Drexel Hill wins the 2025 Busher. (Walter Włodarczyk)
Christian Abdo
Klaravich Stables’ Current return has a lot to prove as she steps up in the class after a winning debut for Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Busher, a one-turn mile for second-year fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown won the Busher of Search Results [2021]who was a close second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks for Klaravich Stables; and Shidabhuti [2023] for Peter Brant.
Current Yield is this year’s challenger for Brown after a debut victory by 1 3/4 lengths by sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on Jan. 31 at Tampa Bay Downs. The Nyquist first-timer left post 1-of-11, pushing the pace in 47.15 seconds over a half-mile on the fast dirt and coasting to victory under the confident driving of Samy Camacho in a final time of 1:19.90. The winning effort yielded a 58 Beyer Speed Figure.
“Her debut in Tampa wasn’t that fast, but she came down the rail in a sprint and had to be pushed all the way,” Brown said. “She’s a route horse. She doesn’t really want to be in the lead. She’s a very talented horse, I think. I’ll try to stretch her in this race and see where she takes us.”
Current return [post 2, Jaime Rodriguez]accompanied by fellow sophomore filly Market Chill, covered a half-mile in 50 seconds on Saturday at the Payson Park Training Center in Florida.
“The current yield prevailed. I got them to train together. I know it’s a little quick back, but I’m sending her up there,” Brown said. “I was very impressed with her galloping.”
Current Yield, a $400,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the Colonel John mare Denali Tizadream, a half-sister to stakes winner Tax Refund, as well as the ranked Sophia’s Song and Unbridled Beauty. Her second mother, Dreamscape, is a full sister to Hall of Famer Housebuster.
Titletown Racing Stables’ Kentucky homebred Interstate love song [post 5, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] was a neck second after Two Bits last in the seven furlong Ruthless on February 6 here. Trained by Tom Morley, the Bolt d’Oro Bay set the pace from the inside post and led into the track under returning rider Ricardo Santana, Jr., but Two Bits slid down the rail and came out on top in a game-stretch duel.
“The race conditions probably went against her a little bit last time,” Morley said. “She has a fantastic mind. She is very judgeable, very tractable and she is also fast.”
The narrow defeat gave a career and field-best 87 Beyer as Interstatelovesong went a step further in the class after a quick five-length win, also from the inside post, sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs here on December 26 to graduate on the second question. She was previously second on her debut when she sprinted a local seven furlongs in November, behind Great Britain, a New York-bred $1.05 million trained by Chad Brown.
“She is a big filly and has done fantastically well in her three starts so far,” Morley said. “We have very high expectations for her. We think she could be very talented. I am very pleased that her owner-breeder Paul Farr has such a good filly.”
Interstatelovesong is a full sister to the stakes-placed Navy Man and is out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Gentle Humor. Her second mother is multiple stakes winner Be Gentle.
NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods’ Paradise [post 3, Manny Franco] steps up in class after a groundbreaking one-mile second-out diploma Jan. 4 at Gulfstream Park. The Gun Runner chestnut, trained by two-time Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox, defeated next-place winner Betty’s Pearl by three lengths in a final time of 1:39.78, earning a career-best 73 Beyer.
Paradise was a second by 1 1/4 lengths in his debut sprinting six furlongs in November at Churchill Downs. She is entered Saturday in the one-mile Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park, a Kentucky Oaks qualifier with 50-25-15-10-5 points.
The well-bred Paradise, a $700,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, is out of the multiple Grade 1-placed Munnings mare Venetian Harbor – a three-time Grade 2 winner [11-4-5-0, $699,400]. Her second king is Sounds of the City, which is placed on multiple bets.
Trainer Whit Beckman captured this race last year with Drexel Hill [2nd in the Kentucky Oaks] and completes this year’s field with Blowing brat [post 4, Joseph Ramos] And Nycon [post 1, Jaime Torres].
Ribble Farm’s Blazing Brat will make her stable debut for Beckman after being purchased by Legion Bloodstock for $100,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale in January. Like Paradise, she is introduced into the Davona Dale at Gulfstream.
The Beau Liam dark bay was initially fielded by Blazing Meadows Farm and trained by Timothy Hamm, posting a 5-1-2-1 record, including a second-place finish in the six-furlong Sandpiper on Dec. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs. There, Blazing Brat made her first dirt start after four appearances on turf or synthetic materials, including a third-out diploma at the last in August at Presque Isle Downs.
Icon Racing Stable’s Nycon was a neck-to-last in the one-mile Cash Run Jan. 1 at Gulfstream Park. The Nyquist dark bay earned a career-best 72 Beyer when she finished 4 3/4 lengths second at the same distance at Churchill Downs in November. She previously finished fourth in her seven-furlong debut in October at Keeneland, with returning rider Jaime Torres aboard for all three starts.
Nycon, a $375,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is gone from the winning Awesome Again mare Raise the Flag. Her second dam is multiple Grade 1-winning Millionaire My Flag, the influential dam of 2002 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Storm Flag Flying and stakes winner With Flying Colors. My Flag is a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Miner’s Mark and Traditionally, from an impressive family.
The Busher was scheduled to award 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top five finishers, but note that in the event a Championship Series race is run with a five-horse field, only 75 percent of the points will be awarded proportionately. In the event that a Championship Series race is run with a field of four horses or less, only 50 percent of the points will be awarded proportionately.
The Busher is scheduled as Race 2 in Saturday’s 10-race Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham card, one-turn mile and 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifier in Race 10. Also featured are the Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool, in Race 4, and the Listed $150,000 Stymie, in Race 8. The first post is 12:40 Eastern.
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