Doug O'Neill

Maidens Figure to Have Big Say in Del Mar Futurity

Dr. Schivel (Violence), a blowout maiden winner last out, plus a pair of horses yet to earn their diploma make up a quality trio of major contenders in Monday's GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity. Backed down to 3-2 debuting June 21 at Santa Anita, the Luis Mendez trainee rallied to be third after some trouble and was runner-up July 4 at Los Alamitos. Jumping way forward in his local bow Aug. 8, the bay blasted clear to a 5 3/4-length victory, earning by far his highest career Beyer with an...

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Uncle Mo Firster Live From Rail in Sorrento

When signing for a $340,000 Uncle Mo filly at this year's OBS March Sale, Dennis O'Neill, noted bloodstock advisor and brother of trainer Doug O'Neill, told the TDN's Steve Sherack that he "kept telling [owner] Paul [Reddam] that she was my female Nyquist." The April foal, now named Get On the Bus, looks a live chance on debut as she breaks from the rail in Friday's GII Sorrento S. at Del Mar. The April foal, produced by a winning half-sister to G1 Dubai World Cup hero African Story (GB) (Pivotal...

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Friday Insights: Live Oak Homebred Debuts at the Spa

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-SAR, $72K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, post time: 4:04 p.m. ET Live Oak homebred TAPPINGINTOSUCCESS (Tapit) makes her first start for trainer Mike Trombetta. Out of multiple graded placed Slewfoundmoney (Seeking the Gold), the filly is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winning millionaire Awesome Slew (Awesome Again), as well as to graded placed Souper Lucky (Giant's Causeway) and stakes winner He's Bankable (Arch). Leia Marie (Exaggerator) was the highest-priced filly from her Classic-winning sire's first crop when she sold for $400,000 at last...

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Jack Sisterson Talks Vexatious, Returning Calumet to Glory On TDN Writers' Room

Two years ago, when it was announced that legendary Calumet Farm was hiring Jack Sisterson as its primary trainer, there was skepticism. At just 33 years old, with only experience as an assistant to his name, it was fair to question whether or not Sisterson was prepared to carry the flag for such a powerful racing and breeding brand. Those questions have now been answered--resoundingly in the affirmative, as just a short while later, Sisterson has not only proved equal to the task, but appears on his way to the...

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Frank Conversation to Shuttle to Chile

Multiple graded stakes winner Frank Conversation (Quality Road--Rushen Heat, by Unusual Heat) will shuttle to Haras Santa Sara in Santiago, Chile for the 2020 Southern Hemisphere breeding season. The 7-year-old stallion just completed his second year at stud at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, New York. "We're thrilled with the quality of his first crop of foals and would love to see international success for the horse," said Rockridge Stud's Lere Visagie. "An opportunity to shuttle just seemed like a no-brainer." The deal was brokered by Bowling Bloodstock and Sullivan Bloodstock....

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Second Chances: Ambivalent

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. After kicking off his career with a promising runner-up effort at Santa Anita last month, the highly regarded 2-year-old Ambivalent (Constitution) will look to go one better at the upcoming Del Mar meeting. "Being a son of Constitution, which is just a huge feather in your cap, he's a horse that we've been excited about from day one," two-time GI Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill said. Purchased for...

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Lasix Ban in California: How It's Unfolding

Sunday May 17 at Santa Anita rather disappeared into the ether of a weekend dominated by the resumption of live racing after a COVID-fueled two-month hiatus. But Sunday May 17 was notable in itself given how it christened the first 2-year-old race in California under the state's new Lasix-free rules. The chronology of events leading to that watershed is now something approaching lore. During Santa Anita's much-publicized troubles early last year, the track instituted a ban on Lasix, an action the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) synthesized into a state-wide...

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Sunday's Racing Insights

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-BEL, $64K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:50 p.m. Wesley Ward has a pair of Keeneland-based juveniles entered in this spot. Breeze Easy's Roderick (Into Mischief) was a $550,000 KEESEP yearling and is a full-brother to two-turn GSW One Liner. He hails from the extended female family of highest-level winners Albertus Maximus, Daredevil and King Charlemagne. Roderick's stablemate Copley (Air Force Blue) is from a Ned Evans family that includes the likes of Grade I winners Swagger Jack and Malibu Prayer. Winfromwithin (Into Mischief), just a...

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Fore Left Joins Belmont Field

Reddam Racing's Fore Left (Twirling Candy), winner of the G2 UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan in February, has been added to the field for Saturday's GI Belmont S. The colt had been expected to go postward in Saturday's seven-furlong GI Woody Stephens S. "Fore Left has settled in and is training really well over the Belmont surface," said trainer Doug O'Neill, confirming the story first reported by Daily Racing Form's Dave Grenig. "He's coming off a really strong performance in Dubai and we really like the one-turn 1 1/8-miles layout...

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Goldencents's Wildman Jack Impresses At Meydan

Doug O'Neill's good run in Dubai continued in sensational style on Super Saturday with an emphatic display by Wildman Jack (Goldencents), who won the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint in a new stakes record time of 1:07.61. A strong tailwind doubtless helped the lowering of the previous track record of 1:08.24, set two years ago by Godolphin's Jungle Cat (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), but this was nevertheless a dominant performance from the lightly-raced 4-year-old, who made almost all the running from a favourable low draw to streak to a 4...

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Hall of Fame Finalists Announced

Six racehorses, four trainers, and one jockey make up the 11 finalists to be included on the National Museum of Racing's 2020 Hall of Fame ballot. The list, released Monday, includes racehorses Blind Luck, Game On Dude (first year of eligibility), Havre de Grace, Kona Gold, Rags to Riches, and Wise Dan (first year of eligibility); trainers Mark Casse, Christophe Clement, Doug O'Neill, and David Whiteley; and jockey Corey Nakatani. The finalists were selected by the Hall of Fame's Nominating Committee from a total of 91 initial candidates suggested by...

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Parsimony Puts It Together In Curlin

Trainer Doug O'Neill can surely count his maiden voyage to Dubai as a successful one, with two winners-both of stakes-and 13 runners in the money from 22 starts through Thursday. And there is a chance that Parsimony (Dominus) could lead him to bigger and better things after an eye-catching victory in Thursday's Listed Curlin S. Parsimony is apparently a horse that took his accomplished trainer some time to unravel; not only did it take the grey 18 starts to break his maiden, but within his first year on the track...

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