You don’t usually see Wesley Ward holding court at Oaklawn Park. But the renowned trainer of younger horse carries an open secret that he hopes Happy Soul can broadcast to horseracing fans Saturday in the Listed Dixie Belle Stakes. That secret? Yes, Ward usually holds court at Keeneland or Royal […]
WIth a nod to Winston Churchill, Saturday’s Grade 2 Risen Star signals both the beginning of the end and the end of the Kentucky Derby trail’s beginning. The prelims are over and we’re now at the beginning of the win-and-you’re-in stretch of the Derby trail. That’s because the 1 1/8-mile […]
Lost in the Fair Grounds wash of Saturday’s Grade 2 Risen Star and Rachel Alexandra, two respectable preps for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, respectively, is an intriguing Grade 3 race featuring several familiar names — the Mineshaft Stakes. Wondering what happened to Derby dark-horse O Besos? He’s here. […]
Running into a stiffening headwind of opposition, The Jockey Club rescinded its controversial rule limiting the number of mares bred per stallion Thursday. The rule limiting stallions born in 2020 or later to a maximum of 140 mares in a calendar year was adopted in May 2020. The Jockey Club […]
Two familiar veteran runners pop up in this week’s New York Racing Association Cross Country Pick 5 wager, a bet encompassing races at Aqueduct, Tampa Bay Downs and Oaklawn Park. The first recognizable name for casual horseplayers and fans is Diamond Oops, who makes his 7-year-old debut in the third […]
There was a familiar look to the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) Pool 3 that emphasized the Bob Baffert factor is alive and well – and that Smile Happy doesn’t have to run to draw money. Once again, “All Other 3-Year-Olds†– a.k.a. the field – closed as the betting […]
Flightline, horse racing’s undisputed star of 2022, will miss an undetermined amount of 2022 with what is believed to be a strained right hock. The Daily Racing Form reported the news Saturday, quoting trainer John Sadler saying that while X-rays were negative, the star sprinter’s gait was “not perfectly normal.†[…]
Tampa Bay Downs’ first stop on the Kentucky Derby trail, Saturday’s Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes is one of those races where you’re best served paying more attention to the horses outside the winner’s circle. Take last year. Candy Man Rocket won the race in typical Davis fashion. He […]
An extensive necropsy performed on Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit could not determine a definitive cause of death in the late 3-year-old colt, according to a release issued by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). The CHRB’s statement said the postmortem examination of Medina Spirit, performed by five members of the […]
True to his running style, Knicks Go broke out to a big lead and proved uncatchable, capturing the Eclipse Award for 2021 Horse of the Year when the Eclipse Awards were announced Thursday night at Santa Anita Park. The now-6-year-old horse received 228 votes out a possible 235 first-place votes […]
This time last year, Lone Rock was preparing for a mid-level allowance race at Oaklawn Park. He was three months away from being claimed for $40,000 after a November race at Churchill Downs. Now, the gelding is two days away from racing for a chunk of a $600,000 purse in […]
Steve Asmussen hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to talking up Midnight Bourbon to anyone who will listen. And given what the heretofore snakebit colt has done to bettors, avid listeners are becoming harder and harder to find. “The only time he’s missed the break in his life was […]
The third of five pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) opens Friday at noon ET with the familiar “All Other 3-Year-Olds†– a.k.a. “the field†– as the 5/2 morning-line favorite. But it opened with a new co-individual favorite sharing that status with a familiar favorite. That newcomer […]
Just when owner Michael Lund Petersen sent his Champion Female Sprinter Gamine to a well-earned retirement, the Pandora Jewelry baron showcased another dominant filly to watch over the weekend — Adare Manor. The 3-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo took apart Sunday’s Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita Park […]
The foal class of 2019 sent 312 horses into nomination for this year’s Triple Crown series, a 4.3% drop from last year’s 326 nominations. That, in turn, represents a 6.1% dip from the 347 nominations from 2020. It does, however, include a record 21 horses nominated from Japan. That’s a […]
He’s currently ineligible to run in the Kentucky Derby, a factor Messier remained blissfully oblivious about on Sunday, when he destroyed his four other rivals by a record 15 lengths in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park. The fact the Bob Baffert-trained, Canadian-bred colt couldn’t […]
What you saw at last year’s Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park was one of the best Kentucky Derby preps of 2021, starting with a coming-out announcement for one colt and further validation of his talent from another. The coming-out announcement in the Grade 3 1 1/16-mile route […]
Considering what she did in her last start: win the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, Ce Ce could find Saturday’s Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita Park a bit of a comedown. But 6-year-old campaigns must start somewhere, and a small, but deep Santa Monica field isn’t […]
The Grade 3 Withers Stakes, Saturday’s New York stop on the Kentucky Derby trail, is one of those races that warrants the one-eye attention from Derby watchers curious to see if someone – anyone – can pick up the historical baton hanging out there. The 148-year-old race predates the Kentucky […]
Dale Romans was talking about his horse, Giant Game. But he spoke for all his fellow trainers in Saturday’s Grade 3 Holy Bull when he distilled the meaning of this Kentucky Derby prep. “Like we say every year, this is the time for the 2-year-olds to turn into men and grow […]
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