Inglis Digital open for bidding
The latest Inglis Digital sale is open for bidding with 361 lots on offer, led by stakes performed 3-year-old gelding Chergui (Frosted {USA}) who placed in the Listed Valley Pearl Stakes at two. He is part of a draft of seven racehorses being offered by Godolphin.
A rare offering in foal to Cogburn (USA) is the broodmare Velours Bleu (Nicconi) who is from the family of Group 1 winner and stallion Complacent who recently moved from New Zealand to Foxwood Farm in Ireland. Velours Bleu is a half-sister to Group 3 winner The Fortune Teller (Caravaggio {USA}).
The sale closes on Wednesday February 4.
Inglis announce two supplementary lots for Classic
Inglis announced on Thursday that two supplementary lots will be added to the upcoming Classic Yearling Sale beginning on February 8.
Newgate Farm will offer an Artorius colt out of Scat Daddy (USA) mare Kiss the Daddy (USA) as Llot 799. Kiss The Daddy is a Listed winner in America who has produced three winners in Australia.
Tyreel Stud will offer a Home Affairs colt who is the first foal of Word On The Street (Street Boss {USA}) has been catalogued as lot 800. Word On The Street is a winning half-sister to G3 Spring Stakes winner Pierossa (Pierro) and Listed winner Ploverset (Street Boss {USA})
The two supplementaries will be offered in catalogue alphabetical order – lot 799 after lot 111 and lot 800 after lot 586.
Magic Millions Yearling Vault competition closing
The Thoroughbred Report launched the Magic Millions Yearling Vault, a reader challenge built to settle a few sale-ring debates. Lock in five yearlings from the 2026 Magic Millions sale, then see in 2028 how your picks stack up.
Your five picks can be any five, no rules on price, pedigree, sex, or whether they sold or passed in, and once they’re in, they’re locked.
The Vault reopens in 2028 and ranks selections by prizemoney, stakes results and return on investment. Entries are free, one per person, and close tomorrow (31 January).
Inglis Digital and Singapore Turf Club combine forces
The inaugural Community Horse Project (CHP) 2YO Online Sale, hosted via Inglis Digital, concluded with a 85% clearance rate.
The joint initiative between Selangor Turf Club and Horse City Sdn Bhd was a positive step towards the development of a sustainable racing ecosystem in the region.
A catalogue of 33 two-year-olds was offered, with 28 horses finding new homes following solid engagement from owners, trainers, jockeys and industry stakeholders.
Indian Horse Club secured the top lot of the sale, paying RM210,000 ($76,000), contributing to a total spend of RM550,000 ($200,000).
“This is a historic moment for racing in Malaysia,” said Tan Sri Datuk Richard Cham Hak Lim, Chairman of Selangor Turf Club. “This inaugural digital sale is more than just a transaction; it represents the foundation of our racing community’s future. The participation we’ve seen is incredibly encouraging as we work to rebuild our equine population and ensure the long-term sustainability of the sport.”
Bathurst cancelled after fall in race one
Jockey Adrian Layt has gone to hospital for scans after sustaining neck pain in a fall in race one at Bathurst on Friday. His mount Sharbino (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) was uninjured in the fall, and the meeting was abandoned after the track was deemed too slippery.
The race was won by Ross McConville-trained 3-year-old gelding Excuseme Mrofficer (Grunt {NZ}) who was having his fourth start. He is the second and final foal for Invincible Spirit (Ire) mare Daily Challenge who was unraced.
Tough Romance set for Blue Diamond
Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained 2-year-old colt Tough Romance (All Too Hard) won on debut at Pakenham’s Thursday night meeting. “I thought he did a really good job,” Calvin McEvoy said post-race.
“There was a stride there where it looked like the Waller horse was going to come to his outside and I thought he (Tough Romance) rallied. He’ll take great improvement out of the experience. I thought he won like a nice horse.
“It’s going to be a bit of a wait and see what happens with the big race… whether we look to run him the week before… to me, watching that, he’s only going to get better with more experience. Whether we run him the week before… if he happened to win that, then you’d think about backing-up in the (Blue) Diamond.”
Tough Romance was a $60,000 purchase by his trainers and Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA) from Motree Thoroughbreds draft at the Magic Millions Tasmania Yearling Sale.
Motree will present Tough Romance’s half-sister by Hanseatic at this year’s Magic Millions Tasmania Yearling Sale as Lot 34.
Group 3 winner Zip Lock to spell
Co-trainer Chris Munce announced on Thursday that G3 BJ McLachlan Stakes winner Zip Lock (Hellbent) will be miss the rest of the season after his sixth place in the R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic. “I might focus on the spring with him and not worry about the winter,” Munce told racenet.com.au.
Zip Lock | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“I'll have a look at him in the next few weeks and work out a plan. He's still growing and developing so he's not the finished product yet. Magic Millions was always a bit out of his time. He's still got plenty of racing left in him.”
Barrier manners key for Sir Now
Sir Now (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) will test his barrier manners in Saturday’s Listed Durbridge Stakes, trialling satisfactorily after being twice scratched for poor manners in December. “He's trialled a couple of times to get his ticket back. He's still doing everything right. We've taken him back to the barriers and done a bit of education,” trainer Darryl Hewitt told racenet.com.au.
“He went a lot better at the trials over the 800 metres, he was quite good, they put him in early too because he's (usually) a late load. The stewards wanted him in early to see if he would muck around or not but he behaved himself all right – hopefully he does that Saturday.”
Livesay crowned best SA apprentice
Jockey Alana Livesey has been crowned Dux of the SA Apprentice Academy at Thursday evening’s Racing SA Apprentice Academy Awards of 2025. “We’ve got an amazing group here in South Australia. The support you get, the friends you make along the way. It’s an industry there’s nothing else like,” Livesey told racingsa.com.au.
“The new prize that’s been given to Dux this year, a trip to Hong Kong, is amazing. It’s the pinnacle of racing in the world, just to be able to go there to experience, to see their facilities, the trainers, the horses, it will be like nothing else I’d be able to experience any other way.”
Apprentice Taylor Johnstone was awarded Dux Runner Up. The inaugural Sydney “Paper Mac” & Nancy McDonald Award was awarded to emerging apprentice Polly Brewster for services to grassroots racing.
Double for Zousain at Pakenham
Thursday night’s Pakenham meeting was a good one for Zousain who celebrated a double with Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained 3-year-old filly Meet Me Halfway who was having her third start. She was sold by Rosari Farm at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $120,000 to Supreme Thoroughbreds who pinhooked her through the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale where Lindsay Park purchased her for $170,000.
Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin-trained 4-year-old gelding Insain Harry made it three wins in his last four starts to give Zousain the double.
Coolmore granted ownership privileges in Japan
An exciting new chapter is being written at Coolmore Stud with the news that the powerful operation has been granted an ownership licence by the Japanese Racing Association (JRA), meaning it will be represented in that jurisdiction for the first time by two exceptionally-bred runners by Frankel (GB).
Four-time leading JRA trainer Mitsu Nakauchida has been entrusted with a Frankel colt out of dual Group 1-winning sprinter Marsha (Acclamation). Meanwhile, a Frankel filly out of Shadow Hunter (Arcano) has already been named Snowscape and is registered in training with Nakauchida.
Frankel (GB) | Standing at Juddmonte
The Frankel colt, who is the last foal out of 6 million gns (AU$12.3 million) purchase Marsha, will race in the colours of John Magnier's late mother, Evie Stockwell. The popular matriarch of one of Irish racing's most influential families, died at the age of 96 in 2023 and horses like Lahinch, Luas Line, Hit It A Bomb and Brave Anna have carried her famous light blue and brown silks with great distinction.
It has not yet been decided what colours that Snowscape will race in as it is understood that a partnership is still being finalised for the filly.
Confirming the news, Mick Flanagan from the Coolmore racing office, said, “Japan is one of the greatest racing and breeding nations on the planet. We have always enjoyed doing business in Japan and we are very appreciative of the JRA and everyone in Japan for accommodating us.”
Record prizemoney for The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club has announced that total prize-money at its 15 racecourses will rise to £61.47 million (AU$120.7 million) this year, up from a budgeted £58.1 million (AU$114 million) in 2025.
The increase can be attributed mainly to the fact that overall prize-money at the Betfred Derby Festival is to be boosted by £1.375 million (AU$2.7 million) in 2026.
In addition, a total of 322 fixtures will be staged across The Jockey Club over the next 12 months – up from a scheduled 319 last year. The third contributor is an increase in prize-money for Class 1 and developmental races, made possible due to boosted funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board for 2026 and increased investment from The Jockey Club's own funds, demonstrating support for the long-term growth of the horse population.
“We're pleased to be able to increase prize money across our racecourses and have worked hard throughout our budgeting process to ensure this is possible. Prize-money is part of the essential foundation of our sport and we recognise the crucial role it plays as an incentive and reward to all participants,” Jim Mullen, Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said.
“Going forward, the challenge is to maintain the commitment to invest meaningfully to drive the sport forwards. For The Jockey Club, prize money now accounts for more than 70% of our overall profits, up from 55% in 2019. It would not be sustainable for that trajectory to continue and that's why we announced in December plans to invest in the growth of our key festivals and to tackle efficiency.”
Ted Noffey to miss Kentucky Derby
Recently crowned champion 2-year-old Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) has been diagnosed with bone bruising and will be taken off the Kentucky Derby trail, owner Spendthrift Farm announced via press release Thursday.
Trainer Todd Pletcher reported that Ted Noffey showed signs of discomfort following a recent breeze, prompting further evaluation. “Since his last breeze, he hasn't been moving as well as he normally does,” Pletcher said. “Out of an abundance of caution we had him thoroughly examined, and the diagnosis came back as bruised condyles. Typically, this issue requires about 90 days to resolve, so we'll look to resume training around the first of May.”
U.S. Jockey Club increases cost of registering a foal
The cost of registering a foal with The Jockey Club will rise from US$265 (AU$378) to US$325 (AU$464) in 2026, while filing a report of mares bred will go from US$40 (AU$57) to US$50 (AU$71), according to a new fee structure posted on the Registry page.
The Jockey Club's Jim Gagliano said that the fees were largely driven by an increase in the price of DNA sampling, along with overall inflation costs. He added that the organization would be spending significantly more money on aftercare this year, above and beyond these increases.
“Some registration fees were adjusted this year, resulting in an average increase of 11%,” said Gagliano in a written response to the TDN. “These increases were prompted in part by significantly increased costs for DNA sampling of 57% from the public university that supplies this service to The Jockey Club. Overall, registration fee increases are moderately ahead of the inflation rate of 38.2% since 2013.”
Vale Lord Zetland
Lord Zetland, described by the team at Redcar Racecourse as “one of the most important figures in the history of the course”, died on Saturday at his home in North Yorkshire. He was 88.
Lawrence Mark Dundas – the fourth Marquess of Zetland – succeeded his father, Lawrie, as chairman and managing director at Redcar in 1981. He went on to spend the better part of four decades at the helm, before stepping down from the role of chairman at the end of the 2018 season.
Lord Zetland is perhaps best remembered for introducing the Two-Year-Old Trophy in 1989. It remains Redcar's richest race, while the Zetland Gold Cup, first run in 1950, continues to be another highlight of the racing year at the seaside track.
Redcar's general manager Amy Fair added, “We owe our richest race, The Two-Year-Old Trophy, to his vision, and he was a real gentleman who never said 'no' to anything that was in the interests of racegoers.
“He always stopped for a chat – whether it was owners, trainers, jockeys, or punters having a cuppa in the café in the Course Enclosure. We owe him so much and he will be greatly missed.”
