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Joseph's Assistant Wins With One of Her Own
Saturday, June 27, 2026
Sabine Langvad scores with . . . Langvad...

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Sabine Langvad has been a frequent visitor to the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle after stakes as trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s longtime trusted assistant, but Saturday’s $100,000 Carry Back carried some extra special meaning.

    Steven Friedfertig and Shining Stables’ Langvad, named for the blond-haired native of Norway, jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, shaking off a challenge from One Hundred Kings and going on to a three-length victory in the seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds.

    Ridden by Micah Husbands for his third winner of the day, Langvad ($4.60) completed the distance in 1:23.23 over a fast main track to earn his third career win and first in a stakes after placing once in three prior attempts.

    “It’s pretty cool. You never know with any horse, but it’s pretty special when you have a namesake that turns out to be good,” Langvad said, flanked by her 4-year-old daughter, Savannah. “We’re so, so proud of him. I’m so happy.”

    Langvad broke alertly and outran program favorite Wayne’s Law to the front, quickly joined by One Hundred Kings through an opening quarter-mile in :22.41 seconds as Wayne’s Law settled in fourth behind 17-1 shot Sonic Surge.

    The half went in :45.10 as Wayne’s Law drew up alongside Sonic Surge on the far turn, but Langvad was too much as the Florida-bred son of Awesome Slew – sent off as the 6-5 favorite – opened up once straightened for home to register his second straight win. All three of his victories have come in front-running fashion.

    “He broke super sharp today,” Langvad said. “Sometimes he can be a little bit slow away from the gate, but Micah had a lot of confidence in him today.”

    One Hundred Kings stayed up for second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Wayne’s Law, followed by Sonic Surge and Move Jesse Move. Moonstrocity, Ramajay and Demolition were scratched.

    Langvad graduated second time out against state-breds last November, then ran third to multiple stakes-winning stablemate and Fountain of Youth runner-up Solitude Dude in the Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs. This year, Langvad was sixth in the Swale at Gulfstream and fifth in Tampa’s Sophomore Sprint before beating older horses in his prior start sprinting six furlongs May 23 in a Gulfstream allowance.

    Sabine Langvad joined Joseph’s stable as an exercise rider in 2017 and was elevated to assistant trainer in 2019. She spent some time working for trainer Chad Brown before rejoining Joseph in 2022.




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Bernies Blog
Mandatory Rainbow Pays Off Big
Sunday, June 21, 2026
7 winners hit for $41,598 . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool yielded multiple $41,598.18 payoffs on Sunday’s Father’s Day program at Gulfstream Park.

    The popular multi-race wager had gone unsolved for two racing days following a $110,007 jackpot hit a week ago leading up to Sunday’s mandatory payout. At the start of Rainbow 6 wagering Sunday there was a carryover of $25,262. A Total of $406,266 was wagered on Sunday’s Rainbow 6 sequence that spanned Races 4-9.

    The winning combination was 4-6-2-8-7-6. There were seven winning tickets.
           

    There were three ‘singles’ heading into Race 9. A $350,256 jackpot score would have been produced had either 3, 9 or 10 prevailed in the final leg.





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Bernies Blog
OBS June Closes on Another High Note
Friday, June 19, 2026
Medaglia d'Oro colt goes for $650,000 . . .
    As the last juvenile Marcial Galan will sell this year headed into the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. pavilion the afternoon of June 18, the veteran consignor stood in the back ring, eyes glued to the board that would determine what kind of note his season would end on.

    When the final number flashed after one last bid from agent Donato Lanni during the third day of selling at the 2026 OBS June Two-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age sale, Galan began digesting the fact he could plan a well-deserved vacation for the purpose of celebrating a career pinnacle.

    From an all-time sale record price to setting new marks for gross and average, the OBS June Sale concluded its three-day run with no shortage of moments to put on a highlight reel. The final day of the last major juvenile auction of the year contributed to that run of milestones as Hip 824, Bulmaro, a dark bay or brown colt by pensioned Darley stalwart Medaglia d’Oro, sold to Lanni on behalf of Zedan Racing for $650,000 to lead the final session.

    Bred by Jason Hall, Herschel Martindale, Joe Wheeler, and David Branch, the Medaglia d’Oro colt was the second highest priced horse at this year’s OBS June exercise, behind only Hip 428, a gray or roan filly by Triple Crown winner Justify who became the highest priced horse to ever sell at an OBS June auction when she went for $1.4 million to Speedway Stables. Bulmaro also earned a place of distinction with Galan as he is the highest priced horse ever to come out of his consignment.

    “I’ve sold like 200 horses in my life, and this is the highest,” Galan said. “Me and my wife are about to cry. We work really hard, and when something goes wrong we feel like what did we do wrong? But as I told the owners, not everything goes the right way all the time. But we’re really happy with this. He gave us the result we wanted. That was the last horse and…we’re ready for vacation now.”

    The end result for Bulmaro was particularly satisfying for his connections given the setback the colt endured last winter. Out of the winning Desert Party mare Scarlet Emerald, he suffered a stall accident that left him with a hematoma on his foreleg that ultimately cost him three months of training time.

    When he showed up on the OBS grounds last week for the under-tack show, however, he showcased his rapid development with an impressive breeze in :9 4/5.

    “I have to pat the buying public on the back because they did a great job of taking (the missed training time) into account and seeing the horse for the athlete he is,” Hall said. “Marcial has just done an incredible job for us for 4-5 years now. Even when we had a situation like this, he rolled his sleeves up and got the job done. The process is long and can be filled with some peaks and valleys and we’re just happy that it worked out.”

    The Medaglia d’Oro colt is a half brother to stakes placed winner Naughty Lottie, an OBS graduate, and his dam Scarlet Emerald, another OBS graduate, was a winning sprinter for Hall during her racing days. He will now be stablemates with Zedan, who set an all-time OBS record when he was purchased by their owner for $10.5 million at the April auction.

    “He looks fast. He looks like one that will go on,” Lanni said of Bulmaro. “All year for the good horses, there have been a lot of strong bidders. Every year seems to get stronger and stronger. I think there is a lot of money out there and people want to have fun.”

    The money indeed showed up throughout all levels of the OBS June sale.

    Direct comparisons to the 2025 June sale are not applicable due to last year’s auction being condensed over two days, but this year saw the sale generate gross receipts of $28,528,500 from 559 head sold, setting a new June record for the 2-year-olds in training portion. The cumulative average of $51,035 was also a June record as of the close of business Thursday with the overall median of $25,000 equaling the record mark set last year. The cumulative RNA rate was 20.6 percent.

    Two horses of racing age sold Thursday for a total of $23,000, bringing the overall gross to $28,551,500 and average to $50,894.

    Last year’s sale sold 507 horses for $25,473,000 with an average of $50,243 and RNA rate of 15.9 percent. No horses of racing age were sold in 2025.

    Thursday’s final session generated $8,869,500 gross from 173 head sold with an average of $51,269 and median of $21,000.

    “I think it’s been a banner year for us with the records that we’ve set through all three sales and ending up on a high note with the June sale,” said Tod Wojciechowski, Director of Sales for OBS. “Very excited and very happy with the results on the year. I still think there were a lot of horses that got sold, period, and we sold a lot of horses at a lot of different price levels. I know sometimes you always want to see more at different levels, but there was plenty of trade of horses.”

    A total of 11 horses brought $300,000 or more during this year’s June auction, besting the eight horses who hit that threshold during the entirety of the 2025 edition of the sale. Two who added to that total were Hip 827, a dark bay or brown colt by Medaglia d'Oro, and Hip 876, a dark bay or brown filly by Vekoma, both of whom sold for $400,000 Thursday.

    Consigned by 30-30 Ranch, the Medaglia d’Oro colt breezed in :21 1/5 and sold to D. J. Stable LLC. He is out of the stakes winning Lemon Drop Kid mare Season Ticket.

    The Vekoma filly breezed in :20 2/5, adding to a tremendous week for Jesse Hoppel of Hoppel LLC, who also consigned the $1.4 million Justify filly. The Vekoma filly is out of the winning Discreetly Mine mare Sonora and sold to Kimmel & Sallusto, agent for trainer Miguel Clement.

    “I've done well here year after year. Hopefully, it will continue,” said Hoppel, who led all consignors with 18 head sold for $2,543,000.

    Another standout Thursday was Hip 995, a chestnut colt by Cyberknife consigned by First Call, who sold for $310,000 to MorPlay Racing. The colt, who breezed in :10 1/5, is out of the multiple stakes winning Pollard's Vision mare Vertical Vision and is a half brother to multiple graded stakes winner Vertical Oak.
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Bernies Blog
Justify Filly Sets OBS June Record
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Sells for $1.4 million . . .
    Even before he left the sales pavilion the afternoon of June 17 amid well wishes and congratulatory declarations, consignor Jesse Hoppel carried with him a heightened level of sentiment where the results of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. June Two-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale were concerned.

    “Growing up in this industry, there have been times where this sale is what turned our family from red to black for the year,” Hoppel said in the midst of trying to absorb his latest milestone.  “This sale is really important for all the 2-year-old consignors.”

    With one day remaining in the final major juvenile auction of the year, the 2026 edition of the OBS June Sale has already cemented itself among the most significant moments of Hoppel’s personal and professional life.

    The record-setting mantle that started with the OBS March and April auctions this season was picked up with aplomb by the three-day June sale, thanks to the appeal of a striking gray filly bred in the purple. After selling his first seven-figure juvenile during the OBS March Sale, Hoppel wrote his name into the history books of the sales grounds he grew up on when he sold Hip 428, a gray or roan filly by Triple Crown winner Justify, for $1.4 million to Speedway Stables, becoming the highest priced horse ever sold at an OBS June sale.

    The price for the Justify filly surpasses the previous OBS June record of $975,000 set just last year when Feminism, a chestnut filly by Curlin consigned by Caliente Thoroughbreds, sold to Gus King. For Hoppel, it was the latest achievement in a year that has seen his and his family’s horsemanship rewarded in the arena that has been paramount to his success.

    “We got really fortunate. I’m just grateful everyone believed in us enough to bid on our horses like that,” Hoppel said. “She exceeded our expectations by far. She’s a really nice filly, she’s got a really nice family. Hopefully she’s really successful on the racetrack and goes on to become a really nice broodmare. All those things are a possibility with that filly.”

    Out of the stakes-winning Rockport Harbor mare Harbingerofthings, the Justify filly is a half sister to graded stakes-winners Tell Your Daddy and Dynadrive, the former of whom is Gr. 1 placed. She would have likely commanded her share of attention had she been offered in either March or April but an injury sustained in a paddock accident led to her being pointed to the sale where she now stands alone in its annals.

    “She was turned out with a bunch of fillies in a big field just being a horse. We raise our horses natural… just let them be themselves. And she got a big old lump on her shin,” Hoppel recalled. “What happened, I don’t know. But she got kicked or hit it on something…and it set me back. She would have been here in April or March but that set us back a little ways.

    “Like so many things, it was definitely a blessing in disguise. Sometimes you feel like you’re being dealt a blow but you’re just setting up for a better outcome. It was good for me and the team and the investors, we had a great day.”

    When the filly breezed in :20 4/5 to tie for the fastest quarter during the third day of under-tack shows, Marette Farrell, advisor to K. C. Weiner and Peter Fluor’s Speedway Stables, went back to the barns and immediately pegged the daughter of Justify as one her team needed to pursue. Bidding via phone during a protracted battle that started with an opening bid of $20,000, Farrell ultimately stretched to the limits to secure what she hopes will be a future standout for Speedway’s broodmare band.

    “As soon as I saw the breeze, all I wanted to do was go to the barn to see her,” said Farrell, who also credited her team of Tescha Von Bluecher, Zoe Cadman, and Ashley Castrenze. “When I went to the barn, she was everything I could have hoped for. She had size, muscle, presence, a great sense of mind. She’s by a phenomenal stallion Justify who we’re real believers in. Then of course she’s a half to a Gr.-1 placed filly and it’s (Gr. 1 winner) Mindframe’s extended family. Speedway Stables has a broodmare band now and these are the fillies we want to add to the band, the ones who have brilliance.

    “You can’t walk away from a filly as phenomenal as her.”

    The juvenile market has been astounding in its own right with this year’s OBS March auction producing a record sale gross and the April sale establishing a record gross, average, and median, highlighted by the sale of Zedan, a son of Flightline who sold for an all-time OBS mark of $10.5 million. The sale of its first seven-figure horse signified a continuation of such strength during the June exercise.

    While session to session comparisons are not applicable due to the 2025 OBS June Sale being held over two days as opposed to this year’s three-day auction, overall figures through the first two sessions reflect a hotly competitive buying base. A total of 353 horses have been sold for gross receipts of $18,898,000 through the close of business Wednesday with the average coming in at $53,535 and the median $27,000. The cumulative rate of horses not sold is 26.7 percent.

    Wednesday’s session saw 173 head sold for gross receipts of $9,285,000 with an average of $53,671 and a median of $27,000. The session RNA rate was 28.8 percent.

    “Before the sale started, they asked me what I thought about June and I said we’ve had a great March and April and I don’t see that changing. Obviously, it didn’t change,” said Tod Wojciechowski, Director of Sales for OBS. “I said it last year, this isn’t your father’s June sale. It has become a sale in its own right and a number of consignors have said that they point horses to this sale.

    “Would I have predicted (the seven-figure horse)? I don’t know that I’d have predicted it, but I’m not surprised by it. The quality of horses these guys are bringing to the market…it keeps stepping up, so it’s not surprising to me.”

    A total of seven horses have brought $300,000 or more with one day left in the sale compared to eight horses who hit that threshold during the entirety of the 2025 OBS June auction. Contributing to that total Wednesday was Hip 433, a bay colt by Jackie’s Warrior who elicited the session’s second highest price when he sold to Greg Compton, agent for MAG Racing Stables for $300,000.

    Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, the colt is out of the winning, multiple graded stakes-placed mare Heavenly Hill, who is by OBS graduate City Zip and out of graded stakes-winner Pleasant Hill. He breezed in :20 4/5 during the under-tack show.
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Bernies Blog
Early Voting Colt Tops OBS June Opener
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Sells for $410,000.. .
    Over the last handful of weeks, offspring by Early Voting who first made their mark in the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. pavilion have repeatedly signaled that the classic-winning Taylor Made Farms stallion is a veritable source of precocity and raw ability.

    During the opening session of the 2026 OBS June Two-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale, another representative of the first-crop sire turned heads on the strength of his obvious early talent.

    The positive talk that has been attached to the early results of Early Voting’s stud career spilled over into the OBS sales ring June 16 as Hip 168, a dark bay or brown colt by the son of Gun Runner, sold to trainer Greg Compton, agent, on behalf of MAG Racing Stables for $410,000, topping the first day of selling at the final major juvenile auction of the year.

    Currently third on the first-crop sire list, Early Voting has become the buzz horse over the last month with the likes of OBS graduates He Is No Lie and Balloteer, both of whom were purchased at the OBS March Sale, winning first time out. Consigned by Julie Davies, Hip 168 breezed in :10 flat during the under-tack show, further validating the high opinion Davies has held for his sire.

    “I have been a fan of Early Voting since the yearling sales. You can ask anyone who knows me, I’ve been harping on about Early Voting,” said Davies, whose past graduates out of the OBS June Sale include multiple Gr. 1 winner Adare Manor and stakes-winner Solitude Dude. “This is a nice horse. Obviously, he’s fast, he’s pretty. I think this sale if you bring the right horse here, if you bring a good horse here, then there are plenty of buyers.”

    The Early Voting colt is out of the winning War Front mare Cara Dura and is from the female family of graded stakes-winner and sire Exchange Rate. The next chapter in his story will include heading to Compton’s Delaware Park base where he will get a freshening before trying to add to his sire’s growing resume.

    “He’s a good looking individual, he had a great breeze, and the stud is off to a great start,” Compton said. “It’s pretty simple. He looks like he has a bright future. He might get a little break for 30 days and then get him back going again. (The price) was a little more than we thought, but he’s a really nice individual.

    “If you want a nice horse, you’re going to have to pay for it.”

    Healthy competition for standout individuals backstopped the OBS March and April sales to record results, and the initial returns for the June sale did nothing to dispel that market strength. The first day saw a total of five horses sell for $300,000 or more – compared to eight horses who hit that threshold during the entirety of the 2025 OBS June Sale - including Hip 93, a bay filly by Mo Donegal that elicited a final bid of $370,000 from agent Donato Lanni on behalf of Frank Fletcher.

    Consigned by Envision Equine, the Mo Donegal filly is out of the multiple stakes-placed Valid Expectations mare Bakken Baby and is a half-sister to stakes-placed winner Expect the Boss. The filly breezed in :9 4/5 during the under-tack show, tying for the fastest time at the distance.

    “She looks very fast,” said Lanni, who added the filly would head to the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. “Frank (Fletcher) is an Oaklawn guy and he likes Churchill so we’re going to look at running her there.

    “We love the June sale. Every horse here has a story, that’s why they’re here.”

    The MorPlay Racing team has crafted plenty of success stories with OBS sale graduates, most notably with champion female sprinter Shisospicy. The team landed what they hope is their next stable star when they went to $330,000 for Hip 239, a chestnut filly by Practical Joke consigned by Caliente Thoroughbreds. The filly, who breezed in :9 4/5, is out of the winning Munnings mare Danceformunny, a daughter of stakes-winner Royal Song Dancer.

    “For us, this was the nicest filly on the grounds,” said Cam Dulgar of MorPlay Racing. “We didn’t really want to leave without her. She scoped clean, the physical was all there for us. Obviously, she laid down a pretty good breeze, but it was the way she did it, being the size she is. We think she could be a special horse. We knew she was going to be a standout here.”

    Other top prices during the session were Hip 192, Jamoca Shake, a gray or roan filly by Uncle Mo, and Hip 220, Global Leader, a daughter of Uncle Mo, both of whom were consigned by Tom McCrocklin and sold for $300,000.

    Jamoca Shake, who breezed in :21, is out of the multiple stakes-placed Cuvee mare Chocolate Pop and is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner and OBS graduate Airoforce. She was purchased by Greenwell Thoroughbreds.

    Global Leader, who breezed in :20 2/5, is out of the winning, stakes-placed First Samurai mare Corey, a half-sister to graded stakes-winner and OBS graduate Happy Farm. She was purchased by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt.

    With the 2025 OBS June Sale behind held over two days as opposed to this year’s three-day auction, session-to-session comparisons are not applicable. Tuesday’s figures told a robust story nonetheless at the close of business with 163 head sold for gross receipts of $9,066,000. The average came in at $55,620 with a median of $30,000. The RNA rate was 31.8 percent prior to post sales.

    The opening session of the OBS June Sale will go down as one to remember for the father-son team of Fabian and Ruben Garcia of Fabian Sales. Hip 56, a dark bay colt by Charlatan from the female family of graded stakes-winner and sire Tale of the Cat, was hammered down to D.J. Stable for $195,000, making him the highest-priced horse ever sold by Fabian Sales and sparking an emotional outpouring from the younger Garcia.

    “I can’t believe it,” Ruben Garcia said, wiping tears from his face. “We bought him for only $1,000. Me and my dad just thought we would take a chance with the horse and if he didn’t make it (to the sale) we would probably race him. He just turned out to be a great horse. We were comfortable with $75,000 and at the last minute my father said to put a $100,000 reserve on him and he passed that easily. This is the first high-priced horse we have sold.”
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Bernies Blog
OBS Juvenile Sales Season Concludes This Week
Monday, June 15, 2026
Three-day run begins tomorrow . . .
    A juvenile sales season filled with milestone results reaches its conclusion this week as the 2026 OBS June Two-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale aims to put a stamp on a record-setting year when it begins its three-day run June 16. A total of 981 horses including supplemental entries are catalogued for the sale, which runs through June 18.

    Sessions will begin each day at 10:30 a.m. with Hips 1 - 302 plus supplements 303 – 327 selling June 16 followed by Hips 351 - 652 plus supplements 653 – 671 June 17. The June 18 session will sell Hips 701 - 1002 and supplements 1003 - 1028 along with Horses of Racing Age Hips 1051 - 1053 plus supplements 1054 – 1056.

    The sale looks to carry on the momentum generated by record results put forth at this year’s OBS March and April exercises. After the March sale produced a record sale gross and equaled the OBS March record with seven horses crossing the million-dollar threshold, the April sale established OBS benchmarks across the board as it finished with a record gross, average, and median, highlighted by the sale of Zedan, a son of Flightline who sold for an all-time OBS mark of $10.5 million.

    Last year’s June auction was its own showcase of market strength, establishing new sale marks for overall average and median while Feminism, a chestnut filly by Curlin consigned by Caliente Thoroughbreds, established a record sale price when she sold for $975,000. Given the way market trends have gone, those on the ground expect more of the same to unfold over the next few days.

    “It’s not hard to sell a good horse. So, I assume all our good horses will stand out and everyone else’s good horses will stand out and they’ll sell just fine,” said consignor Jesse Hoppel of Hoppel LLC. “We won’t have to worry about those. Everybody gravitates to the same ones, so it’s the horses in the middle (where it is tougher).

    “They’re still useful horses. They maybe don’t have the most fashionable pedigree or conformation wise maybe they’re not perfect. People find an excuse and they pass on those horses but those horses, a lot of them go on to become really good racehorses.”

    An example of such came out of last year’s June sale in the form of graded stakes-winner Crude Velocity. Sold by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock to Bill Childs for $250,000, the son of Beau Liam has gone on to capture the Gr. II Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs before finishing second in the Gr. I Woody Stephens Stakes at Saratoga. Crude Velocity equaled the OBS track record last year when he worked a quarter in :20 1/5.

    “I think (the sale) is going to be strong,” said Ramirez, who is consigning Hip 925, a dark bay or brown filly by Highly Motivated that is a half-sister to Crude Velocity. “The good ones are going to sell no matter what. The middle market will be a little tough, but I think it’s going to be good. As long as they’re good and sound, there are going to be people here to buy them.”

    Among the standouts during the five-day under tack show were Hip 876, a dark bay or brown filly by Vekoma consigned by Hoppel LLC, and Hip 220, Global Leader, a daughter of Uncle Mo consigned by Tom McCrocklin, both of whom breezed in :20 2/5 to tie for the fastest quarter mile works.

    Six OBS June graduates have won graded stakes thus far through 2025-26 including Crude Velocity, El Potente, Elysian Field, Roll on Big Joe, Sultana, and Queen Maxima. Other OBS June graduates who have won stakes races this year are Doncho, winner of the Mighty Beau Stakes at Churchill Downs, and Bay Shore and Swale Stakes victor Solitude Dude.

    Other notable OBS June graduates include multiple Gr. I winner and Eclipse Award finalist Adare Manor, Grade 1 winner and sire Yaupon, and Gr. I winners War Like Goddess, Zenden, and Bella Sofia.

    Two OBS June graduates have the distinction of capturing consecutive Breeders’ Cup races: Goldencents (2012 OBS June) took the 2013-14 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Stormy Liberal (2014 OBS June) won the 2017-18 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Stormy Liberal also earned the Eclipse Award for Champion Turf Male in 2018.

    The June sale will be streamed live via the OBS website as well as the DRF, TDN, BloodHorse, Pastthewire and Hipismo.net websites.  

    OBS will again offer online bidding during the sale. Buyers may go to the OBS website and register to gain bidding approval, then access the OBS Bidding Screen with their credentials. For complete information on registration and online bidding please go to the OBS website: obs-internet-bidding.
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Bernies Blog
Gators and Seminoles Have 5 Left in Canada
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Horschel just 3 behind with `18 to play . . .

    Heading into today's wind-up of the RBC Canadian Open, of the seven Gators and Seminoles who began play on Thursday, five are still vying for a big paycheck this evening, while two missed the cut.

    GATORS - Billy Horschel leads the way with rounds of 66-70-64-200, 10 under over the par-71 TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley North Course. He's tied for seventh, three strokes behind unknown leader Jackson Suler, and two behind Bud Cauley. 

    Alejandro Tosti, the Gator who needs it most, has posted 66-69-68-203, seven under, and is tied for 23rd.

    Youngster Ricky Castillo, having an excellent year, shot 65-71-72-208, 2 under par, and is tied for 59th.

    Camilo Villegas missed the cut of 2 under with 68-74.

    SEMINOLES - Luke Clanton's 69-66-67-202 is eight under and he's tied for 19th.  

    Brooks Koepka is tied for 32nd with 64-68-72-204, 6 under.

    Hank Lebioda's 70-71-141, 1 over, missed the cut.

    Daniel Berger is the lone FSU player sitting this one out.


 

 


 

 

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Golfer Magazine
Nysos Top OBS Grad Successes with Met Mile Triumph
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Boosts earnings to more than $5.2 million . . .

    Nysos (Nyquist – Zetta Z, by Bernardini) added to his accomplished resume with an overpowering performance in the Gr. 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga Race Course to lead the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week.

    With his victory in the Met Mile, the 5-year-old son of Nyquist earned a chance to defend his title in the Gr. 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland Race Course Oct. 31 through the "Win and You're In" Challenge Series.

    Nysos, owned by Charles and Susan Chu's Baoma Corp and the Coolmore partners of Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, has now won eight of his 10 races and has never been worse than second. He boosted his earnings to $5,288,500 with the $550,000 winner's share of the purse.

    “He’s good; a great horse," Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said. "That was a tough bunch. I’m just so happy for the owners. They let me take my time with this horse and get him ready. I’m just happy that he ran his race. He’s one of the smartest horses I’ve ever trained. He’s really smart, quiet and cool.”

    Nysos was purchased for $550,000 out of the Best A Luck Farm consignment by Donato Lanni, Agent for Baoma Corp at the 2023 OBS April Sale after breezing in :9 4/5.

    At Saratoga, West Point Thoroughbreds’ Counting Stars (Honor A.P.- Paynterbynumbers, by Paynter) turned the tables on Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner with a 3 3/4-length score in Friday’s Gr. 1, $500,000 Acorn Stakes.

    Trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Counting Stars previously captured the Gr. II Fantasy at Oaklawn Park in March. Casse said the filly will likely look to improve her credentials in the Gr. 1, $600,000 Alabama on Aug. 22 at Saratoga.

    Counting Stars was purchased by her owners at the 2025 OBS April Sale for $150,000 from the Wildheart Thoroughbreds consignment after breezing in :10 flat.

    At Churchill Downs, Spendthrift Farm’s Further Ado (Gun Runner- Sky Dreamer, by Sky Mesa) returned to his winning ways with a two-length triumph in the $489,665, Gr.III Matt Winn Stakes.

    Further Ado, trained by Brad Cox, clocked 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:41.26, which was the second-fastest Matt Winn, only behind his sire Gun Runner’s 1:41.12 in 2016. He previously captured the $1.25 million Blue Grass in April and bolstered his bankroll to $1,446,958. 

    Further Ado was purchased by Spendthrift at the 2025 OBS April Sale for $550,000 from the Six K’s Training & Sales consignment after breezing in :21 1/5. 

    At Saratoga, Mo Speed Racing’s West End Kid (Twirling Candy- To a Friend, by Scat Daddy) brought his win streak to three-in-a-row with a successful stakes debut in the Gr. III, $300,000 Pennine Ridge.

    Trained by Will Walden, the son of Twirling Candy was a $350,000 purchase by his owners at the 2025 OBS April Sale from the Navas Equine consignment after breezing in :10 1/5.

    The June 4 card at Saratoga also saw Spendthrift Farm’s Goodall (Yaupon-Moon Over Mag Bay, by Malibu Moon) earn a 2 3/4-length score in the $175,000 Jersey Girl on Day Two of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Goodall was purchased by Spendthrift for $525,000 at the 2025 OBS April Sale from the consignment of Tom McCrocklin after breezing in :20 2/5.

    At Churchill Downs, Doncho (Mo Town – Sassy Redhead, by Henny Hughes) ran down defending race winner Joe Shiesty in deep stretch to win the $224,500 Mighty Beau Stakes (Listed) by three-quarters of a length in course-record time.

    Doncho, trained by Michelle Lovell, ran five furlongs on firm turf in a course and stakes record :55.01 to collect his third career stakes win for owner Jose A. Lopez’s JAL Racing. Consigned by GOP Racing Stable Corp. to the 2023 OBS June Sale, Doncho was purchased by his owners for $72,000 after breezing in :9 4/5. 

    At Gulfstream Park, JSM Equine’s Haute Diva (Constitution – Diva Style, by Unbridled’s Song) ran up to her potential with a last-to-first rally in the $100,000 Martha Washington Stakes.

    Returning from a two-month freshening, the Patrick Biancone-trained daughter of Constitution prevailed by a half-length. Haute Diva was offered by Wavertree Stables at the 2025 OBS April Sale where she failed to meet her reserve after breezing in :10 flat.

    At Saratoga on, Michael Dubb’s Sculcos Folly (Redesdale- Cool Johanna, by Johannesburg) won his fourth straight race, and third in stakes company, with an authoritative 5 1/2-length romp in the $200,000 Mike Lee on New York Showcase Day.

    Sculcos Folly has won his last four outings by a combined 29 1/2 lengths. Trained by Rick Dutrow Jr., the son of Redesdale was a $70,000 purchase by Chad Schumer at the 2025 OBS April Sale from the Omar Ramirez Bloodstock consignment after breezing in :10 flat.

    At Century Mile, Avana (Vino Rosso- Revealing Moment, by After Market) earned her 10th career stakes victory in the $50,000 RedTail Landing for owners Bryan and Carol Anne Anderson, Rick Orman, William Decoursey, Greg Palmer, and Denise Praill.

    Trained by Barbara Heads, the daughter of Vino Rosso was purchased by Mike Ryan, agent for $150,000 out of the consignment of Cary Frommer at the 2023 OBS March Sale after breezing in :1 2/5.

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Bernies Blog
It's Last to First for Haute Diva in Martha Washington Stakes
Monday, June 8, 2026
New sensation Diego Herrera wins 4 races . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - JSM Equine’s Haute Diva minded her manners Saturday at Gulfstream Park, the often high-strung filly running up to her potential with an eye-catching last-to-first rally in the $100,000 Martha Washington Stakes.

    Returning from a two-month freshening since her pre-race behavior compromised her efforts in the Gr. II Gulfstream Park Oaks and Gr. II Davona Dale during the Championship Meet, the Patrick Biancone-trained daughter of Constitution saved her energy for the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Tapeta. Ridden for the first time by a visiting Keith Asmussen, Haute Diva ($7.80) made a sweeping move on the far turn, circled the field into the stretch and fought off a stretch challenge from Mia Familia to prevail by a half-length.

    “She’s very talented,” Biancone said. “The owner was nice enough to get a nice long break with her and re-group everything. Keith came to work her in the morning, and she really liked him, so he came to ride her. She was perfect in the parade. She did everything right, so now we can start to look for something bigger for her on dirt.” 

    Haute Diva, who won the mile Cash Run on dirt at Gulfstream prior to her off-the-board finishes in the Gulfstream Park Oaks and Davona Dale, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.23. Mia Familia finished 2 ½ lengths ahead of Bayou Brigid. Haute Diva had been training sharply at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, where she produced a ‘bullet’ half-mile breeze in 47 2/5 seconds.

    “I’ve been lucky enough that Patrick has allowed me to get on her multiple times in the morning. He’s obviously thought a lot about this filly. I think his optimism bleeds over to me,” said Asmussen, who is engaged to Biancone’s daughter, Andie. “I had the world of confidence in her going into this race. She cane be fairly sensitive. The Instructions going into the race were: ‘just don’t let run her race before we get to the gate. Just keep her quiet.”

    The Churchill Downs-based Asmussen also rode Biancone-trained Elegante Miz ($12) to a debut victory in Race 2, a five-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-olds.

    The Martha Washington was the first of three stakes on Saturday’s Gulfstream card

    Saint George’s Rolando ($9.60) narrowly won the $100,000 Big Drama, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses carded as Race 10. The Fausto Gutierrez-trained 4-year-old son of Vekoma saved ground while following pacesetter Concrete Glory during fractions of 22.48 seconds for a quarter-mile and 45 seconds for a half-mile before being taken off the rail to go after and quickly pass the leader entering the stretch. Rolando fought off an inside challenge from Back Em Up nearing the finish to prevail by a nose.

    Rolando ran seven furlongs in 1:22.85 under Diego Herrera, who rode four winners on the 11-race program. Back Em Up edged Pure Class by a neck for second.

    Herrera came right back in Race 11 to guide Paterpop Racing’s Chicken Dance ($15.60) to victory in the $100,000 Not Surprising, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds on Tapeta.

    Chicken Dance saved ground while rating off the pace set by Bolero Boy, the 6-5 favorite who set a comfortable pace under Miguel Vazquez with fractions of 24 seconds for a quarter-mile and 48.35 seconds for a half-mile. Herrera bided his time aboard Chicken Dance before finding a way off the rail leaving the turn into the stretch.  The son of Neolithic kicked in powerfully through the stretch run to catch Bolero Boy in deep stretch to score by 1 ¼ lengths.

    Chicken Dance ran 1 1/16-miles on the all-weather surface in 1:42.66 to follow up an optional claiming allowance victory under Herrera in his previous start. Bolero Boy finished two lengths clear of third-place finisher Khon Han.
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Bernies Blog
Fawkes Is Loaded From the Spa to Gulfstream
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Reef Runner set for Gr. I Jaipur . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH -Trainer David Fawkes will be otherwise occupied at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York Saturday, but the veteran trainer with a long list of stakes successes on his resume, both in South Florida and elsewhere, will be very well represented in the three stakes at Gulfstream Park.

    Fawkes will be on hand at The Spa to saddle multiple graded stakes-winner Reef Runner for a start in the Gr. I Jaipur, a 5 ½-furlong turf stakes on the undercard of the Belmont Stakes. He won’t be present at Gulfstream to watch Pure Class step up in class for the $125,000 Big Drama Handicap; Nickel C face nine other 3-year-olds in search of his first stakes score in the $125,000 Not Surprising; nor Nyfive try to win her third race in a row in the $125,000 Martha Washington.

    Reef Runner is regarded as one of the top contenders in the Jaipur, and Fawkes is confident his stablemates will be ready to offer the best performances of their respective careers at Gulfstream.

    Robert Mooney and Jeffrey Siskin’s Pure Class is coming off a dazzling 3 ½-length front-running score in a seven-furlong $35,000 claiming races in his first start since being claimed for $35,000. The son of The Big Beast was bred and formerly owned by Reef Runner’s connections, Alex and Joanne Lieblong, and trained by Fawkes before being claimed away for $62,500 last fall. When he surfaced in a $35,000 claiming race, Fawkes was quick to drop a slip to claim him back for his current owners.

    “I lost him for $62,500. He ran two or three times, and they dropped him in for $35,000 and I took him back. He got beat, but I ran him back three weeks later and he ran a 90 Beyer number. He ran huge. He ran a big number on the Thoro-Graf sheets,” Fawkes said. “We’re trying to see if we can get him there. The distance is right. He loves seven-eighths. That’s his distance. Edwin’s won four on him and he’s riding him again.”

    Edwin Gonzalez, who was aboard for the victorious homecoming May 10 in a seven-furlong $35,000 claiming race, has the return call on Pure Class, who will carry 118 pounds, six fewer than co-highweights Concrete Glory and Chrome Ghost.

    “We found a really good spot and he ran a really good race, obviously,” Fawkes said. “After that, he’s been doing so good, I thought, ‘well, if ever there’s a chance to win a little something with him, maybe this is the spot.’”

    Purse Class has been priced at 10-1 on the morning line in the field of seven assembled for the Race 10 feature. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained stakes veteran Concrete Glory has been tabbed ast 5-2 in the morning line with Fausto Gutierrez-trained Rolando rated second at 3-1.

    A victory at Gulfstream Saturday would be especially satisfying for Fawkes, who trained Big Drama during a career (2008-2011) that included a victory in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs, followed by an Eclipse Award as North America’s champion sprinter.

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Bernies Blog
OBS Grad Forged Steel Romps in Gr. II Hollywood Gold Cup
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Two years in a row for trainer Saffie Joseph . . .

    C2 Racing Stable and Mathis Stables' Forged Steel (Vekoma-Scorecard, by Tale of the Cat) gave trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. his second straight win in the $200,000, Gr. II  Hollywood Gold Cup as he romped to a 9 ½-length victory in the 10-furlong race at Santa Anita Park to lead the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week.

    Forged Steel edged away from fellow OBS grad Malarchuk and then poured it on in the stretch to win in a final time of 2:01.58. Joseph previously saddled OBS graduate Skippylongstocking to victory in the race a year ago.

    “The horse ran a good race. It was my first time aboard him,” winning jockey Flavien Prat said. “He had a good run in his past races and he showed another good run here today.”

    Forged Steel was purchased by C2 Racing Stable for $190,000 at the 2024 OBS March Sale from the de Meric Sales consignment after breezing in :10 flat.

    At Churchill Downs, Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Usha (Tiz the Law- Animal Appeal, by Leroidesanimaux) poked her head in front leaving the turn and turned back a late charge from Zeitlos to win the $220,000, Gr. III Winning Colors.

    Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Usha was the winner of last winter’s $300,000, Gr. III La Brea at Santa Anita. She was purchased by her owners for $600,000 at the 2024 OBS April Sale from the On Point Training & Sales consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.

    At Lone Star Park, Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman’s Desert Gate (Omaha Beach-Theogony, by Curlin) drew off to a 6 1/4-length victory in the $300,000 Texas Derby. Trained by Bob Baffert, Desert Gate notched his second straight stakes win to go along with his victory in last year’s Gr. III Best Pal Stakes. He was purchased by his owners for $260,000 at the 2025 OBS March Sale from the Navas Equine consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.

    At Gulfstream Park, Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farm, Maury Harrington and Christopher Harrington’s Lennilu (Leinster – Lulu’s-Pom Pom, by Pomeroy), a multiple stakes-winner on turf, established herself as a multiple stakes-winner on dirt when she was elevated to the victory in the $100,000 Game Face.

    The daughter of Leinster was placed first upon the disqualification of first-place finisher and fellow OBS graduate Love Like Lucy, following a stewards’ review of the stretch run. Trained by Patrick Biancone, the filly was purchased by Glencrest Farm for $23,000 from the Abbie Road Farm consignment at the 2024 OBS Winter Mixed Sale.

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Bernies Blog
Gators and Seminoles Making Their Case
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Berger leads with more than $3.1 million . . .

    There are four Gators and four Seminoles currently competing on the PGA Tour, and several are faring quite well. Following is a summary of how each stands for 2026.

GATORS:

Ricky Castillo - 11 of 12 cuts made; 2 top 5s; earnings $1,450,679.

Billy Horschel - 10 of 14 cuts; 1 top 10, 2 top 25s; $812,070.

Alejandro Tosti - 1 of 11 cuts; $51,142.

Camilo Villegas - PGA stats missing; $20,411.

SEMINOLES:

Daniel Berger - 11 of 13 cuts; 1 2nd, 2 top 10s; $3,170,728.

Brooks Koepka - 7 of 10 cuts; 1 top 10, 5 top 25s; $1,350,180.

Hank Lebioda - 7 of 11 cuts; 1 top 10, 2 top 25s; $438,417.

Luke Clanton - 5 of 10 cuts; 1 top 10; $218,506.

Here's how the elite 8 stand today after 54 holes of the Byron Nelson event led by Si Woo Kim at 21 under par:

Koepka - 15 under, tied for 8th; Villegas - 12 under, tied for 22nd; Clanton - 10 under, tied for 39th; Lebioda - 9 under, tied for 50th; Tosti and Horschel, both 3 under, missed the cut of 6 under. Berger and Castillo not playing.

 

 


 

 


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Golfer Magazine
Asmussen Earns Preakness Weekend Bonus
Thursday, May 21, 2026
It's his fifth time getting the award . . .

    LAUREL, MD – For the fifth time overall and first since 2022, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen earned the top prize of $50,000 in 1/ST Racing’s $100,000 trainer bonus offered to horsemen for their participation in stakes races over Preakness weekend, May 15 and 16, at Laurel Park.

    Asmussen started horses in eight different stakes over the weekend including Chip Honcho, who finished third in the $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1). The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown was being contested for the 151st time and first at Laurel due to the rebuilding of Pimlico Race Course.

    Obliteration in Saturday’s $150,000 Chick Lang gave Asmussen his seventh career victory in the race and lone win over the two days. He also ran second with Faust in the Maryland Sprint (G3) and Benedetta in the $125,000 Skipat and fifth with Thebabeslayer in the $100,000 James W. Murphy.

    On Friday Asmussen had Little Miss Curlin run third in the $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3), Duke of Duval finish fourth in the historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) and Braken Poppa wind up seventh in the $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan (G2).

    Asmussen finished with a total of 39 points, just two more than Maryland-based Graham Motion. North America’s all-time leader with 11,299 wins and counting, Asmussen previously earned the top bonus in 2017, the inaugural year, 2018, 2021 and 2022.

    To be eligible for the bonus, trainers had to run a minimum of five horses in the 15 stakes, seven graded, worth $4.2 million in purses offered during Preakness weekend. Points were accumulated for finishing first (10), second (seven), third (five), fourth (three) and fifth through last (one).

    The trainer with the most points earned $50,000, followed by $25,000 for second, $12,000 for third, $7,000 for fourth, $4,000 for fifth $2,000 for sixth. With four trainers qualified, bonus money for places and five and six reverted back to 1/ST.

    This marked the 10th consecutive year the trainer bonus program has been offered. Brad Cox (2019), Mike Maker (2020), Motion (2023), Cherie DeVaux (2024) and Brendan Walsh (2025) have also earned the top prize.

    Motion registered two stakes wins on the weekend – Warming in the $150,000 Gallorette (G3) and Turf Star in the Murphy on Saturday. He also had Cruise the Nile run third in the $250,000 Dinner Party (G3), Ribaltagaia finish seventh in the Gallorette and Proton end up fourth in the Murphy. On Friday, Brat Pack and Siouxse respectively were third and fourth in the $125,000 Hilltop.

    Saffie Joseph Jr., whose main strings are at Gulfstream Park and its Palm Meadows training center in South Florida, was third with 29 points, one more than Laurel Park-based Brittany Russell. Joseph won the Black-Eyed Susan with My Miss Mo and Pimlico Special with Navajo Warrior and was second with Tessellate in the Miss Preakness on Friday, and had Harrow run fifth in the Dinner Party and Bull by the Horns run sixth in the Preakness.

    Maryland’s leading overall trainer each of the past three years, Russell won the Miss Preakness with Peach Tie and Hilltop with Coach Mazzula Friday, also finishing third in the $100,000 The Very One with Lost and Found and fifth in the $125,000 Allaire du Pont Distaff with Complexity Jane. On Saturday she was sixth with Falcon Jet in the $100,000 Sir Barton and 10th with 9-2 favorite Taj Mahal in the Preakness.

    Russell earned the top prize in bonus money totaling $50,000 offered for trainers having the most points in non-stakes races during Preakness weekend. Points were accumulated in similar fashion with $25,000 going to the leader, $10,000 to second, $7,500 to third, $4,000 to fourth, $2,500 to fifth and $1,000 to sixth.

    Trainers needed to have a minimum of three starters to qualify for the bonus. Russell was first with 42 points, followed by Michael Stidham (34), Jamie Ness (19), John Salzman Jr. (17), Chad Summers (16) and Hugh McMahon (12).

    Summers, owner Al Gold and jockey Paco Lopez each earned their first Triple Crown race victory with Napoleon Solo in the Preakness.

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Bernies Blog
Napoleon Solo Wins First Preakness Held at Laurel
Monday, May 18, 2026
Paco Lopez rides 7-1 winner . . .

    LAUREL, MD -- Gold Square’s Napoleon Solo, a Gr. 1 winner at 2 who had come up short in his two races this year, went the distance in Saturday’s 151st Preakness Stakes on an historic day at Laurel Park.

    For the first time, the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown was renewed at Laurel Park, not Pimlico Race Course, which is scheduled once again host the 1 3/16-mile Classic next year when on-going construction on a new facility is complete.

    Napoleon Solo, who had shown signs of distance limitations while fading to fifth in the Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park and Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct at 1 1/8-miles, was given another chance to prove himself at a distance of ground by trainer Chad Summers, and the son of Liam’s Map came through with flying colors with a 1 ¼-length victory.

    The gray colt delivered Summers and jockey Paco Lopez their first victories in a Triple Crown event while scoring as the fourth betting choice at 7-1.

    An easy winner of his two starts last year, including a 6 ½-length victory in the one-turn mile Champagne (G1) at Aqueduct, Napoleon Solo prevailed in a full field of 14 3-year-olds, the largest to enter the starting gate since Shackleford also defeated 13 rivals in 2011.

    Two weeks after Cherie DeVaux became the first woman trainer to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) with Golden Tempo, Laurel-based trainer Brittany Russell saddled the undefeated Taj Mahal, the 9-2 favorite, in a quest to become the first woman trainer to win the Preakness.

    Taj Mahal broke alertly from his rail post position under jockey Sheldon Russell, the trainer’s husband, and sprinted to an early lead along the front-stretch before being joined on his outside by Napoleon Solo and Lopez heading into the first turn. Taj Mahal, who ran the first half mile in 46.66 seconds, continued to show the way along the backstretch with Napoleon Solo rating kindly for Lopez, well within striking distance in second.

    Taj Mahal continued to lead the way on the far turn as Napoleon Solo turned up the pressure but was no match for the eventual winner after straightening into the homestretch, where the Summers trainee asserted his class to forge ahead and hold off a late-running Iron Honor, the 9-2 morning-line favorite who rallied from sixth. Taj Mahal, who had won three races at Laurel without defeat, faded to 10th.

    Napoleon Solo ran 1 3/16 miles in 1:58.69. Iron Honor and jockey Flavien Prat finished 3 ¼ lengths clear of third-place finisher Chip Honcho, who raced evenly throughout. Ocelli, a seven-race maiden who finished third in the Kentucky Derby at 70-1, closed from 11th to finish fourth. No maiden has won the Preakness since 1888.

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Bernies Blog
Iron Honor 9/2 in Preakness Morning Line
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
151st Preakness looks wide open ...

    LAUREL, MD – St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence and Glassman Racing’s Iron Honor was designated at 9-2 in the morning line for Saturday’s 151st Preakness Stake at Laurel Park, where the son of Nyquist drew Post 9 during Monday’s post-position draw.

    The 1 3/16-mile Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, being run at Laurel for the first time while construction continues on a new Pimlico Race Course facility, drew a field of 14 3-year-olds for the first time since 2011, when Shackleford defeated 13 rivals.

    Trained by five-time Eclipse Award honoree Chad Brown, Iron Honor is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Gr. II Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, where he had scored back-to-back victories prior to his disappointing effort in the 1 1/8-mile Wood. He won his Dec. 13 debut at six furlongs before taking the Gr. III one-turn mile Gotham, both at Aqueduct.

    “I like the horse, I like the spot for him, but based on his last start, I was surprised he was made the morning-line favorite,” Brown said. “But I am not surprised that he fits in this race.”

    Brown voiced no issues with Post 9. “Right in the middle, we should not have any excuse from there,” he said. Brown, who saddled Preakness winners Cloud Computing (2017) and Early Voting (2022), named Flavien Prat to ride Iron Honor for the first time.

    Undefeated Taj Majal, who has launched his career with three straight victories at Laurel, is one of three entrants priced at 5-1 on the morning line. The son of Nyquist, who drew Post 1, is trained by Brittany Russell, Maryland’s leading trainer, and will be ridden by her husband, Sheldon Russell, who has been aboard for all three wins.

    Taj Mahal, who will represent an ownership group that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables and Stonestreet Stables, earned an automatic entry into the Preakness with an 8 ¼-length front-running victory in the April 18 Federico Tesio at Laurel. Prior to earning his first win around two turns in the Tesio, Taj Mahal debuted with a rallying 4 ¼-length score going six furlongs and won the one-turn mile Miracle Wood.

    “It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it is what it is. He’s a good gate horse and we’ll just have to play it as it unfolds,” Brittany Russell said of Post 1. “You know, it’s funny. I said to myself the only spot I was hoping not to be was the rail. It’s OK. It’s all good.

    “When I saw that [5-1 odds] I thought, ‘Cool, he’s getting some respect,’” she added. “That’s nice to see.”

    Pin Oak Stud’s Incredibolt, who finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby following a troubled trip, drew Post 12 for the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown and was priced at 5-1 on the morning line. The Riley Mott-trained son of Bolt d’Oro won the 1 1/8-mile Virginia Derby prior to his gutsy performance in the 18-horse Derby. He captured the Gr. III Street Sense at Churchill Downs last fall.

    “I hope we run the way they like us in the odds. Anytime you are in a Triple Crown race and you have odds of 5-1, it is a great opportunity,” Mott said. “We are going to look to try and get the job done.”

    Mott isn’t overly concerned with Post 12. “I would imagine it will be fine,” he said. “The horse has shown he can be fairly tactical at times.” Jaime Torres, who rode Seize the Grey to a 2024 Preakness victory, has the mount.

    Leland Ackersley Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe and John Cilia’s Chip Honcho drew Post 6 and was also rated at 5-1 on the morning line. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who saddled Rachel Alexandra (2009) and Curlin (2007) for Preakness victories, Chip Honcho enters the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown off a disappointing fifth in the Gr. II Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, where he had previously won the Gun Runner and finished a close-up second in the Gr. II Risen Star.

    “When the 13 was like first and the 14 went away, I [thought] ‘I can live with any of the rest.’ It was 6, 10, 11 the last three. But 6 is perfect. [Assistant trainers] Darren [Fleming], Scott [Blasi] and I had talked about it today, with it being at Laurel, where would you want? I said, ‘5 through 7.’ So got the 6. That’s perfect,’” Asmussen said.

    Chip Honcho will be ridden by Jose Ortiz, who scored his first Preakness win aboard Early Voting and who guided Golden Tempo to an upset victory in the Kentucky Derby.

    Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate and Front Page Equestrian’s Ocelli, who held the lead n the stretch run of the Kentucky Derby at odds of 70-1 before settling for third, has been priced at 6-1 on the morning line for an eighth attempt to break his maiden. The Whit Beckman-trained son of Connect, who had finished third in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, drew Post 2 for the Preakness, which hasn’t been won by a maiden since 1888.

    “I’m perfect with that," Beckman said. "I think our most effective running style dictates sitting back off the pace. So being in the [inside], we can just kind of break and save some ground going into that first turn, and kind of let the race develop in front of us. In the Derby, we had to cut over quite a bit [from post position No. 17] just to get to the first turn.”

    Tyler Gaffalione, who won the 2019 Preakness aboard War of Will, will have the return mount aboard Ocelli.

    Gold Square’s Napoleon Solo, a Gr. 1 winner at 2, drew Post 10 for his third attempt to break through with a win this year. The Chad Summers-trained 2025 Champagne winner, who is priced at 8-1 on the morning-line, set a pressured pace in the Wood Memorial before fading to fifth in his most recent start. Paco Lopez has the mount on the son of Liam’s Map.

    Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, R. A. Hill Racing Stable, Pine Racing Stables, Legendary Thoroughbreds, and Belmar Racing and Breeding’s Talkin, who finished a distant third in the Gr. I Blue Grass at Keeneland last time out, will make his first Triple Crown start from Post 5. The Danny Gargan-trained son of Good Magic, who is rated at 20-1 on the morning line, picked up the services of jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. upon the Monday morning defection of Silent Tactic.

    “I'm pleased with the post-position draw. Obviously, you never want the one-hole, and you never want to be in the 13 or 14 or 12,” Gargan said. “I'm real pleased. I wanted to be somewhere in that realm. I like that Jose Ortiz and Irad are next to each other, so I think they'll get a good break.”

    Rounding out the field will be: Three Chimneys and John Ennis’ Great White (Post 13, 15-1, jockey Alex Achard); Team Penney Racing, Echo Racing, Flower City Racing, Anthony Bruno and Christopher Meyer’s Pretty Boy Miah (Post 14, 15-1, jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.); Peacock Family Racing Stable’s The Hell We Did (Post 7, 15-1, jockey Luis Saez); On Our Own Stable LLC, Commonwealth and partners’ Corona de Oro (Post 11, 30-1, jockey John Velazquez); Robert Zoellner’s Crupper (Post 3, 30-1, jockey Junior Alvarado); and Calumet Farm’s Robusta (Post 4, 30-1, jockey Rafael Bejarano).

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Bernies Blog
It's Durante By More Than a Nose
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Wins Gr. III John A. Nerud at Aqueduct . . .
    Durante (Distorted Humor – Seahawk Girl, by Pioneerof the Nile) came with a burst to run down fellow OBS graduate Acoustic Ave in the final furlong to win by a neck in the Gr. 3, $175,000 John A. Nerud at Aqueduct Racetrack, leading the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week.

    Owned and trained by David Jacobson, the 7-year-old Distorted Humor gelding made a winner’s circle trip for the first time since the Gr. 3 Aristides last May at Churchill Downs. Jacobson said mounting a title defense with a return trip to the Aristides on May 30 is the next logical spot.

    “It was an amazing race today. He beat some good horses and he’s doing real good,” Jacobson said. “I can’t wait to get him back to Churchill and run him in the Aristides – he won that last year, so we’re going to aim for that.”

    Consigned by Richardson Bloodstock, agent, to the 2021 OBS March Sale, Durante was sold for $130,000 to Dennis O’Neill after breezing an eighth in :10 1/5.

    At Gulfstream Park, Teresa and David Palmer’s Liberty Rings (Awesome Slew- America First, by Uncaptured) registered a front-running victory in the $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies to earn a trip to England.  The Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies offered the winner automatic entry into one of six stakes during the Royal Ascot meeting (June 16-20) at Ascot Racecourse, as well as a $25,000 equine travel stipend.

    Trained by Nicholas Palmer, the daughter of Awesome Slew was purchased by Palmer for $27,000 from the Camelot Acres Racing and Sales consignment at the 2025 OBS October Yearling Sale.
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Bernies Blog
Rainbow 6 Grows for Saturday
Friday, May 8, 2026
Should reach $100,000 . . .

HALLANDALE BEACH - The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $100,000 Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies will be co-featured on a 10-race program.

    Saturday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10. The Royal Palm Juvenile will be run as Race 6, while the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies will be contested as Race 8. Both stakes will be run at five furlongs on turf and will offer their winners automatic entry into one of six stakes during the Royal Ascot meeting (June 16-20) at Ascot Racecourse, as well as a $25,000 equine travel stipend.

    Wesley Ward-trained Skara Brae could turn out to be a popular ‘single’ while taking on the boys as the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the Royal Palm Juvenile. The       daughter of multiple-Grade 1 stakes winner Golden Pal won an open maiden special weight on debut by 4 ½ lengths at Keeneland.

    Phillip Antonacci-trained Pot’s Right has been tabbed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Race 8 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies. The daughter of Bold d’Oro also won on debut on the main track at Keeneland, overcoming a slow start to win impressively. Boots, a dominating debut winner at Gulfstream will make her debut on turf and first start since being transferred to trainer Carlos David. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will be represented by first-time starters Pros and Cons, a daughter of Triple Crown champion Justify, and Sass Sass, a daughter of Casse-trained 2019 Preakness winner War of Will. 

    Saturday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will be closed out by a 7 ½-furlong maiden special weight on turf that attracted a field of 3-year-old fillies trained by Casse, fellow Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Brad Cox, Patrick Biancone, Jose D’Angelo and Saffie Joseph Jr.  Of particular interest is the Mike Repole-owned first-time starter Restock, a Japanese-bred filly who will be saddled by D’Angelo.

    The Rainbow 6 went unsolved Friday for the third racing day following a jackpot hit. There will be a mandatory payout Sunday.

NOTE: Blue Rose Farm LLC’s Moonstrocity, seventh April 4 when running in the Blue Grass (G1), broke his maiden Friday while covering the mile main track in 1:37.99. Trained by Jena Antonucci, Moonstrocity was shipped to Keeneland for the Blue Grass after finishing eighth over the turf in his debut Feb. 8 and then checking in third at a mile over the main track at Gulfstream Feb. 28. Moonstrocity is a son of Tiz the Law.

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Bernies Blog
Success of OBS Grads Shows No Let-Up
Friday, May 8, 2026
Crude Velocity wins Gr. II Pat Day Mile . . .
    CSLR Racing Partners’ Crude Velocity (Beau Liam- Sweetnsour Kitty, by Lemon Drop Kid) rocketed past pacesetting Englishman inside the eighth pole and drew off for a 3 3/4-length victory in the $750,000 Pat Day Mile (G2) on May 2 at Churchill Downs, leading the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates.

    Trained by Bob Baffert, Crude Velocity completed the mile over a fast main track in a stakes-record 1:33.87 and gave him his third victory in three starts.

    “This horse is a freaky horse. He is so talented,” Baffert told Churchill Downs publicity. “I was very surprised that he was able to win first out with all of the trouble he got in. If he stays healthy, we'll be hearing from this horse down the road."



Crude Velocity was purchased by Bill Childs for $250,000 at the 2025 OBS June Sale from the consignment of Omar Ramirez Bloodstock after breezing in :20 1/5, equaling the OBS track record for the distance.



The Kentucky Derby undercard also saw James Daniell’s Yellow Card (Lost Treasure (IRE)-Paris Girl, by Pulpit) surge between horses to win by a neck in the $600,000 Turf Sprint (G2) at Churchill Downs.



Trained by Michael McCarthy, Yellow Card increased his earnings to $1,099,245 and earned his first stakes victory. He was purchased by West Bloodstock at the 2023 OBS April Sale for $87,000 from the Little Farm Equine consignment after breezing in :10 flat.



At Woodbine May 2, BAG Racing Stables LLC, Turf Express, Inc and Watkins Diamond Stables LLC’s Reagan’s Flame (Flameaway - Mizzen Donald, by Mizzen Mast) launched a strong off the pace rally to roar home in the $150,000 ? Whimsical Stakes (G3) over fellow OBS grad Lithe Spirit. ?



The Whimsical triumph was the first career graded score for Reagan’s Flame, who is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. She was purchased by newly-minted Kentucky Derby (G1) winning trainer Cherie DeVaux for $185,000 at the 2023 OBS April Sale from the consignment of Eddie Woods after breezing in :10 1/5.



At Churchill Downs on April 30, Medallion Racing, Swinbank Stables, Joey Platts and Mark Stanton’s Cy Fair (Not This Time-Remarqued, by Arch) scored a one length victory in the $299,250 Mamzelle (G3).



Trained by George Weaver, Cy Fair captured the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) over males in November. The daughter of Not This Time was purchased by Swinbank for $185,000 at the 2025 OBS April Sale out of the Niall Brennan Stables consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.



At Gulfstream Park May 2, Mast Thoroughbreds LLC’s Bolero Bay (Basin- Essence of Audre, by Exchange Rate) scored a front-running victory in the $125,000 English Channel Stakes.



The Michael Yates-trained son of Basin had to survive an objection lodged by second-place finisher and fellow OBS grad My Favorite Bird before claiming his stakes debut. Bolero Bay was purchased by McMahon & Hill Bloodstock, agent for $15,000 at the 2024 OBS Winter Mixed Sale from the Colin Brennan Bloodstock consignment.



The May 2 Gulfstream card also saw Peachtree Stable homebred Spirit Doll (Tiz the Law-Pakhet, by Cairo Prince) score a victory in the $125,000 Honey Ryder.



Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Spirit Doll was offered at the 2025 OBS April Sale by the Julie Davies consignment where she failed to meet her reserve after breezing in :10 2/5.



At Oaklawn Park May 2, Willy D’s (Lookin At Lucky-Boston Mine, by Mineshaft) battled back in deep stretch to win the $200,000 Lake Ouachita Stakes. 



Mike Maker trains Willy D’s for Paradise Farm Corp. (Peter Proscia) and Case Chambers and he has now won four races for Maker, including the Michael G. Schaefer Memorial Stakes last July at Horseshoe Indianapolis and the Kentucky Cup Classic (G3) March 21 at Turfway Park in his last start. He was purchased for $60,000 by Greg Compton, agent for Danny W. Brown at the 2023 OBS April Sale from the Woodside Ranch consignment after breezing in :22 1/5.



At Aqueduct May 2, My Purple Haze Stables’ New York-bred Waralo (War Dancer-I Drink Alone, by Intidab) made every pole a winning one to secure his first career stakes win in the listed $150,000 Elusive Quality Stakes.



Trained by Chris Englehart, the 7-year-old War Dancer gelding was purchased by Englehart on behalf of his owners for $40,000 at the 2020 OBS Winter Mixed Sale from the consignment of Sue Vacek.
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Bernies Blog
Tampa Bay Downs Closes on High Note
Friday, May 8, 2026
Gains in handle and attendance . . .
    OLDSMAR - The curtain came down on the 100th anniversary season of Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday and the centennial celebration was an overall success with gains in handle and on-track attendance, as well as purses paid to the horsemen and horsewomen who supported the stakes and overnight programs throughout the 90-day meet.

    The track is known for its fan-friendly atmosphere and amenities plus outstanding customer service and racing enthusiasts responded accordingly. Daily attendance for the live meet in 2025-2026 increased by double digits to 10.6%. While on-track wagering figures remained flat in comparison to the previous year, total handle from all sources made slight gains by about 1%. The horsemen and horsewomen were the beneficiaries of higher purses, which were increased by 3.10% for this meet.

    “I am very pleased with the meet, especially when you look at the year to date national handle being down 4.69% and Tampa being up 1%,” said Peter Berube, the vice president and general manager of the track.

    This season Florida-bred horses competed for an additional $1 million in purse money during the meet and the increase brought the total of additional purse money available for registered Sunshine State horses to more than $2 million. The money was allocated to all overnight races, with as much as an extra $21,000 (plus $2,000 in Florida Owner Awards) available for Florida-breds in maiden special weight and allowance races.

    Track mainstays owner-trainer Juan Arriagada, trainers Kathleen O’Connell and Juan Carlos Avila, and jockey Samuel Marin were standouts in their respective categories. Cesar Gonzalez made his mark as the leading apprentice rider with 21 visits to the winner’s circle.

    Arriagada claimed his fourth straight leading owner title with 25 wins, and in the trainers division he finished with 38 victories, two behind Avila and O’Connell, who tied atop the leaderboard with 40 wins each. For O’Connell, this was her fifth title overall and third in a row.

    During his outstanding meet Marin was the runaway leader in the rider’s category as he recorded multiple six-win days and smashed the record for most wins in a single season that had stood for more than a decade with 154 victories. The previous record for most wins by a jockey in one meet was 147, set by Tony Gallardo in 2014-2015. Marin, who took the title last year with 116 scores, finished his season with more than double the number of wins than his closest competitors, Sonny Leon and Samy Camacho, who tied for second place with 77 victories each.

    Marin, a 25-year-old Venezuelan native who began his career just four years ago in 2022, is moving his tack to Delaware Park and will be joined in the jockey colony by Gonzalez this summer.

    The 4-year-old filly Long Gone Sally, who was bred in Florida by Oakleaf Farm, owned by Tom Abrahamson, and trained by Lynn Rarick, won more races than any other horse as she took six of her eight starts.

    As has become the annual tradition, many of the top horsemen in North America sent their charges to Tampa Bay Downs to compete for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks qualifying points and to prepare them for additional prestigious graded stakes races on the national calendar.

   Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown was rewarded when Always A Runner made her debut with a dazzling 6 ½ lengths win in a maiden special weight in early February and then she won the Gazelle (G3) before taking the Kentucky Oaks (G1) last Friday. Always a Runner provided her trainer with his first victory in America’s top affair for 3-year-old fillies.

    The Brown-trained Emerging Market also proved he was an emerging talent on the Sam Davis (Listed) Day undercard when he graduated from the maiden ranks at first asking. The next time out the colt handled the class hike to win the Louisiana Derby (G2) before competing in the Kentucky Derby (10th).

    Brown, who has a penchant for sending his top horses to Tampa Bay Downs and a history of doing extremely well with them, said the main track and turf course here are maintained in prime condition. “I really like both surfaces there,” he said.

    Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher also took the route to the Kentucky Derby G1) through Tampa Bay Downs with Sam Davis winner Renegade, who was the runner-up in the Run for the Roses after a troubled trip. The Whit Beckman-trained Ocelli, sixth in the Sam Davis, finished third in the Kentucky Derby as a longshot and he was joined in the starting gate by Tampa Bay Derby (G3) runner-up Further Ado and Albus, who broke his maiden here on February 27. The Puma, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby, was a late Kentucky Derby scratch.

    The track was well represented on the Kentucky Oaks-Derby undercards as well and those horses also performed admirably.

    The Pletcher-trained Disruptor, winner of the 2026 Challenger, was the runner-up in the Churchill Downs (G1); Portfolio Duration took second in the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) after all three of her previous starts were here for Brown; and dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse saddled Turf Dash Stakes winner My Boy Prince and Columbia Stakes winner Alpyland to fourth place runs in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) and the American Turf (G1), respectively.

    Whiskey Decision and Proctor Street, the runner-up and third place finisher, respectively, in the Hillsborough (G2) here on February 7, competed in Modesty (G3) at 1 1/8 miles on the grass on the Oaks Day undercard. In the Modesty Proctor Street was third and Whisky Decision, trained by Brown, ran fourth.

    Another of the many highlights during the meet was Florida Cup Day on March 29 when the track hosted the 23rd edition of the event to showcase horses bred in the Sunshine State. Six stakes restricted to state-breds presented opportunities for horses in different divisions and each carried a purse of $110,00. Horsemen fully supported the Florida Cup, nominating a total of 114 Florida-breds.

    Building upon the success of the centennial season, live racing returns on November 25, 2026 for the 101st season at Tampa Bay Downs, which first opened its doors on February 18, 1926, with another full calendar of promotions and competitive racing.


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Bernies Blog
Derby Trail Went Through Tampa
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Sam F. Davis winner Renegade is 4-1 . . .
    OLDSMAR - The trail to Louisville for the first weekend in May went through Tampa Bay Downs during the current meet with many horses standing out in different divisions on their way to compete in the marquee graded stakes on the Kentucky Derby card at Churchill Downs.

    The cast for the 152nd edition of the $5 million Kentucky Derby features five staters and one also eligible who each turned heads at the Oldsmar oval during the track’s 100th  anniversary season. Leading the pack is Renegade, who took the Sam F. Davis (Listed) by an impressive 3 ¾ lengths on February 7 under five-time champion jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and the Into Mischief colt is the 4-1 Derby morning line favorite in the 20-horse field.

    Renegade will be joined in the starting gate by 6-1 co-second choice Further Ado, The Puma (10-1), Emerging Market (15-1), and Albus (30-1). Ocelli waits in the wings as an also-eligible for the 20-horse field. Renegade, owned by Repole Stable and Robert and Lawana Low, skipped the ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby (G3) one month later and added a win in the Arkansas Derby (G1). Nonetheless, The  Puma, who is conditioned by Gustavo Delgado, Sr., and the Brad Cox-conditioned Further Ado  took center stage in the track’s signature event and engaged in a thrilling stretch battle that ended with The Puma in front by ¾ length on March 7.

    Klaravich Stables Emerging Market proved he was an emerging talent on the Sam Davis Day undercard when he graduated from the maiden ranks at first asking with Flavien Prat aboard. The next time the colt handled the class hike to win the Louisiana Derby (G2) for Prat and five-time champion trainer Chad Brown and he heads into the Kentucky Derby undefeated. Albus also announced his presence here by virtue of a 6 ¾ lengths score when breaking his maiden for trainer Riley Mott on February 27 and then he went on to take the Wood Memorial (G2).

    There are also horses with Tampa Bay Downs 2026 connections racing on Saturday’s Derby undercard. Dual American and Canadian Hall of Famer Mark Casse saddles My Boy Prince, winner of the Turf Dash here, in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) and Columbia Stakes victor Alpyland in the American Turf (G1). Five-time Eclipse Award winner Bill Mott sends out Capital Idea, second in a February 15 allowance, in the Knicks Go overnight handicap.

    Racing fans can root for and wager on the local favorites while sipping mint juleps in an official Kentucky Derby souvenir glass at the track’s Kentucky Derby Party featuring a full card of live racing followed by the simulcast of the 152nd Run for the Roses.

    First post for live racing is 12:15 p.m. and the Kentucky Derby post is 6:57 p,m.

    Tampa Bay Downs 100th Anniversary live racing season concludes on Sunday with free admission and reduced prices on beer, hot dogs, and soda.
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Bernies Blog
Marin Wins 6 Races at Tampa
Saturday, April 25, 2026
He falls short of track's record by one . . .
    OLDSMAR - Samuel Marin, who currently tops the jockey standings at Tampa Bay Downs, recorded a banner day on Friday when he rode six winners from nine mounts on the nine-race card.

    Marin’s six wins on a single card tied the mark set by Edwin Gonzalez here on March 10, 2017 and fell just one victory short of the Tampa Bay Downs record of seven scores set by Richard DePass on March 15, 1980. DePass went seven-for-seven on that day.

    After the races DePass called to congratulate Marin, and he told the younger multiple stakes- winning jockey that records are made to be broken.

    “Yeah. Well, we have that as a goal now,” said, Marin, who has been riding since 2022 and also finished second in the first race. “We tried to get it done today, but we couldn’t get them. It’s hard. It’s hard to break records, right? That’s what we’re here for. To get a break and win.”

    Marin’s victories came aboard She’s a Gamer in race #2 for trainer Kelly Breen, Revolutionairre (FR) in race #3 for Miguel Clement, Yes I Will in race #4 Michael Simone, Aibell in race # 5 for Gregg Sacco, Sugar Magnolia (IRE) in race #7 for Kathleen O’Connell, and Little Gussie in race #8 for Nick Tomlinson.

    With the 2025-2026 meet set to end on Sunday, May 3 Marin is the runaway leader in the jockey colony with 140 wins through April 24 and he is set to take the title in back-to-back years. Last year he recorded 116 wins. The record for most wins by a jockey in one meet is 147, set by Tony Gallardo in 2014-2015.
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Bernies Blog
Saturday's Tampa Stakes Drew 108 Nominations
Thursday, April 23, 2026
$600,000 in purse money . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Florida-bred Thoroughbreds will take center stage Saturday, April 25th at Gulfstream Park, where six stakes worth a total of $600,000 in purses will be featured. A total of 108 nominations have been received for the half-dozen stakes slated for Gulfstream’s Florida-bred showcase program.

    The $100,000 Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association Sophomore Sprint, a six-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds, received 22 nominations, including Baalbek Corp.’s Wayne’s Law, who set the early pace before weakening to fifth in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 29 at Gulfstream. The Amador Sanchez-trained son of Tiz the Law, a stakes winner last year, finished second behind prominent Kentucky Derby (G1) contender Renegade in the Sam Davis at Tampa Bay Downs prior to his solid Curlin Florida Derby run.

            Bona Venture Stables and Bianco Thoroughbreds’ Maykomotion has been nominated to the Sophomore Sprint following back-to-back victories. The George Weaver-trained son of Vekoma most recently followed up a 6 ½-length maiden score with a front-running two-length victory in the March 29 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Dale Romans-trained Rockies Balboa, owned by Charles Monfort, America’s Pastime Stable, Bloom Racing Stable LLC, has also been nominated following his runner-up finish behind Maykomotion.

            The $100,000 FHBPA Sophomore Fillies Sprint, a six-furlong stakes for 3-year-old fillies, received 17 nominations, including Magic Cap Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, Castle Gate Farm LLC, Express Racing LLC and John Reinhardt’s multiple-stakes winner Tessellate. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained daughter of McKinzie most recently registered a 4 ¾-length triumph in the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore Fillies Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

            The $100,000 FHBPA Turf, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up on turf, collected 22 nominations, topped by C2 Racing Stable LLC, Shining Stable LLC, Stefania Farms LLC, Kent Reimer, Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch’s Neoequos, a multiple graded-stakes placed son of Neolithic who finished third in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) and Curlin Florida Derby (G1) last year. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained 4-year-old made an impressive debut on turf to launch his 2026 campaign while winning the Sunshine Turf for Florida-breds by two lengths at Gulfstream. David Romanik and trainer Ron Spatz’s Private Thoughts, an ultra consistent five-year-old gelded son of Neolithic who has finished on the board in 15 of 19 starts with eight wins, is also prominent on the nominations list.

            Tag Stables LLC’s Spirited Boss, who captured the Monrovia (G3) on the downhill turd course at Santa Anita April 4 is among 17 nominees for the $100,000 FHBPA Fillies and Mares Turf for older fillies and mare at a mile on turf. The Jose D’Angelo-trained 4-year-old daughter of Street Boss has won three of her six starts on turf, including the Sanibel Island at Gulfstream last fall. Live Oak Plantation’s Souper Zonda, who captured the Distaff Turf for state-breds at Tampa Bay Downs last time out, has been nominated to the Fillies and Mares Turf by Hall of Famer trainer Mark Casse.

            The $100,000 FHBPA Sprint, a 6 ½-furlong stakes for 4-year-olds and up, attracted 23 nominees including Cliff Love and Michele Love’s Damon’s Mound, a multiple graded-stakes winner coming off a victory in the Sprint Stakes for state-breds at Tampa Bay Downs. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 5-year-old son of Girvin, who captured the Sunshine Sprint for Florida-breds during this year’s Championship Meet at Gulfstream, won the Saratoga Special (G2) during his juvenile season, the Gallant Bob (G2) at Parx during his 3-year-old campaign, and the Bold Ruler (G3) at Aqueduct last fall. Mark Fletcher Taylor, trainer Rohan Crichton and Daniel Walters’s Macho Music, who captured the Pat Day Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs last year, will return to Florida-bred company in the Sprint. In his two meetings with state-breds, the 4-year-old son of Macho Music broke his maiden by 9 ½ lengths in his second career start in 2024 and captured the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore Stakes by 11 ½ lengths at Tampa Bay Downs last year.

            Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained R Disaster and Mystic Lake are among 16 nominees for the $100,000 FHBPA Fillies and Mare Sprint, a 6 ½-furlong stakes for older fillies and mares. Averill Racing LLC, Two Eight Racing LLC and ATM Racing’s R Disaster, coming off a fifth-place finish in the Madison (G1) at Keeneland, is the winner of multiple graded stakes, including the Hurricane Bertie (G3) at Gulfstream March 7. Mystic Lake, a 5-year-old daughter of Mo Town who finished sixth in the Madison last time out, has won 13 of 24 starts. Rousseau Racing’s Nic’s Style, who won the Hurricane Bertie in 2025, is coming off three straight runner-up finishes during the Championship Meet for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
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Bernies Blog
White Abarrio Leads OBS Grads
Monday, April 20, 2026
Wins Gr. II Oaklawn Handicap . . .
    Multiple Grade 1 winner and multi-millionaire White Abarrio (Race Day – Catching Diamonds, by Into Mischief) turned back the clock and took down 2025 Triple Crown race winners Sovereignty and Journalism to prevail in the $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at Oaklawn Park, leading the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week.

    White Abarrio finished two lengths ahead of reigning Horse of the Year and dual classic winner Sovereignty, who was making his 4-year-old debut and first start against older horses. Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Journalism, in his 4-year-old debut, finished 1 ¼ lengths farther back in third.

    Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., 7-year-old White Abarrio blazed 1 1/8 miles over a fast track in 1:47.49, making it the fastest Oaklawn Handicap since Hall of Famer Cigar ran 1:47.22 in 1995. He races for owners C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber, and La Milagrosa Stable (Antonio Pagnano).

    “Today we were rewarded in one of the best races in a long, long time,” Joseph told Oaklawn publicity.  “It really materialized, the matchup. Thanks for all my team that worked so hard with this horse.”

    White Abarrio captured the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and 2025 Pegasus World Cup (G1) among his several high-profile victories in his 26-race career. An 11-time career winner, White Abarrio boasts $8,445,170 in earnings.

    A two-time OBS graduate, White Abarrio was sold by Summerfield (Francis & Barbara Vanlangendonck), Agent, at the 2020 Winter Mixed Sale and then purchased for $40,000 out of the Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2021 March Sale after breezing an eighth in :10 2/5.

    At Aqueduct Racetrack, Chris Fountoukis’ Solitude Dude (Yaupon-After the Party, by Into Mischief) successfully cut back in distance to improve to 4-for-4 in sprints in the listed $150,000 Bay Shore Stakes.

    Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the son of Yaupon previously earned stakes wins in the six-furlong Inaugural in December at Tampa Bay Downs and the seven-furlong Swale in January at Gulfstream Park. Solitude Dude was purchased by Fountoukis through Joseph for $300,000 at the 2025 OBS June Sale from the consignment of Julie Davies after breezing in :9 4/5.

    At Laurel Park, R. A. Hill Stable and SGV Thoroughbreds’ Outlaw Kid (Violence – Calling Rhy Rhy, by City Zip) returned firing in his first start of the year to win the $100,000 King T. Leatherbury Stakes. Trained by George Weaver, Outlaw Kid was consigned by S G V Thoroughbreds LLC (Steven Venosa), Agent to the 2021 OBS April Sale where he was sold to Myracehorse.com for $220,000 after breezing in :10 flat.

    At Aqueduct, Mad Dog Racing Stable’s Bam’s Bliss Kiss (Solomini- Kiska, by Into Mischief) made every pole a winning one en route to an 8 1/4-length score to bring her win streak to six in Sunday’s $135,000 Biogio’s Rose. Fellow OBS grads Sweet Brown Sugar completed the exacta by a neck over the inside rallying Midtown Lights. Trained by Jorge Abreu, the 4-year-old daughter of Solomini was bred by Torie Gladwell. She was purchased at the 2024 OBS April Sale for $95,000 by Clear Stars Stable from the Top Line Sales consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.
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Bernies Blog
Son of Flightline Sells for $10.5 Million to Conclude Historic Sale
Saturday, April 18, 2026
Another Record price for Hartley/DeRenzo . . .
    Everything in the lead-up to the final day of trade at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training indicated that the benchmarks for determining all-time levels of achievement at the bellwether auction would need to be adjusted to a higher setting.

    The level of commerce over the first three days inside the OBS pavilion was such that, heading into the final April session, it was all but certain multiple key indicators were going to conclude at a record level – besting last year’s exercise that ranked as one of the best of its kind.

    Accompanying the buzz generated by the results themselves was an extraordinary level of anticipation for a certain colt set to sell on the final day, a youngster that had many participants convinced that Hip 1056, as he is currently known, would make the best kind of spectacle of himself in the ring.

    Expectations are one thing. Reality can be something different. But when the final gavel fell on the 2026 edition of the OBS April Sale, even the loftiest of predictions had been dwarfed, overtaken and obliterated by a level of excellence rarely seen inside any public auction arena.

    The weeks leading up to the signature sale on the OBS calendar featured a hype track for the ages, inspired by a bay son of unbeaten champion Flightline set to be the glittering jewel of the boutique Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consignment. With one record already in their pockets after selling a record-priced filly earlier in the week, Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo helped orchestrate the biggest moment in the sales company’s history when Hip 1056 justified his paparazzi like following by selling for an all-time OBS record of $10.5 million to agent Donato Lanni on behalf of Zedan Racing on the final day of a Spring Sale that set new highwater achievements across-the-board.

    Before a capacity crowd that overfilled the pavilion and erupted in cheers when the final bid was cemented, the Flightline colt shattered the previous record OBS price of $3 million established when Zedan Racing purchased future Grade 1 winner Brant at the 2025 March Sale. He also ranks as the second-highest priced horse to sell at any 2-year-old sale, a fitting milestone for a horse that had every major buyer in the marketplace clamoring to claim him, especially in the wake of his effortless :9 3/5 breeze during the under-tack show.

    “There was a lot of hype on this horse. He followed through with the hype,” Lanni said after signing the biggest ticket in the annals of OBS. “When he worked, everyone got on that rail and watched and he delivered. He did everything that was asked of him. (Hall of Fame trainer) Bob (Baffert) loved him, the first time he saw him he loved him and Amr (Zedan) is tough, he’s tough to outbid. He’s an emotional guy and he’s great for the sport. His enthusiasm is unbelievable.”

    Even before Friday’s session got underway, the April auction had already seen its share of highlights including Hip 570, a dark bay or brown filly by Jackie’s Warrior consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo that became the highest priced filly to sell at OBS when she elicited a final bid of $2.3 million from Dermot Farrington on behalf of Mrs. Fitriani Hay during the sale’s second session.

    As the Flightline colt left his stall in Barn 5 and headed toward the back walking ring to ready for his star turn, however, flickers of the biggest fireworks show in Marion County this year began popping off throughout the Ocala pavilion.

    The crowds that gathered 4-5 deep in the back ring trying to get a glimpse of the would-be record-setter soon made their way into the pavilion, creating a palpable buzz as the colt out of the multiple stakes winning and graded stakes placed mare Lucrezia, a daughter of leading sire and OBS graduate Into Mischief, began his historic time in the ring. The opening $1 million bid was a salvo of what was to come as the board climbed in $200,000 and $300,000 increments, soaring past the previous record OBS mark in moments and drawing gasps as the eight-figure stratosphere was breached.

    “I had no idea it was going to hit that,” Lanni said. “I talked to everybody and everyone had different numbers, could bring $6 million, could bring $7 million. I never thought that. But that’s why there is a horse auction. You never know what they’re going to bring.”

    Added OBS President Tom Ventura, “The best description of this horse is LeBron James coming out of high school. He was just that much heads above the class. Let’s hope he keeps that and it translates on the racetrack. His imposing physical is one thing. The way he did it on the track was effortless. But the class was in the ring. It was hectic, they followed him. But when he came in the ring and there was a lot of chatter going on, he was just all class.”

    Twenty-five years ago, Hartley/DeRenzo sold the first seven-figure horse at an OBS juvenile auction when they consigned Warners for $1.05 million to Eugene Melnyk at the 2001 March Sale. A quarter of a century after that hallmark moment, the two stalwarts of the juvenile marketplace reflected on the fact they continue to raise the bar on their own lofty standards.

    “You always want to be the best, that’s what you strive for,” Hartley said. “When you bring these kinds of horses to the sale and the horses we’ve sold in the past, people have high expectations and sometimes things don’t work out, and people get so disappointed. It’s hard to stay at that level because there are so many good people doing it now. They’re all trying to buy the same horses.

    “This was just an amazing horse,” Hartley continued. “We very rarely see these kinds of horses come through the 2-year-old sales. But he never missed a beat with nothing. From the breeze to showing, when you’re around him for five seconds, you can see that he breathes different air than other horses.”

    The 2026 OBS April Sale also put itself into rarified air as a record gross, average, and median were all established at the close of business Friday. The overall gross receipts of $113,823,000 from 637 head sold soared past the previous record mark of $92,129,000 established in 2022 and well surpassed the $88,496,500 generated by 638 head sold in 2025.

    The cumulative average of $178,686 bested last year’s record mark of $138,709 with the median of $80,000 finishing ahead of last year’s number of $65,000 and toppling the prior record figure of $70,000 set in 2024.

    “I do think you saw some depth here. The top typically takes care of itself but there was plenty of money in that second and third tier for horses all through the week,” said Tod Wojciechowski, Director of Sales for OBS. “That was the impressive thing all week was not just the domestic buyers but the increased amount of interest we saw from all regions of the world. A deeper bench of buyers from Japan, more and more of the Middle East buyers coming in, European buyers. It just continues to grow.

    “We are the largest 2-year-old sale in the world. No one sells more 2-year-olds over more days than OBS. And I think it just continues to prove itself as the 2-year-old source to the world.”

The RNA rate came in at 17.8% compared to 16.6% in 2025.

    A total of seven horses sold for seven figures during the April Sale, including Hip 1136, a dark bay or brown filly by Not This Time that went to Asagi Stables for $1 million during Friday’s session. Consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), the filly is out of the winning and graded stakes placed Uncle Mo mare Moana, an OBS April graduate who is a half sister to the dam of Grade 1 winner Ceiling Crusher. She worked in :9 4/5 during the under-tack show.

    Proving the money will wait for the right horse, Hip 1221, a bay filly by Girvin from the female family of OBS April graduate Cy Fair, made sure the record auction ended with an exclamation point when she sold to Robert and Lawana Low for $1.6 million as one of the final offerings in the ring.

    Consigned by Top Line Sales, the Girvin filly is out of the Curlin mare Soma, who is a half sister to graded stakes winner Celestial City. The filly, who posted the co-fastest time of the sale when she breezed in :9 3/5, has a page overflowing with Grade 1 talent with champion Calendonia Road and top-level winners Hymn Book and Data Link all in her female family.

    “For the quality the money is always there,” said Jimbo Gladwell of Top Line Sales. “She’s just gotten better every day we’ve had her. She showed up here in a big way and she brought down the house here at the end.”

    Not surprisingly, Hartley/DeRenzo led all consignors by gross with three head sold for $13,550,000 with Zedan’s historic purchase making him the leading buyer.

    “Honestly, Dean and Randy were the first true believers of the April Sale,” Ventura said. “They were totally committed to the select sale. (Hall of Famer and Hartley/DeRenzo OBS April graduate) Silver Charm put us the map. And they also sold Warners. They’ve done it for a long time and they’re not doing it with 50 horses a year, they’re doing it with a relatively small group of horses. Kudos to them.”

Other top prices on the day included:

    Hip 1037, a dark bay or brown filly by Early Voting purchased by Three Amigos for $850,000. Consigned by Hoppel LLC, the filly is out of the American Pharoah mare Lipstikliesnlovers, a daughter of graded stakes winner Cherokee Queen from the female family of Grade 1 winner Domestic Product. She breezed in :20 2/5, the co-fastest time at the distance during the under-tack show.

    Hip 1027, a gray or roan colt by Essential Quality that sold for $775,000 to MorPlay Racing / Marquee Bloodstock / MyRacehorse. Consigned by Hoppel LLC, the colt is out of the winning Pomeroy mare Let’s Parlay, a half sister to the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Mind Control. The colt breezed in :20 4/5 during the under-tack show.

    Hip 1102, a bay filly by Life Is Good purchased for $750,000 by Donato Lanni, Agent for Glassman Racing LLC. Consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo, the filly is out of the Bodemeister mare Mezinka, a half sister to Grade 1 winner and sire Pioneerof the Nile. The filly breezed in :10 flat during the under-tack show.
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Bolt d'Oro Filly Lights Up Board at OBS
Friday, April 17, 2026
She's the fourth to hit the 7-figure mark . . .
    For all the subjectivity involved with purchases made inside the Thoroughbred auction arena, there are certain intangibles each juvenile must possess if they are to stand out at the top end of a discerning marketplace. From her breeze to her page to her physical presence, there wasn’t a single must-have on the check list held by owner Bill Childs and his team that a certain daughter of Bolt d’Oro being offered at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training didn’t fulfill. 

    In the same pavilion where her dam’s sire first made his mark on the industry, Hip 840, a bay filly out of graded stakes winner Gas Station Sushi took her turn in the spotlight when she commanded a final bid of $1.3 million from Childs on April 16 to top the third day of action at the OBS April Sale.

    Consigned by Kings Equine, the Bolt d’Oro filly became the fourth horse to hit the seven-figure threshold during the first three sessions of the four-day sale and, in the process, added to her own family history of success inside the OBS pavilion.

    Her dam, Gas Station Sushi, is a daughter of seven-time leading sire and OBS graduate Into Mischief, the flagship sire of Spendthrift Farm. Spendthrift bred the filly that will now be headed to the barn of trainer Danny Gargan, and farm general manager Ned Toffey confirmed that expectations have justifiably been high in the wake of the filly’s exceptional :9 4/5 breeze during the under-tack show.

    “She’s obviously a lovely filly. I think Into Mischief mares are really popular right now,” Toffey said. “But most of all, it was how she breezed. She breezed so well, she was so efficient. It looked effortless but very fast. She did everything the right way.

    “We thought she was a nice filly, but I think over the last month and then out here, she’s done nothing but get better and better. She very much came into it the right way.”

    Gargan, who won the 2025 Frizette Stakes with Iron Orchard, another OBS April graduate purchased by Childs in partnership, is hoping history repeats itself with his future trainee.

    “We thought she was the best filly in this sale, and we just had to wait,” Gargan said. “I thought her breeze was tremendous and she’s a very, very good looking individual. We were lucky enough we were able to buy her. I’m excited she’ll be coming to me in Saratoga. Maybe I can win the Frizette again with her.”

    Robust trade was once again the name of the game during Thursday’s session as nine horses sold for $700,000 or more on the day. The session gross of $26,036,000 from 143 head sold was up compared to the $21,505,000 generated by 148 head sold a year ago. The average of $182,070 was up over the $145,304 posted during this session in 2025 with the median improving from $76,000 in 2025 to $80,000 this year.

The RNA rate for the session came in at 21.4% compared to 20% in 2025.

    The overall figures through the first three days also continue to tell the story of ongoing market strength. The cumulative gross of $77,945,000 from 479 sold is up over the $69,423,500 generated by 496 sold at this point in 2025. The average of $162,724 is well ahead of the $139,967 at this stage a year ago while the median has also risen from $65,000 in 2025 to $75,000 this year.

    The second highest price of the session when Hip 915, a gray or roan filly by Liam’s Map, ended the day on a high note when she brought $925,000 from St. Elias Stable as the penultimate horse in the ring. Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, the filly is out of the Honor Code mare Honor Hop, a half sister to stakes-winner Ex Pirate, and posted the co-fastest time for the distance when she breezed a quarter in :20 2/5 during the under-tack show.

    “We’re big fans of Liam’s Map. We always look at the babies and want to support the sire,” said Monique Delk of St. Elias. “This filly was big, beautiful body. She looks more like a colt to me because she has a lot of substance to her. When she breezed like that, there wasn’t much not to like.”

    The day’s third highest price was registered when Hip 754, a bay filly by McKinzie consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), sold to Donato Lanni, agent, for Baoma Corp for $900,000. The filly posted the co-fastest time at the distance on the day when she breezed in :9 3/5 during the under-tack show. Success on the OBS grounds also runs in the family for the McKinzie filly as she is out of the winning mare E Built This City, who is by OBS graduate City Zip, and is a half sister to stakes-placed winner and OBS graduate Fulminate.

    “This is the filly we wanted,” Lanni said. “She breezed really, really well. She came back excellent, she vetted, physically she looked good, mentally she was good. She jumped through every hoop, and they’re big hoops. It’s a premium when they do what they do and that’s what you pay for. I’m happy we got her, I love her.”

    Thursday’s session was a milestone one for consignor Omar Ramirez as he celebrated the highest priced horse of his burgeoning career when he sent out Hip 704, a bay colt by Speaker’s Corner, to sell for $875,000 to Lauren Carlisle, agent. The colt, who breezed in :9 4/5, is out of the winning, graded stakes-placed Summer Bird mare Danessa Deluxe, a half sister to multiple stakes-winner Belleofthebeach.

    “He’s a beautiful horse. He’s a man, he’s like a grown man,” said Carlisle, who purchased the colt for an undisclosed client but added he would be trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse. “He’s a big robust horse. We’re thinking big, hopefully dirt, two-turns.”

    Bred by Tommy Wente Jr. and Scott Stephens, the Speaker’s Corner colt was part a windfall day for Wente and Ramirez as the two also partnered on Hip 679, a dark bay or brown colt by Not This Time, who brought $450,000 from D. J. Stable earlier in the session.

    “I bought him (the Not This Time) and went in with Omar and he kept getting better and better,” Wente said. “The Speaker’s Corner I raised with my partner on the farm Scott Stephens … and he was another horse that just got better and better. He worked lights out.”

    Added Ramirez, “I want to thank the owners for giving me the chance to sell this horse. They are great, great people. We had high expectations and we had a lot of good people on him. We’ve had a great, great day.”

Other top prices included:

    Hip 623, a dark bay or brown filly by Omaha Beach that sold for $825,000 to Sabby Racing. Consigned by Hoppel LLC, the filly is out of the Candy Ride (ARG) mare Charmeer, a half sister to stakes-placed winner and graded stakes producer Been Here Before. She tied for the fastest quarter on the day when she breezed in :20 3/5 during the under-tack show.

    Hip 714, a bay colt by Tiz the Law purchased for $800,000 by MyRacehorse.com & Saffie Joseph, Jr. Consigned by S G V Thoroughbreds (Steven Venosa), the colt is out of the mare Deep Trouble, by leading sire and OBS graduate Into Mischief, and is a full brother to Gr. 1 placed winner Curtain Call, an OBS graduate. He worked in :9 4/5 during the under-tack show.

    Hip 694, a chestnut filly by Ghostzapper who brought $750,000 from Fergus Galvin. Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, the filly is out of the winning Curlin mare Curvette, a daughter of multiple graded stakes-winner Fiftyshadesofhay.

    Hip 822, a dark bay or brown colt by Jack Christopher who brought $725,000 from Flanagan Racing. Consigned by Britton Peak. The colt is out of the Uncle Mo mare Forced Family Fun, a half sister to stakes winner and multiple graded stakes-placed Cat Burglar, and is a half brother to stakes-placed winner Walley World. He worked an eighth in :9 4/5 to tie for the fastest time at the distance.

    Hip 805, a dark bay or brown colt by Mind Control sold to Justin Casse for $700,000. Consigned by Grassroots Training & Sales, the colt is out of the Flatter mare First Valentine, a daughter of stakes-winner First Ascent, and is from the female family of multiple Gr. 1 winner Mor Spirit. He worked in :9 3/5, the co-fastest time for the distance on the day.




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Boots Captures First Gulfstream 2-year-old Race
Friday, April 17, 2026
Brethren filly a shoo-in with Camacho . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Arindel homebred Boots, a gray granddaughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper and champion mare Wait a While, launched her career in grand style with a 3 ½-length victory Thursday in the first race of the season for 2-year-olds at Gulfstream Park.

    Ridden by Samy Camacho for trainer Jorge Delgado, Boots ($7) ran 4 ½ furlongs over a fast main track in :52.09 seconds to follow in the footsteps of her stablemate Mythical, who successfully kicked off Gulfstream’s 2025 juvenile season for Arindel before going on to win five stakes in her next seven starts.

    Breaking outside each of her four rivals, including another Arindel homebred, Dorothy trained by Carlos David, Boots pressed 6-5 favorite Celtic Dispute through a quarter-mile in :21.93 seconds while racing in the two path. The half went in :45.55 with the two still engaged until leaving the far turn, when Camacho gave Boots her cue and she opened up once straightened for home.

   “She just put me in a good position out of the break,” Camacho said. “After that, [Celtic Dispute] shakes loose a little bit, so I just tried to stay away from her, because they’re first-time horses. Before the three-eighths pole, I know we’re going to the first wire, so I asked my filly and she responded right away. She had enough kick to the end.”

    Celtic Dispute, by Leinster, the sire of multiple stakes-winner and Royal Ascot Group 2-placed Lennilu, was a decisive second by 5 ¾ lengths over 20-1 shot Jost a Chance Yadi. It was another length back to Dorothy in fourth with Satira fifth. Dama Du Sucre was a late scratch.

    Boots is by Arindel’s foundation sire Brethren out of the Ghostzapper mare Medusa whose only sibling, the 3-year-old colt Bowie, has one second in six starts. Ghostzapper won four Gr. 1 races and nearly $3.5 million in purses and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. Wait a While was a three-time Gr. 1 winner of close to $2.2 million and was the champion 3-year-old filly of 2006.

    “She won very easy,” Camacho said. “She’s not 100 percent there. She’s still learning and she’s going to be an even better horse. Thank the owners for putting me on this winner.”

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Jackie's Warrior Filly Sells for $2.3 Million at OBS
Friday, April 17, 2026
Consigned by Hartley DeRenzo . . .

    For Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo, the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. grounds are where they are most in their element, the venue where they have made their name and plied their trade to exceptional professional heights.

    With so much OBS history already part of their foundation, the noted consignors came to the 2026 edition of the OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training quietly confident that some of their biggest career highlights would be on tap.

    The first round of fireworks expected from the Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds offerings this week went off during the second day of selling of the OBS April Sale. Hip 570, a dark bay or brown filly by Jackie’s Warrior that is part of the boutique Hartley/DeRenzo consignment, became the highest priced filly to sell at an OBS juvenile auction when she elicited a final bid of $2.3 million from Dermot Farrington on behalf of Mrs. Fitriani Hay.

    The price is the second highest ever for the OBS Spring auction, behind only the $2.45 million generated when Conquistador was purchased during the 2017 sale.

    “It means a lot, this is home,” DeRenzo said. “We sold the first million-dollar horse (at a 2-year-old auction) here at OBS and she is the highest priced filly. We are part of OBS. It feels good to do it at home.”

    The Hartley/DeRenzo shedrow has been a popular spot this week as they also consign Hip 1056, a well-regarded son of Flightline set to sell during Friday’s session. Like her barnmate, the Jackie’s Warrior filly generated her fair share of looks after she breezed in :9 3/5 during the under-tack show, tying for the fastest time at the distance.

    Out of the graded stakes winning Indian Charlie mare Brazen Persuasion, an OBS graduate, the filly is one of four horses offered by Hartley/DeRenzo this week. She is a half sister to stakes placed winner and OBS graduate Ruggs and is from the female family of graded stakes winner Godmother.

    “We thought she was the best filly in the sale, and we thought we had the best colt in the sale,” DeRenzo said. “We were pretty confident about it because those kind of horses don’t come around very often. They stand out like a sore thumb. We were confident she would do really well.”

    Alex Cole, racing manager for Hay, said the filly was headed to the barn of trainer Wesley Ward. “We wouldn’t spend that sort of money if there was any flaw,” Cole said.

    Moments after the Jackie’s Warrior filly earned her spot in OBS history, Hip 576, a chestnut colt by Cyberknife consigned by de Meric Sales, became the second horse to hit the seven-figure threshold during the session when he sold for $1.2 million to the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds, Mike Talla, LEB, and John Sadler, agent.

    The colt is out of the winning Unbridled’s Song mare Broadway Show, a daughter of graded stakes winner and dual OBS graduate Richiegirlgonewild. “He was so stretchy. We’re looking for two-turn colts and we just liked him a lot,” Sadler said. “We thought his video was excellent. You would always like to buy everything for a little less, but he was a nice prospect.”

    The colt, who was bred by Machmer Hall, breezed in :9 4/5 during the under-tack show.

    “Beyond expectations. I am blown away, thrilled,” said Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall. “This is a dream come true and it’s a long-time partnership. Not only are the de Merics our friend, but every time I come here and consign, I feel like I know exactly what I have with them.”

    Following on the heels of a strong opening session that featured a son of Epicenter selling for $1.95 million, the second day of action for the OBS Spring Sale generated its own stellar returns. The gross for the session came in at $25,522,000 from 148 head sold, down from the $27,462,500 generated from 183 head sold during the corresponding session one year ago. Last year’s second session was bolstered by the sale of six seven-figure horses that day alone.

    The session average of $172,446 was up compared to $150,068 posted in 2025 while the median improved to $77,500 over $60,000 during the session a year ago.

    The cumulative gross through the first two days is $50,805,000 from 317 head sold, up from the $47,918,500 generated by 348 sold through this point last year. The overall average is up to $160,268 from $137,697 in 2025 while the median has improved to $75,000 compared to $60,000 a year ago.

    The RNA rate came in at 27.8% compared to 11.6% a year ago.

    Wednesday’s session wasted no time getting off on the right foot when Hip 312, a bay colt by Life Is Good consigned by Britton Peak, sold to KP for $725,000. The colt, who breezed in :9 4/5, is out of the graded stakes winning Tiznow mare Tiz Breathtaking.

    “Tell you the truth, he was the whole package. He had all the right angles, the right size, the right mind,” said Nelson Arroyo of Arroyo Bloodstock, who consigned the Life Is Good colt through Britton Peak. “I loved him from the first second I saw him. He was a big horse but he is real light on his feet. He has all the right angles and he has that presence.”

    Other top prices on the day included:

    Hip 437, a chestnut filly by Omaha Beach that sold to Alex & JoAnn Lieblong for $650,000. Consigned by Harris Training Center LLC, the filly breezed in :10 during the under-tack show. She is out of the Distorted Humor mare Alma Llanera and is from the female family of champion Singspiel (IRE).

    Hip 375, a chestnut filly by Jackie’s Warrior that sold for $625,000 to Flanagan Racing, LLC. Consigned by Six K's Training & Sales, the filly is out of the Nyquist mare Well Remembered, a half sister to stakes winner and graded stakes placed Audrey’s Time. She worked in :10 flat during the under-tack show.

    Hip 596, a gray or roan colt by Roadster consigned by Ocala Stud that sold for $625,000 to Shunsuke Kubota. The colt is out of the Group 3 winning Lope de Vega mare Candy Store (IRE) and is a half brother to stakes winner and graded stakes placed Vive Veuve. He worked in :20 3/5 during the under-tack show, co-fastest time at the distance on the day.

    Hip 499, a gray or roan colt by Essential Quality consigned by Five Point Thoroughbreds that sold for $550,000 to Breeze Easy LLC / Jethorse LLC. The colt is out of the Tiznow mare Back Up the Brinks and is from the female family of champions Forte and Folklore. He worked in :9 4/5 during the under-tack show.

    Hip 517, a bay colt by Tapit consigned by Paul Sharp that sold for $550,000 to KSI. The colt is out of graded stakes winner and Grade 1 placed Be Fair, an OBS April graduate who is by Exchange Rate, and is a half brother to Grade 1 winner and OBS April graduate And Tell Me Nolies.

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McCrocklin's Sensational Streak Continues in OBS Under Tack Show
Saturday, April 11, 2026
His fillies zipped half-mile trials . . .

    Count consignor Tom McCrocklin among those having a good week ahead of the 2026 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

    After sending out Hip 74, a dark bay or brown filly by Omaha Beach, and Hip 262, a dark bay or brown filly by Oscar Performance, to work in :20 4/5 during the first two days of the under-tack show, McCrocklin’s consignment was again responsible for the fastest quarter mile works on the day as Hip 851, a bay filly by Oscar Performance, and Hip 915, a gray or roan filly by Liam’s Map, each worked in :20 2/5 April 10, the fifth day of under-tack shows for the OBS April Sale.

    The Oscar Performance filly is out of the winning, stakes-placed Daylami (IRE) mare Going Day, a half sister to champion Covfefe. The Liam’s Map filly is out of the Honor Code mare Honor Hop, a half sister to stakes winner Ex Pirate.

    Joining McCrocklin in the good mood club was Nelson Arroyo of Arroyo Bloodstock. Each time Arroyo looked up to watch one of his juveniles breeze over the OBS track this week, he couldn’t help but let a wide grin stretch across his face and a groundswell of pride overtake his being.

    When the time came for the founder of Arroyo Bloodstock to watch his seventh and final youngster from the Britton Peak consignment work Friday, the end result sparked a surge of emotions as powerful as the nimble athletes he is set to sell.

    In his third year of pinhooking under his own banner, Arroyo and his team are poised to have one of their most successful outings yet in the public auction arena. When Hip 822, a dark bay or brown colt by Jack Christopher owned by Arroyo Bloodstock, worked an eighth in :9 4/5 Friday to tie for the fastest time at the distance, it capped off a week that went above and beyond in terms of the expectations the former jockey held for his crew.

    Of the seven horses Arroyo has entered in the OBS April Sale, five of them worked in :9 4/5 with the two others going in :10 flat. This year marks the first time Arroyo has consigned with Greg Martin’s Britton Peak, a pairing that is already off to a flying start following a strong outing together in March.

    “It’s still hitting me. It feels real good,” Arroyo said of his week. “We put in a lot of work, and it feels so good to see it pay off. I want to thank the whole team, without them it wouldn’t be possible. Greg Martin did a great job training. This is the first year we’ve worked with him and he’s doing a great job. My (sons), Elijah and Brandon have done a great job. And I want to thank Dean DeRenzo (of Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds) for sure because that’s the man who is making this all possible. He’s the one who taught me all this stuff.”

    A focus on conformation and physical presence is what Arroyo zeros in on when purchasing pinhook prospects, and the Jack Christopher colt ticked those boxes in addition to having an accomplished pedigree page. The colt is out of the Uncle Mo mare Forced Family Fun, a half sister to stakes winner and multiple graded stakes placed Cat Burglar, and is a half brother to stakes placed winner Walley World. Like his fellow barn mates, the colt backed up the ability he teased in his prep and ensured his connections head into next week’s sale overflowing with confidence.

    “He’s been really nice since Day 1. He’s done everything right from the get-go and this was something we were expecting,” Arroyo said of the colt. “They all did what we expected them to do. We bought good horses and it was up to us to get them here the right way. I was just hoping the team and the crew and Greg’s outfit were going to be able to bring them here in good shape and healthy and have them perform.

    “For the five of them to go in :9 4/5 and have two on 10 flat, and great gallop outs…I’m in awe. I can’t believe it.”

Arroyo’s Jack Christopher colt was one of 12 horses to work in :9 4/5 Friday:

    Hip 817, a dark bay or brown colt by OBS graduate Yaupon consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne). The colt is out of the Verrazano mare Flume, a half sister to Grade 1 placed winner Identity Politics.

    Hip 819, a bay filly by Vekoma consigned by S B M Training and Sales. The filly is out of the graded stakes winning Palace Malice mare Fly On Angel.

    Hip 840, a bay filly by Bolt d'Oro consigned by Kings Equine. The filly is out of graded stakes winner Gas Station Sushi, a daughter of leading sire and OBS graduate Into Mischief.

    Hip 866, a chestnut filly by champion and OBS graduate Corniche consigned by Kings Equine. The filly is out of the winning Tapit mare Grey Stark, a full sister to stakes winner Siem Riep.
    Hip 917, a gray or roan colt by leading sire and OBS graduate Into Mischief consigned by Chuy Ceballos. The colt is out of the Cairo Prince mare Hot Date, a half sister to graded stakes winner Gibberish.

    Hip 940, a bay filly by Drain the Clock consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne). The filly is out of the stakes winning Untuttable mare Into Reality, a three-time OBS graduate, and is a half sister to stakes winner Meadowood.

    Hip 960, a bay filly by OBS graduate Yaupon consigned by Longoria Training & Sales. The filly is out the mare Joyful Cat, who is by OBS graduate Kitten’s Joy and is a full sister to graded stakes winner Charming Kitten.

    Hip 961, a gray or roan colt by Roadster consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock. The colt is out of the Grey Swallow (IRE) mare Joyous Angel, who is a half sister to graded stakes winner English Bee.

    Hip 990, a bay colt by Nashville consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock. The colt is out of the winning, stakes-placed Kodiac mare Kodiac Gal (IRE).

    Hip 1004, a dark bay or brown filly by Munnings consigned by Kings Equine. The filly is out of the graded stakes winning Justin Phillip mare Lady T N T, an OBS graduate.

    Hip 1012, a bay colt by Bolt d’Oro consigned by Grassroots Training & Sales LLC. The colt is out of the Speightstown mare Laquezza, a half sister to stakes winner and Grade 1 placed Light the City and the dam of multiple graded stakes winner Tumbarumba.

    Two horses worked in :20 3/5 to tie for the second fastest quarter:

    Hip 888, a dark bay or brown colt by Liam’s Map consigned by Hoppel LLC. The colt is out of the stakes winning Violence mare Heart Full of Soul.

    Hip 925, a dark bay or brown colt by Upstart consigned by Tom McCrocklin. The colt is out of the Distorted Humor mare Humor Me Dixie, a daughter of graded stakes winner Dixie City, and is a half brother to stakes placed winner Presha, an OBS April graduate.

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OBS Grad Further Ado Romps in Gr. I Blue Grass
Monday, April 6, 2026
Wins by 11 lengths...

    Spendthrift Farm’s Further Ado (Gun Runner- Sky Dreamer, by Sky Mesa), who scored his maiden victory at Keeneland by 20 lengths last October, continued to show his affinity for the Lexington track when he captured the $1,250,000, Gr. I Blue Gass Stakes by 11 lengths, cementing his status as one of the favorites for the first leg of the Triple Crown and leading the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week.

    With the Blue Grass victory, Further Ado earned 100 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard for a total of 135 points and guaranteed a spot in the starting gate for the 152nd running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby.

    Trained by Brad Cox, Further Ado is now a two-time graded stakes-winner and boosted his earnings to $1,146,328. 

    “I felt he had moved forward since Tampa (when he finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) March 7), so I expected him to run well,” Cox said. “I thought he got a great trip. 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, and it worked out. It’s always nice when a plan works out because most of the time it doesn’t. He’s a good colt, full of quality, athletic, a great mover.”

    Further Ado was purchased by Spendthrift at the 2025 OBS April Sale for $550,000 from the Six K’s Training & Sales consignment after breezing in :21 1/5. 

    About an hour after Further Ado’s victory, So Happy (Runhappy-So Cunning, by Blame) joined him as a top Kentucky Derby contender when he prevailed in the $500,000, Gr. I Santa Anita Derby. Trained by Mark Glatt, So Happy is owned by Norman Stables and Saints or Sinners. He previously captured the Gr. II, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita Park Jan. 10.

    “He kept on going today,” winning jockey Mike Smith said. “Today he really felt fit and ready to race. I can’t say enough of what a great and wonderful man Mark Glatt. The Kentucky Derby is America’s race. Anyone in the world would want to be in that race. There’s more there in the tank for sure.”

    Bred by former Ocalan Leverett Miller, So Happy was purchased by Glatt, agent, for $150,000 at the 2025 OBS March Sale out of the First Call consignment after breezing in :10 flat.

    The undercard of the Blue Grass Stakes saw Gr. 1 winner Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming – New Narration, by Tapit) pounce at the top of the stretch and coast to a 2¾-length victory in the Gr. III Commonwealth Stakes. Trained by Brad Cox, Saudi Crown is now a three-time graded stakes - winner and increased his earnings to $3,686,508. Consigned by Top Line Sales, Agent, to the 2022 OBS Spring Sale, Saudi Crown was sold for $240,000 after breezing in :10 flat. 

    At Aqueduct, Winning Move Stable’s Yo Daddy (Yoshida (JPN)-Elle Stormin’, by Tale of the Cat) earned his first stakes score in the $150,000 Excelsior. Trained by Linda Rice, Yo Daddy was offered at the 2023 OBS June Sale by Britton Peak where he failed to meet his reserve after breezing in :21 4/5.

    At Evangeline Downs, Michael H. Rotstein and Olof’s Tiz Mary’s Comet (Good Samaritan - Suzie's Dream, by Tiz the One) prevailed in the $60,000 Lafayette Stakes. Trained by Rylee Magnon, the gelding was purchased by his owners at the 2025 OBS June Sale from the Omar Ramirez Bloodstock consignment after breezing in :10 flat.

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Bernies Blog
Gulfstream's Royal Palm Meet Offering More Cash
Thursday, April 2, 2026
$2.9 million in stakes purses . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Gulfstream Park’s Royal Palm Meet will offer substantial increases in overnight purses as well as bonuses in open stakes and Florida-bred races and stakes as part of a $6 million Florida-Bred Incentive Fund (FBIF).

    Overall, the Royal Palm Meet, which runs through Aug. 30, will offer total stakes purses of $2.9 million plus an additional $575,000 ($25,000 per race) to any Florida-bred finishing in the top five in 23 summer stakes. The percentage of purse money for those top five Florida-breds will be 50%-30%-11%-6%-3%.

    On the heels of the memorable 2025-2026 Championship Meet that wound down Sunday, Gulfstream Park will usher in the 2026 Royal Palm Meet with a nine-race program today. A Thursday-through-Sunday racing schedule will be conducted through April. Top-class Thoroughbred racing will continue Friday through Sunday through August.

    Purses in maiden special weight races for Florida-breds will climb from $43,000 last summer to $65,000 this summer while allowance races will climb from between $54,000 to $58,000 last summer to $65,000 and $75,000 this summer. The purses of all claiming races will see a $2,000 increase. Increases will be for all ages.

    Once again, the winners of the $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies May 9 will earn automatic entry into one of Royal Ascot’s six 2-year-old races in addition to a $25,000 travel stipend. The Royal Ascot meet runs June 16-20.

    On April 25, Gulfstream will offer six $100,000 stakes races restricted to Florida-breds.

    Today’s program marks the return of popular jockey Paco Lopez, who has five mounts, including Fear in the Race 8 feature, a 5 ½-furlong allowance for Florida-bred 3-year-olds on Tapeta. The Carlos David-trained son of Win Win Win, a winner on turf, finished third against open company on the all-weather surface last time out.  Jose D’Angelo-trained Bronze Bullet, 7-5 in the morning-line, who finished first twice on Tapeta, returns to the all-weather track with Luis Saez aboard following a pair of show finishes on turf.

    Samy Camacho also rejoins the Royal Palm Meet jockey colony that will be missing Edgar Zayas, a two-time Royal Palm Meet champion who has switched his tack to New York. Camacho has six mounts on toay’s card.

    Leonel Reyes, who was just three wins away from his 1000th victory in North America when he sustained a broken left ankle Nov. 3, is nearing a return to pursue the milestone.

    Fresh off claiming his fifth consecutive Championship Meet title, Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will pursue his 16th Gulfstream Park title in a row while chasing another Royal Palm Meet championship.

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Bernies Blog
Tampa's Florida Cup A Huge Success
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
23rd edition . . .
    OLDSMAR - The 23rd edition of the Florida Cup showcasing the Sunshine State's breeding and racing industry was presented at Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday and horses in different divisions competed in six competitive stakes races for a purse of $110,000 in each contest. 

THE NYRA BETS SPRINT

Cliff and Michele Love's homebred Damon's Mound reached millionaire status in the NYRA Bets Sprint for five-time champion trainer Bill Mott, but the locally based Chrome Ghost made him work every step of the six furlongs to achieve the career milestone.

"He's a real warrior," said Mott via text.

"He had to fight for it today," said Junior Alvarado, his regular partner who was aboard when they were the runner-up in the Gulfstream Park Sprint in their last effort February 21. "He is a fighter, isn't he?" 

The graded stakes-winning son of Girvin and San Antonio Stroll by Stroll, who was dispatched as the 3-5 favorite in the field of six horses aged four and up, battled with 5-1 choice Chrome Ghost from the outset as they set fleet fractions of 22.49, 44.86, and 56.65 before Damon's Mound crossed the wire in front by 1/2 length in the final time of 1:08.88 on the fast track. 

Flood Zone, a graded stakes winner for trainer Brad Cox ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., raced behind the pacesetters and had to settle for third, another 1 1/2 lengths behind. Classic Course, Nothingsubtle, and El Principito followed to the wire. Chrome Ghost, who was piloted by the meet's leading rider Samy Camacho, and El Principito both came from the barn of legendary Tampa Bay Downs trainer Gerald Bennett, who is a nominee for the 2026 class of the Canadian Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.

Damon's Mound, a 6-year-old horse who won the Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes for Florida-breds two starts back at Gulfstream Park, was making the 20th start of his career and now sports a record of 8-3-2. The $70,000 winner's share of the purse pushed his total earnings to $1,018,405. Damon's Mound rewarded his backers with $3.20 for a $2 win wager. 


THE PLEASANT ACRES STALLIONS DISTAFF TURF

Live Oak Plantation homebred Souper Zonda relished being back with state-bred company as she triumphed over seven other 3-year-olds to capture the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies under an expert ride by Irad Ortiz, Jr. Nonetheless, she needed plenty of heart for the victory throughout the 1 1/16th miles test on the turf and gave her jockey every ounce she had to take command shortly before the wire. 

"I got a great post for her style and had speed inside, so I allowed them to break but did not want to get her out of the race. The horse was keen early, and she was closing to the wire. I wanted to switch her off a little more to save energy for the end, and I knew she was going to give me a run," explained Ortiz, Jr.

Dispatched as the heavy favorite at $1.50-1, Souper Zonda battled with $22.40-1 longshot Let's Go Koko, who put up a stubborn fight under Marcos Meneses to the finish before she crossed the wire in 1/2 length on firm turf one-half length to the good. Rugelach was third, another length behind. Dreaming of Abba, Souper Willawaw, Notable Exchange, Charlie's Wish, and Miss Mary Nell followed the top three home. Calla was scratched. 

"It was a very good effort, and I thought Irad gave her a great ride," said dual American and Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. "It's always wonderful to win for (Live Oak Plantation owner) Mrs. Weber, and with a home bred."

Souper Zonda, never a factor in the Grade 3 Honey Fox at Gulfstream Park in her last versus open company, returned $5.00 for a $2 bet. Now with a record of 4-0-0 in 9 starts, the 4-year-old daughter of Curlin and the Scat Daddy mare Zonda has upped her earnings to $187,282. 

THE STONEHEDGE FARM SOUTH SOPHOMORE FILLIES

Aided by a confident ride from champion rider Irad Ortiz, Tessellate made light work of the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies while cruising to a dominating 4 3/4 lengths win over four other 3-year-old fillies in the seven furlongs test on the fast main track. 

The daughter of McKinzie and the Trappe Shot mare ShotdownInFlames, who is trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., bided her time at the back of the pack, then closed in around the far turn before taking control at the top of the lane without being asked. All Ortiz had to do was shake the reins at her and she accelerated, kicking clear to finish in the fleet time of 1:10.20. La Chimosa finished one length in front of Flowko, with Emerald Ember and Questnbled'cisions beind. Nasti Z and Unfaithful Rose were scratched.

"I waited a bit longer because there was nobody around me, then I moved by the horses in front without using too much. Then I squeezed her a little bit, and the horse took it away from there and ultimately gave me a good kick," Ortiz, Jr. said.

Tessellate, who is owned by a partnership of breeder Castle Gate Farm, Magic Cap Stable, Paul Braverman, and Timothy Pinch, et. al, won her second stakes at Tampa Bay Downs during the current meet after capturing the open company Gasparilla in similar fashion on January 10. She upped her record to 7 4-1-1 and increased her earnings to $232,510.

Joseph, Jr. said, "That was a big effort from her. I thought she ran very well today, and obviously, she likes Tampa. Irad gave her a good trip. She sat in the back and then she really quickened nicely at the end. It's nice to get her another stake on her resume."

The $.30-1 favorite in the field returned $2.60 for a $2 win wager. 

THE LAMBHOLM SOUTH SOPHOMORE TURF

Mr Mo's Magic, a Lynn Rarick trainee, took advantage of competing against fellow Florida-breds under regular rider Jose Ferrer by pulling off the 13-1 upset in the field of nine 3-year-olds in the Lambholm South Sophomore Turf at 7 furlongs.

Mr Mo's Magic, who finished last in the Columbia Stakes against open company at 1 mile on this course in his previous effort on March 7, made a bold move in the turn and stayed on to win comfortably while covering the distance in the final time of 1:4.20. Serac was 1 3/4 lengths behind while My Favorite Bird was another 1/2 length in third.

Ferrer described his mount as a big horse with a long stride with the need for racing room and a clear run. "He dragged me up the backside and then I let him run. The horse was comfortable in the turn and came with a decisive finish. It was game over," said the rider. 

Rarik could not have been more pleased with the performance of her charge.

"I was very happy with him. The last stakes race we were in, the Columbia, the turf was a little bit soft and I don't think he like it. Not having rain helped us. We tried him on the dirt one time, but I think he likes the grass and a firmer surface. Today he did exactly what I thought he would. Every time he's won, he breaks, sits in the back, comes around, circles the field, and comes down the lane like a rocket. He sure did that today." 

The Town, the even-money favorite trained by two-time Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox, was never a factor in the outcome and finished 6th. The order or finish behind the top three was Chicken Dance, Megacles, The Town, Cruisin Chuck, Move Jesse Move, and Mr. First. Mr Mo's Magic paid $28.20.

Owned by Ray Huelsman and Keith Anderson, Mr Mo's Magic is by Uncle Chuck and the Defrere mare Magical Flair and he was bred by Gerardo Bello. The roan colt's record improved to 7 3-0-0 and he upped his bankroll to $142,780

THE OCALA BREEDERS' SALES SOPHOMORES

Maykomotion, a 3-year-old son of multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma, made light work of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Sophomores by tapping into his early speed and then never looking back as he kicked clear through the lane to win by 2 lengths in the final time of 1:22.28 for seven furlongs on the fast track. 

"There was not much for me to do other than let him go and do whatever he wanted to do. The decision was to allow the horse freedom early," said John Velazquez, who got the return call on the colt from trainer George Weaver, who was also the trainer of Vekoma.

"Johnny is a Hall of Famer and he has a very good sense about horses so he didn't need any instructions from me," said Weaver. "That was a good race from this horse and it's always nice to have one by Vekoma, who gave me a lot of great memories."

The 4-5 favorite was chased home by Rockies Balboa, who was 4 3/4 lengths in front of Best Minute Yet. Hard Talk and Leftnateawalkin followed behind in the field reduced to five by the scratches of Langvad and Sweeping Shadow. 

Maykomotion, who is out of Maymont by Unbridled's Song, rewarded his backers with $3.60 to win for a $2 bet and has now won two straight races in three career outings. Bred by Dominique Domico, he is owned by Bona Venture Stables and Bianco Thoroughbreds and upped his earnings to $98,300.  


THE AAA FEED & TACK TURF 

Under the expert handling of Hall of Famer John Velazquez Uncle's Gold dug in deep down the lane to prevail in a thrilling three-horse mad dash to the wire and take the $110,000 AAA Feed & Tack Turf for older horses by a neck. The Live Oak Plantation homebred covered the 1 1/8 miles over the firm course in the final time of 1:49.70.

Adios Cole with Junior Alvarado in the irons took second and the 6-5 favorite Tank was another neck back with Irad Ortiz, Jr. after leading until the eighth pole. Ciao Chuck, Heathguard, Scarecrow, and Win With Faith followed in order.

"He run down the stretch, and there was a brief wait, but ultimately he got it done," said Velazquez after they bested six others in the field. 
Said winning trainer Mike Trombetta, "I've been looking forward to running him in this race for some time. The turf course at Gulfstream (Park) runs really fast and even though he did okay there I knew that he would do better when he got on a turf course that's a little bit more conventional and more to his liking. He's a big guy and it takes him a little bit more time to get wound up. I was glad that it went as well as it did. Johnny (Velazquez) gave him a great ride, too."

Uncle's Gold, a 4-year-old colt by Uncle Mo out of the Giant's Causeway mare Giant Crystal won his first stakes in seven career tries and his record is now 3-2-0-1 with $102,060 in earnings. He returned $5.60 for a $2 win wager.
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Bernies Blog
Panici Says Goodbye at Gulfstream
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
He'll stay on with track work crew . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Jockey Luca Panici, a mainstay at South Florida tracks since 2010, retired from riding at the conclusion of Sunday’s program at Gulfstream Park. The 52-year-old Italian-born jockey has ridden 943 winners in the U.S. A son of Italy’s leading jockey in the 1970s and 1980s, Panici rode more than 500 winners in Europe.

    “I feel good. It’s time. I’m 52. I made the decision to retire right now when I still have business,” said Panici, who rode 14 winners during the 2025-2026 Championship Meet that came to a close Sunday. Although he is stepping away from riding, he won’t be leaving Gulfstream Park, where he will begin working on the track crew.

    “I don’t know yet what I’m going to do, but I will be on the track crew,” he said. “I’m not going to ride, but I’m not leaving the track.”

    A frequent visitor to Gulfstream during the Italian off-season before moving to South Florida full-time, Panici rode his first race in the U.S. in 1997 and won his first race in America Nov. 25, 2005 at Calder Race Course.

    Panici won three gradedstakes in his career: Another Romance in the 2012 Azalea (G3), Sole Volante in the 2020 Sam F. Davis (G3) and Maryquitecontrary in the 2023 Inside Information (G2), the latter at Gulfstream.

 

                  
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Bernies Blog
Dark Saffron Repeats in Gr. I Golden Shaheen
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Defeats fellow OBS graduate Bentornato . . .

    One year after becoming the eighth Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company graduate to win the Gr. I Dubai Golden Shaheen, Sultan Ali’s Dark Saffron (Flameaway-Meadow Saffron, by Military) defended his title in the $2 million race when he outsprinted reigning Breeders’ Cup Sprint  winner and fellow OBS graduate Bentornato on the Dubai World Cup undercard at Meydan Racetrack, leading the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week..

    Trained by Ahmad Bin Harmash, Dark Saffron joins the likes of Caller One and Mind Your Biscuits as back-to-back winners of the Dubai Golden Shaheen, which serves as a ‘Win and You’re In’ qualifier for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland.

    “Obviously he won this race last year and he come back and run really well, it was a bit of a workout first time he ran this season,” winning jockey Connor Beasley said. “Then he had a bit of an incident in the stalls and banged his head and sort of lost his way. I think he lost a bit of confidence for his next three or four runs, but his last run we felt he was coming back to himself.”

    Consigned by Julie Davies, Dark Saffron was purchased by Harmash Racing for $120,000 out of the 2024 OBS April sale after breezing in :9 4/5.

    At Oaklawn Park, West Point Thoroughbreds’ Counting Stars (Honor A.P.- Paynterbynumbers, by Paynter) cemented her spot in the Kentucky Oaks field when she rolled to a 5 ½-length victory in the $1 million, Gr. II Fantasy Stakes.

    The Fantasy awarded 150 total points to its top five finishers (75-37.5-18.75-11.25-7.5, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks. A daughter of Honor A. P., Counting Stars raised her career earnings to $972,606 following her fourth victory from seven starts.

    Trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Counting Stars was purchased by her owners at the 2025 OBS April Sale for $150,000 from the Wildheart Thoroughbreds consignment after breezing in :10 flat.

    The Oaklawn Park card saw Doubledown Stables’ Nu What’s New (Munnings-Heavenly Scat, by Scat Daddy) hold off Gr. 1 winners East Avenue and Full Serrano to win Saturday’s $500,000, Gr. III Oaklawn Mile by three-quarters of a length.

    The Oaklawn Mile represented the first career stakes victory for the speedy Nu What’s New, who was exiting a runner-up finish behind subsequent Dubai World Cup winner Magnitude in the $500,000, Gr. III Razorback Handicap.

    Trained by Jimmy DiVito, Nu What’s New was purchased by DiVito, as agent, for $300,000 at the 2024 OBS April Sale from the Eddie Woods consignment after breezing in :10 1/5.

    At Gulfstream Park, Lou Donato, Theodore Manziaris, Paul Borrelli and Lanni Bloodstock’s Sultana (Always Dreaming- Private Offering, by Pulpit) pulled off a late-rallying upset in the $175,000, Gr. III Orchid Stakes.

    The Kevin Attard-trained daughter of Always Dreaming had run on turf only once in five prior starts. She was a $50,000 purchase by Harbour 60 Club at the 2023 OBS June Sale from the New Hope consignment after breezing in :21. 

    At Oaklawn Park, Gr. III winner Desert Gate (Omaha Beach-Theogony, by Curlin) showed his class with a wire-to-wire romp in the one-mile, $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes.

    Desert Gate finished 9 3/4 lengths ahead of fellow OBS grad Soldier N Diplomat in the four-horse field. Hall of Famer Bob Baffert trains Desert Gate for longtime clients Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. He was purchased by his owners for $260,000 at the 2025 OBS March Sale from the Navas Equine consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.

    At Tampa Bay Downs during the 23rd edition of the Florida Cup, Maykomotion (Vekoma-Maymont by Unbridled's Song) made light work of the $110,000 Ocala Breeders' Sales Sophomores by tapping into his early speed for a two-length victory.

    Trained by George Weaver, he is owned by Bona Venture Stables and Bianco Thoroughbreds. He was purchased by SGV/GRW, Agent for Bona Venture Stable at the 2025 OBS April Sale for $160,000 from the Niall Brennan Stables consignment after breezing in :10 1/5.

    The Florida Cup card also saw Mr Mo's Magic (Uncle Chuck- Magical Flair, by Defrere), a Lynn Rarick trainee, pull off a 13-1 upset in the $110,000 Sophomore Turf.

    Owned by Ray Huelsman and Keith Anderson, Mr Mo's Magic is a dual OBS grad, having been sold by Summerfield to Laureles Racing for $12,000 at the 2024 OBS Winter Mixed Sale and then purchased by his owners for $50,000 at the 2025 OBS April Sale from the Majestic consignment after breezing in :10 1/5.

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Bernies Blog
Joseph Takes 15th Gulfstream Training Title
Monday, March 30, 2026
He's won last 5 . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Saffie Joseph Jr. put the finishing touches on his 15th consecutive leading trainer title at Gulfstream Park Sunday as the 2025-2026 Championship Meet concluded its prestigious 72-day winter stand.

    It was the fifth straight Championship Meet title for Joseph, a 39-year-old native of Barbados whose string of success dates back to Gulfstream’s 2021 Royal Palm stand. He was tops with 255 starters, 45 wins and more than $4.7 million in purse earnings, capturing Race 7 Sunday with 4-year-old colt Miami Frank ($4.40) and the Race 11 finale with Barakah ($38.80).

    “It’s a lot of help,” Joseph said. “Obviously my name is in the program, but it takes all the owners and the staff. They do everything. It’s a full team, and a lot of people make it possible. We’re grateful and thankful to keep it going.”

    Joseph’s biggest win of the Championship Meet came with Skippylongstocking in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 24 over his stablemate, defending champion and fellow 7-year-old multimillionaire White Abarrio. Skippylongstocking also won Gulfstream’s Harlan’s Holiday (G3) in December and subsequently captured the Essex Handicap (G3) March 21 at Oaklawn Park.

    Other stakes wins for Joseph came with R Disaster in the Hurricane Bertie (G3), Claret Beret in the Royal Delta (G3), Solitude Dude in the Swale and Neoequos in the Sunshine Turf. He is eight wins shy of 1,500 for his career. Entering Sunday, Joseph ranked third nationally with $5.8 million in purse earnings and seventh with 50 wins in 2026.

    “The Pegasus was definitely the highlight,” Joseph said. “To run first and second in that race and have both horses be at 7 years old, both of them started their careers here at Gulfstream and they’re still going. It’s amazing. We know we’re getting toward the end. I’ve been thinking about it, to have those two horses in their final year, hopefully we have some young ones coming up to replace them.”

    Irad Ortiz Jr. finished as leading rider of the Championship Meet for a fourth straight time and record-extending seventh overall, with 82 wins from 312 mounts (26 percent). Tyler Gaffalione was second with 68 wins but led all jockeys with more than $5.3 million in purses earned.

    Ortiz, 33, spent the final weekend of the Championship Meet honoring out-of-town commitments, taking off eventual Curlin Florida Derby (G1) winner Commandment but taking the Arkansas Derby (G1) with Renegade. Represented by agent Steve Rushing, he finished second with $3.94 in purses earned.

    Among Ortiz’s victories were the Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) and Mucho Macho Man with Commandment, Forward Gal (G3) with On Time Girl and Fort Lauderdale (G3) with Wolfie’s Dynaghost. On Dec. 13 he picked up his 1,000th Gulfstream Park winner with White Claw Woman.

    Bruno Schickedanz scored in Race 10 Sunday with Irish-bred Palace View ($6.80) to tie Rachel Gerson’s Starry Night Racing as leading owner with 10 wins. 

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Bernies Blog
End of the Rainbow Pays Off
Monday, March 30, 2026
Begins anew on Thursday . . .
    A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 yielded multiple payoffs of $41,654.20 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, closing day of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet.

    The multi-race wager had gone unsolved for seven days to close the country’s most prestigious race meeting, following mandatory payouts of $3,359 on March 15.

    There was $2,962,066 of new money bet into the Rainbow 6 Sunday on top of a $286,399 carryover from Saturday’s spectacular Curlin Florida Derby Day program, for a total pool of $3,248,465.

    Barakah captured the Race 11 finale to complete the winning 5-7-7-8-3-8 combination. Other winners in the sequence were Donegal Rocks ($13.60) in Race 6, Miami Frank ($4.40) in Race 7, Navy Cross ($23.20) in Race 8, Caller ($37.40) in Race 9 and Palace View ($6.80) in Race 10.

    The Rainbow 6 begins anew when the Royal Palm Meet, which runs through Aug. 30, opens with a nine-race program Thursday. Post time is 12:50 p.m.

Who’s Hot: Saffie Joseph Jr. capped his fifth straight Championship Meet title with two wins Sunday, Miami Frank ($4.40) in Race 7 and Barakah ($38.80) in the Race 11 finale … Jockey Joel Rosario and trainer Mike Maker teamed up for two wins Sunday, Da Prince Is Right ($14.20) in Race 1 and Wyatt’s World ($6.80) in Race 4 … Jockey Rajiv Maragh doubled aboard Donegal Rocks ($13.60) in Race 6 and Caller ($37.40) in Race 9, as did Hall of Famer Javier Castellano with Steelin Bases ($6.60) Palace View ($6.80) in Race 10.
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Bernies Blog
Commandment Edges The Puma in $1 Million Florida Derby
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Earns 100 Kentucky Derby points . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Wathnan Racing’s Commandment overcame a tepid early pace to stamp himself as the early favorite for this year’s Kentucky Derby with a late-rallying drive to eke out a narrow victory in the 75th running of the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

    The Brad Cox-trained son of 2014 Curlin Florida Derby winner Constitution, who was coming off a victory by a neck in the Feb. 28 Coolmore Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream, prevailed by a nose over The Puma in the tradition-rich 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds that closed out a stacked 14-race program featuring 10 stakes, five graded, with purses totaling $2.675 million.

    Commandment’s brave triumph gave Cox back-to-back wins in Gulfstream’s definitive Kentucky Derby prep, following Tappan Street’s victory last year over eventual Horse of the Year Sovereignty. “I’m proud of the horse. He’s a solid horse,” Cox said. “This is a good race and it’s going to set him up for the Derby. Win or lose. I’m glad we came out on the right end.”

    The Diamond Anniversary of the Curlin Florida Derby offered 200 qualifying points for the May 2 Kentucky Derby on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10 to the first five finishers. The first jewel of the Triple Crown has been won by 26 starters in the Curlin Florida Derby, while 47 starters have captured a total of 63 Triple Crown races.

    “He’s a big sturdy horse, I’ve said that several times. He takes his races really well and a couple people told me he was the paddock pick,” Cox said. “He’s a big sturdy horse and once again, if he comes out of it in good order, I think it will set him up for five weeks.”

    Commandment, the 9-5 second choice, rallied from last in the field of six under Flavien Prat after sitting off the pace set by Wayne’s Law and pressed by Nearly past fractions of :24.10 and :48.80 seconds for the first half-mile. Nearly, who was coming off a 5 ¾-length victory in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull at Gulfstream, took over the lead on the far turn only to be immediately challenged by The Puma, who took over the lead on the turn into the homestretch and opened up a clear lead. Prat sent Commandment five-wide on the final turn to loom as the only danger. The Cox-trainee responded to Prat’s urging to just catch The Puma at the wire.

    “I was a bit worried because I wasn’t traveling very well the first part. The pace wasn’t very fast, and I was just in the back, and I thought I would be a bit closer. Then I tipped him out turning for home, he swapped leads and from there he gave me a good, solid run,” Prat said. "I thought I had the bob, but I wasn’t sure. He’s very workmanlike. He’s straightforward, and he’s a fighter. He showed some guts down the lane.”

    Commandment, a three-time winner during this season’s Championship Meet, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.99 to nip The Puma, who captured the Tampa Bay Derby in his prior start.

    “We thought we had him,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., the son and assistant to The Puma’s trainer, “but other than that, it was really, really what we wanted to see before the Derby.”

    The Puma, who was ridden by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, edged third-place finisher Chief Wallabee, the Coolmore Fountain of Youth runner-up trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, by a half-length.

    “The trip was OK. We were saving ground. He tipped him out and he just felt like, as easily as he was traveling, he would probably accelerate a little quicker than what he did. I mean, he came on but maybe not as quick,” Mott said. “As well as he was traveling on the bridle, when [jockey Junior Alvarado] released him he thought he would probably quicken a little more. But, you know, it’s only his third race and they’ve got to learn to do that. He’s getting more experience, and it wasn’t a bad race. It was a good race.”

    Chief Wallabee rallied mildly in the stretch to finish 3 ¼ lengths clear of a tiring Nearly, who finished fourth under Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

    “Maybe he needed this to make him move forward. We'll see. We've got time to see how he comes out of it, train here a little bit, survey the complexion of everything,” said Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, whose 7-5 favorite was coming off three straight victories at Gulfstream by a combined 20 lengths. “[Velazquez] felt like he didn't handle the track the way it was today, the way he handled it previously. He felt like he was sort of just spinning his wheels a little bit. He didn't run bad. He just didn't run as well as he's capable of.”

        

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Chief Wallabee 2-1 in Florida Derby Morning Line
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Saturday's Gulfstream card features 10 stakes . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Florida Derby Day at Gulfstream Park features a spectacular program Saturday featuring10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.675 million in purses anchored by the $1 million, Gr. I Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa for 3-year-olds, the country’s premier Triple Crown prep celebrating its 75th anniversary.

    Gulfstream odds-maker Brian Nadeau has Fountain of Youth runner-up Chief Wallabee at 2-1, Fountain of Youth winner Commandment at 5-2, Holy Bull winner Nearly 3-1, and Tampa Bay Derby winner The Puma 9-2.

    Trainer Brad Cox is seeking his second consecutive victory in the Florida Derby. He won last year with Tappan Street. Todd Pletcher, who saddles Nearly, will seek his record ninth Florida Derby victory. Bill Mott, trainer of Chief Wallabee, will try to win his first Florida Derby after finishing second three times. A victory by The Puma would provide trainer Gustavo Delgado with his first Florida Derby victory. Delgado won the 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) with Mage.

    First race post Saturday is 11:30 a.m.

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Ortiz Takes 7th Gulfstream Riding Title
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
He won 82 races . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Though he will spend the final weekend of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet honoring out of town commitments, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. put the finishing touches on an expected record-extending seventh riding title Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

    The 33-year-old Ortiz won aboard Brian Lynch-trained favorite Zakinthos ($4.60) in Race 5, a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds, and finished the country’s premier winter meet with 82 victories from 312 mounts, holding a 19-win lead over runner-up Tyler Gaffalione (408 mounts) with just four racing days remaining.

    It will be the fourth consecutive Championship Meet riding title for Ortiz, one shy of the track record set by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano between 2011-2012 and 2015-2016, and seventh overall. Last winter, Ortiz became the first jockey to win the riding title for a sixth time.

    “I’m happy. It’s been a great meet,” Ortiz said. “I’m thankful for the huge support as always from all the trainers and owners. I’m happy to have been able to win another title here. It’s amazing. My agent does a great job. I’m just happy and glad to be here.”

    Represented by Steve Rushing, Ortiz will finish second to Gaffalione with $3.94 million in purses earned at the Championship Meet. Among his victories are six stakes, including the Gr. II Coolmore Fountain of Youth and Mucho Macho Man with Commandment, Gr. III Forward Gal with On Time Girl and Gr. III Fort Lauderdale with Wolfie’s Dynaghost.

    On Dec. 13, Jose D’Angelo-trained White Claw Woman gave Ortiz his 1,000th Gulfstream Park winner. Already a five-time Eclipse Award winner, he finished second in balloting for 2025 despite leading the country with 351 wins and setting a North American record with $40,498,792 in purse earnings.

    Ortiz missed action last weekend with a sore hip after his mount, A Moment a Love, veered after breaking from the gate and tried to jump the temporary inner rail on March 12, throwing Ortiz to the turf. He returned to action Saturday at Turfway Park and Sunday was his first day back at Gulfstream.

    “It’s a beautiful place to be in the wintertime. I love the track. I love the people. I love the people that run the track. I’ve been coming here for a lot of years and I love it all,” Ortiz said. “You have some good prep races and some nice young horses here to try to find the Derby winner. That’s where you start the dream, here at Gulfstream.”

Lennilu Opens Season with Popular Melody of Colors Win

    Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farm, Maury Harrington and Christopher Harrington’s Lennilu kicked off her season in style with a popular victory in Sunday’s $125,000 Leinster Melody of Colors for 3-year-old fillies.

    Ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Patrick Biancone, Lennilu ($2.80) covered five furlongs over a turf course rated good in :56.26 seconds for her fifth win from seven career starts and fourth in a stakes. Three of her four stakes wins have come on the grass at Gulfstream, where she is 3-0 lifetime.

    Mystical Belle, a winner of two straight on the all-weather Tapeta course trying turf for the first time, broke alertly and was sent to the lead by jockey Tyler Gaffalione, leading trough a quarter-mile in :21.28 seconds while racing in the two path. Viable Asset, unbeaten in two starts and making her stakes debut, pressed in second along the rail with Lennilu in the clear three wide in third.

    The half went in :43.87 seconds with Mystical Belle clinging to a short lead after straightening for home, but Lennilu asserted her class and wore down the longshot leader, edging clear late to win by three-quarters of a length. Mystical Belle held second, followed by 73-1 Tizasweetlady, Viable Asset, Jetty’s Home, Canton, I Love Giraffes and Finch. Secane and Rockyta were scratched.

    Lennilu ran six times as a 2-year-old, winning Gulfstream’s Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies in her second start last spring to earn an automatic berth in the Gr. II Queen Mary at Royal Ascot where she ran third, beaten less than two lengths by subsequent Group 1 winner True Love.

    She returned to win the Desert Vixen division of the Florida Sire Stakes series over Gulfstream’s main track in September, then was back on turf to beat the boys in the Hollywood Beach sprinting five furlongs. Sunday was her first race since finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, also against males, Oct. 31.

    “It was good,” Biancone said of Sunday’s win. “It was a long layoff. We decided to give her plenty of time to grow because she started early in April [2025]. She’s back. I think she’s a little better than she was last year.”

 

                Next up for Lennilu is the 5 ½-furlong Limestone (G3) April 10 at Keenland, Biancone said.

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Another 8 Stakes Victories for OBS Graduates
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Skippylongstocking cruises in Gr. III Essex . . .

    Daniel Alonso’s Gr. 1 winner Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator – Twinkling, by War Chant) made short work of his overmatched rivals when he cruised to a 5 ¼-length victory in the $500,000, Gr. III Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park, leading the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates.

    The victory marked the 12th career graded triumph for Skippylongstocking and increased his overall earnings to $5,746,250 after winning for the 14th time in 37 starts. The 7-year-old son of Exaggerator has won his last three starts, including the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park.

    Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. Skippylongstocking’s winning time was 1:48.82, the quickest since the Essex was extended from 1 1/16 to 1 1/8 miles in 2024.

    “Obviously before the race, you’re the favorite” Joseph said. “There’s a lot of pressure and you’re thinking all different variables, but it worked out great. He was very impressive once again.”

    Skippylongstocking was purchased by Alonso for $37,000 out of the Top Line Sales consignment at the 2021 OBS April Sale after breezing an eighth in :10 2/5.

    Paradise Farms Corp.’s Willy D’s (Lookin At Lucky-Boston Mine, by Mineshaft) out-finished defending winner Mercante to capture the $295,000, Gr. III Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park and earn his first graded stakes win.

    Trained by Mike Maker, Willy D’s boosted his earnings $757,008. The six-time winner was purchased for $60,000 by Greg Compton, agent for Danny W. Brown at the 2023 OBS April Sale from the Woodside Ranch consignment after breezing in :22 1/5.

    At Fair Grounds, Twin Oaks Bloodstock’s Way to Be Marie (Not This Time –Woman of the World, by Henrythenavigator) successfully defended her title in the $150,000 Tom Benson Memorial, part of the undercard stakes on Louisiana Derby Day.

    Way to Be Marie was making her first start for trainer Eddie Kenneally and rallied down the center of the stretch to capture the Tom Benson Memorial for the second straight year. She was purchased by Madaket Stables for $95,000 out of the 2023 OBS April sale from the GOP Racing Stable consignment after breezing in :21 1/5.

    The Louisiana Derby undercard also saw Keith Plaisance’s Nine Part (Leofric - Alva, by Into Mischief) earn his first stakes victory in just his second turf start in the $100,000 Costa Rising.
Trained by Bobby Felks, Nine Part prevailed by one length to earn his sixth win from seven career starts. He was purchased by Nick Hines, agent for Plaisance, for $46,000 at the 2023 OBS June Sale from the Grassroots Training and Sales consignment after breezing in :10 1/5.

    At Laurel Park, Miss Fulton Gal (Rock Your World-Leah Forestiere, by Not This Time) managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the $100,000 Beyond the Wire Stakes when she scored by a head.

    Miss Fulton Gal is trained by Michael Gorham and is a two-time OBS graduate, having sold for $5,000 as a yearling at the 2024 OBS October Sale out of the Afleet Equine Services consignment before being purchased $35,000 at the 2025 OBS June Sale by jockey Vincent “Jimbo” Bracciale on behalf of co-owners Trott Racing Stables and Five Sisters Farm, who campaign her with John Polizos, out of the Blue Sapphire Stables consignment after breezing in :21 3/5.

    At Turfway Park, Highlander Training Center’s Stylish Sue (Nyquist-Maria Maria, by Curlin) went straight to the front and was never headed en route to victory in the $248,000 Latonia Stakes. Trained by Joe Sharp, Stylish Sue was offered by Clary Bloodstock at the 2023 OBS March Sale where she failed to meet her reserve after breezing in :10 3/5.

    The Gulfstream Park card on March 22 saw Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farm, Maury Harrington and Christopher Harrington’s Lennilu (Leinster – Lulu’s Pom Pom, by Pomeroy) kick off her season with a victory over fellow OBS grad Mystical Belle in the $125,000 Leinster Melody of Colors.

    Trained by Patrick Biancone, Lennilu earned her fifth win from seven career starts and fourth in a stakes. She was purchased by Glencrest Farm for $23,000 from the Abbie Road Farm consignment at the 2024 OBS Winter Mixed Sale.

    At Fair Grounds, Blue Fire (Aurelius Maximus – Mystic Blue, by Maimonides) sped to the lead and held off fellow OBS grad Margie’s Intention in the four-horse field to win the $100,000 Shantel Lanerie Memorial

    Owned by Stonestreet Stables and Peter Leidel and trained by Steve Asmussen, Blue Fire was purchased for $32,000 by Fast Horses out of the 2023 OBS Winter Mixed Sale from the Kaizen Sales consignment.

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Chief Wallabee 2-1 in Florida Derby Morning Line
Saturday, March 21, 2026
9 set to go in 75th running . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Michael and Katherine Ball’s Chief Wallabee, the Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) runner-up last month in just his second start, was installed as the narrow 2-1 program favorite over eight rivals during Saturday’s post-position draw for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa March 28 at Gulfstream Park.

    The 75th running of the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby for 3-year-olds, which debuted in 1952 and has produced the winners of a remarkable 63 Triple Crown races, offers 200 qualifying points for the May 2 Kentucky Derby (G1) to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis.

    A total of 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.675 million in purses comprise a blockbuster 14-race Florida Derby Day program with a post time of 11:30 a.m. ET

    The Florida Derby will feature three of the top four horses on Daily Racing Form’s Derby Watch list – Chief Wallabee, Commandment and Nearly, respectively ranked second, third and fourth. Another Florida Derby contender, The Puma, is ranked 12th on the DRF list of 20, which mirrors the maximum number of Kentucky Derby starters.

    Chief Wallabee will break from Post 2 under jockey Junior Alvarado, aboard for both of the bay son of 2014 Florida Derby winner Constitution’s two races. They came from off the pace to win a seven-furlong maiden special weight in debut Jan. 10, then rallied from far back to be beaten a neck in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth Feb. 28 while trying two turns for the first time.

    Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is seeking his first win in the Florida Derby. He ran second last year with eventual champion 3-year-old male and Horse of the Year Sovereignty.

    Wathnan Racing’s Commandment, the Fountain of Youth winner trained by Brad Cox, is second on the morning line at 5-2. By Into Mischief, he graduated in his second start last fall in Kentucky before a popular 6 ¾-length victory in Gulfstream’s Mucho Macho Man going a one-turn mile Jan. 3.

    Tappan Street’s mild upset of Sovereignty last year gave Cox his first win in the Florida Derby. Flavien Prat is set to ride Commandment, the 5-2 second program choice, from Post 4.

    Like Commandment, Centennial Farms’ Nearly takes a three-race win streak into the Florida Derby. Sixth in his unveiling last fall at Aqueduct, the Not This Time colt is undefeated at Gulfstream starting with a maiden triumph over Florida-breds in November. He then beat winners Jan. 2 and romped in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull (G3) Jan. 31 in his two-turn debut, his three wins coming by 20 combined lengths. He is rated third choice on the morning line at 3-1.

    Nearly breezed four furlongs in 49.16 seconds Saturday at Palm Beach Downs, fastest of 16 horses. He will break from Post 6 under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, whose six Florida Derby victories are the most of any rider. Each of them have come for Nearly’s Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who owns a record eight wins in the Florida Derby.

    OGMA Investments, JR Ranch and High Step Racing’s The Puma (9-2 ML), trained by Gustavo Delgado, hails from similar connections that saw Mage run second in the 2023 Florida Derby ahead of his victory in the Kentucky Derby. He ran second to Chief Wallabee at Gulfstream in his unveiling, then ran third in the Sam F. Davis before his upset victory in the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby (G3), both going 1 1/16 miles.

    The Puma worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 Saturday over Gulfstream’s main track, ranking eighth of 21 horses. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano gets the riding assignment from Post 8.

     Baalbek Corp.’s Wayne’s Law (15-1 ML), a son of 2020 Florida Derby winner Tiz the Law trained by Amador Sanchez, most recently finished second to Renegade in the Feb. 7 Sam Davis, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of The Puma. He made his first three career starts at Gulfstream, beating Florida-bred maidens second time out and subsequently winning the open one-mile Aventura in September. Marcos Meneses will ride from Post 3.

    Leon Ellman, Glassman Racing and Laurie Plesa’s Timeless Victory (20-1 ML) has made six starts for trainer Ed Plesa Jr., all at Gulfstream. The last three have come on dirt with two wins including a six-length optional claiming allowance triumph going 1 1/8 miles March 1, and a third behind Nearly Jan. 2.

    Timeless Victory breezed four furlongs in 49.31 seconds over Gulfstream’s main track Saturday. He will have the services of regular rider Jose Morelos from Post 7.

    JC Racing Stable’s Gregarious (50-1 ML), owned and trained by Jose Castro, will be making just his second career start in the Florida Derby having run second in his Feb. 21 debut, a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight at Gulfstream. He breezed four furlongs in 49.35 seconds Saturday at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, and will break from Post 9 with jockey Rajiv Maragh.

    Completing the field are Pin Oak Stud’s Albus (Post 1, 20-1ML), a last-out maiden winner going one mile and 40 yards Feb. 27 at Tampa Bay Downs that worked a half-mile in 49.75 seconds Saturday at Palm Meadows; and Calypso Racing Stables’ Redland Rebels (Post 5, 15-1 ML), second by a neck in Gulfstream’s Jan. 31 Kitten’s Joy on the grass that was subsequently fourth in the Tampa Bay Derby and will be cross-entered in the Arkansas Derby (G1) on the same day, according to trainer Patrick Biancone.
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