Aron Wellman

Aron Wellman, the president and founder of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, has had big days, buy maybe nothing quite like the one he had last Saturday. Horses owned in part by Eclipse won the GI Santa Anita Handicap, the GII San Felipe and the GIII Herecomesthebride Stakes. And while that was going on he was putting the finishing touches on an agreement for his Big Cap winner Locked (Gun Runner) to stand at stud at Gainesway. With many subjects to cover, Wellman was this week's guest on the TDN Writers' Room...

Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners joined this week's TDN Writers' Room after a huge weekend at Santa Anita for his partnership. The group co-owns GI Santa Anita Handicap victor Locked and GII San Felipe Stakes winner Journalism.

With less than five weeks remaining to Dubai World Cup night at the sprawling Meydan Racecourse Apr. 5, the American challenge for the $12-million main event is coming together, with at least two U.S.-based middle-distance gallopers targeting the 2000-meter contest. Wathnan Racing's Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) has come out of his distant third-place effort to 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner) in Saturday's GI Santa Anita Handicap in good order and connections have accepted an invitation to the World Cup, Case Clay, Wathnan's U.S. advisor, confirmed Sunday. "Will pow-wow...

'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner) has always been highly regarded. By one of the nation's hottest sires and sold for $425,000 as a 2022 Keeneland September yearling, he affirmed that regard with a Grade I win at two. Sent to the sidelines for nearly a year before coming back to win the GII Cigar Mile Handicap in his only stakes start at three, he opened his 4-year-old campaign with a second to White Abarrio (Race Day) in the Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park before shipping...

Breeders and horsemen aiming to fight Florida's decoupling bills launched the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative (TRI) Tuesday, billed as "an industry collaboration created to fight for live horse racing in Florida and elsewhere in the United States," according to a release from the new organization. Thayer Communications & Consulting's Damon Thayer, a 22-year veteran of the Kentucky State Senate and Majority Floor Leader for 12 years, has been picked as senior adviser of the group. Decoupling has been an issue at the forefront of the sport for the past month, when...

3rd-Tampa Bay Downs, $32,000, Msw, 2-14, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:22.97, ft, 4 lengths. FONDLY (f, 3, Upstart--Lifetime Memory, by Istan), who made her debut with Lasix and as a 7-1 shot here, tracked just behind the leaders from the rail up the backstretch. The filly looked like a loaded pistol heading into the far turn, but she nearly clipped the heels of pacesetter Sunset Express (Khozan), which forced her to steady. Unwilling to sign off, Fondly spun to the three path for the drive down the lane, collared the frontrunners...

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' President and Founder Aron Wellman advised via text Saturday morning that 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), the two-back winner of the GII Cigar Mile Handicap and recent runner-up in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes, will pass up an invitation to the G1 Saudi Cup Feb. 22 and instead will focus on a domestic campaign for 2025. "While we appreciate the gracious invite and the purse money is tempting, we're going to focus on a domestic campaign, with our near-term goal being the Big 'Cap,"...

Paul F. Oreffice, who spoke fewer than 50 words of English when he arrived in America in the mid-1940s and went on to become a partner in multiple Classic-winning Thoroughbred horses in addition to a successful career in the business world, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, at his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. He was 97 years old. Born in Venice, Italy, on Nov. 29, 1927, Oreffice moved with his family to Quito, Ecuador, and came to the U.S. in 1945, attending Purdue University...

How did we get hooked on this sport? We all have stories about how our love affair developed and blossomed. The TDN will be reaching out to numerous notable people in the industry to get their stories to find out how they got hooked and stayed hooked on the sport. Brian Spearman, Chairman, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners Growing up in Saratoga, it's pretty inevitable that you're going to fall in love with horse racing if you love horses and you love the whole atmosphere. As a young adult, I went to...

For over a decade, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners has built a reputation for racing Grade I-winning fillies who go on to prove successful, both in the sales ring, and then in the breeding shed. The operation was part of the partnership which sold champion Nest (Curlin) for $6 million last year and it sold Feathered (Indian Charlie), who subsequently produced superstar Flightline (Tapit), for $2.35 million in 2016. Eclipse will once again be loaded with top-shelf fillies on offer at next week's breeding stock sales in Lexington. "From the get-go, we...

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), an impressive winner of last fall's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland and most recently third as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Nov. 3, returned to the races in style with a runaway victory in the opener at the Big A Saturday. Favored at 2-5 and racing with first-time Lasix, he was ridden by John Velazquez to keep pace in second, set his sights on Gun It (Tapit) approaching the quarter pole...

7th-Keeneland, $100,000, Msw, 10-6, 2yo, 7f, 1:23.96, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. BUILT (c, 2, Hard Spun--Sea Garden, by Curlin) finished fourth on debut, but then was elevated to third after another horse was disqualified at Ellis Park Aug. 24. The winner who collected a 'TDN Rising Star' badge for his effort and was just crowned as the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity champ was East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro). As the 2-1 second choice here, Built raced in between runners out of the chute and then set up shop off sole leader...