Wandering Eyes

Klaravich Stables’ Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who romped through an unbeaten three-race juvenile campaign, makes her sophomore debut in the GIII Edgewood S. at Churchill Downs Friday. The Chad Brown trainee, was tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ when opening her career with a 6 3/4-length debut win over the Saratoga turf in August. She added a 6 1/2-length tally in the Sept. 30 GII Miss Grillo S. and was last seen capping her season with a front-running 6 3/4-length victory in the Nov. 2 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Brown also sends out OXO Equine’s Cambier Parc (Medaglia d’Oro), who will be looking for her third straight win in the Edgewood. Purchased for $1.25 million as a Keeneland September yearling, the bay filly graduated second-time out at Gulfstream Jan. 2 and battled to a 3/4-length victory in the Mar. 2 GIII Herecomesthebride S. over the Edgewood’s 1 1/16-mile distance. Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy), winner of last year’s GII Jessamine S., came home only eighth behind Newspaperofrecord over the yielding Churchill turf course in the Breeders’ Cup, but opened 2019 with a win in the Mar. 9 GIII Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs. Finishing third in that race was Winter Sunset (Tapit), a two-time winner at Fair Grounds before suffering her first career loss at Tampa. The ‘TDN Rising Star’ has turned in a pair of bullet works at Churchill for trainer Wayne Catalano, most recently going five furlongs in :58 4/5 Apr. 26. View the full article

Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden has died after a paddock accident at Overbury Stud in England aged 13. View the full article

McKinzie (Street Sense) will look to make amends for a lackluster effort in last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Classic when he returns to Churchill Downs Friday for the GII Alysheba S. The bay colt concluded his sophomore season with a win in the Dec. 26 GI Malibu S. He faced a pair of gritty foes in his two starts so far this term, running second behind Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) in the Feb. 2 GII San Pasqual S. before finishing a nose runner-up to Gift Box (Twirling Candy) in the 10-furlong GI Santa Anita H. Apr. 6. He tuned up for the Alysheba with a pair of bullets, most recently going five furlongs in :58 3/5 at Churchill Apr. 27. Larry Best’s OXO Equine could have a big weekend with three runners entered in graded events. The operation will be represented in the Alysheba by Instilled Regard (Arch). The $1.05-million OBS March graduate was fourth in last year’s GI Kentucky Derby and moves back to the main track after finishing third in the Dec. 1 GI Hollywood Derby and a narrowly beaten second in a tune-up Keeneland allowance Apr. 4. Charles Fipke’s homebred Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) returns to the Churchill strip where he has done some of his best running for the Alysheba. The 6-year-old, coming off an eighth-place effort in the Mar. 30 G1 Dubai World Cup, won the 2017 GI Clark H. in Louisville and, after finishing second in the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, he was third in last year’s Clark. View the full article

Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile), tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ after her debut win at Del Mar last July, will look for that elusive first graded score in Friday’s GII Eight Belles S. at Churchill Downs. Since her impressive debut win, she has hit the board in four graded events, including a runner-up effort behind GI Kentucky Oaks favorite Bellafina (Quality Road) in last year’s GI Del Mar Debutante and a narrowly beaten third-place finish in the GI Starlet S. Most recently, the dark bay filly was beaten a head by Fancy Dress Party (Munnings) when second in the Apr. 7 GIII Beaumont S. at Keeneland. She is a winner of her lone Churchill outing, having scored a front-running victory in the Rags to Riches S. last October. Queen of Beas (Flatter), scratched out of the sloppy Beaumont, will make her stakes debut in the Eight Belles. The filly graduated going the Eight Belles’s seven furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 6 and added a one-mile optional claimer last time out in Hallandale Jan. 31. Del Mar May (Jimmy Creed) enters the Eight Belles off a maiden win at Keeneland, but she already has graded stakes experience. The filly ran second to Bellafina in last year’s GII Sorrento S. and went to the sidelines after finishing a well-beaten fifth behind that foe in the Sept. 29 GI Chandelier S. She scored by an easy four lengths going seven furlongs at Keeneland Apr. 5 in her return. View the full article

Merriebelle Stable’s Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize) opens her 2019 season in the GI La Troienne S. at Churchill Downs. The 6-year-old mare has hit the board in five of six starts over the Churchill course and that lone off-the-board finish came in her most recent start when she finished fourth behind Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She won last year’s GIII Fleur de Lis S. and GIII Locust Grove S. in Louisville and secured her first top-level success with a 3/4-length victory in the GI Spinster S. at Keeneland. Willis Horton’s Awe Emma (War Front) will look to make a big jump in class in the La Troienne. The $2-million Keeneland November weanling purchase was uninspiring in two starts in Kentucky last summer, but won three straight in authoritative style at Oaklawn Park. After breaking her maiden by 9 1/4 lengths in Hot Springs Feb. 3, she added optional-claiming wins Mar. 7 and Apr. 6. Both of those scores came at the La Troienne’s 1 1/16-mile distance. Trainer Danny Gargan, who saddles Tax (Arch) in Saturday’s GI Kentucky Derby, sends the ultra-consistent Divine Miss Gray (Divine Park) postward in the La Troienne. The 5-year-old mare shipped west last fall to win Churchill’s Nov. 3 GII Chilukki S. and finish second in the GII Falls City H. In her lone 2019 appearance to date, the chestnut was a front-running three-length winner of the Mar. 10 Heavenly Prize S. at Aqueduct. View the full article

The last time the speedy World of Trouble (Kantharos) took to the Churchill turf, he came up just a neck short of champion Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last November, but he’ll be looking to win his fourth straight when he returns to the Louisville oval in Friday’s GII Churchill Downs Turf Sprint. The colt has shown that neither surface nor track condition make much difference to him, winning the Dec. 15 FTBOA Marion County Florida S. by 13 3/4 lengths over a sloppy main track before surviving a blistering speed duel to win the off-track Jan. 26 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint S. He is coming off a win in the GI Carter H. over the main track at Aqueduct Apr. 6. Wesley Ward’s popular Bound for Nowhere (The Factor) missed by just a neck to the talented Imprimis (Broken Vow) while making his seasonal debut in the Apr. 6 GII Shakertown S. at Keeneland last time out. The 5-year-old made his second overseas trip last summer to finish third in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot and returned stateside to win the Tourist Mile S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 1. He ended 2018 with a well-beaten 11th-place effort in the Oct. 6 GI Shadwell Turf Mile. Ward sends out another popular veteran in 9-year-old Undrafted (Purim). The chestnut gelding is making his first start since winning an allowance over the Turf Sprint’s course and trip last November. View the full article

Marcelino Torres and Manuel Quintana's My Good Girl broke her maiden by 7 3/4 lengths in her third start May 1 at Indiana Grand to become the first winner for her sire, Danza. View the full article

Jupiter Gold out of Kranji Mile due to tendon injury View the full article

Baertschiger duo raring to go in Vase View the full article

Prep for Gray's Gold Cup duo gets underway View the full article

See thrilled with Lim's nod to ride champion sprinter View the full article

Seeing Rookie Salsa display an understanding of racing beyond his years, Jeremiah O'Dwyer wasted no time in nominating the son of Two Step Salsa to the $125,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes. View the full article

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike is keen to run stakes performers Intrigue and Indecision at the Gold Coast on Saturday, but there is little room for error in terms of the travel arrangements. Pike has seven horses set to fly to Brisbane from Auckland on Friday and can ill afford any delays with the duo set to compete 24 hours later. “The trip over is probably no different to going to Wellington for a meeting down there. It is probably easier,” Pike said. “They will run on Saturday as long as... View the full article

Seeing Rookie Salsa display an understanding of racing beyond his years, Jeremiah O'Dwyer's wasted no time in nominating the son of Two Step Salsa to the $125,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes. View the full article

Marcelino Torres and Manuel Quintana's My Good Girl broke her maiden by 7 3/4 lengths in her third start May 1 at Indiana Grand to become the first winner for her sire Danza. View the full article

The Stronach Group has invested $500,000 to support the purchase of the Longmile Positron Emission Tomography (MILE-PET) Scan machine that provides imaging of the fetlock joint while a Thoroughbred is standing, the organization reported in a release Wednesday. “The Stronach Group’s funding of this ground-breaking technology represents an important investment that will aid in the detection of equine injuries on a microscopic level to flag pre-existing conditions that can contribute to breakdowns,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, recently appointed Chief Veterinary Officer for The Stronach Group. “This technology will help to identify the injuries that tend to be the most dangerous and are not detectable using the current technology.” The Stronach Group has partnered with the Dolly Green Research Foundation (DRGF) to secure the purchase of the MILE-PET Scan machine. DGRF, founded in 1984 by Green, a longtime horse owner with a special interest in equine research, is affiliated with the Southern California Equine Foundation. The newly donated MILE-PET system will first be sent to the Center of Equine Health at the University of California–Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine for validation, research and continued analysis. After completion of the validation period at UC Davis, the MILE-PET will be available for use at Santa Anita this fall. “The Stronach Group is committed to providing horse owners and trainers with access to state-of-the-art technology that will make a significant difference to the health and safety of our horses and riders,” said Belinda Stronach, Chairman and President of TSC. “Our goal is to make every resource available to aid horsemen in determining the fitness of their horses for racing and training. We’re excited to be partnering with the Dolly Green Research Foundation and UC Davis to bring the MILE-PET to the equine hospital, located right here at Santa Anita.” Dr. Rick Arthur, Equine Medical Director for the California Horse Racing Board, added, “You cannot overstate how significant an advancement this is in equine diagnostic imaging and it is a natural fit here in California. PET is an advanced nuclear imaging technique and Santa Anita is already the home of the Dolly Green Nuclear Scintigraphy facility, which was the first of its kind when it was installed. We thank everyone involved for making this investment to further the safety of our equine athletes.” View the full article

Fox Hill Farms’s Omaha Beach (War Front), the 4-1 favorite for Saturday’s GI Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, will be forced to miss the race after it was discovered that he has an entrapped epiglottis. “After training this morning we noticed him cough a few times,” Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said. “It caused us to scope him and we found an entrapped epiglottis. We can’t fix it this week, so we’ll have to have a procedure done in a few days and probably be out of training for three weeks. We’ll have to figure out a whole new game plan.” With the scratch of Omaha Beach, also-eligible Bodexpress (Bodemeister), second in the GI Xpressbet Florida Derby at 71-1, draws into the Kentucky Derby starting gate and will break from post 20. Omaha Beach’s “horse to beat” status had come as the well-bred colt rode a three-race win streak towards the first Saturday in May. After breaking through with a nine-length romp in the Santa Anita slop Feb. 2, he stretched back out to defeat champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in a division of the GII Rebel S. and then defeated another formidable Bob Baffert trainee in the form of Improbable (City Zip) in the GI Arkansas Derby. View the full article

Omaha Beach, the morning-line favorite for the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), will not run in the race after being diagnosed with an entrapped epiglottis. View the full article

When Jon Court swings his leg over Long Range Toddy and heads out for the post parade in the May 4 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), the 58-year-old will make history as the oldest jockey to ever start in the Run for the Roses. View the full article

A 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds, the first running of the Oaklawn Invitational offers an added bonus tied to the Triple Crown as the winner will receive a guaranteed spot in the Preakness (G1), provided the horse is nominated to the Triple Crown. View the full article

Louisville native George Weaver was bitten by the horse racing bug at an early age. Coming up May 4, Weaver will top off his homecoming by taking his shot with Vekoma in the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). View the full article

Precieuse, who secured her first United States win when opening the season with a victory in the Honey Fox Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the $400,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes (G2T). View the full article

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that Monmouth Park has earned re-accreditation from the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance. View the full article

The Keeneland Association has continued its long-standing philanthrophic relationship with the University of Kentucky, and announced a $1.3-million gift to the Keeneland Endowed Chair in Equine Veterinary Science Wednesday. The latest gift will increase the fund to $3 million and will allow UK’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s Gluck Equine Research Center to launch a world-class equine drug research and testing program under the direction of Scott Stanley. Stanley joined UK in late 2018, having previously served as as director of the K.L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at University of California, Davis. “This wonderful gift will help our college make new advances as we strive to serve the industry in all aspects of safety,” said Nancy Cox, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. “The research capability afforded by this gift will allow a robust effort to develop new tests. This research will serve the new commercial testing laboratory that will be led by Dr. Stanley in partnership with the U.S. Equestrian Federation. We greatly appreciate the association’s support of the college.” The laboratory at UK’s Coldstream Research Campus will provide drug testing services to both the performance horse and racehorse industries–Keeneland’s gift will help fund the research side underpinning the commercial venture. “Keeneland applauds UK’s commitment to create a true center of excellence at the Gluck Center,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “In support of our mission, Keeneland has long championed UK’s goal to become an industry leader in equine safety, integrity and research. We believe the important work undertaken by Dr. Stanley will serve as a platform for change in Kentucky and beyond.” View the full article

Christina Jelm and Mike Puhich's Ms Headley scored on debut May 1 at Churchill Downs, giving her sire, The Big Beast, his first winner from his first starter. View the full article