Deep Flame

We knew he was fast, and he more than justified the betting public's faith in his graded stakes debut. Juddmonte's Deep Flame (Into Mischief) could not be caught in the lane, striding home under little pressure to claim his first black-type victory in the GIII Maxfield Stakes on closing day at Churchill Downs. Deep Flame debuted Feb. 14 at Fair Grounds and ran second to eventual stakes winner Trouble Calling (Dialed In). He returned Apr. 4 at Keeneland to post another runner-up effort, this time Gilded Bandit (Charlatan), who would...

If you're still working that Stephen Foster Day hangover, lock in and rally folks, because Churchill Downs isn't done with you, yet. Carding two more graded contests Sunday, a pair of competitive fields have been assembled for the GIII Maxfield and GIII Hanshin Cup Stakes. The first to go are the 3-year-olds in the Maxfield, which will showcase the return of 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Brant (Gun Runner). Gone since Mar. 7, when he faded to fifth in the GII San Felipe Stakes after dueling the entire way,...

The 3-year-old sprint division just keeps getting better. Deep Flame (c, 3, Into Mischief--Barbadia, by Speightstown) looks like another major player in the stacked division following a head-turning, seven-length maiden victory over older horses at third asking at Churchill Downs May 17. The Juddmonte homebred sat a press-and-pounce trip beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. and stopped the timer for six furlongs in a sharp 1:08.96. He earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure. He was previously a well-beaten second behind next-out Lafayette S. winner Trouble Calling (Dialed In) on debut for Brad...

Last week's maiden races produced yet another budding Juddmonte star plus a potential Royal Ascot candidate. 5--MOVIE NIGHT, CD 2, 5-16, 6f Beyer Speed Figure- 84 (video) (f, 3, Speightstown--Savvy Star, by Medaglia d'Oro) O/B-WinStar Farm (Ky); T-Will Walden; J-Luan Machado. As she charged to the quarter pole with an eye-catching rally, her second start looked eerily similar to her runner-up debut at Keeneland--sloppy track and all. But she caught a much softer field last week and stormed away by eight lengths at 3-5 odds with a Beyer one point...

Triple Crown-nominated Gilded Bandit (Charlatan) out-dueled fellow second-time starter Deep Flame (Into Mischief) to a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'-worthy win at Keeneland Saturday for Pin Oak Stud and trainer Bill Mott. Racing with the blinkers added off a 'better than it looked' fourth-place run at Gulfstream Feb. 28 (highlighted here by the TDN's Steve Sherack in his 'Second Chances' series), the 3-1 shot had to sit towards the back of the field while main rival, 6-5 favorite Deep Flame was up on a battle for the lead through...