Winchell Thoroughbreds

Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) put himself on the GI Kentucky Derby trail with a tenacious, one-length front-running score in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds. Proxy (Tapit) was second; 4-5 favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun (Into Mischief) was third after a wide trip in his two-turn debut. The 7-2 shot left the gate running from his rail draw and led the scratched-down field of eight into the clubhouse turn. Midnight Bourbon cruised along on the front end beneath Joe Talamo through fractions of :24.68 and :48.99, while Proxy, a...

Winchell Thoroughbreds's multiple graded stakes-winning homebred Finite (Munnings) invades from the east to face off against a talented group of sophomore fillies in the seven-furlong GI La Brea S. at Santa Anita Saturday. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the chestnut put together a four-race win streak which included scores in the Rags to Riches S. and GII Golden Rod S. at Churchill late last year and continued at Fair Grounds with victories in the Silverbulletday S. and GII Rachel Alexandra S. She went to the sidelines following a fourth-place effort in...

MGSP Tight Ten (Tapit--Devils Humor, by Distorted Humor) will stand at Mountain Springs Farm in Pennsylvania. He will have an introductory fee of $2,500 live foal and additional mares can be bred for $2,000 each. A lifetime breeding right to Tight Ten will be awarded to breeders after booking four mares. A debut winner at Churchill as a juvenile, the Winchell homebred was second in both the 2018 GII Saratoga Special S. and GIII Iroquois S. for trainer Steve Asmussen. He retires with a record of 14-2-3-1 and earnings of...

by Brian DiDonato, Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY--A Tapit filly out of GISW Embellish the Lace (Super Saver) topped the opening session of Keeneland's September yearling sale on a $1.25-million bid by Claiborne Farm's Bernie Sams. The bay was consigned to the auction as hip 149 by Bluewater Sales LLC, Agent XVI, on behalf of breeder China Horse Club. While stringent COVID-19 protocols put in place to allow the world's largest yearling sale to be held at all may have dulled some of the electricity typically felt in...

6th-Saratoga, $72,000, Msw, 8-15, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:17.55, ft. CALIBRATE (c, 2, Distorted Humor--Glamour and Style, by Dynaformer) was backed from a morning line of 5-1 to be off as the 2-1 chalk in this salty-looking Saratoga maiden and galloped home a 4 1/2-length winner for the in-form Steve Asmussen barn. Ridden for speed by first-call jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr., the $340,000 Keeneland September purchase argued the pace to the inside of the once-raced Unitedandresolute (Violence) as Restored Order (Frosted) stalked that duo from the three path. Shaken up off...

4th-Churchill Downs, $80,750, Msw, 6-27, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.70, ft. WHISKEY DOUBLE (c, 2, Into Mischief--Lake Sebago {MSW, $243,225}, by Munnings), an $875,000 KEESEP buy, was sent off the 7-5 choice in this unveiling and settled in a stalking position as Medicine Tail (Kantharos) led through initial fractions of :21.81 and :45.78. Three wide turning for home, the Steve Asmussen trainee took aim in upper stretch and wore down the 7-2 shot late to score by 3/4 of a length. Windcracker (Super Saver) was third. The bay's dam is MSW Lake...

ELMONT, NY -- Shortened to 1 1/8 miles and to be contested free of spectators, the 152nd renewal of the GI Belmont S. kicks off a reshuffled Triple Crown Saturday. The winner will have to wait until the first Saturday in September for the GI Kentucky Derby, however, to continue a bid for what would have to go down as the most unique of sweeps if able to join the legendary previous 13 to do so. The series concludes with the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Oct. 3. Welcome to...

Calumet Farm's homebred Jungle Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) posted a half-mile breeze in :50.50 (12/15) over the Belmont training track Tuesday in preparation for Saturday's GI Belmont S. Winner of the Clever Trevor S. at Remington Park last November, the bay colt is coming off an eighth-place effort in the May 2 GI Arkanas Derby. "It was a nice easy half in :50 and change," said Toby Sheets, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen. "He galloped out in a minute. Not a big gallop out, but we're very happy with it....

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-CD, $79K, Msw, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, post time: 1:00 p.m. ET Trainer Wesley Ward will look to get his juvenile mojo back when he saddles Magic Cap Stable's firster TEQUILA QUEEN (AMERICAN PHAROAH). The daughter of graded stakes winner Agave Kiss (Lion Heart) was a $325,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will also be represented in the race by Winchell Thoroughbreds' Mad Maddy. The first foal out of the unraced Tiger Tale (Tale of the Cat), the Steve Asmussen trainee was...

Dispatched as the 6-5 favorite to remain unbeaten and build on a debut success sprinting six furlongs over this main track Feb. 15, Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred Pneumatic (Uncle Mo) handled a stretch out to two turns with aplomb to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' Saturday in Hot Springs. Pneumatic bounced well from gate seven and was four wide entering the first turn before tucking in a path or two while tugging eagerly for his head. Settled a bit better when steered out into the clear midway down the backstretch,...

Finite had to fight for it, but her class saw her through on the day as she gutted out a narrow victory over pacesetting Ursula while earning 10 more qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Oaks. Three wide out of the stretch for the first time, the homebred filly continued to cover ground on the second turn and was three and four wide off the final corner. With Ricardo Santana, Jr., throwing everything he had at her, she eyeballed the longtime leader with a furlong to race and clawed that...