Wandering Eyes

Two weeks after Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) threatened to pull out of racing at Fair Grounds in New Orleans and one week after the gaming company extracted purse-cut concessions from the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (LAHBPA), the Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) on Tuesday approved 76 November-through-March race dates for the 2025-26 meet at historic New Orleans track. CDI had informed the commission by letter June 9 it wanted to voluntarily surrender its Fair Grounds license because a March state Supreme Court decision and two recent pieces of legislation, all related to gaming, were allegedly “adverse and harmful to the economic interests of Fair Grounds.” Non-public negotiations involving state leaders and the LHBPA's agreement to “slight” purse reductions subsequently resulted in CDI walking back its threat to close. As TDN's Bill Finley reported June 17, “One factor that may have caused CDI to strike a more conciliatory tone was action taken last week by the New Orleans City Council and state lawmakers to ensure that the property could not be developed for other uses.” Anthony McAuley of the New Orleans digital news site NOLA.com reported that Cathy Beeding, the Fair Grounds general manager, told the LSRC at the June 24 “emergency” meeting that the upcoming racing season would begin as previously planned, on Nov. 20. “We're just happy there's going to be a racing season this year,” Beeding told NOLA.com. LSRC chair Edward Koehl thanked Gov. Jeff Landry for his help in resolving the issue. After the meeting, he underscored to NOLA.com that the state made no concessions of any kind to CDI. Louisiana State Racing Commission approves dates for horse racing at Fair Grounds | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/3KWctSMivv — wdsu (@wdsu) June 24, 2025 The post Louisiana Commission Awards Fair Grounds Dates After CDI Rescinds Threat To Close Track appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Scratched from the GI Woody Stephens S. on the blockbuster GI Belmont Stakes program at Saratoga June 7, 'TDN Rising Star' Colloquial (Vekoma) will be given 60 days off, per co-owner Jack Wolf of Starlight Racing. “He's at Fair Hill right now with Bruce Jackson,” Wolf said. “Dr. Yarborough and (trainer) George (Weaver) didn't like the way that he was moving. Even though–we'd been pointing to that thing for some time–it was a tough call, it was the right call. He'll probably be back in 60 days or something like that. Nothing too terribly major.” The prestigious GI Malibu S., typically held on Santa Anita's opening day program the day after Christmas, will be the long-term target for the Harrell Ventures and Starlight Racing colorbearer upon his return. “I'm sure he'll be ready for the Malibu, or probably a race before then,” Wolf said. “That's sort of what we're thinking anyway. The horse will tell us as you well know.” Colloquial posted four breezes for Weaver following his front-running win in Keeneland's Lafayette S. Apr. 7. He was listed at odds of 6-1 on the morning line in a very deep renewal of the Woody Stephens, which was won by 'Rising Star' Patch Adams (Into Mischief). The $240,000 Keeneland September graduate earned a gaudy 106 Beyer in his prior start, a seven-length maiden win in his sophomore debut off the bench at Aqueduct Feb. 7. Only three 3-year-olds have run faster races on the Beyer scale this year–Sovereignty (Into Mischief) (109), Journalism (Curlin) (108) and Magnitude (Not This Time) (108). Colloquial's debut second–beaten just a nose by Fierceness (City of Light)'s full-brother and subsequent GIII Futurity S. winner Mentee–at Aqueduct last June was highlighted in our 'Second Chances' series. Colloquial hails from the first crop of the promising Spendthrift Farm stallion and Weaver-trained Vekoma, who is already responsible for a quartet of graded winners. He was produced by the John Oxley-bred, two-time winner Terminology (Bernardini). His third dam is Oxley's GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Gal in a Ruckus. He was bred in Kentucky by Michael and J.B. Orem. “Vekoma is the next coming,” Wolf said. Watch the full replay as COLLOQUIAL turns back the challenge and captures the Lafayette (L)! pic.twitter.com/Ax9Xu6fbh1 — Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) April 7, 2025 The post ‘Nothing Too Terribly Major,’ 60 Days Off for Woody Stephens Scratch Colloquial appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

However poignant the cue, our collective reflections on the legacy of D. Wayne Lukas will discover much comfort not only in his vital embrace of every moment of a long, fulfilling life but also in the benedictions we can take forward with us. These range from the example he has set us all, in passionate advocacy of our sport, to the more specific conduits of horsemanship he opened in “coaching” Todd Pletcher and so many others. In measuring our gratitude, however, we additionally find ourselves contemplating a curiosity that invites precisely the kind of original thinking he trademarked. For we can at least ask ourselves the question whether the principal genetic bequest of horses trained by Lukas should ultimately be credited to broodmares. Considering the parade of outstanding colts through his hands, none quite reached true greatness at stud. But we will not be surprised, given the tremendous physical constitution that he often discovered in campaigning them so fearlessly, that the best of them tended to impart robustness. Arguably the most successful, in fact, belonged to his second tier of racetrack achievers: the likes of Carson City, Southern Halo (Arg) and Dynaformer. Among his most accomplished runners, Gulch and his son Thunder Gulch certainly had their moments; so did Proud Citizen, Capote and Mt. Livermore. In terms of a lasting impact on the breed, however, might we allow greater resonance to, for instance, Terlingua (Secretariat), Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom {Fr}) and Cara Rafaela (Quiet American)? Now obviously in his pomp Lukas was receiving exceptionally well-bred fillies, whose second careers can always be redeemed even by a single outstanding foal–hardly an indulgence afforded to stallions. All three of the fillies just mentioned, as elite performers, earned corresponding covers. And while their trainer plainly maximized their potential, he can hardly be credited for whatever they could transfer genetically. Terlingua was a $275,000 yearling from Secretariat's second crop, but after she had attested to the quality of her genes–both on the track and then in producing Storm Cat–her half-brother Royal Academy (Nijinsky) would repay even a $3.5 million punt as a yearling. Blush With Pride was also by a young stallion, first of four Grade I winners in Blushing Groom's debut crop, but her dam Best in Show (Traffic Judge) was developing her own dynasty sufficiently to make $650,000 as a yearling. But Cara Rafaela, actually another from her sire's first crop, cost no more than $70,000 and her son Bernardini has built his spectacular success as a broodmare sire from fairly limited family. But what all three had in common is that they stood up to the exacting Lukas regime: Terlingua, seven-for-17 across 20 months; Blush With Pride, six-for-16 across 13; Cara Rafaela, four-for-24 across 29. Now we all know that there are no rules with Thoroughbreds, and that some of the best racemares have proved extremely disappointing producers–to the extent that there's a whimsical theory that the likes of Winning Colors (Caro) or Spain (Thunder Gulch) were too masculine as athletes to excel as mothers! But in exploring a horse's attributes so thoroughly, certainly in a fashion that would unnerve most trainers today, perhaps Lukas did a couple of contrasting things. With colts, perhaps his genius and searching methods together reached parts that other trainers couldn't, while rival stallion prospects may not have reached the same ceilings elsewhere–only for their relative merits to be more truly reflected in their stud careers. With females, on the other hand, the proof of their toughness perhaps helped breeders in their decision-making. Who knows, it may well be that Storm Cat's breeders might have hesitated to use a stallion like Storm Bird, whose unfortunate sophomore career left a query over his constitution, if Lukas had not amplified the compensatory strengths of Terlingua–very possibly the source of the mental toughness we associate with Storm Cat's stock. So let's learn one more lesson from the Coach. Because in an era when trainers keep horses timidly shy of their limits, it has become much harder for breeders to know where to find the real seams of ore. Crimson Advocate | Ryan Thompson An Advocate For Dirt At Ascot Proud Citizen was certainly what the English might salute as a “yeoman” among the stallions from the Lukas barn: not a breed shaper, maybe, but a worthy, middle-ranking influence. In fact, it's almost as though his name flavored his reputation, as a stalwart, upright contributor to the breed. Certainly it feels edifying to find him behind a filly like Crimson Advocate (Nyquist), whose achievement at Royal Ascot last week had a greater significance than was locally granted. When she won at the meeting as a juvenile, she represented an American barn and her dash over five furlongs was duly perceived as “standard issue.” Returning last year, from a new base in Newmarket, she duly persisted at the same distance and made no impact. But this time round, she had been reinvented as a hold-up miler and cut them down stylishly in the G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes. Only one other Nyquist foal has ever been trained in Britain. Her name is Habooba, and she started her career in Dubai before transferring to a small yard in Newmarket. Last month in a competitive handicap at York, she won for the fifth time since, and has now won one-fifth of her trainer's career prize money to date. As so often, then, a top-class American sire has been given virtually zero chance in this theater, while giving an ample hint as to what he might achieve if given the same kind of opportunity as when dirt-bred sires transformed the European scene a couple of generations ago. Nyquist obviously nailed the dirt grail in the GI BC Juvenile/GI Kentucky Derby double, much as his breeders would have dreamed in sending the daughter of a GII Adirondack Stakes winner to Uncle Mo. But he has actually had a Grade I winner on turf in California, in Johannes, and if he sought some extra chlorophyll for Crimson Advocate then it was available in the daughter of Proud Citizen who produced her. For Citizen Advocate achieved a rare distinction in winning consecutive black-type sprints as a juvenile on three different surfaces: turf, synthetic, dirt. Her half-sister by Dixie Union is the dam of no less a dirt performer than champion juvenile filly Caledonia Road (Quality Road). She also gave us Officiating (Blame), winner of three graded stakes on dirt (albeit also stakes-placed on turf), plus the dam of GII Wood Memorial winner Lord Miles (Curlin). But the next dam is an unraced daughter of the South African import Horse Chestnut (SAF), obviously a grass operator himself, and a Deputy Minister mare who showed a glimpse of ability in a light career. Her name was Sunset Service and, true to the distaff influence of her sire, she stands above several stakes performers and/or producers, notably as second dam of Grade I winners on both surfaces in Hymn Book (Arch) and Data Link (War Front) respectively. Fundamentally, however, the reason this filly is effective in this environment is simply because dirt speed tends to hold up, just about wherever it is given a chance. Complexity | Sarah Andrew Complexity Has Momentum The proudest achievement of Proud Citizen? Two GI Kentucky Oaks winners homebred by Brereton C. Jones, who stood him at Airdrie. That farm continues to do justice to the late Governor's legacy, and last weekend its clients filled the first two places in the GIII Ohio Derby. Mo Plex is by thriving second-crop stallion Complexity, whose seven stakes winners to date leave him behind only the dozen fielded by Vekoma. The leader of this pack is certainly making his volume count, with 83 winners from 125 starters compared to Complexity's 47 from 86. Of the intake's other key protagonists, McKinzie's 39 from 117 starters, four at stakes level, remain unexceptional percentages redeemed by his startling five Grade I performers; Tiz the Law has 41 from 80, six in black-type races. Saturday's runner-up Chunk of Gold (Preservationist) meanwhile resumed his progress after a midfield finish at Churchill. Not even Airdrie could get adequate traction for his sire, since exported, but this $2,500 yearling reminds everyone to persevere right to the end of their consignment when the yearling sales resumes next month. Remember that a $3,000 yearling from the first crop of Beau Liam made $250,000 at OBS last Wednesday after clocking :20 1/5. As for Mo Plex, he is turning out to be much more than the precocious dasher who rolled his first three last summer, including the GIII Sanford Stakes, before placing in the GI Champagne Stakes. With this two-turn debut opening up new horizons, his rise reflects well on a sire here working with only wisps of black type before you reach Mo Plex's third dam Anklet (Wild Again), who won the GIII Florida Oaks and was herself well-related. But we must also give a nod to his late damsire Uncle Mo, whose posthumous legacy had of course been further enhanced by Crimson Advocate as a daughter of his heir Nyquist. The post Breeding Digest: Lukas Showcased Toughness Of Great Broodmares appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

4th-CD, $120,000, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 2:23 p.m. Flying Dutchmen's WHERE LUCK LIVES (Nyquist) gets a start for trainer Brian Lynch. A $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select yearling purchase, the dark bay is out of SW and GISP Holiday Soiree (Harlan's Holiday). The mare, who sold for $300,000 at Keeneland November in 2023, is already responsible for Grade I scorer Vahva (Gun Runner), who most recently won the GII Chicago Stakes at this venue last weekend in addition to GSP Signal From Noise (Arrogate). TJCIS PPs The post Wednesday’s Insights: Where Luck Lives, Half Sister to Vahva, Debuts at Churchill Wednesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

You don't spend 26 years working as travelling head lad for Aidan O'Brien without becoming one of the most recognisable faces on the racing circuit but, after closing the chapter on his career at Ballydoyle last Christmas, TJ Comerford shot to prominence in his own right by consigning two of the most expensive lots at the Goffs Arkle Sale. That debut consignment from Ballintogher Stud, the Monasterevin base that Comerford now operates from alongside his partner Stephanie Ocsko-Moore, featured only two horses – both of which were foal pinhooks belonging to Adrian McAndrew, a close friend of Comerford. The Crystal Ocean gelding sold for €200,000 to Eddie O'Leary, believed to be on behalf of Gigginstown House Stud, to join Gordon Elliott while the Walk In The Park gelding made €155,000 to Megan and Paul Nicholls. If Carlsberg did debut consignments. Comerford said, “We never consigned a horse before the Arkle Sale. It was an amazing achievement but the press interviewed everyone bar us, which we couldn't believe. A friend of mine, Adrian McAndrew, who played hurling for Kildare, bought the two horses as foals. It's funny because a cousin of mine, Andy Comerford, who hurled for Kilkenny, used to manage Kildare. So Adrian came up to me at the Dublin Racing Festival asking me would I pre-train a couple of horses for him. I said I would, no problem, and when he dropped them off, he asked me to come and look at these two horses in the field with him. I didn't think anything of it. But when I got there, I soon realised that these were two fine horses. Adrian was asking who I thought he should give them to for the Arkle Sale and said he'd had no luck with some of the different consignments down through the years. I said, 'sure I'll do them for you Adrian,' and that's how it happened. “The Crystal Ocean was the joint sale-topper in the three-year-old section. Eddie O'Leary bought him for Gordon Elliott. And then the Walk In The Park sold for €155,000 to Megan and Paul Nicholls. It just goes to show you, if you have two of the best horses in the sale, it doesn't matter if they are out in the car park or not. Once they are there, people will come to look at them. Word gets around. I must say, I really enjoyed it. Now, it wouldn't have been enjoyable if you were there trying to sell a bad one. But it was enjoyable.” Comerford has travelled some of the most famous horses of our time to win big races all around the world but admits to being happy with what he describes as a new lease of life in his new home in County Kildare. Joshua Tree winning the Canadian International for O'Brien in 2010 was put forward as Comerford's greatest day in the sport but fellow Ballydoyle-trained inmates like Magic Wand and Adelaide are also particularly close to his heart. However, now his attention has turned to managing Ballintogher Stud along with his partner Stephanie, who he refers to as “the boss”, and the plan is to continue to attract outside clients. Ocsko-Moore explained, “I bought the farm in the fall of 2018 and then Covid hit. I was still in America quite a lot and everything was shut down over here. It wasn't until Jack [three] was born where we decided to give this place more of a push.” Part of that push was the installation of a water treadmill that, by the time it was completed, cost a cool €200,000. That addition has generated plenty of outside business with trainers and breeze-up handlers among the most frequent users. But such an addition also comes in handy with the sales horses. “It strengthens them up,” Comerford explained. “These two [the Arkle Sale duo] were on it and it worked well.” Ocsko-Moore added, “It's fabulous for low impact and excellent for building a top line, building muscle. And you're taking away from joint strain. We actually get a lot of dogs here as well. We get a lot of show dogs here.” Is there anything that you don't do? “We do everything,” Comerford replies. “We pre-train, break in a few for Sheila Lavery, Danny Murphy, Daniel McLoughlin, and have taken in some good horses from other trainers to put on the water treadmill. Stephanie has a licence as well so she's going to run a few. But I'm only a blow-in so all I do is go to Royal Ascot and lead up for a few trainers!” With that, Comerford points to the fact that he has just arrived back from the Royal meeting, where he travelled over Joe Murphy's breakthrough Group 1 winner Cercene 24 hours previously. There was also a separate trip done on behalf of trainer Sheila Lavery, who is another big supporter. He may have stepped off the hamster wheel of Ballydoyle but he will never see anyone stuck. “That was crazy,” says Comerford, reflecting on the Coronation Stakes success of Cercene. “Joe is some man. He beat them all on the big stage at Ascot. Between Joe and Sheila, I have done a bit of travelling to the races since I left Ballydoyle and I've enjoyed that.” Asked if it was a leap of faith to leave Ballydoyle after spending 26 years working for Aidan O'Brien, Comerford replied, “Not really. I never really wanted to leave. Remember, I met Aidan in Jim Bolger's back in 1990. I gave 110 per cent at Ballydoyle but it just fizzled out. Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I made a few little decisions along the way that annoyed people but what do you do? There's no point in dwelling on it. “Never think that racing owes you anything. Look at Joe Murphy for example. That was a great day last Friday with Cercene winning the Group 1. But when five o'clock came, it was all over. They have to drive on now and get the next one. That's what it's all about. I've been doing this job all my life. I drove to England for Joe and, do you think when I got there that I wanted to go to bed? Not a chance. I watched the racing. I didn't want to go to bed. I love this game. I actually enjoy horses. I don't drink and I don't smoke but I eat and drink horses.” He added, “So, just when I packed in Ballydoyle, I went for a job with the IHRB [Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board]. During the interview, I told them that I was leaving Ballydoyle but, whether I got the job or not, I made sure they didn't feel like they owed me anything, because they didn't. I got the job anyway, which involves working at the point-to-points. I've done eight meetings and it's totally different. I was in Ballindenisk the same day as the Guineas and I can remember telling people I would have preferred to be at the point-to-point than in Newmarket. People thought I was mad but I was serious. You're dealing with real people where this is their bread and butter. The people at the point-to-points are there trying their best to get a result. It's been totally different for me and I enjoy it. I just like racing.” Attentions have now firmly turned to the future and things are looking bright for the 51-year-old. He has already been promised three horses for the Orby Sale and, judging by the performance of his debut draft at Goffs, Comerford is expected to be spotted at the sales more frequently going forward. He said, “I've always had horses on the side and done my own thing. We've bred a few and I suppose, when you work with horses, you're always going to try and do different things with them. That doesn't mean that, because you work with horses, you're a big expert. Everyone has an opinion but it's a matter of getting a bit of luck along the way. I'd rather be born lucky than rich. We're getting three horses for the Orby Sale to consign, which is exciting. By good sires, too – one is by Camelot and there's another by Mehmas. We'll try and get a few more. We just need to produce them as well as everyone else and hopefully we can continue to grow.” The post TJ Comerford Opens Up About Swapping Ballydoyle For Growing His Own Operation appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Last year's G3 Prix de la Rochette winner Houquetot (lot 416) is one of 13 new additions to the catalogue for the Arqana Summer Sale, which takes place between Monday, June 30 and Thursday, July 3. Trained by Christopher Head, the son of Wootton Bassett and G3 Athasi Stakes scorer Happen (War Front) was last seen finishing sixth in the G3 Prix Paul de Moussac. He will be offered by Haras de Bouquetot, along with fellow three-year-old Zekret (lot 414), a son of Zarak who recently finished fifth in the G3 Prix Hocquart. Trainer Elias Mikhalides is responsible for the two-year-old Mefie Toi (De Treville), who will be offered as lot 399 after winning his last two starts at Lyon Parilly, while the three-year-olds Boniface (lot 425) and Awaiting Christmas (lot 426) will also be of interest from the stables of Anastasia Wattel and Didier Guillemin, respectively. Make Believe's Boniface was a dual winner as a juvenile, while Awaiting Christmas, a son of Attendu, was Listed-placed at two when third in the Critérium du Languedoc. That quintet, in addition to eight additional wildcards with National Hunt profiles, will go under the hammer during the horses-in-training section of the Summer Sale, which falls on Wednesday, July 2. The post Group Winner Houquetot Tops 13 Wildcards Added to Arqana Summer Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Four-time stakes winner Storm Boy will join the Coolmore Australia roster in 2025, standing for an introductory fee of A$16,500, or approximately $10,691.View the full article

Metropolitan Handicap (G1) winner Raging Torrent continues to lead the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll ahead of a star-studded renewal of the June 28 Stephen Foster Stakes (G1).View the full article

Following Tuesday's confirmation stage, Derby winner Lambourn (Australia) headlines 10 colts who have stood their ground for Sunday's Irish equivalent at the Curragh, which could bring together the first three from Epsom for the first time since Ruler Of The World, Libertarian and Galileo Rock renewed their rivalry in 2013. Lambourn is a red-hot favourite to succeed where Ruler Of The World failed by completing the double for Aidan O'Brien, who could saddle up to five runners in his quest for a remarkable 17th victory in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, with the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial hero Puppet Master (Camelot) appealing as the chief supporting act to Lambourn. King George V Stakes runner-up Serious Contender (Wootton Bassett), G3 Queen's Vase fourth Shackleton (Camelot) and G3 Gallinule Stakes winner Thrice (Wootton Bassett) complete the list of possible contenders from Ballydoyle. At Epsom Lambourn produced a dominant front-running display to beat Lazy Griff (Protectionist) by three and three-quarter lengths, with another length back to Tennessee Stud (Wootton Bassett) in third. Whilst Lazy Griff's participation in this Classic is yet to be confirmed, Joseph O'Brien has reported that a rematch with the winner is very much on the cards for Tennessee Stud. “We were very proud of Tennessee Stud's run in Epsom,” said the trainer. “He got back a little bit early, but he came home very strong. The plan is to come back to the Curragh and so far his preparation has gone smoothly. We are excited about a rematch with Lambourn and probably a couple of others.” O'Brien added, “Tennessee Stud is open to a lot of improvement. His first run of the year was off an extended lay off. He came forward a lot from that run in Epsom, where he ran a career best, and we'd love if he could run another career best in the Curragh.” Ralph Beckett could run both Pride Of Arras (New Bay) and Sir Dinadan (Camelot) as he seeks a second success in the Irish Derby after that of Westover in 2022. G2 Dante Stakes winner Pride Of Arras will be on a recovery mission after finishing down the field at Epsom, while Sir Dinadan was last seen finishing second in the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood, a race won by the stable's subsequent G2 King Edward VII Stakes scorer Amiloc. Marc Chan, the owner of Sir Dinadan, could also have a second string to his bow in Jessica Harrington's Green Impact (Wootton Bassett), who regained the winning thread after his sixth in the 2,000 Guineas when landing the Listed Glencairn Stakes at Leopardstown earlier this month. The post Epsom Hero Lambourn Headlines 10 Irish Derby Contenders appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Spring 2025 cohort was comprised of Ed Brown Fellow Joshua "JC" Berry and Ed Brown Scholar Chris Morales— both Louisville, Kentucky natives with limited prior exposure to the thoroughbred industry.View the full article

Wednesday, Naas, post time: 18:40, AL SHIRA'AA RACING IRISH EBF JANNAH ROSE STAKES-G3, €42,000, 3yo, f, 10f 84yT Field: And So To Bed (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Barnavara (Ire) (Calyx {GB}), Bellacanta (Ire) (Gregorian {Ire}), Bonnie Moon (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), Butterfly Wings (Justify), Calrissiana (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Darzina (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), Dawn Spirit (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Faiyum (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Medici Venus (Tiz The Law), Tamam Desert (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}). TDN Verdict: Upped in trip after wins at Naas and Killarney, Juddmonte's unbeaten Faiyum is the exciting one in this line-up but she will have to prove herself against a smart yardstick in Barnavara. Third in last year's G2 Debutante Stakes at The Curragh, she was a neck behind the subsequent G1 Coronation Stakes heroine Cercene when they filled the paces in that track's G3 Athasi Stakes before upsetting Faiyum's classy stablemate Red Letter in Navan's Listed Kooyonga Stakes on her last two starts. Also up from a mile, she faces another unexposed type in the Gowran maiden winner Darzina who is bred to relish this kind of trip. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Carlisle, post time: 15:45, THE IRISH STALLION FARMS EBF ETERNAL STAKES-Listed, £47,000, 3yo, f, 6f 195yT Field: Glamis Road (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Anshoda (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}), Beaujolais Nouveau (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}), Fleetwater (GB) (Ardad {Ire}), Love Talk (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), Saqqara Sands (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), The Third Star (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), Verse Of Love (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}). TDN Verdict: TDN Rising Star Verse Of Love returns after a brief break having had two quickfire runs in the spring and retains abundant potential for Godolphin as a relative of the triple Australian Group 1 winner Avilius by Siyouni's sire Pivotal. Her biggest threat may come from Saqqara Sands, who put up a big performance on her seasonal bow when second to Formal in Epsom's Listed Surrey Stakes. [Tom Frary]. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Unbeaten Faiyum Faces Deeper Waters at Naas appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Parx, which announced last week it was canceling racing Monday and Tuesday due to excessive heat, has now also abandoned its slate of live races Wednesday. With a heat wave gripping much of the country, Delaware Park has also been forced to cancel its Wednesday card, while Finger Lakes and Prairie Meadows canceled their live racing cards Monday. The post Heat Forces More Cancellations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Sam Agars MY DAY MY WAY - R2 (5) Can finally break through at the seventh attempt from an improved draw Jay Rooney MY DAY MY WAY - R2 (5) Has gone close from wide draws at his past two starts and can break through Trackwork Spy LAHORE - R6 (3) Running well at Sha Tin and can make it fourth-time lucky on city circuit debut Phillip Woo SUPREME AGILITY - R7 (1) Can go one better on the back of a second last month at this level Shannon (Vincent Wong) CALIFORNIA MOXIE - R7 (7) Scored well...View the full article

America's Best Racing provides horse-by-horse look at Stephen Foster Stakes (G1).View the full article

Juddmonte's Kalpana (Study Of Man) is among 15 fillies remaining in contention for Saturday's G1 Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. She could take on Coolmore's Oaks runner-up Whirl (Wootton Bassett) and Estrange (Night Of Thunder), Cheveley Park Stud's emerging force in the fillies' middle-distance ranks. “That's the current plan,” Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon said of Kalpana on Tuesday morning. “We're just waiting on the forfeits today to see what's in the race and we'll check on France [Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud] tomorrow but Plan A seems to be the Curragh.” Kalpana's sole outing since winning the G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes last October has also been at the Curragh, where she was third to Los Angeles (Camelot) and Anmaat (Awtaad) in a hot running of the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. “She finished behind those two and it was big run. Hopefully that will put her bang there for this weekend,” Mahon added. The Juddmonte team has already enjoyed 15 stakes wins in 2025, led by Field Of Gold (Kingman), who backed up his win in the Irish 2,000 Guineas with a sensational victory over his fellow Classic winners Henri Matisse (Wootton Bassett) and Ruling Court (Justify) in the St James's Palace Stakes. He could head next to either the Sussex Stakes or Prix Jacques le Marois. Mahon said of the John and Thady Gosden-trained colt, “All good, he's happy and has started back cantering, and everybody seems happy with him. We don't really have a plan as such but it feels like we will be heading either to Goodwood or to Deauville and see where that brings us. He has come out of the race well.” He added of Field Of Gold's performance on the opening day of Royal Ascot, “He was very impressive, wasn't he? John said after Ireland that he thought he was as good as Kingman, and everyone has seen it now. He was justified in what he said. “The scary thing about him is that I thought, personally, that every time he ran he had improved physically. He looked like he has got stronger every run this year, and that's the exciting bit. Hopefully he can keep getting stronger and keep improving.” The post Kalpana Pointing Towards Curragh Return; Field Of Gold Resumes Cantering appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dollars & Sense with Frank AngstView the full article

The victory of Allonsy in Sunday's Pontefract Castle Fillies' Stakes brought up a notable milestone for Lanwades Stud as the Study Of Man filly was the 100th Listed winner bred at the farm during the tenure of Kirsten Rausing. The owner-breeder's association with the stud began in 1984 and during the intervening four decades 34 Group 1 winners have been bred at Lanwades, led by the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista (Frankel), along with 29 Group 2 and 41 Group 3 winners, bringing the total to 204 stakes winners worldwide. “It has taken some time, but it does, and I can't compete with the big boys but we try our best with limited numbers,” said Rausing. She added of Allonsy, who is now a five-time winner for Ralph Beckett, “She was brave, and it was only some time afterwards that I realised she had broken the track record by two seconds.” Beckett also trained Allonsy's dam, the G2 Park Hill Stakes winner Alyssa. The four-year-old filly therefore represents a cross of the Lanwades stallions Study Of Man and Sir Percy, the latter residing at the stud still in retirement. Rausing's other Listed winner of the season is the Feilden Stakes winner Almeric, who is also by Study Of Man out of a daughter of another Lanwades stalwart, Selkirk. Trained by Andrew Balding, the three-year-old colt has won two of his three starts and held an entry for the Prix du Jockey Club and Irish Derby but has been temporaily sidelined. “Almeric has had a small setback but we he is back in light work and we hope that he will reappear later in the season,” Rausing reported. Study Of Man's presence at Lanwades continues a long allegiance with his breeder, the Niarchos family, which stretches back to Niniski, the first stallion to be stood by Rausing. A son of Deep Impact, bred on the same cross with Storm Cat as Japan's reigning champion sire Kizuna, Study Of Man has covered his biggest book to date this season. He could be represented by his Group 1-winning daughter Kalpana as well as G2 Prix Saint-Alary winner Birthe – both members of his first crop of just 55 foals – in this Saturday's G1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. “He's covering some better mares now for obvious reasons,” said Rausing. “It was an uphill struggle for the first four or five years really, but he has done it himself, the hard way.” Among the mares with foals on the ground by him this year is Alpinista, who is now in foal to Siyouni. Her breeder added, “Alpinista is in excellent form and gave an audience to a group of Australian visitors here yesterday. She has a very nice colt foal, and her first foal is the yearling filly by Dubawi, who is not going to any sales. “Alpinista travelled to France with Alyssa, the dam of Allonsy, who also has a colt foal by Study Of Man and is now in foal to Zarak, which is quite interesting inbreeding to Mumtaz Begum, although a long way away.” The post Allonsy Brings Up Important Lanwades Milestone appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Star galloper Antino (NZ) (Redwood) isn’t far off returning to Tony Gollan’s Brisbane stables to ramp up his preparations for a Melbourne spring campaign aimed towards the Gr.1 Cox Plate. Antino, brilliant winner of last spring’s Gr.1 Toorak Handicap in Melbourne, starred in his home state during his most recent campaign with dominant victories in the Gr.2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast second-up and the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) demolition on May 24. Gollan told RSN Racing Pulse on Tuesday that Antino is scheduled to return to his stable next Monday (June 30) to start the build-up towards his planned return in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30. Gollan said Antino had put on a ‘good bit of weight’ during his spell and ‘looks really well’. “He stays in the paddock for three weeks, you work him out of the paddock for the next two, similar to when we got him back from Hong Kong,” Gollan said. “He was only off a three-run prep in the winter, so he went out in good nick and we’ll kick him off in the Memsie now at the end of August. “We’ll probably trial him down there (in Victoria), like I did last spring with him. “We’ll get him ready as much as we can here, make our way down there and give him a jumpout or a trial at Cranbourne on the Monday week prior to the Memsie and that will be enough to kick his prep off and off we go.” Antino finished fourth in the Memsie and third in the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington in the first two starts of his spring campaign last year and Gollan indicated those two races again loom as the likely first two runs of his spring campaign. And while Gollan has options after that, he indicated the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) could then be the favoured option at this stage on the way to the Cox Plate. “There’s different options you can do getting there, but my mindset at the moment would be to go to the Turnbull and then three weeks to the Cox Plate,” he said. And given what Antino was able to do during his recent Queensland campaign, Gollan is looking forward to giving the rising seven-year-old his opportunity over the 2040m at The Valley in the time-honoured Cox Plate in October. “The way he handled the 1800m around the Gold Coast and the 2000m around Doomben, those races certainly have got me excited for the spring,” he said. “I’ve always felt that he would get a trip. “It was probably a bit unfair on him, he went to Rosehill in the Five Diamonds that day (in 2023) and pulled up sore in a foot, etc, etc… “I went back to the mile then with him and at that good level for the next year, but I’ve always been really keen to get him back out to this trip and this is going to be an ideal spring to do it, the way that he’s come off this really nice winter preparation.” View the full article

Zac Purton has spoken of how highly he rates superstar Hong Kong sprinter Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress), saying if he goes to another level this campaign ‘he starts to get himself up into the Black Caviar territory’. The current odds-on favourite for The Everest, who has won his past 12 starts including four at Group One level, will return in September’s Chief Executive Cup, a race he won with ease last year. From there, there’s no easy path to the $20 million contest in Sydney, but Purton believes the David Hayes-trained star is more than capable of getting the job done regardless. “We’re really looking forward to coming down to Australia,” Purton said. “Although it’s not going to be the ideal preparation to get him there, hopefully we can get there in good enough form for him to be competitive. “He’s coming back now off the back of a break as a five-year-old, he could improve yet again. If he does, he starts to get himself up into the Black Caviar territory and that’d be amazing.” The superstar hoop was recently announced as an inductee to the Australian Racing Hall of Fame but he will miss the ceremony in order to keep an eye on Ka Ying Rising. This year’s ceremony will fittingly be held on August 31 in Brisbane, where Purton made a name for himself as one of Australia’s leading jockeys, however, the it clashes with a planned trial for Ka Ying Rising during the Hong Kong Owners’ Carnival, which Purton plans to be part of. “Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to make the ceremony,” he said. “We have the Owners’ Carnival here at Hong Kong on the Saturday night and Ka Ying Rising is going to be trialling. “It’s probably more important that I’m here to make sure his preparation is going smoothly, because he’ll have his first start (of the campaign) in Hong Kong the following Sunday. “There’s a flight that leaves to Brisbane at midnight every night of the week, except the one I need it … I would’ve loved to be there, but the world’s best sprinter probably comes first.” Purton was announced alongside trainer Peter Moody and broadcaster John Tapp OAM as the latest inductees to the Hall of Fame, becoming just the 44th jockey in the ranks. “It’s very special, it was great to get the news,” he said. “I probably didn’t quite understand the gravity of it at the time but since I’ve received the messages and calls and done a little bit more research, it’s a very tight list. “It makes me feel very honoured to be recognised by my peers and be put in that illustrious list, it’s probably the highest accolade I’ve received in my career.” View the full article

Storm Boy, a Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed when trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, is set to join the Coolmore Australia roster in 2025, it was announced on Tuesday. He has been introduced at a fee of A$16,500 (inc GST). The son of Justify was bought by Coolmore and a group of their friends and clients for an undisclosed sum after he made it three from three as a juvenile in the Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic. On his next start he won the G2 Skyline Stakes, before finishing third, beaten just a length and a quarter, in the G1 Golden Slipper, the world's richest race for two-year-olds. The first foal out of the winning Fastnet Rock mare Pelican, Storm Boy also won the G3 San Domenico Stakes on his return to action as a three-year-old, before posting creditable efforts in defeat when finishing third in the G2 Run To The Rose, fourth in the G1 Golden Rose and eighth, beaten around two lengths, in The Everest. “We are delighted to welcome Storm Boy back to Coolmore Australia for the 2025 season,” said Coolmore Australia's principal Tom Magnier. “His early performances on the track really had to be seen to be believed. He was jaw-dropping. Much like his sire Justify, he broke his opponents' hearts! He won five of his first seven starts in a really dominating fashion and was unlucky not to include a Golden Slipper in that tally.” Having joined Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle for a European campaign in 2025, he was last seen finishing down the field in Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and retires as the winner of five of his 12 career starts. Magnier added, “We took Storm Boy to Europe with the plan of winning the [G1] Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot but, unfortunately, we haven't been able to give him the ideal prep. We felt we were getting back to where we needed to be with him, but he was found to be quite lame since returning to Ballydoyle on Saturday.” Coolmore's Colm Santry said, “What's also particularly gratifying is the fact that we have come full circle with Storm Boy. He was born and raised here at Coolmore Australia. By the best young stallion in the world and out of a daughter of one of Australia's greatest broodmare sires, Fastnet Rock. He went through our draft at Magic Milions for A$460,000, after which we were happy to have bought him back for many multiples of that price.” The post Storm Boy Retired to Coolmore Australia at Introductory Fee of A$16,500 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tommy Hazlett was destined for a life in the racing industry, and the popular figure has seen it all, and won most, when it comes to riding over fences. Growing up in Southland, Hazlett was raised in a racing environment, with his father Mike Hazlett both an owner-trainer and a successful amateur rider, and his grand-uncle, hall of famer Bill Hazlett, among New Zealand’s leading owners and was twice runner-up in the national trainer’s premiership. From an early age, Hazlett had aspirations of becoming a jockey, and riding over fences became part and parcel of his apprenticeship once he was indentured to Wingatui legend Brian Anderton. “We had family involvement in racing, my father had an owner-trainer license and trained the odd jumper,” Hazlett said. “Anything that he thought was more capable than he was, he would send to Rex Cochrane to be trained. “I hunted from a young age and I was very lucky to have a magnificent hunting pony called Folly, who would jump anything that you put in front of him. As a matter of fact, I once jumped around the Riverton steeplechase course on him. “That really developed my passion for jumping at speed, and I had a fairly good idea from the time I started high school that I wanted to be a jockey. “I went to the Andertons because of the fact that it was pretty evident, even when I started my apprenticeship, that I wasn’t going to get too long out of riding on the flat.” After fulfilling his six rides required on the flat, Hazlett leaped at the opportunity to ride over fences and he couldn’t have asked for a better first mount in Rock Crystal, Hec Anderton’s Great Northern-winning hurdler. “I had six flat rides, and my seventh ride in a race was on Rock Crystal in a hurdle race at Invercargill,” Hazlett said. “He wasn’t a bad horse to have my first jumping ride on. “There were a few nerves, I was terribly excited to be able to ride him. I asked Hecy Anderton before the race, ‘how would you like me to ride the horse?’. To which he replied, ‘he’s been around more times than you have son, just grab a hunk of his mane and hang on’. “Back in those days, they were full fields, and you used to start the hurdle race down the side of the track at what they called Finlay Road. After we went to the start, they had to put the wing up because there were that many horses. “I remember sitting in the gates and thinking to myself, ‘well, it’s too late now, you can’t go around it, so you’ll have to go over it.’” The South Island had many a role model for Hazlett in the riding ranks, and he recalled that soon after his debut, he would get a taste of just how competitive riding over fences could be. “I had a lot of respect for guys like Snooky Cowan, Neill Ridley, Angus Mavor and Shane Anderton, they were great riders and went a long way in teaching me a lot of what I knew,” he said. “The day that I rode Rock Crystal, Neill Ridley and Angus Mavor came to me in the jockeys’ room and said ‘we both knew your father well, we rode for him, and this is how it’s going to work. Out of respect for him, we’ll give you six rides grace, to get your head around it’. “Then, on my seventh ride, I was riding in a race at Invercargill and tried to kick up inside Angus Mavor at the one in front of the winning post, and he put me through the inside wing. “Things were a little different back then, but I had a great amount of respect for those guys.” After completing his time as an apprentice, Hazlett took what was intended to be a short holiday but ended up being more than a decade living in Australia and Ireland. “When I finished my apprenticeship, I went for a month’s holiday to stay with a very good friend of mine, Kevin Jones,” he said. “We had worked together at Brian’s, he was actually his nephew. “At the time, Kevin was working at the Epsom Training Centre at Mordialloc, and after a couple of weeks he asked if I would like to get a job riding work for Rick Hore-Lacy while I was there, with him and Willie Harnett. “I did that, and then about four or five days before I was due to go back to New Zealand, Willie and I were walking through the carpark about to go home, and Robbie Laing approached Willie to ask who he was riding in a hurdle race on Saturday. “He already had a ride and Willie said, ‘Tommy’s over from New Zealand, he’ll ride him for you’. The horse was called Iron Paper, he ran third, and Robbie asked me to ride him again at his next start. “Being apprenticed to the Andertons was an absolute privilege, the way you were looked after, the way you were taught, and the opportunities that you were given. When I rang Brian and told him that I had an opportunity to ride there, he said ‘you go for your life Tom, and just remember if it doesn’t work out, you can always come home.’ “I was lucky enough to be with Brian during a golden era, when he had horses such as Bymai, Lord Venture, Royal Trelay, and Bijoumai. To be fair, it wasn’t until later on in life, that I appreciated how much Brian had done for me. “If I hadn’t stayed in Australia, I never would’ve had the opportunity to ride in England and Ireland as well.” Hazlett rode winners in England, Ireland and across the Tasman, including three of Australia’s premier jumping races, the Australian Hurdle, Crisp Steeplechase and Australian Steeplechase. “When I started riding in Australia, the claiming system was different, and I still had a three-kilogram claim over jumps, which was very handy,” Hazlett said. “I ended up riding for Eric Musgrove a little bit during that time and always stayed in touch with him, and when I was in Ireland, he rang and offered me an opportunity to come and ride for him again. “He had Blue Star, who was potentially the best horse I ever rode, and I won the Australian Hurdle on him. I loved the old horse I won the Crisp on for Michael Zampatti as well (Sir Ritchie).” During his time abroad, Hazlett had the opportunity to ply his trade against some of the strongest, most gifted international riders. “I was never afraid of competition, but I probably wasn’t the best jumps rider out there, I was just very lucky to have ridden some nice horses,” he said. “It goes a long way when you’re riding jumpers. “In Australia, there were a number of great riders, including Willie Harnett, who is not only a magnificent rider but has become one of my dearest friends. Brett Scott had a great race brain and was very strong, he was also a left-handed whip rider and was deceiving to ride against in a finish. “Craig Durden was one of the greats, and he rode for one of the greats in Jim Houlahan. “Michael Patton and Jamie Evans were another two very successful riders, but I think the best jockey I rode against there was Frankie Stockdale. He was an exceptional rider on the flat and was very brave, he had a great ability to put a horse in the right spot at the right time. “In England, we had the opportunity to ride against some of the best riders, guys like Carl Llewellyn and Jamie Osborne. “In Ireland, no one will ever do what the jumping ‘goat’ Sir Anthony McCoy has done again, he won 20 jumps jockeys’ premierships in a row. I was lucky enough to ride against guys with the calibre of Charlie Swan, Ken Whelan and the like, but in my opinion, the most naturally and gifted rider I’ve ever seen in the world was Paul Carberry. “He was just absolutely one with the horse, he rode short and had magnificent balance, and he never moved on a horse. They just ran for him.” While still based in Australia, Hazlett collected the first of many feature victories in New Zealand, guiding his partner Pam Gerard’s hurdler Narousa to win the Great Northern Hurdles. “I came back to ride Narousa in the Waikato Hurdle and the Northern,” he said. “I was delighted to have won those two races for Pam.” The next chapter of Hazlett’s career took place back in his homeland, when he returned to the South Island permanently in 2003. A large part of that story is Mark Oulaghan, a trainer from Awapuni that he would develop a great partnership and a great friendship with in the years to come. “I didn’t know Mark at all before I came back to New Zealand, and when I did, he had rung me a couple to times to ride for him and I just hadn’t been able to get to the North Island,” Hazlett said. “Then Sabin Kirkland had a horse I’d been riding called The Muscle Man, and he ended up going to the North Island to Mark’s for a couple of months. Mark rang and asked if I would come up and ride him, which I did, and a little while later he rang again asking if I’d come to Wanganui to ride a horse called Yourtheman. “He said he thought he was pretty capable, but not the easiest ride, so I went up and rode him. “He won, and the rest is history really.” In the same year (2006), Hazlett and Yourtheman won the Grand National Hurdles, and later that day, he had his first ride aboard the Allan Sharrock-trained Bogeyman, and the pair won the Grand National Steeplechase. “It was due to Jonathan Riddell that I got on Bogeyman, he had been stable rider for Paul and Carol (Nelson) for a long time and he was committed to No Hero,” Hazlett said. “He rang me a couple of weeks before and let me know he was sticking with the horse, and he suggested I give Allan Sharrock a call to see if I could get on Bogeyman. “He was just ready, primed for the day, suited the track conditions, and jumped very well. Allan wasn’t in Christchurch that day, but once again, I called and asked how he wanted me to ride the horse, and he said, ‘just steer him son and he’ll win’. “He was right, and the same day, Yourtheman won the hurdle, which was the year they’d cancelled the Grand National Hurdle meeting because of the snow.” A year later, Hazlett went back-to-back in the Grand National Hurdles, on this occasion with the formidable Counter Punch, also trained by Oulaghan. He combined with son of Yamanin Vital on 13 occasions for eight victories, including an Awapuni Hurdles, Wellington Hurdle and Koral Steeplechase. “Out of all the horses that I rode for Mark, Counter Punch and Yourtheman were the best,” Hazlett said. “They were very well educated for a start, and Mark’s an old-school trainer, he doesn’t try to do everything at once. His young hurdlers may have one, two or three starts, mid to late in a season, then the following year they’re pretty much ready to go. “Counter Punch was an absolute natural, a very good jumper of a fence, and could really stay. Whereas, Yourtheman took a bit of making, he was a tricky horse to get your head around. But he was probably one of the toughest and most ignorant horses I’ve ever ridden, but that was what made him so good.” Unbeknown to him at the time, the Koral victory in 2009 would be Hazlett’s final ride on Counter Punch. He rode through the early part of the 2010 season, but a series of untimely injuries put him on the sidelines, where he would watch the gelding defeat Yourtheman to win both the Koral and the National in August. “I had broken my leg in a trackwork accident at home, which slowed me down a bit because the original doctor had told me it was just badly bruised,” he said. “After a month of walking around on it, it wasn’t getting any better, so I went back to Ashburton Hospital and saw the head orthopaedic surgeon, and after taking a shot on a different angle, he found I’d broken my tibia and fibula. “Straight after breaking my leg, in my first ride back at Awapuni, I fell at the fence leaving the straight, and Jonathan’s horse came over the fence and landed on my ankle, which completely obliterated it. “I was due to be back to ride Counter Punch in his first Grand National win, but then the surgeons decided they wanted to take the screws out of my ankle, so that ruled me out. “After that, I felt like I didn’t have any more to prove, Counter Punch was a horse I really wanted to win a Grand National Chase on because I’d won the hurdle on him, and when that couldn’t happen, it put things into perspective.” Taking many factors into consideration, including a young family, Hazlett decided the time was right to retire, and did so publicly while commentating on Trackside during National Week. “I had a young family, three children and two under three,” he said. “Pam had always supported me right through my career, she never asked me to change or to stop riding, so I thought maybe now it was time I supported her in what she wanted to do in her training efforts.” With 158 wins and a wealth of experience to his credit, Hazlett was welcomed into a new role as the apprentice jockeys’ mentor, but later discovered it wasn’t quite the right fit. “I had a little bit of an indication that the mentor’s role might be available, and I did that for 18 months, but then I worked out that I wasn’t really the right man for the role,” he said. “I called the Head of NZTR at the time and let him know I was relinquishing from the role for that reason, and he said he appreciated my honesty and wished me good luck. “From there, I rode work for a little while, then I had the opportunity to be the breaking in and pre-training manager at Valachi Downs. When that operation wound up, I was just pottering around doing a bit of this and that, because we also own an agistment property in Matamata. “I rang Mark Chittick one day and asked if there was anything on the farm that might suit me, and he said we’re looking for a truck driver, and I’ve been there ever since.” Described as a ‘Man Of Many Talents’ on Waikato Stud’s website, a title he doesn’t entirely agree with, Hazlett has been with the Matamata farm for well over two years, while supporting Gerard, who won this season’s Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) among a host of victories at the helm of Ballymore NZ. “I don’t know about that name, my main role is driving the truck, but otherwise I just make a nuisance of myself on the farm,” he said. Since his retirement, Hazlett’s involvement in jumps racing has diminished slightly, but he hopes to see a resurgence in the coming years, despite the loss of the South Island circuit. “I still enjoy watching the jumps and have a great involvement with Mark, we’re very good friends,” he said. “We discuss jumps racing quite a bit, and I went to Warrnambool with him this year with Berry The Cash. “I think, first and foremost, Pete and Jess Brosnan, and her committee, are doing a great job of attracting more horses and getting young riders involved in the industry. “I do think it could be a case of too little, too late, because in my honest opinion, I think that jumps racing has been in decline over the past five to 10 years, but we’ve allowed that to happen, until it’s got to the point where we now have no jumps racing in the South Island, apart from the Grand National. “I think that’s been a downside, because the South Island always used to be well-represented at the National meeting. “But, following that statement, there is people out there now, like Jess, that are doing a great job of trying to reinvigorate it, and they’ve done a magnificent job of attracting these young riders into the country and getting them going. “We don’t have a lot of old heads in the riding ranks anymore, but if the younger heads that are in the game are prepared to take on advice and listen to those that have been around for a while, there is an opportunity to see it flourish once again.” When sharing his wisdom on to prospective riders, Hazlett keeps it fairly simple. “I think riding jumpers is a real passion, it’s certainly not something done for serious financial gain, so you’ve got to be passionate about what you’re doing,” he said. “Listen to as many different people as you can, and it’s up to you to determine what is good advice and what isn’t. “The three most important things when riding jumpers are rhythm and balance, and always make sure that a horse has rein leaving the ground.” View the full article

Spiritus (NZ) (Ancient Spirit) will become the first North Island representative for southern sire Ancient Spirit on Wednesday at Pukekohe, and the juvenile has made a good impression on his trainer in the lead-up. Standing at White Robe Lodge, the multiple Group Two-winning son of Invincible Spirit has had a handful of runners closer to home, including placegetter Bobby Mcgee. Sourced from the Mosgiel nursery, Spiritus entered the care of experienced horseman Chad Orsmby, who couldn’t speak more highly of the gelding. “He’s my first (Ancient Spirit) in training and he’s been an absolute gem, such a nice horse to work with,” Ormsby said. “Right from day one as a breaker, all through the stages, he’s just been sensational. He’s been as good as you’ll find in terms of temperament and trainability. “From my understanding, some friends of ours purchased him from the South Island, and he’s come to be broken in and pre-trained. He’s done really well, and his future racing will likely be in Australia.” Out of Brian and Lorraine Anderton’s mare Evancho, Spiritus is a half-brother to Markus Aurelius, a seven-race winner, including the 2021 edition of the Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries (TAB) Mile (1600m). Ormsby anticipates his charge may be looking for distances beyond a mile in the future but always intended to gain raceday experience ahead of his three-year-old term. “We were looking to get a run under his belt before he goes out for a spell because I believe this horse has a big future,” he said. “I’m not expecting too much on Wednesday in his first start, but he’s been very professional in his trials and he’s a horse that will get up over 2400m and two miles in the future. “We’ve got him down as a Derby horse in the making, so we’re working back from there.” Spiritus will contest the Join TAB Racing Club 1200, where he has drawn barrier 10 of 12 runners. View the full article

Stakes targets are in the offing for Te Aroha mare Debit (NZ) (Darci Brahma), with trainer Peter Lock impressed with the way she has returned this year. The five-year-old daughter of Darci Brahma had a perfect spring preparation last year, winning all three of her starts, extending her envious record to four wins and a placing from five career starts. Lock elected to bring her south to the Foxton trials on Tuesday, along with a couple of stablemates, and he was pleased with the way she went, finishing fourth in her 1000m heat after initially set to trial over 800m. “We raced at Awapuni the other day and we thought we would bring the three open handicappers down for a trip away,” Lock said. “We are very happy with Debit, she is twice as big and strong as last year. We were just going to give her a quiet 800m trial but they cancelled it, so she had to go 1000m, and she wasn’t quite ready to go 1000m. “I told Chris Dell (jockey) once he has gone half a mile just sit up on her, which he did, he never moved on her and she coasted to the line. He said she felt brilliant, but had a big blow and she will improve a tonne off that run. She has pulled up well.” Lock has enjoyed the thrill of racing Debit with his good friends and clients Rod Conning and Trevor Sargent, and he is hoping they can add some valuable black-type to her record in the coming months. “We raced the mother and bred this mare. It makes it a little bit more special and we are all pretty excited,” Lock said. “She will go back and have another trial and then she will be all set and ready to go. “I would love to have a crack at the Foxbridge Plate (Gr.2, 1200m) at Te Rapa. Our main plan is to have a crack at that race first and we hope to have her hard and fit by then.” Lock’s colours featured prominently later in the day at Foxton, with Footloose (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) and Baderingdawitness (NZ) (Reliable Man) distancing their rivals in their 1200m, and they are now set to return to the Central Districts to kick-off their respective campaigns. “The two boys will probably head to Hawera in two weeks for a rating 75 1400m and a rating 65 1400m,” Lock said. “I couldn’t have been happier with what they did today.” Lock also shares in the ownership of fellow Foxton trialler Lady Blanche (NZ) (Churchill), who was having her first trial at Foxton for his daughter Casey Lock, and the pair were rapt with her placing in her 1200m heat. “Casey and I race her in partnership, and she was very good,” Lock said. “She has had a few jumpouts at home she has come through everything well. “It was her first start at the trials, so we decided to come down here for a trip away. “She is a half-sister to Viktor Vegas (who Casey trained to win the Gr.3 Waikato Cup, 2400m), so Casey is very excited. She just loves the horses and treats them like one of the family. If she is as half as good as Viktor Vegas, I said to her she will have a lot of fun.” Meanwhile, Lock is also excited about the prospects of a couple well-related youngsters to his former stable stars. “I have got a really nice half-brother to (Group One performer) Hiflyer for Cambridge Stud called Akehurst,” Lock said. “I was very lucky to get him and he goes really well. He is a Tarzino horse and is an absolute cracker. “The other one I really like is a two-year-old full-brother to the good Per Incanto mare I had called Faithful Feat. He has just come back into work and he is in absolute machine, I think he is as good as her, if not better. He is an absolutely magnificent specimen of a horse, and he can really gallop.” View the full article

Bidding to end the season on a high after a frustrating run of seconds, James Orman has identified Supreme Agility as the pick of his eight-strong book of rides at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. Joining the ultra-competitive Hong Kong riding ranks in February on a six-week contract, the Australian jockey made an instant impression with two early winners, helping him earn a licence extension through to the end of the season. The 27-year-old hopes to continue riding in the city next season, but...View the full article

Emily Murphy brings you Winter Weigh In, your place for Thoroughbred racing news, reviews and insights throughout the colder months. This week we wrap the action from a busy long weekend of domestic racing. Plus, Victorian commentator Matt Hills joins the show to talk about his upcoming trip to Trentham. Winter Weigh In, June 23 View the full article