Mark Casse has handled plenty of stellar turf fillies, including champions Tepin, a two-time Eclipse Award heroine, and Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse. Nitrogen might not be at that level yet, but Casse said she is “catching up.” She remained unbeaten in four starts this year with a victory in the Grade 2 Edgewood for 3-year-old turf fillies on Friday at Churchill Downs, and will now eye an elusive Grade 1 win.

Some 18 months after moving his tack to the United States in late 2023, Ben Curtis continues his ascent, storming through early-spring activity in Kentucky to firmly establish himself in this jockey colony.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It won’t hurt trainer Steve Asmussen’s feelings if Sovereignty and Journalism, the one-two finishers from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, skip the Preakness Stakes on May 17 at Pimlico.

Asmussen plans to run the lightly raced Clever Again in the Preakness, and if neither Sovereignty nor Journalism run – their connections were lukewarm Sunday morning – the degree of difficulty certainly lessens.

“They don’t ever list on the trophy who skipped the race,” Asmussen said.

The late champion Bernardini was Sheikh Mohammed’s first winner of an American Triple Crown race, taking the 2006 Preakness Stakes under the Darley banner. The international outfit, which races as Godolphin while continuing to stand its stallions under the Darley brand name, has since completed a personal Triple Crown, winning the 2021 Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality and, now, a long-sought Kentucky Derby with Sovereignty.

Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty officially got on the work tab about a year ago and made his first start last August, but Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s association with the family goes back more than a quarter-century. He put the tack on great-granddam Sluice for her career debut in July 2000 and has since handled a few generations of this family.

“It’s really kind of a neat thing to be able to train those families and those generations of horses,” Mott said. “It might be telling my age a little bit, but it really makes it pretty special.”

After an unsuccessful attempt in a graded stakes on dirt, Donegal Momentum drops back into allowance company while returning to the turf in a multi-conditioned race going one mile Thursday at Aqueduct.

Donegal Momentum, trained by Tom Morley, is 3 for 4 on turf including a victory in the Gio Ponti Stakes going a mile at Aqueduct last year. His lone defeat on turf came by one length when finishing third in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby last fall at Del Mar.

Regardless of what happens the rest of the way with the Triple Crown and other major spring events, sires Into Mischief and Medaglia d’Oro exit the first weekend in May having already pulled off their own historic triples in the classics.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Juveniles by the prominent California stallion Stay Thirsty won maiden races at Santa Anita last Friday and Sunday, the first races for the division this year.

The filly Tapatia Mia, who won on Friday, and Fionello, who won on Sunday, were bred by Terry Lovingier, who retains an ownership interest, and are trained by Steve Knapp. Tiago Pereira rode both winners.

Judge Miller, twice stakes-placed in the spring of 2024, returned from a layoff of more than 11 months to win an allowance race at 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on Sunday in an encouraging manner.

Ridden by Antonio Fresu for trainer Mark Glatt, Judge Miller closed from fourth of seven to win by a half-length despite being held up behind rivals briefly on the turn. With room to race approaching the stretch, Judge Miller closed steadily to reach the front in the final sixteenth.

Judge Miller ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.27 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 95.