Asfoora to visit Switzerland
Coolmore Stud confirmed to TTR on Monday that recently retired Champion European Sprinter Asfoora (Flying Artie) would be covered by Switzerland this spring. The G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes-winning son of Snitzel covered 195 mares in his first season in 2025.
Asfoora | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Asfoora’s 12 victories included three at Group 1 level, all in Europe being the 2024 Royal Ascot King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King’s Stand Stakes), the 2025 G1 Nunthorpe Stakes and 2025 G1 Prix de l’Abbaye Longchamp.
King thinks Warwoven can win Cox Plate
Jockey Rachel King believes dual Group 1-winning 3-year-old colt Warwoven (Sword Of State) can win Saturday’s G1 Cox Plate.
“I don't think we've reached the ceiling with him yet, which is exciting,” King told racenet.com.au.
Warwoven | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“The Cox Plate is a completely different kettle of fish again. We're under no illusions it is a different ballgame against the older horses but he does get that massive weight relief. This year being at Flemington probably helps a little bit, helps any 3-year-olds because it is a bit easier I guess than getting around Moonee Valley. There's not the added pressure of getting around that tight track.
“He is by far the best horse I've sat on. It's a big privilege to be associated with a horse like that and I have to make the most of him while we can, he's a colt, so we don't know how long we get him for.”
Waterhouse hoping this is her year
Legendary trainer TJ Smith won the Cox Plate seven times but his equally legendary daughter Gai Waterhouse has yet to win one. This year, she runs Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}).
“It’s certainly a trophy and a race I would love to win,” Waterhouse told racing.com.
Sir Delius (GB) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Sir Delius is a lovely, big, strong individual. He’s an alpha male. He’s a very tall, big horse. He’s got a great will to win.
“He’s got that potential that when he gets over 2000 metres, he tends to really come into his own. And he’s got that sort of killer instinct in him. He knows where the post is. I love that in horses.”
Flemington to suit Light Infantry Man
G1 Australian Cup winner Light Infantry Man (Fr) (Fast Company {Ire}) could be the smoky in Saturday’s G1 Cox Plate according to jockey Brent Thomson who won the Cox Plate four times between 1975 and 1979. He’s been riding the Ciaron Maher-trained horse in trackwork.
“I've ridden Light Infantry Man. I've just done canters on him but he's in great order. He's a Cox Plate chance,” Thomson told racenet.com.au.
Light Infantry Man (Fr) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He's an Australian Cup winner at Flemington but the thing about him, he loves to rock and roll up near the front. In a Cox Plate, they'll be looking for something to lead them early anyway.”
So You Are penalised again for Cup
Bjorn Baker-trained So You Are (So You Think {NZ}) won Saturday’s G3 St Leger Stakes and will get a second weight penalty for the G1 Melbourne Cup taking him to 35th in the order.
“So You Are is in a rich vein of form and was very strong over the concluding stages of the ATC St Leger suggesting the two miles of the Lexus Melbourne Cup will be to his liking if he secures a start,” Racing Victoria’s head of handicapping, David Hegan told racing.com.
“Today’s 0.5kg penalty takes him to 53kg, which is 6.5kg below the weight-for-age benchmark for an older male horse. That places him 35th in the order of entry so he will need attrition to gain a start in the Cup, but history says that he will go close.”
Under Focus heads to Melbourne early
Kris Lees will send Under Focus (Too Darn Hot {GB}) to Melbourne this week ahead of the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and will give him a jump out on the Flemington straight to show him around.
“Under Focus had a short break at our farm at Ellalong after the Golden Rose, and then came back to the stables at Broadmeadow,” Lees told racingandsports.com.au.
“The five weeks between runs will be perfect coming back to 1200 metres.” The Yulong-owned 3-year-old colt ran third in the G1 Golden Rose last start.
Extragalactic set for Flemington test
Trainer Trent Edmonds will run Extragalactic (Deep Field) in Saturday’s G2 McEwen Stakes to see how she handles the Flemington track ahead of bigger autumn targets.
“She’s a different horse from 12 months ago, but the day that she ran at The Valley in the Crockett on Cox Plate day last year, she didn’t quite get around it that well,” Edmonds told betsy.com.au.
“So I’m not complaining about the about the races not being there this year. I’m sure once it’s reconfigured and we’re back there, she’ll race there at some stage, but she’s going to butter up at Flemington on Saturday and she’s in good form.
“It is an audition for possibly the Champions Sprint, or even the Lightning or Newmarket in the autumn. I wanted to give her a look down there for the future basically. It’ll be interesting, we’re obviously hopeful she’ll handle it, but there’s only one way we’re going to find out.
“Not that it’s dead straight, but she’s done a lot of work up the back at the turf club here (Pakenham) on what we call the rise track, which is like a dog leg and then straight for sort of 900 metres.
“We’ve done a little bit of work with her up there since the Manikato, she gets up there well, and I’m very happy with her.” She ran second in the G1 Manikato Stakes last start.
Lim’s Ida returns to the winner’s circle
On Monday, Neil Dyer-trained Lim’s Ida (I Am Invincible) won at Echuca and it was his first victory since August 2023 when he won in Singapore. Twice stakes placed in Singapore, he began his career in Australia when running fourth on debut at two behind In The Congo.
The 8-year-old gelding took his record to six wins, with 11 placings, from 47 starts with earnings over $438,000. Originally an $825,000 yearling, he was onsold for $30,000 as a tried horse before heading to Singapore, returning to Australia when Singapore closed.
He is one of five winners for Tai Tai Tess (Magic Albert) who won the Listed Morphettville Guineas.
Well Written out of Golden Eagle
Dual Group 1 winner Well Written (Written Tycoon) will return to New Zealand to spell after contracting a virus.
“Well Written has contracted a viral infection over the weekend, resulting in an elevated temperature,” trainer Stephen Marsh said in a statement.
“Working closely with the local veterinary team and in consultation with her regular veterinary team at Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre, Well Written has received treatment and is already showing good signs of improvement. While the infection is considered relatively minor, a decision has been made to withdraw Well Written from next Saturday's Group 1 Golden Eagle.
“The welfare of our horses will always be our highest priority. Given the timing of the infection and the limited time available for recovery, we cannot be confident that Well Written would be able to compete at 100 percent fitness.
“With that in mind, we believe withdrawing her is the right decision for her long-term health and wellbeing. “Well Written will now return to New Zealand, where she will enjoy a spell before returning to the stable in preparation for a summer and autumn campaign.”
Tapit’s 2027 fee will be private
McKinzie (Street Sense) leads the advertised stud fees at US$50,000 (AU$72,000) for Gainesway's 2027 stallion roster as flagship stallion Tapit (Pulpit) is moved to a private fee for the coming breeding season, the stud farm announced Sunday.
North America's number one active sire by lifetime Grade 1 winners (35) and Graded stakes winners (107), with progeny earnings exceeding US$227 million (AU$326 million), Tapit was also the leading broodmare sire from 2023 through 2025 and remains at the top of the standings in 2026.
McKinzie, represented by four Grade 1 winners from his first crop – namely 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick, Scottish Lassie, Baeza, and Hymn – led all third-crop sires by cumulative Grade 1 winners.
Group 2 winner Alcantor retires to Haras de Meautry
Haras de Meautry will stand a stallion for the first time in 20 years with the arrival of Alcantor for the 2027 season. The son of New Bay will stand for a fee of €4,000 (AU$6400) on Live Foal terms.
Alcantor was the highest-rated 2-year-old colt in France of his generation for his owner Edouard de Rothschild, winning on debut in June and later landing the G2 Prix Thomas Bryon before finishing runner-up in the G1 Criterium International.
At three, he was third in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains, finishing half a length behind the winner Metropolitan, beating the subsequent Group 1 winners Diego Velazquez, Henry Longfellow, and Puchkine. Trained initially in France by Andre Fabre before joining Jospeh O'Brien in Ireland earlier this year, Alcantor added Group 3 wins to his tally at three and four.
Malibu Smart adds Grade 3 win
On a weekend of huge upsets, the G3 Rood & Riddle Dowager Stakes proved no different as Michael M. Hui and Phil Forte's 14-1 longshot Malibu Smart (English Channel) emerged from the late scramble to win the turf marathon feature Sunday afternoon at Keeneland.
“Phenomenal,” said Hui. “I felt pretty good (about Malibu Smart's chances), but it is Keeneland and it's always special to win here, even though I'm an Arkansan–Oaklawn–and own turf horses. I mean, what a phenomenal job by (trainer) Mike Maker.”
Osbourne wins World Pool jockey’s challenge
Having been crowned winner of the World Pool Jockeys' Championship 2026 on Qatar Racing British Champions Day at Ascot, Saffie Osborne has chosen to split her £50,000 (AU$95,500) charity prize evenly between HEROS and Lambourn Riding for the Disabled (Lambourn RDA).
The competition, in which jockeys score points determined by World Pool Win odds, began on 2000 Guineas day – the first World Pool fixture in the UK and Ireland this year – and took in 35 race days, culminating on British Champions Day.
Osborne finished on 186.30 points, having ridden 13 winners on UK and Irish World Pool race days in 2026, clear of World Pool ambassador Ryan Moore (103.85) in second and Billy Loughnane (101.50) in third.
“I knew when I had two big-priced winners on Guineas day at Newmarket that I had gained a good lead, but I didn't imagine I would still be there at the end of the season!” said Osborne.
“It's been a brilliant year and this is obviously a great prize to win, so thank you to World Pool and the Hong Kong Jockey Club for putting on this competition.
“I'm going to split the money between Lambourn Riding for the Disabled and HEROS, who look after the re-training of racehorses and help children with learning disabilities to connect with horses. They're two charities that hopefully this money will make a huge difference to.”
USA foal crop falls create challenges
Last week, The Jockey Club released its annual Report of Mares Bred (RMBs), which is used to estimate the following year's foal crop. And, once again, the numbers were not good, as TDN’s Bill Finley analyses the numbers. The estimate for the foal crop of 2027 is 16,500, a decrease of 500 from the year before. While 500 fewer foals may not seem like a lot, a troubling pattern continues.
The 2017 North American foal crop was 22,256, meaning the total will have declined by about 26 percent during a 10-year period. 20 years ago, the foal crop was 37,501, so the 2027 figure represents a decline of about 56 percent over that period. It just keeps getting worse, and there is no end in sight.
You don't need to be reminded about what this has meant to the sport: smaller fields, a less attractive betting product, racetracks reduced to running two or three days a week because that's the only way they can hope to fill cards, and racetracks closing.
