Today's Edition

When WinStar Farm's Paynter got off to a slow start with his first crop in 2017, some reasoned his offspring would just need time to develop. That made sense. He himself didn't break his maiden until a first-out win in February of his 3-year-old year, and progeny by his sire, Awesome Again, typically need time to come around. Others thought the writing was simply on the wall. Now, after a strong 2018 and a fast start to the new year, it's looking more and more like the first group got...

The road to the GI Kentucky Derby continues through New Orleans this weekend as the streaking War of Will (War Front) headlines a full field of sophomores entered for Saturday's GII Risen Star S. The Gary Barber colorbearer, a €250,000 ARQMAY juvenile purchase, made it a perfect two-for-two on dirt with a tour-de-force, four-length win over Hog Creek Hustle (Overanalyze) in the GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds Jan. 19. The bay will move in one slot to post 13 as the Bob Baffert-trained Kingly (Tapit) will instead remain in...

King's Best (Kingmambo-Allegretta {GB}), by Lomard {Ger}), winner of the G1 2000 Guineas and sire of G1 Investec Derby and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Workforce (GB), has been pensioned from stud duty and will live out his retirement at Darley Japan, Racing Post reports. "King's Best seems to be really enjoying his retirement in Japan," Darley Japan President Harry Sweeney told Racing Post. "He remains in his old stall in the stallion barn and is flanked by Furioso on one side and Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso...

In the first of a series, we ask key industry players for their verdict on the 2019 champion first-season sire. First in line is breeze-up consignor Roger Marley. TDN: Who do you think will be leading first-season sire? RM: From what I saw at the yearling sales and from what we've had through our hands so far, I can see it being decided between the top two in the betting, Muhaarar (GB) and Gleneagles (Ire). Going round the sales last year it was their stock that stood out among this...

Just days after the arrival of new stallions City of Light (Quality Road) and Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) after the GI Pegasus World Cup, Lane's End held a press day Wednesday to allow the media to meet the horses, as well as fellow newcomer West Coast (Flatter), and catch up with the farm's other stalwarts and its human team. With three new stallions and four sires with their first 2-year-old runners this year, Lane's End has plenty to be excited about in its 40th year in 2019, and we discussed all...

Newmarket, UK--Newmarket can be an unforgiving place in the depths of winter and potential buyers remained on the cold side as a new year of British auctions opened in subdued fashion at the Tattersalls February Sale on Thursday. Some vendors might well have forecast the apathetic market as a number of the more interesting horses were withdrawn, whilst this year's sale did not have the rare attractions from 2018, which included some of the Ballymacoll Stud dispersal and choice fillies owned in partnership by Markus Jooste. Although the clearance rate...

Pedigree pundits usually use the word "taproot" to refer to broodmares whose tail-female descendants have produced numerous successful runners. Phil Hager cleverly used the commonly known phrase to launch his new bloodstock agency in July 2018. Hager brings years of industry expertise and hands-on experience to Taproot Bloodstock. 30-year-old Hager grew up on one of the Bluegrass's most storied properties--Idle Hour Farm. Hager is the son of David Hager, formerly of Idle Hour Farm and 2009 Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club Farm Manager of the Year, and great-nephew of Idle...

One of the many problems confronting racing the world over appears to be the difficulty of attracting young people into the sport in a hands-on role. While there remains an over-supply of would-be racing managers and bloodstock agents, trainers worldwide will tell you that young people just don't seem to want to work within stables any more. An hour or two spent in the company of Cliff Lines could, though, change all that. A universally-respected trainer based in Exning on the northern edge of Newmarket Heath, Lines, 83, saddled his...

When you think of trainers and brilliantly fast, precocious young horses, Bill Mott is not someone who normally comes to mind. But on Saturday at Gulfstream, Mott unleashed a first time starter named Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun), who not only won the one-mile maiden special weight race by 14 lengths, but registered a 104 Beyer Figure that is higher than any member of his crop has run to date. His running time for the one-mile race run in the slop was 1:34.82. Five races later, older horses covered the same...

It was a bittersweet Sunday morning for trainer Mike McCarthy, who spent much of the 2 1/2 hours he was at Gulfstream Park in the stall with William and Suzanne Warren's City of Light (Quality Road), a dominant winner of Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational over a sloppy track. While expressing his gratitude to City of Light for giving him the greatest win of his training career, McCarthy savored the final few moments with the horse before he boarded a horse van bound for Lane's End Farm, where he...

Not a job, but a way of life. That's how Harry Beeby regards his long tenure at the helm of Doncaster Bloodstock Sales, and it is plain that this is still very much the case, almost six years after his retirement. For the last three years, of course, DBS has been known as Goffs UK, following its merger with Goffs in Ireland back in 2007, but to those in the bloodstock world of a certain vintage it will always be 'Donny'. Though the name has changed, some things have not....

His older half-brother Blizzard (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) finished third in the 2016 Hong Kong Classic Mile and in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m), but ultimately ended up a high-class sprinter, with a win at Group 3 level and a big-odds third to Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint of 2017. Furore (NZ) (Pierro {Aus}) has always looked a scopier type and it appears he's inherited a good bit of his little brother's talent, as he broke through Sunday with a handy...