Upstart

As caller Frank Mirahmadi noted: she broke her maiden in May and is a Graded winner in June. Baoma Corp's Mizumi (Justify) ran to her looks, and strolled home to a convincing GIII Summertime Oaks victory in just her second career start. Unveiled in the aforementioned May 2 maiden at this venue, she sailed through the 6 1/2-panel main track dash to earn an 85 Beyer, and stretched out to 1 1/16-miles for the first time here. The betting public was wholly unbothered by her being the least experienced in...

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...

Multiple Grade I-placed Percy's Bar (Upstart), unraced since running third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies behind juvenile champion Super Corredora (Gun Runner) and one of the likely favorites in the Kentucky Oaks in Explora (Blame), will make her return to the races Friday in the GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. The Ben Colebrook trainee has been something of an enigma on the work tab, with an initial breeze Jan. 6 marked as her first since her troubled Breeders' Cup start, but nothing publicly listed after that...

The band we reach today, between $20,000 and $29,999, perhaps represents the sweet spot of the entire pyramid. It features sires of adequate achievement to have elevated themselves clear of the basement, yet without obtaining the kind of commercial luster that puts them beyond mortal pockets. The most established names retain their customary place on our Value Podium, not least as a tremendous route to proving a mare; but this tier also features one or two that could be on the point of cycling through delayed rewards for their early...

For the Ladies (f, 2, Upstart--Lovely Marissa, by Proud Citizen) served as the favorite on debut during the Belmont At The Big A meet Oct. 5 and missed by a nose. The 6-5 choice here fired out of the rail gate and immediately set the tone up the backstretch. Making every pole a winning one through the far turn, the filly poured on the speed entering the lane and ran up the score to graduate by 7 1/4 lengths over It's Carol's Way (McKinzie). A half-sister to SW Nasty, (Street...

Bravaro (Upstart) was sent off the 3-5 chalk on the back of a strong-figure debut victory going six furlongs over this surface Sept. 28 and was deftly manuevered across the heels of four of his five rivals nearing the entrance to the final furlong of Saturday's $200,000 Sleepy Hollow Stakes, leveling off beautifully beneath Dylan Davis to earn his first black-type victory in handy fashion. Not the quickest away from the inside gate in this field of six and a bit awkward through the early exchanges, the bay colt gradually...

Bentornato (Valiant Minister), runner-up in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, breezed five furlongs in company in a bullet 1:00 (1/24) Saturday morning at Keeneland in preparation for a return trip to Del Mar for this year's race on Nov. 1. He had jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard for the work with Araucano (McKinzie), a 3-year-old maiden. Bentornato finished three lengths clear of his workmate at the wire and lengthened the advantage on the gallop out. "He will have his final work here next week," trainer Jose D'Angelo said of...

Friday is the start of the unofficial Kentucky state holiday known as Opening Weekend at Keeneland, and GI Spinaway victress Tommy Jo (Into Mischief) headlines a strong card for fantastic racing not just at the venue but across the country. Largely considered the last hurrah for anyone trying to get into the World Championships by way of the 'WAYI' challenge series, several tracks across the country have such opportunities in October, and Keeneland will be hosting three such chances on Friday. The last of the graded races for the opening...

Carrie Brogden of highly successful Machmer Hall fame is a self-described horse addict and she is not shy when it comes to admitting it. Still, the straight shooter with the commercial breeding business outside of Paris, Kentucky, has to make some decisions every fall when it comes to reducing the farm's stock. It is just the way it goes as October rolls around. "I am the ultimate horse sale junkie, just ask my husband Craig, who would be thrilled if we had 30 elite mares on a 250-acre farm," said...

The royal blue of Godolphin continued to build on a banner year for the operation as Encino (Nyquist) proved too much for his Presque Isle Mile Stakes competition. Placed in the Mar. 22 GIII Twinspires Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes, and the winner of last season's GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes, Encino won the Listed Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial Stakes two back July 5 and hit the board last out Aug. 2 in the KY Downs Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile Stakes at Ellis Park. Supported here to the tune of 3-5...

Purchased privately following a maiden win, last year's overachieving Debutante S. winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Vodka With a Twist (Thousand Words) hit the board in five straight graded stakes races for trainer Phil D'Amato in Southern California beginning with the GIII Sorrento S. at Del Mar. Taylor Made's Medallion Racing will look to follow a similar blueprint with impressive Laurel Park debut winner Dreaming of Alys (Upstart), who will face five rivals, led by the Bob Baffert-trained 'TDN Rising Star' Himika (Curlin), going six furlongs in...

Trainer Mark Casse sent three undefeated juveniles into the Victoria Stakes at Woodbine, and Casson (Caravaggio) emerged as the last man standing of that group to keep his perfect record intact by a clear margin. A four-length winner on unveiling May 11 against local maidens, the gray was a 7-2 chance against his stablemates Jupiter (Upstart) and the flashy Rude Procedure (Authentic). The former went off as the 6-5 favorite and the latter was 2-1. In no rush initially, Casson had a head on Valley of Kings (Classic Empire) while...