Wandering Eyes

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Well, that was good. The jam-packed car parks at Kildare Paddocks translated into rip-roaring trade on the opening day of the November Foal Sale as the momentum gathered up towards the end of the yearling season carried over into what proved a memorable Monday for vendors at Goffs. And the €90,000 top lot by Blue Point (Ire)? It came at a time where the vendor needed it most. Rob Tierney might be best known as the face of Noel O'Callaghan's Mountarmstrong Stud. Together, the pair have enjoyed many good days. But Monday's sale-topper was consigned by Tierney under his own Mayfield Farm and he already has a home for the money–literally. “My wife Ciara and I are actually building a house this year so I'm not buying foals this year–we're trying to get money in rather than spending it! This touch is timely. We're delighted,” Tierney beamed. The Blue Point colt hails from Exceed And Excel (Aus) mare Emerald Isle (Fr), who Tierney sourced at Goffs in 2016 for just €12,000. Her latest offspring was snapped up by Guy O'Callaghan of Grangemore Stud. He continued, “I'm delighted-it's a great day. Look it, I've had some great twists with Noel over the years but you'd never get ahead of yourself and it's brilliant when it happens. This foal was very busy. We liked him a lot at home and we were hoping he'd be popular. But for him to make what he did, sure it's only a dream. I have to say that the trade there at Goffs today was unbelievable. You know, for what is meant to be one of the lesser days of trade, it was exceptionally strong and it was brilliant to see it.” O'Callaghan described trade at Goffs on Monday as “very strong” and admitted to being a huge fan of Blue Point after adding the top lot to his team. He explained, “Very good-looking horse by a brilliant stallion and out of an Exceed And Excel mare. Hoping for the best. Trade is very good and if you have a good horse you get very well paid. The market is very good. We've traded a few Blue Points well over the years and David [O'Callaghan] and I have the dam of Charyn (Ire) in foal to him so we're believers.” Of the 232 offered on Monday, 168 were sold at a clearance rate of 72%. The turnover stood at €3,834,500, the average at €22,825 and the median rested at €18,000. Talking points One of the first Perfect Power (Ire) foals to hit the market was well-received by Michael Fitzpatrick of JC Bloodstock, who went to €60,000 to secure the Tinnakill House-drafted filly early in the session. Lot 56 is out of a Cape Cross (Ire) mare Cairncross (Ire), who has already produced a black-type performer in Thunder Of Niagra (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). The only other offering by the stallion on Monday, another filly, sold to Moanmore Stables for €18,000. Tally-Ho Stud were the leading buyers on day one and added a Showcasing (GB) colt to the team from Windsor Stud for €88,000. The colt hails from Frankel (GB) mare My Only One (GB) and the result left Windsor Stud's Frank O'Callaghan visibly delighted. He said, “Delighted with how we got on today. A lot of the right people were on him and Tally-Ho ultimately won. He's gone to a great home and Tally-Ho have been great supporters of ours. Dad and Tony are brothers so we like to support them and they've supported us. He's been a dream to prepare–he'd a dote and is an unbelievable walker. Anyone who saw him loved him. He walked all day and I think he'd about 170 views. Delighted. We'd our fingers crossed–we thought we might do okay but delighted by how it went.” It was a pretty strong day overall for Cotai Glory (GB). The Tally-Ho Stud-based stallion was responsible for four of the top 10 yearlings sold on Monday and, all told, averaged €29,267 for 15 sold. First Foray Into Breeding Works A Treat For Forge Bloodstock Rory and Dan Maher of Forge Bloodstock | Goffs Rory and Dan Maher of Forge Bloodstock are rightly regarded as shrewd pinhookers and the brothers' first foray into breeding didn't go too badly, either, when selling a Cotai Glory colt to Paul McCartan under the banner of KM Bloodstock for €85,000. Consigned by Philip O'Dwyer of Ardreigh Stud, the Cotai Glory colt is the first foal out of the Oasis Dream (GB) mare Cantata (GB), who the brothers picked up at the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls for just 2,5000gns. Rory said, “He is a lovely foal–lovely mover, shape and blessed with a great attitude. A simple foal. He's gone to a good judge in Paul McCartan and fair play to Paul, he's operating at the top end and is one of the best at what he does. Best of luck to him. “For us, we usually buy a couple of foals every year but we purchased a couple of mares a few years ago and that has to work, too, as there are nominations to be paid. That's how this fella found himself here today. We knew he was a nice foal who would be accepted well at the sales so we decided to enter him to see where we were at and he sold above our expectations.” Maher added, “We bought the mare for 2,500gns at Newmarket. She was a maiden mare when we bought her and went to Cotai Glory because we're fond of him. But the mare is a big-walking mare and we knew she'd suit him. The mare is back in foal to Good Guess (GB). We actually only have two mares and the other is in foal to Mehmas (Ire). A special thanks to our good friend Philip O'Dwyer of Ardreigh Stud, who consigned him for us.” Buy of the day Roger O'Callaghan told TDN Europe on Sunday that Tally-Ho Stud's modus operandi when sourcing foals at the sales is a simple one; buy the ones that you think will run. In the shape of lot 137, a colt by the stud's own Cotai Glory (GB), the outfit looks to have filled that brief. At €62,000, Tally-Ho sourced a belting foal out of a Stakes-performing mare [Lady Beware (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire})]. Doubtless this is a horse that will be turned into money. Whether that be as a yearling or down the breeze-up route, only time will tell. Thought for the day Regardless of what way you look at it, there is a distinct lack of mile-plus foals that hit the market. Barring the odd exception, like Aughamore Stud paying €20,000 for a colt foal by Maxios (GB), most pinhookers and end users seem to prefer investing in speed and precocity at the foal sales. Such an observation is hardly a new one but it would be good to see some more variety to the market at times. The post ‘We’re Building A House So It’s Timely’ – Blue Point Colt Heads Strong Opener At Goffs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When graded stakes winner Wit (Practical Joke–Numero d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro) went through the ring at 2024 Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale, Andrew Cary, the bloodstock advisor for Keith and Ginger Myers' Coteau Grove Farm in Sunset, Louisiana, knew he wanted the horse, but not as a racing prospect. Cary's client and partner Whispering Oaks Farm in Carencro, Louisiana, saw the 'TDN Rising Star' as a perfect fit for the Louisiana breeding program. For the purchase price of just $100,000 they brought home a horse they believe will fit in nicely in the Pelican State, which is one of the sport's healthiest regional markets. “They decided to sell him in April,” Cary said. “It was good timing for us because it was too late for the breeding season and we weren't looking to run him. The timing was a bit odd. Maybe they were hoping that a South American farm would buy him. There was some interest there, but luckily for us, he kind of fell into our laps and we were very happy to get him.” Cary is always on the lookout for quality stallion prospects that are a good fit in Louisiana. Coteau Grove also owns No Parole (Violence) in partnership with Whispering Oaks, which stands the team's stallions. No Parole was a nice coup for the partnership as he is a rare Grade I winner to stand in Louisiana. No Parole won the 2020 GI Woody Stephens Stakes. In Wit they saw another horse with an impressive record on the track. Trained by Todd Pletcher, he won the GIII Sanford Stakes by eight lengths at Saratoga before finishing second in the GI Hopeful Stakes. Subsequent to winning the GIII Bay Shore Stakes on the dirt in the spring of 2022, Wit made a successful transition to the turf, winning the Better Talk Now Stakes at Saratoga, finishing runner-up in the GII Hall of Fame Stakes and GIII Bryan Station Stakes and a close third in the GI Hollywood Derby. “We have a high-quality broodmare band and we thought it was the right time to invest in a new stallion,” Cary said. “Not only would that give our mares a good option in the state, but also one that we have ownership in and can develop the horse. We already own No Parole in partnership with Whispering Oaks, so this is the same partnership. We just thought he was a very high-caliber horse with Grade I talent and a big profile that was a prominent 2-year-old. It's pretty rare to get that kind of horse here. When we saw the opportunity in April to do it, we took a shot. It made a lot of sense.” Cary has high hopes for Wit, in part because he and his partners will provide him with a quality broodmare band. “We've been pretty active,” Cary said. “We bought eight mares at Keeneland in November and we also moved quite a few mares that were based in Kentucky. They're now going to be foaled in Louisiana. He will have an incredible group of mares. A nice bunch of stakes mares, young mares, ones with quality pedigrees. He's going to get every shot.” Wit will–from Coteau Grove broodmare band alone–be bred to 30 mares. Cary said he envisions that Wit will be bred to about 60 mares in his first year at stud. Louisiana may not be Kentucky, but it is among the best regional breeding markets in the business. Stars on the racetrack this year include 18-time stakes winner Free Like a Girl (El Deal), who has made over $2 million, and Touchuponastar (Star Guitar), whose nine career stakes wins include four victories against open company. Louisiana-bred Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance) finished fourth in this year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, having won the GIII Fred Hooper S. at Gulfstream Park. They are always finding ways of beefing up the state's racing and breeding programs. “There is a new governor in office, Jeff Landry, and he is pro-racing and pro-breeding,” Cary said. “He understands that you have to have incentives for people to breed and race in the state. Our breeders awards are very competitive with the best states in the country. Not just for stakes horses, but for allowance horses, maidens, even claimers. It definitely helps when it comes to rewarding breeders on the back end for all the investment they've put in. Purses are going the right way, going up every year and, hopefully, they will continue to so for years to come. “Wit is a big beautiful horse,” Cary added “He was the highest-priced Practical Joke yearling of his year. (He sold for $575,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale). He has a nice female family, won first time out at Belmont, then won the Sanford and was second in the Hopeful to Gunite (Gun Runner). He was a very high-level horse and we're thrilled to get a chance to stand a horse like that right off the track.” The post Wit Joins Stallion Lineup At Louisiana’s Whispering Oaks Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority announced the addition of three new members to its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Standing Committee: David Ingordo, David Sykes, and Jonathan Coyles.View the full article

Nietzsche Has (Fr), runner-up in Sunday's G1 Prix Cambacérès at Auteuil, will stand for a fee of €7,000 when he retires to Haras de Montaigu as a National Hunt stallion in 2025, the stud announced on Monday. Bred by Scea Hamel Stud, the son of Zarak (Fr) carried the colours of Edward James and his Highbourne Stud, having been bought by bloodstock agent Guy Petit for €240,000 at last year's Arqana Deauville Summer Mixed Sale. In six starts over hurdles at Auteuil, he also won the G3 Prix Aguado in May and finished third in last month's G2 Prix Georges de Talhouet-Roy. Nietzsche Has is a half-brother to Niko Has (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}), a dual Listed-winning chaser and fourth in the G1 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. Their dam is a full-sister to the Prix Cambacérès winner Nirvana du Berlais (Fr) (Martaline {GB}) and a half-sister to Triana du Berlais (Fr) (Presenting {GB}), winner of the G3 Prix Edmond Barrachin, and Aubusson (Fr) (Ballingarry {Ire}), who produced one of his best efforts when third in the G1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. The post Nietzsche Has to Stand for €7,000 at Haras de Montaigu in 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Arqana's Autumn Sale attracted plenty of international interest on Monday with Australia's Best Bloodstock and American owner Mike Repole among the buyers of some of the day's more expensive horses in training. Heading down under is the day's leading light, the listed Prix Vulcain winner Newlook (Fr) (New Bay {GB}), who was sold for €480,000 from Carlos and Yann Lerner's stable to Jarred Magnabosco of Best Bloodstock. “I wasn't the only one bidding, he's attracted the attention of several Australian trainers,” said Magnabosco of lot 443. “He's been very impressive in recent wins, he hasn't raced much and can still improve a lot. In my opinion, he has the profile to succeed in Australia and be a contender for the Caufield Cup next year.” Included in the sale as a wildcard entry, the three-year-old gelding has won his last three starts for owner Ecurie des Charmes, all over a mile and a half, from just seven lifetime starts. He's a half-brother to three black-type performers including the G1 Prix de Diane runner-up La Parisienne (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), who was also trained by the Lerners. Another of the wildcard entrants was the Andreas Wohler-trained Westminster Moon (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), who will have a shorter onward journey to make than Newlook as he is off to Ireland next to be trained by Tony Martin after being bought by Toby Jones of TJ Bloodstock for €260,000. Sold as lot 427 through Anna Sundstrom's Coulonces, Westminster Moon is returning home, having been bred in Ireland by Kenilworth House Stud, who sold him as a foal for 45,000gns. He was a loss maker as a pinhook for Glenvale Stud when sold as a yearling for £15,000 but the four-year-old has lived up to that early promise with placings this year in the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis and three other group contests in Germany. “He will be trained by Tony Martin in Ireland with the aim of a mixed Flat and jumps career,” said Jones. “We liked a lot of things about him: he is very good looking, moves well and he has already shown great potential on the track.” The dual winner and listed-placed Elbaz (Fr) piqued the interest of Mike Repole, who was bidding online from the States and had the final bid of €210,000 for lot 452. The three-year-old Siyouni (Fr) colt was sold from the Aga Khan Studs and has gained listed back type in both his seasons of racing when trained by Francis. Graffard. The smartly-bred Elbaz is out of Elennga (Ire), an Exceed And Excel (Aus) half-sister to Classic winner Ervedya (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), who is in turn the dam of young Aga Khan Studs stallion and Group 2 winner Erevann (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}). From a smaller session to the comparable day last year, 19 fewer horses were sold and the turnover dropped by 33% to €4,660,000. The clearance rate was only marginally down at 81% for 150 horses sold from the 186 offered at an average price of €31,067 (-24%). The median was €12,500, down from €18,000. With Flat yearling and horses-in-training sessions now complete, the mixed sale continues over the next two days with the focus on two-year-old stores and National Hunt yearlings. A National Hunt breeding stock session brings the sale to a close on Thursday. Action begins each day in Deauville at 11am. The post Newlook Heads From Arqana to Australia For €480,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance announced that $4.14 million in grants will be awarded to 83 Thoroughbred aftercare organizations that currently hold accreditation status for 2024. View the full article

All post-race test samples taken from contenders in the 2024 Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar have been cleared by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit.View the full article

Edited Press Release David Ingordo, David Sykes and Jonathan Coyles have been added to the Horseraicng Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA)'s Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Standing Committee, HISA said in Monday release. A horse owner and bloodstock agent, Ingordo currently heads up Ingordo Bloodstock LLC and manages the Belladonna Racing Partnership among other equine-related roles. Sykes is an Australian-based veterinary consultant with strong ties to international racing and currently serves as the head of anti-doping for the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and consults for Racing Victoria on the Melbourne Cup Carnival equine welfare initiatives. He has also held senior roles in equine health with the British Horseracing Authority and Emirates Racing Authority. Coyles is vice-president of drug, health and safety programs for Major League Baseball, overseeing the league's drug prevention and treatment programs. “These new members bring vital expertise and perspectives to the ADMC Standing Committee, strengthening our efforts to promote transparency, safety and fair competition within horseracing,” said Charles Scheeler, Chair of the ADMC Standing Committee. As HISA welcomes these new members, the organization also expresses gratitude to Dr. Lynn Hovda, Barry Irwin and Kathleen Stroia, who are stepping down from the committee at the end of their terms and after years of dedicated service. “We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Lynn Hovda, Barry Irwin and Kathleen Stroia for their contributions to the ADMC Standing Committee,” said Lisa Lazarus, CEO of HISA. “Their commitment and insights have been instrumental in shaping the early years of the ADMC Program, and their legacy will have a lasting impact on the integrity and welfare of our sport.” The ADMC Standing Committee is required by federal law to be composed of four independent members and three industry representatives. The committee plays a key role in advising and assisting HISA with the establishment of comprehensive rules and protocols for its ADMC Program, including the Prohibited Substances List, laboratory testing standards, in-competition and out-of-competition testing programs, and ADMC research and educational initiatives. The daily operations of the ADMC Program are managed by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), a subsidiary of Drug Free Sport International, which works to ensure horseracing is conducted in accordance with the ADMC Program and that the welfare of horses is always prioritized when it comes to the implementation of medication rules. The post Three New Members Added to ADMC Standing Committee appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

All post-race test samples taken from contenders in the 2024 Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club have been cleared by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the Breeders' Cup announced Monday and purse distribution has begun accordingly. 2024 marked the second year the Breeders' Cup World Championships were run under the full jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority (HISA), including the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which took effect in May of 2023 and is implemented and enforced by HIWU. As was the case under Breeders' Cup's anti-doping and medication control rules that were in place before HISA's ADMC Program was implemented, medication is prohibited within 48 hours of the 14 Championship races and the undercard. All potential Breeders' Cup competitors were also subject to out-of-competition testing for banned substances leading up to the event. The post All 2024 Breeders’ Cup Post-Race Samples Cleared By HIWU appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Welcome to Winter Watch, the new column with the unenviable task of trying to fill the void that now exists after Emma Berry penned her final Seven Days column of 2024, not to return until we hand the baton over again next spring. It's a daunting act to try and follow, but then at least we're in solidarity with the horses who will be the subject matter of this column over the coming weeks and months. The Berry boots might be big ones to fill, but so too are those of Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), the new poster boy for winter all-weather racing after the latest edition of the 2,000 Guineas saw him become the first colt to win that Classic without having raced at two since 1938. Instead, the explosive turn of foot that characterised his success at Newmarket, and in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, was first showcased in the low-key surrounds of Kempton where he was three from three earlier in the year. Between his debut victory on January 27 and his coronation as an unbeaten Classic winner, it was just 14 weeks, the sort of fast-track education that would have been unheard of not all that long ago. Oh, how connections of Rosallion (Ire) must have pined for the days when all-weather racing was considered the poor relation. Without the growth in this sector, and the changing attitudes of trainers towards it, then it surely would have been he who went down in the history books as our 2,000 Guineas winner of 2024. In the event, the son of Blue Point (Ire) had to settle for the runner-up spot behind Notable Speech, a horse who was given all of the time he needed at two to fill into this frame, a patient approach Charlie Appleby was able to adopt in the knowledge that there would be plenty of opportunities available to him when he was ready to begin his racecourse education. Of course, Notable Speech is not the only Seven Days alumni of recent years whose first day of school came on the all-weather, hence why this column feels like a good fit in its stead for the winter. The brief will be to keep a watchful eye on the many novices and maidens open to late-maturing juveniles between now and the end of 2024, as well as those for three-year-olds just ready to start in the new year, picking out points of interest and, hopefully, a Classic pretender or two along the way. We'll embark on a whistlestop tour of the all-weather action in Britain and Ireland since November 1 in this bumper first edition, before moving to a weekly format thereafter. Class is in Session at Clarehaven Look away Mick Appleby, but there has arguably been no finer exponent of the new and improved all-weather programme in the last decade than the Gosden stable, home to a handful of Classic/Group 1 winners who learned the ropes at the likes of Kempton and Newcastle in the depths of winter. It's an illustrious roll of honour we'll perhaps delve into in a later edition of Winter Watch when time allows, but for now it's well worth highlighting a pair of recent winners from Clarehaven in Life Is Beautiful (GB) and Elements Of Fire (GB), both of whom have the potential to make the step up when the times comes for them to be tested in deeper waters. On November 6, Lady Bamford's homebred Life Is Beautiful looked another two-year-old filly to follow for Night Of Thunder (Ire) when winning a one-mile Kempton maiden by three quarters of a length. That was about as promising a debut as one could have hoped for, especially as the manner of her victory (doing her best work late on) and her pedigree both suggest that she's a filly who will come into her own when she tackles middle-distances as a three-year-old. She's the third winner from as many runners out of the G3 Royal Whip Stakes scorer Beautiful Morning (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) who, in turn, is out of the Listed-placed Date With Destiny (Ire), best known as the sole offspring produced at stud by the 2,000 Guineas hero George Washington (Ire). As for Elements Of Fire, he won his seven-furlong novice at Chelmsford on November 9 by just a short head, but veteran jockey Rab Havlin always appeared confident that his mount had matters in hand, resorting to little more than hands-and-heels riding. Owned by Isa Salman Al Khalifa of Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) fame, the son of Too Darn Hot (GB) was a 320,000gns purchase at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and is out of a three-parts sister to the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes winner Southern Hills (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}). He should prove capable of much better in due course. Winning start Life Is Beautiful (Night Of Thunder x Beautiful Morning) makes a nice debut for team Gosden at @kemptonparkrace pic.twitter.com/ukspxK866X — Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 6, 2024 Appleby Up and Running Notable Speech isn't the only high-profile all-weather graduate of recent years for Charlie Appleby, with the others including the Group 1-winning siblings Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and the team at Moulton Paddocks delivered an early strike last week when Present Times (GB) won division one of the one-mile novice run at Lingfield on November 13. Gelded long before his debut at Newmarket in September, Present Times is more Rebel's Romance than Notable Speech in that respect, but he looks to have a bright future regardless judged on his Lingfield effort, putting his experience to good use as he made all to win by a length and three-quarters with a bit in hand. Don't be surprised if that novice throws up plenty of winners–the time was around half a second faster than the second division–and Present Times certainly has more to offer as his stamina is drawn out further, in keeping with his smart middle-distance pedigree. Bought for 625,000gns at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale, the son of Sea The Stars (Ire) is the first foal out of the G3 Darley Stakes winner Feliciana De Vega (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a half-sister to this year's Irish Derby fourth Matsuri (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), while his second dam is the Listed-winning Oratorio (Ire) mare Along Came Casey (Ire). The Kameko Filly with Kentucky Roots American Gal (GB) might not come with a six-figure price tag like Present Times, but she's definitely not one to underestimate as an unbeaten filly by leading first-season sire Kameko. She is out of the winning Grand Slam mare Granny Franny, the dam of seven winners from nine runners, with the others including the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes heroine Kitten's Dumplings and GIII Colonel E. R. Bradley Handicap winner Granny's Kitten, both by Kameko's sire, Kitten's Joy. Trained by Ed Walker, American Gal is well named with those bloodlines rooted in Kentucky, albeit she herself is British-bred by the Granny Franny Partnership who came together to buy the mare for 155,000gns at the 2019 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Her first two foals to race in Britain managed only one win between them, but American Gal looks cut from the same cloth as her classy American-bred siblings, having followed up her debut win at Kempton with a five-length demolition at Wolverhampton on November 15. Admittedly, she didn't face much in the way of meaningful opposition on the last occasion, but few would argue that this filly already looks very shrewdly bought by the Mildmay Racing team who picked her up for just 25,000gns at Book 3 of the October Yearling Sale. Flawless two from two! The daughter of Kameko, American Gal bolts up at @WolvesRaces for @edwalkerracing and @loughnane_billy… pic.twitter.com/JLo4NdOdU3 — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 15, 2024 Naughty Eyes, the History Maker Nobody Wanted If American Gal was a shrewd buy at 25,000gns, then what is there to say about Naughty Eyes (Ire), the recent Wolverhampton winner who failed to find a buyer when she was the last lot through the ring at the Guineas Breeze-up Sale, with the bidding never getting past 1,500gns? There obviously must have been a reason for the relative indifference to this filly at the time–and this is an easy thing to say with the benefit of hindsight–but what a missed opportunity that looks now after her emphatic victory in the six-furlong maiden run on November 11, proving in a different league to her rivals despite looking far from the finished article. Naughty Eyes, who was initially sold by breeders Tally-Ho Stud for 12,000gns at the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale, certainly looks like the sort of filly who will give owner Maddi Bishop-Peck plenty of sport and, whatever she does from here on in, her place in history is secured as the horse who provided her sire, Mehmas (Ire), with a record-breaking 62nd individual two-year-old winner of 2024. She's unlikely to be the last to appear in this space between now and the end of the year, either. Sticking with the theme of bargain buys, Immediate Effect (GB), a €4,000 purchase when offered by Kirsten Rausing's Staffordstown at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, also deserves a mention as a gelding who is perhaps unlucky not to be unbeaten in two starts for the Sir Mark Prescott stable. A debut winner at Wolverhampton last month, the son of Study Of Man (Ire) probably should have followed up under a penalty when contesting a seven-furlong novice at Southwell on November 13, doing well under the circumstances to be beaten just three quarters of a length given he endured a rough passage in the straight. He's just the type his trainer excels with, with a step up to middle-distances promising to eke out more improvement. Stick or Twist with Dundalk Winners? Fresh from winning the G3 Mercury Stakes for the second consecutive year, this time with the 66-1 shot Ostraka (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), County Kildare trainer Danny Murphy returned to Dundalk the following week to introduce another promising sort in Perfect Pacemaker (Ire), a striking winner of the five-furlong maiden on the card staged on November 1. One of only two newcomers in the field, Perfect Pacemaker showed his inexperience at both ends of the race, taking a while to find his stride in the early stages and then hanging left when produced to challenge inside the final furlong, but he was ultimately well on top at the finish in beating the Aidan O'Brien-trained Smiling (Ire) (No Nay Never) by a length and a quarter. The son of Arizona (Ire) is owned by Rose Day and Karl Kirwan and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for him now. He's speedily bred–his dam is a half-sister to the G1 Prix Morny winner Unfortunately (Ire)–and it's likely to be just a matter of time before overseas buyers come calling, if they haven't already. Similar comments apply to another recent Dundalk winner in the John Feane-trained Forza Toro (GB) (Aclaim {Ire}), who won a seven-furlong maiden on November 13 for the Twist Of Magic Partnership who own and bred him. Fourth on his debut at Gowran Park in September, Forza Toro proved much sharper with that experience under his belt and barely needed to come off the bridle in beating inferior rivals by four lengths. The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Dundalk goes the way of Perfect Pacemaker under Billy Lee for the Daniel Murphy yard! @DundalkStadium | @wjlee24786 pic.twitter.com/1ACI3UDeXb — Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) November 1, 2024 Three Winners In Waiting Dancing Teapot (Ire) Camelot (GB)–Lady Adelaide (Ire), by Australia (GB) Fishdance homebred Dancing Teapot, a full-sister to this year's Poule d'Essai des Poulains runner-up Dancing Gemini (Ire), ran a race full of promise when making her debut in a seven-furlong maiden at Dundalk on November 8, doing her best work at the finish to be beaten just a head by the Ger Lyons-trained Misappropriation (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). She holds an entry in the Irish Oaks and is surely a filly we'll be revisiting later in this series should Joseph O'Brien choose to try and find a winnable opportunity for her in the coming weeks. Padua (Ire) Magna Grecia (Ire)–Heart Power (GB), by Poet's Voice (GB) Another good middle-distance prospect for the future is Hughie Morrison's Padua, runner-up in division two of the maiden at Lingfield on November 13 after Present Times won the first. The first foal out of a half-sister to the G3 Bronte Cup Fillies' Stakes winner Precious Ramotswe (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), 125-shot Padua conceded both experience and first run to the winner, Cape Breton (GB) (Frankel {GB}), so it's to his credit that he managed to get within a short head of that rival. He can go one place better before long to take a small bite out of the 70,000gns it cost to buy him at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale. Marhaba Ghaiyyath (Ire) Ghaiyyath (Ire)–Zam Zoom (Ire), by Dalakhani (Ire) Bought for just 26,000gns at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale, Marhaba Ghaiyyath is a half-brother to the Ebor winner and G1 Irish St Leger runner-up Fujaira Prince (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), as well as the dual Listed winner Nichols Canyon (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), who went on to win eight Grade 1 races over hurdles. That all points to stamina being Marhaba Ghaiyyath's strong suit, so too how he shaped when making his debut in a Wolverhampton maiden on November 16, staying on strongly over the extended mile to be beaten just half a length. That was a most encouraging start to his career and he's one to be with next time. The post Winter Watch: Welcome Aboard appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Applications for The Jockey Club's paid internship program for college students and recent college graduates and its five academic scholarships opened Monday. The eight-week internship program in Lexington, KY will accommodate up to three interns and is now available in the summer or fall based on the intern's preference. Interns will gain exposure to all companies and departments within the organization, and they will have the opportunity to spend additional time in areas that they find to be of particular interest. The Jockey Club scholarships will apply to the 2025-2026 academic year and are as follows: The Jockey Club Scholarship ($15,000; $7,500 per semester) is for those enrolled full time as an undergraduate or graduate student at a college or university in academic pursuit of majors for future employment in the equine industry. Open to any equine breed or discipline; preference will be given to candidates with the expressed desire to secure employment in the Thoroughbred industry. The Jockey Club Advancement of Women in Racing Scholarship ($20,000; $10,000 per semester) is open to women pursuing a career in the equine industry who are enrolled full time as an undergraduate student at a college or university. Open to any equine breed or discipline; preference will be given to candidates with the expressed desire to secure employment in the Thoroughbred industry. The Jockey Club Vision Scholarship ($20,000; $10,000 per semester) is open to students from a minority racial or ethnic group who are pursuing a career in the equine industry. Applicants must be enrolled full time as an undergraduate student at a college or university. Open to any equine breed or discipline; preference will be given to candidates with the expressed desire to secure employment in the Thoroughbred industry. The Jockey Club Nancy C. Kelly Benevolence Scholarship ($15,000; $7,500 per semester) is a need-based award for members of the Thoroughbred racing industry who have experienced financial hardship to enable attendance at a full-time program at a college, university, or trade program. Applicants are not required to be pursuing a career in the equine or Thoroughbred industries. The Jockey Club Jack Goodman Scholarship ($6,000; $3,000 per semester) is open to students enrolled in the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program (RTIP). Goodman was a resident of Tucson, a longtime member of The Jockey Club, and one of three founders of the RTIP. Applications for all five scholarships are open through January 3, 2025. Click here for more information and links to applications for the scholarships. The recipients of each scholarship will be announced in the spring of 2025 in advance of the initial distribution of funds for the fall 2025 semester The post Applications Open For Jockey Club’s Internship And Academic Programs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will award $4.14m in grants to a total of 83 accredited aftercare organizations for 2024, the TAA announced Monday. This financial support is designed to assist organizations in delivering exceptional care and rehabilitation services for retired racehorses. Since its inception in 2012, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has seen significant growth, expanding from 23 to 83 accredited organizations and increasing its annual grants from $1 million to $4.14 million. In total, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has awarded over $36.04 million in grants–allocated specifically for equine care. These accredited organizations have successfully retrained, retired, and rehomed approximately 18,500 Thoroughbreds across 175 facilities. “Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is thrilled to announce grant awards to our 83 accredited organizations this year,” said TAA's Director of Accreditation & Grants Janice Towles. “The funding we provide is essential for these organizations to continue their incredible work and protection for retired Thoroughbred racehorses as they transition into second careers. We are extremely proud of each organization's commitment and diligence in supporting these horses, ensuring they receive the best possible futures beyond the racetrack.” TAA Operations Consultant Stacie Clark-Rogers added: “Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is grateful to continue increasing the total grant amount each year to support accredited aftercare organizations. With a new record of over $4 million in grants awarded this year for the first time, it underscores our commitment to long-term equine welfare. We extend our sincere gratitude to the donors who go above and beyond the minimum giving levels. These generous contributions have made it possible to meet our annual funding targets, helping even more retired Thoroughbreds find the safe, fulfilling futures they deserve. As we move forward, it is essential that we continue to receive support so we can maintain and expand these efforts, ensuring that we can help even more horses in need.” The post Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Grants $4.14m To 83 Accredited Organizations In 2024 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Author and renowned horseman Arthur B. Hancock III will lead off the Keeneland Library's Winter/Spring lecture series with an evening of reading Dec. 12. Held monthly at the Keeneland Library, the series benefits the Keeneland Library Foundation. The full lineup includes: Dec. 12–Arthur B. Hancock III, author of Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption, in conversation with Turf writer Lenny Shulman Jan. 22–Eliza McGraw, who wrote Astride: Horses, Women, and a Partnership That Shaped America Feb. 19–Stacy A. Cordery, author of Becoming Elizabeth Arden March 19–Jessica K. Whitehead, who wrote The History of the Kentucky Derby in 75 Objects “On the heels of memorable Library Lecture Series evenings with Josh Pons and Tom Hammond, we are pleased to announce an exciting lineup for winter and early spring,” said Keeneland Library Director Roda Ferraro. “From a fourth-generation horseman's memoir and a curator's recentering of Kentucky Derby narratives to two renowned historians showcasing women who bucked the industry status quo, these upcoming events promise lively, important discussions and, as always, good company.” The post Arthur Hancock Leads Off Keeneland Library’s Winter/Spring Lecture Series appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The previous time that he had neared rock bottom, it turned out that Allen Poindexter still had a ways to fall. Fell pretty hard, all the same: kept drinking all the way down from Missouri, in fact he bought a bottle of Dom Perignon after reaching Florida and drank it on a park bench outside the treatment center. Then he went into the bathroom, tripped, hit his head on a lavatory. He'll show you a scar over his eye. In fairness, he lasted the 30 days inside, and afterwards actually stayed sober a couple of months. Then came the usual relapse, the usual binge. But this would prove the final cycle. “I lived in a big house all by myself,” he recalls. “It was the party house. I had two 1,000-gallon aquariums, exotic birds, plants, it was like a jungle. And when the bars closed, everyone came to my house. I had pool tables, slot machines, pinball, shuffleboard. “So everyone came over, kept going until daylight. And I hadn't slept or ate for seven days. I looked in the mirror and tears came to my eyes: 'What have you become?' I'll never forget walking down my driveway to this big tree. And I got on my knees, tears running down my cheeks, and said, 'God, please take this away from me. I can't do this on my own.'” Next morning, he got on the plane back to Florida. October 15, 1998. “And I have not put anything in my body stronger than ibuprofen since,” he says now. “Nothing. I didn't even use mouthwash for five years because it had alcohol in it. I'm serious. Went to all the AA meetings. NA, too, but mostly AA because alcohol was definitely my drug of choice. The other stuff was just to enable me to drink more.” Like many recovering addicts, Poindexter is prepared to be candid about a humbling experience so that others, suffering similar trials, might find hope for a way out. “I shouldn't even be alive,” he says. “That's why every day, for me, is a good day. It's a redemption story. I was about 50 when this happened, and I don't think I'd have lived another two years.” He realizes now that it took longer to reach that turning point because he was flying so high in other ways. “At that time I was making a tremendous amount of money,” he recalls. “I had my own jet. I'd go into a bar and take nine strangers to the Bahamas. 'Let's go. We'll be there in two hours.' They probably thought I was full of it. I called my pilot, 'Hey, meet me at the hangar.' Called ahead to the Crystal Palace Hotel and Casino, 'I need nine rooms.' They picked me up on the tarmac, straight through. Just crazy stuff. “But money is not good sometimes. Rock bottom would have been if I lost everything. And I had everything. This girl told me one time, 'You have everything anyone could ever want. And you're the saddest person I ever met.' And that was true. People, afterwards, would say to me, 'At least you had a good time.' No, I didn't. That was the most miserable time in my life. I was just medicating myself.” But let's remind ourselves of one thing here; of the reason we sought time with this zestful figure, equally lacking in airs and diffidence, with his shock of white hair and gleaming smile. For the chaos and indulgence of those years did yield one lasting boon. Poindexter has bred 30 stakes winners and, besides being perennial leading owner in Iowa, has been making an increasing impact as a breeder at the national level. And it all began back in those perilous, freewheeling years. Because when the money started coming in–he sold his share of a commercial plumbing business in 1991, and promptly overtook it with his own plumbing, heating and air start-up–he had been able to fulfil a longstanding ambition. “About 20 years previously I was working at Helena, Arkansas, where they brought the oil barges in,” he recalls. “And there was a strike. So the foreman said he was going to Oaklawn, and that I ought to go too. I'm something like 20, 21 years old. And when I saw those horses, I just fell in love. And I said, 'Someday I'm going to own a racehorse.'” That dream persisted until 1992, when he was taken into a field outside Springfield, Missouri. “And there was this horse out there with cockleburs in his mane and tail,” Poindexter recalls. “I bought him for $10,000. Probably should have been $2,000. But I took him to Oaklawn and gave him to Scooter Dickey. And then Pat Day rides him wire-to-wire in a $10,000 claimer. So they jump him up to a $16,000 claimer: same thing. And I'm hooked. I'm thinking, 'Hey, this game's easy.'” He knows better than that now, of course, albeit has made a useful habit of landing on his feet. When first experimenting with bloodstock, for instance, he decided to try pinhooking a couple of weanlings: one cost $37,000, the other $70,000. He sold them for a combined $800,000. True, the purchase of a Kentucky farm in 2005 proved a brief adventure. Deciding that it was too horribly expensive to maintain, in 2008 Poindexter instead hooked up with Tim and Nancy Hamlin of Wynnstay Farm. Theirs has proved a spectacular partnership. “After the 2008 crash, everyone was basically selling out,” he says. “And my philosophy is: when everyone else is getting out, get in. So I bought quite a few mares round that time.” Skelly | Coady Media Those included three from a Heiligbrodt dispersal at Fasig-Tipton: two for $8,000, one for $17,000. All became graded-stakes producers. Game for More (More Than Ready), most conspicuously, came up with Grade II winner Isotherm (Lonhro {Aus}); the Grade I-placed duo Gio Game (Gio Ponti) and Giant Game (Giant's Causeway); and the dam of another to have lately produced a good one in The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso). Meanwhile the Bwana Charlie filly she had carried into the ring would eventually produce the speedball Skelly (Practical Joke). Skelly and Giant Game sold as yearlings on the same day, clearing $750,000 between them. Not a bad day's work, from an $8,000 mare. Poindexter's turf career is strewn with bargains of this kind. Take the stakes-placed Kid Majic (Lemon Drop Kid), a $3,000 juvenile, who produced Miss Mischief, one of the earliest graded stakes winners by a rookie named Into Mischief. “Kid Majic was crooked as could be,” Poindexter recalls. “In fact, she was Z-legged. But you could see it wasn't nature, it was because of a screw. She's never had a crooked foal. And her family has just continued to grow. I mean, there's now three or four champions in there.” Those include Letruska (Super Saver), out of Kid Majic's half-sister. And a similar scenario has developed around Clarendon Fancy, an unraced daughter of Malibu Moon bought with the Hamlins for $17,000 deep in the 2016 Keeneland November Sale. Her daughter Brightwork (Outwork) won the GI Spinaway Stakes last year, by which stage her page had already taken off, with Clarendon Fancy's sister Catch the Moon producing Girvin and Midnight Bourbon. “The most expensive mare I ever bought was $140,000,” Poindexter says. “So these good mares I've got, as they've gotten older, I'm keeping the daughters. Because I can't buy mares like that, and never could. So this year I RNA'd an Authentic filly out of Kid Majic at Saratoga, for $475,000, and she's now in training. Same with Skelly's sister by Silver State, I'm keeping her to race.” But for all the quality it has produced, the quantity tells in costs and Poindexter has lately streamlined a broodmare band that had rocketed from half a dozen to around 100. He's back down to 50, around a dozen in partnership. “It had got out of control,” he says. “I'm getting ready to sell my business in the next two or three years. And with horse bills running at $200,000 a month, I'll have to go back and try to have only top-end.” For now, Poindexter is working several regional programs, with mares covered in Kentucky before foaling out in Pennsylvania, New York, Iowa and Indiana–where he has been supporting Isotherm, sire of five winners from just 11 first-crop starters. (Poindexter reckons to have bred half a dozen current sires in all, including Captain Killybegs in New York–a graded stakes winner out of the $17,000 mare at that Heiligbrodt dispersal.) Different states have different registration criteria, but typically the regional foals are raised on Poindexter's home farm in Missouri. Only the elite mares stay at Wynnstay year-round. Brightwork | Sarah Andrew But it's the Iowa sport with which Poindexter has become synonymous. His endeavors there can be measured by $500,000 banked for an Iowa-bred son of Pioneerof The Nile at Saratoga in 2015. Lately he has a three-for-three juvenile at Prairie Meadows, Amorosa (Sky Mesa), whose Iowa Cradle Stakes qualifies him as the Iowa-bred crop champion. “He won second time by 9 3/4 lengths in 1:10-and-one,” Poindexter notes. “That's fast anywhere you go, for a 2-year-old.” But his love of the state has prompted him to moderate a program that had nearly become too successful. “People were getting discouraged,” he admits. “I was winning basically every stakes race. It wasn't good for the industry there. So the last three years I've taken 12, 15 of my Iowa-breds to the sale, while keeping 50 percent. That gives others a chance to get into some of these better horses. So this year, because I have all these different partners, I have eight trainers at Prairie Meadows. Hopefully that's really helped. It's great to see how happy people are, winning their first race or their first stakes. “I love the Iowa people. There's a lot of entrepreneurs there, like the Albaugh family who everyone knows in racing. People don't realize, but Iowa per capita is one of the richest states in the nation. But they're just friendly, Midwest people, and that's what I am. I mean, I get on an elevator, I speak to everyone. At the racetrack, I'll talk to housekeeping, the people picking up trash. I'm no better than anyone else. I'm just one of them. And they're easy to love because they're just the same way.” And that humility is evidently key to Poindexter's business success, as well. “It's all relationships,” he says. “That's what business is, relationships. Not how smart you are. If people like you, they'll find a way to help you. And if they don't, they'll find a way to screw you! I only have to bid on maybe 25 percent of the work given to me. And that's relationships, that's taking care of clients.” But nothing keeps us humbler than the kind of human frailties that for years menaced Poindexter's very survival. And these have also maintained due perspectives on the trifling reverses of the Turf, however high the stakes. How fortunate that Poindexter, of all his addictions, was able to single out and preserve the one that could give lasting fulfilment. “Horses, yes, they're an addiction too,” he reflects. “I've probably spent about the same amount of money on all of them! But this one has turned out a blessing. I mean, life's good. I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. And go to bed every night with a smile on my face. I pray every day for the sick and suffering alcoholics and addicts, that they may find the same peace that I did. Everything I went through, even the years of drinking, ended up making me a better person. I'm not afraid of hell. I've already been there. But if I hadn't gone through all that, I don't think I'd love life as much as I do now.” The post ‘Every Day Is A Good Day’ For Poindexter appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Four new additions have been announced for Monday and Tuesday of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. On the opening day, The Paris Shrug (GB) (Manduro {Ger}), whose first foal is the G1 Caulfield Stakes winner Deny Knowledge (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), will be consigned through Jamie Railton. The 11-year-old mare is a half-sister to the Group 1-winning stayer Big Orange (GB) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) and is in foal to King Of Change (Ire). Also on the Monday is Invisible Friend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a Timeform 95-rated treble winner for Kevin Ryan and Highbank Stud. The listed-placed filly is out of a half-sister to Irish Oaks winner Covert Love (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}). During Tuesday's session, the wildcards include the once-raced juvenile The Palace Girl (Ger) (Areion {Ger}), who will be sold during the Sceptre Sessions from trainer Kevin Coleman's Slievebrook House. The filly was second on her sole start at the Curragh in October and is half-sister to the G1 Sun Chariot Stakes winner Tamfana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}). Caliyza (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), a four-year-old half-sister to another of this season's top performers, Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), competes the quartet. Offered in training by John McConnell's Rockview Stables, she was a winner twice last year in France for Francis Graffard before being sold at Arqana last December for €100,000. The post Half-Sisters to Tamfana and Calandagan Join Tattersalls December appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Churchill Downs Racetrack unveiled a painting by artist Tyler Robertson as the 2025 'Official Art of the Kentucky Derby', the company announced Monday. Louisville-based artist Robertson is known for his dynamic sporting art, bold colors and palette knife techniques to incorporate classical aesthetics and symbolism that add depth and narrative to his expressive style. Robertson's artwork for the 151st Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve celebrates the iconic image of horses running into the first turn with the historic Churchill Downs clubhouse and famous Twin Spires in the background. A former Louisville elementary school teacher for nearly 20 years, Robertson is inspired by contemporary, modern and stylized art. Previously, he was an officially licensed artist for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, and he recently exhibited “A Hero's Journey: a contemporary study of jockeys” in London. His love for horse racing developed while attending the University of Louisville in 2001. Robertson will be at Churchill Downs Friday, Nov. 29 to sign prints of his artwork. The artist signing will take place in the Churchill Downs Store, located just inside the Paddock Gate, between 2-4 p.m. “We are thrilled to showcase Tyler's talent as this year's artist,” said Churchill Downs Racetrack Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships Casey Ramage. “His artwork celebrates the iconic spectacle of the Kentucky Derby through his vibrant, visual style and brings a fresh perspective that fans will cherish for generation to come.” Roberston's 'Official Art of the Kentucky Derby' will be featured on the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks official racing programs and a variety of merchandise. “I'm incredibly honored to be named the official artist for 151st running of the Kentucky Derby and join the legacy of artists who've captured this iconic event,” said Robertson. “As a sporting artist focused on Thoroughbreds, this is a thrilling opportunity to share my style and celebrate the power and elegance of these athletes on such a prestigious stage.” The post Artist Tyler Robertson Chosen For 2025 ‘Official Art Of The Kentucky Derby’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Old Friends will host this year's finalists for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award for a book signing held Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the Joseph Abercrombie Center located at 1841 Paynes Depot Road, Georgetown, KY. The finalists include: Katherine Mooney (Isaac Murphy: The Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey), Kim Wickens (Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse) and Curtis Stock (The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty). One semi-finalist will also be available for signing: John Paul Miller (False Riches). “Old Friends is especially honored to host these outstanding authors who represent the highest standard of Thoroughbred journalism and storytelling at our Josephine Abercrombie Center,” said Old Friends President and CEO John Nicholson. “The prestigious Dr. Tony Ryan Book Awards are an expression of the rich history and colorful tapestry of our sport and Old Friends and all the champions who reside with us are proud to be a part of it.” The Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award will be awarded later that same evening at a reception held at Castleton Lyons farm. The post Old Friends To Host Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award Finalists For Book Signing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

This year's Prix du Jockey Club winner Look de Vega (Fr) will join his sire Lope de Vega (Ire) on the stallion roster at Ballylinch Stud next season, the operation announced on Monday. He has been introduced at a fee of €20,000. Look de Vega was bred by Joelle Mestrallet of Haras De La Morsangliere and Lucien Urano of Ecurie des Charmes, who raced him in partnership with his trainers Carlos and Yann Lerner, as well as Patrick Madar, before it was announced in July that Ballylinch–in association with Al Shaqab Racing–had bought a majority share in the colt and that he would retire to County Kilkenny at the end of his racing career. Unbeaten in three starts at the time of the sale, culminating with his impressive Classic success at Chantilly, Look De Vega went on to finish third in the G2 Prix Niel at Longchamp, before signing off with a below-par effort in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Look De Vega takes the G1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby)! pic.twitter.com/XQrR4T5z87 — IFHA's Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (@worldsbesthorse) June 2, 2024 “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Lope de Vega's Classic-winning son, Look de Vega, to the Ballylinch roster for 2025,” said Ballylinch's John O'Connor. “We have been tracking Look de Vega since his hugely impressive seven-length debut win on his only start as a two-year-old. A truly impressive victor of the Prix du Jockey Club, Look de Vega continues the legacy of his sire and grandsire, both of whom won the same race before going on to Champion First Season Sire honours. “He is owned by a very strong partnership, including successful breeders Al Shaqab, Ecurie des Charmes, and ourselves, who are all committed to supporting him with a top-quality book of mares, ensuring he has every opportunity to succeed. Anyone who sees his walk will immediately recognise him as his father's son. “Breeders will be struck by his athleticism, temperament, and overall physique, all qualities that set him on the path to becoming an outstanding sire in his own right.” From the further family of the 2007 winner of the Prix du Jockey Club, Lawman (Fr), Look de Vega is out of the treble winner Lucelle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), a half-sister to the G2 Lancashire Oaks winner The Black Princess (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}). The post Prix du Jockey Club Winner Look de Vega to Stand at Ballylinch in 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tickets for the 54th annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards, held Jan. 23 at the Breakers Palm Beach, officially went on sale Monday. The awards, which honor horse racing's finest each year since 1971, will welcome co-hosts Britney Eurton and Lindsay Czarniak along with Caton Bredar who will serve as the ceremony announcer. In addition to the awards ceremony, there will also be an Eclipse Awards Charity Golf Tournament benefitting the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance held the morning of the ceremony. All ticketing information can be found here. The post Tickets On Sale For 54th Annual Eclipse Awards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Sprinter’s brain, attitude and action set him apart, say David Hayes and Zac Purton.View the full article

By Adam Hamilton Australia’s loss is New Zealand’s gain. In an absolute coup for NZ’s upcoming feature meetings, champion Aussie trotter Just Believe will stay in NZ rather than chase an historic third successive Inter Dominion title in NSW. Co-trainers Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars made the final call today after days of uncertainty. “It’s been a really tough call, not because of Just Believe, but more the two pacers (Better Eclipse and Hes From Heaven),” Tubbs said. “There was no real upside in NSW for Just Believe, not when you weigh-up the prize money and having to race four times in the Inter Dominion, but we had to look at the pacing series very closely with Better Eclipse. “We couldn’t do both. We couldn’t leave ‘Harry’ in NZ and do the Inter Dominion with Better Eclipse. “In the end, Greg felt the best option was just to keep them all in NZ.” It is a huge blow to an already decimated NSW Inter Dominion series. Just Believe’s quest to become the first three-time Inter Dominion trotting champion, combined with his star power, was to be a major drawcard of the series, which starts at Newcastle on Friday week. So, Tubbs and Sugars will continue to campaign four horses – One Over All being the other – in New Zealand over the coming months. Just Believe brilliantly won his 10th Group 1 race in last Tuesday’s $400,000 Dominion Trot then ran second, after doing all the work, to Oscar Bonavena in last Friday’s $100,000 NZ Trotting free-for-all. It was his first defeat in six NZ starts. Better Eclipse atoned for a slightly disappointing NZ Cup run with a terrific second to Merlin in last Friday’s $200,000 Group 1 NZ Pacing free-for-all. He’s already shown a love for NZ, having won the Group 1 Auckland Cup in May. View the full article

Chad Ormsby has had a phenomenal 12 months with horses he has retained from New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sales, but this week at Karaka he is hoping to go home with an empty truck. Ormsby operates Riverrock Farm out of Cambridge, where he balances training, educating and preparing horses for the sales. In the training role, Ormsby prepared Pulchritudinous to win this year’s Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) in March after she failed to meet her $50,000 reserve in 2022. He achieved a similar feat in the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2100m) with Outovstock, who was passed in with a $150,000 reserve in the same year. “We don’t like taking them home, we want these horses to go on and be successful for trainers all around the world,” he said. “One thing I’d really like is a 100 percent clearance rate, so we’re getting our product out there and hopefully they can go on and do great things. “We’ve been blessed with a good couple of days so far weather-wise, and looking around the grounds, we’ve been busy and seen a lot of the big buyers. We’re always hopeful, and we’ve got a day or so to go before the sale starts, so hopefully we’ve got the right horses that people are looking for.” Among Ormsby’s nine-horse draft this year is Lot 288, a Churchill colt out of Pierro mare Bagitol. Already a trial winner under the name of Ukinno, Ormsby resisted the temptation to sell him prior to the sale, opting to support his brand with the exciting youngster. “We started with 12 and have ended up with nine who are all outstanding individuals and have had a great prep,” Ormsby said. “Any one of them I would love to be training myself. “I’m excited for all of them, but the ones that may be at the top end of the sale would be the likes of Lot 288, a Churchill colt out of Bagitol. He’s breezed in extremely good style and he’s also a trial winner, he won his trial on the first of October. “Normally when we buy horses, we buy some with a view to trial and sell them after, but with ready-to-runners, we buy them to go to the sale. This horse was always in the sale but he came up extremely well, he’s a very athletic type with speed to burn, the ability is endless. “We put him in a trial a little bit underdone, but he was good enough to win that and then breeze-up in very good style. I didn’t have to ask him to extend much at all. “It was pretty hard not taking the offers for him after that trial, but we’re looking to promote our brand and get him to the Ready To Run Sale, which we’ve done.” An eye-catcher at the breeze-ups was Lot 118, a Proisir filly closely related to recent Australian metropolitan winner Angland. “Lot 188, a Proisir filly out of Polson has been very popular since we’ve been up here at the sales and she breezed outstandingly,” Ormsby said. “I could probably start naming four or five of them and carry on for various reasons, there are some nice horses in there.” While busy at Karaka, Ormsby will be keeping close tabs on the Rotorua meeting on Tuesday, with a pair of runners including Mohi Place in the Van Dyks 1560. The Proisir gelding has finished narrowly into the placings in his first two starts this campaign, and Ormsby is hopeful he can break maidens with Tayla Mitchell claiming one kilogram off his 58.5kg impost. “They’ve been good runs and we’ve just been playing around a bit with gear for him, but he’s going to get his turn,” Ormsby said. “He will go through the grades soon enough, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was breaking maidens tomorrow.” His other representative will be Loose On Bubbles, a stayer for the future commencing his career in the Sherlock Contracting 1400, wearing the colours of co-breeders Windsor Park Stud. “He’s had the one trial this preparation to prepare, we think he could be a Derby horse so 1400 will be well short of his best, but I think we’ll see him run on and put in some sort of showing,” he said. View the full article

The retirement of Hong Kong megastar Golden Sixty has done nothing to slow the momentum of NZB’s Ready to Run Sale, with buyers from across Australasia and Asia converging on Karaka for the two-day sale on Wednesday and Thursday. Billed as the best sale of its kind anywhere in the world, the Ready to Run Sale has produced a long list of big-race performers headed by the great Golden Sixty. Bought for $300,000 from Riversley Park’s draft in 2017, he went on to win 26 of his 31 starts including 10 Group One triumphs. He broke Hong Kong’s all-time prizemoney record with more than HK$167 million (NZ$34 million). While Golden Sixty was retired from racing earlier this year, the Ready to Run Sale has remained in the spotlight with a series of Group One wins in Australia this spring. Ceolwulf has risen to stardom with back-to-back victories in the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and Gr.1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m), while Antino won the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) and Mr Brightside and Antino delivered a one-two finish for the Ready to Run Sale in this month’s Gr.1 Champions Mile (1600m) at Flemington. Notably, both the legendary Golden Sixty and new kid on the block Ceolwulf are graduates of Riversley Park. Ceolwulf was bought for $170,000 by trainer Joe Pride and part-owner Leighton Howl in 2022. Riversley Park has been the Ready to Run Sale’s leading vendor by aggregate for all of the last seven years. Sam Beatson’s operation looms as a major player again this week with 45 two-year-olds set to go through the ring. “With Golden Sixty’s amazing career coming to an end, it’s been exciting to see another of our graduates step up and start performing on the big stage the way Ceolwulf has,” Beatson said. “Coming back as a four-year-old this spring, with Joe Pride dropping back to the mile after he performed up to 2400m at three, he’s done a great job to win a couple of big Group One races and beat quality horses like Pride Of Jenni and Fangirl. He’s exciting. “We’ve got another decent-sized draft this year with 45 for sale, and I think it’s a pretty even group. We should have a horse for all sorts of markets. I think it’s a very even line-up for such a big number. “We had even conditions at Te Rapa across the two days of breeze-ups, which is a big help, and I thought our horses all put their best foot forward and breezed up really well.” A notable member of the Riversley draft is Lot 88. The colt is by three-time champion Hong Kong sire Deep Field, while his unraced dam My Goodness is a half-sister to dual Hong Kong Horse of the Year Fairy King Prawn. “The Deep Field and Fairy King Prawn factors have created a fair bit of Hong Kong interest in that horse,” Beatson said. “He’s a lovely looking colt and has a lot going for him. He’s been very popular and very busy here at the complex, and with many of the Hong Kong buyers only making their way over here after Sunday’s races, I’m expecting that to increase. “Another member of the draft that I really like is the Proisir gelding, who I think has a lot of quality.” Catalogued as Lot 79, the Proisir gelding is a full-brother to this season’s Gr.3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) fourth placegetter Vegas Queen. His dam is a half-sister to the dam of the A$3 million The Big Dance (1600m) winner Gringotts, while second dam Operavega is a half-sister to the dam of the legendary Winx. “But overall, it’s a very even draft and hard to pick standouts,” Beatson said. “Out of the 45, I think we’ve got at least 40 very nice horses. That’s a good position to be in.” Beatson’s cousin Jamie finished second on the vendors’ list last year under the Ohukia Lodge banner that he operates with his wife Chanel. Ohukia is back again with a 26-strong draft this year that Jamie Beatson holds in extremely high regard. “I think it’s probably the nicest draft we’ve ever brought to this sale, and by quite a bit actually,” he said. “It was a nice draft last year too, but this year we’ve got a lot of real quality horses.” A potential headline act is Lot 372, who is a full-brother to this spring’s Gr.2 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) and Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) winner Arkansaw Kid. “Arksansaw Kid has done a great job this spring with his Group Two and Listed wins in Melbourne,” Beatson said. “His brother is an absolute belter, he’s a standout. We paid A$300,000 for him as a yearling, so we put a bit of faith in him. But we’ve always had a huge opinion of him. “We’ve also got a Zoustar (Lot 304) that breezed up really nicely. He’s a sharp horse and he’s really shown us a heap of ability. He’s a natural. “There’s also Lot 190, the Deep Field, who breezed up beautifully as well.” Eion and Megan Kemp’s Kilgravin Lodge had an amazing Ready to Run Sale last November, finishing as leading vendors by average. Their 16 two-year-olds sold for an average of just over $300,000, headed by an $800,000 colt by Harry Angel. “It was one of those sales you only dream about,” Eoin Kemp said. “All the stars aligned and it really couldn’t have gone any better. It was a ripper of a sale in general, and for us it was a very special couple of days.” The Kemps have watched with pride as that draft embarked on their racing careers. There have already been four winners, headed by the Super Seth gelding Feroce, whose seven-start career has produced two wins, a desperately close second in the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and a third in the Gr.3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m). Feroce was a $160,000 purchase and has quickly turned that into more than A$700,000 in stakes. “Several of our graduates from last year have already come out and performed on the track, obviously headed by what Feroce did in that Caulfield Guineas,” Kemp said. “He was a little bit unlucky there and we almost thought he had it won, but it was a terrific performance anyway.” Kilgravin will offer another well-credentialled draft of just over 30 at this year’s sale. “We’re really happy with them,” Kemp said. “They’ve all come through their preparations and the breeze-ups well, and they’re parading nicely on the complex. “I think we’ve got most markets covered, both sire-wise and type-wise. We have some very nice top-end horses for the Hong Kong and Australian markets, but also some very nice prospects for the middle and lower markets as well, which I think is important. “A couple of standouts for me would be the Deep Field (Lot 21) and the Harry Angel (Lot 306). They’re probably two of the nicest colts we’re offering. But there wouldn’t be many in our draft that I’d write off. Across the board, they’re a very nice group of horses.” Mark and Lorraine Forbes’ Kiltannon Stables will offer a select group of just under a dozen. There is particular buzz around Lot 174, who is a colt by champion Australian sire I Am Invincible out of the elite racemare Shillelagh. Herself the winner of the Gr.1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) and Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington, Shillelagh’s only foal to race so far is last season’s unlucky Gr.3 Mufhasa Stakes (1400m) placegetter Irish Legacy. Lot 174 was a star performer in last month’s breeze-ups, clocking the fastest time across the two days with a slick 9.97 seconds. The second-fastest was 10.06 seconds. “That one in particular really impressed us on breeze-up day,” Lorraine Forbes told NZB. “But we’ve got a couple of other really nice colts and also some lovely fillies that we’re hoping will attract the Australian market. The success of Ready to Run horses over there at the moment has been encouraging.” View the full article