Concert Tour won his debut by 3-½ lengths at Santa Anita last Friday. Other than workouts, Bezos hasn’t entered a starting gate yet. So why are both horses now among the Kentucky Derby futures favorites? Two words: Bob Baffert. Yes, the magic words for 3-year-old Derby hopefuls cast its usual […]
The Pegasus Isn’t the Only Stakes Race This Weekend
Saturday brings us the first two Grade 1 stakes races of 2021: the Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the Pegasus World Cup Turf, coming to you from Gulfstream Park. The Florida track captures this weekend’s stakes spotlight with those two high-profile races, along with five other graded stakes on its […]
Writing Santa Anita’s Morning Line Requires More than Chalk for White
By this point in his lengthy career in horse racing, which covers everything from steward to TV personality, Jon White’s skin is as tough as leather. He understands that most of you don’t understand what goes into making a racing morning line. But the saying, “Everyone’s a critic†means, well, […]
Authentic, Improbable, Monomoy Girl Head Eclipse Awards Finalists
Horse of the Year candidates Authentic, Improbable, and Monomoy Girl headline the finalists for the 2020 Eclipse Awards, announced Saturday by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), and the Daily Racing Form. The Eclipse Awards get their name from the iconic 18th-century racehorse and […]
Lecomte Stakes: Kind to Closers, Anything but to Derby Prospects
The Lecomte Stakes takes center stage this week because it’s a Kentucky Derby prep, it’s a Kentucky Derby prep run in mid-January, and because there are some interesting candidates among its 11-horse field. Eventually, the wheat separates from the chaff, and races like the Grade 3 Lecomte start the Derby […]
Ex-Derby Hopeful Wells Bayou Finds Another Trail — the Comeback
Wells Bayou put himself on last year’s Kentucky Derby Trail with an electric, front-running style comprising equal parts promise and peril. Now, the reigning Louisiana Derby winner puts himself on the comeback trail in Saturday’s Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes. The $125,000 Louisiana is one of six stakes on Saturday’s Fair […]
Charlatan, Knicks Go, and Swiss Skydiver Headline Saudi Cup Nominees
Swiss Skydiver, Charlatan and Knicks Go are three names you’d expect to find in the world’s richest race – the $20 million Saudi Cup. And those three American stars headline a lengthy nominee list for the Feb. 20 Saudi Cup. The 1 1/8-mile Saudi Cup drew 109 nominees from nine […]
Canada’s Queen’s Plate Moves to August, Stays in Late Summer
Banking on extended time allowing the COVID-19 pandemic to subside and spectators to return, Woodbine Entertainment announced the 162nd running of the Queen’s Plate will take place Sunday, Aug. 22 at Woodbine Racetrack. The first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, the $1 million Queen’s Plate is typically held at […]
Powerhouse Owner, Breeder Prince Khalid bin Abdullah Dies at 83
Tributes from all over the racing world poured in Tuesday, remembering Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, who died Tuesday of undisclosed causes. The Saudi prince and nine-time Eclipse Award winner as owner and breeder was 83. A member of the Saudi Royal Family, Prince Khalid owned Juddmonte Farms, which announced the […]
Kentucky Derby Futures: Playing the Trainer-Owner Partnership Game
Two weeks ago, we saw Kentucky Derby futures prospect Mutasaabeq impressively move from the turf to the dirt. The question this week is, can Rock Your World do the same thing? The Circa Sports Derby futures book seems to think so. It put 33/1 odds on the Candy Ride colt, […]
Independence Hall, Coastal Defense, Ride a Comet Grab Pegasus Invites
With Charlatan and Mucho Gusto passing up Pegasus invites, Independence Hall and Coastal Defense became the latest two invites for the Jan. 23, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. They’ve earned spots on the also-eligible list for the Grade 1 race. Along with that, Ride a Comet parlayed his victory […]
Baffert’s Charlatan Will Follow the Money to the Saudi Cup
In a clear case of following the money, Charlatan will pass on the Pegasus and likely set down at the Saudi Cup. That’s what trainer Bob Baffert told Santa Anita’s Ed Golden on Sunday. Following the money, in this case, takes the 4-year-old son of Speightstown to Saudi Arabia on […]
NYRA, TSG Ban Trainer Guillot Over Racist Horse Name, Twitter Reference
Both the New York Racing Association and The Stronach Group’s 1/ST Racing affiliate banned trainer Eric Guillot from racing any of his horses or reserving barn space at any of their tracks after Guillot tagged one of his horses with an apparent racially offensive name. The horse’s name was Grape […]
At 99/1, Just a Command Takes Charge of a Track Record Trifecta Payout
Just a Command was just moments away from being shipped to Arizona’s Turf Paradise. Instead, he ran into the Santa Anita Park record books as the key to the biggest trifecta payout in track history. Going off at 99/1 in Santa Anita’s sixth race Saturday, Just a Command scored a […]
Golden Gate Fields Gets Go-Ahead to Restart After COVID-19 Outbreak
Golden Gate Fields, shut down in November after a COVID-19 breakout ravaged its workforce, will resume racing Jan. 15, according to track owners, The Stronach Group. That ends a two-month shutdown of the Northern California track imposed when 24 workers initially tested positive for COVID-19. In the wake of that, […]
Monomoy Girl Starts Her ‘Monster’ Season at Oaklawn’s Bayakoa Stakes
Trainer Brad Cox called her “a monster,†but you probably know her as the best mare of her generation. Either way, Cox says you’ll see Monomoy Girl return Feb. 15 at Oaklawn Park for the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes. The $250,000, 1-1/16-mile Bayakoa marks Monomoy Girl’s 2021 opener and a […]
Seeking Horseracing’s Fastest-Growing Wagers? Take Five or Pick Six
One of the eternal allures and constant truths about betting on horses is the ability to win a lot by wagering a little. And, when it came to the most popular and fastest-growing wager types in 2020, this eternal truth manifested itself in multiples. Multiples – as in multiple-race wagers. […]
Oaklawn Park Will Allow Limited Spectators Inside for 2021 Meet
Oaklawn Park officials said Wednesday they plan on admitting limited spectators inside the gates for their 2021 meet, keeping in line with an Arkansas Department of Health directive allowing the move. The 57-day Oaklawn meet begins Jan. 22 and runs through May 1. Last year, Oaklawn was one of only […]
Defending Pegasus Champ Mucho Gusto Suddenly Retired After Injury
Illustrating once again the fragile nature of modern Thoroughbred horses, defending Pegasus World Cup champion Mucho Gusto was suddenly retired Tuesday after suffering a soft tissue injury. Bob Baffert, Mucho Gusto’s trainer, said the injury happened Tuesday. He told Horse Racing Nation that due to the nature of the injury […]