Just a Game Stakes

It isn't always easy for a small breeder to mix it with the bigger operations, pinning their hopes on mating more inexpensive mares with less-regarded stallions who might be flying under the radar at four- and lower five-figure service fees. The Lexington-based Winchester Farm, owned and operated by Dr. Naoya and Marie Yoshida, have made their mark applying those principles, and the pair were on hand over the past weekend at Saratoga. No, they didn't necessarily have a stake or other vested interest in the final leg of the Triple...

Classic Q (f, 4, Classic Empire--Lovely Em, by Scat Daddy) is proving classy "to a T." Last seen securing her first graded win on Kentucky Derby Day in the GII Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes, the Gary Barber, Blue Crevalle Racing, and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners colorbearer doubled up on Belmont Stakes Day, capturing the $500,000 GI Just a Game Stakes at Saratoga in front-running fashion. In addition to kicking off the graded action on a stellar day of racing for the much-heralded Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the Just a...

Saturday's Belmont Stakes is the last of nine top-level events on the weekend and the final of the six highly anticipated Grade I contests scheduled for a bumper card at Saratoga, short, medium and long on both the turf and the main track. A top-quality field of seven is set to face the starter in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap, for which 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Nysos (Nyquist) is the 9-5 morning-line favorite and 126-pound topweight in the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders'...

Klaravich Stables' Dynamic Pricing (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) beat Excellent Truth (Ire) (Cotai Glory {Ire}) to a spot at a crucial stage in Friday's GI Just A Game Stakes at a very soggy Saratoga and outstprinted the 8-5 chalk to the wire to give trainer Chad Brown his eighth victory in the one-mile contest in its last nine renewals and a fourth in succession. Half of those eight Just A Game winners were ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., but he elected to jump off the last-out GIII Beaugay Stakes...

A grey pair of Godolphin-owned, Charlie Appleby-trained fillies off at 7-1 and last seen competing in Meydan's G2 Balanchine S. in February dominated Saturday's GI Longines Just a Game S., with Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) running down fleet-footed stablemate and 'TDN Rising Star' Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) late. Longshot and fellow 'Rising Star' Daddy is a Legend (Scat Daddy) rounded out the trifecta. Trainer Chad Brown, who had three chances for his fifth-straight Just a Game title, could do no better than fourth with Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom)....

Chad Brown has won the last four renewals of Belmont's GI Longines Just a Game S. and has four chances to take him home his fifth Saturday. Leading the quartet is last out GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile heroine Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Prior to that victory, the bay missed by a neck in to Sweet Bye and Bye (Sky Mesa) in a Saratoga optional claimer last August and came up a neck short again in Belmont's GIII Noble Damsel S. in Septemer. She was defeated by a nose in...