Thoroughbred Daily News

Edited Press Release

Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire})'s impressive victory in the GI Rogers Woodbine Mile highlighted a strong Turf Champions Day for Woodbine Entertainment.

Turf Champions Day featured three Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win and You're In” races.

An all-sources handle of $13,026,804 ranks the 2025 edition among the top-five Woodbine Mile day handles. The Woodbine Mile generated $2.1 million in wagering, a 23 percent increase from the 2024 race.

Among the other wagering highlights was a 64% increase in the GI Johnnie Walker Natalma S. ($1,688,101 vs 1,030,495), a 43% increase in handle for the GI bet365 Summer S. ($2,088,730 vs $1,455,862), and a record Pick-5 pool of $631,211.

“Turf Champions Day is one of the most important showcases of our world-class racing program, and this year's results reflect the strength and excitement of the product we are delivering in partnership with our racing community,” said Michael Copeland, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “From strong wagering and international participation to the success of our new global wagers, we are proud to see Woodbine firmly positioned on the international racing stage. I want to thank our horse racing community, fans, and customers whose support and passion continue to elevate this event and the sport of horse racing in Canada.”

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I met Stuart in 1994 when we worked together for Ben P. Walden Jr. at Vinery. Stuart was the broodmare manager, and I was selling seasons to the Vinery stallions. Stuart managed the 150-plus broodmare band which  encompassed multiple farms. Stuart was also a farrier; he trimmed all the broodmares which added another layer of responsibility. I quickly learned that Stuart was a tireless hard worker with these responsibilities.

Over the years I followed Stuart's professional journey to Watercress, Payson Stud and Taylor Made admiring his accomplishments along the way. Stuart was a mentor to a lot of our young people in our industry as we have read this week. He was also a mentor to someone older. I would call Stuart and get his opinion on a value of a broodmare or a stallion for a mating. He was always willing to help and gave great advice. He never asked for anything in return and was always your biggest cheerleader to succeed.

This fall, when Stuart started treatments for his illness, he did it his way. When he started the clinical trial at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, he approached it like he did everything in his life. He worked hard to gather all the information he could about the treatment so he would better understand what was before him. He was determined to beat the odds. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with Drew, Alexa and his two grandchildren whom he dearly loved. He never complained, he never said “Why me”, he just buckled down and went to work to beat the odds.

It was a sad day when I received the call from Josie telling me that Stuart had passed. I shed more than a few tears because I had lost a dear friend. Stuart touched a lot of lives and made an impact on our industry and life. To honor Stuart's legacy, we should take a page out of his handbook, mentor others, be respectful, smile, laugh, enjoy good food and life. Remember to live the day we are in as there is no guarantee for tomorrow.

I love you, brother.

The post Letter To The Editor: Stu Story #13 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Two yearlings owned by Ann Hayes, who suffered serious injuries when she was trampled by a horse last week, will sell in the final days of the Keeneland September Sale. Both are consigned by Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services. Hip 3492, from the first crop of Greatest Honour, is the first foal of the More Than Ready mare Willing, from the family of GISWs Constitution, Awesome Humor, and Surfer. The filly is in Barn 32 and sells Thursday. Hip 4593 is a filly by Flameaway out of Differentiate (Include), sells on the final day of the sale, Saturday, and will be in Barn 3.

Hayes, a longtime member of the Thoroughbred industry, suffered severe head trauma in the incident and is being cared for in the intensive care unit of the University of Kentucky medical center.

Amy Nave has started a fundraiser for Hayes on GoFundMe.com, which reads: “Her family has been by her side, day, and night, facing an extended period of recovery for Ann. The financial burden of ongoing medical bills, and the costs associated with her rehabilitation are significant and we are hoping to ease this stress, so Ann can focus on healing.

Ann's influence in the Thoroughbred Community is profound. She has raised and raced her own horses, worked for multiple farms and race tracks, and serves on boards, such as the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager's Club. She has been passionate about mentoring young people entering the horse industry through her work with Amplify, BCTC equine, Asbury, and Midway Colleges. For the past decade, she has been a vital part of WinStar Farm, where her compassion led her to the role of Employee Liaison. Ann personally welcomes every new employee and oversees the Stable Recovery program, always putting others first and making them feel valued.

Everyone who has met Ann has felt her deep love for people and horses. Now it's our turn to show how much we care for her. Her impact on our community cannot be overestimated and any support will help her and her family through this challenging time.”

Click here to see the fundraiser or to donate.

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Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 280 entries for its upcoming Saratoga Fall Mixed sale, the company announced Tuesday. The sale will run Tuesday, October 14 in Saratoga Springs, New York, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion.

“Saratoga Fall is New York's breeding stock sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There are nearly 230 weanlings catalogued, by top sires both nationally and within New York. There is also a quality group of broodmares in foal on attractive covers.”

The company noted that, beginning in 2026, New York-breds will race for equal purse money as open company horses on the NYRA circuit.

“With purse parity beginning next year, the New York-bred program will go from strength-to-strength,” noted Browning.  “New York-bred weanlings offered at Saratoga Fall will be eligible to compete for these higher purses when they reach the track as two-year-olds. The same applies to foals carried by mares catalogued in this sale. Now is the time to get involved in New York–the future is bright.”

The catalogue may now be viewed online and will also be available via the equineline sales catalogue app. Print catalogues will be available by September 18.

The post Fasig-Tipton Catalogues 280 Hips For Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

With figures continuing to surpass the 2024 standard at the Keeneland September Sale, a colt by Maclean's Music was the most fancied yearling of the day, bringing $500,000 from Alex and JoAnn Lieblong.

Offered as Hip 2263, the son of SW Athens Queen (Majestic Warrior) was consigned by Eaton Sales.

A trio of colts realized $475,000, including Hip 2235, by Gun Runner and Hip 2281, by Epicenter. Both yearlings were purchased by Pedro Lanz, acting on behalf of KAS Stables.

With five purchases for $1,345,000, Pedro Lanz, agent for KAS Stable, was Monday's leading buyer.

The third colt to bring that amount was Hip 2138, a son of Candy Ride (Arg) who was originally knocked down to trainer Kenny McPeek. Delta Squad Racing and BSW/Crow were added to the docket.

A pair of fillies brought $400,000 on the day–Hip 2266, a daughter of Good Magic out of Aunt Kat and Hip 2302, by Omaha Beach out of Carmel Beauty. The former was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, while the latter was offered by Hunter Valley Farm.

On Monday, Keeneland sold 279 yearlings through the ring for $30,107,000, up 19.31% from last year when 288 horses brought $25,234,000 at the seventh session. The average of $107,910 increased 23.16% over $87,618 in 2024. The median rose 7.14% from $70,000 to $75,000.

Cumulatively, 1,495 yearlings have sold through the ring for $447,729,000, an increase of 23.80% from $361,642,000 for 1,454 horses sold during the same period last year. The average of $299,484 is 20.41% higher than $248,722 in 2024, and the median rose 17.65% from $170,000 to $200,000.

The day's leading consignor was Gainesway, which sold 27 yearlings for $2,935,000.

The September Sale continues Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET and runs each day through Saturday for a total of 12 sessions.

McPeek Ramps Up in Book 4

Kenny McPeek picked up the baton on the third day of selling at Keeneland, however, the Kentucky horseman walked away with the most purchases to date in the Book 4 opener.

“We have had short-list horses that we've been after all week and just felt short budgeted. It seems that things finally came together today,” said McPeek. “Every day we've participating a little bit and a bit more as the sale goes.”

By the end of the day, McPeek signed for eight yearlings. His highest-priced purchase of the session was Hip 2138, a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) out of Screen Goddess (Giant's Causeway), a winning half-sister to GISW Star Billing (Dynaformer).

“He's probably the best Candy Ride I've ever seen presented at auction,” he said. “He had a lot of flow to him. He wasn't a big horse but he was very well made. He presented himself well and we figured we'd stick our neck out on him.”

Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale, the Mar. 13 foal, who was bred by George Krikorian, is from the family of GI Mother Goose winner Stellar Jayne and champion juvenile filly Just F Y I.

“I liked the bottom line and I felt like a lot of things fit,” he added.

After successfully outbidding agent Brad Weisbord on the colt, McPeek confirmed that the agent and partners will stay in for a piece of him.

“It's the first time we've worked together,” McPeek confirmed. “I actually bought him without a client, I liked him that much. I figured we'd put it together when we could.”

Also included among purchases his Monday, McPeek secured Hip 2097, a daughter of McKinzie, for $220,000. Consigned by Summerfield (Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck), the filly it out of Picolata (Bellamy Road).

“She's a filly that had a lot of leg to her. She reminded me a bit, conformationally, of [GISW] Take Charge Lady,” said McPeek in reference to the McPeek-trained MGISW and earner of over $2.4 million. “She looks like an [Kentucky] Oaks-type filly. She'll take a little more time, I don't see her sprinting a whole lot, but I think when she stretches out, she'll be tough.”

McPeek also signed for a pair of colts by Authentic (Hip 2287, $85,000 & Hip 2249, $45,000), in addition to a colt by Golden Pal (Hip 2257, $200,000). Monday's purchases were rounded out by Hip 2053, a colt by Essential Quality, purchased for $190,000, an Olympiad filly (Hip 2368) who brought $50,000 and a Nashville colt (Hip 2392) that went for $200,000 late in the session.

“I bought a Golden Pal earlier in the summer but I thought this one was really reminiscent of Curlin, who I bought as well,” he said. “That always excites me.”

McPeek purchased the eventual Horse of the Year and leading stallion for $57,000 at the 2005 renewal of the September sale.

A two-time Breeders' Cup winner, Golden Pal earned in excess of $1.8 million on the racetrack. The son of Uncle Mo stands at Coolmore America.

“I think Golden Pal is going to inject speed into the equation and I think the stud has been well represented.”

Through seven sessions, McPeek signed for a total of 17 yearlings, for a gross of $2,940,000, averaging $172,941.

“I have more middle and lower-market people, I've done that for a long time and I refuse to give those people up and I will continue to help them,” he said. “We've been plugging along and finding our niche. I am happy with what we've got so far. We still have a lot of work to do. We'll probably work all the way to the end.”

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The administrative law judge (ALJ) handling Phil Serpe's appeal to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stemming from a two-year suspension imposed by a Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) arbitrator over a contested clenbuterol positive case has upheld the sanctions imposed against the veteran trainer.

However, Jay Himes, the ALJ, also wrote in his Sept. 12 decision that he would “modify the award to add a $25,000 fine against Serpe,” even though the ALJ also ruled that, “I hold without merit Serpe's argument that he is entitled to a jury trial under the Seventh Amendment.”

The issue of a fine, which was not imposed by HIWU, is a central part of a nearly year-old federal lawsuit Serpe initiated last October against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the FTC.

Serpe's lawsuit is separate from the HIWU, HISA and FTC proceedings, although all of the adjudicatory proceedings are intertwined.

And even though the ALJ offered an opinion that Serpe's Seventh Amendment argument is “without merit,” that question has yet to be decided by the federal judge in charge of Serpe's lawsuit.

A key component of Serpe's renewed request for a preliminary injunction in his lawsuit is that HIWU and HISA did not pursue any monetary fine against him, which is a departure from how the agencies handled a dozen other clenbuterol detections since the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program (ADMC) went into effect in May 2023.

The 66-year-old trainer has claimed that the non-pursuit of a fine by HISA and HIWU is an alleged end-around by those agencies to stymie his efforts to prove in his lawsuit that he has been wrongfully denied a constitutional right to a jury trial.

Citing a United States Supreme Court case that previously ruled that a federal regulatory agency's enforcement for civil monetary penalties must be brought in a federal court, Serpe asserted in a July 15 legal filing in U.S. District Court (Southern District of Florida) that his Seventh Amendment rights are being violated by “gamesmanship” in the form of HISA and HIWU initially imposing a monetary penalty, but then withdrawing it when the case was eight months old and on the brink of going to arbitration.

Serpe alleged that this move “strategically” attempted to deprive him of federal-court jurisdiction over the facts of liability required for any sanction.

HISA, in an Aug. 15 legal filing, denied the allegations of gamesmanship, writing that Serpe “has completely turned this case on its head” by “begging for an additional penalty…”

The ALJ's 130-page ruling dated last Friday affirmed the anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) against Serpe, then went into detail about the circumstances surrounding the HIWU arbitrator's non-imposition of a fine.

“With Serpe's liability proven, I address next the matter of sanctions, specifically, whether the Arbitrator erred in failing to award a fine. I first consider the Authority's argument that Serpe is not aggrieved by the absence of a fine and, therefore, cannot complain of its omission in the sanctions award under review,” the ALJ wrote.

“HISA § 3058(b)(1) provides, in relevant part, that review by an FTC ALJ may be taken 'on application by…a person aggrieved by the civil sanction' that has been 'imposed by the Authority…' The Authority maintains, however, that HISA's review provision 'does not permit a Covered Person to challenge the absence of a sanction….'

“As the Authority puts it, '[t]he Arbitrator's decision not to impose a fine only benefitted' Serpe,” the ALJ wrote.

Phil Serpe | Sarah Andrew

“But the Authority's argument misses the forest for the trees. Serpe contends that, while HIWU initially sought a fine in charging him, after he objected that arbitration proceedings under HISA and the Rules violated his right to a jury trial under the Seventh Amendment, the Authority directed HIWU to drop its fine request with a view to mooting Serpe's Seventh Amendment objection,” the ALJ wrote.

“Having litigated to conclusion HIWU's presence charge against him before the Arbitrator, Serpe has been held liable for an ADRV and had sanctions imposed–actual injury resulting in a proceeding he contends violates his right to Seventh Amendment protection. Serpe's objection is not to the absence of fine in the sanctions award. He maintains that he was entitled to have his liability for the alleged presence ADRV resolved by a jury in an action governed by discovery rules less 'restrictive' [than] those available in a HIWU-prosecuted arbitration,” the ALJ wrote.

“While arguing here that, since no longer subject to a fine, Serpe has no Seventh Amendment objection capable of review, at the same time the Authority contends in the Federal Action that, '[b]ecause Plaintiff's Seventh Amendment claim depends on a fine that does not and will not exist, he cannot prevail on the merits…'

“So, according to the Authority, Serpe cannot have his Seventh Amendment claim heard either on this review or in his Federal Action. It's a catch-22,” the ALJ wrote.

“That cannot be right. HIWU itself argued in the arbitration that Serpe's constitutional argument is properly heard in this review proceeding: 'the ADMC Program and the de novo review process provide a forum in which Trainer Serpe can raise constitutional issues and have those issues addressed' [and] case law supports HIWU's position,” the ALJ wrote.

“As I discuss below, the Authority's gloss on de novo review in this proceeding is too narrow, and how HIWU came to withdraw its request for a fine matters,” the ALJ wrote.

“Suffice it to say at this point that, in my view the Authority and HIWU have sought to deprive Serpe of the opportunity to have his Seventh Amendment claim heard and resolved, and they also may well have induced Arbitrator error in this case,” the ALJ wrote.

“[Serpe] is, therefore, 'aggrieved' for purposes of this review,” the ALJ wrote.

“Equally important, there is something unseemly about the Authority's constitutional avoidance strategy, which would enable it to forego often minor monetary fines while continuing to expose those covered by HISA and the Rules to banishment from Thoroughbred horseracing for substantial periods of Ineligibility–here, two years for Serpe's first ADRV,” the ALJ wrote.

“As Serpe rhetorically asks in the Federal Action: 'Will Defendants run this set of plays every time a Covered Person is prosecuted under HISA and seeks to vindicate his Seventh Amendment right?'” the ALJ wrote.

“The Authority and HIWU's voluntary cessation of allegedly unconstitutional enforcement conduct 'does not make the case moot,'” the ALJ wrote. “If that avoidance strategy were permitted, the issue Serpe raises would be capable of repetition, yet evading review'–not only in federal court, but also in HISA review proceedings.

“Simply put, HIWU does not work for, nor is it subject to the direction or control of, the Authority the way an employee or even an independent contractor might be,” the ALJ wrote.

“Under HISA and the Rules, HIWU has a vital role in the national enforcement system that governs the horseracing industry, and that system's integrity calls for, and requires, preserving HIWU's independence from the Authority–except in the most exceptional of circumstances,” the ALJ wrote.

“Whatever the scope of those exceptions might be, intervening to direct HIWU's charging prerogative in an individual, ongoing enforcement proceeding–as the Authority did here–is not one of them,” the ALJ wrote.

“The conclusion is inescapable: The Authority intervened in HIWU's case in an attempt to avoid a resolution of Serpe's claimed constitutional violation, either by the Arbitrator or the District Court. The Authority's interference with HIWU's independent prosecutorial authority in this case is inconsistent with its statutory responsibility, under HISA itself, to 'provide for adequate due process' to those charged with ADMC Program violations,” the ALJ wrote.

“In executing the Authority's directive, HIWU became complicit in the Authority's wrongful conduct,” the ALJ wrote.

“Nonetheless, Congress intended HISA to rid Thoroughbred horseracing of the scourge of doping, and there is a public interest in effective enforcement of the statute and its implementing Rules. On the facts in this case, either: (1) a fine of some amount greater than $0 should have been awarded; or (2) an explanation for the decision to dispense with any fine at all was necessary,” the ALJ wrote.

“The Arbitrator, however, offered no explanation, and nothing extraordinary is suggested that could account for the omission,” the ALJ wrote.

“The Arbitrator's failure to explain his decision to omit any fine 'is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts found' and thus 'a clear error of judgment,'” the ALJ wrote.

On Monday, a HISA spokesperson declined to comment on the ALJ's decision. Serpe's legal team could not be reached for comment.

Serpe's suspension stems from a clenbuterol positive detected in the urine (but not blood) samples taken from his trainee, Fast Kimmie (Oscar Performance), after her Aug. 10, 2024 victory in a $30,000 claiming race at Saratoga Race Course.

Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the management of horses with airway obstruction. Clenbuterol cannot be administered to any HISA “covered horse” other than in the context of a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship in accordance with the conditions set forth in ADMC rules.

Clenbuterol is classified as a “banned” substance by the ADMC, meaning it is never to be present in any HISA-regulated Thoroughbred.

In the 1990s and 2000s decades, clenbuterol first started being regulated by American racing commissions because of its propensity for abuse as a drug known to mimic the muscle-building properties of anabolic steroids.

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Horse racing can pat itself on its back for the progress that has been made concerning horses sent to slaughter. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, horses are an amenable species, which means that horse meat cannot be shipped or sold for human consumption without inspection. With the government declining to foot the bill for inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration, every slaughter facility in the U.S. was forced to close.

Tremendous strides have also been made when it comes to aftercare. There are dozens of wonderful charities out there taking care of thousands of retirees. Several racetracks have instituted their own non-profit programs where trainers and owners can turn their horses over to on-track workers who guarantee they will find the retiree a safe home. The gold standard for this is Parx's Turning For Home program, which has taken in 4,600 horses since its inception in 2008.

But the job is not done.

Horses are still being slaughtered because it is legal to ship them to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. That's where the Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act comes in. The bill would prohibit not only slaughter in the U.S. permanently but would also make it illegal to export horses to Canada and Mexico for the purpose of slaughter. Passage of the SAFE Act would slam the door on this ugly part of the horse industry. With no pipeline available to Mexico and Canada, someone wanting to sell a horse for slaughter would have no practical outlet to do so.

It's not that our elected officials are against the SAFE Act. Very few are. It's that the bill continues to get buried in the quagmire that is our federal government. Chris Heyde is the founder of Blue Marble Strategy and is a Washington, D.C. lobbyist who has dedicated his career to animal welfare issues. On a recent TDN Writers' Room Podcast, he said the bill has made strides in the House of Representatives but can't get any traction in the Senate.

“We've passed it out of the House of Representatives several times,” Heyde said. “Even in the last Congress, we moved it out of there. It's a matter of getting all the parts lined up to get it out of the House and get it out of the Senate. The Senate was set up to be a lot slower. It's where things get bogged down. They are far more deliberate.”

Yet, Heyde, who has been working on animal welfare issues for 25 years, knows all too well how most things get done in D.C.:  money, access and influence. That's what works. The problem is, Heyde doesn't have much money and he admits he doesn't have the kind of clout you need to get congressmen and senators to grant you an audience and listen to what you have to say.

“Anytime I ever talk or write articles, I mention an old Thoroughbred owner, John Hettinger,” Heyde said. “He could pick up the phone and he would get members of Congress on the phone or he would get other major business leaders to get on the phone and tell them that this is a priority. And that's really what we need. We really haven't kind of had that leadership since John passed away.”

Hettinger died in 2008. Heyde is waiting for the next Hettinger to come around. There are obviously others in the racing industry that are well connected enough and wealthy enough to get this done and care about the well-being of all horses.

Surely, someone among the major breeders in Kentucky can sit down and talk with Mitch McConnell. HISA never would have passed without him. McConnell announced in February 2025 that he will retire and not seek re-election in 2026. His successor is likely to be Congressman Andy Barr, who has always been a friend to the racing industry. Do you have access to him? If yes, pick up the phone and ask for a meeting. It doesn't have to be McConnell or Barr and the responsibility to do this shouldn't rest solely with the Kentucky breeding industry. Do you have influence with any senator and congressmen? Then pick up the phone.

Look at what Mike Repole accomplished earlier this year getting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to come out against decoupling in Florida. According to campaign finance records filed in July 2025, the billionaire businessman contributed $300,000 to DeSantis's state political committee, the Freedom Fund.

Because he is a governor and not a senator or congressman, there is little that DeSantis can do. But the DeSantis-Repole relationship is a prime example of what can get done when someone with clout and a lot of money desires to make a change.

“There are politicians that will listen to business owners and business leaders,” Heyde said. “That's really what we need because this isn't good for the racing industry. We've always tried to get that point across. I would say that 99% don't want this happening to their horses, but they've got to speak up and make that contact. So that's what we're really trying to do, to get top-tier business leaders to join us.”

There have to be dozens of wealthy horse owners who know influential politicians who will hear what they have to say. Pick up the phone.

Heyde admits that the SAFE Act would never go anywhere if presented as a stand-alone bill. So efforts have been made to include it in the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is a comprehensive omnibus bill that is the primary agricultural and food policy instrument of the federal government. The 2018 Farm Bill permanently outlawed the slaughtering, trading, and transport of dogs and cats for human consumption in the U.S. All it would take is to add the word “horse” to the bill's language covering cats and dogs.

Heyde admits he can't get this done by himself. But if enough racing people who are power brokers step up, the SAFE Act can become a law and slaughter will end.

Want to help? You can contact Heyde at cheyde@bluemarblestrategy.com.

The post Op/Ed: The Industry Needs to Step Up and Help Pass the SAFE Act appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

C R K Stable and Grandview Equine's Baeza (McKinzie), third to Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes and a latest second to the divisional leader in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes, and Gosger (Nyquist), runner-up to Journalism (Curlin) in the GI Preakness Stakes and when last seen in the GI Haskell Invitational Stakes in mid-July, drew gates eight and nine, respectively, in a field of 10 for Saturday's $1-million GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing north and east of Central Philadelphia.

The human connections of Baeza, the half-brother to the Classic-winning full-brothers Mage (Good Magic) and Dornoch, eschewed another trip back east for the GI DraftKings Travers in favor of the Pennsylvania Derby and the son of former 'TDN Rising Star' Puca (Big Brown) has registered no fewer than five breezes in Southern California since the Jim Dandy, including a six-furlong move at Santa Anita on Sept. 12 that was clocked in a race-like 1:11.60. Hector Berrios has the call for trainer John Shirreffs.

Only a pair of improbable finishes from Journalism consigned GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes hero Gosger to the bottom of the exacta at Pimlico and again at the Jersey Shore two months ago. Since returning to trainer Brendan Walsh's Churchill base, the homebred has gotten in a half-dozen drills, most recently working a bullet five-eighths (1/40) in :59.60 on Sept. 12. Luis Saez is at the controls.

Magnitude (Not This Time) upset the GII Risen Star Stakes in stunning fashion and was equally impressive in winning the Iowa Derby off an injury-enforced absence, but was beaten a country mile into third in the Jim Dandy after setting a fairly easy pace. Ben Curtis is back aboard.

Fringe players include 'TDN Rising Star' Goal Oriented (Not This Time), fourth in the Preakness and three-parts of a length behind Journalism in third in the Haskell; GIII Ohio Derby hero Mo Plex (Complexity), subsequently fourth in the Jim Dandy; and 'Rising Star' Big Truzz (Justify), a romping seven-length winner of the Ellis Park Derby Aug. 10.

PA Derby
1. So Sandy
2. Altobelli
3. Magnitude
4. David of Athens
5. Happily Delusional
6. Goal Oriented
7. Big Truzz
8. Baeza
9. Gosger
10. Mo Plex

— John DaSilva (@JohnDaSilva) September 15, 2025

The co-featured $1-million GI Cotillion Stakes has no future Horse of the Year in the mix–Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) gutted it out in 2024–but the 8 1/2-furlong test pulls together three previous winners at Grade I level.

Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) ran the table in five starts last term and took the GI Kentucky Oaks second off the layoff May 2. La Cara (Street Sense) frolicked in the Saratoga slop, relegating Good Cheer to fifth and handing her the first loss of her career in the GI Acorn Stakes June 8 and she was a sound second in the GI Alabama Stakes last time, with La Cara only fourth to stablemate Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro). Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) gave her sire a sweep of the one-mile Grade I features for the juvenile set at Aqueduct last October in the Frizette Stakes and has been a slower burn this year, but exits a monstrous 15 1/2-length romp over champion Immersive (Nyquist) in the GI CCA Oaks on July 19.

Saturday's marquee day of racing at Parx also includes the GII Gallant Bob Stakes, the marathon GIII Greenwood Cup Stakes and three stakes at listed level.

Cotillion
1. Scottish Lassie
2. La Cara
3. Clicquot
4. Indy Bay
5. Not Too LAte
6. Ourdaydrraminggirl
7. Good Cheer
8. Dry Powder

— John DaSilva (@JohnDaSilva) September 15, 2025

The post Classic-Placed Baeza, Gosger Drawn Side By Side In Pennsylvania Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Stu wore so many hats. He was a friend, employee, colleague to so many people. But I was the only one that got to call him my father-in-law. I will forever be grateful to share the same last name with someone that was so loved by his community. I will continue to be proud and carry our last name with honor.

He also earned a new title as Grandpapa Stuburger in the last year. It does tear my heart knowing our current children or future children will not grow up knowing him, but I will cherish the memories they have made!

Stu was always there to cheer Drew and I on. Whether it was about our marriage and foster journey, or just about the meal we were cooking him. He was our biggest fan.

Some of my favorite memories with Stu were when he would come up to Cincinnati and we would go brewery hopping. Cincinnati has some really cool spots. This last winter we were lucky enough to travel to Bermuda. While the food wasn't the most impressive, we did go to The Hog Penny, and had the most satisfying dinner. We played multiple rounds of golf and just enjoyed the beautiful island. I am so glad we were able to celebrate Stu and Drew's 60/30 birthday year!

I hope Drew and I can carry on his legacy in everything we do. I thank God he allowed me to be Stu's daughter-in-law. —Alexa Angus

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Jim Edgar, a moderate Republican who served two terms as the Governor of Illinois and a successful owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds in the Midwest, passed away on Sept. 14 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 79 years old.

Appointed to the position of Illinois Secretary of State in 1981, Edgar was responsible for helping to toughen drunk driving penalties in the state and was also instrumental in successfully leading a legislative battle to mandate car insurance for Illinois motorists. Edgar was elected to his first term as governor in 1990 and won re-election four years later, winning all but one of Illinois's 102 counties, including Cook County (Chicago), historically dominated by the Democrats.

According to Equibase statistics, Edgar began racing horses in 2003 and in 2005, won the Governor's Lady Handicap with the Tom Dorris-trained Illinois-bred mare Fighting Fever, which Edgar bred with Don Smith. As recently as this past July, Edgar was represented by the 3-year-old Indiana-bred filly Temple Paynter (Paynter), winner of the Indiana First Lady Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis for trainer Robert E. Dobbs, Jr. Over the course of his career, his horses amassed a record of 144-183-196 from 1,317 starters for earnings of $3,300,162.

This past February, Edgar revealed he was fighting pancreatic cancer.

“I've told many people I want to stay around,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I've got a few things I want to do and see. I want to see great-grandchildren. I kind of like to see my horses do a little better than they've done. So I've got a lot to hold out for. But to be very truthful, if it ended tomorrow, I've had a great life.”

Current Illinois Democratic Governor J. B. Pritzker paid tribute to Edgar, telling the suburban Chicago Daily Herald: “I was lucky enough to consider him a friend and mentor and have found myself drawing from his words of wisdom on countless occasions. His commitment to reaching across the aisle in service of the people of Illinois undeniably made our state better.

“Now more than ever, we should channel that spirit and resolve to live as Gov. Edgar did: with honesty, integrity, and an enduring respect for all.”

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Celebrating its 30th year, the Horse Farm Workers' Educational Assistance Fund has awarded 26 scholarships for 2025-26 to children of full-time horse farm workers in Central Kentucky. Some 808 annual scholarships have been awarded since the inception of the program, totaling $1,718,470. The Fund was founded by Rob Whiteley of Liberation Farm, Tom Evans of Trackside Farm and Fred Seitz of Brookdale Farm.

Scholarships are granted for education or skill training after high school and are based upon financial need, merit, biographical essays and personal interviews. Scholarships are also available for full-time horse farm workers in central Kentucky who wish to take equine related training or courses to help them be more knowledgeable and effective while working with Thoroughbred horses.

Six Horse Farm scholarship recipients have additionally distinguished themselves for academic achievement as Pollard Scholars at the University of Kentucky.

“In pursuit of their dreams, many of our scholars work 20 or more hours per week at one or two jobs while carrying a full course load,” said Evans, the president of the Fund. “Our main goal is to award enough money so that they can focus on their studies and make school their number one priority without incurring a huge burden of long-term student loan debt.”

He continued: “Investing in these young people is also an investment in the industry. Many of our scholars after successfully completing their studies have returned to pursue careers in the Thoroughbred industry. Several have already distinguished themselves (including a Director of Racing at a major North American track). Many who have chosen careers outside the industry have made their mark as professionals in nursing, education, social work, theology, and business.”

Qualifying parents of scholars have been employed full-time for at least 3 years by one of the following Central Kentucky Thoroughbred farms: Benson Farm, Betz Thoroughbreds, Fallbrook Farm, Gainesway Farm (2), Godolphin @ Gainsborough (2), Godolphin @ Jonabell (2), Godolphin @ Raceland, Hermitage Farm (5), Monticule Farm, Mt. Brilliant Farm, Runnymede Farm, Shadwell Farm, Shawhan Place Farm, Spendthrift Farm (2), Winchester Place Thoroughbreds and WinStar Farm (3).

“Our horse farm scholars and parents are an industry treasure,” said Whiteley. “Farm workers are the backbone of the breeding industry and therefore the foundation of the entire Thoroughbred industry. The parents of these scholars have instilled an incredible work ethic in their children. Year after year, these outstanding young people impress the Board with their ability, motivation, energy, enthusiasm, and accomplishments. Quite a few of our scholars are the first in their families to pursue education beyond high school, and some could not do so without our financial assistance.”

Click here for additional information or to make a donation to the Fund.

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Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie–Bernadreamy, by Bernardini), a dual Grade I winner at two, is expected to make the final start of his career in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile before entering stud in 2026 at Eric and Tamara Gustavson's Spendthrift Farm.

“We are excited about Chancer McPatrick,” said Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey. “We've had good luck with precocious Grade I winners from the first crop of emerging sires–of course, that was the formula with Into Mischief when he came to stud.

“It takes a pretty special 2-year-old to win on debut at Saratoga, win a race like the Hopeful in the second start, and win another storied race like the Champagne in the third start. Chancer McPatrick is also a tremendous physical, and we believe breeders are really going to like what they see on the end of the shank.”

Bred in Kentucky by Rigney Racing LLC, the bay colt was sold for $260,000 through the Denali Stud consignment at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton July Sale and made for a successful resale when hammering to John Kimmel and Nick Sallusto, agents for Flanagan Racing, for $725,000 at last year's OBS April Sale.

Turned over to Chad Brown, Chancer McPatrick was favored on Saratoga debut and found himself well back early on before unleashing a furious stretch rally to score by a length, earning 'TDN Rising Star' honors. After brushing the gate and having Flavien Prat lose an iron at the start of the Hopeful, Chancer McPatrick finished full of run to prevail by a half-length and he validated 1-2 favoritism in the Champagne, drawing clear to win by daylight. He joined the likes of Practical Joke and Jackie's Warrior as horses to win both of the New York circuit's major juvenile Grade I contests.

Runner-up on seasonal debut in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby this past March, Chancer McPatrick won the July 24 Curlin Stakes ahead of a wide-trip fourth when last seen in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes on Aug. 23.

“Chancer McPatrick showed tremendous ability from the first time I worked him as a 2-year-old,” said Brown. “He won both the Hopeful and Champagne which is extremely difficult to do. The only other horse I was fortunate enough to do that with was Practical Joke, so that's pretty good company. Chancer McPatrick is a very correct, athletic colt with a lovely temperament. I thought he ran super last time out in the Jerkens, he just needed a little bit further. He's doing well and we're going to train him up to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.”

Bred on a similar cross to Grade I winner and promising young sire Maxfield, dual Grade I winner La Cara and fellow GISW Speaker's Corner, Chancer McPatrick counts GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes heroine and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Dream Empress (Bernstein) as his second dam. He has amassed a record of 4-1-0 from nine starts and earnings to date of $727,875. A stud fee will be set at a later date.

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LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland September Yearling Sale rushed to the conclusion of Book 3 with demand remaining strong right through to the end of its sixth session Sunday evening. Through both Book 3 sessions, 563 yearlings sold through the ring for a total of $109,983,000. The section's average of $201,804 rose 26.5% from last year and the median rose 23.1% to $160,000.

During last year's Book 3 section, 526 horses sold through the ring for a gross of $83,880,000 for an average of $159,468 and a median of $130,000.

Through six sessions, 1,216 horses have sold for $417,622,000 with the cumulative gross exceeding the total of $411 million in through-the-ring sales for the entire 12-day auction last year.

The cumulative average is $343,439–up 19.04% from the same point a year ago–and the median is up 19.05% to $250,000. The buy-back rate stands at 26.30%. It was 28.51% a year ago.

“It's unbelievable,” bloodstock agent Jacob West said of the market this week at Keeneland. “It's so many factors that have come together in so many ways. I am just happy for the breeders. I know how hard it is to get to this point. If they raise a good horse, they deserve to get paid.”

Bloodstock agent Pete Bradley said the results from Keeneland through Book 3 have reminded him of a bygone era.

“Between tax laws and everything else, there is more money flowing around here than I've seen since I was a pup in the Northern Dancer days,” Bradley said. “Good horses are just hard to buy.”

A pair of colts by Not This Time brought the session's top prices, with Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables teaming to purchase a son of the stallion for $875,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment and bloodstock agent Pete Bradley going to $775,000 for a colt from the Dixiana Farms consignment. The stallion was also responsible for the co-highest priced filly of Sunday's session when Justin Casse purchased a filly from the Burleson Farms consignment for $600,000 late in the day.

The Keeneland September sale continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Mike Repole's Repole Stable and Vinnie Viola's St. Elias partnered up on 74 yearlings over two years to be the leading buyers at the 2021 and 2022 Keeneland September sales, but their names didn't appear together on the result sheets in 2023 or 2024. The two men have teamed up again to purchase a pair of yearlings at the Keeneland September sale this week. After going to $1 million to acquire a colt by Nyquist (hip 266) Tuesday, the Repole/St. Elias partnership purchased a colt by Not This Time (hip 1762) for a session-topping $875,000 during Sunday's sixth session of the auction.

“This colt was a big, good-looking horse who was well spotted in Book 3,” said Repole advisor Jacob West, who signed the ticket while seated alongside Viola's representative Monique Delk. “He was a horse who stood out to both of our teams. I think it's the same old play book. Mike and Vinnie are looking for two-turn, Classic-type horses. And Not This Time has proven that–it looks like they appreciate a little bit of ground. And we've both had luck with the stallion.”

The colt was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of his breeder, Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Equine. He is out of the unraced Sweetened (Candy Ride {Arg}), who is a full-sister to graded winner Confidence Game. The yearling's third dam is Vertigineux (Kris S.), who produced champion Zenyatta.

The demand for yearlings by Not This Time continued unabated during the second Book 3 session Sunday at Keeneland. Early in the session, bloodstock agent Pete Bradley purchased a son of the Taylor Made stallion (hip 1619) for $775,000.

Pete Bradley | Keeneland

“Not This Time has been almost unaffordable all week long,” Bradley said after signing the ticket on the yearling who was bred and consigned by Dixiana Farms. “This was a very nice colt. I stretched for him, but that's what you have to do to find a nice horse in this day and age.”

Bradley said the colt would be trained by Chad Brown.

“It's a group that is looking to find colts that could make stallion prospects,” he said of his clients.

Bradley, acknowledging there are many such buying groups shopping for those colts with stallion potential, said it has been tough going buying at Keeneland this week.

“For the group I bought this colt for, I struck out on probably 10 horses,” he said. “I have been trying to buy them in the $500,000 range. And I've been close on a couple, but again you have to push to get the horse who looks to be a serious athlete.”

The colt is out of multiple stakes-placed Luzmimi Princess (Malibu Moon), who is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Heartwood (Tapit).

Dixiana purchased Luzmimi Princess, in foal to American Pharoah, for $375,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. Her Twirling Candy filly sold for $575,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September sale.

NOTHING BUT NET

Virgnia breeder Amy Moore of South Gate Farm purchased multiple stakes winner Shea D Summer (Summer Front), in foal to Not This Time, for $260,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November sale. The mare's first foal, It's Our Time, sold for $425,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale before airing by 17 1/4 lengths while earning 'TDN Rising Star' status in his Aug. 16 debut at Saratoga for Double Down Horse Racing and trainer Tom Amoss

A daughter of Bolt d'Oro led all fillies at Keeneland Sunday with a $600,000 final bid | Keeneland

The mare's second foal, a filly by Bolt d'Oro (hip 1722), continued to reap rewards for Moore when selling for $600,000 to Susan Naylor Sunday at Keeneland.

“Shea D Summer met all my criteria,” Moore told TDN's Chris McGrath earlier in this month. “Number one, for me, a mare has to have raced successfully. I know a lot of people do have success with unraced mares, but a small program like mine can't be discovering whether or not they'd have had ability if only they'd been sound. She was versatile, too. She won on a fast dirt track and on a wet dirt track. She finished second on turf. And she was a young, attractive mare.”

Moore told McGrath she saw similarities in the mares first two foals.

“She's a very nice filly,” Moore said of hip 1722. “She looks a good bit like him. On the smaller side, just as he was, so someone's got to be willing not to insist on a 16-hand yearling. But she has that same temperament, too, which I think stands them in good stead.”

Shea D Summer has a weanling by Forte, the champion 2-year-old colt of 2022 who was bred by Moore's South Gate Farm, and the mare was bred back to Muth.

The post Demand Remains Strong as Book 3 Concludes with $875K Not This Time Colt on Top appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Monmouth Park registered records for this season's NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes and Mother's Day card during the 49-day meet, the track's 80th season, which concluded on Sunday.

The crowd of 41,876 for the $1-million, Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell on July 19 was the largest since 2015 and produced a record total handle for a non-Breeders' Cup event of $21,999,962. It marked the third straight year that a total handle record was set on Haskell Day.

The May 11 crowd of 14,687 also set a record for Mother's Day.

Those two days contributed to a slight increase in attendance, with a daily average of 6,650 compared to 6,510 in 2024.

“We're grateful to our fans who continue to make Monmouth Park a summer destination,” said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development, the operator of the racetrack. “Our goal is and always will be to make Monmouth Park a premier racing and entertainment venue. With that in mind, tomorrow the work begins anew as we look to 2026 and beyond.”

The meet saw Paco Lopez, who currently leads the nation in wins, capture his 12th riding title overall and record seventh straight. Prancing Horse Farm (Joe and Gayle Ioia) emerged as the leading owner, Jorge Delgado was the leading trainer and Christian Maragh was the leading apprentice.

Average total handle was $3,641,403. Average on-track handle was $341,340.

Prior to this year, Monmouth Park had four straight years of increases in total and on-track handle.

With one day cancelled due to weather, Monmouth Park conducted 454 races, down from 488 in 2024.

Thoroughbred racing resumes Friday with the start of the nine-day all-turf Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet that runs through Oct. 17. First race post time for the six-race cards is 7 p.m.

The post Record-Setting Haskell Day, Uptick in Attendance as Monmouth Closes Out 2025 Racing Season appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

8th-Churchill Downs, $130,041, Alw (NW2X)/Opt. Clm ($125,000), 9-14, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.85, gd, 4 lengths.
GUNS LOADED (c, 3, Gun Runner–Sky My Sky {GSP-Can, GSP-USA, $204,011}, by Bernardini) debuted at the Spa during his juvenile year and overcame a stumble at the start to finish as the runner-up. Shipping to Louisville in mid-November, the colt posted an 88 Beyer and broke his maiden by 2 3/4 lengths, which resulted in him earning a 'TDN Rising Star' badge.

Guns Loaded was then seen winning the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park in early January by a neck. Well-beaten in his next pair of starts in Hallandale–the GIII Holy Bull Stakes Feb. 1 & the Hutcheson Stakes Mar. 15–the dark bay was given a break.

Returning to the racetrack under the Twin Spires as a 9-2 shot here, Guns Loaded was forced to check hard shortly after the bell which stymied his momentum as a longshot got loose on the engine. Following the lead of favorite Kalahari Dreams (Country House), who was mounting a charge to the outside around the far turn, the 'Rising Star' followed suit and was firing a big shot beginning at the top of the lane. The Jose D'Angelo trainee took over at the sixteenth pole and went on to clear the condition by four lengths over the chalk.

A $450,000 buy for Up Up & Away Stables during the 2015 OBS Spring 2-Year-Old sale, the winner's dam is responsible for unraced 2-year-old colt Rockin N Roastin (Curlin), a yearling filly by Gun Runner and a weanling colt by Flameaway. She was bred to Nyquist for next spring. The winner's second dam is a full-sister to French multiple Group 1 winner Nebraska Tornado. Sales History: $800,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SW, 6-3-1-0, $262,878. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Morplay Racing LLC, Joey Platts and Lady Sheila Stable; B-John C. Oxley (KY); T-Jose Francisco D'Angelo.

GUNS LOADED ($11.98) sling shot by them all to claim the 8th at @ChurchillDowns. @JFDAngelo had him ready to fire. @flothejock had the call for owners @MorplayRacing, @Lady__Sheila, and Joey Platts.

Another winner for @Three_Chimneys' Gun Runner! Nice Pick by @andie_biancone. pic.twitter.com/D97ETh8VN9

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) September 14, 2025

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Kim Weir, the Director of Strategic Growth for Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga, and an active volunteer with the Chaplaincy, has been named the inaugural Nancy Kelly Volunteer Award winner, according to a New York Race Track Chaplaincy release Sunday.

The award will be presented annually to a person or people for outstanding volunteer efforts in support of the organization.

Weir will be honored at a luncheon at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY on Nov. 11. The master of ceremonies will be longtime NYRA announcer Tom Durkin.

Kelly, a longtime volunteer and supporter of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, served as president and vice president of the NY Chaplaincy after retiring from her long and distinguished career with The Jockey Club. Nancy passed away after a long illness on Feb. 9, 2024.

“As she did with every aspect of her life, Nancy Kelly set the gold standard for volunteerism at the Chaplaincy and we felt that this was an appropriate way to honor her memory and her legacy,” said Humberto Chávez, the executive director and lead chaplain of the NYRTCA.

Of the initial winner, Chavez said, “Kim Weir is deeply involved with numerous other racing community activities but always finds time to help us in an extraordinary manner and this award recognizes that commitment.”

A native of San Diego, with degrees from the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary, Weir previously served as the director of donor engagement for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.

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LEXINGTON, KY — The Keeneland September Yearling Sale marched into Book 3 Saturday with no signs of slackening of its torrid pace as the auction's fifth session continued to produce double-digit gains over last year's figures. During the opening Book 3 session, 278 yearlings sold for $61,799,000. The session average was $222,299–up 26.69% from last year's corresponding figure–and the median of $300,000 was up 20%. The buy-back rate ticked down to 26.43% from 28.62% a year ago.

“Today marks the fifth consecutive session in which we've set a record, an achievement that speaks volumes about the strength of Keeneland as the global marketplace,” said Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “The sustained momentum we've seen each day reflects both the exceptional quality of horses on offer and the depth of this sale.”

For the first time in its history, the auction's fifth session produced three million-dollar yearlings. A colt by Into Mischief led the session when selling for $2 million–the highest-priced horse of any fifth session of the auction–to the bid of Justin Casse, acting on behalf of the partnership of Coolmore, White Birch Farm, and John Oxley. One horse brought seven figures at the auction's fifth session in 2019 and two reached that mark in 2011. Through five sessions, a record-extending 56 yearlings have sold for $1 million or more. The previous record was 40 set in 2005.

Casse admitted that, before seeing the results from earlier in the sale, he might have been surprised to still being paying million-dollar prices into Book 3.

“Probably a week ago, I would have said absolutely I'm surprised,” Casse said. “But not given the way the last few days have gone.”

Casse continued, “Basically, Book 2 was like Book 1 of five years ago. I don't know if Book 3 is going to be like Book 2 was five years ago, but it's almost like Book 1 was in a whole other stratosphere from what we have seen in the past. And then the other books have shifted up as far as the value and the statistics of what horses are bringing.”

Taylor Made Sales Agency sold one of two yearlings by Not This Time to bring seven figures Saturday.

Asked if he had expected to see the million-dollar parade that started in Books 1 and 2 continue into Book 3, Taylor Made's Frank Taylor said, “I am a little surprised, but man, this market is strong. I thought it was going to be a really good sale after Saratoga, but I didn't know if that Saratoga magic was going to carry to here. It certainly did.”

The table for Book 3's success was laid with the competitive market in Books 1 and 2 and Lacy looks for the auction's momentum to continue on as a new buying bench arrives to compete with buyers who got shut out earlier in the sale.

“We're fortunate to have some of the most astute judges of Thoroughbreds in the world here,” Lacy said. “One thing that really stands out is how many major players are still on the grounds and active. There's been a convergence of new participants arriving with those who were here in the early books and remain determined to secure horses. The competition is still incredibly strong, and it's been exciting to watch so many engaged buyers driving the market forward. The energy that defined the opening books has carried over through each session. What we're experiencing here is truly extraordinary.”

The Keeneland September sale continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Into Mischief, who by his lofty standards had been fairly quiet during the first week of the Keeneland September sale, made his presence felt in a big way early in Saturday's fifth session of the auction when Justin Casse, bidding on behalf of Coolmore, White Birch Farm, and John Oxley went to $2 million to acquire a son of the Spendthrift stallion (hip 1197). The yearling was consigned by Gainesway and was bred by that farm and Al'Shira'aa Racing.

“The sire, the pedigree, the individual,” Casse ticked off the yearling's appeal. “I think he easily could have been in any of the last two books and he just ended up in this day and he was a real standout. He's a beautiful physical with a lot of scope. And he is obviously by a sire of sires who can do no wrong.”

Hip 1197 | Keeneland photo

The yearling is out of Miss Jessica J (Empire Maker), who matched her son's price tag with a $2-million price tag of her own when purchased by Al Shira'aa Racing at the 2019 Keeneland September sale. The mare, who never made it to the races, is a half-sister to champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) and multiple stakes winner Danzatrice (Dunkirk), who produced GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner Tapit Trice (Tapit).

Miss Jessica J's first foal, Abdul (Tapit), sold for $350,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale and was flying late when second while making her debut in the My Dear Stakes for trainer Mark Casse and owner D. J. Stable in July.

Hip 1197 was the sixth million-dollar yearling by Into Mischief at this year's Keeneland September sale. He was the 14th to reach that threshold from the Gainesway consignment.

Not This Time added a pair of seven-figure yearlings to his tally Saturday, bringing his total at Keeneland this week to 14. A son of the Taylor Made stallion (hip 1426) bred by Three Chimneys Farm and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency sold for $1.4 million to Douglas Scharbauer. The colt was initially led out of the ring unsold at $1.6 million before selling after leaving the ring.

“He had a great walk to him and a great mind,” said Taylor Made's Frank Taylor. “We knew he was going to bring a lot money. He got vetted over 25 times.”

The colt is the first foal out of stakes winner Bella Runner (Gun Runner), who is a daughter of multiple Grade I winner Love and Pride (A.P. Indy).

Later in the session, Bridlewood Farm's George Isaacs, standing out back alongside Eclipse Thoroughbred Partner's Aron Wellman, signed the ticket on a colt by Not This Time (hip 1517) for $1.15 million on behalf of the partnership of Eclipse, Bridlewood, LaPenta, and Warren.

The yearling is out of Flash Magic (Pioneerof the Nile), a half-sister to champion Good Magic (Curlin). He was consigned by Summerfield on behalf of his breeder, Barbara Banke's Stonestreet.

“Not This Time is a great stallion and the mare is a winner with an exceptional pedigree,” Isaacs said. “Good Magic is in the second dam. So he certainly has a stallion's pedigree in the making. We just need to get lucky and put a G-1 next to his name and we will be in good shape.”

Eclipse and Bridlewood, in various partnerships, have teamed to buy 19 yearlings at Keeneland this week for a total of $8,710,000. The two operations are among the co-owners of multiple Grade I winner Journalism (Curlin), who won this year's GI Santa Anita Derby, GI Preakness Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes and was second in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes.

“We are trying to buy very high-end colts and take them to the American Classics,” Isaacs said. “When we partner like this, it gives us more buying power.”

Through five sessions, Not This Time has had 50 yearlings sell for an average of $721,400 and a median of $612,500.

Isaacs sees Not This Time carrying on the tradition of his champion sire, Giant's Causeway.

“Giant's Causeway was an exceptional sire and has become an exceptional broodmare sire,” Isaacs said. “And it looks like Not This Time is well on his way to being a very important pre-eminent sire in this country. It's really cool to see that that sire line is going on. I think the market reflects that any colt or filly by Not This Time that looks the part, the breeders are being well rewarded. And those of us that are buying to race, we want them.”

Boerne (Fed Biz) took owners Aldo and Kelley De Luca on a memorable ride, starting when they purchased her for just $10,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton October sale. The filly became their first stakes winner in 2020 and went on to win stakes races at three, four and five–on dirt and turf–and was named Texas champion 3-year-old filly. The couple declined all offers to purchase the dark bay mare and chose instead to add her to their young Florida-based broodmare band. They will be hoping that decision proves fruitful when they send the mare's first foal, a son of McKinzie (hip 2286), through the ring as part of the Gainesway consignment at Keeneland Monday.

“We had so many offers to buy her when she had finished her racing career, but I am into breeding in Florida,” Aldo De Luca said. “I turned down several good offers because, if I need to buy a momma like her, I'd need to bring at least $200,000 or $300,000 to the table. So, I said, 'no'.”

The De Lucas have been breeding Thoroughbreds in Florida for seven years now and have nine broodmares, but after deciding to keep Boerne, they also made the decision to ship her North to begin her breeding career.

“It would have been convenient to keep her in Florida, if you look at the breeders awards and everything,” De Luca said. “But on the other side of that, I knew I needed to try to play in the big leagues with her and keep her up North. So we brought Boerne to Kentucky.”

De Luca had originally thought of breeding the mare to Gainesway's Karakontie (Jpn), but eventually settled on McKinzie, who was proving popular in the sales ring and successful on the racetrack.

“McKinzie was a lot more expensive, but I decided it was once in a lifetime that you have such a good mother,” De Luca said. “We decided to go play in the big leagues.”

Heading into Monday's sale, De Luca remains confident he is bringing a quality offering to a competitive market.

“We think that Boerne will have big success as a broodmare,” he said. “And I have no doubt that the first one will be right away a good one. He is a head turner.”

Wente Strikes Again with Twirling Candy Colt

Tommy Wente of St. Simon Place has steadily built a career finding mares to buy at discounts and and selling their foals at sometimes eye-popping profits. The breeder struck again early in Saturday's session of the Keeneland September sale when, through the Machmer Hall Sales consignment, he sold a colt by Twirling Candy (hip 1164) for $575,000 to the SF/Starlight partnership. Wente had purchased Lavendar Lane (Quality Road), with the colt in utero, for $30,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November sale.

“I just try to steal them,” Wente said of his process for buying mares. “We are just trying to get a deal. Twirling Candy was $60,000 and I bought the mare for $30,000. It was a little bit light on the page, but if we can get a good foal and–BAMMO–when he was born, he was a great foal. There is no method to my madness. It's crazy.”

Wente added, “Not all of them make it. But if you can pick five and one does, you are getting rid of four, but you are still going to have the one who does pretty good. I just want to get them, put them in our program and raise them the way we want to raise them and see what they do. Basically, it's paying off.”

Wente said the colt's $575,000 price tag wasn't a surprise once he saw his popularity back at the sales barn.

“Can I say that I thought that back at the farm, probably not,” he admitted. “But when you get over here and they start doing the vetting, you get an idea that you have a pretty good horse.”

The 6-year-old Lavendar Lane, a half-sister to multiple stakes placed Vulcan (Munnings), has a weanling filly by Frosted and was bred back to Yaupon.

The post $2-Million Into Mischief Colt Leads Way as Keeneland September Powers Into Book 3 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Delaware Park Casino, the Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, the Delaware Jockeys' Health and Welfare Benefit Fund and the Delaware Park Jockeys Association teamed up to donate $20,000 to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), the organizations announced in a joint statement Saturday.

Delaware Park has developed a unique funding mechanism for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund donation as, over the course of the live racing season, each jockey donates a dollar from each mount fee. Delaware Park Casino, the Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the Delaware Jockeys' Health and Welfare Benefit Fund each match the dollar.

“Through the years, Delaware Park has been very fortunate to have an incredible jockey colony,” said Kevin DeLucia, Chief Financial Officer at Delaware Park. “We are very thankful for the risks and sacrifices they make every day so we can enjoy great racing. We are proud to gather today together to make this small gesture of generosity to the PDJF.”

Additionally, the Delaware Park Casino and the Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (DTHA) teamed up to donate a further $20,000 to Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue (MAHR) and Canter Delaware.

“We have one of the best aftercare teams at Delaware Park,” said DTHA Executive Director Bessie Gruwell. “We are very grateful for the dedication and detail they bring every day to finding second careers for our equine athletes. We are tremendously proud of the accomplishments we have made at Delaware Park ensuring so many find careers and homes beyond the racetrack. The aftercare team are the boots on the ground in the stable area and without them, many of these accomplishments would not be possible.”

For more information on the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund or to donate, click here.

The post Delaware Park Teams Up To Donate $20k To PDJF appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

After watching 'TDN Rising Star' Wild Desert (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Dance to the Music (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) defeated as the favorites in the GI Summer Stakes and GI Natalma Stakes earlier on the Turf Champions Day program, respectively, Team Godolphin got a measure of revenge when long odds-on 'TDN Rising Star' Notable Speech (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) came storming down the center of the inner turf course and stamped his authority on Saturday's GI Rogers Woodbine Mile. The victory secures the homebred a berth in the field for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 1.

It was a bit of deja vu all over again at the start of the Mile, as Notable Speech, the 2-5 mortal, was off to a hesitant beginning from gate two, as were his two younger stable companions in their heats. However slight, both juveniles were cost valuable early position and ultimately left them with an uphill battle. Magnifying the problem for Notable Speech was that he was subsequently pinched back and had to be bustled along Buick, but he managed to work his way up into a centerfield position as My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince) took them along through decent fractions.

Traveling strongly into the final three-eighths of a mile while continuing to save ground, Notable Speech found daylight and was steered out four abreast at the quarter pole. He accelerated sharply and stormed home full of run while racing on his incorrect lead to score by 1 3/4 lengths over the pacesetter with a similar margin back to the positively ridden Gas Me Up (Hard Spun) in third. South Africa's One Stripe (SAf) (One World {SAf}) finished with interest from well back to split the field, while defending champion Win for the Money (Mohaymen) was a non-threatening sixth.

It was a third win in the race for Godolphin, who took it with Modern Games (GB) in 2022 and Master of the Seas (Ire) the following year, each sons of the legendary Dubawi and each of whom went on to success at the Breeders' Cup.

Ongoing renovations to the expansive E.P. Taylor Turf Course dictated the move of Saturday's features–typically contested around just one-turn–to the inner turf course, and Buick felt that played a role in the performances of the Godolphin trio.

“Obviously, we're on the inside track for these races,” said Buick. “So, it changed the dynamics a lot, and I think our horses find it challenging. So, I was not going to give up my position on Notable Speech. And he's an experienced horse, so I knew I could [hustle him into the race]. And he had to be brave for a little bit there, but he was, and once he got into that position, he relaxed beautifully, and he got into nice rhythm. And he was, for me, winning from a long way out.”

Upset winner of the G1 English 2000 Guineas last season, Notable Speech defeated older milers in the G1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood ahead of a fifth in the G1 Prix du Moulin held in soft ground he may not have enjoyed. As Charlie Appleby told Bill Finley earlier this week, there were viable excuses for Notable Speech's first three runs this term, but he much more resembled himself when switching to the stands' rail and just failing to get up in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois when last seen at Deauville on Aug. 17.

Pedigree Notes:

Notable Speech is the only runner to date for his dam, herself runner-up in the G3 UAE Oaks in 2019 and a half-sister to G3 Burj Nahaar winner Desert Wisdom (GB) (Dubawi) and Wild Beauty (GB) (Frankel {GB}), victorious in the 2021 Natalma Stakes and winner on her 3-year-old debut of the G3 Fred Darling Stakes. She was represented by her second foal this season, a filly by Dubawi.

Swift Rose is also represented by the unraced 2-year-old filly Moonlit Rose (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}) and a yearling full-sister to Notable Speech.

Saturday, Woodbine
ROGERS WOODBINE MILE S.-GI, C$1,064,500, Woodbine, 9-13, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:35.33, fm.
1–NOTABLE SPEECH (GB), 124, c, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
            1st Dam: Swift Rose (Ire) (GSP-UAE, $135,326), by
                        Invincible Spirit (Ire)
            2nd Dam: Tulips (Ire), by Pivotal (GB)
            3rd Dam: Hint of Spring (GB), by Seeking the Gold
'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charles Appleby; J-William Buick.
C$600,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur & Eng at 7-9 1/2f,
MG1SW-Eng & G1SP-Fr, 13-6-1-1, $2,150,342. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–My Boy Prince, 122, g, 4, Cairo Prince–Hopping Not Hoping,
by Silent Name (Jpn). (C$115,000 Ylg '22 CANSEP). O-Gary
Barber; B-Murray Graham Smith (ON); T-Mark E. Casse.
C$240,000.
3–Gas Me Up, 124, g, 5, Hard Spun–Chic Thrill, by Smart Strike.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($140,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP).
O-Exline-Border Racing LLC, Jawl, Michael, Kennedy, Aaron
and Zwiesler, Tom; B-Sam-Son Farm (ON); T-Kevin Attard.
C$120,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 1 3/4, 1. Odds: 0.40, 9.60, 7.45.
Also Ran: Naptown, One Stripe (Saf), Win for the Money, Stanley House, Wyoming Bill, Hunt Master. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

NOTABLE SPEECH ($2.80) and @WilliamBuickX left no room for debate in the $1 million Woodbine Mile (G1) at @WoodbineTB. The 4YO colt by @DarleyEurope's Dubawi (Ire) punches his ticket to the @BreedersCup Mile for trainer Charlie Appleby & owner @godolphin with this #WAYI. pic.twitter.com/jaCDvuYuAm

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) September 13, 2025

The post Notable Speech Outclasses Rivals In ‘WAYI’ Woodbine Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

5th-Churchill Downs, $122,025, Msw, 9-13, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.55, ft, 3/4 length.
BARACCA (f, 2, Oscar Performance–Shop Again {SW, $122,274}, by Wild Again) belied odds of 8-1 to score a good-looking victory while making her career debut sprinting over the main track at Churchill Downs Saturday afternoon. Away smartly from a wide gate, the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase was content to force the pace from the outside through an opening quarter in :22.52. With 3-2 favorite Frolicking (Not This Time) warming up to the task three deep approaching the entrance to the straight and Bonne Sante (Instilled Regard) splitting horse to announce his presence, Baracca fought on bravely two off the inside and won the sprint to the line. Frolicking was a good second and Bonne Sante held for third. Baracca is a half-sister to Fierce Boots (Tiznow), SW, $103,147; Power Broker (Pulpit), GISW, $865,612, and SP Smart Shopping (Smart Strike), the dam of Classic winner Seize the Grey (Arrogate). The winner's dam is a half-sister to GISW Miss Shop (Deputy Minister), GSW & MGISP Trappe Shot (Tapit) and SW & GSP Bought in Dixie (Dixieland Band). Sales history: $500,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,300. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Heider Family Stables LLC; B-Jamm Ltd (KY); T-Brendan P Walsh.

BARACCA ($19.44) aced her debut in the 5th at @ChurchillDowns. @Tyler_Gaff rode the two-year-old filly by @millridgefarm's Oscar Performance for trainer @brenpwalsh and owners Heider Family Stables. pic.twitter.com/O9yJMq74Mn

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) September 13, 2025

The post Oscar Performance Filly Baracca Causes Debut Surprise at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.