3-year-olds

The Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, the select races that will determine the preference list for the 151st Kentucky Derby, is out, Churchill Downs said in a press release on Friday. During a special meeting at Colonial Downs, the Virginia Derby--occupying a spot on the racing calendar that was previously void of any qualifying races on Saturday, Mar. 15--is the latest addition to the schedule. The race will award 105 points to the top five finishers including 50 points to the winner. As for the Road to the...

The field for the GI Preakness S., ranked in "likeliest winner" order: 1) MYSTIK DAN (c, Goldencents--Ma'am, by Colonel John). O/B-Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby, 4G Racing, LLC, & Valley View Farm LLC (Ky); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. Lifetime Record: GISW, 7-3-1-1, $3,650,050. Last start: WON May 4 GI Kentucky Derby. The Derby champ will go favored in the Preakness on Saturday after the scratch of 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic). This son of Goldencents upset the first leg of the Triple Crown at 18-1 odds. In the last three Derbies,...

The GI Kentucky Derby hero, Mystik Dan (Goldencents), will be pointed towards the May 18 running of the 149th GI Preakness Stakes at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course, trainer Kenny McPeek said Saturday morning via a Churchill Downs press release. "All systems go," McPeek said. "He'll ship out in the morning." The champ had a routine 1 1/2-mile gallop at Churchill Downs under retired jockey Robby Albarado, who will be part of the Derby winner's travel team to Baltimore. After an endoscopic exam and bloodwork was analyzed just to ensure everything...

A valiant second in the G1 Oka Sho last month, 2023 Japanese Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Ascoli Piceno (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) is looking for redemption in Tokyo's G1 NHK Mile Cup on Sunday having lost her unbeaten record. However, the 18-strong field boasts two champions and plenty of up-and-comers and her task is not straightforward. The mount of crack French reinsman Christophe Lemaire, the granddaughter of the high class G1 Meon Valley Stud Fillies' Mile heroine Listen (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) won both the G3 Niigata Nisai S. and the G1...

The catalogue for the Arqana February Mixed Sale on February 13-14 was released by the sale company on Friday. Featuring 363 horses comprised of horses-in-training on the Flat and over jumps, broodmares, maidens, 2-year-olds and yearlings, with eight wildcards still to be announced, sessions will begin at 11 a.m. daily. The Arqana February Sale, which last year sold the G2 Prix du Petite Couvert winner and G1 Prix de l'Abbaye-placed Air De Valse (Fr) (Mesnil des Aigles {Fr}) as a broodmare prospect, this year offers a trio of fillies-in-training who...

Over 300 colts and fillies have been nominated to the first edition of the four-race juvenile Arqana Series, and those fees plus Arqana's €500,000 contribution have increased the total prize-money for the races reserved for Thoroughbreds born in 2021 from €1.2 million to €1.5 million. A total of €1.36 million will be distributed to the owners and €140,000 will be allocated to the vendors of the winning horses. Prize-money will be dispersed from first to fifth place. The four races will be held on Aug. 17--the €200,000 Arqana Series des...

A trio of graded stakes preps in Florida, California and New York yielded a reshuffled deck this past weekend as we edge within the two-month mark for the May 6 GI Kentucky Derby. 1) FORTE (c, Violence--Queen Caroline, by Blame) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Repole Stable & St. Elias Stable; B-South Gate Farm (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $110,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt, MGISW, 6-5-0-0, $1,833,230. Last start: Won GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park Mar. 4. KY Derby Points: 90....

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's divisional champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) leads a total of 369 3-year-olds eligible to compete in this year's Triple Crown series after the early nomination phase closed Saturday, Jan. 28. Each of the 369 sophomores, which are comprised of 367 colts and two fillies (Hoosier Philly [Into Mischief] and Julia Shining [Curlin]), were made eligible through a $600 payment and may compete in any leg of the Triple Crown series, pending other eligibility requirements. The early nominations included 57 more horses (18.2%)...

G2 Prix du Petite Couvert heroine and G1 Prix de l'Abbaye-placed Air De Valse (Fr) (Mesnil des Aigles {Fr}) (lot 51) is one of 356 lots in Arqana's February Sale catalogue which was released on Friday. Slated for 11 a.m. local time on Feb. 14-15, the sale features horses-in-training on the Flat and over jumps, maidens, broodmares, stores, 2-year-olds, and yearlings. There are also five wild card slots available, three for horses-in-training and two for the breeding stock portion. Joining Air De Valse, is winning debut hurdler Marvin Flight (Fr)...

Charlie Appleby, fresh off two consecutive UK trainers' titles,  will have a host of stars to go to war with in 2023, among them Godolphin's undefeated G2 Gimcrack S. hero Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The son of listed winner and Group 3-placed Eartha Kitt (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), named a 'TDN Rising Star' off his winning debut at Ascot in May, is earmarked for the G3 Greenham S. in April, before a possible bid for G1 2000 Guineas glory in May. He said, "Noble Style has not been seen since...

The Arqana Summer Sale in Deauville, featuring 488 lots, will be held from June 30-July 1. Catalogued are 93 2-year-olds in pre-training, 143 2- and 3-year-old stores, 145 horses-in-training and 107 fillies and mares. Flat-bred 2-year-olds will canter at Deauville Racecourse at 1 p.m. local time on June 29. The next day, those Flat-bred 2-year-olds and stores will begin selling at 11 a.m. The breeding stock and horses-in-training session will begin at 11 a.m. on July 1. Previous sale alumni include the globetrotting Group 1 winner Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper),...

Steve Asmussen looks to take his sixth renewal of the GIII Chick Lang S.--and third straight--Saturday at Pimlico with Cogburn (Not This Time). Graduating at second asking at Churchill Downs in September, he kicked off his sophomore season on a winning note with a decisive optional claimer score at Oaklawn Mar. 25. He came up a neck short of re-opposing Whelen Springs (Street Sense) last time in that venue's Bachelor S. Apr. 30. That Arkansas-bred rival took five tries to break his maiden, finally doing so against other locals in...