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The opening date for the Oklahoma Training Track and barn area at Saratoga Race Course is scheduled for Apr. 15, with training on the Oklahoma set to begin Monday, Apr. 20, according to a NYRA release Tuesday.

The Oklahoma barn area will open to licensed trainers and staff.

Beginning Apr. 20 and continuing until the start of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on June 3, the Whitney Viewing Stand will be open to fans Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Last year, NYRA extended the operating hours of the Whitney Viewing Stand which will remain in effect this season.

Pedestrians may access the viewing stand by entering the Oklahoma track through Gate 21 off East Avenue. Please note that vehicular traffic is not currently allowed.

In advance of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the main track at the Spa is scheduled to open May 11, with timed workouts permitted beginning May 15.

Additionally, dining reservations will be accepted beginning Thursday, Apr. 23, through www.NYRA.com. All reservations include a non-refundable table seating charge and admission, along with a $25 food and beverage minimum per person within the restaurants.

One week later, on Thursday, Apr. 30, single-day reserved seating will go on sale for the 2026 summer meet. Fans will be able to secure individual race-day seats in the Clubhouse, Grandstand, and Michelob Ultra Stretch, providing the flexibility to attend Saratoga on dates of their choice.

Additional hospitality offerings will become available on Thursday, May 7, when fans can reserve tables at the Miller Time Fourstardave Sports Bar, Pick Six Vodka Picnic Paddock, and Surfside Tailgate at the Turn.

These on-sale opportunities apply exclusively to the 2026 Saratoga summer meet and do not include the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

The 158th GI Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6 highlights the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival which will be held for the final time at Saratoga from Wednesday, June 3, through Sunday, June 7.

The 46-day Saratoga summer meet will open Friday, July 3, and continue through Labor Day, Monday, September 7.

For additional information about the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, visit www.BelmontStakes.com.

 

The post Oklahoma Track Opens Apr. 15, Dining and Reserved Seating On-Sale in April appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Chester Browman Sr.'s Right to Party (Constitution), runner-up in last weekend's GII Wood Memorial, was made one of five late Triple Crown nominees through a late $6,000 payment that was due Monday.

The other late nominees (pending late mail) are Cypress Creek Equine and Ad Noir's Bourbon Dream (Quality Road); Eagle Up Stables, London Reid Thoroughbreds and Non Stop Stable's Let's Go Lando (Game Winner); SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan's Taj Mahal (Nyquist); and Resolute Racing's Volendam (Vekoma).

In total, 372 3-year-olds are now eligible for the Triple Crown series, which consists of the $5-million Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs; the $2-million Preakness Stakes on May 16 at Laurel Park; and the $2-million Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course.

Horses not originally nominated can be supplemented for $200,000 to become eligible for all three races, or $50,000 for the Kentucky Derby only. After the Derby, supplemental nominations are $150,000 for eligibility to the Preakness and Belmont Stakes or $50,000 for the Belmont only.

The post Wood Second Right to Party Among Late Triple Crown Nominees appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

An exclusive Kentucky Derby and Oaks Package donated by racehorse owner Ken Freirich will be auctioned off to support Thoroughbred Charities of America and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. The package is being offered via an online auction through Apr. 17 at 5 p.m. EST. Bidding is open and available here. The proceeds will be split evenly between the two non-profit organizations.

The package includes: a behind-the-scenes barn visit with a top trainer on Kentucky Oaks Day, front row reserved outdoor table for four in the exclusive Woodford Reserve Paddock Club overlooking the Paddock/Runway on May 1 and 2; exclusive paddock access; railside viewing of the races near the finish line on a private lawn; luxury hospitality with curated food stations, premium open bar, all-day white glove concierge service, bourbon tasting experiences available by reservation and subject to availability, and private restrooms and wagering windows.

“When I realized I would not be able to attend the Derby this year, I instantly knew what I wanted to do with my table in the Woodford Reserve Paddock Club; raise awareness and money for Thoroughbred aftercare,” said Freirich. “I am passionate about taking care of these amazing equine athletes after their racing careers and knew the leading aftercare organizations, TCA and TAA, would be the perfect stewards of this donation and package.”

Freirich continued, “I experienced this package last year when my horse Sandman was in the Derby. This is truly the dream and once-in-a-lifetime memory that you will have forever. You will have one of the best tables at Churchill Downs for the Oaks and Derby. Paddock access is priceless and the barn visit on Oaks Day will truly be magical. The most wonderful thing is your winning bid will support Thoroughbred aftercare, so bid generously.”

The post Derby Experience Auction to Benefit Aftercare Charities appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Todd Schrupp, who recently ended his long-time tenure with TVG/FanDuel TV, will join the New York Racing Association's telecast team Thursday. Schrupp announced his initial two-week stint with NYRA via his twitter page Monday.

“It's time to move from the past and start looking to the future,” Schrupp said in the post. “And when you look at horse racing, the future looks really bright at the New York Racing Association. You look at the remodel of Belmont, and they will have the Breeders' Cup back there next year. So much to look forward to. Especially on the television side.”

Schrupp continued, “I am exceptionally excited to be a part of America's Day at the Races, in conjunction with Fox Sports.”

The post Schrupp Joins NYRA Broadcast Team appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

As anecdotal sightings of tent caterpillars in central Kentucky give rise to concerns that this might be a bumper crop for the region, entomologists at the University of Kentucky have weighed in with guidelines to control the pests.

Dr. Jonathan Larson, an entomologist at the UK's Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, said that they do not currently have data to support the notion that this year is worse than others, but indicated that a survey would be sent to farm managers to gauge their opinions.

However, he said, “I was driving on the Bluegrass Parkway and can anecdotally say I saw a great deal of young tents while driving by.”

Larson said that the caterpillars had not yet pupated, or undergone the transformative stage from turning from a caterpillar to a moth. “They move to do so at 450 growing degree days and Fayette County is only at 343 growing degree days,” said Larson. “Some napkin math in the hotel says that based on the current forecast, we should be going into pupation on April 14 in Fayette.”

Growing degree days, explained Larson, are a method of measuring insect development. On any given day, based on the high and low temperature, a certain amount of development will occur in the insect.

The good news, he said, was that spraying with an organic Bt spray, a natural insecticide, could still be beneficial for a few more days.

“Bt spraying this week could still be effective until maybe Friday or so,” said Larson. “Physical removal of nests also helps. More potent insecticides would include bifenthrin,” a broad-spectrum insecticide.

Physical removal of the nests can be achieved by putting a long pole or stick into the center of the nest and swirling it to catch the caterpillars up in the nest, and then scraping the silk and bugs off into a bucket of soapy water.

“That's best for situations with only a few trees, but still effective and viable,” said Larson. “We sometimes get questions about using flame, but that is not a good idea.”

Eastern tent caterpillars were thought to be the reason behind an outbreak of Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome, most pronounced in the spring of 2001 in central Kentucky.

The post Kentucky Tent Caterpillars: More Direction from UK appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Marlene Brody leads homebred Rahy’s Appeal into the winner’s circle after the 2005 Ticonderoga Handicap at Belmont Park. Coglianese Photo

Thoroughbred owner and breeder Marlene Brody will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in the New York-bred program from the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

Brody, who owns and operates Gallagher’s Stud in Ghent, will be recognized at the NYTB’s Awards Dinner sponsored by the New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund from 7-10 p.m. Monday, May 11 at the Hall of Springs in the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs. Tickets are available to purchase here.

“Marlene has been an integral and influential person in the development of New York breeding and racing,” said NYTB President Lere Visagie. “She has achieved success in every facet of our industry, and we are proud to honor and recognize her contributions to New York breeding and racing at our marquee event.”

Brody founded Gallagher’s Stud with her late husband Jerry in 1978, two years after they purchased 100 acres of farmland in Columbia County where they began breeding registered Angus Cattle. Jerry Brody, a prominent restauranter, was behind the success of such New York City hotspots as Gallagher’s Steakhouse, Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant, Rainbow Room and Four Seasons.

Gallagher’s Stud will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026 and Marlene Brody continues to take an active leadership role in its operation.

“It’s very kind of them, really kind,” Brody said of the Lifetime Achievement honor. “Honestly, I thought they were slightly out of their minds, but I accept.”

Gallagher’s Stud features a long and rich history in New York’s Thoroughbred industry, producing dozens of stakes winners through the decades. The group includes Allez Milord, a son of Tom Rolfe who, after failing to meet his reserve as a yearling in 1984, went on to win Grade/Group 1s in the U.S. and Europe and placed in the Japan Cup carrying the Gallagher’s Farm colors. Others bred and/or raced by the farm include Adcat, Adorydar, Adoryphar, Give Me a Hint, Icabad Crane, Inimitable Romanee, Master Digby, Masterful, Maximova, Oiseau De Feu, Rahy’s Appeal, Straight Story and You Go West Girl.

Gallagher’s Stud landed in the national spotlight again in 2023 when Gambling Girl, whose pedigree traces back 40 years to the Blushing Groom mare Grand Bonheur who was campaigned by Jerry Brody, finished second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. Gambling Girl originally sold for $200,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. She was a stakes winner at 2 and sold to Spendthrift Farm at the 2023 Keeneland November sale for $875,000. She’s out of the 21-year-old Empire Maker mare Tulipmania, one of Marlene Brody’s many favorites.

“I still have that mare and actually we decided we’d breed her one last time this year,” said Brody, who was raised on a tea estate in Sri Lanka. “She’s 21 and sort of likes being a mama. This time we decided to take her to a New York stallion, keeping her close to home and avoiding all the stress of shipping. We’re taking her to Americanrevolution.”

Marlene Brody, second from left, with Sweet Mystery in the Saratoga winner’s circle in 2023. Coglianese Photo.

Brody enjoys all aspects of running a Thoroughbred farm, and one area in particular.

“The foaling. Yes, it’s such a miracle each time,” she said. “I’ve seen as many as I could over the years. It’s really so miraculous. You know, they come out sort of wrapped in plastic, it looks like, and an hour later they’re on their feet and suckling. And the next morning they’re running around in the pasture. It’s incredible.

“Then just two years later they’re running races and hoping to make good money at the sales. Once in a while I fall in love and say, ‘No, this one I’m going to keep and race.’ It’s endlessly fascinating.”

Mallory Mort has worked at Gallagher Stud for almost 50 years, including  managing the entire operation since 2005, and understands Brody’s passion for the horses and employees on the farm.

“She’s been fantastic,” Mort said. “It’s very nice to be able to work with the kind of horses we’ve been able to work with and the kind of mares that she’s wanted to have. Most of the people who work for us, they’ve been there a long time. One has been there as long as I have and a couple others not a whole lot less. That speaks to itself as to what kind of person she is to work for.

“Another one of the great things, she’s there for six months out of the year, and every day that she’s able she’s out there feeding carrots to the horses. And I don’t just mean some of them, I mean, every horse gets carrots.”

The Gallagher’s Stud team celebrated two homebred winners on the April 2 card at Aqueduct – Hello Beauty, a daughter of Street Sense out of the Grade 2-placed stakes winner Maximova; and Alan Turing, a gelding by Omaha Beach out of Maximova’s winning daughter Honoria. Brody, a longtime generous supporter of aftercare initiatives, said the two homebred winners on the same card marked a first for Gallagher’s Stud.

“We look forward to celebrating Mrs. Brody’s lifetime achievements as an owner and breeder at this year’s New York-bred Divisional Champions Awards dinner,” said NYTB Executive Director Najja Thompson. “In addition to celebrating each of our divisional program nominees it will be a wonderful evening.”

 

The post NYTB to honor Marlene Brody with Lifetime Achievement Award appeared first on New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. News.

Oaklawn President Louis A. Cella and the late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will be honored together with inclusion to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame Apr. 10.

Lukas was among the first trainers to operate a national racing stable at Oaklawn Park and the Hot Springs track became a regular winter home for his horses preparing for the Triple Crown trail.

Oaklawn has been guided by the Cella family for more than a century, with Louis A. Cella representing the fourth generation of leadership. Since becoming president in 2017, Cella has continued the family's long-standing commitment to racing.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame,” said Cella. “To be inducted in the same class as D. Wayne Lukas–someone who contributed so much to Thoroughbred racing–makes it especially meaningful.”

Founded in 1958, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches and contributors who have made significant impacts on sports in the state.

The post Cella, Lukas Added to Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

It was a fantastic week for fast maidens–the top five all registered 92+ on the Beyer scale.

5) OUT OF THE WOODS, OP, 4/3-7th, 1 1/16m VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-92
(g, 3, Constitution–Sensitive, by Divine Park)
O-Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, Panic Stable and William Strauss. B-Daniel Burke and Kathleen Burke Schweizer (Ky). T-Phil D'Amato. J-Ramon Vazquez.
After repeatedly running into Baffert buzzsaws, Out of the Woods was sent to Oaklawn for higher purses and softer maidens. His recent sharp breezes indicated the change might be positive, and he indeed delivered a solid career top. He had to work for it, as Godolphin/Cox and Winchell/Asmussen runners also improved sharply and the top three pulled 14 lengths clear of the others.

4) DEEP FLAME, KEE, 4/4-2nd, 6 1/2f VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-92 (2nd)
(c, 3, Into Mischief–Barbadia, by Speightstown)
O/B-Juddmonte (Ky). T-Brad Cox. J-Irad Ortiz Jr.
On the Blue Grass undercard, Deep Flame and Gilded Bandit (below) put on a show in their second career starts. They engaged at the quarter pole and left the rest 13 1/4 lengths in their wake, with Gilded Bandit just edging away late. Deep Flame has now had the misfortune of facing two high-Beyer rivals. In his debut at Fair Grounds in February, the Juddmonte colt finished second to Trouble Calling, a next-out winner of Keeneland's opening-day Lafayette Stakes.

3) SILENT WAY, SA, 4/2-3rd, 1m VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-92 (2nd)
(c, 4, McKinzie–Koala Queen, by Lonhro {Aus})
O-C R K Stable. B-Runnymede Farm, Peter Callahan and Frederick Zinkhan (Ky). T-Peter Eurton. J-Hector Berrios.
As the lone 4-year-old in the six-horse field, 8-5 favorite Silent Way found himself in a stretch tussle with two Baffert 3-year-olds. He got past pacesetter Authentic Patriot, but couldn't quite match strides with Memory (below). He took a nice step forward in defeat, though, getting away more cleanly from the gate in his first try around two turns. The $700,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling was one of the Keating family runners originally with trainer John Shirreffs; he made his first start for Eurton only three days after Shirreffs' death.

2) GILDED BANDIT, KEE, 4/4-2nd, 6 1/2f VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-93.
'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard'
(c, 3, Charlatan–Diamond Ore, by Tapit)
O-Pin Oak Stud. B-Taylor Made Stallions, Brunacini Stables and Clearview Stables et al (Ky). T-Bill Mott. J-Junior Alvarado.
Showing trademark Mott second-out improvement, Gilded Bandit outgamed a tough customer in Deep Flame in an exciting finish that was also coincidental: Deep Flame is a Juddmonte product, and Gilded Bandit's dam is a half-sister to former Juddmonte superstar (and yearling purchase) Arrogate. The win kicked off a banner afternoon for Pin Oak, who five hours later took the Wood Memorial with Albus. It has also been a banner year for the farm, which has an 11-for-28 record with its runners thus far in 2026 and two potential Kentucky Derby starters on the horizon.

1) MEMORY, SA, 4/2-3rd, 1m VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-93
(c, 3, Uncle Mo–Sundaystthebeach, by Medaglia d'Oro)
O-SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan. B-Skyfall Thoroughbreds (Ky). T-Bob Baffert. J-Juan Hernandez.
Apparently, the white-haired guy is never going to run out of fast maidens. Less than a month ago, this $775,000 “Avengers” yearling was actually the 3-1 favorite over 10-1 Crude Velocity in their debuts, an odds disparity unlikely to be repeated in the near future. Memory finished seventh that day with no obvious excuses on video, but was much sharper on the stretch-out Thursday. Interestingly, he has grass in his pedigree. His half-brother First World War (by War Front and now at stud in Korea) was twice a Grade III winner on turf.

 

The post The Five Fastest Maidens of the Week: 92+ Beyers All Around appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The final weekend of nine-furlong preps in New York, California and Kentucky didn't vault any unexpected new shooters to the top of the GI Kentucky Derby pecking order. Yet while the likely favorites look well established, none stands out as invincible, and there's an intriguing mix of mid-priced long shots deeper down the list. Next week we'll expand to rate the Top 20 contenders.

 

1) COMMANDMENT (c, Into Mischief–Sippican Harbor, by Orb) O-Wathnan Racing; B-Lee Pokoik (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Sales history: $485,000 RNA Wlg '23 FTKNOV; $475,000 RNA Ylg '24 FTSAUG; $500,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GISW, 5-4-0-0, $1,017,339. Last start: WON Mar. 28 GI Curlin Florida Derby.

Commandment, a winner of four straight, including three Gulfstream stakes, also has a maiden win over the Churchill surface. His edge is rooted in sturdiness and reliability, having demonstrated he can extricate himself from disadvantageous positioning to predictably come barreling down the lane.

In the Jan. 3 one-turn-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes, this Brad Cox-trained son of Into Mischief ($485,000 RNA FTKNOV; $475,000 RNA FTSAUG; $500,000 KEESEP) was confidently handled while getting an inside trip, but got blocked behind a wall of four horses turning for home. Commandment bulled his way through a top-of-the-lane gap, powering away to win by 6 ¾ lengths (90 Beyer Speed Figure).

In the 1 1/16-miles GII Fountain of Youth Stakes Feb. 28, Commandment absorbed a bump at the break, raced covered up through the first turn and down the backstretch, split two sets of horses on the far turn, then took advantage of a wide-open rail and sparred relentlessly down the lane with 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Chief Wallabee (Constitution). He prevailed by a neck over a short-stretch configuration (101 Beyer), then was asked to gallop out with good energy to the traditional finish half a furlong down the stretch.

That second wire was Commandment's target in the nine-furlong Mar. 28 GI Florida Derby. The race came up “loaded” on paper, and it lived up to that billing. Commandment ended up being farther back off a tepid pace than Flavien Prat wanted, yet made up serious ground looping the group on the far turn. He finished fastest on the outside to snatch a head-bob victory by a nose from The Puma (Essential Quality), with a trip-troubled Chief Wallabee another half-length back in third. Commandment and The Puma co-earned 100 Beyers.

If there is a cautionary flip side to Commandment's workmanlike way of going, it's that he probably isn't the type of colt who is going to uncork an out-of-nowhere “Wow!” effort on the first Saturday in May. What you see is what you get with Commandment. That style sometimes wins Derbies. Often it rounds out exactas and trifectas behind horses who break out big-time and run the race of their life on Derby day.

 

2) RENEGADE (c, Into Mischief–Spice Is Nice, by Curlin) O-Robert Low, Lawana L. Low, and Repole Stable; B-Robert Low & Lawana Low (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales history: $975,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GISW, 5-2-2-1, $1,031,500. Last start: WON Mar. 28 GI Arkansas Derby.

Renegade has fused two potent winning attributes: The ability to accelerate during the deep stages of his races, while backing up those visually striking moves with final-fraction numbers that are unrivaled among his Derby-bound peers.

Breaking his maiden in the Feb. 7 Sam F. Davis Stales at Tampa, this $975,000 KEESEP son of Into Mischief from Todd Pletcher's barn rated next to last and circled the field five wide, opening up by 3 3/4 lengths. He earned a 93 Beyer, but the more important number out of that race was Renegade's final sixteenth, clocked in 5.97 seconds. That's the fastest in 18 points-awarding Derby preps at 1 1/16 miles in the 2025-26 season.

In the Mar. 28 GI Arkansas Derby, after a couple back-of-pack momentum stalls while Irad Ortiz, Jr. tried to pick a path through traffic, Renegade blasted off five wide through the far bend and kicked away with a devastating turn of foot to win by four lengths (98 Beyer). He quickened home through his last furlong in 11.84 seconds-the fastest final eighth in any Derby qualifying prep in at least the last four years.

As a handicapper, it's easy to get seduced by watching a still-developing prospect like Renegade detonate on cue. He certainly does leave the impression he might have an unmatchable late gear over 10 furlongs.

But objectively, you have to take into account that Renegade was running up the score without anyone giving him a serious test down the stretch at either Tampa or Oaklawn. He will go into the Derby having not faced a stern, late-race challenge in six months, since the now-sidelined, formerly No.1-ranked Paladin (Gun Runner) beat him in the GII Remsen Stakes.

Renegade also drifted out while well clear in both the Davis (with Ortiz applying left-handed stick work) and in the Arkansas Derby (wandering to the eight path while Ortiz kept him to task).

Remember, Renegade got DQ'd from his maiden win in front of Paladin last October for drifting out in the stretch under John Velazquez. He's been since asked by Ortiz to circle the field on the far turn in three straight stakes.

 

3) FURTHER ADO (c, Gun Runner–Sky Dreamer, by Sky Mesa) 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-John C. Oxley (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Sales history: $275,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP; $550,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR. Lifetime record: GISW, $1,146,328. Last start: WON Apr. 4 GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.

With a 106-Beyer, 11-length trouncing of the GI Blue Grass Stakes field on Saturday, this son of Gun Runner is establishing himself as the “now” horse heading into the Derby.

Further Ado was among the first on the early Derby radar with a 20-length, two-turn maiden blowout at Keeneland Oct. 10. But his win in the Nov. 29 GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes–which earned only a so-so Beyer of 82–wasn't enticing enough for him to land a spot on TDN's initial Derby rankings while trainer Brad Cox gave this colt an early winter break.

Further Ado resurfaced with purpose Mar. 7, running a very sharp second as the 2-1 second choice off a 3 1/2-month break in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby, pressing the pace and getting beat by only three-quarters of a length behind an onrushing, in-form The Puma.

Off as the .85-1 favorite in the Blue Grass, Further Ado was a forward factor leaving the gate. Irad Ortiz, Jr. opted to keep him in the clear five paths off the rail into the first turn. By the six-furlong pole, Further Ado had settled into a sweet stalking spot outside and third behind dueling pacemakers.

He advanced under his own power a half mile out, gradually building momentum with an in-hand cruise through the far turn. Further Ado effortlessly crested the field at the quarter pole and widened his winning margin against a badly overmatched bunch, with no rival mounting a serious late-race bid and the second- and third-favorites both out of the money.

Beyond what you see in his past performances, Further Ado rates highly because he's light on his feet and is a nimble, athletic mover. Those are excellent attributes to have in a 20-horse cavalry charge like the Derby.

But the big question in assessing Further Ado is be the quality of his competition. In the Blue Grass, he beat only one listed stakes winner and one Louisiana-bred stakes winner. In six career races, while compiling a 3-1-1 mark against 50 other starters, Further Ado has only once finished in front of one Grade III winner.

 

4) THE PUMA (c, Essential Quality–Eve of War, by Declaration of War) O-OGMA Investments LLC, JR Ranch and High Step Racing LLC; B-Hidden Brook Farm & Brian Kahn (KY); T-Gustavo Delgado. Sales history: $95,000 RNA Ylg '24 KEESEP; $150,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR. Lifetime record: GSW, 4-1-2-1, $442,280. Last start: 2nd Mar. 28 GI Florida Derby.

The Puma's stock got a boost when Further Ado, the horse he out-photo'd in the Tampa Derby, came back to crush the competition in the Blue Grass Stakes.

So did The Puma's winning Beyer figure from that Mar. 7 stakes, which was preliminarily assigned a 95, then readjusted to an 89, and now, a month later, is back up to a 94 after Further Ado won the Blue Grass.

Unlike Further Ado, The Puma sports robust company lines: In addition to finishing in front of that No. 3 rival on this list, he's lost by a nose to No. 1 Commandment, run third behind No. 2 Renegade, and has once beaten and been beaten by No. 7 Chief Wallabee.

The gamble on The Puma ($95,000 RNA KEESEP; $150,000 OBSAPR) in Louisville will come down to whether you think he's already peaked or if he can continue to slug it out with top-of-crop competition over 10 furlongs.

The Puma's Tampa Derby and his Florida Derby were similar in that he was 7-1 in the betting and four wide most of the way around in both races.

The tactical takeaway from The Puma's Florida Derby that might-but shouldn't-get obscured is that he did all the far-turn dirty work by being first to take on 7-5 favorite Nearly at the quarter pole.

Once The Puma drilled that rival into submission, he got no breather, immediately having to fight off fresh salvos in the stretch from both Commandment and Chief Wallabee.

The Puma did not shy from that task, and his nose was ahead of Commandment's one jump before the wire and one jump after it. The result could have easily gone the other way if the cadence of the colts' head-bobbing was different.

Delgado and jockey Javier Castellano teamed with another lightly raced colt, Mage, to win the Kentucky Derby at 15-1 odds in 2023. Mage had also finished second in the Florida Derby, making only his third lifetime start.

 

5) DANON BOURBON (c Maxfield–Wild Ridge, by Tapit) O-Danox Co Ltd; B-Blue Heaven Farm (KY); T-Manabu Ikezoe. Sales history: $450,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: 3-3-0-0, $222,733. Last start: WON Mar. 28 Fukuryu Stakes (allowance).

Danon Bourbon, who turned three Apr. 6, will try the Derby off a 3-for-3 campaign in Japan in which he has rolled home by an aggregate 18 ½ lengths without being fully extended over right-handed courses.

Danon Bourbon | Horsephotos

This $450,000 KEESEP colt by Maxfield closed at 23-1 odds in this past Saturday's Pool 6 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW).

He will be the first North American starter for Manabu Ikezoe, a Group 1-winning trainer who previously worked in Ireland under Aidan O'Brien.

In his mud-track maiden debut at 9-2 odds Oct. 26 over 1800 meters (8.95 furlongs) at Kyoto, Danon Bourbon took charge at the start in a field of 16, was confidently handled through the far turn, then widened his lead with ease to score by 10 lengths.

Trying 1900 meters (9.44 furlongs) against one-win allowance company for a $102,224 purse at Kyoto Feb. 15, Danon Bourbon was favored at 9-10 over “fast” going. He stalked menacingly from third behind two pacemakers, edged up in hand on the far turn, responded instantly when cued to quicken, then powered past 200 meters out to win by five lengths.

A similar prowl-and-pounce move over 1800 meters in a muddy Mar. 28 $227,900 Fukuryu Stakes (allowance) at Nakayama resulted in a 3 ½-length victory as the 11-10 fave.

Danon Bourbon is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs Apr. 21.

 

6) EMERGING MARKET (c, Candy Ride {Arg}–Wild Empress, by Empire Maker) ”TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Stoneriggs Farm (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. Sales history: $185,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $618,880. Last start: WON Mar. 21 GII Louisiana Derby.

Emerging Market was back in action on Saturday, breezing a half mile in :50.80 (53/61) at Payson Park to record his first published work two weeks after winning the 1 3/16-miles GII Louisiana Derby by a head in just his second lifetime start.

A colt attempting the 10-furlong Derby in only his third lifetime race and coming off a six-week break? That idea once might have sounded outlandish from a development and race-spacing standpoint. But conventional training standards are rapidly changing in this less-is-more era of pointing young horses to big races.

This Chad Brown-trained son of Candy Ride (Arg) does stand out as a potential “talented beyond his experience” colt.

Emerging Market ($185,000 KEESEP) has raced effectively from both inside and outside posts, and has stalked, targeted and pulled back pacemakers while both covered up at the fence and from a few paths wide.

In his maiden victory at Tampa and again down the long home straight at Fair Grounds, he has let loose with two no-quit stretch runs that featured shoulder-to-shoulder contact, twice wresting command from stubborn foes in the shadow of the wire by narrow margins.

After stablemate Always a Runner (Gun Runner) won the Apr. 4 GIII Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct, also in her second career start after breaking her maiden in a route at Tampa, Brown described that 3-year-old filly and Emerging Market as practically twins.

“It's ironic, I have a male and a female version. She's like a female spitting image of Emerging Market,” Brown said. “Both horses had pneumonia [last year, and] both of them had to leave my care and go in a hyperbaric chamber.”

“This filly's pneumonia was more serious than [Emerging Market's], and that's why they didn't start in the fall,” Brown explained. “They were both dead-ready to run, right here in New York and to debut the right way in the fall as two of our best prospects in their divisions. They both missed it, which I was just sick over, because I really felt I had an Oaks and a Derby horse in both horses.”

 

7) CHIEF WALLABEE (c, Constitution–A La Lucie, by Medaglia d'Oro) 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard'. O/B-Mike Ball & Katherine Ball (KY); T-William I. Mott. Lifetime record: GSP, 3-1-1-1, $216,600. Last start: 3rd Mar. 28 GI Florida Derby.

Chief Wallabee is currently outside looking in at No. 22 on the Derby's qualifying points list.

In the aftermath of his third-place try in the Florida Derby, trainer Bill Mott said he had expected a touch quicker response when Junior Alvarado cut the colt loose.

Still, this homebred son of Constitution did spark to life later in the race when he sensed Commandment charging hard to his outside in deep stretch, and Chief Wallabee galloped out with good energy in tandem with the winner after getting beaten only half a length in a three-way photo.

The Florida Derby was a learning experience, and Chief Wallabee will no doubt move forward from it.

The open question is whether he will be primed to make that advance in start number four on the first Saturday in May.

Chief Wallabee will draw favorable comparisons to Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the Mott-trained sophomore champ from last year. Sovereignty was let go at 7.98-1 odds when he won the Kentucky Derby after running a very good second in the Florida Derby, a race for which he was not fully cranked.

But comparing Sovereignty's development arc to Chief Wallabee's isn't fair. Sovereignty had already won both the GIII Street Sense Stakes in October of his juvenile season and the Fountain of Youth Stakes in February by the time he prepped in the Florida Derby.

Chief Wallabee, by contrast, didn't even debut until his Jan. 10 score over seven furlongs at Gulfstream, and he's now been beaten twice by Commandment going 1 1/16 miles in the Fountain of Youth and nine furlongs in the Florida Derby.

 

8) POTENTE (c, Into Mischief–Sweet Sting, by Awesome Again) O-Speedway Stables LLC; B-Pam & Martin Wygod (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $2,400,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG.Lifetime record: GSW, 3-2-1-0, $262,000. Last start: 2nd Apr. 4 GI Santa Anita Derby.

With reference to bettability in the Kentucky Derby, I'm giving Potente (Into Mischief) an edge over So Happy (Runhappy), the horse who beat him by three-quarters of a length in the GI Santa Anita Derby.

That's because we're all the way down to No. 8 on this list before we encounter a serious early speed threat. I tend to upgrade Derby contenders who have enough lick from the gate to be either leading the pack outright or right up there with the frontrunners in such a crowded, chaotic race.

The combination of being a decent speedster conditioned by a trainer who's had seven horses cross the finish line first in the Derby, plus the likelihood that Potente will go off north of 20-1, might end up being too value-appealing a play to pass up.

This $2.4 million FTSAUG colt from Bob Baffert's stable broke well from post two in the Santa Anita Derby. He took constant pace pressure closest to the rail, lost the lead and snatched it back several times down the backside, then battled with the eventual winner for a furlong into the stretch even though it had looked like So Happy was initially going to blow past at the quarter pole. It was another 6 ¾ lengths back to the third-place finisher.

“He gave me everything he had and was fighting all the way to the end,” said jockey Juan Hernandez. “Even when [So Happy] came close to me, he was trying to come back and break. He's a great horse and he ran a good second.”

Added Baffert: “He's getting fitter and getting more experience. He'll be going to Kentucky.”

 

9) WONDER DEAN (JPN), (c, Dee Majesty (Jpn)-Wonder Siang Praw (Jpn), by Wonder Acute (Jpn) O/B-Yoshinari Yamamoto; T-Daisuke Takayanagi. Lifetime record: GSW, 6-2-2-0, $770,541.

Wonder Dean, a Japanese homebred by Group 1-winning turfer Dee Majesty (Jpn) out of a mare whose grandsire was the 1999 Kentucky Derby upsetter Charismatic, is already settling into Kentucky after his 2 ½-length win in the Mar. 28 G2 UAE Derby.

He tracked and reeled in a lone pacemaker over the 1900-meter Meydan distance, building momentum through a sustained push from over half a mile out.

“I had a dream run around,” said jockey Cristian Demuro. “I was able to ride him how I wanted and although he didn't have much cover, he came there so easily and then really picked up well.”

Wonder Dean closed at 42-1 in this past weekend's KDFW pool.

So Happy | BENOIT PHOTO 

10) SO HAPPY (c, Runhappy–So Cunning, by Blame) O-Norman Stables LLC and Saints or Sinners; B-Leverett S. Miller (KY); T-Mark Glatt. Sales history: $12,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $20,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT; $150,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR. Lifetime record: GISW, 4-3-0-1, $480,000. Last start: WON Apr. 4 GI Santa Anita Derby.

This son of 2015 champion sprinter Runhappy ($12,000 KEENOV; $20,000 FTKOCT; $150,000 OBSMAR) owns victories in a 6 1/2-fulrong maiden, the seven-furlong GII San Vicente Stakes, and now the nine-furlong Santa Anita Derby. He was not badly beaten when third in the San Felipe Stakes over 1 1/16 miles

So Happy has tactical speed that lends itself well to a stalking style. His Beyer pattern through four lifetime starts is 83-96-86-100.

Numbers-wise, he's right on the cusp of what it takes to win the first leg of the Triple Crown (last 10 Derby-winning Beyers all between 100 and 105).

But So Happy just made a leap of 14 points to prevail over nine furlongs, so he'll have to prove he can not only maintain that Beyer level, but add to it at least a little bit while stepping up in class and stretching out in distance.

A trip to Churchill Downs is still to be determined, trainer Mark Glatt said the day after So Happy's pace-pressing win at Santa Anita.

“That needs to be thought out a little more than I've had a chance to do at this point,” Glatt said.

 

11) INCREDIBOLT (c, Bolt d'Oro–Sapphire Spitfire, by Awesome Again) O-Pin Oak Stud LLC; B-Deann Baer & Greg Baer DVM (KY); T-Riley Mott. Sales history: $75,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 5-3-0-0, $498,681. Last start: WON Mar. 14 Virginia Derby.

This lean, powerfully built $75,000 KEESEP son of Bolt d'Oro won a one-turn mile maiden at Churchill and the Street Sense Stakes there in his juvenile season.

After a “go figure” clunker that saw him sixth and last, beaten 25 1/4 lengths without an obvious excuse in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream, Incredibolt rebounded with a four-length, 88-Beyer confidence-builder in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs, a one-turn, 1 1/8-miles stakes that was just added to the Derby qualifying series last year.

With Albus (Yaupon) upsetting the GII Wood Memorial Stakes last Saturday, trainer Riley Mott now has two points-qualifying Derby horses. If they both get sent on to Louisville, he'll have to find a new jockey for one of them, because Jaime Torres rode each to victory in their most recent stakes.

 

12) SILENT TACTIC (c, Tacitus-Magical Sign, by Gun Runner) O-John C. Oxley; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. Sales history: $60,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT; $500,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR. Lifetime record: GSW, 6-2-4-0, $1,051,922. Last start: 2nd Mar. 28 GI Arkansas Derby.

Silent Tactic closed at 32-1 odds in Pool 6 of the KDFW, which figures to be pretty close to the price point where this Mark Casse trainee is likely to go off in the actual Derby mutuels May 2.

What Silent Tactic lacks in flash and panache he makes up for with consistency. After running second in the Mar. 28 GI Arkansas Derby, this son of Tacitus is already a millionaire and has never been worse than second in six career starts, all in races over 1 1/16 miles or longer.

After going through the sales ring twice ($60,000 FTKOCT; $500,000 OBSAPR), this colt is now owned by John Oxley, who also bred (but does not own) No. 3-ranked Further Ado.

Expect Silent Tactic to be in the mix on the far turn of the Derby when others are calling it quits. A well-timed move would put him in contention for a potential upset over 10 furlongs.

The post TDN Kentucky Derby Top 12: Established Faves Lead the Way, Intriguing Long Shots in Hot Pursuit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

The 2025-26 Classic Meet at Santa Anita wrapped Sunday as jockey Emisael Jaramillo, trainer Doug O'Neill, and owner Kretz Racing stood atop their respective categories as leading rider, trainer, and owner, the track announced Monday evening.

Leading rider at Gulfstream Park, Jaramillo won 50 races from 229 mounts at the Great Race Place, a 22 percent strike rate, in his first season riding full-time at Santa Anita Park. Of that total, six were stakes races including the GIII San Marcos and the GIII Santa Ana Stakes. Jaramillo's mounts earned a total of $2,476,200 in purse earnings.

Many of the rider's wins came riding for O'Neill, who along with agent Tom Knust, were instrumental in Jaramillo's move to Santa Anita.

“I love California,” Jaramillo said during a winner's circle ceremony Sunday. “I want to thank my agent Tom and Doug O'Neill for the opportunity to come to California.”

Jaramillo, who is the all-time winningest rider in his native Venezuela, has won 1,932 races in North America.

O'Neill dominated the trainer's standings with 36 wins from 157 starters (23 percent)–eight victories clear of runner-up Mark Glatt. His last trainer's title at Santa Anita came during the 2023-24 Classic Meet. The stable struck to claim the GIII Megahertz and the Sweet Life Stakes, earning $1,768,080 in total purse money.

“First and foremost you have to thank all the owners, all the help and my assistant Leandro Mora. He is the main key,” O'Neill said. “I'm very blessed to be surrounded by horsemen and women that love what they do. It is just amazing.”

Kretz Racing enjoyed a noteworthy, fruitful meet as well with seven wins from just 20 starters, led by Captain Choochies (Classic Empire) as the grey gelding went four-for-four at the meet and remained unbeaten in his last six jumps. The runner is conditioned by George Papaprodromou, who has been the longtime trainer for Kretz Racing.

“If it wasn't for Kretz Racing, I wouldn't be here right now,” Papaprodromou said. “[Rustin Kretz] is a great guy and I couldn't be happier. I've been training for them close to 15 years now and so far so good.”

Live racing will resume at Santa Anita Friday, Apr. 17 with the start of the 30-day Hollywood Meet, which will run through Sunday, June 14.

The post Santa Anita Classic Meet: O’Neill, Jaramillo, Kretz Racing Top Respective Title Categories appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

After numerous sightings of the nests of Eastern Tent caterpillar nest on his farm, Frank Taylor said that he has been vigilant this season about spraying to destroy the nests. As the weather warms up, and the caterpillars are leaving the nests and making their way elsewhere, this is the time of year when they could become dangerous to pregnant mares.

That is what happened from 1999 to 2001, when accidental ingestion of the caterpillars was linked to Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS), when 3,500 foals were lost.

While this year's crop doesn't look anything like those difficult years, Taylor said he had the feeling that this year's crop might be heavier than normal.

“The year we had all the loss, it was massive amount of caterpillars, like covering the fences up, covering everything up,” he said. “But I've been watching it very closely. I'm very sensitive to it. I have PTSD from caterpillars. But I've watched them through the years and about every 10 years they have what they call a super hatch.”

Taylor suspects this may be one of those years.

“We are spraying heavily at Taylor Made and getting everything done, but we just want to help the whole industry by reminding them what a problem this can be,” said Taylor. “We're spraying with a chemical, and I was looking at (the nests) today and it's certainly working.”

No one was available at the University of Kentucky's Martin Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment on Monday to confirm if this were a larger-than-normal crop , but in a press release, they warn that a warm early spring may have accelerated this year's season.

The news release offers guidance on what to do if you see nests on your farm.

“If farm managers notice high numbers of nests, they should relocate pregnant mares from areas near wild cherry trees to reduce the risk of exposure,” said Dr. Jonathan Larson, an Extension Entomologist at UK, said. “The greatest risk occurs when these mature caterpillars leave the trees to pupate and transform into moths. As they travel through the grass, they could be accidentally ingested.”

“As part of caterpillar management practices, pregnant mares should be kept away from infested trees, and preferred host trees should either be removed or not planted close to horse farm paddocks,” UK advises.

“In certain situations, using insecticides, such as the organic pesticide Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt), to control the caterpillars in addition to those preventive measures may be necessary. Treating tall trees that are challenging to spray may also be necessary.”

Taylor said the he was out on the golf course the other day, and he saw two caterpillars crawling across his path, indicating they were hatching and leaving the nests.

“They're certainly getting out into the environment,” he said, concerned that some people may have forgotten the horrors of 1999. “People are probably already doing it, but I just kind of wanted to remind them, `hey, you had better take care of this.'”

The post Eastern Tent Caterpillars: A Heavier-Than-Normal Year in Kentucky? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

With 17 juveniles sharing the fastest furlong breeze of :9 4/5, a filly by Omaha Beach (hip 74) separated herself from the pack with a nifty pedigree update and a bullet quarter-mile work in :20 4/5 during Monday's first under-tack preview session for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Hip 74 is consigned by Tom McCrocklin, who signed the ticket to acquire the filly for $400,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.

“She's a very nice filly, always has been,” McCrocklin said Monday. “She's a big, imposing, physical filly. She has a beautiful stride and she galloped out really, really well. I couldn't be happier with her.”

The dark bay filly is out of Ready for Charm (More Than Ready), a daughter of graded-placed Deb's Charm (Silver Charm) and a half-sister to the dam of Percy's Bar (Upstart), who won the GI Ashland Stakes at Keeneland last Friday.

“She's got the whole package, in my opinion,” McCrocklin said of the filly. “She's got a great physical presence and she's by a really good, up-and-coming stallion. The female family is very, very solid and she showed up on breeze day, which you need to do or else you're going to get your feelings hurt.”

Omaha Beach filly selling at Fasig-Tipton last October | Fasig-Tipton

Consignor Randy Miles sent out three of Monday's bullet furlong workers.

Leading off the trio was a colt by Army Mule (hip 110), who turned in his :9 4/5 work just minutes into the session. Purchased by Faris Breeding for $40,000 at Keeneland last September, the bay is out of Saintly Sister (Saint Liam).

“He is awesome,” Miles said of the youngster. “He is a big and lanky, really just a true professional. We've loved him for the last month or two when we started really asking him to breeze. He's been a star. We just didn't want to mess him up. And I was just so proud when the :9 4/5 came up. He came by me on the backside and he was still rolling.”

Later in the set, a filly by Maclean's Music (hip 117) from Miles's consignment matched that :9 4/5 mark. The $60,000 Keeneland September purchase is out of Sarah Joe (Hard Spun) and from the family of Grade I winner Spain.

“I don't even have any stories for her,” Miles said. “She doesn't get into trouble. You don't know she's in the barn. She's just what you want in a little girl. Just perfection.”

Rounding out the group was a filly by Vekoma (hip 26). Purchased for $125,000 at Fasig-Tipton last October, she is out of Pink Cashmere (Eskendereya).

“She is just a really fast, immature kind of filly who is still going to take some time to grow up,” Miles said of the juvenile. “Just like Vekoma, she is very eager and willing to train and leave it all on the track. She got a little bout of sickness in January, so she was a little behind, so it was always a question of whether we would make April. But she was always so dirty fast, we decided to just go ahead and take her and she didn't let us down.”

Miles added, “All three of those horses are back in their stalls and they came out of the breeze in good shape.”

Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables sent out a pair of bullet furlong workers Monday. A colt by Practical Joke (hip 14) set the mark early in the day. Out of Pearl Pendant (Mineshaft), the dark bay is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Pearl Tiara (Majestic Harbor). Purchased by Dunne and Paul Reddam's Red Wings pinhooking partnership for $115,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale, hip 14 is named Be a Clown. Dunne said the youngster was “aptly named.”

“We bought him off of Shawhan Place and they just raise a good horse,” Dunne said. “They raise them the old way. They raise them sort of tough. He came into the sale and he'd just run through a fence. He had cuts and scrapes all over him and he's been pretty much that way since we got him. If you can get in trouble, he's going to find a way to do it.”

Dunne continued, “He's a lovely horse. He's happy and inquisitive. We went up there with high hopes and he delivered.”

Matching the bullet mark for Wavertree later in the day was a filly by Charlatan (hip 175). Out of Sociable (Run Away and Hide), she is a half-sister to GI Gamely Stakes winner Keeper ofthe Stars (Midnight Lute). Sociable is a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner The Factor (War Front).

The juvenile was purchased by Mike Akers, as agent for Bregman Family Racing, for $130,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“She was a little bit parts and pieces,” Dunne said of the filly as a yearling. “When they bought her, they said if she does all the things we think she can do physically, she will be a beautiful 2-year-old. And she really has. She has grown up and filled out. Everything has come together. And it's a fabulous pedigree. There will be horses that breeze faster or gallop out faster, but there won't be many in there that are a sister to a Grade I winner from the immediate family of a stallion. For my mind, she is a bit of a collector's item at a 2-year-old sale. She is a filly who looks like she can have a big future and when she's finished on the racetrack, you'd imagine she's a filly that anybody would love to have in their broodmare band.”

Also sharing the furlong bullet Monday were: a colt by Life is Good (hip 15) consigned by de Meric Sales; a colt by Nashville (hip 16) consigned by Envision Equine; a filly by Roadster (hip 17) consigned by Top Line Sales; a filly by Central Banker (hip 20) consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock; a colt by Tale of Silence (hip 32) consigned by Lucan Bloodstock; a colt by Good Magic (hip 38) consigned by McKathan Bros. Sales; a colt by Liam's Map (hip 43) consigned by Scanlon Training & Sales; a filly by Yaupon (hip 75) consigned by Julie Davies LLC; a colt by War Front (hip 122) consigned by Camelot Acres Racing and Sales; a filly by Yaupon (hip 123) consigned by Niall Brennan Stables; a colt by Honor A. P. (hip 133) consigned by Bryan Ford Training Stable; and a filly by Authentic (hip 151) consigned by Kings Equine.

Wavertree had three horses work throughout Monday's session and Dunne said conditions over the OBS synthetic surface remained consistent throughout the day.

“Whatever people want to say about the synthetic, I think it is the most consistent surface from start to finish that we've ever dealt with,” he said. “When I hear people saying, I wish we could go back to dirt, they are not old enough to remember what the dirt was like about 1:00 on an afternoon in the April sale. You had no chance. Once it started to dry out and get loose, it was over. Right before our filly worked :10 1/5 [Monday at 12:47 p.m.], one worked :9 4/5. I think it's as consistent and fair as you're ever going to get for a breeze show.”

With rain coming down late in the afternoon and forecasted into Tuesday, Miles is hoping conditions remain consistent throughout the week.

“It's raining here now,” he said. “So we hope we have a fair track the rest of the week. But today was a great day. It was kind of cool for an April sale and conditions seemed good.”

The under-tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning each day at 8 a.m. The OBS Spring sale will be held next Tuesday through Friday. Bidding begins each day at 10:30 a.m.

The post Among 17 Furlong Bullets, Omaha Beach Filly Has Fastest Quarter-Mile at OBS Under-Tack Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

According to figures released Monday by Equibase, all-sources pari-mutuel handle fell by 12.35% during the month of March. A total of $816,171,590 was wagered as compared to $931,156,615 in 2025. The month-over-month decline in handle was the worst since December 2024, when handle fell by 14.44%.

In the category of average wagering per race day, the figure dropped by 12.01%, from $3,540,519 to $3,115,159.

In March 2025, racing was held on five Saturdays. There were only four Saturdays during the month in 2026. With Saturday cards producing the highest handle of the week, that is one factor that no doubt contributed to the poor March numbers.

Owing in large part to March's discouraging figures, handle on the year through the first quarter is down 7.11%. If handle continues to fall at the rate of 7.11 percent throughout the year, the total handle in 2026 will be about $10.25 billion. That would be the lowest yearly handle for the sport since 1994, a decline that does not take inflation into account.

There was also some discouraging news in the category of average field size, which dropped by seven percent during the month and is down by 4.27% for the year. The average field size in March was 7.17 starters per race. In March of 2025, it was 7.71.

The decline in handle continues to have a negligible effect on purses. A total of $94,098,566 in purse money was paid out in March, an increase of 0.87 percent from the year before. Through the first three months of 2026, purses paid are down just 1.54%.

Despite the severe winter weather in the Northeast in 2026, the number of races held reasonably steady when compared to last year, falling by just 3.22%.

The post Handle Falls Sharply In March appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Paul Reddam is Canadian, of course, so it was too easy a shot to miss. A horse they owned together ran second; ran great, Erik Johnson thought–and said so. “Erik, this isn't the Olympics,” his partner replied. “No-one cares about second place in horseracing.”

This was a few years back, early in Johnson's Turf career, with the 2010 Winter Olympics still fresh in the memory. The U.S. team had lost the hockey final only in overtime, to the hosts in Vancouver. So Reddam did not miss his cue: no silver medals in this business.

Well, Johnson already knew enough to remind Reddam that they'd be delighted if a filly ran second in a graded stakes. And actually he could also have told Reddam about his first-ever visit to a racetrack, as a kid vacationing in Del Mar.

His buddy explained a show bet: you got paid so long as your horse finished third.

“Wait a minute,” Johnson said. “You can bet on a horse that loses, and still win money?”

This he had to see. So he placed a $2 show bet. “And the horse finished second,” Johnson recalls now. “And I was mad because I thought it had to finish third to win.”

Once told his error, the boy was pretty well hooked. But then hockey happened, and Johnson showed a consistent propensity, the Olympics aside, for finishing first. Literally so, in the 2006 draft; and so often, through a 1,000-match career, that in 2022 he could crown long and devoted service to Colorado Avalanche with the Stanley Cup itself.

In the meantime, around a decade or so ago, he started playing up the winnings to build ERJ Racing LLC. Often hooking up with partners like Reddam, he has campaigned a bunch of classy runners: from Grade I turf miler Bowies Hero (Artie Schiller) to a Saratoga graded stakes winner like Comical (Into Mischief) to Mackinnon (American Pharoah), placed–bronze!–at the Breeders' Cup. And there have been inspired claims, too, above all Brilliant Cut (Speightstown) for $50,000 in 2020. She finished up running second in the GI La Brea Stakes and was sold for $750,000.

It was in the sales ring, in fact, that Johnson discovered a different kind of buzz; and the depth of his love of horses. He started to buy a few mares, boarding with his buddy Walker Hancock at Claiborne, and thought someday he might even buy a little farm of his own.

That ambition moved up the agenda, last October, when Johnson ended an 18-year career. At 37, he had reached the crossroads that can notoriously leave a chronic void in the lives of top-class athletes. But here we are, not six months later, and the only problem is how to juggle the fresh stimulations he has found in life. He's getting rave reviews as an ESPN analyst, which is keeping him engaged with a cherished community and familiar schedule. And he has similarly opened new horizons in the other sport he loves.

A few weeks ago, after working a game in Detroit, he took the hop down to Lexington for dinner with friends. Afterwards, a first: helping to deliver a Domestic Product colt, out of a Distorted Humor mare purchased three weeks previously at the Keeneland January Sale.

“I got to the farm and my nightwatchman says, 'Mare's water just broke,'” he recalls, palpably still energized. “I couldn't believe my timing. So I geared up, got the gloves on, and helped him deliver the foal. It was such a cool moment, just to see the colt come out healthy, the mare okay, and then him standing up nursing in the first hour. I know how much goes into it, how difficult it is just to get to that point. And he's turned into a total superstar. Coolmore came out the other day to take pictures, he's so good-looking. My wife Jackie was with me, too, and we both found it a really magical experience.”

This was precisely the kind of thing Johnson had in mind, when buying the farm just weeks after his retirement. Breaking a journey to Florida to take in a U.K. basketball game with Hancock, he took the prompt to browse the property listings.

“I was thinking that nothing was going to pop up in December,” he recalls. “And then I saw the Timber Town listing. How had I not seen this!? It had been on the market since May. Next day, even as I drove in, I was thinking to myself, 'I have to buy this place.' It was the middle of winter but I thought how stunning all those beautiful trees would look in spring. It just felt like it was meant to be, and we closed three weeks later.”

He enthuses about the counsel he has received: from Hancock, from Doug and Katie Cauthen, and even from another Canadian hockey fan–showing that some of them can be more constructive than Reddam!

“John Sikura has been a huge mentor over the years,” Johnson said. “He came over and said, 'You got to add a paddock here, got to chop all this brush down, I'm going to come plant bulbs and trees for you.' It's been huge to have these friends looking out for me. As everyone knows, in this business you really need people around you that are looking out for you, people you can trust. So it's just been so cool, having this extra time now, to be learning so much stuff that I didn't know.”

He's not getting carried away: what is now Timber Creek Farm was previously just the Sweezey family's yearling division, a 50-acre parcel with a house and barn. But that was no more or less than he wanted, for a boutique broodmare band of seven, as the next stimulus to an inquiring mind that has gradually sharpened its focus by exploring different the avenues of racing, pinhooking, breeding.

“Horseracing is not for everybody, right?” he says with a chuckle. “There's far more lows than highs. I think that's why so many people say the highs are the best adrenaline rush ever. And I can relate to that: when your horse is winning, or you're selling at an auction, it's a pretty similar rush to winning a game or scoring a goal.

“But now just to be there with the mares and the foals, off-the-grid if you will, has really been a blast for me in the first year of retirement. After being so disciplined and scheduled for so long, just to have some extra time on my hands and be around the horses has been incredible.”

While enjoying a less rigorous regime, he quickly recognized the need to stay active. With homes on the sea and in the mountains, that is no ordeal, but the way he is embracing new challenges–behind a microphone, in the foaling barn–actually draws on exactly those attributes that set him apart on the ice.

“There's no perfect science to it, right?” he says. “You can breed the best of the best and still get a complete pig. So it's a long, calculated game and you got to have people in your corner that are trustworthy, and of course you need a lot of luck too. But first and foremost, I just love being around these animals. And I think the biggest thing is that if you just do right by the horse, you're going to be rewarded.”

True, he wants the farm to pay its way. The basic model is to sell the weanlings every November, with due allowance for individuals that may need more time. But Johnson already knows that the rewards of smart commercial operation are not purely financial. What a kick he got, for instance, from Remarqued (Arch), in foal to Nyquist when purchased for $225,000 at the 2025 January Sale. During the ensuing months her value was transformed by her daughter Cy Fair (Not This Time), climaxing at the Breeders' Cup–immediately before she was sent back into the same ring, along with her Nyquist filly.

“We put a $299,000 reserve on the filly,” Johnson recalls. “And she brought $750,000. And a $700,000 reserve on the mare, and she brought $1.2 million. That was the coolest thing ever. I'm probably never going to sell a seven-figure horse again, but I want to try! I realize we got so lucky, but after that you think, 'Okay, let's do this on a bigger level now.'

“I think over time you figure out what really makes you tick. Like I said, I love being hands-on, being around the mares and foals, selecting stallions–obviously with advice from Doug and Katie. But I think the action of watching your horse sell is no different than seeing your horse cross the finish line.”

However positively Johnson has embraced retirement, some things will of course never be replaced. But it feels as though this whole adventure will come close.

“There's nothing better than when you're in the heat of a game, trying to close out, a one-goal lead, out there with your buddies,” he reflects. “And afterwards you're all mobbing your goalie, and then you go for beers and dinner, play cards on the plane. That's the stuff you miss, that camaraderie, the road trips. I was lucky enough to do it almost 20 years, but you snap your fingers and it's over. But I was lucky enough to win a Stanley Cup with all my best friends. To have those memories, and to have played as long as I did, I'm really grateful.

“And thankfully I have a lot of things I'm really passionate about, which has made the transition that much easier. It's been nice just to have that mental clarity, not to be so competitive and hyper-focused all the time. I can't wait to see these foals grow up, go through the ring, and then track their progress. Hopefully they make the farm proud. I'm just obsessed. We've cameras in every stall, and I check the app all the time.     “Whenever I can get to the farm, I just can't wait. My soul just rejuvenates out there.”

As he says, it's the very opposite of parking your money on the stock market.

“You have to love it, or you might as well not be doing it,” he says. “It's a real, hands-on labor of love. I don't take any of it for granted. I know how lucky I am. And this isn't a flash in the pan. I hope to do this till I'm 80 years old. Whether we do anything bigger down the road remains to be seen, but right now we have a little slice of Bluegrass heaven.”

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Sandy Hatfield is one of the most respected stallion managers in the Thoroughbred industry, and was the first woman to serve in that role at a major farm.

In the most recent episode of the Boundless podcast, Dr. Ferrin Peterson sits down with Hatfield, a woman who built her career from the ground up, working with yearlings, mares, and putting in long hours on the farm before earning her place among the sport's elite. Sandy shares her journey from growing up around Quarter horses in Oklahoma to building a life in Kentucky, working at top farms, and eventually managing world-class stallions, including champions like Gun Runner.

Her story isn't just about horses. It's about breaking into a space where women were once not allowed, and earning respect through consistency, patience, and work ethic.

Halfield talks about the reality of working with stallions, the danger and discipline it requires, and why understanding both horses and people is the key to lasting success. She also shares the mindset that carried her through rejection, setbacks, and moments where the path forward wasn't clear: show up, work hard, and when someone tells you no, find someone who says yes.

To watch the show, click here. 

Click here to listen to it on Apple podcasts or on Spotify.

The post Sandy Hatfield Is The Guest on Episode 5 of Boundless appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

So Happy (Runhappy) was in fine fettle the morning after winning Saturday's GI Santa Anita Derby. Saturday's Santa Anita Derby program drew an on-track crowd of 37,562, the highest for Santa Anita Derby Day since 2018.

“He ate good and looked great this morning,” trainer Mark Glatt said. “He seems to be in good spirits.”

The Santa Anita Derby was So Happy's second time racing around two turns. Previously, in the GII San Felipe going 1 1/16, So Happy was up close to sharp pace and yielded late to finish third, 2 ¼ lengths back of winner Potente (Into Mischief), who finished second on Saturday.

“I think that was the biggest part of it, having that two-turn race under his belt,” Glatt said. “I thought Mike [Smith] rode a great race. We were a little more patient with him than last time. Maybe he would have won the San Felipe if he got that same kind of trip. But dealing with Brant that day, combined with first time two turns and having not raced for a couple of months, it all probably caught up with him.”

The Santa Anita Derby victory earned So Happy a berth in this year's Kentucky Derby. However, a trip to Churchill Downs is still to be determined.

“That needs to be thought out a little more than I've had a chance to do at this point,” Glatt said.

On the undercard, Meaning (Gun Runner) and Brooklyn Blonde (Gun Runner), the one-two finishers in the GII Santa Anita Oaks were “both doing well” Sunday morning, according to trainer Michael McCarthy.

“No complaints,” he added.

Meaning bested her stablemate in the Oaks by two lengths with Juan Hernandez aboard for the first time. Previously, Meaning won the one-mile Las Virgenes on Feb. 8. For Brooklyn Blonde, a $510,000 auction purchase by Gun Runner, the Oaks was her first time facing winners. Last month, when stretched out to a mile for her third start, Brooklyn Blonde broke her maiden by 1 ¼ lengths.

“The two fillies had been training well here all winter,” McCarthy said. “Obviously Meaning's reputation has been out there in front of her. Brooklyn Blonde, we've been high on her since last summer. Yesterday she showed the kind of quality filly that she is.”

Meaning will now be on to the Kentucky Oaks on May 1 at Churchill Downs. Brooklyn Blonde, who earned 50 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, would need some defections to be part of the maximum 14-horse field.

“It will be up to the racing gods how that plays out,” McCarthy said of Brooklyn Blonde. “But there are plenty of options for her. We'll get a work into both of them here first and then play things by ear.”

 

The post So Happy, Meaning Doing Well After Santa Anita Derby Day Wins appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Douglas Scharbauer and Three Chimneys Farm's Always a Runner (Gun Runner) collared the pacesetting Pashmina (Constitution) late to win Saturday's GIII Gazelle at Aqueduct. In victory, the Chad Brown-trainee secured the maximum allotment of 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Oaks points on offer to the top-five finishers.

“She looks good this morning,” said Brown on Easter Sunday. “I'll speak to the owners later [Sunday]. I'm inclined to go on to the Oaks with her. She only ran twice, but she looks super this morning. You deal with 14 horses instead of 20, I just don't think there's a whole lot of risk running her in that type of race.”

He continued, “She's very talented and it keeps me on a schedule with her for the summer. I don't see an alternative race that's 'safer for her.' If she comes out of this and trains well, I will ship her over to Churchill. She will have one local work here in about two weeks, and then she'll ship over.”

Named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' while powering clear to a 6 1/2-length victory in a one-mile and 40-yard maiden at first asking on Feb. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs, she subsequently missed some time due to a temperature.

“I expected her to run well,” Brown said. “I only worked her three times [since her win], three-eighths, two halves, and she won. She is really talented, this horse. I'd say she was 75% fit.”

Runner-up Pashmina picked up 50 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points in the Gazelles to bring her total to 63–good for the 14th and final spot in the starting gate on the first Friday in May at Churchill Downs.

“It's a tough way to get beat. You lead the whole way; you put some more separation like you took off again and then you get nailed,” trainer Rob Atras said. “The way I look at it–the big picture–she ran an awesome race and stepped up and ran the race we thought she could run. I couldn't be prouder of her.”

The post Always a Runner Kentucky Oaks Bound Following Gazelle Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Bush Racing Stable's Point Dume (Into Mischief) fended off Champion Male Sprinter Book'em Danno (Bucchero) by a neck on the front end to capture Saturday's GII Carter at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Earning a 101 Beyer Speed Figure, the bay will continue to run in high-level races, although trainer Tim Kreiser still needs to determine a next spot.

“He looked really good this morning, walking around the barn like a soldier,” Kreiser said. “He ran a really good race. They put heat on him early, turning for home, he dispatched that one [Acoustic Ave] and then the big challenger. That's his game. That's how he likes it, he wants to look them in the eye. I think I'd rather go longer than shorter with him, we'll sit down and talk it out.”

As for the beaten favorite, trainer Derek Ryan confirmed the 5-year-old appeared well on Sunday.

“He came out of it fine, no problems. He ate up last night–he's good to go,” said Ryan on Sunday.

Ridden by Paco Lopez, the gelding was making his first start in seven months in the Carter.

“He got bumped pretty good coming out of the gate and was in a little bit of a pocket there, but all in all, we got a good race into him,” Ryan said of Saturday's race. “I'd like to win, but you can't win them all. Considering he was about 85% ready, he'll be 100% for the next one.”

Ryan said the eight-time stakes winner will return to the Spa for a title defense in both the 6 1/2-furlong GIII True North on June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and the seven-furlong GI Forego on Aug. 29. His year-end goal is the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.

“He'll move forward off that race,” Ryan said of the Carter effort. “I was probably one more work from having him where I wanted him. It's the start of the year and the big picture is down the road. We want him 100% come the fall–the Breeders' Cup is the main goal.

“His next spot will be Saratoga on Belmont Stakes Day,” Ryan continued. “He's bigger and stronger this year. We'll have the two races in Saratoga and then the Breeders' Cup. That's the plan at the moment.”

The post Point Dume, Book’em Danno No Worse for Wear After Carter 1-2 Finish appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Chad Brown's luck could take a dramatic swing for the better when he will send out Iron Honor in the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds in the last edition of New York's definitive Kentucky Derby (G1) prep at Aqueduct Racetrack.

A Kentucky-bred filly (Hip 59) from the second crop of grade 1 winner Yaupon sold for $350,000 April 1 to set an all-time record price for the Texas Thoroughbred Association 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.