Phoenix Thoroughbreds

Grade I winner Dream Tree (Uncle Mo--Afleet Maggi, by Afleet Alex) is carrying her first foal by Curlin. Owned by Phoenix Thoroughbreds and trained by Bob Baffert, the $750,000 FTFMAR buy won five of seven races for earnings of $529,845. Her career highlights include wins in the 2017 GI Starlet S. and 2018 GII Las Virgenes S. and GII Prioress S. "Dream Tree has been a special horse for us," said Phoenix Thoroughbreds head of US operations Tom Ludt. "She had a great will to win and was a true...

Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}), runner-up by a nose in last year's G1 Dubai World Cup, will have Ryan Moore in the saddle in his bid to go one better next Saturday at Meydan. Moore rode Gronkowski in his first two starts in Britain in the autumn of 2017, both defeats, but hasn't been aboard him since. Frankie Dettori, who partnered Gronkowski last out in an off-the-board finish in the Saudi Cup, rides GI Belmont S. winner Sir Winston (Awesome Again) in the World Cup. Oisin Murphy, who rode Gronkowski in last...

MGSW Signora Cabello (Ire) (Camacho {GB}-Journalist {Ire}, by Night Shift), who was also second in the G1 Prix Morny, will visit Coolmore's Galileo (Ire) this spring, owner Phoenix Thoroughbreds announced on Wednesday. A winner of the G2 Queen Mary S. and G2 Prix Robert Papin, the former John Quinn trainee was retired in September with a mark of 11-4-1-0 and $310,977 in earnings. "I think she'll make a very good broodmare," said Quinn in September. "She's blessed with great speed, a great constitution and a will to win. She was...

Phoenix Thoroughbreds, embroiled in controversy since its founder Amer Abdulaziz was named in an alleged money laundering and fraud scandal, has released a statement regarding its long-term commitment to racing. The statement reads as follows: "Phoenix Thoroughbreds wishes to reiterate our long-term commitment and continued investment in the equine industry after our recent homebred successes. We are delighted with the success of Farnan, our first homebred winner. His achievements are the culmination of years of ambition, vision and hard work as part of our ongoing long-term breeding strategy. As a...

Phoenix Thoroughbreds and trainer Martyn Meade-who conditioned the owners' Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) to win three Group 1s-have reportedly parted ways. The story was first reported by Racing Post. Meade told that publication, "I no longer train for Phoenix." Meade's son-in-law Dermot Farrington also left his post as a bloodstock advisor to Phoenix in November after it came out that Phoenix was alleged to be wrapped up in a money laundering scandal. Phoenix Thoroughbreds owns an estimated 300 Thoroughbreds on five continents.

Goffs on Thursday released the catalogue for its flagship Orby yearling sale, with 472 yearlings set to be offered on Oct. 1 and 2. This year, Orby celebrated a second consecutive Oaks winner when Channel (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was victorious in the G1 Prix de Diane. Bred by Kilcarn Stud, Channel was an €18,000 private purchase at Orby in 2017 by Meridian International. The year prior, G1 Investec Oaks winner Forever Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) had been bought by MV Magnier for €900,000. One of the highlights of this year's...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The countdown to next year's inaugural Saudi Cup officially began Wednesday evening with a gala organized by the race's officials in the walking ring at the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds in Saratoga. The race, scheduled to be run next Feb. 29 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, will be run over 1800 meters of the dirt track and will be worth $20 million--making it the world's richest race. The field will have a maximum of 14 runners, with $10 million going to the winner. Hosted by television...

Tom Ludt has done a lot in the horse racing industry. He was the president of Vinery, the chairman of the Breeders' Cup and has worked for the Stronach Group. But never has he been involved with a project as ambitious as Phoenix Thoroughbreds. Ludt was hired in December to head the U.S. operations for the trailblazing stable that has emerged in less than two years as a major force on the global racing scene and is spending millions at the sales in order to achieve its goals. Ludt is...