Wandering Eyes

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

The emergence of the Victorian-based Taken (NZ) (Ardrossan) is another winning story for a New Zealand breeding and ownership group established to support the three-year-old’s young sire. The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained son of Ardrossan made it four wins on the bounce when he carried 60kg to victory at Flemington last Saturday. He was bred by the Dewar Partnership, established to promote the Waikato Stud stallion through the early stages of his career. “Taken has come a long way and is out of a good staying family and has taken a while to mature,” bloodstock agent Bruce Perry said. The Dewar Partnership included Perry and wife Anna, David and Nicki Wilson from Auckland, Max Brown of Queenstown and Mt Maunganui resident Tony Joyce. The Perrys, Wilsons and Brown were also involved in Ardrossan during his racing days, which featured four wins including success in the Gr.3 Concorde Handicap (1200m) and a placing in the Gr.1 Waikato Sprint (1400m). “We’ve actually wound the Partnership down now, it’s done its job,” Perry said. “It was put together to help to get the horse up and going. We bought nine mares and bred from them and we’ve done really well, it’s been great. “We bred Beau Dazzler, who is a three-quarter brother to Taken and so is Toretto, and Sunday’s Serenade in Hong Kong with Jamie Richards has won a couple and a few other nice horses as well.” Beau Dazzler (NZ) (Ardrossan) has won the Gr.3 Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) and Listed Phelan Ready Stakes (1000m) for trainers Tony and Maddysen Sears while Toretto (NZ) (Ardrossan) is a two-time winner and multiple stakes placegetter for Hollie Wynyard. They are out of the Pentire mare Pwerfect, whose half-sister Katherine Wright is the dam of Taken. Another son of Ardrossan and Pwerfect was sold for $100,000 earlier this year at Karaka to trainer Johno Benner and has been named Butler Cabin. “He’s very happy with the way he’s going and we’ve got a lovely Ardrossan filly that we’re going to retain and probably race as a partnership,” Perry said. “We sold a number of the mares last year and the only one we kept was Pwerfect, who didn’t meet her reserve, and she’s in the Broodmare Sale with an early cover to Ardrossan. Taken began his career with Cambridge trainer Sam Mynott and was sold privately to Price following a trial win at Tauranga last season. “Hopefully, he will kick on for the stallion who had small early crops and his bigger ones will come on stream next season and the year after so we’re hoping he can go to another level,” Perry said. View the full article

Swift Delivery recorded his third career win June 22 at Woodbine Racetrack in an allowance optional claiming race for owners Gary Barber, Team Valor International, National Football League star Travis Kelce, Bruce Zoldan, and Steven Rocco. View the full article

Connections of Derby runner-up Lazy Griff will make a late decision regarding his participation in Sunday's Irish equivalent, with his attempt to go one place better hinging on how much rain falls at the Curragh in the coming days. Trained by Charlie Johnston, 50/1 shot Lazy Griff provided his Middleham Park Racing owners with a huge thrill when finishing second at Epsom, faring best of the rest behind Lambourn (Australia) for the second consecutive start after they also filled the first two places in the previous month's G3 Chester Vase. The son of Protectionist is available to back at around 12/1 for Sunday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, but Middleham Park Racing's Mike Prince revealed on Monday that he is far from a certain runner at this stage. He said, “It was good, good to firm this morning and we're in the same situation as applied at Epsom – we don't want to run him on fast ground. “We'll keep him in at the forfeit stage [on Tuesday] and then play it by ear. I've seen some forecasts suggest plenty of rain midweek, but others saying only two to three millimetres. All we can do is keep him in and keep monitoring – it keeps changing every time I look. “It will probably be the Grand Prix de Paris if he doesn't run. It's the German Derby next week or the Grand Prix the week after. Those are the options and France is more likely than Germany currently. He doesn't have to leave until Friday so we don't have to decide until declarations.” Prince added, “He's been fine since Epsom. Charlie's really happy with him and we're going to check in with Christophe [Soumillon, jockey], just to see what is what.” O'Brien Outlines Plans for Middle-Distance Colts Lambourn dominates the ante-post betting for the Irish Derby as he tries to become the eighth Epsom winner this century to follow up at the Curragh. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, he could be joined in the line-up by the Lingfield Derby Trial scorer Puppet Master (Camelot), who was a late withdrawal from last week's G2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. “He's an absolute beauty to train,” O'Brien said of Lambourn when discussing his running plans on Monday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast. “He has a brilliant mind and is very sound, very uncomplicated. He goes in all types of grounds and he stays very well. “He doesn't need any help in a race. He'll do it himself and he's happy to get a lead. He's a Christian of a horse, really.” He added, “Puppet Master might go with him. He worked on Sunday and worked lovely, so there's a chance that he could go with him.” One horse who will not be lining up at the Curragh is Delacroix (Dubawi), with O'Brien confirming that the beaten Derby favourite is an intended runner in next month's G1 Coral-Eclipse instead. Similar comments apply to the stable's Prix du Jockey Club hero Camille Pissarro (Wootton Bassett), but an appearance at Sandown is expected to come too soon for last week's G3 Hampton Court Stakes winner Trinity College (Dubawi). “The Eclipse will probably come a bit quick for Trinity College, so we're probably thinking of letting Delacroix take that slot, along with Camille,” said O'Brien. “Trinity looks like he's a Group 1 horse now but, when the others are there, the timing means it fits in a little bit better for them. Don't rule out Trinity yet, but I'd imagine it will be the other two instead of him.” The post Epsom Runner-Up Lazy Griff Needs Rain to Run in the Irish Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Jordyn Bublitz After getting things wrong at Alexandra Park on Friday night, Crazy is set to step out at Cambridge Raceway this evening, and local trainer Tim Hall is confident the quirky campaigner is ready to deliver—if he can keep his cool. The eight-year-old son of Crazed returned from a two-year Australian stint in January. Due to a lack of mobile racing for trotters here in New Zealand at that time, Hall made the decision to send him across the Tasman in search of more suitable racing opportunities after he developed a dislike for standing starts. “He was really good with stands in the beginning, but then he started to get a bee in his bonnet,” Hall said with a laugh. “That really limited him over here, as there weren’t many mobile starts for trotters at the time.” During his Australian campaign, Crazy raced in both Victoria and Queensland. Hall believes the experience was invaluable. “He came back in brilliant order, a much more mature and travelled horse,” he said. Since his return, Crazy has posted one win and three placings from 12 starts. Hall has been happy with his recent efforts. “I think he’s gone well in some good fields. His mobile form has been strong, and he’s been pretty consistent—at least for him.” Crazy hits the track tonight at Cambridge Raceway in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Mobile Trot (6:13 p.m.). Hall is cautiously optimistic, noting that success will come down to the gelding’s behaviour. “On paper, it’s a race where he can definitely earn some money,” Hall said. “His vulnerability is whether or not he does things right.” Hall is encouraged by how Crazy pulled up after Friday’s misstep. “He’s come through it well. Tony (Herlihy) looked after him when he made his mistake—didn’t chase him, just gave him a little hit out. He’s licked the bowl since then, so we’re hopeful.” View the full article

BloodHorse Interview: John RopesView the full article

The 2025 renewal of the Tokyo City Cup at Santa Anita will be contested as a non-listed Black-Type event, according to a Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association release Monday. Formerly a Grade III, the race has been downgraded since the distance was changed from 12 furlongs to eight furlongs. According to the TOBA grading committee, the race is considered a new race and must be run twice at its new distance as a non-listed Black-Type race before being eligible for grading. The post Tokyo City Cup to Run as Non-Listed Black-Type race in 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

I had the profound privilege of serving as an assistant trainer at a barn that holds immense historical significance in horse racing. Every day, I was honored to work alongside a legend, D. Wayne Lukas, whose accomplishments are forever etched in the record books of the sport. As time moved on, even for a tremendous man like D. Wayne, who had reached his eighties, the graded stakes winners didn't come as easily as they did in his most celebrated days. Yet, his confidence remained as unwavering as ever. My journey began in a small town in Louisiana, where my love and passion for horse racing blossomed from a young age. While I never won the elite races that define the pinnacle of the sport, I proudly reached the winner's circle both as a jockey and a trainer. One day, at Churchill Downs, I decided to take a chance and knock on D. Wayne Lukas's door. It's true what they say: when one door closes, another opens. D. Wayne Lukas not only offered me a job but appointed me as an assistant trainer. This incredible opportunity unfolded at the grandest meets of the year, right there in his barn at Saratoga Racecourse. Working with D. Wayne Lukas provided me with an unparalleled education, one that extended far beyond my existing knowledge of horses. He taught me the intricate business aspects of the industry, the essence of leadership, and the correct way to conduct myself professionally. I knew horses, but business was new to me. Under his guidance, I learned how to run an elite organization, a true game-changer in our industry–Lukas Enterprises Inc. This journey brought unexpected experiences. Suddenly, I was saddling graded stakes horses–horses of a caliber I'd rarely encountered at the tracks I came from. Standing among the sport's best, I felt a new level of recognition. Walking through town, people knew my name, Keith Austin, on the strength of the reputation D. Wayne Lukas had meticulously built. He was not just a Hall of Famer, but, more importantly, a true gentleman. After the races settled and the dust cleared, back in that very barn, D. Wayne and I would often share conversations in his office. He'd even come to sit on the stairs, the same stairs that helped a man in his eighties mount his pony. We'd sit there for hours, talking about business, sports, and life. I'd listen to his stories, we'd tell jokes, and best of all, we'd laugh until our stomachs ached. I witnessed an individual with an incredibly strong will to win, but I also watched a man gracefully aging before my eyes. He once shared with me, “Do you know what keeps me going?” My immediate answer was, “The horses?” He responded, “You young people keep me going.” Another time, as I was returning from the track on a horse, he spontaneously said, “Keith, you're a very good horseman, but let's do it my way. It has worked for over 60 years.” I always treated him with the utmost respect. I never presumed to tell him what to do with his horses. Even when he eventually needed a walker, a truly fragile man, I continued to treat him as if he were as strong as Superman. What began as a professional relationship with D. Wayne Lukas eventually blossomed into a profound friendship, one that extended to include his wonderful wife, Laurie Lukas. Over many years, our connection evolved far beyond boss and employee. Wayne, you once told me that it was “you young people” who kept you going. To that, I'd reply that it's truly the wise who keep the young moving forward. I'm endlessly grateful for the door that closed in my past, leading me to a door that, in my heart, will forever remain open. You haven't closed your eyes yet, and that's precisely how I'll always remember you–full of life, wisdom, and an enduring spirit. The post Letter to the Editor: My Unforgettable Mentorship with D. Wayne Lukas appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After 50 starts in which he thrilled racing fans in Texas and Oklahoma, trainer Mindy Willis announced June 23 that 10-year-old Sunlit Song has been retired.View the full article