Shantisara

Lightly raced Queen Goddess (Empire Maker) rewarded her connections' faith to successfully invade from California and annex Saturday's GIII Pegasus F/M Turf. Originally campaigned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and her breeder, Geoff Nixon's TOLO Thoroughbreds, after RNA'ing for $285,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling, the Michael McCarthy trainee made the grade in the rained-off GI American Oaks two Decembers ago and added the GIII Santa Ana S. on the Arcadia lawn last March. She was second in May's 1 1/2-mile GIII Santa Barbara S., but hadn't been back on the...

A field of 11, headlined by 2-1 morning-line favorite GISW Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) is expected to line up for Saturday's GIII TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational for older females. The 7-2 second choice, Dalika (Ger) (Pastorious {Ger}), will make her 32nd career start in the Pegasus for trainer Albert Stall, Jr. "There's not a horse in America that is more battle-tested than her," said Stall. "She couldn't be more fit and couldn't be more of a warrior, so we got that going for us, too."...

Peter Brant's 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) got the jump on stablemate Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) with three-sixteenths of a mile remaining in Saturday's GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland and dug in gamely to hold off her younger rival to prevail, providing trainer Chad Brown with a record fifth Jenny Wiley win, all since 2015. Brown overtook his mentor Bobby Frankel and Hall of Famer Bill Mott with the win. "I'm a lucky guy with owners like Mr. Brant and plenty before him that have sent me...

Looking for his fourth GI Jenny Wiley S. triumph in the last five years and fifth overall, Chad Brown will saddle two imposing favorites in Saturday's renewal of Keeneland's annual 1 1/16-mile turf test for older fillies and mares. Brown is tied with Bill Mott and former boss and mentor Bobby Frankel for the most victories in the race, which has been run since 1989. Given the slightest of nods on the morning line at 6-5 is Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}), who starts as a 4-year-old for the first time...

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bob LaPenta's Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) underscored the sheer domination of trainer Chad Brown in the nation's turf races with an emphatic victory in Saturday's GI Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup S. at Keeneland. Also representing the four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer in the nine-furlong test was dual graded-winning Technical Analysis (Ire), however, early favoritism went to Coolmore's Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), hailing from another behemoth of the turf world, Aidan O'Brien. Delayed a few minutes after the gate scratch of Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), Shantisara,...

Keeneland's GI QEII Challenge Cup Saturday looks like a duel between top American turf trainer Chad Brown and leading European conditioner Aidan O'Brien. O'Brien saddles a representative of the Coolmore contingent in Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who adds blinkers for her second start at Keeneland. Winner of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas May 23, the bay could only manage eighth next out in Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation S. June 18 and was a well-beaten sixth in the G1 Nassau S. July 29. Fourth in the G1 Matron S. Sept....

Former French runner Shantisara won a gritty battle with stablemate Higher Truth to take the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. at Belmont Saturday. Higher Truth seized the early advantage with Shantisara glued to her outside hip in second through a :25.51 opening quarter and :51.70 half-mile. They continued in this manner with a pair of rivals hot on their heels through five-eighths in 1:18.12. Moving up to look her barnmate in the eye turning for home, Shantisara battled Higher Truth to the wire, forging clear in the final strides to...