Empire Maker

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency                               1st-KEE, $150K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 10:30 a.m. After working an eighth of a mile in a blazing :9 4/5, ARABIAN KNIGHT (Uncle Mo) achieved a final bid of a sale-topping $2.3 million from Zedan Racing Stables at this year's OBS April Sale after fetching $250,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. The first foal out of a half-sister to MGSP Kinsley Kisses (Congrats), the bay posted a trio of speedy works...

by Christie DeBernardis & Patrycja Szpyra Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 3:49 p.m. EDT GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) may be missing his appearance at the Spa this summer, but his little sister PRANK (Into Mischief) will be stepping up to the post for the first time Sunday. Out of a daughter of GISW Island Sand (Tabasco Cat), the $500,000 KEESEP buy also hails from the Todd Pletcher barn. Steve Asmussen unveils Courtlandt Farm's High Class (Into Mischief), purchased for...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 5th-KEE, $100K, MSW, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 3:08 p.m. Trainer Chad Brown brings NABOKOV (Uncle Mo) to Keeneland on Thursday for his career debut. The chestnut son of Peppy Rafaela (Bernardini) is a full-brother to GSW & MGSP Mopotism who earned over $876k in her career. Purchased for $775,000 by Peter Brant from the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Nabokov has been working consistently in preparation for his debut including four-furlongs in :49 2/5 Mar. 26 (12/63) and a more recent four-furlongs on the track at...

Top GI Kentucky Derby contender Messier (Empire Maker), recently transferred from Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert to his former assistant Tim Yakteen, breezed six furlongs Sunday for a start in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Apr. 9 in a bullet 1:11.40, fastest by nearly three seconds of five recorded works at the distance. "He worked lights out," Yakteen said of Messier. "We had Johnny [Velazquez] work him and he'll ride him in the Santa Anita Derby. He gave us a thumbs up. The horse looked great, although he...

Here we are, then, in what Oliver Hardy could only call "another nice mess." But let's disentangle this flourishing sapling Messier (Empire Maker) from the tentacles that may restrain him from a timely bloom on the first Saturday in May, and take a moment to celebrate not only the storied nursery that cultivated his family but also the alert grafting that now involves another farm in his future success. For this horticultural analogy permits only one classification of the spectacular GIII Robert S. Lewis S. winner--as a young maple. Messier...

Messier gave trainer Bob Baffert and jockey John Velazquez their second dominant graded winner of the afternoon when he flew home an unchallenged victor of the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita Sunday. Shedding the blinkers after getting outkicked in the Dec. 11 GII Los Alamitos Futurity last time out, the 3-5 favorite tugged his way to the fore with little encouragement from Velazquez. Second choice Sir London (Malibu Moon) chased the pace with longshot Cabo Spirit latched on the top two while racing three deep. Sir London...

4th-Tampa Bay Downs, $25,000, Msw, 1-26, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:12.62, sy, 7 3/4 lengths. NETTE NETTE (f, 4, Empire Maker--Vaulcluse {SW}, by A.P. Indy), a $950,000 Keeneland September graduate, made the trip up from South Florida and splashed home to debut as a much-the-best winner. Away in mid-division as the even-money pick, the a half-sister to Lukes Alley (Flower Alley), Ch. Older Horse-Can, GISW-US, MGSW-Can, $795,122; and to once-beaten 'TDN Rising Star' Arrifana (Curlin), SW & GSP, $230,400, tugged Pablo Morales to the front after the completion of a quarter-mile....

January 26 Insights: Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 4th-TAM, $28K, Msw, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:45 p.m. Allen Stable's went to $950,000 to acquire NETTE NETTE (Empire Maker) at KEESEP and she makes her career bow in this spot for Shug McGaughey. Out of SW Vaulcluse (A.P. Indy), the dark bay is a half to Canadian champion and Grade I winner Lukes Alley (Flower Alley) and SW & GSP Arrifana (Curlin). TJCIS PPs

6th-Del Mar, $72,500, Msw, 11-20, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:17.45, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. EMPIRE GAL (f, 2, Empire Maker--Double Tapped, by Tapit) opened her account at first asking Saturday at Del Mar with a good-looking victory over 6 1/2 furlongs Saturday. Prominent in the early stages, the bay filly drifted back to a midfield position while racing well out into the track approaching the turn. Given her cue with a little less than three-eighths of a mile to travel, the 34-5 chance advanced four or five wide into the...

Heavily-favored Messier sat off of a supersonic pace in Sunday's GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar and rallied to score going away in the end, giving Bob Baffert--who had three of the four starters--his 11th victory in the seven-furlong test for 2-year-old males. Hammered down to 1-2 favoritism on debut June 27 at Los Alamitos, the $470,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling buy cruised to an easy 6 1/2-length graduation off a brief layoff Oct. 22 at Santa Anita to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Taking the bulk of the play...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale continued its frenetic pace Tuesday and figures remained ahead of record pace at the half-way point of the four-day auction. "It was a great session," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said Tuesday night. "It was record-breaking in all regards: gross, average and co-highest price ever for a colt. But more important than that was the continued level of activity. There is a great RNA rate overall with people walking in there with reserves that were getting doubled and tripled. It was an...

Crunched into 2-5 favoritism to build on a debut second at Los Alamitos at the end of June, Messier (Empire Maker) made a bold run to the front fully three furlongs from home and coasted in by 6 1/2 lengths to become a new 'TDN Rising Star' in Friday's fourth race from Santa Anita. Away only fairly beneath Flavien Prat, the $470,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase graduate worked his way up into a chasing second as the debuting Godsend (Midshipman) went a strong gallop up ahead of him. Prat allowed...