The Grade 1, $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap has a history of being a stallion-making race because it showcases the brilliance that is so desired in the American market.
John and Tanya Gunther, breeders of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, still have ties to this year's Belmont Stakes as Intrepid Heart could continue to boost the value of a family in which they are invested.
American Pharoah and Justify's Triple Crown victories were separated by three years on the calendar. But the two are now linked by more than history and shared trainer Bob Baffert – they are now both young stallions for the international Coolmore group, sharing a stallion barn at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.
The bloodstock industry has seen change, but as the ground has shifted under his feet, Tapit has remained strong and steady.
Curlin’s incredible streak of classic success is likely to come to an end this season. However, the Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm stallion is streaking through an outstanding spring, and is set to be represented on the star-studded Belmont Stakes undercard.
Three decades after his birth, A.P. Indy, who continues to reside at Lane's End as a beloved pensioner, is regarded as a breed-shaping sire and a prominent source of stamina. The stallion has built an empire that will be well in evidence on this year's Belmont Stakes card.
Skywire could be the latest Queen's Plate prospect from one of Canada's most prolific female families, which has a long record of classic success. The unraced Meandering Stream, the dam of four winners from as many starters, is a full sister to stakes winner Surging River, plus a half-sister to several stakes producers. That makes Skywire's third dam No Class, the pivot point for an outstanding classic family.
Multiple Grade 1 winners Beholder, Close Hatches, and Princess of Sylmar faced off five years ago in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes. Now they are all on to their second careers as broodmares, and one of them will have an entrant in this year’s Belmont Stakes.
Manitoba is not exactly an epicenter of Thoroughbred breeding. Yet Manitoba-bred Escape Clause has emerged from the relative handful of foals produced in the province to become a graded stakes winner.
Grade 1 winner Geri was euthanized on May 25 at Park Equine Hospital in Versailles, Ky., due to complications from colic.
