Wandering Eyes

The top two finishers of the Springboard Mile, Coal Battle and Speed King, rematch in the $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Feb. 22 after each winning one of Oaklawn Park's Kentucky Derby (G1) prep races.View the full article

Rebel's Romance rolls to repeat win in H H The Amir Trophy in Dubai, sets up another repeat try in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on World Cup night for the two-time Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) winner.View the full article

We don't often see 43-1 shots winning graded stakes by 9 3/4 lengths, and when we do, those victories are often subsequently proven to be flukes. If you go by the numbers, an off-the-charts, outlier effort like the one orchestrated by Magnitude (Not This Time) in Saturday's GII Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds–in which his 108 Beyer Speed Figure equated to a walloping 34-point improvement off his last race–is more likely to be met with pari-mutuel skepticism than enthusiasm when this colt races next, most likely in the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 22. But if you strip out the numerical audacities of Magnitude's accomplishment (huge odds, gaudy winning margin, potentially unreplicable speed figure) and focus solely on the visual aspect of his breakout victory, it's difficult to nitpick his performance. This Steve Asmussen trainee for Winchell Thoroughbreds outbroke the field from the outermost 12 post, and after being initially hustled by jockey Ben Curtis for the first sixteenth of a mile, Magnitude settled into his own energetic clip under a hold while taking intimidating pace pressure from 4-5 favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro). Asked to ramp up his run approaching the far turn after brisk opening quarter-mile splits of :23.42 and :23.50, Magnitude drew away from a spent East Avenue, but immediately had to brace for a fresh challenge from the second favorite, the 3-1 Built (Hard Spun), a seasoned, two-turn stakes winner who appeared to have dead aim on the pacemaker into a third quarter-mile split of :24.03. Set down for the drive at the head of the long Fair Grounds stretch, Magnitude shrugged off Built's bid by the time they crested the three-sixteenths pole, then ran up his margin while soaring home solo through a fourth quarter in :25.18 and a final furlong in :12.72 for a 1:48.85 nine-furlong clocking. That's the fastest Risen Star in seven runnings (including one year with split divisions) since that stakes was elongated to nine furlongs in 2020. Beyond that very small sample though, historical evidence exists that Magnitude's trouncing holds up extremely well against longer-term statistics. Randy Moss of NBC-TV, who makes speed figures for the Beyer team and is also a co-host of the TDN's Writers' Room podcast, wrote on the X social media platform Sunday that Magnitude's final time for the Risen Star “is likely the fastest” 1 1/8-mile win ever by any 3-year-old at Fair Grounds. The lone exception that Moss's research uncovered was the 1:48 4/5 clocking by Clev Er Tell in the 1977 Louisiana Derby, which predated the modern era of timing races in hundredths of seconds. Moss noted that Magnitude was assigned a preliminary 109 Beyer in the aftermath of the race, but that figure was “tweaked slightly to 108” by midday Sunday based on revised run-up distance calculations for the Risen Star. Even still, Magnitude's 108, Moss wrote, “equals the highest Beyer ever for a sophomore at Fair Grounds.” In 2003, Badge of Silver also earned a 108 when he won the 2003 running of the 1 1/16-miles version of the Risen Star by 10 lengths, Moss wrote. “The impact of the Risen Star on the Derby picture will be debated, due to the possible existence of a fast-rail bias,” Moss wrote. “But regardless, the performance was still crazy good.” While Saturday's dirt races at Fair Grounds might have been slanted somewhat toward speed-centric horses, it's difficult to make an overt, definitive case that frontrunners and the inside dominated. The nine main-track races in New Orleans that afternoon spanned 6 3/4 hours from noontime 'til past nightfall, yielding three wire-to-wire winners, one winner just off the speed, five stalkers and zero closers. But guess what? Speed is the general winning profile for American dirt racing, and the shortest way around the track is often the fastest. Sometimes, when we encounter aberrational, unexpected results, there's a tendency to chalk them up to the way the track was playing. Crying “bias” here might be forcing the issue. That line of thinking didn't stop Asmussen from invoking that very term in his post-win analysis on Saturday. “We put him where he needed to be, played the bias of the racetrack, and he took advantage of it,” Asmussen said after racking up his fourth edition of the Risen Star. Curtis noted that he was riding as per Asmussen's instructions by seeking the lead. But even if that game plan was influenced by the Hall-of-Fame trainer seeing how the track seemed to be playing earlier in the day, Magnitude's best shot on paper appeared to be to try and take control by clearing the field anyway. Of his seven lifetime races, the colt's only two previous wins came when he had hit the front by the middle of the race. Now he's 3-for-3 in situations where he's made the lead by the midpoint call or sooner. Flying under the radar until this past weekend, Magnitude ($310,000 KEENOV, $450,000 KEESEP) has compiled a better-than-it-looks overall body of work that includes five races at a mile or longer (four of them around two turns). Epicenter when winning the 2022 Risen Star at Fair Grounds | Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir He is drawing comparisons to another Winchell-owned and Asmussen-trained colt who was also sired by Not This Time and was also christened with a similarly earthquake-evocative name–Epicenter. Epicenter won the 2022 Risen Star and Louisiana Derby, and appeared on his way to winning the GI Kentucky Derby as the 4-1 favorite until the 80-1 Rich Strike came out of nowhere to collar him in the shadow the wire. Yet I'm going to make a prediction that Magnitude's Derby prep path will more closely resemble the career arc of Mystik Dan (Goldencents), last year's Kentucky Derby upsetter. Recall that Mystik Dan in 2024 put up a 101 Beyer when winning the GIII Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn by eight lengths at 11-1 odds. Then, for the better part of the late winter and early spring, skeptics (rightfully) questioned the repeatability of that lofty figure, because his blowout win occurred over a muddy track in a race where the favorite failed to fire. Bettors only gave him a tepid 4-1 chance to repeat that performance in his next start, the GI Arkansas Derby. Mystik Dan did fall back to earth, so to speak, when regressing to third in that next Derby prep, taking a 12-point Beyer haircut in the process. The Arkansas Derby loss wasn't a totally unexpected, but most Kentucky Derby prognosticators treated the result like Mystik Dan was a radioactive bet going 10 furlongs. That enabled Mystik Dan to coast into Louisville free from unrealistic Beyer-based expectations, and horseplayers let him go at 18-1 odds in the Kentucky Derby, where his well-honed tactical speed and ground-saving post draw from gate three enabled him to ride the rail to a blanket of roses. So let's just say it: Magnitude deserves to be a very logical, regression-to-the-mean play-against in his next start. But looking further into his future, this colt definitely has the potential to be a “wiseguy” rebound contender by the time the first Saturday in May rolls around. The post Week In Review: Shrouded by Big Numbers That Could Be Deceiving, Magnitude’s Risen Star was Still Pretty Darn Impressive appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In the lone GI Kentucky Oaks points race on Sunday, Runnin N Gunnin (Gun Runner–Charity Belle, by Empire Maker) deposited the top prize of 20 points into her account as she took home the Sunland Park Oaks. Facing a tough customer in 'TDN Rising Star' Maysam (Game Winner) who was the overwhelming favorite on the tote for trainer Bob Baffert, Runnin and Gunnin had plenty of fight in her as the chalk endured a challenging trip during the first half of the race. The Steve Asmussen trainee rolled from the back of the pack to gain the advantage around the far turn and she was full of run down the lane to secure the score. Her stablemate Enchanting (Gun Runner) helped to complete the exacta. Maysam ended up sixth. The final running time was 1:40.09. The top five finishers received the following: 20-10-6-4-2. Lifetime Record: 6-3-0-0. Sales History: KEESEP '23 $250,000. O-Douglas Scharbauer; B-Dixiana Farms, LLC (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. #2 RUNNIN N GUNNIN ($13.80) circled the field from last to first to easily win the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks at Sunland Park and earn 20 points towards the Kentucky Oaks. The daughter of Gun Runner was ridden by Alfredo Juarez , Jr. and is trained by Steve Asmussen. pic.twitter.com/gFg5jl1Z9r — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 16, 2025 The post Asmussen Stablemates Complete Exacta For Sire Gun Runner In Sunland Park Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A power outage right before the sixth race Sunday afternoon forced Tampa Bay Downs to cancel the remainder of their card while Aqueduct pre-emptively abandoned the Monday fixture in advance of forecasted high winds. The first reported issues Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs occurred shortly before the start of the sixth race when the power went off as the horses were behind the gate. That contest was cancelled, according to a series of tweets from the official X account, about an hour later but the remaining races were still scheduled to go as refunds were offered on all wagers in the sixth. Eventually, the Tampa account tweeted that all remaining races–six through nine–were cancelled due to the power outage. Simulcasting was also abandoned for the rest of the day and refunds on the 'Oldsmar action' would reportedly be available around noon Monday. Live racing is scheduled to return Wednesday. Due to forecasted severe winds in the New York area Monday, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced via press release that the organization made the decision to abandon their Monday card Sunday evening. Simulcasting will not be offered and the facility will also be closed to the public. Live racing will return Friday with a first post at 1:10 p.m. The post Friday Power Outage Forces Tampa Cancellation, Aqueduct Abandons Monday Card Due to High Winds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Grade 2-winning 3-year-old Journalism and fellow sophomores Bullard and Madaket Road, who were both entered in the $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park Feb. 22, were among 229 horses to record timed workouts Feb. 16 at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

The Godolphin team had begun a productive afternoon Feb. 16 when Al Qudra made all to land the Al Rayyan Mile (G2T) under William Buick. View the full article

Rebel's Romance rolls to repeat win in H H The Amir's Trophy in Dubai, sets up another repeat try in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on World Cup night for the two-time Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) winner.View the full article

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Four Group 1 races on the Dubai World Cup card this coming April will all offer 'Win and You're In' benefits for the 2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar, the organization announced Sunday afternoon. The marquee G1 Dubai World Cup, G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, and the G1 Dubai Turf join the list of top international races which provide complimentary entries into the World Championships. The World Cup serves as an automatic qualifier for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic; the Golden Shaheen for the GI Cygames Breeders' Cup Spring; the Sheema Classic for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf; and the Dubai Turf for the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile. “Breeders' Cup Limited is very pleased to expand our international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series with the addition of the Dubai World Cup, the Dubai Golden Shaheen, the Dubai Sheema Classic, and the Dubai Turf,” said Drew Fleming, president and CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited. “This partnership with our friends at the Dubai Racing Club speaks to continued progress made toward the global unification of our great sport and rewards international contenders for competing at the highest level. We appreciate the spirit of collaboration and the shared pursuit of excellence that brought this opportunity about and look forward to welcoming four Breeders' Cup Challenge winners from Meydan to Del Mar.” Now in its 19th year, the 'Win and You're In' program gives horses from around the globe the opportunity to qualify for the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Included in the benefits of the arrangement between the Breeders' Cup and the Dubai Racing Club, the winner of the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic will receive an automatic starting position and free entry into the 2026 Dubai World Cup. Similarly, The '25 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner will gain entry into the into the 2026 Dubai Golden Shaheen; the Turf winner to the 2026 Sheema Classic; and the Mile winner into the Dubai Turf. “The Breeders' Cup is one of the biggest and most important international meetings on the calendar,” commented Sheikh Rashed Bin Dalmook Bin Juma Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Racing Club. “We are delighted to enter into this partnership, allowing four winners from the Breeders' Cup an automatic place at the Dubai World Cup meeting.” As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winners of the Dubai quartet to start in their respective divisions at the World Championships. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 20, 2025, to receive the rewards. The post Dubai World Cup, Three Additional Races at Meydan Join Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) and three additional group 1 races at Meydan Racecourse April 5 will serve as automatic qualifiers to the 2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.View the full article

The Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale, which runs from Feb. 20-25, will include the company's first online sale of 2-year-olds in training. The boutique offering of 16 juveniles, presented with gallop videos, but no timed workouts, are a “proof of concept,” according to Fasig-Tipton's Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron. “It felt like there was a large enough segment of the market that wanted to see more of an untimed sort of 2-year-old sale, so we felt the digital platform would be the perfect opportunity to provide those buyers with that product,” Aaron explained. As an example of that demand, Aaron pointed to the results of the Lothenbach dispersal which was part of last year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March sale. The group, only offered after the sudden death of Bob Lothenbach the previous November, all galloped up to the auction. D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and C J Stables teamed up to buy the top-priced offering of the dispersal at that auction, the $1.2-million Sandman (Tapit), who is now on the Kentucky Derby trail after his troubled runner-up effort in the Jan. 25 GIII Southwest Stakes. Sandman before selling at OBS in 2024 | Photos by Z Fasig-Tipton officials made the deliberate decision to start their first 2-year-old digital sale off with a small number of offerings. “We didn't make the entry process public or tell people that we were even doing this,” Aaron said. “We reached out to some of our core clientele and said this is what we are thinking about doing, would you be interested in trying it. We wanted this to really be a well-curated, hand-holding process, so that people felt very comfortable in the buying process. It is very similar to how we started the whole digital platform. We started off small and we are going to try to grow it slowly, not too much at once. We don't want expectations blown through the roof.” Aaron said it was left to the consignor's discretion which horses to offer at the digital auction. “We left that totally up to our consignors, the only rule is that nothing is timed,” he said. “We let them choose what they thought worked best. For us never having conducted a sale like this, it would have been silly to say this is what we want. We don't know what is going to work.” Of the 16 initial offerings, Aaron said, “There is sire power in there from leading consignors year in and year out. It's a good representation for this, what I am calling, just a proof of concept because that's kind of what I think it is.” While there will be no timed workouts up on the Fasig-Tipton website when the catalogue is unveiled Thursday at noon, there will still be plenty of information for potential buyers. “They can expect to see good gallop videos, walking videos, conformation shots,” Aaron said. “I haven't seen all of them so far, but some of them that I have seen have shown how the horse is getting tacked up, how the horse is in the barn. And to be honest, it might be a little more information than you would normally get from a 2-year-old sale, some things you might not see. That's what we are starting with.” Leif Aaron | Fasig-Tipton Looking ahead to possible additions, Aaron said, “We love the idea in the future of putting a camera on a jockey, putting a microphone on a jockey. Who knows? There are different things that we would like to do in the future. We just have to see if this is going to work or not. That's the bottom line. We are going to make sure the horses are very well-represented and that we have the right buyers in line to come see them.” In addition to the media available on each horse, buyers will also have access to typical vet reports. “Vet reports will be available to registered bidders just like a normal digital sale,” Aaron said. “We will also have the repository available, just like a traditional sale. All the horses will be available for inspection before the sale. Registered bidders will find contact information for the consignors on the website.” The Fasig-Tipton digital platform conducts auctions monthly, but Aaron is not yet ready to commit to having a 2-year-olds in training portion at any upcoming sales. “I think it's more than anything figuring out what the market wants right now and trying to serve our clients every way we can,” Aaron said. “And that's exactly the stance we took with digital in the beginning and I think that's exactly the kind of stance that needs to happen with 2-year-old sales. It's the first sale of its kind where you are saying, there are no timed breezes, so let's see how the environment reacts to that.” The traditional 2-year-old in training sales season begins in Ocala in March and will include Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's May sale. “We are still committed to the timed in-person 2-year-old sales, the brick and mortar ones, we absolutely are,” Aaron said. “This [digital sale] is just serving a segment of the market that has not been served yet and seeing if it can get legs. We are excited about it. We are excited to see how it goes.” The post ‘Proof of Concept’: 2-Year-Olds in Training Added to Fasig-Tipton February Digital Line-Up appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For about a decade and a half, Mike Pender punched well above his weight as a trainer on the ultra-competitive Southern California circuit, winning Grade I races with modestly bred and moderately priced runners like Ultimate Eagle (Mizzen Mast) and Jeranimo (Congaree), each acquired for $70,000 out of the breeze-up sales on behalf of his client B.J. Wright. About a year after saddling Lombo (Graydar) to an 8-1 upset in the 2018 GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Pender switched gears and entered the bloodstock arena, but without the same level of financial support given him by Wright, who had passed away a few years prior. But with a focus on due diligence and possessing the eye of a skilled judge, Pender has kept on plying his trade successfully, if, indeed, well under the radar. Two of Pender's latest success stories are a pair of Florida-bred fillies by Bucchero, sourced 12 months apart at the OBS June Sale, each acquired for $40,000 and neither loaded up on a van with owners already in place. It was a roll of the dice Pender was willing to take. “I think it keeps me really focused and hungry, I sort of ask myself, 'If I buy these, am I OK owning these myself?',” said Pender, who turned 59 on Valentine's Day. “That's a really tough question for a lot of bloodstock agents.” A chestnut daughter of Corfu Lady (Corfu), Queen Maxima was knocked down to Pender after breezing a quarter-mile in a bullet :20 3/5. The February foal hails from the female family of the good Florida-based handicap horse Halo's Image and Pender said she always had that certain je ne sais quois about her. “It's hard to put a definition on what 'it' is and to this day, I still really can't quantify what it is about her,” Pender said. “One of the great things about the 2-year-old sales is that you have these videos of the horses going at full speed and you can really get a feel for what they can do, how they move, see how it all comes together. She did everything so well, breezed fast and galloped out well.” But, as is so frequently the case with young Thoroughbreds, her development was not entirely straight-forward. “She came in and she had a variety of minor ailments, she's very refined. I wouldn't say fine-boned, she's got plenty of bone,” Pender related. “I told the owners that she had all the tools and that if we gave her some time, that we could really have something. They were so patient and a lot of owners don't have that sort of patience. I mean seven months later and she's still in the barn.” A highly impressive debut winner sprinting over the Del Mar turf in August, Queen Maxima was a better-than-it-looked 10th going a mile in early September, but that set her up for a barnstorming runner-up effort at longshot odds in the Sept. 28 Unzip Me Stakes down the hill at Santa Anita. Ahead of her that day was Toupie (Uncle Mo), who took out the GIII Las Cienegas Stakes a couple of starts later. An unlucky runner-up going five-eighths at Del Mar Nov. 24, Queen Maxima has since won two straight in allowance company for trainer Jeff Mullins–a Dec. 29 down-the-hiller in which she came from a seemingly impossible position to be along in time (video) and a latest score Jan. 23, where she raced atypically close to a strong pace before showing a similar late turn of acceleration (video). “To sit up on fractions like that and fire home, that was something special,” Pender said. “But then again, if she was ridden four or five lengths off the pace, you'd have seen that turn of foot she has. She's special, very versatile. The sky's the limit. She's a different horse now than she was and I would be very surprised if she didn't stay a mile going forward.” Queen Maxima returns to stakes competition in the Feb. 22 Wishing Well Stakes and could try the dirt at some stage, Pender suggested. Queen Maxima | Benoit photo Pender's other OBS June find is Robin With a Why, acquired post-RNA last spring after she breezed a furlong in :10 flat. She had previously fetched $15,000 as a short yearling and was bought back for $22,000 at OBS October. The agent ended up holding on to her longer than he may have liked. “I had come to the acceptance that Robin With a Why was going to be mine, but I was approached to see if she was for sale during the summer at Del Mar,” he said. “[Trainer] Paul [Aguirre] told me that when she goes out to work, she outworks everything in the barn, but we didn't really know what she was beating. We knew she had a competitive spirit and she almost rewarded us first time out.” Off at nearly 19-1 in a Jan. 19 maiden special weight turf sprint going six furlongs, the dark bay sat handy to a good pace, was in front a furlong from home and was run down by the more-experienced Canto Della Terra (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who was making her stateside debut for Phil d'Amato as the 9-10 favorite on the back of strong Irish form (video). Aside from the talent on display, the two fillies are otherwise very different, Pender said. “That's the beauty of this business. A good horse can come from any sire,” he said. “Robin is this big, gawky, oversized, lanky filly, a mammoth, flatter-footed specimen that has a ton of body, whereas Queen Maxima is more refined, a sort of porcelain goddess. Robin, when you get in with her in her stall, she'll pin you in the corner and try to bite your head off. Queen Maxima? She drops her head right on your shoulder. Two different personalities.” Bucchero stood his first five seasons at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Central Florida before moving to McMahon of Saratoga in New York for the 2024 season. He now stands at the fledgling Ironhorse Stallions, and Pender makes no effort to hide his affection for the 13-year-old sire. “I absolutely adore Bucchero as a stallion because he's priced right and you can buy his runners at the sale for a fair price,” he said. “I joke with [Bucchero and Ironhorse Stallions Managing Partner] Harlan [Malter] that [Bucchero] is the poor man's Into Mischief. “He's a sire that can get you any kind, as you can see with these two fillies. He is making racehorses that just go out there and run and you know in the heat of battle, they're going to lay their bodies down and fight all the way to the finish. I just love that in a stallion.” Among Pender's other marquee purchases are Artislas (Catalina Cruiser), winner of last year's GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf for many of the Queen Maxima owners; and Hidden Connection (Connect), a filly pinhooked by Pender for $85,000 who became a graded winner at two and sold for $1.5 million at Keeneland November last fall. The post Trainer Turned Bloodstock Agent, Pender Continuing To Find Diamonds In the Rough appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Despite a state auditor's report last summer which found major discrepancies with Texas Racing Commission record-keeping practices, during a scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Feb 12, the horse racing regulator voted 5-1 to temporarily allow the state breed registries to access their portion of the Horse Industry Escrow Account (HIEA) to channel money to purses. For Thoroughbreds, that means that requests by organizations like the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) will be able to contribute to the current Sam Houston Race Park meeting's purse structure. However, the commission has not sanctioned the allocation of funds past April, which means that extra cash for Lone Star Park prize money will have to be presented at the Apr. 9 commission meeting and voted upon. One of the many issues that the summer audit uncovered was a lack of an organized paper trail, especially when it pertained to verifying that racetrack associations actually spent the allocated funds on purse prize payments. Since the inception of the HIEA in 2019, 70% of $25 million in funding has gone to the state's tracks and the remaining 30% to breed representatives like the TTA. Over the past five years, the registries, which include Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Quarter Horses, and Paints, have by-and-large chosen to request funds that augment purses because the money attracts better entries, finances stakes and produces larger fields in the Lone Star State. That is precisely why Texas racing was flourishing about the time that COVID-19 hit in 2020. Commissioner Sid Miller | TXRC WEB The central issue for the racing commission concerning the HIEA allotments is over the original intent of the law. Some commissioners like Sid Miller say that the money for the breed registries is only to be used for “non-racing events.” If that is the case, the funding cannot be applied to purses. But that is exactly the precedent that has been set. In the wake of the audit, Chairman Robert C. Pate and Executive Director Amy Cook have talked tough in commission meetings about how to address what potentially could be a major hit to the industry. They are between a proverbial 'rock and a hard place' and after last Wednesday's meeting no definitive decisions have been made. “So our moment in time ladies and gentlemen is if we are told by the State Auditor… are you running this correctly in accordance with state law, state public fund management practices, grant practices, are you going to fix it now or are you going to continue that?” said Cook in the Dec. 11 commission meeting. “My recommendation is that we fix it now. And that doesn't mean we don't try to mitigate the impact on everyone, but we must change or I do believe the program will be jeopardized.” The PENN Entertainment-owned Sam Houston Race Park responded to the uncertainty created by the commission in late December by slashing purses and racing one less day through Feb. 16. Vice President and General Manager Bryan Pettigrew said in an email that the track could not count on the money provided by the breed registry account. With the Sam Houston meet in full swing starting Jan. 5, the breed registries sought access to the account by presenting their cases at last Wednesday's commission meeting. Miller arrived late and was the only one of the commissioners to vote against allowing Sam Houston to have access to the extra purse money. The TTA took the advice of some of the commissioners and Cook to devise ways in which to ask for funding in creative ways. In a press release late Friday afternoon, they rolled out a new program for the current meet at Sam Houston. Sam Houston breed registry HIEA account money | Coady Photography In order to reward what they call “the hard-working horses that make up allowance and claiming races,” the TTA program at the end of the Sam Houston meet rewards the top twelve accredited Texas-breds by money earned [excluding any purse money earned in stakes races]. The TTA said that by removing funds garnered in stakes races, day race horses have a chance of earning more. “Providing owners with a realistic opportunity for increased earnings will keep these horses and their owners in the game,” said TTA Executive Director Tracy Sheffield. “When the program was explained to him, a commission employee said “Oh, rewards for blue collar horses–that's great!” With opening day at Lone Star Park set for Apr. 17, the much-maligned Texas Racing Commission–who has spurned oversight from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and not allowed tracks to beam their signal for wagering out of state–is facing yet another crisis. In 2021, the legislature nearly sent the regulator to be overseen by Texas's Department of Agriculture after the Sunset Commission in Senate Bill 704 recommended the switch. The failure of that bill kept the commission intact, but only until 2027. The post Texas Racing Commission Allows Breed Registries To Access Funding For Purses, For Now appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Godolphin's ever-dependable Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) brought up the 16th victory of his globetrotting career with a second consecutive win in Sunday's US$2.5-million G3 H.H. The Amir Trophy, the showpiece event in the Qatari racing calendar. This year's renewal was run at the Al Uqda Equestrian Complex, and a day later than planned, after the original fixture at Al Rayyan on Saturday was postponed due to concerns about the safety of the track. The race was also run over the shorter distance of 2,300 metres (from 2,400 metres), but none of the alterations made any difference to the seven-year-old Rebel's Romance, who ultimately ran out a comfortable winner following another professional performance from the front in the hands of William Buick. The Charlie Appleby trainee broke alertly from stall three and had worked his way to the head of affairs by the time he reached the winning post for the first time, with the locally-trained Simca Mille (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) for company to his outside. The formation remained much the same, with Andrew Balding's The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) and another local runner, Toromona (Ire) (Shamardal), tracking the two leaders, as the eight-strong field turned into the straight. From there Buick gradually went through the gears on his long-time ally and Rebel's Romance was always doing just enough to hold off the persistent challenge of The Foxes by a length. Japanese raider Satono Glanz (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}) fared best of those held up as he made late headway to finish third, over a length behind The Foxes, with the other British hopes, King's Gambit (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) and Alflaila (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), never able to get seriously involved as they came home fourth and fifth, respectively. Last seen before Sunday when winning November's GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar for the second time in three years, Rebel Romance has now amassed over $13 million career earnings. A seven-time winner at the top level, in four different countries, he is now likely to bid for another repeat triumph in the $6-million G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on Saturday, April 5. “We are very thankful to everyone at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club for getting the races run,” Appleby told Godolphin.com. “It has been a challenging weekend, and they have done a fantastic job in a very short space of time. “Rebel's Romance is the ultimate warhorse, who doesn't know how to lie down. He has gone out there with his heart on his sleeve and put up another great performance. William knows the horse inside out and has ridden him with a lot of confidence again. “I am delighted for the whole team and especially His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, who continually supports us in letting us make the decisions that we feel are right. Thankfully, he is reaping the rewards and, when you have a horse like Rebel's Romance, it makes the job a lot easier.” He added, “We will ship Rebel's Romance back to Newmarket and plot the same route that we took last year, giving him a little break in preparation for the Dubai Sheema Classic. It's one race at a time with him these days, and we will enjoy every moment.” It was a second victory on the day for Buick, Appleby and Godolphin, after Al Qudra (Ire) (No Nay Never) ran out a two-and-a-half-length winner of the Al Rayyan Mile, which was run as a local Group 2. The race was overshadowed for the Godolphin team by the fatal injury to Age Of Gold (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), while it also saw Wathnan Racing's La Bellota (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) run off the track and unseat jockey James Doyle, before colliding with a rail. An update on the condition of La Bellota has not yet been received. The Emir of Qatar's Wathnan operation had previously been among the winners in the Dukhan Sprint, a local Group 3 which went the way of Mickael Barzalona's mount, Rogue Lightning (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), for Newmarket trainer Tom Clover. REBEL'S ROMANCE repeats in the G3 $2.5m HH The Amir Trophy in Qatar. Full steam ahead to the G1 $6m Dubai Sheema Classic @RacingDubai on April 5. #DWC25 pic.twitter.com/hRQPtHZSn8 — Michael Adolphson (@AdolphsonRacing) February 16, 2025 Pedigree Notes Rebel's Romance is one of two top-level winners out of the Listed Height Of Fashion Stakes runner-up Minidress (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}), along with the ill-fated Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who tragically lost his life when bidding to repeat his 2024 success in last month's G1 Jebel Hatta at Meydan. He also counted last year's GI Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga among his seven career wins. All told, Minidress is the dam of four winners from as many runners, with the others including the Listed-placed Petticoat (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). She has a two-year-old full-brother to Rebel's Romance to come. Minidress, in turn, is out of the G3 Musidora Stakes and G3 St. Simon Stakes heroine Short Skirt (GB) (Diktat {GB}), who was also twice Group 1-placed as a three-year-old when she finished third in the Oaks and second in the Yorkshire Oaks. After being purchased by John Ferguson, on behalf of Godolphin, for 1.4 million guineas at the 2006 Tattersalls December Mare Sale, Short Skirt went on to produce five winners, including the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy scorer Volcanic Sky (GB), a full-brother to Minidress. Sunday, Al Uqda, Qatar H.H. THE AMIR TROPHY-G3, $2,500,000, Al Uqda, 2-16, 4yo/up, 2300mT, 2:14.96, gd. 1–REBEL'S ROMANCE (IRE), 128, g, 7, by Dubawi (Ire) 1st Dam: Minidress (GB) (SP-Eng), by Street Cry (Ire) 2nd Dam: Short Skirt (GB), by Diktat (GB) 3rd Dam: Much Too Risky (GB), by Bustino (GB) O/B-Godolphin; T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick; $1,425,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. Turf Male-US, Hwt. 3yo-UAE at 9.5-11f, Hwt. Older Horse-Ger at 11-14f, G1SW-HK & UAE, MGISW-US, MG1SW-Ger, GSW & GISP-Eng, 23-16-0-1, $13,202,574. *1/2 to Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}), G1SW-UAE, GISW-US, SP-Eng, $1,568,523; and Petticoat (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), SP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–The Foxes (Ire), 128, h, 5, Churchill (Ire)–Tanaghum (GB), by Darshaan (GB). (440,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-King Power Racing Co Ltd; B-Barronstown Stud (Ire); T-Andrew Balding; J-Oisin Murphy; $550,000. 3–Satono Glanz (Jpn), 128, h, 5, Satono Diamond (Jpn)–Cherry Collect (Ire), by Oratorio (Ire). (¥105,000,000 Ylg '21 JRHJUL). O-Hajime Satomi; B-Northern Racing (Jpn); T-Yasuo Tomomichi; J-Christophe Soumillon; $275,000. Margins: 1, 1 1/4, 2. Also Ran: King's Gambit (Ire), Alflaila (GB), Supercooled (Ire), Simca Mille (Ire), Toromona (Ire). VIDEO. The post Rebel’s Romance Makes All for Repeat Amir Trophy Success appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By TTR AusNZ On Sunday, Edward Cummings was approved by the Australian Turf Club (ATC) to train at Leilani Lodge on an interim basis. Cummings still requires Racing NSW to upgrade his trainers' licence from provisional to metro, before he can officially take over the lease at the yard which has been occupied by a member of the Cummings family for over 40 years. It was revealed on Thursday last week that Cummings' father, Anthony, had been given an eviction notice by the ATC. “They [ATC] have provided me with the recommendation and permission to train from Leilani Lodge,” Cummings said in an update to owners. “That permission, that note from the acting ATC CEO Steve McMahon, has come through today and been forwarded on to the licensing department at Racing NSW. The matter is now before them to rubber stamp my upgrade to a metro trainers' licence with Leilani Lodge to train from. “That means that provided everything is successful through Racing NSW, as we naturally expect, then no one loses out in this situation and we can continue to be able to train.” He added, “Essentially what that means is we will have the Autumn Carnival to impress all and sundry, including the board at the ATC, that the operations and efforts we have been putting in, especially for the last six months, will hopefully hold us over to maintain the stable in the family name. “I am certainly confident that we have more than enough horsepower to make a splash in the Autumn Carnival and that will be laser focus and my sole focus for the next two months. At this stage it's a good sign for us and wonderful to receive such support from the ATC.” The post Edward Cummings Approved to Take Over from his Father at Leilani Lodge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Set to resume from injury at Happy Valley on Wednesday, the jockey is all smiles after watching Master Of All salute at Sha Tin on Sunday.View the full article

Pair stamp their credentials as quality sprinters of the future with impressive wins on Sunday.View the full article

On his way home from the races last week, Jamie Insole reflected on a good day for his stable following a 13-length win for Tommy The Tank (Ire) over hurdles and two promising runs for three-year-old fillies at Southwell. This is the nature of the training partnership he shares with Dr Richard Newland: jumps here, Flat there, and all the while a growing number of horses at their Urloxhey Stables in Worcestershire. From that rural idyll on Sunday left Witness Stand (GB) (Expert Eye {Ire}), a new recruit to their team from last year's Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale who will become the duo's first international runner when lining up for the G2 1351 Turf Sprint on Saturday's Saudi Cup card. “He's the highest-rated British horse going into the race but I think he definitely he needs to improve,” Insole says. “Annaf won it last year stepping up from six, and Space Blues some years ago, and he was a sort of seven-furlong/miler type. They call it a sprint, but it's actually a seven-furlong race. Last year they went extremely hard early on and Annaf came from off the pace, so I think it'll be very tactical, but he seems to have good gate speed and finishes off his races very well. He won at Goodwood on good to firm ground, so Kieran [Shoemark] thinks he's pretty versatile in terms of what ground he likes.” The four-year-old Witness Stand, now owned by Scott and Debbie Turner, was previously trained by Tom Clover. He was bought from the Bronte Collection for 100,000gns after winning the Listed Dubai Duty Free Cup at Newbury last September with Shoemark aboard and he retains the ride in Riyadh. Insole adds, “We're under no illusion, he definitely needs to improve to run a big race and, for us, just being on the international stage and learning about bringing horses abroad is going to be a great experience for all of us and for our owners. “The staff are excited. It's our traveling head girl Lucy Hammond's first time going abroad, and for Lloyd Applegate as well, who's trying to get his apprentice licence and is taking the horse out there.” It was only 18 months ago that the 30-year-old Insole, a former assistant trainer to Alan King and Charlie Hills, was added to the joint-licence with Newland, who has been predominantly associated with jump racing and won the 2014 Grand National with Pineau De Re (Fr). Insole brings a dual-purpose background to the operation and is from a family steeped in racing – his grandfather Vivian Kennedy trained on the Curragh and his uncles Vivian and William Kennedy were both jump jockeys. Indeed, he rode over jumps himself in a short spell as an amateur and a conditional, but his focus is very much on the Flat side of the stable, which has almost trebled in size since the pair got together in August 2023. “We've got about 65, 70 Flat horses, which is exciting, and lots of two-year-olds and nice three-year-olds this year as well,” he says. “Last year we bought a few handicappers from the horses-in-training sale to get us going, and we had one or two of them this winter, but most of them are maidens and horses that didn't get out last year, having their first or second run. We've had two Flat wins and two jump wins already this year and hopefully we'll get busy now in the next five weeks.” Witness Stand on the gallops at Urloxhey Stables Insole has ample experience of racing in the Middle East, having spent five seasons in Dubai with the Hills-trained Equilateral (GB) and Khaadem (Ire). It is just one of the ways in which his experience complements that of Newland, a former GP who founded CHS Healthcare in 1995. “It has been a big help to me that, not only has Richard been very successful at training racehorses, but he's also been a really successful businessman as well,” Insole says. “So, in terms of running the business side of it, obviously he's had a lot of experience, and I think that's where some people might struggle with when they start training.” He adds, “Richard's also excited to have his name involved in one of the richest race days in the world. I don't think when he was winning the National in 2014 that he thought he'd be having a runner in Saudi Arabia in 2025.” There won't be many trainers who will be engaged in both the Saudi Cup meeting followed by the Cheltenham Festival a few weeks later – though Willie Mullins has previously managed that feat – and it will be back to more familiar territory for Newland with La Renommee (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}), recent winner of the Listed Silver Vase Mares' Chase at Doncaster, who is entered for the G2 Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase on Gold Cup day. “There's also a Listed race at Exeter next weekend which we might look at running her in, but she's done extremely well for Richard. I think she was the most expensive National Hunt horse he's ever bought and she is certainly repaying him,” Insole says. Looking ahead to the Flat turf season, he is excited about the prospects of Chess Dad (GB), a Niarchos-bred son of Study Of Man (Ire) who made an eye-catching winning debut at Newcastle in January. “He's come out of that very well, and I think it switched him on a little bit as well. He was still very green and raw. Hollie [Doyle] said she just had to get him rolling from a little way out, but she said all he did was respond and when she went through the line she couldn't pull him up,” he says. “He definitely has woken up after that race, and I think the mile will be his minimum trip. We might go back to Newcastle in March for a novice again, and if he was to win maybe go to something like the Feilden [Stakes]. He's definitely one to look forward to.” In the same colours is a three-year-old named Dividend (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who comes in for similarly high praise. The two horses are part of a five-horse syndicate known as Commercium. “Dividend won twice last year,” Insole says. “We did try him at Listed level at Ascot, and he just went through a weak stage at that point in July and then he basically pulled up at York in a big handicap. He wasn't right, and we gave him bit of time, freshened him up, and then he went back to Kempton and won under a penalty very convincingly, and we just put him away then. “He looks the most exciting horse for this year. I think he's extremely well handicapped. We might actually aim him at that conditions race in two weeks at Kempton, which Notable Speech won last year. “There are 10 people involved in the Commercium syndicate, so they each have a 10th share of five horses. Everything is paid up front for two years and the idea is to sell the horses at the end of that.” Insole has become a regular on the sales beat working in tandem with bloodstock agent Matthew Houldsworth. Jamie Insole at Tattersalls | Laura Green “I think we bought 20 or 21 last year and we saw thousands. You've got to do the groundwork,” he notes. “We don't have massive budgets, but we're trying to buy horses that we really like, and we're sticklers for good pedigrees, and trying to find those that we can afford is obviously tough. But we enjoy it, and Matt's a really good help and he's done very well.” With an expanding business and a wealth of untapped equine talent for the season ahead, Insole plainly has much to look forward to as he embarks on his second full year as co-licence holder. “Training racehorses is what I always wanted to do,” he says. “We've just built another 15 boxes at the main yard, so we've opened up a new barn of 10 boxes just for fillies with this new lighting system that helps with them in the winter. We're going to be up to 87 boxes on the main yard, so it's a really good number and we've got nearly a hundred acres of turnout on the main yards. In the summer we'll be turning out 60, 65 horses that are in training every day. We love to get them out.” With the investment in the facilities, Insole and Newland are now hoping to see a new level of investment from owners, and they have already attracted Yuesheng Zhang's powerful Yulong operation to the stable. “If we can get the results this year, we will hopefully start seeing some bigger owners, and it would actually be quite good to get some syndicates in,” Insole says. “This year Yulong sent us a horse, which is really exciting, so that will be one of our biggest new owners. We just need the results now.” A big run from Witness Stand on Saturday would certainly help to put the stable in the international spotlight. The post Newland and Insole Take Witness Stand to Elevate Stable’s International Profile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The barnstorming first-up win in the spring of Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) has stuck firmly in the mind of trainer Ciaron Maher, who intends sending the highly talented galloper fresh into Saturday’s Gr.1 Oakleigh Plate. While conceding the 1100-metre journey at Caulfield might not appear to best suit his fast-finisher, Maher pointed to his first-up run in September over the same course when he somehow managed to get his nose in front on the line in a BM100 after giving up a huge lead. “It’s a good kick-off for him,” Maher said of the Oakleigh Plate. “He’s a horse who’s rating is up now (103) and it’s a handicap. He’s won there over the trip. “He has prepped up really well and I think he will improve again off his last prep. “I just think its good start point timing-wise. “He is proven over that trip and he’s come up really well. He’ll be getting home when the race seems all over and we’ll just see how that works. “It’s as short as he wants but a big field, open handicap, it could play out his way.” If he is to win the Oakleigh Plate, one of the horses that he will have to pass in the home straight will be the well-fancied stablemate Estriella, who has been trained slightly differently this campaign. In her two trials at Cranbourne so far, she has departed from her usual pattern of using her early speed, with Maher asking his riders to let her take a sit. “She trialled very good the other day,” Maher said. “It depends on how the race shapes as to what we will do but with a bit of cover, she certainly trialled well doing that.” View the full article

Co-trainer Mick Price believes three-year-old colt Public Attention (NZ) (Written Tycoon) had taken his game to the next level, so he wasn’t surprised with his authoritative first-up win in the Gr.3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill. “It confirmed my opinion that he had physically improved from the spring to the autumn,” Price said. “I thought that his work and trials said he had matured, and the addition of blinkers also played a part, and that’s how he raced,” he said. “He had a little think about it a furlong out, but he picked himself back up and he was really good I thought.” Public Attention was having only his fifth start and was first-up after finishing fifth in the Caulfield Guineas. Price said the aim for the son of Written Tycoon was to win a Gr.1 race. Price and Michael Kent Junior are training Public Attention from their Rosehill stables and he will start at the track in the Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) on Saturday. “It’s a Group Two and then it’s into the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas. That’s what we’re trying to do and that’s win a Group One with him.” View the full article

In town as injury cover, the star couple make an immediate impact.View the full article

Pierre Ng’s Irish import rebounds from Classic Mile disappointment to firm as top chance in final two legs of four-year-old series.View the full article

Leading representatives from Coolmore, Godolphin, and Yulong all fell to the wayside after 25-1 shot Skybird surged to a shock victory in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (G1) Feb. 15.View the full article