Road to the Kentucky Derby

Big-figure debut winner Iron Honor (c, 3, Nyquist--Orencia, by Blame) fought past the Ohio-bred Crown the Buckeye (Yaupon) in the stretch to make it two-for-two in Saturday's GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct, good for 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Right to Party (Constitution) was third. Favored at 4-5 off the strength of a 95 Beyer Speed Figure earned sprinting first out over two next-out winners at the Big A Dec. 13, Iron Honor battled with Crown the Buckeye through fractions of :23.09 and :46.30 in the...

When a field of 10 enters the starting gate for Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, they'll sure have some big shoes to fill. Twelve months ago, Sovereignty (Into Mischief) embarked on what would become a Horse of the Year campaign with a narrow victory in his seasonal debut and a little more than two months later, joined Spectacular Bid (1979), Thunder Gulch (1995) and Orb (2013) as horses to add the GI Kentucky Derby in the last half-century. Horses such as Union Rags (2012) and...

Grade I winner Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) continued preparations for his next Kentucky Derby qualifier with a strong work at Palm Meadows last Friday, but the question remains as to which race the grey will be pointed for at the end of the month. Cruising through five panels in 1:01.45, marking it the fastest work of five at the distance, the colt worked in company with Saffie Joseph Jr. trained Ruleroftheuniverse (Sharp Azteca). The latter posted 1:02.15 for the trip. "I couldn't be happier with how he's coming along," trainer...

From an immediate-return standpoint, jockey Flavien Prat's trip to King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saturday paid off handsomely. Imagination (Into Mischief) took home the $1.2 million winner's share of the purse in the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint, and the $3.5 million runner-up money earned by 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' Nysos (Nyquist) was a lucrative consolation prize for crossing the wire second behind dual-continent champ Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) in the G1 Saudi Cup. But there are tradeoffs to any business decision, and the future cost that the...

Paladin (Gun Runner) needed the length of the stretch to get there, but surged late to reel in pacesetter Chip Honcho (Connect) by a half-length in the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star S. over a speed-favoring course at Fair Grounds Saturday. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Golden Tempo (Curlin), a last-to-first winner of the GIII Lecomte S., was third. Making his sophomore debut after defeating subsequent Sam F. Davis S. winner Renegade (Into Mischief) in the GII Remsen S. at the Big A Dec. 6, the 3-5 chalk raced in...

GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity runner-up Blackout Time (Not This Time) is on track to kick off his 3-year-old season in the GII Rebel Stakes Mar. 1 at Oaklawn Park, according to co-owner Lance Gasaway Saturday morning. Unraced since that second-place finish behind juvenile champion MGISW Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) at Keeneland, he had been entered in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile but was scratched by the regulatory vet because of an alleged soundness issue. Blackout Time returned to the worktab Jan. 23 at Fair Grounds and after a couple works...

Aqueduct saw a fleet of prep races for major spring targets Friday, and the connections of those winners have largely reported good prognoses for their stars as they chart out future targets. Upset winner of the Withers Stakes Talk to Me Jimmy (Modernist) has reportedly come out of his 11-length tour-de-force in good form despite grabbing his front right quarter at some point during the contest. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez reports the colt was in good spirits Saturday morning but that a vet would look at it as a precaution. "Thank...

It looked like a competitive field on paper, but Talk to Me Jimmy (Modernist) took the race to them right from the bell, and ran his rivals off their feet to secure 20 Kentucky Derby points in the Wither Stakes. Last seen breaking his maiden in a similar fashion Nov. 9 going gate-to-wire against state-bred maidens at this venue, he was unveiled Sept. 26 and ran an even third during the Belmont Big A meet. Out to set the pace after early contact from competition coming off the blocks, the...

Intrepido (Maximus Mischief), an upset winner of the GI American Pharoah S. at Santa Anita last fall, kicks off his sophomore campaign in Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita. The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' won the American Pharoah by three-quarters of a length over the re-opposing Desert Gate (Omaha Beach). It was another nose back to Plutarch (Into Mischief) in third that day. Intrepido, a $30,000 KEESEP yearling turned $385,000 OBSAPR breezer, followed with a disappointing fifth at 5-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile...

Unbeaten Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map), unraced since a powerhouse, front-running victory in the GI Champagne S. at the Big A Oct. 4, is gearing up for his sophomore debut. The Gold Square colorbearer has posted four workouts for Chad Summers at Palm Meadows this winter, including a four-furlong bullet in :48 (1/19) Thursday. "He's doing well," owner Al Gold said. "The plan is either the (GII Coolmore) Fountain of Youth (at Gulfstream) or the (GIII) Gotham (at Aqueduct) on Feb. 28 or the (GIII) Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 7." The...

D'code (Speightstown), a jaw-dropping 8 1/4-length debut winner sprinting at Oaklawn Park Dec. 14, will make his highly anticipated two-turn debut in Friday's postponed $1-million GIII Southwest S. in Hot Springs. The Tom Durant homebred and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' earned a field-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure while defeating 10 rivals that day. He recorded the fastest six-furlong time in Oaklawn history for a 2-year-old stopping the clock in 1:09.57. D'code exits from post two with Luis Saez at the controls in the 1 1/16-mile affair, good for...

Two turns, zero problems. With racing action largely limited to the far south across the rest of the country, Nearly (Not This Time) gave the frozen East Coast something to cheer about and passed his stretch-out test with authority Saturday, capturing the GIII Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park and picking up 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. A Florida-bred and Virginia-certified son of Not This Time, Nearly built on a lackluster Aqueduct debut in October, coming back less than a month later to destroy fellow Florida-breds...