Richard Mandella

In most barns, after winning a $500,000 handicap at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 1 the 7-year-old gelding Goliad (War Front) would have gone to the sidelines, the trainer not daring to run him back in less than six weeks or so. Not Goliad. Hall of Fame conditioner Richard Mandella brought him back in six days. With so much money available at Kentucky Downs, a number of trainers ignored conventional wisdom and gave their horses two starts at the seven-day meet. That meant layoffs of no more than 13 days, with...

2nd-SAR, $100k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 12:37p.m. ET Breaking from the rail for owner/breeder St. Elias Stable is COMPLEX AGENDA (Quality Road), who brings with him a loaded pedigree and a bullet work over the grass at Saratoga. Said move was three works back over the training track Aug. 2, where he went seven panels with the dogs up in 1:29 flat (1/4). His dam, GSW Nonna Mela (Arch), won the GII Adirondack and ran second in the GII Prioress Stakes. That mare is a half-sister to multiple Listed winner,...

A generation ago, the Philip H. Iselin S. used to be the premier race of the summer at Monmouth Park. Even while cycling through several name changes, the then-handicap carried Grade I status between 1976 and 1996 and a purse that swelled to $500,000 for a few years. Its importance as an August fixture for top older routers merited regular broadcasts on national TV, and the race's roster of winners boasted such standouts as Spectacular Bid, Alysheba and Skip Away. In decline ever since, the Iselin had already levelled out...

1st-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10 p.m. ET. BRILAND (McKinzie), the second to race after SW Miuccia (Mitole), will have her turn for trainer Chad Brown and the ownership group of Gainesway, Bradley Thoroughbreds, Cambron Equine and Alan Northcutt. Featured in TDN's Summer Breezes segment, the $675,000 buy at OBS April was initially purchased for $200,000 by Scoot Stables during Keeneland September. Briland's dam, Bay Harbor (Speightstown), is herself out of GSW Our Khrysty (Newfoundland). This second dam--a half-sister to GI Whitney Handicap hero Bullsbay (Tiznow)--also produced GISW Grace...

Trainer Richard Mandella, a member of racing's Hall of Fame since 2001, has been named the 20th recipient of the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Award and will be honored at Del Mar on Saturday, Aug. 31, the track said in a Thursday release. The Pincay Award, named for, and presented by, the Hall of Fame rider, goes to those who have served the sport of racing "with integrity, extraordinary dedication, determination and distinction." Mandella, 74, went out on his own with a public stable in 1976 and has over 2,300 winners...

Favored to defend his title in Sunday's GIII San Juan Capistrano S., Planetario (Brz) didn't disappoint, breaking his own course record over the 1 3/4-mile distance at Santa Anita in the process. Installed the 3-5 choice to repeat, the 6-year-old settled at the back as longshots Bee Catcher (English Channel) and Rimprotector (Point of Entry) led through moderate early fractions. Turning for home, 5-2 second choice Rockemperor closed resolutely from the outside, while Planetario launched his own bid in between rivals down the center of course. While the former appeared...

A trio of graded stakes, led by the GI Gamely S. and GI Shoemaker Mile S., will anchor a stacked Memorial Day holiday program at Santa Anita on Monday. Making her first start since capturing the GI American Oaks Dec. 26, Anisette (GB) (Awtaad {Ire}) headlines a deep nine-horse field set for the Gamely. The Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners colorbearer also captured last term's GI Del Mar Oaks. "We gave her a small vacation that was much deserved," trainer Leonard Powell said of the Gamely's 5-2 morning-line favorite. "She's come back...

Coffee in Bed just got her neck in front of pacesetting Super Shine on the line to earn the first graded victory of her career in the GII Santa Maria S. at Santa Anita Sunday evening. The dark bay filly settled off the pace while shadowing favorite Desert Dawn as a four-way battle for the lead developed around the first turn. Super Shine asserted control into the backstretch as the quarter went up in :22.66. Desert Dawn and Coffee in Bed moved in tandem, four and five wide, to loom...

1st-SA, $54K, Msw, 3-5yo, f, 7f, 4:00 p.m. ET. JANE AUSTEN (Tapit) makes her first start for Muir Hut Stables and trainer Mark Glatt. A $750,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, the gray is out of MGSP Shayjolie (Indian Charlie), who Speedway Stables acquired for $400,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale. The filly's SP second dam produced GI Woodward S. runner-up Mythical Power (Congaree). Making her debut for trainer Richard Mandella is Quick Brown Fox (Justify). The Spendthrift homebred's dam MGISW Bast (Uncle) went to the...

Spendthrift Farm homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Tamara (Bolt d'Oro), sidelined with a fractured splint bone in her left hind leg after fading to seventh as the 4-5 favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, has begun to gear up for her sophomore campaign. The talented daughter of Hall of Famer Beholder (Henny Hughes) has posted a pair of two-furlong breezes for trainer Richard Mandella over Santa Anita's all-weather surface this month, most recently stopping the timer in :23.80 (1/1) Apr. 10. How are the initial reports so far?...

Ruby Nell (Bolt d'Oro) returned from her trip to Florida like many do--refreshed and ready to get back to work. And back to work she went, wiring the field impressively as the 4-5 favorite in the GII Buena Vista S. at Santa Anita. Shipped East by Richard Mandella for Pegasus weekend, the daughter of Bolt d'Oro did well to race against her normal style in coming off the pace to  finish third beaten just 1 3/4 lengths in the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Jan. 27....

We have a new No. 1. Tarifa (Bernardini) beat a stellar field in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. at the Fair Grounds to soar up the list to the top spot. We've dropped Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}), who has only had two three furlongs works so far this year, raising the possibility that she won't be ready for the GI Kentucky Oaks. We've also dropped Alpine Princess (Classic Empire) after a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Rachel Alexandra and Life Talk (Gun Runner), who was a disappointing sixth in the...