Scottish Lassie

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. --The expectations? Oh, they were through the roof. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse thought his 3-year-old filly La Cara (Street Sense) was going to run huge in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. Those hopes turned to despair mighty quick. About eight hours before the CCA Oaks was run Saturday, La Cara was denied the chance to run after a suspected case of strangles forced the New York Racing Association and the New York State Gaming Commission to place a group of horses in...

Scottish Lassie (McKinzie), winless in three attempts since breaking her maiden in style by nine lengths in last fall's GI Frizette S., got back on track in a big way with a daylight decision in Saturday's GI Coaching Club American Oaks Invitational at Saratoga. The 2-1 shot vied for early command and took over control from champion Immersive (Nyquist) on the clubhouse turn and made her way to the rail in the scratched-down field of four. And it was pretty much over from there. Scottish Lassie showed the way through...

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Before this year, the last time Victor Espinoza rode at Saratoga was the summer of 2015, the year of American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile). "That was not a great memory," Espinoza said, recalling when the Triple Crown winner was upset in the Travers by Keen Ice (Curlin). The 53-year-old Hall of Fame jockey is hoping to make a better impression 10 years later as he is spending the summer at the Spa for the first ever. Espinoza, who owns 3,520 career victories, has been working the Saratoga...

Their first real introduction was at the 1997 Keeneland September Sale. Naoya was working with Dr. Dave Fishback at Hagyard and Marie was scouting yearlings for her fledgling Hong Kong-based bloodstock agency. Things got off to a rather awkward start when Marie approached the Hagyard team to hand off her vet's list and Naoya asked to take a look at the hip numbers. Not knowing Naoya worked for the veterinary practice, Marie guessed he was a rival buyer fishing for intel. "I was not very nice to him," Marie admitted...

GISW Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) continued her preparations for the GI DK Horse Acorn Stakes over the Oklahoma training track while 'TDN Rising Star' Shred the Gnar (Into Mischief) joined the discussion by officially being pointed for the contest set for June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. The former, trained by Jorge Abreu, breezed five panels alone Sunday morning in 1:04 flat shortly after the 8:15 a.m. renovation break. She was the only work at the distance on the day. "It was good, and more than enough,"...

7th-Belmont The Big A, $85,360, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 5-1, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:35.89, ft, 1 1/4 lengths. CASSIAR (f, 3, City of Light--Nellie Cashman {GSW, $349,839}, by Mineshaft), runner-up in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks behind recently-scratched Kentucky Oaks entrant Five G (Vekoma), cut back to the mile but faced several salty fillies including the come-backing GI Frizette Stakes winner Scottish Lassie (McKinzie). That 2-5 favorite made much of the running, setting a pressured pace just ahead of Dry Powder (Gun Runner) through fractions of :23.78 and :46.57. Cassiar...

The catalogue for the OBS March sale has been released and is now available online. The three-day sale will run from Mar. 11 to Mar. 13 and each session will begin at 11:00 a.m. HIPS 1-272 will go through the ring Mar. 11, then 273-544 the day after, and lastly 545-814. The under-tack show will begin Mar. 5 and run through Mar. 8 starting at 8:00 a.m. each day. The show, and subsequent sale, will both be streamed live via the OBS website as well as the TDN. There will...

If it stays like this, a single maiden winner might settle it. Because all that separates McKinzie ($2,294,679) from current leader Tiz the Law ($2,339,575) in the freshman table is $44,896. But wait, there's more. McKinzie isn't even second. Between the pair lurks Vekoma ($2,306,457), ensuring a desperate three-way contest for the prized laurels of champion first-season sire. It's even closer than this time last year, when four stallions were divided by barely $200,000. In the end, Mitole actually extended his lead down the stretch. But the fact that the...

DEL MAR, CA - Immersive (Nyquist) capped a perfect four-for-four championship season with a powerhouse performance in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar. Off as the 2-1 favorite, the Godolphin homebred was away in good order from post three. The GI Spinaway Stakes and GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes heroine settled in mid-pack beneath Manny Franco, racing inside of impressive GI Frizette Stakes winner and second-choice Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) as $1.8- million OBS March breezer and 'TDN Rising Star' Nooni (Win Win Win) sped off through fractions of...

Take Charge Babe (Take Charge Indy), a half-sister to this year's GI Frizette Stakes winner Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) has been supplemented to the Nov. 4 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, the auction company said in a press release on Thursday morning. A multiple winner herself, Take Charge Babe is catalogued as hip 317 and will be consigned as a broodmare prospect by Paramount Sales, agent. Scottish Lassie, who broke her maiden by nine lengths in the Frizette Oct. 5, is scheduled to start in the GI NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on...

Despite never having raced on the dirt in his two seasons at the races, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's champion and 'TDN Rising Star' City of Troy (Justify) was assigned gate three as the 5-2 morning-line selection in a full field of 14 and will be ridden by Ryan Moore in Saturday's $7-million GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. Deemed by trainer Aidan O'Brien--a two-time runner-up in the Classic (Giant's Causeway, Declaration of War)--'the best he's ever trained,' the son of G1SW Together Forever (Ire)...

Chad Brown was trackside Saturday to watch eight of his Breeders' Cup hopefuls breeze over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and the dual Grade I-winning GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile contender 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie). The four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner is well positioned for more main-track success heading into next weekend's World Championships with Sierra Leone, Domestic Product (Practical Joke) (Dirt Mile), 'TDN Rising Star' Ways and Means (Practical Joke) (Filly & Mare Sprint), Raging...