Churchill Downs

She didn't have the greatest of beginnings, but 'TDN Rising Star' Ragtime (Union Rags) was flying late to nail the top flight and take home the hardware in the GIII Dogwood Stakes. Racing without blinkers here, Ragtime broke a touch awkwardly and it left her with a lot to do as she found herself at the back of the field as a result. 'TDN Rising Star' Delightful Claire (Vekoma) stepped out to dictate the pace through an opening quarter in :22.84 and a half in :45.55, and was well clear...

Godolphin homebred Immersive (f, 3, Nyquist--Gap Year, by Bernardini), the unbeaten Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly of 2024, got back on track with her first visit to the winner's circle as a 3-year-old. It's not that she was ever far from it: two months after her GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies win, Godolphin announced she would be given some time off due to bone bruising. Immersive returned to the races in June at Churchill, finishing a neck behind MSW & GISP Take Charge Milady (Take Charge Indy) in the Monomoy Girl...

The royal blue of Godolphin continued to build on a banner year for the operation as Encino (Nyquist) proved too much for his Presque Isle Mile Stakes competition. Placed in the Mar. 22 GIII Twinspires Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes, and the winner of last season's GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes, Encino won the Listed Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial Stakes two back July 5 and hit the board last out Aug. 2 in the KY Downs Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile Stakes at Ellis Park. Supported here to the tune of 3-5...

Cherie DeVaux unleashed a classy gentleman on Churchill Downs Friday afternoon, and Englishman (Maxfield) strolled in to clock a blistering time as well as securing 'Rising Star' honors. Away from the blocks quickly, and out to control the tempo, he was tracked closely for most of the race by Tagermeen (Into Mischief), who has now run in three straight races against eventual 'TDN Rising Stars'--namely Curtain Call (Tiz the Law) and Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) in his prior two jumps. The latter won the GI Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes while...

5th-Churchill Downs, $94,094, Msw, 9-17, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.09, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. SCOT'S LAW (f, 2, Tiz the Law--Bodebabe, by Bodemeister) was secured for just $50,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale a handful of weeks before her half-sister Scottish Lassie (McKinzie, $677,560), took out the GI Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct. Taking advantage of this auction-price restricted spot, but lightly regarded at 15-1 on debut, the chestnut bounced nicely from the inside stall and galloped her rivals along at a modest tempo while being pressed along by second-time starter...

5th-BAQ, $85k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, post time: 3:15 p.m. ET The first foal from 2020 Eclipse Award-winning juvenile filly Vequist (Nyquist), THE JEWELER (Into Mischief) has drawn the inside stall for a race scheduled for the turf, but which could well be transferred to the main track after a day of wet weather in the Northeast. Winner of the GI Spinaway Stakes, GI Frizette Stakes and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Vequist fetched $3.4 million from Spendthrift Farm at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The Jeweler debuts...

5. NU WHAT'S NEW, CD, 9/13, 6 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 84 (2nd) (c, 3, by Munnings--Heavenly Scat, by Scat Daddy) O-Doubledown Stables. B-BlackRidge Stables (Ky). T-James Divito. J-Walter Rodriguez. On paper and in mutuels, this former Taylor Made-sold weanling was in a different hemisphere than Subito (below) and some others Saturday, and it looked that way at the quarter pole when he was still 7 lengths behind and seemingly going nowhere. Then something ignited, and he stormed up the inside to barely miss catching Subito while blowing past...

Gun Runner, the Three Chimneys sensation whose yearlings topped the first four days of the ongoing Keeneland September sale, showed once again why he's in such demand as Spice Runner (c, 2, Gun Runner--Simple Surprise, by Cowboy Cal) captured the GIII Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs Saturday. The one-turn, one-mile Iroquois awards the first points of the 2025-26 season to the 2026 GI Kentucky Derby starting gate on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale. Comport (Collected), who had finished in front of Spice Runner in their two previous meetings, was second, while maiden...

Trainer Ken McPeek picked up his fifth win in the GIII Pocahontas Stakes Saturday when Taken by the Wind (Rock Your World) blew home in style to earn the first available points on the 2026 Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Entered off a debut win on a rained-off main track at Saratoga in $75,000 maiden optional claiming company going seven furlongs Aug. 21, the 6-1 shot clearly relished the extra furlong Saturday. Speedy through the first yards but outrun out of the chute by a trio of rivals, Taken by...

Charlie Appleby and William Buick have teamed to take the GI Rogers Woodbine Mile--a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile--two out of the last three years, and in the form of Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) they appear well positioned to add to that total Saturday afternoon in suburban Toronto. When Team Godolphin raid from Europe, you can rest assured that it isn't just for the Tim Horton's. They mean business and their record bears that out. Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi...

7th-Churchill Downs, $123,202, Alw, 9-12, (NW2L), 2yo, 6f, 1:10.37, ft, 5 1/4 lengths. GANAAS (c, 2, War Front--Shurakaa, by Tapit) rewarded his backers with a debut score by four lengths at Horseshoe Indy July 10. As a 7-1 shot here, the homebred raced between runners up the backstretch, but around the far turn the colt was ready to flash his speed. Ganaas pointed towards the wire, shifted into overdrive and then was steadily geared down as he cleared the condition by 5 1/4 lengths over Just Deeds (Liam's Map). The...

Irad Ortiz, Jr., a five-time Eclipse-champion jockey and this country's leading rider by races won in each of the last eight seasons, will relocate from New York to Kentucky for the fall season. He will join a riding colony that also includes his brother Jose Ortiz, who is also represented by agent Steve Rushing. "My agent and I have talked about this for a little while now," Ortiz Jr. said. "There's a lot of business in Kentucky and the racing is really strong." The veteran reinsman had four rides on...