Connect

Connect (Curlin--Bullville Belle, Holy Bull), winner of the GI Cigar Mile, has been sold to Seyda Ercan Stable and will stand in Turkey in 2027, Lane's End confirmed on Monday. The 13-year-old stallion has been based at Lane's End since his retirement in 2018. According to the Turkish publication Yaris Dergisi, which first reported the sale, the deal was brokered by bloodstock agent Murat Sancal. During his stud career, his progeny have won 37 stakes and just under $31 million in progeny earnings. One the racetrack, Connect earned over $1.3...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Post positions will be assigned for the 158th running of the GI Belmont Stakes on Monday at Universal Preservation Hall. The morning line for the final leg of the 2026 Triple Crown will also be announced. Even though he finished second to Golden Tempo (Curlin) in the GI Kentucky Derby, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher thinks his Renegade (Into Mischief) could very well vie for favoritism on the morning line, which is put together by David Aragona of the New York Racing Association. "I think...

Drawn into post nine, the honor of being the morning line favorite for Preakness 151 went to GIII Gotham Stakes hero Iron Honor (Nyquist) as a competitive, wide-open cast came together Monday evening during the post-position draw. A full field of 14 contenders, the largest since 2011 when Shackleford won, are set to go for this year's running of the middle jewel of the Triple Crown contested at Laurel Park. The race was moved as renovations continue at Pimlico downstate. Iron Honor will carry the colors of St. Elias Stable,...

Undefeated Taj Mahal (Nyquist) has been all the rage in the lead up to the GI Preakness Stakes, and his move Saturday morning will have done nothing to cool those feelings as the Brittany Russell trainee posted his fourth consecutive bullet move. Sent out to work five furlongs with exercise rider Alex Beitia aboard, he went in company with stakes winner Regalo (Maximus Mischief) early in the morning at 6:15am. Taj Mahal cruised through splits of :12 1/5, :24 1/5, :36 2/5, and :48 flat while leading his workmate throughout....

Chip Honcho (Connect), winner of the Gun Runner Stakes and a close second in the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds will bypass the GI Kentucky Derby in favor of the May 16 running of the GI Preakness Stakes, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. With the defection of Chip Honcho, GSW Litmus Test (Nyquist) will now drawn in for the big race. The colt's Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was asked early on Saturday morning what "Plan B" was if...

With nominations for the $500,000 Virginia Derby closing Wednesday, Feb. 25, GSW Incredibolt (Bolt d'Oro) and Ocelli (Connect) have emerged as likely starters, Colonial Downs said in a press release on Friday. The 1 1/8-mile Virginia Derby will be run Saturday, Mar. 14, highlighting Colonial Downs's three-day meet held Mar. 12-14. Nominations for all seven opening week stakes also close Feb. 25. Held just under two months from the GI Kentucky Derby, the Virginia Derby awards 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points to the top five finishers toward a berth in the "Run...

A field of 11, led by Gun Runner S. winner Chip Honcho (Connect), will line up in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds, good for 20-10-6-4-2 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Gun Runner was Chip Honcho's first try around two turns and third career start for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. The Leland Ackerley Racing colorbearer is drawn widest of all in post 11. The re-opposing Ohio-bred Crown the Buckeye (Yaupon), favored at 4-1 on the Lecomte morning-line, set the pace and tired late to...

Continuing a fruitful campaign since returning from his elite-level World Cup triumph in Dubai, Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) put his best foot forward once again to take home the GIII Fayette Stakes on closing day of the Keeneland Fall meet. The grey collected his second win here since returning from Meydan, but had been tasked with taking on some salty company in the contests he didn't claim, too--namely the likes of Breeders' Cup Classic contenders Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI Stephen Foster back in...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Sunday at Saratoga and Ellis Park. Sunday, July 6,...

1st-Saratoga, $90,000, (C), Msw, 6-8, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.25, ft, 4 lengths. ANGEL GIFT (f, 2, Connect--Georgie's Angel {GSW, $129,564}, by Bellamy Road), installed the 3-2 choice for this unveiling, settled off the fleet-footed favorite Gorrono Ranch (War of Will) and Nacho Problem (Waiting), who carved out an opening quarter mile in :22.44. With the top two still exchanging blows straightening for home, Angel Gift still had several lengths to make up but was picking up steam down the center of the track. Turning on the gas late, he...

With a sweeping move around the final of three turns in the 1 1/2-mile closing-day feature, Forever After All (Connect), currently in foal to Flightline, took over from a pair of embattled pacesetters and romped home by daylight in the GIII Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland. Facing a scratched-down field over a course listed as yielding, the 9-5 favorite, a last-out fifth in the GIII The Very One Stakes at Gulfstream Mar. 1, let two rivals to her inside show the way for much of the running before making a confident,...

In support of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, the Continuing Stallion Auction kicks off Friday, Jan. 10 before concluding Jan. 15. The online auction offers seasons to 30 Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses, all CHRHF inductees or have Hall of Fame horses in their pedigrees. Among the stallions represented, Ami's Flatter, Bond Street, Connect, Medallist, Mystic Guide, Reload, Shirl's Speight and Tapiture. For the complete roster of stallions, click here.