Today's Edition

The introduction in 2015 of the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, a championship sprint for three-year-olds, came about because of a misconception, namely that three-year-old sprinters cannot be competitive against their elders and that consequently the three-year-olds should have their own race rather than have to take on the older generations at weight-for-age. This, of course, is nonsense. Second-tier three-year-olds, understandably, are not able to beat top-class older horses at weight-for-age, but for the cream of the crop it has always been very feasible. We don't have to go...

No less than he should be, John Greathouse III is a big believer in pedigree. "In the end, I've got to have a reason for somebody to turn down the catalog page and say this is one I need to go and see," he says. "If the horse lacks paper, I'm not interested. They've got to have some family there." Greathouse, after all, is himself a living testament to the horseman's faith in heritability-whether through nature or nurture. His grandfather, the first John, was a celebrated Bluegrass hardboot who bred...

LEXINGTON, KY - Keeneland's 13-session September Yearling sale begins Monday with an adjusted format and upbeat outlook, but with a slightly delayed start time. The auction will begin at 1 p.m., two hours later than originally planned, during its first four sessions after heavy rains delayed inspections Sunday. The weather was the story of the day Sunday at the Keeneland sales barns as the second full day of showing was impeded by heavy rains as the remnants of tropical storm Gordon trekked through the Lexington area. "Unfortunately, there is nothing...

Second fiddle to Europe's current miler par excellence Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois, SARL Darpat's Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper) provided further enhancement to that Niarchos homebred's credibility on Sunday when denying a clutch of other 3-year-olds in ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix du Moulin. Held up early as Olivier Peslier demonstrated his habitual and rightful confidence, the 23-10 favourite was delivered with the Papillon's unerring timing to catch the filly Wind Chimes (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in the shade of the post and score by a head...

So let's hear it for Hip 4538. A chestnut filly by Hampton Court (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}). Not a bad page, actually: she's out of a half-sister to the dual Grade 2-winning dam of a Breeders' Cup runner-up. You'll find her with the Vinery consignment, Barns 9 & 10. Whether you will still have soles to your shoes, by that stage, remains to be seen; never mind whether you have somehow kept body and soul together. But whatever her future holds, on the track, she deserves at least this fleeting...

Eclipse Award winner Lady Eli (Divine Park--Sacre Coeur, by Saint Ballado), a Grade I winner each year from age two to five and described by Chad Brown as "the best turf horse I've ever trained," will be offered in foal to War Front by John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale Farm at this year's Keeneland Breeding Stock November Sale, it was announced Saturday. Bred in Kentucky by Catesby W. Clay and Runnymede Farm Inc., Lady Eli--also a graduate of Keeneland's September and April 2-Year-Old sales--was perfect in three starts as a...

By Tom Frary Now that Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) has been able to impose himself at the highest level, Qatar Racing's stalwart has a live chance of doubling his tally in that sphere in Sunday's G1 Prix du Moulin at ParisLongchamp. There was no hint of fluke about the 7-year-old's G1 Sussex S. triumph at Goodwood Aug. 1 and the operation's racing manager David Redvers is full of hope ahead of his latest test. "From my point of view he looks amazing and I believe David [Simcock] and everyone...

The subject of a publicised jockey change in mid-week, The Tin Man (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) benefitted from the Oisin Murphy treatment on Saturday and duly produced some magic to come out on top in a rain-affected G1 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock. Staying on into third from far back in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over 6 1/2 furlongs at Deauville last time Aug. 5, the 7-1 shot again had more in front than behind early as Hey Jonesy (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) refused to give the free-running defending champion...

Khalid Abdullah's Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was itching for a return to action having spent the entire season in the shadows and she exhibited all her customary exuberance as she put Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) firmly in his place in Kempton's G3 188Bet September S. on Saturday. Sent off the 8-15 favourite, last year's G1 English, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine enjoyed an easy lead under Frankie Dettori with Crystal Ocean sat no more than two lengths adrift. As she...

Last month at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, Taylor Made Sales topped the sale with a WinStar Farm-bred son by Medaglia d'Oro out of Coco's Wildcat. Taylor Made Sales will offer almost one-tenth of the Keeneland September catalogue, a full 440 yearlings. We talked to Mark Taylor about Taylor Made's partnerships with top breeders, and gave him the unenviable task of highlighting one or two special offerings this year. LM: You work with some of the biggest breeders in the business and presumably that attention to detail and that customer service is what...

When Fred and Nancy Mitchell of Clarkland Farm purchased a mare called Leslie's Lady (Tricky Creek) for $100,000 carrying a foal by Orientate at the 2006 Keeneland November sale, she didn't have much of a resume. Her greatest accomplishment on the racetrack was winning a stake at Hoosier Park as a juvenile and she had four foals at the time, none of which were sales or racetrack standouts at the time. However, that all began to change the following year when the foal she produced in 2005, a year before...

Suspense is the order of the day on Saturday, with Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) making her seasonal bow at Kempton and Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) reappearing after his Royal Ascot nightmare in Haydock's feature. Suffering from all the old anxieties connections believed he had long left in the past in the June 22 G1 Diamond Jubilee S., Harry Angel was taking his Ascot tally to 0-5 but it is to be taken on trust that he remains deadly elsewhere. In his victories in the 2017 G1 July Cup...