Gainesway

EASY DECISION (c, 3, Charlatan--All Laced Up, by Bernardini) was unveiled as the 9-5 choice here. The chalk initially took on longshot pacesetter Lord King (King for a Day), but was reigned in to stalk up the backstretch. Taking aim at the leader and Complex Charlie (Complexity) around the far turn and into the lane, the 3-year-old was forced to tip to an outside lane. The bay became uncorked, struck the front with a furlong left and graduated by 6 1/4 lengths. Complex Charlie was the runner-up. A $120,000 buy...

Mark Casse is among the hottest trainers in America, was recently named Chairman of the Board of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company, and continues to help lead the fight to save racing in South Florida. So, there was plenty to talk about when the Hall of Fame trainer joined this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. Casse was the Gainesway Guest of the Week. Casse will head into the weekend with 17 wins from 38 starters at Oaklawn, good for a win rate of 45%. He bolstered his...

From a small commercial broodmare band, which currently numbers just six mares, Vincent Colbert has had a remarkable amount of success in a short amount of time, breeding Grade I winners Callback and Chocolate Gelato, as well as Grade III winner Shotgun Hottie. The Massachusetts native had success almost right from the start of his breeding operation with the purchase of Quickest (Forest Wildcat) for $40,000 as a 2-year-old at the 2007 Keeneland January sale--three years before her half-brother Super Saver (Maria's Mon) won the GI Kentucky Derby. The bay...

These are not easy times for Illinois horsemen, who have already lost Arlington Park and may soon see the area's remaining Thoroughbred track go under. After the Illinois Racing Board, citing financial instability, which included the bouncing of checks, pulled the plug on the track's Standardbred meet in January, there's no telling whether or not a reeling Hawthorne will be able to open its doors when the Thoroughbred meet is supposed to start March 29. Chris Block, the president of the local horsemen's group, is fighting the good fight to...

Graded stakes winner Stormcast (Mitole) is among 19 additional entries to the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, which will be held Feb. 9 in Lexington. The latest group of supplements to the auction are catalogued as hip 386-404 and include several stakes winners and a half-sibling to a recent Grade I winner. The 5-year-old mare Stormcast, winner of the 2024 GIII Bessarabian Stakes, will be offered as hip 395 and will be consigned as a racing or broodmare prospect by Taylor Made Sales Agency. Other supplemental entries include: Athena's War...

Under the leadership of Rich Mendez, Morplay Racing has come a long way in a short time. The Morplay team, which also includes Mendez's son, Josh, Randy Hartley, and Dean DeRenzo, and started up in 2023, has already won at the highest levels with Shisospicy (Mitole) and got a taste of Derby Fever when it won the 2024 GIII Sam F. Davis Stakes with No More Time (Not This Time). Morplay will look to add to its accomplishments when sends out its most recent acquisition, Brotha Keny (Mo Town), in...

Seize the Grey (Arrogate--Smart Shopping, by Smart Strike), winner of the 2024 GI Preakness Stakes, was represented by his first foal when stakes-winning Dontmesswithjoanne (Pioneerof the Nile) produced a colt at Tanya Johnson's Red Gables Stud Jan. 17. "We couldn't be happier with this mare's first foal for us. He is strong, correct, and has impressive size," Johnson said. "Seize the Grey delivered everything we were looking for in this mating, and we are excited to watch his progress." In addition to the Preakness, Seize the Grey also won the...

LEXINGTON, KY - The 2026 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale concluded its compressed two-day run Tuesday. "Another really good day," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "Overall, it was a great, solid day of trading. Everyone felt like it was a very honest and strong market overall." That market strength and diversity was on display with as the top 25 horses came from 18 different consignors and sold to 24 individual buyers. The top 13 yearlings were also each by different stallions. After a three-day sale...

Young Gainesway stallion Muth, a Grade I winner at both two and three, welcomed his first foal, a filly, on Jan. 1 at Gainesway. The filly is out of the winning Marlinspike (Tapit), herself a daughter of 2000 Eclipse champion Surfside and a granddaughter of 1994 Eclipse champion Flanders. The new filly, who was born at 2:30 a.m. on New Year's Day, is a a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Bullet (War Front). Muth, the $2-million OBS March topper in 2023, as well as a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by...

Serendipity is priceless in this business. Though they number no more than 20, for instance, this is the second time that one of the Dromingrove Farm mares has been steeply elevated by events. And you may recall an equally startling outcome, in Dubai a couple of years ago, after Delia Nash had found herself reluctantly obliged to retain and race an unsold horse. But then Nash has been around horses all her life, back to her County Limerick girlhood, and understands that no matter what you get right, the most...

Despite a successful career in which he won 1,871 races, jockey Trevor McCarthy announced his retirement in April. He admitted that he was "miserable" and that the many problems that come with being a jockey, especially one who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall, had caused him serious mental health problems. In November, it was announced that McCarthy had taken on a new job as HISA's Jockey Wellness Consultant. To talk about his battles, his new job, his current state of mind and why he walked away from the sport...

Dale Romans is among the most successful trainers in the history of Kentucky racing. He's the all-time leading trainer in terms of wins at Churchilll Downs, has won the GI Preakness Stakes and upset Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) with Keen Ice (Curlin) in the 2015 GI Travers S. But he's looking for a career change. Last week, trainer Romans announced that he'd like to become U.S. Senator Romans, representing Kentucky. He announced his candidacy and has entered the Democratic primary. To discuss why he is running...