Today's Edition:  Record-Setting $1.4M Justify Filly Leads The Way at OBS · Baeza Set for Summer Showdown · Royal Ascot Coverage 2

Horse Racing

What Was Your Favorite Moment of 2023: Sol Kumin

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com "For me personally, National Treasure winning the Preakness! It was my third win in my favorite race of the year. My favorite racing moment outside of my stable was watching Jena (Antonucci) win the Belmont S. Pure joy! Loved seeing it." --Sol Kumin

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Q&A With Fasig-Tipton Digital Sales Director Leif Aaron

With the largest Fasig-Tipton online auction to-date underway--counting just over 300 diverse entries in its catalogue--their December Digital Sale is making this one to remember before it closes next Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. ET. Fasig-Tipton's Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron took time out of his busy day to discuss with the TDN the numbers, the expectations, comparisons with the physical sales and a whole lot more, as the offerings unfold through the holiday weekend. TDN: It seems like every digital sale you are announcing a record number...

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Longines HKIR 2023: All Four Favourites Can Be Taken On

Some 44 horses representing England, France, Ireland, Japan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates in addition to a typically deep group representing the home team will line up for Sunday's Longines Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories, with record prizemoney of HK$118 million (£12 million/US$15.1 million) up for grabs across the four events. There figure to be clear favourites in each of the four races, but each come with his own set of question marks.   Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) loves the Sha...

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Manny Franco in New York
Aqueduct Winter Stakes Schedule Out

The New York Racing Association released the stakes schedule for the 2024 winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, the organization said in a release Friday. The 47-day Big A winter meet, which will feature 26 stakes races worth $3.5 million in purses, begins Monday, Jan. 1 and runs through Saturday, Mar. 30. Live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday for the first three weeks of January and Friday-Sunday from Jan. 26 through the first week of March. Aqueduct will host a Presidents' Day card on Monday, Feb. 19. Four-day race weeks resume...

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Sire Of Sires, WinStar Farm's Champion Speightstown Euthanized

Speightstown (Gone West--Silken Cat, by Storm Cat), Eclipse Champion Sprinter in 2004 and among the leading sires of the past 15 years, had to be euthanized Friday, Dec. 8, due to foot issues from old age, WinStar Farm announced in a press release Friday. Speightstown, a Taylor Made/WinStar stallion, was 25 years old. "Speightstown was a foundational sire for WinStar and helped stamp our legacy as a sire-making farm," said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. "I want to thank Larry McGinnis and his team for...

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Investigators Point To Training Conference Mar. 3-6 At Parx

Two board members from the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) warmed up their vocal chords and shared a sliver of their vast expertise concerning the value of racing integrity teams during a panel at the Global Symposium on Racing, sponsored by the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program, this past week. Don Ahrens of Sam Houston Race Park and Jason Klouser of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission explained how these special squads, working alongside agencies like the Breeders' Cup, the U.S. Trotting Association, the American Quarter Horse Association...

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What Was Your Favorite Moment Of 2023: Staci Loveberry

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com "My favorite racing moment of 2023 was watching my husband, Jareth Loveberry and Two Phil's run in the Kentucky Derby. I'm a racetrack photographer for Coady Photography and worked Derby week, including the race, and I was stationed just past the finish. Jareth took a moment to point at me when they crossed the wire second." --Staci Loveberry, photographer

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Old Friends Welcomes GSW Noble Indy From Puerto Rico After Team Effort

After a team effort, Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky, welcomed GSW Noble Indy (Take Charge Indy) on Thursday, Dec. 7, the retirement farm said in a release Friday. The 8-year old bay gelding, who ran in the 2018 GI Kentucky Derby, was repatriated from Puerto Rico thanks to the efforts of Fred Hart, who became a big fan of the horse due to his ownership of his dam, Noble Maz; Kelley Stobie, owner of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare, which has assisted many Thoroughbreds in Puerto Rico; and Mike Repole, Noble Indy's...

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Granddaughter of BC Filly & Mare Turf Winner Debuting at Hanshin

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for Saturday running at Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, December 9, 2023 6th-HSN, ¥13,720,000 ($96k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m SEXY BOUQUET (f, 2, Liam's Map--Shurakaa, by Tapit) cost $180,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and is out of a daughter of 2007 GI Breeders' Cup Filly...

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Bidding Open For Fasig-Tipton December Digital Sale, Includes 300 Plus Entries

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 308 entries for its December Digital Sale, which is now open through Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 11 a.m ET, the auction house said in a release Thursday. The catalogue, which is the largest ever offered on the Fasig-Tipton Digital platform, features more than 170 broodmares, as well as broodmare prospects, horses of racing age, yearlings and weanlings. The catalogue also includes a stallion share and lifetime breeding right in MGSW Flameaway (Scat Daddy), who is the current co-leading North American first-crop sire by black-type winners. "This is...

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Keeneland Supplements 58 Horses To 2024 January Horses Of All Ages Sale

Keeneland has supplemented 58 horses--including the yearling full-sister to undefeated 2023 GI NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Just F Y I (Justify)--to the 2024 January Horses of All Ages Sale, which will cover four sessions from Jan. 8-11, the organization said in a release Thursday. The auction of broodmares and broodmare prospects, newly turned yearlings, horses of racing age, stallions and stallion prospects, includes Just F Y I's full-sister, who is out of Star Act, a winning SP daughter of Street Cry (Ire). Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at...

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National Museum Of Racing And Hall Of Fame Seeks Auction Items

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will play host to the second annual "Countdown to the Triple Crown" fundraising event on Saturday, Feb. 3 and is seeking auction donations, the repository said in a release Thursday. The winter fundraiser, scheduled exactly three months prior to the 150th Kentucky Derby, will feature dozens of silent auction items. An online version of unique items and experience packages to benefit the NMRHF will also take place. Guests can attend the event from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET or bid...

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