Feed aggregator

Tracy Farmer's homebred La Cara (f, 3, Street Sense–Cara Caterina, by Bernardini) closed out the Road to the Kentucky Oaks the same way she started it: with a win. Victorious in the first GI Kentucky Oaks points race of the season–the GIII Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs last September–and the last, Monday's rescheduled GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, La Cara heads to the Oaks with 151.75 points, second on the leaderboard behind Mar. 29 GII Fantasy Stakes winner Quietside (Malibu Moon). The Ashland awarded Oaks points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale.

After the Ashland was postponed from its traditional Friday slot due to heavy rain in Kentucky, eight headed to post with last year's GII Demoiselle Stakes winner and last-out GIII Honeybee Stakes third, 'TDN Rising Star' Muhimma (Munnings), pegged as the 4-5 favorite. Despite all the rain, the Keeneland surface was listed as fast and La Cara, who had scored two of her three previous victories in a wire-to-wire fashion, broke like a shot. After she emerged from the Ashland's early fray with the lead, she never let it go. Ears flicking back and forth, La Cara set early fractions of :23.19 and :47.23 while Muhimma raced evenly midpack.

La Cara kicked clear on the turn as Muhimma advanced to second. They hit the quarter pole with La Cara in full flight and extending her advantage with every stride. There was no catching the winner as she sailed for home, even as Take Charge Milady (Take Charge Indy) charged up the rail late. The Jan. 25 Martha Washington Stakes winner passed Muhimma for the runner-up spot while still 1 1/4 lengths in arrears at the wire.

“She established dominance early,” said La Cara's rider Dylan Davis, “and then she just took control all the way through the wire. She was looking around a little bit [as we turned for home], so I just had to stay with her and keep her to task to the wire. She ran very well.”

After debuting last May at Churchill, La Cara broke her maiden by eight lengths in August at Saratoga, then returned to Churchill for that Pocahontas win. Fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, she kicked off her sophomore campaign with a runaway, 6 1/4-length triumph in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa. She was last seen finishing second in the one-mile GII Davona Dale Stakes at Gulfstream Mar. 1.

“When she brings her A game, she's tough,” said trainer Mark Casse. “Dylan [Davis] said when he was coming down the backside, he thought, 'Oh, I have the filly I had in Tampa that day'. He said he could tell the difference. We knew the Davona Dale was just a prep. We brought her back a little quick [for that race] so I could have more time for this race, and it worked out. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but today was good.”

Casse said immediately following the Ashland that La Cara is fond of Churchill. The trainer brings a formidable duo to Louisville, as he also trains GI Arkansas Derby winner Sandman (Tapit).

#2 LA CARA ($20.16) goes gate-to-wire under @DavisJockey to win the $750,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) at @keenelandracing and earn 100 points towards the Kentucky Oaks. The daughter of Street Sense (@DarleyAmerica) is trained by @markecasse. pic.twitter.com/LGSjzrjnch

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) April 7, 2025

Pedigree Notes:

It bodes well for La Cara's connections if she's as fond of the Churchill surface as her sire was, as Street Sense won not only the GI Kentucky Derby there, but also the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The Darley stallion, now age 21, has since sired 43 graded winners as well as 102 black-type winners. La Cara is one of Street Sense's five graded winners out of Bernardini mares, including MGISW Maxfield and GISW Speaker's Corner, who have both joined their sire in the Darley stallion barn. The late Bernardini, a former Darley stallion, has 113 stakes winners out of his daughters.

La Cara's dam, the placed mare Cara Caterina, was a $500,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Farmer in 2018. The mare's only other foal is a yearling full-brother to the Ashland winner. Cara Caterina is herself a full-sister to MGISW To Honor and Serve and to GISW Angela Renee. The latter, second in the 2015 Ashland, was a $3-million Fasig-Tipton November purchase by Don Alberto Corp. in 2015, while their dam was a $1.95-million buy at the same sale in 2012, going to Borges Torrealba Holdings.

Monday, Keeneland
CENTRAL BANK ASHLAND S.-GI, $742,782, Keeneland, 4-7, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:45.10, ft.
1–LA CARA, 121, f, 3, by Street Sense
    1st Dam: Cara Caterina, by Bernardini
    2nd Dam: Pilfer, by Deputy Minister
    3rd Dam: Misty Hour, by Miswaki
   1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Tracy Farmer (KY); T-Mark E. Casse;
J-Dylan Davis. $447,563. Lifetime Record: 9-4-2-0, $866,083.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus.*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Take Charge Milady, 121, f, 3, by Take Charge Indy
    1st Dam: Price too High, by Scat Daddy
    2nd Dam: La Capella, by Smart Strike
    3rd Dam: Venetian Glass, by Deputy Minister
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($60,000 Ylg
'23 KEESEP). O-James Ball, Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek)
and Kenneth Rhodes; B-Merriebelle Stable, LLC (KY);
T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $144,375.
3–Muhimma, 121, f, 3, by Munnings
    1st Dam: Princesa Carolina (SW & GISP, $453,619), by Tapit
    2nd Dam: Pure Clan, by Pure Prize
    3rd Dam: Gather The Clan (Ire), by General Assembly
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($700,000 Ylg '23
KEESEP). O-Shadwell Stable; B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY);
T-Brad H. Cox. $72,188.
Margins: 1 1/4, 3 1/4, 3 1/4. Odds: 9.08, 5.38, 0.97.
Also Ran: Supa Speed, Amarth, Look Forward, Admit, Running Away. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Street Sense’s La Cara Wins Postponed Ashland at Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

In the first race of the Keeneland meet to stay on the grass after torrential rains throughout Kentucky, Amerman homebred Test Score (c, 3, Lookin At Lucky–Joy of Learning, by Kitten's Joy) captured Monday's rescheduled $600,000 GIII Transylvania Stakes and gave rider Manny Franco two consecutive black-type victories on the day after winning the Lafayette Stakes one race prior with 'TDN Rising Star' Colloquial (Vekoma).

Test Score broke forwardly in the Transylvania, settling into an unbothered fifth on the outside as three-straight stakes winner Mi Bago (Vekoma) showed the way through a :23.01 first quarter. Keeping just abreast of traffic behind the :47.25 half, the bay inched up on the turn before bumping hard with Chasing Liberty (Constitution) while about five wide as the field made the stretch. Test Score appeared to find another gear as he swapped to his correct lead, devouring the ground with exuberance as Mi Bago retreated, MSP Maui Strong (Kitten's Joy) charged up the rail, and SW and MGSP Scipio (Caravaggio) chased him home. Trained by Graham Motion, Test Score bested Scipio by 1 1/4 lengths with Maui Strong finishing third.

“He broke so good and put me right into the race,” said Franco. “He was traveling really well in the beginning of the race. He handled the ground really well, too. I was happy where I was, and when he was feeling the horses coming, he just gave me another gear. He was competitive in the race and got it done.”

Although the Transylvania was his first black-type victory, Test Score previously dipped his toes in graded waters last August at Saratoga, finishing fifth in the GIII With Anticipation Stakes as a maiden. A little more than a month later, he broke his maiden in his third start in a one-mile contest over the Keeneland lawn. From there, it was on to Del Mar, where he finished second to fellow Transylvania entrant Chasing Liberty in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes Nov. 1. After a brief freshening, he reappeared Feb. 1 with a third at Gulfstream in the Kitten's Joy Stakes before making it two-for-two at Keeneland Monday.

Pedigree Notes:

Long-time Ashford Stud sire Lookin At Lucky, who shuttled to Chile for a number of years, has remained in that country at Haras Don Alberto since the 2023 Southern Hemisphere season and has no return to the U.S. scheduled. Test Score is one of 52 graded winners and 79 black-type winners worldwide for Lookin At Lucky, who was named Eclipse champion at both two and three. He has been Chile's leading sire twice.

The winning Joy of Learning, dam of Test Score as well as 2-year-old filly Screen Test (Not This Time) and a yearling colt by War of Will, is a half-sister to both GISW Coffee Clique (Medaglia d'Oro) and to MGSW Admission Office (Point of Entry), while MGSW Endlessly (Oscar Performance) is a member of her extended family. Oscar Performance, who stands at Mill Ridge, was–like Test Score–bred by the Amermans, who have long been associated with Mill Ridge. Oscar Performance is a son of Kitten's Joy, while Joy of Learning is one of the late stallion's daughters. Test Score, a third-generation Amerman-bred, is Kitten's Joy 63rd stakes winner as a broodmare sire. His dam was bred to Liam's Map for this term.

Monday, Keeneland
TRANSYLVANIA S. PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT-GIII, $597,500, Keeneland, 4-7, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.84, gd.
1–TEST SCORE, 118, c, 3, by Lookin At Lucky
                1st Dam: Joy of Learning, by Kitten's Joy
                2nd Dam: Miss Chapin, by Royal Academy
                3rd Dam: Society Dream (Fr), by Akarad (Fr)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Amerman
Racing LLC; B-Jerry Amerman (KY); T-H. Graham Motion;
J-Manuel Franco. $339,450. Lifetime Record: 6-2-2-1,
$477,725. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus.*
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Scipio, 118, r, 3, Caravaggio–Soul Spirit, by Quality Road.
($60,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Calvin Nguyen &  Joey C Tran;
B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Richard Baltas. $109,500.
3–Maui Strong, 118, c, 3, Kitten's Joy–Legal Tender, by Giant's
Causeway. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($275,000 Ylg '23
FTSAUG). O-West Point Thoroughbreds, Blue Devil Racing
Stable (Holliday) & Edwin S Barker; B-Blue Devil Racing Stable,
LLC (KY); T-Dale L. Romans. $54,750.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 9.74, 8.41, 18.85.
Also Ran: Reagan's Wit, Chasing Liberty, Hammerhead, Versus, Clock Tower, Tom's Magic, Mi Bago, Golden Afternoon, Barricade. Scratched: Pretty Capable, Sabertooth, Septarian, Valentinian. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

It was an A+ performance by #7 TEST SCORE ($21.48) in the $600,000 Transylvania Stakes (G3) at @keenelandracing. The son of Lookin at Lucky was ridden by @jockeyfranco, trained by @GrahamMotion, and owned by Amerman Racing. pic.twitter.com/qaSCKf5Bre

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) April 7, 2025

The post Test Score Passes Exam in Transylvania Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

LAFAYETTE S., $380,000, Keeneland, 4-7, 3yo, 7f, 1:23.92, ft.
1–COLLOQUIAL, 118, c, 3, by Vekoma
                1st Dam: Terminology, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Her Own Terms, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: Gal in a Ruckus, by Bold Ruckus
($240,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Harrell
Ventures, LLC and Starlight Racing; B-Michael & J.B. Orem (KY);
T-George Weaver; J-Manuel Franco. $248,000. Lifetime
Record: 3-2-1-0, $310,000.
2–Smoken Wicked, 118, c, 3, Bobby's Wicked One–Street
Smoke, by Street Boss. ($38,000 Ylg '23 BSLY&M). O-Valene
Farms LLC; B-Tom Curtis & Wayne Simpson (LA); T-Dallas
Stewart. $60,000.
3–Touchy, 118, c, 3, Nyquist–Touch the Moon, by Malibu
Moon. O/B-Three Chimneys Farm LLC (Goncalo B. Torrealba)
(KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. $40,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2 1/4, 6HF. Odds: 0.35, 4.47, 10.02.
Also Ran: Rolando, Itsmybirthday. Scratched: Gate to Wire, Gunmetal, One True Shance.
'TDN Rising Star' Colloquial followed up his brilliant maiden score at Aqueduct in February with a wire-to-wire victory in the Lafayette Stakes at Keeneland Monday. The 1-4 favorite was pressed by Smoken Wicked through a quarter in :22.62 and a half in :44.96 and began inching away from that pesky foe in upper stretch en route to a 2 1/4-length victory.
“My horse was the best horse in the race,” said winning jockey Manny Franco. “He broke so good. I didn't take anything away from him. I just let him roll out of there and see what the guys outside me wanted to do. Nobody cleared me, so I held my position and after that he took me all the way to the wire.”
Trainer George Weaver trained Vekoma and was gratified to come back to Keeneland with a stakes winner by that 2019 GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner.
“We're always eternally grateful to Vekoma and what he did for us and our barn,” Weaver said. “To see him carry on as a stallion and come up with all these runners–it's a lot of fun. I'd say [Colloquial] is really good. It's his first time against winners today, and there were some nice horses in here. It was a change of tactics. I didn't really anticipate being on the lead, but I trust Manny to make decisions that he needs to based on how things are unfolding. He put him on the lead and the horse ran great.”
Colloquial, a nose runner-up on debut at Aqueduct last June, resurfaced at the Big A Feb. 7 with a towering maiden score which earned him a 106 Beyer figure.
Looking ahead for the talented colt, Weaver said, “I would like to run in the GI Woody Stephens [at Saratoga]. I need to talk to the ownership. Obviously, I want to do what we all think is best for the horse together. I'd like to make the Woody Stephens from here; it makes sense to me. After that, I'm game to stretch him out.”
Terminology has a 2-year-old filly by Bolt d'Oro who sold for $275,000 to Glen Hill Farm at last year's Keeneland September sale, and a yearling colt by Girvin. She was bred to Taiba last year. The winner's third dam is GI Kentucky Oaks winner Gal in a Ruckus. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

Put yourself in @jockeyfranco's irons as he rides COLLOQUIAL to victory in the $400,000 Lafayette Stakes at @KeenelandRacing. @JockeyCam pic.twitter.com/5UQQmbUCaT

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) April 7, 2025

The post Vekoma’s Colloquial Wires the Lafayette appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Multiple grade-1 placed colt Ferocious died April 7 as a result of laminitis. Co-owner Ramiro Restrepo said it had been a downward slide for the son of Flatter since running in the Feb. 1 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

Godolphin's Verity did not hang around Keeneland long the afternoon of April 6 following her 5 1/4-length victory over a sloppy track in the $400,000 Beaumont Stakes (G2) on opening day of the spring meet.

Tom Pedulla offers takeaways from major Kentucky Derby (G1) prep races held on each coast April 5, the Santa Anita Derby (G1) in California and the 100th Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct. He also looks at international action in Dubai.

Bookended by a strong opening week and a robust Santa Anita Derby weekend, the track's total all source handle topped $510 million. The total handle on just Santa Anita's races increased 5% from the 2023-24 Classic Meet.  

For America's Best Racing, Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers, and jockeys as they travel the Road to the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) May 3 at Churchill Downs.

Godolphin homebred Verity aced were first stakes test April 6 when she rolled to a 5 1/4-length win in the $365,000 Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland.

The on-track attendance, bolstered by a big turnout for the Derby Day 5K who stayed for the races, was 34,312, a 7% jump. It was the largest turnout for Santa Anita Derby day since 2018.

Normandy Coast skipped over the sloppy track in the $300,000 Palisades Stakes at Keeneland April 6, taking full advantage of the 5 1/2 furlong sprint being taken off the turf, winning by 3 1/2 lengths over the filly Long Neck Paula.

The first day of the under tack show for the @OBSSales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training sale began April 6 with a trio of youngsters breezing an eighth of a mile in :09 4/5.

At the close of the day April 6, 129 lots had been sold out of 163 to go through the ring, with the average AU$488,798, the median AU$375,000, and the gross AU$63,055,000. The clearance was 79%.

Journalism rallied to win the Santa Anita Derby (G1) by three-quarters of a length after encountering trouble near the eighth pole. He was forced to check near the three-eighths pole, but quickly regrouped and gamely ran down a stubborn Baeza.

Pleasant Acres Stallions' Leinster got his stallion career off to a quick start April 6 as his 2-year-old filly, Lennilu, took the opening race of Keeneland's spring meet, a 4 1/2-furlong maiden race.

The $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) saw its 100th running won by the talented Rodriguez for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert April 5, providing his 10 owners with their third likely contender for the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1).

1st-Keeneland, $82,854, Msw, 4-7, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :52.56, gd, 7 1/2 lengths.
PINKY FINGER (f, 2, Army Mule–Bird Map, by Liam's Map), the lone filly in the field, was sent off at even money and never gave her backers any doubts. The bay shot out to the early lead and had a clear advantage in a matter of strides. She was some three lengths in front at the top of the stretch after a quarter in :22.10 and, with jockey Joel Rosario glancing back for challengers more than once, extended her advantage down the lane without being asked and crossed the line geared down and 7 1/2 lengths in front. Happyhappyboy (Runhappy) was second. Pinky Finger was a $90,000 KEENOV weanling. Bird Map, who sold for $40,000 while carrying the winner at the 2022 Keeneland November sale, sold for that same price while in foal to Aloha West at that auction in 2023. She produced a filly last year and was bred back to Hard Spun. The mare is a half-sister to the dam of graded winner Pretty Birdie (Bird Song), who sold for $700,000 at this year's Keeneland January sale. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $50,918.
O/T-Wesley A. Ward; B-SpearmaCo (KY).

The filly, #8 PINKY FINGER ($4.16) by Army Mule was way too fast for the boys in the opener at @keenelandracing. That is another 2-year-old debut winner trained by Wesley Ward as @JRosarioJockey was in the irons.

Watch more on @FanDuelTV. pic.twitter.com/aPyjioHV6o

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) April 7, 2025

The post Army Mule’s Pinky Finger Airs in Keeneland Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

It's exceedingly rare to see a Kentucky Derby point race run on a Tuesday, but thanks to a week of catastrophic weather in the Commonwealth, that's what is happening at Keeneland as a field of seven line up to contest the last of the major Derby preps–the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.

On the rail, and fortuitously drawn to the inside of a closer, is 'TDN Rising Star' River Thames (Maclean's Music). With the small field, the speedster will likely encounter considerably less traffic trouble than that post position would sign him up for in the GI Kentucky Derby, but stranger things have happened. With a strong debut victory Jan. 11 at Gulfstream to his credit and a 6 1/2-length masterclass follow-up Feb. 1 against optional claimers, he entered the Mar. 1 GII Fountain of Youth as one of the favorites. River Thames pressed the fractions from the jump, and looked home free in the lane, only to be run down in the final strides by MGSW & GISP Sovereignty (Into Mischief). That rival would run second at the end of March to GISW Tappan Street (Into Mischief) in the GI Florida Derby.

The 'Rising Star' brings the field's co-best Beyer of 95 into this race, and with sunshine forecasted on Tuesday, might have a somewhat dry track to traverse for this Grade I debut.

Drawn three to the outside of River Thames is Owen Almighty (Speightstown), the GIII Tampa Bay Derby winner who went to the front and never came back–defeating three 'TDN Rising Stars' in the process, namely MGISW Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie), GISP Hill Road (Quality Road), and Patch Adams (Into Mischief). Owen Almighty posted a bullet move at Palm Meadows Mar. 29, covering five furlongs in 1:00.75 (1/7), in preparation for this race. Crossing the line never worse than second in his career–he was disqualified to fifth in his 2025 seasonal bow in the Listed Pasco Stakes–the son of the late great Speightstown brings a 93 Beyer from that Tampa Bay Derby win and picks up Jose Ortiz as his brother opted to ride River Thames.

The aforementioned multiple Grade I-winner Chancer McPatrick draws the six hole, looking to improve here from that loss to Owen Almighty in his second start of 2025, and will be eyeballing fellow 'Rising Star' GISW East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro). While the former has remained consistent, off the board only once when running sixth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the latter has fared worse. East Avenue faded to ninth in their mutual championship race, and again faded from second to tenth Feb. 15 in his seasonal return in the GII Risen Star Stakes. He's posted two bullet works and a series of strong breezes since then, including one at Keeneland, so his return to a favored surface might prove to be the wake up call he needs. His victory in the 2024 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at this venue garnered him the co-best Beyer of 95. Trainer Brendan Walsh adds blinkers for the first time.

Post time for the Derby qualifier is 5:52 p.m. eastern.

Scylla tops a very tough field in the GI Madison at Keeneland | Coady Media

Madison Looks to be a Test of the Travelers

The second of two Grade I races at Keeneland for the rescheduled Blue Grass card, the GI Madison Stakes will be a showdown of the frequent fliers as the entire field will have made starts in at least five different tracks and some enter this race with passport stamps from Canada. All things considered, Juddmonte's MGISP Scylla (Tapit) stands at the head of a salty crew and looks to finally break through for her first elite score. On the board seven times from eight jumps last year, her lone off the board effort came in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, which was arguably her toughest ask to date. Gone since that Nov. 2 effort, but working steadily toward this 2025 debut, Scylla will be fresh and ready to fire with the flexibility to make her own trip.

To her outside is a fellow 'Rising Star' in MSW & MGSP Justique (Justify), who has recaptured her form on a return to dirt sprints after a long stint at turf mile contests. Since moving to the barn of Cherie DeVaux and coming east, she's strung together back-to-back victories against optional claimers at Fair Grounds Jan. 2 and Feb. 23 in the Listed Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn. She made her morning showing at Keeneland Mar. 28 a very strong one, producing a co-bullet four panel move in :46.20 (1/48) matched only by stablemate GISW & MGISP Vahva (Gun Runner).

Also in the field is the quickly improving GSW & GISP Emery (More Than Ready); MGSW & GISP My Mane Squeeze (Audible), who will be making her 2025 bow in the Madison; and MGSW Mystic Lake (Mo Town), who comes up from Florida after a neck victory over Emery in the GII Inside Information Stakes.

Turf Action at Keeneland with a Pair of Grade IIs

Graded turf action at Keeneland kicks off with a pair of races sporting a similar theme as the others in terms of quality, and the ladies will take to the lawn first for the GII Appalachian Stakes going a mile.

A 10-strong field of 3-year-olds are led by GSW & MGISP Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) and European import Lush Lips (GB) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}). The former debuted at Woodbine on the turf course in late August against the boys, and was beaten only a neck. From there, she skipped all of her conditions and jumped into elite company in the GI Natalma at that venue. She begrudgingly faded to third as her stablemates And One More Time (Omaha Beach) and GSW Vixen (Vekoma)–who returns here–overtook her for the top spots. The runners behind that trio included MGSP-Eng Mountain Breeze (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), GSP Italian Soiree (Uncle Mo), SP Annascaul (American Pharoah) and MSP Ready for Candy (Twirling Candy).

In her 2024 campaign cap, Nitrogen took an even larger step up into the World Championships to roar home from the back and claim third as unbeaten European titan, multiple Group 1 winner 'TDN Rising Star' Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) led the procession home. The Mark Casse runner left the maiden ranks Jan. 4 when winning the Listed Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream and picked up her first graded victory last out Mar. 8 in the GIII Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs.

Nitrogen en route to winning the Florida Oaks | SV Photography

Two from the outside is Lush Lips (GB), who was beaten a half-length by the aforementioned Nitrogen in the Florida Oaks, and has consistently improved since joining the barn of Brendan Walsh after making the initial trip over for Donnacha O'Brien in an unsuccessful tilt at Kentucky Downs. She's got the foot to lead this field, and has the advantage on paper over the other speed horse Good Temper (Collected).

Looking to make a successful swap from synthetic to turf is LNJ Foxwoods's Foxtastic (Speightstown), who was last seen locking horns with SW Bourbon Memory (Bolt d'Oro) at Turfway Park and running off the screen to win in a deadheat. Fionn (Twirling Candy) enters this contest on a three-race win streak and will look to capitalize if there's a pace meltdown.

In the turf dash GII Shakertown Stakes, a salty group of older horses convene to fight it out and several are well within their rights to claim this race. On the back of an already fruitful weekend, Wathnan Racing sends out Rogue Lightning (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), the last out winner of the G3 Dukhan Sprint at Doha. He's faced some of the best in Europe and will make his States debut with Flavien Prat in the irons for trainer Tom Clover.

To his outside is MSW & GSP Valentine Candy (Justify), who will curiously be making a turf debut after earning well over $1-million on the main track. This will also function as his 2025 bow as he's been off since winning the Steel Valley Sprint Stakes in late November. Veteran MGSW & GISP Arzak (Not This Time) holds the co-highest Beyer of the race with a 102 and looks to add yet another graded tally to his evergreen career.

To cap an already packed day, the GIII Commonwealth Stakes will go between the Appalachian and the Madison, and like many races on this card, it is not light on heavy hitters. Established class like MGSW & MGISP Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft), GISW Nutella Fella (Runhappy), and GSW & GISP Here Mi Song (Cross Traffic) will take on new faces like Whatchatalkinabout (Dialed In), who comes into the race sporting a monster 106 Beyer after annexing his last race by eight lengths. SW & GISP Epic Ride (Blame) has found his winning form again and enters this turf debut with a 5 3/4-length win at Turfway last out. Montalcino (Take Charge Indy) will eyeball that one in the gate as he makes his graded debut after stringing together back-to-back triple digit Beyer figures.

The post Keeneland’s Blue Grass, Madison Stakes Play Starring Roles on a Traditionally Quiet Tuesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

It's one sentence among tens of thousands encompassing 900 pages, but when it comes to the future of and welfare of the nation's wild horses and burros, it is frightening and to be taken seriously.

“Congress must enact laws permitting the BLM to dispose humanely of these animals.”

The “BLM” is the Bureau of Land Management and “these animals” are the estimated 73,000 wild horses and burros under BLM control. The sentence appears in Project 2025.

According to its website, “Project 2025 is a historic movement, brought together by over 100 respected organizations from across the conservative movement, to take down the Deep State and return the government to the people. Its Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, published in April 2023, is a product of more than 400 scholars and policy experts from around the country. The book offers a menu of policy suggestions to meet our country's deepest challenges and put America back on track…”

It was published in April, 2023 by the Heritage Foundation, an American conservative think tank, in anticipation of Trump winning the 2024 election.  It was not written by Trump and Trump is under no obligation to follow it. It is, nonetheless,  a road map for the President to follow as he pushes his conservative agenda.

The argument being made by The Heritage Foundation and others is that the wild horse population has gotten so big as to become a burden for the government.

Another passage from Project 2025: “There are 95,000 wild horses and burros roaming nearly 32 million acres in the West–triple what scientists and land management experts say the range can support. These animals face starvation and death from lack of forage and water. The population has more than doubled in just the past 10 years and continues to grow at a rate of 10 to 15 percent annually. This number includes the more than 47,000 animals the BLM has already gathered from public lands, at a cost to the American taxpayer of nearly $50 million annually to care for them in off-range corrals.”

“With this administration we're scared that wild horses will be slaughtered,” said Chris Heyde, the founder of Blue Marble Strategies LLC, the country's leading animal protection lobbyist. “Will this be encouraged as a way of getting rid of costs? That was put forward in Project 2025. This is very scary because (Trump) has actually followed it to the letter so far. Russell Vought, the guy who wrote Project 2025–even though they claimed there was no connection to Trump–was caught on tape admitting Trump knew about it and supported it. He's now the director of the office of management and budget. Did he write that section on the wild horses? I don't know that. But he was the author of the whole paper.  That's the concern because we are seeing a slash-and-burn approach to things. This could come up.”

The Office of Management and Budget serves the President of the United States in overseeing the implementation of his vision across the Executive Branch. OMB's mission is to assist the President in meeting his policy, budget, management and regulatory objectives and to fulfill the agency's statutory responsibilities.

“We are taking it very seriously,” said Celeste Carlisle, the biology and science program manager for the advocacy group Return to Freedom. “The way that Project 2025 frames the wild horse issue gives it the desperation. They say they've 'invaded private and permitted public lands,' and 'turned sod into concrete.' These are arguments that can easily be used to justify euthanasia.  As if there's no other way. What a tragedy.”

She says there are many inaccuracies in the way Project 2025 has framed the issue.

“Project 2025's section about wild horse and burro management isn't accurate,” Carlisle said. “We have used our public lands in lots of ways, through many extractive uses that have been hard on the land.  Making horses seem the only, and a desperate problem, with no way out other than euthanasia, for one thing isn't true, and for another thing, falls back onto a call for euthanasia for the sake of management that has been a stopping point for compromise and forward progress since the method was tried in the early 80's.  There are ways to manage wild horses and burros, even at this challenging juncture, comprehensively, sustainably, and non-lethally.  Not only that, but broad, bipartisan organizations support and embrace it.”

The group Friends of Animals suggests contacting Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. When he was Governor of North Dakota, he was seen as a supporter of wild horses. He backed efforts to protect the herd at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park as said that  wild horses are “an iconic part of the Badlands experience.” They also suggest contacting your own elected representative.

What Trump and the authors of Project 2025 might not have taken into account is that the public at large would no doubt be outraged if the wild horses were euthanized. According to the group American Wild Horse Conservation,  A 2017 poll revealed that 83% of Trump voters and 77% of Hillary Clinton voters supported protecting wild horses and burros from slaughter.

“This is very alarming,” said Oscar Gonzalez, a member of the California Horse Racing Board and a horse advocate. “I never thought that I'd see something like this. Horses are the foundation of our nation in terms of what they've done. They've helped us win wars and build frontiers and create communities. True Americans honor horses. We have a lot of work to do when it comes to how best to manage the wild horses, but to even think about disposing of them is misguided. In my opinion, it's un-American. Whoever put this part of the document together has no understanding whatsoever about the beauty of horses and what they've done for our great nation. This should be a rallying cry to all horsemen and horsewomen around the country that we have to monitor this issue very carefully. I believe in engaging with members of Congress and other elected officials, especially where there are large concentrations of wild horses. I'll continue to do my share.”

Said Heyde: “I think the public backlash would be significant. The pubic is already on full alert when it comes to things that don't seem to be part of our American values and will push the clock back instead of moving progress forward. If you want to talk about an issue that can unify rural and urban, Democrats and Republicans, this is the kind of issue. We pay tribute to horses. There could not be a more unifying issue. I'm confident that when this is known people will bring this up to their members of Congress. Everyone needs to reach out to an equine organization and lend their resources and time. We have a lot of work to do to make sure our policy makers know what horses, wild or not, mean to us as a county. I guarantee you all hell will break loose if they even suggest killing these wild horses. That will be the most contentious issue of my career.”

The post Under Project 2025, Will the Nation’s Wild Horses be Safe? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Multiple Grade I-placed 'TDN Rising Star' Ferocious (Flatter) has succumbed to laminitis after being sidelined with a foreleg injury, the connections announced Monday afternoon on X.

Twice a runner-up at the highest level in the GI Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga and the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland in 2024, the son of Flatter emerged from his fourth place in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes Feb. 1 with a muscle tear. When first reported, the connections said it was a minor injury that just required time to heal, but also included that the time frame would knock him off the Triple Crown trail.

At some point afterward, the connections say he suffered from a 'terrible' cellulitis infection before ultimately losing his battle with laminitis.

“RIP Ferocious,” tweeted Ramiro Restrepo. “Talented, gorgeous, and noble. Loved by your partners, we never got to see you fulfill your true potential.”

RIP Ferocious
Talented, gorgeous & noble; Loved by your partners, we never got to see you fulfill your true potential.

Sidelined due to a very unique foreleg injury suffered in his last race, along with a terrible cellulitis infection. Ultimately succumbing to Laminitis today. pic.twitter.com/F1VbVvZoJD

— Ramiro A. Restrepo (@RamiroRestrepo) April 7, 2025

“Sidelined due to a very unique foreleg injury suffered in his last race, along with a terrible cellulitis infection. Ultimately succumbing to Laminitis today.”

Bred in Kentucky by Gentry Stable LLC, Ferocious sold for $1.3 million at the OBS March Sale in 2024 after turning in a furlong breeze in :9 4/5. He raced for JR Ranch, Marquee Bloodstock, High Step Racing and OGMA Investments, LLC and was trained by Gustavo Delgado.

The post Ferocious Succumbs to Laminitis After Foreleg Injury appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.