Hot Rod Charlie

2nd-Horseshoe Indianapolis, $32,000, Msw, 10-1, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.85, ft, 4 3/4 lengths. HOLLEN DRIVE (f, 2, Practical Joke--Indian Miss {Broodmare Of The Year}, by Indian Charlie), installed the 4-5 favorite, rushed to the front from post 5, but allowed Street Twirl (Street Boss) to lead the affair through a :23.17 quarter. Inching ahead turning for home, Hollen Drive ran clear, and despite Legit Chick's (Authentic) best effort late, it was the favorite who proved best on the day, winning by 4 3/4 lengths. Legit Chick was well clear...

HOKKAIDO, Japan -- "I expected it would be lively," said Katsumi Yoshida, in what may have been the understatement of the day at the conclusion of the yearling section of the JRHA Select Sale. Even by its own lofty standards, Japan's premier sale of bloodstock managed to raise the bar higher still, with only two of the 227 yearlings to pass through the ring on Monday failing to find a buyer. A 99 per cent clearance rate would be the envy of any sales house, and with the turnover of...

5th-FG, $58K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 3:45 p.m. ET. On Monday's holiday, first timer SARGENT SULLY (Instagrand) will sound off for breeder/owner OXO Equine and trainer Will Walden. The homebred's dam is 2021 Broodmare of the Year Indian Miss (Indian Charlie), who at $1.9 million was the second topper during the 2020 Keeneland November Sale while Bowstreet (Into Mischief) was in-utero--OXO also made Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy) the top price at $1.95 million during that same auction. Indian Miss lays claim to a pair of current sires in Champion male sprinter...

My first race was two years ago. The 2021 Haskell Invitational S., the summer before my senior year of college. It was the post parade that hooked me. When "Born to Run" sounded through the grandstand as Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie and Midnight Bourbon bounced onto the track, it didn't matter how the race would go. I was in. It was enough to latch onto despite the outrage I felt towards my home-state regulators for an ill-advised whip rule that took down Midnight Bourbon, along with my exacta box. But...

Bill Strauss and Bret Jones have both been named to the Board of Directors of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. The two, who are the first new members added to the board since three members were added in 2018, bring the total number of current board members to 11. "We've made ourselves better and stronger with the addition of these two fine gentlemen," said board member and Del Mar CEO Joe Harper. "When you can pick up a pair of individuals who love racing and have rich histories in the...

It's the transfer window over in Europe--and not just because they're between soccer seasons. They have also seen big money paid, both at auction and in private trade, to switch jockey silks at Royal Ascot this week. A couple of the top races have been won by a significant new investor, Wathnan Racing. Apparently, the people involved were eager to maintain a low profile, but it's tricky to remain incognito when the meeting's most storied trophy is being presented by the new King of England while Frankie Dettori, that least...

Tenacious to the end, Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) closed out his career with a win in the 2022 GI Cigar Mile, his third Grade I win and his 11th black-type victory. In a remarkable 29 starts over five years, Mind Control amassed total winnings of $2,185,834. In that race, as in all of Mind Control's stakes wins, he beat an impressive field of competitors, including favored Zandon, White Abarrio, and Get Her Number. Big numbers, indeed. Numbers, as it turns out, will also be...

Grade I winner Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow--Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie) will stand at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan beginning in 2023. The GI Pennsylvania Derby hero and half-brother to Eclipse Champion Sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya) will stand for ¥2,000,000. Eisuke Tokutake of Shadai Stallion Station said, "Hot Rod Charlie has only one [Grade I] win, but he is running steadily, and his pedigree background is a stallion that is definitely a Japan stallion [in the making] with a champion sprinter as his half-brother, [Mitole]." Purchased for $17,000 as a short...

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, KY, will host an Open House Saturday, Nov. 26 from noon until 2pm for fans to meet new retiree Lava Man (Slew City Slew). The event is free and open to the public. Pizza and lava crunch cakes will be served. The now 21-year old posted an impressive resume during a racing career that spanned seven years including victories in the GI Pacific Classic, GI Hollywood Gold Cup, and the GII Goodwood H., now called the Awesome Again. Lava Man retired as...

Unbeaten sensation and guaranteed GI Breeders' Cup Classic favorite Flightline (Tapit) put in his final prep for the World Championships at Keeneland Saturday. The 'TDN Rising Star' covered five furlongs solo in 1:00.60 (4/62) shortly after 7:30 a.m. under assistant trainer Juan Leyva. "I told Juan to go in a minute and change and out [seven-eighths] in 1:26, and that's what he did," trainer John Sadler said. "Juan's a great work rider. It was not about going fast today, just getting around there happy today." Flightline arrived at Keeneland Sunday...

The early-morning activity at racetracks across the country was ablaze Saturday, with horses targeting next month's Breeders' Cup races dominating the scene. Well represented at Keeneland, trainer Chad Brown had the bulk of his championship team working on both the main track and the turf. "Everything went really, really well this morning, considering everything that was going on," Brown said, referring to the volume of horses that featured 190 works on the main track. "They all did very well and they will have another work next week, but these were...

Unbeaten sensation Flightline (Tapit) headed a bevy of Breeders' Cup workers across the country Saturday. The likely favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic covered six furlongs at Santa Anita in 1:11.80 (1/3). Flightline entered the main track via the quarter-mile chute with John Sadler assistant Juan Leyva aboard just prior to 6:35 a.m. Accompanied by a stable pony, he galloped under the wire and around the clubhouse turn and was set down approaching the five-furlong pole. From there, he clicked off splits of :23.60, :35.40, :47.80 and :59.40 en...