Look Forward

Taking her game on the road and gradually coming east since starting her season in January, California invader Look Forward (Bolt d'Oro--Troublesome, by Into Mischief) set her sights on Churchill Downs on the first Friday in May and took home top prize in the GII Eight Belles Stakes right before racing was interrupted for a severe weather delay. With a menacing patch of storms bearing down on Churchill, the race was on to get the field out and over the track in advance of the forecasted heavy rain and winds....

GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up MGISP Vodka With a Twist (Thousand Words) is reportedly on track to make her 2025 debut in the GII Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks after a good drill Monday morning at Santa Anita. Most recently clocked in a five furlong move in :59.80 (4/71), the multiple Grade I-placed filly has been on the sidelines since running third behind GISW Tenma (Nyquist) and SW & GSP Look Forward (Bolt d'Oro) in the GII Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos Dec. 7. "I was very happy with the...

Things are starting to heat up on the trail to the GI Kentucky Oaks, and this weekend will feature the most important race run so far this year. The GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes at the Fair Grounds drew just six horses, but the race does not lack quality. Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) was undefeated last year in four starts and will be the favorite. But Simply Joking (Practical Joke) is not a horse you can throw out. It will be a big test for Simply Joking, who has run...

Look Forward (Bolt d'Oro) was a nice first-out winner for the late Ben Cecil at Del Mar when she took she took her competition gate to wire while posting an 82 Beyer Speed Figure Nov. 8. Transferred to Michael McCarthy's care, she was then tested for class in the GII Starlet Stakes, stretching out to 1 1/16 miles at Los Alamitos Dec. 7. She dueled late into the race with GISW and eventual winner Tenma (Nyquist) and just yielded close to home when second by 1 3/4 lengths. Cutting back...

Last year, the Santa Ynez Stakes was issued a downgrade from its grade III status and tabbed as a listed race for 3-year-old fillies in 2025. However, Kentucky Oaks points remain on the table--10 will be deposited in the winner's account--when the bell rings at Santa Anita on Sunday. The Santa Ynez is now part of 1/ST Racing's 3-Year-Old Filly Series, which is sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Made the morning-line favorite at 5-2 is Hronis Racing's A.Z. Wildcat (Munnings). The chestnut stalked the pace nicely and ended up breaking her maiden...

The Saturday graded stakes action across North America offers several options, but the Big A earns the spotlight as the venerable NYRA track plays host to some strong races. Even though the Cigar Mile Handicap was downgraded a tick from its top level status by the American Graded Stakes Committee in 2023, connections still consider the race to possess a certain cache and the rigor in this year's edition is evident. "It [Cigar Mile] came up pretty salty," said Book'em Danno's trainer Derek Ryan. "It is a Grade II now...