Wandering Eyes

Rising star War Machine will start the popular elect in Saturday’s Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm, carrying not only the hopes of punters and his connections, but the heartfelt weight of two powerful legacies. The four-year-old has won five of his 12 starts since being purchased from New Zealand including his two outings from his new quarters with trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. Jockey Tim Clark will sport a black armband on Saturday in the A$3 million feature in memory of two pivotal figures who helped shape his journey — the late Mike Moroney and the recently passed Michael Wallace. Moroney, a decorated and widely respected trainer, passed away earlier this year having laid the foundation with War Machine of what is shaping up to be an elite-level career. Tragedy struck again last weekend in Kentucky with the sudden passing of internationally renowned bloodstock agent Michael Wallace, who sourced War Machine’s dam Caserta on behalf of his brother David and late wife Maddy and parents Jim and Mary Wallace. Jim, David and Michael Wallace at Karaka in January Photo: supplied War Machine was bred under the banner of MDJ Bloodstock Ltd – Mary, Maddy, David and Jim – with the latter pair remaining in the ownership of the son of Harry Angel. Central to the War Machine story is former trainer turned bloodstock agent Steven Pinfold, who identified the young talent at a jump-out in New Zealand prior to his first trial for Jim Wallace. The man known broadly in racing circles as ‘Pinny’ will be at Eagle Farm this weekend to cheer on War Machine and support the eclectic syndicate behind the Kiwi import. “I spotted him at a jump-out before his first trial at Foxton, which he ended up winning by six lengths,” Pinfold said. “I did a lot of business with Michael Moroney over the years. I worked for Mike for a long time, including running stables in Adelaide and Melbourne for him through the halcyon days of Brew and Second Coming. “He was a champion to me and a very good mate for thirty-odd years. Once I saw War Machine at the jump outs, I told Mike about him, and then when he won the trial, we pounced. “I put a lot of good clients into the horse and so did Mike, including Rupert Legh, so it’s nice to see the horse rewarding them. “Mike said to me that War Machine might be one of the better horses he trained. Last year, when he ran in the Golden Eagle, he was just a kid running against men. He went a really good race, and Mike said we will give him a crack at the Rupert Clarke (Gr.1, 1400m) and then put him away for the Stradbroke next year. “So here we are, but sadly Mike isn’t with us.” Among the ownership group is former All Black coach John Hart and Wellington engineer Bruce Hollow, whose racing fortunes have improved after an introduction to Pinfold. “I met Bruce in a pub and he asked if I could help him out. He said he hadn’t had a winner for twenty plus years,” Pinfold said. Steven Pinfold with War Machine this week in Queensland Photo: supplied “The first share I sold to him was in Coeur Volante and the second is in War Machine, plus he also has an interest in Group Two winner Enriched, so he’s had a pretty good run.” Saturday’s Group One will also be a reunion of sorts for a collegiate from St Patrick’s College Silverstream. “I went to school with David Wallace. I also went to school with Andrew Williams, Adon Byron and Kieran McCaul who are all Silverstream boys that are in War Machine,” Pinfold said. “I have been friends with the Wallace family for forty years and their Ardsley Stud has been one of the great thoroughbred nurseries in New Zealand. Jim Wallace actually gave me my first job when he ran the Magic Millions sales at Trentham way back in my schooling days. “It’s a sad series of events. We would have loved David and Jim to be here with us this weekend, but unfortunately, they have had to go to America after the passing of Michael.” Pinfold, who has also established good ties to the Hayes stable in recent years having sourced Group Two winner Marble Arch and progressive mare Grid Girl, said the Stradbroke is one of the few features to elude Lindsay Park over the years. “We have a couple of dickie birds sitting on our shoulder. Tim Clark will wear a black armband not only to remember Michael Wallace but also to remember Michael Moroney,” he said. “A win would be a big thrill for the Hayes boys and all my mates that I have put into the horse, but it would be an even better salute to the Wallace and Moroney families.” View the full article

Three weeks on from a dominant performance over the same course and distance, Uderzo (NZ) (Vadamos) will return to Te Rapa on Saturday in search of a repeat result in the Skycity Hamilton Mile (1600m). Uderzo has been a strong performer throughout an 11-start campaign as a six-year-old this season, including a third in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) in January and a huge finish from the back of the field for fourth in the Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) in April. But the Vadamos gelding’s first win of the season didn’t come until May 24, when the 4kg claim of apprentice jockey Rihaan Goyaram reduced his weight to 51kg and he blitzed his open handicap rivals by three and three-quarter lengths. Goyaram will have his second ride on Uderzo on Saturday, this time with a 3kg claim taking his impost down to 53kg. Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott have been pleased with Uderzo in between his two Te Rapa assignments, but warn that very different track conditions will present a new challenge this weekend. In contrast to the Soft6 footing of three weeks ago, Te Rapa was rated a Heavy10 on Friday. “He appreciated that better ground last time,” Scott said. “The conditions are going to be quite different tomorrow, with all the rain we’ve had in the Waikato recently. “But he’s a very fit gelding and we’ve been really pleased with him. His work has been right up to his usual standard and his coat and condition look great. If he can cope with the ground and just get that bit of traction that he needs underfoot, there’s no reason why he can’t be very competitive again.” Te Rapa has been a happy hunting ground for O’Sullivan and Scott this season, providing them with 16 of their 79 wins in 2024-25. They return there with another solid hand this weekend, with Uderzo backed up by Smokeshow, The Weapon and Ivy’s Dancer. Smokeshow and The Weapon will both line up in the RDA Charity Raceday @ Cambridge Wednesday (1400m). “Smokeshow is going really well, it was a good run for second over 1200m last start,” Scott said. “Going up to 1400m helps him, and he’s taken a lot of benefit from that run. He’s probably drawn in the right part of the track (gate 16), his fitness levels are high and he’ll handle rain-affected ground. “The Weapon has had a couple of little setbacks and has been away from the races for a couple of months. He usually races well on the fresh side and we’ve always had a good opinion of him. If he copes with the conditions, he should be hitting the line hard.” Ivy’s Dancer will attempt to open her winning account in the Andrew (Ledge) Leadbeater Memorial (1400m). The Contributer filly was a last-start placegetter at Ellerslie. “That was a real improver’s run last time,” Scott said. “The better the ground, the better her chances, so that’s the concern this weekend. But she did work well on soft ground on Tuesday morning. She ran in some very competitive maiden races earlier in the season. If she’s able to produce a similar performance to that last-start Ellerslie run, she shouldn’t be far away from them.” The Wexford Stables team will also be in action on their home track at Matamata on Sunday, including a raceday debut for Capulet in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series 2YO (1200m). The Belardo colt, a close relative of Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Great Command, was a $30,000 purchase as a yearling at Karaka last year. Between April 29 and Monday of this week, Capulet finished second in three trials at Pukekohe, Waipa and Ellerslie. “He’s got some good levels of education,” Scott said. “He’s galloped through rain-affected ground on his home track before, which is an aid. “He trialled very nicely on Monday and bounced through that well. We’re expecting a good showing in his first raceday start. “Our Matamata team also includes Jaffira, who’s going well and has a good record at the course and distance (1600m). He can keep up a strong gallop, and testing conditions don’t bother him. “Ever Charm hasn’t had much luck lately. He was caught really wide last start, in a part of the track where they weren’t really winning that day. He just needs a change of luck and is certainly capable of going close.” View the full article

Ascot Park trainer Robert Dennis will head to Oamaru on Sunday with four leading chances, all of whom began their careers in the North Island. Dennis will be represented by the formerly Karen Fursdon-trained Vino Valentino in the Female Jockey Tribute Day (2200m), the former Lauren Brennan runner Sir Sterling in the Donna Wilson (1400m), the formerly Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Forseti in the Debbie Henderson (1200m), and the ex-Andrew Forsman runner Magnastar in the Debbie Kennedy (1200m). Sir Sterling performed to a high level in the north, winning three races and running a luckless sixth – only 1.7 lengths from the winner Maven Belle – in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m). He also contested the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m), Listed Mufhasa Stakes (1400m) and $1 million Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m). Sent south this season by owner-breeder Greg McCarthy, the Iffraaj gelding struck trouble when eighth in his South Island debut on March 28 but has recorded a win and three placings from his four starts since. “Other than his first run for us, where he kicked out in the barriers before they opened, he’s been very good and hasn’t put a foot wrong,” Dennis said. “He’s very consistent and I’d expect more of the same from him this weekend. “He’s a robust, hardy gelding who races well and then comes home and immediately licks the feed bin clean. He enjoys his work. His temperament and attitude have improved in the time he’s been with us. I can’t fault him.” Dennis has been similarly impressed with the three-year-old Magna Grecia gelding Magnastar, who raced against the likes of Lux Libertas, Dealt With and Mustang Morgan in the north. He emulated Sir Sterling with a struggling southern debut in March, but has bounced back to place in all of his last three appearances. “He’s another one who’s found a really consistent run of form of late,” Dennis said. “He had his first run for us in that same meeting as Sir Sterling, and he slipped coming out of the barriers. It just took him a bit of time to come right from that. He’s over it now and has been consistent in those last few runs. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how tough he is and how well he’s taking his racing. He’s knocking on the door of a win.” Vino Valentino was a last-start placegetter in a $40,000 open handicap at Wingatui. The Zacinto mare steps down in class for Sunday’s Rating 75 staying event, but that brings an accompanying weight increase. “She meets a slightly weaker field this time, but fairly similar,” Dennis said. “Taimate Diva beat us last time and we meet her a couple of kilograms worse off this time around. “She’s consistent too and I think she can be in or around the first three or four again.” Sunday will be Forseti’s first start for Dennis. The Lonhro mare’s seven-race career in the north has produced a second, three fourths and a fifth. “She’s an interesting runner,” Dennis said. “She’s been off the scene for a while, not having raced since last July. She came down to us in March and has settled in and come to hand well. “She seems fit and forward enough. I was happy with her jumpout a few weeks ago. “She showed a bit of speed in the north, and this doesn’t look an overly strong field. The question for her is how she’ll handle the heavy track conditions.” View the full article

Rising star War Machine will start the popular elect in Saturday’s Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm, carrying not only the hopes of punters and his connections, but the heartfelt weight of two powerful legacies. The four-year-old has won five of his 12 starts since being purchased from New Zealand including his two outings from his new quarters with trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. Jockey Tim Clark will sport a black armband on Saturday in the A$3 million feature in memory of two pivotal figures who helped shape his journey — the late Mike Moroney and the recently passed Michael Wallace. Moroney, a decorated and widely respected trainer, passed away earlier this year having laid the foundation with War Machine of what is shaping up to be an elite-level career. Tragedy struck again last weekend in Kentucky with the sudden passing of internationally renowned bloodstock agent Michael Wallace, who sourced War Machine’s dam Caserta on behalf of his brother David and late wife Maddy and parents Jim and Mary Wallace. Jim, David and Michael Wallace at Karaka in January Photo: supplied War Machine was bred under the banner of MDJ Bloodstock Ltd – Mary, Maddy, David and Jim – with the latter pair remaining in the ownership of the son of Harry Angel. Central to the War Machine story is former trainer turned bloodstock agent Steven Pinfold, who identified the young talent at a jump-out in New Zealand prior to his first trial for Jim Wallace. The man known broadly in racing circles as ‘Pinny’ will be at Eagle Farm this weekend to cheer on War Machine and support the eclectic syndicate behind the Kiwi import. “I spotted him at a jump-out before his first trial at Foxton, which he ended up winning by six lengths,” Pinfold said. “I did a lot of business with Michael Moroney over the years. I worked for Mike for a long time, including running stables in Adelaide and Melbourne for him through the halcyon days of Brew and Second Coming. “He was a champion to me and a very good mate for thirty-odd years. Once I saw War Machine at the jump outs, I told Mike about him, and then when he won the trial, we pounced. “I put a lot of good clients into the horse and so did Mike, including Rupert Legh, so it’s nice to see the horse rewarding them. “Mike said to me that War Machine might be one of the better horses he trained. Last year, when he ran in the Golden Eagle, he was just a kid running against men. He went a really good race, and Mike said we will give him a crack at the Rupert Clarke (Gr.1, 1400m) and then put him away for the Stradbroke next year. “So here we are, but sadly Mike isn’t with us.” Among the ownership group is former All Black coach John Hart and Wellington engineer Bruce Hollow, whose racing fortunes have improved after an introduction to Pinfold. “I met Bruce in a pub and he asked if I could help him out. He said he hadn’t had a winner for twenty plus years,” Pinfold said. Steven Pinfold with War Machine this week in Queensland Photo: supplied “The first share I sold to him was in Coeur Volante and the second is in War Machine, plus he also has an interest in Group Two winner Enriched, so he’s had a pretty good run.” Saturday’s Group One will also be a reunion of sorts for a collegiate from St Patrick’s College Silverstream. “I went to school with David Wallace. I also went to school with Andrew Williams, Adon Byron and Kieran McCaul who are all Silverstream boys that are in War Machine,” Pinfold said. “I have been friends with the Wallace family for forty years and their Ardsley Stud has been one of the great thoroughbred nurseries in New Zealand. Jim Wallace actually gave me my first job when he ran the Magic Millions sales at Trentham way back in my schooling days. “It’s a sad series of events. We would have loved David and Jim to be here with us this weekend, but unfortunately, they have had to go to America after the passing of Michael.” Pinfold, who has also established good ties to the Hayes stable in recent years having sourced Group Two winner Marble Arch and progressive mare Grid Girl, said the Stradbroke is one of the few features to elude Lindsay Park over the years. “We have a couple of dickie birds sitting on our shoulder. Tim Clark will wear a black armband not only to remember Michael Wallace but also to remember Michael Moroney,” he said. “A win would be a big thrill for the Hayes boys and all my mates that I have put into the horse, but it would be an even better salute to the Wallace and Moroney families.” View the full article

Former Singapore superstar Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec) may have found his old spark, as he prepares for his second Australian start on Saturday. The Dan Meagher-trained seven-year-old was a potential starter in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm this weekend, but a logistical issue led to that plan being aborted and instead, he’ll line up at Sandown in a 1400-metre handicap en route to the Winter Championship over 1600m at Flemington. Lim’s Kosciuszko finished third in the Listed Straight Six at Flemington at his Australian debut, where he raced in restricted room at a vital stage of the race. “He was probably stiff not winning but at the end of the day, he had a run where he didn’t have a gut-buster and that’s a great thing, because he came through it really well,” Meagher said. “He pulled up terrific, he had a lovely jumpout the other day. “It was very much like his old self when he was back in Singapore, his first three jumpouts I was a bit worried, he wasn’t showing much fire there. I knew that race would tell us where we’re going and it really stimulated him. “He’s come out of that race in great order, as good as he’s been for quite a long time actually, so I’m very happy with where he’s at.” Bred by Brent and Cherry Taylor’s Trelawney Stud, Lim’s Kosciuszko was passed in at the New Zealand Bloodstock Sales and then sold privately after winning his first and only trial in New Zealand when under the care of Clayton Chipperfield. View the full article

Kiwi-bred sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising’s (NZ) (Shamexpress) star continues to rise, with the son of Shamexpress rated the world’s best turf horse in the latest Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. Bred by Marton horseman Fraser Auret under his Grandmoral Lodge Racing, the four-year-old gelding has been an unstoppable force for trainer David Hayes in Hong Kong, winning 13 of his 15 starts in the competitive racing jurisdiction. He is undefeated in the current term, recording eight successive victories, including the Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), Gr.1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m), Gr.1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m), Gr.1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), Gr.2 Spring Cup (1200m), Gr.2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint (1400m), and Gr.2 Premier Bowl (1200m). With a rating of 126, Ka Ying Rising sits level with reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior, and just one point in arrears of US$20 million Gr.1 Saudi Cup (1800m) winner Forever Young. Fellow Kiwi-bred Antino also features in the top 20 horses, with a rating of 120 after winning the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) last month. View the full article

Entries are now open for NZB’s Karaka 2026, with the iconic week on the international sales calendar due to take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from Sunday 25 January, marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand. As recently announced, a new sales format will be launched at Karaka 2026, ensuring that the quality of the 100th National Yearling Sales catalogue is in line with the momentous occasion. Book 1 will be conducted across two full days, composed of approximately 580 horses. Book 2 will immediately follow with a further 290 yearlings the next day. A third session has also been re-introduced with the Karaka Summer Sale taking place on the Thursday, cataloguing up to 200 yearlings. NZB’s renowned Karaka Sale has produced a prolific number of modern day and all-time champion racehorses, highlighted by another incredible season on the track where 20% of Group One races in Australia were claimed by New Zealand-breds. These results, paired with the high-octane TAB Karaka Millions Raceday, world-famous Kiwi hospitality and the popular DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka hotel, will again combine for an unforgettable Karaka experience. NZB Managing Director Andrew Seabrook is looking forward to the upcoming sales season, during what is a very buoyant time for the industry. “The new format being launched and the fact this Sale marks a huge milestone for the industry makes for a very exciting year.” “As usual our horses continue to excel in all of the major racing jurisdictions. Buyers know that New Zealand consistently produces elite performers from a small but outstanding foal crop, and Karaka is the place to source them. “While Book 1 and 2 are our cream of the crop, the new Karaka Summer Sale will be a beneficial session for vendors and buyers to target with a reduced entry fee, no offering fee and boosted by a $200,000 Karaka Millions bonus for the vendor and purchaser.” “It is great to have many of our bigger studs already indicate to us their full support, so I have no doubt Karaka 2026 will be a resounding success. “The inspection and selection process is always an enjoyable time of year and our team looks forward to getting around all of the farms and seeing the next generation before they head to Karaka,” added Seabrook. To nominate your yearlings for Karaka 2026, visit NZB’s online portal at portal.nzb.co.nz or contact the Bloodstock Administrator Mary Jane Harvey (+64 9 298 0055, or email maryjane.harvey@nzb.co.nz). Entries close 5pm Friday 11 July 2025. For any general sale enquiries, contact the NZB Bloodstock team here. Important Dates TAB Karaka Millions Raceday: Saturday 24 January at Ellerslie Book 1 Sale: Sunday 25 & Monday 26 January at Karaka Book 2 Sale: Tuesday 27 January at Karaka Karaka Summer Sale: Thursday 29 January at Karaka National Online Yearling Sale: April (date tbc) on Gavelhouse Plus View the full article

Sydney trainer Joseph Pride is undeterred by the challenges facing Private Eye when the outstanding miler tackles the Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1,400m) at Eagle Farm in Brisbane, Australia on Saturday. Assigned top weight of 57kg (125.6lb), Private Eye will resume after a 182-day break and will have to defy history as he attempts to become the first horse to carry 57kg or more to victory in the Stradbroke Handicap since Rough Habit successfully carried 58.5kg in 1992. Additionally, winning...View the full article

Frankie Lor Fu-chuen is backing the brilliance of Zac Purton to be the difference when Bottomuptogether tackles Saturday’s Class Two HKU Business School And Faculty Of Engineering Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin. Bottomuptogether has compiled a strong record over 1,200m on the Sha Tin turf this season without actually winning, racing at the course and distance five times for four seconds and a third. A galloper who likes to race on pace, Bottomuptogether will have to overcome barrier 10 of 11 if he...View the full article

Race 6 WAIMATE RACING CLUB 1200m BLUE VEIN (K Bakker) – Trainer Ms. M Cunneen advised Stewards, she was satisfied with the post-race condition of BLUE VEIN, and it is the intention to continue his preparation. The post Waimate Racing Club @ Phar Lap Raceway Timaru, Tuesday 10 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 3 POWER FARMING MANAWATU 2140m FOURTY EIGHT (T Davies) – Co-trainer Ms. H Fannin reported to Stewards, the stable was satisfied with the post-race condition of FOURTY EIGHT, however, the gelding has been sent for a freshen-up. The post Marton Jockey Club @ Awapuni Synthetic, Sunday 8 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 5 HORIZON BY SKYCITY 2100m CYBER PATCH (M McNab) – Trainer Ms. C Cameron advised Stewards, she was satisfied with the post-race condition of the gelding, however, CYBER PATCH has now been sent for a freshen up. Race 9 EVERGREEN BLOODSTOCK 1400m BOURBON EMPRESS (R Goyaram) – Trainer Mr. S Marsh reported to Stewards, that a series of veterinary examinations, including endoscopic examination and blood testing, were conducted over the week, on Monday 8 June, Tuesday 9 June, and Friday 13 June, with no abnormalities being detected. S Marsh further advised that the gelding will be sent for a three-week spell. The post Auckland Thoroughbred Racing @ Ellerslie, Saturday 7 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Race 5 CAMBRIDGE EQUINE HOSPITAL MAIDEN 1550m MARCOS (T Moodley) – Co-trainer Ms. D Rogerson reported to Stewards, that on Thursday 5 June, MARCOS underwent a veterinary examination with no abnormalities being detected. D Rogerson further advised that the stable intends to continue with the gelding’s current preparation. The post Waikato Thoroughbred Racing @ Cambridge Synthetic, Wednesday 4 June 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Pier is likely to shoot for a Listed consolation prize at Eagle Farm on Saturday after being balloted out of his main Winter Carnival goal – the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m). In his current preparation, the Darryn and Briar Weatherley-trained son of Proisir has found some of his best form since his Group One-winning three-year-old days. He resumed with a flying finish for second in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m) at Trentham in April, beaten by a half-head by Slipper Island and finishing in front of next-start Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) winner Tomodachi. Pier crossed the Tasman and continued in a similar vein, charging home from second-last for third in the Gr.3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben last month. It was a bold and eye-catching performance in a race won by Stradbroke favourite War Machine, but it has left him on the outside and looking in when it comes to Saturday’s A$3 million showpiece. As the fourth emergency, Pier requires four scratchings to find a way into the Stradbroke field. Kimochi and Firestorm had provided two of those by Friday morning, but Darryn Weatherley concedes the Listed Wayne Wilson (1600m) on Saturday’s undercard is the more likely assignment. “We’re probably going to just miss out on the Stradbroke, which is a bit of bad luck but it is what it is,” he said. “He ran a huge race at Doomben last start and we were very proud of him. He drew 16 of 16 and put in an enormous performance. But he probably needed to win that day to get into the Stradbroke, because it’s done on prizemoney. “The Wayne Wilson is a nice race to fall back on this weekend. It’s not worth A$3 million like the Stradbroke, but it’s a decent stake in its own right (A$160,000) and it’s a race I believe he can be very competitive in.” Pier will be ridden by Ethan Brown in the Wayne Wilson and is rated a $4 chance in the TAB’s Final Field market. “We’ve been really pleased with him since the BRC Sprint,” Weatherley said. “He’s a better horse now than he was before that run. He had the flight to Sydney, then a big float trip to Brisbane, then had to race at Doomben four days later. He wasn’t as settled or eating as well as he is now. “He galloped beautifully on the course proper on Tuesday. He was ridden by Mark Du Plessis, who would have had the mount if we’d made the Stradbroke field. Mark was really happy with the way the horse felt and moved. But now that we’re in the other race, he’ll continue his association with Ethan Brown, who rode him at Doomben. “A big positive about the Wayne Wilson is the fact that it’s 1600m. I’m more confident over that trip than I would be with 1400m in the Stradbroke. He’s ready for the mile now. But obviously the Stradbroke is A$3 million, and we were trying to get him in there and give them a fright.” Pier’s stablemate and travelling companion Dark Destroyer is likely to be set for next weekend’s A$250,000 Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) after finishing outside the placings in the Gr.3 Premier’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31. “We had him entered for 1800m and 2400m races that day, and we may have pulled the wrong rein,” Weatherley said. “Hindsight’s a great thing. “I thought the 1800m race might have been too sharp for him. A race over 2200m would probably have been ideal. The way the weather was, with the deteriorating track, 2400m was just too far. “He travelled beautifully the whole way and I thought he was looking very good 600m out, but then 50m into the straight, he was all done. “His work this morning was really good too. We nominated him for The Q22 this weekend, but I think the handicap conditions of next Saturday’s Ipswich Cup will probably suit him better.” View the full article

Jakama Krystal was a quiet achiever in the steeplechasing role last season, and she’ll step up to the major leagues for the first time at Te Rapa on Saturday, taking on the Signature Homes Waikato Steeplechase (3900m). Often effective in the lead, Jakama Krystal spaced her rivals on debut over the bigger fences last August and put on a similar display when winning the final race of the jumping season in September. After enjoying her summer holiday, the nine-year-old returned to Peter and Jessica Brosnan’s Matamata stable and has appeared twice on the flat, including a second placing behind capable flat galloper Fourty Eight. The daughter of Jakkalberry is the third-elect in the market behind Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal’s pair of The Cossack and Nedwin, and Jessica Brosnan is looking forward to kicking off her season in the feature. “She’s a bit older now, but she’s feeling well, and you’ve got to be in it to win,” she said. “She goes a little bit better fresh, I think she’s had one start there for a third, so she goes well at Te Rapa. “She’s generally better suited at the tighter tracks, but we have to go where the jumping is and wing it a little bit in that regard.” The Brosnans will be represented in two of the undercard jumping events, with Canulovemeagain contesting the Ken and Roger Browne Memorial (3900m), and Jake and Squire in the Waikato/BOP Owners Association Hurdle (2800m). A half-brother to Group One performer Aspen Colorado, Canulovemeagain lost his jockey after jumping awkwardly late in the race at Te Aroha and has an in-form Corey Wiles in the saddle on this occasion. “He’s doing well, I galloped him up our grass before and he’s feeling good,” Brosnan said. “I think he should make a steeplechaser.” Both just four-year-olds, Jake and Squire are in the early stages of their careers over fences, but have pleased Brosnan ahead of their hurdle debut on Saturday. “They’re only four, so anything they do this season will be a bonus,” Brosnan said. “They’re quite young to be doing it. “Squire has a lot of natural ability, it’s just putting it together on the day and he’ll be away. He’s got a big group of owners that want to travel around the countryside and go have fun at the races. “He’s a really nice horse, I’m just hoping that he can behave and control his excitement. “We’ve had Jake for a few months, Mark (Brosnan) thought he would make a jumper and we’ve got the riders. He’s surprised us a little bit, he wasn’t the best jumper initially but once he started going over the hurdles, he was away.” View the full article

Samantha Logan is hoping for a result to savour when the aptly named Jelly Roll makes his debut at Matamata on Sunday. Off the back of an encouraging trial performance, the three-year-old will step out in the Slattery Contracting Maiden (1200m), with Bridget Grylls to take the reins. He is a son of Swiss Ace and Icing On The Cake and is trained and owned by Logan, who was gifted the gelding. Jelly Roll’s name is drawn from both his parents and also from the moniker of the American rapper, songwriter and Grammy Award nominee. “I like the singer and it all worked in well, it’s a play on both,” Logan said. “He was bred by Christophe Verkimpe, who’s from New Caledonia, and he was supposed to go there but then the civil unrest broke out and he couldn’t be shipped. “They offered him to me, and we’ve had a bit of fun getting him to this point.” Jelly Roll’s first outing was delayed following an abandonment last month. “He was saddled and ready to go at Tauranga before they got called off, so we’re looking forward to Sunday with him,” Logan said. “I don’t think he’ll disgrace himself, his last trial (at Ellerslie) was pretty good. He’s a neat little horse and he should love the heavy ground.” Logan will also have a top chance on Saturday at Te Rapa where Ascension will be a favoured contender in the Andrew (Ledge) Leadbeater Memorial (1400m). She will again be ridden by Michael McNab, who was aboard the Almanzor filly when she finished well for third in her resuming run over 1200m on the track at the end of last month. “We’ve always really liked her and thought that she may have been our Oaks filly, but immaturity held her back,” Logan said. “She’s a lot stronger and more forward this preparation and she finished off really strongly last start. “We were happy with her going into the race and the step up to 1400m should suit her this time. “She’s a beautiful filly and really easy to do anything with, she’s just a dream to have around.” Ascension is part-owned by co-breeder Lib Petagna’s JML Bloodstock, who has a good association with Logan. “I’ve been very lucky and been able to race a few quality fillies for him this year and she’s definitely one of them. She’s got the pedigree and the type to go with it,” she said. Ascension is a half-sister to stakes winners Windsor and Sergio, with their dam the unraced Lonhro mare Shanro whose family features the multiple Group Two winners Camena and Arcetri Pink. View the full article

Kiwi-owned Group One winner Desert Lightning will be out to double his elite-level tally when he returns to Eagle Farm on Saturday to tackle the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m). Formerly in the care of Peter and Dawn Williams in New Zealand, the five-year-old gelding won five races for his now retired trainers, including the Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m) and $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m). He transferred to the care of Pakenham conditioners Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman last spring where he made an immediate impact, placing in the Listed Chautauqua Stakes (1200m) first-up before winning the Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m). Returning in autumn, he was unplaced in the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) and Gr.1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) before returning to form last Saturday at Eagle Farm when runner-up in the Listed Spier Chief Handicap (1500m), belying his 61kg impost. Owners Sarah and Chris Green and Ger Beemsterboer, who race Desert Lightning under their Barneswood Farm banner, were delighted to see their charge return to form last weekend and are excited about his prospects carrying a lighter load on Saturday. “It was a great finish from him (last Saturday). He had 61 kilos to carry and this time he has 54.5kg, so that is big change,” Sarah Green said. The son of Pride of Dubai will jump from the ace barrier, with Tommy Berry remaining in the saddle. “He is in the field and we are just hoping for the best,” Green said. “He raced last weekend and is backing up again. We are not sure how that is going to play out, but he has got a great draw. “It’s a good sign (that Tommy has retained the ride). He knows him and that is always a plus when the jockey wants to stick with him. “He has got the ability, but it is a field full of good horses and we are just taking a chance.” Green has returned from Europe this week to be trackside at Eagle Farm on Saturday, where she will be joined by her Australian-based daughter, and she said she gets a lot of enjoyment in competing across the Tasman. “I love it (racing in Australia),” Green said. “My daughter lives in Sydney and she is coming up to Brisbane to be with me and watch the race. “It is exciting, and for me it (Australian racing) is the epitome of racing, I love it. You just take the excitement when you can and just hope for the best.” View the full article

There's nothing a horse can tell Bob Duncan about the terrors of a confined space. He was already on the gate crew, back in 1968, when he went to visit his parents at Laurel, where his dad was training a small string. After an evening at a nearby bar, his buddy threw him the keys. Different car, different handling. Coming to a railroad bridge, he suddenly realized that he wasn't going to make the turn. “We hit these cement pilings, plunged over the side,” Duncan recalls. “We had waist belts on. No shoulder straps, which turned out to be fortunate. Next thing I know, I'm waking up, somehow stuck under the console–and I can hear running water. I'm upside down, trying to fight my way out. Then I pass out again.” It was a couple of hours before someone spotted them. Next time he returned to consciousness, metal was crunching in the jaws of a winch. He assumed his friend must be dead. But they were both hauled out, stitched up in the hospital and sent home next morning. Duncan will never forget his mother's face when he walked in. “I looked like I'd been beaten with a bat,” Duncan recalls. “We went over to see the car and this guy comes over and says, 'Yeah, there were two kids in that thing last night. Both dead.'” A plank was protruding from the back window, immovable under the crushed roof. The headrest, steering wheel, everything above the console was flattened. Duncan's wrecked car | Courtesy Bob Duncan Duncan often thinks back to that miraculous escape. He was 19 and what a lot he would have missed, had the path of his life ended there. But perhaps the episode also helps to explain the unusual empathy which has made that life so interesting. For Duncan is still getting up before dawn, year-round, Palm Beach Downs to Saratoga, to help Thoroughbreds overcome phobias at the gate. It's the ultimate behind-the-scenes vocation. People on the backside know his work, especially at the Todd Pletcher barn, but all that matters to Duncan is the recognition of the horses themselves. Any wider celebrity probably traces to Quality Road, who notoriously refused the gate in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. “He's a dominant horse, and that was what had gotten him in trouble,” Duncan recalls. “Because he would get away with stuff. If the van's over there, and the grass over here, he'd drag you over to the grass. 'That's okay,' they'd say, 'it's Quality Road.' But it got to the point where he'd do it at the starting gate, they got after him with the buggy whip–and all hell broke loose.” Coming to the barn a few days after the incident, Duncan noted that playfulness. But he could also sense the horse's concentration: he was trying to read Duncan, responding, the rope just dragging along as Duncan walked him round, never a hand laid on him. Duncan looked over at Pletcher. “I don't think we have a problem here,” he said. “We just kept advancing each day,” he recalls. “First, into the gate without a rider. Next day, rider on, in and out. Third day, over to the paddock, dressed for a race, into the gate. Finally we shipped him over to Aqueduct with the other horses, put him through everything with them. Not once did he do anything wrong. His next race, he hesitated a step but then walked right in.” Duncan working the gate | TDN Such mastery seemed a remote prospect, the first time Duncan shared a confined space with a nervous Thoroughbred. This was back around the time of his Laurel reprieve, when given the chance to accompany a couple of horses on a transatlantic flight. Some chance! One of them had once got loose and run into the barn. When the outrider found them, the horse had his trainer by the chest. They put a raincoat over his head to pull him clear. So they gave this horse a tranquilizer, and Duncan a box containing a lethal extra dosage. “That's all you had if something went wrong,” he recalls. “Back then, it was just a plywood box with a rubber mat. He was so nervous: wasn't trying to bite me or anything, just looking for help. As we start rolling, his feet are peeling up that mat. And all of a sudden he's splintering the box, front and back.” They were right under the cockpit. A face appeared atop the ladder: the captain wanted to know whether to abort. “But I was just a kid and wasn't going to be the one to turn a plane around,” Duncan says. “So I'm petting and petting him as he's sliding and falling and jumping. Finally he just collapses. The other horse never turned a hair. Eight hours later, I'm all bloodied walking him out, he's a wreck, mad and sweating, bandages hanging off. These Irish guys who were taking him on couldn't believe their eyes.” Not, on the face of it, an experience calculated to inspire anyone to spend more time than necessary with these animals in a state of high anxiety. On the other hand, gate work now looked a stroll in the park. You don't even need a parachute to vacate the scene. The only problem was that Duncan found himself haplessly reinforcing collective, ancestral error. “These last 25 years I've been apologizing for what I did the first 20,” he says. “You didn't know any better. You're following tradition, being told what to do, there's peer pressure. I remember trying things and my foreman saying, 'You got to show that horse who's boss.' It was coercion. It put the horse between a rock and a hard place: he doesn't want to be in there, but is even more scared by that buggy whip out back. It's like going into kindergarten and nobody talks your language. And when the teacher yells at you, and you don't understand, they start hitting you.” There had to be a better way and, especially once his son David was old enough to help, Duncan strove to find one. The turning point was a demonstration by Monty Roberts. “He had this 14-year-old mare they'd always had to drag till her knees buckled to get anywhere near a van,” Duncan recalls. “So he has this step-up van backed into the round pen, and he's just standing there talking away, obviously he's a wonderful speaker and storyteller. Meanwhile the filly has one of his halters on, and he has this long lunge-line wrapped in his hands. And even though he's not really looking at her, he's getting her to back up; then asking her forward again. After about 15 minutes when he's going one way, so's she. It all starts from his face; she's watching him. With all these people crowded around, she needs a friend. So what he's doing is creating leadership, showing that he knows what her mother taught her about movement. “Then he drops a good portion of the rope on the ground, turns away, and walks toward the trailer. And, seeing him leaving, she goes jogging after him. He steps in the back of the trailer and she jumps up behind him, turns around and hangs her head over his shoulder, the pair of them just looking out at everyone.” Bob Duncan | Bob Coglianese Now obviously a tuned-up Thoroughbred would be a different proposition. But Duncan and his son drove straight down from Massachusetts, parked by the starting gate, took a nap, and promptly tried what they had witnessed on the first two horses to come over. It was probably all a bit clumsy, and maybe they were easy horses, but they left in high excitement. You could get them on your wavelength, just from your demeanor. “Because they're so acutely attuned to their environment,” Duncan explains. “They take all the information in, because it's what keeps them alive. It's an energy they have. You watch a herd run around, it's like a school of fish–and they do it at the gallop. “So you show them that you have the language, that energy in your shoulders or eyes. It's really very basic. It's about movement. Literally in minutes, you can have that horse moving with you like a dance. Even though he's 1,000lbs, you hardly have to do anything. You just have to be consistent.” With other horses milling around, all the people and noise, Duncan says they're relieved just by calm and kindness cutting through. Duncan at Saratoga | TDN It wasn't only Roberts; priceless lessons were also gleaned from Pat Parelli and Ray Hunt, who had learned from old ranchers out West. But it was never going to be easy, getting this kind of lore past the hard-pressed, hard-headed guys in the gate crew. “I had some people mad at me for a while, as I was trying things,” Duncan admits. “Because it was all new to me. There was a lot of learning out in the middle.” The first public test was a little filly who had a habit of standing meekly in the gate before suddenly flipping out of nowhere. The rest of the crew watched Duncan and his boy with a mixture of concern and derision. She strolls in, no problem; but then the adjacent horse goes berserk, gets hooked on the back and starts thrashing the barrier. “And while all this commotion is going on, she just drops her head right on David's chest,” Duncan marvels. Nobody conceded a syllable of approval, muttering that she sure looked happier loading in the chute today. “People struggle with change,” Duncan observes. “They have a fear of failing at something new. And, just as some people have a natural feeling for it, others have a certain negativity. There's something about them the horse does not buy into, you can see them get aggravated, start looking for the exit. “In the old days, we were always putting them on the side of the cliff: fight or flight. And in that mindset, the adrenaline goes up, the heart rate, you're hyperventilating, building oxygen for the quarter-mile that you can outrun any four-legged animal in the woods.” To Duncan, moreover, gate work represents a single dimension of overlooked behaviors. One of his few regrets, in fact, is that he has had to specialize: he would love to explore uncharted fields of equine communication. For instance, he feels that horses prefer to warn than harm. It's not good for a herd to contain an injured horse. So if we feel lucky, when a kick just misses us in the shedrow, luck may have little to do with it. Yet Duncan has observed experienced trainers still relying on domination. He might well have made a trainer himself. When Duncan's father died, Art Rooney of Shamrock Farm wrote that he had never known a better horseman. Duncan was only a kid when first working on the backside, though other growing-up experiences would follow out in the world: time at college; a draft that fortuitously sent him to pacified Korea, instead of Vietnam; he even did some modeling. (There's an old cigarette advertisement where he resembles Robert Redford's better-looking brother.) But in between he also worked for Eddie Neloy, and learned that rubbing a horse meant something different in a Hall of Fame barn. Bob Duncan | Diana Pikulski “I'd never touched anything beyond an allowance winner, and suddenly here are six of the top horses in the country in one barn,” Duncan recalls. “I was put right next to Buckpasser, and an Irishman named Patty Cleary was with Queen Empress on the other side. I'm rubbing my horses one morning, thinking I'm doing a good job, and suddenly here's Mr. Neloy ducking under the rope. And you don't know whether he's looking at you or not, with his one eye. He takes my brushes, works on the horse, hands them back, never a word. So I went to Patty and said, 'What are you doing, to get that shine on the horse?' He said, 'Well, for a start, never wash your rag. Let those oils build up.' And he gave me his rag to feel, and it was so heavy, almost gamey.” If some old school lessons were precisely those he eventually had to unlearn, then Duncan is today proud that in 20 years with Pletcher he hasn't once “tailed” a horse in the gate. He doesn't use blindfolds, doesn't even own a buggy whip. “They're so engaged,” he says. “They have curiosity. They're looking for you to give them something to do. Pat Parelli would take off the rope and halter, and say: 'Now the only thing between you and that horse is the truth.'” And that revelation has been the greatest blessing in a life of privilege. Duncan thinks back to that car wreck, or to contemporaries who never returned from Vietnam. “How can anyone be so lucky?” he says. “Scary things happen in life, but wonderful things happen too. I've never taken any of it for granted. I didn't do anything special and yet fell into this wonderful work, with these amazing animals. I know what a good run I've had, and just how lucky I am.” The post Bob Duncan Making the Gate an Open Door appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

While Fierceness continues to make his presence felt in the older male division, his younger half sibling Nonna's Love started making some waves of her own, graduating with a scintillating score over the Aqueduct Racetrack turf June 12. View the full article

OBLITERATION (c, 2, Violence–I'mclassyandsassy, by Master Command), one of a debuting pair available at double digits for the reliable Steve Asmussen stable, ran away from a very promising group of 2-year-old males to become the afternoon's second 'TDN Rising Star', this one at Churchill Downs. A $200,000 purchase at this year's OBS March Sale, the bay colt was in front not long after the start and led for just short of a furlong before being displaced on the business end by She's On A Roll (Charlatan), the 8-5 post-time favorite. Deftly eased back by Erik Asmussen to chase from second into the turn, Obliteration was after the front-runner and collared his rival with just less than a quarter-mile to travel. Quickly putting pay to that one, Obliteration opened up a sizeable advantage entering the final furlong and went on to take it by six to seven lengths in the slick time of 1:03.32 for the 5 1/2 furlongs. Sales history: $200,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Leland Ackerley Racing LLC; B-Ocala Stud (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. Obliteration romps on debut in R2 at @churchilldowns for trainer Steve Asmussen with Erik Asmussen aboard! TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/kfgfpFcdEY — TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 12, 2025 The post Violence Colt Obliteration Runs To His Name in ‘Rising Star’-Worthy Bow appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features a full-sister to a Breeders' Cup winner. 3.35 York, Novice, 2yo, f, 5fT STARGAZED (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) is a full-sister to last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint hero Starlust who debuts for Clipper Logistics and the Karl Burke stable. Out of the G3 Prix de Saint-Georges winner and G2 Lowther Stakes runner-up Beyond Desire (Invincible Spirit), she faces seven in this speed test. 4.52 Cork, Mdn, 2yo, f, 6fT SKYDANCE (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) was a €1 million purchase by Al Shira'aa Racing at last year's Arqana August Sale who debuts for the Willie McCreery stable in the maiden won 12 months ago by the future luminary Babouche. A daughter of the G3 Prix de Lutece winner Paix (Muhaarar) connected to a host of stars including Magic Wand and Chicquita, she faces a tough task taking on Ballydoyle's experience Beautify (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a daughter of the G3 Munster Oaks winner Words (Dansili). The post Starlust’s Sister Debuts At York appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After significant rain over the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival held last weekend at Saratoga Race Course, four of the graded races scheduled for the grass were moved to the dirt. The American Graded Stakes Committee automatically downgrades those races by one level–for that edition only–and reviews the runnings for the possibility of each race being restored to its original grade. None of the four graded races moved off the grass over the weekend at Saratoga had their original grade reinstated after review, according to a release from the American Graded Stakes Committee Thursday afternoon. The races affected last Friday and Saturday included the Belmont Gold Cup Stakes, won by 'TDN Rising Star' Parchment Party (Constitution), and downgraded from Grade II to Grade III, as well as the Wonder Again Stakes, won by Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) and also downgraded from Grade II to Grade III. The Pennine Ridge Stakes, won by A. P. Kid (Honor A. P.) and the Soaring Softly Stakes, won by Saturday Flight (Mendelssohn), have lost graded status and will retain listed status. The post Belmont Weekend Turf-to-Dirt Stakes at Saratoga Officially Downgraded appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

A son of Crystal Ocean (lot 703) took pride of place during Part 2 of the Goffs Arkle Sale on Thursday. The gelding, from the Woodhouse Stud draft, caught the eye of Gerry Hogan Bloodstock and Paul Nolan Racing and was secured for €70,000. Out of a full-sister to Grade 3 hurdle winner Cup Final (Presenting), the 3-year-old store is a grandson of multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler Asian Maz (Anshan). Of the 229 horses offered, 176 (77%) sold for an aggregate of €3,192,500 (+42%). The average rose 20% to €18,140 and the median increased 14% to €16,000. “Following a sensational Arkle Part 1 we were hopeful that today would return a vibrant trade and are pleased to have delivered a set of results that show improvement in every area,” said Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby. “Arkle Part 2 is a viable and attractive alternative to the last two days and, of course, also has a strong record in the point-to-point field. An upswing in turnover, average, median and clearance rate is encouraging albeit these returns are at a lower level and a 77% clearance rate, whilst much better than last year, continues to point to a selectivity in places that has been increasingly evident away from the top in recent times.” The post Goffs Arkle Part 2 Concludes With €70k Crystal Ocean Topper appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Baoma Corp.'s HIMIKA (f, 2, Curlin–Motivated Seller, by Into Mischief), a $900,000 purchase out of this year's OBS April Sale, looked in a bit of trouble through the opening three panels of a five-furlong maiden at Santa Anita Thursday. But when Juan Hernandez was able to push away from the inside and with dead aim on pacesetting Stuffy Mist (Maximus Mischief), the athletic bay gathered that one up with ease a few strides later and whistled home to score by the better part of seven lengths, ears back and forth and up and down on the wire, to become a no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star'. Drawn the fence, the firming 1-2 chalk was away neatly enough, but couldn't quite go with the early gallop and was forced to sit behind and wait for room. That daylight came as soon as heads were turned for home and Himika had soon built a massive advantage, then was taken in hand for the better part of the last sixteenth of a mile, stopping the clock in :57.84–and that could have been significantly faster had Hernandez so chosen. Bred by Klaravich Stable, Himika breezed an eighth in :9 4/5 at the April Sale and caught the eye of Donato Lanni, who signed the winning ticket on behalf of Baoma. The bay had done little wrong in her morning trials locally, and in her final breeze, went heads up with Nothing Like You (Malibu Moon), the 2024 GII Santa Anita Oaks heroine, through four furlongs from the gate in :46 4/5. Sales history: $900,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Baoma Corp; B-Klaravich Stable Inc (KY); T-Bob Baffert. #1 HIMIKA ($3.00) was an easy winner of the 2nd race at @SantaAnitaPark. The two-year-old Curlin filly broke her maiden on debut under @JJHernandezS19 for trainer Bob Baffert. pic.twitter.com/mxazPvLvRJ — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) June 12, 2025 The post Expensive Curlin Filly Himika As Advertised On Santa Anita Debut, Becomes a ‘Rising Star’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Master 2-year-old conditioner Michael Freedman is confident Aerodrome is ready to put his best foot forward on firmer ground as he seeks to shore up the first-season stallions' title for his sire Ole Kirk in the June 14 J.J. Atkins Stakes (G1).View the full article