Two Phil's

Trainer Robert "Red" McKenzie doesn't get much ink south of the border here in the States, but he is a living legend on the western Canada racing circuit. With practically zero fanfare or notice, McKenzie added to his impressive list of lifetime accomplishments Friday night when he saddled Entitled Star (Roi Charmant), a 10-year-old mare he owns, to a 25-1 upset victory in a $4,000 claimer in the second race at Century Mile in Edmonton. The win was significant because McKenzie is 96 years old. The feat could very well...

On the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland sits the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and about 15 miles away Saturday afternoon in southeast suburban North Randall, Patricia's Hope, Phillip Sagan and Madaket Stables' Two Phil's (Hard Spun) turned in a heavy metal performance of his own, treating seven rivals to a thorough 'beat'-ing in the $500,000 GIII Ohio Derby. 'TDN Rising Star' Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), narrowly defeated by next-out GI Belmont S. hero Arcangelo (Arrogate) in the GIII Peter Pan S. last month, was no match for...

Two Phil's (Hard Spun), a too-good-to-lose second after racing on top of a hot pace in the GI Kentucky Derby, kicks off the second half of his season in Saturday's GIII Ohio Derby at Thistledown. The GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks winner has been firing bullets for trainer Larry Rivelli at Hawthorne since, including a five-furlong move in :59 (1/14) June 8. Jockey Gerardo Corrales will replace the injured Jareth Loveberry in the irons. 'TDN Rising Star' Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), drawn one to the inside of the 8-5 morning-line favorite...

It's the transfer window over in Europe--and not just because they're between soccer seasons. They have also seen big money paid, both at auction and in private trade, to switch jockey silks at Royal Ascot this week. A couple of the top races have been won by a significant new investor, Wathnan Racing. Apparently, the people involved were eager to maintain a low profile, but it's tricky to remain incognito when the meeting's most storied trophy is being presented by the new King of England while Frankie Dettori, that least...

Jareth Loveberry, who has ridden GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Two Phil's (Hard Spun) in all but one of his nine career starts, has had to take off the mount for Saturday's GIII Ohio Derby due to an injury. Gerardo Corrales has picked up the assignment for trainer Larry Rivelli. Loveberry rode Wednesday at Canterbury Park and experienced some pain when his horse, Artemus Citylimits (Temple City), stumbled at the start of the Dark Star Turf Sprint S. "I had a horse stumble out of the gate and jerk my left...

They know perfectly well, by this stage, that the apostrophe shouldn't be there. They've been asked, and told, about it often enough. But you know what? They're fine with that. They have come round to the view that it fits the horse, that quirky outlying touch; fits their whole story. Because really there's no way they should be here, either. "Every year, 20,000 foals are born," reflects Anthony Sagan. "And only 20 make it to the Derby. But not only did we make it, we were a length off winning...

Two Phil's (Hard Spun), a game runner-up in the GI Kentucky Derby, will skip the May 20 GI Preakness S., according to a report from Jim O'Donnell in the Chicago Daily Herald. "Too soon," trainer Larry Rivelli told O'Donnell. "Phil came out of the Derby great. We shipped back to Chicago Sunday, but the Preakness is just 12 days away. That's just too soon." Two Phil's, coming off a win in the Mar. 25 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks, was the only runner close to the hot pace to still be...

This week's Triple Crown feature examines the trips of GI Kentucky Derby runners in detail from first to last: 1) Mage (No. 12 in TDN pre-race rankings) Mage, the little horse who could, was a characteristic beat slow out of the starting gate. Javier Castellano let him roll with the flow as the field sorted itself out through the first furlong, then darted to secure the rail while fourth-last the first time under the wire. Unhurried through the turn, this son of Good Magic ($235,000 KEESEP; $290,000 EASMAY) raced several...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The late B. Wayne Hughes will be smiling somewhere on this first Saturday in May. Unbeaten GII Louisiana Derby winner Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), an $800,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream breezer, will carry the famed orange-and-purple colors of Spendthrift Farm while making just his fourth career start in the 149th GI Kentucky Derby. "Our primary business really is standing stallions, but when we can go to a sale and get a horse that has a shot to make it to the stud barn, that's what we're trying to do," Spendthrift's...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One of the more buzzed about workouts leading up to the first Saturday in May has been Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg})'s eye-catching, five-furlong bullet in :59 for trainer Keith Desormeaux at Churchill Downs last weekend. The steam behind the last-out Feb. 25 GII Rebel S. winner continued to build on a very lively backstretch as he led out the GI Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses with authority at 7:30 a.m. on another chilly and breezy Wednesday morning. 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit) is certainly another...

Halters worn by Kentucky Derby starters including Forte (Violence), Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), Tapit Trice (Tapit), Angel of Empire (Classic Empire), and Two Phil's (Hard Spun) will be just some of the items listed during this year's Thoroughbred Charities of America's 'Bid on the Bluegrass' online auction, the organization said in a release Wednesday. Set to open on Thursday, May 4 at 9 a.m. and conclude on Saturday, May 6 at 9 p.m. E.T., all proceeds will benefit TCA. "Bid on the Bluegrass will feature a wide array of items with...

This week, Larry Rivelli is counting himself lucky in more ways than one. Before this year, he had never seriously considered ever running a horse in the Kentucky Derby, but here he is now in Barn 1 at Churchill Downs with a 12-1 morning line contender. After training for more than two decades, Rivelli is sharing his first Derby journey with an ownership group that he calls family. Two Phil's (Hard Spun), the winner of the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks and a seasoned veteran among the Derby contenders with eight...