Santa Anita

Picked up as an OBS March grad just two months ago for $150,000, He Is No Lie (Early Voting) lit up a maiden special weight race at Santa Anita Friday, wiring the field by a widening margin under wraps to become his juvenile sire's (by Gun Runner) second winner and first 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. His wide draw proved of little consequence as this 2-5 favorite, facing six Californa-bred rivals, was pressed on to clear the inside traffic. Responding in kind to that ask, He Is No Lie...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Victorious Dream at Santa Anita. Ghaiyyath Filly Crowned In Arcadia The three-year-old filly Victorious Dream ran out a 1 1/2-length winner at Santa Anita for Michael McCarthy on May 10 (video). Bred by Paul Croke and raced by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Sabby Racing and Michael House, the daughter of Ghaiyyath and the Oasis Dream mare Perfect Dream carries some black type, after placing...

The eighth annual PDJF Telethon, held last Saturday, April 18, raised a record-breaking $575,000 for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), over $100,000 more than the previous year, the event announced Friday. "This event is a testament of what can be accomplished when so many people, especially the fans, come together for a good cause," said Andrew Moore, FanDuel TV's General Manager of Racing. "Every donation makes a difference. We are grateful to all of our friends in the industry that came together to make this event a success and...

The record-breaking $10.5-million Flightline 2-year-old colt purchased last week at the OBS April Sale has officially been named Zedan. The name was announced on social media via the Zedan Racing Stables page in a note that read, "The Flightline colt out of Lucrezia that we purchased at @OBSSales has been named #ZEDAN. Mr. Bob Baffert selected the name after meeting Amr's father, H.E. Dr. Fareed M. Zedan, during his visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The two hit it off wonderfully and Bob selected the name ZEDAN as a kind gesture...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Dates: 04/21/2026 Licensee: Anthony F. Cunningham, trainer Penalty: A written Reprimand (per 9/26/23 HISA Guidance). Explainer: Vets' list medication violation for the presence of Omeprazole (Gastrogard)--a class C controlled substance--in a sample taken from Sound Doctrine on 3/20/26. Dates: 04/21/2026 Licensee: Scott E. Young,...

Bayne Welker and Boyd Browning--Fasig-Tipton's executive vice president and president, respectively--were chin-wagging in the car recently when the conversation turned to how much the industry has changed, and Fasig-Tipton's role in that evolving landscape. "I think that's what separates us from the others," Welker said, of what the two men agreed was Fasig-Tipton's predominating strength: "our ability to quickly adapt, quickly make a change and go with the times." A prime example of that adaptability, said Welker, is Fasig-Tipton's March Digital Selected Sale launched in 2022, which ushered in an...

Five runaway winners top this week's rankings: their average margin of victory was 8 1/2 lengths. 5) HELEN'S REVENGE, AQU, 4/18-9th, 6f VIDEO Beyer Speed Figure-81 (f, 4, Solomini--Sign Off, by Distorted Humor) O-Les Blake. B-McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds & Spruce Lane Farm (NY). T-Linda Rice. J-Jose Lezcano. Already this year she had dominated in two starter races, for which she qualified by virtue of her December 2024 maiden win for $35,000 claiming and her 0-for-3 record in allowances and stakes. And now she delivers a career-best effort in dominating...

Intrepido (Maximus Mischief), winner of last year's GI American Pharoah Stakes, worked four furlongs in :47.20 (2/97) at Santa Anita Sunday and will ship to Churchill Downs with connections hoping to gain a spot in the May 2 GI Kentucky Derby. "I didn't [expect that]," trainer Jeff Mullins said of the work, which was quicker than he had anticipated. "But we often get what we don't expect." The colt currently sits 22nd on the qualifying Derby points leaderboard and will need two defections to make the field for the race....

4th-GP, $68k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 2:25p.m. ET Drawn on the rail and the 9-5 morning line choice for his unveiling, No Compromise (Into Mischief) goes to post for trainer George Weaver and the partnership of Spendthrift Farm and Bregman Family Racing. Hailing from the female line which yielded Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Leigh Court (Grand Slam), this $800,000 KEESEP procurement in 2024 has been posting noteworthy works in the morning--three of his last five moves were quick enough to top the tabs at Palm Beach Downs. His dam Beckles Road...

Maybe a touch earlier than expected, the rematch that the horse racing world pined for has arrived as reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) will once again square off against the 2025 GI Preakness Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin) in the GII Oaklawn Handicap on Saturday. Both colts will be making their much-anticipated 4-year-old debuts in Hot Springs. Sovereignty turned in a spectacular season last year when he won the GI Kentucky Derby, GI Belmont Stakes and GI DK Travers Stakes. The Bill Mott trainee came down with a...

First race post time at Santa Anita on Friday, May 1, will be 3:15 p.m. PT, it was announced Thursday. The move to push the first race came after Churchill Downs moved the featured Kentucky Oaks to 5:40 p.m. PT, running the race on NBC in primetime. This will enable Santa Anita to run several races after the Oaks. "Sunset in Arcadia on May 1st is 7:37 p.m., so we will have plenty of daylight," said Nate Newby, General Manager of Santa Anita Park. "The Kentucky Oaks is trying something...

Topping the list (technically it's at the bottom) are the 1-2-3 finishers from Keeneland's Madison Stakes, deeper in quality than any race so far this year. 6--MUNNINGS EXPRESS, AQU, Apr 4--WON, 6 1/2 furlongs Beyer Speed Figure--90 (video) (f, 4, Munnings--Freudie Anne, by Freud) O-Team Spoor; B-Fergus Galvin, Marc Detampel, Jayne Johnson & Adrian Wallace (NY); T-Linda Rice; J-Jose Lezcano. Aqueduct's runaway leading trainer Rice stuffed the entry box with 11 runners on Wood Memorial day and came away with four winners, including Richard Spoor's ascending New York-bred filly who...