WinStar Farm

Siena Farm and WinStar Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' World Record (Gun Runner), third last out in the Maxfield Stakes at Churchill Downs June 30, received a much more aggressive ride from Flavien Prat Friday and ran a compact--but talented--field off their feet in the GII Amsterdam Stakes at the Spa. Off at odds of 6-1 while adding blinkers, the bay was on the engine from his rail draw and sizzled through fractions of :21.56 and :44.64. He kicked for home as the one to catch and kept on motoring down...

5th-ELP, $71K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 2:53 p.m. ET. TAPPAN STREET (Into Mischief), a $1 million-purchase at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, makes his first start for CHC, Siena and WinStar. Trained by Brad Cox, the colt is the second to the races for GSP Virginia Key (Distorted Humor), who is also responsible for his older half-sister in-training Distorted d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro. Tappan Street's second dam, GSW Our Khrysty (Newfoundland), also produced GI Del Mar Debutante Stakes heroine Grace Adler (Curlin) and the recent GI Stephen Foster Stakes runner-up...

6th-Saratoga, $80,000, Msw, 7-11, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.53, ft, neck. STRONG STATE (f, 2, Tom's d'Etat--Kram {SW, $189,697}, by Colonel John), the even-money favorite, became the second winner for her freshman sire (by Smart Strike) with a neck victory at Saratoga Thursday. The bay filly was hustled out to the early lead and was pressed by Selectively Sweet (Vekoma) through a quarter in :22.58. She put that longshot away as the half went up in :46.31, but was soon joined by Will Not Be Swayed (War of Will). That...

6th-WO, $111k, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6 1/2f AWT, 3:52p.m. ET In against a mixed field which includes considerably more seasoned rivals, ONTARIO (Ghostzapper) will be unveiled for the partnership of LNJ Foxwoods and NK Racing. A $450,000 KEESEP yearling in 2022, the filly hails from the female family of Canadian Horse of the Year and two-time champion MGSW Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro) as well as GISW Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun) and SW & GSP Solemn Tribute (Medaglia d'Oro). Ontario's dam SP Mexican Hat (Street Cry {Ire}) is a...

Showcase (c, 2, Uncle Mo--Buy Sell Hold, by Violence) fired back-to-back bullets at Todd Pletcher's Saratoga base, including a four-furlong move in :48 3/5 (1/64) out of the gate over the Oklahoma training track June 21, and delivered as advertised as the 3-5 favorite to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors on debut at the Big A Saturday. Drawn widest of all in post five, Showcase traveled nicely beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. in an outside second, hit the front while racing in between rivals approaching the quarter pole and took off...

2nd-Thistledown, $33,400, Msw, 6-26, 2yo, 5f, 1:00.24, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. COASTLAND (c, 2, Promises Fulfilled--Mother Nature, by Winslow Homer) debuted as a 5-2 shot here. The homebred was second last up the backstretch, but he was under a drive to the outside around the far turn. Utilizing a full-head of steam, the 2-year-old secured the front at the sixteenth marker and won by 1 1/2 lengths over Freedom Stance (American Freedom). A half-sister to SW Faction Cat (Wildcat Heir), the winner's unraced dam is responsible for a yearling filly...

MGISW Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) broke her maiden at first asking under the Twin Spires by just over three lengths and that is how her younger 3-year-old half-brother Star of Wonder (Uncle Mo--Starship Warpspeed, by Congrats) tackled a sloppy Sunday afternoon at Churchill Downs. For his efforts, the homebred rose into the 'TDN Rising Star' heavens. Well-backed as the 2-1 second choice here, he bided his time toward the back as the frontrunners set a hot pace of :22.65 for the first quarter mile and :45.35 for the initial half-mile. Keeping off...

8th-CD, $120k, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 4:22p.m. ET Debuting from the outside and underneath a set of spires where his half-sister won the nation's greatest race for fillies, STAR OF WONDER (Uncle Mo) will go to post for the WinStar and Siena Farm partnership. A half to the aforementioned GI Kentucky Oaks victress Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), the colt is also a half-sibling to GSP Mojovation (Quality Road). This is the extended family of multiple Grade I-placed Crafty C. T. Brad Cox will send Star of Wonder out for the mile on the...

Beaten just a neck into third while earning a competitive 75 Beyer Speed Figure on six-furlong debut at Keeneland Apr. 26, Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC's World Record (c, 3, Gun Runner--Marwa {GB}, by Exceed and Excel {Aus}) added an eighth of a mile for this second go and turned it into a one-horse show in the stretch, becoming the newest 'TDN Rising Star' for his boom sire. Drawn the fence as the 8-5 chalk, the $410,000 Keeneland November weanling--the most expensive of his sire's 23 foals reported...

LOUISVILLE, KY -- Often seen jumping up and winning a race on a big day a square price, trainer Mike Maker did just that, taking the GII Eight Belles S. with William Butler and WinStar Farm's My Mane Squeeze (Audible). Sent off at odds of 6-1, My Mane Squeeze broke well and was a two-wide fifth as longshot Asternia (Astern {Aus}) cut out an opening quarter in :22.46. Urged forward by Luis Saez, she responded quickly and in a flash was on even terms with the pacesetter leaving the quarter...

In the latest detour in the exhaustive legal saga stemming from Justify's 2018 GI Santa Anita Derby win, the connections of the horse during his racing career filed a notice last week with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) requesting that the agency entertain an appeal of a recent board of stewards decision disqualifying the horse from the race and to stay the purse distribution. In response, the CHRB have denied a stay of the stewards' decision but stated that it will "assign a Hearing Officer in this matter where...

Fresh off a yet another win in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland, trainer Chad Brown joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to offer up insight on Sierra Leone's definitive victory and share how he hopes to see the $2.3-million son of Gun Runner progress from here. Brown was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week. While Sierra Leone's come-from-behind Blue Grass win was one of the more visually impressive Kentucky Derby preps of the year, the race left plenty of room for improvement...