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Improbable’s Maida Wires the Honorable Miss

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Harry Papaleo’s homebred Maida went wire-to-wire to earn her first graded victory in the GII Honorable Miss Stakes at Saratoga Sunday. The 6-1 shot spurted out to a clear early lead, taking the field through an opening quarter in :22.20. She was under threat from favored Grand Job as the half went up in :44:95. Grand Job appeared to briefly gain a narrow advantage, but Maida battled back, put the favorite away in deep stretch and pulled away to score by 1 1/2 lengths over late-flying Haulin Ice.

“We had [the Honorable Miss] on our radar, obviously,” said winning trainer Brittany Russell. “I just wanted to see how she came out of the last one. There was a race at Colonial, but off of a big run like that we wanted to take a big swing somewhere.

“To have Bill Mott’s filly [Grand Job] come up to her, I said, ‘Well, here’s the test.’ She’s never had a horse like that come to her. When she dug in, it makes you feel pretty good.”

Maida strung together three straight victories last year, from her 9 1/2-length maiden score at Laurel in June, to an optional-claiming win at Delaware in August, and finally to an eight-length stakes triumph in the Sept. 20 Weather Vane Stakes back at Laurel. She ended 2025 with a sixth-place effort in the Oct. 18 GII Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland and she returned with a 10 1/2-length romping victory in the June 27 Alma North Stakes at Laurel last time out.

“She’s always sort of been pretty classy,” winning jockey Sheldon Russell said of Maida. “She’s done everything right. The only bad race was the Keeneland race, and for whatever happened, she didn’t get away good. If you watch the race, she still tried, it just wasn’t her day. Since she’s come back off the layoff, she’s been flawless, stronger, better, faster. I was hoping for a big run, but today was awesome.”

Sheldon Russell was celebrating his first graded stakes win at Saratoga.

“I’ll be back, definitely,” he said. “We should just run her back here. What a cool moment. We are on tired legs–I rode Colonial [Downs] yesterday, drove home [to Maryland], caught a flight here this morning. When they win, it makes it all worth it.”

Pedigree Notes:

Maida is the second graded stakes winner for her late sire, Improbable, who was euthanized in March 2024 after standing just three seasons at stud. Governor Sam also recorded his graded victory at Saratoga, taking the 2025 GIII Quick Call Stakes.

Eve Giselle, winner of the 2011 GIII Endine Stakes, has a 2-year-old half-sister to the winner by Kantharos and a weanling half-sister by Bolt d’Oro.

Sunday, Saratoga
HONORABLE MISS S. PRESENTED BY MIONETTO-GII, $250,000, Saratoga, 7-26, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.43, ft.
1–MAIDA, 122, f, 4, by Improbable
1st Dam: Eve Giselle (GSW, $288,620), by Five Star Day
2nd Dam: Captiva Cat, by Tale of the Cat
3rd Dam: Donna Says So, by Turkoman
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-G. Harry Papaleo; B-Harry
Papaleo (KY); T-Brittany T. Russell; J-Sheldon Russell.
$137,500. Lifetime Record: 7-5-0-0, $335,650. Werk Nick
   Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
   Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Haulin Ice, 122, m, 5, Coal Front–She’s Smoke, by Half Ours.
($875,000 RNA 4yo ’25 FTDNOV). O-C Two Racing Stable,
WSS Racing and Agave Racing Stable; B-Eugenia Thompson
-Benight (AR); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. $50,000.
3–Grand Job, 124, m, 5, Justify–Sure Route (GB), by Ishiguru.
($105,000 Ylg ’22 KEESEP). O-Bell Tower Thoroughbreds,
Medallion Racing and Stanton, Mark; B-Fullbury (KY);
T-William I. Mott. $30,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1, NO. Odds: 6.82, 4.73, 0.42.
Also Ran: Striker Has Dial, Kappa Kappa, Going Steady, Do Gooder.

Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV.

Back-to-back stakes wins for MAIDA as she wins the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Stakes pres. by Mionetto under @SheldonRussell1 for trainer @BTRracingstable. pic.twitter.com/8KhyPg2S33

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) July 26, 2026

The post Improbable’s Maida Wires the Honorable Miss appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Life Is Good’s Lifesong Graduates at Ellis in Career Opener

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Lifesong (Life Is Good) made the most of a sharp break and showed plenty of zip to get up in the late stages to record a debut win at Ellis on Sunday afternoon.

Despite a sharp break, Lifesong nonetheless found himself in second behind Arminius (Curlin) who carved out an opening quarter in :22.66.  About three lengths behind the free-running Arminius turning for home, Lifesong gradually reeled that rival in and rushed past late to score by 3/4 of a length. the pacesetter held on for second over Love a Warrior (Jackie’s Warrior) who was several lengths back in third. Favored Oblivion (Gun Runner), an insighted runner in Sunday’s TDN, closed late to take fourth.

With the victory, Lifesong becomes the seventh winner for his freshman sire (by Into Mischief).

The winner’s dam, Grade III winner Hard Legacy, produced a colt by Bolt d’Oro last term and followed up with a filly by Oscar Performance earlier this season. She was bred back to Mullikin.

7th-Ellis, $100,000, Msw, 7-26, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.17, ft, 3/4 length.
LIFESONG (c, 2, Life Is Good–Hard Legacy {GSW, $193,284}, by Hard Spun) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $59,512. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O-WinStar Farm LLC, CHC, Inc. & First Go Racing LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-William Walden.

steals the show with a stunning finish in R7 @EllisParkRacing.

The 2yo colt wins it for trainer William Walden and jockey @a_concepcion16.#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/KgzK9RlcBw

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 26, 2026

The post Life Is Good’s Lifesong Graduates at Ellis in Career Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Improbable’s Maida Wires the Honorable Miss

---

Harry Papaleo’s homebred Maida went wire-to-wire to earn her first graded victory in the GII Honorable Miss Stakes at Saratoga Sunday. The 6-1 shot spurted out to a clear early lead, taking the field through an opening quarter in :22.20. She was under threat from favored Grand Job as the half went up in :44:95. Grand Job appeared to briefly gain a narrow advantage, but Maida battled back, put the favorite away in deep stretch and pulled away to score by 1 1/2 lengths over late-flying Haulin Ice.

“We had [the Honorable Miss] on our radar, obviously,” said winning trainer Brittany Russell. “I just wanted to see how she came out of the last one. There was a race at Colonial, but off of a big run like that we wanted to take a big swing somewhere.

“To have Bill Mott’s filly [Grand Job] come up to her, I said, ‘Well, here’s the test.’ She’s never had a horse like that come to her. When she dug in, it makes you feel pretty good.”

Maida strung together three straight victories last year, from her 9 1/2-length maiden score at Laurel in June, to an optional-claiming win at Delaware in August, and finally to an eight-length stakes triumph in the Sept. 20 Weather Vane Stakes back at Laurel. She ended 2025 with a sixth-place effort in the Oct. 18 GII Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland and she returned with a 10 1/2-length romping victory in the June 27 Alma North Stakes at Laurel last time out.

“She’s always sort of been pretty classy,” winning jockey Sheldon Russell said of Maida. “She’s done everything right. The only bad race was the Keeneland race, and for whatever happened, she didn’t get away good. If you watch the race, she still tried, it just wasn’t her day. Since she’s come back off the layoff, she’s been flawless, stronger, better, faster. I was hoping for a big run, but today was awesome.”

Sheldon Russell was celebrating his first graded stakes win at Saratoga.

“I’ll be back, definitely,” he said. “We should just run her back here. What a cool moment. We are on tired legs–I rode Colonial [Downs] yesterday, drove home [to Maryland], caught a flight here this morning. When they win, it makes it all worth it.”

Pedigree Notes:

Maida is the second graded stakes winner for her late sire, Improbable, who was euthanized in March 2024 after standing just three seasons at stud. Governor Sam also recorded his graded victory at Saratoga, taking the 2025 GIII Quick Call Stakes.

Eve Giselle, winner of the 2011 GIII Endine Stakes, has a 2-year-old half-sister to the winner by Kantharos and a weanling half-sister by Bolt d’Oro.

Sunday, Saratoga
HONORABLE MISS S. PRESENTED BY MIONETTO-GII, $250,000, Saratoga, 7-26, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.43, ft.
1–MAIDA, 122, f, 4, by Improbable
1st Dam: Eve Giselle (GSW, $288,620), by Five Star Day
2nd Dam: Captiva Cat, by Tale of the Cat
3rd Dam: Donna Says So, by Turkoman
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-G. Harry Papaleo; B-Harry
Papaleo (KY); T-Brittany T. Russell; J-Sheldon Russell.
$137,500. Lifetime Record: 7-5-0-0, $335,650. Werk Nick
   Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
   Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Haulin Ice, 122, m, 5, Coal Front–She’s Smoke, by Half Ours.
($875,000 RNA 4yo ’25 FTDNOV). O-C Two Racing Stable,
WSS Racing and Agave Racing Stable; B-Eugenia Thompson
-Benight (AR); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. $50,000.
3–Grand Job, 124, m, 5, Justify–Sure Route (GB), by Ishiguru.
($105,000 Ylg ’22 KEESEP). O-Bell Tower Thoroughbreds,
Medallion Racing and Stanton, Mark; B-Fullbury (KY);
T-William I. Mott. $30,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1, NO. Odds: 6.82, 4.73, 0.42.
Also Ran: Striker Has Dial, Kappa Kappa, Going Steady, Do Gooder.

Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV.

Back-to-back stakes wins for MAIDA as she wins the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Stakes pres. by Mionetto under @SheldonRussell1 for trainer @BTRracingstable. pic.twitter.com/8KhyPg2S33

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) July 26, 2026

The post Improbable’s Maida Wires the Honorable Miss appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Life Is Good’s Lifesong Graduates at Ellis in Career Opener

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Lifesong (Life Is Good) made the most of a sharp break and showed plenty of zip to get up in the late stages to record a debut win at Ellis on Sunday afternoon.

Despite a sharp break, Lifesong nonetheless found himself in second behind Arminius (Curlin) who carved out an opening quarter in :22.66.  About three lengths behind the free-running Arminius turning for home, Lifesong gradually reeled that rival in and rushed past late to score by 3/4 of a length. the pacesetter held on for second over Love a Warrior (Jackie’s Warrior) who was several lengths back in third. Favored Oblivion (Gun Runner), an insighted runner in Sunday’s TDN, closed late to take fourth.

With the victory, Lifesong becomes the seventh winner for his freshman sire (by Into Mischief).

The winner’s dam, Grade III winner Hard Legacy, produced a colt by Bolt d’Oro last term and followed up with a filly by Oscar Performance earlier this season. She was bred back to Mullikin.

7th-Ellis, $100,000, Msw, 7-26, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.17, ft, 3/4 length.
LIFESONG (c, 2, Life Is Good–Hard Legacy {GSW, $193,284}, by Hard Spun) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $59,512. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O-WinStar Farm LLC, CHC, Inc. & First Go Racing LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-William Walden.

steals the show with a stunning finish in R7 @EllisParkRacing.

The 2yo colt wins it for trainer William Walden and jockey @a_concepcion16.#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/KgzK9RlcBw

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 26, 2026

The post Life Is Good’s Lifesong Graduates at Ellis in Career Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.