Churchill Downs

7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 3:51 p.m. ET. Coteau Grove homebred and first-time starter EYE OF THE PHARAOH (American Pharoah) is out of unraced dam You Caught My Eye (Can the Man), who the farm purchased for $230,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale with the filly in utero. Trained by Brad Cox, the 3-year-old's second dam, MSW Halo River (Irish River), is responsible for Canadian Horse of the Year Catch A Glimpse (City Zip) and north of the border multiple-leading sire Old Forester (Forestry). Also set for her...

1st-Churchill Downs, $114,375, Msw, 6-6, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:05.77, ft, 1/2 length. CONQUERING CAT (c, 2, Game Winner--Coy Cat {MSW, $247,755}, by Hold That Tiger) had to settle for second on his debut over course and close to distance May 16 but came back Thursday to do one better, becoming the first winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}). The 2-1 favorite raced mid pack from an outside draw but slowly began to reel in loose leader The Toner (Union Rags) around the far turn. With a strong...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- Trainer Wesley Ward said it was his fault that 'TDN Rising Star' Long Neck Paula (Uncle Mo), the 2-1 morning-line favorite in Thursday's Astoria S., was scratched by the stewards. Ward said he took Long Neck Paula to Burke Equine Therapy to go in a cold water spa on Wednesday. Unbeknownst to Ward, there is a rule stating that permission must be granted by the stewards before a horse can be taken off the grounds for such treatment. "I didn't know, it's my own fault," Ward...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Legend Of Time at Aqueduct during the Belmont at the Big A meeting.   Legend Has It... Godolphin's Legend Of Time (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) captured the GII Pennine Ridge S. during the Belmont at the Big A meeting for Charlie Appleby on May 25 (video). The 150,000gns Tattersalls October yearling made his first five starts at Meydan, winning four of them, including...

For the second year running, the G1 Epsom Derby winner was bred from one of Coolmore's countless Galileo (Ire) mares outcrossed to an American sire line. But whereas Sunday Silence's son Deep Impact (Jpn) gave Auguste Rodin (Ire) further turf genes from his mother's European family, City Of Troy's sire is a conduit for virtually unadulterated dirt blood. Justify's first four dams are, respectively, by grandsons of Deputy Minister, Seattle Slew, Northern Dancer and Bold Ruler. The third of those names, of course, transformed the European breed, albeit alongside other...

Delahaye closed powerfully to earn her first graded victory in the GIII Mint Julep S. Sunday at Churchill Downs. The even-money favorite was jostled between rivals at the break and was taken in hand to settle well off the pace as longshot Safeen went out to the early lead. Safeen was unchallenged through pedestrian splits, while Delahaye raced three wide with two horses beaten down the backstretch. The favorite rushed up into contention with a four-wide move approaching the stretch, inhaled the pacesetter inside the final furlong and strode clear...

The span between Memorial Day and the third leg of the Triple Crown is often a quiet one in the racing world. Not this year, though. Here's a shaking-out of a reporter's notebook from a week that generated some unexpected headlines. Louisiana's move to more lenient medication rules: TDN's survey of seven trainers--Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox, Michael Stidham, Tom Amoss, Al Stall, Dallas Stewart, Cherie DeVaux--spoke volumes about the announcement by the Louisiana Racing Commission that it would be implementing "emergency" standards that softened a number of drug-regulating standards as...

Young jockeys Keith and Erik Asmussen, both sons of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, were each injured Saturday in separate races at Churchill Downs and Lone Star Park, respectively. Keith Asmussen was injured at about 12:47 p.m. ET in the 1st race at Churchill, a $10,000 claimer for fillies and mares three and up. The Equibase chart said his mount, Singsational (Audible) "was jostled between horses and squeezed back at the start, clipped a rival's hind heels and fell at the eleven sixteenths pole, then walked off." Singsational, who...

8th-CD, $120k, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 4:22p.m. ET Debuting from the outside and underneath a set of spires where his half-sister won the nation's greatest race for fillies, STAR OF WONDER (Uncle Mo) will go to post for the WinStar and Siena Farm partnership. A half to the aforementioned GI Kentucky Oaks victress Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), the colt is also a half-sibling to GSP Mojovation (Quality Road). This is the extended family of multiple Grade I-placed Crafty C. T. Brad Cox will send Star of Wonder out for the mile on the...

Cugino has been knocking on the door of a stakes win for Shug McGaughey since breaking his maiden at first asking at Aqueduct last November. In three starts earlier this year, he's been beaten by a length, a neck and a nose to take second in the Colonel Liam S. at Gulfstream in March and the GIII Transylvania S. at Keeneland in April. Caught way back last time out, he still rallied in first-time blinkers to be fourth in the GII American Turf S. on Derby Day last month. Adding...

He may not have had a black-type win to his name coming into Saturday's GIII Blame S. at Churchill Downs, but some strong efforts and a 104 Beyer figure in his last out, a runner-up performance in the Apr. 20 GII Oaklawn H., were enough to convince the betting public HIGHLAND FALLS (c, 4, Curlin--Round Pond, by Awesome Again) belonged. They were right. The 4-5 choice got rolling late to catch last-out Keeneland allowance winner Cagliostro (Upstart) just before the wire, while former $975,000 Keeneland yearling and GI Pennsylvania Derby...

Juddmonte homebred SCYLLA (f, 4, Tapit--Close Hatches, by First Defence) gave notice she'll be one to watch in the older mare division this year with a facile score in Churchill's GIII Shawnee S. Saturday. It marked the first stakes victory for the 'TDN Rising Star' following a seven-length blowout and 93 Beyer figure in a one-mile optional allowance over the surface on GI Kentucky Derby day. Last year's GII Mother Goose S. and GIII Falls City S. winner Xigera (Nyquist), fifth behind Juddmonte's champion Idiomatic (Curlin) in the May 3...