Godolphin

3rd-Colonial Downs, $70,100, Msw, 7-26, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:03.99, ft, 5 1/2 lengths. FOND OF YOU (f, 2, Street Sense--Hallie Belle {MSW & GSP, $210,464}, by Medaglia d'Oro) broke alertly from her inside post, slightly heading a contentious group of three other quick rivals approaching the far turn. Continuing to show the way, the 4-1 shot put a length on the rest of the field at the top of the stretch, and began to extend that margin through the lane, which grew to 5 1/2 lengths in the end....

ASCOT, UK -- Two years, two geldings, two King Georges. Francis Graffard has carried all before him in his native France this season and he returned triumphant to Ascot on Saturday with Calandagan his willing accomplice to repeat the success last year of stable-mate Goliath. "I'd prefer to have a very good gelding than a bad colt," the trainer quipped in response to a query as to the missing anatomy of the son of Gleneagles. It is hard to argue with that assertion when scrutinising Calandagan's increasingly impressive race record,...

Despite the fact that Journalism (Curlin) became the first of his generation to earn as many as three elite-level victories with his thrilling success in the GI NYRABets Haskell Stakes last weekend, Godolphin's Sovereignty (Into Mischief) remains at the head of this year's sophomore class by virtue of convincing head-to-head tallies in the GI Kentucky Derby on May 3 and when last seen in the GI Belmont Stakes right here at Saratoga on June 7. But the argument can be made that Saturday's GII Jim Dandy Stakes at the Spa...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--One of the most anticipated horses on the grounds at Saratoga comes to the races on Saturday. His name is Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and he is the unquestioned headliner in the GII, $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes, the traditional local prep for the GI, $1.5 million Travers Stakes on Aug, 23. Why shouldn't he be? He has already won the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes and is regarded as the best 3-year-old colt in the land. Jockey Junior Alvarado, who has ridden Sovereignty in six of his...

4th-ELP, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, 2:16 p.m. ET. A $500,000 buy during Keeneland September, PIASTRI (Not This Time) gets behind the wheel for L & N Racing and Robert Zoellner. The Steve Asmussen trainee is out of SP Boule (Exchange Rate), who herself was purchased for $160,000 by Rhianon Farms at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale while in-foal with current 4-year-old filly Thorny (Violence). Boule is a half-sister to GSW Tide of the Sea (English Channel) and her own grand dam is MGISW Tates Creek (Rahy), who is responsible for...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--The work is done. Now, Sovereignty (Into Mischief) waits for the $500,000 GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course next Saturday. Winner of the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes, Sovereignty's connections are confident he is ready to make his first start since that Triple Crown campaign. Saturday, morning at 7:30, Sovereignty had his final work for the Jim Dandy--and third since the Belmont--going four furlongs in 49.82 (12/41) under Neil Poznansky, the assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Sovereignty worked by himself; in...

Godolphin blueblood Spirited Style (Sea The Stars), a daughter of the operation's three-time Group 1 winner Wild Illusion (Dubawi) backed up a breakthrough victory at Haydock in May with a career high on black-type debut in Saturday's Listed Ric & Mary Hambro Aphrodite Fillies' Stakes at Newmarket. "She's improving and improving off each run, she relished the conditions today and really enjoyed the [good-to-] soft ground," said winning rider Billy Loughnane. "I hit the front sooner than ideal, but we had to go as I didn't want to get boxed...

William Buick will have fewer easier rides than he enjoyed on Godolphin's Wise Approach (Mehmas) as the TDN Rising Star dispatched his rivals in Friday's Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury. Off the mark in April's Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial EBF Conditions Stakes before disappointing at York and rebounding to be second in the Norfolk last month, the half-brother to Perfect Power cruised from behind to seize control a furlong out and inflict a four-length beating on Rock On Thunder (Night Of Thunder). "He ran a good race at Ascot,...

Saturday at Saratoga, while stuck in Mother Nature's crosshairs, provided trainer Chad Brown a tenth GI Diana Stakes victory with Excellent Truth (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) and saw 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel) dominate the GII Bowling Green Stakes. With their charges emerging from the efforts in good shape, the connections are tentatively looking to the future. In the Brown camp, Excellent Truth's effort only served to strengthen what the conditioner already believed going into the contest--that his mare was one of the best in the country. After...

6th-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 4:02 p.m. ET. SCHWARZENEGGER (Not This Time) is unveiled for the ownership group of David Fennelly, Brook Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Resolution Road. Initially a $410,000 purchase during Keeneland November in 2023, the colt went for $950,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale the following year and was sent to trainer Wesley Ward. The first-time starter is out Soothsaying (Lemon Drop Kid), who was a Gainesway buy for $350,000 at the 2024 Keeneland November Sale while a filly by Nyquist was in-utero....

Picked by William Buick from the two Godolphin hopes for Saturday's G2 Superlative Stakes, Saba Desert (Dubawi) justified that call to continue connections' run of success at Newmarket's July Festival. Swooping late to deny the 4-6 favourite Italy (Wootton Bassett), the grandson of the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Gossamer defied a market drift to 6-1 to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths and deliver a fourth renewal to his sire who won this himself in 2004. "We went to Sandown with a lot of confidence and William said he had felt...

Newmarket's July Festival winds up on Saturday, with the feature G1 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup the stage for the potential reinvention of Godolphin's Notable Speech (Dubawi). Luckily for him and unfortunately for the rest of us, he has no international heavyweights to deal with in a renewal that looks a bit light on its usual quality. With the main protagonists of the Commonwealth Cup, Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and King's Stand all absent, this looks one of the most winnable editions for some time and it will...