Talkin

TDN's Chief Correspondent Bill Finley is joined by Senior Contributing Editor Alan Carasso and Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack to handicap Saturday's GI Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park. FINLEY: Honestly, it's hard to like anyone in a race that looks like it will be a mad scramble and is made up of so many horses who really aren't Triple Crown caliber. The right move is probably to go for a longshot and just hope to get lucky. The pick here will be Pretty Boy Miah (Beau Liam), who is 15-1...

The field for the GI Preakness Stakes, ranked in "likeliest winner" order (program number after each horse's name). 1) INCREDIBOLT #12 (c, Bolt d'Oro--Sapphire Spitfire, by Awesome Again). O-Pin Oak Stud LLC; B-Deann Baer & Greg Baer DVM (KY); T-Riley Mott. Sales history: $75,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 6-3-0-0, $498,681. Last start: 6th May 2 GI Kentucky Derby. In the GI Kentucky Derby, Incredibolt was off a beat slow, got pinched down toward the inside, then had the reins shaken at him to hustle up into a spot...

Undefeated Taj Mahal (Nyquist) has been all the rage in the lead up to the GI Preakness Stakes, and his move Saturday morning will have done nothing to cool those feelings as the Brittany Russell trainee posted his fourth consecutive bullet move. Sent out to work five furlongs with exercise rider Alex Beitia aboard, he went in company with stakes winner Regalo (Maximus Mischief) early in the morning at 6:15am. Taj Mahal cruised through splits of :12 1/5, :24 1/5, :36 2/5, and :48 flat while leading his workmate throughout....

Third in the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes on Keeneland's opening weekend, Talkin (Good Magic) will skip the GI Kentucky Derby and be pointed toward the GI Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park by trainer Danny Gargan. Eleven lengths behind 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Further Ado (Gun Runner) as that one dominated the Blue Grass, Talkin would be the trainer's chief hope for a second win in the Triple Crown series behind Dornoch, also a son of Good Magic, who claimed the GI Belmont Stakes in 2024. Gargan said...

 When they run Saturday's GI Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct, It's Our Time (Not This Time) will be the heavy favorite. How could he not be? The Tom Amoss-trained 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' won his debut at Saratoga by 17 3/4 lengths while earning a 94 Beyer and quickly became one of the most talked-about maiden winners at the meet. The performance went well beyond what Amoss was expecting. "It was a race where there was a horse (Hero Declared) that was super hyped and when they left the...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- When a barn is lucky enough to have a horse like Dornoch (Good Magic), the goal, naturally, is to find another one. A year ago, trainer Danny Gargan won the GI Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes with the talented 3-year-old. After Saturday's sixth race at Saratoga, a $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-old colts, Gargan was not about to proclaim he has found the second coming of Dornoch, but, hey, a guy and his partners can dream, can't they? At the end of the seven-furlong...

6th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-30, 2yo, 7f, 1:23.63, ft, neck. TALKIN (c, 2, Good Magic--Rote, by Tiznow) came into this contest with a bullet of 94 works Aug. 23 to his credit--blitzing the four furlongs over the main track in :47 flat. Tabbed as a 9-1 shot here, the bay chased a top flight led by Stradale (Yaupon) up the backstretch and around the far turn through :22.37 and four panels in :44.62. The Danny Gargan trainee made his move to run down that leader entering the lane and with an...