Coaching Club American Oaks

This week: five from Saratoga and the outlier from Woodbine. 6-HAULIN ICE, SAR, 7-26, GII Honorable Miss Stakes, 6f VIDEO Beyer Speed Figure-96 (2nd) (m, 5, Coal Front--She's Smoke, by Half Ours) O-Two Racing Stable, WSS Racing and Agave Racing Stable. B-Eugenia Thompson-Benight (Ark).  T-Saffie Joseph. J-Flavien Prat. The overachieving mare again displayed her determination to notch her first Grade II placing, rallying for second behind Maida (below). Last fall she won the GIII Princess Rooney. She has now finished first or second in 18 of her 24 starts, and...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - After settling into his summer digs at Saratoga Race Course for the last week, Golden Tempo (Curlin) got back to work on Sunday. The GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes champ had his first ever work at the Spa. With jockey Jose Ortiz on his back and under the watchful eye of trainer Cherie DeVaux, Golden Tempo stepped onto the main track just after 7 a.m. He worked four furlongs in company with stablemate Being Myself (Curlin), a 4-year-old filly, in :48.51 (42/138). He was...

There was talk after West Point Thoroughbreds' Counting Stars (Honor A.P.) won the GI Acorn Stakes that she might take on the boys in the GI Travers Stakes should she prove dominant again in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. "I don't want to get ahead of ourselves too much, but if Counting Stars gives the same kind of race in the CCA Oaks coming up then [West Point's] Terry [Finley] and I might be having a conversation about the Travers. We'll see," trainer Mark Casse told Ren Hakim Carothers...

West Point Thoroughbred's Counting Stars (Honor A. P.) left little doubt who the best 3-year-old filly in the country is with a second straight spectacular performance at the top level in Saturday's GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. Sent to the front by Irad Ortiz, Jr. from her rail draw, the even-money favorite led through fractions of :23.86 and :47.60. The GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Always a Runner (Gun Runner), a well-beaten second behind Counting Stars in the GI DraftKings Acorn S. at Saratoga June 5, shot through an...

The leader of the 3-year-old filly division will emerge from Saturday's GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. After beginning her career with three straight wins led by a powerful, come-from-behind victory in the GI Kentucky Oaks, 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Always a Runner (Gun Runner) looks to get back on track following a runner-up finish behind Counting Stars (Honor A. P.) as the 4-5 favorite in the GI DraftKings Acorn S. at Saratoga June 5. The 9-5 morning-line favorite and $1.05-million Keeneland September graduate will exit from...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - At one time this year, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse thought Silent Tactic (Tacitus) was going to be a player in the Triple Crown. Then came the dreaded foot bruise. The Wednesday before the GI Kentucky Derby, Casse had to scratch Silent Tactic because of the bruise on the left front foot. The next step would be the GI Preakness Stakes, but Casse had to pull the plug on that as well because the foot still just wasn't right. Fast forward to now and Silent...

Having previously done all of her racing in New York, Dry Powder shipped down to Parx to pick up her first stakes win in Tuesday's Cathryn Sophia Stakes. A head behind Sweet Seraphine (Quality Road) in the Wilton Stakes two back at Aqueduct, she stepped into the deep end and wound up third, albeit the length of the stretch back, in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks behind Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) at Saratoga July 19. Given a 7-1 shot here, the daughter of Gun Runner showed speed but was outrun...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - When the question came out on the rail at the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning, trainer Miguel Clement smiled. But he was not about to give an answer to who is his favorite horse in his barn. That will stay with him. When the name of 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel) was suggested, Clement smiled some more. "He is definitely up there," Clement said. As well he should. Far Bridge, owned by LSU Stables, shows up whenever Clement puts the saddle on the 5-year-old....

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - With one dominating win after another so far this season, it was time for a new challenge for the imposing 3-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). Her trainer Kenny McPeek gave it to her on Saturday when he announced that Thorpedo Anna will make her next start in the $1.25 million Grade I Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 24. McPeek made the announcement during the Fox Saratoga Saturday broadcast. "We are headed to the Travers, and I'm going to give you a list...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Pressure? What pressure. There was none of that over at trainer Kenny McPeek's barn at the Oklahoma Annex Friday morning. Even though the stable star--the imposing, impressive and almost undefeated 3-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna)--is running on Saturday, no one on McPeek's staff was sweating bullets. Thorpedo Anna is the 1-2 morning-line favorite in the $500,000 GI Coaching Club American Oaks at 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga Race Course. She has won five of six career starts and has won all three of her races...

Cody's Wish (Curlin) worked five furlongs in 1:00 (1/15) Saturday over the Oklahoma training track in preparation for the $1-million GI Whitney Aug. 5. The Godolphin homebred is currently on a six-race winning streak topped by a powerful 3 1/4-length score last out in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. June 10 at Belmont Park. "He was very good. He went five eighths and went well and appeared to be well within himself," Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. "We're uncertain about the nine furlongs (in the Whitney),...

For Nest (Curlin), the easy route to the Breeders' Cup includes a stop in the GI Alabama Aug 20. It's a prestigious race, has a $600,000 purse and Nest would be an odds-on favorite against many of the same horses she thrashed Saturday in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. But what fun is that? Owners Mike Repole, Michael House and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trainer Todd Pletcher have already shown that they will think outside the box. They ran their filly in the GI Belmont S., where she finished...