Quality Road

Bleecker Street took her record to six-for-six with a victory in the GIII Modesty S., the first graded race on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard. The gray caboosed the field through leisurely early splits of :25.18 and :50.31. Ranging up some five wide turning for home, she charged through in between Fluffy Socks and Hendy Woods in the lane and burst clear to score. Her stablemate Fluffy Socks secured second over Hendy Woods. "With both my horses far back with that pace, I was quite worried," said winning trainer Chad...

Last year's champion 2-year-old colt Corniche (Quality Road) has been moved to trainer Todd Pletcher's barn from suspended conditioner Bob Baffert's outfit, his owners Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner of Speedway Stable said in a joint statement Monday. Baffert is currently serving a 90-day suspension handed down by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission that began Apr. 4 and runs through July 2. "Since Corniche's previous trainer, Bob Baffert, cannot begin training until the first week in July and, after a discussion with Bob, we felt that for Corniche to be...

Rodolphe Brisset has been training on his own for just five years, but he has already come close to what many dream of in starting a horse in the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. First he trained Quip (Distorted Humor), the 2018 GII Tampa Bay Derby winner who was pulled from Kentucky Derby contention a few weeks out from the race. Then the next year GII Demoiselle S. winner Positive Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) clipped heels and fell at the start of the Kentucky Oaks, walking away relatively unscathed but...

Owner and breeder Gary Broad purchased Walmac Farm in 2018. With 250 acres sprawling along Paris Pike, the historic property has gone through a major restoration project since it was obtained by its new owner. Fences were mended, barns were remodeled and given a fresh coat of paint, and this year, a new stallion arrived at the farm. Multiple graded stakes winner Core Beliefs (Quality Road - Tejati, by Tactical Advantage) has taken up residence at the farm that was once home to, among others, notable sires Nureyev, Miswaki, Alleged,...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 8th-SA, $67k, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6f, 8:00 p.m. ET Four-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder (Henny Hughes) will be represented by another firster at the races, this time via Karin With an I (Curlin). The daughter of the supermare debuts a few days after her 4-year-old half-brother Q B One (Uncle Mo)'s third-place effort at second asking here Mar. 27 for their shared connections of Spendthrift Farm and trainer Richard Mandella. Karin With an I worked the day before that race, posting a six-furlong move over...

Wesley Ward is busy gearing up for the upcoming race meet at Keeneland, but in recent years the seven-time leading trainer at the historic track keeps himself further occupied in the springtime with his side gig as a stallion owner and manager. GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hootenanny resides at Ward Ranch just across from the Keeneland grounds. The son of Quality Road was Ward's first Breeders' Cup winner in 2014. When the bay needed a new home in 2019, his former trainer didn't hesitate to take him in....

With the 2022 breeding season underway, we continue to feature a series of breeders' mating plans. Today we have Leah Alessandroni, Bloodstock and Office Manager of Bonne Chance Farm. GLORY AND POWER (m, 8, Medaglia d'Oro - Dance Quietly, by A. P. Indy) to be bred to Essential Quality    We bought this mare as a weanling and she went on to become a winner for us. Her first foal was Momentous (Speightstown), who was an debut impressive winner at Fair Grounds on Feb. 19. This mare is out of...

Peter Brant's Bleecker Street (Quality Road) continued her rapid ascent through the turf distaff division with a thoroughly dominating performance in the GII Hillsborough S. at Tampa, easily accounting for her commonly owned stablemate Rocky Sky (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) to remain unblemished from five starts. While 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown) held the early call as the Hillsborough field galloped past the stands for the first time, it was Gladys (Medaglia d'Oro), the own-sister to Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, who took up the running into...

Baoma Corp.'s Ganadora (Quality Road), installed the 6-5 choice in this first go, slugged it out early with So It Would Seem (Honor Code), but was peerless in the stretch, running away to win by an impressive 6 1/2-length margin over 2-1 second choice Lady T (Into Mischief). Mixing it up through a sharp opening pace in :21.58 and :44.74, the $1-million KEESEP buy kicked clear turning for home and proved much the best late to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors. So It Would Seem faded to second last. Ganadora...

The world's richest horse race contained plenty of international star power, with the likes of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun (Into Mischief) facing off with defending winner Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), G1 Champion S. victor Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff victress Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), but in the end it was a new name written among the global racing elite with the locally trained Emblem Road (Quality Road) springing the upset in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup. Though he has raced exclusively in Saudi...

Bob Baffert is banned from Churchill Downs for two years and his 3-year-olds are ineligible for points in qualifying races for the Gl Kentucky Derby and Gl Kentucky Oaks. He may also get banned (again) from NYRA, which hosts the Gl Belmont S., which could leave only the Gl Preakness open to horses from his barn. So perhaps it's appropriate that he won a race over the weekend--the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate--that gives the winner a guaranteed entry to the middle leg of the Triple Crown. Blackadder,...

In this edition of our ongoing mating plans series, we spoke with Robert Tillyer, farm manager of Dixiana Farm. "Right now we have about 50 broodmares at Dixiana Farm," Tillyer said. "This year we are going to have around 38 foals. We usually put over 30 yearlings through the sale each year and then Mr. Shively is always happy to retain a few for his own racing stable."   BRIELLE'S APPEAL (m, 8, English Channel - Court of Appeal, by Deputy Minister) to be bred to Gun Runner This year...