Curlin

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 4th-BEL, $90k, Msw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 2:32p.m. ET Havre de Grace (Saint Liam)'s fourth foal to the races will be unveiled in this spot in the form of 3-year-old Saint Tapit (Tapit), a full-sibling to GIII Molly Pitcher S. victress Graceful Princess. From four others to race, including a half-brother by War Front, all are winners. The Whisper Hill Farm homebred has a steady line of works for Todd Pletcher, including most recently a four furlong move in :48.81 over the main track June 19....

Saturday's GI Ogden Phipps S. may have only attracted five horses, but it was the "right" five with champions Malathaat (Curlin) and Letruska (Super Saver), Grade I winners Clairiere (Curlin) and Search Results (Flatter) and MGSW Bonny South (Munnings). After a knock down, drag out fight on the front end between Letruska and Search Results, it was left to the two Stonestreet Stables-bred fillies, Clairiere and Malathaat, to decide it in the lane. In the end, it was Clairiere, carrying her breeders' famed gold and burgundy silks, who got her...

This week's TDN Triple Crown feature examines the GI Belmont S. entrants listed in "likeliest winner" order. 1) Mo Donegal (c, Uncle Mo--Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit) O-Donegal Racing & Repole Stable. B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY). T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $250,000 yrl '20 KEESEP. You could argue that Mo Donegal lost the GI Kentucky Derby at the post draw after getting stuck with the dreaded rail gate. But his fifth-place effort, beaten 5 3/4 lengths in a stretch finish that featured the 1-2-3 horses all running full-tilt to the...

OCALA, FL - With a significantly larger catalogue this year, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds always figured to eclipse the record gross it set last year, but the three-day auction ended Thursday with, not just that new highwater mark, but also with a sale record median figure. "A lot of horses got sold at a lot of different levels," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said. "That's always a good thing, particularly for the last sale of the year." A total of 653 juveniles sold...

Curly Jack gave his Eclipse-winning young sire Good Magic his first winner with a stylish debut victory at Churchill Downs Thursday afternoon. Given a 4-1 chance, the $180,000 KEESEP acquisition was away without issue from his rail draw and tugged his way up the fence to seize the early advantage, clocking a :22.33 opening quarter. Pressed by Boxster (West Coast) through a :45.62 half-mile, the bay dispatched that foe with ease in the lane, rolling clear to a four-length score. GISP Connie and Michael is also responsible for the SP...

4th-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 4:40 p.m. FOR GOOD (Curlin) gets his start for Chad Brown and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds. The $800,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, who is out of MSW and GSP Glinda the Good (Hard Spun), comes from the same Stonestreet Thoroughbreds pipeline that produced juvenile champion Good Magic, who was also campaigned by this colt's connections. Purchased for $1-million at the 2016 KEESEP sale, Good Magic went on to take the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GI Haskell Invitation in addition to finishing runner-up in the GI...

The highly-anticipated first foal out of champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) arrived on Feb. 12 this year and is now thriving at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. Jeff Bloom stopped by the farm in the midst of Triple Crown season to visit the Curlin colt and his Eclipse Award-winning dam. "He is what you would expect to see out of a champion and by a champion," Bloom said after inspecting 'Baby Bisou' for the first time. "I think he takes after his mom quite a bit, but certainly there are...

Michael Petersen's Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) will try to recapture her winning form in Pimlico's Friday feature, the GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. While under the care of trainer Bob Baffert last season, she debuted with a close up second sprinting six furlongs on Santa Anita's Halloween day card before coming home fourth next time going 6 1/2 panels at Del Mar in November. Shelved for the remainder of the season, the dark bay returned with a gaudy 12-length score in her route bow at Santa Anita and...

Rich Strike (Keen Ice), upset winner of the Gl Kentucky Derby at 80-1, and Secret Oath (Arrogate), the powerful Gl Kentucky Oaks winner, are members of the first crops of their respective sires, both of whom were late-developing Classic-distance horses. Keen Ice and Arrogate each won his first stakes race at Saratoga in late August at three, in the Gl Travers S. at 10 furlongs. Keen Ice won the "Midsummer Classic" in 2015 at 16-1, defeating Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in a shocker. Arrogate won the race the next...

It was a hectic week in the Thoroughbred business with all eyes firmly focussed on Louisville, Kentucky. Here are some facts and figures that you might have missed in the rush. Record Numbers... Wagering from all-sources on the Kentucky Derby (single race) totaled $179 million, up 15% over 2021 and up 8% from the previous record of $166.5-million set in 2019. This year's wagering record includes $8.3 million of handle put through the window in Japan. The Smart Strike Factor... As a broodmare sire, Smart Strike has the distinction of...

In another zip code at the top of the stretch, Juddmonte homebred Obligatory (Curlin) turned in a furious stretch rally to record a career high in Saturday's GI Derby City Distaff S. at Churchill Downs. Favored Just One Time (Not This Time), a last out winner of Keeneland's GI Madison S., showed the way through fractions of :22.36 and :44.95 and hit the quarter pole as the one to catch. Obligatory, meanwhile, last of seven throughout, tipped out six wide beneath Jose Ortiz for the stretch run. Longshot Four Graces...