Tyler Gaffalione

Last year's GI Belmont S. third Skippylongstocking (c, 4, Exagggerator--Twinkling, by War Chant), a three-time graded winner since, added Friday's late-night $1-million GII Charles Town Classic S. to his steadily growing CV. Under Tyler Gaffalione, the 7-5 favorite hustled straight to the front, set fractions of :24.82 and :48.88, and wasn't for catching, drawing clear in the stretch by five lengths. The winner's Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.-trained stablemate O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman), a Group 1 winner in his native Chile, closed from the rear of the field to finish second, while...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Unbeaten and hardly challenged so far through four starts, New York Thunder (Nyquist) will not be an unknown Saturday in his second visit this summer to Saratoga Race Course. New York Thunder made a grand entry on the big stage at the Spa on July 28 with a resounding victory in the GII Amsterdam S. Sent off at 11-2 in his first race on dirt, he rolled to a 7 1/2-length score under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Though he was eased up in the stretch when the...

Dismissed at 12-1 by the bettors, Ozara (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) pulled off the upset over heavily favored Weigh the Risks (Mendelssohn) from the Chad Brown barn to win Sunday's opener at Saratoga, a $136,000 maiden special weight race run at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf. The win came less than a year after bloodstock agent Mike Ryan purchased the filly out of the 2022 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The purchase price was 350,000 guineas. "This was very much a team effort," winning trainer Christophe Clement said. "Mike Ryan...

Dear TDN Editor: Some may argue that Thoroughbred racing is a contact sport. Twelve-hundred-pound athletes running at 40 mph around an oval and navigating through holes as tight as the eye of a needle might support that reasoning. Our racing stewards are there to guard against the worst from happening and protecting the integrity and safety of the sport of Thoroughbred racing. With the eyes of a hawk, they are doing their job well from their perch atop the clubhouse. All are accredited with experience and must be commended for...

Undefeated in three career starts, but facing a steep trifecta of challenges to scale--trying dirt, graded company, and the tough New York circuit for the first time--New York Thunder (c, 3, Nyquist--Start Over, by Midshipman) set sizzling fractions on the front end of Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S. Friday and held sway to win by 7 1/2 lengths while eased up late despite spending most of the stretch on his wrong lead. His 1:07.77 six-furlong split was faster than the 1:07.92 track record set in 2019 by Imperial Hint (Imperialism) in...

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche has opted not to appeal a three-day "careless riding" suspension imposed by the Saratoga Race Course stewards and will sit out the penalty this Thursday, July 27, through Saturday, July 29. The infraction occurred in Saratoga's sixth race July 20, a 5 1/2-furlong MSW turf sprint for 2-year-old fillies. He was aboard Parade Ring (Ire), (Night of Thunder {Ire}), a 44-1 first-time-starter who finished third. The Equibase chart explained that Parade Ring was "a bit fractious in the gate prior to the start, was backed out and...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. The TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from the same week. These will include decisions from around the country. New York Track: Saratoga Date: 07/12/2023 Licensee: Tyler Gaffalione, jockey Penalty: Three-day...

Tyler Gaffalione is appealing a three-day "careless riding" suspension imposed by the Saratoga Race Course stewards in the aftermath of his mount being disqualified in the second race there Friday. Gaffalione was on the lead aboard 19-1 maiden Hero's Medal (Medaglia d'Oro) in a nine-furlong race July 14. According to the Equibase chart, the colt "was given his cue at the five-sixteenths, spun into the stretch in the two path under a drive, came in some and bumped solidly with Mount Craig [Arrogate] near the three-sixteenths, was turned in some...

Clarence and Dorothy Scharbauer built Valor Farm outside of Dallas 30 years ago after Dorothy and their daughter Pam campaigned Hall of Famer Alysheba in the late 1980s. Their son Doug continues the blue-and-white silk tradition as his unbeaten homebred Closing Act (Munnings) takes on 10 other 2-year-old fillies in Thursday's GIII Schuylerville S. on opening day at Saratoga. The Steve Asmussen trainee, listed at 10-1 on the morning line, is coming off her first stakes win in the Astoria S. June 11 at Belmont Park after breaking her maiden...

Few horses in training could have matched motors Saturday with Peter Blum's Society (Gun Runner), who took the GIII Chicago S. by the scruff of the neck a few strides away from the gates and never gave any of her five rivals a chance, streaking home to score in new track-record time. Drawn one from the outside, the 2-1 second favorite hit the ground running and led narrowly through the opening stages from Drifaros (Kantharos) as odds-on Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) was content enough to sit third behind the speed....

ELMONT, NY -- Godolphin homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) followed up her thrilling GI Kentucky Oaks victory with a hard-fought, head decision over Dorth Vader (Girvin) in Friday's GI Acorn S. at Belmont Park. Occult (Into Mischief) was another four lengths back in third. Cutting back to a one-turn 1 1/16 miles here, the 9-5 second-choice raced within striking distance in an outside fifth as the stretching-out and favored 'Rising Star' Munnys Gold (Munnings) led through fractions of :23.34 and :46.37. Pretty Mischievous loomed boldly while...

11th-Churchill Downs, $120,000, Msw, 5-27, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:16.83, ft, 10 1/4 lengths. MULLIKIN (c, 3, Violence--Tulira's Star {GSP}, by Congrats) donned cap and gown in the nightcap of Churchill's Saturday card by open lengths on the wire. Second in two prior outings--by a nose Feb.18 at Oaklawn Park on debut and then a game runner-up Apr. 8 at Keeneland trying seven furlongs--the Rodolphe Brisset trainee was well-supported for a third try at 3-5 favoritism and made it look a gift as he led the field wire to wire here....