stakes record

Sunday's GII Franklin Stakes was a tale of two trips. On one hand, Larry Johnson's Future Is Now (Great Notion), exiting post 5, benefitted from a rail-hugging trip that blossomed into a well-timed opening that propelled her to the front in early stretch and on to victory. On the other end, Godolphin's Star Of Mystery (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) didn't appear a touch sluggish while leaving post 1 and gradually got shuffled to the back of the 12-horse field, necessitating a giant run if there was any hope to even get...

Rated by Merit (Battalion Runner) debuted with a sparkling performance when the colt won by 9 3/4 lengths and posted a 92 Beyer over the same course and distance July 13. Slammed at the windows at 40 cents on the dollar, the homebred was challenged from the bell up the backstretch by Neoeqous (Neolithic). Pushed three wide around the far turn, the juvenile responded and with a big kick down the lane proved his talent. "It kind of went as I thought it would," said trainer Michael Yates. "He's trained...

Horses aren't supposed to be able to do what Ghostzapper did. The Hall of Famer was so dazzling that the 128 Beyer Speed Figure he registered in the GIII Philip H. Iselin H.--still the highest figure in the history of American racing at a route--isn't even remembered as one of his top races. Some people might count his GI Vosburgh sprinting at three against older horses as one of his best, others might prefer his GI Woodward battle over eventual Horse of the Year Saint Liam, and still others might...