General Yarn

The day prior, Blacksmith, who was second in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) broke his maiden for trainer Bob Baffert and owner Wathnan Racing. View the full article

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Icona at Gulfstream Park. Kingman Filly Is Iconic At Gulfstream Winless for Joseph O'Brien in a pair of 2024 starts in Ireland, Icona made her second US start a winning one at Gulfstream on February 22 (video). Trained by Brendan Walsh, the Scott Heider-bred filly is a daughter of A New Dawn (Zoffany). By Kingman, the Heider Family Stables-owned filly is the first foal out of A New Dawn, who ran second in the G3 Weld Park Stakes and third in the G3 Flame Of Tara Stakes. Her three-year-old colt Lauda (Wootton Bassett) has yet to win. From a lesser heralded branch descending from Urban Sea (Miswaki), she was covered by Justify last spring. Both Athena (Camelot) and Bracelet (Montjeu) won at the highest level and are half-sister's to Icona's granddam Simply A Star (Giant's Causeway). Juddmonte's Kingman, who stands for £125,000 this year, has sired 50 winners from 93 runners in the U.S. His nine stakes winners there are led by three-time Grade I winner Domestic Spending. Repeat Winner Cheyenne Stable's Mondego (Lope De Vega) earned his first stakes win in the GIII San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita on Valentine's Day (video). The Michael McCarthy trainee has featured in Making Waves twice previously. Also a new stakes winner that same day is Farfellow Farms' Expensive Queen. The daughter of Lope De Vega claimed the Albert M. Stall Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds for trainer Brendan Walsh (video). Sod Siren (Pinatubo) made it two wins in four starts with a success at Gulfstream Park for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds on February 20 (video). The Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee is a €250,000 graduate of the Arqana August Yearling Sale. The post Making Waves: Filly Reaches Icon Status In Florida appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Unbeaten 3-year-old fillies Zany (American Pharoah) and Bella Ballerina (Street Sense), one-two on the most recent TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10, lead the list of 89 early nominations to this year's GI Kentucky Oaks, released Tuesday by Churchill Downs. Repole Stable's Zany is three-for-three following her win in the Feb. 7 Suncoast Stakes and is expected to make her next start in the Apr. 3 GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes. Godolphin's Bella Ballerina took her record to a matching three-for-three with her victory in the Feb. 14 GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes and is expected to make her next start in the Mar. 21 GII Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks. Also on the list of early nominees is last year's Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly Super Corredora (Gun Runner), who will look to rebound from a fourth-place effort in her sophomore debut in the Feb. 8 Las Virgenes Stakes this weekend in the GIII Santa Ysabel Stakes. Other stakes-winning nominees include GII Oak Leaf Stakes winner Explora (Blame); GIII Forward Gal Stakes winner On Time Girl (Not This Time); GIII Pocahontas Stakes winner Taken by the Wind (Rock Your World); and Las Virgenes winner Meaning (Gun Runner). The 89 fillies were made eligible to compete in the May 1 Kentucky Oaks through a $200 early nomination payment that closed Feb. 18. A $1,500 late nomination deadline is available through Apr. 8. For the complete list of nominees, click here. The post Zany, Bella Ballerina Lead 89 Early Nominations for Kentucky Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Random questions or are you both being smart arses?

Why?  Surely you are not suggesting this transaction is done without then?