Pennine Ridge Stakes

Sent off the even-money favorite to run his current winning streak to three, Mo Speed Racing's West End Kid (Twirling Candy) sat a stalking trip and had plenty left for the final furlong to easily take out Thursday's GIII Pennine Ridge Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Drawn widest in a field of nine and exiting a comfortable Churchill allowance victory May 8, the bay colt was asked for a bit of speed by Tyler Gaffalione passing the stands for the first time, but was content to take the sit from...

After significant rain over the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival held last weekend at Saratoga Race Course, four of the graded races scheduled for the grass were moved to the dirt. The American Graded Stakes Committee automatically downgrades those races by one level--for that edition only--and reviews the runnings for the possibility of each race being restored to its original grade. None of the four graded races moved off the grass over the weekend at Saratoga had their original grade reinstated after review, according to a release from the American Graded...

Getting a 3-year-old to peak precisely on the first Saturday of May is an over-arching goal in our sport. But even for the very upper crust of colts, a brush with GI Kentucky Derby aspirations ends up being nothing more than an early diversion on a much longer development arc. It's always intriguing to watch how one-time Derby hopefuls progress over months and even years, and two of them from Todd Pletcher's barn signaled Saturday that they might be A-level factors in the second half of this season. Within the...

'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready), at one point considered a leading Triple Crown contender, looks to have found a new home on the lawn after leading at all calls Saturday to justify 19-10 odds in Belmont Park's nine-furlong GII Pennine Ridge S. A 6 3/4-length debut winner at Gulfstream going a mile in December followed by an easy Tampa optional claiming tally in January, the WinStar Farm and Siena Farm representative was fourth in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 5 and third after showing the...