Air Force Blue

Barring his disastrous start in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile last fall, Annapolis has been the picture of consistency throughout his career--never placing worse than second in seven prior starts dating back to Sept. 2021. The 'TDN Rising Star' earned success at the highest level with his win in the GI Coolmore Turf Mile S. leading into that Breeders' Cup, where a missed break derailed his race. Despite an awkward beginning to Thursday's feature race at Churchill, Annapolis was able to establish good stalking position in sixth, content to sit...

4th-Gulfstream, $53,000, Msw, 2-13, 3yo, f, 1m 70y (AWT) (off turf), 1:45.10, ft, head. AMERICAN HEROINE (f, 3, War Front--Chatham {MSP, $156,431}, by Maria's Mon) debuted on the turf at this venue Jan. 2 without Lasix, producing a closing kick which carried her five wide into the lane but also to third place within a length of winning. With this race coming off the turf, she broke well and secured a forward position as the 8-5 chalk. The $1.05 million KEESEP score glued herself to the early lead from second...

European champion 2-year-old Air Force Blue (War Front--Chatham, by Maria's Mon) has been acquired by Pegasus Farm in South Korea, according to a report in the Blood-Horse. From two crops of racing age, Air Force Blue is responsible for five black-type winners, including Astronomer, who won Del Mar's Qatar Golden Mile S. on the Breeders' Cup Friday undercard; and Canadian Classic winner Haddassah, who captured Fort Erie's Prince of Wales S. Air Force Blue, bred in Kentucky by Stone Farm, brought $490,000 from Magnier, Tabor and Smith at the 2014...

1st-AQU, $80k, Msw, 3yo/up, 1mT, post time: 11:50 a.m. ET Stone Farm homebred WAR FIGHTER (War Front), a full-brother to European champion 2-year-old and young Coolmore sire Air Force Blue, kicks off his career over the Aqueduct lawn for Graham Motion. The dark bay posted a pair of bullets at Fair Hill for this, including a four-furlong spin in :48 (1/6) over the all-weather Nov. 15. Chatham (Maria's Mon)'s 2020 War Front colt brought $1 million from Lynnhaven Racing at this year's Keeneland September Sale. TJCIS PPs 5th-AQU, $80k, Msw,...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's observations features a half-brother to G1 Prix Saint-Alary victrix Siyarafina (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}). 17.05 Saint-Cloud, Mdn, €27,000, unraced 3yo, c/g, 8fT His Highness The Aga Khan's SIYAZANN (FR) (Golden Horn {GB}) is a half-brother to G1 Prix Saint-Alary victrix Siyarafina (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) and debuts for the Alain...

This is the second half of the latest instalment in our ongoing survey of covering options for the new breeding season. The first part can be read here. UPSTART (Flatter--Party Silks, by Touch Gold) was cleverly named and I think him a very plausible type, likely to rise pretty quickly through the ranks. Certainly there were more than enough "nouveaux riches" among his first juveniles--only Not This Time exceeded his 19 winners (from 54 starters)--for him to be pegged at $10,000 by Airdrie. His principal earner was Reinvestment Risk, who...

An undefeated Mark Casse pair and a well-bet first-out winner from the Kevin Attard barn headline a nine-horse renewal of the GIII Grey S. Sunday at Woodbine. D J Stable's Helium (Ironicus) debuted an impressive 3 1/4-length victor going seven furlongs on the local Tapeta Sept. 27 and validated that try with a 4 1/4-length score as the favorite in the Display S. here Oct. 18. The other half of the Casse contingent is Breeze Easy's Easy Time (Not This Time). Backed to 7-5 in his unveiling over seven main-track...

by Brian DiDonato, Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY--A Tapit filly out of GISW Embellish the Lace (Super Saver) topped the opening session of Keeneland's September yearling sale on a $1.25-million bid by Claiborne Farm's Bernie Sams. The bay was consigned to the auction as hip 149 by Bluewater Sales LLC, Agent XVI, on behalf of breeder China Horse Club. While stringent COVID-19 protocols put in place to allow the world's largest yearling sale to be held at all may have dulled some of the electricity typically felt in...

Friday's card at The Curragh sees the Niarchos family's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) getting back down to business in the G3 Snow Fairy Fillies S. Last seen finishing sixth in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas here June 13, the homebred who was also successful in the G2 Airlie Stud S. and fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf during last term was jarred up during the mile Classic and has been found an ideal reintroduction by Jessie Harrington. "It's a comeback race, so...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features the second foal out of the ill-fated Classic winner Just The Judge. 12.45 Newmarket, Mdn, £10,000, 2yo, 7fT NASH NASHA (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is one of three Godolphin representatives here but the most significant on breeding as a daughter of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-BEL, $64K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:50 p.m. Wesley Ward has a pair of Keeneland-based juveniles entered in this spot. Breeze Easy's Roderick (Into Mischief) was a $550,000 KEESEP yearling and is a full-brother to two-turn GSW One Liner. He hails from the extended female family of highest-level winners Albertus Maximus, Daredevil and King Charlemagne. Roderick's stablemate Copley (Air Force Blue) is from a Ned Evans family that includes the likes of Grade I winners Swagger Jack and Malibu Prayer. Winfromwithin (Into Mischief), just a...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's Insights features a half-brother to Group 1 winner Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy). 1.00 Fairyhouse, Mdn, €24,000, 2yo, 6fT GIORGIO VASARI (IRE) (Air Force Blue) is a half-brother to Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy), who captured the G1 Phoenix S and G2 Norfolk S. as a juvenile and now stands...