American Pharoah

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency EXPENSIVE DAUGHTER OF JACARANDA DEBUTS AT THE SPA 3rd-SAR, $72K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 2:20 p.m. Peter Brant went to $925,000 at KEESEP for AMERICAN WEST (Curlin), the second foal and first to make the races out of GSW Jacaranda (Congrats), who makes her career bow in this test. Jon Clay's Alpha Delta Stable went to $2 million to acquire Jacaranda, in foal to Candy Ride (Arg), at the 2016 FTKNOV sale. The Grade III winner is a half-sister to MGISW and hot young sire...

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." Erich Brehm is quoting Mike Tyson. He knows how it might look, from the outside: this charmed, clockwork progress from one fairytale to the next. Texas Red (Afleet Alex) cost just $17,000 as a yearling and--racing for Brehm, trainer Keith Desormeaux and a bunch of pals--won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile of 2014 by 6 1/2 lengths. Upon his retirement to stud, Brehm bought Texas Red a mare for $21,000. The resulting foal, My Girl Red, pulverized her opponents...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-MTH, $47.5K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, post time: 1:15 p.m. ET St Elias Stables and West Point Thoroughbreds homebred Graceful Fancy (Liam's Map) is out of the super-talented Icon Project (Empire Maker), who earned a gaudy 114 Beyer Speed Figure for a 13 1/2-length romp in the 2009 GI Personal Ensign S. at Saratoga. Already the dam of Grade II winner Fashion Business (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Icon Project was a 1.45-million gns RNA in foal to Dubawi (Ire) at the 2015 Tattersalls December Mare...

You didn't know? Sure they do, every Travers weekend. All the Bluegrass stallions. They get together for a few bourbons at the country club, compare notes on the covering season. And it's not like the officers' mess, where no gentleman would bandy a lady's name. They guffaw when they discover that some notoriously ornery mare was sent to a naïve new subscriber; they drool enviously when one of the senior members reveals that he was favored with a visit from that gorgeous maiden who topped a session at the November...

The advent of Twitter over the last decade or so has made racing results quickly accessible to fans and observers anywhere in the world, so much so that it seems that a greater number of people in the U.S. are more familiar with European racing than ever before. Back when I was a kid, we'd have to wait for the Blood-Horse magazine to arrive in the mail to scan the 10-day old European results in the agate type in the back pages. Now, we get a video of a race...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency SON OF INTERRUPTED DEBUTS AT ELLIS 7th-ELP, $37K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 4:40p.m. COMMITTED (More Than Ready), a $325,000 KEESEP purchase by Tracy Farmer, makes his career bow at Ellis Friday for Mark Casse. The dark bay is the first foal out of MSW & GSP Interrupted (Broken Vow), who is a daughter of MSW & MGSP Alternate (Seattle Slew). Interrupted, who was purchased by Jane Lyon for $575,000 in foal to Distorted Humor at the 2018 KEENOV sale, is a half-sister to GISW Higher...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Niigata and Sapporo Racecourses, including the racecourse debut of a well-related son of Tapit: Saturday, August 2, 2020 7th-NII, ¥14,360,000 ($137k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1800m NILE RIVER (c, 3, American Pharoah--Jeweliana, by Smart Strike), a $235K Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling turned $775K...

10th-Saratoga, $72,000, Msw, 7-29, 3yo/up, f/m, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.63, fm. ZERO TO SIXTY (f, 3, American Pharoah--Cat Moves {GISW, $315,350}, by Tale of the Cat) eased out to 7-1 after being as low as 5-1 and kicked it in an eighth of a mile from home to graduate in sparkling fashion in the Wednesday finale from Saratoga. Drawn widest in the field of nine, the $320,000 Keeneland September was beaten for speed and raced in the latter half of the field for the opening furlong before advancing outside into midpack...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-RELATED JUVENILES DEBUT AT THE SPA 5th-SAR, $72K, Msw, 2yo, 5fT, 3:28p.m. Wesley Ward unveils Breeze Easy's $290,000 KEESEP purchase OUTADORE (Outwork) in this turf sprint. Out of SP Adore You (Tactical Cat), the gray is a half to SW & MGISP Piedi Bianchi (Overanalyze) and SW Mine Reader (Gemologist). American Gentleman (American Pharoah) also makes his career bow in this spot. The $240,000 KEESEP buy is out of a half-sister to GISW Connect (Curlin) and MSW Tani Maru (Cherokee Run). Shug McGaughey saddles another...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Just two tracks on the menu for the weekend, but American-bred and -sired juveniles are set to make their presence felt at Niigata and Sapporo Racecourses: Saturday, July 25, 2020 5th-NII, ¥13,400,000 ($125k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600mT REFRAME (f, 2, American Pharoah--Careless Jewel, by Tapit) is the latest to the races from...

For the third time in as many years, Friday's Goresbridge Breeze Up will have a different home. Originally developed and hosted by Martin Donohoe's Kilkenny-based auction house, the sale merged with Tattersalls Ireland last year with proceedings transferring successfully to County Meath. Another switch, this one not of the strategic kind rather more out of necessity, sees the action move across the water to Tattersalls in Newmarket as the sale, originally slated for two months previously, bids to make up for lost time. Between additional wildcards and withdrawals around 150...

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. Thursday's Insights features a daughter of G1 Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). 1.00 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, f, 8fT NICEST (IRE) (American Pharoah) is a daughter of the G1 Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) who debuts for the Tabor/Smith/Magnier axis and Donnacha O'Brien. A half-sister...