Thoroughbred Daily News

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

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

Resolved ADMC Violations
Date: 06/09/2025
Licensee: Victor Barboza, trainer
Penalty: None. Case dismissed.
Explainer: Barboza had faced a medication violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on Gayles Evening during the race period, an event dated 3/2/25. According to the final ruling of the internal adjudication panel, regulatory veterinarian Dr. Teichner had allegedly witnessed Barboza's assistant administer an oral substance to Gayle's Evening prior to the race Mar. 2. Teichner allegedly observed this while she was “outside of the barn, in her vehicle, looking into the barn,” the final ruling states. But the panel dismissed the case because “no physical evidence, investigator testimony, or photographic proof was presented to support this allegation.”

Date: 06/06/2025
Licensee: Mike Miceli, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horses' 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; Treated as 1 violation with Pistol Liz Ablazen under 09/08/23 HISA Guidance. Admission.
Explainer: Medication violations for the presence of Dexamethasone–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Wildcat Annie, who won at Aqueduct on 2/15/25; and from Piston Liz Ablazen, who finished second at Aqueduct on 2/21/25.

Date: 06/06/2025
Licensee: Mike Miceli, trainer
Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning June 7; Disqualification of Covered Horses' Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points; Treated as 1 violation with Montauk Mystique under 09/08/23 HISA Guidance. Admission.
Explainer: Medication violations for the presence of Dexamethasone–a controlled substance (Class C)–in samples taken from Montauk Mystique, who finished second at Aqueduct on 3/28/25, and from Mighty Atlas who won at Aqueduct on 3/21/25.

Date: 06/05/2025
Licensee: Roshan Samsundar, trainer
Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning June 6, 2025; 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 $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Caffeine–a controlled substance (Class B)–in a sample taken from Carbon, who won at Aqueduct on 3/14/25.

Date: 06/05/2025
Licensee: Carl Cunningham, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision of HIWU.
Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Prince Pierre on 4/22/25.

Date: 06/04/2025
Licensee: Eric Reed, trainer
Penalty: 15-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning June 5; 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 $2,500; imposition of 2 Penalty Points. Admission.
Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Gabapentin–a controlled substance (Class B)–in a sample taken from She's a Saint, who won at Mahoning Valley on 4/8/25.

Pending ADMC Violations
06/09/2025, Arthur Agostini, trainer: Pending violation for the use or attempted use of a Class C controlled medication on That's My Cat during the race period, an event dated 12/27/24.

06/06/2025, Tanner Tracy, trainer: Pending vets' list medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone–a controlled substance (Class C)–in a sample taken from Rockets Sister on 5/8/24.

06/05/2025, Dr. Jason Scott, veterinarian: Pending violation for the possession of Pitcher Plant Extract (Adenosine Phosphate)–a banned substances–for an event dated 2/13/25.

06/05/2025, Vance Childers, trainer: Pending out-of-competition medication violation for the presence of Testosterone–a banned substance–in a sample taken from Childersattack on 10/16/24.

Violations of Crop Rule

Penn National
Wesley Ho – violation date June 7; $250 fine, one-day suspension

The post National Regulatory Rulings, June 5-11, 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Editor's note, by Dan Ross:

Despite the New York Racing Association's efforts in recent years to limit Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) participation in the Win, Late Pick Five, and Pick Six pools, the influence these teams exert in terms of last-cycle betting impacts appears to be growing in several other key pools, according to research conducted by economics professors Marshall Gramm and Nick McKinney, both of Rhodes College in Tennessee.

Indeed, they found that since 2022, the percentage share from CAW players of monies wagered last-minute into the Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta and Early Pick 5 pools (among others), has grown significantly. Why is this a problem for trainers, owners and other industry stakeholders?

With worsening CAW encroachment within these betting pools has come growing attrition from racing's average punters, turned away from the sport by the competitive imbalance. And with the nation's purses fueled primarily by wagering monies, this is placing the economic future of the sport into the hands of fewer and fewer deep-pocketed and influential gamblers. The Gramm-McKinney report appears below.

Measuring CAW Participation and Growth Through NYRA Pool Restrictions

By Marshall Gramm and Nick McKinney

Large betting syndicates employing Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) have become a powerful force in the horse racing industry, contributing significant handle but also disrupting betting pools with large, last-second wagers. These last-cycle bets cause sharp odds fluctuations that frustrate traditional horseplayers and undermine confidence in the game's integrity. Despite growing concern, little public data exists on the scale or growth of CAW activity. Using data from the past four Aqueduct Winter meets, we have estimated the size of CAW participation and how it has grown. Our findings suggest CAW teams now account for a much larger share of wagering than just a few years ago.

Armed with sophisticated wagering models, CAW teams place thousands of individual bets in the final seconds before post time. They use real-time odds to fine-tune their positions while keeping their activity hidden from the broader betting public. Their ability to flood the pools with targeted bets at scale, combined with rebates that often return half the takeout, gives them a significant edge over conventional horseplayers.

A recreational bettor might play dime superfectas at Saratoga using the box or key functions, spreading across dozens or even hundreds of combinations into a 24% takeout with limited efficiency. CAW teams, on the other hand, submit massive volumes of single-combination, optimally crafted superfecta bets executed with precision and boosted by substantial rebates.

Last-cycle wagering provides a measure of CAW activity, as anecdotal evidence and industry experience suggest that a significant portion of their money enters the pools in the final moments before post-time. We can gain insight into where and how CAW teams participate by examining the share of total handle wagered during this period, particularly by comparing pools where their access is restricted to those where they are free to participate.

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) restricted CAW access to its Win pool to combat sharp odds fluctuations. Additionally, it barred the teams from participating in the Late Pick Five and Pick Six, thereby offering a more level playing field for traditional horseplayers. These restrictions offer a rare opportunity to estimate both the size and growth of CAW wagering activity.

NYRA's Pick Five pools are particularly valuable for this type of analysis because they impose different restrictions within the same race card. NYRA racetracks typically offer at least two Pick Fives per card: an Early Pick Five (races 1-5) and a Late Pick Five (last five races). All Pick Fives have a 50-cent minimum and a 15% takeout. Importantly, CAW teams are excluded from the Late Pick Five but may participate freely in the Early Pick Five. Despite often featuring higher-quality races, the Late Pick Five consistently draws lower handle, likely reflecting CAW exclusion.

The table below shows the average share of each pool wagered during the final betting cycle, just before the race begins and the pools close. Over the past four Aqueduct winter meets, the share of last cycle handle in the Early Pick Five rose sharply, from 8.4% in 2022 to 32.0% in 2024 before falling slightly to 28.8% in 2025. The Late Pick Five, by contrast, showed only modest growth over the same period, increasing from 2.2% in 2022 to 9.4% in 2025. The gap between the two pools, those with and without CAW access, serves as an estimate of the share of wagering driven by CAW teams. This gap grew from 6.2 percentage points in 2022 to a peak of 23.0 points in 2024, highlighting the rapid expansion of their participation. While the roughly 20 percentage point difference in recent years supports the view that CAW teams make up around 20% of the Early Pick Five pool (a figure consistent with industry estimates), the pace of growth is more striking than the level itself.

Estimating CAW participation in other pools is less precise, as their betting activity likely varies by pool depending on model strength and the perceived inefficiency of each market. In general, CAW betting volume increases with wager complexity, with heavier involvement in exotics, such as trifectas and superfectas, than in straight bets, like win or place. Still, last-cycle activity offers a useful proxy.

In 2022, 11.0% of Win pool handle was wagered in the final cycle, compared to 17.5% for Exactas and 20.9% for Trifectas. By 2025, those figures had grown to 16.8%, 44.3%, and 47.6%, respectively. The gaps between Win and Exacta or Trifecta pools more than tripled, from 6.5 and 10.9 percentage points in 2022 to 27.5 and 30.8 in 2025. In the most recent meet, more than half of the Superfecta handle was bet in the final cycle. While less definitive than the Pick Five comparisons, these figures suggest that CAW teams now account for at least 30-35% of the Trifecta and Superfecta, up from around 10% just three years ago.

This analysis does not intend to single out NYRA. On the contrary, other racetracks should adopt the same CAW restrictions that NYRA has applied to the Win pool. Significant late odds shifts undermine bettors' confidence in the integrity of the pools and alienate new players accustomed to fixed-odds sports wagering. While exotic pools at other tracks also exhibit significant last-cycle movement, none have experienced as sharp an increase as those at NYRA.

It's important to remember that last-cycle wagering is only a proxy for estimating CAW involvement. The true scale of CAW participation remains opaque, known only to their ADWs and the racetracks. Not all last cycle money comes from CAW teams, just as some CAW wagers likely enter the pools earlier.

The use of advanced data modeling is a natural progression in the evolution of horse betting, and CAW teams are not inherently problematic in their pursuit of an edge. In a less-than-zero-sum game, once-profitable strategies inevitably become obsolete as better methods and sharper competition increase. The concern lies not with their sophistication but with the speed and concentration of their wagering activity. The flooding of pools in the final seconds destabilizes prices and undermines the parimutuel system.

Pierre Oller's invention was brilliant in its simplicity: the house takes a fixed cut, and winning bettors are paid from the pool rather than from the operator's pocket. Unlike fixed-odds sports betting, a winning horseplayer can continue to wager freely, often increasing handle over time. But the parimutuel system was never designed to accommodate large volumes of money flooding the pools in the final seconds. In the pre-simulcast era, such strategies were logistically impossible when all bets were placed at the window.

Technology has dramatically expanded the capabilities of bettors, but it also demands new safeguards. Restrictions on batch wagering should be extended to all visible pools, including Win, Place, Show, Exacta, and Double, to limit last-second price distortion. Just as critically, the rebate gap between CAW teams and ordinary bettors must be narrowed. Ideally, this would be achieved through across-the-board takeout reductions, improving fairness and sustainability across the entire wagering ecosystem.

Unfortunately, NYRA's last-cycle betting volume shows that the problem isn't stabilizing; it's worsening.

The post Gramm-McKinney Study Shows Late CAW Activity in NY Pools is Growing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

In recent months, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) has adjudicated several cases under the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program related to adenosine, a vasodilator, and Hemo 15, a foreign product that lacks FDA approval, according to an advisory from HIWU, which says that neither substance has any valid veterinary use in the racehorse.

“Both substances are categorized as an S0 Non-Approved Banned Substance and therefore are prohibited from Use in a Covered Horse or Possession by a Covered Person at all times,” reads the advisory. “Hemo 15 and any compounded product mimicking Hemo 15, as well as any products containing adenosine, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), or adenosine triphosphate (ATP) should be disposed of immediately.”

The advisory goes on to remind horsemen that “the Presence, Use, Administration, Possession, or Trafficking of any Banned Substance is subject to a period of Ineligibility of up to two years, a fine of up to $25,000, the disqualification of race results (as applicable), and public disclosure.”

Horsemen or veterinarians with questions are advised to reach out to sciencesupport@hiwu.org.

The post HIWU Issues Horsemen’s Advisory Regarding Adenosine and Hemo 15 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Saratoga season admission passes for the special July 4th Racing Festival and the 2025 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course are now available for purchase at more than 175 Stewart's Shops throughout the greater Capital (NY) Region.

Saratoga season passes provide fans with general admission access to 44 days of thoroughbred racing this summer for the equivalent of approximately two dollars per day.

Season passes are available for $90 at Stewart's Shops through Sunday, July 13, or for $95 online at NYRA.com/Saratoga.

Passes include admission to the traditional 40-day summer meet, July 10 to Sept. 1, in addition to the July 4th Racing Festival, July 3 to 6, which has been relocated to Saratoga while construction continues on a new Belmont Park.

Saratoga season passes provide access to the apron and the Rivers Casino Backyard, which includes hundreds of free picnic tables available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The post Saratoga Season Passes on Sale at Stewart’s appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH)'s 22nd annual 'Night of the Stars' Fundraiser takes place Saturday, June 21, at the Fasig-Tipton sales complex in Lexington.

Some 500 attendees are expected for the event, which will include dinner and drinks, a silent auction and a live auction in the same style as a Thoroughbred auction where the highest bidders will earn a sponsorship of CKRH participants and equine partners.

Bidding is now open for the silent and live auctions and may be accessed by clicking here. Some of the auction items available include:

• Halters from a group of popular Thoroughbreds, including American Pharoah, Gun Runner, Justify, Medaglia d'Oro, Rachel Alexandra, Serena's Song and Tapit;

• Meet and greet with the beloved Racing Hall of Famer Zenyatta, the winner of 19 consecutive races who earned $7.3 million, at Lane's End Farm;

• Painting of Horse of the Year Thoroughbred Cody's Wish by Lisa Palombo with proceeds beyond the reserve to be shared by CKRH and Angels Without Wings for the Cody's Wish Monument to be installed at the Kentucky Horse Park;

• A wide selection of Kentucky bourbon, including a set of eight bottles of Blanton's Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey with stoppers that show each stride of a racehorse in action.

Tropical attire is suggested for attendees of 'Night of the Stars', which will feature island-inspired decor and appetizers, signature cocktails, live music, pony meet-and-greets and inspiring riding demonstrations.

The post CKRH To Hold ‘Night of the Stars’ Fundraiser June 21 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) has escalated its recent threat of pulling out of racing at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

“Given the legislature's ease with which it approved legislation that is directly adverse and harmful to the economic interests of Fair Grounds, the opposition by elected officials to engage in meaningful solutions in collaboration with the Fair Grounds, and the forthcoming adjournment of the legislative session, CDI is left with no choice but to request an appearance before the LSRC to begin the next steps for voluntarily surrendering the racing license held by the Fair Grounds,” stated a June 9 letter signed by CDI's chief executive, Bill Carstanjen, that was sent to the Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) and CC'd to high-ranking state politicians.

Carstanjen wrote that, “It is my understanding that soon after the Louisiana Legislature adjourns on June 12, 2025, an emergency meeting of the LSRC will be conducted. This correspondence is CDI's formal request to appear at the meeting to discuss the timeline and next steps concerning the license” that CDI holds for Fair Grounds.

The letter, which TDN obtained from a CDI spokesperson, was delivered almost a month after a May 13 commission meeting at which a CDI attorney informed commissioners that the Kentucky-based gaming corporation might pull out of Fair Grounds over a Louisiana Supreme Court ruling in March that upheld a lower court's ruling from 2021 deeming historical horse racing (HHR) to be unconstitutional.

CDI in recent seasons has ceased racing at such high-profile tracks as Arlington and Calder over alleged profitability issues related to gaming.

Benard Chatters, the president of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (LAHBPA), told TDN in a Tuesday phone interview that his organization intends to take an active role in making sure the November-through-March season at Fair Grounds goes off as scheduled.

“Hopefully cooler heads prevail. That's my thinking on the matter,” Chatters said.

“We'll sit down and look at the situation and see how we can work together to make everybody a winner,” Chatters said. “The Fair Grounds is very important to Louisiana, to New Orleans, and to the country. And we're going to do everything we can–as the horsemen's representative, I promise you–to make sure the Fair Grounds is in business and doing what it's done for the last century. I'm committed to that.”

Chatters continued: “I can't speak to Churchill's position. Are they angry [at] a downturn in business? You know, I'd be in a heck of a fix when business went bad for me for a little while if I just up and quit. That doesn't quite sound like the horse racing business to me. From a horseman's perspective, we always do what's right for horse racing in Louisiana, and we always work diligently with and for the Fair Grounds, all the time. So I get kind of baffled how this thing escalates all of a sudden into 'Are we closing down?' But, like I said, cooler heads will prevail.

“I believe,” Chatters added. “I hope.”

According to a June 10 story published by the Louisiana news site NOLA.com, the LSRC's executive director, Stephen Landry, said Tuesday that he's seen the CDI letter, but that a date hasn't yet been set for the next meeting, which he expects will be within 30 days.

Carstanjen's letter stated that, “For the last few months, CDI has attempted to engage in good faith discussions with elected officials and various other industry stakeholders to find a path toward long term economic viability for the Fair Grounds after the recent decision of the Louisiana Supreme Court that resulted in the elimination of HHR and nearly half of the Fair Grounds' off-track betting (OTB) revenues. To date, our efforts to engage elected officials have not led to meaningful discussions and, confoundingly, CDI's efforts have been met with a combination of reluctance, indifference, apathy, and even opposition.”

The paddock at Fair Grounds | Horsephotos

Two bills recently passed by the House and Senate but not yet signed into law by the governor are problematic for CDI.

House Bill 540 would allow truck stop operators to increase the number of poker machines they can operate from 50 to 60, while bars and restaurants would be able to go from operating three to four machines.

According to reporting by Anthony McAuley and Tyler Bridges of NOLA.com, “HB540 aims to offset the loss of revenue to the horse racing industry from the shutdown of Churchill Downs' HHR machines. For the first time, the new law sets aside a share of video poker revenue from sources other than track operators. That money will go directly to the horse racing industry in the form of higher purses.”

House Bill 547 would authorize fixed-odds wagering on horse races in Louisiana, establishing a purse supplement fund that would direct 55% of its money to Thoroughbreds, 24% to Quarter Horses, 14% to the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association, and 7% to the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association for breeder awards.

Carstanjen didn't view either of those bills as being beneficial for CDI.

“To make matters worse, the passing of HB 540 and 547 further negatively impacts the Fair Grounds' ability to remain competitive,” Carstanjen wrote.

“House Bill 540 will lead to significant cannibalization of revenue from our OTB network in and around greater New Orleans, a network in which the Fair Grounds has heavily invested since 2005–the only racetrack operator in the state to do so,” Carstanjen wrote.

“House Bill 547 will shift wagering handle from current brick and mortar racetracks, OTBs, and advanced deposit wagering platforms, all of which provide revenues to track operators and local horsemen groups, to out-of-state bookmaking operators,” Carstanjen wrote.

Senate President Cameron Henry told NOLA.com that CDI's attempts to gain what he termed as separate forms of “subsidies” from the legislature didn't fly with lawmakers, and he indicated he was not afraid to call CDI's bluff about closure.

“They came at the end of the session and wanted a subsidy from the state and we said we couldn't do it because they're a profitable business,” Henry told NOLA.com. “If they choose to close the track we'll work through that, if they choose to sell it we'll work through that as well.”

Carstanjen's letter indicated that a high-stakes game of political “chicken” could be on the horizon.

“This is not the path CDI wishes to proceed down, but the inaction from elected officials to offer any sort of compromise has made this the only possible outcome…” Carstanjen wrote. “The inaction of the legislature and others in a position to save this racetrack have forced us into the current situation.”

The post CDI Tells Louisiana Commission it Wants to Surrender Fair Grounds License appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

5. ASBURY PARK (GB), 6/6, SAR, Race 8, 1 1/16 miles (turf), VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure- 85
(c, 4, by Frankel {GB}–Limonar {Ire} by Street Cry {Ire})
O-Peter Brant and St Elias Stable. B-St Elias Stable (GB). T-Chad Brown. J-Flavien Prat.
Not surprisingly, Saratoga produced all five of these maiden graduates – three on Friday. Asbury Park got his race in just before heavy rain and powered away as much the best despite a slow pace, wide trip and an 9 1/2-month layoff due to shin issues. Brant bought the colt as a yearling for $318,526 from Vinny Viola in October 2023 at Tattersalls, with Viola opting to keep an ownership share. Brown emptied the barn at Saratoga, going 5-for-28 with Grade I and Grade II victories.

4. RAGTIME, 6/6, SAR, Race 2, 7 furlongs, VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure- 86
(f, 3, by Union Rags–Burmilla, by Storm Cat)
O/B-Godolphin (Ky). T-Bill Mott. J-Junior Alvarado.
Mott may be all-world, but he has never prioritized success with first-time starters: heading into Saratoga last weekend he had lost with 43 in a row. Then he unleashed winning debuters Friday and Saturday at 9-1 and 8-1 odds, respectively, and both make our top five. Ragtime rolled to the front in midstretch and drew off sharply by 3 3/4 lengths. Her now-22-year-old dam Burmilla had her own Saratoga highlight: in 2007 she earned a 107 Beyer in taking the Grade II Honorable Miss.

3. HIT THE POST, 6/6, SAR, Race 14, 7 furlongs, VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure- 87
(g, 3, by Kantharos–Memento d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro)
O/B- Old Tavern Farm (NY). T-Melanie Giddings. J-Chris Elliott.
In his fourth career start and first as a 3-year-old after 7 1/2 months sidelined, Hit the Post dashed to the front and splashed home a decisive 6 3/4 lengths ahead of New York-breds. Saddled by Giddings of Maple Leaf Mel fame, he became the first Saratoga winner for apprentice Elliott and the second for owners/breeders Walt and Melanie Borisenck, who in 2016 founded Old Tavern Farm in Saratoga Springs.

2. MAINSTREAM, 6/7, SAR, Race 2, 7 furlongs (2nd), VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure- 92
(c, 3, by Speightstown–Lesley May, by Tapit)
O-Jeffrey Drown, Don Rachel and Stonestreet Stables. B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings. T-Brad Cox. J-Luis Saez.
Of those who have raced, Mainstream was perhaps America's fastest maiden before Saturday – and still is. At 3-5 odds, he battled head-to-head with Junior Alvarado and Stars and Strides for the final 3/16th as they leaned/rubbed/bumped repeatedly. A stewards' inquiry resulted in no change and Mainstream is 0-for-3 despite back-to-back 92 Beyers on sloppy tracks. Trip note: he stumbled at the break Saturday, and despite an impressively quick recovery may have been unlucky since the final margin was only a head.

1. STARS AND STRIDES, 6/7, SAR, Race 2, 7 furlongs, VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure- 92
(c, 3, by American Pharoah–Holiday Blues, by Ghostzapper)
O-Pin Oak Stud. B-Four Pillars Holdings (Ky). T-Bill Mott. J-Junior Alvarado.
This $475,000 yearling buy was Mott's second winning first-timer in two days, showing talent and determination to outfinish Mainstream. Aside from his 'Pharoah' genes, his half-brother Panther Island was a stakes sprinter on turf and he already shows a bullet work on grass at Payson, so the green is a nice future option.

The post The Five Fastest Maidens, Presented By Taylor Made, For The Week Of June 2-9 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

In the early minutes of the first session of the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Tuesday, a colt by Yaupon (hip 104) turned in what would be the day's fastest furlong time of :9 4/5 and that mark was matched later in the day by a filly by Leinster (hip 81) and a colt by Engage (hip 152).

It was the second :9 4/5 work at OBS for the colt from the first crop of Yaupon, who put in a similar work ahead of the company's March sale.

“It wasn't a big surprise that he went as fast as he did, because he'd already went :9 4/5 in March,” said consignor Julie Davies. “He had a P1 [chip] after the breeze in March, so we had to stop and take that out. We had plenty of interest in him in March, but people didn't want to fool with that. So obviously there was the question mark of what fitness he lost in the time that he was off, as he hasn't done much between then and now, but we had no reason to think that he wouldn't do as well as he did then. He showed up and he did it again.”

When the colt was purchased for $85,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale, the name on the ticket was 'Happy Birthday, Chili.'

“My boyfriend, Chalino, picked him out as a yearling,” Davies said. “He and Tami Bobo were together up in the back ring and they picked him out. Everybody calls him Chili, and it was his birthday, so Tami signed the ticket Happy Birthday Chili.”

The colt is out of After the Party (Into Mischief) and from the family of Grade I winner Callback.

“He has always been fast and he's always been very happy to train,” Davies said of the juvenile. “He enjoys training. He's a happy horse with a great mind.”

A filly from the first crop of multiple graded winner Leinster, who is already sire of the Royal Ascot-bound Lennilu, equaled the furlong bullet for consignor Octavio Mejia. The bay is out of Wildcat Gaze (Wildcat Heir), a half-sister to stakes winners Saratoga Treasure (Treasure Beach {GB}) and April Gaze (High Cotton).

Purchased for $13,000 at the OBS Winter sale last year, she RNA'd for $27,000 at the OBS October sale.

Rounding out the trio of bullet workers was a colt by another first-crop sire in multiple graded winner Engage. Consigned by Blue Sapphire Stables, the juvenile hit the bullet mark Tuesday despite changing leads several times down the lane.

“Three weeks ago, he kicked the stall at the farm and the leg went through it and he got a serious cut,” said Blue Sapphire's Jesus Avila. “It still bothers him a little bit, so that could be why he was switching leads there.”

Avila continued, “He prepped :10 flat last week. So he could have gone :9 3/5, I think.”

The bay colt is out of Bazinga B (Lion Hearted) and is a half-brother to stakes winner Bazinga C (Exaggerator). He was purchased for $3,500 at last year's OBS October sale.

Blue Sapphire Stables also sent out the fastest quarter-mile worker of Tuesday's session when I'm Here For Grace (Combatant) (hip 45) covered the distance in :20 4/5.

“She was fast, but she is kind of small,” Avila said. “I think she's 15.2, but she can run. She is a late April foal, so I think she is still going to grow.”

The filly is out of stakes-placed True Religion (Yes It's True), a half-sister to graded winner Sharp Sensation (Sharp Humor), and she is a half to stakes-placed Monster Man (Unbridled's Song). She was purchased for $5,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale.

“I want to buy the best ones for little money,” Avila said with a laugh when asked about his yearling purchases. “I buy inexpensive horses–under $10,000. So I look at the new sires and the [lighter] pedigree page.”

Tuesday was the first of five sessions of the under-tack show and Davies said she thought conditions had remained consistent throughout the day.

“It didn't get too hot, it rained a little, so I did feel like it stayed pretty consistent today,” she said.

The under-tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning each day at 7:30 a.m.

The June sale will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday. Bidding commences at 10 a.m. for each session.

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On Jan. 9, 2025, a Thoroughbred mare named Kayseri was euthanized in Puerto Rico. She had no joint space left in her fetlocks. Her body was broken down from overuse, her mind likely exhausted from pain and confinement. Her death is not only a tragedy–it is the subject of three formal complaints now filed against the Puerto Rico Racing Commission, the track veterinarians, and her final owner.

Kayseri was not a forgotten horse. She was bred by the University of Kentucky. She raced under Hall of Famer Mark Casse. She competed at Gulfstream Park. But in 2021, after a decline in performance, she was sold off privately and shipped via cargo container to Puerto Rico–where she was raced over 50 times in three years, with minimal oversight, on a dangerous surface, while her condition clearly deteriorated.

I personally flagged Kayseri in July 2024 and submitted an official intervention request to the Puerto Rico Racing Commission. I provided race history, declining speed figures, and an offer to retire her to a safe home.

My formal complaints cite:

• Regulatory failure by the Puerto Rico Racing Commission for allowing Kayseri to be repeatedly raced after being placed on the vets' list multiple times (for lameness, medication violations, and appetite loss), and for failing to respond to a written intervention request made six months before her death.
• Veterinary misconduct by Equine Practitioners & Associates and Veterinary Clinic de Confederación for the continued administration of joint injections and pain-masking treatments rather than recommending rest or retirement, in direct violation of veterinary ethics and welfare standards.
• Owner negligence by Establo Anajalin PR, for knowingly exploiting a declining, unsound mare until she collapsed under the weight of their indifference.

These complaints are not symbolic. They are a plea for justice–not just for Kayseri, but for the 1,000+ horses euthanized at Camarero between 2021 and 2024. The data speaks volumes:

• 2021: 268 horses euthanized, 32.3% within 7 days of last race
• 2022: 257 euthanized, 34.8% within 7 days
• 2023: 270+ euthanized, 41.4% within 7 days
• 2024: 254 euthanized, 36% within 7 days

Many of these horses were Kentucky bred. Many were only three or four years old. This is not “retirement” racing. This is a disposal system in disguise.

Now, with the Ocala Breeders' Sales (OBS) approaching, the American Thoroughbred industry–breeders, consignors, trainers–must take responsibility for where these horses are ending up. If we continue to sell to bad-faith buyers who ship to Puerto Rico, we are enabling cruelty.

Puerto Rico is U.S. soil. These are U.S.-bred horses. And the suffering happening at Hipódromo Camarero is happening on our watch.

I urge the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to expand its jurisdiction to include Puerto Rico, or for Puerto Rico's regulators to voluntarily adopt and enforce HISA's welfare standards. Until such protections are in place, U.S. sales companies and racetracks should blacklist any buyer known to ship horses to Puerto Rico, where there is currently no reliable oversight or enforceable safeguards. If Puerto Rico refuses to accept external accountability, the industry must act by cutting off its supply of horses. And the public and press must continue to shine a light on these regulatory failures until meaningful reform is no longer optional, but inevitable.

Kayseri ran in 60-plus races. She tried every time. She did not deserve to be discarded, ignored, and raced to death in silence. Her death must mean something.

The letters have been filed. The facts are documented. Now it is time for accountability.

Chrissy Laughlin is an advocate and owner of a retired racehorse.

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Jake Ballis didn't know quite what to expect when he sent Crimson Advocate (Nyquist) to the 2023 Royal Ascot meet, where she won the GII Queen Mary Stakes. He says now it was one of the most exciting days of his life, and he has vowed to get back there every day since.

Ballis, who heads the Black Type Racing partnership, couldn't find a runner in 2024 that he thought could win at one of the most competitive meets in the world. But he never stopped looking.

“It was probably the greatest racing experience I've ever had,” Ballis said. “It's an unbelievable experience. We wanted to find another horse and do it again. I'm not doing it just to say we had a participant. It needed to be one that we thought had a chance over there. Running against 25 other horses is not an easy task. We have partners that have wanted to run there, especially after we won. We were just trying to find the right one to take us back there.”

This time around, he found his horse. Black Type has purchased Azizam, (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) a first-out winner at Hamilton Park in Scotland in his debut.

“Why did we buy him? It was the way the horse finished,” Ballis said. “The jock flashed him the stick and he just took off. You can see that he was rank early and he was getting no cover. Once they started going up the hill, the jockey asked him and he had a really nice turn of foot. That was the main thing that caught our eyes. The sire, Havana Grey, has been very, very good. Go back a few years and I wouldn't be looking to buy a turf sprinting colt. But after we won at Ascot in 2023, I wanted to go back. Last year, we looked and couldn't get anything done. Now this horse came around and we're going to take a shot.”

Azizam will remain in the barn of Karl Burke for his next start before he is sent to the U.S., where he will join George Weaver's stable. Weaver also trained Crimson Advocate.

“We've been looking for something to buy to go over there,” Ballis said. “Whether we bought it in the States or over there, that didn't matter. I have a friend named Adam Potts, who works for BBA Ireland. So we will bounce horses off of one another and I look to get his opinions on European horses. If he sees something, he'll send it to me. He was the first one who brought this horse to my attention. I wasn't watching European racing that day. I watched the replay, and I sent the replay over to my wife who helps buy our horses and then to George Weaver. We all agreed it was worth taking a shot.”

He said he's not going back just to be able to say that he had a horse run at Royal Ascot.

(Below, Azizam, the grey horse on the far side, exercises in Yorkshire Tuesday.)

“It costs too much money to buy these horses and with the expenses and the shipping just to go over there to have a party,” he said. “We're happy that we are going to be there, but we don't want to do anything just to say we participated. We're going to try to pick the right spot for him over there, a spot where he can win.”

Ballis said that Azizam will most likely start in the June 18 Windsor Castle Stakes.

Once back in the U.S., Azizam will be pointed to the Kentucky Downs meets, where he could land in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint.

The stable was planning on using John Velazquez, but with Outfielder no longer making the trip to Royal Ascot, Velazquez has decided to stay home. Ballis said it is likely that Luis Saez will pick up the mount.

“We're going to keep trying this because it's an incredible place to visit and it was one of the best experiences we ever had,” Ballis said. “Even if we hadn't won with Crimson Advocate we would be trying to get back. That's how special that place is.”

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Trainer Wesley Ward has sent some very good horses to Royal Ascot over the years and has won 12 races there. Win No. 13 looked to be well within his reach as he was planning on sending Outfielder (Speightstown) to the GII Norfolk S. on June 19. The horse was so impressive when winning his debut that some believed he could be the best horse Ward ever sent to Ascot.

But a Tuesday morning workout at Keeneland yielded a minor injury that will keep the two-year-old home.

“We breezed him and there was a little bit of a shin issue,” Ward said. “It is very disappointing. With any horse,  let alone one with this quality, you don't want to have any issues going into the race. This is just a minor problem and we're still hoping to have a great year with him. I'm still very excited about his future.”

Ward remains hopeful that Outfielder can make the GI Prix Morny in Deauville, France on Aug. 24. The Kentucky-based conditioner has won that race three times, with No Nay Never (Scat Daddy) , Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac ({GB}).

With Outfielder sidelined, Ward will not have a starter at this year's Royal Ascot meet.

Racing at Churchill Downs, Outfielder won his debut by 6 1/4 lengths and covered the five furlongs on the turf in :55.93 seconds.

“He moves like a cat,” Ward said after the race. “Usually, big horses like him are kind of lumbery and they don't have the agility that this guy does.”

The post ‘TDN Rising Star’ Outfielder To Miss Royal Ascot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Sovereignty (Into Mischief) is on top. He got there by winning two of the most important races on the calendar for 3-year-olds. With his wins in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes, he leads the way because this is a sport where they're always asking, “What have you done for me lately?”

But that doesn't necessarily mean that he's the best 3-year-old to have run this year.

The last time Sovereignty lost was in the Mar. 29 GI Curlin Florida Derby. He didn't have any excuses. He just wasn't as good as the winner, Tappan Street (Into Mischief). Prepping for the Kentucky Derby, Tappan Street suffered a condylar fracture to his right front leg in an Apr. 26 workout. His Triple Crown dream ended that day.

But what if?

If Sovereignty could win two legs of the Triple Crown but could not beat Tappan Street in the Florida Derby, does that not mean Tappan Street is the better horse? Things are never quite that simple in racing and it could be that Sovereignty matured and improved following the Florida Derby defeat? But it is a legitimate question.

Trainer Brad Cox has every right to complain about his bad luck, but that's not him. He's got too much else to worry about and understands there's nothing to be gained by looking back.

“I think that Tappan Street  is a very good horse and he showed he can compete at the Grade I level,” said Cox, who trains Tappan Street for the partnership of WinStar Farm, CHC, Inc., and Cold Press Racing. “He obviously beat a very good horse in the Florida Derby in Sovereignty.  It's different for me because I'm part of the Godolphin [the owners of Sovereignty] team, so I am happy for those guys. And Bill Mott is a class act. I don't really think about it. I'm trying to move forward with it. Hopefully, we can get our horse back at some point and maybe we could have a rematch with him. We obviously would have to be able to come back and show the good form where it makes sense to face him again.”

Cox wasn't the least bit surprised that the top two performers in the Triple Crown series, Sovereignty and GI Preakness and GI Santa Anita Derby winner Journalism (Curlin), came out of the Florida Derby and the Santa Anita Derby.

“We were zeroed in on the Triple Crown preps with several horses and I really felt like the Florida Derby and the Santa Anita Derby were by far the best two preps,” he said.  “Some speed figures didn't make the Florida Derby quite as fast as they did with some other races. I thought the top two horses in the Florida Derby were serious and obviously top two horses in the Santa Anita Derby were serious. It's kind of showing up now a couple months removed.”

Cox said that Tappan Street's surgery went well and he looks forward to having him back on track at some point, maybe even later this year. He is currently rehabbing at WinStar Farm.

“I think his recovery will be typical of what you see with these kinds of injuries,” Cox said. “Sixty days off and then probably some light exercise. The surgery went very, very well and we've had several horses in the past who have had surgery like this that came back to compete at a higher level than before they were hurt. I'm pretty optimistic about him being able to come back and be a bigger, stronger horse.”

Cox envisions a scenario where Tappan Street runs before the end of the year, but he won't be pushing him and will look to find a fairly easy spot for him to make his return.

“I wouldn't rule it out,” Cox said when asked if Tappan Street will run again this year. “To say there's a Grade I this year that would make sense, I'd say probably not. I don't think we could get enough foundation underneath him to be ready for something like that. We will just have to see.”

Sovereignty is the leading candidate for the 3-year-old champion and by the time voters cast their ballots, the Florida Derby will be a distant memory. There are no such awards for the horse that beat the horse that beats everyone else.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the Belmont-at-Saratoga meet was that Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) finished up the track in the GI Acorn S. It was her first loss after winning her first seven starts. She was fifth.

“She came out of the race fine,” Cox said. “I can't use the racetrack as a big excuse when she had performed well on a wet track before. You could tell at the half-mile pole that something wasn't right. Luis [Saez] started really pushing her along and she wasn't responding. She didn't quit, but she didn't pick off horses like she normally does when she is asked to. We'll keep her here in Saratoga for the near future. I'm not sure where she will land. We'll look around for spots and see what makes the most sense.”

The post If Sovereignty Is Good, What Does that Say about Tappan Street? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

3rd-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 6-8, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.65, ft, 3 1/4 lengths.
DIBLASI (g, 2, Win Win Win–One More Minute, by Istan) was introduced to the races with a runner-up finish at 4 1/2 furlongs on Apr. 13 at Keeneland. Aided by the slow starting rivals to his inside, this gelding broke well and worked his way down to the rail, sitting off an early quarter clicked in :22.28. While Diblasi bided his time, four rivals lined up at the top of the stretch, and with a seam opening down on the inside, jockey Junior Alvarado pushed the button and led this 9-5 favorite to the wire under confident handling. Pacesetting stablemate Gracie's Delight (American Pharoah) held on for second. One More Minute's half-sister My Indian (Indian Charlie) produced SW Chief Istan (Istan). A 2024 full-sister and 2025 half-sister by Highly Motivated are the most recent foals of One More MInute. Sales history: $100,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $67,060. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Resolution Road Stables; B-Brereton C. Jones (FL); T-Wesley A. Ward.

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Godolphin's undefeated champion 2-year-old filly Immersive (Nyquist), off since winning last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, tuned up for her seasonal debut in next Saturday's Monomoy Girl Overnight Stakes with a four-furlong work in :49.20 (23/53) at Churchill Downs Sunday. The filly returned to the work tab at Churchill Downs in early May after being sidelined with bone bruising. Leading into the Monomoy Girl, she has posted six published workouts, including her latest move Sunday morning.

“We're looking forward to getting her started again,” trainer Brad Cox said. “She's doing well since coming back to the string at Churchill and looks just as good as she did as a 2-year-old.”

Under Cox's exercise rider Joel Osorio, Immersive began her Sunday move with an opening quarter-mile in :25.40 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.80.

In addition to her Breeders' Cup win, Immersive won last year's GI Spinaway Stakes and GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes.

The 1 1/16-mile Monomoy Girl will be the fifth of 11 races at Churchill Downs Saturday. Jockey Manny Franco, who has been aboard for all four of her starts, has the call on Immersive and will break from post position two in the field of six.

The post Immersive Readies for 2025 Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

1st-Saratoga, $90,000, (C), Msw, 6-8, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.25, ft, 4 lengths.
ANGEL GIFT (f, 2, Connect–Georgie's Angel {GSW, $129,564}, by Bellamy Road), installed the 3-2 choice for this unveiling, settled off the fleet-footed favorite Gorrono Ranch (War of Will) and Nacho Problem (Waiting), who carved out an opening quarter mile in :22.44. With the top two still exchanging blows straightening for home, Angel Gift still had several lengths to make up but was picking up steam down the center of the track. Turning on the gas late, he blew by the pacesetter and drew clear to score by an eye-catching four lengths over the fast-closing Miss Magical (Good Magic). The winner is a half to MGISW Cave Rock (Arrogate), $748,000. GSW Georgie's Angel, who sold for $75,000 while carrying subsequent $1.05 million OBSMAR purchase Assurbanipal (Arrogate) at Keeneland November in 2020, is also responsible for an unraced 3-year-old filly by Improbable and a yearling filly by Flightline. She was most recently bred to Good Magic. Sales history: $300,000 Ylg '24 SARAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,500. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Repole Stable; B-Kathleen Burke Schweizer & Daniel J. Burke (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — The party was just getting started in the cramped winner's circle at Saratoga Race Course. It almost seemed like half of the 46,243 that came out to Saratoga to watch the GI Belmont Stakes were in there. Well, let's not get carried away.

But it was jammed, and everyone was singing the praises of Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the Most Valuable Player in the second annual Belmont Stakes Festival at Saratoga.

Even those who were vanquished by Sovereignty had to give a congratulatory nod to the Godolphin-owned, Bill Mott-trained and Junior Alvarado-ridden champions.

While Sovereignty was getting his flowers, connections of the second-place finisher, Journalism (Curlin), the 2-1 favorite, had to swallow another tough loss. The three-length defeat came on the heels of a 1 1/2-length defeat in the GI Kentucky Derby.

“I think you can call it a rivalry,” Aron Wellman, the President and Founder of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, who head the ownership group of Journalism, said outside the winner's circle. “But the scoreboard reads, 2-0.”

Michael McCarthy, Journalism's thoughtful trainer, paused after speaking to a handful of writers and listened to a throng of fans who were shouting mostly good things.

“We will get him home,” McCarthy he said to them, “feed him some carrots and maybe come back here in August (for the Grade I Travers).”

Journalism had earned favoritism after his heroic and brave win in the GI Preakness Stakes three weeks ago in Baltimore. While Journalism was playing pinball through the stretch at Pimlico and completing an improbable victory, Sovereignty was resting in Mott's barn at the Oklahoma Training Track.

Waiting for the Belmont, Waiting for Journalism.

The debate would start as soon as the Belmont was finished. Did Sovereignty have an advantage because he was fresher? Journalism was the only horse to compete in all three legs of this year's Triple Crown.

McCarthy and Wellman were not going to use that as an excuse.

“I am very pleased with my horse's effort,” McCarthy said. “I could not be prouder of him. You would have to think that a horse of (Sovereignty's) caliber gets five weeks between races … I just thought our horse ran very well.”

It appeared as though Journalism might just even the score when he and jockey Umberto Rispoli disposed of leaders Rodriguez (Authentic) and Crudo (Justify) and roared into the lead heading into the stretch of the 1 1/4-mile race.

But Sovereignty was gaining momentum, and he was closing. Fast.

“It was reminiscent of the Kentucky Derby,” McCarthy said. “We opened up at the top of the lane and I saw those (Godolphin) royal blue silks and I knew it would be the two of them all over again.”

Rispoli, back outside the jockey's room, shook his head when asked about the race. He was disappointed in the result, of course, but not in his horse.

Journalism, he said, gave him everything he had. He refused to say the colt was tired, the rigors of the three hard efforts in five Triple Crown races finally getting to him.

“I had the two targets,” he said. “When there was a quarter of a mile to go, it was time to go. He responded. He fought. He just got beat. I never felt a lack of energy from him.”

If there was any nit-picking to be had for the trip, maybe it was Journalism having a bit of a stumble coming out of the gate. No one was saying it cost him.

For the second time in five weeks, Journalism just got beat by the better–and fresher–horse.

McCarthy, Wellman and Rispoli hope there is another chapter in the rivalry and hope it comes sooner than later.

“We are probably going to face each other probably until the end of the season,” Rispoli said. “It will be a good battle; it will be good for the sport.”

“Listen,” Wellman said, “This horse has danced every dance and has shown up every single time. Everyone hopes these two horses can face off again the second half of the season.”

McCarthy, before disappearing into the crowd, talked of seeing Sovereignty again. Maybe in the Travers, hopefully at the end of the year in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic on his home court at Del Mar.

“Let's hope everybody stays happy and healthy and we will see him in November in our backyard,” he said. “I can't say enough good things about that horse. I can't say enough good things about my horse.”

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The 12-race Belmont Stakes Day card, highlighted by Sovereignty's (Into Mischief) victory in the GI Belmont Stakes, generated all-sources handle of $101,861,883 with a paid attendance of 46,243, NYRA announced in a press release Saturday evening.

Originally a 14-race card, heavy rain in the Saratoga Springs region Friday and Saturday forced all races off the turf and canceled both the GI Jaipur [Race 9], a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint; and the GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan [Race 12].

That pair of Grade I's will instead be run Sunday, June 8 to close out the 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

On-track handle for the Belmont Stakes Day card was $10,440,740 while all-sources handle for the Belmont Stakes alone was $55,456,793.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival concludes Sunday with a 13-race card beginning at 12:10 p.m. headlined by the Manhattan and Jaipur.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There's absolutely no doubt who the ruler of the 3-year-old division is now.

Just like he did in the GI Kentucky Derby, Godolphin homebred Sovereignty (Into Mischief) collared Journalism (Curlin) in the stretch, and powered on by to capture the 157th running of the GI Belmont Stakes with authority.

It was the same first three finishers across the line on the first Saturday in May with the blue-blooded Baeza (McKinzie) up for third once again.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival was held at Saratoga Race Course for the second straight year while construction of the new Belmont Park continues downstate.

“It was pretty much like the Derby,” winning rider Junior Alvarado said. “He was very exceptional today. I couldn't believe how much horse I had the whole way around today.”

Off as the 5-2 second-choice after his much-discussed bypassing of the GI Preakness Stakes–won in dramatic fashion by Journalism–Sovereignty was away in good order from his inside draw and found himself sitting much closer to the front than usual, racing in a joint second as 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) clicked off an opening quarter in :23.42.

Sovereignty cruised along beautifully in an inside fourth with Journalism, favored in all three legs of Triple Crown and off at 2-1 this time, racing to his outside as the half-mile went up in :47.60.

Journalism made the first move on the top two of Rodriguez and Crudo (Justify) and rolled up three deep beneath Umberto Rispoli approaching the quarter pole.

Rispoli tried to win the race right there and Journalism kicked for home as the one to catch.

Sovereignty was steered out by Alvarado, beginning to make a flashy move of his own at this point, and the rematch that everyone was waiting to see between the Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness winner–the roar of the 46,243 in attendance on a steamy day at the Spa said at all–was set.

The drama, however, was short lived.

Sovereignty lengthened that massive stride of his down the center of the course and was well on his way to another brilliant performance. The winning margin was three lengths, with another 3 1/2 lengths back to the aforementioned third-place finisher.

The final time over a track that began the day as a sea of slop following heavy morning and early afternoon rain, but ended up harrowed and good, was 2:00.69.

Due to the configuration of Saratoga's main track, the Belmont Stakes was once again contested at 1 1/4 miles rather than the traditional distance of 1 1/2 miles.

“This is home,” winning Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “It's the race we were pointing for after the Derby and fortunately it worked out very well. I'm sure we would have taken some criticism had he gotten beat today and he hadn't run in the Preakness, but it worked out. The horse was good. Junior rode him well. He had a lot of confidence in him and when he cut him loose the horse responded and got the job done.”

Mott continued, “I feel we beat a good field of horses. Journalism is a really good horse. I've watched him here this last week and I've looked at him–he's in good form, he looks great, his hair is good and his weight is good. I think he was ready to run today and he ran a good race, you know. Sovereignty was good enough to run him down and get the job done.”

The Belmont was Sovereignty's fourth race this season.

A jaw-dropping, last-to-first maiden winner in the GIII Street Sense S. at third asking last fall, he was an impossible winner in his belated sophomore return (due to a fever) in the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 1 over a Gulfstream Park surface very well-known for not playing kindly to his come-from-behind running style.

Sovereignty lost little in defeat there four weeks later, completing the exacta in the GI Curlin Florida Derby prior to his heroics in Louisville.

His 2-year-old form also included a debut fourth in the always-loaded Travers day maiden at Saratoga, which was highlighted in these same pages in our 'Second Chances' series.

Pedigree Notes:

Have a day, Into Mischief and Spendthrift Farm. With three Grade I races contested at the Spa Saturday, Into Mischief sired the winners of two, while his son, Maximus Mischief, who stands alongside the six-time leading stallion, sired the winner of the other. Does it get better than that?

Into Mischief tallied his 25th career Grade I winner in Saratoga's GI Woody Stephens Stakes Saturday afternoon with 'TDN Rising Star' Patch Adams, then barely took a deep breath before adding his first Belmont winner with Sovereignty, who also gave him his third Kentucky Derby win in six years just five weeks ago. Into Mischief, who started the hard way and is now seeing his better books come to fruition, has 85 graded winners and 175 black-type winners.

The Spendthrift stalwart may be the undisputed king of sires these days, but it's also hard to beat the late Bernardini as a broodmare sire. Currently ranked third by earnings among U.S.-based broodmare sires of 2025, Bernardini has 113 stakes winners out of his daughters, including last year's 2-year-old filly champion Immersive (Nyquist)–who, like Sovereignty, races as a Godolphin homebred–and three graded winners by Into Mischief. Bernardini, the champion 3-year-old colt of 2006 and winner of that year's GI Preakness Stakes, also was a homebred for the operation and stood his entire career at Darley.

John Ferguson purchased Crowned, the dam of Sovereignty, for $1.2 million on behalf of Godolphin at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale. Unraced, the mare produced four foals with a year off between each: the winning mare Jane Grey (Into Mischief), who has 2024 and 2025 Medaglia d'Oro fillies; the placed 5-year-old mare Misintention (into Mischief); Sovereignty; and a yearling colt by Nyquist. Crowned passed away in 2024. –Jill Williams

It's Sovereignty!!

The Kentucky Derby winner takes the Belmont Stakes! pic.twitter.com/IvvQ3Lhl2F

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 7, 2025

Saturday, Saratoga
BELMONT S. PRESENTED BY NYRA BETS-GI, $2,000,000, Saratoga, 6-7, 3yo, 1 1/4m, 2:00.69, gd.
1–SOVEREIGNTY, 126, c, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Crowned, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Mushka, by Empire Maker
                3rd Dam: Sluice, by Seeking the Gold
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $1,200,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-2-0, $4,872,800. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Journalism, 126, c, 3, Curlin–Mopotism, by Uncle Mo. ($825,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Robert V. LaPenta, Elayne Stables Five, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $360,000.
3–Baeza, 126, c, 3, McKinzie–Puca, by Big Brown. ($1,200,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-C R K Stable LLC and Grandview Equine; B-Grandview Equine (KY); T-John Shirreffs. $200,000.
Margins: 3, 3HF, 1 3/4. Odds: 2.50, 2.05, 3.50.
Also Ran: Rodriguez, Hill Road, Heart of Honor (GB), Uncaged, Crudo.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Sovereignty Rules Again in Belmont Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

'TDN Rising Star' Patch Adams (Into Mischief) took his record at one-turn trips to three wins from four tries with a clear-cut victory in Saturday's GI Woody Stephens Stakes at a drying-out and freshly harrowed Saratoga Race Course.

Hard-ridden from gate four by Luis Saez, the bay colt took up a prominent early spot as GII Pat Day Mile upsetter Macho Music (Maclean's Music) cut out the fractions in advance of Madaket Road (Quality Road) down the backstretch. Under constant urging as longshot T Kraft (Connect) went through underneath him in third, Patch Adams was off the bridle to pick up as Macho Music and Madaket Road continued to lock horns on the pointy end.

Back into the bit passing the quarter pole, Patch Adams loomed up three off the inside under a full head of steam in upper stretch, took command with about a furlong to travel and came away late to take it by 2 1/4 convincing lengths as the lukewarm 17-5 favorite. Fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Big Truzz (Justify), in a bit of traffic at the half-mile marker, came on late to take third ahead of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Eclipse Award winner Citizen Bull (Into Mischief).

A debut third as odds-on at Keeneland last October, Patch Adams was accorded 'Rising Star' honors when decimating a field of Churchill maidens by better than 10 lengths, earning a 98 Beyer that was 10 points higher than that achieved by First Resort (Uncle Mo) in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes later in the program, albeit over a sprint trip. That effort suggested that the sky was the limit, but after fourth-place efforts as the favorite in the GIII Southwest Stakes and GIII Tampa Bay Derby going long, he was cut back to a 6 1/2-furlong allowance on the Derby undercard May 3 and he responded with a handy 2 1/4-length defeat of Big Truzz.

“We tried to mess it up by trying to run him long a couple of times, but you always try for that and you have to realize where your success lays,” said WinStar President, CEO and Racing Manager Elliott Walden. “He showed that he's a seven-furlong horse the day he broke his maiden and has been telling us what he wants to do.”

While trainer Brad Cox was less willing to commit, Walden indicated a return to Saratoga for the GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes in August was probable for Patch Adams.

Pedigree Notes:

Patch Adams is the 25th top-level winner for his sire and his fifth out of a mare by WinStar's legendary and much-missed Distorted Humor, including 'Rising Star' and current WinStar stallion Life Is Good, Jerkens-winning sire Practical Joke, the aforementioned Citizen Bull and this year's GI Curlin Florida Derby hero Tappan Street. Goldencents is out of a mare by Banker's Gold, like Distorted Humor a son of Forty Niner.

WinStar purchased Patch Adams's stakes-winning third dam for $150,000 in foal to Awesome Again at Keeneland November in 2001 and bred eight winners from her, including G1 Dubai World Cup hero Well Armed (Tiznow); Grade III winner Witty (Distorted Humor)–the dam of GSW Bombard (War Front)–and the dam of GI La Troienne Stakes heroine Played Hard (Into Mischief).

Well Armed's full-sister Life Well Lived was represented as recently as Friday by GIII Belmont Gold Cup winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Parchment Party (Constitution), and she is also the dam of GISW and Japanese-based sire American Patriot (War Front) and MGSP Muqtaser, a full-brother to Well Humored. Once sold to Bobby Flay for $1.25 million at Keeneland November in 2017, Life Well Lived was purchased by Machmer Hall for $360,000 the same day Parchment Party was named a 'Rising Star' at KEENOV in 2023 and delivered a full-brother to that Pin Oak-owned runner last season.

The last listed produce from Well Humored is Patch Adams's 2-year-old full-brother Wall Street, who breezed a half-mile at Churchill Downs in :50 flat on June 6.

PATCH ADAMS gets his first stakes win in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens pres. by @MoheganSun with Luis Saez aboard for trainer @bradcoxracing. pic.twitter.com/YsKqEbMRdZ

— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 7, 2025

Saturday, Saratoga
WOODY STEPHENS S. PRESENTED BY MOHEGAN SUN-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 6-7, 3yo, 7f, 1:21.36, my.
1–PATCH ADAMS, 118, c, 3, by Into Mischief
            1st Dam: Well Humored (SW), by Distorted Humor
            2nd Dam: Life Well Lived, by Tiznow
            3rd Dam: Well Dressed, by Notebook
'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O-CHC, Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC;
B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Luis Saez. $275,000.
Lifetime Record: 6-3-0-1, $497,585. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Madaket Road, 118, c, 3, Quality Road–Frolic's Dream,
by Smoke Glacken. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($650,000 Ylg '23
FTSAUG). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables
LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson,
Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan;
B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $100,000.
3–Big Truzz, 118, c, 3, Justify–Saralin, by Curlin. 1ST BLACK
TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE.
($300,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star' O-Flying Dutchmen;
B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt & Kaleen Shah Inc. (KY); T-Brian
Lynch. $60,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 3 1/4, NK. Odds: 3.40, 11.10, 7.90.
Also Ran: Citizen Bull, T Kraft, Gate to Wire, Chancer McPatrick-(DH), Macho Music-(DH), Neoequos, Gunmetal. Scratched: Colloquial.
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The post ‘Rising Star’ Patch Adams Scoots Clear In Woody Stephens appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief) continued his ascent with a powerful, 2 1/2-length victory over heavily favored 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) in the 'Win and You're In' GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga. Just a Touch (Justify) held third over second-choice White Abarrio (Race Day).

“(Winning the Met Mile) is something that I never dreamt of just because it seems so far-fetched, but a horse like Raging Torrent is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime kind of horse,” winning trainer Doug O'Neill said. “He's got speed. He's got stamina. He's got class. He has no problem shipping and it's just a wonderful feeling.”

Overlooked at odds of 8-1 following wins in the GI Malibu S. at Santa Anita Dec. 26 and the G2 Godolphin Mile at Meydan Apr. 5, the Yuesheng Zhang and Craig Dado colorbearer cleared the field of five from his outside draw beneath Frankie Dettori over the sloppy and sealed going.

He showed the way through fractions of :23.92 and :46.86 with 3-4 choice Fierceness, a last-out winner of the GII Alysheba S. in track-record time at Churchill Downs, in hot pursuit in second after brushing with White Abarrio at the start exiting from his rail draw.

Fierceness drew up alongside Raging Torrent approaching the quarter pole and it looked like a two-horse race from there with the former appearing to be going the better of the two.

Raging Torrent still had plenty left in the tank, however, and turned back Fierceness to win going away for his third straight victory.

Raging Torrent, a game winner of Del Mar's GII Pat O'Brien S. last summer, had a three-race winning streak snapped when seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint last fall.

“He's been in great form,” O'Neill said. “We intentionally gave him that time off after the Malibu and were shooting for the Godolphin Mile after that. Usually when you make a plan, God laughs, especially in this business, but Raging Torrent is just one of those unique horses who you can make a plan (for) and he comes through and does it. Incredible.”

O'Neill added, “If he comes out of it good, the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile will be a logical goal and maybe a race between now and then. The plan is to take him to California on Tuesday and play it by ear.”

Fierceness, previously three-for-three at the Spa, led by a heart-stopping win in last summer's GI Travers S., will be pointed for the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga Aug. 2, per trainer Todd Pletcher.

“Actually, Johnny (Velazquez) said he broke so sharply he kind of hit the gate and came back with some blood on his mouth,” Pletcher said. “Then the first sixteenth of a mile was pretty rough. They were bouncing around trying to get position. After that he got into the exact position that we wanted, he just couldn't get by the horse on the lead.”

Pedigree Notes:

Raging Torrent is one of three graded winners and the lone top-level winner for Maximus Mischief, a Spendthrift-based son of Into Mischief. He is the only starter from his winning dam Violent Wave (Violence), who was claimed by Equinox, Inc. for just $6,250 out of her career finale at Gulfstream Park in 2018.

Violent Wave, a $150,000 KEESEP yearling and a half-sister to GSW The Nth Degree (Distorted Humor), was offered with Raging Torrent in utero at the 2021 Keeneland January Sale, but was led out unsold on a bid of $27,000. Raging Torrent was himself bought back for the same price by breeders Rodney Winkler and Alfonso Mazzetti at Keeneland September in 2022, and it was Mark Davis's name (Steve Rothblum, agent) on the ticket when he fetched $75,000 at the 2023 OBS April Sale (:10).

The first daughter of Violence to produce a Grade I winner, Violent Wave is also the dam of the unraced 3-year-old colt Contra Mundum (Honor A.P.), a $55,000 RNA at KEESEP in 2023, and the 2-year-old filly Layan (Collected), a $47,000 KEENOV weanling.

Violent Wave was bought back for $575,000 in foal to Up to the Mark at the 2024 KEENOV sale.

That's three straight graded stakes wins for RAGING TORRENT as he wins the Grade 1 @HillnDaleFarm Metropolitan Handicap with @FrankieDettori up for trainer @DougONeill1! pic.twitter.com/ys0lQTtDKd

— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 7, 2025

Saturday, Saratoga
HILL 'N' DALE METROPOLITAN H.-GI, $970,000, Saratoga, 6-7, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:35.89, sy.
1–RAGING TORRENT, 123, c, 4, by Maximus Mischief
              1st Dam: Violent Wave, by Violence
              2nd Dam: Coastal Wave, by Dixieland Band
              3rd Dam: Orange Wave, by Coastal
($27,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $75,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR).
O-Yuesheng Zhang and Craig Dado; B-Rodney J. Winkler &
Alfonso Mazzetti (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill; J-Lanfranco Dettori.
$550,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-UAE, 14-7-1-2, $1,797,400.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free
Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Fierceness, 125, c, 4, City of Light–Nonna Bella, by Stay
Thirsty. O-Derrick Smith, Repole Stable, Michael B. Tabor,
and Mrs. John Magnier; B-Repole Stable, Inc. (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $200,000. 'TDN Rising Star'
3–Just a Touch, 119, c, 4, Justify–Touching Beauty, by Tapit.
($170,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $125,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT;
$300,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Qatar Racing, Resolute Racing
and Marc Detampel; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Brad
Cox. $120,000.
Margins: 2HF, 2 1/4, HF. Odds: 8.00, 0.75, 3.70.
Also Ran: White Abarrio, Castle Chaos.
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The post All the Rage: Raging Torrent a Front-Running, Upset Winner of the Met Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.