Dornoch

Top Level Starpower Shines In Grade I-Quality Cigar Mile On Saturday

The Saturday graded stakes action across North America offers several options, but the Big A earns the spotlight as the venerable NYRA track plays host to some strong races. Even though the Cigar Mile Handicap was downgraded a tick from its top level status by the American Graded Stakes Committee in 2023, connections still consider the race to possess a certain cache and the rigor in this year's edition is evident. "It [Cigar Mile] came up pretty salty," said Book'em Danno's trainer Derek Ryan. "It is a Grade II now...

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Dec. 1 Insights: Half-Brother to Mage, Dornoch Debuts at Del Mar

9th-DMR, $54k, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, 7:28p.m. ET Looking to add to Puca (Big Brown)'s remarkable streak of runners, BAEZA (McKinzie) will go to post in the turf night cap at Del Mar. Racing for the partnership of C R K Stable and Grandview Equine, the John Shirreffs trainee has big shoes to fill as the half-brother to MGISW Dornoch (Good Magic) and his full-brother, GI Kentucky Derby hero Mage. Even before those two, their dam had produced another stakes runner, namely Gunning (Gun Runner). She was placed in the Listed...

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Stewart And Werth Share New Owner Of The Year Award

OwnerView named Resolute's John Stewart and former MLB star Jayson Werth as the co-winners of the 2024 New Owner of the Year Award, sponsored by 1/ST RACING, the Jockey Club of America said via a press release on Wednesday morning. A lifelong racing fan, Stewart bought his first horse at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. From his farm in Midway, Kentucky, the owner of Resolute Racing focuses on breeding to race instead of to sell. "It's very important as I grow the breeding program at Resolute Racing to breed...

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With Three Newcomers, Spendthrift Gearing Up for Another Busy Breeding Season

This past year marked a new record for Spendthrift Farm when they came just six short of covering 3,700 mares during an exceedingly busy breeding season. After adding three new recruits for 2025, they'll likely surpass that number next year with a growing roster of 29 stallions. It's the biggest sire lineup in Spendthrift's history since the farm was purchased by B. Wayne Hughes 20 years ago. With such a wide array of stallions, open house season is a busy time at Spendthrift. As the Keeneland November Sale transpired some...

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Into Mischief Anchors Spendthrift's 2025 Stallion Roster

Spendthrift Farm's unstoppable Into Mischief, the five-time leading sire who is on target for a sixth consecutive title in 2024, will again lead the farm's stallion roster for the upcoming breeding season. He will stand the 2025 season for $250,000 stands and nurses, the same fee he held in 2024. With more than two months remaining in 2024, Into Mischief's current earnings of $29,720,854 have already surpassed his previous record of $28,122,550, set in 2022. His five Grade I winners in 2024 include Dubai World Cup winner Laurel River, as...

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Dornoch Retires to Spendthrift Following Training Setback

Dornoch (Good Magic--Puca, by Big Brown), a leading 3-year-old colt with impressive wins in the 2024 GI Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes, has been diagnosed with bone bruising, which will force him to miss his planned final start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Dornoch, fourth in the GI Travers Stakes last out, has been retired from racing and will begin his stud career at Spendthrift Farm in 2025. "Dornoch's performance in the Travers really wasn't what we expected, and we just have not been happy with the way...

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Dornoch To Put In Three Works In Preparation For Breeders' Cup Says Gargan

Dual Grade I-winner Dornoch (Good Magic) has been on downtime at Saratoga in the weeks after finishing fourth in the GI DraftKings Travers Aug. 24. Trained by Danny Gargan, the colt is gearing up for what is expected to be his final career start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 2 before retiring to stud at Spendthrift Farm. "He's doing good, and we gave him some time off and are just starting back," Gargan said. "He'll work three times before the Classic. He's not a horse...

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Werth Lands Nyquist Filly to Top Book 4 Finale at Keeneland

Colts have dominated much of the activity at the top of the leaderboard at the Keeneland September Sale in Lexington. However, the fairer set had their day Tuesday with fillies filled five of the six top slots, headed by a daughter of Nyquist who brought $375,000 from Legion Bloodstock, buying on behalf of the new venture Icon Racing. Icon Racing is a partnership launched by MLB All-Star and World Series-winning Jayson Werth, who made racing's headlines earlier this spring with a horse he co-owned, Dornoch (Good Magic), winner of the...

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Fierceness Continues To Top Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings

'TDN Rising Star' and GI Travers Stakes winner Fierceness (City of Light), owned by Repole Stables, has stayed in the top spot in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings for the fourth consecutive week, in front of fellow 3-year-olds City of Troy (Justify) and Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) after the eighth week of voting. Fierceness, trained by Todd Pletcher, rose to the top ranking following his dramatic Travers Stakes win at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 24. Last year's GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and champion 2-year-old male...

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Cogburn Advances To Top Five In NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

Saturday's GII Ainsworth Turf Sprint Stakes winner Cogburn (Not This Time) jumped from 13th to fifth in this week's NTRA Top Thoroughbred poll. The top four remain unchanged with Fierceness (City of Light) leading the way ahead of Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) and National Treasure (Quality Road). Highland Falls (Curlin) held steady in sixth while Dornoch (Good Magic) dropped to seventh. New to the Top 10 this week is another son of Not This Time in Next who last won the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga Aug....

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Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Pletcher Did His Best to Get Fierceness Home in Travers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-When it became perfectly clear that the finish of Saturday's $1.25-million, GI DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course was going to be desperately close, trainer Todd Pletcher went to work. Sitting up in his clubhouse box, the normally composed Pletcher rose to his feet and screamed and yelled for his 3-year-old colt Fierceness (City of Light) to get the job done in the Midsummer Derby. "I knew it was getting close," the Hall of Fame trainer said outside his office at his barn at the Oklahoma Training...

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McPeek, Thorpedo Anna Swing For the Fences In the Travers

When 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) enters the gate for Saturday's $1.25-million GI Travers Stakes at Saratoga, it'll be more than a sporting gesture on the part of the ownership group and trainer Ken McPeek. The conditioner is rolling the dice against a field that includes three other Grade I winners--an oft-brilliant, but sometimes unpredictable reigning Eclipse Award champion, a Classic winner over the course and distance and a seven-figure yearling whose full potential has yet to be realized. Sure, Thorpedo Anna could have faced her peers in...

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