Locked

Pletcher Targets Pegasus with Locked and Crupi

Graded-stakes winning stablemates Locked (Gun Runner) and Crupi (Curlin) have been confirmed to make their 2025 debuts in the Jan. 25 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream, according to trainer Todd Pletcher Sunday. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's Locked raced four times as a 2-year-old, including a win the GI Breeders' Futurity and a third to champion stablemate Fierceness in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile but was knocked off the Triple Crown trail earlier this year with a knee injury. The TDN Rising Star made his return with...

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Gun Runner's Locked is Loaded in Cigar Mile

Making just his second start of the season, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner) made up for lost time with a powerful performance against older horses in a loaded renewal of Saturday's GII Cigar Mile Handicap at the Big A. It was 1 1/2 lengths back to GI Forego Stakes winner and GI Breeders' Cup Sprint third Mullikin (Violence) in second. The overachieving Maryland-bred Post Time (Frosted), runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, rallied from the back for third. One of the...

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Top Level Starpower Shines In Grade I-Quality Cigar Mile On Saturday

The Saturday graded stakes action across North America offers several options, but the Big A earns the spotlight as the venerable NYRA track plays host to some strong races. Even though the Cigar Mile Handicap was downgraded a tick from its top level status by the American Graded Stakes Committee in 2023, connections still consider the race to possess a certain cache and the rigor in this year's edition is evident. "It [Cigar Mile] came up pretty salty," said Book'em Danno's trainer Derek Ryan. "It is a Grade II now...

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Week In Review: Cox Unveils a Pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' on Same Day; Will They Live Up to the Hype?

When the TDN staff decided to make Patch Adams (Into Mischief) and Chasten (Into Mischief) 'TDN Rising Stars' after their maiden wins Saturday at Churchill Downs history was made by trainer Brad Cox. Never before has a trainer had two Rising Stars on the same day. Both were obvious choices. Patch Adams ran away from his competition to win by 10 lengths. Chasten, a winner by 1 ½ lengths, wasn't quite as impressive, but that she is half-sister to 2023 Older Filly & Mare Champion Idiomatic (Curlin) obviously swayed the...

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Locked Romps in Much-Anticipated Big A Return, Could Target Cigar Mile

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), an impressive winner of last fall's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland and most recently third as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Nov. 3, returned to the races in style with a runaway victory in the opener at the Big A Saturday. Favored at 2-5 and racing with first-time Lasix, he was ridden by John Velazquez to keep pace in second, set his sights on Gun It (Tapit) approaching the quarter pole...

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Oct. 19 Insights: Locked Makes His Return at the Belmont Big A Meet

1st-BAQ, $95k, OC/N2X, 3yo/up, 7f, 12:10p.m. ET LOCKED (Gun Runner) will make his return to the races here after not being seen since suffering a knee injury which knocked him off the Triple Crown trail this past spring. Racing with first-time Lasix, and made the 4-5 morning line favorite, he's been working steadily over the Saratoga training track with two of his last three moves being bullet efforts. Last year's GI Breeders' Futurity winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile third will have John Velazquez in the irons. TJCIS PPs 3rd-KEE,...

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Sophomore Sprinters Enjoy Spotlight at Keeneland Saturday

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Knightsbridge (Nyquist) will square off with GI Woody Stephens Stakes winner Book'em Danno (Bucchero) in a deep renewal of the GIII Perryville Stakes going seven furlongs at Keeneland Saturday. 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), last seen finishing third as the favorite in the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita, is expected to scratch and instead make his sophomore debut in the lidlifter at the Big A Saturday. Godolphin homebred Knightsbridge posted a double-digit victory going seven furlongs on debut at Churchill Downs Nov....

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Locked Gearing Up at Saratoga, Keeneland's Perryville a Potential Comeback Target

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner--Luna Rosa, by Malibu Moon), one of the early-book favorites for this spring's GI Kentucky Derby following an impressive win in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and third-place finish as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall, could return to action in the GIII Perryville Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 19. Locked missed a pair of intended starts earlier this spring, including the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park Mar. 2, and was subsequently...

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Due To Knee Injury, Locked Will Miss Triple Crown

'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), the winner of last year's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, has come down with a knee injury that will prevent him from running in the upcoming Triple Crown races. The injury is not considered career-threatening. The news of his injury was first reported by David Grening of the Daily Racing Form. Aron Wellman, the managing partner of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the co-owners of Locked, described the injury as "a very minor ligament fray in the upper part of the left knee." Locked was first expected...

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Dornoch Wires A Scratched-Down Fountain Of Youth Field

When entries were taken Feb. 24, the $400,000 GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. looked a tantalizing race in prospect, given the presence of 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner)--the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity hero and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile third--and the resurgent GII Remsen S. winner Dornoch (Good Magic), not to mention a pair of clearly talented and unexposed rivals in the form of big-figure maiden winner Speak Easy (Constitution) and Victory Avenue (Arrogate), a close second that afternoon. By mid-morning Saturday, Locked and Victory Avenue had been scratched,...

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Locked, Victory Avenue Scratch From Fountain Of Youth

'TDN Rising Star' and GI Breeders' Futurity winner Locked (Gun Runner) has scratched from Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. along with Victory Avenue (Arrogate) according to social media posts from each horses' respective connections along with a release from Gulfstream Park Saturday morning. Locked was 5-2 on the morning line while Victory Avenue was 4-1.   Locked will scratch from today's Fountain of Youth @GulfstreamPark. The Grade 1-winner and @BreedersCup placed son of Gun Runner still has his eye on the prize. We'll regroup and come up with...

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Locked, Dornoch Clash In Fountain of Youth

Between them, Irad and Jose Ortiz have accounted for four of the last six runnings of the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S., the third of three preps on the road to the championship meeting's main event, the GI Curlin Florida Derby four weeks down the road. The brothers will have every chance to extend that dominance as they partner with two of the top fancies in Saturday's $400,000 contest, offering the winner 50 points and a virtual guaranteed berth in the field for the GI Kentucky Derby. Jose Ortiz...

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