Road to the Kentucky Oaks

Shortleaf Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' MGSW & MGISP Quietside (Malibu Moon) breezed five furlongs alone Friday morning at Keeneland as her march toward Louisville continues for the first Friday in May. With jockey Jose Ortiz in the irons, no relation to trainer John Ortiz, the filly rolled through her five panel work in :59 flat and galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.20. Her sectionals were :12.20, :36.20, :59 (end of her work), and 1:12.20. "We wanted to give her a good five-eighths to get some air in her," said trainer...

Shadwell Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Muhimma (Munnings) will not participate in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks on May 2, trainer Brad Cox told Carlos Morales of Agentes 305 on X during an interview from the Churchill Downs backstretch Saturday morning. Perfect in her three racetrack appearances at two, the $700,000 Keeneland September purchase earned her 'Rising Star' over 6 1/2 furlongs at Churchill last Sept. 20 and followed up with a 5 1/2-length allowance victory going seven-eighths of a mile before closing the season with a front-running success in the...

Saturday's Santa Anita Derby day showed large increases over 2024 with the all sources handle totaling $22,388,003 and wagering on just the marquee race up by nearly 24 per cent, according to a press release by the track. Bolstered by a big turnout from the Derby Day 5K, the on-track attendance came in at 34,312, a seven per cent jump from last season. It was the largest turnout since 2018. Both the all sources handle and on track attendance are expected to finish the Classic Meet Sunday up by noteworthy...

Saturday's Wood Memorial Day card generated record-breaking wagering as the all-sources tally came in at $23,250,478 for the 13-race program, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced via press release. The 2025 figure, on a day highlighted by 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) running them off their feet in Centenary edition of the GII Wood Memorial, eclipses the precious record of $21,601,673 established back in 2013 when Verrazano (More Than Ready) took home the top prize. The other contests on Saturday's card were the GIII Distaff Stakes won by Irish...

Six starts. Six wins. Godolphin homebred Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) stamped herself as a force to be reckoned with in Louisville on the first Friday in May with yet another impressive win, this time in Saturday's GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Already a winner over the track and distance in February's GII Rachel Alexandra Stakes, the 2-5 favorite picked up her fourth straight win over the 1 1/16-mile distance. Breaking with the speed from the outside, Good Cher assumed a good stalking just off the pace as Ahavah (City of Light)...

GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up MGISP Vodka With a Twist (Thousand Words) is reportedly on track to make her 2025 debut in the GII Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks after a good drill Monday morning at Santa Anita. Most recently clocked in a five furlong move in :59.80 (4/71), the multiple Grade I-placed filly has been on the sidelines since running third behind GISW Tenma (Nyquist) and SW & GSP Look Forward (Bolt d'Oro) in the GII Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos Dec. 7. "I was very happy with the...

Nearly seven months ago to the day, it was announced by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to the crowd on hand at Colonial Downs for the running of the Arlington Million that for the first time in 2025, the Virginia Derby and Virginia Oaks--heretofore grass races held during the traditional summer meeting in New Kent--would be switched to the spring and to the main track to position themselves as prep races for the main events in May. That day arrives Saturday, as a field of nine sophomore males heads to the...

The voice of the GI Kentucky Derby, Travis Stone, will be on the mic to announce the Virginia Derby meet at Colonial Downs, the track announced Wednesday. Stone will call all three days of the meet, set for March 13-15, headlined by the Virginia Derby, a Kentucky Derby points race, Saturday, March 15. "I'm really looking forward to being part of the Virginia Derby meet at Colonial Downs," Stone said. "It's exciting to see the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' go through Virginia and to be involved in such an...

Shortleaf Stable's Quietside (Malibu Moon) had been knocking on the door of stakes success since she was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following her debut win at Saratoga last August, but finally the filly just broke the door down with an emphatic victory in the GIII Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park Sunday. Five G (Vekoma) rocketed from her far outside post at the start of the 1 1/16-mile race and cleared the field, with Quietside, who broke just to her inside, shadowing her move into first turn. Favored Muhimma (Munnings),...

Reverting to front-running tactics for the first time since winning her maiden in impressive fashion at Saratoga last August, Tracy Farmer homebred La Cara made every pole a winning one in Saturday's Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, besting favored Her Laugh, who lost her race at the break but ran on courageously in the final stages. As opposed to Her Laugh, who was playing up in stall six and missed the kick by a good four lengths, La Cara hit the ground running and took the field into the...

The GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks purse has been raised to a record high $777,000, making it the richest race in the history of Turfway Park, Churchill Downs Incorporated announced Monday. Set to run Saturday, Mar. 22, the marquee day of the Turfway season will feature a 12:45 p.m. ET first post and tickets have now been released for sale. As part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the contest awards qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale, which makes it a vital path to a...

There's never a bad day to win your first race but Where's My Ring (Twirling Candy) sure picked an opportune day to do it, breaking her maiden and earning 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with a dominant effort in the GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct Saturday. A career maiden through seven starts, the $100,000 Keeneland September grad could perhaps be forgiven for running behind the likes of MGSW Dreamfyre (Flameaway), champion Just F Y I (Justify) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and not once...