Linda Rice

Still undefeated now in four starts, 'TDN Rising Star' With the Angels added a third consecutive stakes win Sunday with the Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct. Stepped up in distance while facing New York-breds in each of her three prior starts, she cut back here to six furlongs (her winning debut distance) off the one-mile Maid of the Mist Stakes Oct. 27. Kept in this spot instead of chasing open company in next month's GII Demoiselle Stakes, With the Angels took all the money as the 1-5 chalk but, for...

While her connections passed on an opportunity in the Breeders' Cup next weekend, 'TDN Rising Star' With the Angels (Omaha Beach) kept things rolling in New York with yet another stakes win in Sunday's Maid of the Mist Stakes. Dubbed a 'Rising Star' at Saratoga with an 11 1/2-length romp against New York-breds Aug. 22, she stepped out an additional furlong and put 9 3/4 lengths on the field in the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes Sept. 22. The no-doubt favorite at 1-9 trying the flat mile Sunday, With the Angels...

With the Angels (Omaha Beach) earned a 'TDN Rising Star' tag with her 11 1/2-length maiden romp at Saratoga going six furlongs Aug. 22. Hammered down to 1-9 in her stakes debut with one extra furlong to race Sunday, the $350,000 OBS April grad struck the front shortly after the break and showed the way ahead of Valtellina (Complexity) through fractions of :23.40 and :47.17. Given her head off the far turn, With the Angels responded well to a shake of the reins and opened up under a hand ride...

With the Angels (f, 2, Omaha Beach--Sister Margaret, by Pulpit) was accorded a 6-1 chance on the morning line for Thursday's state-bred opener from Saratoga, but she was well-tried in the market and ultimately made even-money look like a gift in a debut romp that was worthy of the 'TDN Rising Star' designation. Having breezed an eighth of a mile in :9 4/5 before selling to agent Justin Casse for $350,000 at this year's OBS April Sale, the dark bay filly--who fetched $65,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-Bred...

Saturday's big winners at Saratoga Race Course all came out of their races in good order Sunday. 4-year-old Arthur's Ride (Tapit), provided a timely update to his family tree for his breeders Joe and Helen Barbazon with a win in the GI Whitney Stakes. "Oh, we're just tickled to death," said Joe Barbazon. "We've got two of his half-sisters and of course this helps their value. We still have his mama here and it's a huge plus for us. It was very exciting, and there was a lot of yelling....

Every week, the TDN posts a round-up of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the HIWU "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Date: 07/09/2024 Licensee: Blake A. Kelly, trainer Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points. Final decision by HIWU. Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Dantrolene—Controlled Medication (Class C)—in a sample taken from Karter's Baby Blue on 5/15/24....

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-With the mighty successful prelim--the GI Belmont Stakes--now part of Saratoga's storied history, it is time to move on to the main event. The 40-day racing season, the 156th since the first meet was staged in 1863, commences Thursday with an 11-race program at Saratoga Race Course, America's oldest sporting venue. The listed six-furlong $175,000 Schuylerville S., a graded stakes for 2-year-old fillies through last year, is the traditional opening-day feature. The first post is at 1:10 p.m. By the time the meet concludes on Labor Day, Sept....

8th-SA, $54K, Msw, 3-5yo, 6f, 7:30 p.m. In a race that also features the debut of Flightline's half-brother Eagles Flight (Curlin), breaking just to that runner's outside is VISCERAL (Violence) for the partnership of MyRacehorse and Edge Racing. Bought for $400,000 out of OBS March last year after working in :10, the grey or roan colt is the second foal out of a half to GSW San Pablo (Jump Start) and MGSP Slider (Prenup). Working out of trainer Mark Glatt's barn, Visceral has fired bullets in two of his last...

The late Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic), who won last year's GIII Victory Ride S. and GIII Miss Preakness S. before tragically falling en route to victory in the GI Test S., was named New York-bred Horse of the Year along with champion 3-year-old filly and champion female sprinter honors during the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc.'s Annual Awards Ceremony Monday night. Bred by Joe Fafone and campaigned by Bill Parcells' August Dawn Farm, Maple Leaf Mel was trained by Melanie Giddings--for whom she was named--and Jeremiah Englehart. The complete...

Manny Franco rode the winners of 28 races to claim the leading jockey title during the 16-day spring meet at Aqueduct which concluded Sunday. The 29-year-old native of Carolina, Puerto Rico earned a repeat win and his third overall title at the meet after capturing last year's Big A spring title with 37 wins and the 2019 title with 18 wins. "It feels great to be back on top," said Franco, who is represented by agent John Panagot. "I'm just grateful and happy to be in this position. I want...

Trainer Linda Rice and jockey Jose Lezcano combined to win five races on Thursday's eight-race card at Aqueduct Racetrack. Rice, who captured the recently concluded Aqueduct winter meet training title with 23 wins, won with all five of her starters on Thursday's program, while Lezcano won with five-of-six mounts. Three of the Rice-Lezcano scores came for owner Winning Move Stable. Rice, who won a record-equaling 164 races on the NYRA circuit last year, was pleased to kick off the Aqueduct spring meet in style. "I've had a few four-win days,...

Linda Rice continued to assert her dominance on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit when capturing the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet training title with 23 wins at the 45-day meeting which ran from Jan. 1 through Mar. 30. Rice has now won the training title at six of the last seven NYRA meetings, along with year-end honors last year as the circuit's top trainer with a record-tying 164 wins. She also came out on top at last year's Big A winter meet with 37 wins. "It's great," said...