Game Winner

In the lone GI Kentucky Oaks points race on Sunday, Runnin N Gunnin (Gun Runner) deposited into her account the top prize of 20 points as she took home the Sunland Park Oaks. Breaking out of the maiden special weight ranks at third asking when the filly owned by Valor Farm's Douglas Scharbauer won by a head at Horseshoe Indy at the end of October, Runnin N Gunnin was well-beaten against optional claimers at Churchill Downs a month later. In her prep for this spot, the Keeneland September grad cleared...

Only briefly giving her backers worry, Good Cheer (f, 3, Medgalia d'Oro--Wedding Toast, by Street Sense) rolled home the easiest of winners in the GII Rachel Alexandra Stakes and claimed 25 points toward the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. On a four-race win streak which started last August in her debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis, the Godolphin homebred followed that effort up with a 17-length victory against allowance runners at Churchill Downs and never slowed down from there. Claiming the Listed Rags to Riches Stakes Oct. 27 and the GII Golden...

The catalogue for the OBS March sale has been released and is now available online. The three-day sale will run from Mar. 11 to Mar. 13 and each session will begin at 11:00 a.m. HIPS 1-272 will go through the ring Mar. 11, then 273-544 the day after, and lastly 545-814. The under-tack show will begin Mar. 5 and run through Mar. 8 starting at 8:00 a.m. each day. The show, and subsequent sale, will both be streamed live via the OBS website as well as the TDN. There will...

With the scratch of her stablemate Brilliantly from the race, Maysam (Game Winner) carried the load for the Bob Baffert alone Friday and clearly needed no additional help, cruising to an open-lengths win to become the first 'TDN Rising Star' for her young sire. Bet down to 1-2 facing five rivals, the $500,000 OBS March grad was initially outrun from her rail draw but content to sit back behind the speedier Frog (Frosted) to her outside. Still a comfy second as the field swung into the far turn, Maysam was...

8th-SA, 60K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 7:07 p.m. A pair of Bob Baffert-trained stablemates drew side by side in their Santa Anita debuts. BRILLIANTLY (Uncle Mo), the outside runner of the two, cost the partnership of Pegram, Watson and Weitman $500,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in 2023. She is the second foal out of a stakes-placed Bernardini first dam from the family of Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Leigh Court (Grand Slam). Inside of her, Maysam (Game Winner), from an American Pharoah first dam, put in a quick furlong...

This tier of the market, between $20,000 and $29,999, offers particular value through its more established names: horses that have walked the walk sufficiently to clear the basement level, while somehow failing to achieve due commercial prestige. Indeed, our podium is dominated by the two eldest of the eligible stallions, while the only candidates considered for the third step were all in the process of consolidating strong starts. That said, the case for the three young sires at the other end of the spectrum--whose first foals are about to slither...

Some people only look for difficulties. Others seek solutions. Between those categories, it's not hard to place Joe Pickerrell and his wife Courtney. Having attended a couple of family weddings in South Africa, and been blown away by the venue each time, they struggled to find anywhere remotely comparable when planning their own nuptials back in Florida. Well, they thought, that was not just frustrating. Might it also be a business opportunity? So they found this amazing 1850 barn in Canada, dismantled it, and had it shipped and reassembled, beam...

For the 18th time, the GI Del Mar Futurity belongs to trainer Bob Baffert. The Hall of Fame trainer sent three horses to post Sunday in Del Mar's Closing Day feature and, while race favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Getaway Car (Curlin) was the expected winner, it was 7-2 shot Gaming (Game Winner) who stole the spotlight. He lined up facing not just his own talented stablemates (including the aforementioned favorite along with Citizen Bull {Into Mischief}) but also another gate-to-wire maiden winner in McKinzie Street (McKinzie) for Tim Yakteen....

6th-SAR, 90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 3:53 p.m. Debuting in a New York-bred maiden spot Sunday, CHARLOTTE'S HEART (Authentic) went home to Live Oak Plantation on a final bid of $725,000 at FTSAUG last year. Dam Achalaya, who herself sold for $725,000 at KEENOV carrying Charlotte's Heart in utero, has already produced MGISW and new Mill Ridge Farm stallion Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) and GSW Chess's Dream (Jess's Dream). TJCIS PPS 6th-ELP, 71K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 3:26 p.m. Representing another first-crop sire Sunday, Aledean (Game Winner) was a...

7th-Del Mar, $77,000, Msw, 8-11, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:17.42, ft, 5 1/2 lengths. GAMING (c, 2, Game Winner--So Stylish {SP-Ire}, by Johannesburg) came out running as the 2-1 favorite but took pressure to the outside into the far turn. As Arrakis (Bernardini) dropped out of it, Gaming kicked for home and outran the field, going gate to wire to win by 5 1/2 lengths over Rank (Honor A.P.). The second winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}), Gaming was a $250,000 OBS March buy for the Three Amigos....

1st-Churchill Downs, $114,375, Msw, 6-6, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:05.77, ft, 1/2 length. CONQUERING CAT (c, 2, Game Winner--Coy Cat {MSW, $247,755}, by Hold That Tiger) had to settle for second on his debut over course and close to distance May 16 but came back Thursday to do one better, becoming the first winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}). The 2-1 favorite raced mid pack from an outside draw but slowly began to reel in loose leader The Toner (Union Rags) around the far turn. With a strong...

It's that time again. The first major 2-year-old sale, the March OBS sale, is in the books and the buyers, sellers and bloodstock agents have had their chance to evaluate this year's freshman sires. So who do they like? We asked the experts listed below to give us their pick for leading freshman sire and an under-the-radar stallion they expect will have a big 2024. Liz Crow: "I really liked the Improbables (WinStar) at the OBS March breeze show. It's very sad that he passed away. I thought he had,...