Cairo Prince

Dean Martini proved to be a shrewd claim for trainer Tom Amoss after upsetting the $500,000 GIII Ohio Derby Saturday at Thistledown, which offered 50 points towards the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby. Away alertly from his rail draw, the 14-1 shot contested the pace heading into the first turn and was a close-up third as the first quarter went in :22.80. Shuffled back a bit on the fence as the half went in :47.22, the bay reasserted on the backstretch, heading pacesetter Lebda (Raison d'Etat). Dean Martini continued strongly...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Nautilus (c, 2, by Cairo Prince--Pantanal, by Congrats) has every right to move forward with a race under his belt following a better-than-it-looked fourth on debut behind a blowout 'TDN Rising Star' performance from Cazadero (Street Sense) at Churchill Downs May 29. Drawn on the fence in that five-furlong affair, the $130,000 OBS March breezer (:10) was quickly outsprinted while under a ride and raced in tight quarters...

8th-Gulfstream, $39,000, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 5-16, 3yo, 1m, 1:36.57, ft. CASINO GRANDE (c, 3, Cairo Prince--Selective {GSP, $111,639}, by Tapit) took his record to two-for-two, winning a salty Gulfstream allowance. A front-running debut winner at Tampa Mar. 14, he fired a pair of bullet works at Payson leading up to this, including a five-furlong move in 1:02 3/5 (1/7) May 8. Dispatched at 5-1 here, the dark bay stalked the leaders from a two-wide third through a first half in :46.03. Sticking his nose in front on the backstretch...

10th-Oaklawn, $60,000, Msw, 4-19, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.96, sy. MERNEITH (f, 3, American Pharoah--Flattermewithroses {SW}, by Flatter) With American Pharoah and Cairo Prince around, one would naturally expect Egyptian choices to be popular in the naming of horses, but the name of Oaklawn winner MERNEITH is really outstanding and fitting. She is a filly by American Pharoah and, "Merneith may have been the first female pharaoh and the earliest queen regnant in recorded history", according to Wikipedia. Please note the slight difference in the spelling of the designation of the...

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 Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses, featuring the 4-year-old debut of the extremely talented Mont Perdu (Cairo Prince) Saturday, February 22, 2020 1st-KYO, ¥9,680,000 ($87k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m ABUL HAUL (c, 3, American Pharoah--Kitten's Dumplings, by Kitten's Joy), the first foal from...

So now we come to a group who will typically, at this stage of their careers, find themselves clinging by their fingertips to the commercial precipice--even as the agents and pinhookers press down ruthlessly with their boots. Yes, any breeder using these stallions this spring will at least have some valid evidence with which to evaluate what tends, in many cases, to be a dwindling fee: a first group of sophomores in 2019, backed up by the most precocious juveniles of their second crop. These, nonetheless, should by any sensible...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The two-day Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale couldn't match up to its record-setting 2018 renewal, but when the dust settled Monday evening at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion, the auction had seen its fourth straight record-priced yearling. The record bid came from Larry Best, who said he had only seen the filly two hours before he spent $775,000 to acquire the daughter of Malibu Moon from the Winter Quarter Farm consignment. In all, 186 yearlings sold during the 2019 New York sale for a total of...