Let’s be clear about O Besos and his Kentucky Derby victory prospects upfront. This is not a victory endorsement for a closer in a race where closers’ victory hopes routinely die painfully short on the Churchill Downs stretch. O Besos has minimal tactical speed, one run in him, and an […]
A jockeys’ mutiny for Monmouth Park’s upcoming racing season is brewing after the Superior Court of New Jersey declined a request to stay the New Jersey Racing Commission’s riding crop ban. Three jockeys, including 13-time Monmouth riding champion Joe Bravo, told Thoroughbred Daily News they will not ride at Monmouth […]
While you were paying attention to the Kentucky Derby trail, Silver State was winning races. While you were paying attention to the adventures of Charlatan, Maxfield, Knicks Go, Monomoy Girl, and Swiss Skydiver, Silver State was joining them in the millionaire’s club. The 4-year-old punched his membership ticket to that […]
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships announced its 2021 Challenge Series race schedule, which features a record nine Challenge Series “Win and You’re In†races to the event’s flagship Breeders’ Cup Classic. The $6 million Classic is an All-Star race, capping the two-day, 14-race, $31 million Breeders’ Cup. This year’s Breeders’ […]
In horse racing’s version of splitting the foal in half, the Arkansas Racing Commission upheld three stewards’ rulings from the 2020 Arkansas Derby card, but rescinded drug-related disqualifications for two Bob Baffert horses — Charlatan and Gamine — running on that card. The six-vote, unanimous decision reinstates Charlatan’s first division […]
In a case that’s flipping what-have-you-done-for-me-lately on its ear, jockey Joel Rosario will replace Umberto Rispoli aboard Rock Your World for next week’s Kentucky Derby. Rock Your World’s trainer, John Sadler, discussed the decision on the Thoroughbred Los Angeles radio show on Sunday morning. He took full responsibility for the […]
Plans for horse racing’s newest female star – you know her as Letruska – remain fluid entering the week, less than 48 hours after the 5-year-old mare’s stirring Apple Blossom Handicap victory. ‘I think we’re going to take a little bit more time with her,†trainer Fausto Gutierrez told Oaklawn […]
The aptly named Sweetest Angel proved to be exactly that for one lucky Santa Anita Park Pick 6 ticket holder, winning the ninth race and bringing that lone player a $423,202.71 payoff. That came courtesy of the track’s 20-cent Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot, which pays out the jackpot pool to […]
Concert Tour, one of the Kentucky Derby futures darlings throughout the winter and early spring, will bypass the Derby and run in the Preakness Stakes. The news came via a Bob Baffert text to Churchill Downs, which announced the move in a Saturday morning press release. The Hall of Fame […]
You could make a credible case the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park is the clubhouse leader for the best race of 2021. The reason you can make that case leads you to make cases for the two principals in Saturday’s Oaklawn headliner. Even-money favorite Monomoy Girl vs. […]
The second day of The Championships – Australia’s version of the Breeders’ Cup – gives racing fans something they don’t see nearly enough of anywhere: A Battle of the Sexes. With a $4 million purse in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes as the carrot. First, a quick primer. Day […]
Kentucky Derby watchers can scratch Panadol and Rombauer off their proposed tickets, after connections for the two horses said they won’t run the May 1 Derby. Both horses had guaranteed spots. Panadol had 40 points and the supplemental Triple Crown fee behind him. Rombauer was originally outside the initial 40-point […]
The New York Racing Association revamped its Pick 6 wager for Belmont Park’s upcoming Spring/Summer Meet, returning to their traditional format. When Belmont Park’s Spring/Summer Meet begins on April 22, horseplayers will ride back to the future with a $1 Pick 6 featuring a 15% takeout. That takeout comes on […]
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo caught the New York Racing Association by surprise on Wednesday when he announced fans could return to the state’s racetracks as early as April 23. That’s one day after Belmont Park’s Spring Meet opens. According to Cuomo’s edict, attendance at the three NYRA tracks, Belmont […]
The Kentucky Derby dominoes continued to fall on Wednesday as we head toward the May 1 Run for the Roses, with Chad Brown saying he intends on running only one of his two Derby prospects — Highly Motivated or Crowded Trade — in the race. Brown told Blood-Horse that Highly […]
This is what awaited Rachael Blackmore after she became the first woman jockey to win the Grand National in the 182-year history of the world’s most famous steeplechase. A congratulatory tweet from Ringo Starr. Calls for her to receive a damehood – the female equivalent of a knighthood. Odds on […]
King Fury needs an earthquake of defections to get him in the Kentucky Derby field, but connections for the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes winner said he’s ready and waiting for a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate should one open up. “All good; we are real proud of him,†[…]
The Kentucky Derby Trail ended Saturday, which means it’s time to parse the Derby qualifying points ladder and see who’s in, who’s on the bubble, and who won’t be discussed as a Kentucky Derby starter. It took 40 points to make the top 20, the usual target number connections shoot […]
For reasons ranging from handicapping to running style to history, the Arkansas Derby is the perfect last stop on the Kentucky Derby Trail. You could dial up a better finishing prep race. But you’d second-guess yourself mid-thought and wind up back at Oaklawn Park. Yes, Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby […]
Cloth Cap won the Virtual Grand National Friday afternoon. Now, can the prohibitive favorite for the biggest race in Europe win the real thing Saturday evening? The bettors seem to think so. According to Oddschecker, they’ve unwound Cloth Cap down to 5/1 at most UK bookmakers. That lists Cloth Cap’s […]
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