Breeders' Cup

by Steve Sherack & J.N. Campbell DEL MAR, Calif. - A stallion share (2% interest) in leading young sire Not This Time brought $3 million from John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa to top the Keeneland Championship Sale held in the Del Mar paddock Wednesday evening. The share was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Aaron and Marie Jones, as Hip 3. In a unique feature of the offering, the buyer receives all income from Not This Time's 2025 breeding season. Not This Time is already the...

Frankie Dettori left the Del Mar backstretch on Wednesday morning after riding his Breeders' Cup Mile mount Argine and refused all interviews as he departed the stable area. "There will be plenty of news tomorrow," he said.  But tomorrow appears to have come a day early as by lunchtime the legendary jockey had posted a statement on social media to announce his retirement from American racing after the Breeders' Cup meeting. He will also be in action across the two days aboard Wimbledon Hawkeye and Aspect Island for James Owen...

The Breeders' Cup has released an outline of its safety and integrity protocols ahead of the upcoming championship weekend at Del Mar in a press release issued Wednesday. Out-of-competition testing for the event began in July with the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, in collaboration with the Breeders' Cup Veterinary Team, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, HISA, and the California Horse Racing Board, conducting OOC testing for banned substances of potential contenders. Del Mar Track Superintendent Dennis Moore and Turf Course Superintendent John Beggin have worked closely with Dr. Mick Peterson,...

George Weaver has trained his share of talented fillies and mares, but few have shined quite like the two stable stars preparing to leave his shedrow. Grade I winners Dorth Vader (Girvin) and Sacred Wish (Not This Time) have been fixtures in the Weaver barn for several years, announcing their talent early and steadily building resumes worthy of millionaire status. Sacred Wish made her final start with Weaver at Kentucky Downs this summer, while Dorth Vader will have one last dance for her connections at the Breeders' Cup before both...

Jockey David Egan and Amo Racing have extended their partnership through 2028, Kia Joorabchian's operation announced on X. One of the best horses to carry the purple and white Amo colours is Arizona Blaze, who will be ridden by Egan at the upcoming Breeders' Cup meeting. The duo have won several group races and were second in the G1 Commonwealth Cup in 2025. The son of Sergei Prokofiev captured the G1 Flying Five Stakes earlier this year with Egan at the controls. Egan said, "I'm incredibly proud to extend my...

DEL MAR, USA -- From the shock win of Arcangues in the 1993 Classic through the great Goldikova and Six Perfections to Talismanic, French-trained horses have left their mark on the Breeders' Cup roll of honour and it will be no surprise to see that list extended this year. Only one French trainer is here in Del Mar but he is the one who is making his own indelible mark on his country's racing scene. Francis Graffard will be champion trainer in his home country this year for the first...

DEL MAR, USA -- As the World Series continues its three-game run in Los Angeles, at Dodger Stadium it's all about Japanese baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani. Head a little farther down the Californian coast to Del Mar and the Thoroughbred World Championships, aka the Breeders' Cup, features plenty of Japanese participation of its own. American racing could hardly ask for more than to have the first three home from the last two Kentucky Derbys in action at Del Mar. Sovereignty's fever scare could yet throw a spanner into the works...

DEL MAR, CA - As Breeders' Cup hopefuls continue their final preparations in the early morning hours for racing on Friday and Saturday, the Del Mar paddock will transform into an auction ring for the second annual Keeneland Championship Sale on Wednesday evening. Last year, a share in Horse of the Year Flightline (by Tapit) was the headliner when it went for $2.5-million. Once again looking to create a high-energy atmosphere, Keeneland has put together a robust slate of offerings, which include fractional interests in three racehorses currently in-training--two are...

It is called the Breeders' Cup for a reason. Yes, the commercial sector revolves to a neurotic degree around stallions, which is why the stakes are so high for the colts at Del Mar this weekend. But breeding those horses in the first place was at least as much about the mares, meaning that many of us will be no less engrossed by the auctions staged in Lexington immediately afterwards. By the same token, our curiosity about Incredibolt--who last weekend stole a march on his peers lining up for the...

DEL MAR, CA - A swing through the course of American Thoroughbred history yields the widely-accepted conclusion that dirt plays the king in these parts, while turf is the patient understudy offstage left--turns are configured in that direction over here. It was not all that long ago that droves of U.S. tracks debated whether putting in a bladed surface and acquiring something called a going stick made any sense. Progressive places like Del Mar's Thoroughbred Club damned the salt in the marine layer and forged ahead with its first course...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has released a new campaign advocating for passage of a bill that would repeal a wagering tax as part of legislation passed by Congress earlier this year, the NTRA announced Tuesday. As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law July 4, there was a tax change regarding wagering losses--reducing the deduction from 100% to 90%. In response, Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr has introduced the WAGER Act (Winnings and Gains Expense Restoration Act), new legislation which would restore the deduction back...

Between travelers en route and those already on grounds, Distaff contenders put in their final preps in advance of the World Championships this weekend and connections provide their thoughts on how their charges are doing. Multiple Grade I winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) was out on track Monday morning at Del Mar to work four furlongs in :49.80 (5/5) with Neil Poznansky up for the ride. According to his connections, it was all by design and all systems are go. "He went easy. He had an extended gallop and then he...