Keeneland September Sale graduate

When last seen in Grade I company at Keeneland, Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar (Upstart) crossed the wire an apparent open-lengths winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. last October, only to be demoted from the victory for causing interference and placed second. The $52,000 Keeneland September bargain was back in Lexington in Friday's opening-day feature, the GI Central Bank Ashland S., and with a rail-skimming run into the short stretch, Percy's Bar went on to an authoritative 2 1/4-length defeat of heavily favored Zany (American Pharoah). French Friction (City...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--Legendary college football coach Mike Leach believed fervently in the power of pirate culture. Despite its cut, thrust and swagger image, according to Leach the swashbucklers of old were incredibly democratic, were forced at times to be surprisingly unconventional and they proved time and time again that taking risks could payoff handsomely--rings true for Thoroughbred racing too. Speaking of plundering and pirate treasure, in the 90th running of the GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on Saturday a record 73,000 people watched an invader named Renegade (Into Mischief--Spice...