Wandering Eyes

Jack's Promise wins the Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes at odds of 11-1 under jockey Rajiv Maragh Feb. 21. The 4-year-old is trained by Dale Romans and is owned and bred by Baron Thoroughbreds.View the full article

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan, post time: 15:40, FEBRUARY STAKES-G1, ¥290,980,000, 4yo/up, 1600m Field: Omega Guiness (Jpn) (Logotype {Jpn}), Happy Man (Jpn) (Danon Legend), Brian Sense (Jpn) (Hokko Tarumae {Jpn}), Perriere (Jpn) (Henny Hughes), Sixpence (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Ramjet (Jpn) (Majestic Warrior), Long Run (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}), Sakura Toujours (Jpn) (Neo Universe {Jpn}), W Heart Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Lord Couronne (Jpn) (Leontes {Jpn}), Sunrise Hawk (Jpn) (Leontes {Jpn}), Costa Nova (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), Natural Rise (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), Wilson Tesoro (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), Peptide Nile (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), Saimon Xanadu (Jpn) (Asia Express). TDN Analysis: The only runner in the field carrying less than 128 pounds, G1 Champions Cup heroine W Heart Bond aims for another top-level title at Tokyo. Just off the mare was Wilson Tesoro in the Champions Cup and he is one of 16 in the field. Jockey Rachel King became the first female rider to win a JRA Group 1 Flat race aboard Costa Nova in this race last year. For this edition, King is on multiple group winner Sakura Toujours, while Christophe Lemaire has the call on Costa Nova. [Heather Anderson]. Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong, post time: 16:35, QUEEN'S SILVER JUBILEE CUP-G1, HK$13,000,000, 4yo/up, 1400mT Field: Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}), Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse {Aus}), Helios Express (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}), Red Lion (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}), Galaxy Patch (Aus) (Wandjina {Aus}), Sunlight Power (Aus) (Capitalist {Aus}), Copartner Prance (Aus) (Epaulette {Aus}), Patch Of Theta (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}), Raging Blizzard (NZ) (Per Incanto {Aus}), Packing Hermod (Aus) (Rubick {Aus}). TDN Analysis: This race starts and stops at Ka Ying Rising. The reigning The Everest hero would break Silent Witness's record of 17 consecutive wins by a Hong Kong-trained horse if he prevails on Sunday. Trainer David Hayes called his charge “bigger, stronger, and better than last year” and his nine rivals have it all to do. John Size's Helios Express ran second to Ka Ying Rising last out in the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup in January, while the re-opposing Raging Blizzard was fourth that day. [Heather Anderson]. Sunday, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, post time: 15:32, PRIX DE LA CALIFORNIE-Listed, €50,300, 3yo, 7 1/2f (AWT) Field: Go Man (Fr) (Goken {Fr}), Afandy (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}), Seeway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), Centauri (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Kenzel (Ire) (Zelzal {Fr}), Like Lindy (Midshipman), Viva La Skids (Fr) (Victor Ludorum {GB}), Baklawa (Fr) (Stunning Spirit {GB}). TDN Analysis: Richard Chotard trainee Go Man comes back off a career high in November's Listed Criterium du Languedoc and is burdened with a two-kilo penalty in this sophomore bow. He encounters two Wertheimer homebreds from the Christophe Ferland stable, namely Listed Prix Saraca third Kenzel and dual winner Centauri. Gousserie Racing's G3 Prix Miesque third Baklawa is the only other contender with black type, while Afandy is two-from-two and Viva La Skids is three-from-four. [Sean Cronin]. Click here for the complete fields. The post Black-Type Analysis: Ka Ying Rising Headlines Sunday’s All-Star Cast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ebony Flyer, a triple Grade 1 winner from six to eight furlongs when racing in South Africa for Team Valor International (TVI) and Gaynor Rupert, has died from complications after foaling a Bradsell filly on February 4. The daughter of Jet Master was euthanised on Saturday at Rossdales Equine Hospital in Newmarket. Bred in the Western Cape by W. J. Engelbrecht Jr., Ebony Flyer and her dam were purchased privately in a deal struck by TVI CEO Barry Irwin after her three-year-old half-sister Captain's Lover (Captain Al) emerged as a leading contender for the G1 Cape Fillies Guineas. Irwin, who had bought Captain's Lover as a yearling, struck gold, as not only did Captain's Lover win the Guineas in 2007, but Ebony Flyer then followed suit in 2010, thereby providing their dam Sunshine Lover (Badger Land) with the rare distinction of producing a pair of Classic winners of the same race. Ebony Flyer eventually retired as the winner of eight of her 13 career starts. She reportedly suffered from breathing issues following her Guineas triumph and required no less than three surgeries, before returning in 2012 to win both the G1 Majorca Stakes and G1 South African Fillies Sprint. Irwin said, “We have raced champion females around the globe, including in England and Ireland, but the only other filly we had in her league was Ipi Tombe. Had she been able to breathe, there is no telling how good she would have become or how far she would have raced.” As a producer, Ebony Flyer foaled seven winners from nine runners, including two black-type runners in South Africa, namely the Grade 3-placed Cot Campbell (Trippi) and Listed-placed Black Silver (Silvano). A foster mare has been found for her Bradsell filly who is said to be doing well. The post Champion South African Racemare Ebony Flyer Dies Following Foaling Complications appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Intrepido and Secured Freedom both worked Feb. 21 for the first time since the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) Feb. 7 at Santa Anita Park. They were among several high-profile 3-year-olds on the Santa Anita work tab.View the full article

It was a great day for the Russells at Laurel Park Feb. 21 as trainer Brittany and jockey Sheldon swept the 3-year-old stakes with Taj Mahal and Peach Tie.View the full article

Tropicus became the fifth elite winner worldwide for his sensational sire Too Darn Hot and made a case for his own career at stud Feb. 21 with a powerful first-up victory in the Oakleigh Plate (G1) at Caulfield Racecourse.View the full article

Jockey Ramon Vazquez reached an Oaklawn Park milestone on last Friday's card when he captured the sixth race, becoming the 11th rider in the track's history to reach 500 local victories. Riding regularly at the venue since 2012, Vazquez steered Cur Non (Coal Front) in a $16,000 claiming sprint in what was his second win on the card and ninth in the last three racing days. He had first call on five winners the previous Monday to equal a local career high. “I had never been here before [having been based in Kentucky],” Vazquez said Saturday morning. “[Then agent Steve Elzey] told me to try it and now I'm in love with this track.” Vazquez sits second in the rider standings with 28 victories behind Cristian Torres with 29, and seeks to break through with his first Oaklawn title after being in the top five in 2015, '16, '17, '19, and '25. The jockey already claims riding titles at Santa Anita, Los Alamitos, Prairie Meadows, Lone Star Park, and Remington Park. “Second, third, second,” Vazquez said, referring to his Oaklawn career resume. “That's my dream, honestly. Just one year be the leading rider here.” Barring injury, Vazquez is in line to surpass the retired Don Howard as Oaklawn's 10th winningest jockey in history before the 2025-26 meeting ends May 2. Howard rode 509 during his Oaklawn career. Retired Hall of Famer Pat Day stands atop the Hot Springs annuals as the winningest rider with 1,264 victories. The post Ramon Vazquez Becomes Eleventh Rider in Oaklawn History to Reach 500 Local Wins appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Klaravich Stables' Tariff Mindset (Tiz the Law) never truly looked like validating favoritism until the final jump, when Flavien Prat threw him across the line for a highly improbable debut victory. A $250,000 Keeneland September graduate, the Mar. 22 foal traded at odds-on for a large portion of the wagering, but he drifted all the way out to just shy of 8-5 at the off, and he was immediately on the back foot when breaking slowly and pinched back a stride or two thereafter. Clearly resenting the kickback and climbing noticeably over the rain-affected track, the chestnut left Prat no option but to guide him into the clear and he traveled better once that mission was accomplished midway up the backstretch. Finally out of last as they approached the lane, the ironically named colt advanced steadily towards the inside and was angled back out to the grandstand side with a furlong to travel. Even at that point, things looked fairly unlikely, but Tariff Mindset closed with big strides in the final 100 yards to nail 30-1 Print (Munnings) right on the wire. Springhouse Farm acquired dam West Palm Beach for $150,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January Sale and her first foal was Ocean Pointe (Kitten's Joy), a stakes-placed winner of $225,991. A half-sister to Irish Group 1-placed The Irish Rover (Ire) (No Nay Never), West Palm Beach is also the dam of a 2-year-old Bolt d'Oro filly and a full-sister to Tariff Mindset that fetched $150,000 at KEEJAN last month. Back in foal to Tiz the Law, West Palm Beach sold for $16,000 during the Fasig-Tipton Digital December Sale. 5th-Aqueduct, $80,000, Msw, 2-21, 3yo, 1m, 1:40.37, my, nose. TARIFF MINDSET (c, 3, Tiz the Law–West Palm Beach {Ire}, by Scat Daddy) Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $44,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. O-Klaravich Stables Inc; B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-Chad C Brown. From last to first! TARIFF MINDSET closes to break his maiden in Race 5, and gives Flavien Prat win number three on the day, this one for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/4L6Ha39KLz — NYRA () (@TheNYRA) February 21, 2026 The post Tiz the Law’s Tariff Mindset Overcomes ‘Taxing’ Trip To Graduate First Out appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Several notable sophomores were out on track Saturday morning at Santa Anita Park, including Grade I winner Intrepido (Maximus Mischief) and fellow GIII Robert B. Lewis alumnus Secured Freedom (Practical Joke)–both of whom put in their first moves since the aforementioned race. The former finished closest to GISP Plutarch (Into Mischief) in the Lewis, that one claimed top prize by three-quarters of a length, and took a spin over the main track for trainer Jeff Mullins in an easy four-panel move. Clocked in :48.80 with jockey Hector Berrios in the irons, it was the 44th fastest of 79 at the distance. “He didn't do much. We didn't want much,” Mullins said afterwards, adding that he had not decided whether Intrepido would return Mar. 7 in the GII San Felipe Stakes or if they'd opt to wait until April for the GI Santa Anita Derby. Secured Freedom, third in the Lewis, also worked four furlongs on the main track for trainer Tim Yakteen. He was clocked in :48 flat (17/79). With the San Felipe also a possibility for him, his conditioner reports that they'd have a clear picture of their path in the coming days. “We are considering the San Felipe. He is on schedule,” Yakteen said. “We will make a final decision next week.” The Bob Baffert barn was also active as Brant (Gun Runner), Boyd (Violence), Litmus Test (Nyquist), and Buetane (Tiz the Law) were all out for the Hall of Famer Saturday morning. Fellow 'TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard' Brant and Boyd worked six furlongs from the gate with the former timed in 1:11.80 (1/6) and the latter 1:12 flat (2/6). Litmus Test posted a four-furlong move in :47.80 (7/79) in advance of his anticipated seasonal bow in the San Felipe. 'Rising Star' Buetane returned to the tab for the first time since his third-place effort in the GIII Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, also working a half-mile in :47.80. The fillies from the Baffert barn went through their paces as well Saturday, with Splendora (Audible), Explora (Blame), and Usha (Tiz the Law) all making appearances. The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint heroine was returning to the tab for the first time since winning the GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes–she cleared five furlongs in 1:01.20 (25/43). Explora drilled five furlongs as well in :59 flat, the bullet of 43 works, and Usha recorded 1:00.20 (8/43) for the same distance. GSW Cash Call (McKinzie), unraced since finishing fifth in the GI Test Stakes last year, also worked six panels while Group 1 winner Ooly (Arg) (Dabster) began her work from the gate and both were clocked in 1:12.60 (3/6) for Baffert. The post Santa Anita Updates: Intrepido, Secured Freedom Put in First Return Works appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

By Mike Love Leeston trainer Paul Nairn will take four runners to today’s Ashburton meeting. A hot favourite, Waterloo Station will be his headline act in Race 7, the Front Lea Partnership Handicap Trot over 2400m (4:10pm). Driven by Bob Butt, the four-year-old Waterloo Sunset gelding will need to overcome a backmark of 20 metres, but stable representative Stacey Whatuira believes he should do just that. “It’s an ideal race for him. He’s working well too. I think he’d be the one to beat. He likes Ashburton, with the big bends,” said Whatuira. Waterloo Station has not raced since running second to Tarragindi at the inaugural Harness 5000 meeting at the same course back in December last year. Though there have been no trials or workouts given to Waterloo Station leading into today, Nairn is confident he is ready to fire. “He went great at his last start, and has had a freshener since then, and he’s training really well,” says Nairn. Nairn also lines up second favourite Luvavici in the same event who Whatuira will drive with a 10 metre headstart on his stablemate. A minor issue has seen Luvavici not race since September 2024 but has trialled at Addington this month and was seen making good ground late for trials driver Flynn Ford. “He’s quick. I’ve driven him a few times. But because he hasn’t raced for so long I’ll probably try and drive him for one run,” says Whatuira. “He’s also working really well this time in – probably even better than before, though he will need a run. So hopefully he just trots well.” Nairn will step out debutant Rowdy Yates in Race 3, the Allenton Pharmacy Trot over 2400m (1:50pm), again with Whatuira taking the reins. The now five-year-old Waterloo Sunset gelding qualified as a three-year-old back in 2024. “He’s a funny horse because he can jump out of his gate. He was good at the trials on Friday,” says Whatuira. “If he trots the whole way I’ll be happy. He’s had a bit of trouble with injuries so he’s had a bit of time out in the paddock.” Nairn also lines up Something Else in Race 1, the Stephen Parkinson Orthopaedic Trot over 2400m (12:45pm) with driver Bob Butt. “She was disappointing on Thursday at Addington. But she’s eaten up and seems well.” View the full article

By Jonny Turner Group 1 formlines trump track stats according to the market for today’s Cromwell Fruit Bowl (3.53pm). The top three horses in early betting for the 2600m staying test come into the race from very different angles. Race favourite Beach Day was a respectable fourth in the recent Group 1 New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Stakes at Addington followed across the line by race rival Ultimate Cullect. On Sunday, Beach Day will give a 10m head start to Ultimate Cullect and Hacksaw Ridge, who share a 10m handicap. Hacksaw Ridge brings a different kind of form reference to the Cromwell Fruit Bowl after winning the Cromwell Cup in his last visit to the track. The Ricky Gutsell-trained pacer stepped to the lead before enjoying a sweet trip in the trail in that win last month. Driver Matthew Williamson would love to see that kind of beginning again from the grass track specialist. “If he could get away like he did when he won at Cromwell it would be a big help.” “There are a couple of nice mares in there but overall I would say that he has been racing stronger fields lately.” “He loves the grass and he is very honest, he’s a good each way chance.” Hacksaw Ridge is part of a powerful brother-sister act that the Gutsell stable takes to Cromwell. The pacer’s full brother Still Rockin looks a genuine hope in the Cromwell Fruit Bowl while their sister Insarchatwist will be out to add to her excellent record at the Central Otago event in Sunday’s finale. Williamson is hoping Practical Magic can bounce back to form in Sunday’s feature trot, Race 5, the Stadium Tavern Alexandra Handicap Trot (2.08pm). The mare was on a great run of grass track form until she worked and faded out in her run at Cromwell on Friday. “She was disappointing on Friday even though she had to sit parked.” “On her form she would have to be an eachway chance, Dreams Pat looks the horse to beat there.” Williamson lines up two horses from his own stable with Jordan Anne looking the top pick of the duo following her excellent third at Cromwell on Friday. However, the trainer doesn’t rate Our Pinocchio too far behind his stablemate. “Jordan Anne was great on Friday, she is a very honest mare and tries hard.” “I don’t think backing up will be a worry for her and she should go another nice race.” “Our Pinocchio drops in grade and with the times and sectionals he’s had to run, he should be pretty well suited and I think he can go a decent race too.” Rory McIlwrick takes the reins behind Jordan Anne with Williamson to pilot Our Pinocchio. View the full article

She may have been "underrated" throughout her brief career, but trainer Clinton McDonald believes a star has been born after Streisand scored a dominant victory in the Feb. 21 Blue Diamond Stakes (G1) at Caulfield Racecourse.View the full article

The Cincinnati Trophy Stakes awards the top five finishers qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale toward a spot in the starting gate in the $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 1 at Churchill Downs.View the full article

“Looking for the hidden gem.” That, to Mike Slezak, is the point of crossover; the place where his breakout success dovetails with a personal passion that has now evolved into a way of life. “Which means trying to ask questions in a different way,” he elaborates. “Not making assumptions, looking a little closer.” To the many who first encountered Slezak in his American Idol debrief shows, the next stage of the analogy will make perfect sense. “It's scouting for a contestant like David Cook,” he explains. “No-one thought he was going to win, when he started. But then it became, 'Oh, this guy's actually really good, if the world would take a minute to listen.' And they did, and he sprang the upset.” But the few of us to whom that means little-Slezak having evidently built a cult following in his mainstream role-can rest assured that the same infectious energy and investigative curiosity are proving every bit as effective in our own backwater. As an investor in bloodstock, Slezak has repeatedly picked out a clod of earth that later proves to contain a diamond. Over the past year or so, mares he has processed from the market basement have been upgraded by GI Belmont Derby winner Trikari (Oscar Performance); GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Drexel Hill (Bolt d'Oro); GIII Southwest Stakes winner Speed King (Volatile); a couple of Grade II-placed stakes winners in Classic Q (Classic Empire) and Willy D's (Lookin At Lucky); and Grade II-placed Me and Molly McGee (Vekoma). Then, just last Saturday at Aqueduct, he could add second, third and fourth in the East View Stakes, two of them born at the Stonegate Stables of Bill Johnson – “one of my earliest and most enthusiastic supporters.” Slezak doesn't pretend to be the only guy dredging claimers for fillies and mares. But he does doubt whether anyone else can be doing it quite so obsessively. “I think there's probably a little ADHD in my brain,” he suggests with a smile. “My goal is to look at every single claiming race in North America every single day. I'll open Belterra Park PPs, and in no time I'm down a rabbit hole. Oh, this one has a half-sister by More Than Ready. So where is she? Has she been bred? What did her foals sell for? And you've got to look at every 2-year-old race, as well, to see what's percolating there: can you spot a future star, work backwards and try and find a sister?” With teenage twins with college on the horizon, however, Slezak accepts the practical necessity of sharing his endeavors with partners and clients. He first dipped his toe in the water while still in entertainment media, covering series like The Voice and How to Get Away with Murder. But it was a fast-changing environment. When he first started doing recaps of American Idol, he could file his copy next day. In the online era, he had to be engaging with viewers more or less as the credits rolled. Then he would regroup for YouTube interviews with contestants as they left the show. “Because I tried not to ask the same questions as all the other media outlets, the contestants would light up,” he recalled. “So, again, trying to approach things a different way. It was great fun, but you cannot do that every single day until 3 a.m. and get up next day and function with kids. Eventually, I realized I wasn't built for speed. I was really built for deep dives. So that's when my husband suggested maybe I could do this horse stuff full time.” Speed King winning the 2025 Southwest Stakes | Coady Media One early experiment was Athenian Beauty (Corinthian), a $8,000 claim at Calder in 2015. Slezak sent her on a mare share to Verrazano and cashed her out the following November for $125,000. She is meanwhile dam of Speed King. “It took a while for her to pay dividends for new owners, but she finally did,” he reflects. “And that's the interesting part of this business. If you claim a broodmare prospect, you won't know until maybe five years later whether she was the right buy.” The opposite, in other words, of being judged on your work as the credits roll. “The very opposite,” Slezak agrees. “And that's why it appeals to me. So seeing Speed King on the Derby trail last year was like, yes, proof of concept. Even though you're not the breeder, you have some fingerprints on what has happened.” As a breeder, however, it was actually in the sales ring that Slezak began his giddiest journey when giving $14,000 for Dynamic Holiday (Harlan's Holiday)-in foal to Oscar Performance-at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton February Sale. As a graded stakes winner, that price was a startling measure of her disappointing start as a broodmare. “I went to look at her and I was like, 'Damn, she's really nice,'” Slezak recalls. “She had not produced a single winner, and nobody wanted an exposed mare pregnant on a second-year book. But she was such a good racemare, and her dam had produced seven stakes horses.” So he consulted Amy Boll, a valued mentor in judging physique, who agreed to come in. As a result, they are listed as co-breeders of the Oscar Performance colt sold for $9,000 as a short yearling at Keeneland the following January-none other than millionaire Trikari. It is certainly typical of this exasperating business that they moved the mare on just before Trikari made his debut in 2023, having meanwhile sold a couple of foals. But it is no less typical that her fortunate purchasers apparently lost her within the year. Around the same time, Slezak hit another seam of gold, buying Ascot Walk (Daaher) with Kaylee Platt at just $5,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November Sale. “That was their budget,” he recalled. “Small backyard breeders, Kaylee and Liz, daughter-and-mom team. And the mare was a good runner: broke her maiden at Saratoga, won her first level allowance at Belmont. She was pregnant to Modernist, had a yearling filly by Mohaymen and was selling with a very nice Bolt d'Oro weanling.” Drexel Hill | SV Photography Sold for $37,000 as a yearling, the Modernist won on debut at Saratoga last summer as Grazie and has been stakes-placed in all three starts since. In the meantime the Bolt d'Oro is Classic-placed Drexel Hill, while the Mohaymen became graded stakes winner/GI Breeders' Cup third Regaled. Ascot Walk was sold after Drexel Hill broke her maiden, and obviously increased her value by the time Turning Point Bloodstock cashed her out last year for $550,000. But if those decisions are always hard to call, there is no arguing with how consistently Slezak has plucked an elite mare from the depths of the market. So what is his secret? “I'm a little obsessive!” Slezak replies. “What I notice is that most of the time there's a foundation of class. Whenever a horse can transition from $5,000 claimer to become a legit Kentucky mare, usually there's some class in there: either she showed something on the racetrack, like Ascot Walk and Dynamic Holiday, or there's a foundation pretty close up in the family that you can tap into. And then it's about reading what's not on the page-those updates that'll percolate in the next six, 12, 18 months.” We haven't finished, though, not by a long chalk. Louisiana-bred Secret Faith (Aurelius Maximus) is a ten-time black-type scorer out of a $4,500 Finger Lakes claim for Jay Adcock and Hume Wornall-and already preceded by two stakes-winnings siblings. Or how about the Sharp Humor mare bought for $2,000 at Keeneland in November 2018? Her 2-year-old by Fed Biz was unnamed in the catalogue but a bulb came on and Slezak recognized him as a debut winner at Gulfstream that summer: Zenden, later a Group 1 winner in Dubai. And back in 2016 there was an Uncle Mo filly Slezak claimed for $25,000 on debut at Tampa Bay. It was only after he sold her on, however, that her half-brother emerged as Tiz the Law. “My timing was not fully on there, but that's okay,” he says with a shrug. “I was on the right horse. The tough part of this business is that you can be right and not get paid. You can be right and get kicked in the face! So you need a lot of self-belief. You need endless optimism that eventually your timing will be right.” The fact is that he's getting the rest of it right to a freakish degree. “The catalogue page, or the Mare Produce Records, those are just the first clicks,” Slezak says. “Which is where that ADHD component kicks in. There's a blank second dam, but wait, she only had two named foals. If you're just zipping through the catalogue, you could dismiss a horse for things that are not their fault. So I guess if there's any overarching philosophy for my business, or why I think I'm good at what I do, it's that horses that slip through the cracks are a fascination for me. “I mean, there aren't that many $4,000 claimers worth going after. Let's get that on the record. They're rare. But there are horses where you pull up the dam and just get a tingling sensation. And when I've listened to that, it usually works out well.” Next up? A foray into the stallion business: Slezak purchased Arzak, a multiple Grade II winner, millionaire and track-record setter by Not This Time, on behalf of Amsterdam Two Farm in Middleburgh, New York, for the 2026 breeding season, and has stayed on board to help market the horse to Northeast breeders. “No small task, launching a stallion,” he admits. “But the response thus far has been incredible.” Slezak also recently joined the board of Wasabi Aftercare Fund, as “a way to give back to the sport that's given me so much.” Yes, he's still waiting for that home run on his own account. But he has middled too many curveballs for it not to happen sooner or later. “It's not easy to get noticed, as a rank outsider with no industry background or connections,” Slezak admits. “I'm the Finger Lakes shipper in this field. So if you want to be taken seriously, you just have to work twice as hard. I do a ton of research. Maybe that's the one thing I do as well as anybody. And the great thing about this business is that there will always be a new angle, a new idea. All I need is to find another Trikari, only this time bank the $1.3 million instead of $9,000!” The post Slezak’s Multiple Claims to Fame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

VIRGINIA KEY (2015, Distorted Humor–Our Khrysty, by Newfoundland), will be bred to Into Mischief The crown jewel of our broodmare band, this graded-stakes placed homebred out of graded-stakes winner Our Khrysty and a half-sister to GISW Grace Adler and GSW and MGIP Pyrenees. She is the dam of two seven-figure yearlings, including GISW Tappan Street. We are going back to the well with the sire of Tappan Street, Into Mischief. It just makes too much sense. The Into Mischief–Distorted Humor cross has been incredibly successful–Life is Good, Practical Joke, Citizen Bull, Patch Adam. We are hopeful to add to that bounty. SURRENDER NOW (2015, Morning Line–Surrender, by Stormy Atlantic), will be bred to Gun Runner A super talented and precocious mare that won the Landaluce Stakes at Santa Anita in her second start. She is out of a strong and deep family and is already an exciting producer. Her first foal Getaway Car, who is a graded stakes winner and GISP, ran in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. We are breeding her to Gun Runner, an outstanding sire that suits her physically. And the Tiznow and Storm Cat in her pedigree have worked well with Gun Runner. This foal will be bred similarly to Early Voting. STARSHIP JUBILEE (2013, Indy Wind–Perfectly Wild, by Forest Wildcat), will be bred to Curlin A horse of a lifetime for us, she is a MGIW and earner of over $2 million. A Canadian Horse of the Year, she is the only horse to win both of the premier turf Grade Is at Woodbine—the Woodbine Mile and E.P. Taylor Stakes. We are breeding her to Curlin, one of the best sires of sales and racehorses over the last decade. Starship is by a son of A.P. Indy, and that crossed with Curlin has produced numerous GISWs, including Malathaat, Clariere, Cody's Wish, and many more. ANGELOU (2018, Curlin–Roxy Gap, by Indian Charlie), will be bred to Not This Time A MGSP homebred out of Canadian champion Roxy Gap. Angelou is sister to Grade III winner and stakes producer Café Americano, as well as stakes producer Sly Roxy., so it's a young and extremely active family. We are breeding her to Not This Time. It's hard to put into words what he is doing right now. Dirt, turf, short, long…everything. We really like this physical match, as well as the cross of Not This Time with the Mr. Prospector line. OLIVIA'S POTION (2022, Good Magic–Rote, by Tiznow), will be bred to Nyquist A recent purchase from the 2025 Fasig November Sale, she hails from an exciting and active family with a great sales history. She is a half-sister to GISP Talkin, as well as Royal Obsession, the dam of Grade I winner Clicquot. We are breeding her to Nyquist, who could not be hotter right now. The race results are fantastic, and we think the sales demand will be immense in the coming years. She is by Good Magic, and the Uncle Mo/Curlin cross has produced a number of nice racehorses. We want to give her a great shot out of the gate and think Nyquist will help with that. WILD RIDGE (2013, Tapit–Wild Gams, by Forest Wildcat), will be bred to Maxfield This daughter of Tapit out of MGSW Wild Gams is experiencing a mid-life broodmare renaissance. Her 3-year-old Danon Bourbon (Maxfield) sold for $450,000 and has won for fun in both of his races in Japan. He has is still a possibility for the Triple Crown races, and it appears that the sky is the limit. And her 2-year-old by Nyquist sold for $750,000 in 2025 at the Keeneland September sale. She has a lovely yearling filly by Mage, and we are breeding her back to Maxfield in 2026. The post 2026 Mating Plans: Blue Heaven Farm’s Adam Corndorf appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article