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The Fasig-Tipton October Digital sale closed Wednesday evening with broodmare Stifled Heiress (Munnings) as the topper when she was taken home for $470,000 and 240 horses sold for $4,947,500, according to a press release from the auction company on Wednesday.

Offering horses of racing age, racing/broodmare prospects, broodmares, yearlings, and weanlings, the online sale closed over two days with Stifled Heiress (hip 242), who is in foal to Leinster, going to Pursuit of Success LLC from the consignment of SGV Thoroughbreds, agent. The daughter of Munnings is already the dam of two winners from two starters, including this year's GII Gallant Bob Stakes winner Mad House (Vekoma).

Blame It On Alphie (hip 232), in foal to perennial leading sire Into Mischief, sold for $400,000 to Hunter Valley Farm & Mountmellick Farm from the consignment of Mulholland Springs, agent. By Blame, Blame It On Alphie is a stakes placed half-sister to three stakes winners.

“It's always nerve-wracking to be the first sale of the year offering a large quantity of breeding stock,” said Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron. “Broodmares in foal were clearly in high demand–which makes perfect sense given the time of year. Our numbers are up significantly from 2024 to 2025: horses offered, sold, average, and gross are all showing major increases. The number of registered bidders rose by 25 percent, which is an incredible jump.

“Gains like that don't happen by chance,” he said. “This was the result of a massive collective effort. We turned around a 400-horse catalogue in just ten days–an enormous undertaking. That meant vetting, photos, seller descriptions, and mountains of paperwork. Buyers, too, put in the work to study the catalogue and come prepared. It was a true team effort from everyone involved, and we're deeply grateful to our customers for giving us the opportunity to put on this show.”

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Texas Racing Commission (TXRC) chairman Robert Pate reportedly announced that Amy Cook, the commission's executive director and chief law enforcer, is leaving her position “by year's end,” according to two individuals who witnessed Wednesday's commission meeting.

No successor was named during the meeting, nor were any reasons given for Cook leaving her position, according to the sources.

The TDN has reached out to the TXRC for clarification on these questions. This story will be updated as necessary.

Cook has been in the position since November of 2021, and is seen by some in the state industry as a controversial hiring.

Cook assumed the job after a long history in the U.S. military. While she had no prior experience in the horse racing industry, it appears as though her ideological opposition to the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) was an important factor in her role.

Indeed, last year Pate told the TDN that Cook in her position has been working with the Texas Attorney General's office “to successfully attack the constitutionality of the HISA law.”

When HISA's racetrack safety program launched in 2022, the TXRC argued it was statutorily barred from joining HISA–a position it has since maintained.

Because the HISA Authority has jurisdiction over the interstate simulcasting of races, the commission argues it is prohibited from permitting Texan tracks to export their signals.

The inability for Texan tracks to simulcast their signals has resulted in massive drops in handle, with major implications for purses and track revenues.

Though purses in the state are bolstered by monies accrued through a tax on equine products like feed and tack, the TDN obtained a memo put together by Texas racing stakeholders earlier this year which argues the industry is still losing approximately $6 million in revenues annually.

The post Amy Cook Reportedly Leaving Texas Commission By Year’s End appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation is pleased to award $5,000 to Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to be used for its Second Chances program.

The New York Racing Association introduced the Champion Suites, a collection of luxurious, year-round private suites pairing the excitement of world-class racing with premium amenities, elevated service, and enhanced access to the new Belmont Park.

The second of three days comprising Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale had a similar theme to the first day. Day 2 opened with a flurry of activity from American buyers.

The red-hot Miguel Clement barn sends out the improving Into Mischief filly Love Cervere for her graded debut in the $175,000 Glen Cove Stakes (G3T) for 3-year-old fillies Oct. 11 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Stewards in Kentucky have issued jockey Luan Machado a suspension of three race days for careless riding during the $650,000 Alcibiades Stakes (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland, which led to the disqualification of Percy's Bar.

The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit has suspended owner/trainer Juan Munoz Cano for a dozen years and fined him $150,000 for six clenbuterol positives in Kentucky from November 2024-January 2025.

The son of Gun Runner and 2024's champion 3-year-old male will make his last start in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). A stud fee will be announced at a later date.

Airdrie Stud released the 2026 stud fees for it's 12-stallion roster Oct. 8, highlighted by the introductory fees of newcomers Mystik Dan and Jonathan's Way, who will stand for initial fees of $15,000 and $8,500, respectively.

The Thoroughbred Racing Initiative is gearing up for Florida's 2026 legislative session, whether that involves a renewed fight to again defeat decoupling, a reimagined circuit in the Sunshine State, or pushing for industry-backed legislation.

Narukami led from the start and scored an easy victory in the Oct. 8 Japan Dirt Classic at Oi Racecourse, a race that has achieved international importance.

Breeders' Cup issues a reminder that Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 11:59 p.m. ET is the deadline to nominate foals born in 2025 to the Breeders' Cup program at the one-time nomination fee of $400. 

Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising had his first official Australian trial less than two weeks out from the Oct. 18 The Everest (G1), and trainer David Hayes is confident the world's top-rated sprinter will be ready for his AU$20 million target. 

New Vocations has launched its annual Breeders' Cup Pledge, allowing connections of Breeders' Cup contenders to pledge a percentage of their earnings to support the charity's mission of rehabilitating, retraining, and rehoming retired racehorses.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez was unanimously voted Jockey of the Week for Sept. 29-Oct. 5 after winning eight races, including four stakes.

Porter on Pedigrees

While sire Not This Time is turning heads at a dizzying rate with his racetrack progeny, Sibelius, a son from his first crop, is poised to bring his father additional notoriety at the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover.

Spendthrift Farm has announced the stud fees for its roster of 29 stallions set to stand for the 2026 breeding season, once again led by North America's reigning six-time champion general sire, Into Mischief, who will stand for $250,000 S&N.

Future Is Now is a remarkably consistent turf sprinter who won the 2024 Franklin Stakes (G3T) by three-quarters of a length and since then has won three of four stakes.