maiden

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--As Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher suspected, grass was the proper surface for Snow Face Princess (Midshipman). Two months after making her career debut on the dirt at Aqueduct, she secured a victory Wednesday in the sixth race at Saratoga, a $100,000 maiden special weight contest for 2-year-old fillies. Snow Face Princess and leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. completed the 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf Course in 1:02.27. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite in the field of nine, the dark bay or brown filly...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In the first race of her career Friday, Time to Dream (Not This Time) showed that she could very well have been given a fitting name. After overcoming trouble under jockey Jose Ortiz, the Repole Stable bay stormed from off the pace in the stretch to win the seventh race, a $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds by 2 1/4 lengths over pacesetter Maiora (Speightstown). Time to Dream completed the one mile on the inner turf course in 1:36.58 and paid $9.90 to win. Pan Pan...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - A quick and eventful start provided Emphasis (Yaupon) with a strategic advantage that helped him win the seventh race Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. As a result, Emphasis--the "other" colt by first-year sire Yaupon in field of eight--led pretty much every step of the way and prevailed by a length in the $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds. Two and half lengths back in third was Stradale (Yaupon), the 4-5 favorite, who was bumped hard by Emphasis as they left the gate in the six-furlong dirt...

6th-Saratoga, $90,000, (C), Msw, 7-3, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.46, ft, 5 1/2 lengths. IRON ORCHARD (f, 2, Authentic--Onebrethatatime {MSP, $133,283}, by Brethren) went off heavily favored at 3-5 facing auction-restricted maidens as a New York-bred. As advertised right from the break, she was quickly solo on the lead through the opening strides and dealt only with minor pressure up the backstretch from second-time starter Winrooski (Win Win Win). Shrugging that rival off as the half went in :46.37, Iron Orchard came home on cruise control under a motionless Joel...

2nd-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 6-5, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.25, fm, 4 lengths. CURLIN'S ANGEL (f, 4, Curlin--Sabrina's Angel, by Scat Daddy), dismissed at 15-1 in this belated debut, was away slowly from her outside post, but recovered quickly and rushed up to midpack before being taken in hand to settle near the back of the field through pedestrian splits. Tipped out three wide approaching the stretch, she exploded down the lane and soared home four lengths in front. Favored Time Stone (American Pharoah) got a head in front of Key...

Trainer Wesley Ward swung for the fences when bidding to $850,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale last year to acquire Outfielder (Speightstown) and was rewarded for his efforts Friday when the colt delivered a grand slam at Churchill to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star'. No secret at the window off of two straight bullet works and thus heavily bet at 1-5, the outside draw endured a rush of early speed to his inside in the opening yards of this five-furlong contest but quickly cleared the crowd and...

5. TRUE PASSION, CD, 5/11, 6 furlongs Beyer Speed Figure: 84 Video Replay (f, 3, Audible--Fortune Pearl, by Mineshaft) O-Norman Stables LLC, B-SF Bloodstock LLC & Hartwell Farm Inc (Ky), T-Lonnie Briley, J-Corey Lanerie. Look who cracks this week's top five: Lonnie Briley! The sharp third-out 7 1/2-length MSW winner also races for Robbie Norman, owner of Coal Battle. Briley picked out the 3-year-old filly for $50,000 at OBS last June. She's the first foal to race from Fortune Pearl, 2015's GII Delaware Oaks winner who was third in the...

7th-Laurel, $48,710, Msw, 5-4, 3yo, 1m, 1:39.45, sy, 9 1/2 lengths. LIONEL (c, 3, Authentic--Sweetgrass {MGSP, $330,145}, by Street Sense) stepped forward to keep the leader in his sights as he stalked the pace through :24.40, :47.83, and 1:13.16 splits from three off the rail, eventually taking a commanding advantage. Moving well but floating out a touch greenly as they rolled off the turn, Lionel kicked away from the field to win by 9 1/2 lengths over Kitty's Son (Cupid). The victor is the most recent to the races for...

5th-Gulfstream, $70,000, Msw, 1-5, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.30, fm, 1 1/4 lengths. SOL D'ORO (f, 3, Bolt d'Oro--Peru {GB} {MSP, $376,735}, by Motivator {GB}) was a well-intended first-time starter here as the 7-2 favorite. Drawn against the rail, she took up shortly after the start to have only 'Insight' runner Just Silvia (Justify) behind her into the backstretch. Angled off the fence past the half in :47.32, she fanned out across the top of the lane with intent and pushed past Table Flirt (Constitution) in the final sixteenth to graduate...

7th-Meydan, AED165,000, Mdn., 11-22, NH 2yo/SH 3yo, f, 1400m, 1:25.27, ft. ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU (f, 2, Honest Mischief--Woodflower, by Woodman) took over leaving the chute in this first start and raced under pressure down the backstretch. Opening up by several lengths on the far bend, the bay poured it on down the lane to win easily by 8 1/2 lengths. Flama Shunshine (Flameaway) unleashed a rally to take second on the bend, but could not catch the winner and was 17 1/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher Ruby Hamilton (Audible)....

Guns Loaded (Gun Runner), second behind GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and GIII Street Sense Stakes fourth Dapper Moon (Malibu Moon) at Saratoga in August, fired back Saturday to become a new 'TDN Rising Star' at Churchill Downs. The 3-1 shot, who shortened from seven furlongs to six here for trainer Jose D'Angelo in his second try since bringing $800,000 as a Keeneland September yearling last year, exploded from an outside gate and shot clear of drama to his inside as first-time starter Shadow Coast (West Coast) clipped heels in the...

7th-Churchill Downs, $115,950, Msw, 11-14, 2yo, 5f, :57.91, sy, 2 1/4 lengths DONUT GOD (c, 2, Into Mischief--Sweet Kisses {SP, $116,127}, by Carpe Diem) took plenty of money, dropping down from his 8-1 morning line to break as the 7-5 favorite facing a largely inexperienced field. Ridden for early speed from the middle of the gate, the $400,000 KEESEP grad quickly cleared the group and opened up a clear advantage through fractions of :22.39 and :45.56 over a sloppy Churchill main track. El Prestigio (Practical Joke) made a quarter-pole run...