Tom Ryan has launched Front Row Club to build on the success of managing SF Racing since 2018. Ryan said Front Row Club will continue managing the racing stable for longtime partners, including Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet, Mrs. Dianne Bashor, and others, while also welcoming new participants such as the Albaugh family.
“Our ownership group has been together for nearly a decade, and our business model, primary owners, and trainer Bob Baffert will continue unchanged,” Ryan said.
The operation's philosophy will also remain the same.
“Our goal remains to compete at the highest level of U.S. racing,” Ryan said. “Front Row Club will continue our proven model of selecting yearlings and managing our racing stable with the utmost rigor and discipline.”
Ryan added that longtime bloodstock advisor Donato Lanni will continue to head the partnership's yearling selection team, while Bob Baffert and Brittany Russell will oversee the stable as trainers.
Under the new structure, SF Racing will continue its ownership and management involvement with the partnership's current crop of 3-year-olds and older horses, while Front Row Club will assume management responsibilities for its 2-year-olds and future acquisitions.
The new banner was represented by an immediate winner Saturday when Hughes (Into Mischief) scored impressively at Los Alamitos, becoming a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', in the process.
“We were thrilled to have Hughes win on Saturday under our new banner and look forward to ongoing success at the track,” Ryan said.
Ryan reported that Hughes emerged from the effort in excellent order. “He has exited his race in good shape and headed back to Santa Anita early this morning,” Ryan said. “He broke well, took pressure from both inside and outside early, switched leads, and leveled off in the stretch. He looked great through the lane after being geared down, making this a great starting point for what looks to be a promising colt.”
Ryan also noted that Hughes's pedigree suggests he should continue to improve. “His dam was twice Grade I-placed at two, and his first two broodmare sires, Union Rags and Point Given, both won the Belmont Stakes at a mile and a half,” he said.
Ryan explained that the colt's name carries multiple personal and sporting connections. “His name was inspired by the tenacity that Jack Hughes showed while leading America to Olympic gold in hockey earlier this year. I also have a personal connection to the name Hughes: my wife's father, Pat Hughes, won three Stanley Cups, and Into Mischief was the brainchild of B. Wayne Hughes. Take your pick–they're all mighty men.”
#2 HUGHES ($3.20) debuted impressively in R3 at @losalracing. @JRosarioJockey rode the juvenile Into Mischief (@SpendthriftFarm) colt for trainer Bob Baffert.@starlightracing @MadaketStables @StonestreetFarm pic.twitter.com/JbYu1aqBd4
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) June 21, 2026
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
