Pure Force

A small, but very select field of five 3-year-old colts is set to face the starter in Friday's $200,000 GII Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga, a contest in which an argument could be made for each of the entrants. Godolphin's Jefferson Street (Street Sense) broke his maiden by nine lengths as a 1-4 mortal at Keeneland in April and after stubbing his toe when third to next-out Maxfield Stakes hero Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief) in the race immediately following the GI Kentucky Derby May 4, defeated older allowance foes by some...

Back on the hamster wheel, everybody. You know the drill. Usual freshman hype, please. Just remember to change the names--and not to dwell too unhelpfully on how things played out for those being talked up four or five years ago. But the legitimate, perennial challenge of the yearling circuit also abides, and likewise much of its color and character. Just not quite all. Not enough time has elapsed, certainly, to heal one aching void. For many of his compatriots, in particular, every barn we enter we still half-expect to hear...

It is the typically interesting opinion of John Sikura that "a stallion's genetic switch is either on or off." The quality and quantity of his books may affect his profile, but his potency (or otherwise) will be operative the day he covers his first mare. Sure enough, six Grade I winners to date for Not This Time all belong to his first two books, conceived at just $15,000. Whatever he might yet achieve with his upgraded mares, paying $135,000 last year and now $150,000, he did not need their help...

7th-Churchill Downs, $124,570, Alw (NW1X), Opt. Clm ($100,000), 6-19, 3yo, 7f, 1:21.65, ft, 5 lengths. PURE FORCE (c, 3, Constitution--Mexican Gold {GSW & G1SP-Fr, GSP-US, $234,810}, by Medaglia d'Oro) debuted in the Derby Day opener going 6 1/2 furlongs over a muddy strip and raced a bit greenly through the closing stages, but stamped his authority over seven rivals with a 2 1/4-length victory. That effort would otherwise have made him strictly the one to beat in a first-level allowance, but the presence of 'TDN Rising Star' Discreet Mischief (Into...

3rd-CD, $127K, OC, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 11:31 a.m. Revelers under the Twin Spires won't have to wait long Saturday for something to sink their teeth (and their wallets) into. Only an hour into the card, a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars', each making their second starts, face off. CARTUCHO (Gun Runner) impressed on debut at Tampa for Chad Brown in his first start since selling for $1.2m as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2022. To stay perfect, he'll have to conquer the equally impressive Mindframe (Constitution) who posted a...