Charlatan

Most Irishmen that go to Kentucky didn't plan to stay there. And yet, the story seems to be ripped from a template that is repeatedly recycled: they knew someone working on a farm there and decided to go for six months to a year. And then made it another year. Then 10 or 20 more. Many end up staying their whole lives. Dr. Michael Hore may have followed a well-trodden path from his birthplace in County Wexford to Lexington, but in the ensuing 15 years he has set himself apart...

When the balance of power shifts anywhere, one side or another usually makes a move to regain equilibrium. It's the way of the world, the yin and the yang of natural order. In Avengers, a film based on Stan Lee characters from Marvel Comics, a guy named Nick Fury, head of S.H.I.E.L.D., acts to save the earth from an outside threat by recruiting a bunch of superheroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor. There's a self-named version of this group in racing now, and they're part of...

Fresh off a dominant weekend at Oaklawn Park in which he swept both divisions of the GI Arkansas Derby, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland this week for a wide-ranging video interview. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Baffert talked about plans for his undefeated trio of Charlatan (Speightstown), Nadal (Blame) and Authentic (Into Mischief), why it was important to support California backstretch workers at last week's protest, taking over the training of Maximum Security,...

He might not want to answer the question, but among his 1-2-3 Derby prospects, Nadal, Charlatan and Authentic, who is the best? Bob Baffert joins the writers on the Writers' Room podcast to try to answer that question.

The breeding rights to undefeated Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Charlatan (Speightstown--Authenticity, by Quiet American) have been purchased by Hill 'n' Dale Farm, according to a press release issued by the farm Wednesday morning. No price was given in the release. "Horses with Charlatan's immense ability combined with superior pedigree, conformation, depth of female family and star-quality appeal are a very rare commodity," said John G. Sikura, President of Hill 'n' Dale. Charlatan's perfect three-for-three career has made him the `wow' horse of the Triple Crown trail this...

The Week in Review, by Bill Finley The GI Kentucky Derby is a long way off and a lot can happen between now and Sept. 5, but after what went down Saturday at Oaklawn Park, it looks like the only question left to be answered is which Bob Baffert-trained horse will win the Derby? That's not getting ahead of ourselves or hyperbole. After what happened Saturday in the split divisions of the GI Arkansas Derby, it's stating the obvious. In Nadal (Blame), Charlatan (Speightstown) and Authentic (Into Mischief), he trains...

From the moment Charlatan (Speightstown) crossed the wire in his impressive Feb. 16 unveiling at Santa Anita, people started comparing him to Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy), who also made his first racetrack appearance in February of his 3-year-old year. The Bob Baffert-trained chestnut followed that effort with an allowance win going two turns, like Justify. While that Horse of the Year went on to win the GI Santa Anita Derby next out, before taking home the roses on the First Saturday in May of 2018, Charlatan was forced...

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Curlin Florida Derby Results - Independence Hall finished fifth. Bankroll: $2275. GI Arkansas Derby (1st Div.) - For the purposes of a contest like this, it's hard to stomach taking $20 profit on our mythical wager,...

Connections of 'TDN Rising Star' Charlatan (Speightstown), the morning-line favorite in the first division of Saturday's GI Arkansas Derby, will donate 10% of their net earnings to support New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. The participating owners include SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Frederick Hertrich III, John D. Fielding and Golconda Stables. "Along with our partners, we are delighted to be able to contribute additional funding to New Vocations, especially during these testing times," said Tom Ryan of SF Bloodstock. "New Vocations provides essential support for our equine...

A house divided against itself cannot stand. We have all sensed that, surely, in this time of more or less ungrudging solidarity with the wider world. For the rest of our lives, however, we'd be very grateful if the first Saturday in May can mean exactly what it has reliably meant before today. In recent weeks, we've all been buying into the idea of sacrifice for the greater good. In the process, we've been reminded how precious are those routines and rituals, such as Derby day, we previously took for...

Before the coronavirus pandemic struck America and shook up horse racing along with it, things seemed to be falling, as they often do, in Bob Baffert's favor. The Hall of Fame trainer, no stranger to coming into Louisville with the horse or horses to beat, had a trio of colts who looked like they could be the first three choices in the GI Kentucky Derby. Even with the Run for the Roses now postponed four months, Baffert still appears to have a stronghold over a marquee 3-year-old race on the...

Having attracted 22 entries Sunday for next Saturday's GI Arkansas Derby, Oaklawn Park has split the race for sophomores into two divisions for the first time ever. Each race will carry a $500,000 purse--the Arkansas Derby was originally scheduled to be held Apr. 11 and worth $750,000. "Because of our national crisis, we and the entire world of sports are in uncharted waters requiring unprecedented actions," said Oaklawn President Louis Cella. "We're trying to make the best of a very, very difficult situation. On the one hand, it is the...