Wandering Eyes

Rocco Bowen was suspended 30 days by the stewards at Belterra Park Tuesday for “intentionally” engaging in “rough riding” when finishing second aboard the 3-10 favorite during the stretch run of the $75,000 Miss Southern Ohio Stakes last Friday. But because the veteran jockey has agreed not to appeal the ruling, the penalty has been cut in half, to 15 days. Bowen's agent, Cory Hayes, confirmed to TDN that the reduced suspension will be in effect from Sept. 29 through Oct. 13. “It's pretty self-explanatory in the [ruling],” Hayes said. “I'm a little biased on how I think it should have played out. But the stewards, they made their decision, and that's the game we have to play, that you go with what they say.” On Sept. 19, Bowen was riding the 3-year-old filly Parlay (National Flag), with whom he has partnered for two state-bred stakes victories on the turf this summer at Belterra. He made the lead midway through the 1 1/16-miles grass race, but was confronted by the 12-1 Green Lady (Tough It Up) and jockey John McKee in the stretch. According to the Equibase chart, Parlay “drifted out near the eighth pole then drifted back in near the sixteenth pole and bumped Green Lady twice in the final sixteenth and was denied the win.” (Video). After a next-day hearing involving both Bowen and McKee, the stewards wrote in the ruling that Bowen had “intentionally guided his horse towards the inside rail to make contact with jockey John McKee.” Bowen is currently the leading rider based on earnings at the summer meet at Thistledown. He rides less frequently at Belterra (21 mounts so far this season), the other Ohio track that is active at this time of year. Albin Jimenez, the standings-topping rider this meet at Belterra, was also recently penalized by that track's stewards. Jimenez is appealing a one-year suspension for “failure to give his best effort to obtain a winning performance and conduct detrimental to the best interests of racing” while riding a 7-10 favorite to a second-place finish Aug. 21. Although a stay of his suspension has been granted, Jimenez has not had a mount since Aug. 22. And just last Thursday, the Belterra stewards suspended jockey Eddie Jurado 10 days (reduced to five if no appeal gets filed) for holding his whip in front of another jockey's mount in a Sept. 13 race, causing that rival to check to avoid being hit. Jurado's mount went on to win the race, but was disqualified because of the incident. The post Bowen Suspended 30 Days for ‘Intentional’ Bumping at Belterra; Penalty Halved for Not Appealing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When Frank Taylor, the director of new business development at Taylor Made, started the Stable Recovery and the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship programs, the idea was to help those addicted to drugs and alcohol, get them sober and give them the skills to work in the horse racing industry. But Stable Recovery is branching out, ready to help anyone in need. Elizabeth Blythe once arranged the mating for Allen Paulson's horses and her work produced several champions, including the great Cigar and four other Breeders' Cup winners. But, for Blythe, little has gone right since Paulson's death. She has had to deal with three forms of cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer and melanoma. That left her unable to work and she soon found herself in dire straits financially. She didn't have the money or the energy to take care of her house and the bank was ready to repossess her property. When Taylor got wind of Blythe's problem, he did what he always seems to do when he hears of someone down on their luck. He set out to help. He made a big enough payment to the bank to halt the foreclosure and he will soon send some of the people who graduated from his Stable Recovery program to help fix up the house this Saturday. “Frank is fantastic,” Blythe said. Blythe and Taylor have entered into an agreement. To pay Taylor back for all the money he has spent helping Blythe, Blythe has agreed to donate her Nicholasville house upon her death to Stable Recovery. “I thought that's something that I can do to help other people when I'm not here anymore and to thank Frank and everybody for the help that they've provided to me,” Blythe said. It isn't just the money. “He would come and pick me up and drive me to appointments at the hospital, that sort of thing, or pick me up after a procedure was over with,” Blythe said. “Usually they have to give you sedation and so you can't drive in and drive home. In the early parts of it, they would have to keep me overnight because I didn't have anybody to drive me. And that got to be probably a little bit onerous for the hospital because they had to keep me there when there might've been somebody else who had something more serious than what had happened to me. And so that's kind of a part of it as well. But Frank is just wonderful and I can't tell you how much his support and help has meant to me.” Frank Taylor | Sue Finley Christian Countzler, who runs the Stable Recovery program, knows firsthand how willing Taylor is to help those in need. “Frank went out of his way to help someone that deserved to be helped,” he said. “We're really excited about that. She's had a tough time, especially as of late, Anything we can do to help her we're absolutely willing to do. In return, she wants to help us by donating the house to us.” Frank Taylor is just a good soul. There's no other way to put it. He sees a problem and he works to find a solution. He decided to branch out from his Stable Recovery work and look to assist others who are down on their luck. “Elizabeth Blythe has been in horse business forever,” Taylor said. “She's probably about my age, late fifties, early sixties. She's well respected. She did a lot of pedigree work for Allen Paluson. I heard about a year ago that she had cancer and that she was really struggling with it. They were getting ready to take her house away. My wife and I put up $150,000 as a loan, which got the mortgage company off her back. She won't be able to pay it back but when she passes she's going to give the house to Stable Recovery. It's a really nice house. It's on three acres, but it hasn't really been maintained. It would be like having a yard that hasn't been mowed in 10 years. We're going to take our crew down there and clean it all up. We got her out of foreclosure, so she has a place to live.” Taylor said that the people from the Stable Recovery program will also benefit from helping out Blythe. “Part of of being sober and working the 12 steps is you need to give back,” Taylor said. “And help your fellow man. Volunteering is part of the recovery part. This is a project for these guys to help someone. Any time you're giving back and putting other people first is good for you.” So what is it about Taylor that he's so willing to help people, be they individuals struggling with substance abuse issues or are dealing with cancer and financial pressures? “Part of the 12 steps and being sober is that you need to give back and help your fellow man,” Taylor said. “The recovery part includes volunteering. We're using this as a project for these guys to spend their time on and help. Any time you're giving back and putting the people first is good for you.” “Why does Frank do what he does?” Countzler said. “I think he got this from his dad. He grew up watching his mom and dad do things for other people. I guarantee he would answer that question the same way. Joe Taylor, the patriarch of the family, showed all the Taylor brothers, and especially Frank, what it means to give back and help other people, especially people who don't have the means they've been blessed with. I would almost guarantee that it was Joe Taylor that did that.” The School of Horseman has had 89 graduates and has 25 legacy graduates. There have 10 that have made it two years of sobriety. “That's something we are really proud of,” Countzler said. Blythe is one of the first people not in the program that Taylor has helped. There's no doubt there will be many more. The post Stable Recovery Lends A Helping Hand To Elizabeth Blythe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Stable Recovery opened its Women's Horsemanship Program at Spy Coast Farm Monday, marking an important milestone in the organization's mission to empower women in recovery. In partnership with Lisa Lourie and the Spy Coast Farm team, the program provides participants with hands-on training through the School of Horsemanship at the Spy Coast Farm Reproduction Center, offering the chance to learn from some of the leading professionals in the sport horse industry. “I am delighted to welcome the Stable Recovery Women's program to Spy Coast Farm” said Lourie, owner and CEO of Spy Coast Farm. “Our farm is owned by a woman and is primarily managed by women. We work hard to educate and promote best practices in equine care while fostering a culture of acceptance and inclusion. As such, we believe that we are uniquely positioned to assist women in recovery. Our partnership with Stable Recovery has been impactful thus far and we look forward to having an even greater impact by hosting their women's program. We thank them for their trust in us to do so and look forward to the future success of the women we will work with” Christian Countzler, CEO and cofounder of Stable Recovery added: “This is a milestone for Stable Recovery and a win for Kentucky. With Spy Coast Farm, we're building a program where women can find stability, learn a skill, and leave stronger than they arrived mentally, physically, and most important, spiritually. This unique opportunity not only equips women with specialized skills for the equine industry, but also prepares them for long-term success in their careers and lives beyond recovery. They will spend three months in the School of Horsemanship before finding further employment in the industry upon completion of the school.” The post Stable Recovery And Spy Coast Farm Open Women’s School Of Horsemanship 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 has announced that jockey Paco Lopez has been suspended for six months, effective Sept. 23.View the full article

Goffs has catalogued 75 lots for its upcoming British NH Breeders Showcase, which takes place Friday, Oct. 31. In its third year, the sale will offer 65 NH foals in addition to 10 breeding stock lots, several of which at offered in foal to NH sires. The sale will feature foals by Bathyrhon, Capri, Choeur du Nord, Cracksman, Frontiersman, Jack Hobbs, Jeu St Eloi, Logician, Moises Has, Order of St George, Poet's Word, Postponed, Stradivarius, Subjectivist and Yeats. The breeding stock segment of the sale will follow the foal session. Covering sires include Golden Horn, Logician, Ocovango, Stradivarius, Subjectivist and Walk In The Park. “This sale was created at the request of British NH breeders who wanted a pre-Christmas quality outlet for NH foals in the UK and, in two years, they have ensured it is now an unmissable event,” said Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent. “In keeping with that strong start, Britain's leading NH breeders have once again thrown their weight behind this sale, and the catalogue is set to offer another standout selection, for which we are grateful and appreciative as it allows us to market the sale with confidence. To view the complete catalogue, click here. The post Goffs Catalogues 75 For British NH Breeders Showcase appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The boy-made-good story of Wootton Bassett is as time-honoured as life itself. To a degree, it is a rags-to-riches tale, particularly when it comes to the phenomenal trajectory of his stallion career. And it is a story which is ending far too soon. The 17-year-old stallion died on Tuesday at Coolmore Australia in the Hunter Valley after developing acute pneumonia from a bout of choke, a condition in which food blocks the oesophagus, often leading to complications. His passing comes at a time when Wootton Bassett was in his pomp; his reputation, already on a high, is being augmented year on year by a burgeoning array of runners at the highest level. In 2025 alone, they include the French Classic winners Henri Matisse and Camille Pissarro, G1 Prix du Moulin winner Sahlan, G1 Irish St Leger hero and Melbourne Cup hopeful Al Riffa, and the brilliant filly Whirl. A growing number of his sons at stud means that Wootton Bassett has also featured as paternal grandsire this year of Gezora and Woodshauna, winners of the G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Prix Jean Prat. His 2025 fee in Europe was €300,000, behind only Dubawi and Frankel, who, as the world's most expensive stallions, each stood for £350,000. Quite something for a horse who started his career covering mares in France for €6,000, dropping to €4,000 for his third and fourth seasons at Haras d'Etreham. Not everything comes down to money of course, but in the stallion business, tracking the rise and fall of nomination fees is a telling marker of a horse's success and reception by a market which can quickly be blown hither and thither by the winds of fashion. That Wootton Bassett would rise to the level he has would have been hard to predict. His first four crops at those lowly fees numbered 23, 18, 45 and 47 foals respectively. Then came a champion three-year-old from his first crop – the 2016 Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Champion Stakes, and Champion Stakes winner Almanzor – and the penny began to drop that this was a stallion who could be a little out of the ordinary. Thereafter, his stock began to rise – both literally when it came to crop numbers, and reputationally. His current tally of individual Group 1 winners stands at 16, but that will only grow in the years – perhaps even weeks – to come, as the autumn's major contests are settled. In this Saturday's G1 Middle Park Stakes, for example, his sons Puerto Rico, Kansas and Brussels remain engaged, while Beautify is among the fancied runners for the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes. Wootton Bassett's stallion career has been conducted from France, Ireland and Australia, but his life began in England where he was bred by Colin and Melba Bryce at their Laundry Cottage Stud. For a relatively small farm, the Hertfordshire nursery has packed quite a punch in recent years, with the 10-time Group 1 winner Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) also being among the Bryces' graduates. Of the Iffraaj colt born on February 4, 2008, to their Primo Dominie mare Balladonia, Colin Bryce recalled on Tuesday, “I suppose there are two things about Wootton Bassett that I would say. One, he was the most incredibly chilled horse that we have ever had on the stud. He would lie down in his stable all the time, snoozing, sleeping, whatever, and you would give him a little bit of a tap and help him get ready for action, and he'd do whatever you wanted to do. Then when you'd finished, down he went again and had a gentle snooze. He was so easy to handle, so kind, and a beautiful, very dark day horse to go with it.” He continued, “And the second thing I would say about Wootton Bassett is, although we bred him and are very proud to have done so, really without the skill of Nicolas de Chambure and the way he developed the stallion's career, I think he wouldn't have got to where he got to. “We've been privileged to breed him, and we were privileged to be involved, using him to cover our mares and buying his early stock. We've been involved all the way through until he became too expensive for us at Coolmore in the last few years. But we still watched with interest, and have loved to see him doing so well. “Obviously he was massively upgrading his mares all the way through, and so there was a natural talent there, but I think Nicolas mined that very intelligently. He was a rising star of the stallion ranks, and has risen almost to the top of the pile. He may yet do so in memoriam.” It was Bobby O'Ryan who signed for the young Wootton Bassett at the DBS Premier Yearling Sale (now Goffs UK), buying him for £46,000 to join Richard Fahey's stable. He raced in the ownership of Frank Brady & The Cosmic Cases, who already had Wootton Bassett's half-brother, the seven-time winner and Listed-placed Mister Hardy (Kyllachy), in training. “I know our yard is sad this morning,” Fahey said on Tuesday, speaking from the Tattersalls Ireland Yearling Sale. “It's the people who looked after him that you feel for, the Coolmore team and everyone involved with him directly and the people who cared for him along the way.” From Fahey's Yorkshire base, Wootton Bassett ran in Scotland, England and France in his first unbeaten season, raking in the prize-money from York's DBS Premier Yearling Stakes and the Weatherbys Insurance £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes at Doncaster before completing his season with victory in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, a race which had been won the previous year by another luminary of the European stallion ranks, Siyouni. “We knew he was a very good horse from the start really,” Fahey said. “We cheated a bit as we went for the sales races and took the easier option, but the Lagardere was always going to be his race. “He's been an incredible sire and an incredible horse, and he was a good-minded, kind horse.” At three, Wootton Bassett managed a fifth-placed finish in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains back at Longchamp, and was seventh in Frankel's St James's Palace Stakes. Dropping back from a mile, he ran twice more in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and Haydock Sprint Cup but never recaptured the winning ways of his juvenile season. Retiring after those four unplaced starts in 2011, he was bought by Nicolas de Chambure to stand at his family's Haras d'Etreham in Normandy. Not only did the stud play an important role as the home of Wootton Bassett in his formative years as a stallion, but Etreham is also the breeder of his breakout star Almanzor. The latter was bought by his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget for €100,000 and was one of two first-crop sons of Wootton Bassett to fetch six figures at the Arqana August Sale of 2014. That in itself was telling for a stallion who was launched at such a lowly fee. For de Chambure, the fourth generation of his family to take the helm at Haras d'Etreham, Wootton Bassett was the first stallion he signed up to join the roster in the year following his return to run the stud after stints working in Ireland, America and Australia. Casting his mind back to his decision to buy him, de Chambure said, “I've always been a bit cautious about too much inbreeding, and so he was a bit of an outcross and he was also carrying blood that we didn't really have much of in France. I thought he was going to be well suited to the French population of mares. “As a racehorse he showed toughness, and I know a lot of people don't believe it, but I really fell in love with him physically when I saw him at Richard Fahey's. It probably took a while for the breeders to share that. I was lucky that he transmitted his looks and his walk.” He added, “Ed Sackville was very important in making the deal happen at the time. We did the deal together and he introduced me to the owner and to Richard. He was also very positive about the horse, and having his confidence and his support was also a big help for me to make the deal.” Despite his own faith in Wootton Bassett, and the support of Colin Bryce as the first shareholder in the stallion's syndicate, de Chambure admits that it remains difficult to get a sire off the ground. “When you retire a horse it's a four-year commitment, so it's not easy. When you're syndicating those horses, even if you have a good group of loyal clients, in the end it's really you that has to carry the whole thing, with your team, so it can be a bit lonely. And it was: it felt very lonely indeed with Wootton Bassett for a few years. “But he's been so good; he could improve his mares so much. He was the horse of a lifetime, he got us out of trouble. Even with the difficult start, he pulled his way up and he made himself, really.” De Chambure adds, “That day in Chantilly when Almanzor won the Jockey Club, it was by far my best day, my best memory at the races, because it meant a lot for us. And just seeing Wootton Bassett continuing to do so well for Coolmore, who didn't go halfway in supporting him. They went all the way and sent all their best mares, and the results have been incredible. “But, you know, that's what makes it even more sad, because I think he would have been a breed-shaper. To have another few years with those really good mares, it would have been great to see. We've got a few generations to come, daughters and sons, and hopefully they will leave a strong mark.” Wootton Bassett has had no shortage of support in more recent years, and it is quantity which is backed up by quality. His departure will only enhance the demand for the remaining three crops of youngsters to come, beginning with the 19 yearlings at the Goffs Orby Sale next week and a further 30 at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale. The 206 mares registered as being covered by him earlier this year, in what has transpired to be his final season in Europe, include Lady Bowthorpe, Opera Singer, Ramatuelle, Tahiyra, and Treve, as well as the dams of Camille Pissarro, Churchill, Palace Pier, and Vandeek. The list goes on. Following his private purchase for an undisclosed but presumably vast sum, Wootton Bassett has been on the Coolmore roster since 2021, dividing his time between County Tipperary and shuttle stints to New South Wales. In Australia, his first-crop numbered 10 winners from 36 runners to put him in second place, behind Ole Kirk, in the racing season that ended in August. His return to Australia this year was at a record fee of A$385,000. “In his time at Coolmore, he developed into a world-class sire, with 25 stakes winners and six Group 1 winners from his current two- and three-year-old crops conceived in Ireland. Included amongst these are multiple Group 1-winning sons Camille Pissaro and Henri Matisse as well as this season's multiple Group 1-winning filly, Whirl,” read a statement released on Tuesday by Coolmore to announce the stallion's death. “His current two-year-old crop in Europe already includes six Group winners. Albert Einstein, who defeated subsequent Group 1 winner Power Blue in the G3 Marble Hill Stakes, is considered by both Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore to be one of the best two-year-olds ever seen in Ballydoyle.” At the time of writing, Wootton Bassett, who was the champion sire of two-year-olds in 2024, is poised to take that title again and to be the European champion sire of 2025. He has come a long way. The one consolation on a sad day for those involved in the horse's life is that, in a sense, the very best of the breed never die. Their bloodlines can live on for generations, and this indeed looks to be the case for Wootton Bassett. In that regard, his story has chapters still to be written, even though its leading actor has now left the stage. The post ‘Horse of a Lifetime’ Wootton Bassett Remembered On His Death At Age 17 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With two races each offering prize-money of £100,000, the British EBF 2yo Series, now in its fourth year, headlines the activities on the Flat for the British European Breeders' Fund, which is supported by the British stallion owners. Juveniles who took part in more than 170 restricted maiden and novice races in the country are eligible for Wednesday's fillies' final at Goodwood or the colts' final, which is to be run on October 10 at York. With just over £50,000 to the winner, the former has attracted 14 declared runners from 12 different trainers, making it the largest field to date. Graduates of the 2024 British EBF £100,000 2yo Fillies' Series Final include G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Shes Perfect and Love Talk, who was third in the G2 Lancashire Oaks. The series boasts a combined runner to black-type performers strike-rate of 21 per cent, with notable runners including the Listed winners Chic Colombine, Sirona, Adaay In Devon and Glamis Road. Nick Bradley, the syndicate manager behind four runners in Wednesday's final, said, “Myself and Lewis Poskitt look to add value to our owners' experience in our race planning. We picked out the EBF £30,000 race for Glamis Road about a month before the race, such was the lure of the prize-money on offer. She won nicely that day and went on to finish fourth in the £100,000 EBF Final at Goodwood, which we won with another cheaply bought filly, Love Talk.” The post Record Field for British EBF Fillies’ Series Final appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Baeza's 2 1/4-length victory in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) caught the eyes of voters in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Thoroughbred Poll as he moved from off the board to the No. 8 position. View the full article

Special Me, the dam of MGSW/GISP Stonetastic (Mizzen Mast), GISW Gift Box (Twirling Candy), MGSW Special Forces (Candy Ride {Arg}) and 'TDN Rising Star'/MGISW Gina Romantica, has been pensioned from broodmare duty by Machmer Hall. Carrie Brogden announced the news on social media Tuesday morning, saying “I broke the news to Special Me that she has been retired as a broodmare and is free to live out the rest of her days in happiness, at Machmer Hall. She loves being a mother and we have let her raise her babies. She is literally the toughest, strongest horse I have ever met. She has had knee arthritis from her racing days but has managed to produce four graded stakes winners and a $900,000 yearling from this year. We are delighted to have an Into Mischief filly, full sister to GI winner Gina Romantica, as her last foal to continue on her legacy. To say she has been special to this farm and so many people would be an understatement. Happy retirement, girl! We love you so much.” A half-sister to G1 Gulf News Dubai Golden Shaeen winner Our New Recruit (Alphabet Soup), Special Me produced her first foal in 2010 and then hit the very next year with Stonetastic who won both the GII Prioress Stakes and the GII Inside Information Stakes. Two years later in 2013 she foaled her first Grade I winner as Gift Box would go on to take the GI Santa Anita Handicap before retiring to stud at Lane's End. He was recently announced to have been sold to Saudi Arabia for the 2026 covering season. MGSW Special Forces, born in 2015, conquered several stakes at Woodbine and, in 2019, Special Me foaled Gina Romantica who became a seven-figure yearling grad and three-time Grade I winner. Yet to run in the family is the mare's 2-year-old named Keepsake Box (Twirling Candy) while she saw her yearling Flightline filly hammered down at $900,000 to WHS Stables during this month's Keeneland September Sale. Brogden still has the mare's aforementioned 2025 Into Mischief filly. The post Special Me, Dam Of Gift Box And Gina Romantica, Pensioned At Machmer Hall 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 (HISA) announced Tuesday that jockey Paco Lopez has been suspended for six months, effective September 23, 2025. The suspension stems from Mr. Lopez's violation of the terms of his conditional reinstatement, related to a December 4, 2024 incident involving Mr. Lopez's use of the riding crop on the National Law (Constitution). “HISA remains committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and integrity in horse racing. We take any behavior that undermines the trust of participants and fans with the utmost seriousness, HISA said in its press release. “By enforcing rules consistently, we aim to promote fairness in the adjudication process, protect both horses and riders and preserve confidence in the integrity of the sport.” In its release HISA did not say what exactly Lopez had done to violate his conditional reinstatement. In a press release issued Tuesday shortly before the HISA release came out, PETA called for action against Lopez for violating whip rules aboard Book 'em Danno (Bucchero) in the GI Forego Stakes. This story will be updated. The post HISA Suspends Jockey Paco Lopez For Six Months Following Dec. 2024 Crop Incident appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Jockeys' Guild has voted to impose disciplinary actions, including expulsions and suspensions, on jockeys who accepted mounts and competed Sept. 4-5 at Remington Park after the organization had called on riders to not accept mounts.View the full article

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A gelding by Spendthrift Farm stallion Vekoma topped the 2025 CTHS Alberta Thoroughbred Sale which closed Friday, Sept. 19. Bought for $70,000 by Norm Tremblay as agent, the colt, named Vekoma's Pride, was consigned by Chief Stipe Obert and was the highest priced yearling sold in Alberta since 2015, the sale noted. 73 yearlings sold for a gross of $1,024,600, a 47% increase over the 2024 gross of $699,000. Additionally, the average rose 12% to $14,036 and the median also increased to $10,000. The RNA rate was 10%. Other tops hips sold included a Reload filly for $53,000, a colt by Stanford for $47,000, a Classic Empire colt for $41,000 and a colt by Bakken for $40,000. Highfield Investment Group topped the consigners list, selling five yearlings for $104,000 while Al Pitchko was the leading buyer with seven yearlings purchased for $152,000. “This sale had some quality offerings,” said Dawson Guhle, General Manager of CTHS Alberta. “We saw strong competition from start to finish, a near-record average, and a record-matching median. It shows the confidence buyers have in the future of racing here in Alberta.” The post Vekoma Gelding Tops Strong CTHS Alberta Thoroughbred Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Following the news earlier in the day of his sire's untimely passing, Aidan O'Brien trainee Straight Up (Wootton Bassett) delivered a poignant win for Flaxman Stables and the Coolmore partners in Tuesday's WTW Willis Irish EBF Maiden at Listowel. Stalking the pace in second for most of the seven-furlong contest, the 9-4 favourite inched ahead approaching the final furlong and drew off late to assert by three lengths from King Of Sparta (Dubawi). “To do that without a prior run was a very good performance and Wayne [Lordan] was delighted with him,” said Ballydoyle's Chris Armstrong. “He is a lovely horse and has plenty of size and scope. He jumped a bit slow, but was able to recover and his last furlong was his best. Whatever he does at two will be a bonus and he could be a lovely middle-distance horse for next year. We'll try to get one more run into him this year and then put him away.” Reflecting on the loss of the winner's sire, Armstrong continued, “The news was out early on social media this morning and, obviously, he is a massive loss. When you look at the few years he has been at Coolmore, what he achieved was astronomical and we were fortunate to have so many nice ones by him. His progeny have engines, minds and have everything. There are obviously more crops to come, but his death is a massive blow to the whole team. To lose your star is a big one and he was the ultimate. We have to look forward now, so hopefully there are a few more stars to replace him at stud.” Straight Up is the third of five foals and first winner produced by an unraced full-sister to G1 Yorkshire Oaks victrix Tapestry (Galileo) and G3 Golden Fleece Stakes-winning sire John F Kennedy (Galileo). Tapestry, in turn, is the dam of Group 3-winning G1 Fillies' Mile fourth Dreamy (American Pharoah) and G3 Amethyst Stakes third New World Tapestry (War Front). The April-foaled bay's second dam is G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Rumplestiltskin (Danehill). Straight Up is full to a yearling filly and half to a weanling colt by Paddington. Straight Up (Wootton Bassett) pays a timely reminder to his late sire's talents, bolting up on debut to lead home a Ballydoyle 1-2 at @ListowelRaces pic.twitter.com/cYBccZ5idY — Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 23, 2025 The post Ballydoyle’s Straight Up a Poignant Winner for Wootton Bassett at Listowel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

What Sandown Hillside Races Where Sandown Racecourse – 591-659 Princes Hwy, Springvale VIC 3171 When Wednesday, September 24, 2025 First Race 1:25pm AEST Visit Dabble Racing returns to the Hillside circuit at Sandown on Wednesday with a competitive eight-race meeting set down for decision. With showers forecast on raceday morning, the track is unlikely to improve from the Soft 5 rating, with the rail sticking to its true position the entire circuit. The first at Sandown is set to jump at 1:25pm AEST. Best Bet: Crusader Voyage Crusader Voyage finds a winnable maiden stepping to the mile and draws for the perfect run with Mark Zahra. He was brave first-up and now gets a more genuine tempo on a Soft 5, which should help him settle, balance, and use his late strength. From barrier six he can land midfield with cover, peel at the 400m and build through the long Sandown rise. With race fitness on the up and a handy map against largely exposed rivals, Crusader Voyage looks ready to put a maiden beside his name. Best Bet Race 1 – #8 Crusader Voyage (6) 3yo Colt | T: Chris Waller | J: Mark Zahra (57kg) Next Best at Sandown: Regal Might Regal Might maps for every possible chance from barrier one and looks a touch overlooked returning to 1300m. He’s consistent at this level, handles Soft going, and the 2kg claim from Logan Bates gets him in nicely against his rivals. Expect Bates to hold a forward spot behind genuine speed and be off the fence at the right time. With match fitness and an economical run in transit, Regal gets a great chance to surge late and pinch this. Next Best Race 7 – #2 Regal Might (1) 5yo Gelding | T: Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | J: Logan Bates (a2) (61kg) Best Value at Sandown: Move On In Move On In profiles superbly third-up to 1800m in BM66 grade. The Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) stable has him ready to peak, and with a 3kg claim he carries weight well relative to his talent. From barrier eight, Luke Cartwright can be positive to hold a stalking role, and the Soft 5 shouldn’t worry a UK-bred staying type. His ratings out of recent runs suggest there’s a new figure imminent at this trip, and a fair tempo should let him grind into the race from the 600m and salute at a double-figure price with horse racing bookmakers. Best Value Race 5 – #1 Move On In (GB) (8) 5yo Gelding | T: Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | J: Luke Cartwright (a3) (61kg) Wednesday quaddie tips for Sandown Sandown quadrella selections Wednesday, September 24, 2025 1-4-5-7 4-8-11-14-15-16 2-5-8-10 2-5-10-15 Horse racing tips View the full article

The bloodstock world has been rocked by the news that Wootton Bassett has died at the age of 17. In a statement on X, Coolmore Australia said, “Wootton Bassett, one of the world's great sires, has sadly passed away today at Coolmore Australia having suffered from choke and subsequently developing an acute pneumonia which deteriorated rapidly. “Despite round-the-clock care from a dedicated team of vets, overseen by Dr Nathan Slovis from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky, he was unable to be saved. “Wootton Bassett's story as a sire is a unique one. Nicolas de Chambure got him off to an incredible start at Haras d'Etreham in France before he was acquired by Coolmore in 2020. “In his time at Coolmore he developed into a world-class sire, with 25 stakes winners and six Group One winners from his current two and three-year-old crops conceived in Ireland. Included amongst these are multiple Group One-winning sons Camille Pissaro and Henri Matisse as well as this season's multiple Group One-winning filly, Whirl. “His current two-year-old crop in Europe already includes six Group winners. Albert Einstein, who defeated subsequent Group One winner Power Blue in the Group Three Marble Hill Stakes, is considered by both Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore to be one of the best two-year-olds ever seen in Ballydoyle. “Two more colts, Constitution River and Puerto Rico, have won Group Two races in recent weeks while a pair of fillies, Composing and Beautify, both scored at the same level.” The post Shock As Coolmore Announce Death Of Superstar Stallion Wootton Bassett appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Cambridge Stud stallion Sword Of State was represented by an impressive trial winner when State Of Valour (NZ) (Sword Of State) coasted to victory in his two-year-old heat over 730m at Te Rapa on Tuesday. Prepared by Chad Ormsby, the gelding was quickly into stride to sit on the pace and lengthened stride in the run home under a minimum of urging by Tayla Mitchell to score by three and a-half lengths. “I was very impressed by what he did with the little practice that he’s had,” his trainer said. “He came to us to be broken in and we identified him as quite an early type, we got him going and everything from that time on has been really natural. “I’ve been impressed by the stallion and have got a couple by him in the stable and this one is the more forward of the two.” State Of Valour failed to meet his $60,000 reserve when offered at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and is a son of the French-bred Lope De Vega mare Illadore, whose family boasts an abundance of international stakes winners. “I’ll talk to the team but I think we can go to the races with him now. He’s a half-brother to Sister Ping who we had later in her career, and she was very fast over a shorter distance and I think he’s in a similar mould,” Ormsby said. Sword Of State won four times as a juvenile, with his career highlight a victory in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) to claim champion two-year-old honours. He trained on the following season to claim two Group Three prizes, including a defeat of ten-time top-flight winner Imperatriz in the Almanzor Trophy. Ormsby also had Group Three winners Master Fay (Deep Field) and Outovstock (NZ) (Tavistock) stretch their legs at Te Rapa on Tuesday for a fifth and second respectively. “We had Opie aboard Master Fay and he came back with a grin on his face and said how good he felt. It was just a nice quiet trial, he will take a lot of improvement from it,” Ormsby said. “We were thinking of going to the Matamata Cup with Outovstock, but we will wait for the tracks to improve a bit and we won’t rush him as we have all summer. “It was a good trial from him, we are really pleased and he found the line nicely. It looks as though he has come back in good order.” Meanwhile, recent Ellerslie winner Have a Crack (Zoustar) has returned to the stable after a short let-up after winning over 1200m earlier this month. “He kept himself a little bit busy, we were hoping to give him a couple more weeks of a break, but because he was so active in the paddock, he indicated that he wants to be back in work. We will probably see him back at the races in three or four weeks,” Ormsby said. “When he gets on the good ground that Ellerslie produces, he has an action that suits, he can really quicken with a blistering turn of foot.” View the full article

Hong Kong trainer David Hayes discusses the arrival of short priced TAB Everest favourite Ka Ying Rising into Sydney yesterday with Mitch Manners. David Hayes 23.09.2025 – Racing HQ with Steve Hewlett – Apple Podcasts View the full article

Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) is in fine fettle ahead of her tilt at the Gr.1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on Friday, pleasing jockey Craig Williams with her work on the Melbourne track on Monday. “I was really happy with her,” Williams told Racing.com. “She enjoyed it. It is a privilege to come out here in preparation for Friday’s Group One tilt. “Megan (Winter), who has been entrusted with her care over here while Ken and Bev (Kelso, trainers) are back in New Zealand, is doing a really good job.” Williams is starting to form a good bond with the mare, having ridden her in her last two starts, including winning the Listed Moomba Plate (1100m) at Flemington in March, and second in the Gr.1 Moir Stakes (1000m) first-up at The Valley earlier this month. “I have been on her a few times now after her first-up run since being here, so I am starting to understand her a lot more,” Williams said. “When I first got on her in the mounting yard she was quite full on and when I first rode her in work she was quite full on, and Megan gave me a few pointers with her and now I am really starting to understand her. “I have got a really good relationship with her. She is getting on the track and doing things a lot nicer and straightforward for me, and I loved her work this morning.” Looking ahead to Saturday, Williams said Alabama Lass will be ideally suited to the 1200m. “The distance of 1200m on Friday is definitely in her wheelhouse,” he said. “When she resumed in the Moir it was her first time she had raced over 1000m and she acquit herself really well. Probably a bit too well, she was a bit fresh and tried to overdo it. “The 1200m she can really get into her rhythm and she will take a lot of running down the way she felt this morning.” View the full article

Regally bred colt Lydiard Park (Wootton Bassett) will have conditions more in his favour on Wednesday to add performance to his pedigree. The son of Wootton Bassett will make his second appearance when he steps out in the TCL Earthworks Maiden (1500m) on the synthetic track at Cambridge. Trained by Roger James and Robert Wellwood, the three-year-old finished fifth on debut earlier this month at Ruakaka where he raced greenly and was unsuited by the rain-affected going. “We chanced our arm going there off the one soft trial and it didn’t all go his way, we thought it was a pass mark and certainly hoping to see a bit more on Wednesday,” Wellwood said. Lydiard Park was a $200,000 purchase at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale where he was offered through Woburn Farm’s draft. He is out of the Northern Meteor mare Ciarlet, a sister to multiple Group One winner and influential sire Zoustar. “He’s a very nice colt and a horse that needs a good track. We had options for him next week but the way the weather is we’ll go to the synthetic where we know we’ll get a good surface,” Wellwood said. “Hopefully, that gets him back on track to look at some nice three-year-old races, but he has to step up and we’re looking forward to it.” Stablemate Russian Blues (Russian Revolution) will run in the Cambridge Equine Hospital Maiden (970m) off the back of consecutive fourths at her first two outings. “She had a long time off after she got injured at two, she had trialled up very well,” Wellwood said. “She’s a big, robust filly and the fitness is there now, and she should go a bold race.” Meanwhile, the stable is happy with the progress of Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) hope Mark Twain (NZ) (Shocking) after two outings in Australia at distances well below his best. “We were happy with his run against Via Sistina and company (Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes, 1600m) and at Caulfield (Gr.3 Naturalism Stakes, 2000m),” Wellwood said. “He raced a bit more dourly and like a horse that needs a mile and a-half, which he’ll get next start in The Bart Cummings (Gr.3, 2500m) on October 4.” Closer to home this week, the stable has accepted with two runners at Otaki on Friday with Spellbound (NZ) (Per Incanto) in the Vets On Riverbank 2YO (800m) and Popsicles (NZ) (Eminent) in the Aquashield Roofing Maiden (1600m), but their involvement will depend on track conditions. “We’ll try and leave it to the last minute to make a call, but the weather doesn’t look good,” Wellwood said. “He (Spellbound) is a horse that has showed a lot at the trials at Ellerslie and Popsicles handles a wet track to some degree, she raced on a very heavy track at Matamata last start and certainly wanted it better than that.” View the full article

Michael and Matthew Pitman’s Ocean Light will return to racing on Wednesday at Timaru. Photo: Race Images South Riccarton trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman will head to Phar Lap Raceway with a strong team on Wednesday, including a trio who have some feature New Zealand Cup Week targets on the line. Ocean Light holds a nomination for the Group 3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) and will take his first step towards the two-mile feature in the Hospitality NZ – SC Branch 1600. The five-year-old gelding will be fresh-up after a six-week break and his trainers are hoping he can continue his good run of form, having won three and placed in three of his last six starts. Ocean Light is paying $8 with betting sites to win at Phar Lap Raceway on Wednesday, with the favourite being Brett Murray’s Epee Beel at $3.60. “We were going to race him a couple of weeks ago but decided not to run him on a real heavy track first-up,” Michael Pitman said. More: How to bet on NZ racing. “The track should be really nice at Timaru, it should come back to a (Good)4 or (Soft)5. We are really happy with him, he is coming up well. “His main aim is Cup Week. He is nominated for the New Zealand Cup, but whether he gets to that race or the Metropolitan (Listed, 2600m), we will just see how he goes in his next two to three starts.” He will be joined in his race by stablemate Epee Beel, who is on a path towards the Group 3 Join TAB Racing Club Mile (1600m) on the middle day of New Zealand Cup Week. “She got mucked up when they dropped the last two or three races at Ashburton (in July) and we pressed onto the Winter Cup (Gr.3, 1600m) and we probably shouldn’t have,” Pitman said. “Her last run (fifth over 1580m at Riccarton) was really good. “This looks a nice race for her. She has got a bit of weight (59kg) to carry, but she has got it because she has won a couple of stakes races. “At this stage she is heading to the mile (TAB Racing Club Mile). She will be better suited to that than the 1400m that’s for sure.” Stablemate Star Ballot will also contest the mile on Wednesday, with the hope of also contesting the New Zealand Cup in November. “He is a firm tracker,” Pitman said. “I think he went something like 15 starts without striking a firm track last prep, it’s very hard to find a firm track for him these days. Let’s hope we have a dry summer.” The father-and-son team will head to Timaru with half-a-dozen other runners and they are particularly upbeat about the chances of stable newcomer Enchanted Delight in the Loveracing.nz 1200. The four-year-old Ferrando mare previously had two starts for former trainers Graeme and Debbie Rogerson, and she made her way south on the recommendation of breeder Graeme Rogerson, who has retained a share in the mare. “We have got an interesting maiden that is having her first start for us called Enchanted Delight,” Pitman said. “Graeme Rogerson has stayed in for a share. He recommended her to me and we have had plenty of horses off Rogie over the years. “She is a nice mare, but whether 1200m might be a bit sharp for her or not. We haven’t trialled her, but her work has been good. Brett Murray rides her and we think she is a chance.” Looking ahead to the weekend, the stable will have strong representation at their home meeting, including Proserve in the Waimakariri Businesses North Canterbury Cup (2000m). “We have got a super team in on Saturday,” Pitman said. “Proserve is in the 2000m. He went well the other day and just got beaten. I thought he was going to win it at the top of the straight but he found one better. “He holds a New Zealand Cup nomination and we might test him over 3000m in that Jericho Cup race.” Pitman is also upbeat about the chances of stakes winner Mystic Park and Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) hopeful Student Of War, who will contest the three-year-old 1400m event. “Mystic Park went huge the other day (when fourth over 1200m),” Pitman said. “He was left in front, no fault of Sam Weatherley’s, but he still fought on really well and he has improved since then. “We have got to make a decision in the next couple of starts whether we go to the TAB Mile, which I am preferring to at the moment, or freshen him up for the Stewards (Listed, 1200m, which he won last year). “We bought Student of War out of the Inglis Sale in Sydney after he had a couple of trials. He is a three-year-old by So You Think and he is nominated for the Guineas. He is a lovely horse.” View the full article

For the second time in three years top class broodmare Carlas Pixel is on the market. By Courage Under Fire out of Pixie Perfect, the now 11-year-old mare is up for sale on gavelhouse.com. The auction closes tomorrow with current bidding at $30,000. As a racing proposition the royally-bred Carlas Pixel won 19 races and nearly $500,000 in stakes, with a lifetime best of 1:49.5. Her first foal sold for $270,000. She is currently in foal to Captaintreacherous. In 2023 she was offered up on gavelhouse.com and bought by John Curtin on behalf of clients for a record $300,000. Now she is being sold again on the same platform. She is being offered for sale by Ola Yoder of Kountry Lane Standardbreds in North America who is dispersing all of his horses in Australia. It is important to note that Carlas Pixel is currently based in Victoria. To see more click here To see a Harnesslink story on Carlas Pixel click here View the full article

By Adam Hamilton Leap To Fame will launch his campaign aimed at the $1m IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup with an Albion Park trial on Thursday. In an exciting twist, trainer-driver Grant Dixon is seriously considering heading across the Tasman earlier than expected. “There’s a good chance we’ll fly to NZ straight out of Melbourne, rather than go back home and then get a flight to Auckland from Sydney,” Dixon said. “If we can go straight from Melbourne, it would make sense and save us a lot of other travel.” Leap To Fame, who hasn’t raced since winning his second Inter Dominion crown on July 19, will be in Melbourne for the $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup on October 18. A flight to NZ soon after that would also open the door for Leap To Fame to have a lead-up race in NZ ahead of the Cup on November 11. “We’ll worry about that when we lock in his flights,” Dixon said. “But, at the very least, he’s be there early enough for the Cup Trial (at Addington).” And the news gets better. Dixon said there was also a growing chance Leap To Fame could tackle the Group 1 NZ Free-For-All on Show Day (November 14) as well as the Cup. “We’ll take Fate Awaits across for the slot race (Velocity) on the Friday, so if Leap To Fame came through the Cup run well, he could do the free-for-all, too,” he said. “It’s something we’ll decide at the time, but one of his great strengths is how well he comes through his races and backs up.” More immediately, Dixon is trying to break his Victoria Cup hoodoo with Leap To Fame. The six-year-old was beaten into a close third spot as a hot favourite by Act Now and Catch A Wave in 2023. Last year he was a hot favourite again, but scratched just days before the race with a throat infection. “We’re really happy with him,” he said. “He’ll have the trial this week and we’ll probably just have time for the one run here before we head down (to Melbourne),” Dixon said. Fate Awaits, already a three-time Group 1 winner, will accompany Leap To Fame to Melbourne. “It just makes sense because he can run in the Victoria Derby and travel with ‘Larry’ to NZ,” Dixon said. Leap To Fame is a $1.60 favourite on the TAB Futures market to win the country’s biggest race, ahead of half brother and two-time champion Swayzee at $5. View the full article

Multile group one winner Crocetti has done all that was asked in his trial return on Tuesday morning. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Group One-winning sprinter Crocetti made his first public appearance of the season when winning his 1100m trial at Te Rapa on Tuesday. The Danny Walker and Arron Tata-trained gelding jumped away well to sit outside leader Boss ‘N’ Highheels. He found the lead comfortably under his own steam when entering the straight and ran out an effortless two-length victor over Lachie. Walker was pleased with what he saw ahead of his spring preparation. “He had a nice gallop,” he said. “He is looking good, he is good in the coat, and he has trialled well, so we can’t be any happier than that.” The five-year-old son of Zacinto has been back in work for the last couple of months following an Australian hit-and-run mission in April where he finished last in the AUD$5 million Quokka at (1200m) Ascot. Walker said he took no ill-effects from the trip and he is looking forward to the season ahead with his stable star, which will likely kick-off next month. “He will probably go to Rotorua on the 12th of October for the Sweynesse Stakes,” he said. “We will play it by ear and see how he comes through Rotorua and make a plan after that. There’s not a lot around really until Christmas time.” Bred and raced by Daniel Nakhle, Crocetti has won nine and placed in three of his 15 starts to date, including victories in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Railway (1200m), and has accrued more than $1.4 million in prizemoney. View the full article

The Robert Wellwood and Roger James-trained gallaper Lydiard Park is ready to break his maiden status. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Regally bred colt Lydiard Park will have conditions more in his favour on Wednesday to add performance to his pedigree. The son of Wootton Bassett will make his second appearance when he steps out in the TCL Earthworks Maiden (1500m) on the synthetic track at Cambridge. Trained by Roger James and Robert Wellwood, the three-year-old finished fifth on debut earlier this month at Ruakaka where he raced greenly and was unsuited by the rain-affected going. Lydiard Park is the $3.30 favourite with horse racing betting sites to win the 1500m maiden, with Trouvaille, Altiplano and Cheerful Smile on next line at $6.50. “We chanced our arm going there off the one soft trial and it didn’t all go his way, we thought it was a pass mark and certainly hoping to see a bit more on Wednesday,” Wellwood said. Lydiard Park was a $200,000 purchase at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale where he was offered through Woburn Farm’s draft. He is out of the Northern Meteor mare Ciarlet, a sister to multiple Group One winner and influential sire Zoustar. “He’s a very nice colt and a horse that needs a good track. We had options for him next week but the way the weather is we’ll go to the synthetic where we know we’ll get a good surface,” Wellwood said. “Hopefully, that gets him back on track to look at some nice three-year-old races, but he has to step up and we’re looking forward to it.” Stablemate Russian Blues will run in the Cambridge Equine Hospital Maiden (970m) off the back of consecutive fourths at her first two outings. “She had a long time off after she got injured at two, she had trialled up very well,” Wellwood said. “She’s a big, robust filly and the fitness is there now, and she should go a bold race.” Meanwhile, the stable is happy with the progress of Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) hope Mark Twain after two outings in Australia at distances well below his best. “We were happy with his run against Via Sistina and company (Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes, 1600m) and at Caulfield (Group 3 Naturalism Stakes, 2000m),” Wellwood said. “He raced a bit more dourly and like a horse that needs a mile and a-half, which he’ll get next start in The Bart Cummings (Group 3, 2500m) on October 4.” Closer to home this week, the stable has accepted with two runners at Otaki on Friday with Spellbound in the Vets On Riverbank 2YO (800m) and Popsicles in the Aquashield Roofing Maiden (1600m), but their involvement will depend on track conditions. “We’ll try and leave it to the last minute to make a call, but the weather doesn’t look good,” Wellwood said. “He (Spellbound) is a horse that has showed a lot at the trials at Ellerslie and Popsicles handles a wet track to some degree, she raced on a very heavy track at Matamata last start and certainly wanted it better than that.” View the full article