Team Hanley
Elite Power (Curlin) and Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) repeated as Eclipse champion sprinters during Thursday's ceremony in Florida. Juddmonte's Elite Power traveled to Saudi Arabia to begin 2023 with a win in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint. Returned stateside, he won the GII True North S. and GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. before having an eight-race win streak interrupted with a runner-up effort in the GI Forego S. at Saratoga in August. He returned to the winner's circle and earned his second straight win in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint just...
Jay Hanley considers himself lucky to have had more than his fair share of highs in horse racing, but he has also gone through plenty of mishaps, frustrations and heartbreaks. A co-owner of champion Lady Eli (Divine Park), he was there for the ups and downs of the extraordinary mare's career as she fought a seemingly insurmountable battle with laminitis and returned to the top of the sport. Then there is Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper - Salty Strike, Smart Strike), who overcame two setbacks early in her career and went on...
First Row Partners and Team Hanley's Prerequisite went wire-to-wire to take the rescheduled GII Wonder Again S. in just her third career start at Belmont Park Sunday. Sent off at 7-1, the bay filly rushed up to take the lead into the first turn and she was tracked by Spansive (Karakontie {Jpn}) through fractions of :23.67 and :47.94 in a strung-out field down the backstretch. She scampered away into the lane and was clear in upper stretch, but was all out to hold off the late-closing Be Your Best. "I...
In a field which included three Grade I winners, it was first-time stakes starter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) who came away with the victory--and an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint--in the GI Ballerina S. at Saratoga Sunday. Sent off at 5-1, the dark bay filly was hustled out of the gate before settling into third as Travel Column (Frosted) assumed command through a quarter in :22.09. Goodnight Olive rushed up to press the pacestter after a half in :44.50 and powered past that rival at midstretch before...
4th-Indiana Grand, $31,000, Msw, 5-3, 2yo, 5f, 1:00.81, gd, neck. ICY STORM (c, 2, Keen Ice--Downton My Lady, by Pioneerof the Nile) was sent off at 7-2 to become the first winner for his 2015 GI Travers S.-winning freshman sire (by Curlin). Part of a five-way skirmish for the early lead, the dark bay colt sat second as Gormleys Got Game (Gormley) broke away from the pack after a quarter in :22.71. He surged by that foe inside the final furlong and just held off the late rush of Atta...