Laoban

Any concerns about whether or not she was still Queen of the Hill were dispelled Friday as Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) dominated the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes, earning a guaranteed berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff while she was at it. A lot was said about Nitrogen's defeat last out Apr. 11 in the GI Apple Blossom Stakes behind the late Claret Beret (Not This Time), and that came on the heels of a third-place finish Mar. 7 in the GII Azeri Stakes. She'd never missed the board on the...

Code Review (Uncle Mo) was the subject of much pre-race chatter and lived up to the hype on Gulfstream debut Jan. 25, making all the running en route to a 1 1/2-length victory and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard plaudits. The bay was given an entry for Saturday's Virginia Derby, but connections opted to ship in for this considerably softer spot, for which he was made the 1-5 mortal. Code Review hopped slightly as the gates flew back, but he quickly stepped away to a clear lead before Tyler...

2nd-CNL, $80k, OC 62k/N1X, 3yo, 1m, 1:00 p.m. ET. Code Review (Uncle Mo) takes on winners for the first time after delivering a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' performance at first asking going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park Jan. 25. The full-brother to the ill-fated GII Jim Dandy S. winner Laoban earned a 78 Beyer Speed Figure for the front-running victory. He fired a four-furlong bullet in :46 4/5 (1/63) at Gulfstream Mar. 1. Code Review, a $200,000 FTKNOV weanling turned $575,000 KEESEP yearling, is campaigned in partnership by...

Marc Gunderson picked up both GISP Ava's Grace (Laoban) and her yearling Into Mischief filly during Monday's Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, going to $950,000 for Ava's Grace who is in foal to Curlin, and $625,000 for her filly just one hip later. Mother and daughter were both consigned by by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. The $950,000 paid for Ava's Grace already eclipses the top price of the 2025 Winter Mixed Sale when a colt by Curlin sold for $775,000.   Stakes placed AVA'S GRACE and her yearling filly by...

The betting public couldn't take their eyes off him before the race, and Code Review (Uncle Mo) never stopped going in the lane after posting brisk early fractions, striding home to become his late sire's newest 'TDN Rising Star. presented by Hagyard' at Gulfstream Park. Code Review left the gates as the 3-5 favorite and stepped forward to contest the pace through an opening quarter in :21.80, and a half in :44.90. On a narrow advantage at the head of affairs with challengers mounting bids on both sides, he responded...

BLESS THE BROKEN (f, 4, Laoban--The Nightingale, by Tapit) missed the board once last year in a campaign that included a gutsy third-place finished in th GI Kentucky Oaks, and finishing fourth in the GI Acorn Stakes June 6 at Saratoga in what turned out to be the last race of her season. Sold for $950,000 to Qatar Racing and Mountmellick Farm during the Fasig-Tipton November sale last year, she was moved from the barn of Will Walden to Brad Cox, and made her return to the races here with...

A slate of 65 offerings were catalogued for the Inglis Digital USA September Sale, led by a number of runners coming off of successful racetrack performances and the broodmare Earth Shaking (War Front), a half-sister to the dam of GISW Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), the organization announced via press release. The aforementioned daughter of War Front will be offered not in-foal and ready for mating. All five of Earth Shaking's foals to make the races have gotten their picture taken. Another of the broodmare offerings is Jill's a Hot Mess (Laoban),...

Bless the Broken (Laoban), last seen finishing third behind Saturday's GII Fair Grounds Oaks winner Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GII Rachel Alexandra Stakes at the Fair Grounds Feb. 15, made a successful transition to Turfway Park's Tapeta surface over the same trip. Biding her time under a patient John Velazquez, the 6-1 fourth choice in the field of 11 sat in seventh early behind White Rocks (Frosted)'s even pace set in :24.24, :49.02 and 1:13.69. Advancing while four-wide on the far turn, she swept past White Rocks, Bracelet...

Only briefly giving her backers worry, Good Cheer (f, 3, Medgalia d'Oro--Wedding Toast, by Street Sense) rolled home the easiest of winners in the GII Rachel Alexandra Stakes and claimed 25 points toward the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. On a four-race win streak which started last August in her debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis, the Godolphin homebred followed that effort up with a 17-length victory against allowance runners at Churchill Downs and never slowed down from there. Claiming the Listed Rags to Riches Stakes Oct. 27 and the GII Golden...

Golden Gamble (f, 2, Laoban--Me and Mine, by Bernardini) stamped herself as a filly to watch for trainer Ken McPeek with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance at second asking traveling around two turns in the Churchill nightcap Saturday. The 5-2 chance found a perfect spot beneath Brian Hernandez, Jr. in an outside fourth through fractions of :23.60 and :48.17. Traveling nicely rounding the far turn, she made a flashy, three-wide move to stick her head in front approaching the quarter pole, and, despite racing a bit green as they straightened,...

Whether or not the stewards made the right or wrong calls when disqualifying Brick Ambush (Laoban) and not disqualifying Antonio of Venice (Laoban) in the $500,000 Great White Way Division of the New York Stallion Series run Saturday at Aqueduct is something the New York Gaming Commission is not going to lose any sleep over. Two owners reached out to the Gaming Commission to file an appeal of the stewards' rulings on the race. The first came from Dean Reeves, whose Brick Ambush (Laoban) was disqualified from second and placed...

Dr. Heather Wharton, the veterinarian responsible for injecting WinStar stallion Laoban with a so-called "Black Shot" shortly before his death in 2021, has begun serving a 90-day suspension as part of a negotiated settlement with the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners revealed Tim Sullivan with the LEO Weekly. Per the released report, Wharton is also obligated to pay a $30,000 administrative fine, complete at least four hours of continuing education, and has agreed to accept a written reprimand that will serve as a permanent disciplinary mark on her record. A...