Starlight Racing

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...

The Kentucky Derby points are back on the table in December. Well, for trainers Leandro Mora and Tim Yakteen that is, as it is once again time for the GII Los Alamitos Futurity. In prior contests, it would have been 10-4-2 or 1 to the top four finishers, but since we only have a five-horse field, and with Bob Baffert currently forced to abrogate his Derby egg hunt despite yet another re-christening of his legal stab at Churchill Downs, it is just Mora and Yakteen that are eligible. Out of...

Frank Brothers will retire from his roles as a bloodstock agent and a member of Keeneland's yearling inspection team, he announced Friday morning in a press release. "I'm fortunate that my health is good," he said. "I'm 76 years old and quite content to take a seat in the viewing area and watch the game for a while." After training horses from 1980 to 2009, Brothers moved into his current role of selecting horses for a few clients before ultimately partnering with Starlight and StarLadies Racing for the past 13...

The team at Town and Country Farms knew they had a good one when heading into the Keeneland September sale last fall and its Into Mischief colt delivered in the sales ring when selling to the stallion-making partnership of SF Bloodstock/Starlight Racing/Madaket for $850,000. Now named Newgate, he began to justify the price tag with a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy debut at Del Mar last Saturday (video). The Courtelis family's operation will be hoping history repeats itself when it sends a full-sister to the colt through the sales ring during the...

Bob Baffert is banned from Churchill Downs for two years and his 3-year-olds are ineligible for points in qualifying races for the Gl Kentucky Derby and Gl Kentucky Oaks. He may also get banned (again) from NYRA, which hosts the Gl Belmont S., which could leave only the Gl Preakness open to horses from his barn. So perhaps it's appropriate that he won a race over the weekend--the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate--that gives the winner a guaranteed entry to the middle leg of the Triple Crown. Blackadder,...

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has opened a satellite facility near Ocala, Florida as it continues to expand its aftercare efforts. The nation's oldest and largest racehorse adoption charity now has nine facilities in six states. "Part of our long-term plan has been to open a facility near Ocala," said New Vocations' Program Director Anna Ford. "Three years ago, we were looking into it but then we got the call to open a facility in Louisiana. We put Florida on pause because the need was greater in Louisiana at that...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 8th-TAM, $31,500, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 3:48 p.m. William Mack's GIANT'S FIRE (GUN RUNNER), a $510,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, makes his first trip to post for trainer John Terranova. The chestnut colt is out of an unraced half-sister to multiple Group 1 placed Mad About You (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). Also debuting is Godolphin homebred Exacting (Ghostzapper), a son of multiple Grade I placed Centring (A.P. Indy), who will be saddled by Eoin Harty. Jonathan Thomas sends out firster Dubrovnik (Union Rags)--a $180,000 FTKSEL yearling purchase--for...