Steve Knapp
Dream Quest (Drain the Clock--Dream Collector, by Collected) made her initial start a winning one at Santa Anita Park on Thursday and her freshman sire collected his first win. The 2-year-old Cal-bred, in the inaugural juvenile race of the season at the track, sped to the lead after a competitive break and held sway through the top of the lane. The Steve Knapp trainee fended off a couple of challengers and got to the wire in time. Thirsty Caitlin (Stay Thirsty) was the runner-up. Drain the Clock--winner of the GI...
by Dan Ross & Jessica Martini POMONA, CA - The Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale, held Tuesday at Fairplex, produced average and median figures largely in line with its 2024 renewal even as its clearance rate declined. A total of 140 yearlings sold for $4,603,400. The average increased 11.4% to $32,666 and the median remained steady at $15,000. In 2024, 163 head grossed $4,781,400 for an average of $29,334. With 97 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate rose to 40.8%. It was 34.8% a year ago. "The California breeding...
Maxfield's first stakes winner as a freshman sire comes in as Max Ciao takes the I'm Smokin Stakes at Del Mar on Friday. Unveiled as a third-place finisher at Santa Anita May 25, the colt was fourth, beaten seven lengths, July 19 by Friday's 3-2 second choice Thirsty Rebel. Max Ciao found himself in the winners circle in career start number three, a six-length victor back here at Del Mar Aug. 8. In his first stakes try, the son of Maxfield broke alertly, stalking just over a length off the...
The nine-day Los Angeles County Fair Meet concluded Sunday with increased field sizes for a second consecutive year and with Kazushi Kimura claiming his first local riding title, the track announced. Several metrics improved for the 2025 season in addition to the field size--a bump up to 7.6 starters per race from slightly less than seven over the corresponding season a year ago. The total Players' Pick 5 pool of $974,636 eclipsed the previous high of $410,783 from 2016 when two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome had been the...
Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, trainer Pavel Matejka has four separate pending cases issued against him for cannabidiol (CBD) positives. The four cases occurred between Feb. 17 and March 15. Under HISA, CBD is classified a Class B controlled substance, a first offense for which comes with a possible 15-day suspension and $1,000 fine. The massive proliferation in CBD products for humans has spilled over into the equine world....
by Dan Ross & Jill Williams A $250,000 colt by late California sire Vronsky led Tuesday's one-session Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age Sale, topping a dozen lots to sell for six figures. While the $5,751,500 gross for 185 head and $15,000 median (-11.76%) declined somewhat from the 2022 edition, average was up slightly from $30,522 in 2022 to $31,089 (+1.86%) this year. The buy-back rate, 25.7% in 2022, rose to 34%. "Buy-backs may be up a little bit," said Fasig-Tipton's California representative Mike Machowsky. "But the...