Wandering Eyes

Karwin Farm will be sold, with the 2026 breeding season its last under Gregory and Ambre Vayre. The couple announced the news on Facebook. A statement from the Vayres read in part, “It is with a touch of nostalgia but without any regrets that we announce that 2026 will be the last breeding season at Karwin Farm. We have decided to prioritize our family, and a new adventure awaits us… “The stud farm will be for sale at the beginning of the year. We would like to thank Brice, who supported us at the stud farm every day, Marine for all the sales and her help at the farm and all our interns. But above all, we want to thank all our owners, breeders, friends, and family who have supported us throughout this wonderful adventure.” The stud began operation in 2022, and currently stands five stallions: Van Beethoven, Keiai Nautique, God Blessing, Nerium and newcomer Grey Man. The post Karwin Farm To Be Placed On The Market appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A trio of Italian-based stallions standing for Renew Italian Breeding have had their stud fees revealed on Friday. Inns Of Court, who is located at Allevamento Alessandro Antonini, will stand for €7,000. The group sire will be standing his second season in Italy. Both Far Above–new to Italy for 2026–and Italy third-year sire Kessaar will each command €6,000. The former will be based at Allevamento Massimo Farina, while the latter is established at Azienda Agricola Antezzate. Far Above, a group winner by Farhh, is the sire of G3 Premio Ribot winner Kabir. The post Fees Revealed For Renew Italian Breeding Trio appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The band we reach today, between $20,000 and $29,999, perhaps represents the sweet spot of the entire pyramid. It features sires of adequate achievement to have elevated themselves clear of the basement, yet without obtaining the kind of commercial luster that puts them beyond mortal pockets. The most established names retain their customary place on our Value Podium, not least as a tremendous route to proving a mare; but this tier also features one or two that could be on the point of cycling through delayed rewards for their early endeavors. As such, given that we can't single out each and every sire anyway, we certainly won't be dwelling too long on those yet to establish any kind of competence in their new careers. True, I can return to a recurring theme of this series to point out that if GUNITE was deserving of a preposterous 256 mares when entering stud in 2024, at $35,000, it's hard to see why you wouldn't go back to him now at $25,000. Of the 39 weanlings presented to market, 34 found a new home at $166,764. Their consistency was reflected by a significantly strong median of $157,500. He will probably become an imperative play next time round–when his fee will presumably subside again–ahead of a cavalry of juveniles bursting with the precocity that won him the GI Hopeful Stakes, and the speed that saw him trade blows with Elite Power as a 4-year-old. By the same token, then, we should be taking a keen interest in JACKIE'S WARRIOR at $25,000–half the sum paid by 247 mares in 2023. His first yearlings repaid their $50,000 conception fee very solidly, 82 of 103 selling at an average $225,102 (median $165,000). He's another Hopeful winner, who returned to Saratoga to win Grade I sprints at three and four. He seems bound to make some noise in the freshman table and, with his third book holding up at 166, now is actually the time to be doubling down. After all, the “judgement” exercised by so many breeders when he entered stud could be on the point of vindication. That mindset admittedly would not have paid off, in the preceding class, with ESSENTIAL QUALITY. Having reached $50,000 last year, from an opening $75,000, he has been slashed to $25,000 after a perfectly steady start by his first juveniles (three stakes winners putting him third in the freshman table). But while he was a champion juvenile, he's also a Belmont winner by Tapit and it would be perfectly natural for mares with Classic blood of their own to draw a great deal of improvement from his stock with maturity round a second turn. For now a fee cut became inevitable, however, after his second crop averaged $88,564–with a median that only matched the conception fee. Essential Quality | Sarah Andrew COMPLEXITY made a contrastingly lively start, the previous year, setting a storming early pace in the freshman table until inevitably worn down by rivals with industrial volume behind them. With a second crop in play, he's up to a dozen stakes winners–four at graded level–at 6.5 percent of named foals, from a conception fee of $12,500. That is actually the same ratio boasted by class leader Vekoma for his 18 stakes winners, yet he is up to $100,000 while Complexity has been eased to $20,000 (from $25,000). Two other peers in huge demand, Tiz the Law and McKinzie, are meanwhile getting their black-type winners at 5.1 and 3.3 percent. Complexity's problem in the short term is that his incoming juveniles graduate from a book of 59, but he was back up to 119 last spring and mares sent to him now will be able to ride that wave by the time their foals go to market. MAXIMUS MISCHIEF is an interesting proposition. Having set out as a straightforward, low-budget commercial option, he had a nice moment this time last year with the GI Malibu Stakes winner. But that has turned into an authentic breakout, and not just because Raging Torrent has meanwhile followed up in the GI Met Mile. Two other members of his debut crop won graded stakes, confirming that a sire whose own career had been curtailed could get his stock to thrive with maturity; and then a third-crop son won the GI American Pharoah Stakes. Yet his fee has only nudged up from $15,000 to $20,000, and with his numbers never having let up–incoming juveniles from a crop of 105 live foals, while he covered another 161 mares last spring–he stands at an auspicious crossroads. BOLT D'ORO has had an up-and-down career already. His latest yearlings, conceived at $35,000 after he won freshman laurels in 2022, achieved an uneven yield: he boasted a $1.4 million colt at Saratoga, and a six-figure average, but a median of $60,000 puts the pressure on (his next crop sired at exactly that sum). Halved to $30,000 last year, when he duly maintained traffic, he takes another trim to $25,000–solid value after he regrouped with 11 stakes winners in 2025, four at graded level. He may be finding his level but that is a solid one: he has consistent volume behind him and, in principle, that mare upgrade should help him gain further track quality over the next two or three years. But it is the most established operators in this category that pack in most value, and I would suspect that an awful lot of you might land on the same few names for a Value Podium. ARMY MULE misses out only narrowly, having had a mild hike from $20,000 to $25,000, an acknowledgment of some strong results at ringside (72 of 83 yearlings sold at $83,215, albeit the median was considerably less at $51,000) and with his early impact beginning to cycle through. He has still had no more than 206 starters, of which 21 are stakes winners. That's a tremendous ratio for a horse that started out at $10,000 and sired even his incoming sophomores at $7,500. He welcomed 160 mares when initially raised to $25,000, in 2024, and another 140 last year, so the “pipeline” is pretty loaded. There's every chance he could be standing at a rather higher fee before long, assuming he can consolidate with his somewhat upgraded materials. As things stand, his single graded stakes winner of 2025–his fourth overall–augurs well as GII Miss Grillo Stakes winner Ground Support, first home for the home team in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf. Blame " width="601" height="437" /> Blame | Sara Gordon VALUE PODIUM Bronze: BLAME Arch–Liable (Seeking the Gold) $25,000 Claiborne Though now entering the veteran stage, in turning 20, Blame remains a precocious achiever as a distaff influence. In 2025, his daughters were represented by 199 starters–compared with 776 for champion broodmare sire Tapit–of which four won Grade I races. While it remains easier to recognize the phenomenon of a broodmare sire than to account for it, it has been clear for a while now that this horse is an essential option for anyone who wouldn't mind hanging onto a filly. And little wonder: the underrated Arch was himself from a noble line, and Blame blends it with none other than Special (Forli {Arg}) as third dam. Of course, Blame is a thoroughly competent sire of runners in his own right. In 2025 he notched his seventh elite scorer, over in Europe, while GII Oak Leaf Stakes winner Explora only narrowly failed to reel in the winner in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. His current tally of 54 stakes winners and 25 at graded level represent extremely solid ratios: 6.5 and 3.0 percent of named foals. That puts him essentially level with Constitution and Twirling Candy, to name just two sires too excellent to be embarrassed by the comparison. And, guess what? While Blame's book of 73 last spring implies that not everyone is keeping the faith quite so resolutely, his growing reputation as a broodmare sire is quietly converting him, fairly late into his career, into a more commercial proposition. Of 43 yearlings offered from his latest crop, 36 sold at a solid average of $83,215. Admittedly the median was lower, at $57,500–but that is itself instructive. The fact is that enough people have now cottoned onto Blame's particular strength to contest his nicer fillies quite avidly. Though the most expensive of the crop, at $475,000, was actually a colt, the next seven (between $110,000 and $370,000) were all fillies. Stick or twist, race or sell, at least half the time Blame can be a win-win scenario. Silver: UPSTART Flatter–Party Silks (Touch Gold) $25,000 Airdrie A solitary graded stakes winner for Upstart this year doesn't begin to tell the story about a horse going places every bit as purposefully as his witty naming suggests. When on the bubble, in 2020, he had just 27 live foals. But then his second crop disclosed the talent he had imparted to Zandon and others–especially as sophomores in 2022, when Upstart matched Not This Time and Nyquist in the third-crop table with three Grade I performers apiece–and his fee the following spring was hoisted from $10,000 to $30,000. That trajectory has been reflected in his yearling returns: $42,071 in 2023, $67,564 in 2024, and this time round a stellar $108,477 for the graduates of that upgraded book. That was for 66 sold, of 82 offered, and the median was milder at $70,000: but you're obviously looking at a mixed bag, still bred at a budget fee, and the nicer ones completed home runs as high as $650,000, £425,000 and $350,000. Upstart | Sarah Andrew Even ahead of their arrival on the racetrack, things already appear to be afoot. Of Upstart's eight stakes winners in 2025, five were juveniles–including triple Grade I-placed Percy's Bar. As it stands, Upstart's 25 black-type scorers to date represent 6.7 percent of named foals. By the restrained standards of his exemplary farm, his book has basically been fully subscribed for the past four years, with another 147 paying this fee last spring–appreciating a mild clip pending the new cycle of success that now feels imminent. Gold: HARD SPUN Danzig–Turkish Tryst (Turkoman) $20,000 Darley Okay, so he has never really won over the ringside speculators. But that's their problem, not his. Of 68 yearlings offered in 2025, 54 retailed at just under $50,000 (median $40,500) off a conception fee of $35,000. And that's probably not going to change, after a fairly sedate year on the track as well–at least by his standards–with eight stakes winners, including three at graded level, from 307 starters. But. But. But… Twenty grand! For a sire whose lifetime bank is exceeded, among the Kentucky competition, only by Into Mischief, Tapit, Curlin and Candy Ride (Arg). For the sire of a dozen elite winners in the Northern Hemisphere, besides three others in Australia. For the sire of four sons at stud in Kentucky. For the last available short cut (besides War Front, now private) to his breed-shaping sire Danzig. One of just 28 foals in the patriarch's final crop, he taps directly into a seam of gold meanwhile diluted by all the thousands of mares wasted on failed stallions. For a horse to have achieved so much, and only once to have charged even as much as he did in his debut season, is a weird reflection on the commercial breeding era. He was tremendous value, for anyone trying to put a hard-knocking winner under their mare, at $35,000 in 2024. To have now taken his second cut since will keep his loyal clientele returning, even as he turns 22, in incredulous gratitude. The post Kentucky Value Sires For 2026: Part 4–The 20-Somethings appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Richard Kingscote has been granted a licence extension by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), and will ride from February 18 through the end of the 2025/2026 season at Sha Tin on July 12. The Derby-winning jockey currently has four wins and 28 placings from 165 rides with earnings of approximately £1.2 million. Overall, the 39-year-old boasts eight Hong Kong wins, having accrued four during the 2024/25 Hong Kong season, as well. Another jockey granted a licence extension is Australian James Orman, who has 12 wins to his name. The next Hong Kong meeting is at Sha Tin on January 4. The 11-race card features the G3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy over 1000 metres. The post Richard Kingscote Extends Hong Kong Riding Stint appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Diane Crump, the first female to ride a pari-mutuel race and also the first female to ride in the GI Kentucky Derby, passed away Thursday evening after battling an aggressive form of brain cancer. She was 77. The news was confirmed by Crump's family on social media Friday via her GoFundMe. According to Equibase, Crump rode only 228 winners in a career that spanned 1969 through 1988. But her mark on the sport goes well beyond the number of races she won. Female jockeys were widely rejected in the late sixties. It got so bad that when she left the jockeys room at Hialeah to ride in her first ever race on Feb. 7, 1969, she had to have a police escort to make it to the paddock. After she received clearance to ride a horse named Bridle 'n Bit in the race at Hialeah, six male jockeys took off their mounts. That a female was riding in a horse race was such an oddity that she was mobbed by reporters from newspapers and television stations and photographers. The horse finished 10th, but Crump received a positive review in the New York Times, which noted, “Even the most bitter opponents of girl riders had to admit she looked good on Bridle 'n Bit.” She was determined to win the fight and gain acceptance, which eventually happened. She was not one to give up easily. “I was just so excited that I was finally going to get to ride a race,” Crump told the Louisville Courier-Journal in 2020. “I read all the negative press, but I just never let that negative press deter me.” In 1970, she recorded another milestone, becoming the first female jockey to ride in the GI Kentucky Derby. She finished 15th aboard a horse named Fathom. “It wasn't that big of a deal in the Derby because he was a longshot,” Crump told writer Bob Ehalt in 2017. “There were some things written about it, but I had been riding for a year and people knew I was capable so there wasn't a big deal made of it. Yet to me it was a dream you always have if you're a jockey. Just to go through that experience gave me one of the greatest feelings you could ever imagine. Just the fact that I was there meant so much to me.” She said that in time the threats and harassment started to disappear. It also helped that other female riders were following her path and taking out a jockey license. “A lot of the harassment and most of the issues occurred before I ever got to ride,” Crump told the TDN in 2020. “The first two or three months were the worst. At the Derby, it was a little over a year since I started and by then, things had calmed down. I was fairly well received in Kentucky, more so than in other states. There was less dissension. After the first several months it died down so far as the male jockeys went. It wasn't perfect, but it definitely improved.” Crump said that, eventually, getting mounts was not a problem. But getting the assignment on horses that had a chance was. “I think I was a very good rider,” she told the TDN. “I won races I never should have won. I think I rode a good race and I had the potential to be a really good rider. I never got to show it because I was never put on a top horse. I won races on horses that paid $100, horses that were 99-1. I beat top riders coming down to the wire. You need to ride a certain amount of horses to get proficient at it. It took longer for me because of how few horses I got to ride. That my biggest disappointment.” Crump retired in 1988, but her work had already been done. She was the one that led the way for a generation of talented female riders, including Hall of Famer Julie Krone, Rosie Napravnik and Donna Barton Brothers. “Those pioneer women jockeys are my idols,” Jacqueline Davis, who has been a jockey since 2008, told Ehat. “They had to have a lot of courage. I don't know if I could have gone through what they did and made it as a jockey back then.” In 2020, she released her autobiography “Diane Crump: A Horse Racing Pioneer's Life in the Saddle.' It was co-authored by Mark Shrager. After her retirement, Crump settled in Virginia, where she operated Diane Crump: Equine Sales, Inc., an equine sales business. The post Pioneering Female Jockey Diane Crump Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ian Balding, trainer of the great Mill Reef among of a host of top-class horses to have passed through his Kingsclere stable, has died at the age of 87. Balding was champion trainer in 1971, the year in which Paul Mellon's homebred Mill Reef won the Derby, Eclipse, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His father Gerald and brother Toby were both trainers, and in 2002 Balding handed over the licence at Park House Stables to his son, Andrew, who has continued to expand the powerful yard and is now a multiple Classic-winning trainer in his own right. An accomplished sportsman, Balding was a Cambridge Blue in rugby and rode successfully over jumps as an amateur. He was married to Emma, a successful breeder and owner of Kingsclere Stud whose father Peter Hastings-Bass trained at Kingsclere prior to Balding. Their daughter Clare is the celebrated BBC broadcaster and author. This story is being updated. The post Classic-Winning Trainer Ian Balding Dies at 87 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

BloodHorse has reprised its online year-end survey to ask some of the sport's leading individuals for their opinions on pertinent issues facing the sport.View the full article

John Size will be hoping to continue his march up the trainers’ premiership standings when he unleashes a two-pronged assault on Sunday’s Group Three Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (1,000m) at Sha Tin. As is customary with the 13-time champion, he made a slow start to the season and after a few months to get his well-oiled machine up and running, his stable has certainly arrived to the party. Victories for Endued and Raging Rapids on New Year’s Day ticked off another brace for Size, with the 71-year-old...View the full article

Matamata trainer Pam Gererad will head south to Trentham on Saturday with a quality team of three runners engaged for the day’s feature meeting. Spearheading the attack will be last start Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Romanoff who will be stepping out on raceday for the first time since defeating stablemate Affirmative Action in the Riccarton blue riband classic. His mission on the weekend is the Gr.2 Levin Track Supporters Levin Classic (1400m) with Gerard keen to see him perform to expectations as she prepares the son of Belardo for a pair of major assignments at Ellerslie. “He had a nice freshen-up after returning from Christchurch and this was the race we felt would be best to kick him off in,” Gerard said. “He has been working along nicely at home and we want to see him perform to expectations, albeit knowing this isn’t his main aim and that the 1400m might be a little on the short side for him. “He is a real character and loves a trip away as he just puts his head down and eats everything you put in front of him, so the whole journey to Wellington and back, along with the race will be perfect for him.” Safely through Saturday, Gerard is eying the $1.5million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) at Ellerslie on 24 January followed by the $4million NZB Kiwi (1500m) on 7 March where Romanoff will take up the Canterbury Jockey Club slot he secured with his 2000 Guines victory. “As long as he pulls up well on Saturday he will then go straight to the Karaka Million and then into the NZB Kiwi,” Gerard said. “The key will be to keep him fresh enough while also getting the miles into his legs that he needs, so it is likely he will have an exhibition gallop or similar between those two races. “He has earned his chance at those races and having a runner with a decent chance is what racing is all about.” The second member of Gerard’s Trentham team is last season’s Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) runner-up Dubai Gold who will tackle the Gr.3 Ron Stanley Memorial Phar Lap Stakes (1600m). Gerard admitted she has been struggling to find appropriate races for the four-year-old mare after the first two starts in her current campaign. “She (Dubai Gold) trialled really well before her first-up run at Counties back in November but then everything went wrong during the race where she got trapped wide throughout,” she said. “We really wanted to see where she stood at weight-for-age against the best fillies and mares so we rolled the dice and ran her second up at Te Rapa in the Cal Isuzu (Gr.2, 1600m) where she just got outsprinted in the closing stages, while she was also feeling the hard track a little. “That has convinced me she really is a better mare in the autumn as that was where she excelled last season when there was some cut in the tracks. “It has been tough to find a suitable race for her, but the pieces have fallen into place for Trentham as they have had a bit of rain, she loves the track and she really impressed me this week with her work. “She has dappled up nicely so we decided on Friday morning to send her south and I’m hoping that is the right decision. “If she goes well we can go back for the Remutaka Classic ($350,000, 2100m) on the 31st (of January) and then look again at what is available after that. “She is still on her learning curve and we know if she comes up like she did last year then there is always Brisbane in the Winter as an option.” Last start maiden winner Dragon Blossom rounds out Gerard’s Trentham team and her trainer believes she is a strong chance in the Blue Star Group 1600. “She (Dragon Blossom) is flying and while she took a long time to win a maiden she had been running in very strong fields without much luck,” she said. “She is only small but she is tough and has been to Trentham before and gone a cracker, so I’m hoping she can do the same again on Saturday.” View the full article

Matamata trainer Cody Cole is following a similar blueprint to last year with his Group One performer Navigator, who will head into the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham on Saturday fresh-up. The six-year-old son of El Roca was also in a fresh state when placing in the race last year, and Cole saw no reason not to follow that same path this year. “We did that last year with him and that’s the way to have him,” Cole said. “He performed well there last year and I feel like we have got him going a bit better than that this year.” The Navigator hasn’t been sighted on raceday since he was unplaced in his sole start over spring in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) at Ellerslie in September, but Cole is happy with the way he has come up this time in and is hopeful of a bold showing on Saturday. “He had a jumpout at Te Rapa and he won that comfortably on the bridle, so we know he is back to himself,” Cole said. “He had a few niggles in the spring and we have put those behind us and hopefully the best version of him turns up tomorrow, and if he does, he shouldn’t be too far off them.” Cole is also excited about the prospects of two-year-old filly Silhouette, who will line-up in the Listed JR & N Berkett Wellesley Stakes (1100m). The daughter of Armory won on debut over 900m at Trentham in October, and she was set to return to the Upper Hutt track last month to contest the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m), but a bout of colic thwarted those plans. She has made a pleasing recovery and Cole is hopeful she can secure black-type this weekend. “She was meant to go down for the Wakefield, but she had a bit of colic leading into it and disappointedly we didn’t get there, but she seems right now,” he said. “They don’t give away stakes races, but she looks to be a nice chance on paper and if she performs up to her best, and puts the last couple of weeks behind us, I think she can go pretty close to it.” Stablemate Bow Hill will be given her first tilt at stakes level when she contests the Listed Vernon & Vazey Truck Parts LTD Marton Cup (2200m), and she heads into the race in good form, having placed in her last two outings. “It is a bit of a throw at the stumps with her but she is probably in the best form that we have had her in,” Cole said. “She has run a couple of really bold races in her last two starts and she has done it the hard way coming from back. I think she deserves a chance and a bit of the first three money would be great.” Latrelle just missed out on securing black-type when fourth in the Gr.2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Trentham last month and Cole said she has progressed in the right direction since, believing she will be a major player in the Gr.3 Ron Stanley Memorial Phar Lap Trophy (1600m) on Saturday. “She was unlucky not to get a bit of black-type there last time at Trentham in the Group Two,” Cole said. “She was three-wide with no cover in weight-for-age, and it took its toll in the last 50m and she just came to the end of it. She will be better for that run, she has bounced through it well and she typically goes well at Trentham.” There’s plenty of pressure on Cole’s shoulders as his promising filly Cheerio gets set to contest the Gr.2 Levin Track Supporters Levin Classic (1400m) carrying the well-known silks of owner-breeder John Messara of Arrowfield Stud. The daughter of Maurice placed on debut over 1200m at Tauranga in October before winning at Ruakaka last month and will take on a strong line-up when making her stakes debut this weekend. “There is a little bit pressure going around in those silks,” Cole said. “There are some well proven horses there, it is a pretty tough field. The manner in which she won last start and what she has shown us at home has been pleasing, we have always had a decent opinion of her. “It is a tough ask from a sticky gate (12), but her work has been really good and she is probably a filly that is still on the up and she has got plenty of upside to come, whether it is going to be just yet or she needs a bit more time, we will find out on Saturday.” On the Trentham undercard, Cole looks to have three strong contenders in Renovations, Miss Jones and Bradley. Previously racing in Australia, the Trelawney Stud-raced Miss Jones won her New Zealand debut for Cole at Ellerslie last start and he believes she can double her tally if she brings her manners this weekend. “She has come from Australia and she is a mare that has got ability, she just wants to do a bit wrong,” he said. “I think down the chute at Trentham will suit her and with Opie on, there are a couple of positives there. “She has just got to put it all together and after her last run we have learned a bit about her and popped the shadow roll on her and fingers-crossed she settles enough early and she can round it out like she did at Ellerslie.” Group Three performer Renovations disappointed when seventh over 1400m at Te Rapa last month and Cole believes the recent wet weather will assist his mare on Saturday. “She was a bit disappointing last start. I just think the track got a bit too firm towards the end of the day,” Cole said. “She probably appreciates her toe in the ground a bit more and it shouldn’t be too firm at Trentham with the rain around throughout the week.” Cole’s team will be rounded out by Bradley, who is rated a $3.90 favourite to take out the Blue Star Group 1600. “It has taken me a little while to figure him out,” Cole said. “He won really well fresh-up and he was a bit disappointing second-up at Counties, but I am putting that down to trainer error, I just backed him up a bit soon, which is just not his style. “We put him in the paddock for 10 days leading into Trentham last start and it was a different performance to what we had the start before, and we have done the same thing again this time. Opie (Bosson, jockey) has obviously had a sit on him and he knows what he is capable of.” Cole has had a good association with Trentham over the last few years and he is hoping to continue that this weekend. “It has been really good to me over the years, I couldn’t say why,” he said. “Last season we had a lot of luck there and fingers-crossed we can keep it rolling. We have had a bit of luck so far this season and a good day tomorrow would be great.” View the full article

Trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson are hoping Towering Vision’s win in the Eagle Technology 1600 at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day is a good omen as they look towards the Gr.1 Trackside New Zealand Derby (2400m) in March with the progressive three-year-old. The last two winners of the New Year’s Day three-year-old mile, Orchestral (2024) and Willydoit (2025), have gone on to win the Derby, and Walker and Bergerson are hoping Towering Vision can continue that trend. The stakes winner was fresh-up on Thursday, and punters supported him late, backing him into $3.30 favouritism before the jump. In-form hoop Opie Bosson settled his charge towards the rear of the field where he bided his time before presenting him out wide at the top of the straight and Towering Vision was able to show his class when running over the top of his rivals to score by three-quarters of a length over Sweet Ice. “It was a really good patient ride by Opie,” Bergerson said. “It was good to see him relax so well in the blinkers, he still settled well and tracked into the race nicely. “We have been working back from the Derby the whole way through and we are back on track now. “He will take really good confidence from that. He has only won once before and that was a pretty good field today. The way he hit the line gives us confidence to go up in trip now. We are certainly targeting the middle of March and potentially onto the Waikato Guineas (Gr.2, 2000m) now.” The win continued a great start to the year for Te Akau, having won two races earlier in the meeting, including Kinnaird in the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) and Drops of God in the TAB 1200. Both runners are set to return to Ellerslie for Karaka Millions night later this month where Kinnaird will contest the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), while Drops of God will likely line-up in the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1400m). Drops Of God was an eye-catching debut winner, scoring by 5-1/2 lengths at Te Aroha last month, and backed that up with a convincing three-quarter of a length victory on Thursday in the hands of Bosson. The senior hoop said Drops Of God is still racing greenly, but he was impressed by her talent and expects her to go on with the job. “She has still got quite a bit to learn, she does a bit wrong and gets on the wrong leg, but she has a lot of ability,” he said. “She is definitely well above average. Once she puts everything together, I think she is going to be a very smart sprinter.” Bergerson was pleased with what he saw from the Nearco Stud-bred and part-owned three-year-old, who he said would likely return to Ellerslie on January 24 to contest the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1400m). “A three-year-old filly against the older horses up in grade, it was a really good effort,” he said. “It was a positive ride and she had to do a bit of work to hold her spot and gave a really good kick trough to the line. It sets her up hopefully for some nice targets coming up. “It is hard to know what her trip is at this stage. She is bred to get a little bit further, but the Almanzor Trophy looks like a really nice race for her on Karaka Millions night, all going well. “There is a lot to get excited about.” Bergerson is hoping the stable can continue their great start to the year at Trentham on Saturday, where they will be represented by a trio of runners. Undefeated juvenile Out Of The Blue will lead their charge in the Listed JR & N Berkett Wellesley Stakes (1100m), for which he is an equal $3.10 favourite alongside Silhouette. “He was meant to run at Ellerslie on Boxing Day but unfortunately he drew barrier 10 with 58kg, so we elected to scratch and go to Trentham,” Bergerson said. “He has had two looks down a chute at Riccarton, not the Trentham chute, but they are similar. He has got a nice gate (2) and has Gryllsy (Craig Grylls, jockey) aboard. I would imagine he would be in the first one or two. “He is quite bold in his going and he likes to get out in front and truck along at his own speed. We won’t be trying to ride him back like we did at the Avondale trials where he was quite bold. “He is going really well and that trial has brought him on nicely. It is hard to line-up all of the different form lines, but he goes in in really good order.” The stable will also have a two-pronged attack in the Gr.2 Levin Track Supporters Levin Classic (1400m) courtesy of Sibling Rivalry and La Dorada. Sibling Rivalry has been victorious in her last starts and Bergerson is looking forward to testing her at stakes level for the first time. “We think she deserves her chance at black-type,” he said. “1400m is a little bit of a query. She is not overly big but she makes up for it in toughness, she tries really hard. “I can’t fault her from her last start win at Pukekohe, which was really good against the older horses in 65 grade.” Bergerson is hoping last season’s Champion New Zealand Two-Year-Old La Dorada can return to form after failing to fire in her three three-year-old starts to date, including a fourth placed resuming run in New Zealand at Te Rapa last month. “La Dorada should strip a lot fitter for that first-up run,” Bergerson said. “We weren’t able to get a trial into her heading into it (first-up New Zealand run), but she had the two exhibition gallops. “She had a really good blow on pulling up and will take really good improvement. She is a Group One winner at 1400m at Wellington, which I think is a big plus, and ha drawn barrier one with Gryllsy on. Hopefully she can bounce back to a bit of form.” View the full article

Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood have taken a patient approach with their exciting sprinter Sweynesday, and they could be rewarded with a Group One result in a couple of weeks. The five-year-old son of Sweyneese extended his impressive form line when reeling in Shoes to win the SkyCity 1200 at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, setting up a return to the Auckland track on January 24 to contest the Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m). From his wide gate, Sweynesday was forced to travel three-wide without cover for much of the journey, but he got on the back of an improving Silent Is Gold when rounding the final bend. Shoes, who had set a solid tempo throughout, kicked clear down the home straight, but Sweynesday took chase and under the urgings of jockey Masa Hashizume he was able to reel her in and nab her on the line to win by a head. “He sat three-wide throughout, he did it tough, but he is a good horse,” Wellwood said. “That’s eight starts now and he hasn’t finished outside the first two. “The second horse is a talented galloper and had a three-kilo claim as well. He did a good job to pick her up. I am very happy.” With a record of five wins and three runner-up results from eight career starts, Sweynesday’s trainers believe he is up to the task of taking the step up to stakes grade, and they have circled the Railway on Karaka Millions night as his target. “Today was a test to see where we were at and with that (performance) it means that he gets a chance there,” Wellwood said. “I would just love to see him draw a gate, he didn’t have it easy today. He gets in nicely at set weights and penalties in the Railway hence why we didn’t go down to the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m) at weight-for-age. “It was nice to see him do that and it would be pretty special if we could do the same on Karaka Millions night.” Sweynesday was purchased out of Pertbab Racing’s 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale draft by Eric Koh, King Power and Bevan Smith Bloodstock for $80,000, and he races in the colours of Koh’s Falcon Racing for whom he has earned $192,000 to date. View the full article

Fresh from booting home a winner apiece at Sha Tin on Thursday, Richard Kingscote and James Orman’s start to the new year got even better when their licences were extended until the end of the Hong Kong season. The Jockey Club on Friday confirmed the extensions from February 18 to the season finale on July 12, with both riders elated by the announcement. It can be tough going in one of the world’s most competitive riding ranks and that has been the case for Kingscote, who battled a winless...View the full article

Dr. Bryan Boone passed away Wednesday after an 8 1/2-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 63. During an accomplished career, he practiced at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Equine Medicine and Surgery, where he specialized in reproductive equine medicine. “Dr. Boone had a wonderful career at Hagyard and had to retire early due to a neurological disorder,” said Hagyard Medical Director Luke Fallon in an email to the TDN. “His family has a great story as he was an original descendant of Daniel Boone and multi-generational horse people. He worked for Stone Farm and several other great farms in the area. His family has chosen the E T Hagyard 1876 Legacy Scholarships as his charity.” Said Arthur Hancock III, the owner of Stone Farm: “He cared so much for our farm and for us personally. You don't find that with a lot of people. You just don't find too many people who cared as much as he did. He was a wonderful person as well as a wonderful veterinarian. He helped us out at Stone Farm through Hagyard for a number of years. He was always honest and hard-working. He was just a really tip-top person and very loyal. Bryan was a special guy and everybody liked him.” Boone was born in 1963 in Lexington and attended Henry Clay High School, where he was an accomplished wrestler. He went on to wrestle at the University of Kentucky until the program was ended there. He transferred to Oklahoma State, where he continued his wrestling career. While at Oklahoma State, he spent time at the Tumbleweed Dancehall & Concert Venue with the future musical superstar Garth Brooks. He also worked as a bouncer and played pickup basketball with future NFL great Barry Sanders. He met his future wife Connie while at OSU and the couple raised three children, Cameron, Caroline, and Charlie. Throughout his career, Boone was known for his willingness to mentor young veterinarians. “Dr. Boone was my first and most important mentor,” said Dr. Ernie Martinez. “I started riding with him in the summer of 2000. I spent two months as his assistant, riding in the truck with him daily. We went on farm calls together. I didn't have a place to stay and he was so gracious that he and his wife let me stay at his house. We worked all day, seven days a week most weeks for two or three months at the end of the breeding season. I was just an undergrad student at the time and hadn't been to vet school yet. I really got to know him and his family. He was just a really good doctor, a really good family man and had a really good work ethic. He was probably the most influential person in my young veterinary career. Ultimately, he was the one at the clinic who called me and said, 'Hey, Dr. Martinez, we have a job for you. You better pass your national boards so you can get up here and get to work.' You can't say enough good things about Bryan.” Visitation will be Monday, Jan. 5 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and a Funeral Service will be Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Lexington. Interment will be at the Lexington Cemetery. The post Highly Respected Veterinarian Bryan Boone Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 2026 season got off to a surprising start Jan. 1 as Haute Diva pulled a 14-1 upset in the first American stakes race of the year: the $150,000 Cash Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park.View the full article

Fair Grounds will host its inaugural Jockeys Dinner and Awards Jan. 7, highlighted by a public meet-and-greet with members of the Fair Grounds jockey colony. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund.View the full article

Fair Grounds Race Course will host its inaugural Jockeys Dinner and Awards, highlighted by a public meet-and-greet with members of the Fair Grounds jockey colony, Jan. 7. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. The Jockeys Dinner and Awards will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. CT in the fourth-floor clubhouse, followed by a meet-and-greet from 7 to 8 p.m. The meet-and-greet is open to the public and offers fans the chance to interact with the jockeys. The evening will feature the presentation of the newly established Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. Created to honor exceptional leadership within the Fair Grounds jockey colony, the award recognizes a jockey who demonstrates dedication to leadership, sportsmanship and mentorship. During the dinner, Fair Grounds will recognize several on-track achievements, including last year's leading rider, midpoint meet statistics, and apprentice riders. Tickets for the meet-and-greet are $10 and admit two adults. Children ages 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets may be purchased in advance through Ticketmaster or on-site the day of the event. The post Fair Grounds to Host Jockeys Dinner and Awards to Benefit PDJF appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Lea Farms' Thunder Chuck (Good Magic) will make his first start beyond 6 1/2 furlongs when he goes postward in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Trainer Jorge Delgado said he is hoping the race is a first step towards a possible trip on the Triple Crown trail for the chestnut gelding. “We're trying to see how far we can get with him. Hopefully, this will be a step to the graded stakes on the route to the Derby,” Delgado said. “The horse has been good in his training. We're expecting a good performance from him.” A maiden winner going five furlongs at Monmouth Park in June, Thunder Chuck was fourth in the Aug. 2 GII Saratoga Special and was second in the Nov. 22 Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream last time out. “He definitely left a good impression last time when he broke from the number one post position and was stuck on the rail for most of the race, and he managed to finish second to a very good horse,” Delgado said. “With more experience, we're hoping he'll run well with a good trip.” Delgado is confident that the one-turn mile will be within Thunder Chuck's scope in the Mucho Macho Man, for which he will break from the far-outside number nine post position under David Egan. “He has shown in his breezes that he won't have a problem going the distance. His post position is beautiful, thankfully. We have our jockey on the horse and the horse is feeling good,” Delgado said. “I think we'll bring something to the table Saturday.” Also looking to earn a spot on the Triple Crown trail in the Mucho Macho Man Saturday is Baron Thoroughbreds' homebred Tripp's Promise (Promises Fulfilled). “He's a good athlete and a smart horse,” trainer Dale Romans said. “We'll see how high up the ladder he can climb.” A debut winner going 6 1/2 furlongs at Churchill in September, the bay colt was second and third in a pair of one mile and 40 yard allowance contests in Louisville in October and November, respectively. “The last two races were good. He settled in and came running,” Romans said. “To me, this race sets up well. It looks like there's a lot of speed, if it materializes.” Romans also trained Tripp's Promise's sire, who was a front-running winner of the 2018 Fountain of Youth and went on to become a multiple Grade I-winning sprinter. “His father was lightning fast and he comes from off the pace,” Romans said. “But he shows what a solid sire his father has been for the little numbers he's had. He's been a really good sire, but there aren't a lot of similarities between the two.” Jose D'Angelo will saddle P and G Stable's Cabourg (Munnings) in the Mucho Macho Man. A first-out winner at Churchill in September, the chestnut colt missed by just a neck when second over the same track and distance he will face Saturday. “He always showed talent. That's why I brought him to Kentucky first time out and he won the race,” D'Angelo said. “His last race, he broke too sharp from the gate and he just wanted to go, go, go and never relaxed. In his last workout, I put horses in front of him to get him to relax, like he did the first time out.” Wathnan Racing's Commandment (Into Mischief) is the 7-5 morning-line favorite for the Mucho Macho Man following a 5 1/4-length maiden win at Churchill Downs Nov. 1 for trainer Brad Cox. The Mucho Macho Man is the first local step towards the GI Curlin Florida Derby to be contested at Gulfstream Mar. 28. It will be followed by the 1 1/16-mile GIII Holy Bull Stakes Jan. 31 and the 1 1/8-mile GII Fountain of Youth Stakes Feb. 28. The post Thunder Chuck Stretches Out for Mucho Macho Man appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Jonny Turner Craig Ferguson hopes playing chess rather than checkers with Wag Star will pay winning dividends in today’s Group 3 Central Otago Cup. Ferguson heads to Omakau knowing he has a horse to match it with any of his rivals in the 2000m feature. So the trainer-driver has been doing everything he can to encourage his stable star to show it to the big crowd that will be watching at Central Otago’s biggest annual race meeting. “He can be a moody horse and when he is on the job he can keep rolling at high speed and be very hard to get past.” “Other times he can be a bit casual about everything and he doesn’t give you the same feeling.” “We have been working on a few things lately to keep him happy and bring the best out in him.” “We had a few troubles with his feet but we seem to be on top of them now.” “We’ve changed his feed around and changed his work around and he seems to be in a good place at the moment.” “He is the sort of horse where it can depend what sort of mood he is in on the day but everything is looking pretty positive going into Omakau.” Wag Star brings the best possible form reference into the Central Otago Cup with his third behind Republican Party in the Group 1 Invercargill Cup. The six-year-old sat parked early before slotting into the one-one and going a nice race. “I was quite happy with his run it was his first run with the galloping hood on and he travelled well,” Ferguson said. “If he could go as well from the good draw (3) he has on Friday he would have to be a pretty good chance.” Ferguson starts a strong team at the Omakau meeting including Turn N Burn who ran second on her debut on Invercargill Cup Day. While that looks strong form Ferguson wasn’t thrilled with the filly that he races himself. “On the sectionals she ran she was a little bit average.” “The occasion of her first start may have got to her a little bit because it wasn’t up to her trials.” “She has improved with the run and her work has been quite sharp so hopefully she will be harder to beat this time.” Babe On The Beach has been the big improver in the Ferguson camp this summer and she heads to Omakau in strong form. “I reckon she has improved about three seconds this year.” “She’s doing a bit of work and showing plenty of fight – she’s stepped up.” “This week it will be a bit hard from the draw (12) but hopefully she can get a bit of luck and go another nice race.” Ferguson also has Beluga and Franco Seb going head to head at Omakau. “Beluga has been consistent lately and his work has stepped up a bit.” “He’s got the draw and gate speed but he has made a mistake early so we will have to play it by ear.” “Franco Seb has been an improver his last run was handy enough.” “He probably just needs a bit of luck from his draw (12).” Ferguson drives most of his team with Mark Hurrell to partner Franco Seb and Riley Harrison to drive Babe On The Beach. Pinseeker looking to slingshot them late in Central Otago Cup By Michael Guerin Jonny Cox is hoping his rivals go crazy in today’s $40,000 Ranfurly Transport Central Otago Cup. Because the Canterbury trainer-driver believes that could set the race up for his speedster Pinseeker in the signature race at Omakau’s popular annual meeting. Pinseeker is one of the best pacers in the 2000m mobile but had an interesting 2025, starting with a placing in this race last year, a Group 3 win in March, competing at the Inter Dominions and then choking down to finish last in the New Zealand Cup. One thing which isn’t in doubt is his speed and once he learns to control that he will sit comfortably in any elite class field in this country. That being the case he can win today but his fortunes may be dictated by what those drawn inside him do as he starts from the outside of the front line. “The draw obviously isn’t ideal but it could work out okay,” says Cox. “There is a lot of speed drawn inside him so we can’t go forward at the start so we will have to try and sneak into the running line somewhere. “Then his chances might depend on what the others do. “If they all get stuck into each other the we might get the chance to slingshot them late. “What we don’t want is a horse like Wag Star or Franco Sinatra to get an easy lead and enjoy an easy time in front.” Cox says he has had to put the dreadful New Zealand Cup experience behind Pinseeker and is looking forward. “I spoke to Mark Purdon after the race as I was following him and he said he could hear our horse’s breathing wasn’t right between the 1400m and the 1000m mark and then I felt him just stop. “So we are sure he choked down.” Pinseeker spent two weeks at the beach in the care of fellow trainer Bob Butt soon after and pleased Cox by bouncing back with a third in the Green Mile at Methven. “He has had his joints treated since then and has been working really well so he gets his chance here but so much will depend on how the race will be run. “Not only do you have those speedsters drawn inside us but a good horse in Alta Meteor drawing one on the second line by himself so he should be able to get away from the markers and into a nice spot pretty quickly.” Wag Star opened the $2.90 Cup favourite and was quickly backed in but while he has the best draw of the favourites it has been a long time since he won a race, albeit he has produced some smart performances in top class fields. While the Pacing Cup has a number of tempo-related scenarios the $40,000 Trotting Cup looks perfect for I Dream Of Jeannie (R11, No.5), who is in career-best form and finds herself in a field with plenty who are struggling to find their best at the moment. Earlier in the meeting Cox brings his talented trotter Prestigious (R8, No.9) to the lower grade trot and runs into a daunting rival in He Aint Fakin. The latter, a converted pacer, has won twice in three starts as a trotter and will be extremely hard to beat if his manners hold up in his first standing start. “He will take some beating but we really like our trotter long term,” says Cox. “Our boy is still a work in progress the win two starts ago showed he has a good motor so he could be in for a good year.” Racing journalist Jonny Turner’s Five To Follow at Omakau. Turn N Burn – Race 3 This filly looks to hold a key tactical advantage over her key rivals. Every year it is vital that horses race close to the pace at Omakau as getting too far back can be disastrous. Draws are an essential part of the equation, with barrier 2 looking a perfect spot for Turn N Burn. While her key rival Cinderella Franco has also drawn well in barrier 3, Turn N Burn holds a clear advantage. If Turn N Burn can hold the lead it could prove too much of a task for Cinderella Franco to come from behind her or outside her to beat her. Sonofamistery – Race 4 He’s simply better than his rivals and it is going to take a big slice of bad luck for him to get beaten. Sonofamistery’s luck is surely due to turn after he had to be pulled up at his last start at Ascot Park due to a gear malfunction. The three-year-old was impressive in his prior outing at Addington, running to an easy win. At $1.14 he’s no win betting proposition but Sonofamistery’s race is part of the early quaddie, and there are Trifectas and First4s to consider. He Aint Fakin – Race 8 This pacer turned trotter will traverse Australasia to have his first standing start at Omakau. While the newcomer to the trotting gait brings all the right form, he hasn’t seen the standing start tapes once in his 51 starts. It is certainly something for punters to ponder and it would be bold to think he is going to ping away quickly and settle right up on the pace. But there is one man that tips the scales of probability into the positive – the old master Phil Williamson. Knowing Phil, he’s put the time into teaching He Aint Fakin the standing start ropes and will have him prepped to make a safe getaway if circumstances allow. While some of his rivals are handy types, the eight-year-old should take plenty of holding out if he trots safely. One Over Da Line – Race 10 There aren’t the same concerns over One Over Da Line’s standing start prowess, though there are some similarities between him and He Aint Fakin. Both trotters are out to secure penalty-free wins for their junior drivers. One clear advantage One Over Da Line has is that his driver Riley Harrison knows him well. The trotter brings strong form in stronger company than he meets at Omakau and looks one of the stronger winning threats on the card Palladium – Race 12 He’s another whose winning price isn’t inspiring but that’s beyond punters’ control. Palladium was excellent in his last-start second at Ascot Park among a quality field of two-year-olds. He hadn’t been sighted at the races since early October and that run is sure to have tightened him up for his Omakau mission. In that October win, Palladium handled older horses in style suggesting that stepping out of age-group company and back in amongst hardy types won’t be a problem. After being a touch unlucky in his last-start second, chances are he will be in front and out of trouble this time. View the full article

An exciting eight-race card brings in the New Year at Meydan Racecourse Jan. 2, when group 1 winners Audience and Dark Saffron are among those who will be in action.View the full article

On the surface, hiring people who have battled substance abuse issues, some of whom have criminal records, might not seem like a good idea. But Elliott Walden, the president and CEO of racing operations for WinStar Farm, felt otherwise. His family had dealt with these issues for years. His son, Will, now a successful trainer who is sober, had dealt with addiction for years before turning his life around thanks to the Stable Recovery program, which was co-founded by Taylor Made's Frank Taylor and Christian Countzler. Stable Recovery helps addicts overcome their substance abuse issues and then helps find them jobs in the horse racing industry. The success of the program has been nothing short of remarkable. “I had seen things firsthand how well this worked through my son, Will, and his working through addiction and into sobriety and seeing his friendship with Christian Countzler, who started Stable Recovery with Frank Taylor,” Walden said. “He was very close to them. We knew they were going about it the right way. If Christian said these guys were solid, that's all I needed to hear.” So Walden got involved. WinStar is now one of a group of about 20 farms and racetracks that have signed on with Stable Recovery as Strategic Partners. What that means is that they are willing to hire, train and look after graduates of the program. Walden said WinStar currently employs eight individuals who have graduated from the program. “There are probably about 20 of what we call Strategic Partners,” Taylor said. “To be a Strategic Partner, all you need to do is to hire people that graduate from Stable Recovery and support them and pay them well. It's been miraculous. When we started Stable Recovery, the first two years, Taylor Made hired everybody and that's because we were that short of help. After that, we were fully staffed or overstaffed. Out of the blue people started calling me and said, 'Can I get some help?' We started sending people to different farms to work. That's when we coined the name Strategic Partners. That list has really grown and the quality of people and farms that we work with is just unbelievable. They are benefitting from our people and our people are benefitting a lot from them.” Walden admits that when he first approached WinStar owners Kenny and Lisa Troutt about hiring recovering addicts, it took some convincing for them to agree to do so. “We have had a great experience,” Walden said. “We started a little bit over a year and a half ago. I wouldn't call it a leap of faith, but it took some encouragement on my part with the Troutts to have them gain a comfort level when it came to employing these guys. Some of them have records. Many of them have checkered pasts. I am grateful to them for their Christian beliefs and their willingness to take a chance on these men.” Not only do the graduates work at WinStar, they live in a house on the farm. It is Ann Hayes who oversees the Stable Recovery program for the WinStar employees. “We dedicated a house that they live in and they support each other,” Walden said. “Ann Hayes has helped us look after the Stable Recovery guys and give them support. She's the one that just saw the good in each one of them and the men they were becoming. It's been really exciting to see their growth and development.” Walden says that he has had one person who didn't make it once hired by WinStar, but said that was an unusual situation. “Sometimes things happen, but it happens very rarely,” he said. “The great thing about it is that most of these guys have stayed sober from the time they have been there. We might have lost one that didn't work out. But those are great statistics when it comes to people in recovery.” Most have been exemplary. “That's part of the beauty of this program,” Walden said. “They are still accountable to Stable Recovery, even though they are working at WinStar and are living at WinStar. They still go over there for meetings once a week. They have touch points with other guys in the program. They are helping the younger guys in the program continue to develop. It's truly what recovery is all about. It's not about yourself; it's about helping the next man.” Several of the Stable Recovery grads work directly with the horses at WinStar. Walden said that it's no coincidence that the men have thrived once connected with the horses. “There is a connection point where the horses love these guys right from the start,” he said. “Quite honestly, they probably haven't felt that in a long time. They've burned a lot of bridges, not only with their families, but in the workplace as well. The horses come in and they are able to love them exactly where they are and they love the horse back. It's a beautiful thing to see. Recovery, if done well, it's done through a spiritual lens. The connection they develop with the horses brings about something outside of themselves and can help them in that spiritual plane. They are caring for something besides themselves. It's not about themselves. It's helping others and it's about helping a horse, and that gives them a responsibility. I think it is part of the secret sauce.” The Strategic Partners program now includes some of the biggest names in the industry, giants like Coolmore, Denali, Godolphin, Juddmonte and Keeneland. Spy Coast Farm has started a program that specializes in taking in female graduates of the Stable Recovery Taylor said his experiences with Keeneland have been typical of the type of cooperation he has gotten from within the industry. “The Keeneland team has been fantastic,” he said. “We've got guys working out there and thriving. I see that continuing to grow and they have been a great partner. Some of the guys work at sales time with the horses, but their main jobs have been doing maintenance. Keeneland has been a big supporter and they believe in what we are doing, they built a house out there for some of our guys to live in. We have something like eight people living on the Keeneland property that are Stable Recovery graduates. They were willing to give them a chance.” Taylor added that the Strategic Partners program has done more than just help recovering addicts. It has helped to fill what has become a huge need for an industry that has struggled to maintain a suitable workforce. “You're helping in two ways,” he said. “You're not only saving a life and the extended families of these men and women who have battled addiction. You're also helping to create a workforce. How many people in this country are addicted? This is a way to just start helping and to be part of the solution instead of the problem.” With the Strategic Partner initiative having taken off, Taylor is justifiably proud of the program, what he and Countzler have helped accomplish and the progress the graduates have made. “It doesn't work perfectly every time, but, overall we are having great success,” he said. “I get more out of this than anybody. It's so much fun to see these guys change their lives and enjoy success.” The post Stable Recovery Graduates Are Thriving at WinStar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Billy Loughnane has broken a 21st-century record in Britain by riding 222 winners in a calendar year, surpassing Kieren Fallon's mark set in 2003.View the full article

Bill Farish recalls how he first met with the Ace Stud team at the 2024 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. More Than Looks, a son of international supersire More Than Ready, had just won the GI Breeders' Cup Mile and was poised to begin his stud career at Lane's End Farm. “They were interested in standing him in Australia, where More Than Ready had done so much good work at stud, so it was a natural fit,” explained Farish. After his debut season at Lane's End in 2025, More Than Looks shuttled to the Southern Hemisphere to join the Yulong roster in Mangalore, Victoria. Farish said he was a shining success there, breeding close to 100 mares. That initial venture established the foundation for a growing partnership between Lane's End and Ace Stud. While Yulong is based primarily in Australia, the entity known as Ace Stud has recently expanded its international reach by purchasing a stud farm in Newmarket, England and increasing its investment in the American market. In 2026, Ace Stud will stand its first two stallions in Kentucky. Multiple Grade I winners Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief), who both raced in Yulong's colors, are set to begin their stud careers at Lane's End. The two new stallions dominated headlines during the fall breeding stock sales as Ace Stud made major plays under the banners of the Raging Torrent Syndicate and Carl Spackler Syndicate. Raging Torrent Syndicate was the leading buyer at the Keeneland November Sale, securing five mares for a combined $5.225 million, and buying Broodmare of the Year Puca (Big Brown) for $5 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. While not all of those purchases will necessarily be going to the two new stallions in their debut season, Farish said that Ace Stud will be sending a strong contingent of mares to anchor the first books of both Raging Torrent and Carl Spackler. “It was pretty exciting to see the mares Ace Stud purchased,” Farish said. “It gives breeders confidence that these stallions are going to be getting tremendous support from the owners. They're excited about both horses and they're going to be supporting them with very good mares.” Carl Spackler and Raging Torrent will stand for $15,000 in their debut seasons. “Both horses represent great value and we think they really fit a good niche for breeders,” noted Farish. “They'll be very popular commercially and we're supporting both of them with a lot of our mares as well.” RAGING TORRENT (Maximus Mischief — Violent Wave, by Violence) Raging Torrent stands at Lane's End Farm" width="1155" height="825" /> Raging Torrent at Lane's End | Linzay Marks Farish said that Raging Torrent boasts commercial appeal as a winner of the GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap and the GI Malibu Stakes. For Lane's End, bringing in another Malibu winner felt like a natural continuation of their program's history. The race has served as a springboard for their current sires Flightline, City of Light, The Factor and Twirling Candy. “Raging Torrent is a very fast horse, a great-looking horse with a lot of substance to him, and an exciting sire prospect being out of the Into Mischief sire line,” said Farish. “The Malibu and the Metropolitan are two major stallion-making Grade I races and he took those both very impressively.” Trained by Chief Stipe O'Neill, Raging Torrent was a winner on debut as a juvenile claiming a five-furlong contest in July at Del Mar by over two lengths. He also placed third in the GIII Best Pal Stakes. The bay collected four wins at three, including the GII Pat O'Brien Stakes and the Malibu. Racing under new owners Yuesheng Zhang and Craig Dado this year at four, he traveled to Dubai to win the G2 Godolphin Mile and made his final career start a winning one in the Metropolitan. “In that race he beat Fierceness (City of Light), who was one of the best horses of the generation, so that was really a signature achievement for him,” said Farish. “He beat Mystik Dan (Goldencents) in the Malibu. All of his big wins were against quality fields and that's one of the things that was so important for him. He wasn't ducking anyone.” Farish said that breeders have responded to Raging Torrent's $15,000 price point. “He is a standout in that price range. It's hard to get a multiple Grade I-winning Into Mischief sireline horse at that price.” CARL SPACKLER (Ire) (Lope de Vega (Ire)–Zindaya, by More Than Ready) Carl Spackler wins the GI Fourstardave Handicap" width="1155" height="840" /> Carl Spackler wins the GI Fourstardave Handicap | Sarah Andrew Carl Spackler emerged as a stallion prospect for Lane's End last spring after securing a third Grade I win in the Maker's Mark Mile Stakes at Keeneland. “We were kind of locked in negotiations with the ownership group and thought we had a good chance with him, but just couldn't come up with an acceptable deal,” Farish recalled. “Ace stepped in and bought him and basically we thought we'd lost him. He went off to England to race in 2025. They put him up against the best Group 1 horses in Europe and I think he held his own very well, but after those three races, they knew we were interested and thought the U.S. would be a great place to stand him since he'd done his best work here. We're very excited for him to come back to us a year later.” Bred by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, Carl Spackler was initially campaigned by e Five Racing and trained by Chad Brown before he went to race for Ace Stud last year. The flashy chestnut was named a 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' when he broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park by 8 3/4 lengths in February of his 3-year-old season. Later that summer, he scored back-to-back wins in the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes and GIII Saranac Stakes. At four, Carl Spackler earned his first Grade I win in the Fourstardave Handicap and followed that with a win in the GI Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland. Farish said he believes Carl Spackler's best effort came last year in the Maker's Mark Mile, where he bested MGSWs Integration (Quality Road) and Trikari (Oscar Performance) by over four lengths. “He was dominant that day and really showed he had all the class in the field,” he recalled. “It was a phenomenal effort and one of his many hundred-plus Beyer Speed Figure races. One of Carl's best qualities was his consistency. He won six graded stakes, including three Grade Is, in really dominant fashion.” Over the last three years, Lane's End has steadily bolstered its turf roster, adding a Grade I winner annually with Up to the Mark, More Than Looks, and now Carl Spackler (IRE). Farish noted that Carl Spackler is a unique addition as the only son of Lope de Vega, Europe's leading sire of winners in 2025, currently standing in the United States. “We are not allergic to turf horses here at Lane's End,” he said. “It's a niche that is under-appreciated in the U.S. and is really growing in popularity. Carl Spackler is one of the better-looking sons of Lope de Vega that I've seen. He's still letting down, but is a really beautiful horse.” Carl Spackler is out of 2016 GII Goldikova Stakes victress Zindaya (More Than Ready), a half-sister to GI Jamaica H. winner Western Aristocrat (Mr. Greeley). His full-sister Sandtrap is a Group 3-placed winner in Europe. “Carl Spackler is out of a More Than Ready mare, which gives him huge international appeal as well as American appeal,” said Farish. “We're excited to see how he's received and so far it has been overwhelmingly positive.” The post Raging Torrent and Carl Spackler “Fit a Good Niche” at Lane’s End appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Road to the Kentucky Derby will not officially begin in South Florida until the Jan. 31 Holy Bull Stakes (G3). However, the first weekend of the new year will offer an early glimpse of which youngsters might play a role in the series.View the full article

Gary and Mary West's homebred Rancho Santa Fe (Tapit), unbeaten in a pair of lifetime starts, is expected to make his stakes debut in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park Saturday. The 3-year-old colt debuted with a victory going one mile at Ellis Park Aug. 24 and added a 1 1/16-mile allowance win at Keeneland Oct. 11. He had four published works at Payson Park in December, most recently going five furlongs in 1:02.00 (2/11) Dec. 27. “He's doing great,” trainer Brad Cox said. “His last work at Payson was really good. I think he's physically developed a bit since his last run at Keeneland. It was kind of by design to space his races a little bit and to point him for the Smarty Jones for a while. Here we are.” Rancho Santa Fe is out of multiple graded stakes winner and Grade I-placed Family Tree (Smart Strike) and is a half-brother to graded winner Heroic Move (Quality Road). “Typical Tapit, the farther the better,” Cox said of the colt. “Good stride, good mover, pretty good mind. Excited about getting his year kicked off.” The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones is Oaklawn's first of four GI Kentucky Derby qualifying races and will offer 21 total points (10-5-3-2-1) toward starting eligibility for the first leg of the Triple Crown. Cox will saddle 2024 Smarty Jones winner Catching Freedom (Constitution) in a 1 1/16-mile allowance contest at Oaklawn Park Sunday. The newly turned 5-year-old is winless in seven starts since winning the 2024 GII Louisiana Derby, but finished fourth in that year's Kentucky Derby and third in the GI Preakness Stakes. He was most recently third in a Churchill Downs allowance Nov. 21 and worked four furlongs in :48.40 (4/16) at Fair Grounds Dec. 30. “Obviously, it's no secret he's been a little bit inconsistent in his career with some of his runs,” Cox said. “But he's doing well. He seems to always be doing well. It's just getting him back in the winner's circle. Hopefully, we've got the right spot for him. He seems to be training well. When he puts it all together, he's very good. It's just about getting everything to click for him on race day.” The post Rancho Santa Fe Set to Make Stakes Debut in Smarty Jones appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article