After riding Baaeed to his ninth consecutive victory, Jim Crowley was in awe. After watching his charge capture the Group 1 Sussex Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths, trainer William Haggas was relieved. These are the reactions perfection — and the tightrope navigating that entails in horse racing — bring out […]
Creative Minister was good enough to hit the board in the second leg of the Triple Crown and good enough to earn a spot in the third leg of the Triple Crown. Now, we’ll see what he can do against easier competition in Friday’s restricted Curlin Stakes at Saratoga. The […]
Even putting aside undefeated favorite Baaeed, who comes into Wednesday’s Group 1 Sussex Stakes at 8-for-8, the depth in this Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race is so pronounced that trainer Charlie Appleby can replace one major contender with a Breeders’ Cup champion. Appleby has that luxury, courtesy of Modern Games. […]
The first weekend of racing at Del Mar put to rest the fallacy that West Coast racing is synonymous with small fields and weak handles. Instead, Del Mar clocked record handles and field sizes that are the envy of any North American track. The seaside track north of San Diego set […]
Turns out, nine furlongs was a bridge too far for previously unbeaten Jack Christopher, And the 3/5 odds he left the Monmouth Park gate carrying for Saturday’s Grade 1 Haskell Stakes were nowhere near his realistic chances for winning. This explains his third-place finish behind 7/1 Cyberknife and 2/1 Taiba. […]
New York Racing Association stewards ruled Sunday’s seventh race at Saratoga a No Contest due to a mechanical issue with the starting gate tractor. That mechanical issue created a delay in removing the gate once the field started the race. The outriders communicated to the jockeys there was a problem. […]
This time, Nest finished the job. There would be no yielding to her rival, Secret Oath. There would be nothing but vapor trails and dirt for Secret Oath and the rest of Saturday’s Grade 1 CCA Oaks field to absorb. Now, after Nest bludgeoned her rivals by 12 ¼ lengths […]
Clairiere and Malathaat share the same sire (Curlin) and the same breeder (Stonestreet Stables), so it’s only natural the two 4-year-old fillies share the same stage for the sixth time in Sunday’s Grade 2 Shuvee Stakes at Saratoga. As rivalries go, this one took a while. But these two ride […]
Cyberknife not only left the heralded Haskell Stakes duel between Jack Christopher and Taiba in the dust, he left both horses behind – along with the Monmouth Park track record for 1 1/8 miles. Also left behind was Jack Christopher’s aura of invincibility, along with Chad Brown’s chances of sweeping […]
The buzz horse in Saturday’s Grade 1 Haskell Stakes is definitely Jack Christopher. The buzz trainer – as he usually is in high-profile 3-year-old races – is Bob Baffert who brings in 7/5 morning line favorite Taiba. So when the starting buzzer goes off in the 1 1/8-mile Haskell, who’s […]
There are actually five horses in Saturday’s featured Grade 1 CCA Oaks at Saratoga. But do not let yourself get bogged down by numbers. Let yourself get bogged down by details. Because this year’s CCA Oaks marks only the third time in the last 25 years the top-two finishers from […]
Consider Saturday’s Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot a European preview to November’s Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland. And consider it a meeting of some of the best turf runners in the world: European Division. Which is appropriate, given the winner of this 1 1/2-mile jaunt […]
In case you forgot how good United Nations Stakes favorite and defending champion Tribhuvan can be when he’s given the lead, the 6-year-old gelding provided you with another lesson on Belmont Stakes day last month. The French-bred son of Toronado outran his foes and outran his 19/1 odds, going gate-to-wire […]
The Grade 1 Haskell Stakes, its Grade 1 turf undercard United Nations, and a salty Grade 3 filly turf sprint finale at Saratoga headline this week’s New York Racing Association Cross Country Pick 5. This week’s Cross Country Pick 5 features stakes races coming from Monmouth Park, Saratoga, and Canada’s […]
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships announced Thursday it will bring the Breeders’ Cup back to Santa Anita Park for a record 11th time in 2023. That milestone for the Southern California track also signifies the 40th running of the Breeders’ Cup. The 2023 Breeders’ Cup will take place on Friday, […]
This time last year, Caravel was about to win the Grade 3 Caress Stakes for owner/trainer Elizabeth Merryman. Coming out of that victory, her third consecutive score, Caravel was about to go to Bobby Flay. The celebrity chef and racing aficionado bought a majority share of the filly before that […]
Del Mar opens its 83rd season of racing Friday with boosted purses, the customary opening-day sellout crowd, and a sellout field of 14 for the meet’s first feature, the Oceanside Stakes. Lost to history and time is the Hollywood flavor the seaside track enjoyed from the moment Bing Crosby took […]
Like any rock star worth his paycheck, Gun Runner is taking his act on the road. The leading second-crop sire in North America will breed a limited number of Southern Hemisphere mares during the Down Under breeding season. Thoroughbred Daily News reported that Gun Runner will stand for $75,000 US/AUS $109,700. […]
When Del Mar begins its 83rd summer season on Friday, it will do so with one notable change in its wagering menu: an extra mandatory payout day for its Rainbow Pick 6. That brings to three the number of mandatory payout days for the wager, which requires horseplayers to hit […]
One day after Chad Brown racked up the Diana Stakes superfecta, he discussed his barn’s new MO acquiring horses, where Preakness Stakes winner Early Voting is running next and what’s next for his other two standout sophomores: Zandon and Jack Christopher. You’ll see Early Voting next in the July 30 […]
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