Crupi

In a stylish defense of his title--though the word feels underwhelming to describe the ease--Next (Not This Time) did what Next does best in the Birdstone Stakes: turning a marathon into a runaway. Racing on appointment only the last couple of seasons, his smallest margin of victory came in his first appearance in the GII Brooklyn Stakes last year, where he defeated SW & MGSP Calibrate (Distorted Humor) by 2 1/4 lengths. His largest came when he wrapped 2023 a 25-length winner in Parx's Sept. 23 GIII Greenwood Cup, but...

Saturday's big winners at Saratoga Race Course all came out of their races in good order Sunday. 4-year-old Arthur's Ride (Tapit), provided a timely update to his family tree for his breeders Joe and Helen Barbazon with a win in the GI Whitney Stakes. "Oh, we're just tickled to death," said Joe Barbazon. "We've got two of his half-sisters and of course this helps their value. We still have his mama here and it's a huge plus for us. It was very exciting, and there was a lot of yelling....

Bright Future (Curlin), a last out winner of the Salvator Mile Stakes at Monmouth June 15, posted his final work in preparation for next Saturday's GI Whitney, covering a half-mile in :48.75 (32/104) Saturday over the Saratoga Race Course main track. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes winner went in company with MGSW and Whitney possible Charge It (Tapit). "He worked well and I'm happy with him," Pletcher said. "Charge It also went well. I think Bright Future is training great and...

Marathon specialist Next (Not This Time) made it five straight victories while successfully defending his title in Friday's 1 3/8-mile GII Brooklyn S. at the Big A. The 2-5 favorite stalked Drake's Passage (Tonalist) through a half mile in :49.29, took over under confident handling approaching the quarter pole and opened daylight in the stretch to win by 9 1/4 lengths. The gray completed his final eighth in a sensational :11.89. Crupi (Curlin) tagged Drake's Passage for second. "I always say that I don't know if the horse can do...

Champion 2-year-old colt and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) worked a half-mile in :51 flat Friday for trainer Todd Pletcher over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga in preparation for a start in the GI NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes July 20 at Monmouth Park. Joining the GI Curlin Florida Derby winner on the work tab Friday was Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables recent GII Suburban Stakes winner Crupi (Curlin), who covered a half-mile in :52.85 in company with Talk of the Nation (Quality Road). "Both works were...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- With over 100 of the world's most talented gallopers on hand, it isn't easy to stand out, but John and Susan Moore's G1 Dubai Turf hopeful Catnip (Kitten's Joy) has done just that at Meydan this week. A strapping, nearly-black gelding, Catnip exits a longshot, but close third to Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 27. Trainer Mike Stidham looked at Catnip's Ragozin sheet and that encouraged him to swing for the fences in a hot renewal of...

Newgrange (Violence), a head-scratching sixth behind Newgate (Into Mischief) in the GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 3, will bypass the Mar. 30 G1 Dubai World Cup, trainer Phil D'Amato said via text message Wednesday. The decision was finalized after the 5-year-old worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 (13/27) Wednesday morning at Santa Anita. "Newgrange is not going to Dubai," D'Amato texted. "We will regroup and race him stateside down the road." Winner of the GIII Sham S. and GIII Southwest S. for the SF Racing/Starlight/Madaket et. al. partnership while under the...

National Treasure (Quality Road), last year's front-running GI Preakness S. hero and a latest painful second to Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin) in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita Nov. 4, gave trainer Bob Baffert a third victory in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. and his sire a second Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park. "I'm proud of him. He ran his race. He showed up," said Baffert by phone from Southern California. "That's all you can ask for as a trainer. He was...

'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense) breezed five furlongs in 1:00.40 (2/52) Saturday morning at the Fair Grounds in preparation for next Saturday's $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old colt, who was put through his paces by exercise rider Kevin Perez, was clocked in 1:13.60 for six furlongs, according to trainer Brad Cox. "He's been doing very well week after week," Cox said of the Godolphin homebred, a latest second to the re-opposing Trademark (Upstart) in the GII Clark S. at Churchill Downs...

For the connections of 11 3-year-olds, the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on Saturday represents a last-ditch effort to pick up an elusive Derby win and while it's not the Derby win most started out the year in search of, the $1 million purse, Grade I status and strong history of past winners makes it a coveted race to win nonetheless. Since Hall of Famer Woody Stephens trained Smarten (Cyane) to earn the inaugural Pennsylvania Derby trophy in 1979, a number of good 3-year-olds have also emerged from the nine-furlong...