Pilgrim Stakes

Bottas (Vekoma), a 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard at first asking at Saratoga and recent winner of the 'Win and You're In' GII Pilgrim Stakes at Aqueduct, breezed five furlongs Wednesday over the Oklahoma training track in 1:03.82 as he prepares for his next start in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on Oct. 31. "Bottas worked very well. Controlled. Easy by design. Came back sound," trainer Miguel Clement said of the work, completed in the company of a maiden. "He was moving very well. We...

Dahman's Bottas (Vekoma) found himself in tight quarters with push coming to shove in Friday's GII Pilgrim Stakes at Aqueduct, but he sliced through a narrow opening at the eighth pole and refused to let three-start maiden Heeere's Johnny (Oscar Performance) push past in the dying stages, scoring by a head. The 8 1/2-furlong contest serves as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on Oct. 31. Named a 'TDN Rising Star', presented by Hagyard off an impressive 2 1/4-length debut...

One of two runners in the field for trainer Chad Brown, it was 4-5 favorite Zulu Kingdom (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) who stayed perfect and punched his ticket into the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf with a win in Saturday's GII Pilgrim Stakes at Aqueduct. Shipped to the United States after breaking his maiden at Saint-Cloud and selling privately to the partnership of Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss & Michael Caruso in early June, he joined up with Brown in time to impress with a narrow win in the...

Sunday's GII Pilgrim S. at Belmont featured just four horses, but it was far from boring, as 'TDN Rising Star' Annapolis and GIII With Anticipation S. runner-up Portfolio Company threw it down pretty much from start to finish. Bass homebred Annapolis was pounded down to clear favoritism off a head-turning, fast-finishing 4 1/2-length debut score at Saratoga Sept. 4, and prompted Portfolio Company here through easy splits of :24.34 and :48.96 as Expected pacesetter Doctor Jeff (Street Boss) was ridden with surprising patience after breaking slowly. Annapolis ranged up on...

'TDN Rising Star' Annapolis (War Front) looks to take his record to two-for-two as he steps up to the big leagues Sunday in Belmont's GII Pilgrim S. Out of the accomplished and well-bred My Miss Sophia (Unbridled's Song), the Bass homebred circled the field in the stretch of his two-turn unveiling at Saratoga Sept. 4 and powered home to an ultra-impressive 4 1/2-length victory. Barnmate Midnight Worker (Outwork) makes his first start on grass here off a third in the Sapling S. at Monmouth Sept. 5. "He trained like he...