Gary Barber

Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl-winning tight end Travis Kelce, along with the Zoldan family, have acquired a significant share of Team Valor International's interest in Gary Barber's Swift Delivery (Not This Time), Team Valor's Barry Irwin announced Tuesday. The Zoldan family have been members of Team Valor's syndicates for nearly four decades, including as partners in 2011 GI Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. Bruce Zoldan, founder and CEO of Phantom Fireworks, attended this year's Derby along with Ohio native Kelce, who is friends with Zoldan's son, Alex. Irwin said the...

Last month's Listed Star Stakes runner-up Anshoda (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}--Silk Fan {Ire}, by Unfuwain) was acquired by Team Valor and Gary Barber after that black-type debut and stepped forward to claim a career high in Saturday's G3 William Hill Prestige Fillies' Stakes at Goodwood. Anshoda was positioned behind the leaders in fourth for most of this pattern-race bow. Nudged along to reduced arrears soon after turning for home, the 4-1 chance came under sterner urging to go second approaching the furlong pole and was driven out to defeat...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. --Though he was en route to Toronto Thursday, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said he had a clear view of She's Got Will's (War of Will) one-length victory in the sixth race at Saratoga Race Course. Casse watched the 1 1/16th miles $100,000 maiden special weight race for 2-year-old fillies on his iPad on the Queen Elizabeth Way in southern Ontario about 30 miles from Niagara Falls. He was headed from Saratoga to Woodbine Racetrack for Saturday's $1-million King's Plate Stakes, where he will saddle Essex...

Mark Casse has only won the Queen's Plate/King's Plate three times, which is a little surprising when you consider how he dominates racing at Woodbine. But when 13 Canadian-breds line up for Saturday's first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown Casse will hold a clear upper hand. Among his three horses are 7-5 morning line favorite My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince) and 2-1 second choice Essex Serpent (Honor Code). He will also send out long shot Midnight Mascot (Army Mule), who is 10-1 in the line. He believes this year's...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In the fall of every year, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is out on the recruiting trail. He looks for the best four-legged athletes he can find. He goes to Lexington to seek out young talent. If Thursday's sixth race at Saratoga Race Course-- a $100,000 maiden special weight at 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf--is any indication, coach Casse may have found a couple of  blue chippers at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Tracy Farmer's Abientot (Not This Time) finished strongly to...

OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training got a late boost from its supplemental section when a colt by Uncle Mo brought the top price of $375,000 during Friday's final session of the three-day auction. The 2024 June sale concluded with numbers just a tick off the sale's 2023 renewal. A total of 582 2-year-olds grossed $21,386,800 during the three-day auction, with the average of $36,747 down 2.2% from last year's figure and the median held at $20,000. Ramon Morales purchased Friday's session...

Last year, My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince) secured top honors as the Sovereign Award winner for the best 2-year-old colt north of the border after he was the runner-up in the GI bet365 Summer S.  in Toronto and third in the GI Prevagen Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. The 3-year-old had a tough start to this year's campaign as he finished eighth in the Palisades S. at Keeneland Apr. 7, but he returned home to rebound with a 6 3/4-length win May 19. Backed to the hilt at...

1st-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 12:45p.m. SALTED (Tapit) debuts for Gary Barber, Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbreds and trainer Mark Casse. A $760,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, the Don Alberto Corp.- bred filly is out of GI La Troienne S. scorer Salty (Quality Road), who brought $3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2018. Irad Ortiz Jr. gets the mount. Also marking her career bow, Adeera (Authentic), a $300,000 KEESEP yearling purchase for L and N Racing and Jerry Caroom, is trained by Steve Asmussen and will be...

My Boy Prince, Canada's champion 2-year-old colt of 2023 and a leading King's Plate fancy, returned to the winner's circle with an authoritative victory in the King Corrie S. at Woodbine Sunday. Second in last year's GI Summer S. and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, the heavy favorite was returning to the synthetic surface for the first time since dominating in the Simcoe S. at Woodbine last August. He attended the pace of Maximus Magic (Maximus Mischief) through fractions of :24.38 and :47.82, took charge approaching the...

2nd-Keeneland, $77,839, Msw, 4-25, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.29, fm, neck. INTO DIAMONDS (c, 2, Into Mischief--Diamond Sparkles {GSP}, by War Front) was overlooked by the betting public at odds of 6-1 for his debut here. The bay settled mid-pack up the backstretch as the tone was set by fellow firster Cheval de Guerre (Caravaggio). Trying to get involved around the far turn, the colt fanned four wide at the top of the lane and uncorked a bid to catch the leader. With a final push just the before the wire,...

The owner of a pair of Grade I wins on turf in North America last year, Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) took home Horse of the Year honors at Thursday evening's 49th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremony hosted by the Jockey Club of Canada. Fev Rover, who won the GI Beverly D. S. at Colonial Downs and the GI E.P. Taylor S. at Woodbine, is trained by Mark Casse. The Canadian and U.S. Hall of Famer once again collected hardware as he was awarded his 13th consecutive Sovereign and 16th overall...

Set, an impressive 5 3/4-length debut winner over the Gulfstream lawn Feb. 24, went two-for-two over this course and distance with a 1 1/4-length victory in the Cutler Bay S. at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Sent off the 3-5 favorite, the chestnut colt was taken in hand and tugged his way along in a stalking second behind pacesetting longshot King Julien (Kingman {GB}) through fractions of :24.14 and :47.83. He strode to the lead approaching the stretch and held sway late as Double Your Money and Salvattore Prince chased him home....