Quality Road

6th-Del Mar, $82,500, Msw, 9-3, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:16.62, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. NATIONAL TREASURE (c, 2, Quality Road--Treasure, by Medaglia d'Oro) dispatched at 3-1 in this debut, was hustled out of the gate by John Velazquez, hitting the front just before the first quarter went up in a lively :21.89. Hounded by Practical Move (Practical Joke) through a :44.37 half-mile, the $500,000 FTSAUG buy showed the way into the lane and held off a late bid from stablemate Massimo (Uncle Mo) to score by 1 1/2 lengths. Practical Move...

No wind, no rain, no summer storm was stopping Chop Chop from securing a first career stakes victory for herself and her freshman sire (by Quality Road) in the Aristocrat Gaming Juvenile Fillies S. She was also the second winner on the card for City of Light, following in the hoofsteps of impressive graduate Gaslight Dancer. A stalk-and-pounce winner on debut at Ellis Park Aug. 14, Chop Chop rated kindly from third here and drafted into the turn behind a pair of dueling leaders through :24.11 and :49.99 splits. Shifting...

by Chris McGrath & Stefanie Grimm It's all the trees I feel guilty about. That, and the postman's lumbago. But while many people nowadays complacently compress the world's biggest yearling auction onto a digital device, a stubborn few of us will always prefer scribbling notes on the dog-eared pages of a paper catalog. Whichever your preference, of course, you will do well to avoid wearing out the soles of your shoes during the Keeneland September Sale--not to mention other reserves, in morale or finances. Before you start appraising individual hips,...

Last year's champion 2-year-old colt, OBS April sale topper and 'TDN Rising Star' Corniche (Quality Road--Wasted Tears, by Najran) has been retired from racing and will take up stud duties at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud for 2023. Bred by Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings out of six-time GSW and GISP Wasted Tears, Corniche was purchased for $1.5 million by agent Marette Farrell on behalf of Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stables LLC following a powerful :10 flat OBSAPR '21 breeze. He was then turned over to Hall of Famer...

6th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 3:55 p.m. ET RARIFY (Justify), a half-sister to champion sprinter Runhappy (Super Saver), looks to go one better at second asking here. The $750,000 KEESEP graduate set the pace and reported home second-best as the even-money favorite on debut for Wesley Ward at Saratoga July 24. Godolphin homebred Spelterini (Bernardini) also completed the exacta on debut at the Spa July 14 (Second Chances series), rallying smartly to finish a length ahead of next-out blowout winner Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke). The field also includes...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a son of Group 1 winner Alice Springs (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). 1.25 Curragh, Mdn, €17,000, 2yo, 8fT HIPPODROME (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is one of three Ballydoyle newcomers in this maiden won by TDN Rising Stars High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Duke De Sessa (Ire) (Lope...

3rd-Ellis, $59,065, Msw, 8-14, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:38.62, fm, 1 1/2 lengths. CHOP CHOP (f, 2, City of Light--Grand Sofia, by Giant's Causeway), a $230,000 FTKJUL yearling purchase and the 2-1 favorite in this spot, was never far out of it early, stalking in third close to the pace of Guns n' Lilies (Gun Runner) through mild fractions. Moved off the rail for her stretch run, she came with a three-wide bid down the lane, out-kicking Bel Rosso (Free Drop Billy) and Don't Go Changing (Candy Ride {Arg}) and drawing...

7th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-13, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.77, ft, 8 lengths. BOURBON BASH (c, 2, City of Light--Buy Sell Hold {SW & GSP, $125,520}, by Violence) made it a hat trick for jockey Flavien Prat, breaking from the inside gate and wasting no time in flashing his early speed to quickly open up a length on the field in the first furlong. Under a stoic ride a path off the rail, Bourbon Bash put six lengths on a quartet of chasers passing the quarter pole and never gave them a chance...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:39 p.m. A homebred for Alpha Delta Stables LLC, CONSEILLANTE (Quality Road) debuts Sunday out of the Chad Brown barn. Out of the unraced Forest Wildcat mare Wild Forest, Conseillante is a half-sister to MGISW Paradise Woods (Union Rags), SW Forest Chatter (Dixie Chatter), and to the dam of MGSP Lady Aces (Constitution). Forest Wildcat herself is a half-sister to GSW Tajaaweed (Dynaformer). This is also the extended family of GI Breeders' Cup Sprint runner-up Mr. Greeley (Gone...

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and agent Donato Lanni, acting on behalf of an undisclosed client, added a big-ticket item to his future roster when stretching to $1.8 million to land a Quality Road half-sister to GI Spinaway S. heroine Sweet Loretta (Tapit) late in the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga session Tuesday. The May 4 foal was consigned by Lane's End as hip 213 and bred by Mt Brilliant Farm & Ranch and W. S. Farish. Her dam was a $2.2-million KEENOV '16 purchase (in foal to Constitution) by Greg Goodman's...

Jace's Road (c, 2, Quality Road--Out Post, by Silver Deputy), a $510,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, put on a show at Ellis Park Saturday afternoon en route to 'TDN Rising Star' honors. The bay worked four furlongs in :48 2/5 (2/90) at Brad Cox's Churchill Downs base July 29 and was hammered down to 7-5 favoritism while drawn on the outside in post nine against this deep-looking bunch. He chased on the outside in third though an opening quarter in :22.47, loomed boldly under confident handling while three-wide on the...

5th-DMR, $80k, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 7:04p.m. ET Hronis Racing LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing LLC have partnered up to unveil the latest blue-blooded colt by Justify, this one named HAWKER. Shelling out a cool $675,000 for him at KEESEP, his pedigree warrants the implied expectations: out of GSP Flaming Heart (Touch Gold), it makes Hawker a half to GISP & MGSW Commissioner (A.P. Indy), GISP & GSW Laugh Track (Distorted Humor), and to the dam of MGISW Vino Rosso (Curlin). All three of the colt's closest female line...