Wandering Eyes

Wagering on Lecomte Stakes (G3) runner-up Mesquite in Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager has been suspended due to a suspected soft tissue injury that removed him from Kentucky Derby consideration.View the full article

For a team which prides itself on never taking a backward step, Topgear is a suitably-named newcomer to the stallion roster at Capital Stud for 2026, with this latest offering being snapped up by breeders with such alacrity that the forward-thinking operation in County Kilkenny must be doing something right. Founded in 2020 by Ger O'Neill and Darragh McCarthy, Capital Stud describes itself as “a syndicate made up of prominent industry figures who have committed to supporting their stallions in the breeding shed and in the sales ring”. “We'd like to get as big as we can,” added O'Neill in an interview with TDN Europe in January 2024. “We're very motivated to make Capital Stud better and are excited to see how far we can go in this industry. It's a very hard business, but it's an enjoyable one, and I'd love nothing more than to be standing one of the big-name Flat stallions. That's the goal. If we don't hit that goal, fine, but it won't be for a lack of trying.” Following the arrival of Topgear, there is clearly a strong belief among the team at Capital Stud that its hard work might be about to pay off. The son of Wootton Bassett joins Castle Star as one of two Flat stallions on the roster, having won seven of his 18 starts when trained in Chantilly by Christopher Head for owner Hisaaki Saito. Four of those victories were achieved in Group company, including a five-and-a-half-length demolition of some smart rivals in the G2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket in October 2024. “We'd been on the lookout for a while for a horse that could elevate our Flat side of things a little bit,” reiterates Cormac O'Flynn, who joined the team at Capital Stud around the time that the Derby hero and leading National Hunt stallion Authorized relocated there from Turkey. “We'd followed Topgear for a long time and I suppose, when he won the Challenge Stakes in Newmarket, that was probably the standout performance that we'd been looking for. We moved very quickly afterwards and were delighted to put an agreement in place.” Saito, meanwhile, has stayed involved in Topgear and is keen to support his stallion career, according to O'Flynn. If backing their stallions in the sales ring is just as important as doing so in the breeding shed for the team at Capital Stud, then they appear to have found a kindred spirit in the Japanese owner. At last year's Goffs November Sale, for example, Sebastien Desmontils of Chauvigny Global Equine signed for three first-crop foals by Good Guess on behalf of Saito, clearly eager to row in behind the stallion who had carried his owner's silks to victory in the G1 Prix Jean Prat. Saito's trio of purchases at Kildare Paddocks included the most expensive colt at €150,000 and the most expensive filly at €105,000. “We all saw what he did with Good Guess at Goffs November,” O'Flynn adds. “It was great to see and he's pledged something similar for Topgear. We look forward to hopefully getting some good foals in front of him, and other buyers as well, at foal and yearling sales in the coming years.” Topgear will certainly be on the right track if he can produce foals that take after himself, with O'Flynn describing the almost-jet-black stallion as “a forward horse”. “He stands about 16.1hh and has plenty of size and a good walk, so he'll tick a lot of the commercial boxes as well,” he adds. Of course, whilst Topgear's best performance didn't come until the autumn of his five-year-old season, it's worth remembering that he'd previously been precocious enough to win three times as a juvenile, culminating with a narrow victory in the G3 Prix Eclipse at Chantilly. “He was an unbeaten two-year-old,” O'Flynn says of Topgear's early career on the racecourse. “He shared characteristics with his father in a lot of ways – he was probably a seven-furlong specialist, really. We then didn't get to see him at three. Unfortunately, he broke his pelvis and missed 577 days. “He came back and really peaked as a five-year old, winning the Group 3 [Prix du Pin] in Longchamp over seven [furlongs] and then following that up in the Challenge Stakes, a Group 2 where he got the big Timeform rating of 123. He was very impressive that day, winning by five and a half lengths, and that was probably his standout performance. “We kept him in training as a six-year-old and Christopher Head was adamant that a Group 1 was within reach. It started great. He won a Group 3 [Prix du Palais-Royal] on his first start and we went to Royal Ascot very excited but, unfortunately, he aggravated the pelvis again, so we kind of looked after him from there.” O'Flynn adds, “He was a very tough racehorse and very resilient. He ran 18 times, won seven races and was second on a further five occasions. Hopefully, he can put that grit and toughness into his stock and give himself a chance of success as a stallion.” One thing is for sure: Topgear won't lack for support if the way he went down with breeders during the recent ITM Irish Stallion Trail is anything go by. One of five sons of Wootton Bassett to retire to stud in Ireland for 2026, Topgear offers a point of difference, according to O'Flynn, having been introduced at a fee of €7,500. He explains, “Wootton Bassett speaks for himself, an incredible stallion, and he's going to leave a big legacy, hopefully. He's five sons at stud this year. We're delighted to be able to give breeders access at probably a different price point to a lot of them, so he represents tremendous value. “He's by Wootton Bassett and out of a Giant's Causeway mare [Miss Lech], out of a Quiet American mare [Mysterieuse Etoile], so he's a big outcross and he'll be able suit a lot of the population [of mares] in Ireland, England and France.” O'Flynn continues, “Fingers crossed, we've a good group of breeders that have come together. We did a syndication for him when we got him here. A lot of Irish breeders have bought one and a half or two percent shares, so we have a nice group. We're keen to do that here at Capital Stud, to allow people to come on the journey with us and, hopefully, set us up for success in the long term. “It's still in its infancy, really. We're quite young, but people are really starting to follow us. There are a lot of young breeders and we're trying to be as dynamic as we can, offering opportunities to buy into stallions or trying to open up new bloodlines. “We stand here sons of Deep Impact [Martinborough], Montjeu [Authorized], Starspangledbanner [Castle Star], Wootton Bassett and Frankel [Mirage Dancer], so to be able to offer a younger, more dynamic group of breeders access to those stallions and to buy in to them is important to us. Hopefully, we can all go on the journey and win together over the coming years.” The post ‘People Are Really Starting To Follow Us’ – Breeders Get Behind Capital Stud and New Recruit Topgear appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

At an unspecified date in the future Saudi Arabia will have a brand new racecourse at Qiddiya City, which will eventually host the Saudi Cup, according to an announcement made earlier this week. But for now the world's richest race belongs in Riyadh. Development has continued apace at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, which has now been in operation for 24 years. Much has changed, even in the short history of the Saudi Cup, both to the infrastructure at the racecourse and in the status of some of the contests. The Saudi Cup itself gained a Group 1 tag back in 2021, ahead of the third running of the race, and now it is joined at that international top tier by the Howden Neom Turf Cup, which on Saturday will become the first Group 1 race on grass to be staged in Saudi Arabia. Bob Baffert served up the Field of Dreams analogy in an interview during the week, and of course when $20m is attached to a race it will draw top horses from all over the world. In 2021, Classic winner Mishriff became the first European to take the race, and remains the only one to have done so, with subsequent runnings having gone to horses trained in Saudi, America and Japan. Yoshito Yahagi is the only trainer to have won it twice, initially with Panthalassa in 2023, and he has brought last year's winner, Japan's Horse of the Year Forever Young (Real Steel), back for another shot in an attempt to extend his record further still. Japanese horsemen now come in droves to the winter fixtures in the Middle East. In the six-year history of the Saudi Cup, 16 of the 47 international thoroughbred races have gone to a Japanese runner and there are 20 horses from the country here in Saudi. It should come as no surprise as, in addition to the Cup itself, Japan secured a clean sweep of last year's turf races with Shin Emperor (Siyouni), Ascoli Piceno (Daiwa Major) and Byzantine Dream (Epiphaneia). The latter has not travelled to Saudi this year for a repeat attempt at the G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap but is instead in Qatar where he will run in the G2 HH The Amir Trophy. For this year's main event, Forever Young will be tough to beat. Baffert, having twice finished second in the Saudi Cup, launches a double-pronged attack and said on Thursday that the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Nysos (Nyquist) is the best horse he has brought for the Saudi Cup to date, from five previous runners. He also fields Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach), who the trainer compared favourably to his 2022 runner-up Country Grammer. Yahagi's former assistant Kyoko Maekawa, the first female trainer to be licensed in the JRA, has her first shot at international glory with Sunrise Kipangu (Kizuna), a versatile sort when it comes to both trip and surface. Her compatriot Noriyuki Hori, who came close to Royal Ascot glory last year with Satono Reve, will saddle the third challenger from Japan, Luxor Cafe (American Pharoah), the mount of Joao Moreira. The Godolphin-bred Banishing (Ghostzapper) was bought by Larry Roman for $80,000 as a four-year-old in training, and Roman has raced him since then with trainer David Jacobson. On Saturday Banishing will race for those two partners along with Sharaf Al Hariri, who bought into the six-year-old in recent days – a strategy which worked well for him when he took a share in the 2024 winner Senor Buscador just prior to the race. Meanwhile the fellow American-trained Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo) will also carry local hopes. The Brad Cox trainee, the winner of four graded stakes at up to nine furlongs, is now listed in the ownership of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz and Sons. Ghaiyyath filly Ameerat Alzamaan leads a team of five Saudi-trained challengers and will be ridden by Ryan Moore. The four-year-old was runner-up to Mhally (Sergei Prokofiev) in the G3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, a Saudi Cup qualifying race over course and distance. Bridesmaid Survie goes for Group 1 glory The new Group 1 status of the Howden Neom Turf Cup, along with its $3m purse, has proved sufficient enticement for the new connections of Survie, who changed hands for 1.9 million gns at Tattersalls in December. The five-year-old daughter of Churchill now runs in the colours of Doreen Tabor and has moved to the stable of George Boughey, who gave her a warm-up run, and win, in the Winter Derby Trial at Lingfield on January 31. “She came out of the race good, she didn't do a huge amount last week but has shipped over in great shape,” Boughey said. “Dropping back to this 2,100-metre trip was always my plan, especially with this race having been upgraded to a Group 1 and with an extra $1m in prize-money, it was an obvious point for her.” Survie has been placed in Group 1 contests on four occasions, including when second to Sparkling Plenty in the Prix de Diane. She fully deserves to be a top-level winner in her own right but will have to see off last year's winner, the aforementioned Shin Emperor, as well as recent G2 Bahrain Trophy winner Royal Champion (Shamardal) and his runner-up Galen (Gleneagles). Alohi Alii (Duramente) claimed the G3 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano on his last trip outside Japan and will likely be better suited by the 2,100-metre trip and faster ground after being thwarted in the Arc. The 2024 G1 Dubai Turf winner Facteur Cheval (Ribchester) and last year's GI Canadian International winner Silawi (Dubawi), now seven and six respectively, add some depth to an 11-strong field drawn from six different nations. Melrose winners clash in Red Sea Turf Bar two runners from Japan – Struve (King Kamehameha) and Vermiclles (Gold Ship) – the $2.5m G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap is an entirely European affair featuring some well known names and emerging stayers. The last two winners of York's Melrose Handicap, so often a good pointer to some progressive types, face each other, with Tom Clover's Tabletalk having been gelded since we saw him last at Chester in August. The trainer rides him daily and feels he will be well suited to the faster ground he will encounter in Riyadh. The 2025 Melrose winner was the Juddmonte homebred Tarriance, a son of Frankel from the family of Hasili who has also recently been gelded. Trained by Andrew Balding, his only blip in six runs to date was his last-place finish in the St Leger on soft ground, but he too should enjoy these more suitable conditions. “It's great having a Juddmonte horse out here,” said the trainer's wife Annalisa Balding. “He didn't run at two and just improved so much last year. He's very straightforward and hopefully will enjoy the trip.” Epic Poet (Lope De Vega) was second in the race last year for David O'Meara, who said of the seven-year-old, “I think his prep, especially going out to Dubai this year, has been better. “I'm unsure about the draw in 12, but we're hopeful. He's very versatile and can sit right behind the leaders or take his time in the back if they're going hard.” Joseph O'Brien has scratched his Melbourne Cup runner-up Goodie Two Shoes but is still double-handed thanks to last year's Derby third and G2 Prix Dollar winner Tennessee Stud (Wootton Bassett) and G3 Ballyroan Stakes winner Sons And Lovers (Study Of Man). Burdett Road (Muhaarar) is guaranteed to be the only Saudi runner who did his Middle East prep at Cheltenham, but last year's Champion Hurdle runner-up is plainly in good form from his National Hunt exertions as he ran a decent second in a conditions race in Dubai last month. The French-trained greys Presage Nocturne (Wootton Bassett) and Espoir Avenir (Montmartre) have looked a picture training together in the morning this week but they are not just here to look pretty. Both are Group 3 winners over this trip at Longchamp and Presage Nocturne went off favourite for last year's Melbourne Cup. Lazzat and Panja Tower a class above in 1351 Turf Sprint Annaf (Muhaarar) won the $2m 1351 Turf Sprint two years ago and Mick Appleby's seven-year-old finished sixth of 13 last year. In this third appearance he faces a solid Group 1 performer in Lazzat (Territories), who could well add to trainer Jerome Reynier's burgeoning haul of international wins. Donnacha O'Brien's first runner in Saudi Arabia is Comanche Brave (Wootton Bassett), who drops back in trip for this 1,351-metre contest. Ridden by Ryan Moore, he backs up quickly after finishing third in last weekend's Listed Abu Dhabi Gold Cup. “He is a horse I always wanted to bring back down to sprint distances,”O'Brien said. “This is his first step in that direction. He is a horse with a lot of natural pace and hopefully that will bring out a bit of improvement.” The G1 NHK Mile winner Panja Tower (Tower Of London), representing trainer Shinsuke Hashiguchi, looks the pick of the three Japanese runners and is versatile regarding trip. Points to be made in the Saudi Derby The G3 Saudi Derby has been given something of a boost by its star graduate of 2024, Forever Young. Three of the six runnings have gone to Japan, and this year's most talked-about horse is Satono Voyage (Into Mischief), the winner of three of his four races in Japan including the Cattelya Stakes, which carries points for the Kentucky Derby, as does this race. Satono Voyage is trained by Hiroyasu Tanaka, whose biggest threat in attempting to land this prize could come from compatriot Junji Tanaka (no relation), who saddles another multiple winner Best Green (Smart Falcon). The American challengers attempting to pick up some Derby points include the Brad Cox-trained My World, from the first crop of Darley's Essential Quality, and Obliteration (Violence), who was fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint for Steve Asmussen. Karl Burke has sent Pontefract Listed winner Shayem (King Of Change), the winner of three of his four starts last year, and James Doyle's mount is not the only European runner in the reckoning as Gianluca Bietolini brings his Deauville Listed winner Cielo Di Roma (Romanised) and has secured the services of Mickael Barzalona. Breeders' Cup Sprint form tested The Grade I winners Elite Power and Straight No Chaser are both former winners of the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint, for which last year's runner-up Muqtahem (Soldier's Call) reappears with a string of five Saudi wins to his name since then for trainer Abdullah Alsidrani. The Bob Baffert-trained Imagination, last seen finishing runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, sets a decent standard and will reoppose fellow Into Mischief colt American Stage, who was fourth behind him at Del Mar and is making his first visit to Riyadh for this meeting's most successful trainer Yoshito Yahagi. The Naoya Nakamura-trained four-year-old Yamanin Cerchi (Four Wheel Drive) has a progressive look to him and closed out last year with a hat-trick of Listed wins before finishing second in the G3 Capella Stakes in mid-December. The post International Cast Assembled as Forever Young Bids for Saudi Cup History appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

At 78 years of age, Dana Halvorson is looking to move out of Washington State and live permanently at his farm in Ocala, Florida. He leaves behind a decades-long, storied career in the bloodstock world in Washington. He also leaves behind a state breeding industry in free-fall. Between 2005 and 2025, the number of mares bred dropped 94%, from 1214 to 70. Only two major farms remain in the whole state. “The West Coast has just taken a beating,” said Halvorson, president of the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association (WTBOA). “It's our last chance-how do you get the breeding industry back?” One idea Halvorsen has raised in recent years is the prospect of combining, in some fashion, the breeding industries in California, Arizona, Washington and Oregon to create a kind of reciprocal Western breeding scheme. In other words, a program expanding the individual definitions of a state-bred along Western states. Halvorsen describes the talks he's had around the idea–both with his cohorts in Washington and other states–as preliminary but ongoing. But he's far from the only one having the conversation. “Other states that have done this, it's helped them,” said Mike Machowsky, Fasig-Tipton's California representative who floated the idea in the pages of the TDN last June, saying a unique situation needs “unique ideas.” At December's Global Symposium on Racing in Arizona, former California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (CTBA) vice chair Harris Auerbach made similar noises–as he did in the TDN last year. “I believe it's possible. It's needed,” said Oscar Gonzales, vice chair of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). “It's been quite some time in the state capitol to make policy adjustments to help breeders, though it's been really encouraging to see what the CTBA has been doing of late.” Harris Auerbach and Chief Stipe Burge | Fasig-Tipton The impulse is understandable: strength in numbers to stem the bleeding, while at the same time, help protect the last remaining racetracks still operating this side of the Rockies to give all horses at all levels a chance to compete. It wouldn't be without challenges. Money is the obvious one. Each state has their own pots of breeders' award money with their own individual purse strings limiting it. In most cases, legislative changes would be needed to free it up. Then there's the task of getting a disparate set of individuals from different states with a splintered set of wants to sit down and agree upon a plan. And what would a plan look like that would benefit all states, both large and small? While California's breeding industry has also seen large declines, it still far outnumbers the industries in states like Washington and Arizona. In the latter, the number of mares bred fell 85% between 2005 and 2025, from 565 to 84. The disparities in purse structure are the same. “In some of the regions back east, when you have comparable racing and funding, it's easier to put together. Obviously, it's totally different out here,” said CTBA president Chief Stipe Burge, who raised questions about whether it behooves California financially to open its Cal-bred program to horses bred in other states. Rather, the immediate focus in the Golden state should be on luring back ex-California runners competing elsewhere, including the roughly 350 currently based at Turf Paradise, many of them Cal-breds, Burge said. “The breeder awards that they're forfeiting is another major incentive to come back,” he added. “If the races exist, the opportunity's there for them.” Other States, Other Programs Last year, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA) announced it was putting $1 million towards a new program that rewards registered Florida-breds who win out of state in selected conditions. The New Mexico Horse Breeders Association instituted a new program allowing certain Arizona-breds (including those by Arizona-based sires) to participate in state restricted races in New Mexico. Among the program's conditions, connections are required to stump up $1,000 annually to participate. The breeding industries in Maryland and Virginia have their own reciprocal program, allowing both Maryland-bred or -sired and Virginia-bred or -sired horses to compete in a series of stake races at Laurel Park and Colonial Downs. Back in 2012, lawmakers tweaked language in state statute opening the door to an out-of-state breeder incentive program that never came to fruition. Nevertheless, the recent program that did come together still required some deft financial reconfiguring to fund it. Video lottery terminal monies are a huge revenue for the state racing industry, but they can only be used in the state of Maryland. So, stakeholders came together to re-work how some of these funds are allocated, with breeders essentially covering the program's out-of-state costs, and the trainers covering in-state costs. Chris Merz | Maryland Department of Labor “They were able to do some flip-flopping using the finds that they already had,” said Chris Merz, executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission. The idea had its detractors. “People I think were a bit worried about letting Virginia-breds into the Maryland stakes program, which is understandable,” he said. “But we're at the time and place in horse racing where if we don't work together, everything's going to go down.” Arguably the biggest obstacle to getting this program launched, said Merz, was finally landing upon a specific program that everyone could get on board with. That, and getting all the right people together in the first place. “The way it came about, the stakeholders in Maryland and Virginia finally got in the same room and started hashing some stuff out,” said Merz. “It's one of those things, you start from ridiculous and work backwards. But obviously, good on them [for getting it done].” It's too early to tell if the program has helped boost the breeding industries in both states. But if they were to begin the process again, is there something that would change? “Perhaps communications could have been better between the stakeholders and their organizations within the state,” Merz admitted. “I think a lot of the frustration that came out of it, some of the trainers and the breeders didn't know much about the program to begin with.” Economic Factors Jenny Webber is the assistant farm manager at California's Rancho San Miguel. She thinks a reciprocal breeding program among the Western states is the “only feasible things that's going to save breeding at least on the West Coast.” Webber has a few ideas about what that could look like. One is that horses competing in the state they're bred in would see higher returns. “You get a higher percentage of the money if you're a Washington-bred competing in Washington, or a Cal-bred competing in California,” said Webber. More broadly, she'd like to see horses with fewer options right now have their horizons expanded-a program, for example, to give more opportunities to connections of a Washington-bred, who currently have a short 51-day meet at Emerald Downs to make good on their outlay. “What we're seeing at the sales in California right now, if you don't have a horse that's going to be a Del Mar or Santa Anita horse, people don't want to buy it. There are no outside options to run aside from Los Alamitos [with tight restrictions on Thoroughbred races],” she said. If stakeholders are serious about instituting any such kind of reciprocal program in the West, there are some basic principles at play, explained Jill Stowe, a professor in agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Jill Stowe | UKY WEB “It's a cost-benefit question,” said Stowe. “It has to make financial sense for all these states to participate.” Would the program be worth it in relation to travel and training costs, for example? How would the program be structured? Would it be built around open or restricted races? And exactly how do you relax the rules around what constitutes a state-bred? While ultimately the devil's in the details, the sorts of incentives programs that work as intended (i.e., they give the breeding industry a boost), are those primarily focused on quality, said Stowe. “If the quality is rewarded, then the quantity follows,” she said. Then there's the issue of how to build a reciprocal program when there's one giant dominating the market. “In microeconomic theory, we do address the topic of oligopoly markets, which is when there are just a few firms in the market. One could characterize a multistate regional breeding conference with this type of market structure. In this situation, and the relative strength of each firm has to be considered when designing agreements,” said Stowe. “If California is seen as the leader of this program,” Stowe added, “then the agreement must consider appropriate incentives for the other states to participate.” When it comes to the program between Maryland and Virginia, it's proven most beneficial to stakeholders in the former. According to Merz, a total of 101 horses ran in these stake races between June and December, with 85 of them Maryland bred or sired horses, and 16 from Virginia. Maryland won 10 of the races with Virginia winning the other two. Altogether, 84% of the money paid out in these stakes went to Maryland horses, with the rest going to Virginia. Lopsided? Perhaps. But when you consider how Virginia bred just 10% of the mares Maryland did last year, the picture looks numerically consistent. Legislative Change California already has a program where horses bred to a California sire but foaled elsewhere are eligible to race in Cal-bred or sired races in the state (but aren't eligible for breeders or owners' awards). “In the beginning, it was [successful]. People were taking advantage of it. But now, as the mare population has declined in neighbouring states, you don't see as many,” said Burge. One important aspect of that program? It didn't require a legislative change to facilitate the program. “We're not looking at making any legislative changes,” said Burge, about one of the key reasons he's reluctant to expand the Cal-bred program to horses bred in other Western states. “There's always a risk when you run legislation. We just don't believe it's necessary.” Machowsky said he understands Burge's concerns about the financial disparity between California and the other states. But he still thinks it's worth exploring ideas to develop programs that help breeders in all states out West-like a Western state stakes program, the purses built upon a “futurity” style funding scheme. “Every idea needs to be talked about, whether it's a good idea or a bad idea,” said Machowsky. “We need to create something unique and different and try to give some of these people something to look forward to.” The post Would A Program Consolidating Western State Breeding Programs Work? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

2nd-FG, $65k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 1:30 p.m. ET A $185,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, TROMBONE (Maclean's Music) breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 flat and was knocked down to owner Kaleem Shah for $850,000 at last year's OBS April Sale. The April foal's winning dam Apologize (Lemon Drop Kid) is a half- or full-sister to four others to salute, including MGSW Aurelia's Belle (Lemon Drop Kid) and SW Dripping Gold (Lemon Drop Kid). This is the high-class female family of Althea, Twining, Atelier, Aldiza, et al. Vivo Stavolta (Not This Time) is an April-foaled son of MGSP Vivo Per Lei (Empire Maker), whose four winners include GI Forego Stakes placegetter Pipeline (Speightstown). Despite a dearth of black-type in his first two dams, Vivo Stavolta must have impressed many a judge, as he was hammered down for $1.3 million at Keeneland September in 2024. Juddmonte's Deep Flame (Into Mischief) is a maternal grandson of Willstar (Nureyev), whose daughter Etoile Montante (Miswaki) won the G1 Prix de la Foret in France and was a dual graded winner and Grade I-placed on these shores for trainer Bobby Frankel. Etoile Montante is the dam of MGSW Starformer (Dynaformer) and her half-sister Uno Duo (Macho Uno) produced GISW Obligatory (Curlin). Tranquillo (Independence Hall) was bought back for modest five-figure pricetags as a weanling and as a yearling, but blossomed at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale, where he fetched $400,000 from Hoolie Racing following an energetic gallop through the Timonium stretch. TJCIS PPs 4th-FG, $65k, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 2:30 p.m. ET ISLAND FLOWER (Gun Runner) draws the rail as a 7-2 chance for this first trip to the races. The Mar. 14 foal is the second runner for dam She's My Gem (Into Mischief), a two-time stakes winner who was acquired by Three Chimneys for $325,000 in foal to More Than Ready at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale. The mare's three foals to be offered at public auction to date have grossed a combined $1.25 million, including Island Flower, a $550,000 KEESEP purchase by Belladonna Racing and her current 2-year-old Detonator (Cyberknife), who realized the same price in Lexington last September. TJCIS PPs 5th-FG, $65k, Msw, 3yo, f, 1mT, 3:00 p.m. ET John and Susan Moore take the wraps off their homebred PRIMA DONNA (Gun Runner), whose dam Masquerade (Silent Name {Jpn}) was twice stakes-placed over the Stall-Wilson turf course. She has since become a successful producer, as her daughter Princess Grace was a five-time graded winner and twice placed at Grade I level before selling for $1.7 million at Fasig-Tipton November to continue her career in Australia. There she was a Group 3 winner, second in a pair of Group 1 contests and foaled an I Am Invincible (Aus) filly in 2025. Masquerade was also responsible for the ill-fated GSW & MGISP Catnip (Kitten's Joy). TJCIS PPs 7th-GP, $87k, Alw/Opt. Clm., 4yo/up, 1m, 3:20 p.m. Repole Stables' GRANDE (Curlin) shaped with tremendous promise at this venue last winter, belying odds of 9-1 to score over course and distance at first asking in January before tacking on a first-level allowance going nine furlongs at the back end of February. The $300,000 Keeneland September graduate was last seen jumping as low as 4-1 in the GII Wood Memorial Stakes in April en route to a runner-up effort behind 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Rodriguez (Authentic). The blinkers go on for the comebacker. Praetor (Into Mischief) claimed the scalp of none other than Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in a mile maiden at Aqueduct in the fall of 2024 and aired in his first start of 2025 before checking in third as the favorite in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes last April. Mario Gutierrez takes the call from Chad Brown. TJCIS PPs The post Saturday Insights: High-Class Maidens On Tap At the Fair Grounds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The MyRacehorse partners have been lucky enough to campaign runners worthy of taking up stud duties in Kentucky both in 2025 and 2026, and in an effort to support both Seize the Grey (Arrogate) and Straight No Chaser (Speightster), we've begun building up our broodmare band. These breeding-focused ventures have proven extremely popular–probably more than we even expected–and provide our owners with a chance to experience a different part of the business. While there's certainly a focus on supporting our stallions, we have made an effort to diversify and also balance the commercial element with the prospect of breeding to race. We currently have six mares as part of our broodmare band, and are excited to have them booked to some other promising young stallions in addition to our own duo. COMMUNITY ADJUSTED, 8, Summer Front–Rimini Road, by Dynaformer. Will be bred to Fierceness We purchased this big, stakes-placed mare for $275,000 at KEENOV 2024 carrying her first foal by Quality Road. The resulting filly is extremely nice and will most likely be offered at the Saratoga sale. Community Adjusted is due soon to Seize the Grey and the resulting foal will be bred on a version of the cross responsible for GISW And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate). We're going to double down on the Quality Road sire line and breed back to Fierceness. The mare was a pure router who excelled going long on the grass, and she's got an interesting throwback pedigree with her first three dams by Dynaformer, Devil's Bag and Dr. Fager. We like the idea of putting a bit of dirt speed into her, which she'll get both from Seize the Grey and Fierceness. JOKE SISI (Arg), 7, Practical Joke–Lucky Sisi (Chi), by Lookin At Lucky. Will be bred back to Yaupon This mare was a superstar down in Chile, winning her first four starts by a combined 40 lengths before scoring at the Group 1 level two starts later. South American form is always a tricky read, but she had enough quality to take a Churchill Downs allowance and earn a stakes placing at Laurel, both while carrying her first foal by Arcangelo. That resulting colt was sold at Keeneland November to a top judge and we'd expect to see him reoffered later this season. We were big supporters of Yaupon from the start, and will go back to the well now as his stock continues to rise. This mating reproduces a version of the Yaupon over Into Mischief cross responsible for unbeaten recent Swale Stakes romper Solitude Dude and there are two other Yaupon stakes winners bred similarly. LAZARA, 7, Tapit–Divine Elegance, by Uncle Mo. Will be bred back to Straight No Chaser This well-bred, pretty daughter of the great Tapit was acquired at KEENOV 2025 in foal to Speightstown's intriguing son Prince of Monaco, and we'll stick with the same sire line and breed her back to Straight No Chaser. Versions of this cross have produced six graded winners, including GISW Lexitonian, and there are two Speightster stakes horses out of Tapit mares. LITTLEST WARRIOR, 5, Bernardini–Sister Sunday, by Denman (Aus) Will be bred back to Seize the Grey We've been eager to breed a Bernardini mare to Seize the Grey. Unbridled's Song/Arrogate over A.P. Indy is a potent cross (Arcangelo via Tapit, etc.) and Bernardini mares have done particularly well with another Unbridled's Song's son in Liam's Map (Colonel Liam, Wicked Whisper and KEENOV 2024 sale topper Roses for Debra). The two priciest mares at the 2025 November sale offered in foal to Seize the Grey were both by Bernardini, and we took a good run at that top-priced one before later landing Littlest Warrior. She's currently in foal to Vekoma. Seize the Grey | Sarah Andrew SINTRA, 5, Constitution –Trophy Girl, by Warrior's Reward Will be bred back to Straight No Chaser We were happy to support Seize the Grey in the Keeneland sales ring last November and pick up this young mare carrying her first foal by him–that one's due any day now and will be bred similarly to Arcangelo. The Straight No Chaser mating will mirror the one mentioned above for Lazara, and it doesn't hurt that Sintra is out of a Grade I-producing daughter of Warrior's Reward, by Medaglia d'Oro. Obviously, it's a bit removed in this case, but the Speightstown over Medaglia d'Oro cross is one of the strongest ones we've seen in recent years, having produced four Grade I winners. TIFFANY'S MO, 7, Uncle Mo –Cruelmore, by Forestry Will be bred back to Locked We grabbed this daughter of red-hot broodmare sire Uncle Mo in partnership with Gainesway Farm for $120,000 at the 2024 November sale, and did well with her first foal-a super solid Liam's Map colt who brought $180K a year later. Locked makes tons of sense to us as a stallion prospect and seems to offer good relative value for his profile and accomplishments among this crop of new sires. He's by an emerging sire of sires, was precocious enough to break his maiden at Saratoga and win a Grade I at two, and also got the Classic distances as an older horse. This cross produced the talented GISW Geaux Rocket Ride and we like the fairly far-back inbreeding to Storm Cat, who is so potent when mixed with the Candy Ride line. The post Mating Plans for 2026: MyRacehorse appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jay Rooney AUDACIOUS PURSUIT - R4 (1) Has been in consistent form and gets an overdue good draw here Owen Goulding AUDACIOUS PURSUIT - R4 (1) Bumped into a useful sort last start when lashing home and this is easier Trackwork Spy RED SEA - R3 (2) Trialled brilliantly ahead of his local debut and can strike with Purton up Phillip Woo LUCKY WITH YOU - R7 (1) Capable sprinter should map well and can repeat last year' TVB Cup win Shannon (Vincent Wong) SOLID CAR - R8 (4) Ran a close third...View the full article

Utilising new technology, engaging with younger fans and better promotion of racing are crucial to the future of the sport, according to Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges and executive director of racing Andrew Harding. Speaking on the final day of the Asian Racing Conference in Riyadh, Engelbrecht-Bresges and Harding highlighted the key motivators in safeguarding the future of racing. “If there is one message that cuts across all our discussions, it is this: the future of...View the full article

It’s 12 months to the day since Lucky With You ended a long winning drought in The TVB Cup (1,200m) and Luke Ferraris is optimistic history can repeat at Sha Tin on Saturday. Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s consistent galloper relished dropping back from Group One company to strike in the race last year, before backing it up at his next start to notch back-to-back victories. Last year’s TVB Cup was a Class One but Saturday is an extended Class Two, which will be Lucky With You’s first start in the grade...View the full article

The 41st Asian Racing Conference (ARC) closed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday night with New Zealand announced as the host of the 42nd ARC in 2028. Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chair, Asian Racing Federation and Chief Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, hailed the Conference in Riyadh as an enduring success which highlighted the sport’s greatest opportunities and also its challenges. Praising the work of the Conference host, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, and the ARC Organising Committee, Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said the ARC’s discussions reiterated the importance of increased collaboration and new technology as key motivators in safeguarding the sport’s future. “If there is one message that cuts across all our discussions, it is this: the future of horse racing is under threat and can only be secured by working together to address the key challenges we face,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said. The ceremony was crowned by the official exchange of the ARC flag to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, host of the 42nd ARC in Auckland in 2028. View the full article

Stakes winning juvenile De Armas has been sold to OTI Racing and will soon join the stable of Chris Waller in Sydney. The daughter of Ardrossan won two of her three starts for trainer Johno Benner with her most recent effort being a luckless fourth in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) after enduring a wide passage throughout, yet still savaging the line. A five length winner on debut, De Armas won the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m) at her second start before her run in the Karaka Millions. “OTI have been interested in her the whole way through, but post Karaka Millions, we decided to sell her early, simple as that,” Benner said. “She goes to Chris Waller and she will head to Australia on Sunday. “They’ve got to train-on as three-year-olds, but she’s definitely very good and a lovely filly to have around, but money talks at the end of the day. “She’s got a great brain and hopefully she acquits herself really well in Australia.” Benner secured De Armas from the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock National Online Yearling Sale for just $16,000 when sold by Elsdon Park. Respected bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo was delighted to secure De Armas for successful syndicators OTI. “When you look at her performances, every time she has been out she has shown real brilliance,” Cataldo said. “She had three trials, one before she raced and the other two between runs and blitzed them on all three occasions. “She spaced them on debut, then two months later won easily at Listed level going right handed for the first time. “The rub of the green went against her in the Karaka Millions, covering ground but she was still good enough to run the fastest closing 400m and 200m sectionals, which was a top performance under the circumstances. “To me she is the best two-year-old filly going forward. Her athleticism and scope excites me, as does the physical improvement she has to come. “She’s a class act with a great stride and bombproof temperament. “I see her as an ideal filly for the Princess Series in Sydney in the Spring. No doubt she will run 1600m and possibly further. “She has been magnificently prepared by Johno Benner and now goes to Chris Waller, so from one top trainer to another. I’m sure she will represent OTI and the NZ suffix with distinction.” View the full article

Karaka 2026 marked the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand, and it was one for the record books. After an action-packed refreshed format, results have been accumulated from the Book 1, Book 2 and inaugural Karaka Summer Sale sessions, that took place from 25 – 29 January. The new condensed sale format saw several records being surpassed and increases across all key sale indicators. With 79 less horses catalogued, turnover was up almost $10 million on last year, with returns to consignors and breeders totalling over $96 million. Increases were also seen across the combined average of $127,774 (11%), $85,000 median (6%) and clearance rate of 83%, showcasing the strength across the entire Sale and at all levels of the market. The second day of Book 1 saw the Sale-topping Lot 513, a colt by Sword of State out of Las Brisas, purchased for $1.1 million by Mr Sanxiong Gao and Ciaron Maher Bloodstock from Cambridge Stud, who fittingly claimed their 34th Leading Vendor title at the close of selling. The momentous occasion saw a record attendance with hotel bookings overflowing with guests keen to return to Karaka. The buying bench from Australia was particularly strong, with an increase of almost $12 million in total spend. While the competition was tough, the support from domestic trainers was felt all the way from Southland to Northland. There was also participation from Hong Kong, China, USA, UK, Ireland, Netherlands, South Africa and further afield. Kicking off the week, a spectacular night of racing was witnessed on the eve of Karaka 2026. Queensland trainer Liam Birchley was on top of the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) mountain again after Dream Roca (NZ) (El Roca) triumphed, a $75,000 buy from Westbury Stud’s Book 2 draft. While visitors were treated to something special when Well Written (Written Tycoon), who was bought for $80,000 by Stephen Marsh Racing and Dylan Johnson Bloodstock from Brighthill Farm’s draft in the 2024 National Online Yearling Sale, blew her rivals off the track in the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO. NZB’s Managing Director Andrew Seabrook commented on the final results. “It was one of the best weeks at Karaka in a very long time, with both buyers and vendors very happy.” “To increase our turnover by 11% despite having a smaller number of horses offered is phenomenal, and an important boost for our industry. “It was great to see the Australian spend was up significantly, particularly during Book 2 thanks to having those horses on the ground earlier for inspections,” he added. “There were some great pinhook results especially through the Book 2 and the Summer Sale, which should give people confidence to enter the weanling market in just a few months’ time. “I’m really proud of how we acknowledged the milestone of the National Yearling Sale for the wider industry, it was very special to be a part of. “Our thanks go out to the vendors, buyers, underbidders and the thousands in attendance who all combined to make the 100th National Yearling Sale one to remember.” View the full article

Cambridge mare Imprevu will be seeking to shed her bridesmaid tag when she heads to Matamata on Saturday to contest the Listed Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (1400m). For the second successive year, the daughter of Wrote finished runner-up on Karaka Millions night, finishing behind Moschino in the Jo Giles Stakes (1400m) after being runner-up to Konasana in last year’s Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m). They join her growing list of placings, including the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) and Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m), and trainer Janenne Dalley is keen to buck that trend this weekend. Dalley is pleased with Imprevu in the lead-up to the Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes, but the wet weather forecast remains her biggest quandary. “Everything is going to plan, so I just hope the rain isn’t going to be too much,” she said. While concerned about the forecast, Dalley said it could aid their chances from their wide gate of 11 in the 13-horse field. “She will be out of trouble there and won’t be locked up on the fence,” she said. “At that time of day (race six), if we do get a bit of rain, I don’t think it is going to hurt her.” With regular rider Tayla Mitchell currently suspended, Imprevu will be reunited with apprentice jockey Hayley Hassman, who has ridden her on three prior occasions, and Dalley would love it if she could win on her mare. “Tayla does a lot of the track work on her but she is suspended,” Dalley said. “Tayla and Elen (Nicholas) have won on her, so it would be nice if Hayley can win on her as well.” Following Saturday, Imprevu is set to head to Ellerslie on Champions Day where she will be seeking redemption in the Gr.2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Classic (1400m), formerly known as the Westbury Classic. On that card last year the seven-year-old mare was unplaced in the Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m), and Dalley hasn’t ruled out heading south to tackle the mile feature at its new home of Trentham next month. “We have tried her over a mile three times and she hasn’t really liked it,” she said. “It may be on the cards, but we will just get through tomorrow and Champions Day.” Imprevu is currently a 26-1 outsider with the TAB for the Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes, but Dalley is confident her mare can belie those odds this weekend. “She is in a good headspace, we are happy with her and I am sure Hayley will be perfect on her,” Dalley said. “We will try and get a good result with her tomorrow.” View the full article

Noble Knight has ventured to Southland just once before, winning last year’s Invercargill Gold Cup (2600m), and he will be out to keep his 100 percent strike rate intact in the region when he heads to Ascot Park on Saturday to defend his crown in the Olphert Contracting LTD-sponsored event. The Prebbleton gelding heads into the race in good form, having won the Marlborough Cup (2000m) at Riccarton last month after finishing runner-up in the Waikouaiti Cup (2200m) at Wingatui a week prior. “It was a good win last start and his work has been good, so I am pretty happy with him,” trainer and part-owner Sandy Cunningham said. The eight-year-old son of Ghibelline’s has been lumbered with topweight of 60kg, but will get some weight relief courtesy of apprentice jockey Floor Moerman’s three-kilogram claim, and he will jump from barrier three. “He has drawn well and being top weight, it is nice being able to claim a little bit too with Floor,” Cunningham said. “She gets on with the horse, so that is really good.” Bred by White Robe Lodge’s Wayne and Karen Stewart, Noble Knight will reunite with the Otago couple on his way south as Cunningham makes a pitstop at the renowned thoroughbred nursery on her way to Invercargill. “I am very spoilt because I get to stop and camp at White Robe Lodge overnight, so I will stop there and take them down the next day,” Cunningham said. “The trip down there is long enough, so it breaks the trip up.” All going to plan post-Saturday, Noble Knight will head to Wingatui in a fortnight where he will attempt to score an elusive stakes victory in the Listed Positive Signs + Print Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m), a race he placed in two years ago. “I’ll have another go at the Dunedin Gold Cup, which is going to be a wee bit of a tougher task,” Cunningham said. Noble Knight will be joined on the float trip south by stablemate Watson, who will be seeking a breakthrough win in the Heineken Maiden (1600m). “His work has been better than his races, so he has been a wee bit disappointing,” Cunningham said. “He has drawn well (2) so fingers-crossed he goes a bit better. He has a hood on for the first time, so it might wake him up a little bit.” Noble Knight currently heads the market for the Invercargill Gold Cup, alongside Smooth Operator, at $3.50, while Watson is rated an $11 winning hope with TAB bookmakers for his contest. View the full article

Kris Shailer won the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m) four years ago with Alabama Gold when training in partnership with Stephen Autridge, and this year he is hoping to win it in a solo capacity. Shailer now heads Waikato Stud’s Courtza Park operation where he trains a small race team for the farm on top of his primary commitments of breaking in and pre-training. He has a near faultless record in that role, recording three wins and a runner-up result from just four starts this term, and he said he is loving being back at the races. “I am pretty lucky,” he said. “To have four runners in the last month for three winners and a second is unheard of, but I am very grateful to the team here for giving me them to train.” Banquo two-year-old gelding Justin Case is responsible for one of those victories, after finishing runner-up on debut, and he will get his first tilt at stakes level when he lines-up in the Fairview-sponsored Matamata Slipper this weekend. “He has come through that last run well and his work on Tuesday morning was great, he just worked on his own but was running times the rest of them were running on the course proper,” Shailer said. “I am really happy with him. “I won this race in partnership with Stephen Autridge a few years back with Alabama Gold, it will be great to have a runner in my own name and in the Waikato Stud colours.” Justin Case has drawn the outside gate in the seven-horse field and will be ridden by Samantha Collett. All going to plan after Saturday, Justin Case will likely test his talent in a couple of looming elite-level events. “There is the Sistema (Gr.1, 1200m) in a couple of weeks and he is nominated for the Manawatu Sires’ (Gr.1, 1400m),” Shailer said. “But we will just get through Saturday and make a plan after that.” Stablemate Convinced is also set for a tilt at black-type following her debut victory at Matamata last month, while promising gelding Magice has returned to work after overcoming a virus late last year. “Convinced has bounced through her first-up run and she is going to head to the Uncle Remus (Gr.3, 1400m) next week,” Shailer said. “Magice had a virus a while back and he had a good month in the paddock. He is over that now and has been back in work for four weeks and I am really happy with him.” View the full article

Riding on the crest of a wave, Jerry Chau Chun-lok is excited to represent Hong Kong on the international stage again when he rides Self Improvement in Saturday night’s Group Two Riyadh Dirt Sprint (1,200m). With eight wins from just 25 rides in February, Chau heads to Saudi Arabia in elite form after taking the lead in the Tony Cruz Award and jumping to fourth on the jockeys’ championship standings. The 25-year-old’s strong campaign kicked off in style when he booted home Self Improvement in...View the full article

John Shirreffs, who trained Zenyatta to a Hall of Fame career and saddled Giacomo to win the 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1), died in his sleep Feb. 12 at his home in Arcadia, Calif. He was 80.View the full article

Jockey Manny Franco booted home six winners Thursday on Aqueduct's nine-race card, including three consecutive victories to close the day. The six wins pushed his winter meet win total to 25, which leads the current jockey standings. “My agent [John Panagot] is the best, doing a terrific job,” said Franco said. “Every day, he tries to get the best mounts possible. I'm happy to have him on my side. I'm thankful for these opportunities.” Franco kicked off the day with a win aboard Sea Vista (Street Sense) in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden in Race 1, then captured Race 3, a six-furlong claimer, with Kadena (Ghostzapper). He also won Race 5 with Mathea (Tacitus) in a one-turn mile maiden for New York-breds and Race 7, a 6 1/2-furlong claimer, with Top Player (Mitole). He then closed out the card with wins in Race 8, a nine-furlong state-bred allowance, with Otherpeoplesmoney (Central Banker) and in Race 9, a seven-furlong maiden auction optional claimer, with Hot Gossip (Curlin). “I want to thank God first,” said Franco. “Also, thank you to all the trainers, the owners, for always giving me their trust. All year round, I just try to deliver out there. When I have the horse, when I got horse under me, I'm going to make it happen. That's my job.” The post Six Wins for Franco at Aqueduct Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A trainer built equal parts brilliant and idiosyncratic, John Shirreffs passed away quietly in his sleep overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. He was 80 years old. He leaves behind the kind of record unmatched by all but a select few. At the summit of Shirreffs's mammoth achievements was of course Zenyatta–elegant and imperious, who between 2007 and 2010 achieved the near impossible: 19 straight wins and 13 Grade I victories including back-to-back Breeders' Cup crowns, one of them a Classic. Zenyatta was just denied an exquisite send-off in the Breeders' Cup Classic of 2010, her customary late charge customarily irresistible–irresistible to all but Blame, who derailed history by a head. The deflated echoes from the tens of thousands at Churchill Downs that day could have filled an airship. But Zenyatta was just one of so many superlative runners who performed under the Shirreffs banner down through the decades, each of them nurtured along by a trainer who did things his way. And his was a potent brew of patience, individual care and a horseman's eye that was more of an X-ray into the souls of the horses that walked past him at his barn each day. A Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam, Shirreffs cut his teeth as a horseman in the jutting mountain cathedrals of Northern California's Grass Valley at the sprawling Loma Rica Horse Ranch, where the transatlantic phenom Noor would later be interred. He started out on his own in 1976, beginning a career that would see him train nearly 600 winners and earn some $58 million. There were plenty of good ones. Shirreffs trained an upset winner of the Kentucky Derby, Giacomo, in 2005. In 2009, he conditioned a companion Breeders' Cup winner to Zenyatta, Life Is Sweet in the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic. He could train the precocious sorts who came to the boil early. But he was especially adept with the late-bloomers and the quirky sorts who had a way of navigating the world as differently as their trainer. He could do it because he could read a horse the way an accountant reads the ledgers. “The industry has lost one of the most amazing trainers ever,” said jockey Mike Smith, who enjoyed so many great days with Shirreffs. He rode Zenyatta in 17 of her 20 races. “Not only was he great horseman; he was a great man. Boy, he was, whew… it's hard. He meant everything to me, man, not just in my career but in my personal life. We were very, very close,” said Smith. “He was big John, man,” Smith added, of the six-foot plus trainer. “I'm just thinking about his whole crew. I just can't imagine his barn and what they're going through right now. He meant so much to them as well, you know,” he said. For Shirreffs, “the horse came first,” said Smith. “He'd get inside their heads, you know. He just knew things that a lot of other people didn't. He'd try different things, work with them until it worked, give them all the time that they need for it to work. He was just really great at that.” In 2021, Shirreffs gave a glimpse into this thinking for a series of articles in the TDN. He talked about his one-eyed Grade I winner Hard Not to Love, a nervous filly. He put a mirror in her stall to help with her field of vision. “It made all the world of difference,” he said at the time. John Shirreffs with his Derby winner Giacomo in 2005 | Horsephotos He talked about Morning Line, a top-class runner on the East Coast who had lost his way completely. After the horse arrived at the Shirreffs barn in California, it was back to basics. First, the driving reins. Then a rider with the driving reins–a performance that necessitated a relay race, where the more athletic members of the Shirreffs's team would be situated around the track, ready to be handed the driving reins from their rubber-legged counterparts. “Pretty soon, it got to the point where we just started him with the driving reins, and then the rider would let go of them and carry on like usual,” said Shirreffs. On his first start for Shirreffs, Morning Line won the GII Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at Hollywood Park, and two starts later, finished third in the GI Triple Bend Handicap. Shirreffs approached his craft by burying into the horse's psyche, encapsulated so perfectly when he discussed what he termed the “bio-rhythm” of a horse. This is the idea that a racehorse can be brought to peak performance only when they're mentally, physically and emotionally in balance. “You have to figure out how to get things flowing together,” Shirreffs explained at the time. “So, when they're physically at their peak they might not be mentally at their peak because you've trained them really hard, but mentally they're tired or emotionally they're off–you know, upset about being pushed so hard. He continued, “So, you're going to have to lose a little bit of conditioning maybe to bring them up mentally and emotionally, right? It's always: How close you can get everything? “That's the one great thing about campaigning a horse, because when they're campaigning, they're conditioning–they're physically staying at a pretty high level. And as they campaign, and as they get used to the rigors of racing and training, mentally they're getting stronger, too. And then, if there's some sort of pleasure involved–some sort of reward for the horse–then they're emotionally getting better,” he explained. Shirreffs with his most famous charge, Zenyatta | Sarah Andrew In a statement, Santa Anita wrote that it “joins the racing community in mourning the sudden passing of trainer John Shirreffs. He was a fixture at Santa Anita Park throughout his career and his legacy as a caring horsemen will remain embedded in the fabric of our history. “Every horse who races at Santa Anita must first pass by the statue of John's greatest trainee, the wonderful mare Zenyatta. While John's victories were plentiful and prestigious, what he accomplished with Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic was a masterpiece and deservedly was voted as the top moment in Santa Anita Park's 90 years. “Our deepest condolences are extended to John's wife, Dottie, and his family, including those horsemen and women who worked closely with John for so many years. May his memory be a blessing.” Breeders' Cup also released a statement Thursday evening mourning the loss: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Shirreffs, whose grace, humility, and skillful horsemanship left an indelible mark on our great sport. “Beyond his three victories at the Breeders' Cup World Championships–with Life Is Sweet in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Distaff and with Zenyatta in both the 2008 Breeders' Cup Distaff and her historic 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic–John was widely respected for his integrity, patience, and steadfast commitment to the care and development of his horses. “Campaigning Zenyatta to a Hall of Fame career, he never failed to make the great racemare accessible to her fans, promoting the sport to thousands across the nation and around the world. He understood the responsibility that comes with greatness and embraced the opportunity to share it, helping broaden racing's audience and inspire a new generation of fans. “Our heartfelt condolences are with his family, team, and friends.” Shirreffs is survived by his wife, Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, sister Anita Shirreffs, stepson David Ingordo (Cherie DeVaux), and step-granddaughter Reagan Ingordo. The post Training Great John Shirreffs Passes Away at 80 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Unbeaten filly Lara Antipova will head Te Akau’s assault on their home track two-year-old features on Saturday. Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson’s speed demon has been untested in either of her appearances and will face her sternest test in the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Ltd Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). Meanwhile, stablemates Kinnaird and Out Of The Blue will fly the stable flag in the Gr.3 Fairview Matamata Slipper (1200m) following unplaced runs in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m). Lara Antipova romped home by eight lengths in her Te Aroha debut and was again untested to take top honours in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham. “She’s in great form and has freshened really well since Wellington,” Bergerson said. “She had an exhibition gallop last week at Tauranga and worked well on the course proper at Matamata this week, she’s in really good order. “The weather forecast is a bit of a query, there’s no good things in racing and there’s some talented fillies there, but she has been faultless so far.” All going well, Lara Antipova is most likely to target next month’s Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m). “We’ll get through Saturday and hopefully press on to Ellerslie and then we’ll have a team talk after that to see what’s next,” Bergerson said. Opie Bosson will partner Lara Antipova and will also ride Kinnaird, who won on debut at Otaki before landing the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m), but the bubble burst when he tailed the field home in the Karaka Millions. “He was disappointing, a few things didn’t go his way and he threw his toys out of the cot,” Bergerson said. “It’s a smaller field and although he has won at Ellerslie, he did a lot wrong in the Eclipse and he might be a bit better going this way around. “We can’t fault him and his work has been good this week.” Out Of The Blue was undefeated in two spring starts at Riccarton before he was third in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1100m) and a last-start seventh. “He was really good in the Millions, he ran the fastest last 800 and 600m after he blew the start from a bad gate,” Bergerson said. “In a smaller field on his home track, we certainly don’t think he’s out of it.” They will have three runners in the Listed Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (1400m), including the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) placegetter and last-start Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) winner Belle Cheval. “She’s the up and comer and we always had this race pencilled in as a nice stepping stone to The NZB Kiwi (1500m),” Bergerson said. “She’s really talented and keeps improving so it will be exciting, with the forecast the only query.” Stablemates Captured by Love and My Lips Are Sealed will complete the Te Akau challenge. “Captured By Love has been freshened since Te Rapa (Gr.3 J Swap Sprint, 1400m) where she got a long way back and was never really in it,” Bergerson said. “She’s had a couple of exhibition gallops and we can’t fault her at home while My Lips Are Sealed had a disappointing spring. “She ran a really good race (third) in this last year behind Legarto and typically finds form this time of the year, so we’re hoping she can bounce back and rediscover her zest.” The other stakes contender is What You Wish For, who will defend his title in the Listed Matamata Veterinary Services Kaimai Stakes (2000m). “He’s in really good form and Wolfgang puts him in at a suitable weight and he’s absolutely bouncing around the place,” Bergerson said. “He’s looking to win it again and we can’t see any reason why he can’t.” View the full article

During a spring campaign in which she pushed Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) first-up, beat all bar Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) second-up, and contested a Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m), Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) never quite pleased trainer Chris Waller. While she put in some exciting performances on the track, the champion horseman admitted she never looked the part. “She ate well through the spring, her bloods were good, but she never looked well,” Waller said. “She looked light.” The fact Aeliana’s appearance was having no bearing on her appetite or her form led Waller to the conclusion she was still growing. With the benefit of time and a break in the paddock, she has returned around 15kg heavier, and much more pleasing to the eye. “I’m much happier. She’s perfect,” he said. “She will be very hard to beat on Saturday, as we saw first-up in the Winx (Stakes) last spring. She almost beat Via (Sistina). “As long as we didn’t overtax her. That’s my only fear, but there was no sign of it. We pulled up after the Cox Plate, and she was a bit unlucky there.” Aeliana will be among a six-strong contingent for the stable in Saturday’s Gr.2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick, along with exciting mare Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun), and hardy gelding Lindermann (Lonhro). That trio is considered the stables main chances, with Waller expecting Wootton Verni (Wotton Bassett), Soul Of Spain (Phoenix Of Spain) and River Of Stars (Sea The Stars) to all benefit from the hit-out. Autumn Glow is an odds-on favourite with Aeliana and Lindermann third and fourth market picks respectively, the latter returning from one of his best campaigns in the spring when he won three of his five starts. Waller warned punters not to underestimate Lindermann, especially with bold jockey Nash Rawiller on board. “He’s pretty forward because first and second-up is his chance to beat the better ones,” Waller said. “You’ve got Nash on, there’s always a Nash factor. He can always pull something out of his hat.” – RAS Newswire View the full article

David Hayes calls the legendary Silent Witness (El Moxie) “the first great sprinter” and “the best he ever saw”, and delights in having a horse that has equalled his incredible feat of 17 straight victories. The Australian Racing Hall of Fame trainer said it would be a “great thrill” to surpass the Hong Kong hero as his charge, Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress), enters final preparations in the bid to claim a Hong Kong record 18th consecutive win in the HK$13 million G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) on Sunday, 22 February. Between December 2002 and April 2005, the Archie da Silva-owned Silent Witness swept all before him during an extraordinary winning streak, which included two Hong Kong Sprint titles (2003 & 2004), two Centenary Sprint Cups (2004 & 2005), two Chairman’s Sprint Prize triumphs (2004 & 2005) and a Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (2005). He also captured Japan’s 2005 G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) in his final career win. Silent Witness’s success took on greater meaning to an adulating Hong Kong public, given the city’s wider struggles during that period. “Hong Kong was going through very tough times back then — the SARS epidemic, economic difficulties,” said Silent Witness’s trainer Tony Cruz. “He became a symbol of hope. He showed people that great challenges could be overcome. That’s why he was affectionately known as the ‘Spirit of Hong Kong’.” During the intervening years, several challengers have threatened to reach that “magic” number of 17 victories, but none has managed to sustain a run, until now. “I would say it’s a real magic number,” Hayes said. “To equal it was magic, and to beat it is even better, especially at a distance (1400m) where he’s stretching out to show the diversity that he has. “The expectation is for him to win; you just want him to and not let everyone down. But he hasn’t, and the way he trialed recently, I don’t think he’s going to,” Hayes added. Comparisons between Silent Witness and Ka Ying Rising have only grown as Hayes’ five-year-old has coasted toward equalling the record. But for connections of the former, nothing can compare to the “Spirit of Hong Kong”. “There’s no doubt about Ka Ying Rising’s natural talent. That’s clear for everyone to see,” Cruz said. “There’s no horse in Hong Kong that can compete with him right now. He’s simply outstanding. “Silent Witness’s temperament and character were like no other horse I’d trained. He was confident, relaxed, a true professional and an absolute pleasure to train. “Even going to the start, we had to manage him carefully. If another horse tried to pass him, he’d want to take them on. He refused to let anyone go past him,” Cruz added. Felix Coetzee was in the saddle for all 29 of Silent Witness’s career starts. Despite a decorated career during which he was crowned South Africa’s champion jockey three times and claimed multiple Group 1 victories, nothing compared to his association with Silent Witness. “Silent Witness was something unique, something special. It’s wonderful when horses like this come along,” Coetzee said. “He had such a huge presence and gave us incredible memories. I learned a lot from him. Anyone could have won on him — I was just lucky to be there at the right time.” Now aged 26 and enjoying his retirement at the Living Legends facility in Victoria, Australia, Silent Witness is still widely regarded as the greatest racehorse Hong Kong has ever showcased. Though it’s a perception that could alter if another bumper crowd at Sha Tin gets to witness Ka Ying Rising, who was recently named the world’s best sprinter, make Hong Kong racing history on Sunday week. Hayes is thankful that the best horse he’s handled in his career came at “the back-end” of his career. “It’s nice to be the trainer of the most consecutive winning horse in Hong Kong,” the 63-year-old said. “I keep pinching myself, and I’m at an age where I really, really appreciate having a horse with this ability. “I’ve trained two of the highest-rated horses in the world in my life. One was at the start of my career, called Better Loosen Up, and then I have this horse. I’ve had 107 Group 1 winners in between. But nothing like this horse.” An 18th consecutive victory would resonate well beyond the Hayes stable. – Paul Ryding View the full article

Waikato Stud have announced unbeaten Group One winner Return To Conquer (Snitzel), a son of Champion Sire Snitzel, will join their star-studded roster this season. “We’re very excited and proud to stand such a top-class racehorse with a beautiful pedigree and impeccable looks,” said stud principal, Mark Chittick. “He will complement our broodmare band extremely well and to have Kia Ora remain in him adds to the excitement; the Australasian industry will get every opportunity to support him at this introductory fee of $15,000 plus GST, LFG. “To stand a horse bought by one of the best judges in the industry is a real privilege, and it’s a testament to the Te Akau Racing team to have him retire with an unbeaten stakes record.” Purchased from Blue Gum Farm’s draft at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for A$1.3 million, the colt had many admirers, including Bruce Perry, but it was John O’Shea who pushed the bidding into seven figures, with David Ellis CNZM having the final winning bid. “From the moment I first inspected him at the Magic Millions’ sale, he stood out. He was a magnificent individual – strong, athletic and beautifully balanced – with the pedigree to match,” Ellis said. “He developed into an elite racehorse under Mark (Walker) and Sam’s (Bergerson) guidance, retiring unbeaten in four starts. All four of his victories were at stakes level, including the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m). Records like that are seldom found. “Just as importantly, he has a beautiful temperament and a real presence about him. We buy these well-bred colts to compete and win at the highest level and Return To Conquer did exactly that. To see him retire unbeaten and now head to the renowned Waikato Stud is immensely satisfying – it gives him a tremendous platform, and it is a wonderful result for the New Zealand breeding industry.” Group One winning Snitzel colt Return To Conquer and Blake Shinn Photo: Race Images (Kenton Wright) Return To Conquer won all three of his trials before making a winning debut in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m). He continued his stakes sweep, with victories in the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m), Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m) and Gr.1 Sistema Stake (1200m). With Mark and Garry at home in Matamata anchoring operations, Harry and George Chittick travelled to Te Akau Racing’s Cranbourne base to give the colt the final tick of approval. “Ben Gleeson showed him to us and he was really impressive, he has a good brain on him, and he’s such a dude,” Harry Chittick said. “Speaking to Jamie and Chanel Beatson of Ohukia Lodge, he was the best they broke in that year. Everything about him is impressive – from his pedigree to his performance, temperament and physical presence.” “He’s a beautiful horse and very precocious,” continued George Chittick. “One of the things I took away was, yes, there is plenty of Snitzel in there, but there is a touch of Lonhro, too. I’d be very pleased walking out to get him from the paddock each day and bringing him to the barn or showing him to clients. We’re very excited and proud to be a part of the next stallion for WS.” Return To Conquer is out of the unraced Lonhro mare Vaujany, a three-quarter sister to six-time Australian sprint winner Andermatt, and the colt’s granddam, Portillo, won the Gr.2 Surround Stakes (1400m) and finished second in the Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m) as a three-year-old. “At the end of the day, he’s a Group One-winning son of Snitzel and a good specimen. To get all those things together is not easy,” explained Garry Chittick. “We have a very good spread of stallions, so he fits into our mix well.” View the full article

Repole Stable's Grande returns to racing action Feb. 14 at Gulfstream Park after being scratched from the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

Three-year-old fillies will take a leading role in the Feb. 14 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (G1) at Flemington Racecourse, with My Gladiola, Military Tycoon, and 2025 Golden Slipper (G1) winner Marhoona headlining the younger brigade in the sprint.View the full article