Sidelined for more than 14 months following a strong debut second–beaten just a nose–going six furlongs at Ellis Park in late August of his 2-year-old season, the full-brother to promoted GI Kentucky Derby winner and Juddmonte stallion Mandaloun proved well worth the wait with a jaw-dropping, 10-length maiden victory for trainer Brad Cox at second asking beneath the Twin Spires.

With nine breezes on the worktab for his comebacker, Mullion was favored at 3-5 while facing six rivals with first-time Lasix going a one-turn mile. He was bumped slightly from both sides at the start after exiting from post three. Unfazed by the minimal contact, he was keen in the early stages while hard held in second. Mullion tugged his way to the front as the half went up in :46.09 and traveled beautifully leaving the quarter pole. He put on a show from there down the stretch beneath a motionless Florent Geroux and stopped the timer in 1:34.69. He earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“As much time, patience and effort as we put into Mullion, we were expecting a big performance, but to do what he did was beyond our expectations off that kind of a layoff,” Juddmonte USA General Manager Garrett O'Rourke said. “It shows the talent that the horse has and hopefully he keeps it together now and can be a big player next year. He ran a 4 on the Ragozin Sheets, which is just off the charts.”

O'Rourke continued, “He injured himself after his first start–he had a soft-tissue injury, then he had a few other little issues– and we gave him all the time he needed. It was always something just holding him back after that–upper respiratory infection, sore shin, foot abscess, etc. I always felt like the talent was there and all the extra time was only going to be to his benefit. We knew how nice he was. He's a gorgeous-looking horse with the pedigree to match and Brad (Cox) had a very high opinion of him, even as a 2-year-old.”

Mullion got back to business since earning his diploma with a four-furlong breeze in :48.80 (8/40) at Churchill Downs Nov. 26. He will winter at Fair Grounds, O'Rourke reports.

“All of the targets for him will be next year,” O'Rourke said. “I just felt like we didn't need to be in a rush with him. Brad (Cox) agreed and he'll try and go through his conditions down at Fair Grounds, then we'll look about jumping him up in mid-to-late spring. He definitely looks like he could hopefully be a (Grade I) Carter-Met Mile type of horse.”

Mullion was produced by the Empire Maker mare Brooch, a Juddmonte homebred and two-time group winner in Ireland. In addition to Mullion's aforementioned full-brother and fellow 'Rising Star' Mandaloun, the Into Mischief x Empire Maker cross is also responsible for Laurel River, who carried Juddmonte's famed green-and-pink silks to a win in the 2022 GII Pat O'Brien S. at Del Mar; and GSW & MGISP Occult.

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“The April Sale will take place at a key time, two days after Keeneland's Spring Meet and at the start of Kentucky Derby week, when the energy and excitement for Thoroughbred racing are at a high,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “The auction will be an opportunity to buy or sell quality individuals after spring racing seasons as owners and trainers transition to summer racing.”

Keeneland will accept approved supplemental entries to the April Sale until the sale date. Due to the changeable nature of horses-of-racing-age catalogs, consignments will be stabled and a barn order list produced and distributed around Monday, Apr. 24, when the catalog is close to finalization. A printed version will be available on Monday, Apr. 17 and a supplemental catalog will also be available prior to the sale.

Participating consignors in the April Sale are Claiborne Farm, ELiTE, Four Star Sales, Gainesway, Grovendale Sales, Highgate Sales, Hunter Valley Farm, Mill Ridge Sales, Taylor Made Sales Agency, Tom Amoss Racing Stable and Vinery Sales.

Buyers who plan to attend or participate remotely should register and establish credit within the Keeneland Sales Portal, as soon as possible due to the impending date. Online and phone bidding is available.

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“She ran pretty big,” Saez said. “Today she proved she's a beautiful and special filly. We knew she had a lot of speed but inside they had speed, too, so the plan was to try to follow the speed and be right behind, and everything went according to plan. It was perfect.”

Eclipse's Aron Wellman said, “She's matured. She's a filly we always thought would get better with age. The two times we sent her east were a very ambitious run [when fifth at 41-1] in the [2021 GI] Queen Elizabeth [II Challenge Cup] and a dirt try in the [2022 GIII] Bayakoa [at Oaklawn, where she also finished fifth]. She wasn't quite ready for it. Today we felt good about our chances.”

Pedigree Notes:

Queen Goddess is one of 39 Northern Hemisphere graded winners for her late, great sire, but the only out of a Lemon Drop Kid mare. Lemon Drop Kid is the damsire of 28 graded/group winners worldwide.

The winner's dam hails from the family of GISW Persistently (Smoke Glacken) and GSWs Good Reward (Storm Cat) and Pure Prize (Storm Cat)–the latter sired Saturday's GIII William L. McKnight S. winner Red Knight. Royal Story was acquired privately by Nixon after finishing second by a head in the 2015 Hut Hut S. at Gulfstream Park West, but failed to pan out on the track after that. She sold to Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals's Yeguada Centurion for $125,000 in foal to Mendelssohn at the 2019 Keeneland November sale and was exported to France. The resulting foal sold for €235,000 to agent Daithi Harvey for Highland Yard at the 2021 Arqana August Yearling sale.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
TAA PEGASUS WORLD CUP FILLY AND MARE TURF INVITATIONAL S. PRESENTED BY PEPSI-GIII, $490,300, Gulfstream, 1-28, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 1:41.91, fm.
1–QUEEN GODDESS, 121, m, 5, by Empire Maker
1st Dam: Royal Story (SP), by Lemon Drop Kid
2nd Dam: Bauble, by Tale of the Cat
3rd Dam: Just Reward, by Deputy Minister
($285,000 RNA Ylg '19 FTSAUG; $1,525,000 4yo '22 FTKNOV). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Gary Barber; B-Tolo Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Michael W McCarthy; J-Luis Saez. $291,000. Lifetime Record: 11-6-2-1, $761,580. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Shantisara (Ire), 119, m, 5, Coulsty (Ire)–Kharana (Ire), by Dalakhani (Ire). (10,000gns 2yo '20 TATGBR). O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb & Robert V LaPenta; B-Mr Oliver Donlon (IRE); T-Chad C Brown. $97,000.
3–Lady Rockstar (GB), 119, m, 5, Frankel (GB)–Noozhah (GB), by Singspiel (Ire). O-Steven Parkin; B-Branton Court Stud (GB); T-Brendan P Walsh. $48,500.
Margins: 1HF, 2 3/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 4.20, 2.50, 7.50.
Also Ran: Dalika (Ger), Wakanaka (Ire), Artie's Princess, Justify My Love (Brz), Sweet Enough (GB). Scratched: Bay Storm, Mona Stella, Perseverancia. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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9th-SA, $67K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6 1/2fT, 7:29 p.m.

Debuting Sunday out of the Richard Mandella barn, Ruby Nell (Bolt d'Oro) put in a quick breeze at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale to be a $1.2 million pick up for Spendthrift Farm. A daughter of last year's leading first-crop sire, Ruby Nell is out of a half-sister to MSW & GSP Concealed Identity (Smarty Jones) who went on to produce SW & GSP Peach of a Gal (Curlin). Quick on the main track, she's posted a trio of drills since the New Year including her most recent gate work–three furlongs in :35 4/5 (2/12). TJCIS PPS

3rd-GP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:09 p.m.

Leading a quartet of fillies in this two-turn event, Bomba Nera (War Front) is out of a half-sister to GISW & Hill 'n' Dale stallion Violence (Medaglia d'Oro). Out of the Todd Pletcher barn for Sumaya US Stables, she picks up jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Breaking to her outside is Tar Heel Girl (Into Mischief), a homebred for Town & Country Horse Farms out of the MGSW & GISP Upperline (Maria's Mon), making her a half-sister to SW War Secretary (War Front) and GSP Reigning Spirit (War Front). Training on the turf at Palm Meadows, Tar Heel Girl enters with a bullet work Jan. 13, going five furlongs on the grass in 1:02 1/5 (1/17).

From the extended family of the late leading sire Empire Maker (Unbridled) and GSW & MGISP Chester House (Mr. Prospector), Just The Sky (Justify) also traces back to GISW Honest Lady (Seattle Slew) and her offspring GISW First Defence (Unbridled's Song) and 'TDN Rising Star' Honest Mischief (Into Mischief). Her dam is a half-sister to the dam of MGSW & MGISP Honorable Duty (Distorted Humor). Just the Sky races for Chad Brown and gets Jose Ortiz in the irons.

A daughter of MGISW Dacita (Chi) (Scat Daddy), Doral (Quality Road) brought $575,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September. Her dam is a half-sister to champion 2-year-old filly in Chile Dafonda (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky) and champion imported 2-year-old filly in Peru Lady Estefania (Chi) (Powerscourt {GB}). Doral posted a bullet Jan. 15, going four furlongs in :49 (1/57) for trainer William Mott. TJCIS PPS

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“Baffert refuses to accept responsibility for his wrongful actions…” Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) wrote in a brief opposing Baffert's motion for a preliminary injunction that they filed late Tuesday in United States District Court (Western District of Kentucky). “Now, as the two-year anniversary of his CDI suspension approaches, Baffert has renewed his motion in a brazen attempt to litigate his way into the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

“This belated, tactical, and meritless motion should meet the same fate as his prior unsuccessful efforts to challenge his suspension,” the CDI filing continued.

CDI also argued that an injunction would injure the connections of other Derby qualifying points earners who would “lose their fairly-earned berths in the Derby to make room for Baffert,” the filing stated.

“An injunction would force CDI to reallocate [Derby qualifying] points, retroactively depriving those owners and trainers of Derby and [GI Kentucky] Oaks berths their horses have earned under CDI's existing rules,” the filing continued. “The harm to these innocent third parties, who have played by the rules, is exacerbated by Baffert's long delay in filing his motion.”

The Hall-of-Fame conditioner's trainees have crossed the finish wire first a record seven times in the Derby.

But it was that seventh Derby winner-Medina Spirit in 2021-who triggered Baffert's banishment when the colt tested positive for betamethasone, a Class C drug, in a post-Derby test.

Citing that positive finding and other drug overages in Grade I races around the same time, CDI told Baffert in June 2021 that he would be ineligible to race at its six U.S. tracks until after the 2023 Derby, and that any horse that raced under his training license would not be eligible to accrue qualifying points to get into the 2022 or 2023 Derbies.

Baffert had initially sued CDI on Feb. 28, 2022, in an attempt to get an injunction enjoining CDI from suspending him from its tracks and races. His complaint alleged civil rights violations related to what Baffert said was a deprivation of his right to due process of law guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Separately, Baffert fought unsuccessfully in the courts to try and stave off a 90-day suspension for Medina Spirit's drug overage that had been imposed upon him in February 2022 by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC).

Those legal efforts failed, and Baffert eventually had to start serving that KHRC suspension about a month before the 2022 Derby. He transferred his entire California-based stable to the care of other trainers, and his legal team at that time withdrew the motion for an injunction. (Even though his KHRC suspension has already been served, Baffert is appealing that ruling in an effort to expunge it from his record.)

Two horses Baffert trained through March 2022-the $1.7-million FTFMAR buy Taiba (Gun Runner) and 'TDN Rising Star' Messier (Empire Maker)-ran in the 2022 Derby under trainer Tim Yakteen's license, finishing 12th and 15th, respectively.

Baffert renewed his court quest to run in the 2023 Derby on Dec. 15, 2022.

In that filing, his legal team wrote that “Granting an injunction would work no hardship on [CDI]. Numerous rules and regulations already safeguard CDI's interests in health, integrity, safety, and fairness. Baffert has already served his time for the mere allegation of a violation which has yet to be fully adjudicated, and there is no doubt among industry observers and even casual spectators that Baffert suffered consequences for the mere perception of wrongdoing.”

CDI's Jan. 17 response took umbrage with that position.

“The drugging of Medina Spirit happened just months after the Baffert-trained Gamine was disqualified for testing positive for the same drug after finishing third in the 2020 Kentucky Oaks, also held at Churchill Downs Racetrack,” CDI's filing stated. “Baffert's unprecedented back-to-back drug violations cast a pall over CDI's two marquee horse racing events and triggered a national debate over the integrity of the sport.”

By banning Baffert, CDI claimed that it “acted well within its rights to protect the health and safety of its human and equine athletes and to protect its own brand and public confidence in the sport of horse racing… While Baffert has had no shortage of public relations gambits, he has failed to, and cannot, demonstrate his entitlement to a preliminary injunction.”

CDI's filing continued: “Baffert has not shown he will suffer irreparable harm absent an injunction. His 19-month delay in seeking injunctive relief negates any claim of irreparable harm. His primary alleged harm-the loss of purse money-is speculative and would be fully compensable by money damages.

“Nor will he lose his client base or suffer a loss of goodwill absent relief. Since his CDI suspension began, Baffert has run horses in hundreds of races around the world and earned millions of dollars in purse money. And none of his client-affiants say they will transfer horses from his care absent an injunction.”

CDI also alleged that Baffert's due process claim “fails as a matter of law because CDI is a private corporation, the individual defendants are not government officials, and no one violated Baffert's rights.”

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“For Juddmonte to bring in a horse like Mandaloun is very special,” said Aaron West, who joined Juddmonte USA this fall as Nominations Manager. “He was born and raised at the farm and got his early lessons here. Mandaloun reflects 40 years of work, and while there have been plenty of other horses along the way, to have a Classic-winning homebred here has always been the dream for Juddmonte.”

Seven years after Prince Khalid purchased his operation's American division in 1982, Juddmonte bought Queen of Song (His Majesty) for $700,000 in foal to Seattle Slew at the Keeneland November Sale. The Grade II winner was a full-sister to dirt Grade I winner and Classic sire Cormorant.

Queen of Song's stakes-placed daughter Aspiring Diva (Distant View) produced three stakes winners by Juddmonte sire Dansili (GB) in Irish Highweight Emulous (GB), Group victor First Sitting (GB), and Daring Diva (GB), the dam of blacktype winners Caponata (Selkirk) and Brooch (Empire Maker).

Trained by Dermot Weld, Brooch debuted at three and was undefeated in her first four starts including the G2 Lanwades Stud S. as a 4-year-old. Retired to stud back in Kentucky, Brooch produced Mandaloun as her second foal.

West reflected on Mandaloun's storied female family and said, “His pedigree is unique for us in that it's 11 generations of blacktype horses. In the first four generations on his female side, it's a Juddmonte mare to a Juddmonte stallion. It's a Classic dirt pedigree from the fourth generation all the way through now to Mandaloun.”

Making his juvenile debut going six furlongs for Brad Cox at Keeneland's fall meet, Mandaloun came from near the back of an 11-horse field to fight his way to a half-length victory and earn the 'Rising Star' nod. The next three finishers included future Grade III victor Bob's Edge (Competitive Edge) and 2021 GI Cigar Mile H. winner Americanrevolution (Constitution).

West points to that promising debut, as well as the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Haskell–both of which Mandaloun was elevated to first place–as the colt's three most impressive races.

“You go down the list of the horses that finished behind him in the Derby–Essential Quality, Hot Rod Charlie, Midnight Bourbon–it's a who's who of that 3-year-old crop,” West said. “Then he came back in the Haskell to be right there and beat that same group again.”

Mandaloun's resume also includes the GII Risen Star S. and the Pegasus S. at three, plus the GIII Louisiana S. at four.

“He has always been the same horse that we have here today,” West said. “He was very sound throughout his career and is a classy individual with a good mind. He is easy to be around and always does his job. When you see foals like that and you start training them, you hope they turn out to be a horse like Mandaloun.”

Mandaloun will stand for an introductory fee of $25,000. He is one of four sons of leading sire Into Mischief to enter stud this year and is the only incoming stallion in Kentucky out of a mare by Juddmonte homebred Empire Maker, who passed away nearly three years ago. When Mandaloun got his first graded score in the GII Risen Star, he became the 24^th graded winner out of a daughter of the influential stallion.

The Into Mischief-Empire Maker cross has produced four additional stakes winners including Laurel River, another Juddmonte homebred who won the GII Pat O'Brien S. this year, and Grade III victor Center Aisle.

West said that Mandaloun reflects the best of both sides of his pedigree.

“He brings out the power and strength of Into Mischief with the elegance, stretch and scope of Empire Maker. He had the precocity and the ability to show speed and win early, as he did at six and seven furlongs, but then also stretch out and carry that speed a route of ground. He's a perfect blend of the two [stallions] and I think that has been the biggest selling point for breeders.”

Juddmonte has a roster of five stallions led by champion Frankel (GB) at Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket, but Mandaloun will stand as the operation's lone representative in its stud barn in Kentucky for 2023.

Following a time of great loss for Juddmonte's American division after the death of Arrogate in 2020, but then an immeasurable loss for the Juddmonte dynasty in its entirety with the passing of Prince Khalid last year, Mandaloun represents the legacy of the many accomplished generations to go before him, as well as the next chapter in a renowned international operation's history, as he picks up the torch for Juddmonte USA.

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1st-KEE, $150K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 10:30 a.m.
After working an eighth of a mile in a blazing :9 4/5, ARABIAN KNIGHT (Uncle Mo) achieved a final bid of a sale-topping $2.3 million from Zedan Racing Stables at this year's OBS April Sale after fetching $250,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. The first foal out of a half-sister to MGSP Kinsley Kisses (Congrats), the bay posted a trio of speedy works on the west coast leading up to his debut including six furlongs from the gate in 1:12 (2/5) Oct. 23 and a five-furlong drill in 1:00 (6/39) Oct. 29. Also taking to the track in the afternoon for the first time Saturday is the Brad Cox trained Rocket and Roll (Bolt d'Oro), himself a $675,000 purchase and the third-highest price out of the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale. His dam, who has produced six winners from as many to make the races, is a daughter of champion grass mare Soaring Softly (Kris S.) and hails from the family of GISW Plenty of Grace (Roberto) and GSW & MGISP Recepta (Speightstown). Rocket and Roll sold twice as a yearling–first for $65,000 at Fasig-Tipton July and for $90,000 a few weeks later at KEESEP. TJCIS PPS

2nd-KEE, $195K, Aoc, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 11:05 a.m.
Last seen trailing home longshot winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) in this year's GI Kentucky Derby, MESSIER (Empire Maker) makes his return to the track back under the tutelage of Bob Baffert. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' for his 6 1/2-length maiden-breaking win, he went on to claim the GIII Bob Hope S. and finished out his juvenile campaign with a narrow loss to Slow Down Andy (Nyquist) in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity. He blew the doors to his 3-year-old year wide open with a 15-length romp in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 6 before joining trainer Tim Yakteen to finish second behind stablemate and GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender Taiba (Gun Runner) in the GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 9. Transferred back to Baffert following his distant finish at Churchill Downs, Messier makes his first start Saturday in six months with regular rider John Velazquez aboard. TJCIS PPS

1st-AQU, $85K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 10:50 a.m.
   The second foal to make the races out of MGISW I'm A Chatterbox (Munnings), JUNIPER'S MOON (Galileo {Ire}) makes her first start Saturday for trainer Anthony Dutrow. A $725,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by J.R. International Holdings, the chestnut worked four furlongs from the gate in :48.4 (9/33) Oct. 31 and gets Kendrick Carmouche in the irons. Breaking one gate further out, Natural Beauty (Blame) debuts for Christophe Clement and owner Cheyenne Stable. Herself a $525,000 yearling, she is the first foal out of a half-sister to MGSW Blamed (Blame). TJCIS PPS

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6th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 3:49 p.m. EDT
GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) may be missing his appearance at the Spa this summer, but his little sister PRANK (Into Mischief) will be stepping up to the post for the first time Sunday. Out of a daughter of GISW Island Sand (Tabasco Cat), the $500,000 KEESEP buy also hails from the Todd Pletcher barn. Steve Asmussen unveils Courtlandt Farm's High Class (Into Mischief), purchased for $575,000 out of the same sale. She is a daughter of GSP Euroboss (Street Boss). TJCIS PPs

2nd-SAR, $105k, Msw, f, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:37p.m. ET
MILIEU (Empire Maker), half-sister to Champion female sprinter and GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint shocker Shamrock Rose (First Dude), debuts in this turf maiden route for Bill Mott and Mike Rutherford. Costing $230,000 as an October yearling at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky, there is high-level success in her pedigree on the grass, namely MGSW Slew the Red (Red Ransom) under the second dam, who annexed two French Group contests before being imported for a State-side campaign. TJCIS PPs

1st-DMR, $80k, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 5:00p.m. ET
Sent to the blocks here by his powerhouse connections of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC, and Catherine Donovan, MASSIMO (Uncle Mo) will debut under the tutelage of Bob Baffert. The colt rides back-to-back five furlong bullets into the race, a July 14 move in :59.80 at Santa Anita (1/46) and a July 22 work over this track in :58.40 (1/82). A Winstar-bred graduate of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Sale, his connections paid $575,000 for the half-brother to GSP Hozier (Pioneerof the Nile) out of MGSW Merry Meadow (Henny Hughes). Through third dam Cruella (Tyrant), this is the family of MGISW Diazo (Jade Hunter). TJCIS PPs

8th-DMR, $80k, Msw, f, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 8:37p.m. ET
Debuting against a well-bred field here, JUSTIQUE (Justify) stands tall as the half-sister to GI Hollywood Derby winner Mo Town (Uncle Mo). Out of MGISP Molto Vita (Carson City), herself half to GSP Jaguar Paw (Giant's Causeway) and MGSP Venetian Mask (Pulpit), the filly's $725,000 price tag befit her pedigree; hailing from the breeding program of John Gunther & Eurowest Bloodstock. John Shirreffs will send Justique to post. Breaking to that one's inside in the colors of Mrs. Doreen Tabor is Fourth Street (Street Sense), the fleet-footed filly blazed :9.4 at OBSAPR, bringing $600,000 from M. V. Magnier to secure her. Out of a young broodmare, her second dam is MGSW Salty Strike (Smart Strike). Tea N Conversation (Candy Ride {Arg}) will carry the Spendthrift Farm colors on unveiling here, a $400,000 KEESEP half-sister to GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity winner Nucky (Ghostzapper).  TJCIS PPs

6th-MTH, $55k, Msw, 3yo/up, 1 1/16mT, 2:40p.m. ET
Breaking from the rail, MANASSAS (Frankel {GB}) debuts here for Todd Pletcher. Dam Avenge (War Front) was the two-time winner of the GI Rodeo Drive S. and finished third in both the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and the Gamely S. at Saratoga. His dam's half-sister Lira (Giant's Causeway) was graded stakes-placed, and was herself the dam of a stakes winner. This is the family of GISP Grasshopper (Dixie Union) and of the globetrotting MG1SW Mashaallah (Nijinsky II). TJCIS PPs

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5th-KEE, $100K, MSW, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 3:08 p.m.

Trainer Chad Brown brings NABOKOV (Uncle Mo) to Keeneland on Thursday for his career debut. The chestnut son of Peppy Rafaela (Bernardini) is a full-brother to GSW & MGSP Mopotism who earned over $876k in her career. Purchased for $775,000 by Peter Brant from the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Nabokov has been working consistently in preparation for his debut including four-furlongs in :49 2/5 Mar. 26 (12/63) and a more recent four-furlongs on the track at Keeneland in :48 3/5 Apr. 8 (21/85). He gets Lasix for his first start and picks up jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Also making his belated career debut is East to the Dawn (Empire Maker) for trainer Shug McGaughey. The four-year-old gelding, bought for $450,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of a stakes-placed mare who has produced three other winners on debut including GSW Rainha Da Bateria (Broken Vow). He also receives Lasix for his first-time and jockey Declan Cannon rides. TJCIS PPs

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