Champs of the Track

Championing the horses, people, and places of racing. Powered by KPB Media.

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

The Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses aren't the only stars on-site at Churchill Downs this week. Yesterday, I stumbled across the brilliant Shisospicy.

This gorgeous daughter of Mitole (@SpendthriftFarm) defeated males with ease in the @BreedersCup Turf Sprint (G1) in November. That moment marked her first Grade 1 victory and her third graded win overall.

An infection derailed her plans to return in Saudi Arabia. Now, she is preparing to make her four-year-old debut in the Unbridled Sidney (G2) on the Kentucky Oaks undercard.

Who else is excited to see this speedy girl back in the races? 🔥

@MorplayRacing @JFDAngelo

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

A competitive field will line up this Saturday for the Ben Ali (G3) at Keeneland. How will you play this race? 🌟

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Check out the field for the Doubledogdare Stakes (G2) at Keeneland! It's headlined by defending champ Gin Gin and graded winners Alpine Princess & Running Away.

Who do you like? 💐

📸 Alpine Princess

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Can you see how Heart Headed 🤍 got his name?

Claimed a handful of times throughout his career, the eight-time winner is currently trained by @mjsharp75_joe for TEC Racing. He is sired by Oscar Performance out of the stakes winning mare La Malaguena (English Channel).

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

How impressive was Eclatant last weekend? 😍

She and Grand Job made the Madison Stakes (G1) an absolute thriller. The two fillies battled the length of the stretch, with the ever-so-game Eclatant just forging her nose in front as they hit the wire together — six lengths ahead of third-place finisher R Disaster.

It was the four-year-old filly’s first Grade 1 victory, making her the 30th horse to reach that distinction for her superstar sire, Into Mischief (@spendthriftfarm).

Bred in Kentucky by her owner, @StonestreetFarm, Eclatant is out of the Scat Daddy mare Downside Scenario, who also produced G2 winner Mutasaabeq.

A strong juvenile, Eclatant rattled off two wins before making her graded stakes debut in the Golden Rod (G2), where she finished third. She returned at three to win the Forward Gal (G3), but was ninth and fourth in her next two starts, leading to a layoff for the remainder of 2025. Back in action in February, she went clear in an allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream before this Madison win.

@iradortiz piloted Eclatant in the Madison for trainer @bradcoxracing.

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Jocelyn Russell’s bronze depiction of the record-smashing Triple Crown winner Secretariat in downtown Paris, Kentucky is truly awe-inspiring. It perfectly captures the power and commanding presence he possessed both on and off the track — a worthy tribute to the legend born on this day in 1970. 👑

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Full Serrano 🌶, the winner of the 2024 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, travels to Oaklawn Park for Saturday's Oaklawn Mile (G3).

He was most recently seen completing the trifecta of seven-year-olds in the Jan. 24 Pegasus World Cup (G1) behind winner Skippylongstocking and runner-up White Abarrio.

Full Serrano began his career in his native Argentina, where he won four races and placed in a Grade 3. He came to America in late 2024 and quickly proved he belonged, winning his stateside debut before running second in the Pacific Classic (G1) and picking up his aforementioned Breeders' Cup win.

After the World Championships, he was sidelined until September 2025, when he returned with a resounding 7 1/4-length victory in an allowance. That performance, paired with a placing in the Goodwood (G1), earned him a trip back to the Breeders' Cup. Though his attempt to defend his title was unsuccessful, his Pegasus run last out proves he's still got it.

Full Serrano is trained by @johnwsadler for @Hronis_Racing. @Antonio1Fresu will be aboard.

💡 The Oaklawn Mile (G3) runs as Race 11 on Saturday, March 28. Post time is 6:22 p.m. ET.

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Peach Tie added a fourth consecutive win to her record over the weekend, capturing Laurel Park's Wide Country Stakes by an easy three lengths. The victory was her second in stakes company — she won the Gin Talking Stakes by a dominant eight lengths in February.

In total, the @BTRracingstable trainee has won five of six starts!

Brereton C. Jones, founder of @AirdrieStud and former governor of Kentucky, paired Grade 1 winner Preservationist with Belles Orb (Orb) to produce Peach Tie. RNA'd at $19,000 at Keeneland September in 2024, Peach Tie has now earned $229,995 for the estate of her breeder.

[puru @puru_bird_photo]

American Pharoah

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Sired by Indiana-bred Bucchero 💛

[FanDuel Racing @FanDuel_Racing]

BOOK'EM DANNO is the Champion Male Sprinter of 2025! The son of @BuccheroStud won the Forego (G1) and two other graded races last year. Congratulations to his connections! 🎉

[Barbara D. Livingston @DRFLivingston]

A most heartfelt congratulations to 2025 Eclipse Award-winning trainer Bill Mott! This is Bill's fifth such award.🌟

Photos: Hall of Famer Bill Mott with 1995-1996 Horse of the Year Cigar, in Jan. 1996 ... and in Oct. 2025 with Sovereignty, now the 2025 Horse of the Year

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Just moments before chasing a second Breeders’ Cup trophy, the striking light grey White Abarrio was scratched at the starting gate. He returns this Saturday in search of redemption.

📚 Read Our New Post: https://t.co/GiY8WQMJgm

@C2RacingStable @SaffieJosephJr

[Taylor Made Stallions @TMStallions]

🩷🐎 First foal for Angel of Empire!

G1 Arkansas Derby winner ANGEL OF EMPIRE was represented by his first foal, a filly out of Love Ava Love (Mr. Greeley) born Saturday at @TaylorMadeSales! Look at the leg!

@TaylorMadeMark @Albaughstables @cyfanatic

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Happy Birthday, Ted Noffey! 🎉🎂

He rings in his third year as an undefeated, three-time Grade 1 winner, an early Kentucky Derby favorite, and a lock for Champion Two-Year-Old Male of 2025.

The @SpendthriftFarm-owned Todd Pletcher trainee is shown here fueling up just two days before his victory in the @BreedersCup Juvenile.

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

@reaganswinbank Glad you like it! We’re big fans of her. 🩷

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Cy Fair, a filly with dazzling speed and a love for competition, emerged in the summer of 2025 not only as a rising star on the turf, but as a source of light during one of the darkest moments her connections would face. Named for a Texas high school and co-owned by a family from the Lone Star State, Cy Fair’s debut came just days after catastrophic flooding devastated Hill Country. As her career continues to unfold, she serves as an example of the love and joy horses can bring people, even in the hardest of times.

🤎 Read all about this talented young filly in our newest blog post "Cy Fair: Boy-Beating Breeders' Cup Winner & Source of Smiles After the Texas Floods": https://t.co/0MIO0gBxao

@MedallionRacing @reaganswinbank @TMStallions

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

La Wally, a filly with an unforgettable face, continues her journey to the Kentucky Oaks today at Santa Anita Park.

The Constitution (@WinStarFarm) filly is already on the Oaks leaderboard with five points thanks to her runner-up finish to Explora in the Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) back in October. She will face that foe again today in the Santa Ynez Stakes, along with Bottle of Rouge, whom La Wally finished third behind in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) in September (with Explora second in that race).

La Wally may be the longest shot on the morning line for the Santa Ynez, largely due to her off-the-board finish in the tough Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, but she’ll be an easy bet for those who make their selections based on flashiness.

La Wally is out of the Gemologist mare Moonstone. A $300,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase for owners Muir Hut Stables, she is trained by Mark Glatt. Umberto Rispoli will ride her for the first time in this start.

🌸 Santa Ynez Stakes 🌸
✨ 1. Himika
✨ 2. La Wally
✨ 3. Bottle of Rouge
✨ 4. Revera
✨ 5. Explora
Post time is 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

How good is STARK CONTRAST? So good that we may be seeing him in the Grade 1 American Turf on Kentucky Derby Day.

The newly turned three-year-old delivered a dazzling performance yesterday in the Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita, winning the one-mile turf event by an easy 2 1/4 lengths. That victory proved his runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), where he was beaten just 3/4 of a length by the European Gstaad, was no fluke.

Now a three-time winner, the young Caravaggio colt also captured the Zuma Beach Stakes (G3) in October.

Stark Contrast’s win in the Eddie Logan marked the 500th career victory for his trainer, @mwmracing.

We look forward to seeing how the Amerman Racing homebred progresses throughout the year! ✨

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

FOREVER YOUNG made history as the first dirt horse ever named Japanese Racing Association Horse of the Year.

His standout 2025 campaign included three wins from four starts:
🏆 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1)
🏆 Saudi Cup (G1)
🏆 Nippon TV Hai
🌟 3rd in Dubai World Cup (G1)

In addition to Horse of the Year honors, Forever Young was also crowned Champion Older Male and Champion Dirt Horse. In the United States, he is a finalist for the Eclipse Award for Older Dirt Male, alongside Sierra Leone and Nysos, with the winner to be announced on January 22.

The exceptional racehorse is expected to make his five-year-old debut in the $20 million Saudi Cup on February 14.

#フォーエバーヤング

[Champs of the Track @ChampsTrack]

Amarillo is a striking member of the Bob Baffert barn. The @AQHA gelding has the important job of ponying, or escorting, the Hall of Famer’s racehorses during morning training, and he excels in the position. “He likes the racehorses, and they like him back,” Jill Baffert said in an interview with America’s Best Racing.

Amarillo, registered as I’m In It To Whiz It, was bred and raised by Oak Ridge Ranch and purchased by Baffert for $110,000 at the 2020 Twombly Performance Horses Sale. He gained widespread recognition in racing the following year as the pony to Medina Spirit, who crossed the wire first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.