The account stated in a release that there are still plans to head to Churchill Downs later in the week as well as provided a positive prognosis for a future return to the track.

“Less than 24 hours after officially qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, No More Time unfortunately suffered an injury Sunday morning during his final controlled breeze and plans to head to Churchill Downs later this week,” Mendez wrote in the release. “Our team at Morplay Racing is clearly devastated by the news, but we are thankful No More Time should be able to make a full recovery and be back on the track soon.”

He continued, “We want to thank trainer Jose D'Angelo and our entire team that gave us this incredible ride over the last year, and we're now turning our attention and focus to getting No More Time healthy and better than ever.”

“His breeze was beautiful,” said D'Angelo. “But when he came back to the barn, he was off.”

In a release from Gulfstream Park, it was noted that No More Time sustained a condylar fracture in his left front leg and will undergo surgery to repair it Monday.

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“He worked by himself. He went good and also had a strong gallop-out,” trainer Jose D'Angelo said. “Everything's good. We're hoping to get into the Kentucky Derby.”

Prior to Saturday's three major prep races at Santa Anita, Keeneland, and Aqueduct, No More Time, who has collected 45 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, was sitting 15th in the standings that will determine the 20-horse field for the first leg of the Triple Crown at Churchill Downs.

“We're not just going to just run a horse there. We have a horse with a chance to win the race,” D'Angelo said.

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A strapping, nearly-black gelding, Catnip exits a longshot, but close third to Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 27. Trainer Mike Stidham looked at Catnip's Ragozin sheet and that encouraged him to swing for the fences in a hot renewal of the G1 Dubai Turf, bypassing a considerably easier spot in last weekend's GII Muniz Memorial S. at the Fair Grounds.

“He ran a huge new top in that race,” the freshly arrived Stidham said Wednesday. “We had a choice of running him for $300,000 or $5 million and we decided to take a shot at the $5 million and brought him over. So far, so good.”

Catnip is a half-brother to five-time U.S. graded winner Princess Grace (Karakontie {Jpn}), who was purchased by China Horse Club for $1.7 million at Fasig-Tipton November in 2022 and went on to win a Group 3 while posting a pair of narrowly beaten seconds in Group 1 company in Australia for trainer Chris Waller.

.@PegasusWorldCup Turf third Catnip is one handsome looking horse in the Dubai Turf. #DWC24 pic.twitter.com/wvBE6CdUxX

— Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) March 27, 2024

On his last visit to Meydan, Stidham saddled 'TDN Rising Star' Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) to a victory in the 2021 Dubai World Cup.

Repole Stable and St Elias Stable's GI Pegasus World Cup third Crupi (Curlin) was out in the 5-6 a.m. window reserved for the international contingent, his chestnut colt gleaming under the floodlights before and after a couple of spins around the track. Repole will not be in attendance, as he will be on hand at Gulfstream Park to watch 'TDN Rising Star' and champion Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Curlin Florida Derby, but here to represent the stable are Pat Cummings and a sleep-deprived Alex Solis II. You'll have to contact him for details.

The American-based, but locally owned Clapton (Brethren) is hard to miss when he comes onto the track, his orange tack and matching polos giving him absolutely no cover. After some internal discussion, the Florida-bred was given the green light for a World Cup bid, and connections are quietly confident he will fire his best shot Saturday.

Trainer Todd Fincher and owner Joe Peacock, Jr. made their way across the track to the starting gate where G1 Saudi Cup hero Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) got acquainted with the stalls before showing good energy in his track gallop. He appears a fresh horse despite his recent travels.

So popular was Jun Park and Delia Nash's Sibelius (Not This Time) leading up to last year's G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen that a DailySibelius hashtag was created on X. By the looks of it, he's grown his fan club and is always good for hamming it up at the outside fence beneath his adoring work rider Allyson Walker.

SIBELIUS with @AllysonKWalker went for an easy spin around the track in G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen prep @RacingDubai #HorseRacing #DubaiWorldCup #sportsphotography #Nikon pic.twitter.com/MhfArDQKMh

— Martin Dokoupil (@Martins_Images) March 27, 2024

Also making a good impression was fellow Golden Shaheen entrant Nakatomi (Firing Line), a rare Dubai runner for trainer Wesley Ward. Hopkins (Quality Road), beaten just a length into fourth by Sibelius last year, went through his gears down the lane Wednesday.

Gander S. winner Pandagate (Arrogate) was led onto the track by assistant trainer Miguel Clement, with his wife Acacia Clement not far behind. The New York-bred gray–his late sire's literal body double–stood for what felt like an eternity on the outside rail before taking off around Meydan and wrapping things up with a visit to the gate.

Caramel Chip (Midshipman) looks to have it all to do against the likes of Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) and Isolate (Mark Valeski) in Saturday's G2 Godolphin Mile, but win, lose or draw, the Jose D'Angelo trainee looks to be doing as well as he could be ahead of the $1-million contest.

The post DWC Trackside Report: Catnip Me-‘Wow’-ing Them At Meydan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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OCALA, FL – With a pair of colts topping the seven-figure mark, the tempo picked up during the second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Wednesday. With 144 horses sold Wednesday for $25,488,000, the session average was $177,000–up 6.2% from last year's corresponding session–and the median of $87,500 declined 2.8% from a year ago. The buy-back rate was 31.8%.

“I thought it was a very good session,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “It felt like there was activity all through the day at all levels. The numbers bear that out. It felt really good today.”

Through the first two days of the three-day auction, 307 horses have grossed $47,164,000. The average of $153,629 is down 2.2% from last year's corresponding figure and the median is down 11.8% to $75,000. The cumulative buy-back at the end of Wednesday's session was 26.7%. It was 27.3% at the close of the second session last year.

Trainer Jose D'Angelo made the highest bid of Wednesday's session when going to $1.5 million to acquire a colt by Not This Time. Earlier in the session, Ramiro Restrepo of Marquee Bloodstock went to $1.3 million to acquire a colt by Flatter. With that colt to be trained by Gustavo Delgado, both million-dollar juveniles will be kept in training with Florida-based trainers.

“It's exciting for the future of Florida racing,” Wojciechowski said.

With one session still to come, this year's OBS March sale has now produced three seven-figure juveniles. The entire 2023 sale had five 2-year-olds reach that threshold.

A total of 23 horses have sold for $500,000 or more through two sessions, compared to 14 to reach that level at the same point last year.

The OBS March sale concludes with a final session Thursday beginning at 11 a.m.

D'Angelo Looking for More Time

Jose D'Angelo, who has a colt on the GI Kentucky Derby trail with Morplay Racing's No More Time (Not This Time), was already looking ahead to next year's Triple Crown chase when he purchased another colt by Not This time for $1.5 million in Ocala Wednesday. D'Angelo said he purchased the colt for a partnership of owners, which includes Morplay's Rich Mendez. Mendez had partnered with Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo to purchase the colt for $900,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

Jose D'Angelo | Photos by Z

“I train No More Time, so we were looking at another son of Not This Time,” D'Angelo said after signing the ticket on hip 533 in the name of Pro Racing Stable. “He had an amazing work with a nice gallop out. And he looked mentally very focused. We are on the way to the Derby with No More Time. And I spoke with all of the owners and I told them this was a good opportunity to get a good horse for racing next year. Rich Mendez owns No More Time and I train horses for him. So hopefully we can replay this story next year with another son of Not This Time.”

Consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, the colt is out of Pammy Whammy (War Front) and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Pammy's Ready (More Than Ready). He worked a furlong last week in :9 4/5.

Mendez was standing next to Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo when the pinhookers acquired the colt at last year's Saratoga sale.

“We paid a lot of money for him at the yearling sale,” Hartley said. “We thought he was a beautiful horse at Saratoga. We took a shot and brought him here and he worked beautiful. It is bittersweet because we loved the colt so much. We wanted to hang on, but we're here to sell horses.”

Of the colt's final price, Hartley said, “The sale has been all or nothing, so we figured it was going to be really big or nothing. Jose got the colt and we are so proud of him because he also trains some for us, too. He has our horse [No More Time] that we're headed to the Derby with, too. There are a bunch of his people that just love Not This Time, so they made a deal together. We hope they can be successful.”

A native of Venezuela, D'Angelo has been training in the U.S. for five years now. He works alongside his father, who was a champion trainer in their native country.

“I arrived in the U.S. in 2019 and in 2020, I got Jesus' Dream, who brought me to the Breeders' Cup and the Preakness S. and Dubai World Cup and Pegasus World Cup. He put me on the map.”

D'Angelo hopes No More Time will help continue his career's upward trajectory. The sophomore won the GIII Sam F. Davis S. in February and was second last week in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.

“This is the first year with my babies,” he said. “I am very happy and I feel blessed. Probably next year we will have better babies.”

Hip 533 | Photos by Z/Joe DiOrio

As for plans for his newest Not This Time colt, D'Angelo said, “We will let him decompress for 15 days on the farm and later we will send him to Palm Meadows where I am getting all my babies. We will prep him for Keeneland or Saratoga. We don't know how early he can go, we are just going to do whatever is best for him and see what happens.” @JessMartiniTDN

Flatter Colt Lights Up OBS

A colt by Flatter (hip 494) became the second seven-figure juvenile of the March sale when bringing a final bid of $1.3 million from bloodstock agent Ramiro Restrepo. Restrepo, who signed for the colt in the name of his Marquee Bloodstock, said he had purchased the colt on behalf of a group of international partners, including Gustavo Delgado, who will train the youngster. Delgado has already had success with offspring of Flatter. The stallion is the sire of Paola Queen, who won the 2016 GI Test S. for the trainer.

Hip 494 | ThoroStride

The dark bay colt, who worked a furlong in :9 4/5 during last week's under-tack show, is out of Napier (Midnight Lute), a half-sister to Grade I winner Obligatory (Curlin). He was consigned by Sequel Bloodstock on behalf of his breeder, Gentry Stable.

“The family, with the dam being a half-sister to Obligatory, it's four generations of Juddmonte,” Restrepo said. “You have to respect that type of breeding program. So this is a horse that, if he goes on to do what you buy these kind of horses to do, eventually he will be a sire. He has that kind of female family supporting him.”

Delgado and his son and assistant Gustavo, Jr., as well as Restrepo hit the big stage with a partnership which tasted victory with Mage in last year's GI Kentucky Derby.

The younger Delgado has plenty of optimism for this newest acquisition.

“Gustavo Delgado, Jr. was with me at the sale and he loved the horse so much and was crucial in getting this done,” Restrepo said.

Of the partnership, Restrepo added, “The group is going to be comprised of several partners, both domestic and international. I was just in the Middle East for the G1 Saudi Cup and Super Saturday [at Meydan] and met with some interesting clients over there. So this will be another interesting hodge-podge mix of characters into this gumbo and we are always open to bringing other partners into this group. It's never one locked-up team. With are using a the-more-the-merrier approach. We will race together and hopefully celebrate together.” @JessMartiniTDN

Chasanoff's Audible Pays Off

Robert Chasanoff of Gentry Stable typically sells his foals as yearlings, but the breeder decided to hold back a Flatter colt last year and the decision paid dividends Wednesday in Ocala when the juvenile, consigned by Becky Thomas's Sequel Bloodstock, sold for $1.3 million to Ramiro Restrepo's Marquee Bloodstock.

Robert Chasanoff with daughter, Carlos Manresa, Becky Thomas, Ramiro Restrepo, and Tom Bozarth | Photos by Z

“Becky has been raving about the horse in her own low key way,” Chasanoff said after watching the colt go through the ring. “Obviously, the horse has done really well. He worked so well and we had just positive feedback. I thought he would sell well, but he exceeded my expectations. But he has exceeded my expectations every step of the way since he's been a foal.”

The colt is out of Napier (Midnight Lute), a half-sister to Grade I winner Obligatory (Curlin). The mare was purchased by Chasanoff's bloodstock advisor Tom Bozarth for $130,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

“I only have three broodmares and I typically sell my yearlings,” Chasanoff said. “We liked this horse enough to keep him back. He was a little immature and I didn't think we would get full value. I thought, well I haven't trained one in a while, maybe I will send him to Becky and we will train him or race him. The next thing I knew, he was in the sale.”

Chasanoff looked at Thomas and said with a laugh, “She thought he was too good for me.”

Chasanoff gave credit for Wednesday's success to the entire team surrounding the colt.

“Tom Bozarth is responsible for all my matings and he has been for 25 years,” he said. “All of my success is thanks to Tom. The colt was raised by Mike Owens at Cobra Farm, and of course Becky. Becky took him from being just a nice horse to that. It was all Carlos [Manresa] and Becky and the team at Sequel. I couldn't say enough about them.”

Napier, who RNA'd for $285,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November sale, has a yearling colt by Maxfield and was bred back Wednesday as her 2-year-old prepared to go through the sales ring in Ocala.

“She is being bred today to Elite Power,” Chasanoff said.

Of the sale result, he added, “I am gratified beyond all reasonable expectation. When you do business with Tom Bozarth or Becky and Carlos, good things will happen. That will be the best comment I could make.”  @JessMartiniTDN

Nyquist Filly to Casse, Eventually

A filly by Nyquist (hip 304) jumped to the lead early in the second session of the OBS March sale Wednesday when selling to bloodstock agent Justin Casse, bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, for $750,000. Consigned by Wavertree Stables, the juvenile is out of High Heeled Girl (Malibu Moon), a daughter of Grade I placed High Heeled Hope (Salt Lake) and a half-sister to graded winners Lady T N T (Justin Phillip) and Sweet Hope (Lemon Drop Kid).

Hip 304 | Photos by Z

“I love the sire,” Casse said of the filly's appeal. “And I think she was a beautiful physical. She'd catch your eye just walking by. She was just that type. And then what she did on the track was very special as well. She put in a very good time and she's an excellent mover and she did it right.”

The filly worked a furlong in :9 4/5 at last week's under-tack preview.

“I don't know which trainer she is going to,” Casse said. “She doesn't seem like the type that needs any time. She could probably go right on. She looks like a promising 2-year-old type. But as of this moment, there are no plans.”

The chestnut filly was originally led out of the ring at $850,000, but after some confusion and much discussion, she was ultimately sold for $750,000.

“I am not entirely sure what happened,” Casse said. “It looked like basically a bid might have been taken that was supposed to be lower than what they were put in at–it looked like somebody was put in at $800,000 and they were trying to be $775,000. I think there was a bit of that. That was my take, from what I could tell. We are very happy to have the horse at the end of the day at that number after the dust had settled.”

Also unsure how the kerfuffle had occurred, Wavertree's Ciaran Dunne said, “I haven't had time to go and talk to OBS and see what actually did happen. Unfortunately, you have to make game time decisions and we couldn't sit around, we had to make a decision and we made the decision to go ahead and sell her. We probably would have been very happy without the shenanigans and when the check arrives, we will probably forget about the shenanigans and be happy again.”

The filly was purchased by the Red Wings pinhooking partnership of Paul Reddam, who campaigned her GI Kentucky Derby-winning sire, and Dunne for $250,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“She's by a stallion, for us, that is probably one of the top stallions in the country,” Dunne said. “I think he's an amazing stallion–dirt, long, short, it doesn't matter. They are horses that are great to train. We have been fortunate to be around enough of them because to our connection with Mr. Reddam. So he's always a stallion who is high on the radar for us. Physically, I thought she was as good a filly as you're going to get. Great shape, great hind end on her, moved good, and she did everything we wanted her to do on the racetrack.”

Later in the session, Wavertree sold a colt from the first crop of graded stakes winner Shancelot (hip 421) for $650,000 to Bill Childs. The juvenile, who worked a furlong last week in :9 4/5, was purchased by Dunne's Waves Bloodstock partnership for $130,000 at Keeneland last September.

Hip 421 | Photos by Z

“He brought all a Shancelot was ever going to bring,” Dunne said. “He was a beautiful colt when we bought him, so it wasn't rocket science. He matured just as you would want him to and he performed on the racetrack. I think he brought as much as a first-season stallion people probably forgotten was at stud could bring.”

The speedy Shancelot won the 2019 GII Amsterdam S. and was second in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, but questions surrounded him as he began his stud career when his trainer Jorge Navarro was sentenced to five years in prison for employing performance-enhancing drugs.

Asked if there were any concerns about buying a six-figure yearling by the stallion last fall, Dunne said, “Maybe I am naive, but we've been doing this a long time and I'm not sure that anybody has ever come up with anything that can make one go faster than it is. I remember seeing that horse win at Saratoga and I was blown away.” @JessMartiniTDN

One and Done for Speedway

Peter and Ann Fluor and Kane Weiner's Speedway Stables don't depend on numbers when attending the season's biggest sales. But what they lack in quantity they more than make up for in quality, and employed that formula again Wednesday when landing Hip 445, a colt by Mitole, for $725,000. Peter Fluor handled the bidding duties for the dark bay, who was the sole purchase for the team through the first two days of the sale.

Hip 445 | Photos by Z

“It was a little beyond where we had hoped he'd be. We are aware of the fact it is usually all or nothing,” admitted agent Marette Farrell. “We didn't want to pay any more, but we are happy to get the horses. We had to stretch a little bit, but we were at the tipping point.”

Consigned by Eddie Woods, the son of Midnight Magic (Midnight Lute) breezed :9.4 during Friday's breeze session. The Florida-bred colt is a half-brother to GIII Delaware Oaks winner Midnight Stroll (Not This Time) and stakes-placed Atthecrossroads (Practical Joke). Midnight Magic is a half-sister to Grade III winner Coalport (Kitten's Joy), in addition to French listed winner Jolly Good Kitten (Kitten's Joy).

“He had a flawless breeze and we just loved his gallop out,” recalled Farrell. “An obvious selling point was that he was by Mitole, who was the champion first-season sire last year. However, what we really liked about this particular colt was the way he was built. He had more Midnight Lute in him, more stretch and more length. [Trainer] John and Tonya Terranova train [GSW Midnight Stroll], so we were aware of that.”

According to Farrell, the $250,000 OBS October purchase will ultimately head to Bob Baffert.

“We hope he will be a Del Mar horse,” she said.

In addition to the obvious talent witnessed on the track last week, Farrell also pointed to some of the more intangible factors that went into pursuing the colt.

“It was the class of the horse. We went back after we bought him and there he was, head out of the stall eating hay and very calm. I love that too,” explained Farrell. “Angela [Woods] told us he's a highly intelligent horse and every day when they clean his stall, he's back on the clean part of the shavings laying down. To me, growing up in Ireland, that was something that was really important. The really good horses really take care of themselves and are easy on themselves mentally.”

She continued, “When they go to the next level, it's stress 24/7. They go into a tense environment every morning. So if they can zone out and chill, I think they are easy on themselves mentally and physically as a result.”

From limited 2-year-old purchases over the past few years, Speedway has unearthed a handful of gold nuggets at OBS, most notably GI Pacific Classic scorer Collected (City Zip), a $170,000 OBS March buy in 2015, and juvenile champion Corniche (Quality Road), secured for $1.5 million at the OBS Spring sale in 2021. Both colts were trained by Baffert for the majority of their careers.

“I feel really comfortable at the 2-year-old sales,” she said. “We have a great team here. At the yearling sales, sometimes it feels like 'pin the tail on the donkey'. You just don't have as much information to go by. But at the juvenile sales, there are a lot more factors to consider. And I really find that fun.”–@CBossTDN

Strong Showing for Woods at OBS

Eddie Woods usually can be counted on to come well armed to the OBS sales and this season was no different. Highlighting his consignment on the second day of the sale, the Woods team was headed by Hip 445, a colt by Mitole who realized a $725,000 final bid from Speedway Stables. Woods purchased the colt for a sale topping $250,000 at OBS last October. Also during Day 2 of the sale, Woods sold Hip 499, a filly by Twirling Candy, for $600,000 and Hip 348, a Florida-bred colt by the Lane's End sire for $550,000. Rounding out his top sales of the session was Hip 395, a $400,000 colt by freshman sire Improbable.

From 10 horses offered Wednesday, Woods got nine of the sold, with eight realizing over $200,000.

Eddie Woods | Photos by Z

“I thought he'd sell really well, but I didn't really think he'd bring over $700,000,” admitted Woods on the sale of his session topper. “We paid well for him in the beginning because he was a really good-looking yearling. He just kept getting better all winter. He stayed together and vetted well. He worked fantastic even though he worked on his wrong lead, which was a surprise because he's never put a foot wrong. But that's the way it goes. He's magnificent looking and I think he has a chance to be a really top-end horse.”

Weighing in the colt's dam, Midnight Magic (Midnight Lute), Woods added, “He's out of a good mare. I tried to buy the sister [GSW Midnight Stroll] a couple of years ago, but Tonya Terranova outbid me for her and she went on to become a graded stakes horse for them. And these horses were similar. The Midnight Lute is a big influence on that whole family.”

At this venue last year, the Woods consignment was headed by the Twirling Candy colt Top Conor, who brought $1-million from Sean Flanagan. The colt, who was the co-fourth highest priced at this venue last season, broke his maiden for Chad Brown at Gulfstream Park Feb. 17 and is targeting the GII Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Apr. 6.

Asked about his apparent affinity with the sire, Woods explained, “I've been lucky with Twirling Candy. We also had a beautiful-looking horse sell here for $550,000 here today. I actually thought he would bring a little bit more because Twirling Candy is a bit more accomplished [than Mitole] at this point. We also had a filly bring $600,000 and she was just an athlete. She was an oil painting. She did just everything right.”

However, even with the stars aligning and all the pieces falling exactly into place, Woods was quick to point out the common theme in the juvenile sales market.

“If they are good they'll give you all you need from them, but if they're not, you'll be holding on to your hat.” —@CBossTDN

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Reyes rode more than 1,400 winners in Venezuela before moving his tack to South Florida in 2016. The 37-year-old riding veteran got off to a quick start for the meet that kicked off Apr. 4 and never looked back, finishing with 93 victories, 18 more than runner-up Edwin Gonzalez.

“It's amazing. It's been a lot of hard work,” Reyes said. “I've been riding new horses every day. I work hard every morning. I'm very happy for this.”

Reyes, who rode 30 winners during the Championship Meet, has surpassed the 100-win mark in 2023 for the second year in a row.

After being locked in a tight race with Jose D'Angelo for much of the meet, Joseph finished strongly to add another title at Gulfstream, where he has won the Championship Meet title the past two years. Joseph sent out 66 winners, 11 more than D'Angelo.

“This meet means a lot after what we went through in May and having to go through that experience,” Joseph said. “To keep the ball rolling and having our name cleared–which should have been done in the beginning–it means a lot. The title means a lot. They all mean something, but this one is right up there with the Championship Meet ones.”

Gulfstream Park's Sunshine Meet begins Friday and will run through Nov. 26. The track's elite Championship Meet opens Dec. 1.

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The son of Tapiture, second in the 2020 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile and third in last year's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes and Grade 2 Jim Dandy, will sit out the next 90 days while recuperating at WinStar Farm, according to trainer Jose D'Angelo.

“Everything is good with him. It really wasn't a big deal, but we always want to do the right thing,” D'Angelo said. “He will rest at WinStar for 90 days, they will walk and swim him, and then he'll come right back.”

Jesus' Team, who started his career in a $25,000 claimer, has finished first, second, or third in 11 of 17 starts and has earned $821,800. After finishing second in the Pegasus, Jesus' Team was sixth in the Dubai World Cup and fifth in an overnight handicap at Gulfstream before finishing eighth Aug. 6 at Saratoga in the Alydar Stakes.

The post Jesus’ Team Out Of Training With Ankle Chip appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The ninth edition of the Alydar, named for the 1989 Hall of Fame inductee who finished second to Affirmed in all three legs of the 1978 Triple Crown, will see Jesus' Team return to the Spa for the first time since running third in last year's Grade 2 Jim Dandy.

The Tapiture colt used that contest for sophomores as a prep for the 2020 Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, which was held in October last year, with Jesus' Team finishing third in the final leg of the Triple Crown behind Authentic and winner Swiss Skydiver. Trainer Jose D'Angelo saw him build on that effort in a Triple Crown classic to run second behind Knicks Go in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cut Dirt Mile in November at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., earning a 102 Beyer Speed Figure.

Jesus' Team closed out his year with his first stakes win, capturing the Claiming Crown Jewel in December at Gulfstream going 1 1/8 miles. Returning to the same track and distance, Jesus' Team again linked up with Knicks Go in his 2021 bow, again running second to his rival in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January that netted a 105 Beyer.

D'Angelo then shipped Jesus' Team to the United Arab Emirates, where he ran sixth in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup in March. After a four-month freshening, he returned to run fifth on July 11 at Gulfstream, prompting D'Angelo to skip the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney on August 7 at Saratoga in favor of the Alydar.

“The last race, for sure, he needed,” D'Angelo said. “After quarantine coming back from Dubai, he lost a little weight. It was a little hard to [improve] his conditioning again. He needed that race to be the horse he is now. He's bigger than his last race, and in that race, he was a little too close to the front. I think it helped him get him fit, though, and we're looking forward to this race.”

Junior Alvarado will pick up the mount from post 7.

Two-time graded stakes-winner Core Beliefs returned from a nine-month layoff to run third in an optional claiming contest going 1 1/16 miles in June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Trainer Brian Lynch said the Quality Road bay needed that race after being given a freshening following a fifth-place finish in the Champions Day Marathon in September at Churchill Downs for then-trainer Scott Hansen.

“I think he ran well enough last out to give us the confidence to try him in a spot like this, because it was a credible effort off a long layoff,” Lynch said. “He's trained on well enough to get a shot. This will be the second time off the bench and it's at a distance that he really likes.”

Core Beliefs, owned by Gary Broad, won the 2018 Grade 3 Ohio Derby in a sophomore year that saw him run fourth in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and fifth in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa. He then made his 2019 debut with a win in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, La., that March, which marked his last victory.

Running at Saratoga for the first time, Core Beliefs will be seeking his first victory in his last eight starts and enters after posting four workouts over the Saratoga main track in July.

“He's doing well and has great energy, and for an older horse, he's been very willing and trying hard in his works,” Lynch said. “I take that as a positive. He just acts like he's in good form. He's done so well since he's been here and the weather has been a little bit cooler, and he seems to enjoy that. His appetite has been fantastic, too. We're just hoping for good things.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will have the call from post 3.

Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector, who like Jesus' Team also competed in last year's Preakness and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, will get his first opportunity to run at Saratoga and his first start for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Art Collector commenced his 4-year-old year with a sixth-place finish in the Kelly's Landing on June 25 at Churchill Downs, marking his first race since running eighth in that Breeders' Cup appearance seven months prior.

Art Collector, who ran fourth in the Preakness, finished just a head back to Jesus' Team to fall just short of black type in the 1 3/16-mile classic. The winner of the 2020 Grade 2 Blue Grass at Keeneland will have the services of Luis Saez. on Friday, breaking from post 4.

Steve Landers Racing's Night Ops, off three consecutive runner-up efforts in the Grade 3 Ben Ali, Blame, and Grade 3 Monmouth Cup for reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox, will make his Saratoga start in a well-traveled career.

Night Ops, who Manny Franco will ride out of post 8, has finished in the money in his last six starts, all against stakes competition, starting with a win in the 2020 Grade 3 Cornhusker at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.

Bourbon Lane Stable's Bourbon War will be running in a stakes for the first time since 2019, when as a 3-year-old he found success on the Triple Crown trail by running second in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth before finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, eighth in the Preakness, and 10th in the Belmont Stakes. Trainer Ian Wilkes took over the conditioning duties for Bourbon War's 5-year-old campaign, which started with a strong second, by a neck, to Home Base in an optional claimer in May at Churchill Downs before running third under similar conditions at the same track on June 26.

“He came off a long layoff and ran two good races; I thought he ran really respectable in putting two good ones together back-to-back,” Wilkes said. “I'm getting to know him and he's getting to know me, so it's all good there. The horse has been happy, so that's the key. We're hoping to make that next progression. He needs to step up and pick up his game a little more. I feel good for him.”

Bourbon War, a son of Tapit, will have Brian Hernandez, Jr. in the irons from post 6.

Prioritize, sixth in the Grade 2 Suburban on July 3 at Belmont, will return to a familiar track that's near trainer H. James Bond's base, as the Tizway gelding ran twice here last year, winning an optional claimer before running third in the Grade 1 Woodward. The now 6-year-old will have jockey Tyler Gaffalione aboard for the first time, departing post 1.

Math Wizard will enter off a six-month layoff in his first start since finishing sixth in the Pegasus World Cup. The Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee will be racing for just the second time as a 5-year-old as he seeks his first victory since the 2019 Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby [Irad Ortiz, Jr., post 5].

Limonite ran third in the Grade 3 Excelsior going the Alydar distance on April 3 at Aqueduct and after two fifth-place efforts will return to the Spa for trainer Gustavo Rodriguez [Joel Rosario, post 2].

The Alydar, slated as Race 8 on the 10-race card, is one of three stakes on a stacked Friday card that will feature a 1:05 p.m. Eastern first post.

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After working a sharp four furlongs in :47.40 from the gate Friday morning at Gulfstream Park's Palm Meadows Training Center in Palm Beach County, trainer Jose D'Angelo said the 4-year-old son of Tapiture will ship north for the $120,000 Alydar at 1 1/8 miles Aug. 6 at Saratoga.

“Everything went very well this morning,” D'Angelo said. “He went in 47 and change and it was perfect, just what we were looking for. The plan is to leave [Saturday] for Saratoga.”

D'Angelo said Jesus' Team would work next weekend at Saratoga, where he finished third last year in the Jim Dandy (G2). Junior Alvarado will be aboard in the Alydar.

After following up his runner-up finish in the Pegasus with a sixth-place finish in the Dubai World Cup (G1) in March, D'Angelo gave Jesus' Team four months off before returning July 11 in an overnight handicap at Gulfstream. Jesus' Team finished fifth while lacking his usual late kick.

“I really think he just needed the race,” D'Angelo said. “He had run eight tough races in a row, and two weeks before his last race it had rained a lot and we didn't do what we wanted to do with him before the race.”

Jesus' Team captured a $25,000 claiming race at Gulfstream in his first start for D'Angelo in May 2020 before taking a tour of the East Coast and Midwest to compete against the best horses in training and amass more than $1.3 million in purses. The Kentucky-bred colt finished third in the Jim Dandy and Preakness (G1) at Pimlico, before finishing second behind Knicks Go in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He returned to Gulfstream to win the Claiming Crown Jewel in December before finishing second again behind Knicks Go in the $3 million Pegasus in January during the 2020-2021 Championship Meet.

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The two 4-year-olds will reunite in Sunday's $60,000 City of Dania at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., a mile overnight handicap in which Jesus' Team will carry 127 pounds, nine pounds more than the horse that had defeated him in a stakes-quality optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream June 10, 2020.

While acknowledging the disparity in weight assignments, trainer Jose D'Angelo is willing to accept the challenge for Jesus' Team first start since Grupo 7C Racing Stable's color-bearer finished sixth in the $10 million Dubai World Cup (G1) March 27.

“I think he's come along very good. He is good and sharp. I think it is a good spot for him coming off a layoff,” D'Angelo said. “I know he has to carry a lot of weight, but I think it is not a big deal.”

Jesus's Team won a $25,000 claiming race in his first race after winning a $35,000 maiden claiming race and first race after being transferred to D'Angelo. The son of Tapiture finished second, beaten by three-quarters of a length by Sole Volante, in his next start before eight consecutive stakes races. D'Angelo and Jesus' Team hit the road to face the best company in the country for the rest of the year and faring extremely well. The Kentucky-bred colt went on to finish third in the Preakness (G1) and Jim Dandy (G2) before finishing second behind Knicks Go in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

“For me, it was amazing. Jesus represents to me the best horse I've trained,” said D'Angelo, who was the leading trainer in Venezuela before venturing to South Florida in 2019. “He gave me the best moments of my life, professionally speaking. When you come to this country. You see all the big horses and big trainers. To have a horse that has the ability to take you there with him, it was amazing.”

Jesus' Team returned to Gulfstream to capture the Claiming Crown Jewel in his final start of 2020 before making his 2021 debut in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), in which he again finished second behind Knicks Go. Unfortunately, the D'Angelo trainee seemed to lack the same competitive spirit in Dubai.

“The race was not a good race for him. The horse wasn't training very good in Dubai,” D'Angelo said. “Sometimes that happens, and you never know.”

After enjoying some rest and relaxation and putting on some weight, Jesus' Team has produced a series of strong breezes at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, in preparation for the City of Dania.

Samy Camacho is scheduled to ride Jesus' Team for the first time since his second-place finish behind Sole Volante last year.

Patrick Biancone-trained Sole Volante will be seeking his first win in five starts since his decision over Jesus' Team last year. The son of Karakontie went on to finish off the board in the Belmont and Derby before a couple of uneventful efforts on the turf. Following a four-month break, he raced evenly to finish fourth in a mile optional claiming allowance on the main track May 22.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Andie Biancone's gelding had established himself as a Triple Crown prospect early last year when he won the Sam Davis (G3) and finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2)

Luca Panici has the return mount on Sole Volante, who will be equipped with blinkers for the first time.

Harold Queen's Noble Drama, a multiple stakes winner and fan favorite at Gulfstream; Rodney Lundock's Pro Quality, who was just a neck behind Noble Drama; Lawson Racing Stables' I'm a G Six, an impressive winner of a mile optional claiming allowance last time out; Willow Lane Stable Inc.'s Highestdistinction, who is slated to make his 2021 debut Sunday after winning his last two starts of 2020; and IAB Stables and Walter Fralick's Quenane, a veteran campaigner with 14 career wins; round out the field.

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The 4-year-old son of Tapiture, who has been freshened since his sixth-place finish in the $10 million Grade 1 Dubai World Cup March 27, tuned up for the mile overnight handicap with a five-furlong breeze in 1:00.65 Saturday at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“The work was perfect. Jesus has been training great for the City of Dania,” trainer Jose D'Angelo said. “He looks great. He put on weight and is very strong.”

Jesus' Team captured a $25,000 claiming race at Gulfstream in his first start for D'Angelo in May 2020 before taking a tour of the East Coast and Midwest to compete against the best horses in training and amass more than $1.3 million in purses. The Kentucky-bred colt finished third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. and the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., before finishing second behind Knicks Go in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. He returned to Gulfstream to win the Claiming Crown Jewel before finishing second again behind Knicks Go in the $3 million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational during the 2020-2021 Championship Meet.

“I think Jesus is ready to have a very good year,” D'Angelo. “The goal again is the Breeders' Cup.”

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