Soothing Touch

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...