Todd Pletcher

A busy Thursday for GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks hopefuls was lead by a trio of Mark Casse trainees, and the presumed 'Run for the Roses' favorite Renegade (Into Mischief) put in his final drill in Florida before shipping to Louisville. John Oxley's Silent Tactic (Tacitus), with jockey Cristian Torres aboard, worked a half-mile in :48 on a picture-perfect Thursday morning for Casse at Churchill Downs. On the tab as a single at 7:15 a.m. ET, Silent Tactic clicked off fractions of :12, :24, :48 and galloped out...

With two weeks remaining until the first Saturday in May, trainer Brad Cox's Barn 22 was active Friday morning at Churchill Downs where his trio of contenders recorded their penultimate works for the GI Kentucky Derby. Meanwhile down in Florida on Thursday, Renegade (Into Mischief) got his preparations for the big day underway with his first move since winning the GI Arkansas Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher last month. In Louisville at 5:15 a.m. (all times Eastern), Wathnan Racing's GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Commandment (Into Mischief) breezed five furlongs...

3rd-KEE, $120K, ALW/N1X, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 2:04 p.m. ET. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', and Triple Crown nominee TOUCH OF FIRE (Constitution) comes to Keeneland to contest an allowance race over the Haggin Turf Course. The Juddmonte homebred cleared by seven lengths on debut at Fair Grounds in early January, which earned the colt a commendation from this publication for his effort. After finishing as the runner-up in the Black Gold Stakes in New Orleans in late February, the Brad Cox trainee is tabbed as the 9-5 morning line...

Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar (Upstart) has emerged from her comebacking victory in Friday's GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes in good order and will train up to the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks at Keeneland, trainer Ben Colebrook told the Keeneland media office on Saturday. "She will have all her works here," the conditioner said. "She's a Keeneland horse and she has already won at Churchill. We will wait until the last second to when we have to be there." Given that Percy's Bar bounced off the inside rail during her...

Further Ado (Gun Runner) announced his presence with a jaw-dropping 20-length maiden win at Keeneland last fall. The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' returns to Lexington as the horse to beat in Saturday's GI Toyota Blue Grass S., good for 100-50-25-15-10 points to the top five finishers on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Spendthrift Farm colorbearer was a workmanlike winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 29, then kicked off his 3-year-old campaign with a solid second-place finish behind The Puma (Essential...

Repole Stable's Zany (American Pharoah), the 4-1 favorite in the lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, headlines a field of seven set for the GI Central Bank Ashland S. on Keeneland's opening day program Friday. The unbeaten GII Demoiselle S. heroine kicked off her sophomore campaign for Todd Pletcher with a 2 3/4-length victory over subsequent GII Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks winner Life of Joy (Gun Runner) after racing greenly down the stretch in the Suncoast S. at Tampa Feb. 7. "Zany is a special, special filly," Repole said following the...

GII Rebel Stakes winner Class President (Uncle Mo) will scratch from Saturday's GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. The news, reported on social media by DRF's David Grening, comes from the colt's trainer Todd Pletcher who is quoted as saying, "Just didn't like the way he went today. Not saying he's off the Derby trail. We'll check him out." Class President, who is owned in partnership by WinStar Farm, First Go Racing and the China Horse Club, last put in a recorded breeze March 28 at Palm Beach Downs when he...

The long run of preps for the GI Kentucky Oaks will come to a close this weekend as the last of the 3-year-old filly preps will be run. All eyes will be on Keeneland Friday as the track will host the only Grade I prep for the Oaks, the GI Ashland Stakes. The favorite will be Zany (American Pharoah), who hasn't been out since the Feb. 7 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Should she win, she will most likely be the favorite come May 1 at Churchill Downs. So,...

'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Further Ado (Gun Runner) was tabbed by track oddsmaker Nick Tammaro as the 8-5 morning line favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds for Saturday's 102nd running of the $1.25 million GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, Keeneland said via a press release on Tuesday. Contested at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, the Blue Grass offers 200 qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Derby. The winner receives 100 points with a sliding scale of 50-25-15-10 points to the second- through fifth-place finishers. The...

Wathnan Racing's Commandment (Into Mischief) appeared no worse for wear a day after eking out a win over The Puma (Essential Quality) in the GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. "He looks really good this morning," said trainer Brad Cox, who joined Woody Stephens and Todd Pletcher in garnering wins in the Florida Derby and Gulfstream Park Oaks (Bonnie Miss) in the same year. On the Florida Derby undercard, Cox won the Oaks with Prom Queen (Quality Road). "That's obviously a great accomplishment," said Cox. "We have a great...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--Legendary college football coach Mike Leach believed fervently in the power of pirate culture. Despite its cut, thrust and swagger image, according to Leach the swashbucklers of old were incredibly democratic, were forced at times to be surprisingly unconventional and they proved time and time again that taking risks could payoff handsomely--rings true for Thoroughbred racing too. Speaking of plundering and pirate treasure, in the 90th running of the GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on Saturday a record 73,000 people watched an invader named Renegade (Into Mischief--Spice...

Prom Queen (Quality Road) is heading to the big dance. Tabbed as a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' off an eight-length maiden victory at second asking going two turns at Gulfstream Park Feb. 12, the Gary and Mary West homebred punched her ticket to Louisville with a powerful 2 3/4-length victory in Saturday's GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, good for 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. My Miss Mo (Uncle Mo) held second after setting the pace. Favored She Be Smooth (Lexitonian), an impressive winner of the...