Seismic Beauty

If redemption was the name of the game in Saturday's GII Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita, the first horse to come to mind likely would have been $2.5-million Fasig-Tipton November purchase Seismic Beauty (Uncle Mo) as the one with something to prove, but it was California-bred Om N Joy (f, 4, Om-Margie's Minute, by Hard Spun) who emerged as the star of the show and who got her own form of absolution. Om N Joy, who races for her breeders Jerry and Connie Baker along with partners Michael Golovko...

With June around the corner, the graded stakes calendar heats back up as Churchill Downs hosts its Stephen Foster Preview on Saturday. The local prep for the June 28 running of the GI Stephen Foster Stakes, the GIII Blame Stakes is one of six higher-level races on the card and could be deemed as wide-open. Wathnan Racing's Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) has the class edge though. The 2025 winner of the G1 Dubai World Cup returned to Meydan back in late March, but was unable to duplicate the feat....

by Christina Bossinakis, Alan Carasso & Jessica Martini LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton November Sale, led by the $6.2-million Streak of Luck (Old Fashioned), produced strong results with increases in average and median over its 2024 renewal during its single session Monday in Lexington. "The market was very, very good, but it's still rational," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said. "I think that's one of the things that we've seen in recent years during the November sale that there is still a sense of rationality to it. The buyers are demanding....

The World Championships concluded Saturday with sterling efforts and drama abound, and the connections of the newly crowned took Sunday morning to provide updates on their charges as they look ahead. Trainer Michael McCarthy reported that all six of his Breeders' Cup horses came out of their races in good order, and plans for MGISW Journalism (Curlin)--whether to continue racing or retirement--will be finalized in the coming week. The colt finished fourth in the Classic under new rider Jose Ortiz. "This is more or less what we've seen from him...

A week ago, if Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott had been able to look into the future and see a preview of himself heading to the winner's circle on Breeders' Cup Saturday, he would likely have rested easily, fairly certain he would be winning the GI Classic for a third time. After all, he shipped just two horses across the country for the 42nd Breeders' Cup, headlined by dual Classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), whose expected appearance as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the Classic helped make it the...

On both coasts, preparations for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic continued as leading contenders from the West took to the track, and hopefuls from the East began finalizing travel plans. Scheduled to walk Saturday morning after the trio put in Friday works at Saratoga, Todd Pletcher-trainee Antiquarian (Preservationist) will ship to Del Mar Sunday in advance of the World Championships along with stablemates Fierceness (City of Light) and Mindframe (Constitution). "I don't think [Antiquarian is] a particularly difficult horse to ride," said Pletcher. "I think he needs a strong rider....

Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast), working for an expected title defense in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, GI Pennsylvania Derby winner Baeza (McKinzie), unbeaten 2-year-old 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Brant (Gun Runner) and potential Breeders' Cup favorites Seismic Beauty (Uncle Mo) and Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy) were among the Breeders' Cup hopefuls on the worktab Saturday at Santa Anita. Full Serrano worked for the second time since a runner-up effort in the GI Goodwood S. going 1 1/8 miles Sept. 27 at Santa Anita. He was timed...

Cavalieri (Nyquist), the undefeated filly who figured to be one of the top choices in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, will pass the race, reports trainer Bob Baffert. Baffert made the announcement while being interviewed on FanDuel TV on Friday by Joaquin Jaime. Baffert did not give Jaime many details. Cavalieri is undefeated in five starts and her 5-for-5 record includes a win in the GI Beholder Mile and the GII Zenyatta Stakes, which was supposed to be her final tuneup before the Breeders' Cup. Baffert did tell Horse Racing...

There's a pattern. Four times in her career, My Racehorse and Peter Leidel's Seismic Beauty (f, 4, Uncle Mo--Knarsdale, by Medaglia d'Oro) has gone straight to the lead and each time she's won big, but never bigger than she did Saturday in the $400,000 GI Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar. It was the first Grade I victory of her career following her first graded score in the GII Santa Margarita Stakes May 25 at Santa Anita. Saturday's win nets her a 'Win and You're In,' fees-paid berth to...

Too much of a good thing? Not when it comes to maintaining the gold standard. For if we have only recently celebrated the way Medaglia d'Oro is confounding the self-fulfilling prejudice against aging stallions by continuing to produce runners like Good Cheer and East Avenue, then he now demands a sequel addressing his equal prowess in the kind of role more conventionally reserved for a stallion of 26--namely, as broodmare sire. Last weekend, daughters of Medaglia d'Oro gave us GI Gamely Stakes winner Be Your Best (Muhaarar {GB}); GII Santa...

With her most likely competition coming from her stablemate Splendora, MyRacehorse and Peter Leidel's Seismic Beauty went to the front and never looked back, rolling home an easy winner in Sunday's GII Santa Margarita Stakes. Breaking from the high draw, Seismic Beauty wasted no time as she sprinted to the front and was clear of 4-5 favorite Splendora rounding the first turn. Clicking off race horse fractions of :23.05 and :46.25, the 8-5 second choice continued to control the narrative through three quarters in 1:09.84. Still clear of fellow Bob...

6th-Del Mar, $76,500, Msw, 8-30, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.06, ft, 5 lengths. SEISMIC BEAUTY (f, 3, Uncle Mo--Knarsdale {SP, $103,692}, by Medaglia d'Oro), a $400,000 FTKNOV weanling turned $550,000 KEESEP yearling, led into the final furlong of her Aug. 3 unveiling, but was beaten on the wire by One Magic Philly (Good Magic) while earning a 79 Beyer Speed Figure. Accordingly sent away as the 1-5 jolly and carrying the Peter Leidel colors, Seismic Beauty jumped beautifully and alternated outside a rival through an opening quarter in :21.99. Firmly in...