Wandering Eyes

At odds of 24-1, A Little Bit Me upset the $125,00 Unbridled Sydney Stakes, taking the May 2 race at Churchill Downs by a neck over favored Morticia. View the full article

The imposing presence of Klaravich Stables and Bill Lawrence’s Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway) has not scared off the competition in Saturday’s GI Old Forester Turf Classic S., and the 5-year-old will have to overcome the 12-hole in the deep 13-horse group. Winning four in a row to begin his career, including tallies in the GII National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame S. and Manila S., as a sophomore in 2017, the dark bay was laid up after a third-place run in the GIII Hill Prince S. that fall and returned to capture a Gulfstream optional claimer Dec. 22. He proved his world-class ability with a convincing score in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. after that, but encountered the stiffest challenge of his career last out in the GII Muniz Memorial H. at Fair Grounds Mar. 23. Laying much closer to the pace than usual, Bricks and Mortar needed every inch of Fair Grounds’s long stretch to best 62-1 longshot Markitoff (Giant’s Causeway), who re-opposes here. Trainer Chad Brown has ample backup if Bricks and Mortar doesn’t fire. Peter Brant’s Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), winner of the GI Hollywood Derby last fall, will look to rebound from a fourth-place run in the GI Maker’s 46 Mile S. last out Apr. 12 at Keeneland. Woodford Racing’s Ticonderoga (Tapit) looks for his first stakes success since annexing the 2017 GIII Palm Beach S. and most recently was an impressive victor of a Gulfstream optional claimer Mar. 14. The only horse to return from last year’s Turf Classic is Pin Oak Stable’s Synchrony (Tapit), who was third in the 2018 renewal. The chestnut is a five-time graded stakes winner and was last seen running third while attempting to defend his title in the Muniz. View the full article

Veteran jockey Scott Stevens will be presented with the 2019 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in a winner’s circle ceremony at Santa Anita Sunday, May 19. A winner of more than 4,800 races in a 43-year career, Stevens will be joined by family, friends and colleagues, including brother and retired Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, who won the award in 1996. The Stevenses are the first pair of brothers to win the award in its 70-year history. Scott Stevens placed first among a list of five finalists that also included Joe Bravo, Kerwin Clark, John Davila, Jr. and Julien Leparoux. “I know I was there when Gary won, but honestly, it’s been so long ago, I don’t remember,” said Stevens from his base at Turf Paradise in Phoenix. “This award is so special and I was honored just to be nominated. When you think about all the great riders and the great people that have won it and to be selected by a vote of your peers … It’s really more than I can describe.” View the full article

All the rage after two incredibly easy victories to start his career last summer, OXO Equine’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Instagrand (Into Mischief) is winless in two starts as a 3-year-old and will get a reset of sorts when he goes postward as the heavy favorite in Saturday’s GIII Pat Day Mile S. at Churchill. Cruising by 10 lengths while clicking off his final furlongs in :11 flat June 29 at Los Alamitos, the $1.2-million Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream co-topper was backed down to 1-10 in the GII Best Pal S. and did not disappoint, cantering home 10 1/4 lengths to the good while getting his final quarter in :23 3/5. Taken out of training after that, he returned in the GIII Gotham S. Mar. 9 at Aqueduct and ran creditably, finishing third after chasing a scorching pace. He stretched out to two turns for the first time in the nine-furlong GI Santa Anita Derby and gave in late to be third behind fellow ‘Rising Star’s Roadster (Quality Road) and Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}). The bay drew advantageously in the 10-hole for this test, outside of the other speed. A distant second choice on the morning line is Mathis Stable and Madaket Stables’ Last Judgment (Congrats). Trained by Todd Pletcher, the $300,000 OBS April buy was fourth at 11-10 debuting against Florida-breds Dec. 29 at Gulfstream before graduating in a sharp score there Feb. 9. He handled his first route try with a victory in an Oaklawn optional claimer Mar. 16. John C. Oxley’s ‘Rising Star’ Dream Maker was on the Derby Trail after an impressive 8 1/2-length optional claiming score Feb. 9 at Fair Grounds, but failed to punch his ticket in a pair of subsequent outings, beating just two horses combined in the GII Tampa Bay Derby and GII Toyota Blue Grass S. View the full article

Heading into last fall’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, it appeared to many as though the $2-million affair would be just the finishing touch on a championship season for Kaleem Shah’s Bellafina (Quality Road). After all, the $800,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream graduate was coming off of two Grade I victories, neither of which pushed her to her limit. But after a bit of an awkward beginning, the bay chased the pace and came up empty in the stretch, finishing a well-beaten fourth behind Jaywalk (Cross Traffic). That was more than enough to swing the division title to the winner, who had previously annexed a Grade I of her own, and Bellafina came up empty on Eclipse night. Those events will be rendered ancient history, however, if Bellafina can come through when she’s likely to be heavily favored once more under the Twin Spires, in Friday’s $1.25-million GI Kentucky Oaks. Given a brief break after the Breeders’ Cup, the Simon Callaghan trainee earned a career high with an effortless 8 1/2-length conquest of the GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 6 at Santa Anita. She had to work harder in a 3/4-length score in the GII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 9, but got back to her dominant ways with a 5 1/4-length tally in the GI Santa Anita Oaks last out Apr. 6. She stayed on her toes with a half-mile bullet work in :48 flat (1/47) Apr. 19 at Santa Anita. Jaywalk re-opposes with plenty to prove despite the hardware in her trophy case. Leaving no doubt with a 5 1/2-length score in the Breeders’ Cup, the gray has looked a shell of that filly in two starts as a 3-year-old. Backed down to 1-5 returning in the GII Davona Dale S. Mar. 2, she was a punchless fourth. Running a bit better after setting a quick pace in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. Apr. 6 at Keeneland, she nevertheless was third at even-money behind a pair of today’s rivals. Made the second choice of fillies in the main body of the field on the morning line, Six Column Stables & Randall Bloch’s Champagne Anyone (Street Sense) has been a new horse as a sophomore. Fourth in the GII Golden Rod S. in her best moment at two, she returned with a pair of thirds in the GIII Forward Gal S. and Davona Dale before breaking through while showing much more early lick in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks Mar. 30. Joel Politi’s Serengeti Empress has been a feast-or-famine sort for trainer Tom Amoss. Following up a 13 1/2-length romp in the Ellis Park Debutante S. last summer with a devastating 19 1/2-length tour de force in the GII Pocahontas S., the dark bay was no match for top company when fading to seventh in the Breeders’ Cup. She bounced back with an easy score in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 16 at Fair Grounds, but stopped badly to finish last in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 23. Her last two breezes jump off the page, however, especially a five-furlong spin in :58 1/5 (1/30) Apr. 23 on this track. New pilot Jose Ortiz will almost certainly be gunning from the 13-hole. Three Chimneys Farm & Fern Circle Stables’ Restless Rider (Distorted Humor) could be sitting on a peak effort and will need to be from the widest draw. Winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. last fall, she was second to Jaywalk in the Breeders’ Cup and has narrowly missed in her last two, finishing a nose second in the Golden Rod and runner-up by a neck in the Ashland. This will be her second start as a 3-year-old, and she tuned up with a five-panel breeze in :59 4/5 (2/10) here Apr. 29. View the full article

LOUISVILLE, KY – With the shocking news of Omaha Beach (War Front)’s late evening defection continuing to dominate all the backstretch chatter, it was back to business for the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks horses on a warm Thursday morning at Churchill Downs. Bellafina (Quality Road) and last year’s champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) briefly took in their surroundings by the chute as the special 15-minute training session was underway at 7:30 a.m. Trainer Simon Callaghan, fitted with a sling on his right arm, stood alongside bloodstock agent Ben McElroy as the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Oaks galloped strongly for 1 1/2 miles. Callaghan dislocated his shoulder after taking a spill in his rental house in Louisville earlier this week. Bill Mott was all smiles leading out the stunning Juddmonte homebred Tacitus (Tapit)-the Hall of Famer certainly has reason to be feeling good these days–while aboard his stable pony. He will also saddle the stretch-running Country House (Lookin At Lucky) in the Derby. It was another impressive trip to the track for By My Standards (Goldencents), who continues to give off nothing but good vibes training with his necked arched, during his morning preparations. Kentucky native Chester Thomas has continued to make the rounds on the backstretch throughout the week and is the subject matter of an owner profile in TDN’s Kentucky Derby preview edition. Trainer Mark Casse gave the thumbs up while walking by the large contingent of media lined up along the rail after watching the blaze-faced War of Will (War Front) turn in another energetic gallop. Now officially in the starting gate following Omaha Beach’s defection, the also-eligible maiden Bodexpress (Bodemeister), sporting four red wraps, was a bit of handful for his exercise rider throughout his 1 1/2-miles gallop. Win Win Win (Hat Trick {Jpn}) got a nice pat on the neck from exercise rider Melanie Williams while heading off. Trainer Mike Trombetta, of course, saddled 2006 Kentucky Derby favorite Sweetnorthernsaint to a seventh-place finish behind the ill-fated Barbaro. Haikal (Daaher), noticeably absent from the training window, is currently dealing with an abscess in his left front, it was revealed. A decision will be made on his Derby status by Friday morning, according to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. The sun began to emerge through the cloud cover as the media flocked to Barn 33 to get a closer look at Bob Baffert’s GISWs Roadster (Quality Road) and Improbable (City Zip), who both galloped during the special training window. The large crowd in attendance also included Roadster’s breeder Arthur B. Hancock III. After suffering what has to be the toughest blow of his Hall of Fame career, Richard Mandella’s class was on full display, graciously granting interviews throughout the morning while continuing to love on Omaha Beach. Good to see that he hasn’t lost that sense of humor of his, either. “I’m very appreciative-it seemed like a lot of people have been rooting for me here all week,” Mandella, winless with six starters in the Derby, said at his press conference later Thursday morning. “My wife has got a little bucket. She’ll walk around. If you throw a donation in there to help us get home.” Champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), who has now inherited the role of 9-2 morning-line favorite in the Derby, came out to train at 9 a.m. along with Baffert’s Oaks filly Flor de La Mar (Tiznow). Former NBA great Avery Johnson was one of several well-wishers back by the Baffert camp as last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner was getting his bath on the sun splashed backstretch. View the full article

SOLID AS A ROCK (f, 2, Khozan–Silver Rock {Ire}, by Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) broke on top and never looked back, becoming the first winner for her freshman sire (by Distorted Humor). Sent off as the 7-2 second choice, the chestnut hit the ground running, leading favored Bosworthy (Uncaptured) through a :21 3/5 opening quarter. She found another gear in the lane to hold the chalk safe by two lengths on the wire in :51 4/5. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O/B-Stonehedge LLC (FL); T-Kathleen O’Connell. View the full article

There arguably is not a more exciting sprinter in the country than L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt’s Mitole (Eskendereya), who has blown away the competition in his last five starts with staggering ease. His greatest triumph is a Grade III, however, and the 4-year-old will get his sternest test to date in Saturday’s GI Churchill Downs S., which has been upgraded from a Grade II for this year’s running. A dominant 10-length graduate third out last winter at Oaklawn, the bay suffered his most recent defeat with second in the Gazebo S. next out there. Two starts later, he annexed the Bachelor S. by nine lengths. Then came a 6 1/4-length destruction of the Chick Lang S. at Pimlico. Sidelined for over nine months after that, the $140,000 OBS April buy has come back no worse for the year, easily annexing an optional claimer in Hot Springs Mar. 2 and picking up his first graded tally and a career high-equaling 107 Beyer in the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. last out Apr. 13. Mitole has come home in under :24 seconds, a rare feat on the dirt, in four of his last five outings, while going :24 flat in the other one. In addition to his first Grade I try, the seven-furlong Churchill Downs will be the Steve Asmussen trainee’s initial foray beyond six panels. Robert Baron’s Promises Fulfilled (Shackleford) returns home after a somewhat disappointing trip to Dubai. Capturing three straight graded stakes last summer and fall, highlighted by a popular score in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S., the chestnut dueled on the pace in the GI TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint here before fading to finish fourth. Not breaking smoothly in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, he finished a non-threatening fourth. Horse for the course Limousine Liberal (Successful Appeal) returns to defend his title. Six-for-nine lifetime over this track, he scored by a head in the Grade II version of this race last year, but has won just once in six subsequent starts, a neck conquest of the GII Belmont Sprint Championship. He was most recently a good third closing into a slow pace in the GIII Commonwealth S. Apr. 6 at Keeneland. View the full article

Not only does Kentucky Derby (G1) hopeful Maximum Security feature an atypical past performance line, trainer Jason Servis believes it benefits his star 3-year-old. View the full article

It seems to happen every year in the GI Preakness S. There is the local horse, fresh and rested after skipping the GI Kentucky Derby and with a resume that includes some stakes wins at Laurel or Pimlico leading up the second jewel in the Triple Crown. Then the hometown horse goes out and runs ninth or 10th, proving that they didn’t have the class to compete with the best horses coming out of the Derby. There’s another horse that fit the narrative this year, but don’t be surprised if this time there is a different ending to the story. There’s no doubt that Alwaysmining (Stay Thirsty) is a cut above the typical Maryland-based horse that shows up for the Preakness. He’s won five straight stakes races and six overall, each one of them coming at Laurel. He’s paid $2.10 in each of his last two starts while winning the Federico Tesio by 11 1/2 lengths and the Private Terms by 6 3/4 lengths. “Honestly, I think he belongs with the best 3-year-olds in the country,” said Joe Cassidy, the racing manager for Gregory and Caroline Bentley’s Runnymede Farm. “He’s run very good numbers. He’s been impressive when he does it. I know that we won’t know until we put him up against those top horses, but we’re very confident that he will make his presence known in the Preakness and get a good piece of it.” Alwaysmining made his first four career starts for owner Jim McIngvale and trainer Laura Wohlers. He broke his maiden in his fourth career start, a June 30 maiden at Laurel. Cassidy saw a lot of upside to the horse and purchased him privately on behalf of Runnymede’s racing division. “I thought his races at Kentucky before he came to Laurel were OK because the horses that win those are usually pretty salty,” he said. “I thought he might get a little better with age and time and also he was a Maryland-bred. We run on the East Coast and we like the state programs that give you nice incentives to run in the states where the horses were bred. We thought we’d have a nice Maryland-bred we could have some fun with over the winter.” Alwaysmining made his first start for his new connections in an allowance race and finished fifth. The trainer that day was Edward Graham. The Bentleys then turned the horse over to Kelly Rubley, a former middle school teacher who has only been training since 2014. For Rubley, the horse ran sixth on the grass in the Sept. 22 Laurel Futurity–and has not lost since. Cassidy said the main reason the horse has improved so much is that he was gelded. “He was still a colt when got him,” he said. “Laura Wohlers was very helpful, very nice. When we bought the horse, I said ‘What would you do with this horse?’ and she said ‘Castrate him immediately.’ I think that made all the difference in the world for the horse.” The winning streak began with a 10-length romp in an allowance race and continued with a 2 1/2-length win over state-breds in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity. Next up was an open company race, the Heft S., which he won by 1 1/2 lengths over Win Win Win (Hat Trick {Jpn}), who has gone on to finish third in the GII Tampa Bay Derby and second in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. Win Win Win will be among the starters in Saturday’s Derby. It was at about this time that the Alwaysmining team started to think they had a quality horse on their hands. After the Heft, he won the Miracle Wood by 4 1/4 lengths over Gray Magician (Graydar), another horse in the Derby field. With the wins building up, virtually any other owners would have started to map out a schedule to get their horse to the Derby. They nominated the gelding to the Triple Crown, as well as some races that involved Kentucky Derby points. But the temptation to point to the Derby was never that strong. The Preakness was always the choice. “Ultimately, with this horse being a gelding, one of our main goals was the longevity of his career,” Rubley said. “Putting him through the stress of the Derby preps and the Derby itself didn’t seem like the most logical step for the horse. I’m happy with the decision. I think we made the right choice. The Derby is a grueling trip. Sure it would be fun to be there, but I’m glad we picked this path.” He destroyed the competition in the Private Terms and may have run the best race of his life in the Tesio. Not only did he win by 11 1/2 lengths, but he rated off the pace under Daniel Centeno, sitting third early. It was the first time during the winning streak that he had not won wire to wire. “The discussion Danny and I had before the Tesio was he would try to go to front but if it didn’t work out he would settle and try to keep him to the outside,” Rubley said. “It was a relief to me to see that the horse can settle. I thought so all along, but I needed to see it to really believe it. I was very happy with that race. It gives me more confidence going into a race like the Preakness.” The Tesio is a “Win and You’re In” race for the Preakness, so Alwaysmining is guaranteed a starting spot and the owners, who are based in Pennsylvania, will not have to pay an entry fee. The last time a Maryland-based horse or a Tesio winner won the Preakness was in 1983 when Deputed Testamony pulled off the trick. In 2002, Magic Weisner finished second in both the Tesio and the Preakness. It can happen. Deputed Testamony’s win was not a fluke as he went on later that year to win the GI Haskell. Is Alwaysmining as good? That’s a question that can’t be answered until Preakness Day. But he’s a confident, improving horse on a winning streak and has been destroying his competition. That doesn’t sound like a combination that should be taken lightly. “We stuck with our path,” Cassidy said. “We were confident in what we were doing and we’re going to find out if we were right or not.” View the full article

Although Bodexpress is winless in five starts, the connections of the 3-year-old Bodemeister colt are confident he will soon graduate and it could come in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). View the full article

Only a half-length under the Twin Spires likely stood between Cicero Farms’ Marley’s Freedom (Blame) and an Eclipse Award for Champion Female Sprinter, and the 5-year-old will look to avenge that defeat as the favorite in Saturday’s GI Humana Distaff S. at Churchill. Winner of four straight last spring and summer, culminating with a convincing victory in the GI Ballerina S., the bay was backed down to 9-10 in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, but had a difficult trip before flying late to finish a close fourth. Wrapping up her year with a neck victory in the GIII Go For Wand H. Dec. 1 at Aqueduct, she repeated in the GII Santa Monica S. Feb. 16 at Santa Anita before running second as the 1-2 favorite in the GI Beholder Mile S. last out there Mar. 30. Spiced Perfection (Smiling Tiger) looks to continue her ascent for the Peter Miller barn. Victress of the California-bred Betty Grable S. Nov. 11 at Del Mar, she repeated in the GI La Brea S. Dec. 26 at Santa Anita. Switched from the Brian Koriner outfit after that, she was a head second in the GIII Barbara Fritchie S. Feb. 16 at Laurel before earning her second top-level score by a neck in the GI Madison S. Apr. 6 at Keeneland. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Talk Veuve to Me (Violence) is seeking to recapture her top form. A devastating 11 1/4-length graduate last spring at Fair Grounds, she was runner-up in both the GII Eight Belles S. over track and trip and GI Acorn S. behind eventual champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar). Dominating the GIII Indiana Oaks in her two-turn bow, the dark bay was off the board in her next two before returning with an optional claiming tally Apr. 11 in Lexington. View the full article

While the connection's plan to run in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve did not pan out, Instagrand will run at Churchill Downs on Derby Day in the $400,000 Pat Day Mile presented by LG and E and KU (G3). View the full article

The Kentucky Derby is more wide open now than it was before the scratch of favorite Omaha Beach (War Front) despite the presence of some highly qualified prospects, headed by the Bob Baffert-trained Grade I winners Roadster (Quality Road), Improbable (City Zip), and Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), last year’s juvenile champion who is now the 9-2 morning line favorite. The other two are 5-1, followed by Gl winner Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) and Grade II winner Tacitus (Tapit) at 8-1. Every other entry is in double digits, which is value because there are holes somewhere or other in the top five. Roadster is not a robust colt, has only four starts, has been brought along gingerly after throat surgery and some other issues, and has to race from post 17, where he’ll have to hustle and bustle for position, get knocked around a bit, and lose ground. Does he have the ability to handle that? Improbable has lost both of his starts this year, at distances of a mile and a sixteenth and a mile and an eighth, and it seems unlikely that he’ll find a mile and a quarter more to his liking. Yes, his sire was capable of getting top runners at 10 furlongs, and, yes, he is from an A.P. Indy mare, but she was atypical for her sire as a turf horse, and though she won at a mile and an eighth, she didn’t stay a mile and three-eighths in stakes competition. A great comparable for Improbable is Hard Spun, who is under his third dam and was second in the Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Game Winner more than lives up to his name, but like Improbable, he’s lost both his starts this year, albeit narrowly, once to Omaha Beach and once to Roadster. He’s a big horse who needs to be hard ridden from a ways out – he’s a grinder without gear-changing ability – and traffic could potentially hamper him, and if not, a wide trip could compromise him as it did most recently in the Gl Santa Anita Derby. Last year, he won the Gl Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill gamely despite appearing not to like the track, but this time around the test will be tougher. Maximum Security, who like Game Winner is owned by Gary and Mary West but is trained by Jason Servis, is an intriguing colt–a former maiden $16,000 winner–who won the GI Florida Derby on the front end by setting ridiculously slow early fractions. He’s a horse with a lot of speed (though he’s been brought along to the Derby with painfully slow workouts) and will likely be tested on the front end more vigorously than he was last out. Whether he can finish with the same gusto as he did in Florida remains to be seen. Tacitus gives the impression that he’ll like the 12 furlongs of the Belmont more than the Derby trip and could potentially become his sire’s fourth winner of the last classic after Tonalist (2014), Creator (2016), and Tapwrit (2017). Of course, any one of these five fine colts could win or place in the Derby, but here are a few more that could do the same with a bigger bang for the buck: Tax (Arch), 20-1. He breaks from post 2. His late sire, whose son Blame defeated Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill, was known for imparting stamina and later development, and Tax, a progressive colt who was second in the GII Wood Memorial S. to Tacitus last out and before that the winner of the GIII Withers S. and third in the GII Remsen S., shows these attributes. He has run well in three successive graded races at a mile and an eighth and gives the impression that he wants more ground, but not in the style of a plodder picking up the pieces. He races close to the pace, works fast and eagerly in the mornings, has broken from post 1 in three of his last four starts, and is a member of a female family that includes Derby winner Sea Hero and GI Alabama S. winner Elate. He was bred and initially raced by Claiborne and Adele Dilschneider before being claimed by trainer Danny Gargan for $50,000 in his second start. Expect more down the line from this well-bred colt. War of Will (War Front), 15-1. In post 1, he has the speed to get clear early. He has the same sire as Omaha Beach and the same early profile, too. Both colts started on turf and found more success after switching to dirt. War Front stands at Claiborne, as Arch did, but he’s known more for his European sprinters and milers than his 10-furlong runners, though he’s capable of getting them, like 10.5-furlong G1 Juddmonte International winner Declaration of War. Moreover, the Flaxman-bred War of Will is from a Sadler’s Wells mare who descends from the outstanding family of Aviance, which has a prolific record for producing high-quality middle-distance runners. If not for his unplaced effort – with an excuse – in his last start, War of Will would be one of the favorites for the Derby. He looks “like a man among boys” at Churchill, observer and writer Frances J. Karon says. (She also has glowing comments for Tacitus and Game Winner, FYI.) By My Standards (Goldencents), 15-1. In post 3, he, like War of Will and Tax, has the tactical speed to get clear and out of trouble. By My Standards is from the first crop of Spendthrift’s Goldencents (Into Mischief), who, it’s worth recalling, won the Santa Anita Derby. His dam A Jealous Woman was a black-type winner on turf at 8-9 furlongs in California, and her sire, Muqtarib (Gone West), was a G2-winning 2-year-old sprinter in Europe who stood in California for $3,500. By My Standards doesn’t have a glittering pedigree, but he’s bred for nine furlongs like most in the U.S. and may have the class to see out 10. He was bought for $150,000 a year ago at the April OBS sale by J. Stevens Bloodstock after breezing in 10.3–not a fast time–and didn’t make his 2-year-old debut until late November. Altogether, he started twice at two, but didn’t win until his fourth start and won the Louisiana Derby next out. He’s an improving, late-developing colt who’s training well, and he has the racing style that gives the impression that he’ll finish well. Master Fencer (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}), 50-1. Why not? He’s a first-crop son of a top Sunday Silence-line racehorse, and Just a Way’s sire Heart’s Cry is also the sire of U.S. Gl dirt winner Yoshida (Jpn). On the bottom, Master Fencer is from the family of G1 Irish Derby winner St. Jovite. He’s bred to stay, has already raced at 2000 meters (approximately 10 furlongs) twice, at two, and could plod his way into a placing or the superfecta. By all accounts, he’s unflappable in the mornings, has adapted well to his surroundings, and is owned by a successful Japanese owner and breeder who presumably wouldn’t have taken a shot in the Derby if he felt he didn’t have a chance. Master Fencer got to Churchill by earning points through a series of dirt races in Japan, but he is not a black-type winner nor has he placed in a black-type race. His form, therefore, is suspect, because the best Japanese horses race on turf, but Kate Hunter, the Japanese-based representative for Breeders’ Cup; Keeneland sales; the Kentucky Derby; the Preakness; the Belmont Stakes; NYRA; Churchill Downs; and the Pegasus World Cup, tweeted this to me recently: “It is hard to fault this horse or any horse coming from Japan for lack of form when there is no form to be had. Dirt might be their secondary surface but it is no less prominent than turf racing in the US.” Hunter also noted that there aren’t that many black-type dirt races for 2-year-olds and early 3-year-olds in Japan. This means that a horse without black-type credentials like Master Fencer can theoretically keep a North American graded stakes winner out of the Derby, which is a jarring thought no matter where he finishes. Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks. View the full article

FOOLISH HUMOR (f, 2, Distorted Humor–Foolish Cause, by Giant’s Causeway) provided conditioner Wesley Ward and jockey Joe Bravo with a sweep of the two juvenile maiden specials on the Belmont card Thursday. The pair teamed to win the first race with new ‘TDN Rising Star’ Aurelia Garland (Constitution). Favored at 9-5 for this unveiling, the $200,000 FTKJUL buy stalked from second through a :23.12 opening quarter. Switched out to mount a bid turning for home, the chestnut took control in early stretch and cruised clear to win by three lengths over Kit Kat Katie (Sky Mesa). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Andrew Farm; B-Gabriel Duignan, Crosshaven Bloodstock & Petaluma Bloodstock (KY); T-Wesley Ward. View the full article

Thirty years in the automobile factory–and now he has as much at stake, relatively speaking, in America’s greatest race as any sheikh or tycoon, as any of these iconic Bluegrass farms. Last August, Bruce Tackett finally quit Toyota to eke out a living on the margin of the horse business. He’d been dabbling a while with a few mares and foals, in the evenings after work, but now resolved to go full-time. “And it is full-time,” he notes with a laugh. He had been emboldened, a few months earlier, when selling a short yearling by Palace at Keeneland for $57,000. Nice work, out of a Street Cry (Ire) mare bought for just $1,500. Up to now, however, that remains the high point. At the same sale, Tackett bought a Majestic Warrior mare, again for $1,500. She was club-footed, otherwise he would never have landed her. But he put her in foal to Blame, her juvenile half-sister by the same sire, Ms. Bad Behavior, having won a Santa Anita maiden a few weeks previously. “I try to improve the mares if I can,” Tackett says. “I may overreach some, I don’t know. Time will tell.” Yes, it will. Only it might take a little while. Tackett lost the mare last summer, just as Ms Bad Behavior got on a roll, placed at Grade II level. Back to square one. In January, Tackett went back to Keeneland to seek a replacement. The first two days, each page folded down in the catalog quickly transferred its crease to his brow: a few seconds of bidding, and he was out again. Another evening of homework wasted. But he hung in there, because that’s what you do. And on the third day, a young mare by Pioneerof The Nile entered the ring. Lily Of The Nile was in foal to Mr Speaker, and her only two siblings to have raced (before publication of the catalog) had won four times apiece. Tackett had noted the update, too: her 2-year-old half-brother by New Year’s Day had meanwhile started out with a runaway success at Gulfstream just before Christmas, albeit running for a $16,000 tag. “I liked her build, and from what I could see she looked straight,” Tackett recalls. “I started bidding, and then it stopped at $5,000. I thought something must be wrong, because her first foal had died. But I checked later and it died as a weanling, not as a foal. So I was surprised I got her at that price: by a good stallion like that, in foal on one cover, a young family of winners.” Days after the sale, the New Year’s Day colt won again at Gulfstream. The following month, he romped by 18 ½ lengths. Tackett’s phone started ringing with offers for the half-sister to the emerging star; a half-sister, moreover, by a far more commercial sire. He stopped taking calls and made one instead, to the man who had taught him so much about horses: a distant relative, Paul Tackett. “When I was a young man working on a construction crew, Paul rang me out of the clear blue and asked if I wanted a job on his farm,” Tackett recalls. “I really didn’t know about horses, other than I grew up in the country and we just rode ponies around. But I worked there nearly 10 years and learned so much from Paul. He’s been in the business nearly 60 years, he’s knowledgeable, he’s had good success. He dealt some with Allen Jerkens, who showed up at the farm one day and had more questions about the tobacco, curing in the barn, than about any of the horses. I usually don’t like to bother Paul, but I called him and said: ‘Paul, I feel like I’m in over my head, I need some help.’ So he came down the farm, and we talked. He didn’t tell me any prices, just gave me the advice I needed.” Whatever the mare was worth then, she became worth plenty more after her half-brother extended his Gulfstream spree with an unchallenged win in the GI Florida Derby itself. Tackett, watching at home, was literally speechless. For half an hour he couldn’t muster the cogency or calm to answer the calls of congratulation on his cellphone. Among the horses Maximum Security beat that day was Bourbon War (Tapit), whose dam, the GI Alcibiades S. winner My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller) was as good a horse as had been raised on Paul Tackett’s farm. But now the young man who left for the car factory–three years in the paint booth, then a long time in maintenance, ultimately a good job in engineering–has among his nine cheap mares a half-sister to the only unbeaten runner in the Derby. Their dam Lil Indy, carrying another foal by New Year’s Day, was sold at the November Sale to Korean interests for just $11,000. She was by Anasheed, who was exported to Russia, out of a mare by Cresta Rider, sold to Chile. But that mare, Cresta Lil, was also responsible for Flat Out (A.P. Indy), the hard-knocking winner of Grade I races at five, six and seven, now standing at Spendthrift. Cresta Lil was bred by Stanley Petter, the commercial weanling pioneer, from an unraced daughter of Double Jay. Double Jay! Can’t be too many horses around who can bring him so close in their pedigree. (In 1946 his trainer Duke McCue, bragging that his colt would lead at every pole in the Kentucky Jockey Club S., asked for takers at $100 per pole. Bull Hancock thought Fred Hooper’s Education as fast a juvenile as he had seen, and couldn’t believe anything could lead him and still get home. On seeing McCue land his wager, Hancock promptly vowed to stand Double Jay at Claiborne some day.) Not many people will credit a hair in the tail of Maximum Security to the sire of his third dam, I know. But conceivably some worthwhile residue have filtered down from a four-time champion broodmare sire. Wherever Maximum Security has conjured his quality, he has already decorated his half-sister’s page sufficiently for Tackett to push the boat out and have her covered, this very week, by Gun Runner. Hopefully her Mr Speaker colt will help defray those costs at the sales later this year, being “a really good-looking colt: good-sized, with a lot of muscle and bone, and straight.” And maybe at some stage someone will make an offer for Lily Of The Nile herself that does justice even to what Tackett modestly considers his serendipity, rather than perspicacity. “Luck of the draw, that’s all,” Tackett says. “Just a lucky pick towards the end of a sale. I’ve had a couple of decent offers, since the Florida Derby, but I’m going to hang in there. I talked to my wife and told her I’m not going to give away half that mare right now. So I’m breeding her to stand and nurse, not sharing [foals] or anything. I guess if [her half-brother] runs good in the Derby I might get a real good offer. And then I don’t know. But I’ll just take each day as it comes. This is a mare I always dreamed of having.” And how do you put a price on that? Tackett’s father liked a bet, had a few runners at country tracks. But he was also on his way back from Latonia races when killed in a motor accident in 1964, when Tackett was six. All these years on, the Thoroughbred has somehow pulled out this unbroken strand of hope. Before joining his family at Keeneland on Saturday, where they have a table booked to watch the Derby, Tackett already knows he will be held up. He may only have nine mares but several are running late, foaling. And it’s only by diligence, in every humble task, that he could seize the moment with Lily Of The Nile in the first place. “If the horse doesn’t run good, I’m not going to be disappointed,” Tackett promises. “I’d love for him to be in the money. But he’s already done a good job for his sister, and it’ll be there on the paper forever. Even if he comes in last, it won’t matter. Because I’ve been enjoying every moment.” View the full article

Elusive City, sire of five Group 1 winners headed by the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches victress Elusive Wave (Ire), has died aged 19 at Haras d’Etreham in France after suffering a heart attack. Etreham tweeted on Thursday, “it is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Elusive City at the age of 19 from a heart attack. He brought us a lot of joy and success in Europe and New Zealand and a total of five Group 1 winners. We thank all the breeders that have supported him over the years.” The majority of Elusive City’s Group 1 success did in fact come from his shuttle stints to New Zealand, where he left the G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders S. winners Xanadu (NZ) and Perfect Fit (NZ) and the G1 Diamond S. winner Vespa (NZ). His New Zealand-bred son Famous Seamus (NZ) won the G1 BTC Cup in Australia. Elusive City is also the dam sire of last year’s G3 Breeders’ S. winner and current well-regarded Australian 2-year-old Dubious (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}). The aforementioned Elusive Wave was sold to stand in Japan after her racing career and has produced two top-priced lots at the JRHA Select Sale, including a colt that in 2017 achieved a world-record price of ¥580 million (£3,992,700/€4,654,093) for a colt foal at auction. View the full article

Scott Coles, winner of the 2019 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) and Jonathon Kinchen, winner of the 2015 NHC Tour, will be special guests on NBC Sports Bet: Derby Special this Saturday, May 4 at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSports.com/Bet and the NBC Sports app. The 30-minute show will serve as a companion to the live Kentucky Derby television broadcast, which begins Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. NBC Sports Bet: Derby Special, hosted by Ahmed Fareed from the paddock at Churchill Downs, will provide bettors with last-minute tips on the Run for the Roses, with topics ranging from the value available in a 20-horse field to the impact of the weather on the race to track bias. Fareed will be joined by a combination of special guests and members of NBC Sports’ on-air team, including analyst/handicapper Eddie Olczyk, who last year correctly predicted the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby and will offer up his full slate of picks for this year’s race. The show will run until the horses begin the walkover for the 145th Kentucky Derby. View the full article

Louisville native Randy Bloch and partner Brad Stephens are taking a 'Champagne Anyone' approach to the May 3 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). View the full article

Racing Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said May 2 at Churchill Downs that being forced to scratch Omaha Beach from the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) drained his emotions. View the full article

The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund’s Jockeys and Jeans auction is now online. Fans can bid on a variety of autographed racing memorabilia, and bidding is open until June 14 at 6:00 p.m. EST. New items will be added daily. Jockeys and Jeans has raised over $1 million, with 100% of proceeds going to the PDJF. The Jockeys and Jeans benefit event will be hosted by Santa Anita June 22. For more information, contact jockeysandjeans@gmail.com or call 717-503-0182. View the full article

AURELIA GARLAND (f, 2, Constitution–Azalea Belle, by Dixie Union) ran to the money with a dominant debut victory at Belmont, becoming the first winner for her freshman sire (by Tapit) and the newest ‘TDN Rising Star’. Hammered down to 3-5 favoritism for a conditioner who is always red hot with early 2-year-olds, the $185,000 FTSAUG buy raced in third early, but rushed up to challenge the chalk as the opening quarter went up in :22.21. Taking command at the top of the lane, she cruised clear of the field with ease to win by five lengths in :57.51. Talk You Out of It (Overanalyze) got up late for second. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-George Bolton; B-Todd & Chad Frederick & Phoenix Farm and Racing (KY); T-Wesley Ward. View the full article

After some fairly traumatic dips last year, the breeze-up sector appears to have steadied the ship somewhat this spring. True, the headline sales recorded at the European circuit’s latest staging posts–the daughter of Kingman (GB) who brought 850,000gns at the Craven Sale, the highest price ever obtained by a filly at that auction; and the £450,000 Siyouni (Fr) filly who became the most expensive Flat horse ever auctioned by Goffs UK at Doncaster the following week–have been viewed by some consignors, as ever, as papering over cracks in the middle market. But the overall indices generally suggest that a more disciplined approach, not least in the size of catalogues, is going some way towards achieving the intended correction. Latest to tighten up entry to the ring is the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale, again staged after an opening session of older Horses-in-Training at Newmarket on Friday. Last year no fewer than 234 breeze-up lots were catalogued here, prior to withdrawals, whereas the initial book of 2-year-olds this time shrank to 171. Assuming the quality has been maintained, in reducing the quantity, then with luck the sale will be able to enhance a record of 30 black-type graduates since 2016. Regardless, in generally trading a tier below the Craven Sale, we can expect an instructive measure of that much-debated middle market. The Horses-in-Training section, conversely, has been expanded this time round. It features a pair of wild-card supplements from the Michael O’Callaghan yard, notably lot 134, Geneticist (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), a 3-year-old gelding–actually a graduate of the Doncaster breeze-up last year–who showed plenty of ability in his first two starts last month, beaten a neck at Gowran before a decisive maiden success at Limerick. Accomplished older animals include lot 72, Executive Force (GB) (Sepoy {Aus}), winner of half a dozen all-weather races for Michael Wigham over the winter and now rated 97; and lot 94, Tangled (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}), who disappointed last year but is as a result leniently handicapped on his two Group 3 placings as a juvenile. Breeders interested in the family of lot 55, the 3-year-old Colony Queen (GB) (Gregorian {Ire}), will note that the prolific black-type under her second dam has been further enhanced since publication of the catalogue by Kick On (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}). A son of Colony Queen’s listed-winning half-sister Marika (GB) (Marju {Ire}), Kick On won the Listed Feilden S. on his reappearance and seeks a pretty sensational update for the page when he lines up for the G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas on Saturday. Colony Queen herself is a winner and three-time runner-up in six starts since the turn of the year for James Tate. There is also the prospect of a Classic update for lot 61, Maid Millie, herself yet to win but already a more attractive prospect this spring after her dam’s half-sister Dandhu (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}) won the G3 Fred Darling S. on her reappearance. Dandhu is around 10-1 for the G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas on Sunday. In terms of racing potential, however, perhaps the standout is lot 131, New King (GB). He represents powerful connections but few others would contemplate discarding a 3-year-old by Frankel (GB) with so few miles on the clock, just a week after he ran so well on his handicap debut off a rating of 88. View the full article

In this continuing series, Alan Carasso takes a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Kyoto, Niigata and Tokyo Racecourses: Saturday, May 4, 2019 6th-KYO, ¥13,720,000 ($123k), Allowance, 3yo, 1600mT ERZULIE (f, 3, Graydar–Miss Luna, by Henny Hughes), a debut fourth in a 1400-meter main-track maiden at Chukyo Mar. 9, cut back to six panels to graduate when last seen at that venue two weeks later (video, gate 2). Produced by a daughter of SW & MGISP In Her Glory (Miswaki) and from the family of champion Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile), this $70K Keeneland September graduate switches to the turf for the first time Saturday. B-Springland Farm (KY) 9th-TOK, ¥34,620,000 ($311k), Allowance, 4yo/up, 1600m SHIVAJI (c, 3, First Samurai–Indian Bay, by Indian Charlie), a $90K KEESEP purchase turned $540K OBS April breezer, has more than earned his keep, with three wins from 10 starts while never out of the top three in his career. He exits back-to-back runner-up efforts going seven furlongs at Hanshin last month and stretches out to the metric mile for the first time since scoring in fast time over course and distance last June (see below, gate 12). B-Hinkle Farms (KY) Sunday, May 5, 2019 3rd-NII, ¥9,550,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m PIONEEER BAROWS (c, 3, Cairo Prince–Dattts Lady Di, by Proud Citizen) has one appearance under his belt, a well-backed fourth-place effort over this trip in the mud at Nakayama Mar. 9. A half-sister to the SP Lindy (War Front)–dam of the smart Japanese-based La La Chrysaor (Speightstown)–and out of a half-sister to Japanese MSW Grab Your Heart (Deputy Commander), the dark bay was a $110K KEENOV weanling, a $175K KEESEP RNA and $400K Fasig-Tipton March juvenile. B-Bret Jones (KY) View the full article

1st-Churchill Downs, $95,446, Msw, 5-2, 2yo, 5f, :58.59, sy. MEMORABLE (c, 2, Uncle Mo–Unforgettable, by Empire Maker) pressed from a close-up second early, before taking control as the first quarter went up in :22.32. Showing the way through a half in :46.09, he was challenged by Enforceable (Tapit) in the lane, but turned back that rival and splashed clear to score by 1 1/4 lengths. Favored Lady Delaware (American Pharoah) finished sixth. Subsequent to the winner, Unforgettable produced a pair of colts, the first by Quality Road followed by another by Twirling Candy. The 14-year-old mare is a half to several stakes horses, including graded winners Good Mood (Devil’s Bag), Academy Award (Secretariat), and Statuette (Pancho Villa), herself the dam of Irish Highweight juvenile colt Tomahawk (Seattle Slew). Sales history: $40,000 Ylg ’18 FTKJUL; $100,000 2yo ’19 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $56,888. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-KEM Stables; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. View the full article