Cezanne’s potential as a Kentucky Derby contender will be further revealed on Thursday when the Bob Baffert-trained 3-year-old enters the Los Alamitos Race Course gate for his second career race. A $3.65 million purchase and one of the loudest buzz horses on the Kentucky Derby Trail, Cezanne is the 4/5 […]
Kentucky’s Ellis Park to Open Historic Meet with Limited Fans
Ellis Park will become the first Kentucky racetrack to allow spectators when the track opens Thursday for its summer meet. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s directive allows racetracks to admit spectators up to 50% capacity beginning Monday. The Henderson facility plans selling reserved seating to its Sky Theater, the second floor […]
Top Trainer John Sadler Fined, Suspended for Medication Violations
John Sadler, one of the top trainers on the West Coast, was fined $15,000 and suspended for 60 days for three 2019 medication violations involving his horses. The ruling, handed down by the California Horse Racing Board on Sunday, came out of a settlement agreement between the CHRB and Sadler. […]
Stephen Foster Composes Beautiful Front Line of Contenders
As marquee races go, this isn’t the Kentucky Derby. But you could do a lot worse than the Stephen Foster as the headline race of your meet, abbreviated and all. The Grade 2 Stephen Foster not only headlines Saturday’s strong 11-race, four-stakes card at Churchill Downs, it provides an enviable […]
Seeking to End Slump, Storm the Court Downshifts into Ohio Derby
Storm the Court’s 2020 season defines the term “sophomore slump,†which explains why you’re seeing the Champion 2-year-old in the starting gate for Saturday’s Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown. The consolation for Storm the Court? There are two. He gets back Flavien Prat, the West Coast’s top jockey, who […]
Honor A.P. Will Join His Sire at Stud, Breeding Rights Sold to Lane’s End
The frenzy to acquire the breeding rights of star 3-year-olds continued Friday when Kentucky’s Lane’s End Farm announced Honor A.P. will stand at stud there when his racing career ends. The Santa Anita Derby champion, Honor A.P. sits at +545 on Circa Sports’ Kentucky Derby Futures board. He is +350 […]
Favored Tom’s d’Etat Not a Revolutionary Pick in the Stephen Foster
You can’t call what Tom’s d’Etat did in the Oaklawn Mile a coup d’etat, not when he was the 4/5 favorite. Nor can you call his previous two races revolutionary. All of which explains why Tom’s d’Etat is the even-money favorite for Saturday’s Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. The Grade […]
Tiz the Law’s Breeding Rights Sold to Coolmore America’s Ashford Stud
Right on the heels of his impressive Belmont Stakes victory, Tiz the Law’s connections sold his breeding rights to Coolmore America’s Ashford Stud, where he will stand at stud upon his racing retirement. In the meantime, Tiz the Law will continue racing for current owners Sackatoga Stable. The price was […]
Kentucky Derby Will Run with Spectators, Limited Access, Strict Rules
Churchill Downs officials announced Thursday that the 146th Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will run with a limited and yet unspecified number of spectators, a decision made in consultation with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and state public health officials. In so doing, Churchill Downs is trying to make a concerted […]
Colitis Claims Latest Derby Trail Hopeful — Gouverneur Morris
In the latest illustration of the perils found along the Kentucky Derby trail, Gouverneur Morris suffered a bout of colitis that will take him out of the Sept. 5 Derby. He is expected to recover at the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in New Jersey, where he went Monday after suffering […]
Like Father, Like Son? Cafe Pharoah Qualifies for Kentucky Derby
There could be another Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Café Pharoah, a son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, captured the Group 3 Unicorn Stakes in Japan, securing enough points on Japan’s Road to the Kentucky Derby to earn a spot – should his connections claim it. […]
Record-Breaking Filly Gamine Won’t Tease the Boys at the Kentucky Derby
Gamine gets her name from a French word describing a slim, elegant young woman who is perceived to be mischievous or teasing. And her dominating victory at last Saturday’s Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park teased racing fans and media into thinking maybe she can run with the boys […]
Monmouth Park Reopens Next Week, Limited Spectators Allowed
Monmouth Park joins the American racetrack opening parade next week, announcing it will open its track and in-house William Hill sports book Thursday, July 2. What sets Monmouth Park apart from its top-tier track brethren in this COVID-19 era is that the New Jersey track will allow fans inside. Under […]
Tiz the Law Takes Sole Command of Kentucky Derby Futures Odds
Even in a backward Triple Crown year like 2020, a performance like Tiz the Law’s Belmont Stakes victory Saturday means his Kentucky Derby futures odds can go only one direction. And down they went, to +275 at Circa Sports and +250 at William Hill-Nevada. This inevitable drop from 4/1 was […]
Midnight Bisou Returns With More to Prove in Fleur de Lis
You could make a credible case that Midnight Bisou isn’t just the best filly or mare in the world, but that she’s the best horse in the world. And Midnight Bisou will further that case at Churchill Downs in Saturday’s Grade 2 Fleur de Lis. Waiting for her in a […]
Tiz the Law Rules Again, Captures 152nd Belmont Amid Falling Handle
Even with Tiz the Law passing the “Test of a Champion†with flying colors, the all-sources handle for the 152nd Belmont Stakes and its stakes-packed undercard declined by 33.7% — yet another byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic. Belmont Park normally welcomes nearly 100,000 people for Belmont Saturday, usually the first […]
Crash Survivor Namesake Nando Parrado Pulls 150/1 Royal Upset at Ascot
The horse was named for a survivor of the infamous 1972 plane crash in the Andes, which made Nando Parrado such an international celebrity that Ethan Hawke played him in the movie. And the horse Nando Parrado became an instant celebrity Saturday, becoming the biggest longshot to win a race […]
Breaking Down The 152nd Belmont Stakes, Worst To First
Yes, it’s condensed to 1 1/8 miles, instead of its typical hearty 1 ½ miles, meaning the Belmont Stakes goes from the longest Triple Crown race to the shortest. Yes, the Belmont Stakes leads off the Triple Crown season, rather than batting in the power-hitting three-hole. And yes, even in […]
Greedy for Victory, Sharing Seeks Motion’s First Royal Ascot Triumph
Graham Motion understands the complexity of what lies ahead for him and his star filly, Sharing, in Saturday’s Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. It’s one thing to beat two of Europe’s best juvenile fillies on your home turf in America. It’s quite another to tangle with some of […]
Saratoga Schedule Features 39 Stakes, Tiz the Law Expected in Travers
The New York Racing Association put one of the final Kentucky Derby Trail pieces in place on Friday, releasing its Saratoga Race Course summer stakes schedule. It puts the Grade 1 Travers Stakes on Saturday, Aug. 8, four weeks before the Kentucky Derby. That date conveniently fits Tiz the Law’s […]