Kodi Bear

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Darya at Santa Anita. Persian King Filly Crowned In Arcadia Darya (Persian King) steamed home a 2 3/4-length winner at Santa Anita in late March (video). Raced by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables and Marsha Naify, the three-year-old filly was bred Emir Alkas. A 40,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling, she failed to meet her reserve when passed in for 20,000 out of...

Trainer Declan Carroll says he is still hopeful stable star Lifeplan (Kodi Bear) will make the 2,000 Guineas despite the fact the Gimcrack winner has picked up a setback that will rule him out of an intended reappearance in the trial.  Lifeplan had been on track to return at the Craven meeting ahead of the season's opening Classic to determine whether his charge could stay a mile, but Carroll may now have to reassess plans for the three-year-old. He said, "Lifeplan is good but he's had a slight little setback...

There was much to absorb over the last weekend and, significantly for the tier of horseracing which prompts so much fan engagement, the two best horses in Europe both returned victorious in Dubai. Calandagan (Gleneagles) and Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), first and second in last year's Qipco Champion Stakes and just two pounds apart in the 2025 Longines World Rankings, each put down an important marker for the season ahead, in the Dubai Sheema Classic and Dubai Turf respectively. And, yes, perhaps one can argue that there wasn't the usual...

Closers are often victim to whatever pace unfolds in front of them, but Parfois (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) missed that memo, and rolled into the lane on this American debut with so much momentum that it took her almost nine wide. In the end it didn't matter in the slightest as she rolled home by daylight and more than handily earned her stamp of approval as the newest 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. Parfois actually had a successful debut at La Teste Buch in France last August where she...

Rathbarry Stud has announced the 2026 fees for its four stallions, with the newcomer Unquestionable, successful in the 2023 edition of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, being introduced at €10,000. The son of the late Wootton Bassett is joined at Rathbarry by the multiple top-level winner State Of Rest, whose first yearlings have sold for up to 300,000gns. State Of Rest has had his fee reduced to €15,000 (from €20,000), while Kodi Bear, the sire of this year's unbeaten G2 Gimcrack Stakes scorer Lifeplan, has been clipped from €15,000...

Wasdell Properties and Martin Tedham's Lifeplan will be given the rest of the season off, with his long-term goal the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket next season, according to trainer Declan Carroll. The son of Kodi Bear ran out a length winner of the G2 Gimcrack Stakes at York last month after a Thirsk novice victory in July. Undefeated, the €165,000 Goffs Orby yearling was under consideration for the G1 Middle Park Stakes on September 27. He is currently a 25-1 shot for next year's Classic on May 2. Carroll...

Royal Ascot-bound Cowardofthecounty (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) has been snapped up by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables and other American-based partners. Cowardofthecounty made a scintillating start to his career when scoring on debut for Joseph O'Brien over 6f at the Curragh.  The form has since been franked with the runner-up, the Aidan O'Brien-rained Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never), landing the First Flier S. over 5f at the Curragh in similarly impressive fashion.  Cowardofthecounty is prominent in the betting for the Coventry S. at odds of 5-1 and, according to O'Brien, the...

Stick or twist? That's the question faced by many breeders this year. Anecdotally, it appears that some will be pulling back and not covering certain mares, which is understandable after a tricky sales season, not to mention the constant reminders from racecourse managers regarding the "significant headwinds" faced by racing. Unlike America, the foal crop in Britain and Ireland has been gently on the rise in recent years, up to 13,438 in 2023, compared to 12,778 in 2020, though within that combined number for last year, the Irish crop rose...

As the 2022 breeding season approaches, we bring our Value Sires series to a close by shining the spotlight on 10 sires with their first crops four and older that appear poised to deliver breeders value. Though it seems at times as if the chasm between the elite proven sires and the unproven pretenders is ever-widening, driven by the often ruthless nature of the auction marketplace, there is still value to be found among the lesser-priced proven sires. We have opted to make the cutoff fee for this exercise £/€20,000,...

Is the Derby picture clearer or murkier after the last week? We probably can't say for sure until after Thursday's Dante S., which may or may not feature Ballydoyle's erstwhile favoured one High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). At the moment, of those currently at 20/1 or shorter in the betting, there's certainly the potential for there to be a good story attached to the winner and, let's face it, the great old race in its first year of Cazoo sponsorship, certainly could do with that. Who wouldn't love to see...

Rathbarry Stud's first-season sire Kodi Bear (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who stands for €6,000, has had his first winner after the filly Campachoochoo (Ire) scored in the Gubbion's Green Maiden Auction Fillies' S. on Chelmsford's Polytrack. Chasing the frantic early pace, the 9-2 shot stayed on to grab the lead passing the furlong pole and win by two lengths from Tattoo (GB) (Equiano {Fr}). Twenty minutes later, his daughter Follow Suit (GB) provided him with a quickfire double when scoring on debut at Wolverhampton. 1st-Chelmsford City, £5,400, Mdn, 6-9, 2yo, f,...

Monday heralded the first day of perhaps the strangest turf season any of us will ever witness. From Wednesday, Ireland has gone from racing behind closed doors to joining the rest of the Europe in learning to cope with no racing action at all. There is now uncertainty over when the next 2-year-old race will take place but three of this year's 30 first-season sires in Europe are already off the mark with a first runner, with Buratino (Ire), Prince Of Lir (Ire) and Markaz (Ire) each having been represented...