The show: BloodHorse Monday, Sept. 28
The speaker: Mark Cornett, racing manager of C2 Racing Stable
The topic: The decision to ship Forged Steel across the country and run in the Goodwood Stakes (G1) Sept. 26 at Santa Anita Park
The quote: "After he ran so big at Santa Anita last time, we had this on our radar as our goal since that race. The other two races were basically just fill-ins. Neither worked out like we want. The key to these big races, especially these grade 1s, is, can the horse get the right preferred trip so he can run his best race. And in the (Suburban Stakes) that didn't happen. That was a complete disaster. And then the race at the Pacific Classic, same thing. It wasn't a disaster. The horse fired both times. That wasn't the issue. The issue was race flow, race setup, did he get to do what he wants to do, and he didn't in either one of those races. And getting back to the Goodwood at Santa Anita was, like I said, our No. 1 priority. It was a grade 1. We wanted to get the son of Vekoma his first grade 1 win, not only for us but for Spendthrift as well and their sire. That's a big deal."
The show: At The Races With Steve Byk, Sept. 28
The speaker: Trainer John Sadler
The topic: 2025 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Super Corredora and her return to the races off a long layoff to win the Zenyatta Stakes (G2) Sept. 27 at Santa Anita Park
The quote: "She kind of went off a little bit mentally this winter. We gave her a break. Came back really good and strong, and we were delighted with (Sunday's) race. I think she just needed to decompress a little bit. She's not the biggest filly in the world, and I did a lot with her at 2, meaning when you come back in three weeks into the Breeders' Cup, another big effort, maybe it just might have been a little bit much for her. Like I said, she's not the biggest horse; she's barely at 1,000 pounds, so it was just really good for her to have a little rest. ... We got a nice sound filly for what's ahead. Really pleased because not only did she come back really strong, came back against older mares, and she's just 3, so very good race for her yesterday. We're thrilled."
The Show: The Ron Flatter Racing Pod (Horse Racing Nation), Sept. 24
The speaker: CEO of Churchill Downs Inc. Bill Carstanjen
The topic: The state of the Triple Crown moving forward
The quote: "Well, I think the Triple Crown has had some disadvantages that have only gotten worse over time. It's really clear that trainers in general, in 2026, and in this period of time, they want more rest for their horses. And you come out of the (Kentucky) Derby, and the Derby is a very taxing race. It's 20 horses. It's in front of 150,000 people. There's a lot of pressure and a very, very aggressive race, so horses come out of that tired and they need to recuperate and get ready for the next race. So, there is that challenge in the modern era where they're not running their horses back so quickly, and you marry that with the fact that most sports we have in the United States have a champion every year, and every year there's a story and a drama that unfolds as the athletes and the teams compete against each other over an extended period of time over a season. And with the Triple Crown, we generally weren't having that. At the conclusion of the Derby, there was only one horse that could win the Triple Crown, and often now we saw that horse wouldn't run in the Preakness. So, the Triple Crown has tremendous historical legacy, but we are not history teachers. We have to entice our customers and entertain our customers every year. And, in the modern era, the Triple Crown was already pretty challenged, even before you look at the lack of capital investment, lack of any investment that's been the story in Maryland for the last couple of decades."
