Wandering Eyes

FOX SARATOGA SATURDAY, featuring coverage of the Fourth of July Racing Festival and six consecutive Saturdays of racing from Saratoga, will air this summer on the FOX broadcast network. Coverage begins on Independence Day with coverage from 5-6 p.m. (all times EDT) of the $750,000 Grade I Belmont Derby and picks up with two hours of programing on Saturday, July 19, featuring the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. The GII Jim Dandy Stakes is the focal point of the three-hour broadcast (3-6 p.m.) on Saturday, July 26, followed by the $1-million GI Whitney Stakes on Aug. 2 from 3-6 p.m. Programming on Aug. 9 includes the relocated GI Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes from 3-6 p.m. and the GI Alabama Stakes is the marquee event of a two-hour window (4-6 p.m.) on Aug. 16. The final FOX SARATOGA SATURDAY airs from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 23, with the meet's main event, the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes the highlight. FOX Sports and the New York Racing Association began their relationship back in 2016 with the launch of SARATOGA LIVE, providing daily coverage of the 40-day meeting. FOX has continued to expand its coverage of racing's biggest events each year since and recently broadcast the running of the GI Belmont Stakes on June 7. The main Saratoga meeting opens on Thursday, July 10 and runs through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1. The post FOX SARATOGA SATURDAY Returns To FOX Sports For 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Frankie Dettori is set to be in attendance at Royal Ascot this week as a racegoer—but the legendary rider has not ruled out a final hurrah at the meeting in the future.View the full article

A hard-hitting report by a cross-party group of politicians will demand that action is taken to secure the future of the sport in Britain as it faces a "triple whammy" of financial threats.View the full article

With the exception of Ballydoyle's hot prospect 2-year-old Albert Einstein, there are no key figures missing from Royal Ascot's opening card on Tuesday and the scene is set for the first of the week's moments of truth. With the St James's Palace featuring the winners of the 2,000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas and “French 2,000 Guineas” and the Queen Anne boasting all the elite milers of Europe and a bit extra, the standard has been met again in the year which celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession. From individual points of view, this year's edition is a momentous one for Colin Keane following the announcement of his retainer for Juddmonte. This is a true baptism of fire for the rider, but luckily he is already accustomed to the jet power of Field Of Gold, Clarehaven's silver surfer who threatens to take the mantle as Kingman's best from the stable's past master Palace Pier. Whatever the reason for his defeat by Ruling Court (Justify) at Newmarket, which is far from obvious from the tactical and sectional evidence available, the Guineas runner-up who went on to display his power at The Curragh is arguably day one's headline act. He is an ideal conduit for the widely-appreciated talent of Keane, who Ger Lyons described last week as more Mick Kinane than Frankie. There is a long way to go to match the Royal Ascot feats of either of those giants, but perhaps this is the start of that odyssey. Juddmonte's European racing manager Barry Mahon is relishing the prospect of seeing how the new combo develop together. “It's going to be a huge race with some huge names and could be the race of the week, but we're happy with Field Of Gold and looking forward to having another crack at the English Guineas winner and seeing how we get on,” he said. “We won't know if Field Of Gold is a better horse than the one that went to Newmarket until after the race, but he is a horse who should keep improving through the year,” he added. “John has always mentioned the Eclipse for him which is very much still a possibility or we could even give him a break after this and wait for Goodwood, but we will decide all this after the race.” Field Of Gold's eerily similar trajectory to his sire continues here, but where Kingman dealt his 2,000 Guineas conqueror Night Of Thunder a heavy beating in this 11 years ago it is hard to see the same situation evolving this time. Ruling Court was spared the effort of running in a stamina-sapping renewal of the Derby and Epsom's loss is Ascot's gain. Asked to be a miler again having been trained with the Blue Riband in mind, Godolphin's son of Justify needs to prove his versatility as he bids to deny the grey's revenge mission. Perhaps it was Field Of Gold's subsequent Irish 2,000 Guineas performance that has led many to the conclusion that the wrong horse was in the winner's enclosure at Newmarket, but while the runner-up was able to close out the final furlong in spectacular fashion there was very little between them over the last three. Overall, Ruling Court was a fraction more professional throughout and that ultimately told at the death. A surefire stayer beyond this mile, he is certain to be well suited by Ascot's stiff test. Then there is Henri Matisse, who demonstrated in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains that he can really trap where it matters. One of Wootton Bassett's several success stories of the recent months, the colt who required blinkers in the Jean-Luc Lagardere has subsequently gone places and showed in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and the Poulains that he possesses a lethal kick. While ParisLongchamp isn't The Curragh, he posted a closing 33.15 last month compared to Field Of Gold's 33.6 in the Irish Classic and makes this at least a three-horse race. Leading The Way… By the time Keane gets to the St James's Palace, he may already have enjoyed the ultimate nerve-settler in the opening Queen Anne where he partners another Juddmonte-Clarehaven project in Lead Artist. Coming of age in the Lockinge last month, the son of Dubawi may or may not have caught the likes of Rosallion and Notable Speech on the hop there but it would be churlish to suggest he lucked out. We are talking about prime Juddmonte Hasili blood and he is certain to be even better suited to this stiff test. Second in the Lockinge having followed the route of last year's Queen Anne winner Charyn, one of Camelot's quickest progeny Dancing Gemini is another who will benefit from this greater examination of stamina. Ascot's straight mile standard time is 1:38.90 compared to Newbury's 1:35.80, so we are looking at a completely different demand to that of the Lockinge. Whether last year's brilliant St James's Palace hero Rosallion needs a stiff straight mile is open to debate, with the fast son of Blue Point so effective around the turning mile 12 months ago. Connections will be hoping that it was ring-rustiness that cost him at the end of the Lockinge, his first start in 11 months, rather than lack of stamina as it is worth remembering that the St James's Palace was not a strongly-run affair last year. While Rosallion shone for the non-exacting tempo of the 2024 St James's Palace, Notable Speech was undone by it having been so demanding in the 2,000 Guineas where the leaders and Rosallion himself flagged late on. Proving more adaptable in the Sussex, the son of Dubawi was faster than everything between the four and the one in the Lockinge before blowing up on his return and is a huge threat to all here. Strictly on the Breeders' Cup Mile form of November, Yulong Investments' Carl Spackler (Lope De Vega) is a touch below this level, but he had beaten the winner More Than Looks in both the GI Keeneland Turf Mile and GI Fourstardave Handicap and looked better than ever in the GI Maker's Mark Mile Stakes last time. How he takes to the straight course is key to his chances, but Tepin did so all those years ago and he has the assistance of James McDonald, whose four Royal Ascot winners include three in Expert Eye, Nature Strip and Dark Shift who mastered the straight line. Trainer Ciaron Maher's bloodstock manager William Bourne gave the lowdown on Carl Spackler. “He's a very straightforward horse, there's not much to know–what you see is what you get. He's got a great temperament, he's like a kid's pony, he's made it so easy to bring him here, get him into the rhythm and train him. He's definitely made life easy for the boss. It's a very international raceday and world-class so just to even be here as a spectator or have a horse here, it's a privilege and to have Yulong entrust us with the horse is just amazing.” Interestingly, McDonald is one of two Antipodean riders in the meeting's opener alongside Mark Zahra who partners the Ascot straight-track specialist and 2024 Queen Anne runner-up Docklands (Massaat). McDonald also has an association with Wathnan this week, with three rides for the operation on Tuesday including the live Coventry contender Underwriter (Mehmas). Jonathan Gregory, Chief Commercial Officer at Ascot Racecourse, spoke of the meeting's outreach. “We're incredibly proud of Royal Ascot and the enduring appeal it continues to hold for audiences around the world,” he said. “None of this would be possible without the support and collaboration of our international broadcast partners, whose commitment plays such a vital role in showcasing the excitement, heritage and prestige of the Royal Meeting. This year is particularly special as we mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession–a milestone we're delighted to honour through a specially commissioned programme that brings this historic tradition to life for a global audience.” And As For Her… In the King Charles III, Asfoora (Flying Artie) is back to bid to extend Australia's tally of eight winners at the meeting from a total of just 47 runners and carve her own slice of history in becoming the first from “Down Under” to return a year later and record consecutive wins. Fitted with blinkers for the first time following her latest seventh in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes, Henry Dwyer's charge comes into this on a similar level to 12 months ago with much the same horses to beat. “I feel like there is less pressure this year, as she has been there and done it,” Dwyer said. “It's an expensive trip and there's huge costs involved, but she was able to repay us last year and the money is in the bank now. This year is a bonus, she owes us nothing and we're just here for the experience and the fun of it.” Perhaps Believing (Mehmas), who was fourth in this last year, will rate the biggest threat to the Australian mare having continued to move on up in the interim. Unable to deal with Bradsell in the Nunthorpe and Flying Five, she looked a different proposition when taking the G1 Al Quoz Sprint in April and will be fresh and ready for the rematch. In foal to Frankel, she is raring to go according to George Boughey. “I think because it's such an open race, it's attracted a bigger field,” he said. We're drawn in one and possibly a little bit away from some of the others, but I spoke to Ryan [Moore] yesterday and we said it makes our decision pretty clear–we know which way we're going and that's in a straight line towards home.” “A stiff five is probably what she wants now, I think a stiff six is possibly too far. That's why the six in Meydan was so tailor-made for her and anything now is a bonus.” Lord Lloyd Webber and Arthur Mitchell's G2 Temple Stakes and G3 Prix de Saint-Georges scorer Mgheera (Zoustar) looks a much-improved performer this term, while the best of the males could be Wathnan Racing's unexposed TDN Rising Star Night Raider. The son of Dark Angel has proven prowess on the all-weather, which translates so well to this track, having shown off in Newcastle's Listed Golden Rose Stakes in November. He comes back in trip, having tired late on behind what could be the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner Inisherin in York's G2 1895 Duke of York. “He's very fast and set some blistering fractions in the Duke of York into a strong headwind that day,” Wathnan's racing adviser Richard Brown said. “He's won over seven furlongs and was a Guineas horse last year, but I just can't wait to see him over five furlongs as he's blisteringly fast. James [Doyle] rode him up at Karl Burke's the other day and was seriously impressed by how quick he was and I'm really looking forward to seeing him. When those sprinters are absolutely flying at Ascot, it's one of the great sights in racing and I think he's going to be one winging along.” A New Movement… Despite the absence of Albert Einstein, the Coventry looks as hot as ever with the TDN Rising Star Postmodern (Too Darn Hot) taking over as the current favourite. From a Wathnan Racing operation focused on success at this meeting, he looks to provide Hamad Al Jehani with a breakthrough Royal Ascot winner. His five-length Yarmouth debut win will come under the microscope here, with countless others down the years coming to a Coventry off similar wide-margin successes only to be found wanting. James Doyle is looking forward to some enviable rides on the Wathnan horses and said, “We look like we've got a nice team and there have been a few welcome additions. We've had a couple of two-year-olds step up to the plate and obviously Zelaina won nicely at Nottingham and there's Postmodern for Hamad and Underwriter for Archie [Watson], so we've a decent group of youngsters. We're all well aware how difficult it is to win at Royal Ascot, everyone knows how tough it can be, but we're looking forward to it, quietly hopeful and would be pretty pleased with the team we have going there.” Ballydoyle's deputies for Albert Einstein are Starspangledbanner's Navan winner Gstaad, who was always in line to play second-fiddle to his much-vaunted stablemate, and the intriguing Warsaw who has come late onto the scene. A son of Wootton Bassett from the family of City Of Troy, he went hard on his racecourse bow over what was surely an inadequate five furlongs and just kept going. Godolphin's Military Code is the chosen one of Charlie Appleby's group of smart and sharp juveniles as he looks for a first Coventry winner, while of the first-season sire pack the trio of Starman, Space Blues and Ubettabelieveit are represented. The best on paper is Space Blues's Power Blue, who represents Amo Racing and got closest to Albert Einstein in the G3 Marble Hill Stakes having previously run into Lady Iman. Ubettabelieveit's Tricky Tel won't be the most celebrated in the line-up beforehand, but has looked a powerhouse around the ultimate learning circuit of Chester and has Colin Keane to help. Aside from the key Pattern-race gala, there is the prospect of Royal Ascot's specialist target trainer Willie Mullins providing The King with a winner on the first day in Reaching High in the Ascot Stakes. The son of Sea The Stars is one of Ryan Moore's mounts as he begins his irrepressible quest for a 12th Leading Jockey Award at the most prestigious meeting of them all. The post Procession of Stars Readied for Royal Ascot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The six-month Winter/Spring meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, closed Sunday, June 15, with 'encouraging' gains in handle, field size and on-track attendance, according to a release from the track. With over 6,800 horses having raced during the meet and more than 375,000 training sessions on the main and synthetic tracks having taken place, track officials report a safety mark of 99.98%, cementing its status as the safest track in North America among those with a comparable volume of racing and training. “This year was a transitional one for the California racing community and it was a success by every measure,” said Nate Newby, SVP and General Manager of Santa Anita Park. “We are thankful for the continued support of the owners, trainers, jockeys, veterinarians, the horsemen and women who provide outstanding care for the horses; for the horseplayers who back our product; and for our staff for putting on a great show. Horses based at Santa Anita, including Journalism, Raging Torrent and Kopion, won major races around the country, underlining the excellence we experience every day. “Between the Eaton fire and the ongoing recovery, 2025 has been a challenging year for our neighbors and many of our own Santa Anita family, but we hope 'The Great RIP' has provided some sense of continuity.” The season kicked off on Dec. 26, 2024, with the third-largest opening-day handle in track history and all-sources handle over the course of the Classic Meet (Dec. 26-Apr. 6) and the just-concluded Hollywood Meet (Apr. 18-June 15) nearly eclipsed three-quarters of a billion dollars ($745.9 million). Total handle on Santa Anita races alone increased 10% from the previous year. The gains in handle were attributable to some extent to a 5% increase in field size, due in part to the consolidation of California racing into a single circuit. Many races restricted to those horses that were relocated from the Northern California circuit were written by the racing office, allowing those horses to compete against each other during the season. The Pick Six wager resulted in no fewer than 17 carryovers over the course of the season, more than double the number in 2023-2045 and turf racing was also seen to have increased in popularity, with handle on the Santa Anita Pick Three leaping by 31%. On-track attendance (541,592) was ahead by 4% fueled by the largest opening-day crowd in eight years and the largest audience to witness Santa Anita Derby Day in person in seven years. “We have witnessed increases in every key category, including 70 additional races and improvements in field sizes, which could only happen through the move to a single circuit,” said Bill Nader, President of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC). “This has helped drive handle increases and reverse the downward trend in overnight purses to restore our foundation and bring renewed life to California racing. We will now carry this momentum into the second half of the year as racing moves to Los Alamitos and then the much anticipated Del Mar summer.” The addition of horses from Northern California pushed the Santa Anita stable area to its capacity of 2,000 horses, a population increase of more than 10% over last year, making the safety improvements even more remarkable, according to the release. “More than 5,000 pre-work examinations were performed by Santa Anita Park veterinarians since Sept. 1 of last year,” said Dionne Benson, Chief Veterinary Officer for 1/ST Racing. “It is impossible to overestimate the importance this played in collaborating with owners, trainers and private veterinarians to provide additional opportunities for intervention for the best interest of the horse and providing a model for the rest of the country.” Live racing will return to Santa Anita Park on Friday, Sept. 26 for the five-week Autumn meet. Seven Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You're In” races will highlight the first two weeks of the season. The post Despite ‘Transitional’ Season, Santa Anita Reports Gains In Handle, Field Size, Attendance; Safety Record Sparkles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, the final major juvenile auction of the season, gets underway Tuesday in Central Florida, with bidding scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The auction, held in recent years over three days, will be held over two days this year with a catalogue of 851 2-year-olds. “I think there are some horses who breezed very nicely and have a little bit of pedigree here and then you have your usual range of horses who don't have as much pedigree that performed. I think the horses are going to be well bought,” consignor Nick Sallusto of Thorostock said of expectations for the two-day auction. “I think that this sale is a very good buyers' sale.” After setting sale records in 2022, the June sale figures ticked down slightly in 2023 and 2024, but Sallusto said the auction has developed a dedicated buying bench. “I think there has almost become a unique group of buyers that come to this sale because they feel like they can buy a nice horse at a different price point, a little less than the sales average all year long,” he said. With just weeks until the yearling sales season begins, the June sale also has some motivated sellers. “I think sellers look at it as, whether the horse is worth more or not, most of the horses here are in some sort of pinhook package, so if the group has been profitable, than the sellers just tend to let those horses move along at whatever the market values them at,” Sallusto said. “We are getting ready to go back and start buying in a few weeks, so every single dollar counts, it sort of helps push the next year along. “So the buyers need to fill their orders to race and the sellers certainly have a need to move some inventory, even if it is not at the price point that we had hoped it to be.” The 2-year-olds in training sales this spring opened with a record $3-million sale topper at the OBS March sale and, with a record number of seven-figure offerings, the company's April sale produced its highest-ever average. The strength of the market continued in Timonium in May when the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale produced sales record gross, average, and median despite facing an uphill battle with the weather. Consignor Robbie Harris looks for the strength of those previous sales to bolster the competition at the June sale. “I am hoping there are some guys who got shut out,” Harris said. “The 2-year-old sales have been up, as far as average and all of that goes. So I am hoping for some guys who haven't gotten their orders filled and they are looking to try to find something.” Harris is also expecting to see some familiar trends. “It's the same old story,” he said. “What the market perceives as the good ones seem to find a home. I am hoping for some good luck.” While 24 juveniles worked a furlong in :9 4/5 during last week's under-tack preview of the June sale, a colt by Nyquist (hip 634) earned the show's bullet with a :9 3/5 work for Wavertree Stables. A colt by Beau Liam (hip 829) claimed the week's quarter-mile bullet when covering the distance in :20 1/5 for Omar Ramirez Bloodstock. A pair of fillies from Tom McCrocklin's consignment brought matching $400,000 bids to top the 2024 June Sale. Stakes-winning Silent Law (Tiz the Law) was second in this year's GII Santa Anita Oaks. In all, 606 horses sold at last year's June sale for a gross of $22,045,800. The sale average was $36,379 and the median was $20,000. The post ‘A Very Good Buyers’ Sale’: OBS June Brings Curtain Down on Juvenile Sales Season appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Tuesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 14:30, QUEEN ANNE STAKES-G1, £793,625, 4yo/up, 8fT Field: Cairo (Ire) (Quality Road), Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Docklands (GB) (Massaat {Ire}), Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never), Lead Artist (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Quddwah (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Sardinian Warrior (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}). TDN Verdict: This could be a case of take the Lockinge form and throw it in the air to see where it lands, or take it literally and go with the same outcome with Lead Artist living up to his title ahead of Dancing Gemini, Rosallion and Notable Speech. A convincing argument can be made for all four top-class colts, which is the beauty of this keenly-anticipated opener, an example of what can happen when Classic winners are left in training at four. Perhaps Rosallion, for all that he was so good in the St James's Palace last year, is the one most vulnerable as this is sure to be a demanding stamina test over the straight track but you'd be brave to bet against a colt so talented. While only Carl Spackler is here to provide true international flavour, he is some horse with which to come to war with the Europeans and is a welcome presence. [Tom Frary]. Tuesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 15:40, KING CHARLES III STAKES-G1, £725,750, 3yo/up, 5fT Field: American Affair (GB) (Washington DC {Ire}), Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Jasour (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Kerdos (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), Manaccan (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), Night Raider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Regional (GB) (Territories {Ire}), Rumstar (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus]), Twilight Calls (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}), Washington Heights (GB) (Washington DC {Ire}), Asfoora (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}), Balmoral Lady (Ire) (Invincible Army {Ire}), Believing (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Frost At Dawn (Frosted), Mgheera (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), Monteille (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), No Half Measures (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), Prime Art (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), Aesterius (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Estepona (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}), Tropical Storm (GB) (Eqtidaar {Ire}), West Acre (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). TDN Verdict: He may have taken a while to get to the top, but this could be the time for Night Raider who has done his most impressive stuff on the all-weather which is always key at this meeting. With due respect to Asfoora, Believing and Regional, there is a distinct feeling that this division needs a boost and Karl Burke's colt could be it. Mgheera is one to keep on the right side of, with a switch to Ed Walker having coincided with a surge in form. [Tom Frary]. Tuesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 16:20, ST JAMES'S PALACE STAKES-G1, £650,000, 3yo, c, 7f 213yT Field: Field Of Gold (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), First Wave (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Henri Matisse (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Officer (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Rashabar (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), Ruling Court (Justify), Windlord (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). TDN Verdict: A real humdinger this year, the “fourth Guineas” rests between Field Of Gold, Ruling Court and Henri Matisse with the former currently favoured at odds-on. That is based on the assumption that he was definitely the best colt at Newmarket and while Ruling Court has had a far-from-ideal Derby preparation, he might come back and surprise the grey's followers. One thing is for sure, Colin Keane and William Buick won't be wanting to see Henri Matisse looming in behind with two to race with the finishing kick he has exhibited, but is this stiff track his bag? Maybe not. Sit back, relax and enjoy, this is one for the purists and it'll be so glaringly obvious afterwards of course… [Tom Frary]. Tuesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 15:05, COVENTRY STAKES-G2, £175,000, 2yo, 6fT Field: American Gulf (GB) (Ardad {Ire}), Andab (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Ballistic Missile (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Bone Marra (Ire) (Starman {GB}), Bourbon Blues (GB) (Space Blues {Ire}), Coppull (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), Do Or Do Not (Ire) (Space Blues {Ire}), Gavoo (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), Gstaad (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Kolkata Knight (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), Military Code (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Postmodern (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Power Blue (Ire) (Space Blues {Ire}), Raakeb (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), Rock On Thunder (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Shaatir (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Super Soldier (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Tajeg (GB) (Ardad {Ire}), Tricky Tel (GB) (Ubettabelieveit {Ire}), Underwriter (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}), Warsaw (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). TDN Verdict: Possibly the most painful absence felt this week is that of Albert Einstein, but there are still 21 precocious talents to stir the blood and get the early 2,000 Guineas market moving. Power Blue makes big appeal as an already battle-hardened colt with key form behind that Ballydoyle dynamo and his first-season sire is by Dubawi who just about reigns at this meeting after several years of success. He may not win this, but watch out for Warsaw as the season progresses as he has the pedigree of all pedigrees in the current racing world. If he wins, he's serious Guineas material, which is also true of Postmodern with his relations far from sprinters. [Tom Frary]. Tuesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 17:35, WOLFERTON STAKES-Listed, £120,000, 4yo/up, 9f 212yT Field: Galen (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Liberty Lane (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Military Order (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Phantom Flight (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Checkandchallenge (GB) (Fast Company {Ire}), Ecureuil Secret (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Enfjaar (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}), Haunted Dream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), King's Gambit (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Meydaan (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Passion And Glory (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), Sons And Lovers (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), Torito (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Doha (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). TDN Verdict: As wide-open as it gets, the penalty structure may compromise some but not Shadwell's Enfjaar who keeps promising to make into a good horse. Shockingly, last year's Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly is 14-1 for this after some abject displays but if he is in the right frame of mind this could be his for the taking, while Meydaan looks one who is peaking at a trip that could prove his optimum. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 16:20, PRINCE OF WALES' STAKES-G1, £1,057,500, 4yo/up, 9f 212yT Field: Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), Certain Lad (GB) (Clodovil {Ire}), Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}), Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Map Of Stars (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Ombudsman (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Royal Champion (Ire) (Shamardal), See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Ballydoyle's bruiser Los Angeles proved what a hardnut he really is when taking a Tattersalls Gold Cup that was set up like a war of attrition and there is something about this that has the air of inevitability. Anmaat could have had a say if the track had been hit by one of those thunderstorms that can happen at this time of year, but will surely play second fiddle again on this type of ground. As likeable as Map Of Stars and Ombudsman are, they have something to find with the favourite while See The Fire is so effective on York's flat terrain it is not easy to make a case for her outbattling the big colts in this. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 15:05, QUEEN'S VASE STAKES-G2, £265,000, 3yo, 14f 34yT Field: Al Wasl Storm (Ire) (Affinisea {Ire}), Asmarani (Ire) (Sottsass {Fr}), Carmers (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Devil's Advocate (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Furthur (Ire) (Waldgeist {GB}), Hallelujah U (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}), Pinhole (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Rahiebb (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Scandinavia (Justify), Shackleton (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Spinning Wheel (GB) (Postponed {Ire}), Titanium Emperor (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Too Soon (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). TDN Verdict: Potential Irish domination here, with Ballydoyle represented by two different types and probably expecting most from Shackleton, while Paddy Twomey saddles the unexposed Listed Yeats Stakes winner Carmers. Francis-Henri Graffard sends across Asmarani, who is up markedly in trip having run into Rafale Design in the G3 Prix Hocquart. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 15:40, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE STAKES-G2, £225,000, 4yo/up, 7f 213yT Field: Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal), Crimson Advocate (Nyquist), Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), One Look (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion), Soprano (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Start Of Day (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). TDN Verdict: The way Cinderella's Dream went through the G2 Dahlia Stakes last month, we could be talking about a special filly and this looks hers for the taking. Fallen Angel is an obvious threat, but the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Moyglare winner has a bit to prove with cheekpieces fitted for the first time, while One Look comes into it after chasing home Porta Fortuna in The Curragh's G2 Lanwades Stud Stakes last month. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 14:30, QUEEN MARY STAKES-G2, £150,000, 2yo, f, 5fT Field: America (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Caitlin G (GB) (Bangkok {Ire}), Cardiff By The Sea (Ire) (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}), Come On Eibhlin (Ire) (Space Blues {Ire}), Eskimo Pie (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Eternal Solace (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), Flowerhead (Ire) (Starman {GB}), Guernsey Lady (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}), Harry's Girl (GB) (Harry Angel {Ire}), Justice Twice (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}), Lennilu (Leinster), Love Olivia (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Miss Yechance (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), Paris Carver (Bolt D'Oro), Revival Power (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), Secret Hideaway (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Shine On Me (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Social Exclusion (GB) (Lope Y Fernandez {Ire}), Society Kiss (GB) (A'Ali {Ire}), Solana Rose (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Spicy Marg (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Staya (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), True Love (Ire) (No Nay Never), Viamarie (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}), Zelaina (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}). TDN Verdict: Wathnan's TDN Rising Star Zelaina took the same Nottingham maiden as last year's winner Leovanni, so connections are hoping that lightning strikes twice. As it rarely does at this meeting, the race is more open than the betting suggests with the likes of the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes winner Lennilu, Ballydoyle's high-class maiden True Love and Ralph Beckett's course-and-distance winner Society Kiss all poised. Special mention must also be made of Revival Power, the full-sister to Winter Power who probably wasn't expected to make such an impressive debut at Thirsk and would be an emotional winner for the Easterbys. [Tom Frary]. Wednesday, Royal Ascot, post time: 18:10, WINDSOR CASTLE STAKES-Listed, £110,000, 2yo, 5fT Field: Ardisia (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), Azizam (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Beach Partee (GB) (Lope Y Fernandez {Ire}), Better And Better (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Call Me By My Name (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), Dickensian (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}), First Approach (Ire) (No Nay Never), Gaga Mate (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Gorey Gold (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}), Havana Hurricane (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}), Jan Steen (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev), Kamakameleon (GB) (Kameko), Kansas (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Logi Bear (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Nuevo Slovo (Ire) (James Garfield {Ire}), Old Is Gold (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), Rogue Legend (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Rogue Supremacy (GB) (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}), Shaman Champion (Ire) (Shaman {Ire}), Sovereign Spell (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Tough Critic (Caravaggio), Utmost Respect (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Wyle Cop (Omaha Beach), Oasis Diamond (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). TDN Verdict: Dual winner Rogue Legend will be more streetwise than most, but there is a chance that St Mark's Basilica's first winner Rogue Supremacy is a smart one. He looked the part at Wetherby on debut, while the Keeneland winner Tough Critic and Hamilton scorer Azizam are other unknown quantities at potentially inflated odds. [Tom Frary]. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Guineas-Winning Trio Clash In St James’s Palace Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Saffie Joseph Jr. is no stranger to rejection. In the early years of his training career, there were moments when he wondered if chasing his dream had been a big mistake. In what is now a familiar part of Joseph's origin story, his father had warned him against leaving Barbados to launch a stable in America. Joseph came anyway. He arrived at Calder Race Course in 2011 only to be told that there was no stall space available, but he went back to the racing secretary week after week until finally securing a spot. A few years into his career, Joseph still had little to show for his efforts. With only a handful of owners–most of them from back home in Barbados–he had been turned down more times than he could count. At his breaking point, he told his dad it was time to go home. “But he told me no,” Joseph said. “He said that we'd come too far to go back. For me, that gave me confidence. It was like he finally believed in me. From then on, everything just went to a different level.” It was the best 'no' that Joseph could have received. Not long after that conversation, he scored his first graded win with Math Wizard (Algorithms) in the 2019 GI Pennsylvania Derby. He had another breakout year in 2024 with 16 graded stakes wins and his first Breeders' Cup victory with Soul of an Angel (Atreides) in the GI Filly and Mare Sprint. Though Soul of an Angel is no longer in his barn, Joseph is determined to return to the Breeders' Cup this year. And after a fast start to the season, he looks poised to do just that. Saffie Joseph Sr. and Jr. in Barbados | photo courtesy Saffie Joseph Joseph's childhood in Barbados revolved around the racetrack. His father was a trainer and his grandfather was an owner. “When I was really young–like six, seven, eight–the grooms would put me on the horses after they had trained and my dad would get really pissed if he saw it,” Joseph recalled with a fond smile. “Cleaning a stall brought so much joy to me as a kid. Even just picking out a horse's foot at that age was like the most amazing thing ever.” At age 22, Joseph became the youngest trainer in history to win Barbados's Triple Crown. Two years later, he arrived in the U.S. with a stable of just two horses. Looking back now, he admits that his decision to start fresh was fueled more by ego than experience. “You have dreams to be the best in the world,” he explained. “You couldn't do that in Barbados. Over there it's more for prestige and for fun. When I was 22, I thought I was the greatest thing around a horse. Then you come to American and you get a reality check. You realize it's not about you anymore. It's about the horses. I look back at that time and I realize that the horses were training me. I wasn't training the horses.” Even after launching his stable, Joseph kept learning from his father, who eventually joined him in South Florida as his assistant and advisor. That guidance and mentorship played a crucial role in Joseph's growth and helped pave the way for his eventual success. When Math Wizard took Joseph to his first Breeders' Cup in 2019, the colt ran a credible fifth in the Classic and left Joseph feeling eager to get back to the World Championships. Saffie Joseph gets his first Grade I win with Math Wizard in 2019 | Sarah Andrew “The Breeders' Cup puts on a show,” he said. “It feels like everyone is there during the week leading up to it. It's fun to be a part of. You look around and there is a good horse on every side of you. There are good trainers there, the best of the best from all over. That's what makes it so unique and so entertaining. All the horses are training there for that week and the camaraderie just makes it an amazing vibe.” In 2023, Joseph's stable notched a pair of third-place Breeders' Cup efforts and in 2024, he got his first victory. After sitting at the back of the pack through speedy early fractions of :21.94 and :44.42, Soul of an Angel pulled off a 19-1 upset in the Filly and Mare Sprint when she came flying late to get a photo-finish win. “When you grow up watching the Breeders' Cup, getting our first win with Soul of an Angel was a dream come true,” said Joseph. “It was a moment that you cherish for life. The way she won it, after the first furlong I was like, 'Whoa, she has no chance.' I didn't think she could win. And then every furlong started getting better and better. By the eighth pole, I felt like she was going to get there. It was like she got there in slow motion.” Joseph watched the race from near the sixteenth pole at Del Mar. When Soul of an Angel switched to the outside and started to make her move, he found himself sprinting down the track apron urging her home. When she hit the wire, he turned to the person who had helped him reach that pinnacle win. Looking back, the memory of hugging his father before they made their way to the winner's circle together still brings a wave of emotion. “I told him that I loved him,” he said. “It was just a special moment. That's what racing brings. I wish more people could enjoy it because I can only describe it so much. You have to almost feel it to believe it.” Joseph celebrates first Breeders' Cup victory | Breeders' Cup Eclipse Sportwire Earlier this year, Soul of an Angel sold for $2.6 million to Chatsworth Stud in Australia, breaking the record for the highest sale to date on Fasig-Tipton's digital platform. Although there's no replacing that stable star, Joseph now finds himself with a growing roster of Breeders' Cup hopefuls. Turf specialist Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) earned her first Grade I score last month in the Gamely Stakes and is now pointing for the GI Diana Stakes on July 12. White Abarrio (Race Day), who won the 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic under the tutelage of Rick Dutrow, was transferred back to Joseph's barn last year. In his most start, he finished fourth in the GI Metropolitan Handicap. Joseph reported that the 6-year-old is pointing for the GI Whitney Stakes, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic. Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) has already secured two graded stakes wins this year, including the GII Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes in his most recent start. Joseph said he will point to either the Whitney or next weekend's GI Stephen Foster Stakes, another Classic 'Win and You're In' qualifier. Now that Joseph has one Breeders' Cup win on his resume, he is hoping to build on that momentum and attract more top-level talent. “I think when you win the Breeders' Cup it gives owners confidence to say, 'Hey, we want him to train our horses,'” Joseph explained. “At the end of the day, those are the races the big owners want to win–the Breeders' Cup, the Classics, the Grade Is. Until you're able to do that, you don't really get the first-tier horses. I think as you win those races, they also open opportunities. It may not happen immediately, but it definitely gets people to consider you.” More than 10 years after relocating his stable to the U.S., Joseph has proven he can compete at the highest level of the sport, but he stops short of saying that he feels a sense of belonging amongst the best. “There's too much ego in that,” he explained. “I feel thankful and blessed. I thought we weren't going to break through, so it means a lot when you put your whole life into something and you get there finally. It's a full-team moment. There is no hero in this other than the horses. We're just pieces of the puzzle putting everything together to hopefully get the results.” The post Breeders’ Cup Breakthrough: Saffie Joseph Defying the Odds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ghostwriter (Invincible Spirit), who twice finished third behind City Of Troy last year in the G1 Eclipse and G1 Juddmonte International, is set to continue his racing career in the Amo Racing colours after being bought for £2,000,000 at Monday's Goffs London Sale. Consigned by trainer Clive Cox's Beechdown Farm Stables, the four-year-old could make his first start for his new owners in Saturday's G2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, having finished sixth on his most recent outing in last month's G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. Successful in the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes as a juvenile, he is out of the Listed Cheshire Oaks runner-up Moorside (Champs Elysees), from the family of the 2,000 Guineas-winning sire Zafonic. The post Ghostwriter Bought by Amo Racing for £2 Million at Goffs London Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

LONDON, UK — On the eve of Royal Ascot, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Racing and Bloodstock (APPG) has delivered a stark warning regarding the sport's future in Britain, which it fears “risks being tipped into terminal decline”. At a launch in Westminster in the shadow of the British government's seat of power, MPs Dan Carden and Nick Timothy, co-chairs of the APPG, delivered a report demanding urgent action to stave off the threat from a “triple whammy of challenges that represent no less than an existential threat to the sport”. Entitled Securing Racing's Future: The Threat to British Horseracing, the report highlights the potential damage to racing's financial structure from the proposed harmonisation of gambling duties as well as affordability checks on punters, which it claims has already led to a £1.6bn fall in betting turnover on racing. It also highlights the need to reform the Levy to include bets placed domestically on overseas racing, as is the norm in other major racing jurisdictions. The proposed unified Remote Betting and Gaming Duty across sports betting, pool betting, and online casinos and slots is likely to be close to the current 21 per cent rate for the latter. Currently, the tax on sports and pool betting is 15 per cent. This has prompted fears of a loss of more than £40m per year to operators, which would in turn affect the revenue flow to areas such as prize-money and equine welfare via the Levy. Described in the report as “a national institution woven into the fabric of our culture”, racing is the second-largest spectator sport in the country. Thoroughbred racing and breeding and their subsidiary businesses have been assessed to contribute more than £4bn annually to the British economy, supporting around 85,000 jobs, many of which are in small, rural communities. Polling undertaken for the report found that 53 per cent of the public consider horseracing to be an important part of British culture, while 56 per cent support the implementation of a law requiring greater reinvestment into British racing. With the backing and assistance of the British Horseracing Authority, Carden and Timothy are urging their colleagues in government to consider also the “Millions of pounds of international investment…drawn in from key trading markets by the world-leading standards of care, science and animal welfare found at British stud farms and training yards.” At Tattersalls alone last year, in the heart of Timothy's West Suffolk constituency, more than £450m was traded on bloodstock. He said, “Horseracing is one of the crown jewels of British sport and culture. Newmarket, in my constituency, is the centre of racing and breeding in Britain. Some of the most important racing operations in the world are based in Suffolk, and these businesses invest huge sums of money into the local economy. “This is a story we could tell across the country, from rural villages to towns like Cheltenham and Doncaster, where horseracing is part of the social fabric and has been for centuries. “The public recognise this. Nobody will forgive ministers if their decisions lead to the decline of the nation's second-biggest spectator sport. The time for warm words has ended – we now demand action. The government must listen to the public and take immediate measures to secure the future of horseracing in Britain.” Carden's Liverpool Walton constituency is home to the Grand National, the most gambled-on race of the year in Britain. “The message from this report is clear: British racing needs this Labour government to be on its side,” Carden said. “Racing is part of our national story, and its enjoyment and support extends all the way from rural to urban working class communities. “I'm calling on the government to listen and to act in order to secure a fair funding model, protect jobs and allow horseracing to thrive for future generations.” He added, “Hopefully this campaign will grow. The people who rely on horseracing for their livelihoods and for their passion are speaking out and making sure the government is listening. I'm a Labour MP and I want my government to do the right thing and to back British racing for the future.” Among those in London for the presentation were trainer John Gosden and his wife, former ROA president and Newmarket town councillor Rachel Hood, Epsom-based trainer Jim Boyle, Jockey Club senior steward Dido Harding, National Trainers Federation chief executive Paul Johnson, and Martin Cruddace, CEO of Arena Racing Company. Johnson told the gathering, “Racehorse trainers employ thousands of people across the country and they are 15 per cent fewer in number than they were 10 years ago. If I spoke to them about where their businesses are going around half of them would say that their businesses are vulnerable. So, the triple whammy that we are looking at today is potentially going to have far-reaching consequences for the whole sport, because we need those people to be doing what they are doing for the sport and for their local communities.” Gosden referred to his frustration of previous meetings with the government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). He said, “I tried to impress upon them the enormous international investment in the breeding industry – people forget about that – but the thousands of millions of pounds invested in the development of the stud farms, the stallions, the bloodstock that has been brought to this country to cause us to have the highest standard of Flat racing horses on the turf.” He added, “Here we have a gene pool of the Thoroughbred which is far superior to anything else in the world and yet we are about to blow it down the river. What makes me beyond angry is that it is never grasped how important this is internationally.” Timothy, who described the issue of tax harmonisation as a “mad proposal”, spoke of renewed efforts to argue racing's case at this highest level. He said, “It's definitely the case that there is a lot more energy around the industry in parliament, and with the BHA and the All-Party Parliamentary Group, in trying to get these issues to the top of the agenda and to try to make the arguments we need to get our way with government. “It has to be the case that the government is on the side of the second-most popular spectator sport in the country. It's hugely important economically, socially and culturally.” The post BHA and MPs Unite in Urgent Call For Action on Betting Tax Proposals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Royal Ascot meeting at Ascot racecourse in Berkshire, England will begin streaming, exclusively on Peacock, Tuesday, June 17 at 8:30 a.m. ET and will continue with five-hour shows Wednesday through Friday beginning each day at 8:30 a.m. ET. NBC and Peacock will present a live 4.5-hour Royal Ascot program on Saturday, June 21, starting at 9 a.m. ET. Britney Eurton and Nick Luck host Saturday's coverage on NBC and Peacock, with NBC News' Dylan Dreyer on-site with access to the Royal Enclosure. Steve Kornacki, chief data analyst for NBC News and NBC Sports, returns to NBC Sports' Royal Ascot coverage as an insights analyst. NBC Sports' Royal Ascot coverage schedule this week: Tues., June 17 8:30 a.m. Peacock Wed., June 18 8:30 a.m. Peacock Thurs., June 19 8:30 a.m. Peacock Fri., June 20 8:30 a.m. Peacock Sat., June 21 9 a.m. NBC, Peacock The post Peacock Streams Five Days of Live Coverage of Royal Ascot; Saturday Coverage Also on NBC appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Mystik Dan (Goldencents–Ma'am, by Colonel John), the winner of the 150th Grade I Kentucky Derby in 2024, is set to stand stud at Airdrie Stud in Midway, Kentucky, upon the conclusion of his racing career, according to a press release from the farm Monday morning. A three-time graded stakes winner with earnings to date of more than $4.4 million, Mystik Dan has been campaigned throughout his career by trainer Kenny McPeek for the ownership group of Lance Gasaway, 4G Racing LLC., Daniel Hamby III and Valley View Farm LLC. Mystik Dan first gained attention with an emphatic 7 ¾-length 2-year-old maiden victory going 5 ½ furlongs at Churchill Downs November 12, 2023. The performance was good for a 96 Beyer Speed Figure, one of the top numbers recorded by a juvenile that year. His Kentucky Derby victory came over a strong field which included Grade I winners Sierra Leone, Forever Young, Dornoch and Fierceness, amongst others, and highlighted a 3-year-old campaign that also included an eight-length win in Oaklawn's Grade III Southwest Stakes, as well as second- and third-place finishes in the Grade I Preakness Stakes and Grade II Arkansas Derby, respectively. In his most recent start, the 4-year-old returned to the Churchill Downs winner's circle with a victory in the Grade III Blame on May 31, setting a new stakes record in the process. Mystik Dan is scheduled to make his next start in the Grade I Stephen Foster Stakes on June 28, with a season-ending goal of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in Del Mar. The first foal out of his owner's four-time winning Colonel John mare, Ma'am, Mystik Dan's immediate female family includes Grade I winners Laragh and Siphonic as well as the multiple Graded-stakes winning millionaire Summer Front. “His historic win in the Kentucky Derby will ensure that name recognition will never be an issue for Mystik Dan,” said Airdrie's Bret Jones, “but what we really want is for breeders to focus on some of the other performances that showcase how genuinely talented he has always been. His win at two, where he opens up seven lengths going 5 ½ furlongs and runs a near-100 Beyer is as impressive as any juvenile race you'll ever see. And it's that same brilliant turn of foot that he showed when winning the Southwest by eight lengths that allowed him to open up a clear advantage in the Derby stretch despite being close to a pace that sent every other forwardly placed horse to the back of the field. He's shown that he can train on with a stakes-record performance in the Blame and I know Kenny really believes he's poised to be one of the best older horses in the country this year. He's an exceptional talent with that unmistakable Into Mischief look and we couldn't be more grateful to his great ownership team for the opportunity to stand their Kentucky Derby winner.” ” I trained a great sire in Harlan's Holiday,” said trainer Kenny McPeek, “And I promise you Mystik Dan is every bit as good or better than Harlan's Holiday ever was. Honestly, he reminds me of Northern Dancer in the way he's made and the way he moves- he's just exceptionally balanced and athletic. He's got such great speed and he stays. Those are traits everyone wants in a racehorse. I think he's got every chance to be a really top stallion and we're going to be breeding and buying a lot of them!” “Mystik Dan has given us the ride of a lifetime and we sure think he's going to give us some more great days before it's all said and done,” added co-owner Lance Gasaway. “He's such a calm and personable horse; always such a pleasure to be around. We are going to miss him when the time comes, but we are honored to partner with Airdrie Stud and very excited for what the future holds.” The post Kentucky Derby Winner Mystik Dan to Stand at Airdrie Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Ballydoyle's Los Angeles (Camelot) will face eight rivals in Wednesday's G1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, with his chief G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup rival Anmaat (Awtaad) set to renew rivalry. Also in the 10-furlong feature are the progressive Map Of Stars (Sea The Stars), Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) and See The Fire (Sea The Stars), with White Birch the only withdrawal. In the supporting races, Luis Saez will partner Lennilu (Leinster) in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes and Flavien Prat is on Tough Critic (Caravaggio) in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes. There are 25 fillies in the Queen Mary headed by Wathnan's TDN Rising Star Zelaina (Mehmas) and eight in the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes including Godolphin's likely favourite Cinderella's Dream (Shamardal). The post Los Angeles Heads Prince Of Wales’s Nine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Formlines from the English, Irish and French 2,000 Guineas will collide in a pulsating running of the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes (1,600m) to headline day one of Royal Ascot on Tuesday. Field Of Gold and Ruling Court – who locked horns in the Group One 2,000 Guineas (1,600m) at Newmarket in May – will renew their rivalry once again, with the former looking to exact revenge for a half-length defeat. Ruling Court, trained by Charlie Appleby, got first run that day over Field Of Gold, who...View the full article

Venerable sprinter Mrs Chrissie (NZ) (Per Incanto) has won six races for trainer Ciaron Maher and has placed on a further nine occasions, but the six-year-old mare will make a rare appearance at Flemington this Saturday. Mrs Chrissie hasn’t been to Flemington since finishing fifth in an 1100m benchmark 70 in May 2023, and has primarily done her racing at Caulfield. The talented mare will contest an A$150,000 open handicap off a rating of 91 and enters in a fresh state. The daughter of Per Incanto will have her first run since finishing second-last at Morphettville in the Gr.3 Irwin Stakes won by Royal Ascot contender Asfoora on April 12, which Maher’s Assistant trainer Turnbull described as a forgettable experience. “I think the travel and the weather that day really got the better of her,” he said. “She clearly wasn’t at her best, so we were pretty keen just to back off and reset. “Her three prior to that Adelaide race were OK without being amazing. In hindsight, she was definitely not at her best that prep but if she gets back to it, (it’s a) different ball game. “I’m sure she will be fine at Flemington, albeit she has only ever raced there once.” The open sprint is the part of a Flemington card that also includes the $150,000 The David Bourke, which is a qualifier for the Winter Championship Final, and heats of the Creswick Sprint Series, Silver Bowl Series and Mahogany Series for the three-year-old stayers. View the full article

Cranbourne trainer Gavin Bedggood could unveil new acquisition St Lawrence (NZ) (Redwood) at Flemington on Saturday as a potential candidate for next month’s Listed Winter Championship Series Final. Formerly prepared by Ciaron Maher, the son of Redwood has won eight of 23 starts and a tick under A$1 million in prizemoney. The rising seven-year-old was recently purchased for $85,000 and transferred to Bedggood by passionate racehorse owner-breeder Paul Lofitis, of the Lofty Group. St Lawrence has tuned up with an impressive two-length 1300m Seymour trial win last Wednesday. “He might run in The David Bourke (1600m) or we might wait for an Open 1400m the following Saturday,” Bedggood said. “We bought him online. He was a good get. “He’ll head towards the Winter Championship hopefully.” Bred by Westbury Stud owner Gerry Harvey, St Lawrence is one of five winners from seven foals to race out of the unraced Encosta De Lago mare Bacio Del Vinto, who is also the dam of Group Three winner Marroni. St Lawrence began his career in New Zealand, where he was trained by Andrew Forsman. He won two trials on the Cambridge synthetic track, then overcame a wide run to score an impressive debut win at Hasting before his private purchase and transfer to Maher. View the full article

Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor has been firing in Europe this year with a trio of Group Two winning three year-olds and one of those is high class filly Gezora, who soared to new heights when taking out the Gr.1 Prix de Diane (2100m) at Chantilly. Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Gezora won the Gr.2 Prix Saint Alary (2000m) at her previous start. She powered to the line to win by a length over the Aidan O’Brien trained Frankel filly Bedtime Story with two more fillies trained by Graffard running third and fourth in Cankoura (Persian King) and Mandanaba (Ghaiyyath), both Aga Khan Studs homebreds. Bred by Haras d’Etreham, Gezora was sold privately at the end of her two year-old season to Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm and carried his colours to victory taking her overall record to four wins and two placings from seven starts. “During the race I was trying to follow all three through my binoculars,” Graffard said. “I was a bit frustrated with where Mandanaba found herself during the race but they all picked up really well and there was a moment when I saw this green wave surge forward. “It was an incredible moment, although I wasn’t absolutely sure we’d win even then because Aidan’s filly was finishing fast, but I was focused on my filly. “That moment when my three fillies went to the front, I was on my own little cloud.” Gezora is the third Group One winner among 25 stakes-winners for Almanzor, a champion son of Wootton Bassett who stands at Cambridge Stud at a fee of $30,000. View the full article

The Manfred Man-trained Patch Of Stars looks one of the more progressive gallopers going through his grades after three successive Sha Tin victories over the past few months. The three-year-old son of All Too Hard is a graduate of the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale where he was purchased for NZ$800,000. A winner over 1400m on FWD Champions Day, Patch Of Stars was also an effortless winner in mid-May over the same distance under Zac Purton despite still learning his craft. Stepped up to Class 3 company on Saturday, Patch Of Stars again won with plenty in hand when taking the Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships Handicap (1400m) under Zac Purton. The winning jockey said that although the race had set-up nicely for Patch Of Stars, who drew well and then settled behind a solid tempo, the horse should improve over time and with more racing. “He is a little bit quirky, he doesn’t quite know what he is doing, he gets a bit hot and agitated and latches on a bit in the run sometimes and wants to hang in and get out,” Purton said. “That is fine, he is just learning, but the fact that he is as raw as he is but is still doing what he is doing is a pretty good sign.” Patch Of Stars is raced by Mr Yeung Kin Man, who has been the leading purchaser at the past two NZB Ready To Run Sales, with four-win three-year-old Patch Of Cosmo also sourced at the same sale. A graduate of Riversley Park’s draft, Patch Of Stars ran a slick 10.34 seconds in his breeze up. The Ready To Run Sale, which has a host of star graduates, headed by Golden Sixty, will be conducted on November 13 and 14 at Karaka this year. View the full article

The spring is War Machine’s oyster with its plethora of Group One sprint options for rising star War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel), according to his co-trainer Ben Hayes. Hayes said he will need to discuss War Machine’s program with his brothers Will and JD as well as his connections before a plan is mapped out for the Kiwi import. Hayes also predicted that the best was yet to come from the four-year-old son of Harry Angel. “The scary thing is the way he looks and the way he’s racing he’s got more improvement to come,” Hayes said. Hayes said his initial thought was there were two races which came to mind – the Gr.1 Everest (1200m) and the Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clark Stakes (1400m). “The Stradbroke has been a good race for The Everest over the last couple of years, so that’s on the cards and then there’s the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield,” Hayes said “The Sir Rupert Clarke being a Group One race over 1400m and a handicap also fits in nicely for him beforehand especially as it’s now before The Everest.” “Then there’s a lot of other Group One weight-for-age sprints in the spring as well. There are a lot of options,” he said. Hayes put the win of War Machine down to the planning and foresight of the late Mike Moroney. “It was a big thrill for the stable and a big thrill for the Ballymore team and the memory of Mike Moroney. When we received the horse that was his plan to go to the Stradbroke and Mike was right as he said he was a Stradbroke horse and he did it,” he said. “Some of the ownership group are still doing it tough, so there were a lot of mixed emotions after the win. It was a big thrill for everyone.” “He’ll have a short break and then we can attack the spring.” New Zealand breds have won 16 Group One races in Australia this season, with War Machine the latest, bred under the banner of MDJ Bloodstock Ltd – Mary, Maddy, David and Jim Wallace – with the latter pair remaining in the ownership of the emerging talent who was purchased off a strong Foxton trial win. View the full article

Former race caller Jason Teaz has formed a successful career as a harness racing trainer, but it was in the thoroughbred code where he was able to fulfil a lifelong ambition at Matamata on Sunday. Teaz, the son of former thoroughbred trainer Basil Teaz, was lining up his first thoroughbred in more than three years when Out Of Sight entered the starting gates in the Slattery Contracting 1200m on Sunday. The four-year-old mare made it a memorable occasion, storming home down the middle of the track to score by an improving 3-1/4 lengths in the hands of Kate Hercock. It was the first thoroughbred training victory for Teaz, and he said it was very sentimental to bring up the win in the colours of his father. “It (train a thoroughbred winner) has always been something I wanted to do, and to be able to do it is incredible,” Teaz said. “My father trained for about 40 years and the ambition has always been there. Dad won the Matamata Cup there in 1990, so to do it there at the scene of one of his biggest wins was very sentimental. “They are Dad’s colours. When I started training harness, I changed them slightly with an extra star and a couple of extra armbands, but those are his original colours that we used (on Sunday). “I am hearing from people that we haven’t heard from in many years. Seeing the colours out there again brings people back. “They are the last ones he ever got made, in about 1993, so they are very old colours. I always said that if I could train a winner in them as well, I would put them on the wall and get a new set made. On the way home yesterday, I ordered a new set of colours, so those will be going up on the wall.” While Teaz grew up in a thoroughbred racing family, he developed a passion for harness racing when pursuing his dream of becoming a race caller, and he is thrilled to return to his roots and become a dual-code trainer. “I was too tall and heavy to continue riding and I was into commentating,” he said. “I started commentating the harness trials on a Saturday at Cambridge and got the bug from there. “I left the thoroughbreds behind and Mum and Dad were winding down anyway. “I have always wanted to be in it (thoroughbred racing). When Dad passed away, he had one broodmare left, so we tried to breed from her, but we couldn’t get her in-foal, so that was one dream dashed. “The only avenue we could down was buying them and see how we go. We tried a couple of others and had a placing with one and then had a three-year gap because I was just too busy with so many harness horses in work. “This one came out of the blue through my association with Graeme Rogerson. He had her and I was breaking in so many of his harness horses. “I had said to him that I wouldn’t mind getting a galloper again one day, and when you half mention something like that to Rogie he has always got a horse for you. He decided to put her on the float and sent her over and said I could have her. “He did say she would win races on the wet. Even though she had a few starts, he said it wasn’t a true reflection of her ability, and he turned out to be correct.” Teaz said Out Of Sight has thrived at his property and she has enjoyed working in amongst his harness horses. “She is just a joy to work with,” he said. “I work her on the lead behind the trotters and she goes to the track a couple of times a week. She does a bit of everything, and it agrees with her. “I gave her a trial about three weeks ago at Te Awamutu and her work had been great. That gave us the confidence to have a race. “It was great to see her out there and race up to her work.” Teaz shares in the ownership of Out Of Sight with his mother, Helen, and partner, Yvette Lawson, and he said all three of them are having a blast racing the mare. “I gave Mum a share, and it is my partner Yvette’s first thoroughbred as well,” Teaz said. “One of her (Lawson’s) mates race quite a few horses with Te Akau, and Imperatriz was one of those. They had great fun following her around, they went to Moonee Valley and watched her race. For her first thoroughbred to be a winner, she is buzzing too. “This is mum’s first thoroughbred since they gave up training and Dad died, so it keeps her involved. She rode a winner as an amateur rider, so she has been in it (thoroughbred racing) her whole life. Having her there yesterday was a real buzz.” Out Of Sight is the only thoroughbred Teaz has in work, and while he would love to increase that number, he said it isn’t viable at this stage. “We tend to keep it to one because I am working about 15 standardbreds all the time, which is pretty time consuming,” he said. “I do enjoy it (thoroughbreds), but the thing is getting track riders and that can be a bit of a nightmare. At this stage, as long as I have got enough help, I will stick to a very small number, but I would love to have a few more. “We bank on the theory that a change in scenery can help some of these thoroughbreds. If they get ridden every day, they can get a bit sour, so they come out to our place and it’s pretty quiet and we can work them off the trotters, and for some of them it does work.” In the meantime, Teaz is looking forward to hanging up his newly-framed colours in the lounge and reflect on the memory of his father and fulfilling his goal of following in his footsteps. View the full article

Who Knows has announced herself as a serious staying mare through the winter, and Niall Quinn has a range of options to consider for her after she returns from a well-deserved break. A daughter of Redwood, Who Knows only debuted as a mid-season four-year-old, but over the last 18 months, she’s won four races, and Saturday’s winning performance at Wanganui may just be her best yet. Coming off a luckless last-start second to McKhan, the mare started a $2 favourite in the Bullocks Whanganui 2040, with Kate Hercock back in the saddle. In the testing ground, Hercock utilised the long run into the first turn to find cover off the fence in midfield, while McKhan led the field in his customary fashion. He put the pressure on at the 800m, and while temporarily in traffic, Who Knows was swiftly on the scene and once she hit the lead at the top of the straight, it was all over. Powering down the outside of the track, she put a space her rivals, cruising across the line to score by 6 – ¼ lengths. Niall Quinn, who prepares the mare out of his base in Wanganui, was rapt with the effort and was quick to give credit to his wife, Emma. “We’re really happy, she ran well and won very nicely in the end,” he said. “It was a really testing, heavy track, but she’s got the job done. “She was a bit tricky to start with, but Emma has done a very good job with this horse over the years. She was both physically and mentally quite weak, so Emma’s put a lot of time into her to get to where she is now. “She’s really starting to put it all together now, so it’s great to see the hard work paying off.” Regardless of the result, Quinn had intended to give Who Knows some time in the paddock after the Wanganui contest, with better surfaces calling in the spring. “We might just give her a bit of a freshen-up, we had planned to after Saturday’s race and we’ll probably still do that,” he said. “We’re looking for a bit of improvement in the tracks before she comes back out again. “I think she could go further, she’s turning into quite a versatile mare and she could come back to a mile as well. We’ve been able to get her to settle more as she’s gotten older, before, we couldn’t ride her in front, but now, we can be handier like she was at Wellington.” Bred by Harry Parslow, Who Knows is out of Zabeel mare Bello Capello, a daughter of outstanding race mare Cinder Bella. On the track, Cinder Bella was a dual-Group One winner and placed at Group Two level in Australia. Seemingly a good omen, Who Knows is raced by the Fast Horses Syndicate, who are based across all corners of the country. “Harry Parslow bred her, then he gave her to John Walsh and a group of his mates who are in a syndicate together,” Quinn said. “They’re a really good group of friends spread out over the North and South Islands, and it’s a way to keep them all involved. “They’re keen to look at the New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m), but I’d be just as happy with the Greymouth Cup and the Kumara Gold Nuggets next season. “We’ll see how we go.” Quinn was rapt to complete a winning double, having won the previous race with Leprakhan. Another late-starter, the five-year-old was having her tenth start in the maiden staying event and was tasked with the extreme outside draw under apprentice Elle Sole. Opting to head forward, Sole found a good position in the trail of the leaders along the back straight, and after rolling to the top at the 1000m, she couldn’t be caught, holding off race-favourite Kwanza to win by 1 – ¾ lengths. “We were so pleased with her, she’s got a great group of owners that have been very patient,” Quinn said. “She’s a big mare that has taken a long time to mature into her frame and they’ve been fantastic to work with. “It was great to see them rewarded.” Purchased for just $200 through the Rider Horse NZ Dispersal Sale, the daughter of Mongolian Khan has also been learning the ropes of jumping, which could be in her future. “She has been doing a little bit of jumping for a while, but she’s still a while away from having a jumps race,” Quinn said. “She just really enjoys her work and I think the owners will have a bit of fun with her.” The stable came close to a treble over the weekend, with consistent gelding Mr Fahrenheit going down by a narrow margin in the maiden hurdle at Te Rapa. “I thought he went really well, we’re happy with him and Will (Featherstone, jockey) did a great job, he’s improving all the time,” Quinn said. View the full article

Pier’s latest black type success at Eagle Farm prompted major celebrations, but there was also a bittersweet side for connections of the high-class son of Proisir. He demolished his rivals in Saturday’s Listed The Wayne Wilson (1600m) to further his record, which already featured three-year-old victories in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m). Pier is trained by the father and daughter combination of Darryn and Briar Weatherley with the former sharing in the ownership group with wife Lou, long-time friend Barry Wright and partners. The Weatherleys and Wright bred the five-year-old and had the misfortune to lose his dam La Vitesse earlier this year. “Unfortunately, she had bad laminitis and Jamieson Park did a wonderful job looking after her and nursing her, but it would have been too cruel for her to go another winter,” Darryn Weatherley said. A daughter of Darci Brahma and multiple Group winner Naturo, La Vitesse was an $80,000 Karaka purchase and was initially prepared by John Sargent during his time at Matamata. “We owned La Vitesse and Sarge won once with her before he went to Australia,” Weatherley said. “I took out my licence then and trained her. She was my first runner to the races at Taupo and she won with Mickey Coleman in the saddle. “I used to do the overflows for Sarge, if he had a 40-horse barn and had 50 in work then we’d have 10 at our place.” La Vitesse’s first foal La Velocitea, by Proisir, was successful on three occasions and then came Maria Farina. The daughter of Contributer won the Gr.3 King’s Plate (1200m) and the Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) and Lightning Handicap (1200m) at Listed level from the Weatherley stable. “If she was held up for that last run, she had an enormous sprint and (son) Sam used to ride her really, really well,” he said. She is now retired and will be mated for the first time this spring to either Paddington or Profondo. “We’ve got a sister (Rumours) to Maria Farina, who trialled very well when third at Ellerslie and we’ve also got a brother to Pier, who has been broken in and is due to come back shortly,” Weatherley said. “They are similar types, he’s not very big but I haven’t seen him for a bit, and they tell me he’s grown and when Pier was at the same stage, he was like a little rabbit. “We had to put a foster mare on the last foal, a colt by Satono Aladdin.” Meanwhile, Pier has now gone for a month’s spell in the warmer climes of Queensland. “He’s going up to Beaudesert so we’re doing the right thing by the horse, and I’m down to one for the week with Dark Destroyer to run in the Ipswich Cup (Listed, 2150m) on Saturday,” Weatherley said. View the full article

Riding from far off the pace is not usually recommended. But for Nitti, lately that has become a recipe for success. The latest example is the San Juan Capistrano Stakes at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

The victory by Hero Or Zero in the eighth race at Santa Anita, a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds, secured the mark for the Southern California-based trainer. View the full article