Storm the Court

Even though he won the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, no one was ready to declare that Storm the Court (Court Vision) was a star in the making.  After all, he was 45-1 that day at Santa Anita and the field for that year's Juvenile was one of the weakest in the history of the race.  But nobody could have predicted what was to become for that year's 2-year-old male champion, an epic losing streak that has lasted now for more than four years and 20 races. Storm the Court...

The annual Thanksgiving weekend "Stars of Tomorrow" card at Churchill Downs is designed to highlight aspiring 2-year-olds right before they launch into their sophomore seasons. An intriguing subplot to this year's edition, however, put the spotlight on several human rather than equine participants who could be on the cusp of bigger and better things. Eighteen-year-old jockey Axel Concepcion just might be on his way to winning an Eclipse Award as the nation's top apprentice for 2023 despite not starting racing at American mainland tracks until Feb. 19 and also having...

'TDN Rising Stars' Gamine (Into Mischief) and Improbable (City Zip), each victorious in Grade I company at Saratoga in their most recent appearances, tuned up for their next engagements at Del Mar Saturday morning. Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine, towering winner of the GI Longines Test S. Aug. 8, worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 (XBTV video) in the company of her stakes-winning stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' Quality Response (Quality Road). With Juan Ochoa in the saddle, the $220,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sales topper was timed...

Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute), winner of last year's GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. during this track's Bing Crosby meeting last December, returns to the seaside oval as the likely favorite in Sunday's GII LaJolla H. The race is the middle leg of Del Mar's 3-year-old turf series which concludes with the GII Del Mar Derby over nine furlongs Sept. 6. Disappointing when no better than fourth as the 13-10 favorite in the Eddie Logan S. at Santa Anita Dec. 29, the bay colt was a pacesetting...

Champion Storm the Court (Court Vision) seeks his first victory of the season in Saturday's GIII Ohio Derby. Clinching the Eclipse award with a narrow upset at 45-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the bay checked in fourth to recently retired GI Arkansas Derby winner Nadal (Blame) in the GII San Vicente S. Feb. 9. Third to recent GI Santa Anita Derby runner-up Authentic (Into Mischief) in the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 7, he was sixth in Nadal's edition of the Arkansas Derby. Steve Asmussen saddles a live...

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Curlin Florida Derby Results - Independence Hall finished fifth. Bankroll: $2275. GI Arkansas Derby (1st Div.) - For the purposes of a contest like this, it's hard to stomach taking $20 profit on our mythical wager,...

In a Classic season blighted by the coronavirus pandemic, Oaklawn rounds out its winter meet with not one but two renewals of the GI Arkansas Derby. Facing a tough group of contenders in Saturday's second division of the Classic prep, including undefeated Nadal (Blame), winner of the GII San Vicente S. and GII Rebel S., and GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby hero King Guillermo (Uncle Mo), defending juvenile champion Storm the Court (Court Vision) will try to recover some of the sparkle from his 2-year-old season. This year, he...

Last year's champion juvenile colt Storm the Court (Court Vision) is on target for the May 2 GI Arkansas Derby following a five-furlong work in 1:13.60 (3/3) at Santa Anita Monday, trainer Peter Eurton confirmed. Eurton also plans to enter Shooters Shoot (Competitive Edge), winner of a one-mile allowance at Oaklawn Apr. 11, for the nine-furlong race. "Very pleased with his work," Eurton said of Storm the Court. "Very pleased with Shooters Shoot. I know it's going to be tough on both ends with Bob [Baffert]'s two horses, but we're...

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert sends out two of his (at least) four serious GI Kentucky Derby contenders in a short but stacked running of the GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita Saturday. Favored at 6-5 on the morning line, Authentic (Into Mischief) was last seen greenly taking the GIII Sham S. here by 7 3/4 lengths over stablemate Azul Coast (Super Saver), who came back to snag the El Camino Real Derby. A $350,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by the powerhouse, stallion-making syndicate of SF Racing, Starlight, Madaket, et...

In 2016, just a few months after completing a championship season with a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Nyquist (Uncle Mo) made the first start of his 3-year-old season in the GII San Vicente S. before adding the GI Florida Derby and GI Kentucky Derby. Reigning Eclipse Award winner Storm the Court (Court Vision) will look to emulate that success by kicking off his season in the seven-furlong test Sunday afternoon at Santa Anita. The bay colt defeated 1-5 Garth (Into Mischief) in his Aug. 10 bow over...

Peter Eurton knows. He has been training since 1989, after all: the year of Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. One, on the West Coast, began his sophomore campaign in an allowance race at Santa Anita over 6 1/2 furlongs, before moving up in distance for the San Felipe 17 days later. The other started out in the Swale over seven furlongs at Gulfstream--the fourth running of a race that had already been won by Chief's Crown and Seeking The Gold--before going up a furlong for the Gotham, and again for...

A total of 347 3-year-olds, headed by juvenile champion and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court (Court Vision), were nominated to this year's Triple Crown during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 25. All of the newly-turned 3-year-olds were nominated with a $600 payment to run in this season's GI Kentucky Derby May 2; GI Preakness S. May 16; and the GI Belmont S. June 6. The total decreased 4.1% (15 horses) from last year's 362 that were nominated at this stage. Leading the fray is Exline-Border...