John Sadler

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...

When Olivier (Tapit) worked a half-mile in :49.80 last week at Oaklawn Park for trainer Rodolphe Brisset there was nothing special about the breeze. It was the 45th best work at the distance out of 137 horses who went the half-mile. But it was a step in the right direction, albeit a small one, for a soon-to-be 4-year-old who can't seem to get on the right path. Barring a setback, he should make his debut some time early next year at Oaklawn. Might he finally be ready to turn things...

ARCADIA, CA - With a trio of longshot chances entered in this weekend's Breeders' Cup, trainer John Sadler found a quiet spot on the apron to watch his 9:00 a.m. set train at Santa Anita on Wednesday morning. It was a very different scene ahead of last year's Championships as the 67-year-old put the finishing touches on the once-in-a-lifetime Flightline (Tapit), who concluded his brilliant career unbeaten from six starts with a performance for the ages in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland. How's life after Flightline treating you...

9th-SA, $61K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 8:11 p.m. ET. The rail-drawn URBAN LEGEND (Into Mischief) is one of three Bob Baffert trainees to debut in the Santa Anita finale. Out of MSW Singing Kitty (Ministers Wild Cat), the bay colt went for $300,000 at Keeneland September before bringing $1.3 million at the OBS April Sale. He is campaigned by Morplay Racing LLC, Rosedown Racing Stables, LLC and Kerri Radcliffe. The Hall of Fame conditioner will also saddle Nysos (Nyquist), who was purchased by Baoma Corp. for $550,000 at OBS April, and...

Under the toughest of spotlights, the industry's collective eyes often turn to the stuff under foot. At least, that's what trainer Mark Casse did in a widely-shared TDN Q&A. "I think we really, seriously, need to look at more synthetic tracks," Casse said, triggering yet another cavalcade of commentary on the conceived benefits and blights of synthetic surfaces. "I believe in them. I believe they've got plenty of data to back that up." Former TDN writer Lucas Marquardt followed it up with an analysis of race-day fatality data through The...

One of the biggest stories going into the 2018 Breeders' Cup was trainer John Sadler's 0-41 record on racing's championship day. Accelerate, whose five for six already on the year included four Grade Is in California, succinctly put all that babble to rest with his win in the biggest race on the card. "What stands out to me with Accelerate was the year he had that culminated in the Breeders' Cup Classic," said Sadler. "He won, what, four or five Grade Is that year. So, he had just a fabulous...

by Dan Ross & Jill Williams A $250,000 colt by late California sire Vronsky led Tuesday's one-session Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age Sale, topping a dozen lots to sell for six figures. While the $5,751,500 gross for 185 head and $15,000 median (-11.76%) declined somewhat from the 2022 edition, average was up slightly from $30,522 in 2022 to $31,089 (+1.86%) this year. The buy-back rate, 25.7% in 2022, rose to 34%. "Buy-backs may be up a little bit," said Fasig-Tipton's California representative Mike Machowsky. "But the...

Mike Talla and West Point Thoroughbreds partnered up to acquire a colt by Not This Time (hip 879) for $1.05 million from the St George Sales consignment Thursday at Keeneland. The yearling is out of Foreign Affair (Exchange Rate), a half-sister to multiple group winner So Perfect (Scat Daddy). He will be trained by John Sadler, who stood alongside West Point's Terry Finley during the bidding. The colt was the fourth seven-figure purchase of the auction for West Point, which teamed with Chuck Sonson and Woodford to acquire the sale's...

2nd-Del Mar, $84,500, Msw, 9-8, 2yo, f, 5fT, :57.22, fm, 1 1/4 lengths. SOHO (f, 2, City of Light--Keri Belle {GSW, $323,140}, by Empire Maker) lacked racing room in the opening jumps and took back to split the field from fifth as Feisty Mitole (Mitole) surged from the inside gate to the lead. Always traveling well, the 4-1 shot took a ground-saving track around the far turn before tipping out to kick for home. Charging past favored Avoir (More Than Ready) and a fading pacesetter, Soho went clear close to...

4th-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 5:59 p.m. An $850,000 Keeneland September yearling, CONCORD BRIDGE (Medaglia d'Oro) makes the races for owners Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds under the tutelage of trainer John Sadler. Dam Pauline Revere, a half to GI Bing Crosby S. winner American Theorem (American Pharoah) and her first foal, Donegal Mischief (Into Mischief), romped to a 10 1/4-length maiden win on debut at Evangeline Downs July 28. Lined up just to his outside, Utopian (Curlin) is a full-brother to MGISP Ride On Curlin and out...

2nd-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5fT, 6:30p.m. (ET) Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds' SOHO (City of Light) gets her start for trainer John Sadler, who wins at a 7% clip with his first-time starters. The dark bay has been showing a progressive worktab leading up to this unveiling, including a five-furlong move in 1:00 1/5 (8/55) at the seaside oval Sept. 3. A $625,000 Keeneland September purchase, the daughter of Keri Belle (Empire Maker), a GSW on the turf, also holds the distinction of being the top priced filly...