Bob Baffert

Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), last year's champion juvenile, will give jockey Martin Garcia his first Derby mount since 2015. "It's a dream come true," said Garcia, a 40-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico. "It's what every jockey wants." Garcia has ridden in the Kentucky Derby four times, all between 2010 and 2015. His best finish came in 2015 when Dortmund, also trained by Bob Baffert, finished third behind subsequent Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. "I'm excited to get back, most of all because I know I have a very good horse...

The sun is shining and the birds are singing, which means that spring has sprung and hopefully cold blasts are fixed over yonder. This kind of weather propagates the condition known to many as Derby fever, which technically has no definable cure. So, while you're tinkering with mint julep recipes or heading to the dry cleaners with your seersucker to keep the vapors in check, maybe what you need is to take a look at the weekend's graded stakes slate. The races are chock full of options, so let's not...

As first reported by the Daily Racing Form's David Grening, MGSP Madaket Road (Quality Road) will be pointed to the GII Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard instead of the marquee race that Saturday. After working Friday morning at Santa Anita, where he posted a five furlong move in 1:00.80 (13.32), Madaket Road will now be pointed to the Pat Day and will ship to Churchill Downs with stablemates 'TDN Rising Stars' MGISW Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) and GSW Rodriguez (Authentic). "That's sort of been our goal all...

Having produced a five-furlong breeze which pleased trainer Brad Cox and completed his winter season in Indiantown, FL Friday morning, GI Florida Derby hero Tappan Street (Into Mischief) is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs Saturday morning. Going the five panels in company in 1:01.40 at Payson Park Training Center, it marked the penultimate breeze on the sophomore's schedule in advance of his expected start in the GI Kentucky Derby May 3. Tappan Street worked with stablemate 'TDN Rising Star' Rapture (Uncle Mo) for the second straight week. The son...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - A colt by Tapit brought the high price of $1 million during a day which featured lively trade at the top of the market at the opening session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Tuesday in Central Florida. A total of 153 juveniles had sold by the end of Tuesday's session for a gross of $19,615,000. The average was $128,203 and the median was $60,000. During last year's opening session, 145 horses had sold by...

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding alongside trainer Bob Baffert, went to $900,000 to acquire a filly by Curlin (hip 190) on behalf of Susan and Charlie Chu's Baoma Corp during Tuesday's first session of the OBS Spring sale. Bred by Klaravich Stables and consigned by de Meric Sales, the bay filly is out of stakes-placed Motivated Seller (Into Mischief). She worked a furlong in last week's under-tack show in :9 4/5.

Prep season is over, and now it's time to get down to business. A deep field will line up for the GI Kentucky Oaks, led by the undefeated Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro). In most years, she'd be 4-5 or lower, but there are enough quality fillies lining up for the race that you might see 2-1 on her. Since the last installment, La Cara (Street Sense) moved up the charts with a win in the GI Ashland S., Ballerina d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) nosed out Early On (Union Rags) to win...

Goal Oriented (Not This Time), carrying powerhouse connections and a speedy work tab into his debut, made even-money look like a gift when he glided home a 3 1/4-length debut winner for trainer Bob Baffert and the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan Sunday evening at Santa Anita. The dark bay colt, a $425,000 Keeneland September yearling acquisition, trailed the field and was climbing up the backstretch, but once he got his...

Saturday's Santa Anita Derby day showed large increases over 2024 with the all sources handle totaling $22,388,003 and wagering on just the marquee race up by nearly 24 per cent, according to a press release by the track. Bolstered by a big turnout from the Derby Day 5K, the on-track attendance came in at 34,312, a seven per cent jump from last season. It was the largest turnout since 2018. Both the all sources handle and on track attendance are expected to finish the Classic Meet Sunday up by noteworthy...

The goal of the Kentucky Derby points system should be to make sure the 20 best 3-year olds in the sport make it into the field. Churchill Downs has tweaked the system a couple of times over the years and the changes, for the most part, have been well received. It's a different story this year. Churchill has tweaked the system so that in any race with five horses or fewer the horses receive fewer points than races with six or more horses. The rule is clearly aimed at Santa...

Rodriguez (Authentic) was hustled to the front from his rail draw by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, and cruised to a 3 1/2-length victory over Grande (Curlin) in Saturday's 100th running of the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to Passion Rules (Friesan Fire) in third. The Bob Baffert-trained 'TDN Rising Star' earned 100 points on the road to the GI Kentucky Derby for the victory. Rodriguez led through fractions of :23.31 and :47.44, began to shake clear from favored 'Rising Star' Captain...

Heavily favored Tenma (Nyquist) solidified her status as the West Coast's leading GI Kentucky Oaks contender with an easy victory in the GII Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks Saturday in Arcadia. Sent off at 1-5 in her first start since a romping win in the Feb. 2 GIII Las Virgenes Stakes, the dark bay filly was away well and was taken in hand to sit a stalking trip as stablemate Silent Law (Tiz the Law) exchanged blows with No Bad Beats (Midnight Storm) through an opening quarter in :22.85 before taking...