Wandering Eyes

TB-Ed, the educational platform of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, has launched a new 'Getting the Mare in Foal' programme – a series of online courses designed specifically for Thoroughbred breeders, stud farm managers and their employees, as well as anyone with an interest in equine reproduction. Caroline Turnbull, Industry Education and Retention Manager for the TBA, said, “We are really pleased to launch this new online course as part of the TB-Ed offering which now hosts 24 online courses and 81 resources on the site and which has become a vital tool to support the stud sector with over 1,000 registered users. “Each course within the programme is accredited by the British Horseracing Authority for continuing professional development and the flexible online format allows participants to learn at their own pace and in their own time, with expert-led content accessible from anywhere in the world and we hope it will be really well received.” The programme is now available and is free of charge to TBA members/ACCESS subscribers. Non-members can also access the full programme, with two of the four courses priced at £45 and the other two at £145. Further information about each of the individual courses can be found here. The post TB-Ed Launch New Online ‘Getting the Mare in Foal’ Programme appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The 2026 live racing schedule at Parx Racing has been released and features 149 days of live racing throughout the year, highlighted by the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) on Sept. 19.View the full article

Thoroughbreds are hitting the track early as Will Rogers Downs kicks off spring racing season on Jan. 12. The earlier start , nearly two months ahead of last year's March 3 opening, will conclude on Kentucky Derby Day, May 2.View the full article

The New York Racing Association plans to run 196 racing days at Aqueduct Racetrack, Saratoga Race Course and the new Belmont Park in 2026. View the full article

Oli Rix, the most recent addition to the training ranks in Newmarket, harbours dreams of sending out a breakthrough winner with Trouble Man before the year is out. The 31-year-old, who has spent time working with Andrew Balding, Chris Waller and most recently Roger Varian, has assembled a team of 15 horses to run in his debut season from Bedford House Stables. Trouble Man was a 31,000gns purchase by Rix at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale and, with the benefit of a recent pipe-opener under his belt, his young trainer is optimistic that he can go close at Wolverhampton on Saturday. “Trouble Man has been in great nick since he ran at Kempton,” the young handler said. “He wasn't helped by the draw that day and was forced to be dropped in when the track was favouring speed. He has bounced out of it well, had a blow on Wednesday morning and I am excited to run him again. I am keen to step him up to seven furlongs as he relaxed so well at Kempton and hit the line strong that day. “I think we will head to Wolverhampton Saturday over seven furlongs rather than six furlongs on Monday, which looks warmer at entry stage. Saturday is also a slightly lower grade and the race could be divided. Fingers crossed he draws okay!” Despite spending time in Australia with Waller, Rix has revealed that he never looked beyond Britain when it came about setting up as a trainer in his own right. He has spent the past four years working as an assistant trainer to Varian and said the opportunity to lease a yard at Bedford House Stable alongside Charlie Fellowes was too good to ignore. He said, “It's something I have always wanted to be doing more than a financial or a business decision. I will need it to work but it's an itch I had to scratch. I don't think I'd have been able to live with myself if I didn't give training a go at some stage. I am aware that it's very hard but you've got to give it a go. The opportunity to train out of Bedford House Stables presented itself and I felt that, if I was going to do it, now is the right time.” Rix added, “I worked for Chris Waller in Australia for a year so I definitely gave it some consideration to setting up down there but, the lifestyle there, it is probably even more grueling than it is here. They are basically working night shits and, the bigger you get, the more inter state racing there is. The travel is obscene. And actually, the training ranks are very much dominated by the super powers down there. I just felt, what I really wanted to be doing was to be training in England.” Son of respected form judge and tipster Henry Rix, Oli has understandably targeted the recent horses-in-training sales over the yearling market when it came to recruiting talent. He was notably active at the Autumn edition of the horses-in-training sale at Tattersalls and says that the recruitment and placing of form horses could provide him with a potential edge over some of his rivals in the coming months and years. He said, “Placing the horses is going to be a massive selling point for us. My father is a former tipster and is one of the top form judges around. Buying and placing horses, that's something that comes very natural to us. Trading is everything as well. You can't make money at this game without trading so, everything we have bought so far, we have bought them with one eye on selling. If we had anything that was good enough to go to Royal Ascot, for example, they would be in the Goffs London Sale.” He added, “Like I said, I know that this is a very hard game to make money in but we're not just playing – we need it to work. We waited and waited until we had enough support to do it properly and go out and actually buy some nice horses, which I think we have done. I didn't want to go out on my own, punting and speculating on five and ten grand horses and hoping for the best. I wanted to attract people who were prepared to put some money behind us and I feel like we've done that. We've bought a nice horse off Juddmonte for example, Intense Vision (Expert Eye), who I think a lot of people thought was unraced because, when the catalogue for the Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale came out, he hadn't run. We ran the figures for his runs in France and he could be rated in the mid to high 90s so, for 60,000gns, we think he was well bought and he could even have something like the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot as a potential target. “We also bought a horse privately off Ger Lyons, and he's called Strike Zone (Mehmas). He will be one for novices and was purchased on behalf of a Hong Kong client so he has the option of going out there if things go well. Dosman (Kingman), who I paid 4,000gns for in an online sale, is one we could aim at those valuable Friday night fixtures so there are four or five to run this winter.” While the hope is that Trouble Man can be good enough to get the stable off the mark in whatever race he pitches up at Wolverhampton, Rix is not setting any unrealistic targets for his debut campaign. Instead, he will be bidding to do right by every horse within his care and build up a reputation as being an assured pair of hands that prospective owners and clients can turn to. He concluded, “I don't really set goals at all but, if you were to ask me where I'd like to be in a year's time, I'd say to have the yard full and to be in a situation where people want to send me some nice horses. I don't really mind if that means we've had 10 or 20 winners, just as long as we've done well with what we have and are expanding.” The post Meet The 31-Year-Old Newmarket Trainer Bidding For A Breakthrough This Week appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) released its 2026 racing schedule Thursday, a calendar which includes 196 live race days spread across Aqueduct Racetrack, Saratoga Race Course and the new Belmont Park. Additionally, NYRA has reached a multi-year agreement with the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) and New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) designed to provide racing participants with additional certainty regarding racing opportunities and underscores NYRA's commitment to year-round racing during the transition to a re-imagined Belmont Park. Accordingly, NYRA has established the foundation of a 2027 racing schedule to include 203 live race days split between Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park. The 2027 racing calendar will mark the return of the GI Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets to Long Island. And for the first time since 2005, the Breeders' Cup World Championships will be contested at Belmont Park on October 29-30, 2027. Following a three-year period of temporary adjustments to the schedule of racing at Saratoga [2024-2026], NYRA will return to the traditional 40-day summer meet in 2027. “NYRA has arrived at a schedule for the next two years that provides continuity in 2026 and significantly expands racing opportunities in 2027,” said Andrew Offerman, NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing and Operations. “The two-year plan reflects NYRA's investment in a revitalized winter racing product at the new Belmont Park, where the availability of a Tapeta surface will improve field size and increase the quality of racing year-round. We will soon be entering a new era for racing downstate, and this agreement allows NYRA to focus its efforts on planning and implementing these racing calendars, continuing to improve the quality of racing opportunities for all participants in New York, and successfully reopening Belmont Park.” As part of the same forward-looking agreement, NYRA will be accelerating the implementation of comprehensive purse increases for all New York-bred overnight races. Originally scheduled for January 2027, these purse increases in races restricted to New York-breds will now be fully enacted in September 2026 to coincide with the re-opening of Belmont Park. Throughout the 2026 calendar year, as previously announced, NYRA will increase purses in all New York-bred overnight races for 2-year-olds. “This two-year agreement represents a significant step forward for every participant in the New York-bred program,” said Najja Thompson, NYTB Executive Director. “The significant increase in purses for all New York-breds with the reopening of Belmont Park will be enormously beneficial for breeding and racing in New York, which drives a broad and growing industry across the state. We're proud to have the best regional breeding program in the nation, and this announcement further strengthens our position.” Specific purse levels and details relative to these increases will be published in the first condition book for the summer meet at Saratoga and the first condition book for the fall meet at Belmont Park. “We are very pleased to announce a landmark two-year calendar for New York racing,” said Tina Marie Bond, NYTHA President. “This ensures stability for New York owners, trainers, and other major stakeholders as we prepare to transition to the brand-new surfaces of the redeveloped Belmont Park. We will continue to work closely with NYRA to secure a healthy future for horse racing in the Empire State.” The ongoing construction of a new Belmont Park, which will re-open in September, will require certain adjustments to the customary NYRA racing schedule throughout 2026. The spring/summer meets traditionally held at Belmont Park will again take place at Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga will host the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival for the third and final time. Highlighted by the 158th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 6, the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held at Saratoga from Wednesday, June 3 through Sunday, June 7. “Each summer, Saratoga Race Course stands at the center of the racing world,” said David O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO. “The 2026 season will be particularly special as we celebrate the final Saratoga edition of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and honor America's 250th anniversary at one of the country's most historic sporting venues. While Saratoga has served as the ideal temporary host for the Belmont Stakes and July 4th festivals, we look forward to returning to the traditional 40-day summer racing schedule at Saratoga in 2027.” The 2026 Aqueduct winter meet will open Wednesday, January 1 and continue through Sunday, March 30. Except for January 8, live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday until February 15 and Friday-Sunday from February 20 through the end of March. The winter meet will offer 45 live race days in total. The 2026 spring meet at Aqueduct will open Thursday, April 2 and continue through Sunday, April 26 with live racing conducted Thursday-Sunday. The spring meet will offer 15 live race days in total. The 2026 Belmont at the Big A spring summer meet will open Thursday, April 30 and continue through Sunday, June 28. Live racing will generally be conducted Thursday-Sunday except for Memorial Day weekend and a period of dark days prior to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. The Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet will offer 33 live race days in total. NYRA will honor the legacy of Aqueduct throughout 2026 and bid farewell to the storied venue with a series of events culminating on June 28. Additional details will be provided in early 2026. At the conclusion of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet, the NYRA circuit will return to Saratoga for a 46-day summer meet to open with the July 4th Racing Festival from Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5. “We are excited to have one more opportunity to showcase our amazing community to the world by hosting the Belmont Stakes and July 4th Festivals,” said Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus. “To kick off the Belmont Festival, we will again host a Belmont on Broadway concert free for locals and visitors to our community, and the July 4th All American Celebration to add to the festivities at the track. These two festivals helped drive up revenue at local hotels, restaurants, bars, stores and shops throughout the area, in 2025, and the same will be true as our historic run hosting these events concludes in 2026.” To accommodate the 2026 calendar, Saratoga will then host a series of four-day racing weeks, Thursday through Sunday, from Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 26 prior to the resumption of the five-day racing week beginning Wednesday, July 29. The 2026 summer meet will conclude with a six-day closing week from Wednesday, September 2, through Labor Day, Monday, September 7. NYRA will then unveil the new and re-imagined Belmont Park when live racing returns to Elmont, N.Y. in September. Centered around a new grandstand and paddock, Belmont Park will offer four newly constructed racing surfaces including a one-mile Tapeta track to be used for winter racing, off-the-turf races and for training year-round. Tentatively scheduled to begin Friday, September 18, the Belmont Park fall meet will continue through Sunday, December 6 and offer 46 live race days in total. NYRA will provide additional details in the coming weeks and months regarding Opening Day events and festivities to celebrate the new Belmont Park. The 2026/27 Belmont Park winter meet will open on Thursday, December 10 and will continue into 2027 following 11 days of live racing in December. Click here for the 2026 calendar of live race dates, which is pending New York State Gaming Commission approval. The post NYRA Releases 2026 Racing Schedule, Sets Multi-Year Race-Dates Agreement appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

No fewer than 44 all-weather fixtures (up to and including racing on Tuesday, December 16) have been held in Britain and Ireland since the most recent edition of Winter Watch was penned on November 20, with the end-of-year sales swing dictating that the recent focus for us bloodstock journalists has been less Newcastle and Dundalk, more Newmarket and Deauville. But now, with the sights and sounds of Arqana quickly becoming a distant memory, it's time to get back to what will be our bread and butter until Flat racing returns on turf next spring. Did one of those 44 meetings play host to a Group 1 winner of 2026? Who knows but, if they did, hopefully the horse in question makes an appearance in the near-2,000 words below, a hasty recap of everything we've missed over the past three weeks. New Bay Continues to Deliver for Ralph Beckett According to Timeform ratings, the best performance produced by a two-year-old novice/maiden winner since Winter Watch last went to print came courtesy of Richie's Rocket, a devastating pillar-to-post winner at Lingfield on November 20. Sent off the 30/100 favourite for the 7f maiden on the card, the son of New Bay confirmed the promise of his Newmarket debut three weeks earlier in no uncertain terms, ultimately passing the post nine lengths clear of his closest pursuer, despite being heavily eased down in the closing stages. Admittedly, Richie's Rocket didn't have much in the way of meaningful opposition, but the clock doesn't lie and he ran the seven furlongs in a considerably quicker time than the other two juvenile winners on the card, earning a noteworthy Timeform rating of 102p for one so early in his career. Bought for €110,000 at Book 1 of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, Richie's Rocket is one of four winners from five runners out of the speedy White Bullet (Exceed And Excel), who twice hit the frame at Listed level in a career spanning only four starts. This colt has clearly inherited a good deal of her pace, although a step up to a mile at some stage should be within his range. Richie's Rocket's trainer, Ralph Beckett, has also been among the winners lately with some well-bred fillies, including Juddmonte homebred Serenetta (Kingman) – a half-sister to the stable's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Bluestocking (Camelot) and G1 Sussex Stakes winner Qirat (Showcasing) – who got off the mark at the second attempt in a 7f novice at Kempton on December 3. Her pedigree will be an ongoing recommendation, while similar comments apply to stablemate K Sarra, who shares her sire with Richie's Rocket and is a full-sister to Beckett's G2 Dante Stakes and G2 Great Voltigeur Stakes winner Pride Of Arras. Keeping up the excellent strike-rate of the Aykroyds and their boutique breeding operation – which has also produced the G2 King Edward VII Stakes scorer Amiloc (Postponed) from only five individual runners in Britain in 2025 – K Sarra kicked off her career in style when winning a 1m novice at Southwell on November 26. She's very much one to follow. Look at him go! Richie's Rocket bolts clear of the field to record a supremely impressive success at @LingfieldPark…@Rossaryan15 @RalphBeckett pic.twitter.com/RJ4hONA7vT — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 20, 2025 Amo Filly Impresses at Southwell Beckett also struck at Lingfield on Monday when Angel Gabriel (Mehmas) dominated the 6f novice, a performance perhaps most notable for the compliment it paid to the filly he chased home at a distance at Southwell a few weeks earlier. Amo Racing's Domina Ignis is the horse in question, a €300,000 purchase at the Arqana May Breeze-up Sale. She was making a belated debut in the 6f novice at Southwell on November 21, but it proved well worth the wait as she easily shrugged aside the aforementioned Angel Gabriel, who was sent off the 4/7 favourite after filling the runner-up spot on his own debut at Doncaster earlier in the month. At the line, however, Domina Ignis was five lengths clear of that solid yardstick, impressing most with her strength at the finish, especially as she'd been keener than ideal in the early stages. Trained by Kevin Philippart de Foy at Amo's Newmarket base, Freemason Lodge, the daughter of Pinatubo could be as exciting a two-year-old as we've seen from that team heading into next year. The first runner out of a full-sister to the Listed Prix la Sorellina winner Chartreuse (Lawman), Domina Ignis should stay at least seven furlongs, though the high cruising speed she demonstrated at Southwell will stand her in good stead if connections opt to campaign her as a sprinter. Night Of Thunder Colt the Next Damysus? Organise is a name for the notebook from another of the sport's emerging superpowers in Wathnan Racing, having strolled to a seven-length debut victory at Southwell on November 26. Sent off the 11/10 favourite in a field of 14 for that 7f novice, the son of Night Of Thunder was still on the bridle when hitting the front with less than two furlongs to run, before drawing right away once shaken up by James Doyle to prove himself in a different league to the rest. Whilst he did blot his copybook slightly when hanging left in the final furlong, for now that is best put down to inexperience and it speaks to his ability that he still won by such a wide margin. It cost Wathnan 360,000gns to land Organise at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with the G3 Renaissance Stakes scorer The Happy Prince (Rip Van Winkle) featuring among his five winning siblings. He'll stay a mile and his connections will be hoping he can emulate Damysus (Frankel), who proved himself a high-class performer after making a winning debut at Southwell around this time last year. Incidentally, Organise features among six juvenile winners for the Gosden yard since the previous instalment of Winter Watch. All of the others merit some sort of mention, including Kempton winner Asmeralda (Night Of Thunder), a €640,000 buy at Book 1 of the Goffs Orby, but Chelmsford scorer Symbol Of Majesty might just have the edge in terms of star potential. Another exciting prospect for New Bay, Symbol Of Majesty is a half-sister to the stable's G1 Fillies' Mile heroine Commissioning (Kingman), while their dam, Sovereign Parade (Galileo), is a full-sister to the Irish Derby and St Leger winner Capri, among others. This filly came from miles back to win the 1m novice at Chelmsford on December 4, shaping like one who will be a much sharper model with the experience under her belt. Going, going, gone! Organise is very green but clears easily away from the field on debut at @Southwell_Races… pic.twitter.com/sF8ld7od4i — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 26, 2025 Embarrassment of Riches at Moulton Paddocks Not to be outdone by the Gosdens, Charlie Appleby has saddled seven two-year-old winners in Britain over the past three weeks, highlighting once again that Moulton Paddocks is blessed with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to these late-maturing juveniles. On December 12, Tales Of Wisdom registered an even more emphatic victory at Southwell than Organise when winning the 7f maiden by 11 lengths. Whilst it's fair to say that it wasn't much of a contest, the winning margin underlines that he himself will be worth his place in a higher grade. Already gelded, the son of Blue Point was picked up for €250,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale, having been bred by Brickfield Stud out of an unraced half-sister to this year's G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen winner Tornado Alert (Too Darn Hot). Elsewhere, Hidden Force and King's Trail both looked destined for bigger and better things when making successful debuts at Kempton on December 1. From the Godolphin family which has given them the likes of Thunder Snow and Coroebus, Frankel colt Hidden Force looked to have a bit in hand when winning the 7f novice which kicked off the card, just needing to be pushed out to land the spoils by 1 3/4 lengths. That victory saw him become the third winner from as many runners out of the Listed UAE 1,000 Guineas heroine Winter Lightning (Shamardal), with the others including the Listed Prix Casimir Delamarre scorer Dancing Goddess (Dubawi). King's Trail, meanwhile, was impressive in winning the 1m novice by 2 3/4 lengths, really putting his stamp on the contest late on after he'd taken a bit of time to get the hang of things. The second foal out of the G3 Prix Chloe winner and G1 Prix Rothschild runner-up Crown Walk (Dubawi), the son of Sea The Stars promises to be well suited by middle-distances next year. Then, of course, there's Nation's Hope, who is now two from two at Kempton, having followed up his debut rout with a similarly dominant effort to win the 1m novice run on December 10. A six-length winner most recently, the son of Ghaiyyath again showed more than enough in defying his penalty to suggest the 'TDN Rising Star' tag he earned on debut won't prove wide of the mark. He looks a safe bet to follow in the footsteps of his globetrotting half-brother, Nations Pride (Teofilo), by making an impact in Group company when the time comes. A comfortable success for Nation's Hope in the @HEROSCharity Creating Bright Futures EBF Novice Stakes pic.twitter.com/Zp4z5FpqCo — Kempton Park Racecourse (@kemptonparkrace) December 10, 2025 Bright Futures Ahead for Relative Bargain Buys The William Haggas-trained Zennor Storm hasn't caused so much fanfare as Nation's Hope with his two wins at Kempton, but he too looked a good prospect when last seen defying a penalty to maintain his unbeaten record on December 3. Proving well suited by the step up to a mile in that novice, the son of Mohaather responded generously to pressure after coming under a drive early in the straight, before putting on the afterburners late on to run out an authoritative winner by 1 1/2 lengths. Bred by Maywood Stud, Zennor Storm first changed hands for just 5,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, before being bought by Mary Reynolds of Ardglas Stables for €25,000 at Part 2 of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale. He proved a successful pinhook for that team, having sold most recently for £60,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale, while his subsequent exploits suggest he was a bargain even at that price for his owner, Richard Salter. Another with an interesting sales history is Newcastle winner Noelan Star, who first sold for €47,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale and then for 45,000gns at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale. More recently, the son of Starspangledbanner failed to find a buyer at 80,000gns when catalogued as part of September's Tattersalls Online Barrier Trials Pop-Up Sale, having won his trial at Leopardstown for Diego Dias just a few days earlier. Having ended up at the Ed Bethell yard one way or another, Noelan Star caused a bit of an upset when making a winning debut in the 1m novice run at Gosforth Park on December 13. At the line he was fully 8 1/2 lengths clear of Alba Gu Brath (Study Of Man), who was sent off the 10/11 favourite after chasing home none other than Zennor Storm on his debut 10 days earlier. Alba Gu Brath probably wasn't in quite the same form at Newcastle as he had been at Kempton, but the manner in which he was put to the sword by the smooth-travelling Noelan Star was taking nonetheless. He seems sure to progress and win more races. The Irish Angle In Ireland, Greek Mythology provided another late-season boost for young Darley stallion Pinatubo when winning a 7f median auction event at Dundalk on December 3. The Al Shira'aa homebred very much enjoyed the run of the race, dictating just a modest gallop, but there's little doubt that the best horse won as he asserted in the final furlong to give weight and a comprehensive beating to the pair of last-time-out winners who completed the frame. Certainly, it was a stylish debut from this son of the G3 Premio Elena E Sergio Cumani third Liwa Palace (Oasis Dream), who has already given Al Shira'aa and Joseph O'Brien the G3 Killavullan Stakes winner Atlantic Coast (Kodiac). This one has scope for more improvement and will merit consideration wherever he turns up next. Lastly, similar comments apply to Danny Murphy's Sovereign Cry, who beat no less than four previous winners when opening his own account in a 5f conditions event at Dundalk on December 12, digging deep to mug the favourite in the shadows of the post. Murphy's phone has surely been red hot in the days since, but the son of Ten Sovereigns ought to give his connections plenty of sport if continuing his racing career on these shores. Bought for €58,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-up Sale, he is out of a once-raced half-sister to the G2 Duke Of York Stakes-winning sire Invincible Army. The post Winter Watch: Beckett, Gosdens and Appleby All Among the Winners appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland has supplemented four additional horses to the 2026 January Horses of All Ages Sale to be held Monday, Jan. 12 and Tuesday, Jan. 13. Broken Oath, a 9-year-old winning daughter of Broken Vow in foal to Kantharos. A half-sister to Grade II winner Venetian Harbor, she is consigned by Ashview Farm, agent. Broken Oath is out of the winning stakes-placed Sounds of the City, by Street Cry (Ire). 2025 filly by Flameaway consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. The first foal out of the Liam's Map mare Approachable, she is from the family of Canadian Horse of the Year Up With the Birds and Canadian champion Wilderness Song. Musical Rhapsody (Ire), a listed stakes-winning and Grade III-placed daughter of Holy Roman Emperor. Cataloged as a broodmare prospect, she is consigned by Eaton Sales, agent. Tight Line, a 3-year-old filly by Constitution cataloged as a broodmare prospect. From the family of Grade I winner In Lingerie, she is out of the winning Pioneerof the Nile mare Trailblazer. Ashview Farm, agent, consigns Tight Line. These supplements increase the total number of horses cataloged to the January Sale to 1,092. Each session begins at 10 a.m. ET and the auction will be livestreamed at Keeneland.com. The post Keeneland Supplements Four Horses To 2026 January Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The $1 million GI BetParx Pennsylvania Derby, set for Saturday, September 19, will headline the 2026 live racing schedule at Parx Racing which released its calendar for next year Thursday. The track, which typically operates a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday schedule throughout the year with select Friday and weekend dates, will play host to 149 days of live racing throughout the year. In 2026, there will be racing held on all three Triple Crown Saturdays (May 2, May 16 and June 6) as well as on Kentucky Oaks Friday (May 1). In addition, there will racing held on Saturday, July 18 for Pennsylvania Day at the Races, Saturday, August 15 for Owner's Appreciation Day and a Sunday card will be on Father's Day (June 21). As in years past, there will be a three-week break in live racing the last week of July into the first two weeks of August. In 2026, there will also be a week off of racing following the Pennsylvania Derby. Thursday racing has been added to the schedule for the month of November as well as live racing on Black Friday following Thanksgiving. “We are looking forward to our 2026 season and appreciate the cooperation of the horsemen and women and the PTHA as we put together our schedule,” said Parx COO Joe Wilson. “We are proud of the competitive product put forth by our racing office year-round and hope that the return of turf racing in 2026 will continue to enhance that.” The full 2026 live racing schedule can be viewed here. The post PA Derby Headlines 2026 Parx Racing Schedule appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, December 20, 2025 4th-NKY, ¥14,250,000 ($92k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m EXMOUTH (f, 2, Practical Joke–Lighthouse Bay, by Speightstown) looks to become the fifth winner from as many starters from her dam, winner of four of her eight trips to the post including a 21-1 upset of the GI Prioress Stakes at Saratoga in 2013. A half-sister to the stakes-placed Tammy Tap Tap Tap (Candy Ride {Arg}), Lighthouse Bay is also responsible for the 4-year-old colt Ecoro Eight (Take Charge Indy), a three-time winner in Japan, including a six-furlong allowance at this venue this past September. The visiting Tom Marquand has the riding assignment. O-Shadai Race Horse Co Ltd; B-Shadai Farm (KY); T-Taiki Chaki 6th-HSN, ¥14,250,000 ($92k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m SAN SEBA (JPN) (c, 2, Justify–Amortization {Ire}, by Kingman {GB}) is the first produce out of a mare who won two of seven starts in this country–one each for Chad Brown and George Weaver–before changing hands for $75,000 to the bid of Shimokobe Farm at Keeneland January in 2022. The colt's third dam Sulk (Ire) (Selkirk) was precocious enough to win the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac over a mile at two and later became a top stayer, finishing runner-up in the G1 Prix Royal-Oak and third in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks. Sulk is a half-sister to US champion Dank (GB) and G1SW Eagle Mountain. Yutaka Take rides. O-Monreve Co Ltd; B-Shimokobe Farm; T-Tatsuya Yoshioka Sunday, December 21, 2025 5th-CKO, ¥14,250,000 ($92k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m ELEGANT PHARAOH (f, 2, American Pharoah–Tap That App, by Tapit), a $40,000 Keeneland November weanling last fall, breezed an eighth of a mile in a smooth :10 2/5 and was hammered down for $185,000 at this year's OBS April Sale. The Mar. 21 foal is a granddaughter of GSP Conquest Curlgirl (Curlin), a half-sister to MSW & MGSP Easyfromthegitgo (Easy Goer) and GSW Sue's Good News (Woodman), the dam of GISW Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint hero Bulletin (City Zip) and the granddam of this year's GIII Gotham Stakes hero Flood Zone (Frosted). Pine Ridge Stable acquired Tap That App for $125,000 with Elegant Pharaoh in utero at Keeneland November in 2022. O-Kazuhiro Masuda; B-Pine Ridge Stable LLC (KY); T-Yuta Sato The post Lighthouse Bay Filly Debuts For Shadai at Nakayama appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In the wake of increasing disquiet at the impasse between Racing Australia and the Asian Racing Federation in the prolonged absence of proper oversight of Australia's black-type programme, the newly formed Australian Racing Industry Alliance (ARIA) released a statement on Thursday outlining plans for the restoration of an Australian Pattern Committee. Chaired by major owner-breeder Jonathan Munz, and with the backing of one of the most respected figures in international breeding in Arrowfield Stud's John Messara, ARIA represents many of the country's major industry bodies, including Thoroughbred Breeders Australia, Thoroughbred Breeders NSW, Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria, the sales companies Magic Millions and Inglis, the Australian Trainers Association, and the Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners Association. On Wednesday, the Asian Pattern Committee (APC), which oversees the individual committees of the member countries of the Asian Racing Federation, confirmed that it would take control of the decision-making process of grading Austalia's black-type races as a “temporary measure” while the Australian Pattern Committee remains inactive, as it has been since the 2017/18 racing season. ARIA now seeks to implement a new structure similar to the independent committees which sit in other major racing jurisdictions. Its proposal suggests that an Australian Pattern Panel (APP) be established with 18 permanent voting members and a constitution that ensures proper governance and succession planning. This panel would select an Australian Pattern Committee annually, with members representing the broad spectrum of the racing and bloodstock world but acting independently of Racing Australia. Jonathan Munz said, “Racing Australia has been heavily criticised and the current situation is an embarrassment. It cannot be in charge of putting together a set of experts on breeding and the Pattern to advise the APC. You don't empower the organisation that has been accused of botching a process to fix that process.” Following the unprecedented action of the Asian Pattern Committee in stepping in to revive the Australian Pattern, the country has been given a stay of execution from the threat of being demoted to Part II of international racing's Blue Book, which would mean its Group races would be recognised as such only domestically. John Messara, a former chair of Racing Australia, is well placed to recognise the potential damage this would wreak on Australia's bloodstock industry and he echoed Munz's sentiments. “We cannot have the current situation, where races are listed by Racing Australia as having been upgraded or as 'new' stakes races, when they do not qualify to appear as such in our sales catalogues,” he said. “It is also important to note that a 'ratings-based only' set of Pattern guidelines would be inconsistent with the Asian Patter Committee Ground Rules, which specifically require a pattern committee to take into account 'all factors that include more than race ratings or statical analysis, such as the effect of the shape of the Pattern, as well as circumstances that may impact the race rating of a specific race'.” Messara added, “For the sake of the Australian racing industry and its international reputation, we need a settlement that restores confidence in the Pattern. Nothing short of proper governance will do.” The post Munz and Messara Back ARIA to Wrest Control of Australian Pattern appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Promising stayer She’s A Hustler (NZ) (Ace High) could be another galloper who could make a cameo appearance at the Sydney Autumn Carnival. Just as Tony and Calvin McEvoy are considering a return to racing for Caulfield and Melbourne Cups champion Half Yours in the All Aged Stakes, She’s A Hustler’s trainer Grahame Begg is pondering bringing her back at Randwick. Begg said he is looking at the Gr.1 Queen Of The Turf (1600m) for fillies and mares at Randwick on April 11 for his last-start winner of the Gr.2 Zipping Classic (2400m), before she heads to Queensland and feature middle-distance targets before bringing her back for the Melbourne Spring Carnival. “We’re working out a plan for her. In Brisbane she will run in the Hollindale Stakes (Gr.2, 1800m), the Doomben Cup (Gr.1, 2000m) and the Q22 (Gr.2, 2200m),” Begg said. “We’ve got to work out whether to run her beforehand in Sydney first-up in the Group One race for fillies and mares.” Begg said after She’s A Hustler won the Zipping Classic, his goal in 2026 will be to win the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) at the same track and distance. The five-year-old mare has been lightly raced, having had 10 starts for six wins and four second placings, with the daughter of Rich Hill Stud stallion Ace High having transferred from New Zealand after placing on debut for Roger James and Robert Wellwood. Ace High is represented by 17 yearlings at the forthcoming Karaka Yearling Sales in January. She’s A Hustler is $20 to win the 2026 Caulfield Cup. View the full article

It took 31 years for Hong Kong’s Triple Crown to be won again, but it might only be 12 months until history repeats if Voyage Bubble continues his winning ways. Trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai said it was a case of “dreams come true” when his stable star famously completed the rare treble of the Group One Stewards’ Cup (1,600m), Group One Gold Cup (2,000m) and Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) earlier this year. And after his defiant success in last Sunday’s Group One Hong Kong Mile, snaring...View the full article

Enhancing the safety and well-being of thoroughbred racehorses was the key focus of the Jockey Club’s Equine Welfare Research Foundation’s inaugural international conference held in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Attracting 220 speakers and delegates from 25 countries, the event underscored a unified global effort to enhance the safety and welfare of thoroughbred racehorses through scientific innovation and collaboration. Themed “Applying Science to the Care of the Thoroughbred Racehorse”, the...View the full article

The Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham in a fortnight has been locked in for First Five (NZ) (Almanzor). The five-year-old gelding was impressive when taking out last Saturday’s Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa, and after some contemplation, trainer David Greene believes he deserves a crack at elite-level. “It was a pretty decent field on Saturday, so it was good to see him step-up on the big occasion,” he said. “He has done really well. He cleaned up all of his feed on Saturday night and it hasn’t knocked him around too much. “We will go to the Telegraph now. He has bounced through the race really well, it is a jump up going to weight-for-age, but we just feel that the 1200m at Trentham down the chute, and the way it is a fast, high-pressure race, it often plays out more to a 1400m race, so I thought we might as well give it a go.” Meanwhile, the Te Rapa trainer is looking forward to First Five’s stable and ownership-mate Bethany Dee (NZ) (Embellish) lining up at her home track on Saturday. A half-sister to Group Two winner Magic Carpet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), Bethany Dee broke through for her maiden win over 1400m at Te Aroha last month, and Greene is hopeful of a similar showing this weekend in the Norwegian Park Mile (1600m). “She has done really well since that win and she is heading into Saturday in pretty good form,” he said. “I think getting onto the better tracks has really helped her out. Both of her runs this time in have been full of merit and getting up to 1600m will be a real sweet spot for her distance-wise. We are hoping for a forward showing.” The daughter of Embellish has drawn the ace marble, by Greene said she will likely be ridden off the speed. “She probably won’t race right up on the speed, but hopefully she will be able to sit midfield without doing too much work,” he said. Her owners will have a two-pronged attack in the race, with one-win gelding Rambling On (NZ) (Almanzor) set to line-up for trainer Andrew Forsman. View the full article

Gold Coast trainers Tony and Maddy Sears will be hoping talented filly Nightline (NZ) (Redwood) can provide them with back-to-back winners of the Gr.3 Grand Prix Stakes (1800m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The father-daughter training combination won last year’s Grand Prix Stakes with Beau Dazzler (NZ) ( Ardrossan), who went on to win the Eagle Way (2100m) and returned to place in the Gr.2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) before an unplaced tilt at the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m). Like Beau Dazzler, Nightline was sourced from the Karaka Sales. The New Zealand bred daughter of Redwood enters Saturday’s contest off the back of a hard-fought victory over race favourite John Dory (NZ) (Ace High) in the City to Surf 3YO (1600m) at Doomben last start. On that occasion Nightline was friendless in betting, sent out a $41 outsider, but got the better of John Dory in the closing stages, with the pair set to clash again this weekend. “She did everything that we thought she would,” Maddy Sears said. “We were a bit wary of the favourite with the form that he brought up from New South Wales, but she has always shown a lot and she’s very talented. “We thought stepping out to the mile would be very beneficial, and so it proved.” Sears compared Nightline favourably to Beau Dazzler. “They are very different horses, but I do believe she’s very talented,” she said. “Without knocking the other horse, I think she’s a lot better horse than Beau Dazzler at this point in their career. “She’s just a lot more tractable. She’s very professional, and I do believe she’s improved since that last outing based on her work leading into Saturday.” Drawn barrier 11, Sears is not concerned by the wide draw. “There’s going to be a couple in it that will naturally be going forward. If she’s just sitting fourth or fifth one-off or even if she’s a little bit further back than that, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem,” Sears said. Like Beau Dazzler, a classic target will be in the crosshairs, with the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) in June to be the favoured option. However the Sears haven’t ruled out a trip across the Tasman, with the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld New Zealand Oaks (2400m) worth NZ$1 million and contested at Ellerslie on February 21. “We have spoken about possibly taking her back for the New Zealand Oaks. We’re just taking it race by race at the moment, we will see how she comes through this weekend, and then go from there,” Sears said. “The main goal with her at the moment is the Queensland Oaks, but we do have the New Zealand Oaks as an option, and we have spoken about it.” View the full article

A tilt at next month’s $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) hangs in the balance for talented filly War Princess (NZ)(U S Navy Flag). The daughter of U S Navy Flag has yet to be tested over a mile in her seven starts to date, but has shown plenty of ability over sprint distances, winning four races between 1000m and 1200m, and was runner-up to Circus Dancer in last month’s Listed The O’Learys Fillies Stakes (1340m) at Wanganui. Peter Didham, who trains War Princess in partnership with his son Trent, was pleased with the way she found the line last start after over-racing early. “She was a bit unlucky with circumstances,” he said. “We probably could have stayed a bit handier, we are trying to get her to settle, and the horse came up on the inside of her, and we didn’t get a clear run on the corner until late, but then she stormed home really well. I thought it was a great effort and probably one that got away on us really.” With just over a month until the Karaka Millions twilight meeting at Ellerslie, Didham is facing mounting pressure to try and get his $77,500 Karaka yearling purchase to the highly-anticipated event. The distance remains the Awapuni horseman’s only query, and that will be answered on Saturday when she contests the Gr.3 Lawnmaster Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Trentham. “The owners are very keen to go to the Karaka Millions, but she will need to run a nice race over 1600m,” he said. “I am confident that she can get a mile, it’s just whether it’s this prep or next. “She is a lovely filly, she is nice and strong and doing everything right. There’s no reason why not, it’s just the fact that she has always jumped and run and it’s a matter of her teaching herself to relax a little bit.” War Princess has drawn barrier four on Saturday, and with her running pattern, will likely be up on the speed once again in the eight-horse field. “We were expecting a bigger field than that and we were thinking of riding her a bit quieter, but that will be up to Sam (Collett, jockey),” Didham said. “She jumps very quick, so we might just find ourselves in the first two or three.” Didham will also be chasing black-type with juvenile filly Vahvay (Tagaloa) in the Gr.2 Windsor Park Stud Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m). The daughter of Tagaloa finished runner-up on debut over 1000m last month, and while pleased with the progress of his filly, Didham holds reserved expectations against a hot line-up. “It is probably the strongest Wakefield in the last 10 years,” he said. “She is going to be a lovely three-year-old filly and this is all part of her education. “She will still run a nice race, there just might be a couple too sharp for her over 1100m, but when we meet them next your over 1400m or 1600m, we will be competitive.” Didham’s Trentham team will be rounded out by Lucullan (Rich Enuff) in the McDonalds Manawatu Sprint (1200m). The four-year-old gelding disappointed in his first two runs this preparation when unplaced at Trentham but returned to winning form last start at Wanganui. Didham is wary of returning to Trentham this weekend but is hopeful his charge can allay those concerns. “He has got a tonne of ability, but I am worried about Wellington,” he said. “We have tried him twice there and we thought he would win both times and he just went terrible. “In that 75 grade, we have only got Wellington 1200s, there is nowhere else to go. “I put him in Te Rapa last week, he drew 19 so I had to scratch. It is either turn him out or we give him one more go down the straight. “Hopefully he can relax. Those first two times he jumped, over-raced and didn’t finish the race off as good as he should. But I am really happy with the way he is going.” View the full article

Group Two-winning stayer Trav’s (NZ) (Almanzor) Melbourne Cup preparation may not have gone to plan, but trainer Raymond Connors has swiftly turned his attention to another Cup target. Following his heroics in the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) earlier this year, Connors set his sights on Australasia’s most coveted prize but just came up short in making the final field for last month’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) following three unplaced runs in Victoria over spring. While disappointed in Trav’s performances, Connors said he still enjoyed the experience. “It would have been great if he had gone better, but it was a good experience and it was good to see how it all operates over there,” he said. Connors has returned to New Zealand where he has immediately set about targeting Trav towards next month’s Gr.1 NZ Campus Of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham, a race he finished fourth in last year and stable predecessor Blood Brotha won in 2013. Trav will commence his journey towards the two-mile feature in Saturday’s Gr.3 Humphries Construction Manawatu Cup (2300m) at Trentham, where Connors hopes to get a good line on his charge. “He has been ticking over,” Connors said. “We will try and get him to the Wellington Cup and this will be a stepping-stone and we will just see how he performs. “He will possibly have one more run into the Wellington Cup.” Trav is currently a $7.50 fourth favourite with TAB bookmakers for Saturday, in a market headed by Atmospheric (NZ) (El Roca) at $4.50. The Bulls trainer will also head to Trentham with Magic Charm (NZ) (Charm Spirit), who will be looking to recapture form in the Stringfellows 1400. “Magic Charm has been pretty disappointing,” Connors said. “He works well at home but he has been disappointing on raceday. “Hopefully the blinkers will turn him around a bit. He will need to show something on Saturday.” View the full article

Young talent Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution) will be heavily in credit with Craig Grylls if she can carry him to victory in Saturday’s Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham. They will team up again in the Windsor Park Stud-sponsored two-year-old feature following the daughter of Russian Revolution’s runaway debut victory at Te Aroha in the high-flying jockey’s hands. The Te Akau-prepared Lara Antipova repaid a debt they owed Grylls after a previous incident which resulted in the champion rider requiring time out. “Early on, she could get a bit cantankerous and she broke his finger, and he had to have a little stint on the sideline,” said Sam Bergerson, who trains the filly with Mark Walker. “We had jump-outs here at home and she bucked him off and his finger got caught in the rein, it was pretty nasty.” Raced by John Galvin’s Fortuna, Lara Antipova sat outside the leader at Te Aroha and cruised clear in the run home to have eight lengths on her nearest rival at the post. “It’s a step up for her on Saturday and she has to travel, but she has come through her first run really well and her work has been good,” Bergerson said. “She’s ticking the boxes so far and it’s a really good opportunity for her to get black type so early in her career.” The stable will also have strong chances with Origin Of Love (Snitzel) in the Gr.3 Lawnmaster Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and What You Wish For (NZ) (Embellish) in the Gr.3 Humphries Construction Manawatu Cup (2300m). To be ridden by Vinnie Colgan, Snitzel filly Origin Of Love won the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) before a game fifth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m). “She’s just kept getting better and better, early on she was pretty highly strung and did a lot wrong,” Bergerson said. “The South Island has done her the world of good, and I thought she ran really well in a strong 1000 Guineas.” Origin Of Love crossed Cook Strait without incident on Tuesday morning and is currently at the Awapuni stable of Bergerson’s father Roydon. Bruno Queiroz will partner What You Wish For who was a last-start sixth in the Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m). “He’s run in some really good races, but he’s the sort of horse that needs things to go his way and hasn’t had the rub of the green lately,” Bergerson said. “He drew wide at Counties and we elected to go back and they went no gallop and he was really good getting to the line. “He’s drawn out (12) again which is a bit frustrating, but he gets in with a light weight (54.5kg) and looks another good each-way chance. “He’s come through his last run very well and we think Trentham will suit him nicely.” Meanwhile, the stable is hopeful of Hakkinen (NZ) (Savabeel) (Norwegian Park Mile, 1600m) and Balance Of Power (NZ) (Almanzor) (MVP Cars Handicap, 2100m) turning their form around at Te Rapa on Saturday. “Hakkinen was disappointing last start, we thought he had every chance and we might ride him a bit colder,” Bergerson said. “Balance Of Power was another one who was a head-scratcher at Pukekohe. His form before that was good and we can’t fault them, they are capable and it wouldn’t be any surprise if both were thereabouts.” Te Akau will also have several chances at Matamata on Friday and Bergerson tipped Frosted three-year-old Arctic Jewel (Frosted) as a top hope in the Comag Maiden (1200m) off the back of two placings. “She will probably run in race two, she’s in race one as well, and she’s been knocking on the door and we’re hoping Born To Be Royal (King’s Legacy) can put her hand up and carry on to some nice staying three-year-old fillies’ races deeper into the season.” By King’s Legacy, she runs in the Bell & Graham 3YO (1600m) following a sound last-start third when resuming at Te Aroha. View the full article

Mark Newnham knows there will be “nowhere to hide” on Saturday when Invincible Ibis takes on David Eustace’s Dazzling Fit in a battle of Classic Series hopefuls in the Class Three Poinsettia Handicap (1,600m) at Sha Tin. Newnham’s four-year-old has gone from strength to strength this season and after going close in his first three starts over 1,200m, he has become a different proposition entirely over the 1,400m distance. Defying stall 14 to shed his maiden at Sha Tin in October, he returned to...View the full article

With top-quality harness racing taking centre stage this weekend, TAB bookmakers have rolled out a stack of special markets ahead of one of the biggest harness racing weekends of the summer. Feature meetings at Invercargill and Alexandra Park on Friday lead into the inaugural Phoebe Stud Harness 5000 meeting at Ashburton on Sunday. Most of the special markets for the meetings are already open, and there’s something for punters at all three venues. All 10 of the Golden Gait races at Alexandra Park on Friday are over the 1609m distance, so there is a Race with Fastest Mile market for punters who think they can work out which winner will dash home the quickest. A boosted Ya Rite Darl/Youneverknow quinella gives trotting fans another choice in in the Golden Gait 3YO Trot, and a winning margin market will be another option for Cyclone Rebel supporters after he opened at $1.20 to win the Golden Gait 2YO Mobile Pace. Invercargill Cup Day at Ascot Park will be the venue to play host to the weekly special market called “That Friday Feeling”, with a Boosted Double of $5 on offer for Muscle Mountain to win the Group 3 David Moss Stakes and Republican Party to win the Group 1 Invercargill Cup. That all leads into the Harness 5000 meeting on Sunday, where horses sired by stallions that stood for up to $5000 are celebrated. On top of a $20,000 Guaranteed Late Quaddie, there are markets for the stallion that sires the most trotting winners, and the stallion to sire the most pacing winners. Similarly to Friday, with all races across the same distance of 1700m, there is an option for the race with the fastest time, and a variety of Favourite Out or Both Favourites Out markets for races where there are warm favourites. Punters Promise is already in effect for the two Friday meetings, but this has been extended to the Harness 5000 meetings. This means customers betting on Ashburton will be able to bet to win at least $5000 on a runner. Most of the special markets are available at tab.co.nz/racing/futures or the Futures section of the TAB App, with the Harness 5000 Fastest Mile Time market opening on Saturday. The Favourites Out and the Both Favourites Out markets can be found at tab.co.nz/racing/extras or the Extras tab in the TAB App. Maximum Limits of $100 per account apply to the Boosted Quinella at Alexandra Park, That Friday Feeling and the Cyclone Rebel Winning Margin markets. Terms and conditions apply. View the full article

Spendthrift Farm's Tamara has been disqualified from her Oct. 4 win in the Chillingworth Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park after a drug test by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit indicated the presence of the muscle relaxant methocarbamol.View the full article

A three-judge panel on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has sided with the advance-deposit wagering (ADW) platform TwinSpires in a nearly year-old federal lawsuit against the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB). In an opinion issued Dec. 16, the federal appeals court agreed with the Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) subsidiary that operates TwinSpires by ruling that the Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA) of 1978 preempts a Michigan licensing requirement requiring that ADW providers be linked to a licensed racetrack and live race meeting. Back on Feb. 19, a lower federal court had already granted Churchill Downs Technology Initiatives Company (CDT) an injunction that prevented state regulators from enforcing that licensing requirement against TwinSpires. The state then appealed that decision. “TwinSpires, an Oregon-based electronic wagering platform and a business unit of CDI, accepts interstate wagers on horseraces,” Tuesday's 16-page opinion stated. “This is legal under the Interstate IHA if TwinSpires obtains consent from state regulators and the racetrack's racing association. “But which state regulators?” the opinion asked rhetorically. “TwinSpires says only Oregon and the racetrack's home state. Michigan says it too can regulate wagers that are made in Michigan but accepted on the TwinSpires application. “So when TwinSpires fell out of compliance with Michigan's regulations, Michigan revoked TwinSpires' license under the Michigan Horse Racing Law (MHRL),” the opinion stated. “TwinSpires sued, arguing that Michigan's enforcement of the MHRL is inconsistent with the IHA. The district court agreed and issued a preliminary injunction. And we agree with the district court,” the opinion stated. “TwinSpires is likely to show that the IHA preempts Michigan's licensing requirement, and the other preliminary injunction factors favor TwinSpires. So we affirm,” the opinion stated. The Jan. 12, 2025, lawsuit by CDT stemmed from the fact that at this time last year, Michigan's law requiring ADWs to partner with a racetrack in the state couldn't be fulfilled by any ADW operator. That's because one year ago, there hadn't been any Thoroughbred racing in Michigan since 2018, and Standardbred races had been last conducted in February 2024. TwinSpires (and other ADWs) previously partnered with the now-demolished and later-relocated Northville Downs, whose license-holders as of late 2024 were planning to–but had not yet received at that time–approval for the required 30 days of Standardbred racing at a different location so that parties could be eligible for ADW and simulcasting in 2025. On Dec. 23, 2024, the MGCB notified all licensed ADWs to cease offering wagering for Michigan residents effective Jan. 1, 2025. The shutdown was to be temporary until the harness track licensing issue got resolved. While ADW operators Xpressbet, NYRA Bets, and TVG Network voluntarily complied with the order, TwinSpires did not. After a week of continuing to take bets against the order, the MGCB suspended the TwinSpires license Jan. 7. CDT then sued. On Jan. 31, Northville Downs received its licensing, allowing third-party facilitators to partner with it and accept wagers in accordance with the MHRL license requirement. However, the MGCB continued to maintain its suspension against TwinSpires. TwinSpires stated in court filings that the Michigan law behind the suspension was unfair. “It is no different than if Michigan required any online retailer to partner with an in-state brick-and-mortar store before it could accept orders from individuals in Michigan,” the CDT lawsuit stated. Nearly a year later, on Dec. 16, 2025, the federal appeals court explained its reasoning in upholding the injunction that allows TwinSpires to operate in Michigan while the overall lawsuit gets decided back at the lower-court level: “Michigan points to its interest in regulating gambling and its residents' interest in the protections of Michigan law. But Michigan didn't lose its ability to regulate gambling other than wagering on interstate horseracing. The IHA is clear on that,” the opinion stated. “Nor does the IHA necessarily prohibit Michigan from promulgating gambling regulations that incidentally bear on interstate horserace wagering (such as limiting wager types). And, of course, the state retains authority to regulate horseraces run in Michigan and horserace wagers accepted in Michigan because it wields IHA consent rights in those situations,” the opinion stated. “Michigan also highlights the loss of revenue from Northville Downs. But any loss of revenue is self-inflicted because the Board ordered TwinSpires to shut down,” the opinion stated. “And it notes a harm to competition: other third-party facilitators, but not TwinSpires, halted online pari-mutuel wagering when Northville temporarily lost its license. But this gets it backwards. The Board ended Northville's [licensing problem] in January 2025, and other facilitators are now free to accept wagers in compliance with the MHRL. TwinSpires still faces a license suspension. So TwinSpires would still face a competitive harm but for the injunction,” the opinion stated. “Michigan can't condition the legality of interstate wagers on state requirements that add to the IHA's consent scheme,” the opinion stated. “A license requirement for third-party facilitators doesn't regulate 'forms of gambling.' It regulates how off-track betting platforms accept interstate wagers,” the opinion stated. “So Michigan's requirement is more like a plug-and-play supplement to the federal scheme than an earnest effort to regulate its residents' conduct,” the opinion stated. The post Federal Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Favoring TwinSpires that Prevents Michigan from Overstepping IHA appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

What will racing look like in 10 years? We asked some of racing's best and brightest to give us their predictions. Want to submit an answer? Email suefinley@thetdn.com BARRY IRWIN, CEO OF TEAM VALOR INTERNATIONAL Racing will contract in size and be conducted at fewer venues. The names Stronach and 1st Racing will disappear and become as remote as the names Adena Springs and Magna. NYRA and TwinSpires will control the game. In 2036 there will only be racing in New York (Belmont/Saratoga), Florida (Ocala), Maryland (Pimlico), Kentucky (Keeneland, Churchill, Kentucky Downs) and Oaklawn Park. Racing will become a team sport, with only the super wealthy able to afford team franchises. HISA will disappear. Integrity and safety will become strictly the province of a league office that will set and enforce the rules, with its own team of scientists analyzing all aspects of the equine athlete. Only professionals will be allowed access to the stable area. Owners, supplement pushers, bloodstock agents and fans will be barred. With wagering set to increase exponentially, stable areas will be controlled like Hong Kong operates today. Ex-FBI employees will control every aspect of surveillance of the stable area, as gambling on horses will only thrive with rigorous attention paid to its athletes and participants. Smaller tracks will become outlaw operations with the participants not allowed to engage in the major league. Fewer mares will be bred to fewer stallions, but breeders and stallion operations will make more profit from their investments, as fewer animals equates to much higher prices. Wealthy folks will return to breeding and racing horses even though all previous tax incentives will disappear. These individuals will return to racing and breeding because it will be profitable and a sporting challenge. The Jockey Club will cease to become relevant, as racetracks will dominate the equine landscape. Horsemen's group like the HBPA and the TOC will be replaced by labor unions. All backstretch denizens will belong to a union. AI will completely change how horseplayers bet on the races. Daily Racing Form will disappear and will seem a quaint remembrance of the horse and buggy days of Thoroughbred racing. Horseplayers will be younger and more plentiful, with oldersters unable to keep pace with their younger rivals, whose embrace of AI and quantum computing will leave most players of a certain age in the dust. CAW is a technique every player involved in betting on horses will employ. The post Racing in 2036: Barry Irwin appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) will implement a number of changes to racing in Texas for 2026 and beyond, according to a release sent by the organization Wednesday. Dates and locations for the TTA Futurity, Derby, and Oaks will be adjusted, with the Futurity moved from July at Lone Star Park to December at Sam Houston Race Park in order to give 2-year-olds more time to develop. The Derby and Oaks, run at Sam Houston in March in 2025, will again be run in the spring at Sam Houston for 2026, but will move to Lone Star for 2027. “The Texas Thoroughbred Association is very excited about these changes” said TTA Executive Director Tracy Sheffield. “We feel that these changes will make several of our most exciting stakes races accessible to a greater number of horses.” In addition, the Texas Stallion Stakes Series will now allow 2-year-olds to be nominated if connections missed nominating during the runner's weanling or yearling years. A horse that has gone through a TTA sale can now be nominated as a 2-year-old by May 1 for a $5,000 fee. The post Dates, Locations Adjusted for TTA Races appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article