Churchill Downs standout True Passion delivered an impressive 7 1/2-length maiden special weight victory, earning her a spot among this week’s top performers with an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.
The 3-year-old daughter of Audible, trained by Lonnie Briley for Norman Stables LLC, was purchased for $50,000 at OBS last June. She represents the first racing foal from Fortune Pearl, winner of the 2015 GII Delaware Oaks who also placed third in the GII Black-Eyed Susan and fourth in the GI Alabama Stakes.
Jockey Corey Lanerie, whose early career was helped by Briley in Louisiana, guided the filly to victory in the 6-furlong contest on May 11.
Wesley Ward‘s homebred Guy Smiley captured a 5-furlong turf sprint at Churchill Downs on May 8, earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure. The 3-year-old Hootenanny colt overcame early bumping to make up approximately four lengths in the final quarter.
Ward’s connection to the colt runs deep — he raced the sire and bred Guy Smiley from an unraced mare of Aga Khan lineage. The victory came after a routing third at Turfway behind Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher Final Gambit.
Guy Smiley and Walter Rodriguez win on the turf for trainer Wesley Ward 😃 pic.twitter.com/3aznCEIwbY
— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns)
Guy Smiley and Walter Rodriguez win on the turf for trainer Wesley Ward 😃 pic.twitter.com/3aznCEIwbY
— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) May 8, 2025
At Santa Anita, Mark Glatt-trained Cheever made an impressive career debut on May 10, earning a 92 Beyer Speed Figure while finishing third behind a Bob Baffert duo. The Into Mischief colt, a $700,000 OBS purchase last March for Muir Hut Stables LLC, tracked the leaders and finished with strong energy in the 6 1/2-furlong contest.
Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, Cheever comes from solid bloodlines — his dam is GIII Doubledogdare winner Electric Forest.
Sierra Silver, trained by Bob Baffert for Golden Bear Racing, earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure while finishing second in the same Santa Anita race. Despite being favored at 9-10 and making repeated runs through the stretch, the Game Winner colt couldn’t catch his Baffert stablemate.
Sierra Silver emerged from what’s proven to be a key race that has produced four next-out winners, including Preakness entrant Goal Oriented. His dam, Promise Me Silver, began her racing career with an eight-race win streak that culminated in the GIII Eight Belles Stakes.
Topping this week’s list is Southern Gentleman, who earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure while winning the ultra-fast 6 1/2-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita on May 10. The Mitole colt, trained by Bob Baffert for Speedway Stables LLC, was purchased for $725,000 at OBS March.
Despite being the “other” Baffert horse in the race — a handicapping angle that dates back decades, perhaps most famously with 1998 Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet — Southern Gentleman dashed to the front and was never headed, completing the distance in 1:14.98.
The May 10 Santa Anita maiden race produced the three fastest performers on this week’s list, with Baffert trainees claiming the top two spots.
