Santa Anita Park

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Pipsy during the Belmont at the Big A meeting in New York. Pipsy Soars In New York  Pipsy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who races for Woodford Throughbreds, LLC, earned the first graded win of her career in the GIII Soaring Softly S. during Belmont's spring meeting at Aqueduct on Sunday (video). Trained by Will Walden, the filly is now three-for-four. The Noel Finegan-bred was a...

2nd-Santa Anita, $54,000, Msw, 5-10, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.30, ft, 2 3/4 lengths. NIGHT BEACON (f, 2, Spun to Run--Stormandaprayer {SP, $169,484}, by Songandaprayer) made every pole a winning one as she handed her first-crop sire (by Hard Spun) the first victory of his stallion career. The juvenile set the tone from the outset and continued to hold sway around the far turn. Night Beacon won in geared down fashion, as So There She Was (Munnings) tried to make up ground for second. Gainesway's sire, who won the GI...

Visually charged to the lead in deep stretch to claim her first stakes win and give both trainer Librado Barocio and her sire Enticed (Medaglia d'Oro) their first graded victories in the GIII Senorita S. at Santa Anita Sunday. Racing without blinkers for the first time in her career, the 17-1 outsider settled in mid-pack through an opening quarter in :21.85. She ranged up in the center of the track heading over the dirt course and cruised to the lead inside the final furlong before sailing under the wire a...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Lammas at graded level at Golden Gate Fields. Golden Gate Veteran Earns Career High In San Fran Ronald Charles and Samuel Gordon's Lammas (GB) (Heeraat {Ire}), a regular for many years at Golden Gate, earned another graded win when taking Saturday's GIII San Francisco Mile S. (video). Trained by Manuel Badilla, the Peter Onslow-bred 7-year-old gelding was an 10,000gns buy-back as a weanling...

9th-Santa Anita, $57,000, Msw, 4-28, 3, 4,/5yo, f/m, 6fT, 1:09.01, fm, 3/4 length. CHARM YOUR WORLD (f, 3, Candy Ride {Arg}--Charm the Maker {MSW & MGISP, $340,290}, by Empire Maker) debuted with Lasix as a 27-1 longshot here. From the bell, the 3-year-old settled mid-pack as Heart of the Night (City of Light) tried to steal the race up the backstretch. As the pacesetter began to run out of gas around the far turn, it was 3-2 favorite Not A Sinner (GB) (Land Force {Ire}) who took over. Seemingly in...

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Lope De Vega gelding Silver Knott for Godolphin. Silver Knott Adds Elkhorn Laurel to Resume Godolphin's Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), already a multiple group winner in England, won the GII Elkhorn S. at Keeneland on Saturday (video). He has also been Grade I-placed for trainer Charlie Appleby in the Hollywood Derby last December. Bred by St Albans Bloodstock, LLP, the 4-year-old...

In a debut befitting his princely price tag, Parenting (c, 3, Justify--Iadorakid, by Lemon Drop Kid) kicked away from a well-met group of maidens at Santa Anita Park, and became the newest 'TDN Rising Star' to hail from the Bob Baffert barn. Hugging the rail after coming out a narrow leader via a scramble for the front, Parenting rolled into the lead off of :22.42 and :45.48 splits, and had put away most of his early competition by midstretch. Shaking loose under hand-urging, Parenting found enough in the tank to...

6th-SA, $54K, Msw, 3-5yo, 5 1/2f, 6:30 p.m. ET. PARENTING (Justify) debuts for Gandharvi LLC., who purchased the colt at last year's OBS April Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale for $750,000. The Bob Baffert trainee's dam is a half-sister to Canadian champion turf male El Tormenta (Stormy Atlantic) and GSW Zero Tolerence (Mizzen Mast). The other half of the Baffert uncoupled entry is first time starter Middleburg (Tapit). A $485,000 buy for SF Bloodstock, Starlight and Madaket at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale, the gray is out of MGSW Selcourt (Tiz...

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...

In a vote by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association board of directors, Speed Boat Beach (Bayern) has been crowned the 2023 Florida-bred Horse of the Year. The result was announced Monday night at the FTBOA Awards Gala. Bred by Richard Heysek's Caperlane Farm, who was also presented with the Needles Award recognizing the Small Thoroughbred Breeder of the Year in Florida, the Bob Baffert runner also took home the awards for champion 3-year-old colt and champion male sprinter. In 2023, Speed Boat Beach won the GI Malibu S....

The 2024 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In will consist of 82 races in 12 countries and host track Del Mar will run six on a schedule with several new additions, the organization announced via release Monday. In its 18th year, the Win and You're In (WAYI) program gives each winner an automatic qualifying position with fees paid into the corresponding race at the 2024 World Championships. In addition to the domestic schedule, forty-one international races will be held at premier tracks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England,...

A good 10 years ago in the Santa Anita paddock garden, former trainer Matt Chew was leading a stately old schoolmaster named Fred through and around an afternoon gathering of children with developmental issues when a diminutive figure from the crowd locked eyes with the horse. "I walked over and handed him the shank and said, 'here, take him. He's yours,'" says Chew about the curious soul, a 10-year-old named Austin, onto whom he foisted the docile Fred. "He starts walking around with the horse and he starts talking to...