Royal Victory Thoroughbreds - January Newsletter

Hello Royal Victory Thoroughbreds Partners and Racing Enthusiasts,

The start of any new year is often a time of reflection and resolutions combined with a renewal of optimism.

As we throw away the 2025 calendar and open the new one to January, there are several reasons for Royal Victory Thoroughbreds Partners to be optimistic. While the sun will still rise late and set early this month as the rain predictably falls in the Pacific Northwest, something feels different today. Could this be the sign of foreshadowing for a rebound in performance and long awaited return to the Winners Circle? While RVT begins this year at a time of uncertainty and transition, it also comes with modest expectations for improvement.

There is no doubt that 2025 was a challenging year. Losing the Northern California racing circuit was impactful. The short summer meet at Emerald Downs was impactful. Injuries to our horses was impactful. Poor racing luck and a limited condition book was impactful.

Although nothing has materially changed between Dec 31 and Jan 1, RVT has solid reasons to look forward to this year and overcoming the frustrations of ‘25. This includes:

• 5-time winner, Princess Hekawi, will return to Emerald Downs this spring.

• Jess In Time, who raced just twice and Native Empress, who ran only once as Juveniles both return to Emerald Downs as promising Sophomores in ‘26.

• Bang and a Boom and Snowboarder have gained valuable experience in late ‘25 and are better positioned to graduate as winners in ‘26.

• Chief Wild Eagle is currently training well after placing three times (in four races) at Emerald Downs this past summer.

• Lucky Tin Tin (2023) and Louisville Liam (2022) are both expected to make their career debuts at Laurel Park in the spring/summer of 2026.

We cannot change the situation in California or extend the meet at Emerald Downs, but we can load up on race-ready horses to kickoff Emerald Downs in May. We can also point to Turf Paradise in Arizona for more racing throughout the fall and winter months. We cannot predict or anticipate injuries, but we can expect more than three combined races for Princess Hekawi, Lucky Tin Tin and Louisville Liam in ‘26. We should also exceed the three combined races for Jess in Time and Native Empress in ‘25.

As we enter the new year, six of our eight horses of racing age are maidens. This creates a golden opportunity for a bevy of our horses to breakthrough and for our past winners to revisit their past glory! After all, 2026 will be the Year of the Horse!

On the racetrack, December was another very quiet month with just one race and a pair of works to close out the year. Bang and a Boom finished fourth at Los Alamitos in a tough maiden race in early December and Chief Wild Eagle recorded the only two breezes during the month at Santa Anita.

January will bring a slight uptick in action as three RVT horses should be entered including the aforementioned Bang and a Boom and Chief Wild Eagle, along with Snowboarder. Most of our horses, however, remain turned out for winter as they get ready for the spring and summer racing seasons.

🐴 RVT Horses - In Training 🏇

• Chief Wild Eagle (CA)- Last race at EMERALD DOWNS (8/17), 2nd place. In training at Santa Anita - next projected start is January at Santa Anita.

• Bang and a Boom (CA) - Last race at LOS ALAMITOS (12/7), 4th place. In training at Santa Anita - next projected start is January at Turf Paradise.

• Snowboarder (KY) - Last race at LAUREL PARK (11/29), 11th place. In training at Laurel Park - next projected start is January at Laurel Park.

🚜 RVT Horses - Turned Out 🧺

• Lucky Tin Tin (MD) - Unraced and turned out in Virginia. Expected to return to training at Laurel Park in mid-January.

• Princess Hekawi (CA) - Turned out in Yakima. Projected to return to training at Emerald Downs in March/April 2026.

• Louisville Liam -Unraced and turned out in Virginia. Projected to return to training this upcoming Spring.

• Jess in Time - Turned out in Yakima. Projected to return to training at Emerald Downs in March/April 2026.

• Native Empress - Turned out in Yakima. Projected to return to training at Emerald Downs in March/April 2026.

Entry Alerts ⚠️ Upcoming RVT Races

Check the website regularly for latest RVT entries

Timed Workouts: December 2025:

• Chief Wild Eagle g, 19 worked 5F in 1:00.8 on 12/28/25 at Santa Anita Park

• Chief Wild Eagle g, 19 worked 4f in 47.6 on 12/04 at Santa Anita Park.

Race Results: December 2025

• Bang and a Boom g, 21 finished 4th in the 1st race, a MCL race, on 12/07/25 at LOS ALAMITOS

In the Spotlight < Spun in a Million, 20

After just four races as a 3-year-old, it became clear that Spun in a Million was having difficulty finishing races. A medical diagnosis revealed a pharyngeal disorder, which had impacted her breathing and performance. It was not a disorder in which time off or treatment was going to improve her condition. The disorder is not considered hereditary. In fact, the actual cause is unknown.

The mare is regally bred as she is by Hard Spun and out of a Giant’s Causeway mare. Her first Dam, who was unraced, sold for $90,000 in a breeding sale. One of her siblings fetched $360k as a 2YO in training while two others fetched $210k and $170k respectively as yearlings. Given her pedigree and conformation, the decision was made to retire her in 2023 at 3 and transition her from racehorse to broodmare.

In 2024, she was bred to Cupid (by Tapit) and foaled a bay colt on Mar 24, 2025. On Jan 1, the baby foal transitioned from weanling to short-yearling. Spun in a Million was bred back to Cupid on Apr 24, 2025 and is due to foal again in mid-April with her second baby. Of note, Spun in a Million is the first broodmare to be raced exclusively under the Royal Victory Thoroughbreds name and is our first partnership mare. RVT is hopeful her babies will carry her class and ultimately develop into future champions!!