Fertility decline sees Cogburn go home early
Cogburn (USA) (Not This Time {USA}) has had a successful start to his stud career, achieving excellent fertility results during his first season at WinStar Farm. The enthusiasm and demand for him internationally was also outstanding, however, while in Australia, fertility results were lower than his domestic performance and the decision was made to cut short Cogburn's visit to Australia.
Cogburn had a busy book in Kentucky, getting 143 mares in foal, however his early results in Australia indicated a decline that warrants further investigation. While he has covered well and no abnormalities have been found, WinStar and the Cogburn Syndicate were eager to see him return to Kentucky so they can better understand the cause and treat him accordingly in preparation for his second season at stud in Kentucky.
Cogburn (USA) | Standing at Widden Stud
Antony Thompson of Widden Stud said, “We are all terribly disappointed not to have been able to fulfill the obligations to the breeders who had supported Cogburn with a full book, but it's important we do what is in the best interests of Cogburn and the syndicate and resolve this temporary issue.”
WinStar Farm's Elliott Walden said, “We want to get Cogburn home to do more testing to prepare him for his second season at stud. I want to thank Antony and his team for the care of Cogburn during his time in Australia. The test results of his semen have been very good, but we need to dig a little deeper to understand what is going on. He is an important horse for our future, and we want to get him ready for 2026.”
G2 Moonee Valley Cup won by Onesmoothoperator
Winner of last year’s G3 Geelong Cup, Brian Ellison-trained Onesmoothoperator (USA) (Dialled In {USA}) has shown the same form in winning Friday’s night’s G2 Moonee Vally Cup over 2500 metres.
The win, as a ballot free race, guarantees Onesmoothoperator a run in the G1 Melbourne Cup, provided he continues to pass the veterinary checks along the way, although he was already 24th in the order going into tonight’s race.
Last seen when 19th of 22 in the Ebor Handicap in England, Onesmoothoperator is following a similar path to last year when he was seventh in the Ebor, fourth in the G3 September Stakes, then travelled here to win the G3 Geelong Cup before running 12th in the Melbourne Cup, won by Knight’s Choice (Extreme Choice).
He took his record to six wins from 46 starts and over $1.4 million.
Nepotism looking to go one better than All Too Hard
Team Hawkes-trained 3-year-old colt Nepotism (Brutal {NZ}) is from the family of All Too Hard, who ran second in the G1 Cox Plate at three, and co-trainer Michael Hawkes thinks he can go one better. “Cox Plates aren't just there to be run in and you are running to win and you are running to place your horses at the right time,” Hawkes told racing.com.
“Especially 3-year-olds. We've been lucky enough - Octagonal won it, All Too Hard has run second - so you've got to have a good 3-year-old that is looking for the ground and is going to be competitive.
Nepotism | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“Everyone saw his win in the Champagne in his 2-year-old days, he's looking for 2000 metres now, he's a bit older, he's more mature. He's got a position at stud, but we're just trying to obviously get him back to winning ways and to win this would be probably icing on the cake.
“In saying that, you're not taking it lightly, you're up against a quality field in Via Sistina, Antino, Treasurethe Moment, there's some classy horses in the field. But he's got 49.5kg, he's a quality colt and we feel he deserves to be in the race.”
Queen Of Clubs ready for Spring Champion challenge
Trainer Gary Portelli believes 3-year-old filly Queen Of Clubs (Maurice {Jpn}) can upset the colts and geldings in Saturday’s G1 Spring Champion Stakes, despite pulling up with heart arrhythmia after the G1 Flight Stakes. “I'm hoping this race is a test of stamina and not a sprint home because I'm sure Queen Of Clubs will run a strong 2000m,” Portelli told racenet.com.au.
“She did have heart arrhythmia which wasn't ideal but a half-hour after the race she was back to normal. We have kept the work up to her and she has done everything right since. I think she's going to be very competitive.”
Unbeaten Widdup colt set for stakes debut
Jockey Dylan Gibbons is a big fan of unbeaten Young Mister Grace (Anders), trained by Brad Widdup, and the 3-year-old colt will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s Listed Brian Crowley Stakes at Randwick. “I was also booked for him in the Midway and they didn’t accept so I’d say his work at home and from everything Brad’s seen he’s happy and didn’t give himself the option,” Gibbons told racingnsw.com.au.
Brad Widdup | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
“He moves like a nice horse, it’s obviously a big step up in grade but on what he’s done I think he’s a horse that can handle a step up. Both wins have had good merit and he’s learned two different things.”
Guineas placed Observer heads in Derby direction
Trainer Ciaron Maher pulled 3-year-old colt Observer (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) from the G1 Cox Plate and will instead run in Saturday’s G2 Moonee Valley Vase with thoughts of the G1 Victoria Derby part of the equation. “He bounced through his Caulfield Guineas run,” Maher told racenet.com.au of his last start third.
“I was toying with the idea of Cox Plate but speaking with the Godolphin team we decided to go to the Vase and then on to the Derby. He's a horse that is very lightly raced … go back through all the other horses that have been successful in the (Cox Plate), probably barring So You Think, have all had a bit (more racing).
“You see a horse like Tempted take on the older horses, she's very well rounded, jumps, takes a position, travels, quickens, does everything right. Whereas Observer is still reasonably raw, that was probably the catalyst, going into the Cox Plate … he's a raw horse with a very bright future, he could run in the next four Cox Plates.”
Stakes-placed Chergui breaks through
On Friday at Ballarat, well-bred 3-year-old gelding Chergui (Frosted {USA}) won his maiden for the Hayes brothers and Godolphin. He was placed in the Listed Valley Pearl Stakes at two. His dam, Essaouira (Exceed And Excel) is also the dam of Group 1 winners Astern and Alizee (Sepoy) as well as Group 3-placed Mogador (Lonhro).
Cleverly named Voting Rights (Snitzel) also won at the meeting. The 3-year-old filly is out of Susan B Anthony (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who is named after the famous American suffragette of the same name. Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained 3-year-old filly Go Left (So You Think {NZ}) stayed unbeaten with her second win.
Winner number 16 for Anders
Second season sire Anders added winner number 16 when Brett and Georgie Cavanough-trained 3-year-old filly Shenandoah River won at her fourth start at Scone on Friday. At the same meeting, John Ramsey-trained 3-year-old gelding Pinot Nero (Pierro) took his record to two wins from nine starts.
First winner for Endless Drama
Lyle Chandler-trained 3-year-old filly Regal Problem’s win at Scone on Friday gave her the honour of being the first winner for second season sire Endless Drama (Ire), a triple-Group 2 winning son of Lope De Vega (Ire) who had only 83 foals in two crops before sadly dying. He stood at Larneuk Stud.
Tagaloa’s Savaii stays unbeaten
Trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald, 3-year-old gelding Savaii (Tagaloa) stayed unbeaten when winning for the third time on Friday at Canberra. He is one of 15 winners for his second season sire and was purchased by Triple Crown Syndications for $145,000 from Cannon Hayes Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
NZB Ready To Run breeze up videos online
New Zealand Bloodstock announced on Friday that the breeze up videos for the 2025 Ready to Run Sale are now available to view online at nzb.co.nz.
On October 20 and 21, over 380 juveniles galloped down the home straight of Te Rapa Racecourse, with all 2-year-olds having the last 200 metres of their work individually timed. The sale will be held on November 12 and 13.
Expensive Snitzel colt set for Guineas
Te Akau Racing’s $700,000 purchase War Of Silence (Snitzel) will run in Saturday’s G3 War Decree Stakes ahead of an assignment in the G1 NZ 2000 Guineas. “The penny’s starting to drop with him, and the more we do with him, the better he’s getting,” co-trainer Sam Bergerson told Loveracing.nz. He was sold at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale by Arrowfield Stud and is out of Group 1 winner Silent Sedition (War Chant {USA}).
War Of Silence | Image courtesy of Race Images
“We’re excited to see him step up to the mile on Saturday, which we think will suit, and another look around Riccarton will be a big help as he heads towards the 2000 Guineas. We’ve had a bit of success going through this race into the Guineas, and he’s tracking really nicely towards that target. He just got bombed right on the line last time, but he’s taken good improvement from that experience and we’re really happy with the horse.”
Fasig-Tipton October smashes record gross
Demand continued high right to the very end of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale, which concluded Thursday in Lexington with new records for gross, average and median. Through four sessions, 1,097 horses sold for US$71,843,500 (AU$110 million), dwarfing the previous record gross of US$58,575,500 (AU$90.1 million) set just last year. The 2025 auction average of US$65,491 (AU$100,000) eclipsed last year's previous record figure of US$52,206 (AU$80,300), while the median of US$30,000 (AU$46,000) broke the record of US$25,000 (AU$38,500) set in 2022.
“It was a tremendous success,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said of the sale. “There was great interest and great activity on the sales grounds from Saturday until the end of the sale tonight. We are thrilled with the level of activity from various levels. Certainly the top of the market is very strong, but there was tremendous participation throughout. There was dramatic increase in the average, the median and in the gross. And there is a pile of private sales that haven't been processed yet. So there is tremendous post-sale interest on those horses that didn't get sold. It was very, very encouraging. It was a nice way to cap off the 2025 yearling sales with a record-breaking sale by all metrics, and by a large margin in all metrics, as well.”
Henri Matisse retired to Coolmore
Henri Matisse (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a top-level winner at both two and three, has been retired from racing and will take up stallion duties at Coolmore Stud in Fethard, Ireland for the 2026 breeding season. A stud fee will be announced in due course.
Coolmore's David O'Loughlin said, “A very good 2YO winning Grade 1 or Group 2 races over 6 furlongs, 7 furlongs and a mile, Henri Matisse totally outclassed his rivals at the Breeders' Cup and again showed his brilliance with a track record-breaking win in the French Guineas. Himself and Camille Pissarro are the only sons of Wootton Bassett to have won Group 1s at both 2 and 3 years, while Wootton Bassett's first two sons to stud have both sired Group 1 winners in France this year.
“Henri Matisse also hails from one of the best dam lines in the book. His dam Immortal Verse, winner of the Coronation Stakes and Jacques Le Marois, set a European record for a broodmare when purchased for 4,700,000gns and has also bred Champion 2YO Tenebrism and unbeaten Group 2 winner Statuette. When you put all this together with his physique and movement, he is sure to prove popular with breeders.”
Saturday to determine Guineas path for Bivouac filly
Trainer Mike Breslin will run Group 2 winning Bivouac 3-year-old filly Intention (NZ) over 1400 metres at Trentham on Saturday before deciding to run in the G1 NZ 1000 Guineas or G1 NZ 2000 Guineas against the colts. “We haven’t decided which one she will run in yet. She will only run in one of them and we will make that call after she races on Sunday,” Breslin told Loveracing.nz.
“The set weights and penalties doesn’t suit her for that race on Sunday. She is not very good in at the weights for a smallish 3-year-old filly, but the race will serve its purpose in getting her 100 percent fit.”
Pinhook tops Arqana book 2
Part 2 of the Arqana October Sale kicked off on Thursday with another 154 yearlings going under the hammer, the pick of which was a De Treville colt from the Haras des Capucines draft who fetched €95,000 (AU$170,000).
Bought by trainer Christophe Escuder, Lot 428 was making his second appearance on the Deauville sales ground, having fetched €26,000 (AU$46,000) when Sumbe offered him as a foal at the December Breeding Stock Sale.
Of the 154 lots offered, 117 sold (76%) for an aggregate sum of €3,128,000 (AU$5.5 million). The average was €26,735 (AU$47,600) and the median was €21,000 (AU$37,500). Whilst the figures for the opening session were significantly down across the board compared to the corresponding day last year, it should be remembered that a change of format for 2025 saw an extra day added to Part 1.
