Hopeful Stakes

Multiple Grade I-placed Reinvestment Risk (Upstart--Ridingwiththedevil, by Candy Ride {Arg}) has been acquired to stand stud at Rising Sun Farm in Portmore, Jamaica, Schumer Bloodstock reported Monday. The 5-year-old was second behind future champion Jackie's Warrior in the 2020 GI Hopeful S. and GI Champagne S. In 2022, he was second in the GI Carter H. and GI Churchill Downs S. On the board in seven of 10 starts, Reinvestment Risk won twice and earned $415,980. Reinvestment Risk will stand alongside 2014 GIII Sham S. winner Midnight Hawk (Midnight Lute)...

In response to comments from Forte's connections on a conference call last Thursday, May 11 accusing the New York State Gaming Commission of unprofessional handling of the Forte meloxicam overage in the Sept. 5, 2022 Hopeful Stakes, the commission's spokesman, Brad Maione, has issued a timeline of the eight months between the positive test and the stewards' hearing to discuss the results. At that hearing May 10, Forte was disqualified from the Hopeful Stakes win, Todd Pletcher was fined $1,000 and suspended for 10 days. The connections said they would...

The three New York stewards met with Trainer Todd Pletcher and his representation Wednesday "regarding an alleged medication violation of a horse that raced in New York on September 5, 2022," according to Brad Maione, Director of Communications for the New York State Gaming Commission. Maione was answering an email request from the TDN for information on the meeting. "In this case, the matter likely would have been adjudicated months ago but for the repeated procedural delays sought by the trainer's counsel," Maione wrote. According to a report in Tuesday...

The New York Times is reporting that Forte (Violence), the Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched on the morning of the race with a bruised right front hoof, failed a drug test after his win in last September's Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga. Forte won the Hopeful by three lengths over a muddy track at odds of 6-1. In a story published Tuesday just after 7 p.m., the Times writes, "Shortly after leaving the winner's circle, however, Forte was given a post-race drug test, which he failed but has yet to...

Making his fifth career start and his first in Group 1 company in Wednesday's G1 Hopeful S. at Nakayama, Dura Erede (Jpn) parlayed a close fourth-place finish last out in the G2 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai S. on Nov. 19 to claim victory at odds of 89-1 by a nose over 17-1 outsider and pacesetter Top Knife (Jpn). The colt received a stalking trip to the outside of the frontrunner for the first mile before reaching even terms with his leading rival at the top of the stretch. After falling...

After a youth spent around horses, Amy Moore took a three-decade long sabbatical from the sport to focus on a career in law, but she is making up for lost time with the launch of her South Gate Farm in Millwood, Virginia. The fledgling operation has a star-in-the-making in 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence), who goes postward in Monday's GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga, and will follow up the following Monday when that colt's half-brother by Uncle Mo (hip 11) goes through the sales ring during the first session of...

Nasser Bin Omairah's Mo Strike (Uncle Mo), winner of Saturday's GIII Sanford S., will likely make his next start in the Sept. 5 GI Hopeful S., trainer Brad Cox confirmed Sunday. "He's great and looks fantastic. I think the right thing to do, from a timing standpoint, is to look at the Hopeful and work our way back from there," Cox said Sunday. "I think we'll skip the [Aug. 13 GII] Saratoga Special, because it's asking a lot of him and this gives him more time. We brought him back...

As the agent for the powerful partnership of Mike Repole's Repole Stable and Vinnie Viola's St. Elias (involved in $10,435,000 worth of Keeneland September '20 expenditures, mostly together on Classic-leaning colts); the buyer for upper-market players Robert and Lawana Low ($1,535,000 on four head last September); and in his role as Vice President, Bloodstock for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners (part of $4,267,000 in buys at KEESEP '20 including the $2-million topper), there aren't many, if any, agents with more money behind them these days than Jacob West. Considering Eclipse partnered on...