Aron Wellman

A daughter of Gun Runner won Sunday's Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita going one mile on the dirt, but it wasn't the one everyone expected. Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners maiden winner Meaning (f, 3, Gun Runner--Figure of Speech, by Into Mischief), fourth behind Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly Super Corredora (Gun Runner) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, bested not only Super Corredora, but also GII Oak Leaf Stakes winner and Juvenile Fillies runner-up Explora (Blame), the lone 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' in the field,...

Edited Press Release Leadership representing Florida's five principal Thoroughbred industry organizations gathered in Ocala recently for a collaborative summit with the goal of uniting the Thoroughbred industry to help preserve and promote our Florida racing and breeding legacy by providing a clear and concise message to our elected officials at the local, state and national level to support our interests. The organizations represented included leadership from the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (FHBPA), Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA), Ocala Breeders' Sales Company (OBS), Tampa Bay Downs Horsemen's...

Brian Spearman, who has served as the chairman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners since 2015, has decided to step away from his day-to-day role with the company at the end of this year, marking a decade of unprecedented success for the Eclipse stable and overall business during his tenure, the syndicate said in a press release late Friday. "Brian's business acumen, combined with his sheer passion for the Thoroughbred horse racing industry has played a vital role in Eclipse's rise within the public partnership space and our considerable success on the...

Damon Thayer has retired from his job as the Senate Majority Floor Leader in the state of Kentucky, where he was one of horse racing's staunchest and most important allies. Thayer may no longer be walking the halls of the Capitol in Frankfort, but he is still working hard to help the sport he loves. He is now a senior advisor with Thoroughbred Racing Initiative (TRI), a group devoted to stopping decoupling efforts at Gulfstream Park and to see to it that racing in South Florida remains a vital part...

For Aron Wellman and the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners team, the next few days promise plenty of excitement and maybe a few sleepless nights. Their three-time Grade I winner Journalism (Curlin), whom they co-own, is poised for a bid in the Breeders' Cup Classic, but once the dust settles at Del Mar on Saturday, their focus will quickly turn to Lexington, where a lineup of star Eclipse fillies will go through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Eclipse has made a habit of turning top-class racemares into headline-makers in the...

MGISW Locked (Gun Runner--Luna Rosa, by Malibu Moon) will miss his intended start in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic due to an untimely illness. The 4-year-old has been retired from racing and will stand at Gainesway for the 2026 breeding season, according to a press release on Friday morning from the farm. A son of multiple leading sire Gun Runner, Locked is the second foal from Luna Rosa, who is resposible for a yearling colt by Early Voting--a $525,000 Keeneland September buy for Bradley Thoroughbreds. Locked's dam handed the...

Aron Wellman, the managing partner for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, has confirmed that GI Preakness and GI Haskell Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin) will make his next start in Saturday's Pacific Classic at Del Mar. The decision came after Journalism worked five furlongs in 1:00 Saturday at Del Mar. The $1 million race to be run on Aug. 30 will mark his first appearance against older horse. The field is also expected to include two outstanding older horses in Nysos (Nyquist) and Fierceness (City of Light). "Putting Journalism on a plane again...

MGISW Journalism (Curlin) put in his first work since arriving back from the Jersey Shore following his victory in the G1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park last month. The GI Preakness Stakes winner, who was the runner-up in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes, returned to trainer Michael McCarthy's barn on the Del Mar backside a few days after the Haskell. On Saturday, it was back to work for Journalism who went four furlongs in :48.40 with rider Tony Gutierrez in the saddle. McCarthy clocked his colt with...

Trainer Michael McCarthy remained noncommittal Sunday as to the next move with GI NYRA Bets Haskell victor Journalism (Curlin). Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Robert LaPenta, Elayne Stables Five, and the Coolmore connections of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith,. However, Bob Baffert confirmed that Haskell third-place finisher, TDN Rising Star Goal Oriented (Not This Time), would make his next start in the GI Travers Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 23. "We'll get him home. He's flying home on Tuesday and then back [to the East Coast] for the...

Saturday's card at Monmouth Park features a 14-race card which is highlighted by six stakes--five of them graded--including the Oceanport oval's sophomore showpiece, the GI NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes. This year's renewal of the race has drawn this season's GI Preakness winner Journalism (Curlin), who is campaigned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm and Don Alberto Stable. A mighty good horse before he ever embarked on the Triple Crown, the $825,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase won four of five starts heading to the Run for the Roses, including the GI...

In an effort to give young fans an "inside" look at the game, Del Mar launches 'Paddock Pals'--an up-close-and-personal session in the paddock on race days. Beginning Saturday, July 19, the program will see a Del Mar staff member randomly select a youngster and their family out of the crowd and accompany them into the paddock prior to certain races throughout the summer season. There the "Pal" will be in close proximity to the Thoroughbred racehorses as they are saddled up for their impending activity, listen in on chats between...

Aron Wellman, who heads the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners syndicate which is a co-owner of GI Preakness Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin), said his colt will run next in the July 19 GI Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. "If all goes well this coming weekend and he works to (trainer) Michael McCarthy's satisfaction and comes out of his work with good energy, the Haskell is Option A," Wellman said. "What are options B and C? I haven't thought beyond that. The Haskell is our target. If we find any reason for him...