He has a name as American as apple pie. How fitting then that Constitution has had a big week (and month) leading up to the Independence Day holiday. The WinStar Farm stallion's 'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe won his second Grade I of the year–one of just five horses to do so–in Saturday's GI Stephen Foster [...]

Following the GI Belmont Stakes, the month of June is traditionally a little quieter in the graded ranks as the sport gears up for Saratoga and other summer racing. This year and last, Saratoga has been in the spotlight early as host of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival while Belmont Park undergoes reconstruction. Fifteen of [...]

He may have taken a right turn out of the starting gate and drifted in the lane, but Mo Plex (c, 3, Complexity–Mo Joy, by Uncle Mo) made a beeline for the finish line in the nine-furlong GIII Ohio Derby, gliding through his first attempt at two turns with efficacy. Chunk of Gold (Preservationist), recently [...]

One thing is certain: there's never been a May like it. Godolphin threw down the graded gauntlet in May with such an unprecedented and historic achievement surely no one dreamed it could be possible. A Classic double in America for the operation turned into a Classic quadruple on both sides of the pond, all in [...]

While a lot of press has been given to Into Mischief and Medaglia d'Oro this week–and rightfully so, as one got his third GI Kentucky Derby winner and the other his third GI Kentucky Oaks winner–another exceptional sire once again proved why he's been at the top of the sire lists for years. You may [...]

With Derby weekend in the books, we take a look back at the graded races in April that led us there. The month did not disappoint with great racing from coast to coast, although Keeneland, as per usual, was the star of the show. If the top of the sport is measured by graded races, [...]

Leading into the first Saturday in May, the Beyer Speed Figure benchmark for the year hadn't been set by one of the star 3-year-olds in the nation, but by the 4-year-old California campaigner Kopion (f, 4, Omaha Beach–Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop), who closed out her 2024 season as a surprise 37-1 victress in the [...]

Later this week, the 2025 class of inductees for the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame will be announced. Among the eight racehorses included as finalists on the ballot is 2004 dual Classic winner Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality). All eight of the horses have marvelous credentials–obviously, or they wouldn't be on the ballot–but if [...]

He's not only back, he might be even better than he was last year. 'TDN Rising Star' Carl Spackler (Ire) (h, 5, Lope de Vega {Ire})–Zindaya, by More Than Ready), a back-to-back Grade I winner in 2024 before an uncharacteristic off-the-board finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, unleashed a scintillating turn of foot in [...]

Tracy Farmer's homebred La Cara (f, 3, Street Sense–Cara Caterina, by Bernardini) closed out the Road to the Kentucky Oaks the same way she started it: with a win. Victorious in the first GI Kentucky Oaks points race of the season–the GIII Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs last September–and the last, Monday's rescheduled GI Central [...]

In the first race of the Keeneland meet to stay on the grass after torrential rains throughout Kentucky, Amerman homebred Test Score (c, 3, Lookin At Lucky–Joy of Learning, by Kitten's Joy) captured Monday's rescheduled $600,000 GIII Transylvania Stakes and gave rider Manny Franco two consecutive black-type victories on the day after winning the Lafayette [...]

Journalism (c, 3, Curlin–Mopotism, by Uncle Mo) lived up to his billing and then some. In possibly the most anticipated Derby prep of this year, Journalism proved he was the real deal Saturday in the GI Santa Anita Derby and will go to Louisville as the GI Kentucky Derby favorite. The Santa Anita Derby rewarded [...]