Payson Park

Fresh off an action-packed Saturday at Gulfstream Park, Bill Mott wasted no time returning to the routine at his Payson Park base. The Hall of Fame trainer was back on the track the following morning to oversee Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) progressing toward his 4-year-old debut. The Godolphin homebred worked four furlongs in company in :49.80. Mott described the breeze as "workmanlike," noting that it was exactly the type of effort he has come to expect from the three-time Grade I winner. "He's not a spectacular workhorse...

Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) worked a half-mile at Payson Park on Sunday morning. Also named the Eclipse Award champion 3-year-old of the 2025 season, the Godolphin homebred covered four furlongs in the official time of :49.64. According to the DRF, the colt worked in tandem with GSP Royal Majesty (GB) (Frankel {GB}), finishing a length ahead of his stablemate while galloping out five furlongs in 1:03.88. "I thought he looked great," Bill Mott told DRF Sunday. "He's been off a while. You'd want six or eight...

Unraced since winning the Aug. 23 GI Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Sovereignty (Into Mischief) got back to work Sunday morning at Payson Park in Florida, working three furlongs in 37.40 breezing. It was the first workout this year for the 2025 Horse of the Year and 3-Year-Old Champion. "We've got him back on a regular training schedule," trainer Bill Mott said. "We're a ways away from sorting out exactly where he will run. There are a couple of races in mind. We don't think he'll be ready until April, so...

Paladin (Gun Runner), the winner of the GII Remsen Stakes at the Big A Dec. 6, will according to his trainer Chad Brown point to the Feb. 14 running of the GII Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, which is tabbed as a GI Kentucky Derby qualifier offering 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers. The $1.9-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling purchase, owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brant, Brook T. Smith and Summer Wind Equine, broke his maiden on debut in Ozone Park Oct....

Grade I winner Tappan Street (Into Mischief) worked Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park in his continued preparation for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Working four furlongs alone at Payson Park, the Brad Cox trainee was clocked in :49.60 (15/48) in his first move since his successful return to the races Dec. 19 against allowance optional claiming company at Gulfstream Park. "It was a really good move, by himself, :49.2 and 1:02.2," said Cox. "I thought the track was much deeper after the break up there [at Payson Park]." Disco Time...

While prefacing his remarks by saying that "nothing is set in stone," Spendthrift Farm General Manager Ned Toffey told the TDN that the main pre-GI Kentucky Derby goal for presumptive 2-year-old champion Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) will likely be the GI Curlin Florida Derby to be run at Gulfstream Park Mar. 28. Spendthrift's other top prospect, Further Ado (Gun Runner), is likely headed to the GI Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Apr. 4. Ted Noffey is trained by Todd Pletcher, who is based in the winter at Palm Beach Downs...

Horse of the Year candidate and MGISW Sovereignty (Into Mischief) will return to racing in 2026. The news was confirmed by Godolphin's Michael Banahan in an interview Saturday with FanDuel TV. Questioned about the stable's star runner, Banahan told FanDuel's Caton Bredar that Sovereignty was "doing great". "He's up in Kentucky at the moment," Banahan said. "He's at Keeneland. He's galloping--doing fine. We'll probably get him down here to Payson [Park] early in the new year and get him [trainer] Bill [Mott]. Hopefully we'll have as a good a year...

Despite losing a shoe in Saturday's GII Remsen Stakes, Paladin (Gun Runner) came out of his win no worse for wear, according to trainer Chad Brown on Sunday. "He looks good," confirmed Brown. "He lost his right front shoe in the race, so we'll give him a few days and get him down to Payson Park next week." "Overall, he looks like he's in good shape. It's nice to see that he got a lot of experience that will help him down the road. This horse is for real. He's...

7th-AQU, $86K, OC80k/C, 4yo/up, 1m, 4:22 p.m. ET. A debut winner by 3 1/2 lengths over the slop at Churchill Downs last summer, STAR OF WONDER (Uncle Mo) earned a 'TDN Rising Star' for the effort. The WinStar homebred then cleared an allowance condition under the Twin Spires in mid-September, and broke through on the main track there in late November when he faced optional claimers for the second time. Back on the tab at Payson Park by Feb. 1, the colt hails from the same Brad Cox shedrow as...

LSU Stables's 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel), winner of last year's GI Sword Dancer S. and GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S., will launch his 5-year-old campaign in Saturday's GIII Pan American S. at Gulfstream Park. The Sarf family's gold-and-purple silks will also be carried by Le Mehana (Fr) (Al Wukair {Ire}) in the GIII Orchid S. two races earlier on the sensational GI Curlin Florida Derby program. Both are trained by Christophe Clement. LSU Stables--the 'L' stands for Larry and Leslie (the affable couple went on their...

Dual Eclipse winning trainer Brad Cox is drawing up intended targets for Flood Zone's (Frosted) next start after the colt took home the GIII Gotham Stakes at the Big A last weekend. The trainer said that possibilities include the Mar. 29 running of the GI Florida Derby and also two races scheduled for Apr. 5--the GII Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct and the GII UAE Derby at Meydan. Flood Zone stablemate and GI Florida Derby contender Tappan Street (Into Mischief) continues to tune up at Payson Park. Most recently, the...

It was a busy weekend with GI Kentucky Oaks preps being run at Santa Anita, Aqueduct and Gulfstream. None of the winners did enough to crack the top four, but they all have a license to improve. We've dropped the bottom three from last week's list--Running Away (Gun Runner), Runnin N Gunnin (Gun Runner) and White Rocks (Frosted)--and replaced them with horses who appear to have more potential. It will be a quiet week as there is not a single stakes race for 3-year-old fillies that will be run this...