Pin Up Betty

Pin Up Betty (Constitution) may have been looking for a repeat in the GIII Old Forester Mint Julep Stakes, but it was Full of Run Racing II LLC and Frank Silva's Sweet Treasure (f, 4, Twirling Candy--Stellium, by Empire Maker) who led every step of the way to capture the 1 1/16-mile turf contest on Stephen Foster Preview Day at Churchill Downs Saturday. It marked the dark bay's first stakes score. Despite Pin Up Betty--with her distinctive blinkers--breaking sharpest of all, it was Sweet Treasure from the farthest outside post...

Turf distaffers trained by Chad Brown had taken the seven most recent renewals of the GI First Lady Stakes at Keeneland, and the New York native looked to have a fair chance to extend that streak in the Bluegrass on Saturday afternoon. But it was Colebrook Farm's Simply in Front (Summer Front) split rivals inside the final eighth of a mile and found the line first to cause a 13-1 upset in a bunched finish and snap the Brown domination, however temporarily. The mount of Ben Curtis, the $115,000 Keeneland...

He has a name as American as apple pie. How fitting then that Constitution has had a big week (and month) leading up to the Independence Day holiday. The WinStar Farm stallion's 'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe won his second Grade I of the year--one of just five horses to do so--in Saturday's GI Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs over a star-studded field while notching a 105 Beyer Speed Figure. Less than 24 hours later, Constitution's Pin Up Betty added the Anchorage Overnight Stakes in Louisville after also winning the...

Pin Up Betty captured her second graded stakes win under the Twin Spires with a late-running victory in the GIII Old Forester Mint Julep Stakes Sunday. The 5-1 shot was unhurried from the start and settled slightly off mid-pack while racing three wide on the first turn. Charlene's Dream was unchallenged on the front end, taking the field through fractions of :23.75, :47.45 and 1:11.35 and turned for home two lengths in front, but Pin Up Betty made rapid progress on the bend and closed powerfully down the center of...

Trainer Brad Cox sends out the top two chances on the morning line for Friday's GII Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs, and those who support the duo from a pari-mutuel perspective will be looking for some positive cashflow to get a head start on their holiday shopping. Since being acquired privately by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani's Wathnan Racing earlier this season, Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) has yet to taste defeat in three starts, including the GIII West Virginia Governor's Stakes in August, a neck defeat of Cooke...

It took her every single stride of the stretch to get there but Waves of Mischief just edged out race favorite Pin Up Betty (Constitution) to take Sunday's GIII Pucker Up Stakes at Ellis Park. Making her fourth start over as many tracks for Brendan Walsh and Qatar Racing, the $575,000 OBS March grad came out a winner on debut at Keeneland in April, just managed to hit the board in the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico May 17 and was well out of it after racing keen early last out...

Juddmonte Farms' progressive Dragoon Guard (Arrogate), a neck away from being unbeaten in his young career, carries a three-race winning streak and should jump a slight favorite in Sunday's $500,000 GIII West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park. The homebred son of the talented turf mare Filimbi (Mizzen Mast) was beaten a neck by future stakes winner Otto the Conqueror (Street Sense) on his seven-furlong debut at Churchill last September, but is perfect since, including an all-the-way victory over GI Santa Anita Derby hero Stronghold (Ghostzapper) in the GIII Indiana Derby...