Wandering Eyes

Angel Cordero, Jerry Bailey, Steve Cauthen, Julie Krone, Edgar Prado, Pat Day, Laffit Pincay Jr., Ramon Dominguez, Jean Cruguet, and Chris McCarron are among those confirmed to attend the 10th annual Jockeys & Jeans event at Gulfstream Park.View the full article

Nobals, set to be the first American-trained runner in the Hong Kong International Races since 2017, spiked a fever after traveling and is under observation.View the full article

There are six horse racing meetings set for Australia on Wednesday, December 4. Our racing analysts here at horsebetting.com.au have found you the best bets and the quaddie numbers for Caulfield Heath, Warwick Farm & Happy Valley (HK). Wednesday’s Free Horse Racing Tips – December 4, 2024 Caulfield Heath Racing Tips Warwick Farm Racing Tips Happy Valley (HK) Racing Tips As always, there are plenty of promotions available for Australian racing fans. Check out all the top horse racing bookmakers to see what daily promotions they have. If you are looking for a new bookmaker for the horse racing taking place on December 4, 2024 check out our guide to the best online racing betting sites. Neds Code GETON 1 Take It To The Neds Level Neds Only orange bookie! Check Out Neds Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit today. “GETON is not a bonus code. Neds does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. Full terms. BlondeBet Signup Code GETON 2 Punters Prefer Blondes BlondeBet Blonde Boosts – Elevate your prices! Join BlondeBet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GAMBLING WITH? full terms. 3 It Pays To Play PlayUp Aussie-owned horse racing specialists! Check Out PlayUp Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Full terms. Recommended! Dabble Signup Code AUSRACING 4 Say Hey to the social bet! Dabble You Better Believe It Join Dabble Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE? Full terms. Bet365 Signup Code GETON 5 Never Ordinary Bet365 World Favourite! Visit Bet365 Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. GETON is not a bonus code. bet365 does not offer bonus codes in Australia and this referral code does not grant access to offers. What’s gambling really costing you? Full terms. 6 Next Gen Racing Betting pickleBet Top 4 Betting. Extra Place. Every Race. Join Picklebet Review 18+ Gamble Responsibly. What are you really gambling with? Full terms. Horse racing tips View the full article

The Imperium Sales-consigned Term Of Endearment (GB) (Sea The Moon Ger}) hammered for 1,300,000gns on the bid of Red Bank at Tattersalls on Tuesday. Successful in the G2 Lillie Langtry Fillies' Stakes, the G2 Bronte Cup Stakes, and the G3 Give Thanks Stakes, the daughter of listed winner and Group 1-placed Miss You Too (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) was offered as lot 1757. Andrew Whitlock is the breeder on record, while Alex Elliott bought Term Of Endearment for 50,000gns as a Book 3 yearling during the October Sale. TERM OF ENDEARMENT sells for 1.3million gns. The G2 winner by Sea The Moon was consigned by Imperium Sales. Online bidding is very active through the #tattsdecember Sceptre Session this evening. pic.twitter.com/Z11fJwjmy9 — TDN (@theTDN) December 3, 2024 The post Red Bank Signs For Term Of Endearment At Tattersalls For 1.3m Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

G3 Bronte Cup Stakes heroine River Of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was knocked down to Oakley Creek–bidding online–for 1,650,000gns later in the evening at Park Paddocks. Second in the G1 Prix de Royallieu, lot 1750 is a half-sister to stakes winner Apadanah (Ger) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). Bred by Dr. Klaus Schulte, the relative of G2 Coventry Stakes winner and Group 1-placed Rashabar (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) was a 400,000gns purchase by Woodford Thoroughbreds at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale in 2019. She was consigned by Kimpton Down Stables. Alastair Pim at it again at #tattsdecember! The auctioneer tried his best to encourage his underbidder for lot 1750, RIVER OF STARS. But it was a bidder online again who won out. This daughter of Sea The Stars is a G3 winner and was consigned by her trainer Ralph Beckett. pic.twitter.com/KZzt9GXVc8 — TDN (@theTDN) December 3, 2024 The post Oakley Creek Snaps Up River Of Stars For 1.65m At Park Paddocks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ten Thoroughbred industry and charitable organizations have pledged funding for the American Association of Equine Practitioners' wearable biometric sensor research project. Six sensor manufacturers have been selected to participate in the year-long study. Wearable biometric sensors, which have shown promise as an early warning system for identifying racehorses at increased risk of musculoskeletal injury, are designed to capture data on a horse's movement patterns during high-speed events. The following organizations have contributed a total of $785,000 to fund the research project, which will run Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025: Breeders' Cup Limited; Fasig-Tipton; The Foundation for the Horse (the charitable arm of the AAEP); Keeneland Association; Kentucky Thoroughbred Association; New York Racing Association; New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association; Oak Tree Racing Association; Ocala Breeders' Sales Company; and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. “The AAEP is excited to be on the forefront of sensor technology. We see this as a transformational opportunity to further protect the health of our equine athletes,” said Katie Garrett, DVM, DACVS, AAEP president and The Foundation for the Horse board chair. “We are incredibly grateful to the Thoroughbred industry groups who share our goal and are making this project a reality.” Each sensor manufacturer has been asked to recruit 100 2-year-old Thoroughbreds to wear its sensor during the year-long study. Data will be collected on each horse during this period and analyzed to determine accuracy of the sensor. The post 10 Industry Groups Pledge Funding for AAEP Biometric Sensor Research Project appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Amo Racing had already purchased several fillies and mares prior to the arrival of G1 Irish Oaks winner You Got To Me (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) (lot 1753) in the Park Paddocks ring on Tuesday, and after a fierce bidding war, they walked away with the 3-year-old for 4,800,000gns at this year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Newsells Park Stud, who consigned the daughter of Brushing (GB) (Medicean {GB}), was the underbidder. American-based trainer Will Walden, bidding for Woodford Thoroughbreds' John Sykes, was also active well into the 4-million range, but was also ultimately disappointed. Bred by Dullingham Park Stud and Sarabex, the new sale topper had sold twice previously–to BBA Ireland as a 62,000gns Tattersalls December foal, and to Alex Elliott for 200,000gns during Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale here in 2022. “The bromance is still alive!” Amo Racing go to 4.8million gns at the #tattsdecember Sceptre Sessions for the Irish Oaks winner You Got To Me! An entertaining round of bidding for the daughter of Nathaniel. pic.twitter.com/sqYy2VK45T — TDN (@theTDN) December 3, 2024 The post Irish Oaks Winner You Got To Me New Tattersalls Topper As Amo Strikes For 4.8m Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Zarak (Fr)'s Village Voice (GB), a winner of the G3 Prix de Flore, caught the eye of Resolute Bloodstock to the tune of 1,300,000gns as the Sceptre Sessions continued on Tuesday. Offered by Simmonstown Stud, lot 1743 has been placed four additional times at group level. Her second dam struck in the G2 May Hill Stakes and G3 Sweet Solera Stakes, and was third in the G1 1000 Guineas, the G1 Coronation Stakes, and the G1 Fillies' Mile. Village Voice, bred by Malih Al Basti, sold for 38,000gns to BBA Ireland at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale in 2022. What a result for the team behind Village Voice! The G3 winning daughter of Zarak was consigned by Simmonstown Stud. She was trained by Jessica Harrington. She was sold for 1.3million gns to an online bidder. pic.twitter.com/WxiiGnzEFz — TDN (@theTDN) December 3, 2024 The post Resolute Bloodstock Buys Village Voice For 1.3m Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Narvick International and Grand Stud purchased Lumiere Rock (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) (lot 1748) for 1,300,000gns during a busy session of the Tattersalls December Mares sale. Sold during the second day of the Sceptre Sessions, the winner of the G2 Blandford Stakes and G2 Silken Glider Stakes was part of The Castlebridge Consignment. Part of The Last Partnership breeding programme, the 4-year-old was originally a 55,000gns yearling out of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. LUMIERE ROCK sells for 1.3million gns to Narvick International/Grand Stud. The G2 winning daughter of Saxon Warrior was consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment. #tattsdecember pic.twitter.com/o3P0SseSTt — TDN (@theTDN) December 3, 2024 The post Narvick and Grand Stud Buy Lumiere Rock For 1.3m Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The consistent G2 Sapphire Stakes heroine and Breeders' Cup starter Believing (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) (lot 1740) brought a final bid of 3,000,000gns from MV Magnier to take the lead during the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Part of the Highclere Stud consignment, the 3-year-old filly was placed in a trio of Group 1 sprints in three consecutive months: the Nunthorpe Stakes (August), the Flying Five Stakes (September), and the Prix de l'Abbaye in October. Bred by M. Mullen and Cloneymore Farm, she was third in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup last term at three. Highclere Agency paid 115,000gns for the multiple stakes winner out of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale as a juvenile in 2022. Believing was a 70,000gns yearling buy by JC Bloodstock at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. BELIEVING sells for 3million gns to M V Magnier! The G2 winning daughter of Mehmas was trained by George Boughey for Highclere Racing. She was consigned by Highclere Stud. pic.twitter.com/LGDIU04SdT — TDN (@theTDN) December 3, 2024 The post Believing Takes The Lead At Tattersalls As MV Magnier Makes 3,000,000gns Winning Bid appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Angel Cordero, Jerry Bailey, Steve Cauthen, Julie Krone, Edgar Prado, Pat Day, Laffit Pincay, Ramon Dominguez, Jean Cruguet and Chris McCarron are just a few of the names confirmed to attend the 10th annual Jockeys and Jeans event at Gulfstream Park Jan. 11. Proceeds from the event go to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). Other riders confirmed to attend include Jose Santos, Jorge Velasquez, Earlie Fires, Alex Solis, Bill Boland, Mike Manganello and current riders John Velazquez, Javier Castellano and Joel Rosario. The event, to be held in the Flamingo Room overlooking Gulfstream, includes lunch, a meet and greet with all guests, autographs, photos, live and silent auctions, and a free collectible giveaway. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased at https://pdjf.org/purchase-tickets/. The post Hall of Fame Riders Line Up for Jockeys and Jeans Fundraiser at Gulfstream Jan. 11 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Multiple Group 1-placed filly A Lilac Rolla (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}) (lot 1735) became the first seven-figure filly or mare during Tuesday's Sceptre Sessions at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. A half-sister to the multiple stakes placed Mutaaqeb (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), she sold for 1,000,000gns to John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock, who was bidding online. Northern Farm was the underbidder. Consigned by Paddy Twomey's Athassel House Stud, the bay won the G3 Ballylinch Stud Priory Belle Stakes at Leopardstown and was second in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and third in the G1 Falmouth Stakes. Bred by John Cullinan, A Lilac Rolla was a €40,000 purchase by Amanda Skiffington out of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale in 2022. Resolute Bloodstock had signed–online once again–for the G3 Princess Margaret Stakes third Tales Of The Heart (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) (lot 1721) for 650,000gns earlier in the day. “The fillies/mares are coming to America to dominate Keeneland,” Stewart told TDN Europe. “We are specifically looking for turf fillies that like soft ground. I told people I was serious. 2024 was just a sample of what is to come from Resolute. “I was the underbidder on Believing too. That sucked. But I gave it a good run.” We have reached seven figures at the second session of the #tattsdecember Sceptre Sessions. A Lilac Rolla, who is a G3 winner, was consigned by her trainer Paddy Twomey and has been bought by an online purchaser. Northern Farm were the direct underbidder. pic.twitter.com/Dx3b8H06nq — TDN (@theTDN) December 3, 2024 The post John Stewart’s Resolute Bloodstock Pays 1,000,000gns Online For The Classic-Placed A Lilac Rolla At Tattersalls appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Rockridge Stud, with a pair of new stallions in 2025, has released its stud fees for next year's breeding season. New to the New York operation next year are Chewing Gum (Candy Ride {Arg}), winner of the 2022 GII Joe Hernandez Stakes and runner-up in the 2021 GI Jaipur Stakes, and three-time graded winner Messier (Empire Maker), who was second in the 2021 GI Santa Anita Derby. Chewing Gum's fee is private and Messier will stand his initial season at stud for $5,000 LFSN. Rockridge Stud, in partnership with WinStar Farm, Taylor Made Stallions, Fortune Farm, and Mill Creek Farm, will stand Americanrevolution (Constitution) for $12,500 LFSN. In partnership with Irish Hill/Dutchess View Stallions, Waldorf Farm, and Hidden Lake Farm, Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) will stand for $8,000 LFSN. Slumber (GB) (Cacique {Ire}) will stand for $7,500 LFSN, as will War Dancer (War Front). Disco Partner (Disco Rico)'s fee is private. Rockridge will give breeders the opportunity to see Chewing Gum and Messier at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater Dec. 14 from 11 a.m.-noon. Light refreshments will be served. The annual Rockridge Stud stallion show will be held Jan. 25 from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. A full lunch buffet will be served and there will be drawings for free seasons to each stallion. The post Messier, Chewing Gum New to Rockridge Roster in 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Prairie Meadows has announced the live horse racing dates for the 2025 season, which have been approved by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. The racing season will run May 9 through Sept. 27.View the full article

Besides a 40-day summer meet, NYRA will conduct one additional day of racing at Saratoga Race Course during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and race at Saratoga for the first time from July 3-6 for a July 4th Racing Festival.View the full article

Andrew Balding has given a positive update on his G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup entry The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), who is set to face Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) on Sunday. He won a listed race at Newcastle over Group 1 winner Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) last month and galloped at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning. “He's got a fair bit to find with Romantic Warrior but I think we are certainly in the mix with the others,” said Balding. “He has come out of his recent win at Newcastle very well and I can't feel we could have him any better. He's a horse we have always thought a lot of.” The King Power racing runner won the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes at two and the G2 Dante Stakes at three, before running second in the GI Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes. The Foxes was fourth in the G1 Juddmonte International Stakes in August of 2023 and did not grace the racecourse again that year, after some setbacks. Third in the Winter Derby Trial Conditions Stakes this January, he was unplaced in the G2 Neom Turf Cup in February, and was ninth in the G3 Earl Of Sefton Stakes in April. Given another lengthy break, he returned to run fifth in the G3 Darley Stakes in October prior to his listed victory at Newcastle. “We had issues with him straight after he returned from New York,” added Balding, who won the G1 Hong Kong Vase in 2004 with Phoenix Reach (Ire) (Alhaarth {Ire}). “But with plenty of time off and careful rehabilitation, he seems right back to his best. He showed that he was back on his A game when he beat Dubai Honour at Newcastle. “We haven't had a horse for Hong Kong for several years. But it's always something we would like to do. I think The Foxes is quite similar to Phoenix Reach, to be honest.” The post The Foxes Poised For Longines Hong Kong Cup Run appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel's live horse racing dates for the 2025 season have been approved by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC). Prairie Meadows 2025 live racing season will begin on Friday, May 9, and conclude on Saturday, Sept. 27. A total of 80 racing days will be scheduled with both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing offered. The season begins with 20 days of Thoroughbred-only racing from May 9 – June 14, followed by 60 days of a mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse schedule starting Sunday, June 15 and continuing through Saturday, Sept. 27. Live racing will be offered on a Friday – Monday schedule with exceptions of the first and last weekend of the season when there is no racing on Sunday or Monday, and also no racing on Monday, July 7. There will be live racing on Thursday, July 3 kicking off the July 4th holiday period of racing. Post times on Fridays and Saturdays will typically be at 6pm CT, and post times on Sundays and Mondays at 4pm CT. The first condition book along with the stall application should be available around Feb. 1, 2025. The post Prairie Meadows Announces 2025 Racing Dates appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For the past two weeks, we have been telling you how some of racing's biggest names fell in love with the sport. Now it's our turn. Here are some of the stories behind the bylines you see every day in the TDN. Sue Finley, Publisher Myparents both loved to go to the racetrack, and they would drag me and my brother when we were young. I was completely bored by it. But when I was 15, they told me that an 18-year-old jockey was going for the Triple Crown on a horse named Affirmed, and I found it fascinating that someone pretty much my age was about to achieve something so incredible. I went with my parents and my best friend, and I still remember where we sat-section R on the third floor of the Belmont grandstand. We went back and forth to the paddock all day, saw the horses and jockeys up close, and marveled at the huge posters decorating the walls at Belmont about how the Thoroughbred racehorse was the fastest animal in the world. And when Affirmed and Steve Cauthen came down the stretch, hanging on to a slim lead over Alydar, we screamed our heads off. I was hooked, and we started going to the races every weekend, and I learned everything I could about handicapping and pedigrees. My parents were $2 bettors, and nothing made my father happier than to go to the track with $10, and come home with $12, “after gas and tolls,” as he'd say. “Where else can you have a day out and end up with more money than where you started?” he'd ask people. Six years later, as I was graduating from NYU with a degree in journalism, I went out to Belmont Park and asked if they needed a free intern on their press staff. I've worked in horse racing pretty much every day since. Bill Finley, columnist With an older brother and father who loved the sport, I can remember going to the racetrack when I was six or seven. I would often go with my dad, who would give me maybe $10 to bet with for the day. Largely betting in favorites to show, I won money the first 11 times I went to the track. Easy game? Right? Bill Finley | Sue Finley Photo My family was living in Philadelphia at the time and we made frequent to Garden State, Atlantic City, Delaware Park and the racetrack formerly known as Keystone. But I liked all sports back then and was a rabid fan of the Phillies, Eagles, 76ers and Flyers. The track was fifth on the list. That changed for me when I was 11 years old and was hit by a car and broke my femur on my right leg. It took months for me to recover, which included a long stint in a pediatric rehabilitation hospital in Atlantic City. I was placed in a body cast. After several months I still had a cast on, but a smaller one and I was finally able to get around on crutches. To celebrate my release from the hospital, my parents decided to treat me to a trip to Saratoga. I had never been before. As luck would have it, they picked the week that a horse named Secretariat was entered in the 1972 Sanford Stakes. He was not even the favorite in the race. Linda's Chief was. But, even at this early point in his career, some were saying that Secretariat was on his way to stardom and I came to expect that he was going to put on a show. He won the Sanford and I was sold. He, of course, became my favorite horse and I would see him run later that same year in the Garden State Stakes. I would have been a racing fan had it not been for Secretariat, but my love affair with him was what moved me into the super-fan category. I saw his 1973 Preakness and Belmont in person and was mesmerized by his Belmont, the greatest performance in the history of the sport. The '70s were a great time to be a racing fan. You had Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Forego, Ruffian, Spectacular Bid and so many others. I liked them all, but not in the way that I liked Secretariat. If not for him, I don't think I would have made a career as a turf writer. Thanks, Big Red. J.N. Campbell, Staff Writer I started a new job at the Kentucky Horse Park while I was in graduate school for history in Lexington. I didn't know really anything about horses or racing, but I was interested in museums after doing an internship at the Smithsonian. The entry-level position was the chance to be what they call a museum technician which means you assist with the care and handling of objects. The day I started at the International Museum of the Horse the curator told me she had some exhibit cleaning that I could do. She takes me to this case and inside were the Triple Crown trophies of Secretariat and Seattle Slew. So, I polished them. Once I was done she told me to follow her. We go into the Calumet trophy room and she says “hey, we can't stop now, you're on a roll!” When lunch came around the curator told me that if I wanted to eat out back that I might enjoy seeing the horses that were part of the Hall of Champions. I had no clue what she was talking about. She said the latest member was arriving that day and he was pretty special. It was Cigar. Getting to see him up close and learn about the history of this sport really resonated with me. I went to Keeneland that same year, stood there in the paddock, watched the post parades and I was hooked. That was 25 years ago and I'm still as enamored as the day I got to polish those trophies and first saw Cigar. The post How I Got Hooked on Racing: TDN’s Sue Finley, Bill Finley and J.N. Campbell appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Nobals, set to be the first American-trained runner in the Hong Kong Races since 2017, spiked a fever after traveling and is under observation.View the full article

Grade 3 bumper winner Junta Marvel (Fr) (Masked Marvel {GB}) (lot 750), in foal to Blue Bresil (Fr), is one of seven supplemental entries for the Goffs December NH Sale. Scheduled for Dec. 9-11, the sale features breeding stock and foals and begins at 10 a.m. each day. A trio of mares join Junta Marvel–lot 751, Happy Halo (Ire) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}) in foal to Blue Bresil (Fr) and out of a full-sister to graded winner Royal Alphabet (Ire) (King's Theatr); Sainte Baol (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}) (lot 752) in foal to Poet's Word (Ire), and Maggie Bugatti (Ire) (Gentlewave {Ire}) (lot 753) carrying to Affinisea (Ire). There are also three more foals by Vadamos (Fr) (lot 686A), a colt, a Crystal Ocean (GB) filly (lot 686B); and a Nirvana Du Berlais (Fr) filly (lot 686C). The post Junta Marvel Leads Goffs December NH Supplements appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 2025 racing schedule, which includes 200 live race days at Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course, has been released by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA). The ongoing construction of Belmont Park will again require adjustments to the customary NYRA schedule. Most notably, the 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, expanded for 2025, will be held across five days at Saratoga Race Course from Wednesday, June 4 through Sunday, June 8. Saratoga will also play host to the extended July 4th Racing Festival, which is traditionally held at Belmont Park, from Thursday, July 3 through Sunday, July 6. The July 4th Racing Festival will serve as the conclusion of the 2025 Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet. “There is nothing in sports that compares with the energy at Saratoga Race Course, and we join the fans in looking forward to another spectacular season of racing in 2025,” said NYRA President & CEO David O'Rourke. “While Saratoga is rightly defined by history and tradition, NYRA is thrilled to bring the Belmont Stakes and a special July 4th Racing Festival to Saratoga while a new Belmont Park takes shape on Long Island.” In addition, the fall and spring/summer meets normally held at Belmont Park will take place at Aqueduct Racetrack in 2025, including the period between the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and July 4th Racing Festival. Following the close of the 2024 Aqueduct fall meet on Sunday, Dec. 29, the 49-day winter meet begins Wednesday, Jan. 1 and continues through Sunday, Mar. 30. With the exception of Opening Week, live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday from the week of Jan. 9 through the week of Feb. 27. Aqueduct will host a Presidents' Day card on Monday, Feb. 17. The winter meet will offer three-day race weeks Friday-Sunday throughout the month of March. The 15-day Aqueduct spring meet will run from Thursday, Apr. 3 through Sunday, Apr. 27 with racing conducted Thursday-Sunday. The NYRA circuit will remain at Aqueduct for the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet, which will open on Thursday, May 1 and continue through Sunday, July 6, with the final four days relocating to Saratoga for the July 4th Racing Festival. Racing at the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet will be conducted Thursday-Sunday throughout the spring/summer with the exception of a Memorial Day program on Monday, May 26.* The 40-day summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will open on Thursday, July 10 and continue through Labor Day, Sept. 1. Following the four-day opening week, live racing will be conducted Wednesday-Sunday with the exception of closing week, which will conclude on Monday, Sept. 1. The NYRA circuit will then return downstate for the 32-day Belmont at the Big A fall meet, which will open on Thursday, Sept. 11 and continue through Sunday, Nov. 2. Racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday throughout the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. A 27-day fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack will draw the curtain on live racing at NYRA in 2025. The fall meet will open on Thursday, Nov. 6 and continue through Wednesday, Dec. 31 with live racing generally conducted Thursday-Sunday. For the 2025 calendar of live race dates, visit www.NYRA.com/2025. The post NYRA Releases 2025 Race Dates; Expands Belmont and July 4 Festivals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Supply, Meet Demand Producing horses with exceptional speed inherently produces many more lacking that singular talent. Everyone in the business knows this by-product is the primary cause of the aftercare problem. The volume of over-supply is enormous. Visibility, awareness and legitimate concern over what happens to these unwanted horses grows constantly. The social license implications of this dilemma are intensifying into a serious threat to an industry already buffeted by other storms and controversies. Everyone understands these facts and many feel this intrinsic challenge may be insurmountable. Yet fundamentally, the solution to the aftercare problem is simple. Create a corresponding demand for these horses. To be effective the demand must accurately match thoroughbreds, requiring their distinct blend of speed, stamina and agility, except not overly favoring a subset of the population such as gender, physique or disposition. The demand must be at least equivalent in scale and have varied preferences to match the number and diversity of horses. It must also be enduring, giving horses a lifelong purpose including residual value when their athletic capabilities decline in later years. A demand with these criteria can only come from an equestrian sport. The State of Equestrian Competition Regrettably there are no traditional equestrian sports that favor the full-thoroughbred horse. Western disciplines much prefer the short range speed and cow-sense of the quarter horse. English disciplines want the impressive movement and predictable disposition of the Warmblood. A quarter century ago, the sport of eventing did lean toward the thoroughbred because the cross-country component played a far greater role in the competition. Warmblood breeders and special interests will be sure eventing does not reverse course. Furthermore, virtually all traditional disciplines have become very exclusive, shutting out the vast majority of equestrians and barring access to new-comers that lack the substantial resources needed to participate. This exclusionary mixture is why efforts to incentivize thoroughbreds in traditional sports have found a hard ceiling. However, it also points to an enormous untapped resource that can be converted into the critical piece missing from thoroughbred aftercare. Indeed, both horses and people are looking for a new competitive opportunity. Connecting Horses and People Unwanted thoroughbred horses and burgeoning exclusivity in equestrian disciplines were catalysts for creating the first new horse sport in a half century. Cross Country Equestrian (CCE) is a purpose-built remedy for both predicaments, connecting two sides by filling the void between them. CCE is an objectively scored competition based on cross country jumping. Competitors score points by jumping obstacles and incur penalties for errors and time faults. Speed and stamina are important so thoroughbreds have a distinct advantage. CCE has unique flexibility and innovative optionality that make it friendly to all levels of experience, significantly safer than comparable sports, and exciting for everyone including spectators. After years of development, CCE was launched in late 2023. This year saw over two dozen competitions in eight states and developing the framework of a sophisticated internet based sport management system. The 2025 schedule has several large-scale competitions as CCE progresses toward an international debut. CCE is exciting, fun and prioritizes the partnership that is the foremost attraction of riding sports. It has proven itself to the first group of equestrians and they want more. CCE is set to expand. That is where the thoroughbred industry can step up. Mutual Benefits Hoping a systemic problem will fix itself or an outsider will clean up the mess is unrealistic. As the entity responsible for generating the unwanted supply of horses, the entire thoroughbred industry should do whatever is needed to develop a corresponding demand. Rider in a CCE competition | courtesy Nick Larkin Accountability is important and righteous, but there is a tremendous hidden opportunity that goes far beyond virtue signaling or leveraging good deeds for positive publicity. The solution to the aftercare problem can also alleviate and potentially resolve several major issues confronting thoroughbred racing. To see how, requires stepping back to get a wider perspective and thinking differently. Fundamentally, racing must grow a significantly larger audience if it and the affiliated businesses behind racing are to thrive. On a similarly elemental level, where to look for an audience interested in horses is patently obvious–people that already like horses. A thoroughbred-centric equestrian sport that harmonizes with racing would merge the thoroughbred world with a multitude of displaced and disenchanted equestrians looking for a new home. That would fill the follower deficit with the best type of fans–enthusiastic, knowledgeable people that actively support everything thoroughbred. Broadening the definition and image of thoroughbred sport will naturally widen exposure and appeal. Observing regular people actively involved with thoroughbreds makes the entire scene relatable and inviting. Authentically focusing on the horse, showcasing their engaging life-stories, displaying perpetual compassion and providing immersive experiences is compelling and retains fascination. The potential benefits to the existing industry are open-ended. Collaborations where racecourses and training centers function as CCE incubators for horses and people, rather than laying dormant between meets. Extending revenue, employment and relevance between seasons. Some venues will open their track, infield and surrounding areas to competitions, filling grandstands, restaurants and even betting windows. Wider exposure will likely generate unexpected outgrowth such as track-based therapy programs or additional entertainment-based opportunities. The infrastructure is already there. Why not use it to advance and enlarge the thoroughbred enterprise? A Bright Future Imagine an expansive thoroughbred industry that involves the horse well beyond the first few years of speed. Retirement and vocational programs are comfortably overseeing the horses unable to perform in active roles. Horses are sought after and valued, in all their variety. The organizations and small businesses that form the aftercare pipeline are no longer backlogged as the demand matches or exceeds the supply. The upstream and downstream advantages are countless. The optics are overwhelmingly positive and the public majority supports the business that fully embraces and revolves around the central figure – the thoroughbred horse. CCE and the Cross Country Equestrian Association are ready to make this happen. Are you? There are numerous ways to support CCE and end the aftercare problem. Get involved by joining, participating or sponsoring competitions, courses, and ongoing development. Visit www.CrossCountryEquestrianAssociation.com or contact us at contact@CrossCountryEquestrianAssociation.com Nick Larkin, a native of New Zealand now living in Lexington, Kentucky, is a world-class event rider, instructor, trainer and the pioneer of CCE, with experience organizing and competing in equestrian sports, breeding, racing and steeplechasing. He has been hands-on, full-contact horses for almost four decades. The post Open Letter to the Industry: The Solution to the Aftercare Problem.. and More appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Arqana has moved to allay concerns ahead of its Breeding Stock Sale following a reported outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) in two sport horses near Paris. A statement released by the sales company on Tuesday read, “With just a few days to go before the Vente d'Elevage, Arqana has sent all vendors a specific equine health protocol to follow as a result of a call for vigilance by the RESPE (equine infectious disease surveillance) after two cases of EHV-1 were reported in mid-November in sport horses located in the Paris region. “To date, the crisis unit in place has not reported any significant change in the number of positive cases. Furthermore, no cases have been recorded among racehorses or bloodstock. However, Arqana has decided to be proactive and, in conjunction with France Galop, has put in place measures to ensure the health of the lots offered for sale. All horses will have been tested before arriving at the Deauville establishment and regular temperature readings will be taken (before and during the sale) to prevent any potential cases. The veterinary resources deployed by Arqana have been reinforced to ensure the best possible monitoring of the health of the horses at the Deauville sales.” The Arqana Breeding Stock Sale begins its four-day run on Saturday, December 7. The post Arqana Advisory on EHV-1 Outbreak in Paris appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When her many friends think of Ramona Bass, the first thing they picture is a smile as wide as all outdoors. And if you're used to the wide skies of South Texas, that is saying plenty. No country for old men, they call it, but from girlhood onward it has suited Bass just fine-and her own border story has instead been one that savors All The Pretty Horses. Its latest chapter concerns her “beautiful boy” Annapolis, who entered her life as the bonus in the package with the $4 million purchase of My Miss Sophia (Unbridled's Song) at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. The GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up was then pregnant by Bass's favorite stallion, War Front, and from the moment their son stood up from the foaling straw it was clear that the mare was going to pay her way. “Oh my gosh, he was a spectacular foal,” Bass recalls. “Really something from day one. The mare was a huge stretch, quite terrifying actually. But when Steve [Young, agent] showed her to me, she was such a queen. And then Seth [Hancock] told me, 'You buy that mare.' So we did!” Sent to his dam's trainer Todd Pletcher, Annapolis was an unbeaten graded stakes winner at two, and as a sophomore beat his seniors in the GI Coolmore Turf Mile (stakes record). But his pedigree certainly entitled him to try the main track-My Miss Sophia is a half-sister to a GI Florida Derby winner, from a family strewn with elite dirt performers-and that was very much the intention when Annapolis was derailed by injury in January. Suddenly he was on his way to Claiborne, with barely any time to retrieve the head start enjoyed by all the other new sires. “It wasn't the best of timing,” Bass acknowledges. “But we all went to work, bought him some nice mares and started politicking. Of course, I wasn't very quiet about him. I was pushing a little. Well, maybe a lot! Only for the Fort Worth Zoo, which has been my life's work for 40 years, do I otherwise act this way. I hope people don't start running the other way when they see me!” To do so, however, would be to reverse every instinct for enjoyment-and, as it turned out, Annapolis himself was all the salesman needed. “A lot of people got very excited very quickly,” Bass says. “He's a big, strong horse with a lot of bone, and wonderful balance and disposition. He's just gorgeous, really. And of course he's so beautifully bred. I was really thrilled with the interest. He ended up with 149 mares, which is what I consider a full book.” After that remarkable response, against the clock, Annapolis is now recruiting his second book. And what makes the momentum behind him so fulfilling is that a Claiborne stallion brings his owner right back to the future. To understand that, however, we must return to what was once called the Wild Horse Desert. “But we do have shade,” Bass protests, when you suggest that six generations on a cattle ranch-founded in the era of border bandits, tribal raiders and Texas Rangers-give her family history the widest of those wide horizons. “We have trees! South Texas is actually very pretty. We have beautiful wildflowers, when it rains. And, yes, trees: gorgeous live oaks, and mesquites, and many others.” A friend from New York, though pleasantly surprised not to find herself in a literal desert, was told she couldn't leave early on a Sunday because everybody would be out with the quail hunt. Like, everybody. Not to worry, she replied, she would just get a cab. Bass raises an expressive eyebrow. “Okay, girl, you find a cab out here.” So it's trees, yes; taxis, no. And the women go shooting same as everyone else. “All of us grew up with wildlife, cattle, hunting,” Bass says. “Even if people weren't ever on a ranch, that's all part of the Texas character. Texans are very proud of their heritage, and still think of themselves as independent, loyal, and probably pretty outspoken. We were a republic for nine years, and no-one ever forgets that. And that country stayed wild a long time. We were still getting bandits down there in the 1900s. I have a photo of my great uncle at the ranch with Pancho Villa.” But the Lonesome Dove heritage-and Bass remembers devouring that epic in three days straight, pregnant on the porch, resting the book on her bump as though to inculcate border lore into the next generation while yet unborn-in her family's case dovetailed usefully with another trademark Texas saga, the kind chronicled in Giant. For it was oil that enabled her father, Arthur A. Seeligson Jr., to fund the love of racehorses he shared with his daughter. “My husband Lee calls horses 'Ramona's affliction,'” says Bass. “In my case, it's an inherited condition. It was not so, for my father. My grandparents were rather serious, and very perplexed by horseracing and gambling. But one summer [ranching neighbor] Bob Kleberg-whose granddaughters are some of my dearest friends-took my father to Saratoga for a visit, and the rest is history. “Dad took a share in Graustark, and bought Brown Berry who became our blue hen. It turned out to be quite the nick. From their matings we had major stakes winners not only in America but Europe as well. It was the best of times. Dad loved horses, and so did I. I'd always go to the track with him when no-one else would. Growing up, every August the whole family would leave Texas lock, stock and barrel, to be in La Jolla for Del Mar. Every year of my life. I have pictures in the winner's circle when I was probably three years old.” It wasn't just about the sire, naturally, and Bass stresses equal gratitude to the dam. (“Thank goodness,” she says, “for my beautiful, talented, organized and always loving mother, who kept the whole family in order-and still does!”) But when Bass referred to Texans as “pretty outspoken,” her father was no exception. “He was a character,” she says. “But outspoken in a gentlemanly kind of way. When we say 'character,' it's a positive. It means a person stands out and isn't afraid to be different or unique. And he was always very funny. I miss him a lot. I was so lucky because Dad always told me I could do anything I set my mind to. And I believed him.” One of the most fortunate introductions made in those years was to Claiborne, where Seeligson stood Brown Berry's best son. Bass alleges that she was already 20 when Avatar won the 1975 Belmont Stakes, a claim that shakes either her own credibility or that of one's math teacher. Regardless, it's a memory that keeps her young. “He had run second to Foolish Pleasure in the Derby, and probably would have won but for an incident with a horse called Diablo, appropriately named Devil!” Bass recalls. “So Avatar should have been one of the favorites for the Belmont, but wasn't.” She breaks into that smile again. “I tell you, they didn't exaggerate too much, in the Seabiscuit film, about how the East Coast looked at West Coast horses! Tommy Doyle worked him a mile and a half the Wednesday before the race. Do that today, they'd say you were crazy. But those horses were warriors.” Poignantly, Bass recalls that there was a proposal for the three Classic winners to square off in a decider. Her father rejected the idea, as not suiting Avatar, and the match instead devised for Foolish Pleasure ended in the indelible tragedy of Ruffian. Overall, however, to the young Bass that era ignited an undying passion. While her parents raced all over, “our horses were based in Southern California and we were there a lot, which certainly didn't hurt my feelings!” And actually Brown Berry had already produced a Derby favorite in Unconscious, albeit that ended in anti-climax (fifth and injured). “Apparently Unconscious was named for a gambling term,” Bass explains. “If you're gambling unconscious, you can't lose. Personally I think owning these horses is gamble enough. But all month in La Jolla, Dad and his friends would sit on the beach playing backgammon and then go to Del Mar in the afternoon.” Now, nearly half a century later, Bass has a stallion at Claiborne herself. Annapolis looks excitingly qualified to contest the same vacancy among turf stallions, following the loss of English Channel and Kitten's Joy, that has catapulted Oscar Performance to stardom-with the bonus of those stellar dirt names in his pedigree. “People see Annapolis as real value,” Bass says proudly. “He's not a $12,500 horse, but we decided to start there because he didn't come in before January. Really, if you look around, he's probably more like a $20,000-$25,000 horse.” So now Bass can joke about herself as an “inherited affliction” for Claiborne, and likewise for Richard Mandella, who trains most of her horses just as he previously trained for her father. Above all, the “affliction” has joyously infected her son Perry. “So our relationship is the same as I had with my father,” Bass says. “It was actually Dad who started taking Perry to Del Mar when he was four. He'd feed him chocolate sundaes all day to keep him quiet. So when he got home, it was just a sugar-high nightmare. But Perry became as obsessed as I am, which is lovely for me. Thankfully he does all the things I don't like, i.e. keeping the books! I just love being with the horses, picking them out at sales and planning matings together. We're a breed-to-race outfit, after all, but we do sell when necessary. Anyway, it's such fun for Perry and me to have this together. My girls aren't a bit interested-and my husband just thinks we're crazy.” In every other way, happily, Lee has proved a blessed match. “We came from the same world, our families had been friends for generations, and he was at Yale with my brother-but we just kept missing each other,” Bass says. “And thank goodness, because I was the sit-in-the-front kind of student, raising my hand all the time, trying to be good. I think Lee had a little more fun than I did. But we ended up meeting at a good age, I was 27, and so often in life timing is everything. And he has really been such a good sport about all this.” How could he not, when confronted daily by that smile? For others, certainly, her enthusiasm is contagious-not least the breeders lining up for Annapolis. “I've never had a stallion before, so this is all new to me,” Bass says. “But it's great to bring things full circle with Claiborne. He looks a man now. Coming off the track, he still looked a boy. But his lovely personality hasn't changed. He's a fun character. Sleeps all day, and a real baby about his peppermints. His man Rodeo has cared for a lot of stallions, over the years, and says Annapolis is the easiest he's ever been around. He just walks up, does his duty, turns around and walks back. No scene, no yelling, no bucking or kicking. Of course I'm prejudiced, but he's just a special horse.” My Miss Sophia has lately been “married” to Gun Runner with such persuasive results-Don Robinson is breaking a yearling filly, with a weanling colt next-that she's back in foal to the Three Chimneys champion. And very soon we'll start finding out whether Annapolis can extend her dynasty. For now, Bass is just glad to see him given every chance. “We're so grateful to our wonderful and loyal friends, who were first in to support us,” she says. “And to those shareholders and breeders who stepped right up. I do believe in him-and thankfully I'm not alone.” The post Annapolis Helping Bass Hit the High Notes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed on Tuesday that the appointment of a new chief executive officer will be announced in the new year to allow the newly appointed BHA chair, Lord Allen of Kensington, to play a role in the recruitment process. Upon the completion of Julie Harrington's term on Tuesday, December 31, the BHA's current chief regulatory officer Brant Dunshea will take on the role of acting CEO while the recruitment process is finalised. Dunshea joined the BHA in March 2015. He was promoted to the role of director of integrity and regulatory operations in September 2016 and then chief regulatory officer in April 2018. The post Appointment of New BHA Chief Executive On Hold Until 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article