Quality Road

When you're the half-brother to a multiple Grade I winner, expectations are always high, but Leading Change (Gun Runner) took a big first step to filling those shoes with a dazzling debut at Churchill Downs to earn a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' nod. Selling for the princely price of $800,000 as a yearling at the 2024 Keeneland September sale, the son of Gun Runner had a respectable worktab under his belt by the time he was entered for this contest. Drawn to the far outside, the post made...

She was the lightest raced in the field, and had started her 2026 campaign last month, but Marjoram (Quality Road) showed her heart to steal the GIII Senorita Stakes in the shadow of the wire in the Santa Anita nightcap. Unveiled at Churchill Downs Nov. 22 on a sloppy main track, she made her move from sixth coming off the bend and had just enough left late to win by three-quarters of a length over a persistent challenger. She went onto the sidelines before being moved west to this venue,...

Back in the States and resurfacing on the worktab for the first time since his G1 Dubai World Cup heroics, Winchell Thoroughbreds's Magnitude (Not This Time) breezed at Churchill Downs Saturday morning. Out to work an easy half-mile, the Steve Asmussen trainee was clocked in :51.20, the 86th fastest move of 96 at the distance. It was his first published workout in North America since returning from Meydan. Also working four furlongs, among others from the barn, was MSW Braken Poppa (Aurelius Maximus), who is undefeated in 2026 from four...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Welcome to primetime, ladies. A fantastic renewal of the GI Kentucky Oaks is on tap, and, for the first time, will be held beneath the lights with an 8:40 p.m. ET post time at Churchill Downs Friday evening. Trainer Brad Cox will be shooting for a fourth Kentucky Oaks trophy with the very promising GII Gulfstream Park Oaks heroine and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Prom Queen (Quality Road). The legendary and much-missed duo of Woody Stephens and D. Wayne Lukas share the record for most...

TDN's Chief Correspondent Bill Finley is joined by Senior Contributing Editor Alan Carasso and Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack to handicap Friday's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. FINLEY: As a whole, this is not a particularly fast group, which is why the focus here is on horses who have cracked the 90 Beyer level. Note that the Beyer par for the Kentucky Oaks is a 94. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Prom Queen (Quality Road) earned a 90 Beyer when winning the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks and...

It was a week of unlikely maiden performances: a staggering 106 debut Beyer and two fast runners from a rare 1 1/4-mile maiden race.   5) LATE NIGHT TEXT, 4/23-3rd, 7 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 83 (f, 3, by Into Mischief-Arrifana, by Curlin) O-Daugherty Racing and 24th Road Racing. B-LNJ Foxwoods & Gainesway Thoroughbreds (Ky). T-Saffie Joseph Jr. J-Micah Husbands. Running for Joseph for the first time, Late Night Text improved his previous top Beyer Speed Figure by 11 points in his sixth career start to defeat a pair...

Currently 16th on the 'Road To The Kentucky Derby' Leaderboard, the GIII Gotham Stakes winner Iron Honor (Nyquist) will bypass the 'Run for the Roses' and instead point to the 151st Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 16 at Laurel Park, trainer Chad Brown told 1/ST Racing via a press release on Tuesday. "He's going to go to the Preakness," Brown, a two-time winner of the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, said Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. "The only thing is if something weird changes with the [Derby] field, a...

Spring Classic preparations kicked off bright and early Saturday morning at Keeneland with GI Toyota Blue Grass runner-up Ottinho (Quality Road) working in company for trainer Chad Brown despite being ruled out of the Kentucky Derby. Ottinho had been in consideration for the Derby but DRF's David Grening reported Saturday afternoon on X that Brown believed it was 'unlikely' the colt would go on to the spring marquee. The GI Preakness Stakes at Laurel May 16 or the GIII Peter Pan Stakes remain as targets later on. With his defection,...

3rd-KEE, $120k, Alw, 3yo/up, f, 5 1/2fT, 2:04p.m. ET Last seen a half-length shy of becoming a Grade I winner in just her second start, Hot Mash (Not This Time) will make her return to the races in this Keeneland contest against an experienced field of older fillies. Racing in this turf dash with Lasix for the first time, the daughter of red-hot Not This Time broke her maiden Aug. 11 at Ellis Park by an eye-catching 7 3/4 lengths after stalking the pacesetter through a brisk :20.27 opening quarter....

Gary and Mary West's GII Gulfstream Park Oaks winner Prom Queen (Quality Road) began her serious preparation for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks on Thursday when she breezed a half-mile in :49.40 (30/37) at Churchill Downs. The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' began her work from the three-furlong pole with trainer Brad Cox's exercise rider Edvin Vargas in the irons while completing an opening eighth-mile in :13.40. She continued through the wire clocking three furlongs in :37.20 while completing her move with a five-furlong gallop out in 1:02.40. "We...

Prom Queen (Quality Road) is heading to the big dance. Tabbed as a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' off an eight-length maiden victory at second asking going two turns at Gulfstream Park Feb. 12, the Gary and Mary West homebred punched her ticket to Louisville with a powerful 2 3/4-length victory in Saturday's GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, good for 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. My Miss Mo (Uncle Mo) held second after setting the pace. Favored She Be Smooth (Lexitonian), an impressive winner of the...

2nd-GP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 12:01 p.m. ET. Al Loud (Quality Road), a $650,000 OBS April purchase by Tagermeen Racing, gets his career started for Todd Pletcher. Produced by GSW & GISP Genre (Bernardini), Al Loud previously brought $410,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. The Quality Road x Bernardini cross is also responsible for 2022 G1 Saudi Cup winner Emblem Road and 2019 GI Alabama S. heroine and narrow 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff runner-up Dunbar Road. Gilded Bandit (Charlatan), drawn widest of all in post 11 for this unveiling,...