Curlin

Stage Magic (Ghostzapper-Magical Illusion, by Pulpit), dam of champion Justify (Scat Daddy), produced a half-sister by Curlin to the Triple Crown winner in the early hours Tuesday at John Gunther's Glennwood Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. "We are quite excited to have a filly," Gunther's daughter Tanya said Tuesday morning. "We don't fetal sex our mares, so we never know what we are going to get. We were very keen to get a filly since we don't have one out of the mare. So that was very good news. And just...

If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, Saturday would have been the 25th renewal of the Dubai World Cup. The iconic 2000-metre dirt race (and for five renewals synthetic) has held sway as the world's richest race for 22 of its 24 renewals, first at Nad Al Sheba and later Meydan, and it has produced some sterling results. The TDN's Tom Frary has paid homage to Dubai Millennium (GB) on the 20th anniversary of his victory, and so with that notable performance aside we look back on some of the other...

Grade I winner Dream Tree (Uncle Mo--Afleet Maggi, by Afleet Alex) is carrying her first foal by Curlin. Owned by Phoenix Thoroughbreds and trained by Bob Baffert, the $750,000 FTFMAR buy won five of seven races for earnings of $529,845. Her career highlights include wins in the 2017 GI Starlet S. and 2018 GII Las Virgenes S. and GII Prioress S. "Dream Tree has been a special horse for us," said Phoenix Thoroughbreds head of US operations Tom Ludt. "She had a great will to win and was a true...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency HALF TO BRILL DEBUTS IN ARCADIA 9th-SA, $55K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m 1mT, 7:39p.m. Larry Best's OXO Equine went to $420,000 at KEENOV to acquire MADISON PARC (Curlin) and she makes her debut in this spot. Out of SW Hung the Moon (Malibu Moon), she is a half-sister to Best's SW & GISP 'TDN Rising Star' Brill (Medaglia d'Oro), who topped FTKJUL at $1 million. TJCIS PPs

Robert and Lawana Low's $1.05-million 'TDN Rising Star' Spice Is Nice (Curlin), an impressive 12-length victress on debut, will take her first big step toward the GI Kentucky Oaks as a probable favorite in Saturday's one-mile GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream. A daughter of GISW Dame Dorothy (Bernardini), the chestnut was bet strongly to be 11-10 at the off debuting over track and trip Jan. 12 and did not disappoint, squeezing through a narrow rail opening on the turn and rocketing away to a powerful graduation. She has drilled...

4th-GP, $50K, Msw, 4yo/up, 6 1/2f, 2:31 p.m. ET Albaugh Family Stables, which will start likely GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. favorite Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) this Saturday at Gulfstream, also has action Thursday in Hallandale Beach, as they debut the expensive and well-related COASTAL DEFENSE (Curlin) in the day's fourth event. Owned in partnership with Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust, the chestnut hammered for $800,000 at Keeneland September in 2017 and is a half-brother to MG1SW Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy), as well as the Albaughs' GISW Free Drop Billy (Union...

1st-AQU, $68K, Msw, 3yo, 6.5fT, 1:00 p.m. ET Gary Barber and ERJ Racing LLC's PATROL (Liam's Map) debuts for trainer Mark Casse. The second highest-priced juvenile of 2019 for Liam's Map (the sire's third highest-priced 2-year-old overall last year), the grey was secured for $350,000 at Keeneland last April. Dylan Davis gets the mount. TJCIS PPs 2nd-FG, $50K, Msw, 3yo, 9f, 1:29 p.m. ET Triple Crown nominated AIRSTREEM (Tapit), a half-brother to champion and Classic heroine Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro), closed from off the pace to be fourth going six...

Undefeated and impressive in all three of his career starts thus far, Independence Hall (Constitution) has earned respect as one of the top early choices for the GI Kentucky Derby. Saturday, fans will get a much clearer picture of whether that stature is justified, as the Mike Trombetta trainee heads south to take on a quality field in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs. Sent off as a 7-5 favorite debuting in a seven-furlong event on the GI Pennsylvania Derby undercard at Parx, the dark bay...

7th-Aqueduct, $75K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($62,500), 1m, 4:25 ET Repole Stable's LEGIT (Curlin) followed up a dominant debut victory going a mile at Gulfstream with an equally impressive two-turn, 'TDN Rising Star'-earning score in the Pimlico slop on Preakness weekend in 2018, but disappeared after that and resurfaces off a near 21-month layoff in this mile feature at Aqueduct. Unveiled as a 17-10 chance in Hallandale, the chestnut scampered away to triumph in hand by 7 1/4 lengths, then rallied from well off the pace to a four-length tally despite a...

Chiefswood Stable homebred Edge of Fire (Curlin) was crunched into 17-10 favoritism off a morning line nearly three times that and the money proved smart indeed, as the chestnut wheeled off heels passing the midstretch marker and went on to a deceptively easy two-length debut score and 'TDN Rising Star' honors in the process. Away fairly, but given a busy ride by Jose Ortiz, Edge of Fire--who blew out three furlongs in a bullet :35 1/5 Jan. 28--was rousted along and responded to sit just behind the leading trio while...

5th-Aqueduct, $65,960, Msw, 1-30, 3yo, 6f, 1:13.27, ft. SIXTO (c, 3, Curlin--Drift to the Lead, by Yonaguska), dismissed at odds of 13-1 in a field reduced to five by the post-time scratching of Ghost Fighter (Tapit), was roused to the lead approaching the sixteenth pole and held on for a 1 3/4-length victory in his career debut. Only fairly away, the dark bay gained a bit of ground as favored Its a Wrap (Twirling Candy) cut out the running. Three deep on the turn, the May 17 foal looked a...

Gladiator King has proven a shrewd purchase by Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, the 4-year-old son of Curlin now two-for-two in Dubai, having added victory in Thursday's G3 Al Shindagha Sprint to his score in the G3 Dubawi S. on opening night of the carnival on Jan. 2. Gladiator King was previously trained by Jaime Mejia in the U.S., and he won a key U.S. 3-year-old sprinting contest, the GIII Hutcheson S., last winter before finishing a head second in the GIII Chick Lang S. on the Preakness undercard....