GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.

"My friends thought I was nuts when I got back into the horse business," says Maynard Thompson. "But when those babies are about three to five days old, and you take them outside and turn them loose for the first time, every one of them thinks he's the toughest thing out there. And if that doesn't put a smile on your face, you're not breathing." Which is why Thompson perseveres on 15 acres of gently undulating terrain, a few miles south of Tama on the Iowa River. "I'm 71 years...

Now, that's how you celebrate a birthday. Champion sprinter Elite Power (Curlin) came charging down the sealed, sloppy stretch at Saratoga to nail Gunite (Gun Runner) by a head in Saturday's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. on Hall of Famer Bill Mott's 70th birthday. Racing over a wet surface for the first time, the even-money favorite was sixth though an opening quarter in :22.64. He was tipped out by Irad Ortiz, Jr. approaching the quarter pole and set his sights on the aforementioned slight second choice, who enjoyed first run...

Equine or human, history is always about the six degrees of someone in racing's world. For instance, at 100-1 Jim Dandy beat Triple Crown champion Gallant Fox in the 1930 edition of the Travers S., which only featured four entries total. The horse who set up the longshot by engaging in a speed duel with the favorite over the mud was Whichone, a colt owned by Harry Payne Whitney (yes, that important family). And what other Thoroughbred did Whitney own? Well, that would be Upset, who did just that, when...

GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. winner Lexitonian (Speightstown) was represented by his first foal Sunday. The filly, out of a half-sister to dual Eclipse winner Roy H. (More Than Ready), was born at Calumet Farm. "We've been excited to see the foals for our homebred Lexitonian and are delighted that the first one is born at Calumet," said Eddie Cane, general manager of Calumet. "She has a lot of leg, good bone, and is well balanced." Lexitonian stands at Lane's End for a fee of $7,500.

Champion sprinter Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) made history in jaw-dropping fashion in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga Saturday, becoming the first horse to win Grade I races in three consecutive seasons at the upstate New York track. The exceptionally fast 1-5 favorite backed off after leading in the early stages and let 22-1 outsider Doc Amster (Midshipman) set the pace. Guided to the outside of that overmatched rival by Joel Rosario, the $95,000 KEESEP yearling graduate cruised up with devastating ease to hit the front approaching the...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--When he goes to the post Saturday for the GI Forego S., Lexitonian (Speightstown) will try to do something new: follow a win with a win. Lexitonian picked up his fifth victory in 19 career starts July 31 in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. as the longest shot in the field of nine at 34-1 and paid $70. It was his second graded stakes win and pushed the Calumet Farm homebred's earnings to $687,682, but was it just a one-off at the historic Graveyard of Favorites? Trainer...

Lexitonian (h, 5, Speightstown--Riviera Romper, by Tapit), beaten just a nose in last summer's GI Bing Crosby S. at Del Mar, got his Grade I victory with a shocking, 34-1 upset in Saturday's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga. Drawn on the fence, he was hustled to the front by Jose Lezcano. The chestnut was pressed through an opening quarter of :22.04 and appeared to be in deep water as streaking former claimer and two back GIII Maryland Sprint Match Series S. winner Special Reserve (Midshipman) loomed large at...

Undefeated as a sprinter this season, Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) will turn back to six furlongs after being defeated in the one-mile GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. as a likely favorite in Saturday's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga. Proving himself as an exciting sophomore prospect last season with back-to-back open-lengths scores in the GIII Swale S. and GIII Gotham S., but missed the triple Crown and failed to crack the trifecta in his last two starts for John Servis when fourth in the...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--To illustrate his point about Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect), trainer Ron Moquett stepped into the Eclipse Award winner's stall Sunday morning saying, "This is not the time to do this," and rubbed his star's coat with a small towel. Showing his displeasure, Whitmore promptly kicked the wall. Hard. "He is as consistent as the day is long," Moquett said, smiling. "He will do everything the exact same way. Our job is to get done, working with him, knowing his idiosyncrasies." Moquett and his staff live in Whitmore's world, ruled...

Reigning champion sprinter Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect), third in his latest start in the May 1 GI Churchill Downs S., recorded his final serious breeze Friday in preparation for the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. July 31 at Saratoga. The 8-year-old, who won the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint in November at Keeneland, went a half-mile in :48.78 seconds over a fast main track, 12 days after completing the same distance in a swift :47.21 seconds. Trained by Ron Moquett, the gelding has amassed more than $4.4 million in lifetime earnings through...

Two years ago, dual Eclipse Champion Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) joined the Three Chimneys' stallion program after collecting six Grade I wins for the farm and partner Winchell Thoroughbreds. This year another Three Chimneys-owned racehorse in Volatile, a son of Violence campaigned by Three Chimneys and Phoenix Thoroughbred III, has been added to the roster for 2021 and will stand for an initial fee of $17,500. Before even stepping on a racetrack, the imposing gray was one to watch. [tdn_vimeo_embed title="Volatile at Three Chimneys" admp4="https://player.vimeo.com/external/487235114.sd.mp4?s=25a5c5a8313ed81787e24e23ea3117880258e35a&profile_id=165" videomp4= "https://player.vimeo.com/external/489919593.sd.mp4?s=d1494459006ee327070e97ab1900642eb941ccf7&profile_id=165" thumbnail= ""]...

Saratoga's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. winner Volatile (Violence-Melody Lady, by Unbridled's Song) has been injured with a hairline fracture of his right front cannon bone and has been retired. He will stand the 2021 season at Three Chimneys in Central Kentucky. While competing for the partnership of Three Chimneys Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbreds, Volatile was undefeated in three starts in 2020. In addition to his Vanderbilt win July 25, in which he clocked a final quarter in :22.94, the fastest in the race's history, the gray also captured Churchill's...