Estilo Talentoso

M's Racing's American-conceived and Japanese-foaled Finger (Jpn) (Gun Runner) moved one step closer to a sweep of the Japan Dirt Triple Crown with a front-running victory in Wednesday's ¥170 million ($1,059,270) Listed Tokyo Derby at Ohi Racecourse. The bay colt entered Wednesday's 2000-meter contest having never finished worse than second in his seven previous career appearances. That included a runner-up effort behind Rock Ptarmigan (Jpn) (Siskin) in the Listed Keihin Hai over 1700 meters Mar. 25 before turning the tables on that rival in the first leg of the Dirt...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Nakayama and Hanshin Racecourses: Saturday, September 27, 2025 4th-NKY, ¥14,250,000 ($95k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m FINGER (JPN) (c, 2, Gun Runner--Estilo Talentoso, by Maclean's Music) is the first foal from his dam, a $15,000 OBS June purchase back in 2019 who...

Trainer Cipriano Contrereas and Andrew Knapczyk's Inthemidstofbiz (Fed Biz) faces five other fillies and mares in an attempt to defend her title in Saturday's GII Thoroughbred Club of America S., a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar Nov. 6. In two starts this term, Inthemidstofbiz won an Indiana optional claimer on the dirt May 20 before finishing fourth in the Aug. 30 Satin and Lace S. over Presque Isle Downs' synthetic surface, the same race she used as a prep...

Bo Hirsch's Ce Ce (Elusive Quality), a multiple Grade I winner going two turns, will look for her first sprint stakes score when shipping cross-country for a try in the GII Princess Rooney S., a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" qualifier, Saturday at Gulfstream. Laid up after a fourth-place run in the GI Acorn S. as a sophomore in 2019, the homebred returned last February at Santa Anita with a sharp allowance score and kept it rolling with back-to-back top-level tallies in the Beholder Mile S. and Apple Blossom...

'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into Mischief) is the 1-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's GI Derby City (ex Humana) Distaff, and, facing just five other rivals that lack anything near her front-running prowess, she could go off an even shorter proposition than that. Now six-for-seven lifetime as her once-disputed Oaklawn allowance victory has now been reinstated, Gamine was other-worldly at trips around one turn during her championship season in 2020, winning the one-mile GI Longines Acorn S. by 18 3/4 lengths last June and the seven-furlong GI Longines Test S. by...