Churchill Downs

5th-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 6:56 p.m. ET Some 120 members of the first-crop of Horse of the Year Authentic went under the hammer at public auction in 2023, and the most expensive of them, INNOVATOR, debuts for BC Stables and trainer D. Wayne Lukas Thursday beneath the same Twin Spires where the sire won the 2020 GI Kentucky Derby. Bred by Peter Blum, also the breeder of Authentic, the dark bay colt was hammered down for $900,000 at the Keeneland September Sale, the dearest of the...

7th-Churchill Downs, $124,570, Alw (NW1X), Opt. Clm ($100,000), 6-19, 3yo, 7f, 1:21.65, ft, 5 lengths. PURE FORCE (c, 3, Constitution--Mexican Gold {GSW & G1SP-Fr, GSP-US, $234,810}, by Medaglia d'Oro) debuted in the Derby Day opener going 6 1/2 furlongs over a muddy strip and raced a bit greenly through the closing stages, but stamped his authority over seven rivals with a 2 1/4-length victory. That effort would otherwise have made him strictly the one to beat in a first-level allowance, but the presence of 'TDN Rising Star' Discreet Mischief (Into...

Churchill Downs will play host to the 2024 Track Superintendent Field Day Sept. 8-10, beginning with a welcome reception the night of Sept. 8 followed by two days of the conference. The 2024 agenda will be developed by the advisory committee of seven racetrack superintendents with knowledge and experience with all types of surfaces: Leif Dickinson, Sean Gault, Glen Kozak, Jake Leitzel, Dennis Moore, Jim Pendergest, and Jamie Richardson. Speakers, presentations, and hands-on demonstrations will take place at Churchill Downs. The topics will include sharing of best practices as well...

Trainer Danny Gargan's stable is humming along at a nice clip in the wake of celebrating a little over a week ago his first Grade I win with Dornoch (Good Magic) in the Belmont S. and with Society Man (Good Magic) taking the GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill Downs a day later. Gargan stopped by the TDN Writers' Room podcast for a conversation. Finally, to cap his stellar week, Complexion (Complexity) broke her maiden at first asking during the Belmont at the Big A meet on Friday, which earned...

4th-Churchill Downs, $120,000, Msw, 6-14, 2yo, f, 5f, :57.26, ft, 5 lengths. VIGGIEDAL (f, 2, Vekoma--Minnelli, by Unbridled's Song), the 8-5 second choice behind 6-5 favorite Aurelia's Mischief (Into Mischief), enjoyed a sharp break and was able to get over to the rail and open up into the turn as the favorite fell back in mid pack. Clear into the lane, Viggiedal was home free and finished up under a hand ride five lengths ahead of Kimchi Cat (Twirling Candy) in second. Aurelia's Mischief, a daughter of Lady Aurelia, tired...

Rob O'Connor II, for nearly four decades a fixture on the Kentucky racing circuit, has announced his retirement from training, he told the Churchill Downs media office. "There are so many people in this game that are unable to retire on their own terms and I'm very fortunate to say I'm able to do so," O'Connor said. "This sport is so special to me and I'm so proud to have built a life in it. I've had a great career and was around so many dedicated owners throughout my time...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, trainer Adolfo Macias has been suspended 18-months and fined $12,500 for the possession of levothyroxine, a banned substance under HISA. Levothyroxine is a synthetic thyroid hormone used to treat ailments like hypothyroidism. Due to its metabolic properties, levothyroxine is believed to aid recovery in performance horses and help weight loss. There is also a possible link between levothyroxine and equine sudden cardiac death. There is currently no detailed...

It didn't look like the GI Belmont S. It didn't feel like the Belmont S. But the Belmont S. it was, and Dornoch (Good Magic) will from here on in be called a Belmont S. winner. What better way to break your Grade I duck as a trainer, as Danny Gargan did here. At a time of concentrated riches among fewer and fewer trainers, Gargan provided a welcome reminder that many plying their trade at less vaulted levels are just as capable of priming their stock for these big days...

Society Man capped a big weekend for trainer Danny Gargan and Hill 'n' Dale stallion Good Magic with a powerful victory in the GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill Downs Sunday. Like his GI Belmont S.-winning stablemate Dornoch (Good Magic), Society Man was making his first start since the May 4 GI Kentucky Derby, where he was 16th. The chestnut gelding was unhurried and settled near the back of the pack while racing along the rail and avoiding traffic on the first turn. Favored Who Dey rushed between foes to...

5th-Churchill Downs, $123,375, Msw, 6-9, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:37.25, fm, neck. MIXOLOGIST (f, 3, Frosted--Masquerade {MSP, $233,873}, by Silent Name {Jpn}), the well-related half-sister to both Princess Grace (Karakontie {Jpn}) and Catnip (Kitten's Joy), earned a 5-1 shot in her debut Sunday. Outrun by the half the field to her outside, she raced at the back of the pack as Grapes for Eloise (Liam's Map) paced the field through fractions of :23.32 and :48.69. Making an outside run into the turn, Mixologist still had plenty of work to do as...

Jose Ortiz rode the 3,000th winner of his career when Save the Trees (Preservationist) captured the third race at Churchill Downs Sunday. The 30-year-old, who began his riding career in his native Puerto Rico, moved to the New York circuit in 2012 where he competing against his brother, fellow leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. Five years later, he earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey. Ortiz won the 2022 GI Preakness S. aboard Early Voting (Gun Runner) and the 2017 GI Belmont S. aboard Tapwrit (Tapit). He has also ridden...

With 'TDN Rising Star' Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) bypassing the GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill Downs for the GI Woody Stephens S. at Saratoga, the new headliner for Sunday's race under the Twin Spires is Who Dey (Liam's Map). Installed as a 5-2 shot on the morning-line in the Matt Winn, trainer Tom Drury opted to scratch his colt from Friday's Best of Ohio Green Carpet S. at Belterra Park for a chance to return to Churchill. The 3-year-old was last seen finishing fourth behind GI Preakness S. hero Seize...