More Than Ready

We the People Makes a Strong Declaration in Seasonal Bow

5th-Keeneland, $130,000, Alw (NW3$X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 4-28, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:50.29, gd, 3 lengths. WE THE PEOPLE (c, 4, Constitution--Letchworth, by Tiznow) was last seen in Parx's crowning GI Pennsylvania Derby as MGISW Taiba (Gun Runner), GISW Zandon (Upstart), and MGISW Cyberknife (Gun Runner) went on to fill the trifecta. Before that, he'd made a name for himself on the back of a 10 1/4-length score in the GIII Peter Pan S., and then ran fourth in the GI Belmont S. next out as stablemates GISW Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo)...

[ Read More ]
Modern Games Returns To Keeneland In Friday's Maker's Mark

Last year's Eclipse champion turf male returns to the place of his Breeders' Cup glory Friday with an expected start in the GI Maker's Mark Mile S. Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), trained by Charlie Appleby, makes his 4-year-old debut since taking the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland last November. Off the board in only two of his 13 prior starts, the chestnut just missed in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot leading into the Breeders' Cup, took the GI Woodbine Mile by 5 1/4 lengths...

[ Read More ]
American Dirt Pedigrees To The Fore At Goffs Dubai Breeze-Up

There are American pedigrees galore that feature in the 73-strong catalogue for the Goffs Dubai Breeze-Up Sale, which takes place Tuesday afternoon in the saddling enclosure at Meydan Racecourse. With the lowering of COVID-related travel restrictions in 2022, European-based resellers were a noted presence at this country's yearling auctions last summer and fall, and with the increased focus on dirt racing in the Gulf region--not only at the racetracks of the Emirates Racing Association, but also in Saudi Arabia and, to a lesser extent, Qatar--it stands to reason that American-bred...

[ Read More ]
More Than Ready's Pleasant Passage Goes Gate-to-Wire in Miss Grillo

Front-running Pleasant Passage dug in resolutely Saturday to  honor her recently deceased sire and stamp her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Up in time to belie longer than 15-1 odds on debut at Saratoga Aug. 21, she employed opposite tactics here under new pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr., taking her five rivals along through fractions of :23.81, :49.77 and 1:14.98 over the yielding going. Free Look took a run at her to try and secure a ninth Miss Grillo trophy for Chad Brown, but Pleasant Passage stiff-armed...

[ Read More ]
Claiborne's First-Crop Sires Send Strong Contingent to Keeneland

Following the passing of world-renowned international stallion More Than Ready this summer, four of his sons now stand in Kentucky in the hopes of carrying the torch for their accomplished sire. Among them, Catholic Boy holds the distinction of earning Grade I victories on two surfaces. After collecting six graded wins over his three-year racing campaign, Catholic Boy launched his stud career at Claiborne Farm in 2020. The farm's Walker Hancock said that the $2.1 million earner, who is out a daughter of productive broodmare sire Bernardini, has all the...

[ Read More ]
Twin Creeks Banner Unfurled at Keeneland September

The Twin Creeks Farm name is a very familiar one in horse racing. Having been associated with a host of big-name horses in the past as both a breeder and owner, the operation will now venture into new terrain, offering it's first draft of yearlings on Day 4 of this season's Keeneland September Sale. The initial seven-horse draft on offer is highlighted by five yearlings by WinStar sire Constitution. "Overall, we thought this was a very solid group and these individuals were very similar," Twin Creeks' Randy Gullatt said. "And...

[ Read More ]
Well-Related American Pharoah Filly Debuts at Chukyo

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo Racecourse: Saturday, September 10, 2022 3rd-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($93k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400mT ECORO DIANA (f, 2, More Than Ready--Nutcracker Suite {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a $75,000 Keeneland September purchase, improved into a $200,000 OBS March juvenile after breezing her...

[ Read More ]
Flightline Ready For More Altitude

The race is not always to the swift. Pretty old news, by this stage: it's right there in Ecclesiastes and, nearly as long ago now, you could see as much when More Than Ready cut the last corner in the Kentucky Derby. He transparently didn't get home, flattening into fourth behind Fusaichi Pegasus.

[ Read More ]
This Side Up: Flightline Ready For More Altitude

The race is not always to the swift. Pretty old news, by this stage: it's right there in Ecclesiastes and, nearly as long ago now, you could see as much when More Than Ready cut the last corner in the Kentucky Derby. He transparently didn't get home, flattening into fourth behind Fusaichi Pegasus. But the brilliance of that move was instead sustained through his second career, where he just kept on going--whether measured by years, or air miles--and proved a far more potent force than the rest of that Derby...

[ Read More ]
Sept. 3 Insights: Pricey Juveniles Debut on Both Coasts

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 2:51 p.m. EDT Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's $725,000 KEESEP acquisition MINDTAP (Tapit) makes his career bow in this spot for trainer Todd Pletcher. Hailing from the same breeding program that produced unbeaten sensation Flightline (Tapit), the gray is a half to MGISW Curalina (Curlin), who summoned $3 million from Shadai Farm at the 2016 FTKNOV Sale. Summer Wind Farm's Jane Lyon purchased their Grade II-winning dam Whatdreamsrmadeof for $1.65 million at that same auction carrying a full-sibling to...

[ Read More ]
Record-Setting International Sire More Than Ready Dies

More Than Ready (Southern Halo--Woodman's Girl, by Woodman), whose 216 worldwide stakes winners is the fourth highest total of all time, was euthanized the morning of Aug. 26 at WinStar Farm due to the cumulative effects of old age. He was 25 years old. "More Than Ready was an amazing horse who touched everyone he came in contact with," said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. "He may not have been the biggest horse in the barn, but he more than made up for it in...

[ Read More ]
More Than Ready Firster Just That at the Spa

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-7, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.50, fm, 2 lengths. GILCREASE (c, 2, More Than Ready--Indian Brava {SP}, by Bernardini) was let go at longshot odds, owing in large part to an overbet favorite in the form of 3-4 Talkin Pharoah (American Pharoah), and got the Sunday program at Saratoga off to a $54 upset for a barn that can strike with this kind. Showing good speed for this career debut, the dark bay chased from third as Talkin Pharoah argued the pace inside of his stable companion, the...

[ Read More ]
X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.