Thoroughbred Daily News

CROSSINGTHECHANNEL (c, 3, Omaha Beach–In the Navy Now {SW, $253,020}, by Midshipman) proved himself a tough customer last year as a juvenile, finishing second Nov. 8 at Laurel Park behind eventual Turfway Prevue Stakes winner Hometown Bound (Mitole). He resurfaced Dec. 13 at Aqueduct and ran a strong second behind next-out GIII Gotham Stakes hero Iron Honor (Nyquist), earning a 91 Beyer to wrap his 2025 before returning Jan. 4 at that venue for a sophomore bow.

Successfully breaking his maiden there by a neck, Crossingthechannel was hammered at the windows by the betting public here and was the overwhelming 1-5 favorite by the time the gates opened. Out to the front and never looking back, he sailed through an opening quarter in :22.67 and the field was never able to reel him back in. Under a confident ride, he was never asked as he strolled in 9 1/2 lengths best over Ihaveanappforthat (Creative Cause).

The victor is a half-brother to Naval Empire (Empire Maker), SP, $174,755, who recently produced a 2026 filly by Essential Quality, as well as SP Sail Theseven Seas (Street Sense). Between those two stakes horses, the dam produced a two-time winning filly named Active (Gun Runner), but has not had any new foals since Crossingthechannel. In the Navy Now, a half-sibling to GSW Nefertini (Empire Maker), is due to Street Sense for 2026.

3rd-Colonial Downs, $97,400, (S), Alw, 3-13, (NW1X), 3yo, 5 1/2f, 1:02.69, ft, 9 1/2 lengths.
CROSSINGTHECHANNEL (c, 3, Omaha Beach–In the Navy Now {SW, $253,020}, by Midshipman) Sales history: $90,000 RNA Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 4-2-2-0, $130,400. O-Estate of R. Larry Johnson, R. D. M. Racing Stable and Trombetta, Michael J.; B-R. Larry Johnson (VA); T-Michael J. Trombetta.*1/2 to Naval Empire (Empire Maker), SP, $174,755.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Injured in a spill Thursday at Gulfstream, Irad Ortiz Jr., will not ride through Sunday, reports his agent Steve Rushing.

Mike Welsch of the Daily Racing Form was the first to report that Ortiz would be out through the remainder of the weekend.

“He's just really body sore,” Rushing told the TDN via text. “He's going to take a few days off and will, hopefully, return next week.”

Ortiz was scheduled to ride in seven races Saturday at Colonial Downs, including in four stakes races. Five of his seven mounts were for Brad Cox and they included Hit Parade (Street Sense)  in the $250,000 Virginia Oaks and Confessional (Essential Quality) in the $500,000 Virginia Derby.

When reached Friday morning, Cox said he has yet to pick his replacement riders.

Ortiz was thrown Friday when his mount A Moment a Love (Kantharos) took a left turn leaving the starting gate and ran into the rail.

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Our existing industry “members,” for lack of a better encompassing term, need to come together and agree on a unifying mission statement. This could happen around The Jockey Club Chairman Everett Dobson's “big table”. Why not a mission statement similar to the Breeders' Cup for our industry, like this: “To provide safe, healthy, fair, and high-integrity environments for our horses and fans, and owners and bettors to compete in, at all levels, of our sports entertainment industry.”

Why be similar to the Breeders' Cup?

The Breeders' Cup is not only emblematic of the best in our industry; it is the best we have to offer. The Breeders' Cup is strong, powerful, globally respected and works extremely well with all parties. I am not suggesting the Breeders' Cup break their rainy-day fund, by any means.

The Breeders' Cup, more than any other organization in our industry, possesses existing working relationships with relevant members: the racetracks, the stallion nominators, the mare owners who fund the stallion nominators' entry fees as well as nominating their resulting foals, the purchasers of those foals, the trainers, the jockeys, the tireless backside workers, the regulating bodies of HISA and others. The Breeders' Cup is positioned at this time, maybe for a transitional interval or longer, to provide guidance and perhaps help create and potentially house our industry's central office for our governing body.

Assuming we all want to selflessly take care of our horses, our owners, our bettors and our fans MORE than we want to take care of ourselves or other industry members (which is sadly a shaky assumption, in my opinion), we should come sit at Everett Dobson's “big table” and figure out the most efficient and effective way to take care of those who pay us, and pay for the horse. I understand we all take risks here. However, I'm crystal clear that without the owners, who take the greatest risks, we'd all be in much worse shape. The owners are at the top of the pyramid. We must invite the owners to the table. As a friend of mine stated this morning, “I've always felt that owners enter the business to enjoy it, not to have to fix it.” The owners shouldn't have to fix it, yet, at this time for expediency, and to assure it suits them, the owners must approve of the format, the rules we establish and have a seat at the table.

Here are some ongoing issues that the Breeders' Cup is in a position to assist with and these fall under their mission statement: “To conduct the Breeders' Cup World Championships at the highest levels of quality, safety, integrity and to promote the growth of Thoroughbred breeding, racing, and sales through proactive leadership, innovation, and service.” Now, more than before, owners need one neutral platform for their voice.

Second, a big issue: If we want our industry to exist, we all need to accept that HISA isn't going away. Are there ways for HISA to improve? Yes. Let's continue to find ways to help our horse and our customer have a better environment and relationship with HISA.

Another big issue: Stud book size. At its inception, stallion managers paid nominations to the Breeders' Cup equal to the amount of one season. Some years later, based on the number of live foals, the Breeders' Cup adjusted the nomination fee as some stallion's crops began to exceed 100. I'm very grateful we live in a capitalistic society. According to each syndicate agreement, stallion operations can breed a varying number of mares to stallions as they judge per the agreement. However, now, something similar to an excise tax in the form of increased Breeders' Cup nomination cost could be set through an agreeable algorithm. The excise amounts collected, paid by the breeders/owners and passed through the syndicates to the Breeders' Cup, could help fund the central office and not negatively impact the rainy-day fund.

The industry members who sit at Everett Dobson's big table could make the rules of our game clear and then work out how our governing body is selected. The process itself would be unifying if everyone at the table put the horse and all of our customers first, the owner, the bettor and the fan. Give a little, get a lot.

Finn Green is a lifelong horseman who owns and operates a Thoroughbred management and consulting business

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The saddle Ron Turcotte used in Secretariat's Triple Crown victory sold for $1.524 million at Christie's auction house on Thursday, March 12. The price was a record amount for a piece of racing memorabilia.

The hammer fell at $1.2 million, with the price reaching $1.524 million including the buyer's premium-an additional fee charged by the auction house to the winning bidder to cover the costs of the sale.

The saddle was offered by the Jim Irsay Collection on behalf of the late owner of the Indianapolis Colts, who acquired it privately from Turcotte in February, 2023, almost 50 years after Secretariat's record-breaking run in the Triple Crown, according to the auction house. It came with four removable lead weights inscribed with Turcotte's name, a framed and signed photo of Secretariat's Belmont win, a letter of authenticity signed by Turcotte, other photos, and a Newsweek magazine featuring Secretariat on the cover.

The saddle was hand-crafted and custom-made for Turcotte by saddle maker Lee Wincher just before the 1972 Bluegrass Stakes. Turcotte called the saddle his “Big-Race” saddle, as it was designed to carry the heavier weights horses would be assigned in major stakes races. According to Christie's, he also used the saddle aboard Riva Ridge in his 1972 campaign, which included wins in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Irsay passed away May 21, 2025, leading his family to sell his large collection of sporting memorabilia at Christie's on Thursday. Turcotte died three months later, at the age of 84.

Christie's did not release the name of the buyer.

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A floor amendment has been added to HB 904–a sweeping piece of legislation seeking to legalize fixed-odds wagering in Kentucky–that is designed to essentially ensure no limit can be imposed on the number of mares bred to a stallion in the state.

It requires that the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation select and use an entity to act as “a registrar of Thoroughbreds” in the state, meaning it could choose an organization other than The Jockey Club, which is the current breed registry for the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

That “registrar of Thoroughbreds” is then unable to restrict “the number of mares that can be bred to a stallion or otherwise refuse to register any foal based upon the number of mares bred to the stallion.”

HB 904 has been posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday. This means that this amendment could be voted on as early as Friday morning in the House. If successful, the amended bill could then theoretically be brought up for final passage on the House floor immediately.

The specific language of the amendment reads: “For purposes of this chapter, a registrar of Thoroughbreds shall not restrict the number of mares that can be bred to a stallion or otherwise refuse to register any foal based upon the number of mares bred to the stallion of the foal submitted for registration.

“The corporation shall select and utilize an entity to serve as the registrar of Thoroughbreds. The registrar shall submit to the jurisdiction of Kentucky and shall comply with the laws of this chapter,” the language reads.

The amendment was authored by Republican David Osborne, speaker of the state House of Representatives. The Republicans hold an 80-20 majority in the state House.

The language of this amendment is almost identical to that in a bill Osborne introduced in 2022.

That bill was written in response to The Jockey Club's controversial mandate that any stallion born from 2020 onward would only be allowed to cover up to 140 mares.

After that bill was introduced, The Jockey Club rescinded the cap.

Speaking at last week's National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association conference (NHBPA), new Jockey Club chair Everett Dobson told the audience the organization would revisit that stallion cap mandate.

“Years ago, The Jockey Club attempted to impose a cap on the number of mares a stallion could breed. Under my leadership, we're going to revisit that question. This time, we will involve stallion farms and other breed registries around the world to help us find the solution. Our discussions must be science-based with an understanding of the economic realities of the world we live in,” Dobson said.

The fixed-odds bill, introduced into the state legislature by Republican Representatives Matthew Koch and Michael Meredith, is a sweeping piece of legislation designed to essentially expand and modernize the state's gambling infrastructure.

Among other aspects of the bill, it requires tracks and tote companies to adopt new modern technologies to streamline and expedite betting cycle times. It also attempts to essentially decouple wagering providers from the prediction market, which is the ability for bettors to make speculative bets on the outcomes of future events.

Koch told the TDN this week that as the markets have evolved, “predictive markets, by the way, are absolutely cannibalizing other forms of gambling that are out there.”

Earlier this week, it was successfully voted out of the standing committee on licensing and occupations.

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After being involved in a spill in Thursday's fifth race at Gulfstream, Irad Ortiz, Jr. was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

When reached by the TDN via text, his agent, Steve Rushing, said he had no updates and was awaiting the results of tests.

Early indications were that Ortiz was not seriously injured. Reporting on FanDuel TV, Caton Bredar said Ortiz was complaining of hip pain, but added that he told the ambulance driver he was “fine.”

“I'm told by track officials that Irad was alert, awake, conscious, answering all questions,” Bredar said on FanDuel TV. “He told the ambulance drivers that he was fine, but he did have some pain in his hip, so they did take him to the hospital to get that checked out. It appears that he escaped anything serious, and that is definitely some good news.”

Bredar also reported that the horse Ortiz was riding, A Moment a Love (Kantharos), was collected by the outrider and was not injured.

The Equibase chart caller footnote gave an account of the incident: “A Moment a Love ducked in at the start, broke through the inner rail, lost the rider, galloped along the inner turf course and walked off.”

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by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis

OCALA, FL – With one more million-dollar juvenile bringing its three-day total to a record-tying seven, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training concluded Thursday with its highest-ever gross and increases in both average and median from a year ago.

“Gratified, pleased and happy for the consignors,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said of the auction's record-setting results. The consignors bring the horses and the quality of the horses that they bring is what brings the prices. So I am happy for the consignors. I am pleased with the amount of trade that took place over all three days, domestically and internationally. We had involvement from a lot of different buyers, so we are very happy with that.”

Through three sessions, 439 horses sold for a gross of $71,815,500, eclipsing the mark of $71,473,500 set when 464 horses sold in 2023. The average of $163,589 was up 7.4% from a year ago, while the median was up 7.1% to $85,000.

From a catalogue of 816, a total of 566 horses went through the ring with 127 failing to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 22.4%. It was 17.6% a year ago.

A colt by Yaupon, consigned by Kings Equine, became the auction's seventh seven-figure juvenile when selling to Donato Lanni for $1 million Thursday. That matched the record-setting number to hit that mark in 2025.

Donato Lanni signed for Thursday's $1-million colt | OBS/Photos by Z

Two of those million-dollar juveniles were consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables, which was the auction's leading consigner with 13 sold for $7,730,000.

“It's been an unbelievable market,” Dunne said. “I don't know what drives it. But I know what causes it–a fast horse. And there is no shortage of appetite for that. At the end of the day, we may all be doom and gloom about our business, but one of the most exciting things that someone can do is still to own a winner. We get so tied up in the nuts and bolts of it, we forget the enjoyment that that gives the people. I think that's as important as any tax code.”

Consignor Randy Miles said he saw plenty of positives in the March market.

“I thought it was wonderful,” Miles said of the sale. “I thought it was well attended. The good horses sold well and the middle of the road horses were traded, which is always good. In my consignment, we had action on every horse. It was up to me whether I sold the horse or not. The buyers were willing to buy.

“If we just look at racing alone, racing is doing very well. We have our hiccups, but racing is doing well. And everybody loves to come to March. It's the first 2-year-old sale. It seemed like the people who were here were excited to buy and bought multiple horses. I hope it carries on to April.”

Juveniles from the first crop of Grade I winner Drain the Clock set the track on fire during last week's under-tack preview and the Gainesway stallion delivered in the sales ring, topped by a $1.1-million colt. Fellow freshman Corniche also had a million-dollar result with a colt selling for $1.35 million.

The strength of the yearling market may have changed the type of horses pinhookers could afford a year ago, leading to a change in the make-up of the March catalogue, which featured a deep bench of first-crop sires. Last year's record-setting $3-million March topper was one of eight by Gun Runner catalogued to the auction. None were catalogued by the leading sire this year.

“It's the same old song and dance, the ones they want they are paying up for and the other ones are struggling to get sold,” said S G V Thoroughbreds' Steve Venosa. “It was extremely hard to buy horses last year, so people are looking for maybe a little more depth in the pedigrees. With the smaller foal crop and as hard as it was to buy them [as yearlings], it's showing here. Maybe some people are waiting for the April sale.”

Raul Reyes of Kings Equine sold Thursday's topper in between feeding hungry shoppers | OBS/Photos by Z

Bloodstock agent Justin Casse was active as both a buyer and seller at the March sale and was seeing opportunities ahead in what could be a tightening market.

“Going to the barns and talking to some of the consignors, they said they had to really work to get some horses sold,” Casse said. “That might concern me a little bit for April when there will be 50% more horses. I am looking forward to it since there is more opportunity.”

While Wavertree has for years been among the leading consignors in Ocala, the March sale–the first in recent memory to not include a consignment from the legendary Eddie Woods–also allowed some younger consignors to shine. Jesse Hoppel and Susan Montanye's SBM Training and Sales were both represented by their first million-dollar sales at the auction.

“A lot of the younger consignors are really starting to become a bigger and bigger part of the sales,” Wojciechowski said. “We've seen Nick de Meric stepping down a little bit and Tristan [de Meric] picking up the reins. We see Jimbo Gladwell, Joe Pickerell, SBM Stables, Jesse Hoppel, these younger consignors really starting to grow more and more within the industry. We always worry, are we going to be able to replace the consignors we have. It looks like we are in good hands.”

Trainer Jose D'Angelo, coming off a career year in which he won two Breeders' Cup races, found success in the sales ring Thursday at OBS when bloodstock agent Donato Lanni purchased a son of Yaupon (hip 576) for $1 million. D'Angelo had acquired the colt for $235,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“I was looking to pinhook a horse and I saw him at Hunter Valley and I fell in love with him,” D'Angelo said. “He had everything that you are looking for in a racehorse.”

Hip 576 | OBS/VidHorse

D'Angelo purchased the colt in partnership with Hal Mintz and Seth Morris, but he had to do so remotely.

“I remember it was the same day Bentornato won at Churchill, so I bought him on the phone,” D'Angelo recalled with a smile. “I called my owners to help me get in there and they decided to pinhook and we were good.”

Bentornato won the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes last September before his victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Hip 576 is out of Balbina (Lemon Drop Kid), a daughter of multiple graded winner Ready's Gal (More Than Ready). Consigned by Kings Equine, the bay worked a furlong during last week's under-tack preview in :9 4/5.

With a pair of graded-stakes winning graduates on his resume, D'Angelo isn't a stranger to pinhooking success. He purchased Iscreamuscream (Twirling Candy) for $55,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale and resold her for $145,000 at the OBS March sale the following year. He also purchased Taxed (Collected) for $27,000 at Keeneland in 2021 before selling the future graded winner for $105,000 the next March.

Asked if he was surprised by Thursday's seven-figure result, D'Angelo said, “I was sure he was going to bring $1 million. He looks like a $1-million horse.”

The outstanding result had the trainer hoping a colt by Epicenter (hip 683) selling later in the session might stay in his barn to race, but the juvenile proved another astute pinhook. Picked up for $90,000 last September, the gray colt sold for $560,000 to William Werner.

Lanni made the winning bid on hip 576 on behalf of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman.

“He will go to California,” Lanni confirmed. “He was beautiful and fast. And sound. He came out of the work very good. He was a horse that did everything well.” —@JessMartiniTDN

Having already sold a seven-figure yearling on Day 1 of this week's OBS March Sale, de Meric Sales rounded out the auction's three-day run with a filly by Constitution garnering $800,000 from Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Frank Fletcher, during Thursday's final session.

Hip 694 | OBS/VidHorse

The leading filly of the day, she was the second-highest priced juvenile of the afternoon behind a colt by Yaupon (hip 576), who brought $1 million earlier in the session.

Offered as hip 694, the dark bay filly is out of Curls and Bows (Curlin), a half-sister of GI La Brea Stakes winner Dearest Trickski (Proudest Romeo).

The juvenile posted a :10 flat move during last Saturday's breeze show.

On Day 1, the agency was rewarded with a cool $1.1-million final bid from Pedro Lanz when a colt by Drain the Clock (hip 132) led the initial session. The colt was the fifth highest-priced juvenile over the course of three days.

On the second day of selling, de Meric also sold a filly by sophomore sire Yaupon (hip 437) for $700,000 to MorPlay Racing / Marquee Bloodstock /Marc Tacher.

Through three days of selling, de Meric Sales sold 18 head for a gross of $4,677,000, rounding out the week as the third leading consignor in gross at this season's OBS March sale. —@CBossTDN

One can always count on agent Justin Casse to be hard at work scouting out potential prospects at many of the nation's biggest sales. This week at OBS March proved no different.

“I don't know that people expected it to be a crazy market here given how the yearling market was and how that's carried over, but I think everybody should be pretty pleased. Maybe it wasn't like the yearling sales but it seemed pretty solid,” he opined.

Justin Casse | Photos by Z

Active as both a buyer and seller through the sale's three-day run, Casse signed for seven juveniles, including a $560,000 colt by Mandaloun (hip 313) on Day 2 and a trio of $335,000 buys, highlighted by a filly Drain the Clock (hip 595) who was purchased by Casse on behalf of CKDS Racing on Thursday afternoon.

The other two to attain the $335,000 mark were hip 39, a filly by Practical Joke purchased on Day 1 in addition to hip 405, a colt by Nashville, secured in tandem with JWS Racing.

“I think there were definitely some surprises,” remarked Casse. “What people are willing to pay for a fast breeze by either an unproven stallion or a blue-collar stallion, basically not a sexy stallion. Sexy stallions sell well but it's been all about the physical and performance and the 'digestible' stallion or a freshman stallion, which there are a ton of freshmans in here. I'd say there is a larger number than year's past because yearling buyers were unable to get the really good stock that they would have wanted last fall.”

Like many other buyers at March this year, Casse leaned quite heavily into younger, unproven sires. Out of his seven purchases, six of the youngsters were by first-season sires.

“People tend to stick to the upper level of the yearling sales, say the top 10 stallions and the top 10 freshman stallions,” he said. “At the 2-year-old sales, the range is well beyond that if they can show performance. They're willing to look at a lot more and it's great for these guys.”

Also included in Casse's haul this year were colts by Jack Christopher (hip 789) and Corniche (hip 178) in addition to a filly by Olympiad (hip 637).

Casse's total expenditures for the three sessions was $2,305,000.

When asked if he thought this week's results might inform future decisions later this season, he said, “Personally, it might make me as a pinhooker start looking harder at [yearlings by] certain stallions that I normally wouldn't have looked at last fall. —@CBossTDN

Hernan Elicier spent nine years working with Danzel Brendemuehl's Classic Bloodstock and, following the horsewoman's death in 2023, he started his own consignment, Twelve Toes. The operation had its biggest sale to date when selling a colt by Nashville (hip 671) for $525,000 to St. Elias Stable Thursday in Ocala. Elicier had acquired the colt out of Closet Shopper (Tapit) on behalf of Robert Lambe–a longtime client of Brendemuehl's–for $90,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Hip 671 | OBS/VidHorse

“Everything,” Elicier said when asked what he liked about the yearling. “He was a classy horse, very smart, with a nice eye.”

The bay colt worked a furlong during last week's under-tack show in :10 flat and his price tag Thursday was no surprise to Elicier.

“100%, I was expecting around that,” he said. “He's a really nice horse, smart, with a lot of class.”

Of the experience of watching his highest sale to date, Elicier called it, “Unbelievable.”

Twelve Toes enjoyed another pinhooking success earlier in the auction when an Epicenter filly (hip 63) sold for $250,000 to D.J. Stable. The filly had RNA'd for $45,000 at Keeneland in September and was purchased privately afterwards for $37,000, according to Elicier. —@JessMartiniTDN

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In a unanimous decision, the State of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division Third Judicial Department, has thrown out a 14-day suspension and a $2,000 fine that was originally handed down by the Commission to Todd Pletcher after a horse he trained tested positive for an overage of phenylbutazone (bute) following a July 30, 2022 race at Saratoga, and has remanded the matter back to the New York Gaming Commission for a rehearing.

The horse in question, Capensis (Tapit), finished sixth in the allowance race.

In affirming Pletcher's petition in part, and remanding the matter back to the Commission, the court acknowledged that there were “concerns regarding the fundamental fairness” of the original hearing and called the evidence presented by the New York Gaming Commission “hearsay proof.”

Both the original blood sample taken from the horse and a split sample sent to an outside lab allegedly showed that the level of the bute in the horse's system was above the specified threshold. That led to a fine and suspension from the New York Gaming Commission, which was later upheld by a hearing officer.

But Pletcher and his attorney, Drew Mollica, took the next step and brought an Article 78 petition to the New York State Supreme Court. Their argument centered around the contention that, according to the court ruling issued Thursday, “respondent (NY State Gaming Commission) failed to introduce competent evidence establishing the reliability of the testing that was conducted on the postrace samples that purportedly demonstrated the presence and concentration of bute.”

The panel agreed, noting that “the sole proof relied upon by the Commission to establish that the bute concentration from postrace samples exceed the permissible limit were letters from the New York and California laboratories, which lacked any scientific foundation or probative value.

“The letter from the New York laboratory indicated the overage in bute concentration but did not provide for the method of testing, and although the method of testing was provided in the letter from the California laboratory, neither letter gave any indication as to the reliability or general acceptance of the tests utilized to ascertain the presence and concentration of bute in the postrace samples.”

The ruling continued: “Thus, relying solely on hearsay proof in this case to establish the rule violation rendered the hearing fundamentally unfair under the circumstances presented and persuades us to remand the matter for a new hearing.”

“Mr. Pletcher is appreciative that the Appellate Division, Third Department, unanimously decided that the underlying hearing was unfair,” Mollica said. “It was unfair. That's what they said. Without the test results and lab packet, the Commission did not present any evidence of any probative value. In an era where regulators at all levels seek to overlook fairness and due process to achieve only the result they desire, it is refreshing that Appellate Court was clear that fairness and due process are important elements of the Justice System. This decision will have precedential value on other cases going forward.”

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At the OBS March Sale, trainer Michael McCarthy confirmed that his prize pupil Journalism (Curlin) continues to work well out in California as the colt prepares for his 4-year-old debut.

“He's training great,” McCarthy told TDN. “I don't see a whole lot of difference in him this spring compared to last. He's holding his weight well. Obviously, he's put some on since having a little bit of a break. He's training forwardly.”

McCarthy said that Journalism has drilled two good half-mile works at Santa Anita Park.

“We're going to work five-eights this weekend and then we'll kind of start mapping out a plan,” he said. “I'll get together with Aron Wellman and he'll get together with everybody else and kind of come up with some soft circles around some spots, but very pleased with the way he's trained right now.”

McCarthy also said that he has his eye fixed on a championship run.

“It's the whole reason behind keeping him in training,” Journalism's conditioner added. “Great news that Sovereignty is back. A couple of horses are starting to kind of rise from their 3-year-old performances and obviously a good performance by Magnitude the other day. So it's an exciting crop of 4-year-olds.”

The GI Preakness, GI Haskell, and GI Santa Anita Derby winner, Journalism also was the runner-up in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes. He capped his 2025 run with a fourth-place finish in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar.

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Serena's Song, the 3-year-old filly champion in 1995 and the winner of 11 Grade I stakes races, passed away peacefully Wednesday at Denali Stud, where she spent her entire post-racetrack career. She died 25 days before her 34th birthday, but was officially considered 34 at the time of her death.

Inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2002, she won 18 of 38 starts and recorded 17 grades stakes wins. Her finest hour came when she defeated males to capture the 1995 GI Haskell Invitational Handicap.

“She had the elegance of a Grace Kelly, she had the moves of a Ginger Rogers, and she had the charisma of a Marilyn Monroe,” her trainer, Wayne Lukas, said at the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for Serena's Song. “For you people that are a lot younger and don't have a clue as to what I'm talking about, she had the moves of Janet Jackson and the charisma of Britney Spears.”

A daughter of Rahy out of the Northfields mare Imaging, she was bought for $150,000 at the 1993 Keeneland July Sale of Selected Yearlings. She began her career for Lukas and owners Bob and Beverly Lewis with a fifth-place finish in a May 28, 1994 maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs. In her fourth career start, she won her first stakes race, the GII Landaluce Stakes at Hollywood Park. She would prove to be one of the best 2-year-old fillies in training that year, winning the GI Oak Leaf Stakes and the GI Starlet Stakes. She also finished second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, losing to stablemate Flanders.

Serena's Song takes the Haskell | Equi-Photo

But her 3-year-old year was the one in which she became a superstar. After his filly kicked off her season with three straight wins, Lukas got bold and ran her against the boys in the GII Jim Beam Stakes, a major prep for the Kentucky Derby. With Corey Nakatani aboard, she won by 3 ½ lengths. Lukas originally said after the Jim Beam win that Serena's Song would be pointed for the GI Kentucky Oaks, but changed course and ran her in the Kentucky Derby. After setting blistering early fractions, she finished 16th.

It didn't take her long to rebound, and, with a new jockey in Gary Stevens aboard, she won two of her next three starts. She then headed to the Jersey Shore to take on the boys again in the Haskell. She was tiring in the stretch, but held on to win by three-quarters of a length. Serena's Song became the first filly ever to win the prestigious Grade I event.

“We came, we made history and we stamped her as one of the great ones,” Lukas said after the win. “I rank her right up there with any of the great fillies we've had.”

Serena's Song would go on to win two more major stakes that year, the GI Gazelle Handicap and the GI Beldame Stakes. But she could do no better than fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.

She slowed down a bit as a 4-year-old, winning five of 15 starts, but still managed to capture three more Grade I races that year, the GI Santa Monica Handicap, the GI Santa Maria Handicap and the GI Hempstead Handicap. In her final career start, she finished second in the GII Churchill Downs Distaff Handicap, which increased her career earnings to $3,283,388.

“It's not what we can see that counts, it's ultimately what we can't see that makes them great,” Lukas also said during Serena's Song's Hall of Fame induction speech. “It's the inside, the heart, and she had plenty of that. She was tough.”

Bob Lewis was so fond of his Serena's Song that he told the Los Angeles Times in 1995 that it almost felt like the filly was part of his family.

“I tell people we've been fortunate to have two sons and a daughter, but I almost feel as though we have two daughters when you count Serena's Song,” he said. “We realize how fortunate we are to have her. She's the epitome of a racehorse. She just flows.”

Serena's Song wins the Mother Goose | Coglianese

Upon retirement, Serena's Song was sent to Denali. She was considered the first high-profile broodmare to land there.

“We call her the 'Queen of Denali,' just because she is really our foundational mare and the fact that she's still with us,” Denali Director of Marketing and Hospitality Claire Bandoroff told the TDN's Jill Williams in 2025. “She put us on the map. I don't think anyone on the farm remembers a day without her here.”

Serena's Song produced 12 foals, 11 that raced, and nine who have won. She was the dam of Sophisticat, a filly by Storm Cat, who won the GI Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2002.  She also produced the Storm Cat colt Grand Reward, who won the GII Oaklawn Handicap in 2005.

“Serena had such a profound impact on many people's lives, especially the Lewis family, our family, and the staff who worked with her during her time at Denali,” said Conrad Bandoroff. “We are incredibly blessed and honored that Bob and Beverly, and eventually their son Jeff chose to keep her with us and trust us with her care for three decades. She is and always will be the Queen of Denali Stud. I would like to think that Wayne had a stall ready for her up there, and that he, Bob, and Beverly welcomed her with open arms.”

In 2014, the Lewis Family and Denali Stud announced that Serena's Song, then 22, was being retired as a broodmare. She enjoyed the rest of her days eating peppermints and helped raise thousands of dollars for Thoroughbred charities through her halters.

“I know that there will never be another broodmare like her for me,” Craig Bandoroff said. “It has been a great honor to work with the Lewises for the entirety of her breeding career. She has had a profound impact on the growth and development of Denali Stud.

“I very rarely can't find the words, but that is where I find myself,” he said. “There are times in our lives where the Good Lord takes care of you. He did that when Bob and Beverly Lewis became our clients and again when Serena came into our lives. Some things can't be replaced. You just have to be thankful they came your way. Serena meant more to Denali than I can describe. We were just blessed to have her. Hopefully Bob, Beverly and Serena are reunited.”

The post Champion Serena’s Song Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Mark Casse has mapped out next-race plans for a trio of his 3-year-old fillies.

Counting Stars (Honor A. P.) and Search Party (Gun Runner), second and fourth in the GIII Honeybee S. Mar. 1, are headed to the $1-million GII Fantasy S. Mar. 27 at Oaklawn. Unbeaten Dixie Belle S. winner French Friction (City of Light), meanwhile, will stretch to two turns for the first time in the $750,000 GI Ashland S. Apr. 3 at Keeneland. Both races are 1 1/16 miles.

“That was definitely one of the bright spots of the weekend,” Casse said of Counting Stars runner-up effort at 11-1. “I've kind of always held her in high regard. I thought for a long time that she was an Oaks filly.”

Martha Washington S. winner Search Party was beaten 3 1/2 lengths in the Honeybee.

“Actually, I was OK with Search Party,” Casse said. “You have to remember now that we were at a little bit of a disadvantage. We were coming back in a shorter amount of time. We lost a week, again, with the weather. I didn't even breeze her back.”

The post Casse Maps Out Plans for Sophomore Fillies appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Code Review (Uncle Mo) was the subject of much pre-race chatter and lived up to the hype on Gulfstream debut Jan. 25, making all the running en route to a 1 1/2-length victory and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard plaudits. The bay was given an entry for Saturday's Virginia Derby, but connections opted to ship in for this considerably softer spot, for which he was made the 1-5 mortal.

Code Review hopped slightly as the gates flew back, but he quickly stepped away to a clear lead before Tyler Gaffalione took a tug, allowing 22-5 second choice I Did I Did (Curlin) to slide up into a pace-pressing position. Clinging on to a narrow advantage on the turn, the heavy chalk looked to be making hard work of it on the inside of the rain-affected track, but he dug in determinedly when it looked as if he might be passed and held on to score narrowly.

A $200,000 Fasig-Tipton November weanling turned $575,000 Keeneland September yearling, Code Review is a full-brother to Laoban, GSW, $526,250; and a half-brother to the dam of Sovereign Award winner Mr. Hustle (Declaration of War), GSP Malibu Coast (Malibu Moon) and GSW Abientot (Not This Time). This is also the female family of dual Grade I winner I'm A Chatterbox (Munnings). Chattertown is also the dam of a yearling filly by Practical Joke and was most recently covered by Uncle Mo's son Golden Pal.

2nd-Colonial Downs, $78,400, Alw (NW1X), Opt. Clm ($62,500), 3-12, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.91, gd, neck.
CODE REVIEW (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Chattertown {SP, $104,332}, by Speightstown) Sales history: $200,000 Wlg '23 FTKNOV; $575,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $88,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-C2 Racing Stable LLC, Ken T Reimer, JRM Stables LLC & Tami Bobo; B-Longfield Stables (KY); T-Saffie A Joseph Jr.

CODE REVIEW ($2.40) refuses to back down and is 2 for 2 after this @ColonialDowns victory. @Tyler_Gaff was in the saddle for trainer @SaffieJosephJr. Congratulations to the connections with this 3YO colt by Uncle Mo. pic.twitter.com/KoUBRSYwVk

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 12, 2026

The post Uncle Mo ‘Rising Star’ Code Review Makes It Two-For-Two appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Caravel (Mizzen Mast–Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats), who is owned by John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock, lost her Frankel colt due to complications with her pregnancy, according to a tweet on X by the owner early on Thursday morning.

In the post Stewart said, “It It is with great sadness that we report that Breeders' Cup champion Caravel lost her 2026 FRANKEL colt due to complications with her pregnancy. It was a freak issue that could not have been avoided. The Resolute farm team monitors all the mares very closely.”

On X Stewart also reported that Caravel will visit Not This Time during the current breeding season.

A nearly $2-million earner and winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint during her racing career, Caravel was purchased by Resolute in a private sale in 2024 and sent to Frankel (GB) for the following term. The result was a 2025 April colt who Stewart owns with Sheikh Fahad Al-Thani.

It is with great sadness that we report that @BreedersCup champion Caravel lost her 2026 FRANKEL colt due to complications with her pregnancy. It was a freak issue that could not have been avoided. The @resracingky farm team monitors all the mares very closely.

This picture is… pic.twitter.com/hIMr7d4FPL

— Jstewartrr (@jstewartrr) March 12, 2026

The post Resolute’s Caravel Loses Frankel Colt Due To Complications, Plans To Visit Not This Time appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

One day after the latest hearing in a federal Bankruptcy Court in Chicago over Hawthorne's insolvency dealings, a slight equipment delay puts a question mark over the start of training in preparation for a Spring Thoroughbred meet, but there appears to be movement over important simulcast signals going back online.

According to Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (ITHA) President Chris Block, the trucks to haul the dirt surface to the track have been rented, but the loaders needed to move the dirt into the trucks have yet to arrive.

“The conversion of [the track] is on hold until all the equipment arrives and then the project can start,” said Block, Wednesday. “We don't know which day that'll happen, but we're hopeful that will happen the next couple days.”

If the necessary equipment can be hired and in action by Friday, then the track could be ready for training by next Wednesday, Block speculated. A tentative start date for the meet has been pegged at Sunday, Apr. 19.

“That's just a very uncertain timeline, for sure,” said Block.

It's also the latest twist in a story that has unfurled since Hawthorne, and its related companies, filed for a Chapter 11 business reorganization at the end of last month.

The filing is built around a “debtor in possession” financing mechanism, which is when a debtor “keeps possession and control of its assets while undergoing a reorganization under Chapter 11.”

Hawthorne has secured temporary funding of around $16 million from JDI Loans, with a 120-day term limit on these funds.

During Tuesday's bankruptcy hearing, Judge Timothy Barnes agreed that Thoroughbred owners and trainers will soon have access to monies in their track bookkeeper accounts (previously frozen), which includes earnings as well as funds submitted in advance of the meet.

Block said he was unsure exactly when those accounts will be unfrozen. “We're going to stay on top of it daily,” he said.

According to Hawthorne's initial bankruptcy filing, the company's estimated assets are between $50 million and $100 million, while the estimated liabilities are between $100 million and $500 million.

The list of creditors who have the 20 largest unsecured claims are led by Fanatics LLC, a digital sports platform licensed in Florida, which has an unsecured claim of $8.75 million, according to the filing.

There are several entities that had stopped sending its simulcast signal to Hawthorne because of unpaid bills.

This includes The Stronach Group (TSG) owned Monarch Content Management with an unsecured claim of $7.13 million, Casears with a claim of roughly $750k, and Penn National with a claim of slightly more than $491k.

During Tuesday's bankruptcy hearing, said Block, it was discussed that these companies could turn their signals back on pending a written agreement with the track that would see a portion of these monies paid back.

Indeed, Block added that track management had told him Wednesday that on Thursday and Friday, the simulcast signals for Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita and Hoosier Park were scheduled to go back online.

Hawthorne is also responsible for a significant amount in bounced checks between dozens of individuals from the Harness racing world.

More than $1.6 million exists between the bounced checks and existing Thoroughbred accounts, said Block. But coming out of Tuesday's hearing, the funds owed to harness owners and trainers will remain withheld for now.

“The ITHA's attorney argued in court today that owners and trainers on both the Thoroughbred and harness sides should be made whole. But the judge accepted an argument, made by creditors, that the court should prioritize Thoroughbred racing with the limited funds available, given the impending start of our meet,” the ITHA wrote in a Tuesday press release.

If the necessary track renovations are conducted and a Thoroughbred meet is approved, there remain questions over what that meet might look like.

According to Block, there are about 200 Thoroughbreds currently stabled at the track. Other trainers are waiting to potentially ship in.

During last year's meet, there were roughly 640 horses stabled at Hawthorne. “And it was tough to maintain it at that,” said Block, about the meet.

Does he expect that same number of horses this year, if indeed the meet goes ahead?

“To be honest with you, I don't think so,” he said.

Since last year's meet, Illinois horsemen and women haven't reinvested in young stock like they used to, he said. “Not to mention all the negative talk around this. It's probably pushed some horsemen the other way.

“I'm sure there's some new ones here and there,” he added. “But I can't imagine that number's going to go up anywhere over 650. And from my thinking, it's probably going to be under that.”

The next hearing in Hawthorne's bankruptcy proceedings is scheduled for Mar. 17.

The post Hawthorne Latest: Slight Track Renovation Equipment Delay, Possible Movement On Simulcast Signals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis

OCALA, FL – Brisk trade continued from start to finish of the second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Wednesday in Central Florida and the day concluded with figures well ahead of the auction's 2025 renewal. The session was topped by a filly by Nyquist who sold for $2 million to Boyd Racing from the Wavertree Stables consignment.

Through two sessions of the three-day sale, 295 horses have sold for $51,336,500. After two sessions in 2025, 269 horses had grossed $39,588,000. The two-day average stands at $174,022 and the median is $90,000. At the conclusion of the sale a year ago, the average was $152,351 and the median was $70,000.

With 94 horses reported not sold at the close of business Wednesday, the two-day buy-back rate is 24.2%. It was 21.8% at the same point in 2025.

The session-topping daughter of Nyquist was one of three to sell for seven figures during the session, bringing the total so far at the sale to six–one off the total number to hit that mark a year ago.

Two consignors celebrated their first seven-figure sales Wednesday. Jesse Hoppel sold a $1.05-million son of Mo Town and Susan Montanye's SBM Training and Sales sold a $1.85-million son of Into Mischief, while, with the session topper, Wavertree Stables had its second of the auction, both by Nyquist.

“The market is very strong. It's a blessing to see all of these people here,” said Tami Bobo, who sold the Into Mischief colt through the SBM consignment.

Bobo credited the strong results with the tax bill passed last year which provided buyers with a 100% depreciation bonus and helped lead to record results at the yearling sales last fall.

“The Big Beautiful Bill has done nothing but help all of us,” Bobo said. “So that is why the marketplace is where it is and I think it will continue to sustain itself.”

The OBS March sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning each day at 11 a.m.

Maintaining the same spirited clip that was on display on day one, Wednesday's second session's action hit full tilt by the time hip 372, a filly by Nyquist, exited the ring.

Highlighting what turned out to be another banner day for consignor Wavertree Stables, the Mar. 26 foal jumped over the seven-figure mark in a flash, and when the dust had settled, Killora/Linton, acting as agent for Boyd Racing, had garnered the filly for $2 million.

The filly posted a brisk :9 3/5 eighth of a mile breeze at OBS last week.

“She was just an absolute queen the whole week,” said Hannah Jennings, who signed on behalf of Randy and Jenny Boyd. “She was super professional. Obviously, her stride was fantastic on the track and physically she's everything we could want.”

Bred by Cannon Thoroughbreds, the Kentucky-bred was a $300,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Forest Bloodstock.

The bay is the third foal out of Smooth and Savvy (Lucky Pulpit), a half-sister to Grade I winner Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute).

“Plans are to be determined on the trainer, but I think a lot of them will be happy to open a stall for her,” she added.

Darley stallion Nyquist is also responsible for another pair of Wavertree grads at OBS–Grade I winners Cavalieri, a $900,000 2023 OBS Spring Sale purchase, in addition to Tenma, an $850,000 Spring Sale buy in 2024.

“Nyquist is one of our favorites,” said Jennings of the Kentucky Derby winner. “He can get you a really elite horse and Ciaran Dunne sold two Grade I-winning Nyquist fillies out of OBS sales. So hopefully she can be the third.”

The highest-priced juvenile through two days of selling at OBS, the filly was the sole purchase for the Boyds.

“It's been so tough,” commented Jennings on the day's activity. “We knew we'd need to stretch for her, but we never thought we'd have to stretch that far. But when the horse is the right one, everyone's on them.”–@CBossTDN

Ciaran and Amy Dunne's Wavertree Stables was an early believer in Nyquist, thanks to its frequent partnership with Paul Reddam, who campaigned the 2016 GI Kentucky Derby winner. The consignment continued to reap the benefits of that faith this week at OBS, warming up with a colt by the Derby winner (hip 88) who sold for $1.2-million during Tuesday's first session of the March sale and followed by a $2-million filly (hip 372) sold to Boyd Racing Wednesday. The colt had been purchased for $170,000 and the filly for $300,000 at Keeneland last September.

“He's put a lot of meals on the table,” Ciaran Dunne said of Nyquist. “We were very lucky in that we were associated with Mr. Reddam and he raced him. So, obviously from the outset we were exposed to a lot of them. And from day one, they were just good horses. So we kind of got a little bit of a leg up on everybody else. For us, he's the gift that keeps on giving.”

Ciaran Dunne | OBS/Photos By Z

In recent years, Wavertree has sold subsequent Grade I winners Cavalieri ($900,000 at the 2023 OBS April sale) and Tenma ($850,000 at the 2024 OBS April sale), both by Nyquist.

Of the filly who brought $2 million Wednesday, Dunne said, “She is by one of the top stallions in the country. She is a beautiful physical. She had an unbelievable work. She vetted clean. If you can't sell her, you need to quit selling.”

For Dunne, the moment lacked one thing with daughter Caitlin home in Kentucky where she is due to deliver her first baby in the coming days.

“It's a double-edged sword that Caitlin wasn't here to share it with us because she's been here for pretty much all of our big ones in the past,” Dunne said. “But she is at home doing something way more important.” @JessMartiniTDN

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni capped a busy day at OBS Wednesday when he bid $1.85 million to acquire a colt by Into Mischief (hip 416) on behalf of Frank Fletcher. The juvenile, who worked a furlong last week in :9 4/5, was consigned by S B M Training and Sales and became the first seven-figure sale for Susan Montanye's consignment.

“He is by one of the leading sires in our generation,” Lanni said of the colt. “He's a fast horse. [Trainer] Bill Mott is going to get him and Bill really liked him. So he got a pretty good endorsement.”

The colt is out of graded-placed Sweet Diane (Will Take Charge) and is a half-brother to stakes winner Miss Martini (Curlin).

Tami Bobo purchased the colt for $75,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Hip 416 | OBSVidHorse

“He had compressed hocks,” Bobo said when asked how she had acquired a colt by Into Mischief at that price point last fall. “You've heard me say it before. I am a firm believer in how God makes a horse. For me, it wasn't an injury from day one. I've had graded stakes winners in the past and I've never had a problem with it. Once they fused, you are always good to go.”

The colt sold out of Book 5 at Keeneland and Bobo said it was thanks to Denali Stud's Conrad Bandoroff that she became aware of him.

“Conrad Bandoroff is a great consignor, he keeps up with his buyers,” Bobo said. “He called me. I was actually in Florida when he told me about the horse. I am never at Keeneland in Book 5, so I was already home. So it was a true blessing. Susan Montanye signed the ticket for me and Susan and [Montanye's husband] Andy, I want to give them props, because they came into the business the hard way. So for her to sell her first million-dollar horse and for us to be able to do that together collectively, it means the world to me.”

Of the colt's seven-figure price tag, Bobo said, “I truly thought the horse would bring over $1 million. I really did. The horse has trained like the big horse all year. Susan nicknamed him King Kong early on in the training season. She is diligent in sending us videos, so we really know where we are with our horses. And this horse just continued to show up.” @JessMartiniTDN

A colt by Mo Town (hip 299) became the fourth million-dollar juvenile of the OBS March sale when selling to Charlie and Susan Chu's Baoma Corp. for $1.05 million Wednesday in Ocala. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, doing his bidding from the press box alongside the Chus and trainer Bob Baffert, signed the ticket on the colt who was consigned by Hoppel LLC. The juvenile worked a quarter-mile in :20 2/5 during last week's under-tack preview.

“He is just a big, beautiful, scopey horse,” Lanni said. “He looks like he will go two turns. He is very sound looking. He worked really good. It was a great time, a great gallop out. And he came back sound and good. The good ones are bringing good money. I thought that was plenty for him. But I am happy to get him.”

Baoma Corp's Susan Chu with hip 299 | Jessica Martini

The Chus were quickly back at the Hoppel barn to great their newest acquisition.

Susan Chu, asked what she liked about the 2-year-old, pointed to her husband.

“Charlie wanted this horse,” she said with a laugh. “He is the gentleman in charge. But we totally trust Donato, and of course Bob, and they make the best decision for us.”

Among the horses the Chus have purchased out of the OBS sales ring are last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Nysos (Nyquist), who was most recently a game second behind Forever Young (Jpn) in the Feb. 14 G1 Saudi Cup.

“We are really so proud of him,” Susan said of Nysos. “He came home last week and he looks excellent.” @JessMartiniTDN

The usually stoic Jesse Hoppel, from a family which has been selling horses in Ocala for generations, appeared misty eyed after selling his first million-dollar horse Wednesday at OBS. Minutes after Donato Lanni made a $1.05-million bid to acquire a colt by Mo Town on behalf of Baoma Corp., Hoppel said the result, “Exceeded expectations. Period. That was unreal.”

The dark bay colt is out of the unraced Reckon (Into Mischief). He was purchased by the Hoppels for $40,000 as a weanling at the 2024 Keeneland November sale. The colt was signed for in the name 'Antigo,' an homage to the birthplace of Don Rice, Hoppel's grandfather, who along with his brother Clyde, were pioneers of the Ocala pinhooking scene.

“It would be easier if I just told you what I didn't like about him,” Hoppel said when asked what he had liked about the colt as a weanling. “But it wouldn't be much conversation.”

Hoppel recalled discussing the colt with his father, longtime pinhooker Pat, prior to sending him through the ring Wednesday.

“I grew up on the sales grounds,” he said. “I have a lot of horses I thought were really good. But me and my dad sat there yesterday and we looked at the horse and he said, 'I don't think I've brought a horse to sale this good before.' And I said, 'I know I haven't, dad.' From my dad, that's a huge compliment.”

The seven-figure result capped a profitable few minutes for Hoppel, who also sold a filly by Drain the Clock (hip 284) for $500,000. @JessMartiniTDN

Earlier in Wednesday's session, a filly by Upstart realized an $800,000 final bid from agent Marette Farrell bidding on behalf of Mo Speed Racing. Offered as hip 343 by Tom McCrocklin, the Florida-bred filly rounded out the session as the second-highest priced filly of the afternoon.

During last Thursday's breeze session, the filly posted a :20 4/5 move for a quarter mile.

“That was a great result,” said McCrocklin. “It was not a total surprise once the action started at the barn. She was extremely popular and was vetted a lot. She showed and showed and showed.”

Out of Shananies Song (Eltish), the Florida-bred filly was bred by the partnership of McCrocklin and Dr. Carolin Von Rosenberg.

Offered at Keeneland November in 2024, McCrocklin bought out Von Rosenberg, securing the filly for $60,000.

Tom McCrocklin | OBS/Photos By Z

“Carolin wanted to sell her as a weanling, so I bought her half and brought the filly back home,” he said. “She was kind of a superior all the way along. She was one of those types, just a nice filly all along.”

The 22-year-old mare is already responsible for seven winners and two graded stakes winners, including GII Swale Stakes winner Favorable Outcome (Flatter) and G3 Al Shindagha Sprint victor Mouheeb (Flatter). Stakes winners and graded placed Beguine (Gun Runner) and Bellamentary (Bellamy Road) are also listed among the mare's produce.

“There's so much satisfaction in breeding the mare, raising the the baby, preparing and selling them,” said McCrocklin. “It was very gratifying and I am very grateful for Marette Farrell [buying the filly].”

McCrocklin, who still retains the mare, indicated she is booked back to Taiba, who stands at Spendthrift Farm.

Did McCrocklin know this filly might be a star right from the beginning?

“As a foal, she was just a horse, with a plain brown wrapper. But that's typical of the mare,” he explained. “They are not big, imposing horses, but you can see from her produce record that she produces racehorses.”

On day two, McCrocklin also sold hip 453, a filly by Twirling Candy. Out of Tizway's stakes-placed Tizanillusion, the March foal recorded a :20 2/5 quarter-mile breeze last week. The Kentucky-bred was purchased for $600,000 by Alistair Roden Bloodstock, acting agent for Mark Breen.

Bred by Steve and Denise Smith's Mesingw Farm, the filly RNA'd for $75,000 at Keeneland last September.

“She was a homebred of [the Smiths],” said McCrocklin, “She didn't meet her reserve at Keeneland and they were kind enough to send her to me to get her ready.”

Offering his thoughts on the filly after her return from the sales last season, McCrocklin explained, “She was a very fast filly. She just got better and better with time. She started out just a horse and just got better and better the whole time. When she got over here, she prepped like a good horse.”–@CBossTDN

Scott Geiner, who said he generally pinhooks just a small number of horses a year, had his best success to date when he sold a colt from the first crop of Roadster (hip 320) to Lee Ackerley for $425,000 in Ocala Wednesday. The Louisiana trainer had purchased the colt for $62,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“He was just a nice colt as a yearling,” Geiner said. “He had a pretty walk. I thought maybe this was one I could make a little money with and I wound up making a bunch of money.”

The dark bay colt is out of multiple stakes-placed San Antonio Stroll (Stroll) and is a half-brother to multiple graded winner Damon's Mound (Girvin).

From Keeneland, Geiner sent the colt to consignor Omar Ramirez for the winter.

“Omar liked him the whole time,” Geiner said.

Scott Geiner | Jessica Martini

The colt worked a quarter-mile at last week's under-tack preview in :21 flat.

“After he worked last week and yesterday and today, he had the right people come look at him,” Geiner said of expectations for the sale Wednesday. “So we thought, $199,000, and I think we put $149,000 in the box.”

While the colt exceeded expectations, Geiner had a back-up plan, just in case.

“If I didn't get what I wanted for him, I would have raced him, but he worked good and I knew I'd get more money selling than keeping him,” Geiner said.

Geiner continued, “I do a couple pinhooks a year. And I've done pretty good, but this is the highest. I pinhooked one a couple of years ago in Texas for $72,000 and got $265,000. Last year in Texas, I bought one for $30,000 and got $135,000.”

Asked if this result might convince him to do more pinhooking, Geiner said, “I am kind of picky with what I want to get and I don't want to spend too much in case I've got to keep them.” @JessMartiniTDN

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Last year the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) approved the establishment of maximum statewide ages at which horses can race–10 years old for winners and five years old for maidens. On Wednesday, the CHRB voted unanimously to tweak that rule, raising the max age for maidens to six, with the stipulation that such horses would be receiving “increased scrutiny” from the state's regulatory veterinarians.

Prior to the codification of a maximum age for maidens at the state level, California's three currently active tracks had been operating under “house rules” that set the upper limits at either six (Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Los Alamitos Race Course) or five (Santa Anita Park).

This max-age agenda item was originally up for a vote back in January, but the issue was tabled when commissioners at that time asked for more data before making their decisions.

Based on feedback from the public and the CHRB's informal polling of trainers, the board's staff came back at the Mar. 11 meeting with a revised recommendation of six years old as the upper limit for maidens.

Scott Chaney, the CHRB's executive director, said Wednesday that, “The public comments centered on the fact that, mostly, the maiden restriction was limiting opportunities for owners and breeders in California.”

But quantifying a precise number of affected horses was difficult.

“Inventory and participants are likely to be very insignificant due to increased costs of training a 6-year-old maiden,” Jeff Blea, the CHRB's equine medical director, told board members prior to the 7-0 vote.

“However, there will be some who will be afforded this opportunity if you pass this rule change,” Blea said.

Blea told the CHRB that, “I did an informal poll of about 10 Thoroughbred trainers, primarily. And all but one was in unanimous support of allowing 6-year-old maidens to race.

“The one who was opposed was opposed because he felt it diluted the racing product at Santa Anita,” Blea said.

“Moving it from five to six allows and encourages more rest periods without pressure on owners and trainers to keep these horses in training [and] allows this population to continue safely competing in California rather than leaving the state,” Blea said.

Yet Blea acknowledged there's very little age-specific safety data that relates to California's maiden horse population.

“There's a lack of scientific data looking at age of maidens and how it corresponds to catastrophic musculoskeletal injury,” Blea said. “There's a lot of data based on race, class, dirt, turf. But not very much scientific data to indicate [trends with maidens] where it's five versus six versus seven. In the literature that I provided in your staff report, it indicates that 6-year-old maidens would be safe to race from a musculoskeletal standpoint.”

Back when the CHRB last called upon Blea to address this topic, he described the situation like this at the January meeting:

“What's the magic number? Is it five, is it six, is it seven for maidens? Is it nine, is it 10, is it 11 for winners? I've had people tell me we should limit older horses to eight years old. I've had people suggest we limit maidens to four years old. It's a number. When you reach a certain age, you can't drive a car. When you reach a certain age, mandatory retirement. Age is not a disease, but at some point in time, we have to set boundaries and parameters,” Blea said.

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When the details of Donald Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill” were introduced, there was an unwelcome surprise for horseplayers as well as all gamblers. It included a provision whereby gamblers could only deduct 90% of their losses from their winnings. For example, if a gambler collected $100,000 in winning bets during a year while also losing $100,000, he or she would have to pay taxes on $10,000, even though no profit was actually made.

The new law went into effect on Jan. 1. Unless something changes, when gamblers file their 2026 tax returns next year they will not be allowed to deduct 100% of their losses.

Rep. Dina Titus, a Democratic Congresswoman from the gambling mecca of Nevada, sprung to action and introduced the FAIR BET Act, which would restore a gambler's right to deduct 100% of his or her losses from gambling winnings. Titus has called the policy change a “tax increase on Americans who gamble.”

She introduced her bill in July, but, despite partisan support, it has yet to pass. In the most recent development, The FAIR BET Act was officially rejected as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by the GOP-controlled House Rules Committee.

To get the latest on the FAIR BET Act and insights into whether or not it will eventually pass, the TDN reached out to Titus's office with a list of questions. They were answered by her communications director Dick Cooper.

TDN: You introduced the Fair Bet Act on July 7, 2025. Can you please bring us up to speed regarding what has happened to the bill since you introduced it and where things currently stand?

DC: Since the bill was introduced, we have garnered 24 bipartisan co-sponsors. Representative Titus recently sent a letter to Ways & Means Chair Jason Smith and Ranking Member Richard Neal urging them to take up a legislative fix to restore the gambling loss deduction to 100% at their next markup. She also filed the FAIR BET Act as a discharge petition, to bypass committee inaction and bring the bill directly to the floor for a vote. While taxpayers will first feel the effects of the 90% gambling loss deduction when they file next year, many, in anticipation of potentially onerous tax liabilities, have already begun stopping or scaling back their gambling activity. This fix needs to get done sooner rather than later, and we have a broad coalition of support. The bill has picked up widespread industry support including: the American Gaming Association, MGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, Wynn, the Nevada Resort Association and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Several outside groups have also expressed their support for the restoration of full deductibility including Americans for Tax Reform, The Tax Foundation, and The American Institute of CPAs.

   TDN: What now is the best way forward to get the bill passed?

DC: The next step is continuing to pursue multiple legislative vehicles–inclusion in a broader tax package, committee action in Ways & Means, or attachment to a must-pass vehicle like appropriations or a CR (Continuing Resolution). There is concern that if you fix this mistake from the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” that will open the floodgates for other members to want to fix other issues they had with the bill which was Trump's landmark piece of legislation. It is for that reason that attaching this provision to a must-pass vehicle remains the most likely option.

   TDN: Horse racing is a vital industry in Kentucky. Have you received support from your colleagues there? Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr has always been viewed as being very pro-horse racing. Has he weighed in with you regarding your bill? Have any other lawmakers from Kentucky offered their support?

DC: Yes, Congresswoman Titus and Congressman Barr are both cosponsors of each other's bills. Representative Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) is also a cosponsor of both bills.

   TDN: How frustrating is it to you that have been working on this for about six months and your bill still seems to be hanging in limbo? Do you still remain confident that you will eventually find a way to get the FAIR BET Act passed?

DC: Of course, it can be frustrating when something that has broad bipartisan support doesn't move as quickly as we would like. Legislative timing, however, is often driven by process and available vehicles, not the merits of the policy. The Congresswoman remains confident that this will ultimately get fixed. The goal is to ensure it is resolved before taxpayers begin feeling the full impact when they file.

   TDN: The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has come out in support of your bill. But has that been enough? Could the horse racing industry be doing more to help your cause?

DC: The racing industry has been a strong partner on this issue. The most important thing is education and engagement. Reach out to your members of Congress and explain how this issue affects you personally. Emphasize that this is about fair taxation, not special treatment. Lawmakers respond when they hear directly from constituents that a policy has real-world consequences. Continued engagement from industry stakeholders and bettors themselves is important because lawmakers respond when they hear directly from the people affected.

TDN: We have been told by many serious horseplayers that they will be forced to stop betting on the sport if they can no longer deduct 100% of their losses. This could be catastrophic for horse racing. Do you believe the industry is fully cognizant of what this could mean for its overall health?

DC: That is a very real concern. It unfairly burdens professional gamblers and casual players alike and will inevitably drive players toward offshore and unregulated markets where consumer protections are nonexistent, thereby undermining responsible gaming efforts nationwide. Recently, the Congresswoman spoke with one of the most accomplished and respected players in the history of professional poker, Erik Seidel, who explained how this tax change will put him in semi-retirement. Conversations like that reinforce why this matters for players and the broader gaming ecosystem.

TDN: To all horseplayers, this obviously seems extremely unfair. What do you hear from the elected officials on the other side of the issue regarding their support of these new tax/gambling rules? What, possibly, could be their justification for supporting what seems to be nothing more than an unfair tax on gamblers?

DC: In many cases, the issue stems from misunderstanding the policy. Some assume this only affects professional gamblers, but in reality, it impacts casual bettors and everyday players as well. Others are simply just anti-gaming.

   TDN: When it comes to racing, as well as other forms of gambling, could this force bettors to start doing business with unregulated offshore betting sites.

DC: That is certainly a risk. If legal, regulated wagering becomes tax-disadvantaged, bettors will look for alternatives in unregulated offshore markets. That would undermine consumer protections and divert activity away from regulated U.S. operators and jobs.

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Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country.

The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) “pending” and “resolved” cases portals.

Among this week's rulings, trainer Angel Sanchez-Pinero has been banned a combined four years and fined a combined $50,000 for two out-of-competition positive tests involving banned substances.

Sanchez-Pinero is already serving a combined 10-year ban for a series of medication violations stemming from 2024 onwards. That cumulative ban started on July 24 last year. This additional four-year ban begins Nov. 25, 2035.

On Apr. 24 last year, HIWU personnel took out-of-competition hair samples from Miss Hard to Get and Surprise Boss when they were stabled at Westampton Farm in Westampton Township, New Jersey.

Subsequent testing detected the presence of Clenbuterol, a banned substance, in the hair sample taken from Miss Hard to Get, and the presence of Albuterol, a banned bronchodilator, in the hair sample taken from Surprise Boss.

Though classed a banned substance, Albuterol is permitted only if given as an inhaled bronchodilator, and only if prescribed by a licensed veterinarian in the context of a valid veterinarian-patient-client relationship, according to HISA rules.

Similarly, clenbuterol is classified by HISA as a banned substance, but it is permitted for use for a maximum 30 days (within a six-month period) if accompanied with a valid veterinary prescription. Following administration, the horse in question is placed on the vets' list and unable to work or race until it tests clear.

According to both written final decisions, these penalties were meted out by HIWU after Sanchez-Pinero had failed to respond to necessary procedural notifications for more than six months, leaving him in “default” in these two latest cases.

Elsewhere this week, New Mexico and Texas based veterinarian Dr. Jason Scott has been banned 18-months and fined a total $30,000 (which includes $5,000 in arbitration costs) for possession of banned substances. His suspension began on Feb. 13 last year.

Three HIWU investigators searched Scott's truck at Sunland Park on Feb. 13 last year and found two bottles of Pitcher Plant Extract (otherwise known as Sarapin) and two bottles of Adenosine Monophosphate (also known as AMP). Both are prohibited substances under HISA.

Last July, Scott filed a federal lawsuit against both HISA and HIWU with a legal question that had yet to be litigated:

What happens at a mixed meet where both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses race, and a veterinarian who is a HISA “covered person” is found in possession of medications that are prohibited for use in Thoroughbreds, but the vet claims those substances were solely intended for Quarter Horses, whose regulation is outside of HISA's jurisdiction?

Indeed, in response to HIWU's official alleged violation notice, Scott wrote that he had not administered either substance to a “covered horse,” and that he possessed these drugs to treat “non-covered” Quarter Horses.

At the arbitration hearing, Scott further elaborated by stating how he “gave Pitcher Plant and AMP to non-Covered Horses as part of a pre-race routine that involved giving Pitcher Plant two days before a race, and AMP one day before a race, as a prophylactic measure to prevent tying up,” according to the final ruling.

In Hugh Hackney's (the arbitrator) case analysis, he also finds that Scott “followed the standard practices of the veterinarians in New Mexico at that time, and it was unclear, at best, if the [New Mexico Racing Commission] was following the rules set out for enforcement at HIWU. In fact, the commissioner of the NMRC was somewhat confused about what was covered before the investigation of Dr. Scott's truck.”

As part of HIWU's argument, they found several inconsistencies in the billing records he filed pre-hearing to explain the use of these drugs in Quarter Horses in his care, including 47 horses who appeared to have been administered Sarapin and AMP twice on the same day with no apparent justification.

These records also allegedly showed Scott had administered Phenylbutazone 17 times (on different dates and two different invoices) to Quarter Horses on the day before a race in violation of state rules.

HIWU asserted that “the billing record did not contain any medical impressions, diagnoses, or treatment records, and Dr. Scott did not provide any additional medical records,” according to the final ruling.

Scott blamed these inconsistencies on bookkeeping errors by his administrative staff.

“The basic facts are not in dispute, but the basis for the selection of Dr. Scott's van by Investigator Bennett remains questionable,” wrote Hackney, before meting out the penalties to Scott with the qualifier that they are “based on everything previously discussed and presented in this matter.”

The final ruling can be read here.

Resolved ADMC Violations

Dates: 03/10/2026

Licensee: Penny Rone, trainer

Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.

Explainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Machico Madeira, who won at Mahoning Valley on 2/1/26.

Dates: 03/10/2026

Licensee: Miguel Penaloza, trainer

Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Dexamethasone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Maliblue, who won at Parx Racing on 1/14/26.

Dates: 03/10/2026

Licensee: Daniel Hernandez, trainer

Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); the following cases are treated as one violation as under 09/08/23 HISA Guidance. Final decision of HIWU.

Explainer: Medication violations for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a class C controlled substance—in samples taken from Holy Bullet, who finished second at Sunland Park on 1/5/26 and again 1/18/26; and from Lovesunfair, who finished second at Sunland Park on 1/5/26 and sixth at Sunland Park on 1/19/26.

Dates: 03/10/2026

Licensee: Daniel Hernandez, trainer

Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU.

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Julia's Promise, who won at Sunland Park on 1/4/26.

Dates: 03/09/2026

Licensee: Carlos A. David, trainer

Penalty: A written Reprimand; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU.

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Caffeine—a class B controlled substance—in a sample taken from One Sweet Girl, who won at Gulfstream Park on 11/23/25.

Dates: 03/09/2026

Licensee: Dr. Jason Scott, veterinarian

Penalty: 18-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on February 13, 2025; a fine of $25,000; payment of $5,000 in arbitration costs. Final decision of arbitral body.

Explainer: Possession of Pitcher Plant Extract (Sarapin) and Adenosine Phosphate (AMP)—both banned substances—for an event dated 2/13/25.

Dates: 03/05/2026

Licensee: Angel Sanchez-Pinero, trainer

Penalty: Combined 4-year period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on November 25, 2035; 60-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Horses, beginning on April 24, 2025; a combined fine of $50,000 for the following two cases. Final decision of HIWU.

Explainer: Out-of-competition medication violations for the presence of Clenbuterol—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Miss Hard to Get on 4/24/25; and for the presence of Albuterol—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Surprise Boss on 4/24/25.

Dates: 03/05/2026

Licensee: William E. March, trainer

Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU.

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Protest, who won at Tampa Bay on 1/14/26.

Dates: 03/04/2026

Licensee: Craig Lewis, trainer

Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of internal adjudication panel.

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Kikuride, who won at Del Mar on 8/31/25.

Pending ADMC Violations

03/10/2026, Joe Toye, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Roll Dem Bones, who finished fifth at Turf Paradise on 2/4/26.

03/10/2026, Arturo Chavez, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Albuterol (Salbutamol)—a banned substance—in a sample taken from She Mysterious on 12/9/25.

03/09/2026, Carla Gaines, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Diclofenac—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Royal Rumor on 2/8/26.

03/09/2026, Manuel Badilla, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Coolwind on 2/4/26.

03/06/2026, Isaiah L. Ortiz, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Ketoprofen—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Riding By on 2/4/26.

03/06/2026, Danny Gargan, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Wine Money on 2/4/26.

03/06/2026, A Ferris Allen III, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone—a class C controlled substance—in a sample taken from Misty Boss, who finished second at Laurel Park on 1/23/25.

03/05/2026, Luis Diaz, trainer: Pending out-of-competition medication violation for the presence of Albuterol (Salbutamol)—a banned substance—in a sample taken from Game to Play on 12/27/25.

Crop Violations

Mahoning Valley

Jason Simpson – violation date March 11; $1,500 fine, ten-day suspension

Oaklawn Park

Assael Espinoza – violation date March 8; $250 fine, one-day suspension

Parx Racing

Yedsit Hazlewood – violation date March 9; $500 fine, four-day suspension

Sunland Park

Keviin Carmona – violation date March 9; $500 fine, three-day suspension

Tampa Bay Downs

Israel Rodriguez – violation date March 8; $500 fine, two-day suspension

Wesley G. Ho – violation date March 7; $500 fine, two-day suspension

Turfway Park

Orlando Bocachica – violation date March 7; $1,500 fine, nine-day suspension

Juan Meza – violation date March 7; $250 fine, one-day suspension

Yedsit Hazlewood – violation date March 7; $500 fine, one-day suspension

Sammy Barnett – violation date March 7; $76 fine, horse disqualified (Barnett struck his mount 15 times), no other information available

Juan Gabriel Lagunes – violation date March 7; $250 fine, one-day suspension.

The post National Rulings Mar. 5-11: Sanchez-Pinero Banned Four Years, Vet Scott Banned 18 Months appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Frank Fletcher went to $1.85-million to secure an Into Mischief colt (hip 416) from the consignment of S B M Training and Sales.

“He's by one of the leading sires in our generation,” said Donato Lanni, who signed the ticket on Fletcher's behalf. “Fast horse. Bill Mott is going to get him and Bill really liked him. And so we got a pretty good endorsement. And Frank loves to run at Oaklawn and [he] looks like a dirt horse.”

Out of the graded stakes-placed Will Take Charge mare Sweet Diane, the colt worked his furlong in :9 4/5.

Bred in Kentucky by River Bend Farm, he is a half-brother to stakes winner Miss Martini (Curlin).

Tami Bobo purchased him for just $75,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September last season.

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Champion Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) still has her sights set on her major spring objective, the GI Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park, despite a hiccup last weekend in Hot Springs, the track said via a press release on Wednesday.

Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said Nitrogen will make her next start in the Apr. 11 Apple Blossom following a third-place finish in Saturday's GII Azeri Stakes.

Tabbed as the 3-10 favorite under regular rider Jose Ortiz, the filly was beaten 1 3/4 lengths by Majestic Oops (Majestic Harbor) in the Azeri, that served as the final major local prep for the Apple Blossom.

Racing over a sloppy, sealed surface, Nitrogen appeared poised to take command late on the second turn, but she couldn't hold off Majestic Oops in the stretch and was caught late by Regaled (Mohaymen).

“Jose [Ortiz] said he thought she was much more tired this race than the last one, which, really, from a fitness standpoint, it doesn't make sense, right?” Casse said Tuesday afternoon. “We always thought she would need the first one. She's a big filly and the track was a little funny. Maybe she was just tired.”

The Apple Blossom is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. Nitrogen, in her final start at three, finished runner-up in the race at Del Mar back in November.

Nitrogen was North America's champion 3-year-old filly of 2025 and opened her 4-year-old campaign with a victory in the GIII Bayakoa Stakes Feb. 7.

Casse said he “definitely” has a second Apple Blossom candidate in Nerazurri (Protonico), who has won three of four starts at the meeting, including two stakes. Nerazurri's only loss this season at Oaklawn was a runner-up finish behind her stablemate in the Bayakoa.

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