Wandering Eyes

It was desperately close on the wire, but the stewards did confirm that Class President (Uncle Mo) and the evergreen John Velazquez denied an equally game Silent Tactic (Tacitus) to win the GII Rebel Stakes. The son of the late, great Uncle Mo debuted in December for Todd Pletcher, and comfortably handled that maiden field by 3 1/4 lengths. He was last seen Jan. 31 finishing second in the Swale Stakes to MSW & GSP Solitude Dude (Yaupon), who went on from that race to close the trifecta in the GII Fountain of Youth Feb. 28. In no rush early as Litmus Test (Nyquist) went out to lead through an opening quarter in :23.06 and a half-mile in :46.62, positions had not changed much after six panels in 1:11.77. As they went into the far turn, ranks tightened through the bend and Class President was looming the danger as that pacesetter folded along the rail when they arrived at the head of affairs. Fighting off that longtime leader, but with Silent Tactic now the danger to his outside, Class President courageously met the challenge late to get his head down just in time. Litmus Test rank on well for third. The final time was 1:43.21. Class President takes home 50 Kentucky Derby points with his victory here. #3 CLASS PRESIDENT ($19.00) is on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard after a gutsy win in the $1,000,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) at @OaklawnRacing! @ljlmvel piloted the Uncle Mo colt for trainer @PletcherRacing and owners @WinStarFarm, @ChinaHorseClub, and First Go Racing! pic.twitter.com/pVSTF2uhqj — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 1, 2026 Sunday, Oaklawn Park REBEL S.-GII, $1,000,000, Oaklawn, 3-1, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.21, ft. 1–CLASS PRESIDENT, 119, c, 3, by Uncle Mo 1st Dam: Top Quality (SW & GSP-Can, MSW-USA, $139,704), by Quality Road 2nd Dam: Lemon Bay, by Bernardini 3rd Dam: Sweet Fervor, by Seeking the Gold 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-WinStar Farm, LLC, First Go Racing and CHC, Inc.; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John R. Velazquez. $540,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $593,700. *1/2 to American Speed (More Than Ready), SP, $163,910. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 2–Silent Tactic, 124, c, 3, Tacitus–Magical Sign, by Gun Runner. ($60,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT; $500,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR). O-John C. Oxley; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $180,000. 3–Litmus Test, 121, c, 3, Nyquist–Study Hard, by Malibu Moon. ($875,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor, Dianne, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $90,000. Margins: NO, 5 1/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 8.50, 3.60, 1.50. Also Ran: Blackout Time, Soldier N Diplomat, Strategic Risk, Honey's to Blame, Rancho Santa Fe, Time for Music. Scratched: Bravaro. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. The post Two Turn Tradition: Class President Takes Rebel Vote At Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Within the industry, TSG is currently getting batted around like a pinata, and many of the company's woes are self-inflicted. In recent years TSG has pulled the plug on racing at Portland Meadows and Golden Gate Fields, and in many aspects is leaving Maryland racing in a worse-off state than when the company acquired Pimlico and Laurel 15 years ago. TSG is also currently embroiled in a controversial “decoupling” attempt in Florida to sever its live racing obligation from its casino privileges at Gulfstream Park. And just last week, TSG was instrumental in lobbying for the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to deny permits for two geographically distant Northern California fairs to conduct short race meets in 2026 out of concern that the TSG-owned Santa Anita Park, which has been financially strained in recent seasons, would suffer because of lost simulcasting revenue. At that Feb. 27 CHRB meeting, the board's vice-chair, Oscar Gonzales, openly questioned why other commissioners were deferring to the TSG-backed plan to consolidate all of California's racing in the Southern part of the state, where Santa Anita tenuously remains the flagship track. “We see what [TSG has] done in Maryland,” Gonzales said. We see what they're doing in Florida. But we're willing to put all of our chips [in SoCal, essentially on Santa Anita] rather than spreading them out?” The number of GI Kentucky Derby starters who went on to compete in the Preakness began to really tail off around the same time TSG took over Maryland racing in 2011. That decline is certainly not the outright fault of TSG. It is actually more attributable to the “less is more” training methodology that has cycled into vogue over the past several decades. But it did happen during TSG's stewardship of Maryland racing. Historically, the resilient Preakness has been able to overachieve by making the most out of being an “event” as much as a horse race. And in all fairness, even if you didn't like some of the company's specific ideas, TSG did try to capitalize on and boost the entertainment aspect of the Preakness as best as it could. At the moment, the legacy of the Preakness under TSG spans roughly from Kegasus (the beer-swilling centaur mascot who was introduced just before TSG took control of Pimlico and Laurel in 2011) to the cryptocurrency craze that spawned TSG's issuance of Preakness-themed non-fungible tokens in 2021 (a highly speculative collectibles concept that few people in the racing world understood before the marketplace for them completely cratered within a year). But now it looks like we'll have to leave room in the record books to see whether the 2026 Preakness attendance cap of 4,800 needs to have its own unique chapter written up in better-than-expected terms, or if the idea fizzles to the point where it's just a footnote describing a dubious move at a precarious time for the Preakness. The post The 4800 Preakness Cap is Low. Should Expectations Be Even Lower? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wathnan Racing's Commandment was looking good at Payson Park March 1 on the morning after passing the two-turn test in the $425,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park.View the full article

In perhaps a sign of some amount of relationship mending between the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and The Jockey Club, the chairman of the latter will deliver the keynote address at this year's National HBPA Conference.View the full article

The top sprinter award—for the third year in a row—was awarded to Slew's Tiz Whiz, who also earned his fourth older horse title. The now 8-year-old gelding, who races for Slew's Crew Racing, received his third Washington Horse of the Year title.View the full article

He was green, and a bit lost in the lane, but Fancy Fairlane (McKinzie) showed more than enough talent to put his rivals away and sail home to 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' honors at Oaklawn Park. Unveiled Dec. 20 at Fair Grounds in a six-furlong maiden special weight, he was run down late thanks in part to a sensational effort by fellow 'Rising Star' Golden Tempo (Curlin) when that one closed from a different zip code to win going away. Clocked producing a final quarter-mile in :23.57 in that unveiling by the DRF Formulator, Golden Tempo went on from that debut to win the GIII Lecomte Stakes and run third in the GII Risen Star Stakes on Louisiana's Road to the Kentucky Derby. He currently sits in fifth on the Derby leaderboard with 35 points. Fancy Fairlane made his seasonal bow here as the 7-2 third choice, and contentedly watched the race unfold from third as Munnings Challenge (Munnings) stepped out to lead the tempo through an opening quarter in :21.40. Still tracking the leaders after a half-mile in :44.99, the son of McKinzie loomed the danger from the four path as they entered the upper stretch. Lugging in greenly past the three-sixteenths, but quickly corrected by John Velazquez, he powered home to win by 4 3/4 lengths over the longtime leader. Fancy Fairlane is out of an unplaced half-sister to MSW & GSP Sweet Cassiopeia (Five Star Day) and her full-brother MGSP All Star Red. The 'Rising Star' is the first to the races for Count On Caroline (Sky Mesa), who has since produced a juvenile colt named Olympic Champ (Olympiad) as well as a yearling colt by Maclean's Music. The dam, due to Cogburn in 2026, is a young broodmare hailing from the extended female family of Horse of the Year MGISW Knicks Go (Paynter), who was recently repatriated to stand in South Korea. This is also the family of Grade I winner Countus In. The McKinzie (@Gainesway) gelding #3 FANCY FAIRLANE ($9.00) broke his maiden in R8 at @OaklawnRacing. @ljlmvel was in the irons for @Foley_Racing. pic.twitter.com/LphSvVKcTh — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 1, 2026 8th-Oaklawn, $110,000, Msw, 3-1, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.62, ft, 4 3/4 lengths. FANCY FAIRLANE, g, 3, by McKinzie 1st Dam: Count On Caroline, by Sky Mesa 2nd Dam: My Sweet Carline, by Salt Lake 3rd Dam: Aube d'Or, by Medaille d'Or Sales history: $80,000 RNA Wlg '23 FTKNOV; $120,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $77,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. O-Terry L. Stephens; B-Drumkenny Farm & American Equistock Inc. (KY); T-Gregory D. Foley. The post McKinzie’s Fancy Fairlane Green, but Talented, En Route to ‘Rising Star’ Honors appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Pegram, Watson and Weitman's Explora (Blame–Collections Choice, by Bernardini) stayed close throughout and once in front, the even-money choice proved too tough to run down as she held off Counting Stars (Honor A.P.) to take Sunday's GIII Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The 1 1/16-mile test for sophomore fillies is a point earning race for the GI Kentucky Oaks. The final time for the race was 1:43.52. The race was the second win on the day for jockey Flavien Prat. A first-out winner at Del Mar last summer, she finished runner-up in the GI Del Mar Debutante before annexing the GII Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita. Second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar on Oct. 31, the dark bay was an impressive 5 1/4-length winner of the Santa Ynez Stakes on Jan. 10 O-Pegram & Watson & Weitman; Mesingw Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. The post Blame’s Explora Proves Best in the Honeybee appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Iron Honor emerged from his Feb. 28 victory in the Gotham Stakes (G3) in good condition. Trainer Chad Brown plans to keep the colt at Belmont Park to prepare for the April 4 Wood Memorial (G2).View the full article

So Happy (Runhappy), Brant (Gun Runner) and Potente (Into Mischief) all worked Sunday in preparation for expected starts in the Mar. 7 GII San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. So Happy, winner of the GII San Vicente Stakes going seven furlongs Jan. 10, blazed four furlongs in :46.8 for trainer Mark Glatt. Hall of Famer Mike Smith was aboard for the work. “Dynamite,” Smith said. “He's never been a flashy work horse in the morning, a bit lazy actually, but this was one of his best works if not the best. He was just cruising. It was all him.” The San Felipe will be Run Happy's first time racing around two turns. “You never know until they do it,” Smith said of the added distance. “But he's given me every indication in his sprint races that he would do it. I never felt like I was on fumes at the end.” GI Del Mar Futurity winner Brant and Potente are both trained by Bob Baffert. Brant worked five furlongs in :59.8, while Potente went four furlongs in :47.4. Baffert confirmed that, as of Sunday morning, he plans to enter both colts in the San Felipe. He added he has not decided yet whether to enter nominees Boyd or Buetane. A $3-million OBS March purchase last year, Brant is owned by Zedan Racing Stables. The San Felipe would be Brant's first start since finishing third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Oct. 31 at Del Mar. Potente, a $2.4 million buy at Fasig-Tipton, is campaigned by Speedway Stable. Potente won his debut going six furlongs on Jan. 31 at Santa Anita. The post So Happy, Brant, Potente Have Final Tune-ups for San Felipe appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Wathnan Racing's Commandment (Into Mischief) looked no worse for wear at Payson Park Sunday morning after taking the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream one day earlier. “He looks great this morning,” trainer Brad Cox said. “We're real pleased with him.” Winner of the Mucho Macho Man Stakes in early January, Commandment fended off 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Chief Wallabee (Constitution) in the Kentucky Derby point-earning qualifier. The 1 1/16-mile test serves as a prep for the GI Curlin Florida Derby Mar. 29 at Gulfstream. While the one-sixteenth mile shorter Fountain of Youth ended at the first finish line on Gulfstream's 1 1/8 mile track, the Florida Derby concludes at the second finish line at the oval. “I think it was important that Irad [Ortiz Jr.] asked him to run to the second wire there for the experience moving forward,” explained Cox. “If we pursue the Florida Derby, it makes sense to continue on to the second wire.” “You're only doing it if everything's going well. If you're fading or not doing well down the lane, you don't ask him, but if you have horse and you're finishing well, you may as well go ahead and educate him, stay on and finish up.” Commandment, fourth in his six-furlong career debut at Keeneland last fall, won a seven-furlong allowance at Churchill Downs in November prior to his Mucho Macho Man victory. “I think his first run at Keeneland, if you actually watch it and watch the gallop-out, he showed a good bit there as well. It was a better performance on tape than it was on paper. I think it was a fair way of looking at it,” Cox said. “He's been nothing but impressive, the way I look at it, in the afternoons from the time he broke his maiden, won the Mucho Macho Man and [Saturday].” Michael and Katherine Ball's Chief Wallabee earned 25 Derby points for his strong second-place finish in just his second career start. According to trainer Bill Mott, there are 'four or five races to choose from' for Chief Wallabee's next start. The post Commandment ‘Looks Great’ After Fountain of Youth Score appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) worked a half-mile at Payson Park on Sunday morning. Also named the Eclipse Award champion 3-year-old of the 2025 season, the Godolphin homebred covered four furlongs in the official time of :49.64. According to the DRF, the colt worked in tandem with GSP Royal Majesty (GB) (Frankel {GB}), finishing a length ahead of his stablemate while galloping out five furlongs in 1:03.88. “I thought he looked great,” Bill Mott told DRF Sunday. “He's been off a while. You'd want six or eight works in him before you run him, I'd think.” According to Mott, the 4-year-old will make his seasonal debut in the GII Oaklawn Handicap on Apr. 18. The champion has now recorded three works since getting KO'd from a start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in November. After a three-furlong work at Payson on Feb. 15 (:37.40), the bay covered the same trip (and time) on Feb. 22 prior to Sunday's move. The post Sovereignty Works at Payson, Targets Oaklawn Handicap appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dozens of jockeys and trainers are among thousands of people stranded across the Gulf region as the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has closed large swathes of airspace.View the full article

An Australian Guineas (G1) win by Observer highlighted a pair of group 1s won by Godolphin and trainer Ciaron Maher in Australia Feb. 28.View the full article

St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence and Glassman Racing's Iron Honor (Nyquist) earned 50 points to the Kentucky Derby when winning Saturday's GIII Gotham at Aqueduct. According to Michele Dollase, assistant to trainer Chad Brown, the colt came out of the race in good order. “He came out of the race great. He ate up and looks good this morning,” said Dollase. “We're on to the next race. As of right now, he is good. He came out of the race really good.” Brown said post-race he will keep the colt at Belmont to prepare for Aqueduct's GII Wood Memorial on Apr. 4. The nine-furlong test is also a Kentucky Derby qualifier. “He came out of the race great. I think he does want to go farther. He only just got here on Wednesday from Florida,” Dollase said. “He really only trained one day here, but still went and did his thing Saturday, which was really impressive.” Iron Honor, who came into Saturday's race off a six-furlong win at the Big A on Dec. 13, exited that effort a little body sore and was given some time at Brown's Payson Park Training Center base. “This horse missed a little training when he shipped down to Florida,” explained Brown. “If you look there was a gap of about a month for the works. He didn't ship in completely healthy and then he came back good. I appreciate the owners for being patient. My team did a great job.” On Saturday over the Belmont dirt training track, the Brown-trained duo of Ottinho (Quality Road) and Schoolyardsuperman (Practical Joke) worked a half-mile together in :49.90. Ottinho was a distant third with his stablemate back in fourth last time out in the nine-furlong Withers on Feb. 6. Ottinho is under consideration for the Wood Memorial. Also on the Gotham card, Klaravich Stables' Current Yield (Nyquist), a debut winner at Tampa in January, picked up 7.5 points towards the Kentucky Oaks after finishing fourth in the Busher Stakes. “She came back fine,” Dollase said. “She's good. She ate up.” The post Undefeated Iron Honor Exits Gotham Win in Fine Form appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

LEINANI (f, 3, Omaha Beach–Romy, by Karakontie {Jpn}) debuted Jan. 24 over this main track in a six-furlong maiden dash, closing from the back of the field to run fourth. Well supported to the tune of even-money favoritism for this second jump, she was away alertly this time and moving well behind fractions of :23.93 and four panels in :47.30. In hand from four off the rail and clearing those early pacesetters coming off the bend, Leinani drew away from Slow Kara (Medaglia d'Oro) to win by 8 1/4 lengths. The final time was 1:38.45 for the mile. The victress is out of a half-sister to GSW Wells Bayou (Lookin at Lucky), and is the first to the races for the mare. Romy's juvenile colt Waddy Sinjar (War of Will) was exported to the UAE last year and she has a yearling Highly Motivated filly to her credit. The dam is due to Loggins for 2026. This is the female family of champion 3-year-old Big Brown and his half-siblings GSW Archaggelos (Temple City) and MGSP Afonso de Sousa (Henrythenavigator). 2nd-Gulfstream, $68,000, Msw, 3-1, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:38.45, ft, 8 1/4 lengths. LEINANI (f, 3, Omaha Beach–Romy, by Karakontie {Jpn}) Sales history: $160,000 2yo '25 OBSOPN. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $43,520. O-Walmac Farm; B-Circle N Thoroughbred & Mill Ridge Farm et al (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. #2 LEINANI ($4.20) by Omaha Beach (@spendthriftfarm) ran away from the field in the stretch to easily win race 2 at @GulfstreamPark. @Tyler_Gaff was in the irons for Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/sXOatISd8N — FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 1, 2026 The post Omaha Beach’s Leinani Straight and Strong in Second-Out Graduation appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article