Shum on Romantic Warrior

The owner of the Bottle of Rouge, a bona fide contender for the NetJets Juvenile Fillies (G1), never has a beef with the trainer. The owner never questions the training regimen of the daughter of Vino Rosso.  Nope, everything trainer Bob Baffert does with Bottle of Rouge is a-ok with the owner.   That’s because…

His stablemate Mi Bago  was bet down to less than even money and enjoying a clear lead through reasonable fractions, but D. J. Stable’s Dream On  had the superior turn of foot when it mattered most and posted a mild upset of the $400,000 Penn Mile Stakes (G3T) June 27 at Penn National Race Course. Twice rescheduled…

The last few editions of the Preakness Stakes (G1) have not been kind to Kentucky Derby (G1) winners and runners, but because this recent trend goes against a two-decade stretch of success for such runners, it’s unclear if something has changed or this is just an oddity. No Derby starter has won the Preakness since…

A California-bred daughter (Hip 193) by first-crop sire Corniche   topped the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearling Sale Sept. 23. A total of 143 yearlings grossed $4,617,900 for a median of $15,000 and an average of $32,293, up 10% from a year ago. Ten horses brought $100,000 or more. Last year, the sale averaged $29,334, with 163…

The victory by Banks  in the $250,000 Rushaway Stakes March 22 at Turfway Park came as no surprise to longtime breeder Beau Lane. Banks is the first foal out of the speedy mare Blip Says Bye , who comes from a family Lane has owned for four generations. Blip Says Bye is a half sister to stakes winner and graded…

Wathnan and Coolmore are doublehanded Aug. 3 in the Prix Rothschild (G1) at Deauville Racecourse, with the Aidan O’Brien pair of January  and Exactly  among the better fillies. As with all of the midsummer generational clashes, it is worth examining whether there is a particular bias one way or the other with the Rothschild and, with…