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The Puma, the freshly minted Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner, wasn't the first choice. Nevertheless, he was the right choice for the same connections as 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage, and now this colt has put them back on the Triple Crown trail.

Paradise Equine Farm and Bradley and Sharon Kleven's Express Kid may look to punch his ticket to the Kentucky Derby (G1) in the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack April 4.

Blackout Time remains on track to make his next start in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park March 28, co-owner Lance Gasaway said March 7.

Chris Waller has put the plans in place for a Royal Ascot raid with Joliestar and the top-class mare further underlined her claims when landing her fourth group 1 in the Canterbury Stakes (G1) at Randwick Racecourse March 7. 

The Puma (Essential Quality) returned to his base at Gulfstream Park early Sunday morning after his win a day earlier in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby, and his connections reported that he came out of the race in good order. Though no firm plans have been made regarding his future schedule, Gustavo Delgado Jr., who is the assistant trainer to and son of trainer Gustavo Delgado Sr., said the GI April 4 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland is one option the team is definitely considering.

“We're still undecided,” the younger Delgado said. “Let's see how he comes back when he hits the track again. Right now, eight weeks is a long time between races from here to the Derby, so we might go to the Blue Grass. That's what would make sense right now. It's a good feeling that we don't need the points anymore. We have secured a spot in the big race. That's a big relief. Basically, we have more room to do whatever we feel is the best, always having the Kentucky Derby in mind. Eight weeks is a lot, so we will definitely be aiming for another race between now and the Kentucky Derby.”

The Puma earned 50 points for his win at Tampa.

The Puma came into the race as a maiden and off a third-place finish in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, the major prep for the Tampa Bay Derby. He ran a much-improved race Saturday, winning by three-quarters of a length over GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes winner, Further Ado (Gun Runner).

“These horses continue to learn,” Delgado said. “They are so young. The last race was a learning experience.”

He also gave credit to jockey Javier Castellano. Castellano rode The Puma in his first start, a second-place finish behind the highly regarded Chief Wallabee (Constitution) in a Gulfstream maiden, but Edwin Gonzalez had the mount for the Sam F. Davis.

“Javier made a huge difference,” Delgado said. “He has been coming to the barn and breezing him and getting to know more about the horse and his running style and how to make him more effective. My dad and I told him to just let him get his rhythm, make one move whenever you feel like it is the right thing to do. Basically, that's what he did. He was last in the beginning of the race, but that turned out to be a good thing. He was a good last because you could see that he was in a good rhythm and grabbing the bit properly and making a steady move little by little.”

Should The Puma make it to the Derby, he will be the second horse the Delgados have sent to the race since 2023. The first was Derby winner Mage (Good Magic). The Puma was purchased for $150,000 at last year's OBS April sale. Mage was bought for $250,000 in 2022 at Fasig-Tipton's 2-Year-Old Midlantic Sale.

“The main thing for us is that we want to go to the Kentucky Derby,” Delgado said. “It is not easy. It's a very difficult thing to do, especially with the kind of operation that we have. We don't get good horses sent to us. We have to go to the sales and scout the horses and sometimes invest in the horses ourselves with our own money.  To be in this position again is gratifying. We were in the paddock yesterday and we saw the Coolmore guys, the Spendthrift guys, Mike Repole. I was thinking, 'Look at how much money these guys spend on their operations.' Going back to the Derby with a horse we developed and selected at the sales is a good feeling.”

Delgado said that the horse was named after his father, whose nickname is “The Puma.”

“We call my dad The Puma all the time,” Delgado said.  “When we saw that the horse was talented and showing progress and we couldn't find a name that we all liked we decided to name him The Puma. It's a good thing that when we named a horse after my dad that he turned out to be a graded stakes winner going to the Derby. We could have named a horse after him and the horse could have turned out to be a $5,000 claimer.”

The post The Blue Grass Could Be Next for The Puma appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Potente scores in the March 7 San Felipe Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park over longshot Robusta, earning 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. So Happy finishes third.

Overtaking leaders Midnight Mammoth and Getaway Car on the second turn, British Isles pulls away for a decisive victory in the $300,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) March 7 at Santa Anita Park.

Former claimer R Disaster, a graded stakes winner last year at age 4, is now one at age 5 after winning the Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) March 7 at Gulfstream Park

Some of the connections involved with 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage, co-owner OGMA Investments, trainer Gustavo Delgado, and Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, appear headed for a return Derby appearance.

Majestic Oops stretched out from 6 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles and got smoothly over a sloppy track to win the Azeri Stakes (G2) March 7 at Oaklawn Park.

The progeny of the Gainesway freshman sire Drain the Clock continue to show high speed in breezes preceding the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Steve Landers Racing's Destino d'Oro continues to thrive in Florida, rallying off her third straight victory in the Sunshine State with a triumph in the $200,000 Hillsborough Stakes (G2T) at Tampa Bay Downs March 7.

Splendora wins the B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park for trainer Bob Baffert and owners By Talla Racing and Boyd Racing.

Oaklawn Park announces a new incentive beginning March 19, boosting purses in non-stakes races with more than nine betting interests.

Wyoming and Kansas Thoroughbred horsemen are now part of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, giving America's largest racehorse owners' and trainers' organization its 30th and 31st affiliates.

Santa Anita Park welcomes friends of John Shirreffs to join in a Celebration of Life for the longtime trainer March 15 in the Chandelier Room from 1-3 p.m.

Disruptor dug in down the stretch and repelled a bid from Disco Time to win the Challenger Stakes (G3) March 7 at Tampa Bay Downs, notching his first stakes victory.

Victory Hall runs down odds-on favorite Galinda late to win the Maddie May Stakes Saturday at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo/Susie Raisher

By Darby O’Brien

Heavy fog at Aqueduct was no hindrance to Victory Hall.

The 3-year-old filly stole Saturday’s $135,000 Maddie May Stakes at Aqueduct with a powerful late-rally, nailing heavy favorite Galinda in the final strides.

Breaking alert from post 4 at 17-1, the daughter of Independence Hall settled off the pace in fifth as the field made their way down the backstretch. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. stayed patient, in no rush to make the lead, after a half in :46.68. As the field rounded the turn, the Tom Morley trainee edged past Purple Divine into second, with 2-5 favorite Galinda holding a 2-length at the top of the stretch.

Victory Hall refused to relent, emerging from the fog to rally in the final sixteenth, triumphing by a nose over previously unbeaten Galinda. Purple Divine finished third while Rina’s Revenge rallied for fourth. Victory Hall won in 1:39.39.

“She’s always quick,” Santana said. “Today, I decided to take her back. I like to ride for Tom. He gives me confidence. I said to him I wanted to change something. (The) last time I rode her I put her too close, so today I’ll take her back. You can tell she likes to run like that.”

Morley, sending out Victory Hall for the first time after taking over her training in February, agreed.

“He executed the ride beautifully,” he said, “We said let’s just try and follow Galinda around there and see if we’re good enough to get her at the end of the race and he absolutely nailed it,” Morley said. “He said they wanted her forwardly-placed last time. He rode a piece of work for me this morning and he said, ‘I think that’s the wrong thing to do. She’s not stupid and she’s not keen in the race. She’ll go wherever you want her to be.’ We just wanted to let her be as good as she could be today.

“We thought she might be running for second or third and we didn’t want to finish fifth by not riding her to try and attain the best possible placing. She really shown her guts at the end of the race there.”

Victory Hall debuted for trainer Carlos David July 19 at Saratoga, finishing second before returning a month later to break her maiden. She added an allowance victory at Delaware Park after that.

Transferred to John Ortiz, Victory Hall finished third in the Maid of the Mist Stakes on Empire Showcase Day October 25 at Aqueduct. She returned November 10 at Finger Lakes for her most recent win in the Shesastonecoldfox Stakes, entering Saturday off a third in the East View Stakes February 14 at Aqueduct.

“She’s very honest and battle-hardened,” Morley said on the recent addition to his stable, “She has excellent energy levels every day. She loves training. She eats like a big horse and with the race under her belt last time and Ricardo knowing her today, I think the hood made a big difference in the prelims. She wasn’t as high-energy or goofy as before. She was high energy but not stupid. She’s very game and tries very hard.”

Bred by Stonegate Stables LLC and Everythings Cricket Racing and foaled at Stonegate Stables in Fort Edward, Victory Hall sold for $30,000 to Twin Sports Racing at the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale. She races for Twin Sports Racing, Cypresshead Racing and Let’s Go Racing.

A $45,000 RNA at last year’s OBS April sale, Victory Hall is the first foal out of the winning Into Mischief mare Into Victory. She’s also the dam of a 2-year-old New York-bred filly by Speaker’s Corner.

The post Victory Hall springs upset in Maddie May appeared first on New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. News.

Sculcos Folly romps to victory in Saturday’s Gander Stakes at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.

By Paul Halloran

Clearly, Sculcos Folly would prefer to possess his precious parts.

After the son of Redesdale romped to an impressive win in the Gander Stakes for 3-year-old New York-breds at Aqueduct Saturday, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. told Fox Sports TV analyst Maggie Wolfendale the plan has been to geld him, but the horse has other ideas.

“We’ve been trying to cut him, but every time he runs big,” Dutrow said. “We can’t do it now. You saw him acting up here, on the way over, in the barn. Someday we’re going to get to him.”

For now, Sculcos Folly keeps outrunning the scalpel, including a 5 3/4-length win Saturday in which he led every step of the way of the mile race, his first venture beyond 7 furlongs.

“If it (stretching out) didn’t work, we knew that he could sprint,” Dutrow said. “We took a shot, and it happened to work. Everybody wants to see their horses win all the time but if he couldn’t go that far, it wouldn’t have been a disappointment to me because it looks like he’s supposed to be sprinting.”

Breaking from post two, Jaime Rodriguez took Sculcos Folly to the lead without expending much effort. Mission Critical and Minorinconvenience chased him through a quarter-mile in :23.12 and a half in :47.18. He maintained a length lead into the turn, with Minorinconvenience looming on the outside and Wamo saving ground on the rail.

To that point, Rodriguez could have been auditioning for the lead role in the Statue of Liberty story, and when he finally set down his hands, Sculcos Folly took off, opening up a 3 1/2-length lead at the stretch call on the way to the easy win. The final time was 1:36.94.

“We were a little concerned (about stretching out) because we didn’t know if he could take it or not, but the way he broke today he was so comfortable,” Rodriguez said. “When we got to the half-mile pole, he came back to me, and I just waited. I took a peek outside to see who was next to me and once we got to the quarter-pole, I gave him a tap on the shoulder, and he gave me another kick and exploded at the top of the lane. I looked back again and wrapped him up and let him do his own thing.”

Bred by Lannister Holdings LLC, Sculcos Folly is the fourth winning foal out of the Johannesburg mare Cool Johanna. He earned $74,250 to double his earnings to $149,150. The Gander was his fourth win in six starts for owner Michael Dubb, who paid $70,000 for him at the 2025 OBS April 2-year-old sale. Redesdale stood the 2025 season for $2,500 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs.

Dutrow said he will point the horse to the $200,000 Mind Your Biscuits division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes April 11 at Aqueduct. He will enter that race still intact, apparently just the way he likes it.

The post All horse: Sculcos Folly dominates Gander appeared first on New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. News.

I have been reading the opinions of many respected people who have invested greatly in the racing industry and have been involved in it for decades. Many of their observations about the state of the sport and the organizations that are supposed to lead it are correct. I would like to share what I have discovered over the past few years.

I have been involved in breeding and racing Thoroughbreds for more than 40 years, and I care deeply about the future of this industry. Like many others, I have watched the steady decline in horse racing and have long believed that our sport desperately needs a coordinated national marketing effort.

With that goal in mind, I founded The Heart of Horse Racing, a 501(c)(3) national marketing campaign built around storytelling and authentic voices from within our sport. Through professionally produced videos and interviews with trainers, jockeys, owners, outriders, analysts, and others who dedicate their lives to the horse, we aim to show the public what makes this sport so special and to introduce a new generation of fans to racing.

The campaign includes a comprehensive marketing strategy and an investor deck outlining how we can reach new audiences and grow the fan base of horse racing.

Over the past two years, I have personally presented this initiative to several of the industry's leading organizations. I presented the plan to the board of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, where I serve as a board member. While there was interest, no funding commitment was made.

I also presented the proposal to New York Racing Association, where I serve on the board. Again, no funding commitment was made.

I spoke with representatives of Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, who expressed support but did not commit financial resources. I had a lengthy meeting during the Saratoga meet with Everett Dobson of The Jockey Club and shared the investor deck and marketing strategy.

He asked that I arrange a meeting with the firm working on the project, which I did, but nothing further has occurred.

The Breeders' Cup organization never returned my calls.

Meanwhile, a number of industry participants have stepped forward to support the initiative, including Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, the Finger Lakes HBPA, the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, members of the jockey colony, and several private individuals.

My purpose in sharing this is not to criticize any one organization, but to highlight a much larger issue. The organizations that represent and lead our sport are funded by the very people who work within the industry–owners, breeders, trainers. Yet too often they operate independently rather than collaboratively, and meaningful opportunities to promote and grow the sport are missed.

Horse racing is facing intense competition for the entertainment dollar from sports betting, prediction markets, and other emerging forms of gaming. At the same time, internal divisions and fragmented leadership continue to weaken our ability to present a unified message to the public.

If we truly want to preserve this historic sport, we must begin working together and investing in initiatives that expand the fan base and tell the story of racing to the world. The Heart of Horse Racing campaign was created to do exactly that. The time has come for our industry's leadership to move beyond discussion and begin supporting solutions that will grow and sustain horse racing for future generations.

Click here if you would like to learn more or make a donation.

Tina Marie Bond is the President of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

The post Letter To The Editor: The Heart Of Horse Racing appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.