Blood-Horse

On the Dec. 8 episode of BloodHorse Monday: Brook Smith back on Derby trail with Paladin, BloodHorse's Bob Kieckhefer previews this weekend's Hong Kong International Races.

Dual Melbourne Cup (G1)-winning trainer Joseph O'Brien believes Al Riffa can provide him with a first winner at Hong Kong's prestigious International meeting when the entire takes his chance in the Dec. 14 Hong Kong Vase (G1) at Sha Tin Racecourse.

Frankie Dettori's farewell tour moves on to South America this week, although there has been a change of plan for where his glittering career, will finish early next year.

BH Interview: Ace Stud's Paul Curran

Keeneland announced Dec. 8 that grade 1 winner and $2.8 million earner Simply in Front has been cataloged to the 2026 January Horses of All Ages Sale and will sell Jan. 12.

With his background in real estate, NYRA chairman and Jockey Club steward Marc Holliday is the ideal person to guide the organization's future and construction of Belmont Park.

Just Philtored's third stakes win came in the Maryland Juvenile Filly Stakes at Laurel Park Dec. 6, adding another stakes victory to the ZWP Stables and Non Stop Stables partnership and a hope to carry the torch of her dam in the years to follow.

Klaravich Stables' Fully Subscribed notched her second graded stakes score Dec. 7 in the $200,000 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, winning by 4 lengths over multiple graded stakes winner Quietside.

Hidden Lake Farm located near Stillwater, N.Y. announced the addition of Good Magic's leading money earner and grade 1-winning son Mixto to the farm’s stallion roster for 2026. He won the 2024 Pacific Classic (G1).

A brother to elite winner Funstar, a half brother to dual group 1 hero Streets Of Avalon, and foals out of top-tier winners Nettoyer, Snitzerland, and Hasahalo will be among the highlights of next year's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

W Heart Bond, a 4-year-old filly challenging older and more experienced males, prevailed by a desperate nose in the Champions Cup (G1) Dec. 7 on the Chukyo Racecourse dirt.

Cosmic Crusader broke a top-level drought for West Australian breeding legend Bob Peters and became a long-awaited third Australian elite-level winner for his sire Maurice in taking the Northerly Stakes (G1) at Ascot Dec. 6.

Hot-button issues such as decoupling and computer-assisted wagering will be in focus when the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program hosts the 2025 Global Symposium on Racing in Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 8-10.

Consequent, the second choice behind Bob Baffert-trained Nimah, defeated Cashed by a length in the Starlet Stakes (G2), a 1 1/16-mile race at Los Alamitos Race Course for 2-year-old fillies.

Karl Burke has pulled quite a few rabbits out of the hat down the years. However, turning a 12,000-guinea yearling into a €2.6 million filly in training surely rates a personal best, even by his lofty standards. 

Jockey Daisuke Fukumoto made a bold move aboard Hammerhead with 5 furlongs to go in the 1 1/2-mile Valedictory Stakes (G3) Dec. 6 at Woodbine and it paid off with a length victory over his rallying stablemate Jokestar.

The new owners of Bishops Bay received a quick dividend on their recent purchase in the $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2). In a few months' time, they'll find out if they struck gold.

On Dec. 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack, the promising juvenile Paladin took a major step toward fulfilling his connections' Kentucky Derby (G1) dreams by defeating Renegade and Balboa in the $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2).

Wathnan Racing’s Dark Trooper made a remarkable run from last to score in the final strides of the AED 1 million HH The President Cup at Abu Dhabi Turf Club Dec. 6.

Nearly eight months of racing inactivity proved no obstacle for Just Beat the Odds, who fired fresh to defeat Acoustic Ave and three other rivals in the $242,500 Elite Power Stakes (G3) Dec. 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack.