Army Mule

Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) backed up his big-figure Ellis Park maiden win with a dominating performance in Saturday's GII Saratoga Special S. After bumping into 'TDN Rising Star' Edified (Tapit) at the start, the even-money favorite sat in the garden spot in an outside joint third through an opening quarter in :22.18. He loomed up with authority while three wide approaching the quarter pole and blew the race apart from there, running up the score in the stretch to win by 9 1/2 lengths. Longshot Market Street (Street Boss) was second....

Trading in horsepower is second nature to Nathan McCauley. For many years his father Ron owned a big Toyota franchise in Lexington, and McCauley showed a precocious flair for the same game when opening his own dealerships in Tennessee. And since quitting automobiles for Thoroughbreds, McCauley has discovered a couple of niches largely unexplored by those horsemen whose own transitions, from one generation to the next, tend merely to consolidate familiar commercial conventions. In fact, since opening River Oak Farm for business in 2019, he reckons to have bought and...

Since finishing third against open maidens on Parx debut May 6, it's been nothing but blue skies for Captain Courtney (Army Mule) and the bay made light work of her first stakes assignment in Monday's Malvern Rose S. at Presque Isle Downs. Just slightly beaten for speed as Scottish Symphony (Mendelssohn) led from the bell, the $90,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic breezer settled nicely towards the inside and appeared loaded as they neared the stretch. Switched out to deliver her challenge, the response was almost immediate, as she swamped the pacesetter outside...

5th-Belmont, $90,000, Msw, 7-9, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:05.64, ft, 3 lengths. HAUL (c, 2, Army Mule--Western Kitty, by Western Fame), installed the 6-5 choice first up for trainer Todd Pletcher, was sent in pursuit of Ridgewood Runner (Klimt), who three down an opening quarter in :22.85. Pulling on even terms with the pacesetter passing the quarter pole, the bay forged to a clear advantage and proved best late to hold Ridgewood Runner safe by three lengths. Devil's Playground (Into Mischief) was a distant third. The victory marked the third win...

1st-Churchill Downs, $95,885, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 5-6, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 1:16.08, ft, 1 length. FEDERAL JUDGE (c, 3, Army Mule--Congarette, by Congaree) impressed in his unveiling over a quick six furlongs at Oaklawn Apr. 1, nearly going gate-to-wire in route to a 4 1/2-length win and a 97 Beyer Speed Figure. The narrow 8-5 favorite over returning 'TDN Rising Star' Extra Anejo (Into Mischief), the bay sat just off early pacesetter Olazabal (Bolt d'Oro) through a quick opening quarter in :22.09 before pouncing between rivals to take command into...

8th-AQU, $84K, OC, 4yo/up, 1m, 5:06 p.m. ZANDON (Upstart), last seen running fourth Dec. 3 in the GI Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, returns to the scene on Saturday in this spot for owner Jeff Drown. Receiving Lasix for the first time, the Chad Brown trainee will be ridden by Flavien Prat and will leave from gate two. Zandon's 3-year-old campaign included a victory in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S., and a pair of third-place finishes in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Runhappy Travers S. His dam Memories Prevail...

Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) and Wet Paint (Blame) weren't the only 3-year-olds to impress on Oaklawn Park's loaded GI Arkansas Derby program. WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's Federal Judge (c, 3, Army Mule--Congarette, by Congaree) announced his presence with authority on the undercard, kicking off his career for trainer Rodolphe Brisset with a razor sharp, front-running performance, good for a flashy 97 Beyer Speed Figure. He broke sharply from post five beneath Ricardo Santana, Jr. and quickly cleared his six rivals, including a trio of older horses, at debut...

NBS Stable and Elements Racing LLC's Danse Macabre (Army Mule) was making her seasonal debut at a juicy quote of 12-1 in Saturday's GIII Herecomesthebride S. at Gulfstream Park and fought her way to the wire to become the first graded winner for her successful young sire (by Friesan Fire) with a defeat of the U.S.-debuting Papilio (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). Stretching out to a route of ground for the first time and visiting the races for the first time since checking in third as the favorite in the GIII Matron...

Today we finally come to a group that has at least had some initial opportunity to show whether or not they can replicate their own racing prowess. By the same token, of course, this means that their level of support--which in many cases will already have declined through each preceding year, as racetrack exposure draws perilously closer--may now fall off a cliff. If the stampede to unproven sires is ludicrous, then so is the haste with which they are abandoned. Stallions whose stock should plainly be granted time to mature...

Recruiter kept his unbeaten record in tact and earned a second stakes win with his 2 3/4-length victory in the slop in the Parx Juvenile S. Tuesday in Pennsylvania. The 6-5 favorite broke sharply only to have a trio of challengers rush up on his inside to contest the early fractions, putting the favorite in a tracking position while parked out four wide down the backstretch. He moved up to engage Winning Time approaching the stretch and those two unbeaten colts went toe to toe before Recruiter put that foe...

Fresh off her gate-to-wire maiden-breaking score in her third career start at Del Mar Nov. 13, Broadway Girls, given an unconvincing 16-1 chance for her stakes debut, showed a similar burst of speed to wire the field in Friday's Blue Norther S. Ridden hard to the front from her middle gate by jockey Edwin Maldonado, Broadway Girls was joined on her outside by Pleasant Wave (More Than Ready) into the first turn before assuming solo command through an opening quarter set in :22.79. Going easily on lead while chased by...

It is beginning to feel as ingrained a New Year ritual as the concert in Vienna: the raising of a toast not just to another record year for Into Mischief, but to the way his reign has become an apt symbol of our times. After all, the whole point of marking the turn of a year-it's just another leaf in the calendar, really, just one more sunrise in the indefinite (but never infinite!) sequence we are apportioned-is to take a step back and see whether we can discern a fresh...