Mike Pegram

With Churchill Downs having ruled that any horse that remained in the Baffert barn as of Jan. 29 would be ineligible to run in the GI Kentucky Derby, Monday was decision day for Baffert's owners. In 2022 and 2023, several moved their horses into the barn of former Baffert assistant Tim Yakteen prior to the Derby, but that may not turn out to be the case this year. At least four owners who have Derby candidates with Baffert have said their horses will remain under the care of their Hall...

Long-time owner and breeder Mike Pegram will receive the Chairman's Award Aug. 12 from the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) at the TOC's Southern California Annual Meeting at Del Mar. Alternately named the Ed Friendly Industry Service Award, the Chairman's Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions and service in racing. "Mike is an exceptional leader who continues to make a lasting impact on both this organization and California racing," said TOC Chairman Gary Fenton. "His dedication, hard work, and commitment are an inspiration to all of us, and...

A colt by Not This Time (hip 654) equaled the fastest-furlong time of the week when covering the distance in :9 3/5 during the final session of the under-tack show for next week's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Friday in Central Florida. The chestnut colt is consigned by trainer Gerard Ochoa's GOP Racing Stable. "I was hoping for a :9 4/5," Ochoa said through an interpreter Friday. "I wasn't expecting a :9 3/5. So, of course, I was very, very happy with the work." Ochoa...

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Havnameltdown set all the fractions and held stablemate and co-favorite Faustin at bay to the wire to win the GII San Vicente S. by 1 1 /2 lengths at Santa Anita Sunday. Off a tad awkwardly from his inside post, Havnameltdown recovered quickly to pull himself to the early lead and was in control after a quarter in :22.46, with longshot Man Child (Creative Cause), the lone non-Baffert runner in the four-horse field, in close attendance. The bay colt inched further clear entering...

Grade I winner Defunded, who skipped a shot at the Breeders' Cup, kept it rolling with a popular score in the GIII Native Diver S. Sunday at Del Mar. A second-out graduate last March at Santa Anita, the gelding was fourth in both the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby and GIII Pat Day Mile S. before running second in the GIII Affirmed S. and GIII Los Alamitos Derby. Scoring a pair of blowout allowance/optional claiming victories, he was a hard-fought runner-up in the GI Hollywood Gold Cup S. May 30,...

6th-Del Mar, $82,500, Msw, 9-10, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:01.86, ft, 1 1/4 lengths. SPEED BOAT BEACH (c, 2, Bayern--Sophia Mia, by Pioneerof the Nile) stepped out in sharp fashion on unveiling here, taking a field of 10 gate to wire and establishing a new track record of 1:01.86 in the process as the 2-1 second choice behind even-money Hejazi (Bernardini). The latter was the $3.55 million EASMAY topper this season, purchased by Zedan Racing. The $700,000 FTKOCT firster Fort Bragg (Tapit) picked up the final place spot, and completed Bob...

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and trainer Bob Baffert unveiled a potentially important juvenile in Saturday's seventh race from Del Mar, as Cave Rock (c, 2, Arrogate--Georgie's Angel, by Bellamy Road) took the race by the scruff of the neck not long after the start and scampered clear to become the afternoon's second 'TDN Rising Star'. Heavily backed as the 6-5 chalk in a strong-looking group on paper, the dark bay shot through to take up the running as the field linked up with the track proper and...

A lightly raced, once-pricey juvenile trained by Bob Baffert won the GIII Palos Verdes S., but it wasn't chalk, the $3.65-million Fasig-Tipton 2-year-old Cezanne (Curlin). Instead it was the year-younger, $300,000 OBS April 2-year-old Essential Wager (Honor Code), who was making his stakes debut after riding a two-race win streak. Essential Wager left the gate smartly and came up on the inside to emerge from the early fray with the lead, marking the first quarter in :22.21 with Team Merchants (Nyquist) pressing from the outside. The two held position with...

When Bob Baffert won a record seventh GI Kentucky Derby May 1 with Medina Spirit (Protonico), I couldn't help but think back to the first time I met the conditioner. Walking through the Keeneland barn area one mid-April morning in 1990, Baffert asked if I knew where the clockers were located at the track. We introduced ourselves to each other and I offered to show him the route to the press box, where the clockers were situated during training hours. Baffert was in the process of switching from Quarter Horses...

A colt by Curlin has no shortage of new owners after Gainesway's Alex Solis signed the ticket on hip 282 at $1.2 million Monday at Keeneland. The new partnership includes Mike Repole, Vinnie Viola's St. Elias, Gainesway, John Oxley and Robert Clay's Grandview. "We've been talking about all the colts we liked and I really liked this colt," Solis said after signing the lengthy ticket. "I thought his mother was a pretty special filly. All week long I kept seeing him and thought I'd like to find a way to...

The Week in Review, by T.D. Thornton Four-time Grade I-winning 4-year-old McKinzie (Street Sense) has always been saddled with high expectations, while 3-year-old Mr. Money (Goldencents) has now achieved millionaire status by grinding out four consecutive Grade III victories. Convincing wins on Saturday gave each horse a divisional foothold, with McKinzie establishing himself as the top two-turn older dirt horse who might finally be getting comfortable with kingpin status, and Mr. Money carving out a niche as the late-blooming sophomore who appears primed to punch above his weight thanks to...

Saturday's GI Whitney S. lost some of its appeal when two-time G1 Dubai World Cup hero Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) was scratched sick, depriving fans of a battle with 'TDN Rising Star' McKinzie (Street Sense) in the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita the first weekend in November. Though that clash is on hold for the next eight weeks, McKinzie upheld his end of the bargain, getting a thinking-man's ride from Hall of Famer Mike Smith before holding off a late...