Flavien Prat

Excellent Truth (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), purchased by John Stewart's Resolute Racing for €1.6 million out of last year's Arqana December Sale, was made the lukewarm 3-1 favorite to give trainer Chad Brown a fourth consecutive victory and seventh in the last eight years in Saturday's GI Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland. But Rabbah Blooodstock's homebred Choisya (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire})--already accustomed to playing the role of spoiler this season--had her own designs and won a sprint to the wire, surviving an objection from the favorite's jockey Flavien Prat...

He's not only back, he might be even better than he was last year. 'TDN Rising Star' Carl Spackler (Ire) (h, 5, Lope de Vega {Ire})--Zindaya, by More Than Ready), a back-to-back Grade I winner in 2024 before an uncharacteristic off-the-board finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, unleashed a scintillating turn of foot in his 5-year-old debut at Keeneland Friday, capturing the $650,000 GI Maker's Mark Mile Stakes by 4 1/4 widening lengths. There was no catching the 4-5 favorite as 3-1 second choice Integration (Quality Road), most recently...

3rd-Keeneland, $108,925, Msw, 4-9, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:11.45, ft, 1/2 length. DR. PARK (c, 4, Uncle Mo--Queen Caroline {MSW, $401,608}, by Blame) debuted in California for then-trainer John Shirreffs, weakening to fourth in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint Jan. 25. Shipping to Keeneland under new direction from Peter Eurton, the half-brother to 2-year-old champion Forte (Violence) drew outside as one of the more inexperienced runners in the scratched-down field of six. Lacking much early foot, the 3-5 favorite was outrun in the opening furlong by a trio of runners to his inside...

Saturday's Santa Anita Derby day showed large increases over 2024 with the all sources handle totaling $22,388,003 and wagering on just the marquee race up by nearly 24 per cent, according to a press release by the track. Bolstered by a big turnout from the Derby Day 5K, the on-track attendance came in at 34,312, a seven per cent jump from last season. It was the largest turnout since 2018. Both the all sources handle and on track attendance are expected to finish the Classic Meet Sunday up by noteworthy...

Trainer David Jacobson, who happens to be Banishing's co-owner, already collected a pair of wins on the Arkansas Derby undercard, but his biggest conditioning feat came in the GIII Oaklawn Mile Stakes on Saturday. Returning to one his favorite ovals, Banishing rattled off three wins in a row starting against optional claimers at Churchill Downs in late November, and then added an allowance score in Hot Springs Dec. 20, plus the Byerley Turk Overnight Stakes over course and distance Jan. 23. Last seen running a close second in the GIII...

Last year's Champion 3-year-old male and 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) will return to Fair Grounds to make his 4-year-old bow in the 100th running of the GII New Orleans Classic on Saturday. Tabbed as the 7-5 morning line favorite, Sierra Leone will face nine other opponents including the highly-regarded winner of the GIII Mineshaft Stakes at Fair Grounds Feb. 15, Hall of Fame (Gun Runner). As reported by TDN's Senior Contributing Editor Alan Carasso, Sierra Leone's trainer Chad Brown had made plans for the colt to make...

Nearly seven months ago to the day, it was announced by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to the crowd on hand at Colonial Downs for the running of the Arlington Million that for the first time in 2025, the Virginia Derby and Virginia Oaks--heretofore grass races held during the traditional summer meeting in New Kent--would be switched to the spring and to the main track to position themselves as prep races for the main events in May. That day arrives Saturday, as a field of nine sophomore males heads to the...

The accomplished juvenile Zulu Kingdom (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), unraced since finishing seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last Nov. 1, made a triumphant start to his 3-year-old campaign under Flavien Prat. Victorious in his Jun. 4 Saint-Cloud debut for trainer Andre Fabre, he next resurfaced at Saratoga with a win in the Aug. 29 GIII With Anticipation Stakes before stepping up to prevail in the Sept. 28 GII Pilgrim Stakes during the Belmont At The Big A meet. After a steady string of workouts on both dirt...

Heavily favored Scipio sailed home a much-the-best winner of the Baffle Stakes at Santa Anita. The dark bay colt, twice graded-placed while still a maiden, earned his first career victory going one mile over the Santa Anita turf last time out and was the 4-5 favorite to make it two in a row while making his first start down the hill Sunday. He raced near the back of a compact field and was buried behind a wall of horses approaching the stretch. Tipped to the center of course at the...

'TDN Rising Star' Casalu (Caracaro) broke from the gate with winning in mind, and took the Listed Sweet Life Stakes nearly gate to wire in her downhill debut at Santa Anita. Coming into the race with a victory going a mile over this course Dec. 28 in the Blue Norther Stakes, she'd run second two back Nov. 30 to Will Then (War of Will) in the GIII Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar. It was her third graded black type behind placings in the GIII Sorrento Stakes on the main...

Stretching out to two turns for Saturday's Sam F. Davis Stakes, downgraded to listed status but still offering 20 points to the winner on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s John Hancock (c, 3, Constitution--Scribbling Sarah, by Freud) would not be denied in the early march to the First Saturday in May. The chestnut earned a solid 81 Beyer Speed Figure in leading every step of the way to break his maiden at first asking over three-quarters of a mile locally on Jan. 8 and...

WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s Rapture (c, 3, Uncle Mo--Positively Royal, by Bernardini) had to be used some early on to gain a forward position from an awkward draw, but settled nicely from there just off the speed and responded when asked to finish off his race to graduate by 6 3/4 lengths in his two-turn debut Saturday at Oaklawn Park to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors. A debut second as the favorite to subsequent strong-figure Tampa allowance winner Vassimo (Nyquist) on his one-mile unveiling at Gulfstream Park Dec. 14,...