First-Time Starters

11th-GP, $94K, Msw, 3yo, 1 1/16m, T, 5:52 p.m. ET. A $650,000 Keeneland September grad, WEAPONIZED (Gun Runner) makes his first start for N Theory Racing and trainer Brad Cox. The colt is out of Lady Tapit (Tapit), who went for a cool $1.8-million to Whisper Hill Farm & Gainesway during last year's Keeneland November Sale while in foal to Good Magic. This productive mare is also responsible for GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby hero and current sire Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), and her filly Irresistible (Munnings) was purchased for $700,000 by...

2nd-GP, $94K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:25 p.m. ET. Carrying the same colors as her successful dam, DOUBLE JEOPARDY (Uncle Mo) is set for her unveiling for Bass Stables and Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The first-time starter is out of Avenge (War Front), the winner of back-to-back editions of the GI Rodeo Drive Stakes, who counts as a full-sister recent GII Buena Vista Stakes heroine Liguria. Double Jeopardy's older half-sister Defiance (Curlin) broke her maiden at first asking at Santa Anita Jan. 26 for Ramona Bass. Also on...

1st-GP, $94K, Msw, 3yo, f, 7f, 11:30 p.m. ET. LA NEIGE (Frosted) makes her first start for Connie and Richard Snyder. The Riley Mott trainee is out of unraced French Passport (Elusive Quality) who was acquired by Cover Springs for $200,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. The first-time starter counts as a half-sister GI Alabama and GI Ogden Phipps heroine Randomized (Nyquist). French Passport is a herself a half-sister to MGSW Smooth Air (Smooth Jazz), GSW & sire Overdriven (Tale of the Cat), and the dam of MGISW Got...

5th-FG, $58K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 4:15 p.m. ET. Whisper Hill homebred STRAIGHT FORWARD (American Pharoah) makes her first start for Mandy Pope and trainer Steve Asmussen. The filly's dam, Aloof (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), was acquired by the farm at the 2014 Keeneland November Sale for a cool $3.9 million. Herself out of English Group 1 winner Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}), Aloof is a half-sister to the dam of full-siblings MG1SW Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1SW Clemmie. Set for her unveiling is another homebred, Good Going (Mendelssohn),...

7th-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f, 3:25 p.m. ET. ALL THE FEELS (Into Mischief) was produced in-house at Spendthrift Farm and will make her first start for trainer Todd Pletcher. GSW Positive Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) joined the farm's broodmare band after she was acquired for $1.5 million at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale and has handed All the Feels a pair of full-siblings. The Spa debut runner's GSW/GISP second dam is also responsible for GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) and GI Spinaway Stakes heroine Hot Dixie...

4th-ELP, $71K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 2:21 p.m. ET. PUBLISHER (American Pharoah), a $600,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale grad, debuts for owners Gus King and The Estate of Brereton C. Jones. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the bay colt is the first registered foal out of GSP Indian Pride (Proud Citizen), who is a half-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year Biofuel (Stormin Fever) and Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Tu Endie Wei (Johar). Also to the post is first-time starter--trained by Cherie De Vaux--So Sandy (Omaha Beach), who was initially a 2022...

6th-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f, 3:53 p.m. ET. Lining up for another competitive maiden special weight at Saratoga, several 2-year-old fillies will be making the first start of their careers. TRADING STRATEGY (Quality Road) was purchased for $500,000 by Klaravich Stables during last year's Keeneland September Sale. The Chad Brown trainee is out of Dothraki Sea (Union Rags), herself a 2020 $560,000 Keeneland November buy for Band of Brothers while GSP Mc Vay (Constitution)--a $1.25 million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale grad--was in-utero. This dam is a half-sister to GISW...

2nd-Santa Anita, $54,000, Msw, 5-10, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.30, ft, 2 3/4 lengths. NIGHT BEACON (f, 2, Spun to Run--Stormandaprayer {SP, $169,484}, by Songandaprayer) made every pole a winning one as she handed her first-crop sire (by Hard Spun) the first victory of his stallion career. The juvenile set the tone from the outset and continued to hold sway around the far turn. Night Beacon won in geared down fashion, as So There She Was (Munnings) tried to make up ground for second. Gainesway's sire, who won the GI...

1st-OP, $115K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:30 p.m. ET. Under the baton of Ken McPeek, MIDSUMMER MARCH (Mendelssohn) debuts for Walking L Thoroughbreds. The dark bay initially sold to Sycamore Hall for $280,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale before hammering down for $425,000 during the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Sale, which was the highest priced yearling for her sire in 2022. Bred by David Fennelly's Mountmellick Farm, the filly is out of GIII Torrey Pines S. winner Munny Spunt (Munnings), who sold for $340,000 at Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale...

2nd-DMR, $61K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 4:00 p.m. A couple of pricey colts will lineup for their Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert on Saturday at Del Mar. IMAGINATION (Into Mischief) was purchased for $1,050,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September by SF Bloodstock/Starlight Racing/Madaket before adding investors Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovon and Tom Ryan. The bay colt out of GSW Magical Feeling (Empire Maker) counts Oaklawn Mile S. hero Exulting (Tapit) as a half-brother and GIII Monmouth Oaks heroine Occult as a full-sister....

9th-SA, $61K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 8:11 p.m. ET. The rail-drawn URBAN LEGEND (Into Mischief) is one of three Bob Baffert trainees to debut in the Santa Anita finale. Out of MSW Singing Kitty (Ministers Wild Cat), the bay colt went for $300,000 at Keeneland September before bringing $1.3 million at the OBS April Sale. He is campaigned by Morplay Racing LLC, Rosedown Racing Stables, LLC and Kerri Radcliffe. The Hall of Fame conditioner will also saddle Nysos (Nyquist), who was purchased by Baoma Corp. for $550,000 at OBS April, and...

5th-BAQ, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 2:44 p.m. ET On Friday at the Belmont at the Big A meet, trainer Cherie DeVaux and co-owners Martin Schwartz and David Ingordo celebrated Reagan's Flame (Flameaway) coming home a winner over the turf in her first start. Now Schwartz and DeVaux send PURLOIN (Arrogate) to the post looking for a similar outcome. A $200,000 Keeneland September purchase by Midnight Bloodstock, the gray filly went for $400,000 during the OBS April Sale with DeVaux signing the ticket after she went 10 2/5 during...