Roman Centurian

Even after the defection of unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) due to an ankle chip, Saturday's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby will still go through Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's barn. Medina Spirit (Protonico), just a $35,000 OBS July 2-year-old pick-up by Zedan Racing Stables last year, was a game-as-can-be narrow winner of the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. two starts back over 'TDN Rising Star' Roman Centurian (Empire Maker) and subsequent GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow). Medina Spirit was also...

Heading the likely cast of contenders in the Apr. 10 GI Arkansas Derby, undefeated Concert Tour (Street Sense) worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 under Juan Ochoa at Santa Anita Saturday morning. "He went great; he looked fantastic," said trainer Bob Baffert. "He couldn't have looked any better. He just cruised around there in a minute and change." Taking over as top dog in the Baffert barn following the injury of Life Is Good (Into Mischief), Concert Tour a perfect three-for-three this season, including wins in the GII San Vicente S....

Chiefwood Stables' Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile) breezed an easy half-mile in :50.93 seconds over Belmont's training track Wednesday in preparation for the Apr. 3 GII Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. A winner going seven panels in the Big A slop last December, the Ontario-bred kicked off 2021 with a nose victory in the Mar. 6 GIII Gotham S., a race in which Weyburn earned 50 qualifying points to the GI Kentucky Derby. "He just ran hard [in the Gotham] and he's not the heaviest horse in the world, so he didn't...

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief), the 7-1 individual favorite in Pool 3 of the GI Kentucky Derby Future Wager, will look to go three-for-three in Saturday's GII San Felipe S. The 1 1/16-miles contest offers 50-20-10-5 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby. The blowout debut winner at Del Mar Nov. 22 set an uncontested pace while making his two turn-debut in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 2, and, after very confident handling beneath Mike Smith in the stretch, held a 3/4-length advantage over stablemate...

'TDN Rising Star' Roman Centurian (Empire Maker), last seen finishing a neck second to Medina Spirit (Protonico) in the Jan. 30 GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita, worked Saturday at the Los Angeles-area track, getting five panels in 1:00.40 for trainer Simon Callaghan. The sophomore colt is scheduled to take on fellow 'Rising Star' and subsequent GIII Sham S. winner Life Is Good (Into Mischief), who bested him in their Nov. 22 debut at Del Mar. A $550,000 Keeneland September yearling, Roman Centurian is being pointed to the...

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert will have two shots at adding to his growing record with a potential ninth win in Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita. The improving $1-million Keeneland September graduate Spielberg (Union Rags), MGISP as a juvenile, posted a hard-fought, breakthrough nose victory in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity last time Dec. 19. The runner-up that day The Great One (Nyquist), meanwhile, returned with a flashy, 14-length maiden victory for trainer Doug O'Neill last weekend, good for a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. Baffert will...

How aptly we talk of our walk of life as the Turf. Because raising a horse is just like raising a lawn. Take a microscope out there, if you like, but no human being has actually seen grass grow. Yet one morning toward the end of winter, the birdsong sounds different and you realize you left your coat on the peg without thinking about it. And you look at that lawn and, no argument, it's time to take the mower out of its stable. That moment remains a long way...

Roman Centurian (Empire Maker), the fourth-priciest yearling by his late sire in 2019, became the first 'TDN Rising Star' of 2021 with a facile victory at Santa Anita. He had debuted Nov. 22 going 6 1/2 panels at Del Mar and just missed third behind 'TDN Rising Star' and Saturday's GIII Sham S. winner Life Is Good (Into Mischief). Second in that same race was Wipe the Slate (Nyquist), who came with a Dec. 26 win at Santa Anita for an 88 Beyer. Regrouping with some added distance here, Roman...