Santa Anita

If one could look up the word 'workmanlike' in racing's lexicon, it surely would have a picture of Alonso Daniel's Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator). And the 6-year-old one again proved that he fits the bill with a professional one-length score over Midnight Mammoth (Midnight Lute) in the GII Hollywood Gold Cup on Santa Anita's Memorial Day card. Installed the 4-5 choice following a third in the nine-furlong GII Oaklawn Handicap Apr. 19, the two-time GII Charles Town Classic winner broke cleanly and settled in an even-tempo fifth as Packs a Wahlop (Creative...

King of Gosford (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) sailed to the lead in the shadow of the wire to win the GI Shoemaker Mile Stakes at Santa Anita Monday. The 4-1 shot settled well off the pace in a strung-out field as longshot Goliad (War Front) opened a clear advantage through fractions of :22.92 and :45.68. King of Gosford began picking off foes on the far turn, but was still some eight lengths back approaching the stretch where Cabo Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) was first to overtake the tiring pacesetter. King of...

Mike Ryan's Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) kicked off the graded stakes action on the holiday card at Santa Anita Monday with a wire-to-wire victory in the GI Gamely Stakes, giving trainer Saffie Joseph his first-ever win at the Arcadia oval. The Florida-based Joseph doubled up in the very next race when Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) won the GII Hollywood Gold Cup. Sent off at 2-1, Be Your Best bound out to the early lead and was under a snug hold from Irad Ortiz, setting fractions of :22.99 and :46.15 while...

After striking gold beyond the boundaries of the Golden State with Journalism (Curlin) in the GI Preakness Stakes a little more than a week ago, jockey Umberto Rispoli and trainer Michael McCarthy are liable to find themselves front and center on the special Memorial Day program at Santa Anita with Formidable Man (City of Light) in the GI Shoemaker Mile Stakes. And if statistics are anything to go by, they should prove tough to handle, as the duo has combined to win at something around 27% at the Great Race...

   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 Gun Barrel City during the Belmont at the Big A meeting on May 18. Frankel Gelding Hits His Target Bass Stables homebred Gun Barrel City (Frankel) graduated at second asking during the Belmont at the Big A meeting on Sunday (video). Trained by Todd Pletcher, he was gelded after his debut last September. Out of GII Lake George Stakes and GIII Nobel Damsel...

In an era when corporate-controlled entities are actively looking for ways to close down much larger racetracks in various areas throughout America, the Humboldt County Fair Association--better known as Ferndale--stood out in recent months for its dogged desire to get approval to run a three-weekend race meet at the Northern California half-miler, even after the other county fairs tracks on the once-robust circuit had abandoned or were forced out of racing for 2025. But against the stated backdrop of a desire to promote "single-circuit" California racing by directing revenue from...

California-breds have long been a staple of the state's racing product. Since 2014, CA-breds have represented between 45% and 50% of all starters at Thoroughbred race meets. Since the consolidation of racing in the south of the state, that trend has continued. From the start of the Santa Anita winter meeting through mid-March, Cal-breds made up about 47% of all individual starters, which includes both open races and those restricted to northern trainers. But with last year's foal crop (now yearlings) currently sitting at just below 1000 amid a breeding...

5. TRUE PASSION, CD, 5/11, 6 furlongs Beyer Speed Figure: 84 Video Replay (f, 3, Audible--Fortune Pearl, by Mineshaft) O-Norman Stables LLC, B-SF Bloodstock LLC & Hartwell Farm Inc (Ky), T-Lonnie Briley, J-Corey Lanerie. Look who cracks this week's top five: Lonnie Briley! The sharp third-out 7 1/2-length MSW winner also races for Robbie Norman, owner of Coal Battle. Briley picked out the 3-year-old filly for $50,000 at OBS last June. She's the first foal to race from Fortune Pearl, 2015's GII Delaware Oaks winner who was third in the...

6th-Santa Anita, $61,000, Msw, 5-10, 3, 4,/5yo, 6 1/2f, 1:14.98, ft, 1 1/4 lengths. SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN (r, 3, Mitole--Midnight Magic, by Midnight Lute), a $250,000 yearling turned $750,000 2-year-old, faced older rivals Saturday on debut for Bob Baffert including well-met stablemate Sierra Silver (Game Winner) who was last third behind 'TDN Rising Star' and GI Preakness Stakes entrant Goal Oriented (Not This TIme). Showing speed from an outside draw, the 7-2 second choice led from the first jump, rationing his speed ahead of his stablemate through fractions of :22.08 and...

Bob Baffert notified Pimlico Race Course officials Thursday of his intention to enter undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Goal Oriented (Not This Time), as well as GII Wood Memorial Stakes hero Rodriguez (Authentic) in the GI Preakness Stakes. Goal Oriented debuted at Santa Anita Apr. 6 with an off-the-pace 3 1/4-length victory in a six-furlong maiden special weight event, which earned him a 'Rising Star' badge. The 3-year-old cleared an optional claimer in front-running fashion on the Derby undercard. A $425,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Sale, Goal Oriented is...

Who were the five fastest maiden winners based on the Beyer Speed Figures this week? We count them down. 5. PAHOEHOE D'ORO, OP 5/2 - 6 furlongs Beyer Speed Figure: 86 Video Replay (f, 4, Medaglia d'Oro-Miss Exclusive, by Unbridled's Song) B-Mt Brilliant Broodmares LLC, O-Old Bones Racing Stable LLC, Volcanic Racing LLC and Joey Platts, T-Phil D'Amato, J-Ramon Vazquez. Back-class pedigree pages don't look much better than this. Her third dam, Juddmonte blue hen Hasili, produced in sequence: Dansili (3rd in Breeders' Cup Mile), Banks Hill (won Breeders' Cup...

With Derby weekend in the books, we take a look back at the graded races in April that led us there. The month did not disappoint with great racing from coast to coast, although Keeneland, as per usual, was the star of the show. If the top of the sport is measured by graded races, few race weeks are as packed with quality or as anticipated as the boutique meets at Keeneland. With an inevitable focus on the Lexington track, we look at trends and notable items from the country's...