Trainer Wesley Ward on Tuesday will ship to England his contingent of runners being pointed for races at the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting, and on the plane will be the 2-year-old filly Big City Dreamin, by the obscure stallion Iqbaal.
The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training was truly a family affair for the Pike Racing consignment operation.
Claiborne Farm freshman sire Algorithms got his first U.S. winner in smashing fashion on May 28 at Pimlico, as Recruiting Ready flirted with the track record while rolling to a 10 1/4-length victory in a maiden special weight.
Freshman sire Shackleford enjoyed an outstanding holiday weekend, breaking through with his first three winners in as many days.
New York-based owner-breeder Patricia Generazio had an outstanding Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park.
Japanese Triple Crown winner Deep Impact pulled off another triple to further burnish his résumé as one of his nation's leading sires. He not only sired his third Japanese Derby winner, he swept the trifecta in the classic – with his three representatives only narrowly separated at the wire. Makahiki held off Satono Diamond by a nose, with Dee Majesty another half-length back in third.
The sorry state of American turf racing was on full display in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita on May 29. Half of the 10-horse field were bred abroad, and French-bred Si Sage and Patentar finished first and second ahead of the best of the American finishers, Montego Bay.
Preakness Stakes winner Shakleford sired his first winner today when the colt Little Nappy held on by a nose to win the third race at Gulfstream, a $40,000 maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds. He stands at Darby Dan Farm for a fee of $5,000.
Champion Leroidesanimaux, sire of versatile champion and classic winner Animal Kingdom, has died at Lanwades Stud in Newmarket, England, following complications from injuries suffered in a paddock accident earlier this year. The son of Candy Stripes was 16 in Northern Hemisphere time.
Shakhimat's victory in the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes on April 8 solidified the colt's place on the Queen's Plate radar, and gave sire Lonhro one of his biggest North American wins.
