Keeneland September

About half an hour removed from a stirring victory in the GII San Felipe Stakes with Journalism (Curlin), jockey Umberto Rispoli and trainer Michael McCarthy were right back into the spotlight when Mr. & Mrs. William Warren's Formidable Man (City of Light) closed good ground hard up against the rail and was along in the final strides to add the GI F. E. Kilroe Mile Stakes. Off at odds of 5-1, the $375,000 Keeneland September yearling--by the sire who gave McCarthy and the Warrens memorable victories in the GI Breeders'...

RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA -- Owner Al Gold knows that you can't win if you don't play, and the New Jersey native has not one, but two cracks at a nice payday on Saturday's Saudi Cup undercard at King Abdulaziz Racecourse here in Riyadh. Gold, who did not make the trip over to Saudi Arabia, but will be watching from the comfort of his winter home in Florida, campaigns Cyclone State (McKinzie) in partnership with George Messina and Michael Lee, as the $70,000 Keeneland September yearling looks to extend...

Three years ago, a colt by the emerging Not This Time campaigned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve Asmussen named Epicenter controlled the pace in the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes and reported home an easy winner, returning $9 to his backers. On Saturday, a colt by the now-boom Taylor Made stallion followed in Epicenter's hoofprints for the same connections, as Magnitude (Not This Time) was sent hard to the lead by Ben Curtis from the outside gate in a field of 12 and left them all in his...

6th-Fair Grounds, $55,000, Msw, 2-15, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:10.43, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. AHAVAH (f, 3, City of Light--Holiday Soiree {SW & GISP, $405,642}, by Harlan's Holiday) overcame a bit of a sluggish dispatch and held off a persistent late challenge from fellow well-tried first-starter Unwavering Trust (Nyquist) to take the second division of the 3-year-old filly six-furlong maiden Saturday afternoon at the Fair Grounds. A bit flat-footed at the break, the $400,000 Keeneland September yearling, whose half-sister Vahva (Gun Runner, $1,802,810) won last year's GI Derby City Distaff, mustered...

4th-Fair Grounds, $55,000, Msw, 2-15, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:09.86, ft, 3/4 length. VELVET VORTEX (f, 3, Complexity--Sweet Pistol, by Smart Strike) was bet down from a morning line of 9-2 to jump as the 13-5 favorite while making her career debut at the Fair Grounds Saturday afternoon and got the better of a final-furlong tussle with second-time starter Velvet Devil (Kantharos) to graduate in strong fashion. Drawn three, the $375,000 Keeneland September purchase bounced beautifully, but was just outfooted to the front by the rail-drawn Velvet Devil, second after leading...

4th-FG, $55K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 2:30 p.m. ET. A $1.15 million buy for Mike Rutherford during Keeneland September, BUNDLE (Volatile) makes her debut for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Bred by Three Chimneys, the gray is out of MGISW Love and Pride (A.P. Indy), who is responsible for a pair of stakes winners in Princesinha Julia (Pioneerof the Nile) and Bella Runner (Gun Runner). Bundle's third dam, GISW Cara Rafaela (Quiet American), produced generational sire Bernardini (A.P. Indy). TJCIS PPS 4th-GP, $94K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 1:47 p.m. ET....

Needless to say, Dornoch didn't look as shocked as Jayson Werth had felt when someone once said much the same to him. But somehow he got the message, because next day he went out there as a longshot and came back the winner of the GI Belmont Stakes. It had just been the two of them, in his stall, Werth literally giving the horse a pep talk. So he wanted to be a stallion, a lot of pretty mares lining up? Wanted to be somebody in this game? Well, here's...

3rd-Oaklawn, $110,000, Msw, 2-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.50, ft, 8 lengths. NUIT MAGIQUE (f, 4, Arrogate--Twixy, by Mutakddim) made an eyecatching move to split horses three furlongs from home and widened through the final eighth of a mile to graduate by eight impressive lengths Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn Park. Pegged at morning-line odds of 9-2, the $255,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic topper, off at 14-5, was under a hustling ride early on from Nik Juarez and was no better than midfield through the opening exchanges before improving...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are four sophomore fillies of interest for this weekend running at Tokyo and Kyoto Racecourses, with American-breds nicely represented at stakes level: Saturday, February 8, 2025 3rd-KYO, ¥11,850,000 ($78k), Newcomers, 3yo, 1400m RENENET (f, 3, American Pharoah--Family Meeting, by Sky Mesa), a $325,000 Keeneland September acquisition by Dr. Masatake Iida,...

2nd-GP, 94K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 11:30 a.m. Gulfstream Park will kick off it's Pegasus World Cup card with a pair of classy maiden special weight races headlined by DISRUPTOR (Gun Runner), a $1,150,000 KEESEP yearling out of the Todd Pletcher barn for the partnership group of Repole Stable, Spendthrift Farm, Big Easy Racing, Titletown Racing, Winners Win, Golconda Stable, Ali Goodrich and Mark Parkinson. The chestnut, out of a full-sister to MGSW Bridgetown (Speightstown), put in a drill at Palm Beach Downs Jan. 18, going four furlongs from the gate...

6th-Meydan, Cocoa Beach S. (Cond.), AED400,000, NH/SH3yo, f, 1600m, 1:38.15, ft. QUEEN AZTECA (f, 3, Sharp Azteca--Princesa Helena, by Palace Malice) took advantage of a furious early gallop to storm clear late in this prep for the G3 UAE Oaks on Feb. 21. Void of early speed from the inside gate, the blinkered bay filly was content to race at the tail as Arigatou Gozaimazu (Honest Mischief) blazed a trail through the opening 400 metres in an unsustainable :21.54 while chased by favoured Flama Sunshine (Flameaway). Racing against the rail...

3rd-GP, 94K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 1:18 p.m. POP ART (Medaglia d'Oro) sold to Glen Hill Farm for $750,000 as a Keeneland September yearling last year. She is the first foal out of GSW Painting (Distorted Humor) while second dam Handpainted is a full-sister to Canadian champion older mare Serenading. This is also the family of GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner Brilliant Speed (Dynaformer) and MSW/GI Arkansas runner up Conquest Mo Money (Uncle Mo). TJCIS PPS 6th-GP, 94K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 2:49 p.m. A $700,000 OBS April buy for 30...