Preakness

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has awarded $14.3 million to qualified breeders through the Thoroughbred Breeders' Incentive Fund for Kentucky Thoroughbreds' wins in 2020. The incentive fund requires owners to board mares in Kentucky from the time of breeding until the birth of the foal. Incentive payments are based on the foal's eventual winnings on the racetrack. Last year, nearly 3,500 races were won by a Kentucky-bred receiving a breeder award. Kentucky-breds won over 245 graded stakes in the United States and 18 group races in Canada, England, France and...

Led by 2-year-old champion and two-time Grade I winner Essential Quality (Tapit), a total of 326 3-year-olds were made eligible to compete in this year's Triple Crown during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 23. Each of the 326 horses from the 2018 foal crop were made eligible through a $600 payment to compete in any leg of the Triple Crown series. The 2021 Triple Crown opens Saturday, May 1 with the 147th running of the GI Kentucky Derby at Churchill, continues with the 146th GI Preakness S. at...

One of the top second-crop sires Daredevil (More Than Ready--Chasethewildwind, by Forty Niner) will relocate to Lane's End Farm for the 2021 breeding season. The GI Champagne S. victor will stand for $25,000. Sire of 3-year-old sensations Swiss Skydiver and Shedaresthedevil, Daredevil is third on the North American-based, second-crop sire behind only American Pharoah and Constitution with just over half as many starters. Daredevil is the only first-crop sire to ever sire an individual winner of the GI Kentucky Oaks and the GI Preakness S. in the same year. Swiss...

The finger pointing over Tyler Gaffalione's decision not to ride Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GI Preakness S. continued Thursday when Gaffalione's agent Matt Muzikar said trainer Ken McPeek's version of the events was "nowhere near the truth." On this week's edition of the TDN Writers' Room podcast, McPeek sharply criticized both Muzikar and Gaffalione, claiming that the two reneged on an agreement to ride the filly in the Preakness. "I announced that we're going to run in the Preakness and Tyler was on board," McPeek said on the podcast....

It takes a certain kind of personality to enter a filly against the boys in a leg of the Triple Crown, and Kenny McPeek showed all of that personality on Wednesday's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, McPeek talked about his successful, outside-the-box campaign of Peter Callahan's GI Preakness S. winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), why he subbed in Robby Albarado to ride the chestnut, his approach to training 2-year-olds and much more. Swiss Skydiver has run nine...

Mike Maker edged defending champion Brad Cox and two-time winner Steve Asmussen to claim the top prize in the Maryland Jockey Club's $100,000 Sentient Jet Trainer Bonus offered to horsemen for their participation in stakes races over Preakness weekend, Oct. 1-3, at Pimlico Race Course. Maker led the way with 43 points, three more than Cox and Asmussen, to earn a $50,000 bonus. Maker registered wins with 2-year-old colt Catman (Kitten's Joy) in the Laurel Futurity S. and 3-year-old filly Evil Lyn (Wicked Strong) in the S. He also ran...

While putting off a final decision regarding which Breeders' Cup race GI Preakness S. winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) will run in, trainer Ken McPeek said Sunday morning that he prefers running his filly at a mile-and-a-quarter, the distance of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. His other option is the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, which is run at a mile-and-an-eighth. "It's a little early and we don't have to make a decision right now but I do like her at the mile-and-a-quarter," he said. "The further, the better. She gets to...

Only five fillies had managed to take home the blanket of black-eyed susans in the previous 144 runnings of the GI Preakness S. and the last to do so was Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra, who beat GI Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird by a length in the 2009 renewal. However, in 2020, a year of upsets and the unconventional, a filly took down the Derby winner yet again with Oaks runner-up Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) getting the better of Derby hero Authentic (Into Mischief) in an epic stretch battle...

Sackatoga Stable's top sophomore Tiz the Law (Constitution) breezed a speedy, best-of-six five furlongs in :57.87 at Belmont Park Friday morning under regular breeze rider Heather Smullen. "I didn't want to see him go that fast, but he came out of the work well," trainer Barclay Tagg said. "He scoped well and everything is going good with him." Upset when second in the GI Kentucky Derby Sept. 5, the four-time Grade I winner is skipping Saturday's GI Preakness S. and training up to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland...

All of 2020 has been unconventional to say the least and the Triple Crown series is no exception. Instead of starting with the GI Kentucky Derby on the First Saturday in May, the highlight of the 3-year-old season kicked off in mid-June with a shortened GI Belmont S., which is traditionally the final leg of the series. It was 11 weeks before the Run for the Roses on the First Saturday in September and now, another four weeks later, the Triple Crown road comes to an end in Baltimore Saturday...

For the GI Preakness S., which is scheduled to take place Saturday, Oct. 3, The Stronach Group and 1/ST LIVE have partnered with Baltimore's Darin Atwater and his Soulful Symphony, which will orchestrate the musical transformation of traditional Preakness moments, including the National Anthem, Riders Up, and the Call to Post. Three-time Grammy winner Wyclef Jean will join the festivities and use the platform that would have included the traditional "Maryland, My Maryland" performance to instead reimagine a unique piece. American jazz musician and Lady Gaga's band leader Brian Newman...

For up-and-coming horsewoman Sabrina Moore, co-owner and operator of GreenMount Farm in Glyndon, Maryland, two of her greatest accomplishments revolve around Maryland breeding and racing. Last year Knicks Go (Paynter), a colt she co-bred with her mother Angie Moore, was named Maryland-bred Horse of the Year after winning the 2018 edition of the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and running second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile behind Eclipse Award winner Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}). [tdn_vimeo_embed title="GreenMount Farm's Sabrina Moore " admp4="https://player.vimeo.com/external/457768014.sd.mp4?s=4c622a4137c4a6dbc07e85af3da7af49dd5142e9&profile_id=165" videomp4= "https://player.vimeo.com/external/463243423.sd.mp4?s=9edd38c392a47ba5a2b490471439765dcf42f9e7&profile_id=165" thumbnail= ""] "When Knicks Go got...