Mitole

by Patrycja Szpyra and J.N. Campbell Sporting the familiar Heiligbrodt colors of his sire, Booth (c, 2, Mitole--Sophia's Song, by Bellamy Road) showed talent ran in spades in his family on this Super Saturday unveiling, taking the Keeneland night cap at odds of 5-1 by blitzing out of the gate and never giving the rest of the field a chance en route to securing 'TDN Rising Star' honors. The colt, owned in partnership by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, and Whispering Oaks Farm, set all the fractions of :22.45,...

2nd-KEE, $100k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 1:32p.m. ET GALLANT MISCHIEF (Into Mischief), a $480,000 KEENOV purchase in 2021, will put his best foot forward in this first juvenile maiden on a packed Keeneland card for conditioner Mark Casse and owner Tracy Farmer. A half-brother to MGISW Beach Patrol (Lemon Drop Kid), he comes into this contest with a string of very strong works at Ellis Park, including three successive bullets starting Aug. 17 (1/12), Aug. 30 (1/17) and Sept. 10 (1/22). Gallant Mischief is out of a half-sister to a host...

It's hard for a horse to have a better season than Mitole did at four: his four Grade Is included the Sprint as well as the Met Mile and it's no small thing to set (and still hold) Saratoga's GI Forego stakes record of 1:20.80 for seven panels. "A long time ago somebody asked a groom what makes a good racehorse. He said speed and more speed. That always makes me think of Mitole," said Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift Farm. "This was a horse that had an unbelievable...

V V's Dream (Mitole) already is showing an affinity for Churchill Downs. She picked up her second victory over the track in the GIII Pocahontas S., earning the first 10 points available on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Debuted sprinting as the favorite over the dirt May 19, the gray filly earned 'TDN Rising Star' status with a 6 1/2-length win from off the pace. Shipped to Ellis Park for a run in the Debutante S., she was a beaten favorite July 2 by just a half-length to undefeated...

Perhaps it is called the Hopeful Stakes because that's the most anyone can ever be with a Thoroughbred. But if nearly any purchaser at Keeneland over the next couple of weeks would like to be contesting that race, a year from now, then one consignor might give them not just hope but something closer to confidence. Okay, so a trifecta for Eaton Sales graduates in the Saratoga Grade I last year featured only the winner, Forte (Violence), from the 2021 Keeneland September Sale. Runner-up Gulfport (Uncle Mo) and third Blazing...

The TDN sat down with longtime owner/breeder Bill Heiligbrodt for the next installment in this ongoing series presented in cooperation with the Consignors and Breeders Association (CBA). Through conversations with buyers and sellers, the series looks to contribute to the discussion on radiograph findings and their impact on racetrack success. Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt have been in the racing game some 30 years and have enjoyed top-level success with Yaupon (Uncle Mo), winner of the 2021 GI Forego S., as well as Eclipse champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya). Both Grade I...

by Bill Finley & Patrycja Szpyra As he often does with his 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward started Sam's Treasure (Munnings) off in a grass race, in this case a five-furlong maiden on May 11 at Belmont. She finished second, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner--Cynane (Omaha Beach) had the distinction of being her sire's first winner and made an unfruitful trip to Royal Ascot--but there was nothing about the performance to suggest that she could develop into a top horse. Maybe Ward should have been thinking dirt all along. In...

by Bill Finley & Patrycja Szpyra On paper, Saturday's seventh race at Saratoga looked wide open and loaded with talent. All the major players had horses in the race, Wayne Lukas, Chad Brown, Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox , Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher, who had two starters in the six furlong maiden special weight event. The race figured to be fought all the way to the wire. Instead it was the Asmussen horse, Valentine Candy (Justify), who ran them off their feet right out of the gate. Sent off at...

5th-ELP, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 1:18 p.m. The first foal out of MGISW Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize), who sold for $5m to OXO Equine out of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars Sale, PLAYBACK (Into Mischief) hails from a successful South American family including her dam's half-sister, Argentinian champion older mare Blue Stripe (Arg). Further back in the family is GSW/G1SP Far Away Love (Arg) (Violence). An OXO Equine homebred, Playback enters off a best-of-four work, going five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 for trainer Paulo Lobo. Opposing...

He's the first one to admit he's a "little guy," a small breeder who owns two mares, two breeding rights, and all the good and bad luck that comes along with any such small operation. Losing his farm in the economic crisis of 2009 was just about as bad as it gets. Winning a race as a breeder at Royal Ascot? Just about as good. Ramon (R. J.) Rangel says he never would have had the opportunity he experienced Thursday--when Valiant Force (Malibu Moon) whom he co-bred with Spendthrift Farm...

She'd been the buzz horse among the Churchill locals all day and V V's Dream (Mitole) took the first baby steps to making quite a few come true while securing 'TDN Rising Star'-dom in this stylish unveiling. Breaking slowly and asked to race in seventh from two off the rail going into the turn, the grey bided her time as the field watched the other Mitole Cheetah Miss put up all the fractions as :21.90 and :45.59 flashed across the board. Rolling under a full head of steam and splitting...

For the past few days, we have been hearing from top judges on whose progeny will come out of the gate flying. MIKE RYAN Top pick: Omaha Beach (War Front-Charming, by Seeking the Gold). Spendthrift Farm, 2023 fee: $30,000. My pick is Omaha Beach. There is a tremendous amount of quality and class there. He is a beautifully-bred horse. He was very fast and he got great support from the breeders and was well-supported in the sales ring. It's a close call, but he is my pick over Audible. Under-the-radar...