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Opportune black type awaits some of the five fillies and mares contesting the $100,000 Las Flores Stakes (G3) Jan. 4 at Santa Anita Park.

Opportune black type awaits some of the five fillies and mares contesting the $100,000 Las Flores Stakes (G3) Jan. 4 at Santa Anita Park.

Nearly may have punched his ticket to the $250,000 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) Jan. 31, putting away favored Confessional in midstretch and pulling clear to a 5-length victory in a first-level allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park.

Godolphin set a single-season record in earnings as the leading owner for the fifth consecutive year, and Irad Ortiz Jr. established a single-season record as the leading jockey by earnings according to final statistics released Jan. 2 by Equibase.

Prominent equine veterinarian Dr. Bryan Boone died Dec. 31, 2025, after an 8 1/2-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 62.

Diane Crump, the pioneering Thoroughbred jockey whose riding breakthroughs set the stage for generations of female riders, died Jan. 1 at an inpatient hospice facility in Winchester, Va. She was 77.

Contenders for spots on Dubai World Cup (G1) night made their case as the World Cup Carnival swung into 2026 at Meydan Racecourse Jan. 2.

Multiple grade 1 winner Muth sired his first reported foal Jan. 1 at Gainesway, where the stallion stands for $30,000.

Keeneland announced Jan. 2 three horses in the third round of supplements to the 2026 January Horses of All Ages Sale Jan. 12-13.

FanDuel TV will televise the live announcement of the finalists for the 2025 Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards this Sunday, Jan. 4, at Noon ET.

Racing is in mourning for Ian Balding, who trained the legendary colt Mill Reef, after his death at the age of 87.

BloodHorse has reprised its online year-end survey to ask some of the sport's leading individuals for their opinions on pertinent issues facing the sport.

Young Gainesway stallion Muth, a Grade I winner at both two and three, welcomed his first foal, a filly, on Jan. 1 at Gainesway. The filly is out of the winning Marlinspike (Tapit), herself a daughter of 2000 Eclipse champion Surfside and a granddaughter of 1994 Eclipse champion Flanders. The new filly, who was born at 2:30 a.m. on New Year's Day, is a a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Bullet (War Front).

Muth, the $2-million OBS March topper in 2023, as well as a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' for Zedan Racing, won both the GI American Pharoah Stakes and the GI Arkansas Derby. In 2026, he will stand his second season at Gainesway for $30,000.

The post Arkansas Derby Winner Muth’s First Foal is a Filly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

A newly created $25,000 Thoroughbred Hunter Derby will make its debut at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show in Virginia in early June and replace the recent Upperville Thoroughbred Hunter Classic, the planners of the event said via a press release on their website Dec. 31.

The Derby will take place Tuesday, June 2 and reflects a growing, industry-wide effort to expand opportunities for Thoroughbreds at recognized horse shows. In recent years, trainers, owners and Thoroughbred advocates have worked to elevate the visibility and competitiveness of the breed in hunter and jumper sport.

TAKE2–founded by the late Bruce Duchossois and Rick Violette, Jr. of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.–has been at the forefront of that movement. The program partners with USEF-rated horse shows to offer hunter and jumper divisions restricted to Thoroughbreds eligible for registration with The Jockey Club of America.

The release also mentions that more recently, Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall communicated with Camden, South Carolina-based trainer Ron Danta about how the racing industry was interested in promoting the idea of a Thoroughbred-only Derby series offering significant prize money. Brogden recently spoke to TDN in the 'Racing in 2036' series about how Thoroughbreds could re-establish themselves as a central players in the show hunter world.

At the same time, Middleburg trainer Sue Lyman, an active USHJA member who chairs its Horse and Riders Advocates Committee, and Second Wind Thoroughbred Aftercare founder Dayle Eldredge made repeated efforts to revive the long-dormant USHJA Thoroughbred Taskforce. Danta helped by making them aware of Brogden's interest.

According to the release, another spark was the national success of Catherine Brown's Ifwhizkycouldtalk (Unfettered), known as “Whisky,” who drew widespread attention during his second year showing with Lyman. Not only did the gelding excel in the Thoroughbred hunter divisions, but the gray also placed consistently and won in the competitive 3'3″ Green Hunter division against warmbloods and participated in the USHJA Green Incentive Program at the Kentucky finals in August.

USHJA President Britt McCormick reached out to Lyman, and the USHJA Thoroughbred Taskforce was officially revived. The group agreed that a single, successful event was needed before expanding into a series and Upperville was the natural choice.

“At Upperville, they know how to do a Derby,” said Lyman. “And the Thoroughbreds are already successful divisions.”

Lyman approached UCHS Board member Tom Brennan, who brought the proposal for a Derby in 2026 to the Show Committee, where it received a favorable response. Brennan estimated that at least $20,000 in prize money, along with $10,000 for a competitor reception, would be necessary to attract top-level participation and support.

Undaunted, Lyman immediately reached out to people she knows have a special interest in Thoroughbreds. Funding followed quickly, for the Derby prize money as well as the reception. One of the earliest prize money supporters was longtime Thoroughbred advocate and former Lyman client Ann Hormel. Others include Jacqueline Mars, for whom Lyman has also trained, and Tisbury Stud. The purse quickly rose to $25,000, while TAKE2 and Aspire Equine, LLC. signed up to sponsor the reception.

“I love Thoroughbred horses,” said Hormel. “I hate to see them cast away because they didn't make it big on the track. I would love to see them coming back into the hunter and jumper rings, and I feel like this Derby could help make that happen.”

“Upperville is truly raising the stakes with the launch of this brand-new $25,000 Thoroughbred Derby,” Tom Brennan said. “This class underscores our commitment to honoring tradition while creating meaningful new opportunities for Thoroughbred horses, owners, and riders.”

The post Thoroughbred Hunter Derby Debuts At Upperville Colt And Horse In June appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Following the cancellation of racing on Wednesday and Thursday, Santa Anita has added a special makeup card for this upcoming Thursday, Jan. 8, according to a press release from the track on Friday.

Entries will be taken on Saturday. The program will include both the GIII Robert J. Frankel Stakes for fillies & mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf and the Eddie Logan Stakes at one mile on turf for what are now newly-turned 3-year-olds. Both races had been scheduled for Wednesday.

The remaining races from the canceled cards on Wednesday and Thursday will be offered back the first weekend of Condition Book #2 from Jan. 16-18.

A rain-drenched start to the Santa Anita season has resulted in four cards being canceled since the scheduled start of the Classic Meet Dec. 26. One makeup card was held this past Monday.

The post Santa Anita Makeup Card Added For Thursday Jan. 8 After Cancellations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

While prefacing his remarks by saying that “nothing is set in stone,” Spendthrift Farm General Manager Ned Toffey told the TDN that the main pre-GI Kentucky Derby goal for presumptive 2-year-old champion Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) will likely be the GI Curlin Florida Derby to be run at Gulfstream Park Mar. 28. Spendthrift's other top prospect, Further Ado (Gun Runner), is likely headed to the GI Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Apr. 4.

Ted Noffey is trained by Todd Pletcher, who is based in the winter at Palm Beach Downs in Florida. Further Ado, who is trained by Brad Cox, is just up the road at Payson Park. Toffey confirmed that the plan is not to race the two together until possible starts in the Triple Crown races.

Named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Ted Noffey was 4-for-4 in 2025. The colt's year culminated with a win in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Further Ado took a little longer to develop, but had a breakout 'TDN Rising Star' performance when winning an Oct. 10 maiden at Keeneland by 20 lengths. In what was his third career start, he earned a 93 Beyer number. He followed that win with a 1 3/4-length victory in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs.

“This is a very unofficial, but obviously Todd [Pletcher] has been based in South Florida for a long time and I think generally the number one prospect in his barn will take that Florida Derby route,” Toffey said. “That would be the plan. Leading up to that, maybe he will run in the [GII] Fountain of Youth. We'll see how things go as the spring progresses.”

Toffey said that the Blue Grass is an obvious target for Further Ado because of how well the colt ran there in his maiden win.

“He was just beating maidens, but he ran so well at Keeneland,” Toffey said. “It would make a lot of sense to get him back there for the Blue Grass.”

Because Further Ado is based in Florida, Toffey said running in a Derby prep at Tampa Bay Downs is also a possibility.

“Obviously, we want to keep them apart , but we'll try to do what we think is best for each horse,” he said. “There are a lot of options. They'll both be in Florida for the winter and we'll go from there. You know this game. As Wayne Hughes used to say, 'You have to have a plan so you can change it.' I wouldn't rule anything out. There are also the Tampa races to consider for Further Ado.”

Toffey added that the Spendthrift team will also rely on the feedback they receive from Pletcher and Cox.

Further Ado at Keeneland | Coady Media

“We will weigh heavily what the trainers are recommending,” he said. “This is a little bit of a different circumstance than normal, but we generally feel like it's important to weigh very heavily anything the trainers are recommending. Those are the guys in the barn with the horses day in and day out. They will be an important part of the decision-making process.”

Spendthrift also owns one of the top 3-year-old fillies in Tommy Jo (Into Mischief), who is also a 'TDN Rising Star'. The winner of the GI Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga, she was fifth in the GI NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She is also trained by Pletcher. Toffey said her next start will come in the GIII Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Jan. 31.

“The Forward Gal is a good starting point for her at seven furlongs,” he said. “In going back and looking at her race in the Breeders' Cup and watching that replay several times, I actually feel like she ran an even better race than I originally thought. It was a tough track to come from off the pace on. Speed held so well. When I factored that in, do I think she was going to win? No. But I feel like her race was a little better than I originally gave her credit for.”

Toffey acknowledged that the Spendthrift team is excited about what 2026 will bring, especially when it comes to its two potential Derby candidates.

“This is huge,” he said. “Quite frankly, our primary business is that breeding shed up there in the middle of the farm. We do a lot of racing and you obviously want to be successful doing that in and of itself.  At the same time, to be able to do it with horses that you've owned and managed is just that much better. I hate to reduce it to money, but there is that reality.

“If we can have two really nice horses earn their way into our stud barn, which they already have done, without having to pay millions and millions of dollars to be able to do so it is an added bonus,” he added. “Everyone at Spendthrift loves racing and we're always looking for those top 3-year-old colts. This is very exciting for us.”

The post Spendthrift Mulling Plans For Its 3-Year-Old Stars appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Colonial Downs racing secretary Dan Bork has released the condition book for the 2026 three-day spring meeting which runs from Thursday, Mar. 12 through Saturday, Mar. 14, the track said via a release on Friday.

The meet is highlighted by the $500,000 Virginia Derby and $250,000 Virginia Oaks Mar. 14, which are points races on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” and “Road to the Kentucky Oaks,” respectively.

Click here for access.

The post Colonial Downs Spring Meet Condition Book Released appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Godolphin LLC, who campaigned 13 North American graded stakes winners during 2025, including dual classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), set a single-season record in earnings as the leading owner for the fifth consecutive year, and Irad Ortiz, Jr., established a single-season record as the leading jockey by earnings according to final year-end statistics released by Equibase Company on Friday.

Godolphin–with 104 North American wins from 448 starts–amassed record earnings of $22,395,556, surpassing their previous mark of $20.2 million set in 2024. When including earnings from the Dubai and Saudi Cup days, Godolphin's earnings for the year were $23,355,556.

In a tight battle between Ortiz and Flavien Prat, the former maintained the narrowest of margin in the final days to finish the year on top with earnings of $40,497,847, less than $2,000 ahead of Prat's total of $40,496,178. Both riders became the first to surpass $40 million in earnings. Ortiz reached the winner's circle 351 times from 1,631 mounts in 2025, while Prat won 310 races from 1,256 mounts.

Brad Cox ended the year on top as the leading trainer by earnings, which was his first title since 2023 and marked the conditioner's third overall. Cox sent out the winners of 277 races from 394 starters with 1,068 starts for earnings of $30,255,435.

Some of the leading horses also were the top earners from their respective foal crops. The leading earners by foaling year from the past five years were Ted Noffey (Into Mischief, 2023 foal crop), Sovereignty (2022 foal crop), Sierra Leone (Gun Runner, 2021 foal crop), National Treasure (Quality Road, 2020 foal crop) and White Abarrio (Race Day, 2019 foal crop).

The post Owner Godolphin, Jockey Ortiz Jr., Set Single-Season Earnings Records appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

As another Santa Anita Opening Day is in the books, it's with a heavy heart that I write to the TDN about the extraordinary life and times of Vic Carlson. Vic died a couple days ago peacefully with his wife Seira and family by his side, but the legacy he leaves in Thoroughbred racing is far reaching.

As a reminder, Vic reached the pinnacle of the racing game when a little $15,000 horse named Musket Man ran third in the 2009 GI Kentucky Derby. More on that in a minute. To say Vic's life was extraordinary would be an understatement.

Vic grew up in Boise, Idaho where, at a young age, it became apparent he would become an outstanding football player. He played linebacker in college and then turned his education degree into a coaching career. Later, in Portland, Oregon, Vic became the athletic director at Jefferson High, an inner city school located in North Portland. That is where I met Vic. In 1987, he hired me as Jefferson's head baseball coach.

Vic and I became fast friends. Not too long after I met him, he introduced me to horse racing. I can't tell you how many afternoons we snuck out to go to Portland Meadows. That is where I fell in love with the game and that is where Vic bought his first horse, a $2,500 claimer named Colt Called Sue. As we messed around with cheap horses, we both had aspirations to reach higher. As such, 1995 was the first year we attended the Kentucky Derby together. By the time that trip was over, we both decided we wanted a chance at the big-time.

Vic was an imposing figure. At the age of 40, he still looked like he could start at linebacker. Those who got to know him recognized he was a fierce competitor. Besides football, he had two passions in life–horse racing and golf. I remember like it was yesterday when we won the Rosauers Spokane Open Pro-Am back in 1991. The team was me, Vic, college baseball star Fred Lea, hockey phenom Pat Schmautz of the famous hockey family and baseball star Ron Sloy. After two days, our team was on track to set a tournament record. As is often the case in golf, the other teams were skeptical we were playing that good. So, the tournament director, Dale Johnson, and some of his staff started following us around on the front nine the last day. Vic was steamed they were checking on us, so he gave us a pep talk for the ages. On hole number 8 from about 80 yards, Vic holed his third shot on that Par 5. While the rest of his team was celebrating, Vic walked over to Mr. Johnson and said, “Yes sir, this team is that good.”

After Vic's first trip to the Kentucky Derby, he made the decision to spend more money buying nicer horses. That decision led Vic to Ciaran Dunne of Ocala pinhooking fame. Vic and Ciaran became close friends, with Ciaran traveling to Oregon to play golf and Vic often traveling to Florida to join Ciaran for his member-guest golf tournament. That relationship led to a lifelong friendship, many pinhooks and eventually led to Musket Man.

Vic, his wife Seira, and Ciaran are responsible for one of the most hilarious horse racing stories of all-time. Vic decided to sell Musket Man in the 2008 Fasig-Tipton 2-year-old sale. When the horse didn't reach his reserve, the team retreated to the bar to decide what to do next. With Ciaran and other friends hanging out, they decided to race the horse.

The rest of the story goes something like this: Seira and Vic were a fairly new couple. After hanging out for awhile, Seira suggests to Vic that they go back to their hotel to “have a little fun.” Vic looks her in the eye and says in front of everyone:  “Honey, we had a little fun this morning. I'm not a Gatling gun and I'm not a six-shooter. I'm a one-time a day musket man.” Thus, the name and the rest is history.

Musket Man won the GIII Tampa Bay Derby, the GII Illinois Derby, then ran third in the Kentucky Derby and the GI Preakness. Later, as a 4-year-old, the horse ran second in the GI Metropolitan Handicap and third in the GI Whitney Handicap.

I have not seen Vic for a few years. The last time was at Santa Anita four years ago. Vic's health was declining because of a bad back, so he moved to Mesquite, Nevada with his wife.

A few weeks ago, I saw Vic's Carlson Family Racing had a horse entered at Del Mar. I called a friend of ours, Steve Anderson, to see if he had talked to Vic lately. He too hadn't heard back from him. Now, he is gone, and what we have are extraordinary memories of an extraordinary life.

There are a lot of things you can say about Vic Carlson. How he loved his sons; how he loved the kids at Jefferson High School; how he loved golf; how much he loved and admired Seira; how he often times seemed bigger than life.

But, know this to be true too. Vic loved horse racing, he loved the people on the backside and ultimately he made horse racing fun for everyone his life touched. His legacy in horse racing runs from Oregon to Florida and from California to Kentucky. I promise you I am only one of many who will keep Vic's legacy alive.

–Steve McPherson
Irvine, CA

The post Letter To The Editor: Vic Carlson’s Legacy Will Live On appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Keeneland has supplemented three additional hips to its January Horses of All Ages Sale to be held Jan. 12 and 13 in Lexington, KY. The newest supplements are:

• Sherbini (Cairo Prince) (Hip 541): a 4-year-old filly who was an impressive debut winner at Churchill Downs at two before she was runner-up in the Schuylerville Stakes and placed in the GI Spinaway Stakes, both at Saratoga. Also placed in the Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill, Sherbini is cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect and is consigned by ELiTE, agent.
• Tigerish (Tiz the Law) (Hip 1103), a 4-year-old filly and one of five black-type performers out of Lerici, by Woodman. Graded stakes-placed at two, Tigerish is a half-sister to Grade I winner Avenge (War Front) and Grade II winner Liguria (War Front). She is from the family of such international stars as Canadian Horse of the Year Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro) and European champion miler Mark of Esteem (Ire) (Darshaan {Ire}). Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, agent, consigns Tigerish as a racing or broodmare prospect.
• 2025 filly by Gun Runner (Hip 542), consigned by Four Star Sales, agent. Her dam, Dragic, by Broken Vow, is a half-sister to Gun Runner's juvenile champion Echo Zulu and to Grade I winner Echo Town (Speightstown). Dragic, a multiple stakes performer, is the dam of Saturday Flirt, who is undefeated in four starts in North America, including the 2025 Soaring Softly Stakes at Saratoga.

These three supplements increase the total number of horses cataloged to the January Sale to 1,095. Click here to access the catalogue.

The post Sherbini, Tigerish Among Latest Keeneland January Supplements appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.