Fair Grounds

Stop us if you've heard this before: a seven-figure son of Gun Runner from the barn of Chad Brown has been sent to New Orleans to make his sophomore debut in Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes. Two years ago it was Sierra Leone who made the trip up from South Florida off a narrow defeat in the GII Remsen Stakes in the second of his two juvenile appearances. With Tyler Gafflione at the controls, the lanky colt took full advantage of the long straight in the Big Easy to...

2nd-FG, $65k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 1:30 p.m. ET A $185,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, TROMBONE (Maclean's Music) breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 flat and was knocked down to owner Kaleem Shah for $850,000 at last year's OBS April Sale. The April foal's winning dam Apologize (Lemon Drop Kid) is a half- or full-sister to four others to salute, including MGSW Aurelia's Belle (Lemon Drop Kid) and SW Dripping Gold (Lemon Drop Kid). This is the high-class female family of Althea, Twining, Atelier, Aldiza, et al....

Jockey Paco Lopez, who suffered a broken ankle in a spill at the Fair Grounds on Feb. 7, will miss the remainder of the Fair Grounds meet, according to agent Jose Gracia on Thursday. The incident occurred in the 8th race on the card when Lopez's mount, Betty's Dance (Brody's Cause), clipped heels and lost her rider. She was the 2-1 favorite in the 5 1/2 furlong turf test. No timetable has been set for his return, though Gracia said Lopez is recovering well and plans remain in place for...

It's been three weeks since our last GI Kentucky Oaks Top 10, and a lot has happened. But no one stepped up with the type of explosive performance that would have shaken up the standings. We've dropped four horses from our original poll. Mythical (St. Patrick's Day) just wasn't good enough in the GIII Forward Gal Stakes. Tommy Jo (Into Mischief) has been injured and has been taken off the Oaks trail. Percy's Bar (Upstart) hasn't had a workout since Jan. 6, which doesn't bode well for her making the...

IGNITER (c, 3, Volatile--Malibu Prayer {GISW, $618,026}, by Malibu Moon), after being featured in TDN's Second Chances series, broke his maiden by a length during the Belmont At The Big A meet in late September. The homebred was off for two months, then was entered in the GII Remsen Stakes at the Big A Dec. 6 where he posted a sixth-place finish behind GII Risen Star Stakes entrant Paladin (Gun Runner) and recent Sam F. Davis Stake hero Renegade (Into Mischief). Well-backed at a shade over even-money here, the colt...

5. SISTER TROIENNE, GP, 1/31-11th, 1 1 16 miles (turf) (Video) Beyer Speed Figure-84 (f, 3, by Munnings-Dyna Passer, by Lemon Drop Kid) O/B-Woodslane Racing (Ky). T-Brian Lynch. J-Mario Gutierrez. Horses aren't machines, but don't tell Sister Troienne. The Sweetest Chant was her fifth straight victory, each looking exactly like the one before. She's the first foal to race from Dyna Passer, a decent sort and third in the Jockey Club Oaks. More significantly, Dyna Passer is a half-sister to multiple graded winners Wolfie's Dynaghost (Ghostzapper)--a $1.3-million earner--and Sadler's Joy...

When a flight carrying several American-based Saudi Cup contenders departs Florida Monday, Magnitude (Not This Time) will not be on it, trainer Steve Asmussen told DRF on Sunday. The 4-year-old Winchell Thoroughbreds runner, who won the GII Clark Stakes last November, spiked a fever Sunday and would not ship out of his Fair Grounds base as planned. Magnitude registered his most recent work at Fair Grounds, covering five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.40 (1/18) on Jan. 29. Winner of last season's GII Risen Star, the colt also annexed the Iowa...

Jockey Florent Geroux, based at Fair Grounds this winter, is expected to shift his tack to Santa Anita this week, according to the DRF on Sunday. According to DRF, the rider is set to arrive in California on Thursday and is scheduled to ride on Friday. Representing Geroux during his California sojourn, Matt Nakatani is also the agent for Umberto Rispoli, recently sidelined after falling during a race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24. "I went to visit [Rispoli] in the hospital," Geroux told DRF Sunday morning. "We talked it...

6th-SA, $70K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 6:12 p.m. ET. While a good portion of the country is tossing another log on the fire in an attempt to stave off the frigid temperatures, out in toasty Arcadia a group of maidens led by some intriguing prospects have assembled for a hot race. Chief among them is POTENTE (Into Mischief) who Speedway Stables made the second topper when they went to $2.4-million to acquire the colt at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Sent to trainer Bob Baffert, the first-time starter is out...

SHARONS BEACH, SA, 1-23, 4th race, 6 1/2 furlongs BEYER SPEED FIGURE-89 (2nd) (g, 3, Omaha Beach--Cosmic Code, by Into Mischief) O-Panic Stable. B-Bryan Hawk (Ky). T-Jonathan Thomas. J-Umberto Rispoli. He has always been auspiciously supported: as a debut 2-1 choice on turf when he lost by 22 3/4 lengths, then at 8-5 on dirt when he faded to lose by 9 1/4 lengths, and again last week at 9-5. This time, he lived up to the stubborn optimism. Few could have expected a Beyer leap from 58 to 89,...

Magnitude (Not This Time), a game winner over older horses in his sophomore finale in the GII Clark S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 28, will make his next start in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will also be well-represented by 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Obliteration (Violence) in the $1.5-million G3 Saudi Derby on the undercard. Both races will be held at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh Feb. 14. "We're very excited to have both of them go," Asmussen said. "The Saudi Cup...

5. CINISTER CIX, TP, 1/16-6th, 6 furlongs Beyer Speed Figure-83 (2nd) (c, 4, by Curlin--Auntjenn, by Uncle Mo) O-Bartolome Mafla Herrera. B-Breffni Farm. T-Shane Sands. J-Walter Rodriguez. Privately purchased from the breeder after a half-dozen mostly uninspiring starts, the Curlin filly ran a career-best Beyer and appears to be just coming around. The pedigree is solid: dam Auntjenn was twice stakes-placed, five times ran Beyers between 81 and 83 for Brad Cox, and out of four foals to race has also produced GSW Petulante ($254k) and SW The Donegal Clan...