Brendan Walsh

The respective winners from Friday's GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile--Citizen Bull (Into Mischief)--and the GI NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies--Immersive (Nyquist), will look down the road to their 3-year-old seasons with the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks the target. Trainer Bob Baffert said he knew that Citizen Bull was ready to take on the field at Del Mar, but all week he was careful to not tip his hand too much. His experience with 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic), who skipped the Derby and scratched because of...

A race after running into a 'TDN Rising Star' at Keeneland, Quantum Burst (Munnings) will now be the running line for many horses after she overwhelmed this maiden field to take home her own TDN Stamp of Approval Saturday evening. Said fellow 'Rising Star' was Winstar Farm's Impulse Buy (Speightstown), who also earned the moniker at second asking at their mutual Keeneland start Oct. 5 at this distance. Once that one got to the lead, she never looked back, beating Quantum Burst by 11 lengths on the line. Swapping barns...

3rd-Keeneland, $99,588, Msw, 10-26, 2yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:50.66, fm, nose. EL JOURY (f, 2, Medaglia d'Oro--Up {Ire} {MGSW-Ire, G1SP-Fr, $379,468}, by Galileo {Ire}), who placed sixth on debut Aug. 19 at Ellis Park and sixth Sept. 11 at Kentucky Downs, both races going a mile, found her footing at third-asking with blinkers on for the first time here. Sent off a chilly 13-1 carrying the Shadwell colors for her 1 1/8-mile journey, the Brendan Walsh-trainee did not allow the pacesetter too far from her sight as she tracked that...

3-year-old fillies will go one mile on the turf for Friday's $350,000 GII Valley View Stakes at Keeneland in the penultimate weekend before the Breeders' Cup. Last year, in its first rendition run at one mile (the race was previously held going 1 1/16 miles), Chad Brown's Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}) spring-boarded from victory into becoming a next-out Grade I winner in the Dec. 3 GI Matriarch Stakes. A full field of 12 (along with four also-eligibles) will look to do the same. Morning-line favoritism lies with the Christophe Clement-trained...

   Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country.   NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the HIWU "pending" and "resolved" cases portals.   Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 10/22/2024 Licensee: Filiberto Quiroz, trainer Penalty: Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty...

Expectations were high for the three Grade I preps for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile run Saturday as the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, the GI Champagne Stakes and the GI American Pharoah Stakes all included horses who seemed to have vast potential. And most came through. Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) was the star performer in the Champagne, staying undefeated and adding a second Grade I to win to his resume. In the American Pharoah it all came down, as it so often does, to which Bob Baffert would win, and the...

Godolphin homebred East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro), tabbed as a 'TDN Rising Star' following a runaway debut victory sprinting with an 86 Beyer Speed Figure at Ellis Park Aug. 24, romped in front-running fashion by a geared-down 5 1/2 lengths while making his two-turn debut in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland. Favored 'Rising Star' Ferocious (Flatter), a $1.3-million OBS March breezer and runner-up behind unbeaten GI Champagne Stakes winner Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) in the GI Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga Sept. 2, was second-best after an...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack handicaps Saturday's GIII Iroquois Stakes and GIII Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs. GIII Pocahontas (Race 8) - Pretty Sure (#6) broke her maiden like a filly with a future, making a sustained four-wide rally on the far turn en route to a dominating come-from-behind debut score for Brendan Walsh going six furlongs at Ellis Park Aug. 25. She obviously lacks seasoning and faces a very tough group in this deep renewal of the Pocahontas--headed by deserving favorite Kimchi Cat (#13)--for just her second career...

The seven-day Kentucky Downs meet set another record for wagering, totaling $90,181,408 and up eight percent over last year, according to a press release from the track late Wednesday. That included a single-day record of $21,184,941 on the Saturday, Sept. 7 card featuring six graded stakes worth $2 million for Kentucky-breds ($1 million for others). As for the meet's leaders, jockey Tyler Gaffalione finished with nine wins, to pull even with Irad Ortiz Jr. for the riding title, while Brendan Walsh's sixth victory put him in a tie for the...

A royally-bred son of Medaglia d'Oro, East Avenue lived up to the expectations of both his breeding and the wagering public Saturday to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' to wear the Royal Blue for Godolphin. Backed down to 6-5 at post, East Avenue had things all his own way right from the opening strides and assumed command of the field while clearing down to the rail. The lead only grew as the fractions clicked off in :23.21 and :46.44 and, while Campaign Trail (Global Campaign) and Poppa Echo (Echo...

Godolphin took to X to announce 2023 Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief--Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit) has been retired from racing. The social media post said, "Kentucky Oaks winner #PrettyMischievous arriving at her new home at #GainsboroughFarm today. Next stop, motherhood!" Last seen finishing fifth in the GI Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Aug. 3 at Del Mar, the Godolphin homebred had an abbreviated 4-year-old campaign after a return from her championship season. The 'TDN Rising Star' was spectacular at three, capturing the GI Kentucky Oaks, GI Acorn...

7th-ELP, $71K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 3:52 p.m. ET. Shadwell Stables went to $1.1 million to acquire EL JOURY (Medaglia d'Oro) during Keeneland September. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the first-time starter is out of Irish MGSW Up (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was made the $2.2 million sales topper at the 2015 Keeneland January Sale by Jan Racing and Jan Vandebos. A half-sister to English and French G1SW Dutch Art (GB) (Medicean {GB}), this mare also produced GISP Monarch of Egypt (American Pharoah) and GII Lake Placid Stakes victress Aspray (Quality...