Centre Court

A concrete foundation is the bedrock of any structure. Building a successful Thoroughbred partnership needs that same footing. You need rock-hard determination, the right aggregate of experience and the liquidity to maintain elasticity. Without such a concrete foundation, the tallest of ambitions can crumble, but with one in place, you can find long-term success and come out smelling like a rose. For BBN Racing, the first scent of success came from the appropriately-named mare Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy) who won over $1.2 million and four graded stakes, including the Grade...

1st-MTH, $47K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 12:50 p.m. ET. Shadwell Farm went to $700,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale to take home EL ZAIN (Medaglia d'Oro). Sent to Todd Pletcher, the filly is out of GI Jenny Wiley Stakes heroine Centre Court (Smart Strike). This dam produced El Zain's full-sister, GSW Navratilova. Centre Court is also responsible for a yearling colt by Essential Quality and a filly by Flightline who was foaled Feb. 28. TJCIS PPS

Two Labradors grace the front steps of the main house at Shawnee Farm. Their dark coats glossy in the sunlight, the affable mother-daughter pair are among the eight generations of hunting dogs bred by G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and his wife Sally. As much as the sport of horse racing has been an unwavering passion for the Humphreys throughout their many years together, so too has their shared penchant for bird hunting. In fact, the sport led them into forming a business relationship that evolved into a lifelong friendship--one that...

1st-Ellis, $46,200, Msw, 8-21, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:06.71, fm. NAVRATILOVA (f, 2, Medaglia d'Oro--Centre Court {GISW, $961,048}, by Smart Strike), backed as the tepid 5-2 favorite with a standout pedigree among this group, flew home late to ace her maiden test. Far back early among a very strung-out field, the bay first caught the eye when rolling into fourth entering the stretch. She continued to gobble up ground down the center of the course and blew by the tiring leaders to prevail by a widening 2 1/4 lengths. Fellow...