Immersive

With the road to the 2025 GI Kentucky Oaks officially underway, Brad Cox already trains arguably the top two juvenile fillies in the country. After this weekend, he may even have the third. 'TDN Rising Star' Muhimma (Munnings), a press-and-pounce winner of her first two starts by a combined margin of 13 jaw-dropping lengths at Churchill Downs, will make her two-turn and stakes debut for Cox in Saturday's GII Demoiselle Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct. A $700,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Shadwell Stable, the rail-drawn gray has...

Godolphin homebred Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) unleashed a powerful run on the far turn and made it a perfect four-for-four with an off-the-pace victory in Saturday's GII Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs, good for 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. 'TDN Rising Star' Quietside (Malibu Moon) was 2 1/2 lengths back in second. Eclatant (Into Mischief) was third. Favored at 3-5 off a 4 3/4-length success in the track-and-trip Rags To Riches Stakes Oct. 27, the bay filly bumped with a rival shortly after the start...

Horse racing and bourbon intersect in so many ways, but they really form a nexus around the themes of time and patience. Without either in the breeding shed or in the rickhouse, your chances at success will be severely hampered. There is nothing quite so powerful as a statement of age in the racing form or an age statement out of the barrel. When it comes to Thoroughbreds and specifically placing a strong emphasis on homebreds, John Ed Anthony's Shortleaf Stable personifies what many in the industry think a great...

7th-DMR, 61K, O/C, 3yo/up, f, 6f, 6:33 p.m. TAMARA (Bolt d'Oro), the daughter of four-time Eclipse winner Beholder, makes her long-awaited return to the races Friday after a year-long absence following last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' in her summer debut over course and near distance, the Richard Mandella trainee gave visions of her illustrious mother when romping by 6 3/4 lengths in the GI Del Mar Debutante. Heavily favored to complete the hat trick at the Breeders' Cup, Tamara came home eased after...

The Fasig-Tipton November Sale--looking to keep a streak of $100 million-plus gross renewals going into a fourth year--will be held Monday at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. Bidding on the 321 catalogued offerings begins at 2 p.m. and kicks off with an offering of 159 weanlings before continuing on with a glittering array of fillies and mares. "My expectations for the November sale--like they are every year--are sky high," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "They are high because of the quality of the horses who are in the catalogue. We've...

Nyquist will stand the 2025 season at Jonabell Farm for $175,000, Darley announced Sunday. The son of Uncle Mo, who stood last year for $85,000, sired his second GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Saturday when Immersive capped an undefeated four-for-four season. "When you speak of the best stallions right now in North America, Nyquist has to be in that conversation," said Darley America Sales Manager Darren Fox. "His progeny reflect amazing versatility: short, long, dirt and turf. It really doesn't matter the surface or distance. His best books are...

The respective winners from Friday's GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile--Citizen Bull (Into Mischief)--and the GI NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies--Immersive (Nyquist), will look down the road to their 3-year-old seasons with the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks the target. Trainer Bob Baffert said he knew that Citizen Bull was ready to take on the field at Del Mar, but all week he was careful to not tip his hand too much. His experience with 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic), who skipped the Derby and scratched because of...

Takingtimeoff (Curlin--Gap Year, by Bernardini), a half-sister to Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and certain Eclipse Award winner Immersive (Nyquist), has been added to Monday's Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Offered by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, in foal to Yaupon, the mare is cataloged as hip 318. The first produce for her dam, a daughter of GI Ballerina Breeders' Cup Stakes winner Dubai Escapade (Awesome Again), Takingtimeoff amassed a record of 1-2-0 from six starts for Godolphin and trainer Mike Stidham and produced a colt by Frosted in 2023 before selling...

DEL MAR, CA - Immersive (Nyquist) capped a perfect four-for-four championship season with a powerhouse performance in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar. Off as the 2-1 favorite, the Godolphin homebred was away in good order from post three. The GI Spinaway Stakes and GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes heroine settled in mid-pack beneath Manny Franco, racing inside of impressive GI Frizette Stakes winner and second-choice Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) as $1.8- million OBS March breezer and 'TDN Rising Star' Nooni (Win Win Win) sped off through fractions of...

Despite never having raced on the dirt in his two seasons at the races, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's champion and 'TDN Rising Star' City of Troy (Justify) was assigned gate three as the 5-2 morning-line selection in a full field of 14 and will be ridden by Ryan Moore in Saturday's $7-million GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. Deemed by trainer Aidan O'Brien--a two-time runner-up in the Classic (Giant's Causeway, Declaration of War)--'the best he's ever trained,' the son of G1SW Together Forever (Ire)...

Nobody should have been to surprised when Tarifa (Bernardini) won Saturday's GII Mother Goose S. at the Belmont at the Big A meet, turning the tables on the favored Gun Song (Gun Runner). The same goes for Saturday's GII Fayette S. at Keeneland, won by the Cox-trained Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}). Starting one month ago, on Sept. 27, he's been on a tear, winning 12 of the 17 (70 % percent) stakes races he has entered in. Overall, Cox is 20-for-63 (32%) for the month of October. He ran...

It was another banner weekend for Godolphin as the stable swept the two Grade I races for 2-year-olds at Keeneland. The filly Immersive (Nyquist) won Friday's GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes and finished things off with a very impressive win by the colt East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity. Both will appear next in the Breeders' Cup where they could garner favoritism in their respective races. Leading the cheering section for Godolphin was its Director of Bloodstock, Michael Banahan, whose duties include overseeing the U.S.-based Godolphin runners....