Jonathan's Way

All of us involved in this game tend to be exposed to its ups and downs on a scale proportionate to our means. That being so, there have unsurprisingly been some pretty wild extremes--for better and worse--in the story of the most lavishly funded program in its history. Just think back, for instance, to the last days of April 2001. Sheikh Mohammed had sent Street Cry (Ire) back to the United States, where he had been skillfully developed as a juvenile by Eoin Harty, with the mission of winning the...

First Resort (Uncle Mo) sat a perfect, stalking trip beneath Luis Saez and held off a late rally from the odds-on 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) to give Godolphin a sweep of Saturday's graded races for 2-year-olds in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. With the victory, First Resort collected 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Off to a good start from his outside draw racing beneath the lights, the homebred was placed in a fantastic spot in second by Saez to press...

The sole Grade I winner in Saturday's GI Hollywood Derby lineup, Carson's Run (Cupid) will try to shift his East Coast form to California for Del Mar's nine-furlong turf test. A first-out winner at Saratoga at two, the chestnut took the one-mile GI Summer Stakes at Woodbine later in September. Demoted to fifth in his sophomore bow in the Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct in April, the Christophe Clement trainee rebounded to win his next two-a confident score in Monmouth's Tale of the Cat Stakes before closing to a 3/4-length score...

Rigney Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma), seventh at a well-backed 5-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, is being aimed at the GII Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs Nov. 30. The previously unbeaten GIII Iroquois Stakes winner returned to trainer Phil Bauer's Louisville base with a five-furlong bullet in :58.80 (1/76) Nov. 16. "Hopefully, we'll put that behind us and run well in the Jockey Club," Bauer said. "He's shown great energy since he shipped home. That's the main reason why we even considered...

If it stays like this, a single maiden winner might settle it. Because all that separates McKinzie ($2,294,679) from current leader Tiz the Law ($2,339,575) in the freshman table is $44,896. But wait, there's more. McKinzie isn't even second. Between the pair lurks Vekoma ($2,306,457), ensuring a desperate three-way contest for the prized laurels of champion first-season sire. It's even closer than this time last year, when four stallions were divided by barely $200,000. In the end, Mitole actually extended his lead down the stretch. But the fact that the...

The opening pool for the 2025 Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed Friday in advance of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with "All Other Colts and Geldings" topping the list as the 4-5 favorite. 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) was the second choice at odds of 9-1. Other Breeders' Cup 'Rising Stars' included in the pool included East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) at 11-1 and Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) at 19-1. Total handle for the pool, the first of six, was $174,785, a 6.4% increase from the same pool last year. The...

It's early, but maybe not too early to start dreaming of the GI Kentucky Derby. At least it's not for owner Richard Rigney. Rigney is the owner of 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma), the winner of last Saturday's GIII Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs, the first of many races that award Derby points to the top five finishers. Making his second career start after overcoming trouble to win a maiden at Saratoga, Jonathan's Way was an impressive winner, suggesting there could be bigger and better triumphs in his future....

Richard Rigney joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss the win by Jonathan's Way in the Iroquois and talk all things Rigney Racing.

To many, no doubt, her genetic contribution is by now too attenuated to merit attention. At the very least, however, it must be acknowledged an impressive coincidence that the winners of both the GIII Iroquois Stakes and GIII Pocahontas Stakes--whose shared value, as reconnaissance for the Classics over the same track next May, is recognized by allocation of the first starting points--should share as sixth dam the Darby Dan foundation mare Golden Trail. The Golden Trail dynasty entwines such productive lines as those branded by Memories of Silver, Sunshine Forever...

Let's start this column with the disclaimer that it's way too early to start seriously talking about how a one-turn-mile victory at age two might translate to winning a 10-furlong stakes some 7 ½ months from now in a chaotic field of 20. We'll also put aside for the moment that the GIII Iroquois S. has never been a prognosticator for success in the GI Kentucky Derby. Dating to the race's inception in 1983, juveniles who ran in that late summer/early autumn Churchill Downs stakes have gone a collective 0-1-1...

Rigney Racing's TDN Rising Star Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) went wire-to-wire in the GIII Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs, earning the colt 10 qualifying points towards the GI Kentucky Derby. According to trainer Phil Bauer Sunday, the colt will now head to the Nov. 1 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. "It was an unbelievable day for our barn," Bauer said. "Watching him turn for home in the Iroquois, he looked so comfortable on the front end. His ears told a story--he was just waiting for Joel [Rosario] to ask...

No sooner has the dust settled on the 2023 Triple Crown season that another one begins anew. The first points on the 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby were awarded Saturday with 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) getting first dibs at a spot in the gate on the first Saturday in May with his win in the GIII Iroquois Stakes. The Ohio-bred son of popular first-crop sire Vekoma impressed right away for Rigney Racing, earning 'TDN Rising Star' accolades in his Saratoga unveiling when overcoming a bad beginning to...