Gary Barber

On a night that saw Patches O'Houlihan (Reload) take home both Canadian Horse of the Year and Male Sprinter honors, Kevin Attard finally ended the 13-year consecutive streak of dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse when he won Outstanding Trainer by a single vote at the 50th Sovereign Awards presented by The Jockey Club of Canada which was held outside the city of Toronto, the organization said in a press release late Thursday. Besting Casse 135 to 134 in the tally, Attard pushed the outside of the envelope in what...

White Abarrio followed up his scintillating win in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January with a romping score in the GIII Ghostzapper Stakes at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Sent off the 1-9 favorite, the gray veteran broke sharply and sat just off pacesetting longshot One Sharp Cookie (Sharp Azteca) with the filly Power Squeeze racing just to his outside through an opening quarter in :22.82. He moved to take the lead with Power Squeeze matching his move as the half went up in :45.98. White Abarrio skipped clear of...

Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) pleased his connections in his final bit of serious work at Cagnes-sur-Mer on Saturday, before an intended appearance in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan on Friday, January 24. Trained by Jerome Reynier for Team Valor International and Gary Barber, Facteur Cheval is no stranger to Meydan, having made the breakthrough at the top level when winning the $5-million Dubai Turf back in March. He was last seen filling the runner-up spot in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, pushing the outstanding...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale continued its brisk pace Wednesday, with figures tracking towards a record gross figure as the auction heads into its final session Thursday. "It was another excellent session of the October sale," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "The sale continued to show strength and consistency in bidding activity from the beginning to the end of the session." Through three sessions, 839 yearlings have grossed $43,346,500 for an average of $51,664 and a median of $20,000. At the same point a year ago,...

National Hunt stallion Triple Threat (Fr) sustained a mortal injury in his paddock, Capital Stud announced on Wednesday. The 14-year-old son of Monsun (Ger) was standing his first season at the stud for a private fee. "The whole Capital Stud team is devastated by the news," said the stud's Ger O'Neill. "He was very popular in his first season here and we were looking forward to covering many more mares with him in future, but sadly it wasn't to be. "However, we look forward to seeing his first Irish foals...

Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl-winning tight end Travis Kelce, along with the Zoldan family, have acquired a significant share of Team Valor International's interest in Gary Barber's Swift Delivery (Not This Time), Team Valor's Barry Irwin announced Tuesday. The Zoldan family have been members of Team Valor's syndicates for nearly four decades, including as partners in 2011 GI Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. Bruce Zoldan, founder and CEO of Phantom Fireworks, attended this year's Derby along with Ohio native Kelce, who is friends with Zoldan's son, Alex. Irwin said the...

Last month's Listed Star Stakes runner-up Anshoda (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}--Silk Fan {Ire}, by Unfuwain) was acquired by Team Valor and Gary Barber after that black-type debut and stepped forward to claim a career high in Saturday's G3 William Hill Prestige Fillies' Stakes at Goodwood. Anshoda was positioned behind the leaders in fourth for most of this pattern-race bow. Nudged along to reduced arrears soon after turning for home, the 4-1 chance came under sterner urging to go second approaching the furlong pole and was driven out to defeat...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. --Though he was en route to Toronto Thursday, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said he had a clear view of She's Got Will's (War of Will) one-length victory in the sixth race at Saratoga Race Course. Casse watched the 1 1/16th miles $100,000 maiden special weight race for 2-year-old fillies on his iPad on the Queen Elizabeth Way in southern Ontario about 30 miles from Niagara Falls. He was headed from Saratoga to Woodbine Racetrack for Saturday's $1-million King's Plate Stakes, where he will saddle Essex...

Mark Casse has only won the Queen's Plate/King's Plate three times, which is a little surprising when you consider how he dominates racing at Woodbine. But when 13 Canadian-breds line up for Saturday's first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown Casse will hold a clear upper hand. Among his three horses are 7-5 morning line favorite My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince) and 2-1 second choice Essex Serpent (Honor Code). He will also send out long shot Midnight Mascot (Army Mule), who is 10-1 in the line. He believes this year's...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In the fall of every year, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is out on the recruiting trail. He looks for the best four-legged athletes he can find. He goes to Lexington to seek out young talent. If Thursday's sixth race at Saratoga Race Course-- a $100,000 maiden special weight at 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf--is any indication, coach Casse may have found a couple of  blue chippers at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Tracy Farmer's Abientot (Not This Time) finished strongly to...

OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training got a late boost from its supplemental section when a colt by Uncle Mo brought the top price of $375,000 during Friday's final session of the three-day auction. The 2024 June sale concluded with numbers just a tick off the sale's 2023 renewal. A total of 582 2-year-olds grossed $21,386,800 during the three-day auction, with the average of $36,747 down 2.2% from last year's figure and the median held at $20,000. Ramon Morales purchased Friday's session...

Last year, My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince) secured top honors as the Sovereign Award winner for the best 2-year-old colt north of the border after he was the runner-up in the GI bet365 Summer S.  in Toronto and third in the GI Prevagen Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. The 3-year-old had a tough start to this year's campaign as he finished eighth in the Palisades S. at Keeneland Apr. 7, but he returned home to rebound with a 6 3/4-length win May 19. Backed to the hilt at...