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The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will present a series of three handicapping seminars leading up to the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby (G1) May 2. Hosted by renowned handicapper Tom Amello, the series will take place at the Museum.

The 2024 Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Laurel River has been sold and will take up stallion duties this season at Japan's Big Red Farm in Hokkaido, Juddmonte announced March 12. 

Daandine Stud headlined a selective day of trade at the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, when a filly by reigning Queensland champion sire Better Than Ready offered by the operation was purchased by trainer Tony Gollan for AU$130,000.

Early into the March 12 final session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Three Amigos went to $1 million for a colt (Hip 576) by the 2025 leading first-crop sire Yaupon.

In the Santa Ana Stakes (G3T), Mrs. Astor will go for a seventh career stakes win, but will face a large field.

Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising sits as a clear No. 1 in the first Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings of 2026 with a rating of 128.

Letters to the Editor, March 12 edition of BloodHorse Daily

This first edition of the Odds and Trends column with J. Keeler Johnson examines run-up distances and how they impact races.

Jesse Aviles and fiancé Rylee Thomas of J & R Thoroughbreds are aiming to make it big with a Drain the Clock filly, Hip 595, at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale March 12.

A floor amendment has been added to HB 904–a sweeping piece of legislation seeking to legalize fixed-odds wagering in Kentucky–that is designed to essentially ensure no limit can be imposed on the number of mares bred to a stallion in the state.

It requires that the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation select and use an entity to act as “a registrar of Thoroughbreds” in the state, meaning it could choose an organization other than The Jockey Club, which is the current breed registry for the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

That “registrar of Thoroughbreds” is then unable to restrict “the number of mares that can be bred to a stallion or otherwise refuse to register any foal based upon the number of mares bred to the stallion.”

HB 904 has been posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday. This means that this amendment could be voted on as early as Friday morning in the House. If successful, the amended bill could then theoretically be brought up for final passage on the House floor immediately.

The specific language of the amendment reads: “For purposes of this chapter, a registrar of Thoroughbreds shall not restrict the number of mares that can be bred to a stallion or otherwise refuse to register any foal based upon the number of mares bred to the stallion of the foal submitted for registration.

“The corporation shall select and utilize an entity to serve as the registrar of Thoroughbreds. The registrar shall submit to the jurisdiction of Kentucky and shall comply with the laws of this chapter,” the language reads.

The amendment was authored by Republican David Osborne, speaker of the state House of Representatives. The Republicans hold an 80-20 majority in the state House.

The language of this amendment is almost identical to that in a bill Osborne introduced in 2022.

That bill was written in response to The Jockey Club's controversial mandate that any stallion born from 2020 onward would only be allowed to cover up to 140 mares.

After that bill was introduced, The Jockey Club rescinded the cap.

Speaking at last week's National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association conference (NHBPA), new Jockey Club chair Everett Dobson told the audience the organization would revisit that stallion cap mandate.

“Years ago, The Jockey Club attempted to impose a cap on the number of mares a stallion could breed. Under my leadership, we're going to revisit that question. This time, we will involve stallion farms and other breed registries around the world to help us find the solution. Our discussions must be science-based with an understanding of the economic realities of the world we live in,” Dobson said.

The fixed-odds bill, introduced into the state legislature by Republican Representatives Matthew Koch and Michael Meredith, is a sweeping piece of legislation designed to essentially expand and modernize the state's gambling infrastructure.

Among other aspects of the bill, it requires tracks and tote companies to adopt new modern technologies to streamline and expedite betting cycle times. It also attempts to essentially decouple wagering providers from the prediction market, which is the ability for bettors to make speculative bets on the outcomes of future events.

Koch told the TDN this week that as the markets have evolved, “predictive markets, by the way, are absolutely cannibalizing other forms of gambling that are out there.”

Earlier this week, it was successfully voted out of the standing committee on licensing and occupations.

The post Anti Stallion Cap Amendment Added to KY Fixed-Odds Bill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

After being involved in a spill in Thursday's fifth race at Gulfstream, Irad Ortiz, Jr. was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

When reached by the TDN via text, his agent, Steve Rushing, said he had no updates and was awaiting the results of tests.

Early indications were that Ortiz was not seriously injured. Reporting on FanDuel TV, Caton Bredar said Ortiz was complaining of hip pain, but added that he told the ambulance driver he was “fine.”

“I'm told by track officials that Irad was alert, awake, conscious, answering all questions,” Bredar said on FanDuel TV. “He told the ambulance drivers that he was fine, but he did have some pain in his hip, so they did take him to the hospital to get that checked out. It appears that he escaped anything serious, and that is definitely some good news.”

Bredar also reported that the horse Ortiz was riding, A Moment a Love (Kantharos), was collected by the outrider and was not injured.

The Equibase chart caller footnote gave an account of the incident: “A Moment a Love ducked in at the start, broke through the inner rail, lost the rider, galloped along the inner turf course and walked off.”

The post Irad Ortiz, Jr. Taken to Hospital After Gulfstream Spill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis

OCALA, FL – With one more million-dollar juvenile bringing its three-day total to a record-tying seven, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training concluded Thursday with its highest-ever gross and increases in both average and median from a year ago.

“Gratified, pleased and happy for the consignors,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said of the auction's record-setting results. The consignors bring the horses and the quality of the horses that they bring is what brings the prices. So I am happy for the consignors. I am pleased with the amount of trade that took place over all three days, domestically and internationally. We had involvement from a lot of different buyers, so we are very happy with that.”

Through three sessions, 439 horses sold for a gross of $71,815,500, eclipsing the mark of $71,473,500 set when 464 horses sold in 2023. The average of $163,589 was up 7.4% from a year ago, while the median was up 7.1% to $85,000.

From a catalogue of 816, a total of 566 horses went through the ring with 127 failing to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 22.4%. It was 17.6% a year ago.

A colt by Yaupon, consigned by Kings Equine, became the auction's seventh seven-figure juvenile when selling to Donato Lanni for $1 million Thursday. That matched the record-setting number to hit that mark in 2025.

Donato Lanni signed for Thursday's $1-million colt | OBS/Photos by Z

Two of those million-dollar juveniles were consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables, which was the auction's leading consigner with 13 sold for $7,730,000.

“It's been an unbelievable market,” Dunne said. “I don't know what drives it. But I know what causes it–a fast horse. And there is no shortage of appetite for that. At the end of the day, we may all be doom and gloom about our business, but one of the most exciting things that someone can do is still to own a winner. We get so tied up in the nuts and bolts of it, we forget the enjoyment that that gives the people. I think that's as important as any tax code.”

Consignor Randy Miles said he saw plenty of positives in the March market.

“I thought it was wonderful,” Miles said of the sale. “I thought it was well attended. The good horses sold well and the middle of the road horses were traded, which is always good. In my consignment, we had action on every horse. It was up to me whether I sold the horse or not. The buyers were willing to buy.

“If we just look at racing alone, racing is doing very well. We have our hiccups, but racing is doing well. And everybody loves to come to March. It's the first 2-year-old sale. It seemed like the people who were here were excited to buy and bought multiple horses. I hope it carries on to April.”

Juveniles from the first crop of Grade I winner Drain the Clock set the track on fire during last week's under-tack preview and the Gainesway stallion delivered in the sales ring, topped by a $1.1-million colt. Fellow freshman Corniche also had a million-dollar result with a colt selling for $1.35 million.

The strength of the yearling market may have changed the type of horses pinhookers could afford a year ago, leading to a change in the make-up of the March catalogue, which featured a deep bench of first-crop sires. Last year's record-setting $3-million March topper was one of eight by Gun Runner catalogued to the auction. None were catalogued by the leading sire this year.

“It's the same old song and dance, the ones they want they are paying up for and the other ones are struggling to get sold,” said S G V Thoroughbreds' Steve Venosa. “It was extremely hard to buy horses last year, so people are looking for maybe a little more depth in the pedigrees. With the smaller foal crop and as hard as it was to buy them [as yearlings], it's showing here. Maybe some people are waiting for the April sale.”

Raul Reyes of Kings Equine sold Thursday's topper in between feeding hungry shoppers | OBS/Photos by Z

Bloodstock agent Justin Casse was active as both a buyer and seller at the March sale and was seeing opportunities ahead in what could be a tightening market.

“Going to the barns and talking to some of the consignors, they said they had to really work to get some horses sold,” Casse said. “That might concern me a little bit for April when there will be 50% more horses. I am looking forward to it since there is more opportunity.”

While Wavertree has for years been among the leading consignors in Ocala, the March sale–the first in recent memory to not include a consignment from the legendary Eddie Woods–also allowed some younger consignors to shine. Jesse Hoppel and Susan Montanye's SBM Training and Sales were both represented by their first million-dollar sales at the auction.

“A lot of the younger consignors are really starting to become a bigger and bigger part of the sales,” Wojciechowski said. “We've seen Nick de Meric stepping down a little bit and Tristan [de Meric] picking up the reins. We see Jimbo Gladwell, Joe Pickerell, SBM Stables, Jesse Hoppel, these younger consignors really starting to grow more and more within the industry. We always worry, are we going to be able to replace the consignors we have. It looks like we are in good hands.”

Yaupon Colt Another Success for D'Angelo

Trainer Jose D'Angelo, coming off a career year in which he won two Breeders' Cup races, found success in the sales ring Thursday at OBS when bloodstock agent Donato Lanni purchased a son of Yaupon (hip 576) for $1 million. D'Angelo had acquired the colt for $235,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“I was looking to pinhook a horse and I saw him at Hunter Valley and I fell in love with him,” D'Angelo said. “He had everything that you are looking for in a racehorse.”

Hip 576 | OBS/VidHorse

D'Angelo purchased the colt in partnership with Hal Mintz and Seth Morris, but he had to do so remotely.

“I remember it was the same day Bentornato won at Churchill, so I bought him on the phone,” D'Angelo recalled with a smile. “I called my owners to help me get in there and they decided to pinhook and we were good.”

Bentornato won the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes last September before his victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Hip 576 is out of Balbina (Lemon Drop Kid), a daughter of multiple graded winner Ready's Gal (More Than Ready). Consigned by Kings Equine, the bay worked a furlong during last week's under-tack preview in :9 4/5.

With a pair of graded-stakes winning graduates on his resume, D'Angelo isn't a stranger to pinhooking success. He purchased Iscreamuscream (Twirling Candy) for $55,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale and resold her for $145,000 at the OBS March sale the following year. He also purchased Taxed (Collected) for $27,000 at Keeneland in 2021 before selling the future graded winner for $105,000 the next March.

Asked if he was surprised by Thursday's seven-figure result, D'Angelo said, “I was sure he was going to bring $1 million. He looks like a $1-million horse.”

The outstanding result had the trainer hoping a colt by Epicenter (hip 683) selling later in the session might stay in his barn to race, but the juvenile proved another astute pinhook. Picked up for $90,000 last September, the gray colt sold for $560,000 to William Werner.

Lanni made the winning bid on hip 576 on behalf of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman.

“He will go to California,” Lanni confirmed. “He was beautiful and fast. And sound. He came out of the work very good. He was a horse that did everything well.” —@JessMartiniTDN

de Meric Sales Round Out OBS March with $800K Filly By Constitution

Having already sold a seven-figure yearling on Day 1 of this week's OBS March Sale, de Meric Sales rounded out the auction's three-day run with a filly by Constitution garnering $800,000 from Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Frank Fletcher, during Thursday's final session.

Hip 694 | OBS/VidHorse

The leading filly of the day, she was the second-highest priced juvenile of the afternoon behind a colt by Yaupon (hip 576), who brought $1 million earlier in the session.

Offered as hip 694, the dark bay filly is out of Curls and Bows (Curlin), a half-sister of GI La Brea Stakes winner Dearest Trickski (Proudest Romeo).

The juvenile posted a :10 flat move during last Saturday's breeze show.

On Day 1, the agency was rewarded with a cool $1.1-million final bid from Pedro Lanz when a colt by Drain the Clock (hip 132) led the initial session. The colt was the fifth highest-priced juvenile over the course of three days.

On the second day of selling, de Meric also sold a filly by sophomore sire Yaupon (hip 437) for $700,000 to MorPlay Racing / Marquee Bloodstock /Marc Tacher.

Through three days of selling, de Meric Sales sold 18 head for a gross of $4,677,000, rounding out the week as the third leading consignor in gross at this season's OBS March sale. —@CBossTDN

Casse Finds Up-and-Coming Sires on Point at OBS

One can always count on agent Justin Casse to be hard at work scouting out potential prospects at many of the nation's biggest sales. This week at OBS March proved no different.

“I don't know that people expected it to be a crazy market here given how the yearling market was and how that's carried over, but I think everybody should be pretty pleased. Maybe it wasn't like the yearling sales but it seemed pretty solid,” he opined.

Justin Casse | Photos by Z

Active as both a buyer and seller through the sale's three-day run, Casse signed for seven juveniles, including a $560,000 colt by Mandaloun (hip 313) on Day 2 and a trio of $335,000 buys, highlighted by a filly Drain the Clock (hip 595) who was purchased by Casse on behalf of CKDS Racing on Thursday afternoon.

The other two to attain the $335,000 mark were hip 39, a filly by Practical Joke purchased on Day 1 in addition to hip 405, a colt by Nashville, secured in tandem with JWS Racing.

“I think there were definitely some surprises,” remarked Casse. “What people are willing to pay for a fast breeze by either an unproven stallion or a blue-collar stallion, basically not a sexy stallion. Sexy stallions sell well but it's been all about the physical and performance and the 'digestible' stallion or a freshman stallion, which there are a ton of freshmans in here. I'd say there is a larger number than year's past because yearling buyers were unable to get the really good stock that they would have wanted last fall.”

Like many other buyers at March this year, Casse leaned quite heavily into younger, unproven sires. Out of his seven purchases, six of the youngsters were by first-season sires.

“People tend to stick to the upper level of the yearling sales, say the top 10 stallions and the top 10 freshman stallions,” he said. “At the 2-year-old sales, the range is well beyond that if they can show performance. They're willing to look at a lot more and it's great for these guys.”

Also included in Casse's haul this year were colts by Jack Christopher (hip 789) and Corniche (hip 178) in addition to a filly by Olympiad (hip 637).

Casse's total expenditures for the three sessions was $2,305,000.

When asked if he thought this week's results might inform future decisions later this season, he said, “Personally, it might make me as a pinhooker start looking harder at [yearlings by] certain stallions that I normally wouldn't have looked at last fall. —@CBossTDN

Nasvhille Colt a High-Water Mark for Twelve Toes

Hernan Elicier spent nine years working with Danzel Brendemuehl's Classic Bloodstock and, following the horsewoman's death in 2023, he started his own consignment, Twelve Toes. The operation had its biggest sale to date when selling a colt by Nashville (hip 671) for $525,000 to St. Elias Stable Thursday in Ocala. Elicier had acquired the colt out of Closet Shopper (Tapit) on behalf of Robert Lambe–a longtime client of Brendemuehl's–for $90,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Hip 671 | OBS/VidHorse

“Everything,” Elicier said when asked what he liked about the yearling. “He was a classy horse, very smart, with a nice eye.”

The bay colt worked a furlong during last week's under-tack show in :10 flat and his price tag Thursday was no surprise to Elicier.

“100%, I was expecting around that,” he said. “He's a really nice horse, smart, with a lot of class.”

Of the experience of watching his highest sale to date, Elicier called it, “Unbelievable.”

Twelve Toes enjoyed another pinhooking success earlier in the auction when an Epicenter filly (hip 63) sold for $250,000 to D.J. Stable. The filly had RNA'd for $45,000 at Keeneland in September and was purchased privately afterwards for $37,000, according to Elicier. —@JessMartiniTDN

 

The post $1-Million Yaupon Colt Tops Finale as OBS March Sale Concludes with Record Gross appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

In a unanimous decision, the State of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division Third Judicial Department, has thrown out a 14-day suspension and a $2,000 fine that was originally handed down by the Commission to Todd Pletcher after a horse he trained tested positive for an overage of phenylbutazone (bute) following a July 30, 2022 race at Saratoga, and has remanded the matter back to the New York Gaming Commission for a rehearing.

The horse in question, Capensis (Tapit), finished sixth in the allowance race.

In affirming Pletcher's petition in part, and remanding the matter back to the Commission, the court acknowledged that there were “concerns regarding the fundamental fairness” of the original hearing and called the evidence presented by the New York Gaming Commission “hearsay proof.”

Both the original blood sample taken from the horse and a split sample sent to an outside lab allegedly showed that the level of the bute in the horse's system was above the specified threshold. That led to a fine and suspension from the New York Gaming Commission, which was later upheld by a hearing officer.

But Pletcher and his attorney, Drew Mollica, took the next step and brought an Article 78 petition to the New York State Supreme Court. Their argument centered around the contention that, according to the court ruling issued Thursday, “respondent (NY State Gaming Commission) failed to introduce competent evidence establishing the reliability of the testing that was conducted on the postrace samples that purportedly demonstrated the presence and concentration of bute.”

The panel agreed, noting that “the sole proof relied upon by the Commission to establish that the bute concentration from postrace samples exceed the permissible limit were letters from the New York and California laboratories, which lacked any scientific foundation or probative value.

“The letter from the New York laboratory indicated the overage in bute concentration but did not provide for the method of testing, and although the method of testing was provided in the letter from the California laboratory, neither letter gave any indication as to the reliability or general acceptance of the tests utilized to ascertain the presence and concentration of bute in the postrace samples.”

The ruling continued: “Thus, relying solely on hearsay proof in this case to establish the rule violation rendered the hearing fundamentally unfair under the circumstances presented and persuades us to remand the matter for a new hearing.”

“Mr. Pletcher is appreciative that the Appellate Division, Third Department, unanimously decided that the underlying hearing was unfair,” Mollica said. “It was unfair. That's what they said. Without the test results and lab packet, the Commission did not present any evidence of any probative value. In an era where regulators at all levels seek to overlook fairness and due process to achieve only the result they desire, it is refreshing that Appellate Court was clear that fairness and due process are important elements of the Justice System. This decision will have precedential value on other cases going forward.”

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At the OBS March Sale, trainer Michael McCarthy confirmed that his prize pupil Journalism (Curlin) continues to work well out in California as the colt prepares for his 4-year-old debut.

“He's training great,” McCarthy told TDN. “I don't see a whole lot of difference in him this spring compared to last. He's holding his weight well. Obviously, he's put some on since having a little bit of a break. He's training forwardly.”

McCarthy said that Journalism has drilled two good half-mile works at Santa Anita Park.

“We're going to work five-eights this weekend and then we'll kind of start mapping out a plan,” he said. “I'll get together with Aron Wellman and he'll get together with everybody else and kind of come up with some soft circles around some spots, but very pleased with the way he's trained right now.”

McCarthy also said that he has his eye fixed on a championship run.

“It's the whole reason behind keeping him in training,” Journalism's conditioner added. “Great news that Sovereignty is back. A couple of horses are starting to kind of rise from their 3-year-old performances and obviously a good performance by Magnitude the other day. So it's an exciting crop of 4-year-olds.”

The GI Preakness, GI Haskell, and GI Santa Anita Derby winner, Journalism also was the runner-up in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes. He capped his 2025 run with a fourth-place finish in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar.

The post Journalism ‘Training Great’ For Intended 2026 Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Serena's Song, the 3-year-old filly champion in 1995 and the winner of 11 Grade I stakes races, passed away peacefully Wednesday at Denali Stud, where she spent her entire post-racetrack career. She died 25 days before her 34th birthday, but was officially considered 34 at the time of her death.

Inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2002, she won 18 of 38 starts and recorded 17 grades stakes wins. Her finest hour came when she defeated males to capture the 1995 GI Haskell Invitational Handicap.

“She had the elegance of a Grace Kelly, she had the moves of a Ginger Rogers, and she had the charisma of a Marilyn Monroe,” her trainer, Wayne Lukas, said at the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for Serena's Song. “For you people that are a lot younger and don't have a clue as to what I'm talking about, she had the moves of Janet Jackson and the charisma of Britney Spears.”

A daughter of Rahy out of the Northfields mare Imaging, she was bought for $150,000 at the 1993 Keeneland July Sale of Selected Yearlings. She began her career for Lukas and owners Bob and Beverly Lewis with a fifth-place finish in a May 28, 1994 maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs. In her fourth career start, she won her first stakes race, the GII Landaluce Stakes at Hollywood Park. She would prove to be one of the best 2-year-old fillies in training that year, winning the GI Oak Leaf Stakes and the GI Starlet Stakes. She also finished second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, losing to stablemate Flanders.

Serena's Song takes the Haskell | Equi-Photo

But her 3-year-old year was the one in which she became a superstar. After his filly kicked off her season with three straight wins, Lukas got bold and ran her against the boys in the GII Jim Beam Stakes, a major prep for the Kentucky Derby. With Corey Nakatani aboard, she won by 3 ½ lengths. Lukas originally said after the Jim Beam win that Serena's Song would be pointed for the GI Kentucky Oaks, but changed course and ran her in the Kentucky Derby. After setting blistering early fractions, she finished 16th.

It didn't take her long to rebound, and, with a new jockey in Gary Stevens aboard, she won two of her next three starts. She then headed to the Jersey Shore to take on the boys again in the Haskell. She was tiring in the stretch, but held on to win by three-quarters of a length. Serena's Song became the first filly ever to win the prestigious Grade I event.

“We came, we made history and we stamped her as one of the great ones,” Lukas said after the win. “I rank her right up there with any of the great fillies we've had.”

Serena's Song would go on to win two more major stakes that year, the GI Gazelle Handicap and the GI Beldame Stakes. But she could do no better than fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.

She slowed down a bit as a 4-year-old, winning five of 15 starts, but still managed to capture three more Grade I races that year, the GI Santa Monica Handicap, the GI Santa Maria Handicap and the GI Hempstead Handicap. In her final career start, she finished second in the GII Churchill Downs Distaff Handicap, which increased her career earnings to $3,283,388.

“It's not what we can see that counts, it's ultimately what we can't see that makes them great,” Lukas also said during Serena's Song's Hall of Fame induction speech. “It's the inside, the heart, and she had plenty of that. She was tough.”

Bob Lewis was so fond of his Serena's Song that he told the Los Angeles Times in 1995 that it almost felt like the filly was part of his family.

“I tell people we've been fortunate to have two sons and a daughter, but I almost feel as though we have two daughters when you count Serena's Song,” he said. “We realize how fortunate we are to have her. She's the epitome of a racehorse. She just flows.”

Serena's Song wins the Mother Goose | Coglianese

Upon retirement, Serena's Song was sent to Denali. She was considered the first high-profile broodmare to land there.

“We call her the 'Queen of Denali,' just because she is really our foundational mare and the fact that she's still with us,” Denali Director of Marketing and Hospitality Claire Bandoroff told the TDN's Jill Williams in 2025. “She put us on the map. I don't think anyone on the farm remembers a day without her here.”

Serena's Song produced 12 foals, 11 that raced, and nine who have won. She was the dam of Sophisticat, a filly by Storm Cat, who won the GI Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2002.  She also produced the Storm Cat colt Grand Reward, who won the GII Oaklawn Handicap in 2005.

“Serena had such a profound impact on many people's lives, especially the Lewis family, our family, and the staff who worked with her during her time at Denali,” said Conrad Bandoroff. “We are incredibly blessed and honored that Bob and Beverly, and eventually their son Jeff chose to keep her with us and trust us with her care for three decades. She is and always will be the Queen of Denali Stud. I would like to think that Wayne had a stall ready for her up there, and that he, Bob, and Beverly welcomed her with open arms.”

In 2014, the Lewis Family and Denali Stud announced that Serena's Song, then 22, was being retired as a broodmare. She enjoyed the rest of her days eating peppermints and helped raise thousands of dollars for Thoroughbred charities through her halters.

“I know that there will never be another broodmare like her for me,” Craig Bandoroff said. “It has been a great honor to work with the Lewises for the entirety of her breeding career. She has had a profound impact on the growth and development of Denali Stud.

“I very rarely can't find the words, but that is where I find myself,” he said. “There are times in our lives where the Good Lord takes care of you. He did that when Bob and Beverly Lewis became our clients and again when Serena came into our lives. Some things can't be replaced. You just have to be thankful they came your way. Serena meant more to Denali than I can describe. We were just blessed to have her. Hopefully Bob, Beverly and Serena are reunited.”

The post Champion Serena’s Song Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Mark Casse has mapped out next-race plans for a trio of his 3-year-old fillies.

Counting Stars (Honor A. P.) and Search Party (Gun Runner), second and fourth in the GIII Honeybee S. Mar. 1, are headed to the $1-million GII Fantasy S. Mar. 27 at Oaklawn. Unbeaten Dixie Belle S. winner French Friction (City of Light), meanwhile, will stretch to two turns for the first time in the $750,000 GI Ashland S. Apr. 3 at Keeneland. Both races are 1 1/16 miles.

“That was definitely one of the bright spots of the weekend,” Casse said of Counting Stars runner-up effort at 11-1. “I've kind of always held her in high regard. I thought for a long time that she was an Oaks filly.”

Martha Washington S. winner Search Party was beaten 3 1/2 lengths in the Honeybee.

“Actually, I was OK with Search Party,” Casse said. “You have to remember now that we were at a little bit of a disadvantage. We were coming back in a shorter amount of time. We lost a week, again, with the weather. I didn't even breeze her back.”

The post Casse Maps Out Plans for Sophomore Fillies appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Code Review (Uncle Mo) was the subject of much pre-race chatter and lived up to the hype on Gulfstream debut Jan. 25, making all the running en route to a 1 1/2-length victory and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard plaudits. The bay was given an entry for Saturday's Virginia Derby, but connections opted to ship in for this considerably softer spot, for which he was made the 1-5 mortal.

Code Review hopped slightly as the gates flew back, but he quickly stepped away to a clear lead before Tyler Gaffalione took a tug, allowing 22-5 second choice I Did I Did (Curlin) to slide up into a pace-pressing position. Clinging on to a narrow advantage on the turn, the heavy chalk looked to be making hard work of it on the inside of the rain-affected track, but he dug in determinedly when it looked as if he might be passed and held on to score narrowly.

A $200,000 Fasig-Tipton November weanling turned $575,000 Keeneland September yearling, Code Review is a full-brother to Laoban, GSW, $526,250; and a half-brother to the dam of Sovereign Award winner Mr. Hustle (Declaration of War), GSP Malibu Coast (Malibu Moon) and GSW Abientot (Not This Time). This is also the female family of dual Grade I winner I'm A Chatterbox (Munnings). Chattertown is also the dam of a yearling filly by Practical Joke and was most recently covered by Uncle Mo's son Golden Pal.

2nd-Colonial Downs, $78,400, Alw (NW1X), Opt. Clm ($62,500), 3-12, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.91, gd, neck.
CODE REVIEW (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Chattertown {SP, $104,332}, by Speightstown) Sales history: $200,000 Wlg '23 FTKNOV; $575,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $88,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-C2 Racing Stable LLC, Ken T Reimer, JRM Stables LLC & Tami Bobo; B-Longfield Stables (KY); T-Saffie A Joseph Jr.

 

CODE REVIEW ($2.40) refuses to back down and is 2 for 2 after this @ColonialDowns victory. @Tyler_Gaff was in the saddle for trainer @SaffieJosephJr. Congratulations to the connections with this 3YO colt by Uncle Mo. pic.twitter.com/KoUBRSYwVk

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 12, 2026

The post Uncle Mo ‘Rising Star’ Code Review Makes It Two-For-Two appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Hip 286, a filly by Highly Motivated bred by Stepanie Baltzan, sold for $135,000 Wednesday at the OBS March sale. Photo courtesy of Navas Equine.

A pair of New York-breds sold for six figures—bringing the overall tally to 13—to lead the second session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co’s March sale of 2-year-olds in training Wednesday.

Hip 286, a filly from the first crop of graded stakes winner Highly Motivated, led the way on a bid of $135,000 from Lea Farms LLC.

Bred by Stepanie Baltzan, foaled at Stone Bridge Farm in Gansevoort and consigned by Navas Equine, the filly is the first foal out of the Buratino mare Queen of Lies. The filly originally sold as a weanling for $30,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale then for $18,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. She turned in an eight-mile breeze in :09.4 during presale workouts.

Hip 305, a colt by Maclean’s Music and a full brother to multiple New York-bred champion winner Acoustic Ave, brought the other six-figure price of the day on a bid of $110,000 from Ken Kozaki.

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, foaled at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown and consigned by Sequel Bloodstock, the colt is the fourth foal out of the winning Street Boss mare Rock Ave. Road. He breezed an eighth in :10 at the presale workout show.

Acoustic Ave, voted New York-bred champion 2-year-old male in 2022, is 9-7-6 in 30 starts with earnings of $799,780. Fourth in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Stakes in late February, Acoustic Ave won the Aspirant, New York Breeders’ Futurity and Notebook Stakes at 2 in 2022. Rock Ave. Road is also the dam of the winning New York-bred Audible gelding Rockible and a yearling New York-bred colt by Jackie’s Warrior. She was bred to Forte in 2025.

OBS reported sales on 14 of the 19 New York-breds through the ring Wednesday for a total of $943,000, an average price of $67,357 and median of $63,500. Overall, 34 of the 46 New York-breds offered have sold for $4,728,000, an average price of $139,058 and median of $80,000.

Wednesday’s session also saw Hip 401, a filly from the second crop of stakes winner Galilean, sell for $52,000, the top price for a juvenile by a New York-based sire. K.O.I.D. purchased the filly out of the stakes-placed More Than Ready mare Strike Twice. Bred by and foaled at Hidden Lake Farm LLC in Stillwater and consigned by Sweet River Thoroughbreds, the filly originally sold as a weanling for $5,000 at the 2025 OBS winter mixed sale.

The sale concludes with the third session at 11 a.m. Thursday.

The post Highly Motivated filly, Maclean’s Music colt lead OBS March second session appeared first on New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. News.

Caravel (Mizzen Mast–Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats), who is owned by John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock, lost her Frankel colt due to complications with her pregnancy, according to a tweet on X by the owner early on Thursday morning.

In the post Stewart said, “It It is with great sadness that we report that Breeders' Cup champion Caravel lost her 2026 FRANKEL colt due to complications with her pregnancy. It was a freak issue that could not have been avoided. The Resolute farm team monitors all the mares very closely.”

On X Stewart also reported that Caravel will visit Not This Time during the current breeding season.

A nearly $2-million earner and winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint during her racing career, Caravel was purchased by Resolute in a private sale in 2024 and sent to Frankel (GB) for the following term. The result was a 2025 April colt who Stewart owns with Sheikh Fahad Al-Thani.

It is with great sadness that we report that @BreedersCup champion Caravel lost her 2026 FRANKEL colt due to complications with her pregnancy. It was a freak issue that could not have been avoided. The @resracingky farm team monitors all the mares very closely.

This picture is… pic.twitter.com/hIMr7d4FPL

— Jstewartrr (@jstewartrr) March 12, 2026

The post Resolute’s Caravel Loses Frankel Colt Due To Complications, Plans To Visit Not This Time appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Illinois horsemen are represented on a committee of unsecured creditors formed to provide input to the Hawthorne Race Course bankruptcy proceedings.