Wandering Eyes

A touch languid during most of his 2-year-old campaign, Ballydoyle’s Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) woke up with a spring in his step at Leopardstown on Saturday and duly demolished an intriguing cast assembled for the G3 P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax S. Now alongside the likes of Galileo (Ire), High Chaparral (Ire), Yeats (Ire) and Fame and Glory (GB) on the honour roll of this early Derby trial, he would not be out of place among at least two of them judging by this emphatic eight-length success. In last early with Ryan Moore keen to avoid the forcing tactics employed when second in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp on Arc day, the 5-2 second favourite warmed into the fast-run contest and had dead aim on stablemate Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) as he took on the lead-out role at the top of the straight. Sweeping aside that strong-galloping chestnut who sported Susan Magnier’s pink with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining, Broome was soon pounding clear in Tabor’s blue-and-orange to enter the Derby picture front and centre. Sovereign was four lengths ahead of Pythion (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) in third, with the field spread out in the testing ground and the 7-4 favourite Tankerville (Kitten’s Joy) finding disappointingly little in fifth after travelling notably strongly turning for home. As with most of the rest of the card, the time was very slow, over 10 seconds off the standard for the distance, revealing just what an impact the ground was having on the runners. View the full article

Runner-up at the highest level during last term’s juvenile campaign, Joanne Lavery’s Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) turned Saturday’s G3 Ballylinch Stud ‘Priory Belle’ 1000 Guineas Trial S. at Leopardstown into a procession and stamped herself a leading contender for the upcoming Classic window. The bay posted a June 9 debut third at The Curragh before stunning onlookers with a 10-length tally back there Aug. 12. Stepped up to stakes company thereafter, she ran fourth behind Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) in the Aug. 26 G2 Debutante S. and second behind the same rival in the Sept. 16 G1 Moyglare Stud S., and entered winter quarters following a sixth to Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the Sept. 29 G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket. Lady Kaya bullied her way to the front after the initial strides and set the tone thereafter. On the bridle halfway up the straight and with all rivals toiling, she kept on powerfully once stoked up with 150 yards remaining to easily register a career high by 2 1/4 lengths from the running on Happen (War Front). LADY KAYA (IRE), f, 3, Dandy Man (Ire)–Kayak (GB)–Singspiel (Ire). (€15,000 Wlg ’16 GOFNOV; €12,000 RNA Ylg ’17 TIRSEP). O-Joanne Lavery; B-John O’Connor (IRE); T-Sheila Lavery; J-Robbie Colgan. €38,350. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Ire, 6-2-1-1, €135,250. View the full article

Never No More (Ire) (No Nay Never), who bettered a Sept. 19 debut second at Naas with a breakthrough score at Dundalk next time Oct. 5, closed his juvenile campaign with a close seventh in Navan’s Oct. 14 Listed Legacy S. and bounced back this year to plunder a Mar. 24 Naas handicap last time. Within range throughout Saturday’s Listed Ballylinch Stud ‘Red Rocks’ 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown, the €300,000 Goffs Orby yearling dug deep to deny the hitherto undefeated Madhmoon (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) by a half length. The chestnut found an early pitch against the fence in third, but was shuffled back one spot as Madhmoon improved from off the pace after the early exchanges. Nudged along rounding the home turn, the 5-2 second favourite found the necessary gears once angled to the outside approaching the final eighth and was driven out to claim a career high in the dying strides. NEVER NO MORE (IRE), c, 3, No Nay Never–Law of the Jungle (Ire), by Catcher in the Rye (Ire). (€300,000 Ylg ’17 GOFOR). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-RJB Bloodstock (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €29,500. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, €74,900. View the full article

As is the norm for Chad Brown in top-rung Keeneland turf events, the trainer offers a pair of representatives in the GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland Sunday. The more experienced of the two is Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), who won her first two trips to post, including Aqueduct’s Stewart Manor S. Nov. 11. Well supported last time in Gulfstream’s GIII Sweetest Chant S. Feb. 3, the Paul Pompa Jr. runner proved second best to the classy A Bit Special (GB) (Mukhadram {GB}), beaten 2 1/2 lengths. Hoping to duplicate her latest effort but jumping up in class, fellow-Brown trainee Clause (Speightstown) enters this following a come-from-behind victory over the Gulfstream turf Feb. 9. Aboard for her debut score, Irad Ortiz, Jr. is back in the boot for her stakes bow. The Mark Casse-trainee Catch a Thrill (City Zip) was good enough to take her career bow sprinting five furlongs over the Gulfstream turf Jan. 13 before finishing second behind the progressive Play On (Country Day) in the Melody of Colors S. over that course and trip Feb. 23. Norm Casse, former assistant to his father Mark, is also represented by Hard Legacy (Hard Spun). The winner of her first two starts for owner Marylou Whitney-including the most recent in an 8 1/2-furlong test at Gulfstream Dec. 23, the bay tries to rebound off a fifth in the Sweetest Chant. Julien Leparoux gets the call. View the full article

Klaravich Stables’ ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Feedback (Violence) attempts to keep her unbeaten record in tact when she lines up in Sunday’s GIII Beaumont S. Keeneland. An eye-popping debut winner going 6 1/2-furlong at Saratoga Aug. 12, the Chad Brown runner was given the remainder of the season off before returning in 2019 with a score in the seven-furlong GIII Forward S. at Gulfstream Feb. 2. Also worth another look is Queen of Beas (Flatter), trained by former Brown assistant Jorge Abreu. A close-up second behind next-out winner Just Ain’t Right (Yes It’s True) in a six-panel Gulfstream maiden Dec. 13, the Kingsport Farm trainee went one better while trying an extra furlong Jan. 6 before making it two straight going a mile at the Hallandale oval Jan. 31. Jose Ortiz gets back aboard. Trainer Bob Baffert is represented by ‘Rising Star‘ Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile). Winner of Churchill’s Rags to Riches S. last October, she also placed in a pair of Grade I’s last term, including the Starlet S. Dec. 8. Runner-up behind Bellafina (Quality Road) in the Jan. 6 GII Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita, Mother Mother weakened to fourth in the late stages of the mile GII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 9. LNJ Foxwoods Fancy Dress Party (Munnings) won at first asking in the Keeneland slop last October before closing out the season with a score in a Churchill Downs optional claimer Nov. 24. An easy winner under Luis Saez in the Jan. 5 Glitter Woman S., she reunites with the rider this time. View the full article

Champion galloper Beauty Generation will join an elite club if he wins as expected on Sunday in the Group Two Chairman’s Trophy (1,600m).The John Moore-trained six-year-old will join Entrapment and Ambitious Dragon as the only horses to win seven races in one season in Hong Kong.The six-time Group One winner has not been beaten since the corresponding race last year but jockey Zac Purton has warned his rivals the son of Road To Rock has gone to another level 12 months on.“I think he’s a… View the full article

Followers of European racing may have noticed that there are a handful of contests across Britain’s summer festivals that have a knack of throwing up horses that go on to bigger and better things in Hong Kong.The Britannia Handicap over the straight 1,600m at Royal Ascot, for example, counts high-class Group One performers Beauty Flame, Simply Brilliant, and Born In China among its recent graduates.Another example of such a race is a 2,000m handicap run on the Thursday of the Qatar Goodwood… View the full article

Riding at his lowest weight for 10 years, Glen Boss has steered three-year-old Brutal to what he describes as the easiest of his record seven wins in the Doncaster Mile at Randwick. Now domiciled in Singapore, 49-year-old Boss jumped at the opportunity offered by Hawkes Racing to ride Brutal on Saturday at 49.5kg, the weight he rode aboard So You Think in the first of his two Cox Plates in 2009. "I'm in awe of the colt," Boss said. "I know they've got light weights and he got himself in a spot b... View the full article

Each Saturday NTRA and BloodHorse will provide a one-stop guide to the day's top stakes races in North America and beyond. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern). View the full article

Saifudin appeals, suspended again; CC Wong suspended View the full article

Patience paid off April 5 for owner-breeder Ivan Dalos as Avie's Flatter rallied between horses and stormed through the stretch to win the $150,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland. View the full article

Next Friday, Apr. 12, jockeys riding at Santa Anita will do so without a whip, according to a letter the Jockeys’ Guild sent Friday to the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), Santa Anita management, the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), and the California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT). Current CHRB law doesn’t require jockeys to carry a riding crop, and as such, “individual jockeys who regularly ride at Santa Anita have elected not to carry the cushioned riding crop during the entire race day card on Friday, Apr. 12,” the letter states. The decision by the Jockeys’ Guild and the Santa Anita jockey colony follows a proposed rule change approved by the CHRB at its last scheduled meeting, which restricts riders to using riding crops only “to control the horse for the safety of the horse or rider.” The proposed rule change was subsequently put out for a 45-day public comment period, and could be amended before the board votes on it again. Currently, jockeys are permitted to use the crop three times in succession before putting it down to give a horse time to respond. “I hope they’re doing it for the right reasons,” said Jim Cassidy, president of the CTT, about the jockey’s decision to forego the whip Apr. 12. The day of whip-less races at Santa Anita is described in the letter as a fact-finding mission. After each race on Apr. 12, “data will be gathered from input from the jockeys,” the letter states. “Each ride will be evaluated for safety, how horses respond in passing other horses, react when going through an opening, or any other situation that may develop during the running of the race.” The information collected during the trial experiment will be submitted for consideration during the public comment period. “We believe it is necessary to get real time data and feedback in order to fully appreciate the implications of the proposed rule change,” wrote Darrell Haire, a member representative with the Jockeys Guild, in a statement to the TDN. “We believe there are unforeseen consequences that will impact not only the horse and rider safety, but all facets of the racing industry, including the betting public, owners, trainers, racetracks, as well as the breeding industry. We will be presenting the information gathered to the CHRB,” Haire added. According to Friday’s letter, “an announcement shall be made over the public address system” that the jockeys will not be carrying a riding crop during the Apr. 12 races, and asks the CHRB, TOC, CTT and Santa Anita management to “notify your staff and respective members, the trainers, the betting public, and all other interested parties prior to entries.” “Please be assured that the jockeys will do everything within their ability and power to achieve best possible placing for their horses, with the safety for the horse and rider being paramount,” the letter states. A day of whip-less races at Santa Anita on Apr. 12 “is progressive in a positive way,” said Hall of Fame former jockey Chris McCarron, before adding, “I don’t know if I wholeheartedly agree with them taking the crop away altogether.” McCarron said that he also agrees with rule changes that limit the number of strikes, to mirror the international model. “You’re on a horse that doesn’t want to go between horses, and you can feel them trying to suck back, and you can push and shove with all your might, but you sometimes just can’t get your horse to get up in there,” he said, explaining why he thinks the whip might be necessary in some circumstances. According to Friday’s letter, “jockeys risk their lives every day and are an integral part of racing. The voice of the Jockeys’ Guild and its members must be heard and included in all conversations to find the best possible outcome for all industry stakeholders. We hope we can work together, with all interested racing parties, during the rule-making process to evaluate the results and agree upon a rule that will be in the best interest of racing in California.” View the full article

Sugar Bowl Stakes winner Gray Attempt and Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity (G1) winner Improbable both worked April 5, both with eyes on a start in the upcoming April 13 Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

As is the norm for Chad Brown in top-rung Keeneland turf events, the trainer offers a pair of representatives in the GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland Sunday. The more experienced of the two is Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), who won her first two trips to post, including Aqueduct’s Stewart Manor S. Nov. 11. Well supported last time in Gulfstream’s GIII Sweetest Chant S. Feb. 3, the Paul Pompa Jr. runner proved second best to the classy A Bit Special (GB) (Mukhadram {GB}), beaten 2 ½ lengths. Hoping to duplicate her latest effort but jumping up in class, fellow-Brown trainee Clause (Speightstown) enters this following a come-from-behind victory over the Gulfstream turf Feb. 9. Aboard for her debut score, Irad Ortiz Jr. climbs back aboard for her stakes bow. Mark Casse-trainee Catch a Thrill (City Zip) was good enough to take her career bow sprinting five furlongs over the Gulfstream turf Jan. 13 before finishing second behind the progressive Play On (Country Day) in the Melody of Colors S. over that course and trip Feb. 23. Norm Casse, former assistant to his father Mark, is also represented by Hard Legacy (Hard Spun). The winner of her first two starts for owner Marylou Whitney-including the most recent in an 8 1/2-furlong test at Gulfstream Dec. 23, the bay tries to rebound off a fifth in the Sweetest Chant. Julien Leparoux gets the call. View the full article

Blue Devil Racing Stable's Come Dancing had a ball on the front end with jockey Manny Franco as she grabbed the lead at the start and never looked back in posting a lopsided 7 3/4-length win in the $150,000 Distaff Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct April 5. View the full article

Avie’s Flatter continued to display the good form he had as a juvenile with a winning effort in his sophomore bow in the GIII Trasylvania S. at Keeneland Friday. The Ivan Dalos homebred raced between rivals in mid-pack as Onthewaytonevrland (Ire) (No Nay Never) clocked early fractions :23.59 and :48.23 with longshot Weekly Call (Will Take Charge) glued to his outside hip. Tipped out for a two-wide bid turning for home, the bay powered past the leaders in the lane and held off a late charge from Henley’s Joy to score. European import The Black Album held third. Owner/breeder Ivan Dalos and trainer Josie Carroll successfully teamed up with a son of Flatter in the past at Keeneland, winning the 2016 GIII Commonwealth S. with Ami’s Flatter. “We had some pretty solid works at Palm Meadows,” Carroll said. “I thought he was in good order, but I did say to Javier [Castellano], ‘Keep him covered up a little bit and make sure you have some horse to finish because it has been a while since he ran.’ Mr. Dalos breeds a really good horse, and we thought this horse was special from the very beginning.” “I really liked the way he did it today,” Castellano said. “I’ve been studying the horse since last year. rode against [him]. I like the way he does everything. He can be on the lead. He can cover up. Today he broke a little slow. I didn’t rush it. [Considering] the layoff and the way he performed today–very amazing.” A debut winner sprinting over the Woodbine synthetic Aug. 12, Avie’s Flatter did not disgrace himself when closing to be fourth in the GI Summer S. on the grass there Sept. 16. Scoring by 5 1/4 lengths in the restricted Cup and Saucer S. going 1 1/16 miles on the Woodbine turf Oct. 7, he concluded his juvenile campaigned with a victory in the nine-panel Coronation Futurity S. on that venue’s synthetic track Nov. 18. Pedigree Notes: Avi’s Flatter is the 18th graded stakes winner for his sire and one of 52 black-type victors. He is a half-brother to Wonder Where S. victress Avie’s Mineshaft (Mineshaft). They are out of the unraced Dalos homebred, Avie’s Empire, whose only foal since is a juvenile filly named Avie’s Spun (Hard Spun). The 11-year-old mare visited Shanghai Bobby last spring. View the full article

Making the first start of his career in a $79,000 maiden special weight over seven furlongs April 6 at Keeneland, Nimet Arif Kurtel's homebred 3-year-old Shared Legacy has big shoes to fill. View the full article

Klaravich Stables’ Feedback (Violence) attempts to keep her unbeaten record in tact when she lines up in Saturday’s GIII Beaumont S. Keeneland. An eye-popping debut winner going 6 1/2-furlong at Saratoga Aug. 12, the Chad Brown runner was given the remainder of the season off before returning in 2019 with a score in the seven-furlong GIII Forward S. at Gulfstream Feb. 2. Also worth another look is Queen of Beas (Flatter), trained by former Brown assistant Jorge Abreu. A close-up second behind next-out winner Just Ain’t Right (Yes It’s True) in a six-panel Gulfstream maiden Dec. 13, the Kingsport Farm trainee went one better while trying an extra furlong Jan. 6 before making it two straight going a mile at the Hallandale oval Jan. 31. Jose Ortiz gets back aboard. Trainer Bob Baffert is represented by Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile). Winner of the Rags to Riches S. last October, she also placed in a pair of Grade I’s last term, including the Starlet S. Dec. 8. Runner-up behind Bellafina (Quality Road) in the Jan. 6 GII Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita, Mother Mother weakened to fourth in the late stages of the mile GII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 9. LNJ Foxwoods Fancy Dress Party (Munnings) won at first asking in the Keeneland slop last October before closing out the season with a score in a Churchill Downs optional claimer Nov. 24. An easy winner under Luis Saez in the Jan. 5 Glitterwoman S., she reunites with Gulfstream’s meet leading rider this time. View the full article

The last time Conrad Farms’ Shamrock Rose (First Dude) cut back to a seven-furlong sprint from a previous effort around two turns, she walked away the fairly comfortable winner of the GII Raven Run S. at this venue last October. She faces a similar scenario Saturday afternoon as she looks for her first win since upsetting the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at 25-1 in the GI Madison S. The Pennsylvania-bred was named champion female sprinter off the latter effort and she caught a sloppy Gulfstream main track for her 4-year-old debut in the GIII Hurricane Bertie S. at Gulstream Jan. 26. An even fourth on that occasion, she acquitted herself well when stretching back out to a route of ground in the GII Azeri S. Mar. 16, finishing third after looking a strong chance at the eighth pole. West Virginia-bred star Late Night Pow Wow (Fiber Sonde) will try to take her record to 12-for-13 lifetime as she squares off against Grade I company for the first time in her career. The dark bay is unbeaten in five attempts at this specialist distance, including last year’s GIII Charles Town Oaks and the Feb. 16 GIII Barbara Fritchie S., in which she outfinished GI La Brea S. heroine Spiced Perfection (Smiling Tiger) by a head. Amy’s Perfection (Artie Schiller) is already a four-time stakes winner and owns this field’s two highest Beyers, including a 98 for her last-out score Oaklawn’s Spring Fever S. Mar. 2. On the negative side, she was a well-beaten sixth behind Shamrock Rose in the Raven Run and seems much better suited to six furlongs. To that end, she is cross-entered in Saturday’s Carousel S. in Hot Springs. View the full article

It has been the better part of three decades since the winner of the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. has managed to repeat the dose in the GI Kentucky Derby. The Nick Zito-conditioned Strike the Gold pulled off the double in 1991, and while Street Sense (Street Cry {Ire}) used a runner-up effort in the 2007 renewal as a springboard to victory at Churchill, the race hasn’t been the strongest pointer to the Run for the Roses. But none of this has stopped the connections of 14 horses from entering what looms a tremendous handicapping exercise Saturday afternoon in Lexington. Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) defeated future ‘TDN Rising Star’ Mihos (Cairo Prince) into third on his Sept. 23 debut at Belmont and came right to post a big-figure victory in the GIII Nashua S., with GISP and this year’s GIII Swale S. hero Call Paul (Friesan Fire) third. The May foal resumed with Lasix on for the GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 2 and he has every reason to improve for his third-place effort to Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) and Bourbon War (Tapit). Signalman (General Quarters) is the only other member of the field with a graded win on dirt to his credit, a neck success over last weekend’s G2 UAE Derby victor Plus Que Parfait (Point of Entry) in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. He was a longshot third to ‘Rising Star’ and GI Santa Anita Derby favorite Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and has form over the Keeneland strip, courtesy of his runner-up effort to loose-on-the-lead Knicks Go (Paynter) in the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity last October. Live Oak Plantation’s Win Win Win (Hat Trick {Jpn}) owns the field’s best Beyer, having earned a 99 for his track record-setting, 7 1/4-length victory in Tampa’s seven-furlong Pasco S. Jan. 19. Trained up to the GII Tampa Bay Derby, he raced in the latter half of the field, rallied wide into the lane and got home nicely to round out the triple behind Wood Memorial starters Tacitus (Tapit) and ‘Rising Star’ Outshine (Malibu Moon) as the 7-5 chalk. ‘Rising Star‘ Dream Maker (Tapit) turned in a sparkling sophomore debut at the Fair Grounds Feb. 9, winning a two-turn allowance by 8 1/2 lengths, but he never picked up his feet in the Tampa Bay Derby, finishing a well-beaten 10th. He enters this off a half-mile gate work in :46 flat over this track Mar. 30, a time that was best of 48 at the distance and 1.40 seconds faster than the next swiftest. View the full article

The name Cherie DeVaux in the trainer column of the Keeneland program might be new to fans, but she is well-known in the racing community. View the full article

INTREPID HEART (c, 3, Tapit–Flaming Heart, by Touch Gold), favored at 3-2 to build on a 7 3/4-length debut romp at Oaklawn Feb. 18 that garnered him the ‘TDN Rising Star‘ nod, gutted out a narrow victory in this particularly salty first-level allowance Friday. Perched three deep in third early but always seemingly under a ride as speedy GIII Swale S. fourth High Crime (Violence) showed the way, the grey appeared to be in deep water spinning for home furthest out in the track. Hall of Fame pilot continued to implore Intrepid Heart in the run to the line, and he responded late to reel in High Crime in the shadow of the wire by about a neck in 1:43.39. The fourth-priciest lot at $750,000 at last year’s OBS April sale off a :10 2/5 breeze, Intrepid Heart’s MSW/GSP dam Flaming Heart (Touch Gold) is also responsible for Commissioner (A.P. Indy), MGSW & GISP, $962,237; Laugh Track (Distorted Humor), GSW & GISP, $598,014; and the dam of last year’s GII Wood Memorial S. winner Vino Rosso (Curlin)–entered in Saturday’s GI Carter H.–and his sophomore half-brother and ‘Rising Star’ So Alive (Super Saver), who will contest the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. Saturday in Lexington. Vino Rosso and So Alive are fellow Pletcher trainees. Flaming Heart, who was bred and campaigned by Frank Stronach’s operation, was purchased by WinStar Farm for $1.5 million in foal to Street Cry (Ire) at the 2007 Keeneland November sale. She produced a Carpe Diem colt in 2018 but was subsequently barren to Curlin. Sales history: $750,000 2yo ’18 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Robert & Lawana Low. B-WinStar Farm, LLC & Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC (Ky). T-Todd A Pletcher. View the full article

D J Stable and Cash Is King LLC’s Eclipse Award winner Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) turned in arguably the worst performance of her career when only fourth in the GII Davona Dale S. Mar. 2 and the gray filly will be looking to atone for that effort in Saturday’s GI Ashland S. at Keeneland. The $190,000 Keeneland September purchase rattled off four straight following a debut second at the Jersey Shore, including a 5 3/4-length tally in the GI Frizette S. Oct. 7. She led every step of the way to account for ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Restless Rider (Distorted Humor) by 5 1/2 commanding lengths in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Nov. 2, but she looked very rusty when beaten a similar margin by 51-1 Jeltrin (Tapizar) in the GII Davona Dale S. on seasonal return Mar. 2. Trainer John Servis is willing to take the effort with a grain of salt. “I was a little disappointed she didn’t win that day, but the winner ran huge,” Servis told the Keeneland notes team. “When I am prepping for a big race off a layoff, the first race is a steppingstone.” The winner of the Ashland has gone on to GI Kentucky Oaks glory twice in the last four years (Lovely Maria, 2014; Monomoy Girl, 2018). Jaywalk tries to become the first 2-year-old filly champion to win the Ashland since Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy) 20 years ago. Restless Rider won this track’s GI Darley Alcibiades S. in convincing fashion last October, but was just beaten by a better horse on Breeders’ Cup day despite having every conceivable chance. The $150,000 KEESEP acquisition was last seen finishing second by a nose in the GII Golden Rod S. Nov. 24. Chocolate Kisses (Candy Ride {Arg}) was no better than fourth to Restless Rider in the Alcibiades and dropped Julien Leparoux at the start of the Oct. 28 Rags To Riches S. before calling it a season The $410,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy overcame a wide trip to win a Fair Grounds allowance with a fair bit of authority Jan. 18 and most recently caused a 15-2 upset in the Mar. 9 GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn, with Bizwhacks (Fed Biz) third. View the full article

Gulfstream Park’s charity events on Florida Derby Weekend, including the inaugural Battle of the Apron and Florida Derby Cocktails and Horse Tales, raised more than $50,000 for the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care (TRAC). The Battle of the Apron, featuring chefs from 11 South Florida’s restaurants, hosted approximately 200 people Sunday evening, while Cocktails and Horse Tales, held in Gulfstream’s walking ring Friday evening, attracted over 150 people. Money was raised through donations and silent auctions that included stallion seasons to Shaman Ghost and Mucho Macho Man. “We were thrilled to have such successful events which received so much community support,” said trainer and Florida TRAC Vice President Jena Antonucci. “It is so important that we continue to include those outside our industry and teach them about what we do in racing and beyond.” View the full article

Richard Baltas sends out a pair of strong contenders in Saturday’s GIII Providencia S. at Santa Anita in Lady Prancealot (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) and Colonial Creed (Jimmy Creed). Runner-up in the Juvenile Fillies Turf S. and Surfer Girl S. last term, Lady Prancealot kicked off this term with a one-length defeat of Truffalino (English Channel) in a one-mile optional claimer over this course Feb. 1. Earning her diploma two back at Del Mar Nov. 10, Colonial Creed finished second in the Blue Norther S. last time Dec. 30. Apache Princess (Unusual Heat) went on a three-race win streak after breaking her maiden at fourth asking, winning a Jan. 21 optional claimer and the GIII Sweet Life S. Feb. 10. She returned on eight days rest in the California Cup Oaks, where she finished fifth. Slam Dunk Racing’s Maximum Rate (Exchange Rate) could be any kind after a strong late rally to graduate by a length on debut in Arcadia Feb. 16. View the full article