Life of Joy

Will Stroud, Andrew Farm, Mountmellick Farm and For the People Racing Stable's Life of Joy (Gun Runner) will miss the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks due to a minor setback, according to a post on X by Churchill Downs' communications team on Tuesday. Winner of the Mar. 21 GII Fair Ground Oaks, the bay will be pointed toward a fall campaign, according to trainer Brad Cox. A 14 3/4-length winner in her career debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis in the fall of her juvenile season, she added a score in the Rags to...

The prep season for the GI Kentucky Oaks came to a conclusion last week and the field looks more or less set. It should be a quality, competitive race with no clear standout. The big story last week was the win in the GI Ashland Stakes by Percy's Bar (Upstart). It was a powerful, eye-opening performance, one that was good that she has moved up in this poll from the 10th spot to the top spot. So, here goes, your latest and last Top 10 for the Kentucky Oaks: 1)...

The long run of preps for the GI Kentucky Oaks will come to a close this weekend as the last of the 3-year-old filly preps will be run. All eyes will be on Keeneland Friday as the track will host the only Grade I prep for the Oaks, the GI Ashland Stakes. The favorite will be Zany (American Pharoah), who hasn't been out since the Feb. 7 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Should she win, she will most likely be the favorite come May 1 at Churchill Downs. So,...

The biggest move made in this week's poll was the jump made by Explora (Blame) after her game win in the GIII Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn. She jumped from seventh to third. The latest list also includes She Be Smooth (Lexitonian), who lands at No. 4 after her impressive win in the GII Davona Dale Stakes. It will be a quiet weekend for the 3-year-old filly division, but they will run the rescheduled GIII Santa Ysabel Stakes Sunday at Santa Anita. All eyes will be on last year's 2-year-old filly...

Repole Stable's Zany (American Pharoah) picked up where she left off in 2025, taking a somewhat oddly run renewal of the $125,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs while making her seasonal return to action Saturday afternoon. Racing between fillies in the second flight of runners as her stablemate Kadabra (Good Magic) went through the opening stages in a tepid :24.89, the $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad was set alight at about midway by Irad Ortiz, Jr. and took the overland route into the far turn around Life of Joy (Gun...

GI Belmont Derby winner Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) looks poised to add a second win at the top level Saturday in the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar. The only Grade I winner in the field, the Amerman Racing homebred has strung together an enviable career with only two off-the-board finishes in 11 races and earnings north of $1.4m for trainer Graham Motion. He exits a solid win in last month's GII Twilight Derby at Santa Anita over this same 1 1/8-mile distance, defeating Maaz (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) who...

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...

5th-Horseshoe Indianapolis, $32,000, Msw, 10-2, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:38.29, ft, 14 3/4 lengths. LIFE OF JOY (f, 2, Gun Runner--Jordan's Leo {SP, $137,050}, by Malibu Moon) debuted in style Thursday as the 3-2 favorite. Eased from the gate under Fernando De La Cruz, the filly settled in the back flight through the half in :47.23 before angling out to begin a furious rally, overhauling pacesetter Command the Stars (Complexity) in a matter of strides. With free rein and plenty of room to run at the top of the stretch, Life...