Thoroughbred Daily News

A single filly, No Time (Not This Time), was named the 7-2 morning-line favorite in a 13-horse field due to line up for the King's Plate Saturday at Woodbine.

North America's oldest continually contested race, the Canadian-bred 3-year-olds will go 1 1/4 miles on the main track as the first of three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown.

To be ridden again by John Velazquez, the daughter of Not This Time last won the Woodbine Oaks for owner Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse–the jockey, owner and trainer who won the 2018 Plate with filly Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro). No Time is a half to MGISW Count Again (Awesome Again) and to GISW Ransom the Moon (Malibu Moon).

“She has a heck of a pedigree,” Casse noted. “She's by one of the best sires in the world and she's a half-sister to two Grade I winners. She has the pedigree to be any kind. I feel like she really has grown up and has gotten stronger and better as time goes on, which happens a lot of times when you have these great pedigrees.”

Casse also sends out Ashley's Archer (Karakontie {Jpn}) who is co-owned by Gary Barber and Archer Racing.

Trainer Kevin Attard, who won last year's Plate with Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach), has three to line up with Dewolf (Silent Name {Jpn}), Faber (Improbable) and Mansetti (Collected) all set to represent the barn.

Mythical Man (Mucho Macho Man), Notorious Gangster (Classic Empire), Runaway Again (Hard Spun), Scorching (Mo Town), Sedbury's Ghost (Shaman Ghost), Tom's Magic (Justify), Watsonville Red (Hard Spun) and William T (Frosted) complete the field.

Post time for the King's Plate is scheduled for 5:34 pm ET Saturday.

The post No Time, The Only Filly In The Field, Named 7-2 Favorite In 166th Running Of King’s Plate appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) players can now bet on live horse races across the province by accessing Woodbine Entertainment Group's (WEG) horse racing wagering product through OLG.ca and the OLG app.

“We are excited to offer access to this experience to our online players, providing another way for them to engage in the thrilling sport of horse racing,” said Dave Pridmore, OLG's Chief Gaming Officer. “This collaboration represents an important step in our mandate of supporting the sport and a vibrant, competitive and sustainable horse racing industry in Ontario.”

OLG is the first Canadian provincial lottery and gaming agency to provide access to a horse racing wagering product to its digital players. Through WEG's product–which is powered by HPIbet, Canada's leading online platform for betting on horse racing–players on OLG.ca and the OLG app can bet on live races around the world and at Ontario tracks, including The King's Plate, which is scheduled to take place at Woodbine Racetrack  Saturday, August 16.

WEG, in partnership with OLG, has developed a simple and user-friendly experience for horse racing fans. This new plug-and-play provides access via OLG.ca to WEG's horse racing product–and the same solution could potentially be used by other gaming operators in Ontario to offer racing to their own customers.

All horse racing bets placed on WEG's product through OLG.ca and the OLG app are made using pari-mutuel wagering–the only legal form of betting on horse racing in Canada. In this betting model, players bet into a shared pool and winners share the pot, making it a fair and exciting way to play that complies with Canadian laws.

“This launch brings the excitement of horse racing to even more people across the province in a convenient and modern way–enhancing the experience for bettors while driving new interest in our sport,” said Michael Copeland, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “It's another step forward for the growth of horse racing in Ontario, and we're grateful to OLG for their continued support and willingness to collaborate and innovate alongside us.”

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Ben Bernhard, Shannon Griffin, and Mandy Pope have been named to the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Charities of America. The three newly elected directors join current board members Carrie Brogden, Lesley Campion (vice president), Marette Farrell (secretary), Torie Gladwell, Marshall Gramm (treasurer), Ryan Mahan, Mike McMahon (president), Dan Metzger, Leah O'Meara, Liam O'Rourke, Morgan Richardson, Cathy Shircliff, Brook Smith, and Jesse Ullery. Gretchen Jackson, Ellen Moelis and Dan Rosenberg are directors emeriti.

Thoroughbred Charities of America was formed in 1990 by Allaire duPont and Herb and Ellen Moelis to raise and distribute funds to charities in the Thoroughbred industry that fund and facilitate the support of Thoroughbreds and the people who care for them. In 2024, TCA granted over $1 million to 86 charities working within Thoroughbred retraining, rehoming and retirement; backstretch and farm worker services, research and equine-assisted therapy.

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Godolphin, Juddmonte, and Klaravich Stables have been named finalists for the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's National Owner of the Year award, the organization announced Tuesday. Godolphin is also a finalist for the TOBA's National Breeder of the Year Award. Sheikh Mohammed's operation is joined by fellow breeder finalists Judy Hicks and Town and Country Horse Farms.

The finalists for the Small Breeder of the Year are William Butler; Cuyathy; and Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby, and 4G Racing.

Finalists for the Cot Campbell Partnership of the Year are Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby, 4G Racing and Valley View Farm; MyRacehorse; and the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.

“The finalists for the TOBA awards represent extraordinary achievements in our sport,” said TOBA president Dan Metzger. “We are honored to celebrate with them on what promises to be a memorable evening celebrating our 40th anniversary of the TOBA National Awards.”

The TOBA National Awards will consist of two days of presentations in Lexington The National Awards Dinner will be held Sept. 6 at Fasig-Tipton, and the National Awards Luncheon, which honors breeders from 19 states and Canada, will be held Sept. 5 at Godolphin.

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Arthur B. Hancock III, John Perrotta, and Josh Pons have been named finalists for the 19th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, which celebrates excellence in Thoroughbred sports literature.

Two of the titles, Hancock's “Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption” and Pons's “Letters From Country Life: Adolphe Pons, Man o' War, and the Founding of Maryland's Oldest

Thoroughbred Farm” are biographies steeped in the family Thoroughbred history of each author.

Perrotta, a lifelong horseman who has been a racetrack and stable manager, jockey agent and radio executive, joins the group with “A Beggar's Ride,” a mystery/thriller tale that spans racetracks from California to Ireland, the author's current home.

“These finalists have much in common: men who have devoted their lives to Thoroughbred racing, but also have nurtured their creative sides,” said Book Award judge Kay Coyte. “They did so, not only through these books, but also through journalism, songwriting or screenwriting. Oh, the stories they can tell.”

Semifinalists included: “The History of the Kentucky Derby in 75 Objects,” by Kentucky Derby Museum and Jessica K. Whitehead; “Jockey Queen: Lillian Jenkinson Holder, Horse Racing's Fearless Lady,” by Roger Peach; and “What Horses Do After Racing: The Story of Good Carma,” by Jay Privman.

The winner's ceremony will be held in the loft above the stallion barn at the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons farm near Lexington on Nov. 6.

In addition to the $10,000 winner's check, the Book Award will present $1,000 to the other two finalists. Each will receive Tipperary crystal trophies.

The 2024 judging team included Coyte, an Eclipse Award-winning former Washington Post editor; Caton Bredar, an Eclipse-winning television on-air host and handicapper; Kim Wickens, winner of the 2023 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award for “Lexington,” and former Boston Globe columnist Diane White, a director of the Old Friends Thoroughbred retirement farm.

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A 2016 referendum that would have allowed the Meadowlands to open a casino was a colossal failure. The ballot question lost by about 1.5 million votes.

But nine years later, there is renewed hope that casino gaming could be on its way to two of the last tracks in the country that do not benefit from gaming revenue. Meadowlands owner Jeff Gural is confident that he will get a casino license sometime in 2026. Monmouth officials are also hopeful voters will approve a casino at the Jersey Shore track. If the Meadowlands gets a casino and Monmouth does not, Meadowlands would have to share the proceeds evenly, which would go towards purses at both tracks.

The game changer is that New York is about to award three casino licenses to down state properties. They can be in the five boroughs or Yonkers. Currently, there is a racino at Aqueduct and Yonkers, but they are limited to slot machines and electronic table games. The favorites to get a downstate license are Aqueduct, Yonkers and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, who has proposed building a casino near Citi Field in Queens.

If there is the status quo in New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area gets three new casinos, Gural predicts that residents of the Garden State will flock to the nearby New York casinos. Yonkers Raceway is 8.5 miles from the George Washington Bridge and the Jersey border. Will New Jersey politicians and voters allow for a scenario where millions of gambling dollars from New Jersey residents are spent in New York State?

“I'm fairly confident, especially if they put a casino at Yonkers, which would be the closest to Northern New Jersey, that people will say to themselves, 'why would I drive over the bridge, sit in traffic and pay $18 if I could go to the Meadowlands to gamble?'” Gural said. “I'm a big believer in common sense. People have told me that a casino at the Meadowlands would be the most successful casino in the country, and I don't doubt that. We have a beautiful facility. We have sports betting. A full casino, I think would pack them in.”

Legislative efforts are already underway to facilitate casino development at the two racetracks, including a proposed constitutional amendment (Bill SCR130) that would allow casino gaming at the Meadowlands Racetrack and Monmouth Park Racetrack. In a race between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, there will be a new governor in New Jersey early next year. Neither has come out for or against New Jersey getting racetrack casinos.

“Once we know where the downstate licenses are going to be and who the governor is going to be, then we've got to try to get a referendum that would allow a casino only at the Meadowlands and not any place else,” Gural said.

Gural said with the way the 2106 referendum was written, it was never going to be approved by the voters.

“I learned from that experience what not to do,” he said.

Gural will campaign for a casino at the Meadowlands only. He doesn't fear the Atlantic City casino lobby, which has successfully kept casinos out of the New Jersey tracks for nearly 50 years.

“I think the opposition is going to come from New York,” he said. “Once New York opens, then people from New York aren't going to go to Atlantic City anymore. So why wouldn't they want to see money stay in New Jersey? It can only help them eventually. The states are broke. So their biggest fear is that the state raises the tax rate on them. They just raised the tax rate on online gambling. If I were the Atlantic City casinos, my biggest worry would be the state needing money would simply raise the tax rate in Atlantic City. So this would help them because they could say, well, we sat on the sidelines and allowed a casino at the Meadowlands, which is generating hundreds of millions of dollars. You should leave us alone. And my guess is that that would be a persuasive argument, too.”

Gural says that should he get a casino and Monmouth does not, the money from the casino earmarked for purses would be split evenly between the two tracks.

“I think this would solidify us as the premier harness track in the country,” he said. “We are already the number one harness track in North America, but we really struggle because we're competing with Yonkers. They get $50 million a year in purse subsidies. And the two Pennsylvania tracks (Pocono Downs and Harrah's Philadelphia) get $30 million each. We've been getting a $6-million subsidy from the state. You can see why we're at a major disadvantage.”

At Monmouth, Dennis Drazin, who heads the Darby Development team that manages Monmouth Park, isn't quite as optimistic as Gural.

“This is a tough one,” he said. “I've been trying to get a casino for 20 to 30 years and frankly have not been successful. The last time we went around and had the ballot question, it was overwhelmingly defeated, but I think it was set up to be a failure because the legislation made it easy to challenge. There was no specificity of where they'd be located, tax rate, who would benefit from it. It just didn't have the accompanying enabling legislation for people to intellectually evaluate it, and it was easy for the opposition to spend 30 minutes to get it defeated.

“Having said that, things have changed. Now they're going to award downstate casinos. It's going to be direct competition for New Jersey. I think the New Jersey legislators and Governor Murphy and whoever the next governor is, either Ciattarelli or Mikie Sherrill, understand that we need to protect the gaming dollars in New Jersey. So I share Jeff's hope this will get done, but I don't think it's any easy lift.”

While any new source of revenue would help Monmouth, Drazin said he will fight to see to it that both tracks gets a casino. He said that the legislation calls for full casinos at both the Meadowlands and Monmouth.

“[Casino owner] Morris Bailey is our gaming partner at Monmouth Park,” Drazin said. “If we were to get one, I think that there may be less of an impact on Atlantic City if we just get slots and not full table games. So that's one scenario that Monmouth Park would be willing to accept in order to get this done. We currently are not in favor of a casino at Meadowlands and not at Monmouth Park. We think the ballot question should be for both racetracks. Jeff is unlikely to get the support of Morris Bailey or Monmouth Park without our getting something out of this, and that won't help him.”

Nothing is imminent but the sense of optimism is something new. Both New Jersey tracks struggle to fill cards and run limited schedules. The Meadowlands runs only twice a week and Monmouth is open three days a week and offers only 50 days of racing. With casinos, that will no doubt change and purses should rise dramatically.

The first casino in New Jersey, Resorts International, now owned by Bailey, opened on May 26, 1978. It's been a tough grind for the Meadowlands and Monmouth ever since and Atlantic City and Garden State Park closed long ago. Could it be that the fight is about to end, with the racetracks being declared the winner? There is hope.

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Queen Azteca (Sharp Azteca), winner of the G3 UAE Oaks in February at Meydan Racecourse, arrived in Saratoga Aug. 8 and cleared quarantine to gallop over the Oklahoma training track Sunday morning. Trained by Niels Petersen, the bay was purchased privately by Team Valor International and is expected to make her North American debut in Saturday's GI Alabama Stakes.

Queen Azteca was accompanied to the training track by her exercise rider Carlos Toro Montecinos and a pony, calmly taking in her surroundings before jogging a half-mile and galloping once around the dirt oval.

“She settled in very good. She's a very good traveler. This was her first time out on track, and she loved it. She's as big as the pony, and the pony is big,” said Montecinos, with a laugh. “She has a nice temperament too. She's never seen a pony at home.”

Queen Azteca, who was based in Norway with Petersen, made her two most recent outings at Jagersro in Sweden, winning at 11 furlongs in June and finishing a 1 3/4-length second in 12-furlong Jockeyklubben Svenskt Derby on July 13.

“That's what she needs – long distance,” Montecinos said of the Alabama 10-furlong distance. “She flies really good at the end – she has a really good finish.”

Out of Princessa Helena (Palace Malice), the $22,000 KEESEP purchase will stay in the U.S. following the Alabama and will be trained by Rodolphe Brisset.

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Saratoga's 12th and final race on the Aug. 9 card, an allowance for New York-breds originally carded for 1 1/8 miles on the turf, was accidentally contested at 1 1/16 miles. The race was declared official, with the error first pointed out by DRF's Dave Grening.

The official Equibase chart made note of the error, stating: “Please note that the race was originally scheduled to be run at a mile and one-eighth on the Mellon Turf course. However, the gate was positioned for a mile and one-sixteenth start on the Mellon Turf course and therefore the split times and final time have been omitted pending video review and the points of call have been corrected to reflect a mile and one-sixteenth race.”

New York Racing Association (NYRA) officials will review the situation, with no official comments made by press time. R.T. Racing Stables and Hablan Los Caballos, LLC's Fidelightcayut (Leofric) won the race.

A similar issue occurred at Saratoga in 2018, when the fifth race on the Aug. 8 card that year was run at 1 1/8 miles instead of 1 1/16 miles. Read more about it here.

The post Saratoga Runs Saturday’s Last Race at Wrong Distance appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

NEW KENT, VA-Is it too soon to call 2025 the year of Junior Alvarado? The Venezuelan jockey continued to ride a tsunami of success right into southeast Virginia Saturday, piloting Fort Washington (War Front) to victory in the GI Arlington Million at Colonial Downs.

The “other” Claude McGaughey runner, dispatched at odds of 5-1 compared to favored stablemate Integration (Quality Road), has enjoyed a similar run of success once Alvarado climbed aboard earlier this year. After running fifth beaten 2 1/4 lengths to kick off 2025 in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Florida, he eeked out a win in the GIII Canadian Turf Stakes before shipping to Maryland to take the GIII Dinner Party Stakes on the Preakness undercard at Pimlico May 17. Fourth last out in the GII Wise Dan at Churchill going 1 1/16-miles, McGaughey opted to ship Fort Washington east for a try at Colonial Downs' crown jewel.

Last of the seven-horse field for much for the running, Fort Washington settled well off the speed along the inside as longshot Time Song (Not This Time) led GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents), who was making his turf debut, through an opening half-mile in :48.36. And while he remained seventh up the long Secretariat backstretch, the 5-1 shot was beginning to make up ground on the field and had the pack within his reach as he fanned out for the real running. Stablemate Integration briefly assumed command but got run down in a calvary charge to the line with Fort Washington coming widest of the contenders to steal the win by a half-length. Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) scooted up the rail to pick up second with the race favorite relegated to third and Mystik Dan another half-length back in fourth.

For Alvarado, add Colonial's biggest race to a season that has already seen win photos taken for the GI Kentucky Derby, the GI Belmont Stakes and the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational. The partnership between the 39-year-old jockey and the 6-year-old Fort Washington had seen a sharp turn of form that owner Joseph Anzalone attributes nearly entirely to Alvarado.

“He's the man,” Anzalone said, pointing across the winner circle's to his jockey. “Ever since he got on this horse, he's done nothing wrong. He had a tough trip in the Wise Dan. And obviously [jockey] Kendrick [Carmouche] did a good job in the beginning with him. That's how I got my first graded win [the 2024 GIII Monmouth Stakes]. But when [Junior] took over, it's just been a whole other story. He's tremendous.”

Anzalone's Magic Cap Stables earned their first Grade I win Saturday.

“I can't even say how I feel,” said Anzalone. “First Grade I win for me, it's just been an outstanding adventure.”

The Boca Raton-based stable began racing in 2016 and admirably made it as far as the Breeders' Cup in their first year (finishing fifth with Jamyson 'n Ginger {Bernardini} in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies}.

“I was only on fillies for the first five years,” Anzalone said. “I have a nice breeding program. And now I've got a few colts, and this one just fell into my lap. I'm going to watch [the race] 100 times tonight. My wife yells at me because I watch the replays over and over.”

Fort Washington, who came into the Magic Cap Stable fold full-time just before his victory in the Monmouth Stakes, has just come into his own of late, even at 6-years-old.

“He's six, but he only found himself at maybe five and a half,” he said. “They're talking about Kentucky Downs, but they might also give him a little bit of a break now that he's won this. We were just going to skip this spot and go straight to the [National Thoroughbred League Tight Spot] Overnight but he was working so well, we didn't have a choice! I don't know if he likes the mile so much. [The Breeders' Cup] is the furthest thing from my mind. I was just trying to get the win here today.”

For Alvarado, the success is a reflection of the work he's put in.

“It's been one of those years,” Alvarado said. “As a kid, you always dream to have [a year like this] but it's definitely very hard, a lot of work. This year has been that kind of year for me. I've been very blessed by God to be able to be in this spot. A lot of owners and trainers have supported me and gave me an opportunity to ride nice horses.”

Of the stretch run, he added: “I knew he was going to give me the kick that he always does. This spot was perfect for him today. He's the kind of horse that runs the way I like to ride.”

Pedigree Note:

The 27th Grade I winner for War Front, Fort Washington is a son of French GSP Azaelia (Fr) who has produced two other winners including his full-sister Hay Stack. Her 2-year-old Munnings colt named Olivetti ran fourth at Saratoga in maiden special weight company on Aug. 7 for Peter Brant and Chad Brown. She produced a War Front filly last year and a filly by Triple Crown champion Justify this season before visiting both Annapolis and Raging Bull (Fr) for 2026.

Fort Washington takes the Million! pic.twitter.com/kBhrPlaNjS

— Stefanie Grimm (@SGrimmTDN) August 9, 2025

Saturday, Colonial Downs
ARLINGTON MILLION S.-GI, $1,000,000, Colonial Downs, 8-9, 3yo/up, 1 1/4mT, 1:59.58, fm.
1–FORT WASHINGTON, 122, h, 6, by War Front
1st Dam: Azaelia (Fr) (GSP-Fr, $176,984), by Turtle Bowl (Ire)
2nd Dam: Azalee (Ire), by Peintre Celebre
3rd Dam: Astorg, by Lear Fan
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($260,000 4yo '23 FTKHRA). O-Magic Cap Stables; B-Joseph Allen, LLC & White Birch Farm, Inc. (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Junior Alvarado. $607,600. Lifetime Record: 28-7-3-8, $1,352,182. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Grand Sonata, 122, h, 6, Medaglia d'Oro–A. P. Sonata, by A.P. Indy. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($125,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/B-Whisper Hill Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $196,000.
3–Integration, 122, h, 5, Quality Road–Harmonize, by Scat Daddy. ($700,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing LLC; B-Larkin Armstrong (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $98,000.
Margins: HF, 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 5.70, 12.90, 0.60.
Also Ran: Mystik Dan, Cairo (Ire), Time Song, Runaway Storm. Scratched: Vesting (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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2nd-Del Mar, $81,000, Msw, 8-9, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:16.91, ft, 6 3/4 lengths.
BOTTLE OF ROUGE (f, 2, Vino Rosso–Blues Corner, by Bluegrass Cat), a well-beaten second behind her Bob Baffert-trained stablemate and Sunday's GIII Sorrento S. morning-line favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Himika (Curlin) on debut at Santa Anita June 12, was favored at even-money to go one better at Del Mar Saturday. She forced the issue from an inside second and led narrowly through an opening quarter in :22.18. Continuing to exchange blows with Super Corredora (Gun Runner) on the far turn, Bottle of Rouge shook free while hanging on her left lead down the stretch and switched over late to win going away by 6 3/4 lengths. Blues Corner had a filly by Vino Rosso in 2024 and a filly by Yaupon this year. She was bred back to Yaupon. Sales history: $60,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $100,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $60,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Natalie J. Baffert; B-Kathie Maybee (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

#3 BOTTLE OF ROUGE ($4) got a nice trip under @JJHernandezS19 to easily win race 2 at @DelMarRacing. The daughter of Vino Russo (@spendthriftfarm) is trained by @BobBaffert.

Watch more on @FanDuelTV. pic.twitter.com/3UijnqqMg7

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) August 9, 2025

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – After a few days to recover from a blockbuster Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, bidding returns to the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Sunday evening for the first of two sessions of the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale. The auction is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m with 100 catalogued yearlings set to go through the ring, and it will continue Monday at noon with an additional 203 catalogued head on offer.

Buyers–both pinhookers and end-users, with new shoppers joining those that were shut out during the record-setting select sale last week–hit the sales barns on a sunny morning in upstate New York Saturday.

“Our shows seem to be way up from last year,” said Brian Graves of Gainesway, which sold three million-dollar yearlings at the select sale and returns with a six-horse consignment for the New York-bred sale. “We showed these horses 70 times on the first day. And we have been busy today as well. So I think there is a good solid group of people here to buy them.”

Demand was strong at last year's New York-bred sale, with 182 yearlings selling for a gross of $19,095,500. The average of $104,920 was third-highest in sale history, while the median of $86,500 was an all-time high for the auction.

“Last year was a great sale here,” said Ron Blake of Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services, which had a seven-figure yearling at last week's select sale and will offer nine New York-breds. “We had six last year and we sold every horse for more than we thought we were going to get for them.”

Blake continued, “We had a strong select sale. So I'm sure there have to be a few people who got shut out who wanted to buy. So you just hope that there is a trickle down effect.”

With an advantageous tax code, added to the purse parity in New York which will have state-bred horses running at equal money with open company, people have plenty of incentives to buy racehorses, according to consignor Colin Brennan.

“I think the tax breaks seem to be motivating some people, in addition to the new New York-bred incentives,” Brennan said. “Everything is coming together–the sum of all the parts, which would suggest a strong market for us.”

Asked if he was seeing a turnover of buyers from the select sale to the New York-bred sale, Brennan said, “I think there are two separate buying benches and they are two different niches, in a sense. But then again, agents that have orders to fill for good horses, they are here as well. We have seen different people come and go between each sale, but either way, there has been a lot of good foot traffic and our group has been well received.”

Allegra Lee will add another accomplishment to her resume when she offers her first consignment under the Ascend Thoroughbreds banner Monday in Saratoga.

“I have wanted to start a consignment for about four years and this was just the right time to do it,” she explained.

The consignment's lone offering is hip 444, a daughter of Munnings out of stakes-placed Amazing Shoes (Empire Maker).

“I thought this filly would fit in this sale,” Lee said. “The family has been live.”

Of the shoppers she has seen at the barns Sunday, Lee added, “I think the pinhookers got shut out in the first sale, so were the end-users, so [the shoppers] are a mix of both.”

The post ‘Everything is Coming Together’: High Expectations as Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale Opens Sunday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Nothing Personal (c, 2, Violence–Will She, by Wando) became the 11th 'TDN Rising Star' for Violence after scorching seven furlongs in 1:19.90–just .04 off the track record–at Colonial Downs Saturday afternoon.

Off at odds of 4-1 shipping in from trainer Greg Compton's Delaware base, the $135,000 KEESEP yearling turned $270,000 EASMAY juvenile sat the trip in third behind a pair of dueling leaders through fractions of :22.15 and :44.44. He rolled up three deep at the top of the stretch and put on a show from there, winning with authority by 8 3/4 lengths while coming home in a razor sharp :11.20.

The stakes-winning Will She, owned and bred by the late Gustav Schickedanz, had a filly by City of Light this year and was bred back to Independence Hall.

2nd-Colonial Downs, $72,500, Msw, 8-9, 2yo, 7f, 1:19.90, ft, 8 3/4 lengths.
NOTHING PERSONAL, c, 2, by Violence
           1st Dam: Will She (SW, $177,994), by Wando
            2nd Dam: Sweet Bama Breeze, by City Zip
            3rd Dam: Repast, by Formal Dinner
Sales history: $135,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP; $270,000 2yo '25 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Mag Racing LLC; B-Woods Edge Farm, LLC (KY); T-Greg Compton.

#4 NOTHING PERSONAL ($10.20) looked great winning on debut in R2 at @ColonialDowns. The juvenile Violence colt was ridden by Jaime Rodriguez for trainer @GregCompton9. pic.twitter.com/qhsN6UktUe

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) August 9, 2025

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Valerie Clement has arguably seen more horses in her lifetime than many of the younger bloodstock agents working this year's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale. For the past 40 years, she has stood alongside her husband Christophe as he has inspected horses at countless sales, farms and racetracks around the world.

Following her husband's passing in May, it would have been understandable if Clement had chosen to step away from the game, but to her that was never an option.

In addition to running a thriving stable, Christophe was also involved in several broodmare partnerships in both New York and France—a part of the business Clement is now determined to continue.

“I am committed to carrying  out what Christophe started,” she explained. “At times it is a lot, but I don't quit. I'm learning and I'm enjoying it. I want a fair chance to learn and I'm very blessed because I'm surrounded by people I trust and that I've known for a long time.”

On Sunday, a colt that Clement co-owns with Richard Leahy's Oak Bluff Stables will sell as Hip 357 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale. The son of Not This Time is out of a mare that Christophe once trained.

Savvy Sassy (Street Sense), a half-sister to MGSW Southdale (Street Cry {Ire}), was campaigned by Waterville Lake Stables. She won her first two starts under Clement's tutelage in 2014. The Ontario-bred was later trained by Arnold DeLacour and in 2016, went through the ring at the Keeneland November Sale and sold to the Oak Bluff-Clement partnership for $80,000.

The mare has been a shining success story for her ownership group as her first four foals have all brought six figures at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale.

Bourbon Bay (Bayern) sold for $205,000 and went on to collect multiple stakes placings, including a runner-up effort in the 2020 Jerome Stakes. Brattle House (Malibu Moon) set a New York-Bred Sale record when she brought $775,000 in 2019 and the filly also earned blacktype credit on the racetrack. The mare's three-year-old of this year, Real Savvy (Authentic), was a $360,000 purchase for MyRacehorse and RT Racing. The colt broke his maiden for Christophe last November and is now training at Belmont.

“Savvy Sassy is such a great story and it's a great partnership,” said Clement. “When it's a good partnership, you're friends as well. Dick and Christophe started the breeding partnership together. Dick is very analytic, so no decisions were taken without endless conversation. Christophe had the other side of the talent–his gut feeling as a horseman. So the partnership has been very successful and it's the story you hope for when you get Savvy Sassy. Being with people you trust is the key.”

Clement credits their small breeding program's success to the relationships behind it. She has two mares in France at Ecurie des Monceaux with Henri Bozo, a former intern for Christophe. For the New York division, Leahy was a longtime owner for Christophe as a partner in Waterville Lake Stables.

Savvy Sassy's yearling will sell at Fasig-Tipton with Denali Stud. Consignor Conrad Bandoroff said the colt has made steady progress since arriving at their farm in May.

“He's one of those horses you get more and more excited about,” said Bandoroff. “We had one very respected agent who came out to the farm and asked why this horse wasn't in the main sale. There's a reason why Christophe is pictured on the inside cover of the New York-bred catalogue this year. Christophe was such a supporter of the New York-bred program and of this sale. If he was still around, this is where he would have put this horse. He was a believer in putting the best horses in this sale and letting them stand out and we believe that's what this horse is going to do.”

Clement said that she has always enjoyed the breeding and sales side of the industry and is interested in staying involved going forward.

“With the breeding, I enjoy how you see the full circle of the industry,” she explained. “You go to those farms to see the babies and you dream big. You think, 'Oh, I've spotted a champion.' When you approach it with the full story, you're not just looking at the finish line.”

She knows she has a lot to learn, but in the months since her husband's passing, a voice in the back of her mind has been guiding her forward.

“Back then, I had the answer,” she said. “I'm used to him constantly commenting about horses, whether we're at the races or at the sales. Now I have to say, 'What would he think of this horse? What would he see?' I'm trying to remember what he was teaching me.”

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – When the question came out on the rail at the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning, trainer Miguel Clement smiled. But he was not about to give an answer to who is his favorite horse in his barn.

That will stay with him.

When the name of 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel) was suggested, Clement smiled some more.

“He is definitely up there,” Clement said.

As well he should. Far Bridge, owned by LSU Stables, shows up whenever Clement puts the saddle on the 5-year-old.

That will happen on Saturday when Far Bridge defends his title in the GI, $750,000 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga. A year ago, Far Bridge won the 1 1/2-mile race in front-running fashion at odds of 8-1.

You won't get that price this year. Far Bridge, who will be ridden by his constant companion, Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario, was made the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the Sword Dancer field of nine by New York Racing Association oddsmaker David Aragona.

Far Bridge has won three of four starts this year and is a photo finish away from being perfect. He finished third in the June 8 GI Manhattan Stakes behind stablemate 'TDN Rising Star' Deterministic (Liam's Map) and Integration (Quality Road), who is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in Saturday's GI Arlington Million at Colonial Downs.

Far Bridge was the last horse saddled by Miguel's dad, Christophe, who passed away on May 25. On May 10, the elder Clement won the GII Man o' War Stakes at Aqueduct.

“He loved that horse,” Miguel Clement said of his father's relationship with Far Bridge. “He didn't have favorites, but there were two or three that he really loved. It's a travesty that the Man o' War is no longer a Grade I.”

Miguel Clement has been running the barn since his dad's death. Deterministic was his first Grade I win.

In his 18 career starts, Far Bridge has nine wins, three seconds and three thirds. At Saratoga, he has two wins and three thirds in five starts.

Far Bridge isn't just a lover of Saratoga, He is unbeaten in four tries at Gulfstream Park; he has won two graded stakes at Aqueduct.

“He has won all of the biggest turf staying races of the year,” Miguel Clement said. “He is very enthusiastic in his training, and he is maturing well, especially mentally. Physically he has always been very advanced. Mentally, he has gotten to another level where he really understands his job. He knows exactly what is expected of him.”

The 15 1/2-length win by Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) in last month's GI Coaching Club American Oaks Stakes still resonates with trainer Jorge Abreu. It was his first Grade I win at Saratoga, and second in his career.

Scottish Lassie also gave him his first, in the GI Frizette last October at Aqueduct.

Scottish Lassie | Sarah Andrew

Whether or not Abreu has a chance to get another big score in next weekend's GI Alabama Stakes remains to be seen. Abreu has not yet confirmed that Scottish Lassie will start in the Alabama.

He said that will be determined after the filly works Sunday morning. She has not worked since her win in the CCA Oaks.

The other option for Scottish Lassie is the GI, $1-million Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing on Sept. 20. The way he talked Thursday morning, it sounded like Abreu might be leaning towards Pennsylvania.

“She is doing very, very well,” Abreu said at the Oklahoma Training Track. “She doesn't have the same attitude I saw going into the Coaching Club. I don't want to ruin her just to prove a point. If she breezes good and she comes out of it in good shape, we will sit down and make a decision.”

Scottish Lassie, who is owned by Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish LLC, Corms Racing Stable and Abreu, has a win and two thirds in three starts this year.

The more trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. watches last Saturday's GI Whitney Stakes, the more pleased he is with the performance of White Abarrio (Race Day).

White Abarrio (middle) off and running in the Whitney | Sarah Andrew

The 6-year-old gray finished fourth in the talent-soaked Whitney, beaten four lengths by 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). White Abarrio raced extremely wide into the stretch.

“The way he ran, if he could have sat a little more forward and not that wide, he is not that far off from winning,” Joseph said outside his barn on the Saratoga backstretch. “He ran a huge number on the Rags (Ragozin sheets). According to the Rags, it was the third best race of his life.”

Joseph said the trip he wanted for White Abarrio was to be outside, but when he came into the stretch, he was six or seven paths wide.

Owned by C Two Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable LLC, White Abarrio and stablemate Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), who was seventh in the Whitney, have returned to the track.

Joseph said there is a chance that White Abarrio will reappear in the GI, $1-million Jockey Club Gold Cup on Aug. 30, the last weekend of the meet.

“It's not set that we will, but if we run in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, it means we have a good chance of winning,” Joseph said. “If we are doing good, we are going in there. If we need a little more time, we'll wait.”

White Abarrio has won two of four starts this year, both at Gulfstream Park. He won the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the GIII Ghostzapper Stakes. He was fourth in his other two tries, the Whitney and GI Met Mile, which was also run at Saratoga.

Skippylongstocking, owned by Daniel Alonso, will remain on schedule for the GII, $1-million Charles Town Classic on Aug. 22 in West Virginia. He is looking to become the first horse to win it in three consecutive years.

Two other horses–Researcher (Two Smart) in 2009-10 and Art Collector (Bernardini) in 2021-22–have won the race twice in a row.

The Whitney was Skippylongstocking's first race since May 26 when he won the GII Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes at Santa Anita.

“We needed that (Whitney),” Joseph said. “I did not want to go to Charles Town without a run. I thought he made a big mid-race move in the Whitney and he got tired. Winning three in a row is not easy. You have to stay healthy, sound and in good form. It is not an easy race and he will have to run his best again.”

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The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host the inaugural Corgi Cup on Sunday, Aug. 10 at Saratoga Race Course.

A total of 48 Corgis have been registered by their owners to take part in the competition.

Two qualifying rounds featuring four heats of 12 Corgis each will take place on the main track after the third and fifth Thoroughbred races of the afternoon. The top three finishers from each heat will advance to the championship round to comprise a 12-Corgi field that will go to post after the seventh race at approximately 4:55 p.m.

All races will be televised live on FOX Sports (FS1).

Corgis will sprint 40 yards to the finish line with the champion celebrated during a ceremony in the winner's circle and awarded the inaugural Corgi Cup.

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A stakes schedule packed with $3.575 million in purses will headline this year's 14-day September Meet at Churchill Downs, which runs Thursday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 28 and features 11 stakes contests over three weekends.

Saturday, Sept. 13 sets the tone with five stakes races led by the $400,000 GII Fasig-Tipton Locust Grove and the first points events on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks: the $300,000 GIII Iroquois and $300,000 GIII Pocahontas.

The second Saturday of the meet on Sept. 20 includes four more stakes topped by the $300,000 GIII Dogwood.

The stakes action concludes Saturday, Sept. 27 with a duo of marquee races: the $500,000 GII Lukas Classic and $400,000 GIII Ack Ack.

Four weeks later, Churchill Downs will host its 26-day Fall Meet from Sunday, Oct. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 30 with 16 stakes worth $5 million.

Thanksgiving weekend once again anchors the Fall Meet: Friday, Nov. 28 will be headlined by the $600,000 GII Clark; and Saturday, Nov. 29 features the Stars of Tomorrow II card headlined by the $400,000 GII Kentucky Jockey Club and $400,000 GII Golden Rod.

The meet will open with the first Stars of Tomorrow card on Sunday, Oct. 26 led by the $200,000 GIII Street Sense and $200,000 Rags to Riches.

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Four additional yearlings, including fillies by Flightline, Gun Runner and Into Mischief along with a colt by Golden Pal, have been supplemented to Book 1 of the September Yearling Sale on Sept. 8-9, Keeneland announced Thursday.

Opening day of the sale will include these supplements:

Hip 181 is a filly from the first crop of Horse of the Year Flightline who is out of stakes winner Call On Mischief, by Into Mischief. Call On Mischief is a half-sister to Grade I winner and millionaire Power Squeeze. The filly is consigned by Thorostock, agent.

Hip 182, a colt from the first crop of two-time Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal, is a half-brother to Grade III winner Becky's Joker. Consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, he is out of the Elusive Quality mare Becky's Best and from the family of Grade II winner Vertical Oak and stakes winners Vertical Vision and Giant Mischief.

Yearlings supplemented to the second day are:

Hip 372 is a filly by Into Mischief out of multiple graded stakes winner Keertana, by Johar. A half-sister to Grade III winner Ticonderoga, she is consigned by St George Sales, agent. The filly is from the family of Grade II winner Diversy Harbor; Grade III winners Snow Top Mountain, Greyvitos and Parochial; and Italian highweight Knifebox.

Hip 373 is a filly by Gun Runner who is the first foal out of multiple stakes winner Hear My Prayer, by The Big Beast. From the family of stakes winner Additional Prayer, she is consigned by Mulholland Springs, agent.

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First-time starter Setting Sun (Caravaggio), who was pulled up during the running of the ninth race at Saratoga Wednesday, has been euthanized according to a press release from NYRA Thursday.

The note reads: “During the running of Race 9 on Wednesday, August 6 at Saratoga Race Course, the Miguel Clement-trained Setting Sun was pulled up by jockey Flavien Prat in the stretch run with an injury to the left front. The filly was immediately attended to by on-track veterinarians, who transported Setting Sun to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for further evaluation.

Radiographs performed at Rood & Riddle showed severe fractures to the left knee, which were deemed to be inoperable. As a result, and upon recommendation of the attending veterinarians, Setting Sun was humanely euthanized on Wednesday evening.”

Additionally, NYRA noted that Setting Sun's death marked the fourth total with two equine fatalities occurring during racing and two more occurring during morning training.

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The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation will host its final fundraiser of the year, the Backyard BBQ, at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Saratoga Springs on Tuesday, August 19, the organization announced Thursday.

The event, held from 5:30-8:30pm, includes a full BBQ dinner, a drink ticket, live music, a silent auction and an opportunity to hear from graduates of the TRF Second Chances Program. All proceeds from the event benefit the TRF's herd of nearly 400 retired race horses and the Second Chances Program which pairs incarcerated individuals with horses to teach skills through horsemanship.

“Rood & Riddle's generosity in hosting this event and serving as our presenting sponsor is a tremendous gift to the TRF,” said Maggie Sweet, executive director of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. “Their commitment to the health and welfare of Thoroughbreds mirrors our mission, and we are deeply grateful for their partnership in making this celebration possible for our community and our horses.”

More information and tickets for the Backyard BBQ can be found here.

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The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. will play host to 'Casino Night' on Monday, Aug. 18 from 6 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. ET., and the evening will serve as a fundraiser for the museum and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the repository said in a press release on Wednesday.

The event, which is sponsored by Live Oak Plantation and the Jockeys' Guild, will be catered by Mama Mia's. Along with will some high-stakes fun, the fundraiser will include a lively atmosphere throughout the museum as well.

Click here for tickets.

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