Larry Rivelli

When Larry Rivelli picked up the telephone, he did so from his Del Mar hotel room, watching a race replay of a horse claimed out of his yard. "I'm a little OCD," he said, in explanation of his unusual leisure-time viewing, before turning the spotlight onto a latest obsession, One Timer (Trappe Shot), his leading contender for the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. "It's all I do. I'll watch a race of One Timer. Then I'm watching a breeze. Then I'm watching the video of his last breeze," he...

Chicago-based invader One Timer took to the turf Friday to skate into the GII Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar with a guaranteed spot in the starting line-up. A 12 1/2-length debut romper at Arlington back in June over recent GIII Iroquois S. runner-up Tough to Tame (Speightster) and another future stakes performer, the bay paired up 80 Beyer Speed Figures when annexing Woodbine's Victoria S. July 31. He was scratched as a would-be heavy favorite from the Aug. 28 Arlington-Washington Futurity won by stablemate Nobals (Noble Mission {GB}),...

OBS March bullet breezer (:20.2) Roger McQueen (Unified) fended of all challengers Sunday to become the second stakes winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}). Third as the favorite on debut at Churchill May 22--one slot behind GII Saratoga Special S. runner-up Gunite (Gun Runner)--the dark bay stepped forward to air by five lengths here July 17. Displaying ample zip once again to attend the pace through a :46.99 half, Roger McQueen took over approaching the stretch but was immediately tackled by Lucky Boss (Street Boss). He continued...

3rd-Ellis, $51,000, Msw, 7-17, 2yo, 5f, :57.94, gd, 5 lengths. ROGER MCQUEEN (c, 2, Unified--Promise Me a Cat {SW, $320,820}, by D'wildcat) was third in his five-furlong unveiling at Churchill May 22. The 3-5 favorite battled on the front end through a quarter in :22.29, took command after a half in :45.76 and pulled away to score by five lengths. Back to Normal (Liam's Map) issued a midstretch challenge before settling for second. Roger McQueen is the second winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}). He was a...

3rd-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, post time: 4:09 p.m. ET VELVET SISTER (Bernardini) brought $500,000 from Stonestreet Stables after breezing an eighth in a powerful :10 1/5 at Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the bay is a half-sister to the tough-as-nails 7-year-old gelding MSW My Boy Tate (Boys At Tosconova). Stonestreet has enjoyed top- level success with Bernardini's Cavorting and Rachel's Valentina. Gerrymander (Into Mischief), a half-sister to last Saturday's runaway GII Brooklyn S. winner Lone Rock (Majestic Warrior), is the 2-1 morning-line favorite. The Klaravich Stables...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency PRICEY UNIFIED COLT DEBUTS AT CHURCHILL 1st-CD, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 6:00p.m. Carolyn Wilson's ROGER MCQUEEN (Unified) makes his career bow in this spot for trainer Larry Rivelli. A $77,000 KEENOV weanling turned $190,000 KEESEP yearling, the dark bay summoned $530,000 at OBS March after breezing in a sharp :20 2/5, making him the most expensive offspring by his first-crop sire. TJCIS PPs

In years past, opening day at Arlington Park has been an event. It comes at a time when winter is giving way to spring in the Chicago area and takes place at what may be the most beautiful racetrack in the U.S. But Friday's opening day at a track that first ran in 1927 will occur under a pall. To some, it will seem more like the opening to a funeral than the opening to a race meet. "Under that thinly disguised veil of happiness for this opening day will...

A reshuffled and rearranged juvenile sales season like no other came to a conclusion with the final session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale Thursday and, with a market left shaken by the fallout of the ongoing global pandemic, numbers were predictably down at the three-day auction. "Certainly the numbers were off comparatively, but it's hard to compare this to other years with so much that has gone on," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said. "There were some bright spots...

Weekend-long contract negotiations that were supposed to result in a last-ditch effort to salvage the 2020 meet at Arlington Park did not result in a deal that was acceptable to both the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (ITHA) and track management. The chief sticking point, as it has been since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, is Arlington's insistence on a two-year contract, while the ITHA wants to ink terms for only one year. As a result, the Illinois Racing Board (IRB) on Monday morning declined to vote on awarding race...