Wandering Eyes

Trainer Chad Brown will send out two fillies—Play With Fire and Lavender Disaster in the $175,000 Lake George Stakes (G3T) July 26 at Saratoga Race Course. They will have a rematch with Classic Q, winner of the July 3 Wild Applause Stakes.View the full article

Maiden Watch: Week of July 14-July 20View the full article

Oaklawn will offer a record 62 stakes races during the 64-day racing season. Stakes purses alone will exceed $18.3 million, more than double the total from the 2019 season.View the full article

Former D. Wayne Lukas assistant Sebastian 'Bas' Nicholl, who assumed care of the late trainer's stable in late June in a succession plan put in place by Lukas Enterprises, Inc., will no longer serve as a head trainer. The story was first reported by Daily Racing Form. Nicholl told DRF the last horses formerly trained by Lukas left the barn Tuesday and are being sent to other trainers. Nicholl, a former captain in the British Army and Lukas's assistant for more than 20 years, is in the midst of helping the Lukas family with the late Hall of Fame trainer's estate. Nicholl told DRF he has received assistant trainer offers from other operations and plans to continue in that role in another barn, but will pursue it at a later date. “It was a personal decision, not something I really want to discuss,” Nicholl told DRF. “It was a very amicable decision, everyone's all good friends. We're going to go ahead and move on.” The most prominent of the former Lukas horses to be transferred to other barns is this spring's Virginia Derby winner American Promise (Justify), who finished off the board in both the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness Stakes. The BC Stables runner is being freshened on a farm, with BC Stables sending 15 horses to Steve Asmussen. The post Lukas Assistant Sebastian ‘Bas’ Nicholl Leaves Training Career appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Conrad Bandoroff, Rowland Hancock, and Craig Brogden have been elected to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders board of directors, the organization announced on social media July 22.View the full article

Porter on PedigreesView the full article

The $135,000 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga is not a time-honored path to the Travers Stakes (G1). Yet the Curlin serves a purpose as one last chance to swim in a shallow pond before heading over to much deeper waters in the Aug. 23 Mid-Summer Derby. View the full article

The GII Fantasy Stakes will be worth $1 million when it is run next year at Oaklawn Park, while the purse for the Arkansas track's GIII Honeybee Stakes will be increased for the second consecutive time, from $500,000 to $750,000 in 2026. “The increase to our Fantasy Stakes by itself makes a very strong statement,” Oaklawn's President Louis A. Cella said. “This will be the first time in the history of North American racing that 3-year-old fillies will have an opportunity to run for a seven-figure purse prior to the Kentucky Oaks. When you factor in the Honeybee at $750,000 and Martha Washington at $300,000, it's clear Oaklawn continues to be the nation's best track to condition 3-year-olds.” Oaklawn's series of Kentucky Derby preps opens with the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 3, followed by the $1-million GIII Southwest Stakes Jan. 31, the $1-million GII Rebel Stakes Mar. 1, and the $1.5-million GI Arkansas Derby Mar. 28. Oaklawn will offer a record 62 stakes races during its 64-day 2025/2026 racing season and stakes purses will exceed $18.3 million, more than double the total from the 2019 season. The 2025-2026 Oaklawn season will feature a three-week gap for the first time, with a “Holiday Meet” scheduled for Dec. 12-Jan. 4, with at least one stakes race per day. A four-day schedule will resume Jan. 30-May 2. Six new overnight stakes have been added throughout the season, including “The Coach” Overnight Stakes, honoring Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Oaklawn's first condition book for the 2025/2026 season is available at www.oaklawn.com. The post Fantasy Stakes Worth $1 Million in 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Observations features an expensive Juddmonte newcomer. 2.50 Salisbury, Novice, £10,000, 2yo, 6fT ASSIRI HEIGHTS (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) debuts for Juddmonte and Andrew Balding. The second foal out of the Listed-winning sprinter Archer's Dream (Dream Ahead), he was a 700,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase. From the family of Group 1-winning sire Profitable, he encounters nine rivals on this introduction. The post Frankel’s Book 1 Sensation Assiri Heights Debuts at Salisbury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The horse giveth, the horse taketh away. How typical that Mopotism (Uncle Mo), one of those rare commercial diamonds that oblige with a champion at the first attempt, succumbed to her animal frailty in the very week that Journalism (Curlin) excavated new depths of the toughness she had given him. At least the cruelty of her premature loss has been matched by a proportionately outsized legacy. For while we can't yet be certain that even a prowess measured as persuasively as that of Journalism will be competently replicated, surely his endeavors–along with the explosive impact at stud of the latest Triple Crown winner–have terminally embarrassed any talk of desecrating the Classic schedule. Michael McCarthy and his patrons have unanswerably challenged the new orthodoxy that horses are no longer equal to the brief met by their predecessors. It is hardly as though they have gone wild, starting this horse in five Grade I races across 15 weeks. I must remind you, yet again, how Jim Bolger in 2021 ran Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in three Classics in 22 days, winning the first and beaten a short head in the third, before destroying his rivals at Royal Ascot after a 24-day vacation! As it is, Journalism has been beaten by a single horse since his debut, and who can say how that horse might have fared in a conventional Belmont? Regardless, the fearless campaigning of Journalism has become a fabulous stallion advertisement–due reward for taking risks abjured by so many others. Faint heart never won fair maiden, nor fair broodmare either. Yet owners are allowing trainers to imply shortcomings in their stallion prospects that may well not exist. Look how Kenny McPeek has been filling the gaps obligingly left by rivals better resourced in all but horsemanship. Eventually, surely, the big investors will tire of trainers who only run their horses every other moon, and take their business elsewhere. That would be something to remember Mopotism by! Obviously Curlin has played his part in Journalism, too, as a great stallion trademarked by stock that continues to thrive. But Mopotism made 26 starts across three years, including 19 inside 21 months, and 21 at Grade I/II level. Her only day in the sun admittedly came in a photo for the GII La Canada Stakes, but she meanwhile banked nearly $900,000 and was then cashed out to Don Alberto Corp for $1.05 million. Some of the rock from which she was hewn traces to Sylvanaise (Fr) (Meridien {Fr}), imported from France by Elmendorf Farm in the early 1950s. Two of Sylvanaise's granddaughters shared the limelight on Florida Derby day in 1983. One produced Croeso (Super Concorde), to land a shock in the big race; another, Rare Bouquet (Prince John), produced Slewpy (Seattle Slew) to dazzle on his sophomore debut after being stopped three times. Besides Slewpy, Rare Bouquet stands above quite a black-type dynasty. One daughter, for instance, produced millionaire Top Corsage (Topsider); another, Kentucky Derby fourth Water Bank (Naskra), who later finished third to Slewpy when the family ushered Deputy Minister into retirement in the GI Meadowlands Cup; while still another, stakes winner Fresh Pepper (B. Major), is granddam of a pertinent mare in Peppy Lapeau (French Deputy). Though unraced herself, Peppy Lapeau's first foal was that fast but infertile horse Songster (Songandaprayer). Then, mated with a distaff legend in the making, she produced Peppy Rafaela (Bernardini). While this filly showed little in a light track career, she was bought for $100,000 by Frank Batten at the 2014 January Sale, carrying a first foal by Uncle Mo. The resulting filly cleared that investment as a $135,000 weanling back at Keeneland that November and then, after two pinhook cycles, was named Mopotism for a racing career with Reddam Racing. Journalism himself, in turn, recovered most of the price eventually paid by Don Alberto for Mopotism, raising $825,000 as her first yearling. And even though he remained unraced when his Tapit half-brother followed him to Saratoga last summer, Flying Dutchmen still had to stretch to $1.5 million. Mopotism certainly paid her way in the little time she was allowed, then, and was also considerate enough to ensure that her last two foals, by Into Mischief and Flightline, were fillies. Batten, meanwhile, will also remember her with affection. After she had shown their genetic wares on the track, he sold a brother for $775,000; while earlier this month her retained full-sister Ruth returned to winning form over the same Monmouth surface that has now exalted the family higher than ever. No Second Thoughts on Collected Having burdened him with “gold” in my Value Podium for $10,000 sires last winter, I am relieved to see Collected kicking on with Thought Process, whose dashing success in the GII San Clemente Handicap was her fifth in six since debut. Seven graded stakes winners to date leave Collected behind only big guns Justify and Good Magic in what has proved a formidable intake. (Oscar Performance and Bolt d'Oro also have seven; City of Light and that quiet achiever Mo Town, six.) Thought Process | Benoit Collected has already produced a useful juvenile from his fourth crop in Comport, a debut winner at Churchill before running second in the Bashford Manor. But the sire's own template guarantees that his stock will keep progressing, as we lately saw with 5-year-old Taxed adding a near-miss in the GI La Troienne Stakes to her resume. Those emulating their sire's class on dirt have this year also been complemented by a graded stakes winner on synthetics, consistent with the nice blend of influences in his pedigree. But Thought Process obviously adds to Collected's turf profile and, with first four dams by Johannesburg, Danehill, Lyphard and Alleged, he really needs to be on the radar of European pinhookers–especially as the next dam Runaway Bride (Wild Risk {Fr}) produced Blushing Groom himself. Tenuous as that blood may seem, remember that Collected's grandsire Carson City is out of a Blushing Groom mare. That flavor was artfully replicated in the mating (yet another credited to the late Brereton C. Jones) that produced Thought Process, whose dam Creative Thinking (Creative Cause) adds two further strains of Blushing Groom: her granddam, a European Classic runner-up, is by one of his sons, Groom Dancer; while Mariah's Storm–dam of Creative Thinking's grandsire Giant's Causeway–is by another, in Rahy. Collected must ride out that familiar, lonely “bubble” with his present yearlings, with only a handful likely to reach the market, but numbers already started picking up last year and there's a rising tide to catch. Overcoming Our Insecurities When you've had as raw a deal as Maximum Security, you take your blessings wherever they may fall. It feels typical of his fortunes, however, that his biggest score to date should have been as remote from the Kentucky radar as a group race at Chantilly last weekend. His travails are too familiar to need reprising, but none has been his own fault, nor that of the farm that took him on as crop champion. His pedigree admittedly contained its challenges, but his dam is half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Flat Out (Flatter) and the functionality of those genes has only ever been doubted by dint of unfortunate association. His fee having plummeted, it would be a hard heart that does not warm to this underdog now fighting his corner. Instant Replay built on his strong finish in the GII Louisiana Derby with two stakes scores and his approach to adversity in the GIII Indiana Derby suggests that he's not done yet. And the way Rosa Salvaje (Ire) saw off her pursuers in the G3 Prix Chloe was another of those low-key reminders, to Europeans, that the elusive combination of speed and stamina is precisely what they have been missing in neglecting speed-carrying dirt sires for so long. After all, this filly bears a heavy imprint of A.P. Indy: one of his sons, Malibu Moon, as damsire and another, Anasheed, serving the same role for Maximum Security himself. The intriguing name, however, is that lurking behind Rosa Salvaje's granddam–a daughter of Storm and a Half. Instant Replay | Renee Torbit/Coady Media That son of Storm Cat was a milestone sales success in the emergence of Ashview as one of the exemplary family farms of the Bluegrass, raising $1.2 million at the 1998 September Sale. He was out of four-time stakes winner At the Half (Seeking the Gold), herself homebred from a $9,000 mare. Unfortunately Storm and a Half never made the starting gate, but he was given a chance at stud by Arkansas stalwart Donald Dewitt McDowell and almost immediately came up with Downthedustyroad, who broke her maiden under a $25,000 tag, but won the GI La Brea Stakes before the year was out. Sold for $1.5 million soon afterwards, she appeared to achieve little from some commensurate coverings at stud. But her daughter by Malibu Moon, Idle Hour, was stakes-placed besides winning two of just six starts before being picked up by Yeguada Centurion for $130,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale. And Rosa Salvaje, who surfaced at Arqana as a yearling to make €75,000 from Frederic Sauque, is only her second foal. Taken in context, she's a legitimate feather in the cap of Maximum Security. Who knows, perhaps his up-and-down saga could yet level off into a heartwarming sequel. The post Breeding Digest: Tragedy of Journalism’s Dam Redeemed by Vital Legacy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders have elected three new members to its Board of Directors. Conrad Bandoroff, vice president of Denali Stud; Rowland Hancock, a Thoroughbred owner and breeder based in Paducah, Kentucky; and Craig Brogden, co-owner of Machmer Hall, have each been elected to three-year terms by the full membership of the organization. Incumbents Ned Toffey, Michael Banahan, Price Bell, Dr. Natanya Nieman-McMahon, Dr. Stuart Brown, Fergus Galvin, Jeffrey Thornbury, Neil Pessin, Tommy Drury, and Paul McGee were re-elected. The election was facilitated by Dean Dorton Technology, who set up, received and monitored digital and paper ballots. Anne Archer Hinkle, T. Wayne Sweezey, and Craig Bandoroff are outgoing directors of the organization. The post KTA, KTOB Elects New Board Members appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Gary Bannon, private trainer to owner Bill Durkan, has opened up about how breaking his one golden rule of not backing horses paid rich dividends with a bumper 33-1 payout last week when Time Bender landed a Leopardstown maiden on debut. There may be an even bigger payout on the horizon for Bannon and the Glenanaar Syndicate, who bought the horse back off Durkan for just €2,500 at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale, with the handler reporting a number of bloodstock agents have been in touch about the Gustav Klimt colt. He said, “It's been a bit of a different thrill for us. Parkside Lad (Elzaam) won a Bellewstown maiden for us a couple of weeks ago as well. He's owned with a group of friends and we got a great buzz out of that and then this fella went and won at Leopardstown so we've run two two-year-olds this year and they've both won. They're both for sale as well. Normally we concentrate on the National Hunt side of things but we might buy a few more of these Flat horses now! Time Bender is in the shop window.” Time Bender landed the same 7f auction series maiden that Group 3 scorer Caught U Looking was successful in two years ago. He did it impressively, too, winning by just under two lengths despite ducking under Chris Hayes at the winning line. Bannon added, “One or two lads have come to see him but obviously Gustav Klimt doesn't really do it for everyone and we had the sister as well. She never managed to win a race but she was third in a barrier trial and we liked her initially. For some unknown reason, she just went over the top and became hard work. We tried to give her a break and bring her back for a nursery at Dundalk but she just never really took to training and we retired her. “Time Bender is the complete opposite. He has a great attitude and is nothing like the sister. In actual fact, someone was talking about the sister the other day and I said, 'sure Elvis was a great singer but his brother was brutal'. We're not too worried if we sell Time Bender or not because we think he's a smart horse who is open to progression.” Time Bender is the first winner that Durkan's Tamayuz mare Dali's Dream has produced. And while Dali's Dream failed to win in seven starts herself, she hails from a family that bears huge significance to the owner, given she is a granddaughter of Miss Beabea (Catrail), the producer of Durkan's Group 1 heroine Miss Beatrix (Danehill Dancer). Bannon said, “It's a good story because Time Bender is out of Dali's Dream, who goes back to Miss Beatrix, the filly that won the Goffs Million and the Moyglare Stakes for Bill almost 20 years ago back in 2006. Dali's Dream is one of the last fillies that the Durkans have from the family and she has a Cotai Glory and a Persian Force coming through, which is really exciting.” On the direction of the stable, he concluded, “I've been active on behalf of Bill over the past few years and we've had some good and bad luck together. Bill is in his late eighties now and obviously his sons Neil, Danny and Liam are behind me as well. I train the horses and put my heart and soul into the place. I worked for Ado McGuinness for eight or nine years and learned everything there. I was there when Stephen Thorne was there and, when Stephen went off to do the Godolphin Flying Start, I became Ado's head lad. “So I got into it through Ado, spent a couple of years with Eddie Lynam as well, and now we're here. This has been a great opportunity. We have cleared out a lot of horses since I joined the team and started buying a lot more at the horses-in-training sales. The blue colours started to get back into the winner's enclosure and Bill seems to have gotten the bug back again, which has been great to see.” The post Team Behind 33-1 Leopardstown Winner Relishing New Lease Of Life On The Flat appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were in Newmarket on Tuesday, beginning their first official tour of British horseracing's headquarters with a visit to the National Stud and a meet-and-greet with the four resident stallions. Their Majesties, both owner-breeders, are honorary members of the Jockey Club and became joint-patrons in 2024, while the Queen is patron of the National Stud, its breeding and education arm, as well as the National Horseracing Museum. The King and Queen were received by the Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence, and introduced to the stud's chairman, Lord Grimthorpe, and CEO, Anna Kerr, before meeting other members of the team and board, as well as representatives from a number of racing charities and trusts. After a stallion parade, two trees were planted and a plaque was unveiled to mark the visit. A walkabout on Newmarket's High Street followed, along with a tour of the Jockey Club Rooms, which is home to one of the finest collections of equine art and historical artefacts presented by members over the years. Baroness Dido Harding, senior steward of the Jockey Club, greeted Their Majesties on arrival, before escorting them to the Committee Room to meet representatives from the National Horseracing Museum, British Sporting Art Trust and Newmarket Community Foundation. Coinciding with the royal visit, the Jockey Club announced the launch of its Patrons Scholarship, which is to be delivered in partnership by The National Stud and the British Racing School. The new initiative will provide access to careers in racing to those from diverse ethnic communities, working with organisations such as The Ebony Horse Club in Brixton, London. Two students will be selected each year for the next three years from the diversity recruitment pathway and trained at the National Stud and the British Racing School. “It was a great honour to welcome The King and Queen to Newmarket today. Their Majesties became the Jockey Club's joint Patrons last year and it has been our privilege to introduce them to those working in and supporting our sport right in the heartland of British racing,” said Baroness Harding. “As racehorse owners and breeders Their Majesties are already extremely knowledgeable about the industry and today provided an opportunity to celebrate its success and pay tribute to its extensive heritage, while also demonstrating the role the Jockey Club and our industry plays in the town of Newmarket and the local community. “Looking to the future, the launch of the Jockey Club Patrons Scholarship provides a lasting legacy from today's visit and offers a fantastic opportunity to those from diverse ethnic backgrounds who may not otherwise have considered a career in the horseracing industry.” Anna Kerr added, “The National Stud was officially opened by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1967 and it is such a significant moment in our history to welcome Their Majesties here 58 years later. “Our business activity is connected to all within the Thoroughbred industry – from breeders and trainers to third party providers and the industry's colleagues of the future, our students. “It has been truly wonderful to celebrate that community with our royal patrons today and to see how Their Majesties share our own passion for a thriving Thoroughbred industry for generations to come.” The post Newmarket Royal Visit Marked With Launch of Jockey Club Scholarship appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After winning the July 19 Haskell Stakes (G1) by half-length at Monmouth Park, Journalism has sprung from No. 6 to No. 3 in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll.View the full article

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione returned from a four-month injury layoff to win aboard five of his first seven mounts at Ellis Park, including sweeping the July 20 Jeff Hall Memorial Stakes aboard Banishing and the July 21 Twin Bridges Stakes on Asternia.View the full article

Gary Barber, Blue Crevalle Racing and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partner's Classic Q looks for her second win at Saratoga Race Course in the $175,000 Lake George Stakes (G3T) July 26. She will face a field of nine 3-year-old fillies.View the full article

The fourth annual HRWA Conference, held this year in Lexington, KY, Wednesday October 8 and Thursday October 9, will feature a welcome reception, keynote address by Molly Fletcher, featured afternoon speaker, three panel discussions, and a special presentation of the Jane Goldstein Award. FanDuel TV's Andie Biancone, a racing reporter and analyst, will serve as the emcee for the event. Hailed as one of the first female sports agents, Fletcher negotiated over $500 million in contracts and represented over 300 of sports' biggest names in her almost two-decade career. A World's Top 50 Keynote Speaker, she is also an author and founder/host of a successful podcast, Game Changers with Molly Fletcher. “I'm honored to join this incredible community of game-changing women who are shaping the future of the industry,” said Fletcher. The featured speaker of the afternoon will be Lindsay Czarniak. An EMMY-Award-winning sportscaster, host, speaker, and storyteller, Czarniak is an accomplished media personality with more than two decades of experience in sports journalism. In addition to the featured speakers, attendees of this year's HRWA Conference will have the opportunity to sit in on a unique trio of panel discussions hosted by a talented array of panelists that come from all corners of the Thoroughbred industry. Panel 1 – Roadblocks to Relationships: Building Networks That Change the Game. Moderated by Jessica Paquette, Track Announcer at Parx Racing Panelists include Caton Bredar, Analyst, Writer and Handicapper for FanDuel TV; Kate Galvin, Sales and Communications Manager of Godolphin USA; Lesley Howard, CEO of Stonestreet Farm; and Sheri Holmes Sterling, Vice President of Administration at Gulfstream Park. Panel 2 – Fueling the Fire Without Burning Out. Moderated by Shannon Kelly, Executive Director of The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation. Panelists include Melanie Case, Director of Women's Ministry at the Kentucky Race Track Chaplaincy; Erin Halliwell, Executive Director of the Thoroughbred Charities of America; Brittany Middlebrooks, a Fertility Vet at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute; and Kelley Stobie, Co-Founder of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare. Panel 3 – Horse Racing Ecosystems: Markets, Models, and Money. Moderated by Alison Zeitlin, Equine Law Lawyer at Stites & Harbison. Panelists include Anna Seitz Ciannello, Director of Client Relations at Fasig-Tipton; Kelly Kraeszig, Senior Vice President of Business Operations & Administration at Equibase; Maggi Moss, an Attorney, Racehorse Owner and Advocate; and Katy Ross, Senior Director of Gaming Operations of Exacta Systems, LLC. “We are thrilled to bring the [HRWA] Conference to Kentucky for the first time, following three inspiring years in California,” said Jodie Vella-Gregory, HRWA Head of Logistics. “This event offers a unique and welcoming opportunity for everyone in the horse racing industry, from seasoned professionals and established leaders to emerging voices, to connect, share insights, and empower one another. It's a space where attendees are encouraged to invest in themselves and in the future of the sport.” Tickets are now on sale for this year's conference in Lexington, the featured event on the 2025 HRWA calendar. For early bird pricing, valid until September 7, individual tickets can be purchased for $395 (non-HRWA members) or $350 (HRWA members). After September 7, individual tickets can be purchased for $495 (non-HRWA members) or $450 (HRWA members). For groups planning to attend, limited tables of eight are available to purchase until September 7 for $2,900. To purchase tickets to the 2025 HRWA Conference, click here. The post Sports Agent Molly Fletcher Named Keynote Speaker For Horse Racing Women’s Association 2025 Conference appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The former Australian champion jockey Darren Beadman will join the Chris Waller Racing team from August 1, the start of the new racing season. He has been employed in a senior role by Godolphin for the last decade. A statement released by Waller on Tuesday noted that Beadman will “assist with race day operations, track work and trials, and serve as a mentor for our emerging talent”. Beadman, 59, was inducted into the Australian racing Hall of Fame in 2007 following a career in which he won the Sydney jockeys' premiership seven times. He also won the Melbourne Cup twice for Bart Cummings aboard Kingston Rule and Saintly among a host of top-level victories. Waller, whose main base is in Sydney, will also be strengthening his Melbourne operation with a move to Flemington's Carbine Lodge, which has room for 50 horses. The historic stable will be vacated by current Godolphin trainer James Cummings on his departure to Hong Kong, where he will train from 2026. The post Darren Beadman Joins Chris Waller Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame continues to mark their 75th anniversary with several special Hall of Fame-themed events coinciding with the annual induction weekend celebration Aug. 1-2. Kicking off the festivities will be the traditional Hall of Fame induction ceremony held Friday, Aug. 1. The inductions will take place at Fasig-Tipton with doors open to the public at 9:30 a.m. and the ceremony starting at 10:30 a.m. The event is free to attend, but seating is limited. The 2025 Hall of Fame class is comprised of racehorses Smarty Jones, Decathlon, and Hermis; trainer George H. Conway; and Pillars of the Turf Edward L. Bowen, Arthur Hancock III, and Richard Ten Broeck. Tom Durkin will serve as the master of ceremonies and the event will be broadcast live on the Museum website. The GII National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes will highlight the Friday card at Saratoga Race Course and there will be a special winner's circle presentation with Hall of Fame members following the race. Additionally, racing fans will have the opportunity to meet and greet numerous Hall of Fame members on Saturday, Aug. 2 during the Saturday Morning Social program at the Museum from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Admission is free and there will be coffee and doughnuts courtesy of Stewart's Shops and complimentary Saratoga Spring Water. More than 30 Hall of Fame members are expected to be in attendance for a commemorative 75th anniversary Hall of Fame poster signing at Saratoga Race Course from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in front of the Jockey Silks Room. Hall of Fame members expected to participate (subject to change) include Steve Asmussen, Roger Attfield, Braulio Baeza, Bob Baffert, Jerry Bailey, Bill Boland, Mark Casse, Javier Castellano, Steve Cauthen, Angel Cordero, Jr., Pat Day, Ramon Dominguez, Janet Elliot, Victor Espinoza, Earlie Fires, Jack Fisher, Sandy Hawley, Julie Krone, King Leatherbury, Eddie Maple, Chris McCarron, Shug McGaughey, Bill Mott, Carl Nafzger, Corey Nakatani, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Todd Pletcher, Edgar Prado, Joel Rosario, Jose Santos, John Velazquez, Jorge Velasquez, and Nick Zito. Posters are complimentary while supplies last with a suggested donation to benefit the Museum. The post Hall Of Fame To Mark 75th Anniversary With Weekend Of Special Events appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Howard Read chuckled as he recalled the instructions he gave trainer Jeremiah Englehart, who was shopping for a New York-bred at the 2024 OBS April Sale. “To get somebody we could get on the track last summer and actually win,” Read said, “rather than buying a horse and then letting him work out for a few months and then maybe get him on the track in September, or something like that, which happens all too often. I said, 'Let's get us one that's ready to go.' And this is the one he selected.” With his first purchase for Read and his partners in R and H Stable, Englehart followed the guidance he received from his clients of six months. The colt he bought for $45,000, subsequently named Mo Plex (Complexity), promptly won his two starts at Saratoga Race Course, his ownership group's home track. Both victories came in stakes, the GIII Sanford and the restricted Funny Cide, and Mo Plex will try for a third Saturday in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes. Englehart and the owners decided to try the Jim Dandy following Mo Plex's two-length victory in the GIII Ohio Derby on June 21, his first venture around two turns. Legion Bloodstock touted Englehart on Mo Plex, a member of Complexity's (Maclean's Music) first crop and out of Mo Joy, an unraced Uncle Mo mare. The colt was bred by Everything's Cricket Racing and was being offered at OBS April by consigner Jesse Hoppel. Mo Plex has never been worse than third in eight career starts (5-1-2) and has earned $745,000 for R and H Stable of Read and Rick Higgins and their minority partner Geoff Cannon. All three are attorneys that live in the Capital Region of New York around Saratoga. Read and Higgins met through mutual friends. Cannon was Higgins' attorney when he was in real estate. While having a Saratoga starter is a goal for many owners, it's a really big deal for local owners like the R and H Stable partners. “That's what we point to every year for all of our horses. It doesn't always work out,” said Higgins as he and Read both laughed. Read, 81, said he has owned horses since 1987 and that he and his partners, in the small stables of New York-breds he has managed, have had Saratoga starters and winners through the years. However, Mo Plex was their first Spa winner since Evaluator (Overanalyze) in 2020. Mo Plex is by far the most successful horse that Read and partners have raced and have exceeded whatever hopes they had for the bay colt Englehart acquired in Florida. “I think everybody's expectations,” Read said. “Not just ours.” Punctuating the comment, Read and Higgins, 73, laughed in unison. “We've been in the game long enough to know that we don't have very high expectations,” Higgins said. “It's a tough game.” Mo Plex proved he was ready to run for R and H with a 10-length victory in his maiden debut at Aqueduct on June 20. He won the historic Sanford on July 13 and improved to 3-0 in the Funny Cide on Aug. 25 as the even-money favorite. Next came a third in the GI Champagne. Englehart feels he made a tactical error in that race. “It was kind of like we were looking at trying to stalk, and probably just took him out of his game,” Englehart said. “It seems like he'll run all day long at a really high cruising speed and just kind of let him do his thing.” Three weeks later in his final start of the year, Mo Plex was second in the Sleepy Hollow for state-breds. Englehart gave him the winter off in South Carolina at the farm operated by Travis Durr, a partner in Legion Bloodstock. “He came down to get a break, which Jeremiah does with a lot of his horses. I started him back up here, and he really grew and changed and matured,” Durr said. “The four or five breezes I did with him, he did it the way good horses really do it.” Mo Plex bobbled at the start of his comeback race, the Gander for New York-breds on March 8, and ended up third by a half-length. On April 19 he won the open-company seven-furlong Bay Shore by a head. The original plan was to run next in another seven-furlong stake for New York-breds, the Mike Lee on June 4 at Saratoga. He was however unable to be entered because Englehart's barn was in quarantine after another horse nearby was found to have a case of strangles. Mo Plex continued to train, and his connections decided to send the speedy colt to the 1 1/8 miles Ohio Derby on June 21. “I was optimistic, but you never know until you do it,” Englehart said. “There was enough skepticism about it, where you're always going to have questions. But that's life as a trainer. They'll make a liar out of you all the time.” Read and Higgins understood it was tough assignment for Mo Plex. “That was a big step, a giant step,” Read said. In addition to the two turns and nine furlongs, Higgins noted that Mo Plex was shipping for a race at a new track with a new rider, Joseph Ramos. Howard Read, Rick Higgins, and Jeremiah Englehart | Sarah Andrew “There were many question marks,” Higgins said. After breaking to his right from the outside post, putting him last and wide early, Mo Plex accelerated to get into contention. He pressed pacesetter Clever Again (American Pharoah) through the backstretch, surged to the lead on the turn and repulsed the late challenge of Chunk of Gold (Preservationist). The R and H Stable crew was not at Thistledown for their colt's most important victory. Read and his wife Susan and Higgins and his girlfriend Jane Sanzen were all in England for the Royal Ascot meet. Higgins said that at 11:25 p.m., they were able to watch the race live. “NYRA Bets works fine, so we watched it on my phone,” Higgins said. “That's all we could do.” Naturally, the Mo Plex quartet cheered loudly in their hotel bar during and after the $500,000 race. “Probably more than the proprietor of the place wanted,” Read said. “He came out and said, 'what's going on here?' Basically.” Read and Higgins laughed again as they described the situation. “He asked us to cool it, like we were a couple of teenagers,” Higgins said. The Ohio Derby score forced the Mo Plex connections to decide whether their colt was capable of competing at the highest levels of the 3-year-old male division, the GI Haskell or the Jim Dandy, the Saratoga stepping stone to the GI Travers. They had to choose between facing GI Santa Anita Derby and GI Preakness winner Journalism (Curlin) in the Haskell or GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the Jim Dandy. They settled on staying home and running in the Jim Dandy, but said they might have gone to Monmouth Park if Journalism had not entered the race. Journalism came from off the pace with a determined run through the stretch Saturday to win the Haskell. “The horse was here and we prefer to race here,” Read said. Englehart said that Mo Plex is ready for the Jim Dandy. Manny Franco and Mo Plex will leave from Post 3 in the field of five. “I've always kind of felt that he could be this type of horse,” Englehart said, “especially if he proved that he can handle two turns and longer distances, and kind of use his natural speed, because he just keeps going and going and going. Now is, obviously, going to be the biggest test he'll have to date. Hopefully, he gives a good showing, like I think he will.” Read, Higgins and Cannon will be part of a group of dozen or more relatives and friends who will be at the Jim Dandy, cheering for a colt that a year ago they were hoping could simply compete and perhaps snag a win at the Spa. The situation is much different this summer for R and H Stable as it approaches its biggest race to date. “I think we know one thing about our horse is that he's going to run and he will give it everything he has,” Higgins said. “And, you know what? You can't ask for more. One deal you can't train into a horse is heart, and he's got heart. The only thing I know is he's going to run. He's going to run as hard as he can.” The post Mo Plex: More Than A Fun Saratoga Summer Horse For R & H Stable appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dollars and Sense with Frank AngstView the full article

With the longed-for rain having arrived across Britain in the last week, Ed Walker has confirmed that progressive four-year-old Almaqam will head to the G2 Sky Bet York Stakes this Saturday. Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's colt has run just twice this year, notably beating beating subsequent G1 Prince of Wales's Stakes winner Ombudsman in the G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes in May. Walker said of the son of Lope De Vega, “I left him in the King George but didn't feel Ascot was the right track in which to test him over a mile and a half for the first time against the Ballydoyle horses. “At York the ground should be ideal, as well as the track and the trip. It's the natural progression into a Group 2 and if he wins well, I will throw him into the deep end and take him back there for the Juddmonte [International Stakes].” Now the winner of three of his eight starts, Almaqam also has the Irish Champion Stakes in mid-September as a major autumn target. Walker added, “I've always thought the world of him as he's seriously exciting. My hopes and expectations make the nerves kick in as I think he's very special, and personally I will be very disappointed if he doesn't win a Group 1 as he's got everything you want in a racehorse. “I've tried to be responsible and not to get impatient, and hopefully his big time will be in the autumn as the Irish Champion is a perfect target after which we might look at the Arc. But 10 furlongs is where we are going for now. “He's certainly the best I've ever had so far, he's different gear.” The post Group 1 Targets for ‘Different Gear’ Almaqam After York Stakes Resumption appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saturday's G2 Railway Stakes winner True Love has shot to the top of Timeform's two-year-old fillies' rankings following her five-length success, in which she beat three rival colts. The daughter of No Nay Never, who broker her maiden when winning the G2 Mary Stakes, has been awarded a mark of 110p, which puts her just 1lb behind her stable-mates, G2 Coventry Stakes winner Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) and the G3 Marble Hill winner Charles Darwin (No Nay Never), both of whom are on 111p. “True Love was impressive on Saturday and is now Timeform's top-rated two-year-old filly, with a rating of 110p,” said Timeform's Andrew Asquith. ” “She looks ready for Group 1 company next and holds entries in the Phoenix Stakes and Moyglare Stakes as well as the Nunthorpe at York. “With doubts over both Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin running again this season, she could well be pitched in against the boys once more at some point, where she would be very interesting from a ratings perspective once her sex allowance is taken into consideration.” For context, True Love's fellow Aidan O'Brien trainee Bedtime Story (Frankel) was rated 116p after her wide-margin win in last year's Chesham Stakes. The post True Loves Tops Timeform’s Juvenile Fillies’ List appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dubai Racing Club has announced a new strategic partnership with France Galop. As part of the agreement, members of the Dubai Racing Club will be in Deauville on Saturday, August 9 and will sponsor the G3 Prix de Reux. In return, France Galop representatives will visit Meydan Racecourse for the running of the G3 Dubawi Stakes on Friday, January 2. Ali Al Ali, CEO of Dubai Racing Club, said, “We are honoured to partner with France Galop in this exciting new venture. Our upcoming visit to Deauville and their presence at Meydan during the Dubai Racing Carnival reflect our mutual commitment to the advancement of international racing. Our leadership encourages us to look ahead and engage globally, and this partnership is a proud reflection of that vision.” Henri Pouret, Deputy CEO of France Galop, added, “This partnership between France Galop and the Dubai Racing Club reflects our mutual commitment to strengthening ties with major international racing institutions. By combining our expertise through two high-level events, in Deauville and Meydan, we jointly reaffirm our dedication to promoting the international influence of Thoroughbred racing.” The post DRC Teams Up With France Galop appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Race 1 PRYDA HANDICAP 1700m TICKFORD (K Hercock) – Trainer Mr. R French advised Stewards, he was satisfied with the post-race condition of the gelding, however, TICKFORD will now no longer be considered as a racing prospect for his stable. The post Feilding Jockey Club @ Awapuni Synthetic, Thursday 17 July 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article