On the evening before the Kentucky Derby, the Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association handed out their annual awards for the horses considered to be the best representatives of the state’s breeding program. Horse of the Year honors went to Team Valor International’s classy sophomore filly Green Up. ... More

Elysian Field came good yesterday fourth time out and first time up in her homeland of Canada. Dropped in trip from a pair of 2-turn Gulfstream Park races to a sprint for the first time since she was a good runner-up on debut sprinting at Saratoga on the grass, she not only displayed plenty of talent, but a lot of moxie, as she rated kindly inside along the fence, had the agility to split horses and the raw talent to draw off down the lane to score easily by 3 1/4 lengths at Woodbine over the Tapeta surface. ... More

Lajoscha did not come into the Altano-Rennen exactly as planned. However, his class prevailed and he won the Listed race with authority for Woehler and jockey Eddie Pedroza in fine style over the 14 furlongs in Berlin. Now Herr Woehler will bring him back in 2 weeks at the same Hoppegarten racecourse for Germany’s top race for Stayers, the Group 2 Oleander-Rennen going 2 miles. ... More

Bella Romanza, which had been bought a year ago off a strong synthetic track breeze in Ocala at the OBS sale of unraced juveniles, reverted to that form when dazzling an Easter Sunday throng at Gulfstream Park yesterday to surprise not only most of those in attendance at the Hallandale track, but her connections as well. “A rare pleasant surprise,” is how trainer Todd Pletcher characterized the 14-to-1 upset fashioned by Bella Romanza in winning her racing bow over 7 ½ furlongs on grass. ... More

Hurricane Dream enjoyed his American debut and took full advantage of a fast pace to not only win by 4 1/2 lengths on Keeneland's opening day, but to run faster by far than any other United States based grass runner around two turns this season. Under Frankie Dettori, Hurricane Dream broke well from the gate, easily recovered when the horse to his left came over on him and he settled into a nice position. ... More

The Charleston, dispatched as the 8 to 1 fourth choice to 9 to 5 favorite Kyalami Girl, overcame the widest of draws on a course that favored inside speed all day long to post a mild upset under a daring and inspired ride from Grant van Niekerk. The Charleston and Kyalami Girl are both trained by Candice Bass-Robinson, who admitted before and after the race that she fancied Gaynor Rupert’s filly over the Team Valor stablemate and did not see how The Charleston would be able to beat the favorite, especially from her draw. ... More

Over the course of the 36 years that Barry Irwin has been forming and managing his stable of syndicated racehorses, the winning strike rate has averaged 18 percent, year in and year out. This year the stable maintained that high level of quality with 18 percent wins once again. La Petite Coco won the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes and the stable scored its 1000th lifetime piece of black-type. ... More

When Saturday’s $300,000 Fall Harvest Stakes was drawn, Team Valor International and Gary Barber’s 4 old filly Wakanaka looked to have been dropped in the deep end of the pool, a fact that was noted by Keeneland’s morning-line maker, who put her at 12-to-1 for the mile contest on grass that capped the second day of the Breeders’ Cup weekend in Lexington, Kentucky. By post time, however, the entire complexion of the race had changed. ... More

Trainer Andreas Woehler and jockey Jozef Bojko teamed up to turn Listed winner Silence Please into a European Group winner on Sunday at the beautiful Hoppegarten course east of Berlin. Woehler instructed the Slovakian-born reinsman to take her right to the back in an effort to completely switch off the mare, then make his move when he felt the timing was right for yesterday’s 3000 meter Group 3 Preis Silbernes Pferd. Still last at the top of the stretch, she caught the leader Nerium approaching the grandstand then drew off to a five length score in Germany's oldest stakes race. ... More

In what was the final French Group win of his fabled career, retiring Champion jockey Gerald Mosse delivered a brilliant ride to score a first Group win aboard Team Valor Interational and Gary Barber's Facteur Cheval in the Group 3 Prix Perth going a mile on heavy going at Saint-Cloud on Saturday. It was only this summer that Mosse clutched Barry Irwin's hands post-race and boldly told him and trainer Jerome Reynier that the 3-year-old was an absolute "superstar." ... More

In a riding exhibition the likes of which fully illustrate why Irad Ortiz Jr. is among the best riders currently plying their trade in North America, the Puerto Rican-born reinsman gathered up the filly, waited patiently for room and seamlessly maneuvered himself into exactly the position he wanted. The filly by Upstart once again drew clear in the stretch, as she has done all year. Final time of 1:39 3/5 was just two-fifths of a second shy of the Parx track record. ... More

Wakanaka scored in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine, increasing her lifetime tally to 7 wins and 5 placings in 13 starts. "She brings her A-game everytime as one can see by her skein of Graded placings since arriving in the U.S." The always consistent, dish-faced beauty is a daughter of the Coolmore stallion Power and produced by the Kodiac mare Storyline. ... More

Green Up answered a lot of questions last Sunday when scoring a facile 5 3/4-length triumph in the Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth Park. She proved she could win around two turns, she proved that she could be just as brilliant in stakes company as she had been when beating up on bums in Florida and she proved that the sky could very well be the limit for her in terms of where her talent can take her. ... More

Facteur Cheval is now 4 for 4, a black-type winner, and a horse that has now made decent rivals look decided moderate in each of his victories. He won by 2 lengths, the same winning margin in all of his races since the 3-year-old Ribchester horse broke his maiden on debut by 5 lengths. When Gerald Mosse swung Facteur Chevel outside to allow the 3-year-old to make his stretch move, many in the Chantilly crowd on Sunday began to applaud the flashy gelding and the intensity of the clapping and whooping increased as he powered to the front, strode clear down the lane and won eased up at the wire with his jockey patting him on the head and neck. ... More

Everything fell into place for La Petite Coco last Sunday at The Curragh racecourse in County Kildare, Ireland and the Ruler of the World filly took full advantage of the opportunity to become a Group 1 winner and provide her super-hot trainer Paddy Twomey with his first career triumph at the highest level in the world of racing. ... More

Mooney Love was last with 600 meters remaining. Panov switched him to the outside in the final quarter-mile and got him rolling right toward the odds-on favorite that looked home free. Mooney Love generated a tremendous closing punch to not only reel in the favorite, but to leave that one in his dust. “I didn’t need to use the stick or anything, he did it all on his own,” Russian-born Panov said. “It was a strong effort and very impressive.” ... More

Team Valor International and Marco Saviozzi's 3-year-old filly Nadette (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}–Ciboulette {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) was two places behind subsequent G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Mangoustine (Fr) when fifth going one mile at Paris-Longchamp in last month's G3 Prix de la Grotte and stepped forward to collect a career high in today's Listed Prix Finlande upped to nine furlongs back at the Bois de Boulogne venue.. ... More

Although she mostly walked out of the gate, the 3-year-old filly was soon into stride and was allowed to move up on her own volition between horses in the initial run down the backstretch through an easy opening quarter-mile of :23 4/5. The second quarter-mile was a different story, as it took less than 23 seconds to accomplish as the half was reached in :46 3/5. Green Up was always moving well in hand. She kept towards the outside around the turn, was allowed to drift wide when sent up at the quarter pole to assume command and was asked to put the race away at the top of the lane. ... More

Nadette displayed instant acceleration in winning her Chantilly comeback today in France and stamped herself as a Miler. There had been considerable discussion over the winter between trainer Romain Le Dren-Doleuze and Barry Irwin about the filly’s true trip, as her runs last season did not offer enough evidence about whether she would be best at the Guineas (mile) or Oaks (10f) trips. “But today, she answered the debate emphatically by summoning instant acceleration, which is the hallmark of a top Miler. ... More

Alan Carasso at the TDN had the following to say upon watching Green Up mow down her field in a Gulfstream Park maiden sprint: "Sent off a mortal lock at odd of 2-to-5, Team Valor International's Green Up (Upstart) improved off a big-figure debut second for previous connections and galloped her six overmatched rivals into the ground, earning "TDN Rising Star' honors for a 6 3/4 length tour-de-force. ... More

Keyflower won her United States unveiling and 4-year-old debut on Saturday at Santa Anita with authority by three-quarters of a length going a mile under a brilliant bit of reinsmanship from fellow French import Flavien Prat. “We got a great ride from a veteran who had the good sense to stay close to the pace, when most riders would have taken back anticipating a fast pace,” noted Barry Irwin. ... More

Black Silver, by virtue of her excellent performance when earning black-type for the first time in the Jamaica Handicap last Friday, had her Merit Rating raised 9 points to 89. Black Silver becomes the second runner produced by Team Valor’s Champion race mare Ebony Flyer to earn black-type in a stakes race. ... More

Spanish Mission overcame physical niggles in Newmarket and Australian quarantine to bring his best game to the US$6-million Melbourne Cup, in which he was a dead-game third. The superb winner, which triumphed by 4 lengths, legally crossed over in front of the Team Valor International color-bearer once barely clear in the closing stage, which caused Spanish Mission to jink and lose valuable momentum. ... More

La Petite Coco, a daughter of Ruler of the World, took one of the biggest scalps available among fillies and mares in the world of turf racing Sunday at The Curragh, when she dug in very late to pass Coolmore’s vaunted filly Love in the last stride or two to claim victory on Irish Champions Weekend in the Group 2 Blandford Stakes. The margin was a nose. ... More

Invite (IRE), which figured to need her return engagement Saturday in the Listed Stand Cup after not having raced since splitting her Group 2 Italian Oaks field as the favorite 3 months earlier, belied conventional wisdom by not only being fit and sharp, but ready to move into a new league. ... More

Spanish Mission has been promoted to Melbourne Cup favorite for owners Team Valor International and Gary Barber, after giving Europe's aging staying champion Stradivarius a major fright in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup at York on Friday. ... More

Thanks to an enterprising ride from trainer Andrew Slattery’s young son Andy Slattery, the rising star Solene Lilyette was able to pull off an upset and win yesterday’s Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes at Gowran Park in Ireland for owners Team Valor International and Gary Barber. ... More

Coming into Saturday's G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks Stakes with a growing reputation, Team Valor's La Petite Coco (Ire) (by Ruler of the World) only served to enhance it significantly as she ruled with an iron fist in the Cork feature ... More

Loveisthehigherlaw, leading from the start, admirably kept to her task and put away Red Hot inside the final furlong. Accola moved up from third to second, was never getting to the winner, but ran a good race in defeat. The 5-year-old “Love” responded to right-handed urging and, once Pedroza knew she was giving her best, he let her finish on her own courage. As she approached the wire, Loveisthehigherlaw was not only in complete control, one could see that she enjoyed winning the race.” ... More

In foal to leading sire Into Mischief, OLEKSANDRA bowed out on a high note by springing a 17-1 upset of odds-on favorite Raging Bull in Sunday’s $250,000 Poker S. (G3) at Belmont Park. The Team Valor International homebred has spent her career as a turf sprinter, but proved effective on the stretch-out to deny a top miler at his own game. Trainer Drysdale said "We decided to try her at a mile hoping she could get the distance, and she did. She’s pregnant, so this was her swan song. She’ll go out on a high note.” ... More

Beantown Baby looked to be a shoe-in on paper at odds of 1-to-2 and that is exactly how it worked out in real life, as after breaking well, she was urged to assume command early by jockey Mychel Sanchez. The filly has never set the pace in any of her 6 turf races. She went to the front, set an uncontested pace early, began to draw off around the turn, she was 4 to 5 lengths in front in the stretch and was slowed to a jog well before she had reached the wire. ... More

Spanish Mission ran the race of his life today at York when he dominated the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup Stakes over 1 mile and 5 furlongs. On the “good” ground he relishes, the Kentucky-bred horse owned by Team Valor International and Gary Barber, repulsed a couple of strong challenges from Coolmore’s Irish Derby hero Santiago and drove to a nearly 3-length triumph today to claim the first prize of more than $95,000. ... More

Axana showed just how special she is when becoming the first German-based racehorse in 7 years to successfully cross the English Channel and win a Group race in the United Kingdom on Saturday, when she repulsed challenge after challenge to prevail by three-quarters of a length in the Group 3 Chartwell Fillies Stakes at Lingfield Park. ... More

By virtue of its Classic win Sunday in the Italian One Thousand Guineas, Team Valor has jumped up to 29th among the world’s leading international racing stables on Thoroughbred Commentary’s Global rankings this season through last Sunday. The rankings are updated on a weekly basis and, until its Group 3 score Sunday, TVI had been absent from the list for the last 6 weeks. ... More

Wakanaka proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that over the Italian Guineas distance of a mile that she is the queen of the Classic generation among both fillies and colts, as she dominated Sunday’s renewal of the Group 3 Regina Elena, Italy’s equivalent of the One Thousand Guineas. In running four-fifths of a second faster than the males in the Two Thousand Guineas equivalent, she earned a Timeform rating of 105, which was 4 pounds superior to the winning colt. ... More

Team Valor International’s last three starts have had a repetitive theme, that is – all three races were run in Germany, all three races resulted in wins, all three winners were trained by Andreas Wöhler, and all three winners were ridden by Eddie Pedroza. This brings the season tally to 54 starts (14 wins – 12 seconds – 6 thirds) and a winning strike rate of 26 percent. ... More

On Thursday TVI partner Harve Hnatiuk spoke at length with Jessica Berry about his experience with the stable since the announcement of its transition to primarily European racing. The South Carolina resident and his wife Cyndee have been involved in Team Valor partnerships for 10 years and recently celebrated their first stakes win in Ireland. ... More

The real Axana showed up Sunday at Hoppegarten racecourse in Eastern Berlin and she looked as good as ever in winning the Listed Gestüts Röttgen going a mile as the third choice to 4-year-old No Limit Credit. The runner-up was favored. Last December at the Arqana sale in Deauville, the secondplace finisher sold for more than $580,000. ... More

After their success with Maoilin at Dundalk on Wednesday there was more success up in grade for Team Valor, Paddy Twomey and Billy Lee when Moll triumphed in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Noblesse Stakes at Cork. ... More

Animal Kingdom’s Australian-bred Grade 1 winner Oleksandra has been declared “in-foal” to super-hot stallion Into Mischief on a March 10 cover date. According to The Jockey Club rules, “an in-foal mare may continue to race for 120 days from the date of cover.” Bluewater Sales will offer her at Keeneland in November to dissolve the partnership. ... More

Irish-bred The Deputy, trained by Jenine Sahadi for Team Valor and Gary Barber to win the $1-million Santa Anita Derby in 2000 and second choice in the Kentucky Derby, is now safely ensconced in Texas after some maneuvering to rescue him from a “kill pen” on a feedlot about an hour north of Dallas week before last. When intrepid horse lovers used their Internet monitoring skills to learn that the now 24-year-old stallion had been bought cheaply at a sale in Iowa and transported to the feedlot in Texas, word spread fast and Team Valor CEO Barry Irwin quickly managed to buy him on behalf of his longtime partner Barber and ex-trainer Sahadi. ... More

With Sunday’s easy victory by Media Storm at Mont-de-Marsan in France, the stable’s statistics push ever higher to where they currently stand at 23.7% wins (or 24% for those among you who enjoy rounding up). Is that figure the best opening quarter in history? No, but it’s the second-best in the last decade, and a remarkable turn-around from the slow start earlier in the year. ... More

Racing over a typically souped-up Tampa Bay Derby strip that saw speed dominate most of the races prior to Saturday’s sixth race, Team Valor International’s once-raced Nyquist colt Untreated turned his maiden race upside down with a powerful move as he was racing on the backstretch before reaching the far turn. He went past rivals so easily, it was a revelatory moment when he switched gears and employed long strides while racing wide. ... More

Team Valor International and Gary Barber’s Spanish Mission, wearing the Hollywood movie mogul’s distinctive shocking pink silks, opened his 2021 account with an excellent performance to finish a closing second today in Saudi Arabia on the Saudi Cup undercard. Second place was worth $500,000 as the $2.5-million purse is the second biggest in the world for a grass handicap behind only the Melbourne Cup, which coincidentally remains his seasonal goal in November over 2 miles. ... More

"She was so full of herself and so on point today that I couldn't wait and moved her much earlier than I would have liked," jockey Aldo Domeyer explained, "but I saw the winning post and I knew she would win today. She warmed up brilliantly, she went down to post very well and Candice had her on song today. She won so easily. She pricked her ears and won eased down. It was her day. She is not done -- I think she will win more of these blacktype races." ... More