Gina Romantica

While the $150,000 Pegasus S. (more on that below) serves as the local feeder into next month's GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S., the graded events on Saturday's Haskell Preview Day at Monmouth Park are set to mark the seasonal debuts for a pair of Chad Brown-conditioned Grade I winners from last term as well as a 'TDN Rising Star' from the same shedrow looking to kick start what connections hope will be a productive 4-year-old campaign. Peter Brant's Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) makes her first appearance since taking out the...

Probably you know Carrie Brogden. The way her ideas, opinions, memories, emotions come tumbling out, one on top of the other. And how even after a few minutes she will have shared way too much of this torrent of vitality for the narrow channel of paragraphs that follows here. Except you don't know Carrie Brogden. For instance, did you know that she's only here because of Einstein? Seriously. We'll come to that, and to the Beanie Babies, too, who have a more immediate role in her story. But how are...

Trainer Chad Brown and owner Peter Brant were represented by the 1-2 finishers in last week's GI First Lady S. at Keeneland, and were right back at it again in Lexington Saturday as Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) scored a breakthrough win in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. Presented by Dixiana. The $1,025,000 KEESEP yearling was the only runner in the race carrying Brant's silks, but Brown completed the exacta himself with Klaravich Stables, Inc.'s odds-on GISW McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}). It was a record fifth win for...

Klaravich Stables' Faith in Humanity (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), the lightest-raced filly in Sunday's GIII Pebbles S. at Belmont at the Big A, proved her inexperience was no issue as she led home a Chad Brown trifecta in just her third career start. Debuting as a 7-5 favorite going two turns on the Monmouth turf July 24, the bay pressed the pace and edged away late for a 1 1/4-length graduation. Stepped right into stakes company, she went clear in the stretch of the restricted Riskaverse S. Aug. 25...

A field of seven sophomore fillies who made their most recent starts in Florida, New York, Kentucky and Louisiana converge at Keeneland for Sunday's GIII Beaumont S. Godolphin's Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) was second in last November's Fern Creek S. at Churchill Downs to the now five-for-six Marissa's Lady (Violence) and then completed the exacta (albeit 8 1/4 lengths back) behind leading GI Kentucky Oaks candidate Secret Oath (Arrogate) in a one-mile Oaklawn allowance on New Year's Eve. She most recently shortened back up to a sprint to air in...

This week featured three busy days of profiled runners, with Into Mischief's Gina Romantica the undisputed headliner of the "Insighted" horses. Two others to keep an eye on are a pair of Upstart fillies: Micro Share, who won at Santa Anita, and Green Up, who was victorious at Gulfstream. Micro Share had been a subject of Insights earlier in her career and Green Up was named a 'TDN Rising Star' based on a facile romp. Friday's Insights: Into Mischief Filly Stretches Out for Baffert 4th-Santa Anita, $67,000, Msw, 3-11, 3yo,...