Vekoma

With a strong mid-race move, JONATHAN'S WAY (Vekoma) took command at the top of the Saratoga stretch and came home impressively, becoming the second 'TDN Rising Star' and 15th overall winner for freshman sire Vekoma (by Candy Ride {Arg}). Facing a pair of well-backed stablemates in the coupled entry of Moment's Notice (More Than Ready) and $1.35m KEESEP first-timer Sansone (Uncle Mo), Jonathan's Way broke from the outer half of the gate in line with the field but got squeezed back to last in the first few jumps and had...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale kicked off its two-day run with an abbreviated session featuring competitive bidding from start to finish Sunday evening in the Humphry S. Finney Pavilion in Saratoga. "It was a strong start to the 2024 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "There was very consistent trade from start to finish. I think the thing that was probably most encouraging tonight was the buy-back rate. This sale has traditionally had a little bit of a higher buy-back...

Louisiana Jess (Vekoma) ran to the odds and picked up not only his first stakes win but also became Vekoma's first black-type winner Saturday night at Evangeline Downs. One of five runners to come into this state-bred restricted D. S. Shine Young Futurity off a victory--his being June 14 at Churchill Downs in an auction price-restricted maiden special--the Bret Calhoun-trainee was the heavy 1-5 favorite by the time the gates opened and he did not disappoint his backers. Pressing the issue and three wide around the turn as Big Rasee...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Friday at Saratoga: Friday, July 19, 2024 Saratoga 1, $100k, 2yo, 5 1/2fT,...

by Christina Bossinakis & Stefanie Grimm Lexington, KY--The onset of the yearling season every summer can be a bit of a worrisome time for many. With the yearlings that have been so painstakingly selected by Fasig-Tipton's team for its first yearling sale of the season, it can often be a bit unnerving whether things will go off without a hitch or not. And at the conclusion of Tuesday's yearling session, it appeared that it had. "It was a fantastic start to the 2024 yearling sales season," affirmed Fasig-Tipton President and...

An additional five horses have been added to the catalogue for next Monday's Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale at the company's Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. Catalogued as hip 520 is the 2-year-old filly Fortuna Mia, who won her maiden by four lengths at Horseshoe Indianapolis at first asking May 13 to become the first winner for her freshman sire Vekoma (by Candy Ride {Arg}) and most recently finished third in a muddy renewal of the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs June 30. Out of a half-sister to...

Spendthrift Farm's Ned Toffey joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss the breakout victory by Kingsbarns in the GI Stephen Foster, as well as the early success from first-crop sire Vekoma.

Dream Team One Racing Stable's well-related Anakarina (f, 2, Vekoma--Tacit Approval, by Tapit) catapulted her boom freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}) back into the lead for first-crop winners (with nine) after blitzing her rivals from the front Wednesday at Churchill Downs to become a 'TDN Rising Star'. Vekoma leapfrogs Complexity, who was represented by his eighth winner earlier on the program in the form of Sweet Mo B. A homebred half-sister to the globetrotting Grade II Cigar Mile Handicap hero Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft), MGSW & MGISP, $1,411,297, Anakarina...

When Jon Clay first got started in the Thoroughbred business, he launched Alpha Delta Stables with ambitious goals in mind. Step one: breed a stakes winner. Step two: breed something good enough to make it to either the Kentucky Derby or the Kentucky Oaks. Nearly two decades later, Clay has checked off every one of those goals, having bred both a Derby and an Oaks starter. Plus, his program has produced something he never could have dreamed up back when he was compiling that wish list of accomplishments. In world-class...

7th-Belmont The Big A, $90,000, Msw, 6-15, 2yo, 5f, :56.97, ft, nose. MENTEE (c, 2, City of Light--Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty), on the 'Insights' radar by virtue of his relationship to full brother, champion juvenile Fierceness, MGISW, $1,703,850, stepped up to lead the field in this unveiling. The 1-2 favorite cruised along through :22.37 and :44.80 opening splits and had built a noteworthy margin entering the final furlong. Under confident handling, his rider John Velazquez never seemed worried as Colloquial (Vekoma) rapidly closed the gap with a furious late...

4th-Churchill Downs, $120,000, Msw, 6-14, 2yo, f, 5f, :57.26, ft, 5 lengths. VIGGIEDAL (f, 2, Vekoma--Minnelli, by Unbridled's Song), the 8-5 second choice behind 6-5 favorite Aurelia's Mischief (Into Mischief), enjoyed a sharp break and was able to get over to the rail and open up into the turn as the favorite fell back in mid pack. Clear into the lane, Viggiedal was home free and finished up under a hand ride five lengths ahead of Kimchi Cat (Twirling Candy) in second. Aurelia's Mischief, a daughter of Lady Aurelia, tired...

4th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 2:13 p.m. The second foal out of MG1SW and 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Aurelia, AURELIA'S MISCHIEF (Into Mischief) makes the races as a homebred for Stonestreet Stables who went to $7,500,000 to secure Lady Aurelia at FTKNOV in 2018. The mare, herself a daughter of Puerto Rican Horse of the Year D' Wildcat Speed, has already produced 'TDN Rising Star' and Zia Park Juvenile S. winner American Rascal (Curlin) as her first foal. Trainer Brad Cox and Florent Geroux team up for Aurelia's Mischief's...