Mystik Dan

Nothing wrong with planning ahead, and trainer Kenny McPeek is doing just so after the 2024 Horse of the Year came out of her GI Apple Blossom tour-de-force in fine shape, with the GI La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs next on the list for 'Rising Star' MGISW Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). After receiving a preliminary Beyer of 93 for the romp, McPeek is already eyeballing a seventh victory at the elite level for 'the grizzly bear' and the May 2 Kentucky Oaks undercard feature is circled on the calendar....

Fasig-Tipton has adjusted the closing of it April Digital Sale to 2 p.m. Apr. 9, in an effort to avoid conflict with the rescheduled racing dates at Keeneland. Currently open for bidding, the online catalogue may be viewed at www.digital.fasigtipton.com. The April catalogue features 107 horses of racing age, breeding stock, 2-year-olds in training, yearlings, and a no-guarantee season to Nyquist (Hip 4), the sire of 2024 Eclipse Champion 2-year-old Filly Immersive. Also featured in the April Digital sale is the major reduction of Merriebelle Stable, handled by agent Bluegrass...

Tickets are now on sale for a charity bourbon raffle hosted by CASA of Lexington, featuring a grand prize of a Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby 150: Baccarat Edition bottle with a halter worn by Kentucky Derby 150 winner, Mystik Dan. Produced to commemorate the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, the bottle is one of only 150 produced. The grand prize is a triple-barreled American whiskey aged in three distinct casks-- the traditional bourbon barrel, a cognac cask and an exclusive barrel seasoned within the Kentucky Derby Winner's Circle. Each...

Bob Baffert has found himself in a familiar position as he once again brings a well-met runner into Saturday's GI Arkansas Derby with all the buzz behind him, this time in the form of 'TDN Rising Star' Cornucopian (Into Mischief), who has been made the 7-5 morning line favorite from the nine hole. Fresh off an unveiling which garnered the stamp of approval from the TDN, and stopped the clock in a six-furlong maiden special in an eye-catching 1:09.02--the fastest by a 3-year-old in Oaklawn history--the son of Into Mischief...

Florence, KY--"Okay, I'm coming!" said Kaitlin Free. Bursting into a small room sandwiched between the announcer's booth and Free's broadcast studio at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, the Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) analyst was only halfway through applying her mascara and eyeliner, but that wasn't going to stop her from watching Flood Zone (Frosted) take the GII Gotham Stakes. With half her face on and the other 'au naturel,' Free's eyes were glued to the screen as she watched intently, offered an assessment as the field blazed for the far...

Kentucky Derby and Oaks-winning jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. will be the Keynote Speaker at Race for Grace--hosted by the Kentucky Race Track Chaplaincy--to be held on Apr. 28 at Churchill Downs. Held in a new space at Churchill's First Turn Club, the event will feature a silent and live auction including items such as 2026 Kentucky Derby and Oaks boxes and the Derby contender's halters, a Keeneland package, many golf packages, horse racing art and memorabilia as well as trips to Mexico, a Montana Cabin vacation. In 2024, Hernandez became...

A halter worn by champion Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) is available in the Bourbon & the Bayou silent auction, run by the non-profit child advocacy organization CASA of Lexington. Bidding on the halter, as well as hundreds of other items, including Kentucky bourbon, vacation packages and gift baskets, is open at https://bandb2025.givesmart.com through 9:45 p.m.  Feb. 28. To directly access the bidding page for the halter, visit https://bit.ly/thorpedoanna. CASA of Lexington's annual Bourbon and the Bayou fundraiser raises funds that provide advocacy for hundreds of abused and neglected children in...

We don't often see 43-1 shots winning graded stakes by 9 3/4 lengths, and when we do, those victories are often subsequently proven to be flukes. If you go by the numbers, an off-the-charts, outlier effort like the one orchestrated by Magnitude (Not This Time) in Saturday's GII Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds--in which his 108 Beyer Speed Figure equated to a walloping 34-point improvement off his last race--is more likely to be met with pari-mutuel skepticism than enthusiasm when this colt races next, most likely in the GII...

After considering several options, trainer Kenny McPeek said Monday that newly minted Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) will make her four-year-old debut in the GII Azeri S. on March 8 at Oaklawn Park. That would give her time to make the April 5 G1 Dubai World Cup, but McPeek said he has all but ruled out a trip to the Middle East in order to run in the April 12 GI Apple Blossom S., also at Oaklawn. "The Azeri will be a good first step back for...

The English polymath John Ruskin, who was always hard at work scribbling a well-timed observation for some future generation to co-opt, said when it came to the weather, "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." Well, bully for you Mr. Ruskin! Send him a going stick and put him to work on the nearest turf course. Some might care to offer quite a different observation after recent events. What...

Hallandale, FL--The Gulfstream Park backstretch on Thursday morning was not for the faint of heart. After a healthy dose of rain in addition to a transient cold snap, the going was less-than-welcoming to both horse and human alike. However, one wasn't likely to hear anybody complain about it. With temperatures falling dreadfully low in the Northeast (think single digits) and snow crippling much of the South causing countless travel delays, temps in the 50s and some rain didn't really seem like a big deal in the bigger scheme of things....

Horses seem to always be at the center of Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway's life. As the story goes, the day Brent proposed he ran late because, of course, he was at the racetrack. Even though she was none too pleased, Sharilyn confirmed the end result was an affirmative one. By now you have probably heard how their ownership group 4 G Racing--which includes the couple and their twin son and daughter, Brent's cousin Lance Gasaway, and Daniel Hamby III--paired with Valley View Farm to reach one of the apogees in...