Thoroughbred Daily News

Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief), who ran in a trio of Grade I races as a 5-year-old last year, has a new home as Amanda Gillman, acting on behalf of Lucky Hat Racing and Eric Bensussen, went to $130,000 to acquire him through the Fasig-Tipton May Digital Sale. Consigned by EliTE as agent for White Birch Farm, the gelding recently came off the bench at Belmont's Aqueduct meet Apr. 25.

“He's a lightly-raced 6-year-old with a 2X condition, which is rare to find,” Gillman said. “He's such a classy horse and has obviously run against some very nice horses in the form line.”

A winner on debut for powerhouse connections Peter Brant and Chad Brown, Contrary Thinking added a second win, this time in allowance company, last summer at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet in June before testing deep waters. Racing alongside stablemate Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), he came home ninth in the GI Whitney Stakes and sixth (via disqualification) in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup before finishing his 5-year-old campaign ninth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 1.

After a freshening through the spring, Contrary Thinking returned to the track at Aqueduct when he was just caught on the lead to finish third against allowance horses Apr. 25. That effort, over a muddy track and on a cutback to one mile, netted him a 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

“[I] was very encouraged by his last effort,” Gillman said. “He still has some good races left in him and hopefully we can have fun the rest of the year with him. We'll get him in the barn and see how he settles in, get to know him and figure him out. Hopefully he'll race possibly at the Belmont at Saratoga weekend.”

A Stonestreet Farm-bred son of Into Mischief and out of GSW and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner up Valadorna, Contrary Thinking is a half-brother to GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby third Tuscan Gold (Medaglia d'Oro) and GI Arkansas Derby third Taptastic (Tapit). Valadorna herself is a half-sister to GISW and successful young sire Complexity (Maclean's Music).

Gillman, who has purchased horses previously via the Digital Sales, spoke to the platform's success.

“You can get all kinds of horses out of these types of sales,” she said. “It can be tough sometimes not being able to see [the horses], but you just try and do your due diligence looking at photos and videos. Fasig-Tipton does a great job of providing those and getting [the horses] vetted and everything. I'm a big fan. I think there's a lot of horses out there that possibly wouldn't be offered for sale [via a traditional sale] that do end up being offered successfully here.”

“[The platform] is very convenient to try and capitalize off of [a race] or move a horse at the best possible time for the owner.”

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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 (HIWU)'s “pending” and “resolved” cases portals.

Among this week's rulings, trainer Vance Childers has been suspended a combined 46 months and fined a combined $30,000 for an out-of-competition and a race-day medication violation, respectively, and for a possession charge of Piper Methysticum (Kava), a banned anti-inflammatory.

Childers's case is intertwined with that of veterinarian Dr. Donald McCrosky, who earlier this year was banned a total 24 years and fined a total $300,000 for a series of nine separate violations. McCrosky was Childers's veterinarian, and had been Childers's grandfather's veterinarian until his retirement in 2020.

One charge against Childers concerned Tigger Attack (owned by McCrosky's wife), who tested positive for the banned substance Testosterone after finishing fifth at Fanduel Sportsbook and Horse Racing on Oct. 29, 2024.

As part of his case earlier this year, McCrosky admitted to administering Testosterone to Tigger Attack “after a groom advised that the horse was not eating well. He believed that administration of Testosterone seven to 10 days in advance of a race would not result in a positive test,” according to the final ruling.

In Childers's more recent case, he argued for reduced sanctions because he said he was unaware McCrosky had administered the Testosterone until he received notice of the post-race positive, according to arbitrator Bernard Taylor's final written decision.

Taylor agreed and reduced the sanction for that particular issue from a potential 17 months to 10.

The second issue concerned another Testosterone positive in an out-of-competition sample taken from Childersattack (again owned by McCrosky's wife) on Oct. 16, 2024.

As outlined in the final decision in McCrosky's case earlier this year, the veterinarian initially sent HIWU a handwritten note “in which he claimed he had performed a castration on Childersattack in March 2022, leaving Childersattack with one remaining testicle, thus explaining the Testosterone present in Childersattack's October 16, 2024, sample.”

HIWU, however, subsequently determined via a regulatory database that Childersattack had been fully gelded in November of 2020.

Due in large part to this chain of events, “trainer Childers has not presented any evidence that a departure from the Laboratory Standards occurred that could reasonably have caused the AAF,” Taylor wrote in his ruling in Childers's case.

The last component of Childers's case concerned the possession charge.

On Nov. 12, 2024, two HIWU investigators searched Childers's Fairmount Park tack room, feed room, office and barn area, during which they found and seized one tub labelled “Easywillow” in the tack room. The banned substance Kava Kava was listed on the tub label.

Childers argued that he never purchased or had used the Easywillow product and did not know it was in his tack room. “He further contends that since he inherited the tack room from his grandfather, the Easywillow may have been in the tack room from that prior time, and he just never threw it away,” according to the final decision.

Ultimately, the arbitrator found Childers's level of fault in the moderate range and reduced a possible 17-month suspension to 12 months.

Elsewhere, trainer Gary Greiner has been banned four months and fined $1,000 after he too was found in possession of a substance containing Piper Methysticum (Kava) on June 10 last year. There are no further details publicly available on the case. Greiner's suspension begins on May 13.

 Dates: 05/12/2026

Licensee: Bart G. Hone, 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 Phenylbutazone-a class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Ryon's Chance, who finished second at Turf Paradise on 3/26/26.

Dates: 05/12/2026

Licensee: Gary Greiner, trainer

Penalty: Four-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 13, 2026; a fine of $1,000.

Explainer: Violation for the possession of Piper Methysticum (Kava)-a banned anti-anxiety and anti-inflammatory drug-on an event dated 6/10/25.

Dates: 05/11/2026

Licensee: Jesus Munoz-Escobedo, 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 Flunixin and Phenylbutazone-both class C controlled substances-in a sample taken from Daretocatchlove, who finished second at Will Rogers on 3/17/26.

Dates: 05/08/2026

Licensee: Todd Fincher, trainer

Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.

Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Dantrolene-a class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Sunset Sizzle on 3/31/26.

Dates: 05/06/2026

Licensee: Vance Childers, trainer

Penalty: Combined 46-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 7, 2026; 14-month period of Ineligibility for the Covered Horses, beginning on October 29, 2024 (for Tigger Attack) and October 14, 2024 (Childersattack); 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 combined fine of $30,000.

Explainer: Out-of-competition and race-day medication violations (respectively) for the presence of Testosterone-a banned substance-in samples from Childersattack on 10/16/24, and from Tigger Attack, who finished fifth at Fanduel Sportsbook and Horse Racing on 10/29/24; also for the possession of Piper Methysticum (Kava)-a banned anti-inflammatory-for an event dated 11/12/24.

05/13/2026, Gerald Bennett, trainer: Pending medication violations for the presence of Acetaminophen (Paracetamol)-a class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Naughty Rascal, who finished third at Tampa Bay on 3/27/26; and for the presence of Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) and Diphenhydramine-class C and class B controlled substances respectively-in a sample taken from Chrome Ghost, who finished second in the NYRABETS Sprint Stakes at Tampa Bay on 3/29/26.

05/13/2026, Darien Rodriguez, trainer: Pending violation for the alleged breach of rule 3313, the “Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance during the Race Period,” pertaining to the horse Bravo Kitten on 2/12/26.

05/12/2026, Brian Lusk, trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol-a class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Dark Wind, who finished third at Tampa Bay on 4/12/26.

05/11/2026, Robertino Diodoro, trainer: Pending medication violations for the presence of Triamcinolone-a class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Rocky Colavito, who won at Turf Paradise on 3/10/26; for the presence of Phenylbutazone-a class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Maltese Falcon, who won at Turf Paradise on 3/11/26, and from Saline River, who won at Turf Paradise on 3/21/26; and for the presence of Phenylbutazone and flunixin-both class C controlled substances-in a sample taken from White Peony, who won at Turf Paradise on 3/16/26, from Mrazek's Old Dream, who finished second at Turf Paradise on 3/5/26, and from Big Pop, who won at Turf Paradise on 3/30/26.

05/08/2026, Pedro Rafael Garcia, Jr., trainer: Pending medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol-a class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Foxy Lady, who won at Tampa Bay on 4/3/26.

05/07/2026, Randy Matthews, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Methocarbamol-a class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Centeya on 4/9/26.

05/07/2026, Carlos Martin, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Acepromazine-a class B controlled substance-in a sample taken from Celtic Dawn on 4/3/26.

Aqueduct

• Dalila Rivera – reporting date May 11; $1,000 fine, 2-day suspension

Churchill Downs

• Christopher Stewart Elliott – reporting date May 10; $1,000 fine, 2-day suspension, on appeal stay requested
• Cristian Alexis Torres – reporting date May 10; $2,000 fine, 2-day suspension, on appeal stay requested
• Cristian Alexis Torres – reporting date May 10; $1,000 fine, 3-day suspension, on appeal stay requested
• Luis Carlos Saez – reporting date May 9; $1,000 fine, 1-day suspension
• Atsuyu Nishimura – reporting date May 9; $1,000 fine, 1-day suspension

Fairmount Park

• Angel Stanley – reporting date May 9; $250 fine, 1-day suspension, on appeal stay requested

Parx Racing

• Yedsit Hazlewood – reporting date May 7; $1,750 fine, 7-day suspension, on appeal stay requested

Santa Anita

• Welfin R. Orantes – reporting date May 10; $500 fine, 1-day suspension

Thistledown

• Brandon Tapara – reporting date May 11; $250 fine, 1-day suspension

The post National Rulings May 7 – May 13; Childers Banned 46 Months, Greiner 4 Months appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Is the Triple Crown losing its relevance? On this week's TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, Bill Finley, Randy Moss and Zoe Cadman dive into the state of the series and how it might be fixed. While the team agrees that the upcoming GI Preakness Stakes may offer some excellent betting opportunities, they discussed why the field is lacking “star quality.”

Donna Barton Brothers joins the crew as this week's Gainesway Guest of the Week. The jockey-turned-racing analyst is currently on her farewell tour of the Triple Crown. Saturday's Preakness will be her last appearance on NBC after 26 years of coverage.

During this year's Kentucky Derby, Brothers was the only NBC analyst to correctly pick Golden Tempo (Curlin) as the winner. She told the Writers' Room that she took a liking to the colt after catching up with Cherie DeVaux a few days before the big event. After digging further into his past performances, Brothers decided the son of Curlin was poised to take a step forward, but she knew her logic would be difficult to explain briefly on live television.

“On NBC, we get like 10 seconds to talk about who we like and why,” she continued. “I thought all day about what I was going to say about why I like this horse because the story was long. Randy can tell you that three days prior to the race, I had picked Golden Tempo as my horse in the meeting. But given my interviewing Cherie during the walkover I decided to just say, 'Look, I'm going to root for the female to win the Kentucky Derby. I'm taking Golden Tempo.'”

Brothers shares stories from her transition from the saddle to broadcasting, noting that her second career truly began to click once she started conducting interviews on horseback.

“When I was standing there doing a hit, I would think like, 'Wait, I have the microphone here. What do I do with this hand? Do put it in my pocket? Do I lean against a rail? Do I act cool like Bob Costas?' I didn't know what to do with my other extremities. When I was on a horse, all that nervous energy was taken because I was riding a horse.”

Brothers also reflects on her mother, Patti Barton, one of the first women to become a licensed jockey in the U.S. She discussed what her mother thinks of the next generation of trailblazing women, like Brothers herself and trainer Cherie DeVaux, excelling in the sport today. Brothers shares why she decided now was the right time to retire, what she will miss most about covering the biggest days in racing and her excitement to watch her successor, Andie Biancone, take over the reins.

Finally, Brothers said that it was too early to share her final Preakness picks, but she did give a few hints.

“I will say that I'm not going to pick anybody from the 10 hole out because they're going to be disadvantaged at Laurel,” she said. “It also happens that the two horses I'm leaning toward right now are in the one hole and the six hole. So let's root for Brittany Russell, another female, to win the Preakness Stakes. She's got Taj Mahal (Nyquist) in there, who's undefeated. Steve Asmussen has already won the Preakness Stakes twice and he had considered the Kentucky Derby with Chip Honcho (Connect) and then decided to give him a little bit more time. He breaks from the six hole. So I'm probably going to pick one of those two, but I haven't decided which one yet.”

The Writers' Room team went through each contender in the 14-horse Preakness field, highlighting a few of their top picks to wrap up this week's episode.

The Fastest Horses of the Week, sponsored by Winstar, was Otter Mischief (Maximus Mischief), who earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure with his 8 1/4-length win at Parx Racing on May 5. The TDN Writers' Room is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV, and West Point Thoroughbreds.

The post Donna Barton Brothers Talks Preakness on TDN Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Kappa Kappa (Omaha Beach), winner of the 2025 GII Lexus Raven Run, was named the 2025 Pennsylvania-bred Horse of the Year, as well as champion 3-year-old filly and female sprinter, at the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's 47th annual Iroquois Awards held May 8.

Racing in 2025 for LC Racing LLC, Cash is King LLC, and trainer Butch Reid's Wellesley Stable, Kappa Kappa won three of five starts during her 3-year-old season.

The full list of award recipients includes:

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Rick Abbott
• 2-year-old filly: Divine Intentions (Divining Rod)
• 2-year-old male: Mailata (Maximus Mischief)
• 3-year-old male: Come Prima (Well Spelled)
• Older female: Candy Reward (Warrior's Reward)
• Older male and male sprinter: Maximus Meridius (Maximus Mischief)
• Turf female: Corinna (Point of Entry)
• Turf male: Fierce and Strong (Hoppertunity)
• PA-Preferred Female: Candy Reward (Warrior's Reward)
• PA-Preferred Male: Ninetypercentmaddie (Weigelia)
• Top PA-Bred Thoroughbred Makeover: Miss Pretender (Mendelssohn)
• PA Broodmare of the Year: Katarica Disco

Additionally, the PHBA recognized State Representative Tom Mehaffie (Dauphin County) with a Legislator Award and Bell Run Rescue, a recent TAA-accredited non-profit dedicated to the rescue, retraining, and rehoming of off-track Thoroughbreds was presented the PHBA Award of Merit.

Warrior's Reward LLC was the leading breeding fund recipient for the second consecutive year, earning $891,519.50. Uptowncharlybrown was recognized with a Stallion Triple Crown Award for finishing as leading stallion for the third straight year, earnings $221,542.45 in stallion awards in 2025.

The post Kappa Kappa Named PA-Bred Horse of the Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Danon Bourbon (Maxfield), who finished fifth in this year's GI Kentucky Derby behind Golden Tempo (Curlin), has been found to have a fractured knee upon his return to Japan, trainer Manabu Ikezoe announced Wednesday.

“The fracture in his knee was discovered after the Kentucky Derby,” Ikezoe said. “After returning to Japan, he had X-rays taken for confirmation and has completed quarantine at the Japan Racing School, so he will now undergo surgery to remove the bone fragments at the Shadai Clinic in Hokkaido in preparation for his return. The timing of his return is undecided as it depends on the results of the surgery and the rehabilitation that follows, but I think he will focus on resting for the rest of the year.”

The $450,000 Keeneland September grad was previously undefeated in three starts in Japan prior to his run in the Derby.

【残念なお知らせです】
ケンタッキーダービー5着のダノンバーボンが骨折
池添師「年内は休養に専念すると思います」#ダノンバーボンhttps://t.co/7mBUxWBZcP

— netkeiba (@netkeiba) May 13, 2026

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Nominations for the 2026 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in North America opened Wednesday, principal partner Godolphin announced. The program will accept nominations through midnight on Monday, July 13.

Lee Hall, CEO of Dedication to Breeding Award sponsor Hallway Feeds, commented, “We are both proud and honored to be a sponsor of these important awards. It's such a magnificent way to recognize and honor the hard-working people in our business. But first, they have to be nominated. It's quick and easy at tiea.org, so take a few minutes and nominate today.”

Godolphin, the global racing and breeding operation founded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the principal sponsor of the awards in association with The Jockey Club, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, and the Breeders' Cup. Godolphin also sponsors equivalent awards in Ireland, Australia, Great Britain, and France.

Cash prizes totaling $124,000 will be awarded to winners and finalists across seven categories, with additional monetary awards presented to two runners-up. The award categories are the Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award, Katherine McKee Administration Award, Dedication to Breeding Award, Dedication to Racing Award, Newcomer Award, Support Services Award, and Managerial Award.

For more information, please contact the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards at (859) 255-8537 or email here.

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Members of The Jockey Club,

I've been a casual horse racing fan since I watched American Pharoah cross the wire at the Belmont on my iPhone 6. But I've been obsessed with this sport since August 2, 2025.

Dave Portnoy was nice enough to invite me to the Whitney Stakes and the Saratoga Sale last summer. He wanted a partner for more ammo to buy exclusively grey horses. We bought one, simply because he was grey and a horse. Zedan Racing outbid us for another one. Imagine that.

I had more fun in those four days than I did in 30 years of playing golf. Sadly, Dave dumped his enthusiastic new partner after I asked him 10,000 questions in 96 hours, bought a place in Saratoga and declared myself the victor of the 2027 Kentucky Derby after buying a Maclean's Music out of a sprint mare. Can't understand why he thought I was coming on too strong.

Less than a year later, Delta Squad Racing has grown to 20 horses. I am having the time of my life and I hope the fun continues for the long term.

Admittedly, I am skeptical it will. Because I'm not sure the long term in horse racing actually exists.

There's a concept in technology called the innovator's dilemma. It outlines this phenomenon that as businesses grow, they become bureaucratic, risk-averse, and profit-focused. So they stop investing and innovating to the level that made them successful. As a result, they never disrupt themselves and…they die. Think Blockbuster Video.

The challenges are well-documented: a broken aftercare system, a declining foal crop, limited reach, a lack of consistency in veterinary practices and the notable absence of a commissioner. Though I won't be a living, breathing version of Equibase anytime soon, I'm hoping to encourage The Jockey Club to apply “first-principles” thinking to these challenges: 1) a small, empowered team will go further in less time; 2) bureaucracy kills; 3) action is better than inaction; 4) teams of rivals win.

Number 4 is of particular importance. Because when people feel passionately enough to debate good ideas, they make each other better. And thus they make the agreed-upon outcome better. This is especially true in this case given the talent and relevance of the so-called rivals. Progress cannot be made without The Jockey Club, no doubt. But it's also true that progress cannot be maximized without the help of Mike Repole.

And before I give him any other compliments, I want it known that I'm being nice despite the fact that I am his 25% partner in a beautiful Not This Time colt and he gets the silks 100% of the time. Tough.

As someone who wants to be in this game for the next 50 years, I'd love to see a more sustainable approach. There are times when a radical shift is paramount to survival. This is one of them. And we are lucky to have someone as accomplished as Mike willing to help. He has built several brands into household names…even Pirate's Booty. The playbook he is applying to the UFL has parallels to horse racing. We can use Mike's help.

Mr. Dobson has led The Jockey Club with admirable humility and class. I humbly ask him to exemplify that humility once again and invite Mike Repole in as a true partner. A partner on a small team whose charter is to reform our sport in the aforementioned areas. Maybe track operators and trainers should be represented as well. I have absolute conviction that an effort led by Mr. Dobson AND Mr. Repole will give our sport the best chance of success. Why? Simple. Because teams of rivals win.

I am certainly no expert in anything involving horse racing but I do hope to see action that changes the trajectory of our sport. If I can be helpful in any way, I'm happy to assist on this journey worth embarking on.

Teams of rivals win.

Josh Isner, Delta Squad Racing

Josh Isner is the President of Axon, a technology company that primarily develops hardware, software, and AI products for law enforcement, the military, and public safety sectors.

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With a clearance rate of 91%, the Fasig-Tipton May Digital Sale closed Tuesday with gross sales of $2,229,500. Topping the 69 sold was Blessed Flyer (Dialed In), who hammered for $270,000 to Mike Tomlinson, agent for Mark Farrar and Patricia's Hope LLC. Consigned by Evergreen Equine, agent and sold as hip 1, Blessed Flyer is a 2-year-old colt who captured his debut in a Keeneland maiden special weight Apr. 16.

“I'm really excited about the results, especially as we had only a week from the April sale to put together this catalogue,” said Fasig-Tipton's Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron. “Every segment of the market was strong, including breeding stock, and the repository was busy as well. The market is showing that there is still a huge demand for horses of all types.”

Other May Digital Sale top sellers included Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief) (hip 3), who sold for $130,000 to Amanda Gillman, agent as a horse of racing age by ELiTE, agent for White Birch Farm, Inc.; racing/broodmare prospect Dreaming of Abba (Fast Anna) (hip 4), sold for $110,000 to Thiele Thoroughbreds LLC and consigned by Sean S. Perl Bloodstock, agent; multiple stakes-placed broodmare prospect My Lil Punky (Outwork) (hip 9), sold for $105,000 to H. Cruise and offered by Lane's End, agent; and Contribution (Constitution) (hip 88), sold as a horse of racing age by ELiTE, agent for Resolute Racing for $100,000 to Clarity Thoroughbreds, agent for Katherine Neilson.

Fasig-Tipton's June Digital Sale will be held June 25-30, with entries closing June 15.

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TIMONIUM, MD – The first of two sessions of the under-tack preview of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale got underway under brilliantly sunny skies and a brand new format Tuesday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Some 250 horses previewed over the track, and, while they were cascaded by the beeps of stopwatches from onlookers in the grandstand, Fasig-Tipton provided no times for the works.

With forecasted wet weather later in the week, the under-tack show was condensed to two days, leading to close to nine hours of previews, but when the last horse had left the track Tuesday, Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning said he was pleased with the results of the new format.

“I thought today went exceptionally well,” Browning said. “The horses seemed to preview very consistently. The racetrack was in very good condition from start to finish and seemed to play very fairly. I honestly couldn't be more pleased with the first half of the under-tack show and how it went today. I thought the consignors displayed their horses in a very professional manner and the feedback that we got from the buyers was generally very, very positive. Hopefully the conditions will be fine again tomorrow.”

Consignors were given the choice on how their horses would perform on the racetrack, resulting in everything from galloping down the lane to full-out breezes, but riders faced added restrictions on whip use and were required to keep their hands on the reins during the entire preview.

“I have been on record for several months now, saying that we are going to do what I call farm breezes,” consignor Becky Thomas said after sending out a colt by Flightline (hip 54, video) early in Tuesday's session. “For me, they're three-quarter tilt breezes so everyone can see them stretch their legs without being under a hustle.”

Of Tuesday's untimed preview Thomas said, “Every year before every horse breezes, I always feel sick to my stomach. I am not sick today.”

Thomas's Sequel consignment includes six horses bred by longtime client Chester Broman. In addition to the Flightline colt, who is out of Grade I winner Bar of Gold (Medaglia d'Oro), the group includes a filly by Curlin (hip 240, video), who previewed later in the session, and a daughter of Gun Runner (hip 357), scheduled to work Wednesday.

“We expected him to look just like he did,” Thomas said of the colt's performance on the racetrack. “He's a beautiful mover. He's been a special horse from the time we got to have him. And  we've also got a Gun Runner and a Curlin for Mr. Broman in this sale, too, that are pretty exciting.”

Those marquee pedigrees may fare better next week when the action moves from performance on the racetrack to bidding in the sales ring.

“We will have to see how we sell, because that's what we are all here for,” Thomas said. “I am hoping that the buyer base will change to accommodate the new format. And that is stressful, thinking, 'Are all these horses going to get sold?' I think the big pedigreed horses are going to be fine, but we've all got a lot of horses that are maybe not the top pedigrees. But as far as how the breeze show is going, I'm super happy.”

Clovis Crane's Crane Thoroughbred Services had horses run the gamut on the track Tuesday. The consignment had a pair of gallopers early in the day before a gray colt by Volatile (hip 13) turned in a flashy work (video) during the session's fifth of nine sets.

“He's just been brilliant all winter,” Crane said of the colt. “He's beautiful. Every time we've done something, he's been perfect. He's never done anything wrong. He's just nice colt who has developed wonderfully.”

Hip 13 | Fasig-Tipton

Crane and Joe Besecker purchased the colt for $18,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall sale.

“He had the right physical to be a runner,” Crane said of the colt's appeal. “At the end of the day, we are looking for runners. A little of this and a little of that, we can tolerate because we are looking for horses to be racehorses, not just pinhook horses. He looked like a horse who would be a sound, solid runner.”

Crane continued, “Some of my earlier horses galloped. I had a horse who had a cut on his butt. Another horse had a shin and they are just back in training.”

Crane said his focus is always to have his horses move forward from the under-tack show.

“I take a page out of Cary Frommer's book,” he said. “Many years ago, she said this should just be another day in their training and their progression. I really admire her for saying that. I really believe it's the way it should be. It's just another day forward in their training. Instead of being worried that this has to be the best day of their lives.”

Asked if he thought buyers would be receptive to the new format, Crane said, “I hope so. I think anytime we are doing the right thing for the horses, it's good for all of us. I think that's important.”

Buyers who have been conditioned to expect speedy breezes may have to shuffle their priorities ahead of sale time, according to trainer-turned-bloodstock agent John Kimmel, who was among the many observers in the grandstand Tuesday.

“My assessment is that the criteria we use to make our judgements is going to change a little bit,” Kimmel said. “Back at the OBS sales, time and gallop-out times were a major criteria–probably number one–followed by physical and pedigree, then technological details like radiographs and scoping. But here, I think we're just going to give a movement mark instead of getting so hung up on time, which might fall a little farther down on the totem pole of criteria that we use to judge.”

Asked if that would be a good thing for buyers, Kimmel said, “I guess time will eventually tell whether that's a positive. I really can't say right now, but for me, I always have to have a good physical anyway on a horse. I won't buy a horse that doesn't pass for my physical assessment. So maybe the physical moves up to number one category, followed by an okay or better than average mover and then the time might come in a little bit and then followed by radiographic assessments.”

As for how he will consider times, Kimmel said, “I am clocking them, but I really don't have any idea exactly what it means. You have Caliente [Thoroughbreds] little better than two-minute licking from the three-eighths pole and then you have some horses that are going fairly full strong quarter-mile breezes. So it's quite a spectrum of presentations.”

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan was seeing plenty to like on the track Tuesday.

“It's a beautiful day and the track is in great shape,” Ryan said. “Compliments to the maintenance people that work on the track. It's lively, it's got good bounce to it, and horses are getting over it well.”

Of the horses he is watching perform on that track, Ryan said, “I like the new format because I think it gives you a chance to see their action a lot better. They're not on their heads. They're not forcing themselves to go :9 3/5 or :9 4/5 and I think you get a better read on them. And you certainly get a better read on them on the dirt. At least that's my personal opinion. I find it much easier to separate horses on the dirt and mostly we are going to run on the dirt anyway.”

Mike Ryan | Fasig-Tipton

Ryan said he was timing the previews, but added, “It's not the be all and the end all by any stretch. But it's interesting just to see. A lot of them are going in :10 and change, and gallop-outs are a little slower because the cones are way out. But it's more impressed with how the horse is traveling. How well are they doing it. Are they on their heads or are they just doing it nicely in control and on the bridle.”

Of how the format might change his buying process, Ryan said, “It's pretty much the same thing. And then, of course, it all comes down to the barn. It's like a yearling sale. You've got to go back to the barn and figure it all out.”

Bloodstock agent Pedro Lanz said he was seeing what he needed to see from the grandstand Tuesday.

“So far, I have seen relaxed horses going very nicely and without all the urging that you normally see at a 2-year-old sale,” he said. “We can separate out the good ones from the ones that are not as good.”

He continued, “It's very good to see the action of the horse. You can calculate the length of a stride. You can even listen to them. And it's especially good for me to watch these horses train on the dirt, since I am mostly buying dirt horses for Saudi Arabia.”

Taking in the previews trackside, Legion Bloodstock's Kristian Villante said, “I think the conditions have been great today. You get to see them move. They are all going at a pretty good clip, even without the timer, but I think it's been a great day to get to see them move and see how they actually get over the ground.”

Of timing the previews, Villante said, “Everyone seems to be doing it a little bit differently, so you have to take that into account when you're looking at it. Not everyone's really going the same speed here on purpose.”

As to how the new format might change the team's approach to shopping over the next week, Villante said, “We're about to find out. I think, ultimately, it kind of goes back to the yearling sales, but you actually get to see them gallop. It's really not that different from what we do all year long. We are still looking for an athlete.”

With rain forecasted for later in the week, Fasig-Tipton has condensed its under-tack show to two sessions. The show will conclude with a final session Wednesday beginning at 8 a.m. The Midlantic May sale is scheduled to be held next Monday and Tuesday with bidding beginning at 11 a.m. both days.

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The Horse Racing Women's Association (HRWA) presented by FanDuel TV will hold its 2026 Annual Conference October 12-14 at Harper Hall in Lexington, Kentucky. The annual event for women in racing brings together an inspiring community of leaders, innovators, athletes, executives, and changemakers from across sports and business.

As part of the conference lineup, HRWA is honored to welcome Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux and Golden Tempo co-owner and breeder Daisy Phipps Pulito, who will join a broader roster of influential speakers, including a Keynote Speaker and a series of powerhouse panelists to be announced in the coming weeks.

“Winning the Kentucky Derby with Golden Tempo was an incredibly special moment for our entire team.” said Cherie DeVaux. “I'm looking forward to being part of this year's HRWA Conference and connecting with so many women who are helping shape the future of our sport!”

The HRWA Annual Conference will feature three days dedicated to celebrating the momentum, leadership, and impact of women in sports and racing through dynamic conversations, networking opportunities, educational sessions, and community-building experiences.

“HRWA was created to build meaningful connections, elevate women, and create opportunities for growth across every corner of the industry,” said Chairwoman, Stephanie Hronis. “This conference is more than an event, it's a gathering of people who are passionate about the future of the sport and committed to supporting one another through education, mentorship, collaboration, and community. We're proud to bring that energy back to Lexington during such an exciting moment for women in racing.”

Additional speakers, programming details, and registration information will be announced soon.

Click here for more information on the Horse Racing Women's Association.

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Having last week celebrated a first GI Kentucky Derby winner carrying the venerable black-and-cherry silks of the Phipps family, today we remind ourselves that the man who postponed that moment for 37 years has since built an iconic legacy of his own.

In thwarting Easy Goer with Sunday Silence, in 1989, Arthur B. Hancock III secured parallel boons for the modern breed. One, of course, required the agency of those far-sighted Japanese breeders who made Sunday Silence one of its most vital influences. But the other is Hancock's own farm, then brought back from the very brink. It has meanwhile remained a byword for the difference that can be made to young Thoroughbreds by the very best in horsemanship and land. As a result, Hancock last summer entered the Hall of Fame as Pillar of the Turf–a distinction to be uniquely matched, this year, by his induction into the equivalent institution for Kentucky music.

With standards seamlessly maintained by Hancock's daughter Lynn, now front-of-house for day-to-day operations, Stone Farm has produced its latest emerging star in Growth Equity (Nyquist), winner of the GIII Peter Pan Stakes.

Now as it happens I was sitting with Hancock when he bought this colt's dam My Dear Venezuela (Wildcat Heir) at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale, for $440,000. She had shown plenty of speed, winning three of 14 round a single turn and second on her only start in graded stakes company (GIII Old Hat Stakes), and was carrying a first foal by Arrogate. Hancock loved the mare's physique and, as we'll see, the aristocratic roots of her family lay off the page.

The following summer, visiting Stone Farm, I was introduced to the mare's Arrogate colt grazing one of those huge fields. Hancock called him “Bones”: he had plenty of timber, for one thing, but he also loved dozing in the sun: a real Lazybones. I was charmed, but nobody met the reserve (admittedly in the Covid market) at the 2020 September Sale. Hancock named him Bad to the Bones, but the horse never quite lived up to what he kept showing his trainers in the mornings, despite a maiden win, and was eventually claimed. (That timber has held up well, mind: he's still plugging away at seven, out in California.)

The mare has meanwhile being paying her way nicely at the sales. Her next two yearlings, both by Quality Road, respectively realized $375,000 and $550,000, albeit have so far managed only a maiden claimer between them. Then came a Nyquist colt, sold to Klaravich Stable for $425,000. His purchasers could be confident in his grounding, having campaigned a $200,000 graduate of the Stone Farm consignment at the equivalent sale in Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway). Sure enough, their colt is the slow-burning talent we saw last weekend beating Modernist's flagbearers, Talk to Me Jimmy and Trendsetter, for a free berth in the GI Belmont Stakes.

As intimated above, Growth Equity can draw on some special blood. My Dear Venezuela's catalogue page extended only to her third dam, and suggested its principal interest to be close up, in her close sibling Selva (by her grandsire Forest Wildcat), who won four of her first six, including black-type wins on three different surfaces, and was narrowly beaten in the GII Beaumont Stakes. Two of Selva's sons have been graded stakes-placed, while her grandson Borracho has spread 22 wins between the ages of two and 10! (The latest of those, this spring, was admittedly under a $7,500 tag at Parx but in his youth he ran third in the GI Woody Stephens.)

There were one or two other spots of black type on the page but it's only when you reach My Dear Venezuela's fourth dam that a bulb really comes on. For she is none other than Monade (Fr) (Klairon {Fr}), the 1962 Epsom Oaks winner, imported by Robert Kleberg Jr. of King Ranch to found a dynasty that has produced elite winners on three continents.

It took a while to develop: all 11 of Monade's named foals were winners, but only a couple showed stakes competence. The blessing was that nine were fillies, and it was these who put the family on the map. Three of Monade's daughters produced Grade I winners–most notably Remedia (Dr. Fager), whose daughter Too Chic (Blushing Groom {Fr}) in turn had two daughters by Mr. Prospector, champion Queena and matriarch Chic Shirine, who emulated her as both Grade I winners and producers.

My Dear Venezuela's catalogue page described her third dam Aesculapian (Dr. Fager) only as a half-sister to black-type performers Pressing Date (Never Bend) and Mariella (Roberto). It needed a seasoned eye to see those names and immediately think Monade, and everything that entailed. Plenty of people today view the edge of a catalogue page much as the Flat Earthers did the ocean horizon. Fortunately Stone Farm has an admiral who has sailed the seven seas of life, and he has equipped his captain and her crew with a navigational sense available to few others.

Looking For Heroes

I must say that was a marvelous advertisement for Charlatan over the weekend: “From Zero to Hero.” First page, a list of sires with no 2-year-old stakes winners in their first crop, starting with names as big as Curlin and Kingmambo–with Charlatan appended to the list, with a big fat zero of his own. Second page, a series of indices that show Charlatan top of his class with his maturing sophomores, with Cadenza on Saturday putting him first by stakes, graded stakes and overall winners.

We all know that the only thing more ludicrous than the stampede for unproven new sires is how promptly they are then abandoned. So I loudly applaud the point being made on behalf of a stallion whose parents, as noted here a couple of weeks ago, were both extremely late-maturing wines.

Charaltan | Louise Reinagel

Albeit in a light career, Charlatan showed exceptional class in pairing up Grade I wins round two turns and one and duly started at $50,000. But his fee was halved this spring, after his first juveniles proved little more precocious than he had been himself, and with his second crop of yearlings yielding a tepid $88,757 (88 sold of 114 offered)–down from $254,774 for 102 sold of 125 from his debut crop.

Actually that “zero” appears to refer only to Listed winners or better; if we accept all black type, as does TDN in its data, Charlatan did actually have a couple of stakes winners last year. Admittedly he hasn't been short of numbers and, at the fee, will have matched quantity with mare quality. Moreover we've repeatedly noted the historic underachievement of this intake, so far. It wouldn't often be possible to boast of being the only sire with a second graded stakes winners at this stage. Hopefully, however, that is only one of the ways in which Charlatan can maintain his renewed momentum.

Some Genetic Spice

For those of us who start with the bottom line, rather than constantly jump on the sire train, the standout pedigree of the weekend was GIII Senorita Stakes winner Marjoram (Quality Road).

Families are what have qualified Juddmonte as a transformative force in the modern breed, but remember that their foundation mares were themselves typically recruited from others who had themselves put in long and patient work. That's why the purchase, at the 2005 Keeneland September Sale, of a $550,000 Touch Gold filly out of a Group-placed daughter of A.P. Indy and Machiavellian's champion sister Coup De Genie (Mr. Prospector) was so characteristic–despite being, at that stage, relatively unusual.

It was a way to tap into one of few programs still matching their own exemplary priorities. With her precious Niarchos blood, it won't have troubled the late Prince Khalid that the filly, named Soothing Touch, never managed to break her maiden. Sure enough, her own foals include four-time Grade I winner Emollient (Empire Maker) and her sister, now dam of G1 Dubai World Cup winner Laurel River (Into Mischief). Marjoram's dam Cardamon is in turn closely related to that pair, being by Empire Maker's son Pioneerof the Nile.

As we were able to note with the Derby winner, the great families are built by breeding runners–not flashy sales horses. In a way, that's another version of the same battle now being lost to the trainers who are hollowing out the Triple Crown. At the moment, they're doing that by emptying the Preakness; but the upshot, when they get their way, will be to deprive the whole series of its current meaning. If we truly want to act “in the interests of the horse,” we would be seeking to identify future stallions that can stand up to the demands made of their predecessors. But we will never know which those are, once the industry is coerced into change.

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Dr. Dionne Benson and Cricket Goodall will each be honored with the Special Award of Merit on Thursday, May 14 at the Alibi Breakfast at Laurel Park.

The Special Award of Merit is given to those who have made a positive impact on the racing industry. Previous recipients have included Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Jim McKay, Ellen Charles, Beyond the Wire, D. Wayne Lukas and Jerry Bailey.

The Alibi Breakfast, which began in the 1930s on the porch of the historic Pimlico Race Course, features a gathering of owners, trainers, jockeys, media and fans to celebrate the Preakness and gain interesting and humorous race predictions.

Dr. Benson, appointed the first Chief Veterinary Officer of 1/ST Racing in 2019, oversees veterinary safety, welfare, and integrity practices and protocols, as well as equine research initiatives for 1/ST Racing. She is respected as an authority on equine science and pharmacology. She previously served as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium. She has previously been honored with the prestigious international President's Award for Exemplary Service by the Association of Racing Commissioners (ARCI).

Goodall is currently the Executive Director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, the Maryland Million, and the Maryland Horse Foundation. Starting in 1986, Goodall manages the three non-profit trade associations that work to inform, educate and promote the diversity of the horse industry in Maryland. Goodall has worked on Maryland Million Day since its first event in 1986 and has helped grow it to become the second largest racing event in Maryland and the signature event at Laurel Park. She has also worked with the equine industry to establish the Maryland Horse Library and Education Center. She also currently serves as Chair of the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.

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The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) released its 2026 First Quarter Metrics Report Tuesday with a new low 0.95 racing-related fatalities per 1,000 starts for the quarter.

During the first three months of the year (January 1-March 31), racetracks operating under HISA rules reported that 99.91% of starts occurred without a fatality. Of the racing-related fatalities recorded this quarter, 81% were attributable to musculoskeletal causes, 16% to sudden death and 3% to other causes.

This quarter marked the inaugural safety impact of the HISA Equine Recovery Foundation (HERF), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing critical assistance for Thoroughbred racehorses sustaining career-ending injuries during racing. Already this year, HERF has proven complementary to the benefits achieved under HISA rules. The foundation saved three horses (Candy, Cosmo and Quirky) from euthanasia who otherwise would have been racing-related fatalities. All three horses are thriving and will soon transition to second careers.

Racetracks operating under HISA rules (and training centers owned by them) also reported 0.67 training-related deaths per 1,000 workouts during the same time period. Of the training-related fatalities recorded this quarter, 82% were attributable to musculoskeletal causes and 18% to sudden death. HERF similarly benefitted training safety this quarter, saving two horses (Chrissy and Pie) who would otherwise have been training-related fatalities. Both horses are thriving and will soon transition to second careers.

“HERF's work is a powerful complement to the progress we already have seen from HISA's racetrack safety and anti-doping rules,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Our rules are driving meaningful, measurable improvements in safety across the industry, and now when a horse suffers an on-track reparable injury despite those protections, HERF gives us a way to fight for that animal's life so they can go onto a second career. Together, these efforts reflect what HISA was always meant to be: a comprehensive, unified approach to making this sport safer for horses and riders alike.”

HISA determined that 26,513 unique Covered Horses either recorded a published workout or made a start in a Covered Horserace in the first quarter of 2026, meaning that the total racing and training-related fatality rate for the Covered Horse population was 0.29%.

Other key data noted was that there were 2.84 crop rule violations per 1,000 starts–a 32% decrease year-over-year compared to 4.20 per 1,000 starts in the first quarter of 2025. This continues the meaningful downward trend observed throughout 2025, which saw a full-year rate of 3.31 per 1,000 starts, down 25% from 4.40 in 2024.

On average, HISA received approximately 6,000 veterinary treatment records each day during the first quarter of 2026. As of March 31, 2026, 7.1 million veterinary treatment records had been uploaded or digitally submitted to the HISA database through third-party integrators since the inception of the Racetrack Safety Program on July 1, 2022. This dataset continues to power HISA's diagnostic tools, HISA CHECK√ and HISA Horse In-Sight.

During the first quarter of 2026, HISA recorded an average of 11.7% scratches per entry at HISA tracks, compared to 11.6% in the same period last year–essentially flat year-over-year. The report notes that HISA is continuing its comprehensive review aimed at updating the Veterinarians' List and Stewards' List categories across U.S. Thoroughbred racing, with changes targeted for later this year.

The full report can be accessed here.

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Rhetorical (Not This Time) earned New York-bred Horse of the Year honors and led a strong evening for his breeders Mallory and Karen Mort Monday evening during the New York Thoroughbred Breeders' Inc.'s Annual Awards Ceremony held Monday night at the Hall of Springs at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs.

Bred by the Morts and campaigned by Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable and Wachtel Stable, Rhetorical won four of five starts and earned $863,800 in 2025. His victories included the GI Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland Race Course and the West Point Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. In addition to Horse of the Year honors, Rhetorical also earned Champion Turf Male honors.

The Morts were also selected by the NYTB board as New York Breeder of the Year and their former Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor was named Broodmare of the Year. Sheet Humor also produced Sterling Silver (Cupid), who was bred by the Morts and took home honors as Champion Older Dirt Female for owner Mark Anderson.

The full list of 2025 honorees includes:

• New York-Bred Horse of the Year and Champion Turf Male: Rhetorical
• Champion 2-Year-Old Male: Arctic Beast (Yaupon)
• Champion 2-Year-Old Filly: Iron Orchard (Authentic)
• Champion 3-Year-Old Male: Mo Plex (Complexity)
• Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and Champion Female Sprinter: Usha (Tiz the Law)
• Champion Older Dirt Male: Bank Frenzy (Central Banker)
• Champion Older Dirt Female: Sterling Silver (Cupid)
• Champion Turf Female: Awesome Czech (Mendelssohn)
• Champion Male Sprinter: Whatchatalkinabout (Dialed In)
• Broodmare of the Year: Sheet Humor (Distorted Humor)
• New York-Sire of the Year: Bucchero, standing at Ironhorse Stallions
• New York-Sired Horse of the Year: Bank Frenzy
• New York-Bred Trainer of the Year: Linda Rice
• New York-Bred Jockey of the Year: Manny Franco
• New York Breeders of the Year: Mallory and Karen Mort
• New York-bred Program Lifetime Achievement Award: Marlene Brody
• New York Farm Manager of the Year: Gregg Falk (Chestertown Farm)

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Chip Honcho (Connect) had his final major tune-up for the May 16 GI Preakness Stakes when he worked four furlongs in :50.20 (39/47) at Churchill Downs Sunday. Exercise rider Luiyi Ortiz was aboard for the work, which was one of trainer Steve Asmussen's typical easy half-mile moves the week of a race. Chip Honcho's big work came May 2, when he worked five furlongs in 1:00.00 (1/14).

“I think we're in a very good place with him right now,” said Asmussen, who won the Preakness in 2007 with Curlin and with Rachel Alexandra two years later. “We want to get him up there in the same shape he's leaving here in and hope for a good draw for him.

“I'm anxious because I think we have a very good opportunity going in,” Asmussen added. “For him, I really want to avoid an outside draw.”

Chip Honcho had post two when he won a Churchill Downs maiden race and the rail when he took the Gun Runner Stakes last December at Fair Grounds in his first start around two turns.

In the Jan. 17 GIII Lecomte Stakes, Chip Honcho had the outermost post 10, broke a step slowly and was five wide on the first turn. He wound up fourth behind future Kentucky Derby hero Golden Tempo (Curlin).

His best and fastest race came when Chip Honcho was second in the Feb. 14 GII Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, when he broke well from post five, set the pace and only gave way late to come in second by a half-length to the well-regarded and subsequently sidelined Paladin (Gun Runner), while easily finishing in front of Golden Tempo. Chip Honcho's hoped-for progression hit the brakes with a well-beaten fifth in the Mar. 21 GII Louisiana Derby, leading connections to skip the Kentucky Derby in favor of the Preakness.

Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Jose Ortiz, who rode Chip Honcho in his maiden victory, has the Preakness mount.

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Chip Honcho (Connect) had his final major tune-up for the May 16 GI Preakness Stakes when he worked four furlongs in :50.20 (39/47) at Churchill Downs Sunday. Exercise rider Luiyi Ortiz was aboard for the work, which was one of trainer Steve Asmussen's typical easy half-mile moves the week of a race. Chip Honcho's big work came May 2, when he worked five furlongs in 1:00.00 (1/14).

“I think we're in a very good place with him right now,” said Asmussen, who won the Preakness in 2007 with Curlin and with Rachel Alexandra two years later. “We want to get him up there in the same shape he's leaving here in and hope for a good draw for him.

“I'm anxious because I think we have a very good opportunity going in,” Asmussen added. “For him, I really want to avoid an outside draw.”

Chip Honcho had post two when he won a Churchill Downs maiden race and the rail when he took the Gun Runner Stakes last December at Fair Grounds in his first start around two turns.

In the Jan. 17 GIII Lecomte Stakes, Chip Honcho had the outermost post 10, broke a step slowly and was five wide on the first turn. He wound up fourth behind future Kentucky Derby hero Golden Tempo (Curlin).

His best and fastest race came when Chip Honcho was second in the Feb. 14 GII Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, when he broke well from post five, set the pace and only gave way late to come in second by a half-length to the well-regarded and subsequently sidelined Paladin (Gun Runner), while easily finishing in front of Golden Tempo. Chip Honcho's hoped-for progression hit the brakes with a well-beaten fifth in the Mar. 21 GII Louisiana Derby, leading connections to skip the Kentucky Derby in favor of the Preakness.

Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Jose Ortiz, who rode Chip Honcho in his maiden victory, has the Preakness mount.

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Reef Runner (The Big Beast), winner of the G2 1351 Turf Sprint in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh and fourth in the Mar. 28 G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan, is expected to make his stateside return in the June 6 GI Jaipur Stakes at Saratoga. The 5-year-old gelding had his first work since returning from the Middle East Saturday, going four furlongs in :46.90 (1/19) over the Tapeta at Gulfstream.

“He looks fantastic,” said trainer David Fawkes. “I nominated him for the Jaipur. We're coming. He traveled unbelievable from Dubai. He got off the plane like I vanned him from Ocala to Miami. I gave him 3 1/2 weeks with Nick Esler in Ocala, who took great care of him for me. Nick called me and said, 'Dave, you need to bring him back to work. He's a wild man.'”

Fawkes will be hoping for sunshine and firm ground in June at Saratoga, which is something Reef Runner failed to find in his lone previous outing at the Spa when a troubled eighth in the Mahony Stakes over good ground in August 2024.

“We were at John Kimmel's yard, and it rained so hard his entire courtyard was flooded. I knew we were screwed,” Fawkes said. “This time, he should be very strong, as long as the weather is good. He doesn't like it soft.”

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Reef Runner (The Big Beast), winner of the G2 1351 Turf Sprint in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh and fourth in the Mar. 28 G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan, is expected to make his stateside return in the June 6 GI Jaipur Stakes at Saratoga. The 5-year-old gelding had his first work since returning from the Middle East Saturday, going four furlongs in :46.90 (1/19) over the Tapeta at Gulfstream.

“He looks fantastic,” said trainer David Fawkes. “I nominated him for the Jaipur. We're coming. He traveled unbelievable from Dubai. He got off the plane like I vanned him from Ocala to Miami. I gave him 3 1/2 weeks with Nick Esler in Ocala, who took great care of him for me. Nick called me and said, 'Dave, you need to bring him back to work. He's a wild man.'”

Fawkes will be hoping for sunshine and firm ground in June at Saratoga, which is something Reef Runner failed to find in his lone previous outing at the Spa when a troubled eighth in the Mahony Stakes over good ground in August 2024.

“We were at John Kimmel's yard, and it rained so hard his entire courtyard was flooded. I knew we were screwed,” Fawkes said. “This time, he should be very strong, as long as the weather is good. He doesn't like it soft.”

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Stablemates Iron Honor (Nyquist) and Ottinho (Quality Road) worked four furlongs in :48.00 (10/184) in company over the Belmont Park dirt training track Saturday. The former is expected to line up in the May 16 GI Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park and the latter remains possible for the June 6 GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Iron Honor, owned by St. Elias Stable, William Lawrence, and Glassman Racing, won the Feb. 28 GIII Gotham Stakes and was most recently a troubled seventh in the Apr. 4 GII Wood Memorial.

“That work went well,” trainer Chad Brown said. “Iron Honor came out of it very well. I'd say that we are in good shape to head over and try the Preakness. We will give him another shot going two turns.”

Iron Honor will have an equipment change when he makes just his fourth career start in the Preakness. Brown will take the blinkers off the colt, who will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat. Iron Honor was equipped with blinkers when he broke his maiden in his first career start last Dec. 13 at Aqueduct and also had them on for his one-length score in the Gotham.

“We're trying to get the horse to relax and maybe not be too aggressive early,” Brown said. “I'm hoping there is some early pace in the race where he can sit back just a little bit and track horses.”

Three Chimneys Farm's homebred Ottinho was second behind Further Ado (Gun Runner) in the nine-furlong GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes last out Apr. 4.

“I want to keep him as a Belmont possibility,” Brown said. “I was pleased with that last effort. He had a minor issue with his foot that we discovered at Churchill, and we rectified that with a bar shoe. He seems to be very sound and moving forward again.”

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Klaravich Stable's Growth Equity (Nyquist) exited his two-length victory in the GIII Peter Pan Stakes Saturday in fine shape and the June 6 GI Belmont Stakes remains a possible next target for the bay colt.

“He looks good so far,” trainer Chad Brown said of Growth Equity's status Sunday morning. “That was a nice step forward. I was glad to see him handle two turns. I thought that he ran well. I think the runner-up is a nice horse. So, that was a nice, positive move forward. No immediate plans yet, but I was very pleased with the race.”

Growth Equity was second in his first two career starts, both at sprint distances. He graduated by 4 1/4 lengths when stretched out to Aqueduct's one-turn mile Mar. 20. In the Peter Pan, he scored a stalking victory over Withers Stakes winner Talk to Me Jimmy (Modernist), with GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes winner Trendsetter (Modernist) in third.

The Peter Pan is the traditional New York prep for the GI Belmont Stakes, to be held over 10 furlongs at Saratoga Race Course this year. The New York Racing Association has waived entry and starting fees to the Belmont Stakes for the first three finishers of the Peter Pan.

“I'm going to see how the horse comes out of this race when we put him back under tack and out on the track,” said Brown. “We'll keep an eye on [the Belmont Stakes]. We'll keep it as a possibility, for sure, but it is not the only possibility.”

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