Stage Raider

With 'TDN Rising Stars' Sierre Leone (Gun Runner) and Fierceness (City of Light) extending their rivalry into 2025, and the GI Kentucky Derby winner also persevering to a third campaign, there's no denying that the new intake of Bluegrass sires has a fairly bunched look. A cluster of second-tier names can duly compete for mares that might otherwise have favored one of the sophomore leaders, with eight of the 23 newcomers targeting broadly similar budgets between $40,000 and $30,000. Whether that qualifies any of them as "value" can only be...

Stakes-winning Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile--Stage Magic, by Ghostzapper), a half-brother to Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy), has been retired from racing and will take up stud duties next year at Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm. Bred and campaigned by John Gunther, Stage Raider won last year's R.A. Cowboy Jones Stakes at Ellis Park and was third in the GIII Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs. "My dad and I really believe in this horse and we are excited to start him on his new stallion career," said Tanya Gunther....

Multiple Grade I-placed 'TDN Rising Star' Ferocious (Flatter) was out on track at 7:30 a.m. at Keeneland following the first harrow period and had Javier Castellano in the irons for the morning session as he continued preps for his scheduled start in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Castellano had spent nearly two months on the sidelines with a fractured hand, but made a trip from New York to Lexington specifically for the half-mile work. In the first move since Ferocious finished second in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, the...

With the 40th Breeders' Cup World Championships less than two weeks away, a number of hopefuls worked Saturday morning at Keeneland as they make their final preparations before shipping to Santa Anita. Trainer John Ortiz took GISW Brightwork (Outwork) out for a spin on Saturday with William Simon, owner of WSS Racing, on hand as the bay filly points towards the GI NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 3. Working with 4 G Racing's GSP Crown Imperial (Classic Empire), a candidate for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf also...

3rd-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 1m, 2:07 p.m. The only first-time starter facing a field of more experienced maidens, SPELL ON YOU (Curlin) makes her afternoon debut Friday as a homebred for John Gunther, also the breeder of the filly's Triple Crown-winning half-brother Justify (Scat Daddy). Dam Stage Magic, 2018's broodmare of the year, is also responsible for the late GSW The Lieutenant (Street Sense) along with 'TDN Rising Star' Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile). Under the tutelage of trainer Jorge Abreu, Spell On You picks up jockey Dylan Davis...

8th-Belmont, $94,000, Alw (NW2$X), Opt. Clm ($62,500), 5-28, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:36.63, ft, neck. HIGHLY MOTIVATED (c, 4, Into Mischief--Strong Incentive {SW, $123,568}, by Warrior's Reward), an easing 4-5 favorite, overcame a bit of a slow start, but sat a good inside trip thereafter and outbattled his 'TDN Rising Star' stablemate Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile) to the line to lead home yet another Chad Brown-trained exacta Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park. Off to a hesitant beginning and then bumped by The Reds (Tonalist) to his outside, the $240,000 Keeneland November...

2nd-GP, $60k, Msw, 3yo, f, 7f, 12:40p.m. ET This contest kicks off the first of two maiden special weights on the Hallendale card with smartly regarded firsters. Breaking from the far outside, Blini (Tapit) has graded stakes winning shadows to outrun: full-siblings Iron Fist, MGSW, $1,104,199; Anchor Down, GISP & MGSW, $734,254; and half-sister Sweet Lulu (Mr. Greeley), GISW, $693,600. Her dam Successful Outlook (Orientate) is a third generation graded stakes runner and producer. To her inside, there is a Calumet owned and bred half-sister to SW, $865,921, Pingxiang (Speightstown)...

8th-Belmont, $89,240, Alw (NW1$X), Opt. Clm ($80,000), 5-14, 3yo, 1m, 1:38.22, ft, 3 lengths. STAGE RAIDER (c, 3, Pioneerof the Nile--Stage Magic {Broodmare of the Year, GSP, $133,981}, by Ghostzapper) would have given those who backed him into 1-20 favoritism a bit of a scare in upper stretch, but he rallied through a tight spot at the fence to clear his first allowance condition Friday at Belmont. The half-brother to Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy, Horse of the Year, Ch. 3yo Colt, MGISW, $3,798,000); and to The Lieutenant (Street...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency MOTT UNVEILS SUMMER WIND HOMEBRED 4th-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 2:31p.m. Bill Mott unveils the latest blue-blooded colt to hail from Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm in SOUTHERN FLAG (Union Rags). His second dam is the farm's matriarch, SW & GSP Misty Hour (Miswaki), who has produced the likes of MGSW India (Hennessy), dam of MG1SW Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) and SW Kareena (Medaglia d'Oro); and SW Pilfer (Deputy Minister), who is the dam of MGISW To Honor and Serve (Bernardini), GISW Angela Renee (Bernardini)...

3rd-Indiana Grand, $31,000, Msw, 5-12, 3yo/up, 1m 70y, 1:43.45, ft, 4 1/2 lengths. HARVARD (c, 3, Pioneerof the Nile--Sambuca Classica, by Cat Thief) finished second behind a good-looking debut from American Prince (Liam's Map) at Gulfstream Feb. 28 and was stretching out to two turns off a distant runner-up effort behind Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy)'s 'TDN Rising Star' half-brother Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile) in a sloppy seven-furlong maiden at Keeneland Apr. 10. Stage Raider, incidentally, is the morning-line 2-5 favorite for a one-mile Belmont allowance Friday afternoon....

Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile), a half-brother to undefeated Triple Crown hero Justify (Scat Daddy), took one more try than his brother did, but followed in that Horse of the Year's hoofprints with a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy graduation at Keeneland Saturday. Runner-up to another impressive 'TDN Rising Star' in Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) in his seven-panel debut at Gulfstream Jan. 23, the bay was hammered down to 9-5 favoritism to get the money this time. Breaking on top, the Gunther homebred was overtaken by a pair of foes just before the...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 11th-KEE, $79K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 6:38 p.m. ET A pair of Pioneerof the Nile brothers to high-profile champions look to go one better off of runner-up debuts to close out the Keeneland card Saturday. John Gunther homebred Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile) is half to none other than Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) as well as the ill-fated GSW The Lieutenant (Street Sense). A $950,000 Keeneland September RNA, the Chad Brown trainee was beaten 8 1/2 lengths by super impressive 'TDN Rising Star' Prevalence...