Street Sense

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY - The two-session Book 2 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale concluded with another day of competitive bidding and two additional seven-figure yearlings Thursday in Lexington, bringing the total number of lots to surpass the million-dollar mark to 15. "Excellent," Keeneland's vice president of sales Tony Lacy said when asked to gauge the day's activity. "The median was up 48% and the average was up 37% [for the session] and we've just passed the $200,000,000 mark for gross sales for the first...

A colt by Street Sense became the second of the day to sell for $1 million when bloodstock agent Liz Crow, sitting alongside Brad Weisbord and Spendthrift Farm's Ned Toffey, signed the ticket on hip 1022 late in the fourth session of the Keeneland September sale Thursday. Crow and Weisbord have been busy all week buying yearlings for their colts group partnership. Prior to their million-dollar purchase in partnership with Spendthrift, they had acquired 16 yearlings for $4,980,000. Bred and consigned by the Knelman family's Farfellow Farms, the yearling is...

Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH), non-profit therapeutic riding program, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an upscale barn party at their center Aug. 21 that will feature silent and live auctions that include 17 halters worn by Thoroughbred superstars such as Curlin, Tapit, Street Sense, Ghostzapper, Kitten's Joy and more. Each halter comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. Other auction items of note include: A professional drone package which can be used to film a Central Kentucky property for marketing, insurance or real estate purposes Corporate boxes for 2021...

Trainer Gary Contessa selected a Street Sense filly as grand champion of the 87th annual Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA)'s Yearling Show. The show was held Sunday at the Timonium Fairgrounds with the filly bred by the late Robert T. Manfuso out of GSW Belterra (Unbridled) prevailing. The winner is owned by Katharine Voss of Chanceland Farm and shown by the farm's manager Casey Randall. "We all know that on a horse, the engine is in the rear, and she's got like a 400 horsepower engine in that rear end,"...

Murray (Street Sense), the most fancied of a trio of Bob Baffert-trained juveniles owned by the stallion-making conglomerate most easily referred to as "The Avengers" and seeking their diplomas in Del Mar's second race Sunday, blew past the buzzed-about even-money Peter Miller newcomer Drink the Wind (More Than Ready) en route to 'TDN Rising Star'-dom. The $300,000 Keeneland September yearling broke on top at 5-2 but Drink the Wind was ridden along to seize a clear lead. Murray was content to sit second under Flavien Prat and began to ratchet...

Godolphin homebred Maxfield (Street Sense) put on a show at Churchill Downs yet again with a dazzling victory in the GII Stephen Foster S., a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Running off the fence early, the 2-5 chalk settled in sixth as longshots Empty Tomb (Speightstown) and Sprawl (City Zip) duked it out through opening splits of :23.33 and :46.88. Making an eye-catching move up the outside on the backstretch run, the dark bay swiftly picked off rivals, flying up to take charge at the...

The talented Maxfield (Street Sense) headlines a field of nine slated for Saturday's GII Stephen Foster S. at Churchill Downs, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. After suffering his first career defeat finishing third in the GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 6, the Godolphin homebred got back on track with a strong performance in Churchill's GII Alysheba S. on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard. It was 3 1/4 lengths back to Twinspires Kentucky Cup Classic S. winner Visitant (Ghostzapper) in second that day and another...

Godolphin homebred Maxfield (Street Sense), last seen romping in the GII Alysheba S. at Churchill Apr. 30, remains on track for that venue's GII Stephen Foster S. June 26. "We brought him over to Keeneland after [GI Kentucky] Derby week at Churchill and we are targeting the Stephen Foster," trainer Brendan Walsh said. "He'll make his way back to Churchill and we'll likely work him Saturday. I think the timing of this race works out well for us because it's the same timing following his race in the [Mar. 6...

Bob Baffert confirmed to the Maryland Jockey Club press department Tuesday that 'TDN Rising Star' Concert Tour (Street Sense) will contest next Saturday's GI Preakness S., taking on GI Kentucky Derby-winning stablemate Medina Spirit (Protonico). "We figure, this is the race," Baffert said. "The Derby is run. A lot of horses, they went through a lot to get here. He's sort of a fresh horse. In the Rebel, he looked so good." Gary and Mary West homebred Concert Tour began his career three-for-three, taking Santa Anita's GII San Vicente S....

Maxfield bounced back from his first-ever defeat to kick off Derby weekend's graded stakes action as a heavy favorite in Friday's GII Alysheba S. A head-turning winner of the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity as a juvenile, the Godolphin homebred was forced to miss the Breeders' Cup, but resurfaced a winner in the track-and-trip GIII Matt Winn S. last May and looked perfectly poised to take advantage of the pushed-back Triple Crown schedule last term. He was soon diagnosed with a condylar fracture, however, and eventually resurfaced to take the Dec....

Gainesway freshman sires McKinzie (Street Sense) and Spun to Run (Hard Spun), winner of the 2019 GI Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, have their first mares confirmed mares in foal. McKinzie, a four-time Grade I winner, won graded stakes from age two through five, including the GI Los Alamitos Futurity, GI Pennsylvania Derby, GI Whitney S. and GI Malibu S. In addition to a Breeders' Cup win, Spun to Run also annexed the GIII Smarty Jones S. and was runner up in the GI Cigar Mile and third in the GI...

Windmill, an impressive wire-to-wire debut winner in January at Oaklawn, showed her rating ability and remained unbeaten with a stalk-and-pounce score in the Dixie Belle S. Sunday in Hot Springs. Breaking on top and never looking back in a four-length victory at 12-1 Jan. 23, the $330,000 Keeneland September buy was made the narrow second choice in this six-horse group and again left the stalls smartly. Taken in hand by Joe Talamo, the bay tracked from the three path in a close-up third as Goin' Good led narrowly through a...