Today's Edition

The TDN caught up with Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura to talk about one of the new additions to the farm's stallion roster for 2019: undefeated GI Carter H. winner Army Mule (Friesan Fire). TDN: Army Mule obviously had a short, but really brilliant career with three dominant wins from three starts.  JS: I think the horse accomplished phenomenal things in a short period of time. He went from an easy maiden winner to an easy allowance winner and the first time he ever competed in a stakes, he ran...

Five races on the Chantilly card had to be postponed Saturday afternoon when a group of around 1,000 'gilets jaunes' or yellow-vest demonstrators swarmed the track at Chantilly. The yellow-vest movement began as a populist movement for economic reform in France, and began regular civil disobedience in mid-November in protest of President Emmanuel Macron's proposed gas-tax hikes. The group began Saturday's demonstration in the town of Chantilly, walking through the town gates and past the city hall before heading onto the racecourse. Shopkeepers lowered the gates on their windows as...

Harvey Clarke, a prominent owner/breeder who bred the likes of GI Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another (Flower Alley) and co-campaigned MGSWs Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile) and Soldat (War Front), passed away Thursday night at his home in Franklin Lakes, NJ, after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 77. President of the New York City-based AJ Clarke Real Estate Corp., The Bronx native became involved in Thoroughbred racing at a modest level on the New York and New Jersey circuits in the late 1970s. He increased his family's...

No, WinStar's Speightstown (Gone West--Silken Cat, by Storm Cat) is not an underrated sire, as some said on social media shortly after the stallion's Competitionofideas won the Gl American Oaks at Santa Anita Dec. 29. Speightstown is by all standards a top-class stallion, and at age 21 he's just as appealing now as he's been the last decade. He may, however, be a bit misunderstood. Competitionofideas became her sire's 15th individual winner at the highest level and his 99th overall black-type winner, numbers commensurate for a stallion who will stand...

Compas Stallions is a growing force among the Irish stallion ranks, with its founder and owner Micheal Orlandi adding two young sires to his roster for 2019. Micheal manages five stallions in total with the addition of Smooth Daddy (Scat Daddy) and Kuroshio (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who both stand at Clongiffen Stud alongside My Dream Boat (Ire) (Lord Shanakill), whose first foals arrive this year. Orlandi speaks with TDN's Alayna Cullen about his new stallions. TDN: Micheal, how did Compas Stallions come about? MO: Well, this is going...

Patrick Prendergast, who handled last year's Cartier champion 2-year-old filly Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) for Anthony and Sonia Rogers, will not renew his training license this year and will instead move his string and staff to the yard of John Oxx, with the pair forming a training alliance in Oxx's name. Oxx and Prendergast previously trained adjacent to one another on The Curragh, the 44-year-old Prendergast at Melitta Lodge, which he has grown out of, and the 68-year-old Oxx at Currabeg Stables, where he has executed the careers of the...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale--which surged passed its total 2018 gross after its third session Wednesday--concluded Thursday with its highest gross since 2008 and with a record-setting average and record-equaling median. "This sale exceeded our expectations," Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. "The desire of buyers to compete at the highest levels and their commitment to invest in breeding and racing stock continue to create the momentum that flows through these sales. It's exciting for the entire industry." Champion Abel Tasman (Quality Road)...

Officials at Churchill Downs have announced that the purse for this year's 145th running of the GI Kentucky Derby has been raised from $2 million to a guaranteed $3 million, making it the second-richest Derby in the world. The Derby winner will receive a $1.86-million payday in addition to the gold trophy. The runner-up receives $600,000, with $300,000 to third, $150,000 to the fourth home and $90,000 to the fifth-place finisher. The Derby purse was $1 million from 1996-2004 before being raised. Citing strong early returns from state-of-the-art historical racing...

Godolphin has bolstered its already strong roster of Classic contenders by purchasing half of 'TDN Rising Star' Persian King (GB) (Kingman {GB}), according to Racing Post. Trained by Andre Fabre for breeder Dayton Investments, Persian King broke his maiden at second asking by six lengths going a mile at Chantilly on Sept. 1, and followed up two weeks later with a conditions win over the same track and trip. He capped off his 2-year-old campaign with a win over subsequent Group 1 winner Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in...

With a full-service Thoroughbred nursery, stallion roster, student program and racing club to oversee, Irish National Stud Chief Executive Officer Cathal Beale has a lot on his plate. He also has an opportunity to see the Thoroughbred business from numerous perspectives, and the TDN's Kelsey Riley caught up with him at Keeneland's January sale in Lexington, Kentucky this week to talk about some hot-topic industry issues. KR: What brings you to Kentucky this week? CB: I'm here trying to source some new stock for the Irish National Stud, trying to...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale opened its Book 2 section with a solid, workmanlike session Wednesday in Lexington. Five horses sold for six figures during the session, led by a pair of mares who fetched matching $125,000 final bids. Charles Fipke's C F Farms was first to hit that session-topping mark when acquiring the unraced Oh Mrs. G (Offlee Wild), in foal to Practical Joke, from the Elite Sales consignment. SF Bloodstock and Newgate Farm paid that same amount for the racing or broodmare...

As expected, Santa Anita's attempt to simulate the casino game roulette as part of its wagering menu has not exactly been a roaring success. Track officials were not able to provide the TDN with exact handle figures on the bet, but it appears that the usual pools are somewhere between $1,500 to $3,000 per race. On a busy night and if any big players have wandered over to one of the wheels, they might handle that much on a single spin of the wheel at any Las Vegas strip casino....