Always Dreaming

Nobody should have been to surprised when Tarifa (Bernardini) won Saturday's GII Mother Goose S. at the Belmont at the Big A meet, turning the tables on the favored Gun Song (Gun Runner). The same goes for Saturday's GII Fayette S. at Keeneland, won by the Cox-trained Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}). Starting one month ago, on Sept. 27, he's been on a tear, winning 12 of the 17 (70 % percent) stakes races he has entered in. Overall, Cox is 20-for-63 (32%) for the month of October. He ran...

There's virtually no chance that Vinnie Viola would have bought a horse like Rated by Merit (Battalion Runner) at the sales. That's where he goes every year to spend big bucks in search of a star. At this year's Keeneland September sale alone, Viola bought 18 horses for $9.1 million. Rated by Merit is undefeated at 3-for-3 after winning Saturday's Affirmed S., the second leg in Gulfstream's series for 2-year-olds by Florida-based sires. An overachiever, he is by a stallion who stands for $2,500 and out a mare who was...

7th-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f, 3:25 p.m. ET. ALL THE FEELS (Into Mischief) was produced in-house at Spendthrift Farm and will make her first start for trainer Todd Pletcher. GSW Positive Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) joined the farm's broodmare band after she was acquired for $1.5 million at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale and has handed All the Feels a pair of full-siblings. The Spa debut runner's GSW/GISP second dam is also responsible for GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) and GI Spinaway Stakes heroine Hot Dixie...

Always Dreaming (Bodemeister--Above Perfection, by In Excess {Ire}), the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner, has been purchased to continue his stud career in Oklahoma at River Oaks Farm. He will join resident stallions Revved Up, Caleb's Posse, Wilburn, and Excaper. In a deal brokered by Chad Schumer, Always Dreaming ranks sixth behind Justify, Good Magic, etc. and ahead of Bolt d'Oro, Collected, Mo Town, etc. He previously stood at WinStar Farm in Kentucky. In three crops of racing age, he has sired 83 winners, including last season's GI Pennsylvania Derby winner...

When the IEAH stable partnership closed down in 2013, it seemed like the sport had seen the last of its founder, Michael Iavarone. But after four years on the sidelines Iavarone returned as the solo owner of a small group of horses in 2017. Since, he has built his stable into a top outfit, as evidenced by the fact that he will have a starter in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational in O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) and in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational in Master Piece (Chi) (Mastercraftsman...

FMQ Stables' Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) bossed his five overmatched rivals from the front to take out Saturday's GIII Louisiana S. at the Fair Grounds, a perfect lead-up into the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh in five weeks' time . Appearing for the first time since weakening to 10th behind the Saudi Cup-bound White Abarrio (Race Day) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic 11 weeks back, the odds-on pop won the break from gate three and set the pace into the first turn as Tenacious...

The Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to all its supporters that have contributed to the charity that assists young people starting off in the bloodstock business. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, the foundation commenced its activities just three years ago in memory of County Clare native Gerry Dilger whose Dromoland Farm specialized in successful sales pinhooks and an elite breeding operation with great partners that produced consecutive Kentucky Derby winners Nyquist (Uncle Mo) and Always Dreaming (Bodemeister). However, Gerry was equally renowned as...

For the connections of 11 3-year-olds, the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on Saturday represents a last-ditch effort to pick up an elusive Derby win and while it's not the Derby win most started out the year in search of, the $1 million purse, Grade I status and strong history of past winners makes it a coveted race to win nonetheless. Since Hall of Famer Woody Stephens trained Smarten (Cyane) to earn the inaugural Pennsylvania Derby trophy in 1979, a number of good 3-year-olds have also emerged from the nine-furlong...

Anthony Manganaro, the innovative chairman and co-owner of Siena Farm who enjoyed success at the top levels of the racing and breeding businesses, passed away at his summer residence in Saratoga Sunday. One of the co-owners of Flightline (Tapit) and a former member of the Breeders' Cup Board, Manganaro was 79. "Anthony was a great partner," said WinStar Farm President and CEO Elliott Walden. "He had bought in on most of our racehorses over the last few years. He was a man who was never satisfied with the status quo....

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's champion Forte (Violence) just got up to nail the pacesetting Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) by a nose and had to survive a stewards' inquiry in a roughly run renewal of Saturday's GII Jim Dandy S. in the Saratoga slop. Racing with blinkers for the first time, the 3-4 favorite traveled kindly on the inside in third beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. as Saudi Crown led the field of five through fractions of :23.93 and :48.10. All dressed up with nowhere to go approaching the quarter...

Ellis Park will host its first Grade I race in its 100-year history Saturday, but there are plenty of other graded stakes scheduled before the Fourth of July at Belmont Park, Delaware Park, Woodbine Racetrack and Gulfstream Park. Here's a rundown of what's on tap. Showdown in Belmont's Dwyer One of two graded stakes on Saturday in Elmont is the GIII Dwyer S. Going a mile, the race pits Fort Bragg (Tapit), who was forced to scratch from the GI Woody Stephens S. by trainer Bob Baffert when the 3-year-old...

6th-Gulfstream, $43,000, Msw, 6-9, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:16.63, gd, 7 3/4 lengths. SECOND I D (c, 3, Maclean's Music--Cowboytakemeaway, by Street Cry {Ire}), the most highly regarded of the first-time starters taking on a field of more experienced maidens at odds of 7-2, pressured Mighty Miracle (Chitu) for the lead through an opening quarter in :22.39. As that rival began to grow weary around the turn, Second I D had plenty left and responded nicely when asked, clearing off down the stretch to hit the wire alone 7 3/4 lengths...