2-year-olds

There is a hint that normalcy is returning to the Deauville sales ring, with the Arqana Summer Sale back up to its normal two-day stand beginning on June 30. A quality mix of 593 National Hunt and Flat horses plus wild cards are slated to be offered over the next two days, and the unraced 2-year-olds were put through their paces over the Deauville-La Touques Racecourse on June 29. The juveniles kick start the sale, which begins at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, and continues with 156 young store horses and...

The catalogue for the Arqana Summer Sale, slated for June 30-July 1, is now online. There are 593 lots total set to go through the ring at Deauville, with 81 Flat-bred 2-year-olds set to breeze at Deauville-La Touques Racecouse on June 29 beginning at 1 p.m. Those juveniles are first through the ring at 11 a.m. on June 30, with 156 2- and 3-year-old stores and 23 3-year-olds in training from the Ecurie Centrale dispersal set to follow later that day. On July 1, the breeding portion of the sale...

The supplemental catalog for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2021 June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age is now available via the OBS website at www.obssales.com and available in printed form at the OBS sales grounds beginning on or about Monday, May 31. Forty-eight 2-year-olds and five horses of racing age have been supplemented to the three-day sale, and will sell as Hips 875-927. All sessions begin at 10:30 a.m. Hips 1-316 will sell Tuesday, June 9; Hips 317-632 will be offered Wednesday, June 10 and Hips 633-874...

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 17 supplemental entries to its upcoming Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. These newest entries are catalogued as hips 571-587, and may now be viewed online and in the equineline sales catalogue app. Printed versions will be available on the sales grounds at sale time. The supplemental entries represent stallions such as the red-hot Into Mischief, Street Sense, Flatter, More Than Ready, Unified and more. The Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale will be held May 17-18, with each session starting at 11 am. The sale's under tack show...

John and Jess Dance have purchased Manor House Farm & Stud in Middleham and plan to develop the property for their yearlings and racing stock, they announced on Twitter Monday morning. The MG1SW Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) is the best runner so far in John Dance's name, and going forward, all of the Dance runners will race in the name of John and Jess Dance. The couple also have new black and gold colours, with Laurens's colours acting as second colours. James Horton will become a private trainer at Manor...

In advance of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale on Apr. 13-14, the breezes will be held over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Monday morning. Tattersalls has ensured that there are multiple options to view the breezes, including live vide coverage streamed directly to the Sale Day Live page on the Tattersalls website: www.tattersalls.com. In addition, the breezes may be viewed on the Tattersalls YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Tattersalls1766/ or on the Tattersalls Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Tattersalls/. Replays of the breezes will also be available for viewing on...

By Brian DiDonato & Steve Sherack What a difference a year makes. With a $750,000 filly from the first crop of Practical Joke leading the way, the first auction of 2-year-old sales season completed a very promising two-day run as the 2021 OBS March sale concluded with across-the-board gains compared to last year and numbers not too far off of 2019 stats recorded during more normal circumstances. Consigned by Top Line Sales as hip 311, Wednesday's highest-priced lot and the sale's overall topper was purchased by Japan's Hideyuki Mori, who...

The Juveniles The dark clouds had gathered come Ireland's opening turf fixture of the year at Naas in March, with the meeting held behind closed doors and giving rise to now customary scenes. As the curtain was raised, an oft-repeated sketch unfolded with Jim Bolger homebred Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) annexing the first juvenile event of the year, a feat which the trainer had previously achieved on multiple occasions including with Poetic Flare's sire in 2012. Normal service resumed but, then again, not. The global pandemic soon tightened...

Following a board meeting on Monday, Oct. 12, a stimulus package with the goal of boosting the number of juveniles in training was approved by France Galop. This stimulus package is aimed primarily at reversing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on French racing and to support owners and breeders who wish to invest in France in the future. The main decisions decided upon by the France Galop board are as follows: Increase the owners' premiums for French-bred 2-year-olds from 60% to 70% in 2021, and for French-bred 3-year-olds in...

Delayed a week after switching dates with the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Yearling Sale, the Ocala Breeders Sales Company's October Sale begins its two-day run Tuesday. The sale kicks off at noon Tuesday with a mix of 59 2-year-olds and horses of racing age, followed by 169 selected yearlings. Wednesday's session begins at 10:30 a.m. with an open session of 420 yearlings. Supplements will immediately follow the regular catalogue each day. The 2-year-olds and horses of racing age are a new addition to the OBS October Sale, which previously only offered yearlings....

Phoenix Thoroughbreds has expanded its roster of U.S.-based trainers over the last few weeks to include Ken McPeek and Brendan Walsh. McPeek has already saddled a winner for the Dubai-based operation, sending out Crazy Beautiful (Liam's Map) to an impressive and popular debut victory in a one-mile turf maiden at Ellis Park July 5. The gray filly was acquired for $250,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October Sale. The conditioner will also call the shots on a Speightster colt that just came into the barn last week and he also trained...

The Maryland Jockey Club, The Stronach Group and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association have reached an agreement for a Lasix-free pilot program through 2023 that will facilitate Lasix-free races for 2-year-old horses, Lasix-free graded stakes, a minimum number of racing days per week during any Maryland Jockey Club meet and a substantial increase in committed funding for the Beyond The Wire aftercare program. The program, which was the result of weeks of good-faith discussions among all parties, was reviewed and approved subject to the adoption of emergency regulations, which will...