Banner day at Saratoga for Starspangledbanner and Too Darn Hot with Belmont Oaks and Derby victories

Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here

It was a banner Saturday at Saratoga for Starspangledbanner and Too Darn Hot, with the leading sires gaining new top-level winners via Kensington Lane and Title Role in the Belmont Oaks and Derby respectively. 

Kensington Lane was continuing an excellent year for her Coolmore sire, the son of Choisir having also supplied Irish 2,000 Guineas hero Gstaad and Precise, winner of the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes. 

In pulling a length and three-quarters clear of her rivals in the Belmont Oaks, the Donnacha O'Brien-trained filly became the 11th individual Group/Grade 1 winner for Starspangledbanner. 

Bred by the Almost Always Partnership, Kensington Lane is the sixth foal out of the unraced Galileo mare Almost Always and was supplying the late titan with a new top-level winner as a broodmare sire, on the same cross as Precise. 

Almost Always has also produced One Horse Town, a Threat gelding who landed a Grade 2 juvenile hurdle at Cheltenham in November for Harry Derham. 

There is plenty of stamina in the family as Almost Always is a three-parts sister to Flying Cross, a son of Sadler's Wells who finished third in the 2010 Irish St Leger. Almost Always and Flying Cross are in turn out of Ramruma, a Diesis mare who won the Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks for Sir Henry Cecil and Prince Fahd Salman.

Title Role's nose victory in the Belmont Derby saw him become Too Darn Hot's seventh individual top-flight winner. 

Previously winner of the Group 2 German 2,000 Guineas, the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained colt is one of the Dalham Hall Stud resident's 21 individual Group or Graded winners.

He was bred by Hascombe and Valiant Stud out of fellow US Graded winner Valiant Girl, a Lemon Drop Kid sister to Group 2 Hardwicke and Jockey Club Stakes winner Bronze Cannon and to Crimson Ribbon, the dam of Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami, 2026 Group 3 Bronte Cup Fillies' Stakes winner Danielle, and stakes winners Lion's Pride, Crimson Rosette and Astronomos. 

Valiant Girl is also a half-sister to Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes winner Across The Stars. 

A 90,000gns Tattersalls Book 2 graduate who subsequently sold to Jamie McCalmont for 500,000gns at last year's Craven Breeze-Up Sale, Title Role joins a high-class roll of honour among Too Darn Hot's leading progeny. 

The unbeaten champion juvenile and Sussex Stakes winner is also responsible for top-class mare Fallen Angel, Australian champion Broadsiding, fellow Australian star Tropicus, 2026 Al Quoz Sprint winner Native Approach, Bayerisches Zuchtrennen scorer Tornado Alert and Futurity Trophy winner Hotazhell. 

Read more

'My very best racing memories are with him' - Epsom hero and Treve's sire Motivator dies aged 24

No need for make believe as a late winner brings the smoke in Deauville 

'A much-loved member of the team' - Trueshan's sire and Chapel Stud stalwart Planteur dies aged 19