Jonathan Thomas

Augustin Stable's Delight (Mendelssohn) became the first black-type winner for her freshman sire (by Scat Daddy) with a dominant score in Keeneland's GII J.P. Morgan Chase Jessamine S. The race was a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf S. to be held in Lexington Nov. 4. Hustling up to contest the pace through a :24.32 opening quarter, the 7-2 shot gained a clear lead after that point, clocking a half-mile in :49.61. Showing the way into the lane, Delight rolled clear with ease for...

Holiday weekends are often synonymous with exciting race cards and this Fourth of July weekend is no exception with a dozen graded events on tap Saturday that include some of racing's best. The highlight of the day's action is the return of 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief), who is making his first start back since finishing fourth in the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 26 in Belmont's GII John A. Nerud S. A dominant winner of last year's GII Kelso H. and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile...

Edited Press Release Jonathan Thomas, trainer of the versatile multiple Grade I winner Catholic Boy, will judge the 88th annual Maryland Horse Breeders Association Yearling Show. Open to all yearlings eligible for Maryland-bred registration, the show will be held Sunday, July 24 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds' Horse Show Ring in Timonium. Entries are due by June 24. Thomas was born in Virginia and raised at Paul Mellon's famed Rokeby Farm, where his grandfather, father and mother all worked. Growing up around quality horses, Thomas was 13 when Mellon's homebred...

6th-Keeneland, $109,450, Alw (NW1X), Opt. Clm ($80,000), 4-22, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:24.11, ft, 2 3/4 lengths. MOUFFY (f, 3, Uncle Mo--Truly Together {GSP, $119,760}, by Smart Strike), pounded into 7-10 favoritism off a big-figure runner-up effort when trying conventional dirt for the first time at Gulfstream Park Feb. 20, gave her backers some anxious moments as she raced in heavy traffic down the backstretch, but the homebred bay took advantage of an inviting opening at the fence when heads were turned for home and quickened up nicely to clear her...

Augustin Stable's Send for Me (Into Mischief) led home a $1.5-million-plus exacta for her sire as she became the Spendthrift super stallion's 28th 'TDN Rising Star' when drubbing a fancy group of fillies at Aqueduct Saturday. Acquired for $500,000 at OBS April off a :10 flat breeze, the Jonathan Thomas pupil was let go at 6-1 and made that price look like a bargain. Emerging with the early advantage, the bay doled out splits of :22.99 and :47.42, quickly shut the door on her competition at the head of the...

3rd-AQU, $74k, OC45k/N2X, (S), 3yo/up, 1m, post tme: 1:19 p.m. ET NICKY THE VEST (Runhappy), sidelined since running his record to a perfect two-for-two with a runaway score versus state-breds in the Gander S. Feb. 14, returns to action at the Big A Thursday. The New York-bred, forced to miss the GII Wood Memorial S. due to a knee chip, faces seven rivals in a state-bred optional claimer with first-time Lasix in his comebacker. Both of his previous wins came over this same track and trip. "He had trained like...

6th-SAR, $100k, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 3:55 p.m. ET A pair of promising-looking juvenile fillies will make their respective debuts while breaking next door to each other in this Thursday turf dash. EMPRESS TIGRESS (Classic Empire) made a big splash at OBS April when breezing a quarter-mile in an eye-popping :20 2/5, one of only two horses at the entire sale to hit that mark, and landed with Augustin Stable after the hammer dropped for $410,000. Trained by Jonathan Thomas, she's out of a half-sister to GSW/MGISP turfer Stays...

Aidan O'Brien will saddle the likely favorite in the GI Belmont Oaks in Coolmore's Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and also sends out the overwhelming morning-line favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the GI Belmont Derby a few races later for the same owner. Kicking off this term with a victory in the G3 Ballysax S. Apr. 11, the bay romped by six lengths in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial May 9, but failed to fire when seventh as the favorite in the G1 Cazoo...

Nicky the Vest, an impressive debut winner in December at Aqueduct, proved that no effort was no fluke with an authoritative romp in the New York-bred Gander S. Sunday at the Big A, becoming the first black-type winner for Claiborne Farm's Runhappy (by Super Saver) in the process. Unveiled as an 11-2 proposition against Empire-bred foes over track and trip Dec. 18, the $110,000 OBS October grad shook off some early pace pressure and kicked away to a 3 1/4-length score. Hammered late to go off as the clear favorite...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-AQU, $80K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 1:20 p.m. ET Jonathan Thomas sends out $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad Will E Sutton (Curlin) for Robert V. LaPenta, Stonestreet Stables and Bridlewood Farm on this card that was pushed back a day due to winter weather. The daughter of debut winner and  stakes-placed juvenile Yes Liz (Yes It's True) sports an upbeat tab over the Belmont training track. TJCIS PPs    

Sponsored by Alex Nichols 6th-Aqueduct, $80k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, post time: 2:15 p.m. ET Bob LaPenta, Gainesway and Bridlewood Farm's ALL MO (Uncle Mo) debuts for trainer Jonathan Thomas. The $450,000 KEENOV weanling turned $900,000 KEESEP yearling is a half to stakes winner and graded placed Fusaichi Red (Fusaichi Pegasus). TJCIS PPs 4th-Churchill, $85k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16m, post time: 2:27 p.m. ET Andrew Farm and For the People Racing's BUGLE OF WAR (War Front), a $400,000 KEESEP yearling, debuts for trainer Eddie Kenneally. The colt is out of Group...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 9th-TAM, $20K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1mT, 5:00 p.m. ET Bridlewood Farm went to $750,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga in 2018 to secure COMPLETED (Verrazano), the highest price ever paid at auction for a progeny of the 2013 GI Wood Memorial S. and GI Haskell Invitational hero, and the Jonathan Thomas trainee makes her career debut on turf in the last of nine races Wednesday at Tampa. A half-sister to multiple Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Separationofpowers (Candy Ride {Arg}) and turf SW Empire of War (Declaration...