“Any time you get a chance to show a champion off to your breeders, it makes the sales team's job pretty easy,” said Spendthrift's Mark Toothaker. “He has been hugely popular and is completely sold out. Most every mare that he got is a blacktype mare, so he's going to get a huge chance.”

With an introductory fee of $50,000, Forte follows in the steps of Spendthrift sires like champion Jackie's Warrior, who stood for the same fee in his debut year last year, and the fast-starting first-crop sire Omaha Beach, who joined the roster in 2020 with a $45,000 fee.

“When Omaha Beach came in, he got the mares and then the next year Authentic got the mares,” explained Toothaker. “Jackie got the mares last year and so Forte will get them this year. He's a beautiful horse and we're so glad to have him here.”

The first champion 2-year-old to join the Spendthrift roster in over 40 years–since the likes of Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Lord Avie– Forte broke his maiden by nearly 8 lengths at Belmont, earning 'Rising Star' honors in that debut in May for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable. The Todd Pletcher trainee would later score three straight Grade I victories in the Hopeful S., Breeders' Futurity and Breeders' Cup Juvenile, where he bested MGISW Cave Rock (Arrogate) and eventual GI Preakness S. victor National Treasure (Quality Road).

Forte wins the 2022 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland | Horsephotos

It was a roller coaster of a 3-year-old campaign for Forte, as he continued his win streak in the GII Fountain of Youth S. and GI Florida Derby but was forced to scratch from the GI Kentucky Derby as the favorite due to a foot bruise. Off a 10-week layoff, he returned to the starting gate for the GI Belmont S. and was runner-up to Arcangelo (Arrogate). Before his final career start in the GI Travers S., Forte earned a career-high 105 Beyer Speed Figure in a hard-fought victory in the GII Jim Dandy S.

A quarter crack forced him to retire ahead of his bid in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

“He had some hiccups along the way, but still the talent came through,” said Toothaker. “The horse had so much class and he was just so push button. I think he just knew where the wire was. That was our biggest comment about him is that if you ever got in a dogfight with him, he knew how to win.”

Perfect pose, while waiting for his turn to pose in front of the crowd @spendthriftfarm open house. A natural. Forte pic.twitter.com/vrvCds9rdw

— Tanya Gunther (@tanyagun) November 13, 2023

Toothaker said that Forte first came on Spendthrift's potential stallion list after his win in the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, where he defeated fellow 'Rising Star' Loggins (Ghostzapper), a horse co-owned by Spendthrift.

“That race really puts him on our radar to try to get something done and we were able to get a deal done with Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola. We were thrilled we were able to get him secured late in his 2-year-old year. We got to ride the roller coaster this year, but it was all worth it.”

A $110,000 Keeneland September buy, Forte is out of the multiple stakes-winning Blame mare Queen Caroline, who just sold for $3 million to John Stewart at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Toothaker said that Forte's physical is reminiscent of his sireline and has been another bonus to his credentials as breeders have stopped by the farm since his arrival.

“He's got that Medaglia d'Oro length to him,” he said. “He stands over some ground and he's such a good mover. You see why Jacob West picked him out. He just drops his head and motors when you show him. Breeders have loved that when you bring him out on the end of the shank. He's just got a classy look to him. We're thrilled to have him and so happy we can show him off to all of our breeders.”

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Winner of the 2023 GII Shuvee S., Nest captured the GI Alabama, GI Ashland, and GI Coaching Club American Oaks in 2022. She's earned more than $2.1 million and sold as a racing or broodmare prospect.

#FasigNovember: Just like the star she is, champion NEST (Curlin) brings the hammer down at $6 million. pic.twitter.com/JMSML9Ru7L

— TDN (@theTDN) November 7, 2023

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Campaigned in partnership with Repole Stable and Michael House, reigning champion sophomore filly and three time Grade I winner Nest (Curlin – Marion Ravenwood, by A. P. Indy) took Eclipse President and Founder Aron Wellman and the rest of her connections on a journey they will not soon forget.

“There is no question that Nest has taken the queen's position at the top of the Eclipse fillies ranks,” Wellman said. “She breathes different air. The ride she has taken Eclipse and our partners, the Repole and House family, on has been nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we've all really cherished.”

Nest will be a standout for Fasig-Tipton, too, when she goes through the ring in a few weeks at the Night of the Stars sale.

“We've had the opportunity to offer some amazing broodmares and broodmare prospects in the last decade or so, from Havre de Grace to Songbird to Gamine and so forth, and this year we have another special offering in Nest,” said Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “She ranks right up there as one of the finest offerings we've had the privilege to present to the marketplace. She's like poetry in motion, watching her run. Anyone that has ever watched a horse race knows just how special she is.”

Purchased for $350,000, Nest was a yearling that Todd Pletcher just kept coming back to when he was going over his short list with the Repole team.

“Physically, she was a medium-sized filly,” Pletcher recalled of the bay bred by Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables. “Very good conformation with a great neck, head and shoulder, but what really stood out to me about her was her walk. If I were talking to someone saying, 'Hey, what does a horse that walks really well look like?' she would have been a terrific example.”

By Curlin and out of stakes-winning daughter of A.P. Indy, Nest was always expected to get better with age and distance. So when she came flying out of the gates as a juvenile to win by five lengths on debut and then claim the GII Demoiselle S., Wellman said her precocity was an unexpected bonus.

“To be a graded stakes winner at two as a daughter of Curlin with her pedigree, we felt like we were going into her 3-year-old season with some pretty heavy artillery,” he said.

Nest exceeded any expectations set before her last year as a sophomore as she reeled off five stakes victories, including three Grade I wins, and was named champion 3-year-old filly.

While she came just short of a Kentucky Oaks win–having come off an eight-length victory in the GI Ashland S. and settling for second behind Secret Oath (Arrogate)–her next start was one that her connections believe might be her most underrated performance.

Nest delivers an eye-popping performance in the 2022 GI Ashland S. | Coady

Although they initially planned on giving the filly some spacing before her next race following the Oaks, Nest flourished so well coming out of the race that they decided to go up against colts in the GI Belmont S. Despite stumbling at the start, she overcame a difficult trip to finish second behind stablemate Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo).

“Jose Ortiz had to really use her going into the first turn to get position, and then all the way up the backside and around the far turn she was really hemmed in behind big, burly colts,” Wellman explained. “When she did finally get clear in the stretch, it was just a little bit too late, but she leveled off like you don't see horses do. It was an extraordinary performance even in defeat.”

“What really impressed me was how she came out of the Belmont,” added Pletcher. “We've run quite a few horses in the Belmont over the years and I don't think I've ever had a horse run really well in the Belmont and then just thrive afterwards. She bounced out of the race really quickly and it set her up for two big performances at Saratoga.”

Nest's victories in the GI Coaching Club America Oaks, which she won by over 12 lengths and earned a career-high 104 Beyer Speed Figure, was followed up with another dominating Grade I score in the Alabama.

Nest gets a third Grade I score in the Alabama | Sarah Andrew

“It gives me chills to think about those moments,” Wellman said. “I was able to sit back and appreciate just how incredible of a filly she was and what she was doing for the business in gaining so many fans and what she was doing for my family, the Repole family, the House family, and of course all the Eclipse partners that are so privileged to be associated with her.”

“She displayed an ability you don't see very often of being able to really quicken and finish on the dirt,” explained Pletcher. “She has a high cruising speed, but it's not very often that you see any horse be able to accelerate on the dirt like she has been able to.”

This year, Nest's 4-year-old campaign was delayed due to an early setback from a fever and it was recently announced that she will miss the upcoming GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, but her connections still celebrated a productive season with a win in the GII Shuvee S. and yet another Grade I placing in the Personal Ensign.

The chapter of her career with Eclipse will come to a close when the 4-year-old sells on Nov. 7 at Fasig-Tipton, going through the ring with Highgate Sales as Hip 163.

“Of course we would love to keep her ourselves, but the economics of the business do not allow for our operation to do that,” explained Wellman. “Emotions will be running high come the Night of the Stars, without question. It's such a privilege and honor, and it's so humbling, to know that Nest will be well represented and looked after there at the Newtown Paddocks at Fasig-Tipton. The eyes of the world will be on her that night and it will be an exclamation point on what has been a career on the racetrack of constant exclamation points.”

Nest's siblings have helped boost her pedigree since she was purchased as a yearling three years ago. Her full-brother Idol won the 2021 GI Santa Anita H. and now stands at Taylor Made and her 3-year-old half-brother Lost Ark (Violence) just won the Jockey Club Derby Invitational S. in his last start on Oct. 7.

“I think anyone interested in having one of the top, top fillies of her generation,” Pletcher responded when asked about who Nest might appeal to on the eve of her sale. “It's a remarkable pedigree and a terrific cross with Curlin over A.P. Indy. It has worked so well many times. If you're looking for a broodmare prospect, this is as good as it gets.”

“When you look at Nest's potential as a broodmare, it's truly remarkable,” added Browning. “Not only is she by Curlin, who speaks for himself as a brilliant stallion, but you go through her pedigree and you've got the influence of Quiet American, Nureyev and A.P. Indy. The potential there is enormous and the possibilities are limitless. She's going to go to someone who is looking for the highest quality–a collector's item–to add to their broodmare band.”

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The announcement came one day after the 9-year-old gelding finished next to last in the GIII Sycamore at Keeneland.

“It's time,” part-owner Adam Wachtel said.

Channel Maker ran a record six times in the Breeders' Cup.

“I've never had a horse that's run at the highest level against the toughest competition from 2 through 9,” Wachtel said. “I love what Bill had to say about him after the Bowling Green; he said he's the happiest horse in the barn.”

Channel Maker ended his career with a record of 10-6-5 from 56 starts and career earnings of $3,915,983.

Wachtel said it is hoped that Channel Maker will take up residence at the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions in Lexington.

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The homebred, whose year-younger full-sister Mama Cocha (Jpn) won Sunday's G1 Sprinters S. at Nakayama, was an immediate hit while carrying the Deep Impact (Jpn) colours. Undefeated in four tries at two, including a victory in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies to secure her first championship, Sodashi made the one-mile G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) her fifth straight success before finishing eighth in the G1 Yushun Himba over a stamina-stretching 2400 metres. Sodashi defeated the globetrotting Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G2 Sapporo Kinen en route to being named the tops of her generation in 2021.

Third in the G1 February S. on the dirt in February 2022, Sodashi returned to the grass and easily handled her peers in the G1 Victoria Mile last May before closing out her 4-year-old season with a third against the boys in the G1 Mile Championship S. In two starts this term, Sodashi missed by a head in defence of her title in the Victoria Mile and was a latest seventh in the G1 Yasuda Kinen. On both occasions, she was defeated by Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), who is slated to travel to America for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile Nov. 4.

Sodashi retires with a record of 7-2-1 from 14 starts and earnings of $5,346,186.

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Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's champion 2-year-old colt and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) will look to join Street Sense and Nyquist as GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winners to capture the roses the following spring.

The dark bay heads to the Kentucky Derby as the one to beat following impressive victories in this term's GII Fountain of Youth S. and GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. A runaway debut winner going five furlongs at Belmont Park late last May, he concluded his juvenile campaign with three straight wins at the top level.

Forte learned his early lessons at Ocala Stud in Florida before heading to two-time Kentucky Derby winning-trainer Todd Pletcher last spring.

“He's the one that we identified early on as being the cream of the crop,” Ocala Stud's David O'Farrell said.

“He was very forward. He was a horse that from day one was super athletic. We felt like he could be a really good 2-year-old and he had enough stretch that maybe he could be a two-turn horse. You just never really envisioned him as being the Derby favorite a year later, but anything is possible. He was a horse that never had a bad day. He was one of the first two that we sent in to Pletcher in March of last year to get ready for Saratoga. We felt like he was going to be really precocious and a horse that would be a lot of fun in the summertime for the partnership of Repole and St. Elias. He's one of those that not only did he perform as a 2-year-old, he just kept getting better and better and better.”

O'Farrell concluded, “It's been really exciting to watch. He's just an awfully nice horse that we're fortunate enough to be a part of.”

Bred in Kentucky by Amy Moore's South Gate Farm, the $80,000 Keeneland November weanling turned $110,000 Keeneland September yearling is one of 15 graded winners worldwide for Violence and is the first foal out of four-time stakes winner Queen Caroline (Blame). Forte's half-brother by Uncle Mo brought $850,000 from Mayberry Farm at last year's Keeneland September sale.

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Champion sprinter Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) and Laura Moquett's relationship goes back to when he was just a 2-year-old who refused to go around the racetrack without some coaxing. Fast forward seven years and that cantankerous juvenile is now an Eclipse winner and Breeders' Cup winner and has been retired from racing as Moquett's personal riding horse.

On Thursday, less than 13 miles from the scene of Whitmore's greatest racetrack triumph, the pair had their show ring debut in the Retired Racehorse Project's competitive trail event at the Kentucky Horse Park.

“We had some issues to deal with between the wind and sun creating some scary shadows,” Moquett said. “He looked at the first obstacle and said hard no, but he worked through it and completed the course. I was really proud of him. He kept his composure really well despite that, which was incredible.”

She continued, “He had so many groupies. It was phenomenal. They followed him from the barn all the way up to the course. They were adoring. It was really cool to see. If this gets even one person to give a horse a second shot at a new career, that is so important.”

Whitmore entered Ron and Laura Moquett's barn as a rambunctious 2-year-old and was initially owned by their Southern Springs Stables. While new owners later bought into Whitmore, one thing remained unchanged and that was Laura Moquett, who was the chestnut's regular rider and traveling companion.

“As a 2-year-old, I really had to focus on him because he was a maniac,” Moquett said. “We couldn't get him around the racetrack, not one lap, and would not go the right direction. We did a bunch of schooling on that to teach him to go forward. We kept him company, even breezing, until the last couple of years because otherwise he would stop in the middle of the track and do some shenanigans. But, with company, he did his job and ran other horses down, which is funny because it ended up being his running style.”

She continued, “Basically, if I was in town, I would be on his back every day. If we had to go out of town for a stakes race, I was his companion. Most of it was great, but sometimes he pushes your buttons and he loves doing it.”

With a stallion career off the table for the gelded seven-time graded stakes winner, Ron Moquett consulted his partners about Whitmore's future when it came time for retirement. Everyone readily agreed to leave him in the hands of his lifelong friend Laura Moquett.

“Ron had talked to the partners and everyone came to the consensus we could keep him the rest of his life,” Moquett said. “I still wanted to be around him daily, so thankfully they were totally on board. He got injured at Saratoga last summer and they said he could come back to the races, but the partners agreed he had done more than enough. I was upset when he was injured, but I knew he was going to be okay and I would get to keep him, so it was a weird mix of emotions. It was devastating in the barn for our team because he was the big horse and had that mojo everyone wants to be around.”

That injury came during Saratoga's 2021 meet and Whitmore was given down time for the rest of the year.

“We couldn't bring him back until late December and I was just too busy at Oaklawn to start him,” Moquett said. “It didn't materialize this winter and I was just trying to get his feet back in shape. That will always be a challenge. I thought there was no way we could do the RRP, though that was all I wanted to do. I thought it would be really great for his fans to see him do something else. There are a lot of people that follow him and were upset when he got injured.”

She added, “I worked with him five or six times in the round pen just doing ground work in late March. Then I hauled him to a friend's place maybe four times and did some basic under saddle work. That was about as much as I could do until we got back to Kentucky after the Derby.”

Moquett and Whitmore did manage to fit one other outing in during their winter in Hot Springs, a trip to Oaklawn for “Whitmore Day.”

“The first day at Oaklawn he was actually decent,” Moquett said. “I think he was like, 'I'm back baby!' Days two through four, I was like I might die. One of the jocks went by and was like, 'He's going to drop you.' I said, 'He hasn't yet! Don't worry, I will make it home.' He was just so excited. By the fifth day, he realized we are just going to go out there and walk. I had the outrider next to me in case. He got out there and everyone was yelling for him and he was like, 'Okay, this is for me. That's right. I get it.' I told them if they didn't get me off the track before the gates popped and we accidentally won the race, I was taking the money.”

Once they returned to Kentucky in May, the real work began.

“He is at a barn in Goshen that the mounted police use,” Moquett said. That was part of what inspired the competitive trail idea. When he first got up here, I just legged him up trail riding at first. The first time I went anywhere with him was in June to Masterson Station for a jumper/trail night. It took me like 30 minutes to get him to the course. He was terrified of all the stuff they had set up. It blew my mind too. I was like there is no way I can do this. The mounted police take their horses to Hinkle Equestrian Center in Indiana to prep for competitions. We went over there about 12 times and that helped him a bunch. He is a fairly easy horse to ride and he will only get better. I am lucky.”

Whitmore's age and experience racing at venues from coast-to-coast have aided him in his second career.

“He has been on airplanes and at a bunch of different venues with music and crowds,” said Moquett. “I think that is an advantage, especially for this class, as is his age. He is a lot more settled than a young horse is.”

As for the future, Moquett has a few ideas, but is letting Whitmore dictate the plans.

“I would love to try the hunters with him,” the horsewoman said. “But, I am enjoying every second of it and we will see what he wants to do. It's his world, I am just living in it.”

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Echo Zulu, who was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following her debut win at Saratoga last July, won the GI Spinaway S. and GI Frizette S. before capping her championship season with a 5 1/4-length victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies S. She opened her sophomore campaign with a gritty win in the Mar. 26 GII Fair Grounds Oaks, but weakened to fourth when suffering her first loss in the May 6 GI Kentucky Oaks. The champ was scratched behind the gate of the June 11 GI Acorn S.

Pedigree Notes:

Adding to Gun Runner's Grade I sweep Saturday afternoon at Parx with Taiba and Society were 11-1 Sixtythreecaliber in the Seneca Overnight S. and Gunite in the Fort Harrod S. prior to Echo Zulu's tour-de-force.

Echo Zulu, a daughter of 2005 GII Forward Gal S. winner Legomyecho, has an unraced 2-year-old half-sister by American Pharoah named Doing Justice who sold for $1.4 million at the 2021 Keeneland September sale.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
DOGWOOD S.-GIII, $274,000, Churchill Downs, 9-24, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:22.43, ft.
1–ECHO ZULU, 122, f, 3, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Letgomyecho (GSW, $136,200), by Menifee
                2nd Dam: Echo Echo Echo, by Eastern Echo
                3rd Dam: Kashie West, by Sir Ivor
'TDN Rising Star'. ($300,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-L & N Racing
LLC & Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Betz/J.
Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/Ramsby (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $169,500.
Lifetime Record: Ch. 2-year-old filly, MGISW, 7-6-0-0,
$1,946,375. *1/2 to Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled's Song), GSP,
$253,478; J Boys Echo (Mineshaft), GSW, $377,543; Echo
Town (Speightstown), GISW, $410,020.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Tarabi, 120, f, 3, First Samurai–Indian Bay, by Indian Charlie.
($240,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-LBD Stable LLC, Manganaro
Bloodstock & David Ingordo; B-Hinkle Farms (KY); T-Cherie
DeVaux. $55,000.
3–Colorful Mischief, 118, f, 3, Into Mischief–Color Me Flying, by
Distorted Humor. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($300,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-St. Elias Stable; B-Clearsky Farms
(KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $27,500.
Margins: 5 1/4, 1HF, HF. Odds: 0.51, 2.75, 11.86.
Also Ran: Last Leaf, Gunning. Scratched: Chasing Fireflies, Wicked Halo.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Champion Ce Ce (Elusive Quality) could only manage third behind the fleet-footed Gamine (Into Mischief) in last year's Ballerina, but a victory in the Breeders' Cup more than made up for it. Just like last year, she enters this test off a tour de force in the GII Princess Rooney S. at Gulfstream July 2.

“We're kind of following the same pattern we followed last year. I thought she ran well at Saratoga last year and I'm looking forward to having another crack at it again this year,” the southern California-based conditioner Michael McCarthy said. “She obviously ran into a very good filly in Gamine but she showed up, and I think she's doing just as well this year if not better than she was last year at this time.”

Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) and Obligatory (Curlin) finished one-two in Belmont's GII Bed o'Roses S. last out June 10 and the Grade I-winning duo return here. Bella Sofia's career high came over this track-and-trip last year in the GI Test S. and Obligatory got her Grade I two back in the Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs.

Lady Rocket (Tale of the Cat) dominated the GIII Go For Wand H. last year and enters off a front-running score in Churchill's GIII Chicago S. June 25.

Female sprinters also highlight Del Mar's Sunday card with the GIII Rancho Bernardo H. It's topped by Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint runner-up Edgeway (Competitive Edge).

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Intriguing storylines abound in this year's eight-horse renewal of the summer centerpiece for sophomore colts, which is topped by GII Jim Dandy S. winner Epicenter (Not This Time). The GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. runner-up looks to provide Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen with his first Travers and add another bullet point to his hot young sire's resume.

“I love the race that he ran over this racetrack. I like him at a mile and a quarter,” Asmussen said. “Nothing but respect for some extremely good 3-year-olds, but I think we have the right one.”

Chad Brown's best previous Travers finish was third with Miles D (Curlin) in last year's renewal. He saddles three this year in Preakness winner Early Voting (Gun Runner); GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner and Jim Dandy runner-up Zandon (Upstart); and impressive Curlin S. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Artorius (Arrogate).

“The only reason I'm in this profession is from coming to Saratoga with my family as a kid,” Brown said. “It doesn't get any bigger than that, to win the jewel of their meet and the history surrounding the race. Coming to the Travers with my parents when I was knee-high is the only reason I'm here in the first place.”

Artorius is the lightest-raced horse in the field, but his late sire had just two more starts under his belt, and none in stakes company, when he powered home to a record-setting 13 1/2-length victory in this event in 2016. The last Travers winner to sire a Travers winner was 2004 victor Birdstone, who is responsible for 2009 scorer Summer Bird.

“The horse brought himself here since we got him to his debut at Keeneland,” Brown said. “Moving forward, he's always worked right on schedule, and he's done everything that we've asked him to do. He's been stretching out nicely and his first two-turn race was impressive, his best race. I have a lot of optimism that horse will be able to carry another eighth of a mile.”

Brad Cox captured last year's Travers with champion Essential Quality (Tapit) and looks to take the elusive GI Haskell Inviational S./Travers double this year with Cyberknife (Gun Runner). His phenomenal young sire could only manage third behind Arrogate in the 2016 Travers, but proved 10 furlongs was well within his wheel house when taking the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

The feel-good story of the year could add another chapter Saturday as Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike (Keen Ice) looks to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the GI Belmont S. Saturday at the Spa.

Jackie and Jack Headline Grade I Sprints

The first Grade I of the day should set the mood quite nicely as champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) looks to take his Saratoga record to six-for-six in the GI Forego S. The fleet-footed bay is four-for-four this year, including a sizzling last-out score in this venue's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. July 30.

“He's immortal,” Asmussen said. “He's the only racehorse ever to win a Grade I three years in a row at Saratoga. The only horse, ever, at Saratoga.”

None of the other six competitors even come close to being able to run with the Eclipse winner on paper, but GIII Westchester S. romper Cody's Wish (Curlin) appears best of the rest.

Just 117 minutes later sophomore sprinters get their turn, but once again it looks like a one-horse affair with the presence of 'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings). The speedy chestnut suffered his first loss when attempting two turns for the first time last out in the Haskell. Undefeated around one turn, including a 10-length demolition of the GI Woody Stephens S., the chestnut will be just about impossible to catch at his best.

“I thought the horse ran great in the Haskell. He ran a fast three-quarters in 1:09 and change and he fought on nicely,” Brown said. “He just didn't have quite enough late, but I thought it was a really good race. The horse has never disappointed me in a race. I'm happy to cut him back on a track that I know he likes. I hope he gets a good, clean break.”

He is joined by GII Amsterdam S. one-two Gunite (Gun Runner), winner of the GI Hopeful S. last term, and the chalk's stablemate Accretive (Practical Joke).

Short, But Sweet Personal Ensign

Clairiere | Sarah Andrew

Four of the five runners from Belmont's June 11 GI Ogden Phipps S., including regular rivals Malathaat (Curlin) and Clairiere (Curlin) face off yet again in a five-horse renewal of the GI Personal Ensign S.

Clairiere has come out on top in her last two meetings with champion and GI Kentucky Oaks winner Malathaat, edging her by a head in the Phipps and besting her in this venue's GII Shuvee S. July 24. Her dam Cavorting closed out her career with a decisive score in the 2016 Personal Ensign.

“She's racing royalty and she's in great form,” Asmussen said. “She's capable. It's within her and she continues to get better. I expect another huge race against great mares in the Personal Ensign. Letruska and Malathaat are as good as race mares can be.”

Champion Letruska (Super Saver) looks to defend her title in this event. While she was well beaten by her younger foes when folding her tent in the Shuvee, the bay did triumph over Clairiere earlier this season in the Apr. 23 GI Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn.

GIII Molly Pitcher S. winner and Phipps third Search Results (Flatter) and Shuvee third Crazy Beautiful (Liam's Map) round out the quintet.

BC Qualifiers Coast-to-Coast

Rounding out Saturday's Grade I action at Saratoga is the Sword Dancer S., a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf S. at Keeneland in November. When Aidan O'Brien ships one in, it's a horse worth paying attention to and he saddles Group 1 winner Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) here. Winning the G2 Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot June 18, he wheeled back just five days late to be fourth in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S.

Gufo (Declaration of War) adds blinkers for this title defense and Chad Brown saddles three–Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}), Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire})–in search of his fourth win in this event.

The West Coast also plays host to a Breeders' Cup qualifier in the GII Pat O'Brien S., which grants the winner a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile starting gate. Bill Mott makes the journey to Del Mar with an imposing contender in GI Carter H. winner Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), who hit the board behind the country's top two racehorses, Flightline (Tapit) and Life Is Good (Into Mischief), in his last two outings.

His biggest competition here comes from GI Bing Crosby S. and GII Triple Bend S. winner American Theorem (American Pharoah).

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