Hastings' Weekly Round-Up
Peter Redekop's brilliant filly AND TELL ME NOLIES makes $2.3 million at Fasig-Tipton, while Hastings' apprentice Fraser Aebly notches a double at Woodbine
Redekop G1 Winner Sells for $2.3 million
Hastings’ stalwart owner Peter Redekop enjoyed a bumper return on his Grade 1-winning broodmare prospect AND TELL ME NOLIES at Fasig-Tipton earlier this week, when the daughter of Arrogate was knocked down to Narvick International/Grand Stud for $2.3 million.
The winner of the TVG Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) is believed to be headed for Japan.
AND TELL ME NOLIES was acquired by Redekop at the 2022 Ocala Spring Two-Year-Old sale, with Bryan Anderson signing the $230,000 ticket. The purchase proved to be inspired, as the filly went on to be among the best of her generation last season, breaking her maiden at the second time of asking at Del Mar before landing the G1 Debutante on her next start. She then followed that up a few weeks later with victory in the G2 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita.
Her 2023 campaign began in equally fine style as she chased home FAIZA in both the G3 Santa Ysabel Stakes in March and the G2 Santa Anita Oaks the following month.
Fasig-Tipton Report
A pair of Eclipse Champions sold for $6,000,000 each to share the top spot at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, held Tuesday afternoon and evening at the Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Kentucky. Billed as the world's premier breeding stock event, the sale grossed in excess of $100,000,000 for the third consecutive year.
"Just another remarkable evening of horse sales, literally from start to finish," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "We had a wonderful collection of horses here on the sales grounds. You could feel the energy building (since Sunday)."
Nest, last year's Eclipse Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, was the first of the co-sale toppers through the ring when offered as Hip 163 by Highgate Sales, agent. Mike Repole of Repole Stables went to $6,000,000 to secure the four-year-old daughter of Curlin (video), who he previously campaigned with co-owner Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trainer Todd Pletcher. A six-time graded stakes winner at 2 and 3, Nest's championship campaign included three victories at the top level – in the Alabama S. (G1), Ashland S. (G1), and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1).
Reigning Eclipse Champion Female Sprinter Goodnight Olive, fresh off a successful defense of her Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) title Saturday at Santa Anita Park, matched the evening's top price when offered as Hip 237 by ELiTE, agent. Gavin O'Connor, agent for John Stewart, signed the $6,000,000 ticket for the five-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper (video). Campaigned by owners First Row Partners and Team Hanley and trainer Chad Brown, Goodnight Olive has won or placed in all 12 of her career starts to date, with nine victories, and earned $2,196,200. Her resume includes four Grade 1 victories including, in addition to back-to-back victories in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), wins in last year's Ballerina H. (G1) and this year's Madison S. (G1).
"I'm blown away that we grossed over $100,000,000 again this year," added Browning. "It's remarkable, beyond our wildest expectations."
Overall, 154 horses sold for $101,281,000. The average was $657,669, up 9.8% over last year's average of $595,818. The median rose 18% to $295,000 from $250,000 last year. The RNA rate was 24.9%. Twenty-five (25) fillies and mares sold for $1,000,000 or more.
Full results are available online.
10th "Bing Crosby Season" Kicks-Off at Del Mar
For the 10th straight time, Del Mar will present its fall race meeting – called the “Bing Crosby Season” in honor of the track’s iconic founder – starting this weekend and going forward to a Sunday, December 3 finish.
Racing will be conducted over 13 days on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday basis each week with the lone exception to the routine being a Thanksgiving Thursday card on November 23. First post daily will be 12:30 p.m., though that will shift to 11 a.m. for the Turkey Day program.
Opening weekend will feature a trio of stakes, starting Friday with the $75,000 Let It Ride overnight stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf.
The fall session’s full stakes schedule – 13 major stakes and two overnights over the course of the four-week stand – will offer more than $2-million in purses highlighted by a pair of $300,000 Grade I headliners on closing weekend, the Hollywood Derby for 3-year-olds at nine furlongs on turf (Saturday, Dec. 2) and the Matriarch Stakes for older fillies and mares at a mile on the lawn (Sunday, Dec. 3).
The final two weeks of the session will feature eight stakes on grass worth $1.4 million, a “turf meet” inside the regular meet that has proven to be a substantial lure to good grass runners from across the country in previous seasons.
Woodbine Double for Hastings’ Apprentice, Aebly
Hastings’ leading apprentice Fraser Aebly continued the positive start to his Woodbine career with a double earlier this week.
Many congratulations from all your Hastings friends!
Hastings’ Racing Secretary Scott Henson
Addresses Horse Issues
By Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport
Hastings Racecourse racing secretary Scott Henson has set the record straight regarding what he refers to as “negative, unresearched and uneducated” comments that have appeared recently online and in local media outlets.
In an unsolicited message to BC Racebook and the HBPA entitled ‘Straight from the Horses Mouth’, Henson provides an inside look at just how well the equine population is cared for at Hastings.
Here, in part, is what he wants to share:
“Our horses love what they are doing. They have choices and can speak for themselves. Their safety and well-being are of the utmost priority. At the start of the 2023 season, we had just shy of 390 horses on the grounds yet only 340 made a start and of that number about 280 were regular competitors during the race meet.
“Why did 50 not make it to the starting gate? Because they had a choice and in their own way told their owners and trainers that they weren’t ready.
“We have protocols in place that horses must pass and achieve before they are allowed to compete. They must meet a set time during a workout, they have to go through strict gate schooling and must be paddock schooled. Those that do meet all the criteria love and enjoy what they are bred to do.
“I can’t speak for other tracks but I can say at Hastings we have one of the best veterinarians in the business and with our astute track stewards a horse is not entered to race unless it is fully fit to do so.
“Our horses are checked regularly and if there is the slightest chance of not being fit they are put on a registered list and unable to race until they are deemed to be sound. There are athletes all over the world who aren’t given the care these horses are given. A horse’s safety is first and foremost. They are given incredible amounts of grooming, well fed and exercised daily.
“This was a tough year at Hastings. One horse suffered a heart attack, an outside distraction caused another incident, there was an unforeseen situation with a loose horse and there were the normal health issues that had to be dealt with. These are things that happen in all walks of life with humans and animals.
“Let me close by saying our horses at Hastings Racecourse are very well cared for and strict regulations are in place to protect these graceful animals. Negative published articles and social media opinions of late are based on assumptions.”
Up Close and Personal
Woodbine: Free Rein takes you behind the scenes, in the barns, on and off the track for an inside look at what it takes to compete at Canada’s premier racing show place. From legendary trainers to up and coming jocks, Woodbine: Free Rein brings viewers into the races alongside the horse people and their quests for the top purses of the racing season.
New Stride News
Del Mar to Host 2025 Breeders’ Cup
Local racefans can make plans for Southern California for the next two years as Breeders’ Cup announces 42nd Running of World Championships to be held for fourth time in Del Mar - which will also host next season’s event
The Breeders’ Cup, one of Thoroughbred horse racing’s most prestigious international events, today announced that Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will host the 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Located on the edge of the Pacific Ocean in San Diego County, Del Mar – “Where the turf meets the surf” – is set to serve as a Breeders’ Cup host site for a fourth time after also hosting in 2017, 2021, and having been announced previously as the host in 2024. Consisting of 14 Grade 1 races with purses and awards totaling more than $31 million, the 42nd World Championships are scheduled to be held on Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.
“Our return to Del Mar in back-to-back years marks the continuation of a wonderful collaboration and successful partnership, both with our friends at the track and with the greater San Diego area, demonstrating our continued commitment to California horse racing,” said Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Limited. “We look forward to once again gathering where the turf meets the surf as the world’s best Thoroughbreds put on an incredible show.”
Known for its scenic location and prestigious race meetings, Del Mar undertook an extensive expansion of its luxury seating options for its first Breeders’ Cup in 2017. The Breeders’ Cup’s debut at Del Mar resulted in a record-breaking, two-day on-track wagering mark, while also generating an estimated $96.8 million in economic benefits for San Diego County.
The 2021 edition, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, set a wagering record for the World Championships while permitting fans to return in limited numbers with appropriate health measures in place. The 2024 running is scheduled to take place at the seaside oval Nov. 1-2.
“We couldn’t be more excited about hosting back-to-back Breeders’ Cup World Championships and welcoming the very best in international racing back to the town of Del Mar and the greater San Diego area,” said Joe Harper, CEO of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. “The Breeders’ Cup represents the pinnacle in world-class racing and the organization’s willingness to return here again is a testament to the quality of our racing facilities, our idyllic weather, and the warm hospitality shown to our visitors by the local community.”
Fans are encouraged to visit www.breederscup.com/2025 to sign up for ticket information.
Leading Sires in British Columbia
Speakers Announced for TOBA Claiming Seminar
The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association is hosting a Claiming Seminar Saturday, December 2 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, Louisiana. The morning seminar is strategically positioned on the day of the 25th Claiming Crown, an event that will feature eight races totaling $1 million in base purses, headlined by the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel.
Conceived to be a Breeders’ Cup-style event for claiming horses, the Claiming Crown was created in 1999 by the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). The program gives Thoroughbred racing’s workhorses, their owners and trainers a day in the spotlight in recognition of their importance to filling out race cards across the nation. Attendees will learn insights on different aspects of claiming Thoroughbreds, pedigree, past performance and conformation analysis, and more from industry professionals as well as enjoying a day at the races.
The topics and speakers at the seminar include:
• Understanding Racing Office Policy & Procedures, presented by Jason M. Boulet (Fair Grounds, Senior Director of Racing) and Scott L. Jones (Fair Grounds, Racing Secretary)
• Understanding Claiming Strategy & Process, presented by Brett A. Brinkman (Multiple Graded Stakes Winning Trainer) and W. Bret Calhoun (Multiple Graded Stakes Winning Trainer)
The TOBA Claiming Seminar is aimed towards all levels of experience – from beginners to knowledgeable owners looking to continue their education. The clinic is open to the general public, with a special discount for TOBA members. Meals, educational materials, and a TOBA gift bag are included in registration.
Registration is available online, until Tuesday, November 28, at: toba.memberclicks.net/seminars-clinics. Questions about the clinics and seminars may be directed to Barkley N. Porter at barkley@toba.org or (859) 276-6793.
Melbourne Cup Replay
The 2023 Melbourne Cup, ‘the race that stops the nation,’ took place at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday.
A new name has been etched onto the 163-year honour roll of Australia’s greatest race, the Lexus Melbourne Cup, with Mark Zahra racing to victory aboard the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained WITHOUT A FIGHT at Flemington Racecourse to the cheers of a bumper 84,492 racegoers, a 14.5% increase on 2022 attendance.
WITHOUT A FIGHT became the 12th winner of Australia’s most prestigious double, joining the likes of Poseidon, Gurner’s Lane, Let’s Elope, Doriemus and Might And Power as a winner of both the Caulfield Cup and Lexus Melbourne Cup. He was the first to complete the brace since Ethereal in 2001.
Keeneland Coverage by Bloodhorse
