Independence Hall

Independence Hall (Constitution) capped a highly productive 20 minutes or so for his sire Saturday afternoon, splashing home a decisive winner of Keeneland's GII Hagyard Fayette S. shortly after fellow WinStar Farm co-owned colt Americanrevolution dominated his elders by nearly a dozen in Belmont's Empire Classic H. A dominant winner of both the GIII Nashua S. as a late season juvenile and the Jerome S. as newly turned sophomore last New Year's Day, Independence Hall was eventually transferred from Mike Trombetta to Michael McCarthy ahead of an optional claiming sprint...

With a stud career at Lane's End just a few short months away, MGISW Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) looks to add to his already formidable resume Saturday in Keeneland's GII Hagyard Fayette S. Winner of the 2019 GI Runhappy Travers S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Farish homebred captured the GIII Winchester S. in 2020 and placed in several other stakes, including the GI Clark S. Fifth in his seasonal bow in the GI Pegasus World Cup Jan. 23, the chestnut scored a facile victory in...

The inaugural running of the GIII Lukas Classic in 2013, contested as the Homecoming Classic, was won handily by the previous year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Fort Larned (E Dubai), who would go on to finish a hard-trying fourth in defense of his Classic title five weeks later. This year's renewal goes through Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go (Paynter), who is expected to cement his status as the favorite for the championship day feature Saturday afternoon. An imperious winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile over a...

After bringing $110,000 from WinStar Farm at the Keeneland January dispersal of the late Paul Pompa, Jr., Country Grammer (Tonalist) makes his first start for Bob Baffert in Saturday's GII Californian S. at Santa Anita. Previously trained by Chad Brown, Country Grammer narrowly captured last summer's GIII Peter Pan S. at Saratoga with subsequent G1 Dubai World Cup winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) back in third. The $450,000 OBS April 2-year-old, last seen finishing a well-beaten fifth in the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 8, worked five...

The undefeated Maxfield (Street Sense) looks to put on yet another show for racing fans Saturday as he invades the West Coast for the first time in the GI Santa Anita H. A debut winner at Churchill in September, the Godolphin homebred romped in Keenland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. a month later. The early favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, he was scratched after spiking a fever just days before the race. Resurfacing May 23 at Churchill, the bay captured the GIII Matt Winn S., but was knocked...

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Nashville (Speightstown) has been nothing, but sensational in his three racetrack appearances thus far and he looks to take his career to the next level in the GI Runhappy Malibu S. at Santa Anita Saturday. Romping by 11 1/2 lengths in the slop in his Saratoga unveiling Sept. 2, the $460,000 KEESEP purchase demolished a Keeneland allowance by 9 3/4 lengths next out Oct. 10. His Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen decided to take a more sensible route with his pupil and bypassed the GI...

Bob Verratti, who has done a little of everything in racing for the past four decades, decided to purchase a small group of pinhooking prospects at the 2018 yearling sales and, with the help of bloodstock agent Dennis O'Neill, the Pennsylvania businessman came away with a pair of home runs, albeit to opposite sides of the park. The first of the trio to go through the sales ring was a colt from the first crop of Constitution who Verratti bought back for $200,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale. The...

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Last Week's Results - Wells Bayou (+$710) kept on finding as the 3-1 favorite to wire the GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby. Bankroll: $2275. GI Curlin Florida Derby - The cliche goes "willing to forgive" a horse's...

Since its inaugural running in 1952, the GI Curlin Florida Derby has always been a stop along the journey for GI Kentucky Derby hopefuls--a chance for fine-tuning and finishing touches before horses take their best shots to Louisville. But this year, due to the postponement of the Run for the Roses and general uncertainty about what the rest of the racing calendar will look like as the world grapples with the coronavirus crisis, the Florida Derby is now a point of disembarkation for 3-year-olds, and it fittingly drew a stacked...

With racing already halted at several venues around the country, Gulfstream Park forges ahead with it's season anchoring marquee test for 3-year-olds, the GI Florida Derby. Highlighting the nine-furlong test is Grade I-winner Tiz the Law (Constitution), one of three runners by the young stallion in Saturday's race. The colt was last seen winning the Feb. 1 GIII Holy Bull S. at the Hallandale oval. "It really hasn't changed anything," said Sackatoga Operating Manager Jack Knowlton of the effect of the colt's training regime due to the Coronavirus pandemic. "We...

A total of 182 2-year-olds make up the catalogue for the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale of Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training slated for Wednesday, Apr. 1. Held in Gulfstream Park's walking ring, the sale will begin at 1 p.m. EDT. The under tack show is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Mar. 30. "The Gulfstream Sale annually offers the highest concentration of quality of any North American 2-year-old sale," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning.  "This year's catalogue is no exception, as it is again loaded with sire power, depth of pedigree, and quality...

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Last Week - Decent start in week one, tabbing two of three winners--Max Player (+$905) and Thousand Words (+$290). Unfortunately, the most impressive winner of the trio by far--Tiz the Law in the Holy Bull--was the...