Starlight Racing

A colt from the first crop of Horse of the Year Authentic was hammered down to Donato Lanni, agent for SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables for $875,000 as the first night of trade at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga reached its midpoint. Hip 56, consigned by Four Star Sales as agent, was bred by Spendthrift Farm--who raced Authentic with Starlight and Madaket and stands him as well--and is the second foal out of the Grade III-placed Golden Domer (Quality Road), who was knocked down to Spendthrift for $340,000 in foal to...

6th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:06 p.m. CAMERA (Curlin) will make her debut on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. A $1,050,000 buy last August at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling sale, the bay filly out of Cassies Dreamer (Flatter) hails from a female family which includes More Than Real (More Than Ready) and Structor (Palice Malice), winners of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Juvenile Turf, respectively. The Todd Pletcher trainee, who gets the services of Irad Ortiz, clocked 1:00.55 in her last workout...

The Starlight Racing and Harrell Ventures partnership was always excited about their well-bred son of Omaha Beach named Pirate, but their anticipation for the colt's debut reached an all-time high when he was assigned the infamous first stall adjacent to Todd Pletcher's office at his barn on the Oklahoma. "We've been working with Todd for 23 years and it's hard to get him to get really excited about a horse," joked Starlight's founder and managing partner Jack Wolf. "But you could tell that he liked ours from the get-go." Pirate...

On paper, it looked like Pirate (Omaha Beach) had a lot going for him in Saturday's first race at Saratoga, a $105,000 maiden special weight run at 5 1/2 furlongs. A half-brother to GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road), he sold for $350,000 at Keeneland September, had a bullet four-furlong work leading up to the race and hailed from the mighty Todd Pletcher barn. So it was hardly a surprise when he cruised to a three-length win, covering the distance in 1:04.89 for the partnership of Harrell Ventures,...

Living up to both his price tag and his recent workouts, Prince of Monaco (Speightstown--Rainier by Medaglia d'Oro) earned 'TDN Rising Star' billing as the 2-year-old poured on the speed at Los Alamitos on Sunday afternoon en route to a maiden-breaking victory for trainer Bob Baffert. Off at 1-20 for this debut, the $950,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select graduate broke a touch awkwardly from his wide draw in this compact field, but soon seized the lead heading into the far turn. Opening up at the top of the lane, the dark...

Reincarnate (c, 3, Good Magic--Allanah, by Scat Daddy), 13th for trainer Tim Yakteen after racing on a scorching early pace in the GI Kentucky Derby, returned to the Bob Baffert barn with a stylish 2 1/2-length win in Saturday evening's $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby. The even-money favorite showed the way through early fractions of :23.33 and :47.75. Racing under pressure heading into the far turn, he leveled off nicely into the stretch and was never seriously threatened by last out GI Santa Anita Derby third-place finisher and second-choice Skinner (Curlin)....

GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road) worked five furlongs in :59.55 seconds over Belmont Park's main track on Monday in preparation for Saturday's $1.5 million GI Belmont S. With exercise rider Erick Garcia aboard, the colt galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.20 and seven furlongs in 1:25.20. "He worked very well this morning," trainer Bob Baffert's assistant, Jimmy Barnes, said. "It's a big track and you can find yourself lost out there. Erick did an excellent job working him and now we're just waiting for the race." National...

National Treasure (Quality Road) turned in his first work since winning the May 20 GI Preakness S., going four furlongs in :50.62 (9/15) at Belmont Park Tuesday as he continues preparations for the June 10 GI Belmont S. With jockey John Velazquez up for trainer Bob Baffert, National Treasure was caught by New York Racing Association clockers in a swift opening split of :23 2/5. Velazquez had the colt under a hold down the lane before letting the talented bay gallop out strongly. "I wanted to jog him to the...

Jack Wolf joined this edition of the TDN Writers' Room to discuss Starlight Racing's 3-year-olds pointing toward the Kentucky Derby. The Writers' Room is sponsored by Keeneland, the Green Group, Coolmore, WinStar, the PHBA, Lane's End, XBTV, and West Point Thoroughbreds.

As the managing partner of Starlight Racing, Jack Wolf is a part of a team that can always be counted on to have several prospects for the GI Kentucky Derby. That's the case again this year as the trio of Starlight, SF Racing and Madaket Stables will have horses in Saturday's GII San Felipe S., the GIII Gotham S. and the John Battaglia Memorial. To discuss those runners and Starlight's philosophies when it comes to trying to acquire Derby candidates Wolf was the Green Group Guest of the Week on...

The nominees for the Mar. 4 GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct include four horses that have been under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, but were nominated under the names of new trainers. Baffert is banned from running in this year's GI Kentucky Derby and any horse under the care of a trainer suspended by Churchill Downs must be moved to a new barn by Feb. 28 in order to earn Derby qualifying points. On Friday, a U.S. District Judge ruled against Baffert as he sought a...

Topping a Bob Baffert trifecta, REINCARNATE (Good Magic), the co-longest shot on the board at 16-1, held off Newgate (Into Mischief) and favored National Treasure (Quality Road) to steal the GIII Sham S. Fresh off his maiden-breaking score in just his second start on the dirt following a pair of turf efforts in the fall, Reincarnate, a $775,000 yearling, came in the least heralded of Baffert's trio. Sent right to the front from his middle gate, the roan colt was able to clear National Treasure on his inside for a...