We the People

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's potential GI Belmont S. duo of Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and the filly Nest (Curlin) worked in company Friday morning. Nest, with Jose Ortiz aboard, and Mo Donegal, who was piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr., went to the fast main track under cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s. Nest worked to the inside of Mo Donegal as both horses completed their five-furlong moves in 1:02.99, followed by an extended three-eighths gallop out. "The main thing I tried to emphasize to Jose and Irad...

When longtime owner and breeder Paul Pompa, Jr., who campaigned the likes of dual Classic winner Big Brown, passed away suddenly in October of 2020, it was a big blow to many in the industry. Some 19 months after his passing, the owner of Truck-Rite Corp.'s legacy has reached new heights. In the past two months alone, four former Pompa horses have won stakes, topped by Grade I winners Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and Country Grammer (Tonalist). "Mr. Pompa was a gentleman and a great sport to work for," said...

They may be pretty new to this business, but Jana and Roy Barbe are perfectly aware that it won't always be like this; that many breeders, in fact, have worked with Thoroughbreds all their lives without ever experiencing anything quite like Saturday night. First they watched a colt they had raised winning the GIII Peter Pan S. by 10 1/4 lengths, for the crop's joint-highest Beyer, lining up a return to the same track for the GI Belmont S. As related in TDN last week, the Barbes had acquired We...

It was a relatively quiet week in the U.S. as everyone drew breath between Derby and Preakness, but the action came thick and fast in Europe. Here's what grabbed our attention over the last seven days. From San Antonio to Longchamp... Tony Parker, former San Antonio Spurs icon, was in the headlines Sunday as part-owner of Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), winner of the G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Parker, who joins a growing list of sports stars involved in horse ownership in France, won four NBA championships (2003,...

'TDN Rising Star' We the People (Constitution) put on a show for those that braved the rain at Belmont Saturday--and the fans watching at home--with a dominant and seemingly effortless victory in the GII Peter Pan S., the local prep for the GI Belmont S. June 11. Dispatched as the 5-2 second choice behind 2-1 favorite Set Sail (Malibu Moon), We the People broke alertly and hustled up to take immediate control. Clicking off opening splits of :23.46 and :47.24 on a clear lead, the bay was still well within...

It'll be hard to separate the eight-horse field lined up in Saturday's GIII Peter Pan S. at Belmont, the track's traditional prep for the June 11 GI Belmont S., as evidenced by four horses landing between 3-1 and 4-1 on the morning line. Given the narrowest of nods at 3-1 is WinStar Farm, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm's We the People (Constitution). Making a somewhat belated debut going a mile Feb. 12 at Oaklawn, the $230,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream buy kicked away to an impressive 5 3/4-length romp, and was similarly dominant...

Somehow they had got it into their heads that it might be nice to buy "a small, gentleman's farm", just 10 acres or so, as an eventual retirement project. Jana Barbe's daughters, emulating her own childhood passion, had always enjoyed riding and some of the show horses were kept here in Kentucky. Such a beautiful part of the world, they hired a local broker and did some idle prospecting. Then came the 2008 crash. "And this business, being built on disposable income, suffered terribly," Barbe recalls. "Suddenly it felt like...

Having proven heads and shoulders above the local 3-year-old filly contingent, Briland Farm homebred Secret Oath (Arrogate) takes on the boys in Saturday's $1.25-million GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. The chestnut figures a warm favorite to become the first of her gender to win the race since her Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas saddled Althea (Alydar) to score by seven lengths in the 1984 renewal, with future GI Belmont S. runner-up Pine Circle (Cox's Ridge) and GI Preakness S. hero Gate Dancer (Sovereign Dancer) noses apart in...

Legacy pedigrees made their presence felt last week as debuters and Derby contenders alike took to the stage. Here's how things stand now that the dust has cleared. One last hurrah for Giant's Causeway... Classic Causeway flies his late sire's flag high as part of a very exclusive club. One of three members of Giant's Causeway's final crop--and all colts, the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner is the third son of the 'Iron Horse' to conquer the race behind Carpe Diem and Destin. With two generations of Classic-winning...

Briland Farm's Secret Oath (Arrogate), who soundly defeated fillies to win the Feb. 26 GIII Honeybee S., will take on the boys in the Apr. 2 $1.25-million GI Arkansas Derby, trainer D. Wayne Lukas confirmed Sunday. "We don't make these decisions, meaning the owners and myself, we don't make these decisions easily," Lukas said. "We consider all the things. First of all, you want to absolutely think that you are as good as any of the other 3-year-olds that might show up and you don't really know who is going...

We the People (Constitution) proved his good-looking debut was not a flash in the pan with another dominant score in an allowance at Oaklawn Saturday, earning the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction. The $230,000 FTFMAR purchase donned cap and gown with a powerful 5 3/4-length score in his one-mile career bow at this oval Feb. 12, earning an 83 Beyer Speed Figure. Hammered down to 2-5 favoritism to repeat in this first try against winners, We the People broke well and set his sights on the leader, hustling up to press...