Du Jour

Giving jockey Umberto Rispoli a day to remember after annexing the GI Gamely S. aboard Anisette two races earlier, Cuyathy LLC's Johannes (Nyquist) rounded out a Grade I-winning exacta for the Italian when winning the GI Shoemaker Mile S. on Santa Anita's Memorial Day card. Assuming his usual stalking, the 2-1 second choice was content to survey the speed as 11-1 chance Funtastic Again (Funtastic), with Frankie Dettori aboard, led longshot Goliad (War Front) through an opening quarter in :22.28. With the longshot taking over to post a half in...

A trio of graded stakes, led by the GI Gamely S. and GI Shoemaker Mile S., will anchor a stacked Memorial Day holiday program at Santa Anita on Monday. Making her first start since capturing the GI American Oaks Dec. 26, Anisette (GB) (Awtaad {Ire}) headlines a deep nine-horse field set for the Gamely. The Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners colorbearer also captured last term's GI Del Mar Oaks. "We gave her a small vacation that was much deserved," trainer Leonard Powell said of the Gamely's 5-2 morning-line favorite. "She's come back...

Keeneland kicks off the second weekend of the Spring Meet with the much-heralded return Friday of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner in the 36th running of the $600,000 GI Maker's Mark Mile S. Master of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), unseen in the starting gate since his nose win over Mawj (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) in the Mile last November, was most recently spotted with trainer Charlie Appleby's string in Dubai before shipping stateside to Keeneland. Now six, the Godolphin homebred has been here before, notching a...

The catalogue for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training is now available online at the company's website, obssales.com. A total of 1,207 juveniles have been catalogued for the four-day sale, which will be held Apr. 16-19. Bidding begins at 10:30 a.m. for each session. The auction's under-tack show will be held Apr. 7-13, beginning each day at 8 a.m. Recent graduates of the Spring sale include Grade I winners Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo), Arabian Lion (Justify), Du Jour (Temple City); Practical Move (Practical Joke); Saudi...

We know it as a tried-and-true consignment that has been making headlines at the Keeneland September Sale for over 20 years now. And we know its figurehead Peter O'Callaghan as one of the sharpest pinhookers in the game--flipping a $400,000 American Pharoah colt into a $2.2 million Keeneland September yearling in 2018 and before that, pinhooking a $180,000 War Front weanling into a $2.5 million yearling at the same sale back in 2013. But what's relatively new for us, when considering Woods Edge Farm, is finding the operation listed as...

Du Jour (Temple City) provided the second of trainer Bob Baffert's three graded stakes victories on the card when he powered home first in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita Sunday. Owned by Jill Baffert and Debbie Lanni, the 6-year-old gelding settled towards the back of the field as Goliad (War Front) took the field through fractions of :22.82 and :45.75. The pacesetter was clear into the far turn, but his advantage soon evaporated at the top of the stretch. While 3-2 favorite Easter (Fr) (Exposhere {Aus})...

Between them, Irad and Jose Ortiz have accounted for four of the last six runnings of the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S., the third of three preps on the road to the championship meeting's main event, the GI Curlin Florida Derby four weeks down the road. The brothers will have every chance to extend that dominance as they partner with two of the top fancies in Saturday's $400,000 contest, offering the winner 50 points and a virtual guaranteed berth in the field for the GI Kentucky Derby. Jose Ortiz...

Several top horses trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert were among 174 workers at Santa Anita Monday morning. Among those working four furlongs for Baffert on the main track were GISWs Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) (:46.40), Arabian Lion (Justify) (:46.80), Faiza (Girvin) (:49.20) and National Treasure (Quality Road) (:48.20). GI Starlet S. winner Faiza's drill was her first since being scratched from the Torrey Pines S. on Sept. 2 at Del Mar. National Treasure, winner of this season's GI Preakness S., had his second work since finishing fifth...

GI Belmont Derby hero Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) looks to secure the second leg of NYRA's Turf Trinity Saturday in the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. Capturing the G3 Ballysax S. in April, the Aidan O'Brien trainee followed suit with a dominant score in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial a month later. Well-beaten as the favorite in the G1 Cazoo Derby June 5, the Coolmore runner rallied to a good-looking score at Belmont July 10 under Ryan Moore, who returns Stateside for this event. "It's a good opportunity...

I don't know which is the greater compliment, the one extended across the continent or the one across the ocean. Putting them together, however, the hosts of the GI Belmont Derby Invitational can feel confident they must be doing something right. This race has now obtained such stature that the most exciting turf sophomore in the land has had to join the recent defections from the Bob Baffert barn in order to take part--even though Du Jour (Temple City) represents a partnership comprising Debbie Lanni and Baffert's own wife, Jill....

Aidan O'Brien will saddle the likely favorite in the GI Belmont Oaks in Coolmore's Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and also sends out the overwhelming morning-line favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the GI Belmont Derby a few races later for the same owner. Kicking off this term with a victory in the G3 Ballysax S. Apr. 11, the bay romped by six lengths in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial May 9, but failed to fire when seventh as the favorite in the G1 Cazoo...

On the face of it, just another graded stakes where you could round up the usual suspects. Bob Baffert as winning trainer and Bernardini as the successful damsire. And the success of Du Jour, in the GII American Turf S. on the Derby undercard was a welcome reminder of the value offered by his sire Temple City. But what really draws attention to this emerging talent is an extraordinary female lurking in his background. No, we don't mean either of the owners, for all that both may qualify for the...