For Woodbine track announcer Robert Geller, who will be in the booth for this weekend’s Grade 1 Canadian International, that horse was Taras Bulba, a brilliant runner who conquered Australia, then took on the world.

Though Taras Bulba was born in New Zealand, the gelding did his running in Australia during the mid-1970s, where a young Geller watched him race from his home in Melbourne.

“The journey of that horse was really what taught me about horse racing’s ups and downs,” Geller said. “When you love a horse, and you become emotionally connected to that horse, and you follow every single step of his or her career, you start to learn things that happen to horses, whether it’s a little bit of bleeding sometimes because they’re not well, sometimes there’s scratches on a big race day, or they hit a wet track. As you’re a young fan, you want to see that horse succeed, and you know there’s that potential. This horse was amazing and he did really, really well.”

Taras Bulba clinched Australia’s champion 3-year-old honors during the 1974-75 racing season with victories in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas, G1 AJC Derby and G1 Australian Champion Stakes, along with a runner-up effort in the Cox Plate. He came back to secure Horse of the Year honors the following season, with Group 1 scores in the Underwood Stakes and Randwick Stakes, along with further wins in the Queen’s Plate and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Though the horse ran at a high level, he struggled with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhages (EIPH) throughout his career, which ultimately disqualified him from racing in Australia.

In 1977, Taras Bulba was sent to race in the U.S., where he passed early tests against allowance optional claiming company at Hollywood Park. However, his attempts to climb the ladder stateside were unsuccessful, finishing out of the money in a trio of graded stakes tries.

He fell back down the ladder, but he never regained his form, failing to even hit the board in claiming races in Southern California before his career came to a close. Taras Bulba retired with 13 wins in 58 starts for earnings of $492,381.

In the future, Geller would follow Taras Bulba on that trans-Pacific journey from Australia to North America.

A native of England who spent his formative years in Australia, Geller got his first announcing job at Wangaratta in Victoria, Australia in 1984.

From there, he spent six years as the English-language announcer in Hong Kong before moving stateside to Emerald Downs for the track’s inaugural meet in 1996. Geller also took a job in the booth at Sunland Park since the 2000-2001 racing season, calling the races there during Emerald’s off-season. In 2015, he moved north of the border to take the announcing job at Woodbine.

The immediate draw on this page is the sire, Not This Time, who sits atop North America’s general sire list, poised to be the horse to end Into Mischief’s seven-year reign at the top of the list.

Not This Time is responsible for a pair of Eclipse Award winners, Epicenter and Up to the Mark, who have both retired to stud at major Kentucky farms. Those two are at the head of a fast-growing market for sons of Not This Time to fill stalls in Kentucky that also includes Cogburn and Goal Oriented, with Grade 1 winner Magnitude committed to join them in the Bluegrass State at the end of his career. With a pedigree like his, graded success on the racetrack would leave Hip 1009 poised to join that conversation.

But the owner of a Not This Time colt stands to have plenty of fun on the racetrack before the stud barn potentially calls. The son of Giant’s Causeway has sired 14 Grade 1 winners, and 40 total graded/group stakes winners.

Ten percent of his foals of racing age are stakes winners, which ties him with the mighty Into Mischief for the highest percentage among the veteran sires in the six-figure stud fee fraternity, topping Constitution, Curlin, Good Magic, Gun Runner, Justify, Nyquist, Quality Road, Tapit, and Vekoma. He also ranks second in that group by percentage of wins from total starts (18%).

Not This Time displayed plenty of precociousness during his own racing career, breaking his maiden by 10 lengths as a 2-year-old, then winning the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes by 8 ¾ lengths and finishing second by a neck in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to cap off an exciting campaign.

Hip 1009 is out of the Australian-born mare Houtzen, a globetrotting daughter of three-time leading Australian sire I Am Invincible.

Houtzen was a $1.5-million purchase by Stonestreet at the conclusion of a racing career that saw her become a two-time Group 3 winner in her home country, then travel across the world to earn a Group 2 placing in England during a season where she competed in the prestigious Royal Ascot meet and also raced in Ireland.

She is the dam of two winners from as many foals to race, led by Greenwich Village, a Quality Road colt who became a multiple stakes winner at Santa Anita Park. The mare visited Citizen Bull during the 2026 breeding season, displaying Stonestreet’s belief that the Storm Cat sire line shared by Not This Time and Citizen Bull was worth revisiting.

Shoppers who might be less familiar with the resume of international sire I Am Invincible will take note of his fast-growing impact as a broodmare sire around the world.

The list of key runners produced by his daughters is led by Asfoora, a Group 1 winner in England and France, and a Group 2 winner in her native Australia. Others of note include Australian Group 1 winner Kimochi, Group 2 winner Straight Charge, and Group 3 winners Dance to the Boom, Blue Zebra, Field of Play, Arum Belle, Cavalry Girl, and Grand Prarie. His broodmare-sired runners have also earned black type in the U.S. and New Zealand.

I Am Invincible’s sire line traces back to great-grandsire Danzig, giving him familiar blood to notable U.S. sires including War Front, Hard Spun, Langfuhr, Boundary, and U.S.-born international superstar Danehill. The latter became one of the world’s greatest sires and a cornerstone of Coolmore’s global operation, topping general sire lists in both hemispheres.

With Not This Time and Invincible Spirit standing in different hemispheres, this is a rare opportunity to gain access to this particular cross, but there is some promising data when pulling back a generation to examine Giant’s Causeway (sire of Not This Time) and his sons paired with mares by Invincible Spirit (sire of I Am Invincible) and his ensuing generations at stud.

Not This Time in particular has succeeded with this pairing of families in the form of Shareholder (out of a daughter of I Am Invincible’s grandsire Green Desert), who won the G2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot and competed in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Hip 1009 is offered by Taylor Made Sales Agency, as agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, located in Barns 48 and 49 at the Keeneland September Sale. He will go through the ring on Thursday, Sept. 17, during the auction’s fourth session.

Into Mischief is the defining sire of his generation, topping the North American sire charts for seven consecutive years, and sitting in second place in his bid for an eighth straight title in 2026.

The sons and daughters of Into Mischief have achieved at the sport’s highest levels, including two Horses of the Year, three Kentucky Derby winners, one Belmont Stakes winner, eight Eclipse Award winners, two Sovereign Award winners, a record-tying nine Breeders’ Cup winners, and an astounding 101 graded or group stakes winners.

Even among the lofty heights of the sires standing for six figures, Into Mischief towers above the rest in terms of getting his runners into the most important winner’s circles in the game.

Of the 11 non-freshman North American sires who stood for six-figure advertised fees in 2026 (Constitution, Curlin, Good Magic, Gun Runner, Into Mischief, Justify, Not This Time, Nyquist, Quality Road, Tapit, and Vekoma), Into Mischief is tied with Not This Time for the highest percentage of stakes winners from foals of racing age at 10 percent. He ranks second in that cohort by percentage of starters from foals of racing age (80%) and winners from foals of racing age (58%), and he is third by wins from total progeny starts (17%).

This year’s class of runners by Into Mischief displays his routine strength at the top of the pyramid, led by defending Horse of the Year Sovereignty, who won a deep edition of the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. His 3-year-olds crop once again made noise on the Triple Crown trail, led by Renegade and Commandment, both winners of Grade 1 final preps toward the Kentucky Derby who finished the chase with classic placings.

Also of interest for shoppers looking to buy this colt for the long-term is Into Mischief’s value as a sire of sires. The list of sons that Into Mischief has sent to stud at major Kentucky farms is long, including Authentic, Barnes, Citizen Bull, Fulsome, Goldencents, Highly Motivated, Instagrand, Life Is Good, Mandaloun, Maximus Mischief, Newgate, Patch Adams, Practical Joke, and Timberlake.

Hip 1001 is out of the Bernardini mare Havisham, whose produce record features three winners from five foals to race.

The star of the page is Serengeti Empress (by Alternation), the Kentucky Oaks winner who became one of the top fillies of her generation. She was a Grade 2 winner during her 2-year-old season, and she won the G2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at the Fair Grounds to kick off her sophomore campaign on her way to a front-running 1 ¾-length triumph at Churchill Downs. The second half of her 3-year-old run featured a trio of Grade 1-placings, including the Breeders’ Cup Distaff against older competition.

After performing so well around two turns at age three, Serengeti Empress reinvented herself as a sprinter at four, taking the G1 Ballerina Stakes at seven furlongs before finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Serengeti Empress has already proven that talent won’t skip generations in this family, with her early broodmare career giving us stakes-placed Invictus, sired by Into Mischief, the same as Hip 1001.

The ability to pass on talent to future generations was further illustrated by Proudly, a full-sister to Serengeti Empress who is the dam of Grade 2-placed Let’s Be Frank (by Liam’s Map), who competed in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

The colt’s page presents a strong international flavor, with second dam Love Dancing being a Group 2 winner in her native Argentina and third dam Le Midi being a multiple Group 2 winner and group stakes producer in the same country.

The stakes success of Serengeti Empress’ son Invictus was just a taste of the power that the Into Mischief-over-Bernardini mare cross has produced on the racetrack, but the up-close example proves that the family of Hip 1001 has the capability of taking that cross to the highest level.

“The highest level” is no exaggeration. Sovereignty, last year’s Horse of the Year who won the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers Stakes, is a product of the Into Mischief-over-Bernardini cross.

The Stonestreet breeding program has been one of the greatest supporters of the Into Msichief/Bernardini cross, and one of the most prominent sources of it at auction.

That charge is led by Owendale, a son of Into Mischief out of the Bernardini mare Aspen Light, who became a multiple Grade 3 winner who earned classic placing in the Preakness Stakes (the same mare also produced Grade 1 winner Shred the Gnar from the same sire, outside of the Stonestreet umbrella). Atropa, out of Bellera, earned Grade 2 placing last season as a 2-year-old. Valentinian, out of Grade 1 winner Rachel’s Valentina, also became a stakes-placed runner.

As we’ve established, Into Mischief is already a high-percentage sire when it comes to on-track success, but pairing him with Bernardini mares bumps his numbers even higher. The 74 percent winners from starters produced from the cross is higher than either side of the equation performs when paired with other lines. Even more impressive is the 12 percent stakes winners from starters produced by the cross, which is twice that of Bernardini mares paired with other sires.

Hip 1001 is offered by Taylor Made Sales Agency, as agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, located in Barns 48 and 49 at the Keeneland September Sale. He will go through the ring on Thursday, Sept. 17 during the auction’s fourth session.

Since 2020, only four horses have sired more than one individual U.S. classic winner: All-time great sires Into Mischief and Curlin, the gone-too-soon Arrogate, and Good Magic, who gave the world Kentucky Derby winner Mage from his debut crop and Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch from his second crop.

Good Magic is one of the finest products of the Stonestreet Farm breeding program, sired by Stonestreet’s greatest runner, Curlin. After selling as a yearling for $1 million, he earned the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male of 2017 on the strength of a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He followed up on that potential at three, with Grade 1 victories in the Haskell Invitational Stakes and Blue Grass Stakes, and a runner-up effort in the Kentucky Derby.

That momentum has carried into the stud barn. Beyond his two classic winners, Good Magic is responsible for Grade 1 winners Mixto, Muth, and Blazing Sevens. Four of those five Grade 1 winners have retired to stud in Kentucky, with Mixto making his debut in New York earlier this year, displaying the stallion market’s desire for a good son of Good Magic to add to their rosters, should this colt run up to those expectations.

Two Sixty is a daughter of Canadian Horse of the Year Uncaptured, and the dam of two winners from as many foals to race.

Stonestreet has bought in to the cross between the Curlin line with Two Sixty, starting with the mare producing a Curlin filly that is a 2-year-old of 2026. The operation’s belief specifically in the cross with Two Sixty and Curlin’s son Good Magic was illustrated by the farm sending the mare to him for a second time in 2026. With the myriad stallions under the Stonestreet umbrella to which they could send a given mare, going back to Good Magic is a strong endorsement of their feelings toward the first product of that mating, Hip 837.

The extended family features a diverse spectrum of international black type, making this colt a familiar purchase for a variety of buyers.

Grade 2 winner Havnameltdown stands out among the domestic performers, while multiple Grade 3-placed Attest earned his accolades in Canada. The family adds some European black type with French stakes winner Nero Zilzal, while Japan is represented by Group 3 winner Tatsu Gogeki.

The back class runs deep in this female family, reaching back to this colt’s sixth dam, Rose Bowl, who was named England’s champion 3-year-old filly in 1975, then came back the following year to be named England’s champion older mare.

Two Sixty did plenty to stand out during her own on-track career, starting with her 2-year-old campaign, where she won on debut by four lengths and later won the FTBOA Florida Sire My Dear Girl Stakes by 6 ¼ lengths before competing in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Pairing her precociousness with Good Magic’s championship 2-year-old form lays a strong foundation for Hip 837 to make an impact next summer.

But Two Sixty wasn’t done at two. The first start of her sophomore campaign was a front-running victory in the Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, and she later shipped north to Woodbine to collect another wire-to-wire score in the G3 Selene Stakes. Those two wins displayed Two Sixty’s versatility, with the Gasparilla being a seven-furlong sprint on the dirt and the Selene being a 1 1/16-mile route over Woodbine’s all-weather surface.

Crossing the Curlin sire line with Storm Cat-line mares in a similar way to the one that produced Hip 837 has a proven track record of getting horses into the winner’s circle when it matters.

When crossed with Storm Cat-line mares, Curlin and his sons have sired Grade 2 winner Implicated and Grade 3 winner Chaos Theory, as well as R Morning Brew, whose first two starts were won by a combined 10 lengths, including an effortless win in the Florida Sire Desert Vixen Stakes. The cross also gave us Perform, who parlayed a victory in the Federico Tesio Stakes into a start in the 2023 Preakness Stakes.

The Curlin line and the Storm Cat line appear to get the best out of each other beyond the headline horses, as well. The Curlin line over the Storm Cat line cross produces 72 percent winners from starters, which is several percentage points higher than either line does when crossed with all others.

Of special interest is the six percent stakes winners from starters, which is greater than the Curlin line with all other broodmare sire lines (5 percent) and Storm Cat-line broodmares with all other sire lines (4 percent).

Buyers dreaming of the classics should also take note that the Curlin-over-Storm Cat line cross produces runners with an average winning distance of 7.02 furlongs – extremely solid when placed against the median. With other partners, the average winning distance for both lines sinks below seven furlongs.

Hip 837 is offered by Heartwood Farm, as agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, from Barn 45 of the Keeneland September sale. He will go through the ring Thursday during the auction’s fourth day of trade.

What immediately stands out on this colt’s page is his sire, Not This Time, who sits atop North America’s general sire list, poised to be the horse to end Into Mischief’s seven-year reign at the top of the list.

Not This Time is responsible for a pair of Eclipse Award winners, Epicenter and Up to the Mark, who have both retired to stud at major Kentucky farms. Those two are at the head of a vibrant market for sons of Not This Time to fill stalls in Kentucky that also includes Cogburn and Goal Oriented, with Grade 1 winner Magnitude committed to join them in the Bluegrass State at the end of his career. With a high-level race record, Hip 245 would be right at home with that group, from a pedigree standpoint.

But, the owner of a Not This Time colt stands to have plenty of fun on the racetrack before the stud barn potentially calls. The son of Giant’s Causeway has sired 14 Grade 1 winners, and 40 total graded/group stakes winners.

Ten percent of his foals of racing age are stakes winners, which ties him with the mighty Into Mischief for the highest percentage among the sires in the current class of veteran stallions with six-figure stud fees, topping Constitution, Curlin, Good Magic, Gun Runner, Justify, Nyquist, Quality Road, Tapit, and Vekoma.

Not This Time displayed plenty of precociousness during his own racing career, breaking his maiden by 10 lengths as a 2-year-old, then winning the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes by 8 ¾ lengths and finishing second by a neck in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to cap off an exciting campaign.

This is the second foal out of the Malibu Moon mare Hanalei Moon, herself a Stonestreet homebred who won the One Dreamer Stakes at Kentucky Downs and placed in three other stakes. Stonestreet entered the family through Hanalei Moon’s dam, the Grade 2 winner and Breeders’ Cup Distaff-placed Authenticity, who was purchased by Stonestreet as a broodmare prospect for $1.2 million.

From Authenticity also came Charlatan, one of the most exciting graduates of the Stonestreet Bred & Raised program, who scored massive Grade 1 wins in the Arkansas Derby and Malibu Stakes, and later retired to become an extremely popular sire in Kentucky. Charlatan currently ranks second among third-crop sires by stakes winners (six) and graded stakes winners (three).

Though Hanalei Moon is early in her broodmare career, her female line provides substantial evidence of its producing strength. Each of Hip 245’s second through fifth dams has produced graded black type, and three of those four are dams of graded stakes winners.

Another significant element of the colt’s pedigree is the influence of broodmare sire Malibu Moon, whose daughters have produced Eclipse Award winners Stellar Wind and Sierra Leone, as well as Sovereign Award winner Bold Script.

That trio highlights Malibu Moon’s broodmare sire CV, which also includes Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner, Grade 1 winners Bellafina, By the Moon, Girvin, Brightwork, My Conquestadory, Locked, Kalypso, and classic-placed Midnight Bourbon.

As a son of Giant’s Causeway, Not This Time creates a sire-line nick with Malibu Moon mares that has given us Grade 1 winner Kalypso, who went on to sell for $2.1 million at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

The Giant’s Causeway line/Malibu Moon mare nick has sent 73 percent of its foals to the racetrack, which is higher than the sire line with other mares, and the broodmare sire line when paired with other sires. The 62 percent winners is roughly on par with the comparables in those two columns, as well.

Hip 245 is offered by Heartwood Farm, as agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, from Barn 18 of the Keeneland September sale. He will go through the ring during Tuesday’s second session of the select Book 1.

Hall of Fame jockey Ramon Dominguez rode plenty of both over the course of his career, and he explained that last step a horse needs to take to achieve “great” status as part of an exclusive video Q&A on the Paulick Report Insider Patreon.

A native of Venezuela, Dominguez began his riding career in his home country at age 16, then he came to the U.S. in 1996 to ride at Hialeah Park. After coming stateside, Dominguez became one of North America’s top jockeys, earning Eclipse Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012. He also led the nation in earnings each of those years, and he finished at the top of the list by wins in 2001 and 2003. He was also a regular leader by wins on the New York Racing Association circuit.

The list of prominent horses that Dominguez piloted to the winner’s circle is long, including Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, champions Gio Ponti and Hansen, Breeders’ Cup Turf winners Better Talk Now and Little Mike, and Grade 1 winner/elite sire Tapit.

Dominguez announced his retirement from the saddle in June 2013 after sustaining a traumatic brain injury during a fall during a race at Aqueduct earlier that year. He was inducted into horse racing’s Hall of Fame in 2016.

In his post-racing life, Dominguez has been an advocate for the safety of horses and riders, working with organizations such as the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and leading the push to integrate the 360 Gentle Touch Riding Crop. In April, he became the executive director of The Jockey’s Guild Education Project, aiming to help jockeys maintain financial security and develop workplace skills for their time at the racetrack and beyond.

Other questions that Dominguez answered in Part 3 of this interview include:

• How does a jockey know from the saddle that they have “horse” under them to make a move?
• When was Dominguez proudest of a horse?
• Where does Dominguez see the direction of the industry going, in the face of its many challenges?
• And more!

Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers have access to a growing archive of video Q&A interviews with the likes of jockeys Junior Alvarado, Frankie Dettori, Emma-Jayne Wilson, Pietro Moran, and Sahin Civaci, trainers Gary Contessa, Roger Attfield, and Kevin Attard, on-air personality Maggie Wolfendale, announcers Frank Mirahmadi and Robert Geller, Harlan Malter of Ironhorse Racing Stable, and Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy.

Don’t miss a single video, or a chance to ask questions ahead of future interviews, by becoming a Paulick Report Insider here.

There are certain patterns in a racehorse’s form that don’t show up every day, and the Kentucky Downs-to-Melbourne Cup angle would certainly be high on that list.

Trainer Miguel Clement has an automatic berth to “the race that stops a nation” by virtue of Tawny Port’s victory in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup Stakes in June, and he will use the Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational Stakes as a final prep for the veteran stayer to determine whether to book a flight to Australia.

On this episode of Kentucky Downs Q&A, Clement discusses what makes the 7-year-old Tawny Port a Melbourne Cup-caliber horse, what he needs to see out of the horse in the 2 1/16-mile Bowling Green Gold Cup to remain on track for the big race, and how his training regimen changes for a horse that wants more distance than the rest.

Tawny Port is plenty familiar with the unique setup of Kentucky Downs, with the Bowling Green Gold Cup being his fourth career start at the track. Though he is winless in his first three tries, he has never missed the board, including a runner-up effort in last year’s Bowling Green.

Clement has picked up the torch masterfully from his father, the late Hall of Famer Christophe Clement, winning 19 graded stakes since hanging his own shingle in 2025. Among his other notable charges is Deterministic, who has racked up a quartet of Grade 1 victories for the younger Clement, taking consecutive editions of the G1 Manhattan Stakes and G1 Fourstardave Stakes.

Kentucky Downs will host seven live dates during its 2026 meet: Aug. 29 and 30; and Sept. 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9.

Hall of Fame jockey Ramon Dominguez shared a story of one partnership that was challenging at first, but led all the way to the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle as part of an exclusive video Q&A on the Paulick Report Insider Patreon feed.

A native of Venezuela, Dominguez began his riding career in his home country at age 16, then he came to the U.S. in 1996 to ride at Hialeah Park. After coming stateside, Dominguez became one of North America’s top jockeys, earning Eclipse Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012. He also led the nation in earnings each of those years, and he finished at the top of the list by wins in 2001 and 2003. He was also a regular leader by wins on the New York Racing Association circuit.

The list of prominent horses that Dominguez piloted to the winner’s circle is long, including Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, champions Gio Ponti and Hansen, Breeders’ Cup Turf winners Better Talk Now and Little Mike, and Grade 1 winner/elite sire Tapit.

Dominguez announced his retirement from the saddle in June 2013 after sustaining a traumatic brain injury during a fall during a race at Aqueduct earlier that year. He was inducted into horse racing’s Hall of Fame in 2016.

In his post-racing life, Dominguez has been an advocate for the safety of horses and riders, working with organizations such as the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and leading the push to integrate the 360 Gentle Touch Riding Crop. In April, he became the executive director of The Jockey’s Guild Education Project, aiming to help jockeys maintain financial security and develop workplace skills for their time at the racetrack and beyond.

Other questions that Dominguez answered in Part 2 of this interview include:

• What does Dominguez remember from the day of his career-ending injury, how long was he laid up, and does anything still hurt today?
• How many riders have expressed interest in the educational and employment opportunities presented by the new Jockey’s Guild Education Foundation?
• Who was his favorite horse to ride?
• And more!

Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers have access to a growing archive of video Q&A interviews with the likes of jockeys Junior Alvarado, Frankie Dettori, Emma-Jayne Wilson, Pietro Moran, and Sahin Civaci, trainers Gary Contessa, Roger Attfield, and Kevin Attard, on-air personality Maggie Wolfendale, announcers Frank Mirahmadi and Robert Geller, Harlan Malter of Ironhorse Racing Stable, and Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy.

Don’t miss a single video, or a chance to ask questions ahead of future interviews, by becoming a Paulick Report Insider here.

A mismatch of that magnitude was a perfect storm of talent gaps, administrative hoops that had to be jumped through, and the state of racing and breeding in Western Canada, all converging into one race.

The one-mile race at the Winnipeg, Manitoba, track was restricted to 3-year-old fillies born in Manitoba or Saskatchewan. The combined crop of sophomores between the two provinces totaled 50 foals, making for a small pool of horses from which to draw, even before dividing them by sex.

The R. C. Anderson initially drew three entries, one of which ended up being a veterinarian scratch before the start of the race card. Typically, a stakes race that drew such little interest in the entry box would either be rescheduled in an attempt to draw more horses the next time around, or canceled entirely.

However, as Assiniboia Downs announcer Kirt Contois explained during the track’s pre-race handicapping show, the R. C. Anderson was a Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS)-nominated stakes race for horses bred in those two provinces, meaning the purse money had already been collected months ago through nomination fees, and the race would have been run, even if it was a one-horse walkover.

It nearly could have been a walkover, but the connections of Our Last Penny paid a late nomination fee of 10 percent of the $40,000 Canadian (US$28,930) purse to join the race at the time of entry. For finishing second, she’d make $8,000 Canadian (US$5,801), guaranteeing the horse would double her money as long as she crossed the finish.

The tale of the tape was overwhelmingly one-sided between the two entries. Wearing the #1 saddle towel was Clippity Cop, a Manitoba-bred by Vengeful Wildcat who won on debut in May at Assiniboia Downs, then was disqualified from second in a follow-up allowance race in June, racing for trainer Michael Nault and owners Scott MacKenzie, Madison Leonard, and Marc Simard.

Clippity Cop first met #3 Our Last Penny in the latter’s debut race, the Hazel Wright Sire Stakes on July 15 at Assiniboia. In that race, the veteran finished second by a length, and the debutante – a Manitoba-born Nonios filly – was never better than last in the field of six, crossing the line 44 lengths behind the winner for trainer Steve Gaskin and owner Mclaren Racing. The situation didn’t improve in her second race at the same track on Aug. 11, where she finished last of 10 in a maiden claiming race, this time 48 1/2 lengths off the winner.

Monday’s race was run as a non-wagering exhibition, preventing what would have been a practically guaranteed minus pool, in which so much betting money comes in on one betting interest that the track would have to make up the difference to return the minimum payout if that horse wins.

Clippity Cop, ridden by Javaniel Patterson, and Our Last Penny, piloted by Rachaad Knights, remained close together out of the gate and past the wire for the first time. Patterson and Clippity Cop gained some natural separation in the first turn as the inside entry, and they never looked back. Through glacial early fractions of :25.66 for the opening quarter-mile and :52.24 after the half, Clippity Cop easily cantered away from her rival, with Patterson practically standing in the irons with the ease of a morning jog, asking little of his mount.

The leader was 25 lengths ahead after three quarters of a mile, and the margin continued to grow as Clippity Cop loped through the stretch. Patterson never drew his whip, and only shook his reins after passing the final sixteenth pole, finally crouching down in the irons to keep his charge to task as they crossed the wire in 1:48.92, an astonishing 84 lengths better than the runner-up.

It took Our Last Penny just under 17 seconds to finally cross the wire after Clippity Cop, at which point, the winner was already well into the turn and preparing to turn around after galloping out.

Clippity Cop earned $24,000 Canadian (US$17,403) for her dominating win, improving her record to two wins in four starts for earnings of US$32,728. Our Last Penny’s $8,000 (US$5,801) for finishing second – by far, her most lucrative effort to date – bringing her lifetime bankroll to $6,158.

Behind every successful jockey is a good agent, and Ron Anderson has represented some of the best in the business, including several that have won big races at Kentucky Downs.

On this episode of Kentucky Downs Q&A, we are joined by jockey agent to the stars Ron Anderson, who has had the book for many of the industry’s most notable riders, including last year’s leading rider at the Southern Kentucky track, international star Frankie Dettori.

Over the course of his five decades in the industry, Anderson has represented riders including Hall of Famers John Velazquez, Joel Rosario, Gary Stevens, Jerry Bailey, Kent Desormeaux, Fernando Toro, Chris Antley, and Garrett Gomez. He also represented Dettori during his time based in Southern California, but as Anderson tells us, their relationship spans decades.

Anderson is currently the agent for Southern California rider Antonio Fresu, who took his first two mounts at Kentucky Downs in 2025 prior to working with Anderson, highlighted by an allowance win aboard Anmer Hall.

Kentucky Downs will host seven live dates during its 2026 meet: Aug. 29 and 30; and Sept. 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9.

Kentucky Downs has a habit of establishing fan favorites who come to the southern Kentucky track again and again, and run big efforts in big spots. Turf sprinter Ag Bullet has established herself as one of those horses after winning two consecutive editions of the Grade 2 Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes en route to strong efforts in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

On this episode of Kentucky Downs Q&A, her trainer, Richard Baltas, explains why the horse and the track have paired so well together, what he must see in a horse to consider shipping them from his Southern California base, and more.

Baltas has regularly sent a small handful of horses to Kentucky Downs, with successes including G3 Ladies Turf Stakes winners Ms Bad Behavior and Insta Erma, Old Friends Stakes winner Next Shares, G3 Ladies Sprint Stakes runner-up A Little Bit Me, and TVG Stakes runner-up Bob and Jackie.

Kentucky Downs will host seven live dates during its 2026 meet: Aug. 29 and 30; and Sept. 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9.

Note: We had some technical difficulties filming this episode of Kentucky Downs Q&A. Our apologies for any points that might appear disjointed. Kudos to our producer for salvaging the episode.

The contents of those discussions are typically kept between the two parties on either side of phone line, but Hall of Fame jockey Ramon Dominguez provided a peek behind the curtain as part of an exclusive video Q&A on the Paulick Report Insider Patreon feed.

A native of Venezuela, Dominguez began his riding career in his home country at age 16, then he came to the U.S. in 1996 to ride at Hialeah Park. After coming stateside, Dominguez became one of North America’s top jockeys, earning Eclipse Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012. He also led the nation in earnings each of those years, and he finished at the top of the list by wins in 2001 and 2003. He was also a regular leader by wins on the New York Racing Association circuit.

The list of prominent horses that Dominguez piloted to the winner’s circle is long, including Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, champions Gio Ponti and Hansen, Breeders’ Cup Turf winners Better Talk Now and Little Mike, and Grade 1 winner/elite sire Tapit.

Dominguez announced his retirement from the saddle in June 2013 after sustaining a traumatic brain injury during a fall during a race at Aqueduct earlier that year. He was inducted into horse racing’s Hall of Fame in 2016.

In his post-racing life, Dominguez has been an advocate for the safety of horses and riders, working with organizations such as the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and leading the push to integrate the 360 Gentle Touch Riding Crop. In April, he became the executive director of The Jockey’s Guild Education Project, aiming to help jockeys maintain financial security and develop workplace skills for their time at the racetrack and beyond.

Other questions that Dominguez answered in Part 1 of this interview include:

• Can jockeys hear the track announcer when they are in the middle of a race?
• How did Dominguez change his riding style when a horse dumped a rider and ran loose during a race?
• Are New York stewards too harsh or too lenient on jockeys?
• And more!

Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers have access to a growing archive of video Q&A interviews with the likes of jockeys Junior Alvarado, Frankie Dettori, Emma-Jayne Wilson, Pietro Moran, and Sahin Civaci, trainers Gary Contessa, Roger Attfield, and Kevin Attard, on-air personality Maggie Wolfendale, announcers Frank Mirahmadi and Robert Geller, Harlan Malter of Ironhorse Racing Stable, and Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy.

Don’t miss a single video, or a chance to ask questions ahead of future interviews, by becoming a Paulick Report Insider here.

Kentucky Downs has long been known as a horseplayer-friendly track, with large fields and competitive takeout rates – both of which lead to high payouts – and we have our first return guest joining us to discuss what’s new for players in 2026, including the headline-grabbing increase of win, place, and show wagering from $2 to $5.

Ken Kirchner is the Director of Wagering Development at Kentucky Downs, a position he has held since 2021. Among his responsibilities, he manages the simulcast and wagering operations, sets the betting menu, and works with the production team that sends out the track’s simulcast signal.

In the past, Kirchner is perhaps best known for his role in the growth of handicapping contests, creating the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge in 2009 as part of his work directing the Breeders’ Cup’s simulcast and wagering operations. Prior to that, he was integral in the formation of the NTRA’s National Handicapping Championship, the country’s largest handicapping contest.

On this episode of Kentucky Downs Q&A, Kirchner chats with Bloodstock Editor Joe Nevills about the new minimums and how they’ll be presented on the broadcasts, how the track is adapting to the phasing out of FanDuel TV, what horseplayers can expect from this year’s King of the Turf handicapping contest, and more.

Kentucky Downs will host seven live dates during its 2026 meet: Aug. 29 and 30; and Sept. 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9.

Hip 121, the Into Mischief colt, is the second foal out of the Jump Start mare Vault. The dam showed the precocity to break her maiden at two by nine lengths, and the staying power to win the Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes during her 5-year-old season.

Vault earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure as a 3-year-old when she won the Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes at Laurel Park by a driving 3 ½ lengths, which came on the heels of a 5 ½-length track record-setting performance for one mile and 70 yards at Penn National. She found her best two years later, closing from last to win the Ruffian.

Black type runs deep on this colt’s page, with Vault being a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Mirth and two stakes-placed runners. This colt’s second and third dams are both Grade 1 black type producers, giving plenty of precedence for him to succeed at the highest level.

Into Mischief is the defining sire of his generation, topping the North American sire charts for seven consecutive years, and sitting in second place in his bid for an eighth straight title in 2026.

The sons and daughters of Into Mischief have achieved at the sport’s highest levels, including two Horses of the Year, three Kentucky Derby winners, one Belmont Stakes winner, eight Eclipse Award winners, two Sovereign Award winners, a record-tying nine Breeders’ Cup winners, and an astounding 100 graded or group stakes winners.

Even more encouraging is that Into Mischief crossed with A.P. Indy-line mares (Vault’s sire Jump Start is a son of A.P. Indy) has produced some of his most successful runners. Crossing Into Mischief with sons of A.P. Indy has given us dual classic winner Sovereignty, Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous, and G1 Florida Derby winner Commandment, among the six Grade 1-winning products of that nick.

Also of interest for long-term buyers is Into Mischief’s value as a sire of sires. The list of sons that Into Mischief has sent to stud at major Kentucky farms is long, including Authentic, Barnes, Citizen Bull, Fulsome, Goldencents, Highly Motivated, Instagrand, Life Is Good, Mandaloun, Maximus Mischief, Newgate, Patch Adams, Practical Joke, and Timberlake.

Hip 212 is a Justify colt out of the graded stakes-producing Smart Strike mare Good Omen who hails from the family of Curlin, one of Stonestreet’s greatest runners and a cornerstone sire in the North American ranks.

Good Omen shares plenty in common with Curlin genetically, both being sired by the mighty Smart Strike, from a rich extended family that features champion Countess Diana. Sherreff’s Deputy, the dam of Curlin, is the third dam of Hip 212, meaning the cross that produced a Hall of Famer is close on the page.

On her own merit, Good Omen has produced three winners from four starters, highlighted by Miracle, a multiple graded stakes-placed runner by Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn and Justify are both sons of Scat Daddy out of mares whose broodmare sire line traces back to Nearctic, giving buyers a tip that this cross could get the best out of the mare.

Triple Crown winner Justify wasted little time proving his talent on the track could carry into the stud barn at an international level, getting two Breeders’ Cup winners in 2023, including Eclipse Award winner Just F Y I. The same year also saw him with Australian champion Learning To Fly, while City of Troy earned Cartier Horse of the Year honors as Europe’s top racehorse in 2024.

In total, Justify has 32 graded or group stakes winners from just five crops of racing age, with Grade/Group 1 winners in the U.S., England, France, and Australia.

Even in Justify’s relatively early days at stud, he has already shown an affinity for crossing with Smart Strike-line mares. The cross has produced 18% stakes winners, which is higher than Justify’s output with other broodmare sire crosses (10%) and the Smart Strike broodmare sire line with other sires (6%).

Among the products of that cross is Big Truzz, a stakes winner who earned a Grade 1 placing in last year’s Woody Stephens Stakes, outfinishing champion Citizen Bull and Grade 1 winner Chancer McPatrick.

Hips 121 and 212 are offered by Warrendale Sales, as agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, from Barn 1 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

Talk Veuve to Me is in the early days of her broodmare career, but there is plenty on the page that hints at an incredible upside as a producer that could be passed on to this filly when her racing days are through.

The dam is a half-sister to the stakes-placed runner Tiffany Case, who is herself responsible for Nitrogen – an Eclipse and Sovereign Award winner, and multiple Grade 1 winner – as well as Grade 2-placed stakes winner Love to Shop.

Nitrogen is one of the most exciting fillies in the country, and a perfect three-for-three in graded stakes over Saratoga’s main track, taking the G3 Wonder Again Stakes, the G1 Alabama Stakes, and the G1 Ogden Phipps Stakes over the past two years. On Saturday, the filly will bid for history when she faces North America’s top older male competition in the G1 Whitney Stakes. If successful, she would be the first female Whitney winner since the great Personal Ensign in 1988, and just the seventh filly to ever do it – a catalog update that would travel quickly down East Avenue from the track to the sales grounds.

Stakes success is a generations-long trend in this filly’s family, with her second through ninth dams being multiple black type producers, giving this female family over 80 years of high-level performance.

This is the only filly in Stonestreet’s draft of Saratoga yearlings, and the female family gives her a strong commercial foundation for buyers looking at her residual value as a future broodmare.

Tiffany Case, the dam of Nitrogen and half-sister to Talk Veuve to Me, sold as an active broodmare for $3.2 million earlier this year. Love to Shop, the graded-placed half-sister to Nitrogen, hammered as a broodmare prospect last year for $700,000. Meanwhile, the Stonestreet operation purchased Talk Veuve to Me as a broodmare prospect for $1.3 million.

Hip 104 is the second foal out Talk Veuve to Me, a daughter of Violence who earned over $500,000 on the racetrack, highlighted by a victory in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks. That win followed a strong runner-up effort in the G1 Acorn Stakes, where she bested champion Caledonia Road.

She consistently registered high Beyer Speed Figures during her on-track career, starting with a 92 when she won a Fair Grounds maiden special weight by 11 ¼ lengths. That kicked off a run of five races where she earned Beyers of 90 or higher.

Quality Road is one of the most decorated stallions in today’s stud book, responsible for four Eclipse Award winners (National Treasure, Abel Tasman, Caledonia Road, and Corniche), a Preakness Stakes winner (National Treasure), a Kentucky Oaks winner (Abel Tasman, and four Breeders’ Cup winners (Caldeonia Road, Corniche, Hootenanny, and City of Light). He ranks seventh among active sires by lifetime Breeders’ Cup earnings by his runners, with over $5.3 million.  

Quality Road has also established himself as a dependable broodmare sire, with his daughters responsible for 33 stakes winners, including Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Hard to Justify, Grade 1 winner Stark Contrast, and Grade 2 winners My Miss Mo, Corporate Power, Class President, Five G, and Valiant Force.

Crossing Quality Road with a Medaglia d’Oro-line broodmare (Talk Veuve to Me’s sire Violence is a son of Medaglia d’Oro), has proven to be a strong starting point for black type success. The Quality Road-over-Medaglia d’Oro cross has produced 13% stakes winners (led by champion and classic winner National Treasure), which is a higher rate than Quality Road with other broodmare sire lines (11%) and Medaglia d’Oro-line mares with other sires (6%).

Hip 104 is offered by Denali Stud, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, from Barn 7A at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

Shisospicy was one of the most exciting runners of 2025, earning the Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter and competing on stages as big as Royal Ascot and the Breeders’ Cup. It could be argued, though, that the turning point of her championship season came at Kentucky Downs.

The Mitole filly returned stateside from running 15th in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, and she could have fallen victim to the slump many horses face when they come back from overseas. Instead, Shisospicy dominated the G2 Music City Stakes at Kentucky Downs in her comeback start, and she used that momentum to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint by a record margin – beating both males and older competition in the process.

In the season premiere of Kentucky Downs Q&A, trainer Jose D’Angelo discusses what made the track and his star runner such a good match, how he prepares his horses for the unique oval, and his plans for the 2026 meet.

D’Angelo has had a strong run at Kentucky Downs over the past couple years. His 2025 class saw seven of his nine starters finish first or second. He had the exacta in the Music City, with Shisospicy finishing ahead of stablemate Cloe, while Howard Wolowitz ran second in the G2 Kentucky Turf Sprint Stakes.

A year earlier, Howard Wolowitz gave D’Angelo his first Grade 1 winner as a trainer, when he took the G1 Franklin-Simpson Stakes at Kentucky Downs.

Kentucky Downs will host seven live dates during its 2026 meet: Aug. 29 and 30; and Sept. 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9.

The opening session on Monday includes Hip 83, a colt by the red-hot Nyquist, and the first foal out of the Grade 2 winner Slammed.

Nyquist, currently sitting fourth on the North American general sire list by earnings, is on a trajectory to become the heir apparent at stud to his late sire Uncle Mo. Several of his most exciting runners have been the product of matings with Bernardini-line mares, of which Slammed fits the profile. That list includes Eclipse Award winner Immersive, Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Nysos (Nyquist’s highest earner at $5.2 million), Canadian champion Gretzky the Great, and Knightsbridge, the recent 10 ¼-length winner of the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup Stakes who is being pointed toward a showdown with Nysos in the G1 Pacific Classic.

The Nyquist/Bernardini-line cross gets 18 percent stakes winners from starters, which is a massive jump from either sire’s individual output with other crosses, both of which are 7 percent or lower.

Nyquist displayed precociousness that lasted during his own time on the racetrack, earning the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male in 2015 on the strength of a campaign that featured a trio of Group 1 wins, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He extended his unbeaten streak to eight in the following year’s Kentucky Derby, where he became just the second horse to win both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Derby.

That quick-starting energy carried on to the breeding shed, where Nyquist earned the freshman sire title in 2020, with that first crop of 2-year-olds featuring the aforementioned Gretzky the Great and Eclipse Award winner Vequist.

Slammed is a daughter of Marking (by Bernardini) who graduated from dominating her fellow New Mexico-breds to become a force around one turn on a national level. She earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure in winning a Del Mar allowance optional claiming race by 5 ¼ lengths, and two starts later, she accomplished career-bests in class and speed ratings when she won the G2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland by 6 ½ lengths and earned a 99 Beyer.

Though she is in her early years as a broodmare, there is plenty to suggest the sky is the limit for Slammed as a producer of quality runners. She is a half-sister to three other stakes winners, including Grade 2-placed Smash Ticket (by Midnight Lute), displaying that she was not an outlier in her immediate family in terms of top-level class.

Furthermore, this colt’s second through seventh dams are all producers of two or more stakes winners, and the streak of mares with at least one black-type earner reaches back even further.

Tuesday’s session draws attention to Hip 129, a Constitution colt out of the Grade 3-winning Curlin mare Valadorna.

Constitution, arguably the most decorated son of Tapit in terms of stallion performance, currently sits in sixth on the general sire list by earnings, with graded winners Harrodsburg and Luv Your Neighbor leading the way, along with Chief Wallabee, who had a big presence on this year’s Triple Crown trail.

Constitution already has 13 Grade/Group 1 winners to his credit, led by Belmont Stakes winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up Tiz the Law. Other notable names in that column include Mindframe and Americanrevolution, who have both joined Tiz the Law in stallion duty in recent years.

During his own on-track career, Constitution quickly made his presence known by winning his first three starts, culminating with a hard-fought victory in the G1 Florida Derby. Later in his 3-year-old season, he ran well against older competition to finish third in the G1 Clark Handicap. That form carried into his 4-year-old season, where he won the G1 Donn Handicap.

Sustained form was also the name of the game for this colt’s dam, the Curlin mare Valadorna, who broke her maiden by six furlongs as a 2-year-old, and parlayed that effort into a narrow runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park. She won the Tiffany Lass Stakes at age three, then came back at four to add the G3 Doubledogdare Stakes to her win column. Later that season, she added another layer to her resume by finishing second by a neck on a new surface in the G3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes.

Valadorna has maintained that level of class into her broodmare career, with all three of her foals to race finding the winner’s circle, including Grade 1-placed Tiztastic (by Tapit, sire of Constitution) and Grade 2-placed Tuscan Gold (by Medaglia d’Oro), who ran a solid fourth in the 2024 Preakness Stakes.

This female family has been good to the Stonestreet operation over the years, with Valadorna being a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and popular young sire Complexity and multiple Korean Group 3-placed King of Glory.

All four dams on this colt’s page are graded black-type producers, further denoting the deep well of class backing up Hip 119.

From limited opportunities, there is high-level success between Constitution and Curlin mares, in the form of Grade 3 winner Promise Keeper, who carried stakes-winning form from ages three to five. Going back a generation further to cross Constitution with Curlin’s sire Smart Strike gives us horses like Hidden Stash, a multiple graded-placed runner who competed in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

Hips 83 and 119 are offered by Gainesway, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, from Barn 6 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

Monday’s opening session features Hip 54, a colt from the final crop of record-setting sire Uncle Mo, out of Grade 1 winner Rachel’s Valentina, putting this colt in one of Stonestreet’s signature families. Rachel’s Valentina is the only daughter out of Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra, making this an ultra-exclusive female family, made even more exclusive by this being just the third of Rachel’s Valentina’s six foals to be offered as a yearling at public auction.

This is the first and only product of the Uncle Mo x Rachel’s Valentina cross before the stallion’s untimely death in late 2024, but the Stonestreet operation felt so strongly about the cross, they sent the mare to Uncle Mo’s most decorated son, Nyquist, to produce her 2026 foal, which should provide buyers confidence on the horse offered Monday.

Bernardini has emerged as one of the top broodmare sires in the stud book, and crossing his daughters with Uncle Mo has produced a number of high-level successes. Buyers looking ahead to the stud barn will take note of the Uncle Mo/Bernardini cross producing Grade 1 winner Mo Town and Grade 2 winner Modernist. The cross also gave us Mopotism, a Grade 2 winner who sold as a broodmare prospect for $1.05 million, and went on to produce Preakness Stakes winner and future Kentucky stallion Journalism.

The cross between Uncle Mo and Bernardini mares has produced 10 percent stakes winners from starters, which is a higher percentage than the Uncle Mo line with other mares (8%) and the Bernardini broodmare sire line with other sires (6%), further displaying its capability to get top runners.

Uncle Mo is one of the most proven sources of sire power in today’s North American bloodstock game, giving Hip 54 an incredible leg-up on the way to a stud deal. Sons of Uncle Mo that stood in Kentucky during the 2026 breeding season include Arabian Knight, Caracaro, Golden Pal, Kingsbarns, Mo Donegal, Modernist, Moquest, Mo Town, Nyquist, and Yaupon. Among that group, Nyquist and Yaupon have earned titles as leading freshman sire, and Golden Pal currently leads the way by earnings in this year’s freshman race.

Second dam Rachel Alexandra is one of the great names in the sport, earning the Eclipse Award as 2009 Horse of the Year on the strength of a campaign highlighted by Grade 1 victories against the boys in the Preakness Stakes and Haskell Stakes, and against older males in the G1 Woodward Stakes. However, her success was no fluke on her page, being a sibling to three other black-type earners, including graded-placed Gladys and Dolphus, all out of the Grade 2-placed stakes winner Lotta Kim.

The race records for both Uncle Mo and Rachel’s Valentina suggest this colt will be well-suited to race as a 2-year-old, with Uncle Mo earning the Eclipse as champion 2-year-old male of 2010 and going on to set the record for freshman-sired earnings, led by his own champion juvenile Nyquist. Rachel’s Valentina was an imposing runner at two, winning her debut at Saratoga Race Course by two lengths, then taking the G1 Spinaway Stakes before finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

On Tuesday, Taylor Made will offer Hip 129, a Not This Time colt out of the Pioneerof the Nile mare Way Too Pretty with a page swimming in high-level black type.

Not This Time is having a career season in 2026, currently leading the North American general sire list by earnings. If he finishes the year on top, he’ll become the first horse to best perennial leader Into Mischief since 2018.

This is the first mating between Way Too Pretty and a Storm Cat-line stallion. Crossing Not This Time with the Empire Maker line (sire of Pioneerof the Nile) has produced Grade 2 winner Gigante, who sold as a horse of racing age for $610,000 in a Fasig-Tipton Digital flash sale. The direct cross with Not This Time over a Pioneerof the Nile mare has given us stakes winner Excellent Timing.

Not This Time has shown an incredible propensity for getting stakes horses, with 9% stakes winners from foals of racing age. Though the sample size for the Not This Time/Pioneerof the Nile cross is small, given Not This Time’s relatively early point in his stud career, the 14% stakes winners produced from it is hard to ignore, especially considering the Pioneerof the Nile broodmare sire line produces 5% stakes winners with all other sires.

Not This Time, a graded stakes winner at age two, is already laying the foundation as an elite sire of sires, with sons standing in Kentucky including Cogburn, Epicenter, Goal Oriented, and Up to the Mark.

The page on Hip 129 has the kind of sire power that will make him an enticing stallion prospect with some notable wins added to his resume. The list of stallions under his female family includes Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Not For Love, Bluegrass Cat, Girolamo, Brethren, Cyrus Alexander, and Accelerator.

Further strengthening the notion that Hip 129 will be able to pass on the successful genes offered by his family is the fact that his second through sixth dams are all Grade 1 producers, reaching back through a rich Phipps family-shaped pedigree.

Hips 54 and 129 are offered by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, from Barn 7B at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

For Alvarado, that horse was Cody’s Wish, the top-class miler who established an unforgettable bond with namesake Cody Dorman before he even set foot on the racetrack. Together, Alvarado and Cody’s Wish won seven graded stakes races, including two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2022 and 2023, en route to a Horse of the Year title in 2023.

“It was so many things that I learned, so many things that I understand to be appreciative every day,” Alvarado said. “He was the one that really taught me a lot of lessons, from the first time I rode him until the last time I rode him. There wasn’t one time that I rode him that I didn’t get to understand and learn something about him. It was almost like a life teaching lesson from him.”

Cody’s Wish finished his career with 11 wins in 16 starts for earnings of $3,106,030.

The 8-year-old son of Curlin was retired to Darley America in Lexington, Ky., for the 2024 breeding season, and his first foals are yearlings of 2026. He was among the most popular sires in the country during his debut season at stud, covering 165 mares, and his first yearling at auction hammered for a solid $220,000 earlier this month at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Yearling Sale.

As for Alvarado, he continued to have monumental success wearing the Godolphin blue after Cody’s Wish headed to stud, piloting dual classic winner and 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty. The latter colt’s success made Alvarado the first-call jockey for the winner of the golden Eclipse Award in two of the past three years.

Ahead of last Saturday’s Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Stakes, Eclipse Award winner Immersive was accompanied by outrider Lee Lockwood and his horse LM Jokester in the Churchill Downs paddock, providing the 4-year-old filly company as she circled the walking ring, and standing beside her in the stall as she was saddled.

This was far from a new development for Immersive, but trainer Brad Cox credited the emotional support that the pony horse provided in helping the daughter of Nyquist find the focus to perform on the racetrack.

“She’s been better with the pony escorting her over, and then the outriders help us here in the paddock,” the trainer said after the race. “It just kind of keeps her calm. She does get a little warm, but not over the top, not boiling hot or anything.”

Cox said the decision to buddy Immersive up with a pony horse in the saddling enclosure sprang from last summer’s G1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course, where the trainer surmised that the filly might have left some of her race behind with her antics in the paddock, en route to a second-place finish.

The plan worked on Saturday, with Immersive scrapping for the early lead under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., then briefly conceding the advantage by a head to post-time favorite Shred the Gnar before turning back that foe and holding off a late charge by Regaled to win by three-quarters of a length.

It was the sixth win in 10 career starts for the Godolphin homebred, but most importantly, it was the filly’s first graded stakes triumph since the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, a win that secured her the Eclipse Award as that season’s champion 2-year-old female. Immersive has never finished worse than second in her career, and she tallied a victory in last year’s listed Seneca Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs, but a graded score had eluded her for a year and a half.

After the race, Cox jokingly said he owed outrider Lockwood for his role in getting Immersive back on the winning side.

“I’ve gotta get a half-dozen donuts for him tomorrow morning,” the trainer said with a chuckle.

The Sovereign Award-winning conditioner shared the tale of the horse that taught him the most about life, and the unique bond he had with the Canadian champion sprinter, as part of an exclusive video Q&A on the Paulick Report Insider Patreon.

Attard hails from a deep family of successful Canadian horsepeople, including his trainer father Tino Attard, and Canadian Hall of Fame-enshrined uncles Larry Attard (a jockey), and Sid Attard (a trainer).

He has forged his own path as one of the country’s best conditioners, winning three of the past four runnings of the King’s Plate, with Moira (2022), Caitlinhergrtness (2024), and Mansetti (2025). He has also won three runnings of the Prince of Wales Stakes.

Outside of the Canadian Triple Crown, his top runners are Grade 1 winners Starship Jubilee and Moira. The latter gave Attard his first Breeders’ Cup winner in 2024, when she took the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She then went on to sell for $4.3 million a couple days later at the Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Other questions Attard answered in Part 2 of our chat include:

• How does Attard figure out a horse’s running style before they enter the starting gate for a race?
• How does a trainer set their day rate?
• How does Attard set up the feed program for his horses, and does it change between summer and winter racing at Woodbine?
• And more!

Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers have access to a growing archive of video Q&A interviews with the likes of jockeys Junior Alvarado, Frankie Dettori, Emma-Jayne Wilson, Pietro Moran, and Sahin Civaci, trainers Gary Contessa, Roger Attfield, and Kevin Attard, on-air personality Maggie Wolfendale, announcers Frank Mirahmadi and Robert Geller, Harlan Malter of Ironhorse Racing Stable, and Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy.

Don’t miss a single video, or a chance to ask questions ahead of future interviews, by becoming a Paulick Report Insider here.

For Woodbine-based jockey Pietro Moran, a pleasant surprise led him into the winner’s circle of the King’s Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. Moran shared that story with the Paulick Report as part of an exclusive video Q&A, which can be viewed in full on the Paulick Report Insider Patreon feed.

The son of veteran jockey David Moran, Pietro Moran has already forged his own path in the sport, earning both the Eclipse and Sovereign Awards as champion apprentice jockey of 2025, after being a finalist for the apprentice Sovereign the prior year.

Since debuting in September 2023, Moran has tallied 241 wins, including 11 stakes victories. He earned his first graded stakes triumph in the 2023 G3 Belle Mahone Stakes at Woodbine aboard Fashionably Fab.

His most notable pairing has been with 2025 Canadian Horse of the Year Mansetti, who he piloted to wins in last year’s King’s Plate and G3 Marine Stakes. At 20 years old, Moran became the youngest rider to win the King’s Plate since 1976. The Plate was the highlight of the marathon Woodbine meet for Moran, who finished second in the track’s jockey standings by wins and earnings in 2025.

Among the other questions Moran tackled in our chat are:

• What is the difference between racing over Woodbine’s inner and outer turf courses, and how does he change his timing and riding style for each?
• Which horse taught Moran the most about life?
• Though he was raised in a jockey’s family, what was something Moran learned about the job only after he started doing it?
• And more!

Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers have access to a growing archive of video Q&A interviews with the likes of jockeys Junior Alvarado, Frankie Dettori, Emma-Jayne Wilson, and Sahin Civaci, trainers Gary Contessa, Roger Attfield, and Kevin Attard, on-air personality Maggie Wolfendale, announcers Frank Mirahmadi and Robert Geller, Harlan Malter of Ironhorse Racing Stable, and Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy.

Don’t miss a single video, or a chance to ask questions ahead of future interviews, by becoming a Paulick Report Insider here.

This time around, we’ll look at the top sellers by each of Spendthrift’s freshmen during the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale.

Spendthrift Farm has four freshman stallions whose first runners will see the track later this year: Cyberknife, Greatest Honour, Jackie’s Warrior, and Mo Donegal.

To view the full rundown of offerings by each of Spendthrift’s rookie sires during the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale, click here.

Cyberknife

Multiple Grade 1 winner Cyberknife’s top offering of the Midlantic sale went through the ring on Tuesday, when Case Clay Thoroughbred Management went to $350,000 to secure Hip 458.

The bay colt is the second foal out of the stakes-placed Native Ruler mare Runfastandloud.

Bred in New York by The New Hill Farm, the colt hails from the family of champion Storm Song, Singapore champion Better Life, Turkish Champion The Last Romance, multiple Group 1 winner Order of St. George, and Kentucky Derby starters Trojan Nation and Uncle Sigh.

Wavertree Stables consigned Hip 458, executing a successful pinhook after the colt sold for $150,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Greatest Honour

Multiple graded stakes winner Greatest Honour’s standout of the Midlantic sale came late during Tuesday’s session, when Hip 555 sold to Legion Bloodstock, as agent for Front Page Equestrian, for $325,000.

The bay colt is the second foal out of the unraced Into Mischief mare That’s My Chocolate, herself a daughter of Grade 2 winner Ahh Chocolate.

Bred in Kentucky by Nossab Farm, Jan Basson, and Jalyne Basson, the colt also hails from the family of Grade 3 winners Rahystrada and Lone Star Sky.

Hip 555 was consigned by Pick View, and it marked a strong pinhook, after the colt was purchased for $50,000 at last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. October Yearling Sale.

Jackie’s Warrior

The top two juveniles by champion sprinter Jackie’s Warrior – and of all the Spendthrift freshmen – at the 2026 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale both brought $750,000: Hip 79, a filly who sold Monday to Legion/Gracie, agent, and Hip 581, a colt who sold Tuesday to Case Clay Thoroughbred Management.

Hip 79 is out of the stakes-placed Mr. Greeley mare Boodles, whose four winners from seven foals to race include U.A.E. Group 3 winner Market Rally and Grade 3-placed multiple stakes winner Watchyourownbobber.

Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent, Hip 79 hails from the family of Canadian champions A Fleets Dancer and Bessarabian and multiple Grade 1-placed The Barking Shark.

Bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables, the filly initially sold as a weanling for $150,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She sold the following year for $275,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, making her a strong economic driver at every stop on the road.

Hip 581 is out of stakes-placed Pure Prize mare Vagabond Princess. Bred in Kentucky by Barry Fowler, Mark Taylor, Brad McNulty, William Sparks, and Kathy Houlihan, the colt comes from the family of Grade 3 winners Quick Tip and Come Summer.

The colt was consigned by Camelot Acres Racing & Sales at the Midlantic auction, after selling for $80,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

Mo Donegal

Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal was led at the Midlantic sale by Hip 142, a colt who sold to Speedway Stables on Monday for $560,000.

The bay colt is the second foal out of the placed Bernardini mare Crack of Dawn.

Bred in Kentucky by Landen Sisk and Hannah Harward, Hip 142’s page features Grade 1-placed runner Ulises and Grade 2-placed stakes winner Sister Dawn.

The colt hailed from the consignment of Paul Sharp at the Midlantic sale, but it was his third trip through the auction ring. He sold for $130,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale, making Monday’s transaction a successful pinhook.

In her earlier races, the daughter of Ghostzapper developed a reputation for erratic behavior in the paddock that led her to being handled with kid gloves until it was time to hand her off to her lead pony.

When she got locked in, though, she was one of North America’s most imposing competitors, with marquee wins including the 2022 Queen’s Plate and the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She was named Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2022, and she earned the Eclipse Award as North America’s champion turf female in 2024.

Moira’s success was the result of diligent work from the team of trainer Kevin Attard, and the Sovereign Award-winning conditioner explained what went into that process as part of an exclusive reader Q&A video on the Paulick Report Insider Patreon.

Attard hails from a deep family of successful Canadian horsepeople, including his trainer father Tino Attard, and Canadian Hall of Fame-enshrined uncles Larry Attard (a jockey), and Sid Attard (a trainer).

He has forged his own path as one of the country’s best conditioners, winning three of the past four runnings of the King’s Plate, with Moira (2022), Caitlinhergrtness (2024), and Mansetti (2025). He has also won three runnings of the Prince of Wales Stakes.

Outside of the Canadian Triple Crown, his top runners are Grade 1 winners Starship Jubilee and Moira. The latter gave Attard his first Breeders’ Cup winner in 2024, when she took the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She then went on to sell for $4.3 million a couple days later at the Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Among the other questions Attard answered in Part 1 of our discussion include:

• How does Attard plan to adapt to Belmont Park’s new Tapeta track and the Empire Trillium Series between Belmont and Woodbine?
• Does Attard plan on expanding his presence on the U.S. side of the border?
• What is the best way for someone looking to learn about Thoroughbred conformation to gain that knowledge?
• And more!

Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers have access to a growing archive of video Q&A interviews with the likes of jockeys Junior Alvarado, Frankie Dettori, Emma-Jayne Wilson, and Sahin Civaci, trainers Gary Contessa and Roger Attfield, on-air personality Maggie Wolfendale, announcers Frank Mirahmadi and Robert Geller, Harlan Malter of Ironhorse Racing Stable, and Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy.

Don’t miss a single video, or a chance to ask questions ahead of future interviews, by becoming a Paulick Report Insider here.

In addition to breeze videos of the fastest workers and highest sellers by each of Spendthrift’s rookie sires, we’ll also spotlight one horse of note by each of the freshmen.

This time around, we’ll look at the top sellers by each of Spendthrift’s freshmen during the second half of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. Spring 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale.

Spendthrift Farm has four freshman stallions whose first runners will see the track later this year: Cyberknife, Greatest Honour, Jackie’s Warrior, and Mo Donegal.

To view the fastest breeze horses by each of the four stallions during the first half of the OBS Spring under-tack show, click here.

Cyberknife

Multiple Grade 1 winner Cyberknife’s top horse during the closing sessions of the OBS Spring Sale was Hip 735, a colt who sold to Amanda Gillman, agent, for $100,000.

The dark bay or brown colt is out of the placed Rockport Harbor mare Double Harbor, whose six winners from seven foals to race is led by stakes winner Sky Writer.

Hip 735 breezed an eighth in :10 3/5 seconds during the under-tack show for consignor S B M Training and Sales. The colt was a $35,000 buy out of last year’s Keeneland September Yearling sale, making for a solid return on investment.

Bred in Kentucky by Deann Baer & Greg Baer, the colt comes from the family of Canadian champion Giboulee, Italian Group 3 winner Sierra Star, and Grade 2-placed stakes winner Jet Freighter.

Greatest Honour

The second-half leader for multiple graded stakes winner Greatest Honour was Hip 1038, a filly who sold to bloodstock agent Dennis O’Neill for $90,000.

The bay filly is out of the unraced Indian Charlie mare Little Brave, whose one winner from two foals to race is the six-figure earner October Bliss.

Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, agent, the filly breezed a quarter-mile in :21 1/5 during the auction’s under-tack show. McCrocklin initially purchased the filly for $65,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale.

Hip 1038 is a New York-bred from the program of Dr. John and Laura McDermott, hailing from the family of Grade 2 winner Red Rifle, and graded-placed runners May Night and Dr. Nick.

Related: Spendthrift Rookie Combine: Jackie’s Warrior Filly Stars In First Half Of OBS Spring Breeze Show

Related: Spendthrift Rookie Combine: Mo Donegal Colt Stars In Second Half Of OBS Spring Under Tack Show

Related: Spendthrift Rookie Combine: Juveniles By Cyberknife, Jackie’s Warrior Hit Seven Figures At Halftime Of OBS Spring Sale

Jackie’s Warrior

Champion sprinter Jackie’s Warrior’s second two sessions were led by Hip 671, a colt who sold to Kimmel/Sallusto, agent for $250,000.

The bay colt is out of the stakes-winning Spanish Steps mare Conway Two Step, whose five winners from nine foals to race is led by Grade 3 winner Naughty Gal.

The colt covered an eighth in :10-flat for consignor Top Line Sales, agent. He was a $125,000 purchase out of last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Bred in Kentucky by Loren Nichols, Hip 671 comes from the family of multiple Grade 1 winner Miss Temple City and Grade 3 winner Pricedtoperfection.

Mo Donegal

The most expensive overall offering of this year’s sale by Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal came during the second half of the sale, when Stud W. D. secured Hip 853 for $500,000.

The dark bay or brown colt is out of the unraced Arch mare Golden Finale, who is the dam of two winners from three foals to race.

Hip 853 worked an eighth in :10-flat for consignor Wavertree Stables during the under-tack show. He was an $85,000 purchase out of last year’s Keeneland September sale, making for a home-run pinhook.

The colt was bred in Kentucky by Farfellow Farms, and he hails from a family that’s deep-rooted in success, led by two-time champion sprinter Elite Power. Other notable names on the page include Grade 1 winner Dialed In, Grade 2 winner Broadway’s Alibi, Grade 3 winner Golden Lad, and Grade 1-placed stakes winner R Gypsy Gold.

In addition to breeze videos of the fastest workers and highest sellers by each of Spendthrift’s rookie sires, we’ll also spotlight horses of note by each of the freshmen.

This time around, we’ll examine the fastest horses during the final three sessions of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. Spring 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale’s under tack show.

Spendthrift Farm has four freshman stallions whose first runners will see the track this year: Cyberknife, Greatest Honour, Jackie’s Warrior, and Mo Donegal.

Cyberknife

Grade 1 winner Cyberknife’s second-half workers were led by Hip 1137, a chestnut colt who checked in at :10-flat.

Bred in Florida by Rustlewood Farm, Hip 1137 is the first foal out of the winning Uncle Mo mare Mo Bonita, hailing from the family of Grade 3 winner Grab the Prize.

The colt is consigned by S G V Thoroughbreds, which purchased him for $12,000 at last year’s OBS October Yearling Sale.

Cyberknife, a son of Gun Runner, has 33 horses cataloged to the OBS Spring Sale.

Greatest Honour

A pair of juveniles tied for the fastest time among multiple graded stakes winner Greatest Honour’s second-half breeze show horses.

Hip 771 is a dark bay or brown colt out of the winning Noble’s Promise mare Entrusted. The Indiana-bred comes from the family of Grade 3-placed Mor Chances and stakes winners Tenmor, Winmor Miss, and Ofelia Girl. Cardozo’s Brothers consigns the colt, as agent.

Hip 930, a bay filly, is the first foal out of the winning Pioneerof the Nile mare I Got a Gal. A member of the Grassroots Training & Sales consignment, her page features recent G1 Blue Grass Stakes winner and Kentucky Derby contender Further Ado, Grade 1 winner Dream Dancing, and U.A.E. Group 2 winner Kimbear.

Greatest Honour, a son of Tapit, has five horses from his debut crop cataloged in the OBS Spring sale.

Jackie’s Warrior

Champion sprinter Jackie’s Warrior’s fastest juveniles included Hip 889, a colt who zipped a quarter-mile in 20 4/5 seconds.

Out of the multiple Grade 3-placed City Zip mare Heavenly Hill, Hip 889 is a sibling to one winner from as many foals to race out of the dam. Grade 3 winners Pleasant Hill and Digital Dan can be found on his page.

The colt was bred in Florida by Angela M. Ingenito, and he sold to Tom McCrocklin for $150,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale. McCrocklin consigns the colt, as agent, during the upcoming sale.

Jackie’s Warrior, a son of Maclean’s Music is represented by 21 horses in the OBS Spring catalog.

Mo Donegal

The second-half breeze show horses for Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal were led by Hip 734, who zipped an eighth in 9.4 seconds.

Consigned by Britton Peak, agent, the bay colt is out of the placed Bernardini mare Double Chocolate, who is herself a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Ready Intaglio and stakes-placed Mama Said No.

Going further down the page reveals champion sprinter Ce Ce, Grade 1-winning third dam Miss Houdini, Grade 2 winner Papa Clem, and Grade 3 winner Hot Springs.

Bred in Kentucky by Repole Stable, the colt was a $35,000 purchase at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Mo Donegal, a son of Uncle Mo, has 21 juveniles cataloged in this year’s OBS Spring Sale.

Zulu Kingdom ($12.08) got away to a three-length lead in mid-stretch and was able to hold off One Stripe (9-1) by three-quarters of a length for the victory. Two other Grade 1 winners in the field struggled with significant traffic: even-money favorite Notable Speech, who ultimately finished fourth, and 5-2 chance Rhetorical, who had to settle for third.

Zulu Kingdom is owned by Madaket Stables (Sol Kumin), Michael Dubb, William Strauss, and Michael J. Caruso.

For Brown, it was his 174th victory in a Grade 1 race. Brown’s late mentor, Robert Frankel, won 3,654 career races, including 171 Grade 1’s. The only trainers with more Grade 1 wins are Bob Baffert (266), D. Wayne Lukas (222), and Todd Pletcher (211). Brown ranks 41st all-time in wins among trainers, according to Equibase. He’s fifth all-time by money won, with over $334 million in earnings since he began his career in 2007.

Though Zulu Kingdom came from just off the pace in his first Grade 1 win (last May’s American Turf at Churchill Downs), Prat said the fact that Zulu Kingdom was running off an eight-month layoff allowed him to be much sharper out of the gate.

“When I saw the (six) scratches this morning, it sure changed the dynamic of the race,” Prat said. “He’s very naturally fast, so (making the lead going into the first turn) was one of the options for sure. He was very brave. Honestly, I felt very comfortable on the lead. He gave me a good run when we turned for home. Obviously, he hadn’t run for a while, so I knew he was going to be tired late, so I kept him busy, and his talent showed.”

Zulu Kingdom easily made the lead after the break, setting fractions of :23.89 and :47.71. Aomori City broke in the air after being a bit fractious in the gate, but rushed up five-wide to pressure the frontrunner around the clubhouse turn. Rhetorical, also nervous in the gate prior to the start, was along the rail in third, while Notable Speech and One Stripe were at the back of the compact field of seven.

The order remained largely unchanged until the top of the stretch, when Prat set down Zulu Kingdom for the final drive to the wire. The ridgling responded well and kicked clear, getting the jump as Notable Speech couldn’t find a seam between horses, and Rhetorical was stuck along the rail.

One Stripe charged up the rail late to gain the place over Rhetorical, while Notable Speech only found running room in the final 100 yards and had to settle for fourth.

Bred in Ireland by Ecurie Peregrine SAS, Zulu Kingdom is out of the winning Smart Strike mare Zindziswa. He broke his maiden on debut as a juvenile in France, then made his way to the U.S. and won back-to-back graded stakes in New York under Brown’s tutelage. Following a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup, Zulu Kingdom returned as a sophomore to win three straight races, including the G1 American Turf and G3 Manila, before finishing the season with a fourth-place effort in the G2 Hall of Fame.

Overall, Zulu Kingdom has won seven of his nine career starts for earnings of over $1.2 million.

Quotes From Other Connections:

John Velazquez (rider of runner-up One Stripe): “Not the trip that I was expecting, but I feel like I ran a good race. I was hoping to be a little closer than that. But I’m proud of him today.”

Will Walden (trainer of third-place finisher Rhetorical): “He had a pretty good trip through and through. Good first run off the (five-month layoff). With the (slow) pace with this caliber of horses, it is tough to get by (the pacesetter.) He ran home well. The long-range goal is Breeders’ Cup (at Keeneland Oct. 30-31), so we will pencil everything in around that.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. (rider of Rhetorical): “I wish I had a little more pace in front of me, but I didn’t. I just rode my race. I got a good trip. I was inside, saving ground, keeping an eye on the stretch. Just not his race.”

Charlie Appleby (trainer of favorite and fourth-place finisher Notable Speech): “That’s racing. We had plenty of traffic in front of us. We could never get the run. We will just put a line through (the race) and do what we did with Modern Games (IRE) (Woodbine for the Rogers Mile-G1 in September) and then the Breeders’ Cup (at Keeneland Oct. 30-31).

William Buick (rider of Notable Speech): “I just got stuck behind horses and it never really opened up until it was too late. He closed very well. It was a very unlucky loss.”

As one of three horses in last year’s competition that competed in the Kentucky Derby during their on-track lives, Dynamic One was naturally going to attract more attention than the typical Makeover horse, but the Union Rags gelding’s status as one of the event’s headliners was a result of drawing a little from each of those bowls.

Dynamic One raced as a homebred for Phipps Stable, who stayed in as a partner on the horse after he sold to Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable for $725,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

He was placed in the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher, and he needed a bit of time to get rolling, graduating in his fourth start in March of his 3-year-old season. It was a 5 1/4-length victory, which justifiably got the connections thinking about the classics, but with the Kentucky Derby less than two months away, the window to qualify would be narrow.

He got what he needed out of his graded stakes debut, caught at the wire to finish second by a head to Bourbonic in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes to net enough points for a stall in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.

Dynamic One was paired with jockey Jose Ortiz in the Derby, where he left the gate at odds of 45-1 – the third-highest in the 19-horse field. He was bothered out of the gate by Midnight Bourbon making a hard right with his first jumps, and he never settled after the contact, sitting in last after the opening mile and gaining just one position at the wire. However, he was elevated from 18th to 17th following the disqualification of first-past-the-wire Medina Spirit for a positive drug test.

That was the lone Triple Crown start for Dynamic One, who regrouped for a summer campaign at Saratoga, where he earned his first stakes win in the listed Curlin Stakes, then finished last of seven in the G1 Travers Stakes.

Dynamic One found his footing a step lower on the ladder during his 4-year-old season, and he picked up steam in the summer with wins in the listed Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs and the G2 Suburban Stakes at Belmont Park. He hit his ceiling once again when he finished an uncompetitive sixth in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup to end his season.

It was over a year until Dynamic One would make his next start after the 2022 Jockey Club Gold Cup, reemerging in a Gulfstream Park allowance optional claiming race in December 2023 as a prep for the 2024 G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes. Both of those starts were out-of-the-money efforts, as were his final two starts in Grade 3 competition.

After finishing fifth in the G3 Ben Ali Stakes, Dynamic One was cataloged in the 2024 Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale, where owner Daisy Phipps Pulito of Phipps Stable and St. Elias teamed up to buy the horse from the partnership with a $100,000 private purchase after he failed to meet his reserve in the ring.

Phipps Pulito said the plan going into the sale was to purchase and retire Dynamic One if he did not meet his reserve. 

“Phipps Stable bred him and sold him,” she told the Paulick Report after the sale. “We were lucky enough to be able to stay in and enjoy him racing. He gave my family a lot of memories and enjoyment watching him run and rooting for him. I think everyone from owners, breeders, and trainers, exercise riders, bloodstock agents, and grooms should be good stewards of the industry, its history, and its future. Dynamic One doesn’t owe us anything, but we owe him a good retirement.”

Dynamic One was gelded and retired to New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program in Lexington, Ky., to let down from his racing career and begin his retraining toward a second career.

That’s where he first met Madison Thompson, a teenaged rider based in Lexington with a background in eventing who was interning at New Vocations.

“Ironically enough, I ended up putting his first ride on him at New Vocations, and I didn’t know he was a Derby horse,” Thompson said. “I ride lots of horses there, so I was like, ‘Okay, first ride on a horse, cool.’ And then I noticed everybody’s gathering around and I was like, ‘What’s going on guys?’ And they tell me he’s a Derby horse.

“I remember he just floated, and I was stunned with how well he moved,” she continued. “I went across the diagonal at a canter, and he had a beautiful lead change, and a lot of the really good racehorses tend to do that, so that was pretty cool.”

It was a positive first impression, but Dynamic One retired to New Vocations with the fanfare befitting a horse with his pedigree and race record. Logic would dictate there would be no shortage of potential buyers lining up at New Vocations to own a horse like him. Thompson liked the horse, but she expected someone else would be his full-time partner.

She wasn’t aware, though, what was happening behind the scenes while she was in the saddle.

“I had ridden him several times and really just fell in love with him, so my mom actually ended up applying for me to get him and I had no idea,” Thompson said. “I was really surprised I got accepted, and I came home from school one day and he was in my barn. It was quite a surprise, but I was so thrilled nonetheless.”

The Thoroughbred Makeover is a competition held each October in Lexington, Ky., showcasing retired racehorses in a variety of disciplines, displaying how quickly a horse can adapt to a new job after life on the racetrack. The window for Makeover eligibility is generally about a year and a half after a horse’s final race or registered workout, so Thompson and Dynamic One had ample time between their official pairing in August 2024 and the following year’s Makeover in October 2025.

Thompson nicknamed her new partner “Dyno,” or sometimes “The Dinosaur,” and she gradually got him acclimated to the skills necessary to succeed in eventing through the rest of 2024.

Eventing at the Makeover is a two-part discipline, in which competitors are first judged in a dressage portion. Later, the horse and rider go through a round of jumps, including a handful of show jump fences preceding a cross-country course that includes different terrain and water hazards, in addition to more jumps. In addition to clearing the obstacles in the second portion, the horse and rider are judged for form and horsemanship throughout the course.

Thompson said Dynamic One’s versatility made him an ideal candidate for eventing, though dressage was his best phase of the three. Because of that, she also entered Dynamic One in the dressage-only portion of the Makeover, which is a common play for eventers at the competition.

“We’ve been working on eventing since we got him,” Thompson said before the Makeover. “I have really only done eventing my whole life, and he makes a really good eventer. He has the brain for it on cross country. He has athleticism with the speed, and he’s very aware of what he’s doing. On course, I never have to remind him that there’s a job at hand. He is a very competitive horse.”

Thompson has documented her journey with Dynamic One through her Instagram account, marking their first horse trial at the Kentucky Horse Park in June of last year. The two took a major step a month later when Thompson donned Phipps Stable’s black silks and cherry red cap to the Real Rider Cup, an event where notable Thoroughbred industry figures ride off-track Thoroughbreds in a cross-country show jumping event while also fundraising for donations toward aftercare.

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Though the challenge was ramping up as the Makeover approached, Thompson said she was careful not to turn the screws too tight on Dynamic One.

“I feel like a soft horse and a happy horse will always end up building that partnership, and having really fun days as well,” she said. “I’ll throw on just a saddle pad and a rope halter and we’ll go on a hack and we’ll pop over a few jumps, and I feel like that really strengthens our partnership as a team. That definitely translates to the ring.”

Keeping things light, Thompson said, played into Dynamic One’s personality. Beyond the chestnut’s clear athletic ability, the rider thought her horse was a good hang. That’s not always a necessary element for success in any given equine endeavor, but it can make the days a lot easier.

“He’s just quite a goober,” she said with a chuckle.

Thompson then drew attention to a downward-facing triangle-shaped white spot between the gelding’s nostrils.

“I really like this part on his nose,” she said. “Most people don’t see it. It’s like a little white mark, and I call it his boops, and so he always gets his boops all the time, and he gets all the treats. He has another red friend who is actually a Maria’s Mon, and he was a nice old racehorse, so that’s his friend right now. He teaches him the ways of being a normal horse.”

Dynamic One and Thompson saw their biggest success in the dressage discipline at the Makeover, just missing the 10-horse cutoff for the championship round with an 11th-place finish among 82 competitors. However, Thompson was the highest-finishing junior rider in the discipline among the 12 competitors aged 12 to 18.

Thompson was also the top junior rider in the eventing discipline, where she and Dynamic One finished 25th of 42. The duo were in the hunt after the dressage round, but they took down a handful of rails during the jumps portion that cost them some positioning.

Though the Makeover was a big part of the journey for Thompson and Dynamic One, it was far from the final destination. The two continued to show for the rest of the season before the gelding got some time off, including a trip to Aiken, S.C.

During their time in the state, the pair ventured out to Hunting Island State Park near Beaufort, S.C., where they strode through the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

Now, the two are back in Kentucky getting ready to climb the ladder in the eventing world.

“I think he has a lot of potential to become an upper-level eventer,” Thompson said before her Makeover ride last October. “I think we’ll do our first training [level competitions] next year (in 2026), so that’ll be exciting, but he’s definitely meant for eventing. If I’d have to say, ‘Come up with a perfect event horse,’ I’d say it it’d be him.”

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For Cox, the key is that Further Ado can both show speed and relax: “He’s able to break, put himself in a race, then relax,” the trainer said. “We kind of put a plan together with him last fall after he won here, to run him at Churchill and have two races leading up to what we hoped would get him to the (Kentucky) Derby (G1), and it worked out. It’s always nice when a plan works out because most of the time it doesn’t.”

Further Ado broke his maiden at Keeneland last fall by 20 lengths before winning the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. He returned with a second-place finish to The Puma in the G3 Tampa Bay Derby, and the Blue Grass win improves his career record to three wins, a second, and a third from six starts for earnings of $1,146,328.

“Well, the first thing we wish is that the [Kentucky] Derby was here at Keeneland,” joked winning owner Eric Gustavson. “Obviously you’re taking all the best of the best a month from now, going up against them, but we’re among them now, and maybe we belong, it seems, where maybe there was a question mark there. But right now we just want to celebrate this one. This is pretty sweet.”

Sent off as the 4-5 favorite in the field of seven starters, Further Ado was three-wide around the clubhouse turn in a joint third position. Great White and Creole Chrome traded blows on the front end through fractions of :23.60 and :47.71, while Ortiz kept Further Ado in the clear on the outside of Reagan’s Honor and Talkin.

Further Ado needed a bit of a reminder to jump back into the race near the half-mile pole, but once Ortiz asked the question, the colt responded easily. Still three-wide, Further Ado inhaled the leaders at the top of the stretch and then pulled away. Ortiz kept him to task all the way through the wire, and despite swapping leads late, Further Ado was 11 lengths ahead of runner-up Ottinho (Flavien Prat). Talkin (Joel Rosario) checked in third, and Creole Chrome (Tyler Gaffalione) was fourth. Great White, Reagan’s Honor, and Moonstrocity completed the order of finish.

The win earned Further Ado 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, bringing his total to 135, good for second on the leaderboard. Ortiz is also the regular rider of Renegade, winner of last weekend’s G1 Arkansas Derby for Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole, who is currently ranked third on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 125 points.

Ortiz said of Further Ado: “After we passed the half-mile pole, I put my hands down and he kind of slowed down himself, so I woke him up a little bit and then he started going. I said, ‘All right, I don’t want to be in your way, so do your thing,’ and that was it. He was very impressive the way he does things. He’s a light mover, a really nice horse. I’m just happy to sit on these kind of horses. Thanks to (trainer) Brad Cox and the owner (Spendthrift Farm) for giving me the opportunity.”

The victory capped off a hat trick for Cox and Ortiz, who each won three races on the program, including a Grade 1 victory together in the Madison with Eclatant.

Bred in Kentucky by John Oxley, Further Ado is out of the graded stakes-placed Sky Mesa mare Sky Dreamer. He was a $275,000 yearling buy at the Keeneland September sale, and Spendthrift purchased him for a final bid of $550,000 at the OBS April 2-year-old sale.

Runner-up Ottinho earned 50 points, bringing his total to 56 points, good for a spot in the top 20 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. The lightly-raced half-brother to champion Gun Runner is trained by Chad Brown on behalf of Three Chimneys Farm.

“He had an outside draw and he didn’t have much (race) experience,” said jockey Flavien Prat of Ottinho. “We just wanted to give him a good experience. He responded very well. I do think he is going to improve race after race.”

Danny Gargan, trainer of third-place finisher Talkin, said the Preakness Stakes is more likely than a wait-and-see approach to running in the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Ben Colebook said the $750,000 win “takes the sting” out of last fall’s Keeneland disappointment; Percy’s Bar crossed the wire first in the G1 Alcibiades, but was disqualified for interference in the stretch.

“I’d still probably rather have the Alcibiades too,” Colebrook joked in the winner’s circle. “She deserved it today.”

Percy’s Bar, owned by Hat Creek Racing, was sent to post as the 5-2 second choice. She settled off the early pace of French Friction before Luan Machado guided her through a narrow hole inside that rival near the head of the stretch.

“She was pretty (much) a handful all the way around there, and I was just holding her and waiting for some kind of room to let her go through,” Machado said. “As soon as she got a little bit of a chance to make it through, I just gave it all to her, and she ran right through it.”

“When she got half a seam, she was just gone,” Colebrook said. “That was impressive.”

The 3-5 favorite, Zany, took the overland route around French Friction into the lane, and had to settle for second at the wire. Star Actress finished third, and French Friction held fourth. Omaha Bay and Hollybygolly completed the order of finish. The final time for 1 1/16 miles on the main track, rated “good,” was 1:45.72.

Percy’s Bar, named for beloved late Keeneland bartender Percy Pool, was making her first start since finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Ashland win improved her Kentucky Oaks point total to 114, leaving her ranked second on the leaderboard and securing the filly’s spot in the starting gate.

The filly is the first Grade 1 winner for Machado, who was also aboard for the Alcibiades and was handed a three-day suspension for that ride.

“It means a lot after (being disqualified from a win in the Alcibiades),” Machado said. “She deserved that win.”

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, Percy’s Bar is out of the unraced Super Saver mare Honestly Deb. She was a $52,000 yearling purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September sale, and won on debut at Keeneland in April of 2025. The filly went on to win a listed stakes at Churchill in her second start, then finished second in the G1 Spinaway before her disqualification in the G1 Alcibiades. Percy’s Bar then ran a troubled third third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies before she went to the sidelines for the winter.

Percy’s Bar’s initial work of 2026 came Jan. 6 at Keeneland, but that was it for timed workouts for six weeks. Since returning to the work tab on Feb. 17, Percy’s Bar has had five drills.

Colebrook said he had to spread the works out since she was putting so much into them.

“She has turned the right way going from 2 to 3 and she has a lot more muscle,” he said.

Including the Ashland win, Percy’s Bar now has a record of 3-2-1 from six starts for earnings of over $1 million.

Zany, the previously undefeated daughter of American Pharoah trained by Todd Pletcher, now has 80 points on the road to the Kentucky Oaks.

“I thought she ran very well,” Pletcher said. “She was closing well at the end. We just didn’t have time going to the first wire to get up in time. But I liked the way she finished, I liked the way she was gaining at the end, I liked the way she galloped out. She got a good education in it, got a lot of kickback, got some cover, a lot of things that I think will help her at Churchill (for the Kentucky Oaks).”

In that span, the English native racked up an incredible list of achievements, including seven Sovereign Awards as Canada’s outstanding trainer. He won 20 Canadian Triple Crown races and has trained three of the 12 horses to ever sweep the Canadian Triple Crown: With Approval in 1989, Izvestia in 1990, and Peteski in 1993. Furthermore, he’s had six Canadian Horses of the Year under his shedrow.

In addition to his on-track accomplishments, Attfield earned widespread respect for his horsemanship, honed in the years before he entered racing as an international-level equestrian competitor. He later transitioned to becoming a trainer of show jumpers before eventually moving to racehorses.

A career that expansive gave Attfield plenty to reflect on when we filmed an exclusive video Q&A with the trainer during last year’s opening weekend at Woodbine, which can be viewed in full on the Paulick Report Insider Patreon. (Part 1) (Part 2)

Among the questions we asked Attfield during our chat was about the quirkiest horse he ever trained. Not every one of the numerous horses that passed through his barn has been a perfect student, and though he has taken many adaptive measures to help keep his horses content and relaxed, there will inevitably still be some problem horses.

The one that stuck out in Attfield’s memory, though, was one of his greatest successes, both in training and on race day.

Perfect Shirl did not race as a 2-year-old after struggling mightly with settling herself in the starting gate. It took a few starts for her to find her footing once she finally conquered the gate, but once she got dialed in, she became a graded stakes-level performer. The hard work put in during those early gate sessions saw their biggest payoff in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, where Perfect Shirl powered home late to spring the upset at odds of 27-1.

The work put into Perfect Shirl continued to pay dividends when she retired to the breeding shed, with Attfield training each of her foals that reached the racetrack for at least part of their racing careers for owner/breeder Charles Fipke. That list included Grade 1 winner Shirl’s Speight and Grade 2 winner Ready for Shirl.

In describing his journey with Perfect Shirl, Attfield also explained his process with working with challenging fillies, displaying how the patient horsemanship he developed in other arenas survived decades later on the racetrack.

To watch the full interviews with Attfield, and many more from other notable industry figures, become a subscriber to the Paulick Report Insider Patreon feed here.

Copper Missile, a 5-year-old son of Copper Bullet, was a $30,000 claim in November of 2024. Sims won a $50,000 claiming race and a starter allowance with him, but in February 2026, the striking chestnut stepped up to win at a higher level, capturing a $102,000 allowance race at Turfway Park. The difference? Jumps.

“It’s really inspired me as a trainer that you have to let the horse take you where he wants to go,” Sims said. “There’s more to do than to train them on the track to turn left. I didn’t go out searching for this, but I’ll give it a try.”

Sims said he is definitely not a steeplechase trainer, but his wife, Paige, shows hunter/jumpers. When Copper Missle returned from a layoff in the fall of 2025 and didn’t seem as interested in training, Sims decided to take him to friend Steve Robbins’ farm in Midway for some schooling over small jumps. 

“My exercise rider, Gustav Dahl (retired Group 1-winning steeplechase jockey), always said this horse would be a good steeplechase horse,” Sims said. “Gus came out to the farm and started riding him, and he started to come back really good. We did a lot of little cavaletti and small jumps and his fitness got better, so we took him to Keeneland and worked him, and he did very well.”

Owned by Sims, his wife, and Wolfgang Kratzenberg, Copper Missile returned from a six-month layoff at Turfway in December, finishing seventh in an allowance optional claimer. He returned one month later to run third in the same condition and won at the level on Feb. 12.

Now, Sims is planning to target a 1 ½-mile turf allowance at Keeneland on April 16 before taking a walk on the wide side: Copper Missle could run over jumps at Tennessee’s Percy Warner Park on May 9!

“After his win, we bought some national steeplechase fences and started trying it,” Sims explained. “We were using jumping as a training tool, but now he really enjoys it. We claimed a second horse, Really Good (for $25,000), specifically for this program. 

“We’re trying to have fun with them and keep them fresh, but if they’re not stakes horses and you don’t want to run them down the claiming ranks, they can run back as maidens over jumps… The horse is taking us. As a trainer, I’m learning to adapt and do different things.”

Copper Missile (19-4-2-4, $295,679) and Really Good (26-4-2-5, $433,132) trained together over the national-height steeplechase fences this week, earning a big thumbs up from the team.

Sims said he’s reached out to several steeplechase trainers for advice, as well, but when he saw steeplechase horse Ethical Diamond’s success in the Breeders’ Cup Turf for trainer Willie Mullins, it gave him extra confidence. 

“After I looked at that horse’s PP’s, I said, ‘Okay, I’m not crazy,’” Sims said, laughing. “We kind of fell into using jumping as a tool for cross-training, and now it’s turned into these horses can run on the flats and over the jumps.”

Whether or not Copper Missile and Really Good compete over jumps, the experience has given Sims a new appreciation for getting into the mind of his trainees.

“Especially in Kentucky, when you’re on this circuit, you don’t think about this stuff,” he admitted. “Now we’ve gone a little further than we thought they’d go. These are horses that run long on the turf, so trying to have fun with them and keep them fresh. You try to find ways to keep them entertained; they’ve already turned left enough.

“I never thought I’d have a graded stakes-winning sprinter (Brunacini) and a steeplechase horse, but here we are!”

View the 3 images of this gallery on the original article

The 4-year-old gelding by Valiant Minister has steadily climbed the ladder on the turf, winning three of his last four starts over the grass, most recently impressing with a 2 1/4-length score in a five-furlong allowance optional claiming race on Feb. 8 at Gulfstream Park.

Itza Boss completed the five panels in :55.35, which was just off the winning time for the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes, held a few weeks earlier during the track’s Championship Meet, when Litigation covered the same distance and surface in :55.03.

Itza Boss earned a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort; the fifth-highest figure of the year to date going five furlongs on the turf, and a top-10 number among turf runners at any sprint distance in 2026. He has earned Beyers of 87 or better in each of his past three turf efforts, and he has never finished worse than second over the surface.

The quality of competition that Itza Boss has faced and beaten over the turf has been consistently strong during that run. His most recent victory saw him defeat Cyclonite, a stakes-placed runner at Belmont at the Big A and Woodbine; multiple Grade 2-placed Artemus Citylimits; Grade 3-placed Boat’s a Rockin; and Shape Note, who is a winner in 11 of 25 starts.

Prior starts have seen him get the best of horses including Gabaldon, a first-out stakes winner in 2024 who parlayed that effort into a runner-up finish in the Windsor Castle Stakes on the prestigious Royal Ascot card, and stakes placed Quizler.

The digital sale offers the opportunity to access a racehorse making his way up the ladder, with a stakes campaign of one-turn grass races being planned for the remainder of the 2026 season, with the long-term target of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland.

Trainer Jose D’Angelo knows plenty about winning the Breeders’ Cup with sons of Valiant Minister, having won last year’s Sprint with Bentornato on his way to earning a nod as an Eclipse Award finalist. Itza Boss is freshening up after his most recent effort, and he is expected to be back in 30 days to begin his march into stakes company.

The gelding’s pedigree lends further credence to his turf sprinting credentials as he heads into deeper waters in that division. He is a half-brother to Outlaw Country, who has racked up seven wins on the grass around one turn. His dam, the winning Beau Choix mare Leilani’s Lady, is a half-sister to Hydra, who is a Grade 3-placed sprinter on the dirt, but held her own against some good runners in her turf sprint efforts.

His sire, Valiant Minister, has also been a powerful source of speed, both in his own on-track performance and that of his foals.

Valiant Minister earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure in his debut, a Santa Anita Park maiden special weight in which he was ridden out to the wire to win by 2 1/4 lengths.

Itza Boss is his sire’s leading earner of 2026 up to this point, but his best runners this year have all displayed an impressive level of consistency during their recent campaigns. Florida-based Vuela Paloma has won four of her last five starts over the synthetic at Gulfstream Park, while the 3-year-old Bala de Plata has finished second or better in seven of his eight career starts in the Mid-Atlantic. The only outlier in that span came when the colt ran third.

As a Florida-bred and Florida-sired runner, Itza Boss is also open for a number of lucrative local racing options to supplement his climb up the stakes ladder.

Hip 22 Itza Boss is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, and he is available for inspection at Double Diamond Farm in Ocala, Fla.

In the “Ask Joe Anything” video series, bloodstock editor Joe Nevills answers reader questions asked by Patreon subscribers and from followers on the Paulick Report’s social media channels.

Does he always have an answer (or at least a good answer)? No. Does he always try to make it entertaining? Yes.

In this free sample of a longer Patreon-exclusive video, Nevills ponders the long-term prospects of Turf Paradise, a track that has undergone a change in management, a social media rebrand, and efforts to improve the on-track experience since Hartunian took the reins.

Among the other questions answered in this episode:

• What is the horse racing industry doing to attract the under-40 crowd?
• Is starting with a different breed a good path into racehorse ownership?
• Why are some trainers still slow to accept StrideSAFE technology?
• And more!

To subscribe to the Paulick Report Insider Patreon page and view the full “Ask Joe Anything” video library, click here.

Ahead of the race, FanDuel Racing produced an exclusive feature on the Delhomme family, offering an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at their shared passion for horse racing. Jake and Jeff work alongside their father, Jerry, on the family training center in central Louisiana.

The family patriarch, Jerry grew up watching his father train horses on the bush racing circuit in Louisiana. Reflecting on Touchuponastar, Jerry told the cameras: “My dad used to say you raise one good horse in your lifetime, and you need to enjoy it when you find that. I think that’s what’s happening to us.”

Jake and Jeff grew up helping their father with the horses anytime they weren’t in school or playing sports. It’s a passion that has never gone away.

Jake, who led the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII, purchased Touchuponastar for $15,000 as a yearling in 2020. The gelding, a Louisiana-bred son of Star Guitar, has compiled a lifetime record of 27-20-4-2 and earnings approaching $1.76 million, including a historic four-peat in the Louisiana Champions Day Classic from 2022 through 2025. His signature victory came in last year’s New Orleans Classic, when he defeated 2024 champion 3-year-old and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone.

Touchuponastar is currently the third highest-earning Louisiana-bred Thoroughbred in the state’s history, trailing only Tumbarumba and Free Like A Girl.

“He’s a dream. I don’t know what else to say; he’s an absolute dream,” said Jake, who races under the name Set-Hut LLC. “He knows his job, he likes his job, and he’s got a lot of class about him. People always talk about class. Well, he oozes it.”

Jeff, Jake’s older brother who played “a bit” of college football, is the head trainer for the Delhomme operation.

Of Touchuponastar, Jeff told the cameras: “We knew he was going to be one of the better horses, but we didn’t think, $1.7 million later, that’s how special he would be… We’ve never had one like this, and in my opinion, Louisiana’s never had one like this. It taught me how to be a better trainer, how to listen to the horse, and don’t screw it up.”

Check out the full video feature below:

Terraza was aboard longshot Agnello City for trainer Jeffrey Skerrett in the one-mile $10,000 claiming race for Ohio-breds, and he was last in the field of six through the opening four furlongs.

He started to make his move on the outside of next-to-last Donald’s Nation through the final turn, and at the top of the stretch, the ruling states Terraza “angled in sharply around the 3/8 pole, bumping, then pressing and made contact with left elbow on #1 Donald’s Nation…with jockey Angel I. Diaz in the irons.”

The ruling continues to state that the contact between those two horses led apprentice jockey Jefferson Skerrett to check slightly aboard fading pacesetter Hidden Heart (also trained by Jeffrey Skerrett) on the inside. (See replay of the race below)

Agnello City carried on to cross the wire fourth, two lengths ahead of Donald’s Nation, in fifth. Between fading on the lead and checking as a result of the interference, Hidden Heart finished 21 1/4 lengths in last behind the next-closest rival. However, an objection and stewards’ inquiry led to Agnello City being disqualified from fourth to fifth for his interference on Donald’s Nation.

An in-person hearing and video review was held on March 18, resulting in Terraza being handed a 30-day suspension beginning March 26. The suspension will be reduced to 14 days if he chooses not to appeal.

The ruling states that the infraction was Terraza’s second of the same nature within 365 days, and any further similar violations would result in escalated penalties.

Terraza has been a regular on the Ohio/Indiana/Turfway Park delta since taking his first mounts in 2022, with 71 victories in 1,003 starts. He rode 2025 Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer to victory in her debut start at Horseshoe Indianapolis in August of her 2-year-old season.

Watch the head-on replay of the race below.

The 8-year-old Wicked Strong gelding was one of three Kentucky Derby alums in last year’s Makeover, having finished 14th in the 2021 edition. He went from running for the roses to blue-collar competition in the years that followed, and he made his farewell start in June 2025 – just four months before the Makeover.

The Thoroughbred Makeover is a competition held each October in Lexington, Ky., showcasing retired racehorses in a variety of disciplines, displaying how quickly a horse can adapt to a new job after life on the racetrack. The window for Makeover eligibility is generally about a year and a half after a horse’s final race or registered workout, so Brooklyn Strong’s four-month turnaround from the starting gate to the Show Hunter division was a unique challenge.

That didn’t deter Megan Dixon, a professional trainer from Ridgely, Md., with three decades of experience working with off-track Thoroughbreds, who bought the horse in July, giving her an even tighter window to make the event.

“We were a little late to the game compared to most people that picked their horses up closer to the beginning of when we could ride them, so it has been a little bit of the ups and downs of getting a horse that’s a war horse,” Dixon said before the event. “He last raced in June, so we had a little downtime, a little bonding time, and then we started our retraining, and he’s doing great. He’s definitely still learning the ropes, but he tries.

“He was a great racehorse, and it shows in his retraining,” she continued. “He tries everything I ask of him. Even if it is a little bit out of the question, he tries for me anyways.”

Bred in New York by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan, Brooklyn Strong sold to owner Mark Schwartz for just $5,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale – the second-lowest price commanded by any offering at the auction, held in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic’s shutdowns.

Brooklyn Strong paid himself off almost immediately, winning on debut five months later in a Delaware Park waiver maiden claiming race with trainer Daniel Velazquez. From there, he tackled New York-bred stakes competition at Belmont Park, with a third in the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes and a win in the Sleepy Hollow Stakes.

The Sleepy Hollow served as a lead-in to the biggest race and victory of Brooklyn Strong’s career up to that point in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct. Leaving the gate as the second-longest price on the board, he stalked the pace from three-wide, then battled with favorite Time for Ten through the stretch to prevail by a neck.

The gelding’s racing luck started to wear thin after the Remsen, which would prove to be his final victory, even though he raced for five more seasons.

The beginning of his 3-year-old season was stunted when bad weather at his Parx Racing base meddled with his workout schedule and an illness knocked him out of a planned season premiere in the G3 Gotham Stakes. Instead, he made his debut and a last lunge for Kentucky Derby qualifying points in the G2 Wood Memorial, where he ran a non-threatening fifth.

Still, the points he earned for winning the Remsen were enough to get Brooklyn Strong in the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Under jockey Umberto Rispoli at odds of 43-1, Brooklyn Strong’s Derby was compromised at the break, bumping the gate hard and getting jostled during the opening scrum of the first furlong. He never made it past the bottom third of the field, and he crossed the wire 15th, which was improved to 14th following the disqualification of then-winner Medina Spirit.

Like many horses who compete in the race, Brooklyn Strong struggled to figure out who he was on the racetrack after the mile-marker of the Kentucky Derby was behind him. Tries in national and local stakes competition were met with sound defeats, and adjustments were constantly made with class, surface, and distance. The experimentation did lead to a well-beaten third-place finish in the G3 Greenwood Cup Stakes at 1 1/2 miles, but the winner’s circle did not appear any closer.

Brooklyn Strong continued to float down the class ladder over the next handful of seasons, spending his 5-year-old campaign primarily in the Florida starter allowance ranks, and coming back to Pennsylvania the following year at a similar level. By November, he was entered in straight claiming races, and he remained primarily at that level for the rest of his career.

Unlike many stories of classic runners tumbling down the ladder to compete for the tag, though, Brooklyn Strong remained with his original connections from his first start to his last. Even when the gelding showed some signs of life in early 2025 when a move to Aqueduct saw him finish second in three of four starts, nobody went in for the claim, which had dropped to a price as low as $16,000 during that run.

Brooklyn Strong returned to Delaware Park for his final start on June 18, 2025, a one-mile race where he was entered for a $10,000 claiming price. He never threatened and finished fourth in a field of six.

The gelding finished his career with three wins in 35 starts for earnings of $341,508.

Dixon was made aware of Brooklyn Strong from a Facebook post in the weeks following his final start announcing his availability for purchase for a second career. She had some photos and a jog video to establish his general athletic ability, but she reached out and bought the horse without laying eyes on him in-person.

“I actually bought him on my birthday, so I said, ‘You know what, this is a birthday present for myself,'” Dixon said. “It was one of those things where I saw him and I was like, ‘That’s the horse I have to have.'”

Of course, a video of a horse on the move can only tell part of the story. Some aspects of a horse can only be learned once the rider is on their back, such as their willingness, resiliency, and the ability to have their individual strengths and weaknesses coexist with those of the rider.

Dixon didn’t have long to determine that Brooklyn Strong was a Makeover-caliber horse, but she also didn’t need long to arrive that that decision.

“I’m mostly looking for a quiet mind,” she said. “One that can turn up the gas pedal when they need to, but also totally fine bringing it back down when needed. He kind of told me from the get-go that that’s what he wanted to do. He’ll go when asked. He’ll also come back when asked, so that was a big draw.”

Having worked with horses from a variety of racing backgrounds, Dixon said retraining a horse with a career like Brooklyn Strong’s has its own set of advantages and obstacles, but the experience the horse typically brings makes it a net positive.

“If you can get past the war horses being set in their ways, and kind of ‘been there, done that’ attitude, then there’s nothing better than a war horse,” she said. “But some of them are just so stubborn because they’ve done what they wanted to do for so long. Now they’re kind of like, ‘Why am I having to do this? I was a good racehorse,’ and he was great. So, we had some of that in the beginning, for sure. A little bit of head-butting – that, ‘No, we don’t do everything your way’ But, I would say it’s nice to have the brain of a war horse though.”

In the Makeover’s Show Hunter division, horses are judged on their quality of movement and performances over fences and under saddle. Horses compete in two rounds over jumps, in which they’re graded on pace, style, manners, and the horsemanship of the rider. Then, the horses go through a flat round, where they’re ridden at a walk, trot, and canter and judged at relaxation, rhythm, style of movement, and manners.

Brooklyn Strong was one of two former Kentucky Derby runners in last year’s Show Hunter division, joined by 2019 alum Gray Magician.

Unfortunately, the competition was over quickly for Dixon and Brooklyn Strong at last year’s Makeover. The gelding refused a jump during the over-fences portion of his preliminary round, and though he and Dixon got on the same page to clear that hurdle, Brooklyn Strong then stopped again at the proceeding jump, which resulted in their elimination from the event.

It wasn’t the ideal outcome for the pair in the moment, but Dixon went into this year’s Makeover with an eye on the future. Brooklyn Strong went through the competition offered for sale through the event’s Makeover Marketplace, which helps connect trainers and potential buyers to find long-term homes for horses with competition-level training under their belts.

However, Brooklyn Strong’s next step came closer to home. The gelding was ultimately purchased by a client of Dixon’s, with the aim of training him toward a dressage career in the Mid-Atlantic.

In addition to breeze videos of the fastest workers and highest sellers by each of Spendthrift’s rookie sires, we’ll also spotlight one horse of note by each of the freshmen.

This time around, we’ll look at the top sellers by each of Spendthrift’s freshmen during the three-day Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale.

Spendthrift Farm has four freshman stallions whose first runners will see the track later this year: Cyberknife, Greatest Honour, Jackie’s Warrior, and Mo Donegal.

To view the fastest breeze horse by each of the five stallions, click here.

Cyberknife

The debut slate of 2-year-old offerings from Grade 1 winner Cyberknife was led by Hip 587, a chestnut colt who sold to Patricia’s Hope LLC on Thursday for $300,000.

Consigned by Top Line Sales, agent, the colt is out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare Beautissimo, whose two foals to race are both stakes-placed: Arman (by Bolt d’Oro) and April Vintage (by Vino Rosso). Champion Halfbridled can be found further down the page, along with Grade 1 winner Mshawish and Grade 2 winner Lu Ravi.

Hip 587 breezed an eighth in :10-flat during the under-tack show. He was bred in Kentucky by Loren Nichols and Nenita Nichols.

Cyberknife, a son of Gun Runner, stood for an advertised fee of $30,000 during his debut season, making this colt’s OBS March price a 10x return on the initial investment.

Greatest Honour

The standout breeze horse for multiple graded stakes winner Greatest Honour led the way in the sale ring as well, with Hip 805, a dark bay or brown filly, going to Dutch Girl Holdings or Irving Ventures for $370,000.

The filly finished just a tick off the fastest overall time at an eighth during the under tack show, going in :9 4/5 for the Golden Rock Thoroughbreds consignment.

The dark bay or brown filly is out of the More Than Ready mare Goodn’ready, who is the dam of two winners from three foals to race. Her second dam is the Grade 2 winner Redaspen, making Goodn’ready a half-sister to Peruvian Group 2 winner Sonny Corleone.

Hip 805 was bred in New York by Sequel Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm, and Truly Thoroughbreds Inc.

Greatest Honour, a son of Tapit, stood his first season for an advertised fee of $7,500, making his top sale horse of the OBS March sale a 49x improvement.

Jackie’s Warrior

The vanguard among champion sprinter Jackie’s Warrior’s first OBS March draft was Hip 542, a bay colt who hammered to Gracie/Legion, agent for $600,000.

A member of the Pick View consignment, the colt is out of the Grade 2-winning Gio Ponti mare America’s Tale, who is the dam of one winner from two foals to race. Grade 1-placed stakes winners Bel Air Sizzle can also be found on his page.

The colt worked a quarter-mile during the under-tack show, clocking in at :21 1/5. He was a $150,000 purchase at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale, marking a very successful pinhook.

Hip 542 was bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms.

Mo Donegal

Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal had four juveniles breeze an eighth in :9 4/5 during the under tack show, and the most expensive among them was Hip 272, a dark bay or brown colt who sold to Steven W. Young, agent, for $250,000.

The colt is out of the stakes-placed Bertrando mare Princess Bertrando, who is the dam of one winner from five foals to race. Canadian champion Van Lear Rose, multiple Grade 2 winner Gunnevera and Grade 3 winner Rondure can be found further down the page.

Hip 272 was a $20,000 purchase at last year’s Keeneland September sale by GOP Racing Stable, the same operation that offered the colt at the OBS March Sale, making for a strong pinhook return.

The colt was bred in Kentucky by Michael T. Barnett.

In addition to breeze videos of the fastest workers and highest sellers by each of Spendthrift’s rookie sires, we’ll also spotlight horses of note by each of the freshmen.

This time around, we’ll examine the fastest horses during the first three sessions of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale’s under tack show.

Spendthrift Farm has four freshman stallions whose first runners will see the track later this year: Cyberknife, Greatest Honour, Jackie’s Warrior, and Mo Donegal.

Cyberknife

Multiple Grade 1 winner Cyberknife’s star of the OBS March sale came among his quarter-miler workers, in Hip 610, a filly who stopped the clock in :20 4/5 seconds.

Aptly named Dash, the filly is out of the winning Harlan’s Holiday mare Blast, whose three winners from four foals to race includes Grade 1 winner Velocity and stakes-placed Open Road. Blast is herself a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Fun.

Dash was bred in Kentucky by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, and she is consigned at the OBS March Sale by Tom McCrocklin, agent.

Cyberknife, a son of Gun Runner, has 22 horses cataloged to the OBS March Sale.

Greatest Honour

Greatest Honour, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of Tapit, was led during the under tack show by Hip 805, a filly who finished a tick off the fastest overall time at an eighth, going in :9 4/5 seconds.

The dark bay or brown filly is out of the More Than Ready mare Goodn’ready, who is the dam of two winners from three foals to race. Her second dam is the Grade 2 winner Redaspen, making Goodn’ready a half-sister to Peruvian Group 2 winner Sonny Corleone.

Hip 805 was bred in New York by Sequel Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm, and Truly Thoroughbreds Inc., and she is consigned by Golden Rock Thoroughbreds.

Greatest Honour has 15 juveniles from his debut crop cataloged to the OBS March sale.

Jackie’s Warrior

Champion sprinter Jackie’s Warrior was well-represented at both an eighth and a quarter during the under-tack show, with four workers finishing just a tick off the fastest time of the week at :9 4/5 seconds, and one filly finishing close to the fastest time for a quarter in :20 4/5 seconds.

The star at a quarter-mile was Hip 718, the first foal out of the stakes-placed Treasure Beach mare Double Blessed.

The family has a deep foundation of Canadian success, starting with her second dam, the Canadian champion and Grade 2 winner Points of Grace, who is herself the dam of Canadian champion and Grade 1 winner Victory to Victory. However, the most notable Grade 1 winner on Points of Grace’s produce record could be Arthur’s Ride, the winner of the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes who retired to stud in Kentucky.

Hip 718 was bred in Kentucky by Helen and Joseph Barbazon, and she is consigned by Tom McCrocklin, agent.

Jackie’s Warrior has 19 horses cataloged in the OBS March Sale.

Mo Donegal

Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal’s slate of offerings featured four juveniles who worked an eighth in :9 4/5.

Among that group was Hip 15, a filly out of the stakes-winning Stonesider mare Hey Kiddo, a mare whose first two foals to race are both winners. Hey Kiddo is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Lucy N Ethel, stakes winner Jake N Elwood, stakes-placed Kid’s Last Laugh, and stakes producer Blameitontheice.

Hip 15 was bred in Kentucky by Michael Callanan, Andrea Callanan, Travis Gould and Jacqui Gould, and she is consigned by Champions of the Future, agent.

Mo Donegal, a son of Uncle Mo, has 21 horses cataloged in the OBS March Sale.

When the Graydar gelding left the racetrack following his final start in the summer of 2024, the then-8-year-old had competed in 48 races at 15 different tracks across 10 different states and two countries. He was claimed six times, and he was ridden by 20 different jockeys.

In the end, Gray Magician ended up back where he started.

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which co-campaigned Gray Magician during his Kentucky Derby start, claimed the horse for $12,500 at Mountaineer, bringing his on-track career to an end and putting him on a new trajectory toward the 2025 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover.

Sixteen months after his final start, Gray Magician stepped into a ring at the Kentucky Horse Park to compete in two divisions of the Makeover – Show Hunter and Show Jumper – under rider and trainer Lindsay Gilbert.

The Makeover was a graduation of sorts into Gray Magician’s second career, and a tip of the cap to his first. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners still owns the now-10-year-old gelding through its Blue Moon Eclipse Aftercare, the syndicate’s 501(c)3 program to address the aftercare needs of its current and former runners.

Gray Magician entered the Eclipse fold after his debut start, when the partnership joined owner/trainer Hector Palma following a Del Mar maiden special weight where he overcame trouble to finish third. Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable bought out Palma’s share following his second start and campaigned him together during the horse’s time in the brightest spotlight.

After shipping from Southern California to Laurel Park to finish second in the Miracle Wood Stakes, Gray Magician punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby with a runner-up effort in the UAE Derby. Off in the Kentucky Derby at odds of 33-1 under jockey Drayden Van Dyke, Gray Magician never got closer than 13th place after the first point of call, and he tired over a sloppy track to finish last of 19.

He found his footing again in flyover country during the second half of his sophomore campaign, running second in the G3 Indiana Derby in his comeback start, then returning to Kentucky to win the Ellis Park Derby, followed by a narrow runner-up effort in the G3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx Racing and an allowance optional claiming win at Keeneland.

Unfortunately, Gray Magician’s form dropped off significantly after the Keeneland win, and it didn’t return during his 4-year-old campaign, after spending much of it on the sidelines. He was entered for a $40,000 claiming tag in his 5-year-old debut at Santa Anita Park, and he was picked up by trainer Ryan Hanson.

Then, the tumble down the class ladder began. Three starts later, he was claimed again for $16,000, then he was picked up for $12,500 after another four starts, and he was snapped up for $8,000 after that. There were no wins during that span of time, only a pair of second-place efforts.

All of those transactions took place on the Southern California circuit, but he was moved to the Arizona circuit for the second half of 2022, where he was claimed once again, this time for $10,000. This kicked off the longest period of stability for Gray Magician since his heyday, now running for owner Kirk Sutherland.

Gray Magician went back and forth between the Southwest and Canterbury Park over the next two years, winning a handful of races where he was entered for the tag and not taken. He even tested stakes competition one last time in 2023, when he finished fifth in the Phoenix Gold Cup Stakes at Turf Paradise.

The horse was sent to Mountaineer in West Virginia in the spring of his 8-year-old season, where he got off the mark showing little in an allowance race. He was entered for a $12,500 tag in his next start at the track, and after finishing second by a neck, he was claimed by Melinda Sanders on behalf of the Eclipse partnership. The horse retired with seven wins in 48 starts for earnings of $960,497.

“I saw that he was running a Mountaineer and I thought it was the perfect chance to claim him back, and so we did,” said Kelsey Hughes, vice president of partner relations for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “We didn’t know what to do at first with him, but we thought that this would be a great opportunity to do the Makeover.”

Gray Magician was first sent to New Vocations at Mereworth Farm in Lexington, Ky., to adjust to life after the races and give everyone involved an opportunity to figure out how to best serve the horse in his next career. Gilbert, who operates Transitions Sport Horses in Georgetown, Ky., and specializes in off-track Thoroughbreds, said New Vocations executive director Anna Ford reached out to her to ask if she had a horse pointing toward the Makeover, with the former Derby starter in mind.

“I already had one at that point, but I thought his story was really cool,” Gilbert said. “I admired the fact that Eclipse was willing to sponsor his journey, so I agreed to take him on.”

There were three horses in the 2025 Makeover who raced in the Kentucky Derby during their on-track careers (the others were Brooklyn Strong and Dynamic One from the 2021 renewal), but it’s still a rare thing to get on the back of a horse who competed in front of a global audience. Considering how many Derby starters end up in stallion programs and are never ridden again once they’re unsaddled at the track for the last time, that percentage gets even smaller.

Even so, Gilbert said Gray Magician’s resume wasn’t an intimidating factor for her. What did give her pause was his potential, and her ability to ride up to it.

“He obviously is such an athlete, so there’s a lot of pressure that I’ve put on myself,” she said. “I don’t really feel like anybody else has put pressure on me, but I’ve put it on myself to make sure I showcase him in the best light.

“The really cool thing is you can absolutely tell the difference between a war horse that’s run in the Derby and my other horse, who is a 4-year-old that raced twice,” she continued. “This guy, he just has a work ethic and an athleticism that’s second to none, and I feel really honored to be a part of his journey.”

The Makeover has become an annual target for Gilbert, meaning her eye for which events will best match her horses has been honed from experience. Once she got to know Gray Magician in the saddle, she pointed him toward the Show Hunter and Show Jumper divisions.

In Show Hunter competitions, horses are judged on the horse’s quality of movement and performances over fences and under saddle. Horses compete in two rounds over jumps, in which they’re graded on pace, style, manners, and the horsemanship of the rider. Then, the horses go through a flat round, where they’re ridden at a walk, trot, and canter and judged at relaxation, rhythm, style of movement, and manners.

The Show Jumper class is similar, in that there are flat and jumping elements to be scored, but the judging criteria differs and one of the rounds introduces a time element.

“So he’s a really nice mover and has a really quiet, rhythmic canter, which I thought would make him a really good fit for the hunters,” Gilbert said. “He is also super scopey and he loves to jump.”

“He is just a class horse,” she continued. “Nothing bothers him. That’s the best thing about a war horse. He’s been there, done that. I mean, he raced in Dubai. He’s probably got more stamps on his passport than I do. He’s just a laid back, chill dude, and he’s really fun to work with.”

The pair performed admirably at the Makeover, finishing 18th of 45 in the Show Jumper division, and 19th of 45 among the Show Hunters. Neither effort ranked Gray Magician high enough to make the finals in either event, but Gilbert was happy with the efforts, all the same.

“He just doesn’t care about anything,” she said after jumping off Gray Magician following a round. “You tell him what to do, and he’s like, ‘Okay, I’ll try,’ and if I mess up, he still jumps.”

Gray Magician still resides on Gilbert’s farm in Georgetown, as they prepare for the 2026 show season, still flying the banner for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and their aftercare program.

“To have one of our horses that we race that we’ve gone to Dubai with, we’ve gone to the Derby, we’ve gone to Ellis Park Derby, it’s really rewarding to showcase that a horse has so much of a life after the racetrack,” Hughes said.

That was the case for Harlan Malter, managing partner for Ironhorse Racing Stable and Ironhorse Stallions, where his fandom of one especially determined runner from the mid-2000s opened the doors to one day acquire Bucchero, his syndicate’s most successful runner and the cornerstone of his stallion operation.

Malter discussed those lessons and more in Part 3 of an exclusive video Q&A for Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers.

Malter is a founding partner in Saposh and Malter financial planning in New York. He founded the Ironhorse Racing Stable ownership syndicate in 2007, gradually building the operation over the following decade with a tight-knit but growing group of partners.

Ironhorse Racing Stable took a leap into the national and global scene in the mid-2010s with the success of Bucchero, a multiple graded stakes winner who took the operation to the Breeders’ Cup and Royal Ascot, and retired as the highest-earning Indiana-bred of all-time. Today, Ironhorse Racing Stable includes partners from around the country.

Bucchero also spearheaded Malter’s expansion into the stallion market, which he has now grown into New York-based Ironhorse Stallions, where he manages Bucchero’s stud career and has rooted his breeding operations in support of the four-time All-Value Sire Team member.

Other questions Malter answered in Part 3 of this interview include:

• How does Harlan’s baseball career inform what he does in horse racing?
• Who is Ironhorse’s star runner and sire Bucchero’s closest baseball player comparison, past or present?
• How does Harlan see AI factoring into horse racing in the short-term and long-term?
• And more!

Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers have access to a growing archive of video Q&A interviews with the likes of jockeys Junior Alvarado, Frankie Dettori, Emma-Jayne Wilson, and Sahin Civaci, trainers Gary Contessa and Roger Attfield, on-air personality Maggie Wolfendale, announcers Frank Mirahmadi and Robert Geller, and Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy.

Don’t miss a single video, or a chance to ask questions ahead of future interviews, by becoming a Paulick Report Insider here.

Multiple Grade 1 winners Carl Spackler and Raging Torrent are part of the latest youth movement at the Versailles, Ky., farm, each standing their debut seasons in 2026.

Carl Spackler, a four-time Grade 1-winning son of Lope de Vega, enters stud for an advertised fee of $15,000.

Though the 6-year-old is an Irish-bred by an international sire, it doesn’t take long to find North American stock on his page. Lope de Vega’s sire line traces back to Giant’s Causeway and Storm Cat, while Carl Spackler’s dam is the More Than Ready mare Zindaya, who won a Grade 2 race in California, as well as two editions of the Intercontinental Stakes at Belmont Park. Grade 1 winner Western Aristocrat is one of several North American black type earners that can be found further down his page.

Carl Spackler won eight of 15 starts and earned $1,944,331, highlighted by Grade 1 victories in the Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes, Fourstardave Handicap, and Maker’s Mark Mile.

“He’s just such a level-headed horse,” said Lane’s End Farm Manager Peter Sheehan. “We’ve been really lucky to have such a quality individual coming to the stallion barn. He’s great-minded, great looks, imposing physical, and had a race record that was pretty spectacular. He had three Grade 1s, and along with (fellow Lane’s End resident) More Than Looks, between the two of them, we probably saw the two best turf milers here in America for the last decade, battling it out against each other on the track, and now they’re both here together.”

Raging Torrent, a 5-year-old son of Maximus Mischief, will also stand his rookie season for $15,000.

A one-turn specialist during his on-track career, Raging Torrent won the G1 Malibu Stakes and G2 Pat O’Brien Stakes during his 3-year-old season, then he came back at four to take the G2 Godolphin Mile in the U.A.E., then finish his career with another signature score in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap.

Raging Torrent is out of the winning Violence mare Violent Wave, and Hall of Famer Riva Ridge can be found in his extended family.

“He had the speed, he had the class, and he had stamina,” Sheehan said. “They’re the three things that you always look for in a stallion, and he had that in spades. He’s an incredibly well balanced horse. You wouldn’t think that he’s 16.3 (hands), but he’s just so well balanced and he just carries it so well.

“He’s got a nice big shoulder, he’s got a nice big hip,” Sheehan continued. “If you were to draw a line through the angle of the shoulder and the angle of the hip, they intersect right in the middle of the back, and that’s what we’re looking for. It just means that they’ve got good locomotion when they’re when they’re running, so they’ve got good mechanics and it just makes life easier on them to carry their their speed through the races.”

There is a lot of management that goes into being the managing partner of a racing syndicate, but even in a public-facing position, Harlan Malter of Ironhorse Racing Stable said there are things the general public could understand better about his job.

Malter discussed that and more in Part 2 of an exclusive video Q&A for Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers.

Malter is a founding partner in Saposh and Malter financial planning in New York. He founded the Ironhorse Racing Stable ownership syndicate in 2007, gradually building the operation over the following decade with a tight-knit but growing group of partners.

Ironhorse Racing Stable took a leap into the national and global scene in the mid-2010s with the success of Bucchero, a multiple graded stakes winner who took the operation to the Breeders’ Cup and Royal Ascot, and retired as the highest-earning Indiana-bred of all-time. Today, Ironhorse Racing Stable includes partners from around the country.

Bucchero also spearheaded Malter’s expansion into the stallion market, which he has now grown into New York-based Ironhorse Stallions, where he manages Bucchero’s stud career and has rooted his breeding operations in support of the four-time All-Value Sire Team member.

Other questions Malter answered in Part 2 of this interview include:

• What is something about running a racing syndicate that you wish people inside the industry understood better?
• What are the factors that go into setting a stud fee?
• When you’re looking at a stallion’s statistics, how much data do you need to see in a sample to accept it as a general truth?
• And more!

Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers have access to a growing archive of video Q&A interviews with the likes of jockeys Junior Alvarado, Frankie Dettori, Emma-Jayne Wilson, and Sahin Civaci, trainers Gary Contessa and Roger Attfield, on-air personality Maggie Wolfendale, announcers Frank Mirahmadi and Robert Geller, and Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy.

Don’t miss a single video, or a chance to ask questions ahead of future interviews, by becoming a Paulick Report Insider here.

A big part of Harlan Malter’s job as the managing partner of the Ironhorse Racing Stable syndicate is attracting investors for the group’s horses, and for many of those investors, this is their first foray into racehorse investment.

As such, Malter has a unique perspective and an impressive strike rate when it comes to the perpetual conversation and hand-wringing over how horse racing can do a better job bringing in fresh faces as both fans and participants.

Malter discussed what he views as one of the major keys to attracting newcomers to the business, and much more, in Part 1 of an exclusive video Q&A for Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers.

Malter is a founding partner in Saposh and Malter financial planning in New York. He founded the Ironhorse Racing Stable ownership syndicate in 2007, gradually building the operation over the following decade with a tight-knit but growing group of partners.

Ironhorse Racing Stable took a leap into the national and global scene in the mid-2010s with the success of Bucchero, a multiple graded stakes winner who took the operation to the Breeders’ Cup and Royal Ascot, and retired as the highest-earning Indiana-bred of all-time. Today, Ironhorse Racing Stable includes partners from around the country.

Bucchero also spearheaded Malter’s expansion into the stallion market, which he has now grown into New York-based Ironhorse Stallions, where he manages Bucchero’s stud career and has rooted his breeding operations in support of the four-time All-Value Sire Team member.

Other questions Malter answered in Part 1 of this interview include:

• Which horse got Harlan into racing?
• What qualities does Harlan like to see in a trainer that would make them a candidate to work with Ironhorse Racing Stable, and how are the partnership’s horses distributed to each trainer?
• Are there factors that make a Thoroughbred more appealing to buy for an ownership syndicate, as opposed to an individual owner?
• And more!

Paulick Report Insider Patreon subscribers have access to a growing archive of video Q&A interviews with the likes of jockeys Junior Alvarado, Frankie Dettori, Emma-Jayne Wilson, and Sahin Civaci, trainers Gary Contessa and Roger Attfield, on-air personality Maggie Wolfendale, announcers Frank Mirahmadi and Robert Geller, and Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy.

Don’t miss a single video, or a chance to ask questions ahead of future interviews, by becoming a Paulick Report Insider here.

In total, Book’em Danno has won 10 of 16 career races and earned $1,855,425 with trainer Derek Ryan. He has finished worse than fourth just once.

The road to the Eclipse Award started with another New Jersey-bred, a Currency Swap gelding named Counterfeitcurency, who earned nearly $200,000 for the Atlantic Six partnership racing primarily at Monmouth Park. The group used the money from that runner to shop for yearlings at the Virginia farm of Chris Gracie, with the hopes of getting another New Jersey-bred with Virginia certification to give them options across the Mid-Atlantic. 

Of the five youngsters that made the short list, they landed on Book’em Danno. The rest is history.

Looking to 2026, Briscione said Book’em Danno’s campaign would be built around targeting the Breeders’ Cup at the end of the season, and mapped backward from that point. 

“I would say last year that would have been our goal, except – and it sounds kind of weird to say – we didn’t think we had a Breeders’ Cup horse at the beginning of the year,” Briscione said. “We knew we had a good sprinter, but we didn’t know how good he was.”

Though Briscione said the major points of the gelding’s 2026 campaign would look similar to the previous year, Book’em Danno would not involve a trip to the Middle East, where he finished second in the G3 Saudi Derby in 2024. Instead, he would return to training at Tampa Bay Downs, with a possible debut at Keeneland in April.

White Abarrio’s past five months have not gone as planned, starting with the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in late August, where jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. ended up on his back, then hanging from the horse’s neck before hitting the ground, after being jostled from his mount aboard Mindframe shortly after the break. That was his most recent start prior to this year’s Pegasus.

The horse was then scratched in the post parade of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November when regulatory veterinarians became concerned that the son of Race Day was possibly showing lameness in his left-front leg. Most recently, White Abarrio was removed from consideration for the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes on Dec. 27 at Gulfstream Park, a local prep for the Pegasus, after entries were taken.

“I just wanted ‘Abarrio’ to come back safe and sound,” Joseph said. “He’s a horse coming off a scratch (in the Breeders’ Cup). He’s scrutinized more than ever, and that’s all I wanted today. If he came back good today, that was a good day…I just wanted this day to be over and safe, that’s all I wanted.” 

Skippylongstocking (21-1) and White Abarrio (3-1), both 7-year-olds, had opposite preparations for the $3-million main event on Jan. 24 in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Making his fourth Pegasus World Cup start after a disappointing effort in the G2 Charles Town Classic on Aug. 22, Skippylongstocking was diagnosed as a case of “thumps,” an electrolyte imbalance. The horse then returned to the races with a hard-fought victory in the G3 Harlan’s Holiday on Dec. 20.

“The Harlan’s Holiday was a big race; he was either going to show up or he was going to be retired,” Joseph said. “He showed up, and he did better since then. I had all the confidence in him. … It’s amazing that at 7 years old, he’s doing better than ever.”

White Abarrio, meanwhile, was the defending titlist in the Pegasus World Cup. Yet the horse was scratched by regulatory veterinarians at the gate ahead of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in November at Del Mar and he did not make a planned start in the Harlan’s Holiday seven weeks later.

“I just wanted Abarrio to come back safe and sound,” Joseph said, voice cracking. “It’s a horse race, and coming off a scratch, he was scrutinized more than ever. 

“I’m so proud of White Abarrio. I can’t believe White Abarrio ran the way he did with the preparation that he had. He didn’t have any preparation to compete like that, but he just did it. I’m proud of both horses.”

Joseph rejoined Skippylongstocking’s jubilant owner Daniel Alonso in the winner’s circle to celebrate the victory.

“It just means everything,” Alonso said. “He’s an amazing horse, and he deserves it. Watching the races today we knew it was going to be tough coming from that far back, but he just found another gear today that we hadn’t seen before. To beat a champion like White Abarrio, it’s amazing.”

Making the walk to the post-race press conference, Joseph was on the phone with his staff back at the barn area, asking first about White Abarrio, then Skippy. Both horses were reported to be in good order.

“I’m obviously happy for Skippy; I love Skippy,” the trainer said. “But I just wanted [White Abarrio] to come back good, and to me, that was a win in my eyes.”

As expected, undefeated Disco Time set the early pace in the 2026 Pegasus World Cup. Winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione engineered a ground-saving trip for Skippylongstocking, cruising back in eighth early and only going around one horse as he geared up around the far turn. 

Meanwhile, Irad Ortiz Jr. and White Abarrio rallied four-wide around the final turn to grab the lead at the top of the stretch, kicking away from all but one. At the same time, Gaffalione angled out and took aim on White Abarrio, giving Skippylongstocking his cue.

Skippylongstocking responded with a powerful kick, striding out to win by 1 1/4 lengths with White Abarrio settling for second. The final time for 1 1/8 miles over the fast main track was 1:48.49, and Skippylongstocking paid $45.20 to win.

“Saffie told me just to ride him with a lot of confidence, be patient with him, trust in his ability, and he was there for me every step,” Gaffalione said. “The race set up the way we needed to. I was able to find a nice spot inside. He traveled well for me. Coming around the turn, he just kept building. And he just kept responding. When we got into the far turn I had to split horses, and as soon as I did he took a nice deep breath and started moving forward. I’m so thrilled for the team, and so happy for the horse. He really deserved this Grade 1 win.”

The Pegasus was the first Grade 1 win for Skippylongstocking, and improved his career record to 13 wins from 36 starts and earnings of over $5.4 million. The son of Exaggerator was a $37,000 2-year-old purchase at the 2021 OBS April sale.

The full order of finish was as follows: Skippylongstocking, White Abarrio, Full Serrano (ARG), Captain Cook, British Isles, Banishing, Lightning Tones, Disco Time, Mika, Poster, Brotha Keny, and Tappan Street.

Irad Ortiz perhaps was equally as proud as Joseph of White Abarrio: “He has a big heart. I trust him, I trust Saffie. He hadn’t run in a long time, so I think it’s not easy to come back here at a mile and an eighth and run against his horses. To do what he did, it’s amazing. I’m so happy for this horse. He’s a very cool horse. He’s given me a lot through the years. I don’t want to see him get beat. He’s a fighter.”

The Taiba filly is the fifth foal for Project Whiskey. Days- or weeks-old foals are uncommon for North American breeding stock sales, with most pregnant mares delivering their foals after the early points on the calendar where the auctions reside.

However, a handful of new foals can often be found each year at the Keeneland January sale and the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale in February. On extremely rare occasions, a mare will deliver her foal while stabled on the sales grounds, and the duo have gone through the sales ring together once both were deemed healthy enough to do so.

When the mare delivers a foal in the time between being cataloged for the sale and going through the ring, the two are offered together as a package deal, as if the mare was still pregnant. The foal shows with the mare in the barn area, and they are not separated before or after the sale. Each horse has their own handler leading up to the sales pavilion, and special considerations were given for Project Whiskey and her foal to ensure they got to the ring with the little one taking as few steps as possible.

When they arrived in the sales ring, separate Keeneland ring men handled both the mare and foal and an employee for Denali Stud also held on to the foal as the bidding commenced.

When the hammer fell, the mare and foal went to Greenwell Thoroughbreds for $125,000. Greenwell Thoroughbreds is the operation of Greg Tramontin, who purposed the Paris, Ky., property previously known as the late Anthony Manganaro’s Siena Farm.

The filly is from the second crop of Taiba, a three-time Grade 1-winning son of Gun Runner who resides at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Taiba earned over $2.3 million on the racetrack, racking up wins in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby, Santa Anita Derby, and Malibu Stakes. He also finished second in the G1 Haskell Stakes and third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Taiba will stand the upcoming breeding season at Spendthrift Farm for an advertised fee of $25,000.

McGinnis would know. He started at Prestonwood Farm as the operation’s assistant manager a year before Distorted Humor entered stud, and he joined the stallion on the transition to WinStar, where both have resided to this day, each being witness to multiple stages of each others’ lives.

“He’s always been a horse that that was not a huge personality,” McGinnis said. “Just, ‘Let me do my work, let me go outside.’ He wasn’t bad to be around, he just wanted to be left alone to do his job.

“In 2003, when Funny Cide won the Derby, that was a big deal for WinStar, and the horses were out that night, and I walked out in his paddock – probably 150 yards out in his paddock – and just gave him a mint, and gave him a pat on the neck, because I just knew that was huge for him,” he continued. “He just looked at me, ate the mint, and I walked back out. That kind of gives you a little bit of how his personality is.”

Prestonwood Farm, owned by brothers Jack, Art, and J.R. Preston, bought into Distorted Humor following a 5 1/2 length maiden special weight debut score at Gulfstream Park, and he was later transferred to the barn of trainer Elliott Walden, who would later manage Distorted Humor’s stud career as the president and CEO of WinStar Farm.

While Belmont Stakes winner Victory Gallop will be remembered as the star of the Prestonwood stable in the late 1990s, Distorted Humor forged his own path as a one-turn specialist, racking up a quartet of graded stakes wins at distances from seven furlongs to one mile. He finished his career with eight wins in 23 career starts over three seasons of racing for earnings of $769,964.

Though he’s never been a tall horse, topping out at about 15.3 hands and shrinking with age, Distorted Humor has proven capable time and time again of throwing horses with scope that were capable of going a route of ground if they were asked to. That versatility led to a long career in the WinStar stud barn.

Distorted Humor has been pensioned from stud duty since the close of the 2021 breeding season, but his surroundings have not changed in retirement.

He still resides in the WinStar stud barn, and his paddock is situated next to that of Hall of Famer Tiznow, who is about to turn 29, giving the acres surrounding the WinStar stallion barn its own retirement wing.

McGinnis can usually see Distorted Humor near the front of his paddock from his office window. He said he’s happier when he doesn’t see the horse, though. At Distorted Humor’s advanced age, not seeing the horse means he’s still got a bit of that independent streak left in him that he established before WinStar Farm was WinStar Farm.

“He’ll go out for probably three or four hours or longer,” McGinnis said. It just depends on how he feels or what he wants to do. If he looks like he wants to come in, we’ll bring him in. If he wants to stay out, he’ll stay outside.

“He has a rather large paddock that goes down, and if he’s way out in the back part of the paddock, that makes my heart feel good because it seems like he’s comfortable getting away from the barn,” he continued. “He’s been such a blessing to us. It’s a privilege to take care of him, and a privilege for me to take care of him most of his life.”

Hozier’s backstory: Baffert to Brisset to Brooke

The son of Pioneerof the Nile — the sire of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah — was a $625,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase who started his racing career with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert for a partnership headed by SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket. Hozier raced seven times for Baffert and those owners, including finishing second in Oaklawn Park’s 2021 Rebel Stakes (G2) and second by a head in Pimlico’s Sir Barton Stakes on the Preakness undercard.

While a very good horse, he wasn’t quite Baffert’s caliber and was sent to trainer Rodolphe Brisset in Kentucky. After a last-place finish in the Ohio Derby and an Ellis Park second-level allowance victory, the owners put Hozier in Fasig-Tipton Kentucky’s July Horses of Racing Age sale. Starlight partners Ted and Mary Nixon of Louisville, who’d fallen in love with Hozier, bought the horse for $200,000. And thus, Storyteller Racing was launched.

Hozier went on to win three races for Storyteller, including Churchill Downs’ off-the-turf River City Stakes and Ellis Park’s Kentucky Downs Preview Mint Millions. Able to run on dirt or turf, Hozier was part of Brisset’s stable that went to Oaklawn Park in Arkansas for the winter of 2023-24.

On Dec. 15, 2023, the rider on the horse in front of Hozier tried to go through “a hole that wasn’t big enough,” Baker said.

“So he clipped heels and went down,” she said. “And we were directly behind him. Had nowhere to go. Funny, if you watch the replay — it’s kind of hard to watch — he did try to jump a little bit. Just not enough time or room to do it. So he went down pretty hard. His whole hind end took a pretty big beating… He was on stall rest between 30-45 days. He just couldn’t walk. We scanned to make sure nothing was broken. He was just really deeply bruised and had trauma that he needed time to get through.

“We rehabbed for about eight months and weren’t sure how sound he’d be for riding. It was a lot of back and forth. Two steps forward, five steps back. He finally came around.

“When I started riding him, I took it very, very slow and just let him tell me when he was ready to move on.” Baker continued, “If he’d ever said ‘enough is enough,’ I would have stopped, but he didn’t. And he just got better… .Some horses can go straight from racing into this. But most of them, even mentally, just need a little break to make a difference from what they were being asked to what they’re going to be asked. Even if it’s just 30 days. The great thing about this (Makeover) competition is they do give you that extra time if you do need to rehab one. Now, you can only ride them for 10 months. I didn’t even start him until March of this year.”

Mary Nixon calls Hozier’s new life as a show horse “in some ways, it’s a miracle. We were devastated when he fell and weren’t sure if he was going to come out of it, if he was. And he did. You’d never know he had any injury at this point. The goal, eventually, is for me to get on him, and that will be another milestone for Hozier.”

At the racetrack, Baker is an assistant trainer to her husband. For the show ring, Brisset serves as Hozier’s groom.

Hozier and Brooke Baker warming up before the gelding makes his show-ring debut in jumping.

“It’s way less pressure,” Brisset said of Hozier’s second career. “It’s fun for Brooke. It’s fun to show what a Thoroughbred can do. It was way more difficult when he was running. We had to ship him to a race the day before to make sure we could school him the day before, to gallop the morning of the race, because he was getting nervous in the paddock. Brooke did a great job, and you can see the difference now. After the accident and we did the rehab, he just switched off (mentally) overnight.”

Hozier made his official show-ring debut in show jumping, the very first to compete in the qualifying round and doing well but not making the final in the popular class. The next day he competed in freestyle that, as the discipline title suggests, lets the horse’s team pick its routine to music, using whatever props are desired. Hozier the horse seemed a longshot, performing to the international hit debut single “Take Me to Church” by Irish musician Hozier (performing name for Andrew John Hozier-Byrne). But showing off his jumping capabilities, and with horse and rider dramatically dressed in black with gold bling, Hozier finished seventh to make the 10-horse final.

Hozier and Brooke had to go first in the jumping competition.

To rewind for a minute: As Baker was warming up Hozier for his show debut in jumping, she told the Nixons that she’d elected to go up in height on the jumps, adding, “I probably should have played it safe and done the lower position.”

“Nah,” Ted Nixon said.

“He was just jumping so well,” Baker continued. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if he had a rail (touching a jump) just because of the experience at that height. But he schooled really well.”

Hozier did touch one rail, but everyone was thrilled with his first-ever performance in the ring.

“He did everything I asked; it was a big ask,” Baker said. “He likes a little bit of a bigger jump. He’s got a big stride, so I thought he could handle it. We just never really did a course at this height. But I was tickled. He went into the fences very confident.”

A good Thoroughbred retrained into a jumper, “they give you a 120 percent every time,” she said. “When they hit a rail, they really learn something from it. They really want to please, to do what you’d like them to do. That goes a long way in any discipline.”

Only a few horses in the freestyle finals attempted jumps, none higher than Hozier. It was a clean routine, very popular with the crowd. A top-three finish seemed likely, only for Hozier to be disqualified on a technicality. (With so few horses jumping in that discipline, Baker didn’t realize she had to wear a helmet. She had not worn one in the qualifying performance and nothing was said.) According to the published scores, Hozier would have finished third.

A bitter disappointment, but not with how Hozier performed.

“He seems to just love his new job,” Mary Nixon said, adding of pre-competition jitters, “It’s a different kind of nervousness. When you’re racing, you want them to win — and it goes so fast. They either win or they don’t. Here, it’s much more subtle in terms of how they evaluate their performances, and I clearly don’t know everything to watch yet. But it’s joyful — just to see him doing something he loves and doing it well.

“He worked hard for us for a while, and we wanted him to have a happy post-racing retirement life. And he is.”

With no realistic stud career, Hozier was gelded after being bought by Storyteller. The original plan is that after racing he’d become Mary Nixon’s riding horse. Baker throughout thought he might take to jumping.

“He obviously was a tremendous athlete, and he was always a barn favorite,” she said. “His personality, everybody fought to gallop him every day. He was very cool that way. So yeah, it was always a little bit in the back of my head. And he’s a tall, handsome, beautiful neck, which is kind of what we look for in a jumper. Great stride on him.”

Hozier was Baker’s second horse to take to The Makeover, the first being The Black Album, who competed in both jumping and ranching.

“Which I don’t think you could be farther apart,” she said. “We were chasing cows one day and jumping in the ring the next. That goes back to wanting to please you. They want to do right by you and will definitely try. This guy, Hozier, he had a lot of fun on the racetrack. They always called him the happiest horse out there. And I think you can tell he’s very, very happy out here. I don’t think he’d want to sit in a field doing nothing.”

Baker said she sees similarities between racehorse Hozier and show-horse Hozier. “In the show ring, as on the racetrack, he’s got a big personality,” she said. “He thought he was the man out there.”

Mary Nixon, who grew up in Lexington, has been around a variety of horses her entire life. Even so, the versatility of the off-the-track thoroughbred surprised her, she said.

“During their racing careers, they tend to be relatively high strung,” she said. “They’ve got one job, and you just don’t realize how versatile they are. Hozier was a relatively high-strung horse; in his retirement he’s just chilled and gotten busy with his new job. It’s incredible what they can do. Now, he so far doesn’t like creeks, so we don’t know what kind of trail horse he’ll be. But he’s certainly shown he can be a show-jumper.”

What’s next: Road trip to Ohio!

Hozier will be in his second show Dec. 11-14 at the World Equestrian Center (WEC)’s Winter Classic #3 in Wilmington, Ohio, about 150 miles from Baker’s September Farm in Versailles, Ky. Hozier has been entered in two jumping classes.