Gulfstream

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency BAFFERT UNVEILS PRICEY STREET SENSE 1st-SA, $55K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 2:30p.m. Bob Baffert and longtime owners Pegram, Watson and Weitman have enjoyed plenty of success with a son of Street Sense, courtesy of MGISW McKinzie, and they hope lightning strikes twice with MASTERING (Street Sense). The $500,000 FTKOCT buy prepped for this debut with a half-mile bullet in :47 2/5 (1/49) here Jan. 25. The dark bay is a half to GSP Sister Moon (Dixie Union), who is the dam of GSW Nolde (Pioneerof the...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 12:34 p.m. ET Ajhar (Tapit) brought $800,000 from Shadwell Stable at the 2018 Keeneland September sale--he was in fact one of three Tapit yearlings purchased by Shadwell for that amount at that auction and part of a $12,345,000 expenditure at that sale for Sheikh Hamdan's operation. The grey colt is out of 'TDN Rising Star', MGSW and GISP Jojo Warrior (Pioneerof the Nile), who herself is a half to Grade I-winning fellow 'Rising Star' A Z Warrior (Bernardini); GSW/GISP 'Rising...

Barclay Tagg is a straightforward, no-nonsense type of guy who's been training horses for close to 50 years. During his career, he had a stint as an assistant to legendary hard-boot trainer Frank Whiteley, Jr., and before that, he was a steeplechase jockey. He's in his early eighties and has spent most of his adult life around Thoroughbreds, including some greats, like Ruffian. He's won some big races, too, like the Gl Kentucky Derby and that's a big package of experience he brings to the table as the man behind...

Professional handicapper and owner of PastTheWire.com Jonathan Stettin won the inaugural Handicapping for Horses Tournament this past August in Saratoga and donated his prize money to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. The prize money will be presented to the TAA during the Jan. 24 card at Gulfstream Park. The tournament, which lasted the duration of the 2019 meet at Saratoga, featured notable horseplayers and included a weekly Friday meet and greet at The Diamond Club at Embassy Suites in Saratoga. The meet and greet offered select beverages provided by Maker's Mark...

Fausto Gutierrez is not well known in U.S. racing circles and neither is his owner, St. George Stable. That may be about to change. Mexico's dominant trainer and owner have set up a U.S. division based at the Palm Meadows training center and, after a handful of starts in 2019, are ready for what they hope will be a successful 2020 season. It starts Saturday at Fair Grounds, where the star of the barn, Kukulkan (Mex) (Point Determined) will go in the GIII Louisiana S. and the well-bred first-time starter...

4th-Gulfstream, $43,000, Msw, 1-12, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:10.99, ft. MOTIVATED SELLER (f, 3, Into Mischief--Coup {SW, $132,637}, by Empire Maker) survived a breakneck duel and found more in the lane to graduate impressively on debut for Klaravich Stables and Chad Brown Sunday at Gulfstream. Recording eight half-mile breezes at Payson Park, highlighted by a spin from the gate in :49 4/5 (8/55) Dec. 31, the $160,000 Fasig-Tipton October buy took late money to go off as the 12-5 second choice and broke alertly from her rail draw. Hooking up with...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 9th-FG, $40K, Msw, 4yo/up, a1mT, post time: 5:22 p.m. ET BOTSWANA TAPS (Distorted Humor), a $400K acquisition out of the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, gets his career underway in this two-turn test on the turf. The gray's now 23-year-old dam Unacloud (Unaccounted For) is the dam of nine winners from 12 to race, including GI Arkansas Derby hero and sire Overanalyze (Dixie Union) and GISW Meadow Breeze (Meadowlake)-the dam of GISP Royal Copy (Bodemeister). Botswana Taps is also kin to GI Florida Derby runner-up Majesto...

Introduced to horses before she could even walk, Andie Biancone worked her way through the ranks before getting her first full-time job on the backstretch three years ago. However, what the 22-year-old may lack in longevity, she more than makes up for with commitment, a strong work ethic and unbridled enthusiasm for the game. Also standing firmly behind the aspiring trainer is her father, international horseman Patrick Biancone, who trained a slew of equine stalwarts, including consecutive G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners All Along and Sagace, in addition...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The two-day Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale couldn't match up to its record-setting 2018 renewal, but when the dust settled Monday evening at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion, the auction had seen its fourth straight record-priced yearling. The record bid came from Larry Best, who said he had only seen the filly two hours before he spent $775,000 to acquire the daughter of Malibu Moon from the Winter Quarter Farm consignment. In all, 186 yearlings sold during the 2019 New York sale for a total of...

A Thread of Blue (Hard Spun), who led every step of the way to cause a 13-1 upset in the 9 1/2-furlong Saratoga Derby Aug. 4, will be pointed for a start in the final leg of the Turf Trinity, the inaugural Jockey Club Derby to be contested over a mile and a half at Belmont Park Sept. 7. "He came out of the race really well, we'll look at [the Jockey Club Derby]," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin told the NYRA notes team. "We weren't sure if he'd get a mile-and-three-sixteenths...

SARATOGA SPRINGS N.Y.--While Tapit ran the ring during Monday's session with the two top-priced yearlings, it was Curlin day at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale Tuesday with a trio of colts by the Hill 'n' Dale stallion reaching seven figures. Hips 174 and 153 topped the session and the sale at $1.5 million and Hip 159 tied Monday's Tapit topper, Hip 80, at a cool $1 million. "It's really pretty simple: quality sells," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "We had a remarkable group of horses on offer tonight and the...

Having secured a court order that paved the way for his return to the training ranks, Jerry Hollendorfer saddles a single horse on Saturday's Del Mar program. That runner just happens to be Vasilika (Skipshot), the queen of the hill among California's turf distaffers, who will jump a warm favorite in the GII Yellow Ribbon H. Claimed for $40,000 a year and a half ago, the chestnut has made 14 appearances for the barn and has had her picture taken a dozen times, her lone finish outside of the top...