Phipps Stable’s co-owned stakes winner Perform is looking to get back to his winning ways in Race 3 on Friday, August 2 at Saratoga.

The allowance optional claiming race for ages three years and older has a purse of $115,000 and will cover a mile and an eight on the dirt. Perform will break from the inside post with jockey Dylan Davis aboard for trainer Shug McGaughey.

Perform enters the five-horse race as the second favorite with odds of 5/2. Post time is 2:18 pm Eastern.

He broke his maiden in his sixth career start and second as a sophomore last March at Tampa. He followed it up with a victory in the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park in April, a win that qualified him for the grade 1 Preakness. He struggled to become factor in the deeper waters, finishing sixth in a field that included Kentucky Derby winner Mage and, now a three-time grade 1 winner, National Treasure. In his last start as a 3-year-old, he finished off the board in the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga in July.

The colt by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms stallion Good Magic ended a 10-month layoff in May and has finished second or third in each of his three monthly starts so far this year.

Perform’s granddam is a half-sister to sires Into Mischief and Mendelssohn, as well as four-time champion Beholder. He was purchased for $230,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale and is owned in partnership by Woodford Racing LLC, Lane’s End Farm, Phipps Stable, Ken Langone, Lynne Hudson, and Edward Hudson, Jr.

Photo: Perform in his June 7th start at Saratoga.

Stuart S. Janney III and Phipps Stable’s homebred Tom Collins is making his 3-year-old debut on Friday, July 12 in Race 3 at Saratoga, a maiden special weight covering a mile and a sixteenth on the turf.

Tom Collins is ending a nine-month layoff after finishing runner-up in his last start, a turf race at Aqueduct. He progressed nicely as a juvenile last summer at Saratoga, taking sixth in his career debut in August and third next time out in September.

He’ll break from the inside post with jockey Joel Rosario aboard for trainer Shug McGaughey, the same connections that won the 2013 Kentucky Derby with Orb.

By Darley stallion Frosted, he’s out of Tiznow mare Party Now, the dam placing in multiple stakes and earning three wins from eight career starts. Tom Collins’ tail-female line is all Janney and Phipps, going back seven generations to La Troienne mare Belle Histoire, acquired in 1946 by Ogden Phipps. The family includes 2003 French champion 3-year-old Bright Sky and U.S. grade 1 winners Carriage Trail and Her Smile.

Phipps Stable’s 4-year-old Into Mischief filly Self Confident followed up her maiden win last time out with a determined allowance victory on Friday at Laurel.

Breaking from the rail in a mile and a sixteenth turf race with jockey Forest Boyce aboard, she broke from the rail and saved ground around the first turn. She stalked the pace from her rail position down the backstretch and far turn before moving to the three path entering the stretch. She made a bid for the lead inside the eighth pole and prevailed to win by a neck.

After sitting out her sophomore campaign, she has progressed nicely this year, taking fourth in two starts at Gulfstream in January and February, followed by a third-place finish at Tampa in April. Her maiden win came in May at Monmouth, getting up at the wire to win by a head.

Self Confident is a half-sister of Phipps Stable’s stakes-placed Speightstown horse Dreams of Tomorrow and her dam Sabbatical, by Medaglia d’Oro is a half-sister to grade 1 winner Imagining, by Giant’s Causeway. A ninth-generation Phipps homebred, Self Confident is from the Get Lucky branch of La Troienne mare Baby League.

Photo: Jockey Forest Boyce aboard Self Confident after her allowance win at Laurel.

One of Phipps Stable’s most promising 3-year-olds this year is Speightstown colt Pentathlon, who moved forward with a runner-up effort over a mile on the dirt at Aqueduct on Sunday, June 30th, the second start of his sophomore campaign.

Breaking from the outside post in field of five with jockey Kendrick Carmouch aboard, Pentathlon patiently stalked the pace from the three path out of the chute, up the backstretch, and into the far turn. He responded to urging in the turn and nudged ahead for the lead before brushing with a foe in a stretch duel, coming up a head short in an exciting finish.

The colt is the second foal out of Parade, a graded stakes-placed Tapit mare and half-sister of multiple graded stakes-winning horse Parading, by Pulpit. His second dam is graded stakes-placed Storm Cat mare On Parade, third dam is Breeders’ Cup champion My Flag, and fourth dam is undefeated Hall of Famer Personal Ensign. This elite family traces back to imported Argentinian mare Dorine, acquired by Ogden Phipps in 1970.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Phipps-bred Pentathlon is owned in partnership by Phipps Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Woodford Racing.

Partnership-owned 4-year-old Medaglia d’Oro colt Juan Valdez is seeking his first win on Friday, June 20th in Monmouth Park’s Race 5, a maiden special weight for ages three years and older covering a mile and a sixteenth on the turf. Post time is 3:53 pm Eastern.

After rallying in the stretch to come up a nose short on March 16th at Gulfstream Park, he took a step back last time out on May 10th at Churchill Downs, tiring in the stretch to finish off the board.

Since returning to Belmont after the race to continue training with Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, he has put in a series of four workouts, including breezing four furlongs over the dirt training track in 48.48 seconds, the third fastest of 37 on June 4th.

Jockey Paco Lopez has the mount. breaking from post No. 5 in a field of 9. Mr. Lopez was aboard Juan Valdez for his runner-up finish in March.
Juan Valdez enters the race with morning-line odds of 3-to-1, the second favorite behind fellow Don Alberto-bred Main Beach, a 3-year-old Into Mischief gelding out of sold Cynthia Phipps-bred mare Siren Serenade, by Unbridled’s Song. The dam is a daughter of Phipps’ four-time grade 1-winning millionaire Versailles Treaty. The race also includes 4-year-old Speightstown colt Paxsational, the first foal out of sold stakes-placed Phipps mare Browse, by Medaglia d’Oro. Paxsational’s younger half-sister is Quality Road filly Pipit, winner of the listed 2023 Victoria Stakes at Woodbine.

Juan Valdez is a half-brother of multiple grade 1-winning millionaire and sire Constitution, by Tapit. He was purchased for $900,000 from the Hartley Derenzo Thoroughbreds consignment at the March 2022 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and is owned in partnership by West Point Thoroughbreds, Inc., Woodford Racing LLC, Lane’s End Farm, #PhippsStable, Ken Langone, Edward Hudson Jr., and Lynne Hudson.

Photo: Juan Valdez, January 2023

Phipps Stable’s homebred Now and Later is ending a two-month layoff on Friday, June 14th in Race 5 at Churchill Downs. The mile-and-a-half allowance race over the turf is for ages three years and older. Breaking from post 7 in a field of 10, the Candy Ride colt will have Edgar Morales aboard. Post time is 2:45 pm Eastern.

Now and Later broke his maiden three starts back over the turf in July 2023 at Delaware Park, after which he had a seven-month layoff. In his first start of his 4-year-old campaign this February over Turfway Park’s all-weather track, he worked some rust off with an 11th place finish. He significantly moved forward last time out finishing a close fourth over the turf in mid-April at Keeneland and earning a career best 80 Beyer speed figure.

Now and Later is the second foal out of Phipps-bred Arch mare Vagabond and a half-brother of graded stakes-winning mare Surprisingly, by Mastery. Vagabond’s third dam is Phipps foundation mare Our Country Place (a half-sister to champion Sky Beauty), acquired by Ogden Phipps in 1993. This is the family of grade 1 winners Guarana, Pine Island, Pleasant Home, and Point of Entry.

Photo: Now and Later breaking his maiden on July 1, 2023 Delaware Park with jockey Feargal Lynch aboard.

Thoroughbred Daily News-declared “Rising Star” Signator is stepping up in class for the grade 2 Suburban Stakes on Saturday, June 8 at Saratoga. Race 6 on the Belmont Stakes undercard, it will cover a mile and a quarter over the dirt. Signator has the inside post in a field of 8 with Javier Castellano aboard. Post time is 1:51 pm Eastern.

Signator showed promise early on in his career, being declared a “Rising Star” by Thoroughbred Daily News after a dynamic maiden win at Aqueduct in his second juvenile start in October of 2022. Following the win, he had a 10-month layoff and earned two wins among allowance company from six starts as a 3-year-old.

Saturday’s start will be his second graded stakes race. He finishing ninth in the grade 3 Fred W. Hooper in January at Gulfstream Park and then took a 105-day layoff before finishing fourth among allowance company early last month at Aqueduct.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, he prepared for the Suburban with a four-furlong breeze over a fast Belmont dirt training track on Sunday, June 2nd in 47.64 seconds, the ninth-fastest of 132 workouts that morning.
By Gainesway Farm stallion Tapit and out of Phipps-bred Seeking the Gold mare Pension, he shares the same sire and female family as superstar sensation Flightline who stands in Kentucky at Lane’s End Farm.

A win by Signator would be the ninth time a Phipps horse has won the Suburban. The impressive list includes Dynamic One (2022, owned in partnership), Easy Goer (1990), Dancing Spree (1989), Personal Flag (1988), Buckpasser (1967), Bold Ruler (1958), Busanda (1951), and Snark (1938).

A $1.7 million purchase from the Eddie Woods Stables consignment at the April 2022 Ocala Breeders’ Sale, Signator is owned in a partnership that includes West Point Thoroughbreds, Inc., Woodford Racing LLC, Gainesway Farm (his breeder), Phipps Stable, Ken Langone, Edward Hudson Jr., Lynne Hudson, and Lane’s End Farm.

Photo: Signator, January 2023

PENTATHLON had a promising 3-year-old debut in the opener on Friday at Saratoga.

Breaking from post № 3 in a 10-horse field with jockey Joel Rosario aboard for the 7-furlong maiden special weight over the dirt, he settled in the two path just off the leader up the backstretch. He then moved to the inside path approaching the far turn and came under coaxing and spun just off the inside into the upper stretch. He kept on under a drive to take show honors.

It was a good effort for Shug McGaughey-trained Speightstown colt who was making his third career start and ending an 8-month layoff.

A sixth-generation Phipps-bred, Pentathlon is from the royal Personal Ensign branch of Phipps foundation mare Dorine (Arg). He is owned in partnership by Phipps Stable, St. Elias Stable and Woodford Racing LLC.

Phipps Stable’s co-owned Perform moved forward on Friday at Saratoga in the second start of his 4-year-old campaign.

With Dylan Davis aboard for the mile-and-a-quarter allowance optional claimer over the dirt, he broke from the 8 hole and bumped with a rival at the start. He settled in on the rail near the back of the field nearing the first turn and remained on the inside up the backstretch. He responded to urging entering in the far turn, picking off foes to hit the top of the stretch on the rail in third. He moved out under a drive, passing another foe to take runner-up honors.

Last time out, he finished third among allowance company at Aqueduct in a race that ended a 10-month layoff. The Good Magic colt won the Frederico Tesio Stakes last year and took sixth in the grade 1 Preakness.

Trained by Shug McGaughey, Perform is owned in partnership by Woodford Racing LLC, Lane’s End Farm, Phipps Stable, Ken Langone, and Edward Hudson, Jr.

Phipps Stable-bred colt Pentathlon is seeking his maiden win on Friday, June 7 in Saratoga Race 1, a seven-furlong maiden special weight on the dirt for ages three years and older.

The Phipps Stable-bred three-year-old colt is ending an eight-month layoff after finishing third at Aqueduct last time out.

He ran a four-furlong bullet on the Belmont dirt training track on May 20 in 47.68 seconds, the fastest of 46 workouts that morning.

In training with Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, he will be ridden by jockey Joel Rosario who was aboard the family’s Kentucky Derby winner Orb.

Breaking from post № 3 in a field of 10, the well-bred Speightstown filly out of Tapit mare Parade is owned in partnership by Phipps Stable, St. Elias Stable and Woodford Racing LLC.

Post time is 12:20 pm Eastern.