Summerplace Farm's Heavenly Landing remained perfect on turf when she rallied late and denied La Reine Lionne at the wire to win the $100,000 Marshua's River (gr. IIIT) at odds of 19-1 Jan. 7 at Gulfstream Park.
Ice Box, a grade I winner and second in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), has been retired from racing to stand at Calumet Farm near Lexington.
The New Year's Day Old Hat Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park points to a promising 3-year-old campaign for Sacristy, who won the $100,000 main track test in smart style.
In trainer Kiaran McLauglin's mind, Trappe Shot is a star. But Mill House's 4-year-old son of Tapit hasn't won a grade I race. He'll try to achieve that goal in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I).
Sent off at odds of 16-1, Senada snapped an 11-race losing streak when she came from far off the pace to collar Upperline in deep stretch, capturing the $125,000 Rood and Riddle Dowager Stakes on the Keeneland turf.
MAHUBAH'S CORNER
Overdriven follows Uncle Mo as a standout 2-year-old for owner Mike Repole. The Tale of the Cat colt's pedigree offers many clues to how he'll develop as a runner.
Pachattack roared to the lead rounding the final turn and romped to her first graded stakes win in the $100,000 Arlington Matron (gr. III) May 28 at Arlington Park.
MAHUBAH'S CORNER
If she is as good as she looked when taking apart her opposition at Oaklawn Park this spring, Joyful Victory has a good shot of living up to her name in the Run for the Lilies.
If ever a horse was bred to be a champion, it was A.P. Indy. Read Blog
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Grade II winner Meteore was euthanized after fracturing his right ankle in an allowance race at Golden Gate Fields April 2.
PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
Gilbert Campbell's homebred Watch Me Go enters Derby fray & focuses spotlight on sire West Acre, from the immediate family of Tale of the Cat and Pulpit and Johannesburg and Minardi.
Vinery, which has recently opened a breeding operation in New York, has added stallion Purge to its Empire State line-up.
Blame's sire Arch, who also stands at Claiborne Farm, has his fee raised to $30,000.
Trainer Jonathan Sheppard and owner William Pape kept their perfect meet record intact when Sermon of Love came from off the pace to win the $100,000 New York Turf Writers Cup (NSA-I) steeplechase Aug. 26 at Saratoga.
MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
West Virginia Derby winner Concord Point is the first graded winner with siblings Relaunch and Moon Glitter in his pedigree--a pattern to watch for in future pedigrees.
Nick Zito's Florida Derby (gr. I) winner heats things up over a sloppy Churchill Downs surface April 23.
MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
By one of the hottest sires in American and out of a stamina-oriented mare, Ice Box has bloodlines that indicate he's a smart pedigree pick for the Triple Crown races.
Ice Box, the less fancied of two runners trained by Nick Zito for owner Robert LaPenta, ground out a nose victory over another outsider, Pleasant Prince, in the $750,000 Florida Derby (gr. I) March 20.
Grade II winner Parading has been retired from racing and will join his sire, successful stallion Pulpit, at stud in 2010 at the Hancock family's Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky.
Godolphin Racing's Pyro, winner of the Forego Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga, has been retired and will enter stud in 2010 at Darley Japan where his fee will be ¥2 million (about US$22,100).
The Hancock family's Claiborne Farm has announced its 2010 stud fees. Major stallion Pulpit will be reduced from $80,000 to $60,000 in spite of his continuing success.
It was no dream trip for Mi Sueno, but the even-money favorite's talent won out in the $300,000 Darley Debutante (gr. I) at Del Mar Sept. 5.
Pyro, one of the favorites in last year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), captured his first stakes in more than a year when he came from off the pace and out-finished Kodiak Kowboy in the $300,000 Forego (gr. I) Sept. 5 at Saratoga.
Meteore was in last place coming off the far turn with seemingly nowhere to go. But once jockey Alex Solis found room with a sweeping four-wide move it was clear sailing from there, as the son of Pulpit picked up all eight of his rivals en route to a 1 1/2-length victory in the $150,000 La Jolla Handicap (gr. IIT) Aug. 15 on the Del Mar turf course.
The first foal out of millionaire Madcap Escapade won a graded stakes in her third start Aug. 7 in the grade III Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar. The filly by Pulpit was sold as a weanling in 2007 for $1.7 million.
Purge got his initial winner when Perfect Drive won the first race at Arlington Park July 30 by nine lengths.
Parading, winner of the Dixie Stakes (gr. IIT) on the Pimlico turf May 16, is expected to run next July 11 in the $700,000 Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I).
Grade I winner Rutherienne returned to her winning ways with a three-length triumph in the $276,326 Nassau Stakes (Can-IIT) on the Woodbine turf May 30, going over the $1 million mark in career earnings in the process.
Parading made it consecutive graded stakes victories when he held off Just as Well in the $150,000 Dixie Stakes (gr. IIT) at Pimlico May 16.
Kim and John Glenney's homebred Orthodox pulled off a shocker in the American Turf (gr. IIIT) May 1 at Churchill Downs, taking over in the stretch and holding off Battle of Hastings in the final yards to score at odds of 45-1 under Jon Court.
Stuck wide on the backstretch of the $150,000 Ben Ali Stakes (gr. III), jockey Kent Desormeaux took a chance when he encouraged Parading to take control over his pace rivals heading into the final turn. The decision paid off when Parading ran away in upper stretch on the way to his first graded stakes victory April 19 at wet and windy Keeneland.
A talented group of eight fillies and mares will line up against last year's female turf champion Forever Together when she makes her 5-year-old debut April 11 in the $200,000 Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. IIT) at Keeneland.
Frank Brothers, who has won more than 280 stakes in his career and is best known for training dual-classic winner Hansel, will be retiring at the end of March.
PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
One generally doesn't expect to find Kentucky Derby hopefuls hurtling down 4 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs in May of their juvenile season. Even less expected would be for that debut to be in a $20,000 maiden claiming event. That, however, was the launching point for the career of General Quarters.
Sky Mesa, the 9-year-old stallion who underwent colic surgery Feb. 15, is being kept at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital where an additional operation was performed Feb. 19 to correct an impaction, according to Three Chimneys farm president Case Clay.
MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
Laragh's victories, most recently in the grade I Hollywood Starlet Stakes Dec. 13, have helped seal her sire Tapit's position as the leading freshman sire and juvenile sire of 2008. Laragh has won on synthetic surfaces and turf and could be equally dangerous as a sophomore on dirt in 2009.
Grade I winner Madcap Escapade, in foal to A.P. Indy, sold for $3.1 million Nov. 2 to kick off the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November select mixed auction in Lexington. Cataloged as Hip No. 2, Madcap Escapade was the first horse in the sale ring because Hip No. 1, grade I winner Great Hunter, was scratched.
Claiborne Farm has announced its stud fees for the upcoming 2009 breeding season, which will be payable when the foal stands and nurses.
Bsharpsonata, a multiple stakes-winning homebred for John Sykes' CloverLeaf Farm II, has been transferred to the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher.
FrancesGenterJLtn.jpg "Rutherienne Tops All Along Field")
Virginia Kraft Payson's Rutherienne will top a quality field of turf distaffers including Valbenny, Lady Digby,and J'ray, in the $200,000 All Along Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Colonial Downs June 21.
Pyro's form of old returned June 14 at Churchill Downs as the son of Pulpit powered to a 1 3/4-length win over five fellow 3-year-olds in the Northern Dancer Stakes (gr. III). The Steve Asmussen-trained colt covered the 1 1/16 miles of the $190,925 race in 1:43.53.
The last time Winchell Thoroughbreds' Pyro raced at Churchill Downs, he finished a disappointing eighth, 15 lengths behind Big Brown, in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). In the June 14 Northern Dancer Stakes (gr. III), trainer Steve Asmussen looks for a much-improved effort.
Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) starter Bsharpsonata may be the current stable star in the barn of John and Tim Salzman, but she is not the first filly to draw attention to the Maryland-based father-and-son training team.
Jockey Eric Camacho was in Louisville April 23 to work Cloverleaf Farm's Bsharpsonata, from the Tim Salzman stable, one of the favorites in the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) at Churchill Downs. The daughter of Pulpit was sharp in her five-furlong breeze, stopping the clock in :59.80, the third fastest drill of the morning at the famed Kentucky oval.
Ike and Dawn Thrash's Dawn After Dawn was a solid performer in each of her four past starts, registering two wins -- one in the La Canada Stakes (gr. II) -- under jockey Garrett Gomez.
Winchell Thoroughbreds' Pyro, early favorite for the Toyota Blue Grass (gr. I), worked five furlongs in 1:02 2/5 the morning of March 24 over Keeneland's main Polytrack surface.
It's been said that special Thoroughbreds have a certain look and feel about them that is different than your average horse. Pyro is proof.
Winchell Thoroughbreds' Pyro, likely favorite for Keeneland's $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (gr. I) April 12, stretched his legs in an easy mile gallop March 20 over the main Polytrack.
Trainer Mark Casse will enter the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III) at Turfway Park as the defending champion, having won the 2006 and 2007 editions with Top Notch Lady and Sealy Hill, respectively, and owning a total five victories in the race. This year he saddles the lightly-raced Clearly Foxy, whose last start was a solid sixth-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I).
