Vassimo

A competitive group of 3-year-olds have signed on for Saturday's GIII Peter Pan Stakes, headlining a quartet of graded stakes at the Big A Saturday. Attempting to rebound off a last-out fourth as the favorite in the GII Wood Memorial Stakes in April, St Elias Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Captain Cook (Practical Joke) will try to revert to the form that saw him win a pair of tests at the New York oval. Sixth going six panels at Churchill in his career debut for Norm Casse last October, the bay...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals.   RESOLVED ADMC VIOLATIONS Date: 03/03/2025 Licensee: Gustavo Delgado, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on March 4, 2025; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a...

Trainer Todd Pletcher has accepted a seven-day suspension imposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit after a horse from his barn tested positive for betamethasone. "After learning of the allegation, Todd conducted an internal investigation and discovered he and his team followed all timelines and protocols as laid out by HISA," Pletcher's attorney Drew Mollica said. "Despite this fact, the test seems to show a trace amount was discovered in the system of the horse, and rather than litigate, Todd made the prudent choice to accept the penalty and...

'TDN Rising Star' and GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) has a chance to set things right as the Derby circus rolls into New Orleans Saturday in the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes, the first race on the 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby to award 50 points to the winner. "We had a plan after the Breeders' Cup to give him six works into the Risen Star," trainer Brendan Walsh said of his Godolphin homebred. "His breeze (on Jan. 17) was really good. I had him...

According to a posting on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) website, trainer Todd Pletcher has had a horse test positive for the controlled medication betamethasone. The infraction occurred with the horse Vassimo (Nyquist), who tested positive after breaking his maiden on Dec. 14 at Gulfstream. He subsequently came back and won an allowance at Tampa Bay Downs and is entered to run in Saturday's GII Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. The positive will not affect his status for the Fair Grounds race. Betamethasone, a long-acting corticosteroid with...

9th-Gulfstream, $40,000, Msw, 12-14, 2yo, 1m, 1:39.43, ft, 1 length. VASSIMO (c, 2, Nyquist--Bsharpsonata {MGSW & MGISP, $595,010}, by Pulpit) worked four furlongs in :49 3/5 (12/25) out of the gate at Palm Beach Downs Dec. 6 and was off at odds of 2-1 in his debut run for Todd Pletcher at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Drawn widest of all in post nine going a one-turn mile, he stalked the leaders in a three-wide third through an opening quarter in :24.11. The bay hit the gas to take a narrow advantage...