American Pharoah

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 three-day weekend, which features the resumption of racing at Tokyo and at Hanshin: Saturday, October 8, 2022 4th-TOK, ¥13,400,000 ($92k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1300m GRAN PHARAOH (c, 2, American Pharoah--Sweet Tooth Sweety, by Smarty Jones) was bought back on a bid of $120,000 at...

Group 1 winner Above The Curve (American Pharoah--Fabulous {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) made it back-to-back scores with a gritty effort in the G2 Moyglare 'Jewels' Blandford S. at the Curragh on Sunday. The Joseph O'Brien-trained 'TDN Rising Star' had won the G1 St Mark's Basilica Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary at ParisLongchamp on May 29 in her previous start. Caught out wide without cover in midpack early as 70-1 longshot Emphatic Answer (Ire) (No Nay Never) led the way, Above The Curve improved under her own power to fourth with seven furlongs...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-DMR, $80K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, post time: 5:00 p.m. ET Of the 94 first-crop yearlings by Good Magic reported as sold in 2021 (110 ring), no horse cost more than REINCARNATE, who gets his career going at what has been a soggy Del Mar over the weekend. The Apr. 1 foal, a $775,000 purchase out of last year's Keeneland September sale, is out of the stakes-winning Allanah (Scat Daddy), who was acquired by Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm for $105,000 in foal to Street Boss...

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 Chukyo Racecourse: Saturday, September 10, 2022 3rd-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($93k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400mT ECORO DIANA (f, 2, More Than Ready--Nutcracker Suite {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a $75,000 Keeneland September purchase, improved into a $200,000 OBS March juvenile after breezing her...

Was Flightline's Pacific Classic the best performance since Secretariat's Belmont (as Bill Finley asked in The Week in Review in Monday's TDN)? Although it was great, the obvious answer is no, because we have witnessed many incredible races over the last nearly 50 years. But comparing and contrasting racehorses (and their best performances), and wondering how they stack up against each other, is part of what makes horse racing exciting and interesting. Secretariat's stupendous effort in the last leg of the Triple Crown was very likely the best performance by...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-DMR, $80K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, post time: 4:00 p.m. ET Michael Petersen and Willow Grace Farm, who campaign last year's GI Del Mar Debutante winner Grace Adler (Curlin) in partnership, team up for the Sunday opener at Del Mar with $950K Keeneland September acquisition CARLA (Medaglia d'Oro). The February foal is the first produce from Naples Princess (Distorted Humor), a full-sister to SW Banker's Buy and a half to SW City Dweller (Carson City) and SW Glacken's Gal (Smoke Glacken), the dam of...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - Here we are on the final weekend of the Saratoga season and--no surprise--D. Wayne Lukas is ready to take swings in both of the historic Grade I races for 2-year-olds. The Hall of Fame trainer, who turned 87 Friday, will saddle Holy Cow Stable's Naughty Gal (Into Mischief) Sunday in the GI Spinaway S. The next afternoon, Lukas will send out BC Stable's Bourbon Bash (City of Light) and Western Ghent (American Pharoah) in the GI Hopeful, the final stake of the 154th season of Saratoga...

1st-Kentucky Downs, $156,000, Msw, 9-1, 2yo, f, 6 1/2fT, 1:16.89, fm, 4 1/2 lengths. CARNABY STREET (f, 2, American Pharoah--Sloane Square {GSP}, by Giant's Causeway), favored at 7-5 in the opening event of the meet, settled patiently and stalked from good position in third behind the leading pair of Master Som (Mastery) and Fabulosity (Exaggerator). With a ton of run but little room, she waited for a break to open between rivals down the stretch, split them into the final furlong, and easily cleared late to score by 4 1/2...

MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah), a powerful wire-to-wire winner of the GII San Vicente S. Jan. 29 and GII San Felipe S. Mar. 5, could return to action against older horses in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. Oct. 1. Knocked off the Triple Crown trail after finishing last of six as the favorite after setting a fast pace in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Apr. 9, the chestnut has posted three breezes since returning to the worktab in August, most recently firing a four-furlong...

1st-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 11:35 a.m. EDT The star-studded GI Runhappy Travers S. day card kicks off with a pair of juveniles events, starting with this main track sprint. VERIFYING (Justify), a $775,000 KEESEP acquisition by the Coolmore contingent, is one of the most intriguing firsters in this event. The Brad Cox pupil is out of GSW Diva Delite (Repent), who summoned $1.2 million with this colt in utero at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. That makes Verifying a half-sibling to champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), who brought $5-million...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:39 p.m. Making her first start Thursday for trainer Wesley Ward, PLAYLIST (Uncle Mo) was a $400,000 KEESEP yearling purchase for Coolmore's M. V. Magnier. Out of the GISP Bon Jovi Girl (Malibu Moon), herself a half-sister to champion older horse & sire Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) and a $950,000 pick up for Denali Stud from the 2010 Keeneland January Horses of all Ages Sale, Playlist is a half-sister to GSW You're To Blame (Distorted Humor)....

6th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 3:55 p.m. ET RARIFY (Justify), a half-sister to champion sprinter Runhappy (Super Saver), looks to go one better at second asking here. The $750,000 KEESEP graduate set the pace and reported home second-best as the even-money favorite on debut for Wesley Ward at Saratoga July 24. Godolphin homebred Spelterini (Bernardini) also completed the exacta on debut at the Spa July 14 (Second Chances series), rallying smartly to finish a length ahead of next-out blowout winner Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke). The field also includes...