Winchell Thoroughbreds

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...

Making his seasonal debut Saturday, the now 4-year-old Magnitude (Not This Time) looked every bit the classy individual he was as a 3-year-old, beating up on an overmatched field to take down the GIII Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park Saturday. Last year's winner of the GII Risen Star and the GII Clark prepped for bigger things to come Saturday as the 4-5 favorite but had to deal with a pesky second choice in Nu What's New (Munnings) who rocketed into the race off a 12 1/2-length performance facing local allowance...

Magnitude (Not This Time), a game winner over older horses in his sophomore finale in the GII Clark S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 28, will make his next start in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will also be well-represented by 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Obliteration (Violence) in the $1.5-million G3 Saudi Derby on the undercard. Both races will be held at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh Feb. 14. "We're very excited to have both of them go," Asmussen said. "The Saudi Cup...

In what was probably America's most anticipated race in the older horse division since the GI Breeders' Cup Classic nearly four weeks ago, the 151st running of the GII Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs Friday lived up to expectations and then some. Runaway GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes winner and Winchell Thoroughbreds colorbearer Magnitude (c, 3, Not This Time--Rockadelic, by Bernardini), one of the most heralded 3-year-olds on the Derby Trail at the beginning of the year, put it all together in his first start against older horses to capture...

Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC's Copper Wind (Gun Runner—Copper Quest, by Lemon Drop Kid) was overlooked at 9-1 for her career debut at Fair Grounds on Thursday and rewarded her backers when coming from just off the pace to win. Stalking even-money choice Quick Kiss (Beau Liam) for much of the early running, the Winchell homebred made her move while three wide a furlong from home and proved best on the day while holding the favorite at bay by 1 ¾ lengths at the wire. Ageis (Essential Quality) was 5 1/2 lengths...

Gun Runner, the Three Chimneys sensation whose yearlings topped the first four days of the ongoing Keeneland September sale, showed once again why he's in such demand as Spice Runner (c, 2, Gun Runner--Simple Surprise, by Cowboy Cal) captured the GIII Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs Saturday. The one-turn, one-mile Iroquois awards the first points of the 2025-26 season to the 2026 GI Kentucky Derby starting gate on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale. Comport (Collected), who had finished in front of Spice Runner in their two previous meetings, was second, while maiden...

4th-BAQ, $85K, Msw, 2yo, 6fT, 2:37 p.m. ET. A $500,000 grad from the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling sale, FOURTH DIMENSION (Not This Time) makes his first start for Wathnan and trainer Bill Mott. Initially going for $200,000 during Keeneland January, the dark bay is out of Aureum (Medaglia d'Oro), who was a 220,000gns purchase at the 2021 Tattersalls July sale by Blandford Bloodstock. Aureum--who also produced current filly 3-year-old in-training Loveontheleftbank (Invincible Spirit {Ire})--is herself a half-sister to MGISP Nemoralia (More Than Ready), the dam of GII Lake Placid Stakes heroine...

Like an everlasting gobstopper, Swamp King (Silver State--El Piba, by Lookin At Lucky) kept going to best his opponents at second asking in a Pea Patch maiden on Sunday. Getting his picture taken was the signal that his freshman sire celebrated his first winner. Owned by Claiborne Farm, the dark bay made his first start over the grass at Ellis and was well-beaten July 21. Fitted with blinkers and off as a 5-1 shot here, the 2-year-old bided his time along the rail as a scramble for supremacy between longshots...

"Come on now, attention at the back!" But let's make a plea for indulgence, should any of the law lecturers at University College, Dublin, happen to find one student uncharacteristically distracted on resuming his course in September. Because whatever broad principles of contract may yet require elucidation, there are extremely good reasons why Freddie Duignan could find his thoughts straying to the value of a signature even then being scrawled on a document, 4,000 miles away in Kentucky. "My first day back in class is the first day of the...

Magnitude did not disappoint the hopefuls as he took the Iowa Derby stylishly at Prairie Meadows on Saturday evening. Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack's story this week on the colt's return to the races post-surgery reported that trainer Steve Asmussen was "dreaming big" about the Winchell-owned runner's prospects. The reason had something to do with the stellar result from the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in mid-February when the 3-year-old won by 9 3/4 lengths with a 108 Beyer to boot. Prior to that, Magnitude had broken...

Forced to miss the Triple Crown series after exiting his sensational GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star S. victory with an ankle chip, Magnitude (Not This Time) makes his highly anticipated return in Saturday evening's $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows. He is the 9-5 morning-line favorite. The Winchell Thoroughbreds colorbearer was a 9 3/4-length, front-running winner of the Risen Star at odds of 43-1 Feb. 15, good for a 108 Beyer Speed Figure. His final time of 1:48.85 was the fastest Risen Star in seven runnings (including one year with split...

1st-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 12:45 p.m. ET. The news broke this past week that Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas would be stepping down as the head of his stable because of health reasons and assistant Bas Nicholl would be taking over for the man known to many as 'Coach.' In Saturday's opener on the card, the aptly-named TRACK LEGEND (Charlatan) will be unveiled for owner Live the Legacy with Lukas still listed in the program. Out of Canadian champion female sprinter Moonlit Promise (Malibu Moon), the dark...