Churchill Downs

Four Grade Threes Feature On Foster Preview Day

Godolphin's progressive homebred Highland Falls (Curlin) has been made the 5-2 favorite in a field of 11 for Saturday's GIII Blame S. at Churchill Downs, one of four graded stakes that serve as an appetizer to corresponding races on Stephen Foster Saturday in a month's time beneath the Twin Spires. The chestnut son of Round Pond (Awesome Again), upset winner of the 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at the Louisville oval, makes his third consecutive appearance in graded company, having run on to be a good fourth to Newgate (Into...

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'Rising Star' Extra Anejo Cruises To Win In Churchill Return

7th-Churchill Downs, $138,210, Alw (NW3$X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 5-30, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:21.54, ft, 3 1/2 lengths. EXTRA ANEJO (c, 4, Into Mischief--Superioritycomplex {Ire}, by Hard Spun), unseen since a well-beaten fourth in last year's GI Haskell S., returned to the races with authority Thursday night for trainer Steve Asmussen and Winchell Thoroughbreds. Dubbed a 'TDN Rising Star' first out, the $1.35m Keeneland September yearling buy won two of his first three, yielding the win only once behind another Grade I-runner in Federal Judge (Constitution) in his 3-year-old unveiling at Churchill last...

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Louisiana Racing Commission Says New Rules Will Make the Sport Safer, Other Veterinary Experts Say the Opposite Will Happen

by Bill Finley and Dan Ross The Louisiana Racing Commission has put in place what it is calling "Active Emergency Rules of Racing," to go into effect on June 8. These new regulations have raised the permissible dosage and shrunk the allowable withdrawal times for several medications, most notably the bronchodilator Clenbuterol and corticosteroid Depo-Medrol. The decision by the Louisiana Racing Commission--which has already garnered significant push-back from within and without the industry--was done in an attempt to make the sport safer, the Commission's Executive Director Stephen Landry told the...

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Friday's Insights: Daughter of GISW Salty Debuts at Churchill

1st-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 12:45p.m. SALTED (Tapit) debuts for Gary Barber, Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbreds and trainer Mark Casse. A $760,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, the Don Alberto Corp.- bred filly is out of GI La Troienne S. scorer Salty (Quality Road), who brought $3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2018. Irad Ortiz Jr. gets the mount. Also marking her career bow, Adeera (Authentic), a $300,000 KEESEP yearling purchase for L and N Racing and Jerry Caroom, is trained by Steve Asmussen and will be...

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World Record a Twelfth 'TDN Rising Star' For Gun Runner

Beaten just a neck into third while earning a competitive 75 Beyer Speed Figure on six-furlong debut at Keeneland Apr. 26, Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC's World Record (c, 3, Gun Runner--Marwa {GB}, by Exceed and Excel {Aus}) added an eighth of a mile for this second go and turned it into a one-horse show in the stretch, becoming the newest 'TDN Rising Star' for his boom sire. Drawn the fence as the 8-5 chalk, the $410,000 Keeneland November weanling--the most expensive of his sire's 23 foals reported...

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Clearly Unhinged Brings Up 150 Stakes Winners For Into Mischief in Winning Colors

Showing Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and Jarret Prussin's filly might be sitting on a big 4-year-old season, Clearly Unhinged (Into Mischief) blazed her way to a first black-type success in Louisville in the GIII Winning Colors S. Monday. B G Warrior (Run Away and Hide) shot to the front from post 2 while to her immediate outside, Clearly Unhinged, dragged Joel Rosario to the fore through a nifty quarter in :21.02. Still under a snug hold as Happy Am I (Runhappy) and Leeloo (Practical Joke) loomed on her outer...

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Sire Instilled Regard Collects First Winner With La Marinera At Churchill

3rd-Churchill Downs, $93,000, Msw, 5-26, 2yo, 5f, :59.97, sy, 1 1/4 lengths. LA MARINERA (f, 2, Instilled Regard--Curlin Supreme, by Curlin) is the first winner for her first-crop sire (by Arch) out of 50 foals of racing age. The filly was a runner-up on debut at Keeneland Apr. 26 and she finished in the same position in an off-the-turf maiden at Horseshoe Indy May 14. Taking on the boys as a 10-1 shot here, the bay sat just off of Coming in Hot (Maclean's Music) up the backstretch. The 2-year-old...

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Quality Road's Prides Crossing Dazzles in 'TDN Rising Star' Debut

A seven-digit yearling turned new 'TDN Rising Star', Prides Crossing (Quality Road) left her rivals in her wake en route to a stylish unveiling at Churchill Downs Saturday. The newest 'Rising Star' came into this contest riding a three-strong string of bullet five-furlong works at The Thoroughbred Center with her last four of five being the fastest on the morning. The most recent was a May 17 move clocked in 1:01.00. Stalking the pace from third as She's It (Omaha Beach) put up :22.63 and :46.30 early splits, the 3-1...

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Echo Town's Three Echoes is Sire's First Winner in Churchill Graduation

2nd-Churchill Downs, $117,525, Msw, 5-24, 2yo, 5f, :58.09, gd, 3/4 length. THREE ECHOES (c, 2, Echo Town--Bayou Miss, by Dixie Union) broke outwardly and had to overcome a brief round of bumper cars but recovered well to track from third in this unveiling. Set on the inland route as the early leaders stayed together entering the home stretch, Three Echoes scraped the paint as he squeezed through a narrow opening passing the furlong pole, and had to muscle his way to racing room when brushing with Charlie Tolu (Cinco Charlie)....

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Saturday Insights: Pricey Quality Road Filly Makes The Races Under Twin Spires

6th-CD, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 3:18 p.m. ET. PRIDES CROSSING (Quality Road) was the seventh highest priced yearling when the filly went to OXO Equine for $1.3-million during the 2022 Keeneland September Sale. The Paulo Lobo trainee is out of Irish SW Key To My Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who Summer Wind Equine acquired for $1.75-million at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale while Man Among Men (War Front) was in-utero. Hailing from a well-related family, the first time starter's second dam is GISW A Z Warrior (Bernardini). Also on...

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Sophie Doyle Back in the Saddle

Jockey Sophie Doyle, who has been serving as the regular exercise rider for 14th-place GI Kentucky Derby finisher Epic Ride (Blame), returned to riding in the afternoon at Churchill Downs Sunday with an eighth-place finish aboard Sweet Mo B (Complexity) in Race 2, a maiden special weight. It was her first Churchill mount since having her first child, a daughter named Emilie, almost two years ago. Doyle began breezing horses for trainer Chris Davis, her fiancé, three months after her daughter's birth and returned to professional afternoon riding earlier this...

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Dornoch To Shoot For GI Belmont S.

Dual graded stakes-winner Dornoch (Good Magic) is preparing at Saratoga Race Course for a potential start in the June 8 running of the GI Belmont S. "He loves it here," said trainer Danny Gargan. "He'll probably work Friday--we'll get a solid work in him over the Oklahoma." Dornoch was last seen finishing a troubled 10th in the GI Kentucky Derby where he drew the rail and was shuffled back at the half-mile call. He checked again at the quarter pole before running evenly down the lane. The bay colt posted...

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