Mr. Big News

Spendthrift Farm's Mo Donegal, the classic-winning son of Uncle Mo, sired his first reported foal this week when a colt was born at WinStar Farm in Versailles, the stallion's farm said in a release Friday afternoon. Bred by Alfredo Gastaneta, the bay colt is out of the Declaration of War mare Andavete, a half-sister to 2020 GI Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Mr. Big News (Giant's Causeway) and hailing from the immediate family of champion sire Saint Ballado. "This is a good size colt with good bone and leg underneath him,"...

GI Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Mr. Big News (Giant's Causeway) put in his final work for next weekend's GI Preakness S. Saturday with a half-mile move in :50.40 (59/68) at Churchill Downs. With regular exercise rider Tony Camacho in the saddle, the bay went in splits of :13.20 and :25.40 with a five-furlong gallop out of 1:03.20, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols. "He left the pole really strong, which is how he was working before the Derby," trainer Bret Calhoun said. "We only wanted an easy work and...

Third-place GI Kentucky Derby finisher Mr. Big News (Giant's Causeway) geared up for Pimlico's Oct. 3 GI Preakness S. with a half-mile breeze in :48 4/5 (22/76) Friday at Churchill Downs. Regular exercise rider Tony Quinones was in irons. "He was very sharp this morning," said trainer Bret Calhoun. "I know it was cool. He went a little quicker than we wanted, but did it very easy, well within himself. He was full of energy, kind of what we wanted to see. It was what we wanted or better." Mr....

Bob Baffert's formidable GI Kentucky Derby line-up had continued to dwindle along this extended Triple Crown trail--with one of his entries even scratching in the paddock Saturday--but the last colt standing, Authentic (Into Mischief), provided the Hall of Fame conditioner with a record-tying sixth trophy in the "Run for the Roses." Odds-on favorite Tiz the Law (Constitution) ranged up to challenge the winner, but was repelled, and settled for second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths. Huge longshot Mr. Big News (Giant's Causeway) was this year's trifecta crasher, while second choice Honor...

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbred Corp.'s Max Player (Honor Code) put in his final work ahead of Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby with an easy half-mile in :49.80 (26/50) Monday morning at Churchill Downs. The colt put up splits of :12.40 and :24.40 and galloped out in 1:02.80. "He's continuing to do well," Steve Asmussen, who has taken over training duties from Linda Rice, said. "I'm extremely excited about how he's going to run in the Kentucky Derby. I love how he looks going over the racetrack. His attitude is really...

Peter Callahan's streaking Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) will take her shot at the GI Kentucky Derby trail as she faces males for the first time in a loaded field of 13 set for Saturday's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. Keeneland. No filly has won the Blue Grass and only one (Harriet Sue finished fifth in 1944) has run in the race since it debuted during the track's inaugural spring meet in April 1937. Swiss Skydiver, trained by Ken McPeek, certainly has the credentials. She's won her last three starts in impressive...

Poor old Mr. Big News (Giant's Causeway). He very quickly turned into yesterday's news, didn't he? The dust had barely settled on his breakout success, in the Oaklawn S. Saturday, when his trainer supplanted him with a rather less welcome headline of his own. True, Bret Calhoun's Class B violation--reported in Wednesday's TDN--was a relatively modest affair. Though cannabidiol is the second most active ingredient in marijuana, it is evidently considered fairly innocuous. In view of his overall record, and mitigating circumstances, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stayed two-thirds of...

Mr. Big News (Giant's Causeway) certainly lived up to his name Saturday, upsetting the Oaklawn S. at a whopping 46-1. The bay raced well back off the pace early with just two rivals behind him as Gold Street (Street Boss) zipped through a :22.07 first quarter and a :45.47 half-mile. Given plenty of encouragement by pilot Gabriel Saez on the backstretch, the $95,000 FTKOCT buy made steady progress down the three-path to be within striking distance approaching the bend. Five wide on the far turn, Mr. Big News took control...