Essential Quality

After a weekend that flashed one talent after another, like a many-sided jewel rotating in the sun, it's hard to single out a dominant facet. But having previously explored the backgrounds of Golden Tempo (Curlin) and Nysos (Nyquist), let's start with the breakout performance of Englishman (Maxfield), author of a 115 Beyer in the GI Woody Stephens Stakes. And actually this horse shares an important glint of brilliance with the other pair. Because Golden Tempo, the second consecutive Derby/Belmont winner out of a daughter of Bernardini, shares his damsire not...

9th-GP, $68k, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, post time: 5:04 p.m. ET STREET PLAY (Into Mischief), a $700,000 Keeneland September purchase, makes her first trip to the races for Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm and trainer Kent Sweezey. A May 1 foal, the bay looks to become the second winner out of a daughter of Contrive (Storm Cat), whose daughter Folklore (Tiznow) was champion 2-year-old filly of 2005 when taking out the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies for Wayne Lukas and Bob and Beverly Lewis. Folklore's GSP half-sister Delightful Quality (Elusive...

4th-CD, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, f&m, 7f, 2:00 p.m. ET. Juddmonte homebred COUPLET (Gun Runner) heads to the post with some strong drills under her belt in Louisville for trainer Michael McCarthy. The farm acquired the first-time starter's dam, Canadian champion 2-year-old & GISW Spring in the Air (Spring At Last), for $1.65-million during the 2015 Keeneland November sale. Couplet's extended female family includes GI Spinaway Stakes winner Sweet Loretta (Tapit) and GSW Nafisa (Quality Road). TJCIS PPS 2nd-CD, $134K, OC80K/N2X, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:00 p.m. ET. A $300,000 2024 Keeneland September...

We know that the majority of stallions, in this day and age, get their biggest and best books precisely when we know least about their competence. But the other side of the same coin is that very few breeders stick around should a stallion fail to seize that first, fleeting opportunity. Just as well, then, that a historically underachieving group of rookies has got its act together with its maturing first crop, to the extent that four have managed to get a son into the GI Kentucky Derby gate. Collectively,...

3rd-GP, $68k, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:54 p.m. ET Godolphin homebred Delightfully (Tapit), a full-sister to two-time champion and promising young sire Essential Quality, kicks off her career for Brad Cox. She is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Cox will also saddle second-time starter Nahla (Authentic), a half-sister to GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. winner Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator). The Shadwell Stable colorbearer and $550,000 KEESEP yearling finished second on debut going two turns at Tampa Feb. 28. TJCIS PPs 6th-KEE, $110k, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 3:40 p.m. ET The rail-drawn Mashallah...

GI Florida Derby runner-up The Puma (Essential Quality) put in his final local breeze at Gulfstream Park Saturday morning in advance of shipping out to Churchill Downs for an anticipated tilt in the GI Kentucky Derby. Working five furlongs with Javier Castellano aboard, the chestnut clicked off 1:00.77 (5/15) over a fast track in his second work since being defeated by Commandment (Into Mischief) in a desperate photo in the Florida Derby. Clockers caught his six-furlong gallop out in 1:12.85 and a mile in 1:37.88. "[The work] went really well....

Wathnan Racing's Commandment (Into Mischief) came with a late surge to nail The Puma (Essential Quality) by a nose in a heart-stopping renewal of Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. It was a half-length back to 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Chief Wallabee (Constitution) in third. Favored Nearly (Not This Time) tired to fourth. The Diamond Anniversary of the Curlin Florida Derby offered 200 qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Derby on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10 to the first five finishers. The first jewel of the Triple...

It's what keeps everyone going: the chance that somewhere out there may be a single horse capable of transforming your whole career. For most, of course, the quest yields no more than near-misses: horses that don't quite work out, for one reason or another, but that hopefully show enough to get you noticed, keep you in the game. Every now and then, however, somebody turns up a real game-changer. Every now and then, along comes Mage. Before turning up the 2023 GI Kentucky Derby winner, Ramiro Restrepo's eligibility to describe...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack provides analysis for Saturday's pair of GI Kentucky Derby preps--the GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds and GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park. Results (Weekend of Feb. 28) - Commandment (Into Mischief) ($6.80 winner of GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth) and Class President (Uncle Mo) ($19.00 winner of GII Rebel) made it a profitable weekend at the windows for this column, both delivering wins in dramatic fashion. Hammond (Charlatan), meanwhile, was a disappointing sixth at 8-1 in the GIII Gotham. GII TwinSpires.com...

No three-figure maidens this week, but the meeting at Colonial Downs featured prominently in this week's top 5. 5. LOVE'M OR LIAM, GP, 3/13-5th, 1 1/16 miles (Tapeta) (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-81 (c, 4, by Liam's Map--Fly Me to Dubai, by Into Mischief) O-Cheyenne Stable. B-Catherine Hudson, Kildare Stud and Aaron Mulholland (Ky). T-Bill Mott. J-Junior Alvarado. He finally broke his maiden in his seventh start and first on Tapeta (off the turf), but in his defense he hasn't seen easy spots against Grande (later second in Wood Memorial), Life...

NEW KENT, VA--From one CD to another. In his second start of the year, Pin Oak Stud's Incredibolt (Bolt d'Oro) stamped his ticket for a return trip to Churchill Downs with a visually-impressive finish in Saturday's Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs. Under the tutelage of Riley Mott, the 6-1 choice is already proven under the Twin Spires when he finished out his juvenile campaign with a win in the GIII Street Sense Stakes in late October. And while his return to the track earlier this season didn't go quite as...

Shadwell Stable's Ezum (Essential Quality), a speed-and-fade ninth at longshot odds on seven-furlong debut at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 7, was pounded into even-money favoritism stretching out to a mile Saturday at Colonial Downs and treated his rivals to a 19 1/2-length beating. Soon in front for Flavien Prat, the $485,000 Keeneland November weanling angled down towards the inside and made the running one off the fence while doing it through comfortable fractions up front. Prat held his mount together into the final three furlongs and when he edged ever...