Wandering Eyes

Hawthorne Race Course and Fairmount Park came into Thursday's Illinois Racing Board (IRB) after having considered and swapped back and forth 12 different versions of racing calendars for 2026 that the two tracks hoped would dovetail for the benefit of all racing in the state. But as the Sept. 18 meeting approached the three-hour mark and differences remained over many of the same issues that have complicated the Illinois calendar the past several seasons–chief among them the state's tenuous Thoroughbred population and the fact that Hawthorne also must switch its racing surface twice in the year to accommodate Standardbred meets–stakeholders from both tracks took more than an hour's recess to hammer out a compromise that more or less will preserve the status quo from 2025 into 2026. Hawthorne, just outside of Chicago in Stickney, will race 63 dates between Mar. 29 and Nov. 1 with 2:40 p.m. (Central) post times on Sundays and Thursdays. Fairmount, 280 miles southwest of Hawthorne and just over the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri, will race 57 dates between Apr. 14 and Oct. 27 with 1:30 p.m. (Central) post times on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The 2026 schedule that the IRB approved by a 9-0 vote represents a slight reduction in dates from 2025. This year, Hawthorne had been awarded 80 race dates, but it has already lopped 15 programs off that schedule. Fairmount had been assigned 55 dates for 2025. Much as TDN reported one year ago when the issue of race dates was last addressed, Illinois is still struggling to recover from the twin blows of the 2021 closure of Arlington International Racecourse and the inability of the state's two surviving Thoroughbred venues to follow through with building their proposed racinos that the state legalized back in 2019. While Fairmount already has a temporary casino in the grandstand open and track officials told the Illinois Gaming Board last month that owner Accel Entertainment has contracts in place to break ground in November with the goal of having additional gaming space ready by the start of the 2026 meet, Hawthorne's racino has been plagued by setbacks. “We came in here last year with the hope of announcing our project,” Tim Carey, Hawthorne's president and general manager, said on Thursday. “We had an internal issue to Hawthorne that we weren't able to overcome with our investor. We unfortunately had to go back out to the [financing] market. “We have done that,” Carey said. “We're committed to doing this project. We're in a very, very good position. Again, this year, we anticipate that we will be able to make an announcement sometime in the fourth quarter in terms of where we are in the project. We anticipate that if we announce [details about racino construction] in the fourth quarter [of 2025], we would be open by the fourth quarter of 2027.” Executives with the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (ITHA), which represents horsemen at Hawthorne, stressed to IRB commissioners that the racino can't come fast enough. “In 2022 at Hawthorne, we raced for $14 million on the Thoroughbred side,” said David McCaffrey, the ITHA's executive director, noting that Hawthorne currently has a horse population of about 650. “In 2023 we raced for $13 million. In 2024 we raced for $11.5 million. This year, the meet's not over, but if we stay on the same clip, and there's not any reason to suggest that we won't, we'll have raced for $9 million. So we're already almost $2.5 million lower than we were last year.” McCaffrey continued: “There is a readily available, legal, proven, dramatically effective antidote to our problems. It's a racino. And Tim acknowledges it. It has to be done. There has to be a deal that gets the casino built, or we're going to disappear.” Added ITHA president Chris Block, “This upcoming year is absolutely pivotal. The term 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' is pretty rampant on our backstretch. Guys are really struggling to pay the bills. Owners are really struggling to stay in the game. “I told this to Tim,” Block said. “I just hope there's an industry left here to save. We don't have any [Chicago-area track] left to tie ourselves to. It's Hawthorne, and it's the Carey family. I told Tim I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to hope that he can see it through. But it's got to come really quick here, because the balance [of survival] is falling way on the other side.” At Fairmount, the outlook is slightly healthier, according to Illinois Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association president Jim Watkins, who represents horsemen there. “We're not on life support. We're in the ICU. We're still growing,” Watkins said. But, Watkins added, “Our ecosystem is still quite fragile.” Vince Gabbert, the general manager at Fairmount Park, said that with regard to the compromises made to the overall state racing schedule, “There's things that we're giving up on our end, knowing that everybody's got a little pain in this as we work through this and try to solve some of the problems.” The post Will Illinois Still Awaiting Racinos Legalized In ’19, Hawthorne And Fairmount Opt For Status-Quo Schedules In ’26 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Joe Bravo, sidelined by a broken finger for about three months, resumes riding Sept. 19 at Gulfstream Park. Bravo is named on Fausto Gutierrez-trained 3-year-old colt Rashid in the seventh race. View the full article

Michael Kent Jr. believes the stars are aligning for a mare "you'd want to go to war with" as Miss Roumbini looks to translate her astonishing consistency into group 1 glory in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (G1) at Caulfield Sept. 20.View the full article

Friday, Ayr, post time: 14:33, THE BRITISH EBF STALLIONS HARRY ROSEBERY STAKES-Listed, £35,500, 2yo, 5fT Field: Boston Dan (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), Chairmanfourtimes (Ire) (Nando Parrado {GB}), Rikki Tiki Tavi (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), Ipanema Queen (Ire) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}), Arduis Invicta (Ire) (Invincible Army {Ire}), Daneh Of Dandy (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), Hanney Girl (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), Lebron Power (GB) (Starman {GB}), Our Cody (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Pearl Fortune (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Shine On Me (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Spicy Marg (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Temple Of Athena (GB) (Magna Grecia {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Never a factor in the Nunthorpe, Spicy Marg still holds considerable street cred having previously upstaged King Power's flying filly Revival Power in Goodwood's Alice Keppel. Third in the G3 Prix d'Arenberg last time, Shine On Me is one of the highest-rated maidens in training and surely warrants one of these. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Newbury, post time: 15:15, THE DUBAI DUTY FREE MILL REEF STAKES (IN HONOUR OF GEOFF LEWIS)-G2, £130,000, 2yo, 6fT Field: Flying Comet (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Gold Queen Kindly (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Into The Sky (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Rock On Thunder (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Rydale Frosty (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Sands Of Spain (Ire) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}), Watcha Snoop (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}), Words Of Truth (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). TDN Analysis: Newbury has a tendency, for whatever reason, to play host to wide-margin winners who don't always back up their performances elsewhere so all eyes are on Into The Sky who encouraged investment from Doreen Tabor following his 7 1/2-length debut in Berkshire. Godolphin's Words Of Truth comes off professional wins at Ascot and Newmarket, with Watcha Snoop in second on the latter occasion before his own breakthrough at Ascot. Rock On Thunder is the form pick, having run second in the Gimcrack and his trainer rates him highly so this could be a simple case of experience and class telling. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Newbury, post time: 13:30, THE DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WORLD TROPHY-G3, £85,000, 3yo/up, 5f 34yT Field: Rumstar (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Cover Up (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), Grand Grey (Ire) (Havana Grey {GB}), Kerdos (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), Montassib (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), Rage Of Bamby (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Shagraan (Ire) (Sioux Nation), Balmoral Lady (Ire) (Invincible Army {Ire}), Habooba (Nyquist), First Instinct (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), Queen All Star (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). TDN Analysis: This sees the belated seasonal bow of last year's Haydock Sprint Cup hero Montassib and everything points to this being a sharpener ahead of bigger autumn targets. Five-furlong specialist Rumstar bids for a third Group 3 of the campaign and while he has a penalty for his recent exploits, he defied that at Sandown in July and this is distinctly winnable. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Ayr, post time: 15:00, THE LADBROKES 'GET REWARDED WITH LADBUCKS' FIRTH OF CLYDE STAKES-G3, £65,000, 2yo, f, 6fT Field: Anaisa (GB) (Ardad {Ire}), Argentine Tango (GB) (Mattmu {GB}), Catching The Moon (Ire) (No Nay Never), Come On Eibhlin (Ire) (Space Blues {Ire}), Coming Attraction (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Dandana (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), Figjam (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), India Love (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Isle Of Fernandez (GB) (Lope Y Fernandez {Ire}), Lam Yai (Ire) (Lucky Vega {Ire}), Lightning Polka (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Mood Queen (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Rogue Attraction (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Solana Rose (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Wateen (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}). TDN Analysis: The Royal runner Lightning Polka was impressive on debut at Haydock and is bred to be Group-class, as is Coming Attraction whose dam Clem Fandango had her finest hour at this track. The Henrys and the Richard Fahey stable combine with another potential luminary in Catching The Moon, who was impressive at Beverley last month, while the established blue-collar Pattern-race performer Argentine Tango and Lowther fourth Dandana bring the smart summer form into the picture. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Gowran, post time: 14:52, DENNY CORDELL LAVARACK & LANWADES STUD FILLIES'STAKES-G3, €36,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 9f 100yT Field: Fleur De Chine (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), Higher Leaves (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), Lady Lunette (Ire) (Buratino {Ire}), Lemsairbat (Fr) (Bated Breath {GB}), Purple Lily (Ire) (Calyx {GB}), Thalara (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), Zora (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}), And So To Bed (IRe) (Kodiac {GB}), Deressa (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}), Easy Mover (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Faiyum (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Offshore Bay (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), She's A Nation (Ire) (Sioux Nation), Sweet Chariot (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). TDN Analysis: Juddmonte's unexposed Faiyum looks an even brighter prospect after her G3 Jannah Rose Stakes conqueror Barnavara ran away with the Blandford on Sunday and this looks a nice opportunity. The Listed Ruby Stakes winner Thalara and last year's Irish Oaks third Purple Lily come into this with contrasting profiles this term, with a visor employed on the latter. [Tom Frary]. Saturday, Chantilly, France, post time: 13:58, PRIX ECLIPSE – FONDS EUROPEEN DE L'ELEVAGE-G3, €73,200, 2yo, 6fT Field: Ulymine (Fr) (Penny's Picnic {Ire}), Samangan (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Graft (Ire) (U S Navy Flag), No Remorse (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}), Wor Faayth (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), Daisy Daisy (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), Ceramic (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Royal Bay Cen (Ire) (New Bay {GB}). TDN Analysis: British contender Wor Faayth, who annexed July's Listed Criterium du Bequet at Bordeaux, was not disgraced when eighth in York's G2 Lowther Stakes last month and sets the standard here. Ulymine ran sixth in the former contest and has since posted a clear-cut win at Deauville. Other threats include G2 Prix du Calvados fourth Ceramic, G3 Prix Six Perfections fourth Royal Bay Cen and stakes-winning G3 Prix d'Arenberg fourth Graft. Peter Player's Daisy Daisy stepped from a claiming score to snag a Deauville conditions heat in August, while Samangan finished two lengths ahead of No Remorse when the pair met at on the Normandy coast last month. [Sean Cronin]. Saturday, Chantilly, France, post time: 15:50, PRIX DES CHENES – FONDS EUROPEEN DE L'ELEVAGE-G3, €73,200, 2yo, c/g, 8fT Field: Synaran (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Ikotofetsy (Fr) (Threat {Ire}), Segall (Ire) (Sottsass {Fr}), Oceans Four (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), Rochfortbridge (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Canalejas (Fr) (Armor {GB}), Elastic (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). TDN Analysis: Andre Fabre nominee Segall rocks up for this black-type debut returning off a TDN Rising Star display, four lengths ahead of the reopposing subsequent winner Synaran, at Saint-Cloud in early June and will attempt to extend the maestro's record haul in the contest to 11. However, this is no straightforward task and his opposition includes G3 Solario Stakes demotee Oceans Four, who will bid to become a rare overseas winner here, and July's Listed Prix des Jouvenceaux et des Jouvencelles third Canalejas. Christophe Ferland trainee Elastic is match-fit coming back off a decisive win at Saint-Cloud earlier in the month and should not be overlooked, while Ikotofetsy and Rochfortbridge both ran fourth in Group 3 heats when last seen. [Sean Cronin]. Saturday, Chantilly, France, post time: 17:00, PRIX BERTRAND DE TARRAGON – FONDS EUROPEEN DE L'ELEVAGE-G3, €73,200, 3yo/up, f/m, 9fT Field: Zabeel Light (Fr) (City Light {Fr}), Iradie (Fr) (Sommerabend {GB}), Waldora (Fr) (Waldgeist {GB}), Riyabovka (Fr) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Royal Dress (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Mme Jourdain (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Euboa (Fr) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), Zuna (Fr) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Al Uqda (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), American Gal (GB) (Kameko), Mqse Des Nymphes (GB) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Relaxx (Fr) (City Light {Fr}), Place Fontenoy (Fr) (War Command. TDN Analysis: Godolphin's Ilda Rosa was a neck shy of leading German distaffer Santagada when second in July's G3 Hamburger Stuten Meile and, last seen running third in La Teste's Listed Prix Occitanie, is due an upturn in fortune after four placings at black-type level this term. May's G2 German 1000 Guineas third Place Fontenoy ran second in the latter contest, while other leading contenders in this open renewal include the dual Group 3-placed Relaxx, Listed Prix de la Cochere runner-up Zabeel Light, G3 Prix Allez France third Euboa and Listed Prix Zarkava victrix Zuna. The British raiding party consists of G1 Prix de Diane seventh American Gal and G1 Prix Jean Romanet eighth Royal Dress. [Sean Cronin]. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Juveniles Out In Force Across Friday and Saturday Contests appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Brendan Walsh highlights his contenders in Parx Racing's $1 million races Sept. 20: Gosger and David of Athens in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) and Clicquot in the Cotillion Stakes (G1).View the full article

Stone Farm and Upland Flats Racing's Swore battles back along the inside to prevail in the $150,000 Lonesome Glory Handicap (NSA-G1), a 2 1/2-mile steeplechase for older horses during the Belmont at the Big A meet. View the full article

2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day) will target the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. confirmed Thursday. The now 6-year-old, who started the year with a win in the GI Pegasus World Cup, has returned to Gulfstream Park from Saratoga, where he is scheduled to breeze next week for the first time since finishing fourth in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Aug. 31. “Obviously, things didn't go the way we wanted in the Jockey Club. We're going to regroup in the Mile,” Joseph told Gulfstream media. “The Mile is probably going to come up the lesser spot. He's already won the Classic. If we can add the Mile to his resume, that would be a good addition. Right now, I think he'll train up to the Mile” The Jockey Club Gold Cup, which wound up a disastrous trip for several contenders after 'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution) unseated jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. shortly after the break, was White Abarrio's third consecutive fourth place finish. He was also off the board in both the GI Whitney Stakes and the GI Metropolitan Handicap both at Saratoga. The post White Abarrio To Train Up To The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Michael Guerin One of the men closest to pacing excitement machine Merlin finds himself going head to head with harness racing’s biggest modern trend in the IRT Spring Cup at Alexandra Park tonight (9.16pm). Because co-trainer Scott Phelan says the millionaire stallion is the horse to beat in the 2200m dash even though he is off a 20m handicap, the sort of disadvantage that has become a curse for punters in recent years. As the pacing breed has gotten quicker it has been increasingly rare for horses to win top class races off handicaps, which is a double edged sword. First a handicap means a horse is likely to settle back and few major races have leaders dawdling around these days so if the backmarkers want to move they burn enormous energy, usually three wide. But, as may be the case with Merlin tonight, if they sit back and try and divebomb their rivals they often run amazing sectionals but still get beaten because any horse in Merlin race tonight could pace their last 800m in 55 seconds against the marker pegs. All that doesn’t mean winning off handicaps is impossible these days and backmarkers can be aided by smaller fields and staggered handicaps, meaning they aren’t giving every horse a big start. And of course the longer the race the more time backmarkers have to make up their disadvantage or be towed into the race. Merlin gets none of those advantages tonight though as he is off 20m by himself over just 2200m with nine highly talented rivals in front of him. Yet he is the hot TAB favourite and the top pick for Phelan of the six he and training partner Barry Purdon have in the race. “I still think he is the one to beat,” says Phelan. “I know the handicap isn’t easy but that could change quickly at the start. “There are a few inexperienced standing start horses in here and if he [Merlin] begins quickly and there are two or three gallopers or horses who are slow then he could be sixth or something like that after 400m. “Then he would deserve to be favourite but either way we know he is the best horse in the race.” That race configuration will be crucial as put Merlin three back on the outer starting the last 800m and he may well justify his favouritism, especially as few of those in front of him have actually won a major open class race. “He is ready to go and has had two trials. He looks quite tight and while, being first-up, he will probably be driven to outsprint them I think he can.” The stable also has Spring Cup defending champion Sooner The Bettor in tonight and he tends to step and run and looks the thorn in Merlin’s side even though the score card between the pair is very lopsided. “We also have Cold Chisel coming back which is great but you’d think he would improve with a few more starts and while Jeremiah and Better Knuckle Up are both going great they don’t have as much standing start experience as the big two. “Duchess Megxit has come up well but is heading down south for a mares race next week so I think she will be driven for speed as well.” Cambridge trainer Arna Donnelly has three really promising horses in the race and it wouldn’t surprise to see one of Little Spike, The Surfer or Jolimont get into the top three but the question for most punters will be: should I back Merlin? And if not, who else? Sooner The Bettor makes the most sense as he has been there and done that and Phelan says he can go much better than he did winning last start when he got a touch too relaxed in front. Tonight’s meeting also sees the $110,000 Caduceus Club Fillies Final in which impressive Canterbury juvenile Lizzie Borden comes north to take on rivals like Shezsofast and Alecto who have been sharing the honours in the lead up races. Lizzie Borden’s stablemate Fugitive (R7, No.3) looks the one to beat on the boy’s Woodlands Sires’ Stakes. View the full article

By Michael Guerin Ben Hope admits he knows a lot more about one of his three-year-old trotters than the other one heading to Addington tonight. But he still thinks they can both win. Hope and father Greg train Habibti Pat (R6, No.7) who resumes in the $60,000 Macca Lodge NZ Sires’ Stakes Classique for the trotting girls tonight while a few races later former northerner Ya Eejit Ya (R9, No.1) makes its stable debut against the older horses. “He has come down from Sean McCaffrey’s and feels like a really nice young horse,” says Hope of Ya Eejit Ya. “He seems to have a good record from a mobile and I think he would have to go close as he might have too much speed for many of these if he gets a nice sit.” Habibti Pat was our best juvenile trotting filly last season but had little luck on a northern campaign in the autumn, albeit she finished third to Meant To Be in the Northern Trotting Derby. Hope says she has prepped well for her return tonight and he still has total confidence in her. “But much went right for her up north but she still went some brave races. “She has trialled well this time in. Blair [Orange, driver] was happy with her last trial so we think she is ready to go.” While the Hopes don’t give Orange too many instructions, Ben says he thinks Habibti Pat is ready to be driven with some confidence tonight. “I still think she is the best filly in the country. “Ya Rite Darl has a better draw than us and will be fitter after her last start so we might have to sit parked outside her if she leads. “But I still think our filly is the one to beat.” While the Hope trotters will carry plenty of support tonight the highlight of the meeting is a red hot juvenile race which sees Jumal (R8, No.8) try to remain unbeaten against the likes of Special Occasion and Zeus Lightning. They are anything but the only three winning chances in the Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes heat but Jumal opened odds-on with the TAB even from the outside of the front line. With so much talent inside him it wouldn’t surprise to see him have to driven slighty more conservatively inside the first 800m than when he blasted to the lead last start. One thing is for sure: we will know a lot more abut the juvenile boys pacing rankings by 8.30pm tonight. Add in to strong handicap pacing feature that sees Rubira up against Rakero Rocket, Arthur Selby, Hadron Collider and American Me and tonight’s meeting will have some major effects on feature race futures markets for the months to come. View the full article

Invincible Spirit's Marvelman has been sold to Bond Thoroughbred Limited, the organisation's Charlie Bond revealed. The 3-year-old G2 Park Stakes hero is likely to be supplemented to the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on British Champions Day, October 18 at a cost of £70,000. Trained by Andrew Balding, the colt was winning his first stakes race at Doncaster last weekend and was previously owned by Mr and Mrs Rex Gorell. Bred by Gigginstown House Stud, Marvelman sold for 140,000gns out of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale to Balding from the Lynn Lodge Stud draft. Bond said, “We've been following the form, I was at Doncaster on Saturday and when I saw him win as well as he did he stood out. If everything goes well in the lead-up to Ascot he'll be supplemented for the QEII. I've obviously had a word with Andrew and he's keen to step him up to the mile for one more run this season. “He looks more of a four-year-old, but Andrew said he really started to come to himself before his last race and after winning like that, why not? If the ground conditions come up the same he'll love it, so if Andrew is happy to go for it I'm quite happy to play the supplementary fee (£70,000).” Bond also had an update on multiple group winner Maranoa Charlie (Wootton Bassett), who was a June purchase. Second in the G1 Prix Jean Prat, the 3-year-old colt was third in the G1 City Of York Stakes and is aiming for the G1 Prix de la Foret at the beginning of October. “The Foret has been his target since York. Christopher [Head] wanted to run him there, even though it looks like he's probably going to get a mile next year,” Bond added. “We're really looking forward to seeing him run on home turf and touch wood his prep work at the moment is going well. “I think he's quite versatile ground-wise. It was obviously quite quick ground at York compared to what he'd been running on and he was coming back at them at the line. Soft ground won't inconvenience him.” The post Marvelman Sold To Bond Thoroughbred, Likely To Be Supplemented To QEII 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, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Given “a new lease on life” after undergoing kidney transplant surgery three months ago, Ken Ramsey was looking for a way to say thank you to Dr. Sandip Kapur. “This is the premier doctor in New York and he's got all kinds of accolades, but he's never had a horse named after him,” the longtime owner/breeder said of Dr. Kapur, Chief of Transplant Surgery and Director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Programs at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “So I said, 'I've got six 2-year-olds that I bred and I'm gonna name the very best one after you.'” A son of Gainesway sophomore sire McKinzie out of Ramsey's stakes-winning and graded-placed homebred Ava's Kitten (Kitten's Joy), the “very best one” was named Dr. Kapur. McKinzie is already the sire of six stakes winners, led by GISWs 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick and Scottish Lassie. Ava's Kitten made all 13 of her career starts on grass and her full-brother Real Solution carried Ramsey's famed red-and-white silks to wins in two of the top grass stakes in the country, the GI Arlington Million and GI Manhattan S. Ken Ramsey heads to the winner's circle | Annette Jasko Ramsey, of course, also bred and raced Dr. Kapur's broodmare sire, the aforementioned late champion grass horse and perennial leading sire Kitten's Joy. “My only fear was that this horse could possibly be a turf horse,” Ramsey said. After posting his 11th workout at Gulfstream Park July 27, the four-legged Dr. Kapur was nearing a debut for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. Just maybe not where Ramsey had in mind. “I didn't want to run him down there in Florida, I wanted to bring him to Saratoga to see what I got,” Ramsey said. “If you're gonna be the best, you've got to beat the best. If he's Derby material, I want to know.” Now stabled at the Spa, Dr. Kapur posted two more breezes, including a sharp, four-furlong move from the gate in :47.60 (4/106) Aug. 17. Joseph gave Ramsey four different options to pick from for Dr. Kapur's debut. Which one will it be Mr. Ramsey? “Hell, I want to run him on Travers Day against the best,” he said. Off at odds of 5-1 going six furlongs in the always loaded maiden special weight on the Travers undercard Aug. 23, the blinkered Dr. Kapur was sent to the front by jockey Luis Saez and immediately shadowed by 'TDN Rising Star' Big Dom (McKinzie) through an opening quarter in :22.64. Dr. Kapur enjoyed a narrow advantage as they straightened for home, dug down bravely when met by Big Dom in deep stretch and just came up a neck short in a race that didn't deserve a loser. It was another 3 1/4 lengths back to favored Vino Vici (Vino Rosso) in third, the only horse in the field of eight with a prior race under his belt. The final time for six furlongs was 1:09.47. Both Big Dom and Dr. Kapur received matching 84 Beyer Speed Figures. Big Dom wins at first asking in R6 at Saratoga for trainer @tomamossracing with @jose93_ortiz aboard! ?? pic.twitter.com/0jG4OLtxhL — TwinSpires Racing ?? (@TwinSpires) August 23, 2025 “We jump out of the gate on top and lead every step of the way except the last two steps,” Ramsey said. “What really impressed me, Big Dom hooked him at the sixteenth pole and they went head to head and nose to nose right up to the finish line and the 'TDN Rising Star' only beat us by a neck. That's why we ran on Travers Day. Everybody saves them for that day.” Ramsey added, “You run that good on Travers Day means that I've got a pretty good horse.” Dr. Kapur returned to the worktab Thursday with a three-furlong breeze in :37.07 (2/5) over the Oklahoma training track in Saratoga. He is targeting a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland Oct. 16 with a long-term eye on the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 29. Dr. Kapur (inside) finishes a game second behind 'Rising Star' Big Dom on debut at Saratoga Aug. 23 | Sarah Andrew “This one is special,” Ramsey said. “I want to develop him slowly and give him plenty of time between races. With those two races, we'll find out how good he is on the dirt.” Ramsey is winless from seven previous starters in the Kentucky Derby. His best finish came with Ten Cents a Shine, eighth behind Funny Cide in 2003. “I'll be 90 on the third day of November. My doctor says that I have the kidney of a teenager and that it's possible that I can live to be 100,” Ramsey concluded. “I'm very excited. I just hope this could be the one. Wouldn't it be a nice story if me and Dr. Kapur showed up at the Derby?” Since launching 'Second Chances' in 2017, 64 maidens have been featured in these pages (through 2024), producing 25% graded stakes winners, 34% stakes winners and 48% stakes horses. The series has introduced eight future winners at the top level, led by this year's GI Kentucky Derby, GI Belmont Stakes and GI Travers S. winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), 2023 Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin) and fellow two-time Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo). The post Second Chances: With a New Lease on Life, Ramsey Dreaming Big With Dr. Kapur – ‘If He’s Derby Material, I Want to Know’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After competitive graded stakes losses in his only two races of 2025, Dresden Row lines up as the 6-5 morning line favorite in the CA$150,000 Durham Cup (G3) Sept. 20 at Woodbine. 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 Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, September 20, 2025 3rd-HSN, ¥14,250,000 ($96k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200m KATTAPPA (c, 2, Speightstown–Smuggler's Moon, by Gun Runner) was bought back on a bid of $75,000 out of last year's Keeneland September Sale and was knocked down to this trainer for $115,000 at this year's OBS April Sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5. The March foal's unraced dam, a half-sister to 2017 GI Pennsylvania Derby third Giuseppe the Great (Lookin At Lucky) and SP Gibby (Tizway), is the first daughter of Gun Runner to be represented by a starter. The deeper family includes 3-year-old stakes winners Indian Ocean and Megan's Halo. O-Naoya Fujii; B-Buck Pond Farm Inc (KY); T-Hideyuki Mori TAKASUTAKASUTAKASU (c, 2, Mor Spirit–Mopsicle, by Liam's Map) was purchased for just $3,000 as a short yearling at the 2024 Keeneland January Sale and made for a nice profit when hammering to Pick View for $62,000 at the OBS October Sale. Consigned to this year's OBS March Sale by the latter operation, the Feb. 21 foal went a quarter-mile in a snappy :20 2/5 and was snapped up by Emmanuel de Seroux's Narvick International for $450,000. Ryusei Sakai has the riding assignment. O-Katsuya Takasu; B-Twin Oaks Bloodstock (KT); T-Hideaki Fujiwara Sunday, September 21, 2025 4th-NKY, ¥14,250,000 ($96k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m BOOM BAP BEAT (c, 2, Into Mischief–Point of Honor, by Curlin) is set to become the first starter for his dam, winner of the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and subsequently runner-up in the GI Acorn Stakes and GI Alabama Stakes at three. The chestnut was a nose second in the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes and third in the GI Personal Ensign Stakes at four in 2020 and made a single appearance at five before being retired. Boom Bap Beat was purchased by this trainer for $1.25 million at last year's Keeneland September Sale and he looks to become the fourth high-profile debut winner in as many weeks for this barn. The Gun Runner half-brother to Boom Bap Beat was purchased by M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm for $1.5 million during last week's Book 1 at KEESEP. O-Susumu Fujita; B-Alpha Delta Stables LLC (KY); T-Mitsumasa Nakauchida 6th-HSN, ¥14,250,000 ($96k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m BLANC DE BLANCS (JPN) (c, 2, Frosted–Orchestrate, by Tiznow) is out of a full-sister to 2005 champion 2-year-old filly Folklore, who was sold to J S Company for $200,000 with this colt in utero at the 2023 Keeneland January Sale. Orchestrate is also a half-sister to MSP Delightful Quality (Elusive Quality), the dam of dual Eclipse Award-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit), while Folkore's daughter Rhodochrosite (Unbridled's Song) is responsible for Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Blanc de Blancs has the services of leading rider Yuga Kawada. O-Yuji Hasegawa; B-Mishima Bokujo; T-Haruki Sugiyama The post Into Mischief Colt Looks To Keep Nakauchida Barn Hot at Nakayama appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A number of changes to the upcoming 2025/2026 National Hunt programme, including a minimum rating requirement for Grade 1 novice and juvenile hurdles, were announced by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on Thursday. Horses will only be allowed to run in the top-level contests should they have achieved a rating of 110 or higher, either through a published handicap mark or as assessed by the BHA handicapper to have to raced to that level in at least one hurdle run. There is also an increase in the number of weight-for-age novice chases. As a result, a significant number of class three novice limited handicap chases have been removed and replaced by beginner/novice chases with a minimum value of £12,000 (rising to £15,000 in 2026). The changes, which come into effect immediately, are part of wider efforts to strengthen British Jump racing by giving horses more opportunities to gain valuable early jumping experience and hone their technique over obstacles. The changes can be viewed in full here. Tom Byrne, BHA head of racing and betting, said, “There's a recognition across our industry about the importance of growing the number of horses – and particularly high-quality horses – that are bred, owned, trained and raced in Britain. “Central to this is ensuring that developmental pathways exist so that we are nurturing future talent and, over the longer-term, making sure we are competitive at the top level. “The changes being introduced for the jumps season are primarily geared towards improving the quality of racing for our participants and customers, and giving our promising younger horses the right opportunities to help them fulfil their potential over hurdles and fences. “Like the measures introduced as part of the 2026 fixture list, such as the point-to-point bonus series and additional investment in the Elite Mares' Scheme, these improvements may take time and require patience before we start to see the true benefits. For instance, the changes to weight-for-age novice chases may well result in some smaller field sizes for these contests in the short-term. “But we firmly believe that whether it's refining the novice chase division, requiring our top novice and juvenile hurdlers to show a level of form before competing in Grade 1 contests, or bolstering competition and returns for connections in the North, these are positive steps that can help support the long-term future of British jumps racing.” The post Changes To UK NH Programme Announced By BHA appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

“It was great,” Steve Shahinian says, thinking back to his show-jumping days. “But it was just a little boring, compared with racing. And I thought racing was something I could figure out.” Over 40 years on, how is that project progressing? Shahinian, a man lacking neither humor nor candor, offers a wry look. “I've sort of half-figured it out,” he says. A pretty modest verdict, considering his role in the making of one of the best sophomores around. Gosger (Nyquist) again pushed Journalism (Curlin) hard in the GI Haskell Stakes, harder yet than in the GI Preakness–and, after only five starts, aims to maintain his progress towards the apex of the crop in the GI Pennsylvania Derby on Saturday. Shahinian feels that Gosger did especially well to soak up an excessive pace at Pimlico. “And it was a tough beat again in the Haskell,” he reflects. “The best two-turn 3-year-old colts in America are Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and Journalism, but Gosger is certainly in the conversation as third best at the moment, along with Goal Oriented (Not This Time). Horses don't mature until the middle of their 4-year-old year and, to my eye, Gosger still has physical developing to do.” In managing Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stable, for the family of a cherished friend lost in 2019, Shahinian can take credit not just for the way Gosger has been allowed to develop. He has also been central to the cultivation of a family that will hugely underpin his value at stud, even if there was one conspicuous vexation along the way. Steve Shahinian | Sue Finley Shahinian bought Gosger's granddam Arch's Girl Edith (Arch) as a 2-year-old in 2004, for $80,000 at OBS. “Though she wasn't actually the type I usually buy,” he recalls. “If you want a racehorse, you buy elegant. You don't buy chunks. It's not a wrestling match.” Here Shahinian mentions a top stallion, whom he considers built to pull a plow. For this is a guy who will say what he thinks, without being too bothered who might be listening. If possibly in too craven a spirit of diplomacy, however, we've duly excised from his conversation one or two entertaining asides–regarding, for instance, the surgery which (in his opinion) prematurely ended the career of Arch's Girl Edith. “She was very talented,” he recalls. “She won her first start, but chipped an ankle. Anyway everyone wanted me to breed her to Distorted Humor. And like I said, if you're trying to come up with a top two-turn horse, generally you avoid those linebacker types that are usually better suited to sprints. Arch's Gal Edith already had a bit of that look and, to me, so did Distorted Humor. But what I would do is go to his son Flower Alley.” A pause for comic effect. “So that produced a weak, pathetic, backward yearling that we sold for $11,000,” he resumes. “Then at OBS the following spring, I saw him again.” He called Clarke. “Harvey, we made a mistake,” he said. “He's got 'jewelry' already, so I don't know if he's going to make it. But this is a racehorse.” “What's he going to bring?” “Don't know, but he deserves $50,000-$100,000.” “Okay. Well. Never look back.” Sound counsel, more often than not. But that horse, of course, made just $35,000 before turning into 2012 Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another. No matter: they still had the mare, and she had meanwhile favored the program with a filly by the emerging Tapit. Gloria S never made the gate but soon produced Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah) to win the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. Gosger wins the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes at Keeneland | Coady Media Sadly Clarke had just been claimed by cancer. But his family maintained the stable in his memory, son Scott becoming especially enthused. And that will not change now that Gloria S has produced a horse as brilliant as Gosger. It's a gratifying sequel to Shahinian's long relationship with Clarke, which flourished in an unexpected direction after their paths first crossed. “Harvey had brought his kids to me for riding lessons,” Shahinian explains. “That was at Leonia, New Jersey, four miles from the George Washington Bridge. Actually the final selection trial for the 1980 Olympics was held over the jumps that I designed there. Only then Russia invaded Afghanistan, and nobody went.” Shahinian had himself been taught, from age nine, by a mentor of the old school. “Sergeant James Gannon, an Irishman, and instructor to the New York City mounted police,” Shahinian recalls. “He was a taskmaster. 'Bring your horse here, buddy,' he'd say. 'Give me your hand.' And then he yanks me off the horse, splat on the ground. 'You like being yanked on?' Puts me in a round pen, where the horse has nowhere to go. 'Drop the reins. Hanging on a horse's mouth makes him think to take the bridle.' Fair dues to him, he was a consummate horseman, probably the best I've known. At 80, he'd sidestep a horse over these telephone poles on cinder blocks, and you never saw him move a muscle.” Those lessons learned, as a young man Shahinian evidently did not confine his own flair to the saddle. “I went to Vermont to build houses, fly-fish, bird hunt, chase hippie girls,” he says. “Sugarbush Valley, three ski areas, I'd build one house at a time and sell it. Beautiful country, I had my jumper, it was a great life. But then OPEC shut our oil off, we had different days when odd and even license plates could buy gas. So why build a house nobody can get to? What now? I guess law school. Went to Albany, spent three years mostly playing golf. I remember hitting one in the water, they had bass in there so I just dug out my fly rod instead.” With that kind of attitude, guess what Shahinian did when deciding Thoroughbreds might be fun? “I decided to get myself a training license,” he says. “Monmouth in summer but in the winter, when the big boys left town, I'd commute to New York. Up at five to beat the traffic. Belmont was nicknamed The Country Club. All the fancy outfits were there, but it was the most ridiculous main track on the planet–mile-and-a-half of deep sand, and horses can't stay on their leads–while the training track got overcrowded. A lot of the aristocratic stables used Belmont, because it was where you were supposed to be. But it wasn't where your horses wanted to be. So I requested a transfer from The Country Club to The Prison. Because Aqueduct's training surfaces were far superior, and also the right size.” For 10 years, from 1982, his string varied between half-a-dozen and 20. Harvey's Lil Goil carried the Clarke colors | Sarah Andrew “I just wanted to know what it was about,” he says with a shrug. “When they opened Meadowlands, I went down to check it out. Asked some of the trainers to let me volunteer, walk hots, whatever they wanted. After a while I said to myself, 'These guys aren't horsemen, they don't actually know what they're doing. I can do this.' Which might have been true, if I'd had any kind of budget. But I was generally getting useless horses from people that didn't pay bills. The only people that thought me any good were the gamblers. They'd let me look at their sheets, then pick my brain on my horse.” Eventually his brother persuaded Shahinian to stop tormenting himself and join his law firm instead. But there was one silver lining: this real estate guy in Manhattan, the one who'd originally sent his kids for riding lessons, had followed him onto the Turf. “And I'd started buying horses for him,” Shahinian says. “Harvey Clarke was the best guy you ever met. Worked hard, just a perfect human being. I said, 'I don't want to spend a pile of your money, why don't we bring in a couple of others?' Because I was buying horses that could run a little, and people were paying attention.” One priceless connection was Dr. David Lambert, with his innovative ways. As for partners for Clarke, one good example was Craig Robertson asking Shahinian to find a cheap 2-year-old. He called Robertson from the sale. “I can find you something,” he said. “But you're not going to be proud of it, and neither am I. Why not just take a piece of something with Harvey?” So Robertson came in for 10 percent of a War Front colt bought at Keeneland the previous September. Shahinian had noticed Kiaran McLaughlin's work under Wayne Lukas, and supported him with Clarke horses once going solo. “At one point Kiaran had five graded stakes winners in his barn at Palm Meadows,” he recalls. “And, with all those Maktoum horses he had, four were owned by Harvey Clarke. Anyway that War Front was Soldat, and Kiaran was sprinting him on the dirt. I said, 'Kiaran, this is a grass horse. Two turns.' He didn't think so. I said, 'Humor me.' He said, 'Okay, there's a maiden coming up.' I said, 'No, nominate him for the [GIII] With Anticipation.'” He won, of course, and Shahinian still feels robbed of the GI Juvenile Turf, believing that overwatering exposed him to a mugging on the outside. In fairness to McLaughlin, Soldat reverted to dirt to win an allowance by 11 and followed up in the GII Fountain of Youth. By the time he reached the Derby, “he'd starting to feel some stuff” and duly faded in the stretch. But it had been some ride. So, too, was Cairo Prince. He came onto Shahinian's radar at Keeneland January, the best short yearling he'd ever seen. He tried Clarke, but $200,000 sounded a stretch. Then the horse resurfaced in the same ring that September, and this time they lined up partners. They needed $250,000 but made many multiples when Godolphin came in, after he won the GII Holy Bull by six lengths. Now the Clarkes have a horse that could top them all. The program has been streamlined, and needs to be viable, but there was never any danger of offering Gosger as a yearling. Shahinian liked him too much, and the family trusted his judgement. As we keep saying, he's not one to pretend that his every call has paid off. But Gosger's graphlines are narrowing with the crop leaders. In the Haskell, Gosger (outside) finishes second with Goal Oriented running third | Sarah Andrew “He's a young, developing horse that we didn't rush,” Shahinian stresses. “He didn't get to the races until December. He'd popped a little cherry splint, right below the knee. Lots of people would pinfire, blister it. I said, 'No, he goes to the farm, gets turned out.' Dr. Bramlage said 60 days. I gave him 90. I'm never in a hurry. If they're precocious, they'll tell you. And if they need time, you give them time. My biggest flaw is, I kind of like horses! So the timetable, the calendar, never rules. The horse rules. You will have terrible regrets if you damage horses that don't have a say in the matter. So I protect them.” Even as it is, Gosger has come a long way quickly. “He's had five starts in his life,” Shahinian says. “He'll be even better a year from now. Brendan Walsh is an excellent trainer, pays extraordinary attention to how his horses are doing. Horse training and management is like tennis. You hit 'em a shot and see how they return it. If they don't, you don't hit that next shot until they're telling you they're ready.” Certainly he's delighted that the Clarke family have bred such a good horse. “Other than helping them, I'm happily self-unemployed,” he sums up. “My job in life is to have as much fun as I can without hurting anybody. I live on a farm, a little apartment over a ten-stall barn. I wanted somewhere where I can let the bird-dogs out and they don't get hit by a car. That was my only requirement and, three or four bird-dogs later, it still is.” The post Gosger A Fitting Memorial To Clarke appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Multiple graded stakes-winning trainer Richard Robert Root died Aug. 25. He was 82.View the full article

Joe Murphy has raised the possibility of stable star Cercene travelling to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November. A winner of the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Australia filly went on to finish second to Whirl in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood over a-mile-and-a-quarter before reverting to a mile when fifth in the Matron Stakes at the Irish Champions Festival. While unable to land a telling blow, Cercene was only beaten three lengths and Murphy feels she could have finished closer with a clearer passage. He said, “We were a bit unlucky, she got squeezed up in a gap and had to take a pull and come around again. When you have to do that in a Group One you're in trouble, but I liked the way she ran on at the finish.” While keen to let the dust settle on her recent outing, Murphy is not against the idea of stepping his stable star back up in trip. He concluded, “We're contemplating the Breeders' Cup, but it's a bit too soon to say. We'll have a better idea in a week, but we're very happy with the way she came out of the race.” The post Murphy Team Eye Tilt At Breeders’ Cup With Cercene appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Taylor Made Sales Agency will offer a share in sire Not This Time at the second edition of the Keeneland Championship Sale, to be held in the Del Mar Paddock on Wednesday, Oct. 29, two days before the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Keeneland said in a press release on Thursday morning. The share will include all income from Not This Time's 2025 breeding season, providing immediate returns, and is offered by Aaron and Marie Jones LLC, an operation that has bred and raised top-class horses for decades. Not This Time (by Giant's Causeway) has quickly established himself as one of North America's premier stallions. Laying claim to eight Grade I winners, he is among one of the few stallions in history to sire Eclipse Award winners on both dirt and turf, following in the footsteps of his sire. Not This Time's momentum continues this year with emerging stars from his latest 2-year-old crop, including 'TDN Rising Star' It's Our Time, an impressive Saratoga debut winner in August. “Not This Time has quickly established himself as one of North America's most exciting stallions, with runners winning at the highest levels and yearlings bringing top prices in the sales ring,” Taylor Made Director of New Business Development Frank Taylor said. “What makes this opportunity stand out is that the buyer will receive all income from Not This Time's 2025 breeding season, meaning returns start right away. Chances like this don't come around often, and we're thrilled to offer this share at the Championship Sale.” During Keeneland's current September Yearling sale, Not This Time has been among the most sought-after sires with 14 yearlings bringing $1 million or more–topped by a $2 million filly. During Week 1, sales of his progeny sold for $31 million, with an average of $736,861, and he was the leading sire of two sessions. “The incredible success of Not This Time's yearlings at our September sale underscores just how much global demand there is for his progeny and how well they've delivered on racing's biggest stages,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “To present a share in a stallion of this caliber–and to do so on the unique stage of the Championship Sale–is a rare and exciting opportunity.” For more information about the stallion share, please contact Frank Taylor at 859 221-0788. The post Not This Time Share To Be Offered During Keeneland Championship Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Harry Eustace's eyes light up as soon as the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale is mentioned. And why wouldn't they? It was at that sale where the 37-year-old's Group 1 winners Docklands (Massaat) and Time For Sandals (Sands Of Mali) were sourced and the Newmarket-based handler openly admits to having 'kept powder dry' for the action at Fairyhouse next week. “We've had a lot of luck out of Fairyhouse, particularly with the filly [Time For Sandals],” he explained. “It's a sale that I have always worked hard at because it can be the last chance of buying the horses you really like. Once we get to the Orby and Tattersalls Book 1 and 2, things can become a bit bonkers quite quickly. We look at as many horses as we can and try to buy as good of a page as we can but I am pretty happy to look at anything, really. That approach has worked pretty well for us thus far.” That's one way of putting it. Docklands and Time For Sandals put Eustace's name in lights on the world stage at Royal Ascot this year. After Docklands edged out Rosallion by a nose in a thrilling tussle for the Queen Anne Stakes, Time For Sandals ousted Arizona Blaze by just a neck to win what appears to have been one of the hottest Commonwealth Cups in recent years given there has already been two subsequent Group 1 winners to emerge from the race. Neither Docklands nor Time For Sandals cost the sun, moon and the stars, either. Docklands was sourced by Blandford Bloodstock's Stuart Boman on behalf of OTI Racing for £16,000 [when the sale was held in England due to Covid] while Eustace, along with close friend David Appleton, who works in the nominations department at Darley, sourced Time For Sandals for just €35,000 at Tattersalls Ireland two years ago. Not only are both horses excellent advertisements for Eustace's talents as a trainer, but they also illustrate how good horses can come from anywhere and how they may not be by a sire who happens to be the flavour of the month. The real skill is having the ability to sniff them out. Eustace commented, “When you look back through the winners at the big festivals, including Cheltenham and particularly Royal Ascot, of course there are the obvious ones and plenty of homebreds, too, but, of the horses who went through a sales ring, they could be by any kind of sire. I think the luxury of a trainer buying at the yearling sales compared to an agent or anyone thinking commercially is the fact we can ignore sire-power and fashion to some extent. You can become very narrow-minded about stallions quite quickly in this game. I mean, Australia is a very good example of a stallion who gets very good racehorses but has not always been the most fashionable despite the fact he always comes up with a good one – and this year he had Lambourn and Cercene. If you were happy to buy a yearling by Australia, you could have bought yourself a very nice horse without having to pay quite as much as if it was by something more fashionable. So these horses are there but they get pigeon-holed quite quickly. If you can forgive that side of the page, well then the hope is that you can find one.” He added, “To be honest, Docklands was bought by Stuart Boman, who put him up to Terry [Henderson, OTI Racing]. I can't claim any part of that success – that was all Stuart and Terry. Docklands wasn't a typical Terry type of horse but he did seem to have a rock-solid temperament and a very good walk. If he was by another stallion, he would have made a bit more, certainly. Whether it's breeding, owning, pinhooking or training, everyone dreams of being associated with these types of horses. To have two is something we are not taking for granted. Funnily enough, the more time goes on, the more the realisation dawns on us about what we achieved. It's incredibly hard to win a Group 1 race and to have had two Group 1 winners from 50 horses is incredibly special. Doing it with two yearling purchases from Tattersalls Ireland was incredibly satisfying.” In the case of Time For Sandals, who has been put away for next season following a fine effort in the Sprint Cup at Haydock, Eustace and Appleton unanimously agreed that they couldn't leave Ireland without the filly. She was their nap of the entire sale. Eustace recalled, “Sands Of Mali was a very good racehorse and probably didn't get the credit for what he achieved on the track. If he had gone to Tally-Ho Stud or somewhere like that, the chat around him may have been different but there was absolutely no reason why he couldn't be a very good stallion. And actually, Time For Sandals has not a bad pedigree a bit further down. She was a very good physical but lacked a bit of a walk. I am sure that's why she got knocked by plenty of people but we liked her so much physically that we waved the walk. She walks fine but she doesn't have a big, exaggerated walk. But she is a sprinter at the end of the day and we factored that in at the yearling sales. I didn't see her the same time as David did but both of us felt that she was the absolute nap of our respective lists. We were delighted we could get her.” David Appleton [right] with Harry Eustace after Sands Of Mali won at Royal Ascot | Racingfotos.com Appleton likes to keep a low profile but Eustace is keen to point out that, without being able to call on his services at the yearling sales, that proverbial needle in the haystack would be even harder to find. While Appleton has no designs of being a bloodstock agent, his success speaks for itself, given he was involved in the pinhooking of Queen Mary winner Leovanni and even purchased Group 2-winning sprinter Azure Blue on behalf of a partnership that comprised his parents and former boss Alex Elliott's parents. “David works in the nominations department at Darley and what that means is he gets out and looks at the Darley stock all-year round,” Eustace said. “He knows the vendors and the breeders particularly well and he has a real natural eye for a horse. It works very well being able to bounce things off David because we're trying to find the best horse we can for the right money. That in particular is what he is excellent at helping us with.” Docklands might be a Group 1 winner but, according to Eustace, there has been minimal interest in the horse who has won close to £1 million in prize-money with regards to a second career at stud. With that in mind, the trainer has some ambitious international targets for his stable star beyond the QEII on Champions Day at Ascot. Eustace explained, “I know Richard Kent [who bred Docklands and stands his sire Massaat at Mickley Stud] would love him but his real value lies on the track, to be honest. After Ascot, the plan is to go to Japan for a Group 1 over a mile in November. Charyn actually ran [and finished fifth] in that race last year and I think the tempo of Japanese racing would really suit Docklands. He loves racing and, although the standard is high in Japan, the thing he really needs in his races is tempo. That's why Ascot suits him really well and why turning tracks don't. But Japanese racing seems to be end-to-end and Docklands is hardened up – he's travelled before – so I could see him running a very good race in that.” It seems a pretty obvious suggestion that, the more sales a trainer attends, the likelier he or she is to come across a horse capable of propelling them onto the big stage. There is a direct correlation between the trainers who hit the sales hard and those who have success and Eustace is in that group. Not only has he been a regular at all of the major yearling sales since taking out his licence in 2021, but he has been pinhooking foals for the best part of a decade alongside fellow trainer James Horton. That combination happened to be behind the pinhooking of this year's Group 1 Phoenix Stakes hero Power Blue (Space Blues), who sold to Robson Aguiar [under the banner of Drumloose Stables] for £44,000 having initially been bought for €30,000 as a foal. James Horton and Harry Eustace | Goffs “I just don't think as a trainer you can ever look at too many horses at the sales,” Eustace said. “The more you look at the better. Most definitely, if David had sent me a Sands Of Mali filly and I hadn't seen her in the flesh for myself, I am not nearly as positive that I would have bought her. We were particularly strong on her because both of us loved her. It's hard for me to be as enthusiastic about a horse on film or in a picture because it's less natural. That's why I like to go to as many sales as I possibly can. It determines the next year to 18 months, how each yearling sale goes for you as a trainer. It can be hard to get away from the horses at the yard but, when you look back, you will have worried more about not going to the sales. I am fortunate that I inherited a great system from William Haggas, for whom I was assistant to, and I have some very good staff as well. Without that, I wouldn't be able to attend all of the sales that I do.” He added of his pinhooking prowess, “James Horton and I, we were both working as assistants 10 or 12 years ago and basically felt that we were working very hard within the industry but didn't have much skin in the game as it were. As everyone knows, pinhooking foals to yearlings is probably the easiest entry way into the game with a view towards the timeline and being able to gauge costs. We got a group of friends and families together and we gave it a go. Hannah Wall and Luke Barry, in particular, were very good to us and we had some good touches which was very fun. We actually sold Power Blue as a yearling last year. Of course, we were all standing there wondering how we didn't get more for him but hindsight is a wonderful thing! But he is the best horse we have ever pinhooked by a long way. I think pinhooking has been an invaluable exercise, really, because the foal sales seem to be a less stressful time for buyers and vendors alike. It also provides you with an opportunity to get a feel for some of the younger stallions and things like that.” Eustace says he has intentionally kept his powder dry for a sale that has served him so well. The brief is a simple one; try and find the next Group 1-winning star. Easy, right? He concluded, “We've bought three yearlings so far this year but we don't tend to buy many at Donny or at the Somerville. I suppose, a lot of that is driven by when my brother [David, trainer] was in Australia and when we were dealing with a lot of people from that part of the world. But we don't have a huge amount of yearling orders on a yearly basis so we try to buy a type that gives the owner as risk-free an exit strategy as there is. That's why we tend to buy a three-year-old type who will stay a mile or further and why Tattersalls Ireland really suits us. Donny and the Somerville attract a certain type of yearling whereas at Tattersalls Ireland, you can get all sorts – it's a real mix of types and pedigrees. That's why it really suits us. You can find a bit of an angle and use your imagination. We've hopefully kept a bit of our powder dry for this sale for obvious reasons and we'll see what happens thereafter. But every year, by the time we get to Book 1 and 2, everyone wishes they tried harder to buy earlier in the yearling sale season. A lot of people are aware of that so we're going to try and get a few more on board before then.” The post Harry Eustace: ‘We’ve Kept Our Powder Dry For Tattersalls Ireland’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

What Newcastle Gold Cup Day 2025 Where Newcastle Racecourse – 100 Darling Street, Broadmeadow NSW 2292 When Friday, September 19, 2025 First Race 1pm AEST Visit Dabble Newcastle is the destination for feature racing on Friday afternoon, where the Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) headlines proceedings on an eight-race program. Clear skies will mirror the perfect Good 4 track rating, and with the rail in its true position, there will be no excuses for fancied runners throughout the day. The first race on Newcastle Gold Cup Day 2025 is set to jump at 1pm AEST. Newcastle Gold Cup tip: Soul Of Spain Soul Of Spain is a progressive stayer peaking into this 2300m test with a light weight and an ideal draw in gate one. He’s been strong through the line at 1680m–2020m this prep and profiles to improve again third run in for Chris Waller. With Zac Lloyd riding and just 54kg, he maps to park behind the leaders, save ground, and angle off into clear air turning for home. If the tempo is genuine, his sustained closing work can prove the difference against more exposed yardsticks. Newcastle Gold Cup Race 6 – #9 Soul Of Spain (1) 5yo Gelding | T: Chris Waller | J: Zac Lloyd (54kg) Tibbie Stakes tip: Oh Diamond Lil Freshened and targeted at the 1400m of the Group 3 Tibbie Stakes, Oh Diamond Lil brings peak provincial/city figures and a slick September 9 trial to set up perfectly here. She draws to stalk from barrier seven under Rachel King and carries a comfortable 55kg at set weights plus penalties. Her winter form at Randwick—particularly the July mile win—reads strongly for this grade, and she’s versatile enough to handle any tempo. With tactical speed and a neat turn of foot, the David Pfieffer-trained mare gets her chance to claim a Group 3 on the way to richer spring targets. Tibbie Stakes Race 5 – #5 Oh Diamond Lil (7) 5yo Mare | T: David Pfieffer | J: Rachel King (55kg) Cameron Handicap tip: Tavi Time Tavi Time returns to his pet range and gets a perfect platform to strike fresh enough in the Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m). A Group 3 Summer Cup winner and Scone Cup hero last season, Tavi Time owns a superb Newcastle record and thrives at 1400–1600m. From barrier seven with Jay Ford aboard, expect him to land just off the speed and blend into the race before the bend. With proven class at this level and strong first-up stats, he should be savaging the line late. Cameron Handicap Race 7 – #1 Tavi Time (7) 6yo Gelding | T: Kris Lees | J: Jay Ford (59kg) Best Bet: Jagerbomb (NZ) Jagerbomb brings the right platform into the 1850m Class 1 & Maiden after a strong breakthrough over the mile last start. From barrier five, Dylan Gibbons can have the three-year-old parked midfield with cover before building momentum from the 600m. He profiles to relish the step up in trip, carries a fair 57.5kg under the set weights, and his closing splits suggest there’s another figure in hand. With a tidy map and a stable that places them well at Newcastle, he looks the most reliable play on the card. Best Bet Race 1 – #3 Jagerbomb (5) 3yo Gelding | T: John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | J: Dylan Gibbons (57.5kg) Friday quaddie tips for Newcastle Newcastle quadrella selections September 19, 2025 3-5-6-10-20 4-7-9 1-3-6-9-19 3-4-5-11-15 Horse racing tips View the full article

There will be no short-term Hong Kong stint for Joao Moreira in 2025, with the Jockey Club declaring the riding roster full for the first half of the season. While trainer Caspar Fownes had stated his intentions to bring Moreira back to Hong Kong as his stable rider from October to December, the Jockey Club confirmed on Thursday that “there is no availability for retained jockeys”. After announcing on Wednesday that James McDonald, Hollie Doyle, Maxime Guyon and Dylan Browne McMonagle will spend...View the full article

Slipper Island (No Nay Never) put together a picket fence form line down the Trentham chute last season and he’ll be aiming to pick up where he left off at the Upper Hutt venue on Saturday. In autumn, the No Nay Never gelding went from winning at Rating 65 grade to defeating Group One winner Pier (NZ) (Proisir) and subsequent Group One placegetter Tomodachi (NZ) (Tarzino) three runs later in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m). That performance made four straight successes down the dogleg, and while his trainer Tony Pike hadn’t intended to head back there first-up, bad weather in the north shifted those plans. “He’s come back in great order again this preparation and his trials have been good, he looks pretty forward,” Pike said. “Ideally we wanted to go to Te Rapa last week, but with the wet track there, that forced our hand to decide to go back to Trentham, a track he obviously loves. It looks like they’re going to miss most of the rain and it’ll be about a (Soft) 6 or 7, which will be a big help. “The better the track conditions, the better he’ll go, but with his form on this track, I think he’ll be hard to beat on Saturday.” Slipper Island shares favouritism for the CR Grace And Waterforce Handicap 1200 with his stablemate Witz End (NZ) (Savabeel), but the pair will likely head in different directions after resuming, with the Listed Stewards Stakes (1200m) during New Zealand Cup Week the goal for the former. “I think the Stewards will be ideal for him, he should still get in on a reasonably light weight and the straight racing really seems to suit him,” Pike said. “Riccarton has similar sort of track dimensions to Trentham, so that is the plan for the short term.” A Group Two performer as a three-year-old, Witz End mixed his form at times last season at four, and Pike is looking forward to seeing a stronger galloper this time in. “He was also entered for Ellerslie (on Saturday) but I thought the 1200m was a better fit first-up,” Pike said. “His preparation last year was a bit hit or miss at times, but he’s come back and trialled well and is looking like a more mature horse this time in. “He’ll be very competitive fresh-up, and with that extra season of racing under his belt, he’ll come back a stronger horse and hopefully be up to those good mile races this season.” The Cambridge horseman will also send a pair of promising three-year-olds on the journey south, with the proven Ashoka (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) and debutant Pure Lotus (Lean Mean Machine) going head-to-head in the Marsh Insurance Brokers and Treadwell Gordon 1200. A son of in-form sire Hello Youmzain, Ashoka was twice runner-up in his two juvenile starts to Boombox (NZ) (Spirit Of Boom), his former stablemate who has recently entered quarantine on his way to racing in Hong Kong. “Ashoka is probably a little bit better left-handed even though he ran well in both of his two-year-old races going right-handed,” Pike said. “He just tended to want to drift to the middle of the track and I think the straight 1200m at Trentham will really suit him. “He’s run second in a couple of quality two-year-old races and trialled really nicely, so you’d expect him to be really hard to beat down there on Saturday.” While the less experienced of the two, Pike isn’t counting out Pure Lotus as he steps out on raceday for the first time. “I didn’t really want to run the two of them together but we have a couple of three-year-olds in at Ellerslie as well, so we’re trying to split them up with the lack of maiden 1200m races at the moment,” Pike said. “He’s a beautiful type that has trialled well, he’ll probably have to go back from that draw but I think he’s a talented horse going forward. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him go close to winning, with improve to come from the trip away and raceday experience.” Pike will be well-represented at the other New Zealand meeting on Saturday at Ellerslie, including recent debut winner Is That All (Cable Bay) stepping up in the Trackside.co.nz 1300. “He’s been a slow maturing horse, obviously making his debut at four, but he looks a nice progressive type that was pretty impressive at Ruakaka,” Pike said. “He still has plenty to learn, he’s pretty new and green, so that would be my only concern heading into Saturday. “It’ll be his first time at Ellerslie, but he looks like a talented horse going forward.” Pike is expecting to see an improved effort from well-bred colt Storm Front (NZ) (Snitzel) in the NZB Ready To Run Trainers Series 3YO 1400, having finished in the second half of the field when resuming in the Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m). “I was happy enough with his fresh-up run, we were dictated to by the barrier draw having to go all the way back in a slowly run race,” he said. “He made up good ground late off the back of one very soft barrier trial, so he’ll improve immensely off that. “He’s a really talented colt, unfortunately he had a cardiac arrythmia in his last start as a two-year-old, so it was a bit of a messy preparation and we were a bit held up by the weather to get him ready for that first-up run. “He’s drawn a better gate on Saturday, and with the application of blinkers, he’ll be able to put himself closer to the speed. I think you’ll see a marked improvement from him.” He will present a trio of well-performed open gallopers in the Eagle Technology 1400 in Churchillian (NZ) (Churchill), Cannon Hill (NZ) (Ardrossan) and Rudyard (NZ) (Charm Spirit), with the youngest of the three expected to feature prominently. “Cannon Hill and Churchillian ran in the 75 carrying big weights two weeks ago, so they’ll improve off that, I was happy with both of them,” Pike said. “Cannon Hill was very good as a close-up fifth, he drops to 54.5kg here and I think he’ll be very hard to beat. Churchillian was off the scene for a long period of time so her run had merit, she only peaked late and will drop to the minimum on Saturday, where I think she can be competitive with further improvement to come. “Rudyard has trialled well, I think he’s going a lot better than he did towards the end of his last preparation. He’ll probably benefit from the run, but he’s drawn to get a soft trip and he’ll improve quickly off this run.” View the full article

Knock Off (NZ) (Fabulous) has proven to be a horse of a lifetime for Wanganui trainer Gerard Cvitanovich, who will be vying to record his first stakes victory on Saturday when his charge contests the Gr.3 Hunterville Vet Club Metric Mile (1600m) at Trentham. The semi-retired dairy farmer has been training intermittently over the last 30 years, and has contested three previous stakes races, but Saturday presents as his best opportunity as he gets set to line-up the $6 equal favourite for the mile feature. The occasion will be a true family affair, with his son Nick having bred the son of Fabulous, while his three other children, brother and wife also share in the ownership of the horse. “I have got four kids and they are all involved, as is my brother, and my wife, Rachel,” he said. “They all like to have a bet, go to the races and have a look around, it’s good.” The lightly-tried gelding has won four and placed in three of his 11 starts to date and has been in a purple patch of form this preparation, winning three and placing in one of his four starts this time in. Cvitanovich has been over the moon with his gelding’s meteoric rise and he is looking forward to testing him at stakes level for the first time this weekend. “It is good to give him a go at it and we will just see what level he is at,” he said. “He is very well and he seems to be enjoying his work. It is a good time to have a go at something like that.” While Knock Off has recorded three of his four victories in the last few months, Cvitanovich said he has shown ability from the outset. “In his first start he was a pretty close third to Valley King of Kevin Myers’, who went on to win four (from five starts),” he said. “He was always a good horse to have around and work, and the results have been a bonus really.” Knock Off will jump from barrier four on Saturday and will be ridden by Leah Hemi. “We don’t want to be too far back, we want to be fairly handy to them, so I hope that’s alright there,” he said. Cvitanovich said the remainder of Knock Off’s preparation will be dictated by his performance this weekend, with next month’s Gr.3 Thompson Handicap (1600m) a possibility if he performed well. “There is another race at Wellington in a month’s time and that is how we have been spreading his races,” he said. “We will just wait and see how he is after this and how it all fits in, he might need a holiday.” View the full article

Ka Ya Rising’s (NZ) (Shamexpress) first-up rating has him right where he needs to be for the upcoming Everest, says form guru Daniel O’Sullivan. While his returning figure of 107 was a few points off his absolute best, it keeps him in a class of his own compared to the rest of the world’s sprinting ranks. Add to that the prospect of Ka Ying Rising improving from his first-up run – a very real possibility according to trainer David Hayes and jockey Zac Purton – and the numbers make it hard to see any of the local sprinters taking the necessary leap to challenge him by October. “Ka Ying Rising returned on Sunday with a 107 rating, a mark he has now produced four times across his last eight starts,” O’Sullivan said. “It sits about 1.5 lengths short of his peak 110, achieved twice earlier this year in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (January) and the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (April), both over 1200m at Sha Tin. “While the 107 doesn’t indicate he’s gone to a new level, it confirms he remains in a class of his own among global sprinters. “With The Everest still five weeks away, it’s also reasonable to think he wasn’t fully wound up, which makes the prospect of another 110 performance on Everest day a realistic expectation.” O’Sullivan concurs with the widely held belief that if Ka Ying Rising is to go under in the Everest, it will be due to the travel, which was the undoing of champion Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) when he ran first-up in the 2023 Turnbull Stakes as a notable yard drifter. But on the current figures, he will need to regress some two to three lengths, or have some horrid luck in running, for the local hopes to cause a boilover. “The one unknown is travel. Ka Ying Rising has yet to race outside Hong Kong, and history shows that not every horse reproduces their best after a trip overseas,”O’Sullivan said. “That is the key angle for the local brigade to cling to, because the ratings gap is clear. At his best, Ka Ying Rising’s 110 figure puts him 2.5–3.5 lengths clear of Australia’s best sprinters, who sit in the 102.5–104 range on exposed form. “While some might improve to a new peak on the day, it would be a major shock to see any reach 110, and even a rating of 107+ would be a surprise. “Conditions, luck in running, or the uncertainties of travel could all play a role, which is what will still make the race compelling. As things stand, though, the gap between him and the locals is significant.” View the full article

Tajana will contest Saturday’s Group 3 Sunline Vase (1400m) at Ellerslie. Photo: Therese Davis (Race Images) Fresh is best for top quality three-year-old Tajana who has thrived since her impressive return to competition last month. The Oaks Stud-bred and raced daughter of Darci Brahma was a resuming winner of the Group 3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) ahead of a second-up tilt at Saturday’s Group 3 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Sunline Vase (1400m) at Ellerslie. Tajana, jumping from the seventh gate, is paying $3.20 and is a live chance of winning, according to trainer Shaune Ritchie. “She was very good last time and has done fantastically well, I’m pleased we ran her at Ruakaka,” Ritchie, who trains in partnership with Colm Murray, said. More: How to bet on NZ racing “The four weeks between runs will really suit her. I think she is a natural mile and a-quarter horse, that’s what she’s showing us at the moment. “Keeping her fresh for these shorter distances is the right way to go and I am expecting her to go really super on Saturday. “She is a high-quality filly, no doubt, and she has really come on with the trip up there (Ruakaka) and the time to get over the race to really bring her summer coat through.” Tajana has now won twice from five starts, having broken her maiden last season and placed in the group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Group 3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m). Her main spring goal is the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and, safely through this weekend, she will have one more outing before the Riccarton feature. “The program we have going forward, which Rick Williams (The Oaks General Manager) and I have discussed, is a good one,” Ritchie said. “She will go to the Soliloquy Stakes (Group 2, 1400m) before we head down to Riccarton. “She is a laid-back filly and lovely to train, she almost trains herself and the only real concern is the 1400m on Saturday far enough, but I don’t think we could have tackled it any other way.” Tajana was ridden to victory at Ruakaka by Wiremu Pinn, who will make way at Ellerslie for Geroge Rooke. “He was promised the ride before he got hurt and he’ll ride her through the season,” Ritchie said. Tajana is currently the $5 second favourite for the 1000 Guineas behind Saturday’s race rival Lollapalooza at $3.20 with PlayUp (Playup review). View the full article