Irish jockey Michael O’Sullivan died on Sunday, 10 days after sustaining injuries in a fall at Thurles Racecourse in Ireland, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) said.

O’Sullivan, aged 24, who has ridden 90 winners in Ireland and five in Britain, and his mount Wee Charlie were one of three fallers at the final fence in the second race on the Feb. 6 card.

O’Sullivan was treated on the course before being airlifted to a hospital, where he was placed in intensive care.

“Michael sadly passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning surrounded by his loving family in Cork University Hospital,” Dr. Jennifer Pugh, Chief Medical Officer of the IHRB, said in a statement.

His family made the decision to donate his organs, Pugh said.

“I have had the privilege of knowing Michael through his amateur and professional career, and his dedication, modesty and kind nature always made him a pleasure to be around,” Pugh added.

“The O’Sullivan family have asked for privacy at this time.”

O’Sullivan went pro in 2022, and he won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Fred Winter at Cheltenham the following year.

“Michael was an exceptionally talented young rider who was always popular in the weigh room and will be deeply missed by everyone in racing who had the pleasure of knowing him,” said Darragh O’Loughlin, chief executive of the IHRB.

As a mark of respect, Sunday’s fixture at Punchestown and the point-to-point fixtures in Ireland have been cancelled.

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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — White Abarrio won the $3 million Pegasus World Cup with a dominant performance at Gulfstream on Saturday.

He ran 1⅛ miles in 1:48.05 under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who earned his third career Pegasus victory.

Sent off as the 5-2 favorite, White Abarrio paid $7.60, $3.80 and $3.

Locked returned $3.20 and $2.40, while Skippylongstocking paid $4.40.

White Abarrio hit the apex of his career in 2023 when he won the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic as well as the Whitney at Saratoga for trainer Rick Dutrow. The horse won the Florida Derby at Gulfstream in 2022.

The horse had been transferred when his Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was barred from racing at Churchill Downs and in New York after two of his horses died suddenly 48 hours apart in races at Churchill in the weeks leading up to the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

White Abarrio’s owners wanted to run him in the Met Mile at Belmont, so they chose the New York-based Dutrow to oversee him. The horse went back to Joseph’s barn in June 2024.

“Today he was spectacular,” a teary-eyed Joseph said. “I’m just thankful.”

In the $1 million Pegasus Turf, Spirit of St Louis edged Integration by a neck.

The 6-year-old gelding ran 1⅛ miles on turf in 1:44.50, just off the track record of 1:44.45 set by last year’s winner Warm Heart. He paid $17.80 to win at 7-1 odds.

Spirit of St Louis was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and trained by Chad Brown, who won the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding trainer earlier in the week.

Chasing the Crown was third.

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — Thorpedo Anna won Horse of the Year honors at the Eclipse Awards on Thursday night, becoming only the second 3-year-old filly to beat male competition for the top trophy.

Trained by Ken McPeek, she earned six Grade 1 victories last year, including the Kentucky Oaks, and finished second in the Travers to Fierceness. She also claimed 3-year-old filly honors in the 54th annual ceremony at The Breakers Palm Beach.

Thorpedo Anna received 193 out of a possible 240 first-place votes. Sierra Leone finished second with 10 votes and Fierceness received five.

Filly Rachel Alexandra was the 2009 Horse of the Year.

Sierra Leone, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November, won 3-year-old male honors.

Chad Brown won his fifth career Eclipse as Trainer of the Year. He trains Sierra Leone, who lost a dramatic three-way photo finish to the McPeek-trained Mystik Dan in the Kentucky Derby and finished third in the Belmont Stakes. Brown was the leading money earner among North American trainers with over $30 million in purses.

“I finally beat Ken McPeek in a photo,” Brown joked. “If you want to trade photos, I’ll take the Derby.”

Flavien Prat, who won two Breeders’ Cup races last year including the Classic, was voted top jockey. The 32-year-old Frenchman broke Jerry Bailey’s record with 56 graded stakes victories in the year.

“It’s a lot of hard work, dedication and it couldn’t have been done without the support of all the owners, the trainers, their dedicated staff and horses, of course,” Prat said.

Erik Asmussen, the youngest son of North America’s all-time leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, earned apprentice jockey honors. The 22-year-old, who is based in Texas, rode his first career winner last January at Sam Houston Park. Asmussen’s uncle, Cash, won the same award in 1979.

“This game means everything to me,” an emotional Asmussen said. “Thank you to my family. I got the best group around me. Most importantly, just thank you to the horses. They’re special.”

Godolphin LLC was honored as outstanding owner for the fifth consecutive year, while Godolphin was voted as top breeder.

Citizen Bull was named the 2-year-old male champion, while 2-year-old filly honors went to Immersive.

Other winners were: National Treasure as older dirt male; Idiomatic as older dirt female; Straight No Chaser as male sprinter; Soul of an Angel as female sprinter; Ireland-bred Rebel’s Romance as male turf horse; Moira as female turf horse; and Snap Decision as steeplechase horse.

The awards are voted on by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

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LOS ANGELES — A flare-up of the wildfire on the west side of Los Angeles that prompted new evacuations has caused Santa Anita to cancel horse racing this weekend.

The track in Arcadia, near the smoldering Eaton fire that decimated Altadena, had said Friday that it would go ahead with Saturday racing, pending air quality conditions.

However, track officials said early Saturday that given the Friday night developments involving the Palisades fire, there will be no racing this weekend.

They said air quality standards at the track remain well within the limits set by the California Horse Racing Board and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, but cited the growing impact of the fires throughout Los Angeles County.

The sprawling 90-year-old track is being used to support several relief efforts.

The charity drop-off that was set up at the Rose Bowl was relocated to Santa Anita’s south parking lot on Friday. Southern California Edison is using the entire north parking lot as its base camp to restore power to those in the affected areas. The track is working with other organizations requesting space.

Morning training will continue as scheduled Saturday and Sunday. The track has its own security staff and does not use local first responders for normal events.

Rescheduled dates for the postponed races will be announced later.

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Santa Anita Park postponed Friday’s racing program until Jan. 16 because of poor air quality forecast in Arcadia, California, near the Eaton Fire.

The California Horse Racing Board approved the rescheduling of the 10-race card, which will be run with the horses previously entered.

“While Santa Anita continues to remain well outside of any active fire area, the smoke from the wildfires is affecting all of Los Angeles County,” track general manager Nate Newby said Thursday. “We also want to respect the impact that this tragedy has had on many of our community, including our horsemen and women and our own Santa Anita team, who have been devastated by these fires.”

A decision on Saturday and Sunday’s racing will be made Friday.

The track was handing out N-95 masks to all backstretch and frontside workers as well as protective eyewear because of the smoke.

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ARCADIA, Calif. — Barnes defeated stablemate Romanesque by 5½ lengths to win the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert in a field of Kentucky Derby hopefuls on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Barnes ran seven furlongs in 1:22.15 and paid $4, $2.80 and $2.10 as the slight even-money favorite. The 3-year-old colt had $307 more in the win pool than Bullard.

“I knew he would run well,” Baffert said. “I was watching Juan, he knows the horse well, and he said he was a little green. But everyone who has worked him says he has another gear. They are all a little green. The second (race) out is the most important for all these horses.”

Barnes improved to 2-0. He was purchased for $3.2 million as a 2-year-old by owner Amr Zedan.

“He had to really stretch to get this horse,” Baffert said. “When you have clientele like that, it is everything.”

Romanesque, also trained by Baffert, returned $5.20 and $2.40. Bullard was another half-length back in third and paid $2.10 to show.

Making his second career start and first in a stakes race, Barnes dueled on the lead with McKinzie Street in the opening half-mile. Barnes spurted away midway through the second turn and ran strongly through the stretch to close out the win.

“He’s really good. I love him,” said Hernandez, who was riding Barnes for the first time. “He was aggressive down the backside but he’s still learning how to run. I like him because around the quarter pole, he got off the bridle and was kind of looking around a little bit. But when I corrected him, he came back to me. I was really surprised how he finished today.”

Baffert said Barnes reminded him of his 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Barnes is named after Baffert’s longtime assistant, Jimmy Barnes.

“They surprised me and I was honored,” Barnes said. “I was a little nervous, but it is working out well so far. I had a little bit of a knot in my stomach, but it will only get better after this.”

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ARCADIA, Calif. — All-Stars Alex Bregman and Walker Buehler have teamed as owners of a 3-year-old colt that won for the first time at Santa Anita on Friday.

March of Time defeated four rivals by 2 1/4 lengths to win a six-furlong sprint race worth $60,000 that was designated for horses that never have won. The $60,000 purse was representative of the quality of the horses entered.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, March of Time paid $4.60 to win as the wagering favorite. The colt took over the lead in the upper stretch and put away eventual runner-up Santarena with a furlong to go.

1 for 1 LETS GO https://t.co/FZbQPH66au

— Walker Buehler (@buehlersdayoff) December 28, 2024

Sired by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, who was trained by Baffert, the colt’s other owner is Baffert’s wife, Jill.

Buehler, who helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series this year and reportedly has agreed to a free agent deal with the Boston Red Sox, is a longtime friend of the couple.

Bregman, also a free agent, spent the past nine seasons playing third base for the Houston Astros and helped them to a pair of World Series titles.

March of Time was previously owned by the high-powered trio of Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith of Coolmore. The colt finished second in his racing debut a year ago.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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ARCADIA, Calif. — Raging Torrent won the $200,000 Malibu Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths on Thursday at Santa Anita, with Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan finishing last in the final Grade 1 stakes of the year in the United States.

Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Raging Torrent ran seven furlongs in 1:21.54 and paid $7.20 to win as the 5-2 favorite in the field of six on opening day of Santa Anita’s 90th winter meet.

“We really thought going into it we were the best horse,” winning trainer Doug O’Neill said. “Just watching him day in, day out, he was training out of this world.”

Mystik Dan, a nose winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby in the closest three-horse finish since 1947, was last. The 3-year-old colt raced for the first time since finishing eighth in the Belmont Stakes in June.

Stronghold , seventh in the Kentucky Derby, was second. A trio of Bob Baffert trainees were third, fourth and fifth: Imagination, Pilot Commander and Winterfell.

There was a stewards’ inquiry involving the stretch run between Imagination and Pilot Commander. The stewards ruled that Imagination did lug out and make contact with Pilot Commander, but it didn’t affect the order of finish and no changes were made.

Dettori celebrated with his trademark flying dismount in a crowded winner’s circle.

“Of course, I was afraid of Mystik Dan, but I thought the day to beat him was today,” Dettori said. “At seven-eighths, my horse was very sharp and he proved it.”

Mystik Dan was sprinting for the first time in over a year. He was the first current Kentucky Derby winner to race at Santa Anita since California Chrome in 2015. After his narrow Derby win, Mystik Dan finished second in the Preakness.

“He broke good, but it just seemed like we were always chasing,” jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said. “I think shortening up took away from him. After running a mile and a quarter, it is tough to go back to seven-eighths. The horse is fine.”

Other races – Johannes, the 1-5 favorite, rallied down the stretch to win the $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes by three-quarters of a length. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the 4-year-old colt ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:46.50 and paid $2.60 to win for trainer Tim Yakteen.

– 16-1 shot J B Strikes Back won the newly renamed $200,000 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths. Ridden by Antonio Fresu, the 3-year-old gelding ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.80 and paid $34.80 to win. Trained by Doug O’Neill, J B Strikes Back is owned by Purple Rein Racing, the stable of Janie Buss. Her late father, Jerry Buss, owned the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, which are now controlled by her sister, Jeanie Buss. O’Neill’s other horse, 3-2 favorite Katonah, finished sixth.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Thorpedo Anna, the favorite to earn Horse of the Year honors after winning six of seven races this year, has undergone minor dental surgery to remove a bone fragment in her jaw.

The 3-year-old is currently on a break at trainer Ken McPeek’s farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and wasn’t scheduled to return to racing until next year.

Thorpedo Anna had a small sore inside her mouth and further testing showed a small piece of dead bone that became separated from healthy bone in her jaw.

“After the Breeders’ Cup, we noticed a persistent sore in her mouth that didn’t heal during her time off,” McPeek posted on his Facebook page Sunday. “Further investigation led to the discovery of a small splinter of bone causing the problem. The procedure to remove it was done standing, and we’re optimistic it will no longer be an issue for her. Thorpedo Anna’s strength and cooperative nature were remarkable throughout this process.”

Thorpedo Anna will join McPeek’s stable at Fair Grounds in New Orleans next month to resume training.

In 2024, she won the Kentucky Oaks, Acorn Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks, Cotillion Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Her only loss was a second-place finish to champion Fierceness while facing males in the Travers at Saratoga.

Thorpedo Anna is the favorite to win Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly at the Eclipse Awards on Jan. 23.

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LONDON — Top Italian jockey Frankie Dettori said he is “working closely” with Britain’s tax authorities after losing a challenge to avoid being publicly named in a tax dispute.

Dettori has been involved in a legal dispute with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which denied him some deductions for income tax.

A judge ruled in 2022 that Dettori could have anonymity during the case, Britain’s Press Association reported. The jockey was named in a court ruling Monday after losing a bid to continue having the publication of his name suppressed.

The PA news agency was among the media who challenged Dettori’s right to anonymity and has published a statement from him, in which he said he has hired new advisers “to unravel the mess that I have been put in.”

“A few years ago I employed the services of professional specialist tax advisers to look after mine and my family’s financial affairs,” Dettori said in the statement. “A structure was created and I was told that it had been approved by HMRC.

“Years later HMRC is now challenging that structure. My former advisers have since been dismissed.”

Dettori added that his new advisers and management team “are also working closely with HMRC to resolve the matter as swiftly as possible.”

Hui Ling McCarthy, the lawyer working for HMRC, said the fact that Dettori “may be in the public eye and may prefer the public not to know about his affairs does not justify the principle of open justice being restricted,” PA reported.

Dettori announced in December 2022 that he would be retiring at the end of the 2023 season, but reversed that decision and moved to compete in the United States.

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