Brian DiDonato

Runhappy Gelding Runs up the Score Again; Garners Rising Stardom

Jay Em Ess Stable's Happy Medium (Runhappy) dominated for a third consecutive time Saturday to become the third 'TDN Rising Star' for the heating-up Runhappy. Third in his seven-panel unveiling here back in March, the $300,000 KEESEP yearling and May 20 foal resurfaced at Belmont Sept. 30 to air by 9 1/4 lengths and earn [...]

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Curlin's Nest Completes Double for Hot Connections in Demoiselle

Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House's Nest (Curlin) completed a juvenile Grade II double for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. as she out-kicked two-for-two New York-bred Venti Valentine (Firing Line) in Saturday afternoon's GII Demoiselle S. at the Big A. It was a record seventh Demoiselle victory for Pletcher, who [...]

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De la Soul Tops KEENOV Session Seven

Three-year-old De la Soul (More Than Ready), offered in foal to fast-starting freshman sire Gun Runner, topped all returns Tuesday as Book 4 of the Keeneland November Sale concluded. A total of $9,455,400 changed hands for the session at an average of $31,623 (up 60.07% year over year compared to last year's auction conducted in [...]

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Japan's Marche Lorraine Pulls Off Distaff Shocker

Japan celebrated its first-ever Breeders' Cup victory three races earlier with logical GI Breeders' Cup F/M Turf heroine Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), and added a shocking tally in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff as 45-1 Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn})–also trained by Yoshito Yahagi–out-nosed 12-1 Dunbar Road (Quality Road) after the pace [...]

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Racing Insights for Nov. 7

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1m, 12:20 p.m. ET Tap the Faith (Tapit), the fifth-priciest lot at last year's Keeneland September sale when she cost $1.25 million, makes her debut here for Manzanita Stables and trainer Christophe Clement. The rail-drawn bay is the second foal out of 2015 GI Alabama [...]

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Modern Games Wins Wild Juvenile Turf for Purse Money Only

For Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, not to mention the betting public, the lead up to Friday evening's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf could not have been more of a roller coaster. Godolphin's two charges, rail-drawn Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and GI Summer S. winner Albahr (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) to his immediate outside, stepped [...]

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'Gleaming' Sparkles in Third-Straight Juvenile Turf Sprint for Ward & Ortiz

Stonestreet Stables LLC's 'TDN Rising Star' Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}), less fancied than her unbeaten stablemate Averly Jane (Midshipman), out-footed them all early and held the cavalry charge off late to provide both trainer Wesley Ward and Irad Ortiz, Jr. with their third-straight renewal of the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in [...]

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Siblings and Dams of Friday BC Runners Entered at KEENOV

Nine more supplements have been added to the Keeneland November Sale's Horses of Racing Age portion. The sale begins Wednesday, Nov. 10 with HRA offerings selling on the final day, Nov. 19. Keeneland will continue to accept Book 1 supplements until the auction begins and will accept HRA supplements through mid-November. The latest round of [...]

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Empire Maker Filly Stays Up This Time, Earns Rising Stardom

Two-year-old filly Haughty (Empire Maker), taken down from first to third for interference after a clear-cut debut victory at Belmont Sept. 17, and then unable to draw in off the also-eligible list for Wednesday's GII JPMorgan Jessamine S., bested a solid-looking bunch at Keeneland Sunday to officially earn her diploma as well as the 'TDN [...]

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Fasig Saratoga Fall Sale Returns Monday

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Sale of breeding stock returns Monday after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. A catalogue of 292 broodmares and broodmare prospects and New York-bred weanlings will be on offer at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion beginning at 10:00 a.m. The 2019 renewal of the sale saw 134 horses change hands [...]

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Rockemperor Leads Home Longshot Chad-zacta in Joe Hirsch

Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) led home one  of the better-paying Chad Brown-trained exactas in recent memory in Saturday's GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. The French Group 3-placed runner was fifth as the favorite in this race last year after a close second in the GI Manhattan S. to stablemate Instilled Regard (Arch) [...]

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Son of Midshipman 'Reserves' Spot in Sprint Starting Gate

Reformed claimer Special Reserve pressed, pounced and held on late to earn a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint Friday. Scooped up for $40,000 from Randy Morse and Doyle Williams out of an upset optional claiming tally at Oaklawn in February–good for what at the time was by far [...]

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