Rigney Racing

There are few hotter commodities in racing right now than offspring by Three Chimneys sire Gun Runner and Justify, who stands at Ashford Stud. Denali Stud intends to ride both of those waves this fall with a pair of graded-stakes winning mares by the two Horses of the Year. Leading the way on Monday, Nov. 3 at the Fasig-Tipton's November Sale is Gun Song (Gun Runner), who is being presented as a racing or broodmare prospect. Offered as Hip 101, the chestnut is a daughter of GSW and GISP Nicole...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Neither Delightful Claire (Thousand Words) or Two Sharp (Twirling Candy) won on debut as the favorite for Rigney Racing and trainer Phil Bauer before romping at second asking for 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Bauer drew some comparisons between the talented duo and the promising Tam Tam (f, 2, by Medaglia d'Oro), a debut third as the 8-5 choice going 6 1/2 furlongs on the Travers undercard at...

At the onset of the 2025 season, Rigney Racing could boast having bred Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie), winner of last year's GI Hopeful and GI Champagne and a 2024 Eclipse Award winning finalist. Only last month, the Rigney team rolled into Fasig-Tipton with a single yearling to sell at the Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, and its colt by Not This Time out of Rigney's stakes-winning mare Mariah's Princess (Ghostzapper) realized a cool $1.4 million when purchased by the partnership of Repole Stable and Grandview. Backed by an even larger arsenal this...

4th-ELP, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 2:16 p.m. ET. Peter Blum homebred ELITE (Into Mischief) makes her first start for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. Out of Flawless (Mr. Greeley), the 2-year-old is a full-sister to current sire Authentic. Also drawn in the same race is Gary & Mary West homebred Fashion Designer (Into Mischief), who is trained by Brad Cox. Her dam Beach Walk produced current sire Life Is Good and GSW Most Wanted (Candy Ride {Arg}). Woodslane bred Sister Troienne (Munnings) is a Brian Lynch trainee whose own dam is...

Saturday's racing action at Saratoga and across the country saw not only an eye-catching number of new 'TDN Rising Stars' (the final tally stopping on five), but also current members of the club securing sensational victories against salty competition. With the runners emerging from their efforts with positive prognoses, their connections are now looking ahead. Of the established 'Rising Stars', GII Saratoga Special victor Ewing (Knicks Go) returned from that win in fine form and will now be tasked with stretching his abilities out. The Mark Casse trainee was one...

Second-time starter Delightful Claire (Thousand Words), third in her Churchill Downs debut as the favorite in early June, returned in emphatic fashion Saturday to become the first 'TDN Rising Star' for her young sire at Saratoga. Beaten just a length in that six-furlong affair behind Princess Proud (Into Mischief) who was a next-out winner facing allowance runners at Ellis by 3 1/4 lengths in July, the 3-1 favorite added an additional furlong to go the one-turn seven-eighths Saturday. One of the first from the blocks, Delightful Claire found herself sandwiched...

Even with a lack of it for this running of the GII Honorable Miss Stakes in Saratoga, the Sunshine State was well-represented as Halina's Forte (Mitole) outbattled fellow Florida-bred R Disaster (Awesome Slew) to earn her first graded stakes win. Given the cold shoulder by the betting public, she went off at 24-1 long odds for this sloppy (sealed) running of the contest, and was content to watch R Disaster set the pace as she saved all the ground on the rail in fifth. Still in midpack behind an opening...

Two Sharp, making her first start since last November, went wire-to-wire to earn her third straight victory in the GIII Winning Colors Stakes at Churchill Downs Monday. The bay filly went quickly to the early lead from her outside post and scampered away as favored Hope Road tried to go with her early. She was clear through fractions of :21.14 and :43.99--the fastest half-mile in the race that dates back to 2004. Hope Road attempted to reel her in down the lane, but Two Sharp kept finding more and was...

Rigney Racing LLC homebred Buchu (Justify--Flowering Peach {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), a graded winner over the Keeneland turf course at two and three, has been retired from racing and will be bred to leading sire Not This Time in 2025, according to a post on X from Denali Stud's Conrad Bandoroff. Third in a pair of tries on the dirt to begin her career under the care of trainer Phil Bauer, Buchu--who was bought back on a bid of $275,000 at Keeneland September in 2022--was a troubled sixth in her...

Rigney Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) breezed an easy five-eighths of a mile in 1:03 1/5 Monday morning at the Fair Grounds as he continues towards his seasonal comebacker in the GII Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 15. "Mother Nature has dealt us a few different tracks (conditions-wise) the last couple of days so I was happy with the work," trainer Phil Bauer said. "I wasn't too concerned about the final time. The gallop out was very good. We are still pointing to the Risen Star as our...

Coming out of the chute at Churchill Downs in the GIII Chilukki Stakes, Two Sharp (Twirling Candy--Double Sharp, by Distorted Humor) had a singular mission ahead as she stretched her legs on the one-turn mile dirt course--make the front. The 3-year-old accomplished that task in spectacular fashion and cruised home for her first black-type and graded stakes score amid what continues to be a promising career at the races. The $925,000 Keeneland September grad taken home by Richard Rigney was named a 'TDN Rising Star' at second asking when she...

Richard Rigney joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss the win by Jonathan's Way in the Iroquois and talk all things Rigney Racing.