Chop Chop

With so many roads now leading to Del Mar, traffic may feel pretty slow just now. But we should make a virtue of that, in that our preoccupation with the elite program tends to deny due attention to those achieving their success a tier or so below the very top. After all, such people have typically required no less skill, endeavor and patience, often denied the very highest rewards only through lacking similar parity in resources. Take the breeder of GIII Ontario Derby winner Dresden Row (Lord Nelson), whose emergence...

Although in its 30th rendition in 2024, the GII Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga has been contested at the distance of 1 1/2 miles for just the past four years. Only two mares have won those four renewals: War Like Goddess (English Channel) in 2021 and 2022 and now McKulick (GB) (m, 5, Frankel {GB}--Astrelle {Ire}, by Makfi {GB}) in 2023 and 2024. Last year, McKulick denied War Like Goddess a three-peat in a neck victory. This year, McKulick circled six wide to best fellow late runners Parnac (Fr) (Zarak...

When City of Light won the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in 2018, it was one of the more impressive performances of the day. Although it had already been announced he would enter stud in 2019 at Lane's End Farm near Versailles, Ky., he had one race remaining on his dance card: the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes the following January. He romped that day as well, besting a slightly favored GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner with a 112 Beyer Speed Figure, which topped his 110 Breeders' Cup mark,...

Unbeaten in two starts in this country as a 3-year-old last season, Godolphin's Eternal Hope (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) makes a belated seasonal debut in Thursday's $250,000 GII Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga. A stakes winner going 12 furlongs over the Lingfield all-weather last May and third in the G2 Prix Alec Head, the homebred was the even-money pick for the GIII Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Stakes at Aqueduct last September and was a long way out of her ground before a late flourish saw her score by a neck. She...

Godolphin's Wet Paint (Blame) ships in from trainer Brad Cox's Kentucky base at Churchill Downs as the favorite for Sunday's GII Delaware Handicap, the annual centerpiece of the racing calendar in the 'First State.' That fact notwithstanding, she'll need to bring her best if she is to put a halt to a four-race skid dating back to a narrow victory in last year's GI CCA Oaks at Saratoga. Runner-up to the highly impressive Randomized (Nyquist) in the GI Alabama Stakes, the homebred was never a factor when eighth to stablemate...

War Like Goddess (English Channel) typically makes a single stop at Keeneland per year and she does so exclusively to win the GIII Bewitch S. Not only did the 7-year-old mare win last year's edition, she also won the same race in both 2022 and 2021. Making her first start of 2024 off a seventh to Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita last November, War Like Goddess began her 2023 campaign in exactly the same way, debuting to a win in...

The betting public was pretty sure that an Into Mischief filly out of a Tapit mare would emerge victorious in Saturday's GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton, but they only got it half right. It wasn't 2-5 Hoosier Philly who picked up the 50 GI Kentucky Oaks points, but instead Godolphin homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous who starred at Fair Grounds. Pacesetting longshot Miracle (by Into Mischief's younger brother Mendelssohn) stretched Pretty Mischievous to 3/4 of a length, and was another 7 3/4 lengths clear of Hoosier...

All eyes last week were on the Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs, where 38-1 shot Dreaming of Snow (Jess's Dream) scored a huge upset over 2-year-old filly champion Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) and the highly regarded Julia Shining (Curlin). That wasn't enough for Dreaming of Snow to make this week's Top 10 for the GI Kentucky Oaks, but it was certainly a herculean effort to defeat two such highly regarded horses. The spotlight this week will be on the Fair Grounds, where the mega-talented Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) will...

It's early in the season, but not too early to get excited about the group eyeing the GI Kentucky Oaks. In Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) you have a standout 2-year-old and a deserving Eclipse champion. Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) has so impressed trainer Tom Amoss that he said the GI Kentucky Derby is under consideration. Justique (Justify) has been ultra-impressive at times. They're the Top 3, but numbers four through 10 make up a group filled with potential. At least two prominent members of the division will not make it...

After romping by seven lengths to break her maiden at third asking over this same track and distance Dec. 1, The Alys Look checked in second behind 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous in the Untapable S. Dec. 26. Going for her third straight effort at a mile and 70 yards Saturday, the Brad Cox trainee hung a length back outside of pacesetter Hayunevano through fractions of :24.37 and :48.08. As that leader began to fade past the quarter pole, The Alys Look got the first jump to take command as...

TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack reveals his selections for the 'Future Stars Friday' Breeders' Cup card. Race 3: Alw--#11 Marsalis (6-5) Have been sky high on Marsalis since his debut second (Second Chances Series) and subsequent 'Rising Star' win earlier this year. The layoff was, of course, a cause for concern, but he ran a huge one off the bench racing on a hot pace and finishing second behind big-figure repeat winner Run Classic. Take what they give you and let's get 'Future Stars Friday' started with a winner. Race...

The Brad Cox stablemates Chop Chop (City of Light) and Verifying (Justify) worked five furlongs in company Friday morning at Churchill Downs as they prepare for next Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, respectively. The pair broke off and began their breeze at the 4 1/2-furlong pole and were clocked in fractions of :11.80, :23.40, :35.80 and :47.40 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13 flat, according to Churchill clocker John Nichols. Joe Talamo was aboard Chop Chop, last seen finishing a desperately close second...