Saudi Crown

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Michael McCarthy would like nothing more than to have the wildly popular Journalism (Curlin) return to Saratoga Race Course this summer. "It would be awfully nice if he could," McCarthy said just outside Journalism's stall at the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning. "Saratoga, as I keep on saying, is a magical place for horses and people alike. We would be more than happy to bring him back here if the opportunity presented itself." First things first. Journalism, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Led by GI Preakness S. winner Journalism (Curlin) and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Nysos (Nyquist), a talented field of seven will line up for Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on the GI Belmont Stakes program at Saratoga. TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack takes a closer look at the pedigrees for the entire field entered in the stallion-making race. #1 NYSOS (h, 5, Nyquist--Zetta Z, by Bernardini) Lifetime Record: GISW-US & G1SP-Sau, 9-7-2-0, $4,738,500 'TDN Rising Star, presented...

The Brad Cox barn captured three of the five graded stakes on Saturday's program, highlighted by the 11-length victory by Spendthrift Farm's 'Tdn Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Further Ado (Gun Runner) in the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. (video courtesy HBPA) "They are all doing good this morning and will most likely ship to Churchill Downs [Monday Apr. 6]," Cox a assistant Trace Messina said of Further Ado, GI Resolute Racing Madison winner Eclatant (Into Mischief) and GIII Commonwealth winner Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming). The three victories moved Cox's...

Trainer Brad Cox is not prone to any delusions of grandeur where it comes to the chances of 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo) against the likes of champion Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Nysos (Nyquist) and GII Clark Stakes hero Magnitude (Not This Time) in the G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 14. He also realizes that $20 million is a lot to play for and is keen to seize upon the opportunity that presents...

Banishing (Ghostzapper) spoiled a bid by Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) to win the GII Charles Town Classic for the third year in a row when he successfully shipped in for West Virginia's biggest night at the races on Friday. The veteran who is co-owned by trainer David Jacobson scored his biggest triumph in the GIII Oaklawn Mile in Hot Springs Mar. 29 when he dueled and then defeated GISW Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming). Banishing was bested by First Mission (Street Sense) in the GII Oaklawn Handicap the next month, but he did...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Two years ago, the GI Whitney Stakes was a whiteout. As in White Abarrio (Race Day), who crushed the field by 6 1/4 lengths. Fast forward to now and White Abarrio is back for another run in Saturday's $1 million Whitney, the premier race for older horses at the 40-day meet at Saratoga Race Course. The 6-year-old horse will look to shrug off a disappointing fourth place finish in the GI Met Mile last month and prove to his trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. that he deserves...

GI Pennsylvania Derby winner Saudi Crown needed every last bit of yardage to hold off last year's GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan in the Lake Ouachita Stakes on Oaklawn's closing day. Fifth to kick off the year in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January, Saudi Crown put in a good effort but wound up second behind Banishing (Ghostzapper) in the GIII Oaklawn Mile March 29. Adding the extra 1/16th Saturday, the rail-drawn grey show right to the front as the 1-2 favorite but had to deal instantly...

The English polymath John Ruskin, who was always hard at work scribbling a well-timed observation for some future generation to co-opt, said when it came to the weather, "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." Well, bully for you Mr. Ruskin! Send him a going stick and put him to work on the nearest turf course. Some might care to offer quite a different observation after recent events. What...

Morning line 5-2 favorite Locked (Gun Runner) drew post 11 for Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup during Sunday's draw at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Todd Pletcher on behalf of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm, the winner of last month's GI Cigar Mile has a single horse to his outside, that being the sole filly in the field, GI Alabama heroine Power Squeeze (Union Rags), who was given a 30-1 chance on the morning line. "He's a horse that we always felt would be better going longer, so we're looking...

GI Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan (Goldencents) and GISW Power Squeeze (Union Rags) went through their preparations Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park for the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The Ken McPeek trainee was out to breeze five furlongs Saturday morning, covering the distance in a bullet move of :59.48 (1/35). Depending on how he does during the week, and after one more work next week, the conditioner says a decision will be made at that point as to whether or not Mystik Dan will be entered in Gulfstream's marquee...

A total of 1,123 entries, including 81 Group or Grade I winners from no fewer than 21 racing jurisdictions from all over the world were received for the 2025 Saudi Cup meeting, to be held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 and 22 and King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. The entries were released Friday by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA). (See TDN Europe for the entries to the meeting's turf events) Some $38.1 million in prize money will be on offer over the course of the weekend, headed up...

Always Dreaming (Bodemeister--Above Perfection, by In Excess {Ire}), the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner, died of colic Tuesday, December 10 at River Oaks Farm in Oklahoma, according to Chad Schumer, who brokered the deal to send the stallion from WinStar Farm where he originally stood to River Oaks. "The horse was sick," said Schumer. "He had a very typical colic, and they brought him to the clinic. He was there for four days. They didn't do any surgery on him. Everything was fine. He seemed to be okay. He turned the...