Volatile, by Violence, has an explosive name – and he exploded onto the scene with a victory in the Aristides Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs. But trainer Steve Asmussen has a long and harmonious history with the family of the rising star, having conditioned his dam and granddam to sprint stakes victories as well.
Spendthrift Farm has acquired a majority interest in unbeaten Kentucky Derby hopeful Authentic, continuing to invest in its leading sire line.
Shooters Shoot, a winner of two of six starts, makes his stakes debut Saturday in the Santa Anita Derby. If he wins, he would be second-year sire Competitive Edge's fifth stakes winner.
Eclipse Award champion and leading money-winner Arrogate has been euthanized after an unspecified illness caused neurological issues.
Grade 3 winner and freshman sire Speightster broke through with his first winner when Queen Arella won her debut last Friday at Gulfstream Park.
New Year's Day and Midnight Lute got major boosts on the global sire list earlier this year as their respective champion runners Maximum Security and Midnight Bisou finished one-two in the inaugural $20 million Saudi Cup. While neither stallion cracks the top 10 list based upon North American earnings – reigning leading sire Into Mischief tops that list – neither is a one-hit wonder for the season. Both had graded stakes winners in May at Santa Anita, and Midnight Lute, in particular, is having a solid season.
Eclipse champion sprinter Runhappy sparked the public’s attention after taking the Grade 1 King’s Bishop at Saratoga in stakes-record time, earning a lofty 113 Beyer Speed Figure. He followed that up with a heroic win in the slop in the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland before a track-record performance in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland. He continued to flash his natural talent in the Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita to cap off his 3-year-old season. Runhappy retired with seven wins in 10 lifetime starts and never raced on medication. By Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Runhappy’s first 2-year-olds run in 2020. Check back here for their entries each week!
Prior to his runner-up effort in the Matt Winn, Ny Traffic had been third in a division of the Risen Star and second in the Louisiana Derby. Should he break through with a major victory, he would be a standout for his young sire, and a standout for a female family that is light on black type.
Champion and prominent sire Bernardini is steadily emerging as a broodmare sire, following in the footprints of his late, great sire, A.P Indy. Bernardini recorded a triple with three stakes winners out of his daughters on Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Last week was the time for Not This Time. A graded stakes-winning juvenile himself, Not This Time got off to a fast start with two first-crop winners in as many days, taking command of the North American freshman sire list early. Through Sunday, no other freshman stallion in this region had yet recorded a winner.
