Phipps Stable

Godolphin's Cody's Wish (Curlin) was named 2023 Kentucky-bred Horse of the Year and older dirt male, while his dam, Dance Card (Tapit), was named broodmare of the year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders. Godolphin also received awards for Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) as champion 3-year-old filly and as KTDF Owner of the Year and winner of the P.A.B. Widener Trophy as KTOB Breeder of the Year. Other Kentucky-bred champions announced Wednesday: 2-year-old male: Fierceness (City of Light) (Breeder Repole Stable); 2-year-old filly Just F Y I (Justify) (George...

6th-Gulfstream, $70,000, Msw, 1-14, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.68, ft, 1/2 length. MYSTIFYING (f, 3, Curlin--Puzzling {SP, $127,312}, by Ghostzapper) debuted with Lasix and as a 7-1 shot here. The homebred hustled for the lead to the inside of a pair of competitors up the backstretch. Poking her head in front around the far turn, the filly continued to pour on the speed at the top of the lane and she gamely held off the favorite Bedazzle 'Em (American Pharoah) to graduate by half a length. "Jose [Ortiz] worked her out...

4th-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:38 p.m. ET. Bred by Stonehaven Steadings & Leah O'Meara, LESLIE'S HUMOR (Kantharos) makes the races for LSU Stables. Initially sold for $125,000 at the Keeneland September Sale, the chestnut RNA'd for $110,000 at OBS April before going for $500,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale in June. The second to race for La Titina (Distorted Humor), the 3-year-old filly's younger half-brother by Not This Time was purchased for $310,000 last September at Keeneland by Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds. Granddam and MGISW Ask the Moon (Malibu...

Clarence H. Willis III, better known as Jack, a longtime horseman and assistant in racing on the East Coast, died Monday at the age of 81. Willis worked for the prominent Bostwick family in Aiken, SC before going on to work for the Phipps family under trainer Angel Penna, Sr. in the 1980s. He oversaw all of the powerhouse stable's yearlings and some layups in Aiken before moving north to help manage the Phippses' racing stable on the New York circuit of Belmont and Saratoga. Some of the more well-known...

Imagining (Giant's Causeway--Daydreaming, by A.P. Indy) was euthanized Aug. 23 due to complications from colic, according to a release from Anchor & Hope Farm. The 14-year-old, who won the GI Man O' War S. in 2014 for Phipps Stable and Shug McGaughey, was under the care of veterinarians at New Bolton Center, where surgery was attempted, but the damage was deemed too severe. "Imagining has been with us since the start in 2015. We want to thank Shug McGaughey and the Phipps family for trusting us to bring a Grade...

Snap Decision (Hard Spun) may be the best jumper in the country, but his next assignment will be in a flat race, Wednesday's $150,000 Colonial Cup at Colonial Downs. As trainer Jack Fisher sees it, he's got nothing to lose. While he wants to win and doesn't think that is out of the question, Fisher said one of the reasons he went into the race is that it should set his horse up for the G1 Jonathan Sheppard S., an Aug. 17 steeplechase at Saratoga. "If nothing else, this will...

Last Thursday, I received an email out of the blue from someone I didn't know. Evidently Jason Brooks listens to me every Wednesday on Steve Byk's "At the Races" radio show where we discuss pedigrees among other things, and Brooks wanted to inform me that there were "21 graded stakes wins in the first half of 2022 for horses with Phipps pedigrees." According to Brooks, he does social media for Phipps Stable and operates the account @PhippsStableFan on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Curious, I took a look at his...

1st-GP, $60k, Msw, 3yo, f, 7 1/2fT, 12:30 p.m. ET As two of the most expensive auction purchases on the entire card, newly turned 3-year-old fillies SIEMPRE ELEGANTE (American Pharoah) and AMERICAN HEROINE (War Front) will be turning heads for more reasons than one. The former clicked through her paces at the 2021 OBS March sale (:21 1/5) well, impressing owner Sean Flanagan enough to put down a healthy $550,000 for her; one of a six-way tie for fourth most expensive of the sale. While the first dam is devoid...

Jouster (Noble Mission {GB}), a beaten favorite twice on dirt to start her career, took to the turf with dazzling aplomb in the Sunday finale at Gulfstream, running away to a devastating maiden romp and 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Unveiled over six furlongs in the Saratoga slop Aug. 29, the $360,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy showed big speed before fading to finish second, and again retreated after setting the pace stretching out to a mile Sept. 26 at Belmont. Freshened up since then for a barn that has, as per usual,...

3rd-AQU, $80K, 2yo, 8.5fT, 12:50 p.m. ET Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, William Freeman and Michael Valdes's AVIANO (Medaglia d'Oro) debuts for trainer Todd Pletcher, who recorded his 5,000th career victory last weekend and becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021. Out of graded stakes winner Bryan's Jewel (Rockport Harbor), the April foal realized a $775,000 final bid from Eclipse at last year's Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling sale in Saratoga. Bryan's Jewel, a daughter of $650,000 Fasig-Tipton buy Saphiria (Touch Gold)--trained by Pletcher--is also responsible for a Bodemeister filly ultimately named...

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...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Following the draw for the GI Whitney S. Wednesday morning, trainer Shug McGaughey answered more questions about his previous Whitney winners than this year's runner, Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}). McGaughey, a member of racing's Hall of Fame since 2004, will try for his fourth victory in Saratoga's premier dirt race for older horses Saturday with William Farish's 4-year-old homebred colt. The chestnut drew in the middle of the strong five-horse field, that features Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike), who has won four straight stakes, and...