TRUST BUT VERIFY - Big Update!

Trust But Verify is set to have his final breeze at Highlander tomorrow morning and should be ready to ship out by early next week. 

Sadly, there has been a change of plans. Bas Nicholl, the Coach's long time assistant trainer, will not be taking over the barn from the late D. Wayne Lukas long term, as originally expected. Instead, top conditioner Kenny McPeek has been selected to train Trust But Verify. 

Kenny should need little introduction as the trainer of last year’s G1 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and G1 Kentucky Oaks winner and Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, as well as our Fancy Quality, and another one of our promising juvenile colts, Instant Impact.

Trust But Verify will make a stop in Kentucky en route to the McPeek barn in Saratoga. We don't expect he'll be ready to make a debut during the meet, but he'll get some good experience at the busy track while also training at Kenny's primary base for the summer.

While we are still feeling the huge loss of "Coach" -- Mr. Lukas -- we are excited by the prospects of having his good friend train our 2YO, and to have our third horse join the Kenny McPeek barn.

Thank You Forever, "Coach" D. Wayne Lukas

We are in mourning. We received word that D. Wayne Lukas ("Coach") passed last night, Saturday, June 28, 2025 after a brief illness after announcing his sudden retirement a few days ago on June 22nd. He was 89 years old. An absolute legend, icon and inspiration to the industry, we will miss his words of wisdom and seeing him out on the track on his trusty paint, Bucky. 

The Coach was currently training two horses for our groups -- Caldera (Liam's Map) and Munny Problem (Not This Time) -- with a third, Trust But Verify (Into Mischief), to head his way shortly. He also trained Seize The Grey, now retired to stud in Kentucky after winning the Preakness, Pennsylvania Derby (both G1) and Pat Day Mile (G2, on the 2024 Kentucky Derby undercard). 

We'll try to capture just some of the achievements he left behind, but his most intangible victories were the impact he had on our sport and the respect he garnered from so many from throughout the racing community. We'll post links to some of that press below. This post will be edited as more are added in the coming days.

Daily Racing Form:  Racing Legend D. Wayne Lukas Dead at 89 

Paulick Report:  Legendary Trainer D. Wayne Lukas Passes Away

Bloodhorse:  Industry-Shaping Horseman Lukas Dies at Age 89

APNews: Hall of Fame Horse Trainer D. Wayne Lukas

APNews: D. Wayne Lukas Revolutionized Horse Racing

APNews: Horse Racing Pays Tribute to Hall of Fame Trainer

Thank you coach for training some of the greatest horses racing has ever seen. 

• Azeri
• Blush With Pride 
• Boston Harbor (*BC)
• Capote (*BC)
• Cara Rafaela
• Cash Run (*BC)
• Cat Thief (*BC)
• Charismatic
• Codex 
• Commendable
• Dynaformer
• Editor's Note
• Flanders (*BC)
• Folklore (*BC)
• Grindstone (Kentucky Derby winner, grandsire of Mine That Bird)
• Gulch (*BC)
• Hightail (*BC)
• Is It True (*BC)
• Lady's Secret (*BC, Champion, Horse of the Year, Secretariat daughter) 
• Life's Magic (*BC)
• Mine That Bird (after his Kentucky Derby win)
• Open Mind (*BC)
• Orientate (*BC)
• Oxbow (Preakness winner 2014)
• Sacahuista (*BC)
• SEIZE THE GREY (Preakness, Penn Derby, Pat Day Mile - one of ours)
• Serena's Song
• Spain (*BC)
• Steinlen (*BC)
• Stellar Jayne (Multiple G1, G2 winner, $1M+, granddam Inherit the Stars)
• Success Express (*BC)
• Tabasco Cat
• Take Charge Brandi (*BC)
• Tanks Prospect
• Thunder Gulch
• Timber Country (*BC)
• Twilight Ridge (*BC)
• Winning Colors (filly who won the Kentucky Derby)

*Breeders’ Cup Winners Trained by D. Wayne Lukas (Alphabetical Order): Boston Harbor (Juvenile, 1996), Capote (Juvenile, 1986), Cash Run (Juvenile Fillies, 1999), Cat Thief (Classic, 1999), Flanders (Juvenile Fillies, 1994), Folklore (Juvenile Fillies, 2005), Gulch (Sprint, 1988), Hightail (Juvenile Sprint, 2012), Is It True (Juvenile, 1988), Lady's Secret (Distaff, 1986), Life's Magic (Distaff, 1985), Open Mind (Juvenile Fillies, 1988), Orientate (Sprint, 2002), Sacahuista (Distaff, 1987), Spain (Distaff, 2000), Steinlen (GB) (Mile, 1989), Success Express (Juvenile, 1987), Take Charge Brandi (Juvenile Fillies, 2014), Timber Country (Juvenile, 1994), Twilight Ridge (Juvenile Fillies, 1985).

For a few, their legacy lived on with:

• Boston Harbor sired Healthy Addiction
• Cara Rafaela foaling Bernardini (sire) 
• Dynaformer sired the legendary Barbaro (Kentucky Derby) 
• Is It True sired Yes It's True (who sired our race mare Endless Thyme)
• SEIZE THE GREY (top earning son of Arrogate, now standing 1st year at stud)

But perhaps the biggest impact, by far, was the influence Coach had on those who learned from him. Todd Pletcher, who went on to be and still remains one of the elite top trainers, but also successful trainers Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart, Randy Bradshaw, Mark Hennig, Mike Maker, and George Weaver. 

Sadly, one of his greatest pupils was his son, Jeff, toted by many as a sharp and effective trainer in his own right. Jeff suffered severe brain injury when one of the Coach's top horses, Tabasco Cat, broke away and ran Jeff over causing Jeff's head to impact the ground. Though Jeff did try to return to training after his recovery later, the work proved too much for him. He passed in 2016 at age 58.

In 1987, Lukas won 92 stakes races at tracks throughout the country, a record that would stand for nearly 20 years before Pletcher (appropriately enough!) broke that record in 2006.

Many other trainers were his competitors, but also long-time peers who carried a deep respect for and friendship with him, including Bob Baffert, Kenny McPeek, and Steve Asmussen. 

But there were also the legions of youth who he took to the winners circles over the years so they could experience the thrill of getting their photo taken with the winner, or the kids he'd hand signed cards from the back of his pony horse, or just stopped to chat with as they stood at the rail watching in awe. 

He is the only trainer to have been named to BOTH the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.  

But for us, what a huge honor it was to be involved with his last horse to win a Triple Crown race in 2024, with our own SEIZE THE GREY winning the Preakness wire-to-wire. "Ceasar" won a second grade 1 race in the Pennsylvania Derby four months later, and also competed in the 2024 Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, his last BC contender. But that was followed with the thrill this year, 2025, of seeing Caldera headed down the Derby Trail road. Though sadly he didn't make the field of any of the races, he had the great pleasure of watching him place 2nd in a head-bob decision in the Sunland Park Derby (Kentucky Derby prep race) right here in our own state. We now own (and cherish) the saddlecloth from that race. 

 

Tiffany's Mo is Not in Foal to Seize The Grey

 After a last attempt, Tiffany's Mo was found not to be in foal to Seize The Grey. 

Plans are currently to breed her back in early 2026, since it is now so late in the breeding year. 

This was a disappointment, since she foaled a beautiful Liam's Map colt earlier this year, who is quite a standout as a prospect. 

Caldera Now at Ellis Park

Caldera is reportedly now at Ellis Park after his brief respite and growing phase. 

The Ohio Derby (Thistledowns) is reportedly an option, but not certain as of this date.

Fireball Birdie Update

The MRH team was in touch with Becky Maker to check in on Fireball Birdie this morning. She reports that his R&R has taken a bit longer than expected, but our now gelded son of Uncle Mo is on the upswing and is just about ready to return to training. 

He will continue to spend some time on the farm, where he will regain some fitness prior to returning to trainer Steve Asmussen. Becky and Steve have a long working relationship and she handles many of his layups, so she is familiar with how Steve expects horses to return to him in regard to fitness and condition. 

We will continue to pass along any updates as they come to us.

NEW ADDITION: Trust But Verify by Into Mischief

We are excited to join the ownership group of a promising colt, Trust But Verify! This speedy and balanced son of the reigning six-time champion general sire Into Mischief enjoyed some post-sale downtime at Highlander Training Center in Texas, and returned to training at the beginning of last week. He'll be legged up at the farm for a bit longer to build his fitness before eventually joining the barn of our Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Our G1 Preakness S. and G1 Pennsylvania Derby winner of last year, Seize The Grey, also spent time at Highlander before re-joining the Lukas barn for his big 2024 campaign, so it’s a plan that we certainly know works!

Of course, Into Mischief’s lengthy list of accomplishments got even longer since we picked up this colt when his son Sovereignty scored an emphatic victory in the G1 Kentucky Derby. Into Mischief is now tied for most Derby wins as a sire with three, and Sovereignty is set to take on a talented field in next week’s G1 Belmont S. at Saratoga. 

We'll be setting up a page for Trust But Verify shortly to join the other pages at the top of this site, but for now any updates will be available by clicking on his name on the right side bar. 

Catalyst Update

Catalyst was galloping this morning at Lone Star Park. We remain in a holding pattern with her as we await either an extra or the next condition book.

Good Cop Update from Eclipse

Good Cop has been jogging for several weeks and is now ready to begin galloping.  He will log the miles at Fair Hill building back up his foundation to begin a breezing program.

A video of Good Cop this past week at Fair Hill was included, where the 3YO son of Tiz The Law was looking healthy and quite fit. He appeared well-mannered, which has been a concern because he had been acting quite studdish. His improved attitude may have been the result of gelding him earlier in the year. 

Broodmare Band - Foal Updates

Tiffany's Mo ‘25 Update

Tiffany’s Mo’s colt by Liam’s Map continues to thrive at Gainesway Farm. Our striking foal keeps turning heads as he gets bigger and stronger. He will be turned out alongside his dam until he is ready to wean, which will likely be around September.

Progeny of Liam’s Map have had a productive month of May on the track. Deterministic was the winner of the $200K G2 Fort Marcy S. At Belmont at the Big A, and Firenze Flavor took the $100K G3 Honeymoon S. at Santa Anita.

Natural Beauty ‘25 Update

Natural Beauty’s filly by Violence has continued to get stronger with time and is really starting to find her shape. Her conformation has improved significantly as Mother Nature continues to work her magic.

Progeny of Violence will be active in some of this weekend's graded stakes. His son Panagiotis will go out in the $400K G2 Penn Mile today at Penn National, and his daughter Royal Spa will start in tomorrow’s $275K G3 Shawnee S. at Churchill Downs.

Munny Problem Update

We stopped by Churchill Downs to check in on Munny Problem, who quite frankly could not look any better. 

Bas Nicholl, trainer D. Wayne Lukas's assistant of over 22 years, expressed to the MRH reps how the entire team really likes our colt, including Wayne himself. 

Our handsome son of Munnings will start to learn the starting gate in the coming weeks and is on course for a debut at some point this summer.

Simply Enchanting Checked In-Foal to Curlin!

Simply Enchanting (Nyquist x Enchante - Bluegrass Cat) has scanned in foal after her most recent cover by Curlin! 

This is certainly good news as we are starting to get down to the wire for the 2025 breeding season. She will continue to be checked regularly to make sure all is going well with the pregnancy.

Our decision to breed to Curlin looks even better now after Journalism’s impressive, trouble-overcoming score in the G1 Preakness Stakes, second jewel of the Triple Crown, a couple of weeks ago. This followed his runner-up placing in the Kentucky Derby two weeks before. 

Journalism is a son of Curlin out of an Uncle Mo daughter, Mopotism. Simply Enchanting's sire, Nyquist, is one of Uncle Mo's better sons, so the cross with Curlin may be a  very attractive one to buyers in this Fall's sales.

Black Tie Optional First Work is a Bullet

Black Tie Optional's first work this morning was a bullet! 

Los Alamitos Quarter Horse 5/28/2025 Dirt 2F 23.60 Handily 1*/6

Summary by Team Baffert

Black Tie Optional had his first official breeze this morning at Los Alamitos, covering two furlongs in :23.60 while on the outside of unnamed stablemate, Front Range ’23 (Authentic). Our son of Not This Time was a bit green around the turn, but straightened out nicely in the stretch, showing plenty of competitiveness to the wire. He seemed to be traveling better over the Los Alamitos surface than he had the surface down at Wavertree (Florida).

Assistant trainer Mike Marlow is happy with the improvements your colt has made mentally since first arriving to the barn. Fingers crossed he only continues to move forward from here.

Misstrial's First Two Works are Bullets

Misstrial's first two works (2F/3F) at Los Alamitos have been bullets. Great start for our young Constitution x Blip Says Bye (Fed Biz) filly.

Los Alamitos Quarter Horse 5/28/2025 Dirt 3F 35.80 Handily 1*/7

Los Alamitos Quarter Horse 5/21/2025 Dirt 2F 24.00 Handily 1*/4

Follow-up from Baffert Team:

Misstrial had her second official breeze this morning at Los Alamitos and was credited with three furlongs in :35.80. Your daughter of Constitution worked on the outside of stablemate Cherry Cider (Tiz the Law), traveling nicely while under a hold. It appeared she had her workmate measured throughout the move and could have gone even quicker if asked, but this early in the game breezing :35 and change is plenty fast enough. 

Assistant trainer Mike Marlow, who runs Bob’s operation at Los Alamitos, was very complimentary of your filly, noting, “She is very smart and does everything easy. She seems like she can really run as well.”

Seismic Beauty's Next Race Options

Seismic Beauty has exited Sunday’s big effort in great order, trainer Bob Baffert reported. The fun is just getting started, as we’ll now look to map out a plan for the rest of the year that will hopefully culminate in a try in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar on Nov. 1.

There are three logical options for her next start outlined below, but we have plenty of time before we need to make any firm decisions. As always, we will lean heavily on trainer Bob Baffert in the decision-making process. He has other runners in the barn who are major players in this division, and we respect and acknowledge the fact that he’ll try to keep them separated as best as he can, but it’s fair to say that Seismic Beauty is probably at the top of his depth chart after Sunday.

Here are the three spots Seismic Beauty could run next:

$500K G2 Fleur de Lis S. - Churchill Downs - June 28 - 1 1/8 miles

Pros: “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the BC Distaff (we’re not really worried about her getting into the Breeders’ Cup, but having entry fees paid is always a nice bonus.) Shorter wait between starts. Solid purse for a Grade 2.

Cons: She’s already a Grade 2 winner, so it’s not much of a resumé builder… Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna is reportedly being pointed here. While she ran a clunker last time, there’s probably no real reason to rush to face that one before we have to. Shipping cross-country always adds another wrinkle.

$400K G1 Clement L. Hirsch S. - Del Mar - Aug. 2 - 1 1/16 miles

Pros: Also a “Win And You’re In.” Slightly lengthy race spacing, but probably ideal for her off such a big effort to avoid a “bounce.” It's doubtful she'll mind the slightly shorter distance considering her cruising speed and what she’s already done at a mile. Will be run over the same track as the Breeders’ Cup, and a surface she’s already won on before. Likely to be the shortest field of the three options. Baffert has won three of the last five runnings of this race, including the last two with Uncle Mo’s Adare Manor.

Cons: There aren't many, but perhaps the fact we’d have to wait a couple of months to see her back in the entries. Slightly smaller purse than the other two races.

$500K G1 Personal Ensign S. - Saratoga - Aug. 23 - 1 1/8 miles

Pros: “Win and You’re In” as well. The most prestigious of the three races and always exciting to race (and win!) at Saratoga. Four of the last six champion older females won this race on their way to an Eclipse award.

Cons: Pretty long wait for a next start unless we run in something in between. She'd have to ship across the country to upstate New York. Could very well come up tough like most Saratoga Grade 1 events do.

A DAY TO REMEMBER for the WIN!!

Our American Pharoah son, A Day To Remember, won going away in his MSW at Santa Anita this holiday weekend. 

Due to setbacks, this was only his fourth start in two years, but we are so grateful for the training expertise of Mark Glatt and his team who got him to this point. 

• WIN! MON 05-26-2025 [Memorial Day] A DAY TO REMEMBER - Santa Anita - R#3 - MSW60K 6F - P#4/ 5 [Blinkers off] - A. Lezcano - 2:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM MT

We'll let you know what's next for boy after we get word how he's come back from this effort.

Isle Blue Update

Isle Blue has been doing well while on her break from training due to another splint. We caught up with the Two Springs team this past week and that reported that if all continues to go well, she should be ready to resume training around the 1st of June. 

As noted elsewhere, our heartfelt condolences go to the family, friends and associates of her trainer, Christophe Clement, who passed from cancer just a few days ago. His loss is being felt heavily by the industry in general, and of course by us as well. Rest in Peace.

We are assuming, unless informed otherwise, that Christophe's son, Miguel Clement, will be taking over the training of our Speightstown filly once she is sent back to the track. This is fortunate, since Miguel has already been involved with aspects of her training. 

Blue Devil Runs 7th in Stakes

Blue Devil did not run as anticipated in the $400,000 G3 Steve Sexton Mile on Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day) at Lone Star Park, finishing 7th without making any real bid. 

The combination of the quality of the field and a torrential downpour that left the track in extremely sloppy condition may have been contributing factors.

We'll report back after we get a post-race update from the Steve Asmussen team.

UPDATE

Blue Devil was not able to make much of an impact in the grade 3 stakes race at Lone Star Park over a very wet track. 

It was a tough spot on paper, as evidenced by his 33-1 odds, and he was hung pretty wide throughout and just never got going. His lone prior outing over a wet track yielded a win at Saratoga and one of his best speed figures, so we expected him to handle the slop, but he didn’t seem to be getting over it very well at this track.

We’ll regroup and give Steve and his team some time to evaluate how he comes back. Blue Devil’s lack of conditions makes spotting a bit tough, but we’ll look at all options in the coming weeks and figure out what makes the most sense for his next entry.

HUGE GRADED STAKES WIN for Seismic Beauty!

Seismic Beauty absolutely dominated in the G2 Santa Margarita Stakes yesterday at Santa Anita, formerly won by such talents as Zenyatta, Azeri and Bayakoa! 

She hopped slightly at the start, but quickly recovered to take the lead and clear off. From that point, she looked like a winner every step of the way, doling out splits of :23.05, :46.25 and 1:09.84 before shrugging off favored stablemate Splendora en route to an open-length success.

We had high expectations for today, but it’s fair to say Seismic Beauty might have even exceeded those—that was as strong a performance as we could have hoped for and certainly puts her among the best distaffers in the country.

We’ll enjoy the excitement of today, see how she bounces out of it and start plotting a course towards the G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Follow-up:

Seismic Beauty earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure for Sunday's romp--that's the fastest figure run by a female this year at a route distance. 

Her E-speed figure coming out of the race yesterday was 106, but that could bounce around a bit in the next few days. We'll keep this post updated.

PRESS: 

SEISMIC BEAUTY SERVES NOTICE - Santa Anita.com news 

Sirius Pursuit First Work -- Keeneland

Sirius Pursuit put in a very nice first published breeze this morning at Keeneland. Working outside of fellow 2-year-old filly Amended Dreamer (Constitution), she was clocked in :36.60 (8/52). 

Sirius Pursuit finished up great and Jena noted how well she galloped out too.

Fireball Birdie Update

Fireball Birdie remains in good order on the farm. After conferring with trainer Steve Asmussen, we have elected to have Fireball Birdie gelded and that procedure is set to take place today. 

This is a pretty logical move to make and we hope it will help him stay sound as his training ramps back up. He tends to be a pretty heavy horse--as seen in our last video check-in--and gelding him should aid in getting some of that weight off and in turn taking some pressure off of his legs. He is not a stallion prospect at this point, so there's no reason not to go ahead with the procedure. 

Blue Devil Stakes Entry

Blue Devil is set to return to graded stakes company in the $400,000 G3 Steve Sexton Mile on Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day) at Lone Star Park. Trainer Steve Asmussen has tabbed Erik Asmussen to ride. He will be the #10 among a field of 11 carded as the day’s 11th race. Post time is 6:37 PM CT / 5:37 PM MT.

There is no denying that this is an ambitious spot for our son of Uncle Mo. However, he did take a minor stakes race going the same distance two back, and if he can get back to his best form, it would make him competitive here. We also take it as a positive and a vote of confidence that Steve picked out this race and has not wavered. 

More on the competition:

#1 Number One Dude: Finished 7th in a field of 8 allowance foes n his most recent start, earning a 75 Beyer. Will need major improvement to be competitive in this race.

#2 Heroic Move: Finished ahead of Blue Devil last time out when taking the Sunland Park S. by open lengths, earning a 91 Beyer Figure. He has kept decent company, running behind Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show several times this year. His best race makes him a contender in here and he goes out for a barn that is red-hot at the meet, winning at a 40% clip with 11 of 15 runners thus far finishing top three.

#3 Komorebino Omoide (Jpn): A stablemate to the runner to his inside, this horse was most recently seen demolishing a weak stakes field at Fonner Park. Perhaps that was the confidence boost that he needed to make him a factor in here. He did earn a 100 Beyer three back when second in the G3 Mineshaft S.—that figure could certainly best this bunch if replicated.

#4 U.S. Army: Finished 5th in a field of 8 against allowance company in his most recent start where he earned a 80 Beyer. Sports some back-class, but will need major improvement to be competitive in this race.

#5 This Is Uscar: Cleared his second-level allowance condition two starts back in an off-the-turf event at Keeneland. Took his first swing at graded stakes company in the G2 Alysheba last time out where he finished 5th of 6 among a salty bunch, earning a career high 94 Beyer for the effort. Will have to take another step forward to vie for a placing in here.

#6 Frankie’s Empire: Last year's third place-finisher in the G2 Fountain of Youth S., this colt was most recently third in a stake at Evangeline Downs in what was his first start off of an extended layoff. He should improve off of that effort, however that may not be sufficient against this group.

#7 Creative Minister: Was claimed by his current connections for $50K three starts back. Most recently he took a turf route allowance race and earned an 87 Beyer. Has some back-class, but this is certainly an ambitious spot for him.

#8 The Wine Steward: Was a pretty solid three-year-old in the first half of 2024, even achieving a Grade 1 placing. Won his 2025 debut off of an extended layoff where he earned a 96 Beyer, but followed that up with a disappointing run in the G3 Oaklawn Mile. Has only been off the board once in his career. Can certainly vie for a top placing in here. [NOTE: Ran in the 2024 Belmont against Seize The Grey.]

#9 Touchuponastar: The Louisiana-bred wonder horse is a model of consistency and just seems to keep getting better with age. He as strung together three triple-digit Beyers for his starts so far this year and will likely be the favorite in this race. He proved that he can run with the best when he defeated Eclipse champion Sierra Leone two starts back in the New Orleans Classic. Has never been off of the board in 22 career starts.

#11 Run Classic: A sprint type who will try his hand around two turns once again in here. His best races have come around one turn and he is certainly up against it against this group.

A Day to Remember - Entry

A Day to Remember has been entered for next Monday (Memorial Day) at Santa Anita, and drew post four in a field of only five carded as the holiday card's third race. Post time is 2:00 PM. PT / 3:00 PM MT.

Secret Crush Visit Arranged at Second Stride

The team at Second Stride has opened the barn to owners for a chance to see Secret Crush now that he has settled in.

MyRacehorse staff and owners will have a special visit to Second Stride in Prospect, KY, on Friday, May 16th, where they'll have the opportunity to see Secret Crush before he is adopted. 

Simply Enchanting Check

Foal check on Simply Enchanting, bred to Curlin. She has checked as NOT in foal. She will be bred back to Curlin in the coming weeks.

2YO Updates This Week: All Now With Trainers

There's a lot going on with our 2YOs in the last couple of weeks as most have now gone out to their trainers' barns, for those who weren't in their trainer's care already, as are Sirius Pursuit (Jena Antonucci) and Instant Impact (Kenny McPeek). Here's an update on several: 

Sirius Pursuit (by Horse of the Year Knicks Go - in fact, his first foal)

Sirius Pursuit put in a nice breeze at GoldMark Farm (Florida) this morning, May 9th, covering three furlongs in :36.84. Jena Antonucci and her team remain very happy with how she’s responded to the period of backing off some on speed work and focusing on open gallops to build fitness. We’ll make sure she bounces out of this breeze in good order and then likely start making plans to ship to the racetrack.

In a follow-up video of her exercise, Jena Antonucci said "She did very well. We're pleased. She came back nicely." 

Black Tie Optional (by Not This Time)

The team checked in on Black Tie Optional this morning, May 9th, at Los Alamitos. He did not train this morning as it was discovered he has a scratch on an ankle—having likely nicked himself on track or in his stall. Assistant trainer Mike Marlow does not have any concerns about it, but still wanted to limit him to walking today to be on the safe side. 

We would expect to see him back in a normal routine in the next few days. Not to continue to beat the drum on this, but minor issues like this aren’t going to hurt his training progress, especially as we strongly believe that time is going to be his friend.

Native Brew (by Yaupon)

May 6, 2025: Native Brew was spotted galloping at Keeneland where he continues his early preparations towards an eventual debut. Mitch, Steve Asmussen’s assistant at Keeneland, has been happy with your colt since he has come in, noting that he has yet to miss a beat. He seems to be a very straightforward horse who knows his job.

May 8, 2025: Native Brew checked off another milestone, putting in his first published work since shipping in to Keeneland. He covered three furlongs in :38.00 (13/36). This move was fairly easy, as you'd expect at this stage, and he stuck to the outside of his workmate and galloped out nicely. His mate was another son of Yaupon named Picked, who was a $375K graduate of the OBS April sale. This will be the first in a series of workouts before your son of Yaupon is fit to race. It comes down to trainer (Steve Asmussen) preference, but typically anywhere from 6-12 consistent on-track works is the usual range prior to debut.

Instant Impact (by Upstart)

Instant Impact turned in his first published breeze on May 8th at Keeneland, and it was a sharp one—he was clocked in a bullet :36.40 working outside of a horse from another barn. He showed good fight to collar the other horse. Considering this was just his first breeze at the racetrack, and that he’s more of a two-turn horse, we're very pleased with that.

We had expected him to head up to New York already, but Keeneland’s a great place for him to train as well, so we’ll just let Team McPeek sort out those logistics and report back with more as it comes to us.

Munny Problem (by Munnings)

Munny Problem had his first published breeze the morning of May 6th at Churchill Downs. Working outside of speedy 3-year-old Improbable Luck, our colt went an easy half-mile in :50.40.

Neither horse was asked for much effort in this drill and that was by design—with this being Munny Problem’s first breeze for the Lukas barn and first at the racetrack, he definitely didn’t need to do more than that.

We caught up with Mr. Lukas after the work and he really raved about the colt physically, saying if he was at a 2-year-old sale and saw Munny Problem, he’d have to have him.

We’ll let Team Lukas bring the colt along at the pace that they see fit, but knowing the typical Lukas training style, we’d expect to see them start tightening the screws pretty quickly.

Caldera Will Pass on Preakness Entry

The team spoke with trainer D. Wayne Lukas today regarding Caldera. Our colt galloped well this morning, and appears to be over the soreness he exhibited coming out of the Bathhouse Row. Given that he X-ray’d completely clean, The Coach’s best guess is that his foot was bothering him.

With all that being said, the plan is to back off a bit on Caldera in the short term. He will skip the Preakness and head to the farm for a couple of weeks just to get on some grass. He’ll be able to stay fit on the exercise machine during his refresher so as not to lose too much time.

The Coach in his expert opinion believes our colt will benefit from a reset and we are 100% behind that decision. This will allow him to grow up and catch up a bit and hopefully come back a stronger horse for the second half of the season and beyond. He’ll also get a check-up from leading vet, Dr. Larry Bramlage, while at the farm just to make sure all bases are covered.

We must keep in mind that horses are not machines and the reason that trainers like Mr. Lukas achieve the reputations they do as great horsemen are because of decisions like this—it’s also the type of management that helped make Seize the Grey what he was last year, and allowed Straight No Chaser to blossom into champion sprinter.

So, we’ll exercise some patience for now but are hopeful that we’ll be rewarded for it down the line. Both the Lukas team and our own team remain extremely high on Caldera and have big expectations for his future and where he could take us.

Munny Problem Logged First Official Work

Munny Problem has logged his first official work. It took place at Churchill Downs over 4F and was on the easier side, as expected for a first time 2YO. He is trained by D. Wayne Lukas. 

FOLLOW UP 

Munny Problem had his first published breeze this morning at Churchill Downs. Working outside of speedy 3-year-old Improbable Luck, our colt went an easy half-mile in :50.40.

Neither horse was asked for much effort in this drill and that was by design—with this being Munny Problem’s first breeze for the Lukas barn and first at the racetrack, he definitely didn’t need to do more than that.

We caught up with Mr. Lukas after the work and he really raved about the colt physically, saying if he was at a 2YO sale and saw Munny Problem, he’d have to have him.

We’ll let Team Lukas bring along the colt at the pace that they see fit, but knowing the typical Lukas training style, we’d expect to see them start tightening the screws pretty quickly.

Blue Devil Pointed to G3 Stakes

Trainer Steve Asmussen has informed us that he is pointing Blue Devil to the $400K G3 Steve Sexton Mile to be run on Monday, May 26th at Lone Star Park. Nominations for the race close this Saturday, May 10th. 

This will be added to UPCOMING above, and we'll post further info.

A Day To Remember Update

A Day to Remember (American Pharoah) remains in good order since his return second-place effort and was spotted galloping this morning at Santa Anita Park. We would expect to see him back on the work tab towards the end of this week/weekend. 

While we don’t have a finalized race plan yet, we will likely point back to the identical condition (MSW sprinting on turf) which falls on May 26th. Trainer Mark Glatt still isn’t counting out the dirt in his future, but from a timing standpoint, the MSW on dirt comes up too soon on this Saturday and the next one he could potentially be ready for would likely not be until the second week of June.

New Acquisition! PUCA 24

We have some exciting news!!!

Just a day before the Derby, we bought a share in an offering for a yearling colt. Our latest acquisition is tagged as Puca '24. 

He is: 

• a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner MAGE 
• a full brother to 2024 Belmont winner DORNOCH 

And, as of the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Saturday, he is also 

• half-sibling to the horse who ran 3rd, BAEZA. 

Puca 24 will receive his official registered name at a later date. He will be trained by Chad Brown. 

We are extremely excited about the possibilities for this lovely chestnut son of GOOD MAGIC and the phenomenal producer, PUCA. Stay tuned!

Here's The Kicker - G2 Ruffian Stakes Entry

Here’s the Kicker is officially entered in next Saturday’s G2 Ruffian S. at Belmont at the Big A!

She’ll be the #5 among a field of 11, carded as the day’s 10th race. Post time is 6:16 PM ET (or 4:16 PM MT).

Ricardo Santana, Jr. will ride—he should fit her very well.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. has three in the race, but he has a knack for taking multiple top spots in stakes like these—in fact, he ran 1-2 in today’s G3 Vagrancy Stakes in New York.

The "UPCOMING" info above has been updated to show her stakes race information. 

Kentucky Derby Complete Order of Finish

     1) Sovereignty finished 1st by 1 1/2 lengths   

    2) Journalism finished 2nd beaten 1 1/2 lengths   

    3) Baeza* finished 3rd beaten 1 3/4 lengths   

    4) Final Gambit finished 4th beaten 4 1/4 lengths    

    5) Owen Almighty finished 5th beaten 9 lengths  

    6) Burnham Square** finished 6th beaten 10 1/2 lengths    

    7) Sandman finished 7th beaten 12 1/2 lengths   

    8) East Avenue finished 8th beaten 13 1/4 lengths 

    9) Chunk of Gold*** finished 9th beaten 15 3/4 lengths 

    10) Tiztastic finished**** 10th beaten 16 1/2 lengths   

    11) Coal Battle finished 11th beaten 17 lengths

    12) Luxor Cafe finished 12th beaten 18 3/4 lengths    

    13) Neoequos finished 13th beaten 27 lengths

    14) Publisher finished 14th beaten 32 1/4 lengths

    15) Citizen Bull finished 15th beaten 33 1/2 lengths   

    16) American Promise finished 16th beaten 38 1/2 lengths

    17) Render Judgment finished 17th beaten 39 3/4 lengths   

    18) Flying Mohawk finished 18th beaten 42 1/4 lengths

    19) Admire Daytona (JPN) finished 19th beaten 54 3/4 lengths    

______________________________

* Half-sibling to Puca 24

** Same sire as Caldera

*** Half-sibling to Coexist

**** Same sire as Good Cop

Munny Problem to Ship to D. Wayne Lukas at Churchill Tomorrow

Munny Problem will now depart Wavertree Stables tomorrow and is expected to arrive to “The Coach” at Churchill on Thursday morning (before the Kentucky Derby). 

Farm trainer Ciaran Dunne reported he most recently breezed an easy half-mile and continues to take strides forward. 

We will look forward to his progression with the Lukas team and will plan to check back in once things quiet down for the barn after Derby week.

Good Cop Update

Good Cop  (Tiz The Law) was gelded without complications. He has been jogging as well as aquatreading at Fair Hill over the past couple of weeks.

He is now back moving forward and will continue to build back his foundation with extended training.

We will continue to update on Good Cop's progress as we receive intermittent updates.

Native Brew is at Keeneland

Native Brew arrived at the Steve Asmussen barn at Keeneland, Kentucky and was seen exercising with a group of four other juveniles on the track this morning.

Caldera Update

The team spoke with trainer D. Wayne Lukas the other morning about Caldera. He is happy overall with how our colt exited the race at Oaklawn and handled the ship to Churchill Downs. He said he’d rate him a 9.5 out of 10 right now, but did note that he came out of the Bathhouse Row Stakes a bit body sore—nothing major and not surprising considering the hard effort. 

As a precaution, they took some X-rays to rule out anything more significant, and those radiographs came back very clean—there is nothing to be concerned about or to monitor at this time, which is great news.

We have not committed to a target race yet and will give Caldera and The Coach a bit more time before firming up any plans.

Here's The Kicker Work Out and G2 Ruffian Stakes Target

Here’s the Kicker breezed a strong five furlongs in 1:00.70 on Friday morning at Palm Meadows while breezing in company with Claret Beret. 

We spoke yesterday afternoon with trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who reported that the plan is still to target the G2 Ruffian on May 10th at Belmont at the Big A. Nominations will close today.

We are skipping a condition (second-level allowance) to point to this race, but we must appreciate Saffie’s willingness to try this more ambitious spot as one-turn-mile graded stakes do not come around every day and the allowance option will always be there if Here's the Kicker does not clear the condition in the Ruffian. 

It also must be noted that even if she does not win the Ruffian, hitting the board (top three finish) will be a lucrative outcome from a residual value standpoint.

Catalyst Race Recap

Catalyst was a very solid second at Lone Star Park yesterday (Saturday, April 27th). She broke well, but was squeezed back a bit in the early stages before settling into a midpack spot down the backside while in between horses. 

Our filly moved up quickly and willingly along the turn for home, and engaged in a stretch-long duel with the eventual winner before coming up just a head short. 

After her win last out, this was certainly a positive performance first time against winners and felt like Catalyst’s best effort to date. 

Secret Crush has been Retired

Secret Crush has been retired. 😞 

He was being carefully prepped and vet checked for a return to racing, but has incurred a re-injury during an exercise and now will be retired in his best interest. 

This boy is a son of Candy Ride out of a Storm Cat mare, Elarose, who’s dam (his 2nd dam) was the stellar racehorse and producer Take Charge Lady. 

He and Seize The Grey were both nominated to the Triple Crown last year as 3YOs, but he incurred an injury at Keeneland while gearing up for the preps. He was given ample time off before beginning initial preparation with careful monitoring for a hopeful return, but the re-injury has ended those aspirations. He was trained by Todd Pletcher. 

MRH will seek out a good home for this gelding. He is an absolutely stunning individual. 

Best wishes for a very happy future, Crusher! 

[We'll be moving Secret Crush's page info above to the retired/no longer owned section at the top of this site. Very sad this guy never had the shot he deserved because he was a seriously talented horse, but the repeat injury requires he be retired for his own good. Hopefully he gets a great home and we'll post a follow-up when we hear where he is placed.]

Native Brew 2YO Ships to Asmussen at Keeneland

Native Brew departed Wavertree Stables Friday afternoon en route to Keeneland to join the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen. 

We will follow up in the coming days once he settles in.

McPeek Update on 2YO Instant Impact

Kenny McPeek (last year's Kentucky Derby/Kentucky Oaks winning trainer, and former trainer of Fancy Quality) gave a video recap of Instant Impact's progress to date at his Silver Leaf Farm near Ocala, Florida, which was quite glowing.

Quoting:

"I think anyone involved with Instant Impact, the Upstart colt, should be really excited. This colt trains like a good horse. He's going to be a horse that takes a little time to develop. We see him, later in the year, wanting to run at least a mile or more. 

But be patient with him, because he's not going to be a horse that runs early or short. And I think the upside is there -- huge stride, absolutely a total professional on the race track at this stage, and the sky's the limit, you never know what he's going to be but right now he's doing everything right, every day. 

And like I said, about the time he starts running route races later in the year, I think this horse is going to find a good spot in the winner's circle." 

Seismic Beauty Update

Trainer Bob Baffert confirmed in a podcast interview that our big winner last week, Seismic Beauty, will be pointed to the Breeders Cup World Championships near the end of 2025. 

Exciting news, if she continues to train and run as she has been doing. 

Early on in her training, Bob said of this Uncle Mo filly, "The sky's the limit," and it's looking like his prediction might just be playing out. 

Her upcoming starts will show if she's on the right track. :)

Simply Enchanting Bred to Curlin

SIMPLY ENCHANTING (Nyquist x Enchante by Bluegrass Cat) has been bred to Curlin! 

She is stakes placed winner and a 3/4 sister to millionaire stakes mare Envoutante. 

He is a 2X Champion and a top sire, the only stallion in history to have sired 3 champions in the same year. He has produced many exceptional racehorses such as Cody's Wish, Nest, Idiomatic, Raging Sea, Exaggerator and Vino Rosso. 

He's also the sire of this year's KENTUCKY DERBY entrants, favorite Journalism, and Grande. Another 3YO, Getaway Car, has won or placed in multiple stakes and just edged out Caldera in the Sunland Derby. 

Given that she is a stakes-placed filly by a very fashionable sire from a strong female family with an excellent physical, she has pretty high-dollar potential as a broodmare. She certainly won’t bring what Envoutante did, but her 3/4 sibling fetched $1.8 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale last year in foal to Into Mischief.

Simply Enchanting could have mid-to-high six-figure potential if offered in foal to the right stallion. Curlin certainly looks to be an excellent choice.

We'll post the news when she is confirmed in foal in a few weeks.

2YO Update: It's GO Time

 Here we are again, this time with several promising youngsters about to make the ship to their respective trainers/tracks. We don't know if there will be another Seize The Grey in this bunch, but we have high hopes. Here's a status on a few of our 2YO "Class of 2025."

Black Tie Optional (Not This Time - Stylishly by Speightstown)

This big, strapping chestnut already has a series of on farm 3/8ths breezes under his belt, and is headed to Bob Baffert on the West Coast, to join our recent sensation, Seismic Beauty. He'll first be sent to Los Alamitos with the trainer's other incoming 2YOs to go through initial on track training and evaluation. Black Tie Optional recently went through another growth spurt and is not expected to start in the near future, as he'll need more time to mature, but this big boy looks to be a two-turn colt, so maybe we'll be hearing from him for the Derby preps next year. 

Misstrial (Constitution - Blip Says Bye by Fed Biz [Giant's Causeway])

The team had a chance to check in on Misstrial while in Ocala last week for the OBS April sale. Our daughter of Constitution looks to be doing extremely well and galloped strongly for them during the visit. Trainer Ciaran Dunne has been very pleased with the filly, giving her the green light to ship to trainer Bob Baffert this coming Thursday, April 24th. She will also ship into Bob’s string at Los Alamitos where most of his 2-year-olds start off. We'll follow up after her arrival.

Munny Problem  (Munnings - Malibu Bonnie by Malibu Moon)

The flashy bay with some striking chrome (who still reminds us so much of Dornoch in the looks department)  will soon be headed to the D. Wayne Lukas barn at Churchill Downs to begin his on track training. The colt has made some solid progress both mentally and physically over the last month, which farm trainer Ciaran Dunne has been happy with. He has always been a strong-bodied horse, but has now really developed into his frame. He'll be joining Caldera at that iconic barn (at least until the Coach decides the next step for Seize The Grey's look-alike protégé). With Munny Problem's breeding and foundation, we are hoping he may be a "big horse on campus" once he starts racing.  

Sirius Pursuit (Knicks Go - Seeking A Star by Pioneerof the Nile

This young lady was quite literally a star from the moment she was foaled, being the very first foal sired by Horse of the Year and racing sensation, Knicks Go. She has started her initial training at a different location in Florida-- Jena Antonucci's farm. Jena is best known as the trainer of Arcangelo (Arrogate) and the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race when he won the Belmont in 2023. Sirius Pursuit remains on course to ship up to Kentucky in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the filly’s half-sister, Paula’s a Star, is entered in a Laurel allowance on Friday. This may be in preparation for another stakes try for Paula's Star. 

Our 2YO class is also rounded out by Native Brew (Yaupon - Spanxamillion by Street Cry) and Instant Impact (Upstart - Perfect Impression by Shackleford [Forestry]. We'll catch up with them in separate posts.

It's That Time Again: The 2YOs are Shipping Out

It was just about this time two years ago (in 2023) that we got word Seize The Grey was headed to trainer D. Wayne Lukas at Churchill Downs to ready him for his career after his initial training had been completed by Ciaran Dunne at Wavertree in Ocala. 

Things went extremely well, and with a bit more seasoning, "Ceasar" made his first start on July 1, 2023 at Ellis Park. His performance was not so wonderful, finishing in 8th place after a distracted sightseeing trip down the home stretch. 

Four weeks later, on July 29th, he was entered in a maiden special weight at Saratoga and won wire-to-wire, beating a very promising Good Magic colt named Dornoch! Little did we know, we'd just seen the future Preakness and Belmont winners finish 1 and 2 in what turned out to be one heckova MSW race. 

As you know...the rest is racing history.

Here we are again, this time with several promising youngsters about to make the ship to their respective trainers/tracks. We don't know if there will be another Seize The Grey in this bunch, but we have high hopes. Here's a status on a few of our 2YO "Class of 2025."

Black Tie Optional (Not This Time - Stylishly by Speightstown)

This big, strapping chestnut already has a series of on farm 3/8ths breezes under his belt, and is headed to Bob Baffert on the West Coast, to join our recent sensation, Seismic Beauty. He'll first be sent to Los Alamitos with the trainer's other incoming 2YOs to go through initial on track training and evaluation. Black Tie Optional recently went through another growth spurt and is not expected to start in the near future, as he'll need more time to mature, but this big boy looks to be a two-turn colt, so maybe we'll be hearing from him for the Derby preps next year. 

Misstrial (Constitution - Blip Says Bye by Fed Biz [Giant's Causeway])

The team had a chance to check in on Misstrial while in Ocala last week for the OBS April sale. Our daughter of Constitution looks to be doing extremely well and galloped strongly for them during the visit. Trainer Ciaran Dunne has been very pleased with the filly, giving her the green light to ship to trainer Bob Baffert this coming Thursday, April 24th. She will also ship into Bob’s string at Los Alamitos where most of his 2-year-olds start off. We'll follow up after her arrival.

Munny Problem  (Munnings - Malibu Bonnie by Malibu Moon)

The flashy bay with some striking chrome (who still reminds us so much of Dornoch in the looks department)  will soon be headed to the D. Wayne Lukas barn at Churchill Downs to begin his on track training. The colt has made some solid progress both mentally and physically over the last month, which farm trainer Ciaran Dunne has been happy with. He has always been a strong-bodied horse, but has now really developed into his frame. He'll be joining Caldera at that iconic barn (at least until the Coach decides the next step for Seize The Grey's look-alike protégé). With Munny Problem's breeding and foundation, we are hoping he may be a "big horse on campus" once he starts racing.  

Sirius Pursuit (Knicks Go - Seeking A Star by Pioneerof the Nile

This young lady was quite literally a star from the moment she was foaled, being the very first foal sired by Horse of the Year and racing sensation, Knicks Go. She has started her initial training at a different location in Florida-- Jena Antonucci's farm. Jena is best known as the trainer of Arcangelo (Arrogate) and the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race when he won the Belmont in 2023. Sirius Pursuit remains on course to ship up to Kentucky in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the filly’s half-sister, Paula’s a Star, is entered in a Laurel allowance on Friday. This may be in preparation for another stakes try for Paula's Star. 

Our 2YO class is also rounded out by Native Brew (Yaupon - Spanxamillion by Street Cry) and Instant Impact (Upstart - Perfect Impression by Shackleford [Forestry]. We'll catch up with them on another day. 

Native Brew 2YO Update

The team had an opportunity to check in on Native Brew this past week while in Ocala for the OBS April sale. Our son of Yaupon looked well and is scheduled to ship to trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn at Keeneland this coming Friday to continue his training. 

Visually, he appears to be one that could be an early type, but we’ll have to see how he transitions to the racetrack and how he handles the additional pressure.

Native Brew’s sire Yaupon was very well received yet again at the OBS April sale. From a total of 21 horses sold, his offspring averaged over $271,000, highlighted by a $1.3-million colt who was purchased by Kaleem Shah.

A Day To Remember Returns for his Next Start

It's been a bit of a wait, but our son of American Pharoah is entered for his next start!

A Day to Remember Race Entry

A Day to Remember breezed five furlongs in 1:01.80 this past Saturday morning at Santa Anita Park. Our 4YO gelding transitioned to Santa Anita after his most recent work at San Luis Rey on April 9th and continues to train forwardly. 

Trainer Mark Glatt proceeded with entering him today for a six-furlong turf maiden special on Sunday, April 27th. 

A Day to Remember drew post 3 (of 10) in Sunday’s 9th race which has an approximate post time of 5:00 PM PT/6:00 PM MT.

Other details are entered in the UPCOMING section at the top of the posts.

Caldera has a Rough Trip, Nearly Scores Anyway!

Close one for Caldera (#2) at Oaklawn Park today in the Bath House Row Stakes , vying for an automatic berth in the Preakness awarded to the winner. It was a rough and tumble trip with traffic jams and a couple of roadblocks thrown into his path, but he did some maneuvering and made a very strong late bid, finishing 2nd by half a length (officially posted as 3/4 length). We were very happy with his performance especially with the less than ideal trip. Rafael Bejarano was in the irons again. 

Valiant effort overall and could set him up nicely for his next race. 

Praying he comes back in good order and starts looking for that next challenge, wherever it may be. ❤️

MRH RACE RECAP:

[Video of race at bottom with commentary]

Caldera was a solid second in the Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn.

Away better than he was at Fair Grounds, he found himself in third early and jockey Rafael Bejarano smartly maneuvered him out into the clear heading into the first turn. The pace was pretty moderate, with the half posted in :49.42. Caldera seemed to idle on the second bend and Bejarano had to push on him a bit to hold his position approaching the stretch behind six panels in 1:14.70.

Caldera continued to fight on as they entered the lane, but he was in a slightly tricky spot behind the lugging out #3 First Division with a possible path between that one and #1 Hymn if he wanted to try and split horses. Caldera continued to level off and build momentum as favorite and eventual winner #7 Instant Replay closed down the outside. Bejarano eventually guided Caldera to the outside of First Division and inside of Instant Replay, but Instant Replay had a clearer path and a bit more momentum and bested Caldera by 3/4 of a length.

Coming off of that disappointing try last out, it was great to see the real Caldera back and show so much heart and determination. He still takes a very long time to get going—which contributed to the bit of traffic trouble he found this time—but he did a lot right today and still seems to have more room for improvement left in him.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas was pleased with the effort and thought it would be beneficial to Caldera both physically and mentally. If he bounces out of this one in good order, he’ll be seriously considered for either the G1 Preakness or the Sir Barton S. on the Preakness undercard.

UPDATE:

Caldera earned a solid 90 Beyer Speed Figure for Saturday’s effort, and is en route as we speak back to Churchill Downs. We will touch base with Mr. Lukas in the coming days to discuss with him future plans and see how Caldera has bounced out of the Bathhouse Row Stakes and handled the ship back to Kentucky.

Check out the accompanying video for a closer look at Caldera’s trip featuring commentary from Joe Moran and Brian DiDonato. We hope you’ll find it interesting and informative.

Seismic Beauty Makes the Ground Shake!

At long last, Seismic Beauty, our daughter of Uncle Mo out of Medaglia d'Oro mare Knarsdale, won impressively going a mile around two turns! She left the field in the dust, finishing 10 lengths the better while geared down in the stretch. Her fractions and her speed figures were eye-popping. We can't wait to see where she's headed next, but strongly suspect it will be a stakes race.

Here's the race...

From MRH:

Congratulations to all owners! Seismic Beauty was an extremely impressive winner in her first start around two turns this afternoon at Santa Anita. Your daughter of Uncle Mo broke to the front, cleared the field, and led every step of the way - setting impressive fractions of 22.67 and 45.91 before widening her lead around the far turn. She covered six-furlongs in 1:10.04 and blew the field away winning by as many as she wanted, stopping the clock for the mile distance in 1:36.87. 

Speed is certainly an impressive trait for an equine athlete, but speed that carries is a dangerous one, and that is what Seismic Beauty showed us she possesses today. We will let her bounce out of this race and convene with trainer Bob Baffert before deciding on where to point at next, but one would have to believe that stakes company awaits.

FOLLOW UP (Beyer speed figure):

Seismic Beauty earned a very strong 95 Beyer Speed Figure for Friday’s romp.

That’s a graded stakes-caliber number for sure. For context, yesterday’s longshot winner of the G3 Doubledogdare at Keeneland ran a 96. Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna ran a 93 in last Saturday’s G1 Apple Blossom H. (We’re certainly not saying she’s better than Thorpedo Anna quite yet…).

We’ll have plenty of fun options to consider moving forward.

POST RACE UPDATE:

We checked in on Seismic Beauty this morning, April 20, at Santa Anita Park. 

Your daughter of Uncle Mo exited her dominating win in good physical order and the future looks bright. From the get-go, we all felt two turns was going to be the key for this filly and while it took a little longer than expected to finally get to see it, the wait was worth it. We’ll let Bob and his team get her back on the track in the coming week and begin putting together a plan for her.

Hoping for a Rebound, Praying for a Safe Race for Caldera

From Bloodhorse:

Caldera, Instant Replay Meet Again in the Bath House Row Stakes tomorrow at Oaklawn Park. 

Nakoma Update

The team paid Nakoma and Jena Antonucci a visit this morning in Ocala. Our filly remains on stall rest and will get another check later this week to see how her healing is coming along. 

Caldera Article: We Could do the Preakness

An informative article with reference to Caldera bypassing the Blue Grass Stakes to run in the Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn.

Paulick Report:  We Could do the Preakness

Blue Devil Runs 4th in the Sunland Park Handicap

Race Recap

Blue Devil ran fourth in the $200k Sunland Park Handicap.

He raced a bit keenly in the early stages just behind the pacesetters, and found a tiny bit of trouble into the first turn. Blue Devil continued to stalk along the inside down the backside, and came under a busy ride heading for home. We were hopeful he’d keep grinding along from there and show off his stamina, but the winner re-broke and pulled away convincingly while Blue Devil grew leg-weary and was then out-kicked by a couple other foes in the lane.

Blue Devil might have fared a bit better if he’d been a bit less sharp early and farther off the pace, but all in all he seemed to fit in with that group and was well spotted. 

The Sunland meet is wrapping up now, so we’ll look elsewhere for his next try.

Seismic Beauty Workout Report

Seismic Beauty breeze a half-mile in :48 flat this morning at Santa Anita Park. 

Per usual, our daughter of Uncle Mo worked by herself and did it handily. We hope to get Seismic Beauty stretched out around two turns next go around. The new condition book at Santa Anita is offering a first-level allowance going one mile on April 18th, but if that was not to go, trainer Bob Baffert is strongly considering shipping her to Churchill, if needed.

Isle Blue Update

Isle Blue transitioned to galloping this week at Two Springs. Admittedly, it’s been quite the journey to get to this point, but we are very pleased to see her back in training. Nellie Breeden reported, “She’s moving well and looks great.” Our fingers are crossed our Speightstown daughter only moves forward from here on out.

Secret Crush Back with a Work

Secret Crush had his first breeze back this morning, working a quarter-mile in :25.02 at Highlander Training Center. Most importantly, his rider reported that he felt good when breezing. 

Of course, we are going to keep close eyes on him as the intensity of his training continues to increase, but it was great to see him back in action today.

Blue Devil has been Entered in the Sunland Park Handicap

Blue Devil is officially in for next Sunday’s $200K Sunland Park Handicap, on April 6t, 2025. 

He’ll be the #5 among a field of 9 carded as the day’s 11th race. Post time is 4:35 p.m. MT.

Catalyst Update and Non-Entry

Catalyst was not entered in that previously mentioned Sam Houston allowance race that drew today. Trainer Steve Asmussen reports that he has not been happy with her appetite in recent days, and would like to make sure she's 100% before taking on winners. This definitely doesn't sound like anything major, but we'll have to just let Team Asmussen get her sorted out before proceeding.

Misstrial's Half-Sibling Wins the Rushaway Stakes

Misstrial got a nice pedigree update Saturday when her previously mentioned 3YO half-brother, Banks, scored a convincing victory in Turfway's $240K Rushaway Stakes on Jeff Ruby day. 

That adds a nice up-close and current stakes horse to Misstrial's pedigree page and ups her breeding value. It'll be interesting to see where they head with Banks next--he's only raced on conventional dirt once, but will likely need to return to the dirt or try turf next out and for the balance of the year. The main track at Turfway Park is synthetic.

The dam to both horses is Blip Says Bye. 

Misstrial's sire is Constitution. 

Banks' sire is Outwork.

Coexist's Half-Brother Competes, Runs 2ND in the Louisiana Derby

Coexist's half-brother, Chunk of Gold, both being out of Play For Gold by Cairo Prince, ran 2nd yesterday in the Louisiana Derby G2 prep race. This awards him 50 points, and he will most likely be a starter in this year's Kentucky Derby. Keeping our fingers crossed for Coexist that he is and runs well. It would certainly help her broodmare page! 

Coexist is one of our former horses. We lost her in a claiming race at Churchill Downs some time ago. 

Caldera: Louisiana Derby and After Race Update

Caldera ran 8th in the Louisiana Derby yesterday, after a bad stumble at the start.

The Lukas barn reports that Caldera appears thus far to have exited yesterday’s race in pretty good order. He did grab a quarter (when a horse’s back foot clips the heel area of their front foot)—most likely coming out of the gate—but scoped clean and jogged sound. He is on his way back to Oaklawn now.

Consensus among both Team Lukas and our racing team is that Caldera is still a somewhat immature horse mentally and the rough start was just more than he could overcome. He also didn’t seem to handle the track particularly well.

We’ll let him get back to Arkansas and see how he returns to training. We wouldn’t necessarily be in a rush to bring him back in another Derby prep, but will let The Coach make that determination after observing him for a bit.

A Day To Remember is Back with a Bullet

A Day to Remember recorded a bullet half-mile work yesterday morning at San Luis Rey Downs. He stopped the clock in :47.20 and is reportedly doing exceptionally well according to trainer Mark Glatt. 

A Day to Remember to likely have another two works at San Luis Rey before transitioning back to Santa Anita. 

Assuming all continues well, a return to the races in late April seems well in range.

Joke Sisi Should Foal Soon

Joke Sisi(CHI) began waxing for the first time late last week. Waxing is when a pregnant mare begins to have colostrum drip from the teats, forming a dry, waxy material. This is a common indication that she will deliver her foal very soon, which is to be expected as we are a bit past her March 10 due date. 

It seems that most mares this year are foaling a week or two late— likely due to the cold winter we had in Kentucky. 

We expect a foal on the ground within the next week or so, and will pass along any updates as they come to us.

Caldera: Looking Ahead to the Louisiana Derby

Caldera will be in the middle of the field of ten horses in this start in his first graded stakes win, and his bid to add to his Kentucky Derby points. 

His workout times have been looking really good among the Derby contenders. We know he has the talent and the monster stride to do big things, but in only his sixth start it's yet to be determined if he possesses the "killer instinct" to drive him to the line first over a group of top 3YOs. 

His record, to date, is looking pretty darn good, with only his debut being off the board, but he arguably had his shot to beat Getaway Car in his last start and only stake race, the Sunland Derby, but after overtaking him off the 2nd turn, he relaxed and let his rival nearly overtake him. Getaway Car got the nose bob on that one, but was subsequently soundly beaten in the Virginia Derby, with that Derby prep victory going to Caldera's stablemate, the D. Wayne Lukas-trained American Promise (Justify).

His next start in the Louisiana Derby will tell us if we have the fierce kind of competitor who can summon all his strengths and hit the wire first to capture 50 Kentucky Derby points, and a shoe-in to the Run for the Roses. If anyone can get him there, it's the Coach. 

Fingers crossed and holding our breaths until Saturday, hoping for a huge step up in the Grade 2 $1 million Louisiana Derby. I guess St. Patrick's Day is a good day to muse about big dreams. :)

Fancy Quality Sells

Fancy Quality sold today in the Fasig-Tipton March Digital Sale for $22K to Indiana-based owner/breeder Chris Nolan.

That was in the range the team expected, particularly given the tricky timing of this sale with breeding season having already begun.

While MRH did bid up to a certain amount with the plan to put her in foal and re-offer her in November, she ultimately reached what we felt was a fair price. Breeding her ourselves would have obviously come with additional expenses and risk—particularly if she weren’t able to get in foal.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on her in new career and our accounting team will get working on her series closure.

Natural Beauty/Violence Foal Turn Out

Natural Beauty and her Violence filly are doing well and have begun enjoying some turnout time. We were sent a video of the two enjoying a nice day in the paddock. 

In other news, Natural Beauty's 2YO half-sister by Charlatan (hip #30) sold well last week at the OBS March Sale, going for a very strong $335K, which can only help the value of our mare and her produce—particularly if she goes on to back up her sales price at the races. 

West Point Thoroughbreds purchased her. 

Caldera: Two Successive Bullet Works and Louisiana Derby Draw

Caldera update. Two bullet works in a row...

Oaklawn Park 3/14/2025 Dirt 5F 59.60 Breezing 1/23

Oaklawn Park 3/6/2025     Dirt 5F 59.20 Breezing 1/18

And he drew post #5 for the Louisiana Derby next weekend with Tyler Gaffaleone up.

In other news, his stablemate, American Promise (Justify) just tied up a berth in the Kentucky Derby with a decisive, 8(ish) length win after Getaway Car led the first half.

Things are heating up on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Sirius Pursuit Getting Closer to Shipping Out

The team was on hand to watch Sirius Pursuit breeze 3/8 this morning (3/12/2025) at trainer Jena Antonucci’s farm in Ocala, Florida, and were very pleased with how she looked. Her rider also seemed very impressed by her.

She continues to progress quickly, so the plan will be for her to ship up to Keeneland when Jena’s string heads that way in late March/early April.

From there we’ll let her come to hand at her own pace, but we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see her ready to run some time this spring/early summer either in Kentucky or possibly New York.

In other exciting news, Sirius Pursuit’s 3-year-old half-sister Paula’s a Star is entered on Saturday against the boys in the Jimmy Winkfield S., which only attracted a field of six. Paula’s a Star has the best last-out Beyer Speed Figure in the race, so this might be a nice chance for her to pick up some black-type and add to our filly’s pedigree as well.

Note that the horse on the rail in that spot, T Kraft, is a half to none other than MRH's champion sprinter Straight No Chaser.

Welcome to our Stable, Native Brew

David added a second 2YO to our stable recently who originally went by Perfect Impression '23 but has now been named Native Brew. He was on hand at the Ocala Showcase last month for owners' inspection. Native Brew will be trained by Steven Asmussen, who according to reports approached the MRH team immediately after they purchased Native Brew asking to train the colt because he loved him so much. Steve also trained his sire, Yaupon, along with champions Gun Runner, Curlin, Jackie's Warrior, and Epicenter—demonstrating his unmatched ability to develop world-class talent.

Steve Asmussen also trains Blue Devil, Catalyst and Fireball Birdie for us.

You can check further info on the colt by clicking on his page -- NATIVE BREW -- above.

Welcome to our Stable, Instant Impact

David added a 2YO to our stable recently that is looking good! 

Instant Impact (registered name) made quite a splash at the Ocala Showcase last month. 

According to the report: "Instant Impact was spotted at our MRH 2025 Ocala Showcase event last weekend, Trainer Kenny McPeek's assistant Steven notes that our colt is very forward and intelligent and is a standout among the many 2-year-olds." Instant Impact is a son of Upstart (Flatter) out of Perfect Impression by Shackleford. 

We've started a page for Instant Impact above, and will be adding more info to it shortly. 

Tiffany's Mo Foals a Liam's Map Colt

Tiffany’s Mo foaled a healthy colt by Liam’s Map at 11:30 PM last night (3/11/2025) at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky. He is a big, dark foal (looks like he might possibly go grey) with a blaze. Does not appear to have any leg markings, but the straw was deep so he could possibly have some low white on his legs. He was scampering around the big foaling stall like he was ready to go run right now!

This guy is our third Liam's Map, the others being our possible Triple Crown contender this year, Caldera, and Here's The Kicker, a filly who won big at Gulfstream Park last week.

Tiffany's Mo (by Uncle Mo) Foaled a Colt by Liam's Map.

Tiffany's Mo foaled a lovely big colt by Liam's Map at around 11:30 PM last night, barn time. 

We were sent photos and video and were very impressed with this gorgeous little boy. (Sadly, we can no longer post photos here due to an unknown issue with the site.)

Update 3/12/2025:

Tiffany’s Mo presented with colic symptoms this morning and was taken to the clinic as a precaution. The cause of her colic is nephrospleenic entrapment, which is not an uncommon occurrence for mares after they foal. The hope is to avoid surgery, and so far they have been able to do that. She remains stable at this time. We will stay in contact with the clinic and with Gainesway and pass along any updates as they come to us.

Update 3/13/2025:

Tiffany's Mo worked through the nephrospleenic entrapment with medical support at the clinic and did not require surgical intervention. She and her foal have returned to Gainesway this morning.

Seismic Beauty Entered

Seismic Beauty is entered on Friday, March 14, 2025, at Santa Anita, going 6-1/2 furlongs. Juan Hernandez Jr. will be in the irons. She'll be running in an Allowance Optional Claiming race with no tag and will be in Post #1. 

It's race 2 on the card scheduled for 1:33 PM Pacific / 2:33 PM Mountain.

Seize The Grey's Tally So Far

We were sent a video of the stallion director at Gainesway Farm in front of Seize The Grey's stall, where our boy looked happy and magnificent.

He read off a couple of the names of talented mares who were/would be bred to him, and also said that Seize The Grey had now bred around 40 mares and seemed to "like his job." (I'll bet! :D )

We're very excited to have two of our partnership mares who have now foaled -- Natural Beauty and Community Adjusted. 

Natural Beauty has a Violence Filly!

Natural Beauty foaled a lovely bay filly sired by Violence late last night at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky. We were sent a video of the new arrival shortly after she took her first steps, and she's a pretty little girl with two back stockings and a big star.  

Two down....two to go!

Natural Beauty is expected to be bred back to Seize The Grey in the coming weeks. 

(Sorry this site no longer lets us post photos. If we get a shareable video, I'll post it.)

Here's The Kicker...SCOOOOOOOOORE!!!

Here's The Kicker wins big in Race #7 at Gulfstream Park. We're so thrilled at her excellent showing. 

Our Liam's Map kids are having one heck of a year! (The other being Caldera who is currently on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.) 

She can add this decisive victory to her 10-length win at Gulfstream earlier in her career. She may be looking for some black type in one of her next outs. :D

Here's the video:  

Follow-up:

When Here's the Kicker joined Saffie Joseph Jr.'s barn, he told us he believed our Liam's Map daughter could earn some black-type (wins or placings in listed or graded stakes races) and he reaffirmed that thought following this victory. We can't wait to see what type of ride she'll take us on. Congratulations, Here's the Kicker and the partnership!

Black Tie Optional Update

Black Tie Optional was a participant in the MRH 2025 Ocala Showcase event in February, where he trained for owners in attendance. 

Farm trainer Ciaran Dunne notes that your son of Not This Time can be "a bit quirky," but we hope that with time and additional experience he will become more professional. 

He will continue to train at Wavertree in the coming weeks, and will likely ship to his trainer Bob Baffert following the OBS March Sale.

Seize The Grey's First Two Mares Confirmed In Foal

We are excited to report that first two mares bred to Seize the Grey have checked in foal (pregnant)! Those two mares are Above the Sun (by Bernardini) and Queen of God (by Paynter). 

We also received a video update from Ryan Norton, the stallion director at Gainesway Farm this week, taken from the aisle in front of "Ceasar's" stall where he was milling around inside and looking magnificent. 

Mr. Norton related just a few of the mares who have been or are slated to be bred to Seize The Grey, and all had impressive breeding, race records or both. 

So far, so good for our very rare, multiple G1 winning son of Arrogate! 

SIMPLY ENCHANTING to be Retired/Bred to Curlin

So...big change of plans for our girl "Ella"!

After weighing options and discussion with trainer Phil D’Amato and the other partner on the filly, the decision was made to send Simply Enchanting to the breeding shed with a plan to sell her at the November breeding stock sales later this year.

This decision was due to several factors. While she came out of her last race in fine order, it is clear that she just hasn’t stepped up after showing early promise. At this point, it’s hard to envision her being competitive at the allowance level (or better) on one of the top circuits, and she is simply worth too much as a broodmare to run for a claiming tag. To allow her any chance to return to top form we would likely have to give her significant time to reset, probably pushing us past the 2025 breeding stock sales in the process.

Given she has significant breeding value, we believe the best plan for her is to take advantage of beginning her broodmare career now.

An opportunity has arisen to breed Simply Enchanting to Curlin and since her female family is so deep, and her sireline (Nyquist/Uncle Mo) has crossed exceptionally well on Curlin, this could result in a sales price of $500k or more for Simply Enchanting in foal to Curlin. He currently stands for  $225k.

While we are somewhat disappointed by the decision to call it quits on Simply Enchanting’s racing career, we look forward to experience the excitement of the breeding and auction process. The nice thing about a filly of this quality is that we have this opportunity for her—even when one avenue hasn’t panned out perfectly.

First Mares Confirmed in Foal to Seize The Grey!

Exciting times. The first two mares have been confirmed in foal to our boy at Gainesway Farm. Read more here:  

Seize The Grey: First Mares Checked in Foal

Fancy Quality to be Sold

 After conferring with trainer Kenny McPeek and the other partner, a decision was made to enter Fancy Quality in Fasig-Tipton’s March Digital Sale. The catalogue for that online auction will be released, and bidding opened, on March 13th. It closes on March 18th.

Fancy Quality definitely has some broodmare value given she’s by top European sire Wootton Bassett (GB) (who is commanding a €300,000 stud fee in 2025) and from a deep female family, however there is probably not significant upside in attempting to get her in foal to sell later in the year due to the added expenses/carrying costs. There is also not much point in holding her until the fall and then selling her open (without being bred).

We expect to get a follow-up report once bidding has opened for the sale.

Simply Enchanting Result

Simply Enchanting has once again left us scratching our heads.

She could only manage 8th place Friday at Oaklawn Park. Off a step slowly (we thought we saw a stumble in the footage), she found herself a bit farther back than we would have hoped for. Hung slightly wide, she didn’t seem to be loving the racing surface down the backside, but tried to mount a bid into the far turn. Asked hard from there, she never got going.

This was a disappointing showing for sure. Despite training well over the Oaklawn surface in the mornings, we have reason to believe she might not love that track—it was tough to determine that from previously as that race came in the slop. With that being said, it’s also fair to say that she just hasn’t realized the early promise that she displayed in her first few starts.

The team will weigh options for a path forward. We'll share the game plan as soon as we have it.

Blue Devil Update and Possible Next Stakes Race (in NM!)

The team chatted with Steve Asmussen about what could be next for your son of Uncle Mo. Steve has his eyes on the $200,000 Sunland Park Handicap for Blue Devil, which is to be run on April 6th. 

We'll keep an eye out for opportunities in between should something pop up, but Steve is comfortable training up to the race if need be.

Tiffany's Mo and Natural Beauty Approach Foaling Dates

Our next two broodmares are "up at bat."

Both Tiffany's Mo (in foal to Liam's Map) and Natural Beauty (in foal to Violence) have anticipated foaling dates of 2/28/2025, though word is out that many mares seem to be foaling late this spring.

Both have been moved to the Foaling Barn at Gaineway Farm where they will be closely monitored over the coming days. 

Community Adjusted/Quality Road Filly Update

We stopped by to see Community Adjusted and her Quality Road filly at Chanteclair Farm this afternoon. The duo had just been brought into the barn after a lovely spring-like day out in their paddock. Plans are to move them to the back barn on the property where they keep the mares and foals once it has been a month’s time since birth. Here they will be paired up with another mare and foal with whom they will share a larger paddock for the time being.

Misstrial Update

Misstrial was spotted at the 2025 Ocala Showcase event last weekend, where she trained for MyRacehorse owners in attendance. 

Farm trainer Ciaran Dunne has been very pleased with her progress. She will continue to train at Wavertree for the time being, and will most likely ship to her trainer Bob Baffert following the OBS April Sale.

Her half-brother Banks was fourth in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes on Saturday evening at Turfway Park. We’ll see if he pops back up in the G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks next month.

Sirius Pursuit Work

Sirius Pursuit returned home to the farm following the Ocala Showcase event, and quickly got back to work, putting in her first three-furlong breeze in :36.76. (This was an unofficial farm work.)

Katie and Jena were very pleased with the move, noting that she settled nicely. She got a bit tired late, but that's to be expected with this being her first time being asked to go a longer distance. 

Fireball Birdie Race Result and Claim

Fireball Birdie finished off the board today (7th) in the last race at Oaklawn Park and was claimed for the $40K tag by trainer Tom Amoss.

He sat in a good spot early while saving ground, but was bottled up pretty badly around the turn for home and had to hit the brakes. A seam opened up down on the fence, but Fireball Birdie just didn’t have enough kick in the lane.

This was, of course, a disappointing outcome, but even with tough trips in his last two it seems as though he had lost form since his races at Remington. 

Fireball Birdie wrapped up his time with us with the following record:

Starts	Firsts	Seconds	Thirds	Earnings
13	2	3	0	$72,364

His best Equibase speed figure was a 98 which he earned at Remington Park in September 2024.

We will of course keep close tabs on him moving forward, and our accounting team will begin working on his series closure.

As with all horses who leave our stable, we'll be marking his page (above) as CLAIMED and moving him to the bottom with our other previous horses. We will report back when we get any additional updates.

New Acquisition is a Daughter of Constitution Named Misstrial!

Introducing Misstrial --  a daughter of Constitution out of Blip Says Bye by Fed Biz (Giant's Causeway).

Interest purchased February 23, 2025 (Happy Birthday to Laurie).

Read more on her page here >>  Misstrial

Here's The Kicker Update

Here’s the Kicker worked the bullet three furlongs in :35.90 this morning at Palm Meadows. 

For her next start there are two first-level-allowance conditions coming up for our daughter of Liam’s Map—a route option on Mar 8 and a sprint Mar. 15. We will discuss with trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in the coming days, but the logical plan is to enter the route and should that not go use the latter option as a backup.

Fireball Birdie has been Re-entered After Canceled Race

Fireball Birdie has been re-entered at Oaklawn Park on Monday, February 24th 5:23 CT / 4:23 MT. All other conditions are believed to remain in effect. UPCOMING information will be updated above.

Fancy Quality has been RETIRED!

 Our Wootton Bassett filly has been retired following a series of setbacks. We'll update with more news on where she'll be headed once it's decided.

Seize The Grey NEWS

The shed at Gainesway Farm has opened for the 2025 breeding season this past week and Seize The Grey has reportedly already bred his first mare.

In other news, AI apparently wrote a song and created a video about Seize The Grey's Preakness win. I'm not sure how long this will be available, since AI apparently plucked copyrighted photos from Bloodhorse for the images, but enjoy it while it lasts...

CALDERA - Big Write Up from Steve Haskin at Secretariat . com

Caldera has been generating some major buzz after his battle to the line with Bob Baffert's Getaway Car in the Sunland Derby. 

Read what horseracing sports writer Steve Haskin has to say about him in this article on Derby prep updates.

Look under "Knocking at the Door" for info on the Sunland Derby. 

Kentucky Derby Rankings-Week 4-Secretariat.com

by Steve Haskin

Simply Enchanting Update After Last Week's Race Cancelation

With the cancellation of racing last Saturday at Oaklawn, Simply Enchanting returned to the work tab on Monday. She breezed five furlongs and was credited with a final time of 1:01.80. 

Surprisingly, the allowance race for her has not returned as an extra to this point, but the racing office has told trainer Phil D’Amato that it’s a top priority to get it back on the board. 

We are hopeful that it will be re-offered some time next week/weekend.

Caldera: The Buzz Starts to Build!

It's exciting to hear all the positive things being said about our boy, Caldera, after his near miss in the Sunland Derby. This one is by a major writer in the sports community, Steve Haskins, posted on the Secretariat.com site. 

Kentucky Derby Rankings Week 4

Here's The Kicker Update

Here’s the Kicker was entered in the aforementioned race for Feb. 23rd (Gulfstream Park), but unfortunately that race did not fill. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has been happy with how your daughter of Liam’s Map has trained since her most recent race at Tampa. 

We will await the release of the next condition book before picking a new race to target and will also keep an eye out for any suitable extras.

Fireball Birdie Race Updated - Race Moved to 2/24/2025

Due to freezing weather this week in Arkansas, Oaklawn has shifted its racing schedule for the week and will now run Saturday, Sunday and Monday instead of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

Fireball Birdie's race will now take place Monday the 24th. We'll update the "Upcoming" schedule on this site. (We expect to hear the same for Simply Enchanting, but will post separately when we do.)

Nakoma on Rest

Definitely not what we anticipated, but Nakoma exited her breeze last week with some swelling in her front fetlock and will require some time off from training. X-rays revealed a troubling area, but at this time it does not require surgery or further treatment other than 30 days of stall rest at the farm in Ocala. She will then be X-rayed a second time to ensure all is well. We'll report back after the check-up.

This is, of course, disappointing, because she was doing so well in her training, but the welfare of the horse must ALWAYS be the first concern. Also, as we've seen so often, a little time-out from training can often be a blessing in disguise. 

Have a great "vacation," Nakoma. 

Lane Way - Career Recap (Partnership Desolved)

Lane Way was bought into privately by MyRacehorse after a promising debut in 2020 for partner Spendthrift Farm. For several years thereafter he continued to build on that early promise, eventually making the grade as a 6-year-old.

Over the course of a 23-race career, Lane Way and his owners took five trips to the winner’s circle. He hit the board an additional 14 times, and racked up more than $528,000 in career earnings.

The Richard Mandella trainee made his first foray into stakes company in the 2020 Let It Ride Stakes at Del Mar, finishing a close third in that one-mile event. Forced to miss much of the 2021 season, he returned that October for an emphatic optional claiming victory at Santa Anita. That was first try in a turf sprint, and for the remainder of his career abbreviated turf events would be the son of Into Mischief’s focus.

In March of 2021, while Lane Way was sidelined due to bone bruising, MyRacehorse reached an agreement to purchase Spendthrift’s 40% ownership stake in Lane Way. At that time, it was also recommended to geld Lane Way to help advance his racing career—a decision that proved highly beneficial under the guidance of his Hall of Fame trainer.

Lane Way knocked on the door at the graded level throughout 2022, finishing second in a trio of graded stakes, capped by the G2 Joe Hernandez Stakes on New Year’s Eve. In his first outing as a 6-year-old, he officially became a stakes winner, annexing the Clocker’s Corner Stakes down the hill at Santa Anita in January of 2023.

Two starts later he would add the G2 Eddie D. Stakes win to his credits that September, and appeared a legitimate contender for that year’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, but unfortunately did not make it off the also-eligible list.[He was the 1st also-eligible or 1st AE at race time, but in spite of many rumors of potential scratches, he didn't make it into the field.]

He finished third in three more stakes during the first half of 2024, but having battled with recurrent bone bruising, it was ultimately decided that he had done plenty on the racetrack and was ready for retirement.

In addition, Lane Way set (and still holds as of this date) the 6 furlong track record on turf at Santa Anita turf on October 3, 2021 with a time of 1:06.60 in an allowance race and winning by 2-3/4 lengths under Flavien Prat. He was a 4YO at the time. 

From the Santa Anita Equibase data:  (reverified 6/2/2025 that he still holds this record)

Turf    6 Furlongs   Lane Way   4   122   1:06.60 Oct 03, 2021

Lane Way was given a coveted spot at the renowned Old Friends retirement facility, where he will live out his days among an esteemed group of past racetrack stars and will no doubt receive many visits from his passionate ownership group and other racing fans.

Thank you for being part of Lane Way’s story and for your commitment to racehorse ownership. Lane Way will always hold a special place in the MRH family.

Congratulations from MRH on Blue Devil's Win

With everything going on in horseracing this week, MRH was a bit slow to send this update, but we were happy to get it none-the-less. 

We witnessed the Sunland Derby referred to in the update below last February, where Alotaluck came in second, as mentioned. Ironically, our Preakness Champion, Seize The Grey, went on to face the winner, Stronghold, and 3rd place, Lucky Jeremy, in other stakes over the course of his 3YO campaign last year. 

Here's the memo from MRH:

What a performance! Blue Devil got the job done in style last Friday, cruising to victory in the Winsham Lad Stakes at Sunland Park. Breaking alertly, he put himself right in the mix early, pressing the pace while sitting confidently in the clear. As they turned for home, he edged his way to the front, showing his grit and determination to put away the pacesetter by midstretch and drawing off to win convincingly.

This was a strong showing, especially against a game runner-up who was hammered late in the betting and previously finished second in last year’s G3 Sunland Derby. This win is a testament to Blue Devil’s talent and heart, and we can't wait to see how his career progresses from here.

UPDATE/FOLLOW-UP:

Blue Devil continues to do well coming out of his win and is back at Sam Houston for the time being. We'll report back with next plans once we have them, but are in no rush at this stage. 

(An accompanying clip of Blue Devil jogging at Sam Houston (muddy track conditions) was included. )