Performer

Officials at Claiborne Farm announced Monday that multiple graded stakes winner Performer (Speightstown--Protesting, by A.P. Indy) has passed away. He was sent to the clinic Friday night and died early Saturday morning from a ruptured stomach. Bred by the Phipps Stable, Performer was a debut third, but commenced a five-raced winning streak thereafter over increasing distances and capped by a 1 3/4-length success in the 2019 GIII Discovery S. at Aqueduct. The chestnut, who bore a striking resemblance to former Phipps runner Easy Goer, returned victoriously from an 11-month layoff...

War Front (Danzig--Starry Dreamer, by Rubiano) heads all Claiborne stallions in 2022 with a stud fee of $100,000. The 19-year-old stallion, who stood for $150,000 in 2021, was represented by 10 stakes winners, led by Group 1-winner Homesman and four other Grade I/Group 1 performers worldwide. He is the sire of 29 seven-figure yearlings over his career, and again showed his prowess in 2021 with a a $1.2 million filly. Standing alongside his sire at Claiborne is War of Will (War Front--Visions of Clarity {Ire}, by Sadler's Wells)), a winner...

The highly regarded Performer (Speightstown), a hard-fought neck winner over Eye of a Jedi (Eye of the Leopard) in the GIII Fred W. Hooper S. Jan. 23, will look for his second straight tally over track and trip in Saturday's GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. The 2019 GIII Discovery S. winner was a disappointing third as the 4-5 favorite in the slop in the GI Cigar Mile H. two starts back Dec. 5. "He gutted it out pretty good," trainer Shug McGaughey said of Performer's Hooper win. "He was...

Phipps Stable and Claiborne Farm's Performer (Speightstown) looks to find his way back to the winner's circle Saturday in Gulfstream's GIII Fred W. Hooper S. Opening his 2019 account with a trio of victories in New York, he capped that perfect season with a win in Aqueduct's GIII Discovery S. Nov. 30. Winning a muddy optional claimer at Belmont Oct. 17, the chestnut checked in third as the favorite in a sloppy renewal of Aqueduct's GI Cigar Mile Dec. 5. The second and third-place finishers from this venue's GIII Harlan's...

Phipps Stable and Claiborne Farm's Performer (Speightstown) looks to continue his hot streak as he takes his first crack at the highest level Saturday in Aqueduct's GI Cigar Mile. Graduating at second asking at Belmont in June 2019, the chestnut captured a 6 1/2-panel allowance at Saratoga that August and a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer at Belmont last September. Closing out his sophomore season with a victory in this venue's GIII Discovery S. just over a year ago, Performer was subsequently shelved and resurfaced with an optional claimer score in...

3rd-Belmont, $67,900, Alw (C), Opt. Clm ($80,000), 10-17, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:33.93, my, 1 3/4 lengths. PERFORMER (c, 4, Speightstown--Protesting {GSP, $213,050}, by A.P. Indy) made light work of his first start since taking the GIII Discovery S. last November, galloping home as easy as you please in a one-mile Belmont allowance Saturday afternoon. Quickly into stride beneath Joel Rosario, the attractive chestnut colt raced a touch keenly from third while hugging the rail through solid opening splits. Rosario decided he could wait no longer rounding the turn and allowed the...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-BEL, $70K, OC ($80K), 3yo/up, 1m, post time: 1:28 p.m. ET Phipps Stable and Claiborne Farm's Performer (Speightstown) makes his belated first start of the year. The Shug McGaughey trainee has been off since winning his fourth straight (from five attempts) in Aqueduct's nine-panel GIII Discovery S. Nov. 30. His third dam is MGSIW My Flag (Easy Goer), who in turn produced champion juvenile filly Storm Flag Flying (Storm Cat). TJCIS PPs 7th-KEE, $70K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f 184 ft., post time: 4:24 p.m. ET...

After Shug McGaughey saddles the likely favorite Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) in the GIII Westchester S. Saturday, he will send out on of the top choices in Belmont's GI Runhapppy Carter H. in the talented Performer (Speightstown). The Carter is typically run in April at Aqueduct, but was rescheduled and relocated due to the COVID-19 racing shutdown. It is a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Graduating at second asking going six panels at this oval last June, Performer followed suit with an...