Thoroughbred Daily News

A group of nine initial supplemental entries have been added to the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale, which will be held Tuesday in Lexington. The additional entries have been catalogued as hips 351-359 and include Spirit of New York (Honest Mischief) (hip 351), a 3-year-old stakes winner who was recently third in the June 20 New York Stallion Series Spectacular Bid S. at Aqueduct and is consigned by Elite; Moonlight (Audible) (hip 353), a 5-year-old who is a stakes winner and graded-placed and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency; and Victory Music (Maclean's Music) (hip 354), a 3-year-old stakes-winning filly consigned by Paramount Sales.

The July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale will begin immediately following The July Sale of Selected Yearlings. Fasig-Tipton will continue to accept approved entries up until sale time.

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With a view to pulling the veil back on the whys and wherefores of their operations, a representative of either the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority or the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) will every week answer a question of industry importance posed by the TDN.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask HISA or HIWU, please feel free to send them over to us at the following email address: danross@thetdn.com

The following was submitted by Andrew Calloway, a longtime owner-breeder.

Q: Since its formal inception in 2022, has HISA paid any of the horseracing trade publications (the Paulick Report, the TDN, Horseracing Nation and The Blood-Horse) any money? This includes money for advertising and any other sort of payments? If so, to which publications? When and for what exactly? And for how much?

A: From HISA CEO, Lisa Lazarus

While HISA has not paid to advertise in the industry's trade publications, HISA has received free advertising space from various publications to help get the word out to stakeholders about important news.

Additionally, HIWU spent approximately $11,000 in 2023 to advertise the launch of its mobile application. The app was developed to help industry stakeholders comply with HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program. The app contains, among other valuable resources, the Prohibited List of Banned Substances and Controlled Medications, HIWU's educational materials and information about HIWU's anonymous whistleblower tip hotline.

The table below details those advertising costs at the time.

Daily Racing Form  –  $1,000.00
Equibase  –  $1,056.00
Paulick Report – $3,000.00
The Blood-Horse – $3,144.19
Thoroughbred Daily News –  $2,925.00
TOTAL: $11,125.19

These payments reflect market rates. They were made with no expectation or condition that HISA or HIWU would receive favorable editorial coverage in return. We recognize and appreciate the independence of the media and the clear distinction between outlets' business and editorial units.

An example of one of HIWU's advertisements is included below:

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The Empire Trillium Series, a 14-race program of stakes races restricted to horses foaled in New York and Canada, has attracted an inaugural group of 703 nominated 2-year-olds. Lifetime enrollment to the series for the 2-year-old crop of 2026 closed June 19 with 547 New York foaled juveniles and 156 Canadian foaled 2-year-olds nominated.

“We're pleased with the response to the Empire Trillium Series, as the number of nominations speaks to the enthusiasm for this new series,” said Tim Lawson, Vice-President, Thoroughbred Racing for Woodbine. “The series will be an important showcase for our Canadian horses, the talented people behind them, and our racetrack. We're excited to see things get underway later this year at Belmont.”

NYRA Racing Secretary Rob MacLennan added, “We really appreciate the support from the participants on both sides of the border. The enthusiasm surrounding the program is great to see as we look to build the Empire Trillium series into a major piece of our New York-bred racing program.”

The Empire Trillium Series begins Dec. 26 at Belmont Park with four $200,000 races on the new one-mile Tapeta oval. A pair of $300,000 races will be held Jan. 23, followed by two $200,000 races on Feb. 27.

The series will then shift to Woodbine for the next six races, all for 3-year-olds and up, beginning Apr. 24. Nominations for the older crops to run in the 2027 races at Woodbine are due by Nov. 20.

The series, announced in March, is worth $3.2 million in total purses. For the full schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/empire-trillium-series.

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The inaugural running of the $100,000-guaranteed Becca Taylor Stakes will highlight the upcoming September Thoroughbred meet at Los Alamitos.

The six-day season is scheduled to begin Friday, Sept. 11 and continue through Sunday, Sept. 20. Racing will be conducted Friday-Sunday both weeks (Sept. 11-13 and Sept. 18-20). Post time will be 1 p.m.

Named in honor of the daughter of Old Topper and the General Meeting mare Lady Sax owned by California breeder Nick Alexander, the Becca Taylor will be run Saturday, Sept. 12. The race is for 3-year-old fillies and will be contested at

six furlongs. Trained by Steve Miyadi, Becca Taylor won nine of 10 starts–including the GII Great Lady M. at Los Alamitos in 2022–and earned $499,160.

Also during the meet, the other stakes is the $75,000-guaranteed E.B. Johnston for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California. The one-mile race will be offered Saturday, Sept. 19.

For more information, click here.

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By My Standards (Goldencents–A Jealous Woman, by Muqtarib) has been purchased by a group of Louisiana horsemen–the By My Standards Syndicate–and will stand in Northwest Louisiana, according to Louisiana Horse Magazine.

According to the partnership, details on the No. 1 second-crop sire in the state will be forthcoming.

At three, he captured the nine-furlong GII Louisiana Derby in 1:49.53, the second-fastest Louisiana Derby in history. He defeated a field that included future Kentucky Derby winner Country House and future Preakness Stakes winner War of Will.

At four, he won the GII Oaklawn Handicap, GII New Orleans Classic and GII Alysheba Stakes. His Oaklawn Handicap time of 1:47.80 was the fastest in the race since Medaglia d'Oro in 2003.

He also finished second in the GI Whitney Stakes and second in the GI Metropolitan Handicap. He retired with seven wins and over $2.2 million in earnings.

By My Standards' dam, A Jealous Woman, is a graded placed, multiple stakes winner of $469,956, as well as a stakes producer.

Formerly at Spendthrift Farm, the 10-year-old stallion was 12th among first crop sires in 2025 with earnings of $611,383 and ninth by individual winners. He was also responsible for black-type performers A Million Dreams and Kid Charlemagne.

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The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation Fashionable Fillies Luncheon will feature an interview by Donna Brothers with Cherie DeVaux, two iconic women in the horse racing industry.

DeVaux made headlines this year as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner and the second to train a Belmont Stakes winner–both with Golden Tempo. Donna Brothers is a former jockey who won more than 1,100 races and is known for her on-horseback interviews during the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup for NBC Sports. She retired this year after 26 years.

“This year's luncheon is a tribute to the women behind Golden Tempo–Cherie Devaux, Daisy Phipps Pulito, Teresa Viola, Monique Delk–and to those behind the headlines,” said Shannon Kelly, executive director, The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation. “The people who care for our horses every day are the backbone of this sport, and their dedication is what makes The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation so important. They contribute so much behind the scenes, and I'm proud to support them and the vital work they do.”

The Fashionable Fillies Luncheon will be held on Monday, Aug. 10, at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Springs, New York. This signature event brings together the Thoroughbred community and friends of the sport, offering a curated selection of local vendors and boutiques including The Pink Paddock, Violet's of Saratoga, Complexions Spa for Beauty and Wellness, Kent Stetson Handbags, Patty Tobin Jewelry, Mayfair Jewelers, and Christine A. Moore Millinery.

All proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the racing community through the foundation's outreach and grants. Funds raised will help provide critical assistance to Thoroughbred industry members and their families, with support distributed to those most in need.

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available HERE.

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Fasig-Tipton and Dubai Racing Club have formed an international partnership. The aim is it strengthen international collaboration and create new opportunities for owners, trainers and breeders across the global racing industry.

The strategic partnership will see Fasig-Tipton establish an enhanced presence throughout the 2026-27 Dubai Racing Carnival at Meydan Racecourse, while both organizations collaborate to promote greater international participation, facilitate the movement of elite bloodstock between key racing jurisdictions, and further strengthen the global Thoroughbred ecosystem.

H.E. Ali Al Ali, CEO and Board Member of Dubai Racing Club, said, “This partnership creates a stronger bridge between two of the world's most important racing markets. It provides our owners and trainers with greater visibility of North America's finest bloodstock, while giving Fasig-Tipton graduates an even clearer pathway to compete on one of the sport's biggest international stages through the Dubai Racing Carnival and Dubai World Cup.

“As international participation continues to grow, our focus remains on creating meaningful opportunities that strengthen Dubai's position as a destination where the world's best horses, owners and trainers come together to compete.”

“International competition has become the standard in Thoroughbred racing, and Dubai has firmly established itself as one of the world's great racing centers,” said Boyd Browning, President of Fasig-Tipton. “We are delighted to forge this partnership with the Dubai Racing Club as we continue to expand our presence in the region and strengthen our relationships with the owners, breeders, and racing professionals who have become such an integral part of our industry. We look forward to welcoming our new partners to our iconic Saratoga Sale, which takes place next month on Aug. 10 and 11.”

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Upon the conclusion of his racing career, GI Woody Stephens winner Englishman (Maxfield–In It for the Gold, by Speightstown) will retire to Lane's End, the farm announced on Tuesday.

Englishman is expected to continue racing into 2027.

Campaigned by Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stables LLC, Englishman most recently won Saratoga's seven-furlong Woody Stephens by 5 3/4 lengths. Earning a 115 Beyer Speed Figure, he stopped the clock at 1:20.40, equaling the track record for 7 furlongs set in 1978.

“I am thrilled to add Englishman to our roster of future stallions,” said Lane's End's Bill Farish. “He has impressed us since his stunning debut and we have been watching him closely ever since. He combines brilliant speed with exceptional good looks and is by the very promising young Darley stallion, Maxfield.”

Never off the board in his career, the Cherie DeVaux trainee won his 2-year-old debut at Churchill Downs in September of last year by 7 1/4 lengths and was named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' for the performance.

In his 3-year-old debut, he scored at the Fair Grounds by 7 1/2 lengths and making his graded debut in the GII 2 Pat Day Mile, he was a respectable second behind Crude Velocity, who he later returned to defeat that rival in the Woody Stephens.

“Englishman has wowed us from his first start to the Grade I Woody Stephens, and we are excited to see where he takes us next,” said Lee Searing. “We look forward to his future career as a stallion at Lane's End and plan to support him with our mares.”

Bred in Kentucky by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, Englishman later sold at the Keeneland 2024 September Yearling Sale for $400,000. A son of Maxfield, Englishman is out of the winning mare In It for the Gold. Englishman's second dam is All Due Respect, who is multiple graded stakes placed, including the GI Santa Anita Oaks and GI Ballerina Stakes.

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'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Mashallah (Maxfield) was back to something approaching her best when romping by seven lengths in an age-restricted, first-level Saratoga allowance on July 4 (96 Beyer), opening the door to bigger and loftier targets over the course of the next several weeks.

Named a 'Rising Star' after dominating a six-furlong Keeneland maiden by nearly four lengths Apr. 23–good for a massive 106 Beyer Speed Figure–the bay gave way readily to finish a well-beaten fifth trying a mile at Churchill Downs on May 30.

Suffice to say there was a collective sigh of relief emanating from Union Avenue and the faith-restoring success has her connections looking forward to what might be in store.

“For sure,” said Restrepo when asked if it was good to see the filly atone for her last effort. The bloodstock agent signed the winning ticket on Mashallah at OBS March last year, going to $1.25 million on behalf of Jose Aguirre's JR Ranch in the name of his Marquee Bloodstock. “She surprised all of us with that [first] performance because it's almost like she does just enough and she looks after herself in training. And when she did that, the way she did it her first time out, [trainer] Brendan [Walsh], he said it that he thought she could get a mile easily.”

On pedigree, handicappers would almost certainly concur. Mashallah is a daughter of All in With Aces (Quiet American), whose 10 winners as a producer includes Hard Aces (Hard Spun), victorious in the GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita over a mile and a quarter and twice successful in Grade III contests over 12 furlongs.

But Restrepo thinks that oversimplifies things a bit.

“I think you can get fooled, because if you look at the rest of her family and her dam, they're all six-furlong horses,” he said.

Indeed, All in With Aces's other black-type performer was Astrollinthepark (Divine Park), a dual black-type winner at sprint trips and runner-up in the GIII Winning Colors Stakes at three-quarters of a mile.

Soon after the mile allowance, the decision was made to cut Mashallah back in distance, but instead of allowing her to roll along on the front end as she had done her first two times to the races, there was a purposeful change in the tactics this time around.

“When Brendan breezed her back, he said, 'I'm going to stick to sprinting. There's a race at Saratoga six and a half and let's see how she goes.' And she had a great month and it's great to see her do that. Let her rate, let her get into a rhythm and not necessarily be on the engine flying. And she shut off, which was great.

“And when [jockey Tyler Gaffalione] called upon her, she responded and he felt there was a lot more to give and she's learning. But I mean clearly talent-wise, just raw talent and ability, she's got it.”

Having cleared her first allowance condition, Mashallah could be headed into stakes company next time around.

“This is like one of those cliche tick-the-box answers, but you obviously watch her the next couple of weeks and look, the elephant in the room is the [seven-furlong Aug. 8 GI] Test [Stakes]. Obviously, and she'll be up there at Saratoga the whole time, so that is a possibility,” Restrepo said. “There are races at Colonial and Ellis, so we could go that route and then come back for the [six-furlong Sept. 6 GIII] Prioress [Stakes]. So there are tons of ways to go about it, but the owner is a very patient man and leaves it up to the team to kind of get together.”

At the end of the day, Restrepo and team are happy to defer that decision to the trainer.

'It's in Brendan's hands to make that final call,” he said. “The options are laid before us and it's just see what's best for her and see how the field's shaping up, right?”

Our lovely MASHALLAH bounces back in style style with an easy off the pace victory in the opener today at Saratoga, ridden by @Tyler_Gaff for trainer @brenpwalsh

A talented daughter of Maxfield @DarleyStallions pic.twitter.com/iYqol4tm8T

— JR Ranch (@JRRanch1802) July 4, 2026

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John Parisella, a top trainer in New York and California for decades and one of the sport's most colorful figures, passed away Friday July 3 at a Long Island hospital. According to Wikipedia, he was 81.

The news was confirmed by family friend and fellow trainer Bruce Levine. Levine believes Parisella passed away as the result of a head injury he suffered in a fall.

“His health had been declining pretty good the last year, year and a half,” Levine said. “For whatever reason, he kept falling and losing his balance. A friend of his went to see him last Sunday and found him unconscious in his apartment. There was blood all over the place. They took him to the hospital. He never regained consciousness from there. He fell all the time. Maybe two weeks before he died, he told me, 'Bruce I am going to die from falling.' It started about two years ago. He fell in a Dunkin' Donuts and they had to take him to the hospital and stitch him up. I begged him to go to assisted living. He wouldn't do it. He was stubborn about certain things.”

Parisella began his career in 1976 and ran his last horse in 2016. He won 960 races during his career, including 22 graded stakes races. His best horse may have been Simply Majestic, a winner of 14 stakes races. He finished third in the 1984 GI Preakness Stakes with Fight Over and Simply Majestic finished third in the 1988 GI Breeders' Cup Mile.

Parisella was born in Brooklyn to an Italian Catholic family and started his career as an assistant to Tommy Gullo. His mentor later became Johnny Campo.

His primary owner in New York was Ted Sabarese. The two campaigned 1983 for GIII Nashua winner Don Rickles.

While in California, he trained for several actors, including Jack Klugman, Don Adams, Don Rickles,Telly Savalas and James Caan. It was Klugman who gave him the nickname “Trainer to the Stars.”

In 1975, Parisella married Bernadette Birk, the former wife of trainer Bobby Frankel. Parisella and Frankel were originally friends as well as competitors, but it was Parisella who has largely been given credit for raising his step-daughter Bethenny Frankel.

Levine worries that the new generation will forget the top trainers of the seventies and eighties like Parisella.

“John had a great run,” Levine said. “The new generation, they don't know trainers like John or Frank Martin. Even Woody Stephens, if he didn't win five Belmonts no one would remember him. 'The Chief,'  Allen Jerkens, I'm not sure people remember him.”

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Greatest Joy became freshman sire Greatest Honour's first winner with a professional stalk-and-pounce effort at Presque Isle Downs Monday.

The longest shot on the board at 10-1 odds, she watched Castle Dark (Peace and Justice) set the early tempo through an opening quarter in :22.82 on an uncontested advantage. Responding when called on for a rally in the lane, she was on even terms with the long time leader by the eighth pole and had pulled clear of that one not long after. From there she extended her advantage to 1 1/4 lengths on the wire.

Greatest Joy is the second winner from as many to the races for Rossellini, a half-sister to GISW Red Knight (Pure Prize) and MSW Macagone (Artie Schiller). The broodmare has produce five fillies in a row thus far with her most recent being a yearling Khozan and a 2026 Casa Creed.

Sire Greatest Honour is out of an unplaced daughter of 2007 Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour (Deputy minister), making his dam a half-sister to champion 3-year-old filly MGISW Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) and GI Belmont Stakes hero Jazil (Seeking the Gold). He hails from the immediate female family of GISW Streaming (Smart Strike) and Canadian champion older dirt male Tyson (Tapit) as well as being the extended one of Group 1-placed Arabian Hope (Distorted Humor); champion 3-year-old colt Arcangelo (Arrogate); and the late MGSW Cezanne (Curlin).

1st-Presque Isle Downs, $33,730, Msw, 7-6, 2yo, f, 5f (AWT), :57.84, ft, 1 1/4 lengths.
GREATEST JOY (f, 2, Greatest Honour–Rossellini, by Freud) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $18,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O/B-Divine Light Healing Ministries (FL); T-Kevin Rice.

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They may've outrun her early, but she was moving best of all late in this baby dash at Ellis Park. Scarlett Begonia (Life Is Good) rolled home in the stretch to break her maiden at first asking and become her sire's second 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'.

Well-supported at the windows to the tune of 3-5 favoritism, she raced along in midpack as eager early leaders posted an opening quarter in :22.35 after distancing themselves from the rest. Finding her stride through the bend, Scarlett Begonia kicked into gear from the five path swinging for home, and was bearing down on the tiring frontrunners with every stride. Rallying for control passing the sixteenth pole, she drew off from Miss Anna (Girvin) to win by a comfortable 3 3/4-length margin.

Scarlett Begonia is Life Is Good's second 'Rising Star' behind Hey Tuff Guy at Churchill Downs.

This victress is the latest to the races for Asiya, making her the half-sister to Zaajel (Street Sense), MGSW, $258,640 and Ajaaweed (Curlin), MGSP, $198,132. One of her sisters, Maqboola (Tamayuz {GB}) has produced two winners as a broodmare while Zaajel's first to the races will be a juvenile named Saytara (Constitution). Asiya has a yearling filly by Up to the Mark in the wings and had been bred to Flightline for 2026.

Scarlett Begonia's dam is a half-sister to Indian Horse of the Year Miracle (Ind) (Multidimensional {Ire}) and to Majestic Opinion (Ind) (Dixie Union), mother of three stakes winners in her home country. This is the female family of GISW Liason; MGSW United; GSW Harlan Punch; and the extended one of MSW Ascendancy (Classic Empire).

4th-Ellis, $99,830, Msw, 7-6, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.94, ft, 3 3/4 lengths.
SCARLETT BEGONIA, f, 2, by Life Is Good
     1st Dam: Asiya (MSP, $136,200), by Daaher
     2nd Dam: Khalila, by Elusive Quality
     3rd Dam: Indy Flash, by A.P. Indy
Sales history: $285,000 RNA Ylg '25 KEESEP; $220,000 RNA 2yo '26 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $58,768. O-Hat Creek Racing, Ashview Farm and Upland Flats Racing; B-Gray Lyster & Gatewood Bell (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.
Click for the Equibase.com chart. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Mary Rampellini, a long-time correspondent for the Daily Racing Form, passed away on Saturday, July 4, reported the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters on Monday. She was 53.

According to DRF, the reporter and handicapper succumbed to complications from sepsis in a hospital in Grapevine, Texas.

Rampellini, the daughter of horseman Ralph Rampellini, who managed the racing stables of Nelson Bunker Hunt and John Franks, was also the author of the Ollie the Oaklawn Owl series, children's books aimed at educating a younger audience about the sport.

“All who came in contact with Mary were uplifted by her kindness and positivity,” read a NTWAB release.

Rampellini is survived by her mother, Patricia; sisters Anna and Christina; and her brother, Ralph. Her father died in 2023.     Funeral services are pending.

The Rampellini Family asks the racing community to share a prayer, memory, or story about Mary. Please mail a letter to:

Mary Rampellini and Family

P.O. Box 462

Roanoke, Texas 76262

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   Editor's note: On the heels of our `name one problem with racing and how you would fix it' series, bloodstock agent Liz Crow suggested that the TDN charge people with naming something that racing does right. We loved the idea, and suggested that she blaze the trail. Interested in participating in the series? Email garyking@thetdn.com with your submission.

The best thing about racing is the people.

The grooms, hotwalkers, trainers, owners all from different countries and backgrounds coming together and rooting for the same horse and celebrating the same win shoulder to shoulder in the winner's circle. It is hard to think of another industry that offers that conglomerate of people. Each person playing a key role in getting the horse there.

One of my favorite parts of the job is learning from the many owners we get to interact with. Almost every horse owner is exceptional at something. They had to be to create the success that allows them to own racehorses as a hobby. I love hearing how they built their companies, how they lead people, how they think through problems. Every owner has a different story and a different perspective, and I've learned lessons from many of them that have nothing to do with horses.

When I worked on the backside, the grooms, exercise riders, assistants, hotwalkers, veterinarians and blacksmiths all have stories that are just as remarkable. This is a seven-day-a-week profession. There are no holidays, no Christmas, no Thanksgiving, definitely no weekends, but also no complaining. For most, this is the only place they want to be. I don't think you will find harder-working people in any industry than at the backside of a racetrack.

What makes racing special is that all of those worlds collide.

Where else do people from every economic background, every education level and every corner of the world have a common interest or goal? Where else do men and women compete directly against each other as trainers, jockeys, owners, breeders? Colts and fillies compete on the same stage. Almost every other sport is divided by gender, but ours isn't.

And despite being fiercely competitive, racing has a remarkable way of coming together when it matters most. When a groom gets sick, a rider is injured, or a trainer's family is facing hardship, the industry rallies. Fundraisers appear overnight. We spend every day trying to beat each other, but when someone in our community needs help, we show up.

At the center of all of it is the horse.

The horse has a unique ability to unite people who otherwise might never cross paths. That blend of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives creates a community unlike any other. Sometimes we can forget that our industry while plagued with it's fair share of problems has a lot of wonderful things going for it.

Now if only we could use this superpower to solve our problems by using all of the different opinions and perspectives, then we might really be on to something. But this is a positive piece, so I will say I love the melting pot of people this industry brings.

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Dr. and Mrs. William E. Riddle Jr. bred both the grand and reserve champions at the second annual Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association Yearling Show, which took place June 20 at Brandywine Polo Club. Four classes of Pennsylvania-sired and non-sired males and fillies competed for a share of $1,000 per class, as well as an overall $1,000 prize for Grand Champion and $500 for Reserve Champion. This year's show was judged by Rick Abbott, who recently received PHBA's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Abbott named the Riddles' Golden Lad filly out of Zelica (Offlee Wild) his grand champion, while the couple's Cloud Computing filly out of Flatter's Secret (Flatter) was named Reserve Champion.

All participants of the Yearling Show became automatically eligible for up to $40,000 in incentives during their racing careers. The highest-earning 2-year-olds of 2027 and 3-year-olds of 2028, regardless of where the money is won, will take home a share of $20,000 at the end of each year.

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Summer in Saratoga is a great occasion to love that particular course, and Zulu Kingdom (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) will look to avenge his third-place finish in last month's GIII Poker Stakes even as the two horses who beat him also return in the GIII Kelso Stakes.

A multiple Grade I winner in his career, the Chad Brown-trained Zulu Kingdom has crossed the wire first every time he's been at Saratoga–he was disqualified from his GII Hall of Fame win last year and placed fourth–and the Poker was only the second time in his career that horses physically finished ahead of him. Zulu Kingdom is clearly a fan of this course.

That being said, there is a lot of speed signed on here, and he's shown a preference for the running style of late. There is prior form from his juvenile year that suggests he could sit well off whatever this pace becomes, and get a first-jump on the closers, but he won't be the only one eyeballing those tactics. Jockey Flavien Prat will have to win the jockey's race here just as much as his mount will need to be best on the day to take home the hardware.

Looking to once again play spoiler is Pass the Hat (Collected), the ever-improving chestnut from the Bill Mott barn who posted a career-best Beyer figure of 95 to defeat Zulu Kingdom and stablemate Capitol Hill (Into Mischief) the last time the trio met in the aforementioned Poker at this venue. If all the speed in this contest steps forward, the ball will be very much in his court to run them all down. Closing from well out of it has been Pass the Hat's forte his entire career, and he's on a two-race winstreak of late.

Capitol Hill shares that running style, and with only a nose separating these two on the line last out, he's been knocking on the door for the last four times he's faced stakes company in New York but has been unable to get the job done. The question here is one of class–runners to his inside have faced serious competition, and he'll have an extra six bodies to contend with from the five-horse field in the Poker. Traffic problems could be a real concern.

Speaking of classy new shooters, Juddmonte's Cosmic Year (GB) (Kingman {GB}) is one such example as his 3-year-old season in Europe saw him locking horns with some tough company, and running well for trainer Harry Charlton. He missed winning the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas to fellow Juddmonte-owned Field of Gold (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), who returned the following month at Royal Ascot to win the G1 St James's Palace Stakes by 3 1/2 lengths over the classy GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Henri Matisse (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

Despite tailing off toward the end of his sophomore season, Cosmic Year clearly took to a change of environment as he was imported to the States to the barn of Chad Brown, and kicked off his 2026 U.S. campaign with a runner-up effort to Neat (Constitution) in the May 30 Cliffhanger Stakes at Monmouth on his seasonal bow. Manny Franco is in the irons for this second jump, and the pace is ripe to take advantage of…the question will be if he can run down the ones who got first jump on him, ala Zulu Kingdom.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The sting from last weekend's GI Stephen Foster Stakes is still felt throughout the Hall of Fame barn of trainer Bill Mott. But there is no chance that Mott and his crew are going to throw in the towel when it comes to 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief).

Godolphin's Sovereignty finished third in the five-horse Stephen Foster, beaten 5 1/4 lengths by Magnitude (Not This Time). He was also passed by stablemate Baeza (McKinzie) in the stretch on the sloppy track at Churchill Downs.

Mott, standing outside his office at the Oklahoma Training Track on a steamy Friday morning, plans on sending Sovereignty right back against the best of the older horse division in the GI, $1-million Whitney Stakes on Aug. 8.

“Yes, we are going to run in the Whitney,” Mott said. “We are going to run them both (Baeza).”

The Whitney is expected to pack a wallop as Magnitude, White Abarrio (Race Day), 4-year-old filly Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) and possibly GI Met Mile winner Nysos (Nyquist) are all being mentioned.

Sovereignty won all three of his Saratoga starts last year on his way to the Eclipse. He captured the GI Belmont Stakes and then the GII Jim Dandy Stakes and GI Travers Stakes.

He missed the GI Breeders' Cup Classic because of a fever and is 0-2 this year.

“No,” Mott said when asked if he had lost faith in the big 4-year-old colt. “I am disappointed he didn't run better (in the Stephen Foster). All the connections are a little disappointed, maybe a little baffled. Baeza ran well. Sovereignty ran flat.”

Sovereignty won last year's GI Kentucky Derby on a Churchill Downs strip which was labeled sloppy.

“Maybe it was what they were running over,” Mott said, saying every wet track is not the same. “He did not look comfortable. He ate a lot of dirt. He has come from behind before, but he did not eat that much dirt in the Derby. It really seemed like it affected him.”

As for Baeza, owned by C R K Stable LLC and Grandview Equine, this was the second start he made under Mott's care since the untimely passing of former trainer John Shirreffs in February. In both starts this year–he was third in the GII Alysheba Stakes in his first race in 2026–Baeza had tardy starts from the gate which could have cost him in both races.

“I am going to have to call the horse whisperer,” Mott said.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has already said that his wonder filly Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) will run against the boys in the GI Whitney Stakes on Aug. 8.

Nitrogen, last year's champion 3-year-old filly, certainly spices up what is expected to be one of the most anticipated races of the meet.

“Her last performance (a 12 3/4-length win in the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes at Saratoga last month) was so spectacular,” Casse said outside his barn on the Saratoga backstretch. “I said to the Greens (owners Leonard and Jon Green of D. J. Stable LLC), 'right now I think her status is a real talented filly. You go and beat the boys, and then you go into the great category She deserves a shot.”

Casse said he has mulled the idea of his 3-year-old filly Counting Stars (Honor A.P.) possibly showing up in the $1.25-million GI Travers Stakes on Aug. 29. Of course, that is still a long way off.

Counting Stars, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, has a date in the $500,000 GI Coaching Club American Oaks versus her fellow 3-year-old fillies on July 25. Depending on how that goes, Travers talk might get serious.

“I would not say it's impossible,” Casse said. “That is a discussion for another day and a discussion I would have to have with Terry Finley (President and CEO of West Point). She is already a Grade I winner so I would not totally rule out the Travers.”

Counting Stars | Sarah Andrew

In her last start, Counting Stars won the GI Acorn Stakes at Saratoga on June 5, defeating GI Kentucky Oaks champ Always a Runner (Gun Runner) by 3 3/4 lengths. Counting Stars has won five of nine career races and has two wins a second and a third in five tries this year.

Casse has another 4-year-old filly–Classic Q (Classic Empire)–who is scheduled to run against colts at this meet. Her next start will likely be the $750,000 GI Fourstardave Stakes on Aug. 8.

Classic Q, owned by Gary Barber, Blue Crevalle Racing and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, won the GI Just a Game Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths on June 6 at 6-1 odds.

Casse has had success with fillies running with the boys before. Hall of Famer Tepin (Bernstein) beat colts multiple times–including the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Mile—and Got Stormy (Get Stormy) was victorious twice in the Fourstardave (2019, 2021).

“A lot depends on who owns them,” Casse said about the decision to take on males. “A lot of them don't want to step out of the box. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. I don't know if there is a filly around that would want to mess with Nitrogen. We are looking for a new challenge. With Counting Stars, she still has something to prove before she goes down that road.”

At the end of last year's Saratoga season, Antiquarian (Preservationist) was almost an afterthought after the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. He won the race at odds of 11-1, but more people were talking about what happened during the race than what happened after Antiquarian won it.

That was the race where Mindframe (Constitution), the second choice in the wagering, lost rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. and ran loose around the track.

Antiquarian and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez won by 1 1/2 lengths.

The 5-year-old horse, owned by Centennial Farms, will making his fifth career Saratoga start Saturday when he runs in the $500,000 GII Suburban Stakes at 1 1/4 miles. He is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the field of 11.

He was last seen finishing fourth in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Met Mile on Belmont Stakes Day at the Spa last month. His trainer, Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, said it was a “strange” race for his horse.

“We never thought he would be part of the early pace,” Pletcher said outside his office at the Oklahoma Training Track. “Our intentions were to track. As everyone knows, it was speed favoring that weekend. We wanted to get out there and get in good position early, but he ended up showing a little more speed and it caught Johnny off guard a little bit.”

Pletcher said the mile is not the desired distance for Antiquarian and stretching out should be a benefit to him.

Antiquarian has started 12 times in his career and has five wins and three seconds. Before running in the Met Mile, he won the one-mile GIII Westchester Stakes at Aqueduct in his first start this year.

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Woodbine Entertainment, with approval from the Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and consultation from the HBPA, has added a rescheduled race date for this Monday, July 6 at Woodbine Racetrack.

Following cancellations on Thursday and Friday for underground infrastructure repairs, a 10-race card has been drawn for Monday. Post time is set for 1 p.m.

For the latest news and updates, visit Woodbine.com or follow @WoodbineTB on social media.

The post Woodbine Gets Green Light To Stage Monday Racing on July 6 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

No fewer than four 'TDN Rising Stars' presented by Hagyard are among the 10 3-year-olds expected to face the starter for Saturday's $750,000 GI Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes at Saratoga and, to varying degrees, a logical argument can be made for each of the quartet.

C R K Stables' Remember Mamba (Kitten's Joy) is the only one of the eight U.S.-based entrants with Grade I form on his page, and a cracking effort it was to come from near the tail of the field to complete the exacta in the GI American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 2. He lost no admiring when suffering the first loss of his career, having previously taken out Keeneland's GIII Transylvania Stakes with his patented flying finish the month previously.

“He's a colt that acts like the more distance, the better, so really bigger races for him are in the summer. Most definitely [we'll be looking for more ground],” trainer Cherie DeVaux said after the Transylvania.

Juddmonte homebred 'Rising Star' Touch of Fire (Constitution) came from what appeared to be an impossible position to take out a first-level Keeneland allowance Apr. 10 and struck from close range to best Tiernanogue (Quality Road) by three comfortable lengths in the May 30 Audubon Stakes at Churchill going Saturday's nine-furlong distance.

Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' Pacific Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) brings European Group 1 form into the Belmont Derby, having run home to be third at 40-1 to last year's spectacular GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Gstaad (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in the Irish 2000 Guineas May 23. 'Rising Star' Bottas (Vekoma), a disappointing ninth in the Juvenile Turf, finished nicely to be third to West End Kid (Twirling Candy) and Blackmail (Not This Time) in the GIII Pennine Ridge Stakes at this venue June 4.

Title Role (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) is the preferred runner of the two Euro shippers exiting a battling success in the G2 German 2000 Guineas at Cologne last time. Click here for more from owner Will Stroud, who has since purchased a controlling interest in the 500,000gns Tattersalls Craven breezer.

While Stroud will also be represented by Irish Group 3 winner Kensington Lane (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in the co-featured GI Belmont Oaks, all eyes are likely to be trained on Godolphin's lightly raced Abashiri (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

A wide-margin debut winner over the Kempton all-weather in a single appearance at two, the homebred full-sister to UAE Group 2 winner and GI Jenny Wiley Stakes runner-up English Rose (Ire) was set a massive task returning in the G1 English 1000 Guineas May 3 and finished an excellent fifth to True Love (Ire) (No Nay Never). Abashiri pressed on to the Irish equivalent three weeks hence to be third to Precise (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who went on to defeat True Love into third in the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot June 19.

“She's doing well and her last work went well before shipping,” trainer Charlie Appleby said. “If she shows up with the best of her European and Irish Guineas form, I think she'll be a big player, as long as she travels well and settles in there well enough. Her Irish Guineas form has been franked with the one-two [finishers] going on to Ascot and running well. I'm looking forward to it.”

Imaginationthelady (Not This Time) fell a neck shy of Storm's Wake (Oscar Performance) in the GII Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland Apr. 4 before going one better when next seen in the GII Edgewood Stakes, knifing through to just best next-out Tepin Stakes victress Tam Tam (Medaglia d'Oro).

Faithful Departed (Yoshida {Jpn}) was a highly impressive winner of the GII Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs May 30, accounting for Storm's Wake by 2 1/4 lengths, while Ultimate Love (Curlin) can surprise here making her second start since finishing as the beaten favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf. She finished well to be a narrowly beaten second in the May 15 Hilltop Stakes at Laurel and should relish the extra furlong of this.

With Kentucky Juvenile Stakes heroine Waggley (Life Is Good) and the good-looking Aqueduct maiden winner Ashcroft Lane (Keepmeinmind) expected to come out, Saturday's GIII Sanford Stakes looks anybody's horse race.

The figure awarded to $1.4-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Regent's Park (Bolt d'Oro) wouldn't scare anything away, but it is perhaps best taken with a grain of salt, as not only did he cover the 4 1/2 furlongs in decent time, but he did it with a minimum of fuss to dominate in the finish. The third-placed stablemate Tipsy Mojo (Mind Control) graduated in his next start while improving his Beyer by 21 points in so doing.

Indiana-bred Booked (Yaupon) burnt some money when second on Apr. 28 debut at Churchill, but the $325,000 Keeneland September acquisition improved for the experience to best Jack's Golden Goal (Omaha Beach) by 1 3/4 lengths. The remaining four runners–Goodbye To Romance (Complexity), Pocket Listing (Listing), Vissino (Preservationist) and Rasasi (Honor Code)–are each exiting debut victories.

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American Rascal (by Curlin), a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard,' and a stakes winner, was added to the stallion roster of Haras Masama in La Pampa, Argentina, according to a post by the website Turf Diario on Friday.

A Stonestreet homebred who was trained by Steve Asmussen, American Rascal broke his maiden on debut at Keeneland in April 2023, which garnered him 'Rising Star' honors. After finishing well-beaten in the G2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, the 2-year-old netted the Zia Park Juvenile Stakes later that year.

Out of another 'Rising Star' in English and French G1SW Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy), American Rascal has a full-brother who was foaled in 2025. His extended female family includes second dam D' Wildcat Speed (Forest Wildcat)–the 2003 Horse of the Year in Puerto Rico.

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