Classic sire Tapit, who is already a successful sire of sires, has several sons in this freshman sire class. The first to make his presence felt on the leaderboard is Iron Fist, off to a solid start with three winners from his first three starters.

Nominations for the North American edition of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards are now open, running through Aug. 2.

After last year's awards were presented virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 award recipients will be honored at an in-person event planned for Oct. 15 at Keeneland.

Caravaggio and Astern, among the stallions adding international flavor to this North American freshman sire class, were among the several in that class to record early career milestones over the past week.

Caravaggio recorded his first stakes winner on Sunday in France. Meanwhile, Astern, already represented by a pair of stakes winners in his native Australia, recorded his first U.S. winner on Friday – one of five North American freshman sires to do so thus far in the month of June.

There were 18 stakes races run from Thursday through Sunday on a marquee weekend at Belmont Park. Although there were some common themes among the victorious sirelines, the only stallion with two of his direct progeny finding the winner’s circle on the competitive weekend was breakout young sire Maclean’s Music, who could be poised for an upswing.

A celebration of life for Steve Dance, a senior member of Fasig-Tipton’s auction team for five decades, will be held 1 p.m. June 16 at the sales pavilion at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

Dance died at his home in his native Maryland on May 25 at age 78. He had worked the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale at the Timonium pavilion just a week prior. Dance became a full-time auctioneer and bid spotter for the company in 1972, and did not miss a single Fasig-Tipton auction over the ensuing nearly half-century.

Front and center on John Fradkin’s Twitter profile is a quote: Everyone should make at least one bet every day; otherwise, you might be walking around lucky and not even know it.

Fradkin has gotten plenty lucky with his bets, both as a handicapper, which was his introduction to the sport of racing, and as an owner and breeder with his wife, Diane. Most recently, a series of lucky breaks over the last year led to the Fradkins campaigning homebred Rombauer to a victory in the Preakness Stakes. The colt looks to add another classic in the Belmont Stakes this Saturday.

Nearly a decade ago, foes Byrama and Charm the Maker made up the exacta in a turf sprint stakes in California. On the opposite side of the country this Saturday, their sons Known Agenda and Rock Your World will meet again in the Belmont Stakes, going 1 1/2 miles on dirt.

Frosted’s first crop of runners is led by multiple graded stakes winner Travel Column, who goes in Saturday’s Grade 1 Acorn Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park. But the young Darley sire’s second Northern Hemisphere crop has gotten off to a flying start, and it’s that group who could kick-start the weekend at Belmont for their sire, as Baytown Frosty goes in the Tremont Stakes on Friday afternoon.

Tapit is the most successful sire in the modern history of the Belmont Stakes, with three winners of the oldest and longest American classic. As he continues to build his legacy, he will be represented in this Saturday’s renewal with Eclipse Award champion juvenile Essential Quality, who was fourth in the Kentucky Derby.

An Essential Quality win would give Tapit a fourth victory in the Belmont, tying Lexington, one of the greatest stallions in history, for the all-time record.

The stellar broodmare Devine Actress recorded her third graded stakes winner when her son Award Winner, a homebred for John and Jerry Amerman’s Amerman Racing, posted a head upset victory in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita.

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