Gina Romantica

Three-time Grade I winner Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) will miss an intended engagement in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar, according to the organization's social media post on X Sunday. Bred by Machmer Hall and campaigned by Peter Brant, the $1.025 million Keeneland September purchase repeated on the GI First Lady Stakes at Keeneland in her most recent start on Oct. 5. Earlier this season, the Chad Brown trainee finished runner-up in Saratoga's GII Ballston Spa Stakes and third at that venue in the GI Diana Stakes. She...

With the Del Mar Breeders' Cup officially less than two weeks away, trainer Chad Brown is continuing to oversee his string's preparations at Belmont Park, while the accomplished MGISW Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) puts in her final works for conditioner Ken McPeek upstate at Saratoga. Over the training surface in Elmont, Brown sent out two juveniles for half-mile works in 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) [:48.01] and Zulu Kingdom (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) [:48.63], who are targeting the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf,...

Returning to the site of her previous victories in the 2022 GI QE II Challenge Cup and last year's GI First Lady Stakes, Peter Brant's Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) sat an ideal trip from a close-up third in defense of her title in the latter over a fast turf course, came after pacesetting favorite Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy) just inside the eighth pole and easily held sway for the victory. Sent off the 33-10 second choice behind Ag Bullet, the surprising 5-2 market leader off a potentially anomalous victory in...

Saturday is one of those 'burn the candle at both ends' kind of days for horseplayers, as no fewer than 17 graded stakes take place within a six-hour window. Eight of those events serve as 'Win and You're In' qualifying events for various Breeders' Cup races, and even those races that don't offer a free pass are liable to toss up a runner or two or three at Del Mar in four weeks' time. Keeneland Race Course brands its opening three days of racing as 'Fall Stars Weekend' and who's...

Special Me has been the gift that keeps on giving for breeders Carrie and Craig Brogden and Dr. Sandra Fubini of Machmer Hall. Now that the outstanding broodmare is 18 years old, you'd think that her best days are behind her. But with a Grade I winner competing at the top level of the filly and mare turf division this year and an impressive fleet of well-bred, unraced progeny in the pipeline, the mare's fairytale story just keeps getting better. Carrie Brogden famously purchased Special Me, a Maryland-bred daughter of...

Trainer Chad Brown, who won his 150th Grade I race Saturday with repeat winner Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio) in the GI Diana Stakes, is already looking forward to the next starts for his stable's biggest runners. Of note, Gina Romantica (Into Mischief), just edged out for second in the Diana, could be headed to face the boys in the GI Fourstardave Handicap Aug. 10 along with stablemates Chili Flag (Fr) (Cityscape {GB}) and Whitebeam. "Chili Flag and Whitebeam are certainly horses you could consider for the Fourstardave depending who is running...

In the first Grade I of the 2024 Saratoga meet, Juddmonte homebred Whitebeam (GB) (m, 5, Caravaggio--Sleep Walk {GB}, by Oasis Dream {GB}) repeated in the Diana Stakes, giving trainer Chad Brown a record ninth win in the race and eighth in the last nine years. It also marked his 154th career Grade I win. Canada's 2022 Horse of the Year and Queen's Plate winner Moira (Ghostzapper) was second, while MGISW Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) finished third. In a textbook front-running ride from Flavien Prat, Whitebeam lulled them to sleep...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- It sounds a little like a fairy tale. A fire-breathing creature descending on several unsuspecting ladies in search of a prized acorn. In this story, however, the role of the fearsome creature is played by GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), who while not grotesque, gives eight other GI Acorn S. rivals cause for concern nonetheless. "The boys are lucky she is not running," said trainer Kenny McPeek with a chuckle. "I mean she's good." After an emphatic win at Keeneland last October, she...

Emily Bushnell and Ric Waldman's Resilience (Into Mischief), most recently sixth behind Mystik Dan (Goldencents) in the GI Kentucky Derby May 4, is under consideration for the June 8 GI Belmont S., trainer Bill Mott told the NYRA media office Friday. The Hall of Famer said a decision would likely come this weekend after the GII Wood Memorial S. winner breezes at Saratoga. "We've got some discussions to have with the owners, but we're giving it strong consideration," Mott said. "We're going to work on the weekend and once he...

Trainer Chad Brown had four starters in Saturday's GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland and of the four, including stablemates Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) and Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}), it was his longest shot that delivered Brown his seventh win in the race with 25-1 Beaute Cachee (Fr) taking the field gate to wire for the upset. Bred in France by Gregor Vischer, Beaute Cachee spent all of 2021 and 2022 overseas before joining Brown in New York in May of last year. The narrowest of winners in her American...

Saturday's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland, the final stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, offers a path to Churchill Downs for the first Saturday in May for D. J. Stable and Robert Cotran's Hades (Awesome Slew). Currently on the outside looking in, Hades sits in 24th place on the leaderboard with 30 points. The GI Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters. The Lexington offers 42 points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale. With a victory, Hades would be in the top 20. A runner-up finish would put him...

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com My favorite memory of 2023 (other than me bawling my eyes out standing there watching Cody's Wish enter the winner's circle with Cody Dorman waiting for him at Santa Anita, which still makes me cry) was being at Keeneland with Liz Crow to watch our homebred and Liz's purchase Gina Romantica win her second Grade I there at 11-1 odds (I bet her, too!) AND then...