Thoroughbred Daily News

The husband-and-wife team of Carlos Estrada and Sarah Estrada-Brok have been skillfully developing C & S Thoroughbreds into thriving pinhooking venture over the past eight years. Steadily picking up steam with a each carefully-crafted consignment, the couple makes only their second appearance at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, which will be held in Saratoga Springs Aug. 4-5.

After offering their very first consignment in 2017, they ventured out on their own thereafter, and in their initial season selling 2-year-olds under the Sterling Thoroughbreds banner in 2021, they hit pay dirt with a Brody's Cause colt–a $6,000 yearling purchase–for $290,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Sale.

The operation's yearling class has also steadily picked up steam over the course of the last five years, highlighted by a yearling colt by Justify out of Mahkama (Bernardini) who went to BBA Ireland for $250,000 at the venue last year. The duo also sold a Charlatan colt out of Brandons Danger (Into Mischief) for the same price following the sale.

“Last year, we had our first consignment in Saratoga, and this year, we are going back with what I think is a better group,” affirmed Carlos Estrada. “I think this group is going to turn out to be very nice.”

Hoping to raise the bar in Saratoga next month, C & S Thoroughbreds will provide a trio of yearlings in its first offering at the select venue. All the yearlings are made up of limited partnerships, that the Estradas also have a stake in.

Offering some intrigue to this maiden voyage is Hip 82, a filly by Cyberknife, who is represented by his first crop of yearlings in 2025. Bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski, the New York-bred filly already made the headlines when selling for a sale-topping $230,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Mixed Sale last October. A March 28 foal, the dark bay is a half-sister to GIII Summertime Oaks winner Cash Call (McKinzie) and SW and GSP Strategic Dreams (Archarcharch). Her winning dam D'fashion (D'wildcat) is a half-sister to GSW and GISP Express Tour (Tour d'Or).

Trained by Bob Baffert, CSLR Racing's Cash Call will be making her next start in Saratoga's GI Test Stakes.

“She is fancy,” said Sarah Estrada-Brok. “She is beautiful and correct and keeps improving. She's probably one of the best Cyberknife's we've seen.”

Carlos Estrada added, “She's a lovely filly that anyone would love to have in the barn. She's a forward filly.”

Asked if it was always the plan to bring the New York-bred filly back to sell in Saratoga, Estrada said,  “We bought her with the idea of going back to the [select] sale with her.”

Also on the first day of selling, the consignment is represented by a colt by Olympiad, offered as Hip 41. Winner of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, Olympiad is also represented by his first crop of yearlings in 2025.

C & S Thoroughbreds offer a half-sister by Cyberknife to GIII Summertime Oaks winner Cash Call (pictured) at this year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale | BENOIT

An Apr. 11 foal, the Kentucky-bred is out of SP Autonomous (Quality Road), who descends from the family of Grade I winners Monba, Secret Hello and Silent Account, the second dam of GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Plum Pretty. Bred by Stoneriggs Farm, the colt was purchased for $150,000 at Fasig-Tipton in Kentucky last February.

“He is a very nice colt, very athletic. We went to [the February [sale] saying we needed a Saratoga [caliber] colt, and he was one,” said Estrada.

Selling on the second day, Hip 198, a filly by newcomer Golden Pal, rounds out the Saratoga C & S Thoroughbreds draft.

Bred in Kentucky by Hidden Springs Farm, the $92,000 Keeneland November weanling is the second foal out of the Orb mare Seeking Spirits, a half-sister to Grade III scorer Kirby's Penny (Macho Uno). This represents the extended family of GSW and graded producer Degenerate Gal.

“Like the stallion, she has a lot of substance to her,” Estrada added. “Everyone is loving the Uncle Mo-line stallions like Yaupon and Golden Pal would not be an exception.”

According to Estrada-Brok, the consignors plan to maintain 10-15 yearlings per season and they plan to focus their hands-on operation on quality over quantity.

The couple purchased their farm, an 18-acre tract of land in Georgetown, Kentucky, three years ago.

“It's the perfect size for us, because we try to keep it small,” she said. “We try to get better quality every year. We'd like to stay small so we can focus on them, because it's mostly just us. We want to represent the best horses that we can.”

The consignors sold several yearlings at Fasig-Tipton this past July, and they expect to sell a handful, under the banner of a different consignor, at Keeneland in September. C & S Thoroughbreds will also sell a few at Fasig-Tipton in October.

Asked if the couple might consider expanding the size of their operation in the future, Estrada-Brok replied, “We don't want to get any bigger. Right now, we are happy where we are at. It's manageable. We have three kids. We don't just want to focus on horses, we want to focus on our kids as well. At that number, we can do everything ourselves.”

The post C & S Thoroughbreds Hoping for the Next Catalog Cover Horse in Return to Fasig-Tipton Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-'TDN Rising Stars' Fierceness (City of Light) or Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI $1 million Whitney Stakes?

Will one of them be running or will it be both?

Those questions got definitive answers Saturday morning outside Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's barn on the Oklahoma Training Track.

When entries are taken for the meet's marquee race for older horses on Sunday, both horses names will be front and center, but it will be Fierceness who carries the flag for Pletcher and the ownership group of Mike Repole's Repole Stables, Derrick Smith, Michael B. Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier.

“We plan to enter both,” Pletcher said. “We want to make sure we have a good week and if everything goes smoothly, the plan is to run Fierceness,” Pletcher said. “We are fortunate to have two horses that are multiple Grade I winners that are capable of running in these kinds of races.”

Mindframe, who has won all three of his starts this year–all at different distances–will be pointed to the $1 million GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at the end of the meet, Aug. 31. But he will be entered in the Whitney as a safeguard in case Fierceness ends up not running.

The two 4-year-olds both worked on the main track at Saratoga Saturday morning. Fierceness and exercise rider Danny Wright appeared at 7 a.m. and went in company with stablemate Dreamlike (Gun Runner), going four furlongs in :49.40 (104/167).

Mindframe (outside) at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew

“All of his works have been excellent,” Pletcher said. “We tried to do a little less with him today than he did last week when he had such a big work (five furlongs in 1:01.70) and such a strong gallop out. This was more of a maintenance work.”

Mindframe, owned by Repole and Vinnie and Teresa Viola's St. Elias Stable, and exercise rider Carlos Quevedo appeared later at 8:45 a.m. and also went four furlongs in :49.22 (87/167) while working in company with stablemate Classicist (Curlin).

For now, Pletcher will be fine keeping his two stable stars away from each other. Fierceness has won six of 11 career starts and is coming off a second-place finish in the GI Met Mile at Saratoga June 7.

“I think, for a race like the (GI) Breeders' Cup Classic, I would look forward to having both of them in there and taking their best shot at it,” Pletcher said. “There is a good chance we'll keep them separated until that day.”

Joseph Mulling What to do With Skippy
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. knows that he will be running White Abarrio (Race Day) in next Saturday's Whitney. He's not sure what he is going to do with his stablemate Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator).

The 6-year-old horse, who seems to get better as he gets older, worked four furlongs in :49.22 (87/167) on the Saratoga main track in company with stablemate Wally World (More Than Ready) at 8:45 Saturday morning.

Joseph said he will decide on Sunday whether he will put Skippy's name in the entry box.

“We won't decide until we have to,” Joseph said outside his barn on the Saratoga backstretch Saturday morning.

The main goal for Skippy this summer, Joseph said, is the GII Charles Town Classic in West Virginia on Aug. 22. It's a race that Skippy, owned by Daniel Alonso, has won the last two years. Joseph would love a three-peat.

Skippylongstocking was entered to run in the GI Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs on June 28, but Joseph scratched. He hasn't run since May 26 when he won the GII Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes at Santa Anita.

Joseph would like to get a race into Skippy before the trip to Charles Town, but the Whitney is a tough spot, he knows that.

“The cons are the competition,” he said with a laugh. “The pros are if we were to win it. We want to run in the Whitney. We did it last year (finishing fifth). If he runs in the Whitney and has a hard race and you mess up the Charles Town Classic … that is the drawback.”

Skippylongstocking has started 32 times and has 11 wins, three seconds and seven third place finishes. This year, he has two wins and two thirds in four starts.

“He is consistent,” Joseph said. “He has gotten better as he has gotten older. From his 4-year-old year on, he has been really, really good. Every track he goes to, he runs. Thankfully, he has been able to stay around and he has been a joy to have.”

Skippylongstocking works Saturday | Sarah Andrew

Jockeys Will Have a Song to Sing on Sunday
The not ready for prime-time jockeys will take center stage at Vapors Night Club in Saratoga Springs Sunday night. It's the annual Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund  (PDJF) “Riders Up!,” the annual karaoke contest and fundraiser. The East Coast jockeys will belt out their tunes while those on the West Coast will do the same on Aug. 10.

Those attending should not plan on hearing dulcet tones that will bring back memories of Sinatra or Elvis. But the jockeys promise they will give it the best they got.

“I love music, I just can't sing,” Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez said Saturday morning on the Oklahoma Training Track.

When asked to rate himself as a singer, he laughed.

“I am close to a minus-zero,” he said. “I do try. I will put in a good effort. I just can't sing.”

He said he will perform with his wife Leona but would not reveal what kind of number they are going to do.

Joel Rosario, another Hall of Famer, admitted he is pretty much tone deaf, too. But he'll give it a shot.

“Please don't ask me to sing,” he said on the Saratoga backstretch when asked for a preview. “I only sing in the house where no one can hear me.”

International riding star Frankie Dettori wants no part of the singing competition, but he'll be the to support his buddies. And have a few laughs, too.

“I am good, but I'm not singing,” he said. “Some people take it real serious. I am going to be a spectator. I'll watch everyone make a fool of themselves. I am going to take a back seat and have a good laugh.”

Doors open at 7 p.m., and the performances start at 8. For tickets and more information, click here.

The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Fierceness The One For Pletcher In Whitney appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Thistledown Racino's firing this week of track superintendent Sean Wright followed reports of alleged safety issues with the track's one-mile dirt surface that led to lost days of training and racing. There have also been multiple racing and training equine fatalities since the meet began Apr. 21.

The ongoing autopsy on these events has raised compliance question marks (both at Thistledown and nationally) over a key component of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) racetrack safety program.

Under this program, tracks are required when operating a meet to submit a set of measurements daily made at all quarter-mile markers at distances of five feet and 15 feet from the inside rail. This includes moisture content and, for dirt and synthetic tracks specifically, cushion depth.

Officials say these timely measurements are necessary to help identify on a day-to-day basis any potential equine safety concerns with the track surface.

“If we see any problems at a track—catastrophic injuries, problems with soreness on the horses—we should be able to provide to the regulatory vets and HISA real-time data either to identify problems with the tracks or rule out any issues with the tracks,” said Mick Peterson, director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL) in Kentucky, to which these measurements are to be submitted.

According to HISA, there have been windows since Apr. 21 when Thistledown failed to file these daily reports.

While this track surface data was being collected, it was “not consistently manually uploaded to the system,” wrote HISA's senior communications manager Mackenzie Kirker-Head, in an email answer to a series of questions. She declined, however, to provide specific dates as to when the measurements weren't submitted daily.

“Thistledown did go back and upload the collected track surface data to the system after we reached out to them concerning the matter,” Kirker-Head added.

“To the extent that you want information on specific days missed, once the data is rectified, we no longer track information on which days were missed,” wrote Kirker-Head.

When asked Friday about this recording lapse, Wright—who had been in the track superintendent's position for about four months before his firing—said that for the first few weeks of the meet, he was unable to submit these records as he was without a computer, though he was recording the measurements in a notebook.

When Wright got a computer, he then uploaded the measurements as required, he said.

“I even had to go back and catch a lot of things up because it took a while from the time I got here working on the track to the time I actually got a computer. There was a gap in time there, and I had to go back and catch it up,” said Wright, adding that he wouldn't submit track moisture data on days of heavy rainfall, as it wasn't necessary.

Earlier in the week, Wright told TDN that a period of heavy rainfall in the spring—during which time the surface appeared safer, he said—was followed by much drier conditions this summer. This is when Wright's maintenance crew repeatedly failed to follow his orders on adding enough additional water to the track, he said.

“I don't mean to throw my guys under the bus, but a spade's a spade here,” Wright said, who told the TDN he has text messages which proves the alleged insubordination.

Reached Friday, Wright reiterated that he believes he did everything he could to safely maintain the track's surface conditions, and that he had consistently submitted to HISA a separate set of track maintenance data.

“I'm not going to defend myself any more because I did my job and I did my job well,” he said. “Because of this, I won't have a job like this any more—there's no way I'm going to be a track superintendent again. There's no way they're going to touch me with a 10-foot pole.

“Find somebody who cares for a racetrack more than I do,” Wright added. “I've spent 45 years in this business. My family's been in this business 100 years. I've spent blood, sweat and tears on these racehorses, and you've all done a hatchet job on me.”

Racetracks are required to submit these daily surface condition measurements (during a race-meet) as part of HISA's accreditation program.

“Reporting compliance is one of many factors that are considered when evaluating racetrack accreditation, and we take compliance with those reporting requirements very seriously,” wrote Kirker-Head.

Sarah Andrew photo

It appears, however, that Thistledown hasn't been the only track failing to submit these daily reports since HISA went into effect.

Kaleb Dempsey, RSTL laboratory manager, told TDN last November that these requirements were not being uniformly met across all U.S. racetracks.

“We have a high number of tracks that are finally starting to provide their daily measurements thorough the maintenance quality system. That's a good thing—it's how we really pull this data together,” said Dempsey last November, about the connection between surface conditions and equine injury. “But the hardest step is to actually get people to take the daily measurements so we can have those links.”

When asked if all tracks currently operating a meet are now in compliance with the daily surface report mandate, Kirker-Head wrote that they're in “substantial compliance” with this requirement.

“If a track misses a day or two, we address it with them. HISA keeps the details of those reports between us and the track,” Kirker-Head wrote.

According to Peterson, while some tracks—particularly the larger facilities—are in strict compliance with this requirement, others (especially the smaller, more cash-strapped tracks) are still found wanting.

“What I would like to see is us having this information so we can avert problems, and that really takes having this data put in every day,” said Peterson. “We're not there yet, and I would like to get there.”

When asked if some tracks miss than a day or two's worth of data, Peterson said that “some of them are perfect. I can't emphasize that enough.”

However, “some of the smaller tracks just struggle to keep up,” he added, declining to give specific timeframes.

The question, therefore, is this: how best to bring all facilities up to speed?

In light of recent events, Thistledown has reportedly ordered a device called an Integrated Racetrack Surface Tester, to help streamline the data recording requirements.

“This machine will be able to take the required track surface data measurements, which are uploaded via GPS directly to the Maintenance Quality System, streamlining and automating the collection of track surface measurements for track superintendents,” wrote Kirker-Head.

Peterson also raised another endemic issue plaguing the sport—of the loss of institutional knowledge as an ageing workforce exits the sport, leaving behind a vacuum of experience and expertise.

“What I would really like to see is the industry continue to support those tracks, and part of this gets back to the struggle with these workforce issues,” he said. “This is as true of some of the vet issues as it is the track issues.”

The post Thistledown Furor Raises Compliance Questions with Key HISA Track Safety Requirement appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The aptly-named Time to Dream (Not This Time) impressed in her career unveiling Friday to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' at Saratoga for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole. Racing as part of a coupled entry with stablemate Flighttown (Practical Joke), the 7-2 shot was drawn nearly widest of the field in this one-mile turf event and despite a clean beginning, was outrun was a host of rivals to her inside. Jose Ortiz guided his filly down to race a path off the hedge just outside of Curly Q Girl (Curlin) in fifth into the clubhouse turn. Second-time starter Maiora (Speightstown) had a loose lead onto the backstretch with Time to Dream following her stablemate who raced just ahead of her a little further out on the track. Stuck behind a wall of runners past the half-mile pole in :48.06, Time to Dream had to check briefly which left Flighttown to take first crack at Maiora midway around the far turn. Really picking up the bridle once swung out five wide, the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad quickly put this field behind her with an eye-catching final quarter-mile to come home 2 1/4 lengths ahead of the pacesetter.

Joining an illustrious list of 'Rising Stars' for Repole and Pletcher that includes the likes of Eclipse champion 2-year-olds Fierceness (City of Light) and Forte (Violence) along with recent GI Stephen Foster winner Mindframe (Constitution), Time to Dream is the eighth 'Rising Star' for Not This Time and his third this month alone. A $750,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad last year, the winner is a half to MGSW/GISP Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance) who sold just last year for $1.5m at FTKNOV to Case Clay. First dam Wild Silk, though unraced herself, is a half-sister to GI Vosburgh Stakes winner Joking (Distorted Humor) and this is also the family of GSW/MGISP sire Fed Biz (Giant's Causeway). Wild Silk, purchased by Clover Hill Farm at KEENOV in 2017 for $70,000, produced a Cody's Wish colt this season and returned to Not This Time for a full-sibling to Time to Dream next year.

7th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 7-25, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.56, fm,
2 1/4 lengths.
TIME TO DREAM, f, 2, Not This Time
            1st Dam: Wild Silk, by Street Sense
            2nd Dam: Spun Silk, by A.P. Indy
            3rd Dam: Spunoutofcontrol, by Wild Again
Sales History: $750,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Repole Stable; B-Maggie Gieseke (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. *1/2 to Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance), MGSW & GISP, $799,175.

#2B TIME TO DREAM ($9.90) broke her maiden in impressive fashion in the 7th race at Saratoga. The juvenile filly by @TMStallions' Not This Time was piloted by @jose93_ortiz for trainer @PletcherRacing and owner @RepoleStable. She is a half-sister to MGSW Red Carpet Ready! pic.twitter.com/GtUg03X60D

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) July 25, 2025

The post Aptly-Named Time to Dream A New ‘Rising Star’ For Todd Pletcher And Mike Repole At Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Despite the fact that Journalism (Curlin) became the first of his generation to earn as many as three elite-level victories with his thrilling success in the GI NYRABets Haskell Stakes last weekend, Godolphin's Sovereignty (Into Mischief) remains at the head of this year's sophomore class by virtue of convincing head-to-head tallies in the GI Kentucky Derby on May 3 and when last seen in the GI Belmont Stakes right here at Saratoga on June 7.

But the argument can be made that Saturday's GII Jim Dandy Stakes at the Spa may not be a straight-forward task for the homebred son of Crowned (Bernardini), as four well-credentialed rivals will line up against him for a race in which they perhaps have more to play for than the deserving favorite.

Sovereignty has been made the 2-5 choice on David Aragona's morning line, a far cry from the ludicrous almost $18 mutuel he returned at Churchill and the $7 he paid when–somehow–not favored in the Belmont. But those two efforts, as much as they stand out on paper, do not necessarily mean that Saturday's contest is a fait accompli.

Having come from a near-impossible position to take the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes on his sophomore debut Mar. 1, locking up his spot in the field for the Derby for all intents and purposes, he was logically set for the GI Curlin Florida Derby four weeks later. Drawn widest and with Manny Franco subbing for an injured Junior Alvarado, Sovereignty made steady progress and was second home, extracting just what he needed from the race as it related to the Derby.

With the GI DraftKings Travers and its $1.25-million purse four weeks down the road, could the Jim Dandy be another means to an end for Sovereignty?

“Absolutely, that has been the goal,” Mott, a four-time winner of the Jim Dandy, said of the Travers. “It is just a matter of how you get there.

“We hope he has a good race and has a little luck. Anything can happen. They've got to go around there, and it's not over until those blinking lights say 'official.' They've got to hang those numbers up and say official.”

Baeza (McKinzie) makes his second trans-continental trip in seven weeks for trainer John Shirreffs, having trained brilliantly back home since finishing some 6 1/2 lengths behind Sovereignty in the Belmont. The $1.2-million Keeneland September yearling, who was a late addition to the Derby and just failed to catch Journalism for second, has registered no fewer than five breezes and looks to be holding his form. Shirreffs is of the belief that there is even better to come from the half-brother to the Classic-winning Good Magic full-brothers Mage and Dornoch.

“I didn't think he ran his best race in the Belmont,” said Shirreffs. “Talking to [jockey Flavien] Prat after the race, he said it took him a long time to engage down the backside. You can see that he had to ride pretty hard from maybe the half-mile pole all the way to the wire. I think he can run better than that.”

With Prat in California to ride 'TDN Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) in Saturday's GII San Diego Handicap, the underrated Hector Berrios will be in the saddle in the Jim Dandy.

Sandman (Tapit) cemented his spot in the Derby field with a going-away victory in the GI Arkansas Derby Mar. 29 and passed a handful of rivals in the lane to be seventh beneath the Twin Spires. A clear third to Journalism in the GI Preakness Stakes, the $1.2-million OBS March breezer gets the blinkers on for the first time on Saturday.

“I'm hoping the blinkers don't take some of his punch away, but you never know until you try,” Casse said. “We are looking for a good effort in the Jim Dandy, something to propel us to the Travers.”

Mo Plex (Complexity) could have taken a path of lesser resistance in a race like the Albany Stakes, but connections chart a more ambitious course with the last-out winner of the GIII Ohio Derby. 'TDN Rising Star' Hill Road (Quality Road) earned himself a crack at the Belmont with a 3/4-length score in the GIII Peter Pan Stakes and will need to make up 9 1/2 lengths on Sovereignty if he is to be in the Dandy discussion.

Trainer John Shirreffs with Baeza Friday morning on the Saratoga backstretch. Baeza is the 3-1 ML second choice in Saturday's Jim Dandy. Was third behind Sovereignty (2-5 ML Jim Dandy favorite) in ⁦@KentuckyDerby⁩ and ⁦@BelmontStakes⁩. pic.twitter.com/TIzyMLvN2G

— Tim Wilkin (@tjwilkin) July 25, 2025

Chad Brown has saddled the winner of the GII Lake George Stakes an additional six times since Mrs McDougal (Medaglia d'Oro) gave him his first in 2015 and the barn is represented by a pair of live chances Friday afternoon.

Play With Fire (Oscar Performance) came from last in a field of eight to defeat Pretty Lavish (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) and Princess Attitude (Frankel {GB}) in Pimlico's Hilltop Stakes May 16 for Brendan Walsh and owner Fergus Galvin and was acquired thereafter by Randy Sarf's LSU Stables. In her first run for the new ownership, the bay was gaining late, but was forced to settle for second to the re-opposing all-the-way winner Classic Q (Classic Empire) in the one-mile July 3 Wild Applause Stakes over this course.

The latter is trained by Mark Casse, who sent out Pounce (Lookin At Lucky) to snap a five-race winning streak last year for Brown, who will also send out Lavender Disaster (Into Mischief).

Play With Fire schooling in the Saratoga paddock | Sarah Andrew

With an all-expenses-paid trip to the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint over the Del Mar six furlongs in the offing, 'TDN Rising Star' World Record (Gun Runner) has made the trek west for a deep renewal of the GI Bing Crosby Stakes over the same course and trip.

The runaway winner of last-year's age-restricted GII Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga, the $410,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase led home a 'Rising Star' 1-2in Churchill allowance company May 1, defeating Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) by a solid 2 1/2 lengths. The 8-5 second choice for the GIII Aristides Stakes May 31, the bay carried the lead  into the final furlong, but was run down late and settled for second. He has shown the ability to take a sit off the pace, and that could come in handy in a heat that looks fast on paper.

Dr. Venkman (Ghostzapper) won the GII San Diego Handicap on this program 12 months ago, but sticks to the shorter trip this time around. Most likely in need of the run when a distant second to Nysos in the GIII Triple Bend Stakes May 31, the bay was sent to Churchill for the June 28 GIII Kelly's Landing Stakes, but couldn't quite reel in Roll On Big Joe (Prospective).

Crazy Mason (Coal Front) makes the cross-country journey for trainer Greg Sacco in career-best form. An Aqueduct allowance winner in January and February, the gra colt came from a mile back to win the GII Carter Stakes on Apr. 5 and was a late-on-the-scene third to Book'em Danno (Bucchero) in the GIII True North Stakes June 7.

The aforementioned Nysos carries top weight of 124 pounds in the San Diego, a lead-up to the GI Pacific Classic, and the 'TDN Rising Star' makes just his second trip around two turns, having crushed his fellow 3-year-olds by 7 1/2 lengths in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes last February.

A too-good-to-lose second to fellow 'Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI Churchill Downs Stakes first off the 15-month hiatus May 3, the $550,000 OBS April grad never took a deep breath in the Triple Bend, scoring by 5 1/2 lengths.

Among the competition is Grade I winner Express Train (Union Rags), winner of this event in 2021 and third last year; Grade III scorer Midnight Mammoth (Midnight Lute); and GSW 'TDN Rising Star' Hall of Fame (Gun Runner), who races in the Claiborne Farm colors for Michael McCarthy for the first time.

Already victorious in the Virginia Oaks in March and in the GIII Delaware Oaks last month, Fondly (Upstart) will have her fair share of backers from the outside draw in a field of seven for Saturday's GIII Monmouth Oaks.

It will likely be pedal to the metal for the $50,000 Fasig-Tipton October purchase, who has trained well over the last six weeks at trainer Graham Motion's Fair Hill base.

Pink Ruby (Connect) had the consistent Rosieontheriver (Kantharos) back in third in a May 18 allowance at this venue, having finished fourth in the June 22 Wilton Stakes at Aqueduct. Rosieontheriver has put together a record of 2-0-2 from four starts going two turns on the main track.

Running Away (Gun Runner) does her best work on the engine and was the wire-to-wire winner of the Jan. 18 Busanda Stakes before faltering in the GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes in April. She was last seen 'running away' from her rivals in the Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicap May 14.

The post Sovereignty A Beatable Favorite In the Jim Dandy? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

By the time you're reading this article, the New York Racing Association (NYRA)'s years-long rebuild of Belmont Park that is on target to be finished by September 2026 will have reached or be very close to achieving a significant milestone.

“The inner turf course will be complete by possibly [Friday] if not Monday with all the sod,” Glen Kozak, NYRA's senior vice president of operations and capital projects, said July 25. “This was a big, big step for us, and now we're rolling right into the Widener turf course.”

Kozak's update on Belmont's four redesigned racing surfaces (from outside in: 1 1/2-miles main dirt track, grass courses at 10 and nine furlongs, one-mile Tapeta track) came during a Friday meeting of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board (FOB).

The FOB is the governor-appointed committee that represents the interests of New York State in the real estate at Belmont, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course.

While construction concurrently occurs on the rebuilt grandstand and clubhouse, the big summer project in the infield has been laying down the turf course sod, which is grown offsite and trucked to Belmont every morning that the crews are working. It then gets placed atop 12 inches of growing medium that has been installed over drainage stone.

“That's been growing for now-and the sod company wants to kill us-for about 16 months,” Kozak said, underscoring that NYRA didn't want to cut corners, time-wise, to make sure the finished product is mature and robust.

“We're using a variety that is drought-tolerant, wear-tolerant, that was specific for what we're looking for,” Kozak said.

“It is Kentucky bluegrass,” Kozak said. “But what we were also looking at is the profile that we engineered for it [that is] specifically grown for us in a region [that will match Belmont Park]. It comes from Long Island. This sod is harvested anywhere from 2:30 to 4:00 in the morning, and the trucks [arrive] and are starting to install at 7:00.

“We use DeLea Sod Farms,” Kozak continued. “They do Yankee Stadium.”

“And the other thing that they're doing is they're cutting [the sod strips] very thin. So the root zone [has a] direct mesh. Watering is very, very critical. Obviously, we're putting sod down when it's ninety-something degrees. It's not optimal, so we're trying to get the water going to this as well.”

The watering, for the time being, has to be done manually because electrical power is not yet connected to the infield. Irrigation will eventually be achieved by a high-tech sprinkler system.

“It's gotten so technical with some of the new [sprinkler] heads that there's basically an [internet protocol] address for every head,” Kozak said.

That will allow NYRA to monitor exactly how much water flow goes out on each head.

“Right now it's currently municipal water, but we did apply for a well permit through the city, so we're currently in the step for that,” Kozak said. “It's the second-largest aquifer on Long Island. So we're told volume-wise it's not a problem.”

Some of that water will be held in an infield retention pond, Kozak said.

“The capacity of the pond is for a two-week period to be able to water not only the two [turf] racing surfaces, but also the infield. [Also] with this design there's irrigation set up for the synthetic track as well,” Kozak said.

Kozak said a key component of the design is uniformity across all four surfaces.

“The old Belmont racing surfaces were built in a different era,” Kozak said. “So you had different types of product, different types of natural sand or clay or areas, pockets, throughout. [Now] everything is consistent from the bottom up, so there's no area that will drain differently because of either a hedge or heavier soil that might be in place in a certain area.”

Drainage, as well as sightlines from the stands, are both expected to be improved because the four courses will be “stacked” atop one another.

Kozak said making those vertical changes for the four courses included “hundreds of thousands of yards of material that we moved on-site just to be able to establish not only the new height elevations of the racing surfaces for drainage and for the engineering required, but also for visibility.”

The widths and circumferences of the two turf tracks, plus the spacing between the courses, will also be different.

The inner course circumference went from 1 3/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles and the outer (Widener) course went from 1 5/16 miles to 1 1/4 miles, Kozak said.

“So basically we've got now a 102-foot wide turf course and a 118-foot wide turf course, [and] the difference with these racing surfaces is they're consistent width all the way around,” Kozak said.

“The old surfaces were similar to Saratoga. Much tighter on the turns, and unfortunately, that's where most of your wear happens, on the turns,” Kozak said.

Kozak explained that “the widths in between the tracks have all been contemplated so that way we maximize our distances for all of the racing surfaces. Meaning the five or six different running lanes that we have on the turf, we will be able to accommodate those and maximize those.”

Banking will be 2% on the straightaways and 4% on the turns “and everything is consistent across the surfaces,” Kozak said.

Grading during course construction “is all done by GPS,” Kozak said. “We have a survey company come in behind our work with the equipment to go through to check the grades.”

For all four courses, the finish line has been moved about 126 feet east (toward the first turn), Kozak said.

Although there aren't many 10-furlong dirt races at Belmont, the track will be running a big one in 2027 when it hosts the Breeders' Cup championships. This movement of the finish line helps with placement of the mid-first-turn starting point for that distance, which under the previous configuration appeared shoehorned into the turn and never seemed to meet the main track smoothly.

“The mile and a quarter [start] that will be used for the [GI] Breeders' Cup Classic, instead of that being an afterthought into the rail, it [will now be] in an engineered area that is set up where it breaks more to the center of the turn,” Kozak said.

As for the grandstand and clubhouse work, Kozak offered the following timeline:

“Generic numbers right now, the concrete will be done for the third deck by the end of August. Steel will be wrapping up the end of September for the framework. Roofing and everything won't specifically be dried in by the end of [the fourth quarter this year], but it's going to be darn close.”

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Monmouth Park has cancelled Friday's scheduled eight-race card due to excessive heat, track officials announced.

All races cancelled Friday will be brought back as extras for Friday, Aug. 1, and the racing office will also look to use them over next weekend.

Entries will be taken on Sunday, July 27, for next Friday's card.

Racing resumes at Monmouth Park on Saturday with a first race post time of 12:50 p.m. ET.

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The catalog for the 2025 Inglis Digital USA July Sale is now online, featuring a diverse selection of 49 entries, including a pair of unbeaten stakes-winning 2-year-olds.

Bidding is now open for the online auction, and the first lot will close on Wednesday, July 30 at 2 p.m. ET, with subsequent listings hammering in three-minute increments.

Highlights include:

Good Civilian (Good Samaritan) won his debut on June 14 at Horseshoe Indianapolis by 11 1/2 lengths, then added the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes on July 5 at Prairie Meadows. Trainer Genaro Garcia consigns the Indiana-bred gelding.

Border Czar (Beau Liam) won on debut at Woodbine in a last-to-first effort June 7, then took the Listed My Dear Stakes at the same track on July 12. Owner/trainer Barbara Minshall will consign the filly.

Also included among the offerings is a group of fillies and mares deemed to be “IRT eligible,” meaning they have completed the tests and received the vaccines required to enter quarantine following the sale and travel with international shipping company IRT, making for a more seamless post-purchase process for buyers around the globe.

Among the “IRT-eligible” horses in the catalog are:

Asean (Ire): A 4-year-old broodmare prospect by Ten Sovereigns (Ire), who was a 2-year-old stakes winner at The Curragh in Ireland before competing in the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Park. Commonwealth consigns the filly.

Beauty of the Sea: A 5-year-old Bucchero mare who won the Blue Sparkler Stakes at Monmouth Park as a 3-year-old, then came back at four to win a pair of stakes races at Monmouth and Colonial Downs, followed by a third in the GIII Ontario Fashion Stakes at Woodbine. Paramount Sales consigns the racing/broodmare prospect, as agent.

Lily Poo: A 5-year-old broodmare who was a winner at two, then came back at three to win the California Oaks at Golden Gate Fields and finish in the money in a pair of graded stakes races. She had her first foal in 2025, a Taiba colt, who is not included with the mare in the auction. Paramount Sales consigns the daughter of Tapiture, as agent.

Dixieland Belle: A 3-year-old racing/broodmare prospect by More Than Ready who won her debut race as a juvenile against stakes competition, taking the Finest City Stakes at Presque Isle Downs. The Pennsylvania-bred is consigned by Paramount Sales, agent.

“This sale marks a year since we started selling, and we're grateful to everyone who's supported us,” said Kyle Wilson, Senior Director of Sales and Recruiting for Inglis Digital USA. “We've got a great catalog to celebrate that anniversary, highlighted by a couple of undefeated juveniles and a group of broodmares and broodmare racing prospects ready to go anywhere in the world.”

To view the catalog and register to bid, visit www.inglisdigitalusa.com.

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Edited Press Release

Officials at Breeders' Cup Limited remind horsepeople that the deadline to nominate foals born in 2025 to the Breeders' Cup program at a one-time fee of $400 is Friday, Aug. 1, at 11:59 p.m. ET. To ensure that the 'Breeders' Cup Nominated' designation appears on catalog pages for upcoming fall and winter breeding stock sales, foals must be nominated by this deadline.

The one-time $400 weanling nomination entitles each foal with racing eligibility to the Breeders' Cup World Championships and the Breeders' Cup racing programs for its lifetime. All foals sired by a fully nominated North American Breeders' Cup stallion are eligible for nomination to the Breeders' Cup program in their year of birth at the weanling rate.

If sales foals are not nominated by the early deadline, foal nominations may still be made in the foal's year of birth with a one-time payment of a $400 nomination fee if made on or before Oct. 15, 2025. That is the final deadline for a $400 lifetime eligibility nomination payment.

Thoroughbred racing's most significant international festival for more than 42 years, Breeders' Cup Limited has allocated purses and awards of more than $1 billion to owners, foal nominators, and stallion nominators through its programs, including the annual Breeders' Cup World Championships showcasing the best Thoroughbreds, owners, trainers, and jockeys to a global audience.

Breeders' Cup foal nominators will earn $10,000 for every victory in the worldwide 'Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In', and every horse that starts in a Breeders' Cup World Championship race will earn a nominator award. The individual nominating the foal receives these nominator awards even though the horse may change hands throughout its racing career. For more information and to nominate online visit members.breederscup.com.

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A pair of Group 1 contests to be staged during next week's Qatar Goodwood Festival will earn their winners automatic berths into races on the 2026 Pegasus World Cup Day program at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24.

The Visit Qatar Sussex stakes over a mile on July 30 will serve as a qualifier for the $1-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf, while the Visit Qatar Nassau Stakes going 10 panels on July 31 will earn the winner a spot in the field for the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Both races support the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup.

The field for the Sussex features Juddmonte's exciting Field of Gold (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), who has bounced back from a narrow defeat in the G1 Betfred 2000 Guineas with smashing victories in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. Also expected for the Sussex are Docklands (GB) (Massaat {Ire}) and Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), first and second, respectively, in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal Meeting, as well as former Chad Brown trainee Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), a close sixth in the latter event.

Whirl (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who missed by a neck in the G1 Betfred Oaks before dropping back in trip to take out the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes June 28, leads the entries for the Nassau and she is joined by See The Fire (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), runner-up in the 2024 Nassau and a latest third against males in the G1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot. The 4-year-old was a romping winner of York's G3 Strensall Stakes prior to that effort.

Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was runner-up in the 2019 and 2020 renewals of the Pegasus Turf, while Warm Heart victoriously signed off on her career in the same event in 2024.

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Spectacular Grey (Not This Time), who earned 'TDN Rising Star' honors on Monmouth debut July 12 before topping the Fasig-Tipton July Digital Sale this past Tuesday, goes right back to work in Sunday's $100,000 Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park.

An 11-2 chance in a five-furlong maiden over the main track, the daughter of Rose Grey (The Factor) raced in midpack through the opening stages of that contest after breaking a fraction slowly, then bid wide into the stretch and powered clear to graduate by 7 3/4 lengths (video). Consigned to the July Digital Sale by Taylor Made on behalf of her previous owner III Beauty's Thoroughbred LLC, Spectacular Sale was sold to Epic Horses for $625,000.

The filly remains in the care of trainer Alexis Delgado, who is looking forward to see what she can do on the grass this time around.

“The old owners always wanted to try her on the grass but I said to them 'give me one opportunity on the dirt with her,'” Delgado said. “She ran an unbelievable race. She has always shown talent in the morning. She is a special filly.

“I don't think she was 100% as far as her conditioning for her first race. Maybe 80 or 85%. But she is 100% now.

He continued, “The new owners called me and said 'we like this filly for the grass.' They want to see if she is good enough to try a race at Kentucky Downs. We have to see how she does but I'm very excited to watch her race again.”

According to a Monmouth Park release, Delgado has but 42 career victories to his credit and left the training business from 2022-2024 for family and economic reasons, working as an Uber driver in the interim. Delgado's most important career victory came in the 2019 GII Davona Dale Stakes when he saddled Jeltrin (Tapizar) to a 51-1 upset ahead of a long-odds third in the GI Acorn Stakes.

“It's a great opportunity for me,” said Delgado. “For me to come back to training and to get a horse like this is unbelievable. The new owners called and said 'we saw the success you had in 2019. We want you to continue training this filly.' I am very grateful to them for that.”

Spectacular Grey has drawn the rail in a field of 11 turf sprinters, including three from the barn of Wesley Ward.

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Fresh off a victory in the GI NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park, Journalism (Curlin) went to the track at Del Mar Thursday morning to stretch his legs following his return to the seaside oval Tuesday evening.

“Looks like he's doing very well,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “No plans yet. Just keeping everything on the table.”

When asked if the 3-year-old's next race might be facing older horses in the GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar, McCarthy said, “At some stage you're going to have to run against older [horses]. But there's a lot of lucrative purses throughout the country for straight 3-year-olds. The one drawback is having to put a horse like him on a plane.”

Comparing travel to some of venues Journalism could possibly return to this summer, McCarthy added, “Scheduling-wise we thought the Haskell just made a lot of sense. It's an easy ship. Fly into Newark and go straight to Monmouth Park. With the lack of a real equine freight service, it's difficult to get horses to certain locales. Saratoga is one of them. Fed Ex only goes so far.”

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–One of the most anticipated horses on the grounds at Saratoga comes to the races on Saturday. His name is Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and he is the unquestioned headliner in the GII, $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes, the traditional local prep for the GI, $1.5 million Travers Stakes on Aug, 23.

Why shouldn't he be?

He has already won the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes and is regarded as the best 3-year-old colt in the land.

Jockey Junior Alvarado, who has ridden Sovereignty in six of his seven career starts (he missed the GI Florida Derby because of injury), isn't feeling the heat as his partner goes for his fifth win in eight starts.

“It's not pressure,” Alvarado said, sitting on a bench outside the jockey's room. “I don't get any pressure from Bill [Hall of Fame trainer Mott] or [owner] Godolphin. We have already won the biggest race in the United States already. If there was going to be any pressure it was going to be in the Derby.”

In winning the Derby and Belmont, Sovereignty showed a tremendous turn of foot heading into the stretch. His main rival Journalism (Curlin)–who was favored in both races–could not keep up with him when Sovereignty roared by him.

The 39-year-old Alvarado, the main rider for Mott, says riding Sovereignty is just a joy.

In the Belmont Stakes, the horse put himself in a closer position than the Derby and, in both races, gave the rider a pulverizing kick.

“The last time it was easy, to be honest,” Alvarado said. “He put himself very close to the pace and, after that, it was just a matter of time when I got in the clear and asked him to go for it. Really, he is a pretty easy horse to ride, nothing complicated.”

Sovereignty will be facing four others in the Jim Dandy, He has already beaten TDN Rising Star Baeza (McKinzie), Sandman (Tapit) and Hill Road (Quality Road). Mo Plex (Complexity), the New York-bred who most recently won the GIII Ohio Derby will be making the biggest step up in his career.

Sovereignty was installed as the 2-5 morning line favorite by New York Racing Association oddsmaker David Aragona.

“He is a star, and I have to ride him like he is,” Alvarado said. “I hope he comes with his normal 'A' game. He has figured out how to do it and what he is supposed to be doing. There could be room for him to keep improving.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will have a presence during the Saratoga summer. He's just not sure who will be here yet. Baffert is aiming some of his horses at the GI, $1.25 million Travers Stakes and the GI, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, both on Aug. 23.

Speaking from his summer base at Del Mar in California Thursday, Baffert said that TDN Rising Star Goal Orientated (Not This Time) looks to be his representative in the Midsummer Derby.

“That is the plan … today,” Baffert said. “It changes every week.”

Goal Orientated, owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan, is back in California after finishing third, a neck behind Gosger (Nyquist) in the GI Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Saturday.

They were both caught by Journalism (Curlin) in deep stretch.

Baffert said he brought Goal Orientated back home because he did not want to ship to Saratoga five weeks out from the Travers.

“He is improving,” Baffert said. “This is the time of year when these horses start catching up. Turning for home [in the Haskell], I thought he was going to win it. He is improving, he is maturing.”

Baffert also will consider Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach), a 4 1/4 -length winner of the Los Alamitos Derby on June 28, for the Travers.

“I'm going to see how he works out these next couple weeks,” he said. “He is a nice horse; he could go (to Saratoga) or he could end up in Pennsylvania (for the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on Sept. 20). I am going to watch the (GII) Jim Dandy (at Saratoga Saturday). I'll figure out a lot after that.”

Baffert could send three horses to contest the seven-furlong Jerkens: Madaket Road (Quality Road), second in the GI Woody Stephens at Saratoga on June 7 in his last start, Gaming (Game Winner), winner of the Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita on June 8 and Barnes (Into Mischief), fifth in the April 5 GI Santa Anita Derby in his last start.

TDN Rising Star Ewing and Jose Ortiz | Sarah Andrew

When TDN Rising Star Ewing (Knicks Go) broke his maiden by a dozen lengths at Saratoga on July 5, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse wasn't surprised. Even though it was the first start for the 2-year-old colt, Casse was expecting big things.

“He sure looks like he is something special, everything he does,” Casse said outside his barn on the Saratoga backstretch Thursday morning.

Ewing, owned by D. J. Stable LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds and Kenneth Freirich, will make his second start a week from Saturday in the GII, $200,000 Saratoga Special. He tuned up for it by working a half mile in :48.66 (14/46) on the main track Thursday.

“He was not supposed to dazzle us this morning,” Casse said. “He is ready; he doesn't need much. Once they are at the top of the mountain, we just stay there and that is where we are at.”

Ewing is named for former New York Knick and Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. As far as Casse knows, Ewing the player, does not know about his namesake.

“No idea,” Casse said. “I just train them. I watched Patrick Ewing play but I don't watch a lot of basketball. My dad always said, 'if they don't whinny, I don't know much about it.”

Ewing was a $585,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training sale.

From the first time Casse saw the horse, he was smitten. He gave Ewing a Grade of A; one of only three or four he handed out.

“One of our strongest deals is recruiting and finding the young horses,” he said. “I know what I like, and I know what I don't like.”

In the Saratoga Special, Casse knows he will be facing tougher. Among those Ewing could be running against are the Steve Asmussen-trained Obliteration (Violence), who won the GIII Sanford at Saratoga the same day Ewing debuted, and the Tom Amoss-trained Dazzle d'Oro (Bolt d'Oro), a three-length winner in his June 29 debut at Churchill Downs.

“Allen Jerkens always said you can't judge a horse until he runs five times,” Casse said. “I'm going with three. There will be some good horses in there, but we'll be tough.”

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During the running of the seventh race at Colonial Downs on Thursday, Stanza (Great Notion), who went off at 6-1 for the maiden special weight, clipped heels and unseated jockey Tyler Conner. According to a post on X from Colonial Downs, Conner was conscious and airlifted to Virginia Commonwealth Hospital in Richmond for medical care.

“He broke a vertebrae in his neck and broke his nose,” agent Paula Bacon told TDN. “But he regained all of his feeling. He may have to have surgery. He's getting an MRI.”

Bacon was told that Conner's mount appeared to be 'fine' following the incident.

As a result, the remainder of the card was cancelled Thursday.

The post Tyler Conner Injured in Seventh at Colonial Downs, Remainder of Thursday Card Cancelled appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Santa Anita Park will offer seven automatic qualifiers for this year's Breeders' Cup races among the 22 stakes races offered during the 2025 Autumn Meet that begins on Friday, Sept. 26. The seven Breeders' Cup Challenge races are slated to be run the first two weeks of the 16-day meet.

The late California owner-breeder John C. Harris will be honored with the renaming of the GIII John Harris Stakes to be run on Saturday, Sept. 27. The John C. Harris Stakes will be for 3-year-old fillies on Santa Anita Park's unique hillside turf course. It was previously known as the Unzip Me Stakes in honor of the 10-time stakes winner of $959,228 who was co-owned and bred by Harris in partnership.

The name “Goodwood” will be restored to the 2025 running of the Autumn Meet's top race for older horses. The Grade I, 1 1/8-mile Goodwood Stakes is a “Win and You're In” race for the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic. It will be run on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Opening Saturday will also feature an additional Breeders' Cup Challenge stakes with the GII City of Hope Mile at one mile on the grass. A pair of Grade II races on the turf, the 1 ¼ mile GII John Henry Turf Championship and the 6 ½ furlong GII Eddie D. Stakes, will be joined by the newly named John Harris Stakes to complete the quintet of Sept. 27 stakes.

The following day, Sunday, Sept. 28, will be headlined by another pair of Breeders' Cup Challenge stakes: the GII Zenyatta Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on dirt and the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship presented by Estrella Jalisco.

Saturday, Oct. 4 will offer three Breeders' Cup qualifiers among the five stakes races scheduled that day. The 2-year-olds get their chance at a “Win and You're In” with the GI American Pharoah Stakes presented by DK Horse for the males and the GII Oak Leaf Stakes presented by Oak Tree Racing Association for the fillies. Both races are at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt.

For the complete stakes schedule and for more information on the Autumn Meet please visit https://www.santaanita.com.

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Campers from the HERoes on the HERizon program turned out for a morning at Laurel Park July 18. The event was hosted by Maryland Jockey Club (TMJC), in partnership with the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management (OEM).

HERoes on the HERizon is an annual free week-long summer program designed to encourage young women in high school and college to explore careers in emergency management and public safety. The program offers participants the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities, interactive workshops and field trips led by industry professionals. HERoes on the HERizon is open to all young women in high school and college in Maryland.

Campers were greeted at Laurel Park by Maj. Michael Singletary, TMJC Vice President, Security, and Jeffrey Kreimer, Director of Health and Safety. Along with a hands-on tour of the track ambulance, the campers discussed safety protocols during visits to the Jockeys' Room, the Paddock, the Surveillance Department and the Backstretch Area.

To apply or learn more about the program, email oem-camp@aacounty.org.

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A pair of new media awards has been added to the lineup for the coverage of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, according to an organization release Thursday.

The Tracy Award for Outstanding Photography and the Tracy Award for Outstanding Videography join the two existing writing awards–the Joe Hirsch Award for Outstanding News Reporting and the Bill Leggett Award for Outstanding Feature Writing.

The new awards are named in honor of the award-winning late Scott Tracy, a popular and prolific videographer and multimedia producer. Tracy passed away unexpectedly in February at age 37.

“Scott was an outstanding videographer and masterful storyteller whose work portrayed his passion for excellence and the sport of Thoroughbred racing,” said Claire Crosby, Vice President of Communications for Breeders' Cup Limited. “We are very pleased to honor his legacy by recognizing the dedicated photographers and videographers who annually capture the thrill of the World Championships.”

Winners of the Breeders' Cup Media Awards will be announced at the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) annual dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Entry rules for each of the categories appear below.

Deadline for all entries is Sept. 26. Entries must be submitted via the Breeders' Cup Media Awards entry portal.

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The structural demolition necessary for the Redevelopment of the Pimlico Racing Facility project began on July 24 with the razing of the existing barns and outbuildings adjacent to Winner Avenue, according to a Maryland Stadium Authority release Thursday. Clark Construction Group, LLC, MSA's Construction Manager, is tasked with the demolition.

The demolition package was approved by the MSA Board of Directors and the Maryland Board of Public Works in May 2025. After the completion of the 150th Preakness Stakes, the operator and all horses moved out of the facility, the Maryland State Archives removed and secured existing artifacts from the property, and the MSA and its project partners began securing the Pimlico site by installing temporary fencing, performing pest control, preparing utilities, and conducting abatement as necessary and important steps as part of the demolition process.

A ceremonial event to commence the demolition of the existing Clubhouse is under development for later this summer.

A high level demolition schedule is available on MSA's website in the presentation provided at the recent Pimlico Community Advisory Board (PCAB) meeting. MSA encourages residents and businesses near the Pimlico project to sign-up for the monthly community newsletter for information on upcoming construction activities, outages and major impacts, project milestones, plus bid and employment opportunities.

During the demolition and construction process all racing and training will occur at Laurel Park. The 151st Preakness Stakes will take place at Laurel Park and the 152nd Preakness Stakes is expected to return to Pimlico Race Course in 2027.

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Sunday's Kentucky HBPA College Day, presented by Ellis Park, is highlighted by the last race scholarship, which has been doubled to $2,000 in honor of the late Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, who passed away June 28. Awarded by the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, the scholarship benefits eligible industry participants or their children who are full-time college students.

The D. Wayne Lukas Memorial scholarship will be given via drawing to an industry participant or their child enrolled in college full-time for the summer or upcoming fall term. Full-time students involved in the Thoroughbred industry as trainers, owners, jockeys, exercise riders, backstretch help, blacksmiths, veterinarians, vendors etc. or their college-enrolled children are eligible.

Following Ellis Park's 10th race on Sunday's racing program, a total of 30 prizes will be awarded. There will be one drawing apiece for a $1,000 scholarship (a check made out to the winner), an iPad Mini/airPods package and a $150 Amazon gift card about 15 minutes before each of the first nine races. The prizes for the 10th race are restricted to those connected to the Thoroughbred industry, utilizing a separate set of drawings.

First post is 11:50 a.m. Central. Full-time students can register throughout the afternoon to be eligible for any remaining drawings.

For more information and eligibility requirements, click here.

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A winner of two of his three starts at distances up to a mile, Juddmonte homebred Garamond (Uncle Mo) will try to atone for a disappointing effort when heavily favored in the NYRA Bets Pegasus Stakes in Friday's GII Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga.

A popular debut winner going Friday's 6 1/2-furlong distance at Tampa back in late January, Garamond was a very sound third to Flood Zone (Frosted) making his stakes debut in the GIII Gotham Stakes going the one-turn eight-furlong configuration at Aqueduct Mar. 1.

The bay colt set strong fractions and led every step of the way to best 'TDN Rising Star' Cornucopian (Into Mischief) by 3 1/4 lengths in a first-level allowance going a mile on Long Island Apr. 27, good for a 99 Beyer, but things went pear-shaped in the Pegasus, as he never looked comfortable over a heavily rain-affected strip at the Jersey Shore and struggled home last of the six at 3-5.

Four of Friday's seven remaining entrants exit unplaced efforts in the June 7 GI Woody Stephens Stakes and a few of those could earn a rematch with that contest's winner 'TDN Rising Star' Patch Adams (Into Mischief) in the Aug. 23 GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes with a bold showing here. Macho Music (Maclean's Music) caused a 13-1 upset in the GII Pat Day Mile at Churchill May 3 and made the early running in the Woody Stephens before drifting back to finish in a dead heat for seventh. Irad Ortiz, Jr. takes over from the fence on Friday.

T Kraft (Connect), a half-brother to champion Straight No Chaser (Speighster), won the Jimmy Wakefield Stakes in March and was first off the layoff in the Stephens, finishing a respectable fifth. He has the right to go better with the tightener under his belt.

“He's doing OK,” said trainer Bill Mott, who won the 2002 Amsterdam with Listen Here (Gulch). “He's one that doesn't wow you when he's working, so we'll just see how he does in the afternoon.”

Gunmetal (Gun Runner) was impressive in defeating next-out Chick Lang Stakes winner Retribution (Vekoma) and future GIII Indiana Derby hero 'Rising Star' Tip Top Thomas (Volatile) in a six-furlong Keeneland allowance in April, but failed to land a blow in the Stephens, trailing in last of 10.

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