John Sadler

With 'TDN Rising Star' Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) bypassing the GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill Downs for the GI Woody Stephens S. at Saratoga, the new headliner for Sunday's race under the Twin Spires is Who Dey (Liam's Map). Installed as a 5-2 shot on the morning-line in the Matt Winn, trainer Tom Drury opted to scratch his colt from Friday's Best of Ohio Green Carpet S. at Belterra Park for a chance to return to Churchill. The 3-year-old was last seen finishing fourth behind GI Preakness S. hero Seize...

The Week in Review On a day when there were three stakes races, two of them Grade I's, at Santa Anita, the biggest draw on the Monday card was a maiden, Eagles Flight (Curlin). He drew more fans to the paddock than were there for any of the stakes. That's what happens when you're making your first start and are a half-brother to the great Flightline (Tapit). Crank up the hype machine. Eagles Flight, sent off at 11-10, won by 2 3/4 lengths, drawing away with ease inside the final...

8th-SA, $54K, Msw, 3-5yo, 6f, 7:30 p.m. In a race that also features the debut of Flightline's half-brother Eagles Flight (Curlin), breaking just to that runner's outside is VISCERAL (Violence) for the partnership of MyRacehorse and Edge Racing. Bought for $400,000 out of OBS March last year after working in :10, the grey or roan colt is the second foal out of a half to GSW San Pablo (Jump Start) and MGSP Slider (Prenup). Working out of trainer Mark Glatt's barn, Visceral has fired bullets in two of his last...

There are three graded stakes races on Monday's card at Santa Anita, but the most anticipated race of the day may be the eighth, a $54,000 maiden race run at six furlongs. That's because it features the debut of Eagles Flight (Curlin) a 3-year-old half-brother to Flightline (Tapit). Like Flightline, Eagles Flight is trained by John Sadler. "I am excited," Sadler said. "We've been working closely with him and he's showing good run and he's worked well in company. We've got 48 hours to go and we're anxious to get...

Hronis Racing's Tapalo (Tapiture), the El Camino Real Derby runner-up and a contender in Saturday's GI Santa Anita Derby, leads a cast of nine 3-year-olds that were made eligible to compete in the 2024 Triple Crown with a late $6,000 payment that was due Monday. Trained by John Sadler, Tapalo is expected to enter Saturday's Santa Anita Derby. The nine late nominees (pending late mail): Hronis Racing's Tapalo; Tri Star Racing & Cimarron TTT's Awesome Ruta (Mendelssohn); Lewis Family Racing Stables' Celtic Contender (Irish War Cry); Ten Strike Racing, Four...

1st-SA, $65K, MSW, 3yo, 6fT, 4:00 p.m. The partnership of Stonehaven Steading, Talla Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing and Charles Sonson went to a sales-topping $2,500,000 at Keeneland September in 2022 to secure METRO (Quality Road). A son of GIII Schuylerville S. third True Feelings, he is a half to SW Feeling Mischief (Into Mischief) and GSP Royal Act (American Pharoah). True Feelings is herself a half to the dam of champion 3-year-old filly Wait A While (Maria's Mon) and this is also the family of dual champion and...

The stormy forecast that delayed the Big 'Cap card originally scheduled for Saturday at Santa Anita and the scratching of his sophomore sensation Nysos (Nyquist) did little to dampen Bob Baffert's day as Newgate (Into Mischief)'s last-jump victory in the GI Santa Anita H. gave the trainer three graded wins--plus, the exacta in the GII San Felipe S.--in Arcadia Sunday. The stallion-making partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, et al, co-owners of Newgate, doubled up on graded scores with Imagination (Into Mischief)'s win in...

The GII San Felipe S. last its headliner with the scratch of the Bob Baffert-trained Nysos (Nyquist), but Baffert still dominated the race with stablemates Imagination (Into Mischief) and Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso) running in tandem for much of the 1 1/16 miles and in lockstep down the stretch before Imagination just got his nose in front on the wire Sunday at Santa Anita. Of his one-two finish in the San Felipe, Baffert said, "We're trying to develop these horses, so it was good for both of them. Wine...

Slider (Jimmy Creed), third last out in the GII San Vincente S. to Nysos (Nyquist), will miss Saturday's Gotham S. at Aqueduct with a bruised left front foot, according to part-owners Rob Murphy and West Point Thoroughbreds' Terry Finley. Murphy, one of the West Point Partners, said that Slider had shipped to New York on Tuesday to prepare for the race, but came up with the issue Friday morning. Finley, a partner in the horse, said that X-rays of Slider's foot and ankle had come up negative. Slider broke his...

Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg})--both in their first year of eligibility--head a list of nine racehorses, six trainers and two jockeys who were named as finalists on this year's Hall of Fame ballot by the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame Nominating Committee Tuesday morning. Also on the ballot are: 2010 champion 3-year-old filly Blind Luck (Pollard's Vision), eight-time Grade I winner Game on Dude (Awesome Again), three-time Eclipse champion Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat), 2011...

Hall Racing, Pearl Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds' Slider (Jimmy Creed) will ship east in search of additional qualifying Kentucky Derby points in Saturday's GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct. Winner of the Speakeasy S. over the turf at Santa Anita last October, Slider was ninth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. He returned to the main track to be third in the Jan. 6 GII San Vicente S. last time out. Trained by John Sadler, Slider turned in bullet five-furlong work in :59.00 (1/121) at Santa Anita Sunday....

Thoroughbred trainers Dale Romans, John Sadler and Shug McGaughey, plus racing and bloodstock manager Gavin Murphy, have joined the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)'s Horsemen's Advisory Group, the HISA  Authority announced via press release Tuesday. The advisory group is a body of racing industry participants formed by  the HISA Authority last year to provide formal feedback to the Authority 's executive team and Standing Committees on the implementation and evolution of its Racetrack Safety and Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) regulations. The four new members will replace outgoing Horsemen's...