Breeders' Cup Juvenile
LEXINGTON, KY - Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola bought 43 yearlings for more than $16 million to top the sheets for the first of two straight years at the 2021 Keeneland September sale. 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence), a $110,000 purchase out of that auction, made good on the duo's significant investment in the industry by capping his 2-year-old season with a championship-worthy performance for trainer Todd Pletcher in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Repole Stable, Viola's St. Elias Stable and Pletcher previously teamed up to capture the 2019 GI...
Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner, GI Hopeful S. winner, and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence), who is set to contest the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Friday for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, has been made the 15-1 individual favorite in the first pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, while the option of "all other colts and geldings" not among the 38 individual betting interests has been given 3-5 odds. The new three-day pool, which was previously announced, will run from Tuesday to...
The Brad Cox stablemates Chop Chop (City of Light) and Verifying (Justify) worked five furlongs in company Friday morning at Churchill Downs as they prepare for next Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, respectively. The pair broke off and began their breeze at the 4 1/2-furlong pole and were clocked in fractions of :11.80, :23.40, :35.80 and :47.40 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13 flat, according to Churchill clocker John Nichols. Joe Talamo was aboard Chop Chop, last seen finishing a desperately close second...
'TDN Rising Star' Loggins (Ghostzapper), who is coming off a game second-place finish in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, will not run in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, reports his trainer, Brad Cox. Though beaten by fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) last out at Keeneland, Loggins showed that he is one of the top juveniles in training. He was part of a three-horse battle for the early lead before being passed in the stretch by his rival only to fight back gamely in the late going to...
It was a little over six years ago when Juddmonte Farms' Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), seemingly from out of nowhere, took the racing world by storm. Producing heroics, often in jaw-dropping, record-breaking fashion, in the GI Travers S., GI Breeders' Cup Classic, GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. and G1 Dubai World Cup in succession, the imposing gray quickly catapulted himself into the discussion of all-time greats. Though his racing career fizzled somewhat when he finished off the board in two of his final three starts after returning from Dubai, the...
The "Road to the Kentucky Derby," a series of races awarding points toward a starting gate position in each year's GI Kentucky Derby, will see modifications for the upcoming season, including an increase of points for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile from 20-8-4-2 to 30-12-9-6-3. In addition, other early-season prep races have been elevated from 10-4-2-1 to 20-8-6-4-2 in an effort to increase the importance of those races. They include the GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds, the GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park, the GIII Withers S. at Aqueduct,...
When The Great Maybe (Upstart) left the blocks at Saratoga and strolled in eight lengths ahead of a lively-met field of fillies, she carried not only the silks of Lael Stables--whose name invokes great nostalgia and respect in the halls of the Thoroughbred community--but also the dreams of a small breeding operation an hour north of Lexington, run by Monica Egger. Now, that farm in Piner, Kentucky, has a 'TDN Rising Star' to add to their list of accomplishments. "I have really enjoyed my short foray into Thoroughbreds and have...
Last year's champion 2-year-old colt, OBS April sale topper and 'TDN Rising Star' Corniche (Quality Road--Wasted Tears, by Najran) has been retired from racing and will take up stud duties at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud for 2023. Bred by Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings out of six-time GSW and GISP Wasted Tears, Corniche was purchased for $1.5 million by agent Marette Farrell on behalf of Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stables LLC following a powerful :10 flat OBSAPR '21 breeze. He was then turned over to Hall of Famer...
He has yet to run this year, which has turned GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Corniche (Quality Road) into the forgotten horse in the 3-year-old male division. That, however, may be about to change. Corniche has had two recent works at WinStar Farm and, according to Marette Farrell, an advisor to owners K.C. Weiner and Peter Fluor, the colt will return to the racetrack within a couple of weeks. "His last work at WinStar [four furlongs in :48.94 last Saturday], they said that it was an 'A' work," Farrell said....
Led by last term's hard-fought GII Remsen S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), a deep field of nine will line up for Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park. Owned by Donegal Racing and trained by Todd Pletcher, Mo Donegal outslugged Zandon (Upstart) by a nose after a roughly run stretch drive while making his stakes debut in that aforementioned 1 1/8-mile affair at Aqueduct last time Dec. 4. "We decided that the Holy Bull was the right starting point," Pletcher said. "It gives us plenty of options. If...
'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit--Delightful Quality, by Elusive Quality), a leading Eclipse Award finalist for champion 3-year-old colt, heads to the breeding shed with an impressive line-up of mares for his first season at stud at Darley's Jonabell Farm in Kentucky. The 2020 champion 2-year-old colt and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner continued to add to his loaded resume at three, capturing the GI Belmont S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. He concluded his career with a third-place finish against his elders in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The...
Presumptive 2-year-old champion male and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero Corniche (Quality Road) will be freshened briefly at WinStar Farm in Kentucky this winter before returning to Bob Baffert's barn, according to a report in Daily Racing Form. Marette Farrell, who purchased the $1.5-million colt for Speedway Stable, said Corniche was sent to Kentucky last Wednesday. "It's time to give him a little bit of a break," Farrell told DRF. "Speedway likes to use WinStar for lay-ups. He can be turned out, graduate to a paddock, and they have a...