Paul Weitman

FORCED ENTRY (f, 3, Charlatan--Violent Times {SW, $228,701}, by Violence) contested the pace before fading to last in her six-furlong debut over the lawn Jan. 11. Moving to the main track and stretching out to a mile in this second start, the 7-2 shot sprinted out to the early lead and was shadowed by favored Wolf Hill (Upstart) down the backstretch through a quarter in :23.05 and a half in :47.07. She skipped clear nearing the stretch and sailed home unchallenged to graduate by 7 1/4 lengths. Wolf Hill trailed...

4th-DMR, $100k, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 6:05 p.m. ET Having unveiled the likes of 'TDN Rising Star' Buetane, a $1.15-million graduate of this year's OBS April Sale, earlier during the summer at Del Mar, trainer Bob Baffert sends out a promising daughter of Tiz the Law in the form of SOUNDS LUCKY on the penultimate day of the meet. The Apr. 22 foal is a maternal granddaughter of Caminadora (More Than Ready), a Grade III winner long on the grass, and first sold for $100,000 at the 2023 Keeneland...

Charting a course then declaring 'here be dragons' when she made land in the seaside oval winner's circle, Explora (Blame--Collections Choice, by Bernardini) set sail from the gate and never looked back in a maiden-breaking performance on Sunday which earned her a 'TDN Rising Star' flag for her top mast. The heavy favorite established her lead up the backstretch and tacked around the far turn like she had even pulled out her pocket handkerchiefs. With rider Juan Hernandez playing the role of bosun, Explora went easy en route to win...

Make it an even dozen. On Saturday afternoon under the usual beautiful skies of a Southern Californian summer, Desert Gate (c, 2, Omaha Beach--Theogony, by Curlin) gave Hall of Famer Bob Baffert his 12th career win in the GIII Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar, in addition to the fourth consecutive victory in the race for the Baffert team. To make it even sweeter, Desert Gate also marked the third winner in the Best Pal for the ownership trio of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, as well as...

Mike Pegram, a horse owner and racing executive on the national scene for more than three decades, has been named the 21st recipient of the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Award, according to a press release from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Friday morning. Pegram will be honored at the track on Sunday, Aug. 10, which is the same afternoon as the 57th running of the GIII Sorrento Stakes. The race launched the Hall of Fame career of Pegram's filly Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy). A Kentucky native who first got into horses in...

2nd-Santa Anita, $58,800, Msw, 6-13, 2yo, 5f, :57.35, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. DESERT GATE (c, 2, Omaha Beach--Theogony {SW-Can, SW & MGSP-USA, $404,544}, by Curlin), who was facing three others for this debut, tracked pacesetter Acknowledgemeplz (Bucchero) up the backstretch. Moving rather effortlessly to the outside, the colt collared his rival around the far turn as the pair separated themselves from the other two entries. Desert Gate suddenly hit the accelerator entering the lane and powered away nicely to graduate by 2 1/4 lengths. The winner's dam is responsible for...

A light work tab Thursday included the return of Grade I winner Speed Boat Beach (Bayern) for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. The dark bay, who was last seen winning the 2023 edition of the GI Malibu at Santa Anita, drilled three furlongs on the main track in :36.40 seconds (1/4). It was his first work since Sept. 21. Owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman--the so-called 'Three Amigos'--Speed Boat Beach has four wins over seven starts and $498,000 in earnings. The Baffert trainee was a two-time...

A six-time winner of the race in its days at Hollywood Park, including with future GI Kentucky Derby hero Real Quiet (Quiet American) in 1997, trainer Bob Baffert took the first seven runnings of the GII Los Alamitos Futurity after the relocation to Ocean County in 2014 and ran his overall total to 14 when Wnystock (Solomini) caused a 13-1 upset last year. Just five juvenile males have taken up the challenge this term, three of whom are trained by Baffert, and Gaming (Game Winner) is an all-the-way candidate at...

Some people only look for difficulties. Others seek solutions. Between those categories, it's not hard to place Joe Pickerrell and his wife Courtney. Having attended a couple of family weddings in South Africa, and been blown away by the venue each time, they struggled to find anywhere remotely comparable when planning their own nuptials back in Florida. Well, they thought, that was not just frustrating. Might it also be a business opportunity? So they found this amazing 1850 barn in Canada, dismantled it, and had it shipped and reassembled, beam...

Freshman sire Caracaro collected the first 'TDN Rising Star' trophy for his case when Casalu (f, 2, Caracaro--Key d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro) sailed home a debut winner on Sunday afternoon at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Spotlighted in the Sunday edition of TDN's Summer Breezes and Racing Insights, the Three Amigos-owned juvenile who went off at sixty cents on the dollar here was looking to make good on a bullet workout she posted at Santa Anita July 8 when she went four furlongs in :46.40 (1/54). The heavy favorite blazed...

7th-Los Alamitos, $41,500, Msw, 6-23, 3yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2f, 1:15.90, ft, neck. RELATABLE (f, 3, Arrogate--Aunt Els {SW & GSP, $387,378}, by Consolidator) took to the same track where her much-missed late sire also made his 3-year-old first start--a third-place finish in 2016. Highlighted in TDN's Sunday Insights and backed to the hilt at the windows at 50 cents on the dollar here, the $500,000 Keeneland September grad was shuffled back towards the rear of the field up the backstretch. Not out of the mix around the far turn, the...

7th-LRC, $41K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2f, 7:04 p.m. ET. The members of Three Amigos--Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman--went to $500,000 during Keeneland September to acquire RELATABLE (Arrogate), who is part of her sire's final 3-year-old crop. The filly is out of the Canadian bred GSP Aunt Els (Consolidator)--dam to a 2-year-old filly by Higher Power and a yearling filly by Silver State. The Bob Baffert trainee sports a strong set of works under her belt, which includes a final six panel drill (1:12.80, 1/4) alongside stablemate Normandy...