Saratoga Derby

Pin Oak Stud's World Beater (c, 3, Oscar Performance--Dabinett, by Blame), second last out behind Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) in the July 4 GI Belmont Derby, turned the tables on that rival to give his young trainer Riley Mott the first graded stakes win of his career in Saratoga's GI Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Saturday. The son of and former assistant to Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Riley Mott is no stranger to racing's biggest stage. It will perhaps be more of a surprise to learn this is the...

Irish trainer Jessica Harrington says that the likely pace setup of the Grade I Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes and the prospect of keeping Hotazhell (Too Darn Hot) to his own age group were contributing factors to making the trip across the Atlantic Ocean with her stable star. One of the best juveniles in Europe last year, Hotazhell landed the G1 Futurity Trophy Stakes. However, he has raced only twice this campaign and was forced to sidestep the French 2,000 Guineas due to unsuitably quick ground.  Both of Hotazhell's efforts this...

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Magnitude (Not This Time) went a leisurely half-mile in :51.68 (34/41) over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Saturday morning and is being pointed for the $1.25-million GI DraftKings Travers Stakes at the Spa on Aug. 23. A $310,000 Keeneland November weanling and $450,000 Keeneland September yearling, Magnitude led every step of the way to take the GII Risen Star Stakes by 9 3/4 lengths at the Fair Grounds on Feb. 15, good for a 108 Beyer and stamping himself as a leading contender for the GI Kentucky...

In a story reminiscent of 2023 Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin), Carson's Run (c, 3, Cupid--Hot N Hectic, by Henny Hughes) found a sequel to his own fairy tale Sunday, detailed last year here and here. The West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey runner, a winner June 23 of the Tale of the Cat Stakes at Monmouth Park, doubled up on his juvenile form, adding the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Sunday to his GI Summer Stakes victory last year at Woodbine. He crossed the Saratoga wire Sunday...

It is no longer referred to as the 'International Festival of Racing' and, sadly, it no longer calls Arlington Park home, but Colonial Downs's Festival of Racing is set for Sunday afternoon, shoved back to Sunday when the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby tracked up the East Coast over the course of the last few days. The featured GI Arlington Million has attracted field of six led by Godolphin's Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who makes his eighth North American appearance in career start number 18. Winner of the GI...

It's a Grade I bonanza Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course, as the track plays host to a trio of elite-level races--short and long, turf and dirt. The richest of the three events is the $1-million Whitney Stakes, offering the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar on the first Saturday of November. National Treasure (Quality Road) is the 9-5 favorite on David Aragona's morning line and can further tighten his grip on the handicap division with a victory. The $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling...

Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), the beaten favorite with a wide trip four weeks ago in the GI Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational S., worked out a much cozier voyage Saturday under William Buick to annex the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. Graduating by 4 3/4 lengths at second asking over the Lingfield all-weather last October, the Godolphin homebred reeled off three more open-lengths tallies culminating with a seven-length rout in the Newmarket S. Apr. 29. Disappointing some when finishing a distant eighth in the G1 Cazoo Derby June 4 at...

Sent off the fourth-longest shot on the board for Saturday's GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S., State of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) took over a furlong from home and sped clear to cause a boilover in the $1-million second leg of the New York Turf Triple. Drawn nine in a field of 11, the Joseph O'Brien trainee jumped fairly and was able to get over and save some ground beneath John Velazquez, setting in about sixth position and racing in free air as Cellist (Big Blue Kitten) led them along at...

GI Belmont Derby hero Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) looks to secure the second leg of NYRA's Turf Trinity Saturday in the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. Capturing the G3 Ballysax S. in April, the Aidan O'Brien trainee followed suit with a dominant score in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial a month later. Well-beaten as the favorite in the G1 Cazoo Derby June 5, the Coolmore runner rallied to a good-looking score at Belmont July 10 under Ryan Moore, who returns Stateside for this event. "It's a good opportunity...

The first three across the wire in a blanket finish in the Saratoga Derby Invitational S. last month will reconvene along with some interesting new shooters in Saturday's GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. at Big Sandy, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Turf. Narrowly victorious at the Spa was Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}), given slight morning-line favoritism here at 5-2. Bought for 300,000 guineas at Tattersalls October in 2018, the gelding graduated on debut at even-money Feb. 12 at Tampa and repeated with...

Klaravich Stable's Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}), let go at 7-1, got the best of a host of challengers before just holding off the late-rushing Gufo (Declaration of War) to win the second Saratoga Derby Saturday at Saratoga. The win was the second on Saturday's card for Klaravich and trainer Chad Brown, who unveiled another promising son of Kingman, the 2-year-old Public Sector, to win the day's second race. "In the paddock, I was confident that he would run a big race because he's never acted better or more confident,"...

We're all guilty of it. A horse shows talent; we seek its source in the pedigree; and, however discouraging the initial sifting, eventually we pluck out some plausibly glinting nugget to brandish triumphantly aloft. "See! This proves there is a seam of gold!" And that's fair enough. We all have a stake in the viability of selective breeding, albeit we don't actually want its outcomes to become too predictable. If the mysteries of pedigree were entirely transparent, the guy who buys the sale-topper would win the Derby every year and...