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Timelines for the massive-scaled, $455-million rebuild of Belmont Park were brought more clearly into focus Wednesday during a construction update presented by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) at a meeting of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board (FOB). In chronological order: 1) Belmont's new one-mile Tapeta track could open for training as early as the spring of 2025. 2) NYRA is keeping open the option of running the 2026 GI Belmont Stakes back downstate at the new facility under a festival-meet scenario in which all four racing surfaces will be ready, but the grandstand and clubhouse might not be fully finished. 3) The “temporary occupancy approval” target date for completion of all Belmont Park construction is Sept. 11, 2026. This would dovetail with the conclusion of that year's Saratoga Race Course season, making fall 2026 the first full race meet at the new facility. 4) The possibility exists that Belmont Park could host the Breeders' Cup as early as 2026, although it's more likely that both NYRA and the Breeders' Cup will end up waiting another year before making that commitment. Even though the 2026 Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup possibilities might seem to be the headline-grabbers out of the Oct. 9 FOB meeting, the wait-and-see, flex-plan options for both major racing events are consistent with what NYRA has been projecting since even before the state first okayed the loan for the Belmont Park rebuild in 2023. “We will be in a position with the racetracks where we would look at the possibility of a modified Belmont Stakes in '26, and we would like to just keep that option open,” Glen Kozak, NYRA's senior vice president of operations and capital projects, said during Wednesday's meeting. For 2024 and 2025, NYRA moved the Belmont Stakes to Saratoga to accommodate the downstate construction. Although the third leg of the Triple Crown has been temporarily truncated to 1 1/4 miles from 1 1/2 miles because NYRA didn't want to start the Belmont Stakes on Saratoga's far turn, this year's four-day festival there was considered a success from both aesthetic and business standpoints. “It certainly wouldn't be a full-building use” if NYRA decided to run the Belmont Stakes back at its traditional home in 2026, Kozak said. “But again, we will update [the FOB] as that develops to see if there is that ability to host it in a manner that's appropriate in 2026,” Kozak said. NYRA executives didn't directly raise the possibility of hosting the 2026 Breeders' Cup during Wednesday's meeting, but FOB member Rob Williams did bring up that possibility on several occasions. Asked after the meeting to clarify NYRA's intentions about hosting the championships in two years, Patrick McKenna, NYRA's vice president of communications, wrote in an email that, “Although a venue for the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships has yet to be determined, the new Belmont Park will be complete and ready to host the 2026 Breeders' Cup should the opportunity arise. The Breeders' Cup has previously announced its commitment to add Belmont to the rotation of host venues following NYRA's modernization of the facility.” What went unspoken at the meeting is how much of a risk it would be for both NYRA and the Breeders' Cup to commit to Belmont Park for 2026 while the new facility isn't even fully constructed. Even if everything goes as scheduled, hosting the championships only about seven weeks after the new Belmont's grand opening in 2026 leaves little room for error, operations-wise. Why rush to host the Breeders' Cup there in 2026 when 2027 seems a more realistic goal and the new Belmont will likely be part of the championship rotation for decades to come? The governor-appointed FOB represents the interests of New York State in the real estate at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont and Saratoga. Although much of Wednesday's meeting focused on high-level budgeting and contracting, Kozak gave a succinct update on Belmont's four racing surfaces, which will include the main track, two turf courses, and, for the first time in New York, a Tapeta track. “The tracks are progressing very well,” Kozak said. “We're on schedule with the tracks. There will be training on the synthetic early [compared to when the rest of the facility will be ready]. “We have not given a timeline on the main track, just because of working with the project team, not to impact any issues with the [grandstand and clubhouse] superstructure going up,” Kozak said. “We'll update [the FOB] as that develops to see if there is the capability of giving even modified training hours, if required, by next spring.” Kozak said all underground tunnels to the infield are complete–one from the grandstand; pedestrian and commercial tunnels from north parking lot, and the horse tunnels that will connect both the barn area and frontside paddock to the infield. “We're currently working on the drainage of the surfaces themselves,” Kozak said. “We have almost seven miles of pipe to put in on the one turf course, nine miles on the other, as well as all new surfaces from the bottom up, meaning new sub-base, new drainage stone, sand, and then our growing medium. “The rails are installed on the synthetic track,” Kozak continued. “The inner safety rail, all the posts are up for the inside and the outside rail. We're expecting to start to install porous asphalt, either the end of next week or the beginning of the following week, for the interior 40 feet of the synthetic surface to be able to stockpile the Tapeta racing surface on that, with an anticipated completion date of early- to mid-Q2 of next year, so that way we have the ability to allow horses to start training on a one-mile synthetic track. “The two turf courses, we're in a blending process right now of the growing medium, and our anticipation is sometime around mid-November to start putting the growing medium down,” Kozak said. “And directly behind the growing medium, we will start to install sod. The sod has been secured for almost a year now, so we've had that grown on Long Island, so it'll be a natural transition into the same climate. “Depending on how the weather responds this winter, we'll continue with that [sod] work right through the wintertime with an approximate 10 tractor-trailer loads a day,” Kozak said. “We'd be basically able to install a sixteenth of a mile of racing surface per day. “The main track, currently the installer from Kentucky [is working] just with an oversight capacity for the install of the safety rail on the main track as well as the outside rail on the outer turf course, with an anticipated completion of what we can do, because of material locations, of two weeks on that,” Kozak said. The post Belmont Rebuild: Tapeta Training Possible Spring ’25; Option Still Open for ’26 Belmont Stakes to Revert Downstate appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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Mqse De Sevigne Retired To Become A Broodmare
Wandering Eyes posted a topic in The Rest of the World
Multiple Group 1 winner Mqse De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) has been retired to become a broodmare, according to a post on X from owner-breeder Baron Edouard de Rothschild's Haras de Meautry. “Mqse De Sevigne returns to Haras de Meautry to begin her new life as a broodmare, having won five Group 1 races with Andre Fabre including the double-double of Prix Rothschild and Romanet in successive years,” the stud posted on X. “Truly the Queen of Deauville.” A homebred for the Rothschild family, the bay was trained by Andre Fabre. The daughter of the multiple stakes-placed Penne (Fr) (Sevres Rose {Ire}) won in two starts at two, and then claimed the G3 Prix Vanteaux at three besides placing in another pair of group stakes. Kept in training at four, she earned victories in the G1 Prix Rothschild and G1 Prix Jean Romanet last summer before signing off her 4-year-old year with a second to subsequent Breeders' Cup heroine Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket. In 2024, she won four starts in succession–the Listed Prix Jacques Laffitte, G1 Prix d'Ispahan, and the Rothschild/Romanet double once again. In her fifth and final 5-year-old appearance, she ran unplaced in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after a disrupted and wide passage. Her record stands at 18-8-6-1 and $1,112,339 in earnings. Penne's first foal was the Slickly (Fr) colt Meandre (Fr), who would win a quartet of Group 1 races in France and Germany and would go on to place in the G1 Hong Kong Vase. Mqse De Sevigne is her ninth foal. The post Mqse De Sevigne Retired To Become A Broodmare appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
As racing hots up right around the country we look at who is impressing at the trials. Auckland Trotting Club Workouts @ Pukekohe Raceway- Thursday 3 October Race 6- Double Parked (3g Downbytheseaside- Mockingjay) Tr- AG Herlihy Resuming after one race start when finishing second at Alexandra Park in May behind the talented Always A Porsche (now the winner of 4 of his 8 starts to date). Settled second last of the five runners for trainer/driver Tony Herlihy before working around to lead with half of the heat remaining. Kept going strongly to win a blanket finish without any urgings, pacing the last 800m in 59.7 and the final quarter in 28.5. Looks forward for his return to the racetrack in the coming weeks. Race 9- Hawkeye Pierce (3g American Ideal- Go One Bettor) Tr- LG Hollis & SM Robertson The smart 3-year-old has had a few weeks off since finishing a game second in the Northern Metro Final last month behind Always B Elite. Only had the Steven Reid-trained Next Level as company in this heat over 2050m but impressed when sprinting home sharply in 56.7 for his final half and the last 400m in 27.3, which was excellent work on a slushy track. Lightly tried with just 10 race days starts and has finished in the top three in 80% of his starts, so plenty of upside to this fella. Returns to racing at Alexandra Park this Friday 11 October in Race 2. Motukarara Trotting Association Workouts- Saturday 5 October Race 2- Teds Legacy (6g Changeover- Judys A Flyin) Tr- JF Curtin The ever consistent son of Changeover hasn’t been sighted at the race track since the end of June, but hinted that he is ready to rock n roll when resuming in the coming weeks. Began safely from his back-mark of 20m and remained at the rear of the five horse heat until Jim Curtin asked for an effort inside the final 800m. Made up many lengths on eventual winner Let’s Go Ringo, and will improve a ton with this run under his belt. Tends to race well in a fresh state, so would pay to keep him safe when he does return to the races. Wyndham Harness Workouts- Saturday 5 October Race 3- Spells Of Love (5g Love You-Spell) Tr- Rebecca Heads Won two races when trained by Robert and Jenna Dunn, but purchased by Rebecca Heads last year, and had one start for her in December 23. Trotted safely for driver Mark Hurrell throughout, and only asked to improve just before turning for home, and finished stylishly in the run home to win well from the Nathan Williamson-trained duo of Flying Without Wings and Hidden Talent. Finished a close second on September 28 at the workouts as well, so might be worth a look when he makes his return to the races today (Thursday) at Invercargill in Race 6. Race 5- Always B Paulie (3g Always B Miki- Bubba Ho Tep) Tr- CR Ferguson Qualified back in May and then spelled, the son of Always B Miki was having his third workout back in slushy conditions at Wyndham. Settled second last of the seven runners, Mark Hurrell asked him to improve sharply with 700m to run and kept up a strong run to the line to finish third behind the all the way winner, Ultimate Weapon (Nathan Williamson). They paced the 2400m in 3.04.9 with the last half in 57.5 and the final quarter in 28, which was a reasonable effort given the conditions. North Canterbury TOA @ Rangiora Tuesday 8 October Race 2- I Like My Sweets (2g Sweet Lou- Everlasting Grace) Tr- GD Smith Taken off the gate by trainer/driver Gavin Smith, settling second last of the five runners in the 2000m heat. Asked to improve sharply with just over 600m to run, the son of Sweet Lou quickly asserted superiority in the run to the line, winning by nearly 5 lengths. The last 800m was run in 57.5 with the final quarter in 28.2, and he ran nearly 5 seconds under the qualifying time. Looks a natural 2-year-old. Race 3- Stormbreaker (2g What The Hill-Madam Sass) Tr-Robert & Jenna Dunn Took on three others and raced in the Gavin Smith colours for those wanting to watch the replay of the heat! Began safely and took control after 200m and the result was never in doubt thereafter, coasting to the line to win by over four lengths in the hands of Korbyn Newman. Has impressed in both public trials (qualifying last week at his first attempt), and should acquit himself well when he makes it to the races. Race 4- Selsey Anne (2f Lather Up-Ariadne Lavra) Tr- MP Jones Samantha Ottley took the drive behind the daughter of Lather Up and settled last of the four runners in the 2000m qualifying heat. Getting a drag into the race at the 600m, she showed a nice turn of foot to come away for a decisive victory and over 5 seconds under the required time. Last 800m was run in 56.8 and the final quarter in 28.0. Looks a promising filly. Race 5- Lochdarragh (3g Locharburn-Rock Me Gently) Tr- KK Chapman Highlighted in an earlier edition of the trials report before making his race debut at Timaru at the end of last month. Unfortunately missed away badly from the stand on that occasion, so was behind the mobile yesterday against five rivals. Not hurried early by driver Robbie Close, he improved inside the 600m and put the heat beyond doubt turning for home, winning easily in a 2.00.9 mile rate (last 800m in 57.9, 400m in 27.6). Stick with the ship when he returns to the track. Race 8- Amaretto Franco (4m Terror To Love-Aziza) Tr- SM McRae The smart mare who had won three of her last 4 race starts before a spell, resumed in this 2000m mobile heat. Restrained to second last of the six runners by driver Colin DeFilippi, she improved on the back of the Bob Butt-trained Dynasty nearing the 600m mark and was only hooked out late to get up and win narrowly but well in a mile rate of 1.58.9 (last 800m in 56.7 and 400m in 27.7). Looks very forward for her resumption. Race 9- Tactical Bid (3g Tactical Landing-Habibti Sadie) Tr- RW Todd The talented three-year-old began well from the inside draw for driver Robbie Close before surrendering the lead to the Ross Houghton-trained trotter, Countless Questions. Went back to the front with just over a lap to run and turned the heat into a procession thereafter, running his last half in 58.0 and the final 400m in 28.9. The overall mile rate for the 2000m mobile was 2.00.1. Hasn’t been to the races since destroying maiden opposition at Addington in August, but ready to hit the ground running judging by this powerhouse performance, and perhaps has some lofty targets ahead. To see previous Trials reports click here View the full article
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By Jonny Turner Matthew Williamson is preparing to unleash one of Princess Sadie’s key weapons in the Dancinginthedark M Southern Trotting Oaks. The pair have the daunting task of trying to take down superstar filly Empire City in the Ascot Park feature. Empire City is set to start a red-hot favourite after beating nearly all of the rivals she clashes with on Thursday in her first spring outing at Addington last month. With blazing gate speed and having drawn in barrier 5 on Thursday, Princess Sadie looks to get her shot to down the favourite. While some would say beating Empire City looks an impossible task, but Williamson thinks his horse can, with one proviso. “Sadie is very fast, so if she is at her best she could give Empire City a good run for her money.” “She has beaten us all bar one time when she galloped out, but we possibly haven’t been at our best in some of those races which is down to the trainer.” If Princess Sadie can charge the mobile arm and lead early, she should get her chance to down the favourite. Whether that is done by parking out the favourite or sitting behind her will be decided when the horse hits the track. “With her natural gate speed you would imagine Empire City would be pretty handy.” “I am pretty hopeful Sadie would be able cross the horses inside her with her gate speed.” “We will just see how everything pans out, but Empire City would obviously be the one everyone would be keen to follow.” “She’s a class filly and she will be very hard to beat.” “We are going to need to be at our best.” A cracking last start performance has Fear And Faith the clear danger to both Empire City and Princess Sadie. The three-year-old began fairly from barrier 1 before charging home late in her last clash with her two rivals at Addington. If the filly could muster more gate speed for trainer-driver John Morrison it could set up a completely different race scenario. Empire City ($1.50), Fear And Faith ($3.30) and Princess Sadie ($5.50) have dominated early betting for the Southern Trotting Oaks. Matthew Williamson rates Delightful Peg the best of his remaining drives at the Northern Southland Trotting Club meeting in the Kubala Seeds Fillies and Mares Mobile Pace. The two-year-old looks to be slotting into a winnable maiden race after taking on smart types at Addington recently for trainer Brad Mowbray. View the full article
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There are five horse racing meetings set for Australia on Thursday, October 10. Our racing analysts here at horsebetting.com.au have found you the best bets and the quaddie numbers for Hawkesbury & Mornington. Thursday’s Free Horse Racing Tips – October 10, 2024 Hawkesbury Racing Tips Mornington Racing Tips As always, there are plenty of promotions available for Australian racing fans. Check out all the top online bookmakers to see what daily promotions they have. If you are looking for a new bookmaker for the horse racing taking place on October 10, 2024 check out our guide to the best online racing betting sites. Neds Code GETON 1 Take It To The Neds Level Neds Only orange bookie! Check Out Neds Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you prepared to lose today? Full terms. 2 It Pays To Play PlayUp Aussie-owned horse racing specialists! Check Out PlayUp Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Full terms. Dabble Signup Code AUSRACING 3 Say Hey to the social bet! Dabble Have a Dabble with friends! Join Dabble Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? Full terms. Recommended! Bet365 Signup Code GETON 4 Never Ordinary Bet365 World Favourite! Visit Bet365 Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. GETON is not a bonus code. bet365 does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. What’s gambling really costing you? Full terms. 5 Next Gen Racing Betting PickleBet Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Full terms. 6 Bet With A Boom BoomBet Daily Racing Promotions – Login to view! Join Boombet Review 18+ Gamble responsibly. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place. Full terms. Horse racing tips View the full article
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Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a half-brother to The Autumn Sun (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}). 2.30 Saint-Cloud, Debutantes, €30,000, 2yo, c/g, 7 1/2fT AZIMPOUR (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) starts out for the Aga Khan and Francis-Henri Graffard stable and is a half-brother to Redoute's Choice's multiple group 1-winning sire The Autumn Sun (Aus). From the family of the high-class Azamour (Ire) (Night Shift), he is joined by the owner-breeder's Ridari (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}), a Mikel Delzangles-trained son of the G1 Prix de l'Opera heroine Ridasiyna (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) while also in attendance is George Strawbridge's Kryon (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a Victoria Head-trained half-brother to Wootton Bassett's Almanzor (Fr). The post Dubawi Half To The Autumn Sun Debuts At Saint-Cloud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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Louisiana Downs has promoted Roxanne Tanner to director of racing, the track said in a Wednesday release. Tanner has been employed by the track for nearly three years and previously served as the racing ambassador. Prior to Louisiana, her roles both on the front side and backside have included venues such as Arlington Park, Churchill Downs, Prairie Meadows, and Oaklawn Park. “I'm appreciative for each experience I've had within the industry to get me to this point,” Tanner said. “I've been very blessed to work with some amazing people in my racing career. Since day one with Louisiana Downs, Kevin Preston and his team has been very supportive of my goals, both racing and personally and I look forward to achieving new goals with this historic race track.” The post Tanner Named Racing Chief At Louisiana Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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The Kentucky Derby Museum earned the number three spot as the Best Attraction for Sports Fans in USA Today's 2024 Readers' Choice Awards after breaking records this past year for attendance, the repository said in a Wednesday press release. Located at Churchill Downs, the Derby Museum finished behind Boise State's Blue Turf in Idaho, the top vote getter, and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, who was the runner-up. Welcoming an all-time high of 258,382 guests during the fiscal year 2024, which spanned from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, this marked a 2.7% increase for the Derby Museum over the previous year's record-setting numbers. The post Kentucky Derby Museum Earns High Ranking On USA Today List appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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Bright Future (Curlin), the winner of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at the Spa, has been retired to Claiborne Farm with a stud fee of $12,500 LFSN for the 2025 breeding season, the farm said via a press release on Wednesday. Currently available for inspection at Claiborne, the 5-year-old son of Curlin won five of 11 career starts and earned $947,940 for owners Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables. The Todd Pletcher trainee won the Gold Cup at four and took home the GIII Salvator Mile Stakes at Monmouth this year. “Bright Future displayed a great amount of talent and heart during his time in my barn,” said Todd Pletcher. “He was a tough, hard-knocking colt that had speed he could carry around two turns. Being a son of Curlin and with his pedigree, Bright Future is surely to have that as a stallion at Claiborne.” Bright Future will be syndicated with owners Mike Repole of Repole Stable and Vincent Viola of St. Elias Stables retaining an interest in the horse at stud. Bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms, Bright Future is out of the stakes-winning Bellamy Road mare Sophia's Song, making him a half-brother to GSW Musical Mischief (Into Mischief), as well as 'TDN Rising Star' Booth (Mitole). “This is a special moment for me,” said Jacob West. “Now that I'm working at Claiborne it feels like things have come full circle. I was part of the team that purchased Bright Future as a yearling, so I followed his career with great interest. Now it 's exciting to see him coming to Claiborne to stand as part of our growing stallion roster.” The post GISW Bright Future Headed For Stud Duty At Claiborne Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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By Emma Berry and Adam Houghton NEWMARKET, UK — If Tuesday was Amo day, Wednesday was the day of Godolphin as Sheikh Mohammed's team, so often the dominant force at Book 1, hit top gear in signing for the top four lots and four of the five seven-figure horses of the second session. Amo Racing did not leave Park Paddocks on Wednesday empty-handed. Indeed, Kia Joorabchian added another seven yearlings to his eye-popping haul on the opening day, and his stated intention to recruit the best possible bloodlines in order to compete with the top owner-breeder operations meant that he also played a significant role in driving the market when underbidder on the day's two most-expensive horses. The best way to describe the continued demand for horses during the second day of Book 1 was relentless. David Cox, whose Baroda Stud provided a late highlight when selling the penultimate lot of the day, a colt by Dubawi (Ire), for 1,500,000gns, struck a note of reality when saying, “With all the things going on in the world, here we are and the only thing we are worried about is whether it's going to rain.” The atmosphere has been pretty surreal at Park Paddocks over the last two days, and there were plenty of wizened sales veterans shaking their heads and admitting that they'd never seen anything quite like this before. The statistics tell part of that story and, as on the opening day, they were up, up, up. Despite 17 fewer yearlings being sold than on the corresponding day last year, the aggregate rose by 13% to 40,303,000gns. The median of 240,000gns climbed by 23%, with the average of 345,154gns posting the largest increase of 30%. The clearance rate, with 117 yearlings sold, was 89%, a hugely respectable figure for an elite sale. Grangemore's Queen Guy O'Callaghan, the breeder of champion miler-elect Charyn (Ire), hailed his dam Futoon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) as “the mare of a lifetime” after selling a full-sister to the dual Group 1 winner for 2,900,000gns to Godolphin. Hinting that we might see a repeat performance of Tuesday's recruitment of smart fillies, Alex Elliott, standing alongside Kia Joorabchian, took the bidding into seven figures, and when the tussle between Amo Racing, Godolphin, Oliver St Lawrence, Watership Down Stud and Sumbe reached 1,800,000gns, O'Callaghan reached out in the gangway to squeeze his wife Serena's arm as if to say, “We've got this.” They had, but they got much more besides, as bidders fell away leaving only Joorabchian to push Anthony Stroud to the final sale price – the best of the day. “A special mare,” said O'Callaghan, who bought the 11-year-old Futoon for 100,000gns seven years ago. Boy, how she has repaid that faith. Through repeated matings with the O'Callaghan family's beloved stallion Dark Angel, she has produced first the G2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Wings Of War (Ire) followed by Charyn. As the black type has piled up so too have the prices of her offspring risen: from £140,000 to 250,000gns, to last year's 850,000gns and now into the millions. O'Callaghan continued, “The stars aligned. Charyn is going to be champion miler this year, and she was a special filly. It all came together.” He added that his calm exterior was misleading. “I'm doing cartwheels inside. It's been a team effort, everyone at home, my wife Serena, my head lad Jack. She's been so straightforward, she's never been a problem. Every day she's just been simple, she's come here and behaved and operated and just been an absolute queen. “She's been showing hard since Saturday and never did a bad show. It's a great sign of her mind and Charyn was the same.They have that phenomenal mindset and they just take it. The good ones can take it and she's a good one.” Of the strength of trade, he said, “It's just a vibrant market. It's crazy. It's unbelievably strong. Kia and Godolphin locked on and took each other on. That's just a dream for any breeder. “[Futoon] has been a great mare to me and she's got another Dark Angel on the ground and is in foal to Blue Point. She's the mare of a lifetime. When Charyn won the Group 1 and got the breakthrough I knew I was sitting on some hot property.” Asked if he would be sending a mare or two to France next year to visit Charyn when he retires to Sumbe, O'Callaghan replied, “Definitely. Without a doubt.” Anthony Stroud, in company most of the day with Sheikh Mohammed, David Loder and Charlie Appleby, said of the day's topper, “Her pedigree speaks for itself and she was a very nice individual. The brother has done fantastically well this year. It was probably more than we anticipated but there seems to be a premium on these fillies and she was a filly that we all liked a lot.” Banks 'So Proud' of Lady Bowthorpe There had been plenty of talk about the first foal of the G1 Nassau Stakes winner Lady Bowthorpe (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and the chestnut son of Dubawi did not disappoint when eliciting a final bid of 2,000,000gns from Godolphin. Again this was a battle between Stroud and Joorabchian, whose now trademark tell for when he is about to bid on a horse is to turn his back to the auctioneer. “Send all the corporals away and you come to me, sir,” implored the auctioneer after the bid of two million went to Stroud outside the ring. This time the man from Amo was not for turning, and it was to Sheikh Mohammed that breeder Emma Banks and Luca and Sara Cumani of Fittocks Stud went to bid their thanks. “That's the way the day has gone,” said Stroud on being pushed hard on a number of horses. “It's so competitive and these horses are selling so well. It's such an international market and there are so many principals from different parts of the world. It's been an incredibly strong sale.” He continued, “[Emma Banks] raced Lady Bowthorpe and she was brave enough to go to Dubawi. Fittocks do an excellent job and the remarkable thing is he'll be going to be trained about a mile from where he was born: from Fittocks to Moulton Paddocks.” Stroud added of Sheikh Mohammed's presence at Tattesalls, “Needless to say, he's key. There was definitely a broad section of horses at the top end that we were happy to show him. [By] horses like Too Darn Hot, who is an emerging stallion and standing at Dalham Hall. It's good that he's doing so well as well, hence we bought the colt from Croom House.” Banks said, “I love his Mum and I love him, and I will follow him and I am very happy he has gone to a great owner and a great establishment. “I am just so proud of Lady Bowthorpe, and everyone who is involved with her – she was bred at Fittocks and has gone back there, and she is loving her life as a broodmare and the fact that she has had such a gorgeous, attractive and well put-together horse makes me so proud. “Martin and all the Fittocks staff have done such a beautiful job of looking after him. He has just been a superstar since the day he was born, but I am very biased.” The aforementioned Too Darn Hot (GB) colt (lot 236) from last week's leading Goffs Orby vendor, Denis Brosnan's Croom House Stud, was secured for 1,500,000gns. His dam, the Galileo (Ire) mare Knocknagree (Ire), is a half-sister to another star graduate of Croom House, the Group 1 winner and late sire Zoffany (Ire). Stroud's last strike of the day came for lot 297, Qatar Racing's Dubawi half-brother to the G2 Prix Corrida winner Morgan Le Faye (GB) (Shamardal) and Listed winner Emotion (GB) (Frankel {GB}). The colt was signed on their behalf by David Cox of Baroda Stud. He said, “I am delighted, fair play to Tweenhills for using us to consign him, he is a lovely horse. “Trade has been very strong. We've had two millionaires this week, we have homebreds off the farm selling very well for clients – everyone is very happy. I was not expecting trade to be as strong as this, it's been a bonzana really, hasn't it?” St Mark's Basilica Gets Brown's Vote The Blandford Bloodstock agency has signed for 16 yearlings so far over the last two days for 8,130,000gns, a good number of those going the way of Richard Brown, who acts on behalf of a number of clients, including Wathnan Racing and Saeed Suhail. The latter, who has won the Derby twice, with Kris Kin and Desert Crown (GB), is now the new owner of lot 265, a colt by first-season sire St Mark's Basilica (Fr), who was knocked down to Brown at 950,000gns. Amo Racing once again played the role of underbidder. Consigned by Newsells Park Stud on behalf of breeder Al Shahania Stud, he is a son of the Group 2-winning Monsun (Ger) mare Longina (Ger), who is already the dam of G3 Prix de Royaumont winner Ottery (GB), who was bought at this sale three years ago by Juddmonte for 800,000gns, “I thought he was an absolutely gorgeous colt,” Brown said. “It's a lovely back page, too. Obviously I was very keen on him, then Saeed Suhail saw him out here, and he was much braver than I would've been. “There aren't many owners out there who've owned two Derby winners, obviously he had Kris Kin and we bought Desert Crown here a few years ago now in Book 2. He likes mile-plus horses, and this is certainly a horse who'll need a bit of time. He looks like he's going to be a mile-and-a-quarter or mile-and-a-half horse, but he's a patient owner.” Suhail's Derby winners were both trained by Sir Michael Stoute, who recently announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season. Brown added, “He had a tremendous relationship with Sir Michael over a number of years, they had two Derby winners together and a Guineas winner. There's going to have to be a little bit of a restructure, which has already been discussed. At the moment he has horses in training with William Haggas and Andrew Balding, so it'll be up to Saeed. We'll have a chat at the end of the sales and work it out, but I'm sure any trainer would be happy to have this colt. I'm liking what I'm seeing from St Mark's Basilica, who was an exceptional racehorse.” Amo Racing Still Full of Running The most expensive of Amo Racing's seven new recruits on Wednesday, including some bought in partnership, was lot 234, a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt out of the winning Shamardal mare Kitcara (GB), making him a full-brother to Al Aasy (Ire) whose nine wins include six Group 3 contests. He was offered by the Castlebridge Consignment and achieved a sum of 800,000gns which will be split between the Amo Racing team and those of Al Shaqab and Valmont. “Last year Nicolas de Watrigant and I bought a Wootton Bassett in France and he went to Ralph Beckett,” bloodstock agent Alex Elliott said of how the partnership between Amo Racing and Al Shaqab started. “The guys have stayed in touch and they have a very similar mindset. What's the point in trying to beat each other when you can join up? It limits your risk, when you're racing for peanuts. There's silks to consider and that sort of thing, but if everyone's on the same page it can work out.” Elliott, who is also heavily involved in the Valmont team which enjoyed Classic success this year with Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), confirmed that the Sea The Stars colt will follow Tuesday's top lot, the Frankel (GB) filly who fetched 4,400,000gns, in going into training with Ralph Beckett. He added, “It [the partnership] suits everybody and he's going to the same trainer in Ralph. We see it happen a lot in the States more than here, people teaming up to buy big-money colts. Hopefully, if you buy enough, one of them pays for the lot. “This colt is a hell of a horse–he's huge. He has a temperament to die for, vetted perfectly, and is very light on his feet. Now, let's just hope he wins the Derby!” High Days for Hobby Breeders It's been quite the few days for Jeff and Phoebe Hobby and their Brightwalton Stud, both on the racecourse and in the sales ring. It all started on Sunday when the husband-and-wife team enjoyed the biggest success of their sporting lives at Longchamp, courtesy of their homebred Makarova (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), the five-year-old mare who signed off from racing in the best possible fashion with a first Group 1 win in the Prix de l'Abbaye. She was then followed into the winner's enclosure on Monday by the two-year-old Fernando (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a close relative of Makarova who provided another thrill when gaining the first victory of his career, albeit in the rather less glamorous surroundings of Yarmouth. As for events at Park Paddocks, it was the turn of their homebred Lope De Vega (Ire) colt to star on Wednesday when he went through the ring as lot 218. Consigned by Barton Stud on behalf of the Hobbys, he is out of the Listed-placed Galileo (Ire) mare Isabella (Ire), already the dam of two winners, including Maltese Falcon (Ire) (Caravaggio), a Grade 3 scorer in the US. This colt was one of Godolphin's nine purchases on the day when fetching 750,000gns. “I've always been a fan of Lope De Vega and we bought the mare [for 225,000gns] at the Robert Ogden dispersal,” Hobby said afterwards. “He's the most lovely specimen and he's been a dream all the way through. He's one of those yearlings who has never gone through the ugly duckling stage. When we brought him in to start yearling prep, I just looked at him and thought he could go through the sales ring now. He's always looked the part. “It's terrifying, utterly terrifying,” he said of his emotions when watching his pride and joy go through the ring, before taking a moment to reflect on Makarova's Longchamp triumph. He added, “I haven't really come down from that and we backed it up with her sister's first foal winning at Yarmouth, which was also pretty exciting in its way. But Longchamp was amazing. For a homebred from our little stud farm to win a Group 1, out of a mare I bought for 65,000gns here at the July Sale–it's what dreams are made of really.” Kingman Filly a Bit More Than Ten Bob Ed Walker was the man who masterminded the career of Makarova, saddling her to win five of her 28 starts, and the Lambourn trainer was also celebrating on Wednesday after it was confirmed that he'll be the lucky recipient of lot 246, a Kingman (GB) filly from the Mahon family's Mountain View Stud draft. She is out of the Dubawi (Ire) mare Lady Macbeth (Ire), an unraced full-sister to this year's Oaks runner-up Dance Sequence (GB). Dance Sequence will be in action at Newmarket on Friday when she lines up in the G3 Pride Stakes, and so too will Ten Bob Tony (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Walker's runner in the G2 Challenge Stakes. Beaten a little over a length when finishing fourth in the G2 German 2,000 Guineas in May, Ten Bob Tony has been the flagbearer this year for ownership group Tbt Racing, and Ed Sackville reported that this filly is set to represent similar connections after he struck the winning bid at 750,000gns. “She's a very strong filly by a stallion who has had a great year at stud, particularly with his fillies,” Sackville summed up. “Ed [Walker] trains Celandine who is by Kingman. This filly is a very different type – she's bigger, stronger and more imposing. She has a lovely female family and is from a brilliant nursery.” He added “I think when they're at that level, you're never expecting to get them – you're just praying.” Talking Points Frankel was the dominant force at Book 1 of the Orby Sale where he was completely out on his own in terms of the average and aggregate figures, and it's proving a very similar story at Park Paddocks this week. Of the 13 yearlings by Frankel offered, 12 have sold for a total of 12,660,000gns and at an average of 1,055,000gns. Lot 184, Watership Down Stud's full-brother to the Irish Derby and St Leger winner Hurricane Lane (Ire), was the pick of them on Wednesday when selling to Blandford Bloodstock for 850,000gns. Croom House Stud reportedly sent a handful of the farm's best yearlings to the Orby Sale this year and boss Denis Brosnan was quick to express his delight at how the gamble had paid off after topping the sale with a Frankel (GB) colt who went the way of Godolphin for €2,000,000. A week later and again Brosnan had Godolphin to thank as he celebrated another significant result at Park Paddocks when his Too Darn Hot colt (GB) (lot 236) fetched 1,500,000gns. With a pinhooked Pinatubo (Ire) colt, lot 171, doubling in price and also going the way of Amo Racing for 250,000gns, it's clear that Brosnan managed to keep back some smart ammunition for this week, too. Fourteen different entities have already spent at least 1,000,000gns over the first two days of the sale. Godolphin and Amo Racing lead the way with their spending already well into eight figures. The influence of Amo Racing this year when it comes to driving the market really shouldn't be understated. As well as adding a large number of yearlings to their team for 2025, either in their sole ownership or in various partnerships, Amo Racing were also responsible for pushing Godolphin every step of the way on Wednesday when filling the role of underbidder on the two most expensive horses. Newsells Park Stud remains dominant at the head of the leading consignors' table, with 13 sold for a total of 9,735,000gns, headlined on Wednesday by the St Mark's Basilica (Fr) colt who went the way of Blandford Bloodstock for 950,000gns. Buys of the Day It's easy to go a little number-blind, such are the number of noughts behind some of the horses to have passed through the ring in the last 48 hours. Any horse that sells for a six-figure sum is by no means cheap but two in particular, both by proven sires, look to have been well bought on Wednesday. Federico Barberini signed for lot 162 on behalf of Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, and the son of one of this season's hottest sires, Lope De Vega (Ire), from the family of the outstanding Serena's Song may well prove to have been a value purchase at 200,000gns from Ballylinch Stud. Mark McStay picked up lot 256, a filly by Wootton Bassett (GB) out of a half-sister to Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never), for 100,000gns. Sold by New England Stud, she will race for the team behind the multiple Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio). Golden Touch It's not all about the six-figure lots when it comes to the pinhookers, where every bit of profit counts. Finbar Kent of Mickley Stud brought his first Book 1 pinhook to Tattersalls, a colt by El Kabeir whose full-brother Masekela (Ire) finished fourth in the Derby as well as winning the Listed Washington Singer Stakes. Bought privately as a foal at €25,000 when failing to reach his reserve at Goffs, the colt (lot 25o) sold for 80,000gns on Wednesday to Ed Sackville and Hugo Palmer. “I'm delighted,” said a beaming Kent. “When you see how well Hugo Palmer has been doing with his two-year-olds this year it's a real compliment that he would like our horse.” The post Godolphin Pick Up Baton From Amo as ‘Crazy’ Trade Continues at Tattersalls appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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Godolphin set a strong pace from start to finish on day two of the Book 1 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and completed an 11,050,000gns spend on Wednesday by adding a Dubawi (Ire) colt out of G1 Prix du Cadran winner Molly Malone (Fr) (Lomitas {GB}) to the team for 1,500,000 gns. Consigned by Baroda Stud, it was Anthony Stroud bidding on behalf of Godolphin who held off Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown for lot 297. Molly Malone has already proved herself as a producer, with Morgan Le Faye (GB) (Shamardal) carrying the Godolphin blue to Group 2 glory in 2019. Meanwhile, her daughter Emotion (GB) (Frankel {GB}) won at Listed level for John and Thady Gosden and the Qatar Racing team. The post Godolphin Completes Strong Wednesday Spend With 1.5 Million Dubawi Colt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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Blazing Sevens (Good Magic), a Grade I winner at two, is available for inspection at Darby Dan where the new sire will stand the upcoming breeding season for $12,500 LFSN, the farm said in a Wednesday release. As a juvenile, the colt won the GI Champagne Stakes and at three was the runner-up in the GI Preakness Stakes. Blazing Sevens is out of the winning Warrior's Reward mare Trophy Girl, a half-sister to Grade I winner King David and stakes winner Bertsgoldenmissile. Bred in Kentucky by Tracy Farmer, Blazing Sevens was a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Sale graduate. “His connections had high hopes for a strong racing season at age four, but minor setbacks took their toll. That does not take from his impressive Grade I win as a 2-year-old and a near-miss in the Preakness Stakes at three,” said Stuart Fitzgibbon, Darby Dan Farm's stallion director. “Blazing Sevens' combination of top-class racing achievements, physical attributes, and lineage make him a highly desirable stallion. We're excited to introduce him to breeders.” To schedule an inspection or for more information on Blazing Sevens, contact Stuart Fitzgibbon at (859) 621-6763. The post Blazing Sevens Available For Inspection At Darby Dan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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Kempton's second division of the seven-furlong novice saw an impressive winner on Wednesday as Juddmonte's Detain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}–Nisriyna {Ire}, by Intikhab) defied a penalty to score by seven lengths. Returning to the course and distance of his debut success in August, the John and Thady Gosden-trained half-brother to their dual group 3 winner and G1 St Leger runner-up Arrest (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) tanked along on the front end under Kieran Shoemark before opening up in the straight to justify 4-11 favouritism from Fosroc (Munnings). Doncaster bound? Racing Post Trophy entry , a half-brother to St Leger runner-up Arrest, runs riot under a penalty @kemptonparkrace.@JuddmonteFarms | @thadygosden pic.twitter.com/HAR9FEGXRm — Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 9, 2024 The post Juddmonte’s Wootton Bassett Colt Impresses At Kempton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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by Jennie Rees, Jon Moss, Peter Ecabert “Eric Hamelback is only carrying out the democratically elected National HBPA board's wishes But no one is more passionate, tireless or bleeds and agonizes more about working for real solutions to our industry's complex problems than Eric.“ The following was written by Jennie Rees, Jon Moss and Peter Ecabert. The opinions expressed are their own. The National HBPA, of which Eric Hamelback is the CEO and which represents state HBPA affiliates, is virtually the one Thoroughbred entity that has stood up to challenge the gaping problems with the enabling legislation that created the private corporation HISA. And for being CEO, Hamelback gets unfairly pilloried. While Eric is the face of the National HBPA and is an extremely knowledgeable and articulate spokesman on many issues, he is not the power. The National HBPA is a trade association, and the CEO does not set policy but rather executes the wishes of the executive committee and board, who are democratically elected by the affiliates' members. The National HBPA is an organization that gets its power, and is built from, the bottom up–not from the top down as are some other high-profile industry organizations and corporations. Certainly the National HBPA board gets wise counsel from Eric. We are convinced that few people understand HISA, its rules and legislation better than Hamelback. Long before HISA, Eric as CEO and HBPA affiliates were fighting relentlessly to get uniform medication and testing policies–with the critical stipulation that they must be based on peer-reviewed science. Uniformity of bad rules–as we're seeing some unfortunate examples of now–does not improve our industry. Before HIWU's policies were unfairly ensnaring trainers for minuscule overages, the National HBPA and affiliates through Eric were advocating for no-effect screening levels such as are used in human testing. Had the industry's power-brokers listened to Eric, we would not have the self-inflicted PR wounds that make the public believe horse racing is running amok with cheating. The parade of honest horsemen today who are made to look like criminals and cheaters because of traces detected at no-impact levels of a substance easily transferred in the environment? The difficulty and expense those trainers face clearing their name? Starting with the earliest iterations of the federal legislation that became HISA, Eric was publicly cautioning that could happen, saying that every medication infraction, no matter how minor or unfair, would literally become a federal case. Eric warned about the open checkbook HISA would have–and now has, with very little accountability–and that it could threaten small racetracks. Sadly, that is playing out now when states such as Nebraska opt not to simulcast rather than pay HISA's steep assessments. The National HBPA represents trainers and owners from the one-horse operation to the largest stables in America. There are countless horsemen in non-HBPA states who call Hamelback for his counsel, for which he gets no credit, or to vent. Eric has an open ear for all. Many big-time trainers have Eric in their cell phones and are extremely supportive of the National HBPA and his leadership. They just don't want to make that support public for fear of alienating an owner or a partner or a breeding farm with a stallion to whom they want to breed. They let Eric fight the battle, take the slings, the arrows, the ill-informed cheap shots. (If someone wants to debate the merits of a HISA issue, have at it–our money is on Eric.) Virtually no one is more passionate, tireless or bleeds and agonizes more about working for real solutions to our industry's complex problems than Eric, who is a lifelong horseman himself. Horsemen have never been in charge and are not the regulators. Had the National HBPA–with Eric as their representative–been brought into the legislative and rule-making process, we're convinced the industry would be in a much better, much more unified place. However, being in charge and being a leader are not one and the same. Eric is a born leader who would benefit any leadership with his well-informed opinions and ideas. Eric Hamelback has guts, brains, compassion and only the good of the industry in mind. But he needs more horsemen to speak up, to publicly have his back. –Jennie Rees is a long-time turf journalist turned communications specialist, including contract work for the National HBPA. Jon Moss is a fourth-generation horseman and Executive Director of the Iowa HBPA. Peter Ecabert is the National HBPA's General Counsel. The views expressed are their own and were not written in any official capacity. The post Letter To The Editor: Setting The Record Straight appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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It was another banner weekend for Godolphin as the stable swept the two Grade I races for 2-year-olds at Keeneland. The filly Immersive (Nyquist) won Friday's GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes and finished things off with a very impressive win by the colt East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity. Both will appear next in the Breeders' Cup where they could garner favoritism in their respective races. Leading the cheering section for Godolphin was its Director of Bloodstock, Michael Banahan, whose duties include overseeing the U.S.-based Godolphin runners. He the TDN Writers' Room Podcast Guest of the Week presented by Keeneland. “I'm not too sure where to rank this among the great weekends we've had throughout the course of our time here racing in the U.S., but I would suggest that it's very close to the top,” Banahan said. “To have two 2-year-olds win on our home track, both by our own stallions, homebred horses, it was absolutely phenomenal. And it's obviously great to win at Keeneland. We love Keeneland. It being our home track, we have an awful lot of employees that can get out to the track, be engaged with the event and celebrate if we do happen to get to the winning line first as well. So I think that's maybe as big a part of it as anything else.” East Avenue may have been the more impressive of the pair, especially when you consider that he drew in with only one prior start, which was a six-furlong maiden win at Ellis Park. “We liked him from the get-go when he was a young foal and as a yearling,” Banahan said. “He was broken at Bridlewood. They do a fabulous job their with our horses and we liked him on the track down there. But we like a lot of them when they're down in Florida doing three-eighths of a mile and look good doing it. But he certainly did. We held him in very high regard. When he came up to Keeneland and joined Brendan Walsh's string up there, he had only maybe worked once, twice, and they were all pretty high on him as well. We were trying to temper our enthusiasm all the way through the summertime, knowing that he looked like a really, really nice horse.” The GI Kentucky Derby is one of the few major races in the world that Godolphin has not won. Might East Avenue change that? “Sheikh Mohammed loves to compete and try and win the biggest races globally,” Banahan said. “Not just the Kentucky Derby but the Breeders' Cup, the Arc, the Melbourne Cup. He loves competing at that top level. We were really excited about Essential Quality in the Derby. We though he had an unbelievable opportunity. He was favorite on the day. After the race lots of people would come to us and say, 'He was the best horse in the race.' But he didn't win. He only got fourth. So it would be wonderful for Sheikh Mohammed to have a horse in the Derby that could compete. I think winning that trophy would get him very excited. I know he was watching the race on Saturday night and so he's well aware of East Avenue, and I'm sure he was excited to see the talent that he showed that day.” In our breeding spotlight section we looked at the WinStar stallion Nashville. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar, XBTV.com and the KTOB the team of Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley reviewed the major races from last week, zeroing in on the 2-year-old males who ran in the Breeders' Futurity, the GI Champagne Stakes and the GI American Pharoah Stakes. The consensus was that Champagne winner Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) was also impressive and should also run well in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The team also looked at the 2-year-old filly races from the weekend. Randy Moss gave high marks to GI Frizette winner Scottish Lassie (McKinzie), while Finley downplayed the accomplishment because of the weakness of the field. Moss, who also works for NBC Sports, explained why the Breeders' Cup decided to run the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in the middle of the card at 2:41 p.m. PT. To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here. The post Michael Banahan Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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A colt by Dubawi (Ire), the first foal out of the G1 Prix de Royallieu heroine Loving Dream (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), became the fourth seven-figure lot of Wednesday's session at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale when selling online to Yulong for 1,100,000gns. Lot 268 was consigned by Watership Down Stud and is out of the former Gosden trainee who also won the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes. Loving Dream is in turn out of the Listed winner Kissable (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) whose other progeny include the GII Pennine Ridge Stakes winner Legend Of Time (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and the GI American Oaks third Amandine (GB) (Shamardal). The post Well-Related Dubawi Colt Sells to Yulong for 1,100,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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A newly-released economic impact study conducted by the University of Louisville's Departments of Equine Administration and Economics reveals that Keeneland's racing operations, annual Thoroughbred auctions, supporting business lines and investment in new construction generates an estimated $1.6 billion for Fayette and its surrounding counties, the track said in a press release issued on Wednesday. The study also noted that around 64% of racing patrons come from outside Kentucky, while around 67% of those attending and participating in the annual horse auctions come from outside the state. Of those attending the auctions from out of state, approximately 24% come from outside the U.S. The comprehensive study conducted by University of Louisville Economics Professor Dr. Thomas E. Lambert evaluated the various operations of Keeneland, including Keeneland's auctions, the spring and fall race meets, the track's year-round special events program, retail operations and guided tour program as well as the impact of Keeneland Library. The study also enumerates the impact of Keeneland's ongoing investment in new facilities including the construction of the new Paddock Building, which is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2025. Key findings from the study are outlined below: Keeneland generates an estimated $1.6 billion + to the Lexington metro area (Fayette and surrounding counties); On a normal year (without construction) Keeneland generates on average $1.46 billion annually to the Lexington metro area; Keeneland, the world's largest Thoroughbred auction company, generates $1.16 billion to the Lexington metro through annual sales in September, November, January and April; Keeneland's spring and fall race meets attract visitors from all 50 states as well as outside the U.S., generating nearly $300 million annually for the Lexington metro area; Keeneland's year-round special events program, retail operations, tour program and Keeneland Library generate an additional $97.7 million to Lexington and surrounding counties; In addition, Keeneland generates nearly $40 million in local, state and federal income taxes and their ongoing construction generates $166.6 million to the Lexington metro area. This data does not factor in the additional jobs, revenue and capacity that the further expansion will generate in 2025 and beyond. The study also highlighted the impact of Keeneland's visitors on the region's tourism economy with participants attending its Thoroughbred auctions spending $336 million at area restaurants, hotels, retail shops, attractions and local business and patrons attending the Keeneland spring and fall meets spending $190 million annually. “Keeneland's location in the heart of horse country allows us to serve as a global hub for the Thoroughbred industry,” said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. “This study reinforces Keeneland's mission to strengthen our global equine industry and our Central Kentucky community for generations to come.” Click here for more information. The post New Study Highlights Keeneland’s $1.6 Billion Regional Impact appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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Breeders' Cup Limited issued a reminder that Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET is the final deadline to nominate foals born in 2024 to the Breeders' Cup program at the one-time nomination fee of $400.00, the program said via a press release Wednesday. The weanling nomination entitles each foal with lifetime eligibility to the Breeders' Cup World Championships and its racing programs. All foals sired by a fully-nominated North American Breeders' Cup stallion are eligible for nomination to the Breeders' Cup program in their year of birth at the weanling rate. Breeders' Cup foal nominators will earn $10,000 for every victory in the worldwide Challenge Series, and every horse that starts in a Breeders' Cup World Championship race will earn a nominator award. The individual nominating the foal receives these awards even though the horse may change hands throughout its racing career. Click here for more information. The post Breeders’ Cup Foal Nomination Deadline Closes Oct. 15 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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Tyler Gaffalione and Paco Lopez recorded impressive victories and milestones during Keeneland's Fall Stars opening weekend. The panel of racing experts rewarded both with Jockey of the Week honors for Sept. 30-Oct. 6.View the full article
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Godolphin saw off stiff competition from Amo Racing during Wednesday's session at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale to secure the Dubawi (Ire) colt out of the G1 Nassau Stakes heroine Lady Bowthorpe (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) for 2,000,000gns. Offered by Fittocks Stud, lot 242 became Godolphin's eighth purchase of the day for a total spend of 9,550,000gns. Lady Bowthorpe also won the G2 Dahlia Stakes and G3 Valiant Stakes and is a half-sister to the G2 Greenlands Stakes scorer Speak In Colours (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}). The post Godolphin Buy Dubawi Colt for 2,000,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1, Day Two Spend Nearing 10 Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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Bidding has resumed for Fasig-Tipton's October Digital Sale, which was suspended yesterday afternoon due to a technical issue, the auction company said in a release on Wednesday. Buyers may now bid on hips 208-361 and entries will begin to close at 2 p.m. ET. Click here to access the catalogue. The post Bidding Resumed For Fasig-Tipton’s October Digital Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article