Tapit

TAPTASTIC (c, 3, Tapit--Valadorna {GSW & GISP, $670,265}, by Curlin), facing older rivals as the 4-5 favorite in his debut, found running room late to graduate with ease Sunday at Oaklawn. The gray colt was under a hold while racing in tight quarters behind the leaders down the backstretch behind fractions of :23.84 and :48.57. Still waiting for racing room approaching the stretch, Taptastic finally found a narrow opening along the rail and strode to the lead before drawing away to graduate by 1 1/2 lengths over pacesetting Dawn at...

Live Oak Plantation's Souper Landslide (Tapit—Victory to Victory, by Exchange Rate) came from just off the pace to graduate in her career turf debut at Gulfstream Park on Thursday afternoon. Sixth going 1 mile 70 yards over the Gulfstream synthetic in November, she was given a 6-1 chance cutting back to a mile on the sod here. Not particularly in a hurry exiting post 7, the chestnut settled in a three-wide third as Mo Java (Mo Town) and 8-5 choice Role Play (Uncle Chuck) led through an opening quarter in...

Newly minted sire Arthur's Ride (by Tapit), who won the GI Whitney Stakes with a 110 Beyer at Saratoga, has his first mares checked in foal according to news out of Taylor Made Stallions on Thursday. The first mare covered successfully is Imimpeccable (Include), who is a half-sister to GSW The Mailet (Rock Hard Ten). Now 13, she's also from the decorated family of Stellar Jane (Wild Rush), Starrer (Dynaformer), Star Billing (Dynamformer) and champion 2-year-old filly Just F Y I (Justify)--all of whom are either Grade I winners or...

Another foaling year has begun and I truly have learned to go into each season with a "brace yourself" mentality as any long-term breeder realizes it is the only way you can keep your sanity year after year. This season, we continue to tackle the flock to the big-book first years and proven sires while breaking out the crystal ball to try to guess which of the bubble horses will succeed when their progeny hits the track. If any of you have ever participated in Geoffrey Russell's freshman sire contest,...

Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse's two projected starters for the GII Rebel Stakes for 3-year-olds had their final workouts for the Mar. 1 race on a chilly Friday morning at Oaklawn, the track said in a press release on Friday. With Kylee Jordan up, Strategic Risk (Noble Bird) breezed five furlongs in 1:00 just after the track opened for training. Following a surface renovation break roughly two hours later, Silent Tactic (Tacitus) covered a half-mile in :47.40 under two-time Oaklawn riding champion Cristian Torres. The track was fast....

There's still time for this flashy maiden winner to earn her way to the big dance. One of three upcoming GI Kentucky Oaks preps--the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks Mar. 28, GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 21 or GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland Apr. 3--could be in play for Prom Queen (Quality Road), an eight-length winner at second asking for trainer Brad Cox at Gulfstream Park Feb. 12. "Just a little early to say which one makes the most sense right now," Cox said. "I sure like her. Longer...

Horses obviously derive no comfort from the legacy they might leave. A stallion's reproductive ardor is presumably driven sooner by the means than the ends! In our own case, on the other hand, foreknowledge of mortality allows us to think about legacy. Racehorse trainers, for instance, can impart horsemanship to the next generation; or disclose, in horses, a genetic prowess that may have remained undisturbed in less skilled hands. Everyone intimate with her quirks is unanimous that Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) could easily have slipped through the cracks in a...

Looking to be named the belle of the maiden ball after a Gulfstream dance, Prom Queen (Quality Road--Miss Bling Bling, by Tapit) garnered the right number of votes to wear a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', crown on Thursday afternoon. A runner-up on debut as the well-regarded favorite going a mile in Hallandale Jan. 23, the 3-year-old was ready to try out her two turn moves as the 80 cents on the dollar favorite here. In the mix from the bell, Prom Queen was fighting for position from third...

4th-OP, $126K, OC 100k/C, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 2:32 p.m. ET. Sandman (Tapit), winner of last term's GI Arkansas Derby and third-place finisher in the GI Preakness S., kicks off his 4-year-old campaign in Hot Springs. The $1.2-million OBS March breezer was last seen finishing ninth in the grassy GIII DK Horse Nashville Derby Invitational S. at Kentucky Downs Aug. 30. He will race with first-time Lasix with Jose Ortiz aboard. He is owned in partnership by D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables and is...

This wasn't the plan. Jon Green, the general manager of D.J. Stable, and trainer Mark Casse were ready to give 3-year-old filly champion Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) a nice break after her second-place finish in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. But just 67 days after her last race, she will go in Saturday's GIII Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn, where she is the 4-5 morning-line favorite. Why? Because Nitrogen was telling Casse that she had had enough of taking it easy. "The game plan, initially, was that when she was done...

The Gulfstream grass very quickly became trainer Brian Lynch's lawn Saturday when the conditioner took home three victories over the course with two being stakes--the Kitten's Joy earlier on the card and here in the Sweetest Chant with Sister Troienne (Munnings). With her conditioner (and rider) claiming the earlier 1 1/16-miles Listed feature, and stablemate Thousandsticks (Twirling Candy) garnering high praise from Lynch after the effort, Sister Troienne went into the gate with even higher expectations. She was riding a four-race win streak here with back-to-back stakes wins to her...

He was one of the supremely well-bred colts set to debut in this contest, and Canaletto (Into Mischief) ran them off their feet, sailing home to 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' honors in a dazzling effort. Breaking well as the 7-5 favorite, he went to the front with 8-5 second choice Spartacus (Curlin) never far behind him, and had cleared the front group by the time they entered the far turn. Cruising comfortably after an opening quarter in 23.88 and four furlongs in :46.60, he was well clear of...