Juddmonte's Elite Power traveled to Saudi Arabia to begin 2023 with a win in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint. Returned stateside, he won the GII True North S. and GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. before having an eight-race win streak interrupted with a runner-up effort in the GI Forego S. at Saratoga in August. He returned to the winner's circle and earned his second straight win in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint just over two months later.

First Row Partners & Team Hanley's Goodnight Olive opened 2023 with a win in the GI Madison S. at Keeneland in April. She won the GII Bed o' Roses S. before finishing second to Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) in the Aug. 26 GI Ballerina H. With that fellow Eclipse finalist injured, Goodnight Olive swept to her second straight win in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint. Just days later, the 5-year-old mare sold for $6 million to John Stewart at the Fasig-Tipton November sale.

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A co-owner of champion Lady Eli (Divine Park), he was there for the ups and downs of the extraordinary mare's career as she fought a seemingly insurmountable battle with laminitis and returned to the top of the sport.

Then there is Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper – Salty Strike, Smart Strike), who overcame two setbacks early in her career and went on to take her ownership group on an unforgettable journey as she earned championship honors for top female sprinter last year and now looks to defend her title for 2023.

“Her career has meant the world to me,” Hanley reflected. “To get to watch her up there on stage doing her thing has been absolutely magical for my family, my partners and me. I've been very lucky and blessed in my ownership career, but there is no horse that means more to me than Goodnight Olive. She is a testament to generations of breeding, to Liz Crow who selected her, and to Chad Brown and his team that cared for her because there was nothing easy about her career.”

A graduate of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Fall Yearling Sale, Goodnight Olive is a daughter of Ghostzapper out of MGSW Salty Strike (Smart Strike). She was an $170,000 purchase by Liz Crow for the ownership group of Team Hanley and Steve Laymon's First Row Partners.

“This filly's pedigree really stood out in the book,” Crow recalled of her purchase. “It's hard to find a Ghostzapper filly that is out of such an accomplished mare. When I saw her, she was very athletic. She was bred by Stonestreet–one of the best breeders in the country. I think she was in the October Sale because they wanted to give her a little more time to develop. She's a really big, strong filly now but when we bought her, she was a little on the small side and just hadn't quite developed into the beast she is today. Chad is generally right on about a horse's talent level and he loved her from day one. She just took some time to get going.”

Enthusiastic owners celebrate Goodnight Olive's 2022 GI Ballerina H. | Sarah Andrew

Definitively breaking her maiden by eight and a half lengths at Keeneland in her second start, Goodnight Olive won her next two races as a sophomore with an ease that was reminiscent of her sire's brilliant career.

“Right away when she came into the barn she reminded me of Ghostzapper,” Brown explained. “I was lucky enough to be around that horse quite a bit when I worked for Bobby Frankel and I've had good luck with Ghostzapper offspring. Goodnight Olive has a ton of heart like her father and she has never had a bad day of training.”

Toward the end of Goodnight Olive's 3-year-old season, ankle chip issues that had prevented her from racing as a juvenile resurfaced and she was forced to the sideline. Hanley recalls his emotions at that time.

“When I first found out she had to take another break, I was a little sad,” he admitted. “These generational talents don't come around that often. I was sad for the sport because while we knew what we had, the sport didn't yet.”

But Hanley and his partners were rewarded for their patience when Goodnight Olive returned as a 4-year-old last year. Her undefeated season culminated with an eye-catching graded stakes debut in the GI Ballerina H. followed by a 2½-length victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, besting a field that included champion Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) and three other Grade I winners.

“That was my favorite win by far,” said Hanley. “It's rare in a seven furlong race at the Breeders' Cup level when you know you have the race won at the quarter pole. I was down by the finish line and we were cheering her on from the moment she put her nose in front right around the turn. That was 15 seconds of pure elation.”

Sarah Andrew

The 2022 Champion Female Sprinter, Goodnight Olive returned at five this year to claim her third straight Grade I score in the Madison S. at Keeneland. She later added the GII Bed o'Roses S. to her resume and was most recently second to Echo Zulu in the GI Ballerina, where she earned a career high 108 Beyer Speed Figure.

Goodnight Olive has since been training at Belmont Park as she prepares to defend her title at the Breeders' Cup in what is most likely her final career start.

“She's doing great,” Brown reported. “She had a tough defeat last time to a really, really good filly. She's going to have a nice break between starts and I'm hoping she goes out a winner. She's trained with such consistency. Every day she comes out and she's the same horse. She's very dependable and has taken her track with her wherever she has raced. She's really one of the best fillies I've ever trained.”

“Anybody can lose on any given day, but I'm going into this last dance with a good deal of confidence,” added Hanley. “I'm so happy we can see her on the world stage again and I hope she can pull it off. If she does, it would be an amazing way to wrap up her career.”

Win, lose or draw, Goodnight Olive will head to Kentucky immediately after her Breeders' Cup performance to sell at Fasig-Tipton's November Sale. The decision to sell Goodnight Olive was one that Hanley and his partners arrived at together, but parting with their star mare will not be easy.

“The sadness is very real and it runs very deep, but the reality is that I'm not one of the guys in the sport who can take home a talent like this,” Hanley explained. “I think this is the final chapter in book one of her life story. Now she gets to go write book two. Chapter one of that book will start at the Night of the Stars. It's with sadness that I feel like she's leaving my immediate world, but also with great anticipation and joy that I know what she's going to do.”

Hanley has been at the racetrack for nearly all of Goodnight Olive's performances, but it's the mornings spent at the barn that he will remember more than any winner's circle.

Goodnight Olive gets a third straight Grade I score in the Madison S. | Coady

“She is a love of a mare,” he said. “You can walk up and she just nuzzles into you. You look into her deep brown eyes and you know that she knows what you're feeling. There were times I was sad, angry or anxious and she would just absorb all of it. This is a very intelligent horse. I would say her mind is light-years ahead of any other horse that I've ever had.”

Hanley told the story of how his father-in-law, who is a Vietnam combat veteran, has also fallen in love with the mare.

“He doesn't show emotion toward a lot of humans but when he met her, within 10 minutes his arms were around her and she was leaning into him,” he shared. “He's been to a lot of races with me and he doesn't ask about any other horse other than Goodnight Olive. She has brought our family together and provided an amazing journey for my family and partners. To me, the sadness of selling her comes from that.”

Goodnight Olive will sell as Hip 237 on Nov. 7 with EliTE Sales. Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning said he is looking forward to showcasing a champion Fasig-Tipton graduate.

“We take a great deal of pride in seeing our sales graduates run well and she has been special,” he said. “Goodnight Olive really epitomizes everything you're looking for in a racehorse. She's got brilliance, pedigree and conformation. She certainly has speed– which is an attribute that I think you particularly look for in mares, that they have the opportunity to pass that on to their offspring. Really the sky is the limit and the opportunities are endless in terms of who you can breed her to and what you might be able to produce.”

“I think Ghostzapper is becoming such a prolific broodmare sire,” added Crow. “He's the broodmare sire of Justify and 35 other stakes winners already. She's an exceptional physical and her mom was a heck of a runner. I think she's really a collector's item.”

After the Breeders' Cup, Hanley will also be making the trip to Kentucky for the sale. He is hopeful that his farewell to Goodnight Olive there is only temporary.

“It's amazing to think that her racing career is over, but she has so many great years ahead,” he said. “I hope that wherever she goes, my kids and I can go visit her and give her love and treats. I know that she will be an amazing mom and it's a safe bet that we'll be keeping a keen eye out for her babies.”

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“I hustled her out of the gate to get a good position and I found myself on the lead,” said winning rider Flavien Prat. “She was traveling well from there. She got really brave. Every time a horse came to her, she would dig in. It's a good sign that more distance will be fine.”

Fifth behind Spansive going one mile on debut over the Gulfstream lawn Apr. 1, Prerequisite graduated over the Wonder Again's course and nine-furlong distance May 7.

“I was really impressed with her maiden win here,” said winning trainer Chad Brown. “She's turning into a really nice filly and I appreciate the partners' patience. She wasn't able to make it there at two, and they did the right thing by letting us take our time with her and she's turned into quite a nice horse.”

The top three finishers of the Wonder Again received an automatic invitation to the July 8 GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational. The 1 1/4-mile turf test is the opening leg in the Fasig-Tipton Fillies Turf Triple, a series which also includes the Aug. 4 GIII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational at Saratoga and the 11-furlong GIII Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational to be held during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

Pedigree Notes:

Prerequisite is the fourth graded winner for Upstart.

The unraced Etsu, a full-sister to multiple stakes-winner Homeland Security, has a 2-year-old colt by Summer Front who sold for $130,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale. The mare produced a colt by Complexity last year and a colt by Upstart this year. Etsu's dam, Forever Beautiful is a half-sister to champion Farda Amiga (Broad Brush). She produced a colt by Runhappy last year and a filly by Street Boss this year.

Sunday, Belmont Park
WONDER AGAIN S.-GII, $200,000, Belmont, 6-11, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:47.20, fm.
1–PREREQUISITE, 118, f, 3, by Upstart
       1st Dam: Etsu, by Smart Strike
       2nd Dam: Forever Beautiful, by Giant's Causeway
       3rd Dam: Fly North, by Pleasant Colony
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($47,000 Ylg
'21 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-First Row Partners
and Team Hanley; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Chad C. Brown;
J-Flavien Prat. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $163,000.
Werk Nick Rating: B.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Be Your Best (Ire), 122, f, 3, Muhaarar (GB)–Kamakura, by
Medaglia d'Oro. 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Michael J. Ryan;
B-St. Croix Bloodstock (Ire); T-Horacio De Paz. $40,000.
3–Revalita (Fr), 118, f, 3, Recoletos (Fr)–Ebareva (Ire), by
Machiavellian. (€12,000 Ylg '21 ARQDOY). O-Wise Racing LLC;
B-Sarl Darpat France (Fr); T-Chad C. Brown. $24,000.
Margins: NK, 1, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.00, 13.80, 1.40.
Also Ran: Spansive, Allamericanbeauty, Thirty Thou Kelvin, Venencia (Fr). Scratched: Juniper's Moon.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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“They were going a little fast, but she was going the right way,” said winning jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. “She was relaxed and in a good spot. I bided my time and waited. Turning for home, she was there for me. She's a nice filly, but she had never faced Grade I horses in the afternoon, but she did it today and she showed up.”

Ce Ce (Elusive Quality), the 3-2 favorite, was well back in the early going and was some five wide into the stretch, but never threatened while coming home fifth.

“She's a little bit picky when it comes to the track and today it was not her favorite,” said Victor Espinoza, aboard the beaten favorite. “She bounced out of there and she wasn't doing her thing. I was just trying to encourage her to get her rhythm, but it seemed like she struggled. I tried to get her outside and hoped. I tried everything I can and hopefully she could go forward. But it's one of those things where if she doesn't like the track, she will not run. She will be OK. She will get them next time. The most important thing is that she comes out good and we'll go for the next.”

First Row Partners and Team Hanley's Goodnight Olive, a $170,000 Fasig-Tipton October purchase, returned from seven months on the sidelines to romp to an 8 1/2-length maiden score in her second career start at Keeneland last October. She scored by nine lengths at Aqueduct Nov. 21, resurfaced to win a Belmont optional claimer by 5 1/2 lengths June 23 and kept the win streak going with a 3 3/4-length victory going 6 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 7.

“I want to thank my team and all these beautiful partners that are in the picture here,” trainer Chad Brown said from the Saratoga winner's circle Sunday afternoon. “There's been more not good phone calls about this filly than good phone calls. She hasn't run a lot. A lot of stop and go with her, not unlike her dad who I worked with, Ghostzapper. Maybe not on the track often, but very talented. She's had some soundness issues, but the team of owners always let me do the right thing, take my time with this horse and never push her beyond what she was ready to do. She finally got it all together. She's nice and sound and healthy, and I appreciate their patience.”

The Ballerina served as a 'Win and You're In' event for the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint. Of a possible Breeders' Cup start, Brown said, “I don't know if I'll run her between now and [the Breeders' Cup]. She just ran back in three weeks, that'd be the reason. We'll see how she's doing. With her, you can't take anything for granted. She's had a lot of stoppages, but now she's good. Knock on wood, she stays that way.”

Pedigree Notes:

Goodnight Olive is a daughter of 2011 GIII Dogwood S. winner Salty Strike, who died in 2019. First Row Partners purchased the winner's half-sister Katie's Keepsake (Medaglia d'Oro), in foal to Tiz the Law, for $65,000 at last year Keeneland November sale, in between Goodnight Olive's romping maiden score and follow-up allowance triumph.

Goodnight Olive is the 49th graded winner for her sire, Ghostzapper, whose daughters Guarana, Paulassilverlining, Judy the Beauty, Better Lucky, Molly Morgan and Starship Truffles have all won at the top level.

Sunday, Saratoga
BALLERINA H.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-28, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:21.40, ft.
1–GOODNIGHT OLIVE, 118, f, 4, by Ghostzapper
          1st Dam: Salty Strike (MGSW, $485,266), by Smart  Strike
          2nd Dam: Lake Huron, by Salt Lake
          3rd Dam: My Rainbow, by Lyphard
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
   WIN. ($170,000 Ylg '19 FTKOCT). O-First Row Partners and
Team Hanley; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY);
T-Chad C. Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $275,000. Lifetime Record:
6-5-1-0, $499,950. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
   Werk Nick Rating: B+.
   Click for free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Caramel Swirl, 119, f, 4, by Union Rags
          1st Dam: Caramel Snap, by Smart Strike
          2nd Dam: Fast Cookie, by Deputy Minister
          3rd Dam: Fleet Lady, by Avenue of Flags
   1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott.
$100,000.
3–Obligatory, 123, f, 4, by Curlin
          1st Dam: Uno Duo (SW, $171,300), by Macho Uno
          2nd Dam: Willstar, by Nureyev
          3rd Dam: Nijinsky Star, by Nijinsky II
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-William I. Mott. $60,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1HF, 3 3/4. Odds: 5.80, 15.30, 2.75.
Also Ran: Travel Column, Ce Ce, Lady Rocket, Bella Sofia.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPshttp://www.equineline.com/tdn/pedigree.cfm?tk=SAR&cy=USA&rd=09/07/2015&rn=9&de=D  &ref=9104432. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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The 5-year-old Gone Astray mare missed her 4-year-old campaign with a tendon issue but has enjoyed a productive season after joining the barn of trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., winning 3-of-6 starts.

“She was very gutsy,” said Joseph, Jr. of the Noble Damsel effort. “She always shows up and her numbers were trending in the right direction. It was a competitive race also and you could finish second or third and still run your race, but I'm glad she got the job done and is a Grade 3 winner.”

Shifty She was reunited Saturday with jockey Edwin Gonzalez, who had piloted the hard-trying bay to victories in the open-company Powder Break in May and the Ginger Punch against Florida-breds in June, both at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

“He's 3-for-3 on her now. He gave her a very good ride,” Joseph, Jr. said.

Joseph, Jr. said he knew he'd landed a talented mare when she battled gamely on the lead in her seasonal debut traveling one-mile over firm Gulfstream turf in April to finish a close fourth off a 16-month layoff.

“I gained so much respect for her that day. There was a wicked speed duel but she never gave in off the layoff,” Joseph, Jr. said. “She gives you her all each and every time.”

Joseph, Jr. said Shifty She's long-term target is the $500,000 Grade 3 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf on January 29 at Gulfstream.

“That's the dream goal. The Pegasus is at home at Gulfstream so it makes sense to backtrack from that and maybe get one more race in before,” Joseph, Jr. said.

Joseph, Jr. said Shifty She bounced out of the race in good order and will ship back to his care at Gulfstream this afternoon.

John Fanelli, Cash is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman, and Team Hanley's New York-bred Ny Traffic breezed a half-mile in :48.27 Sunday over the Gulfstream main track.

The 4-year-old Cross Traffic gray, bred by Brian Culnan, enjoyed a productive sophomore season through a record of 7-1-3-1, including a game runner-up effort to Authentic in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Ny Traffic opened his current campaign with a dominant 6 3/4-length score in a seven-furlong state-bred optional claiming sprint, garnering a career-best 103 Beyer. He returned with a good second to Informative in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile ahead of off-the-board efforts traveling nine furlongs in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup in July and the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic on August 27.

Joseph, Jr. said he is hoping that Ny Traffic will return to winning form in Saturday's 6 1/2-furlong $150,000 Hudson on Empire Showcase Day with an eye towards a start in the $750,000 Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap on December 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

“His comeback at seven [furlongs] at Belmont was in a New York-bred race and he ran well. After that, we ran him long at Monmouth and it was OK,” Joseph, Jr. said. “I've always wanted to bring him back to one turn because that seven-eighths race was so impressive. If he runs well our target would be the Cigar Mile in December, but we'll go one race at a time.”

Joseph, Jr. said Ny Traffic has worked consistently well at Gulfstream dating back to late September.

“He's coming into good form,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He worked very good this morning. All being well he should run a good race.”

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Trainer Chad Brown said following the race that the now two-time graded stakes winner could potentially target the $300,000 Grade 1 American Oaks on December 26 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Fluffy Socks, with the red-hot Joel Rosario up, split rivals down the lane to overtake pacesetting stablemate Higher Truth and fended off the late rally of stakes winner Runaway Rumour to secure a narrow neck score.

Fluffy Socks is by New York-based stallion Slumber, who stands at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, New York.

“Joel gave her a great ride. She consistently shows up,” said Brown's assistant Dan Stupp. “We've always really liked her. She really came through yesterday and came out of the race great.”

Fluffy Socks, who sports a consistent ledger of 10-4-3-1, entered the Sands Point from a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., on August 21. She notched her previous graded stakes triumph at the California oval when completing her juvenile season with a victory in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante.

All four of Fluffy Socks' wins have come over different ovals. During her 2-year-old season, she broke her maiden at second asking at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., en route to a victory in her stakes debut in the Selima last October at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Jeff Drown, Michael Ryan, and Team Hanley's Higher Truth earned black-type for the fourth straight race, finishing less than one length of victory all four times. The daughter of Galileo set an easy pace upfront and was poised for victory in the stretch run but was ultimately collared by Fluffy Socks inside the sixteenth pole.

Higher Truth, who contested all three legs of NYRA Turf Triple series for fillies, saw a considerable cut back in distance from the 1 3/8-mile Jockey Club Oaks Invitational, where she was a close second beaten three-quarters of a length. She previously was a respective second and third in the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational and Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational.

“She comes up a touch short in her races, but she's been very consistent,” Stupp said. “I think she has a bright future ahead of her and she'll get better with age. She'll definitely stay.”

For the second week in a row, Brown secured a triumph in a major stakes race at both Belmont Park and Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Some 90 minutes after the Sands Point, Shantisara bested stablemate Technical Analysis in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.

Owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Robert V. LaPenta, Shantisara tracked Technical Analysis' moderate fractions from third down the backstretch and took command in upper stretch to win by five lengths, earning a 99 Beyer.

Last week, Brown notched the exacta in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic with Rockemperor and Serve the King before Blowout and Regal Glory ran one-two in the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland.

“It's been a fun run here the last few weeks,” Stupp said. “Shantisara has trained extremely well here since she arrived at Belmont. They did great with her at Saratoga. She had a nice campaign and a lot of confidence. You could see it in her training that she moved forward all throughout the fall. She just looked great before she left.”

Shantisara's Queen Elizabeth II victory followed triumphs in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational and the Grade 3 Pucker Up at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill.

“Off that [Jockey Club] Oaks victory in the fall, you could just see how much she was improving,” Stupp said.

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Michael Ryan, Jeff Drown, and Team Hanley's Higher Truth, piloted by Jose Ortiz, set a moderate tempo with Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Robert V. LaPenta's Shantisara stalking outside in second position under Flavien Prat over the firm turf.

Higher Truth kicked on at the top of the lane but could not fend off her stablemate, who earned the half-length score in a final time of 2:16.91.

“It was a really good race and it's a shame one of them had to lose because they both ran their hearts out. I was proud of both of their efforts,” Brown said.

Shantisara, by Coulsty, made her first five starts in France before being transferred to Brown and making her North American debut with a runner-up effort in the Boiling Springs in June at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. She entered from a convincing three-length score under Prat in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Pucker Up in August at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Higher Truth competed in all three legs of the Turf Triple, missing by a half-length when third in the Belmont Oaks, and was a game second, defeated less than a length, in the Saratoga Oaks.

Brown said he would speak with the ownership groups of both horses to see if they want to race once more this season.

Peter Brant and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' So Enchanting, a 3-year-old daughter of More Than Ready, graduated at fifth asking on the Saturday undercard to improve her record to 5-1-3-1.

With Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, the Kentucky-bred chestnut stalked in fourth position in the 1 1/16-mile turf test before engaging with pacesetter Miss Bonnie T at the eighth pole, taking command in the final sixteenth for a three-quarter length score.

So Enchanting, who was stretching out beyond one mile for the first time, has kept good company through five starts, including runner-up efforts sprinting six furlongs on the Belmont turf to launch her career, finishing in front of eventual stakes winners Bay Storm [on October 3] and Miss Brazil [on October 25].

“We always thought she had plenty of ability,” Brown said. “She stretched out nicely to a mile and a sixteenth which was good to see. She got a great trip yesterday. I was happy for her to break through and get the maiden win out of the way.”

Peter Brant's multiple Grade 1-winner Raging Bull closed to finish third under Frankie Dettori in Saturday's Grade 1 Woodbine Mile at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, contested over good going on the E. P. Taylor Turf Course.

“He didn't really handle the course. Frankie said he was struggling a little bit on the turn and lost some position there,” Brown said. “I was proud of him that he kicked in again when he got to the center of the track in the stretch. He found some firmer ground and kicked on.”

Raging Bull, a 6-year-old French-bred son of Dark Angel, boasts a record of 21-7-4-4 with purse earnings in excess of $1.6 million.

“If he comes out of it well I'm planning on making the final start of his career in the Breeders' Cup Mile,” Brown said.

Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending and the Brant-owned Flop Shot breezed five furlongs in 1:00.80 in company Sunday on the Belmont inner turf.

Domestic Spending, a three-time Grade 1 winner, finished second last out in the Grade 1 Mr. D. on August 14 at Arlington Park. Brown said the 4-year-old Kingman gelding is likely to make his next start in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf in November at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

“They went fine. It was a good work for both of them,” Brown said.

Flop Shot, a 5-year-old son of New Approach, won the 2019 Group 3 Prix de Guiche in France for his former conditioner Andre Fabre. He last raced in June 2020, finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy.

Brown said Flop Shot was gelded earlier this year and is close to a return to action.

Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's impressive maiden winner Jack Christopher breezed five-eighths in company in 1:01.05 Saturday on the main track in preparation for the $500,000 Grade 1 Champagne, a one-turn mile offering a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

The Munnings chestnut, purchased for $135,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, registered a 92 Beyer for a romping 8 3/4-length score on debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight on August 28 at Saratoga.

“He went well in company with a maiden. He's done everything right and settled into Belmont nicely,” Brown said.

Brown said the added distance shouldn't be an issue for the talented chestnut.

“It's still just one turn, so I think he'll be OK. I like the way he's training,” Brown said.

Peter Brant and Robert V. LaPenta's graded-stakes placed Miles D breezed a bullet half-mile in :47.84 Saturday in Saratoga on the Oklahoma dirt training track.

A maiden winner in June at Belmont, the Curlin sophomore followed with a runner-up effort to Dynamic One in the nine-furlong Curlin and was third last out in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

Brown said Miles D will not start in next weekend's Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and that he will look for other options.

“I'm not sure what I'm going to do with him yet. I'd like to give him a little bit more time,” Brown said.

Klaravich Stables' Public Sector worked a half-mile in :49.12 Saturday on the Oklahoma dirt training track. Brown said the Kingman sophomore, who won the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame and the Grade 3 Saranac at the Spa this summer, is probable for the $400,000 Grade 2 Hill Prince, a nine-furlong turf test for 3-year-olds on October 23.

W.S. Farish homebred Royal Flag, a 5-year-old multiple graded-stakes winning daughter of Candy Ride, worked a half-mile in :48.70 Saturday on the Oklahoma dirt training track.

Royal Flag won the Grade 3 Shuvee in July and closed to finish third in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign in August this summer at the Spa.

Brown said the chestnut, who sports a ledger of 11-5-3-2 with purse earnings of $435,520, will point to either the $250,000 Grade 2 Beldame on October 10 at Belmont or the Grade 1 Spinster on October 10 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

“This will be her last year of running. She's at the top of her game right now as a 5-year-old,” Brown said. “It would be nice to get her a Grade 1.”

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A 10-1 longshot, Captain Bombastic's victory was his first under the shedrow of Hall of Famer Asmussen. The colt was previously trained by Chad Brown and Jeremiah Englehart. Captain Bombastic covered the mile in 1:36.11, winning by a length over Cordmaker, who was disqualified from second and placed sixth for interference down the stretch. Phat Man, who finished third, was placed second.

The Polynesian victory capped a big day for Asmussen and Lynch. Just 30 minutes earlier, Jalen Journey, trained by Asmussen and ridden by Lynch, was placed first in the $200,000 Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash after winning favorite Wondrwherecraigis was disqualified from first for interfering with Jalen Journey down the stretch.

“It was a great day,” Lynch said. “Getting put up is never ideal. You don't want to win that way. But sometimes you're the windscreen and sometimes you're the bug.”

Toby Sheets, assistant trainer to Asmussen, said of Captain Bombastic: “He had been training well. We gave him a bit of a break and lightened up on him and he came right back around. [Lynch] saw a hole and probably thought he should go for it after the last race.”

Captain Bombastic, whose last victory came in August of 2020 in the New York Stallion Stakes, was fourth in last year's Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and sixth in the Grade 3 Chick Lang at Pimlico. On Saturday, in his second start for Asmussen, the 4-year-old raced third down the backstretch behind a :23.68 opening quarter set by Roadster and Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith, riding at Laurel for the first time since 2007. Approaching the turn, Lynch saw an opening along the rail and guided Captain Bombastic to the front. Roadster stayed outside Captain Bombastic past a :47.05 half mile and poked his nose in front again around the turn. But Lynch took the lead back entering the stretch and Roadster couldn't keep up.

“With Steve's horses, you don't get in their way and you just get good position,” Lynch said. “When Mike left the rail open, it was either go in there or take back. But Steve's horses…they're warriors. It's so hard to describe. You look at their ears, they're flat back and they want to win more than anybody.”

Roadster, a $525,000 yearling in 2017, was a highly regarded juvenile and later a Kentucky Derby contender after winning the 2019 Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby for trainer Bob Baffert. But that victory has remained his last trip to the winner's circle. He came into the Polynesian off a fourth-place finish in April in the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs.

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The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay worked a half-mile solo in :48.45 on the main track in preparation for a start in the $600,000 Grade 1 Forego at seven furlongs on the main track on Travers Day August 28.

“He's bounced out of the race good. We haven't seen anything to deter us running back in the Forego,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He got the thumps last time pretty bad. Hopefully, that was the reason for his performance.”

A multiple graded stakes winner, Mischevious Alex has won 3-of-5 starts this year, including scores in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., in February and the Grade 1 Carter Handicap in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Joseph Jr. said Friday's breeze have him confidence that Mischevious Alex could return to form in the Forego.

“He went a good half by himself. Hopefully, the real Alex shows up and if he does, he'll have a good chance,” Joseph, Jr. said.

Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock, a sophomore son of Maclean's Music, also breezed Friday covering a half-mile in :48.83 on the main track.

Boasting a record of six wins and two seconds from nine starts, Drain the Clock bested Jackie's Warrior by a neck on June 5 at Belmont in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens.

Last out, in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam, Jackie's Warrior turned the tables with a romping 7 1/4-length score over a sloppy and sealed Saratoga main track.

Joseph Jr. said he is hopeful Drain the Clock will one-up his familiar foe in the $500,000 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Travers Day.

“No one was beating Jackie that day. He ran dynamite. Maybe our horse didn't run his best that day but all credit to Jackie,” Joseph, Jr. said. “We have no excuse. We had a good trip. The record is one and one. He's beat us once, we beat him once. We'll try again in the Allen Jerkens.”

John Fanelli, Cash is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman, and Team Hanley's Ny Traffic, a 4-year-old New York-bred son of Cross Traffic, breezed a half-mile in :48 flat Sunday on the main track.

The talented colt finished second in a trio of graded events last year, including the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., the Grade 3 Matt Winn in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., in July in which he finished just a nose back of Authentic.

Ny Traffic won his seasonal debut in May at Belmont by 6 3/4-lengths sprinting seven furlongs against fellow state-breds in an optional claimer and followed with a close second in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile in June at Monmouth.

Last out, Ny Traffic faded to fourth in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 17.

“He went good this morning. It was his first breeze back since Monmouth, I had him in 47 and 4. It was a good work back,” Joseph Jr. said. “There's a possibility he could go in the Forego or the Charles Town Classic.”

Joseph Jr. said Ny Traffic will breeze again next weekend before he decides on cutting back to seven furlongs for the Forego or stretching out to nine furlongs for the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic at Charles Town in Charles Town, W.Va. on August 27.

Overall, Joseph, Jr. said he has been pleased with Ny Traffic's performances this season.

“He won his debut at Belmont and in his second race at Monmouth he ran second but it was a good race,” Joseph, Jr. said. “Last time he disappointed a little bit if you just look at the running lines, but the reality is that he acted up pre-race back at the barn and I think he lost his race there. It wasn't a true run.”

Joseph, Jr. said e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Gibberish will turn back to nine furlongs for the $120,000 Summer Colony on August 22 at the Spa.

Last out, the 4-year-old daughter of Lea was a game second to Miss Marissa in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 10.

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My Boy Tate, bred, trained, and co-owned by Nevin with Little Red Feather Racing boasts a ledger of 24-9-5-2 with purse earnings of $584,988. The Boys At Tosconova gelding is a five-time stakes winner at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., including scores in the Hollie Hughes and Haynesfield earlier this year.

The hard-knocking 7-year-old has also enjoyed success at Saratoga, posting a perfect in-the-money record of 4-1-2-1, including a third-place finish in last year's Morrissey.

Last seen finishing fourth in an open allowance sprint at Parx in May, My Boy Tate has reeled off six weekly works dating to June 13, including a five-eighths effort in 1:01.54 on July 20 on the Saratoga main track.

“He's doing good. He had a little bit of a freshening and he's right on track,” Nevin said. “I would say Aqueduct is his favorite track, but Saratoga is a track he's shown an affinity for, too.”

Nevin said that My Boy Tate, who has finished no worse than fourth in his last nine starts dating back to running third in last year's Morrissey, continues to thrive.

“He seems like he's still the same old fella,” Nevin said. “He's definitely a barn favorite. He always tries. We've had him since he was two and he's seven now and is just a great horse to have.”

J and N Stables' Our Last Buck, a 7-year-old Courageous Cat gelding bred by Gerardus S. Jameson, enjoyed a productive 2020 campaign with a record of 8-4-2-0. The success continued into January with a first stakes score in the seven-furlong Say Florida Sandy last out at the Big A.

Our Last Buck has breezed weekly at Belmont dating back to June 3, including a five-eighths effort in 1:02.23 on the dirt training track on July 20.

Nevin said the lengthy freshening was by design.

“He had plenty of races last year and we were looking to give him a little break,” Nevin said. “After his big win, we decided to give him some time and he's been back on the track getting ready and we finally feel like we're ready to go.

“He got very good last year and was running very consistently,” Nevin continued. “He was showing up every time. He's definitely improved as he's gotten older.”

Manny Franco will guide My Boy Tate from post 3, while Our Last Buck will emerge from post 4 under Luis Saez.

Charles Hallas' Morning Breez sports a ledger of 42-5-12-11 with purse earnings of $569,929, but has yet to secure an elusive first stakes win.

The 6-year-old Morning Line gelding, bred by Hart Farm and Rhapsody Farm, has flourished in his last three starts sprinting six furlongs in open allowance company, including a last-out half-length score on May 13 at Belmont that garnered an 87 Beyer.

Transferred to the care of trainer Pat Reynolds, Morning Breez will be piloted by returning rider Jose Lezcano from post 6.

Team Hanley's multiple stakes-winner Captain Bombastic, bred by Chester and Mary Broman, won a pair of stakes last season, including the seven-furlong Mike Lee at Belmont and the 6 1/2-furlong NYSSS Times Square in August at Saratoga for former conditioner Jeremiah Englehart.

Transferred to Chad Brown to launch his 4-year-old campaign, the Forty Tales chestnut finished off-the-board in a pair of state-bred stakes at Belmont and will now race for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen from post 2 under Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Rounding out a competitive field are Wow Brown [post 1, Michael Davila, Jr.], Wudda U Think Now [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], Foolish Ghost [post 7, Joel Rosario], Jemography [post 8, Dylan Davis] and Runningwscissors [post 9, Tyler Gaffalione].

The John Morrissey is slated as Race 9 on Thursday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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