Shedaresthedevil

It was a busy Saturday at Keeneland for the nation's top 3-year-old fillies, as a field of five contested the GI Ashland S. and Swiss Skydiver (Daredveil) ventured outside her division as her connections boldly took on males in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. At the end of the day, the deck was shuffled some, but not much. Speech (Mr. Speaker), already a highly regarded Oaks contender, won the Ashland and Swiss Skydiver was terrific in a second-place finish against the boys. With the Oaks less than eight weeks...

Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), heroine of Oaklawn's GIII Honeybee S. Mar. 7, is the clear-cut horse to beat in Wednesday evening's GIII Indiana Oaks. The bay followed a well-beaten third behind division heavyweights Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) and Venetian Harbor (Munnings) in the GIII Fantasy S. May 1 with a powerful optional claiming tally at Churchill Downs last time June 5. "She ran a huge one," trainer Brad Cox said. "We were looking just to get a race in her between the Fantasy and wherever we ended up, which ended up being the...

After several weeks of inactivity, the 3-year-old filly division roared back to life last weekend as the GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn brought together a large and deep field that included five members of the TDN's GI Kentucky Oaks Top Ten. The race was dominated by two horses, Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) and Venetian Harbor (Munnings). As for the rest of the field, each one will need to regroup before they can be considered top candidates for the Oaks. On Saturday at Oaklawn, the highly regarded 'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into...

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company has added a supplemental catalogue to its upcoming Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and the 78 additional horses are now listed on its website, www.obssales.com. Among the 15 siblings to graded stakes winners in the supplemental catalogue are a half-sister by Frosted (hip 1271) to GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner Spun to Run (Hard Spun); a half-brother by Runhappy (hip 1266) to GII Amsterdam S. winner Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby) and a half-sister by Outwork (hip 1261) to GIII Honeybee S. winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil). The...

For racing fans missing the familiarity of the GI Kentucky Oaks this Friday, a loaded 14-horse field of talented sophomore fillies are ready to step in and take their star turn in the $400,000 GIII Fantasy S., which kicks off a sorely-needed blockbuster stakes weekend at Oaklawn. Favored at 2-1 on the morning line is Venetian Harbor (Munnings), making her first start in nearly three months. A debut second at even-money sprinting over the Del Mar turf Nov. 15, the $110,000 Keeneland September graduate moved to the main track Dec....

It's been more than a month since the last TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 appeared, and how things have changed in such a short period of time. The GI Kentucky Oaks will not be run May 1 but, hopefully, Sept. 4. The road to the Oaks is filled with uncertainty as, with so many racetracks closed, there is no clear path to the race. The only traditional prep for the Oaks that is left on the schedule is the May 1 GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn, a race that is...

As the TDN Rising Star Amalfi Sunrise drew off for an easy six-length success in the GII Sorrento S., I was reminded of a commission I received in the fall of 2015. With the Breeders' Cup bandwagon due to roll into Lexington and Keeneland, WinStar wanted to promote its extensive team of stallions. I was asked to write 250-word summaries for each of them, including three which were scheduled to be added to the roster in 2016. Strangely, those three--Constitution, Commissioner and Daredevil--were respectively responsible for Amalfi Sunrise, Powerfulattraction and...

Amalfi Sunrise (Constitution) flattered her 'TDN Rising Star' status even further by collecting another facile win in Saturday's GII Sorrento S. at Del Mar. Sent off the well-supported favorite following an ultra-impressive 6 1/4-length score in her Santa Anita debut June 23, the dark bay was part of a three-way tussle up front with 'TDN Rising Star' and last-out GIII Schuylerville S. winner Comical (Into Mischief) and Princess Mo (Uncle Mo), carving out an opening quarter in :22.50. Looking ready to dispense of those rivals at any moment, Amalfi Sunrise...

Trainer Simon Callaghan will be at Saratoga Saturday to saddle Bellafina (Quality Road) in the GI Longines Test S., and a short time later, the conditioner will be glued to the nearest television set to watch 'TDN Rising Star' Amalfi Sunrise (Constitution) give the barn consecutive victories in the GII Sorrento S. at Del Mar. A $40,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $185,000 OBS April purchase, the racy-looking dark bay was pounded into 11-10 favoritism for her June 23 debut at Santa Anita, and although she was beaten for speed by...