Percy's Bar

Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar (Upstart) has emerged from her comebacking victory in Friday's GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes in good order and will train up to the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks at Keeneland, trainer Ben Colebrook told the Keeneland media office on Saturday. "She will have all her works here," the conditioner said. "She's a Keeneland horse and she has already won at Churchill. We will wait until the last second to when we have to be there." Given that Percy's Bar bounced off the inside rail during her...

When last seen in Grade I company at Keeneland, Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar (Upstart) crossed the wire an apparent open-lengths winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. last October, only to be demoted from the victory for causing interference and placed second. The $52,000 Keeneland September bargain was back in Lexington in Friday's opening-day feature, the GI Central Bank Ashland S., and with a rail-skimming run into the short stretch, Percy's Bar went on to an authoritative 2 1/4-length defeat of heavily favored Zany (American Pharoah). French Friction (City...

Repole Stable's Zany (American Pharoah), the 4-1 favorite in the lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, headlines a field of seven set for the GI Central Bank Ashland S. on Keeneland's opening day program Friday. The unbeaten GII Demoiselle S. heroine kicked off her sophomore campaign for Todd Pletcher with a 2 3/4-length victory over subsequent GII Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks winner Life of Joy (Gun Runner) after racing greenly down the stretch in the Suncoast S. at Tampa Feb. 7. "Zany is a special, special filly," Repole said following the...

Multiple Grade I-placed Percy's Bar (Upstart), unraced since running third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies behind juvenile champion Super Corredora (Gun Runner) and one of the likely favorites in the Kentucky Oaks in Explora (Blame), will make her return to the races Friday in the GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. The Ben Colebrook trainee has been something of an enigma on the work tab, with an initial breeze Jan. 6 marked as her first since her troubled Breeders' Cup start, but nothing publicly listed after that...

DEL MAR, Calif. - Super Corredora (Gun Runner) cleared her eight rivals beneath an aggressive Hector Berrios heading into the clubhouse turn, and never looked back in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar. Favored 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Explora (Blame) was second. Fellow 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Percy's Bar (Upstart) was third. Super Corredora becomes the fourth Breeders' Cup winner for trainer John Sadler and first for Berrios. "She's a filly we had really high hopes for," Sadler said. "We're in our own...

Bentornato (Valiant Minister), runner-up in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, breezed five furlongs in company in a bullet 1:00 (1/24) Saturday morning at Keeneland in preparation for a return trip to Del Mar for this year's race on Nov. 1. He had jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard for the work with Araucano (McKinzie), a 3-year-old maiden. Bentornato finished three lengths clear of his workmate at the wire and lengthened the advantage on the gallop out. "He will have his final work here next week," trainer Jose D'Angelo said of...

Each of the three graded stakes contested on FallStars Friday at Keeneland earned the winners a fees-paid berth into their respective races at the Breeders' Cup meeeting Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, and the horses' connections indicated that it's all systems go for Del Mar in four weeks' time. 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Tommy Jo (Into Mischief) crossed the line second in the GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes, but was elevated to the victory by the stewards, who ruled that she was interfered with by Percy's Bar (Upstart) seriously...

It was a lengthy review of the stretch run, but in the end the Stewards elevated heavy favorite Tommy Jo (Into Mischief) to her second top-level victory in the GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland. Percy's Bar (Upstart), who originally crossed the wire first, was placed second after the Stewards found she impeded Tommy Jo late in the stretch. Tommy Jo was crowned a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' after a sensational debut at Saratoga July 26 when she went right to the front and never looked back, dominating...

Friday is the start of the unofficial Kentucky state holiday known as Opening Weekend at Keeneland, and GI Spinaway victress Tommy Jo (Into Mischief) headlines a strong card for fantastic racing not just at the venue but across the country. Largely considered the last hurrah for anyone trying to get into the World Championships by way of the 'WAYI' challenge series, several tracks across the country have such opportunities in October, and Keeneland will be hosting three such chances on Friday. The last of the graded races for the opening...

Spendthrift homebred Tommy Jo (Into Mischief), who announced herself as a 'TDN Rising Star' in a 3 3/4-length maiden win going six furlongs at the Spa July 26, backed up that effort and then some in Saturday's GI Spinaway Stakes, booking herself a ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The daughter of Bob Baffert-trainer MGISP Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile) picked up Kendrick Carmouche Saturday at even-money and never looked as though she was anything but the winner. Wearing the Spendthrift orange and purple, the favorite broke in...

When 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) went wire-to-wire to take out the 2023 GI Pacific Classic, it made trainer Bob Baffert the winningest trainer in the relatively short history of the event with seven winners, surpassing the late Bobby Frankel. The Hall of Fame conditioner will have every chance to extend that record when he sends out fellow 'Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) in a compelling renewal of the 10-furlong feature Saturday afternoon, with an all-expenses-paid trip to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic over the same course and distance...

Percy's Bar (Upstart) set the mark high when she ran home a winner in the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sunday. Posting a debut score by four lengths this past spring at Keeneland, the filly came into this race with a strong series of morning works under rider Luan Machado. Made a 3-1 shot with some tough company to contend with here, she watched the race unfold after the break behind a :21.29 opening quarter. Making an eye-catching sweep through the turn, she sailed by her rivals and rolled...