Maclean's Music

It is now a decade since John Sikura was walking through a Lexington steakhouse and glimpsed, on a screen over the bar, a bay colt coasting clear of his pursuers with sparks coming from his heels: :21.24, :43.48, 1:07.44. He was puzzled: it wasn't yet the weekend, and he wasn't aware of any stakes being run that day. Seven lengths in a hand ride. Then they told him that this was just a maiden race out at Santa Anita. Sikura couldn't believe his ears. He wasn't alone: a 114 Beyer...

Drain the Clock (c, 3, Maclean's Music--Manki, by Arch) outslugged favored Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) by a neck to lead home a one-two finish for his sire in a thrilling renewal of the GI Woody Stephens S. at Belmont Park Saturday. It was 7 1/4 lengths back to Nova Rags (Union Rags) in third. With Jose Ortiz subbing for his sidelined brother Irad Ortiz, Jr., the last out GIII Bay Shore S. winner broke sharply and very briefly cleared the field of six. Jackie's Warrior, off a step slowly after...

Despite a solid runner-up finish last out in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music)'s future appears to be around one turn, and he figures to be an overwhelming favorite in Saturday's seven-furlong GIII Bay Shore S. at Aqueduct. Romping to a six-length debut graduation as an 8-5 favorite in a Gulfstream off-the-turfer Sept. 12, the Saffie Joseph trainee repeated in a Gulfstream West allowance/optional claimer Oct. 28 before losing his rider when making his stakes bow in the Jean Lafitte S. Nov. 30 at...

  "He was one of those horses that there was a buzz about before he ever stepped foot on a racetrack," Airdrie Stud's Bret Jones said of their new addition, Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Complexity (Maclean's Music--Goldfield, Yes It's True). A Stonestreet-bred half-brother to a Breeders' Cup runner-up and a $375,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by Mike Ryan, Complexity was the talk of the Saratoga backstretch in the summer of his juvenile season. Horseplayers anticipated the Chad Brown pupil's unveiling after a stretch of speedy breezes, including a five-furlong move...

Following a two-week delay as Mother Nature packed a powerful winter punch, a pair of 3-year-old heavyweights are set for round two in Saturday's GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park. Recently crowned champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit) capped a perfect, three-for-three season closing smartly into a hot pace after covering plenty of ground to capture the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland last out Nov. 6. The Godolphin homebred previously stalked and pounced with authority in Keeneland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity Oct. 3. Regular rider Luis Saez...

Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) built on a 7 1/2-length thrashing of his rivals in the Jan. 2 Limehouse S. with yet another wide-margin victory while making his graded stakes debut in Saturday's GIII Claiborne Farm Swale S. at Gulfstream Park. The chestnut won the break and led through the opening exchanges, but was content to allow the fleet Poppy's Pride (Khozan) to slide through and take up the running passing the five-furlong pole. Clocking that one's every move beneath a very confident Edgard Zayas, Drain the Clock was allowed...

Looking to atone for his first career defeat when he suffered an equipment malfunction in the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta Downs Nov. 30, Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) made light work of his rivals as the 9-5 chalk in Saturday's Limehouse S. at Gulfstream Park. Smoothly away beneath Edgard Zayas, the chestnut stalked a fast pace outside of front-running Warrior's Pride (Poseidon's Warrior), eased to the front approaching the stretch and kicked home smartly to defeat the blinkered Tiger by a handy margin. Runway Magic (Runhappy)...

As we approach the end of the calendar, we turn our attention to the incoming sire class of 2021. We asked several judges who their favorite incoming sire is for next year and if there are any other stallions, new or otherwise, that have caught their eye as under-the-radar picks ADRIAN REGAN, Hunter Valley Farm  War of Will (War Front), $25,000, Claiborne Farm I hate singling just one, but War of Will made a lot of sense for me. I was very impressed with his physical appearance when we went...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale opened Monday in Lexington with a day of steady trade and a pair of youngsters by Into Mischief leading the way. "It was a solid start," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said Monday evening. "There was solid trade with plenty of activity. There were no dramatic surprises. Certainly lots of horses got traded and there was a legitimate, reasonable marketplace." During Monday's opening session of the October sale, 248 yearlings sold for $8,393,800. The average of $33,846 dipped 14.6% from the 2019...

Hall of Famer Curlin (Smart Strike) once again leads the 2021 roster at Hill 'n' Dale, which recently moved to their new Xalapa property outside of Paris. The leading stallion's 2021 fee remains unchanged at $175,000 LFS&N. "We are aware of the pressures on the market due to the uncertain climate we find ourselves in. Hill 'n' Dale will once again look to be an industry leader by offering exceptional value in its entire roster. We are all in this together and together we will grow stronger as an industry,"...

Both the dam of and weanling half-brother to unbeaten leading juvenile colt Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) have been supplemented to the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, it was announced Sunday--one day after the Steve Asmussen pupil further solidified himself as the favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with a 5 1/2-length romp in Saturday's GI Champagne S. at Belmont. Dam Unicorn Girl (A. P. Five Hundred) will be offered in foal to leading sire Into Mischief; her weanling colt is by American Pharoah. Both will be consigned by Beau...

Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) slammed the door on second choice Reinvestment Risk (Upstart) and spurted clear in Saturday's GI Champagne S. at Belmont to increase his perfect record to four-for-four. The race was a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Nov. 6 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile for which the Steve Asmussen pupil figures to go favored. A debut winner from next-out 'TDN Rising Star' Therideofalifetime (Candy Ride {Arg}) at Churchill June 19, he defeated the same foe in the GII Saratoga Special S. Aug. 7....