Joel Rosario

Giving his connections no anxious moments, Waggley (Life Is Good) kicked off her young career with a splash, running off to post a 3 1/2-length score in her 4 1/2-furlong unveiling at Keeneland on Wednesday afternoon. The victory marked the first winner, and runner, for Freshman sire Life Is Good, who stands at WinStar Farm. Sent straight to the front by Joel Rosario from post 6, the bay filly scooted through an opening quarter in :23.02. On top turning for home, the $200,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase crossed the wire...

Harnessing some gale force winds at the juicy price of 21-1 on Saturday afternoon, Storm's Wake (Oscar Performance) made her late run a virtual weather event down the Keeneland turf course in the GII Appalachian Stakes, presented by the Japan Racing Association, and did not disappoint her breeder/owner William K. Werner as the filly earned the first graded win of her career. Always entered on the grass, the dark bay began her career last August with a maiden win at Ellis Park, then she cleared an allowance race at Churchill...

Making her first start since finishing a close fourth at live odds in a single juvenile appearance at Churchill Downs last June, Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing's Where Luck Lives (Nyquist) was speedy enough to clear all of the traffic to her inside and ran home determinedly in the final furlong to make her sophomore debut a winning one Friday afternoon at Keeneland. A half-sister to Grade I winner Vahva (Gun Runner, $2,289,010), the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga acquisition was last in, but first out and she methodically worked her way...

One need go no farther back than 2022, when Emblem Road (Quality Road) charged home to defeat America's Country Grammer (Tonalist) and Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) in the G1 Saudi Cup, to see that horses trained in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have managed to make an impression on the meeting, the seventh renewal of which takes place this Saturday at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. The home team fields a 14-strong challenge across five of the six group-level contests, and while each would have to find on their current form...

Goal Oriented (Not This Time) notched a Grade I feather to his 2025 cap, but also further gilded a fabulous year for his sire, as he strolled home powerfully to take the GI Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on opening day. The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' burst onto the scene Apr. 6 at this venue in a maiden special that yielded next out winners, and eventual stakes horses, namely MSW Train the Trainer (Dialed In) and SP Varney (Vekoma) while Concord Bridge (Medaglia d'Oro) and Day and Age...

Just outside of 48 hours before she is set to take her place as hip 155 at Monday's Fasig-Tipton November Sale, Special Wan (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) enhanced her resume with a straight-forward success as the favorite in Saturday's GIII Goldikova Stakes at Del Mar. Away neatly from the three hole, Special Wan was with the early pace, but was wisely taken a hold of by Joel Rosario as 77-1 Violeta M (Arg) (John F Kennedy {Ire}) opened up a sizeable advantage through enervating early splits of :22.82 and :46.29. Kept...

A 5 1/2-length gate-to-wire maiden winner on debut at Aqueduct going six furlongs Sept. 27, Letmecounttheways had no trouble making the jump into stakes company Saturday, taking the Maid of the Mist Stakes in little more than a canter under Joel Rosario to become the sixth stakes winner for her freshman sire (by Uncle Mo). Clearly comfortable on the lead and stretching out to the one-turn mile Saturday, the 2-5 favorite sought it out from the widest gate and assumed command right from the opening jumps with little pressure from...

New York-bred Iron Orchard (Authentic) pounced on the leaders four off the inside entering the final eighth of a mile and outslugged longshot Rileytole (Mitole) to take out Saturday's $400,000 GI Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct. The Frizette is part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen series. A four-time veteran of sales rings, second betting choice Iron Orchard--who most recently fetched $500,000 at OBS April--was one of the first to break the line, but was eased back off the early tempo as impressive Saratoga debut winner Carmel Coast (Omaha Beach), favored...

One of the more meaningful aspects of Saratoga's summer meet is how it brings people together. Whether they're new faces on the scene or returning regulars of the historic venue, they all seem to share the same passion for the Thoroughbred racehorse. It's a place that brings prestige to all who ride, work and walk upon its grounds, felt during the mornings spent on the Oklahoma training track, to the steps taken across Union Avenue, and the palpable excitement that flows throughout the paddock and winner's circle on race day....

Third in the GII Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes last year, Gal in a Rush (m, 6, Ghostzapper--Hudson River Gal, by Dynaformer) went one better in 2025, capturing the Friday evening feature with aplomb. Away from the winner's circle for the past 14 months despite adding several black-type placings to her CV, the Miguel Clement trainee emerged from Friday night's fray with a dramatic inside bid to capture her first win since the 2024 GIII Hendrie Stakes at Woodbine. A closing Ellen Jay (Constitution)--the stakes-winning daughter of Eclipse champion Covfefe...

2nd-Kentucky Downs, $176,800, Msw, 8-28, 2yo, f, 6 1/2fT, 1:15.10, fm, 3/4 length. SHOULD'VE (f, 2, Not This Time--More'n Likely, by Blame)  drew in off the also-eligible list and shot to the front from the widest gate to show the way ahead of Chrysalism (Liam's Map). Opening at will around the far turn, she had a host of challengers coming down the stretch who ate into the advantage through the final sixteenth with Petronella (Not This Time) charging at her late but coming up three-quarters of a length short to...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--For 41 straight years, Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey had found his way to the winner's circle at Saratoga Race Course. The way things had been going this summer, he was starting to think his streak of at least one win at the Spa was going to come to a screeching halt. Five Bars (Maxfield) split through rivals late and emerged victorious in Saturday's third race at Saratoga, a $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs. When the Stuart Janney homebred won the...