John Sadler

Electric Ride (f, 2, Daredevil--Why Oh You, by Yes It's True) stormed home through the final furlong to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors on her Del Mar unveiling Saturday afternoon. Sent off at odds of 23-5 beneath an in-form Joe Bravo, the Indiana-bred bay broke alertly and took up a pace-pressing position from second through an opening quarter-mile that was timed in :22.19. Appearing to have front-running Gritty Girl (Street Boss) when she wanted, Electric Ride poked her head in front at the five-sixteenths pole, was shoved on entering the...

C Z Rocket (City Zip) will be looking to earn another automatic berth to the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint when he attempts to defend his title in the 'Win and You're In' GII Pat O'Brien S. at Del Mar Saturday night. The 7-year-old gelding has hit the board in all 10 starts--with seven wins--since being claimed for $40,000 last April. He earned his first graded score in last year's Pat O'Brien and followed up with a win in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. before concluding the year with...

Tiago Josue Pereira is no stranger to winning races with seven- or even eight-figure purses. In 2009, he partnered with Gloria de Campeao (Brz) (Impression {Arg}) for the very first time to cause a 24-1 upset in the $2-million G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup and less than a year later, guided the same galloper to a nose victory in the $10-million G1 Dubai World Cup. Roughly a 10% rider since relocating to the United States in 2014, Pereira had ridden seven graded stakes winners, a respectable achievement. The Brazilian, who...

Last year's GI Santa Anita H. victor Combatant (Scat Daddy--Border Dispute, by Boundary) has been retired and will stand at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, New York, beginning with the 2022 season. Campaigned by Hronis Racing, the 6-year-old was sold to Brian Levings of Levings Racing in a deal brokered by Matt Bowling of Bowling Bloodstock, Colt Pike and David Ingordo. "I've had fun on the racing side and decided to dip a toe in the stallion market," said Levings. "New York has a strong program and has shown that stallions...

A total of 15 horses--headed by Hronis Racing's GISW Rock Your World (Candy Ride)--have been nominated to Del Mar's GI TVG Pacific Classic Aug. 21, a 'Win and You're In' to the Breeders' Cup Classic. Winner of the GI Santa Anita Derby in April, the John Sadler trainee was initially being targeted for the Sept. 4 GII Del Mar Derby on the turf despite having won a Grade I on the dirt. In his two most recent starts, the striking dark bay finished 17th and sixth, respectively, in the GI...

It's been a quiet 10-plus weeks for 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit), who has not been heard from since his electrifying debut on Apr. 24 at Santa Anita. But that's about to change. He's had four workouts since June 9 and trainer John Sadler says the 3-year-old colt is almost ready to go and will reappear sometime during the upcoming Del Mar meet. Flightline left little doubt in his debut that he is as talented as anyone in the 3-year-old male division. Ridden by Flavien Prat, he won the six-furlong...

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint winner and Eclipse champion Gamine (Into Mischief) looms large in Monday's GII Great Lady M S. at Los Alamitos. The Bob Baffert-trained 'TDN Rising Star' has been perfect in two tries this year--she bested stablemate Qahira (Cairo Prince) by five lengths in Santa Anita's GIII Las Flores S. Apr. 4, and was a facile winner of the GI Derby City Distaff at Churchill May 1 ahead of three next-out stakes winners. The $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic topper figures to be extremely tough to beat...

The John Sadler-trained Flagstaff (Speightstown) has been disqualified from a second-place finish in last September's GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. after testing positive for clodronic acid, a bisphosphonate otherwise known as Osphos, according to a steward's ruling from Saturday. According to the ruling, the $40,000 in prize money earnings awarded to owners Lane's End Racing and Hronis Racing, jockey Victor Espinoza and Sadler will be redistributed. Currently unclassified, clodronic acid is by default deemed a class 1, penalty A drug, and it's currently in the process of being classified...

ELMONT, NY - The handsome gray Knicks Go (Paynter) was among several high-profile runners spotted stretching their legs on an overcast and humid Thursday morning at beautiful Belmont Park ahead of this weekend's GI Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Mile H.-bound GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and GI Pegasus World Cup winner wrapped up his exercise just before 6 a.m. With an on-and-off light drizzle falling throughout the morning as temperatures hovered in the low 60s, GI Preakness S. upsetter and Belmont S. second-choice Rombauer...

Lane's End Racing and Hronis Racing's Flagstaff (Speightstown), fresh off a dramatic first Grade I victory in the May 1 Churchill Downs S., will be aiming for a third straight win when he goes postward in the GII True North S. at Belmont Park Friday. The 7-year-old gelding won the GIII Commonwealth S. at Keeneland Apr. 3 before outbattling Lexitonian (Speightstown) and Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) in a blanket finish in the Churchill Downs. He is cutting back from seven furlongs to 6 1/2 furlongs for the True North. "It was...

ELMONT, NY -- After a forgettable run on the first Saturday in May, the previously unbeaten Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) will get his shot at redemption in the 153rd renewal of the GI Belmont S. Off as the 9-2 second-choice in the GI Kentucky Derby following a jaw-dropping, front-running tally in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby at third asking, the dark bay's race was over well before his well-documented trouble at the start that day, per co-owner Kosta Hronis. "I think he showed a lot of immaturity,"...

The John Sadler-trained Flagstaff (Speightstown) tested positive for Clodronic Acid, a bisphosphonate otherwise known as Osphos, after finishing second at Santa Anita Sept. 27 last year, according to a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) complaint. As per the complaint, dated Mar. 24, an Osphos positive is a Class 1, Category A penalty. A split sample confirmed the original finding, the complaint states. Sadler is currently on a year's probation in accordance with a settlement agreement and mutual release with the CHRB, as part of which Sadler was fined $15,000 and...