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Jockey Dylan Davis suffered a broken right collarbone in a spill that affected four horses Friday afternoon at Aqueduct, his agent Mike Migliore told the TDN's Bill Finley. Migliore updated late Friday that Davis also has multiple fractured ribs and a partially collapsed lung.

Heavyweight Champs (Solomini), the third betting choice in a $17,500 claimer with a non-winners-of-three-lifetime condition, was a handy third and three wide tracking the pace into the turn, but broke down and fell three-eighths of a mile from the wire. He unseated his rider Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the process, and the Davis-ridden Tarpaulin (Leofric) could not avoid his stricken rival and fell, but picked himself up, completed the course and was caught by outriders before being walked off. Both Christopher Elliott aboard Because the Night (Uncle Mo) and Lane Luzzi astride Funny Uncle (Distorted Humor) were forced to take evasive action and both horses were eased, but were otherwise uninjured.

According to a statement from NYRA's Patrick McKenna, Heavyweight Champs was attended to immediately by veterinary staff, but due to the severity of the injury to his left front leg, could not be saved. Santana, Jr. visited on-track first aid under his own power, but was removed from his remaining mount.

Davis was transported to Jamaica Hospital for evaluation. There is no timetable for his return, Migliore said.

The post Dylan Davis Suffers Multiple Injuries, Horse Euthanized In Aqueduct Spill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Dave Smyth, a financial planner and horseplayer from Lexington, KY, saved his best for last at the 2025 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), parlaying an $8,000 Daily Double on the final two legs into a record $607,800 payday.

“As a financial planner, I put puzzles together,” he said.

Smyth did the bulk of his damage in the second half of the Saturday program.

“I absolutely loved Forever Young,” he recalled of the eventual GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner. “He had tactical speed and was ready to fire.”

In addition to betting Forever Young across the board, Smyth went big on a Forever Young exacta box with defending champion Sierra Leone, which grossed $17,150.

Smyth finished with a total score of 144,800 points and combined those earnings with his first-place prize of $463,000 for the $607,800 total. Ken McMahan of La Quinta, CA, finished second with 139,930 points, and combined with a second prize of $308,600, his total earnings were $448,530. McMahan also played a second entry and finished in eighth place with 82,950 points, and adding a prize pool of $51,400 gave him a second-entry total of $134,350 and total tournament earnings of $582,880. Michael Martinelli finished in third place with 105,000 points. Adding the third-place prize money of $167,200, his total grand total reached $272,200.

“As a handicapper, this was a thrill of a lifetime and a dream come true, and I never imagined I would win the BCBC when my grandmother first took me to Keeneland for a day of fun with friends,” said Smyth. “To be live at Del Mar is a moment that I'll never forget. I love the horse industry, and I try to make sure, as a player and a fan, that I can help future generations enjoy the sport even more.”

As a commitment to the future of the sport, Smyth is donating 5% of the first-place prize to Amplify Horse Racing. The organization fosters Thoroughbred industry education, mentorship, and career opportunities with horse programs for youth and young adults.

The tournament players generated a record $8,902,863 in wagering handle. Breeders' Cup tournament wagering at Del Mar totaled 22% of the on-track handle.

In the 2025 BCBC, each player was required to fund a $2,500 buy-in and a $7,500 betting bankroll ($10,000 total). All buy-in monies were applied to the prize pool, making a record total prize pool of $1,607,500. Players made real wagers (win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and daily double) with their $7,500 bankroll over the two days (22 races) and kept all monies earned from their wagering.

Click here for the full BCBC results.

The post Smyth ‘Solves Puzzle’, Wins 2025 BCBC appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Emerald Downs on Friday was approved to race 51 dates in 2026, the same number of programs that the suburban Seattle track was granted in 2025.

Back in March, Emerald's president, Phil Ziegler, had said that the '26 race meet at the lone remaining commercial track in the Pacific Northwest could be in jeopardy because the fees imposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) were expected to be nearly doubling under a new assessment methodology.

Although the track's assessment for '26 did go up, Emerald had a better-than-expected 2025 season that resulted in increases to average daily handle (49%), average daily on-track handle (18%), average attendance (“about 10%”) and average number of starters per race (up 0.9% to 7.35).

While there was no talk of abandoning or curtailing the '26 racing season during Friday's Washington Horse Racing Commission (WHRC) meeting, at which commissioners unanimously approved Emerald's status-quo request, there was still plenty of discussion about the daunting HISA assessment and what could be done to mitigate it.

WHRC executive secretary Amanda Benton read into the record that Emerald's gross assessment for '26 is $1,302,706, but that potential credits for sample collection and drug testing could reduce the net fee to $1,015,000.

That's still $642,132 more than '25, Benton said. But additional credits are still in the negotiation phase, and the track and horsemen are brainstorming ideas to lighten the financial hit even further, several stakeholders said during the meeting.

Benton also cited an email from HISA's chief executive officer, Lisa Lazarus, that outlined “potential additional credits towards the assessment fee if Emerald Downs agrees to various items listed in the email.”

Benton said that, “Those items, according to [Lazarus], could offer potential credits of $350,000, bringing the total assessment fee to $604,000. Some of the items on the list would result in a cost for Emerald Downs, but that credit would be greater than the costs.”

Pat LePley, the president of the Washington Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said that even with the known reductions, the money that horsemen and the track must pay to HISA and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) is still concerning to everyone involved in Washington racing.

“The costs that are imposed by HISA and HIWU, if we don't get some help along the way, some type of relief, either additional revenue or some type of a help from state government or local government, we're going to continue to be in serious trouble and in more serious trouble than we have been,” LePley said.

“The owners of the horses that we have here, we don't run for enough money in terms of purses to be able to sustain the kind of expenses that HISA and HIWU want to impose upon us,” LePley said. “If we were required to pay $1.3 million in regulatory fees, I don't see how the racetrack can stay in business.”

Emerald will open May 2 in '26, coinciding with the simulcast of the GI Kentucky Derby. With the exception of several tweaks because of the way the calendar falls, the season will largely feature racing on Saturdays and Sundays in May, with Friday night cards added to make three-day racing weeks June through August. The meet will close Labor Day Monday, Sept. 7.

“Not many differences to [the '25] season,” Ziegler said. “A couple of minor changes. We did open a week earlier [in '25]. Our staff kind of likes getting a race day in before Derby day, when everybody shows up. But it was just too tough on the horsemen to be ready for that last weekend in April.

“Derby day is the one day [of] overlap we have with Turf Paradise,” Ziegler noted. “So their meet ends on Derby day, and then we get [a number out outfits that] come up here [from Arizona]. We had very short fields and only a few races on opening weekend last year, so we went back to opening on Derby day.”

Ziegler said Emerald's stakes and promotion schedules will be announced in the near future, and that the stable area is expected to open sometime in late February or early March.

The post Emerald A ‘Go’ For 51 Dates In ’26, But HISA Fees Still Considered An Existential Threat appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Emerald Downs on Friday was approved to race 51 dates in 2026, the same number of programs that the suburban Seattle track was granted in 2025.

Back in March, Emerald's president, Phil Ziegler, had said that the '26 race meet at the lone remaining commercial track in the Pacific Northwest could be in jeopardy because the fees imposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) were expected to be nearly doubling under a new assessment methodology.

Although the track's assessment for '26 did go up, Emerald had a better-than-expected 2025 season that resulted in increases to average daily handle (49%), average daily on-track handle (18%), average attendance (“about 10%”) and average number of starters per race (up 0.9% to 7.35).

While there was no talk of abandoning or curtailing the '26 racing season during Friday's Washington Horse Racing Commission (WHRC) meeting, at which commissioners unanimously approved Emerald's status-quo request, there was still plenty of discussion about the daunting HISA assessment and what could be done to mitigate it.

WHRC executive secretary Amanda Benton read into the record that Emerald's gross assessment for '26 is $1,302,706, but that potential credits for sample collection and drug testing could reduce the net fee to $1,015,000.

That's still $642,132 more than '25, Benton said. But additional credits are still in the negotiation phase, and the track and horsemen are brainstorming ideas to lighten the financial hit even further, several stakeholders said during the meeting.

Benton also cited an email from HISA's chief executive officer, Lisa Lazarus, that outlined “potential additional credits towards the assessment fee if Emerald Downs agrees to various items listed in the email.”

Benton said that, “Those items, according to [Lazarus], could offer potential credits of $350,000, bringing the total assessment fee to $604,000. Some of the items on the list would result in a cost for Emerald Downs, but that credit would be greater than the costs.”

Pat LePley, the president of the Washington Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said that even with the known reductions, the money that horsemen and the track must pay to HISA and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) is still concerning to everyone involved in Washington racing.

“The costs that are imposed by HISA and HIWU, if we don't get some help along the way, some type of relief, either additional revenue or some type of a help from state government or local government, we're going to continue to be in serious trouble and in more serious trouble than we have been,” LePley said.

“The owners of the horses that we have here, we don't run for enough money in terms of purses to be able to sustain the kind of expenses that HISA and HIWU want to impose upon us,” LePley said. “If we were required to pay $1.3 million in regulatory fees, I don't see how the racetrack can stay in business.”

Emerald will open May 2 in '26, coinciding with the simulcast of the GI Kentucky Derby. With the exception of several tweaks because of the way the calendar falls, the season will largely feature racing on Saturdays and Sundays in May, with Friday night cards added to make three-day racing weeks June through August. The meet will close Labor Day Monday, Sept. 7.

“Not many differences to [the '25] season,” Ziegler said. “A couple of minor changes. We did open a week earlier [in '25]. Our staff kind of likes getting a race day in before Derby day, when everybody shows up. But it was just too tough on the horsemen to be ready for that last weekend in April.

“Derby day is the one day [of] overlap we have with Turf Paradise,” Ziegler noted. “So their meet ends on Derby day, and then we get [a number out outfits that] come up here [from Arizona]. We had very short fields and only a few races on opening weekend last year, so we went back to opening on Derby day.”

Ziegler said Emerald's stakes and promotion schedules will be announced in the near future, and that the stable area is expected to open sometime in late February or early March.

The post Emerald A ‘Go’ For 51 Dates In ’26, But HISA Fees Still Considered An Existential Threat appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Jaxer, a 2-year-old son of New York stallion Slumber, wins Friday’s Notebook Stakes under Flavien Prat. Coglianese Photo.

Head of Plains’ homebred Jaxer slid through an opening in deep stretch to score his first stakes victory in Friday’s $125,000 Notebook for 2-year-old New York-breds on the turf at Aqueduct.

Under Flavien Prat, the son of New York-based sire Slumber won by a length over Caroline St. Beat for his second straight victory. Jaxer came into the 1-mile Notebook off a 1 3/4-length victory in a 1 1/16-mile maiden win on the turf at Aqueduct for trainer Graham Motion.

Prat rode Jaxer in that maiden score, which came after an eighth in his debut sprinting on the turf July 16 at Saratoga Race Course and a close second in a two-turn maiden on the grass at Delaware Park in late August.

“I was comfortable the whole way,” Prat said. “He traveled good the whole way around. I was able to save ground, and we got to the stretch and it seemed like the other horses kind of shifted out and I was able to go through. He was very professional today.”

Jaxer, who is out of the winning More Than Ready mare Lost Ticket, became the fifth stakes winner for Slumber. A 17-year-old son of Cacique owned by Sol Kumin’s Head of Plains, Slumber stands for $7,500 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson.

Sent off as the 3-1 second choice in the field of 10 behind the 8-5 choice Caroline St. Beat, Jaxer settled off the pace early into the first turn. Twirling Lad set the pace, clicking of opening splits of :23.31 and :48.17 just ahead of Truman’s Commander and Spirit of New York. Twirling Lad, a maiden coming into the Notebook off a narrow loss Oct. 16 at Aqueduct, continued to lead through 6 furlongs in 1:13.26 and in midstretch while the closers engaged in deep stretch.

Spirit of New York came away with the lead inside the eighth pole but couldn’t hold off the late runs of Jaxer, Caroline St. Beat and Funny Factor late to finish fourth. Jaxer won in 1:36.87. Caroline St. Beat, a maiden winner in his debut Aug. 16 for Miguel Clement, finished second under Manny Franco, a nose in front of Funny Factor.

“I had the trip that I wanted,” Franco said. “I wanted to save ground in the first turn and from the three-eighths to the quarter-pole, I just wanted to get a clear run. He responded well, but he probably needed one [a race].”

Foaled at Rockridge Stud, Jaxer is the first foal out of Lost Ticket. Out of the Empire Maker mare Shapely, Lost Ticket sold as a yearling for $400,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings. She won two of seven starts and earned $94,570 for Staghawk Stables and trainer Bill Mott.

Madaket Stables purchased Lost Ticket for $8,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Lost Ticket is also the dam of a yearling New York-bred full brother to Jaxer, also bred by Head of Plains LLC.

The post Jaxer comes up inside to win Notebook Stakes appeared first on New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. News.

Awesome Result (Justify–Blossomed, by Deputy Minister), who opened her career with eight straight victories and was an intended runner in the 2024 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, has been retired from racing and will be bred next year at Northern Farm, according to a tweet from the Insel Thoroughbred Co. Ltd. ownership club.

Bred in Kentucky by Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt and trained by Yasutoshi Ikee, Awesome Result made the first five starts of her career at Japan Racing Association (JRA) venues, taking her lone appearance at two over the metric nine furlongs before adding victories in a trio of appearances in allowance company at three.

On the back of a victorious 4-year-old debut in February 2024, Awesome Result was tried in some of the valuable listed races on the National Association of Racing (NAR) circuit and strung together a pair of black-type successes, capped by a five-length tally in the Breeders' Gold Cup at Mombetsu last August (see below, SC 11). .

That 1800-meter contest had been used previously by Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) as a springboard to her ground-breaking victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, and Awesome Result was shipped stateside to contest the same event last fall, where she would have been the chief adversary to future Horse of the Year and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). She was a late scratch with an apparent fetlock issue.

Kept in training at five, Awesome Result took the Listed Queen Sho on her return to action in February and was placed in three subsequent appearances at stakes level. She retires with a record of 11-8-1-2 and earnings of $1,323,545.

“We express our deepest gratitude to everyone who was involved with this horse and everyone who supported here,” Insel Co. tweeted.

Awesome Result is a half-sister to GI Spinaway Stakes heroine Sippican Harbor (Orb); UAE listed winner Saayedd (Malibu Moon); GSP Bodacious Babe (Mineshaft), the dam of GSW Royal Spa (Violence); and she is a full-sister to Crudo, this year's Sir Barton Stakes winner who was sold to Saudi Arabian interests for $350,000 during this week's Keeneland Horses of Racing Age Sale.

 

WATCH: Awesome Result romps in the 2024 Breeders' Gold Cup at Mombetsu

The post Justify’s Three-Time Japanese Stakes Winner Awesome Result Retired appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Awesome Result (Justify–Blossomed, by Deputy Minister), who opened her career with eight straight victories and was an intended runner in the 2024 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, has been retired from racing and will be bred next year at Northern Farm, according to a tweet from the Insel Thoroughbred Co. Ltd. ownership club.

Bred in Kentucky by Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt and trained by Yasutoshi Ikee, Awesome Result made the first five starts of her career at Japan Racing Association (JRA) venues, taking her lone appearance at two over the metric nine furlongs before adding victories in a trio of appearances in allowance company at three.

On the back of a victorious 4-year-old debut in February 2024, Awesome Result was tried in some of the valuable listed races on the National Association of Racing (NAR) circuit and strung together a pair of black-type successes, capped by a five-length tally in the Breeders' Gold Cup at Mombetsu last August (see below, SC 11). .

That 1800-meter contest had been used previously by Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) as a springboard to her ground-breaking victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, and Awesome Result was shipped stateside to contest the same event last fall, where she would have been the chief adversary to future Horse of the Year and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). She was a late scratch with an apparent fetlock issue.

Kept in training at five, Awesome Result took the Listed Queen Sho on her return to action in February and was placed in three subsequent appearances at stakes level. She retires with a record of 11-8-1-2 and earnings of $1,323,545.

“We express our deepest gratitude to everyone who was involved with this horse and everyone who supported here,” Insel Co. tweeted.

Awesome Result is a half-sister to GI Spinaway Stakes heroine Sippican Harbor (Orb); UAE listed winner Saayedd (Malibu Moon); GSP Bodacious Babe (Mineshaft), the dam of GSW Royal Spa (Violence); and she is a full-sister to Crudo, this year's Sir Barton Stakes winner who was sold to Saudi Arabian interests for $350,000 during this week's Keeneland Horses of Racing Age Sale.

 

WATCH: Awesome Result romps in the 2024 Breeders' Gold Cup at Mombetsu

The post Justify’s Three-Time Japanese Stakes Winner Awesome Result Retired appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Showcase, winner of last year’s Grade 2 Saratoga Special Stakes, joins the stallion roster for 2026 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds. Coglianese Photo.

McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs is proud to announce that Showcase, the brilliantly talented son of Uncle Mo, will stand his first season at stud in 2026 for a fee of $5,000.

A $300,000 Keeneland September yearling, Showcase quickly fulfilled his early promise on the racetrack. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, he broke his maiden on debut by open lengths to become a TDN Rising Star. He returned and dominated his second start in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special by 3 1/2 lengths.

Pletcher offered high praise for the colt’s natural talent.

“Showcase had enormous ability combined with an explosive kick of speed,” he said. “He was my best 2-year-old that year. He should be a huge asset to the New York breeding program, returning to Saratoga where he showed so much talent on the racetrack.”

McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds is excited to welcome Showcase for the 2026 season.

Showcase’s talent, pedigree and proven Saratoga form make him a standout addition to the roster. Showcase joins leading stallions Central Banker, Solomini and sophomore Provocateur.

For booking inquiries, contact:

McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, LLC

180 Fitch Rd Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Ph: 518-587-3426 | F: 518-587-4393

www.mcmahonthoroughbreds.com

The post McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds introduces Showcase to the 2026 stallion roster appeared first on New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. News.

The second and final session of NZB’s Ready To Run Sale propelled the auction to another record-breaking conclusion, with the aggregate soaring past NZ$41 million and both the average (NZ$156,255) and median (NZ$100,000) reaching all-time highs.

Jockey Paco Lopez, suspended six months by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority in September for what it said were riding violations of a conditional reinstatement, is named to ride in six races at Fair Grounds Nov. 20.

Nobals, winner of the 2023 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), returns to the all-weather surface at Woodbine seeking to repeat as winner of the Kennedy Road Stakes (G2) on Nov. 15.

Calandagan, the highest rated horse in the world according to Longines' World's Best Racehorse Rankings, will be the sole international challenger for the Japan Cup (G1) at the end of the month and is preparing for his trip to Tokyo.

Both looking to make a mark on the competitive Kentucky circuit, trainer Joe Roberts and apprentice jockey Amanda Poston team up in the Claiming Crown with Empire's Best and Shotshell.

Weeks after Jamaica sustained significant loss of life and damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, Caymanas Park outside of Kingston is set to resume racing Nov. 15. The weekend's cards will feature 19 races, each with fields of 10 or more horses.

Group 2 winner Coeur Volante is set for a date with Zoustar after she realized AU$500,000 at the Inglis Digital Spring Boutique Online Sale Nov. 12. She was bought by Widden Stud in association with Bangaloe Stud.

Haran Thoroughbreds soared to the top of the Thoroughbred owner standings to earn their second straight leading owner title for the 23rd season of racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The constitutionality of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is back on the front burner in the federal court system after the U. S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments about the law for the second time.

The $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) will for the first time be included in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, Breeders' Cup and 1/ST Racing announced Nov. 13.

Chris Bernhard of Hidden Lake Farm announces the acquisition of two new stallions, Disarm and Confidence Game, to stand at the farm in Stillwater, N.Y., for 2026. Disarm's stud fee is set at $7,500, and Confidence Game's is $5,000.

In anticipation of rainy weather in Southern California, Del Mar has moved up the post time by half an hour for its Nov. 14, card to noon PT and canceled racing Nov. 15, the track announced on social media.