Spinning Colors and John Velazquez cruise to the finish of Wednesday’s Mount Vernon at Saratoga. Coglianese Photo/Susie Raisher.

Spinning Colors may not like doing what she’s told, but when she’s tasked with running on the turf at Saratoga Race Course, she typically delivers.

Wednesday, Spinning Colors improved her record over the Saratoga turf courses to 3-for-4 when she won the $200,000 Mount Vernon Stakes at 1 1/16 miles over the inner course. The 5-year-old mare entered the Mount Vernon off a seventh in the Sand Springs against open company at Gulfstream Park, a race in which she led the field through testing fractions that included a half-mile in :45.26. In the Mount Vernon, Spinning Colors led the field through a dawdling half in :50.33. Trainer Mark Hennig said that made a big difference.

“The pace helped her save a lot of that energy,” he said. “She tried hard last time in open company at Gulfstream. In spite of that pace, she still fought on. She gets a little bit of a break running against New York-breds and then, obviously, she loves Saratoga. This was her third win here.”

Spinning Colors took the field of 10 older fillies and mares gate to wire in the Mount Vernon under John Velazquez, setting a slow pace early and kicking on late to fend off the stretch runs by Silver Skillet and Awesome Czech, who finished second and third, respectively. Spinning Colors won the Mount Vernon by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:43.27.

“I nursed her along the best I could without taking too much hold of her,” Velazquez said. “After putting my hands down at the three-eighths pole, she was full of run. I hadn’t asked her to do anything, and she was very comfortable. After moving my hands a little bit, it was an instant response. Very nice.”

Hennig, who also co-owns the daughter of Hard Spun with Bourbon Lane Stable and HGS Thoroughbreds, remarked on what a difficult mare she can sometimes be to train.

“She’s not easy to do anything with, honestly,” Hennig said. “She’s a difficult filly, but she keeps herself fit because she’s athletic. Those kind are always easier. She dictates what we’re doing daily, basically. There are days we go out with the intent to gallop and she doesn’t gallop. Before she won the race at Gulfstream in February, the day she was going to work she got loose and went around the track twice. We didn’t end up getting to work her, but she worked herself that day.”

Despite the antics, Spinning Colors has won five of 14 starts and earned $362,210. Hennig said he’d likely bring Spinning Colors back to Saratoga at some point this summer.

“They’ve got another race here during the meet, but we’ll see,” he said. “They’ve got a decent program for the New York-bred fillies as the year goes on the turf, so we could keep her with her own kind, but I wouldn’t be opposed to trying her in open company in the right spot.”

Spinning Colors was bred by William Parsons Jr. and David Howe. She is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Kaleidoscope, who has also produced multiple time winners Bartleby and Cartwheel. – Alec DiConza

Clear Conscience holds off Hush of a Storm in Wednesday’s Kingston Stakes at Saratoga. Coglianese Photo/Chelsea Durand.

• In the span of four weeks, owner Wachtel Stable’s Adam Wachtel experienced both ends of a tight photo with the same horse. On May 11, Clear Conscience lost an allowance-optional at Aqueduct by a nose after holding the lead mid-stretch. In Wednesday’s $200,000 Kingston Stakes, the 5-year-old gelding got involved in another nose finish, but this time, the son of Blame crossed the wire first.

“We did have a tough beat just the other day,” Wachtel said in the winner’s circle. “Better to win this one than that one, right?”

Wachtel privately purchased Clear Conscience during last year’s summer meet at Saratoga because he saw some potential in his past performances. He wasted no time, transferring the gelding to Mark Casse and winning an allowance race on Travers Day just weeks after the purchase. The Kingston victory is the second by Clear Conscience since the change in connections.

“I’m a Ragozin sheets person, and he had a great looking sheet,” Wachtel said about the decision to buy Clear Conscience. “He was very fast, and I thought he was maybe better than his results were. So, we’re very pleased and Mark has done a great job with him.”

In the Kingston, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for older New York-breds, Clear Conscience sat a stalking trip on the inside behind pacesetters Union Trail and Itsallcomintogetha. He switched outside turning for home under Jose Ortiz and mowed these leaders down before facing a menacing bid from favorite Hush of a Storm. Clear Conscience just held on to get the bob and win by a nose in 1:41.30.

“He’s a very good gate horse and we love that about him. He broke good and put me into a great position,” Ortiz said. “I was following the one horse, who was of course very live.”

The effort from Clear Conscience impressed Casse, who felt fortunate that the photo went his way this time.

“He showed some grit, because the other horse went by him and he battled back,” he said. “Jose said he thought he was beat. We did get lucky on the bob, but many times I don’t get lucky on the bob, so I’ll take it when I can get it.”

Wachtel, who co-owns Clear Conscience with Gary Barber and Pantofel Stable, said there’s a good chance his gelding will return to Saratoga for another stakes race this summer.

“As long as he’s healthy, he’ll definitely run back here,” he said. “There’s a New York-bred stakes in the middle of August. I’m sure we’ll point to that. He’s just a nice horse. We’ve got a lot of options with him.”

Clear Conscience was bred by Alan Quartucci and Sebastian Varney. He is the second foal out of the Gio Ponti mare Blank Slate, who has also produced the four-time winner Topic Changer and the recent maiden winner Cognoscenti. Clear Conscience is now a winner of three out of 15 starts with earnings of $294,988. – Alec DiConza

Manny Franco celebrates Commentator victory aboard Bank Frenzy Wednesday at Saratoga Race Course. Coglianese Photo/Chelsea Durand.

Rudy Rodriguez gave Manny Franco a leg up on Bank Frenzy before Wednesday’s $200,000 Commentator Stakes and offered one final bit of instruction before the field of eight left the Saratoga Race Course paddock for the second stakes on the New York Showcase Day card.

“Don’t let him steal the race, put some pressure on him,” Rodriguez said, encouraging Bank Frenzy’s regular partner to stay close to last year’s Empire Classic winner and expected frontrunner Mama’s Gold in the 9-furlong stakes for older New York-breds.

Franco followed suit, never letting the Central Banker gelding lost contact with Mama’s Gold before pouncing on the leader approaching the top of the stretch en route to a 1 1/4-length victory. Owned by Randy Sarf’s LSU Stables and the 7-5 favorite in the field of eight, Bank Frenzy improved to 9-for-18 with his latest stakes victory. He’s won his last three New York-bred stakes appearances, along with the Stymie against open company in March, after finishing 4 1/4 lengths behind Mama’s Gold in the Empire Classic Handicap last fall.

“Manny won that race,” Sarf said as he hugged Rodriguez walking out of the winner’s circle. “He put Romero (Maragh, aboard Mama’s Gold) to sleep. He put him to sleep.”

Sarf purchased Bank Frenzy privately from Phil’s Racing Stable last spring after a 5 1/4-length victory in a 1-mile state-bred allowance-optional at Aqueduct. He won the Evan Shipman in mid-August at Saratoga in his first start for LSU and Rodriguez, before back-to-back seconds that led to a four-race win streak.

Bank Frenzy came into Showcase Day off a fourth in the Grade 3 Westchester on a muddy track May 4 at Aqueduct. He rebounded in a big way in the Commentator, defeating not only Mama’s Gold but last year’s winner Drake’s Passage (third), Locke And Key (fourth) and General Banker (sixth).

“I knew he was going to be good,” Sarf said of the private purchase. “Once you see a horse win by that distance, if they stay sound, they can win these state-bred stakes. We love the state-bred game. We tried to see how good he was (in graded company last time), but state-breds hang out with state-breds. I guess that’s why you breed in New York, to hang out in New York.”

The Commentator didn’t go completely smooth for Bank Frenzy.

Typically outfitted with extension blinkers for his morning training, Bank Frenzy made the walk from the holding barn to the paddock without blinkers.

“He’s a little quirky but he does his job,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a little difficult in the morning so we put the extension blinkers on. Today he didn’t have them and was kicking all over the place. He’s more happy when we put the blinkers on and that’s all we can do.”

Bank Frenzy raced with his usual blinkers and Franco set up shop in second around the clubhouse turn behind Mama’s Gold through the opening splits of :23.79 and :47.84.

Mama’s Gold continued to lead past 6 furlongs in 1:11.53, with Bank Frenzy just a half-length back while in the three path on the bend. Bank Frenzy took over outside the quarter pole and eventually shrugged off a stubborn Mama’s Gold in the lane to win in 1:50 over the fast track. Mama’s Gold held second, 3 1/2 lengths clear of 2-1 second choice Drake’s Passage.

“My horse broke so sharp and Rudy told me he was going to break like that because he broke sharp in the mornings,” Franco said. “I just took advantage of my break and just put him right behind (Mama’s Gold). That was the horse that I thought I had to beat. My horse made the front a little earlier than I wanted, but he was running so nice and he kind of got lost a little on the front end, that’s why (Mama’s Gold) came back. I had a lot of horse under me. I was comfortable all the way around.”

Bred by Chester and the late Mary Broman and foaled at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, Bank Frenzy is out of the Tiznow mare Storm Now. He originally sold for $110,000 at the 2022 OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training. Bank Frenzy picked up $110,000 for the Commentator victory and boosted his bankroll to $695,920. – Tom Law

Bernietakescharge (inside) holds off Sterling Silver to win Wednesday’s Critical Eye at Saratoga. Coglianese Photo/Chelsea Durand.

• Two races after her half-sister Bernieandtherose finished third in the Bouwerie Stakes, Bernietakescharge made the family even more proud by winning the $200,000 Critical Eye Stakes in front-running fashion.

Breaking from the outside post in the field of seven, Bernietakescharge took the lead going into the clubhouse turn and set moderate splits of :24.01 for the quarter-mile and :47.86 for the half. The filly owned and bred by Robert Rosenthal and Bradford Bernstein faced a major challenge from millionaire Sterling Silver nearing the quarter pole, but after a long duel with that foe through the stretch, Bernietakescharge prevailed to win by a neck for trainer Dominick Schettino and jockey Romero Maragh. The daughter of Take Charge Indy completed the 9-furlongs in 1:50.26.

“We had a very nice trip,” Maragh said. “I know she likes to be on the front. She gets very game when she’s on the front. So, that was the whole game plan to be on the lead and be pretty aggressive with her, and get her into her rhythm. That was the game plan. Everything honestly worked out super perfect, super great.”

Millionaire, multiple stakes winner and 3-10 favorite Sterling Silver made a run alongside Bernietakescharge and Schettino felt that maybe a runner-up finish was in the cards for his 4-year-old filly.

“When they got to the quarter pole and I saw her (Sterling Silver) coming, I said, ‘Well, second ain’t bad,’ ” he said. “Then I saw her in the stretch fighting again and I said, ‘Wow, she’s got a shot here.’ We wound up better today than her.”

Schettino wasn’t surprised by the grit Bernietakescharge showed Wednesday.

“That filly, when she gets to the quarter pole and the stretch, if she is in front, a lot of times, she will continue to grind it out,” he said. “That’s what she does. When that filly got to her, I figured ‘well, that filly is a graded winner.’ Like I said, if she finished second she ran a bang-up race. She was training forwardly and she ran to it today.”

Bernietakescharge is the second foal out of the stakes winning mare Berning Rose, who Schettino trained in 2017 to win the Maid of the Mist Stakes at Belmont Park. Berning Rose, a daughter of Freud, has also produced multiple stakes winner Bernieandtherose, winning mare Berning Honor and an unraced 2-year-old named Roseberns Dream. Bernietakescharge is now a winner of six of 17 starts and has earned $469,580. – Alec DiConza

Train the Trainer rolls to victory in Wednesday’s Mike Lee to kick off the New York Showcase Day portion of the card at Saratoga. Coglianese Photo.

Rob Atras picked up the phone to call fellow trainer Mark Glatt shortly after the 3-year-old gelding Train the Trainer showed up at his Belmont Park barn from California this spring with a short assessment.

“Geez, look at this horse. I love this horse,” Atras said, immediately impressed with the New York-bred son of Dialed In. “He was big, strong, (had) good bone on him. Big, tall and the way he carries himself. He has a lot of presence.”

Atras loved Train the Trainer a bit more when he romped to a 5-length victory in his first start in the Empire State and even more after a 2 3/4-length tally to open the New York Showcase Day portion of the card Wednesday at Saratoga Race Course.

Jon Taisey of Hibiscus Stable isn’t surprised by the love. He liked the then colt plenty when he and the Hibiscus team sent him down to Lexington for the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. Hip 590, the ninth foal out of the Forestry mare Heavenly View, attracted plenty of attention on the sales grounds but not a ton of action in the ring.

“I loved him ever since he was a baby,” Taisey said. “I never thought that he was a horse we could really afford to bring back and syndicate, so we brought him to the sale there and honestly was super disappointed when we only got $52,000 for him.”

Glatt purchased the colt, on behalf of Alipony Racing and Saints or Sinners. He eventually went to California, where he didn’t race at 2 before surfacing in a 6-furlong maiden race April 6 at Santa Anita Park. He finished second that day, splitting a pair of Bob Baffert-trained first-time starters Goal Oriented and Sierra Silver.

“He put in a heck of a race and I knew at that point he was the real deal,” Taisey said. “I called the owners and tried to get them to at least send him back or sell him to clients of mine. Well, they decided to send him but not sell him. Mark handed over the reins to Rob and obviously Rob has done a great job with the horse to this point.”

The job now includes back-to-back victories, the latter in 1:23.92 for the 7 furlongs over the fast track in the opening flat stakes of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. Under Irad Ortiz Jr., Train the Trainer went to post as the 9-5 second choice behind Prince Valiant and five others in the Mike Lee.

Train The Trainer went to the lead from the start and clicked off an opening quarter-mile in :23.09 ahead of Prince Valiant, First Pitch and Soontobeking. He maintained that margin around the far turn and to the half in :46.30.

Ortiz stayed busy on Train the Trainer approaching the stretch and they widened from there, opening up a 2-length lead in midstretch on the way to victory. Soontobeking, second behind Prince Valiant last time out in the Times Square division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes April 13 at Aqueduct, finished a head in front of that same rival for the place spot with Calling Card, First Pitch and Smilensaycheese completing the field. Train The Trainer picked up $110,000 for the win, boosting his bankroll to $167,000.

“Everything you see now started out in California,” Atras said. “They started with him and did all the base work. He had the one race then when we had him we just led him over, stayed out of his way and let him progress. There’s nothing we really did any differently, just let him grow up and get bigger and stronger.”

Foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, Train the Trainer is a half-brother to six winners out of Heavenly Vision. She’s a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and sire Cairo Prince and the Grade 1-placed Empire Maker mare Nonna Mia, the dam of Grade 1 winner Outwork. – Tom Law

Kay Cup holds off her challengers in Wednesday’s Bouwerie Stakes at Saratoga. Coglianese Photo/Chelsea Durand.

• Dan Zanatta walked off the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sales grounds after a long few days of inspections of the New York-bred yearlings in the 2023 catalog. He put a filly from the first crop of Instagrand on the short list of potential purchases for NY Final Furlong Racing Stable, just not quite into the top five prospects.

NY Final Furlong, a partnership operation headed up by Zanatta and Vince Roth perhaps best known for campaigning New York-bred champion Venti Valentine and multiple stakes winner Espresso Shot, exclusively buys fillies to syndicate. Zanatta and Roth, along with members of the Rice family that helps with inspections, liked the filly out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Gypso Go.

“She was probably a top six filly on our list and honestly, probably at the bottom of the list going into the final day of the selection process,” Zanatta said. “Then the last day she just kept showing better and showing better. She was a filly that every time we looked at her we upgraded her. We ended up upgrading her to the top of the list.”

Bidding through Ricehorse, NY Final Furlong landed the filly for $100,000. Now almost two years later and with Electric City Racing and Sportsmen Stable on board as partners, the filly named Kay Cup continued her ascent up the New York-bred 3-year-old filly ranks thanks to a victory in the $200,000 Bouwerie Stakes on New York Showcase Day.

Kay Cup improved to 2-for-3 with her 3-length win over Charlotte’s Heart in the Bouwerie. Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode two winners on the Showcase Day card, guided Kay Cup to victory for trainer Jorge Abreu in 1:23.79 for the 7 furlongs on the fast main track.

Abreu trained Venti Valentine, recently named 2024 New York-bred champion older dirt female after winning the 2-year-old filly title in 2021, and didn’t hesitate to compare the two after Wednesday’s Bouwerie.

“Since Day 1 we have liked the filly,” Abreu said. “Her presentation in the morning and the way she trains, she’s very professional. Everything about her. She’s never had a bad day and that’s important for fillies. They can go the wrong or right way and she’s always been the right way. She could be the next Venti Valentine.”

Zanatta and Roth actually hoped Kay Cup could follow in the early hoofprints of Venti Valentine and Espresso Shot.

“When we first bought her and after her first race, in my mind this was our Busher horse,” Roth said of the open-company 3-year-old filly stakes typically run in early March at Aqueduct. “We won the Busher with Espresso Shot, we won the Busher with Venti Valentine. She had a slight setback and needed some time off, so we couldn’t get her ready for that race. We brought he back and she won at Aqueduct (in an April 27 maiden) and now we have a new plan in mind.

“I don’t know if Jorge is going to like this but I told him there’s a couple pretty big races in August at Saratoga that I’d like to see her in.”

Bred by Caperlane Farm and sold at the 2023 Saratoga New York-bred sale by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, Kay Cup is the second foal out of the winning Gypsy Jo.

Kay Cup is also part-owned by ESPN Radio personality Anita Marks through America’s Best Racing’s “A Stake in Stardom” program made popular this spring thanks to social media influencer Griffin Johnson’s part ownership of Grade 1 winner and classics competitor Sandman. Kay Cup picked up $110,000 for the Bouwerie victory to boost her bankroll to $161,500. – Tom Law

Sterling Silver, dominating winner of last year’s Johnstone Mile Handicap at Saratoga Race Course, headlines star-studded group of New York-breds running Wednesday on New York Showcase Day. Coglianese Photo.

The 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival kicks off in style Wednesday at Saratoga Race Course with New York-breds in the spotlight. New York Showcase Day leads off the five-day stand at the Spa, along with the Grade 1 Beverly Steinman Handicap over jumps.

The Showcase Day portion of the card features nine races for New York-breds, including six stakes worth $200,000 apiece.

In partnership with New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., Opening Day of the Belmont Festival will tip off with an I Love NY-Breds baseball cap giveaway. The first 10,000 fans to enter with paid admission will receive a free, white baseball cap featuring the NYTB and 2025 Belmont Stakes logos in tribute to the New York-bred industry.

Admission gates open at 11 a.m. with first post scheduled for 12:40 p.m.

The Saratoga Special, set for its 25th season this summer, will be on the scene to capture all the action and present a new Showcase Special for the first of two signature days for New York-breds this year at the Spa. Enjoy.

Worth Repeating
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to kick off this year’s Belmont Stakes Racing Festival with a New York Showcase Day card to highlight the quality of competitive racehorses produced in the Empire State when the racing world and media will be focused on Saratoga. New York-breds compete and win at every level around the world. Featuring a card with six state-bred stakes races and lucrative purses at a historic venue such as Saratoga Race Course shows why it pays to breed and race in New York.”
New York Thoroughbred Breeders Executive Director Najja Thompson.

By the Numbers
1: New York-bred champion from the 2024 season entered on Showcase Day – Bank Frenzy, who runs in the $200,000 Commentator Stakes.

5: Entries for trainer Jimmy Ferraro on Showcase Day, the most for any conditioner. Ferraro’s runners include Mama’s Gold in the $200,000 Commentator and Howling Wind in the $200,000 Bouwerie.

5: Entries apiece for McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds’ resident stallions Central Banker and Solomini

6: Number of runners out of Freud mares entered Wednesday.

6: Stakes on Wednesday’s Showcase Day card.

8: Finalists for New York-bred championship honors in 2024 entered on Wednesday’s card – Accelerating, Antonio of Venice, Bank Frenzy, Landed, Mama’s Gold, Silver Skillet and Sterling Silver.

27: Total stakes run during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

62: Trainers with runners entered on Showcase Day.

100: Entries on Wednesday’s card, including the seven in the Grade 1 Beverly Steinman.

$784,428: Earnings for Commentator entrant General Banker, the most of any New York-bred male on the card.

$1,046,051: Earnings for Critical Eye entrant Sterling Silver, the most of any New York-bred on the card.

$1,200,000: Purses for the six stakes.

$11,275,000: Purses for the 27 stakes at the Festival.

As for the races …
Race 1. Beverly R. Steinman Hudle Handicap (G1). $150,000, 4-year-olds and up, 2 3/8 miles over national fences. Post time 12:40 p.m. No New York-breds in the field but a competitive field of seven to kick off the day.

Mo Plex, winner of the Grade 3 Sanford last summer at Saratoga, runs in Wednesday’s Mike Lee Stakes. Coglianese Photo.

Race 2. Mike Lee Stakes. $200,000, 3-year-olds, 7 furlongs. Post time 1:13. Seven line up for the first stakes of the Showcase Day portion of the card, including graded stakes winner Mo Plex, stakes winners Soontobeking and Prince Valiant and one-time classics hopeful Calling Card.

Race 3. Maiden special weight. $90,000, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 5 1/2 furlongs, turf. Post time 1:46. Miss Im Pulsive moves to the grass after solid debut sprinting on the dirt last time out for Amelia Green. Willful Mama, a daughter of War of Will out of 2024 New York Broodmare of the Year In Spite of Mama, shortens up in her fourth start on the grass for owner-breeder Buck Butler and trainer Mike Maker.

Race 4. Commentator Stakes. $200,000, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles. Post time 2:19. Drake’s Passage won last year’s renewal for the late Christophe Clement and will become Miguel Clement’s first New York starter in this year’s renewal. He prepped for this with a fifth in a 1-mile open optional-claimer last month at Aqueduct. Bank Frenzy looms large from the outside. Last year’s champion older dirt male looks to bounce back from fourth in Grade 3 Westchester and rattling off four straight wins in late 2024 and early 2025.

Race 5. Allowance. $95,000, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/16 miles, turf. Post time 2:51. Sounds Like a Plan didn’t miss by much last time against open company in the Woodhaven Stakes. Son of Twirling Candy drops back to allowance ranks for Horacio De Paz and meets the likes of Pay the Juice, Leon Blue, The Paddock Pastor and Courtly Banker.

Bernieandtherose looks to extend win streak to five in Wednesday’s Bouwerie Stakes. Coglianese Photo.

Race 6. Bouwerie Stakes. $200,000, 3-year-olds, fillies, 7 furlongs. Post time 3:26. Bernieandtherose looks to keep win streak intact for owners and breeders Robert Rosenthal and Brad Bernstein and trainer Dominick Schettino. She’s won four straight, including back-to-back stakes. Accelerating, winner of last year’s Seeking the Ante and disappointing in her two tires this spring at Oaklawn, returns to the Empire State and looms a threat while Charlotte’s Heart switches to the main track for the first time.

Race 7. Kingston Stakes. $200,000, 4-year-olds and up, 1 1/16 miles, turf. Post time 4:02. The Freud gelding Schlomo makes his stakes debut off back-to-back wins for trainer Bill Mott and takes on field of experienced runners led by Hush of a Storm, Born Dancer, Clear Conscience, Be of Courage and Itsallcomintogetha.

Race 8. Critical Eye Stakes. $200,000, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/8 miles. Post time 4:37. Back to the main track for next-to-last stakes on the card. Landed, who figured to be favored, will come out of the race according to published reports and that leaves field of eight if they all go. Sterling Silver, who packs a strong resume and big bankroll; and Bernietakescharge, who scored a blowout win two starts back before fading in the mud last time, look toughest of that group.

Silver Skillet, a multiple New York-bred champion nominee in 2024, bids for third win in four starts at Saratoga in the Mount Vernon Stakes. Coglianese Photo/Susie Raisher.

Race 9. Mount Vernon Stakes. $200,000, 4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles. Post time 5:12. Silver Skillet returns to defend her title, albeit last year’s event was run on the main track after rains washed away the Showcase Day grass races. Daughter of Liam’s Map is equally good on grass, with three wins and two seconds in 11 tries. Reunites with Joel Rosario and potentially caps a big emotional day for the Clement family. Won’t be easy with the likes of Whatlovelookslike, Awesome Czech, Can’t Fool Me and Spinning Colors also in the field.

Race 10. Maiden special weight. $90,000, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/16 miles, turf. Post time 5:47. Coach Case, a son of Slumber, makes second start after good try in debut on the grass for the late Christophe Clement. Plenty of players in the field with Sir Oscar, English Castle, Spirit of the Law, Hello Newman, Moe Eighty Eight, Mission Hill and Sir Lawrence all looking like threats.

Tacony Road and Emanuel De Diego rally on the outside to win Monday’s George W. Barker at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.

Tim Murphy’s homebred Tacony Road rallied from off the pace to upset the battling favored duo Looms Boldly and Lady’s Golden Guy in Monday’s $50,000 George W. Barker Stakes at Finger Lakes.

Sent off as the second longest shot in the field of six at 20-1, Tacony Road made a sustained run around the far turn and through the stretch to win the 6-furlong Memorial Day feature by a length over Lady’s Golden Guy. Multiple stakes winner and 1-2 favorite Looms Boldly finished another head back in third in his attempt to get back to the winning form that saw him land the John Morrissey Handicap last summer at Saratoga Race Course.

Tacony Road landed his first stakes victory in his third stakes attempt, after finishing sixth in the 2023 New York Derby and third in last year’s Leon Reed Memorial, both at Finger Lakes. The 5-year-old Klimt gelding came into the Barker off a third behind Lady’s Golden Guy and stablemate Rhymes Like Dimes in an open-company allowance May 6 at Finger Lakes.

Murphy also trains Tacony Road, who was ridden to victory in the Barker by Emanuel De Diego. Tacony Road won in 1:12.71.

Lady’s Golden Guy, the 2-1 second choice, came away quick from the gate and opened up on his five rivals early. Looms Boldly made up the deficit and joined the leader through the opening quarter-mile in :22.75 with Tacony Road and Rhymes Like Dimes chasing the top pair while racing side-by-side up the backstretch.

Looms Boldly put a head in front around the far turn and clicked past the half in :45.96 with a determined Lady’s Golden Guy hanging tough on the rail. The two leaders continued their battle into the stretch and past 5 furlongs in :58.93 before Tacony Road emerged on the scene late and won going away. Royal Suspect, Rhymes Like Dimes and Take the Gold completed the field.

Tacony Road is the first foal out of the multiple stakes-winning Nobiz Like Shobiz mare Fingerpainter, who Murphy also trained. Bred in New York by Richard and Kay Zwirn, Fingerpainter won six of 16 starts and earned $148,347. Second at 2 in the Shesastonecoldfox Stakes at Finger Lakes, she returned at 3 to win the Niagara Stakes and Arctic Queen Stakes.

Fingerpainter is also the dam of the winning New York-bred Firing Line gelding Paint the Line and the 2-year-old New York-bred Take Charge Indy filly Our Girl Indy. Fingerpainter is also the dam of a colt by Vekoma born February 21 and named Fly Vekoma Fly.

Tacony Road improved to 6-for-22 with the Barker victory and boosted his earnings to $149,683.

Respected horseman and leading trainer Christophe Clement. Coglianese Photo.

Leading trainer Christophe Clement, who won more than 2,500 races and racked up purses of more than $184 million, passed away after a battle with cancer at the age of 59. A native of Paris, France, Clement enjoyed success at the highest levels of racing for more than three decades, including a classic win in the 2014 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes with Tonalist for owner Robert S. Evans.

“Unfortunately, if you are reading this, it means I was unable to beat my cancer,” Clement wrote in a message posted on social media Sunday. “As many of you know, I have been fighting an incurable disease, metastatic uveal melanoma. As I reflect on my journey, I realize I never worked a day in my life. Every morning, I woke up and did what I loved most surrounded by so much love. This journey started with my wife, Valerie, and six horses. Being a racehorse trainer is far more than a profession, horses have brought me fulfillment, friends and such wonderful memories.”

Clement, who saddled 2,576 winners from 13,269 starters according to Equibase, ranks 11th all-time in total earnings with more than $184,119,069 million. The list of top runners is led by Castleton Lyons’ Gio Ponti, champion older horse of 2009 and champion turf male in 2009 and 2010 who earned $6,169,800; and Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist, who also won back-to-back editions of the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup and Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap before retiring with earnings of $3,647,000.

Clement won 286 graded stakes during his career that earned him multiple finalist nominations for induction into the Racing Hall of Fame, including in 2025. He also holds the distinction as a trainer of Grade 1 winners and also as the breeder of a New York-bred Grade 1 winner on the flat. Therapist, co-bred by Clement and Richard Leahy’s Oak Bluff Stable and born at Berkshire Stud, provided that Grade 1 with a victory in the 2023 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Clement was honored by the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. as its Trainer of the Year in 2021 and 2022. He trained a bevy of New York-bred champions, including Pandagate (3-Year-Old Male in 2024), Silver Skillet (Turf Female in 2023), City Man (Turf Male in 2022), Acoustic Ave (2-Year-Old Male in 2022), Senbei (2-Year-Old Male in 2021), Gucci Factor (Turf Male in 2019), Disco Partner (Turf Male in 2017), Lubash (Turf Male in 2014 and 2015), and Discreet Marq, winner of the G1 Del Mar Oaks and two championship trophies in 2013.

The list of 286 graded stakes victories includes 41 at the Grade 1 level, mostly recently three last year in the Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer at Saratoga with Far Bridge, Saratoga Derby Invitational with Carson’s Run and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct with Far Bridge.

The New York-bred Disco Partner won 11 of 33 starts for his owner and breeder Patricia Generazio and Clement, including back-to-back editions of the Jaipur Invitational in 2017 and 2018 at Belmont Park. Disco Partner’s victory in the Grade 3 Jaipur in 2017 in 1:05.67 established a world record for 6 furlongs on the turf.

Family was always at the heart of his operation, learning at the hand of his late father, Miguel Clement, a successful trainer in France. After his father passed in 1978, Clement worked with many of the elite trainers in Europe, including legendary French conditioner Alec Head. In 1986, he spent time with Taylor Made Farm in the U.S., and a stint with Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey.

Clement ventured back to Europe in 1987 to work for Luca Cumani in the U.K. before returning stateside to go out on his own in 1991, winning with his first starter, Spectaculaire, that October over the inner turf at Belmont Park with Triple Crown-winning jockey Jean Cruguet at the helm. That victory came just one year after his brother, Nicolas Clement, saddled Saumarez to a prestigious victory in the 1990 Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Clement was pre-deceased by another brother, Marc Clement.

Clement was supported throughout his racing journey by his wife, Valerie, who in addition to handling the business side of the stable, operates her own design company. Together, they raised their children Charlotte and Miguel. Charlotte, a Vanderbilt University graduate, received her MBA from Harvard Business School. She is married to Shaun Collins and a proud Clement was often seen trackside at the Oklahoma holding his young grandchild, Hugo Christophe Clement Collins.

Miguel, who has served as his father’s assistant since graduating from Duke University and the Darley Flying Start program, is married to NYRA TV analyst Acacia Clement. Miguel will take over training duties going forward and will continue a storied family legacy that includes his father’s 30 years of excellence at the top of the sport.

Christophe Lorieul, a member of Clement’s ‘chosen family’ and his assistant since 1994, will also continue to steer the organization with a steady hand.

Remembrances and messages of condolences flooded in from all corners of the racing industry Sunday with the news of Clement’s passing.

“He was always interested in seeing others succeed in racing,” said Najja Thompson, Executive Director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. and longtime friend of the Clement family. “He wanted to see the sport succeed at every level, but most of all, he was a compelling, compassionate, friendly and outgoing individual, that really supported everyone he encountered in his life, including mine.”

“Every now and then a rare individual comes along and distinguishes themselves in the way they approach life, rising to the top of their game and positively impacting those around them. Christophe was a leader, a family man, friend and mentor to others,” said Marc Holliday, Chairman of NYRA’s Board of Directors. “Christophe was an incredible horseman, who always put the horse first and the results speak for themselves. I feel lucky to have known him. His legacy is his family and the giant he was in the industry. It will take time to grieve his loss, but as much as this is a sad day, in time there will be much to celebrate for a life well lived.”

“Beyond his accomplishments as a trainer, which are many, Christophe Clement was a kind and generous man who made lasting contributions to the fabric of racing in New York,” said David O’Rourke, NYRA President and CEO. “His loss is profound, and he will be deeply missed across our sport. We extend our condolences to Christophe’s family and legion of friends.”

“Our hearts are saddened today,” said New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association President Tina Marie Bond. “Christophe was a consummate horseman and so esteemed by his peers, but above all he cherished his family and friends. He made an extraordinary life for himself here in New York. Our sympathies go out to Valerie, Miguel, Charlotte, and Acacia, as well as all of the long-standing members of the CC tribe. May he rest in peace.”

“For decades, Christophe was the embodiment of professionalism, dedication and integrity in our industry,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. “He earned the deep respect of his peers through consistent excellence and a record of success at the highest levels of racing. Yet beyond achievements, it was Christophe’s genuine love for the horse that truly set him apart. He was a consummate professional and a welcoming gentleman whose demeanor was always positive, gracious and upbeat. May his memory continue to inspire the industry he loved so dearly.”

“We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Christophe Clement,” a statement from Breeders’ Cup Ltd. Said. “Not only was Christophe an exceptional trainer who excelled at the pinnacle of Thoroughbred racing, but his mark upon our sport also went above and beyond just winning races. He was a fierce champion of integrity, a friend and mentor to many, and a consummate professional who always put the well-being of his horses at the forefront of every decision. Our heartfelt condolences are with Christophe’s family, staff, and many friends. His presence will be dearly missed, and his legacy will live on for generations.”

Funeral arrangements are pending.

River Thames, a dominant winner in his first two starts this winter at Gulfstream Park, steps up in Saturday’s 150th Preakness Stakes. Coglianese Photo/Ryan Thompson.

New York-bred River Thames takes his turn in the 2025 Triple Crown when he takes on eight others in the 150th running of the $2 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

Owned by WinStar Farm, CHC Inc., Pantofel Stable and Wachtel Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, River Thames drew post six in the field of nine for the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride the son of Maclean’s Music, who is pegged as the 9-2 third choice behind 8-5 morning-line favorite and Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism and 4-1 second choice and Arkansas Derby winner Sandman.

River Thames comes into the 1 3/16-mile Preakness with two wins in four starts and placings in the Grade 2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park and Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course. The Fountain of Youth loss came by just a neck to eventual Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty.

River Thames earned sufficient points to land a spot in the starting gate for the May 3 Kentucky Derby but his connections opted to wait, giving the colt six weeks between starts.

“He has proven that he has held good company,” Pletcher said. “We’ve been able to give him a little space here, after his first three races were all pretty close together. So hopefully that little extra time from [the Blue Grass] to the Preakness and being fresh, gives him a chance to make a move forward.”

Pletcher breezed River Thames three times between the Blue Grass and Preakness, including a half-mile tightener in :48.25 last weekend on the Belmont Park training track.

“We are happy with his condition,” Pletcher said after the work. “He has bounced out of the Blue Grass well. He has been training consistently here. He has put on a few pounds, so we are happy with the way he is coming into it.”

Bred by CTR Stables LLC and foaled at Stonegate Stables in Fort Edward, River Thames sold to CHC, Siena Farm and WinStar’s Maverick Racing for $200,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. He’s the first foal out of the winning Discreet Cat mare Proportionality, a half-sister to stakes winner Miss Interpret from the family of Grade 1 winners Paulassilverlining and Dads Caps.

The Preakness, broadcast by NBC, goes as the 13th of 14 races Saturday with post time set for 7:01 p.m. ET.

• Waterville Lake Stable’s homebred Loon Cry, a finalist for champion New York-bred turf female honors in 2024, makes her first start since early November in Friday’s $100,000 The Very One Stakes sprinting on the turf. Trained by Christophe Clement and foaled at Stonewall Farm in Granite Springs, the 5-year-old daughter of More Than Ready won one of her two stakes on the Maryland circuit last year when she took the 6-furlong Sensible Lady at Laurel Park. She’s the 9-5 favorite on the morning line for jockey Flavien Prat, not including potential main track only runners if the race is moved off the grass. Post time for The Very One, which goes at 5 furlongs on the turf, is 4:38 p.m.

Whatchatalkinabout lands first graded stakes victory in Saturday’s John A. Nerud at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo/Susie Raisher.

Whatchatalkinabout returned to stakes company for the first time since October 2023 and came away with a gritty victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $169,750 John A. Nerud at Aqueduct.

Owned by Ice Wine Stable and trained by Wesley Ward, the 4-year-old son of Dialed In also returned from an almost five-month layoff to win a three-way photo in the 6-furlong Nerud. Irad Ortiz Jr. rode Whatchatalkinabout, who edged Silver Slugger to his inside and Surveillance to the outside.

Bet down to even-money favoritism, Whatchatalkinabout broke well and relinquished the lead early to Silver Slugger up the backstretch. Silver Slugger led through the opening quarter-mile in :21.89 over the fast track, just ahead of Whatchatalkinabout with Surveillance and Full Moon Madness right behind the top pair.

Silver Slugger and Whatchatalkinabout continued their battle around the far turn and to the half in :44.84 with Surveillance ranging up three wide at the top of the lane. The trio flashed past the eighth pole heads apart in :56.67 for the 5 furlongs and threw it down in deep stretch.

Whatchatalkinabout edged clear of Silver Slugger just before the wire for his second stakes score and fourth overall win from seven starts. Whatchatalkinabout, scratched at the gate before last month’s Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland, won in 1:09.03.

“He’s a good horse, talented,” Ward said. “He ran a gutsy race. I was proud of him. That horse on the inside [Silver Slugger] ran a big one and also the grey horse on the outside [Surveillance]. To be in the middle of those two and for him to gut through it really showed something.

Ortiz came away equally impressed.

“He was good. I was supposed to ride him last time and we scratched at the gate,” he said. “He was much better at the gate. That helped, we broke so good, he put me right in the race, and after that I was closer than I thought, and I go from there. He was game at the end. He felt the outside horse and fought. Then the inside horse came back, and he fights back and by the time we hit the wire he had his head in front. He was game, he was fighting.”

Whatchatalkinabout started his career with two wins in three starts, including a debut score in mid-May 2023 at Belmont Park and the New York Breeders’ Futurity in mid-October at Finger Lakes. He also finished third behind The Wine Steward and El Grande O in the Funny Cide Stakes on Saratoga Showcase Day during his juvenile season.

Off until last October, Whatchatalkinabout returned with back-to-back seconds at Aqueduct before an 8-length victory in mid-January at Aqueduct. Ward purposely waited until this spring to bring Whatchatalkinabout back to the races.

“He ran such a big number in his last race, I just wanted to give him a bunch of time,” Ward said. “I’ve learned a lot over the 35 years. When I started, I had black hair and now it’s white, so, I’ve learned what not to do. It’s hard to be patient, especially when he ran a big one like that.”

Bred by Newtown Anner Stud, Whatchatalkinabout is the sixth foal out of the unraced Super Saver mare Super Savvy. A half-sister to Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed Don’t Forget Gil, Super Savvy is the dam of 10-time winner and $354,215-earner Prince James and winner Stopdropandroll.

Super Savvy is also the dam of the 2-year-old New York-bred Sharp Azteca colt Hamilton’s Reason and a colt by Maxfield born February 12 in Kentucky. Newtown Anner Stud bred both colts.

Originally consigned by Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale, Whatchatalkinabout left the ring unsold on a bid of $38,000. Reoffered by Blake-Albina at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale, Whatchatalkinabout sold to Ward for $82,000.

Whatchatalkinabout earned $96,250 for the Nerud victory to boost his bankroll to $335,328.

Manny Franco celebrates victory aboard Spirit of St Louis in $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Saturday. Churchill Downs/Coady Media.

Spirit of St Louis vaulted to the top of the North American male turf division Saturday with a rousing victory in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs.

Reunited with Manny Franco – who rode the Medaglia d’Oro gelding to six stakes wins in 2023 and 2024 – Spirit of St Louis added the Turf Classic to his victory two starts back in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf at Gulfstream Park. He also bounced back from a close fourth as the favorite in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes in late March at Fair Grounds.

Sent off again as the favorite – this time 3-1 against nine others over the saturated turf course labeled good – Spirit of St Louis closed from the back of the field to win a six-way wild finish by three-quarters of a length over Mercante and Highway Robber. Franco angled Spirit of St Louis wide into the lane, avoiding any trouble down inside to give owners Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Richard Schermerhorn the win in the traditional Derby Day fixture.

“I was so happy in the last 200 yards because I thought I made the right move,” Franco said. “There were a lot of horses back in the same spot and I never had to stop and that was the key.”

Brown also praised Franco’s ride, which provided the trainer with his fifth victory in the Turf Classic following scores with Program Trading (2024), Domestic Spending (2021), Digital Age (2020) and Bricks and Mortar (2019).

“He was standing flat-footed and he didn’t break all that well,” Brown said. “But Manny did a good job of saving ground with him in the first turn and then got him running late. I was confident today with this horse because he does real well on soft turf. I’ve been following his numbers and he is getting better and better. But he has surprised me with how far he can run.”

Spirit of St Louis improved to 3-for-4 at 9 furlongs, winning in 1:48.20. A full brother to New York-bred Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Bar of Gold, Spirit of St Louis also improved to 11-for-16 with three seconds in the Turf Classic. He earned $530,110 to boost his bankroll to $1,809,250, good for 14th on the all-time list of New York-bred earners.

Bred by Chester and the late Mary Broman and foaled at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, Spirit of St Louis is also a half-brother to stakes-placed New York-breds Land Mine and Homeland. Khancord Kid, a Grade 3 winner, has produced five winners. She’s also the dam of a 2-year-old full brother to Spirit of St Louis named Kid’s Khanclusion.

The Bromans bought Khancord Kid’s dam, Confidently, for $1 million at the 2000 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. Out of Grade 1 winner Key Phrase, Confidently is a full sister to multiple stakes winner Yankee Gentleman with her dam a half-sister to the dam of champion Shared Belief.

Spirit of St Louis, a $300,000 purchase by BSW/Crow out of the 2020 Keeneland September yearling sale, made his first two starts for owner Peter Brant and Brown. He won his debut on the dirt in mid-February 2023 before a second in a 9-furlong allowance on the dirt, both at Aqueduct. Dubb purchased Spirit of St Louis for $280,000 shortly after that effort, at the Keeneland April horses of racing age sale. He’s won 10 of 13, including a run of five straight stakes from late 2023 to the summer of 2024.

The Turf Classic marked just the fourth graded try for Spirit of St Louis, who also finished a troubled fifth in last year’s Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland. He bounced back from that effort to win his second straight Mohawk Stakes on Empire Showcase Day in late October to close his 5-year-old campaign and set up a strong start to 2025.

Early On, a daughter of Union Rags bred by John Lauriello, leads the New York-bred contingent this weekend at Churchill Downs and starts in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks. Churchill Downs/Coady Media.

A trio of runners will fly the flag for the New York Thoroughbred breeding program at Churchill Downs in Grade 1 events on this weekend’s Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby cards.

The group includes Early On in Friday’s headlining $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks, which lost a New York-bred Thursday morning following the scratch of potential contender Five G.

Early On, a 3-year-old daughter of Union Rags bred by John Lauriello, will start from post one in the 9-furlong Oaks for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and owners C2 Racing Stable, Ken Reimer and Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch and Bradley Kent. She finished second by a nose behind Ballerina d’Oro last time out in the Grade 3 Gazelle April 5 at Aqueduct and is listed at 30-1 on the morning line for the Oaks.

“This is unbelievable. She’s going to be in the Kentucky Oaks,” Lauriello said last month. “I’m 77. I’ve been in and out of the horse business in a small way for 50 years. This is just a miracle. That filly has really done well. Sometimes you get lucky, not often.”

Lauriello lives in Alabama and keeps a small band of broodmares as a hobby. He purchased the winning Distorted Humor mare Sally O’Brien, carrying Early On in utero, for $75,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Sally O’Brien later sold in foal to Corniche for $55,000 to Fortune Farm at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale.

Early On, who also finished second behind fellow Oaks entrant Fondly in the Virginia Oaks March 15 at Colonial Downs, was foaled at Hickory Hill Farm Thoroughbreds in Fort Edward and sold for $20,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale.

“I love the New York program,” Lauriello said. “The New York breeding program is second to none in my opinion. I’ve been involved in horse racing with some folks from Birmingham and upstate New York, but the breeding was as much or more fun. The people from Birmingham got old and stopped their horse racing business, still fans, but didn’t want to breed or race, so I started about 15 years ago buying broodmares.

“I grew up in Amsterdam. The Sanford family had a farm there. When the season started at Saratoga, we used to hitchhike, and when kids couldn’t get in, we’d stand on the hoods of cars and look over the bushes to see the track. From the time I was a kid in Amsterdam going to the Sanford farm, I got bit early. Long story short, I got the bug.”

The New York program lost its other Oaks entrant, Grade 1 Gulfstream Parks Oaks winner Five G, when trainer George Weaver scratched the daughter of Vekoma after she reportedly backed off her feed and didn’t train to his satisfaction. The Gatsas Stables’ homebred figured to be one of the potential threats to favorites Good Cheer, Quietside, La Cara and Ballerina d’Oro.

“This is the type of race where you’ve got to be 110 percent and we don’t feel like she is,” Weaver told Daily Racing Form’s David Grening Thursday morning.

The Kentucky Oaks goes as the 11th of 13 races Friday with post time set for 5:51 p.m. ET.

The other two Grade 1-bound New York-breds run on Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Day card.

• Gary Barber’s Mi Bago, the winner of three straight stakes to end 2024 and start this season, leads things off when he takes on a full field of 13 other 3-year-olds in the newly upgraded $1 million American Turf presented by Ford. Bred by Highclere Inc., the son of Vekoma drew post four in the full field for the 1 1/16-mile turf event that goes as the ninth race at 4:06 p.m.

Mi Bago won the Pulpit Stakes on the turf in late November, Dania Beach on synthetic on New Year’s Day and Colonel Liam back on the grass in early March, all at Gulfstream for trainer Mark Casse. Foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham and out of the Indian Charlie mare Wabanaki, Mi Bago is 10-1 on the morning line for jockey Jose Ortiz.

• Spirit of St Louis, winner of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf two starts back, could give the Empire State its best chance of the weekend in the $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes. Campaigned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Richard Schermerhorn, the 6-year-old Medaglia d’Oro gelding is the 9-2 second choice in the field of 12 entered in the 9-furlong stakes.

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, foaled at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown and out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Khancord Kid, Spirit of St Louis reunites with Manny Franco for the Turf Classic. Franco rode the gelding to six stakes victories in 2023 and 2024, including back-to-back editions of the Mohawk on Empire Showcase Day. Trained by Chad Brown, Spirit of St Louis drew post 10. The Turf Classic goes at 5:39 p.m., leading in as usual to the headlining Kentucky Derby at 6:57 p.m.

Notes: Buck Butler’s homebred My Mane Squeeze was entered in Saturday’s $1 million Derby City Distaff Stakes presented by Kendall-Jackson Winery but reportedly will scratch in favor of next Saturday’s Grade 2 Ruffian at Aqueduct. The 4-year-old daughter of Audible is trained by Mike Maker and co-owned by WinStar Farm.