Bobby Flay

Editor's Note: Welcome to the first edition of 2026 Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift. We kick off this year's series with a Thoroughbred breeder who is building an elite broodmare band, and always upgrading his stock. Pizza Bianca, 7, Fastnet Rock (Aus)-White Hot (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). Will be bred to Not This Time.  A Breeders' Cup Champion deserves the best opportunity to produce another champion. Not This Time gets great horses on dirt and grass. This mating was a no-brainer. Go Go Boots (GB), Night ofThunder (Ire)-Hertford Dancer (GB),...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale had its first million-dollar yearling when the two-day auction was just 13 hips old Monday evening and bidding stayed strong throughout the session, with the very last horse through the ring bringing $1 million. In all, nine yearlings reached seven figures Monday, led by a colt by Gun Runner, bred by Bobby Flay and consigned by Stone Farm, who sold for $2.7 million to Winchell Thoroughbreds. Twelve hit the million-dollar mark during the entire 2024 auction....

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. The beautifully bred maiden of one career start Americathegreat (f, 2, Curlin--America, by A.P. Indy) is being aimed at the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs June 29, per Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. "She's shown me some things that I haven't seen very many times," Casse said. "Allen Jerkens always told me, 'You don't judge a horse until they run five times.' But I think she's...

There's not much that Jimmy Ventura hasn't done in racing. He's trained, owned and bred horses. He's worked at Three Chimneys and Spendthrift and has worked in the racing office at Monmouth. But he's never had that big horse. That may be about to change. Ventura, who works in commercial real estate, has partnered with celebrity chef Bobby Flay on a son of Justify that they bought as a weanling at Keeneland November for $350,000. The horse's name is Crudo (Justify) and though he's only had three lifetime starts he...

Bobby Flay and James Ventura's Crudo (Justify) confirmed his readiness for Saturday's GI Belmont Stakes with a four-furlong work in :48.86 (4/17) over the Oklahoma training track Sunday in Saratoga. Last-out winner of the Sir Barton Stakes, the colt worked in company with GI Woody Stephens Stakes contender Gate to Wire (Munnings). He broke off about one length back and traveled to the outside of Gate to Wire as NYRA clockers timed him through splits of :12 4/5, :24 4/5, and out in 1:01 3/5 and 1:14 3/5. "I thought...

The star attraction last Saturday at Pimlico was no doubt GI Preakness S. winner Journalism (Curlin). It's hard to top the winner of a Triple Crown race. But there was another 3-year-old colt on the card who turned in a huge race and will surely be heard from again. Owned by Bobby Flay and James Ventura, Crudo was an impressive winner of the Sir Barton S., a restricted race for 3-year-olds. He won by 7 1/2 lengths. A start in the GI Belmont S. is a possibility for this exciting...

Chef and racehorse owner Bobby Flay joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss Crudo, a colt that he co-owns and that ran away with the Sir Barton Stakes on Preakness weekend. Will Crudo head to the Belmont next? Flay addresses this topic and much more.

Debuted earlier this season at Gulfstream to be a troubled fourth, the well-related Crudo really put his best foot forward at second asking when wiring a maiden special weight at Keeneland by 7 1/4 lengths Apr. 19. Triple Crown nominated for trainer Todd Pletcher, the son of Justify opted for this restricted spot on Preakness Day in Baltimore for his two-turn debut and showed much the same talent from a month ago. The rail-drawn 7-2 second choice jumped clear to the lead but had quick early pressure from race favorite...

2nd-CD, 120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 5:29 p.m. D.J. Stable, now in partnership with Gary Barber, went to $1,200,000 at KEESEP last year to secure AMERICATHEGREAT (Curlin), the full-sister to MGSW/GISP 'TDN Rising Star' First Captain. Both are out of Bobby Flay's GSW/MGISP A.P. Indy mare America who RNA'd first for $3.1m at FTKNOV in 2019 and most recently for $1.2m at the same sale in 2023. The mare, herself a half to the dam of GISW Paris Lights (Curlin), has found continued success for her foals in the sales...

Bobby Flay's Go Go Boots (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), a June 6 G1 Betfred Oaks entry, justified long odds-on favouritism for John and Thady Gosden with a three-length triumph in Monday's Download The Raceday Ready App Fillies' Novice Stakes over 10 furlongs at Lingfield. Last year's €230,000 Arqana Breeze-Up graduate had previously won at the track having annexed her debut over one mile in December.   Go Go Boots remains unbeaten with a straightforward success at @LingfieldPark! This Epsom Oaks-entrant looks a filly to follow for John and Thady...

Heavily favored Tenma (Nyquist) solidified her status as the West Coast's leading GI Kentucky Oaks contender with an easy victory in the GII Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks Saturday in Arcadia. Sent off at 1-5 in her first start since a romping win in the Feb. 2 GIII Las Virgenes Stakes, the dark bay filly was away well and was taken in hand to sit a stalking trip as stablemate Silent Law (Tiz the Law) exchanged blows with No Bad Beats (Midnight Storm) through an opening quarter in :22.85 before taking...

It was a busy weekend with GI Kentucky Oaks preps being run at Santa Anita, Aqueduct and Gulfstream. None of the winners did enough to crack the top four, but they all have a license to improve. We've dropped the bottom three from last week's list--Running Away (Gun Runner), Runnin N Gunnin (Gun Runner) and White Rocks (Frosted)--and replaced them with horses who appear to have more potential. It will be a quiet week as there is not a single stakes race for 3-year-old fillies that will be run this...