Hall of Famer John Velazquez made the most of his trip for Fall Stars Weekend at Keeneland that included 11 stakes races carded over three days. Five of the stakes races were grade 1. The ageless Velazquez won two as well as a grade 3 stakes race.
In this week's Porter on Pedigrees, Claiborne Farm's War Front may now be pensioned, but he still played a major part in the destination of three important juvenile races over the weekend.
This week's Podcast Playback looks at quotes of interest from racing podcasts Oct. 1-7, including Barry Irwin, owner of Team Valor International, discussing the decision to skip the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) with U. S. S. Valor.
At the end of the day of trade, 129 horses had changed hands for gross receipts of $3,525,000, including private sales. The gross was almost on par with last year's corresponding session of $3,632,600 from 163 horses to sell.
With many top horses having already completed their final preps ahead of the Breeders' Cup, the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Thoroughbred Poll shows little movement despite a flurry of graded stakes action last week.
The Irish horse racing and betting sectors were among the winners in the Oct. 6 budget, with Horse Racing Ireland's funding due to increase while the rate of betting tax has been left unchanged.
History was made at Tattersalls Oct. 6 as a striking son of Night of Thunder rewrote the European sales record books, selling for 4,600,000 guineas to Godolphin.