Big Red Farm

Juddmonte Farms' Laurel River (Into Mischief--Calm Water, by Empire Maker), a spectacular and record-setting winner of the 2024 G1 Dubai World Cup, has been retired from racing and will begin covering mares at Big Red Farm on the island of Hokkaido in Japan from this season, according to a news item on the nursery's website. A stud fee will be announced in two weeks' time. Trained across his first seven starts by Bob Baffert, the homebred won his maiden in his 3-year-old debut, covering 6 1/2 furlongs in a strong...

Grass Wonder (Silver Hawk) has died at the age of 30, Japan's Big Red Farm announced on Friday. The 1997 Japanese champion juvenile colt, the paternal grandsire of 2015 Japanese Horse of the Year Maurice, was diagnosed with multiple organ failure on Thursday and died August 8. A statement from the farm read, "Grass Wonder passed away today, August 8, 2025. He was undefeated from his debut, winning the Asahi Hai in record time and had a brilliant career as a racehorse, including three consecutive Grand Prix victories. "As a...

Recently-pensioned stallion and G1 Dubai World Cup winner Roses In May (Devil His Due) died Tuesday at Japan's Big Red Farm according to a report by Japanese media Wednesday. An article linked on social media reads in part: "Roses in May died on the evening of the 4th due to inability to stand. During his active career, he won the GI Whitney Handicap in 2004 and the G1 Dubai World Cup in 2005, and became a breeding stallion at Big Red Farm, siring Dream Valentino, who won five major races...

SAPPORO, Japan -- "It's been a hard day's night," sang Masayuki Goto, vice-chairman of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), as he took to the stage for his keynote speech during the closing exchanges of the 4oth Asian Racing Conference (ARC). And it is plain that Goto, the former president and CEO of the Japan Racing Association (JRA), and his fellow ARF committee members are looking forward to the day when their counterparts around the world are singing along in perfect harmony, perhaps to the tune of Here Comes The Sun....

DUBAI, UAE--A sale hosted at Meydan just a few days in advance of the Dubai World Cup meeting always promised to have an international feel to it, and though many of the 2-year-olds purchased at the inaugural Goffs Dubai Breeze-up Sale will remain in the Middle East, others will head to Japan and back to Europe as they head into training. "A first for Dubai and a first for Goffs," said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby, as the initial batch of horses was ushered into the parade ring before...

American and English champion Conduit (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}-Well Head {Ire}, by Sadler's Wells) passed away last week after a short illness at Tullyraine House Stud, Racing Post reported on Wednesday. The Ballymacoll Stud homebred was 15. "Three weeks ago he was bouncing and his usual self, but within a short space of time it became apparent he had suffered a very acute brain injury, " Hugh Suffern, principal of Tullyraine House Stud, told Racing Post. "He fought very hard for around three weeks, but eventually he succumbed in the middle...

Champion I'll Have Another (Flower Alley--Arch's Gal Edith, by Arch)'s first two North American foals have arrived. The first was dropped Jan. 14 at Rancho San Miguel. The 2020 filly is out of the winning mare Year of Light by Event of the Year. She was bred by Jacqueline Bousquet and Dr. Jeaneen Metzler. She was followed shortly on Jan. 15 by a filly born at Ballena Vista Farm, out of the Tribal Rule broodmare Jennifer's Joy bred by Harold and Pamela Tillema and Richard Tillema. Jennifer's Joy is from the...

Five months after his death at the age of 17, Deep Impact (Jpn) lodged his ninth consecutive sires' championship in Japan in 2019, with his 244 winners contributing to progeny earnings of ¥7,773,484,000 (£54.5m/€64.3m). It will be no surprise to see his name in the top spot for a number of years to come, closing in on the record of his sire Sunday Silence, who was champion sire in Japan 14 times, from 1995 to 2008. Deep Impact's similar dominance is all the more profound considering that his position in...