Swale Stakes

Frankie's Empire (Classic Empire) either missed, or ignored, the memo that the longest shot on the board usually doesn't dominate, and strode home a much the best winner in the Swale S. to earn his career-first black type win. A frequent face on the mid-atlantic seaboard, he'd broken his maiden and hit the board in the Sapling S. at Monmouth Park before being shipped to Delaware, where he picked up a second career win against optional claimers. Sixth in the Rocky Run S. last October when contesting over a muddy...

Saturday's graded stakes races stretch out from coast to coast and feature significant GI Kentucky Derby implications, but not entirely for the reasons we've come to expect. In South Florida, it is business as usual for the Derby preps while on the West Coast all things Kentucky Derby took an unprecedented turn. On the heels of a very successful GI Pegasus World Cup weekend, Gulfstream Park offers a tremendous card with five graded races, including the 34th running of the GIII Holy Bull S. named for the Hall of Famer...

'TDN Rising Star' My Prankster (Into Mischief) looks to secure his first graded victory Saturday in Gulfstream's GIII Swale S. Crushing the field by 10 lengths in his Saratoga unveiling Aug. 21, the $600,000 FTKSEL purchase checked in fourth next out in the GI Champagne S. Oct. 2. A close second in a sloppy renewal of Keeneland's Bowman Mill S. four weeks later, the bay captured a six-panel optional claimer at this venue last time Dec. 10. Brad Cox sends out In Dreams (Frosted) off a pair of dominant victories....