run for the final time on the current Moonee Valley circuit. Shinn came close in 2017 aboard Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo), almost upsetting the fairytale fourth Cox Plate victory of the champion Winx (Street Cry). “This race really has everything year after year,” Shinn said. “There is always a great story about it and there is so much history about it. “It is what we call the weight-for-age championship of our sport at 2000 metres. It is the best of the best and hopefully me and Antino can come out on top. “I think he’s a horse that deserves all the accolades, but it won’t be easy with the reigning champion Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock), but I feel he’s good enough to do it.” The perceived lack of pace in Saturday’s race is of no concern to Shinn who said he would go out and ride his own race. One thing he knows is Antino can make a long-sustained run and keep going at the business end. “Antino, he is quite adaptable. He has got a turn of foot. He’s not a one-paced horse,” Shinn said. “He has that ability to make a mid-race move and he can sustain a really long run when I need him to do it. “He’s now at a fitness level where I can make two runs on him, if need be, but I won’t be able to assess that until I get out there and get the feel of the race.” Shinn said Antino had gone to new heights since his demolition in the Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield last year. While Antino has been winless this campaign, Shinn said the way the gelding has been racing shows he is right on target, especially after finishing second in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 4. “His run in the Turnbull, in my opinion was incredible,” Shinn said. “He had a kilo more than Sir Delius (Frankel), two, three and four kilos more than the opposition in that race. “He covered ground and was right there to the end. It was the run of a genuine weight-for-age horse and that’s set him up well for this test on Saturday. “It all comes down to luck in running, circumstances and hopefully we can give him a smooth passage, and he gets his opportunity and with a bit of luck he’s good enough. “You need a champion to win this race and hopefully Antino can prove to be one.” View the full article

Speed Demon (NZ) (Yes Yes Yes) will be given every opportunity to live up to his name when he makes his debut at Ellerslie. The youngster has drawn the ace in Saturday’s Eagle Technology 2YO (1100m) and tyro trainer Nick Kneebone is hoping the son of Yes Yes Yes can take full advantage of the coveted rails barrier. “He’s better out in front so he’ll jump and see if we can give him some clear running,” he said. To be ridden by Masa Hashizume, Speed Demon finished in behind the major players in his sole trial earlier this month on a heavy track at Te Awamutu. “He’s had three jump-outs here at Cambridge and pinged the lids every time and that trial was probably the slowest he’s begun,” Kneebone said. “The better ground will help him, and he gets around a right-handed bend better than the left, in his jump-out the other day he hit the bend at full pace and not many two-year-olds can take them like that.” Ability aside, Speed Demon is also blessed with an admirable demeanour. “He’s been very straight forward and that’s why he’s got through to where he is,” Kneebone said. “I’ve probably got bigger and faster two-year-olds, but his mind is what has taken him a long way.” Speed Demon was a $20,000 purchase out of Blandford Lodge’s draft at Karaka earlier this year and is out of the Proisir mare Devotioninmotion (NZ), a half-sister to the Gr.2 Hong Kong Sprint Cup (1200m) winner Amazing Star (NZ) (Darci Brahma). “I don’t know how we got him that cheaply, I really liked him and we snagged him out of Book 2,” Kneebone said. “He’s raced by an overseas syndicate from Hong Kong and Malaysia, they love the New Zealand racing.” Kneebone will also offer eight juveniles through the Phoenix Park draft at the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale. “The Home Affairs is probably the stand-out, the Super Seth colt is a lovely mover, and there’s a Shamexpress and they sell themselves,” he said. The former, Lot 122, is a son of the High Chaparral mare Sopraffina (NZ), successful on four occasions, who is a half-sister to Group winners Supera (NZ) (Savabeel) and Eleonora (NZ) (Makfi) from the great Ethereal’s (NZ) family. The Super Seth youngster, Lot 305, is from the Pierro mare Drama Series with the pedigree featuring the Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m) winner First Seal. Lot 373 is the gelding by Shamexpress out of the High Chaparral mare High Tail It (NZ) and from the family of the Gr.1 Queen of the Turf Stakes (1500m) winner Ike’s Dream. View the full article

Terri Rae’s topliners Spot On Time (NZ) (Time Test) and Sir Albert (NZ) (Savabeel) are firing at the right time of the spring, with key assignments on their home track on Saturday setting the scene for next month’s Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m). The local pair haven’t put a foot wrong in their preparations so far, earning a winning double for Rae in the Open 1200m (Spot On Time) and Sir Albert in the Ashburton Cup (1600m) at Ashburton a fortnight ago. A winner at six of just 11 starts, Spot On Time will aim to go four in a row in the TAB Mile Trial (1400m) on Saturday, while Sir Albert shoots for a much-deserved stakes result in the Listed Sothy’s Spring Classic (2000m). “Spot On Time is a really nice up and coming horse, he’s always shown a lot and done no wrong,” Rae said. “He’s looking good going forward into the mile. “We were rapt with him the other day fresh-up, most of his wins have been over the 1400 but he was smart enough to get away with it that day. “With Perfect Scenario (NZ) (Iffraaj) in, he’s ended up with a nice weight on Saturday (56.5kg) as well.” A winner of two of his three 2000m starts, Rae had tested Sir Albert up to a mile-and-a-half in the Dunedin Gold Cup in autumn, but found he is at his best slightly back in trip. “Last time in, getting him to the distance of the Dunedin Cup was probably too far and he flattened off a bit from there, he’s only a little horse,” she said. “Before that his form was really good and it has been this time in as well, so we won’t be pushing him to go to that distance again. “He loves the 2000m, he’s good over a mile when we keep him on the fresh side but he does love the 2000m.” Rae is also eyeing a New Zealand Cup Week goal for the ever-consistent Candycane (NZ) (Pins), a mare who has scarcely missed the top three since joining her stable a year ago, and Kindling Spark (NZ) (Manhattan Rain), a promising staying type on the up. Following the TAB Mile Trial, where Candycane will be partnered by regular rider Kylie Williams, the Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) is on her radar. “She’s so honest, she’s done no wrong and has at times just got a bit of an indifferent run,” Rae said. “She’s been a great little horse for a really good syndicate of people. “All going well, she’ll go to the Breeders Stakes after Saturday.” Kindling Spark holds a nomination for the Gr.3 Martin Collins 162nd New Zealand Cup (3200m), a race well within her sights after a dominant win over 2200m at Timaru earlier this month. “She’s a reasonably big sort of a mare and never gets tired, she’s got great stamina and the further she goes, the better she seems to get,” Rae said. “The Cup has been in mind for her, so hopefully all going well, that’s the path we’re heading. “1800m is not ideal, I would’ve preferred a 2000 or a 2200, but that’s what we’ve got in the programme so 1800 it is.” The Manhattan Rain five-year-old takes her place in the Canterbury Landscapes Supplies Rating 75 (1800m) alongside stablemate Chapinteel. Chapinteel’s younger half-brother Professional Lad will contest the other feature on Saturday’s card, the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m), after a luckless run in maiden grade last start over 1400m. “He clipped a heel and all but went down, but he picked himself up and ran on super,” Rae said. “He’s just had no luck, we thought he would’ve gone close to winning that day and he’ll love the mile. “He’s drawn the outside but it’s only a small field and not overly strong. He’ll love the big straight at Riccarton, every horse seems to get their chance.” View the full article

Paul Adlington is pleased he ignored the advice of his track rider several years ago not to purchase progeny of Mongolian Khan, with that decision leading to victory with his son History Maker (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) at Te Aroha on Wednesday. “I was leading a horse through, that one of my track riders was riding, to the tie-ups at Cambridge and this horse was going off in the tie-ups,” Adlington said. “He said to me ‘don’t you ever buy a Mongolian Khan, they are all mad’. “I went on to gavelhouse when Windsor Park had the big dispersal of Inner Mongolian Rider Horse horses, and I bought two of them, just to piss him off.” One of those horses was History Maker who showed a lot of promise for Adlington early on, but a series of unfortunate events forced him to take a patient approach with the now five-year-old, and that was rewarded when he broke through for his maiden win in the Donaghys B-Boost Maiden (2200m). “He was a magnificent looking two-year-old and when I bought him, we had Derby aspirations. He was bred to stay and his mother won over 2100m,” Adlington said. “After his second trial he was scratchy as hell and my vet said we better x-ray him to make sure everything was fine. He had bruising in both of his knees, so that was the Derby out of the door. “The vet said we could inject his knees and I would probably get four or five races out of him, but that will be it, or turn him out for six months and race him for the rest of your life, and that sounded like a better plan. “He had six months off and then he was back in work for about six months, we were ticking along thinking everything was sweet and Matt Cartwright rode him in a trial at Cambridge and he looked spot on, but he pulled up distressed and it turned out he had a bacterial infection, so that was another six months out.” History Maker made his debut in July and posted two placings before securing his breakthrough win this week, with Adlington expecting to see plenty of improvement from the gelding after he jumped tardily away. “It was marvellous,” he said. “It’s a shame he is starting to be a bit of an idiot coming out of the barriers. In all of his barrier trials he has jumped really well, but in his last three starts he has come out a bit sideways. “He wants to give them a head-start for some reason. He was pulling a bit and wanted to get on with the job, so Courtney (Barnes, jockey) said get on with the job, and he did.” It was Adlington’s fifth win as a trainer, and he is enjoying devoting more time to his passion after retiring from a career as a builder. Adlington has had a lifelong passion for racing, with his passion for the sport beginning in his formative years when assisting at a local stable in South Auckland. “I was about 12-years-old and my next-door neighbour’s father used to go down to Takanini track,” Adlington said. “A trainer was looking for people to help out, so I tagged along and really loved it. I had aspirations of becoming a jockey, but being six foot three it was never going to happen, so I became a qualified builder.” While he spent several years away from racing, his love for horses never waned and he returned to the sport 20 years ago to commence his own training journey. “I have always loved horses and got out of it when I got married and had kids. I went into full-time building and now that I am retired, I decided it’s no good to leave it all to the kids, I might as well spend some of it,” he quipped. “I have been training off and on for 20-odd years now, I haven’t had a horse all of the time, just when I get the urge and something pops up and I want to have a crack.” Adlington said History Maker has pulled up well from his maiden victory, and he will enjoy some downtime in the paddock before being set on a path towards the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers Championship Final (2400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. “He will be out in the paddock now for a week, munching on grass and being happy,” Adlington said. “He looked a million dollars this morning, he didn’t look like he had even been to the races. “The long-term plan right from the start was the Dunstan Stayers at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. It’s either one or two runs between now and then, I will just see what happens.” Adlington said History Maker, and his other Mongolian Khan purchase, Graham Francis (NZ) (Mongolian Khan), are both lovely animals, and he expects a bright future on the track for the pair of them. “He is a lovely animal, they both are, they have beautiful temperaments,” Adlington said. “They are out most of the time, they only come in when it is really wet. It is a totally different environment to having them boxed 24/7. They are relaxed all the time and they are beautiful rides. “The other fella, Graham Francis, has turned into a lovely animal. He has just come back from a long break, and he will win a race or two over Christmas I would say.” View the full article

Ten years after guiding Winx to the first of her four famous Cox Plate (2,040m) victories, Hugh Bowman returns to Moonee Valley on Saturday to ride for the champion mare’s trainer before turning his attention to the return of Helios Express at Sha Tin. In what could be a massive weekend for the Hong Kong-based Australian rider, Bowman will team up with the Chris Waller-trained Aeliana in pursuit of a record-equalling fifth success in the Group One Cox Plate before bidding for Group Two Premier...View the full article

LEXINGTON, KY – The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale blazed through its penultimate session Wednesday in Lexington with frenetic bidding from start to finish producing a $72,127 average that was nearly 47% higher than the figure from the corresponding session a year ago. At the conclusion of the session, the three-day average of $64,772 is 24.1% ahead of the 2024 record figure of $52,206. And with a full session to go, the total gross of $53,177,500 is just $5.398 million off last year's total sale record gross of $58,575,500. “It was a fantastic day,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There were dramatic increases in the average price and in gross sales. I walked to the back walking ring with the last horse in the ring and it was full and he brings $200,000. There was great trade and great activity throughout the day. It's fun selling in the marketplace like it is right now.” Through three sessions, 201 horses have failed to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 19.7%. It was 18.0% at this same point a year ago. “I think we are seeing the result of both buyers and sellers having more confidence in the October sale and the quality continues to improve year after year,” Browning said. “The performance of the sales graduates continues to improve on the racetrack year after year and thus you are able to see results that continue to improve as well year after year. As I said after the first session, I don't know which is the likely breakout day or the day with the most top horses. I hope we haven't had it yet, we will see what happens tomorrow. But we are obviously thrilled with the results from today and from the first three days.” “It's fun selling in a marketplace like it is right now.”@btbrowning recaps the third session of the Kentucky October Yearlings sale. pic.twitter.com/lkP2YFyljc — Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) October 22, 2025 A colt by Candy Ride (Arg) attracted the highest bid of Wednesday's session when DJ Stable's Jon Green, bidding over the internet, went to $850,000 to acquire the yearling from the Gainesway consignment. “It's strong. It's really strong,” Green said of the market. “It's just a continuation of what happened in the summer at Saratoga and at the New York-Bred sale and all the way through the Keeneland September sale. It's not just the good horses that are bringing a lot of money, it's all horses that are bringing more money than what we had anticipated a year or two ago. I think there are a lot of factors that play into that, but mostly it shows that economically, as an investment, the horse industry is no longer just a luxury item industry. It's actually a real commodity industry.” The Fasig-Tipton October sale concludes with a final session beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday. 'He Wowed Us': $850k Candy Ride Colt to DJ Stable A colt by Candy Ride (Arg) (hip 843) became the second-highest offering of the week when selling for $850,000 to the internet bid of the Green family's DJ Stable. The yearling is out of the unraced Unrivaled Princess (Tapit), a daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song) and a full-sister to champion Unique Bella. Consigned by Gainesway, he was bred by Marsha Naify's Liberty Road Stables, which purchased Unrivaled Princess for $210,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November sale. Hip 843 c. CANDY RIDE (ARG) o/o Unrivaled Princess sells for $850,000 at Kentucky October Yearlings. B: @DJ_Stable C: @Gainesway, agt Br: Liberty Road Stables#FasigKY @JonGreen2022 @LanesEndFarms pic.twitter.com/LgoCc77n4v — Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) October 22, 2025 “I think this colt looks more like a Gun Runner than he does a Candy Ride,” Jon Green said by phone shortly after purchasing the colt. “He's balanced, he's a great mover and he just wowed us from the first moment that our consultant, Kim Valerio, pointed him out to us. This colt has been on our radar almost the entire week.” In addition to Valerio, the yearling had the stamp of approval from trainer Mark Casse. “Mark Casse and Kim Valerio very rarely say to us, 'This is the horse to buy,' but they both independently came to the same conclusion,” Green said. “It wasn't, 'Hey, this is a nice colt' or 'He's an A-,' or 'This is a horse that maybe you want to acquire.' Both of them said to us, in no uncertain terms, if you are coming to this sale with the idea of buying a top two-turn colt, the list begins and ends with this horse.” Of his determination to keep bidding on the colt, Green said, “The Candy Rides have proven to be such value over his career and he is starting to be at the tail end of his career from a stallion standpoint. So we felt confident that buying a Candy Ride would be worth the money. He will prove whether or not we were right in a year or two. But if you are going to spend this kind of money on a colt, in my estimation, it better be by one of the top five stallions that are out there. Whether it's Candy Ride, Gun Runner, Not This Time, Nyquist, Into Mischief. It's got to be a son of one of those five or six stallions to warrant raising your hand at this price point.” $550k Good Magic Colt Destined for Cox Barn A colt by Good Magic (hip 1143) topped Libyan bloodstock agent Mahmud Mouni's shopping list Wednesday when selling for $550,000. The yearling was bred and consigned by the O'Callaghans' Woods Edge Farm. Hip 1143 c. GOOD MAGIC o/o Carats and Cake sells for $550,000 at Kentucky October Yearlings. B: Mahmud Mouni C: Woods Edge Farm, agt Br: Woods Edge Farm#FasigKY @HillnDaleFarm pic.twitter.com/FQ6tHElaDU — Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) October 22, 2025 “Honestly, we did not expect [the price],” Mouni said. “But he deserved it. Good Magic is a super stallion. The colt looks like a nice horse with amazing conformation and the pedigree is fantastic. We are so lucky to get the horse and I hope we have success with him in the future.” The colt is out of Carats and Cake (Bernardini) and from the family of graded winners Lewis Bay, Misconnect and Winslow Homer. Woods Edge purchased the mare, with the colt in utero, for $155,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November sale. The colt is expected to be trained by Brad Cox, according to Mouni. “We chose the horse specifically for [Cox],” Mouni said. “He put the horse on our list. He gave us a list of horses he liked.” Also on Wednesday, Mouni, who has been purchasing horses for the Tagermeen Racing partnership for a year now, acquired a colt by Justify (hip 1122) for $460,000. That yearling, out of Call to Service (To Honor and Serve), is a half-brother to Grade I-placed The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso). He was bred by Coteau Grove Farms. Mouni, who purchased a $500,000 colt by Into Mischief (hip 579) Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton, also purchased a colt by Medaglia d'Oro (hip 1033) from the Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services consignment Wednesday. Mahmud Mouni | Fasig-Tipton Mouni began buying for the Tagermeen partnership at last year's October sale. The operation had its first winner when the 2-year-old Dandona (Tiz the Law), a $1.05-million OBS April purchase, broke her maiden in her debut at Gulfstream for trainer Saffie Joseph in August. Froutien (Galilean) graduated in September at Aqueduct for trainer Todd Pletcher and Baaeed Alynna (Good Magic) was third while making his debut in the Oct. 12 Display Stakes at Woodbine for trainer Kevin Attard. 'One of My Favorite Sires': Nyquist Yearlings in Demand A pair of yearlings by Nyquist, selling within hips of each other, attracted plenty of admirers, with April Mayberry going to $500,000 for a filly by the GI Kentucky Derby winner (hip 861) on behalf of CRK Stables just minutes before Justin Casse and Megan Jones went to $425,000 for a colt (hip 869) on behalf of Belmar & Pine. “Nyquist is one of my favorite sires,” Mayberry said after signing the ticket on hip 861. The filly is out of Violencia (Violence), whose 2-year-old daughter Mackinac (Twirling Candy) recently broke her maiden in a Kentucky Downs allowance for BBN Racing and trainer Rusty Arnold. Hip 861 f. NYQUIST o/o Violencia sells for $500,000 at Kentucky October Yearlings. B: Mayberry Farm C: Blandford Stud, agt Br: Manitou Farm#FasigKY @DarleyStallions @PadraigCampion pic.twitter.com/i8agDFbLZr — Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) October 22, 2025 “She's a big, beautiful filly,” Mayberry said of the yearling. “She's so pretty. I broke the sister for BBN and I love her. Hopefully she will keep on going for them. So there was a lot to like, between knowing the family, and Nyquist, and her physical.” The filly was bred by Manitou Farm and was consigned by Padraig Campion's Blandford Stud. “Delighted,” Campion said of the result. “She was a lovely filly. She deserved to bring that much. She was very balanced with a lot of class. She's a beautiful mover. We will be reading about her.” Summerfield Yearlings Pay Dividends A pair of yearlings from Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck's Summerfield consignment rewarded a pinhooking partnership when going through the ring at Fasig-Tipton Wednesday for the second time this year. First up, a colt by Vekoma (hip 828) sold for $200,000 to the bid of Shenzi Bloodstock. The colt was purchased for $45,000 at the OBS Winter sale in January. “He grew into a beautiful colt,” Francis Vanlangendonck said. “And of course, the sire has done exceptionally well. He looked like the good ones.” Later in Wednesday's session of the auction, a filly by Violence (hip 895) sold for $200,000 to Mike Rutherford. The yearling had been purchased for $25,000 at the Fasig-Tipton February sale. “She was a beautiful filly as a weanling, but a little small,” said Vanlangendonck. “She grew real well and that's what made the difference. Everything was there. They just got lucky and she grew the way they wanted her to.” Of the filly's final price, Vanlangendonck said, “We didn't think she would bring that much. But once we saw the caliber of people who were interested in her, we thought she would sell awful well. And she looks like a quality filly. Time was what she needed.” The post Momentum Builds as $850K Candy Ride Colt Tops Fiery Penultimate Fasig-Tipton October Session appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Jordyn Bublitz Taranaki horseman Brodie Ellis may not have a barn full of Group 1 stars, but he represents the beating heart of New Zealand harness racing – the grassroots participants who keep the industry alive. Tonight at Cambridge Raceway, the dedicated trainer lines up two of his stable favourites, Cool Phelan and Ordained, both stepping out fresh from a spell in the Join Us For Xmas At Cambridge Raceway Trot (6.28pm). Racing has always been in Ellis’s blood. He was introduced to the sport by a stalwart of harness racing in the Manawatu. “My uncle was Keith Chittenden, so I grew up going down to his barn every weekend and then went on to do Kidz Kartz,” Ellis said. Chittenden trained 42 winners during a career that spanned four decades, from 1977 to 2017, before his passing in 2017. Widely respected in the lower North Island racing community, Keith was also instrumental in starting Taranaki Kidz Kartz. Ellis is steadily building his own path from his Taranaki base, where he trains a small but determined team of five horses. Tonight, he will make the trip north to Cambridge with a double-hand in the same event. Both of his runners, Cool Phelan and Ordained, are returning after spells, and while Ellis isn’t expecting miracles first-up, he’s confident both are forward enough to be competitive. Harrison Orange will take the reins of Ordained, and although the son of Father Patrick hasn’t been sighted since July, Ellis has been pleased with his progress leading into tonight’s assignment. “He’s worked up good, he’s definitely been keeping me on my toes the last couple of weeks and is ready to race,” Ellis said, “he’ll step and put himself handy, and I definitely think he’s capable of coming in the top three.” Cool Phelan, meanwhile, is the veteran of the pair, a nine-year-old daughter of Pegasus Spur who will be partnered by Peter Ferguson. She last raced in June and is being carefully prepared for a summer campaign on the grass tracks. “She’s a typical mare, her work has been good too, but she’ll be going in foal next month and we’ll really be aiming at the grass tracks with her,” Ellis explained. “Tonight, I’d like to see her settle on the pegs and have a quiet first run back.” View the full article

Churchill Downs Incorporated announced Oct. 22 a growth project called Victory Run, an exciting new structure on the first turn of the Churchill Downs racetrack between the First Turn Club and the Skye Terrace. View the full article

Bulls stayer Trav will vie for a hotly-contested automatic spot into next month’s A$10 million Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at The Valley on Friday night in the Gr.2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m). After winning the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) in autumn, his trainer Raymond Connors made the time-honoured feature a long-term goal, having two starts on home soil this spring before heading across the Tasman. Trav and regular rider Masa Hashizume finished 11th of 16 in the Gr.3 The Bart Cummings (2500m) in their Australian debut earlier this month, and while Connors had hoped for a slightly better result, he was not too deterred with the effort. “He went well after the line, obviously I would’ve liked to see him go a bit better, but I think it was a pass mark,” he said. “I’m hoping he’s improved since then, Masa was happy enough with him and he’s the type of horse where the further, the better. “I think we’ll get a good line on him tomorrow night, there was no reason not to carry on after that run anyway. Hopefully he can run well and put ourselves in the picture (for the Melbourne Cup).” Connors had tossed up whether to run at The Valley or head south to Geelong on Wednesday for the Gr.3 Geelong Cup (2400m), his call proving to be a blessing in disguise after that meeting was postponed due to severe winds. “Either race was going to be hard, but it’s not far to travel (to The Valley) and there is more of a likelihood of a better track, which he prefers,” he said. “Those were the two main reasons, he was probably better off in the handicaps in the Geelong Cup so hopefully I’ve made the right decision. It looked like the right call yesterday, at least we didn’t have to go through that ordeal.” Trav appeared for a track gallop at The Valley’s ‘Breakfast with the Best’ on Tuesday morning and Connors was pleased with his progress, having settled in well to life away from his typical country environment in the Central Districts. “He’s handled it pretty well, he’s started to do a lot better over the last week or so and his coat is looking good,” Connors said. “He’s not the easiest horse to work, but he’s getting there. I don’t think there’s any excuses tomorrow so hopefully he gets around there well.” View the full article

Questions about the immediate futures of the well-performed Whangaehu and his younger stablemate Landman will be answered by their performances at Trentham. Trainers Bill Thurlow and Sam O’Malley will firm up directions the pair will take for the remainder of their preparations after Sunday’s meeting. Whangaehu will make the second start of his current campaign in the Gr.3 Gee & Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) while Landman runs in the Upper Hutt Car Sales 3YO (1400m). Multiple stakes winner Whangaehu tailed the field home when he resumed in the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa and a subsequent outing at Tuesday’s Foxton trials was also inconclusive. “He was a bit disappointing to be honest, he looks well but I’m just not sure where he’s at,” Thurlow said. “He pulled up really well after the trial, but he had to be chased the whole way. We’ll see if he can turn it around on Sunday and that will give us a better idea of where we head. “He’s getting ready to go 2000m so maybe I’m being a bit hard on him, we’ll see at Trentham.” Should the son of Proisir perform well, the Gr.3 Elsdon Park Balmerino Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie Melbourne Cup Day will become a possible next port of call. Meanwhile, Hello Youmzain three-year-old Landman has done well since a pleasing last-start effort at Riccarton for fourth behind subsequent Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) runner-up Alottago. Landman had been nominated for Saturday’s Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton, but travel concerns due to this week’s wild weather ruled out a return trip. “We thought we may have been able to get him back down there, but logistically it’s just too hard,” Thurlow said. “I thought he went a pretty good race and I’ve been quite keen to get him up to a mile against his own age group, but it just hasn’t been possible yet. “He’ll go to Trentham, it looks quite a strong field but if they get a bit of rain, it probably wouldn’t worry him too much and one or two others may not run.” The stable has also pulled the pin on a crack at the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m). “We’re just going to take it a bit quieter with him, I’m just not sure whether he’s up to that grade at this stage,” Thurlow said. “There will be some very good ones going down there. “He’s in good shape for Sunday so we’ll see what happens and take it from there and see where we end up.” The stable also has Miss Fireball in the Tawhiti Hina R65 (1400m) at New Plymouth on Friday and there is confidence in her prospects if she can get ground to suit. “If she does go there and the track is reasonable, I think she will run really well,” Thurlow said. View the full article

Following an Oct. 22 training session at Churchill Downs, trainer Eddie Kenneally highlights Comport's training and why he deserves a shot in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar Oct. 31.View the full article

With international sire star Justify leading the way, as well as four future stallions all set to run in next week's Breeders' Cup World Championships, Coolmore America's Ashford Stud released fees for the Central Kentucky farm's 2026 stallion roster Wednesday afternoon. Heading the roster is 2018 Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner Justify, who will stand for $200,000 next season. With his fourth crop racing now, Justify has 27 graded winners and 52 black-type winners, including U.S. and Australian champions, as well as British, Irish, and French highweights. In addition to established multiple Grade I-producing sires like Practical Joke ($75,000) and Munnings ($45,000), as well as a number of young sires, Ashford has four stallions who will have their first runners next year: Corniche ($15,000), Epicenter ($25,000), Jack Christopher ($15,000), and Golden Pal ($25,000). Three future Ashford stallions will clash in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 1: Fierceness (City of Light), Journalism (Curlin), and Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), while Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) will contest the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on the same day. Citizen Bull, Fierceness, and Sierra Leone are all previous Breeders' Cup winners, Eclipse champions, and 'TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard', while Journalism is a Classic winner and multiple Grade I winner this year. The fees for all four will be determined at a later date, with Journalism the only one who hasn't officially been announced as ready to retire following the 2025 racing season. “With the three new stallion prospects set to retire for 2026 all lining up at the Breeders' Cup, there is a great sense of anticipation here,” said Coolmore America's Director of Sales Charlie O'Connor. “Last year's one-two Sierra Leone and Fierceness renew their rivalry in the Classic, and we, along with all our partners, will also be watching 'iron horse' Journalism with great interest. We believe Citizen Bull has been working very well in the lead-up to the Dirt Mile. “All three new horses are Eclipse Award winners, following in the footsteps of Ashford stalwarts like Thunder Gulch, Uncle Mo, American Pharoah, and our flagship sire Justify, who completed a clean sweep of the colts' Classics in Britain this year, with Ruling Court and Scandinavia adding to City of Troy's Epsom Derby triumph in 2024.” O'Connor continued: “Corniche, Epicenter, Jack Christopher, and Golden Pal all had their first yearlings hit the sales this summer and fall, and each was very well received. “All things considered, we feel our combination of established sires and emerging talent represent excellent value in today's marketplace.” The entire Coolmore America stallion roster for 2026, with fees, is as follows: Citizen Bull: TBD Corniche: $15,000 Domestic Product: $25,000 Echo Town: $5,000 Epicenter: $25,000 Fierceness: TBD Golden Pal: $25,000 Gunite: $25,000 Jack Christopher: $15,000 Journalism: TBD Justify: $200,000 Mo Town: $7,500 Munnings: $45,000 Practical Joke: $75,000 Sierra Leone: TBD Tiz the Law: $30,000 Ashford stalwart American Pharoah will stand in Japan for the 2026 season, as has been previously announced. The post ‘Flagship Sire Justify’ Anchors Coolmore America’s 2026 Roster at $200K appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

DEAUVILLE, France — Trade may have slightly shifted down a gear, as is to be expected of a graded sale, but right from the word go on Wednesday there was a noted surge in demand, along with a new wave of faces on the ground for this second session, which saw a rise in the clearance rate to 82.5 per cent, up by five per cent on the equivalent day last year. That in turn led to an increase in both average and median as well as the session's aggregate, despite the fact that seven fewer horses changed hands than in 2024. For trainer Andreas Schutz, it was a case of one door closing and another swinging open. On Wednesday morning his stable star and Classic winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Muhaarar) left his yard to embark upon his new career as a stallion at Haras de Castillon. But by late afternoon, Schutz, on behalf of Marhaba Ya Sanafi's owner Jaber Abdullah, had signed up a new promising addition to his team in the form of lot 279. The Mehmas filly out of the winning Danehill Dancer mare Lamorlaye has much to recommend her beyond her sought-after sire. Her half-sister, the Listed winner Wasmya (Toronado), is the dam of this season's G1 Prix du Moulin winner Sahlan (Wootton Bassett), who heads next to California for the Breeders' Cup Mile. Furthermore, the filly's third dam Lagrion is the dam of Group 1 winners Dylan Thomas, Queen's Logic and Homecoming Queen as well as the dam of Derby winner Serpentine. “I made a list for [Jaber Abdullah] and he's been looking at the pedigrees and he really likes, so she was the pick of the day,” said Schutz. The filly was consigned for breeder Khalifa Al Attiyah by Marhaba Ya Sanafi's new home stud of Haras de Castillon, and it is a farm with which Schutz will soon become familiar. “We're really looking forward to this,” he said of the impending stallion career for his Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner. “The horse actually left the stable this morning. He's been a very tough and very genuine horse. He's always been healthy, never seen the doctor, and he's very strong. I hope he will make good [foals]. We have mares to go to him and he will get good support.” A Day for the Fillies Fillies generally held sway on Tuesday, with a Havana Grey daughter of Listed winner Charm Appeal (Canford Cliffs) selling for €290,000 online to Stephen Hillen. The agent, who is also the filly's breeder, explained that she had been bought for a partnership known as Lady M Partners. The filly's two-year-old half-sister Lady Mara (New Bay) won her sole start for Jerome Reynier in the colours of Becky Hillen since the publication of the catalogue. Increased participation from trainers on Wednesday included the purchase of lot 290, Haras de la Louviere's Ghaiyyath filly from the extended family of Puce and Prudenzia for €130,000, while Gavin Hernon, in association with Meridian International, went to €100,000 for a Nathaniel filly consigned by Haras de Grandcamp. Hernon said of lot 241, “She was extremely athletic. Nathaniel is obviously a very good sire of fillies and she was quite strong for a big Nathaniel filly and she had a lot of Invincible Spirit coming though in her as well. She's a beautiful mover. We took her out of the box about 20 times and every time she just did it so effortlessly and beautifully. We are delighted to get her for a couple of existing clients.” The Invincible Spirit influence is courtesy of her dam Auntinet, a sister to the G2 Flying Childers winner and late sire Zebedee. Late Clap for Thunder Bidding online, BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe was the successful purchaser towards the end of the day for the second and final Night Of Thunder colt in the catalogue. He was bought for €170,000 from Haras de l'Etre. The agent said of lot 326, a son of the Listed-placed Teofilo's Princess, “He's obviously by the sire of the moment and I bought a very nice Night Of Thunder for the same client here in August. I thought that he looked like a colt who probably should have been in the first day. We liked the cross with Teofilo and his sister in Canada [Lupa] looks useful. We were delighted to get him and we thought he represented great value.” Donohoe added, “He'll be brought to Ireland to Sonny Carey's to be broken for a Middle Eastern client who races in France, and he will go back there into training next year as he has the premiums.” Menuisier Returns to Familiar Ground British trainers have been thin on the ground in Deauville this week, but then many have been involved in four straight weeks of yearling sales in Ireland and England, with a week of horses in training to follow at Tattersalls from next Monday. For English-based Frenchman David Menuisier, a return to his homeland made perfect sense, particularly when considering that one of the best horses he has trained to date, Wonderful Tonight (Le Havre), was an Arqana graduate, albeit from the August Sale. Early in the session Menuisier picked up another from the Coulonces draft to take back to Sussex with him when going to €97,000 for the Sioux Nation colt out of American Beauty (Dark Angel), who is a half-sister to Adventure Seeker (Bering), the dam of Group 1 winners Little Big Bear and Whistlejacket. “I saw him on Sunday and I kind of knew I had to buy him,” he said. The trainer is already positively predisposed towards the family as he trains the five-time winner and 93-rated Tribal Chief, who is not only also by Sioux Nation but is out of Araca (Elusive Quality), another daughter of Adventure Seeker. Menuisier continued, “I try every year to buy one from Coulonces because we've had a lot of success with them – Wonderful Tonight, Belloccio, and a lot of others. So, it's always a pleasure to deal with them. The horse, I think, looked amazing.” He added with some prescience, “The sale for some has been a catastrophe but it's still hard to buy the ones you want. I wouldn't be surprised if the sale feels a bit stronger today than the first day. Yesterday there were the pedigrees but today they have been better physically.” A Sioux Nation from Coulonces was also on the shopping list of Juergen Albrecht, who signed up a filly from the Listed winner Quiet Times (Reliable Man). A second foal and half-sister to Lovers Leap (Lope De Vega), who is in training with Jane Chapple-Hyam, she was bred by Sven and Carina Hansen of Fair Salinia in partnership with trainer Pia Brandt. Brandt was also successful over the road at the racecourse on Wednesday when her Lope De Vega colt Take Me On romped away to a five-length victory on debut in the Prix Saint-Desir. Sealiway Colt Joins the Leaderboard A member of the first crop of Haras de Beaumont's dual Group 1 winner Sealiway was knocked down at €115,000 to Libyan-based Dr Khaled Salami of KGS. Bred by Ecurie Biraben and Antoine Gilibert, lot 316 represented a decent pinhooking result as he had been bought as a foal for €31,000 by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock and was reoffered as a yearling by Arcadia Elevage. He is a half-brother to the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure winner Harmless (Anodin) and out of the unraced Pivotal mare Snowbright. Sealiway has had three yearlings sold so far this week in Deauville for an average of €66,333, from his first-crop fee of €12,000. The post Arqana Heats Up as Jaber Abdullah Signs Up Smart Mehmas Filly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Matt Laurie is confident doubting punters will see the real Treasurethe Moment in the Oct. 25 Cox Plate (G1) at Moonee Valley Racecourse, where the competition includes last year's winner Via Sistina, also owned by Yulong.View the full article

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 10/21/2025 Licensee: Reynaldo Yanez, trainer Penalty: 14-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on October 22, 2025; 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 $1,000 ($500 for each Controlled Medication Substance); imposition of 3 Penalty Points (1.5 Penalty Points for each Controlled Medication Substance). Admission. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Tramadol and Gabapentin both class B controlled substances—in a sample taken from Butter Kisses, who won at Parx Racing on 9/8/25. Date: 10/21/2025 Licensee: Aaron West, 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 of HIWU. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Salicylic Acid/Salicylic—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Proud Words, who finished second at Belterra Park on 8/27/25. Date: 10/21/2025 Licensee: Stephen Trevino, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on October 22, 2025; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Final decision of internal adjudication panel. Explainer: There's currently no detailed explainer of the ruling on HIWU's website, other than that it relates to Rule 3329(a), “Status During Provisional Suspension or Ineligibility While serving a Provisional Suspension or period of Ineligibility for a Controlled Medication Rule Violation.” The ruling concerns the horses Fashion King and Faith, for an event dated June 2. At that time, Trevino was serving a 7-day suspension (beginning May 28) for an earlier Acepromazine (a widely used Class B sedative) overage. Date: 10/16/2025 Licensee: Scott Corderman, 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. Admission. Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Flunixin—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Nalla D, who won at Prairie Meadows on 9/8/25. Date: 10/16/2025 Licensee: Greg Allen Green, 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—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Onefortheditch on 9/4/25. Pending ADMC Violations 10/22/2025, Chief Stipe O'Neill, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Glycopyrrolate—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Divine Wind on 9/21/25. 10/21/2025, Michael Troy Newton, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Lidocaine—a class B controlled substance—in a sample taken from St. Mary Margaret, who won at Belterra Park on 8/2/25. 10/20/2025, Desiree Blankenhorn, trainer: Pending violation for the alleged possession of a banned substance (Niflumic acid) on an event dated 5/29/25. 10/17/2025, Roderick Rodolfo Rodriguez, trainer: Pending out-of-competition violation for the presence of Nikethamide—a banned stimulant—in a sample taken from Winning Fortune, who won at Gulfstream Park on 7/12/25. 10/16/2025, Fenneka T. Bentley, trainer: Pending out-of-competition violation for the presence of Betamethasone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Tiger Paw, who won at Laurel Park on 7/14/25. 10/16/2025, Jesus Esquivel, trainer: Pending out-of-competition violation for the presence of Albuterol (Salbutamol)—a banned bronchodilator—in a sample taken from Geno's Myth on 7/9/25. 10/15/2025, Andrew Tumblin, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Vanadium, who won at Thistledown on 9/1/25. 10/15/2025, Marisa Monserrate, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of 2,5-Dihydroxybenzenesulfonic Acid—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Vanadium, who won at Finger Lakes on 7/14/25 The post National Rulings: Oct. 16-22; Yanez 14-Day Ban, Trevino Banned 7 Days appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A talented assemblage of New York-breds lines up to compete in nine different stakes on Empire Classic day Oct. 25 at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

Friday, Dundalk, post time: 19:15, BAR ONE RACING MERCURY STAKES-G3, €36,000, 2yo/up, 5f (AWT) Field: West (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Black Forza (Complexiity), Fandom (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), Powerful Nation (Ire) (Sioux Nation), Spartan Arrow (Ire) (Sioux Nation), The Highway Rat (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), Grande Marques (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Gutsy Girl (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), Lady With The Lamp (Ire) (King Of Change {GB}), Queen Of Mougins (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), Songhai (Ire) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}), Star Of Lady M (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Town And Country (Ire) (Earthlight {Ire}), Kansas (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Eclairage (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Billie Be Quick (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}), Bounty (Ire) (No Nay Never). TDN Analysis: This gives West Acre the chance to get re-engaged back on an all-weather surface on which he thrives, having been off since July. The dual Group-winning sprinter has a class edge over his rivals, which include the Sapphire Stakes third Songhai and last year's runner-up Powerful Nation. [Tom Frary]. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: West Acre Returns In The Mercury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Kaikoura Cup will celebrate its 100th running this year. To mark the occasion Kaikoura Trotting Club historian Phil Gourdie is looking back at the history of the great race. This is the fourth installment – “they just keep getting faster” By Phil Gourdie With the exception of the meeting held under Covid restrictions, the last 16 Kaikoura Cups, over the 2400m from a stand, have been run in under 3.00 minutes. In 2021 the race (2600m) was held at Addington with Classie Brigade winning the third of his Cups in 3:16.5. In 1967 the first time over a mile and a half, later 2400m, it was run in 3.20.2. In 2012 Sushi Sushi, trained by Mark Purdon for owners P Sequenzia, A Cendron, P D’Alessi, and driven by Natalie Rasmussen won in 2.55.5. Sushi Sushi enjoyed the run in the trail behind stablemate Major Mark being driven by Colin DeFilippi. The All Stars trio of Major Mark, Highview Tommy and Sushi Sushi turned for home at the head of the field. Highview Tommy challenged three wide but found the pace too hot as the All Stars other runner, Fly Like An Eagle, gave the All Stars stable the trifecta. Four years later Franco Nelson, trained by Robert Dunn for owners Est Ms Sharon McKay, Clive McKay, Rona McKay, Mrs Jenna A Dunn, Dr M D Taylor, was driven by John Dunn and won, clocking 2.55.6. Franco Nelson flew the start and Dunn kept the speed on all the way. Race favourite Smolda joined Franco Nelson as they entered the back straight for the last time. Dunn and Franco Nelson slipped the cutter halfway round the last bend holding off all challengers to win by a good length. In 2017 Lazarus, trained by Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen for owners Phil and Glenys Kennard, Trevor Casey and Kevin Riseley was driven by Mark Purdon. They set a national, track and race record of 2.54.3. Buster Brady took up the early running, then handed to Titan Banner and Dexter Dunn. This left “Mr Professional” Lazarus facing the breeze with a lap and a half of the Kaikoura South Bay course remaining. Titan Banner lead into the back straight with Lazarus in the parked position. The two top drivers and their respective charges came clear of the field turning for home and raced the length of the straight. Titan Banner yielded to Lazarus as he came clear to win by two lengths. Mark Purdon acknowledged the contest with a respectful salute as he crossed the finish line. The stats for the journey – Mile Rate: 1-56.8, Last 800m: 54.1 and Last 400m: 26.8. and he did all that whilst in the parked position. The race record still stands today. Next time we will look at: Trainers and Drivers records. View the full article

For the fourth year in a row more than 200 pre-entries have been accepted for the Breeders' Cup World Championships.View the full article