Saratoga

Let go at odds just north of 9-1 for the customarily patient Bill Mott barn, Godolphin's Ragtime (Union Rags--Burmilla, by Storm Cat) went to hot favorite Endorse (Curlin) with less than a furlong to race in Friday's second race maiden at Saratoga and kicked home nicely to score by four lengths en route to a 'TDN Rising Star' badge. Drawn the rail for the Sovereignty connections, the homebred was away without incident beneath Junior Alvarado and made ground inside to sit just ahead of midfield and behind the four-strong leading...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - When the phone rang, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith was on the other end. "I'm on the treadmill," Smith said. Of course he was. Smith, who will ride 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) in Saturday's $2-million GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, has always been obsessed with working out. And, as he closes in on his 59th birthday (Aug. 10), he has no intentions of pulling the plug on his two-hour, five-day-a week workout schedule. Nor are there any plans to hang up his...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Led by Breeders' Cup winners Fierceness (City of Light) and White Abarrio (Race Day), a talented field of five will line up for Saturday's GI Metropolitan Handicap on the stacked GI Belmont Stakes program at Saratoga. TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack takes a closer look at the pedigrees of all five of the runners entered in the stallion-making race. #1 FIERCENESS (c, 4, City of Light--Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty) Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt & MGISW, 10-6-1-1, $4,315,320. O-Repole Stable, Derrick Smith, Michael B....

Sassy C W put in a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy performance in her Churchill debut Apr. 30, going gate to wire with the race notes simply stating "rocket ship" to become the first winner for her freshman sire (by Uncle Mo). Just over a month later, the 2-5 favorite went a furlong further in similar style to give Yaupon his first stakes winner in Thursday's Astoria Stakes at Saratoga. Away the slowest of the quintet, Sassy C W wasted absolutely no time in rushing her way to the front and opened...

2nd-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 6-5, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.25, fm, 4 lengths. CURLIN'S ANGEL (f, 4, Curlin--Sabrina's Angel, by Scat Daddy), dismissed at 15-1 in this belated debut, was away slowly from her outside post, but recovered quickly and rushed up to midpack before being taken in hand to settle near the back of the field through pedestrian splits. Tipped out three wide approaching the stretch, she exploded down the lane and soared home four lengths in front. Favored Time Stone (American Pharoah) got a head in front of Key...

2nd-SAR, 100K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 7f, 12:16 p.m. RESURGE (Constitution) is the latest offspring to the races for Juddmonte out of the champion mare Close Hatches who has already produced this runner's three-quarter Tapit siblings--Tacitus, 'TDN Rising Star' Scylla and Batten Down. Close Hatches herself is a full-sister to SW/MGISP Lockdown who has found success as a broodmare as well by producing dual champion mare Idiomatic (Curlin). The blue-blooded family also includes G1 Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas victor Siskin (First Defence). Amongst those lined up to oppose her is...

Opting to face the boys instead of taking a chance with a speed-laden Astoria Stakes later in the card, the connections of Mythical chose wisely as the filly remained undefeated with a victory in Thursday's Tremont Stakes at Saratoga. Wasting no time going to the front, Mythical rolled through an opening quarter in a crisp :22.2 with Mercilesanihilator (Audible) and favored Blinging It Back in hot pursuit. Still clear turning for home, the filly kept finding more to kept the favorite at bay, winning by a geared-down 3 1/2 lengths....

'TDN Rising Star' Colloquial (Vekoma), the 6-1 fourth choice on the morning line for Saturday's $500,000 GI Woody Stephens at Saratoga, will be withdrawn from the race, according to his trainer, George Weaver. "Since his last breeze, he hasn't been moving on the track to our satisfaction," said Weaver. "He's been jogging and galloping but just not moving 100%. He's not hitting the ground the way we would like. We don't have time to get really concrete diagnosis done [before the race]. We're going to get it done, but we...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- While the rematch between GI Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and GI Preakness Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin) has received top billing, the camp surrounding the blue-blooded Baeza (McKinzie) sees a slightly different storyline ahead of Saturday's GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. "They talk about the challenge of the two of them. I think it's more the challenge of the three of us," said Lee Searing of C R K Stable, who campaigns Baeza in partnership with the colt's breeder Robert Clay of Grandview Equine. "This...

With possible afternoon thunderstorms in the forecast for Saratoga's Thursday card, Godolphin's Spirit of Hope (Street Sense) looks to draw in off the Main Track Only list in the 1 1/16-mile test. Out of Grade I winner Dance Card (Tapit), the Bill Mott trainee is also a half to MGSW Endorsed (Medaglia d'Oro). The sophomore filly has been working steadily over the Oklahoma track in preparation for this career unveiling, including a most recent four-furlong move in :51 2/5 May 26. Also making her career bow, Summer Wind's Cleopatra's Key...

SARATIOGA SPRINGS--One thing trainer Michael McCarthy didn't have to worry about as he planned his trip to Saratoga Race Course was lodging. For his horses, anyway. When McCarthy shipped GI Belmont Stakes favorite Journalism (Curlin) and two other stakes horses to the Spa, he knew right where they were going. That would be the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, whom McCarthy worked for as an assistant for nearly 12 years before going out on his own in 2014. "I was a slow learner," McCarthy said with a...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--The event that horse racing has been waiting for is here. Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and Journalism (Curlin), the top two finishers in the GI Kentucky Derby, will get their rematch in Saturday's $2-million GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The two heavyweights of the 3-year-old division are the headliners of the 157th running of the Belmont, which will be run for the second straight year at Saratoga while Belmont Park continues its major renovation downstate. A field of eight was entered at Monday's draw, which was held...