Il Miracolo

For Crestwood Farm, the goal going into 2026 was all about tapping into the Gun Runner phenomenon. With two high-profile sons of the remarkable Three Chimneys sire targeting the upper echelon of the market in champion Sierra Leone ($75,000 at Ashford Stud) and multiple Grade I winner Locked ($35,000 at Gainesway), Crestwood sought to present a third son of Gun Runner that would appeal to a different segment of commercial breeders in Kentucky. A millionaire and multiple graded stakes winner, Il Miracolo (Gun Runner -- Tapit's World, by Tapit) will...

Il Miracolo (Gun Runner --Tapit's World by Tapit) will join Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm roster for the 2026 breeding season, according to a farm release Monday. Il Miracolo will stand for $7,500 Live Foal (Payable Stands and Nurse). An earner of over $1 million on the track, the Il Miracolo broke his maiden in gate-to-wire fashion going one mile at the age of two, dominating a maiden special weight field at Gulfstream Park. At three, he won the GIII Smarty Jones at Parx, in addition to hitting the board in...

Caroline Stautberg has been selling her yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale for three decades now, but the Maryland breeder will record a personal first when the boutique auction opens next week. Through the Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services consignment, Stautberg's Willow Oaks Stable will offer the very first horse through the ring Monday when bidding starts at 6:30 p.m. Hip 1 is a daughter of Vekoma out of Tapit's World (Tapit) and a half-sister to graded winner Il Miracolo (Gun Runner). "It's been 30 years since my first Saratoga sale and...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- Though it was north of 70 degrees Farenheit (that's about 22 degrees on the Celsius scale for those of you who do things that way), there was still a bit of a chill in the air when the first of the horses bound for Saturday's Dubai World Cup meeting here at Meydan Racecourse took to the oval. As per usual, Team Japan are the earliest of the early risers and one of the most enjoyable aspects of trackwork, from this reporter's perspective, is the way...

Lucky Seven Stable and Sharaf Mohamed Alhairi's Rattle N Roll (Connect), who rallied from the back of the back to finish a creditable fifth to Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) and Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the G1 Saudi Cup on Feb. 22, has officially been invited to participate in the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse Apr. 5, trainer Ken McPeek tweeted Mar. 21. The 6-year-old failed to draw into last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic and was rerouted for the GII Clark Stakes Nov....

Bright Future (Curlin), a last out winner of the Salvator Mile Stakes at Monmouth June 15, posted his final work in preparation for next Saturday's GI Whitney, covering a half-mile in :48.75 (32/104) Saturday over the Saratoga Race Course main track. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes winner went in company with MGSW and Whitney possible Charge It (Tapit). "He worked well and I'm happy with him," Pletcher said. "Charge It also went well. I think Bright Future is training great and...

Named for the owner, an immigrant from Scotland who realized a Carnegie-kind of American Dream, it began as a 12-furlong turf race. Five years later in 1964 it was cut back to nine and moved to the dirt. The roll call of Donn H. winners through 2016 at Gulfstream Park reflects a roster of unique equine and human personalities, which is peppered with some magnificent performances that shouldn't be forgotten. Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza won his first of three victories in 1969 aboard Funny Fellow and took home...

GSW Il Miracolo (Gun Runner) led the 2023 list of Florida-based champions, as he was named the top 3-year-old colt by the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (FTHA), according to a press release from 1/ST Racing on Thursday. The FTHA annually recognizes horses who compete year-round in South Florida. All winners raced and won during the non-championship meets from April to November. Based at Gulfstream with trainer Antonio Sano, Il Miracolo amassed $465,025 in winnings last year. He is joined by Time Passage (Tunwoo), who was named Florida's champion 3-year-old filly...

The fall meeting at Churchill Downs gets underway Sunday in what has become its traditional way, with juvenile races comprising the entire 11-race program. When the Triple Crown trail begins in earnest following the turn of the calendar, it will likely feature a handful of horses that raced on the day en route to bigger and better things, and the $200,000 GIII Street Sense S. has the feel of a key race going forward. The form of the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity is very much on display, and while that...

Il Miracolo (c, 3, Gun Runner--Tapit's World, by Tapit), a longshot second in Saratoga's Curlin S. July 21, broke through with a career high in Tuesday's GIII Smarty Jones S. at Parx. Drawn widest of all in post eight, the 7-2 chance was hustled from his outside draw and raced three wide around the clubhouse turn. He sat a perfect, stalking trip from an outside third, made his move on the far turn, kicked for home as the one to catch, and, despite drifting out badly down the lane,  was...

Scotland (Good Magic) came into the Curlin S. a head shy of perfection but with less than a neck for his combined win margins, and put on a show to secure his career-first black-type in the race named for his paternal grandsire. A head winner on unveiling Mar. 4 at Hallandale, and a nose second to SP Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance) in a Apr. 23 Keeneland allowance two back, he was a gusty head winner last out June 3 beneath the Twin Spires over Cagliostro (Upstart). Moving to secure his spot...

The GI Belmont S. entrants are listed in "likeliest winner" order. 1) NATIONAL TREASURE (c, Quality Road--Treasure, by Medaglia d'Oro) O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $500,000 ylg '21 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GISW, 6-2-1-2, $1,335,000. Last Start: 1st GI Preakness S. at Pimlico May 20. National Treasure drew post one, added blinkers, and looked on paper to be the controlling speed in...