Canadian Hall of Fame trainer JOSIE CARROLL sent out impressive debut winner CHAOS AGENT at Gulfstream Park on Thursday, February 5, for owner Pin Oak Stable. Chaos Agent (Independence Hall) swept around rivals in the 1 1/16 mile race on Tapeta and went on to a 1 1/2 length debut win in 1:43.65. Heavily-favoured Scope was second and it was more than 11 lengths back to the third-place finisher. Chaos Agent, ridden by Jorge Ruiz, was 11-to-1.
Chaos Agent, bred in Kentucky by James Paliafito and Joe Adams, had been working in impressive fashion at Woodbine last summer with Carroll. The colt was put away from July to September and then returned to steady training. Recently, he had been working well with graded-stakes-placed stablemate Megalodon at Palm Meadows Training Center.
On the same afternoon, Ontario-bred three-year-old filly PRIVATE DEBBIE won her maiden in a $110,000 race at Oaklawn Park for trainer Steve Asmussen. Owned by L and N Racing and Clarke Brewster, Private Debbie (Army Mule – Diannecantretire by Tale of the Cat) was making her first start of 2026 and third career start. She won the six-furlong dash by a head in 1:12 at 17-to-1.
Private Debbie was bred by Doncaster, Ontario’s FrostFire Thoroughbreds and sold by Sue Foreman as a 2024 yearling at the Fasig Tipton Saratoga sale for $300,000 for the breeder.
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The two Ontario-breds who were made eligible for the American Triple Crown series are the recent debut winning filly BELLE OF THE BARN (Street Sense) and the California-based gelding GHOSTWRITTEN, who was third in his career debut at Santa Anita on January 23. Ghostwritten, trained by Tim Taketeen for George Sharp, had Kazushi Kimura on board when he was an even third in the 6 1/2 furlong sprint and he earned a 71 Beyer Speed Figure.
Ghostwritten is by Ghostzapper from Woodbine Oaks winner Dixie Moon and his breeders are Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry.
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Woodbine trainers STEVEN CHIRCOP and BILL THARRENOS sent out winners at Charles Town and Gulfstream recently. Chircop won with the Mitole filly Georgia Rain on Feb. 4 and Tharrenos won with Velvet Rage for owner Frank Russo a week earlier.
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Woodbine’s leading rider of 2025, RAFAEL HERNANDEZ, has moved his tack from Fair Grounds to Turfway Park for the remainder of that track’s winter meeting.
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