'RISING STAR' LEADING CHANGE WINS INDIANA DERBY, STAYS UNBEATEN

July 11, 2026 HORSESHOE INDIANAPOLIS  Case Clay Thoroughbred Management yearling purchase, LEADING CHANGE stayed perfect in the G3 Indiana Derby.

It's a tall order to go from a maiden sprint to a two-turn graded race, but Wathnan Racing's Leading Change did it with aplomb, staying unbeaten with a score in Saturday's G3 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Named a 'TDN Rising Star' and given a 92 Beyer Speed Figure on his June 7 debut at Churchill Downs going seven furlongs, the half-brother to GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Shedaresthedevil showed he was something special from the start. Last to load Saturday, Leading Change broke from the outside and, as the dust settled, came away with a tracking spot just off the outside flank of Delaware Derby runner-up Out of the Woods. Those two put daylight on the field before the :23.40 first quarter while Leading Change continued to track from second and the rest of the field bunched up three or four lengths behind them. Leading Change collared Out of the Woods three furlongs from home, edging in front as last-out G3 Matt Winn second Our Moneyman mounted a fresh attack from the outside. The bay held sway, dispensing of Out of the Woods while holding off Our Moneyman by a neck at the wire in a game effort. Out of the Woods finished two lengths back in third.

“It looked like he had the horse on the lead measured,” said Brad Cox. “He stayed on well to dig down that last bit, keep his head in front, show his talent, his class, his determination.” Leading Change was purchased for owner, Wathnan Racing at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, he is trained by Brad Cox and was ridden by Irad Ortiz. Article adapted from the Thoroughbred Daily News, July 11th, Jill Williams.

June 28, 2026 CHURCHILL DOWNS  Case Clay Thoroughbred Management yearling purchase, IN TOTAL AWE missed the break but showed impressive ability, going from last to first, and drawing away to win on debut - a $120,000 Maiden Special Weight going 6.5 furlongs at Churchill in the last race of the meet.

IN TOTAL AWE is a Constitution filly out of the G2 placed mare, High Regard. She went off at odds of 44-1 but in an absolutely thrilling race, overcame a very poor start rallying from 11th to 1st, drawing away to win by 3+ lengths in the end with a gallop out that confirmed she should relish two turns - earning an 82 Beyer. IN TOTAL AWE was a Keeneland September yearling purchase for Bal Mar Equine and is trained by Al Stall.

June 8, 2026 CHURCHILL DOWNS  Case Clay Thoroughbred Management yearling purchase, LEADING CHANGE dominated on debut earning Wathnan Racing their second TDN Rising Star of the day.

When you're the half-brother to a multiple Grade I winner, expectations are always high, but Leading Change (Gun Runner) took a big first step to filling those shoes with a dazzling debut at Churchill Downs to earn a 'TDN Rising Star' nod and a 92 Beyer.  The son of Gun Runner had a respectable worktab under his belt by the time he was entered for this contest. Drawn to the far outside, the post made little difference to the betting public when they sent him away as the heavy 6-5 favorite.  Leading Change broke well and stalked the action from third on the outside of the dueling early pace set in :22.59 and a crisp :45.13 for the half. The looming danger as heads turned for home, he quickly overtook that pair and extended his advantage on the rest with every stride. The Brad Cox trainee hit the wire 6 1/2 lengths in front of Don's Winner, who snuck up in the final strides to claim second.  The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:21.06. Leading Change is Gun Runner's 24th 'TDN Rising Star' and was owner Wathnan Racing's second on the afternoon behind Sneakily (Tapit) in race 5.  The victor is a half-brother to the aforementioned multiple Grade I winner and GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Shedaresthedevil. Leading Change was purchased for Wathnan Racing at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is trained by Brad Cox and was ridden by Irad Ortiz.

Article adapted from the TDN

June 8, 2026 CHURCHILL DOWNS  Case Clay Thoroughbred Management yearling purchase, SNEAKILY broke her maiden in style at Churchill going from last to first and making it look easy.

There was nothing stealthy about her leap into the air at the break but it didn't matter late as the eye-catching Sneakily went last to first to secure the TDN stamp of approval as the newest 'TDN Rising Star' at Churchill. 

The grey was debuted at Ellis Park Aug. 18 and had the misfortune of having to close on an uncontested leader. Having spent most of her time near the rear of the field after she broke slowly and was bumped around, Sneakily came home from four wide to be a clear second.  Given 5-2 odds for this second try, she missed the jump even worse here and found herself last early as the frontrunner posted an opening quarter in :22.97 and a half in :48.45. Saving ground on the far bend as six panels went by in 1:12.40, Sneakily came nine wide into the lane, but was relentlessly closing the gap on Paseo (Mendelssohn) with every stride. Overhauling that one past the furlong marker, she rolled home from last to first to win by two lengths. Sneakily was purchased for Wathnan Racing at the Fasig Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, she is trained by Brad Cox and was ridden by Irad Ortiz.

Article adapted from the TDN

June 3, 2026 HORSESHOE INDIANAPOLIS  Case Clay Thoroughbred Management private purchase, INSTANT REPLAY stalked the pace until they rounded the turn when he turned away stablemate BEDARD and drew away to win his first start off the layoff. The 4YO son of Maximum Security was last seen winning the Super Derby in Louisiana last year. Instant Replay was purchased for Wathnan Racing and is trained by Brad Cox.

May 16, 2026 LAUREL  Case Clay Thoroughbred Management yearling purchase, STRIKER HAS DIAL took the field all the way in the Skipat Stakes, the first stakes event on the Preakness undercard and her second consecutive stakes win.

The 5-year-old daughter of Dialed In broke sharply under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. and competed with Modo for the early lead. She gained command and posted fractions of :22.47, :45.76, and :57.79. Down the backstretch, Striker Has Dial continued to race comfortably and led the field by a length into the far turn of the 6-furlong test. As the field hit the top of the stretch, she came under a drive and pulled away from her rivals. Steve Asmussen trainee Benedetta attempted an outside rally but was unable to catch the leader. Striker Has Dial hit the wire 1 3/4 lengths in front in a final time of 1:10.44. This mare was purchased at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for Chief Horse Futures. Second in this race last year at Pimlico, she goes one better at Laurel.  Article adapted from The Bloodhorse Daily

April 21, 2026 HORSESHOE INDIANAPOLIS Case Clay Thoroughbred Management 2YO purchase, STORMFORGED won gate to wire going 6f on the dirt in an Allowance at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Stormforged went off at even money odds and after his signature fast break from the gate, he led the windy race from gate to wire, putting away rival Zapping Strike and drawing away to win by 4+ lengths. He won his debut impressively and was defeated by Englishman at the Fairgrounds last time out but is back to his winning ways. STORMFORGED, a 3yo son of Vekoma, was purchased for Wathnan Racing at the Fasig Tipton Midlantic Sale and is trained by Steve Asmussen.

April 17, 2026 AQUEDUCT Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Yearling purchase, DOUBLE ACT won gate to wire going a mile on the turf in a Maiden Special Weight at Aqueduct. Double Act quickly moved to the front of the field and controlled the pace in hand, drawing away to win by just less than 2 lengths in his turf debut. DOUBLE ACT was purchased for Wathnan Racing at the Fasig Tipton Saratoga Select Sale and is trained by Bill Mott.

April 9, 2026 KEENELAND Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Yearling purchase, FOURTH DIMENSION won impressively going two turns on the dirt at Keeneland. After he broke a step slow, he found himself at the back of the pack but when they turned for home he swung wide and going from last to first, kicked home to win by 4+ lengths earning an 82 Beyer. Starting his career on the turf, he really found his spot with the switch to dirt and has been improving in every start. FOURTH DIMENSION was purchased for Wathnan Racing out of the Fasig Tipton October Sale and is trained by Bill Mott.

March 28, 2026 GULFSTREAM Widely touted as the best Kentucky Derby (G1) prep race this year, the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park March 28 did not disappoint as Wathnan Racing's COMMANDMENT edged OGMA Investments, JR Ranch, and High Step Racing's The Puma by a nose.

In a dramatic renewal of the Florida Derby at 1 1/8 miles, Commandment, a bay son of Into Mischief trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Flavien Prat, surged widest of all in the stretch to nail The Puma in the final stride, hitting the wire in 1:49.99 over a fast track. Prat tipped him out entering the stretch, and the colt responded with a sustained rally to overhaul The Puma at the wire.

"I thought I had a chance at the eighth pole," Prat said. "He's straightforward, and he's a fighter. He showed some guts down the lane." Commandment stamped himself as a leading Kentucky Derby contender with the victory, which earned him 100 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. For Cox, the victory continued a strong run in major Kentucky Derby preps and reinforced his belief in the colt's stamina.

"I think he put to bed the question of how far he wants to go, with the right trip, he can get it done at a mile and an eighth and a mile and a quarter." COMMANDMENT was a Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Yearling purchase for Wathnan Racing. Article adapted from the Bloodhorse Daily

March 14, 2026 FAIR GROUNDS Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Yearling Purchase, WOOTEN WARRIOR broke her maiden in a dead heat.  She broke sharply from post 5 and went straight to the lead in the 5.5 furlong turf contest, she extended her lead in the stretch and looked like she was home free when her rival closed from 7th for a thrilling finish but she hang on to tie for 1st. Wooten Warrior was purchased for Bal Mar Equine from the Arqana Yearling Sale and is trained by Al Stall. 

March 14, 2026 TAMPA Case Clay Thoroughbred Management 2YO Purchase, EMBLAZE graduated at first asking - showing plenty of talent in a tough trip.  Drawn widest in a field of 10, the $350,000 OBS April graduate was forced to her outside at the break, but was angled back towards the inside by Samuel Marin and sat more or less a midfield trip, eating a fair bit of kickback. Under the pump, but going well enough as they made the stretch, EMBLAZE was angled out with Marin looking to come to the outside of all of those ahead of her, but EMBLAZE had other ideas and maintained an inside track. Pulled out once more inside the final eighth of a mile, she finally kept a straight course and surged past favored Sutura (Vekoma) for the victory. Emblaze was purchased for Dahman and is trained by Miguel Clement. Article adapted from the Thoroughbred Daily News

February 28, 2026 GULFSTREAM PARK Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Yearling Purchase, COMMANDMENT not only proved he could go two turns Feb. 28 in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park, the Into Mischief colt indicated he had more stamina if needed.  Commandment, the Brad Cox-trained 2-1 favorite, wore down and withstood a determined challenge from Chief Wallabee to win the Fountain of Youth.  He covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.33, a performance worth a 101 Beyer and 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby (G1). Cox said he liked where jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. had Commandment throughout, and he was especially encouraged by what came after the finish.  "Irad said he kind of asked him to gallop out past the second wire and he had plenty... passed the two-turn test."  

Cox said the Florida Derby (G1) March 28 is the "logical spot," while noting the April 4 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland as another option depending on how Commandment comes out of Saturday's race.  

Commandment's trip required composure from the outset. He bumped with Bravaro at the start, then took up position midpack while 50-1 longshot Rockies Balboa used the rail to seize control. Rockies Balboa carved out the opening quarter in :23.16 and the half in :46.89, with the field stacked behind in a tight, stalking line.  Ortiz, kept Commandment in the clear and advancing . They edged closer around the far turn, then angled sharply to the rail near the quarter pole—a move that left him saving ground but that carried extra significance given the track's recent perceived outside advantage. Commandment drifted late under right-handed urging, yet he refused to give way and narrowly prevailed, validating Ortiz's confidence in the colt's professionalism.  "He's been doing everything so good since day one," Ortiz said. "I trust him and when the space came he was ready to go." COMMANDMENT was purchased for Wathnan Racing out of the Keeneland September Sale. Article adapted from the Bloodhorse Daily

February 28, 2026 TAMPA BAY DOWNS Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Private Purchase, FLOOD ZONE was much the best in a AOC at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. The G3 Gotham Winner returned from the layoff to win decisively, setting him up well for his 2026 racing season. With Samy Camacho aboard for trainer Brad Cox, the 4-year-old son of Frosted sat three lengths off leader Gianluca Be Lucky through a :44.75 half mile before going on the attack around the turn. Camacho took him five wide turning for home then jetted to the front to win by three-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:23.31 on the track rated good. Raging Fury was second, a half-length faster than Air Invasion in the show spot. FLOOD ZONE was purchased for Wathnan Racing.

February 20, 2026 SANTA ANITA Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Yearling Purchase, BLACKSMITH was much the best in a MSW at Santa Anita on Friday. Having already proven to be a Graded Stakes quality horse, having run 2nd to stablemate, Litmus Test in the G2 Los Al Futurity earning a 94 Beyer. A change in tactics helped Blacksmith score his first win, Florent Geroux maintained his momentum out the gate, staying closer to the pace. Way back in his debut on Oct. 25, Blacksmith showed enough early speed to track pace fractions of :22.43 and :44.82 in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint, he recaptured that speed on Friday, racing in second position as stablemate Authentic Patriot carved out splits of :22.99, :46.77, and 1:10.99. A 3YO colt by Liam's Map, Blacksmith was purchased at the Keeneland September Sale for Wathnan Racing and is trained by Hall of Fame conditioner, Bob Baffert. Content adapted from TwinSpires' Derby Watch

February 15, 2026 JEBEL ALI RACECOURSE Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Private Purchase, DAVID OF ATHENS delivered another gritty performance to win the G3 Jebel Ali Mile Stakes after winning the prep race last month.

In a thrilling stretch battle, Wathnan Racing's DAVID OF ATHENS and Salem Bin Ghadayer’s MASMAK hit the wire in unison, resulting in a dramatic dead-heat in the G3 Jebel Ali Mile on Feb. 15.

It was the first Graded Stakes win for the four-year-old son of Nyquist, who began his career stateside, breaking his maiden in his two-year-old debut at Keeneland.

Ridden by James Doyle, David of Athens sat just off the pace as Masmak went right to the lead to set the pace. Roused by Doyle to challenge in the stretch, David of Athens matched every stride of Masmak through the final furlong, with neither giving an inch. Mount Kosciuszko was just another head back in third. 

David of Athens was purchased privately for Wathnan Racing and his local trainer is Hamad Al-Jehani. Article adapted from Darley News

February 14, 2026 FAIR GROUNDS Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Private Purchase, HIT SHOW—prepping for the March 28 Dubai World Cup (G1), a $12 million race he won in 2025—wore down a stubborn ACCELERIZE to score by a head in the $242,500 Mineshaft Stakes (G3) Feb. 14 at Fair Grounds Racecourse. 

Third or fourth for much of the early running of the 1 1/16-mile race, while always close to front-running Accelerize and pace-pressing TIME TO WIN, HIT SHOW was urged into action on the second turn by Florent Geroux. He began to advance nearing the lane, but ACCELERIZE proved a stubborn foe to pass. The latter fended him off until the sixteenth pole, but after drifting out late, proved unable to repel Hit Show's finish. 

"He's a fighter," Geroux said during an in-house interview.

Saturday's victory improved Hit Show's record to 12-for-24 and his earnings to more than $9 million. Besides the 2025 Dubai World Cup and the Mineshaft, the Brad Cox trainee has captured six other graded stakes races. Article adapted from Bloodhorse Daily

March 10, 2026 OAKLAWN PARK Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Yearling Purchase, WILL TAKE IT delivered a determined performance to win the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes Feb. 5 at Oaklawn Park. 

Ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., WILL TAKE IT saved ground along the rail before going through a narrow opening in the early stretch, outfighting WOODCOURT for the win. 

WILL TAKE IT settled in third in the five-horse field over the initial 6 furlongs of the race, on the rail about a length and a half behind front-running WOODCOURT and pace-chasing SPEED KING, the 3-5 favorite. Blocked until exiting the second turn, WILL TAKE IT found needed daylight at the head of the lane, he then engaged WOODCOURT, ultimately prevailing by a head after a stretch duel.

WOODCOURT finished second, while AMERICAN LAW came with a rally on the outside to get up for third. SPEED KING ran fourth, and THOUGHTHATCOUNTS was fifth. 

Will Take It, a 5-year-old by Tapit, was purchased for Willis Horton Racing and is owned in partnership with breeder, Whisper Hill Farm. Article adapted from the Bloodhorse Daily.

February 5, 2026 FAIR GROUNDS Case Clay Thoroughbred Management Private Purchase, TWOLATEBABYDOLL broke her maiden in style in a 5.5f sprint at the Fair Grounds. She settled in at the back of the pack early, patiently ridden at the rail, as they rounded the turn she made her bid, lengthening her stride in an impressive stretch run going from 8th to win by a length in her first start sprinting. Twolatebabydoll was a private purchase from Ireland for Bal Mar's Paul Varga and is trained by Al Stall.

January 24, 2026 FAIR GROUNDS Case Clay Thoroughbred Management 2YO Purchase, NOBLE AFFAIR was unveiled Dec. 27 at this venue but sprinting on the turf, and ran on well to claim third in a blanket finish. He

moved to the dirt for this second jump, he was asked to navigate a sloppy surface as Fair Grounds hustled to beat the weather, and left the gates carrying 3-1 odds. Out to set the pace through an opening quarter in :22.38 and after four furlongs in :45.89, Noble Affair was still leading the bunch, but that lead was under pressure from Corona de Oro in the lane. Game along the rail as the 2-1 favorite came calling from the grandstand side, his advantage was shrinking late as the pair battled down to the wire. Noble Affair held off his rival in the stretch dual, refusing to let him get by, winning by 1/2 a length and it was a long way back to third. NOBLE AFFAIR was an OBS April 2YO purchase for Wathnan Racing. Article taken from the TDN