Chief Stipe

This is the second installment in a blog by Newmarket trainer Charlie Fellowes, who is entering his fifth season of training from St Gatien Cottage Stables. Well, the turf season is underway and my yard has got off to an encouraging start. Admittedly, owing to the frustrating nature of the turf season here in England, I have only had one runner on grass (Doncaster’s Lincoln meeting is followed by two weeks of all-weather racing), however that was an unlucky fifth in the Lincoln itself with a lovely older horse called Repercussion (GB). Elsewhere we had a second at the All-Weather Championship finals with the admirably consistent Carolinae (GB) in the fillies’ and mares’ race, however the result that will have caught most people’s eye, was the success of a filly called Snazzy (Ire). Now the subject matter for my second blog is all to do with the sales and what sort of horse we look for when trying to buy for clients. Well Snazzy is the perfect example of everything I wouldn’t normally go for, but that is exactly the reason we bought her. I will explain further. In my eyes, the best trainers are the guys that can train anything; sharp 2-year olds, stayers, milers, fillies, colts etc. I am now starting my fifth season with a licence and I am very aware that a lot of my best horses have been older horses that stay further than a mile. I therefore made the conscious decision to look for some sharper types at the sales last autumn, as I knew that I would probably be sent more backward types by my owner-breeders. Up step Snazzy. The earliest I have ever run a 2-year-old before last weekend was Guineas weekend in my first season as a trainer, however not only did Snazzy run in March, but she also won first time out. On pedigree she is born and bred to be out this early (by Kodiac (GB) out of a mare who heralds from a family full of speed), and as a neat well-developed filly, it meant that she was more than ready to make an early debut. Hopefully she will turn out to be good enough to head to Royal Ascot and raise the profile of our fledgling yard further. The problem with buying smaller, sharper types is that generally speaking, demand is higher, and with higher demand you generally get higher prices. I buy a lot of my horses on spec and therefore can’t afford to go overboard on the price front, so you have to give way on certain things. If you want to buy a horse who ticks the boxes both physically and on pedigree then you need to be ready to fork out plenty. I am not willing to give way on the physical aspects of a horse so I am happy enough to forgive a light pedigree. In my first year we bought Wet Sail, a Henrythenavigator colt out of a stakes-producing but very old mare. Henrythenavigator had gone a bit cold by this time and the mare hadn’t produced a decent foal for a few years but he was a lovely strong individual that I fell in love with. Endless Acres (Ire) was another very good example as he was by Champs Elysees (GB) out of a mare that had produced just two winners, but once again he was a lovely type with a great walk and plenty of scope. The mare was from a staying family (by Alzao) and therefore his late-maturing pedigree was unfashionable, making him more affordable. Both horses achieved official BHA ratings of 103 and 98, respectively, and cost less than £40,000. As a trainer, I am a creature of habit, and if we have success with something, I love to go back and revisit it. No, I am not talking about my appalling habit of wearing odd socks, so kindly pointed out by TDN‘s European editor Emma Berry on Twitter recently, but instead an affiliation with certain stallions. One who stands out in particular is Showcasing (GB), and although I am working on an extremely small sample, there is no doubt he has been a very lucky stallion for me. The first of his produce I was lucky enough to train was a gorgeous colt called Kasseopia (GB) who myself and Charlie Gordon Watson Bloodstock bought for £40,000 at the Craven Breeze-up Sale. His breeze was shockingly slow but he was a very good-looking horse and had only got going right at the end of his breeze, resulting in a slow time. Pretty quickly it became obvious he was smart and he duly won his third star by nine lengths at Kempton. Sold on to Team Valor, he sadly left my care after a second in a Grade III at Woodbine, but to this day he remains the most talented horse I have ever looked after. My first stakes winner, Moonlit Show (GB), was another Showcasing I was lucky enough to train for Peter O’Callaghan and the team at Yeomanstown Stud. She won a listed race at Fairyhouse impressively, before being retired at the end of her 2-year-old season, and was a huge landmark in my career as a trainer. We secured one Showcasing yearling at the sales last autumn and were he by a different stallion, I am sure I would not have been as brave, as I spent far more than I would normally be comfortable with. He is out of a mare called Moving Sea (Ire) who has not produced a winner from two foals but the pedigree does boast top-class sprinter Muharaar under the second dam. So far, this lovely colt is doing everything right at home and hopefully he will continue my lucky run with the stallion. View the full article

About a decade ago now, I remember dutifully playing the races one evening. I had Penn National and Mountaineer up on my two screens, looking to make a few dollars. In one of the early races at the Mountain there was an infraction the stewards were examining–an inside horse was drifting mercilessly, moving the outside challenger into about the six path. This decision was taking some time. Coincidentally, while this inquiry was going on, the exact same thing happened at Penn National. I, as I think a fairly seasoned bettor, saw little difference between the two situations. When the respective inquiry signs came down, at Penn the inside horse was left up. At Mountaineer, he was pitched. I imagined the thousands of bettors, owners, jockeys, trainers and fans who watched this, collectively finding their palms meeting their foreheads. This phenomenon doesn’t only occur in Thoroughbred racing, of course. For the trotters and pacers–with pylons, breaking stride, fair start poles as only a few examples–it’s a very regular occurrence. In one of the two sports, though, it appears change is on the horizon. In the summer of 2017 the winningest harness driver of all time–John Campbell–retired and took a new job as the head of the Hambletonian Society. Campbell believed that harness racing, despite rules that are enforced (or not enforced) state by state (and the countless factions in the sport all seemingly pushing and pulling in a hundred directions), could do better. He called for a review of the rules in the sport, with the hopes that they could be uniformly written and enforced. “We should have universal rules throughout harness racing. [It’s] difficult for the judges to rule consistently. This will benefit the gamblers betting on our game, as well as participants and judges. It will be better for all involved to get this accomplished,” noted Campbell at the time, as he took on the role as Chair of the effort. Now, I would not blame you for thinking this sounded good, but like most ideas that get bogged down due to the sports’ disparate structures, it would not get off the ground. That’s not what’s occurred. In fact, not only has this effort moved ahead, it’s growing. As Campbell and his committee, made up of trainers, drivers, horsepeople reps and various regulators, worked to standardize the U.S rulebook, standardbred racing north of the border decided to join the fight. This directive quickly moved to being North America wide. It’s in Canada where I was asked, as a horseplayer, to take part in these meetings. Going into them I was not overly confident; I’ve been to similar ones before as a horseplayer representative in both harness and Thoroughbred racing, and phrases about herding cats filled my head. But I must confess, I am more than pleasantly surprised. Despite there being a rule for virtually everything in the sport – when horses show up to race in Ohio and Ontario, how a post parade for the public is governed in Nova Scotia versus New York, how interference is adjudicated at Monticello compared to the Meadowlands–they are all being handled meticulously, professionally and with a real desire to come to workable solutions. To hear representatives from a half dozen provinces amalgamate a rulebook, rule by rule, is pretty impressive. I think it’s worked this well because, like in Thoroughbred racing, everyone in the sport agrees that bettors and participants playing a game of jurisdictional, state by state roulette is something that should be a thing of the past. It perfectly exemplifies the proverb, “where there’s a will there’s a way.” After the initial rules are written, modified and amalgamated, there’s still hard work to do and it could take many months; something John Campbell cautioned about very early on when he set no timelines. But I’m pretty confident this will happen. As a part of a volunteer horseplayer organization, quite a bit crosses our desks. We’ve looked into decisions by stewards–decisions that involve hundreds of thousands of dollars of customers’ money–that seemed to have little rhyme or reason; we’ve examined the first-time gelding reporting rules and processes, which are, at best, nebulous. We’ve been asked to explain what a whip rule is at track A versus track C; what a late surface change does to a bettor’s pick 5 in Texas versus what happened to them last week in California. That list barely scratches the surface. These are all very tough questions to answer, and they’ve at times caused more than one hair to be pulled out in frustration. But maybe one day they will be questions that aren’t so impossible. Harness racing is proving that these seemingly impenetrable cross-jurisdictional walls can at the very least be navigated. That’s a heck of a good start. Dean Towers is a board member of the Horseplayers Association of North America and has presented on wagering topics at various gambling conferences across North America. View the full article

There are no certainties in the bloodstock business, but one thing breeders can set their clocks by is that each year, Newgate Farm will be in the hunt for Australia’s most desirable stallion prospects. Given Newgate’s constant presence at the very top of the game, whether that be breeding, racing, selling or standing Group 1 horses, it is scarcely believable that the nursery has been in existence for just seven years. The farm has enjoyed success with its foundation stallion, Foxwedge (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), the sire of two Group 1 winners from his first crop and, in addition to two sires currently with their first 2-year-olds, Newgate has no fewer than nine unproven stallions coming up through the ranks. The next to get their chance on the track will be Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}), Dissident (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) and Wandjina (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), who have their first yearlings this year. Deep Field is a speedy, Group 2-winning son of Northern Meteor (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}). Northern Meteor died after siring just four crops but is shaping into an influential sire, his Zoustar (Aus) currently leading the first-season sire ranks. Deep Field is the first foal out of the A$3.2-million mare Listen Here (Aus) (Elusive Quality), the second being the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}). With four major yearling sales in the book so far, Deep Field has averaged A$141,542. Dissident, Australian Horse of the Year and a five-time Group 1 winner from seven furlongs to a mile, has averaged A$145,701. Dissident beat Wandjina in his final start, the 2015 G1 All Aged S., but Wandjina had already secured his spot at stud with a win in the G1 Australian Guineas. His yearlings have averaged A$104,783. It certainly takes some strategising to ensure the careers of so many young horses get off to a fast start, and Newgate Managing Director Henry Field said some key elements include Newgate supporting the stallions themselves as well as syndicating them among the country’s top breeders. “We’ve worked really hard to build what we think is the most desirable roster of young stallions in Australia,” he said. “A big part of the growth of Newgate has been the mentoring from and the partnerships we have with SF Bloodstock and also Matthew Sandblom.” “First of all, we only stand stallions that we’re willing to support ourselves,” Field said. “We breed 30 or 40 of our own mares to each of our horses for their first two seasons. We only stand horses that we believe the market will really get behind, and we also syndicate the majority of our horses, so many of the leading farms around the Hunter Valley are shareholders. We really got aggressive with syndication five or six years ago and I think that’s led other studs such as Coolmore and a lot of the other major farms in the Hunter Valley to follow suit.” Field said syndication experienced a dip in popularity when global powerhouses Coolmore and Darley became major players in the market-they own most of their stallions outright-but he said he thinks the increase in competition provided by Newgate has seen some of the major farms pick this model back up as a means to attract breeders’ best mares. “We’re a big believer that great breeders make great stallions, so we work hard to bring our horses into partnership with really top-class breeders,” he said. “So many of our shareholders support our stallions so well, and now we’ve seen Coolmore syndicating the likes of Merchant Navy; I certainly think we’re a part of the reason they’ve done that, and a lot of the other major farms in the Hunter Valley too. Syndication is back to being the norm again, and I think it’s a great thing for broodmare owners because it gives them the opportunity to be part of the upside in a stallion.” Newgate has also supported its stallions by buying some of their progeny as yearlings, but Field stressed they would only buy colts fitting the strict criteria they look for in future stallions. “We buy 10 or 15 colts a year, and that’s more for our program of buying yearlings to produce our next stallions, and it’s been a very successful operation for us with the likes of Capitalist and Russian Revolution,” he said. “So far this year we’ve bought yearlings by all three of our first-crop stallions that we deemed good enough to go into our colts’ program, and they’ll go to Peter and Paul Snowden.” “The reality is that we support the stallions very heavily with high-class mares and we set them up to get a wonderful opportunity,” he added. “We wouldn’t expect or ask breeders to breed to stallions that we wouldn’t support ourselves. There are a quite a few commercial stallion farms in Australia that have stood stallions and not supported them at all in the last five, 10, 15 years. We are very strong in our policy that if we’re not going to support them heavily, we shouldn’t expect breeders to do so. The whole way through the circle from breeding good mares to them, inspecting all their weanlings and yearlings, working as hard as we can to make sure they go into good stables, we work really hard at it. I think a huge part of the success of Newgate is people know that we don’t just cover your mare and take your money. We believe in the whole process. I’m pretty sure we covered more mares than any other farm in Australia last year and I believe that’s for two reasons: the product–we have many of the most exciting young stallions and stallion prospects in Australia–and secondly because we service our customers and treat them like partners, not just the old take the money and run approach.” A quick glance at the Newgate roster confirms that Field and his team are fond of the speed horses for which Australia has become renowned. Ten of the 13 horses on the roster did their best running at distances below a mile, and Field said it behooves him to play to the breed’s strengths. “We’re big believers in Australian speed,” he said. “There’s a reason why over the last 10 years the sire tables have been dominated by Australian stallions. If you look back at the top 10 Australian stallions over the last decade, there’s very seldom a shuttle horse in the group. Every now and again there’s a Street Cry, or a Danehill or More Than Ready that comes up, but absolutely the vast, vast majority of top-class stallions in Australia are fast, Australian colonial horses. I would recommend that people actually look through the sire tables themselves and see how clear this pattern is.” The speed-focused nature of Australian breeding and racing is a constant topic of discussion, especially as the country’s longer-distance races continue to be dominated by European or New Zealand-sourced horses, but Field said he is not concerned by this trend. “I’m very proud of the fact that, I believe, Australia breeds the fastest horses in the world, the best sprinters in the world, the best 2-year-olds in the world,” he said. “That’s what we really shine at and I’m a big believer in playing to your strengths. We’ve seen people bring out the mile, 2000-metre [shuttle stallions], and for the most part they’ve failed one after the next. When you stand the fastest Australian stallions, you’re standing the fastest horses probably in the world given the fact that I believe our product, speed horses, are better than anywhere in the world.” Foxwedge shuttled to Whitsbury Manor Stud in England for four seasons and sired a pair of listed winners as well as the Group 1-placed Urban Fox (GB), and Field said that given the overall record of Australian shuttlers in Europe, he wouldn’t be afraid to try another of his stallions there. “If you look at shuttle stallions over the last 15 years, the Australian horse has definitely been far more successful in Europe than the European horse in Australia,” he said. “The likes of Fastnet Rock, Exceed and Excel and Choisir. That’s from a very small sample size, and I believe the reason for that is because you can’t teach speed; you can only inherit it. It’s such a heritable thing and we’re injecting a supreme level of speed into European broodmares, and I think it’s fascinating to think that the strike rate of fast, Australian horses succeeding in Europe far outweighs the European horses working in Australia from a shuttle perspective.” In addition to Darley and Coolmore-owned young sires, unproven horses like Spill The Beans (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), Divine Prophet (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}) and Scissor Kick (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) are being tried in Europe, but field said he would prefer to take the approach of shuttling a proven sire. “I see a lot of opportunity and upside in that,” he said. “Certainly we have some really exciting young stallions, for example Dissident, Deep Field and Wandjina all have yearlings we like very much. One of those horses, if they were champion first-season Australian sire, we’d certainly be very open-minded to shuttle one of them to Europe. But we’d rather them prove themselves in Australia first as a rule, and if they do that they can demand a better service fee in Europe and it would allow us the opportunity to buy mares and support them in Europe as well. It would be far more commercially viable.” It often seems that time flies as quickly as the Australian sprinter, and as such breeders will soon be getting a look at the next batch of Newgate-sired foals at the Australian breeding stock sales. Its first-crop foal sires are Horse of the Year Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}), who breaks the Newgate mold slightly by being a four-time Group 1 winner over 2000 and 2400 metres; and the super speedy Super One (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), a Group 3 winner over 5 1/2 furlongs. Super One has one catalogued for the Chairman’s Sale – Elite Breeding Prospects and six for the Inglis Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale. With their first foals due in 2018 is Newgate’s largest intake of sires yet: G1 Golden Slipper winner Capitalist (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}), who covered the largest book in Australia last year with 229 mares; G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Extreme Choice (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) (118 covered); G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Flying Artie (Aus) (Artie Schiller) (185 covered) and the two-time group-winning sprinter Winning Rupert (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) (147 covered). Already back at Newgate and preparing to begin his stud career this year after collecting a pair of 5 1/2-furlong Group 1s is Russian Revolution (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), a A$320,000 yearling purchase by China Horse Club. Field said interest in the 4-year-old has been strong. “Russian Revolution has settled in really well,” he said. “I can’t remember ever having a stallion that’s had more mares apply. I suppose given he’s by far the fastest son of Snitzel ever to go to stud, and the fact he comes from that wonderful Encosta de Lago/Flying Spur pedigree, I suppose it’s not something we should be surprised by.” View the full article

It is becoming a farce.

View the full article

View the full article

View the full article

How rejuvenated miler Joyful Trinity comes through Sunday’s Group Two Chairman’s Trophy will tell Caspar Fownes where the injury-plagued six-year-old will go next as the trainer weighs up his options. Last season Joyful Trinity finished a length or closer in three placings at Group One level before a stress fracture ended his season in March – and the problems didn’t stop there. Leg injuries continued to hinder Joyful Trinity early this term as the gelding struggled... View the full article

Positive tests for caffeine see top harness racing stable cop $14,000 in fines DON SCOTT Dexter, Robert and John Dunn at Rangiora raceway. Trainer Robert Dunn, who operates stables in South Auckland and North Canterbury, has been fined $7000 after three horses trained there returned positive swabs to banned substance caffeine. Dunn's son, John, who manages the Woodend Beach stable north of Christchurch, and in charge of the horses in question at the two-day Nelson meeting last June, was also fined $7000. The horses – Billy Badger, Hayden's Meddle and Rishi - returned four positive swabs between them and were disqualified from their four wins. STUFF Outstanding race driver John Dunn was fined along with his father Robert. Billy Badger won on both days, including the Nelson Winter Cup at the second meeting. READ MORE: * Drug sabotage claims after positive caffeine tests at Canterbury racing stable Rishi, since sold and exported to Australia, was trained by Craig and Aimee Edmonds, the father and sister of John Dunn's wife, Jenna, but was under an official horse movement to Robert Dunn for the meeting. The Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) did not charge the Dunns until February after an investigation lasting the best part of eight months. According to the official Judicial Control Authority summation of the case, the RIU thoroughly investigated the possibility that the Dunns' horses were 'nobbled' by an outside party. Ultimately, no evidence was found to support this. Dunn had previously told the RIU he believed the animals were likely given the caffeine intentionally by an external source. Ad Feedback Stuff understood names were provided to RIU investigators, but RIU general manager Mike Godber has previously refused to confirm this or whether those people had been investigated. Caffeine is an easy drug to detect, so is not widely used to enhance performance in racing. It can be administered as simply as through feed contamination. Once charged, the Dunns both pled guilty to four charges each of presenting a horse to race not free of a prohibited substance. The RIU sought a total fine of $4000 for the offending, but the JCA deemed that figure to be manifestly light and opted for $14,000, split evenly between the father and son. Recent fines issued to Kevin Townley, Richard Brosnan, Bruce Negus and the Edmonds for breaches of the same charge were factored in to the sentencing judgement. The RIU did not seek costs in relation to the eight-month investigation, which the JCA called "a generous position to adopt", but they themselves issued $1000 in costs, split between the Dunns. Horses promoted to victories as a result of the disqualifications were Ace High, Mongolian Hero, Boults On Fire and Terrier. Dunn is one of the most successful trainers in New Zealand harness racing and the stable is well-known throughout Australasia. His sons, Dexter and John, are successful drivers. Dunn has run afoul of prohibited substances rules three times previously. His trainer's licence was suspended for six months after he presented two horses with prohibited substances in Australia in 1992. He was fined $500 after another horse was found with elevated TCO2 [total carbon dioxide] levels at the Westport Trotting Club in 2004. He was also fined $3000, and son John $1500, in 2017 for instructing employee Craig Smith to be in possession of a prohibited substance, ketoprofen, at a Forbury Park meeting in June 2016. - Stuff

Drug sabotage claims after positive caffeine tests at Canterbury racing stable DON SCOTT/STUFF Robert Dunn, centre, with sons Dexter, left, and John. Four horses linked to a leading Canterbury stable are facing disqualification amid a claim they were drugged as an act of sabotage. Three horses trained by Robert Dunn harness racing stables and a fourth in its care tested positive for caffeine at the Nelson Winter Cup meeting in June. The Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) has been investigating since. General manager Mike Godber said the probe was nearly finished, but Dunn had been given more time to gather evidence in the case. Dunn had previously told the RIU he believed the animals were likely given the caffeine intentionally by an external source, Godber said. READ MORE: Harness stable under investigation Stuff understands names have been provided to RIU investigators, but Godber refused to confirm this or whether those people had been investigated. Godber said the investigation was complex, but he hoped it would be completed early in the new year. Even if charges were not laid against the Dunn stable, the horses would need to be disqualified from their races because a prohibited drug was found in their system, he said. Caffeine is an easy drug to detect, so is not widely used to enhance performance in racing. It can be administered as simply as through feed contamination. The Star reported the Dunn family have enlisted the help of former police detective turned private investigator Simon Lamond, partner of reality TV maestro Dame Julie Christie, in their inquiries. Ad Feedback Christie's brother, restaurateur Leo Molloy, told Stuff he was also assisting as a support person for the Dunns. He referred all other questions to Robert Dunn or lawyer Paul Dale. Dunn declined to comment. Dunn is one of the most successful trainers in New Zealand harness racing and the stable is well-known throughout Australasia. His sons, Dexter and John Dunn, are successful drivers. John runs his father's Woodend Beach training facility with Robert working out of its northern base near Pukekohe. Dunn has run afoul of prohibited substances rules three times previously. His trainer's licence was suspended for six months after he presented two horses with prohibited substances in Australia in 1992. He was fined $500 after another horse was found with elevated TCO2 [total carbon dioxide] levels at the Westport Trotting Club in 2004. He was also fined $3000, and son John $1500, earlier this year for instructing employee Craig Smith to be in possession of a prohibited substance, ketoprofen, at a Forbury Park meeting in June 2016. - Stuff

Turnover Report to 11 Mar 2018.pdf

Mind Your Biscuits was nowhere to be found early on, but he arrived on the scene late to just catch X Y Jet in the shadow of the wire to win his second straight Golden Shaheen by a head. View the full article

On a banner night for the home team in Godolphin blue, Thunder Snow (IRE) provided the exclamation point March 31 with a clear victory in the $10 million Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) at Meydan. View the full article

Baffert said something isn't quite right with the Street Sense colt, who last out edged Bolt d'Oro in the March 10 San Felipe Stakes (G2) but was disqualified to second for interference in late stretch. View the full article

Even before Thunder Snow (IRE) dominated the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1), the home team colors of Godolphin blue flashed home first in three of the four turf races on the program, including both of the $6 million events. View the full article

Conquest Big E made an honest man out of his owner when he earned an upset, front-running victory over 2017 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) hero Always Dreaming in the Gulfstream Park Hardacre Mile Stakes (G2) March 31. View the full article

Pitino was fired as Louisville's coach Oct. 16 following a federal investigation into fraud claims against the Cardinals basketball program. He then told people he would never return to Kentucky. View the full article

Hi Happy (ARG), who took the 2015 Carlos Pellegrini (G1) in his native Argentina, returned to the winner's circle for the first time since to land his first stateside win in the $250,000 Pan American Stakes (G2T) March 31 at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Coach Rocks wore down favorite Take Charge Paula to capture the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) March 31. View the full article

It was a long time between drinks for Flamboyant (FR), but the 7-year-old gelding broke through for his first win since February of 2016 with a rail-skimming victory March 31 in the $201,575 San Francisco Mile (G3T) at Golden Gate Fields. View the full article

Louisiana legend Mobile Bay continued his domination against homebred stakes company with a two-length win in the $75,000 Star Guitar Stakes March 31 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the final stakes event of the 2017-18 winter meet. View the full article

The good impression Woodbine management made on owner Ken Ramsey during some of his stakes wins at the suburban Toronto track encouraged the Eclipse Award-winning owner to commit a string of horses this year. View the full article

Both out early April 1 to beat the threat of rain, Quip completed his major preparations for the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) while Monomoy Girl put in her last work ahead of the Ashland Stakes (G1) coming up April 7 at Keeneland. View the full article

Blended Citizen, who has had much of his success on the grass and all-weather surfaces, prepared for his return to the dirt in the April 7 $1 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) by working five furlongs in 1:01 March 31 at Keeneland. View the full article

Stonelea Stables' Balance the Budget jumped out to a yawning early advantage in Saturday's 48th edition of the $150,000 Marion duPont Scott Colonial Cup (NSA-G1) and came home to a 6 1/4-length victory under Mark Watts. View the full article