Tapit Trice

We had the Forte (Violence) bit last week. Now for the piano. The champion juvenile resumed his sonata in virtuoso fashion, reprising themes established in its first movement with familiar verve.

We had the Forte (Violence) bit last week. Now for the piano. The champion juvenile resumed his sonata in virtuoso fashion, reprising themes established in its first movement with familiar verve. From his barnmate Tapit Trice, in contrast, we have so far only had a couple of experimental arpeggios--but even those have sufficed for their trainer to remove the local trial winner from his path in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday. Now there are perfectly coherent grounds within his own game plan for evicting Litigate (Blame)...

A trio of graded stakes preps in Florida, California and New York yielded a reshuffled deck this past weekend as we edge within the two-month mark for the May 6 GI Kentucky Derby. 1) FORTE (c, Violence--Queen Caroline, by Blame) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Repole Stable & St. Elias Stable; B-South Gate Farm (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales history: $80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $110,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt, MGISW, 6-5-0-0, $1,833,230. Last start: Won GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park Mar. 4. KY Derby Points: 90....

The pari-mutuel field of "All Other 3-Year-olds" closed as the 2-1 favorite in Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager while champion 2-year-old Forte (Violence) was the 8-1 second choice. Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief), the lone filly in the individual betting interests, closed as the 11-1 third choice. Other horses who attracted interest from the bettors were: Tapit Trice (Tapit) (15-1); GII Kentucky Jockey Club and GIII Lecomte winner Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro) (22-1); Smarty Jones winner Victory Formation (Tapwrit) (23-1); and Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) (25-1)....

How apt that one of Burt Bacharach's very first hits was The Story Of My Life. Because reading the tributes prompted by his loss a couple of days ago, it turns out that his music was pretty well a soundtrack to the lives of millions who--especially in the Sixties, an era of profound societal tension between materialism and idealism--wanted assurance that the essential bonds of humanity still united them all. He transcended those divisions much as he did musical genres, knowing that the middle-aged hosts of suburban cocktail parties and...

Several contenders at the top of this week's rankings solidified their status, but one new shooter debuted at No. 4 to add some intrigue as we edge past the 90-day mark to the GI Kentucky Derby. 1) ARABIAN KNIGHT (c, Uncle Mo--Borealis Night, by Astrology) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Corser Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $2,300,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $544.275 Last start: 1st GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park, Jan. 28. KY Derby Points: 0. Arabian Knight's thorough...

On a Saturday that included bi-coastal graded stakes for sophomores, the most emphatic performance on the GI Kentucky Derby trail was orchestrated in a first-level allowance race at Gulfstream Park by Tapit Trice (Tapit). It wasn't just the eight-length blowout margin of victory or the 92 Beyer Speed Figure that made the athletic gray's effort stand out. It's the fluid, three-race progression and unruffled demeanor that suggests Tapit Trice is ascending his developmental arc while honing an air of confident capability. A $1.3 million KEESEP yearling owned in partnership by...

Unveiled at Aqueduct Nov. 6, Tapit Trice (Tapit) endured a wide trip throughout and was coming on late but had to settle for third just 2 1/2 lengths off the winner. It would be the only time so far that the grey son of Tapit did not find the winner's circle as he rebounded with a narrow victory over a muddy but sealed track Dec. 17 before flying south to Gulfstream to earn his 'TDN Rising Star' nod with an eight-length romp Saturday. Racing with Lasix for the first time,...

The first week of January doesn't have much in common with the first Saturday in May--with the exception that the inaugural TDN Top 12 has arrived to herald the coming of the seemingly far-off GI Kentucky Derby season. Get tied on and enjoy the ride. 1) ARABIAN KNIGHT (c, Uncle Mo--Borealis Night, by Astrology) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Corser Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $2,300,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $86,025. Last start: 1st Keeneland Maiden Special Weight, Nov. 5....

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-AQU, $85K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 2:10 p.m. Picked up for $975,000 as a Keeneland September grad, ABSTRACT (Curlin) takes to the track in the afternoon for the first time for Repole Stable and St Elias Stable under the direction of Todd Pletcher. His dam, a half-sister to three stakes horses in Mom'z Laugh (Leroidesanimaux ({Brz}), Cajun Breeze (Congrats), and Peace At Dawn (Peace Rules), took a trio of Florida-bred stakes and ran second in the GIII Delta Downs Princess S. Looking to improve second-time out...

Mandy Pope outlasted Chad Brown, who was bidding on behalf of Peter Brant, to take home a Tapit filly out of MSW & GSP Danzatrice (Dunkirk) (Hip 603) for $1.1 million during the Book 2 opener at Keeneland Wednesday. The chestnut was bred and sold by Gainesway. Her dam is a half-sister to champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic). Pope purchased the filly's full-brother for at the auction last year for $1.3 million with Gainesway staying in for a piece. He is now named Tapit Trice and is in training with Todd...