Lagynos

Those of us most despondent to see the winner of the first leg sitting out the second can console ourselves, precisely on grounds of tradition, that an abbreviated GI Belmont Stakes would never have allowed a "proper" Triple Crown anyway. Even so, with Curlin obviously deploying a rather more important son at Saratoga this weekend, we can be indulged in neglecting his contribution to one of the more intriguing winners of a relatively quiet week. Original Sin is a slower burn than Golden Tempo, but appears to be thriving with...

With June around the corner, the graded stakes calendar heats back up as Churchill Downs hosts its Stephen Foster Preview on Saturday. The local prep for the June 28 running of the GI Stephen Foster Stakes, the GIII Blame Stakes is one of six higher-level races on the card and could be deemed as wide-open. Wathnan Racing's Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) has the class edge though. The 2025 winner of the G1 Dubai World Cup returned to Meydan back in late March, but was unable to duplicate the feat....

Trainer Brad Cox's outfit was like a hen on a June bug towards the end of Keeneland's 'Fall Stars' meet and subsequently kept pouncing on wins at Churchill, Horseshoe Indy and Aqueduct as the calendar flipped to the more autumn-like weather of November. Louisville's favorite son collected 20 winner's circle visits across 61 starts from Oct. 21 on, which included a Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) playlist in the GIII Hagyard Fayette Stakes, an Oaks points deposit for Life of Joy (Gun Runner) in the Rags to Riches Stakes and...

World-class rider Frankie Dettori announced that his last ever mounts in the U.S. would be in the Breeders' Cup, so it came as somewhat of a shock when he was named on Lagynos (Kantharos) in Saturday's GIII River City Stakes at Churchill Downs. Lagynos, trained by Steve Asmusssen, is among the top contenders in the race. But his U.S. agent Ron Anderson said Dettori will not be riding Saturday at Churchill or anywhere else in the U.S. in the future. "I have no idea why he was named on that...

In a study of perseverance, Lagynos (c, 3, Kantharos--Steamy, by Speightstown), who has now run in 10 consecutive black-type events this year, finally got one to call his own when capturing the $300,000 GIII Commonwealth Turf Stakes Saturday at Churchill Downs. Last seen fifth in a troubled trip Oct. 26 in the GIII Bryan Station Stakes at Keeneland and seventh in the GIII Nashville Derby Aug. 31 at Kentucky Downs, Lagynos races for HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud. "He deserved this win," said Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen....

It took the entire stretch, but he got there, and Neat (Constitution) surged in the shadow of the wire to claim the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga on the day the Class of 2024 was officially celebrated. Last seen winning the GIII Manila Stakes June 29 at the Belmont Big A meeting, he'd yielded to seven May 4 two back in the GII American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs behind eventual GI Belmont Derby winner Trikari (Oscar Performance). Before that he's been the nose...

The once-beaten Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal) will look to give Godolphin a third winner in the five-year history of the GII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes as she bids to add to her latest success in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational over the same mile-and-three-sixteenths journey July 6. The homebred ran the table in the first four starts of her career, a pair of victories at two followed by two more this season at Meydan, including a jaw-dropping score in the Listed Jumeirah 1000 Guineas Mar. 2 that defies any...

The temperature may be cooler in Lexington this week, but things heated up quickly on opening day at Keeneland with the first graded event of the spring at the Lexington oval coming down to a head bob. It took a photo to determine Red White and Blue Racing LLC's Neat (c, 3, Constitution--Orabella, by More Than Ready) had outpunched Mar. 2 Colonel Liam S. runner-up Cugino (Twirling Candy) by the slimmest of margins in the $400,000 GIII Transylvania S. for 3-year-olds going 1 1 1/16 miles on the lawn. Lagynos...