OBS April
Practical Move (Practical Joke), upset winner of the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 17, returned to the worktab for the first time since at Santa Anita Saturday morning, drilling a half-mile in a strong :47.80 (7/60). Trainer Tim Yakteen told the Santa Anita press office that the bay colt--bred by Chad Brown and Head of Plains Partners--'moved well' in the work. "Well give him a few more works and see where we're at, but we're looking at sometime in late February or early March," said Yakteen. "We have a few...
Things didn't look especially promising for those who crunched Michael Lund Petersen's Faustin (c, 2, Curlin--Hard Not to Like, by Hard Spun) into 90 cents on the dollar in the early stages of the first juvenile test of the new meet at Santa Anita Monday afternoon. But the gunmetal gray colt did his best work through the line to graduate by open lengths and become a new 'TDN Rising Star.' The March foal was not off to the most alert of beginnings and was no better than midfield and under...
10th-Gulfstream, $60,000, Msw, 12-11, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.11, fm, neck. ERNA (f, 2, Curlin--Jumby Bay {MSP, $118,125}, by City Zip) just missed in her unveiling at Belmont's Aqueduct meeting Oct. 22, coming up a neck short to next out GIII Jimmy Durante S. winner Liguria (War Front) as an 11-1 longshot. No longer under the radar at 6-5, the $600,000 OBSAPR grad took contact from both sides at the break but was still able to settle forwardly placed in third as Shez Speightful (Speightster) paced the field through an opening...
In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Subsequently flattered by Liguria (War Front)'s impressive performance in last weekend's GIII Jimmy Durante S. at Del Mar, Erna (f, 2, Curlin--Jumby Bay, by City Zip) will look to go one better at second asking in the nightcap at Gulfstream Park Sunday. Off at 11-1 going 1 1/16 miles over the grass on debut at the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting Oct. 22, Erna jumped well from post five...
7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:01 p.m. EDT OXO Equine's EXHIBIT HALL (Munnings) makes her career bow in this spot for trainer Paulo Lobo. Larry Best went to $1.6 million to secure the filly at OBS April after she breezed in :9 4/5 for Eddie Woods, making her the most expensive filly at that auction. A $250,000 KEESEP yearling buy, the chestnut is out of six-time stakes winner Tensas Harbor (Private Vow). TJCIS PPs
Gunned from the middle of the gate by jockey John Velazquez, Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo--Borealis Night, by Astrology) took over from the opening strides and never gave his opponents a chance, winning at first asking by 7 1/4 lengths to kick off Saturday's Breeders' Cup card with a bang and become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' for Bob Baffert and Zedan Racing Stables. The $2.3-million sale-topper at OBS April after a sharp :9 4/5 breeze, Arabian Knight went off with plenty of hype as the 3-5 favorite in a deep field...
Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 5th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 2:45 p.m. An $870,000 purchase out of the OBS April sale (:10 1/5) by CHP Racing, having made $180,000 at Keeneland September last year, Summer Wind Equine-bred CREATE TROUBLE (Into Mischief) debuts Saturday for trainer Brendan Walsh. The bay is out of No Curfew (Curlin), a half-sister to the dams of MG1SW Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}), MGISW To Honor and Serve (Bernardini), GISW Angela Renee (Bernardini), and GISP Elnaawi (Street Sense). Create Trouble gets Tyler Gaffalione for the...
Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-BAQ, $95K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 1:00 p.m. The third-highest price at the OBS April Sale this year (:20 4/5), SIGNATOR (Tapit) makes his debut after bringing a final bid of $1,700,000 from Lane's End Racing & West Point Thoroughbreds. Now racing for Woodford Racing LLC, Lane's End Racing, Phipps Stable and Ken Langone out of trainer Shug McGaughey's...
Sent off right at his morning line of 8-1, Packs a Wahlop (Creative Cause) worked out a nice trip beneath Hall of Famer Mike Smith and exploded away from his rivals in the final eighth of a mile to capture Sunday's GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf at the seaside oval and become a leading U.S. candidate for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile the first weekend of November. Away alertly from the nine hole, the $27,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $270,000 OBS April (:10 flat) acquisition showed good speed and rolled...
In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. A week before unveiling Justique (Justify) to a jaw-dropping 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Del Mar--more on her in a bit--Lee Searing's C R K Stable and John Shirreffs debuted another 2-year-old with plenty of upside at the seaside track. Skinner (c, 2, Curlin--Winding Way, by Malibu Moon), a $40,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $510,000 OBS April breezer (:10 1/5), came rolling home to finish an encouraging fifth...
Sent off the 1-2 chalk on the strength of a 2 1/4-length debut victory going five furlongs July 24, Mike Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul Weitman's Havnameltdown (Uncaptured) was made to work for it, but in the end proved too classy for his rivals in Sunday's GIII Best Pal S., coming away late to take it by open lengths. Drawn widest of all, the $16,000 OBS October Yearling turned $200,000 OBS April breezer (:9 4/5) pinged the stalls and showed good early speed to get down into the three path,...
Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attracts its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Already this year at Saratoga, City Man (Mucho Macho Man), Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) and Empress Tigress (Classic Empire)--each...