Europe

Stephen Byrne of Knockgraffon Stables has quickly established himself as one of the sharpest young breeze-up handlers on the circuit. A former amateur jockey, Byrne built up a good relationship with Jim Will Fix It, and guided that horse to win a Grade 2 bumper at Leopardstown back in 2010. He also spent time working with Joseph O'Brien before returning home to Knockgraffon Stables. From under that banner, Byrne has sent out many high-class runners, including the 103-rated Hammer The Hammer along with recent Dundalk juvenile scorer Sovereign Cry (Ten...

The top five betting choices were the first five home in Japan's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes on Sunday, with second choice Cavallerizzo closing to take the juvenile contest by three-quarters of a length. Diamond Knot (Bricks And Mortar), a 7-1 shot, was second, with the formerly undefeated favourite Admire Quads (Real Steel) gamely snatching third, a length behind. Sent off at 13-5, the son of Saturnalia raced content in midfield well off the fence, with the first quarter covered in :23.20. At the half-mile marker, Diamond Knot was firmly...

And on we go, to a sector of the market that will have great appeal to the shrewd and smaller breeders (you can certainly be both), with the next part of our Value Sires series devoted to those standing in the bracket of £7,500 to £14,999 (approximately €8,500 to €17,000).  There are always deals to be struck in the stallion market, and perhaps that is especially true within the lower price tiers, where your bartering power may also depend on your previous support of a particular stallion or stud, and...

A key member of the Elliott Bloodstock Services and Imperium Sales teams, Lucy Ryan lets us in on her background in the bloodstock business as the first person to be back in the TDN hot seat this winter. TDN: How did you become involved in bloodstock in the first place? LR: More by chance than design. I was lucky enough to be introduced to ponies at an early age, joining the local pony club, which led to a bit of eventing, hunting and point-to-pointing (very badly!).   I met Mathilde...

Coolmore National Hunt stallion Mahler, who was twice champion point-to-point sire in Ireland, has died at the age of 21. "Mahler had a wonderful temperament and was a lovely horse to be around," said Robert McCarthy of The Beeches Stud - home to the second-crop son of Galileo since his first season at stud in 2009 - in a statement issued by Coolmore on Saturday. "He has been a great servant over the years and will be sadly missed by everyone here at The Beeches, in particular by Yann, who...

The cliche is that it only takes 40 years to become an overnight success.  Obviously it can never take that long for a horse but Starspangledbanner could be forgiven for thinking something along those lines as he ends 2025 with his status at an all-time high. There were several notable aspects to this year's Cartier Awards, most notably the happy situation that all bar one of the winners will still be in training in 2026. Another stand-out feature was that both the Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (Gstaad) and the Champion Two-Year-Old...

Monark Wood (Morpheus) (lot 28) topped the ThoroughBid December Sale at £22,000 on the bid of Max Comley Racing. The French hurdler is a three-year-old. Consigned by Ecurie Satalia, Monark Wood is a half-brother to graded-winning hurdlers Sticktotheplan (Great Pretender) and Full Of Life (Great Pretender). The seven-year-old gelding Gentleman Joe (Authorized) (lot 24) brought £20,000 from Matt Crawley Racing, Ltd. From Henry de Bromhead, he is a winner on the Flat and over hurdles. Of the 37 lots offered, 18 sold (49%) for a gross of £95,000. The average...

Horse Racing Ireland has announced a prize-money boost of €4.2m to €74.7m as details for the 2026 budget was revealed on Friday. Equine welfare and integrity along with education and training as well as breeding and sales are other key areas that HRI has targeted for investment.  Details of the prize money strategy will be announced early in the New Year, together with 2026 revised race values which will commence from March 1. At the heart of this strategy is the delivery of a sustainable race programme and a competitive...

The inaugural edition of the $1-million Abu Dhabi Gold Cup will be run on Saturday, February 7. The one-turn turf mile will be the most valuable Thoroughbred race ever to be held in Abu Dhabi, with the winner set to receive $600,000. The race is free to enter, with entries closing on February 4. Travel and stabling costs for overseas runners will be paid for by the Abu Dhabi Turf Club with owners, trainers and jockeys also being hosted for the event. Racing manager Ali AlJAaffal said, "The $1-million Abu...

After two days of deliberation, on Friday, the Australian Turf Club (ATC) successfully stalled the appointment of an administrator, after the NSW Supreme Court ruled there was no persuasive evidence the club faced imminent insolvency. The decision followed a two-day hearing, culminating in a significant legal win for the ATC, with Justice Francois Kunc granting an injunction preventing Racing NSW from placing the club into administration until a full Supreme Court hearing scheduled for February 18 and 19, 2026. Racing NSW's case to appoint an administrator hinged on the belief...

Sunday, Hanshin, Japan, post time: 3.40 p.m., ASAHI HAI FUTURITY STAKES-G1, ¥135,480,000, 2yo, 1600mT Field: Good Piece (GB) (Kingman {GB}), White Orchid (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Ecoro Alba (Jpn) (Mozu Ascot), Cosmo Red (Jpn) (California Chrome), Storm Thunder (Jpn) (Henry Barows {Jpn}), Tagano Aralia (Jpn) (Mr Melody), Corteo Soleil (Jpn) (Win Bright {Jpn}), Cavallerizzo (Jpn) (Saturnalia {Jpn}), Spe Luce (Jpn) (Rey De Oro {Jpn}), Diamond Knot (Jpn) (Bricks And Mortar), Kakuuchi (Jpn) (Admire Mars {Jpn}), Admire Quads (Jpn) (Real Steel), Realize Sirius (Jpn) (Poetic Flare {Ire}), Red Ligare (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn})....

Undefeated in two starts, Junko Kondo's Admire Quads  anchors the advance markets for Sunday's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes at Hanshin. The one-mile race looks to be contentious, as the top four betting choices are split by inches by the betting public. By Real Steel, like this year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic/G1 Saudi Cup hero Forever Young, the colt delivered in a Tokyo contest in October, before rattling home in a record 1:33.10 for the 1600 metres at Kyoto in the G2 Daily Hai Nisai Stakes on November 15. He...