Santa Anita

This week, five 3-year-old colts made the rankings, topped by a new Derby contender that few saw coming. 5-ALBUS, TAM, 2/27, 1 mile 40 yards (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-83 (c, 3, by Yaupon--Adream, by Bernardini) O-Pin Oak Stud. B- Susan Casner (Ky). T-Riley Mott. J-Sammy Camacho. As the debate ensued last week about Solitude Dude's chances around two turns in Saturday's Fountain of Youth (he did fine), another Yaupon colt made his two-turn debut Friday at Tampa--and Albus kicked clear to a decisive 6 3/4 length victory. Based on his...

So Happy (Runhappy), Brant (Gun Runner) and Potente (Into Mischief) all worked Sunday in preparation for expected starts in the Mar. 7 GII San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. So Happy, winner of the GII San Vicente Stakes going seven furlongs Jan. 10, blazed four furlongs in :46.8 for trainer Mark Glatt. Hall of Famer Mike Smith was aboard for the work. "Dynamite," Smith said. "He's never been a flashy work horse in the morning, a bit lazy actually, but this was one of his best works if not the...

Secured Freedom (Practical Joke), last seen finishing third to the now-sidelined Plutarch (Into Mischief) in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7, worked five furlongs in :59.60 (3/52) over the local main track Saturday morning and will make his next start in the Mar. 7 GII San Felipe Stakes, trainer Tim Yakteen said. "It was a nice drill," Yakteen said. "He had company the first half mile, finished up strong. We're on track." A $110,000 Keeneland September yearling, the Virginia-bred was fourth to future GII...

8th-OP, $110K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 4:39 p.m. ET. Novogratz Racing Stables Inc. homebred Munnings Challenge (Munnings) kicks off his career for Brad Cox. The dark bay was produced by the talented and overachieving $20,000 FTKOCT yearling buy Amy's Challenge (Artie Schiller), a five-time stakes winner and narrow runner-up in the 2019 GI Madison S. at Keeneland and third-place finisher in the GI Humana Distaff S. at Churchill Downs. He is the 2-1 morning-line favorite. TJCIS PPS 2nd-SA, $70K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1m, 4:03 p.m. ET. Mass (Not This Time), a...

Coolmore and partners have acquired an interest in 'TDN Rising Star Presented by Hagyard' and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Nysos (Nyquist). Upon his retirement from racing, the colt will stand at Ashford Stud in 2027, the farm announced Friday. A no-brainer 'Rising Star' in his 10 1/2-length Santa Anita romp in October 2023, Nysos then picked up two straight graded stakes wins before enduring a significant break in training from Feb. 2024 through to May 2025. He returned in a thrilling edition of the GI Churchill Downs Stakes...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Among this week's rulings, registered outrider Sydney Fried has been suspended for 90 days and fined $2,500 for failing to give investigators access to her personal bag during a routine barn search for fear, she argued, about the ramifications from marijuana possession. According to an...

Sprinters--dirt and turf--dominated the week's best female performances. 5--KAPOOR, GP, 2-19, Alw, 6f (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-90 (f, 4, Uncle Mo--Kareena, by Medaglia d'Oro) O/B-Godolphin (Ky). T-Bill Mott. J-Taylor Kingsley. Kapoor has rolled to three consecutive frontrunning sprint wins by a combined 14 1/4 lengths, and she practically snuck into this allowance in the cover of darkness: the conditions were for non-winners of $20k once other than maiden/claiming, and her winners' take from a Tampa allowance score four weeks earlier was $19,175. As expected, the Godolphin pedigree is strong, especially...

5 - BLACKSMITH, SA, 2/20-3rd, 1 mile (video) Beyer Speed Figure-82 (c, 3, by Liam's Map--Sweet Achiever, by Curlin) O-Wathnan Racing. B-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings & St Elias Stables (Ky). T-Bob Baffert. J-Florent Geroux. Distance has always been important for Blacksmith given his pedigree, and he was striding out nicely in this decisive 3 3/4-length score to make amends for a puzzling flop at odds-on six weeks ago. His unraced Curlin dam is a full-sister to former Baffert speed demon Cezanne, but her granddam happens to be Better Than...

So Happy (Runhappy), winner of the GII San Vicente going seven furlongs on Jan. 10, is likely to mark his return in the GII San Felipe on Mar. 7, according to trainer Mark Glatt Sunday. The 3-year-old posted a bullet six-furlong work in company Sunday at Santa Anita Sunday morning. So Happy, with Hall of Famer Mike Smith in the irons, worked with Grade II winner Mi Hermano Ramon (Creative Cause), who is a 6-year-old. Both were timed in 1:11.60, which tied for the fastest of 11 works at the...

Vodka Vodka (Stay Thirsty) and his younger half-sister Om N Joy (Om) are both on target for Grade I assignments on Mar. 7 at Santa Anita after each worked five furlongs at Santa Anita Sunday morning. Trained by Aggie Ordonez, Vodka Vodka and Om N Joy each worked with Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard. Winner of the Unusual Heat Turf Classic at Santa Anita on Jan. 17, Vodka Vodka completed the task in 1:00.20. He is slated to run in the GI Santa Anita Handicap. "He's doing so...

Journalism (Curlin), winner of last year's GI Preakness Stakes, GI Santa Anita Derby and GI Haskell, had his first official workout of the year at Santa Anita Sunday. Also working for trainer Michael McCarthy was Meaning (Gun Runner), winner of the Feb. 8 Las Virgenes Stakes. Journalism worked three furlongs in :36.80. "Nice and easy," trainer Michael McCarthy said when asked about Sunday's move. "He got in a good rhythm and galloped out well. It's kind of a maintenance pattern with him right now." Journalism has been off since finishing...

Five different tracks produced our fastest maidens this week, and the list includes nothing but winners - no runners-up. 5. CREED'S VISION, TAM, 2/14-2nd, 6 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-89 (g, 4, by Jimmy Creed--Moon Vision, by Pollard's Vision) O-West Point Thoroughbreds, Michael P. Lyden and CJ Stables. B-Country Life Farm and Moon Vision Broodmare (Md). T-Arnaud Delacour. J-Charlie Marquez. West Point could have another solid Maryland-bred on its hands. Jaxon Traveler was recently retired after a remarkable run of sprint stakes wins every year from age 2 to 7,...