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As an owner and breeder, Peter Vegso has been tied to some top horses—grade 1 winners—and May 16 he'll be cheering for his first classic victory when undefeated, two-time stakes winner Taj Mahal starts in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Laurel Park.

Preakness Stakes (G1) notes from Laurel Park

The second and final day of the under-tack show for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded May 13 with mixed emotions from consignors.

Obliteration returns from Saudi Arabia in the listed Chick Lang Stakes May 16 at Laurel Park.

Jockeys Atsuya Nishimura and Cristian Torres received fines and suspensions for exceeding the number of permitted strikes of the riding crop while riding in the May 2 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.

With FanDuel TV's horse racing broadcast operations scheduled to wind down, commissioners and staff from the California Horse Racing Board discussed efforts at its May 13 meeting to encourage the company to reconsider or delay the action.

The Preakness Stakes (G1) May 16 at Laurel Park drew a full field of 3-year-olds attempting to make history for their connections in the Triple Crown series. Fourteen accomplished jockeys head to the starting gate, including five with Preakness wins.

Playing the waiting game paid off for trainer Danny Gargan and the connections of Talkin.

After starting 2026 with a smashing allowance optional claiming victory, Haileysfirstnotion will chase his first stakes win May 16 in the $150,000 Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3).

Kentucky Derby Fever can be overwhelming. It can cause horsemen to bumble and stumble, and make decisions that may be unwise and push the envelope a bit too far. But if anyone wants a cure for it, check with Chad Brown.

While the Pimlico Special Stakes (G3) has moved to Laurel Park this year, most everything else will be familiar for Awesome Aaron as the 7-year-old Practical Joke gelding aims to win the race a second straight year.

Russell has been an amateur rider, an assistant trainer, the boss of her own barn, and a groundbreaker. She now aims to add classic-winning trainer to her résumé as well.

Kappa Kappa, winner of the 2025 Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, has been named 2025 Pennsylvania-bred Horse of the Year, as well as champion 3-year-old filly and female sprinter.

Corona de Oro's connections hope for a leap ahead when the consistent Bolt d'Oro colt starts in the $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) May 16 at Laurel Park.

Churchill Downs Inc. and its wagering platform TwinSpires are again out of the Texas market following the dismissal of a lawsuit brought to block them from taking online horse racing bets from the Lone Star State.

Jockey Frankie Pennington earns Jockey of the Week after guiding Irish Maxima to a win in the May 9 Ruffian Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Topping this week's list: a homebred maiden who splashed to the fastest Beyer Speed Figure of the three-day Evangeline Downs week.

5. WHITE SMOKE RISING, BAQ, 5/7-5th, 6 1/2 furlongs (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 83
(c, 3, by Volatile–Little Cyclone, by City Zip)
O-Albert Fried, Jr. B-Three Chimneys Farm (Ky). T-Charlton Baker. J-John Velazquez.
He was probably unlucky to lose to 2-5 favorite Crossingthechannel in his first lifetime start back in early January, and that colt looks to have stakes-level talent. This time, White Smoke Rising looped rivals to pair up middle-80 Beyers against a field that turned out to be stronger than it appeared on paper.

4. FATHER TED, SA, 5/8-1st, 6 furlongs (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 85
(c, 4, by Practical Joke–Cry Uncle, by Uncle Mo)
O-Muir Hut Stables. B-Robert Marzilli (Ont-C). T-Mark Glatt. J-Antonio Fresu.
Three of the four colts who outran Father Ted in his first two starts were expensive Bob Baffert trainees. But he turned the tables in dominating fashion in start No. 3, blowing away four rivals including two other Bafferts by 7 3/4 widening lengths. He has already dramatically outperformed his dam–Cry Uncle made 23 starts with a top Beyer of 73, and he has topped that mark three times in as many races. Father Ted was a Fasig-Tipton May 2-year-old graduate at $475,000.

3. GLAVINE, BAQ, 5/10-6th, 1 1/16 miles (turf) (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 86
(c, 3, by Not This Time–Aspen Hilltop, by Bernardini)
O-West Paces Racing, Rainbow's End Racing Stable and Michael Lyden. B-Hunter Valley Farm (Ky). T-Tom Morley. J-John Velazquez.
Glavine showed he was brave in his 3-year-old comeback, leaving behind a 1-2 Chad Brown-trained Juddmonte favorite on turf. In hindsight, the competition he faced in his narrow debut loss last August was lackluster by Saratoga standards, but the $250,000 yearling buy has now taken a nice step forward.

2. TRICKY BUSINESS, BAQ, 5/10-3rd, 1 mile (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 87
(g, 3, by Vekoma–Super Marina, by Warrior's Reward)
O/B-R A Hill Stable (NY). T-George Weaver. J-Flavien Prat.
Earlier on the same card as Glavine (above), the debut victory by promising New York-bred Tricky Business was like a family affair. Owner-breeder Randy Hill raced stakes-winning dam Super Marina (a modest $17,000 find) as well as sire Vekoma, the three-time Grade I-winning stallion he originally bought as a yearling for $135,000. And Weaver also trained both.

Spendthrift's Bolt d'Oro sired the week's fastest maiden | Sarah Andrew

1. RANGE GOAT, EVD, 5/9-5th, 7 furlongs (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 90
(c, 3, by Bolt d'Oro–Taylor's Tourist, by Midshipman)
O/B-Levings Racing/Brian Levings (Ky). T-Juan Larrosa. J-Joel Dominguez.
After a couple of warmup swings, Range Goat brought his “A” game to the course. He was a solidly beaten second at Delta in February at 7-1 odds followed by a third at 20-1 in the Lafayette Stakes in April at Evangeline, earning Beyers of 65 then 67. But last week–boom!–he ran off by 10 1/2 lengths on sloppy footing at odds of 1-10. Obviously, the competition wasn't stiff, but he made them look even worse.

The post Five Fastest Maidens for the Week of May 4 to May 10 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

TIMONIUM, MD – The under-tack preview of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded its two-day stint at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Wednesday under increasing winds and threatening skies, but dodged the rain that was expected to hit the Timonium area later in the evening. Buyers and consignors alike continued to make adjustments to the preview's new format, which limits use of the whip and for which no workout times are provided by the sales company.

“It's very strange,” admitted consignor Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree Stables. “It's probably harder on us as consignors than it is for buyers. You go up and your horse goes well or moves well, but you have no idea what he did time wise. You are just up and back and unless you go up there and clock every horse, there is no point in just clocking your own because if you don't know what they are doing in relation to everybody else, you really have no idea where they fit.”

Wavertree Stables sent 10 horses to preview over the Timonium track during the two-day show.

“We were always going to breeze,” Dunne said of plans for the group. “At the end of the day, it's a horses-in-training sale. It's May of their 2-year-old year. Surely, they should be able to breeze an eighth of a mile at this stage of the game.”

Consignors who purchased yearlings in an ultra-competitive market last fall are now looking to cash out in what they hope will be an equally competitive 2-year-old market. Dunne questioned whether that was feasible with horses who galloped into the Midlantic sale.

“The difficult thing is, if we are going to bring them up there and do a slow gallop, we're basically going to have a yearling sale,” he said. “If we have a yearling sale, we are going to get yearling prices. And because we've already paid yearling prices for them, it's probably not the greatest business model ever. So the only way we can separate them is by letting them run and letting the buyers decide who they think are the fastest or the best ones. They are well capable of doing it without a time showing up on a screen. It's just going to be a little harder for us as consignors to figure out where we are. And it's going to be really hard to set reserves.”

A colt by Practical Joke (hip 414) from the Wavertree consignment already owned a bullet when he breezed in Maryland Wednesday (video). Named Be a Clown, the dark bay colt turned in a furlong breeze in :9 4/5 ahead of the OBS April sale, but was withdrawn from that auction.

“He's a lovely horse,” Dunne said of the colt. “He's always been a nice horse. In April, I said he is appropriately named. He seems to find trouble wherever he goes and that's usually the sign of a good one.”

The Wavertree consignment also includes a colt by Jackie's Warrior (hip 113) that “we are really high on,” and a Cyberknife (hip 458) colt, who is “a beautiful horse.”

Tom McCrocklin had 32 juveniles preview over the Timonium oval during the two-day preview. The Ocala horseman admitted, “I find the new format very frustrating. I want to know what message we are sending.”

McCrocklin continued, “We are de-emphasizing the need for speed. I did get that message. My peers and contemporaries who I have a lot of respect for, they still seem to be breezing quite fast. So, what are we trying to say?”

McCrocklin's horses typically breeze quarter-miles at the spring under-tack shows. Feeling like that option wasn't open to him at this sale, he instructed his riders to, “Try to make the horse look it's best, show it's athleticism off. And come back in good order.”

Among McCrocklin's consignment is a filly by Gun Runner (hip 428) who took to the track Wednesday (video). The filly, a $400,000 Keeneland September purchase, is out of Purely Hot (Pure Prize), who is the dam of Grade I winner Eight Rings (Empire Maker) and British Isles (Justify).

“She has loads of pedigree,” McCrocklin said. “I thought she moved very well. I am very happy with her.”

McCrocklin agreed the filly's pedigree would seem to align well with the preview's new format.

“Typically Gun Runners don't have fast breeze times,” McCrocklin said. “They need a little more time, a little more distance, but his resume speaks for itself. I was in agreement with the owner of the horse that she would fit this format. I am hoping so.”

Marcus Ryan of Mason Springs was one consignor embracing the new format.

“I am finding it relaxed,” Ryan said. “The horses are doing a good breeze and they seem relaxed and I feel like they are coming out of it good. It's a little tighter on the track, but I feel like people will make allowances for that. But other than that, everything is good.”

Ryan said the plan coming into the under-tack show was basically to stick to their normal routine.

“We are all in hand and a couple of taps on the shoulder, but that's it,” he said. “We didn't change what we are doing, but we knew basically what every horse was going to do before we came in. If they are able to do it, we let them do it. And if they are not, we're not going to force the head off them to do it.”

Among the eight horses consigned to the sale by Mason Springs is a colt by Drain the Clock (hip 399, video) out of On Parole (Put It Back). Ryan and wife Crystal purchased the colt for $40,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“He's our star of the show here and has been my wife's favorite,” Ryan said. “I had an opportunity to buy him as a weanling, it just didn't work out. And then we got him out of the September sale. I love the Drain the Clocks and he's just a muscular, strong-looking colt.”

With the under-tack show completed, consignors are now left waiting to see the buyers' response to the new format.

“The buyers who have typically been so dependent on the clock, now some of the commentary I am hearing is, 'How do I assign a value to this horse? Because I don't know how fast he is,'” McCrocklin said. “It is a wait-and-see game now. We are here in the deep end and we've all got our bathing suits on.”

The Midlantic May sale will be held next Monday and Tuesday with bidding beginning each day at 11 a.m.

The post Rain Holds Off as Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Preview Concludes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post Contrary Thinking Likely To Target Belmont At Saratoga Weekend For New Connections appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Resolved ADMC Violations

 Dates: 05/12/2026

Licensee: Bart G. Hone, trainer

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

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Phenylbutazone-a class C controlled substance-in a sample taken from Ryon's Chance, who finished second at Turf Paradise on 3/26/26.

Dates: 05/12/2026

Licensee: Gary Greiner, trainer

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

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

Dates: 05/11/2026

Licensee: Jesus Munoz-Escobedo, trainer

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

Explainer: Medication violation for the presence of Flunixin and Phenylbutazone-both class C controlled substances-in a sample taken from Daretocatchlove, who finished second at Will Rogers on 3/17/26.

Dates: 05/08/2026

Licensee: Todd Fincher, trainer

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

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

Dates: 05/06/2026

Licensee: Vance Childers, trainer

Penalty: Combined 46-month period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on May 7, 2026; 14-month period of Ineligibility for the Covered Horses, beginning on October 29, 2024 (for Tigger Attack) and October 14, 2024 (Childersattack); Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a combined fine of $30,000.

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

Pending ADMC Violations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crop Violations

Aqueduct

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

Churchill Downs

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

Fairmount Park

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

Parx Racing

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

Santa Anita

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

Thistledown

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

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