Today's Edition

Good Friends Stable's MGISW Private Zone (Macho Uno) will break from the outside post when attempting to defend his title in a strong seven-horse renewal of Aqueduct's GI Cigar Mile Saturday. Victorious in both the GIII Belmont Sprint Championship S. July 4 and Saratoga's GI Forego S. Aug. 29, the speedy gelding finished second at the hooves of the sensational Runhappy (Super Saver) last time in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint Oct. 31. Previously trained by Jorge Navarro, the 6-year-old is favored at 6-5 on the morning-line in this debut...

Lady Sheila Stable's La Verdad (Yes It's True) looks to go out with a bang by becoming the first female to win Aqueduct's GIII Fall Highweight H. since 1986 in what is rumored to be her career finale Thursday. The 5-year-old miss has only faced males on one other occassion, when finishing seventh behind the reopposing Salutos Amigos (Salute the Sarge) in last year's renewal of this test. This time, however, La Verdad comes into the Fall Highweight off what is without a doubt her best season yet, having started...

It's no new phenomenon, but the polarization of the market towards the offspring of first-season sires was more apparent than ever Tuesday when six of the top 10 lots sold were by freshmen, headed by a 110,000gns son of Cheveley Park Stud's Lethal Force (Ire). Mick Flanagan placed the final bid for the son of Ha'penny Beacon (GB) (Erhaab) (lot 507) from the family of Lady Bamford's Oaks winner Sariska (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), having seen off an attempt by underbidder Amanda Skiffington. He said of the Battlefield Stud-consigned colt, who...

Yes It's True (Is It True--Clever Monique, by Clever Trick), the sire of 51 black-type winners and 11 graded winners, including GI King's Bishop S. hero and TDN Rising Star The Big Beast, GI Champagne S. victor Proud Accolade and top filly and mare sprinter La Verdad, was euthanized Nov. 23 at Hagyard Medical Institute. He was 19 years of age. After earlier showing signs of colic, a perforated intestine was discovered during exploratory surgery and the decision was made to euthanize after it became apparent that the damage was...

Editor's note: This is the second piece in a two-part installment about fantasy sports gaming and the racing industry. Part one in yesterday's TDN examined how the concept is considered both a threat and an opportunity for the sport. The Stronach Group has always operated with a touch of iconoclastic flair, taking its corporate cue from maverick founder Frank Stronach. In the wake of increased regulatory scrutiny and a wave of critical press about the legality of daily fantasy sports (DFS) gaming, one of its executives, Scott Daruty, was blunt...

By Gai Waterhouse The Magic Millions Sale, which is held between Jan. 6 and 10, takes place a long way away from the Surf and the Turf of Del Mar, but I must say that there are a number of similarities. First and foremost there is a real holiday vibe about the place. My owners aren't quite as concerned with booking their ski trip to Aspen in January as they are with booking their holiday to the Gold Coast in Queensland. The moment the Melbourne Carnival is over the only...

When Button Down (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) powered home a 1 1/2-length winner of Saturday's GIII Cardinal H. (video), the filly was following a script that has worked for Bill and Carole McAlpin's Greenwood Lodge Farm in the past. The McAlpins acquired the filly as a winless 3-year-old for 65,000gns at last year's Tattersalls December from the draft of her breeder, Juddmonte Farms. "We've been buying out of the December Mares Sale for a long time and over the years we've bought several of the Juddmonte fillies that were being...

In three related actions on Monday, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) released a 176-page report on horse mistreatment allegations, announced it will pursue "sweeping equine drug medication regulations," and issued a $10,000 fine to trainer Steve Asmussen for multiple violations of administering a synthetic thyroid hormone supplement within 48 hours of raceday. The actions are a direct result of complaints based on an undercover exposé orchestrated by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which used, in part, surreptitious recordings of workers in Asmussen's stable during...

The 10-day Tattersalls' December Sale commenced Monday with the final chance to buy a yearling in Europe at the single-session December Yearling Sale. To be precise, there were 178 chances, and 142 of those sold brought 4,091,400gns in turnover--a tally that will be significantly augmented over the next few days as some of Europe's best foals take to the ring. The figure was down by 11% on last year's auction, at which 19 more yearlings were sold, but the clearance rate improved by one point at 80%, as did the...

 Bruce Lunsford homebred Stacked Deck (First Samurai) kicked clear of the field effortlessly down the stretch of the GII Kennedy Road S. at Woodbine Sunday. The dark bay, who wrapped up his 3-year-old season with a sixth in the 2014 Kennedy Road S., tallied three wins in eight starts this year, including the GIII Bold Venture S. Sept. 13. Most recently, Stacked Deck was third in the rained-off GIII Woodford S. at Keeneland Oct. 3, and never factored when 10th in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Oct. 31. The...

Tonalist (Tapit) and Red Vine (Candy Ride {Arg}) worked in company Saturday at Belmont Park, covering six furlongs in 1:13.00. Both Christophe Clement trainees are being pointed to a start in Saturday's GI Cigar Mile at Aqueduct. Tonalist, who was recently fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, will be adding blinkers for the first time since his runner-up effort in the GI Metropolitan H., while Red Vine enters off a third in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. "It was a very good work yesterday," Clement said Sunday. "They...

The Goffs November Sale drew to a close on Sunday after seven days of trade, the last two devoted to mares. A strong lead session Saturday was followed by a quieter conclusion, with €1,199,900 accrued from the sale of 117 mares at an average of €10,256 and median of €6,000. But the day held up well enough to deliver improved figures across the board for the mares' section of the sale. Across both days, 314 of the 402 lots offered brought a clearance rate of 77% and a 26% rise...