Brad Cox

With the team at Juddmonte still "floating on air" after a pair of wins on Breeders' Cup Saturday, the blue-blooded Mullion (c, 3, Into Mischief--Brooch, by Empire Maker) added to a banner weekend for the international operation with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Churchill Downs Nov. 5. Sidelined for more than 14 months following a strong debut second--beaten just a nose--going six furlongs at Ellis Park in late August of his 2-year-old season, the full-brother to promoted GI Kentucky Derby winner and Juddmonte stallion Mandaloun proved well worth the...

Barry and Joni Butzow, who bred and race graded-stakes winning 'TDN Rising Star' Zozos (Munnings), are the recipients of the 2023 John Deere Award, which recognizes breeders who were represented in this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships and the Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' Challenge series over the course of the year. The Deere Award winner was determined by a drawing among all breeders who either won a Breeders' Cup race or a Challenge series race. NTRA Advantage and John Deere will award the Butzows a John Deere Gator...

Warrant (Constitution--Whisper Number, by First Samurai), winner of the 2021 GIII Oklahoma Derby and narrowly defeated into second in the GI Santa Anita H. the following spring, has been retired from racing and will enter stud in 2024 at Blackstone Farm in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania. He will begin his stud career at a fee of $4,000 S&N terms. A homebred for Twin Creeks Farm and trained by Brad Cox, Warrant won the 2021 Texas Derby and was runner-up in the GIII West Virginia Derby before winning the Remington feature by...

The annual Thanksgiving weekend "Stars of Tomorrow" card at Churchill Downs is designed to highlight aspiring 2-year-olds right before they launch into their sophomore seasons. An intriguing subplot to this year's edition, however, put the spotlight on several human rather than equine participants who could be on the cusp of bigger and better things. Eighteen-year-old jockey Axel Concepcion just might be on his way to winning an Eclipse Award as the nation's top apprentice for 2023 despite not starting racing at American mainland tracks until Feb. 19 and also having...

Having come out on the losing side of a couple of tight photos in graded-stakes company earlier this season, BBN Racing's Trademark (Upstart) was finally on the winning end of things Friday after dropping his nose down on the line just ahead of 'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense) in the GII Clark S. at Churchill Downs. The consistent Il Miracolo (Gun Runner) was a distant third. The 13-1 chance, drawn five in a field reduced to nine by the scratching of Happy American (Runhappy), Trademark broke cleanly and...

Churchill Downs will host two Grade III races to go with your turkey and gravy Thursday, while Del Mar will add its own graded event for dessert. The GIII Cardinal S. opens the holiday action in Louisville with a field of seven fillies and mares expected to go nine furlongs over the Churchill turf. CHP Racing's Saffron Moon (Malibu Moon), the 2-1 morning-line favorite, is making her first start against stakes company for trainer Chad Brown. The 4-year-old has three wins in four turf appearances and is coming off a...

While there may have been a few unanswered questions heading into Sunday's seventh race at Churchill Downs, there seemed to be none afterward. Installed the second betting choice behind the 7-5 choice, GISP Be You (Curlin), Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) completely dismantled his competition with seemingly little effort, cruising home an eye-catching 10 1/4-length winner while stamping himself a TDN Rising Star in the process. Sent screaming to the front in the blink of an eye, the 9-5 chance cut out an opening quarter in :23.83 and a half in :47.93....

Bidding through his bloodstock agent Jacob West, Mike Repole went to $1.4 million to acquire the dual graded winner and Grade I-placed Interstatedaydream (Classic Empire). Cataloged as hip 201 and consigned to the Keeneland November Sale by Four Star Sale, the Ontario-bred was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect. Trained by Brad Cox for owner Staton Flurry's Flurry Racing Stables, was third to champion Nest (Curlin) in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. and won the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. and GIII Indiana Oaks as a 3-year-old in 2022...

Juddmonte homebred MULLION (c, 3, Into Mischief-Brooch, by Empire Maker) made a triumphant return to the races Sunday to graduate in 'Rising Star' style at Churchill Downs. The full-brother to fellow 'Rising Star' and Juddmonte stallion Mandaloun raced just once as a juvenile but was denied the win by the slimmest of margins at Ellis Park last August. Un-raced since that start, Mullion got back on track for trainer Brad Cox with a tour de force over a over-matched Churchill field. Squeezed just slightly at the break, the son of...

In 2022, Hill 'n' Dale's super sire Curlin got a record-setting three winners on Saturday's Breeders' Cup card. In 2023, the remarkable sire equaled that as Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic (Curlin--Lockdown, by First Defence) gave her sire a hard-fought victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff sandwiched between the encore wins by Cody's Wish in the GI Dirt Mile earlier on the card and Elite Power later in the GI Sprint. Idiomatic, who has had a stellar year with eight wins from nine starts, has almost certainly sewn up the Eclipse...

West Sunset (f, 2, West Coast--Vindicated Ghost, by Vindication) didn't let the Kentucky rain slow her down en route to a stylish coast-to-coast victory in a sloppy rendition of the Rags to Riches S. beneath the Twin Spires. Coming into the race with a neck victory over a fast main track at this venue Sept. 16 after being forced to close from the back of the field, she took a diametrically opposed trip here, immediately establishing a clear lead right from the jump. Well in hand on a loose lead...

3rd-Churchill Downs, $122,250, Msw, 10-29, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.83, sy, 1 length. COASTAL INVASION (f, 2, Omaha Beach--Intelyhente, by Smart Strike) went off favored at even money and broke right to the front to show the way through a :21.97 opening quarter over the slop. Kept off the rail in the clear, she took on a challenge from eventual runner up Blue Squall (Tapwrit) at the top of the lane and dueled that rival into defeat close to home to graduate at first asking by a length. A $700,000 OBSAPR...