Country Grammer

A total of 1,231 2-year-olds in training have been cataloged for the Ocala Breeders Sales Company's Spring Sale, to be held Tuesday through Friday, Apr. 19-22 at the auction house's Central Florida complex. Gracing the cover of the 2022 catalog is 'TDN Rising Star' Corniche (Quality Road), who topped last year's renewal on a bid of $1.5 million from Marette Farrell, agent for Speedway Stables, and who went on to cap an undefeated championship season with a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. OBS April graduates...

In the long story of the breed, there has never been a week's work remotely approaching the one Mandaloun (Into Mischief) bids to complete in the desert on Saturday. It opened with his formal elevation as winner of America's most prestigious race; and could conclude with him banking the biggest prize anywhere on planet Turf. As has come to seem wearyingly inevitable, nobody imagines that the first leg of this dazing double was necessarily concluded by the disqualification of Medina Spirit (Protonico). We proudly advertise the GI Kentucky Derby as...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia--Amr Zedan has a runner in the world's richest race staged Saturday in his home country of Saudi Arabia. The Bob Baffert-trained Country Grammer (Tonalist), whom he part-owns with WinStar Farm and Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, was not however the horse he had hoped to be running. Zedan's original intention was for Medina Spirit (Protonico) to be lining up in the country from which his name is derived, but the horse who finished first past the post in the last year's Kentucky Derby collapsed and died in December. On Monday...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia--Defending champion Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) will jump from the outside stall in the 14-runner field for Saturday's $20 million Saudi Cup. "Obviously it's not ideal," said the 5-year-old's co-trainer Thady Gosden after selecting barrier 14 for Prince Faisal's homebred. "But last year he was drawn in 12 before winning so hopefully on Saturday he'll jump well and get into a good place in the back stretch. It's a very competitive-looking renewal of the race. He comes here in good form and still shows plenty of enthusiasm."...

Shadwell Stable's undefeated Malathaat (Curlin), last seen winning the GI Kentucky Oaks Apr. 30, turned in a four-furlong work in :49.96 (22/36) over the dirt training track at Belmont Park Sunday ahead of an expected tilt at the July 24 GI Coaching Club American Oaks. "She went great. I'm really pleased with the way she's doing," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "She worked well with a big, strong gallop out. We'll probably have one breeze at Saratoga and she'll be ready to go." Also working from the Pletcher barn was WinStar...

by Bill Finley and Steve Sherack Undefeated and considered one of the most promising horses in the sport, Life Is Good (Into Mischief) will soon join the Todd Pletcher stable. He had been trained by Bob Baffert, who has lost a number of top horses due to his ongoing problems involving the Medina Spirit (Protonico) positive in the GI Kentucky Derby for betamethasone. After winning the GII San Felipe S., Mar. 6 at Santa Anita, Life Is Good was sidelined and ruled out of the Triple Crown races after coming...

On Memorial Day, we saw a great race between Country Grammer and Royal Ship (Brz), a horse that I purchased in Brazil for Fox Hill Farm and Siena Farm. Two classy horses battling to the wire and neither giving up. But, what Royal Ship was giving up was weight to the winner and that is the issue that I want to address. Why, in a Grade I stakes race, or any graded stakes for that matter, are the horses not running with equal weights or, at least, weight for age...

Narrowly favored at 9-5 in Monday's GI Hollywood Gold Cup, WinStar Farm's Country Grammer (Tonalist) became his Lane's End-based stallion's first Grade I winner, narrowly outbattling Royal Ship (Brz) (Midshipman) in a rousing finish. Away alertly, the former Paul Pompa runner was taken hold of to sit second as longshot Brown Storm (Chi) (Scat Daddy) rolled to the front showed the way through moderate splits of :22.92 and :47.16. Switched off nicely in the two path for the run down the backstretch, Country Grammer was asked for a bit of...

After bringing $110,000 from WinStar Farm at the Keeneland January dispersal of the late Paul Pompa, Jr., Country Grammer (Tonalist) makes his first start for Bob Baffert in Saturday's GII Californian S. at Santa Anita. Previously trained by Chad Brown, Country Grammer narrowly captured last summer's GIII Peter Pan S. at Saratoga with subsequent G1 Dubai World Cup winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) back in third. The $450,000 OBS April 2-year-old, last seen finishing a well-beaten fifth in the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 8, worked five...

The late longtime owner and breeder Paul Pompa, Jr., was a prominent figure in horse racing over the past two decades. The former owner of Truck Rite Corp. campaigned the likes of dual Classic winner Big Brown (Boundary) and champion Stardom Bound (Tapit) in partnership and was the sole owner of Grade I winners Connect (Curlin) and Backseat Rhythm (El Corredor). Several Pompa homebreds carried his silks to graded victories, such as Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway), Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and Turned Aside (American Pharoah). The latter two are among...

Keeneland will offer 39 horses in the Complete Dispersal of the late Paul P. Pompa Jr.--including Turned Aside (American Pharoah), winner of Saturday's Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship S., and additional 2020 Grade III winners Country Grammer (Tonalist) and Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom)--during the 2021 January Horses of All Ages Sale, to be held Jan. 11-14. Lane's End will serve as agent for the consignment, which consists of broodmares, foals of 2020, horses of racing age and broodmare or stallion prospects. The January Sale catalog is scheduled to be online at...

Following a resounding victory in the GI Belmont S., Sackatoga Stable and Barclay Tagg could have easily put their star pupil Tiz the Law (Constitution) in bubble wrap and waited for a run in the rescheduled GI Kentucky Derby. After all, only in this strange year could a team of connections have the benefit of 11 weeks of rest in between the first and second legs of the Triple Crown. Instead, the once-beaten New York-bred star will line up as a heavy favorite in Saturday's GI Runhappy Travers S. at...