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A yearling colt by Fleminsfirth topped the fifth session of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale on Thursday when hammered down to Patrick McCann for €55,000. Next on the leaderboard were sons of Presenting (GB) that sold for €50,000 and €45,000. The aggregate of €1,498,350 was up 64% on last year's session total of €912,700, while the clearance rate rose to 66%. The average was up 33% to €10,405 and the median climbed 45% to €8,000.

The Jockey Club has launched an initiative called RacePass 18 to 24 that will allow racegoers at its courses between those ages to attend for half-price. The RacePass 18 to 24 membership card is eligible for fixtures from Dec. 1. The Jockey Club racecourses include Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom and Newmarket. Paul Fisher, group managing director of JCR, said, "The Jockey Club only exists to further British racing and, while this move costs money in the short-term, it is a long-term investment in our sport's future. We need to ensure that...

The nominations have been unveiled for the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards. The nominations for the seven categories include: Horse of the Year: Annie Power (Ire) (Shirocco {Ger}), Don Cossack (Ger) (Sholokhov {Ire}), Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}); Flat Racing: Aidan O'Brien, Dermot Weld, Seamie Heffernan and Pat Smullen. The Outstanding Achievement award is voted on by the Irish racing media and general public through the HRI website, and the Contribution to the Industry award...

Fascinating Rock (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}–Miss Polaris {GB}, by Polar Falcon), who won a pair of Group 1s racing as a homebred for Newtown Anner Stud and trainer Dermot Weld, has been retired to Ballylinch Stud and will stand for €10,000 next year. Ballylinch Managing Director John O'Connor said, "We are delighted that owner/breeder Maurice Regan of Newtown Anner Stud will partner with Ballylinch to develop Fascinating Rock's stud career, and both will hold a sizeable interest in him with the remaining shares being syndicated among breeders." A dual Group...

Jockey Wayne Lordan has been recruited by Ballydoyle to ride on a full-time basis. Lordan has for many years been closely associated with trainers Tommy and Fozzy Stack, and he has also been a key rider for David Wachman, for whom he rode Legatissimo (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) to two Group 1 wins in 2015 for the Coolmore partners. David Wachman retires from training this year. "I've been with the Stacks for about 16 years but this is a good opportunity for me," Lordan said. "I'll keep my head down...

A yearling son of Robin Des Champs (Fr) led the way during the fourth session of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale when selling to Ian Ferguson for €70,000 from Hillview Stud. A colt by Martaline (GB) recorded the day's second-highest price when hammered down to Longways Stables for €65,000 from the Railstown Stud draft. While the session's clearance rate dipped to 75% from 81% compared to this day last year, other indicators were up. The average rose 20% to €16,871, while the median climbed 27% to €14,000. A...

Highclere Stud will support its young sire Cable Bay (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) with a group of high-class mares this season, 17 of which were paraded before Highclere's stallion parade on Tuesday. The Highclere mares set for Cable Bay include Angels Wings (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a maiden mare who was a 150,000gns yearling and a 2-year-old winner over five furlongs from the immediate family of 2-year-old champion and Classic-placed Mujahid; Selinka (GB) (Selkirk), winner of the Oh So Sharp S. at two and second in Royal Ascot's Sandringham H....

Three-time Group 1 winner Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who was on Tuesday named the winner of the Cartier Older Horse award, will have the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot as his key early season target next year, trainer Jean-Claude Rouget told At The Races. The bay is likely to have a prep run in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan. "Physically, he's a marvelous horse," Rouget told At The Races. "I had Literato, who won the [G1] Champion S. a few years ago, but he was a small...

With Tattersalls riding high on the back of blockbuster October Yearling and Horses-in-Training Sales, its management team would be entitled to approach the December Sale––which can be relied upon for its show-stopping moments––in a somewhat buoyant mood. The Newmarket trading house starts its sales year with something of a whimper in February but the curtain is brought down with a roar when a week of fillies and mares provides moments of pure theatre for which the Tattersalls ring is perfectly designed. A rewind to 2013 is required for the record-breaking...

2nd-CHY, €27,000, Mdn, 11-9, unraced 2yo, f, 9f (AWT), 1:50.95, stn. +TERRAKOVA (IRE), f, 2, by Galileo (Ire) 1st Dam: Goldikova (Ire) (Ch. Older Horse-Eur, Ch. Older Mare-Eur, 2x Ch. Grass Mare-US, MG1SW-Eng & Fr, MGISW-US, $7,176,551), by Anabaa 2nd Dam: Born Gold, by Blushing Groom (Fr) 3rd Dam: Riviere d'Or, by Lyphard Terrakova found a comfortable slot, stalking the leaders from just off the pace in sixth, after the initial strides of this debut. Nudged along once into the home straight, the 4-5 favourite eased closer passing the quarter-mile...

The brilliant 3-year-old filly Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), whose five Group 1 wins in 2016 included a pair of Classics and a victory over elder males in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S., was named Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier 3-year-old filly at the Cartier Racing Awards at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Tuesday night. Trained by Aidan O'Brien for a Coolmore partnership, Minding was last year's Cartier 2-year-old filly champion on the merit of wins in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and G1 Dubai Fillies' Mile....

A yearling son of Kayf Tara (GB) topped the third session of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale when purchased by Aiden Murphy for €65,000. The son of the stakes-winning Whoops A Daisy (GB) (Definite Article {GB}) was sold by Goldford Stud as agent. A total of 197 horses were sold on day three for €3,399,300, which was down 11% from the 207 sold for €3,837,800 on this day last year. The average was down 7% to €17,255, while the median dipped 9% to €15,000.