Wandering Eyes

Amy's Challenge drew clear to win by 8 1/4 lengths over Shanghai Tariff in 1:03.01 for 5 1/2 furlongs over a fast track. The previous stakes record was 1:03.53. View the full article

Away from her top-class stablemate for her second U.S. start, Peter Brant’s Precieuse seized the opportunity with her first stateside graded victory in the $150,000 Honey Fox Stakes (G3T) March 2 at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Tony Cruz has many fond memories of Macau and he hopes Romantic Touch can add to the list with a third straight victory in the Macau Hong Kong Trophy (1,500m) on Sunday.The eight-year-old thrives on the Taipa track and Cruz is itching to return to a place that holds a special place in his heart.“I love Macau and the racing there. The treatment we get from the Macau Jockey Club is fantastic,” he said.“I really enjoy myself in Macau, I enjoyed riding in Macau and now training there. I was invited… View the full article

When Mike Ryan advised owner Leonard Green to a buy a son of Hard Spun at the 2018 Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, it was the colt's classic pedigree that intrigued the bloodstock agent. View the full article

Horses' body weights March 3 View the full article

Supersub Amirul makes no mistake on Elite Power View the full article

Another Star wins on debut for Joel Tan View the full article

Roughie Ganassi gets Murray on the board early View the full article

Super wedding present for Woodworth View the full article

Horse's test result March 2 View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings March 3 View the full article

W.S. Farish's homebred Code of Honor bounced back from an underwhelming 3-year-old debut to take the toughest Triple Crown prep to date March 2 in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

When Mike Ryan advised owner Leonard Green to a buy a son of Hard Spun at the 2018 Ocala Breeders' Sales March Ocala 2-year-olds in Training Sale, it was the colt's classic pedigree that intrigued the bloodstock agent. View the full article

Rain or shine, business typically goes on as planned at Mark Casse's stable at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, so a sealed and muddy main track early March 2 did not deter assistant David Carroll from working two of the stable's prized 3-year-olds. View the full article

Canadian champion Wonder Gadot will make her 4-year-old debut at Oaklawn Park March 8 in a $50,000 optional-claiming allowance race at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Code of Honor (c, 3, Noble Mission {GB}–Reunited, by Dixie Union), a disappointing fourth as the favorite in the Mucho Macho Man S. Jan. 5, bounced back in a big way with a 9-1 upset while making his two-turn debut in Saturday’s GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park. The rail-drawn Farish homebred raced in a midpack fifth as 6-5 favorite and jaw-dropping debut winner Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun) hit the gas through fractions of :22.80 and :45.69. Code of Honor put in a big run on the far turn, challenged for command at the top of the stretch, took over shortly thereafter, and held the fast-finishing Bourbon War (Tapit) safe by 3/4 of a length. The comebacking GIII Nashua S. winner Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) was third; Hidden Scroll tired to fourth. The final time for the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth was 1:43.85. An impressive front-running winner first out at the Spa last summer, the chestnut put in an impressive rally for second after stumbling badly at the start in the GI Champagne S. last fall. Sales history: $70,000 RNA yrl ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0. O/B-W S Farish (Ky); T-Shug McGaughey. View the full article

When Soldado (Verrazano) goes to the post in Sunday’s 12th race at Gulfstream, a one-mile allowance, he’ll look a lot like many Todd Peltcher-trained horses. He’s a well-bred 3-year-old colt, won his debut easily and could prove to be any kind of horse. Then why did he only cost $8,000? Steve Young, the bloodstock agent and owner who bought the colt at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, has his theories, but he’s more focused on the future than the past. “I think he has the ability to move forward and run in the [GI] Kentucky Derby, especially when you watch him gallop out after his works and after his race,” Young said. “He compares equally to some of the really good 3-year-olds I have bought and trained. That being said, to get to the Kentucky Derby, we only have two months. A lot of good stuff can happen to a horse in the spring of their 3-year-old year and a lot of bad stuff can happen, too. He has time to get there as long as he doesn’t take a step back. The only thing to do now is for him to get into the ring and fight and get experience.” Soldado made his debut Feb. 2 and won a six-furlong Gulfstream maiden by 2 3/4 lengths while receiving a Beyer Speed Figure of 91. Young is a wheeler-dealer and let the word out that he was willing to listen to offers. He said he turned down several before selling a 50% interest in the colt to Lets Go Stables, which is led by Kevin Scatuorchio and Bryan Sullivan. They were also the owners of Verrazano. Young wouldn’t reveal what price he got for the half-interest in the horse, but it’s obvious that he made a substantial profit. Young wasn’t thinking about the Kentucky Derby or some day cashing in on selling part of the then 2-year-old when he first came across Soldado at the Timonium sale. But, he did believe he had found a horse that slipped through the cracks. The first thing Young noticed was that Soldado had sold for $80,000 a year earlier at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Turf Showcase Yearling Sale. He marked him down as one to watch and liked what he saw when he worked. “He didn’t have that fast of a breeze, but I loved the way he did it and the way he ran around the turn and showed his mechanics and athletic ability,” Young said. The colt’s breeze went in :10 3/5. Young estimated that, under normal circumstances, a horse with the pedigree Soldado had and with the sort of impressive work he had turned in, had a market value in the range of $400,000 to $450,000. He believes the colt’s potential price tag began to drop when fellow shoppers had him vetted. “I don’t know how many times he was vetted,” Young said. “When we vetted him he had, if you will, insignificant flakes, in both knees and ankles. He also had a bucked shin. I would imagine people were turned off by that. I don’t know what other people saw, but that’s what he had. What that does is it takes a bunch of people off of him.” Young didn’t think the colt’s problems were that severe or anything that couldn’t be corrected. So, he waited for Soldado to come into the ring. It was a long wait. He was hip 593 in a sale that had 600 horses in the catalogue. “You also have to factor in when a horse is selling in the last seven numbers in a two-day sale,” he said. “It’s dark. There’s no one around.” The consignor did not put a reserve on the horse and when the hammer fell, the bidding had stalled at $8,000 and Young had a new Verrazano colt as part of his team. “With the way he breezed, if he would have vetted, he probably would have been a top six horse at that sale and was he going to bring five times what he cost as a baby,” Young said. Young had vets repair the problems that apparently discouraged other buyers and then sent the horse to WinStar Farm to recuperate. When he was ready, he was sent to Pletcher’s division at Palm Beach Downs. Young said he knew he had a good horse, but maybe not how good. “Every day has been a good day since he arrived at Palm Beach Downs,” Young said. “I think I can speak for all of us that I thought he was very good going into his first race, but he was even better than I thought he was. To run in a race where a lot of people liked their horses, to run the last half-mile in :46 and then to pass a horse from a top farm ]Juddmonte Farm] and a top barn [Chad Brown] that liked their horses, that says a lot. And then he galloped out 10 in front. “You have to feel that he wants to run further that six furlongs off that. He’s a May 7 foal. It all leads us to be very exited. There’s no ceiling so far as to what he might be able to do.” Soldado could flop Sunday afternoon, he could win a few stakes races here or there, he might even win the Kentucky Derby. There’s no telling. But Young can already take his bows. He bought a good horse with a good pedigree for peanuts and sold half of him for a lot of money. It’s not supposed to be that easy. View the full article

With champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) off the board as the 1-5 favorite, 50-1 shot Jeltrin (f, 3, Tapizar–Song to the Moon, by Successful Appeal) won a photo finish over pacesetter Cookie Dough (Brethren) in a shocking renewal of Saturday’s GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream Park. Champagne Anyone (Street Sense) was third. Jaywalk was fourth. The final time for a mile was 1:36.83. Jeltrin chased in third in the early stages, made a three-wide run on the far turn and kept on coming in the stretch to reel in Cookie Dough. Jeltrin, a runaway $50,000 maiden claiming winner at Gulfstream West last October, entered off a fourth-place finish at 124-1 in the GIII Forward Gal S. Feb. 2. Sales history: $7,000 yrl ’17 KEESEP; $27,000 RNA 2yo ’18 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 6-2-1-1. O-ADR Racing Stable LLC; B-C Kidder, N Cole, J K & Linda Griggs (Ky); T-Alexis Delgado. View the full article

It was down to the wire March 2 for Stronach homebred Holy Helena, who edged her competition by a head and defend her title in the $150,000 The Very One Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Mark Casse’s GI Kentucky Derby hopefuls MGSW War of Will (War Front) and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Dream Maker (Tapit) both recorded half-mile breezes at Fair Grounds Saturday morning. War of Will was up first, breezing four panels in :50.20 (63/87) under Declan Carroll in company with Dynamic Force (Medaglia d’Oro), in preparation for the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 23. “We had a sealed racetrack this morning but it gives you such confidence because it’s a superior surface,” Casse’s assistant David Carroll said. “It has a great bottom on it so we were very comfortable breezing today. War of Will went beautifully. Just finished up the last eighth and galloped out on his own steam. We never did ask him for anything today, it was just nice to see him back stretching his legs. He looked as great as ever and cooled out beautifully.” War of Will captured both the Jan. 19 GIII Lecomte S. and the Feb. 16 GII Risen Star S., putting him at the top of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard by points. “I don’t think he has to improve a whole lot at this stage,” Carroll said. “We know that he’s very talented and we’re just going to keep him happy and healthy which are the two most important things. If he’s happy and healthy then we’ll let his talent do the talking.” Dream Maker, who is being pointed to the Mar. 9 GII Tampa Bay Derby, recorded a half-mile work in :49 flat under regular rider Florent Geroux. “Dream Maker was very good this morning, just wanted to do a bit more with him,” Carroll said. “He runs next week so we wanted to stretch his legs the last eighth. He finished up beautifully; it was a typical gallop out for him. He’s in a great place so hopefully he can take his game on to Tampa.” A debut winner at Churchill Downs June 7, Dream Maker finished fifth in Saratoga’s GI Hopeful S. Sept. 3 and only beat one home when 12th in Keeneland’s GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity S. Oct. 6. However, he kicked off his sophomore campaign in style with a dominant 8 1/2-length score in a Fair Grounds optional claimer going 1 1/16 miles Feb. 9. View the full article

It was down to the wire March 2 for Stronach homebred Holy Helena, who edged her competition by a head and defend her title in the $150,000 Very One Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Graded stakes-placed on several occasions throughout his career, Sagamore Farm's 5-year-old Recruiting Ready made the grade March 2 in the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Cambier Parc (f, 3, Medaglia d’Oro–Sealy Hill, by Point Given), a $1.25-million KEESEP yearling purchase, stayed perfect on grass with a popular win in Saturday’s GIII Herecomesthebride S. at Gulfstream. The 4-5 favorite broke well from her outside draw and sat a perfect stalking trip in second through fractions of :24.48 and :49.67. She turned up the heat on the far turn, took a narrow advantage into the stretch and fought her way free for a well-measured decision. Princesa Carolina (Tapit) was second; Belle Laura (Mucho Macho Man) was third. The final time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:42.03. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0. O-OXO Equine LLC; B-Bonne Chance Farm LLC (Ky); T-Chad Brown. View the full article

It’s always among the key questions on everyone’s mind as 2-year-olds begin racing when Keeneland opens in April and the first-year sires have their first chance to show off their progeny. In this ongoing series, we have sought the opinion of several top judges as to who will be on top of the podium when 2019 is in the books. Wesley Ward, Trainer AMERICAN PHAROAH “You have to think the answer is American Pharoah. With the mares that he got and as fast as he was and how everyone at the sales has been raving about them, you have to think they’re going to come out running. Not only is he a Triple Crown winner, he was bred to nothing but the best when it comes to mares. “I have five of them. I’m hoping the one I have out of [champion female sprinter] Judy the Beauty (Ghostzapper) turns out to be the big star, but I have a biased opinion there. She’s showing some pretty quick times. I just started breezing my 2-year-olds last week. I’m working the 2-year-olds a little later every year and works right now are only a sixteenth of a mile or an eighth of a mile. My initial impression of my American Pharoahs is they’re going to be good and they’re going to be quick. It’s not just that they’re going to be quick, I think they’re going to be really good horses. “Because I like to run at Royal Ascot I was curious as to whether or not the American Pharoahs would like the grass. I ran into Bob [Baffert] and I asked him what he thought about American Pharoah as a stallion and I also asked him that question, will they be able to run on the grass? He told me, ‘the one thing I wish I could have done is run him on the grass because, with the way he moved, I think he would have loved it.’ That stuck in my mind, so I bred a couple of turf mares to him. It would be great if we could get one to Royal Ascot. “Another sire I think people should keep an eye on is Carpe Diem. I have a filly by him that I bought who is really, really smart and shows that she’s going to be pretty quick. She’s a very nice filly. I paid dearly for her, but I’ve seen others by him that didn’t sell for that much that also look very good. I think he’s going to be a sire that injects some speed into his horses.” View the full article

Prior to winning last year’s BMW Hong Kong Derby, Ping Hai Star (NZ) (Nom du Jeu {NZ}) had questions to answer surrounding his ability to stay the 2000m trip. Waikuku (Ire) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) had done little wrong since his import into Hong Kong from the John Oxx yard, with three wins from four starts, but Saturday’s Class 2 Lion City H. over a metric nine furlongs would serve as the 4-year-old’s first appearance past 1400 metres. Despite a riverside draw and having to spot his rivals between nine and 23 pounds as the 133-pound top weight, Waikuku not only proved he could see out the distance, but may well have stamped himself the Derby favourite. With the speed very much on up front, Joao Moreira had no choice but to ease back through the pack and the duo settled last but two for the run down the back. Allowed to creep a little closer while following in the slipstream of Sunny Speed (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) on the circle, Waikuku switched out widest, kicked hard to lead entering the final 150m and was in hand late en route to a 1 1/2-length success as the $2.50 chalk (3-2) (video). He covered his final half-mile in a race-fastest :46.66. Stablemate and Derby hope Enrichment (Aus) (Teofilo {Ire}) was more one-paced back in third, while Sunny Speed could still press on to the big race after a much-improved fourth on his second Hong Kong appearance. Whereas trainer John Size was happy to allow Ping Hai Star to step up to the Derby from a 1400m race, he thought it was imperative to give Waikuku this run. “He was always going [to the Derby, but [this race] had to be part of his preparation otherwise he hadn’t had any practice at the tempo,” Size told HKJC’s David Morgan. “That’s what you’re hoping for. In the 1400-metre races, he’s been running time….so let’s go up in distance and see if he’s got the stamina to finish it off.” The Australian conditioner was also pleased with the performance of Enrichment. “Enrichment, he’s run another dour race,” Size said. “He’s obviously going to appreciate the 2000 metres and he can race handily, so that will help him a lot. I think they’ve both got chances of getting prize money.” A €33,000 purchase out of the 2016 Tattersalls Ireland yearling sale, Waikuku made two appearances for Oxx, including a victorious debut at Leopardstown last July. View the full article