Final Accord

Sometimes a horse just tells you when they're sitting on go. Nearly all the way from the post parade to the gate Friday at Del Mar, Donnacha O'Brien's Balantina (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) was taking jockey Oisin Murphy for a ride, kicking up her heels in dramatic fashion through her warm up and generally looking like a filly ready to roll. And ready she was. With a powerful late-running move, the 20-1 longshot exploded up the rail to capture the GI John Deere Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The most...

Graded stakes winners Bring Theband Home (Into Mischief) and Final Accord (War of Will) posted their final works for trainer Mark Casse over Belmont's training track on Sunday in preparation for this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar. Bring Theband Home, winner of the GII Troy Stakes at Saratoga this summer, will run in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint while GIII Matron scorer Final Accord is expected to run in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. "We thought they both went really well, and we're excited,"...

Gary Barber and Peter Deutsch's Final Accord (War of Will), a very sharp debut winner sprinting over the Woodbine lawn Sept. 11, stayed perfect in Thursday's GIII Matron S. at the Belmont at the Big A meeting. Sixth through a half mile in :44.60, Junior Alvarado tipped Final Accord out off the turn for home and the 5-1 chance came rolling down the center while racing greenly to win by a length. Favored Royal Testament (Midshipman) nosed out unlucky pacesetter Should've (Not This Time) for second. The latter was rushed...

Ahead of a weekend which offers no fewer than 26 graded stakes races spread across three days, the GIII Matron Stakes at Aqueduct offers a warm up of sorts as 2-year-old fillies sprint six furlongs on the outer turf course in New York. Snow Face Princess (Midshipman) made headlines over the summer, taking the listed Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga before topping the Fasig-Tipton August Digital Sale where Winchell Thoroughbreds picked her up for $775,000. Making her first start for trainer Steve Asmussen at Kentucky Downs, she settled for a...