Starlight Racing

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Colloquial (c, 2, Vekoma--Terminology, by Bernardini), sidelined since finishing a fast-closing and big-figure second behind Mentee (City of Light) on debut at Aqueduct in June, is nearing a return to the races. Off at odds of 4-1 in his unveiling for George Weaver, the chestnut was urged along by Manny Franco and chased from an inside third as the aforementioned full-brother to champion and 'TDN Rising Star'...

7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 3:55 p.m. ET. A $1-million buy at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, YINZER (Twirling Candy) takes the racing stage for the ownership group of West Point Thoroughbreds, CJ Stables and Bill Farish. The Steve Asmussen trainee is out of Rehearsed (Tapit) who is a full-sister to GISP Closing Bell and a half-sister to GII San Felipe Stakes hero Hear the Ghost (Ghostzapper). Also making the races is Aerate (Candy Ride {Arg]). The Stone Farm homebred trained by Brian Lynch was produced by Ducru...

National Treasure, the three-time Grade I-winning son of Quality Road, has been retired from racing and will take up residence at Eric & Tamara Gustavson's Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, where he will stand stud in 2025 for an introductory fee of $40,000 S&N, according to a post on the farm's website. A classic winner of the GI Preakness Stakes and victor in this year's GI Pegasus World Cup and GI Metropolitan Handicap, National Treasure is now available for inspection by appointment. Spendthrift acquired the breeding rights to the colt,...

Claiborne Farm will stand for $30,000 LFSN the newly-retired 'TDN Rising Star' and Grade I winner Prince of Monaco (by Speightstown), during the 2025 breeding season, the stud farm said in a Friday press release. "Prince of Monaco has sustained minor bone bruising, preventing him from competing in the Sprint and Malibu races," said co-owner Tom Ryan of SF Racing. "As a result, we have decided to retire him. He demonstrated brilliance almost every time he stepped onto the racetrack." The current 3-year-old colt, who will available for inspection at...

Claiborne Farm has secured the breeding rights to Grade I stakes winner Prince of Monaco (Speightstown--Rainier, by Medaglia d'Oro), who will enter stud at the Paris nursery at the conclusion of his racing career. The 3-year-old, winner of last year's GIII Best Pal Stakes and GI Del Mar Futurity, is expected to start next in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. He is coming off narrowly beaten runner-up efforts in the GI Woody Stephens Stakes and in the GI H Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes. "Running a 103 Beyer [in the Best...

Bidding on behalf of the SF/Starlight Racing/Madaket partnership, Tom Ryan signed for a colt by Tapit (hip 674) at $1.05 million late in Wednesday's session of the Keeneland September sale. The gray yearling was the second of the day to bring seven figures. The yearling was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm on behalf of breeder Charles Fipke. He is out of Fipke's graded winner Verve's Tale (Tale of Ekati).

7th-DMR, $75K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 8:02 p.m. ET. Conditioned by John Sadler, Don Alberto homebred UNIQUE POWER (Into Mischief) debuts for his dam--champion older dirt female Unique Bella (Tapit)--who was acquired by the stable for $400,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September Sale. Her own dam is GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic heroine Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song). Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm took this mare home for $3.8 million at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale. Unrivaled Belle's half-sister, Lemon Belle (Lemon Drop Kid), is responsible for GIII Gotham Stakes champ...

Elinor Wolf is joining the team of Starlight Racing and StarLadies Racing as their new director of marketing, partner relations and recruiting, the syndicates said in a release on Wednesday. Wolf has spent the past few years studying abroad and working. During that time she completed the Irish National Stud Course in 2021, graduated from the Godolphin Flying Start Program last year, and for the past six months ran Thoroughbred Country in Ireland. "I am thrilled to be relocating to the U.S. and joining Starlight Racing and StarLadies Racing full-time,"...

5th-ELP, $71K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 2:53 p.m. ET. TAPPAN STREET (Into Mischief), a $1 million-purchase at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, makes his first start for CHC, Siena and WinStar. Trained by Brad Cox, the colt is the second to the races for GSP Virginia Key (Distorted Humor), who is also responsible for his older half-sister in-training Distorted d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro. Tappan Street's second dam, GSW Our Khrysty (Newfoundland), also produced GI Del Mar Debutante Stakes heroine Grace Adler (Curlin) and the recent GI Stephen Foster Stakes runner-up...

4th-CD, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 2:15 p.m. ET. Rigney Racing made TWO SHARP (Twirling Candy) her sire's top priced offspring in 2022 when the outfit went to $925,000 during Keeneland September. Trained by Phil Bauer, the filly is the lone foal out of Double Sharp (Distorted). Woods Edge Farm acquired this dam at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale for $255,000 and she is out of MGSW/MGISP Bsharpsonata (Pulpit). Also making her first start is Greg Foley trainee Cathcart (Quality Road). The 3-year-old filly was purchased for $800,000 at the...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--The morning-line odds may have suggested that a showdown between Classic winning National Treasure (Quality Road) and GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day) could be in the offing in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H., a 'Win and You're In' for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. After the dust had settled, however, it proved to be more of a procession for the Bob Baffert runner, who streaked home a much-the-best 6 1/4-length winner over Post Time (Frosted). Getting away in good order, the 6-5...

Starlight Racing has named a 2-year-old colt Coach Clint (Laoban) in honor of the late Clinton Glasscock, a longtime member of the partnership and a tennis coach at St. Xavier High School. Coach Clint is in training at Keeneland with Brendan Walsh and will be moving over to Churchill Downs in May. Starlight Racing is hosting an auction to allow individuals to bid on and acquire 10% of the horse's net earnings for the entire duration of the operation's ownership of the colt, with proceeds from the auction benefitting the...