Kentucky Oaks

One of the top second-crop sires Daredevil (More Than Ready--Chasethewildwind, by Forty Niner) will relocate to Lane's End Farm for the 2021 breeding season. The GI Champagne S. victor will stand for $25,000. Sire of 3-year-old sensations Swiss Skydiver and Shedaresthedevil, Daredevil is third on the North American-based, second-crop sire behind only American Pharoah and Constitution with just over half as many starters. Daredevil is the only first-crop sire to ever sire an individual winner of the GI Kentucky Oaks and the GI Preakness S. in the same year. Swiss...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) is conducting a follow-up investigation of a class C medication positive detected in a sample returned from Kentucky Oaks day, according to a KHRC statement Thursday. Joe Drape of The New York Times reported in a story published at 6:43 p.m. that it was the Kentucky Oaks third-place finisher Gamine who returned the positive test, citing "two people familiar with the results of the drug test who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly." "The Derby day samples were...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) is conducting a follow-up investigation of a class C medication positive detected in a sample returned from Kentucky Oaks day, according to a KHRC statement Thursday. Joe Drape of The New York Times reported in a story published at 6:43 p.m. that it was the Kentucky Oaks third-place finisher Gamine who returned the positive test, citing "two people familiar with the results of the drug test who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly." "The Derby day samples were...

The finger pointing over Tyler Gaffalione's decision not to ride Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GI Preakness S. continued Thursday when Gaffalione's agent Matt Muzikar said trainer Ken McPeek's version of the events was "nowhere near the truth." On this week's edition of the TDN Writers' Room podcast, McPeek sharply criticized both Muzikar and Gaffalione, claiming that the two reneged on an agreement to ride the filly in the Preakness. "I announced that we're going to run in the Preakness and Tyler was on board," McPeek said on the podcast....

After bypassing the GI Kentucky Oaks, Juddmonte homebred Bonny South (Munnings) is the clear-cut filly to beat in Saturday's GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico. The chestnut broke through with a last-to-first upset in the GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 21, then was a well-beaten fourth in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland July 11. She bounced back with a good second behind the GI Preakness S.-bound Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GI Alabama S. at Saratoga last time Aug. 15. "The biggest thing...

GI Kentucky Derby hero Authentic (Into Mischief) and GI Kentucky Oaks victress Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) both returned to the worktab Saturday at Churchill Downs. GI Preakness S.-bound Authentic covered five panels in :59.20, the fastest of 38 works at the distance. With jockey Martin Garcia aboard, the bay clicked off splits in :23.80 and :35.40, galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.20. "It went very well. Martin has been with me," said trainer Bob Baffert, who came to Louisville from the Keeneland Sale in Lexington. "He knows what I expect. I told...

As far as marketing for a nascent, unorthodox racehorse ownership venture goes, you couldn't do much better than a horse carrying your silks into the Churchill Downs infield as the GI Kentucky Derby winner. That's what Michael Behrens experienced Saturday, as Authentic (Into Mischief), bought into by his MyRacehorse microshare partnership in June, fought off favored Tiz the Law (Constitution) past the Twin Spires to earn the garland of roses. Wednesday, Behrens joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to...

Heavy favorite Gamine (Into Mischief)'s stiffest competition in Friday's GI Kentucky Oaks figured to come from a daughter of Daredevil--just not 15-1 Shedaresthedevil, who led home a one-two for her exported stallion over second choice Swiss Skydiver. The Flurry Racing Stables LLC, Qatar Racing Limited and Big Aut Farms representative covered the nine furlongs at Churchill Downs in an Oaks record of 1:48.28 (Bird Town, 2003, 1:48.64). The winning margin was 1 1/2 lengths, with the same margin back to 7-10 Gamine in third. Trainer Brad Cox and rider Florent...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-CD, $97K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 11:30 a.m. ET Gary Barber and Baccari Racing Stable's SALTY AS CAN BE (Into Mischief) opens her account in this sprint, the second event on a star-studded GI Longines Kentucky Oaks day card at Churchill. Bought for $850,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, the bay is a half-sister to Salty (Quality Road), who won the GI La Troienne S. over this track for these connections in 2018 before selling for $3 million to Don Alberto at Fasig-Tipton November. Other interesting firsters...

OXO Equine's Mundaye Call (Into Mischief) may not be ready to face the big girls in Friday's GI Kentucky Oaks, but the progressive bay will look to punch her ticket for a date with the top fillies of her class in the near future as a looming short-priced proposition on the undercard in the GII Eight Belles S. Bought for the hefty sum of $950,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling, Mundaye Call was just nipped when second by a head debuting for Don Chatlos at 4-5 last summer at Saratoga....

Adrian Gonzalez was possibly just humoring his wife Erin when he trudged up the hill through the snow at Keeneland on the last day of the November sale in 2017, but the hike proved fruitful when the couple came home with Expo Gold (Johannesburg) for just $13,000. The mare was in foal to Daredevil and the filly she had already produced that year by that same sire would go on to become Grade I winner Swiss Skydiver. While Expo Gold has changed hands three times since the November sale, the...

With the racing and sales calendars turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, buyers at the upcoming Keeneland September Sale and Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase will have a unique opportunity. Typically, the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks--as well as the rest of the Triple Crown trail for that matter--are long over by the time the major yearling auctions take place. But with those marquee sophomore races pushed back to the first weekend in September, buyers could have a chance to purchase a sibling to this year's Derby or...