Brian Robin

Muck Rack profile
Classic Causeway won three of his first five races, including this Sam F. Davis score. But after finishing 11th in his last two -- including the Kentucky Derby -- his owners moved him to Kenny McPeek's barn. (Image: Margaux Farm)

Surprise! Classic Causeway Moves From Lynch to McPeek’s Barn

Without even trying, trainer Kenny McPeek inherited Classic Causeway, getting the Kentucky Derby runner and two-time stakes winner from Brian Lynch’s barn. The Daily Racing Form reported that Kentucky West Racing and the Clarke M. Cooper Family Living Trust, which bred and owns Classic Causeway, moved him to McPeek’s barn. […]

This 2-year-old colt set numerous records when he brought $3.55 million in auction Tuesday in Maryland. (Image: Fasig-Tipton Photo)

Colt Sells for Record $3.55 Million at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale

A colt from the late sire Bernardini shattered several records on Tuesday when he brought $3.55 million at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Timonium, Maryland. The colt, a product of Bernardini out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare G Note, went to Gary Young, the respected West […]

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series offers 82 races in 11 countries. Each race presents the winner a spot in one of 14 races at the Nov. 4-5 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keenelland. (Image: Breeders' Cup)

Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Brings New Twist to US Races

The Breeders’ Cup announced its 2022 list of Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races, known as the “Win and You’re In” events. The premise is simple: win one of these 82 races in 11 countries and you have a starting spot in one of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races. That brings […]

Tahoma because the first offspring of 2018 Triple Crown winning sire Justify to enter -- and win -- a race.(Image: Benoit Photo)

Tahoma Follows Triple Crown-Winning Sire Justify Into Winner’s Circle

At first glance, Sunday’s second race at Santa Anita Park looked to be a nondescript maiden special weight — even down to the 4/5 favorite, Tahoma. But even putting aside his two-length victory in the 4 1/2-furlong race, Tahoma is far from nondescript. The 2-year-old is the first foal from […]

Kentucky Derby champion Rich Strike had his first workout since winning the May 7 Run for the Roses the same day as the Preakness Stakes his connections passed. He will have one more Churchill Downs workout before going to New York for the Belmont Stakes. (Image: Churchill Downs/Coady Photography)

Derby Winner Rich Strike Returns to the Track — For a Workout

As he watched his biggest meal ticket work out Saturday, Rich Strike trainer Eric Reed cast a figurative eye East toward Pimlico Race Course. Then, he answered the question of many fans wondering why he wasn’t there, running the second jewel of the Triple Crown — the Preakness Stakes. “Skipping […]

Early Voting exits Pimlico Race Course Sunday, heading back to New York -- but not for the June 11 Belmont Stakes. The Preakness winner will run next in one of the summer sophomore preps. (Image: Maryland Jockey Club)

Preakness Winner Early Voting, No. 2 Epicenter Early Belmont Defections

You won’t see the top two horses from Saturday’s Preakness Stakes in Queens, New York, next month, as trainer Chad Brown said Preakness winner Early Voting won’t run the June 11 Belmont Stakes. Nor will Kentucky Derby and Preakness runner-up Epicenter. But Creative Minister, the third-place Preakness finisher, is likely […]

As the 6/5 favorite, Epicenter looked to be the horse to beat in Saturday's Preakness Stakes. Instead a bad start and poor tactics resulted in his second runner-up finish in as many Triple Crown races. (Image: Maryland Jockey Club)

Epicenter’s Second Triple Crown Runner-Up Frustrates Asmussen

After Epicenter finished second in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Steve Asmussen was stunned. After Epicenter finished second in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, Asmussen was more than surprised. He was upset. Upset that his 6/5 favorite – who came into the 147th Preakness Stakes as the best all-around horse in the field […]

Early Voting (5) held off Epicenter (8) and Creative Minister (6) to win the 147th Preakness Stakes. (Image: Maryland Jockey Club)

Early Voting Finds Target, Punches a Winning Ballot in Preakness Stakes

Chad Brown wanted Early Voting to have “a target” in the 147th Preakness Stakes. He wanted the lightly raced, but fast colt to go out fast – but he wanted someone else to go out faster. And Armagnac obliged. The California colt wasted no time taking the lead, providing Early […]

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas (right on his exercise pony) takes aim at his record-tying seventh Preakness Stakes title with filly Secret Oath. The Kentucky Oaks winner would be the seventh filly to win the second jewel of the Triple Crown. (Image: Maryland Jockey Club)

Breaking Down the 2022 Preakness Stakes: More Filly Follies?

The 2022 Preakness Stakes comes to you with a paradox, a wagering quandary that pits one 21st century trend against one 2020s trend. The trend this century is the friend to chalk. Since 2000, 10 favorites found the Pimlico Race Course winner’s circle. Oxbow at 15.40/1 in 2013 is the […]

Another Mystery heads an overflow field in the Grade 3 Louisville Stakes, the lone stakes race on this week's Cross Country Pick 5. (Image: Coady Photography)

Louisville Stakes Anchors this Week’s Cross Country Pick 5

If you need to take a break from handicapping the Preakness Stakes, this week’s New York Racing Association’s Cross Country Pick 5 offers an all-turf series from Belmont Park and Churchill Downs. The lone stakes race in the weekly wager is the Grade 3 Louisville Stakes from Churchill Downs. The 11th […]

Creative Minister is becoming a horseplayer's favorite as a sneaky dark-horse for the 147th Preakness Stakes. He is 2-fo-3 going into his stakes debut. (Image: Maryland Jockey Club)

Creative Minister Provides an Expensive Preakness Wild Card

There wasn’t a lot of creativity involved in putting Creative Minister in the 147th Preakness Stakes. Not unless you consider cutting a check for $150,000 to supplement his entry to be a creative act. It cost 150 large to put Creative Minister into the Pimlico Race Course starting gate because […]

Ethereal Road was a late Kentucky Derby scratch who won't run the Preakness Stakes either. He is entered in the undercard Sir Barton with an eye toward the Belmont Stakes. (Image: Coady Photography)

Ethereal Road Remains Off the Triple Crown Path — For Now

The last time we heard the name Ethereal Road mentioned was on May 6, the day before the 148th Kentucky Derby. We heard it mentioned in passing when trainer D. Wayne Lukas scratched the colt five minutes before the entry deadline. This became the Scratch Heard ‘Round the World 30 […]

Epicenter arrives at Pimlico as the most complete contender for the 147th Preakness Stakes. (Image: Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club)

Epicenter Ready to Turn the Page at Preakness

If going 4-2-0 in his first seven races is merely a warm-up for Epicenter, as trainer Steve Asmussen alluded to on Tuesday, we are apparently in for some kind of blockbuster main event at Saturday’s 147th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. “I think it’s a very unique opportunity and […]

Un Ojo (back in yellow) disposed of Ethereal Road to win the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes in March.  Un Ojo will miss the Preakness Stakes with the same bone 
 bruise that kept him out of the Kentucky Derby. (Image: Coady Photography)

Pesky Bone Bruise Knocks Un Ojo Out of Preakness Stakes

The same foot bruise that kept Un Ojo out of the Kentucky Derby will keep him out of the 147th Preakness Stakes, his connections told turf publicist Jennie Rees. Ricky Courville, the one-eyed gelding’s trainer, told Rees by phone that something wasn’t right after Un Ojo’s Saturday workout. Un Ojo […]

Epicenter is the sizable favorite for Saturday's 147th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Image: Preakness Stakes.com)

Epicenter Named Decisive Favorite for 2022 Preakness Stakes

Kentucky Derby favorite Epicenter will reprise his role as a Triple Crown race favorite for the second time in as many races, coming into the 148th Preakness Stakes as the 6/5 morning-line favorite. Pimlico Race Course’s morning-line author, David Feustle, tabbed the Derby runner-up as the definitive favorite during Monday […]

Gutsy Happy Jack will try giving trainer Doug O'Neill his second Preakness Stakes title. (Image: Churchill Downs/Coady Photography)

Like His Sire, Happy Jack Searching for Preakness Glory

After explaining all the concrete reasons he’s running Happy Jack in the 147th Preakness Stakes, Doug O’Neill threw this little aside out as the cherry on top. “Oh, by the way, his sire, Oxbow, won this race and that is kind of a cool thing,” O’Neill told Santa Anita Park’s […]

Trainer Tim Yakteen learned plenty in defeat about the Kentucky Derby horses he inherited from Bob Baffert: Messier and Taiba. (Image: Benoit Photo)

Kentucky Derby Taught Tim Yakteen Plenty About Messier, Taiba

With both Messier and Taiba back at his Santa Anita Park barn, trainer Tim Yakteen took a look back at last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby shocker by 80/1 Rich Strike and came up with one inescapable conclusion many people overlooked. “Horses that show a fondness for Churchill Downs have a tendency […]

Bella Sofia captured the Grade 1 Test Stakes last summer at Saratoga. She is one to watch in the Cross Country Pick 5's opening leg -- the Vagrancy Stakes. (Image: NYRA Photo)

Belmont Park Holds a Monopoly on Cross Country Pick 5

The New York Racing Association keeps its Cross Country Pick 5 in-house this week, including races exclusively on Belmont Park’s Man o’ War Day card. All five races are graded stakes events, the five on Belmont Park’s Saturday card. That card features 11 races total and is the center of […]

Sonny Leon and Rich Strike won't repeat this iconic image in the Preakness Stakes. The owner of the horse decided to pull the Kentucky Derby winner from the May 21 Preakness and wait for the Belmont. (Image: Skip Dickstein)

No Triple Crown This Year; Rich Strike Out of Preakness

Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike had the plug pulled on a possible Triple Crown run when his connections decided Thursday to bow out of the 147th Preakness Stakes. Instead, they will follow their original playbook and wait for the Belmont Stakes. Rich Strike’s trainer, Eric Reed, said all along the […]