Kentucky Derby Undercard

Vlahos (r, 3, Kantharos--Must Be Dreaming, by Run Away and Hide), a razor sharp debut winner for owner Dan Northrup and trainer Luis Mendez with a 98 Beyer Speed Figure at Santa Anita Mar. 9, has been purchased privately by Ty Leatherman and Todd Cady and transferred to Doug O'Neill. The sale price was not disclosed. The chestnut, a steal for $35,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, is aiming to make his next start in the $600,000 GII Pat Day Mile S. on the Kentucky Derby undercard. He has posted...

Bo Cruz (Creative Cause), away since a 12 1/4-length maiden romp on the stretch out at Fair Grounds Mar. 4, stamped himself as one to watch on the sophomore scene going forward--and a 'TDN Rising Star'--as he easily handled a strong-looking group of runners in the race following the GI Kentucky Derby. The grey was second on debut sprinting in NOLA Feb. 5, but put it all together next out, earning a 91 Beyer Speed Figure for his graduation score. With clocker and agent Bruno DeJulio listed as sole owner...

Webslinger (Constitution), who broke his maiden in some style in the $510,000 Nownownow S. in his owners' backyard at Monmouth Park last September, sat a three-wide trip, but--crucially--with cover, and outfinished the rail-rallying Far Bridge (English Channel) to provide owner D J Stable with a memorable 2,500th victory in Saturday's GII American Turf S. at Churchill Downs. Mo Stash (Mo Town), wire-to-wire winner of the GIII Transylvania S. last time and two lengths ahead of the third-placed Webslinger, won the break and cut out the running beneath Luis Saez over...

Adding blinkers proved quite fruitful two days in a row for Brendan Walsh. 'TDN Rising Star' New Year's Eve (Kitten's Joy) donned blinkers for the first time Friday when registering an upset score in the GII Edgewood S. The additional equipment was even more lucrative for Walsh Saturday when Santin became the latest Grade I winner for his timeless sire Distorted Humor with a gutsy victory in the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. at Churchill Downs. Away alertly from the outside post in this 10-horse affair, the 7-1...

The sprint division will be going through champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) once again if Satuday's tour-de-force victory in the GI Churchill Downs S. is any indication. A return winner in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn's GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. Apr. 16, he was favored at even-money to register his fourth career Grade I victory. The J. Kirk and Judy Robison colorbearer took his usual spot up front and led his six rivals through much-easier-than-anticipated early fractions of :22.76 and :45.50. He cornered four wide and allowed GI Breeders'...

In another zip code at the top of the stretch, Juddmonte homebred Obligatory (Curlin) turned in a furious stretch rally to record a career high in Saturday's GI Derby City Distaff S. at Churchill Downs. Favored Just One Time (Not This Time), a last out winner of Keeneland's GI Madison S., showed the way through fractions of :22.36 and :44.95 and hit the quarter pole as the one to catch. Obligatory, meanwhile, last of seven throughout, tipped out six wide beneath Jose Ortiz for the stretch run. Longshot Four Graces...

Peter Brant's €$1.95-million investment at last year's Arqana December sale to acquire Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) looks like it might be paying off as the even-money favorite in Saturday's GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. showed off an uncommon turn-of-foot to blow away fellow Brant/Chad Brown representative and 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian. The victory came almost exactly 24 hours after Brant and Brown celebrated another victory with a fast-finishing female in still-unbeaten GIII Modesty S. heroine Bleecker Street (Quality Road). Brown saddled the exacta in...

It's not often you come across a 13-horse Grade I sprint with no confirmed frontrunner, but the Churchill Downs S. Saturday is just that, with only lightly raced 20-1 shot Get the Prize (Candy Ride {Arg}) having gotten the first call last out. Stalker Flagstaff (Speightstown) gets the tepid 3-1 nod on the morning line coming off a victory over three of these foes in Keeneland's GIII Commonwealth S. going the same distance Apr. 3. He shipped into Oaklawn after that to fire a pair of quick bullet breezes, and...

Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute) seeks his third consecutive victory as he returns to Churchill Downs for the $500,000 GII American Turf S. Saturday. A winner of last December's GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. Dec. 1 at Del Mar, the bay returned to winning ways three starts later in the War Chant S. going a sixteenth shorter here May 23. He was last seen annexing the GIII La Jolla H. back in San Diego Aug. 9 over champion juvenile and GI Kentucky Derby entrant Storm the Court...