Thoroughbred Daily News

Bryson Butterfly, who was an up-and-coming teenage apprentice jockey in Maryland when he was arrested two years ago on first-degree murder charges for his part in a staged robbery that went wrong and killed a 17-year-old high-school student, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday by a Baltimore County Circuit Court judge.

Butterfly, now 20, started riding horses as a toddler while growing up on a Native American Indian reservation in rural Washington. He had graduated from Pacific Northwest bush-track horsebacking to being a $2-million winning apprentice based primarily in the mid-Atlantic region through 771 races spanning 2021 through 2023.

According to Sapna Bansil of the Baltimore Banner, Butterfly, in a deal bargained with prosecutors, had pleaded guilty last year to a lesser misdemeanor charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery. He testified against one other conspirator and the triggerman, who were both sentenced to life in prison with, respectively, all but 50 and 40 years suspended.

Butterfly was known on the backstretch as a quick-to-learn apprentice with a big smile and braces that made him look even younger than he was when he moved cross-country at age 16 to fulfill a childhood dream of being a professional jockey.

Butterfly came from a family of accomplished horse riders. His mom, Amy Nelson, had a brief 12-mount career as a jockey in western Canada in 2000. She later trained in Arizona, and had four starters at last winter's Turf Paradise meet.

The Banner reported that Butterfly, wearing an orange jumpsuit and with his hands shackled in front of him, cried as he briefly addressed the court Oct. 30, while Nelson watched from the gallery.

The Banner reported that Butterfly told the court he participated in the crime because he was young and trying to fit in his with his friends.

“I'm so, so sorry,” the Banner quoted him as saying. “Words can't explain.”

The judge told Butterfly that she believed Butterfly's contrition was sincere, the Banner reported, but added that death is a foreseeable consequence of an armed robbery, and that Butterfly should be held accountable for putting the victim in harm's way.

The Banner reported that Butterfly's role in the murder was to lure a teenager he knew to a shopping center for a marijuana buy, knowing two accomplices would be there to ambush and rob them.

The Banner reported that Butterfly fled while the victim fought back, and that one of the conspirators shot the teenager in the chest with a pistol.

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It wasn't a perfect night for Paco Lopez Thursday night at Delta Downs as he was 0-for-2, finishing eighth with his first mount of the night and third in his second try.

But, according to his agent, Jose Garcia, Lopez saw it as a positive night for the simple fact that he was back doing what he loves.

“He was very happy to be back,” Garcia said. “You have a rider who, basically, loves to ride horses.”

Lopez had not ridden since Sept. 22 at Parx. Afterward he was suspended six months by HISA. Lopez received the suspension after HISA ruled that a whip violation in August at Saratoga aboard Book'em Danno (Bucchero) in the GI Forego Stakes was the last straw. The agreement was reached after Lopez received an indefinite suspension for striking a horse with his whip in the face after the race was over in December of 2024 at Parx Racing. HISA apparently thought he did not hold up his end of the deal.

He is allowed to ride in Louisiana because HISA, after losing one of many court fights, has no jurisdiction over racing in that state.

Lopez has only picked up five mounts over the next four racing cards at Delta. Garcia said the biggest problem is that he and Lopez have no relationship with most of the trainers at Delta. But Garcia expects that to change.

“We don't know anybody here,” Garcia said. “The person giving him the most mounts is Brett Brinkman and I know him because he also runs at Delaware Parks. I've been getting him mounts from persons like that I have a past with. Today [Friday], was the first day he was on the backside. He was in Jersey doing some stuff in his house, then he flew to Miami and then he drove to Delta Downs. I'm already seeing a difference. In the last 10 minutes I got calls from four trainers who want to ride him.

Garcia also fielded calls from the Brad Cox and Steve Asmussen stables for two stakes races Nov. 8. He will ride Blue Devil (Uncle Mo) for Asmussen in the $100,000 Treasure Chest Stakes. For Cox, Lopez will be aboard Zaghruta (Gun Runner) in the $100,000 Delta Mile.

“He likes to work,” Garcia said. “He wants to ride seven days a week and that's why we were traveling 6 1/2 hours going back and forth to Colonial Downs this summer.”

Delta Downs | Coady Photo

Barring a favorable court ruling on his behalf, Lopez's HISA suspension will stay in effect until Mar. 23. Lopez will ride regularly at Delta until Fair Grounds opens Nov. 20. Garcia said he would then work horse in the mornings at Fair Grounds on Mondays and Tuesdays, ride Wednesday night at Delta and then ride the rest of the week at the Fair Grounds. He said he expects to have a big meet at the Fair Grounds.

“If you ask me honestly, I think he can be the leading rider,” Garcia said. “Why am I so confident? It's the rider that I have and the work ethic that we both have. The people who train at Fair Grounds love him. We got an amazing response when I started texting people that he was going to ride at the Fair Grounds.”

Garcia said Lopez tried to stay positive while originally sidelined by the HISA suspension.

“He is a normal person, so he got upset about what they did to him,” the agent said. “But you know what? We're looking forward to continuing. He is a very positive person.”

When asked if Lopez, who has been hit with numerous whip violations, had finally learned his lesson, Garcia said that he had but believes Lopez is treated more harshly than most every other jockey by HISA.

“I think he has learned his lesson,” Garcia said. “But they judged him for raising the whip over the helmet. But if you look around the country everybody does that. But he's Paco Lopez.”

Despite missing over five weeks of riding, Lopez remain the leading rider in the nation with, through Oct. 30, with 300 wins. Irad Ortiz Jr. is next with 278 victories.

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Eclipse champion and Grade I winner Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg})–Indyan Giving, by A.P. Indy) has been relocated permanently to Haras Fazenda Mondesir in Brazil after standing there for the 2025 Southern Hemisphere breeding season, according to a press release from Lane's End Farm.

Game Winner is the sire of four crops with 202 foals of racing age. Led by 3-year-old colt Gaming, the Lane's End sire claims a pair of graded winners and has netted four black-type scores.

Owned and raced by Gary and Mary West, Game Winner was named the Eclipse champion 2-year-old colt in 2018 after an undefeated season. The Bob Baffert trainee's 2-year-old campaign consisted of three consecutive Grade I wins, including the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

As a 3-year-old, Game Winner won the GIII Los Alamitos Derby and was the runner-up in the GI Santa Anita Derby and GII Rebel Stakes.

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NBC Sports and Ascot Racecourse, home to the Royal Meeting have reached a multi-year agreement to extend NBC Sports's exclusive United States media rights to the event through 2028, the network said in a press release on Friday.

NBC Sports–who has been presenting Royal Ascot via linear and digital platforms since 2017–will continue to present live coverage of all 20+ hours of the mid-June meet over its five days (Tuesday-Saturday), with Peacock streaming all coverage live throughout the week, and NBC simulcasting coverage during the event's final day on Saturday.

Beginning in 2026, NBC Sports will provide expanded coverage of Royal Ascot races designated as Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win and You're In” qualifiers, as well as additional editorial focus and context around those horses and connections aiming towards the World Championships.

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The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has canceled live racing at Aqueduct Racetrack on Friday due to high winds forecast to impact the New York City metropolitan area, the organization said in a release that same morning.

The National Weather Service has placed Southern Queens under a wind advisory beginning at 12 p.m. ET, with current forecasts calling for sustained high winds and gusts in excess of 45 mph.

Two Listed $150,000 stakes originally scheduled for Friday–the Tempted and the Pumpkin Pie–have been rescheduled. The Tempted will now be run on Thursday, Nov. 6 with entries taken, Oct. 31. The Pumpkin Pie will be run on Saturday, Nov. 8 with entries taken on Sunday, Nov. 2.

Aqueduct will remain open for simulcasting from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.

Live racing was also canceled on Thursday, Oct. 30 due to a powerful storm that generated extremely high winds and rainfall of more than 2.5″.

The Belmont at the Big A fall meet will resume Saturday.

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DEL MAR, CA – Like clockwork, the call over the radio went out promptly at 2:45 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday afternoon.

“Breeders' Cup Investigators this is the 48-hour warning for the Juvenile Turf Sprint, please be aware,” said the voice. “Again, that is 48 hours until the Juvenile Turf Sprint.”

Repeated by the day shift control room manager Tyler Durand for each of the four subsequent races on the Friday card and the next afternoon for the nine races carded for Saturday's slate, the announcements are a way to reinforce the strict rules developed by the Breeders' Cup, which prohibit the administration of most medications within 48 hours of a race.

In order to keep all the equine athletes safe during the World Championships, someone has to monitor the nearly 200 Thoroughbreds housed as temporary residents on the grounds at Del Mar and that 'someone' is a tactical team of around 30 specialists–called the Breeders' Cup Equine Security Team–who hail from racing jurisdictions around the country, plus Europe, and are members of the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI). What they do matters on several different levels concerning the sanctity of integrity at the World Championships.

“The best are here to protect the best,” said one member.

At a Breeders' Cup presser on Wednesday, Executive Vice President & Chief Racing Officer Dora Delgado gave the heading, “An experienced team of equine investigators is on the ground monitoring the barn area. They're aided by high-definition cameras and in coordination with the CHRB and HISA officials.”

During her tenure, Delgado championed the evolution of equine integrity teams, which is a group overseen by Senior Director of Operations David Duncan, and relies heavily on the expertise of racetrack security deans Don Ahrens and Mike Kilpack. They handpick their Breeders' Cup team and each year spend time reevaluating their procedures. If you ask Ahrens how many World Championships he has protected his response is always, “I've lost count.”

Always looking to stay on the cutting edge when it comes to safety and security, the investigative unit underwent a massive procedural change this year when they chose not to employ, like they had in years past, a collective unit of some 100 security personnel who watch the barns round the clock during the week.

Instead, Del Mar's state-of-the-art camera system became the 'eyes' and that has allowed the team to maximize efficiency and rely on one another's base of knowledge.

Don Ahrens (center) discusses camera placement with members of the Equine Security team | JN Campbell

“What we are doing now really enhances our operation by utilizing tech that is available to cover as much ground as possible,” said Ahrens. “We've got access to 228 cameras with infrared capability and we can group stalls of horses by race, which from the start of the week till race day gives us a significant advantage when it comes to patrolling a large set of barn areas.”

Utilizing a 'quarterback' who is in a room on the property, the team can target specific areas where humans are coming in contact with horses in their stalls. Most activity during the day is perfectly normal, but the control room manager has to know what to look for when it comes to what grooms, assistants, veterinarians and anyone else along the shedrow should or should not be doing.

“This is where having expertise is essential,” said Ahrens. “Our members know how to assess, then respond accordingly. The cameras hand us that ability to have eyes everywhere.”

Regular sweeps on the watch continue once it gets dark and that is when a small but effective group dubbed the 'Night Owls' swings into action. Mirroring the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift, the overnight group has to cover the same ground that is watched during the day. Led by Juan Estrada, the 'Owls' rely on teams of two to cover zones throughout the property. They employ Google software that collates notes and creates reports, so Ahrens can check on activity when he starts at 5 a.m. each morning. In the control room, the 'Owls' switch shifts. Meanwhile, the rest of the team roves around the stable area, pivoting constantly and taking direction when it is needed over the radio.

Speaking on the subject of standards at the World Championships, Duncan's focus when it comes to the role played by the Breeders' Cup Investigators is one of quality over quantity. He says he is particularly interested in a common-sense approach which puts the horsemen at the center of everything the team does.

With a background in horsemanship, Breeders' Cup Ops Senior Director David Duncan rides 'Ted' at Del Mar | Breeders' Cup Eclipse Sportswire

“We are here to work with the CHRB and HISA who are the regulators, but we are also here for the horsemen,” said Duncan. “That puts us in the role of middlemen. So, what we have done is to create a scalable system based on the expertise of the best minds who do this day-in and day-out. We are going to be intentional in everything we do and we start by adapting to a horse environment.”

Duncan makes a point of borrowing a stable pony while at Del Mar and utilizing his horseman's background that he built growing up and while in law enforcement. He says it helps send the message that he is willing to do whatever it takes to understand the perspective of the horsemen. In other words, integrity must flow both ways.

“Bill Mott rode up alongside me and we were talking about the stable area,” said Duncan. “This is a community approach we are taking here and we need everyone to know on the backside that we are watching because we're a resource, not a threat. We're here to help in any way we can.”

As the World Championships get ready to take flight on Friday, the maintaining of order and organization will continue to be a priority for the Breeders' Cup Equine Investigators as the crowds of horse fans descend on the seaside oval. Based on their expertise, you can trust that they will be watching.

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DEL MAR, Calif. – At the age of 56, the legendary Bill Shoemaker guided Ferdinand home by a nose over Alysheba as the two Derby winners famously hit the wire together in the 1987 GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Hollywood Park. The late Shoemaker has held the record as the oldest jockey to win a Breeders' Cup race since.

Hall of Famer Mike Smith will have five chances to make history as the two-day Championships return to Del Mar for the fourth time Friday. The 59-year-old's Breeders' Cup mounts include: Bottle of Rouge (Vino Rosso) (Juvenile Fillies); 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) (F/M Sprint); Kopion (Omaha Beach) (Sprint); Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach) (Classic); and Will Take It (Tapit) (Dirt Mile).

“Even if I wasn't setting the record, it would be awesome to win a Breeders' Cup race,” Smith said. “We're gonna give it our all. We're not without big chances, I'm excited about it. And if I become the oldest jockey to do so, that's just an extra little icing on the cake. I feel like I'm 40, man. I mean, I'm out here running talking to you (on the phone) right now.”

Bottle of Rouge makes her two-turn debut for Bob Baffert in Friday's Juvenile Fillies following a win in the seven-furlong GI Del Mar Debutante S.

Tamara, a daughter of the mighty Beholder, kicked off her season in style off the bench with a dominant win in the GIII Chillingworth S. The talented GI Derby City Distaff S. heroine Kopion could arguably be Smith's best chance on the weekend while taking on the boys in the Sprint. The Spendthrift Farm duo are both trained by Richard Mandella.

“I don't think anybody would argue that (Tamara) has the ability and if anyone could get into the Breeders' Cup off one race, that's Mr. Mandella,” Smith said. “There's a lot to (Kopion). She's as big as those boys are. She's strong. Some great fillies have run extremely well in the Sprint in the past.”

The lightly raced 3-year-old Nevada Beach heads to the Classic for Baffert following a 'Win and You're In' victory against older horses in the GI Goodwood S. Smith has won the Classic four times, led by the once-in-a-lifetime Zenyatta in 2009.

“I don't even think we know how good he is yet,” Smith said. “He's a big, powerful horse and wants every bit of going the distance.”

Smith will also ride longshot Will Take It for Dallas Stewart in the Dirt Mile.

“I'm feeling great, my horses are training well and I couldn't be more excited,” Smith said. “Listen, it's the Breeders' Cup, we all know they're very tough races to win, but I wouldn't be surprised if any one of them won. They all have a really good shot and they're doing really well. It's been a few years since I've had a couple of live ones in the Breeders' Cup.”

No jockey has ridden more 'live ones' at the Championships than Smith. The most recent of his leading 27 Breeders' Cup victories came aboard Corniche in the 2021 Juvenile. His first was aboard the two-time Mile winner Lure in 1992.

“When Zenyatta beat the boys, that might be a Top Five of all Breeders' Cups,” Smith concluded. “I've been blessed to have had so many wonderful moments in the Breeders' Cup.”

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A Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) internal adjudication panel has banned trainer Zvi Kriple for two years for breach of the racetrack safety rule that prohibits “the deprivation of necessary care, sustenance, shelter, or veterinary care” to a Covered Horse.

The case concerns the former Kriple trainee, Royal Honey (Astern {Aus}). In April of this year, Royal Honey died a “very painful death” from colic when stabled at Belterra Park after Kriple failed to secure for the 5-year-old mare the necessary veterinary care, according to a written ruling dated Oct. 27.

The hearing was held Oct. 20. Kriple's ban began Oct. 28. He has 10 days from receiving the written order to appeal the ruling.

According to the written ruling, on the afternoon of April 23 this year, Royal Honey started to show symptoms of colic.

“Without having sought veterinary aid on the 23rd, at 12:30PM on Sunday April 24, 2025 the Covered Person made contact with Dr. Timothy Renn to seek veterinary aid. Dr. Renn informed the Covered Person that he was 100 miles away and was unable to return to the track to attend to the horse.

“He suggested several alternative veterinarians which might be able to attend to the horse in a timely manner. He further stressed the importance of having the horse seen to and that the condition, left untreated, could lead to a very painful death of the Covered Horse,” the written ruling states.

“Dr. Renn further testified that his next contact with the Covered Person was at 8:30PM on the 24th when he was told by the Covered Person that the horse still had not been treated by a veterinarian. In his testimony, Dr. Renn quoted another trainer who was on the call as saying that several trainers had volunteered to ship the horse to a nearby vet clinic free of charge but that the Covered Person refused to take advantage of those offers.

“The Covered Person testified that he left the horse unattended at 1:30 AM on the 25th and that the Covered Horse fell out of its stall at 3:30AM and died what Dr. Renn described would have been a very painful death,” the written ruling states.

In his defense, Kriple reportedly argued during the hearing that “despite his best and repeated efforts over the periods of April 23rd and 24th, 2025 he was unable to find any veterinarian that would either come to the racetrack to treat the horse or receive the horse at a clinic where it could be seen and treated,” according to the written ruling.

Kriple was suspended by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) in March of 2010 after being found guilty of animal cruelty charges related to his treatment of a pony in his care.

According to a Los Angeles Daily News story dated Jan 4, 2010, Kriple was convicted by a jury of misdemeanor animal cruelty “after prosecutors alleged he failed to euthanize or sufficiently treat a horse at the Fairplex racetrack that suffered from a chronic hoof condition.”

The prosecutor in the case told the Los Angeles Daily News that Kriple had a pattern of “extreme negligence when it comes to taking care of horses,” and cited a 2002 case in which Kriple reportedly failed to properly care for a racehorse that suffered a fractured knee at Los Alamitos.

According to Equibase, Kriple has trained 39 winners from 319 starts over a training career that dates back to 1998.

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Trainer Phil Serpe, who is fighting both in federal court and at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) appeal level to overturn a two-year suspension imposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) over a contested clenbuterol positive in one of his trainees at Saratoga Race Course in 2024, on Thursday had the judge in his lawsuit deny a request for a preliminary injunction for the second time in five months.

In explaining his decision, the judge in charge of the case, David Leibowitz of United States District Court (Southern District of Florida), wrote in his Oct. 30 order that, “Serpe has twice been denied advantage at the early turns, but the race is far from over.”

The judge further signaled that the 66-year-old trainer could end up prevailing in his overall lawsuit against the FTC and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), by writing that while Serpe “may ultimately win the race, two obstacles stop him from getting a preliminary injunction.”

Those obstacles, the judge explained, are 1) “Serpe does not face a threat of imminent irreparable harm” and 2) “Serpe has not demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits.”

Serpe's suspension stems from clenbuterol detected in the urine of Fast Kimmie (Oscar Performance) after her Aug. 10, 2024, victory in a $30,000 claiming race. Clenbuterol is classified as a “banned” substance, meaning it is never to be present in any HISA-regulated Thoroughbred.

A key issue in Serpe's case is the fact 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.

Serpe has claimed that the non-pursuit of a fine of up to $25,000 by HISA and HIWU is an alleged end-around to stymie his efforts to prove in his lawsuit that he has been wrongfully denied a constitutional right to a jury trial.

Citing a U.S. 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 that his Seventh Amendment rights are being violated by “gamesmanship” in the form of HISA and HIWU's non-pursuit of a monetary penalty, a move that he alleged “strategically” seeks to deprive federal-court jurisdiction over the facts of liability required for any sanction.

On Aug. 15, both HISA and the FTC responded by filing legal documents opposing Serpe's renewed motion for a preliminary injunction, stating that so long as no fine was part of Serpe's penalties, the judge should not grant the trainer any requested relief based on what HISA and the FTC say is a non-valid Seventh Amendment claim.

“Plaintiff accuses the Authority of engaging in 'gamesmanship' by withdrawing its initial request for a fine,” that Aug. 15 HISA legal filing stated. “But Plaintiff is the only one playing games.”

Beyond the year-old federal lawsuit that now seems certain to extend into 2026, the case has also been handled at the administrative level by HISA and HIWU.

Serpe has already appealed his penalization before a HIWU arbitrator and the administrative law judge (ALJ) assigned by the FTC, and as part of an FTC order dated Sept. 15, the FTC will be undertaking a “further review” of the case.

In the Oct. 30 court order, Judge Leibowitz wrote that, “what happened to [Serpe] in the wake of Fast Kimmie's win goes to the constitutional core of the American judicial system.”

Leibowitz then explained his reasoning for denying the injunction a second time. (The May 29 order denied the injunction “with prejudice” as to HISA. Thursday's order pertained to the FTC, the judge wrote.)

“The problem for Serpe at this stage of the litigation is that his suspension is disconnected from the basis of his Seventh Amendment challenge, a disconnect that Serpe himself has acknowledged,” the judge wrote.

“Serpe has previously conceded that the only legal relief at issue here is the monetary penalty, and he has explained that a Seventh Amendment violation would occur, if at all, only once the ALJ had imposed a monetary penalty,” the order stated.

The judge continued, at a different point in the order:

“To obtain a preliminary injunction, Serpe also must demonstrate a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of his claim. At this stage of the litigation, Serpe fails on this front as well–because of an issue underneath his Seventh Amendment claim that he addresses only cursorily in his motion.

“In particular, Serpe does not explain how his Seventh Amendment claim withstands his assent to the Covered Person Agreement–a prerequisite to his and Fast Kimmie's participation in the Aug. 10, 2024, horserace at Saratoga,” the order stated.

In essence, the judge wrote, because Serpe had opted into the HISA program by registering as a “covered person” who trains a “covered horse,” he is bound by the HISA rules that require him to agree to arbitrate any anti-doping rules violation dispute.

“In the Renewed Motion [for injunction], Serpe summarily states that he did not waive his Seventh Amendment right when he agreed to arbitration,” the judge's order stated. “He cites only two cases in support of his argument, and he complains that 'the Authority never attempted to defend the enforceability of the ADMC Program as an “arbitration agreement”' and, by extension, as a waiver of Serpe's Seventh Amendment rights in this circumstance.

“Serpe's cursory treatment of this issue dooms his request for a preliminary injunction, as it is his burden to prove all four [legal factors necessary for an injunction], and his entering into the registration agreement was clearly raised by the Defendants to this Court,” the judge wrote.

Judge Leibowitz then summed up the issue and outlined the next steps in the court case.

“This Court is not suggesting that Serpe's Seventh Amendment claim on the merits is doomed (the Court takes no position on the issue until it has been fully briefed and considered); instead, the Court concludes only that on this procedural posture Serpe's failure to show that he did not forfeit his Seventh Amendment claim means he has failed to meet his burden to show a substantial likelihood of success to obtain a preliminary injunction,” the order stated.

“The Court underscores that these early rulings turn largely on the standards governing such requests for extraordinary relief. On the merits, the parties have not yet perfected the factual record and fully briefed important substantive issues. The Court, therefore, directs the parties to submit a joint proposed schedule [by Nov. 28] for expedited discovery followed by a full briefing schedule for summary judgment motions on all issues of law,” the judge wrote.

Attempts to contact Serpe's legal team and the FTC for comment on Thursday's order did not yield replies prior to deadline for this story.

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DEL MAR, Calif. – All of the heavy lifting has been done and Breeders' Cup 42 is finally here. Who has looked the best during training hours this week at Del Mar?

Starting at the top with the Classic. Journalism (Curlin) (Michael McCarthy) has been training like he owns the place in the pre-dawn hours while the Classic's defending winner and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) (Chad Brown) has served notice after the break. Both cover a ton of ground and have been getting over the surface beautifully. The blue-blooded Baeza (McKinzie) (John Shirreffs) has been a complete powerhouse to watch train as well.

In addition to the aforementioned GI Preakness S. winner, the McCarthy-trained Formidable Man (City of Light) (Mile) and Meaning (Gun Runner) (Juvenile Fillies) couldn't be looking any better, either.

Some horses just always seem to catch your eye in the mornings. Turf Sprint longshot Governor Sam (Improbable) (George Weaver), a close third in last year's Juvenile Turf Sprint, has been one of them. And the well-built Bobrovsky (Daredevil) (Dale Romans), stuck on the also-eligible list for the Juvenile Turf Sprint, is another.

The Distaff duo of Clicquot (Quality Road) (Brendan Walsh) and Dorth Vader (Girvin) (Weaver) have been giving off plenty of good vibes.

Clicquot | Sherackatthetrack

It's been a real treat to watch 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Nysos (Nyquist) (Bob Baffert) train all week. He's clearly the one to beat in arguably the deepest renewal of the Dirt Mile to date.

Gstaad (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) (Aidan O'Brien) (Juvenile Turf), Minnie Hauk (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) (Turf) and The Lion In Winter (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (Mile) have stood out among the 'Aidan Army' on parade at trackwork. Sahlan (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (Francis-Henri Graffard) (Mile) is another who appears in terrific form since crossing the pond.

Another fantastic morning for Journalism, who continues to stand out during training hours pic.twitter.com/kzvryOiuBx

— Steve Sherack (@SteveSherackTDN) October 30, 2025

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Scottish Lassie (McKinzie), a multiple Grade I winner, has been withdrawn from the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff and will be sold Nov. 3 at Fasig-Tipton's “Night of the Stars” (Hip 226), the connections said via a press release on Thursday.

According to trainer Jorge Abreu, he was “not 100% satisfied with the way Scottish Lassie was moving this morning, so out of an abundance of caution we've decided to scratch her from the race. This filly has a ton of heart, but in fairness to her, we didn't want to ask her to compete this weekend against the world's highest level of competition unless she was absolutely 100%.”

In just her second career start, Scottish Lassie broke her maiden in the GI Frizette Stakes at Belmont At The Big A by an eye-popping nine lengths, one of the widest margins in the race's 80-year history.

This year, at 3, she added the GI Coaching Club American Oaks to her resume, dominating the field by 15 1/2 lengths–the race's largest margin of victory in nearly 50 years. There, she defeated MGISW and champion Immersive (Nyquist), while earning a 99 Beyer Speed Figure and 7 Ragozin, making her one of the fastest two-turn, dirt fillies of her generation.

Scottish Lassie is from the first crop of young stallion McKinzie, while her dam, Bodebabe, is a winning half-sister to stakes winner Windmill, and to the dam of Crown the Buckeye (Yaupon), a multiple stakes winner at 2 in 2025. Scottish Lassie's very active female family also includes Grade I winners Visionaire (Grand Slam) and Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song).

Bred in Kentucky by Winchester Farm, Scottish Lassie has earned $735,760 thus far for owners Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish LLC, Corms Racing Stable and Jorge Abreu.

The dark bay will be offered as a racing/broodmare prospect during the Fasig-Tipton sale with Taylor Made Sales Agency as consignor.

The post MGISW Scottish Lassie Withdrawn From Breeders’ Cup, To Sell At Fasig-Tipton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

1/ST CONTENT will make Turkish racing available for North American pool betting via Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) on all Turkish races, across web and mobile app channels, in U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions where ADW is accepted, the company said in press release on Thursday.

Turkish racing content is now live via Premier Gateway International hosting, using 1/ST TECHNOLOGY's AmTote platform tech, and will also be delivered to a broader worldwide market via 1/ST CONTENT's existing distribution partners at Racing1 (the full-service global hub which also includes international racing content from ARC, RMG and Tabcorp) and Sky Racing World in North America. The release also said that as a result, more customers from Australia (Tabcorp), Germany (German Tote) and other countries will be able to access Turkish racing via the international pool commingling.

The post 1/ST CONTENT Makes Turkish Racing Available On North American ADWs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

In a statement issued Thursday, The Stronach Group owned Elite Turf Club, LLC, and AmTote International, Inc., have responded to a class action lawsuit filed last week against several Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) related wagering entities under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) and under state law, alleging they have “organized and participated in the corruption of the betting system to the detriment of the class.”

The debate around CAW players typically surrounds the edge they wield over regular gamblers thanks to their use of sophisticated technologies that allow them to precisely read the markets and place massive wagers across many pools in the final seconds of betting–which can lead to massive odds drops–as well as the attractive rates and rebates offered to them which are unavailable to the average punter.

Among its various arguments, Thursday's statement claims the benefits available to CAW players are similar to airline miles or credit card rebate programs, and that the lawsuit “has the potential to devastate an entire industry.”

Elite Turf Club is a CAW wagering platform 80% owned by Stronach Group and 20% owned by the New York Racing Association (NYRA).

AmTote International is the dominant totalizator service provider for North American racetracks, described in the lawsuit as the “clearing house of U.S. pari-mutuel wagering.”

The other defendants in the class action lawsuit, brought by former horse racing gambler Ryan Dickey, comprise Churchill Downs Inc (which owns CAW wagering platform Velocity), NYRA, United Tote Company and Racing & Gaming Services, another CAW wagering platform.

The full statement can be read here:

Elite Turf Club, LLC, and AmTote International, Inc., are among several horse racing industry organizations that have been named in a class action lawsuit filed recently in the state of New York by a single bettor from Colorado. These claims are meritless, and the company will vigorously defend itself. The lawsuit fundamentally misrepresents the nature of computer-assisted wagering (CAW) and the role Elite Turf Club and AmTote International have in operating, managing and regulating wagering activity. CAW is a long-standing industry, federal and state regulated component of the North American and global pari-mutuel wagering system. All participation in CAW is subject to the same pool rules, tote system audits and state regulatory approvals that govern all other forms of wagering.

Claims that CAWs receive an unfair advantage are unfounded and ignore the safeguards built into the regulatory and technological framework of racing. Like many businesses, high volume customers, including CAW players, may receive benefits such as rebates based on the volume of play; this is no different than and can be likened to airline miles or credit card rebate programs. These benefits do not offer any advantage in wagering outcomes – it is a customer incentive program that is important to not only our business but the industry. The horse racing ecosystem is made of many stakeholders – horses, jockeys, backstretch employees, trainers, breeders, and all types of bettors including retail customers, advanced deposit wagering accountholders and CAW players. Each of these stakeholders play a critical role in the viability and sustainability of this sport. Make no mistake – this lawsuit is an attack on the entire industry and puts at risk the tens of thousands of working families and the communities that rely on it. This baseless lawsuit has the potential to devastate an entire industry.

The company will unequivocally defend the integrity of our business operations while continuing to lead innovation in this sport. We are confident in the integrity of our systems, the strength of our oversight, and the safeguards in place designed to prevent unfair play. We will continue to work closely with our industry partners and regulators to ensure a level field for all participants to deliver a world-class racing product to our fans, horsemen and women, and bettors. We will address these unfounded and outrageous claims through the appropriate legal channels.

The post Stronach-Owned Entities Respond To Class Action CAW Lawsuit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Keeneland has supplemented a total of 14 horses to its two November sales with Fall Meet winner Ayra Stark (Arg) (Cosmic Trigger) joining Book 1 of the Breeding Stock sale on Tuesday, Nov. 4 and the remaining 13 horses being added to the Horses of Racing Age sale on Wednesday, Nov. 12, according to a press release from the auction company on Thursday.

Added to Book 1 of the Breeding Stock sale, Ayra Stark, a Group 2 winner in her native Argentina who captured a Keeneland allowance race Oct. 15. Winner of two races from five starts in North America, the 5-year-old mare's sire is a grandson of Danehill Dancer. She is consigned by I. C. Racing, agent, and cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect.

The November Breeding Stock sale, which will cover eight days through Tuesday, Nov. 11, has cataloged 3,086 horses. Of those, 224 horses are in the Book 1 catalogue.

Keeneland will consider supplemental entries to Book 1 until the November sale begins.

The stand-alone Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age sale has cataloged 203 horses. The latest round of supplements includes these fillies consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent, and cataloged as racing or broodmare prospects:

• Bessie Abott (Ire), a 3-year-old filly by Australian-bred Kurushio who won a Woodbine allowance Oct. 23. Runner-up in this year's GIII Wonder Again Stakes at Saratoga, she is a half-sister to stakes winner Spirit and Glory (Ire). Bessie Abott is out of winner Supreme Spirit, by Invincible Spirit;
• Dancing N Dixie, a 4-year-old listed stakes winner and multiple Grade II-placed filly by Neolithic. A half-sister to stakes winner R Morning Brew, she is out of the Uncaptured mare Foolhearted Woman;
• Golden Canary, a 4-year-old listed stakes winner by Medaglia d'Oro who is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Oct. 11 GIII Ontario Fashion Stakes. Her dam is Black Canary, a stakes-placed daughter of War Front.
• Souper Supreme, a 3-year-old multiple stakes-winning filly by the Indian Charlie stallion Souper Speedy. A half-sister to multiple Canadian champion and King's Plate winner Paramount Prince, she is a full sister to stakes winner Its Time to Shine and from the family of Grade I winner and sire Army Mule.

Consignor Indian Creek, agent, also has supplemented these Grade III winners to the Horses of Racing Age sale:

• Abeliefinthislivin, a 5-year-old son of Arrogate cataloged as a racing or stallion prospect;
• Apprehend, a 6-year-old son of Arrogate cataloged as a racing or stallion prospect;
• August Rain, a 4-year-old gelding by Sungold.

Click here for the online November Breeding Stock sale catalogue and here for the online November Horses of Racing Age catalogue.

The post Keeneland Supplements 14 Horses To November Sales appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The TDN Writers' Room, which is presented by Keeneland, took a different route this week, handicapping every Breeders' Cup race. How did we do? We'll know late Saturday evening.

Here are the highlights of the picks made by Zoe Cadman, Bill Finley and Randy Moss.

FRIDAY:

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint: Predicting that Aidan O'Brien is going to have a huge Friday, Finley picked True Love (Ire) (No Nay Never), pointing out that the filly is coming off a Group I win in the Cheveley Park S. and looks to be the class of the race. Moss vowed to try to beat many of the favorites. He thought the draw did O'Brien no favors and said it was a four-horse race-True Love, Cy Fair (Not This Time), Lennilu (Leinster) and Havana Anna (GB) (Havana Grey ({GB}). Cadman was confident that True Love would win.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: Both Cadman and Finley liked Percy's Bar (Upstart), who crossed the wire in front of the hot favorite Tommy Jo (Into Mischief), who was placed first through disqualification, in the GI Alcibiades S. Finley said Percy's Bar was the best horse in the Alcibiades, despite the DQ. But Cadman was worried that Percy's Bar would bounce, so said to include Explora (Blame) on your tickets. Moss went with Explora. He didn't think Tommy Jo could get the distance.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: Finley picked the O'Brien-trained Precise (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), though was worried about his post position, the 13 hole. Moss said Precise would be too short a price and made Ultimate Love (Curlin) his top pick. Cadman gave out three horses, Precise, Ultimate Love and Brave Deb (Authentic). Of Ultimate Love, she said, “She was just the easiest of winners (in the Selima). She's a big, beautiful daughter of Curlin.”

Breeders' Cup Juvenile: As much as he liked Ted Noffey, Finley picked Blackout Time (Not This Time) on top, figuring that the Kenny McPeek-trained horse had yet to peak. He said to box Ted Noffey and Black Out Time in the exacta. Cadman also like Ted Noffey, but said Intrepido (Maximus Mischief) is capable of posting the upset. Moss said the price on Ted Noffey will be too low, so he went for the Bob Baffert-trained Brant (Gun Runner). “He's going to set the pace,” Moss said. “Wire-to-wire.”

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf: Finley and Moss agreed that this was one of the toughest races among all the Breeders' Cup. Finley settled on Street Beast (Street Sense). Moss also took Street Beast. Neither of them appeared too confident. Based on how impressed she was with the way Bottas (Vekoma) has looked in the mornings, he was Cadman's pick. “He's a gorgeous son of Vekoma,” she said.

SATURDAY:

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint: Saying he was ultra-impressed with the Oct. 24 workout at Santa Anita, Hope Road (Quality Road) was Finley's pick. Cadman went with Sweet Azteca (Sharp Azteca). Despite the filly having relatively slow Beyer figures, she said not to throw out Tamara (Bolt d'Oro). Moss also liked Hope Road but was also high on the chances of Sweet Azteca.

Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint: Acknowledging that it was a sentimental pick, Finley went with the 9-year-old Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). He said his last race, a win in the GII Woodford at Keeneland, was ultra impressive after he got off slowly. “He runs a lot better in the U.S. than he does in Europe, and that's probably because he loves firm turf,” Finley said. Cadman went with the mare,  Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy). “She looks like a man amongst boys,” she said. Moss said the race was between Ag Bullet and Motorious (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}).

The Breeders' Cup Sprint: All agreed that it wasn't the strongest Breeders' Cup Sprint ever assembled. Finley, Cadman and Moss all picked Bentornato (Valiant Minister), with Moss implying that he was his best bet in the Breeders' Cup. “I've been trying to beat all the favorites. I can't try to beat this one,” Moss said. Cadman didn't pick Kopion (Omaha Beach) but said her last workout (three furlongs in 33 1/5) was sensational.

Breeders' Cup Distaff: Finley, who said Baffert will have a huge Breeders' Cup, thought Seismic Beauty (Uncle Mo) was the most likely winner of all his Breeder' Cup starters. “Her Beyer numbers, she's so much faster than everyone else,” he said. Cadman took a stand against Seismic Beauty, saying she hasn't been all that impressed with the way she was training up to the race. She went with Dorth Vader (Girvin) and so did Moss. “I think there could be enough pace pressure on Seismic Beauty to maybe soften her up a little bit, so, it's Dorth Vader for me,” Moss said.

Breeders' Cup Turf: Finley didn't expect any surprises, saying it was a two-horse race between the European stars, Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Minnie Hauk (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). He tabbed Rebel's Romance on top. “Charlie Appleby versus Aidan O'Brien. What's better than that?” Finley. Moss agreed. “These are the two standouts,” he said.” It's almost a coin flip.” He thought Amiloc (GB) (Postponed {Ire}) had a good chance to round out the trifecta. Cadman picked Minnie Hauk, the runner-up in the GI Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Breeders' Cup Classic: It became a much different race with the official scratch of Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and none of our handicappers had a firm opinion. Finley went with Fierceness (City of Light), but said he was worried about the horse's erratic nature. Cadman went with last year's winner Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). “Leone looks great coming in from Saratoga. He's actually honed up a little bit. He's a little tighter than the last time I saw him,” she said. Moss, who loves to pick Japanese horses, went with Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steal {Jpn}), saying he was very impressed with his win in the GI Saudi Cup.

Breeders' Cup Mile: Another one of the tougher races on the card. Moss liked Johannes (Nyquist), saying he'll be a steal if he goes off at his morning-line odds of 8-1. Looking for a price, Finley picked the European invader Sahlan (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who is coming off a a win in the GI Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. Also looking for a price, Cadman picked Jonquil (Lope de Vega {Ire}).

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile: Finley predicted a repeat win for Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast), saying he will love the turn back to the mile after finishing second in the nine furlong GI Goodwood. Cadman said it would be a Baffert exacta, Nysos (Nyquist) over Citizen Bull (Into Mischief). Moss was also on the Nysos bandwagon.

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf: Finley was on Gezora (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}), saying she had no chance in the Arc and would run back to her big efforts in the GI Prix Vermeille and GI Prix de Diane. Moss said he is a big fan of She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}), but doesn't think she will like the distance. He liked both Charlie Appleby horses, Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal) and Diamond Rain (GB) (Shamardal). “I am not using She Feels Pretty for the reasons Randy mentioned. She just can't relax,” Cadman said. She picked Diamond Rain.

The “Fastest Horse of the Week” was the bargain-basement buy Chunk of Gold (Preservationist), who got a 103 Beyer for his win in a Keeneland allowance.  The Fastest Horse of the Week segment is sponsored by WinStar.

The podcast is also sponsored by 1/ST TV, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, Gainesway, West Point  Thoroughbreds and the KTOB.

The post TDN Writers’ Room Podcast Tackles the Breeders’ Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Excellent Truth (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), winner of the GI Diana Stakes in July, has been supplemented to Monday's Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The 5-year-old mare will offered as a broodmare prospect as hip 225 through the Elite consignment.

“Excellent Truth is an exciting supplement to our November Sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “She has excelled at the highest levels in the United States and Europe, and her deep pedigree makes her an attractive broodmare prospect for breeding operations the world over.”

A group winner in France in 2023 and runner-up in the 2024 G1 Prix Rothschild, Excellent Truth was purchased by John Stewart's Resolute Racing for €1.6 million at the 2024 Arqana December sale. Transferred to the barn of trainer Chad Brown, she opened her stateside campaign with a runner-up effort in the Apr. 12 GI Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland and was second again in the GI Just a Game Stakes at Saratoga. She narrowly outbattled multiple Grade I winner She Feels Pretty to win the July 12 GI Diana Stakes.

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Live racing at Aqueduct has been canceled Thursday as a strong storm moves through the New York metropolitan area with forecasted high winds and heavy rain.

Current weather forecasts are calling for wind gusts exceeding 40 mph and up to two inches of rain as a result of Thursday's storm. The National Weather Service has placed Southern Queens under a coastal flood advisory beginning at 1 p.m.

Aqueduct Racetrack will remain open for simulcasting Thursday and live racing is scheduled to resume Friday with a first post time of 1:05 p.m.

The post Aqueduct Cancels Live Racing Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

by Steve Sherack & J.N. Campbell

DEL MAR, Calif. – A stallion share (2% interest) in leading young sire Not This Time brought $3 million from John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa to top the Keeneland Championship Sale held in the Del Mar paddock Wednesday evening.

The share was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Aaron and Marie Jones, as Hip 3. In a unique feature of the offering, the buyer receives all income from Not This Time's 2025 breeding season.

Not This Time is already the sire of nine Grade I winners, including champion 3-year-old colt Epicenter. Not This Time will be very well-represented by nine starters at this weekend's Breeders' Cup. He will command a $250,000 stud fee (S&N) at Taylor Made in 2026.

“He's a young sire, we have mares that will really suit him and we are investing in a prolific horse,” Sikura said. “The draw of (income from the 2025 breeding season) from this year was a major factor, too. There is nothing for sure in this business and you have to have a lot of luck if you're going to do this. It's not like he has to get any better, he just has to maintain what he has accomplished so far, and we think he's capable of doing that.

“Keeneland has done a great job with the hospitality and the setup–it's got a great feel,” Sikura added. “I think it's a sale that will build upon its success every year and could be the boutique sale of the year.”

A 20% interest in 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna–Sataves, by Uncle Mo), now retired to Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa, was also acquired by Sikura's operation for $1 million. The interest was consigned by McPeek Racing Stables, agent for Richard M. Edwards, as Hip 6. Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and GI Kentucky Oaks heroine, an absolute steal by Ken McPeek for $40,000 as a Fasig-Tipton October yearling, was campaigned in partnership by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc., McPeek's Magdalena Racing, Mark Edwards and breeder Judy B. Hicks.

“I bought 50% interest in her already, so being a majority owner in a mare like this one is special,” Sikura said. “Mark Edwards, the owner, had a great run with her. He's not a breeder, wanted to sell and that's why I bid. She's a wonderful mare and this increases my position in a really important one. The hope is she will be a significant producer. It's a great head start with a mare who was Horse of the Year, and one of the best fillies in the past 20 years. When they run, they run. She's got a lot of depth in her pedigree.”

Thorpedo Anna | Sarah Andrew

Sikura continued, “She's at the farm, so we increased our interest tonight. You hope to breed the best horses. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. We've had good luck with superior race mares who have become superior producers. Statistically the best race mares generally produce the best horses. It's still a tough business to be in. If you have bad luck that trumps everything.”

McPeek added, “Mark (Edwards) was never one to go for the long ride, and he'd rather put that money back into young horses by trying to emulate the success he's had. Everyone wants a racehorse, but some people don't want to breed horses, which is just different sides of the fence. She's going into the next stage of her career and the next stage of her life cycle. I think John Sikura was very interested in that other share and I think he's going to work to bring some other people in on it. I'll help him do that. He's got a group that he pulled together on the first half. And for me, I've handled Take Charge Lady, Swiss Skydiver, and I can give you a multitude of other Grade I-winning fillies, and I always encourage my clients to keep them. But that is part of this ride we are on and I'll keep going as long as I can. It's not about money at this stage. It's about the experience of creating, breeding, and finding the next great horse.”

Other highlights included: a 25% interest in GI Breeders' Cup Sprint 5-2 morning-line favorite Bentornato (Valiant Minister) (Hip 7), who was a fantastic second for trainer Jose D'Angelo in last year's renewal, brought $1 million from Michael and Jules Iavarone; a stallion share (2.5% interest) in WinStar Farm stallion Life Is Good (Hip 1) brought $1 million from Emerald Edge, agent; and a 25% interest in Breeders' Cup Sprint contender Mullikin (Violence) (Hip 9) brought $700,000 from RB Bloodstock, agent for Storyteller Racing. The latter offering was consigned by WinStar Farm, where Mullikin will stand in 2026.

Keeneland created the Championship Sale last year to be an opportunity for buyers to participate in the highest level while enjoying a festive event in the days before the Breeders' Cup.

“I think we had a proof of concept last year and we proved this year that it really, really works,” Keeneland's Tony Lacy said. “It's great to see everyone here who are people in racing or folks that want to get involved in racing. People were cheering and hugging each other, so the atmosphere was just what we were looking for with this experience. That's really what we are trying to build on. It's a party and let's have fun. Let's make dreams happen. It's not always about trying to make as much money as possible. It's about, how can we jazz this side of the business up a bit more? This is a social business we are in and it's about relationships. It's a social enterprise. Over the years everything has become very transactional and it needs to be fun. It's business, but the fun element was what we were after here.”

The post Stallion Share in Not This Time Brings $3 Million, Tops Keeneland Championship Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The Breeders' Cup has released an outline of its safety and integrity protocols ahead of the upcoming championship weekend at Del Mar in a press release issued Wednesday.

Out-of-competition testing for the event began in July with the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, in collaboration with the Breeders' Cup Veterinary Team, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, HISA, and the California Horse Racing Board, conducting OOC testing for banned substances of potential contenders.

Del Mar Track Superintendent Dennis Moore and Turf Course Superintendent John Beggin have worked closely with Dr. Mick Peterson, Program Director of the University of Kentucky Racetrack Safety Program, to ensure the most consistent racing surfaces possible at the track. Additionally, TurfTrax software has been employed to measure the condition of the turf track.

Beginning in early October, the Breeders' Cup Veterinary Review Panel has assessed the records of more than 220 potential contenders, including veterinary and treatment records, training and racing patterns, and physical examinations of select horses conducted by regulatory veterinarians in the applicable racing jurisdictions around the world. At the close of pre-entries Oct. 20, medical records for all domestic contenders were requested from HISA and reviewed by the Review Panel a second time. For international contenders, the previous 30 days of medical records were requested and submitted for review.

Mandatory 24-hour surveillance for all runners began at 11 a.m. PT Oct. 28 and every Breeders' Cup runner is subject to:

• Comprehensive on-site veterinary exams, including jog-up exams and the use of diagnostic technology as needed
• Additional physical examinations and the use of the AI-powered SLEIP app to analyze the horse's gait, at the determination of the Breeders' Cup Veterinary Team
• In-stall and on-track veterinary oversight during training and schooling
• Mandatory jog-up exams before entering any racing surface at Del Mar
• HISA-mandated pre-race veterinary examinations in the barn and veterinary monitoring of horses in the paddock and during warm-up on race day
• Extensive pre-race TCO2 testing, as well as post-race testing of the first four finishers along with other runners as designated by the stewards
• Observation of all other finishers cooling out as they exit the racetrack to determine if any aid or further assessment is required.

A complete look at the Breeders' Cup's safety and integrity protocols can be found here.

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George Weaver has trained his share of talented fillies and mares, but few have shined quite like the two stable stars preparing to leave his shedrow. Grade I winners Dorth Vader (Girvin) and Sacred Wish (Not This Time) have been fixtures in the Weaver barn for several years, announcing their talent early and steadily building resumes worthy of millionaire status.

Sacred Wish made her final start with Weaver at Kentucky Downs this summer, while Dorth Vader will have one last dance for her connections at the Breeders' Cup before both mares head to the Fasig-Tipton 'Night of the Stars' Sale on November 3.

For Weaver, parting with the pair brings equal measures of pride and poignancy.

“When you decide to be a horse trainer, the goal is to get horses of their caliber,” he said. “They have been stable stars in our barn and when it's time for them to retire, it is a little bittersweet. We love them while we have them and we root for them when they go on to their next career.”

Sacred Wish has been a breakout performer for Black Type Thoroughbreds, who co-own the 5-year-old with Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, Christopher Dunn, and Anthony Spinazzola.

Spinazzola originally owned the daughter of Not This Time outright and the rest of the ownership group joined in after her eye-catching maiden win. She was then sent to Weaver with the goal of sending Black Type and their partners to their third consecutive Kentucky Oaks. A runner-up finish in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks left her just shy of qualifying, but what followed surpassed all expectations.

Over the next two seasons, Sacred Wish placed in nine graded stakes and proved her versatility with standout performances on both turf and dirt.

Maddie Mattmiller of Black Type Thoroughbreds said one of her favorite memories was Sacred Wish's runner-up finish in the 2023 GI Coaching Club American Oaks. Mattmiller and her husband, Jake Ballis, were on their way home from a family vacation, seated on the runway as the field loaded into the gate. They watched from their phones as the plane started to take off, not realizing the race stream was slightly delayed.

Maddie Mattmiller and Jake Ballis with Sacred Wish | Katie Petrunyak

“We were hoping we could get it in and we're frantically watching the stretch run,” she recalled. “We're screaming and the flight attendants don't know what's going on. All of a sudden Jake gets a call from George. We had no idea what had happened so George had to tell us that we got beat by a head. But that was a very thrilling performance and we were excited with how she ran.”

Sacred Wish made headlines the following year after switching to the turf with a breakthrough score in the 2024 GI Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar, where she defeated Grade I winners Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) and Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy). The victory marked not only Sacred Wish's first Grade I win, but also the first at that level for Black Type Thoroughbreds.

“For her to win a Grade I, it meant everything to us and our partners,” said Jake Ballis. “She has been our best horse by money earned and credentials. She's been very sound and never missed a day of training.”

“Sacred Wish is as honest as the day is long,” Weaver echoed. “She always gives one hundred percent. She loves being a racehorse.”

At Fasig-Tipton, Sacred Wish will sell as a racing or broodmare prospect as Hip 140 with Vinery Sales.

Sacred Wish wins the 2024 Matriarch Stakes | Benoit Photo

With earnings just short of $1.2 million, the 5-year-old is Not This Time's all-time leading female. Her dam Indian Wish (Indian Charlie) is a half-sister to the dams of Grade I winners Firing Line (Line of David), Bowies Hero (Artie Schiller) and Sharp Azteca (Freud).

“It's one of the deepest pedigrees and it's a pedigree that I myself am chasing,” noted Mattmiller. “It's full of Classic-type horses and Grade I producers.”

Mattmiller said that when Sacred Wish hits the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds, buyers will be just as taken by her physical presence as they will be by her on-paper credentials.

“She's tall, dark and beautiful,” she said. “She's got the leg, she's got the stretch and her conformation is there. She's precocious yet she was able to carry her speed, from winning at six furlongs on the dirt to being able to carry her speed a mile and an eighth. She's just one of those ideal types of mares and so I think she's going to appeal to a lot of people.”

Just as Sacred Wish inspired pride for her ownership group, Breeders' Cup-bound Dorth Vader has proven equally special for her connections.

The millionaire is a homebred for Ocala-based breeder John Ropes and her story began with a series of fortunate twists. Ropes had originally planned to send his mare Hardcore Candy (Yonaguska) to a different stallion in 2019, but after visiting Girvin, he changed course and bred to the sire in his first year at Ocala Stud. While in foal with Dorth Vader, Hardcore Candy suffered a serious health issue that at one point left Ropes uncertain if she would survive.

Against the odds, Dorth Vader arrived the next year. Because of her challenging start in life, she was given a meaningful name honoring Ropes's partner of seven years, Dorothy Harden. Dorth Vader went on to become Ropes's first-ever graded stakes winner—and later, his first Grade I winner.

“When she was younger, she trained herself,” recalled Ropes. “All she wanted to do was bullet works without asking. As she matured, she started to train properly. What makes any racehorse good is their heart and their willingness to win. She doesn't like to be in second place. She likes to win and she runs that way.”

Team Dorth Vader: George Weaver, John Ropes and Dorothy Harden | Katie Petrunyak

Originally trained by Michael Yates, Dorth Vader broke her maiden in her second start before scoring a pair of stakes wins in the Juvenile Fillies Sprint Stakes and the Sandpiper Stakes.

The Florida-bred's Cinderella story continued the following year when she captured the GII Davona Dale at 46-1 odds and carried Ropes to his first Kentucky Oaks, where she finished fifth. From there, she was transferred to George Weaver to take her talent to New York and she immediately delivered with a runner-up effort in the GI Acorn Stakes.

“That's when we really knew we had a racehorse,” Ropes noted. “She came in second by a nose to Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), who had won the Kentucky Oaks. One step further and we would have won.”

Dorth Vader earned her Grade I breakthrough almost exactly two years later in the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes, dominating over a sloppy track by nearly five lengths. Later this summer, the 5-year-old delivered another top-level performance when she went head-to-head with Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in a dramatic edition of the GI Personal Ensign. In the stretch, Dorth Vader and John Velazquez launched a strong run, bearing down on Thorpedo Anna and Brian Hernandez Jr. The two Grade I winners battled stride for stride in the final yards, with Thorpedo Anna edging her by a nose just as they hit the wire.

“Hernandez even told Johnny congratulations afterward because we were just in front after they crossed the wire,” said Ropes. “The photo showed us two to three inches behind. It was that close, so we had to feel good about the race. We were racing against the number one filly in America.”

“She ran huge that day and we felt like winners,” added Weaver. “Dorth Vader is very athletic and always has been. She covers ground easily, is a very forward filly and has matured over time. She's really stepped up her game this year and has been able to showcase how much she can run.”

Dorth Vader and Thorpedo Anna go head to head in the GI Personal Engisn Stakes | Sarah Andrew

Dorth Vader will make her final start for her current connections in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff as she looks to add one more highlight to an already remarkable run. Weaver reported that while he was “not crazy about” drawing the twelfth post position, Dorth Vader has settled in at Del Mar and is looking better than ever.

Ropes, along with the mare's namesake Dorothy, has been in Del Mar since Sunday, arriving at the track early each morning to watch the star homebred train. Ropes joked that he wished the 5-year-old's morning-line odds were a bit longer than 5-1—after all, she tends to deliver some of her best performances when flying under the radar–but he admitted those odds fairly reflect her current form.

“Right now she's the best that she's ever been, so we hope she shows her best on Saturday,” he said “We're looking for a win and I have no doubt she'll be right there.”

After the Breeders' Cup, Sacred Wish will head to Kentucky for the 'Night of the Stars,' where she will also be consigned by Vinery Sales and will sell as Hip 209.

The sales company's co-owner Matt Bowling said that offering a pair of Grade I winners at one auction is a unique opportunity.

“Both are A-plus physicals,” he said. “You don't see mares like these come to the market a whole lot so we're excited to be able to bring them over and represent their connections.”

Vinery Sales announced earlier this week that a portion of the proceeds of the sales of Dorth Vader and Sacred Wish, as well as 19-time stakes winner Free Like a Girl (El Deal), will go to charity. Dorth Vader will represent Starlight Children's Foundation, which offers Star Wars-themed programs to sick children in the hospital. A portion of the proceeds of Free Like a Girl's sale will be donated to St. Jude's Children Hospital. Sacred Wish will represent the Make-A-Wish Foundation. (More details here)

“We're really excited this year to have the opportunity to sell two special horses coming out of George Weaver's barn,” said Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “It's really cool when you think of how, as brilliant of a stallion as Not This Time is, Sacred Wish is his all-time leading money-winning female. She's demonstrated her ability on both dirt and turf, which is kind of indicative of what you see with Not This Time. To me, Dorth Vader is a really cool mare. She demonstrated great precocity and great speed as a 2-year-old. To see what she's accomplished this year as a 5-year-old has been really exciting and hopefully, she has one more big one in her coming up.”

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