Class President

Class President (Uncle Mo), who scratched from last week's GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, is off the Kentucky Derby trail with bone bruising, WinStar's Elliott Walden announced Friday. The GII Rebel Stakes winner, who is owned in partnership by WinStar Farm, First Go Racing and the China Horse Club, will be given 60 days off according to Walden but will not require surgery. In a post to the social media site X, Walden said, "Class President will get 60 days off for bone bruising. He had all diagnostics (pet,ct, X-rays)...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack provides analysis for Saturday's GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland, GI Santa Anita Derby and GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct. All three offer 100-50-25-15-10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Last Saturday's Results - Commandment (Into Mischief) established himself as one of the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby with a thrilling last-to-first victory at 9-5 in the GI Curlin Florida Derby. Blackout Time (Not This Time) sat the trip I was looking for just behind the leaders, but had...

GII Rebel Stakes winner Class President (Uncle Mo) will scratch from Saturday's GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. The news, reported on social media by DRF's David Grening, comes from the colt's trainer Todd Pletcher who is quoted as saying, "Just didn't like the way he went today. Not saying he's off the Derby trail. We'll check him out." Class President, who is owned in partnership by WinStar Farm, First Go Racing and the China Horse Club, last put in a recorded breeze March 28 at Palm Beach Downs when he...

'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Further Ado (Gun Runner) was tabbed by track oddsmaker Nick Tammaro as the 8-5 morning line favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds for Saturday's 102nd running of the $1.25 million GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, Keeneland said via a press release on Tuesday. Contested at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, the Blue Grass offers 200 qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Derby. The winner receives 100 points with a sliding scale of 50-25-15-10 points to the second- through fifth-place finishers. The...

by T.D. Thornton-Last Saturday's news that the No. 1-ranked Paladin (Gun Runner) will miss the GI Kentucky Derby with a non-displaced condylar fracture of his right front ankle created a vacancy atop this list. Any set of Derby rankings abhors a vacuum, but it wasn't easy deciding which of several worthy candidates out of the GI Florida Derby and GI Arkansas Derby would take over the kingpin slot.   1) COMMANDMENT (c, Into Mischief-Sippican Harbor, by Orb) O-Wathnan Racing; B-Lee Pokoik (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Sales history: $485,000 RNA Wlg...

By now, no doubt, it must be among my most wearily familiar complaints. Only last week, in fact, I was again lamenting the days when old-school trainers would start Classic campaigns round one turn, gaining sharpness and conditioning without entering a stress zone. Nowadays those benefits are forfeited by the twin imperatives of hiding horses in their stalls, even as they need GI Kentucky Derby points. Those points being unavailable in sprints, the defining test of the American Thoroughbred has duly been shorn of raw speed. Other traditionalists presumably shared...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--A strong tradition for any Kentucky Derby hopeful along the campaign trail to May is passing the two turn test. With distance in mind, owners and trainers are looking for their nominees to stretch their legs, embrace the debate that comes in the form of traffic and find ways to grind out a hard-earned victory. At Oaklawn Park in the GII Rebel Stakes on Sunday, WinStar, First Go Racing and CHC Inc. owned colt Class President (Uncle Mo--Top Quality, by Quality Road) proved best at the wire as...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack provides analysis for this weekend's trio of GI Kentucky Derby preps--Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park and GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct and Sunday's GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Park. GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. - Commandment (Into Mischief) is a deserving favorite and the horse to beat in this absolutely loaded renewal of the Coolmore Fountain of Youth. He kicked off the New Year in style, splitting horses at the top of the stretch en route to a...

Only Todd Pletcher could lose the prohibitive early favorite for the GI Kentucky Derby and the 2-year-old champion in Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) and still be stocked with talented horses that are on the road to the first leg of the Triple Crown. Pletcher has GIII Holy Bull Stakes winner Nearly, Sam F. Davis Stakes winner Renegade (Into Mischief) and recent allowance winner Jackson Hole (Nyquist), who will be among the favorites for Saturday's GII Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. To discuss his plethora of talented colts, their...

Trainer Todd Pletcher had a lot to discuss on this week's TDN Writers' Room. This weekend on the Kentucky Derby trail, he'll send Jackson Hole to the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes and Class President to the GII Rebel Stakes, plus he has two fillies in the GII Davona Dale Stakes.

6th-GP, $70K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 2:48 p.m. ET. A $525,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select yearling, EASTERLY (Uncle Mo) goes out for WinStar, CHC and First Go Racing. The Brad Cox trainee's extended female family includes Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Delightful Mary (Limehouse), MGSW Delightful Kiss (Kissin Kris) and Japanese multiple Group 1 stakes placed Wilson Tesoro (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}). Bred by WinStar and campaigned by Easterly's ownership group, Class President was sent to Todd Pletcher--who of course trained the colt's sire. TJCIS PPS 1st-FG, $55K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:45...