Straight No Chaser

Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Straight No Chaser (Speightster) and a pair of important 3-year-old colts were the star turns on the Santa Anita worktab Saturday morning. Last seen sewing up championship honors when taking out the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint over Bentornato (Valiant Minister) at Del Mar Nov. 2, Straight No Chaser turned in his second consecutive bullet work, going five furlongs in :59.20 (1/72) in advance of his expected appearance in the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard Feb. 22. There the 6-year-old is expected to face...

If the Kansas City Chiefs need any advice on achieving the historic three-peat come Super Bowl Sunday, they need only ask Dr. John Eaton who, in conjunction with First Row Partners and Team Hanley, achieved the milestone at last Thursday's Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards. As a co-owner of two-time champion sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) during her racing career (she sold to John Stewart's Resolute Racing for $6,000,000 at FTKNOV in 2023), Eaton was honored Thursday as the breeder of yet another champion sprinter when Straight No Chaser (Speightster) earned the...

Only a courageous runner-up effort behind 'TDN Rising Star' and 3-year-old male Eclipse finalist Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Travers Stakes this past August stood between Brookdale Racing Inc, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and a perfect season in 2024. But the enormously talented dark bay filly was utterly dominant against her own sex in 2024 and became the first female since Havre de Grace (Saint Liam) in 2011 to take home the coveted Horse of the Year statuette...

The Breeders' Cup had a tremendous impact on the evening's Sprint champions, as each caused upsets of varying degrees on championship Saturday to highlight their campaigns. Straight No Chaser (Speightster) made the most of just three trips to the races in 2024, returning from a May layoff to bolt up in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship in late September before outfinishing his rivals in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. He easily outdistanced turf sprint sensation Cogburn (Not This Time) to lock up season-ending honors. Early Impressions..."He's just a really talented...

Zedan Racing's Barnes (Into Mischief), perfect in his two career trips to the post, and 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) each returned to the worktab at the 'Great Race Place' Monday morning. They were joined by their Grade III-winning stablemate Getaway Car (Curlin). Barnes, who defeated recent GIII Lecomte Stakes third Innovator (Authentic) by a head on Churchill debut Nov. 27 , worked a half-mile in :48.60 (16/69), his first breeze since romping by 5 1/2 lengths in the GII San Vicente Stakes Jan. 4. Barnes closed as the 6-1...

It's an interesting year when it comes to the Eclipse Awards, which will be announced next week. As always, there are the categories that are no-brainers where the winners should be unanimous. But there are several divisions this year that aren't so clear-cut, which will make for an interesting ceremony come Jan. 23. Here's a look at my ballot: Two-Year-Old Male: Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) Became the obvious pick after winning the 2024 GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Scary thing is that he might be no better than the third...

Through three sessions of next week's Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, over 1,300 broodmares, short yearlings, racing and stallion prospects will cross through the ring en route to new beginnings. And while it may be a fresh start for many of them, the sale marks the end of a process that dates back to September for Keeneland's new Sales Recruitment Manager Josie Mattmiller. "We consider the January sale an extension of the November sale and there are some real advantages to January because there is a lot of...

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...

With her convincing victory in Saturday's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar, 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) displaced fellow 'Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) atop the final National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Thoroughbred Poll for 2024. The Ken McPeek-trained filly, who received 26 of a possible 30 first-place votes, should be a unanimous choice for champion 3-year-old filly and cemented her case for Horse of the Year with her front-running, 2 1/2-length defeat of Raging Sea (Curlin) in the Distaff, and combined with Fierceness's runner-up...

GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) has come out of the marquee race in good order, according to Chad Brown, and will return to Kentucky Monday morning. "Everything's all good," said assistant trainer Baldo Hernandez Sunday morning after showing the horse to the media. "He will ship tomorrow to Kentucky and maybe Florida after that. I don't know for sure, it's up to the boss." The connections are expected to announce future plans for the colt soon. Sean Flanagan of Flanagan Racing confirmed that...

The rowdy MyRacehorse contingent, chanting their horse's name in unison, flooded the Del Mar winner's circle as they celebrated a signature score by Straight No Chaser (Speightster) in the GI Cygames Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Saturday. Straight No Chaser began his career under trainer Dan Blacker's care over two years ago. As a 3-year-old that summer at Del Mar, the bay debuted a winner while sprinting over the grass. Though he was well-beaten over course and distance against optional claimers that September, Straight No Chaser cleared that...

GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender 'TDN Rising Star' GISW Newgate (Into Mischief), along with three other horses pre-entered in this weekend's championships at Del Mar, worked Sunday morning at Santa Anita. Firing his second bullet in a row going five furlongs, this time in :58.80, the Bob Baffert-trainee shared the top ranking on the morning with John Sadler runner GSP-Arg & GISP Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast). In the Classic, Newgate will be making his second start since returning from a six-month layoff after a ninth-place finish in the G1...