America
Travers king: Sovereignty romps in midsummer Derby
Go ahead and crown him.
Dual Classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) showed no mercy on his four overmatched rivals, romping by 10l in Saturday's G1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Bracket Buster (Vekoma) and Magnitude (Not This Time) rounded out the top three.
“Our horse just proved how good he was when he pulled away in the last eighth of a mile,” winning Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “He's pretty special.”
The Godolphin homebred lengthened that massive stride of his as they straightened for home, kicked clear inside the three-sixteenths pole and ran up the score despite being geared down late to provide Mott with his first win in the Travers. The final time for 1 1/4 miles was 2:00.84.
“For me, racing primarily in New York now, the Kentucky Derby was great, but I must say, for me, I think the Travers is a great race to win,” Mott said. “It's very satisfying and gratifying to get that done.”
“The Kentucky Derby was great, but I must say, for me, I think the Travers is a great race to win.” - Bill Mott
He continued, “He settled into stride and looked comfortable once he got around the first turn and down the backside. When he left the three-eighths pole, he just cruised up to the leaders and took over. I don't know how much bigger it gets than this. Of course, the Breeders' Cup (Classic) is at the end of the year, and we've always got to consider that.”
Sovereignty becomes the first winner of the G1 Kentucky Derby, G1 Belmont Stakes and Travers since Thunder Gulch did so in 1995. Twenty Grand (1931), Whirlaway (1941), and Shut Out (1942) have also completed the prestigious triple.
It was a third Travers win for Godolphin. The 'Boys in Blue' have also won it with Alpha (2012, dead-heat with Golden Ticket) and Essential Quality (2021).
“It is monumental for the fans to have what looks like the best 3-year-old in the country go out and win the Travers in the manner he did today, with a massive crowd here at Saratoga, to put on a performance like that,” said Michael Banahan, Director of Bloodstock for Godolphin USA.
“It is monumental for the fans to have what looks like the best 3-year-old in the country go out and win the Travers in the manner he did today.” - Michael Banahan
“We are just along for the ride and so grateful for Sheikh Mohammed, Godolphin's founder, to have another win in the Travers. It wasn't in the Godolphin colours, but we had Bernardini win back in the day, he was as impressive as Sovereignty was today.”
“This is the horse of a lifetime,” said Alvarado, who was also the regular rider of fellow Godolphin homebred and Mott-trained 2023 Horse of the Year Cody's Wish.
Sovereignty was one of two Grade 1 winners for out-of-this-world sire Into Mischief on the loaded Travers program. Sovereignty was produced by the unraced Bernardini mare Crowned, a daughter of Grade 1 winner Mushka (Empire Maker) and a US$1.2-million ($1.87 million) Keeneland September yearling purchase by Sheikh Mohammed's operation. Crowned is also responsible for a yearling colt by Nyquist. She passed away in 2024.
The aforementioned Bernardini won the 2006 Travers, and, in addition to Sovereignty, is also the broodmare sire of 2018 Travers winner Catholic Boy. He is the sire of back-to-back Travers winners Stay Thirsty (2011) and Alpha (2012).
Drama worthy of the namesake – Thorpedo Anna claims 'WAYI' Personal Ensign
It was a dramatic finish, but reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) gamely gave it her all and nosed out her competition to win the G1 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga.
No stranger to being the media's darling as well as the fan's favorite, the 'TDN Rising Star' was most recently the headliner when Hill 'n' Dale announced that they'd acquired a half-interest in a deal which included former NFL player Marshawn Lynch. In the lead up to the race, trainer Kenny McPeek was particularly bullish on her chances, telling Tim Wilkin for the Saratoga Notebook segment that she was as good, if not better, than she was a year ago.
“Every bit. She is as big and strong as she has ever been… (exercise rider Bobby Eversole) was worried to death she was going to run off on him. He just held her together the whole way. When he let her stretch out a bit, then she settled. She is locked and loaded.”
And so it showed here.
Thorpedo Anna is now 12 for 15 in her career, and with this win, stamps her ticket for a return trip to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar in November.
“She just shows how brave she is,” said McPeek. “I thought George Weaver's filly (second place Dorth Vader) ran fantastic, she ran really the race of her life, but my filly, maybe, Brian (Hernandez Jnr) seemed to think she got quite tired out of the race, too. I think that will actually lead her into the next one in even better shape. That wasn't as easy as we'd want it to be, but she is a champion. That is why she wins.”
“That wasn't as easy as we'd want it to be, but she (Thorpedo Anna) is a champion. That is why she wins.” - Kenny McPeek
When asked about a next target, McPeek said, “I'm going to cross-nominate to the (G1) Spinster and the Delaware Handicap. There's a chance we could go to Delaware with her, we are going to talk about it, and there's a chance we could go to Keeneland.”
“You know, our filly is Horse of the Year, and she showed why she deservingly should be.” - Brian Hernandez Jnr
“She did (break alertly),” said rider Brian Hernandez Jnr. “She put herself in a great spot. She showed what a true champion she was. I don't know if she was all out, but it's just the fact of (the matter) in these Grade 1 races–these horses, they keep taking shots at you and you gotta respect them all and today's another version of that. You know, our filly is Horse of the Year, and she showed why she deservingly should be.”
Thorpedo Anna was the start of a big day for dam Sataves (Uncle Mo), who not only produced the superstar but also claims G1 Travers Stakes runner McAfee (Cloud Computing) to her credit as the 3-year-old younger half-brother to this victress. Since these two, the mare has a yearling filly named After the Storm (Known Agenda) as her last registered offspring. She went to Curlin for 2026 after not catching to Gun Runner for 2025.
'Rising Star' Patch Adams rides rail to game Allen Jerkens Memorial victory
'TDN Rising Star' Patch Adams (Into Mischief) made it two straight top-level victories sprinting at the Spa with a game performance in Saturday's G1 H Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes, stopping the clock for seven furlongs in a sharp 1:21.61.
“Good set-up,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “Obviously, a ground-saving trip. He was ready to roll. He certainly acted like he was. Back home in Kentucky, we worked him out of the gate two weeks ago and put in a good move. We had him sharp enough. He broke well and Luis (Saez) saved ground and we needed it. He needed all of the seven-eighths to get there.”
“He (Patch Adams) broke well and Luis (Saez) saved ground and we needed it. He needed all of the seven-eighths to get there.” - Brad Cox
Cox continued, “We thought he was a big-time horse, he is a big-time horse, a dual Grade 1 winner now. We thought he was a horse that could pick off a Derby prep, it wasn't to be with the Southwest and the Tampa Bay Derby. We cut him back and he's responded really well.
“It would be nice to get him to the Breeders' Cup. I don't know whether that'd be a two-turn Dirt Mile, or three quarters of a mile in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. We'll let the dust settle, get him back home and go from there.”
The all-conquering Into Mischief also sired this race's 2017 winner Practical Joke. The wildly successful Into Mischief x Distorted Humor cross is also responsible for fellow Grade 1 winners Life Is Good, the aforementioned Practical Joke, Citizen Bull, and Tappan Street.
Patch Adams' stakes-winning WinStar homebred Well Humored, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner American Patriot (War Front) and this term's dual Grade 3 winner and 'Rising Star' Parchment Party (Constitution), is also responsible for the unraced 2-year-old colt Wall Street (Into Mischief). This is also the extended female family of blowout G1 Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed (Tiznow).
Like mother, like daughter – Hope Road emulates dam to claim Ballerina
It's not often a Grade 1-winning mare recreates her success in her offspring, but seven years after her dam was prima ballerina at the Spa, Hope Road (Quality Road) sailed home convincingly in the G1 Ballerina Stakes to take home her first elite level victory.
With her victory here, Hope Road has earned an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup in November for the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in her own backyard.
“I'm so proud of that mare,” said trainer Bob Baffert. “She deserved a Grade 1. Jose (Ortiz) rode her perfectly. He had her in a nice spot turning for home–I was hoping she was fit enough to go because training at Del Mar and training (here) is a little bit different, it's more taxing at Saratoga–but she ran her race.
“I'm so happy for the owners–I won that race with her mother (Marley's Freedom in 2018) and they really appreciate those big wins like that. It's pretty rare to do that. They're passionate owners and horse crazy and I wish I could have been there with them to watch them cheer for their horse.”
Regarding her pre-race antics where she gave the crew a hard time, Baffert said, “She's funny. Sometimes she won't even load into the horse trailer. She can be very headstrong.”
“I would like to say she's a lot like Marley (dam Marley's Freedom) but she isn't,” said Barbara Perry of Cicero Farms. “I was worried we were going to be scratched by the gate. She shows a lot of Quality Road, and I was seriously happy she didn't sit down like Quality Road did in the Breeders' Cup the year he had to run against Zenyatta.”
The victress is out of the aforementioned 2018 Ballerina winner Marley's Freedom (Blame), who hit the board at the highest level on two more occasions afterwards and collected three more graded wins before she retired in 2019. Hope Road is the first to the races for the mare, who has since produced an unraced 3-year-old filly named Freedom Song (Medaglia d'Oro) as well as a pair of colts–a yearling Uncle Mo and a 2025 Violence. She went to Not This Time for 2026.
Bucchero's Book'em Danno a Forego-ne conclusion
The hits just keep on coming for the infinitely likeable Book'em Danno (Bucchero), who stamped his authority on Saturday's G1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga, where he has now won four times from five trips up the Thruway. His lone blemish came when a gallant third in the G1 H Allen Jerkens Stakes on this very program 12 months ago.
There has been a metamorphosis of sorts this season, as Book'em Danno has not only developed the ability to race far handier to the pace while saving something to put his races to bed when called upon, he's also been willing to take his chance splitting horses, an ace in the hole that has turned a very good horse into a great one.
The victory makes Book'em Danno the richest New Jersey-bred in history, surpassing two-time Eclipse Award and seven-times Grade 1 winner Open Mind.
Saturday's race was a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series qualifier for the G1 Dirt Mile, and even though trainer Derek Ryan somewhat reluctantly agrees that he has his hands on a championship-caliber animal, he is–at this stage–non-committal about an appearance at Del Mar in two months' time.
“I'm still sticking to my plan. I'm sure it might change,” Ryan said. “But they're (owners Atlantic Six Racing) pretty good and have never told me where to run. So it's worked out pretty good.”
Book'em Danno is thus far the most decorated performer for his sire, who covered his first book of mares in New York in 2024 and now anchors the fledgling stallion operation at Ironhorse Stallions in Stillwater, about 20 miles south and east of Saratoga. Bucchero covered 192 mares this season.
Breeder Greg Kilka purchased the unraced Adorabella, Book'em Danno’s dam, for US$14,000 ($21,800) in foal to Fast Anna at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale, and that foal, Girl Trouble, did her part in improving the page with a pair of juvenile stakes scores in 2022. When factoring in Book'em Danno's emergence in late 2023, the family became even more valuable, as the mare's then-yearling colt by Classic Empire topped the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic October sale on LC Racing's bid of US$135,000 ($210,000).
Europe
Never So Brave leads No Nay Never one-two in City Of York
Britain's first seven-furlong Group 1 proved a humdinger on Saturday as 4-year-old gelding Never So Brave (No Nay Never) found the line first in a thrilling four-way go for the G1 City Of York Stakes. Like Saturday's Hungerford winner More Thunder a former member of the Sir Michael Stoute equine academy, Saeed Suhail's Summer Mile winner relished the furious pace to ultimately outstay specialists at this trip under Oisin Murphy.
At the line, the Andrew Balding-trained 7-2 second favourite had half a length to spare over Lake Forest for a one-two for No Nay Never, with Maranoa Charlie (Wootton Bassett) and the even-money favourite Rosallion (Blue Point) also in the blanket two head margins away in third and fourth respectively.
“Slowly, and bit by bit, he's improved until we've got to the Group 1,” Saeed Suhail's racing manager Philip Robinson said. “Andrew has taken his time and gradually climbed the ladder and now the horse has got so much confidence, which he needed to win today.”
“I was quite confident once he (Never So Brave) got to the front, as it looked to me like he was fighting everything off.” - Philip Robinson
“He was tough. I was quite confident once he got to the front, as it looked to me like he was fighting everything off and we know he gets a mile, which is an added bonus when you get into a tight finish over seven furlongs,” he added. “The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a possibility and I'd imagine he'll stay in training next year as well.”
