Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Six months after the Asian Racing Federation’s pattern committee unilaterally rejected black-type upgrades to 17 races in New South Wales, Racing Australia has presented its principal racing authorities with a new set of black-type guidelines that, if voted in, will erase the concept of black-type racing as we know it.

The proposed guidelines, which has been spearheaded by Racing New South Wales, will assign black-type status based purely on benchmark ratings of participants, and promises to be an ‘objective’ system in the absence of an Australian pattern committee, which hasn’t met since 2018.

It was under these guidelines that RNSW attempted to get 17 races promoted in status in the 2024/25 season, and it would mean over 100 races nationwide are in line to be elevated, including approximately 38 new black-type events across the country and seven new 1200-metre Group 1s in New South Wales alone.

Voting on the subject is imminent - but feedback nationwide makes it abundantly clear that stakeholders have not been properly consulted on the ramifications of the changes. RNSW’s aborted upgrades already played havoc with the sales season, where vendors, buyers, and breeders were unclear as to the validity of black-type for their horses’ relations. They face the problem yet again, as Racing Australia bids to go against the pattern guidelines put down by the ARF, Asian Pattern Committee, and upheld by pedigree providers such as Arion.

Thoroughbred Breeders NSW president Hamish Esplin has called the handling and presentation of the guidelines “nothing more than disgraceful”.

“The proposal is nothing short of a complete bastardisation of the pattern as it has worked in Australia for over 50 years,” he said. “It's that simple.”

No guidelines

“The pattern is fundamental; it has existed as long as black-type has,” Esplin said. “What the pattern requires is considered thought and subjective analysis, to ensure racing is structured in a way that each part relates to the other. Without that balance, black-type risks becoming cannibalised, uneven, or distorted."

“If you're just relying on ratings only, there's a real risk that it's too rigid an application, without consideration of other factors,” said Victoria Racing Club's Executive General Manager Leigh Jordon. “What could happen is that there could be a self-perpetuating cycle where ratings will just generate more ratings in the same category.

"We have a lot of sprint races in Australia, and if you're purely relying on ratings, you could then just get an explosion of sprint races that are being upgraded throughout the year, which perpetuates itself. It would end up being detrimental to other race categories.”

Esplin continued, “the Asian Pattern Committee’s guidelines talk about how any country's black type racing must have regard to the pattern; how the races fit in with the other races within the same system, to make sure that those races would relate to other races at around the same date, and of the same distance and of the same age range."

Section v of part three of the Asian Pattern Committee’s ground rules states:

“Each Committee member is expected to exercise good judgment to every grading decision taking into account all factors that include more than race ratings or statistical analysis, such as the effect on the shape of the Pattern in the country concerned and/or the effect on the shape of the entire Asian Racing Federation Pattern, as well as circumstances that may impact the race rating of a specific race.”

The Asian Pattern Committee resoundingly rejected all 17 attempted upgrades by RNSW earlier this year; while these black-type wins still appear on the RNSW website, they haven't appeared on Arion or been acknowledged in the Blue Book alongside true black-type races.

It appears that one factor above all others drives the proposed guidelines.

“All these things must be taken into account so that the racing authority in any given country - here, it’s Racing Australia - can't just willy-nilly create a system that ends up in effect entirely geared towards prize money,” Esplin continued. "Wherever the prize money goes, ostensibly, the higher rated horses will go.”

The proposed guidelines being presented by Racing Australia are in opposition to what the APC outlines. Despite the proposal suggesting that a pattern committee will be resurrected to implement the guidelines, Esplin pointed out that it will not function anything like the previous committee.

“The public should not be misled by Racing Australia suddenly saying, ‘oh, we have this new black-type committee’,” he said. “It’s not a committee. It's a bunch of people who add up the numbers based on ratings. There's no subjectivity to it, there's no analysis, there's no regard to a pattern. It’s basically just a mathematical model, and it’s a disgrace."

“We’re unclear on who is actually on the pattern committee and if there is even a proposal to have a pattern committee at all,” said Jordon.

“It should not be allowed to happen, and it should not proceed," Esplin said. "The breeders have not been consulted on it. We have fought long and hard for to get the pattern committee put back in, but not on these terms. At no stage did we propose that you should have a black-type committee that effectively does nothing.”

No consultation

The rush to get these guidelines to a vote has realised the fears of many; stakeholders have been reportedly left in the dark about what’s to come.

“I think the process that they are putting in place is fraught with danger,” said Basil Nolan, Thoroughbred Breeders QLD director and proprietor of Raheen Stud.

“It’s so important that we continue to have a black-type or a pattern committee with the stakeholders involved in making those decisions, whether they're upgrades or downgrades for particular races. It's so important that we get it right from the start. It’s very important for breeders that, when we have a pattern committee, that we do it properly.”

“No breeder in New South Wales has been consulted that I'm aware of,” Esplin said. “I certainly haven't been consulted as the President of TBNSW. We have tried for many years, both personally and privately, through forums such as the Racing Industry Consultative Group, which is the statutory body in New South Wales, to consult on a range of issues, including this issue.

“Has there been any meaningful discussion about it? There was a meeting two weeks ago with Racing New South Wales, and they said, ‘oh, the system will all go ahead. Everything will be fine’. That's all we heard. We now learn in the last week that there's a proposal to go at Racing Australia to adopt this system under threat of legal action. It's just a reprehensible way for the governing body of the sport in this country to act.”

Peter Murray, director of Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria, and Jordon both appreciated that Racing Victoria had reached out to consult with their respective organisations in response to the proposed guidelines, but expressed disappointment that the same courtesy hadn’t been extended from Racing Australia.

“We feel that Racing Australia has not consulted at all with the broader group of stakeholders that could have a knock on effect from the proposed guidelines,” Murray said. “We're also disappointed that it's going to be a purely numerical rating system that takes out any human involvement.”

No thought

Esplin said that he “strongly fears” for the direction the industry is headed if the governing bodies continue to be bent on not consulting appropriately before making such sweeping decisions.

“What will happen will be that, as prize money is attracted to certain types of races at certain times of year, you're going to necessarily change the participants in those races and you're going to change the nature of the black-type designation, and you're going to change the breed,” he said.

“The principal racing authorities (backing the motion) and Racing Australia are going into it saying none of those things matter. It's purely got to do effectively with prize money, which we all know is purely done on the basis of what turnover of wagering is.”

“We all welcome competition,” Murray said. “But I feel that the biggest states will come to have a bit of a monopoly over (Group 1) races, because they have the funds to put towards racing purses to attract those high rated horses. It also puts more of an onus on the racing clubs to come back and hit up their PRAs, in my opinion, asking for money to prop up the prizemoney for some of these races.”

Esplin was quick to acknowledge the important role that wagering has to play in the industry; it both plays a hand in the funding available to each PRA and also access to the World Pool is tied to the black-type status of races. But he also knows that it isn’t the be-all and end-all of racing.

Going down this path would lead to a widening gulf between PRAs that could threaten the life of the industry altogether in certain regions; under the new rules, there would be no historical protection for races like the G1 Melbourne Cup, or the Derbies and Oaks races, that could see them lose their Group 1 status if three consecutive years have below par results.

“There is a lack of any thought about the historical black-type races," Murray said. "If something like the Melbourne Cup, for example, doesn’t rate well over a period of time, it could be relegated to being a Group 3, even though it’s one of our most historical races on the calendar. That is a scenario that could happen. If someone else puts a similar race on that day for $12 million, you won’t get the horses.”

And what of sales catalogues? None of the upgrades went to print this sales season, but the uncertainty still lingered. In the case of horses like North England (Farnan), who won the would-be Group 3 race $1 million Inglis Golden Gift, does your stallion prospect have a Group win or not? Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) won two of RNSW's proposed upgraded races, and suffered the weight increases as a consequence without truly having the black-type to his name.

“Breeders race for black-type,” said Murray. “Prizemoney is great, but the black-type is our currency in the studbook and the sales catalogue, especially when you’re selling.”

“Every breeder and every leading participant in this industry that I've spoken to, trainer, owner, breeder, administrator of a race club that I've spoken to in the last week and a half is dead set against it,” Esplin added.

“To say that (wagering) is the only thing that matters and that all that you can do in this country, putting aside all of the supposed leadership we see from the PRAs, is to get together and say this is the only model that can be accepted under pain of legal action is just ridiculous, and it is infantile, and it should not be allowed.”

‘No leadership’

“There's no leadership on this issue,” Esplin said. ”There's no one sitting there going, ‘let's look at the bigger picture’.”

“We still haven’t actually seen the (proposed) black-type guidelines formally,” Murray said. “We don’t know anything. We don’t know what races will be upgraded, or if any will be downgraded.”

The vote comes at a particularly poor time, in Esplin’s opinion, given the fractured trust in the New South Wales racing fraternity.

The deeply inadequate handling of the proposed Rosehill sale, quashed by Australian Turf Club members less than three months ago, eroded faith in leadership. It has been pruned back further still by the recent email privacy breach, disclosing over 100 trainers' financial statuses, and a concerted effort by the PRA to change the workers' compensation arrangements for trainers.

In addition, Esplin pointed out, is this even the right time to be rushing anything into law?

“We're in an era where the legislation that sets up and regulates the operation of racing in this state, the Thoroughbred Racing Act, is under review,” he said. “And yet we are being told that this is the way the sport must conduct itself, by the same people whose body is effectively under review.”

Less than 10 days ago, the New South Wales government announced that it had appointed the Hon Brad Hazzard, former NSW Minister and Liberal Party member, to lead a review into the Thoroughbred Act 1996 to determine its effectiveness and make recommendations on how it should be updated. Stakeholder contributions will be sought from October - a far cry from the due process, or lack thereof, offered by Racing Australia ahead of their most recent proposal.

“It's absurd that the stakeholders must be subject to an agreement pushed forward by the PRA leading this charge, Racing New South Wales, when it itself is under review,” Esplin said.

“For years, we fought to try to get the leaders of the sport in this country to listen to the actual participants, the trainers, the breeders, the owners, the punters, but they don't.

“They just proceed on the basis that they know best. Well, it is a dark day, and it will be the darkest of days if they go to a system whereby they just completely eradicate the word ‘pattern’, and that is what they are trying to do.”

“You have to think of the ramifications not just locally, but worldwide,” Jordon said.

“I don’t think that’s been done. Racing Australia need to have a thorough consultation with stakeholders, and also look at the real ramifications of what they are trying to put in place.”

“I just think the PRAs that might have said yes to this probably don't really understand the full ramifications,” Murray added.

“Like most things in this racing business, people can make a decision, but because it's so convoluted and racing affects so many people, you don't really see the knock on effect until years later when it trickles down.

"You might think you know everything that's going to happen or who it will affect, but I don't think that's how it works. You'll find it'll affect a lot of people that you might not expect.”

Cover image courtesy of Inglis

The Tait family’s Twin Hills Stud in Cootamundra stands a four-strong roster of stallions, led by Peltzer, a son of So You Think (NZ) whose first crop of juveniles included Listed-winning emerging stayer Buccleuch, and G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Daumier, whose first yearlings will light up the sales ring this autumn.

Proprietor Olly Tait confirmed that 25 of the resident broodmare band will head to Daumier, including a half-sister to stakes winning juvenile My Gladiola (I Am Invincible), and 10 have been penciled in for Peltzer to continue his strong start to stud. They are flanked by stud stalwarts Smart Missile and Hallowed Crown, with former stallion Denman retired from stud duties in May of this year.

Twin Hills standing behind own stallions

Among the cohort visiting Daumier are Something Silver (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}), a six-time winning descendant of dual Group 3 winner Shelbourne Lass (Brocco {USA}), and Sense And Reason (Exceed And Excel), whose five wins came at city level.

“They’re two very good mares,” Tait said. “Something Silver is a very big mare and Daumier is quite a neat little horse, so that'll suit physically. She had a $375,000 yearling this year, and her first foal by Exceedance has won a couple of times.

“With our own stallions, we're looking to support them with some very good mares. He's (Daumier) in his third season, so that support continues. He’s a Blue Diamond winner and any stud in Australia is very fortunate to be able to stand a winner of a Blue Diamond that they get fresh off the track, which we did, so we take that opportunity very seriously, and send him mares that reflect our belief in him.”

That too is a reason Daumier will get Sense And Reason, who Tait credited as a very good producer; her daughter Reasonable Point (Blue Point {Ire}) was second in the Listed Talindert Stakes on debut as a juvenile. She is due to foal to Daumier this season before visiting him again, as is Something Silver.

“She’s been a fantastic producer for us,” said Tait. “She also had Belieber early in her career, who was fourth in a Breeders’ Plate and was a very smart horse. So again, we’re just trying to give Daumier the opportunity with some nice mares.”

Shivani (Sebring), the half-sister of My Gladiola, will also visit Daumier. My Gladiola flashed home from last to finish second in the G3 Quezette Stakes on Saturday.

Peltzer’s eldest crop have just turned three, and Tait expects to see more of them emerge this season as they mature. Among his book this season will be Head To Head (I Am Invincible), a daughter of Group 1 winner Foxplay (Foxwedge), and Let Me Sleep On It (Redoute’s Choice), a Listed winner currently in foal to Shinzo.

“His (Peltzer) first season of runners was very promising,” Tait said. “He’s had four winners, and his sire So You Think had about the same at the same stake. He’s also had the stakes winner Buccleuch, who’s been a very dominant winner in Melbourne. Lots of stallions can't get a top notcher and Peltzer has already displayed that he can get a horse with a whole heap of class, so that is very encouraging.”

Thanks Gorgeous added a Group placing to her record with a third in the G3 Quezette Stakes on Saturday; the daughter of Peltzer has also run second twice, on both occasions running into the smart fillies Signature Scent (Written Tycoon) and Ole Dancer (Ole Kirk).

“He's (Peltzer) not a baked cake yet, but he's only got his first 3-year-olds, and we're very encouraged by what we see,” said Tait.

Strong desire for first season sires

The commercial appeal and strength of the performances of many first season sires this breeding season have led to Tait sending several blue ribbon mares to the best colts just entering stud. One such mare is Moral Reasoning (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}); a juvenile winner on the dirt and stakes-placed, she heads to Rosemont Stud’s Schwarz for her first cover in Australia.

“Schwarz is a very good looking horse with plenty of substance, and she's a mare who probably needs that,” Tait said.

Moral Reasoning is out of a half-sister to G1 Breeders' Cup Mile winner Karakontie (Jpn), with her close family also featuring last year’s Champion Sprinter in Spain Vicious Harry (Fr) (Harry Angel {Ire}) and South African Group 1 winner Amanee (Pivotal {GB}).

“Obviously, he's (Schwarz) a first season sire and a Group 1-winning sprinter by the Champion Sire Zoustar, so he should have commercial appeal, certainly in year one. We’re really just wanting to have exposure to him in his first year. He deserves to be popular.”

Standing for $38,500 inc GST, Schwarz cemented his spot at stud with victory in the G1 William Reid Stakes in the autumn, but a stud career had been on the cards long before; in 2024, he won the G2 Missile Stakes - which several have missed a shot at this season when the meeting was canned last weekend and Racing New South Wales elected to not reschedule the race.

Azula (Maurice {Jpn}) will likely join Moral Reasoning on the truck south after delivering her Home Affairs colt later in August; the juvenile Listed winner is booked to visit new Widden Victoria stallion Southport Tycoon, a Group 1-winning son of Written Tycoon who also stands at $38,500 inc GST.

“I own her in partnership with John McDonald and Matthew Ennis of Group 1 Goldmine,” Tait said. “They identified Southport Tycoon as a yearling through their pedigree analysis and then he obviously became a really good horse, so they bought into him as a consequence of that. So they were keen to support him.

“And she's a lovely mare, a stakes-winning 2-year-old. She's about to have her first foal. She's in the foaling paddock at the moment, due to foal to Home Affairs. Hopefully she can throw some good horses.”

My Obsession (Lonhro), the dam of Group 3 winner Vagrant (Pariah), has been promised to Coolmore Stud’s City Of Troy (USA); the Cartier Horse Of The Year has landed down under and exited quarantine early last week, and will stand at Jerry’s Plains for $49,500 inc GST.

“He was an extraordinary racehorse,” Tait said. “He won the Dewhurst, the Derby, the Juddmonte International, and the Eclipse. He’s as good a race horse as you can get.

“And she’s (My Obsession) a very good mare. Her progeny have plenty of size on the whole, and he’s a medium-sized horse so I thought that would be suitable. We've got a lovely Justify filly out of that mare to go to the sales next year, and look, as a racing fan, he's (City Of Troy) a horse that I really liked, so it's nice to be able to send him one of our better mares.”

A recent acquisition, Group-placed I Am Invincible mare Lucicello is bound for Darley’s next best thing, Broadsiding, who commands a fee of $66,000 inc GST in his first season at stud.

“We bought her in foal to Ozzmosis,” Tait said. Twin Hills paid $225,000 for the grey daughter of 11-time winner Lucciola (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale this year.

“She’s a big mare, and Broadsiding was just a very good racehorse. He’s maybe a bit on the small side, so putting some size to Broadsiding might be helpful, and it may refine her size as well.

“He's a high profile first season horse, so we’re very much looking to the commercial market, but I think it'll suit physically as well. And he's, again, a horse that should be able to hopefully throw some good racehorses. What Too Darn Hot has achieved in two seasons is fantastic, and Dubawi is one of the phenomenons of the breed.”

The up and coming types

A self-professed fan of Kia Ora Stud’s Farnan, Tait is sending Von Trapp (Frankel {GB}) to Farnan this season after two foals by Zoustar. She is due to deliver her next foal by Pierro in mid September.

“We bought her in foal to Zoustar, and she will have a nice filly going to the sales next year,” Tait said. A $350,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale purchase for Twin Hills, Von Trapp was offered by Element Hill, who imported her in utero in her dam Chortle (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a full sister to globetrotting Group 1 winner Hunter’s Light (GB).

“I’m a big fan of Farnan, he was a very good racehorse, a very good 2-year-old with a very good pedigree. He's got all the credentials to be a good stallion, and it's working out that way.”

Farnan finished his first season of 2-year-olds nipping at Ole Kirk’s heels for the Champion First Season Sire title, beating him on individual winners and stakes performers.

“We’ve sent mares to him previously, I’m a big believer in him,” Tait said.

One of the better mares visiting an emerging sire offsite is Starla (Snitzel), a five-time metropolitan winning daughter of stakes-placed Houston Benefactor (Encosta De Lago) from the close family of G2 Bill Stutt Stakes winner Sovereign Nation (Encosta De Lago) and New Zealand Champion 3YO Filly Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago). She missed last season to Maurice (Jpn), having been purchased for $240,000 in the 2024 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale while in foal to Wootton Bassett (GB).

This season, she will cross the Tasman to visit Super Seth, whose eldest crop just turned four.

“I own the mare in partnership with Richard Pegum, and Richard owns a share in Super Seth,” Tait said. “Our attention was probably put in that direction because Richard had a share, but he's got off to a really good start at stud. He looks very promising, and so it'll be nice to get a foal by him next year.”

Waikato Stud’s Super Seth signed off the 2024/25 racing season in style with four individual Group 1 winners, including Guineas winners Linebacker (NZ) and Feroce (NZ), and Group 1-winning juvenile La Dorada (NZ).

“She's (Starla) empty at the moment,” Tait added. “She's got a lovely Wootton Bassett colt who is heading to the sales in 2026, so we're excited about him because she's a high class race mare by Snitzel, so she's a very attractive broodmare prospect.”

Speaking of attractive broodmare prospects - Tait signed the docket for star sprinting mare Olentia (Zoustar) at the recent Magic Millions Virtual Sale, with a hefty price-tag of $2.6 million. He was bidding on behalf of Qatari racing giants Wathnam Racing, and confirmed the mare's racing career has finished. No stallion has been decided yet.

“She is at Twin Hills, but she'll be heading to England later in the year,” Tait said.

Cover image courtesy of Arqana

Baaeed got off to an electrifying start at the first European yearling sale of the season at Arqana when a filly (Lot 68) consigned by Henri Bozo's powerful Ecurie des Monceaux draft sold to Al Shira'aa Racing for €800,000 (AU$1.44 million).

That result kick-started a busy 10 minutes or so for Bozo, and Monceaux was also responsible for the joint sale-topping Lope De Vega colt (Lot 72), who went the way of Godolphin for the same figure on day one of the August Yearling Sale.

Trained by William Haggas on behalf of Shadwell, Baaeed proved himself as a top-class performer at three and four, winning six Group 1s and tasting defeat just once. The joint sale-topper is out of an outstanding producer in Dubai Rose, the dam of high-class performers The Juliet Rose (Monsun), Arabian Crown (Dubawi), Everest Rose (Dubawi), and Pocketfullofdreams (Invincible Spirit), and was one that Al Shira'aa boss Sheikha Fatima was particularly keen on according to the outfit's racing manager Kieran Lalor.

“She comes from one of the best (stud farms) in France,” he said. “The boss loved her. Gorgeous filly, comes from a great family, and she's very athletic. Obviously, we've had a lot of success with Henri (Bozo) and hopefully this filly sees us in May in Chantilly in a couple of years' time. We had to reach but the boss loved her. We're delighted.”

Of course, that purchase came off the back of a pretty important winner at the Curragh for Al Shira'aa Farms when homebred Leinster (Camelot) advertised his Cup credentials when landing the G3 Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh. And while that victory came on home soil, there is no doubting that the major owner-breeder has a huge love affair with France and Al Shira'aa enjoyed one of its biggest days there when Jannah Rose (Frankel) landed the G1 Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp in 2023.

The plan for their latest recruit will be to one day chart a path towards the big races, according to Lalor, who has already enjoyed success with his purchases on behalf of Al Shira'aa, given he purchased Group 2 winner Verspertilio from Monceaux here in 2022.

He added, “In general, (Sheikha Fatim) prefers proven sires but this filly has a gorgeous walk and the boss loved her physically. Fingers crossed, we can come back here in a couple of years and we're talking about Classics because that's what we want to do. With a sire like Baaeed, with the race record that he has – he's an incredible horse – and it's a great female family as well.”

Bidding on behalf of Godolphin to secure the Lope De Vega colt, Anthony Stroud was forced to see off Kia Joorabchian, who was bidding at the entrance to the ring alongside new trainer Kevin Philippart De Foy and bloodstock agent Alex Elliott. Stroud was bidding from his usual spot, hidden out of view from the majority of people in the sales ring, to the right-hand side of the rostrum. Shortly after the hammer had fallen, he playfully implored Bozo to 'go have a cigarette break' given his exertions towards the end of the sale.

On plans for the new recruit, Stroud said, “Bought for Godolphin and he will be trained by Charlie Appleby. By Lope De Vega, who has done incredibly well, and he is a very nice individual who stacked up very well for us. He's a very good mover and comes from Monceaux, which has bred many, many good horses. He was one we hoped to acquire.”

Smaller session to open

Like-for-like comparisons are nigh on impossible at this early stage in the sale. From a smaller opening session than last year, 71 yearlings went through the ring, with 51 sold, for a clearance rate on par with the first day of 2025. Turnover was of course down, as roughly half the number of horses was sold this time around, but those 51 cleared €11,750,000 (AU$21.1 million) at an average of €230,392 (AU$415,000), slightly up last year, and a greater median of €200,000 (AU$360,000).

Rose family blooms again

Paddy Twomey signed for several fillies during the opening session, including Lot 78, the first foal, by Sea The Stars, out of the Listed winner Everest Rose (Dubawi), who brought the hammer down at €675,000 (AU$1.2 million) and hails from the same smart family as the joint-session-topper bought by Al Shira'aa Racing.

The trainer said of the filly, who was bred in partnership by Ecurie des Monceaux, Guy Heald's GB Partnership and Beauregard Bloodstock, “She has been bought for a partnership between Robert (Moran) and some friends. We've some nice fillies bought for them with some good pedigrees over the last few years. He likes these sort of Classic-type fillies, who will run over a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half-plus, and he's willing to be patient.”

Young Coolmore sire on the mark again

St Mark's Basilica is beginning to get motoring as a stallion and has enjoyed a particularly good past fortnight with Fozzy Stack's Thesecretadversary winning a Listed contest before Diamond Necklace, who fetched €1.7 million (AU$3.54 million) to top this sale last year, making a striking debut for Aidan O'Brien at the Curragh.

MV Magnier was keen to continue the support for the multiple Group 1 winner and went to €520,000 (AU$936,000) for a St Mark's Basilica brother to Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar (Holy Roman Emperor). The colt was consigned by Haras de Beaufay.

Magnier said, “He's a nice horse – Sam Sangster and Brian Meehan bought his brother (Rashabar) here a couple of years ago. St Mark's Basilica has had an incredible last few weeks. We're fully behind the horse and Aidan is praising a lot of them who are in Ballydoyle. The filly ('TDN Rising Star' Diamond Necklace) that we bought here last year looks like she could be pretty good as well.”

The St Mark's Basilica colt hails from the family of Group 1 winner Amarette and Group winners River Of Stars, Amazona, Ancient Spirit, and more.

It capped a pretty respectable day's trade for the Coolmore-based stallion given Sam Haggas of Hurworth Bloodstock went to €300,000 (AU$625,000) to secure another colt by St Mark's Basilica, who ended the day with four sold for a combined €1,175,000 ($2.1 million) and an average of €293,750 ($529,000).

Talking points

Yoshito Yahagi has already enjoyed huge success with the progeny of Siyouni through Sottsass's brother Shin Emperor, who the legendary trainer bought here in 2022 for a sale-topping €2.1 million ($3.78 million). Shin Emperor is understood to be on course to run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Yahagi went to €320,000 ($576,000) to secure another colt (Lot 36) by the top stallion from the Haras d'Haspel consignment. The Siyouni colt is out of a Kingman mare from a good Juddmonte family that includes Timepiece, Passage Of Time, and Time Test.

American-based bloodstock agent Ben Gowans has only been coming to Arqana for a few years now but he has already reaped the rewards given he snapped up recent Saratoga Oaks runner-up Evershed (Churchill) for €320,000 ($576,000) on behalf of owner Mark Grier here. Those connections returned to their happy hunting ground on Saturday to land an Acclamation filly for €240,000 ($432,000) from Haras des Capucines.

Grier commented, “We're very happy. The team works hard – we look at a lot of horses and we're very pleased with what we found. Ben has done very well for us here before and we would love to have a similar plan (to Evershed) and a similar outcome with this filly!”

Without doubt, one of the stories of the day came deep into the session when lot 76, a Starman filly consigned by Tweenhills, sold to bloodstock agent Mark McStay for €250,000 (AU$450,000). Starman has got off to an amazing start to his stud career, which helped with lot 76 going from a 37,000gns (AU$81,000) foal from Tattersalls in December to one of the most expensive pinhooks on day one at Arqana.

To make the result even sweeter, young Sebastian Thompson, who has been apprenticed at Tweenhills for the past two years and told TDN's Emma Berry about his hopes for the filly in the build-up to the sale, owned a half share.

Tweenhills boss David Redvers said, “The pinhook was between Hannah Wall, who runs her own Redwall pinhooking syndicate, and young Sebastian Thompson, who came to me to serve his apprenticeship when he was just 16. He is now 18 and is finishing his apprenticeship at Tweenhills and he is a cracking kid. He owned half of the Starman. Basically, the stallion has obviously done us an amazing favour but she is just the most beautiful who got better and better. It's one of those pinhooks that went the right way.”

With two sold from his four yearlings catalogued for the opening session for an average of €500,000 (AU$900,000), Shadwell's young stallion Baaeed is second in the stallion rankings to his own proven sire Sea The Stars.

Golden touch

Connections behind Lot 66, a Sioux Nation filly who was sourced at Goffs last November for just €36,000 (AU$64,800), enjoyed a right touch. Consigned by Haras de Bourgeauville, the daughter of the winning Holy Roman Emperor mare Drumquina sold to Henry Lascelles – presumably on behalf of Lady Bamford – for €220,000 (AU$396,000).

Thought for the day

With the dust just settling on the bonanzas at Saratoga and in Japan, one may have been expecting an explosive start to the European yearling sale season at Arqana but fair to say the action in Deauville started with a clap rather than a bang. The decibel levels are expected to rise over the next couple of days, though.

‘Queen of the lawn’ Nitrogen claims first elite level victory in Alabama

In the 145th running of the G1 Alabama Stakes, it was Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) who took home the elite level glory at Saratoga.

Her tour de force two back ob June 7 in a washed-off G3 Wonder Again Stakes was what originally inspired trainer Mark Casse to give his turf star a chance over the main track, and put Nitrogen squarely in the talks for a year-end championship honour in the US after she was crowned Canada's champion juvenile filly last season. Casse may well have gotten his wish with this performance.

Inhaling early leader and stablemate La Cara (Street Sense) and wandering through the stretch, Nitrogen ultimately had more than enough to hold off Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro), and the fillies gave their sire the exacta in the Grade 1 contest. Louisiana-bred Margie's Intention (Honor AP) came on in the lane to claim third.

“They went pretty slow early, which I thought would help La Cara, but Dylan (Davis) said Jose (Ortiz) was breathing down his neck the entire time,” said Casse. “Dylan knew what he had to do, I never talked or discussed anything with Jose, but I know Nitrogen had enough speed that she was going to be pretty close.

“I've been coming here since I was 10 years old and the Alabama has always been huge. I can't even explain it. This (winning the Alabama) is all I've ever wanted to do since I was a little boy.”

Casse would not commit either way when asked about a dirt start for Nitrogen, only that he wanted to 'get through today' first and then they'd decide next steps.

Jose Ortiz only had glowing praise for his mount afterwards despite her late race drifting; “When she gets by herself, she tries to get a little bit lost, but I had a clear lead. Luckily, I was clear and nothing happened. So I'll take it.

“(The ceiling) can't get any higher–this horse won a Grade 1 on the dirt now, so it's amazing. Hopefully, she comes back, puts up another couple good few performances and gets 3-year-old filly of the year.”

“This was very impressive, beat some very good horses, and I'd think her next one would be dirt again, but let's see–you are voting for not only the best 3-year-old, but maybe the best horse,” said Len Green of DJ Stable. “Look at the record, look at how many wins, how many stakes wins…that's what you hope for. And of course, we have to give extra carrots to the broodmare because she made the whole thing.”

Out of stakes-placed Tiffany Case, an Uncle Mo half-sister to Graded stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Talk Veuve to Me (Violence), Nitrogen is her dam's second to the races and second Graded runner. Elder half-sister Love to Shop (Violence) won the Listed Toronto Cup Stakes and was four times placed at the Graded level in Canada. Tiffany Case's most recent offspring is a yearling filly by Gun Runner named Sniper. She did not have a foal in 2025 and was bred to Not This Time for 2026.

This is the immediate female family of stakes winner and multiple Graded-placed Winning Point (Point Given) as well as Gilded Wings (Gilded Time), who produced a branch of the family that ultimately yielded Chilean Group 1-placed Good Runner (Chi) (Good Samaritan). Further back, this is also the family of English G1 St Leger-placed Mountain Kingdom and G1 Manhattan Handicap victor Cool.

Nitrogen is Medaglia d'Oro's 30th worldwide Grade 1 winner and his second in 2025 behind Good Cheer.

She Feels Pretty books Breeders' Cup ticket in EP Taylor

Crossing the border into the Great White North boasting a resume laced with a trio of Grade 1 victories, She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}) annexed her fourth at the highest level when winning taking a nail-biting renewal of the G1 EP Taylor Stakes at Woodbine, a 'Win and You're In' for the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November.

According to jockey John Velazquez, She Feels Pretty was actually hit from behind along the backside stretch.

“(She) got really anxious…you can see she got cut through the bandages,” he said. “She got hit pretty good, but then she got pretty keen. So now, I have her covered up, and I've got to get in the clear a little bit. From then on it was a wrestling match with her.”

Given some relief by Velazquez approaching the quarter pole, the 4-year-old rolled to the fore with relative ease while three-wide turning for home, spurted clear in early stretch and was in an all-out drive to win by a head.

“I didn't want to move too soon (because) the horse from Europe (Diamond Rain) was really close and really good,” Velazquez added. “I wrestled with (She Feels Pretty) past the 5/16ths pole and then finally put my hands down to let her do her thing. The last 16th of a mile, I don't know what she saw, but she got lost. I thought, 'Come on, don't do this to me now. We're almost there,' but she got it done.”

Trainer Cherie DeVaux indicated She Feels Pretty will “most definitely” accept the ticket into the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar.

She Feels Pretty is out of a winning mare in Summer Sweet, $550,000 juvenile purchase by Payson Stud at the Keeneland January Sale in 2016. The mare is a half to several successful runners including stakes winner Summer Breezing (Langfuhr), stakes winner and Grade-placed Adirondack Summer (Thunder Gulch), and Grade 1-placed Summer Solo (Arch), the dam of multiple Graded winner Solo Album (Curlin) and stakes winner Maedean (Tapit).

This represents the family of French multiple Group 1 winner Act One (GB) (In the Wings {GB}), Group 1-placed Gharir (Ire) (Machiavellian), and Group 1-placed Summer Symphony (Ire) (Caerleon). She Feels Pretty has a 2-year-old half-sister named She Feels Stunning (American Pharoah), also trained by DeVaux, in addition to a yearling half-sister by Olympiad and a half-sister filly foal by Justify.

Nyquist's Velocity sneaks up the fence to shock Del Mar Oaks

Velocity is defined as the speed of an object going in a given direction, and the aptly named Velocity (Nyquist) proved to be moving fastest as she snuck up the fence to post a monster 35-1 upset in the G1 Del Mar Oaks.

The field fanned out for the homeward drive and ante-post favourite Thought Process (Collected) had made her move while 8-5 chance Lush Lips (GB) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) was relentlessly closing on the far outside. Diving to the rail as the scramble to her outside finally produced open air, Velocity quickened to strike the front and outkicked the closing Lush Lips to score her career first black-type of any kind. Thought Process managed to save third.

“To be honest I thought she was going to be better on the dirt,” said winning rider Ricardo Gonzalez, who won the second Grade 1 race of his career, here. “But I had a wonderful trip. I was following Antonio (Fresu on Edge of Mali) all the way around. Just waiting for a little seam, and once I saw it, she went right through it. This is such a fun race to race, especially here in Del Mar.”

“That's as good of a ride as you'll ever see,” said Michael McCarthy. “I thought she got the perfect trip there. A seam opened up on the fence. It was good. She's had a wonderful couple of weeks down here. She was on her toes, in a great way walking around the paddock, coming out through the tunnel. I liked everything I saw today.”

Velocity is the second black-type earner for her dam, but the first at the highest level. Her eldest half-brother Open Road (Quality Road) was stakes-placed in his career and her second older half-sibling was a multiple winner.

Blast, herself a half-sister to stakes winner Home Run Maker (Into Mischief) and Grade 1-placed Fun (Harlan's Holiday), has a juvenile filly named Holly's Holiday (Maxfield) as her most recent foal of racing age. There is also a yearling Cyberknife filly named Dash and a 2025 Taiba filly. She was bred back to National Treasure for 2026.

The victress is Nyquist's ninth worldwide Grade 1 winner and his second in 2025 joining Cavalieri, who claimed the G1 B Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile Stakes this past March. Group/Grade 1-placed runners for the stallion this season include Gosger, Crimson Advocate, Nysos, Immersive, Randomized, and Zio Jo.